#Gale brings the nerd out of him

[0ccuria]

Talking with Gale / Talking to literally anyone else

[waterdeepwife]

Gale Domestic Headcanons

Pairing: Gale x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Gale and Tav/Reader are married, both negative and positive headcanons of loving this nerd, typos, NSFW INCLUDED AT THE END, Gale loves you so very much, I think that’s all?

Living with Gale in his tower definitely takes some getting used to. Especially for him since he is so used to being alone, but he also has to help you adjust to him and his domestic habits.

Bossy- I can definitely see Gale being a little bossy when you first move in together, but only when it comes to where stuff goes. He has a chaotic system and he knows where everything goes, so why are you trying to move stuff around? No he doesn’t want all the potion bottles in the same section, they are separate based on size and what he uses them for.

He tells you where everything goes and expects you to just get used to his system. Even when it’s a mess and things are where they shouldn’t be. Which leads me to my next point…

Messy- Gale is messy. Books, potions and magical artifacts are everywhere. There’s a stack of books in the bathroom. Old potions sitting among the spices in the kitchen. A glowing, strange looking magical item sitting on the night stand. No, don’t move it he wants it there.

I can see him being the type of guy that leaves piles of clothes everywhere, he hates doing laundry and would rather magic them clean and away when it gets too much. Laundry would definitely be one of your chores in the tower.

I think dishes would be a shared chore. As he often has half empty cups of tea or water, and even glasses of wine EVERYWHERE. Especially stacked up in his study, if you just finished dishes and he brings more in. Gale will give you a sheepish look and says he will handle it.

Work Habits- Gale loves you and would never fully ignore you, but he can get wrapped up in his work. Both from research as a wizard and also papers to grade as a professor. All of these things can make him come to bet later then you’d like him too. I feel like this if the biggest ‘flaw’ he actively tried to change, or balance out. If Gale sees you sad or missing him he will find ways to fix the issue. Do you like to sleep in the mornings? He will get early get some work done, then go make breakfast for you to wake up to. If you are an early bird? He will wake up with you, spend all morning with you and giving you attention before going to work.

Cooking- I don’t think Gale would want to share the ‘chore’ of cooking. LET HIM COOK FOR YOU. I feel like this can go along with his bossy and pompous attitude, he knows what he is doing. He knows what he likes and what you like, so just let him pamper you. Feeding you is another one of Gale’s love languages. He thinks he is the best damn cook in the world, next to his mother of course. If you pout enough he will let you help him make dinner, but he still wants to do most of the work.

Provider- Gale is completely devoted to you, he loves you and wants to show you how much he loves you. Now this can come in different forms depending on the marriage you want with him. He can be the ‘breadwinner’ and you can stay home, or you can both be the breadwinner. I think Gale would favor being the breadwinner because he can spoil you and come home to you, but if you want something different he is happy to adjust. I don’t think he’d ever be the stay at home type, because he truly does love teaching the kiddos, and I think he’d get bored.

Gale was rich before you met him, so money will never be an issue for you guys. Which is why he offers to let you stay home if you wish, but he just wants you happy. He isn’t the type of man to be “this is my money!” No it’s money he is bringing home to you, to support and care for you. So he gives you free rein, unless you have spending problem (like me lmao), then he will be a bit more active in controlling finances.

He loves you, but do you really need three different versions of the same thing? (Like dresses, jewelry, or whatever you are into idk).

Affectionate- Gale is very affectionate, and that only amplifies when you two settle down. He always gives you kisses everywhere; lips, forehead, cheek, hand, and even neck when he tries to get you riled up. Hugs every time he sees you, even picking you up and spinning you around for a moment. Gale’s favorite thing is when you are in the sitting room, your legs in his lap as he reads to you with the fire crackling.

Obviously he will respect your personal space, whenever you need it. Especially if you need some time alone, he understands. Gale prefers to be together all the time, but he knows you need breaks sometimes.

Considerate- As soon as you accept his proposal he is already planning things back in Waterdeep. He wants to make sure you feel right at home as soon you walk in! As you two begin the journey to Waterdeep, Gale puts his plans in action without you even knowing! It’s supposed to be a surprise! When you finally get to his tower you find that some of things has been moved to make room for your things! In the closet in the bedroom is some dresses/clothes that is exactly your style. Gale knows you, what you like, and how you like to dress. He feels so proud of himself when he sees how happy you are! When you ask him how he did it he simply says “magic!” And refuses to explain further.

Spoiler alert: the visits from Tara weren’t just visits, Gale was asking her and his mother to help make preparations for you.

NSFW BELOW.

Sex is almost daily. Now that you are in the privacy of his tower he will have his fill of you every day. Gale wants to make you scream his name, since you had to be quiet back during your adventure.

He still takes his time, reminding you how beautiful you are, how much he loves you, and how lucky he is that you’re his wife now. Gale goes slow and passionate the first night in his tower, knowing there we a thousand more nights of love making to come.

Loves to have sleepy morning sex with you, but sometimes he also just loves to please you with his hands or tongue. I can see you two lying together cuddled up in bed, your hand slowly stroking his cock and his lazily pumps his long fingers in and out of your wet pussy.

You will always come before him, he refuses to let himself come until you do. You are his wife, his everything, your pleasure comes first.

Gale has fucked you everywhere in the tower in every position. Missionary in the bedroom, bent over his desk in the study, riding him in the bathtub, having duplicates of himself pleasuring you on the balcony. He’s dry humped you in the sitting room, you’ve palmed his clothed erection while he cooks dinner.

Begs to eat your pussy every night, even if you’re not up full blown loving making. Your sweet juice is his dessert. If you tell him no he will understand and not push it further, he is a respectful pussy addict.

[aimzicr]

Okay but Lae'zel and Gale.

Gale 'I like your musk' and Lae'zel 'I want to taste you'. Gale 'I read that the adrenaline from fighting makes you horny' and Lae'zel 'the battle rage is in my blood - and yes'.

Gale taking notes during the ceremorphosis lesson while everyone else is flinching. Lae'zel kicking Elminster out of camp and then pulling Gale up by his collar snarling for him to pull himself together and acknowledge his own power and strength, or so help her she'll throw him into the dirt.

Gale being smart enough to see the zaith'isk for what it is and talking Lae'zel through (or out of) the procedure. Lae'zel and Tara bonding over killing animals and bringing them to Gale to cook (Tara's not even going to be mad that Gale would prioritise a boar over a pigeon).

Gale apologising for being monogamous after all he's been through, and Lae'zel being 'no-one else can have what is mine, I will not share or be shared with anyone but you'. Battle buffs and fireballs.

Shining silver armour and soft purple velvet. 'Me and the baddest bitch I pulled by being autistic'. Big Buff Warrior GF and her nerd BF.

Is this anything.

[floweryanarchy]

I find myself curious about Cazador, The Emperor, Dame Alyin, and Dark Urge. What roles do they play in the au. BTW as a Texan and a History nerd I love how your have handled the western setting.

Ayyeee I’m glad ur enjoying the western au, I’m just going off the knowledge I have from RDR2 hehe

I’ll leave the emperors lore for another time or ask because he involves a lot of the main lore that’ll also need to be explained which also ties in Mystra plus Gales sickness. This post would be a mile long. But for the rest of them, here you go!

Dame Aylin: The daughter is Selune and the leader of a secret rebellion movement against the tyrant Ketheric Thorm. Her Mother Selune whereabouts are shrouded in secrecy, a protective act to keep her safe from her sister Shar and her followers. Dame Aylin had been the figurehead, uniting the group rebellion under the name of the “Selunites.” Till one day, a raid that had taken place when awry, the group attempted to aid the citizens of moonrise and take down Ketheric ended horribly, resulting in Aylin being taken prisoner. Most believed she to be dead. Question is what falling out did Ketheric have with Selune that he turned against them.

Cazador Szarr: To the upper class Cazador had made his name into a symbol, he’s a wealthy aristocrat, a patron of the arts and lavishes in the finest luxuries money can offer. To the public he’s seen as a man to be respected, a man who donated money to orphanages, attends operas and galas alike. But beneath the surface, he’s a ruthless monster that runs one of the most powerful drug/crime organizations in Baldurs Gate. A trade that was passed down to him from generations. His chosen seven, referred to only as “The Spawn” are kept on a tight leash that had the unfortunate circumstances of falling into the man’s clutches. They deal in flesh, opium and stolen goods, done simultaneously most of the time. His drug trade is what brings in the most cash, keeping the rich and desperate dependent on his supply. Cazador believes himself to be superior, a man of culture ruling over cattle. As for his “Spawn” he chooses each one carefully, grooming them to be perfect in his own image, as their own identities are stripped away and forced to be dependent on him. His spawn are not free, they are his property. And Astarion was one of his greatest projects.

BHAAL: No one knows where he came from, his most loyal followers knew him to be an ex-preacher, a man of faith that turned to madness. He believes that murder is a sacred act of utter devotion, a holy ritual. It was easy to amass such a cult following, with cold hearted bloody thirsty killer roaming the west just looking for an excuse for unnecessary bloodshed. His followers believe in his words, that the law and civilization are weak when compared to utter chaos. They seek To break down these structures, and begin a new era in the west. One under Bhaals rule.

THE DARK URGE: They were once Bhaals favored, an orphanage child that was groomed into the man’s cult. They were trained only to know blood and carnage and nothing else. Till one day, they went missing, and no one from the cult were able to locate them. Perhaps Orin had played a hand in their disappearance, but all they know is they woke up with a massive headache and a serious case of amnesia.

