#And the karlach fans and halsin fans as well!! (I am both!)

[dekariosclan]

Intern: Sir, I’m sorry that this has taken so long, but I finally have all the research you wanted in regards to the traits the fans find sexy about their romance interests in Baldur’s Gate 3…

Gaming magazine executive: Oh, excellent! Not to worry, I assume it will all line up as expected. The Karlach fans love her bursting friendliness and positivity, her strength, her passion for life and her gorgeous smile, yes?

Intern: That’s correct, sir.

Gaming magazine executive: The Halsin fans love that he’s a gentle giant who cares greatly about children, that he likes to whittle adorable ducks as a hobby, and that he’s a consent king who will be a passionate lover for his partner, right?

Intern: All spot-on sir.

Gaming magazine executive: *smirking* This is too easy. Ok, on to Gale! The Gale fans love that he’s got a smoking hot six pack, that he offers wild illusions of astral sex, AND, at the end of the game, that he’s able to redeem himself and become Mystra’s chosen again, OR, become a god and ascend his partner to godhood with him, correct?

Intern: No.

Gaming magazine executive: Now, as for—what?

Intern: That’s not what the Gale fans find sexy, sir.

Gaming magazine executive: …oh. Okay. What do they like, then?

Intern: They, ah…they like that he…info dumps. They like when he starts talking passionately and goes off on a tangent with his finger in the air.

Gaming magazine executive: …no, they don’t. That’s—that’s not sexy.

Intern: They really think it is, sir. Please don’t make me tell you how I know that.

Gaming magazine executive: O-kay…but they like that he has a redemption arc and redeems himself in Mystra’s eyes, right?

Intern: Sir, if I were to repeat the things they want to do to Mystra I would be thrown in jail.

Gaming magazine executive: I—do they even know that he says pish-posh in the game? Twice?

Intern: They love that, sir. They wish he said it more.

Gaming magazine executive: You’re lying.

Intern: I’m really not, sir.

Gaming magazine executive: Alright, fine, but…do they know about his bad knees? They must hate how he complains about his bad knees? NOBODY would find that sexy.

Intern: *a pained expression on his face, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes* Sir, you’re not going to believe this—

———

[vixstarria]

Writer interview

Tagged by @bardic-inspo - aww thank you! ❤

Tagging @spacebarbarianweird (although I know you have heaps outside of AO3 / original works, so may be a bit tricky), @tragedybunny and @ineadhyn (no pressure!)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

17, but some are multi-chapter. All BG3.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

38,869 - I'm just a baby

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A remedy for sleeplessness - Smut. My very first smut, which I also think is my worst, written purely for shits and giggles. 🤷‍♀️

A night at the inn - Smut. Halsin threesome trilogy. This one I actually appreciate having a lot of kudos on.

Missionary with the lights off - Smut, also written for shits and giggles.

Intimacy - Not smut! But does have smut elements.

Seeing stars - You guessed it. Smut.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Oh absolutely. I appreciate every single one of them (and they are so hard to come by!). Also all this, whether tumblr or AO3, is a community - I don't think any of us what to feel like we're just shouting into the void.

(psst, if you are a reader and you think you don't have anything worthwhile to say, or that you're annoying the writer or whatnot - rest assured that is NEVER the case - every single little thing even if it's just a string of emojis is appreciated, and absolutely makes my day)

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angst, and especially not angsty endings. I stick to fluff, humour and smut (or a combination of the three). I do add angsty elements sometimes, and so far the ones that touched the most on it are Down by the river and Intimacy - both dealing with Astarion's trauma.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

They all have happy or hopeful endings. The absolute happiest mushiest one is Confession

7. Do you write crossovers?

Nope, at least I haven't yet.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nah, I haven't done anything controversial enough to warrant anger, I think.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Boy do I! All I've been able to write lately seems to be smut, tbh.

I've done a lot of Astarion x f!Tav, sometimes with a third character thrown in. Nothing too crazy.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Probably not.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope, I don't know that I would be a great writing partner tbh - sometimes trying to get words out of my brain is like squeezing water out of a rock - I'd hate to let anyone down.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Astarion x my OC has been consuming my mind lately, I suppose I'm going to have to count that.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don't know whether I should count it as a WIP, but I've been playing with the idea of having my OC and Astarion have threesomes with all the other companions (we're skipping Karlach because I HC that they're besties of the variety you do not have sex with).

I've recently done one with Wyll, as well as Halsin (twice, actually, and I'll do it again!). Maybe it's time to go for a M/F/F, I haven't done that yet... Hmm...

15. What are your writing strengths?

Going by what I personally find the easiest / am most confident with - dialogue. It's also the funnest part of writing for me, and I've had a fair share of compliments specifically for the banter, or for getting the characters' voices right.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. I can write banter all day, and I'm okay at getting inside a character's head and getting their emotions out, but ask me to describe a sunset (room / dress / whatever) and I'll probably just cry and jump out a window.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I'm not a fan of this as a reader (occasional words or phrases are okay, if there's a footnote with a translation), and I don't add it as a writer. I tend to just generalise with "he swore in elvish" and similar.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Final Fantasy 8. I wrote little comedic tidbits. (well, 12 year old me thought they were funny, anyway) I don't think any of it has survived to this day.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don't have any fandoms on my mind besides BG3, but as I've said in no. 14 above, I want to write something M/F/F.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Hmm, this changes constantly... Ultimately this will hopefully be my longfic that I'm working on.

