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#mourning halsin
astarionsilverbough · 7 months
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"It should've been him.
"I know - I know better than most - I know we are born to die. It is the - the natural order, the mandated law of your kingdom. All living things must one day return to the earth whence they came, yes, but -
"And I know it is the ultimate sin to seek life eternal. Mortal flesh was forged from the same magic as the earth that sustains us. But...
"Oak Father - would it be sin to seek it for someone else? Would that not be the greatest show of - of love, of devotion, of..."
Heavy silence.
"Because it should've been him. The sun dwelled inside his bones. What is the earth without sunlight?
"What is the earth - without sunlight, Oak Father? Please - what is the earth without sunlight, what - what am I without him?"
Knees crashland in the moss. Hands plant in the grass. The dew of morning has long been licked away by passing deer; tears glimmer where the blades catch them. Hold them.
"It should've been him," utters the bereaved elf, head bowed with the weight of the grief that falls from his lips; "death - should never have been allowed to touch him!"
His nostrils furl in a snarl. The beast bites at the back of his teeth.
And where were you, druid?
He breathed his last alone, afraid. They said he had over thirty wounds. Was nearly unrecognizable. Your sweet sun-star. Your Astarion.
So where were you?
Halsin grinds his teeth together until his jaw aches. A rough-hewn sob punches from him and he curls his fingers into the rich earth, packing his palms with its soft flesh.
The amulet around his neck swings like a pendulum over the wounded ground.
You let him run. You did not chase after your mate, and your inaction killed him.
Fire shoots into his throat, billowing from the mouth of the wicked demon awakening in his belly. Halsin's vision goes white with the heat of it. He can't let it out. There is no fire. It is only bile and saltwater from swallowed tears.
When he thinks of Astarion's final moments, something inside the druid Halsin threatens to combust. Try as he might, he cannot seem to force the thoughts to stop; the cruel imaginings of the way he might've looked when he was found, rigid body twisted with the agony of a wicked death.
He would've been so cold.
Was he cold when he died?
Was the last thing he saw the sheer hatred burning in his murderer's eyes?
When the roar comes, it threatens to shatter him. The beast claws at the cage of his body but it cannot break out. He remains horrificially human in the throes of a grief so powerful Halsin thinks for a moment he might actually be turning into an infernal thing, some wicked new demon that would ruin the world.
Breathe.
He cannot. The roar throttles him.
A soft breeze passes over his hair.
Breathe, darling.
Fractured shards of ruined air slice through his lungs. He chokes on the taste of blood. Another gentle breeze caresses his face, his neck, his chest.
That's it.
Breathe. Let it pass.
Come back to me, Halsin.
To what? A world without you?
Halsin.
I'm right here, darling.
The breeze becomes warm flesh. A breath of life floods Halsin's lungs, coaxed into them by the hand on his chest as his meditation finally breaks.
With a ragged sound, Halsin opens his eyes and finds himself gazing at the sun.
"There you are," Astarion hums, thumbing over the apple of Halsin's cheek with a small smile.
The vampire is propped up on his chest, sunset gaze weary but so, so tender. His soft white hair is bed-rumpled and there are little indents on his cheek from the creases in his pillow. Halsin is moving before he's even aware of it, one big hand sliding into Astarion's hair. The elf holds his gaze as he allows Halsin to roll him back into the sheets, pliant and trusting when the larger elf cages him down beneath the bulk of his body.
Astarion is alive. They're in their room in Last Light and Astarion is alive, skin gloriously sleep-warm under Halsin's hands.
Exhaling a ghost that never was, Halsin presses his brow to Astarion's. The elf reaches up to push Halsin's hair back from his face, gathering it in an idle hand as he nudges the bridge of Halsin's nose with his own.
"I'm sorry," Halsin rasps, "I didn't mean to disturb you."
Astarion chuckles and passes his fingertips over Halsin's lips. He kisses them on instinct and Astarion bites his bottom lip, smile darting close to grin territory before his concern chases it away.
"The only time you disturb me is when you apologize for suffering, darling," Astarion murmurs. "Your heartbeat was so frenzied it pulled me out of my trance - you were whimpering as if you had a paw caught in a bear trap."
Halsin lets out a faint sound. Astarion nods slightly and utters, "yes, like that," against Halsin's lips when the elf finally breaks and surges down to kiss him. The vampire melts into it immediately, eyes fluttering shut as he lets Halsin lick into his mouth.
No words come to him. That's just fine. Astarion knows him - he's borne witness to the aftermath of Halsin's strange, nightmarish meditations before. Memories, all of them; sometimes they're of the battle against the Thorms. Sometimes they're of Isobel, the way her eyes had gone big as her body registered the glaive splitting it open in the middle.
And sometimes, they're the memories of his worst moments of grief in the long between of Astarion's lifetimes.
He has no words because none would do the memories justice. He could tell Astarion how he mourned, how viciously he grieved, until he was blue in the face - it wouldn't matter. Not because Astarion wouldn't care, but because it would not unburden Halsin whatsoever.
It would only serve to cause more grief.
No - there was no healing in the confession of his dark moments between Astarion's lifetimes. Healing comes here, like this:
"Darling," and it's breathy and aching, "let yourself feel me, really feel me. Bury it here, sweet boy - let it be gentle, now."
The words ignite in Halsin's belly. Astarion slides his arms around the big elf's massive shoulders and kisses over his cheek, hairless thighs whispering against Halsin's hips. The vampire wraps himself languidly around Halsin with practiced ease, lean body blooming in an exquisite arch beneath him.
When the scent of the slick entrance beneath the jut of his long, half-hard cock hits Halsin, the entire world narrows and the tendrils of cloying agony begin to ebb away. Splaying a hand over Astarion's belly, Halsin cups the back of the elf's head in the other and noses down the line of his throat, mouth parting over the faint echo of his pulse.
"That's it," Astarion groans quietly, hips rolling instinctively as he grows even slicker between his spread thighs. He radiates a sweet, intoxicating kind of need, the kind of need that makes Halsin's head spin and his cock throb and weep dewdrops over Astarion's groin.
"I'm here," the elf exhales against Halsin's ear. "I'm right here, darling, feel me. Touch me, Halsin, please."
A clever hand slides over the one Halsin has on his belly and guides it lower. With an absolutely dulcet little moan, Astarion steers him around the hard line of his cock and down to his cunt instead, pressing Halsin's fingertips right to his slick entrance with an aching whine.
"Let it go," Astarion breathes in elvish against Halsin's mouth, beautiful red eyes flickering over his face to meet his heavy gaze. "Be here with me. Don't stray from me now, Halsin - not when we've found each other again."
An echo of the plea he'd given Astarion in the Underdark. Tears bloom along the seam of his eyelids as he kisses Astarion deep, two fingers delving gently into the wet heat of his body. He uses the slick caught between them to prepare his cock, drawing a membrane of glistening spend over the head.
Their moans collide between their mouths as Halsin sinks home. Astarion's cheeks are tinged with pink, ears burnt red; by the end, the flush will spread down his chest. Halsin thumbs over a hardened nipple and massages the nape of Astarion's neck with the hand still cradling his head.
"Halsin," Astarion groans - it's a dangerous thing, that groan, because it makes Halsin think he might be a god - "darling, oh - I feel you in my throat, you're perfect."
