#Which is a shame because Gale is

[pyrepostings]

Martyn Gale: *is violently interrogating Kevin*

Gale: "Tell me what I want to know! Where is your camp?"

Kevin, through a mouthful of blood: "Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy"

[thedrowdruid]

I'm so sorry to all the Gale fans out there, but Gale has been the punching bag of not just Neph, but also my friend's tav, Halavorn. Neph is a female drow, enough said, and our favorite homophobe Halavorn wasn't too happy when Gale tried to romance him. Despite that, I imagine he's still the brain cell of the party alongside Shadowheart, especially once these two start fighting—which is about constantly.

[far-butter]

You think you played BG3, but what's even the point if you haven't popped a boner after having licked a decaying spider. Twice. In front of your date.

[trashcatsnark]

ngl, didn't play EA but I'm poking around datamined dialogue from an EA version- I find it very inchresting, that seemingly, they definitely turned down the dream guardian's like horniness and romantic interest. Like it seems to be implied that at one point the dream guardian like- tries to kiss you during the first encounter, like lots of notes about cheek caress, thigh touching, and leaving you with a smooch souvenir. And then in the morning you get a pretty good idea of who everyone saw (Karlach didn't have a file for it that I saw and Shadowheart's was vague, beyond- "someone she is attracted to") and Gale is funnily enough seems (from my searching) to be the only one who admits that... yeah, he smooched them...

And like, totally get why they turned that down for final release, but god if that was still the case- I would have lowkey tried not to laugh my ass off when who the dream guardian is was revealed and ask Gale how he liked the taste of squid mouth, was it worth it, bud?

[daryfromthefuture]

DAY 25: TIMEBOMB

i can't shut up about this man this whole lore is just so. aaaaaaaa

doc has to have the coolest backstory in all of fiction. like. my man first was forced to be a law clerk and rebelled against his dad, then finally became what he wanted, a scientist, only to build an atom bomb. like what the fuck, bobby g. and then, in 1955, he gets his greatest revelation and finally has something to work towards. and then he takes lsd in the 60s and becomes a hippie (which in my headcanon both is a result of the cuban missile crisis in 1962. doc does not want to be reminded that he's partly responsible for the potential destruction of the world, thank you very much). and then, in 1985, he finally realizes his dream of a time machine and hits two birds with one stone by also using plutonium for good after struggling for decades because he destroyed cities with it in 1945.

phew

but the manhattan lore has me in its grip. i can't help it its just so interesting. i wish we had more canon stuff on that, i would eat it up. like. doc has the purest heart in the world. what did this do to him.

i am hugging 40s doc as tightly as possible rn

[ettadunham]

man, why must i be restricted to 3 party members, this is torture

[revvethasmythh]

still genuinely think that shadowheart and gale (in that order) have the best parallels to the durge storyline. imo actually really sad we don't get, like, any durge specific dialogues for them because their parallels are so obvious and interesting

[yourlocaltrylingual]

Wait is it me or is the ending extremely abrupt?

[danielnelsen]

as number 1 durge enjoyer it sure took me a while to get round to reading blood in baldur's gate. fun, would have been really excited getting to vote as it was coming out

a little annoying playing with all of it released because it doesnt show which locations have new entries each day so you have to check each of them individually. but not too hard to figure out. just not optimised. copied all of it into a doc in order as i went through it so it's easier to go back to lmao

[chaosroid]

I am once again lamenting how neglected resist!Durge has been for months. The final climactic scene to their arc is met with some of the most milquetoast companion reactions I've ever seen.

We literally die.

Like Durge just stops being alive. Where's the angst? The emotion? None of this half-assing shit, give us the shock and denial. Hell, give us weeping! Make it unflattering, because loss can be ugly.

I wouldn't even be opposed to Withers not showing up immediately? Maybe they have to physically drag Durge's dead body back to camp. Show us Gale using the only revival scroll he has and his face falling when it doesn't work. Shadowheart being the healer, desperately expending all her energy to bring you back to life as a last hail mary. Minthara not caring that Bhaal is a god, vowing to make him pay. Lae'zel threatening you to wake up, and the devastation that follows when she realizes you won't. Wyll thinking of bargaining his very soul to Mizora just for the chance she could bring Durge back. Astarion and Karlach praying to whatever gods they can think of even though they don't believe in them anymore.

Show the grief, the exhaustion. Then Withers appears.

As it stands, the emotional weight of what happens to Durge gets resolved so quickly, there's never a moment for any of us to really react to it.

It's an issue all across the game tbh. Why do the companions have no reaction to Kressa's reveal that she tortured Durge? Why are there no consequences to your relationships when they find out you were behind the Absolute plan? Outside of Astarion, the other romanceable companions have very little unique interactions with Durge, which is a shame because there are plenty of them who share many parallels to Durge's experience of being used by a god/higher-power.

I feel like I'm playing the world's smallest violin when I complain about the lack of resist!Durge content because good god, Wyll and Minthara are fighting for their lives over here. But man, it really sucks knowing that patch 7 is allegedly Larian's last big content patch. Like if there was ever going to be an update where this sort of thing was added, it had to be this one. But it doesn't seem like Larian has any intention of closing the content disparity gap.

[meanbossart]

How did Du Drow’s personality and behavior change after turning away from Bhaal and losing his urges?

Very minimally, really. His personality changes most dramatically throughout the course of the campaign, but it's gradual enough a process that it shouldn't feel that way, at least.

Barring the standoffish-ness that he starts with (which I think is an understandable reaction to losing all of your memories and suddenly being in a life-or-death situation with a bunch of strangers) DU drow starts off as a person who isn't interested in anyone's well-being but his own, nor is he invested in anybody's story or their outcome. Everything he does is in the interest of his own survival or personal, subjective ethics (saving Arabella because she's an individual child in distress- not saving the tieflings in act 2 because they've served their purpose and he doesn't care for them as a group). He's charming, and even polite, but he makes it very transparent that he doesn't care for the happiness or comfort of others.

