#non-binary tav

[astarions-loverboy]

I’m having so much fun with Photo Mode :3

[1000punks]

bonding. ¹⁶//rising MASTERLIST.

pairing: spawn!Astarion x named!Tav (non-binary OC)

warnings: 18+. nsft. mdni. PWP (plot without porn).

word count: 4,090

summary: Festé, an unassuming tiefling ranger, has convinced Astarion to not go through with the Rite of Profane Ascension. He continues life as a vampire spawn and begins to face all of the challenges it offers. The two begin a relationship with one another; and explore mutual healing through shared kinks, domesticity, and a new quest.

Together, the two are slowly figuring out what it means to want to live.

named!Tav is my non-binary tiefling ranger, Festé. i was seeing far too few fics with tiefling!Tav and i thought it was crucial, nay, critical to include them in the headcanons. i hope you all enjoy! ♡

Their sense of relief had completely dissipated by the time Gale and Shadowheart had led them both inside the perimeter and gotten them settled in front of the crackling fire. The worry, the panic had begun to set in. Festé sat with a tin bowl of stew clutched in their hands - courtesy of Gale - gazing warily at the glowing embers in the very center of the fire. Astarion bristled at their side, finally reaching out and smacking the back of his hand on their thigh. When the tiefling looked up at him, he was scowling.

"Don't," he hissed. They narrowed their eyes at him. His own widened, as if to say 'try it.' Festé cast their eyes down with a scoff, and the elf curled his hand tightly - a warning - around their thigh.

Shadowheart looked between them with a dry smile, sipping her stew. "Why don't you tell us what we missed?" she suggested.

"What a good idea. Darling, why don't you start?" Astarion turned to his imp. His voice was a touch too cheerful, that dangerous sing-song tone he tended to use when he was particularly annoyed.

"I think it would be better if you did, love," Festé replied flatly. Before the irritated expression could appear on Star's face, they added, "The goings-on of the meeting will be important for what I have to say to everyone." They turned to Gale and Shadowheart. "I'm afraid that I may have put us all in great danger, but I intend to rectify that immediately." They studied their companions' confused looks for a moment before pulling at the back of Astarion's hand. "Go ahead, Star," they murmured. Festé knew that he had seen the dagger in their memory - the one that had been eerily identical to Caeusan's - if only due to the fact that they had been ruminating on it since the unfortunate bounty hunter had waved it in front of their face. Perhaps he hadn't seen all of the times that the tiefling had knelt, of used excessive force on a target, or…

The elf's voice cut into their thoughts. "Very well," he snarled, shooting them a withering look. Festé simply raised their eyebrows at him with a subtle nod. "The short version is that Daressin has an entire army of spawn." He paused, shaking his head a bit. "Well, had." That got everyone's attention. It even shocked Festé out of their confusing, tangled thoughts. However, Gale was the one who beat them to the punch.

"Erm… 'Had'?" the wizard repeated.

"Oh yes, before her right hand had them all burnt to a crisp with a Daylight spell, that is," Astarion answered nonchalantly, checking his nails. "Oh! I forgot to mention," his voice dripped with sarcasm, quickly morphing into another snarl. "Daressin's right hand is a full vampire, not a spawn. And whoever they are, they're primed to kill. If you're asking me, I think they're like to turn on the old bat at the first opportunity that presents itself."

Shadowheart reached around the small fire, laying her hand on top of the elf's. "Why don't you start at the beginning?" she asked calmly. The cleric briefly glanced at Festé, eyes wide. "What was the meeting like?"

Astarion seemed to deflate as soon as she touched him, and his grip tightened around his imp's thigh. A frown crept over his lips, but the anger seemed to dissipate. "It was…" He blinked, and his eyebrows pinched together.

"Tense?" Festé supplied quietly, while Gale narrowed his eyes, watching Astarion closely.

"Tense is one word for it," the elf muttered. "Like I said, her right hand is a full vampire; and I assume," Astarion sighed and moved his hand to curl tightly around Festé's. "That all of the spawn in that tavern were people that they stole and converted, themself."

"Did you get any names, Astarion?" Gale inquired.