[smallnico]

durge desensitizes to casual positive affection and friendship compilation

also known as real feline durge hours. esper's companions look at them and say Is Anyone Gonna Manhandle That Murderous Twink and then not wait for an answer. contexts/explanations under readmore for the curious

lae'zel and esper do morning exercises and meditation together. most of the time they pass the time in silence, but sometimes they're joined by the local wildlife. esper is a great fan of showing their friends things they might find interesting as a form of affection instead of words, especially with lae'zel, since they have a common discomfort with small talk.

esper doesn't like looking at themself in the mirror, so their makeup is always ancient and haphazardly applied, a fact that distresses the more image-conscientious shadowheart. she and esper have a sibling-like relationship fuelled by mutual amnesia and goth solidarity, among other things, but sometimes a sister has to take it upon herself to fix her stinky sibling's wings.

i already expanded on wyll and esper's dynamic a bit in this piece and i didn't feel like drawing the same thing twice, but suffice it to say, they have absolutely no idea how to talk to each other, but still look out for each other. the joke here is about how i've done a couple of long rests in-game with just alcohol i've found. hey 5 camp supplies is 5 camp supplies

jaheira unearths esper's forgotten mother issues. no real things to add here. no thoughts only cub.

gale said way back in act 1 that esper reminded him of tara, and esper isn't leaning into that on purpose per se, but as i said for lae'zel, they like getting their friends things those friends might enjoy. they also love chaos. show your evocation wizard some love by bringing him extremely destructive spells to play with. show your durge some love by casting chain lightning and letting them watch

i have no justification for this one lmao. esper isn't a Huge fan of being picked up and hefted around like a sack of oats, but maybe they should've thought of that before being small and scoop-uppable. socially, esper and halsin don't click especially well, but esper is fundamentally a creature, and therefore pretty easy for halsin to understand. obviously they don't mind that much :J

esper and karlach voted two most touch-starved nerds in faerun, they help each other cope by sleeping in a cuddle pile like cats. karlach runs warm even after getting her engine tuned up, but esper doesn't mind. she's cozy

astarion is by far the person esper is the most verbal with, probably because he's the only one who really thinks the durgeisms that slip out are funny and #relatable. everyone else errs on the side of caution with esper, but astarion knows he's allowed to take liberties with them, and he does. they have the same sense of humour. these two freaks are completely insufferable together because they're vibing so hard on a level incomprehensible to everyone around them, but astarion can put a stop to esper's self-destructive internal stress engine, and esper can drag him into helping and working hard. the others have no choice but to tolerate them as a couple because no matter how unhinged they are as a unit, they're so much worse for society on the whole as individuals. do not separate them

if you read all this, hope you enjoyed this illumination of esper's party dynamics, i love you <3 enjoy

[sinizade]

Qih'Za, The Demon Slayer

Class: Paladin fighter (Oath breaker)

Romance: Gale (no god Gale, only normal nerd Gale)

Besties: Lae'Zel / Karlach

Qih'Za was the last egg to hatch in her Creche which made some of the other older Githyanki think that she would be a weak child among the others, but they ended up very mistaken as ever since she was able to hold a sword for the first time, she has always shown a clear mastery of whatever battle or training she was in. The problem that always resulted in severe punishment for Qih' Za was her curiosity... Training outside her Creche, field missions, she always left the training of the youngest to find out what was more beyond what her eyes could see and this always caused irritation in the elders, her lack of obedience and discipline were irritating in their eyes.

During her teenage years, she was the proudest point of her Creche, the first Githyanki to kill a demon with her own hands. One of the Githyanki from their Creche was using his magic to try and summon little imps to use in combat and something went terribly wrong causing a flesh and blood demon to appear right in the middle of them killing and beheading everyone in sight no matter if they were children or teenagers. Qih'Za was quick, brutal, almost animalistic against that demon, cutting off its horns, wings, tail, she was hateful and dangerous, almost no longer controlling her body and it was from that day on that she became known as the Demon Slayer, but what was a source of pride and admiration for her Creche and other Githyanki outside of it, for Qih' Za it was a trigger for some kind of disorder in her mind, seeing all these children, seeing her friends and teachers get killed in such a brutal way caused her to have small tantrums throughout her life whenever she was in combat, useful against enemies, but she lost control and always ended up attacking allies and her superiors ignored this due to her usefulness in battle, which always left her with the blood of her brothers and sisters on her hands and even more trouble on her mind.

Against her will she became a dragon rider, it was a "gift" offered by the best and most honorable warrior in her Creche and she shouldn't dare refuse. Receiving her dragon seemed to bring her more comfort... It was strange at first, but she created a great bond with her dragon, her friend, her glorious Agynih. Her first battle with her dragon was something that would never leave her mind... Seeing her dragon, her friend being killed by an Ilith ship, having her body absorbed into that incubator against her will... She just wanted to get out of there, she needed to get out of there.

Even though she didn't have much attachment to magic and even a certain fear due to her trauma, the way Gale showed it seemed to be less scary and more "simple", even beautiful in her view, he was a good teacher, a very intelligent human, there were few big noses that Qih'Za met who actually managed to have her admiration and Gale aroused both admiration and attraction. Even though he wasn't very strong, he made up for it with his mind and spells, he was fast and lethal, his body was firm and concentrated that seemed to flex with each glow that came from his hands and staff. Qih'Za wanted to try him, not just that, she wanted to devour Gale completely, feel his skin against hers and submit him to her.

She stayed with Gale and traveled with him to Water Deep... Even though her mind told her to go with Lae' Zel to fight for the freedom of her people and fight to spread the words of her prince Orpheus, that was no longer life for Qih' Za and now her heart is with Gale... She had been through so much, felt so much... She knew well that Lae'Zel was more than capable of such a mission, that she would free her people and become a legend among all Githyanki. Her companion, her friand and her sister

Some extra information about Qih' Za

She's love chocolate ever since she stole one from a big nose she found sleeping near her Creche, so now that she's trying to find a way to get this parasite out of her mind, she always tries her best to find a few more chocolates.

She's afraid of Raphael and Mizora... Not just ordinary fear, but something that makes her vision blur to the point where she almost loses control of her body again.

She hasn't had a good night's sleep since she found out about Astarion... He wasn't trustworthy, he didn't seem trustworthy and he didn't even talk like someone trustworthy, if he hadn't been so helpful with locks she would have already ripped his head off.

She wanted to taste Wyll when she first saw him, a strong and brave human, strong body almost as if waiting to be touched, but finding out about Mizora made her hateful about him.

[wwasted]

on this Halloween i bring u this thought: figure skater gale au 🧎🏼‍♀️

Rich, pair figure skater Gale whose family moved to Wisconsin to further his skating career. Marge is his partner. He’s a bit of an ice princess (stoic, bitchy, very blunt) and dating his equally rich quarterback boyfriend. The boyfriend is a total self obsessed douche but they’re both dedicated to their sports so he never gets mad at Gale when Gale has to cancel or doesn’t text. He also makes his parents happy, because of his equal status and they’ve always been weird about him being gay so he figures why the fuck not. He keeps him around, even if the sex is shit.

Enter John. He’s a troublemaking burn out who has absolutely no interest in college, which is funny because he’s constantly hanging around their local college. And that’s only because his best friend Curt attends and someone has to save his ass from the rich pricks and nerds. they’re always at parties and hotboxing Curt’s dormroom (is Curt fucking the RA so he looks the other way? Probably) It’s hard not to be bitter when the whole town wrote him off before he even had the chance because of who his old man is, so he takes a special kind of pleasure in fucking with them and showing that he can be even worse.

They are absolute opposites in every way, and yet they can’t stay away from each other. They love arguing despite the fact that they shouldn’t even talk to each other because they’re in such different circles. Gale is constantly playing the “I’m better than you and you should be thankful I even look at you” card which backfires because it just makes John wanna hold him down and fuck him until he’s begging. Eventually the arguing becomes foreplay and the foreplay turns into them actually hatefucking. And he’s still definitely dating the douche quarterback, but honestly that just makes it hotter for both of them. The sneaking around, the fights in public where everyone thinks they hate each other, but secretly they’ll meet up in the some bedroom or bathroom of whatever house party they’re at and John will fuck Gale until he cries with a hand over his mouth because it turns out you never learn volume control when you don’t typically have a reason to moan or be loud.

(When Gale would have sex with his boyfriend, he would just lay there and get lost in his head, he’d go over the routines with Marge he wanted to improve, what assignments he had for class, he viewed it as his down time where he could get some mental housekeeping done. At least then they both got something out of it. Either way, he never got the urge to moan or make a single sound. And he often had the excuse of needing to be quiet so it worked anyway. The first time Bucky fucks Gale, he’s honestly expecting the same situation but thank fuck their first time manages to be somewhere they have time and is fairly private bc Gale is LOUD. At first Bucky thinks that he’s just faking it, and honestly gets kind of pissed, so he starts going deeper, harder, handling him rougher. But that just makes the noises and moans coming out of Gale even louder, more unhinged, his nails embedding themselves in John’s back and ass and he’s definitely going to end up with scars if they keep doing this. And he really fucking hopes they do. Gale sounds like he’s dying for John’s cock when he comes. He hasn’t even heard some of those noises in porn. Bucky never shuts up about it. Gale gets even bitchier when he’s embarrassed. It’s an endless feedback loop that leads to a lot of rough dirty sex.)

They get off on talking shit about each other to other people and seeing if it ends up getting to the other person. And if it does, repeating what was said during sex. “I wonder what everyone will think when they find out that you love being on your knees for me, since ya know, I’m such worthless trash” “begging for me? But I thought you wouldn’t touch me with a 10 foot pole since the frost would make your dick fall off” It becomes a thing. Until it doesn’t. Because at some point the hate fucking turns into deep emotional fucking where it’s pretty obvious they’re in love with each other. Instead of it being hot to sneak around on Gale’s idiot boyfriend, John wants to beat the shit out of him every time he sees him. Wants to tell him that he’ll never have Gale like John does. And when some guy or girl inevitably talks about how hot John is while Gale is within hearing distance, he wants to brag about how John would never touch them when he has Gale. So something has to give. Gale’s rich friends are shocked and appalled when they find out he’s dating Bucky. It’s honestly kind of a mini scandal at the college. Gale Cleven and John Egan? Unheard of.

