eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee im gonna rant about some bg3 stuff bc i finally did astarions quest and

OKAYYYY so yesterday i finally killed cazador with astarion and i let him perform the ritual so now hes a vampire ascendant :) and he turned my pc into his vampire spawn LMAOOOOO everyone on reddit was talking shit about this route but actually i kinda love it like this is exactly what i was hoping for when i started the game and the fact larian actually allows it to happen makes me happy 😭❤️ like idk to me thats so in character for astarion, he would pull some shit like this. thats why i love him, hes toxic. hes yandere coded ☝🏻

So I saw your request post and go so excited cause got some reason Astarion was on me *almost immediately* I got the bite scene very early on, hadn't found the boar or anything, it was maybe even the first long rest if I remember correctly, got the first sex scene early and we've been falling over each other into romance since. I'm really interested in how you would write Astarion very swiftly having a *its her, I want her* moment upon meeting the Tav and then realizing he's fucked himself over by getting involved because he's falling hard and fast. If it helps to write anything, my Tav is a half drow, and she's very sweet but plays along with basically all of his bullshit. I love your writing and I'm obsessed with how you write Astarion.

That is very cute! However, I do remind everyone I write this as a reader that fairly can be pictured as anyone.

But i will say I love dark elves they hit different! Lol

Rated T

It doesn't happen immediately. He fights against it naturally, the painful memory of when he had let his heart be his guide fresh like an open wound, festering. There are plenty of those in his mind, they stop him from realizing he is repeating the same song and dance he has used on targets to feed Cazador.

The warmth of the sun mixed with the lingering warmth of you on his skin. He held back, distant, but aware of how gentle you had touched him.

Nothing rushed, you made clear boundaries, and you showed him where and how to slow down.

Funny, there wasn't true sex per se or rather the sex he is used to. It will be something he will think about when alone as he plotted. He needs you, needs you on his side, and protects him. Instinctual, easier to use muscle memory than try a different approach; after all, he still tasted your body.

Strange.

He looks forward to another night, after the celebration and his secret is revealed. You understood and offered to let him feed on you as he needed. A sense of control as you allow him to say when he needs it. The night is spent stargazing, you tell him about home, about something he doesn't understand, then you show him a neat trick.

You want his attention but in a way to get to know him rather than know how he moans.

"Astarion." Smiling brightly.

He likes you, likes you enough to make him want to flee, for this is new and something he will have to process. Not go with practiced lines or plots.

missy's tips for honour mode :) (it's very long I'm sorry) (oh and here be many spoilers) (but pictures too!)

please note I am not a pro gamer or anything. I sucked so bad when I first started this game (I had no idea wtf I was doing). Like seriously. I didn't know what an action was. what a bonus action was. "No movement left". WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO MOVEMENT LEFT. I had played DnD once before.

I literally bought this game because of Astarion.

I usually play one game and that is Overwatch. the only other time I stopped playing OW was to play Resident Evil: Village because of Lady D. vampire marketing works on me. specifically evil vampire. damn u Neil and Maggie.

if you have any questions about a specific boss or something feel free to ask! I didn't fight everyone though - like I did not do House of Grief because I didn't need to and also it's hard :)

I think a lot of it just came on down to...

ANYWAY. letsa go! this is very rambling!

Like I said in my reply to anon, the best tip is to do tactician FIRST. You’ll get destroyed otherwise. I didn’t finish my tactician run but I did get to act 3 and I did most boss fights (Gortash, Raphael, Cazador). Bosses have legendary actions in tactician and it’s fucking annoying. All the homies hate radiant retort….

Another tip is fucking collect everything. It’s hard to get gold and certain potion ingredients later on. Potion of Speed (you need hyena ears for this) is the BEST. I used them for my Ketheric fight (second phase) and killed him in three turns. I also used them for the final fight and used one or two with Raphael and Orin.

Smokepowder Barrels. I think people call this Barrelmancy? I didn't use them much. I hoarded them for one reason and one reason only.

To blow Raphael.

His soul pillar towers that is. To blow up his pillars. His big long pillars.

Okay I'm done.

(also I did use three in my last fight against the brain - popped them next to it and blew 'em up) Elixir of Bloodlust - sooooo handy with Astarion!

Invisibility Potion is a must - I used this to escape fights when three people were deaded (this happened a few times😅) and get my good friend Withers to bring them back.

bonus tip: don't go into a fight with half your spell slots because you think "she'll be right". she won't be...as seen above

HOLY FUCK WITHERS. You can pickpocket Withers. I used Astarion to get our money back anytime I resurrected, changed class or got a hireling - he doesn’t care if you fail either, just keep trying.

DON'T BE DUMB LIKE MISSY Don't be like me, don't half pay attention in cut scenes and accidentally press the wrong dialogue option. Or else your good friend Lae'zel will turn on you and you will have A Bad Time.

Gale has a stressful day💗

The githyanki are scary and actually now that I think about it, those were usually the fights I had to run away from like a leetle biatch.

Halsin has a stressful day 💗

I forgot that Psionic Backlash is like a thing that does damage and that if your entire worm filled party does it and the person you are casting is at like...say 19 health...they will die because that is not Passive Damage.

And then Jaheira will leave because you murdered her friend.

Oopsie.

(I lost Shart, Lae'Zel and Jaheira in this run) GENERAL STUFF

Always surprise the enemy if you can, it’s a massive advantage!

Get the eye from Volo. This run was not about looking pretty, it was about getting any advantage I could get. Let that man poke out your eyeball. And make sure it’s your Tav, you will mostly likely swap companions and it’s just better if it’s you. It's helpful in a lot of fights but especially Auntie Ethel

Become half illithid. I did this with my Tav, Gale and Minthara. Astarion was a little bitch about it so I didn’t give it to him but I wish I had made him do it.

