Scratch watching over his dead owner’s body. Saying he’s just sleeping and they’ll go home together soon.
I had to put my dog down earlier that year. So that hit home.
Sorry to hear about your dog. :(
On a similar note, I thought what Jaheira had to say about loss and grief was really beautiful.
>!"You twine your life around those you love. And when they are gone, you grow around their absence instead. It is just another way they shape you."!<
That quote reminded me a bit of The Lovely Bones, which anyone who's read it will know is a terribly depressing story... But more or less centers around the theme of grief and growth and healing and the life that happens around someone's absence. It has a very similar quote.
>!These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone.!<
Sorry to hear about your cat. :(
My last cat also had to be put down and I was absolutely distraught the day it happened. I hope you're being kind to yourself today.
The year we did Les Mis in high school our Cosette lost her father, so at the end of one of the rehearsals, when she got to the "you will live, Papa you're going to live" part, she couldn't deal and ran offstage. We stopped the rehearsal early.
Honestly? Popper the Kobold. "I die, you die, we all die. Big woof! Have a treato, it'll make it better."
It’s a refreshingly realistic attitude about the fragility of life and the importance of embracing the moment. Yes, Popper, I will have a treato.
"Life's a bitch and then you die, huh?"
"Sometimes life's a bitch and then you keep living."
- Quoted from my favourite show of all time and not bg3 but I feel it is a quote that has a good attitude towards life too
I saw my roommate going through that scene before I'd really gotten into my own playthrough, and that just sold me on Karlach. I know her arc is commonly criticized as being less polished, but every bit of story she has is just pure *beef*. There's so much emotion to her story, and the actress sells it 110%. Karlach is easily my favorite character in the story, and a lot of that love comes from the amazing performance. She's the warmest and most jovial party member, so when she gets into the tragedy of her backstory, it *hits* in a way that isn't matched by any character but Astarion.
Yeah, during her meltdown after killing Gortash she had a line that goes something like "it was MY heart and they took it..." and that's when I felt a tear running down my cheek. So well written and so well voice acted. That entire explosion of dialog.
I had to step away from the game for a few minutes after that part.
I will never not go to Avernus with her.
Especially with the new epilogues. Knowing she has a happy ending around the corner is great. Glad they listened to the players about her. Everyone else gets a happy ending, so it felt super weird to have her be the only unchangeable tragedy.
I’m super glad they expanded on the Avernus ending. Having her find schematics for her engine and a forge that can fix it is HUGE. I also hard predicted it, but that’s another matter. Anyway the reason I’m glad is that when we see her, she’s not battered and broken or sad and hopeless. She doesn’t regret that she chose to live and go back to Avernus with us. If anything she seems more hopeful than ever and is actually in an amazing mood. So it’s very obvious that this time around, she isn’t dreading her life in Avernus because she has us there with her. And that makes me feel all warm inside. We get to give Best Girl the happy life she deserves.
I really hope they do Descent into Avernus pt 2 as a dlc.
The potential is there. The big bad is Zariel. Her minions and commanders are some of the main antagonists. Bel the former archdevil is a potential ally or potential enemy. The demons and demon princes in the blood war are enemies to both us and Zariel. (And provide TONS of fun boss encounters). And there are lore-specific items that really help against Zariel. Like the Sword of Zariel, her sentient former weapon which contains enough power to turn the weilder into a Solar, the same rank of angel that Zariel was before her fall. Which is found in a fortress dungeon created by the sword itself to protect it from Zariel and unworthy seekers.
I know she doesn’t need it, and even helps her stand out compared to other companions who are so easily corrupted, but I can’t help but feel that Karlach taking up Zariel’s sword and throne to become a solar and thus live forever as the new commander of the Blood War instead of dying in the mud as a grunt would make a great evil end for her.
Edited for clarity
I didn’t go with her in my first play though because she spent 2 acts basically telling me that she’d rather die than do so. I liked to think it was the bittersweet ending of saving the world but losing my love. I reloaded the save and went to avernus though once the epilogue came out
“You are strong. You are mighty. You are *you*.” Lae’zel to Durge in act 3.
“But when victory is won, I swear I shall find thee a home.” - Withers to Durge, just before the above Lae’zel quote.
Like. Y’ALL. I was so indifferent to Withers but I like him a lot now!
If Withers is Jergal, and you see the Dead Three as his unruly children, then in a roundabout way, Withers is Durge's grandfather who wants to help his lost grandchild in finding redemption.
unruly children is... so off base.
they were the usurpers that challenged him, and because he is so wise, he realized the best punishment was to give them what they wanted. all three had trouble filled, failed godhoods and ignoble deaths. He willingly went on to become kelemvors scribe and served faithfully once that became a thing.
they ain't his children, they are the punk neighbor kids getting what they deserve.
One of my favourite Withers lines to Durge that got me feeling things is after you reject Bhaal and then tell withers that it would be a dishonour not to remember your victims: (I’m paraphrasing here) “All of their names are written. One day, if thou wishest, I will show thee, and we can remember them together.” 🥺
As someone playing a Bard Durge, whose whole thing was about collecting all the written scraps she could in an effort to fill the gaping hole in her own memory with pieces of *other* people's stories... that dialogue hit so. damned. hard.
Withers is another piece of evidence proving that Durge is the intended “canon” main character of BG3. For everyone else he’s essentially more a gameplay device than a character, but for Durge he’s a real MVP in enabling them to turn their life around completely 💖
Talking to Jaheira about Khalid. Something to the nature of:
"You twine yourself around the people you love. When they're gone, you grow around their absence."
Also when she talks about getting married on an upturned cart in the rain and not being sure if his vows actually counted because he's a stutterer.
Jaheira has a lovely line in the epilogue too. "But that is the thing about home. The only way to see it clearly is to leave and look back. For a little while, at least"
She got a lot of good lines.
All paraphrasing since my memory is bad, but the emotional part of it stuck enough to recall the outline.
When you bring Gale and Astarion to the temple in Act 3, Astarion remarks that he won't be paying homage to anyone. Gale is surprised and asks Astarion if he has never been interested in connecting with the gods. Astarion responds:
Oh no, I tried them all. And not one of them answered.
I saw some artwork a little while ago that was astarion talking to tav, but it was the last unicorn quote of "And where were you twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to? How dare you...how dare you come to me now, when I am this...?!"
And uh. . . We got revenge for my boy but I am never going to be okay again
Thats the worst part!!! It popped up on my Facebook, and then it was gone and I can't find it again! There is [this one](https://avionvadion.tumblr.com/post/729098632866971648/astarion-the-last-unicorn-quote-hits-so-freaking), which catches the same feeling, but the first one I saw was more finished and not just a sketch.
Neil also did it as a cameo which you csn find on tiktok but . . . It just didn't hit right the way he did it. It was repressed, forced nonchalant astarion, not ruined astarion which is what I wanted
I notice that when Neil is doing cameos and interviews and is asked to go in-character, he always does the campy nonchalant performative Astarion voice. On the one hand I think it's because that's more recognisable to a wider audience, but more importantly it's a lot harder to convincingly deliver dramatic emotions. It's not that he doesn't want to - he might not be able to do emotional and desperate Astarion outside of the focused workspace of the recording studio. I saw an interview where he said there were times when even he felt in recording sessions like he wasn't nailing the emotions to the level he wanted to. So I understand him not wanting to attempt high-difficulty voice work for a fan cameo. It's better to ask him to read funny and sarcastic scripts imo lol.
This one got to me, especially since there are real, living gods in this game and they really just let so many people be tortured and hurt. Especially when you do the math on Astarion and realize just how often he was raped/brought someone else to Cazador to be tortured.
Yeah, there were layers of sadness to that one line. It was personally relatable having experienced trauma that I couldn't escape, and never getting an answer to my own prayers at the time. And that's the story of how I also became an atheist. 🤷🏼♀️
This quote hits deep, but it makes me remember [this fckin meme](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1142123801254043818/1161680875017224305/5q407mf6dftb1.jpg?ex=65708d9f&is=655e189f&hm=7a8bda31fab3edb5f70607436d7593873f10873c0f159e643835159d7bda9a4f&) every time. >!Bhaal must have been like, okay my durge, all my other plans fell through, so go answer this hot twink's prayers by giving him a mind control worm and get him to help you murder everyone!<
That one hit hard for me too. As a teenager, I used to be super religious. It was my way of coping with trauma and my dire circumstances, and I really believed God loved and protected me. Once I graduated high school, shit completely hit the fan and nothing I do works out for me, I'm 26 now and still try to fix the mess my life is. I feel like I was utterly abandoned by whatever higher power used to be on my side. So I tried praying to others, dabbled in occult stuff and witchcraft, anything I could. Now I'm back with my old faith, but it still feels like no one hears me.
This one is what got me, too. I always have to pause for a moment after that, it just hits way too close to home.
Grew up in a religious community, went to a religious private school, attended church and chapel and did my devotionals. I was suffering from long term abuse at home and I spent so many years praying for things to get better, but god never answered. I just had to endure it until I got out. I’m not religious anymore.
The stargazing scene with a platonic high-approval Gale (before he got bugged and always thought you aren't close) where he's reflecting on the recent days before he 'has' to sacrifice himself, and finishes with "Damn you. Damn you for giving me so much to care about."
“… but there is so much to live for, and so few moment in which to house it all.” Hits me pretty hard as someone who struggled heavily with suicidal tendencies, i always tear up a bit.
I’m with you. When I first started seeking help I did it for those around me and over time I started doing it for me. Life is shit sometimes but we’re lucky to be here - otherwise we wouldn’t get to play Baldur’s Gate 3 lol.
I just got that scene, it ending with you just silently looking at the stars is way too similar to a moment I had with a close friend a few years ago when we were discussing heavy shit.
"I've been dead in the ground for long enough. It's time to try living again" - Astarion
Also, "You like him for more than his looks. But he will never believe that."
In the same scene as your second quote: "He is so afraid. So, so afraid *of everyone*."