But even when they’re in love and they’re dating, Gale is so bitchy. All the time. Constantly threatening Bucky that he won’t put out ever again bc Bucky didn’t respond to a text fast enough (the irony is not lost him) constantly smacking his hand away and turning his head when John tries to kiss him. Total brat. And John loves it. Is obsessed with it. The meaner Gale is to him, the harder he gets. And while Gale may be bitchy, all it takes is a few “princess” or “c’mon doll” in that voice and a hand sliding up under his shirt for Gale to cave and allow Bucky to touch him again.

They do have their sweet moments, especially after sex. if John fucks him just right, it’s like his brain reboots itself and he forgets that he’s supposed to be prickly. He’ll lay his head on John’s chest and shove his face into his neck and nuzzle. He’ll place soft kisses anywhere he can reach. He’ll say I love you while his fingers are tangled in John’s hair.

John loves that version of him just as much as the bitchy one. In fact, John would happily spend the rest of his life thawing his ice princess, just to let him refreeze and start all over.

Thots?

[brotherwtf]

thinking about rich!bucky (like saltburn type of rich) taking interest in nerd!gale and bringing him around, spoiling him like felix did to ollie

YUPPPP omg I fucking love this and I want it to be exactly like saltburn except maybe Gale doesn't kill them all in the end (maybe he's a little evil, I haven't quite decided yet)

but John who spots Gale in class and immediately latches onto him, slings an arm around his shoulder and makes a point to get to know him really well, always smiles and calls him 'Buck' whenever he sees him, oh Gale would be so so smitten with him

and Gale confesses to him one time before break when they're out in a field or smth that he hates going home because of his father, and John excitedly invites him back to his manor, oh my God Gale just fell a little bit more in love

excitedly takes him back home to his estate and shows him around, shows him the river and the places where they hid from their parents as kids, Gale meets John's sisters and immediately feels a pang of almost jealousy because of how happy John's family seems, but he's glad to be invited into this home at the very least

they spend the summer together, Gale shy and charming while John is still oh so loud with his affection, buying Gale things and showering him in affection, making sure that Gale has his own room and everything, replaces all of his old clothes that are worn or don't fit him anymore, spoils the shit out of him to no end

and Johns birthday would be right at the start of classes and of course his family throws a big birthday bash for him, but John's only interested in spending time with Gale and pulls him into the hedge maze, a little drunk but not drunk enough and basically confesses his love for Gale, tells him how much he loves him and how attractive he is, all while he's basically an inch from Gale's face and he's trying not to burn up from how hot he feels

and John kisses him with a shaky breath, holding his hands just above Gale's waist because he's nothing but a gentleman and Gale's reeling but of course he can't pull away, and he pulls John in by his shirt and kisses him harder and deeper, yep pretty much

anyway I think this Gale would also call John daddy because of #repression but I digress this is a good au

[thesweetnessofspring]

Why do you think so many people ship Gale and Madge?

AHHHHH I am so excited you asked me this!! Forgive me but now I get to nerd out about writing!!

Ok, to understand exactly what I'm going to be talking about, I highly recommend this video about good romantic plots (it's about 20 minutes long). The video essayist uses Beauty and the Beast 1991 in comparison to the 2017 remake to as an example, showing why the original works and the remake fails despite using so much of the same storyline/dialogue. But tldw; good romance is a dance, where the characters go back and forth with one another, challenging each other and then coming together before pulling away and coming together again.

Katniss and Gale lack the push-and-pull that gets talked about in this video. Gale pushes, Katniss pushes back, and they end up further away from each other than before. It's this way through the trilogy until they're irreparably separated. Take this part of their first scene together (I'm taking just the dialogue for brevity):

"We could do it, you know," Gale says quietly. "What?" I ask. "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale. "If we didn't have so many kids," he adds quickly. "I never want to have kids," I say. "I might, if I didn't live here," says Gale. "But you do," I say, irritated. "Forget it," he snaps back.

Here, Gale makes a proposal: what if we ran away to the woods? Katniss is quiet, he feels her drifting away so he tries to correct it and brings up how difficult it would be with their families. This prompts Katniss to make a definitive statement about not wanting kids, which pushes Gale away since it interferes with his desire to partner with her. Gale offers his perspective as another little push, that he would want kids, and Katniss pushes him back again by reminding him he does live in Panem with the Games and he's irritated and pushes her away. Occasionally one of them might pull the other toward them (Gale's whipping and Katniss's prep teams, for example) but that's not enough to make up for all of the times they're pushing away from each other.

We only get one scene of Gale and Madge together, but there's more of that push-and-pull dance here:

"Pretty dress," says Gale. Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic. It is a pretty dress, but she would never be wearing it ordinarily. She presses her lips together and then smiles. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" Now it's Gale's turn to be confused. Does she mean it? Or is she just messing with him? I'm guessing the second. "You won't be going to the Capitol," says Gale coolly. His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress. Real gold. Beautifully crafted. It could keep a family in bread for months. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old." "That's not her fault," I say. "No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is," says Gale. Madge's face has become closed off. She puts the money for the berries in my hand. "Good luck, Katniss."

We have Gale starting off with the first push. Rather than pushing back by snapping at him, she pulls him in with a challenge: looking nice when everyone (including potential sponsors) is important, so if it's a dig at her, she counter him. And Katniss notes Gale is confused. Madge has thrown him off! He engages in the dance by pushing again, noting how unlikely it is that she'll go to the Capitol. This has shut Madge down as Katniss notes, but this is their first interaction we see in the story, so it's only the starting point. It would be a good opportunity for Madge to get to pull him back in, especially after Prim was reaped with only one entry. We do see from this exchange that Madge can do the pull of the romantic dance with Gale while Katniss doesn't.

Adding in that Madge becoming interested in the woods and shooting after Katniss returns from the Games and then her going to give morphling to Gale after his whipping are the other hints that maybe Madge has feelings for Gale.

Gadge wouldn't happen in canon because it doesn't serve the theme of the just war theory, or Katniss's story. Gale had to maintain his romantic pursuit of Katniss as part of Katniss navigating her feelings about how to engage in war. Madge had to die to show that even a mayor and his family weren't safe from the government that they'd received some benefit from.

But in fanfiction? Their dynamic is RIFE with this potential for the romantic dance. Gale is never really able to engage in the humanity of those who had an advantage from him. Philosophically, he can see it's the Capitol pitting them against each other, but he resents Madge that she didn't have to put additional entries in the reaping ball. He doesn't appear to form bonds with anyone who has been given advantages by the Capitol, and he even grows more distant from Katniss as she can start affording nice clothes and more food (though obviously Peeta is part of this resentment, too). Gale never really understands why Katniss cares about her prep team, even though he tries to engage with them as a peace offering to her.

Pairing him with Madge makes him have to confront this and grow. If Gadge were to form a relationship, Gale would have to really put aside that resentment that holds him back. He would have to see Madge as a whole, not just the advantages she'd been given. And from the pin she gives Katniss to her family backstory to the morphling, you get the sense that Madge wants to rebel. Gale would make her confront the privilege she does have in this system and fight to change it. She would move from subtle acts of rebellion to fully participating in the fight. And seeing this play out with them challenging one another's viewpoints, sharing their life experiences, coming together to work as a team, has potential for really great character growth and exploration for both of them.

[blkgirl-writing]

Hi I love your gale fanfics atm they're so absbabdnsnfn. I have this barbarian character in the game that has a pouch where she carries all the things she loves and would never trade and sell, which has a rock/gem collection, a stuffed animal and a music box... how would Gale react to finding Tav/reader on their own one night after a rough fight completely zoned out listening to a music box?

Also I have a headcanon that Tav/Reader and gale have rock collections-

This and you are adorable 😭🖤 I didn’t follow your ask exactly, blame my lack of sleep. I hope you love this as much as I love your request!!

Gale can be a bit nosy so he did simply ask what you were doing

And you were hesitant because, well, you liked Gale enough, but you didn’t know him THAT well

But he’s really intrigued and interested, and asks tons of questions. He always wants to learn more. So if you know something about a gem or a stone he’ll ask more questions than you know answers to

“So, what in that little pouch of yours reminds you of me the most?” He’s ask, with his hands on his hips, and a little cocky smile

Gale will get offended very easily be very easy on the poor explosive man

If you actually showed him what you collect he’d go out of his way to find small things he thought you’d like

Like straight up he went missing twice and y’all were panicked

Nope really wanted that shiny thing 10+ ft away behind some bramble because he knew it would bring some good memories or just be a nice gesture to show he likes your interests

(If you’re a woman he’d always present it as “for you, my lady” and bow, unfolding his hand to reveal whatever small thing he found)

Gale might even keep a collection of cute or simple things. But mostly he’d write down small notes (probably nerd shit) and fold them up til teeny tiny and toss them in his own pouch

So If he found you alone with a fairly battered, barely working music box, he already knew you had one, (he took the time to listen and remember the song) he’d sit next to you and just him along to it

Eventually when you actually romance him and you’re partners, he’d ask if you can take both of your collections and share 😭

[novelsbynia]

GEMINI:

————————

CHAPTER FOUR: Mindy’s intervention

Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Dr. Asher Newman

——————————————————————————

October 28th

"Okay nerds listen up." Mindy called for the attention of her friends. They were currently sitting on the wooden benches at the student park at Blackmoore. Scarlett sat down between her sister, Tara and Ethan. "As terrifying as this all is, I'm actually glad I get a chance to redeem myself for not calling the killers last time..." Mindy trailed off as she adjusted her white crop and sienna jacket. "It's fine. Okay the way I see it, someone is out to make a sequel to the requel."

