#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert

[dragonagitator]

biggest of moods

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #i need to take my plot bunnies to the vet and have them sterilized because this is ridiculous #writing fanfic

[dragonagitator]

I started out just wanting to write a "Modern Girl in Faerun" author self-insert fanfic of BG3 in the tradition of all the "Modern Girl in Thedas" fanfics I've enjoyed over the years in the Dragon Age fandom. You know, someone who has played the game gets transported to the world of the game and uses her foreknowledge of events to steer for the best ending and pursue her favorite romance, yadda yadda yadda.

And then I thought, oh, I should also write a sequel from Gale's perspective that runs parallel to the first story that's about him trying to figure out if she's just crazy or what.

I decided that while my MGIF character will be successful in using her foreknowledge of events to achieve the best or even better outcomes for the main events of the game, it would be hilarious if that same foreknowledge of events also led to her inadvertently flubbing every single scripted romance progression scene with Gale so that it ends up being an even slower burn than canon.

Meanwhile, most of the companions (including Gale) don't believe her story about how they're fictional characters in an interactive story she's played as a game because there are so many other plausible in-world explanations for why someone would have her foreknowledge of events. So Gale thinks she's mentally unwell, and he struggles with the ethics of pursuing a romantic relationship with someone whose interest in him is at least partially predicated on (what he believes to be) delusions.

It works out in the end, but Gale's perspective of what the fuck is going on is so divergent from hers that it would be a fundamentally different narrative.

And then as I was researching Forgotten Realms lore for the first set of stories, I realized it would be hilarious if I wrote a post-canon sequel about Gale and the MCIF trying to plan their wedding in Waterdeep while the events of the D&D modules Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage are unfolding in the background.

And then while I was researching stuff for that, I learned that it's Forgotten Realms canon that Elminster knows about Earth, has a portal to Ed Greenwood's house, and regularly visits Ed and few other D&D authors to give them more lore to write about.

So then I realize that while the Elminster we meet during BG3 is actually a Simulacrum and thus wouldn't be privy to anything Elminster didn't think it needed to know for its mission, presumably the real Elminster would show up for Gale's wedding. So if Gale happened to mention his new wife's unfortunate "delusions" to Elminster, Elminster could rock Gale's world by confirming no she's been right all along. Thank you, Elminster, for the best gift a bride could ever receive: the opportunity to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" to her husband. Lol.

And then I thought if Elminster has a portal to Ed's house in Toronto, what if Gale and the MCIF eventually used that portal to flee to Earth for some reason? Either to escape the reach of Mystra, or maybe because their child has a condition that's treatable on Earth but not with Faerun magic/medicine ala Outlander?

Then we could have another story in the series that's a reversal of the first story's trope -- a "Faerun Character in Modern Earth" story of Gale going through culture shock while also losing his connection to the Weave and thus losing all his wizard powers AGAIN. Mmmm angsty.

This is my first time writing fanfic, I've only written a fraction of the first story so far, and I've already come up with at least three sequels I need to write too.

What.

The.

Fuck.

I now fully understand what fanfic authors mean when they cry about "the plot bunnies are multiplying."

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #i need to take my plot bunnies to the vet and have them sterilized because this is ridiculous #BG3 #baldur's gate 3 #forgotten realms #gale #gale bg3 #bg3 gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #elminster #elminster bg3 #bg3 elminster #modern character in faerun #modern girl in faerun #writing fanfic

[dragonagitator]

How to help Karlach in your post-game fix-it fics:

Assuming you didn't skip a lot of content, we end the game at character level 12 with enough XP to be this >< close to level 13. Level 13 Clerics gain access to the 7th-level spell Regenerate, which can regrow missing body parts.

So Karlach really only needs to chill out in Avernus for like a week while we take Shadowheart out adventuring to get enough XP to level up. Then we can use Helsik's ritual to portal into Avernus and grow Karlach a new heart.

The D&D module Descent Into Avernus has a bunch of useful info on the setting if you want to write about the process of tracking down Karlach once you arrive in Avernus. Since she lived there for 10 years, if this plan is hatched before she's forced to return then she should be able to recommend a meeting spot or somewhere you can leave her a message that you've arrived. Regardless, the Infernal Rapture restaurant in the Wandering Emporium is apparently the only place in Avernus you can get a meal that doesn't taste like ash, and thus that seems like a good spot to plan to meet or wait for someone to eventually pass through.

