Latest Posts by raethanbhanneth - Page 3
Great find.
Look, we’re all just a bunch of fucked up humans trying to survive on this rock together.
Give yourself a break.
what are you wearing rn and is it representative of your style
Where do the items in the British Museum come from?
The British Museum houses a vast collection of artifacts from countries like Iraq, Italy, and Egypt, many of which were acquired during the height of the British Empire. Through colonization, wars, and expeditions, the British often took historical treasures from around the world, leading to ongoing debates about cultural heritage and calls for the return of these items to their countries of origin. Source: Aljazeera
by nazar.data/instagram
Reunions
My Girl (Chapter 5 - Baldur's Gate 3 fanfic)
I'm here! And someone else is as well 😲
Yups, this is the one in which Lae'zel gives birth. Are you ready?
Ship: Shadowzel
WC: 1,272
Warnings: some of the eggs don't make it. It also gets a little angsty, but it's basically what you'd expect from a story about childbirth.
Read under the cut or on AO3. Comments and reblogs will make me very happy!
Shadowheart paces up and down the corridor. Goes down the stairs. Then back up. Leans against the feeble railing and counts the metallic pipes creeping up every wall. And the iron beams holding up the ceiling. What a hideous place! She pities the members of Crèche Zav'rai, forced to live in such depressing surroundings.
Her glance keeps returning to the double doors behind her back. They're way too thick and robust to let any sounds through, so she has no way to know what's happening on the other side. How many hours have gone by? Is Lae'zel alright?
It was the middle of the night when Lae'zel woke her up. Her thighs were moist and there was a sharp pain in her lower stomach. According to what she had read, those were unmistakable signs that the eggs were coming. So they hurried out to the crèche despite the rain pouring down and the darkness; too nervous, too excited to notice. Much to Shadowheart's surprise, those gith have been rather hospitable to them both. They've allowed her to borrow a few clothes and take off the ones she was wearing while they dry near an old furnace that is now used for forging swords and spears instead of steelwatchers. Now all she can do is pray that the doctor and her assistants are as competent as they were polite. Or hopefully more.
Through the high, distant windows, she can see that the day is dawning. Soon the halls are filled with steps, instructions she can't understand and the sounds of different tools. Every now and then, small groups of young gith walk past her, giving her curious looks. Some seem surprised, some wary. Of course. She must be one of the few – if not the only – istiki to have ever set foot in there. Even Orpheus seems to be watching her closely from the painting on the wall.
She muffles a yawn with the palm of her hand. The chairs in the makeshift waiting room – which is technically just the landing in front of Am'aari's office – look anything but comfortable, but she lets her full weight collapse atop one of them. She's exhausted. If it weren't for the nervousness of not knowing how her wife is, she would have already fallen asleep. A part of her thinks it's ridiculous. Why shouldn't she be allowed to be in the same room while Lae'zel gives birth? Especially when it's not a usual birth. The vision of Lae'zel cradling her own stomach – which at this point looks comically big and round compared to the rest of her – and holding back a grunt as she bends makes her wonder if that's what her parents' hens experience whenever they lay eggs. On the other hand, if she recalls correctly, githyanki eggs are a considerable size, much closer to an owlbear's than a chicken's. Squeezing one of those out must be excruciating.
No. She mustn't think of that. Lae'zel will be fine. Her people will take good care of her. They won't let her die. Unless they consider dying at childbirth another form of terminating the frail.
That last idea gives her chills.
Breathe in. She'll be alright. She's as tough as they come. If she's made it through the pregnancy with no complications – extreme mood swings and reckless ideas aside – she'll make it through this. She's fine. She's fine. She's fine.
The incurable wound in the back of her hand flares. It hadn't bothered her in months. Shar must have forgotten about her, after all. The pain is not as intense as it used to, merely a sting, and it doesn't come with fragments of traumatizing memories. Perhaps Selûne's wicked twin is only reminding her to embrace loss. Or feeding on her dark emotions.
Such assumptions are crossing her mind when the opening door startles her. A young gith pokes their head out.
“She is ready to see you now.”
That sounds like good news – a sign that she's still alive and conscious. Quite honestly, that's what matters most to Shadowheart. Her legs shake as she stands up and follows the doctor's apprentice inside.