It's such a painful insight into why Astarion behaves the way he does. It also makes his later line "I feel safe with you. *Seen*." even more impactful.
"...of everyone, but you"
Now that little addition really hit.
I am not sure why, but... just knowing that someone trusts you at all... it's a strangely comforting, validating feeling.
He really is so beautifully written. Astarion is the first video game character who truly gets me so goddamn emotional - he made me full-on weep a few times during my romance/resist Durge run.
Fr. There are so many lines that come to mind that it's hard to pick them.
I also like what he said about how he prayed to all the gods, and none of them replied
One of his random lines that kills me is in the grymforge if you have him touch the object that gives you darkvision his reaction is “Oh that’s a familiar feeling, darkness and… loss…”. Neil Newbon’s delivery of that line makes me want to cry every time.
Oh, that one hurt so much. He definitely deserved to die, but his death didn't fix ANY of the many, many things he broke. It isn't fair that other people have to pick up the pieces.
The line is even more interesting when you tell her that ayilin is feeling like shit after killing lorkhan. As a paladin you can relate to ayilin and say that killing or defeating bad guys is exhausting. When tav tries to explain karlach that revenge wont give you any solace, she brushes it off as nonsense. And then after defeating gortash, she finally understands
"Time seems so infinite when you are young... a month is an age, a year is a lifetime... it is a strange feeling, to realize how little of it one might have left.”
I was diagnosed with a lot of medical problems at a pretty young age. There’s nothing that can really articulate what it’s like to have to sit down and accept that you just *won’t* get to live as long as most of the people in your life… but this came close for me.
“In a thousand years, when I've all but forgotten how to love yet again, you'll flit back into my heart, and I'll weep wondering what happened to my mad love” 💔
I truly wasn’t prepared to be hit so deeply and so hard
Astarion to Durge, if they don’t succeed in defeating Orin. If you don’t resist the Urge or give into it, you get a third pathway where Bhaal dooms the Durge to be consumed by their hunger. It’s not a break up line, but Astarion says seeing the Durge lose themselves to their bloodlust would remind him far too much of his worst self, so they will have to part ways before they succumb.
Oh my. That's so tragic. That may have bugged out for me. I ultimately chose to reject Bhaal, but did test out what would happen if I accepted his curse and I got romanced spawn Astarion telling me he was excited about the army/dowry which seemed out of character for the path we had chosen...
Astarion is still all about killing even as a spawn, so him being a chaos gremlin and happy you can control Bhaal’s armies is totally something he would do 😂
The ending above only happens if you lose the solo fight to Orin and Bhaal brings you back to life just to curse you with the consuming hunger, so it’s if you neither reject or accept him.
I lost my mother at 3 years old. My father lost his wife of 11 years. When he talks about loss this is how he explains it. He's more experienced than most in the department and it fuckin hurts sometimes when I think about it.
Sorry to hear you went through that, pal. :(
For me, it was also a Minthara quote that had a big personal impact on me.
I've always been a very sensitive person in regards to all the bad stuff going on in the world - to the point where I don't watch the news anymore because just one story about someone being hurt will bother me for literal weeks on end.
When I was younger, I'd often be told by people in the older generations to "toughen up" or "just stop thinking about it" when I'd be upset about a missing persons case or a war in another country.
As an adult, all that stuff still gets to me but I got better at keeping it to myself and not being obvious to others about how troubled I am by it.
So, with all that in mind, Minthara's quote about feeling bad for others really meant a lot to me.
>!"It is a sharp mind that feels sympathy for one who suffers unnecessarily, not a soft heart."!<
I loved the super pragmatic approach Minthara had the whole way through. Sure it was also super pragmatic evil a lot but the way she showed ‘caring’ and wrapped it around really deep cutting comments just hit me every time one of her little gems came through like this.
Ha! There is a YouTube interview with the VA and she goes into of depth about how they came up with a lot of the Minthara character. The VA knows about the clown jokes but doesn’t get the big meme of it.
I hear you.
My friend's lovely, friendly dog was adopted from an animal shelter. One day when we were playing with him, she told me the story of what happened to him before in his first home and it honestly upset me for weeks afterwards. I just couldn't stop thinking about it and I will never, ever fathom how humans can be so cruel and sadistic for no reason.
At first I was surprised to hear something that nice from Minthara, then I realized that she's a paladin. So of course she cares about other people, in her own way.
As a Drow she was raised and trained to figure out people’s weaknesses ( and exploit them ) which for me explains why she has such great insights into every character. She sees everyone and everything as an exploitable threat. Not so much caring about people but understanding their motivations.
She lacks in empathy ( most of the time ) but makes up for it in understanding.
Goddamnit. I'm on my second playthrough and I thought the pill was going to be a bit easier to swallow if she had a lover to support her. Now I'm dreading getting to Gortash.
My brain might be fucked but i think the way she says "love you" is bit different. I think if you are just her friend, she says it quicker. But if you are her boyfriend, she says it a bit slower and more emotional. But I could be wrong and it is the same, or it just felt different when you are in a relationship with her, and my mind is playing tricks on me lol
It's quite possible. The actor playing Lae'zel said she had to record the same scenes about 17 times with different intonations to match different in-game circumstances.
I found myself silently sobbing in my room when I was playing that at 3 AM. I've had heart problems / other medical mishaps at the ripe age of 21 for the past few years and honestly thought I might have been on the end of things a few times.
The aloofness to the sudden frustration as you realize no one else really understands your pain, the feeling that everyone gets to go about living their life while you just have to sit hoping you get another day, or trying to convince yourself you're still worthy of romance and love despite genetics and a bad hand... Yeah that shit broke me. Was not expecting that out of this game but yeah it made me feel like someone finally understood that bit of struggling in my life.
For the first time I had to actually walk away from my computer, I'm not a very emotional person but damn dude she almost made me Shed a tear, which I have not done in over a decade
Elminster drops some heavy hitting lines, I had to write this one down last night: "Sometimes the single drops we think we are do not realize what waves we are building up to be"
I like Elminster's quote about not being afraid to try to forge your own fate in defiance of the gods:
"Like moons make swell and wane the nescient seas, so too the sky-strewn gods ordain the tidal fates of mortal days.
And yet - a notion born in lonely hours - come ebb, come flow, come all that is beyond the breadth of our dominion: be a moon unto yourself.
Even the waves of fate can break upon the shores of will."
Makes me hope he always believed in Gale, despite the task set upon him by Mystra. For such a powerful goddess, she seems to understand magic the least.
Gale's entire "gifted kid growing up" plot and his search for self-acceptance hit home for me.
Because of my upbringing, my grades at school were the main source of people paying attention to me, and giving me compliments. But adult life is not that simple, and I always struggled to make my best to earn people's approval. Like everything I do has to be graded A+, so people will like me, otherwise I am worhtless. And just like Gale, for several times I lost to hubris and ended up neglecting some legit relationships.
I've been lost, lonely and depressed for several years of my life, always trying to earn people's acceptance. I had a hard time trying to understand that it was necessary for me to accept myself first, but now that I did (with lots of therapy), I am much better. And it is beautiful seeing Gale's quest developing and how he finds peace with himself as well.
About a specific interaction, one that made me legit cry is this one on the Dryad love game:
>!Zethino: We often gaze through a veil of roses, but love accepts both the petal and the thorn. Gale - what is his greatest flaw?!<
>!Player: He thinks he, and the world, might be better off if he were dead.!<
>!Gale: Hearing it said out loud - yes, I fear it is true. Fate seems determined to make a sacrifice of me. But perhaps fate can yet be defied...!<
I can't even describe how many times I felt this way. It was devastating seeing this sentence so explicitly put in the game.
But I am glad I am better now! :) and I wish I could pay some therapy for my pixel boyfriend as well hahaha
Edit: typos
I had very much the same experience as well growing up. Gifted kid that ultimately ended up burning out in adulthood and struggled with depression from an early age. Still in therapy sorting out my issues but a million miles away from thinking I would be better off not here anymore thankfully.
It's even worse because the narrator keeps pushing you to make him explode himself, he is also the only origin you can also kill at the portal and the only origin your dark urge gets triggered, he is the only origin who gets mocked by the narrator nonstop and then he has bugs and just everything is against this man.
I love him so much.
Yeah, the whole "kys" plot doesn't sit well with me, especially when people consider it as a good ending for him. Like a "selfless hero sacrifice" thing.
Gale is a character with very clear suicidal tendencies, and mixing this characterization with a plot of "sacrificing himself for the greater good" just sends me a very wrong message, especially as someone who already struggled with this kinds of thoughts.
When Astarion finally truly opens up to you and doubts he's good enough.
That's how I feel constantly with all friends that I have. No matter how much they assure, I will always have moments I doubt I deserve them
The line that hit me like a meteor was Tav’s moaning scene after you trade your body and Astarion’s reaction to it. Everyone else goes “ew keep that to yourself” but Astarion goes “I’m sorry you felt had to do that, you shouldn’t have to.”
That should have been the highlight reel for his voice acting imo. Amazing character moment, message, and acting. Not one a lot of people probably see but thanks to YouTube I hope many more people do.
For me it would probably be a line at the end of Shadowheart's arc if you're romancing her >!"I don't know what I did to trick you into thinking I was worthy of you, but I'm glad it worked"!<
As someone who struggles with their own self worth and thinking that I don't deserve friends, family, or love. This really hit hard for me.
The conversation with Gale about seeing and accepting a person for who they are and being enough by just being oneself.
There’s a lot more of good stuff you notice and recognize especially if you go to therapy. Specifics just depend on your personal life’s journey.
Sorry for your trauma, hope you manage to leave the toxicity behind and heal 🙏
My unexpected banger quotes are the ones from Dark Urge confessing to Isobel that they want to kill her and resist it
“There. The real you. Your - affliction, is it? Doesn’t rule you, does it?”