By act 2, he finds himself with people to care about and whose goals he's invested in - he kills Yurgir so Astarion can get his answer from Raphael even though he thinks it's an objectively dumb idea. He helps Shadowheart fullfil Shar's trials despite the fact that her religion seems like absolute nonsense to him - he wants to make these people happy when there is nothing in it for him., and that's absolutely novel. He's also a slightly warmer person by then who is friendly to, like, half of the party.

By act 3, he's been inspired by Shadowheart's rebellion and is kind of mirroring that in his own way. He enjoys occasionally helping refugees in the outskirts of the city if for no other reason than to go against the grain - he develops a bit of a "fuck the rich" and a Stick It To The Man attitude that I think is inherit to the man that he is, and harkens back to his forgotten days of living-rough as a youth; when he would only enter cities to thieve or collect supplies and looked at the more privilege sects of society as weak and pompous. He lets Yenna into camp after she shows up because dude just loves an urchin, he tries to free the prisoners from the Iron throne and then help out the slaves at the Steel Watch Foundry, he gets Minsc back to afford Jaheira some peace of mind and doesn't hesitate to refuse his father's gift.

Besides Shadowheart's and Astarion's stories, I think learning that the bloodlust he thrived in was imposed upon him rather than organically acquired was what most sent DU drow into an identity crisis. The idea of doing things against his will unbeknownst to himself, or of being a pawn in an authority figure's game, is something that brought him equal amounts of shame and anger. It also triggers him to want to get in touch with the less violent side of himself - since, supposedly, that was actually all him - and leads him to want to do the best by all of his party members (to mixed results, considering Karlach's and Gale's fates) and establish the depth of his existing relationships.

...Ironically, I think being killed by Bhaal and then resurrected by Withers led him to slightly stray off that path of improvement. I mean, the TRUE evil's been banished! Now he can stop feeling guilt and shame and worry and just live his life COMPLETELY free from critical thought! Literally the first thing that he does upon waking up is declare that he's cured, and then announce that he's a blank slate - he isn't, and we all know that.

DU drow then proceeds to be confused as to why he still enjoys murder and mayhem for like 2 months, until Shadowheart and Astarion gently knock some sense into him (not by dissuading him from enjoying murder and mayhem - but recognizing that that's a part of him that wouldn't go away at the simple snap of a bony finger, and an urge that he has full control over.) Naturally, what Wither's did also did his invincibility complex no favors.

So... He really is kind of the same. He is slightly more in-touch with his own empathy and open to the pleasures of life, but his base personality has remained pretty intact - I would say he turns out to be what that young, lanky forest cryptid would have been all along, had Bhaal never entered the mix.

[dekariosclan]

We know from the epilogue that Gale is often so immersed in his research that he can ignore everything in the world, including Tav, until he finishes. How will Gale make amends after a few days of ignoring his love?

Ps: Tav wasn't really mad at him, of course, but sometimes it's a shame that the book is given more time than Tav, don't you think so?

Ooh what a great question!! 🥰

So I have to imagine that Gale getting caught up in his research—the topic of which can be anything and everything, depending on what his brilliant mind decides to focus on that week—is something Tav gets used to pretty quickly.

But I don’t believe that Gale ever fully ignores Tav, no matter how passionate he is about the topic he’s working on. For example, I don’t see him locking himself away in his study for hours at a time and completely forgetting to interact with Tav. This is a man who spent a year+ in lonely isolation, bereft, desperately longing for company. This is a man whose greatest wish (as shown by the magic mirror in Act I) has always been for a sweetheart to join him in his tower. And this is a man who, even when he read Karsus’s book and his thoughts were consumed with the knowledge it contained, was still focused on Tav, and what Tav would think, and how Tav would react.

So all that said—what I DO think happens is that he becomes immersed in his research to the point of complete distraction.

I can see him going up and down the tower, rummaging through his piles of books and bookshelves, paging through giant tomes, then tossing them aside and muttering to himself, while his conjured mage hand scribbles notes on a piece of parchment. Meanwhile, Tav watches all of this with fond amusement—because while Gale is pacing around with his nose buried in a book, his mind seemingly a million miles away, he’ll still occasionally take Tav’s hand and press it to his lips for a gentle kiss, all without ceasing his reading.

At other times he’ll step into the room and, with his gaze focused on the book or notes clutched in his hands, start bouncing ideas off of Tav: “My love, did you know that the alchemical properties of Daggerroot make it an excellent weapon coating? Do you think it could also be used for medicinal properties? Yes or no?…Hmm—I can tell by your silence that you are hesitant about it…you know, I do believe that you are correct in your assessment. Yes, now that I think about it, Mugwort remains the superior choice. Excellent advice my love, you truly know how to steady the direction of my mind even through the most volatile of seas!” Then he’ll hurry away—all without realizing that Tav was not even in the room, but in the hallway behind him, watching all this play out while trying not to laugh.

AND THEN, finally, when Gale has completed his work and the scholarly portion of mind is satisfied (until the next topic takes hold…) Tav will look up from whatever they were doing to find that their delightful wizard has, without their noticing, conjured an entire dinner spread of Tav’s favorite foods, scented candles, and flowers.

And their wizard will be before them, gently plucking whatever book or letter or item that Tav had been engaged with from their grasp, so that he can take both of their hands in his. Then he’ll caress them slowly, while smiling lovingly into Tav’s eyes, his full attention on them and them alone.

“Done with your research now, are you?” Tav will ask with a smile.

But Gale will shake his head. “My love,” he will admonish gently, as he worshipfully caresses his fingers over their face, down their jawline. “You should know that a wizard’s research is never done.”

Then he’ll place his bent finger under their chin, and smile. “I’m simply moving on to studying my favorite subject,” he’ll conclude, as he tips their head up and kisses them deeply.