Lae'zel is lying in a narrow bed, drenched in sweat. Although there are no visible traces of it, the metallic stench of blood lingers in the air, barely disguised by soap. Her wife's eyes are no more than slits, like a sleeping cat, but her face brightens as soon as she sees her. A hand reaches for Shadowheart's weakly.
“How are you feeling?” Shadowheart asks.
“Exhausted. Dazed.”
Her cheeks are flushed and her brown hair sticks to her head, damp and darkened. Shadowheart's thumb caresses Lae'zel's knuckles.
“Does it hurt?” she wonders.
“Now? It does not,” Lae'zel responds, her voice small and raspy. “I have been given some concoction to numb the pain.”
“That's good.”
Even nodding seems to be a big effort for her. Their hands still touching, Shadowheart bends down to plant a gentle kiss on Lae'zel's lips. Apparently, she doesn't have the strength to return it, but her tired smile grows wider. Ghustil Am'aari's steps approaching distract them from the conversation.
“May I speak to you for a moment, istik?”
“Her name is Shadowheart,” Lae'zel corrects.
Shadowheart can't help but grin at that. It's sweet that Lae'zel acts protective of her even in such a state. Nodding at the doctor, she squeezes her wife's hand and trails behind the healer. Once outside Am'aari pushes the heavy door closed.
“Lae'zel has laid three eggs,” she informs. “Two of them are too small, but the third one looks healthy, so the likelihood of it hatching is high. This is normal for a first-timer.”
A certain relief invades Shadowheart. She may have had a few months to mentally prepare for the possibility of more than one child, but it's still daunting. At the same time, she feels a pang of pity for the two hatchlings that will most likely never make it. How will Lae'zel feel about it once she's lucid? Will she mourn their loss? Call herself a failure for only being able to bring a single hatchling into the world? Hopefully not.
“We have decided to keep Lae'zel here until the egg hatches,” Am'aari continues. “We think it is best for her to be under observation, and for the hatchling to have its mother nearby when it arrives.”
“I understand,” Shadowheart responds. “Can I stay with her?”
“I am afraid not. As a new crèche, our resources are rather limited.”
A jolt of anxiety courses through her innards. Being separated from Lae'zel, especially in such a delicate moment, terrifies her. Not being able to comfort her when the effects of that potion wears off. To hold her when she wakes up in the middle of the night in that unfamiliar bed. To celebrate the baby's arrival with her. To hear immediately if something bad happens.
“How long will she need to stay here?”
“For as long as the egg remains unhatched. We cannot possibly know the exact timing. It may be three days or a full tenday. You may visit her if you wish to, but chances are that she will be sedated or resting, especially on the first few days.”
“Of course. Thank you, ghustil.”
Only once she's far enough from that old factory, dragging her two feet to the closest portal, does Shadowheart allow herself to shed a few bittersweet tears. Sweet with the happiness that everything went well and that she will finally meet their first child soon. Bitter with the uncertainty of how she and Lae'zel will manage without each other, even if it's only a few days.
My work program crashed at 10:30 and never came back up, so no records were managed today. I accomplished nothing except eating a bag of cookies that served 3 and talking to friends online to keep me company. I believe my day here is done! I’m going to go home to my lovely wife and my four favorite gals 💃🏻
I could be wrong, hear me out. A few years age gap, maybe 21/25 isn’t really older woman/younger woman yuri. That’s relatively the same age. You’ve likely had a lot of the same experiences and grew up with the same culture.
150 and 42? Yeah. 43 and 22? Also yeah.
so freeing to say the weird thing that's actually the real and true thing
Yeah I’m into crypto… Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, that is.
Look you have to take minthara to the circus ok? You have to. Letting her tell her one joke and also kill a clown is important enrichment for her.
The After Party
Pairing: Kibellah/The Rogue Trader
https://archiveofourown.org/works/65568847
kibbith smut as promised 🫶
This doesn't surprise me - the dark has long been used to effect in religious ritual. It would have been a wonderful thing to see.
Storm clouds rolling in.
Can I figure out how to write more chapters of my minlach fic? No. Can I draw these two for hours? Yes.
[Full on Patreon]
Headcanon!