And this is how he heals.
It's:
"Faster," and Astarion growls it against his jaw, blunt nails digging into Halsin's back. "Faster - ah! Yes, fuck - oh, fuck, Halsin - sweet boy, oh -"
Every plea is a prayer, each cry of his name a hymn; Halsin pants like a beast in rut against Astarion's cheek, one big arm wrapped tight around his lean waist now as he drives into the tight clutch of his body. Astarion's belly is a battlefield of spunk and sweat, his pink cock still hard where it smears through the mess.
This is how he heals.
Not through broken confessions that only bring more grief, but:
"Yours," Astarion whines, and Halsin is groaning like he's been driven through with a pike as he fucks into the vampire, finally chasing his own release; "you know I'm yours, you know I've only ever been yours - come on, sweet boy. My beast. Mark me, leave yourself inside me."
And it's obscene and it's aching and Astarion is clinging to him as if Halsin is the tree the storm is trying to shake Astarion from. Blue-white heat spirals up and down Halsin's spine. His sac tightens. The golden threads of tension in his belly snap and Halsin's skin ripples with a fleeting fever as he buries himself inside Astarion, unbridled moans and whimpers pouring from his kiss-bruised mouth.
"Oooh," groans the beautiful, divine thing beneath him, body relaxing as if Halsin's seed was the medicine it needed to do so. "That was a good one, wasn't it? My sweet beast - look at me now."
Halsin does. Astarion smiles. There's a hint of smugness to his smirk and Halsin revels in the taste of it - whiskey and sunlight on his tongue.
Gold.
Everything about him is... Gold.
"There you are," Astarion murmurs, voice thick with praise. Halsin's throat tightens. He wants to die looking up at the face beneath him. There are still pillow creases on Astarion's cheek and Halsin, wrought with a far softer kind of agony now, puts his lips to them and utters a faint prayer.
"Well you're welcome," says Astarion, hands gliding absently up and down Halsin's back, "but there's really no need to thank me, darling - loving you isn't exactly a chore."
This is how he heals.
Not in the bitter confession of tormented memories, but the creation of sweeter ones.
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fridaypls · 1 month
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Grove Guardian's Revenge: A Gif Analysis
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Pissing him off so you don't have to.
Obligatory slowed version of The Walk to get us started. If you haven't seen it before, you're welcome.
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He's so angry and so right to be angry. For a hundred years, he has defended the Grove at great personal cost. Before it was established, he saw the deaths of his friends, peers, mentor; his support circle crumbled in a single day.
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Not only did his mentor fall, he had to slay his mentor's shade in the aftermath in order to lay him to rest. This is the final release canon origin for the Sorrow glaive, but the early-access version is even more heart-wrenching. Either version, the mantle of first druid / arch-druid is thrust upon his unprepared shoulders; alone and without confidantes or peers, he shouldered the load and kept going.
In his diary, we see that he thought he'd found hope of a cure for the Shadow Curse, which was what he was pursuing when the goblins captured him. "The first hope in a century" if I'm remembering correctly.
From there, he meets you - a second hope of salvation. And then... this. The ultimate betrayal and the end of the Grove, of everything he's protected for so long.
We rarely see Halsin using his size to intimidate; even when he rips Kagha a new one in the conversation about the Rite of Thorns, regardless of whether or not he throws her out.
He uses his size as threat now... as he should. He's here to kill you.
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And if it's not active intimidation, then what we might be seeing here is him reining in his temper - choosing to have a conversation before acting.
He's facing Tav when he storms up; as he starts to talk, he angles himself a little away from them. We'll see that more in a second.
"I thought you'd help me. I thought we'd help eachother - instead you chose this."
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Controlled calm slipping into justified anger. Again, that blink-and-you'll miss it detail of an emotion, just amazing work by Larian.
"The grove stood for generations. It was our link to Silvanus. Not, it’s nothing but blood and ashes - thanks to you."
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Let's slow it down and get closer, really soak in the tiny details embedded in this scene.
Watch the first part below at half speed, watch his face twist into disgust and pain. Watch him physically turn away from you in anger and loathing. He's not looking at Tav anymore, he's seeing something else instead. Some memory of the Grove, whether a happy one or a more recent, bloodstained one, we're left to guess.
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Anger turns into sorrow - he lifts his eyes in a silent prayer as he speaks, then hangs his head in heavy, tired despair. It doesn't drag his features down yet; he's still too angry under all that pain.
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A tiny, miserable moment of memory and suffering....
...before sorrow turns back into anger, when he comes back to the present. That second blink of anger when he comes back to himself, out of whatever memory he was replaying in that moment. He turns back to you and rage crowds back into his face.
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He's already made his choice... but he's about to give Tav a chance to speak for their actions anyway. While the role of arch-druid might have been thrust onto his unprepared shoulders unexpectedly a hundred years before, he has grown immensely since then. Despite his justified rage, he reacts wisely, seeking to understand before seeking vengeance.
Tell me… was it worth it? 
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He's furious, rightfully so, but there's still a genuine question under that rage. The split-second look of curiousity before the rage takes over his features once more.
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Was there a meaning to this sacrifice? Was it done for a purpose or was it all just as cruel and wanton of a betrayal as it seemed?
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Even as anger and hatred take over his face once more, he gives you a chance to speak for yourself.
There are four options.
Option 1: Of course - I did what I had to do. Your grove was in the way. 
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"You have no idea what you’ve done, do you? Or perhaps you simply don’t care?"
First, the genuine sadness and disbelief as he says "You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?"
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Then, the anger of "Or perhaps you simply don’t care?"
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Sadness and sorrow into fucking rage. Both are so poignant and beautifully done. Round of applause for Larian, god(s)damn.
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The first three options all end the same way, so we'll cut right to Option 2 and save that glorious closing gif for the end.
Option 2: "I’m sorry. I had no choice." 
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"There’s always a choice - but you have made yours. Now I make mine."
Look at the disgust... the way he squeezes his eyes shut as he says "There’s always a choice". He knows. He's made hard choices, at great personal cost.
The way he says it with his head down, his nostrils flared in disgust and anger, and doesn't open his eyes as he turns his head to face Tav. He doesn't open his eyes until the last instant, both saddened and repulsed by Tav and their actions.
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Then, when he's looking into Tav's eyes, the anger and hatred set in again.
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Let's cut to Option 3.
Option 3: "Calm down. Come sit by the fire and we can talk this over."
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"There’s nothing left to be said. My mercy died when I saw the grove."
Pretty much directly into the rage with this one.
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And honestly, I don't think anyone could blame him? The balls to aid in the massacre of everyone he cares about, then to hit him with "Calm down. Come sit by the fire and we can talk this over" once he confronts you and gives you a chance to explain yourself?
Nope. Game over, buddy. (Well...)
The four option is simply to attack; all four options lead to a fight to the death. The first three options all end the same way;
"You have upended nature’s balance. Only your death can restore it!"
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Slower? Okay.