I think it's a tie between the pure debauched horniness of A night at the inn and the more mellow Seeing stars which also showcases my OC's relationship with Astarion and all the things I think I do best.

[atastypeach]

What weird/uncommon fetishes do you headcanon each of the origin characters having 😈(if any)

OH LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO I admit some of these probably aren't as uncommon as people expect but these are some of my faves :)

MDNI! 18+ content ahead

Lae'zel: Ponyplay all the fucking way. She's all talk and gives such a "I am a dom and you will submit to me" vibe but she's really just a brat who wants to wrestle a lil but if you suggest something like ponyplay to her, or to make it even spicier, dragonplay (same stuff, but she can brat during it), she'd be like butter in your hands. Shadowheart: I wouldn't necessarily say it's uncommon or weird but there's enough content about Sharran's enforcing self-denial, and I think Shadowheart really enjoys orgasm denial and even more intensely, she likes ruined orgasms. No Nut November? Nah more like No Nut Ever. Even after converting to Selûne, she's still into ruined orgasms and it takes a few threeways with Aylin and Isobel for her to develop an overstimming fetish Astarion: Kittenplay I am a big fan of predominantly bottomsub Astarion in general, but I really do enjoy the idea of him both domming and subbing in regards to kittenplay. He loves to pamper and spoil his partners in treat them like royalty when he doms but even more so - he loves receiving it in turn. I mean it when I say this man is his own lil meow meow. Put him in kitty ears and a belled collar and scritch under his chin while you suck him off and he'll redefine what it means to purr. Gale: Public arousal/orgasm training. You know those vibrators you slip in your underwear and hold them in with a lil magnet and let them go all day? Similar concept. Strap a vibrator his cock and let it go - even better if he isn't in classic wizard ropes and he doesn't have the added layers to hide his erection. Also? Sounding. I have no kinky response for this one but I just like the idea of Gale sounding himself while solo

Wyll: THIS BOY LOVES GANGBANGS [bangs pots and pans together] He's already so used to his body belonging to someone else, he might as well have fun with it being used. Toss this young man into a room of horny participants and he will gladly allow himself to be used as the willing holes and hands for anyone who wishes to get their hands on him.

Karlach: Authority play, both domming and subbing. If there's one thing she may miss about serving Zariel - it was the chance to get really bossy with people who pissed her off. Developed something of a military kink, despite how soft she is outside of the bedroom. Lick her boots, worship the leather strips of clothing she wears over her skin - rut against her thigh like the filthy dog you are. But if you approach her with the same intensity in your voice? She's good at following orders, she did for Zariel for a decade, after all. Halsin: Chastity play. He's by nature a very sexual individual, right? Well what if part of that reason actually comes down to him being highly, highly invested in refusal of his own desires. He and Shadowheart probably bond about this shared kink a lot and probably tease one another relentless. But additionally? He enjoys having partners who will commit to chastity play along with him. To see how long they can go before they desperately come to him (heh) for release.

[bg3fandomcritical-active]

Welp I felt like I should throw my hat into the ring.

I am someone who enjoys Halsin, Wyll and Gale. And all I can say is outside of Gale, the other two's stories are nearly neglected or can be ignored entirely in some parts(seriously I missed recruiting Wyll cause I couldn't figure out where he was in the grove and didn't see him until I randomly found karlach and he showed up in the night)

But while Wyll's story could almost be completely ignored cause well his story relies on the player to do things for him in the sense that it more feels like he has zero spine in some of the scenes when it should be shown that he does and the only times your forced to acknowledge his storyline is finding Karlach and Mizora getting trapped in the mindflayer colony and thats about it cause fun fact you can actually miss the detail that his dads in the underwater jail in act 3. Halsin's is at least brought up a few times in act 2 but it's definitely not what it shouldn't be cause the cut content version of it would've actually made it so that he had an actual story outside of "Oh I gotta fix the lands cause my childhood friend is hurt and I'm a druid so the dying lands are bad." And at least have well ANY STORY IN ACT 3 AT ALL SERIOUSLY.

They both needed more character content and time, and before someone brings up the bear thing, I get it, it's fucking wierd as hell, and also yes Halsin shouldn't be replacing Wyll on the artwork, if anything Wyll himself should have more art in general, he's a great character that could've shown much better if more care had been put into him. Halsin also could've been a better companion if they didn't randomly throw Jaheira into the actaul cause well let's be real here that was just pure pandering to older fans of the game and also you get her at the end of act 2 which is arguably less time then you'll ever interact with Halsin(don't even get me started on Minsc don't get me wrong love the guy but he didn't need to be a party member they both should've been camp npcs.) Cause with the inclusion of Jaheira as a playable druid party member you now have 2 druids that both can do the same things which makes no sense from a part standpoint when we could've gotten someone of a different class that would've rounded things out like idk Alfira as an actaul party member instead.

I do apologize if I come off as harsh but I want people to know that well,, both of them could've gotten better character arcs and stories since they're both in act one, IF THERE WASNT TWO RANDOM FOLKS FROM THE OLDER BALDURS GATE GAMES, WHO MIND YOU ALREADY HAD THEIR STORIES AND ARCS, TAKING UP QUEST SPACE FOR PANDERING.