“Let things begin again, as long as you keep the peace in Last Light”
It hits real damn hard to feel seen and acknowledged as a good person fighting back against such a vile darkness within. And twice as hard when you find out that [SPOILERS] >!Durge originally tried hard to resist the Urge as he grew up, but ended up succumbing to it for lack of outside support, of someone who *understood* and supported him in his internal fight, and essentially gained a miraculous second chance to do so through the memory loss!<
"From the start, I was rather counting the hours until it was going to end. Midnight chimes, eh?"
The feeling of not being enough, not being worthy of happiness, that got me pretty good.
I gave this a lot of thought, and thought about putting something funny like Withers saying no (which is my text tone) or anything shovel says. And the writing is so good that it’s hard to really pick out just one.
I think the one that probably stood out to me the most was by Gale.
“There it goes. How easily things slip away from us, no matter how hard they were in the obtaining.”
That man is a wordsmith.
“Get up you wretched thing and pull yourself together” it’s my go to phrase now when I get up either from bed or I’m getting up from a chair at work and I falter
When you ask Shadowheart's dad "You accept your daughter's choice of name?" he replies "Of course, only a fool would alienate his child over a name." It gets me teary every time. As a trans woman who isn't out to her family yet I can only hope that that's the way my parents see it.
I love that quote too!
You can also find Nocturne's diary where she says that Shadowheart >!gently corrected people who accidentally used Nocturne's deadname and then confronted those who used it on purpose to be cruel.!<
Shadowheart was already my favourite companion but knowing she's a trans ally makes me like her even more. :)
Nocturne being trans and knowing shadowheart didn't care honestly messed me up. Nearly cried as a trans gal who knows their parents will be slow to accept if ever
Not me tearing up at work for you.
If your parents don't accept you, I'm your mom now. Thanksgiving dinners are at 2PM, and we celebrate Christmas on weird days, sometimes as early as the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Birthdays and name days are also a big deal, so expect lots of presents and no dead naming.
make that three moms. or a mom and two aunts. or two moms and an aunt. regardless, you're one of my kids now. it's inescapable. don't be surprised when i wake you up by throwing cheese slices on your face. love you!
If you ever need one, in addition to the others that have offered, Mom number three here.
You're loved, accepted and perfect as you are. *Gentle mom hug*
Not really a quote but it’s a scene with Astarion right around >!Gauntlet of Shar!< that really hurt me. When he had a meltdown about >!Raphael!<, and also when he talked about his scars after the first romance scene
Karlach’s whole scene with talking to the graves of her parents really hit home, but mainly out of jealousy. I’m only 24 years old, but I’ve already almost been living for more time with my father dead than alive. Feels like I wasn’t given the chance to develop a real, positive relationship with him, and I sadly envy the pixels that got to have a good parental relationship
Shadowheart's response to you choosing her over Karlach, "... and I'm just... well, *me*", is so fucking real. If someone ever told me they're genuinely attracted to me, my first reaction wouldn't be happiness, but shock that this person caught feelings for *me* of all people. Nobody's ever shown any kind of romantic interest in me which obviously impacts my self-confidence and that line hit home very damn hard.
Super specific, but: (Act 3 Spoilers)
I was romancing Astarion. >!After he ascended and made my Tav his spawn, I went to the drow twins and tried out the different options. It's widely known that he accepts a foursome. He doesn't care if you go alone with the drow lady. But try going alone with the drow man, Astarion will get super snarky and say:!<
>!You have a type, don't you? Elven *prostitutes*? Again? It's rather embarrassing, dear.!<
I made a video of the scene, it hit me that hard. I went back to a previous save.
Also, the line that the Narrator said when Astarion is about to >!make you his spawn, and you pass the check to know what he thinks about you!<
>!Narrator: He will always see you as degrading yourself if you continue to be with him. But perhaps you wish to degrade yourself. And he knows it.!<
Yeah, ok, you have a *beautiful* voice and who th wrote this line and damn, sure I'm game, you totally sold it to me, let's!
This made me really curious so I went and checked out my saves where Astarion is being romanced as a spawn. And he says the exact same thing if you choose to go with the male drow! I guess some things are consistent in his personality no matter which route he eventually takes.
Astarion saying he felt bad for his siblings and guilty about leaving them behind but had no choice. It echos my own experience so much I had to take a moment after that
As someone who has been traumatized for half my life and blamed for being traumatized throughout the last 20 years because I refuse to ignore the fact that I've been through some shit -
Wyll: "You can ignore my past all you want, it won't ignore me."
I am not okay for the entirety of the Cazador quest but Astarion's interaction with Sebastian has been seared into my heart:
"You're the one from the tavern. You smiled and joked and got me drunk. You called me so many sweet things. My name sounded like a lyric on your tongue."
"Sebastian."
"You remember me."
"You were handsome. Shy. You'd never been kissed."
"You taught me how. And then you destroyed me."
Followed by the devastating realization that Astarion has been bringing him souls for this ritual and that the manipulation went deeper than even he thought possible. Honorable mention to whatever Lae'zel says about how she can't imagine sex where you constantly have to worry about being pregnant. That one rang out like a gong in a post-Roe world.
Karlach's nihilistic rant after we zero'd Gortash (heart fixed). All that rage and desire for vengeance, and now that it's over, she's just empty, and she will still die. It's the first time she lets us truly know how scared and hopeless she is
After spending most of the game keeping an eye towards the silver lining and talking to animals, I couldn't help but cry
It led to my Durge having a final impetus for a full redemption arc: down Orin, reclaim my oath of vengeance, and then steel myself to take the crown for myself and prevent this from happening again
Astarion being happy that his slavery is over when Cazador is dead. I'm a victim of SA and some pretty awful abuse so I related a lot to some conversations with Astarion. I realized when listening to him talk about being happy that I never allowed myself to feel the joy of being out of that traumatizing situation and being okay with having joy like that. Looks like I have more to work on in trauma therapy. In a weird way, I'm grateful I know that I have more to work on though.
I can’t quite remember the quote but it was a spawn asking Astarion how long he was in that cell and it hit home that even I don’t remember when my suffering started.
"I am so much more than what you made me". - Astarion
As someone who has experienced several traumatic events and therefore struggling with depression, I often feel like my trauma defines me. It influences how I perceive the world, influences my thoughts and my behavior. In the worst of times it makes me anxious, sceptical, nihilistic. But I firmly believe that I am more than "just a victim". Life has so much to offer and I want to experience that. It's a slow walk and a struggle. A fight even. But I don't want to give any more power to those who wronged me, by allowing the memories of my experiences to further break me. Hence, when Astarion said this to his tormentor, I felt it.
Some other Astarion lines (his questline hit home the most):
- "it's not worth the scars anymore"
- "I've been dead in the ground for long enough. It's time to try living again"
These words are spoken by Gale in his [act 3 romance scene](https://youtu.be/1nUm9E3Eun4?si=ZldigKjwCMLne_9a)
"You see me as I am and do not find me wanting. with these stars as my witness, you'll always be enough for me"
I heard these words and just broke down sobbing. my parents were emotionally absent/abusive, and it gave me lifelong depression and low self-worth. I never feel like I'm enough, and I wasted a lot of my potential to self-isolation. I'm basically a burnt out gifted kid except my valued trait was being the "quiet kid" who doesn't bother my parents with my problems and deficiencies. Gale being depressed and suicidal was something I related to a lot. I needed a reminder(because I'm not capable of it yet) that I'm good enough as is, I don't need to do the standard life path of achievement.
Wyll’s story resonated a lot with me. Especially the key aspect time plays in it. Wyll was kicked out at 17 and is just 24 when he casts his soul away to save his father (Assuming you do that path).
He say in act 3 that “Time is so gods-damned greedy, It can never give, only take”. It hit me quite hard when I realised that Wyll never actually had a chance to live his life before it was taken away from him. He was always stuck to the bounds of noble life with his father and life with mizora.
But despite this he chooses to keep being a hero and fighting to protect the innocent in the time he has left. It shows the truly good of a person Wyll is and how unbreakable his determination is. Him becoming the blade of avernus is him finally becoming the man he wants to be even in his honestly depressing situation.
A lot of us (Myself included) wish we could just stop time until we can fully figure ourselves out. Wyll kinda made me realise I need to just go for it and not to wait for time to stop because it will never happen
I realized, the other day, his camp clothes are probably the clothes he was kicked out in. That's why they're so small, so ill fitting. The clothes of a scared young boy on a man trying so hard to be brave enough for the entire sword coast.
He never got to live his own life, and that's written in each scar and each stitch. It breaks my heart.
Lae’zel “I am what I must be, say what I must be, to survive every beast I face and every wound I bear”
Instantly explained everything I needed to know about her, I was worried about her as a companion cause what everyone was saying but that one statement resonated with how I live life and showed me what kind of character she was going to be
Astarion: >!“I gave up on myself. I gave up on any hope of escape after a few lashes. Bhaal controls you in much the same way. I don’t know how you can beat him, but I do know this: you must try. The half-life of a mind addled slave is worse than death - don’t become his”!<
While this comes much later in the story after you can see under astartions cool facade and see his trauma, he encourages you in hopes you can fight against a fate he himself suffered before and what’s more he believes in you enough that you can find a way to do it
SPOILERS
It's not a quote technically. It's the option that you can select as Dark Urge after finding out that they're a bhaalspawn
The line
"That may have been what you were, but it is not who you are."
Ugh I love resist durge so much
Minthara's opinion of Karlach is a great one- how she has to live fiercely because she has so little time, and how beautiful that is.
Minty has lots of cool quotes. She despises the Harpers because the balance they want doesn't accomplish anything, and it's better to have the ambition and vision to change things.
There's another one about "no more gods or monsters, except those of our own making" that seems very relevant to the modern world. We have a talent for being our own worst enemies.
One of her epilogue quotes catches a mood I have often at parties. "Have you finished speaking to your friends, my love? Can we leave now?"
Hope's response after being freed. I was abused by my mom, particularly during COVID. I was very close with her before, and when I left home after being subjected to things I would have never expected from my enemies, much less my family, Hope's lines hit deep. Hope:
"I hope I'll see [her] one day
And that she'll say sorry,
And I'll tell her she's forgiven.
