#keke asks

Arata comes from a world where only elves and orcs exist. Tieflings, humans, dwarves, etc, they don't exist in his setting. Devils don't exist. Demons do but they're very different from Faerun. Magic is not an everyday thing and is instead something if you come across accidentally, if you were cursed, or if you were gifted it by something magical (which isn't very common)

Arata's biggest struggle in his story is learning that magic exists. He is pissed off, every day of his life now, to know that magic not only exists but there are supernatural things and the gods may also apparently be real (he's aware that one Goddess exists, because he met her, but he refuses to acknowledge that this might mean the other gods also exist because he hasn't met them). He is not having a good time. He is forced to interact with magic almost everyday now and he hates it so much, he just wants to go back to his cows and a world "before this magical bullshit"

Also, no one in his world has "unnatural" skin tones. Tiefling skin tones would confuse the hell out of him and he would be convinced they're some type of spirit or demon. Also, the people in his country are South Asian, Asian, Black, and Indigenous. White people do exist but not in his section of the world and contact between his continent and their continent doesn't happen for a while. Being dropped in a world with white people would also be a whole "wtf" thing for him (I don't want to say he would be racist about it because Arata isn't racist, but he would be genuinely so baffled by white people and tieflings and dryads and other supernatural creatures like that existing)

He'd survive and unfortunately thrive but at what cost, at what fucking cost, he would say everyday (he'd also miss Gamani like crazy and be panicking about his mother and sisters)

As for living Bhavan's life, if Arata does just replace Bhavan with no previous knowledge of his life before, then yeah he and Jyothika would be at each other's throats all the time but they would be attracted to each other and the s*x would be crazy good not gonna lie lol. And Arata is a serial monogamist so yes they would get married and Arata is a very good partner who would naturally meet Jyothika's needs...though there will always be that one thing that would be missing from making their relationship just right

He wouldn't be a druid. Arata is not about magic, he does not trust magic, he does not like magic. He would 100 per cent be a monk and he would be a very good addition to the BG3 group. They would save the world easily with him though hear him grumbling all the time about magical bullshit and the people who use it

He still wouldn't trust magic and have hangups about it existing but less in a "what do you mean this exists?!?" way and more of a "are you fucking kidding me, why the fuck is magic a thing, who agreed to this I sure as fuck didn't" type of way

The Bhaalspawn situation...honestly, Arata would have never found the cult of the Absolute, not gonna lie. The moment he realized he was a Bhaalspawn, he would have immediately went "fuck that god demon shit" and gone searching for a "cure" and then would have been accidentally captured with everyone else at the start of BG3

Bhavan:

If Bhavan is aware of Faerun and that he was dropped into another world, Bhavan would be confused but honestly, once he realized that it's just a world full of elves and orcs, and once he realized that magic doesn't work the same (he would still have his powers tbf), he would be fine survival wise. He'd survive and would have probably ended up with the werewolves not gonna lie lol

BUT he would perish though because he's away from Jyothika and he cannot survive without her. He is so unhealthily codependent on her that every second away from her would kill him. He will wither away without his wife and as dark as this sounds, yeah he would just give up living if he can't get back to her. "Life has no meaning for me without her" and he's not joking about it

But if he wasn't aware...then yeah, he'd do fine. Arata grew up being a herdsman raising and tending to bison and yeah, Bhavan would do well with that before ending up with the werewolves. He wouldn't end up with the dragon rustlers and would instead probably be the first "mortal" in a few centuries to become a werewolf without being born a werewolf

He'd be so happy to have family and I think he and Gamani would meet a different way than how Arata met her. And they would date and it would be good and yeah he would basically take Arata's role in fulfilling the Goddess pact, etc and becoming Gamani's bodyguard and the Goddess's champion. I think he might actually thrive doing that, actually? He and Gamani wouldn't actually marry to be honest. Gamani is not a fighter or a "person who can kill you" and that wouldn't do it for him in terms of a long term partner. He needs the danger of knowing that his partner can kill him if they wanted because that's hot and Bhavan is an unhinged weirdo who thrives on chaos. They'd date, be friends with benefits, but that's about it

Your character is wearing a graphic tee shirt. What's on it?

Bhavan's shirt would either have a wolf on it or Jyothika's face on it. Or a unicorn

Arata's shirt would have "Get off my dick" or some type of cattle on it

What's a memory your character has from school? (If they never went to school, a time they were learning something, preferably from another person

Bhavan's is the first time he successfully turned into a wolf at six years old. It is one of his fondest memories because his dad taught him how to do it (both his parents were druids) and then he remembers getting to run with his parents with them all transformed as wolves and it was emotionally fulfilling for him in a way that just made him feel seen and loved

Your character is famous. What's the big scandal or rumor that comes out about them? (Not necessarily something that actually happens in their story, but something that might come up and turn into a whole tabloid field day.)

