No Alphabets 7.1 — Baldur's Gate 3

[orinEsque]

I just noticed, are 3 of the children in the mod's main picture, Jaheira's children? Why are they considered *****?

No they arent Jaheira's kids. They're random npcs.

Example: little girl with girly braids and features is referred to as a boy by her mother.

[Seikara]

Apparently, you are supposed to receive a letter from either Isobel or Aylin in the Chest of Grateful Words in the epilogue but it's bugged. A mod, Epilogue Letter Bug Fixes - Aylin Isobel and Kagha, fixes it. I recommend repurposing this for Sir Aelen too.

[Unknown998]

You OrinEsque are the lone hero standing against a legion of souldevouring demons! Thats what your up against

Now that mindflayer x human "Romance" was made happen.....
Its time for the beholders to get some too!

[Jordy]

You OrinEsque are the lone hero standing against a legion of souldevouring demons! Thats what your up against

Now that mindflayer x human "Romance" was made happen.....
Its time for the beholders to get some too!

In this realm, your story is yours to tell.

"Unless it goes against our agenda"

[UltraFan123]

You OrinEsque are the lone hero standing against a legion of souldevouring demons! Thats what your up against

Now that mindflayer x human "Romance" was made happen.....
Its time for the beholders to get some too!

Seeing this makes me wish that DnD is finally put out of its misery and goes bankrupt for good.

It had a good run its first 3 editions, and it will definitely go down in history as the most influential fantasy tabletop role-playing game, but seeing what WotC is doing is just sad.

[Pixelargh]

In the vanilla game it's not implied, they are explicitly gay.

The mod already changes their dialogue so Barcus is just looking after his best friend, which is fine and based motivation.

Barcus is still extremely wimpy and prissy so he still comes across as kind of a ******, but at least a closeted ******.

(Also in this way it makes more sense for Wulbren to treat him like ****, he may grudgingly recognise his friend's loyalty but he worries he might start playing grabass in the smithy.)

Anyway, if you wanted to turn it into a hetero relationship Barcus absolutely has the less T. OTOH the story of a simp desperately trying to save a ***** who doesn't care about him could work pretty well.

I believe that even in the base game, Barcus and Wulbren are still just said to be friends. Which in itself is rather surprising on the part of the writers, considering that the other four semi-prominent deep gnome characters from Act 1’s Underdark section are all in openly gay relationships. Said four characters are, in fact, affected by No Alphabets, but Wulbren and Barcus don’t seem to be on the list of changed NPCs at all on the mod’s front page.

I find it mildly interesting that Barcus’ story doesn’t appear to have an overt romantic angle to it, especially in an era where even the faintest cordiality or bond of brotherhood or friendship between two men often ends up being extrapolated by certain particular crowds into being a sign of homoerotic attraction; which as a concept is demonstrated later in the game with Balduran and Ansur, who are also on the list of No Alphabets changes.

I stand corrected. I'd seen so many jokes about the pair that I was sure there was a declaration of love or something in the original. Also virtually (literally?) all the other deep gnomes are gay in vanilla, you'd think they reproduce by mitosis.

They are clearly gay. If you kill Barcus at the beginning and use Speak with the Dead to ask him who he is looking for, he says "MY Wulbren". It doesn't get gayer than that.

[Pixelargh]

The more I play this game, the more I need a De-Girlbossing mod. The amount of female guards, bodyguards, crime lords, captains, commanders etc, is ridiculous

[AliSFakenamington]

I believe that even in the base game, Barcus and Wulbren are still just said to be friends. Which in itself is rather surprising on the part of the writers, considering that the other four semi-prominent deep gnome characters from Act 1’s Underdark section are all in openly gay relationships. Said four characters are, in fact, affected by No Alphabets, but Wulbren and Barcus don’t seem to be on the list of changed NPCs at all on the mod’s front page.

I find it mildly interesting that Barcus’ story doesn’t appear to have an overt romantic angle to it, especially in an era where even the faintest cordiality or bond of brotherhood or friendship between two men often ends up being extrapolated by certain particular crowds into being a sign of homoerotic attraction; which as a concept is demonstrated later in the game with Balduran and Ansur, who are also on the list of No Alphabets changes.

I stand corrected. I'd seen so many jokes about the pair that I was sure there was a declaration of love or something in the original. Also virtually (literally?) all the other deep gnomes are gay in vanilla, you'd think they reproduce by mitosis.

They are clearly gay. If you kill Barcus at the beginning and use Speak with the Dead to ask him who he is looking for, he says "MY Wulbren". It doesn't get gayer than that.