"Just the one of the least expendable spawn. The ringleader forced all of them to test the ring, and…" he pressed his lips together for a moment. "Safaen was the lucky shit who got to wear it while a cleric blasted the other seven. I doubt that one will even survive once this self-important… Once they realize that the ring is missing." There was a pregnant pause while the elf reached into his pocket with his free hand and produced a small, simple-looking box. Festé watched him drop his gaze while he flicked the lid open with his thumb. It didn't take the imp any careful study to recognize the look of consternation on their husband's face; and they briefly recalled the first time that Astarion had told them about Cazador and his siblings. The abuse he suffered, and how he had assumed the others would be taking it on in his absence. Perhaps a similar guilt, a survivor's guilt, was eating at him now, too. "I got it, though," he sighed, voice more muted than before.

"You did well, love. I know that can't have been easy," Festé soothed. "I'm sure that even if we don't know the vampire's name, Jaheira or Nine-Fingers will be able to fill us all in." The two exchanged a long look, with Astarion's eyes widening, and his face seeming to soften overall.

"I suppose," was all he offered in return, tossing the box to Gale for inspection. The wizard looked over the ring, sliding the tip of his finger over the band and the center stone - a large topaz that seemed to crackle with strands of the Weave - humming as he worked.

"At first glance, it seems to be authentic," Gale mused. "I assume that you picked it up after it was tested?"

"I happened to bump into Nine-Fingers, yes," the elf hissed, arching an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Good show, then." Gale smiled, passing the ring to Shadowheart. The cleric, who had been watching Festé with a quiet intensity for the past several moments, hummed softly and gave the box back to Astarion. "I suppose you're going to be testing it out yourself at sunup?"

The elf didn't answer, but Festé could sense his bristling again. They squeezed his hand as a thought crossed their mind. A private discussion that the couple were bound to have later.

"Festé, you had something to add?" Shadowheart prompted, trying - and failing - at nonchalance. Her hand had since left Astarion's, and her arms were now crossed. The tiefling's jaw clenched. Knowing that they had not only been dishonest with their closest allies, but their husband as well, weighed heavily on them.

They sighed. Who could blame them, really, if they had assumed that a certain chapter of their life was closed, and wasn't going to come back to haunt them?

"Well… yes." The imp looked around at the other three, pursing their lips. "I'm just trying to figure out the best place to start. Shadowheart, you…" The half-elf straightened in her seat, eyebrows pressing together in concern. "You might understand where I'm coming from the best, considering your past." Her eyes narrowed at that. Festé closed their own eyes for a moment, unsure if they wanted to block out or tap into the memories of their life with the Guild, with Caeusan. "When my parents died, I abandoned Baldur's Gate, and I travelled to Amn. I was only seventeen, and I was looking for work, anything, really. Something to be a part of because my family was gone. I ended up working for a Guild for a number of years, sort of… a fringe group of the Zhentarim." Their eyes snapped open, and they took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to say it, I guess. I used to be a Banite."

The imp heard Astarion's mouth fall open, then shut quickly with a click of fangs. Slowly, they chanced focusing their eyes and looking around, first focusing on Shadowheart's face, then Gale's. Lastly, they turned their head to look up at their husband, who, to their surprise, was smiling. Festé swallowed their shock at that, turning back to the other two. The cleric had drawn one hand over her mouth, but didn't seem to be upset. The wizard, on the other hand, looked just the smallest bit disturbed.

"A Bani-" he started, but Shadowheart cut him off with a laugh.

"That's all? Festé, that's… Well, you know I can't really be judgmental towards you, or anyone for that matter, for something like cult worship. Besides, you don't seem like the type to…" She trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. A long pause descended around the campfire circle for several moments.

"You've changed a lot, if that's true," Gale finally blurted out. Astarion was still smiling, not even opening his mouth to make a sarcastic comment. "You didn't, er…"

"Torture people? No, not directly. It's not as if I was a mindless cultist, it was more of a… circumstance of the crowd that I fell in with at the time," Festé replied calmly. "I've done things that I'm not proud of, but that's a bit tangential to my point, here." The tiefling sighed in exasperation. "The short story is that there's someone from my past that's looking for me." They glanced up at Astarion, who was now smirking and checking his nails, giving a subtle shake of his head. "The Guild that I was part of was responsible for a lot of the organized crime in Amn for the past decade or so. There was a job that I had one night, several years ago, in Candlekeep. I was tasked with stealing a very specific book from the library, and," they chuckled cynically, "…Being the talented young thief that I was, I made a lot of money from that venture."