"Uhm, what's a requel?" Anika raised her hand. "You're beautiful, sweetie. Let's hold questions till the end." Mindy instructed her girlfriend. Anika shot her a smile and a nod. "Stab 1 took place in Woodsboro. Stab 2 took place in college." Sam added. "So we think that the killer is trying to copy the movies?" Scar asked. "That is one possibility. Hero's now in college: Check. Suspicious new characters brought in..." Mindy gestured over to Ethan. "Hmm?" He hummed confused.

"... to round out the suspect list and/or body count: Check, check and check." Mindy pointed at Quinn, Anika, and Ethan. "I don't like this." Ethan shook his head. "But it can't just be about Stab 2." Mindy continued. "Why not?" Tara asked. "It would makes sense if this were just a sequel. But we're not in a sequel, because nobody just makes sequels anymore. We're in a franchise! And there are certain rules to a continuing franchise."

"I had a feeling." Sam muttered. "Rule one: Everything is bigger than last time. Bigger budget, bigger cast, bigger body count. Longer chases, shoot-outs, beheadings you got to top what came before to keep people coming back." Mindy explained.

"Beheadings?" Chad looked up from the notes he was taking. "Beheadings. Rule two: Whatever happened last time, expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by subverting expectations. If the killers last time were winy snowflake film nerds with Letterboxd accounts instead of personalities-"

Scarlett looked over at Ethan with a smirk who's eyes widen and looked down at his lap."-you can bet the opposite will be true here. And rule three: No one is safe. Legacy characters? Cannon fodder at this point. Usually brought back only to be killed off in some cheap bid for nostalgia. It's not looking too good for Gale and Kirby. Oh and that's not even the worst part!" Mindy shook her head.

"This is the part where she tells us the worst part." Chad added. "The worst part is franchises are just continuing episodic installments design to boost an IP. Which means main characters are completely expendable now, too. Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley, Sally Hardest, Jigsaw, Tony Stark, James Bond, I mean even Luke Skywalker all died so their franchises could live on. That means it's not just the friend group. Any of us could go at any time, especially Sam, Scarlett, and Tara."

The three sisters glanced at each other. Great they were on the chopping block more then they already were at this point. "Great" Scar dragged on. "Thats just great." she slowly nodded. "Wait, any of us?" Ethan spoke up. "Yeah." Mindy said. "Am I in the friend group?" Ethan looked around at his friends with a confused look on their faces. How could he not think he was in the friend group? The group thought.

"Yeah." Mindy spoke. "Am I like, one of the targets?" Ethan asked again with more worry in his voice. "Mm-hmm." Mindy nodded. "Am I gonna die a virgin?" The group looked at him, each with a different expression on their faces. Scarlett however just looked confused. Ethan hasn't been a virgin for the past three months. She looked at him and tilted her head. "Wha-" she started to whisper but then just gave up and shook her head.

"Weird overshare, but it brings us to our current suspects: Ethan. The shy, dorky guy who no one suspects because he's so shy and dorky." Mindy gestured over towards Ethan. "What?" This time Scarlett's voice was audible. "Okay wait. Why am I on the suspect list? Because I'm randomly Chad's roommate?" Ethan gestured over towards Chad. "Roommate lotteries can be juked. You could have fixed it to get next to us." Mindy snapped then turned her attention over to Quinn.

"Quinn. The slutty roommate. A horror movie classic." Mindy pursed her lips in a fake kiss motion. "Sex positive. But thank you?" Quinn voiced confused at Mindy's backhand complement. "Mm-hmm. Um, how did you come to live with Sam, Scar and Tara?" Mindy asked. "I answered their ad online." Quinn looked over at the three nodding. "Okay. Say no more. You've already implicated yourself enough."

"It was an anonymous ad, Mindy. And you know we vetted her. Plus, her dad is a cop." Scarlett added. "And that makes it even more likely that she's the killer, because having a cop dad is a great cover. Do you not remember how these movies work, Scarlett?" Mindy's voice started to get louder as her sentence went on. "Is she always like this?" Quinn asked.

"And finally... Anika-" Mindy turned towards her girlfriend who blew Mindy a kiss. "-never trust the love interest." Anika's smile faded. "Okay. So, we have our rules and we have our suspects." Sam started. "But wait What about you guys?" Ethan spoke up. "I mean, I think it's pretty safe to rule out the four of us who went through this last year in Woodsboro." Mindy chuckled. "Agreed." added. "Um, not agreed. What if the trauma you all went through caused one or more of you to snap?" Quinn expressed. "She's right though. I mean, face facts. If we're all suspects, you're all suspects." Anika looked at her friends. "Fine. We can be suspects too." Mindy agreed.

"Okay well I have to get to class. I'll see you guys tonight?" Chad grabbed his black book bag from the ground. "Yeah whenever you guys are finished with your classes." Sam informed him. Chad gave her a nod before he started walking off. "Oh wait for me." Anika grabbed her stuff quickly. "Well you guys have fun learning and all that I have some things I have to do." Mindy told her remaining friends. "Oh so you're not coming to class? Kind of suspicious if you ask me." Ethan trailed off.

"Oh shut it virgin I have to make an appointment I booked last week." Mindy flipped him off. "Okay okay." Ethan held his hands up in defense. "You ready to go?" Ethan nudged Scarlett's shoulder. "Go where?" She pulled away from talking with her sisters. "Class." Ethan smiled. "Oh shit, I didn't think they were doing class today." Scarlett grabbed her school bag. "Yeah they got a sub I heard." Ethan stood up from the bench. "Oh okay yeah." Scarlett turned over to her sister. "I'll see you guys later."

"Text me when you're out of class please and when you're home." Sam instructed. Scarlett nodded her head. "Do you think she's going a little overboard?" Ethan asked as they started walking to their destination. "I would, but you weren't there last year. I think she's just being cautious." Scar  shrugged her shoulders. "Do you really think I'm a suspect?" Ethan looked over at her. "I think everyone is. You said it yourself."

"You're right." Ethan sighed. "Virgin?" Scarlett asked. "I don't know. It just sort of slipped. Good way to throw them off track though." Ethan smiled. "I don't think they were ever onto us." Scarlett chuckled. "We'll just in case then."

"Whatever you say babe whatever you say." Ethan looked over at her, she slipped. She never called him those pet names unless they were hooking up.

XXXX

Class was per usual with except with the new sub after Dr. Crane murder last night. Scarlett was going to miss her in all honesty. She was the only teacher here who tried her best to resonate with her students no matter how young or old they were. This new guy now Mr. Newman, granted she was sure he wasn't prepared at all to teach a class today. Honestly judging by his nervousness this might be his first time teaching in front of a class. It was kind of crazy how young he looked for being a professor with a doctorate. Then again Dr. Crane was also in the same boat. She looked ridiculously young.

After a long conversation about how old horror cliques could be linked to mental health Scarlett let out a yawn. She was exhausted after last night. She went to pick up her phone on the desk row in front of her. Dead. How did she forget to charge it after the shower. Scarlett let out a small sigh and then turned her back a bit to look at the clock oh the wall in the back of the class room. About twenty more minutes of class. She went to turn back around when she caught the attention of a curly haired boy whose eyes were already on her before making contact with her own. Scarlett gave him a smile and a wink before turning her attention to the front of the class again.

"Okay guys that's just about wraps us up for today. Thank you for baring with me today and once again, I'm sorry for your loss." Dr. Newman told the class as his conclusion of discussion finishes up. Scarlett started to grab her stuff while trying not to get in the way of any passerby's trying to get out of the row. "Ms. Carpenter, Can I see you for a second." Dr Newman's words caught her attention as Scarlett was starting to leave her row. She walked down the black tiled steps to the front of the classroom. "What can I do for you Dr. Newman?"

"I just wanted to check in with you. I heard you and Dr. Crane were close and you were starting the steps to be her TA." Dr. Newman asked as he leaned against the dark wooded desk. "Oh yeah I was trying to at least. Also thank you, she was my favorite teacher." Scarlett shot him a small smile. "She was one of my favorite colleges. I was going to ask if you would like me to continue the steps with you?" Dr. Newman offered. "Oh yeah that would be great Dr. Newman thank you."

"No need to thank me. I would be thrilled to have you as a TA base off your grades and the notes Laura left." Dr. Newman lifted up the note pad on the desk Laura left behind. "You're staying?" Scarlett asked. "It's looking like it, yes."

"Oh then yeah I would definitely appreciate it. Thank you Dr. Newman." Scar thanked him as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Please call me Asher, and I won't keep any of your time. Looks like your friend is waiting for you." Scarlett turned around to see Ethan leaning against the wall near the exit with his phone in his hands. However his eyes weren't on the screen, they were on her.

"Well you have a great night." Asher smiled at her. "Yeah you too Dr. Ne-, Asher." Scar corrected herself. She turned around and made her way towards Ethan at the doorway. "Why'd you stay behind?" Scar asked. "I saw that your phone was dead and I didn't think it would be a good idea for you to walk home with no battery, in the semi dark while there is someone after you." Ethan explained."You're right. I appreciate it."

"No problem. I texted Sam too and I told her that we are on the way now and your phone died." Ethan put his phone in his blue jeans. "Ahh is this part of your plan now where you kid nap me and end me in a dark alley somewhere?" Scar teased as they started walking down the hallway towards the exit. "You caught me. Can't let you escape." Ethan reached down and grabbed her hand with his own. Scarlett didn't pull away though. They walked hand in hand for the remainder of the time till they hit the front door. Scarlett took out her keys as she unlocked the three locks on the door.

