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kikicolors · 5 months

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my lisa frank princess 💗

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depressedandasian · 5 months

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The emperor backseat fighting is so annoying.

#baldur's gate #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #baldurs gate iii #larian studios #larian #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #the emperor #balduran

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steel-peach · 3 months

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Balduran and Ansur (based on the murals) + misc sketches

#ansuran? baldsur #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate 3 #ansur #balduran #steelpeach

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sledgehammer-to-a-discoball · 2 months

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So you're telling me the city of Baldurs Gate was founded upon the romance between a man and a dragon and ruined through a romance between a man and the dragonborn?

I am sick! I am sick to my stomach, the parallels are making me ill!!

#durgetash #balduran #ansur #durge #the dark urge #gortash #enver gortash

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lucidpeech · 3 months

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The Emperor, in Alexander McQueen RTW 2023

#i think he's not a couture gal like shart #he feels like a practical dude #but this would be something he likes #it's shiny #purple and plays into his illithid form but also provides him cover from prying eyes #bg3 #bg3 fanart #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #balduran #baldurs gate #illithid #mind flayer #the emperor bg3 #bg3 emperor #illithidposting #peechy art : bg3

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mademoisellegush · 8 months

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Balduran is the Funniest Bastard On Toril I love them so much

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #the emperor #balduran #enver gortash

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emmy-dekarios-bg3 · 25 days

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Another Wyll dialogue that has me CRACKING UP (IYKYK)

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superectojazzmage · 8 months

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My Baldur’s Gate 3 hot take is that debates about whether or not Emperor Balduran is trustworthy or or not are a waste of time because a great deal of the point of the character — narratively and gameplay-wise — is that he’s an extension of you. YOU interpret and decide on his personality, nature, and choices the same way you do with your Tav.

If you want him to genuinely be the flawed and odd-thinking but ultimately noble and heroic “token good Mind Flayer” that he presents himself as, then he will be like that simply because you treat him as being such. He’ll be trustworthy and dependable, totally truthful about only wanting what’s best for Baldur’s Gate and about wanting to free the Illithids from Elder Brain control and make ceremorphosis a consensual choice, while also being open to compromise in the name of forging bonds. He’ll be the unlikely hero who, with you by his side, uses the Stones to destroy the Absolute and save his beloved city.

If you want him to be and treat him like a backstabbing, manipulative liar and potentially dangerous monster who is at best disconnected from basic reality, at worst a murderous narcissist trying to bend you to his will, then he’ll act like it. His interactions with be tense, snappish, and uncomfortable. He’ll threaten you, make unreasonable demands, never compromise, and try to assert control over the party while making clear that your alliance is one of convenience and necessity. And ultimately, he’ll either betray you and defect to the Absolute’s side because he can’t control you or, at your urging, hijack things and use the Absolute to take over the world.

His past is designed to be interpreted in massively different manners depending on what kind of person you want him to be. He killed Ansur either out of justified self defense because Ansur wouldn’t admit that Balduran was still himself beneath the changed form, or because Ansur was trying to stop his evil plans. He dominated Stelmane’s mind because she was a bad person and he wanted to turn the Knights of the Shield into something good, or because he’s an evil manipulator who dominates those he can’t charm. He withheld information from you because he was being cautious and wasn’t sure if you were going to be an ally (like your party members), or because he was manipulating you by making himself seem more sympathetic. He never freed Orpheus and doesn’t want to free him because as an Illithid he rightfully fears a Githyanki Prince and that freeing Orpheus will allow the Netherbrain to control him again, or because he’s an malevolent bastard who knows that Orpheus would ruin his plans. It’s up to you to decide.

He can change tune on a dime, make self-contradictory choices and statements, abruptly do things just because of something you decided to say because you wanted to see what would happen. Just like you do as a player, because he’s as much your PC as Tav. It’s why you get to customize the form he appears in your dreams with. The Emperor is good or evil or whatever depending on what you WANT or MAKE him to be.

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notsohappynotsosad · 2 months

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Idea stolen from @madmedicinecat

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 memes #bg3 emperor #bg3 lae'zel #bg3 ansur #balduran #avatar the last airbender #atla meme

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dirtybg3confessions · 6 months

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Confession: Okay but Balduran totally fucked that dragon didn’t he

#baldur's gate #bg3 #dirty confessions #baldur's gate 3 #balduran #ansur #bg3 ansur #bg3 balduran

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eeldritchblast · 7 months

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...

#kings of dragging others into their drama #the emperor #balduran #ansur #bg3 #baldur's gate 3

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havesomeoctopus · 7 months

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#baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate fanart #the emperor #bg3 tav #balduran #bg3 #bg3 fanart

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amica-aenigmata-naboo · 7 months

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Sleep Well Pet

Astarion X Y/N - drabble - 927 WC

Masterlist

Warnings: injury to reader, descriptions of injury, blood, arguing, fainting, confessions, Astarion being sweet

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Astarion paced back and forth outside Shadowheart’s tent. Her and Gale doing their best to heal you after Orin slashed your side open. It was a deep gash, the blood that spilled out of it looked almost black. Astarion saw bone and knew the laceration could be fatal. The battle finished quickly, he rushed to you. Catching your head just before it hit the ground. Your vision was doubled and Astarion sounded far away. You watched the world around you blur and fade, the last thing you saw was Astarion’s hands covered in blood.