I was unaware of that line, though granted, the only times he died during my playthroughs was when I launched him from the windmill, so he was never really in a condition for Speak with Dead in those cases. Easy fix, still. Just cut out the "my Wulbren" part from the voiceline. Pretty sure that's the only explicitly gay-for-Wulbren voiceline he has, though maybe his dialogue should be combed through just in case there's anything else.

The more plainly obvious issue with Barcus, I find, is his offended reaction if you tell him upon initially meeting him that he, a deep gnome, is far from home (the Underdark) when you free him from the windmill. "Ignorance is still alive and well" he says, even through he actually was in fact born in a deep gnome village in the Underdark and only moved to Baldur's Gate at some later point in his life.

[Oyster Sauce]

I believe that even in the base game, Barcus and Wulbren are still just said to be friends. Which in itself is rather surprising on the part of the writers, considering that the other four semi-prominent deep gnome characters from Act 1’s Underdark section are all in openly gay relationships. Said four characters are, in fact, affected by No Alphabets, but Wulbren and Barcus don’t seem to be on the list of changed NPCs at all on the mod’s front page.

I find it mildly interesting that Barcus’ story doesn’t appear to have an overt romantic angle to it, especially in an era where even the faintest cordiality or bond of brotherhood or friendship between two men often ends up being extrapolated by certain particular crowds into being a sign of homoerotic attraction; which as a concept is demonstrated later in the game with Balduran and Ansur, who are also on the list of No Alphabets changes.

I stand corrected. I'd seen so many jokes about the pair that I was sure there was a declaration of love or something in the original. Also virtually (literally?) all the other deep gnomes are gay in vanilla, you'd think they reproduce by mitosis.

They are clearly gay. If you kill Barcus at the beginning and use Speak with the Dead to ask him who he is looking for, he says "MY Wulbren". It doesn't get gayer than that.

Gamgeecoded

[orinEsque]

I stand corrected. I'd seen so many jokes about the pair that I was sure there was a declaration of love or something in the original. Also virtually (literally?) all the other deep gnomes are gay in vanilla, you'd think they reproduce by mitosis.

They are clearly gay. If you kill Barcus at the beginning and use Speak with the Dead to ask him who he is looking for, he says "MY Wulbren". It doesn't get gayer than that.

I was unaware of that line, though granted, the only times he died during my playthroughs was when I launched him from the windmill, so he was never really in a condition for Speak with Dead in those cases. Easy fix, still. Just cut out the "my Wulbren" part from the voiceline. Pretty sure that's the only explicitly gay-for-Wulbren voiceline he has, though maybe his dialogue should be combed through just in case there's anything else.

The more plainly obvious issue with Barcus, I find, is his offended reaction if you tell him upon initially meeting him that he, a deep gnome, is far from home (the Underdark) when you free him from the windmill. "Ignorance is still alive and well" he says, even through he actually was in fact born in a deep gnome village in the Underdark and only moved to Baldur's Gate at some later point in his life.

"Ignorance is still alive and well" <- will fix
my Wulbren <- will fix to "my friend"

[Envuen]

You OrinEsque are the lone hero standing against a legion of souldevouring demons! Thats what your up against

Now that mindflayer x human "Romance" was made happen.....
Its time for the beholders to get some too!

The "vomit" reaction emote has never been more needed

[Demonic Fate]

The more plainly obvious issue with Barcus, I find, is his offended reaction if you tell him upon initially meeting him that he, a deep gnome, is far from home (the Underdark) when you free him from the windmill. "Ignorance is still alive and well" he says, even through he actually was in fact born in a deep gnome village in the Underdark and only moved to Baldur's Gate at some later point in his life.

"Ignorance is still alive and well" <- will fix

I looked up the line. It is "Ignorance is still alive and well, it seems. Deep gnomes aren't restricted to the Underdark, you know - I've lived in Baldur's Gate for years."

The second sentence is factually correct, he's not implying that they are born elsewhere, just that they can leave and adventure freely - they're not hated like drows or duergars.

The first part makes him sound like a pompous preening blowhard, which he absolutely 100% is regardless of any sodomy predilections. Remember in Act 2 where he behaved like he was the big indispensable hero for crafting you a ****** grenade that you probably never used? That's just who he is, a massively insecure wimp occasionally trying to puff himself up in an almost comical way.

IMO, Orin, you should fix the "my Wulbren" gay ****, but not try to make Barcus any more likeable. It's perfectly fine to have someone being annoying and unpleasant, **** don't have a monopoly on that.

