Anyone else find Minthara's romance path kind of...dumb? *SPOILERS*

[76561198056374986]

Barring the fact that it is 2024, and Minthara is still buggier than a New York city apartment...She is clearly the designated "evil chick" route. But you can't even go full evil with her. If you actually try dominating the Absolute like she wants, she just becomes your personal meat puppet like everyone else on Faerun. But if you decide to eschew that option at the last second...

"Dyrge, why didn't you dominate the brain? Come on man!"

"Er....'iunno, just seemed like a bad idea at the time. lolomgwtfbbq"

"Meh, whatever. Let's go slaughter the Drow the in the Underdark and grab some brewskies while we're at it!"

~Fin

[Larry]

Originally posted by Night Foxx:

Just stop, dude, you're embarrassing yourself.

Dude, you're a furry.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Larry:

Originally posted by Night Foxx:

Just stop, dude, you're embarrassing yourself.

Dude, you're a furry.

And yet, he's not embarrassing himself. Point goes to the furries.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Larry:

Where are they canonically bisexual?

https://www.dnd.kismetrose.com/DrowSensuality.html

Drow females in Lolthian cities view themselves as being superior to all others, including Drow males. Thus, Drow females become the greatest conquests worth seeking. Drow females may desire each other for a myriad of reasons: for power, for possession, for prestige, and for sheer physical lust. They might also wish to avoid the company of lowly males until they are ready to conceive children. There is no cultural taboo amongst the Drow regarding such relations, so females often indulge whenever they can manage it. After all, the greatest expression of strength in such a society is when one Drow priestess holds power over another.
[snip][end]

In the game itself --

Minthara apparently will tell Origin Karlach this if asked:

Karlach: So what is romance like in the Underdark, Minthara?
Minthara: In Menzoberranzan, romance is commonly a luxury enjoyed between women. Men are mostly present for propagation.

Minthara isn't but again, this is the reason for this conversation.

Actually, AFAIK, she has been coded playersexual like all the other companions, and since EA. And again, see above dialogue. IIRC, she says something similar even to a standard custom Tav.

We will never know how the pregnancy was "supposed" to happen, Maybe someone knocked her up first. Dror? (LOL) Or maybe it would, logically, be conditional on Tav's gender.

Lae'Zel can wind up raising a child in the epilogue - but not one she biologically produced. (More is spoilers.)

[seeker1]

Hmmm. Came across more at the bg3.wiki.

Another dialogue for Origin Karlach --
(If the player is romancing Minthara; after act 3 romance scene)
Karlach: It's funny seeing you so smitten, Minthara. Didn't think you were able.
Minthara: I took my first lover before you were a spark in your father's eye, child.
Karlach: Go on.
Minthara: She was a high priestess of House Vandree. Beautiful, elegant, ruthless.
Minthara: I adored her, and had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die.
Minthara: I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away.
Karlach: Oh no.
[snip][end]

Doesn't suggest the Drow's Black Widow style sapphic relationships are very healthy, but obviously... they happen.

[Larry]

Originally posted by seeker1:

Originally posted by Larry:

Where are they canonically bisexual?

https://www.dnd.kismetrose.com/DrowSensuality.html

Drow females in Lolthian cities view themselves as being superior to all others, including Drow males. Thus, Drow females become the greatest conquests worth seeking. Drow females may desire each other for a myriad of reasons: for power, for possession, for prestige, and for sheer physical lust. They might also wish to avoid the company of lowly males until they are ready to conceive children. There is no cultural taboo amongst the Drow regarding such relations, so females often indulge whenever they can manage it. After all, the greatest expression of strength in such a society is when one Drow priestess holds power over another.
[snip][end]

The same link also states what you quoted is an alternative to the "traditional" relationships: "There is an alternative to traditional female and male Drow relations, however, that must be considered." It happens but it certainly isn't normal.

In the game itself --

Minthara apparently will tell Origin Karlach this if asked:

Karlach: So what is romance like in the Underdark, Minthara?
Minthara: In Menzoberranzan, romance is commonly a luxury enjoyed between women. Men are mostly present for propagation.

I don't know about the wording, never came across it in game and there doesn't seem to be any videos on it but I would hazard a guess that it means it's a luxury only women can afford as they have all the power while men are basically relegated to being 2nd class citizens and in some cases sex slaves what with being rented out to poor Drow women so they can have children.

Minthara isn't but again, this is the reason for this conversation.

Actually, AFAIK, she has been coded playersexual like all the other companions, and since EA. And again, see above dialogue. IIRC, she says something similar even to a standard custom Tav.

The point about Minthara's "isn't" was more inline with specifically being stated as bisexual. The game doesn't blatantly have her state she's bi is what I was getting at.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Larry:

The game doesn't blatantly have her state she's bi is what I was getting at.