Removing the infernal engine first to make room for the regenerated heart might be tricky, so take Dammon with you. Since it's been functioning as an artificial heart and Faerun hasn't yet developed the artificial life support technologies used during heart transplants, Karlach will almost certainly briefly die at least once during the process, so also load up on Revivify scrolls.

You may need to cast Revivify more than once if she technically dies multiple times during the process because death and resurrection in D&D aren't just biological processes; they're also recalling the soul to the body. BG3 was very generous with the time limit (IIRC it just has to be done before the next long rest), but standard D&D rules are that it must be cast within a minute of death. To be on the safe side, I'd recommend spamming Revivify once per minute until the "surgery" is complete.

Getting back out of Avernus could also be tricky, so you likely need to leave someone behind in Baldur's Gate to periodically perform the ritual to reopen the portal for your return.

(My "Modern Girl in Faerun" self-insert WIP was originally going to be just a retelling of the events of the game, but I've already got enough post-game plotlines for a sequel and I'm nowhere close to finish writing the first story yet lol. Like yes Gale I will return to Waterdeep with you, but we gotta do a thing for Karlach first. And then even once we're back from Avernus, wedding planning in Waterdeep might hit a few hiccups with the events of Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage unfolding in the background. Damnit, Volo, we're on our way to a cake tasting appointment, we don't have time for this shit, go recruit someone else.)

#BG3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 fanfic prompt #bg3 fic prompt #bg3 fic idea #bg3 fanfic idea #Karlach #Karlach Cliffgate #Karlach BG3 #BG3 Karlach #Avernus #dungeons & dragons #dungeons and dragons #dnd #d&d #Forgotten Realms #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert

[dragonagitator]

As someone who came to Dragon Age fandom late and thus was spoiled by immediately having access to years' worth of fanfics from every imaginable trope to enjoy, the current complete lack of Gale Dekarios / Modern Girl in Faerun author self-insert fanfics is killing me.

We've already got the perfect entry point for the MGIF character: The opening cinematic of the nautiloid jumping between realms snatching people up. What if one of the random jumps was to our reality and someone who had played the game was kidnapped instead of Tav? After all, in an infinite multiverse, it's entirely possible that something that is fiction in one universe is reality in another universe. [Edit: Earth and Faerun existing in the same multiverse confirmed to be canon in Forgotten Realms lore.]

But so far there's barely any Modern Character in Faerun fanfics at all, and none of them are Gale/OFC. Come on, fanfic authors, I've already thoroughly exhausted all my own cringey self-insert fantasies in my daydreaming, please let me read yours. How much do you use your foreknowledge of events to steer for a specific ending or perhaps create a brand new one? How long are you able to bite your tongue about Mystra before going off on a rant that Gale's not ready to hear about how she was an abusive groomer? How many terrible jokes will your self-insert character make about pondering his orb? I NEED TO KNOW.

#bg3 #gale #gale bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #modern character in thedas #modern girl in thedas #modern girl in faerun #modern character in faerun #baldur's gate 3 #fanfic ideas #fanfic #fanfic request #fanfic prompt #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert

[dragonagitator]

Gale Dekarios / Modern Girl in Faerun BG3 fanfic snippets & ideas

I've begun writing my very first fanfic, a "Modern Girl in Faerun" author self-insert for Baldur's Gate 3 in the tradition of the "Modern Girl of Thedas" fanfics for Dragon Age.

Premise: A woman who has played a lot of BG3 is transported to the world of BG3, where she uses her foreknowledge of events to pretty much obliterate canon. End game is Gale/MGIF romance, but at an even slower burn than in canon because he thinks she's batshit crazy.

It'll be a very long while before I'll be ready to begin posting chapters on AO3 because I'm writing the scenes out of order whenever inspiration strikes instead of chronologically. But I've been posting occasional snippets and ideas to Tumblr as I go, so here's a pinned post where I'll add links to that stuff in case someone wants to read a bunch of disjointed crap from a WIP.

Criticism is very welcome! I've never written a fanfic before so I fully expect it to be terrible, and I'd much appreciate any feedback that would help make it less terrible before the final draft goes up on AO3.

Scenes & Dialogue Snippets:

Is the somatic component an erection?

