I put together a seasonal prompt list for December for any BG3 fans to take part in! (Shoutout to @play-me-a-durge for a clutch assist with brainstorming - thank you, friend). Bring whatever energy or talents you have or simply watch and enjoy - all contributions are welcome :)
How you can participate:
Use the collection bg3_solstice on AO3
Use the #bg3solstice tag on Tumblr
You're welcome to do as few or as many of these as you have the desire and time for. Both SFW and NSFW content is just fine but please be sure to tag anything NSFW as such since this is not an exclusively NSFW event. Any medium is welcome but I imagine the below are the most common:
Virtual photography (VP)
Headcanons
Short fic
Drabbles
Bullet list of ideas
Fanart
How to use this prompt list
I'll be real with you, I'm a little chaos gremlin and I'm not here to gatekeep. Feel free to use this as a rough guideline and have fun! I myself will be following the prompts through a specific lens, which I'll be calling "12 days of Thiefmas." But if you're looking for a little more structure to help you brainstorm, here's what I had in mind when I put it together:
Each day is meant to celebrate a different BG3 companion including Tav/Durge, with Day 12 being a free day to focus on your favorite NPC or whatever/whoever else you want. The words next to each character's name is kind of a bonus theme or object to incorporate if you want to challenge yourself.
For instance, this could be a date/friendly outing with these characters, or perhaps your OC shopping for a Solstice gift for them, or maybe you want to imagine what kind of Solstice traditions or memories that character has.
Timeline
Our favorite tadfools would have likely celebrated Winter Solstice late in Act 3 based on the game's timeline so following the Forgotten Realms calendar this event kicks off on 8 December and runs for 13 days including the bonus day on 20 December which would be BG3's Winter Solstice day.
What if it's not winter where I live?
The tadfools may be celebrating the Winter Solstice but this event can be hemisphere agnostic! Everyone loves a beach day episode, am I right? Any of these prompts could be done for summer or winter so don't let that stop ya.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments :) If this sounds like a fun event you'd be interested in seeing/participating in, consider helping to spread the word with a reblog!
The night was freezing, but thankfully clear, perfect for what Imrae had in mind.
One quick Misty Step brought him from the rooftop terrace of the Elfsong Tavern to onto the shingles of the Stormshore Tabernacle, and he settled in a spot where the bouts of the icy breeze could not reach him. Wrapped in warm furs and equipped with a flask of hot tea, he waited as he gazed up at the starry sky.
He spotted the Tears of Selûne, and it made him think of dear Lae'zel. She was up there, home at Crèche K'liir, right this moment. Patience, he chided himself. Tomorrow.
When he heard the flutter of wings nearby, he reached into his bag to retrieve and swallow a Potion of Animal Speaking, savouring its nutlike taste.
As the magical liquid took effect, meowing turned into intelligible speech. “Mister Auvryervs, yoo-hoo!”
Imrae smiled under his green scarf. “Good evening, Tara.”
The tressym settled next to him and pulled her paws under her body while she got comfortable on the furs. “Mrs Dekarios sends her regards. Do call on her whenever you are in Waterdeep again, yes? She so enjoys having you over for tea, and so do I.”
“I shall.” Imrae pulled a bit of cheese from his bag and offered it to his guest.
“Oh, I couldn't possibly- Well, since you are offering. Don't mind if I do.” Giving the piece a discerning sniff before she nabbed it, Tara swallowed the piece whole, her tail twitching, and she purred with enjoyment.
Imrae smiled as he watched. After arriving on the surface, he at first had not understood the appeal of cats, or tressyms, by extension. They kept vermin at bay in rural areas, so it made sense for farmers to keep them around, but some city cats were only kept as pets, and their owners fed them even though did not guard, did not produce anything, and did not make for good companions half the time, as they were prone to wander off if given the chance.
At least a tressym made for an intelligent conversation partner, and he could see why she had been Gale's friend. Earth elementals or even dear Us did lack the social graces a fine feline like Tara had.
“What a lovely night.” Tara let out a sigh, and it was hard to tell if it was one of levity or sadness until she continued. “Do you truly think it will work?”
“We cannot do more than our best,” Imrae replied as he pulled a few sticks of incense from his bag and lit them with a cantrip.
“It has been a while since we have spoken. After that party of yours, we had a bit of a falling-out. Despite acting above mortal concerns, I think he took offence with me extending an invitation to you on behalf of his mother. I'm not sorry for what I said to him about it, and about everything else, but I do miss him so. Especially now, with the winter holidays upon us.”
“Pleasant to know that I have upset yet another god, especially the one we are attempting to summon.” Imrae clutched the burning incense between his gloved hands and turned his gaze upward again. He had considered his words of prayer for the entire day, had even consulted with his friends on the matter, as his own experience with acts of devotion to deities was limited, one might even say non-existent.
Shadowheart, their most divinely connected, had tried to reach Gale before, trying to Commune with him, even had asked Dame Aylin for her help, then had given up in a huff. “You do it, wizard to wizard. Maybe clerics of other deities are beneath him now.”
Meanwhile, Astarion had just laughed, offering no help or opinion whatsoever, which was fair enough. “Oh, you were serious? No, no, darling, this is your stubborn idea.”