Probably the fact that she's dating Bhavan lmao. I mean, she's the daughter of Selune who was created to hunt Sharrans and she's dating a Bhaalspawn, it's pretty shocking lol

Your character is whacking somebody. With what? Are they being playful or trying to hurt them?

It would be on Bhavan and it would be playful lol and it would be with her fist (very gently). She has threatened people before but ususually it's because they're threatening someone else or it's a strange dangerous seeming man trying to flirt with her immediately upon them meeting (Bhavan, it was Bhavan)

What's something people always trust your character on? What's something they probably won't trust your character on?

To always help people no matter what. If you are someone in need, and she does not perceive you as a threat to others, she will drop what she is doing to help you regardless of whether you can pay her or not. She is also very quick to defend those being bullied

People wouldn't trust her to not roast someone because they made her mad. Or to not immediately be hostile to someone because she doesn't trust them

How accurate is your character's perception of themself?

Your character leaves a gathering, and the people who were with them immediately start talking about something they did. What was it?

Probably about something really mean she said. Jyothika is not above being very petty towards someone who pissed her off and saying that someone's clothes or hair looks awful (even if it's a lie, all is fair in the game of being petty)

That or she was caught making out with Bhavan somewhere...or she was being a Passenger Princess with Bhavan...or she had to be carried out because she wanted to fight someone being mean to Bhavan...the list goes on lol

What does your character consider their greatest shortcoming, and what is actually their greatest shortcoming?

Jyothika thinks her greatest shortcoming is that she's not strong enough to protect the people she loves. Due to the nature of her curse, Jyothika's actual power is severely reduced and it also limits her on what she can actually do with her cleric stuff. So she is constantly insecure/anxious about this

Her actual shortcoming is that she can get pretty reckless if she thinks she can quickly end a fight or save someone (even at the risk of herself). No one else is allowed to do stupid, reckless shit that could result in them gettting hurt. She's allowed to do that however

Is your character more likely to buy something they don't need if it looks cute or cool? What kind of aesthetic might persuade them?

Absolutely. Jyothika is pretty vain. She loves to sleep outdoors and rough it (she hates cities). But she's super vain and constantly insecure about the fact that she's 301 years old. So anything that makes her look beautiful, mysterious, and sexy cool is something she'd be into. (Also cute things but she's more shy about this)

What does your character like to be surrounded by? Interpret this question however you like.

Nature. She loves nature and being in a forest or field, especially if it's at night with the stars and moon above her. She also loves being around Bhavan (and whatever group of friends she's with) which is good because Bhavan also does not like being away from her (he literally starts perishing lmao)

What's something you bought recently that your character might also buy?

9) If the story of your character's current life was given a prequel or sequel, what would they focus on?

This is a really good question cause Barsaat before his exile and Barsaat after the end of COTY (Curse of the Yaksha) are such different men.

For context, at the start of COTY, Barsaat is in the third year of his exile and he is miserable about it. He's had to live among Outsiders (people not part of his community/outside his culture) and he really doesn't like it due to their (what he perceives as) many conservative customs and self-serving politics that he really doesn't want to be bothered with. He's from a pastoral warrior community whose culture and lives revolve around Giant Insects and trying to exist with Jamma (his Caravan Beetle/Giant Beetle) in an area that can't really accomondate him has been frustrating to navigate.

He's also been pushed out of the Athor Desert (which is where he's from) and he's very homesick. And he's realized, within the first year of his exile, that he isn't as much of a "lone wolf" as he initially believed himself to be.

A prequel would see Barsaat, before his exile, as much more antisocial and hostile towards the people around him (due to reasons).

Barsaat at this time was also constantly at odds with his clan who saw his rudeness and unwillingness to "get along with everyone" as a problem.

The prequel would show Barsaat struggling immensely with his relationship with Balbir, who was the previous Head Warrior (leader) of his clan. And the problems that resulted due to this, especially when it came to their places in the clan.

And of course, the prequel would end with showing why Barsaat was exiled, and why he was stripped of being Balbir's successor. And why it was instead given to Anju (the current Head Warrior who grew up with Barsaat though they were never really friends)

Now a sequel would show Barsaat married to Navya, being less anxious and much more confident. He would have reconnected with his clan at that point and no longer be struggling with issues of loneliness and self-doubt. It would also focus on him raising his five children.

10) Your character is famous. What's the big scandal or rumor that comes out about them? (Not necessarily something that actually happens in their story, but something that might come up and turn into a whole tabloid field day.)