The consistently amazing BG3 tiefling fanart inspired me to draw out how my characters' tails would emote very soon after I started playing, and I finally went through and cleaned up those sketches today. I based these primarily off of cat behavior with some liberties to account for how they look and behave in-game. I interpreted the triangular ridges on the base of the tail as spines that can raise in extremes, because it's more fun. As always, thanks to the artists at Larian for going unreasonably hard with all the bumps and ridges in unmentionable places.
These are what I picture for my Dark Urge specifically (a lot of them don’t apply to how I imagine Karlach, for example) but feel free to draw from them for any tiefling characters.
If you can't read my handwriting (sorry), I transcribed it in the ALT text. More rambling about how these work for Bran under the cut.
Happy, Contented
Before Orin attacked them, this was very rare for Bran, and it is still generally fleeting. His tail will curl upward as shown when he laughs unexpectedly, but when he feels happy for longer periods of time, the curl is usually somewhat hard to notice unless you know exactly what you're looking for. It'll curl up tighter when he is touching someone he feels close to (whether platonically, romantically, or familially), but this only became truly pronounced after his urges were gone. Before that, his tail posture was often more angry or anxious looking when touching another person, especially for prolonged periods of time, and it would tick and lash frequently out of its curl before returning to it.
Agitated, Angry
This one has a lot of nuances, because pre-Orin Bran spent a lot of time being openly angry and irritated to a degree. Anger is sometimes a problem for post-Orin Bran, but he is much more inclined to repress it to avoid upsetting or scaring the party, so it is far less visible especially when it's directed at them. It usually manifests with a slightly raised base and a tick to one side or the other in response to a particularly strong or inconvenient urge, and it'd happen very frequently whenever someone came too close to them or touched them unexpectedly. This didn't go away when he got rid of his urges, but after a few years it got to the point that it was no longer as stark. This is a tell they can suppress with a lot of effort, but they aren't reliably successful, especially post-Orin.
Lashing was something he did when he was too angry to care about hiding it (even though he often could have), which happened with people he was comfortable around, primarily Gortash and Orin. Post-Orin, this only happens when they get so mad they can't suppress it. He may also lash and tick his tail back and forth on purpose when trying to be intimidating because it tends to trigger a conscious feeling of being hunted in most people, especially while he is also threatening them verbally and via Thamaturgy/Druidcraft.
Fear, Shock
This is very rare for Bran; he isn't prone to panic or expressing extreme fear in anything but the most extreme circumstances. When he is that afraid, it typically shifts to agitation or anxiety fairly quickly, especially pre-Orin. It'll happen briefly in moments when they're surprised by an ambush, but they won't hold this posture for longer than a second unless they're in the middle of a flashback. They almost never experience the level of disgust that'd trigger this reaction (I literally can't think of anything that would cause that for them. Desensitization is a trip).
Coy, Aroused
This one is also nuanced because way it usually manifests is not something that's natural for Bran. Pre-Orin, they'd typically curl and flick their tail deliberately to accompany flirting, but it also tended to intimidate people with how overt it is and how it often also triggers the "being hunted" feeling. In his relationship with Gortash, both of parts of that were intentional. The motion looks very intentional too: it moves to one side and then pauses a little on the way back up rather than continuously flicking to the other side, and the whole arc is slow enough that this is immediately noticeable to anyone paying attention. Bran keeps the habit post-Orin, at which point it becomes more or less involuntary while flirting and sometimes backfires because of the intimidating element. It does get a little subtler eventually, tending to only flick to one side or back and forth a couple times before he stops it and leaves it curled.
The raised base only happens when Bran receives unexpected and welcome advances, and it is typically quite brief. The spines and base will both raise during actual foreplay or sex, but not typically outside of that. The spines raising generally doesn't last for much longer than a moment for most of that time unless something is going either very right or very wrong.
Relaxed, Calm
This is basically just the game's default/walking posture, so there's not much to add. It'll sometimes sway gently when Bran is standing still or thinking (though it's not like that when they're thinking deeply, especially not post-Orin). Bran's boredom would usually look like subtle swaying when he isn't doing the usual Tav stretch, and it would be much subtler than Karlach's style of fidgeting.
