Dynamic Ducks

Just wanted to make a better intro page for myself. Welcome to my blog, I mostly focus around BG3 but ever so often I'll split off to other shit. I mostly just write BG3 Fics centered around my Durge, Riley. In case you ask why I am so attached, Riley is my dnd character and I've been playing her for 2 years. If she dies in game I might stop writing with her, but that's neither here nor there.

My Fics:

A Tale of Two Sisters: Chapter 43/43: Complete

This fic is a slow burn fic focusing on The Dark Urge's redemption and the dynamics between my Durge and the party. There is a cute Karlach romance and a heartbreaking sisterly dynamic with Orin that makes Act 3 quite heartbreaking. Don't be fooled, this fic is a tragedy even if it wears a happy smile.

(Art by the lovely @moon-trix go check her out for more amazing art!)

Like Mother Like Daughter: Complete, 1/1

This one shot focuses on Helena Anchev and Orin. How Helena and Orin viewed each other, and how history remembers them. Not much to say, really. TW: Child Abuse

(Photo done by the amazing @carnivaley) The Dark God's Fragile Alliance: 3/3 Complete

This threeshot is meant to be a fun, lighthearted adventure where my Durge, pretadpole, does a mission with the help of Gortash and her "Sweet Sharran Friend" (Shadowheart hates that title). It's fun, a little bit steamy, and overall a good time.

(Again photo by @carnivaley)

Breaking Bhaal: 3/?

When Orin and Riley find a drug lab, the pair concoct a devious plan to poison the city.

Father, are you watching? 1/1 Complete

Bhaal’s pureborn return to where they were raised, to where their normal life almost happened.

A Bhaalspawn's Ball: 1/1 Complete

In an effort to climb the social ladder, Enver Gortash asks his work partner out for a night of fun. It is surely to die for

Her Mother's Daughter: 1/1 Complete

Thank you @cinder-rellish181 @fireflyeyes and @ele-millennial-weirdo for the tags

I stole the link from Cinder's Post and that will be HERE:

Thank you @cinder-rellish181 for the lovely tag

Sorry about my sporadic absence, I got a new job and it's quite a lot. But Im here now so let's get to it.

What is your blog title from?

Most of my internet handles are birds, so it just goes with that theme.

2. Latest movie? What did you think?

I think the last film I saw was, for some reason, Oceans 12. It wasn't bad, but honestly I felt the twist was kinda boring.

3. What are you looking forward to right now?

In the short term: Seeing the Odyssey on Friday since it looks like it could be interesting.

In the long term: Probably getting an upgrade for my computer since rn it's storage capacity isn't great.

4. If you could do anything at all today, what would it be?

Silly answer: Move Denmark 20 meters west. I'd like to see what'd happen.

Serious: Probably go to a cool museum like the Getty (probably the villa but lowkey the Getty Center looks stunning.)

5. Drink of choice?

Coffee is in 1st place followed by lemonade, easily.

6.Hair Routine?

Nothing spectacular aside from daily washing

7.Favorite way to travel? Is there another way you want to try?

If possibly trains are fun but considering I live in Southern California I don't really have many options, so in this case I'd say road trip.

8.Favorite month and why?

December, it's my sisters+my birth month and it has a lot of other fun holidays. Plus it's usually pretty cool temperature wise while being kinda sunny.

9. Favorite time of day and why?

I'm a solid Noon Enthusiast. By Noon you can do a lot of shit and after you can do even more. To me you can have two massive days, one before and one following noon, so I have to respect it.

10. Do you play or follow any sports?

Not anymore, I used to play soccer but I stopped once I got into Highschool.

11.What kind of music has been stuck in your head lately?

For some reason the songs from the Cyberpunk radio keep finding themselves back in my head. Like I was driving home from work with "Never Fade Away" playing for some ungodly reason.

12. Dishes or Laundry?

To me that's a false equivalency. You need to do the dishes every day where as I typically do a load of laundry every few days. If I have to choose I'd say laundry but idk.

13.Something you learned recently?

I didn't realize how long Baseball season was in the US. My mom had to correct me since I mistakenly thought that season was over by now.

14. What would you talk about if you could give a TED talk on anything?

Honestly there are a lot of aspects of game design I find fascinating and one I would certainly do a ted talk on is how the player character fits into video game narratives. Like there are so many nuances and details that revolve around how the player works that inform stories. I am being intentionally vague rn because otherwise the floodgates open so sorry.

15. Piece of advice you find yourself giving a lot?

"It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it’s damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person" - Bill Murray (assuming I didn't quote the wrong guy)

16.Piece of advice you would give yourself five years ago?

"Bad news: Shit gets worse. Good news, you'll make it through it all. So just hold on and you'll be good."

Not great advice but I really don't have anything to add other than telling my past self to invest in fads like Gamestop.

17.Do you believe in luck and superstitions? Do you carry any lucky items or follow any rituals?

I kinda do, but also I don't. I feel luck is a thing but it's more just a part of the universe than a cosmic force you can alter. Things just are as they are, sometimes there isn't anything deeper.