She looks Not Great but she can fly (sorry Astarion but Z'hera only likes pussy)

Being able to fly is just SO helpful and cull the weak is OP! Also mmmmm worms :)

MY BUILD/PARTY

A Giant Woman (my tiefling) as a Paladin - Oath of Vengeance.

I broke my oath when I ascended Astarion but you can just get it back. Oathbreaker is still good (that’s what I was in my tactician run) but I wanted my channel divinity charges. I started with the Everburn Blade from the cambion Commander Zhalk on the Nautaloid (when you get Shart, give her the Command Spell and use “Drop” so you can just yoink it off him and save a fight). My final weapon was the Nyrulna which you can get in Act 3 at the Circus. To get this you must pickpocket the genie to take his ring and then play his game. He will accuse you of cheating and send you somewher. The prize at the end is this weapon. I love it. I just went invisible and walked through, I didn’t fight the creatures there.

Astarion - the classic gloomstalker/assasin. I had one level assasin and then did 6 levels ranger before going back to assassin. So he was 6 levels in each. With him ascended, he does INSANE damage. I never swap out that vamp, he’s too useful.

Shart/Minthara - I lost Shart in the Shadowfell - wouldn't let her murder Dame Aylin.

a simpler time. before I killed my beloved and my brain was full of worms.

I had to fight her (it was very sad). I changed her class to Life of Domain Cleric. I then made Minthara my cleric when Shart died (same build). She replaced my lover and my cleric <3

i love my new evil girlfriend

Gale - Evocation Wizard so I didn’t change him at all!

he's so hopeful. and Z'hera is very gay.

TIPS FOR POTIONS

If it’s throwable (like invisibility) group the gang together to throw one on the ground to get you all - saves using multiple.

Potion of Speed has an effect called lethargic that is active for one round after the potion ends. This means you miss a turn. HOWEVER! If you drink another one on the last active round of the potion, your Tav will become lethargic immediately and next round you’ll be fine :) I did this for the Ketheric fight.

It’s also helpful (because of lethargic) to not have all characters take the potion in the same round (if you give it to everyone). I never did, I usually gave them to Gale and my Tav.

I hoarded so many scrolls. I had so many dimension door scrolls at the end.

I did get the Necromancy of Thay and did all the things. And then I never used it :)

BIGGEST TIP ONCE YOU'VE UNLOCKING LEVEL 6 SPELL SLOT WITH CLERIC (ALSO AVAILABLE WITH DRUID)

I saw this on reddit! Pretty much what I did was get a hireling - Cleric - and have that Cleric cast Heroes' Feast on my party.

The affected entity is immune to Diseases, Poisons, and being Frightened, it makes all Wisdom Saving throws with Advantage, and its maximum Hit Points are increased by 12

Lasts until long rest!! I also then cast Freedom of Movement on everyone in the party. I then cast Warding Bond on someone - usually Gale because he's a squishy boy :) If I knew it was a BIG FIGHT! I got another Cleric to cast Warding Bond on another party member.

you can see Heroes' Feast (the condition is called Thoroughly Stuffed) and Freedom of Movement. These all last until long rest!

Pretty much any other companions were respeced as Cleric (though I made Jaheira a Wizard same as Gale so I could use her). I did this so that I could use Divine Intervention multiple times within the game!

I used Opulent Revival and nothing else

KEEP IN MIND.

anything can kill you in honour mode. even an elevator.

it crushed me. somehow.

thanks Larian

(if you want proper guides definitely go to Reddit!)

How does isekaied Luthor get along with his companions?

Oh boy, it's gonna be a long one. I'm gonna make a list in order of appearance.

First, let me tell you that for ALL the companions, Lex WILL adapt his personality to be sure they will stay by his side. Because he's a manipulative bitch. But I guess everyone knew that already.

Lae'zel : She's an alien. And an alien from a species that tries to conquer the galaxy. So of course Lex first reaction to her and her people was not particularly friendly. But the fact she get things done, she's strong and efficient, made him quickly change his mind. He realized she was a very helpful asset. He also started asking questions about her people, to learn more about them because he's a giant nerd. Lae'zel quickly showed an interest in him: Lex is strong, charismatic (16 in charisma helps), smart and pragmatic, so of course she fell hard for him. And since it was just about sex and no feelings attached, Lex went with it. Lex still would betray Lae'zel if she wasn't enough of an asset for him anymore though. Lucky for her, she is pretty useful. He made sure to make her see what her Queen really was. And I think Lae'zel would now follow him until the end of times.

Shadowheart : Yes, Lex saved her on the mindflayer ship. For the same reason that he agreed to take all the others with him: he is aware he needs all the help he can get. So he opened her pod, hoping she could prove useful or throw her on a mindflayer to be able to escape. Fortunately, she was useful. The main issue is that Shadowheart tends to trust the wrong kind of persons, as you must know. And Lex is no exception. He did try many times to steal the artifact from her but failed. The fact she was avoiding telling the truth, though, that annoyed Lex pretty badly. When she finally revealed who she was, he at first was sceptical about her religion, but eventually showed great interest in Shar (you know, the whole "hope is pointless" was the moment he decided her religion wasn't so bad). Since Shadowheart was used to people hating on her cult, she was pleasantly surprised and well... let's just say she likes Lex. She approves his decisions most of the time and regrets hiding the truth from him since he's so trustworthy and comprehensive (lol). I think deep down she knows who he really is... but in the full meaning of it. She sees a broken man who will fight until the end to get what he wants. I think she pities him in some way.