Seriously at least having Halsin tag along makes sense in the sense that he's grown fond of the player for helping him with the shadow curse and him being a playable druid helps give the class diversity, Jaheira as a camp npc to give you the stone lord quest would've not only made more sense but also would've free up room giving both Wyll and Halsin time for more scenes and story in act 3, hell I would've loved to see more of Wyll interacting with his father after saving him or him cursing out Mizora more for forcing him to chose between his father and his pact. I want to see a seen with Halsin showing disdain for the city for being a scourge on the wilderness outside of a companion walk around dialogue.

Tldr: Wyll deserves to have more story and be featured in more artworks and have his characyer handled better, Halsin deserves to have more story and scenes with his character and well something to do in act 3, and Jaheira and Minsc should've been camp npcs as a side quest and not companion cause they already had their stories told in the two previous baldurs gate games and didn't need to have even more in this one so that there could be room for the former two to get what they needed.

.

[ryttu3k]

I have *checks* 206 screencaps for the next parts and Tumblr has a limit of, uh, 30, so this will have to be a rather abridged version. Act 2, well into the Shadow-Cursed Lands (having just encountered Kar'niss).

Going waaay back to Grymforge about a million years ago (two days ago) and taking the elevator up. We meet Elminster, who has some rather disturbing things to say.

...no, the other kind of disturbing.

Yeah. I do love how genuinely supportive of Gale everyone is, though, and how appalled Mystra even has the audacity. I think I like Karlach's line best - she's no god worth worshipping, in that case!

The save file I made after all that.

We venture into the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Interestingly, Shadowheart has some slight immunity to it! The others... do not. Thankfully, both she and Tae have daylight spells, which Tae casts to hold it off until we can get to the Last Light in, where Karlach... promptly flips the fuck out over Jaheira.

Into the inn! Karlach meets a fan of her own:

The tiefling kids are so cute. Menaces! But so cute. It's not all good news - a lot have been taken to Moonrise Towers, and we get confirmation that Wyll's father has been taken as well. There's also a dude in a weird sort of catatonic state, which Halsin takes especial interest in - that'll be something to deal with, too, if we're to actually help restore these lands.

Concerningly: Baldur's Gate is currently in the hands of one Enver Gortash. Wyll has heard of him, and is a bit surprised - last he heard, Gortash was a minor player.

Karlach has heard of him too.

(Tae immediately starts trying to work out if killing this guy will cause a political crisis.)

Met a celebrity. I love him.

Less welcomingly, met another familiar face (engaged in a chess game with Mol). With a bit of assistance, she wins the game and scarpers, leaving the group with... Raphael, who proceeds to make some very disturbing comments.

Absolutely please do.

Astarion has a request of his own (one which results in him being stripped half-naked in the middle of the inn). A deal with the devil - this will in no means come back to bite us!

Larian please let me give him a hug as a friend. Please.

We meet Dammon again! He has good news and bad news. The good news is, with a bit of Infernal Iron, he can help cool Karlach down!

She's pretty pleased.

She's less pleased by the news that her Infernal Engine is just... too hot to exist in the material plane. Either she returns to Avernus, or she dies. It's... not a great choice, with Karlach determined not to ever return, even if it does cost her her life. Tae promises to find a solution.

The companions are generally sympathetic, in... their own ways.

(STR 8 vs STR 18. I'm just sayin' XD;; )

No time to rest and relax, though. Speak of the devil and she will come.

Tae telepathically reassures Wyll that they'll deal with it, and makes a deal of their own - they carry out Mizora's task, and she frees Wyll from his pact. Worth a try!

Meanwhile on the other side of camp, Tae finds Astarion trying to work out what his scars say via touch. They offer to have a look at them.

Tae recognises it as Infernal, but doesn't know the language, and draws it out instead. They suggest asking the others, which Astarion swiftly decides against. Okay, we can do that.

That night, Tae meets the Dream Visitor again.

They very much appreciate a hug. Tae feels sad but relieved they were able to help their guardian; I feel weird about it because I know exactly who they are XD;;

Back to the inn to meet Isobel. Shadowheart is less than impressed with Selûnite magic; Tae, who follows the fellow moon-associated chaotic good goddess Eilistraee, is pretty pleased with it.

The battle afterwards - less so. (Full disclosure - I tried this earlier on, before even talking to Dammon or Halsin, and failed. Reloaded, did other stuff, then tried again. Sorry but no, I am not losing my tiefling friends!) It's mostly a success, although the cultists do manage to get away with a hostage:

With the inn and Isobel safe for now, it's back into the dark. We ambush a party of cultists, and find their moon lantern, used to find their way through the shadow curse. Tae briefly debates on what to do, but...

You know a decision is ethically correct when [Astarion disapproves] appears <3

Lae'zel talks about enjoying battles, and adds, "And the sort made more thrilling with a hot-hearted tiefling at my side." Sorry, Lae'zel, the hot-hearted tiefling is dating the soft and squishy pastel druid. I'll set you guys up in another playthrough ^_^;;

Have a Concerning Conversation with Astarion. Amazing how he's actually able to say "you have a big heart" with "(derogatory)" at the end XD;; No bestie we're not taking over the cult, okay <3

Story of their lives.

Meanwhile, with Karlach...

And they have a very nice night indeed!

tfw you break a ten-year dry spell and promptly get the zoomies.

Only awkwardness to spoil the morning - Gale, with some... misinterpretations.

He's really sweet! Tae adores him as a friend! But they've also turned down all his advances so the whole thing is just... weird.

