Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Shadowheart Romance and the Hidden Fetish - (Spoilers inside)

Lets not get into this again shall we? I think you'll find that your logic remains flawed no matter how many times you bring this up. Repetition does not make something correct. The game disagreed with you. Stop arguing with the game about how to interpret that scene.

At the end of the game, she doesn't bring up wanting to visit Halsin (a trip to the druids Grove as you put it) She doesn't say anything about adding anyone else or wanting anyone else in the relationship. So those optional 5 minute porn quests have no consequence on the actual relationship.

You can headcanon all you want, but at the end of the day, she ends up with Tav only and there's nothing to indicate there's anyone else sexually/romantically included in this.

Ok, I'm going to bed now but please do go into into it Rabbit. I want to hear your logic behind the stance you have taken. I have read all of your (and others) comments but you'll have to forgive me when I say I like dancing one on one, that's why I'm asking you these questions. (so keep some of those answers for me) Have fun with others tho.

I'll respond to your post tomorrow. (of course this site doesn't have a sleepy emoji)

The beauty of a videogame that has save & load functionality is that you can ask "What if" and find out as well. That doesn't mean that "What if" should be answered with an inconsistent out of character reply. That can just as much ruin immersion as any unavoidable inconsistent out of character reply can (such as her current reply to finding out about the Dark Urge's past from Gortash).

Edit: Especially because we're on the internet in a day and age where everything is shared. I did not even know this issue existed because I did not "What if" these situations in my playthrough. I came to these forums to share a different opinion regarding a completely different subject that nobody seemed to agree with and thus just ignored (which I have nothing against), and then found this topic.

Edit2: And there is still the issue of Halsin forcing the conversation on you if you so much as have him in your party. That, most of all, needs removal. Entirely, no questions asked.

I'm not arguing with the game, I'm arguing with the people who have head cannoned SH into a monogamist. I'm with YOU. In my POV you are arguing with the game. I'll be happy to stop bringing it whenever others stop saying that the SH was mono only in chapters 1-2 or they start acknowledging that the sharing the wine comment was a really question about sharing partners.


I'll be quiet when you and others are - what I won't do I just submit to your flawed interpretation. And lets' be clear - we both have interpretations. You aren't a divination wizard, you can't cast true sight.

Unless, of course you are and you can. In that case: where did I put my car keys?



Besides I was talking to Rosten. Happy to have you here but I'll shut up when you do.

She doesn't exclude it either - be strange thing to bring up then wouldn't it? Right now you are both homeless. Time to think about getting off the streets and then you can think about Saturnalia.

The only thing that matters is the information we are given by the game. So if it isn't included, then it doesn't matter. What you are doing is headcanon.

I could say that at the end of the game she wants to become a circus clown, but if she doesn't mention it herself, then it doesn't matter and isn't canon.

As are you. For the xteenth time. You, my friend, are arguing against the material in the game. Lol. Lolercoaster. With all due respect you are leaning into the weakest part of your argument because YOU WANT THE GAME MATERIAL TO BE CHANGED.

Sorry I have to shout that - but you, my friend, are the one being cut with Occam's razor

SH is hints at being open to sharing chapter 1 and that is confirmed in 3. Sorry you don't see that

Like, I'm not gonna go to bat for Halsin's writing, because a lot of the late addition writing could've used a couple more drafts and passes, but this thread is wild in its ability to Olympic level leap to conclusions

To say Shadowheart is strictly monogamous, that she isn't game for sexual partners outside of Tav isn't supported by the narrative. She gets real into the drow twin scene whether Halsin is there or not, like, that's in the game, you can't argue with that.

You (royal you) don't have to like it, which is totally fine, but to ignore aspects of a character because you don't like them and then say they don't exist is insanity.

Like if I'm to be uncharitable, it really just feels like a lot of this thread is upset that this idealized, waifu version of the character you imagined doesn't mesh with the actual narrative

The game does blatantly contradict you in the very cutscenes straight after your misinterpretation, with every single outcome possible. They ALL say you're wrong. That means you're arguing with the game. She is mono only in act 1 and act 2. This is factual, your misinterpretation of a single scene to have it fit your own roleplay session does not change that.

The game said A. You heard B. The game then gave you A. You double down on it being B, because you don't want A. You want B, at least in this situation. You're free to see it that way, but don't use it as an argument.

This is accurate, and I apologize, I should've just kept quiet until they replied to it.

The fact is that your argument is nothing but headcanon and has no basis in reality. It's not even interpretation, it's headcanon - completely made up in your head. You have given nothing concrete to support your argument. You have given subtext that you've imagined have any meaning, that just doesn't have any. You add things to the game that aren't even actually in it. And 99% of the people here disagree with you.

Until there's a scene at the end of the game, where SH says they should include others or are actively already including others, then her and Tav are in a monogamous relationship canonically. Because optional porn doesn't change the ending and adding things you imagined doesn't count.