The imp shrugged, raising their left hand to smooth over their right shoulder and clavicle. In their peripherals, they spied their husband's eyes widening, then his mouth dropping open. He had pored over Gale's journal as many times as they had, and could probably see the exact passage that Festé was alluding to in his mind's eye. Gale's scribbled note about the library records and one very specific missing tome.

"Oh, interesting," the elf purred. Not betraying anything else for the moment.

"There was a missing book that you made mention of in your journal, Gale." At the sound of his name, the wizard perked up. "The one about vampires, correct?" He nodded slowly, face screwed up in deep thought. "That's the one I stole. I have reason to believe that someone in Daressin's court, or the woman herself, paid the leader of my Guild for the job." Festé waited for another long moment, counting their own heartbeats. Then, like a wave of nausea giving way to vomit, they blurted out, "I'm sorry that I deceived you all, and made you think I was someone that I'm not."

Astarion's face fell into a scowl. "What the Hells are you talking about, darling?" he growled. The imp glanced up at him, then across the campfire at the others. Their expressions were similarly arranged. Festé was confused, suddenly; and even more so when Gale spoke up.

"Festé, my friend… you are the single kindest person that I know." The wizard said firmly. "I think the rest of us here could reasonably agree, for their own personal reasons, of course. You taught me that I am not- Nay, that none of us are the reproductions of our environments. You taught us that we were all worth more than what our supposed betters thought us to be." Shadowheart nodded sagely when he finished speaking, though she seemed to have nothing to add.

"I just can't help thinking that I've put us all in grave danger. If that bounty hunter is, in any way, in league with Daressin and her vampires, then -" Festé started, but Astarion spoke over them in exasperated tones.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I can promise you, however, that whatever happens, I will protect you," he snarled. There was a short pause where the tiefling and the elf exchanged eye contact, before the two began to laugh. Partially out of leftover nerves, partially due to Astarion's tone not matching the sentiment of his statement. "I mean it," he murmured into their ear when their laughter had died away, and he had slung his arm around their shoulders. "If it comes to a fight, you have me. That bounty hunter, those… detestable vampires, they can pry you from my cold, undead fingers."

"Correction," Gale cut in, slapping his knees and standing up. "You have us." The wizard walked around the edge of the fire, carefully kneeling in front of the tiefling and gathering up their hand in both of his. "What are friends for, otherwise?"

"It's not just me, though, what if someone comes after Astarion? After you two?" Festé protested weakly, shaking their head. "Especially now that we have the ring? Daressin is going to come looking for it, sooner or later." A sudden wave of calm washed over them, drenching them from horn to toenail, and their eyes flicked over to Shadowheart, who smiled dryly and tilted her head.

"I suggest you don't worry about that, at least until the morning," the cleric remarked softly, all but crushing the imp under the weight of her spell. Slowly, she also got up, looking towards the sky. "It will be sunrise in a matter of hours. Gale, we should be getting to bed, don't you agree?"

"Splendid idea, my friend, I - oof." Gale got unsteadily to his feet. "The old knees certainly abide." The wizard chuckled, straightening out his robes. Festé realized that the two of them were unsubtly trying to give Star and themself a moment alone. "The perimeter I've set up is impenetrable, more or less," he mused, folding his arms behind his back. "That is, we're all safe and hidden until morning. There is a small clearing, just over there…" he pointed with his chin to his left, "…and it might be just the perfect spot to set up a tent." Gale smiled warmly, looking between the imp and the elf. "I'll have breakfast ready before we all push off tomorrow. Goodnight, you both." He gave a deep bow, and when he moved, he revealed Shadowheart rolling her eyes playfully.

"Goodnight, you two," she echoed simply. Festé glanced up at Astarion once their backs were turned and their tent flaps were drawn shut, and sighed softly.

