#well. just astarion actually. wyll would think it's cute

[blackestnight]

speaking in tongues

for fluffuary day 10, "secret language." minor spoilers for a side conversation with karlach in act 3 (in the lower city graveyard). tialha is a wood elf bard who loves her giant buff fire girlfriend very much.

“Taters,” Karlach murmured, almost lost under the clanking of her greaves as she rocked back to standing with a parting caress to her mother’s headstone. She couldn’t feel it when Tialha pressed a hand to her back, not through the armor and all the underlayers, but she could feel it, in that humming way she was always aware of where the rest of their merry band of infected bastards was.

“Taters?” she asked, voice equally hushed. Suddenly it occurred to Karlach—maybe Tia had someone buried here, too. She’d lived in the Gate for a while, apparently, and landed somewhere between Astarion and Halsin on the old as balls scale that elves measured their lives by. Plenty of time to have loved and lost. Maybe someday soon, she’d stand here over Karlach’s grave with her hands clasped in that famed elven stoicism.

The engine hitched and sputtered in her chest like a caught breath, or a muffled sob. Gods, it wasn’t fucking fair.

“Meant ‘I love you’ in the Cliffgate household,” Karlach said, instead of anything self-pitying. Plenty of time for being sorry when she croaked. “I can’t even remember how it started anymore. Lost family lore.”

Older than she was, probably. Mum had liked to nuzzle against Dad’s horn in the mornings, before they left for work, drop a kiss and a soft Taters on the ridge of his ear.

“There was a lot of silly nonsense in our house,” she added, and somewhere in the back of her mind—vivid, like a real echo instead of just a memory—she heard her own small voice squealing with delight, the way she always did when Dad picked her up and tossed her toward the ceiling. “My mates used to say we had our own personal language. I guess I’m the last remaining speaker.”

The leather of Tialha’s gloves made a little squeaking noise when it rubbed against the plate armor, just to the side of Karlach’s spine. Her circlet clinked when she rested her forehead gently on the ridges of Karlach’s pauldrons. “When I was very small,” she said, still quiet but not nearly as solemn—now there was a rich warmth in her voice, and the tone set a calming slither through Karlach’s stomach, like a swallow from a warm mug of tea. “My mother and father had to leave me on occasion—it wasn’t unusual, in our enclave. Wood elves tend towards communal child-rearing. But they always told me, when I heard a turtle dove, it was because they missed me, and they’d asked the birds to pass along the message.”

It wasn’t magic—her tadpole was blessedly still, and Tia’s voice lacked the echoing reverb it took on when she started to use her words in the bending-reality-to-her-whims way—but even so Karlach could see it like it was her own memory: teeny toddling Tialha, splayed out in a forest clearing, maybe rumpled and grass-stained from chasing a gaggle of other elven kids, looking to the trees every time she heard a dove call.

“That’s fuckin’ precious, babe,” she said, looping an arm around the dip of Tia’s waist. “Did they really? Y’know, ask the birds to talk to you and all.”

“I haven’t a clue,” Tia said, and tipped her head back to beam up at Karlach. The warm-tea feeling spread into her fingers. “I hadn’t learned to speak with animals back then. But I did learn—oh, goodness, it’s been a while…”

She brought her hands to her mouth, cupped like she was holding a marching horn, and with a little crinkle in her brow she whistled; when she fluttered her fingers it made a sweet vibrato, the sound swooping like diving birds—like a turtle dove.

(Through the tadpole she felt the sparks of flickering awareness from where Astarion and Wyll had wandered off further into the cemetery, pacing through the rows, and swore she heard a snide nonverbal weirdos as the boys went back to whatever they were doing.)

“So that’s Thildran for ‘I love you’?” Karlach asked.

“Mm-hmm.” Tialha always had to stand on her toes for this, and Karlach always had to stoop, which was exactly as comfortable as it didn’t sound in armor, but it was worth it; Tia brushed a gentle kiss over her mouth, her cheek, and then rested her temple against the bridge of Karlach’s nose. When she closed her eyes and breathed she could smell Tia’s perfume, even over the stink of hot metal.

“Taters,” Karlach whispered.

“I’m a quick learner,” Tia said, sunlight in the smile she pressed to Karlach’s jaw. “I’ll teach you mine if you teach me yours.”

—

Two days later and knee-deep in sewer sludge, Karlach looked up when a soft whistle echoed off the tunnel walls. Not birdsong, but she could see Tialha grin as she did it again—four low whistles.

Karlach beamed in return and blew a kiss, and giggled shamelessly when Tia caught it.

[krowbby]

craft hobbies i’m teaching the bg3 companions post game + after they finish their personal quests:

wyll: knitting or quilting. i think he would really appreciate the community aspect of it, and the grandmas at his local quilting circle would be absolutely obsessed with him. his first quilt is a lil wonky but he hangs it up on his wall because he’s proud of himself. also helps out around his local quilt/yarn store and tries to get some kids into the hobby as well

lae’zel: needle felting. you stab something a bunch. need i say more? jk i feel like she’d like something practical like leatherwork or even just basic mending, and she’d be very pleased when anyone complimented her on something she made.

astarion: embroidery baby! he loves finery and we already know he knows basic sewing from the flavor text on his camp clothes (at least that’s how i interpreted that). i think he’d enjoy making things truly his own and also enjoy seeing someone he loved wearing something he made for them. plus embroidery takes awhile and his immortal ass has the time

halsin: he already has a hobby in whittling, but i’m teaching him basic mending too. i think he’d like having it as a skill and also being able to teach the kids how to fix their stuff! (plus u never wanna be unprepared in a teddy bear injury emergency…)

shadowheart: i’m teaching her crochet bc honestly she deserves the instant gratification of how fast crochet can work up. she’d make cute little headbands with fancy granny squares and get excited about nice yarn

gale: i’m also teaching gale knitting. he’s pretty dexterous with respect to casting somatic components of spells so i think he’s got the hand dexterity for it, and i think once he made a weirdly long tube (?) awkward first knitting project he’d take to it really quickly and somehow end up knitting spells into garments

karlach: ok karlach is actually learning needle felting. i think she’d make wonky little adorable creatures and she’d love every one with all her heart. she’d go around to everyone and be like look it’s you as an animal!!!! and you can barely tell it has a face. but it’s also the most precious think you’ve ever seen. you get it

minthara: ok minthara is hard this woman is dead focused on ambition. to help her get it out of her system i’m getting her into warhammer, helping her paint minis, and then setting her loose to become undisputed queen of the local game store. sorry guys u don’t stand a chance

bonus: i’m teaching withers to spin yarn. he shows up with a ball of yarn for you and you’re like what fiber is this and he’s like hm? and you drop it but it’s the most amazing yarn you’ve ever worked with.

[ofstardustanddreaming]

when jealousy happens

headcanon summary: jealousy ensues from astarion and gale in your party, and there's some banter that happens when they both want you.

content warnings: none

fandom: baldur's gate 3

character: astarion x reader, gale x reader

male reader

anon request

you weren't sure when the banter may have truly started to happen, but you definitely remember the first time you were privy to their more public displays of dispute. it happened in camp, when astarion threatened gale with a dagger in his hand, and gale giving threats back with magic from his hands.

you were curious and worried about this potential fight, as was the rest of the camp. but laughter and snide remarks soon erupted from many, including you, when you heard the taunts between the two of them and what clued you all in to what they were fighting about.

they were arguing over you. which, while you did feel flustered over the potential attention that you weren't used to, you thought it was cute. to certain extents at least, because while it was cute at some times, you found that it could be frustrating to deal with in other areas, such as fights. like when astarion would make a snarky remark towards gale when stabbing an enemy; "i'm a much better fighter, it proves i would be a much better protector," and gale retorts with, "i'm a much better defensive attacker, which proves i'm just as good at that position. but who says that he needs a protector, when he does just fine on his own."

it causes strife at times, but it is endearing to have two people fight for your affections. at camp, everyone snickers as gale and astarion fight their way over to you to sleep near you, each taking one side next to you. each one wants to have a last snarky remark before you head to bed, and you groan from under your pillow as you try to get some sleep. you end up having to snap at the both of them to be quiet before you're able to get some sleep, but not before one of them has something to say about the other annoying you. you have to roll your eyes at their goofiness, wondering if you should say something at some point .

because, you are led to wonder when at some point you'll have to make a decision if that's expected. you are worried at some point their arguing would lead to actual bloodshed, wanting to prove themselves to you and trying to outdo each other in their competition. astarion's louder pride compared to gale's more quiet, but still seething pride might not be able to make it out of their banter in one piece. someone was bound to take actual swings at the other if you weren't going to say something soon. shadowheart, karlach, and wyll are the ones you turn to in terms of advice one night.

"i'm just not sure. i have to tell them to quit their bickering soon, right? i'm not wrong in the guess that someone is going to end up murdering the other over me." you tell them, hoping for some sort of wisdom.

"how lucky you are, having two men racing after your heart. how funny it's also been." karlach snickers, with some laughter from the other two as well. "but, i would have to agree. you'll have to make a decision soon, lest one of them really does make a remark that the other can't ignore."

"talk with them at least, give them some terms of things like how long you need to make a decision, so that way banter doesn't eventually lead to something happening." wyll continues off of karlach's opinion, with shadowheart agreeing. karlach eventually nods, clearly thinking about the slight amusement that comes from a potential scuffle.

"is blood what we're talking about? because, if you chose me, you wouldn't have to worry about me feeding from you when you least expect it. this vampire thought he'd be able to steal a quick snack from me, who knows if he'd be able to do it with you?" gale says, overhearing the conversation and coming in to say this to you.

"and he eats magic, it's all really the same, isn't it? and he's eavesdropping." astarion pipes in, with gale glaring his way, proving points that astarion was doing the same thing.

you could only sigh, dragging the two of them to a more secluded area in the woods to give them an earful of what your terms were, wanting to have the time to make a decision in your perilous journey to baldur's gate. (who knows, maybe you'd be able to romance them both, if that's something everyone was open too. if a poly relationship was to be reached, you'd hear more banter than you thought was possible.)