[dumbbitch-academy]

Use Me

Astarion x f!reader/tav

WC:3k+

Smut! 18+ MDNI

Summary: Reader is basically ovulating and is super horny because of this, so Astarion decides to help her out after finding her frustrated.

Contains: p-in-v sex, dirty talk, masturbation (female and male), mutual masturbation, oral (male receiving), face fucking (male receiving), reader gets embarrassed easily (there are some shame moments but nothing major), reader and Astarion are so horny for each other omg

A/N: Hello Everyone! Here is the full fic! Just keep in mind this is my first time writing smut! As always feedback is always welcomed! I did not expect this fic to become so long as it did but I am pleased with how it turned out!

Masterlist (it is short but it soon shall grow)

AO3 for those who prefer!

It had been so annoying all day. No matter how much you tried to will it away, the need and want for carnal release would not stop bothering you. It consumed you, and you hated that. The only thing you could think about was him, taking you in every which way that you could think of. You imagined his strong chest against your back, his smell overtaking your senses. The way his hands felt on your breasts, how his kisses to your throat set your neck aflame. His groans as he made his way to enter you, eyes closed with his brows scrunching up in the middle. You wanted all of this. But there was one problem with this solution. He was out on a mission and you did not want to burden him with your needs of release. 

You tried to think of why you could be so desperate, until you remembered, you were supposed to become fertile soon. You guess soon had finally arrived, much to your annoyance. The best you could do was to retreat to your tent and try to tend to this problem by yourself. Surely you would be able to take care of this, and then this whole irritating problem will go away. 

“I am going to my tent, I am not feeling too well, best not to bother me for a bit!”, you called out towards Gale and Shadowheart. Shadowheart nodded in acknowledgement, whereas Gale called out to you “Would you like help? I have a few wonderful teas that I keep for emergencies, such as headaches, sore muscles, or even a belly ache.” Gods, why did he have to be so helpful at the worst of times? You shook your head, “Oh thank you Gale, but I just feel overly tired. I would like to have some quiet time to nap.” You could see his mouth start to form a word as you quickly slipped into your tent, which was luckily a good bit farther from the rest of the group, “Okay, thank you, bye-” as you made your fast exit. 

Once you secured the tent flap, you took a deep inhale and raised your hands to cover your face. Astarion. You could feel the need start to build higher, if it was even possible. Astarion. You quickly went to pull your pants down, as well as your underclothes. They had already been wet from imagining Astarion taking you in whatever way he wanted to use you. Use me, Astarion. You went to pull your tunic above your head, your breath catching as you felt the fabric drag slightly across your nipples. Fuck, you didn’t know if you had ever been this horny before. You laid back onto your bed roll and started to twist your nipples in your fingers. You traced your hand down and slowly began to play with your sensitive bundle of nerves. You could feel the wetness that coated your soft dark curls there, the wetness providing excellent glide for your fingers to play with yourself, all while you imagined him. You imagined it was his hand, or tried to anyways, it always felt much better when he was the one playing with you there. You wished that you could smell him, to be able to feel enveloped. Fuck, why did he have to go on that stupid mission again? It was at this point you remembered that he had left his white shirt in your tent that morning before they set out. Using your clean hand, you palmed around for it until you felt the familiar fabric. You brought it to your nose and deeply inhaled. Gods, it was almost intoxicating. You huffed out a breath as you inserted a finger into your aching hole, fuck you needed something inside you. You thought about his cock, the thickness, stretching you with a delicious sting. You added another finger to try to achieve the same feeling, your breath hitching. You began to pump your fingers in and out, still thinking of the real thing. However, no matter how long you kept this up, you never were able to get anywhere near where you needed to be to finally cum, much to your frustration. 

It was not until a good amount of time had passed that you heard footsteps walking up to the tent. “Darling, I am back. Shadowheart mentioned you are not feeling well, do you need help?”Astarion called from outside the tent flap. Yes, more than ever. “Oh, uhh, hi Astarion, no I am okay, thank you though, my love!” Your voice failed to sound as nonchalant as you had hoped it to. Astarion was not buying it and began to open the tent flap slowly, “Love, you really sound distressed, I am going to come in okay? I want to make sure you are o-” He quickly rushed in and tied the flap secured when he saw what kind of state you were in. Cheeks red, his shirt in your hand, your chest heaving, legs spread with your hand still inserted into you. You all of a sudden burned hot, cheeks glowing even more, but this time from embarrassment. You quickly in one motion threw his shirt to the side, grabbed the blanket from your side, and wrapped yourself in a cocoon of shame. 

Why you felt such shame, you were not totally sure as to why. You were in a committed relationship, and had slept with each other quite a few times. But never had he ever walked in on you pleasuring yourself. The feeling of shame was met with easy red eyes from Astarion and a giggle, “Not feeling good you say? Surely an orgasm can take away any headache, do not let me stop you, my love.” 