"Let's go set up the tent," they whispered.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · "I know you're afraid, darling. I know that there are risks involved. But consider that this is the first time that I've gotten to live in two centuries?" Astarion paused to let out a snort. "Whatever comes, I won't live in fear now. I have you. I have life. We're together, and that means we can face anything."

They were tangled up in one another, laying on their backs in the grass and squinting up through the canopy of the tall trees to see the stars. Neither had wanted to - nor had the energy to - set up their tent, but they had both at least taken their armour off. Festé curled closer against Astarion's side, nestling themself in the crook of his elbow and throwing their arm over his chest. "I know, love. I just don't want you to resent me," they murmured softly. The tiefling tried not to let their frustration with themself show. They had wanted this moment, Astarion's moment, to be perfect. When they lifted their head, the elf had one crimson eye trained on them.

"Life isn't perfect, darling. It's just a damn sight better than it used to be." Festé was a bit surprised to see that he was still smiling. That he had been able to keep a smile through all of this.

"What do you make of my past, Star? Does it change your perspective of me?"

"Well…" Astarion's voice took on an airy quality. "Am I glad that you potentially tortured people? Not really." A stony expression briefly overtook his features. "However, I can be glad that you're just as much of a freak as the rest of us." His smile was back, and he chuckled softly. "I was beginning to worry that you were so perfect that you were untouchable."

"Nobody's perfect," the tiefling sighed. "Everything I told you about Caeusan is true. I wasn't just a thief, though. I was a black widow." The tiefling rolled to their back, pushing their forearm over their eyes. "I've killed people. Innocent people."

They felt Astarion shift beside them, and huff out a breath. "So have I," he hissed. "You've never judged me for it, even if… by all rights, you… y-you could." His hand clasped around their wrist, dragging their arm away from their face. "What makes you think that I would judge you?" The elf's face appeared in their vision when he leaned over them, further obscuring their view of the stars. Festé suddenly remembered their first night together, the one they had shared in the cemetery, and how the moon had framed his face perfectly. They watched his eyes go a bit blank when he saw the same in their mind. The elf let out a heady breath, bowing his head slightly before fixing his gaze on them once more. "There are several versions of oneself that they become over the course of their life, darling. You have to let them die in order to…"

"To move forward," Festé finished in a quiet voice. "And start living again." Before they could process what was happening, the elf's cool fingers had descended on their cheek, dabbing away some of the tears that had sprung forth.

"That's right," he whispered, moving to brush his lips against their forehead. "You taught me that. Now you ought to learn the lesson for yourself, hm? We'll get through this together. Whatever comes." He shifted to press a kiss to their lips, drawing back after a long moment. "Don't ever hide the truth from me again, though," he sighed, eyes downcast. "Good, bad, or ugly, I want everything about you."

Festé squirmed when Astarion moved to lay his head on their chest, now. The imp reached up to stroke through his curls on instinct.

"I won't, I promise. I can't now." They managed a wet chuckle. "You see nearly everything."

The two lay in silence for a while, with Astarion listening to their heartbeat, and Festé threading their fingers through his hair. Slowly, the imp's thoughts turned to the many faces and encounters with their targets. Opening the book of memories that they had been careful to keep shut for nearly a decade. Guiding the elf quietly through some of the deepest recesses of their past.

It almost helped, not having to speak. Not having to admit to anything out loud. They could feel his reactions, nonetheless. Each time that he flinched in quiet recognition of something that hit close to home for him as well. Finally, Astarion lifted his head, just as the sky was beginning to lighten behind it.

"You didn't have to do that," he murmured softly. "But, thank you sharing, regardless."

"I just don't want to hide anything from you, going forward. Like you said," Festé replied. "Even the things that make me look bad." The elf rolled his eyes.

"You heard the rest of them. That isn't who you are anymore. Clearly." He lifted onto one elbow, pushing his hand over their chest to rest it against their shoulder. The elf spread his fingers and wiggled them gently, chuckling. Festé twisted to look down at his hand, spotting the topaz stone and gold band quite easily. Astarion's voice dropped to a murmur. "I don't think someone so supposedly brutish would shower me in gifts like you do." The tiefling gazed at the stone, taking in the fading moonlight that was glinting off of it. "I'm running out of ways to say 'thank you,' darling," he sighed, cupping their cheek and drawing their gaze back up to meet his own.

