An example of what I mean when I say female characters are downplayed by fandom: the bg3 fandom regards Vlaakith as just a big meanie tyrant, but on the other hand believes Orpheus could easily overthrow her.
Is she a threat or not?
Everyone's favorite scene is taunting her, waving in her face, refusing to bow, and laughing at the shock that an entitled lich queen would use a whole ass Wish spell to wipe them from existence and end your game.
Ultimately, people do not seem to respect women in power.
The moment Lae'zel wants to be free from Vlaakith's rule, of course most people are on board for her to "rebel". They think its a fun little freedom fighting story with a guaranteed outcome of defeating evil.
People don't understand or care to understand that over the course of each publication of the Monster Manuals, the sections on Githyanki society emphasize how aligned the Githyanki people are to their God Queen. Githyanki are a swarm of wasps in to-the-death service to their Queen. They are firm believers and executors of her will. They live and breathe and are born and bred to serve her. It's not just indoctrination but the Githyanki Queen is the undying heart of their culture. If an alternative dared show his face among most Gith, they would happily kill him on the spot as an affront to their God Queen.
Vlaakith is only a few steps away from becoming an actual demigod. There are dnd excursions where you stop her or fail to stop her in this end.
She is a threat to all existence. Her success means a githyanki war of conquest and dominion across all the planes. Rivaling that of the mindflayers' grand design. It is Vlaakith's "Grand Proclamation".
She is the drumbeats of war in every Githyanki's heart, and they dance to it.
Captured by mind flayer explorers and transported with them to their own universe, Sara and her 'husbands' must now traverse a new world, trying to find one another, purge themselves of mind flayer parasites, and discover a way back home.
In search of the druid camp and/or githyanki creche, the group finds something else entirely.
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Sara and Hoseok sit together on a fallen log, close to the path. Astarion and Shadowheart have gone to scout ahead, while Hoseok recuperates. His arms are wrapped tightly around his torso, discomfort in his scrunched expression, while Sara hovers close. You hadn't known he was injured, and you sincerely hope it wasn't caused by you falling on him upon your exit from the malfunctioning portal.
“Ajikdo apeungayo?” she asks softly.
“많이 아파요.” he says through distressed breaths. “Shadowheart...did magic...but I...그것만으로는 충분하지 않았다. 이대로 가다가는 죽을 것 같아요.”
The bewilderment on her face tells you that she barely understands more than you do. She turns away, clutching her necklace. You only just now recognize the symbol as that of Chauntea, goddess of agriculture, of nature tamed, of working together to secure the bounty of the world. How fitting.
“Something...anything!” you hear her murmur. “I don't know how yet, please show me!”
Does Sara not know how to access druidic magic? The fine lines on her forehead and at the corner of her eyes indicate a certain maturity. You wonder what has brought her to druidry at such a late stage.
“Here?” she whispers, reaching out to a bush. “In here?”
From deep beneath the leaves she withdraws a handful of beautiful berries. They nearly sparkle. It's magic, but of a different kind than you use.
“Oh. I think I understand.” she whispers. “Thank you. I'll remember.”
Interesting. The gifts of the gods can be fickle, revoked at their discretion, but Sara appears to be favored, despite her inexperience.
She returns quickly to Hoseok's side.
“Here.” she says, holding up a berry. “Eat this.”
You watch several forms of bewilderment cross his features, battling between whether to take it from her fingers with his hand or his teeth. He leans forward then back, then plucks it from her hand with his own, examining it closely.
“It's like what Shadowheart did, just in a different way.” She explains.
Hoseok examines the berry, its shape and color unlike any fruit you had ever seen. Perhaps it came to Sara's hand from some far away plane where the celestials dwell. He casts one more uncertain glance in her direction before popping the little fruit in his mouth.
His unsure expression doesn't change at the taste, but the pain in his face lessens, and he reaches for another. Several berries later, he is gently twisting his torso back and forth, testing for any lingering injury.
“Did it work?” Sara asks. “You look better.”
“Yeah...” Hoseok says. “Doesn't hurt at all. Thank you. 어떻게 했나요?”
“Nugunga naege malhaetda.”
He nods, accepting whatever it was she had said.
“It will be useful to have a second healer with us.” Lae'zel notes quietly to you. “I do not trust Shadowheart to not withhold her services in a fit of peak, but I do not see Sara doing the same. A pity her Hobi appears to be dead weight. We would move more efficiently without a non-combatant.”
She spits the word like a slur.
“Well, I don't know about all that.” you say. “He was strong enough to pull me free of a malfunctioning portal, and while injured to boot. Now that he's in top shape, he might impress you yet.”
