#Gale brings the nerd out of him

[0ccuria]

Talking with Gale / Talking to literally anyone else

[buzzcat]

today's wordcount brought to you by: there is no way on this green earth that Gale Dekarios doesn't have a good relationship with his mother, and i'm going to write nice cozy friends-and-family fic about it

[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.

[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.

[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

[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 😭

[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.

[pinksiames]

Teacher AU Headcanons!

Headcanons for my fic linked here

Gale despite being so young doesn’t really get on social media, and when he does use it it’s silly tiktoks that no one else but him find funny

He’s legally blind and extremely near-sided, he cannot function without his glasses, running into walls and stumbling over things when he doesn’t have them on

He used to have coke bottle lenses but started getting thinner lenses cause of how much he was getting bullied growing up

He’s a cat person! He loves dogs but he likes cats more since in his experience they’re more friendly (he almost got attacked by a chow chow as a kid)

He’s been thinking about adopting a cat so he isn’t as lonely at home

He’s a huge space and sci-fi nerd (obviously) and had dreams of becoming an astronaut as a kid, but realized how lonely he would get being so far from earth

His first tattoo he got was a back piece of the solar system, and every year for his birthday he splurges and gets another one! Mostly matching his theme of space and the beyond

He used to have his lobes pierced when he was a teenager but got caught by his dad, who then almost ripped his earlobe off trying to get them out of gales ears

He and Benny became friends in college! They were roommates freshmen and sophomore year and continued to talk and hang out after getting paired with different people

People have told him he smells like roasted pecans

Marge was and still is his best friend, while she still lives in Wyoming they talk constantly

They had a small fling back in high school until they both realized they were gay! But they continued “dating” to save face for both of their families

He easily became one of the more favorited teachers in the school, his classroom being open to anyone who needed it, he ends up with kids who aren’t even his students in his class

His students make fun of him for having to lift his glasses and squint at his phone when he’s trying to read something

The kids have suspicions about Gale and John being together (they’re secretly together but they don’t need to know that) it’s hard not too when John is in gales room almost 24/7, chatting him up while kids file in, bringing him lunches, calling him Buck instead of Mr Cleven when Gale sticks to strictly Coach Egan

Someone ends up making a TikTok video with him in it and it goes viral, so they get some of his students to make his own TikTok account that ends up being ran by Bucky so he can monitor who comments what (he gets jealous when people find his favorite coworker hot)

Bucky went to a local community college near his Ma’s place and then went to the university of Michigan where he played on their baseball team! He was on his way to playing in the MLB until he had a bad accident and destroyed his shoulder :(

He has a titanium plate in his shoulder! He likes to joke about how he’s practically part cyborg because of it

He ended up changing majors since he wanted to still do something in sports, going into sports management and physical education

He started coaching at a decently young age at 23 (he’s 26 now) and has basically taught in Texas since he graduated

He ending up moving down to Texas because of the teacher/coach shortage they were having, but he still visits his mom and sister during school breaks

He has his high school and college medals and trophies up on display in his office with his degrees

He loves all of his kids, making sure each and everyone of them were included, super fundraising to make sure all of them could go on trips or get the best gear and uniforms

He goes to the gym religiously but refuses to be one of those “gym bros” (he definitely is) and posts on his instagram of him flexing in the mirror or just working out in general (he won’t admit it but he hopes Gale sees the post) (sadly he never will cause Gale doesn’t use instagram)

Hope yall enjoyed my rambling!

[linaselandbasil]

HAHA, nerds! (Working title)

Bloodweave, university au, need I say more?

This fic was based off of This and This. @freakertron Here you go dearest, I wrote your fic. Have fun reading bestie!

Also @verawhisk I hope you like it as well.

Here is an AO3 link if you prefer that, mwah! Kisses to yall!

...

Oh to be a scholar right after finals, Gale was positively delighted, as he was just finished with his last one a few days ago. He's been celebrating it in bed.... With his cat... WAIT NOT LIKE THA-

He's sleeping, OK? He's been pulling all nighters out of his ass left and right, he needed this!

The tressym was happy to make biscuits on his back until about 8 am, but shes craving breakfast. She started kneading right on Gales scalp, making sure to dig her claws straight through is skull. All he did was groan and swat her away. "Don't you think you should be getting some sun, Mr Dekarios?" Tara said, "And perhaps, whilst getting this much needed sun, don't you also think you ought to get me some breakfast?"

"Oh, how right you are. But... A tiny bit more couldn't hurt..." He pulled his blanket over his head and continued to sleep.

"But Mr. Dekarios!" She gently slapped the idiot adult baby man with her teeny tiny cat paws. "That's it, I'm telling your mother!"

He sighed and rolled out of bed. "I'm a grown man."

"Sure you are, go take a shower." Gale solemnly went to the bathroom and pulled his shirt off. "Don't forget to shave."

He turned the water on. "I'll shave you, if you're not going to cease the notion." He didn't want to shower. He was nice and warm in bed a few minutes ago and now he's icky and gross and feeling cold in the bathroom. The water will be either too cold or too hot, when he gets out he'll be wet and cold, he'll have to chose a different shirt, the shirt will be cold when he puts it on-

"I can see that you're not in the-"

"Pardon me. I was lost in thought!" He got in. Water too hot. Wizard very sad.

"You know, I was thinking that you could go to your comic store. As a treat. Hadn't seen you bringing one of those booklets back."

"Good idea." He got out of the shower as soon as possible. He got dressed in his usual, the robe of neurodivergency, disintegrating sneakers of soft step and the shirt of getting no bitches.

He went to the kitchen area (a mini fridge with a portable induction stove on top next to a cabinet) and made Tara some omelet. He cleaned up while the tressym was eating and definitely burning her mouth with the egg.

"Well, Tara... I shall be heading out. Bid me luck that I don't run into anyone who I don't like to talk to."

"Have fun Mr. Dekarios!"

...

The bell rang, signaling to everyone in the store that another person graces the tiny shop with his presence. 'Wow, this place is completely different... How long has it been?'

"Can I help you?" Asked the clerkic- clerik- I mean the clerk. Not a cleric! A tall brooding goth woman, but like, without the goth. She had a rubriks cube in her hands.

"No, I'm alright, I just hadn't been here in a while, must have been months. The layout is... different."

"Yeah, like a week after I started working here a woman came in and literally sneezed fire and half the shelves were destroyed, owner renovated with the insurance money."

"Gee... Alright, I shall get going, lots to browse, you see!"

