#just when i was thinking about missing wyll's EA tiefling party scene

[paarthursass]

uhm hiii “you don’t need to earn my affection, not now and not ever.” for the prompts?

touch-starved prompts

"You deserve better than this."

Aurel paused, spoon hovering over his bowl as he glanced over at Wyll. "Oh, come now, Gale's cooking isn't that bad. At the very least, he's certainly gotten better now that we have access to the Last Light's kitchens."

"Not the food," Wyll said, fondness flickering in his gaze in spite of the sad tilt to his mouth. "...I fear I've done a poor job of courting you."

"A poor job of — what?"

Aurel set the bowl down as he turned to face Wyll fully. He glanced briefly over at their companions, but he and Wyll had taken their dinner on the outskirts of Last Light's shores, away from the others. They wouldn't be disturbed; unless the others got nosy (which was always a possibility.)

"What in the Nine Hells brought this on?" Aurel asked, turning his gaze back to Wyll.

"The Hells are part of the problem, I fear," Wyll's lips twitched into a small, sardonic smile. "Or Mizora, rather. Her, these blasted tadpoles, Ketheric Thorm and his Cult of the Absolute...were we in Baldur's Gate, I could have done this properly. I'd have invited you to dine with me at the finest restaurants on the shores of the Chionthar, taken you to see the best concerts performed by the Gate's most accomplished orchestra. We could have attended one of Duke Stelmane's balls on each other's arms, and I'd have pulled you to the side to whisper sonnets in your ear."

"Only sonnets?" Aurel quirked an eyebrow, and the impish grin on his lips only grew at how Wyll flushed.

"Had we met at some posh soiree, I'm not entirely sure it would have been the fairy-tale you're envisioning, my dear," Aurel went on, reaching out to gently fix the ties of Wyll's tunic. And if he allowed his fingertips to brush against the exposed collarbone of Wyll's chest, the way Wyll's throat bobbed was certainly worth the liberty.

"I used to be quite the rake, you know. I thought I could drown all my sorrows in wine and dancing and meaningless trysts in the dead of night. Of course I gave all that up long ago, but seeing the strapping Blade of Frontiers in top form on the dance floor may have tempted me towards acting the scoundrel again."

The flush had spread from Wyll's ears down to his neck, but he seemed determined to push past whatever ungentlemanly thoughts Aurel had inspired as he took Aurel's hands in his own.

"That's part of what I mean," he insisted. "After everything you have weathered, after everything you have given...you deserve better. You deserve sonnets, songs, and a man who can bare his soul to you freely."

"Your soul will be free soon enough, if I have anything to say about it," Aurel sniffed and raised his chin an inch. Wyll smiled, and he squeezed Aurel's hands between his own.

"You prove my point yet again. I was already smitten, but seeing you haggle with Mizora for my soul stole my heart again thricefold."

"Flirt. But don't think you can charm your way out of this one, Wyll Ravengard."

Aurel freed his hands, but only so he could cup Wyll's face in them.

"I don't know where that little voice in your head is coming from, but I will not have it sowing such nonsense. In case you didn't notice, I am completely and utterly smitten with you, too. And nothing, not Mizora, not these tadpoles, nor the Absolute itself — whatever it may be — will change that."

Aurel allowed his thumb to gently trace the scar on Wyll's cheek, and as his eyes roamed his handsome face, the stubborn glint to Aurel's eyes softened into affection.

"I would trade every single ball for that dance we shared under the stars. I would turn my ear from the finest orchestras just for the sound of your laugh. And I would discard the finest wines just to sit by your side, eating Gale's mediocre soup."

Finally, a huff of a laugh from Wyll. The corners of his eyes crinkled, his cheeks dimpled as he smiled, and both proved far too tempting for Aurel. He kissed him — at the corners where his eye crinkled, teasingly at the side of his mouth where his cheeks dimpled, and then finally coming to rest at his lips. He held him there for a moment, one hand moving to caress the back of Wyll's neck. And when they parted, it was only for a breath as Aurel rested his forehead against Wyll's.

"You don't need to earn my affection," he murmured. "Not now, not ever. You are more than enough to me; not Ravengard's son, not the Blade of Frontiers, you."

Wyll gave a shaky exhale, but Aurel knew him well enough by now to recognize the gleaming of his eyes meant joy, not grief. Wyll moved, arms wrapping around Aurel and pulling him closer into a tight, warm hug. One that Aurel happily returned, stroking his fingers along Wyll's shoulder blades as he rested their heads together.

"Does this mean you don't want me to continue to court you?" Wyll asked after a moment. Aurel snorted.

"Now, I never said that," he protested as they parted. Wyll's eyes glimmered with amusement. "I only meant that you needn't feel obligated, dear one. You can rest assured that there is no pursuit required; you have quite masterfully caught me already."

"With quarry like you? Only because you allowed me to."

"Oh, let's not get caught up in the details of how you caught me, what matters is that you did. And you do. Have me that is."