Astarion : I was actually not that surprised when I realized Astarion and Lex wouldn't get along really well. Sure, Astarion approves Lex's decisions most of the time. But he still disapproves when Lex asks him to fuck off. Which is pretty often. For Lex, Astarion is annoying and clearly tries way too hard to get his nose into Lex's business. Also, the fact he hid he was a vampire. I wouldn't say Lex hates him, though. They have a relationship that looks more like siblings bickering. Astarion likes to mess with Lex and Lex likes to remind Astarion who's boss and who's the man who gave his blood so Astarion could finally be useful. I think maybe Astarion doesn't trust Lex because he reminds him too much of Cazador.

Gale : Ha. Gale. Poor darling. He really was right when he told Lex that he made him worse. Lex has a very bad influence on Gale. And Gale knows it. But he also knows he has no choice but to follow Lex to survive. He really is the one companion I'm truly sad about. He knew from the beginning that Lex was bad news but he went with it anyway. They both try to be civil with one another. Lex is a very good student to Gale and always listen to him when he talks about magic. Because for Lex, magic is science unexplained. And he's dying to find an explanation.

Wyll : Lex tried his best to manipulate Wyll. Only to fail again and again. Wyll isn't dumb, he sees clearly that Lex isn't a hero but is a selfish bastard with too much ambition. Lex thinks Wyll is an annoying goody two-shoes. When Wyll left after they attacked the emerald grove, Lex was relieved.

Karlach : Lex and Karlach didn't interact much. Lex did try to manipulate her as well but she too left camp after they attacked the emerald grove.

Minthara : She and Lex are adorable. In a creepy kinda way. That's all I'm gonna say for now because I will post screenshots of them later I think.

Halsin : Believe it or not, Halsin is still alive. He reminded Lex too much of Clark to be able to kill him from the get go. So Lex made sure the goblins already left the place when he rescued Halsin. Of course, Lex lied and didn't tell him he was with the goblins at the time. Halsin left, trying to reach the grove in time. Lex told him: "good luck". Maybe he did have luck because Lex didn't find Halsin on the battleground. He's hoping Halsin left and is still alive somewhere.

That's it for now. It may evolve as I progress into the game.

Official Fuck Raphael/Hope Appreciation Post

Okay, so this is probably going to upset people but I don't care. I'm real sick of this "Raphael is so hot" BS. Like, firstly, that man is MID at best. Secondly, are we not gonna talk about the fact this man is a certified abuser in every sense of the word? Like, sure he's sweet-talking and clever (most abusers are imo). Newsflash: real monsters are rarely people you find unattractive!!!

What really grinds my gears is that you can stumble on Raphael making a deal with a literal child re: my sweet baby Mol and people are like, "but he's hot though". You can walk through his fucking house filled with all the poor bastards who never stood a chance making a deal with him, stuck forever being punished for their "sins", and people will be like, "Omg, my little cringe man" like??? (Holy god, that whole quest fucked so hard with my religious trauma.)

But if not the BIGGEST fucking red flag for this public adoration of Raphael is how he's treated Hope. It's like to them, she doesn't even exist!! Like, my girl has been stuck in that House of Horrors for gods know how long, still refusing to give into his charms and his sweetly worded promises of power (unlike Korilla, who gladly abuses her sister for Raphael). And Hope helps you because for once, she finally sees a way out. The personal notes kept by Raphael on Hope's torment that you can find throughout the house are difficult to read: he tried to break her in the most insidious of ways. He was physically, emotionally, and mentally abusive to her, purely for his pleasure. Purely for the reason that he finds it amusing that he can literally torment Hope in hell.

I get that we don't have to morally approve of every character we like! For comparison on liking "bad" characters, say what you want about Astarion -- He's not a great guy! He's done some pretty bad shit! BUT he was FORCED to do all of those things by Cazador. (Also, kindly fuck the Cazador apologists, seriously.) Astarion's jaded selfishness is not who he really is, which is slowly revealed when you show respect for his personal autonomy and literally the smallest amount of kindness, whether or not you romance him. Raphael, on the other hand, wants to hurt people because it feeds into his "Daddy Mephistopheles didn't give me enough attention" superiority complex -- and tbh, that's just fucking pathetic.

The REAL OG who you all should be praising is Hope.

She has been tormented for centuries. She has been victimized by her own flesh and blood for her abuser. She has been shattered and ground down into her smallest pieces until there's almost nothing left… and yet, she hopes. She hopes for freedom. She hopes that her sister will return to being the person she so fondly remembers from her childhood. She hopes she can trust you, in spite of everything she's been through. Not to mention, when you do free her, Hope is literally one of the most badass companions you can have to help you win that fight! (For all these reasons and more, she reminds me a bit of my other fav girl Karlach.)

The reason Raphael delights in torturing Hope is because hope is a dangerous thing to have when all seems lost -- and that's the entire fucking point. This scared shitless little man sought to bend Hope to his will because her persistence/resistance threatened him, and by the gods, she is my favorite NPC because of that.

As someone who has been abused, by other people, by insidious ideologies, I can never ever, ever side with someone who so clearly mimics the very things that tried to break me and kill what remained of my hope. I see myself in Hope. Her indecision, her fear, as she dares to believe freedom is a possibility. The way her dialogue is delivered (much kudos to her voice actor) directly mimics that same scared voice in my head that second guesses myself, that worries I am not enough, that my abusers were right, that I wasn't ever deserving of happiness or being alive -- and then that same scared voice cuts through it all and screams to survive out of spite, to live happily as the best form of revenge.

Again, I get that we don't have to morally approve of every character we like! I totally understand it -- but I also want you all to expend some critical thinking as to perhaps WHY so many people are fawning over a man who is so clearly is a thinly veiled piece of shit over a woman who dared to challenge him, suffered for it, and emerged victorious.

Hope is fucking amazing. She is a gods-damned survivor. She is fury and vengeance and sorrow and joy all at once. She stays in hell to help the other souls tormented and abused by Raphael. She asks that you visit her some time. She strives to create a home of out the house that was her prison… and truly, I hope every day to be more like her.