Um... what language is that?

200 gold, same as in town

How can you have the word ‘lesbian’ with no Lesbos and no Sappho?

Make. Me. A. Better. Offer.

Should I be jealous of Withers, Gale? I know he's your type.

The Book of Erotic Fantasy

Plot Ideas:

Fucked-up idea for why Gale has abs

I just wanted to fuck a hot wizard but now I have homework

Timeline of major events during Gale Dekarios's lifetime

Gale's and Tara's search for a cure to his condition was a race against time for them both

Gale was picked up in Yartar while headed north to die

The lack of Gale Dekarios / Modern Girl in Faerun author self-insert fanfics is killing me

The nautiloid could have plausibly realm-jumped to Earth

Soulless by Toril standards

Wizard of Waterdeep, meet Wizard of Excel!

Astarion is the only companion who immediately believes the MGIF

Traded My Spoons For Knives

Teamwork makes dream work, and my author self-insert dreams of taking a bath

There's only one God you should be worshipping, his name is Ed Greenwood

I'll be asking Withers to respec me from Accountant to Sorcerer at the earliest opportunity

Crippling existential crisis

I am receiving the Shovel Talk from a flying cat

Where's the CIA when you need them?

How to help Karlach in your post-game fix-it fics

Show us on the Waterdeep map where Gale's tower is???

My Big Fat Greek Wedding / Mamma Mia / Dragon Heist mashup

Oh, so you're the local Goddess of Magic? Well, let me introduce you to Hecate and Freyja and the Morrigan and Isis and...

I've already come up with at least three sequels

Tara would be all over Tav's baby bump

Waterdeep needs the Freedom of Information Act

Speedrunning the Enlightenment

Elminster's portal to Earth seems like an easier way home than asking Lae'zel to please hijack me another nautiloid

Gale as a "Faerun Character in Modern Earth"

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #gale bg3 #bg3 gale #modern girl in faerun #modern character in faerun #faerun character in modern earth

[dragonagitator]

It's canon that our Earth is part of the same multiverse system as Faerun:

(from the Ed Greenwood Wikipedia article)

So if the Emperor had connected the steering tentacles slightly differently, the nautiloid could have plausibly realm-jumped to Earth during the opening cinematic and snatched up some Earthlings, too... including YOUR author self-insert fanfic protagonist!

Just saying. ;)

#BG3 #Baldur's Gate 3 #Modern Character in Faerun #MCIF #Modern Girl in Faerun #MGIF #Modern Boy in Faerun #MBIF #fanfic authors pls #Forgotten Realms #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert

[dragonagitator]

Another snippet from my "Modern Girl in Faerun" WIP.

[Context: It's my author self-insert's second evening in Faerun and I haven't told them where I'm from yet. We're in camp and I'm attempting to write down everything I can remember about the game into a blank journal purchased at the Grove.]

"GOD DAMN MOTHERFUCKING COCKSUCKING SON OF A BITCH PIECE OF SHIT!" I exclaimed as I splattered ink all over the page again.

"Are you quite alright?"

I startled at the sound of Gale's voice from behind me.

"Gale," I pleaded. "Could you please show me how to write with this fucking thing? Pens back home are different."

[need to research how to write with an old timey quill pen and write about the actual lesson here]

"...and with those strokes you can write any letter, for example," he began writing out a sentence on the page, reading out loud as he wrote, "Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow."

Written on the page was

"Um... what language is that?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"...Commonspeech?" Gale seemed confused by my question. "The Calant dialect, to be specific."

"And is that the language we're speaking right now?" I continued with trepidation.

"Yes; what language did you think we were speaking?" he inquired.

"Oh no," I exclaimed as the realization hit, "I'm illiterate."

"Illiterate? But you weren't before?" Gale asked with concern. "Do you think perhaps the tadpole--"

"No," I cut him off. "What I mean is I'm illiterate in whatever THAT is," I gestured at his foreign squibbles. "I'm speaking English, and written English looks nothing like that."

"How fascinating! Every other dialect of Commonspeech I'm familiar with uses the Thorass alphabet," Gale mused before continuing sympathetically, "I suspect you must be even farther from your home than I am from mine."

"You have no idea," I laughed bitterly, then muttered "god damn fantasy conlang nerds" under my breath.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, never mind," I said and started hurriedly packing up my writing supplies as I fought back tears of frustration and embarrassment.