You know what no one is romancing Astarion in this run, go show him some love and patience and acceptance. It'll be good for both of you, I think!

Next stop - the House of Healing, to see what we can do about Art's condition and the curse, then onwards to Moonrise Towers. Current approvals: Karlach, Gale, and Wyll are all maxed out on 100, Shadowheart is on 69 nice, Lae'zel on 57, Astarion languishing on 42. Determined to get to 50 by the end of act 2, dangit!

[heyitsjaysblog]

The Spellthief and the Pale Elf - Chapter 4: A Late Night Bite.

Words: 5008 | Rated: Teen | Tiefling!Female Original Character x Astarion

Synopsis: A long day in pursuit of locating the goblin camp leads to a spontaneous ambush that leaves Astarion somewhat wounded. After sustaining a painful injury in his shoulder, the pale elf seems entirely not like himself, leaving Saphyra once again both concerned and suspicious of his condition. As the two agree to keep watch of the camp overnight, a shocking development is made. 

Warnings: Act I! Mentions of blood, swearing, sexual themes.

A/N: I have been waiting to get to this point in my fic series for some time!!! More recently, I have been blessed with more time to write and relax outside of work and school, which I am very thankful for. I plan on doing a bg3 character x reader fic along with two chapters every two weeks. I am starting on a Halsin x reader fic next, so please be on the lookout for that! Thank you also, to all who view and read my fan fics! I truly appreciate it, and I am open to any suggestions as well on my material, so please feel free to leave a comment on what you think! 

(p.s: listen to the linked song as you read!)

Also posting on Ao3!

- - - 

After a long day’s worth of scouting and cataloging their surroundings, the group has once again found themselves back at their original campsite, near the wreckage of the Illithid vessel that once held them captive. The wayward travelers had covered a great amount of ground, eventually coming across the bridge that led to the established goblin camp they had been searching for. While the scouting group of four were able to pinpoint an exact location, they were unfortunately ambushed by a group of savage gnolls. Thankfully, they managed to best their unsightly foes, however, not without sustaining a few injuries. Astarion, in particular, suffered some gruesome blows—one to the face, as well as the shoulder. An iron bolt pierced straight through the flesh, and for a moment, his traveling companions were quite convinced it was a fatal wound. If it weren’t for Shadowheart's presence during the expedition, who knows if he would’ve pulled through. 

Dusk began to blanket the sky, accompanied by the low hum of insects and quiet chirps of nearby forest life. The stars were slowly beginning to emerge and in the distance, the clouds above swirled into hues of crimson and violet. 

As the group approaches the entrance of the campsite, they are greeted with one of the most enticing aromas imagined. 

While the group enters, Gale, who was previously preoccupied with adding the finishing garnishes to the meal, lifts his head before a mixture of relief and eagerness surfaces on his face. 

“Excellent timing!” he exclaims, before picking up a nearby linen cloth and cleaning off his hands. Stirred by the nearby commotion, Karlach approaches the group from the other side of the camp, followed by Wyll, who was immersed in a book of poetry he more recently acquired. 

“You all finally made it back!” Karlach shouts with a toothy grin, before taking a seat on one of the long logs placed horizontally in the soil. 

“We were gettin’ worried we would have to send a search party out for the lot of you,” she explains. 

While the others briefly retreat to their tents, Saphyra lets out a deep sigh as she drops her quarterstaff down onto the ground, before joining Karlach on the log. 

“We were ambushed, unfortunately.” she begins, as she tediously unties her tall, laced boots, before yanking them off.

“A group of gnolls had us cornered for some time, but we still managed to find the bridge leading to the goblin camp,” she explains, right before removing her satchel from around her person and reaching in for a black, leather-bound journal, followed by a piece of graphite. 

Wyll sits across from them, perking up once the goblin camp is mentioned. 

“That’s tremendous news! I’m sure you’ve managed to plot where the location is exactly for our journey tomorrow?” he begins to inquire before Saphyra swiftly addresses his question. 

“Adding it to the map as we speak,” she replies, curtly, as she unfolds a rather sizeable piece of parchment that contained the map she began to sketch of the area so far. 

Soon after, Lae’zel and Shadowheart slowly join them around the campfire, finding seats amongst the boulders scattered around the fire. Gale returns to the circle, arms filled with wooden bowls and utensils before placing them off to the side. Using the linen cloth to uncover the large, black cauldron in the center of the fire, Gale picks up the ladle resting in between one of the handles before gathering a full scoop of the stew brewing inside. 

“Well, I hope you’ve all drawn up an appetite from your tiresome expedition, because I, fortunately, had the ingredients to make Chelo Khoresh this evening!” Gale declares, before picking up a bowl and pouring the hearty stew inside. The stew was made up of thick, chopped pieces of lamb, onion, and potatoes. It smelled strongly of savory garlic and turmeric and would pour beautifully upon a generous helping of saffron rice, if they had any. He then reaches down alongside the cauldron for a piece of sourdough bread, which he had previously cut and placed on a wooden platter. Adding the slice of bread to the bowl, he then hands it over to Lae’zel, who upon receiving the bowl, turns up her nose in disgust. 

“Tsk’va…the cuisine of this plane leaves much to be desired,” she mutters to herself before passing it over to Wyll. 

Shadowheart watches her with an irritated expression before receiving a bowl from Gale. 

“So this is what you got up and started cooking this morning, I presume?” she inquires, rather impressed by how the dish came out. 