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galedekarios · 6 months
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gale: h*lsin, you must have accumulated considerable wisdom on matters of the heart in your long life. gale: anything you'd like to pass on to a strapping, love-struck wizard such as myself? h*lsin: dispersing advice on matters of the heart would be like swapping boots - what suits me may be a poor fit for you. gale: ah. well, there's no faulting that logic. at least you didn't tell me to 'be myself.' node context: accepting the answer. thinks 'be yourself' is naff advice. h*lsin: oh no, perish the thought. that can be outright cruel advice to offer in certain cases.
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this banter between gale and h*lsin is supposed to trigger in act iii and it's always rubbed me the wrong way ever since i found it in the files.
not for the advice h*lsin gives.
"what suits me may be a poor fit for you" is actually great advice.
it's that last line:
"oh no, perish the thought. that can be outright cruel advice to offer in certain cases."
it's not teasing, it's not played a joke. at best, it's thoughtless. at worst, it's well...
so much of gale's character arc - be it on a friendship or romance path - is centered around self-worth and accepting that he is enough as a person, as who he is, as gale dekarios, and not as gale of waterdeep, not as a chosen of mystra, etc etc etc.
in ea, i really had high hopes for their dynamic because i had thought - especially if they had kept h*lsin's old storyline of making a grave mistake and killing isobel during a battle, unleashing the shadow curse by proxy and regretting it so very deeply that he still strives to make up for it, and to ketheric, centuries later - would be extremely interesting to see.
back then, they seemed to have a lot in common: a certain maturity around them, that regret for great mistakes made, a love for books.
it's sad to see that now, in the release version of the game, a character, who is in many ways portrayed as the wise and worldly one, kind and experienced, would say something so... cruel, reinforcing an extremely toxic mindset - and especially to gale, who is clearly struggling with this, and at this point in time.
disclaimer: i don't blame h*lsin in this. i don't hate his character concept at all. on the contrary. i just think his writing has severe problems due to him being a late addition to the game. i'm only looking at the banter itself, as it is in the game.
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lucrezianoin · 8 months
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Here is how to get astarion approval so high he will proposition you before the tieflings party. No evil choices, just some chaos. The score you want is 40.
Not all of these are necessary btw, if you di all of this you'll get over 40. Avoid what sounds too evil and check that you're getting up to 40. Also remember that for the party romance you actually only need 20.
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- When Lae'zel is in the cage, talk to her before releasing her and ask her to say "please"
- Attacking the thieves at the ruined temple
- When Shadowheart mention needing a cure (at camp) make sure to choose the option about being cautious
- When you meet with Zevlor, refuse to help saying you have your own problems. (you can help anyway, don't worry)
- When Lae'zel meets the tiefling and ask him to bow, go along with her at least once, then you can stop her and apologise to the poor man
- When you meet Wyll, you can talk with the guy training the children. Tell the children that they will all die
- After saving Arabella, tell the druid woman that you just wanted to see what would happen
- When you meet Auntie Ethel at the refugees' camp, let her fuss over you and then tell her about the tadpoles
- You know the kid with the magic ring trick? Pocket that ring
- When you meet the two siblings mourning their dying brother, Astarion will approve of you send them to face the owlbear (but I never choose this, because it makes me sad). But I think the big approval comes in the dialogue just next, where you can say that using the tadpole seems like a great idea
- At the blighted village, when the goblin spots you, you will get approval if you attack them back
- Say boooo to Volo
- Open the door where the sexy moans are happening
- At the entrance of the goblin camp, if you can, thow shit at the guard
- There's a goblin that will ask you to kneel and kiss his foot. Uno reverse it, and intimidate him
- Let the cleric at the goblin whip you
- After you free the owlbear, pet them at camp
- Get the necromancy of thay, and the amethyst that fits in it and give it to Astarion
- Recruit Karlach with him in the party
- Killing the monster Hunter will also shoot up your approval of TEN POINTS. I usually never kill him, but if you're close to the party and you really want to get to 40, this is also an option
- When you meet Raphael, agree with Astarion that you should not trust him
- If you decide to do auntie ethel too, make sure to convince her to free Maryna and get the deal at the same time
Now, I think the majority of approval will come with how you talk with him at camp.
- Go along with his dialogue about killing you if there's any tentacle showing. Just play along, don't shut him down
- Go along with the "whose blood would you drink" dialogue. Your answer doesn't really matter as long as you don't shut him down
- When he bites you, of course, offer to give him your blood
- During the mirror dialogue (sometimes it happens pre-sleeping together) you can insult him a bit (you're not aging gracefully), but at the second reply reassure him. The last reply is fine for all the lines and they seem to all get approval, as long as you don't just leave.
In general this is usually all I need to get to 40, which is pretty high. In my last playthrough I managed to also get to 40 without doing many of these.
But as I said, you only need 20. Just remember that he likes being petty and asserting dominance over others, he loves the tadpole, he is cautious, he's a little silly and chaotic, he's selfish, he likes joking and talking so don't shut him down.
Just remember that he's much more explicit about sex being an exchange if you get the proposition before the party, and you end up missing the scene of the party. Up to you! If you see that he's at 40 he will proposition the moment you talk to him, so if you accidentally got his approval too high and want to see both scenes you can technically kill the goblin leaders and free halsin, talk to him, then when you sleep you get directly to the party where you will have the party scene too.
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candyk0rn · 7 months
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Comforting your tears-BG3
If they found you crying
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Ugh I know my old friends are sick of this prompt because I’ve probably done it one hundred times..but can you blame me??
Before reading: gn reader, Angst (if you squint) with comfort, Astarion x reader, Gale x reader, Halsin x reader (separate)
Astarion:
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Astarion has shed his fair share of tears in his prolonged life
Not recently, of course (Unless this takes place after a certain quest line…)
And he’s used to seeing others cry, wether they be his conquests when they realize his actual intentions,
Wether he sees a lost child in the night sobbing for his mother,
Wether it be a sad woman mourning a loss in the darkened graveyard
But he’s never seen you cry, and he’s never craved that sight either
He’s not sure why you were crying, and he doesn’t take time to ask you that
Because if he’s being honest, he doesn’t know what to do
He has never once had to comfort another’s tears, and if he ever has, there was always an ulterior motive
But here you were, trying to suck back floods of tears before him
And all he could do was stand still, a small furrow in his brow
In all honesty, he waits for you to do something first
To reach for him, to say his name, anything
Even just telling him to go away would be enough, because it would give him the slightest bit of direction
If you shove him away, without hesitation he shall flee
But if you move the slightest bit, he rushes to your side
His hand twitch as they hold you, not knowing if this is truly what you need to feel better
But perhaps, these hands which have killed many,
Can also comfort.