"Where is everyone?" Ethan asked as they entered. "Sam went to go grab Tara from class since you got me, I'm sure. Quinn I think said she was out on a date earlier. I don't really remember." Scar went in her room to set down her bag and plug in her phone. "I need a shower. I just need to rinse the whole day off of me. Do you maybe want to join me?" Scar asked peeping her head out of her room to see Ethan in the living room. "Isn't even a question. Let me put my shoes and stuff in your room." Ethan quickly went over and slipped over his vans in Scarlett's room. Scarlett headed over towards the bathroom and turned on the shower.

[starryeyed-apple]

Hello my lovely star, thank you for your blessing to share caleb bg3 thoughts 😌 I was daydreaming about playing different video games with caleb in a similar fashion to your red dead hcs. And then I thought, "playing bg3 with caleb would be so fun and hilarious" because:

1. There would definitely be playful fights over what decisions to make together, which party members to take with you on your journeys, how to go about different combat strats, etc.

2. Caleb's eye would twitch every time you talk about romancing ANY of the characters. And you know I love your idea that he tries to be more like arthur, so it made me think of all the things he'd do to compete with whichever bg3 companion you're obsessed with. You like Karlach or Halsin? Cool, cool, caleb's just going to do an extra 50 or so push-ups during his workouts now. Oh, you like Wyll? Caleb's pulling out some foam swords and challenging you to a duel (dw, he still lets you win ofc) but he tries to talk shit the whole time, acting like he could beat the blade of frontiers LOL. You like Gale? Caleb starts mumbling to himself that he's a romantic nerd too. He can be just as magical with his Evol. You don't need a wizard when you've got him.

Oh jeez, this got long 💀 IM SORRY ldsjdhsk I wanted to go more in depth about the actual gameplay with him, but as you can see, the jealous!caleb brainworm took over

IVYYYYYY!!! I will always cheer your name whenever I see you've blessed my inbox again eheheh. I love the idea of playing games with Caleb (like you know they did it sm growing up too so them doing it when they've reunited WAAH so cute) and I will always talk about HCs of them playing any game together (imagine the chaos of an until dawn/the quarry playthrough tho)

they would lock in so hard for a bg3 playthrough, caleb would have to bring your meals to the couch/around your PC so you can eat while playing. and omg sitting at a dialogue choice or skill check discussing your strategies, caleb trying to look up a walkthrough and you're like "no backseat gaming mister!!!" and you're charging into a fight like you do and caleb's like "you're a SORCERER STOP PIPSQUEAK"

YOU DON'T NEED A WIZARD WHEN YOU GOT HIM I'M DYING !!! but also imagine going back and forth between flirting with different companions just to see what he does hehe. I feel like Karlach would b such a good equivalent for a Caleb romance too, they both are so caring and sweet with that heart of gold (and he's def looking up any equivalent of her workout routine)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HEADCANONS ALWAYS ILYSM MWAH

(me always when you feed the nerd4nerd caleb x reader need in me)

[queen-rhaenyras]

Rating Bg3 Ships with the origin companions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[boilingheart]

Sate Me

Pre-Relationship Gale x Male Tav (Lucius Skorn) Takes place in Act 1. Magical artifacts stopped working for Gale a while ago, but to treat the pains of his arcane hunger, Gale has turned to the Ilmatari cleric Lucius for an alternative, holy power source. Only this ritual to sate that orb brings the two men closer in ways neither of them are ready for. Rated T Read on AO3 See: Arcane Hunger for Part 1! See: Skornweave Series for more Gale x Lucius!

“I told you not to wait until it got so bad!” Lucius scolds, dragging his bedroll and blankets towards the stone wall his tent attaches to. Carefully, he arranges the blankets for Gale’s comfort, folding them neatly before moving to retrieve the wizard by his arm. “It takes more power to sate it if you let too much time pass.”

Night had already fallen over the camp, and a couple of others had already retired to their tents. Gale intended to do the same, to simply shut his eyes and ignore the pain in his back from lack of a proper bed, and pray that sleep is enough to face whatever horror the next day has to offer.

But of course, there isn’t any peace for him.

“I know, I know, and I do apologize, Lucius!” Gale says, allowing the cleric to lead and push him to his seat on the blankets. “But! Know that this was not… intentional. It — It happened all at once. One moment, I was laying down, the next…”

Pain, all at once. He’d lurched out from his bedroll, slamming his hands on his chest in an effort to keep the magic from spilling out. It wracked him so suddenly, paralyzed him, his body tensed and coiled in on itself like a dying serpent. It took all of his strength to drag himself out of his tent and to Lucius, who, thank the gods, had not yet gone to sleep.

Lucius’ annoyed gaze softens, now shifting to concern. “Is… this not working anymore?”

“I don’t know,” Gale says, still pressing a palm to the Orb. “It’s taking less time for it to realize it’s not being fed properly, it would seem.”

He tries to laugh, ease the tension, but it only shifts to a groan. Lucius is on him immediately, shifting him by the shoulders and pressing him back fully until he’s resting against the stone wall.

“I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I’m really wishing I knew how to use the Weave right about now…” Lucius murmurs, and Gale can’t help but snicker. The cleric snaps his gaze back to him. “What?”

“You say it like learning the Weave is a curse.”

“It is! You’re an academic, wouldn’t you argue academia is a curse?” Gale opens his mouth, and Lucius waves him away. “Never mind. Don’t answer that. You’re a nerd and I’m gonna get the wrong answer out of you.”

Gale hums. “Well, it’s not for everyone, that’s for certain. But now, I can’t help but try to imagine you in such a setting.”

Lucius retrieves a long pillow from the side, propping it behind Gale. “Don’t do that. That’s horrible. Imagine me somewhere hotter, please.”

“How about as a professor?”

“Stop talking.”

Gale laughs, and the Orb gnaws at his bones and flesh in turn, forcing his body into another curl. Lucius catches him, gently easing him back up.

“Alright, shh, it’s okay,” Lucius murmurs, his voice soft. “I’ve got you. See what happens when you say stupid shit?”

“Correlation is not causation, my friend.”

“Causation is you saying stupid shit,” Lucius adjusts the pillows around him. “Are you comfortable like this? Orb aside.”

“I think you’re spoiling me just a touch, Lucius,” Gale says with a tease, as if the effort Lucius is putting forth isn’t making something inside his chest twist. “Really going all out this time around.”

“Well, I was thinking laying you down wasn’t the most efficient way of doing this. Bad for your back without a proper bed, and it doesn’t give me a lot of leverage.” He leans back on his haunches, giving another once over Gale. “Propped up though, I’m less likely to fall on top of you, and it’ll give me a better angle at letting go of the spell. Plus, I didn’t steal all of these pillows for nothing.”

“And I was just about to ask where you got all of these from.”

“Believe it or not, these are the most amount of pillows I’ve had in years.”

“Simple priest life, I take it?”

“Oh yes. Humble little life. Wasn’t any need to have anything more than a cot – ‘til now, of course.”

Lucius scoots closer, resting on his knees to get into position. Gale’s chest unexpectedly tightens in anticipation, watching him loom over him with a faint glow already blooming in his hand.

“Are you ready?” Lucius asks, his hand hovering over Gale’s collarbone. 

Gale nods, ignoring the dryness in his throat. He could probably chalk up the sudden anxiety he feels to the nature of this spell, how it’s still under-researched and could have any unruly consequences, but with the intensity Lucius levels at him, he knows that that’s far from the real reason. “Ready and willing.”

Lucius nods, placing his large, warm hand against his chest, aligning his palm with the Orb etched into his skin. It’s a comfortable feeling, Gale realizes. In another life, perhaps he could indulge in such contact comfortably, perhaps even allow such to wander in other places — But that’s a thought that has to be purged in a time like this. Far too inappropriate.

Lucius slips his eyes closed, uttering a prayer under his breath. His voice resonates with power as his words call out to his god for aid, and just like last time, there is a long moment of silence before anything happens. Gale hadn’t thought much of it before, having been far too distracted with the overwhelming pain the Orb wrought upon him, gnawing on his insides, but now, with a slightly more focused mind, he can see the worry etched into the cleric’s face, dark brows furrowed and lips pulled tight, as if he himself isn’t sure the spell would work. Come to think of it, he may have had the same face the first time they’d done this as well. 

There’s the urge, suddenly, to quietly reach out and cup his cheek to assuage his worry, to smooth out those brows and show him his faith in him, but Gale does well to leave that thought untouched, and to let the urge remain just that: an unwelcome urge.

Soon enough, Gale feels the telltale sign of magic in the cleric’s palm, and the power surges through him. In an instant, Gale is met with overwhelming pressure, holy magic channeling into his body, filling every nerve and vein with that stark, electric, golden warmth. He’s grateful for the pillow Lucius thought to tuck behind him because the second the magic floods, his head slams back against it, cushioned just enough to stay the pain from his skull as the rest of his body tenses and braces against the stone. It didn’t matter how much time passed living with this condition; he could endure this a hundred times more, and still, he would never be able to withstand the intensity of the Orb’s power, how it grips him from every bone, every inch of flesh and soul and drags him inwards, clawing and gnawing at his insides, hungry and desperate for something more to sate it.

And bridged to the Orb with his own magic, Lucius is no exception to its hunger. Like a magnet, the Orb violently yanks Lucius inward, his hand crushing Gale’s collarbone as he scrapes his knees to find balance again. The pressure all but hikes Gale up against the wall, and he digs his heels into the ground for any amount of leverage or relief, grinding his teeth in the exertion.

“Fuck!” Lucius hisses, catching his free hand on the ledge of the stone to keep himself steady. “Gods, I'm never ready for it.”