Thoughtful
The arc Bran's tail flicks along when thinking deeply is similar to the one it follows while flirting in terms of how their tail turns over, but it is more elliptical and continuous than the way it flicks when they're being coy. It is also something they do naturally/on accident as opposed to doing it on purpose, which more perceptive people are generally able to tell. Pre-Orin they usually suppress it to avoid playing their hand unless they're around Gortash, Orin, or other people they're comfortable emoting openly around, or when they're trying to scare someone deliberately.
Post-Orin they aren't usually aware enough of it to suppress it until it's already started happening, and they don't feel compelled to do that around the rest of the party. It rarely makes the others uncomfortable unless he starts doing it while looking at and talking to them (he also tends to trail off and look through them when very deep in thought, which can be very disconcerting). None of them are willing to admit it, so Bran tends to let it happen because he's too preoccupied to notice their discomfort for himself. That unease largely went away when they realized that it wasn't intentional (at least for everyone but Astarion, because he took a while to believe it).
Tired, Injured
This is a behavior that they tend to hide until they no longer can, both pre- and post-Orin, so it is a very obvious cause for concern for the party. Dipping as low as shown and dragging usually happen when their headaches and brain fog/lethargy get bad, or when they've lost quite a bit of blood. It'll start to dip subtly out of their normal posture after a long day or if they stay up past the time they'd usually fall asleep, but it doesn't happen to the degree shown in the sketch for regular tiredness. It won't bump or drag against the ground unless something is well and truly wrong.
Curling his tail around himself is a self-soothing behavior, so it happens in response to pain at a level he cannot ignore (and he can ignore a lot). This is for the very bad and sharply painful headaches as well as grievous injuries. Dragging and curling his tail for long periods are things the party eventually learns they need to force him to stop for whenever he can't suppress them in time.
Anxiety, Discomfort
This is something he suppresses whenever possible, but he's only good at doing it pre-Orin. Before he was attacked, Bran never let this happen unless he was too overwhelmed not to, and he would usually convert the motion into agitation after a few seconds. Post-Orin, he'll still suppress it, but he'll often get anxious and disassociate enough that he won't realize it's happening, particularly in crowds and indoors in loud or echoing spaces full of people. If they aren't completely out of it, it will usually manifest as a brief curl or sharp flinch into this posture before it smooths out into something that's more subtle, but the tip of their tail will still generally stay curled around them until they can distract themself or get away from whatever triggered it.
This is also something that happens post-Orin when Bran feels guilt, which they were previously more or less numb to. Except with regards to specific people they cared for enough to grieve, they were resigned to their role and their urges, so the remorse they felt for killing was minimal and much easier to repress or convert to a more manageable emotion. Other than his worst bouts of self-loathing, I can't think of much of anything that'd trigger this reaction for disgust.
Pink stains did not make the city proper prettier. Not this close to Heap Gate and the bluffs descending towards propriety’s greatest smear: Grey Harbour. At this distance, you could still hear the toll of the bell tower by the docks. Rhyll had climbed that very tower just two days past. He had spent a glorious evening in the company of rooks and messenger birds, sharing the spoils of a stolen bread roll with his avian audience. When the mists lifted and the stars opened their multifaceted eyes across the darkening sky, he felt almost –
At peace? Free? He had no concept of either. The air sweeping in from the sea had carried promises, that much he knew. Scents of places he had yet to discover. That was for later. For now, he was settled in the city’s stink.
Gentle boop for those who might want to share a recent snippet: @thesanguinesonnet @cep-stories @lolthwoven @akira-of-the-fae @profoundsheepsandwich @kt-catt @hollowharp
Send me a # (questions for OCs) or a letter (questions for creators) and I’ll answer
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs
What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?
How easy is it for your character to laugh?
How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)
How easy is it to earn their trust?
How easy is it to earn their mistrust?
Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?
What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?
What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child
Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?
What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?
How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?
How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?
What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?
What animal do they fear most?
How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?
What makes their stomach turn?
Are they easily embarrassed?
What embarrasses them?
What is their favorite number?
If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?
Why do they get up in the morning?
How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?
How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?
Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?
What are their thoughts on marriage?
What is their preferred mode of transportation?
What causes them to feel dread?
Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?
Do they usually live up to their own ideals?
Who do they most regret meeting?
Who are they the most glad to have met?
Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke?
Could they be considered lazy?
How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?
How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?
Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?
Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?
What memory do they revisit the most often?
How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?
How sensitive are they to their own flaws?
How do they feel about children?
How badly do they want to reach their end goal?
If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?
QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS
A) Why are you excited about this character?
B) What inspired you to create them?
C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?
D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?