Gale:
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Similar to Astarion, he’s not quite sure what the best remedy for a broken heart is
But he is a lot less clueless
When he sees you, he wishes so badly to take all of your pain and inflict it onto himself
He’d rather die than see you like this again
He thinks back to his youth, how his mother would confer him when he would cry or become upset
He also thinks ‘How would I want to be comforted?” Only to be bombarded with thoughts of Tara purring sleepily in his lap
So that wasn’t gonna work
He silently takes you in his arms, rubbing loving circles into your back
He kisses your temple, whispering ‘What’s wrong?’ Into your ear
If you shake your head or don’t respond, he’s not going to push you for any more information
If you begin to tell him, he listens diligently, not interrupting you
He rocks you back and forth, hoping he’s helping you in some way
My bro is trying his best 💪
Halsin:
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Halsin is easier than the other two because omg he’d be the best at comforting you
Like Gale, he would just scoop you up in his arms and shower you with affection
He’s also a very smooth talker
You need him to distract you? He already has a story to tell you
You need him to whisper loving nothings into your ear? He’s gonna make it his life goal to make your cheeks grow red
He takes your hand in his, placing it atop of his chest, allowing you to feel the soft rise and fall of his breathing
This is something he does often, waiting for you to follow suit
Times like these are precious to him, because it shows him that you feel able to be vulnerable around him
In his eyes, vulnerability is so beautiful, even if it leaves your face tear stained and red
He presses his lips to your temple, lingering for a long moment
He wouldn’t mind staying like this for a while
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Thanks for reading!!
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aerynwrites · 7 months
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Baldur’s Gate 3 Masterlist
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Halsin
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Longing || part 2 - NSFW. Reader has been pining after Halsin for a while now but has hesitated to make a move due to her inexperience, little does she know - a certain Druid might just feel the same and is more than willing to show her.
Remember - A drunken night leads to confessions and Halsin still being a gentleman.
Not alone - Reader is feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being the defacto leader. Halsin tries to show them they don’t have to bear the weight alone. (Requested)
Scars - Reader hates the scars they bare, but Halsin shows them that there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Lover’s Embrace - NSFW. An alchemical mishap puts reader in a situation she’s not expecting, and as usual, Halsin is there to help. aka - reader accidentally creates an aphrodisiac potion and Halsin helps her through the after effects.
Dance The Night Away - Tav/reader gets a chance to finally show off a dress she acquired some time ago, something Halsin greatly appreciates as they dance.
Cherished - NSFW! A/B/O fic with omega!fem!reader. Reader has been on supressants for years only to be faced with the ordeal of an unexpected and intense heat when she loses her supply. Halsin is there to help.
Loss - reader mourns the loss of a beloved pet. Halsin is there to comfort them. (Based on a request)
Losing You - You get injured in battle and Halsin finally feels a fear he hasn’t felt in quite some time, a confession he makes to you as he nurses you back to health.
Reciprocation - NSFW! Reader notices that Halsin is usually the one to give during intimacy, this time, reader decides to return the favor.
Mistaken Identity - the reader meets a bear in the woods, unbeknownst to her this bear is the same Druid she has a crush on.
Desire - based on a request for breeding kink with Halsin
Whittle Mistakes - Reader injures themself while Halsin teaches them to Whittle.
Peaceful Moments - Reader and Halsin spend a quiet moment together.
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Send Me an Angel (Halsin x Fem!angle!Reader)
After witnessing an angel fall from the sky, Halsin takes it upon himself to nurse her back to health. But as the days go by, the shadow curse still prevails, and he starts to find out there’s more than meets the eye with his new Angel companion.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |
Gale Dekarios
Late Nights - Gale has slipped away from you in the middle of the night - again - so, it’s your duty to bring him back to your side.
Unexpected, but Not Unwelcome - Reader announces she’s pregnant to Gale, he reacts in the best way possible.
Perks of The City - NSFW! Gale and Reader take part in all the city has to offer. Aka: they fuck in a bathhouse
Make it Right - Durge!Reader is struggling with finding out their past and their part in the absolute plot, their companions turning away from them. They decide to do go after Orin to make it right.
Masquerade of Liars - Gale and Reader take their son out to celebrate a traditional Waterdeep holiday (aka the forgotten realms version of Halloween!)
Worthy - reader/tav feels like they aren’t worthy of Gale. He’s quick to tell them otherwise.
Lost for Words - reader tried on the Wavemother Robe and shows off the new item to Gale who, well…he’s lost for words.
Dreams Become Reality - NSFW! reader has a rather…debauched dream and wakes Gale up. Good thing he’s curious and willing to satiate your fantasies.
Astarion x Halsin
Worries and Doubts - On a quiet afternoon in the forest, Astarion starts to have doubts about the future. Halsin is there to comfort him.
Love Lost - Halsin was unable to sway Astarion from ascending and now…Now he’s left to try and reconcile his love for the man he knew and the vampire lord before him now.
Dammon
Emeralds - You’ve been pinning after Dammon for quite some time now, little do you know the blacksmith feels the same way.
Fear of Losing You - (part 2 of emeralds) Reader stumbles upon the tiefling massacre in the shadow cursed lands and assumes the worst.
Bound by The Heart (and other things) - you stumble upon one of Dammon’s more…lewd books, and find out something he’s wanted to try. You eagerly volunteer.
Rolan
Freckles - you spend the morning admiring Rolan as he sleeps.
Headcanons
Halsin and Gale with Reader who tries pheromone perfume
Love languages with Gale and Dammon (SFW and NSFW)
Physical Touch and Gift Giving w/ Gale, Halsin and Dammon
Halsin as a New Dad
Dammon with a plus size S/O
Halsin and Reader Post Game
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bg-brainrot · 2 months
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"When He’s all but Forgotten How to Love Again" - Astarion x GN!Reader - Series Masterlist
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Pairing: Astarion x GN!Reader (Elf!Tav for plot reasons)
Genre: Reincarnation, Angst, Mystery, Slow burn
Rating: Explicit, 18+
Tags: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, POV Second Person, Canon-Typical Violence, cw: blood, cw: Astarion's entire backstory, cw: sex, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Eventual Fluff, Grief, Mourning, Developing Relationship
Series WC: 113k words and ongoing, 21/?? chapters
Summary: An Elf-Tav reincarnation story where Reincarnated!Tav dreams about Astarion in their nightly reveries and eventually seeks him out once they reach maturity. Things definitely totally go well.
Author’s Notes: I'm bringing over some of my multi-chapter fics from AO3, so if you've already read this, ty!! I love you and appreciate you so much! I will continue to add chapters as I format them, but the full fic is available on AO3 here if you're feeling like a binge.
Heads up-- while there will be explicit moments, this is first and foremost focused on romantic tension and yearning, asking the question: 'Would you still love me if I was someone completely different?’ Explicit scenes will be few and far between and very much focused on their feelings. It’s essentially an established relationship slow burn?
This has unascended Astarion, “good” choices are made in the original timeline, Tav needs to be an elf for this to work, but otherwise no specifics on past Tav. Present day Tav is a magic-user.
Chapters:
Chapter 1: Knifes and Nightmares
At 12 years old, you first dream of the Pale Elf. The encounter scares you and sets you on your path forward.
Chapter 2: The Second Encounter with the Pale Elf
Nearly 19, you think you have a handle of your past lives. However, not all of your past lives are created equal.
Chapter 3: What it Means to Love
Now 29, you're still trying to piece together parts of your past. In particular, what exactly was your relationship with Astarion?
Chapter 4: In this Lifetime
Now 99-years-old, you've managed to ignore your worst impulses to run off to Baldur's Gate. One night's reverie finally breaks you.
Chapter 5: Guidance from a Druid
After finally setting off to find Astarion, you receive a confounding memory from your past life. Ignoring what it might mean, you focus on your task and visiting Halsin, one of your past-self's friends.
Chapter 6: The Man of your Dreams
You make your way toward Astarion, trying your best to prepare for the encounter to come.