"'Thorass alphabet,' huh?" I continued brightly, trying to put on a brave face. "I'll probably need to impose on your tutoring skills some other evening to learn how to read, but for now, I think you've shown me enough that I can at least write down all my notes in English. It's probably for the best that I'm the only one who will be able to read them, anyway. So um... thankyouverymuchforyourhelpandhaveagoodnight."

I walked away quickly before Gale could see me cry.

Useless! I can't even fucking read!

As always, criticism is very welcome.

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 fanfic #gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #gale bg3 #bg3 gale #modern girl in faerun #modern character in faerun #god damn fantasy conlang nerds #thanks to you i have literally zero transferable skills in faerun

[dragonagitator]

BG3 companions: Talking about their gods

My "Modern Girl in Faerun" author self-insert: Your gods suck. They aren't even real gods, they're just more NPCs. There's only one God you should be worshipping, his name is Ed Greenwood, I think he lives in Canada. Build a temple to him! Where the Kuo-Toa at, I gotta tell 'em about Ed.

BG3 companions: Start quietly discussing amongst themselves how they need to find a nice temple of Ilmater specializing in treatment of the mentally infirm to take me to when this is all over

#BG3 #baldur's gate 3 #modern girl in faerun #mgif #modern character in faerun #mcif #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #forgotten realms #Ed Greenwood

[dragonagitator]

Remember how I semi-joked that I felt like I needed to spend three years doing a lit review before I could properly write my Gale Dekarios / Modern Girl in Faerun BG3 fanfic?

My "need to read" list thus far:

Netheril: Empire of Magic (accessory) (1996 / before -339 DR) - Netherese magic

Elminster series: Elminster: The Making of a Mage (novel) (1994 / 212-241 DR) - Elminster personal history

Elminster series: Elminster in Myth Drannor (novel) (1997 / 240-261 DR) - Elminster personal history

Elminster series: The Temptation of Elminster (novel) (1998 / 759-767 DR) - Elminster personal history

"A Question of Balance" in Dungeon magazine 14 (1988 / 1300s DR) - story of Simon Weems being transported from Earth to Faerun

The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy: Swords of Eveningstar (novel) (2006 / 1348 DR) - Elminster personal history

The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy: Swords of Dragonfire (novel) (2007 / 1348 DR) - Elminster personal history

The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy: The Sword Never Sleeps (novel) (2008 / 1348 DR) - Elminster personal history

The Magister (sourcebook) (1988 / 1354-1357 DR) - "written by" Elminster, so Elminster's writing style / voice

Shandril's Saga: Spellfire (novel) (1988 / 1357 DR) - Elminster personal history

Shandril's Saga: Crown of Fire (novel) (1994 / 1357 DR) - Elminster personal history

Old Empires (sourcebook) (1990 / 1357 DR) - general history, history of humans kidnapped from Earth

The Shadow of the Avatar trilogy: Shadows of Doom (novel) (1995 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra), Elminster personal history

The Shadow of the Avatar trilogy: Cloak of Shadows (novel) (1995 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra), Elminster personal history

The Shadow of the Avatar trilogy: All Shadows Fled (novel) (1995 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Hall of Heroes (accessory) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Elminster stats

The Avatar series: Shadowdale (novel) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Shadowdale (adventure) (1989 / 1358 DR) - corresponds to novel by same title

The Avatar series: Tantras (novel) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Tantras (adventure) (1989 / 1358 DR) - corresponds to novel by same title

The Avatar series: Waterdeep (novel) (1989 / 1358 DR) - Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Waterdeep (adventure) (1989 / 1358 DR) - corresponds to novel by same title

The Grand Tour (comic) (1996 / 1360s DR) - story of adventurers from Earth touring Faerun

Volo's Guide to Waterdeep (accessory) (1993 / 1363-1367 DR) - Waterdeep history

Stormlight (novel) (1996 / 1365 DR) - Elminster personal history

Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast (accessory) (1994 / 1366-1367 DR) - general history

The Avatar series: Prince of Lies (novel) (1993 / 1368 DR) - aftermath of Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