[sadko101]

unpopular opinion: all bg3 origin ships are great (and as platonic too)

gale x astarion: "enemies" to lovers they have great chemistry and has plenty of room for fluff and angst, plenty has been said about them i dont think i have much else to say.

wyll x gale: theirs plenty of danger in being the blade of fronteirs/avernus and we all know what gale is into. also they are two of the more good leaning characters. + gale is very "being a warlock sounds rough" and wyll is "that man is wayyy to faithful i dont want him to blow himself up". dancer x man with poor knees. (i could yap for ever i love them)

karlach x wyll: PERFECT, their stories intertwine while they have this unyielding care for each other. both platonically and romantically this ship is amazing! i just have no words for how good it is

karlach x shadowheart: karlach calling her shads is adorable and shadowheart is just straight up smitting for karlach the moment they meet. also when you play as origin shadowheart karlach is super sweet about the hairchange i love them.

gale x laezel: good leaning frail human wizard x GITHYANKI WARRIOR. theyre conversations are amazing with a mutual sense of curiosity for each others past and possible future. laezel falling for somone as soft as gale as well. ugh its soo good.

laezel x shadowheart: NOW THIS! its the true enemies to lovers of bg3. kinda "toxic yuri" in the begining but as the story goes on and laezel rebels against vlakith and shart against shar theres a real parrelel to there stories and a sort of understanding that they can find in each other.

gale x shadowheart: an intresting dynamic given them both being incredibly faithful to two gods who arent super fond of each other... as shadowheart strays from shar she encorages gale to relise the power mystra had over him, just a lot of support and love for each other is what im imagining. (definitly a ship thats develoupment focused)

karlach x laezel: now i havent had both of them in my team much, but the dynamic feels close to "grumpy x sunshine" laezel really opening up and being nice over time while karlach is open and happy from the begining.

karlach x gale: wizard x barbarion, (also "idoit" x genuis) is just great, gale and his magic could probably help to cool karlach down temporarly! i hc them both as autistc and i like nd x nd ships. also if you let gale ascend to godhood (loser) and play as karlach he can actually fix her engine heart which adds a sweet motivation to his godhood.

karlach x astarion: now i love these two platonically but i also love them romantically. astarion is enthusastic about recruiting karlach and comments about supporting her. he jokes abouthow strong she is which is cute. if youve ever played karlach origin and romance astarion they have a sweet scene together.

wyll x astarion: monster hunter x monster, wyll loves to tease astarion but he cares about him. he has faith in astarion to be a better person and its just MWAH. astarion is a bit of a simp for wyll (me too) he is very nice about the horns in wylls origin too (i love them)

wyll x shadowheart: they tease each other in a super endearing way. they kinda immideitly clicked and i know that wyll would support shadowheart through her whole crisis and shadowheart will help wyll in his self sacrafising tenancies (these little shits reciting porn together at the docks)

shadowheart x astarion: these two could be evil together, but they also could help each other heal and become better people

laezel x astarion: theyre very differnt views of love and affection. i think laezel would help astarion in his journy of reclaiming his own sexuality. (i need to think about these two more)

durge x anyone is great

i speedran typing this sorry for plethera of spelling erros

[yourdailyangel]

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Astarion and gale reaction to sweet pet names!

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Gale✨:when you call him "handsome"

°It started as just a little tease UNTIL you saw the cutest little blush flush across his face

°from there almost every time you talked with him in the inns or at camp you call him handsome!

°and every time you did he would blush! And deny it! "I am not handsome!" Oh it was so cute you couldn't help but giggle

°he thinks about it every time you leave or while you're out

°"me handsome? They think I'm handsome?!" He has the sweetest little smile on his face when he thinks about

°he'll eventually come up with a nickname for you! And of course after that it becomes a thing around camp!

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Astarion🦇:He would never admit it but he loves the fact that you call him sweetheart!

°"Me a sweetheart? Oh darling you must be joking!"

°But he can never stop smiling when you do call him that!

°He's been through a lot so having someone see him as more than a sex object or monster makes him almost cry

°one day at camp you walked passed him to put some camp supplies out and said "Oh hey sweetheart!" With sweetest smile on you're face

°He didn't know what to say actually!

°Of course shadowheart and wyll might tease him for it but honestly their glad to see him happy

°Of course he has his nicknames for you as well

°He mostly refers to you as darling or his secret personal favorite my treasure!

[bl3ss3dbyt1amat]

misc bg3 companion hc

this is so much. i have no idea and im also sorry. all of the origin companions included under the cut

astarion:

i feel like he claps funny. like hes clapping but its that specific way thats meant to be like quieter? like clapping on the palm of his hand. this might be projection but i feel like hes also the type of person to do like a little clap or a spin or his trademark ridiculous giggle whenever hes happy.

i think that hes prone to dramatics like. like pretending to fall on the floor and die if you say hes actually not on your mind 24/7. oh whats that? you dont think im the prettiest princess in the entire world? well astarion has dramatically fallen to the floor

in the early game astarion most definitely practiced his lines loudly and publicly (in camp). he cant even see himself in the mirror but hes trying to look all suave and being like "shall i compare thee to a summers night" while lae'zel and shadowheart both shout "NO" from across the camp. (can be interpreted as bloodiedblade/wyllstarion but i think wyll would be amused and even finish the quote).

wyll:

this man is probably good with basic medicines and ill die on this hill. hes got aloe vera type shit on him at all times. sure, hes not a cleric or healer or even a bard, but he'll stay with you and try his damned best to cheer you up when youre hurt or sick.

on a related note i feel like wyll would be absolutely DELIGHTED by a bard tav. he would just be so amused and filled with whimsy. never gonna complain about playing, even if its like 2am. just occasionally putting in song requests. hes so incredibly enthusiastic like spinning tav around like "THAT WAS BRILLIANT!!!"

wyll probably keeps houseplants. (minor blazingblade but i feel like karlach would accidentally kill one of the plants and actually begin weeping. once she gets her engine fixed wyll tries to teach her how to garden. this goes weirdly) furthermore i think he like goes around his house like humming merrily and watering his plants and crap

gale:

i dont think hes coordinated at all. like this man is tripping down the stairs on a daily basis. he is dropping his tea, his book, his body, ect. to the point that hes got a habit of just hugging the railing for dear life every time he has to go down a staircase. this made traversing shit like the underdark actually literally horrible. every time he falls karlach is so overly concerned and probably offers to carry him. astarion, to everyones dismay, dies laughing each and every time

pretty sure wyll and shadowheart have a conversation about weird book porn. i am here to say that gale was holding back his power while that conversation happened. gale has read so much book porn and if you knew the real scale of it you would be concerned. tara is concerned at least.

shadowheart:

especially during early game, i feel like shadowheart was literally clenching so hard to avoid admitting cute things were cute. like "oh.. a stray mutt... charming I MEAN IN LIKE A GROSS WAY". she was trying to hard to be all scary and into shar and shit but she just really likes puppies and other animals and crap

if she were modern i feel like she would really like pixar movies (inside out comes to mind for reasons i cannot explain) and wear long jean skirts. i cant explain any of this but it is fact in my mind. even in the bg3 setting i do feel like she would wear very long boxy type skirts. sort of plays into her whole "dark priestess" sort of vibe

shadowheart was sitting in her tent with scissors fucking losing her shit with anxiety trying to cut her own bangs without a mirror. it is a literal miracle from selune that they dont look like complete and total shit. no wonder halsin was surprised. (minor silverheart/shadow'zel: when she first like actually properly noticed what shaodwheart did with her hair, since the initial joke is she cant tell what changed, i think lae'zel was very impressed. she even likened it to like a sort of war paint against shar. also we KNOW lae'zel likes silver)

(can be interpreted as bladeheart/,,, do wyll and shadowheart have a ship name yet? HM. well anyway i think that in conjunction with the previous headcanon about wyll gardening, he and shadowheart garden together and he specially grew her night orchids)

lae'zel:

ever since i looked at her stupid little mindflayer training dummie in camp ive had the image of her in my head very angrily and intensly carving up a turnip to look like a mindflayer. draws a little mean face on it like the worlds most violent six year old. every time she messes up on her little DIY project shes muttering curses in tir'su.

lae'zel will take any opportunity to infodump about githyanki culture. specifically red dragons. if she met a red dragonborn or even maybe a follower of tiamat or some shit she would be so hype. in her "i hate everyone SVAH" way ofc. but like. trying to casually slide trivia into battle conversation or party banter with all the subtlety of an owlbear. "yes... the battle preparations are proceeding as expected... as expected a red dragons hibernation cycle..." and everyone just has to turn their head and ask what the fuck shes talking abt

(can be thought of as silverweave: lae'zel and gale talk in draconic about dragon history and the celestial plane. hes so tickled to have a mutual interest with lae'zel)

no one hears lae'zel laugh but when they do its so weird. like its some weird like hissing sort of sound and everyone has to do a double take and make sure theyre understanding what the fuck is going on for a second. lae'zel is incredibly defensive when people notice it but theyre not trying to be mean

karlach:

before her engine gets fixed but like early on to where shes not used to it, karlach keeps trying to touch things and keeps breaking them. this fills her with genuine despair and she will start crying (everyone in camp has to go on a group effort to calm her down). she just thinks the world is so beautiful and is so sad she cant interact with it

she likes to dance but in like a boot stompin way. karlach is probably just an absolute party animal when she gets her freedom back because honestly in her situation who wouldnt be. SHE JUST GOT TO NOT BE ON FIRE LET THE GIRL PARTY

once shes been fixed to the point where she can touch people, she just never stops. manhandling everyone in the party constantly. oh whats that? tav is on low health? dont worry karlach is sprinting over to put tav on her shoulder. literally any problem can be solved by karlach hugs and i wont be taking feedback on this

[queen-rhaenyras]

Rating Bg3 Ships with the origin companions

Warning: Opinions that may differ from your own. I rated the companions, now it's time to rate the ships.

#1 Lae'Zel/Shadowheart: I'm not into enemies to lovers that much, but I make exceptions for women. Love this ship so much. Also both realizing their goddesses are terrible ad helping each other through that. I love them. They are my fav bg3 ship. Like my lesbian heart can't handle how much I adore them.

#2 Shadowheart/Gale: I love this ship so much it hurts. I played Gale's origin to romance Shadowheart and it was beautiful. (Also the nerd and the goth girl? Adorable). They are perfect together in so many ways. I saw someone else say if Shadowheart was a man, people would love this ship because they compliment each other so well. They are everything people think Astarion/Gale are. Also they both have issues with their goddesses and can never really escape them. Only they can understand that and it would bring them so much closer. Also their cozy good endings in the epilogue! I can see them fitting in perfectly with each other's good ending.

#3 Wyll/Astarion: True foils. Monster/Monster hunter. I'm obsessed with this pairing. If Wyll was a white man, this would be the most popular m/m ship in bg3. Please repeat that last sentence slowly, because I can't say it enough. I don't even like Astarion as a character all that much, but I love this ship a lot. Also Astarion has a crush on Wyll. Why are we denying him his crush? Let's be so for real about this one.

