#quin notes

That's Astarion from Halsin's perspective. That whole square is how Halsin sees Astarion, playing with a carved wooden bunny like it's a treasure in an off character/reflective moment because Astarion's been asked for his opinion twice in the same day.

100% intentional.

Tagged by @scoldingdarjeeling because I can't hide in my drafts when she does that!

Please excuse the panel I need reference for and enjoy this small snippet of 'Afterward' the ten page comic I'm working on!

Okay let's cook. WIP Wednes THURSDAY.

Medical - (not me but close) As anyone that has ever had to learn a new medical term the hard way can attest, this past couple of weeks has been a bit of a rough time. All good for now.

College - Doing okay! It's all IT development stuff which I know how to do, so the homework has been steady (but time consuming)

Work: :( Pays Bills; Good chunk of time

Streaming: I stream video games and art when I get the chance. It is bare bones but I kinda like it that way. I'm playing Subnautica at the moment and it's a blast. Mostly cozy streams but it depends on what takes my fancy.

Art: I have two comics I'm chewing away at. They are still pretty rough but the ideas are down. I've also got a couple of illustration wips I'm doing!

Writing: First part of Snow Prints chapter one is finished, second part in the works. It is a Halsin x Tav fiction that will probably be ten or eleven chapters long! (I did not realise a goal of 4.5k words/chapter was probably a little high, might be 3-3.5k; it's all about the vibes.)

It's what drew Mystra to him, it's the most fun he has, his stories are all about the chaos his curiosity sows.

Oh my god how much time do you have? XD

I started out with the question of how two very different characters would find themselves in a relationship together. How would that happen?

Since a lot of my first endgame involved glossing over A LOT of buggy bs that has sort of been fixed? I was kind of left with the impression that Gale went on his way to find the crown. He was, ultimately, the whole reason I stood up Raphael. I can't express how deeply I cared about the guy without actually having done the romantic path. I wish there had been a path at the end to help him-

So I made one.

I also can only emphasise strongly how bad Quin would have been for Gale. I'm not even entirely sure Quin's that great for Astarion (it's complicated.) I don't want to reveal too much because I'll go into it, hopefully with comics, at some point, but suffice to say it could not be Quin stuck on a boat with Gale.

With Wyll heading to the hells with Karlach, Shadowheart doing her own thing (she has a book to write after all), Rolan too hung up in himself for ANYTHING approaching help. (in hindsight Minsc would have been hilarious but not really romantic((IN MY HEAD, have at it people its on the table))) This left things down to Astarion. I fully expected this to be one story where they bed each other happily in the process of getting the crown.

60k words later.

Astarion is healing in his own way, he could absolutely do his own thing and be happy in that. But I think, after going through his own precarious plans and decisions and suffering. Seeing some of that reflected in Gale FINALLY sorting out his own struggles with pride and ego touches him in a way that brings out his caring nature. They both share some of their problems, Gale is just a little behind Astarion because again, you set Astarion on the road with tying up the Cazador cycle. Not that he's healed, the scars are still pretty fresh, but he's a little giddy with the expanse of all that freedom.

(He stresses he doesn't need looking after in the aftermath of the game, but little hints at him actually UNDERSTANDING his freedom are happening.)

Putting problems and monsters in the way of their relationship is a me thing, I love this world, it is totally homebrew leanings. Having Astarion throw himself at things like a pissed off stray cat when someone he tolerates is in jeopardy amuses me greatly. Gale being really off his game and then finding his agency again with an unlikely person is quite healing for me too. (because agency is sexy)

Quin is the first Tav! He was created because I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started the game, and I went with comfort features. Hair/ears are aspects I'd had in the past for a character I had in RP forums back in the day.

The turquoise eyes with gold rings are new!

I didn't set out with any kind of backstory for him, but after my playthrough and finding out more about the overall story of BG3 I pulled out the idea of a kind of durge that wasn't THE durge, but didn't quite fit in the same way.