“I do not have a headache, please Astarion, I am…” He could sense your humiliation and slowly went to sit down beside you with his legs crossed. “Darling, there is no need to be ashamed, we haven’t in a while and you have needs. Don’t let me stop you. Please continue to fuck yourself while you…” he glanced over to his tossed shirt “smell my shirt. You always surprise me, my sweet girl.” By now you accepted the situation, “Astarion, I have been horny all day, I cannot seem to take care of it. I think I am just going to go jump in a cold lake. Or just ignore it because I don’t want you to feel obligated to hel-”, you were cut off by a quick kiss to the forehead between your brows. “Darling, I would love to help you. Let me, please. I have been wanting to take you for the last few days actually… thinking of every single curve, freckle, giggle,” Astarion slowly coaxed you out of the blanket that had been your fortress against your own embarrassment for the last several minutes. “You… you do not have to do this if you don’t want to, Astarion. I can take care of this myself, really. You won’t hurt my feelings if you leave,” you looked up at him and shifted your body to sit with your legs crossed mirroring him. “Tav, please, let me take you,” a dangerous glimmer in Astarion’s eyes while he nodded, giving you permission. You nodded in return and moved to your knees as you leaned your neck down to meet your lover’s lips with a small tentative kiss at first, which began to deepen. He rose up to his knees, his armor abrasive against your soft skin. He pulled away when he noticed you pull back slightly, scratchy armor was not your favorite feeling in the world against your bare chest. Astarion remedied this by immediately taking off his top garments to have only his leather trousers and bare chest against you. You hummed in thanks and took his lips in another kiss, more heated than before. You could feel his hands wander up your back, tracing along your spine in opposite directions. He ended up with one hand gently holding the back of your head while the other firmly rested on your round ass. The desire which had been snuffed out momentarily stoked once again. You reached behind him and pulled him in closer, moving your mouth to trace kisses along his jaw, stopping at his ear lobe. His unneeded breath caught and a small moan escaped his lips. He pulled back to look into your eyes, his had begun to be half-lidded. “I thought I was helping you take care of your little issue, my love”, he sensually whispered as he went to kiss your neck, which he began to suck on the sensitive skin there. The hand he had on your ass began to knead the cheek, eliciting a groan from you. You needed more. You pushed away from him suddenly and went to lie down on the bed roll once again and nodded up at him. He nodded back at you and followed you, straddling one of your legs, making sure that they were opened for him. Bracing himself up with one arm above your head, he began to feel your breast, heavy, warm, and so ready to be played with. He moved his fingers to twist and play with your nipple as he began to rub your engorged sex with his thigh, causing you to breathe out his name. He moved his mouth to suck and lick your other nipple, humming in pleasure as he tasted your skin. You closed your eyes and brought your head back and began to grind your dripping cunt onto his thigh, no longer feeling the embarrassment that clouded your mind before. 

You began to quietly pant out labored breaths as he gently nipped your nipple between his blunt teeth, careful not to puncture you there. “Mmmmphhhh,” you groaned with need, which earned you a sultry giggle, “Eager aren’t we? Cannot wait to be on my fingers? Or how about on my face? My cock? Tell me what you want, my darling love. Let me hear you.” It was all too  much but not nearly enough to get you off. “Anything. I need you Astarion. Take me, use me. Mark me, fuck. Do anything you want to me,” you begged as you continued to grind on his thigh. The slick spreading everywhere, not that either of you cared at this exact moment. The only thought between the two of you was each other and each other's pleasure. 

A low growl came from Astarion’s chest, “Come here then, on all fours.” Astarion moved to give you more space, pulling down his trousers, you moaned with anticipation as his cock popped out, already achingly hard, precum deliciously pearled at the tip. You licked your lips and eyed up at him, “Please, let me suck your cock. Let me taste you.” Astarion had already fisted his erection, staring down at you, pumping slowly, “Good girl, you may suck my cock with that filthy mouth of yours.” 

You moved forward and took the head into your mouth, lavishing his flavor. Moaning onto his cock, you began to bob your head back and forth, your body moving slightly with you. Astarion held one of his hands on his hip while his other went to rest on your head. He didn’t push it down, only kept you and him moving together perfectly. “Gods, your mouth is so fucking warm. You were waiting all day for this weren’t you? Waiting for my cock to be inside you, wherever I wanted it to be, huh? My dirty girl, always so good and eager for me. Pleasing- hah, fuck that’s nice- pleasing me with your body,” Astarion praised you, his voice a slightly higher pitch than his normal speaking voice. You loved when he sounded like this. Free to express his pleasure however he wanted to, speak freely and openly. Whatever came to his mind during pleasure. He had begun to pump his hips in tandem to your movements. You took this opportunity to flick your tongue against his frenulum before fully letting Astarion take control. “Want me to face fuck you? Force your throat onto my cock?” Astarion had always made sure to ask. A low moan came from your chest, nodding as you felt pearls of wetness fall down your thighs. With your permission, Astarion grabbed your head and began to viciously pump your head and throat fully onto his cock at a devastating pace. The salty precum freely flows onto your tongue and down your throat. You looked up at Astarion, who already had his garnet eyes fixed onto you, “That’s right, take my cock. Look into my eyes while you gag on this dick. Fuck. Fuck, I love you. Mmmmmphhhhhh, I want to make love to you forever.” It was so liberating for the both of you. He noticed you trying to fuck yourself on nothing that was there, and took mercy on you by leaning over and using one of his hands to slide two fingers into your dripping wet cunt. You both moaned heavily, fucking each other in tandem to where pleasure knew no bounds between your bodies. “Fuck, I need to be inside you right now. I want to cum in you, please. Please let me fuck you,” Astarion began to whine. Immediately both of you let each other go, his cock releasing from your mouth with a pop. 

“Please, take me. Cum in me. Gods, fuck me,” you begged as well as you moved to lie on your back. You began to immediately play with your clit with your legs spread open, staring up at Astarion and noticed that he had instantly lost the rest of his clothing with lightning speed. With heavy eyes, he began to stroke himself with one hand, his other pinching his own nipple. You followed this and played with your own nipple as well. Your huffs of air coming from your open mouths as you pleasured yourselves just staring at each other. When you decided it was time, you used your fingers you were stroking your clit with to beckon Astarion down to you, smirking at each other as he took your slick fingers into his mouth as he settled between your legs. You hooked your legs around his, and braced yourself for his cock to finally be inside of you, wrapping both of your arms around his neck and shoulders to keep him close. You stared into each other's eyes as you could feel him enter you with the swollen head of his cock, both groaning at the feeling. You relished the stretch as he impaled you onto his cock, sinking deeper and deeper into you until he bottomed out, his thighs pressed into yours.“Fuck, move please, fuck me,” you whined as you began to wiggle your hips trying to fuck yourself on his thick cock. Astarion groaned at the sight and feeling of your entire being begging for him. He began to rock his hips to meet yours, huffing breaths with each thrust. He stared into your eyes and you stared back, the love between you two burning so intensely as the molten pleasure between you made your bodies sing for one another. You could feel his hips snap faster and faster, becoming more erratic. You would both come undone for each other. He leaned his head down to your neck, breathy high pitched whines quietly escaping his mouth as he kissed open mouth kisses below your ear. You brought one of your hands to play with the tip of his ear, you knew how much he loved his ears played with the closer he was to his end. “Please, please may I cum? Please I have been good, please let me cum,” Astarion slurred out, unable to keep his voice even. You always thought he was so cute when he asked to cum, genuinely as a light smile crooked the side of your mouth. 