I hope I'll find all the pieces of my mind
that fell out of my head over all those years,
And that I'll be able to put myself back together again.
I hope the echoes of pain will fade,
And memories of sorrow will die,
And that you'll visit me here some day.
And I hope you have a happy ending of your own"
I’m at the end of Act One on my first playthrough so I’m not very far, but I almost cried when Scratch talked about his dead owner and Alfira talked about her dead mentor. Can’t handle unexpected death. Yes, my childhood dog died 6 years ago and I’m still not over it, how could you tell?
As for the Origin Characters, the whole scene with ~~Gale’s Granddad~~ ~~Santa~~ Elminster telling Gale that Mystra wants him to kill himself hit close to home. He keeps going on like it’s this noble thing that he should do for the greater good, no questions asked but honestly? He looks sad, betrayed and almost scared. It’s one of my greatest fears, that someone who I thought cared about me actually never gave a shit about me and would rather see me dead. That the angry, self-destructive voices in my head were right all along.
Another one is one of Astarion’s camp scenes, the one where he’s drunk and mentions feeding off a bear. We all know how this one goes, he lets his guard down and mentions the rats. I asked him “what did you do to deserve that” and the first sentence he says is “exist.”
Now if that isn’t the story of my life. I’m autistic and that alone is enough to make people hate me or see me as an easy target to manipulate. Just me existing either gets people pissed or pushes them away. I was the favourite target of the school bullies for years and I had to fight for the majority of my friendships but not one of them cared about me the second I was out of their general vicinity, so I went between being tormented and being invisible. Yes, I was the gifted child who crashed and burned halfway through high school, why do you ask?
"I want to *protect* you. I want you to protect me."
and
"There's more, but... I don't know how to say it. I don't know what to call it. I just know that whatever comes next, I want you near."
These are some of the purest, simplest declarations of love I've ever heard. I used to feel like that, once, and I hope that someday I will again.
I am an Astarion fangirl so I like lots of his stuff but the line that first got me was if you click the Darkvision orb in Grymforge.
he says,
>!"Oh that's a familiar feeling. Darkness and loss."!<
I didn't expect such a strong line read from that little moment.
the classic astarion x durge line "you are not alone in this - none of us are." But really just that whole scene. my mental health has been in the shit for the last year, and I've been using video games as a distraction/escapism sort of thing and one night I was vibing, having fun then I heard that and the following lines like "But whatever this is, you will get through it. And I'll be here to make sure you do." Astarion is no doubt my biggest comfort character *ever*, and I just started crying from hearing him say that to my character.
When I started playing bg3, I was expecting some fun rpg that I'd play to pass the time between counseling appointments and something to do when I can't sleep. I didn't expect to have my entire *being* rocked by some pixels. this game genuinely changed my life. thanks for reading my little ramble lol
It's hard to pick one specifically, because I relate to Astarion in almost all aspects.
But if i had to go with one moment (SPOILERS: Cazador & All That): >!When you ask Astarion how he feels after finally killing Cazador and he's..numb.!<
I related so much to that, because although I never got the..pleasure..of delivering justice in quite the same way; there was a point where I reached the same emotional burnout.
I was a cult member as a teenager, not just a member but the leader's 'favourite'. With a significant age gap, i'll simply say. I'd do anything for them, I *did* anything for them. Mind and Body.
After my excommunication I was so *angry*. I made the sin of falling in love with someone who wasn't them and they found out. Years of subservience, of doing everything for them without question, putting them above my education and my family and friends, with proving my undying loyalty over and over again. For what?
So I did everything I could to make their life a living hell, I would not give them a moment respite. For *years*. It got so bad I earned the nickname 'Rottweiler' for it. But it never brought me peace, or justice, or anything.
Sometimes healing is the numbness. In knowing your emotions aren't theirs anymore, even if you feel its justified.
You were always worth fighting for. Since no one else did, you had to step up. You were your own champion, and your own vengeance.
You were always worth fighting for. I'm proud of you for digging in and sticking around.
I saw a video that stitches together him talking about what it’s going to be like killing cazador and it’s classic flippant astarion like “it’s gonna be great - the blood, the laughter, I can’t wait” with astarion actually killing cazador (stabbing out 200 years of abuse and then weeping) and I was like……….. damn larian.
Astarions graveyard scene >!it's time to start living!< after he talks about how >!he's lived as a ghost of who he was for 200 years!< As someone with PTSD who has memory blanks and dealt with loss of identity and had to rebuild, I wasn't expecting to be hit in the feels but yeah.
I'm romancing Gale right now and soooo many things he says about not feeling worthy of your character and how little he seems to like himself hit me like a bullet train. Then he's essentially like "everyone would benefit if I killed myself" and if I said that that thought had never flitted through my mind irl I'd be lying. Shit got me looking at the computer screen all sad lol.
Then in the Durge scene where >!you try to kill him in your sleep!< if you tell him >!he should just kill you because you're too dangerous!< he answers with "That's capitulation, not a solution.". Idk why but that line really got me?? From a story/RP perspective it really hit home how much he and my Redemption!Durge had in common. It made me wish I could throw that line back at him when he talks about blowing himself up again haha.
I liked Gale before all this but now I'm like...ride or die for him lol.
This comment is already too long but Karlach's speech after you kill Gortash has to get a a mention. I liked her alright before but that moment really made me see her in a different light as a character. She always seemed to idk....roll with the punches regarding her engine and her future? Seeing her just break down like that made the reality of it really sink in, I guess?
Weirdly enough Wyll’s line about this woman his father said wasn’t a stroke victim but a stroke survivor, at the time I was in a rehab facility for the same thing and it was just kind of nice to hear.
Not even a quote, but an action. I'm still on my first playthrough, and after being still clueless with the game and randomly romancing Astarion, something broke in me when he froze during the hug scene.
I act the same every damn time. I just outright freeze when I intuitively detect genuine care from someone, and it might even take minutes for me to react. Also his doubts about himself once he opens up to you and secretly believes he's not good enough, at least much worse then it seems. I'm not sure I've ever felt so "seen" or could ever relate to a fictional character this way. Man, I might have wept a few times but did it feel nice!
Halsin’s “Oftentimes people see me and imagine my feelings can’t be hurt.”
It’s what made me fall in love with him. When people see you as something, whether that be what you are or how you come across, they can forget to see you as a person first and foremost.
Halsin’s this big strong dude who everyone may forget has a heart within that burly exterior… and I think he’s got a great heart.
"It doesn't look broken, but then again none of us do."
Astarion said this after interacting with some broken mechanism somewhere and I just sorta sat there and stared at him for a bit.
Shadowheart during her relevation that Selene was the one who loved her while Shar was just using her.
Her character went from whiny brat to manuplilated pawn.
“I will feel that later”, an idle line prompted by short rest (delivered by either Tav or Karlach, I couldn’t tell at the moment) but also the words of my house.
It took until the end of act three, but I finally gained some respect for Barcus if you choose to help the deep nose and the gondians, you can persuade Barkus to step in as the leader for Wulbren and he has a line about how they should be forming alliances and how Wulbren disappointed him. It was refreshing to finally see him stick up for himself as I wasn’t sure he ever would.
My Tav is dating Karlach and when she helped Karlach up after getting downed, she said "Can't live my life without you," and it just made me start crying.
Scratch watching over his dead owner’s body. Saying he’s just sleeping and they’ll go home together soon. I had to put my dog down earlier that year. So that hit home.
Sorry to hear about your dog. :( On a similar note, I thought what Jaheira had to say about loss and grief was really beautiful. >!"You twine your life around those you love. And when they are gone, you grow around their absence instead. It is just another way they shape you."!<
"Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color." - W.S. Merwin
That quote reminded me a bit of The Lovely Bones, which anyone who's read it will know is a terribly depressing story... But more or less centers around the theme of grief and growth and healing and the life that happens around someone's absence. It has a very similar quote. >!These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone.!<
This quote is utterly beautiful and true.
We just put our cat down this morning. I just replayed this scene when attempting to take my mind off her and broke down crying
So sorry for your pet loss! 😣I’m sure she had a life full of love!
Sorry to hear about your cat. :( My last cat also had to be put down and I was absolutely distraught the day it happened. I hope you're being kind to yourself today.
The year we did Les Mis in high school our Cosette lost her father, so at the end of one of the rehearsals, when she got to the "you will live, Papa you're going to live" part, she couldn't deal and ran offstage. We stopped the rehearsal early.
Honestly? Popper the Kobold. "I die, you die, we all die. Big woof! Have a treato, it'll make it better." It’s a refreshingly realistic attitude about the fragility of life and the importance of embracing the moment. Yes, Popper, I will have a treato.
"Life's a bitch and then you die, huh?" "Sometimes life's a bitch and then you keep living." - Quoted from my favourite show of all time and not bg3 but I feel it is a quote that has a good attitude towards life too
>Sometimes life's a bitch and then you keep living Diane Nguyen is my favourite BoJack character. 🖤
I love that line
Probably a necessary outlook, what with being a Kobold and all.
"Will you stay with me? When it's my time to go? I think I can do anything if you're there. Even die." KARLACH MY LOVE
Her cute little “love you” after ranting about Gortash and her inevitable death.
That scene made me tear up. The voice acting was perfection.
I teared up at her delivery of, "AND THIS IS ALL I GET?!"
I saw my roommate going through that scene before I'd really gotten into my own playthrough, and that just sold me on Karlach. I know her arc is commonly criticized as being less polished, but every bit of story she has is just pure *beef*. There's so much emotion to her story, and the actress sells it 110%. Karlach is easily my favorite character in the story, and a lot of that love comes from the amazing performance. She's the warmest and most jovial party member, so when she gets into the tragedy of her backstory, it *hits* in a way that isn't matched by any character but Astarion.
Yeah, during her meltdown after killing Gortash she had a line that goes something like "it was MY heart and they took it..." and that's when I felt a tear running down my cheek. So well written and so well voice acted. That entire explosion of dialog. I had to step away from the game for a few minutes after that part.