[moiraio]

I appreciate mods like this very much. I don't care about the whole identity politics/social arguments surrounding sexuality. But it annoys me when I encounter blatant changes in video games that just ruin their immersion, so mods that let me change to be more in-tune with their original designs are a big help.

[orinEsque]

The more plainly obvious issue with Barcus, I find, is his offended reaction if you tell him upon initially meeting him that he, a deep gnome, is far from home (the Underdark) when you free him from the windmill. "Ignorance is still alive and well" he says, even through he actually was in fact born in a deep gnome village in the Underdark and only moved to Baldur's Gate at some later point in his life.

"Ignorance is still alive and well" <- will fix

I looked up the line. It is "Ignorance is still alive and well, it seems. Deep gnomes aren't restricted to the Underdark, you know - I've lived in Baldur's Gate for years."

The second sentence is factually correct, he's not implying that they are born elsewhere, just that they can leave and adventure freely - they're not hated like drows or duergars.

The first part makes him sound like a pompous preening blowhard, which he absolutely 100% is regardless of any sodomy predilections. Remember in Act 2 where he behaved like he was the big indispensable hero for crafting you a ****** grenade that you probably never used? That's just who he is, a massively insecure wimp occasionally trying to puff himself up in an almost comical way.

IMO, Orin, you should fix the "my Wulbren" gay ****, but not try to make Barcus any more likeable. It's perfectly fine to have someone being annoying and unpleasant, **** don't have a monopoly on that.

You're right, it suits his pompous attitude, and remembering what he was like, i think he would have preened and said this even if he hadn't been living in bg. Strikes me as the type that would call you ignorant for the sake of it

[Nerovar]

Is there a version of this mod that doesn't genderswap Aylin but merely removes the cringy romance aspects of the character? The dialogue and animations still seem very femme and it's jarring to see. Great job otherwise.

[orinEsque]

Is there a version of this mod that doesn't genderswap Aylin but merely removes the cringy romance aspects of the character? The dialogue and animations still seem very femme and it's jarring to see. Great job otherwise.

Doesn't exist currently. due to me being too busy to mod rn, this is not coming any time soon.

[rusty_shackleford]

due to me being too busy to mod rn,

this is a lie

[PixiGreen]

The more plainly obvious issue with Barcus, I find, is his offended reaction if you tell him upon initially meeting him that he, a deep gnome, is far from home (the Underdark) when you free him from the windmill. "Ignorance is still alive and well" he says, even through he actually was in fact born in a deep gnome village in the Underdark and only moved to Baldur's Gate at some later point in his life.

"Ignorance is still alive and well" <- will fix

I looked up the line. It is "Ignorance is still alive and well, it seems. Deep gnomes aren't restricted to the Underdark, you know - I've lived in Baldur's Gate for years."

The second sentence is factually correct, he's not implying that they are born elsewhere, just that they can leave and adventure freely - they're not hated like drows or duergars.

The first part makes him sound like a pompous preening blowhard, which he absolutely 100% is regardless of any sodomy predilections. Remember in Act 2 where he behaved like he was the big indispensable hero for crafting you a ****** grenade that you probably never used? That's just who he is, a massively insecure wimp occasionally trying to puff himself up in an almost comical way.

IMO, Orin, you should fix the "my Wulbren" gay ****, but not try to make Barcus any more likeable. It's perfectly fine to have someone being annoying and unpleasant, **** don't have a monopoly on that.

You're right, it suits his pompous attitude, and remembering what he was like, i think he would have preened and said this even if he hadn't been living in bg. Strikes me as the type that would call you ignorant for the sake of it

If you do something with Barcus, could you make it optional?
You don't have to even think about it, of course, the mod is perfect and will remain perfect no matter what you do with it.

It's just, I strongly disagree with labelling Barcus gay. He is not. The first thing the gay movement ruined was friendship. Or, better say, representation of friendship. Now BFF has always that gay undertone or been suspected of it. Tons of art - from ancient times to modern days - dedicated to friendship to the last breath, when friends would honestly die for each other, is appropriated by the alphabet mafia as "secretly gay but could not say it out loud". "My Wulbren" is perfectly fine within a friendship frame - it's a bromance at best. Nowhere in the dialogues is there a hint at anything else - and this is in the game where authors used every opportunity to put gay relationships front and center. If you kill a gay partner of anyone, the remaining partner would call you names, be devastated and cry a lot (yes, I checked it myself). Straight couples generally would not, but that's beside the point. Barcus did not get that gay script, he mournes a friend, not a lover. Even wiki (!) states zero evidence in-game or from devs for romance. He is maybe the only straight deep gnome in the game. Let him be.