“Hmph. Doubtful, but it's a moot point. Her only thought on the ship was to find her men. She will not be persuaded to leave him behind now.”
“Perhaps if properly armed...it's almost as if they were captured while in their nightclothes.”
“Pathetic, to be taken so unawares.”
“And I suppose you sleep in that armor, do you?”
“Yes.”
You huff a short laugh.
“Of course you do.”
Shadowheart and Astarion reappear upon the path.
“We found a camp.” Shadowheart reports. “It looks like the ruins of a temple. A bit odd for druids, but shelter is shelter. There are people there, no more tieflings, but they never said Zorru was a tiefling.”
“They didn't see us.” Astarion continues. “If you ask me, they look like a bunch of ruffians, but then again, so do we.”
“Speak for yourself.” Shadowheart says.
“Always do, dear.”
“Well.” you say. “We'll never know unless we go say hello.”
“Sara and I will hold back, out of sight.” Shadowheart says. “It might be best to have some hidden magic on our side.”
“Your strategy does not seem sound.” Lae'zel says suspiciously, but Hoseok nods and pushes Sara gently towards Shadowheart.
“No, it's best.” he says. “You stay and hide.”
“But I don't-”
“Stay and hide.” he repeats.
“I'll stay back with them.” you volunteer. “That way, if there is trouble, all three of us can get the drop on them with our magic.”
Lae'zel frowns.
“Having an ambush on our side might be quite useful.” Astarion pointed out. Lae'zel shrugs, clearly annoyed.
“Fine. Lead us to this camp. We will see for ourselves. I do not need their help to terminate my enemies.”
Sara, Shadowheart, and yourself hang back as the others confront the people in the camp. To you, they do not look like druids, but neither does Sara. At the very least, they hesitate at the sight of Lae'zel long enough for Astarion to start talking.
Shadowheart takes Sara's hand.
“Come on, let's go.” she says.
“What? Where to? This is the best hiding spot.”
“Away. We'll be safer striking out on our own, without her.”
Sara yanks her hand back.
“Hoseok's down there! I can't leave him!”
“This would have been so much easier if you had just left her when I said so! We could have all moved on without her!”
“What has gotten into you?” Sara demands. “You haven't even known her for ten minutes, what did she ever do to you?”
“It's not just her. The Gith cannot be trusted. They don't see the rest of us as people, Sara! She knows damn well that if we go to find her kind, she is the only one they will help. They'll kill or enslave the rest of us as soon as look at us, and she will not care. She's using you!”
“And you'd abandon him to her then? What happened to paying your debts?”
Shadowheart frowns deeply.
“Besides,” Sara continues, “If we're talking debts, I owe her. She could have easily killed or abandoned me on the ship. I wasn't all that useful. I don't know much about fighting, and I really just dragged her down. But she helped me and protected me when she really didn't have to. And now, she owes me one, for getting her out of that cage.”
“If she even honors such things. Again, we aren't people to her.”
“On that subject, I also owe a debt to Hoseok, and would not feel that disappearing with his wife would be the best thanks for his effort on my behalf.” you interject.
“Who invited you?” Shadowheart sneers.
“I am not leaving.” Sara declares. Shadowheart growls her frustration.
“It's doesn't matter now.” you say. “I think this was not the camp we seek.”
The not-druids are leaving, grabbing up packs and bedrolls, to disappear further down the path. The instant they are out of view, Sara runs to Hoseok's side, and firmly takes his hand. He regards her with a sort of gentle bemusement as Astarion struts smugly towards an ancient door set deep in the archaic stonework. Lae'zel takes note of the irritated expression on Sara's face and glares suspicion in your direction.
“She was so willing to listen just an hour ago.” Shadowheart laments. “What power does that gith hold over her?”
“If I might offer my own thoughts?” you say.
“Oh, do please enlighten me!”
You ignore the sarcasm.
“It might behoove you next time not to try and entice her away from her husband.”
Shadowheart snorts.
“They don't love each other. I've never seen it more obvious. There's no reason for her to stay with him. I don't know why she was so desperate to find him in the first place; he can barely bring himself to look at her, and she couldn't even touch him when she saw him dying at her feet! Whatever they've got going on, it's a farce.”
You don't know about that. They don't hang all over each other like a young couple, but Hoseok's gentle attempts to steer her out of harms way, and Sara's concern for his well being, and outright refusal to leave him behind tells a story of subtle caring. Perhaps it isn't love but it is something.
Something that is ultimately none of your business.
“Well, we'd better head back to the team.”