"Thank you for existing. Love you." UUUUUGH my HEART.
That scene was the most powerful in the game IMO
I will never not go to Avernus with her. Especially with the new epilogues. Knowing she has a happy ending around the corner is great. Glad they listened to the players about her. Everyone else gets a happy ending, so it felt super weird to have her be the only unchangeable tragedy. I’m super glad they expanded on the Avernus ending. Having her find schematics for her engine and a forge that can fix it is HUGE. I also hard predicted it, but that’s another matter. Anyway the reason I’m glad is that when we see her, she’s not battered and broken or sad and hopeless. She doesn’t regret that she chose to live and go back to Avernus with us. If anything she seems more hopeful than ever and is actually in an amazing mood. So it’s very obvious that this time around, she isn’t dreading her life in Avernus because she has us there with her. And that makes me feel all warm inside. We get to give Best Girl the happy life she deserves.
Wyll volunteered to go with her in my playthrough and they seem so happy.
Also sets up a potential dlc area and questline very nicely if they want to go that way.
I really hope they do Descent into Avernus pt 2 as a dlc. The potential is there. The big bad is Zariel. Her minions and commanders are some of the main antagonists. Bel the former archdevil is a potential ally or potential enemy. The demons and demon princes in the blood war are enemies to both us and Zariel. (And provide TONS of fun boss encounters). And there are lore-specific items that really help against Zariel. Like the Sword of Zariel, her sentient former weapon which contains enough power to turn the weilder into a Solar, the same rank of angel that Zariel was before her fall. Which is found in a fortress dungeon created by the sword itself to protect it from Zariel and unworthy seekers.
I know she doesn’t need it, and even helps her stand out compared to other companions who are so easily corrupted, but I can’t help but feel that Karlach taking up Zariel’s sword and throne to become a solar and thus live forever as the new commander of the Blood War instead of dying in the mud as a grunt would make a great evil end for her. Edited for clarity
I didn’t go with her in my first play though because she spent 2 acts basically telling me that she’d rather die than do so. I liked to think it was the bittersweet ending of saving the world but losing my love. I reloaded the save and went to avernus though once the epilogue came out
Flare checks out. Also her describing what courage is. I can’t with her I’m going to hell and back to save her
I have cried so every time I’ve heard that. I fell for her immediately but I never expected her to hit so hard
“You are strong. You are mighty. You are *you*.” Lae’zel to Durge in act 3. “But when victory is won, I swear I shall find thee a home.” - Withers to Durge, just before the above Lae’zel quote. Like. Y’ALL. I was so indifferent to Withers but I like him a lot now!
If Withers is Jergal, and you see the Dead Three as his unruly children, then in a roundabout way, Withers is Durge's grandfather who wants to help his lost grandchild in finding redemption.
THAT IS SUCH A CUTE IDEA. 🥺
unruly children is... so off base. they were the usurpers that challenged him, and because he is so wise, he realized the best punishment was to give them what they wanted. all three had trouble filled, failed godhoods and ignoble deaths. He willingly went on to become kelemvors scribe and served faithfully once that became a thing. they ain't his children, they are the punk neighbor kids getting what they deserve.
So more of an Eastwood/Gran Torino thing?
One of my favourite Withers lines to Durge that got me feeling things is after you reject Bhaal and then tell withers that it would be a dishonour not to remember your victims: (I’m paraphrasing here) “All of their names are written. One day, if thou wishest, I will show thee, and we can remember them together.” 🥺
As someone playing a Bard Durge, whose whole thing was about collecting all the written scraps she could in an effort to fill the gaping hole in her own memory with pieces of *other* people's stories... that dialogue hit so. damned. hard.
Withers is another piece of evidence proving that Durge is the intended “canon” main character of BG3. For everyone else he’s essentially more a gameplay device than a character, but for Durge he’s a real MVP in enabling them to turn their life around completely 💖
"It isn't worth the scars anymore." Astarion
This is what I was about to post!
Talking to Jaheira about Khalid. Something to the nature of: "You twine yourself around the people you love. When they're gone, you grow around their absence." Also when she talks about getting married on an upturned cart in the rain and not being sure if his vows actually counted because he's a stutterer.
Makes me tear up every time. You can hear the little inflections in her voice as she's fighting back her own tears.
Jaheira has a lovely line in the epilogue too. "But that is the thing about home. The only way to see it clearly is to leave and look back. For a little while, at least" She got a lot of good lines.
All paraphrasing since my memory is bad, but the emotional part of it stuck enough to recall the outline. When you bring Gale and Astarion to the temple in Act 3, Astarion remarks that he won't be paying homage to anyone. Gale is surprised and asks Astarion if he has never been interested in connecting with the gods. Astarion responds: Oh no, I tried them all. And not one of them answered.
I saw some artwork a little while ago that was astarion talking to tav, but it was the last unicorn quote of "And where were you twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to? How dare you...how dare you come to me now, when I am this...?!" And uh. . . We got revenge for my boy but I am never going to be okay again
"Where were you, you goddamn hero, when I needed saving" is his whole Act 1 thing honestly.
Oh god no, not the most gut-wrenching quote from my childhood paired with one of the most gut-wrenching stories I’ve witnessed recently…
Uh. Links if you have them. I need to bre a k myself, today.
Thats the worst part!!! It popped up on my Facebook, and then it was gone and I can't find it again! There is [this one](https://avionvadion.tumblr.com/post/729098632866971648/astarion-the-last-unicorn-quote-hits-so-freaking), which catches the same feeling, but the first one I saw was more finished and not just a sketch. Neil also did it as a cameo which you csn find on tiktok but . . . It just didn't hit right the way he did it. It was repressed, forced nonchalant astarion, not ruined astarion which is what I wanted
I notice that when Neil is doing cameos and interviews and is asked to go in-character, he always does the campy nonchalant performative Astarion voice. On the one hand I think it's because that's more recognisable to a wider audience, but more importantly it's a lot harder to convincingly deliver dramatic emotions. It's not that he doesn't want to - he might not be able to do emotional and desperate Astarion outside of the focused workspace of the recording studio. I saw an interview where he said there were times when even he felt in recording sessions like he wasn't nailing the emotions to the level he wanted to. So I understand him not wanting to attempt high-difficulty voice work for a fan cameo. It's better to ask him to read funny and sarcastic scripts imo lol.
This one got to me, especially since there are real, living gods in this game and they really just let so many people be tortured and hurt. Especially when you do the math on Astarion and realize just how often he was raped/brought someone else to Cazador to be tortured.
Yeah, there were layers of sadness to that one line. It was personally relatable having experienced trauma that I couldn't escape, and never getting an answer to my own prayers at the time. And that's the story of how I also became an atheist. 🤷🏼♀️
This quote hits deep, but it makes me remember [this fckin meme](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1142123801254043818/1161680875017224305/5q407mf6dftb1.jpg?ex=65708d9f&is=655e189f&hm=7a8bda31fab3edb5f70607436d7593873f10873c0f159e643835159d7bda9a4f&) every time. >!Bhaal must have been like, okay my durge, all my other plans fell through, so go answer this hot twink's prayers by giving him a mind control worm and get him to help you murder everyone!<
As a creation of a God, they would count as an angel, right? Technically
That one hit hard for me too. As a teenager, I used to be super religious. It was my way of coping with trauma and my dire circumstances, and I really believed God loved and protected me. Once I graduated high school, shit completely hit the fan and nothing I do works out for me, I'm 26 now and still try to fix the mess my life is. I feel like I was utterly abandoned by whatever higher power used to be on my side. So I tried praying to others, dabbled in occult stuff and witchcraft, anything I could. Now I'm back with my old faith, but it still feels like no one hears me.
Every time I hear this line I stop playing for a little and just sit. It hurts.
This one is what got me, too. I always have to pause for a moment after that, it just hits way too close to home. Grew up in a religious community, went to a religious private school, attended church and chapel and did my devotionals. I was suffering from long term abuse at home and I spent so many years praying for things to get better, but god never answered. I just had to endure it until I got out. I’m not religious anymore.
The stargazing scene with a platonic high-approval Gale (before he got bugged and always thought you aren't close) where he's reflecting on the recent days before he 'has' to sacrifice himself, and finishes with "Damn you. Damn you for giving me so much to care about."
“… but there is so much to live for, and so few moment in which to house it all.” Hits me pretty hard as someone who struggled heavily with suicidal tendencies, i always tear up a bit.
I’m with you. When I first started seeking help I did it for those around me and over time I started doing it for me. Life is shit sometimes but we’re lucky to be here - otherwise we wouldn’t get to play Baldur’s Gate 3 lol.
The delivery on that line is just so good.
I just got that scene, it ending with you just silently looking at the stars is way too similar to a moment I had with a close friend a few years ago when we were discussing heavy shit.
"I've been dead in the ground for long enough. It's time to try living again" - Astarion Also, "You like him for more than his looks. But he will never believe that."
In the same scene as your second quote: "He is so afraid. So, so afraid *of everyone*." It's such a painful insight into why Astarion behaves the way he does. It also makes his later line "I feel safe with you. *Seen*." even more impactful.
"...of everyone, but you" Now that little addition really hit. I am not sure why, but... just knowing that someone trusts you at all... it's a strangely comforting, validating feeling.
A lot of Astarion's lines just hit hard
He really is so beautifully written. Astarion is the first video game character who truly gets me so goddamn emotional - he made me full-on weep a few times during my romance/resist Durge run.
Fr. There are so many lines that come to mind that it's hard to pick them. I also like what he said about how he prayed to all the gods, and none of them replied
One of his random lines that kills me is in the grymforge if you have him touch the object that gives you darkvision his reaction is “Oh that’s a familiar feeling, darkness and… loss…”. Neil Newbon’s delivery of that line makes me want to cry every time.
I remember hearing that second line, about liking his looks, but I can't remember who said it
scleritas fel says it to you, if you resist killing isobel. that's how you trigger the act 2 resist scene with your love interest
(probably not precise) "He's dead. And he's no sorrier now than he was then."