#4 Wyll/Karlach: The fact that Wyll can go with Karlach in the end? Their return in the epilogue and how they speak of each other? It's so cute. I love them together. Another example of enemies to lovers that I actually enjoy because they don't hate each other. As soon as Wyll realizes she's not who he thought she was, they develop a mutual respect for each other. I love that dynamic so much.

#5 Shadowheart/Karlach: Shadowheart's comment about Karlach picking her up and carrying her over her shoulder to safety sold this ship for me. It's cute and f/f so you know I love it.

#6 Gale/Lae'Zel: Also have shared goddess issues. Gale learns Lae'Zel's language if you play his origin to romance her. I haven't done it yet, but omg that's so cute. He also calls her a term of endearment in her language? I'm going to have to play as Gale to romance her asap. Obsessed with the idea of these two together.

#7 Karlach/Astarion: This is a pretty popular ship and It's a popular ship I can get behind. I do like these two together and I think they compliment each other well.

#8 Lae'Zel/Karlach: I mean. It's f/f so I'm a little biased, but I can see the potential. I don't hate it at all. I saw someone who romanced them with each other and they said it was surprisingly sweet.

#9 Gale/Karlach: I can see how it's cute, but I just don't see them together romantically. I do love the idea of them being besties. Karlach's reaction if Orin takes Gale!? When she says, "MY wizard." and the way she wants to cheer him up after Elminster tells him about Mystra's plan for him is precious. So I understand if someone ships them. Maybe if I romance one of them with the other I'll change my mind.

#10 Shadowheart/Wyll: I do not see any chemistry, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I don't mind this ship. It doesn't bother me at all and if there is anyone out there that ships it, good for you. Hope it brings you joy. It's definitely an unproblematic ship.

#11 Gale/Wyll: This is boring I'm sorry. I love both of these men so much, but together? Not so much. But I don't HATE it. It's just not my cup of tea. If you enjoy it though, that's perfectly fine. Like the above ship, it's unproblematic and I understand why someone would like it.

#12 Wyll/Lae'Zel, Lae'Zel/Astarion, Shadowheart/Astarion: Meh. I don't hate them, but I don't love them. I don't really have an opinion about them to be honest which is why I threw them all together.

#13 Gale/Astarion: My most controversial opinion yet because this is such a popular ship. But these two feel so FORCED. If they weren't two white men, they wouldn't be as popular. Let these two dislike each other for the sake of disliking each other. Astarion's dislike of Gale is not cute and it's not enemies to lovers. Also Astarion's reaction when Gale is taken by Orin gives me the ick. He's awful to him. I don't want him touching my favorite wizard with a ten foot pole. Gale deserves way better. Also I relate to Gale more than any other character, and Astarion irritates me as a character and I low-key feel like Astarion would irritate Gale too. In fact, I'm pretty sure he does. I had Gale kick Astarion out of camp after he tried to bite him during my Gale origin run and it was so on brand for Gale. It just felt right. Sorry if you ship this. This is not me saying people shouldn't ship it. Ship what you want if it brings you joy. But I wish people would stop acting like these two are MADE for each other, because that is such a red flag to me.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Keep Thinking About Gale x Single Mom!Tav

A/N: Shout-out to @leighsartworks216 for letting me ramble to them about it. I just need to get all this stuff rattling around in my brain out.

I know, I know, Gale repeatedly says he's not father material, but have you considered that I want him to be a dad anyway and it's cute

So in my brain this single mom is named Gwen (Guinevere); a half-elf, wild magic sorceress

She came from a fairly well to do family, married a handsome and acceptably rich merchant and soon had a child on the way

Problems came when she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, who also happened to be a teifling

Seen as a bad omen, both her family and husband wanted her to give up the child, she refused causing her husband to leave her and her family to reject her

She didn't let that stop her though and soon she found a new home for her and Clara

Over the next eight years she worked hard to build a life for herself and make sure Clara never doubted for a moment she was loved

Gwen knew the world would be hard on her girl, so she made a point to build up her confidence and teach her it's never wrong to fight back when people are treating you unfairly; you can't take that shit lying down

Blunt and a bit intense, Gwen has seen and done plenty of shit and thought she finally had a handle on her life; and then she got kidnapped by illithids

Still haven't played the game, so I can't give a play by play of every interaction, but I do know early game she would be a bit distracted

Obviously her first goal is to figure out if her daughter is okay so it frankly is the only thing on her mind until she gets her hand on a sending scroll or something like it

Only after does she confirm that Clara is safe and with people she trusts can she focus on the task at hand

Takes a liking to Gale basically from the word go; he's respectful, he know hows to cook, he keeps making comments about his tongue, there is only so much a woman can handle

Gods know it has been a while since she's gotten laid

He starts rambling about magic and she can't not fuck him

Gale is hesitant at first because first the orb, second Gwen has made no secret she had a child and Gale doesn't see himself as father material, and three because he does really, really like her and doesn't want to make promises he can't keep

I'd say they're able to meet Clara before they head come to Baldur's Gate so Gale and the rest can meet her earlier; and to give Gwen some peace of mind

Clara is a very curious and headstrong, both of which Gale can appreciate; he can see why Gwen was so determined to get back to her, which only makes him admire her more

Also, quick aside about the rest of the companions; Wyll and Karlach would be ready to baby sit at any given moment, Lae'zel admires the child's fighting spirit and absolutely gifted her a sword, Shadowheart enjoys her more mischievous tendencies, and Astarion is classic wine aunt who hates all kids except Clara (he's been helping her stage of coup of the swing set)

Eventually feelings are confessed between Gale and Gwen leading to a proper relationship (and Gwen actually getting laid)

Gwen is absolutely not having it with him trying to blow himself up or becoming a god

Mystra: You must destroy yourself and the orb. Gale: Alright, let me ask Gwen. Mystra: No, that's not--. Gale: She said no.

Once everything is said and done, I'm going back and forth on if they would settle in Waterdeep

Clara has friends and it would be hard to ask her to leave, but I think Gale could compromise and get a position at a different magical university closer by

Either way, Gale settles into the domestic life rather nicely and dives head first into being the best father to Clara he can be

He absolutely devours every parenting book he can get his hands on, only to throw it all out the window once he's actually in it; Gwen did warn him, but old habits and all that

Probably waits a little longer to actually get married to see how they all function as a family together first; plus he wants to properly ask Clara if she's okay with him marrying her mother

I've got other random thoughts, but that about covers it for now, if you want to know more, feel free to drop an ask! I'm up for anything.

[a-writing-otter]

All Fire, No Heat

(follow link to read on AO3)

Astarion weathers his lower lip between his teeth as he gazes across the fire. Karlach is sitting close to Wyll, regaling him with her side of a famous clash with the Blade of Frontiers as he, for everyone else’s benefit, corrects with the actual events.

This little… whatever of Astarion and Karlach’s isn’t so weak that it flickers at the fact she’s talking to Wyll with an arm around him, that’s just Karlach. No, his attention is far more rapt on the way she tells the story.

She talks often about Avernus in that shallow, barely-there way that most of them talk about their lives. Karlach cracks jokes and blushes past the depths of her horrors, but Astarion knows. Oh, Astarion knows someone who’s faced the cruelty of the universe and come out broken and he smells it on her charred skin. But the horrors she speaks about tonight aren’t ones committed to her, they’re things she’s done.

Weeks together and he knows how to read between the lines. She’s talking rather openly, but keeping it light, playful banter that she passes between her and Wyll. It’s not her words that intrigue Astarion, but rather how she says it.

In the low light of the fire, juxtaposed with the dark of the night, Karlach glows. Well, quite literally, her ports sputtering and smoking as her excitement mounts, but in addition, her teeth are shining, eyes gleaming like a predator and something is beginning to connect in his head. He suddenly sees her as a beast, a creature bent low, the last thing seen before the embrace of the void with dripping maw and scraping claw.

And it clicks—she truly was the Fury of Avernus, Advocatus Diaboli, the Right Hand of Death.

When she glances up, turns that dark, ferocious gaze on Astarion and winks at him, Astarion feels his breath hitch.

While he’s a rather formidable foe for near every person he’s cornered, it’s not a new concept that he can’t win every fight. And he knows, objectively, he might lose a fight against a number of his cohorts, but looking at her, seeing the way she looks at him, imagining what she’d look like to others, Astarion knows he would have no chance against her. That concept makes his skin prickle, his throat feel dry, and something ache in his pants.

It isn’t terribly long before they all decide to retire, petering off one by one. Astarion leaves relatively early into the dispersal as watching Karlach grow more and more animated makes Astarion feel crazy, but his eyes don’t stray far from the campfire. Karlach and Shadowheart are the last to leave, the former gravitating towards Astarion’s tent in a way that has started to feel familiar.

“Can I help you with something?” he asks without looking up from the tome he’s been pretending to read, fighting to keep his voice even and his thoughts forward.

“Oh, I think so.” He can see her standing there from the corner of his eyes, bobbing on the balls of her feet (the damned woman really can’t stand still), something expectant on her features. It’s no wonder that Astarion can’t see her as the terror she used to be when she’s this godsdamned cute. To call it an act is uncharitable, Karlach truly is sweet and kind and warm, but tonight he’s been gifted a chance to see beneath it. It’s hard to square away the beast in the fire from the doe-eyed woman who’s looking down at him, eyes soft and lips tilted into that small, secret smile she reserves for him.

“And what might that ‘something’ be?” Astarion asks.

Karlach lets herself wander closer now, stepping into his space until she’s towering over him, the smile on her face doing just as much for Astarion as the flash of her teeth had. She gets close, but doesn’t touch—she never touches until Astarion instigates it.

In the beginning, it’d been frustrating, had wrapped around to endearing, but now it’s a touch frustrating again. After a lifetime of people clawing, pawing, gripping Astarion whether he liked it or not, it’s nice to have someone who asks, someone who cares, but in the same breath, now that his discomfort at her touch has turned to craving, her asking almost becomes a chore.

Almost.

“Is it this?” Astarion asks, raising a hand to hook it into the strap of her top, pulling her down as he leans up. She’s warm, he does feel that, and the pressure of her lips against his own makes his spine tingle. He can taste ale on her breath, a bitter sort of accompaniment to her otherwise oaky, burning taste.