As Gale begins to describe the long and tedious process required for the dish, soft footsteps tread towards the campfire, belonging to none other than Astarion. Not looking up from her sketch, Saphyra jumps a bit from hearing someone take a seat right beside her. Finishing up her work on the map, she glances over toward her right to get a look at the pale elf, who seemed to be in a worse condition than she previously thought. 

With his knees tightly pulled into his chest, Astarion dejectedly fixed his gaze towards the campfire. The tourniquet, that was used on him earlier by Shadowheart, was fixed tightly around his shoulder, soaked with dark, dried blood. His scarlet eyes seemed to burn brighter than they normally appeared, almost as if they were glowing in a vermillion hue. His curly hair, typically more well-kempt and shiny, appeared to be more dull and frizzy. Not to mention, as he is often characterized for being ‘pale’, he seemed even more washed out than usual. Almost ghoulish. The dark circles under his eyes seemed even more pronounced, and underneath one, he happened to possess a deep bruise, made up of purple and green hues. As he rested his head in between his knees, with his arms folded and covering his mouth, Saphyra watched as he seemed to shake ever so slightly. 

Was he…trembling? 

Even more concerning, was how undeviating his gaze was. Turning her head to follow where he was staring, she blinked as she realized that he seemed to be looking at Lae’zel, who was busy cracking her neck from side to side.

Before passing a bowl of food to Saphyra, Karlach nudges her to get her attention, only startling Saphyra once more. Saphyra blinks as she turns around, before placing the parchment, her journal, and graphite back into her satchel. She takes the bowl from Karlach, before Karlach gestures to her to move in a bit closer, for her to whisper something to her. 

“Hey…what’s goin’ on with Ears?” she inquires, before looking past her at Astarion. 

Taking one more glance over at him before turning back to Karlach, Saphyra softly whispers back, “He got injured earlier…a bolt to the shoulder.”

Granted, he was uncharacteristically quiet, but while his behavior was concerning, it wasn’t surprising to Saphyra. In fact, she was beginning to suspect that he was struggling more and more to maintain his façade. She recalls a day or so ago when the group came across a decaying boar that had been completely exsanguinated, only possessing two deep puncture wounds within its flesh. She can remember how Astarion reacted when she had asked if he had come across something like this in the past. As he began to prevaricate and dance around her inquiries, she finally had the confirmation needed to solidify her theory. 

Saphyra narrows her eyes as she begins to stare at him once more, before offering him her bowl. 

“Here. You seem hungry,” she states plainly, as she holds out the steaming dish. 

Astarion’s eyes flick back towards the bowl, and then to her, before shifting his position and releasing his legs out in front of him. He then takes the bowl into his hands, before staring down into it. As if his stomach churns, he quickly covers his mouth and nose before placing it down beside him. 

Immediately, Astarion stands to his feet, before turning to walk back to his tent. 

“...I think I’m going to retire early,” he says in a low voice, with his back still turned towards the rest of the group. 

Shadowheart, wondering if she is going to have to use healing magic on him once again, starts to place down her bowl.

With a look of concern growing on his face, Gale places his bowl down beside him as well. 

“Would you like for us to wrap your food for you?-” he begins to inquire before Saphyra immediately interrupts him. 

“We’re to keep watch of the campsite later on…should someone else take your place?” she asks, anxiously hoping that he will respond with a ‘yes’. 

However, to her dismay, Astarion turns around swiftly before giving his response. 

“No- I should be fine to keep watch with you…I’ll just be resting for the next hour or so.” he elaborates, before turning around once again to make his way back to his tent. 

As the rest of the group finishes their meal, Gale walks over to wear Saphyra sits to wrap Astarion’s bowl with a linen cloth. 

“I do hope that he begins to feel a bit better…poor Astarion seemed rather sickly, don’t you think?” he asks, looking over towards Saphyra. 

Saphyra, however, seemed mentally preoccupied as she started to grow exceedingly uneasy, wondering how this night watch would unfold. 

- - -

A prominent hush had befallen the camp as nightfall came into full effect. Despite the chirp of a cicada here, and the crackle of the fire there, nothing seemed to stir within the night. The skies now appeared as black as obsidian, housing a large, full moon and distant glints of stars that produced gentle light. More than an hour had passed, and yet, there was still no sign of the pale elf. As time crept on, Saphyra grew more and more disquieted. Her tail swished and swayed in the soil as she sat perched on top of one of the logs in front of the campfire. She even found herself picking at the frayed thread from the long sleeve of her slate-colored chemise. As her mismatched eyes indolently studied the dancing flames, they would ever-so-slightly shutter close before immediately widening once again. The tiefling was struggling to fight sleep, however, she couldn’t afford to doze off while she waited. Peering over her shoulder, Saphyra looked back toward Astarion’s tent, which seemed to have an active lantern burning inside, due to the illumination of what she could only assume was his silhouette. Feeling some sense of relief, she turns towards the fire once more before positioning her elbows onto her lap and placing her chin into her hands. As she supports her head with her hands, her eyes begin to shut close once more before her shoulders drop and she begins to slip into slumber. 

Shortly after, Saphyra feels an abrupt and cold grasp upon her shoulder, causing her to immediately jolt awake. Her eyes flicker towards her left shoulder, only to find a pallid hand resting on top. Quickly craning her neck upwards, she makes eye contact with none other than Astarion. 