Gale wants to respond to him, offer an assurance or word of comfort or apology, but all he can manage is a strangled groan. It always takes a moment before the Orb starts to accept the magic as something it can consume. The golden power pours through him and cascades across his body, the tell tale tingle of divinity that vibrates through his nerves and brings its gentle touch through his muscles. It would be pleasant, perhaps, were it not for the turbulent waves of raw Netherese magic tearing at those same nerves and twists of flesh, like a stormy ocean whose violent waves crash and wipe away all in its wake.

There's that fear that sinks its cold fingers into the pit of his stomach. The fear that maybe this time, it won't work anymore. That this time, it will reject the magic, and they'll be back to square one, searching for any alternative to relieve the hunger. He knows Lucius worries all the same. Gale cannot possibly blink away the sight of his concern, the furrow in his brow and the hesitance upon summoning the power. It's a dangerous game to play, a gamble, an experiment —

Lucius rights himself, bracing one leg up for a better angle and utters a final incantation. Their eyes lock, and Gale witnesses the raw determination in those gentle brown eyes, and then watches them flare and fill with a fiery golden glow. The radiance coalesces, more controlled this time, pulling itself together and channeling steadily towards the Orb with purpose. The arcane twists and opens, tendrils of vitriolic magic unfurling its maw to siphon that golden glow. 

The reaction is instant. Divinity floods into the cavity of his soul with both an ice cold burn and a fiery heat, punching a gasp out of Gale. His body moves of its own accord, his back arching and his feet digging in to push himself further into the cleric’s touch. The strain puts a pressure in his head, making coherent thoughts all the more difficult and sending him spiraling into a dizzy spell. The relief is difficult to describe. Hunger sated is an understatement. A thirst quenched is far from the intensity this feeling grants him. He hurtles towards the dark, drowning in the waves of magic before that radiant hand grips and wrenches him out, gasping for air, eyes blinded by the light of a kinder god, the gentle and fastidious touch of an unlikely cleric —

It feels like the magic might spill. Like this bottomless cup cannot catch the endless waterfall crashing upon him. He has to keep it inside, he has to keep it in, he has to seal this horrible maw lest it lash out and try to drink everything in between, he has to keep the threads together. He's going to unravel, it's going to pull him apart trying to consume it all, feel it all, he's going to fall apart, he's going to die.

Gale grips at Lucius’ hand with both of his, clinging to it for dear life. This lone tether as he dangles over the abyss, hurtling towards an endless chasm. One wrong move and he's lost forever — he presses the cleric's hand closer to his chest, as if to seal the edges where anything may leak, radiance or Netherese or otherwise. The blankets, though a kind touch, only keep his feet from finding proper purchase as he writhes and squirms. 

He'd stop if he could. He'd hold still if he could. In the back of his mind, he can't help but find it all rather amusing, if a touch fascinating just what a primal response such a magic elicits. No mortal is meant to withstand such power, let alone carry it in their chests. How fascinating, the way he can't rein himself together. How just a fraction of this magic can bring him to ruin. How all he can do is cling to Lucius. How he feels like somehow, this broad hand on his chest will be enough.

Gale tries to steady his breathing, or rather, tries to remember how to breathe. He inhales sharply, a stutter to his breath as the Orb and divine power rock him against the stone. The distinct scent of the Netherese Orb is one he's all too intimately familiar with. Like the metallic tang of brass, like the scent of the first rain upon the stony streets after a dry spell, like ozone just before lightning strikes, like the smell of a freshly extinguished wick of a candle — it burns in his nose, and it never leaves him, always an echo of it everywhere he carries it. But up so close, with Lucius all but pressed against him, something else intertwines with it. Coffee, smoke, balsam, cedar and sweat — somehow, it makes him dizzy with it. It's pleasant, a welcome change amongst the hell he finds himself in, and as the Orb feeds on the radiant magic, ushering in waves of relief, all he can do is attach his scent, his presence, his warmth and his magic to one thing: safety.

“You're okay, Gale,” Lucius whispers, struggling to sound comforting with the evident strain in his voice. “I've got you. You're okay.”

Hot tears spill from his eyes suddenly before he can stop it, or even process that it was happening. This new twist in his chest is far beyond that of the Orb, but instead one more human. One more grounding. And yet, one he doesn't have the strength to give definition, only that it's unique to Lucius, and that such a feeling needs to be suffocated before it has the chance to hurt him. He squeezes Lucius’ hand in response. I know. I trust you. I trust you.

The Orb finally begins to settle, its twisting maw slowing as it has its fill for now. Gale holds still, tensed against the stone as the waves of power begin to calm. Lucius lets out a weak sound as his own magic wanes, and with Gale’s help, he detaches his hand from his chest, finally severing the connection. The glow dissipates from both the Orb and Lucius, drowning the tent in darkness, his ears buzzing with the sudden silence of the magical hums. Gale sags against the stone, tension melting out of his body and leaving him boneless, and Lucius follows suit, collapsing forward breathlessly, held up only by that hand on the stone. Heavy breaths fill the tent as both men endeavor to catch their breaths and collect themselves, weary to the bone with the exertion of the spell.

“Shit,” Lucius huffs, trying to drag himself to a more upright position. “That really… It never gets less intense, does it?”

Gale slowly slumps further down the stone, dragging the pillow behind him with him. He catches Lucius’ gaze, nearly losing his breath at the distinct sharpness in the other man's eyes. “Not quite, I'm afraid…” Then, he tries to offer an easy smile. “Though, I do feel like this one was a little smoother than last.”

Lucius huffs with amusement, dipping his head low. He settles back on his knees, his breath still on its way back before leveling a studious gaze at him. Gently, he raises a hand to Gale’s cheek, swiping a thumb at the tears that had spilled earlier with such a tenderness Gale didn't know he was capable of. “Are you alright?”

For a moment, Gale’s entire world stops. His heart pounds in his chest, every ounce of cognitive thought scrambled as his mind fixates on the warm hand on his cheek, his soul pinned to the stone by the softness in the elf's eyes. His breath catches. He should say something. He needs to say something. Far be it for Gale to be a man at a loss for words, scattered the way he is without a swift recovery in sight. 

But instead of words, instead of telling him he's fine, instead of assuring him he's never been better and that he's not in any pain and that Lucius is a lovely, lovely healer who has done more than he could ever ask of him, Gale only reaches a hand out to clasp over the one on his cheek, holding it reverently. It's not the gesture he wanted to give. He understands that the moment here is a little too intimate, a little too delicate, and that he'd do better to dissipate it here and now before testing waters neither of them are ready to swim in.

But something changes in the cleric’s expression when he holds him. Every ragged breath fills him with Lucius’ warm scent, and at this angle, with Lucius looming over him, Gale catches a glimpse of his bare, tattooed chest from where the collar of his shirt dips with gravity. He can't trace the artwork that trails down in the dark, but curiosity gnaws in his chest along with a surge of fondness and affection. He knows so little about this man. He knows there's so, so much more to this Ilmatari cleric, he knows there's a plethora of stories buried deep within the centuries this man lauds. For a moment, Gale thinks, it would be nice to entertain something a little deeper with Lucius.

He knows they shouldn't. The Orb is far too delicate to risk anything too exciting, and truthfully, Gale still hasn't been able to tell just how genuine Lucius is with his own affection towards Gale.

But with how close Lucius is now, how gentle he is, with the kindness in eyes Gale only ever witnessed a dead, distant look in, he could believe.

Their breaths are still heavy. The air is warm between them. Gale still resonates with the divinity Lucius poured into him, and the darkness of the night within the tent caresses them both, holding them gently. Lucius’ eyes dart from his, down to his lips, and all Gale can think of is that image he conjured in his mind during their moment in the Weave together, how Lucius sought to kiss him and leave him breathless.

Perhaps he could believe the cleric is genuine. 

He finds himself lifting his chin, inching just a fraction closer. Lucius follows the movement with half lidded eyes, lips parted as he cautiously moves closer. Their noses brush. Warm breaths tangle together, filling Gale with an unbelievably insatiable feeling of need. A desperation to get closer, to put his hands on him and crash together and tangle their legs and get lost, to just feel him in a way that truly matters.

They both hesitate. Gale wonders what brings Lucius so much pause. Is he not already a man of open physical intimacy? Does he not already boast a portfolio of mindless, physical conquests? Gale knows what stalls him, but Lucius? Why does he pause?

Gale’s lips part, and the thought is quelled. They move in unison, a moment of bravery closing the distance between them and sealing together with a featherlight, warm kiss. Lucius is soft against him, his lips slotting perfectly against Gale’s. Still hesitant, still experimental, still filled with so much unbridled, barely tethered desire. Their lips move together only once before Lucius pulls back, opening his eyes to look over Gale, who is far too stunned to move, too stupefied by the kiss to string together a clever collection of words. 

He wants to kiss him again. He wants to pull him in and bring him back closer. And he almost does, but Lucius pulls away all too suddenly before he can be brought to action.

“Sorry,” He says quickly, scrambling back on his haunches a considerable distance away from him, leaving Gale cold. “I um. I got… I-I didn't mean…”

“Lucius —”

“You should go.”

Gale couldn't have possibly anticipated just how crushing a sentence like that would be. He sits up from the bedroll, and this time, it’s his own heart he worries that will spill from his chest. 

“... Right. Right, of course.”

...

Sleep doesn’t come easy for Gale that night. Not that it’s easy to sleep any night out here, but this time it’s restless beyond having to camp in the middle of the wilderness. Tossing and turning, a coldness across his body that could not be alleviated by any amount of blankets, and the echo of the warmth upon his lips that Lucius left him with that would not leave. It’s a hurt in his chest beyond the Orb, and it’s a wonder he sleeps even a wink at all.