E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?
F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?
G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?
H) What trait do you admire most?
I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?
J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?
Ah, true to your word, you have returned to us. We have awaited thee...
one who may understand the recesses of the obscure, the macabre, and the wholly dark. Whom we may bestow a most munificent offer.
Come closer, fear not.
Our calling is not for priggish souls. No, it is for the amalgamation of the debauched and disturbed. I see now how you crave that, how you writhe to shape it. How your hands can help build it. That feeble mind that will not end, that defies restraint. Hm?
All I ask is that you give into desire, to not pretend you do not yearn for this. Set your name upon the form. Step into the night. I see now you were never meant to remain small and unseen. Yes, yes, you were meant for The Grand deZine.
Let us make you into something…eternal.
Sign the contract
Thank you @tynithia for the tag 🩶🕸️ See the post here.
🕸️
The hook horrors are not what they seem…
Three of us, one dispensable male from each tier, have set out to secure material proof of riches beyond price. An adamantine forge. I daresay: the adamantine forge.
– Notes made by Filro Arkensek, firstborn mage of his house
Gentle tags: @akira-of-the-fae @thesanguinesonnet @profoundsheepsandwich @lolthwoven and anyone else that might have something to share! 🩶
Side by side Elven and Drow perspective: Love and Marriage.
Despite the obvious bias against the drow perspective on love, I think their attitudes are more similar than they seem at first glance.
There’s obviously the more liberal views on sex, as well as both societies having no stigma against children born out of wedlock, but I think it goes a little deeper…
One could say that the Elven need for freedom and independence is just the Drow’s mistrust and fear of weakness painted in a more positive light. Both of these groups find the idea of love and commitment daunting. Elves because they fear that needing someone and being needed by them will chain them down and limit their individuality, Drow because to need someone else is to be weak and to open oneself up to betrayal.
Drow handle their fears by limiting the closeness with their romantic partners, keeping them at an arms length and never fully trusting their doubts and fears (weaknesses) to them, lest they be used against them. All trust is foolishness, after all, and physical intimacy seems the lesser of two evils. I think this is also why a drow will seek out a partner of lesser station, because then that drow will have the barrier of social standing between the two of them.
Elves however, handle their fears a little differently. I find it interesting that the snippet says elves are more likely to get into long term committed relationships with shorter lived races. It’s safer. An elf can be free to love and be loved without worrying about spending their whole life with this person. They get 50(ish) blissful years and maybe a half elf or two out of the experience. Even when they do end up in a long term relationship with another elf, marriage is still a little too daunting (which makes complete sense given what elven marriages entail).
(I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m being dismissive. This isn’t meant as criticism, it’s meant as commentary on the lore.)
TLDR: the drow are just as capable of love as the elves, lore books are biased, both of these views on love make perfect sense for the society they live in, and whoever said the drow don’t have a word for “selfless love” is on my list.
“Gasper Throaks,” he said and lingered on the s-sounds. For you can take a boy from the Underdark, but you can never wash his tongue clean from the sibilants.
Rhyll wanders into the Foundry accidentally on purpose, ready to steal keys, secrets, hearts… He’ll grab anything that pops up, really.
Look at you. Scrolling post after post without a mind of your own. Like this, reblog that—oh! a bathing kitten. Bah.
Don’t your fingers start to cramp after a while? Does the noise fill the empty hours yet? Do you even remember the last three posts?
Fret not, or rather, do. Because the higher calling is here, and we intend to fill you with a deep, very deep meaning.
Your attention, if you'd be so kind.
The villains of Baldur’s Gate 3 have arrived, here to stay.
We are gauging interest in a little project: a zine, free and digital, devoted entirely to them. True meaning, at last, in this chaotic plane of existence. Three minutes of your time. Barely a pittance, and you were only going to spend it scrolling, weren’t you?
Google Form: tinyurl.com/d6bz587n
Consider it. The kittens will still be there to meow at you when you return, little mouse.
So this is apparently canon, or at least very consistently HC:d. And here I thought I was just bullshitting again.
He almost collided with a silver street post, its metal curling around a hanging sign.
"Wen-d… ser-pent," he sounded out in a stutter. The word was long, its peaks too straight, reaching upwards instead of cutting down. He was pleased when he made out serpent. He knew that one well. A road with that name, his name, was surely meant for him to tread.
theartofmadeline
titsay
baratheonpilled
gummygunk
origamiaround
amandla