Festé blushed, groaning a little bit at their own embarrassment. "You know that I would do anything for you, no questions asked," they replied softly. The imp blinked, trying to look away. Astarion squeezed their jaw, not allowing it.

"Will a kiss do?" the elf purred, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not letting it go, darling," he added in a more exasperated tone. "Please, let me dote on you a moment." Festé let out a long breath, nodding. The mental connection was a bit disturbing in moments like these, where there was nowhere for them to hide from him. Astarion lowered his head to peck at their lips lightly. They needed to get used to feeling this vulnerable. The tiefling's mouth fell open slightly under his, inviting him in a little further. He pulled away after only a moment, however, and sat up on his knees.

"Oh. Shit, it's nearly sunup," the imp muttered, pushing up to their elbows. "Should we… Do you want to test it out?" With a grunt, they got to their feet and held out their hand for him. He looked up at them, wide-eyed, before taking it. the elf drew a deep breath, looking apprehensive.

"I…" Astarion started, but he trailed off when the tiefling gently tugged him forward to the edge of the clearing. There would be a more private place beyond the trees - even if it meant sacrificing the safety of Gale's barrier for a few moments. Festé paused when the elf became more still than a statue.

"What is it?" they whispered. "Are you alright, love?"

"I'm nervous," he breathed. "What if it doesn't…" His lips clamped together and shook his head.

"We'll do it together. It'll work, Star. I'll be right here, holding your hand."

A long pause passed between them. Then he took a cautious step forward, and another. Bit by bit, the couple crossed the clearing slowing when they both reached the trees on the other side. The imp squeezed the elf's hand, looking up at him. The sky was growing lighter by the minute.

"Do I… Should I…?" Astarion all but stammered. His eyebrows were wrinkled with worry.

"When you're ready, love. I'm here beside you."

With some hesitation, Astarion dropped Festé's hand, taking a few steps ahead of them. The tiefling watched him with apprehension, shoulders cowed forward and holding their right hand in their left, glancing down at it, then up at the elf's back. They heard the soft rush of air over his lips as he took a breath, and studied his slow step forward into the first rays of sun. Festé lingered near the edge of the trees, gazing in astonishment as, for the first time in over a year, the sunlight painted Astarion's hair and skin a pale gold. He looked almost as if he had a halo resting serenely atop his head as he tilted it back.

The anxiety started to set in amongst the awe. What if it didn't work? What if everything that they had done had been fruitless?

Their chest had just barely begun to clench when they watched Astarion hesitate, the sun drawing him in like a portal. Slowly but surely, he turned around and extended his hand out to them, a curious expression on his face.

"Darling, come here," he murmured softly. "You brought me here. I want to bask in this moment with you." Festé gave a shudder of anticipation, their interest piqued at the mere sound of his favourite petname for them. The imp stepped forward, a bit stiffly from the nerves, and closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Their hand slotted into place atop his own, and the elf tugged them close against him immediately. Festé gave him a bashful grin when Astarion placed his free hand at the small of their back, guiding them to stand in front of him. The next thing that they felt was his lips against their earlobe.

"This is a gift," he breathed. "I won't ever forget this. Not in a thousand years." They felt him tense against their back, shifting his posture. One hand lay at their hip, the other curled tightly around their own. His voice seemed to break as he pressed his face into the crook of their neck.

"You gave me the sun again."

A/n: oh, my god. if you're reading this i want to personally applaud you for your patience in waiting for this fic to update writer's block, art block, and i suspect a healthy amount of seasonal depression got my ass this winter. i also... i think i needed to put this fic down for a while and recharge, and fall in love with it again. so if you're here, i sincerely thank you for reading, and i promise i'm taking care of myself in the meantime.

