#amaara ashvale

[lirotation]

Mortal Astarion X F! Human Tav. Ummm, angst.👀

For decades, this manor offered him a place to call home in the truest sense. 

The hallway was a sacred gallery, adorned with paintings that were not mere canvases, but tangible echoes of their life together. Each brushstroke, lovingly rendered by her hand, captured the essence of cherished memories.

Whenever he opened the door at the end of the hallway, he was greeted by the radiant smile of his beloved, and the hearth beckoned him to surrender to its comforting embrace. Yet, it was the vast window next to it that held the greatest significance. The tender caress of sunlight danced across his skin as he lost himself in the pages of a book beside her. It was here, bathed in the golden rays, that he could truly revel in the miracle she had bestowed upon him – the cure to his vampiric curse, a gift of life, a reminder of the depths of her love and the power it held to transcend even the most insurmountable of boundaries.

Here at home, he had found everything his heart desired.

But nothing is ever truly perfect. Life simply doesn't work that way.  Even the mightiest of fortresses cannot withstand the relentless march of time.

He thought he was ready for it, but not like this.

Never like this.

_________

The poem cited is "When You Are Old" BY W.B. Yeats. One of my favorites.❤️

Alright, thanks for reading the second installment of my "this did not really happen to my couple". After delving into the mortality of my Tav, Amaara, I found myself confronting a fear more profound than death itself – the fear of morbidity, of life's vibrancy fading before its inevitable end. So I decided to yank my CP around this theme. Self-indulgence at its finest.😊

[lirotationside]

Thank you @not-so-lost-after-all for the tag. Might as well write it down lest I forget.

Your tav or durge's name and their partner:

Lady Amaara Ashvale

Human Wizard, young and mentally not very stable, lives and dies for Astarion.

Tell us about your character - anything at all!

Amaara's father was the First Advisor in Silverymoon, and her mother, a half-elf high cleric of Sune, was a personal friend of the High Lady. Privileged and gifted, Amaara’s childhood was nevertheless lonely. High society in Silverymoon was predominantly Elven, and as a human, she was often singled out. Other children were fascinated by her ears, and she struggled to keep up in music and archery classes. Additionally, her family held no noble title, which put her in a socially awkward position despite their influence.

Her father was traditional and strict, opposing marriages between races with different lifespans. He hoped for Amaara to marry into a Dragonborn house, but Amaara, having grown up around elves, preferred elven company.

At 14, she began attending Lady’s College, aspiring to master illusion magic like her father. Later, she began dating a schoolmate who is a half-elven commoner studying to be a bard.

In 1485 DR, on the night of her 16th birthday and debut ball, her parents gifted her an emerald headpiece. She later snuck out to meet her bard on the Moonbridge, where she had her first kiss. The boy wanted to spend the night with her, but they were interrupted as the siege of Silverymoon began that fateful night. Rushing home, Amaara found her house in ruins. Her parents, caught off-guard and desperate to find her, were killed before her eyes. They were disintegrated—gone in an instant.

Teleported away by a Spellguard captain, Amaara later begged the High Lady to resurrect her parents. High-level resurrection spells were cast, but her parents did not return. The High Lady explained that they were either unable or unwilling to come back.

She felt guilty of their death and felt abandoned.

She joined the war of Silver Marches. After she burned a platoon of Drows for the first time, she threw up and something clicked. She found out her fire spell is extra powerful and could no longer cast any restoration spell.

She fought alongside the Spellguard captain and a small group of companions, contributing significantly to the war effort. However, by the end of the war, at the age of 17, all her companions were dead, and her captain had risen to the rank of commander.

Returning to Silverymoon, she found her position even more precarious. With her parents gone, she was no longer considered part of high society. Her suitors had disappeared, and she discovered her boyfriend in the arms of another nobleman.

Around this time, her commander revealed that the siege had been orchestrated from within, and her parents had been victims of court infighting and treachery. Vowing revenge, Amaara faced the harsh reality that she had no status, no allies, and no access to her inheritance until she turned 21.

Her commander proposed a fake marriage to make her legally an adult. Thus began four years filled with bribery, sabotage, espionage, and manipulation. Her "husband" supported her through every dark deed. However, unbeknownst to her, some of her targets were innocent, and her "husband��s" house was using her as a weapon to eliminate opposition and marginalized voices.

Just as she was considering making the marriage real, her "husband" betrayed her, offering her up as a scapegoat under mounting political pressure. Amaara was horrified to learn that he had been acting under direct orders from the High Lady herself.

Despite the betrayal, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. He had saved her life multiple times and aided her quest for revenge.

She was banished. Convinced that no one would love her, she considered death. But knowing death wasn’t permanent in the Forgotten Realms, she roamed the land, seeking a way to find true oblivion. Yet, there was also a sense of relief—the life of revenge was behind her, and she despised the person she had become. Imagining what would make her parents proud, she sought to do good, offering her help wherever she could, hoping that by aiding others, she might atone for her past.

Her journey eventually led her to Baldur's Gate.

What do they enjoy doing together?