Chapter 7: Just One Night
You plead your case to the vampire.
Chapter 8: Who You Have Become
You try to learn more of who Astarion's become, while also trying to convince him of who you were.
Chapter 9: Ghosts of You
After he storms off, you try to track Astarion down only to find yourself on a trip down memory lane. Once you do catch his trail, you’re surprised to see where he’s gone.
Chapter 10: Overheard in the Underdark
You traverse a new landscape, looking for Astarion. What you find might be more than you bargain for, and what you hear might be too much to handle.
Chapter 11: An Interrogation
You spend the night in vampire prison and have a difficult conversation.
Chapter 12: The Source of his Pain
As you aim to leave and never look back, Astarion realizes that perhaps *he's* the one that made the mistake.
Chapter 13: And They Were Roommates
You and Astarion try to find a common ground between you. Things are awkward and tentative, and progress is anything but linear.
Chapter 14: A Blossoming Friendship
Now in your second week of living together, you and Astarion have to get past some of the hurdles your first week introduced, all while getting a bit closer along the way.
Chapter 15: More than Friends Pt. 1
Push finally comes to shove. As fun as living in the present is, Astarion forgets that present dangers are still very, very real. Afterward, emotions run high, and you find yourself in a familiar predicament.
Chapter 16: More than Friends Pt. 2
After talking through the previous night's tryst, emotions are confused, pasts are divulged, and everything comes to a head when your heart and soul want different things.
Chapter 17: What We are Now
When you’re left to your own devices, you find yourself knee-deep in mystery. Despite all of this, Astarion never leaves your mind. And perhaps you never leave his.
Chapter 18: Traveling with a Friend
You and Astarion travel together to Waterdeep. Emotions run high as you reconnect and reestablish your boundaries.
Chapter 19: The Wizard’s Tower
After traveling through Waterdeep, you and Astarion finally arrive at Gale's tower. Introductions are made, tours are had, and the relationship between yourself and Astarion continues to remain complicated.
Chapter 20: Sweets and Shopping
After receiving some advice from Gale, you and Astarion spend the day shopping and talking through your friendship.
Chapter 21: Dansarra’s Delights
Your wizard friend gives you a nigh impossible task, and you spend the day trying to find your opening to complete it.
Chapter 22 - TBA
...
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ride-a-dromedary · 4 months
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If the implication in the old journal entry is accurate, and Halsin ended up having to be the one to destroy the shade of his former First Druid that he trained/was taught under, do you think he had time to mourn him? Do you think he fell to his knees in the rubble, feeling the shadows press heavy around him, catatonic, as the weight of realization finally started to hit him? Were any of them reflected back at him when he peered into the dull, sparking energy left behind? Did he let himself cry? Scream? Did he carefully stone his expression and nod tightly in approval, like neatly tying a package, since what he eliminated wasn't him - what was left was so twisted beyond recognition, such a dark reflection of the man he had come to see as second family, that it was better destroyed?
Or did he have to run? Did he shove his grief deep down in the place where it always goes to make room for his survival instinct to bring him into the sun again? Did he have to unceremoniously abandon what was left of him because there was still a chance there may be others - a hope made in vain that the ones they had to leave behind were still out there - praying as he went that he had found peace, that Silvanus recognized his face, before the curse took what was left?
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autistichalsin · 7 months
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Yes, Halsin's arc had romance and leadership and trauma and redemption for past mistakes and war and society vs nature and "pain of altruism" themes...
But his arc was just as much about a man's search for family as anything else.
Every bit of Halsin's arc was about him protecting someone he saw as family.
Act one was his family at the Grove- "the Grove became my family," he says after telling the player he lost his parents and any other family he once had long ago. If they are saved, he makes what he feels is the best choice for them and appoints a new leader of the Grove like a parent letting another parent have custody when they know they aren't the most capable caregiver. If they are sealed off by the Rite of Thorns, Halsin grieves the loss of his home and the people inside. If they are killed, he mourns too, and in either case he can't bring himself to go back and he joins the player's camp. And if they are killed by the player and he doesn't die first, he comes to kill them in retribution.
The Grove helped him through the trauma of the Shadow Curse, it helped him learn about himself as an Archdruid, it helped him realize where his heart lay- and where it didn't. Halsin loves their companionship, but hates his leadership role when it extends beyond paternalism; "it is a terrible burden," he says. He feels too comfortable in the Grove, too separate from nature, and considering how much the leadership role is tied in to his trauma over the Shadow Curse, it's no wonder he resents it. He just wants them as his family, not as his underlings.
Act two was about Thaniel. "He made me who I am today," he says. Several devnotes make it quite clear that Halsin's feelings are paternal ones, towards Thaniel and Oliver both. When he says he thinks it will be good for them to have a friend in each other when he's gone, a devnote says, "a little bittersweet: the kids are growing up." When he notes later that the two play together often in his meditations, the devnote says "proud 'father'."
It makes sense in more ways than one; not only is Halsin paternal to these two particular beings, but then, as a Druid, Halsin is a caretaker to nature itself. As the spirits of the land, of course his feelings would be doubly so, especially given their history.
But before he gets to this point, act two is about searching for family he fears losing- he is terrified for Thaniel and doesn't know if or how to save him. This is the core of his entire arc, really- his arc continues after this, but Thaniel was the most important part of his arc. He is restless and anxious before, and once they do find him, he relaxes again.
Act three is half for the player, whether a friend or a romantic partner. "The Grove became my family... and now I have you," he says as the player gets to know him. The player, who protected him, showed him kindness, saved him from the goblins and now saved his not-quite-sons from the Shadow Curse. The player who, if in a romantic relationship, lets him admit he felt lost before and helped him find himself, ease his burdens. The player who either expresses condolences for the loss of his family or (in a presumably well intentioned if slightly obsessive way) tells him he's better with them anyway, still indicating that he is wanted. The player who lets him show his playful side again, who tends to his needs just as much as the other way around (clearly an uncommon dynamic for him to be in)... He gets to find parts of himself he hasn't in a long time. And as he finds a romantic family again, he gets to start turning his thoughts to the future again. As he can tell Wyll if one plays as him, "we'll need new life when this is over." The player gives him his future back, whether a friend or romantic, along with the family bond he misses after leaving the Grove. It's an even more free, open family than at the Grove, since here he's not forced to take a leadership role and hold himself to a higher standard.
The other part of act three is Halsin seeking family in community. He sees the vulnerable in the city of Baldur's Gate and feels a connection with them- especially the children, but also the refugees. He sees how they're hurting, and he develops a dream "of a better future for those who need it," as the devnotes refer to this arc. Halsin is a person who fundamentally can't stand to see suffering, especially in the young, and the worse he hurts from seeing Baldur's Gate, the more determined he is to help them. This isn't just an act he takes out of duty as an Archdruid, though that is part of it, but it's also the act of someone who loves people and wants to help them. And he is rewarded for it- "Daddy Halsin, [the orphaned children] call me." Halsin, with his endless, deep love and empathy, finds a place where his efforts to help the defenseless allow him to find more love and connections. He gets to take on a fatherly role to nine wagon-fulls (depending on what size of wagon we're talking about, that could be dozens of children, maybe even HUNDREDS!) of children, teaching them about the traditions that are important to him, while also filling the hole left by his parents' absence- by keeping them and their beliefs alive in his interactions with what are now effectively his children.