City of Splendors (boxed set) (1994 / 1368 DR) - Waterdeep history

Guide to Hell (accessory) (1999 / 1368 DR) - Avernus

A Guide to the Astral Plane (accessory) (1996 / 1368 DR) - githyanki

Baldur's Gate (novel) (1999 / 1368 DR) - novelization of BG1

Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (novel) (2001 / 1368 DR) - novelization of BG2

On Hallowed Ground (accessory) (1996 / 1368? DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix (accessory) (1991 / 1368? DR) - githyanki

Silverfall: Stories of the Seven Sisters (anthology) (1999 / 1369 DR) - Elminster personal history

Volo's Guide to All Things Magical (accessory) (1996 / 1369 DR) - how magic works in Forgotten Realms setting

Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (novel) (2001 / 1369 DR) - Elminster personal history

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (novel) (2000 / 1369 DR) - novelization of BG2

Faiths & Avatars (accessory) (1996 / 1370 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Powers & Pantheons (accessory) (1997 / 1370 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Demihuman Deities (accessory) (1998 / 1371 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

The City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel (novel) (2005 / 1370-1371 DR) - Waterdeep history

Sea of Fallen Stars (sourcebook) (1999 / 1371 DR) - Chessentan history

The Avatar series: Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad (novel) (1998 / 1371 DR) - aftermath of Time of Troubles (led to "death" of Mystra)

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition (accessory) (2001 / 1372 DR) - general history, Chessentan history

Magic of Faerûn (accessory) (2001 / 1372 DR) - how magic works in Forgotten Realms setting

Races of Faerûn (accessory) (2003 / 1372 DR) - general history, history of humans kidnapped from Earth

City of Splendors: Waterdeep (accessory) (2005 / 1372 DR) - Waterdeep history

Lords of Darkness (accessory) (2001 / 1372 DR) - general history

Faiths and Pantheons (accessory) (2002 / 1372 DR) - gods of Forgotten Realms setting

Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (accessory) (2006 / 1372? DR) - infernal contracts?

Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (accessory) (2006 / 1372? DR) - Avernus

Expanded Psionics Handbook (accessory) (2004 / 1372? DR) - githyanki

Elminster series: Elminster In Hell (novel) (2001 / 1372 DR) - Elminster personal history

Elminster series: Elminster's Daughter (novel) (2004 / 1373 DR) - Elminster personal history

Lost Empires of Faerûn (accessory) (2005 / 1374 DR) - Netherese magic, general history

Power of Faerûn (accessory) (2006 / 1374 DR) - general history

The Grand History of the Realms (sourcebook) (2007 / 1385 DR) - general history

The Sundering series: The Companions (novel) (2013 / 1462-1484 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

The Sundering series: The Adversary (novel) (2013 / 1478-1486 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (campaign setting) (2008 / 1479 DR) - general history, Chessentan history

"Backdrop: Chessenta" in Dungeon magazine 178 (2010 / 1479 DR) - Chessentan history

The Plane Above (accessory) (2010 / 1479 DR) - githyanki

Elminster series: Elminster Must Die (novel) (2010 / 1479 DR) - Elminster's personal history

Elminster series: Bury Elminster Deep (novel) (2011 / 1479 DR) - Elminster's personal history

Elminster series: Elminster Enraged (novel) (2012 / 1479 DR) - Elminster's personal history

The Rise of Tiamat (adventure) (2014 / 1480s DR) - Waterdeep history

The Sundering series: The Godborn (novel) (2013 / 1450 DR & 1484 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

Storm King's Thunder (adventure) (2016 / after 1485 DR) - Waterdeep history

The Reaver (novel) (2014 / 1486 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

The Sundering series: The Sentinel (novel) (2014 / 1486 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra)

The Sundering series / Elminster series: The Herald (novel) (2014 / 1487 DR) - the Second Sundering (led to return of Mystra), Elminster's personal history

Elminster series: Spellstorm (novel) (2015 / 1488 DR) - Elminster's personal history

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (sourcebook) (2015 / 1489 DR) - current setting guide

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (sourcebook) (2018 / 1490? DR) - Zariel & Mephistopheles, githyanki

Death Masks (novel) (2016 / 1491 DR) - Waterdeep history

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (adventure) (2019 / 1492 DR) - immediately precedes BG3, info on Avernus and infernal contracts

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (adventure) (2018 / 1492 DR) - immediately follows BG3, Waterdeep current events

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (adventure) (2018 / 1492 DR) - follows Dragon Heist, Waterdeep current events

Damnit, Gale. All I wanted to do was write smut about my author self-insert fucking a hot wizard but somehow I ended up with homework.