"Have fun." She turned around and continued to turn and ponder her cube.

Gale began exploring the new isles. There weren't many, but the wares were intriguing. He turned a corner to the tabletop section, intending to browse dice, but in the corner of his eye he saw someone. He looks awful familiar... Oh he knows exactly who that is, it's Astarion, semi famous online... ahem, entertainer.

The guy turned around and jumped in terror as he just noticed Gale looking straight at him from a mere meter away. He's not much to behold as of now, baggy tee, probably pajama pants, crocs, he even had remnants of a clay mask clinging to his cinder hair. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"No, it's nothing.... Just... The manga."

"Oh I'm in the way? Of course I am, how could it not be that it's just the two of us and we coincidentally want to see the same thing in the whole shop. God's help me, I hate Fridays!"

"It's Thursday!" Yelled the clerk.

"Thank you for your input, Sharty, I really needed this one last bit of humiliation to start my day!"

She laughed. "You're welcome."

"My name is Astarion," He did a sassy flick of the hair, struck a pose, probably unintentionally, he's just yassy like that. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Gale... Of Waterdeep. Nice to meet you too!"

Neither of them reached out to shake hands for their own private reasons. It's alright though. Though Astarions hands were kept off of Gale, his eyes were not. They wandered all over that gorgeous, soft looking hair, his adorable cheeks, oh that neck, delicious.

"Astarion, you're flustering the customer! I'll have you escorted if you're not careful." Shart said.

"Oh am I? Apologies. Well, forgive me for my unkempt appearance, darling, maybe some days later I can fluster you a bit whilst we're both better dressed? Hmm?"

Gale looked as if he were dipped headfirst into furnace red dye. All fired up under his skin, burning hot from.... who knew what. "Sure why not?"

"My... ummm, Father is holding a party this weekend, why not join me there?" Shart uttered a 'lady of sorrows' under her nose.

"What sort of party?" Gale was undeniably terrified, but if Tara found out he refused... There would be blood. She thinks he isolates himself too much.

"Do you know where the Szarr palace is?"

"Of course, that place is....." Said Gale as he looked into Astarions eyes, they're even prettier in real life.

"Infamous. That's where the party will be."

"Oh. Well, I'd like to go."

The elf smiled even sweeter before saying: "Wonderful, may I give you my number?"

"Of course." Gale dug his phone out of his pocket and watched while the pale elf put his contact in as 'Astarion, wine glass emoji-sparkle emoji-nail polish emoji'

"Well, it was wonderful meeting you, but if I go now, you'll begin longing to meet me sooner, so I shall take my leave!"

Shart grunted. "Criiiinge!"

Astarion scoffed and walked to the counter. "Ring me out, peasant!" Gale could only watch them in awe, this must be the friendship of the century. She put the cube down and scanned his items. Gale couldn't see what they were, but it's not like he was trying to peep or anything. Totally not.

The man left, giving the woman one last scornful look and walking away from the door all sassy whilst putting on a pair of round sunglasses.

Gale picked himself a good looking manga, don't ask me what it is I'm not a weeb. He meekly walked up to the counter and looked at his hands the entire time 'Sharty' was scanning it. He paid with his card and turned to leave.

"Wait." The clerk said. "Be careful at the party, very very careful."

"That's quite the ominous warning."

".... Have a nice day and come back again!"

"Bye.... Your name is not Shart is it?"

"No. It's Shadowheart."

"Understood. Goodbye Shadowheart!" He practically ran back to his dorm. He has a date! Someone actually wants to take him on a date! Tara is going to be so excited!!!

...

He jaunted through the door into his dorm where his roommate was already petting Tara.

"You won't believe it..."

"You'd be surprised how easily I believe anything." Said Wyll.

"I have a date!" Gale plopped down on the couch. They have no TV, so Wyll was reading a book. How in character for him.

"Not with another professor I hope?" Tara stretched, covering all of the available space between the two men, they're not quite 5 feet apart for obvious reasons.

"No, he's... I ran into him at the comic shop. I don't think he's a professor. How was your exam?"

"Could have been better, but it was OK."

"Good!" Gale exclaimed happily.

"I don't know how you do it, never seen you get a bad grade."

"It's a neat trick called sleeping with the professor!"

"All of them? Good gods."

"I'm joking, obviously, I study a lot, that's it."

Some silence, Wyll was not reading, he courteously closed the book with his finger between the pages he was reading to signal to Gale that he was giving his undivided attention. "So... are you going to tell me about this date of yours?"

"Well, he looks like that YouTuber I always watch."

"Okay. What's his name?"

"Astarion..."

"A pretty name."

"Yeah, but it's all pretty new, let's not swoon over him just yet."

"Yeah... I'll get back to reading, they're just about to kiss, I've read 2 books waiting for this to happen."

"Have fun!" Gale got his phone out and immediately felt his finger gravitate towards contacts and tap on Astarions name. He texted the pretty elf: Hey, Gale of Waterdeep here. Date night still stands?

The awnser was not immediate, he had to go on reddit to distract himself from his nerves for the whole 23 minutes and 5 seconds this diva had him wait.

"Of course, gorgeous. Wear something nice, I'll pick you up Saturday at 8 pm."

[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.

[pouroverpaloma]

yellow and white!! :)

Hey thanks, this was fun!

💛 Yellow: Do you ever alter, highlight, or de-emphasize certain canonical traits in a character? If so, why and describe how.

Oh, god yeah. I feel like I give SO much energy and space to Gale’s trauma—it’s something only touched on in the game that I wanted to see explored narratively, and I felt like I could do it well.

I grew up in a pretty intense, charismatic kind of Christianity that was focused on experiencing the divine as a two-way personal relationship. Gale’s relationship with Mystra reflected a lot of the anxieties and fears I had growing up as an evangelical teenager—what if I was so good, that God chose me for something important? What if it was awful? What if God is cruel, actually, and I don’t find out until it’s too late? How could I escape someone omnipresent and omnipotent? Idk, his story hit me VERY hard as an exvangelical, and I feel like that heavily colors the way I write him. I just want to make him a spicy margarita and play him Ethel Cain’s entire catalog; it would fix him.

Also, I think anyone who’s read my stuff, especially this beauty that pleases too well, has probably guessed that the way I portray his survival of intimate partner violence is born from experience—but this is a tumblr post about a fictional wizard, so I’ll leave it there, except to say that I got my happy ending and it brings me a lot of joy to do that for him too.