[orinEsque]

I looked up the line. It is "Ignorance is still alive and well, it seems. Deep gnomes aren't restricted to the Underdark, you know - I've lived in Baldur's Gate for years."

The second sentence is factually correct, he's not implying that they are born elsewhere, just that they can leave and adventure freely - they're not hated like drows or duergars.

The first part makes him sound like a pompous preening blowhard, which he absolutely 100% is regardless of any sodomy predilections. Remember in Act 2 where he behaved like he was the big indispensable hero for crafting you a ****** grenade that you probably never used? That's just who he is, a massively insecure wimp occasionally trying to puff himself up in an almost comical way.

IMO, Orin, you should fix the "my Wulbren" gay ****, but not try to make Barcus any more likeable. It's perfectly fine to have someone being annoying and unpleasant, **** don't have a monopoly on that.

You're right, it suits his pompous attitude, and remembering what he was like, i think he would have preened and said this even if he hadn't been living in bg. Strikes me as the type that would call you ignorant for the sake of it

If you do something with Barcus, could you make it optional?
You don't have to even think about it, of course, the mod is perfect and will remain perfect no matter what you do with it.

It's just, I strongly disagree with labelling Barcus gay. He is not. The first thing the gay movement ruined was friendship. Or, better say, representation of friendship. Now BFF has always that gay undertone or been suspected of it. Tons of art - from ancient times to modern days - dedicated to friendship to the last breath, when friends would honestly die for each other, is appropriated by the alphabet mafia as "secretly gay but could not say it out loud". "My Wulbren" is perfectly fine within a friendship frame - it's a bromance at best. Nowhere in the dialogues is there a hint at anything else - and this is in the game where authors used every opportunity to put gay relationships front and center. If you kill a gay partner of anyone, the remaining partner would call you names, be devastated and cry a lot (yes, I checked it myself). Straight couples generally would not, but that's beside the point. Barcus did not get that gay script, he mournes a friend, not a lover. Even wiki (!) states zero evidence in-game or from devs for romance. He is maybe the only straight deep gnome in the game. Let him be.

You make a good point.

Might be worth leaving him be. and yeah, Larian is all about being explicit when it comes to ppl being gay. Happy to leave him be

[loregamer]

Modularizing this mod would be a nightmare I'm guessing

[orinEsque]

Modularizing this mod would be a nightmare I'm guessing

maybe

[loregamer]

Modularizing this mod would be a nightmare I'm guessing

maybe

Yeah... you probably aren't smart enough to do it. A shame really.
/s

[orinEsque]

Modularizing this mod would be a nightmare I'm guessing

maybe

Yeah... you probably aren't smart enough to do it. A shame really.
/s

I'll get to it, once I finish all the other more important stuff.

[Magick]

I looked up the line. It is "Ignorance is still alive and well, it seems. Deep gnomes aren't restricted to the Underdark, you know - I've lived in Baldur's Gate for years."

The second sentence is factually correct, he's not implying that they are born elsewhere, just that they can leave and adventure freely - they're not hated like drows or duergars.

The first part makes him sound like a pompous preening blowhard, which he absolutely 100% is regardless of any sodomy predilections. Remember in Act 2 where he behaved like he was the big indispensable hero for crafting you a ****** grenade that you probably never used? That's just who he is, a massively insecure wimp occasionally trying to puff himself up in an almost comical way.

IMO, Orin, you should fix the "my Wulbren" gay ****, but not try to make Barcus any more likeable. It's perfectly fine to have someone being annoying and unpleasant, **** don't have a monopoly on that.

You're right, it suits his pompous attitude, and remembering what he was like, i think he would have preened and said this even if he hadn't been living in bg. Strikes me as the type that would call you ignorant for the sake of it

If you do something with Barcus, could you make it optional?
You don't have to even think about it, of course, the mod is perfect and will remain perfect no matter what you do with it.

It's just, I strongly disagree with labelling Barcus gay. He is not. The first thing the gay movement ruined was friendship. Or, better say, representation of friendship. Now BFF has always that gay undertone or been suspected of it. Tons of art - from ancient times to modern days - dedicated to friendship to the last breath, when friends would honestly die for each other, is appropriated by the alphabet mafia as "secretly gay but could not say it out loud". "My Wulbren" is perfectly fine within a friendship frame - it's a bromance at best. Nowhere in the dialogues is there a hint at anything else - and this is in the game where authors used every opportunity to put gay relationships front and center. If you kill a gay partner of anyone, the remaining partner would call you names, be devastated and cry a lot (yes, I checked it myself). Straight couples generally would not, but that's beside the point. Barcus did not get that gay script, he mournes a friend, not a lover. Even wiki (!) states zero evidence in-game or from devs for romance. He is maybe the only straight deep gnome in the game. Let him be.

