Inspired by the amazing @missfortunetherogue - see their stunning OC and their be-bloody-loved Astarion here.
Blorbos wearing the same outfit... hard to find something suitable for both BT1 and BT4 (I know, I know, I complain way too much), but the latest outfit by badwitch69 (Saint of Decadence) saved me.
Let's make it into a tag game, huh? Tagging @rdekarios @optimisticgrey @cursed-nyxan @cinder-rellish181 @kt-catt @gortashsrighthand @deianestormborn @bladesingerlily @archduchessgortash @faeriiefire @unovafarm @aristenfromwarsaw @litsenn @alliskit
Dragged into the trap of self-induced divinity by @missfortunetherogue @alliskit @rdekarios @perpetualmaladaptivedaydream @scoldingdarjeeling @deianestormborn @gortashsrighthand - sorry if I missed anyone, my life was a mess when the game was on its peak activity.
I've had a really hard time with this. For a change, I decided to leave Ethery's dark side alone, and was left with one best fit:
Calliope
Well. In fact it's complicated.
In Greek mythology, Calliope ('beautiful-voiced') is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry, so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses". Calliope is usually shown with a writing tablet in her hand. At times, she is depicted carrying a roll of paper or a book, or wearing a gold crown.
Indeed, it is a good fit, because Ethery is a smooth talker, her glib tongue and charm helped her out of bad situations more than once. The problem is, she is short-tempered and quick to go from smooth talk to very well worded irony and sarcasm, driving people mad just as efficiently as she charms them when she can be bothered. So, if you can imagine the Chief of all Muses with constant headaches and a very bad temper, I suppose here we are. And yes, with this facial expression.
Gentle tags for @archduchessgortash @optimisticgrey @unovafarm @grandninjamasterren @nasaiki @theya-art @faeriiefire again, sorry for very possible double tags!
I was tagged by @optimisticgrey @cinder-rellish181 @gortashsrighthand @deianestormborn - thank you all, I'll share a lot of pain and suffering. If you don't like heavy angst, run for your life.
So...
It started with simple photomode. No LL, no fancy outfits, just a couple of pose packs. The same moment I tried to take a photo of Halsin and Ethery together, the hell itself opened before me. And the hell was...
BT1/BT4
I know I could have learned a lot more during this time. Better composition. Better editing. Better lighting effects. But for months and months all my being was consumed with two things: aligning and cropping. I could waste an hour on positioning just to realize that the pose wouldn't work.
Eventually, and unavoidably, Lighty Lights came into my life. Not that it became easier (no), but it became much more interesting. I also switched to editing in Lightroom and started using Otis and Reshade (yes, I know how this sounds).
Almost all pose packs I had to use were made for BT1/BT2, and photography started taking even more time. I told you this would hurt. Bear with me. Speaking of bears...
All this time, up to today, I've been maintaining Daily Halsin tag. I came up with the idea basically out of spite - I wanted to make negativity in Halsin tag less visible. It gave me a lot of experience in portraits, although I've been fearing of becoming repetitive all this time.
At some point I got some new gear for better graphics, started using QSAT... and then @rdekarios happend to me. And her incredible pose packs aligned for different body types And then... then... Bonezone.
Still in the stone age. One of those beautiful moments when a pose aligned...
And behold, Nature's Guardian. This pack will always be special...
Bonezone meant that I could make any pose work - no matter the body types.
My favorite Halsin shots (only fully dressed, I got flagged for the previous version of this post).
My best and loveliest Ethery.
The best of them together.
And last but not least...
As you can see, I haven't developed any particular style, but I haven't aimed to - first of all because I'm fascinated with colors and the modders provide more and more custom maps. Plus some zones in the vanilla world need love too...
I still hope to become better. To take better shots. To squeeze more out of Reshade. To edit better... There's much, much to learn (Blender, please don't look at me, I'm still employed).
Back at work tomorrow and going through the incomparable joy of meds increased - hope I'll still be able to write. Tagged by @optimisticgrey and @deianestormborn (you're both reverse tagged!) - using this for both a self-indulgent snippet (the Harpers don't get an ingame earful for their attempt to surrender to Ketheric, fixing that) and a self-indulgent photo of my blorbos just looking dramatic in the nice light.
“My dear, you usually inspire in me a renewed appreciation for life,” Astarion sighed. “At present, however, a stake through the ribs hardly sounds like the worst of possible fates.”
“All right, all right, don’t start falling apart on me now.” Ethery gave his arm a reassuring pat. “We still have to find out what was running around those ruins the scout mentioned. Imagine if nobody was there at all and the poor fool merely breathed in something unfortunate. Not that I can blame anyone for reaching for a bottle in these lands. The temptation must be considerable.”
“If one of my scouts ever decides to seek courage in a flask, they will not enjoy the consequences.” Jaheira’s voice came from behind them. She had approached quietly enough to overhear every word. “They know that perfectly well. Any Harper foolish enough to leave the inn drunk would find themselves stripped of rank before the day was out. Our task is difficult enough without adding carelessness to the list. Better unpleasant duties in company than facing these lands alone.”
Halsin’s head snapped up - Ethery felt the change before he spoke. A moment earlier he had been staring at the ground, now his gaze was fixed on Jaheira. The silver in his eyes darkened into blue.
“Would you truly cast someone out for taking a swallow to steady their nerves?”
His voice remained calm and controlled, which somehow made it sound even more dangerous. The question appeared to catch Jaheira off guard. She stood silent for several moments before answering.
“I don’t know, Halsin,” she said at last, slowly and quietly. “I honestly don’t know what I would do if one of my rangers found himself in that position. But I know this much: nowhere is it more important to understand the risks than here. A single mistake can mean death. Or worse.”
She folded her arms.
“What if a drunken ranger drops their torch? What if they step into the shadows for even a moment? What if they stumble into a ravine and break a leg? Most likely they die - and take the rest of their patrol with them. Better they fear me than underestimate this place and walk willingly into their own graves.”
“Do many of them underestimate it?”
Some of the edge left Halsin’s voice. Only a little.
“Fortunately, I haven’t had to find out,” Jaheira replied. “And I hope I never do.”
She raised her head and met his eyes. Neither of them looked away. For several long seconds they stood still and silent.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Jaheira said at last. “And I know what you’re remembering.”
Her voice had become very quiet.
“The druids of the Emerald Grove carrying our wounded toward the mountain pass as bears and panthers while we retreated along the road to Baldur’s Gate after our attempt to surrender. The curse preventing us from regrouping. It was you, not anyone else, who led the survivors to safety. Some of them were Harpers left behind by their own command.” She swallowed. “I have no defence for that. No excuse.”
A pause.
“If the decision had been mine...” She stopped herself but never broke eye contact. “If the decision had been mine, it would have been different.”
She turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. For one strange moment she reminded Ethery of Arabella. Then she walked back toward the inn. Halsin didn’t follow. Didn’t call after her. A few moments later he lowered his head heavily, as though the weight of the last hundred years had suddenly settled on his shoulders once more.
“This may be a terrible time to ask,” Ethery said quietly, “but what was she talking about?”
For a long while he said nothing. The silence stretched so long that Ethery began to think he might not answer at all.
“When we fought Ketheric Thorm,” Halsin said at last, “the Harpers attempted to surrender shortly before the battle turned.” His voice was flat. Distant. “Ketheric refused to accept it.”
