sagemoonmoon

[sagemoonmoon]

no

[sagemoonmoon]

I draw this while listening to Ziggy Stardust

[sagemoonmoon]

This is your semi frequent reminder that there is no official AO3 app

All those are unofficial and available on the Google play store as of August 13th 2025. They mirror AO3's content and insert ads, for which the developer gets paid by page impression (that's every time the ad appears in the fic you're reading) not just clicks.

No money goes to AO3, nor to the fic writer. It goes to the person who did the bare minimum.

Many of these apps have poorly worded or non existent privacy policies, so they may also be mining as much data as possible and selling that on to unknown third parties.

Please, just use the official AO3 site and the browser.

[sagemoonmoon]

astarion my beloved i don't draw you often enough

[sagemoonmoon]

You should get an AO3 account

With the rise of AI and the well known epidemic of AI companies scraping Ao3 for training data most authors on Ao3 have locked down their fics to logged in users only. This is unfortunate for authors and readers. As an author I've noticed a steep drop in readership on fics restricted to logged in users and when recommending fics to my friends I've noticed that the folks without an account can't find the fics. The logged in users only toggle, not only keeps people without an account from reading a fic, but also from seeing its listing at all. More than 50% of fics I come across have this setting turned on. So, you should get an AO3 account. I know this seems daunting and unfair because it's an invite only system but, you can invite yourself through the homepage if you don't already have one, and in the past few years I've never heard of someone who requested an invitation through this method, not getting one. And for those of you who are hesitant because you don't write, that's okay. It's not weird at all to click on a commenter username and find that they have 0 works and 10,000 bookmarks. It might take a week for the invitation to actually show up, but I can almost guarantee you will get one, just keep an eye on your email. It's free to join and donations are optional. You'll have more to read if you have an account and maybe give your favorite author the chance to protect their work from AI without a loss of readership and feedback.

[sagemoonmoon]

✨Little Star, His Sun☀️

Chapter Nineteen: The Underdark

Ah, yes, The Underdark. Finally! The companions are all excited to see such darkness, and prepped to take on any and all dangers it throws at them. Hopefully they won't need to dwell in the darkness for long, however, as their sights are still set on Moonrise Towers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54140581/chapters/179530516

[sagemoonmoon]

Question for the two people who read my Astarion x Kai fanfiction (shameless link is attached if you don't know): Kai. I have a small indication about how to write his personal issue. But it would have to happen during late act 1. And it'd be "resolved" then too. All companions are set up to have their stories "end" in act 3, so it would be rather quick to have the Tav have their "quest line" end at that time. It would make the most sense because once you get up to act 3, he will have his lover and his friends, so the angst wouldn't matter (in his case it wouldn't. His "healing" would be well on its way by then). Should I scrap that entirely? There's some good scenes in there but like.... It would deviate slightly. Think about finishing the Mountain Pass quests, right before you go to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Obviously we are whores for lore but would it REALLY fit? And would it REALLY satisfy the reader to have his "quest line" end before act 2? You could argue his "quest line" involves finding love (friends, family, a lover, and himself) but is that enough?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54140581/chapters/137082031

[sagemoonmoon]

The Unmaking of a Man

[sagemoonmoon]

Question for the two people who read my Astarion x Kai fanfiction (shameless link is attached if you don't know): Kai. I have a small indication about how to write his personal issue. But it would have to happen during late act 1. And it'd be "resolved" then too. All companions are set up to have their stories "end" in act 3, so it would be rather quick to have the Tav have their "quest line" end at that time. It would make the most sense because once you get up to act 3, he will have his lover and his friends, so the angst wouldn't matter (in his case it wouldn't. His "healing" would be well on its way by then). Should I scrap that entirely? There's some good scenes in there but like.... It would deviate slightly. Think about finishing the Mountain Pass quests, right before you go to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Obviously we are whores for lore but would it REALLY fit? And would it REALLY satisfy the reader to have his "quest line" end before act 2? You could argue his "quest line" involves finding love (friends, family, a lover, and himself) but is that enough?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54140581/chapters/137082031

[sagemoonmoon]

🔹 Someone else's fiction cannot cause you physical harm.

🔹If someone else's fiction is causing you emotional or psychological harm, or distress, you can put it down and not read/watch it.

🔹Your emotional well-being is not the responsibility of fiction writers.

🔹Someone else's fiction is not about your personal trauma.

🔹When reading or watching fiction, you always have the power. You can always stop. You are never reading fiction without your own consent.

🔹Fiction writers are not responsible for other people's mental health.

🔹The content of a piece of fiction does not reflect on the morality of its author.

🔹Just because someone writes about bad things happening, doesn't mean they want those things to happen.