[savepointart]

they’re so gender

[sweetestlittledarling]

Building Little Worlds

Finley peered around the bushes at the wizard, who didn’t show any signs he knew he was being watched, before pulling back and taking in a steading breath. Okay Finley, they thought to themselves, you are covered in dirt and possibly some blood, and you smell like you haven’t properly bathed in over a month but it’s just a conversation. Just a conversation with a handsome wizard who is clearly out of your league. Yeah, no pressure. Finley let out a deep breath before building up the courage to move out of hiding. Hearing their approach Gale looked over and his face dawned a playful look as he leaned back in an inviting way. Just act cool, Finley's inner voice tried to remind them as they already felt the nerves flaring. They took another step closer but stopped suddenly as they found themselves looking at the brilliant show above them.

The usually cursed hazy dark sky was filled with hundreds of beautiful twinkling stars and colorful galaxy like swirls of color like nothing Finley had ever seen before. Not even the real night sky looked so beautiful as this. “Gale,” Finley asked in astonishment as they sat down next to him, “did you make this?”

“Indeed, the curse is still present of course, just veiled and at arm’s length for now,” Gale answered. “Not a trick I can repeat often, but after everything I think we deserve a little bit of starlight.”

“It’s beautiful! I've never seen such a amazin' sky before.”

Gale smiled. “I love this time of night. There’s almost this irreverent silence that accompanies the peak of darkness, when you almost feel like the dawn will never break. The cradle of eternity. The timelessness of lovers.” His eyes turned to Finley as he continued. “The most beautiful of fantasies.”

Finley felt the heat rise as their cheeks burned. Damn, he’s slick, Finley thought. Good thing he’s not a bard or he might kill people with his swagger.

“I wanted to show this to you,” Gale continued without missing a beat, “and if this is going to be my last night alive, I want it to be under a canopy of beauty and wonder with company to match.”

Finley had been ready to protest the idea that this was Gale’s last night, but the 'company' comment caught them off guard sending them back into a tailspin of fluster. Focus Finley! their inner voice demanded. Stop bein' a hopeless simp and help the man!

“I thought this place might bring me peace," Gale continued, his voice filled with defeat. "I thought it might make the weight of what I must do feel a little lighter…but I’m not so sure.”

Steeling their resolve, Finley dared to place their hand on top of Gale's. “Gale,” Finley said, determination clear in their voice, “I refuse to believe this is the end. I promise you, we will find another way!”

“Thank you," Gale said, though not sounding so sure. "But even if we do find another way, perhaps this is the right way. The end fate wishes for me.”

“Well then fate can go and kiss a goblin boot then! I am not lettin’ you sacrifice yourself plain and simple.”

“But there is no point of running from the inevitable,” Gale stated, “Better to meet it on my own terms.”

“But nothing is inevitable Gale! Not when we face it together! I mean look at all the things we have done up till now! Against all odds we are alive, and we have done so much good! We can figure this out!” Finley squeezed Gale's hand reassuringly. “You don’t have to die.”

Gale looked into their eyes and the sadness seemed to wash away. He smiled as he took their hand in his. “One moment with you could sate me for a lifetime,” he sighed, holding tightly to Finley’s hand, “and prize the fear from my heart. I’m so very glad you came to share this with me. I know it’s unreal, but I want you to know I made it for you.”

“For me?” Finley asked, honestly a little lost in Gale's eyes, “You made all of this for me?”

“Yes, you must know that...” Gale paused a moment, looking as if he was trying to find the right words. “That you’re very special to me. If things were different. If we were home, I’d have taken the time to do things properly. To say it all better, but time is short.”

“Gale- “

“I’m in love with you.”

All thoughts stopped in Finley’s mind as they blinked. “Say that again please?”

“If you don’t feel the same or can’t- “

At that moment all the walls holding months’ worth of feelings broke. Finley leaned forward and kissed Gale. It was a quick kiss and a clear shock to both as Finley pulled away. Suddenly all the words that Finley had been holding back came spilling out without warning. “I love you, Gale! I have for a long time, and I was holding back because well you are wonderful and smart and handsome as all fuckin' heck and I'm-"

Now it was Gale's turn to surprise with a kiss, cutting Finley’s words off as their lips met with more passion. It sent tingles through Finley’s body, right down to their toes which curled in their boots. As Gale pulled away, they sighed happily. “You are an amazin' kisser.”

“And you are a bad liar,” Gale chuckled softly, “I lived the life of a hermit before I met you. Safer for all but not conductive to the pleasures of the flesh.”