You woke up and heard the sounds of the night. Grasshoppers, the chirps of bats, the bonfire crackling. You tried to get up, immediately groaning as you felt stitches in your side stretch uncomfortably. You lifted your shirt up, the gash was as long as your forearm. From your last rib to just barely past your hip bone. At least she used a sharp sword, making the gash nice and clean. You looked around the tent, you had been put in Astarion’s tent. Confusion filled you, sure you were friends, maybe even something more after your little romp in the clearing but you had no reason to be resting in his tent. The flap to his tent brushed open, your eyes found his. The tent remained silent.

“Help me up.” you said, struggling to even sit up.

“What?” Astarion said, kneeling next to you trying to keep you in place.

“I’m not staying in your tent.” you struggled against him for a moment before looking at his face, trying to see what he was so worked up about.

“Really? That’s your concern? You almost died!” he shouted, standing and walking away from you with frustration.

“Astarion, please let's not do whatever this is.” you said struggling to your knees, working up the motivation to stand.

“Is it so difficult to hear that I’m worried about you?.” he said with venom in his voice.

You used the stool next to his bed to stand, hand immediately coming to your wound. Your head was spinning, your hand felt wet. You looked down, seeing blood cover your palm. You looked at Astarion who had an angry look for a moment. It vanished instantly when you stumbled backwards, he caught you. Laying your unconscious self back onto his bedroll. He lifted your shirt, looking at the five busted stitches out of…. 28. Your bleeding was steady. He held a clean rag to your side. He poured an elixir of pain on the wound, numbing it. The last thing he wanted was you waking up mid stitch. He gingerly stitched you back up. He put a soothing salve on the stitches before wrapping your entire waist in gauze. He stayed next to you, watching you sleep. He knew why he was worried. He had known since you and him shared that night in the clearing. He had grown to like everything about you, but did an excellent job of acting aloof. He didn’t know how you felt, he couldn’t read you like everyone else.

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Your eyes rolled open sleepily, your side felt better but you could feel the heat coming from it. Astarion was meditating next to you, leaning against the pole holding the tent up. He always looked so pretty, you thought. You lifted your shirt, surprised to see you were patched back up. Your eyes scanned over Astarion, landing on his bloody hands. He had helped you. You didn’t mean to come off so mean earlier, but you had to be. The last few weeks he was all you could think of. After your lust filled night you developed, begrudgingly, feelings for him. The pale elf conquered every thought in your mind. You wanted him in every way. But you knew Astarion well enough to know what you two had was transactional.

“I wished you knew how much I like you.” you whispered, fingers caressing the back of his hand. You stretched as much as your wound would allow before closing your eyes to get some rest.

Astarion peeked his eyes open after a few moments, listening to your heart beat even out. “I know little love… and I feel the same.” he said, pulling the blanket up higher. He tucked you in, noticing how you nuzzled into his hand as he smoothed the blanket out and brushed you hair away from your face. He felt his heart swell.

He gently leaned down and kissed your cheek, “Sleep well pet.”

He went to walk out of the tent before he heard a faint, “Stay?” he looked you over, convinced he was hearing things. Your hand was stretched out, waiting for him. Your eyes barely open, you felt his hand slide into yours. “Sorry I was mean.” you whispered.

Astarion smiled, laying down next to you, caressing your hand. “So you like me, huh?” he asked.

Your eyes shot open and you looked at him with panic on your face. Astarion chuckled before he pressed a kiss to your lips softly. You hesitated but kissed him back after a moment. You opened your mouth to speak but Astarion beat you to it. “Rest now, we can talk in the morning. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” he smoothed his thumb over your cheek, kissing you one final time. You nodded at him, closing your eyes. Astarion wrapped himself around you carefully, avoiding your wound. Sighing with content, you slowly drifted off. Listening to Astarion whisper praises into your ear, and his strong arms holding you.

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Naboo's Note:

Hellooooooo :) just a little something that crossed my mind. I'm really loving writing for all of you <3 thank you for all the likes, comments, requests, and reblogs! See you all again soon! XOXOXO

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lucidpeech · 3 months

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wildest fwb in all of faerun, i'd say or at least, all of Baldur's Gate

#bg3 #shitposting doodles again #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #the emperor #he's one of my favorite ngl #leyah my first durge #dark urge #durge #balduran #doodle #bg3 fanart #bg3 : Leyah (boyfailure)

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tcfactory · 7 months

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As fun as it is when people write the Emperor as someone who has his shit together and functions as An Excellent Specimen of a Mindflayer, this alien mastermind who can act like a mentor for illiThav, I have a fondness for the Emperor as like

this absolute wreck of a person.