18. Are you musical (play any instruments, sing)? Would you ever perform for an audience?

I'm not and I would rather get Nickalodian slimed than sing infront of an audience.

19.Write, type, or speak?

I tend to type mostly to people when I want to talk now but the situation isn't urgent. I will use a voice call to speak if something needs urgent attention.

20. What do you wish someone would ask you?

I feel a bit too antisocial/introverted for this question since I'd probably be skeptical if a random person asked me anything.

Tags: @gortashsrighthand @carnivaley @saylofwaterdeep @asorceresswrites @toomanyfamiliars @ele-millennial-weirdo @dr4gonwriter @unovafarm @fireflyeyes @faeriiefire @bladesingerlily and @sadsandwich1

Bellow is a list of the questions:

From then on most missions lead V to find the best of bad options, like should you tell the Parkers about the brainwashing or let them live in blissful ignorance, or deciding who to betray in Phantom Liberty, or any other side gig where the outcome isn't quite clear. Over and over again you're put in a situation where you must make the best out of two bad outcomes. It's a theme that is hammered over and over again and again. And then you get to that chair, deciding what your fate is going to be.

Like Johnny says, "It's hard picking which of your Chooms is going to die." and lowkey that's kinda how it feels. So when Johnny throws out the suicide run, it feels like the completion of an arc V has. This time they won't risk anyone else on their quest for survival, there won't be another Scorpion or Jackie, it'll just be you. It feels like V themselves realizes that theme (or to them it'd probably be more of a trend but I digress) and decide they won't continue it.

And Gameplay wise this ending really feels like a suicide mission. Your health is barely above 50% most of the time, you have no saving, and it's just you and Johnny against Arasaka.

Thank you @unovafarm for the tag on this one.

This may be a bit weird for me of all people to do but fuck it, we ball. There will be some questions I can't do, however, since my fics aren't that smutty (and there has been 1 sex scene in any of my fics but I felt it wasn't great so I removed it).

What’s an idea, dynamic, or trope in your current work that feels naughty or self-indulgent?

This is a weird question to go with since there are 2 answers and one of those is a joke. The dynamic of "Two idiots in love" was something I went with for Riley/Karlach since I thought it'd be adorable and I feel that's the most self indulgent part. The silly answer is that I made pre-tadpole Riley outpace Gortash by a wide ass margin. Like there were many days Gortash walked with a limp.

2. Is your oc a virgin, blushing maiden, or sexual fiend? or aro/ace? or something in between?

So this is actually kinda interesting. Pre-tadpole she is a bit of a fiend, viewing sex with the same level of value as you'd give a hug. This mostly comes from pre-tadpole Riley not giving a singular fuck about romance and treating sex both as a hobby and tool. Post-tadpole I wrote Riley and Karlachs (now removed) sex scene more closely to two virgins finally having at it. Post Tadpole Riley still cares for sex but she's a bit more of a blushing maiden now since she actually loves Karlach.

3. What’s your OC’s “I shouldn’t be this turned on by this” trigger?

Post-tadpone: Probably watching Karlach slurp noodles.

Pre-tadpole: A romantic couple having a date.

4. What is your OC's hard NO?

Post tadpole: Probably anything too violent/controlling.

Pre-tadpole: Not being the one in control.

5. What is the most debauched VP/Art you have ever created?

The three new ones seen above where the pair are in their underwear.

For reference this arc would happen post-game and would focus on my Durge helping Orin find a life outside of Bhaal. This info is important since a big part of Orin's character, in my writing, is that she never had a chance at a life outside of Bhaal. Like she made murder art because she couldn't process having hobbies that didn't relate to Bhaal, her speech includes a lot of murderous similes/metaphors because she almost treats every sentence like a prayer, etc. By the time the "redemption" arc's start Orin would have been cast aside by Bhaal and would be barely a husk of a person since she's now abandoned by the god she based her life on.

The first phase of the arc would be Orin killing again, this time for reasons other than "Love of the Game" or because Bhaal wants death, and finding it no longer brings her any joy. To her I can imagine that would be unnerving, if not disturbing. Maybe she doesn't even see the beauty in death anymore, unbalancing her even more.

The second phase would be a bit of fluff where Orin is given the opportunities to have normal hobbies. Maybe she goes to a play and just watches for the sake of enjoyment, maybe she goes to a comedy show, maybe she goes to a tavern and talks to new people, hell maybe she does all that and more. The point here being Orin is allowed to explore herself free from Bhaal's watch.

The final phase would be more acceptance, if that makes sense. Like at the end of the day she's still deeply disturbed from her life in Bhaal and I think the last bit of her arc would be her learning to live with that trauma. This wouldn't be Orin "redeeming herself" or anything, hell I think Orin and my Durge will always feel guilty for the things they did, it's just me setting Orin up to act like a good person later.

Thank you @carnivaley @cinder-rellish181 @ele-millennial-weirdo and @gortashsrighthand for the tag

IDK if this counts but I don't have a fic chapter rn since Im planning a new fic for after my current series ends but I have been making some VP's of Riley and Karlach I'd like to show off

The Gals go to the beach

Their adventures in Hell following the events of the game

Them being cute (quite possibly after drunk driving a drunk horse)

And of course the two enjoying the party in camp

Enjoy!