A moan escaped your mouth as you leaned in, connecting your lips together and nodded as you deeply kissed him. You broke the kiss just long enough, “Yes, my love, come for me. P-please cum inside me, Astarion.” You gave him another kiss at the same time you clenched around him and lightly pinched his ear. His orgasm racked his body as his hips snapped violently into yours, slurring out your name as his eyes rolled backwards. The feeling of his cum shooting deep into you was all you needed to reach your climax as you felt your legs shake and arms tense around Astarion. 

Both of your breathing was deep and labored as you came back down, skin glistening with a sheer layer of sweat. “I love you,” came out of both your mouths at the same time and this caused a burst of laughter to erupt. Smiling down at you with his hair stringy and hanging down from sweat he went to move out of you, “Okay, hold on, I'm pulling out.” You felt the uncomfortable release and quietly winced. He rolled over and laid on his back and you rolled to your side, facing him. “So… feel any better?”, Astarion asked with a smirk adorning his face. You groaned in embarrassment, “...yes.” You knew he was genuinely asking, not just poking fun at you. You moved to wrap your arms around him as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders in return. You stayed there in contented silence until your stomach rumbled, which had Astarion snorting out a small laugh, “Come my dear, let's get you something to eat. I am sure Gale would be insulted if we stayed in here all night without you having dinner anyways.” 

You both got ready and began to make your way out of the tent, but did not find anyone at the campsite. You were suddenly worried of an ambush that had taken place during your intense romp together. But as you were walking around you found a quickly written note which read:

“ We decided to go to the river… We will be back once you “feel better”- Shadowheart”

The intense heat that spread through your cheeks, bringing a strong blush across your ears and entire face caused Astarion to full belly laugh after he had read what was contained in the letter. You covered your face with both hands and groaned in embarrassment, “ We are camping so far away from them from now on we are going to be across the river, oh my gods.”

[empitaph]

bewitched

✮ DESCRIPTION: in which a particular wizard from waterdeep finds himself positively bewitched at his feelings towards the reader.

✮ PAIRING / W/C: gale dekarios x afab!reader … 2.4k

✮ C/W: 18+ MDNI - a lot of introspection from gale, tender gale, very fluffy sweet sex, grinding, PiV, praise, reader called good girl, riding

✮ A/N: i’m so not gonna lie i haven’t even gotten to a playthrough to romance gale yet but i REALLY want to. this MAN is fine as hell. apologies if this might be a tad ooc but i feel i did a good job of portraying him

Gale was what many would call a prodigy. He was a gods-damned magical genius. His utilization and knowledge of the Weave is what earned him a spot as Mystra’s lover. In addition to this, he was a damn fine orator- he would talk until people got sick of hearing his voice- sometimes himself included. His wit in conversations proved to be unmatched a majority of the time.

However… there was one thing that Gale remained ever in the dark and impervious about. 

What might that have been? Well, you of course! 

It wasn’t that long after saving him from his corrupt portal glued to a rocky wall that he realized- maybe there WAS something he wasn’t educated in. No matter how many tutors he had in Waterdeep as a child, nothing prepared him for you. You seemed to puzzle him at nearly every interaction.

That sensation drove Gale up a wall on many occasions. He was convinced, at many moments in your times together, that you had cast a spell he had never heard about upon him. Because no matter how many times you managed to drive him mad with small decisions and talking- you were like a harpy’s song. Every time you spoke, damn near every time you breathed, it was like you were luring him in.

It was like there was a black hole situated deep inside yourself that did nothing but draw him closer and closer. It was in Gale’s nature, that naturally, he wanted to figure you out.

On this particular night, you had extraordinarily dumbfounded him. You and the party had discovered an old, dusty tome containing dark and demented secrets of Necromancy. The book was entitled, “The Necromancy of Thay”. It was during this time that you, Wyll, and Karlach agreed that this book couldn’t bring about any good. The three of you had conspired to destroy it despite Gale’s protests that knowledge is knowledge, regardless of subject. 

At some point out of frustration, Gale had seen himself out. He thought it was such a bitter shame that such a tome would be destroyed- and to an extent, wasted. It wasn’t until after watching a calming sunset where his annoyance and frustration seemed to melt like the sun beneath the horizon that he discovered something especially perplexing. 

There, in his tent, sat the familiar book with the agonized face on it’s cover. It was The Necromancy of Thay! The book had not been destroyed, afterall. You had left a note on it with still-fresh ink reading: Gale… I thought you could make more use of this. It’d be better than destroying it. I trust you.

Gale didn’t know how to feel. Annoyance at his earlier reactions, or relieved that the book wasn’t destroyed. Perhaps his feelings rested in a balance between the two. Seeking something akin to an answer, he set off past the camp to find you. Karlach had let him know that you went for a walk.

Maybe, all things considered, he didn’t really want answers. Maybe he just wanted to see you. These realizations dawned upon him when he finally approached you. You were sat upon a blanket, your back to a tree and your knees drawn up to your chest. Your arm lazily draped around your legs, holding tightly onto your other arm that was outstretched at your side. 