Also also: his crow’s feet. If I’m writing him, you WILL see and appreciate the eye crinkles.

🩷 Pink: Do you find a certain character (or characters) easy to write? More difficult -- and if so, do you avoid writing that character (or those characters) when possible?

Shadowheart is so difficult to get right!! Done well, she’s dry and haughty but secretly having a great time fucking with you. It’s so easy to steer too hard into the skid and make her either boring or so snarky she’s unlikeable. You have to write her well enough to get her timing. She’s too much fun to leave out entirely, though, so I’m working on it.

I find Gale extraordinarily easy to write, probably because we’re both terminal nerds who overtalk to fill time. It’s like confronting my fucking Jungian shadow self, but in a horny way that I am in no way prepared to unpack.

I like writing Astarion, but I just never feel like I make him enough of a bitch. He deserves to be full bitch. The height of his powers. I can, should, must, and will find a way to let him be an emotional terrorist (affectionate) moving forward.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Any thoughts you’d like to share on the other origins characters? Anything you like about them :)

Again, haven't played the game so these are my general thoughts based on a few romance compilations, YouTube Shorts, and memes. If anybody would like to rectify this, please Venmo me $500 so I can buy a PS5.

Shadowheart

Admittedly don't know that much about her other than the emos love her and she follows a goddess of loss. Looks like her arc is all about questioning institutions and her god, which I think is very sexy of her. If anybody has a quest line compilation video to recommend so I can see her whole story, please send it my way.

Lae'zel

The other origin character I admittedly don't know that much about. Still love an arc about questioning the system she was raised in and her god. Again, very sexy of her. Fish out of water stories are some of my favorites. Pair that with a hardened character learning to enjoy the gentler things in the world, and you've got yourself a banger. I should really look up her quest line at some point to get a full view of it.

Karlach

Best girl. Strong muscles, soft heart. I want her to be my best friend IRL. She deserves better and if there is any way to get a better ending that allows her to stay in Faerun, the studio needs to get on that ASAP. In the meantime, I'm going to stay in the part of the internet that says she's fine don't worry about it. I'm hugging her and there is nothing you can do about it.

Wyll

Sweet boy. A perfect boy who did nothing wrong ever. Yeah, yeah, sold his soul to a devil, but he had a good reason. Plus, he was seventeen. Nobody should let a seventeen year old make any decisions ever. I do need to find a good romance compilation. He needs more love. His friendship with Karlach is everything to me.

Gale

People really need to stop complaining about this man. I see too many being ragging on about how he's not over his ex and keeps bringing her up. "With you I forget my goddess?" That isn't him saying with you he forgets his ex, he's saying with you he forgets his god. How are we all not collectively swooning? And he's a nerd who will info dump about his passions? Sign me the fuck up. His comfy pjs and burnt out gifted kid swagger has bewitched me body and soul.

Astarion

Guys, you've seen my blog. I'm obsessed with him.

The moment I saw this asshole pop up on my dash, I knew I was going to love him. He was the reason I decided to finally look up a romance compilation once I realized my computer was too old to let me run the game. He's my type to the point of parody. Literally anybody who knows me, knows this guy would end up being my favorite.

His arc is about bodily autonomy and trauma. He's allowed to not be the perfect victim. He's angry and violent. He's selfish and terrified. And he is, sadly, one of the few characters who, as part of his arc, realizes he can say no to sex and he can be loved without it.

My point is, it should be no surprise to anybody that the ace community loves this man, and anybody complaining about it should shut up.

If you want to write your sexy Astarion fanfic, there is nothing stopping you. More power to you. I've seen the graveyard scene too. I recognize that regaining his autonomy and being able to have sex with somebody he cares about is part of the healing process.

At the same time, if writers want to interpret his arc is him realizing he never wants to have sex again, and that being okay; let them. We need this. There are so few characters like him out there.

At some point I do want to write an hour long video essay about his arc and how it's resonated with the ace community specifically.

Anyway, those are my general thoughts. I feel like I just swung a bat at a hornet's nest with that last bit, but what's life without a little danger?

[fr3man]

All Too Well - Part 2

Ghostface was well and truly back. Sam and Tara didn’t even get to the police station straight away the previous night, they were nearly shot at the bodega. The group were now being as cautious as possible. Mindy’s version of ‘cautious’ was rounding off the suspects.

The group were now currently sat on the campus of Blackmore University, Mindy stood in front of everyone.

“Okay, nerds! Listen up! As terrifying as this all is, I’m actually glad I get a chance to redeem myself for not calling the killers last time... It’s fine. Okay. The way I see it, someone is out to make a sequel to the requel.”

Anika raises her hand.

“Um, what’s a requel?”

“You’re beautiful, sweetie. Let’s hold questions till the end.”

Anika smiled at her before Sam spoke up.

“Stab 1 took place in Woodsboro. Stab 2 took place in college.”

Tara looked towards Sam.

“So we think the killer is trying to copy the movies?”

Mindy pointed at Tara.

“That is one possibility. Heroes now in college: check. Suspicious new characters brought in to round out the suspect list and or body count: check, check and check.”

She pointed at Quinn, Anika and Ethan.

“I don’t like this.”

Ethan said before Molly gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“But it can’t just be about Stab 2.”

Mindy carried on.

“Why not?”

Tara’s eyebrows furrowed.

“It would make 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.

Sam, Anika and Molly sighed.

“I had a feeling.”

“Rule 1: everything is bigger than last time. Bigger budget, bigger cast, bigger body count. Longer chases, shootouts, beheadings. You gotta top what came before to keep people coming back.”

“Beheadings?”

Molly and Chad said in unison.

“Beheadings. Rule 2: whatever happened last time, expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by subverting expectations. If the killers last time were whiny snowflake film nerds with Letterboxd accounts instead of personalities, you bet the opposite will be true here.”

Nobody seemed to notice the face Ethan made when Mindy made a comment about Richie and Amber.

“And rule 3: 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!”

Chad continues to write in his notebook.

“This is the part where she tells us the worst part.”

“The worst part is franchises are just continuing episodic instalments designed to boost an IP. Which means main characters are completely expendable now too. Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley, Sally Hardesty, 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 and Tara.”

Sam and Tara exchanged worried looks.

“Wait? Any of us?”

Everyone turned their heads to Ethan as he spoke.

“Yeah.”

“Am- am I in the friend group?”

“Yeah.”

“Am I like one of the targets?… At least I won’t die a virgin.”