Am I missing anything critical relating to the events of BG3 and permanently solving each companion's major problems?

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #the autism won today #forgotten realms #bg3 fanfic writing resources

[dragonagitator]

(I'm actually older than Gale so I've got more of a "let's take ibuprofen together" thing for him, but if you want to be the sex kitten half his age who rides him through his midlife crisis then go for it.)

I saw your response to my anon ask and laughed. He could call you mommy? I'm literally trying so hard not to giggle as I type.

*Shrugs* Hey cuddles and deep intimate connection through positive affirmations/affections are just as nice? Telling him how amazing and wonderful he is until he cries is also on my kink list.

Eh, the Mommy/Daddy thing squicks me out. Don't care what other people do but not my thing.

My fantasies about life with Gale revolve more around the psychological D/s stuff (that line about how he always wanted to be "worshipped, adored, and obeyed"!!!), domestic fluff during our post-game wedded bliss, and trying to introduce something like the Freedom of Information Act to Waterdeep because that whole "Masked Lords" system of governance they got going on deeply offends my American sensibilities.

What do you mean I can't simply request a copy of the public works budget? What do you mean I can't go to the city council meeting and yell at them about the potholes on our street during the public comment session? What do you mean there's no public comment session? WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE?

Gale has found my indignant rage attractive ever since I aimed it at Elminster and Mystra on his behalf, but distracting me with sex only works for so long. I'm buying a printing press and cranking out pamphlets. Get in, losers, we're speedrunning the Enlightenment.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #gale bg3 #bg3 gale #i love him so much #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #get in losers we're speedrunning the enlightenment

[dragonagitator]

Okay but imagine a Tav who makes a deal with Raphael to get rid of Gale’s orb.

My MGIF might actually try to go that route in the fanfic I'm writing. I haven't decided yet.

I know that giving Raphael the Crown of Karsus is considered one of the "bad" endings, but he uses it to conquer Avernus, which seems like it's in need of a little regime change.

Some draft lines of dialogue from an otherwise unwritten scene:

[Context: Raphael's initial grand entrance]

"Cut the crap, Raphael, I know you want the Crown of Karsus," I interrupted him.

[Raphael response]

"Here's the thing: While getting the Orphic Hammer from you would certainly make things easier, it's not strictly necessary. Meanwhile, a whole lotta of people want that Crown. You want it, you gotta outbid them."

[Raphael response]

"Make. Me. A. Better. Offer. Or fuck off."

[Raphael response]

"Come talk to me when you're ready to drop the theatrics and negotiate like a serious businessman. And keep in mind -- you're bidding against a goddess."

Basically flip the script on him.

I don't know if Raphael would actually have the power to cure Gale of the Netherese orb, but it would be interesting to see what he came up with, and writing the negotiations would be fun.

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #gale bg3 #bg3 gale #raphael #raphael bg3 #bg3 raphael

[dragonagitator]

Tidbit with interesting implications from a Reddit discussion:

If the reason that mindflayers don't have (apostolic) souls is because they're not from Toril, then a "Modern Character in Faerun" fanfic protagonist from Earth would also not have a "soul" by those standards.

So it seems like a MCIF would be locked out of anything that requires having a soul or a personal relationship with a diety. I'm thinking deals with devils unless it's for something other than a soul (IIRC Raphael just wants the Crown of Karsus, not your soul, right?), casting Divine magic spells (I think you can still be the target of them though), and the Cleric, Druid, Paladin, and Warlock classes, correct?

Anything else that requires a soul or a divine connection per D&D/FR lore?

It might even affect whether Withers can resurrect you, since he specifically describes it as "cleaving soul to body once more." Deciding that it means that Withers cannot resurrect the MC and thus the MC is the only member of the party whose death would be permanent if they were to fall in battle, combined with the fact that almost none of us have combat skills that are transferable to Faerun (gnomes pls make me a gun kthx), is a great way to raise the stakes in a story.

You'd basically be like the Bubble Boy of Team Tadpole. Stuff that other members aren't used to worrying about because they have Revivify, Withers, True Resurrection, and the knowledge that death is just their soul transitioning to another plane, etc. could kill you permanently without even an afterlife to look forward to.