“Excuse you,” Finley gasped, faking indignation, “I am a great liar! Once I convinced one of my bard college professors I was inflicted with pun-omia.”

Gale raised an eyebrow. “Pun-omia?”

“Yes! The most fatal of illnesses!” Finley answered dramatically. “My brain was filled with nothing but the need to say compulsive puns all day long. I would have gotten away with it to, if it weren’t for the fact after a week of non-stop puns my fellow classmates were ready to murder me.”

“Did you ever have to face any pun-ishment?”

“Oh, what do we have here? A punny wizard?”

“Well, I have been known to play a bit of word play now and again” Gale offered with a sly smile, “you could say I am pun-stoppable. I have a pun-limited number of jokes at my disposal.”

“Well, I guess it’s true what they say then,” Finley laughed. “Love really is an o-pun door.”

Gale let out a laugh as he gazed into Finley’s eyes. “I must say that I’m glad that you feel the same way because it would be a shame to spend my last few hours making an ass of myself.”

“If it were, which it’s not, at least it would be a handsome ass,” Finley offered, gazing back at gale. “Can you say it one more time? Just so I can make sure I heard you correctly.”

Gale’s smile was gentle as they looked at Finley with eyes filled with adoration. “I love you Finley.”

Finley’s heart skipped a beat. “I love you, Gale.”

They sat there in silence for a while, both taking in the unspoken feelings that held on to for so long and now were able to dance freely amongst the stars. Gale’s warm brown eyes never strayed from Finley’s emerald ones as they held tightly to each other’s hand. “I want this to be perfect,” Gale breathed, “to bond with you in the way the gods do, intertwining our spirits in visions of the weave.” He rose to his feet, helping Finley to theirs. “Will you allow me to show you?”

Finley nodded. “Show me.”

[deathlywounded]

“Hunt” part 2

Previous caption: Rev is a spore Druid/urchin wood elf (my favorite kind of Druid) they have horns due to spending the last years of their life living in isolation away from civilization, adopting the likeness of goats and cervines in the heart of the forested mountains. Such is their love for these animals they decided to keep the horns and the singularly colored eyes (also, they miss the weight on their head when not wearing them) Decided to make them a genderless beast because, hear me out, a shapeshifter being connected to nature n’ living away from human costumes studying fungal behavior. What would a being like that need a damn gender for? Nothing, the answer is nothing.

Here is my art Instagram, I´m far more active there. And do NOT use/repost my work without consent or credit, dammit.

[nashcandream]

Getting back to this OC has been healing in strange ways. They are my main self-insert character in terms of personality Lennox is an expression of love on my part in so many ways.

—

I love that their fic with Gale is set post-game, so Lennox being here is like an AU of sorts.

My headcanon for the fic is that Gale has horrific nightmares about everything he endured. As time passes and begins bonding with Lennox, Gale starts to imagine them in these nightmares as a helping or calming presence. And sometimes as the kick in the ass he needs to admit how much things are impacting him.

Because that is Lennox in his life as his apprentice/academic advisee/colleague…someone who grounds him to reality but also challenges him. And helps remind him of his humanity in a good way.

Really, the aftermath fic is just my excuse to write a moodier, needs-to-deal-with-his-trauma Gale. And to share the focus more with Lennox. I’ve enjoyed writing him as the more primary character right now. Lennie has some good stuff coming. And their own issues. Gale and Lennox are dealing with a lot of anger. Lennox is just better at hiding it, or so they think.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[joshua-flipping-washington]

Sure, I've got a fuck ton of mods installed, and we just got Withers Big Naturals on console, but what do I really want- TO ROMANCE HIM, LET ME ROMANCE ROLAN, I BEGGGG. LOOK AT HIM!

His relationship with his siblings- I - 🥹 Them teasing him makes me chuckle, absolutely how siblings are.