He lays on his bedroll for a moment longer in the off chance that he’ll manage to fall back asleep before he finally admits to himself that any effort is futile. There’s a weariness that seeps into his bones, making him feel heavy and every movement a great, overwhelming task. He just has to start the day. He just has to get through and start the day, and the rest will come easy.

After giving his hair a quick brush and slipping into his shoes, he steps out, blinded by the early morning sun, and immediately greeted by Wyll at his own tent beside him.

“Good morning, Gale!” He says brightly, closing his backpack after retrieving a couple of pears from it. “Nice to see you up so early.”

Gale rubs his face. “Ah. It is quite early, isn’t it?”

Wyll nods, and holds out a fruit. “Pear?”

Why not? Gale accepts it graciously, dipping his head in thanks before making his way to the center of the camp. It actually is quite nice being up early. There’s time to kill before they have to start the day’s adventures, and he has a chance to see everyone up and about without having to scramble to get his equipment together to get onto the road near moments after waking. The dog runs around happily, and briefly meets Gale with a courteous sniff and lick at his hands in greeting, and he passes by Lae’zel and Shadowheart as they hiss their somewhat hostile remarks at each other like a dance. 

Gale tries not to act like he’s moving with purpose, but he can’t help it. His lips still remember that of Lucius, an imprint he can't shake from his mind. Worse yet, the look on his face when he scrambled back, how he seemed not to regret it, but to fear the action he'd just done. Gale didn't have a chance to tell him that it was fine, that it was oh so welcome, that he wanted nothing more than to indulge him and hold him and —

Gale closes his eyes. Dangerous thoughts. He knows he can’t indulge. Maybe that’s why Lucius backed away as he did. He already had to turn him away once during the party, so perhaps…

He takes a breath, and approaches that patchwork blue tent. “Lucius? Are you awake?”

His heart pounds. Is he nervous? And what for? A wizard of his caliber never trembles at the unknown, and yet, trepidation colors his every experience here in the now. A terrible feeling. He should stand tall. Whatever happened between them is fine. Nothing they can’t patch up like adults.

But there isn’t any response, and it makes Gale fear more. “Lucius?”

“Not there, soldier,” a different voice calls out behind him. Gale nearly jumps, and tries not to look like a sheepish, guilty dog as he turns around.

“Ah! You startled me,” he says, laughing lightly. “Morning, Karlach.”

“Mornin’!” Karlach waves at him cheerfully. “You’re up early!”

“That I am,” Gale says tiredly. “Peaceful sleep was, ironically, a distant dream away for me, it would seem. But I do like seeing everyone bustling about.”

“Nice, isn’t it?” She grins. “Anyway, whatcha doin’ lookin’ for Lucius? He’s been out all morning. Damn bastard owes me a good run.”

Gale feels something inside him twist. “All morning?”

Karlach’s eyes flick towards him, as if seeing something so obvious on his face. There’s that nervousness again — he hates it. A foreign feeling that crawls up his skin, but surely, Karlach can’t ascertain what’s just transpired between him and Lucius. 

Karlach cocks her head to the side, a wicked grin splitting across her face as her eyes rake over Gale. “Oh man, did you two…?”

Well, she can’t ascertain it accurately at least.

“... What?”

“Yanno,” Karlach makes a rather obscene gesture with her hands, and Gale immediately scrambles to wave it away.

“Oh no! No no! Nothing like that!” He quickly corrects, laughing in a way he hopes sounds more casual than flustered.

“Really?” She almost sounds disappointed. “Was that light show you two always have not you and Lucy —”

“Certainly not, my dear friend,” Gale says, waving a hand in dismissal as he finds his bearings. “I’m a wizard of many talents and skills, and naturally, them being of the Weave, it means most of them will glow. Merely exchanging magical knowledge and demonstrations where there’s time, nothing more.”

Karlach purses her lips in amusement, leaning her weight on one leg and propping a hand on her hip. “Yanno, you don’t have to use innuendos, Gale! I’m not faint of heart, you can always tell Mama K anything,” she leans in, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I can keep a secret.”

The sheer amount of sincerity Karlach exudes is enough to bring laughter to Gale, who shakes his head. “I was just looking to ask him about breakfast plans, that is all. But thank you for your solidarity. I hardly believe any of those activities would come to fruition with the friendship we have, but it’s nice to know we’d have an ally were it to ever.”

Karlach barks a laugh. “Gale! You make it sound so… so boring? No no, like, you make it sound all mechanical. Hells, with the way Lucy talks about you, I really thought you guys were already like…”

Gale’s heart skips a beat. “With the way he what? What does he say?”

Before Karlach can answer, Scratch and the owlbear cub are hooting and hollering at someone’s arrival, gathering their attention elsewhere. Gale turns to see Halsin and Lucius arriving back to camp, hauling freshly hunted game on their shoulders and baskets of fruit. They return with bright smiles on their faces, loudly exchanging something in Elvish that he can’t make out, and radiating an aura of victory.

“Oh, speak of the devil,” Karlach says, flashing a grin at him. “Bastard owes me our morning run. Hold up, I gotta yell at him.”

She takes off running, meeting Lucius as he and Halsin begin to put things away. Food for the week by the looks of it. It’s not unusual for Lucius to go out and do something else in the morning, especially with how little sleep he needs, and it shouldn’t be too startling that he’d leave with Halsin, another fellow elf, but… he’s usually back at camp by the time everyone is awake. Karlach rushes him, shouting about the workout he skipped, and they proceed to air-box each other, careful not to let either of their fists actually make any contact with each other.

Gale doesn’t realize he’s been staring until Lucius looks up and catches his gaze, and Gale watches in real time as his smile falters.

Ah. Perhaps Gale could have convinced himself this was all just a whim Lucius decided on, but his suspicions that this behavior is linked directly to the night before only garners more and more evidence in support. Damn near confirmation. Lucius says something to Karlach and slaps a pat onto Halsin’s back, dismissing himself to jog his way over to Gale, messy black hair swaying in the wind.

“Morning Gale!” Lucius greets, an easy smile on his face, as if it hadn’t cracked a second ago. “You’re —”

“Up early, yes,” Gale finishes, nodding sagely. “And you’re back late! Not often I see you leave camp for a while.”

“That’s because you normally sleep in.”

“Ah! A fair counterpoint. Perhaps I’ll allow you that victory.”

Lucius gives a small huff of a laugh through his nose. “Good to see you up and running like normal. Hate to see my wizard lagging behind in pain like that.”

My wizard?

Lucius must realize the phrase just as Gale heard it. “Our wizard. Resident wizard. Gale.”

“That is me, yes.”

“Look,” Lucius starts, suddenly unsure what to do with his hands. “I um, I wanted to uh… apologize for what I did last night.”

“Oh, Lucius —”

“What I did was completely out of line and wildly inappropriate, and I shouldn’t have done that. Not in a moment like that. Not to a good friend I really respect. That wasn’t the time nor place, and I should’ve caught myself better before I made an impulse decision like that.”

Gale swallows hard. Something delicate inside of him cracks, and he’s not sure what. Something extravagant and fragile, something wonderful and made of glass that brought him warmth fractures, and he feels the shards scatter somewhere inside him, lost forever, embedding themselves into soft, vulnerable flesh.

“I can’t say I blame you. It’s fine, though, Lucius, I didn’t —”

“It’s not fine,” Lucius interrupts. “Look, Gale, you’re… you’re a very handsome man, sometimes even distracting, but that’s no excuse. I got caught up in the moment, I let the physical intimacy get to my head and I stopped thinking. That’s not good. That’s some terrible impulse control and I don’t want you to condone it. I don’t want to lose your respect, and I most certainly don’t want to disrespect you.”

“Oh, my dear friend, Lucius, you didn’t — Lucius, it’s alright, I do mean that! Well, this is — This is a very kind apology, and I do respect the tact of which you’re handling it, but…”

But… what? What’s Gale to do? Admit that his heart skips a beat every time Lucius comes near? Admit that he wanted to tangle himself in the cleric and lose himself in those lips? Admit that were it not for this blasted orb, he may have indulged him far, far sooner? Admit that something inside him hurts at being called a friend?

No… no, he can’t do any of that. It would be cruel, after all. Self indulgent, to take in Lucius when he can’t give himself wholly, body and soul. Not with the Orb gnawing at his insides like a teething displacer at all times, a constant, looming threat and a reminder of how his previous affections for someone else ended. Cruelty, it’d be, to even dare entertain the idea of being close to Lucius. He cannot give himself. He cannot allow himself to try.

Lucius looks at him with soft, vulnerable brown eyes. He’s slouched, shied away somewhat, sheepish; had Gale never seen him drenched in blood after taking out an entire gaggle of adversaries, Gale would almost believe the delicate priestly aura he manages to exude now. It almost makes him laugh, just how apologetic Lucius looks now, and it twists something in his chest. Affection, perhaps.

He has to resist the urge to cup Lucius’ cheek.

“I forgive you, Lucius,” Gale settles on saying, because it’s what Lucius needs to hear the most. “I’ll admit, you had me lost in the impulse as well, but we can be mature adults about this. Physicality does not rule us, and I do appreciate your words. I think I’d be worse off if you just… stopped speaking to me altogether, so I’m glad to hear this instead.”

Lucius brightens now, looking a little more himself. He nods along with his words, relief flooding his features. “Oh good. Oh good oh good. Yes. Certainly. I um. Didn’t want to do that.”

Gale brings together a smile with the pieces he still has left, and holds out a hand. “No harm done.”

Lucius looks down, and takes his hand firmly. His hand is broad and calloused, encompassing Gale’s in full. “No harm done.”