When he pulls away, Karlach doesn’t go far, her forehead resting against his and he can’t help but to smile at her in return as they linger there together.

“You were terribly animated tonight,” Astarion says, breaking the quiet they’d wrapped themselves in.

“Oh? That?” Karlach laughs. “It’s Wyll’s fault, the right bastard. He starts spouting his ‘shite about his time in the Hells and someone has to right him.”

“And that someone is you, beloved?”

He sees Karlach’s skin glow a little brighter at that pet name and he can’t help but to chuckle in response.

“Well, I was the only one there!” Karlach clears her throat and starts to pull away, but Astarion puts a hand on her arm, keeps her close.

“The way you talked about your time in Avernus was fascinating, your behavior almost terrifying.”

“I’d never act like that towards you—“ she immediately goes to defend, voice a touch panicked.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

Karlach falters for a moment as she tries to piece together what was just said. From here on out, he knows he has to tread lightly.

“What an awe-inspiring foe you must have been,” Astarion continues. “The Fury of Avernus, hm? The name alone must have inspired reactions, good and bad. What kind of terror were you?”

“I— Well, I—“

Karlach’s hands are a little uncertain on Astarion’s waist, like she’s not sure if she wants to pull away. Astarion takes the hand not holding her top to traipse fingers up and down her bicep, tracing the natural line of her skin while clearly avoiding the ports there.

“My name carried weight,” she starts slowly. “If that’s what you’re asking.”

Astarion hums, encouraging.

“Even the great ‘Blade of Frontiers’ had reason to fear you. I’ve seen the glint in your eyes before, the way you bare your teeth. Sometimes I see why people mistook you for a devil.”

When he feels Karlach tense, he’s afraid he’s stepped too far.

“Devils are terrible damned things.”

“Yes, yes. Horrible,” Astarion agrees. “And you waded through them like they were nothing, didn’t you? They must have had nightmares about you, you the story that they breathed to one another in their camps, promises that if they saw you, you’d be the last that they’d see.”

He’s close to her now, speaking against her throat. It’s only recently he’s gotten the benefit of tasting her ichor, body safe enough to take from burning, smoky blood, heady like he remembers a good whiskey tasting. There’s solace to be had in the fact that she’s shuddering, that her breath hitches ever so slightly as lips and teeth and tongue tickle a place she’s so sensitive.

“I… had a way with them,” she begins, Astarion seeing how she’s feeling out the words and where he’s going with this. “I could be cruel, oh, gods, I could be so damn cruel. It wasn’t always my axe that did them in. Plenty of times I was without it and had to make do with my bare hands.”

Now it’s Astarion’s turn to shudder.

“You were ruthless.”

“Bloodthirsty.” And this time Astarion sighs which makes Karlach laugh, though it’s quiet, like she’s trying to keep it between them.

“Were you that way with yours lovers, too?”

Kalarch hums and he imagines she’s seeing the through line. Her hands are suddenly firm on his hips, gripping tight enough to bruise, were Astarion able to. The pressure is all the same and he feels his stomach flip in response.

“Is that it? You’re looking for something a little more… forceful?”

“I’m looking for anything you can give me.”

And Astarion knows she can give him so much, wants to give him so much. He’s waited for her for so long and he’ll wait for her longer. Never before has he had the build up before the taste. So much of being with Karlach had been patience and restraint and it had been nice, but now? Now, he wants reckless abandon.

Her hand comes up off of the bruising grip of his waist to wrap around his throat. Both of his hands come up, grip her arm out of instinct, but there’s no panic. He trusts her. Oh, he trusts her with his everything. So when she squeezes, he feels his stomach flip and hears a keening noise escape that takes a moment to register is him.

“I can give you anything,” she purrs, a low rumble to her voice that makes Astarion absolutely throb. “But what about what I want to take?”

“Y-You—“ Astarion pants, licking his dry lips with drier tongue. “You think you can take it from me?”

And when she tightens her grip, a masterful hold on his jugular with her middle finger and thumb, Astarion can’t help the way that he full-on moans, especially when she pulls him, lifting him onto his toes and closer to her face.

“I don’t think you could stop me.”

It’s how he ends up in his tent, down against the bedding, Karlach’s tongue in his mouth and her body pinning his down. She’s always been stronger than him, but this feels different. Karlach is cutting off his air with her strong hand, grinding her knee into his crotch in a way that has him wordlessly begging for her. She doesn’t even seem to care that he’s coming apart at the seams as she pulls back, mouth a red, wet mess.

“Oh, look at you,” she taunts, squeezing his throat and laughing when he gurgles. “There’s nothing you can do, is there? Just lying there, taking it. Gods, you’re so pathetic.”

And he claws at her hand, trying and fighting to find air or form words, but elated at the fact he’s helpless to do anything. He feels pathetic like this, tears pricking his eyes as he writhes beneath her.

“Held down and captive, yet you’re getting hard. I can feel it, love. You’re grinding into my knee. Do you need it that bad that you’re prostrating yourself for your captor?”

Yes, yes, yes! He does need it that bad and he needs it from her, gods, he only ever needs it from her. He bucks his hips, grinding into her knee and when she pushes down further, harder, sharper, he bucks and cries, swearing he could cum on the spot just from this.

Karlach shifts her weight, pushes down harder on his throat and his head starts swimming. It’s not the lack of air that’s doing him in, it’s the pressure and the voice and the cut off of blood he’s drank no longer swimming through his veins. Her blood, held back by her hand: he sees the irony in it.

“Are you that depraved that you’ll cum like this? Not even touched, not even relieved, just in your pants like some desperate whore?”

He doesn’t even want to deny it. If she talks at him like this, strings him out, he will cum and be as pathetic as she or anyone else has seen him. While he pretends to be better, he knows better—Astarion is pathetic beneath it all.

“Go on, then,” she baits. “If you’re so damned desperate, show me.”

He stares at her, vision swimming with tears as she cocks an eyebrow at him. Swallowing thickly, he feels her thick fingers on his throat and gasps beneath it. She’s not moving her knee anymore, holds it stationary against his crotch and, when he bucks, she doesn’t lean into it.

Oh, she actually means it.

He lifts and lowers his hips, rubbing against her knee like some kind of dog in heat. Over and over, he gyrates against her. His breath is coming in pants as a bastardized pleasure crawls through his body. He’s leaking into his pants, against her knee, but he can’t stop. She’s laughing at him, flexing her fingers to remind him who’s in charge, who’s the one controlling him. All he can do is pant and whine and continue to grind his cock against her.

He croaks out, tries to give her some kind of warning, but the grip on his throat has made his head fuzzy and pleasure made his tongue useless.

“Oh, already? Gods, you can’t even hold it together. If you’re that fucking worthless, spray like a bitch, then. I told you to show me.”

He pants, moves his hips faster and sharper, the rough fabric of his pants grating against his cock, but Karlach is staring down her nose at him and tightening her fingers and her knee is firm and— and— and—!

Astarion’s back arches as he humps her leg, cumming against her as he dirties himself for her pleasure. He knows it’s going to stain his clothes, that it’ll take awhile to clean out, but all he can do is pant as he pumps his hips weakly before falling back.

When his vision clears, he sees her annoyed, critical stare. If it wasn’t for the thumb stroking over his pulse point, the other hand rubbing his sternum, he’d think she was serious. Even in her pretend, she has to remind him she still care for him and that makes him smile a bit.

“What’re you grinning at?” She sneers. “You think you’re done? Might be so useless you can’t keep your cock up to let me fuck myself, but it doesn’t mean you’re free. Get up.”

She gets off of him and this, this, is his favorite part. Karlach gets on her knees, hooks her thumbs into the top of her pants and starts to slide them down.

His mouth fills with saliva, his belly with want, and all he can do is gaze as she puts herself on display. She’s a woman carved of muscle, her firm stomach, thick thighs, and powerful arms all rendering most useless, but his eyes fasten instead on the bush of hair surrounding her pussy, wet and wanting just from the display that Astarion’s put on.

It takes effort not to immediately try and dive his face into there, but he knows better with the way Karlach’s been barking orders. She strips her pants and sits back, legs closed while his eyes focus on what he can’t quite see. He looks up to see her bored expression, ruined only by the way she’s weathering her lip in the way she does when he’s between her legs and she’s wanting more.

“Come here. No—“ Astarion stumbles to a stop, on one knee and halfway up before falling back.

“Crawl to me.”

Gods, if that doesn’t make his spent cock twitch again. He lowers himself, on his hands and knees, dragging himself to where she’s sitting ramrod straight, legs out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. He frames her legs, looking up at her while she continues to stare down at him critically. Through it, though, he can smell her want, can see the dilation of her pupils, and he knows she’s enjoying this.

She brings her legs up to her chest then draws one onto one side of Astarion and then the other. He doesn’t dare break eye contact they’re holding, but he can’t help the quiet noise that escapes as he’s suddenly bathed in the scent of her sex. Once again, his mouth waters, enough this time that drool escapes down his chin.

“Clean it up.”

He blinks, eyes sliding back into focus as he stares at her, confused.

“You heard me. Clean it up.”

Finally, he glances down, sees the splatter of saliva on the tent between her legs. There’s hesitation there and Astarion opens his mouth to make some kind of catty comment when there’s suddenly a fist in his hair and his mouth and nose are shoved against the ground.

He means to complain.

He moans.

His tongue lolls uselessly out of his mouth, spreading more of his mess onto the floor as Karlach clicks her tongue.

“Fucking useless, can’t even do a damned thing I tell you right. For fuck’s sake—”

He’s dragged back up, his mouth and chin a mess as Karlach searches him with a critical eye. There’s a growl that escapes as he’s jerked around again by his hair, this time ending up on his back, looking up at her.

“Can’t even trust you to use your mouth correctly.”

No, no, she can’t. God, he can’t say the last time he’s had a partner get him this strung out, degraded and humiliated, all for their taking.

Well, he can—

His mind starts to sharpen slightly before she pulls on his hair again and forces him to look up at her. His vision sharpens on her, radiance and death all in one, a perfect red sun on a dull horizon, like another.

“Karlach?” he croaks with something like a tremble in his voice that she must understand is not arousal because her hand comes up, sweeps across his cheekbone. There’s a momentary crack in the facade as they meet each other’s gaze. She does understand. Karlach bends low, foreheads together for a moment and Astarion breathes in deep, trying to soothe the knot in his chest. Her earthy scent washes over his pallet and the places in his memory that were sharpening, stabbing into the softness of the moment start to dull. And when she raises her head to kiss his brow, his nose, and then his lips, he smiles at her in return. Astarion’s hand comes up and he squeezes her hand still holding his face, the pair sharing a nod before he lies back and her expression returns hard and haughty, the switch so instantaneous that it makes Astarion shiver again.

