#I want to finish. like something abt the great virtuous self assured paladin getting so disarmed at a small gesture bc she’s such a loser 🤭

[swordmaid]

big thoughts about hag romance in their fwb stage and not actually kissing much since shri’iia doesn’t know how to ask for affection outside of sex (since she didn’t know it was something u could do) and I like the idea of astarion keeping her at arms length in terms of Feelings so he doesn’t fuck his plan over (which he eventually does anyway). like from the outside pov their relationship is purely physical, and they hardly do any loving gestures outside of sex and in the small chances they do, it’s astarion’s overtly grand gestures to seduce her and make her fall for him. like now I’m thinking about the possibility that the only time they’ve kissed is in the act 1 scene in the forest, but when they did I imagine shri’iia looks so alarmed bc she wasn’t expecting it, and if he tries to kiss her again she would avoid it and she would just tell him to stop wasting time, which adds to his general discomfort then the -> holding himself back line. I think the second time they sleep together he doesn’t try to kiss her on the lips at all, which they’re both content with since she doesn’t know what to do with all of That and this is just Physical for him anyway, no feelings involved.

but I think when they started hanging out more and they’re going closer, I think the sex becomes more intimate and he’ll kiss her again - and she will not look so alarmed anymore but she does look more vulnerable, and he’ll kiss her again and again. and I like the idea that there’s instances where he thinks about kissing her outside of the sex -like in a scenario where she lets him feed on her arm and so he thinks about kissing her as a thank you, or she has a particular cheeky look on her face and he thinks about kissing her then - but he doesn’t, bc this is just physical btwww he can’t be stupid and get feelings involved 🫵🫵 (he does anyway).

and after the act 2 lock in I like the idea that they’re experimenting w this new relationship, and actually doing more intimate gestures w each other but then they’re absurdly shy about it. like astarion could hold her hand and she’ll freeze for like 3 seconds then be like ? anyway, as if nothing happened. the first time shri’iia pulls him down to kiss him they end up banging their teeth together bc she does it so quickly and abrupt and he’s like ??? what the hells are u doing but she can’t say she was trying to kiss him (she’s too flustered) so she’ll just mutter something then walk away. but when they finally get together like after the act 3 graveyard scene and all the feelings are reassured and etc. I think they’re the type to do sm pda that everyone is just like omfg I thought this was a classy party