Something I love about confronting Cazador is how he obviously never processes that Astarion has friends until it's too late.
Petras and Dalyria must have mentioned that Astarion wasn't alone when they met him, but when you read Cazador's journal? He's 100% fixated on Astarion. How Astarion stood in the sun, how Astarion was willing and able to disobey him. And when Astarion shows up, Cazador barely acknowledges the party at all - and sure, that's partly because this is Astarion's moment in the narrative, but Cazador doesn't so much as ask why these random strangers are there! They're not part of his plans, so they don't exist.
And then they immediately save his errant spawn from the ritual and start beating his ass.
Just. What must have been going through Cazador's head when that fight starting turning against him? 'Is that... the Blade of Frontiers? Why is a monster hunter - and is that a cleric? - helping a vampire spawn? An undead? Ah, but they must be treating it as a necessary evil to have a chance to slay me, of course - hold on, why is the cleric healing Astarion? Why does that wizard keep Counterspelling everything I'm casting at Astarion, why waste the spells when I'm not even targeting him? Did... did that druid just cast Daylight on Astarion's weapons? And that brute of a tiefling - that's not just disgust in her eye when she looks at me, it's fury - and she keeps putting herself in front of Astarion, why in the hells would she - she's running right at me- '
I hope that one of the last things Cazador ever knew was the choking realisation that Astarion didn't just come back strong, or free. Astarion came back loved.
they should invent a medicine that makes the aching jagged wound in your soul close
I don't listen to the kind of growling grumble metal where you can't make sense of what the hell the vocalist is saying, but I appreciate bands that use this to their benefit by having the most baffling goddamn lyrics. Going like
[insane guitar solo]
Evil fucking gnome that will fuck your mom
He don't need no reason he'll do it just 'cause
Don't ask her where's her dignity it's already gone
You don't need to call him daddy 'cause she already does
[an even more balls-to-the wall batshit fucking sick drum solo]
need him in a way that's concerning to my Geiger counter
Being a committed pedestrian in a major city will make you hyperaware of the ways urban areas will attempt to make themselves hostile to homeless people and the ways that these efforts also make life worse for everyone else. The needlessly narrow sidewalks, the uncomfortable and inconvenient seats at bus and train stops, the noise pollution from convenience stores piping loud music outside. It all sucks, it all has a negative impact on everyone simply trying to exist within a community, and it’s all in service of cruelly trying to drive a class of people from public view.
pride month!!!
fuck yeah !!!!!!!!!
like if you save