The entire group gave him puzzled looks whereas Molly hit him on the arm.

“Babe, seriously?”

Mindy looked kinda grossed out.

“TMI, keep it in the bedroom. But it brings us to our current suspects.”

She stepped in front of Ethan.

“Ethan. The shy and dorky guy who no one suspects because he’s so shy and dorky.”

“Okay, why am I on the suspect list because I’m randomly Chad’s roommate?”

Ethan motions towards Chad defensively.

Mindy looks at him like he’s an idiot.

“Roommate lotteries can be juked, you could’ve fixed it to get next to us! And the fact that you just so happen to be interested in Molly?”

“Okay, what does Molly have to do with this?”

“Well, we all know how her last relationship turned out…”

Tara and Chad immediately jumped to her defence and everyone else seemed surprised at Mindy’s audacity.

“Mindy, seriously?”

Tara looked at her angrily.

Chad looked very irritated.

“Mindy, come on!”

Molly was staring daggers against her.

“Can you not bring up Amber?”

Mindy shrugged her shoulders.

“Whatever, I’m just saying… be careful…”

Molly furrowed her brows and felt a pit in her stomach.

Molly blocked out the rest of what Mindy said. What if she was right? What if Ethan was the killer? What if he betrays her just like Amber did? She tried to snap out of it and tell herself that he’d never do that but the voice at the back of her mind was telling her to never say never.

She was snapped out of her thoughts she. Sam spoke.

“Okay, so we have our rules and we have our suspects.”

“Wait, what about you guys?”

Ethan motioned with his hand to the 5 survivors.

“I mean, I think it’s pretty safe to rule out the 5 of us who went through this last year in Woodsboro.”

Chad smiled at Mindy.

“Agreed.”

Quinn shook her head.

“Not agreed. What if the trauma you all went through caused one or more of you to snap?”

Ethan agreed with Quinn.

“Yeah, or if the fame you got from the killings made you thirsty for more. I mean, let’s be honest here, some of the theories online about Sam are-“

Tara immediately cut him off.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

Molly hit him in the arm again.

Anika tried to diffuse the situation.

“Okay, she’s right though. I mean face facts, if we’re all suspects - you’re all suspects.”

The 5 looked at each other worriedly.

Molly gets up from her seat.

“As much as I love discussing which of us I think is a murderer, I’m going home.”

Tara gets up from her seat.

“I’m coming too.”

Molly looked at Ethan.

“I’ll see you later.”

He nodded.

“See ya.”

The pair immediately walked off before anyone else even moved. Tara just knew something was wrong with Molly.

“You okay?”

Molly nodded her head.

“Mhm… just thinking about what Mindy said.”

“Just ignore her, alright?”

“No, Tara she’s got a point. It could easily be him.”

“But it also might not be him.”

“Let’s face it, he’s either the killer or he’s gonna get killed. That’s just how it works.”

Tara linked her arm in Molly’s.

“As long as we stick together as best we can, that should keep us all safe. And I’ll always be here for you.”

They looked at each other and smiled softly.

“Thanks, Tara. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

After a few seconds of silence, Molly spoke up again.

“Y’know, he really reminds me of Wes.”

Tara looked at her.

“Yeah?”

Molly nodded whilst holding back tears.

“Yeah. They have the same stupid smile.. and they’re really good at cheering you up. When I first met Ethan I just immediately felt like Wes had come back to me.”

Parts of Ethan made her think of Amber too - the way they’d both comfort her when she needed it, the way they’d let her vent about her dad, the fact they were both the first people she’d go to if anything happened, the way she thought of them as her entire world - but she couldn’t bring herself to talk about it.

Tara and Molly arrived back at their apartment and sat down on the couch together. Not long after, the sound of keys could be heard and Sam came in.

“Hey.. are you okay?”

The girls shrugged.

“I just really don’t want to go through this again.”

Tara put her arm around Molly.

Sam sat down on the couch with them.

“Hey, I promise I’ll do everything I can to protect you. To protect you all. Which reminds me, I’ve told everyone to stay over here tonight.”

“That’s a good idea - safety in numbers.”

“Exactly.”

Sam smiled at her.

“Everyone will be here in a little bit so it’ll just be us three until then. If you want, we could go to the store and buy some food so we can cook dinner later?”

Tara and Molly nodded.

“That sounds nice.”

Sam got up from the couch.

“Come on, we should go while it’s still daytime.”

A couple of hours go by. At this point, everyone is at the apartment… except Ethan. He told Chad and Molly that he had an econ class. What was so urgent about a college class with everything that was going on?

Molly didn’t like Ethan’s absence one bit - it was just making her more and more worried. Tara and Chad were the first to notice.

Molly went into the kitchen to get glasses for the dinner table. Tara and Chad were in the middle of cooking when she walked in and her entire demeanour was off. They exchanged a look before Tara put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey. You okay?”

Molly nodded but her face remained emotionless.

“Yep, fine.”

Chad knew better of course.

“Dude, come on.We know when something is bothering you.”

“I said I’m fine, Chad.”

“We know there’s a lot going on and I know you’re probably worrying because Ethan isn’t here-”

“Chad. Look, I appreciate it but I’m fine, alright?”

Chad and Tara looked at each other again before looking at her again.

“We’re here if you want to talk, okay?”

Tara’s voice was full of genuine care and concern.

“Thanks…”

She left the kitchen and placed the glasses on the table.

Mindy and Molly entered the kitchen a couple of minutes later.

“Sam!”

Mindy called her into the kitchen.

“Yeah?”

“We do not have to stay here.”

“Well, too bad. I insist. Safety in numbers.”

Chad had a big smile on his face.

“This’ll be so fun. A little slumber party with the Alive Five!”

Sam furrowed her brows.

“Alive Five?”

“Yeah.”

“The fucking what?”

Molly looked at him with a very confused expression.

Tara looked at him in slight disbelief.

“Did you just give us a nickname?”

“I sure did. We’ve been through a lot together, and it’s a pretty cool nickname.”

Molly and Mindy just looked at him like he was stupid.

“That’s debatable.”

Sam looked down at the floor, holding in a laugh.

“It’s extremely debatable.”

“You can’t just give yourself a nickname, dingus.”

Mindy smiled mischievously.

“Of course I can, dingus, because I just did. Alive Five, up top!”

He lifted his arm, waiting for a high five.

Mindy shook her head.

“No.”

He turned to Tara.

“Down low!”

“Get that away from me.”

He then turned to Molly.