“My apologies, did I startle you?” he inquires with a small smile, before walking over to and sitting down on the log directly across from her, on the other side of the fire. 

Saphyra blinks, before folding her arms towards her chest. She was beginning to feel the cold of the night, mainly because her chemise didn’t quite reach past her knees. 

“...I must’ve dozed off while I waited for you,” she explains, before rubbing her eyes and yawning a bit. 

“Ah, I see,” he replies, silently studying her from across the fire. His eyes still seemed to burn bright vermillion, and despite “resting” for the past hour or so, he still seemed to look as languid as before. 

“Truth be told, I did not expect you to stay up waiting for me…However, now that I’m finally here, it’s more than alright for you to finally get some rest. I’ll take over keeping watch.” he states, donning his faux “smile” once more. 

Saphyra narrows her eyes. There was no way that she planned on falling asleep with him watching her like prey.

“It’s quite alright…I assure you, I’m fine to continue keeping watch.” she rebuttals, fighting the urge to let out yet another yawn. 

Cocking his head to the side as he feigns concern, Astarion’s brows knit together. 

“It’s just that…you seem so tired, Saphyra.” he asserts, with a patronizing tone. 

“Take your rest. I insist,” he affirms his stance once more with a smile, which seemed even more eerie this time around. 

The two sit in a brief silence, non-verbally engaged in a stand-off. It isn’t until Saphyra reaches to her side for her bedroll that she manages to break eye contact with him. 

“I suppose you're right,” she states, before unfastening the tie around the fabric. She then gets up to unroll it beside the log and spread out her grey, woolen blanket on top. As she climbs under the cover, her eyes fall onto her quarterstaff, before pulling underneath the fabric along with her. 

Perhaps she would make use of the staked end after all. 

“Goodnight,” she says aloud, tightening her grip around the staff, with her back facing Astarion. 

“Sweet dreams, Saphyra,” Astarion replies, in a honeyed tone.

As she shuts her eyes, it surprisingly takes very little time for her to fall asleep, however, it is truly a feat to stay asleep. Between the movement of the tadpole, unpleasant memories, and unsolicited nightmares, Saphyra tossed and turned. However, perhaps it was for the best that she did not stay asleep. 

Hushed footsteps approached Saphyra’s bedroll as she slumbered before the figure took a knee before her bedside. He made sure to articulate every movement carefully, quietly hovering above Saphyra before attempting to make a way toward her neck. 

And yet, his carefulness wasn’t enough.

As her breath suddenly hitches in her sleep, Saphyra begins to stir before cracking open her eyes to make direct eye contact with Astarion, who was kneeling above her with his mouth agape, as his ivory fangs protruded out. 

“...what…the fuck?” she asks, voice still groggy from her unfinished rest. 

Caught in the act, Astarion begins to slowly back away before attempting to rise to his feet. 

“Shit-” he says as his alarmed expression intensifies. 

“Saphyra, it’s not what it looks like, I swear.” he begins to explain. 

Saphyra rubs her eyes, silently confirming that this was reality and not a dream. Soon after making the realization, she grabs for her quarterstaff once more, scrambling out of her covers and jumping up onto her feet. She then points the staked end of her staff out towards Astarion, and surprisingly, a wild and toothy grin appears on her face. 

“I knew…I fucking knew it!” she exclaims, only for Astarion to immediately begin fervently shushing her. 

Her suspicions were correct. He was, in fact, a vampire! 

“Please!- Please lower your voice.” he chastens her, only prompting Saphyra’s grip to tighten on her staff. 

“Why should I lower my voice? You were just standing over my bedroll with your fangs bared, trying to take a bite out of me!” she exclaims once more, ignoring Astarion’s plea. 

Panicked by her growing volume, Astarion attempts to throw his hands up, causing Saphyra to move in closer with the wooden staff pointed directly to his chest. Looking down at the pointed end of the staff, Astarion’s gaze shifts upward once more before he decides to beg once more for her cooperation. 

“Saph, please, we can discuss this more rationally-” he begins before her expression shifts into astonishment. 

“Saph? Are we fucking best of pals now?!-” she inquires with eyes widened, before getting hushed once more. Rolling her eyes, Saphyra decides to follow through with his request, now beginning to confront him in a quieter tone. 

“I knew it was you who was behind all of the animals we had been coming across, completely drained of their blood-” she begins to state before Astarion extends his finger out, pointing directly at her. 

“HA- So you’ve been aware of my nature for some time now, haven’t you?” he accuses her before his expression becomes more somber.

“...Did he send you to retrieve me? Are you working for Cazador?” he begins to interrogate her, earning a bewildered expression from Saphyra. 

Saphyra begins to lower her weapon. 

“Who the fuck is Cazador?” she questions him back, only confusing Astarion even more. 

As it turns out, she wasn’t hired to capture him. 

However, it suddenly dawned on Saphyra what Astarion’s true motives were. Gasping before starting to chuckle in disbelief, Saphyra slowly begins to raise her staff once more. 

“You were going to kill me in my sleep, weren’t you?” she asks, completely taken aback by the whole scenario altogether. 

“Make it look like an accident…because you thought I was hired to capture you?” she continues with her onslaught of questions, as Astarion’s desperation builds. 

“Hold on-” he starts, attempting to counter. Sighing a bit, he shrugs his shoulders, before resorting to his next attempt to placate her. 