Astarion: Oh gods, it can't be... Chessa: It is you. I knew it! Chessa: I'll kill you! Once I get out of here I'LL KILL YOU! Kyvir: You're the children from the monster hunter's camp? Chessa: Camp... monster hunters... the Gur camp? Oh gods - my parents' camp! Chessa: Chessa, focus. Resist the beast inside you. You promised! Astarion: It's your fault. You did this to us. Chessa: Didn't he tell you? He's the one that kidnapped us. He's the reason we're spawns. I'LL KILL YOU. Astarion: Ah. Ah-hah... yes, now that you mention it, I may have done... that. Astarion: Don't look at me like that - Cazador's orders. Astarion: Quite the deviation from my usual routine, of course. Capture, not lure. I didn't bring them in with sweetrolls or anything. Astarion: I really forgot about them, felt nothing the moment I handed them over to him.

Ah, the consequences of Astarion's actions continuing to catch up to him. I love how it's like... at this point we know Cazador was turning the people his spawn brought to him into spawn for the ritual, but Astarion at least doesn't seem to fully put together that that includes the Gur children he captured until he sees them. Either that or he was trying not to think about it, which is... understandable. Also, poor Chessa fighting so hard to keep it together... I wish you could do more for the spawn than free them and send them off to the Underdark.

It's really interesting seeing Astarion jumping back and forth between blaming himself and blaming Cazador re the imprisoned spawn situation. When talking to Sebastian and discussing the general spawn situation with the player he's quick to accept the blame; if you're romancing him and tell him he would've killed you if he'd met you back then he agrees he would've killed you rather than saying it would've been Cazador. But here he goes for "Cazador's orders" the moment the player gives him a look, and the "Ah, haha, I may have... done that yes" thing is very different from him immediately acknowledging what he did to Sebastian. I wonder if it's because these are children? It's one (horrible) thing to lure adults back to your master with pretty words and sex; it's something else to kidnap a bunch of children with the full expectation of them being drained dry. Even though Astarion's culpability is the same in both cases (obligatory "fuck Cazador"), it feels different.

hello im back (that anon who cant play bg3 herself but needs to Explode dekarios-style over her tav and astarion)

i wrote a full ask for axelias backstory to provide context but then i realized how long the ask would get . so here i am with half of what i need to rant over AJSJSJA

ANYWAYS axelia (my rogue tiefling who was a street urchin) and astarion are absolutely enemies to lovers in the same way shadowheart and lae'zel would be enemies to lovers !! they initially hate each other w a Passion but thats before they realize how eerily similar they are w their experiences and outlooks, and how the other can only really begin to understand why they behave the way they do

initially axelia hates astarion bc she has Issues with political figures (the start of her Trauma is bc of one bribed politician that fucked her already poor family over .) and while she wouldnt admit it easily she had a bias AJSJAJAJJ the only thing she really cared about when she got out of the nautiloid was to get back to her younger sister (hope). astarion would pick up on the friction pretty quickly and sass her right back the most to the point where its honestly a routine for them to fight and the only thing missing is either of them copying shadowheart and laezel w the blade at the throat

however. axelia got to know more about astarion beyond his facade . what really was the first thing that made her empathize w This One Of All People is how they both really dont trust/like ppl who display themselves as a lawful hero AJSJAJJAJ she grew up as a street urchin who was forced into that position bc of a guy who pretended to be good, and nobody would help her, a starving dirty tiefling child whos providing for both her and her sister, without smth in return ? so yeah no she Fucking Gets It .

time passes on and she develops an old married couple dynamic w astarion AJJSJSJA like still bickering but more lighthearted as they learn to empathize more w each other. fast forward to him trying to seduce her for the first time and it was a "might as well happen" thing for her KWNRKSJAJA she felt comfy enough that she didnt see any reason to refuse, and she didnt want to admit it at the time but she was def growing more unironically fond of him and his company

the more she hears about astarions story the more she gets furious for him and determined to show him that there are people who will fight for him . its the protective kind of love that axelia doesnt even realize is whats happening. she just knows that above all else, cazador needs to Die and she'd be willing to risk her own safety just to help astarion see it through

by this time theyre in a relationship w no labels AJJSAAA basically act 2 relationship. theyre both not exactly sure what they are to each other but they both know they can rely on the other to actually Give A Shit about them. while they both still love to argue and Disrespect each other its the fun kind where they definitely know its just banter at this point that they can easily use to team up on the others <33

act 3 comes and while axelia also gets the fear behind astarion wanting to ascend so badly she also knows that thats not a decision hed be too proud of if he could see the consequences now AJSJAJAJ so ofc spawn route <33

this is already a super long ask and i apologize for that but thats roughly how i see them progressing if i could acrually play the game </3 i have more Thoughts but ill shut up for now AJSJSJAJA but thank you for reading all that if ever <33

-✨️ (new anon !)

SPARKLY NONNIE U HAVE MADE MT ENTIRE DAT KNOW THIS

axelia sounds like a fucking Deligjt and i empathize SO HARD. with distrusting political figures. astarion says magistrate and i tense up like a scared cat

it mustve been like whiplash for axelia tho!! him first acting all posh and haughty and “im a magistrate i put away trouble makers i do it sooooo often its boooooring to talk about” and then. hes like okay so if u had to die. how would u want to die. are u cool if i just like drain the baddies we kill. can i please please pleeeease open this door to creatures fucking i wanna see what they look like and make fun of them. like this little fop being the most bastard gremlin of a man is everything to me

honestly playful bickering is So Important to me like if u cant chat the shit with your partner, if you cant make fun of yourself with and for them its just boring imo.

i wonder—how does she begin to start opening up to him as well? like is there a specific catalyst do u think? like i feel like her having a protective anger over astarion would make him be like ????we are barely more than strangers why do—oooooooooohhhhh you have siblings. dont you (disdainfully)

idk im just throwing shit at the wall bht im adoring this i reallt hope ur able to make it a reality sooner!!!!!!