He is a great boy and I wanted to celebrate him

I think Im getting a hang of lighty lights

Like they're out here throwing two punches a second with the force of a hammer while you're out here doing like 2 damage a hit, and that's assuming you beat unarmored defense and assuming it's not 5.5e where deflect attack now applies to all physical attacks.

Working title: "The Road to Redemption"

The Premise: A little over a year following the fall of the Absolute the cult of the Absolute seems to have reformed with their sights still on the city of Baldur's Gate. Instead of outright domination, like Gortash had hoped for, it seems the new Absolute wants a more subtle control over the city. At the same time, the increasing Selunite disappearances threatens Riley's home community as well as her friends. And with all the unknowns at present, it would be really useful if Riley had any allies who could spy on her enemies. Especially any allies who could change their face, but who does she know that can do that and has a vendetta against the dead three?"

Thank you both @carnivaley and @fireflyeyes for the tags

tag game: Recreate a VP of your Tav as the main character or your fave character from your favourite movie — within the limits of photo mode, of course. Make a whole entourage if you like.

I'll be honest, my favorite films are the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and I felt doing a photoshoot of that with a bg3 character would be redundant, so I tried to mimic some shots from the movie that I feel has some of the strongest cinematography. That movie of course being the 1962 classic "Lawrence of Arabia"

I couldn't quite get a 1-1 shot but I think I did a good job getting that vibe

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible." -T.E Lawrence (and later Nathan Drake)

Thank you @saylofwaterdeep for the lovely tag and sorry for the delay, works been a lot.

I know I've said it before in a variety of posts but Riley's surname and their meaning so I'll now summarize it here.

Riley the Red/ The Urge

This title is meant to show Riley when she was still under Bhaal's control/while the Urge had it's strongest grip on her. Her title being simply "The Red" serving a double purpose as both an indicator of how bloody she can get (have you seen bloody tieflings? It blends in) as well as tying Orin to her. Hell in my fics Orin's title is based off of Riley, it being just another way for the mother/daughter sisters to show their relation to one another. It also is obviously a very dehumanizing name, like the only thing worth noting about her is her ability to bring death which I feel fits Bhaalist dogma and the treatment of Bhaalspawn.

As for what Bhaal referred to her as "The Urge" or "My Child" rather than any given name. He knows her name, I should note, he just doesn't give enough of a fuck to ever use it.

Riley

Here the absence of both surname and title shows the liminality of her situation. Thanks to the lobotomy she has no ties to her life under Bhaal or even her life before Bhaal. Throughout her journey she feels pulled towards a life she doesn't remember and is forced to fight against her Urges if she wants to live the life she wants. Like at the time she's not quite "Riley the Red" but she still has the Urge while also not being "Riley Zavori" since she's far too bloodthirsty.

Riley Zavori

As for the final evolution of the name we get to Zavori, the surname of her adoptive mother. That surname represents a life outside of Bhaal, one where Riley is free to be who she wanted. She is no longer Bhaal's child and it now shows through her having the surname of her real family, even if she's the only surviving member.

To make this idea a bit cuter, the title is given to Riley by her adoptive mother herself (it happens when Riley is dead thanks to Bhaal) so it's not just Riley disavowing Bhaal, it's her mother too. Like giving back Riley her surname is her mother's way of saying "You are MY daughter, not Bhaals."

For tags I will go with @gortashsrighthand @carnivaley @ele-millennial-weirdo @toomanyfamiliars @dr4gonwriter @astrmoon25 and @cinder-rellish181

Ex: The fic "Like Mother, Like Daughter" is about Helena and Orin and how they're never able to break the cycle of abuse. This is reflected in the name since the expression implies both mother and daughter (Helena and Orin) are bound together by that one fate. Like no matter how much the pair hate one another, they're both destined to be like one another. That no matter what either of them do, they're both failed Bhaalspawn who are destined to die on his altar.

And then there's the fic "Her Mother's Daughter" which is about Riley, her mother (Before Bhaal), and Orin. This time the phrase that the fic is based on implies a positive relationship between mother and daughter as opposed to the former fic's phrase which only implies the two act in a similar way. This is reflected in the fic in two ways. Firstly it's reflected in Riley's compassion and care for Orin which reflects back to Riley's mother who knowingly took in an evil child because "Even a monster deserves love." It's also leads to one of the best lines in my fics where Riley is told that "You might not have your mother's blood, but you have her heart." And then as the fic gets to the midway point the title of the fic gets it's second meaning as we see Riley taking care of Orin after Helena died. We see her encourage Orin, remind her that it's ok to fail, and remind Orin that she's loved. We see an Orin having an actual moment of childlike innocence, but there is something off about Riley and Orin's relationship. In that scene it doesn't really feel like Riley is just an older sister, it feels like she's Orin's mom. And that leads to the fics second meaning. The title isn't just about Riley being like her mother,

It's about Orin and the woman that showed Orin maternal love, Riley.