“If you could call it that.”
“As long as we are all working towards the same goal...”
“And I'm worried that we're not. That's the problem.”
You take your place with the others as Shadowheart lags a bit behind, but ultimately follows.
Astarion is talking to someone behind that sturdy ancient door, attempting to disguise his voice. Whatever he is saying manages to persuade or frighten the doorman enough that he opens the door and takes a step out into the daylight, freezing in surprise at the sudden sight of strangers.
Without hesitation or preamble, Astarion rams his dagger up under the mans chin, pinning his jaw to his brain.
Sara yelps and turns her face to Hoseok's shoulder. Grimacing, as Astarion lets the dead man fall, he leans down and murmurs something to Sara.
“Thieves?” she asks, looking up at him. He leans away slightly from the proximity of her face.
“They threaten us... as soon as they see us.” he says. “Scared of Lae'zel... I think. Say they own everything in here, and the...ship. And kill us and take our stuff too.... Astarion scared them away. I don't know what he said.”
Lae'zel takes Sara firmly by the wrist.
“Come.” she says, dragging Sara over to the fresh corpse. Hoseok protests, but is ignored. “Look. No, do not turn away. Look. See how fast that was? He felt nothing. He did not even know what happened. That is how you must do it, lest it happen to you. You must gather what fury is within you, and unleash it without hesitation. You cannot allow your own softness to rob you of your life.”
Once again, Hoseok carefully grasps Sara's shoulders and steers her away.
“Please don't.” he says to Lae'zel, as clearly as his accent allows.
“Hey, um, just one thing.” Sara pipes up. “Can we all please stop pushing me around? I'm getting a little tired of it.”
Both Hoseok and Lae'zel start talking over each other, but Sara holds her hands up in front of her.
“I know! And thank you! I'm not trying to put myself in danger, but I can't exactly stay out of it completely either. And I know! And thank you. Once we stop for a rest, I intended to ask you for some tips on how to protect myself anyway. But for now, I'm not a dog, I have no leash, please stop yanking me around.”
They wear almost matching disgruntled expressions as she scolds them. Shadowheart snickers quietly.
“Well, now that that's settled...wait, where did Astarion go?”
All heads snap towards the open door.
“Did that istik go in alone?” Lae'zel sighs.
“After whatever treasure those bandits thought was in there, no doubt.” Shadowheart says.
“Hush!” Sara steals up close to the dark doorway, listening. “I think he's talking to somebody...nope, nope, nope! That's fighting! He's fighting!”
She darts into the darkness, Hoseok and Lae'zel close behind. Shadowheart sighs and you both follow after.
The gloom inside is almost a enemy itself. You can tell it isn't magical in nature, just so old and oppressive that it is nearly supernatural. You can't see anything outside of the shaft of light streaming in the open doorway, and it seems everyone except Shadowheart is having the same problem.
“Get out of the light!” Astarion cries from somewhere to your left. An arrow whizzes by and lodges in the far wall. Your group scatters.
Throwing yourself into the darkness, you hide behind what you think is a table, and begin the familiar chant of an armor spell. Lae'zel and Shadowheart rush to the sound of Astarion's voice. Sara and Hoseok snatch a few items off the table and scuttle after them.
The warm protective magic of the armor spell sinks into your skin, and you join the others at an open doorway, the only other source of light in the area.
Lae'zel and Shadowheart, the most heavily armored in your group, are blocking the doorway while fending off a huge, barely dressed man, swinging a tree trunk of a club. Sara flings random objects, cups and plates and such, at a mage in the back, forcing her to dodge flying crockery rather than cast any spells.
Hoseok had grabbed a sturdy cutting board off the table and is using it to catch arrows before they can pelt either Sara or yourself. He must have much better eyes than you initially thought, and be much stronger-you can see his muscles straining as he flips the board about-but he pulled you out of that portal by himself, so he has to have some power in his body.
He's shouting short, sharp words in Common so heavily accented, you can barely understand, but they aren't aimed at you. They are orders, delivered with absolute confidence that they will be obeyed, and they are aimed at Sara. He is telling her when to throw, when to duck back so he can block, when to dodge to the side so Astarion can slip in another stab. The three of them use the cramped space of the crowded doorway so efficiently that Laez'el is able to run the bandit with the greatclub through, and, with Shadowheart's help, fling his falling body at a small duergar woman, who had just snuck out of the shadows to try a strike at Sara. Hoseok intercepts the blow with his cutting board as the body drops on her, trapping the deuergar's much smaller form underneath. Astarion doesn't give her a chance to wiggle free.