If your astarion ended up in baulders gate would it be much different from og Astarion?

Oh yeah. Drastically. This is if he is somehow yoinked from his special little universe with his brothers and slapped down in this Toril for some reason. If you have any other ideas, let me know.

Our Astarion is much more... well, put into two words, confident and evil. He'd argue that he's not evil and that morality is banal, but he's definitely some type of evil, to put it quickly and without a complete psychological breakdown of his brain. He can be cruel in the OG Baldur's Gate 3 to be certain, but a lot of that stems from his fear and bitterness. Our Astarion has no fear. He's just a dick.

He's not going to seduce someone to make himself feel safe like he would in the original. He's very much capable of keeping himself safe. If he's seducing someone, it's because he has taken an interest in them and believes he can manipulate them into being his little plaything to keep him nice and full (and empty) and happy (just a bonus he doesn't have to share with the bastads hehe.) There's not going to be a lot of those tender, beautiful honest moments with this Astarion. He does not have the vulnerabilities that the other Astarion does. He.. um... worked past them already.

Finding out Cazador is alive in this universe would elate him. You mean he gets to kill him again? And he can be more sadistic this time? Oh, he would have a field day. Truth be told, he would make a game out of it. You'd have to talk him out of trying to enslave Cazador. He has a friend who can eat him and keep him alive while doing it (and well after) so he would literally try to drag him back to his own universe by his feet if he needed to. If you managed to talk him out of that, he's still going to do some... very horrible things with a gleeful smile.

He's a vampire lord. Not a spawn. He can already turn into a bat and into mist and call wolves. He has some crazy abilities. I can see him using them creatively because the fights are just... trivial. He'd be deliberately messing with his prey, seeing how long he could torture them (sending wolf after wolf in, draining them only to revive them, etc) before someone in the group either got irritated or off put.

He is himself. He's not pretending to be anyone else unlike his friends. He'll be amicable only because he has a little worm in his brain (terrible inconvenience) but ultimately, he isn't worried about it. He's still deadly charming but there is no ulterior motive. He's very straight forward about who he is and what he wants.

Honestly, working with the group might be difficult for him. If he thought it might benefit him more, he'd probably break off with a Tav he's interested in, and go his own way. Partially because he feels more efficient that way, but also because isolating Tav is far more effective when he's playing his little mind games. That's only if he takes an interest in Tav or he feels like the group is holding him back somehow. He already has a friend group and he's not looking for more. A little doll to play with? Now that's different.

He's going to enjoy himself a lot more. This is like a vacation for him. Both from boredom and his brothers. He's going to indulge every delight the Sword Coast has to offer. The finest foods, men, women, linens, no expense spared. He's not worried about the tadpole. In fact, one of the similarities that he has with OG Astarion is he's going to see if he can work it to his advantage. He'll never turn down more power.

He's going to want to take over the Netherbrain and rule the world. You know, just for funsies. Worst comes to worst, the brain breaks free down the road, he abandons ship and fucks off back to his special little universe. He's treating this like his sandbox. He has a hard time taking anything seriously because everything always works out just so for him.

Ultimately, there's a lot of differences, but these are some of the quick ones that come to mind. If you have any specific scenarios or questions, let me know!

trial 6.1 | diego | re: all of it

Diego Reyes has been pretty quiet this entire time. Everyone else had been doing such a great job at investigating and deliberating that he didn’t really feel the need to jump in. This is more his style, anyway, hanging back quietly and letting everyone else fight amongst themselves as he gathers information in the shadows.

Information such as how Tempest had identified him, by name, before he ever met the guy. That was annoying. He wondered if Jules had leaked that information to the Coalition all those years ago, in the betrayal that had led up to Diego losing his arm and his contract. But it’s hard to feel mad about it. Since dying, he’s felt… different. Less like Cazador. But he’d been Cazador – one of many Cazadores – for so long that he wasn’t completely sure who Diego was. That was a work in progress. And it seemed Tempest knew Diego better than he did.

But Tempest wasn’t the guy they were looking for. The guy in question had written really annoying notes about Diego. About how he thought Diego would have lasted longer – yeah, Diego thought he would have lasted longer, too. One measly slip of the blindfold and Diego died in a puddle of his own blood. That still made him mad. And another note about how the guy in question had known Diego from years ago, and that it sucked that Diego was here too. The sympathy was annoying, too, but at least the slip that the mastermind knew Diego gave Diego a pretty solid idea of who had written the note.

So, when the time came…

Diego slow-clapped after the dramatic reveal, carbon-fibre palm thudding on Kevlar-lined glove. “So it was you all along, huh, pup?” he says, his mouth twisting like his face can’t decide whether to laugh or yell. “All that shit you said about how you missed me and mourned me and all that – you really had me fooled. I thought you really were sad about it! But I only got my shit rocked because of you, compadre, so feel free to shove that sympathy up your ass.” He grins. Being dead hasn’t made him any less foul-mouthed, at least.

The conversation moved on from there, with Beowulf expressing his desire to die and the rest of their cohort making a huge production about it. Diego sighs and leans back into his chair. So much noise. He thumbs the loose tails of his blindfold idly as he listens.

“Hey, by the way, if you do plan to off yourself,” Diego says, chirping up again a few minutes later, even though literally no one asked for his input, “It’d be really polite of you to give me the gun. The only reason I came here was to kill Tempest, and you fucking killed them, so now your ass is up next. Ugh, but you probably want to get Saw’ed in one of your traps, don’t you? Boring.”