🔹Don't like? Don't read.

[sagemoonmoon]

Question for the two people who read my Astarion x Kai fanfiction (shameless link is attached if you don't know): Kai. I have a small indication about how to write his personal issue. But it would have to happen during late act 1. And it'd be "resolved" then too. All companions are set up to have their stories "end" in act 3, so it would be rather quick to have the Tav have their "quest line" end at that time. It would make the most sense because once you get up to act 3, he will have his lover and his friends, so the angst wouldn't matter (in his case it wouldn't. His "healing" would be well on its way by then). Should I scrap that entirely? There's some good scenes in there but like.... It would deviate slightly. Think about finishing the Mountain Pass quests, right before you go to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Obviously we are whores for lore but would it REALLY fit? And would it REALLY satisfy the reader to have his "quest line" end before act 2? You could argue his "quest line" involves finding love (friends, family, a lover, and himself) but is that enough?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54140581/chapters/137082031

[sagemoonmoon]

Genuinly. I will write no matter what but dang it i want to see the ppl engaging!!!

plzzz read my Astarion x male elf bard tav fanfiction. I would really like to see kudos and comments...

a comment a day keeps the insanity at bay

[sagemoonmoon]

Yepppp

Anyways please read my Astarion x male elf bard tav fanfiction. I would really like to see kudos and comments...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54140581/chapters/137082031

My friend said this about AO3 and it’s honestly so true

[sagemoonmoon]

non-writers will never understand the mental illness of writing an entire conversation in your head while doing dishes and then forgetting every word the second you open a blank doc

[sagemoonmoon]

Why I think it's important that Astarion embraces the shadows

You know it's funny, at first I thought I was trapped by the shadows – cursed to live in them forever. But in time, I realised that darkness is as much a part of me as my fangs. This is only a curse as long as I refuse to embrace the shadows. So I decided I would.

I love how the choice between ascending and forgoing the ritual is designed: ascension grants an immediate reward (and thus presents an alluring temptation), but requires mass slaughter; letting go of the power comes at a personal cost, but saves lives and gives victims a second chance. If it was any other way, there would be no story in this choice; no dilemma, no conflict, nothing memorable.

I also think it’s crucial how in the spawn route, we see Astarion not only in high spirits (When I look at my future, anything and everything feels possible now), but also grieving. While he doesn’t regret his choice, he does feel sorry for his personal loss – which is natural and valid. And while I love that we can promise him to look for another way to walk in the sun again (after all, the Forgotten Realms are full of wonders – and the whole Multiverse even moreso), I also consider the narrative of him coming to terms with his condition (without giving up hope) much more real – and very important, at least to me.

I’d like to talk about two layers here: the more literal one, and the more metaphorical one.

The more literal one is pretty straightforward: we all have our limits in life. Some of them, we’re born with; some come up along the way; and other still are forced onto us. My first thought is neurodivergency or chronic illnesses, but I’m sure other people can name many more examples. You take medications or you go to therapy (pursuing the sun), but at the same time you just have to accept these things are a part of your reality, beyond your control. 

The more metaphorical layer makes me think of the Jungian shadow.

As some of you probably know, the Jungian shadow is the suppressed part of the psyche. It’s the facts about ourselves that are too painful or uncomfortable to acknowledge, facts we are unaware of, or facts we don’t like about ourselves and associate with shame. They make us behave in certain ways, often without us understanding why. And the more we sweep all of this under the rug of unconsciousness, the stronger the shadow becomes, constantly holding us back or making us repeat certain patterns (sometimes maladaptive) over and over.

(I’d like to emphasise that the shadow isn’t inherently “evil” – for example, we may suppress a trait or a behaviour because it’s culturally viewed as unacceptable, not because it’s objectively bad. The shadow is simply what lies uncovered, and may encompass useful and positive things as well.)

You probably already see where this is all going.

When Astarion says he has accepted the shadows as a part of him, he basically says he has learned to love himself just the way he is, without the need to become some better, idealised – and unattainable – version of himself. He has learned he is enough even with all the “less savoury” aspects – and it's clear it makes him feel free and more in control of his life.

Don’t hate me, but I think it’s more important than him literally walking in the sun. And let me reiterate – the point isn’t to forsake the sun entirely. Searching for it is an important endeavor – it symbolises making the word a better place. But I do believe accepting the shadow(s) is crucial to healing and an important first step towards any other goals.

This is who I am. In all my glory, for better and for worse.

[sagemoonmoon]

The cutest commission for @sagemoonmoon of a "will they won't they" moment with our boy Astarion! 🥺💖 They're so adorable! 💕 Thanks again for commissioning me! 💖

[sagemoonmoon]

fuckin aced it, good work kid