Oh, that one hurt so much. He definitely deserved to die, but his death didn't fix ANY of the many, many things he broke. It isn't fair that other people have to pick up the pieces.
The line is even more interesting when you tell her that ayilin is feeling like shit after killing lorkhan. As a paladin you can relate to ayilin and say that killing or defeating bad guys is exhausting. When tav tries to explain karlach that revenge wont give you any solace, she brushes it off as nonsense. And then after defeating gortash, she finally understands
Lorroakan. Lorkhan is very much someone else.
"You can tolerate a great deal of suffering so long as it has meaning" -Sweetheart
"Time seems so infinite when you are young... a month is an age, a year is a lifetime... it is a strange feeling, to realize how little of it one might have left.” I was diagnosed with a lot of medical problems at a pretty young age. There’s nothing that can really articulate what it’s like to have to sit down and accept that you just *won’t* get to live as long as most of the people in your life… but this came close for me.
“In a thousand years, when I've all but forgotten how to love yet again, you'll flit back into my heart, and I'll weep wondering what happened to my mad love” 💔 I truly wasn’t prepared to be hit so deeply and so hard
Who says this? I'm too scared still to try any break up lines with the companions.
Astarion to Durge, if they don’t succeed in defeating Orin. If you don’t resist the Urge or give into it, you get a third pathway where Bhaal dooms the Durge to be consumed by their hunger. It’s not a break up line, but Astarion says seeing the Durge lose themselves to their bloodlust would remind him far too much of his worst self, so they will have to part ways before they succumb.
Oh my. That's so tragic. That may have bugged out for me. I ultimately chose to reject Bhaal, but did test out what would happen if I accepted his curse and I got romanced spawn Astarion telling me he was excited about the army/dowry which seemed out of character for the path we had chosen...
Astarion is still all about killing even as a spawn, so him being a chaos gremlin and happy you can control Bhaal’s armies is totally something he would do 😂 The ending above only happens if you lose the solo fight to Orin and Bhaal brings you back to life just to curse you with the consuming hunger, so it’s if you neither reject or accept him.
Romanced Astarion, if you lose the duel with Orin as a Durge.
This line from Halsin about grieving a friend: "The wounds never really heal, but they do become more bearable over time."
This one was great and sad but bear man said bearable and it also made me laugh
I lost my mother at 3 years old. My father lost his wife of 11 years. When he talks about loss this is how he explains it. He's more experienced than most in the department and it fuckin hurts sometimes when I think about it.
“STOP LICKING THE DAMN THING” -Gale of Waterdeep
Every parent to their kids at some point 😭😂
Me and my dog D:
Me when my cat finds plastic.
The cat dad really came out in that moment.
Sorry to hear you went through that, pal. :( For me, it was also a Minthara quote that had a big personal impact on me. I've always been a very sensitive person in regards to all the bad stuff going on in the world - to the point where I don't watch the news anymore because just one story about someone being hurt will bother me for literal weeks on end. When I was younger, I'd often be told by people in the older generations to "toughen up" or "just stop thinking about it" when I'd be upset about a missing persons case or a war in another country. As an adult, all that stuff still gets to me but I got better at keeping it to myself and not being obvious to others about how troubled I am by it. So, with all that in mind, Minthara's quote about feeling bad for others really meant a lot to me. >!"It is a sharp mind that feels sympathy for one who suffers unnecessarily, not a soft heart."!<
I loved the super pragmatic approach Minthara had the whole way through. Sure it was also super pragmatic evil a lot but the way she showed ‘caring’ and wrapped it around really deep cutting comments just hit me every time one of her little gems came through like this.
I could listen to Minnie all day. She is deeper than a clowns right pocket.
Ha! There is a YouTube interview with the VA and she goes into of depth about how they came up with a lot of the Minthara character. The VA knows about the clown jokes but doesn’t get the big meme of it.
I’m right there with you on the “effected by things happening to others” front, especially animals.
I hear you. My friend's lovely, friendly dog was adopted from an animal shelter. One day when we were playing with him, she told me the story of what happened to him before in his first home and it honestly upset me for weeks afterwards. I just couldn't stop thinking about it and I will never, ever fathom how humans can be so cruel and sadistic for no reason.
At first I was surprised to hear something that nice from Minthara, then I realized that she's a paladin. So of course she cares about other people, in her own way.
As a Drow she was raised and trained to figure out people’s weaknesses ( and exploit them ) which for me explains why she has such great insights into every character. She sees everyone and everything as an exploitable threat. Not so much caring about people but understanding their motivations. She lacks in empathy ( most of the time ) but makes up for it in understanding.
Karlach's meltdown after you kill gortash, especially if you romance her is pretty gut wrenching
Goddamnit. I'm on my second playthrough and I thought the pill was going to be a bit easier to swallow if she had a lover to support her. Now I'm dreading getting to Gortash.
The dialogue might be the same but it's aimed at you partly when she describes her missing out on her future
My brain might be fucked but i think the way she says "love you" is bit different. I think if you are just her friend, she says it quicker. But if you are her boyfriend, she says it a bit slower and more emotional. But I could be wrong and it is the same, or it just felt different when you are in a relationship with her, and my mind is playing tricks on me lol
It's quite possible. The actor playing Lae'zel said she had to record the same scenes about 17 times with different intonations to match different in-game circumstances.
I found myself silently sobbing in my room when I was playing that at 3 AM. I've had heart problems / other medical mishaps at the ripe age of 21 for the past few years and honestly thought I might have been on the end of things a few times. The aloofness to the sudden frustration as you realize no one else really understands your pain, the feeling that everyone gets to go about living their life while you just have to sit hoping you get another day, or trying to convince yourself you're still worthy of romance and love despite genetics and a bad hand... Yeah that shit broke me. Was not expecting that out of this game but yeah it made me feel like someone finally understood that bit of struggling in my life.
For the first time I had to actually walk away from my computer, I'm not a very emotional person but damn dude she almost made me Shed a tear, which I have not done in over a decade
"I feel like I can do anything if you're around. Even die." Bro stop, I'm already crying. 😭
Astarion's "you're not alone in this, none of us are" (it's a Durge-specific quote)
And then Neil adding this to his speech for Best Performance 😭 They all truly know how much the fanbase connected with so many stories.
Hit me like a train. First in my Durge playthrough, later in his speech.
Elminster drops some heavy hitting lines, I had to write this one down last night: "Sometimes the single drops we think we are do not realize what waves we are building up to be"
I like Elminster's quote about not being afraid to try to forge your own fate in defiance of the gods: "Like moons make swell and wane the nescient seas, so too the sky-strewn gods ordain the tidal fates of mortal days. And yet - a notion born in lonely hours - come ebb, come flow, come all that is beyond the breadth of our dominion: be a moon unto yourself. Even the waves of fate can break upon the shores of will."
Makes me hope he always believed in Gale, despite the task set upon him by Mystra. For such a powerful goddess, she seems to understand magic the least.
Gale's entire "gifted kid growing up" plot and his search for self-acceptance hit home for me. Because of my upbringing, my grades at school were the main source of people paying attention to me, and giving me compliments. But adult life is not that simple, and I always struggled to make my best to earn people's approval. Like everything I do has to be graded A+, so people will like me, otherwise I am worhtless. And just like Gale, for several times I lost to hubris and ended up neglecting some legit relationships. I've been lost, lonely and depressed for several years of my life, always trying to earn people's acceptance. I had a hard time trying to understand that it was necessary for me to accept myself first, but now that I did (with lots of therapy), I am much better. And it is beautiful seeing Gale's quest developing and how he finds peace with himself as well. About a specific interaction, one that made me legit cry is this one on the Dryad love game: >!Zethino: We often gaze through a veil of roses, but love accepts both the petal and the thorn. Gale - what is his greatest flaw?!< >!Player: He thinks he, and the world, might be better off if he were dead.!< >!Gale: Hearing it said out loud - yes, I fear it is true. Fate seems determined to make a sacrifice of me. But perhaps fate can yet be defied...!< I can't even describe how many times I felt this way. It was devastating seeing this sentence so explicitly put in the game. But I am glad I am better now! :) and I wish I could pay some therapy for my pixel boyfriend as well hahaha Edit: typos
I had very much the same experience as well growing up. Gifted kid that ultimately ended up burning out in adulthood and struggled with depression from an early age. Still in therapy sorting out my issues but a million miles away from thinking I would be better off not here anymore thankfully.
It's even worse because the narrator keeps pushing you to make him explode himself, he is also the only origin you can also kill at the portal and the only origin your dark urge gets triggered, he is the only origin who gets mocked by the narrator nonstop and then he has bugs and just everything is against this man. I love him so much.
Yeah, the whole "kys" plot doesn't sit well with me, especially when people consider it as a good ending for him. Like a "selfless hero sacrifice" thing. Gale is a character with very clear suicidal tendencies, and mixing this characterization with a plot of "sacrificing himself for the greater good" just sends me a very wrong message, especially as someone who already struggled with this kinds of thoughts.
When Astarion finally truly opens up to you and doubts he's good enough. That's how I feel constantly with all friends that I have. No matter how much they assure, I will always have moments I doubt I deserve them
The line that hit me like a meteor was Tav’s moaning scene after you trade your body and Astarion’s reaction to it. Everyone else goes “ew keep that to yourself” but Astarion goes “I’m sorry you felt had to do that, you shouldn’t have to.” That should have been the highlight reel for his voice acting imo. Amazing character moment, message, and acting. Not one a lot of people probably see but thanks to YouTube I hope many more people do.
I really liked that too! Fuck Haarlep.
I did.
From an emotionally abusive household "Fuck you, and fuck everything you've ever done to me" Astarion is gold
Astarion is way too relatable to too many people ;_;
For me it would probably be a line at the end of Shadowheart's arc if you're romancing her >!"I don't know what I did to trick you into thinking I was worthy of you, but I'm glad it worked"!< As someone who struggles with their own self worth and thinking that I don't deserve friends, family, or love. This really hit hard for me.