“Come on!”

“Fuck off.”

He finally turned to Sam.

“Please, for the love of God!”

Sam was smiling and it was clear she was tempted.

“Don’t do it!”

Mindy begged Sam not to go along with his bullshit.

Everyone was on the verge of laughing.

“Y’know, I would actually like a little more respect and support from my fellow members of the Alive Five.”

Their attention was then turned to Anika when she shouted them.

“Guys! What the hell?”

She turned up the volume on the TV and everyone went into the living room.

The news headline read ‘PRIME SUSPECT SAMANTHA CARPENTER’.

“We’re hearing from sources inside the homocide division that the prime suspect is none other than Samantha Carpenter, one of the survivors of the Woodsboro killings in 2022, seen here attacking a woman on the streets last night.”

It then showed a video of her ‘attacking’ the girl who approached them after the Halloween party.

“In the wake of the Woodsboro tragedy last year, rumours sprouted online that Carpenter was responsible for the killings, blaming the crimes on her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch and teen Amber Free-”

Sam grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. She walked into the dining room and sat at the table, looking downwards.

Tara cautiously followed her and sat down next to her.

“I know you’re not a fan of the way I’ve been handling things, and that I’ve been giving you a really hard time. But I can say that none of us can relate to what you’re experiencing. And I’m really, really sorry that you have to do that alone.”

The twins, Molly and Anika listened to what Tara was saying to her sister and they were all relieved that Tara was finally getting along with her compared to recently.

Sam shook her head whilst holding back tears.

“It’s not your fault. And I know I shouldn’t care what people think.”

She pauses for a second and wipes a tear of her face.

“It just sucks being this hated.”

The twins and Molly then walked in.

“Hey. Just a reminder, not a single person in this room hates you.”

Chad said as the three of them sat down.

“Okay? We have all been through some fucked-up stuff, and we are coping with it differently. But, I mean we moved here together for one very specific reason… We’re a team.”

Sam smiled at Chad’s words.

“We are the Alive fuckin’ Five.”

Mindy smiled as she said this.

Chad turned his head.

“Thank you very much.”

“I hate myself.”

The twins exchanged a high five and Molly quietly laughed.

“You said it.”

Tara was smiling a lot, as was Sam.

Chad looked so proud.

“That’s what I’m talking about. It’s the Alive Five.”

Mindy looked at Tara.

“Say it.”

“No, I’m not gonna say it.“

“Molly, come on you say it.”

She laughed and shook her head.

“Definitely not.”

Chad tried to convince her.

“Come on, it’s got a nice ring to it.”

Sam suddenly spoke.

“I’ve been sleeping with Cute Boy from across the hall.”

The group went silent before they erupted into cheers.

“I fucking knew it!”

Tara clapped her hands together.

Sam looked confused.

“Yes! Chad, give it, come on!”

Chad rolled his eyes whilst smiling and handed Molly $20.

“Knew it from the day you had that hickey.”

Mindy’s comment made the group laugh.

“I feel like we should high five or something.”

Chad held his hand towards and the group all joined hands.

“The Alive Five high five, may we please?”

Tara laughed.

“Don’t call it that but we’ll do the high five.”

Sam’s phone started ringing and Danny’s name was lit up on the screen.

Tara’s face lit up and she held the phone up.

“No, Tara.”

Sam was holding in a laugh.

“Hey, so what are your intentions?”

The group burst into laughter.

“Tara, give it here.”

Tara went to pass it to Molly, the pair of them laughing, before Sam took it back.

“It’s fine. I’ll call him back.”

“Poor guy.”

The sound of Quinn moaning could be heard. Not like it was an unfamiliar sound.

“Oh my god, Quinn and her gentlemen called are back at it again.”

The group looked towards Quinn’s bedroom door.

“She’s getting it too? Okay.”

The group were still laughing.

Quinn’s moaning got heavier and at the same time everyone’s phones went off.

They all got their phones out to take a look. Danny had air-dropped them all a picture. It was of Quinn. Getting attacked by Ghostface.

The sound of Quinn shouting for help was then heard.

The group sprung from their seats and ran to the living room. Anika sprung up from the couch to see what was going on.

Quinn then screamed. Tara ran towards Quinn’s room before Chad pulled her back.

“Tara, wait!”

Not a sound could be heard. The group waited for any kind of noise but there was still nothing.

“Run.”

Quinn’s door burst open and Quinn’s dead body was thrown at the group, landing on Anika and pushing her on the ground.

Anika screamed in terror.

Sam and Molly got on the ground to pull her off.

Chad pulled Tara with him as he ran out the apartment.

“Guys, come on!”

Ghostface stood there and tilted his head, looking at Mindy.

“Oh, fuck.”

He sliced her in the arm with his knife.

She threw herself back in pain, holding her arm.

“Mindy!”

Anika grabbed onto his cloak as he tried to move towards Mindy again.

“Stay the fuck back!”

Molly quickly stood up and tried to pull him backwards. He immediately grabbed her and threw her to the floor and she hit her head on the ground. She held her head in pain, trying to get herself up but by the time she was in a state where she could, Anika was at the other end of the room and Ghostface was dragging a knife through her stomach and she was screaming in agony.

She quickly stood up but before she could get to them Sam came in and hit him in the head with an empty knife block. He fell on the ground, giving the girls enough time to run into Quinn’s room and lock the door.

Ghostface then started pounding on the door before it all went quiet.

Sam looked behind them and saw the bathroom door was still open.

“Molly. Bathroom door, hurry!”

She got up and went into the bathroom but stopped in her tracks and screamed when she saw Quinn’s boyfriend dead in the shower.

“Fuck!”

She then looked up and saw Ghostface standing in the doorframe and screamed again. She tried to shut the door but he kept pushing it open. Sam ran in the bathroom to pull her out and back into Quinn’s room.

They locked the door but he just kept pounding and pounding on it. He was strong so the lock kept unlocking. They pushed a dresser in front of it but it then got pushed backwards due to a hard kick to the door.

Sam and Molly stood with their backs against it to keep him out. Sam then saw Danny out the window, trying to get their attention. She ran to the window and opened it.

“Don’t worry, I got you!”

He pushed a ladder out his window.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“You got a better idea?”

“Fuck. No.”

She reached her hand out and pulled the ladder so it reached them.

“You gotta come one a time!”

Sam turned to the girls.

“You three go first!”

“No!”

Molly and Mindy were pressed against the dresser but they were still struggling.

“Guys!”