At his core, Halsin is a lonely person throughout canon, who craves more connection; at this point in his life, it's primarily romantic love and paternal love he wants to give. Act one shows him in a situation where he has neither, and while he's not UNhappy, he's not happy either, and is all too happy to abandon his duties because it's not where he's meant to be. Act two gives him Thaniel, who he is overjoyed to finally free from the Curse, but he isn't meant to linger thanks to the battle against the Absolute. And then act three gives him the player (even if not romanced, he still feels a deep connection with them and vice versa) and, in the end, children he can finally be a father to, even if it's in a slightly different way than he imagined. And that is where he finally finds happiness and purpose.
It's a really wonderful progression for him, I think.
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secret-smut-sideblog · 2 months
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It Will Come Back
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Astarion x F! Tav
(Girl Talk part 2)
18+ implied trauma, talks of death, drinking, possessiveness, feelings developing, vulnerability, blood drinking, sub/dom, gender play, grinding, strap on use, penetration (m!), prostate orgasm, tenderness
Their shared night has been tormenting him, after staking his claim he found himself needing to be near her. And after a night of drinking, seeing her with someone else, he had to have her again...
Part 1
-
He was mid wipe of his bloody mouth but was now frozen on the treeline, her voice shouting out into the night.
Though he knew the Underdark would have been much easier he was grateful that she had chosen the Mountain Pass. He already was able to find plentiful wildlife.
When Halsin had insisted that going underground was the better route he saw her body go rigid. Closing her eyes briefly. Taking a steadying breath out.
"I know the Underdark, its... lethal. We're taking the high ground." Her voice uncharacteristically stern. Tone clear, this was not a discussion.
Karlach had reached out to take her shoulder in a reassuring grip and pulled back at the last second, remembering her heat. A sadness in her eyes.
Now, in the darkness of camp she was bolted upright from her trance. "No!" Hand flying to her chest. Her shout breaking the air.
He stepped forward, uncertain.
But Karlach awoke, sitting up quickly. Coming to her side, kneeling next to her as close as possible without scorching.
"You're okay, love." She reassured. "Just a bad dream."
Tav looked up at her tearfully. Hand still pressed hard to her chest. Rubbing back and forth. "Oh Gods, they're starting again."
Shaking her head, looking deep in Karlach's eyes. As if the sight of her could erase whatever she woke from.
"I get those too, soldier. Some nightmares stick. Miserable things that they are." Reaching for her arm again, pulling away frustrated. "Gods I wish I could touch you."
Tav smiled, sitting up. Leaning towards her. "I want that too. We'll catch Dammon on the way, don't worry."
"You want to talk about your dream?" Karlach asked quietly.
"Not really, but it might help." She sighed.
He suddenly felt like he was intruding, staring down at them. Though he did want to console her he was hopeless at that kind of thing.
She froze for a second, turning her head.
"Ah, what did I tell you about trying to sneak up on me?" She smiled, catching him in her peripheral.
"Apologies, I was just coming back from hunting. I'll head back to my tent, but do carry on." He quipped. Chest tight.
"Actually, I dont mind you staying." She shrugged. "Believe it or not your company is very welcome."
He really considered it, but he had been avoiding her since that night and this was far too intimate.
"I appreciate that, but I'll have to decline. Do tell me if you need any hands on help though. Goodnight, sweet things."
His tent wasn't far and he was glad of it. Moving on light feet and closing the flap behind him. Sitting with his back against the entrance.
Their voices were faint but his keen ears were sharper. Their conversation picking back up after a moment.
"Gods I really thought they had gone away. But that fucking dream visitor..." The venom in her voice surprising him.
"It looked like her. My sister." Low now, he could barely pick it up. "Whatever that thing is it isnt afraid to play dirty."
"I didn't know you had a sister." Karlach's voice soft.
"A twin. We're identical." A tired sigh. "She's dead. Has been for, Gods, at least a decade. Even in my long life I dont know if it'll ever feel real."
"I'm so sorry, love." Karlach's voice low and mournful. Moving into a whisper.
He picked at the seam of his pants, suddenly feeling guilty. Given how self assured she was he hadn't even considered that she might have a troubled past. They all had their weight to bear, it seems.
Sitting still in the morning light he felt at peace. Or as close to peace as he could manage. The sun warming him through.
He soaked it in greedily, making up for 200 years of lost time. If he was a religious man he would pray to the morning god Lathandar, but the Gods weren't worth the praise.
"Morning, Star." She yawned, passing in front of his tent.
He squinted his eyes open, something he regretted immediately.
In the morning light her long red hair glowed, out of it's crown braid falling in cascades down her back. The grey ochre of her skin picking up hues of pink and a smattering of freckles he had never noticed before across her nose. Eyes dark and light in equal measure, the subtle ring of green in the white around her pupil contrasting sharply with her red hair.
She looked like an oil painting come to life.
Realizing he was staring he cast his eyes to the treeline.
Too late, she saw. Of course she did.
She smiled, coming to sit down next to him.
"Hungry?" She asked easily, holding up her wrist. Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
He stared at it, the soft flesh, the vein blue underneath. Her long fingers curled back elegantly.
"Before you've had your breakfast? How ravenous do you take me for?"
"Oh my heart, I am such a wilted flower I couldnt possibly stand such trials! Oh watch me wither away before your very eyes!" She held the back of her hand to her forehead, leaning back dramatically.
He smiled, despite himself. "I thought you nobility types were of a softer constitution." Taking her wrist gingerly in his fingers.
"Maybe on the surface. In the Underdark its kill or be killed. If you haven't had an assassination against you by the time you learn to walk you're considered a failure." She laughed, but he wasnt sure if she was exaggerating.
"Well I am a little peckish..." He mused.
He wasn't. He had a full meal last night. But the draw of her blood, being offered so easily. Gods she would be the second death of him.
He brushed his lips against the curve of her wrist, breathing in her scent. Apple, cayenne, vanilla. Gods he could get drunk on it.
He sank in as gentle as he could. Her blood bursting into his mouth. Trying to keep some sense of decorum as their companions milled around them. Resisting the urge to grip down and growl.
Vaguely aware of Shadowheart's disapproving sigh. "In front of my oatmeal?"
"Oh please, I know you'd want this too if you were sanguine." Tav smiled, unfazed. Sending her a sultry look.
He glanced up momentarily, seeing Shadowheart's blush at her flirting. Shooting him a quick cut with her eyes. Turning abruptly back to her bowl.
He felt a proud thrill in his chest. That's right, he was the one buried in her wrist. Suck it Shadowheart.
Tav tapped his forearm twice. "Going a little numb here, handsome."
He pulled off with a quiet gasp. "Apologies, I must have been more hungry that I realized." Lies. Lies upon lies.
Handsome, he turned that word over in his head. He wanted her to call him pretty.
Blinked in shock at his thoughts.
Gods this is why he had been avoiding her. That night had been haunting him. He had tried to push the intense pleasure she had milked out of him into the past. The way she had touched him, soft but commanding.
Her words playing on repeat in his mind in the late hours of the night.