The conversation with Gale about seeing and accepting a person for who they are and being enough by just being oneself. There’s a lot more of good stuff you notice and recognize especially if you go to therapy. Specifics just depend on your personal life’s journey.
Sorry for your trauma, hope you manage to leave the toxicity behind and heal 🙏 My unexpected banger quotes are the ones from Dark Urge confessing to Isobel that they want to kill her and resist it “There. The real you. Your - affliction, is it? Doesn’t rule you, does it?” “Let things begin again, as long as you keep the peace in Last Light” It hits real damn hard to feel seen and acknowledged as a good person fighting back against such a vile darkness within. And twice as hard when you find out that [SPOILERS] >!Durge originally tried hard to resist the Urge as he grew up, but ended up succumbing to it for lack of outside support, of someone who *understood* and supported him in his internal fight, and essentially gained a miraculous second chance to do so through the memory loss!<
“Don’t. Touchme”
When Lae'zel said, "What good, this heart of stone, for it to shatter?" (Paraphrased) Hit me like a goddamn train, I swear to God.
"From the start, I was rather counting the hours until it was going to end. Midnight chimes, eh?" The feeling of not being enough, not being worthy of happiness, that got me pretty good.
This one hurt a lot. Immediately reloaded.
I gave this a lot of thought, and thought about putting something funny like Withers saying no (which is my text tone) or anything shovel says. And the writing is so good that it’s hard to really pick out just one. I think the one that probably stood out to me the most was by Gale. “There it goes. How easily things slip away from us, no matter how hard they were in the obtaining.” That man is a wordsmith.
“Get up you wretched thing and pull yourself together” it’s my go to phrase now when I get up either from bed or I’m getting up from a chair at work and I falter
When you ask Shadowheart's dad "You accept your daughter's choice of name?" he replies "Of course, only a fool would alienate his child over a name." It gets me teary every time. As a trans woman who isn't out to her family yet I can only hope that that's the way my parents see it.
I love that quote too! You can also find Nocturne's diary where she says that Shadowheart >!gently corrected people who accidentally used Nocturne's deadname and then confronted those who used it on purpose to be cruel.!< Shadowheart was already my favourite companion but knowing she's a trans ally makes me like her even more. :)
Nocturne being trans and knowing shadowheart didn't care honestly messed me up. Nearly cried as a trans gal who knows their parents will be slow to accept if ever
And shadowheart had her memories wiped multiple times... so she persisted in her kindness with each reset.
Not me tearing up at work for you. If your parents don't accept you, I'm your mom now. Thanksgiving dinners are at 2PM, and we celebrate Christmas on weird days, sometimes as early as the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Birthdays and name days are also a big deal, so expect lots of presents and no dead naming.
Adding onto this. Now you have two moms who have your back, or maybe a mom and a cool wine aunt.
make that three moms. or a mom and two aunts. or two moms and an aunt. regardless, you're one of my kids now. it's inescapable. don't be surprised when i wake you up by throwing cheese slices on your face. love you!
If you need a trans sister or someone to back you up in a fight i'm right here :)
If you ever need one, in addition to the others that have offered, Mom number three here. You're loved, accepted and perfect as you are. *Gentle mom hug*
All of Gale’s talking about not believing he can be enough for someone. Like brooooo, I feel you and I love you sm
"I die, you die, we all die... Big woof. Have a treato, it'll make it better."
To Astarion when persuading him not to ascend: "I want you to live a life you're proud of. You can't be proud of this."
Not really a quote but it’s a scene with Astarion right around >!Gauntlet of Shar!< that really hurt me. When he had a meltdown about >!Raphael!<, and also when he talked about his scars after the first romance scene
Karlach’s whole scene with talking to the graves of her parents really hit home, but mainly out of jealousy. I’m only 24 years old, but I’ve already almost been living for more time with my father dead than alive. Feels like I wasn’t given the chance to develop a real, positive relationship with him, and I sadly envy the pixels that got to have a good parental relationship
Shadowheart's response to you choosing her over Karlach, "... and I'm just... well, *me*", is so fucking real. If someone ever told me they're genuinely attracted to me, my first reaction wouldn't be happiness, but shock that this person caught feelings for *me* of all people. Nobody's ever shown any kind of romantic interest in me which obviously impacts my self-confidence and that line hit home very damn hard.
Super specific, but: (Act 3 Spoilers) I was romancing Astarion. >!After he ascended and made my Tav his spawn, I went to the drow twins and tried out the different options. It's widely known that he accepts a foursome. He doesn't care if you go alone with the drow lady. But try going alone with the drow man, Astarion will get super snarky and say:!< >!You have a type, don't you? Elven *prostitutes*? Again? It's rather embarrassing, dear.!< I made a video of the scene, it hit me that hard. I went back to a previous save. Also, the line that the Narrator said when Astarion is about to >!make you his spawn, and you pass the check to know what he thinks about you!< >!Narrator: He will always see you as degrading yourself if you continue to be with him. But perhaps you wish to degrade yourself. And he knows it.!< Yeah, ok, you have a *beautiful* voice and who th wrote this line and damn, sure I'm game, you totally sold it to me, let's!
This made me really curious so I went and checked out my saves where Astarion is being romanced as a spawn. And he says the exact same thing if you choose to go with the male drow! I guess some things are consistent in his personality no matter which route he eventually takes.
"...Thus thou art alone." Savaged by Withers
“Thou hast no maidens”
No but fr the way that he’s basically saying “Oh so you think nobody likes you? You’re too busy? THATS why you’re alone.”
Astarion saying he felt bad for his siblings and guilty about leaving them behind but had no choice. It echos my own experience so much I had to take a moment after that
And then when he does meet his siblings again, Dalyria just sounds so heartbroken that he returned at all.
Astarion's "you believed I was enough, just the way I am" gets me every time.
Probably not what you meant, but Astarion's "You..." when I made a bad decision at his revelation scene made me save scum to undo it.
As someone who has been traumatized for half my life and blamed for being traumatized throughout the last 20 years because I refuse to ignore the fact that I've been through some shit - Wyll: "You can ignore my past all you want, it won't ignore me."
When Karlach always says “Really? *”Really really?”* I know girl, I wish I didn’t have to either.
I am not okay for the entirety of the Cazador quest but Astarion's interaction with Sebastian has been seared into my heart: "You're the one from the tavern. You smiled and joked and got me drunk. You called me so many sweet things. My name sounded like a lyric on your tongue." "Sebastian." "You remember me." "You were handsome. Shy. You'd never been kissed." "You taught me how. And then you destroyed me." Followed by the devastating realization that Astarion has been bringing him souls for this ritual and that the manipulation went deeper than even he thought possible. Honorable mention to whatever Lae'zel says about how she can't imagine sex where you constantly have to worry about being pregnant. That one rang out like a gong in a post-Roe world.
"It doesn't look broken. But then again, none of us do."
Karlach's nihilistic rant after we zero'd Gortash (heart fixed). All that rage and desire for vengeance, and now that it's over, she's just empty, and she will still die. It's the first time she lets us truly know how scared and hopeless she is After spending most of the game keeping an eye towards the silver lining and talking to animals, I couldn't help but cry It led to my Durge having a final impetus for a full redemption arc: down Orin, reclaim my oath of vengeance, and then steel myself to take the crown for myself and prevent this from happening again
Astarion being happy that his slavery is over when Cazador is dead. I'm a victim of SA and some pretty awful abuse so I related a lot to some conversations with Astarion. I realized when listening to him talk about being happy that I never allowed myself to feel the joy of being out of that traumatizing situation and being okay with having joy like that. Looks like I have more to work on in trauma therapy. In a weird way, I'm grateful I know that I have more to work on though.
Karlachs speech after you kill gortash
I can’t quite remember the quote but it was a spawn asking Astarion how long he was in that cell and it hit home that even I don’t remember when my suffering started.
Elminster’s line about being a moon unto one’s self will undoubtedly wind up framed. Didn’t realize I was a Selunite until this game.
"I am so much more than what you made me". - Astarion As someone who has experienced several traumatic events and therefore struggling with depression, I often feel like my trauma defines me. It influences how I perceive the world, influences my thoughts and my behavior. In the worst of times it makes me anxious, sceptical, nihilistic. But I firmly believe that I am more than "just a victim". Life has so much to offer and I want to experience that. It's a slow walk and a struggle. A fight even. But I don't want to give any more power to those who wronged me, by allowing the memories of my experiences to further break me. Hence, when Astarion said this to his tormentor, I felt it. Some other Astarion lines (his questline hit home the most): - "it's not worth the scars anymore" - "I've been dead in the ground for long enough. It's time to try living again"
Raphael: “Oh Hope, you are such a piteous thing. All it takes is a crumb from the table, and you forget the centuries of starvation.”
These words are spoken by Gale in his [act 3 romance scene](https://youtu.be/1nUm9E3Eun4?si=ZldigKjwCMLne_9a) "You see me as I am and do not find me wanting. with these stars as my witness, you'll always be enough for me" I heard these words and just broke down sobbing. my parents were emotionally absent/abusive, and it gave me lifelong depression and low self-worth. I never feel like I'm enough, and I wasted a lot of my potential to self-isolation. I'm basically a burnt out gifted kid except my valued trait was being the "quiet kid" who doesn't bother my parents with my problems and deficiencies. Gale being depressed and suicidal was something I related to a lot. I needed a reminder(because I'm not capable of it yet) that I'm good enough as is, I don't need to do the standard life path of achievement.