Actually, while I agree that first dialogue is theoretically ambiguous, the fact that Minthara will tell Origin Karlach she previously slept with the high priestess of House Vandree, most definitely is NOT.

Of course, if she's being romanced by Origin Karlach, this conversation is occurring within the context of their sapphic relationship, so this is her telling Karlach she's not her first.

Also, BTW, Nocturne was male when Shadowheart knew .... him .... as a boy, and it's not clear they had any relationship, BUT, you're not wrong in another sense, as Shadowheart will happily embrace BOTH Sorn AND Nym if you invite her to do so in Sharess' Caress.

[Woldy]

You lot really need to get laid. You really have got nothing better to do than argue about something like THIS?

[DontMisunderstand]

It's genuinely annoying how much morons on the internet hate nuance, especially when it comes to characters in a story.

[Larry]

Originally posted by seeker1:

Originally posted by Larry:

The game doesn't blatantly have her state she's bi is what I was getting at.

Actually, while I agree that first dialogue is theoretically ambiguous, the fact that Minthara will tell Origin Karlach she previously slept with the high priestess of House Vandree, most definitely is NOT.

Of course, if she's being romanced by Origin Karlach, this conversation is occurring within the context of their sapphic relationship, so this is her telling Karlach she's not her first.

Also, BTW, Nocturne was male when Shadowheart knew .... him .... as a boy, and it's not clear they had any relationship, BUT, you're not wrong in another sense, as Shadowheart will happily embrace BOTH Sorn AND Nym if you invite her to do so in Sharess' Caress.

Okay, so even Minthara is bisexual by Act 3... Which goes toward my point about Act 3 blatantly having all characters as being at the very least bisexual and not playersexual. Playersexual insinuates the player chooses what sexuality they are... you can't choose if they flat out say they've had sex or had feelings for the same sex.

Shadowhearth, as far as I remember, will come out as having dated a girl in the past. This is outside of presenting her with the option of sleeping with the Drow twins or others.

The whole thing falls apart by Act 3. Before this point Shadowheart is primarily monogamous but by Act 3 she's got options left, right and center, to have threesomes, foursomes and even fivesomes(Drow twins, Astarion, her and you but this would always bug out for me back then when choosing this option and wouldn't progress after stating what we would do and everyone saying "okay"). It completely goes against the character building up until this point which is why there are so many complaints about Act 3 in general.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Larry:

Before this point Shadowheart is primarily monogamous but by Act 3 she's got options left, right and center, to have threesomes, foursomes and even fivesomes(Drow twins, Astarion, her and you but this would always bug out for me back then when choosing this option and wouldn't progress after stating what we would do and everyone saying "okay").

When people talk about the stuff that happens in SCaress, it sounds so racy (fivesomes!), but the bottom line is, even when it works, you get some snippets of dialogue, and then they turn the lights off. Sheesh, Nym. I'd give you extra gold to keep the lights on.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Larry:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

I'm sorry you're wrong, but that's what happens when you talk about people you don't know with zero (relevant) information.

I wouldn't be talking about this stuff if people like you didn't bring it up nonstop.

You wouldn't be talking about this if you had a life worth ♥♥♥♥. You'd be too busy paying bills, working and interacting with things that actually matter in your life like family, friends and the real world. Instead you're on here 24/7. That's proof enough to me and anyone else that you have zero life.

Literally, not once have I seen these forums and not seen you spamming them with your nonsense. Get life.

Your opinions based on your erroneous preconceptions have been noted and given their appropriate weight.

[Larry]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Originally posted by Larry:

You wouldn't be talking about this if you had a life worth ♥♥♥♥. You'd be too busy paying bills, working and interacting with things that actually matter in your life like family, friends and the real world. Instead you're on here 24/7. That's proof enough to me and anyone else that you have zero life.

Literally, not once have I seen these forums and not seen you spamming them with your nonsense. Get life.

Your opinions based on your erroneous preconceptions have been noted and given their appropriate weight.

Next time don't insult people where you've no right to be involved.

Good luck in life dude.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by Larry:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Your opinions based on your erroneous preconceptions have been noted and given their appropriate weight.

Next time don't insult people where you've no right to be involved.

Good luck in life dude.

If you think giving fake Internet points to someone else is the same as insulting you, I'm not even sure what to say here, other than the fact that you're the one who's been insulting me this whole time.

[Brian_the_Brute]

There's a lot that is just cut or not completed with Minthara. Once you do the party, there's a huge gap until the carnival but it doesn't advance the romance like the other ones. The last dialogues don't appear until you get the stones and that can even be missed pretty easily if you don't long rest and check it out.

[The Yeen Queen]

Originally posted by Woldy:

not related to the topic at hand but... "You're embarresing yourself".

Said the furry.

Ah yes. The 4chan desperate attempt to be edgy and cool by hating on something literally harmless. Grow up.