Aurel's gaze had softened again, though his lips were still upturned into a playful smile. But he gently stroked his thumb along Wyll's jawline as he searched his gaze.

"Are we better?" he asked quietly. "Or do I need to scold that pesky inner voice some more before it goes away?"

Wyll laughed. "Oh, the doubts will always be there. But never about you. And I think you've done a splendid job of pushing them back, for the moment at least."

"Well, you just let me know if they come crawling back," Aurel sighed. "I'll drive them off again. Or at the very least find a very clever way to distract you."

"I'm sure you will," Wyll laughed, pulling Aurel in to press a kiss to his forehead. "As you always do."

#asks #hi yes this got out of hand <3 #thank u so much for the prompt tho asldfjsd #just when i was thinking about missing wyll's EA tiefling party scene #if the game won't let me comfort him then i'll do it MYSELF #baldur's gate #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #wyll ravengard #wyll x tav #aurel x wyll #oc: aurel #now on to the angsty prompt u sent me

[the-apocryphal-one]

Apo Plays BG3 EA Part Six: Companion Thoughts

So I guess I’m pretty much finished with EA, three playthroughs has been fun (especially Isaniel’s), but it’s gotten to the point where I’m getting tired of doing the same content over and over. Which means it’s time to stop either until full release or a major update.

I’m probably gonna procrastinate on a proper review like forever, but I did post my thoughts on the companions in a reddit thread and decided to just copy + paste them here.

(unmarked spoilers ahead)

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For Gale and Wyll, I don't think their motivations can easily be summed up in just one word. Like yes, there are selfish undertones to why they do what they do--but at the same time, there's layers. Wyll wants to be perceived as a hero, but he takes time to teach little kids to swordfight. He hates the goblins for what they've done (the war party that torched that town and stole his eye) and wants to protect people from them, but also wants vengeance. He's a mix of selfishness, appearance and genuine altruism, imo.

Likewise, Gale simps for Mystra, but will go for you, which isn't exactly faithful (I've heard--can't confirm--but I've heard that he'll try to persuade you to cheat on your LI with him, if you got the Weave scene but didn't pick him at the party, which is Not Cool). He regrets his past actions and wants to make sure no one else is hurt by them, so he's willing to go off and die alone. But he doesn't want to just lay down and give up, he wants to find a cure. So he'll consume magical artifact and not stand up for his principles when it matters the most (not turning on you if you attack the tieflings). I think he's a man who talks a lot about the value of life, protecting kids, helping others, and believes it, but is being held back by fear from committing.

Astarion is definitely the most relatable of the companions right now, imo, just because his reactions are exactly the kind of stuff you'd see from an abuse victim. Flinching away from genuine vulnerability (the shoulder pat), trying to mask his pain at what he went through (look at how often he talks about what Cazador did like it's a joke), and showing genuine terror at the thought of going back? All super humanizing and compelling. Then he turns around and laughs at people being hurt or hurting animals and it's awful, unjustified--but it makes sense because sadly, abuse victims can become cruel themselves as a way to cope. But then he goes and approves of helping Karlach, so maybe he's not beyond hope? You could take out the fantasy stuff and plop him in the real world and he would still fit, is what I'm saying.

Lae is full of herself, but the way the other gith treat her really gives me the impression she's a young teen trying too hard to impress the adults. Like with that context, the scenes where she talks about how she's definitely going to have a silver sword and ride a red dragon one day, or where she talks about proving her loyalty to Vlaakith, come off less as sure arrogance but more as a kid talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Which, along with her complete inexperience with the Material Plane, is kind of adorable. But I definitely think she's been indoctrinated by her culture to not question anything and just lay down her life for Vlaakith, which is not so adorable.

SH's super secrecy frustrates me as a player, but as a roleplayer it's great and fitting for her deity worship. I think there are a lot of hints lying around that she's not who she thinks she is, with the missing memories, magic stirring up around Selune, and her own (to her admitted surprise) compassion for the tieflings. I feel like I don't have as much to say about her as I do the others? Maybe because there's a lot missing from her past, but what is there is very consistent with her secretive personality.

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tl;dr the “evil” companions’ worldviews stem from past evils done to them--abuse, indoctrination, or cult brainwashing--and hopefully you can help them heal from that, thus bringing about a redemption arc; the “good” companions aren’t entirely altruistic, but struggle with human flaws that hinder their better natures; and all of the companions so far have been nuanced, consistent, and interesting.

EDIT: I should clarify Gale’s unfaithfulness isn’t because he’s with Mystra (he isn’t, and he even says he’s not sure how to feel about her), but because he still has some hang-ups from that relationship and thus can’t give full emotional fidelity right now.

EDIT #2: I should also clarify that I have no delusions that Astarion was a good person pre-turning. I would be more surprised if he was than if he wasn’t. I just think he may not have been as bad as he is now and that many of his beliefs have been predominately shaped by his experiences with Cazador.

#baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #astarion #shadowheart #gale #wyll #lae'zel #meta #my meta