Tangogoes - Where Tango Goes

love ol' man withers :)

The most tragic thing to me - aside from the obvious - about Halsin's initial entrapment in the Underdark is that he was cut off from the sun. Fully and wholly. For three years. Cut off from his beloved natural world, dulled and dark, likely with nothing very real to touch, for three years.

And this tragedy lies adjacent with Halsin's continuing connection with light. Several pieces of Halsin's (and co's) dialogue point towards how important the sun and light is to him. The entire situation with the Shadow Curse and how he clings to every mention of light and warmth - he himself refers to his being as the Oakfather's vessel of light. Halsin deeming the sight of the sun as something that should be a right to all. Then Orin, as Halsin, twists that and equates the sun as a privilege that is to be earned, but then pointedly tells the player to escape and run until they see the sun again, just as Halsin in confidence told them how he ran and didn't stop until he reached the surface into that same sun all those years ago.

To be cut off from the sun for such an extended period of time, reacquaint with it, only to be plunged back into a depth even darker? Tragic.

70's Hallmark Travel Diaries (via: Etsy/Worthpoint)

The BG3 topic I'm crying over tonight is how when you walk around the Grove and talk to everyone there, they're all like, "Oh, you need the Archdruid Halsin, a healer of much repute; such a shame he's not here, very inconvenient" or "Yeah, the druids wouldn't throw us out into the wilderness to be eaten by goblins if the Archdruid Halsin were here to protect us, but he's not," or "The Grove is in a political and logistical shambles right now because the Archdruid Halsin isn't here to lead us," and most of them also express, on top of any frustration and inconvenience to themselves, some kind of concern or fear for him, or even anger at the group who left him behind (go off, Zevlor, I'll punch that dude for you every time), but it's only Ormn

"He's never coming back, is he? Master's never coming back..." 😭😭😭

who actually seems sad about it. And not just sad. Heartbroken. Grieving.

Even in an absence that looks increasingly permanent and probably fatal, there's only one person I can think of in the Grove who openly talks about loving and mourning Halsin as a friend, and that person is a bear.

Smooch the wizard! I commissioned @maxinedavid_ on IG for a Rolan x Lair library ladder kiss and the result is UNREAL.

Embroidered Ghosts // Into The Woods