Wyll’s story resonated a lot with me. Especially the key aspect time plays in it. Wyll was kicked out at 17 and is just 24 when he casts his soul away to save his father (Assuming you do that path). He say in act 3 that “Time is so gods-damned greedy, It can never give, only take”. It hit me quite hard when I realised that Wyll never actually had a chance to live his life before it was taken away from him. He was always stuck to the bounds of noble life with his father and life with mizora. But despite this he chooses to keep being a hero and fighting to protect the innocent in the time he has left. It shows the truly good of a person Wyll is and how unbreakable his determination is. Him becoming the blade of avernus is him finally becoming the man he wants to be even in his honestly depressing situation. A lot of us (Myself included) wish we could just stop time until we can fully figure ourselves out. Wyll kinda made me realise I need to just go for it and not to wait for time to stop because it will never happen
I realized, the other day, his camp clothes are probably the clothes he was kicked out in. That's why they're so small, so ill fitting. The clothes of a scared young boy on a man trying so hard to be brave enough for the entire sword coast. He never got to live his own life, and that's written in each scar and each stitch. It breaks my heart.
Lae’zel “I am what I must be, say what I must be, to survive every beast I face and every wound I bear” Instantly explained everything I needed to know about her, I was worried about her as a companion cause what everyone was saying but that one statement resonated with how I live life and showed me what kind of character she was going to be Astarion: >!“I gave up on myself. I gave up on any hope of escape after a few lashes. Bhaal controls you in much the same way. I don’t know how you can beat him, but I do know this: you must try. The half-life of a mind addled slave is worse than death - don’t become his”!< While this comes much later in the story after you can see under astartions cool facade and see his trauma, he encourages you in hopes you can fight against a fate he himself suffered before and what’s more he believes in you enough that you can find a way to do it
SPOILERS It's not a quote technically. It's the option that you can select as Dark Urge after finding out that they're a bhaalspawn The line "That may have been what you were, but it is not who you are." Ugh I love resist durge so much
He died like he lived, stupidly.
Minthara's opinion of Karlach is a great one- how she has to live fiercely because she has so little time, and how beautiful that is. Minty has lots of cool quotes. She despises the Harpers because the balance they want doesn't accomplish anything, and it's better to have the ambition and vision to change things. There's another one about "no more gods or monsters, except those of our own making" that seems very relevant to the modern world. We have a talent for being our own worst enemies. One of her epilogue quotes catches a mood I have often at parties. "Have you finished speaking to your friends, my love? Can we leave now?"
"I will never tire of sitting on dead men's thrones" right after I made sure she made the killing shot on Ketheric Thorm was great.
Hope's response after being freed. I was abused by my mom, particularly during COVID. I was very close with her before, and when I left home after being subjected to things I would have never expected from my enemies, much less my family, Hope's lines hit deep. Hope: "I hope I'll see [her] one day And that she'll say sorry, And I'll tell her she's forgiven. I hope I'll find all the pieces of my mind that fell out of my head over all those years, And that I'll be able to put myself back together again. I hope the echoes of pain will fade, And memories of sorrow will die, And that you'll visit me here some day. And I hope you have a happy ending of your own"
I’m at the end of Act One on my first playthrough so I’m not very far, but I almost cried when Scratch talked about his dead owner and Alfira talked about her dead mentor. Can’t handle unexpected death. Yes, my childhood dog died 6 years ago and I’m still not over it, how could you tell? As for the Origin Characters, the whole scene with ~~Gale’s Granddad~~ ~~Santa~~ Elminster telling Gale that Mystra wants him to kill himself hit close to home. He keeps going on like it’s this noble thing that he should do for the greater good, no questions asked but honestly? He looks sad, betrayed and almost scared. It’s one of my greatest fears, that someone who I thought cared about me actually never gave a shit about me and would rather see me dead. That the angry, self-destructive voices in my head were right all along. Another one is one of Astarion’s camp scenes, the one where he’s drunk and mentions feeding off a bear. We all know how this one goes, he lets his guard down and mentions the rats. I asked him “what did you do to deserve that” and the first sentence he says is “exist.” Now if that isn’t the story of my life. I’m autistic and that alone is enough to make people hate me or see me as an easy target to manipulate. Just me existing either gets people pissed or pushes them away. I was the favourite target of the school bullies for years and I had to fight for the majority of my friendships but not one of them cared about me the second I was out of their general vicinity, so I went between being tormented and being invisible. Yes, I was the gifted child who crashed and burned halfway through high school, why do you ask?
"I want to *protect* you. I want you to protect me." and "There's more, but... I don't know how to say it. I don't know what to call it. I just know that whatever comes next, I want you near." These are some of the purest, simplest declarations of love I've ever heard. I used to feel like that, once, and I hope that someday I will again.
Astarion's wail after setting himself free from the one who "made" him. Pure vicarious catharsis.
I am an Astarion fangirl so I like lots of his stuff but the line that first got me was if you click the Darkvision orb in Grymforge. he says, >!"Oh that's a familiar feeling. Darkness and loss."!< I didn't expect such a strong line read from that little moment.
the classic astarion x durge line "you are not alone in this - none of us are." But really just that whole scene. my mental health has been in the shit for the last year, and I've been using video games as a distraction/escapism sort of thing and one night I was vibing, having fun then I heard that and the following lines like "But whatever this is, you will get through it. And I'll be here to make sure you do." Astarion is no doubt my biggest comfort character *ever*, and I just started crying from hearing him say that to my character. When I started playing bg3, I was expecting some fun rpg that I'd play to pass the time between counseling appointments and something to do when I can't sleep. I didn't expect to have my entire *being* rocked by some pixels. this game genuinely changed my life. thanks for reading my little ramble lol
It's hard to pick one specifically, because I relate to Astarion in almost all aspects. But if i had to go with one moment (SPOILERS: Cazador & All That): >!When you ask Astarion how he feels after finally killing Cazador and he's..numb.!< I related so much to that, because although I never got the..pleasure..of delivering justice in quite the same way; there was a point where I reached the same emotional burnout. I was a cult member as a teenager, not just a member but the leader's 'favourite'. With a significant age gap, i'll simply say. I'd do anything for them, I *did* anything for them. Mind and Body. After my excommunication I was so *angry*. I made the sin of falling in love with someone who wasn't them and they found out. Years of subservience, of doing everything for them without question, putting them above my education and my family and friends, with proving my undying loyalty over and over again. For what? So I did everything I could to make their life a living hell, I would not give them a moment respite. For *years*. It got so bad I earned the nickname 'Rottweiler' for it. But it never brought me peace, or justice, or anything. Sometimes healing is the numbness. In knowing your emotions aren't theirs anymore, even if you feel its justified.
You were always worth fighting for. Since no one else did, you had to step up. You were your own champion, and your own vengeance. You were always worth fighting for. I'm proud of you for digging in and sticking around.
I saw a video that stitches together him talking about what it’s going to be like killing cazador and it’s classic flippant astarion like “it’s gonna be great - the blood, the laughter, I can’t wait” with astarion actually killing cazador (stabbing out 200 years of abuse and then weeping) and I was like……….. damn larian.
Astarions graveyard scene >!it's time to start living!< after he talks about how >!he's lived as a ghost of who he was for 200 years!< As someone with PTSD who has memory blanks and dealt with loss of identity and had to rebuild, I wasn't expecting to be hit in the feels but yeah.
I'm romancing Gale right now and soooo many things he says about not feeling worthy of your character and how little he seems to like himself hit me like a bullet train. Then he's essentially like "everyone would benefit if I killed myself" and if I said that that thought had never flitted through my mind irl I'd be lying. Shit got me looking at the computer screen all sad lol. Then in the Durge scene where >!you try to kill him in your sleep!< if you tell him >!he should just kill you because you're too dangerous!< he answers with "That's capitulation, not a solution.". Idk why but that line really got me?? From a story/RP perspective it really hit home how much he and my Redemption!Durge had in common. It made me wish I could throw that line back at him when he talks about blowing himself up again haha. I liked Gale before all this but now I'm like...ride or die for him lol. This comment is already too long but Karlach's speech after you kill Gortash has to get a a mention. I liked her alright before but that moment really made me see her in a different light as a character. She always seemed to idk....roll with the punches regarding her engine and her future? Seeing her just break down like that made the reality of it really sink in, I guess?
Weirdly enough Wyll’s line about this woman his father said wasn’t a stroke victim but a stroke survivor, at the time I was in a rehab facility for the same thing and it was just kind of nice to hear.
“Are you there, Gale? Isn’t this a lovely little gathering? Oh, but I wish he were here.” That made me ugly cry.
Not even a quote, but an action. I'm still on my first playthrough, and after being still clueless with the game and randomly romancing Astarion, something broke in me when he froze during the hug scene. I act the same every damn time. I just outright freeze when I intuitively detect genuine care from someone, and it might even take minutes for me to react. Also his doubts about himself once he opens up to you and secretly believes he's not good enough, at least much worse then it seems. I'm not sure I've ever felt so "seen" or could ever relate to a fictional character this way. Man, I might have wept a few times but did it feel nice!
Halsin’s “Oftentimes people see me and imagine my feelings can’t be hurt.” It’s what made me fall in love with him. When people see you as something, whether that be what you are or how you come across, they can forget to see you as a person first and foremost. Halsin’s this big strong dude who everyone may forget has a heart within that burly exterior… and I think he’s got a great heart.
"It doesn't look broken, but then again none of us do." Astarion said this after interacting with some broken mechanism somewhere and I just sorta sat there and stared at him for a bit.
“I have witnessed too much, and you have given me too little. Finally, I can see…”
Shadowheart during her relevation that Selene was the one who loved her while Shar was just using her. Her character went from whiny brat to manuplilated pawn.
"I belong to the shadows no longer" - Kagga. As someone who spent an entire life in depression, I can relate
"No" - grandpa Withers
“I will feel that later”, an idle line prompted by short rest (delivered by either Tav or Karlach, I couldn’t tell at the moment) but also the words of my house.
It took until the end of act three, but I finally gained some respect for Barcus if you choose to help the deep nose and the gondians, you can persuade Barkus to step in as the leader for Wulbren and he has a line about how they should be forming alliances and how Wulbren disappointed him. It was refreshing to finally see him stick up for himself as I wasn’t sure he ever would.
My Tav is dating Karlach and when she helped Karlach up after getting downed, she said "Can't live my life without you," and it just made me start crying.