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #BG3 #baldur's gate 3 #forgotten realms #modern character in faerun #modern girl in faerun #modern boy in faerun

[dragonagitator]

If you're writing a "Modern Character in Faerun" author self-insert BG3 fanfic and want to eventually give your self-insert a D&D character class in a way that makes narrative sense, I encourage you to check out the Sorcerer subclass "Aberrant Mind."

It's not an option in the game itself, but our MCIF self-inserts are special snowflakes from another universe and we do what we want.

One of the possible origins for this subclass:

You were implanted with a mind flayer tadpole, but the ceremorphosis never completed. And now its psionic power is yours. When you use it, your flesh shines with a strange mucus.

SOUND LIKE ANYBODY WE KNOW???

The mucus is unfortunate, but it's better than dying, so I'll take it. Because the only things I'm good at (Excel, QuickBooks, GAAP, shitposting) aren't transferable skills in Faerun and definitely won't keep me alive in combat. Thus, I'll be asking Withers to respec me from Accountant to Sorcerer at the earliest opportunity.

#BG3 #Baldur's Gate 3 #bg3 fanfic writing resources #dungeons & dragons #dungeons and dragons #d&d #dnd #modern character in faerun #modern girl in faerun #modern boy in faerun #mcif #mgif #mbif #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert

[dragonagitator]

So back before BG3 took over my brain like ceremorphosis, I was pretty into Dragon Age and had started drafting an outline for a "Modern Girl in Thedas" fanfic in which my author self-insert replaced the Herald of Andraste. She was going to use her foreknowledge of events and her Western liberal arts education to attempt to speedrun both the plot of DAI and the Thedosian Enlightenment, respectively.

Things were NOT going to work out like she expected. It was to be a dark tale of hubris, butterfly effects, major character deaths, an Orlesian Revolution even bloodier than the French one, and two worlds' worth of unintended consequences so terrible that the working title was "Solas, Hold My Beer."

It's possible that I will return to it someday, depending on how DA4 goes -- my solution to the Solas Problem was to evacuate the population of Thedas to Earth (oops, sorry for bringing the Blight with us, my bad), and I gotta wait and see if that still fits with canon -- but in the interim I am definitely going to repurpose all my "attempts to speedrun the Enlightenment in a medieval fantasy setting, it goes poorly" ideas for my BG3 "Modern Girl in Faerun" fanfic.

Because Faerun? Absolutely riddled with terrible ideologies and institutions. It's slightly less of a crapsack world than Thedas, but it's still a medieval fantasy setting. While individual characters often express anachronistic viewpoints palatable to modern audiences, the cultures, systems of governance, etc. are generally much more period-appropriate.

Anyone coming from a modern Western democracy would suffer terrible culture shock and feel compelled to try to change things for the better. But if you've ever taken any "history of thought" courses from your university's Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics departments, then you know that we didn't get from there to here overnight.

A modern character's ideological framework alone would be enough to get them branded as batshit crazy, even if they kept the "I'm from another world and you're all fictional characters from an interactive story that I played as a game" stuff to themselves.

#it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #modern girl in thedas #modern character in thedas #modern girl in faerun #modern character in faerun #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #forgotten realms #dragon age #solas hold my beer #get in losers we're speedrunning the enlightenment

[dragonagitator]

So I've been researching similarities between playing a guitar and playing a lute to figure out if proficiency in playing guitar back on Earth might help a character in a "Modern Character in Faerun" fanfic learn to play an instrument avaliable in Faerun, and I stumbled across this delightful video:

#guitar #lute #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert #Youtube

[dragonagitator]

The urge to finally dip my toe into writing fanfic to fulfill my need for a Gale Dekarios / Modern Girl in Faerun romance has collided with my compulsion to thoroughly research everything first. There's HUNDREDS of Forgotten Realms novels, sourcebooks, and published adventures (plus the first two games, which I barely remember and would need to replay).

So uh... give me like 3 years to do a lit review and then maybe I'll be ready to start writing Chapter 1 lol.

#BG3 #Baldur's Gate 3 #fanfic #Modern Girl in Faerun #Modern Character in Faerun #Forgotten Realms #I have the brainrot #it's a lovely morning in faerun and i am a horrible author self insert