“Surely it seems we’ve both been very suspicious of one another…But, you can trust me, Saphyra.” he begins to explain, causing Saphyra to scoff immediately at the notion. Astarion relaxes a bit, trying to disarm Saphyra with his body language. 

“I mean it. You yourself witnessed me get injured earlier today…If I just had a little blood, I could heal myself…fight better… think clearer…please.” he pleaded with her once more. 

Saphyra rolls her eyes again, before slowly putting her staff down towards her side. 

“Astarion, you just tried to murder me in my sleep. How could I possibly trust you?” she responds, causing a pondering expression to surface on Astarion’s face. 

Shutting his eyes, both he and Saphyra suddenly shudder in unison as he attempts to establish a neural link, using the power of the tadpoles. Reluctantly, Saphyra gives in before abruptly being submerged in a myriad of different images and sensations. She recognizes the streets of Baldur’s Gate, at night, however, saw it all through his eyes. As she witnesses Astarion’s lived experiences, she can simultaneously feel herself being compelled by a darker, hidden force to consume the blood of not humans, but animals. Forced to feed from squirming rats, or fleeing deer. She felt the hunger that enslaved him, consumed him, and practically called to him to commit these acts. 

The link was then suddenly severed, leaving Saphyra with a throbbing mess of a headache, as she clenched the side of her head. Silently making eye contact once more, the young tiefling happened to find herself actually hosting some empathy for him.

Saphyra then exhaled a deep sigh as she shut her eyes once more, shaking her head at the decision she was about to make. 

She had a dreadful feeling that she was going to absolutely regret this. 

“...Fine.” she surrenders suddenly, causing Astarion’s expression to shift into shock. 

Blinking a bit, a brow quirks upward as Astarion tries to make sure that she truly means what she says.

“You’ll…let me feed from you?” 

Nodding as she confirms his question, Saphyra meets his gaze before her facial expression turns solemn once more. 

“You can feed from me, but if you take so much as one drop more than I allow you to have, I will drive this stake through your heart,” she states firmly, as her grip tightens around the wooden staff. 

Astarion gulps, then nods, taken aback by her forwardness. However, if Saphyra was being honest, she did have a minor curiosity about what it felt like to be bitten by a vampire. Would it be an ecstatic feeling? Pleasurable? Or would it feel agonizing, or life-draining? 

“Very well…I’ll be gentle as a babe,” he says with a small smirk, before gesturing towards the bedroll below the two of them. 

“Well, let’s make ourselves comfortable, shall we?” he asks playfully as both he and Saphyra kneel to their knees. Before getting close to her, Astarion begins to roll the long sleeves of his shirt.

Saphyra then reclines back on the bedroll, before clamping her eyes shut. 

“Please just get it over with,” she mutters to herself. 

Astarion, however, was slightly at a loss. He truly had never had the pleasure of feeding from a humanoid being before. As he kneeled above her, he tried to angle himself in a way where he had the best access to her neck, and yet, nothing seemed to be promising. As he awkwardly attempted to situate himself in a way that would be comfortable for them both, his efforts were interrupted by Saphyra’s inpatient questioning. 

“What in the hells is taking so long?” she inquires, creaking one eye open to peer up at him. 

“Erm, darling- do you mind if I…” his voice trails off, only for Saphyra to immediately provide him with an answer. 

“Please just do whatever makes this process go quicker,” she states, clamping her eyes shut tightly in frustration. 

Upon giving permission, Astarion then proceeds to climb on top of her, straddling his legs against the outside of her thighs. He then plants his hands firmly on the ground before lowering his lips to her neck. This causes Saphyra’s eyes to shoot open as a dark-tinted blush settles in across her cheeks. 

“Astarion!-” she begins to exclaim, before suddenly, Astarion’s fangs pierce the soft flesh of her neck. 

Saphyra gasps from the impact. It’s as if two shards of glass broke the skin, burrowing deep into her. Her eyes clamped shut once more as she writhes and wiggles underneath him from the pain. For Astarion, however, it was as if he was drinking honeyed mead straight from the tap. A soothing salve, coaxing the intense burn that had been building up in his throat from the iniquitous thirst. The taste was intoxicating, instantly sending him into a frenzy. It simply could not compare to the blood of a deer, a bear, or even a kobold. It was electrifying, and gratifying. Tightly shutting his eyes, Astarion burrows deeper into the crevice of her neck, not even realizing when he releases a deep and guttural moan. 

Upon hearing this, a ripple shoots down throughout Saphyra’s core. As he continued to drink from her, she began to feel the throb of her heartbeat as the pace sped up. Shifting one hand from supporting his body weight, Astarion begins to cradle her head as he further siphons her life force. Saphyra could practically feel herself slipping away as her fingertips went from hot, to cold, then completely numb.

He’s getting too carried away…

She thought to herself as he continued to suck from her neck. 

“Astarion…” she whispered, barely managing to form the words with her lips, and yet, her warning fell on deaf ears. 

Starting now to internally panic, Saphyra attempted to use her remaining strength to reach her right hand out to Astarion’s arm, which was closest to her head. Once she finally was able to make contact with his skin, she rested the palm of her hand on top of his, using the remainder of her energy to silently cast burning hands. Saphyra’s palm slowly began to burn warm, before reaching scorching temperatures.

Jumping from the contact of Saphyra’s searing touch, Astarion hastily pulls away from her, yelping as he sits upright while shaking his hand. Upon doing so, Saphyra watches through hazy vision as the heat boils that surfaced on the skin of his hand slowly begin to fade away. 