I don't think a man, even a best bro would ever say "my" x. He would say "my friend", or "my bro" or "my man blabla" or something.
My [Name] is usually reserved for romantic possession, or enslaved.

Literally just adding the word "friend" should do.

[Envuen]

I don't think a man, even a best bro would ever say "my" x. He would say "my friend", or "my bro" or "my man blabla" or something.
My [Name] is usually reserved for romantic possession, or enslaved.

Literally just adding the word "friend" should do.

True, either that or just remove "my". That would be quickest and simpliest solution.

[MrTwinkls]

You're right, it suits his pompous attitude, and remembering what he was like, i think he would have preened and said this even if he hadn't been living in bg. Strikes me as the type that would call you ignorant for the sake of it

If you do something with Barcus, could you make it optional?
You don't have to even think about it, of course, the mod is perfect and will remain perfect no matter what you do with it.

It's just, I strongly disagree with labelling Barcus gay. He is not. The first thing the gay movement ruined was friendship. Or, better say, representation of friendship. Now BFF has always that gay undertone or been suspected of it. Tons of art - from ancient times to modern days - dedicated to friendship to the last breath, when friends would honestly die for each other, is appropriated by the alphabet mafia as "secretly gay but could not say it out loud". "My Wulbren" is perfectly fine within a friendship frame - it's a bromance at best. Nowhere in the dialogues is there a hint at anything else - and this is in the game where authors used every opportunity to put gay relationships front and center. If you kill a gay partner of anyone, the remaining partner would call you names, be devastated and cry a lot (yes, I checked it myself). Straight couples generally would not, but that's beside the point. Barcus did not get that gay script, he mournes a friend, not a lover. Even wiki (!) states zero evidence in-game or from devs for romance. He is maybe the only straight deep gnome in the game. Let him be.

I don't think a man, even a best bro would ever say "my" x. He would say "my friend", or "my bro" or "my man blabla" or something.
My [Name] is usually reserved for romantic possession, or enslaved.

Literally just adding the word "friend" should do.

Genuine friendship is an alien concept for redditors who wrote for this game.

[Pixelargh]

You're right, it suits his pompous attitude, and remembering what he was like, i think he would have preened and said this even if he hadn't been living in bg. Strikes me as the type that would call you ignorant for the sake of it

If you do something with Barcus, could you make it optional?
You don't have to even think about it, of course, the mod is perfect and will remain perfect no matter what you do with it.

It's just, I strongly disagree with labelling Barcus gay. He is not. The first thing the gay movement ruined was friendship. Or, better say, representation of friendship. Now BFF has always that gay undertone or been suspected of it. Tons of art - from ancient times to modern days - dedicated to friendship to the last breath, when friends would honestly die for each other, is appropriated by the alphabet mafia as "secretly gay but could not say it out loud". "My Wulbren" is perfectly fine within a friendship frame - it's a bromance at best. Nowhere in the dialogues is there a hint at anything else - and this is in the game where authors used every opportunity to put gay relationships front and center. If you kill a gay partner of anyone, the remaining partner would call you names, be devastated and cry a lot (yes, I checked it myself). Straight couples generally would not, but that's beside the point. Barcus did not get that gay script, he mournes a friend, not a lover. Even wiki (!) states zero evidence in-game or from devs for romance. He is maybe the only straight deep gnome in the game. Let him be.

I don't think a man, even a best bro would ever say "my" x. He would say "my friend", or "my bro" or "my man blabla" or something.
My [Name] is usually reserved for romantic possession, or enslaved.

Literally just adding the word "friend" should do.

Agreed. No hetero man says : My "Mike", My "William". It's totally gay. For once, Larian wrote Barcus more ambiguously, subtly, and realistically, since he is the only gay/***** in the game who doesn't announce his sexuality with a megaphone.

[orinEsque]

muting "my" shouldn't should be an ez fix.

Edit: lol typo

[rusty_shackleford]

Gandalf remained for a while staring after him into the darkness. ‘Good-bye, my dear Bilbo - until our next meeting!’ he said softly and went back indoors.

[MasterT91]

After defeating Ketheric, and the Avatar of Myrkul, I noticed a few glitches with Ser Aelen. As depicted in the images, the overworld model is working. However, when Isobel comes in and finds him, he seems to revert to a glitched verison of the female model. Any idea what might be causing this? The same thing happens in Lorroakan's tower. I don't have any other mods affecting Aelen.