"Such a good girl for me."
"You okay, Star?" Her voice low, squeezing his knee lightly.
He realized he hadn't released her wrist, his fingers still circled around her.
"Sorry darling, I'm a little off this morning." He leaned down and licked her wound closed.
Noticed her hand hadn't left his knee, her thumb rubbing back and forth gently. The touch lighting him, little trails of fire.
"Anything I could do to help?" Her voice going soft again.
Yes.
"No, but thank you for offering, sweet thing."
He patted her thigh good naturedly. "Now go get your breakfast. You've earned it."
"Well as long as I've earned it." She winked at him, rising gracefully to her feet. "See you later, beautiful."
Gods he wanted to kiss her. Hard.
Later in camp the mood was jovial. The day, though grueling, walking, always walking. Had turned out promising, closing in on the temple where the Creche is supposed to be.
Someone had opened a bottle of wine and the air was full of laughter and conversation.
Halsin had gotten out his lute and was strumming happily. Wyll stood and offered her his hand in a flourish. She smiled and took it graciously.
He led her in a light waltz and she followed easily, feet twisting and stepping with a practiced grace.
Astarion watched this from a fallen log and tried to hide the seethe in his face.
Why were they always all over her? Gods it felt like he turned his back and another suitor had stepped into place.
Didnt they know she was his?
He shook his head. He had too much wine. He was being ridiculous. He needed air.
Trudging away towards the water, feeling eyes on his back but he didn't care.
Kneeling down he splashed the water on his face. Get ahold of yourself.
Sitting back on his haunches he sighed, looking up at the night sky.
Her eyes slid over his vision, becoming two new stars.
"Brooding all by yourself?"
He couldn't stand it anymore, pulling her head down by the nape of her neck. Her soft mouth meeting his upside down.
She whimpered in surprise, then relaxed into him. Kissing him back in that soft exploring way he had craved.
He twisted under her, turning to face her. Pulling her down into his lap, wrapping his hand around the back of her head with a growl.
She straddled over him, already pulling at his camp shirt, taking it in a fist full. Moaning softly into his mouth. Allowing his tongue to push hot into her.
"My tent?" She whispered as she pulled away to get a breath, his mouth following, trying to get more.
He nodded, practically sprinting to feet. Taking her hand.
They took the long way around, sneaking into the warm cave of her temporary home.
Gods the air swam with her here. It was overwhelming.
She closed the flap behind them securely. Barely enough time and he was pulling at her clothes. Releasing her shirt from her leggings.
"Gods, Star. What brought this on?" She gasped as he laved his tongue up her neck. Pulling her shirt over her head and throwing it far in the corner.
"I cant stop thinking about it." He moaned, undoing the ties on her trousers with one hand. Falling to knees and yanking them down.
Looking up at her through his lashes. "Please touch me like that again."
She smiled, kneeling down to him. Gloriously naked, she reached up to the pins in her hair and released it. Falling behind her shoulders in a carmine wave. So beautiful it made his chest hurt.
He caught sight of a straight scar over her heart, ran his fingers softly over it.
She leaned forward, fingers stroking his cheek softly. Sliding her mouth against his warmly. "I've been thinking about it too."
Pulling his shirt free, angling over his shoulders. "You were so beautiful that night."
He moaned into her mouth as she came back to him. Already painfully aroused.
She pushed him back gently, trailing hot kisses along his neck. Untying his leathers with sure fingers. Pulling them down just far enough that his cock could spring free. Already dripping precum.
She leaned into him, sliding the hollow of her hip against his length. Rocking back and forth slowly. Leg straddled around his thigh he could feel her wetness. Her mouth on his neck so softly kissing and biting.
The pressure of her hip was so good. His head fell back, giving her more room to find him. Her fingers coming up to softly drag along his nipple. The pads teasing back and forth.
She began grinding down on him, her breath catching. Hip sliding harder into his cock.
"Please, more." He moaned.
She leaned back and spat a long trail of saliva on his cock. Pushing into him with her hip again. Looking deep in his eyes.
Oh Gods that almost sent him over.
She pinched and rolled his nipple in her hand. Wetting her fingers obscenely. Bringing them back down.
He whined, arching his chest. Pushing his hips up into her. So close.
"You know, I think your ready." She purred, her hands gone.
He opened his eyes to see her reaching for something. Leaving him to reach inside a chest.
She held up a harness with a faux cock attached. His eyes went wide.
Oh Gods, yes. He pulled off his leathers with haste.
He helped her get it on her hips, pulling down the buckles and straps. She wet it with the slick from her cunt, pumping down it.
"Come here to me." She whispered, sliding onto her back.
He straddled over her, heart racing.
Coming down to kiss at her chest, sliding one of her peaks into his mouth. Reveled in the little moan that left her.
She held the length steady for him as he slowly lowered down. His eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"Take what you need. I want to see it." She murmured into his hair.
Sitting flush to her he felt the stretch inside him. Already so full. His body gripping down eagerly.
He began his ride, lifting his hips and rolling back down. His breath a strained gasping already. Gods it was heaven.
He looked down at her and saw how her hips rocked into him, gripping his thighs. Her face flushed, eyes half lidded.
"So lovely, taking my cock like that." She smiled. Angling her hips just hard enough to hit the spot that undid him.
He lurched forward, bracing himself next to her head. An indignant whine leaving him. He cant be this close already.
She held his hips in place and fucked up into him. His body already starting to shudder in warning. She had found his prostate again and was slamming into it over and over.
"Please, please," He mewled, for what he wasn't sure. Seeing stars already.
She craned her neck up and caught his nipple in her mouth. Suckling down viciously with a delighted hum.
His while body jolted and he screwed his eyes shut. Oh Gods he didn't know if he could take it.
His pelvis contracted like a fist, the first waves hitting him. His mouth fell open in a silent scream. A bone deep shuddering ripping through him. The waves pummeling him in tortuous rapture. He white knuckled around her thigh. It was all he could do not to cry out. His spend spilling hot onto her belly in gushes.
She pulled him into her chest with hushed assurances as he sobbed quietly. A sudden rush of emotion overcoming him. Gripping onto the back of her neck.
"You're okay, you're okay." She whispered into the curl of his hair. Her legs crossing behind his back, nuzzling down into his shoulder. "You did so good."
That made him sob harder, burying his face in her hair. Holding onto her like a life raft in a storm.
"You're safe, you're here."
Laying awake, staring at the roof of his tent his mind raced.
He could lie to himself, say it was just the wine, the long road, his hunger, that had driven him to her arms.
He was a good liar but not that good.
Sighing he turned on his side.
What a fool he was. Falling for his mark. A simple plan shattered into a million pieces at her feet.
She had entranced him body and soul.
He bit back a small smile, his dead heart racing in light and fear.
Tomorrow. He would tell her tomorrow.
~
Part 3
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lendeah · 4 months
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✨I wanted to come up with ideas of prompts for my next fics, and I thought of these:
Tav finding Astarion drinking from Shadowheart, so she takes revenge on him with a certain wizard.
Astarion teaching mage Tav to use daggers🗡️
Astarion and Tav finally find the Ring of Day and make good use of his exposure to the daylight.