A soft breeze rustled through the grass and leaves, engulfing your senses in a quiet tranquility that seemed practically impossible to come by these days. The sun had long set, but a faint purple to orange ombre lingered on the horizon between branches of distant trees. Your favorite weapon sat propped up on the tree next to you, as relaxation was never truthfully a time to rest.

Gale watched you from a distance for a few moments. He watched the way your gaze flickered from firefly to firefly as they lit up the somewhat small opening in the field around you. It was as you reached out a hand to cup a firefly that Gale realized how paradoxical you seemed to be. 

You seemed so gentle in this moment, but he knew how ferocious and violent you were capable of being in a fight. You tormented him, but at the same time brought him a sense of peace and longing. You appeared relaxed, but your weapon besides you gave away how you never seemed to be fully at ease. Gale realized that, maybe, you weren’t meant to be “figured out”. You were just you- no spell involved. 

He released a breath he didn’t realize he was even holding. This small, yet sharp sound, was enough to prove just how tense you could be. It took nothing but a mere five seconds flat for you to be off your ass, weapon poised and ready to attack. 

Gale sheepishly raised his hands, his voice coming out in a rushed yet rhythmic manner. “It’s just me, Y/N, you can put the weapon down!” 

“For the love of the Gods, Gale you scared me!” You lowered your weapon, crying out in an exasperated voice. “How long have you been there for?!” 

“Just a moment, not too long..,” His voice trailed off before picking back up upon seeing you drop your weapon, “do you mind if I join?”

It took you a moment before you hesitatingly shook your head, taking a seat on the blanket and wordlessly patting the spot on the blanket next to you. Gale took the opportunity to saunter over, placing himself on the blanket with his legs outstretched in front of him.

At the exact same time, you both went to mutter separate and reluctant apologies. Yours was something along the lines of apologizing for thinking about destroying the book, and Gale’s was something about how he was sorry for storming off. Your words jumbled together in the night air before you both respectively paused and began to laugh.

It was you, who spoke first after the fact. “Gale… listen, I’m sorry. I know I can be a bit rude or harsh at times, but I’m trying to do what’s best for us. For all of us.”

“I would like to apologize, too. I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m sure you understand I mean well.” He added softly after you had finished. “A hundred years of loneliness in a tower is bound to tongue-tie even the mightiest wizard at times.”

It was after a while of mindless and idle chatting that you had turned to face Gale. His gaze remained transfixed on the twilight above as he talked, but yours had seemed to follow the details of his face. The slight crows feet that wrinkled when he smiled, when he laughed. The way the faint lines from his eye twisted down his neck to the orb situated beneath where his collarbones met in the center of his sternum. His roguish, yet frankly self-righteous smile. The way his adams apple bobbed when he talked. 

At some point, you noticed that some of his hair had got caught in his beard. He didn’t seem to notice, so you found yourself reaching out to right the askew strand of hair. The warm contact of your hand brought a near-immediate blush to the wizard’s face, his gaze breaking from the thousands of stars above to your eyes. Your eyes in which he could see the reflection of the stars, and the tenderness you stared at him with. 

Your hand had not yet left his face. His eyebrows knitted together in a slight look of confusion, “What are you-,”

“Just shut up, Gale,” you murmured with a joking tone. It took but a moment for your lips to softly connect with his. 

Your lips were like an invitation to Gale. An invitation to release his worries, his frustrations, his fears. The kiss was almost like salvation to him- helping every negative thought clouding his mind disappear like the wind through the leaves.

Your moment stayed sweet and tender until Gale’s hand found a way to your hip. His fingers dug into your skin, where they ever so slightly tugged at you. He wanted you closer to him.

You broke from the kiss, biting your lip momentarily as you shifted your position. You knelt forward so that you could swivel your hips to straddle Gale, your chests pressed tightly together as he sat against the tree. 

It seemed your worries started to get the better of you, as you started to say, “Is this something you really want?”, but before you could even finish your sentence, you were interrupted.

Gale cockily retorted, “Now it’s your turn to ‘shut up’.” His one hand remained clamped around your hip, and his other found it’s way to the side of your face. You leaned your head into his strong hand, as he guided your lips back to his. 

This time, the kiss contained more than tenderness. It contained passion- it started out as smoldering kindling. You were certain he was casting some sort of spell, as his grasp on your hip made bolts of lightning soar through your body and straight to your core. 

Gale’s other hand dragged down the side of your neck, down the valley of your chest before it found it’s way on your other hip. He pressed down softly, at first, shifting your hips back in a grinding motion.

A sweet sound of ecstasy found it’s way past your lips and into your shared kiss. You could feel the way his cock started to stiffen underneath you. Your nails instinctively dug into his shoulders as you broke from the kiss. The kindling inside your core began to blaze. You felt a wet spot beginning to form on your pants the more Gale’s grip tightened and rocked you against the growing tent in his pants. 

“Gods, Y/N, that’s just…,” He paused to grunt, his grip on your legs tightening by the second.

You grinned at him, hitched breathing catching in your throat every now and again. “Perfect?” You joked. You began to assist him with his efforts, moving your hips in a circular motion around his cock. The hastening of the rythm between you two caused you to throw your head back.

The way you could feel him beneath you- the way his dick applied just the right pressure to your bundle of nerves… it really was perfect. Gale’s groaning and grunting sent waves of pleasure straight to your core. His hands raised to slide underneath the loose shirt you wore, his calloused grip kneading your breasts. Your head, still thrown back, soon snapped down as you felt his lips connect to the soft tissue of your tits.

His hands roughly squeezed at them as his lips wrapped around your nipple.

“Oh, fuck me,” You mewled lowly. Without Gale’s grip to guide you, you lowered your hands to the tied waistband of his pants. You began to frantically fumble at the strings, trying desperately to release him from the fabric that separated the both of you. 