His hand comes up and before they sink into it, his fingers catch on her top and he pulls slightly. Karlach looks down at it and then at Astarion who offers her a cheeky smile.

The way she rolls her eyes and how her lips twitch is nothing short of affectionate. She knocks his hand away and takes a second to slide the top off, now completely bare for his gaze. Astarion feels his cock twitch, but Karlach pays it no mind.

“So damned fucking demanding. Demanding a lot for someone who can’t do shit for himself.”

He reaches out for her again, but she takes both of his wrists into one large hand, pinning them above his head.

“Oh, I don’t think I can trust you with those,” says Karlach. “You had the time to prove you were worth something and you left me fucking cold, so now I’m taking you out of the picture.”

He turns his head to see where she’s holding a vibrant red toy phallus. It’d been an... investment of sorts, one that the poor smithy probably wishes he knew less about, but one they haven’t used as much since they found Dammon and were able to get Karlach a proper tuneup. Well, not on her, at least.

She holds it up, makes sure that Astarion catches full view of it before she releases his wrists and reaches behind herself. Astarion doesn’t have to be told not to move to keep himself still, far too enraptured by what he’s watching happen.

Karlach props her hand against the floor. With the hand holding the phallus, she brings it in front of her and between her legs. A soft, feathery sound escapes as she rubs the head of it against her clit. Astarion watches, enraptured, as it dips between her folds, Karlach grinding against the toy in slow, steady motions that cover it in her own juices.

He whines for every moan that escapes her, watching as her own pleasure mounts. While he would be so content to watch her grind herself to completion, he knows that Karlach is too invested in putting on a show, almost as much of an attention whore as Astarion is. The toy creeps back further and further until Karlach lifts herself up onto her knees, lines up, and then sinks back down.

They moan in unison as Karlach takes the phallus into her, slick covering her hand and now pooling onto the stomach of Astarion’s shirt. His fingers scrape above his head uselessly as he watches her.

“You like it?” She’s breathless sounding as she starts to ride the toy, its red length disappearing and reappearing with every stroke. Astarion’s eyes are focused on the way her pussy hugs onto it, makes room for it and then tightens up when it’s no longer inside of her. He nods mutely.

“This could have been you. Fuck, you would have liked that, wouldn’t you, fangs? Your cock in my cunt, filling me up, feeling how tight I am. Not a lot of folks can say they’ve fucked a girl like me.”

And Astarion nods again. He loves it, loves when she lets him fuck her. But tonight, he’s not for that. He’s for lying back, watching as she fucks herself over and over, the wet sound of the toy pounding into her hole making him harder. Her scent is all around him and he wishes she was dripping down his chin, that he’d been good enough for her earlier to feel her cum on his tongue. And yet…

“Oh, but you like this, don’t you?” Karlach looks over her shoulder and laughs at what she sees. “Fuck, getting hard watching me fuck myself. Here.”

And she arches her back and spreads her legs wide, pussy on full display from its dark red, swollen clit, to its puffy lips spread apart, to the hole sucking on the toy inside as she pounds it deep. Her other hand comes up as she starts to stroke her own clit, her voice getting loud. Both hands are soaked with her own slick before long as she pants and moans. He doesn’t miss the way she says his name, a crack in the armor of the game they’re playing.

“Do you like this, Astarion? That you’re— you’re my toy, that I— I get to decide what you’re good for. You like being my— my bitch. You’re my fucking bitch. Shit, I—“

She’s pumping her hips now, pushing herself further onto the toy as she furiously strokes her clit. He sees her pulsing around it, can smell the way she’s close. Her voice is getting higher, her movements messy, and Astarion is whining with her. He is her bitch and her bitch wants her to cum for him. He can’t say it, can only stare at her, and look at her glistening pussy while he drools on himself.

Karlach bends low and fucks the toy, head against Astarion’s as she growls and grits. And then all at once, she whines, whole body spasming with Astarion’s name hugged in her cries. Astarion’s body burns, his cock aching, and he swears he almost cums untouched just from hearing and seeing her.

Then they’re both there, panting and wheezing for a moment as Karlach comes down from her high. When she lifts her head, her chest is glowing blue, the light shining on both of their faces. Her expression is soft and he doubts she can help it when she leans forward and kisses him.

It’s quick as she regains herself and sits up, sweeping the hair from her face with her free hand as she pulls the phallus out of her pussy. The toy glitters with her juices and Astarion doesn’t bother hiding his hunger as he licks his lips.

Karlach looks at him, tilts her head slightly as a wicked smile crosses her face. She takes his jaw in her hand and pushes at the space between his teeth through his cheeks, opening his mouth. Wordlessly, she feeds the soiled toy into his mouth and Astarion whines as he greedily takes it in. Even through the taste of the toy, her taste it divine. His tongue swirls around it as he eagerly sucks it clean, eyes focused on Karlach’s face, watching her watch him.

“Good boy,” she soothes, massaging his jaw as she slowly starts to work the toy in and out of his mouth. Astarion falls into the pattern of sucking it off without qualm, cheeks hollowing and filling every time she pushes it in. It’s a slow, methodical sort of motion and, before he knows it, it’s filling his throat, its base to his lips as she gazes adoringly up at Karlach.

“Hold it there,” she orders, letting it go. Astarion is quick to obey, holding it for her as she gets off of him.

He’s hardly aware of what’s going on until he feels a coolness on his skin. Still wearing his shirt, he’s been relieved of his pants and underwear, heavy cock hard and curled against his stomach.

Karlach pokes at it with a bare foot and he whines around the toy, humping the air.

“No, no, you’re not using that for anything tonight,” she chides, walking the length of his body and turning around so he sees her ass and tail. Reaching back, she takes the toy and he pants slightly, eyes on the web of saliva connecting his spread lips and the toy.

Standing above him, he’s got a perfect view of when she pushes the toy back inside of herself with a luxurious sort of sigh.

There’s a moment of confusion as he assumes he’s going to watch her fuck herself again, but this time, she sits and straddles his chest and he feels it poke into his sternum. Quickly, the toy is forgotten as she leans forward, her ass in his face as she grabs his legs and pulls them back towards his chest until he’s bent in half, cock now deliciously pressed between her tits and his legs over her shoulders. In spite of that, he can’t help but feel a little silly, ass in the air, Karlach on his chest, the toy inside of her poking him. His vision is cutoff by her figure, but some things start to suddenly click as something wet and warm lands on his asshole, belatedly realizing it’s saliva. He lets out a curious note and then feels something shift on his chest, Karlach sighing as he realizes she’s fucking herself once, twice, three times with the toy and then pulls it out.

“Bitches don’t do anything but give whatever is asked of them,” Karlach informs as he feels the head of the dripping wet toy, wet with her slick, circle his wet asshole. Immediately, he’s twitching and pulsing, not sure if he’s trying to push her out or suck her in when he realizes what she’s about to do.

“I— I don’t know if—“ He begins, but suddenly Karlach shifts her weight back and suddenly her pussy is on his face. Like a child latching onto a bottle, his mouth opens, his tongue flicks out, and he’s wrapping his lips around her hole, pushing his tongue inside of her. The sigh she lets loose only encourages him as he starts to fuck her with his tongue.

When the toy starts to push inside of him, he’s almost too distracted to care. It’s tight and uncomfortable, but he feels her slick dribbling down the toy and onto his skin and the idea that she’s pushing herself inside of him makes him comply. There’s no delicacy to this tonight, Karlach bottoms out inside of him and Astarion’s toes curl in delight. As much as he loves when he gets to fuck her, Astarion is just as delighted as when she fucks him.

They both settle into it as Karlach moves the toy in and out of his ass, spitting on it every now and then to ease the way, but Astarion taking a bit too much relish in the pain and what that’ll mean tomorrow. Karlach herself seems to be getting into it as she drops her weight, smothering his face and rocking against him as she idly rides his tongue.

Astarion is hardly present anymore, sucking and lapping and moaning against Karlach’s cunt as she continues to fuck him. Every now and then she’ll dictate orders—“Come on, I shouldn’t have to tell you to suck my clit.” “Fucking useless, stick your tongue back in.” “Lift your chin, if you’re going to make me do all the work.”—and all Astarion has to do is listen. He’s floating in the moment, hardly able to do anything other than be taken completely by the Fury of Avernus. All he can do is be a passive body as she grinds against his mouth and nose, using him for her pleasure while she continues to fuck his hole and otherwise take him from the equation.

He knows she’s playing dirty when her hand moves, the angle shifts, and suddenly the ruthless pounding of the toy is hot on the core of his pleasure. Astarion sobs into her pussy and tries to move, tries to bounce on the toy, but all he can do is wiggle pathetically as she keeps him in place. In his haze, he tries to plead, tries to say her name, tries to beg, but all he can do is wiggle his lips and cry under her. He’s completely as her mercy and that reality would usually terrify him, but now, it’s got him completely boneless and passive.

“Did I find it?” Karlach taunts, fucking that spot harder, the base of the toy slapping against his asshole with a percussive noise that echoes in their tent and likely the camp. “Is this the spot my bitch wants me to fuck him at?”

She lifts her hips off of his face and Astarion wants to complain, but all he can do is lie back, tongue lolling out, and eyes shut as he pants, focusing on where Karlach is fucking him.

“I asked you a question,” she snaps, pushes the toy in deep and grinds it against his prostate. Astarion cries out, back arches, and all at once, it’s over. His hole is hugging the toy, spasming around it as he holds it deep against his core, his own cock Karlach so repetitively called useless sprays all over their stomachs, and Astarion sobs like a child before going completely limp.

Belatedly, he feels his legs and ass come back into contact with the ground in a gentle sway, the toy still inside of him pushed that much deeper, releasing a whimper from Astarion. Then he feels a hand come down between his legs, hears a grunt and keening noise, and as he opens his eyes, he sees Karlach’s cunt right in his line of sight, her hand furiously working her clit over as she lets the high heavens hear her thoughts about fucking herself. He wants to help more than he has the words to say, but he’s unable to do anything other than stare.

It’s not a long stare since Karlach quickly goes rigid, he sees her body tremble in another wave of pleasure, and then she falls to her knees and elbows.