Karlach had answered for both her and Wyll. “If we fought our way out of Avernus for the holidays, he can drag his godly ass down from his realm. You tell him that, Purple.”
Jaheira on the other hand had shrugged. “Don't hurt yourself, Cub. He may come on his own accord, when we are all gathered.”
He heard the clack of a feline tongue next to him. “By all means, you can start any day now.”
“You are very welcome to take over.”
“No thumbs opposal at my disposal, Mister Auvryervs.”
Imrae grimaced at the butchered rhyme. “Do you not have Mage Hand memorized, or in your case, Mage Paw?”
A low growl emanated from the tressym, but she fell silent otherwise.
Concentrating, his mind just a bit lighter from inhaling the incense, Imrae looked up at the sky again. “Gale, get your godly arse down here, Karlach and Wyll came from Avernus for this. Lae'zel is making time despite her position in the rebellion. Show the others that you have learned something from our adventures. We miss you.”
After a few minutes had passed, Tara let out a pained meow. “Gale, come down here right this instant, or I will be forced to choose the drow's lap over yours.”
When another sixty heartbeats had brought no change, the tressym put her gold where her maw was, climbing onto Imrae's thighs for comfort. “He is going to be the death of me.”
“I am truly sorry, Tara.” Imrae hesitated before he gave her back a few stiff strokes.
“You are very bad at this, Mister Auvryervs.”
“I know.”
The tressym sighed, but she did nothing to stop Imrae's clumsy attempts to comfort her. “I remember the first winter celebrations with him, way back in Waterdeep, when he was but a boy. The Howldown and Simril. A terrible commotion, but the joy on the children's faces... Marvellous.”
Tara kept talking and talking, listing all the winter holidays with Gale she could remember, and did not spare any details.
Imrae listened. She needed this.
“-and then came that so very sombre winter, locked in his tower, with, pardon my language, that blasted orb fresh in his chest.” Tara sighed, ending her tale. “Had I known that it would be the last one...”
When she fell silent, Imrae softly hummed a melody that he had heard from carollers in the streets while he continued to stroke her back.
“Thank you, Mister Auvryervs.” Tara sighed and looked up at him. “Even though it may be out of guilt, it is fine of you to not give up on who he used to be. Even if it is only by humouring old Tara.”
They gazed up to the diamond-studded sky in silence until the hot tea and the cheese were all gone, after which Tara bid him goodbye to return to Waterdeep, and Imrae ventured home to the mortal pleasures of a hot bath and his beloved's embrace.
So, I didn't have the energy to write any fics for this event even though I really wanted to, but I'm going to at least make a list of some of the little gifts that the tadfools would give to eachother for a circumstance like this one. (Just in time!! xD) I've left the timeline blurry so I could include Storm, even though the way I write the timeline of events, they end up saving Baldur's Gate a bit before the Winter Solstice (I've stretched the timeline because I really wanted the Winter Solstice to be after the victory, it's already in the fic and I don't want to change it). I have half a mind to say that they all prepared the gifts/ideas/events right before the battle and meant to give them to each other once the city would be safe, but that might be too heartbreaking even for me, considering, so I will just pretend this is happening in a hypothetic happy ending that I'll never write about or an AU in which the Winter Solstice happens mid act III for me xD Some of those gifts/events might pop up in my fic later because I'm very pleased with most of them :3
Thank you so much for the event @missfortunetherogue 🩶 It's been super fun to see what everybody comes up with :3
For Shadowheart, Tav crafts a hair piece made of silver and dark sapphire, to replace the one she wore with her Sharran clothes. Parts of it looks like a night orchid. They don't include a moon because they thought she might need some time before being ready to have such associations to any kind of faith, but they tell her that the night orchid parts can be disassembled and replaced on the main structure, to leave room for more designs should she wish it. Shadowheart comes back with a list of commissions that will keep Tav busy for the next year or so, both Karlach and Halsin having provided insight on things she could want to add to the piece.
For Astarion, Storm will go shopping for embroidering suplies. If this isn't a true proof of love right there, I don't know what you need. Shopping is a nightmare for him. He brings Tav along because there's absolutely no way he's doing this on his own, and Tav is more than happy to help him. They end up making him buy a lot of unnessecary things, but everything is top quality because having a fondness for embroidered fabric, Tav knows their shit. This is the first time Astarion owns things like that without stealing them or aquiring them by other dubious means, and he might pretend that this is just a gift like any other, nobody is fooled when he's very obviously trying not to cry.
For Karlach, Wyll and Lae'zel goes see Dammon together to commision the prettiest of battleaxes. Any hero of the Realms needs a ceremonial weapon, Wyll insists, and Lae'zel comes along to make sure the thing still is functionnal, because otherwise it would be "a waste of steel", and that's criminal in her eyes. Wyll of course gives a name to the weapon, and insists that now Karlach is like the heroes of legend, akin to the likes of Minsc and Jaheira. The axe actually is incredibly pretty (and functionnal, thank you Lae'zel), and might be one of the nicest thing Dammon has ever made.