Mindflayers are supposed to stay with their colony for like 20+ years to learn All The Things Mindflayer and we know Ansur stole him away long before that (I think he said 12 or 13 years). And then put him through what was meant to be cult deprogramming, but probably was just an unfortunate mixture of torture (mental isolation and I can see a measure of starvation added to it) and instilling every insecurity known to man. Guilting the squid not to act squiddy wasn't very effective on the long run, but it sure must have been traumatizing - might even be the reason why the Emperor made such a decisive cut between his old and new identity. We don't know how long Ansur tried before he gave up, but probably quite a few years, dragon sounded like the stubborn sort.

So we have 1. possibly not fully socialized/introduced to the culture in its fullest and 2. some years of being forced to act as close to his old human personality as possible to placate Ansur. 3. continued social isolation where he only interacts with humanoid races, often indirectly at that.

So I like the idea that as the result of all of that he's not really pretending when we meet him properly, he's Just Like That. Not the part about being on top of things, gods know people wrote stories about how he talked his way out of all sorts of nonsense with pure bullshit, he could probably sell beachfront property in the Hells if he tried. Just, his personality and mannerisms as an ungodly mixture halfway between illithid and human, he's just the weirdest squid. Not human anymore, no, but acting and thinking overall too human compared to other mindflayers and he might not even be fully aware of it because he's been isolated from his kind for the last several hundred years. Even post-Absolute he might not know how weird he is, I somehow can't see the elderbrain reintegrating him into the colony when he's clearly defective. Say thank you to Gortash for being curious about his business rival or the Emperor would be past tense.

Anyway, I really like Weird Squid Emperor and I want to put him in a room with Omeluum so nerd squid can take notes and be amazed at this trashfire of an illithid, I think that would be a cool scene actually.

#baldur's gate 3 #balduran #the emperor #bg3 #sorry about the random rant this squid moved into my brain and refuses to leave #it's a problem I'm writing a longfic about it

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mademoisellegush · 9 months

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On the Emperor and *that* scene

so i went and looked at some of the branches of that conversation -he basically reacts by reflecting and amplifying whatever energy the player gives him. Whatever you say, he will not contradict you.

You reject him, violently? He'll show you how right you are, how much of a monster he is. You reject him, preferring to "stick to business"? so does he. You agree to see him as a potential partner? Not a one-night stand, you are "bonded and it is time to consummate love with war".

Something to keep in mind, however (pun intended) is that "to best protect yourself from illithid manipulation, pay attention to its actions, not words."

tldr: i think the emperor is a very neat character.

The first branch is the disgusted rejection - the one where the player calls him a freak. his reaction is to show you how right you are. a mind controlled Stelmane, how the partnership was puppeteering. "you are my puppet", he tells you. "You have no other choice, if I must, I will force you."

he does not force you to do anything, after that. the threat is there, of course, but it's hollow. empty.

should this be taken at face value? can we trust him, even now, that he is telling the truth? it is certain that he mind controlled stelmane, yes. But was he the one who made her ill?

two items put that into question. a) stelmane's portrait, hung up at his desk along all his treasured possessions from before and after he became an illithid (balduran's butter fork, to go with the butter knife. his old sword, a recipe for fiddlehead soup, his dog Rascal's collar. the emperor's outfit, container for brains, chains for his "meals".)

If he's a liar about everything, why does he have a framed picture of Stelmane? He would not have been able to physically go back and set things up in a Knights of the Shield secret hideout while he was stuck inside the Astral Prism in our pocket from the hells, down to the Underdark, unless i'm getting the timeline of this story majorly wrong.

and b) an account of stelmane's illness.

Stelmane's condition got worse *after* Balduran/the Emperor disappeared, captured by Gortash and the cult of the Absolute.

Make of that what you will. Is this an actual testimony, or something he somehow planted there for you to find, despite the logistical difficulties in doing so? You decide.

2. The violent rejection is the only branch where he does not tell you how big the elder brain has grown. I think that is because there is an actual reaction on his end; something vicious that he's unused to feeling. Not the cold, calculating pragmatism he was praising in the player character three lines ago. Compare the first branch to the following two paths:

What i think is: Balduran uses you. The sole thing he cares above all else is his continued survival, any power gained that way is a side benefit to his goal. If you even get the Orphic hammer, even "as leverage," even as you threaten him, he does not "force you" to do anything, as threatened above. Ansur died, yes, but is self defence murder? Neither Ansur nor Balduran deny that Ansur tried to mercy kill Balduran as he slept.

What I also think: you have to succeed at perception check, in the third guardian dream, to figure out that "the hurt runs deeper than they're willing to show you." then, an insight check (something that requires wisdom, what you use to resist, or lean into, the tadpole's hivemind) "beneath the resilient veneer, a touch of fragility. they need comfort." This allows you to hug them, if you desire - something they say "it has been a very long time since someone did that. for [me]".

Make of that what you will.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #the emperor #balduran #he is an awful little manipulative bastard and i think hes perfect

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