Panting reverberates in the tent for a few minutes as they both come back to themselves. Astarion, despite cumming first both times, is still in a boneless pile by the time that Karlach is twisting around. He can’t do more than whine when he’s pushed and prodded, but when his face ends up between her breasts, her hand in his hair, and her body against his, he can’t help but feel content.

They lie like that for days, months even.

Or, rather, several minutes before Astarion is able to lift his head just enough to look at Karlach. Who’s smiling at him, expectantly.

“That was fine,” he dismisses her unasked question, stretching his arms above his head and turning so he can lie on his back. A quick glance to the side earns him an affronted looking Karlach before his lifts his arm and, like a wild cat, she pounces to lay on his chest.

“‘That was fine’. Fucking bullshit,” she gripes. “You were completely into it and were completely starstruck to be pushed around.”

He makes a balking sound at her only for her to grip his face and force her to look at him. Her grip is hard and his mouth closes with a ‘snap’ of his teeth. Karlach holds him in a harsh gaze before she breaks and laughs.

“Damn, if I knew you were that into me fucking you, I’d have done it sooner!”

“You have fucked me before,” he points out, shifting so he can remove the toy phallus from his ass.

“Yeah, but, you know, not like that.”

When he looks up, he sees Karlach looking pensive, away from him.

“What is it, darling?”

Karlach doesn’t meet his gaze, instead burrows down further into his chest as she wraps her arms tight around his waist, hugging him close. It’s moments like these that Astarion remembers that she cares about him. She really, truly cares.

“You know I don’t think any of that shit about you, right? The ‘useless’ and ‘pathetic’ and stuff?”

He lets out a huff before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, kissing her broken horn.

“No, Karlach, I don’t think you think any of that.”

One day, he’ll find the words to tell her what she means to him. One day he’ll tell her that he feels safe, she makes him feel safe in a way he’s never been before. Maybe it’ll be poetic, maybe it’ll be while she’s drunk and he’s feeling vulnerable, or maybe, just maybe, it’ll be in some meadow with flowers and birds and he can give her a scrap of the romance she deserves, that she’s always deserved, but has been robbed of by the likes of Gortash and Zariel.

He knows his time in the sun is limited to when they remove the tadpoles (and they have to remove the tadpoles), but he wants to spend every golden minute with her until they both burn up and their ashes can be mingled together.

And one day he’ll find a way to say that.

But tonight, he pushes at her slightly and smiles when she whines.

“Get up, I’m not sleeping covered in dried fluids.”

Karlach groans loud and annoying, flinging her limbs all over him again and again until he’s forced to pin her down to get out from under her. And, after tonight, he knows that she’s letting him win.

“If you’re terribly kind and behave, I’ll bring you a towel so you don’t even have to move,” Astarion offers, looking her in the eyes.

Karlach pauses and he knows what she’s doing, her gaze flickering over his face little by little, taking in his lips, his nose, his eyes, the points of his ears and the points of his teeth. Before, it’d made him feel exposed and gawked at, but now he’s understanding that it’s her horribly sappy way of committing this, committing him, to her memory.

“Don’t take too long,” she relents.

“And spend a minute longer away from you than necessary.” He kisses her palm when she touches his face again, offering her a quiet, genuine smile of his own. “I’d sooner face off with the Fury of Avernus.”

Astarion walks towards the river with a towel, the sound of Karlach’s laughter ringing in his ears and his dead heart terribly, wonderfully full.

[salemcantupdate]

Ok

Baldurs Gate shipping and who I am actively in love with

SO, currently romancing Gale because Astarion rejected me, full one said “I don’t wanna have sex with you, UGH, EW, imagine.” But Gale is so cute??? I don’t get whenever I see hate for him, especially cause we had astral projection sex which was absolutely fantastic. Wyll kissed me but I said “haha nah Gale” and I think I accidentally romanced Karlach??? I don’t know. Oh I also hugged the Guardian love him.

Now for shipping

SHADOWHEART AND LAE’ZEL IS SO FUCKING REAL TO ME OH MY GOD THEY GOTTA GET DOWN RIGHT NOW

They ARE rivals to lovers

Wyll and Karlach… they’re best friends. I’m sorry but all the women look like absolutely lesbians to me and I love that for them

But Wyll is so sweet and so cute and I do adore him, he’s so fun, but I built him so badly haha. Anyways, he is a WHORE, he flirts with EVERYONE, SLUT BOY, and he needs a happy ending. Don’t know with who though. And Karlach needs a short woman to peg.

Astarion is 100% asexual and I love him cause he’s just like me frfr which means he needs to be with me and only me. But also genuinely I think Astarion can only be happy with a redeemed Durge??? Like I think that’s the best path for him. Two monsters learning to be good together… GAH ITS SO CUTE. Either way, he’d need to be with someone who isn’t overly horny

Also once again I absolutely adore Gale. Gale is so good and so loving and he also absolutely loves body worship like he is hozier he was on his knees and worshipping his Goddess Mystra, loving her and now HE CHOOSES YOU IN HIS ROMANCE. HE BDKDCJKWHCISJDKWJD. I love him, so who should he be with? He’s more on the basic side overall, easy to get approval from, but also extremely romantic and loving, and autistic just like me frfr. So… actually maybe Wyll??? Wyll has some self worth issues especially after going all devil and Wyll is also a romantic? But ehhh… I dunno, it just doesn’t feel right.

Anyways, Halsin. I love the daddy bear man like YES he is absolutely fantastic and I love him so so so so much I want him carnally. But also I can’t really see him with most people haha. Maybe Gale though, imagine the astral projection scene but then Halsin is a bear, that’d be hilarious. But nah, I honestly like Halsin/Astarion/Reformed Durge Throuple. Essentially, finishing Astarion’s personal quest before initiation with Halsin will ensure that Astarion doesn’t get any self doubt. They are all on different parts of their journey for improvement, both Halsin and Astarion have severe issues with self doubt along with sexual trauma, and all of them have a “beast” inside. Durge with the Urge, Astarion being a vampire, and Halsin with his difficult-to-control wild shape. Plus Halsin to me is one of the most respectful and consent-focused characters, which I think would work well with what Astarion needs.

Ok so I wanna ship Karlach with some cute bard girl or something, someone just as fun and nice as she is. And you know what? Wyll and Gale is starting to grow on me. They’re both characters who try to “woo” Tav before doing anything, Gale with the Weave and Wyll with his dance.

Imagine, Gale teaching Wyll the secrets of the weave, likely Wyll has never interacted with it properly as his magic comes from a devil. This could help unlock Wyll and on some level separate him from Mizora. Oh wow, both these men have been manipulated and abused by extremely powerful non-humanoid women. They’re both self sacrificing gits who want to be the hero, both sacrificed much for power. I think it would start when Mizora first appears in camp, maybe. Gale would go to comfort Wyll over the transformation, maybe even compliment his horns. During the night of celebration Gale would see Wyll by the beach and offer to show him something magical, aka the Weave scene. They make some jokes and Wyll mentions the dancing, Gale prods, and Wyll says maybe another time.

GAH

I FEEL LIKE A FUCKING GENIUS

Alright, so, summary

Lae’zel and Shadowheart

Karlach and cute girl (if Alfira survived Durge I’d choose her but oh well)

Durge, Astarion, and Halsin

Gale and Wyll

EDIT: This post is no longer accurate to my views or feelings on the matter! I will write another one eventually since I actually know the characters a lot better. This was legit written before I even got to act 2 and I barely did anything in act 1

[forcedhesitation]

the end of wyll's quest is....interesting. it was VERY cool. I thought having the archetypal fairy tale prince go "slay the dragon" was a fitting ending, I just feel like it was....a little underwhelming in some ways.

more under cut

first and foremost- I wish that it was not possible for your tav/durge to converse with ansur. I wish that it automatically selected wyll, because I simply do not think that this entire scene has as much impact if it is not wyll at the forefront of everything. which is why I also have to complain about the emperor here.

the reveal that he is balduran is.... well. I knew about this already, through accidental spoilers. Initially, I thought it was a stupid reveal. but reframing the reveal in the context of a fairy tale...well it makes perfect sense. it just FEELS a bit underwhelming and strange, because your player character is not wyll. this entire area feels like it was written with an avatar wyll in mind. and I wish that there were changes made to the companion wyll version of the game that made up for this. wyll is a character who is hugely tied to the main plot by virtue of being the duke's son. he spends the game searching for his father, while trying to deal with both mizora and the absolute. mizora is the one he sold his soul to to save the city before, the reason he was cast out. the absolute wants to destroy and steal his city. and ansur, a legendary dragon, might be his way of saving the city and getting his father's approval back. ansur had wanted to kill balduran because balduran had been infected with a mindflayer parasite, but had embraced his illithid nature rather than rejected it. I feel like there's some parallel that can be made to wyll there. in that he was othered, like balduran was, because he accepted mizora's help. ansur condemned balduran because ansur is a bronze dragon and therefore lawful good. wyll's father exiles wyll because wyll was "at best a fool, at worst a traitor," in his father's eyes and his father tolerated neither. wyll & balduran are both victims of the inflexible nature those of lawful good alignments have. they are both seen as monsters for what happened to their bodies. I wish that was emphasised a little more. like autoselecting wyll for the ansur dialogue & giving him dialogue with the emperor would have made this ending feel a little more complete, in my opinion. and it would have better demonstrated the point of having the emperor even be balduran. because that's such a fairy tale thing, the stuff of real legend! for the hero's mysterious guide to actually be some great old hero thought to be long dead. and I do think it works. it just doesn't feel as impactful if wyll is not your avatar.

I also wish this area was overall bigger & more developed. I know they redid wyll's character from EA. I know they had less time. I just. I wish that this area was as detailed as the sharran temple in act 2. it feels like SUCH a big deal, it feels like it should be bigger. especially since at lvl 12, you're just. unkillable.

but the dialogue afterwards, where he says he's in the mood for celebration and wants to make a celebratory dinner? SO CUTE!!! that man's joy is contagious!!! I could practically feel him holding back how much he just wanted to jump around with joy. and the sweet little "let's hope gale won't be too upset that I'm cooking for once and not him." I love you. you are too fucking sweet wyll. this fucking city does not deserve you. this playerbase does not deserve you. you are a true gem and I wish people saw you are just as beautiful and interesting as astarion and gale.

a cool possible scene they could add, to given wyll's questline more material IS that dinner he talks about. or preparation for it! something where he asks tav/durge to taste the food beforehand? or where your avatar can ask him about where he learned to cook, prompting him to talk about his time as the blade of frontiers? out in the sword coast on his own? this scene could easily be platonic or romantic, but be given extra options for a romantic relationship. but something like this could truly be added at an earlier point in the game too, it doesn't have to be tied to this particular moment.

but overall really cool area of the game. very cool bossfight. and a rather clever ending to wyll's quest, contrary to what his haters say. I love the commitment to the fairy tale theme. it just needs a bit more. maybe it feels more satisfying if you've romanced him. although I've heard his act 3 romance scene is currently bugged? his unromanced questline is slightly bugged (doesn't rob you of any material, though, it just replayed some dialogue for me). either way, I hope that gets fixed asap. I so badly need to experience this romanced version in my other campaign.