As he began to regenerate from the sudden burn injury he sustained, Astarion then turns his attention back to Saphyra, who was attempting to raise herself. As she tried to lift herself, she immediately falls backward once more, feeling entirely lightheaded from being just about drained to death. 

“Careful now-” Astarion cautions, before helping her carefully lay her head back down. 

“My apologies, I think I may have gotten…swept up in the moment,” he says with a light chuckle. 

Saphyra peers up at him, realizing that the bruise he previously housed underneath his eye has completely vanished! Not to mention, the shine had returned to his curly, silver hair. His eyes had gone from their previous vermillion hue to now a ruddy, crimson color. She had also realized that the bottom half of his face was practically covered with her blood, which ran down past his chin and seemed to drip down his neck. 

“...so messy…” Saphyra teases, however, her words are barely heard, due to how weak she currently feels. 

Astarion blinks, realizing that he did have blood smeared all over his face. 

Chuckling a bit, he replies, “I suppose so.” 

As the campfire’s light illuminated his face, Saphyra took a moment to fully take in his features. Despite having specks of blood scattered here and there, she found her eyes tracing over the different lines and creases on his face. She intently studied the curvature of his cupid’s bow, and the round shape of his mesmerizing eyes as they both silently maintained eye contact. A deep flush settled into her onyx-toned skin, once more, causing Astarion to look down at her in confusion. Trying to understand what could possibly have her this flushed, he then realized.

Is she…attracted to me?

He quietly thought to himself. 

Another idea came over him. This was something he could definitely use to his advantage. As he stared down at her, a drop of blood from his face fell onto Saphyra’s freckled cheek. 

Upon realizing what happened, Astarion takes his thumb and softly drags it across her cheek before taking the pad of his thumb into his mouth, all while staring deeply into her eyes. 

“Apologies, my dear. Wouldn’t want to waste a drop,” he states, followed by a sly smirk. 

Astarion then sits up, before slowly helping Saphyra do the same. His eyes quickly scan the area before finding a nearby linen cloth. As he wipes his face clean of Saphyra’s blood, he attempts to dab out the fallen drops from his white, frill-collared shirt, before realizing that it wouldn’t really do much. He then folds the cloth before suddenly pressing it against the bite wound he left on Saphyra’s neck. Softly taking her hand into his, he then places it firmly against the cloth. 

“Hold this here.” he asserts, right before Saphyra nods in understanding. 

The feeding left her feeling entirely weak, trembling from the loss of the blood. While maintaining pressure on her neck, Saphyra turns and digs into her nearby satchel to search for the pear she placed into her bag earlier in the day. Upon locating the pear, she takes it out before brushing it off onto the fabric of her chemise. She then cautiously takes a bite. The movement alone seemed to cause her discomfort, due to her bite wound. As she began to further eat the pear, her eyes glance back towards Astarion, who was in the process of removing his shirt, for him to attempt to work at the deep red stains with a cloth and water. Saphyra found herself her gaze unrelenting as her eyes perused the musculature of his body. He wasn’t very gaunt, as she assumed he would be, but he also wasn’t very stocky in form. At the same time, he still had very defined muscles, and interestingly enough, Saphyra realized that the wound he suffered from was completely gone, showing no sign of even occurring in the first place. Recognizing now that she was practically gawking at him, Saphyra then clears her throat, before taking another bite of the pear. 

“So…” she begins, attempting to clear the presumed awkwardness in the air. 

“...What did I taste like?” she provocatively inquires, as a smirk begins to grow on her face. 

Breaking himself away from what he was doing, Astarion looks up at her, rather intrigued by the question. He chuckles a bit in response before he decides to entertain the thought. 

“Darling, you were exquisite,” he begins before he begins to ponder a bit more on how to respond. 

“If I were to describe how you taste…” he taps his finger to his chin in thought as he thinks best of how to describe the taste of her blood. 

“You tasted of black currants and cherries…very rich in flavor, yet heady and decadent…almost like a lilac wine…or perhaps a-” Astarion continues his passionate stream of thought before Saphyra suddenly interrupts. 

“Astarion…are you comparing me to a rare vintage?” she looks at him in disbelief, causing Astarion to break out in laughter. 

“Not at all, my dear- In fact, you tasted even better,” he states with a wolfish grin, before suddenly rising to his feet. 

“Alas…while you were positively invigorating, I need something more…filling,” he explains, scooping up his shirt, before turning to walk away. 

Saphyra blinks, feeling a twinge of loneliness tug at her heart as Astarion begins to walk away. However, he soon pauses, turning his head to partially look back towards her.

“Saphyra… This is a gift, you know…I won’t forget it.” he states earnestly before he turns and continues to walk towards the forest. 

Saphyra snickered a bit to herself as she watched him walk into the distance.

The pale elf had a new swagger to his step, a developing confidence. He no longer was forced to feed from lowly animals by his cruel creator. Now he had experienced something completely foreign to him. The one person who knew his true nature, who he had presumed to be an adversary in the beginning, had turned out to be a newly discovered ally. And with that being said, he truly wondered how far he would have to go to gain her complete trust.  Perhaps the opportunity would present itself again soon enough to establish more kinship between them both. 

However, all that Astarion presently cared about was a persistent hunt before his companions awoke to make their way to the goblin camp.