Then he pauses. “Well, I don’t even know if the contract is still valid. I’m dead, aren’t I? I mean, I’m not, you didn’t manage to get rid of me, despite your best efforts, but I am also kind of dead. That contract might’ve gone void after Jack jumped me. Huh. I’ll have to look into it. Alright then, whatever the rest of you locos decide to do, I’ll go along with you.”

Diego’s head tilts. “Speaking of Tempest, though, what’s the deal here? You were there that night – you saw Royale slice my arm off.” Royale, who was very much dead in return for that one. “You obviously didn’t like the Coalition, or you wouldn’t have killed your dad and fucked off with Tempest, so what the hell happened? You call yourself a hero, but all I see is a dumb dog who can’t tell whether he wants in or out.”

Courier Six

Fallout New Vegas is my absolute favourite Fallout, because it’s fucking amazing. I only wish Obsidian had had longer to make it so they could flesh it out even further. The Legion don’t deserve to be the ‘straight up bad guys’ (especially when the NCR are so fucking hateful). And ED-E is my best friend ever. Here is some blurb about my Courier, Dolores. Name: Dolores Urquhart Nickname: Dolly, Aeris (Latin for Copper – Eye colour, hair colour being like verdigris.) Age: 28 Height: 5’7” Specials: STR 5, PER 5, END 7, CHR 8, INT 8, AGI 7, LCK 6

Eyes: Hazel Hair: Mohican, dyed teal Ethnicity: Caucasian Gender: Cis Female Body type: Athletic Sexuality: Bisexual Relationship Status: Friends with benefits/ Lovers Partner(s): FWB: Red Lucy, Jack (Great Khans) Lover: Vulpes Inculta. Family: Deceased. Mother (Jessica) & Father (Frank) were both Doctors (which is why Dolores is proficient in medicine). Dolores was 14 when they were murdered by raiders (looking for chems) that the NCR should have protected them against. No siblings or extended family.

Languages: English (first language), Spanish (asks Raul to help her become fluent) Disabilities/Illnesses/Injuries: Likely brain damage from being shot twice in the head by Benny. Multiple scars from injuries sustained whilst travelling. Scars: Forehead (left) scarring from when Benny shot her x2 and from Doc Mitchell’s surgery. Chest, head and spinal scarring from the Think Tank’s surgeries (the Auto-doc can only do it’s best to minimise these). Various limb & torso scars from buckshot & bullets, knife wounds to arms, scarring on knuckles from fist fights. Clothing: Regulator duster, Recon Armour, Stealth Suit MK II (the AI drives her mad and she is extremely grateful when Raul manages to silence it), Authority Glasses, Party Hat, Pre-War Spring Outfit, Sexy Sleepwear Fashion Style/Lifestyle: Wears Light armour to aid agility & movement, when relaxing likes to feel pretty (also likes to dress nicely for her lovers). Enjoys people’s reactions to wearing silly clothes especially if a situation is serious/tense. Weapon of Choice: Melee: Combat knife/Baseball bat. One handed guns: That Gun/A Light Shining in Darkness. Two-handed Guns: Hunting Shotgun/Sniper Rifle. Rarely uses Energy Weapons but likes Pew Pew. Doesn’t use Heavy Weaponry (she’s agile rather than strong). Skills: Proficiency with Repair, Lock-picking, Medicine, Speech. Has good endurance and athleticism (essential for Couriers). Will use Speech & charisma before resorting to violence. Weaknesses: Sarcastic, impatient, kleptomaniac Faction: Yes Man Friendly Factions: Caesar’s Legion. Due to relationship with Vulpes, she is able to trade with the Legion & visit the Fort. She saves Caesar’s life by scrounging parts for the Auto-doc (she isn’t proficient enough in medicine to perform the surgery herself). She carries out several requests by them but stops short of fully allying with them because of their treatment of women, her distrust of Lenius and her fears over the safety of Vulpes should Lenius take over the Legion from Caesar. Boomers: She realises they could be a great asset so clears out the ant’s nest and charms the kids with teddies, dinosaurs and rockets and finds herself readily accepted by the rocket-loving Boomers. Great Khans: Approves of their lifestyle & probably would have joined them if they had more power & influence. Enjoys a very casual relationship with Jack (until she meets Vulpes). Followers of the Apocalypse: Admires them greatly. Wishes she was a good enough person to join them. Attempts to aid Freeside because of them. Wishes Arcade would join with her, but he declines due to her reputation with Caesar. The Kings: Loves to visit The Kings to see Rex (H/C that The King & Rex are reunited once Rex gets a new brain), also enjoys the stage shows. Aided the Kings vs NCR because fuck the NCR. Hasn't as yet cashed in The King’s ‘favour’. Enemies: Is very careful to appear friendly to all factions, though loathes NCR. She thinks they are ineffectual, weak and will cause the collapse of New Vegas if they ‘win’. Hates bureaucracy & sees them as little more than ‘Enclave lite’. Of course blames them for her parents death. Fiends/Vipers/Jackals: Tries to keep far away from these groups as you cannot reason with them. Powder Gangers: Idiots with dynamite. Neutral Affiliations: Gomorrah: Despite herself, she finds Cachino charming, so helps him rid the casino of Big Sal & Nero. Warns Cachino that if he abuses any more women she’ll castrate him. Also aids Joana escape with Carlito. White Gloves: Stopped the cannibalism, would have burnt the whole place to the ground if she didn’t think the Strip needed the casino. Likes: Blamco Mac & Cheese, reading, repairing electronics & weapons, singing (badly) along with ED-E to the radio, dogs, Nuka-Cola, sleeping, exploring, hiking, hacking pre-war technology, swimming, fresh fruit, listening to Vulpes tell her tales from the Legion whilst they cuddle Dislikes: Cazadors, NCR, having your brain removed without being asked, stones under her bedroll, feeling cold, sleeping alone, litter/rubbish (can spend hours tidying before feeling comfortable somewhere. Both her parents were fastidious to the point of neuroticism and demanded cleanliness in the home as well as in their clinic, if Dolores is nervous or stressed she exhibits similar ‘clean freak’ tendencies to her parents.), bureaucracy & saluting. Friends: ED-E, Raul, Lily, Vulpes Inculta, Red Lucy, Jack (Great Khans), Rex, Fisto, Boomer kids Acquaintances: Boone, Veronica, Arcade, The King. Former friends: Cass (Cass disapproved of her relationship with Vulpes and her friendliness with the Legion, Dolores got fed up with being threatened by Cass so told her to fuck off, & wasn’t surprised or saddened when Cass did just that.) Enemies: Benny (feigned seduction, then stabbed him in the throat with a concealed switch-blade. Shot him in the head with Maria to make sure he was dead.) Personality: Sarcastic, dry sense of humour, intelligent, open, cheerful, charming, happy to help if she believes you are good for the world and her, sexually open. Trusts her gut feelings and easily becomes mistrustful; particularly after almost being murdered (you have to be or you’ll end up in a shallow grave), gets a thrill from stealing & finds it too hard to stop.                                   ______________________ Other info: Adores ED-E. Cried for a week after the Lonesome Road and wishes she could go back and blow everyone up to try to save ED-E #2 (Even though this doesn’t actually work in the game, you sadly lose the little dude no matter what you chose). Has Raul set up a long range radio receiver on ED-E #1, so she can find new radio stations because if she hears ‘Johnny Guitar’ just 1 more time she’ll kill someone. Loves travelling with Raul. He’s non-judgemental, funny, and she loves his Vaquero outfit. He helps her with her Spanish & repair skills, she helps him feel useful again. They make a great team of gunslingers. Raul moves from his cabin to live in Jacobstown in one of the spare cabins. Dolores is so happy she gets to visit Lily AND Raul when she visits Jacobstown. After Hoover Dam Doores is given one of the cabins meaning she can stay whenever she likes. Misses her ‘Grandma’ Lily and visits often when she feels it’s safe enough to return to the Mojave. Travelled with Boone to REPCONN but was terrified he’d kill her if he found out about her and Vulpes/The Legion, so let him return to Novac. Travelled with Veronica for a while. After returning from the Sierra Madre she tells Veronica about Christine, and together they return to the hotel so Veronica and Christine could be reunited. Knows she’s playing a dangerous game with the Legion and worries she’ll end up enslaved, and knows one day she’ll have to betray them. She is terrified of losing Vulpes or worse, that he’ll kill her or she’ll have to try to kill him. Tells Vulpes of her concerns re: Legate Lenius and begs Vulpes to leave the Legion & California before he’s murdered by Lenius. Vulpes disappears before the battle at Hoover Dam. 8 months later, Dolores can be seen travelling with a blond haired man and ED-E (the Playing Card set you can get from the Special edition has Vulpes with blond hair so this is why I h/c him bleaching his hair at the end as part of his disguise). Greatly enjoys being a Courier. She loves to explore and see other lifestyles and meet new people. The events of New Vegas take their toll on Dolores and she can feel her normally cheerful personality being whittled down. She becomes short tempered and judgemental, resorting more and more to violence. To try to temper this she spends time talking with Arcade. She knows how he feels about her affiliation with the Legion and is glad he still keeps friendly with her (despite declining to travel with her). Whenever she’s in Freeside or nearby, she makes a point to visit the Followers to not just add to her medical skills, but to spend time with those worse off than her so she can see how others are affected by the Legion & NCR. This helps her make up her mind to go with Yes Man.