[suwisuwii]

gift for a frien

[3gremlins]

you might have thought the best bit of bg3 is all the hot, romanceable people with intriguing personal trauma but actually that's just the 2nd best thing. the best thing is being able to befriend and adopt almost? every animal/baby monster you come across and then PET THEM (you can throw a ball for the dog now and also summon him as a familiar, kinda like the cat in divinity! also i just like talking to the owlbear cub, it's soo cute, they added some more scenes with it from the EA)

[missfortunetherogue]

Meet Miss Fortune

Race: High Half-Elf

Gender: Non-binary

Real name: ??? They’ll tell Astarion eventually

Birthday: Elesias 30

Class: Arcane trickster rogue

Background: Entertainer

Alignment: Chaotic neutral

Voice: 6

Scent: Sandalwood, vanilla, and jasmine

Favorite food: strawberries

(Accidental) aesthetic inspiration: When making Miss Fortune in Baldur’s Gate 3, the options limited me from perfectly matching the image in my head so I went for something as close as possible to my idea of a beautiful masculine-leaning person. It wasn’t until I showed my spouse and bff that they both pointed out I’d basically made half-elf Chris Motionless from Motionless in White. Oops? 😅

Backstory: Miss Fortune is one my favorite DnD characters I’ve ever played. They were a smart, sassy, and chaotic spy master who had a hand in every secret, scandal, and plot. They were the life of every party, their melodic laughter filling whatever room they were in. As a drag queen they trampled over gender norms and played a pivotal role in helping me realize that I am also non-binary - so Miss Fortune will always occupy a special place in my heart 💛🤍💜🖤. So of COURSE when I was making my first bg3 character I had to make them!

The Baldur’s Gate 3/fanfic version of Miss Fortune starts out significantly more traumatized. They grew up as a pretty bird in a bird cage with clipped wings until finally leaving their old life behind two moons (months) before getting abducted by mind flayers. “The Embrace of Love and Death” will reveal more specifics about their backstory as they get to know and trust Astarion. The parallels in Miss Fortune and Astarion’s backstories are completely coincidental! I knew nothing about Astarion going into the game, and when I created Miss Fortune I 💯 intended to romance everyone’s favorite muscle mama, Karlach. But Astarion landed a crit sneak attack on Miss Fortune’s (and my) heart and the rest was history.

Follow along with Miss Fortune’s story and healing journey with Astarion on AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64221298?view_full_work=true

[rielzero]

Consider commissioning me?

I still have one slot open! This headshot commission was for Eef's nonbinary tav oc :D

Check out my commission info here: https://ko-fi.com/actualevil/commissions

[chuchudance]

Quick sketches of my drow tav, deep gnome tav, and duergar tav! I just can't stop making funky girlies (gn) from the underdark

[sweetestlittledarling]

The human wizard who defied a goddess and the formerly lonely halfling bard get some use out of the boots of flying sent to them as a wedding present (saving Gale’s knees in the process).

Art by: @ghostly-kal (please go commission them, they are lovely to work with)

One of the reasons I originally got this commissioned because given all the cool epilogue kisses I saw for tall characters, I was worried there wouldn’t be one for my halfling. I half considered making Finley a taller race but it just didn’t feel right, they are a halfling and always will be. Thankfully the game makers came through and Finley got the kiss and the playful nose boop. I am so happy, for both the kiss and the art <3

[goobobbers]

Songbird

[nashcandream]

When your tav is a rogue and Gale is your partner.

—

Lennox thoughts before my partner and I hit the road for an hour for Thai food and donuts…

—Spies write history. For better or worse, we change it. For the record, it’s usually for the worse. But recorded history goes to the privileged and no one hires more spies than those with a lot to lose. And a lot to gain. Collecting and falsifying intelligence is their job. They achieve that function in a variety of ways.

—Working a bit on the reveal scene I want to write. Injury and a snooping Astarion can be thanked for pushing certain truths into the light. Lennox will be more open than they should be and certainly more than they ever imagined being.

—Fun Waterdhavian Fact: Nobility carry small tokens with their family crest/colors. Their servants wear the colors as part of their uniform.

—Lennox carries a token sewn into their clothing. But they also carry a separate, harder-to-find token related to their role as a spy.

[ravenswritingroom]

Here is my Tav. Their name is Tavlyn and they are a non-binary Mephistopheles tiefling, draconic bloodline sorcerer. I’m still working on what their backstory fully is but from the game option they are sage.