“Someone needs to hold the door, we’ll send Anika next. Go!”

Sam looked hesitant.

“Go!”

The girls said in unison.

Sam got onto the ladder and started crawling towards Danny’s window.

Mindy and Molly were still trying to keep the dresser against the door.

“Sam, she’s losing a lot of blood!”

“Say something more positive!”

Sam managed to get across and then the sound of Danny and Sam could be heard.

“Come on!”

Mindy looked towards Molly.

“Molly, go!”

“No!”

“Molly-”

“You’re injured, I’m not. I can hold the door. Get Anika on the ladder, then both of you go.”

She hesitated and then moved towards Anika and helped her off the bed.

“You have to go first-”

“I can’t!”

“You have to go!”

“No, Mindy no! I’ll be right behind you, I promise!”

They kissed before Mindy reluctantly got onto the ladder.

As Mindy struggled to make her away across, Ghostface kept pounding on the door. Molly and Anika kept yelling for her to go.

Mindy made her way to Danny’s apartment.

“Guys, come on!”

“Anika, go.”

“What?! No, I’m not leaving you!”

“Anika, go! I’ll be fine, I promise!”

The others continued to shout.

“Guys, come on! Hurry!”

Ghostface pounded on the door even harder.

Molly tried not to cry.

“Ani, please!”

Anika looked at her tearfully before getting on the ladder.

“Oh my god… I can’t! I can’t do it!”

Ghostface is slowly getting the door more and more open.

“Anika, go! Quick!”

Molly is struggling more and more to keep the door shut.

He bangs on the door which prys it open, pushing Molly forward roughly. She tries to push it back again.

“Fuck…”

She looked to see how far Anika had gotten, which sadly wasn’t very far due to her gutted stomach.

Ghostface manages to bang on the door enough so the cabinet is knocked forward causing Molly to fall to the floor.

“No!”

Ghostface approaches Molly and she tries to keep them away. Ghostface grabs her by the neck, lifts her up and shoves her onto Quinn’s bed.

Everyone is terrified for Molly and Anika’s safety.

“No! Molly!”

“Anika, move!”

Molly tries to block him so he’d be at least injured to give Anika more time.

Ghostface slashed her hand and she screams in pain.

Molly’s scream only slows Anika down.

He lifts Molly off the bed and slams her head into the cabinet, knocking her out and leaving her for dead.

By the time she woke up, she was in an ambulance. She tried to lift her head up but winced in pain. She noticed the bandage wrapped around her hand. The group immediately got to her side.

“Molly! Hey, you okay?”

She could hear Chad’s voice but her ears were ringing.

She looked around to make sure everyone was there and okay. She saw Danny, Sam, Tara, Chad, Mindy… her heart almost stopped when she didn’t see Anika.

“Where’s Anika?”

Mindy was distraught.

“She’s dead, isn’t she?”

The group all nodded.

“Oh my god…”

She put a hand on her stomach.

“Oh my god, Anika…”

She looked at Mindy.

“Mindy, I’m so, so sorry.”

She got up from the stretcher and sat down next to her. She put her head on Mindy’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Mindy. I tried to help her but I just let her fucking die.”

She broke down crying as she said this.

“Hey. Hey, it’s not your fault, okay?”

She wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

Chad and Tara sat down with them.

“She’s right, Molly. Don’t blame yourself.”

Chad put his hand on her arm.

Tara grabbed her hand.

“You put yourself at risk just to protect her, you did the best you could, alright?”

“I didn’t do the best I could because she’s fucking dead.”

Tara was taken aback when she snapped.

“Sorry, I’m sorry Tara.”

She shook her head.

“Don’t be.”

Sam put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve got you some water.”

She handed her a water bottle.

Molly sniffled.

“Thank you.”

The group ended up spending the night at Danny’s apartment whilst the police inspected their apartment, not that any of them could really sleep properly anyway.

The only thing Molly could think about was where the fuck Ethan was.

[amethysts-tavern]

#65: Horror

I found a webpage with 100 writing prompts and rolled a d100. This is #65: Horror. It’s not horror in the traditional sense, but the point in the game that still fills me with horror weeks later.

Stop reading now if you don’t want to see Act 3 spoilers!!

—————

“I don’t think I can do this any more,” you say, bowing your head and leaning into Gale’s chest. Dinner for the evening had been cleaned up and put away and you were alone with him once again.

“What are you talking about, love?” Gale says, wrapping his arms around you in a tender embrace, clearly concerned by your defeated tone.

“Having to rescue everyone, the fighting, the bloodshed, the death, trying to determine who is being genuine and who is using us for their own benefit,” you say, starting to sob into his tunic.

“It has been a lot, hasn’t it?” Gale says, speaking gently and rubbing your back. “You’ve held up so valiantly thus far, what changed?”

It had been three days since the not-Lae’zel drew a knife across Yenna’s throat, dropping the innocent child on the spot. Walking past the girl’s body reminded you that of all of the horror you’d seen in the last few months, this one took the cake by far. It disturbed you to the core. You couldn’t shake the look of pure terror in Yenna’s eyes as she begged the not-Lae’zel to let her go.

“She never even knew that it wasn’t the real Lae’zel,” you say through tears. “The last thought she had was that we had betrayed her. And I wasn’t able to keep her safe. I’m not able to keep anyone safe. Shadowheart’s gone, the real Lae’zel has been kidnapped, and now Yenna’s dead. I’m terrified that I’m going to lose each and every one of you before this is over. I can’t even pick up and go home because look at it out there!” you gesture to a window in your room at the Elfsong. “Gortash has instilled fear in the citizens of Baldur’s Gate. They are out there denying basic human rights to the refugees who are just looking for a safe place to live. Sometimes I feel like this is a losing battle.”

“Do you want to give up?” Gale says, stroking your hair, still holding you close.

“Well, if we give up and don’t get the Netherstones and don’t stop the Elder Brain by other means, Mystra is going to blow you up,” you say, holding on to him tighter, balling his tunic up in your fists as you do.

“Not my first choice of outcomes at this point either,” Gale says, trying to make light of the situation. You sigh and a corner of your mouth turns upward - he’s such a nerd, but you love him more than anything. “Let’s start small. What can we do tonight?”

You think for a moment, there is nothing more you can do tonight other than get a good sleep and be ready for whatever fresh hell tomorrow will bring. You shake your head at the wizard, clearly at a loss.

“I suggest we spend the night holding on to each other so as to create a tiny pocket of love and comfort in this gods-forsaken world. And woe betide anyone who disturbs us.”