One of his hands came to stop yours, his mouth releasing from your nipple with a satisfying pop. “Are you sure you want this?” He asked as he stared at you through his thick eyelashes. A string of saliva connected his mouth to your breast. 

You whimpered, your tone needy. “I don’t think I’ve wanted anything more in my life. Please, Gale, let me feel you inside of me.” 

“Good girl,” He purred, his voice taking on a sultry tone. “Take your pants off.”

You leaned back, your mouth practically watering at the damp spot you left on his pants. You made quick work of shedding your own pants, before resuming your spot on top of him. Gale had just enough of his pants pulled down, exposing his lengthy, glistening cock.

It was dripping with his precum, a sign of his own arousal. Your eyes met his as he lined himself up, his hands resuming their grip on your hips. Despite his grip, he allowed you to pick the pace you wanted as you lowered yourself on his length. His greedy lips swallowed every shivering moan that left yours, and before you knew it, he was nestled inside of you.

The delicious stretch of his cock combined a fading pain with unmatched pleasure. “You’re doing so well, taking me like that,” He cooed as his lips ghosted over the shell of your ear. The sensation sent a shiver down your spine, and his words caused your walls to involuntarily clench around him. 

A low, raspy chuckle left his throat. “You liked that, hmm?”

Your only response was a bitten back moan that didn’t stay surpressed long as you found your tempo of raising your hips, just to sink back down on him. It wasn’t long before Gale was guiding your pace again, slamming your hips down to connect with his thrusting up- the sheer pleasure leaving you a babbling mess. 

He conjured a magical pillow beneath him, carefully shifting into a laying position. He kept you on top of him, but pulled your torso down with him. His arms remained wrapped around you as he raised his knees slightly to spread your legs.

The new angle had you seeing stars. “Are you ready for this, darling?” He looked up at your delightful face- beyond fucked out. 

“Anything, Gale, please,” you pleaded with winded breaths. His grip around you tightened as he guided you up and down his cock with particular force.

“Such a damn good girl,” He punctuated every single word with a sharp thrust. Your hands found his shirt for stability, balled into fists as he diligently plowed his cock deeper within your walls. 

“Ah.. I’m so close,” You whined into his ear between moans. Your walls began to flutter around his dick as you felt your orgasm draw nearer and nearer. It was almost in an instant that you felt the familiar lightning of your orgasm light up every nerve in your body. The way your walls clamped down on him caused Gale to curse sharply before pulling out, his cum shooting across the few exposed panes of his abs beneath you.

You collapsed against him, listening to his erratic breathing as you tried to regain control of your own. It was almost familiar, the way your body felt pressed against Gale’s. Once again, the two of you spoke at the same time, thanking each other for the joined pleasure. The laughter you shared after the fact caused a slight bit of the awkward tension that had built since your mutual release to fade.

“By all I know, Y/N, you are entirely bewitching.” Gale muttered under his breath as the two of you regained your senses.

masterlist ... thank you for reading!

[kittenintheden]

*dumps her random characterization and voice notes into your lap* here hope this helps

- Astarion speaks a little bit like a man removed from time and a little bit like an Upper City patriar, but not excessively so and not as a rule. Posh and embellished, but not completely avoidant of slang or casual swearing. Like a person who was once in a certain position in life, was ripped from it, and then spent a very long time in survival mode among people of lesser station/education. His mouth is often ahead of his brain. Many of his pricklier interactions are a direct result of trauma response. He longs to be in control, of his circumstances and of himself. His terms of endearment make subtle shifts from insincere and condescending to genuine and affectionate. When he feels threatened, he becomes distant and detached. He's funny, in both an awkward unintentional way and a very intentional witty way. He walks a razor's edge between a person who relies on his charms and an animal in a cage.

- Wyll is a deeply idealistic noble raised on tales of good knights and mighty heroes. His father was a soldier first, a noble second, and instilled in him a rigid moral code and high expectations for leadership. Those teachings led him to make a life-altering choice at seventeen years old that he was resoundly punished for due to manipulation and misunderstanding. Instead of becoming embittered, he cemented his dedication to his ideals and holds on to a sense of failure. He's eloquent and learned, with an abiding sense of chivalry and propriety. He's young, but not completely naive -- he has a firm personal code, but it's not immutable. Much of his conversation comes from stories he's heard or read that resonated with him. He is charismatic, friendly, and wants to believe in goodness. He's not above a cringe-worthy pun that he likely picked up from being around common folk.

- Lae'zel thinks non-githyanki beneath her, at least at first. Common is her second language and one she doesn't hold a lot of respect for -- she uses it to communicate and that's it. Her words are economic and blunt, but have a rich current of culture underneath. She is a soldier, but she is learned in the lore and ways of her people, and very proud of it. She does not deal in metaphor or hedging her opinions. She trusts her leadership and her queen implicitly. Her word is the truth (to her).

- Shadowheart is deeply mistrustful of people outside her cloister/belief system, which comes off as distance or aloofness. Her specific memories have been altered or removed, but all her core experiences and dedication remain. She's been raised in an environment that is very cult-like and spreads the idea that anyone unlike them is probably an enemy. Nothing is more important than proving herself to her parent-figure. Even so, she wants to connect. She wants to trust. Her communication is guarded and emotionally detached, until it isn't.

- Gale is extremely intelligent, but he's been removed from interacting with everyday people for a long time. His terminology tends to default to his book learning, which can come off as superiority. He has Gifted Kid Syndrome -- literally Chosen for his ability and knowledge, and experiencing a deep sense of, "Who am I if I'm not Chosen? What is my greater calling now?" He's used to his voice mattering, his expertise respected, but also internalized a sense of guilt and shame. He can err toward arrogance, but it comes from a place of wanting to make things better.