OC INTERVIEW

it’s that time again where I ramble about stuff only i care about! i got tagged, as always by the lovely @courierspikeee and i'm tagging @worthlesssix if they're still around and wanna do stuff 1. Choose an OC. 2. Answer them as that OC. 3. Tag 5 people to do the same.

[Three months after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam and the declaration of Vegas’s independance a young ‘news courier’ managed to orchestrate an interview with the local courier-turned-leader on the casino floor of the Lucky 38]

1. What is your name? Viva. Or Empress Vivianne if you wanna be fancy.

2. How old are you? [she rubs the back of her head] somewhere in the ‘thirty’ ballpark I’m guessing 

3. What do you look like? You have eyes don’t you? And yes the white hair is natural. No, I don’t really know why it’s like that. Apparently it’s some genetic condition. 

4. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I'm from the West. I've been told. [pause] Maybe. But as far as anyone’s concerned I might as well be a native Mojave-ian. Won't be leaving Vegas or, hell, even the Lucky 38 anytime soon.

5. What was your childhood like? I’m sure it was fine. I mean, I have no memory of it, but I’m sure it was /fine/ 

6. What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions? [she groans] As you can imagine politics are a bit uhh… tense at the moment, what with me kicking the NCR out of my city and all. Our current alliance consists of the Families, the Kings, Freesiders, the Boomers, and the Followers. Once we get our issues here sorted I'm extending my hand to all the independent settlements in the area and we’ll go from there

7. Tell me about your best friend. Which one exactly? ‘Cuz I have a few. Oh, I know, I can tell you about this guy [she points over her shoulder to a securitron with a static smiley on its screen] This is Yes Man, he’s my second in command. [the robot raises a clawed hand and gives a cheerful ‘howdy’] It's not that i couldn't manage coordinating a brand new, independent nation by myself, but he does make all the busywork and number running and security that much easier. And he yells at me if I forget to eat or sleep for a few nights [Viva proceeds to glare at the robot, its smile unchanging]

8. Do you have a family? Tell me about them!  [Viva glances away for a moment] My friends are my family. [pause] and even if we don't get along entirely, that's just how it is. I wouldn't trade any of those fuckwits for the world.