Lae'zel and Shadowheart step out of the doorway to engage with two more bandits, one of which looses one last arrow before Lae'zel 's proximity forces her to draw a blade. The arrow thuds into Astarion's forearm. He yells, and Shadowheart grabs him. She yanks the arrow out, getting an even louder yell from him, and heals the wound with a quick chant. The bandit she had attacked takes the opportunity to slash at her but Hoseok dashes up on him and smashes him in the face with the cutting board. Sara, right behind him and clutching her pendant in one hand, spits out the words to a spell, and flings a little puff of greenish-yellow pollen at the bandit.
Blinded by the pain of his flattened nose, the bandit can only clutch at his face and gasp in agony, breathing the poison in without even realizing it was there. He falls seconds later, pollen clogging his lungs.
With a powerful kick, Lae'zel sends the other bandit stumbling backwards toward their mage who looses two balls of light from her fingers. They both strike Lae'zel, stopping her charge, but not seriously harming her.
The bright light of the missiles illuminates the area for a brief moment, but in that moment you spot a collection of barrels, painted with logos of grapes. Possibly part of the bandits loot. Hoseok has spotted them too, and your minds align for a second. Catching your eye, he points at the barrels.
“Fire!” he shouts.
The mage glances at the barrels, horrified realization dawning on her face, but a bolt of flame has already left your hand on its unerring trajectory toward them.
The wine barrels explode.
The last two bandits go flying, one dashed against a pile of rubble further down the hallway, the other fully on fire. Sara screams in pain and covers her ears. Hoseok blocks her body with his, and covers as much of himself as he can with the cutting board as flaming droplets and splintered wood rain down on you all.
“Well,” Astarion says, wiping blood from his dagger. “That was wretched. Waste of good wine as well.”
“If it was down in these ruins, it probably wasn't all that good anymore.” Shadowheart says, examining his arm. Satisfied with her work, she begins searching dead bandits for anything useful. Lae'zel stares hard at Hoseok, perhaps reappraising him. Unaware of the Giths attention, he looks Sara over for injuries.
“You okay?”
“I don't...feel good.” Sara says, hands still tight over her ears. Hoseok drops his cutting board and gently pries her hands away.
“It's okay now.” he says quietly. “It's okay. Okay?”
“...Okay.” she repeats.
“So.” Lae'zel begins. “Are we ready to-”
There are three doors in the hallway, and behind one of them, someone begins to shout at the top of his lungs. Sara and Hoseok's heads shoot up at the sound.
“More bandits?” Astarion muses, but Sara and Hoseok attack the stuck door, kicking and throwing their bodies against it until it caves in. You and Astarion follow them. The room is mostly empty, the sparse sleeping quarters once used by monks. Most of the stone beds are broken, and part of the far wall collapsed, letting just a tiny bit of daylight in. Illuminated in that dim light, stripped and tied to the remaining stone bed, was another Kara-Turan man, shouting and struggling against the ropes.
“ 주니!” Hoseok cries
“Namjoon!” They scramble to his side.
Your name is Kim Namjoon, and there are not enough words to express your relief.
Translations:
1. “Does it still hurt?”
2. “It hurts a lot.”
3. “It wasn't enough. If I keep going like this I think I might die.”
saw someone say they feel bad and awkward ‘contributing nothing’ to fandom (“no fics, no drawings, no theories, just gluttony”) and to anyone who feels inferiority about this i gotta say us creators, doing things for free, love nothing more than your unbridled spiralling greed in our notifications aka genuinely be more unapologetically gluttonous 24/7 there is nothing wrong with enjoying something insatiably because us writers and artists feel empty and despairing without a passionate audience and feral surroundings so please and thank you and we love you
yes!!!! you CAN contribute something!!!!! if you feel guilty, you can:
reblog art instead of just liking it! not only will you increase the amount of people who see it (more cool people seeing cool art!!!!) but then you can also leave some nice comments in the tags about how cool the art is!!!
no theories??? you can reblog the ones you really like, or even question the ones you don’t! fandom thrives on engagement! i’m not saying yell at someone for having a different opinion, but there’s no harm saying “oh, i didn’t see it that way. can you tell me more?” if you know of someone who has cool/interesting theories, please encourage them to talk more about it!! they probably held back the first time!
COMMENT ON FIC!!!!!! please, we are begging. literally just a heart emoji as a second kudos feels like the bare minimum but damn… sometimes we out here getting NO comments. one single emoji in the inbox might MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY.
if you feel guilty, if you feel greedy, ENGAGE WITH THE CONTENT