You smile genuinely this time. He always knows the right thing to say to bring you back down.

[wheretheharekissesthefox]

Tav's sex parade - Chapter 3: Touch my soul (Astarion x Gale)

(Warning: astral sex, safe word, fluff, the feels, mentioning of PTSD responses)

Notes:

Another one of my fics is mentioned here for continuity.

I refuse to acknowledge Halsin's in-game ending and headcanon my own.

To avoid confusion: In one of my other fanfics Halsin and Tav had named the owlbear cup Naïlo, which means 'night breeze' in the Elven language.

Astarion was still uncomfortable being touched by anyone else but Tav. He'd forced himself once to join his darling bard in bed with Halsin and Shadowheart. But it had taken all of his willpower to stay present and not hide away in his head. Astarion envied Gale who always declined joining in and just watched instead. He wished he could say no as easily as the wizard. Thankfully, Tav did this part for him. After their, honestly lovely, foursome, the bard had talked it out with him and told him that he didn't have to do anything that made him uncomfortable. After that, Tav had never asked him to join them again. She simply kissed the vampire spawn sweetly, before telling him to sit down next to Gale and watch. It was easy for Astarion this way; he just had to follow Tav's order. Still, he wanted to be able to enjoy being intimate with the others too. Gale, Halsin, and Shadowheart were good friends and he like them a lot, maybe even loved them a bit, and he desired to be touched by them without feeling dread in the pit of his stomach.

They'd moved from their room in the Elfsong Tavern in Baldur's Gate to Gale's tower house in Waterdeep. Although Tav was a travelling bard, thirsty for adventures, the return of Astarion's sunlight sensitivity had dampened her eagerness to voyage across Faerûn.

Instead, it was Halsin who didn't want to settle down like 'a farm animal, snug in its pen' and went on his merry way. He helped Thaniel build up the former Shadow-Cursed Lands which were still unsuitable to be inhabited by people. Nature had healed, but first, wildlife needed to return and become plentiful before people could move there. This would probably take at least another seven years.

Big-heartedly, Tav let the druid go and explore the Realms and 'nature's bounty', jealousy wasn't her thing. Astarion could have never.

Halsin regularly returned, bringing notebooks full of illustrations and information about his findings with him, as well as pressed flowers for Shadowheart, fancy boots for Gale, and the newest gossip for Astarion. He truly was a sweetheart.

Astarion and Gale were sitting in front of the fireplace, reading, and giving Tara, Scratch, and Naïlo their well-earned headpats and chin scratches, when the wizard made his proposal after weeks of overthinking.

"I thought about your 'condition' and I might know a way to help you get more comfortable with us in terms of intimacy. I can help you, if you let me."

The vampire spawn looked at him doubtfully.

"And what does our grand wizard have in mind?"

Gale straightened up and explained: "Astral intimacy; being cloaked in the veils of the Weave, stripped of our earthly burdens, interconnecting our spiritual essences. There will be no reason for me to touch your physical body. The intimacy takes place on an Astral Plane level, solely involving our spiritual essences."

"I have no clue what that means," Astarion grumbled.

Gale gave him the side-eye, like the insufferable nerd he was.

"It means it's soul sex."

"That still doesn't answer my question, Gale." The vampire spawn made a dramatic gesture. "Whatever it is, it better is worth my time."

At that, the wizard smirked.

"Oh, it will be. Trust me."

Astarion gave him a look and teased: "Trusting a man who managed to become a ticking time bomb because he played around with evil magic? Mmh... I doubt it."

The addressed just sighed deeply and didn't take the bait.

"Do you want to try it or not? It's up to you."

"Fine, let's do your magic astral thingy."

"Come over here then," Gale told Astarion, and the latter, with a flamboyant staginess, moved closer.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now..." Gale looked deep into Astarion's red eyes. "We join our souls."

The vampire spawn swallowed thickly, a tinge of fear and regret tainted his curiosity.

"Are you ready?"

Astarion nodded, but Gale hesitated.

"Look, I understand your discomfort. I still ask Tara to leave the room every time I change my clothes."

At that, the tressym made an amused sound and suddenly, all the animals seemed to snicker. Gale glared at his dearest friend, salty about her act of betrayal. Astarion smirked.

"You've succeeded in making me feel better. Thank you."

Gale sighed, then, he continued.

"I know it's challenging for you to say no because you fear rejection by the ones you love, but you must tell me when it's too much. I'm a wizard, not a mind reader. Choose a word, clear and brief, to say when you want me to stop. I'm not as in tune with the nuances of your body language as Tav. The signs might slip my perception. I don't want to hurt you, so, please, choose a safe word."

Astarion worked his tense jaw, mulling it over.

"Sun," he said then.

Gale nodded.

"That'll do. – Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Most excellent. Let's begin then. Place your hand next to mine."

Astarion did as he was told. Now, he was close enough to Gale to smell him and his lavender-scented clothes. It was comforting - especially because Tav had started 'borrowing' the wizard's soaps and bath oils the moment he'd gotten his hands on them. The vampire spawn took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"Good. I'm casting a spell that portals our spiritual essences to an Astral Plane called Outer Planes. That's where the gods dwell. It's peaceful there."

Astarion felt the tingling sensation of magic on his skin, surrounding him fully, like a warm bubble.

"Open your eyes," Gale instructed him, and he obeyed.

They were floating in an infinite space, surrounded by dusk-like skies, filled with thousands of twinkling stars. Awestruck, Astarion looked around - and then, at himself. Both him and Gale were ghost-like, genderless silhouettes.

"This is... fascinating," the vampire spawn uttered.

"I'm glad you like it," replied Gale, looking a tad too pleased with himself for Astarion's taste. "Now, let's explore some of the infinite ways to express love. I don't need your body to show you my adoration. May I touch you?"

Astarion nodded and the wizard connected their translucent palms. It felt similar to being touched bodily, but it was still different. Less... threatening.

"If you let me, I'll touch you everywhere and hug you."

"Please do," Astarion said, suddenly very desperate for affection.

Smiling softly, Gale mirrored his first move with the other hand.

"I won't kiss you if you don't want me to, but please, let me worship the rest of you with my lips."

Astarion bit back a whimper.

"Yes," he breathed and gasped when Gale placed a tender kiss on his neck.

"Alright?"

"Yes."

Their palms stayed connected, but somehow, Astarion was able to feel arms on his hips. He jerked and stared downwards.