The content in the game exists. It's there, you can make choices that lead to it. Like @gray_sparrow said you cannot argue that it does not exist in the game. It's unfortunate that you find it so objectionable that you want it removed and to have the player experience damaged for the people that like or are okay with it, but it's also behind player choices that you will never make so your repeated appeals to how it doesn't count is strictly limited to you and people like you who will never make choices that cause them to count. Other people do and you should be able to acknowledge that reality. No one is arguing that your interpretation is absolutely incorrect the way you are arguing that the interpretations supported by existing content is absolutely completely made up.

Of anyone in the thread, Red Queen's repeated appeals for us to respect the interpretations of others applies most to you.

The optional porn stuff is in game. Yet it doesn't affect the ending of the game in any way, so it doesn't matter. Tav and SH are still going to live on a farm. And no where in the ending does it even hint there's others included in their relationship. That is the canon ending. Are you arguing that isn't how the ending goes?

Lol. You want three interactions REMOVED so it fits with you interpretation. I don't think the rabbit with 4 scenes on their side is the one lacking evidence. Physician, heal thyself.

The truth is we are both 'headcannoning" which to say we are both interpreting ambiguous material. You think I am seeing things that aren't there I think you are blind to things that are there. Think you are only attending to surface of the text you believe I am hallucinating. But I also think you are hearing voices.

But let's be clear - chapter 3 supports my conclusions and refutes yours. That, if your words, is "reality". Again, using your own words "you add things to the game that aren't even actually in it" Apparently at some point SH says "let's be exclusive" Apparently she says "I'm a monogamist" Either I missed that or you, good Backinstyle, are the one hallucinating.

And to be clear this is meant to playful but I also think you are SO VERY WRONG. So wrong it makes me giggle. Which is why I'm still here I guess, this is great entertainment.

You do realize that just because people are open or poly, that does not necessarily mean they always have multiple partners at once, right? Especially in the case of a person like Shadowheart, whose boundaries include being each other's primary partners. Being open/poly doesn't just stop being true of the person when secondary partners for whatever reason exit the relationship or don't work out.

Your read that she's monogamous is true of your experience with the game and your ending(s). It is not necessarily true for others who chose to pursue the relationship opening up. As I've said to you in the past, your idea of what counts or not "because it's optional" or "because I don't consider it canon" is totally immaterial to how other people interpret the character development because they are not you and do not necessarily share your content filters. You need to at least accept that much because right now all you're doing is projecting that anyone who thinks otherwise is objectively wrong for how they've interpreted it.

Assuming you're referring to the wine scene debacle, the problem with saying it's open to interpretation is that it was only open to interpretation until it played out.

If someone says they're going to punch you, you can interpret this in different ways. The most logical is of course to assume that they indeed mean to punch you. But if you wish to interpret it differently, and assume they mean something else, that's fine. Depending on context, that can be a logical thing to do.

However, if they then proceed to punch you, it is no longer open to interpretation. It happened. Claiming anything otherwise is choosing to be ignorant of the fact that it happened.
With the above said, I don't think he's out of line. The word misinterpretation exists for a reason.

He doesn't want them removed to fit his interpretation. He wants them removed to fit what played out before, and continues to play out after, these scenes happened. That's not interpretation, that's fact. Again, you have 5 minutes of optional content that has no consequences. We have 2 hours of unavoidable content that does have consequences that states those 5 minutes are wrong. It is clear as day which is to be considered inconsistent, and which is not.

Personally, I just want it removed or changed to fit what played out before and after. But I do agree that removal is the far easier solution, because it takes a lot less time and people aren't happy with Halsin anyway so no need to compromise Shadowheart anymore if Halsin gets changed in the first place.

I'm just going off what I see in game. When you romance her, it doesnt include other people in her main romance. If they wanted her to be polyamorous, it wouldn't have been something optional, but something they would have made absolutely clear.

The fact that there's no consequences, no cause and effect, to doing the optional porn stuff is very telling. They should have done an ending where that stuff has actual consequences on their relationship, if they wanted it to look like it matters. But alas, they did not.

To be fair, they have shown they don't actually care about polyamory anyway. If they did, they wouldn't basically equate it to an orgy. They would have actual, meaningful poly relationships but they don't.

Yes! I like that metaphor.

I know the horse is dead but I'm going to hit it one more time and see what happens.

Yes, yes, yes. The response "not tonight" in reference to sharing with others could simply refer to wine. Or if we're really stretching it could mean "I only do monogamy" and will only "share a bottle" with one other person. But since Shadowheart later says (in paraphrase) "not with the twins tonight, let's wait until we've had sex with each other first" and then she says "sure, lets be with the twins and, hey, let's add someone else" the clear pattern, the punch that has landed, is that Shadowheart is open to sharing.

To belabor - "not tonight" wine, "not tonight" twins and then okay tonight is the night let's invite even more people to the party. Tells me that the "threat to land a punch" was a real threat indeed.

I'll ask again WHERE ARE MY CAR KEYS? If you can so clearly you must know where they are. Why are keeping this information from me?