- Karlach was an Outer City street kid with what sounded like a reasonably happy home life and she ended up in the employ of a charming young entrepreneur who she completely trusted as hired muscle. That man betrayed her in an incredibly horrific way that she didn't see coming -- not because she's a fool, but because she wants to love people and he tricked her into loving him. She's spent a decade terribly lonely and literally untouchable by anyone but fire-immune fiends. She's cheery and optimistic, but it's largely a front to hide her hurt and sadness. Being a fighter is who she is, not only what she was forced to do. She believes her value is in her physical strength because she has no formal education or skills (she thinks). Her speech is casual, full of slang, blunt, crass, almost childlike (but she is NOT a child -- important distinction). There's a darkness in her she doesn't want to face, so she hides behind humor and affection. Still, when she loves, it is completely in earnest.

[chrkrose]

Just wanted to say that I completely agreed with your Sunrise take. It's almost as though you plucked it out of my brain and put it in words.

Its a shame that the Maysilee/Haymitch ship has been struck down so explicitly. I can't see the ship being popular now without fans claiming that we've 'missed the whole point'.

I also agreed with your take about Lenore: to me, she's far too similar to Lucy Gray for me to care about her in her own right and that's a shame.

I'm interested to see if you have any other thoughts since I enjoyed your first post a lot.

More thoughts on SOTR, Maysilee and Maysilee/ Haymitch.

I mean… I have issues with several aspects of Sunrise on the Reaping (SOTR), honestly. Like, the way the book handles its themes is just so on the nose. It lacks the subtlety Suzanne used to have. One of the biggest appeals of the original trilogy was that Katniss wasn’t a chosen one—she wasn’t special, she wasn’t trying to be a rebel, she was just surviving. And now suddenly we’re rewriting that entire foundation to make her destiny feel preordained? Add in all the fan service, which felt so Marvel-level with its cameos and callbacks, and yeah… I struggled with a lot of it.

The Maysilee stuff—and the Maysilee/Haymitch potential—is just one example in a list of things that didn’t work for me, but it’s a great one to highlight what went wrong.

First off, my gripe with Maysilee and Haymitch isn’t even just that they weren’t romantic. Sure, I do think a romantic storyline would’ve added more depth and been more compelling, but what really bugs me is the way people jump to that “not every relationship needs to be romantic!!” discourse like it’s some mic drop moment. And like—yeah, of course not every bond has to be romantic. The series already gives us beautiful platonic relationships, so what are you truly saying here? I always feel like that argument has a bit of a misogynistic edge, like romance automatically weakens a story or a character. That it’s less serious or important just because it’s “girly” or emotional. It’s the reverse of the people who think romance is the only thing that matters—it’s still minimizing, just from another angle.

Personally, I think a romantic connection between Maysilee and Haymitch could have added a lot to the story. Not because romance is inherently better, but because it would’ve allowed us to actually see the relationship develop. Imagine Haymitch having to confront and dismantle his class prejudices toward her. Imagine the layers that would add to his trauma, to his choices, to the person he becomes. That arc would’ve felt way more grounded than suddenly introducing Lenore Dove—a character who feels like a Lucy Gray copy-paste—and expecting us to accept her as the Great Love of Haymitch’s life.

And look, I’m a sucker for a good love story. I would have eaten it up so fast if this was a good one. But it simply wasn’t. There was no tension, no buildup, no spark. Just symbolism on top of symbolism, and a girl who was written to be “quirky” and “different” and important, but never felt real. She was too mythical, too much, too “main girl who haunts the narrative” without earning that weight. At least Lucy Gray had quirks and nuance. Lenore just felt like Suzanne ticking boxes: rebel, covey, singer, poet attached to her name, dead too soon. And I’m sorry, but having Haymitch still pining for his 16-year-old girlfriend decades later, when we barely get to see him reflect on his family or his fellow tributes? At least give space to his mother and brother, to the tributes he bonded with, to all the people he lost along the way.

And that’s what really bothers me. Suzanne always trusted her readers to come to their own conclusions. She showed us dynamics—Katniss and Peeta, Finnick and Katniss, Johanna and Peeta, even Katniss and Gale—and let us interpret. She never had to spell out who these people were to each other. But it seems like she didn’t trust that when it comes to Maysilee and Haymitch, and to Lenore and Haymitch as well. Suddenly we were told what to feel, how to perceive every relationship. And that just doesn’t land for me. It actually undermines the emotional weight because it feels like she didn’t trust the story to stand on its own.

And if the whole idea was to subvert expectations and say “Surprise! Everything you thought you knew about Haymitch’s Games is actually propaganda,” then… I don’t know. That twist didn’t work for me either. It didn’t enhance the themes, it just made me feel, again, like I wasn’t capable enough to reach conclusions on my own. For a book who speaks of propaganda, she sure tried to determine how we would interact with it without room for anything else.

Now, about Maysilee herself—she would’ve worked so much better as the ghost in Haymitch’s narrative. Platonic or romantic, an ambiguous bond between her and Haymitch had more potential than what we got. The Capitol downplaying her role would’ve tied beautifully with Haymitch’s later manipulation of the Katniss/Peeta narrative. She mirrors both of them in ways Lenore doesn’t: she’s a merchant girl like Peeta, she’s got Katniss’ fire, and her pin—her pin—becomes the ultimate symbol of rebellion. She painted the final poster. Not to mention the quiet tragedy of him having to see her twin sister around town for the rest of his life. That’s the kind of subtle, haunting storytelling that would’ve worked.

But instead, they stripped all that from her to give it to Lenore, and in the process, even Katniss’ story gets hurt. Because now, Katniss isn’t just a girl who stumbled into something bigger than herself—now she’s been chosen since the beginning. Which removes one of the most powerful things about her arc: the idea that regular people, caught in the right place at the right time, can change the world.

Lucy Gray worked as a ghost in Snow’s story. Maysilee should’ve been that for Haymitch. But unfortunately, all that depth, all that symbolism, was handed to a character who didn’t earn it and who honestly just didn’t deliver the emotional payoff Suzanne thought she would.