For Halsin, Shadowheart convinces Jaheira to help her with her nascent druidic magic (she multiclasses as a star druid under the teachings of Halsin, in my timeline. Because it's cool, because I like that she's breaking away from religion somewhat, and also because it's OP) so they can make a tree bloom even in winter, while going on a stroll in the nicest park of Baldur's Gate. Of course, Karlach comes along. They might get cheesy and craft mistletoe to kiss there, at which points Jaheira rolls her eyes and leaves.
For Gale, Lae'zel somehow manages to find a very rare book on gith tir'su scripts, which is something Gale had expressed considerable interest in from the moment he started to get close with her. She's very dedicated, and reads the whole thing before giving it to him, making her own notes, corrections and additions with the help of Jaheira and Halsin because Lae'zel has decided that druids are the next best thing when it comes to academical knowledge. (she's not wrong, honestly, and Halsin especially proves to be of great aid whenever there are things Lae'zel struggles to translate herself, not because he knows the language, but because Lae'zel explains what some words mean, and Halsin finds the closest thing possible very easily each time.)
For Lae'zel, Gale manages to craft illusions inside a glass ball to always look like some part of the Astral Plane, so that she always carries the stars with her, wherever she goes. It's an undisguised bait to make her more amenable to visit the Material Plane once their adventures are over. It works. After a while she will requests others that are specific parts of the Astral Planes that she has visited, or won battles in, or simply some places she particularily likes. It becomes a thing between them a long time after the events of the game, even though they are no longer involved romantically/sexually anymore.
For Wyll, Karlach checks beforehand with Tav, suspecting they are crafting horn jewellery for him (she's correct), and she then goes shopping in the oddest corners of Baldur's gate to find a fancy eye protesis to replace the sending stone from Mizora that matches whatever Tav is doing. Both things end up matching so well that Astarion insists Wyll also needs a fancy outfit to wear with both at formal occasions, and takes him shopping. Astarion's being insufferable about it, but in the end everybody agrees that Wyll looks amazing. (And I'm deciding right now that this is everything that Wyll would wear while posing for the portrait commissioned to Oskar as thanks for ridding his house of poltergeist. One more thing that has been in my art wips since forever and that I don't know if I'll ever get enough time/motivation to finish, and know I'll have to think about the actual look of his eye and jewellery :3)
For Jaheira, Astarion finds a 'best mom of the year' mug that he thinks is hilarious since he actually thinks she's a terrible mother. He might have stolen it, but nobody has managed to make him admit to it yet. Storm thinks that this might be crossing a line and will make the joke kinder by making all of her kids add their own comments to the mug. It miiight backfire, and now everybody calls Jaheira "old woman" just like Fig does, because none of Jaheira's kids are sparing her... Astarion is delighted. Jaheira unironically thinks this is the funniest thing ever, her kids show love the same way she does (thoughly), and this is actually very sweet by her/their standards.
For Tav, Halsin whittles a tiny displacer beast kitten (if you don't know why yet and are curious, see this post). He then persuades Gale to enchant it so that it comes alive once a day. Gale being tadpoled, still burdened with the orb, and missing a big part of his powers, they go to Ramazith's tower together to beg for Rolan's help, and the three of them together manage to make the enchantment hold, somewhat. It's a bit finicky, and only moves for a few minutes each day, but it works. No one has peace anymore, this is Tav's favourite thing they have ever owned, and they will not shut up about it.
For Storm, Astarion knows anything material wouldn't matter much, so he somehow manages to convince Jaheira to host an exclusive dinner at her house for both of them instead, so that Storm gets a glimpse of the family he so desperately wants but never could get. Astarion invites the tiefling kids, because he knows Storm adores them. (Doni is here. I don't care that he disappears in the game, Doni is there in my canon). He also invites Tav, of course, and that means that absolutely everyone else ends up coming. Which Astarion isn't delighted about (nor is Jaheira), but Storm absolutely loves it because it indeed feels like family. Hands down best evening of his life, and just for that, Astarion will bear with the kids and the sentimentality and the bad wine and the mundane conversations as long as is necessary.
For Scratch, everybody is in on it, and they all go back to the Sword Coast Couriers where his old friends are now happy and well treated, and give a day off to all the dogs so they can all play together. The owlbear cub is of course invited, and after a few moments of apprehensions, the other dogs accept him as playmate and everyone is having a great day.
For Minsc, Karlach crafts some leather battle gear for Boo. It looks suprisingly decent considering Karlach isn't known for her dexterity, and she will hapily admit that she hired Tav, Astarion and Halsin to help her with it (Halsin did wildshape into a similarily shaped rodent to provide for measurement... sigh... the things you do for friends. Karlach lost focus at this point because it was way too cute), and Astarion will pretend he was not happy to help (but he was). Minsc might be crying from happiness.
In my mind everyone has little gifts for everyone, but those are the cutest (or funniest) ideas I had for each :3 Realistically, Tav would end up crafting things for absolutely everybody, Wyll and Gale would also have gifts for everyone, but I included only the ones I liked best here. (I would have included what Tav made for Astarion but it's gonna be in my fic at some point --although not as a solstice gift-- and I didn't want to reveal it now).