[loquaciousquark]

Got spoiled twice in casual browsing this afternoon, so decided to go ahead and play through the epilogue on my original Tavish save set so I'd at least get the comfort of seeing the big stuff for the first time on my own. (Thanks to @eponymous-rose for keeping me company despite spoilers!)

I am honestly SO HAPPY with 99% of the epilogue! Everything with Wyll, Karlach, Jaheira, Halsin....if I keep going I'm just going to name all the characters but ESPECIALLY WYLL AND KARLACH. Oh my gosh, the hints towards finding a forge in the Hells! Wyll's eye! His armor looks so unbelievably dumb but I guess when you're living hand to mouth in Avernus you make what you can get. I bet it's not as good as that Helldusk armor I had him in, but oh well.

Tara was there! We got to talk to Tara! And tell everyone Astarion & Tavish were dating! And so many people wanted to talk about what we were doing and what we were up to--ahh, I loved it. I will say I cackled like a loon at the idea of Tav giving a lecture at Blackstar Academy or whatever it is and Astarion sitting at Gale's desk kicking up his feet and knocking over all his desk decorations.

Scratch got new animations! Throwing the astral prism as a fetch object was absolutely inspired, and the little animation set where he just sits down and gnaws on it and throw it around--so unbelievably cute. And he sleeps! He sleeps on its side and it's so STINKIN cute! And the owlbear going to live with Shadowheart--I'm cryyyyying, I'm so happy for her and her cottage and her hoard of animals and her million flowers I'm sure are there.

And even the little QoL things like having a chest full of clothes and dye! So thoughtful and nice! I would have killed that halfling for a potion of animal speaking, though - I'll drink one before the Netherbrain next time to make sure it carries over.

The only teensy weensy tiny itty bitty complaint I have is that I wanted to be able to kiss Astarion at this party. Just once! And I wanted him to go out and be merry with everybody! I'll accept that he's feeling skulky and be satisfied immensely with my hugs, but Tavish on the new run hasn't gotten to Moonrise yet, so I'm starving for a lack of kisses here, augh.

I loved every word Withers said. I loved every second/third/fourth round of dialogue for all the companions. Jergal is such a dang bro and he seemed so enthusiastic to get to hang with the fam. Bless!

I do wonder if it's possible to try to kill people at this party - there were certainly enough death-causing implements and scrolls floating around!

And then the END CREDITS?????????????? Raphael ranting about THE CROWN OF KARSUS?????????????? This does explain why Gale made a point of saying it had gone back to Mystra when we most deffo left that sucker in the river, but HELLS-RELATED DLC???? I THOUGHT KARLACH AND WYLL WERE JUST LEAVING THEIR FATES OPEN-ENDED AND THEN ACTUALLY JK WE MIGHT BE GOING THERE??????????????????

Surely this is a promise of upcoming DLC, surely. I have no idea if they intend this to be paid or free (honestly I think it should be paid) but either way I'll throw every dollar I have at them if and when it comes out. How is Raphael alive. How is Mystra going to keep the crown from him. How are we going to get the gang back together. What does Zariel's area look like!! Will we get to go past level 12!! How is Raphael ALIVE!!

I honestly just had the biggest grin on my face the entire time. Every conversation, every hug, every gesture. What a complete delight, and I can't believe we get it for free.

(Sidenote: I was also beyond overjoyed that this patch also fixed the Astarion epilogue, the broken scars cutscene, and apparently the kisses. Again, Tavish hasn't gotten to at-will kisses yet, and I'm DYING.)

(Sidesidenote: I couldn't get any of my first game saves to load after a certain point [turned out to be due to an old mod I'd uninstalled] and troubleshooting that to get the saves to work again was honestly really fun, ahh.)

[wrightingdungeon]

My Tav OC

People seem to like young Tav so I thought I would introduce my little Tav. In my actual DND Game they are around 16 and I just aged them up for BG3 so they would fit more. 

She is a changeling but I use an elf for a base, idk if there is a race mod that will allow changelings like Orin, but also my laptop will probably burn up worse than Karlach if add anymore Mods.

Also all of this is my Headcanon, I just think it's cute having a no brain cell baby save the world

Heres a screen shot -

Name: Sunny

Age: 16

Gender: doesn't care, they can be anyone *Watch the movie Nimona*

Race: Changeling

Class: Archer *a little multiclass in Bard*

Like family: Wyll, Karlach and Jaheira 

Best friends: Minsc, Boo , Scratch, and Fluffy (Owlbear cub)

Friends: Halsin, and Shadowheart

Awkward: Gale and Lae,zel

Stats:

STR: 12

DEX: 17

CON: 13

INT: 7

WIS: 15

CHA: 11

About Sunny:

“Who has their brain cell?” is a sentence you would hear if it were modern times, and truth be told his little twin sister has both of their brain cells.

Had always dreamed of leaving the Feywild, but had no idea she'd leave with a parasite in her head

Lae'zel did not take finding a changeling on the notaloid well AT ALL, scared the poor baby into taking the form of a dead adult human they saw. *she panicked a bit before pushing the body off the ship, first time they touched a dead body*

Had never left their sister's side, when they woke up on the beach all alone their sobs and yells for her woke up Shadowheart

Is itching to change their skin and do so at night when everyone's sleeping

That's how Asterion figured out their secret. He was feeding one night and watched Sunny sneaking off, following them he saw her change back into her normal skin. “Well, it seems camp has two monsters hiding in it.”

They cry at being called a monster, but they understand why Astarion said so when he admitted to being a vampire 

I'd imagine Sunny's blood would taste like printer ink and it makes Astarion try and scrub his tongue clean. Astarion does not bite them again

Meeting Wyll was like one of those fairy tale knight stories she had been told. Looks up to him. Approached him in the Grove like a shy fan asking for an autograph 

She and Wyll are “Blade Buddies” She does not have a blade she has arrows, and no brain cells

Even after finding out the swamp was a trick He still ate the apples because “who poisons apples?” they had a bad tummy ache, and Wyll kept scolding her while the others laughed 

Is not allowed within twenty feet of the fire because one day their potions and other liquid items were frozen and she thought it would be smart to warm them up in front of the fire…. She forgot to pull out the Alchemist's Flame flasks and damn near nuked the camp.

Wyll's dance scene is the tiefling party. She tells him she's never danced but loved to watch the higher courts dance. He happily shows her how to dance laughing when he spins them because of their happy squeals 

Sunny and Alfira serenade the camp till the last dancer falls

They aint smart but dont get in their sight, they are a marksman at heart.

Would be a Gunslinger class, but hes never seen a gun in his life. Mey Rin from Black Buttler vibes if he was given a glock

Wyll, Karlach, and Jaheira find out she is a changeling mid-fight. She gets knocked out of her human form and they attack her due to their not knowing it's their leader, thinking shes one of Orins goons who took their Sunny

Wyll stops them, shielding Sunny with himself, when he realizes that the crying Changeling is Sunny. “Stop! Stop….” “Sunny?”  “Hey, it's OK, it's ok… Blade Buddies right?”

Wyll is having a massive life-shattering moment back at camp both his best friends are things he swore to kill, but they aren't, they are his family. He feels so much guilt about how he let himself be lied to

Hold up Wyll though higher courts meant kings and queens, finding out Sunny is from THE Feywild just has him more confused 

Talking about the Feywild with them Wyll and Karlach are the first to find out Sunny is only 16. Wyll looks like -

Karlach is just laughing at him and reminds him she was 15 when she became a hell soldier. Wyll needs a drink

#got fucked before 18 trio 

Lae'zel does ask Sunny if they know Orin, and no Lae'zel not all changelings know each other

God's help Gale… He always hung out at camp due to being a walking bomb and always eatting Sunny's shiny things. So when he mistakes their begrudgingly kind acts…. it…. It didn't go well for him

It's like a fucking benny hill chase scene. Gale running for his life, Ablaze Karlach, Lighting shooting Wyll, Scratch and Fluffy *Owlbear Cub* just thinks they are running around playing.

Wyll slapping tadpoles out of Sunny's hand like a parent trying to keep a child from eating sand and rocks

Sunny will fall asleep on Jaheira, Wyll, and Halsin. She forgot and passed out into Karach one night, that was fun

Minsc and Sunny get into so much trouble they, don't mean to, Boo told them it was a good idea

When Mizora tried to make it impossible to save Wyll's father. Sunny did try shooting a arrow right between her pretty eyes

Honestly had no idea Orin was in the camp, they thought Gortash was just scaring them

You bet your sweet ass Sunny and Wyll are following Karlach to the hells

One day fighting the hell swarms a portal opens a similar-looking hand just out and motions them to come in. Thinking it's withers throwing another rager they run through.

It's the Feywild, it's Sunny's younger twin sister Sage. She had been searching like a hound dog for her sister.

Of course Sage helps Karlach with her heart, she helped keep her twin safe after all.

They live happily ever after yay!

Thank you for reading my silly little Headcannon, it was fun to put Sunny out in the world

[sorcerous-caress]

You're right and I know you are but I actually got so upset that I am now violently sick. I am literally only sharing this because I am fairly certain you're also autistic and BPD but I hate so much that like the one time in mainstream media we are given a bi/pan man who is effeminate and prefers men but isn't a derogatory stereotype but every post about him is like He’s The Most Masculine, Actually and actually the reason we don't see him express attraction to women is because he's so shy actually ignore that he can hookup with Laezel who would not stand for that and is main character trait is confident (and I don't think I've started fights so at least there's that)

I used to not understand the problem with the Astarion fandom but then I came to painful realization he has straight fans who actually seem to hate his canon character

Anyway sorry for all the Bobstarion… gay bpd bitches are gay bpd bitching. You're the best for reading this tho 😭💀💚

I know this feeling very well anon.

You've completely summed it up, he is finally a non-derogatory representation of an effeminate queer man and straight fans burnt his canon to the ground so they can make their dream masculine babyboy shy twink.