9. What about a partner or partners?  [she gives a single loud laugh] Do I look like I have time for shit like that? Especially now of all times?

10. Who are your enemies, and why?  I’d hazard a guess and say at this point everyone who’s not my explicit ally [Viva drums her fingers for a moment] Of course the NCR is going to pretend to be nice for now, but politics is like chess. Complex, and annoying and I hate it. Give me a year and i’ll be begging for the Legion and their blunt insanity

11. Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them?  Oh I’ve heard of them alright. [she grumbles under her breath] Good people. Bad priorities though. 

12. What about The Enclave? [shrug] no comment 

13. How do you feel about Super Mutants?  What you mean the ones up north? They're great and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I mean, yeah sure they're pretty scary to be around, especially if the nightkin get antsy, but they're decent people. Marcus is… Marcus is a good man.

14. What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in? I… [she trails off, thinking] There was… /is/ a man. Who knew me from before. Long before. He challenged me to face him in a grave of ash and… I consider the three weeks it took to track him though the pits of hell as one very, very long and very exhausting fight. [she pauses again] That and all the verbal sparring along the way. And… everything after, too. 

15. Have you ever fought a Deathclaw? I mean… I've shot Deathclaws. And they're about as pants-shittingly terrifying as they've always been. But that's what the .50 cal is for

16. Do you like fighting? [she grins] I like shooting, I’ll tell you that much 

17. What’s your weapon of choice? [Viva holds up her finger to pause and proceeds to heft up an Anti-material Rifle. It’s new with a faint silvery sheen, and only a little scuffed from use, the Gun Runners logo still visible on the side. It is custom made, with every possible attachment, some parts are black carbon fiber. There are three bands of color around the stock and several engravings including six letters -CALBVR] [Viva is gleefully beaming as she wordlessly shows off the gun] 

18. How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?) You don't get to where I am without a bit of everything. But you could say my speciality is shooting, robotics, and outplaying people in the games they weave. [she tilts her head back and hums] Back when I was still just a mailman i knew how to hide in plain sight. Saved my life more often than not. That and brass knuckles. Very effective. Anything mechanical is child’s play too. Can't figure out how to cook geko without burning it though, so all the money I saved on gear i spent on food. [she rubs the back of her head and mutters through her teeth] and bandages. so. many. bandages. I swear the world really wants me dead and is having better luck at it than I am

19. Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them?  Plenty ‘round these parts. Can't say I'm fond of lurking around /in/ them but… Marvels of tech those things, shame most of them failed. There's actually one or two I want to strip for parts in the future. If I can get the wildlife out beforehand that is. 

20. How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you?  Radiation and I have a… complicated relationship. [she turns to the securitron and mutters something with a slight smirk. Suddenly the lights of the bottom floor wink out. Viva faces forward once more, her already unnaturally green eyes now glowing with a faint, sickly light. The lights flick on just as suddenly with a loud clack and the woman giggles] Honestly if I don't end up as a ghoul by the end of my life I will be /very/ surprised

21. What’s your favorite wasteland critter?  Do… Do the robots count? Because I'm going with the robots anyway.

22. What’s your least favorite wasteland critter?  I’d say it starts with death and ends with claw, but that's not right. At least with those fuckers I know where to aim, no, first place goes to cazadores, the best reason for carrying around a shotgun. 

23. How do you feel about robots? [she gestures to the dozens of securitrons surrounding them with a wide grin] Bliss, home, paradise and then some. 

24. How many caps do you have on you right now? I mean- [she rummages in her pockets] I don't have my bag with me. 23. I can't fit more into these pockets they're too full of specialty ammo.

25. Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla?  Nuka. I fucking hate Sarsaparilla and I know it's blasphemy in these parts, but listen, if you're dehydrated and all you have to drink is that mind-meltingly awful shit i'm looking for the nearest cactus to suck on

26. Do you do chems?  Uh. [she rubs her neck and nervously bounces her leg] I mean. Mentats are uh. Pretty… pretty great. [she bites her lip] Next question?

27. Do you ever think about the Pre-War world?  It fascinates me. What a life they lead to have created tech of this calibre [she gestures to the casino once more] I keep on finding parts of the old world that shine though, all the good, all the awful, all the same, always there. [she thinks for a moment] Like the past isn't as distant as people want to believe. But maybe that's just me… I've had more run-ins with old world ghosts that you’d believe. And I don't mean my previous employer either.

28. What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently?  [her expression darkens] [after a minute of silence she shakes her head] Can't change what was done. No point dwelling. 

29. What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve? [she exchanges a look with the smiling securitron] Right now? We’re in step four. There's a lot of steps to go. [exhale] And every single step takes more effort than anyone realizes. Because a lot of people don't think. Don't think about food, don't think about water, don't think about safety, don't think about business, don't think about what's next. I have to. And it's hard yaknow? But I've done more than I could ever imagine. I dethroned House, I defeated the Legion, I defanged the NCR. That’s more than most can say…

30. What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world? [she sinks into her seat] I didn't do all of this because I thought it’d be fun. [her expression darkens to a cold seriousness] Vegas is something else. Vegas and the Mojave. Everything that's happened here is that much more important than anyone realizes. This place is a crossing point. A bridge. Between the West and the East. And bridges can't belong to either side. I need to make sure it stays that way. I need to make sure this place, everyone who put their faith in me, /my/ people are safe. Are fed. Are… Vegas has to prosper as it stands and everything else’ll be sorted out in time. That's what I want. The Mojave to thrive. And so help me I haven't walked through storms of fire and death to let all of this fall apart. [she raises her eyes, a haunting look with a smile] So tell everyone who’s gonna be listening - I have the shadow of a nation behind me. I won't waste it this time.