this line delivery shook me so hard i had to go back and record it
ASDLKFJADKJ I love how you two immediately jumped to 'ok but like... is he #4 material?' (For those wondering, "What The Hell Is A #4?", the answer is linked here for reference.)
(The way to a woman's heart is through her favourite animal, obviously.)
Halsin is very much Roisia's type physically—aka large and in charge—and he has character traits that she would be attracted to: he's kind and compassionate, strong-willed and decisive, gentle and slow to anger, and in possession of a wry sense of humour and a keen intellect. So, yes, in that regard, Halsin definitely stands next to Wyll on the "suitable suitor to bring home" list. Top tier. Well done.
Additional rambling thoughts below the cut.
The trouble with Roisia when it comes to matters of the heart is that she unwittingly looks at a person, thinks she knows their true desires, can play out their combined future in her head, and judge them as compatible or incompatible without questioning her basic assumptions about that person. So, for example, Roisia would in many ways find Halsin an ideal romantic partner. And then, she would get into her own head. Like so:
Halsin is an archdruid. An elf accustomed to leading a notoriously outdoorsy lifestyle in a grove. Roisia is going to someday inherit an entire funerary business and wants to stay in Baldur's Gate, known for being not-at-all grove-like. Surely Mr. Outdoorsman will feel cooped up and miserable in a city if he thought the Grove was too comfortable for his tastes. Incompatible!
Halsin is all about the Natural Order of Things. Balance. Guess who disrupts said natural order when she takes dead things and reanimates them? Roisia. Roisia does. So they're at opposite ends of an ideological spectrum. Incompatible!
He's an elf; she's a human. They are on two different timelines as regards their lifespan. Unless Roisia can guarantee her own extended lifespan in a way that preserves the flesh on her bones in addition to her bones, she wants to grow with her #4 and not outpace her #4. Incompatible!
Again, these are assumptions that Roisia would make about Halsin, and I think she would ultimately write him off as a potential #4 more out of fear of some future rejection down the line than of Halsin necessarily explicitly confirming any of these assumptions to be true OR as relationship dealbreakers if they were. I want to shout out to @gracelessrogue for their tags:
It would not occur to Roisia that she could bond with a druid and a healer over life and death. If she would only think to challenge her own baseline assumptions about what she thinks she knows about the people she's travelling with, I think she would see the ways in which she could nurture long-term romantic connections with one or multiple of our possible companions.
Because, as it is, I think the larger issue is that Roisia would write off not just Halsin, but all the current known companions as not being a good fit for her #4. I don't think she would look at any of them and say: 'This person would stay with me in the city of Baldur's Gate and be totally, completely comfortable and content in a house with bodies in the basement, my skeleton father roaming the halls, and a graveyard right out back.'
Granted, it's still only Act 1/EA, but that's just a real bummer.
Bad dreams and good people - A SeriRei oneshot :)
Panel from Hell was an interesting one
little tyrant
FAQ - Please Read!
Companions and Advisors - Complete
Locations - In Progress (3/3/2025)
Main Quests - Complete Note: Quests include all relevant ambient dialogue and conversations.
The Wrath of Heaven
The Threat Remains
In Hushed Whispers
Champions of the Just
In Your Heart Shall Burn
Here Lies the Abyss
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts
Under Her Skin (optional)
Before the Dawn (optional)
What Pride Had Wrought
The Final Piece
Doom Upon All the World
DLCs:
The Descent DLC - Complete
Trespasser DLC - Complete
Jaws of Hakkon DLC (JoH transcript blog)
Other Projects: @da2transcripts - in progress (hiatus) @datvtranscripts - in progress
If you need something specific, please send an ask/message!
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I've got tons of Valdemar traditional sketches from this month so let's drop it here too. Follow me on instra (I'm highly active here) so you can see all of my fresh made artwork
tell me this isn't accurate
What a happy boy…🩸🩸🩸