"How -"

"Astral intimacy, remember?" Gale answered. "The boundaries of our physical forms don't apply here."

"Oh." Astarion was dumbfounded.

Two more arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a hug.

"I won't touch the scars," Gale promised him and the vampire spawn's heart ached at how attentive the wizard was. Gale littered his neck and throat with kisses while hoisting Astarion's legs up to his own hips. The latter moaned at the touch, even though there were no genitals. The warmth and light pressure when their astral bodies came in contact with each other was enough. Astarion's head fell back, his eyes closed in bliss. There were hands all over him, holding him and caressing him, fingers running through his hair and tracing his pointy ears. Gale's soft lips left kisses all over his neck, collarbones, and shoulders. Astarion felt warm, blissful, loved – peaceful even. Even though their palms were still touching, but with their fingers linked together now, Astarion was able to wrap two more arms around the wizard. The latter hummed happily at the vampire spawn's initiative. Astarion felt aflame and suddenly, he combusted in ecstasy. It was the most intense, weirdest orgasm he'd ever had. While he moaned and panted in Gale's many, many arms, the latter simply held him close.

"Sun," Astarion mumbled.

In a blink of an eye, he found himself back in Gale's living room, surrounded by books, art, and sculptures.

The room that is the centre of my universe, as the wizard once called it.

Astarion blinked blearily.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry it was too much," Gale apologised. "You seem a bit out of it. Let me fix it."

"I'm fine," slurred the vampire spawn. "I'm just - well." He barked a laugh. "I'm still high as a kite from that mind-blowing, astral orgasm."

"I know what you mean," chuckled Gale. "The first time's always overwhelming. But I'm glad you're alright."

With a giddy giggle, Astarion flopped down on the carpet and pillows. He felt drunk.

"Now, I know why Tav always looks so euphoric after spending a night of passion with you. Gods... that was amazing."

"It might not only be astral intimacy that causes her elation. Given my propensity towards verbosity, it surely can't be a surprise that I have a practiced tongue too."

Astarion stared at him, wide-eyed, and Gale snickered, slightly embarrassed.

"Maybe, one day, I can get a taste of that practiced tongue of yours," the vampire spawn smiled drunkenly.

"Maybe. If you're willing," Gale answered. "But first, we must observe how you digest today's event. I hope I was of help."

Lolling like a cat on a hot tin roof, Astarion turned around to look at the wizard.

"It was amazing," he muttered. "Thank you, Gale. I feel... happy."

The addressed smiled softly and stretched out his hand to touch him, but thought better of it in the last second.

"No," Astarion mumbled. "It's fine. Touch me. Please."

Gale complied, scooted closer, and ran his fingers through the vampire spawn's hair who sighed in response.

"Thank you for your help. I appreciate it and won't forget it," announced Astarion. He sat up and placed a timid kiss on the other man's lips. Gale hummed pleased, but didn't react otherwise, leaving Astarion in control of the situation. The vampire spawn was grateful.

"Lay with me for a while longer. Please."

Gale smiled.

"There's nothing that would bring me more pleasure."

They rested on the pillows in front of the fireplace, facing each other and holding hands, with their backs warmed by their furry and feathery companions.

[blackjackkent]

OK, on closer inspection, I think the Ominous Portal from the last post is actually the way out of this area. There's a closed door on the far side of the room which triggered an autosave when Hector got close.

And he is here. Alone. By himself.

This is fiiiiiiine.

Passing through the door gives us a few more loot chests, openable with the Sorcerous Sundries basement key we found earlier, and leads to another door labeled with a plaque that says "Restricted Area."

Really hoping this restricted area contains the Karsus book we're looking for and not, like, an aboleth.

*gulp*

The door, interestingly, is not labeled "Door" but "*Ramazith*" (asterisks included).

It's fine. It's all fine. Totally fine. Hector, you know that saying about curiosity and the cat?

OK, no disintegration, just another room with three more doors. These three are labeled *Elminster*, *Silverhand*, and *Karsus* respectively.

This meandering maze of rooms with the black fog-of-war abyss all around feels very reminiscent of some of the dungeons in BG2 (like the planar sphere). XD

The Karsus door sounds promising for the book we're looking for but let's go with Elminster door first because we like Elminster and hopefully that's not the disintegration room.

Hector's VA sounds very impatient about this but the truth is that, while I am busy snarking over here, he's definitely super excited to be digging around in the tunnels under the tower looking for this secret hidden lore. This is where history nerd and adventurer come together in a beautiful combination that is probably going to get him killed.

This place is hella trapped by the way. Luckily Hector is our lockpicker and trapbreaker so he's not doing too terribly at navigating this place by himself.

Unfortunately, the Elminster and Karsus doors give the notification "Target is Invalid" when I try to lockpick them, and they're not smashable targets. The Silverhand door appears to take us into another area entirely. So I'm assuming we need to go through the Silverhand door and find a key that will open the others?

-----

Oh dear this is a massive maze.

Four doors now - Abjuration, Transmutation, Illusion, and Evocation. Also more traps.

Going through Evocation puts us on top of a panel which, if we step off we get shot with ice crystals. Four more doors there - Foresight, Invulnerability, Gate, and Wish.

I wrote a whole puzzle pondering bit here and then I realized that only Wish is an actual door; the others shunt us back to previous rooms. Going through Wish gives us this room:

Aha. I bet this opens the Elminster room, and there's another sequence that opens the Karsus room.

Progress.

The Elminster vault has two chests and a display case on pedestals. The chests are just loot. The display case has another book!

Aha. This would be more excited if we still had The Necromancy of Thay, but we'll look anyway.

Honestly I think Hector's just as glad that he got rid of it, but do we at least still get loot for reading this book?

Nope! ^_^

OK, let's keep moving and try and find the Karsus book before Hector expires down here.

Silverhand -> Abjuration -> Silver gets us to the lever that opens the Karsus vault. It has quite a bit of loot:

The note, entitled "Magus Be Warned":

Luckily, Hector is not driven by hubris, just by a curiosity bordering on the maniacal (and sometimes by pure panic).

And now... the moment itself - the book we've been looking for. The Annals of Karsus. Hopefully we can also bring it with us to show Gale.

Eeeeenteresting.

Is the Orb the thing in Gale's chest?

The reward, a "Scroll of Dethrone", is a fairly scary-sounding spell:

And we were indeed able to pick it up to bring with us!

Sweet. Let's GTFO of here and get back to camp.