God it fucking stings doesn't it? It literally hurts just to think about how much Larian risked by even putting Astarion in the game. A western game at that too where forum after forum are full of incels complaining about women not being inflatable sex objects in their game.

Baldur's gate 2 and 1 never was this inclusive, it was strictly hetro except for the remastered npcs. Astarion by himself probably made them lose half their "old-school" homophonic demographic.

And the fandom takes all of that and makes him another fucking joke of a character? All the people who have never played the game would search up the Astarion tag and get a completely wrong impression of him.

Not once did a character before him made me leave a game because I was disgusted with myself. His storyline and writing is phenomenal because I too objectified him at the start then the game called me out for it in act 3 and it changed my world view so much.

God did you know early access had Gale and Wyll be awkward if a male Tav hits on them? That only Astarion was the always accepting person regardless of gender?

Even now he is still the only male character between the two who openly expresses his interest in men! Who embraces being flamboyant and doesn't try to fit into a narrative.

I completely understand anon, and I know how much bpd and autism highlights these feelings and make them dig like nails at your brain. Yes I have them too. And I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to share your thoughts with me.

It must be more frustrating for you tho, for liking Astarion and being lumped in with the rest of his weird fans without your consent. You can't even filter their posts out because they treat their takes as "normal" and how it's not them belittling a queer character no! They're just being "wholesome"

Fuck the batstarion shit still gets on my nerves. I saw one with a baby bottle feeding him??? It just feels so infantilising because he isn't some cute animal he is a fully grown and matured person. If it's just a kink then sure idc but please tag it at least.

Then they make him "shy" around women. You know why that god awful take was probably born? Because most of his straight fans picked women and went into his romance. So they think that his clumsy personality in act 2 is because they're a woman and he is so used to men.

It's fucking disgusting, Astarion would treat both men and women with the same clumsy romance, all my Tavs were nonbinary and he never treated them differently.

You have every right to feel this way, you have every right to be furious at this. Especially with a character you care about so much.

But people will take advantage of that, people who want to start fights for the sake of fights or drama blogs who are itching to make a callout post. People don't like others poking holes in their logic no matter how good your intentions are.

Homophobia exists, racism too, look at how ignored Wyll is by these supposed fans. Look at how popular Gale x Astarion is than x Wyll because both of them are white.

It's okay to vent and it's okay to feel frustrated and stuck. God knows during some bpd episodes I come very close to deleting this blog bc of the smallest of reasons, so Imagine actually having a valid reason to be mad like you.

Take a step back, fuck those people honestly. Fuck anyone who ever did this shit just for their own self indulgence, who left all the media that panders to straight people and came and took Astarion too just to strip him of all of his traits and put him in the hetro box.

So leave them be, they suck, they're shitty and never willing to listen. Don't waste your frustration on them, it's better to yell at a wall, at least, unlike them, it might reply back with something productive one of those days.

Again, I hope you feel better soon. I genuinely do, these feelings suck beyond words can describe. Do something you like or revisit your favourite works that stay true to Asterion's character. Ground yourself with anything that might help.

Don't feed them or reply to their arguments, please. hopefully, they leave the fandom once the new manufactured tumblr sexyman is released and the Asterion tag.

[themaskstayson]

Thinking about all my Dark Urges in a party together cause it can be a somewhat balanced party, in the sense of survivability but also so funny to write about.

Rynnil, the lolth-sworn drow oathbreaker.

Cyrus, the tiefling bard college of spirits.

Moondrop, the deep gnome shadow monk.

Varra, white dragonborn wild magic Sorcerer.

Varra is default durge but with body 1 cause I wanted him to be smaller lol He's the master mind of the group and Bhaal's special chosen baby. He's more incline to go with the flow and if that means follow the urges pretty hard-core with no regards of them being attacked... Oh well. He wouldn't help the goblins, though. Mostly because it would be a waste of a perfectly good blacksmith. He wants to fight Orin and take his power back but throughout the journey becomes conflicted with duty to Bhaal, his "family", and now his new found "family". He is the leader of Dark Urge group and co-leader when the combine groups with Wyll as the leader for origin characters.

(I played for about 20iah hours and I stopped because idk kissing as a dragonborn was kind of meh... I do love the white and red dragonborn design so much and I would bring Varra back for a multi-player game instead. He never left act one but he did get it in with Astarion.)

Rynnil is very resist the urge. He remembers a life before the cult and wants to break free and go back to it, or at least break free to have his freedom, now that he got a taste. He's very hands off with the group, letting them be gremlins until they cross a line like unaliving people in broad daylight for no good reason. They can't just do things like get the Grove closed off, how else would they sell the loot they're hoarding? He's still duty bound but by his own rules of wanting to keep his "family" safe. Socially he is not the greatest and relies on others for anything talking related. Also, while Rynnil is very resist the urge, by the time he gets to Baldur's Gate and realizes a few things he does go a bit back to the dark side and does things without care for his own well being.

(Rynnil was in a coop game and an honour mode one. In coop he romance Wyll and it was so cute. He was very duty bound and I broke his oath by accident in act 3 lol He was very much the silent type but easily won over by Wyll's romantic ways. Him and Astarion were besties.

In the honour mode, Rynnil was romancing Astarion but, by accident, they broke up and Rynnil got upset and started doing unhinged things like get the hammer and lie a lot about what he was doing. I got stressed and stopped the run, but I should continue for the dice at least..... He's also romancing Halsin, which is meh. Rynnil works best with Wyll imo just for the support and not having the need to "fix" someone else and get support to be a better person.)

Cyrus is the same as Varra and goes with the flow but WAAAAY more interested in the need to please daddy Bhaal and blood baths because it keeps the skin moisturized. He also would clock Astarion's flirting unlike Varra and Rynnil and he would find it cringe. He'll still sleep with him, though. Not cause he likes Astarion but he wants to see how cringe-y he gets with his lines. Cyrus would actually sleep with everyone, like a true bard. He's also the group's voice but Rynnil does keep him in line from doing anything too bad. Until later on where Rynnil doesn't seem the care about anything and Cyrus can make his own decisions without care.

(Plan for Cyrus was to use the polymod and romance everyone. I just... Never got around to it lol Cyrus wouldn't be so interested in Astarion but more so Lae'zel cause she's strong or Gale cause he's a wizard and powerful. Gale being depressed would be a turn off. Cyrus wants to cause chaos, or at least be unhinged enough.)

Moondrop is also resist the urges and trying to find inner peace. He's also one of the sassier members of the group and always judging everyone. The amount of time people go to him for advice is concerning to him. He also demands they have tea with their lunch and relax. He's very meh with the group. He doesn't see the others as his siblings at all, especially Varra and Cyrus for embracing the urges at times. Rynnil he is okay with but mostly cause the drow doesn't do much of anything and is a reliable fighter. Moondrop finds the origin characters to be very concerning about but would prefer if Wyll just lead the group alone since Varra cannot be trusted really.

(Moondrop I am trying to keep no mods with Script Extender to see if I can get Wyll to not be buggy and get one of the romance greetings and I really wanna see his kisses. I also wanna romance Adtarion cause the boy is racist against Gnomes and it would be funny. I can't play vanilla cause how the hell am I supposed to be a femboy with no cute faces?)

Regardless of barely playing with mods, the game somehow got corrupt.

In theory I can run a game with all 4 of them and have them romance someone but running the game twice was concerning... I don't know if I can run it 4 times to get them all lol

[foccaccia]

hold this for me everyone im using tumblr as my next grocery shopping pdf

pairs

wyll/astarion (canonically have so many flirty lines, theyre cute, wyll deserves a suave hot challenge and astarion deserves someone good down to their bones and also hot as hell, monster hunter/monster also cute and layered)

karlach/shadowheart (shadowhearts on her knees begging karlach to throw her around. also shadowheart wants to be taken care of and karlach wants to take care. cold/hot, moon/sun, and blue/red also. and theyre cute)

jaheira/lae'zel (i actually have a lot of thoughts&feelihgs abt this one i dont think i can express properly in a tumblr pdf format but i love it a lot)

halsin/gale (i feel like halsin would genuinely be charmed by gales Whole Thing, and gale needs halsins grounding and attention. also the magic sex would be wild.)

minsc/minsc (minsc)

also considering

karlach/jaheira (1. theyre the two characters i think are hottest; 2. hero worship/hero is cute and i think its even better when karlach is as much as a hero as jaheira, and jaheira doesnt really want to be considered a hero; 3. acceptance of death and trying to do your best with whatever time you have is what matters more than anything; 4. someone takes care of karlach the way she tries to take care of others, if a little more sternly; 5. i think karlach makes an interesting comparison to khalid re: compassion and courage; 6. age gap 😳)

astarion/halsin (halsin scruffs astarion and takes him home from the soggy cardboard box halsin found him in)

shadowheart/wyll (stop. look at me. shadowheart absolutely has a weakness for kindness and cheesy charm and genuine emotion. and wyll wants to properly court someone and show them love and he gets a devoted partner who is suddenly free to be open abt how deep her feelings run)

lae'zel/gale (IT WOULD BE SO FUNNY AND SO TASTY. POOR GALE. I WANT IT. WARRIOR QUEEN AND HER TROPHY PILE OF POMPOUS SOGGY RAGS)

minsc.

poly

astarion/halsin/shadowheart (iirc theyre the ones who are canon poly right? and i like each pairing of them individually a whole lot. also. halsins stable of traumatized blondes.)

minsc/minsc/minsc

gale/karlach/lae'zel (gale is living his dream: two hot strong people who balance respecting him as a person with passionate devotion well. karlach is living her dream: two people unafraid to touch her and tell/show her in detail - gale verbally and lae'zel physically - how much they care abt her and will protect her like she protects them. lae'zel is living her dream: optimized party mechanics. character w strongest physical build and character w strongest magical build.)

jaheira/karlach/lae'zel (im lesbian)

wyll/karlach/gale (team "can we please not murder orphans")

wyll/karlach/shadowheart (honestly i just like each pairing of these individually a lot so i think theyd be even better as a group)

additional platonic

gale/astarion (i dont think they fucked OR i think they fucked once and then swore the next morning to never talk abt it again. but theyre 10000% drift compatible. highest match anyone has ever seen. and they wont stop flirting over comms)

lae'zel/astarion (they have a burn book. they go clothes shopping together. i walk into a room theyre in and they both look at me like im the scum of the earth. they're having so much fun)

wyll/withers (i think wyll could bring withers back to life emotionally.)