They shake once, and like a spell, the warmth that had lingered still on Gale’s lips turns cold, leaving him for good. He tries not to let it show as they part, trying to listen to Lucius as the man claps his hands together and moves onto the next subject. Something about food, something about a big great breakfast. A roast, he suggests. One that may just take too long, or cut it close enough before their adventure.

By that point, Gale isn’t listening anymore. The lack of sleep has caught up with him, tugging at his eyes. He’s not sure he’ll make it to the roast at this rate. There’s a chill to the wind that his sleep clothes do little to ward against — perhaps it’s simply better for him to get back to bed, or at the very least cozy up with a book for some semblance of company.

As Gale drags himself back to his tent, he catches Astarion’s gaze, staring at him with a knowing smirk from his own tent. Gale can’t get a word in — Astarion claps his book closed and disappears into his tent, undoubtedly carrying with him the exchange he just witnessed.

Just what Gale needs right now.

He marches into his tent and tucks himself in, staring up at the ceiling of blue fabric, but now that he’s settled, his eyes remain wide open. The sleep that tugged him still floats high enough in consciousness that it won’t have the weight it needs to drag him down to slumber. 

He sighs, turning onto his side and wraps a hand around the one that held Lucius a moment ago in a handshake. The warmth still lingers, but nothing like the kiss did. It’s far too… too… Chaste. Platonic. Mechanical. Distant.

Formal.

He understands the notion of it. What the handshake meant at that moment. He knows it was necessary. Their friendship is mended, the status quo restored.

Slowly, he brings that hand to where the Orb marks him, eyes fluttering shut. Stasis is better than the chaos of the unknown and unventured, but now, his chest thrums with not just the hunger of the Orb, but with the unfulfilled desire of want.

[linnetagain]

Hi! Thank you for another wonderful update of The Season!!! It was amazing in many ways! The part where Gale and Astarion embrace after talking things out has reminded me one poem in russian, specifically the last verse that translates like:

"Don't ever part with your beloveds,

Don't ever part with your beloveds,

Don't ever part with your beloveds,

Grow into them with all your blood.

And say good-bye like it's forever,

And say good-bye like it's forever,

And say good-bye like it's forever,

Should you for just one moment part."

The author, Alexandr Kochetkov, wrote it to his wife after he by some stroke of luck avoided boarding on a train that would crash, with lots of casualties. I apologize for this total out of the blue piece of obscure trivia, but, this specific verse felt so fitting in its meaning given the whole scary close call with Mystra, so when they hugged, those lines just rang out in my mind.

Oh I adore this! Please don't apologise, I'm a giant nerd and adore random trivia. You're also not the first person to link this particular poem to Season, and I think it's just perfect. There's something about living in the shadow of your own mortality - having survived accidents or facing unexplained or temperamental chronic illness or any kind of near-death experience/reminder of mortality - that brings your priorities really into focus. I've had, I believe, an unusually high number of near-misses (most not fun, but I did once think I was going to be caught in an avalanche while in one of the most isolated valleys in the world which was suitably dramatic), and there often came a point of clarity after the 'holy shit I nearly lost it all' moment where I found myself wondering what 'it all' even was. Not in a sad way, just in a like... You don't think about your job, or whether you've done your laundry, you know. You think about whether or not you've said everything you wanted to, to the people who matter. You wonder if you're proud of your life, of who you've been.

(gonna put the rest of my musings under a cut for spoilers/mental health mention)

I think both Gale and Astarion have had a few of their own scares over the years, Gale with his health and Astarion with Cazador, but that moment with Mystra was the first after they'd allowed themselves to admit their feelings. Astarion was still in denial when Gale collapsed previously I think, though that hospital stint absolutely fractured some of his defences. Whereas with Mystra's threat it fully hit him emotionally what he'd lose if he lost Gale. It's also a wildly different situation to be suddenly threatened with losing someone you care deeply about than, for example, being depressed and wondering if you'd be better off dead, where Astarion has definitely been before. I think of Astarion's story as someone who has survived almost out of spite. Because he wants to prove that he can be more than what he's been made, and he's very aware that Cazador is actively impeding him as much as possible and trying to make his life a waking misery. But that moment with Mystra is the first time he truly realises that his life as it is now has become something he's actually terrified of losing. It's an interesting character moment, I think, to go from living for a potential better future to living for the moment you're in.

Apologies, it may be a mix of the number of close calls I've had personally and my mental health issues, but I'm sort of fascinated with what it's like to live alongside the question of your own mortality so much more closely than a lot of people have to in the modern world, and the psychological impact that has on your decision making. Which is especially ironic as I have unmedicated ADHD and struggle with executive dysfunction lol.

But yeah, there's a moment I think earlier on when Astarion is like 'Gale, why the fuck won't you sleep like you need to', and Gale sort of begins to explain how afraid he is of wasting his life. I think that very much comes from the close calls he's had over the years. He's excruciatingly aware of how short and fragile life is.

Anyway if you're interested, I can recommend 'I am, I am, I am', Maggie O'Farrel's autobiography in near-death experiences.

And tell your friends and loved ones how much they matter to you 💕

[neloths-tea]

🖤 OC Post 🖤

Hi hello yes I thought it’s about time I make one of these since I reference them but I’ve never really talked about them or shared much about their backstories. It’s going to be a long post but if you’re interested, it’s under the cut 💕

Estelle Amora Dawnshadow

The darling herself and the light of my life. Born to a minor noble family in Baldur’s Gate, she grew up in relative luxury until her father gambled away their fortune and got put away for fraud and embezzlement, sullying their reputation and leaving Estelle, her younger sister, and their mother with nothing. Her mother disappears with her sister, and -destitute and desperate to survive- Estelle begins working at Sharess’ Caress outside the city. She reunites with an ‘old rival/friend’ (Thorn), their bond reestablishes and deepens, and life is hard, but good - up until she’s murdered in an alleyway. A certain pale elf saw the whole thing. You can imagine his surprise when she shows up at the palace, supposedly sharing the same master. Or does she? ;)

Tobias 'Thorn' T'Sarran

After escaping Menzoberranzan with his father at five years old, they were refugees in Athkatla before settling in Baldur's Gate. His father caught the eye of a single noblewoman, and she married him purely for publicity. Even though he was now an earl, the public still ostracized him for being the son of an 'under-dweller'. His step-mother did not favor him, and his already passive father began to bow to the whims of his strong-willed wife, causing Thorn to rebel and act out so that they might notice him. He met Estelle when they were teens, and they quickly became friends, sneaking off during the especially dull parties to get into the desserts or making out in the gardens. As his home life gets worse, he went on a bit of a bender, his conduct did not ‘befit an earl’, and seeing as he was a bastard son and an earl only in title and not by blood, he was stripped of the title and cast out. He and Estelle meet again while he works as a freelance escort and her at the Caress and quickly became the closest of lovers. After her ‘death’, he spends 200 years- I could talk about him all day so I'm ending it here

D’arcy Graves

steponmeplsandthankyou

*ahem* so. D’arcy. My. Beloved.

Quiet. A bit moody. Goth king. His somewhat troubled youth led to him falling in with a group of 'righteous upkeepers' who accepted him into their fold *only* if he could conform to their standard so as to not 'bring attention to himself' and 'distract attention away from their cause'. Already self-conscious of his heritage, he cuts off his horns before his initiation. He also is constantly filing his nails. Eventually, his adventure with his newfound friends leads to a road of self-acceptance and inner peace, albeit a rocky one. You’ll be okay baby, I promise :’)

Kallista

Sweet baby. Must protect. Kind, sweet, playful, sunny disposition; a real cutie patootie. She grew up with Rolan and his siblings, running around with them and getting into mischief, her two scholar parents unaware. Rolan teased her mercilessly (affectionately) over her appearance, dubbing her 'Scale-face'. She loves the color pink, plum fizz, and dyes the tips of her horns for fun. Her and Gale have a bond, and although they marry in ‘game canon’, her personal canon has her and Rolan living happily in Ramazith with their two kids uwu

Aoife (EE-fah)

My Last Dragonborn. Is she a shameless self-insert? ...yeah pretty much. I gave her my features and insecurities as free therapy to love myself because why not. Sue me. Her mother is a Breton lady who owns way too many fancy tea sets and her father is a half-Altmer bookkeeper who loves insects. She’s a certified Yapper™️ and is constantly reading and learning about anything she finds remotely interesting. She will nerd out to her bodyguard companion friend ‘not boyfriend’ about restoration magic, plants, their properties, and alchemy. She will crack up at inappropriate times but also Get Things Done because who else will? She grew up in middle-class High Rock and left right before she turned 18, spending 11 years exploring Hammerfell, Skyrim, and the upper half of Cyrodiil; all the while learning about survival and archery. Her great grandma was someone important, and a key part of why she’s Dragonborn (and good with a bow) in the first place. Passing the mic to you, Ardwen 🎤

Ardwen Oakwood

Aoife’s meemaw and certified Badass. She grew up in a tiny village in Valenwood, traveling to Cyrodiil on a whim. Not used to the culture, she got arrested for something very stupid that got blown out of proportion. She was on her last day of her 3 day prison sentence when events take place. She’s never one to question the gods, so she obeys the Emperor’s request to the letter. She quite literally stumbles into the chapel in Kvatch and into Martin, got one look of his puppy dog eyes, and then swore she’d never question the gods *EVER*, actually. The feeling was very much mutual and their (frankly adorable) relationship was kept a secret from all but two people. Until the narrative doomed them, ofc. With nothing to go back to Valenwood for and unable to bear remaining near the Oblivion-torn lands and the statue Martin left behind, she leaves Cyrodiil and moves to Falkreath for some woodsy familiarity to raise their son alone. The controversial decision to do so and the memories of the Crisis haunts her for years, but she knew she'd rather die a thousand deaths than give up the only remaining piece left of the one person she loved most.