Post ending Ascended Astarion and Tav making the throne scene come true🤩
Astarion x Halsin x Tav🧸
Tav can only sleep if it’s next to Astarion and he loves hates it.
The party arrives at Baldur’s Gate and decides to get drunk. And drunk Astarion is surprisingly clingy.
Astarion mourning the loss of the Dark Urge after the events of the last battle, “In a thousand years, when I've all but forgotten how to love yet again, you'll flit back into my heart, and I'll weep wondering what happened to my mad love.” (bc Im a sucker for angst ngl)
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mightymizora · 12 days
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Some of my favorite fics of Gale have him in a poly situation (like with Lae'zel and Shadowheart), but his canon reaction to Halsin's offer makes me wonder how you think he would realistically reach a point where he is more okay with poly? Since I love your meta/grasp on Gale, I thought I'd ask. :)
Hey anon! I'm so glad you like GaleZelHeart lol I love them very much.
I do think that honestly there is a lot to process when it comes to Gale and poly in canon and I do understand the canon reasons he's not up for it (I do love the idea that it's specifically Halsin he's intimidated by lol, he's so in control of himself etc.) To me, a lot of it feels like it's about timing and where he is as a person at the point of the game.
With Mystra, he knows he was never the only one, or that if he is he is still not an equal partner in their relationship, however you see that. When we meet him he is still in the stages of mourning that relationship. He's actively going through denial, anger, grief, acceptance through the relationship he has with the player character whoever they are - and if you don't romance him he's even slower to start to process his emotions around it. High int, low wis Gale in action!
To me, I think poly with Gale is really negotiable on a case-by-case basis. In my Tav run, they come to it like 20 years down the line. In the GaleZelHeart I write, it's act 3 of the game.
At the heart of it, I feel like the relationship where he falls in love in the game is the first real relationship he has had. I don't believe that Mystra is his only relationship ever, but I think she is the one that has dominated his adult life and has been his most significant relationship. I HC Gale as demisexual; I think he needs a really strong connection with somebody to pursue them. And he's so bruised from the Mystra fallout, mentally emotionally and literally physically bruised, and he needs the core of having a strong bond with a person to get through that.
But how does that work with my GaleZelHeart? Well, it comes together because of Shadowheart's needs, not Gale's.
(as a side note, their banter all together is just so lovely in game, I really love how they interact please seek it out.)
In my version of it, Gale bonds with Lae'zel over her cultured side, and she ends up being the person who notices his physical predicament in act 2 and starts a sexual relationship with him purely as a practical measure. Meanwhile, Shadowheart is going through the "Source of my Bruises" rivalry to lovers with Lae'zel, and also experiencing the emotional connection to Gale of both of them being semi-discarded chosen facing the end of their lives in act 2. Shadowheart choses Gale, and Gale ends things with Lae'zel, because that's what they all think they want and need. As far as Gale and Shadowheart think, they have limited time together. Gale will blow himself up, Shadowheart will become a Dark Justiciar, and Lae'zel will leave them both behind.
Then when that doesn't happen, both of them are feeling lost and empty. They find solace in each other, but also have a different view on what they need out of life. Lae'zel as a third specifically works for them because they need her drive, her determination. They need how she loves them with her fierceness. Shadowheart particularly needs her drive towards a better tomorrow, and Gale sees that.
The short version is I don't think Gale is definitively non-monogamous, but he is in a very volatile emotional state at the point of act 2 particularly, and it would have to be a very particular balance to be right for him in the space of the game (and who has time to programme that lol.) I also think Shadowheart would be poly with many more combos of characters than programming allowed. Lae'zel would only share with Gale, I think, due to how much she respects him.
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irradiatedsnakes · 5 months
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i need to know more about pennybun i have fallen deeply in love
PENNY MY BEST FRIEND PENNY!!!!
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(by @/skypiea)
penny is my first tav and i love her. she's a white dragonborn circle of the spores druid. i finished her first playthrough a couple weeks back, and i've started on a second playthrough with her! slightly edited, and now that i understand more about the game and the story i'm refining her character and story. i missed a lot of stuff on that first playthrough!
pennybun's name comes from the mushroom, by the way. i'd decided on that before i knew that there was a mushroom-themed druid circle in this game, i was GOING to choose moon, but, like. it's perfect. penny buns aka porcini aka king bolete aka Boletus edulis are an edible mushroom that symbioses with the roots of pine trees. they're part of my research and they're quite adorable
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she's from a circle of druids located in the shelterwood- a dense forest near baldur's gate. she grew up in the city proper- or at least, on the edges of it- before moving out to the woods to pursue life as a druid.
she's solidly good-aligned- as my first playthrough, her story is kind of the best-case-scenario for everything, savescumming the hell out of some fights (good god the last light fight with marcus). everybody gets their good ending, everybody gets saved, that kind of deal.
she had a generally good relationship with everyone in the party, but gale, wyll, and karlach are her best mates for sure. i missed out on romancing karlach the first go around, but we're doing it on penny's second save file. it's happening.
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she's also quite close with shadowheart, especially after the events of act ii. her relationship with lae'zel is more tense.. but i'm still working on figuring out that exact trajectory- missing a lot of lae'zel's storyline was one of the biggest mistakes i made in the first go-around. she and astarion never get close, but there's not any malice there, either.
she's good friends with jaheira, the two get along like a house on fire, and she looks up to jaheira a lot. she didn't have a lot of time to get to know minsc and boo, but they were plenty friendly in the short time they crossed paths. halsin, i need to work on, i also kind of fucked up his stuff first go-around by neglecting to fix the shadowlands. to be updated when i reach act ii in Penny The Sequel.
overall, penny's a big ol goody-two-shoes. she wants to help as many people as she possibly can, and feels a massive weight on her shoulders because of it, having been thrust into this leadership role by apparent pure chance.
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while i'm still working it out, the central theme of pennybun's story is trust, and who she puts it in. an early decision i made before knowing anything about the story was that penny trusts the Mysterious Dream Guardian completely and totally, which made for some EXTREMELY fun character moments later on- utilizing the tadpoles (her and gale both), becoming partial illithid, and eventually in act 3 losing her trust in and culminating with her turning on the emperor, plus her own ceremorphosis to wield the netherstones against the netherbrain.
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gear-wise, she uses the default druid armor for most of the game, switching to the armor of the sporekeeper in act 3. she assembles the mourning frost in the underdark in act 1 and it remains her favored weapon for the rest of the game. she also wears the key of the ancients, and just before the start of the finale gains the nymph cloak.
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other assorted Penny Facts:
she keeps a detailed log of every camp dinner the group has. good food is very important
she has a soft spot for parasites. part of why she was receptive to the idea of utilizing the tadpoles, and also part of why she lets astarion take a bite from time to time.
she got her eye poked out by volo
she has a -1 int modifier
she's a lot keener on necromancy than you might expect a druid to be. she views necromancy and the undead (for the most part) as a natural part of the cycle of life- after all, everything will eventually return to the dirt to be eaten by the fungi and the other decomposers, no matter how prolonged it is.
it is imperative that all her friends (karlach excluded for reason of cool hair) wear fun hats. ive posted about The Hat Tax before but everyone in the party gets a funny hat. it's so important.
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she's my best friend and i love her
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