Bowling headcanon that no one asked for (in addition to the one I did about hockey)
Tav: arranges every single game because they’re the only responsible one; is very good at bowling and owns their own ball, shoes, bag, and towel; somehow never gets a turkey but can hit a 7-10 split
Durge: tries to stab someone when they roll a gutter ball; has to rent shoes; spends the night pretending to sacrifice the pins to Bhaal
Karlach: very good at bowling, but doesn’t take it seriously; tends to order pitchers of beer and gets too drunk to throw the ball down her own lane
Lae’zel: also very good at bowling, but takes the game way too seriously; has her own ball, shoes, bag, towel, and embroidered bowling shirt (Shadowheart embroidered it for her)
Shadowheart (Selûnite): doesn’t bowl, but does like the little claw machine game in the arcade area where she can win owlbear stuffies; cheers on Lae’zel from the spectator area when she’s done playing in the arcade
Shadowheart (Dark Justiciar): what is bowling and who the fuck are these people?
Astarion: much like with hockey, won’t play because he might break a nail (also because even the children’s balls are too heavy for him); spends the whole time gossiping with Jaheira, Shadowheart, and Isobel in the spectator area; tries to convince them to leave and get tacos and margaritas instead because bowling is “droll”
Wyll: very good at bowling and takes it only an inch less serious than Lae’zel; also has his own towel, shirt, bag, shoes, and ball
Gale: spends the entire time “educating” everyone on the historical beginnings of the game and how it has evolved over time; uses magic to cheat because he usually spins gutter balls
Halsin: excellent at bowling; brought the game to the Emerald Grove; is as serious as Wyll and loves it when he gets a turkey (he makes a gobble-gobble noise every time)
Minthara: “IN MENZOBERRANZAN THE MALES RESET THE PINS” (she’s yelling because she and Karlach are having a drinking contest that only Minthara knows about); is surprisingly good at bowling when she’s not sloshed; owns her own ball and shoes, but NOT because she likes the game (she does, but would rather die than admit it)
Jaheira: very good at bowling, but doesn’t play anymore because of arthritis; hangs out with Shadowheart in the spectator area above the pit and cheers on everyone
Minsc: Boo has to remind Minsc how to bowl, but once Minsc understands, he dominates; he also gets very drunk with Karlach
Dame Aylin: same with hockey, she was there when it was created and helped design the lanes; “HARK! THY LANES HATH MARKINGS UPON THEM THAT RESEMBLE MOON MOTES IN HONOR OF MY DIVINE MOTHER” (they’re just arrows and range markers, but don’t tell Aylin that); absolutely amazing at bowling; has her own gear that matches her armor perfectly
Isobel: doesn’t bowl, but comes to every single game to cheer on Dame Aylin and Dame Aylin only; sometimes sneaks off to the arcade with Shadowheart
Bonus -
Mizora: thinks the whole game is idiotic, but wants to be included; doesn’t bowl; spends the whole time making bets on who will get the highest score (but the bet is someone’s soul, cuz, yanno, Mizora)
Ketheric Thorm: very good at bowling - was on a league before his wife and Isobel died; spends the night trying to reconnect with Isobel by telling her “back in my day” stories (it doesn’t go well)
Orin: same as Durge, really, but with a dash more chaos; she also rents shoes but doesn’t wear socks
Gortash: greasy ass fry cook (I will not apologize)
Unsolicited advice - you gotta weigh the pros and cons of a situation. Example:
Cons: I’m alive
Pros: Pretty spouse, cats, Chinese food
I’m such a sucker for sword lesbians.
Suicide of Lucretia
— by Meester met de Papegaai
This storyline is so heartbreaking #baldursgate3 #bg3
Ah Minthara, what a beautiful soul.
But, I would like to see Minthara goes to hell by herself and slash Zariel.
The Favourite
A Grand Duke is murdered, and Baldur's Gate begins to unravel. Kingpin Rilsa Rael sees a chance to watch the corrupt city burn; Guildmaster Keene just wants an orderly system to exploit-- and finds an unexpected ally in seeking balance.
+
I checked and I first mentioned this idea FIVE MONTHS AGO and I decided I just need to start posting and see what happens. Please enjoy some crime wives and the origin story of whatever the fuck Nine-Fingers and Jaheira have going on.
I’m just trying to listen to the Magic Flute. But I have a window in my office. It has been raining all day. The rain has stopped. Now everyone wants to look through said window. Please leave?