Reading. Cuddling, dancing, traveling and sightseeing, fighting side by side.

What's something your character's partner loves about them?

Her compassion, her tenderness, and maybe he doesn't realize it, but he loved to feel needed, and she needs him.

Their life after Baldur's Gate?

They traveled to Waterdeep first, where they acquired the Cloak of D. At the same time, they petitioned Elminster for a wish spell, but he refused. Then they spoke to Mystra through Gale, but Mystra revealed that higher forces were at play, and reversing his vampirism wouldn't be easy. This began a grueling journey in search of a cure. In the end, Amaara offered to trade half of her life force for a cure. However, instead of losing half her lifespan as she had expected, she lost her fertility.

They grew incredibly wealthy from slaying a few dragons and even carried a pocket dimension castle with them. They founded a city together, but after a few centuries, they left, vanishing without a trace. No one knows where they went.

Something your Tav/Durge loves about their partner:

How can someone go through shit and still think life is beautiful?

Something that your character and their partner both hate (about anything):

Being weak.

[lirotation]

Astarion X F!Tav. Mindless Fluff as usual. Post game settings.

Relationship scenario: Missed Birthday. In my HC, elves do not celebrate birthdays; they celebrate Name Day, which occurs about every four years. It's probably some private setting I inhaled during my tabletop days.

[lirotation]

Spawn Astarion X F!Tav fluff. Post game, on the journey to find a cure. Very much self-indulgent🤣. tw: there is one panel that implied sexual abuse.

This script was written for smut. Then after the whole deal with my cuddle chemical addition comic, I lost my desire to draw smut lol. Through numerous revisions, I transformed it into what you see now, admittedly, I wasn't entirely satisfied with it and considered abandoning midway. Then, last week, Hurricane Beryl struck. We were without power and internet for three days and four nights. Our small generator kept us going and, crucially, kept our iPads charged. With little else to do, I finished this. I hope you enjoyed.

[lirotation]

Astarion X F!Tav, ummm, fluff? Set post game, a couple months before the reunion. Warning: blood. long post.

This took me forever! I put some tender loving care into some of the panels =)

Despite feeling dissatisfied with my own artistic abilities, I cherish this little comic. Through Amaara's words, I was able to express why Astarion was dear to me.

Wyll is more physically attractive to me and Gale feels like my kindred soul. For the longest time I find myself wondering why, out of all the characters, I fell in love with Astarion. This comic explains it all, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone involved in creating him.

[lirotation]

Home is where the heart is, and my heart belongs to you.

2nd drawing of the past/present/future set. I am still struggling with the "Past" one.

I wasn't in the best mood recently, so to get into a happier mindset for this, I had to hug my cat for 30min. He wasn't too thrilled about it. I now understand that the mood you're in really affects what you can create. Being in a more positive state of mind allowed the happier energy to flow into this piece. Interestingly, upon finishing, the happier energy seem to reciprocate, elevating my own mood in a cyclical exchange.

[lirotation]

Inktober Day 9: Bring him some sunflowers.

Day 10: Gave my Amaara chrysanthemum for her longing of oblivion.

Art 101: slap some florals on a face and call it art, LOL.

[lirotation]

Day 20, uncharted. =P

Marriage is absolutely the uncharted territory for Star. Kinda the follow up for the proposal comic?

[lirotation]

Day 13: Horizon

Midnight skinny dipping with your love and a glass of good wine... exactly the vacation I need right now.

[lirotation]

Spawn Astarion X F!Tav. Post game, before reunion party. The cloak he is wearing is the cloak of Dragomir. Very random idea😅🤣. TW: Blood. Depict of self-harm(not in that context but still.)

This story continues the journey of "Divine Silence". Part 2 of "Love You for Who You Are." In this timeline, my CP find themselves ensnared in a bizarre realm, a land with extreme conditions. Despite the harsh environment and the challenges they face, Astarion and Amaara manage to carve out moments of joy and tenderness.

[lirotation]

My wizard and her dashing rogue. <3

I have all three of these done now. Time to hand them to my hubby and see when he can make me that mini folding screen decor thing I wanted. hmmm, I just realized her eyes were closed in all 3? oh well.

[lirotation]

Astarion rolled his eyes. "Oh, nothing special. You're only the first person I've ever truly cared about." He pulled her closer, holding her in a moment of silence before whispering in her ear, "You keep bothering me with these silly questions. It's only fair I ask one in return... What am I to you?"

"Have I never told you?" With a graceful gesture, she conjured a bright star that rose slowly from her palm. Turning to him with a wide smile, she said, "You are my star, my North Star."

[lirotation]

Astarion x F! Tav mindless fluff. Set around Act 3, post Cazador.

Relationship scenario: Boyfriend shirt moment. LOL.

I enjoyed drawing him over and over again. Plot? What plot? He is the plot =)

Anyway, I wasn't too thrilled with it. I grappled with this project for months, on and off. You can easily spot panels done around the same time because my style underwent big changes over the past half year. I gave up on trying to fix it, and got it done. Moving on.

[lirotation]

Short rest.

HC: For the first time, he attempted to bite her while she was awake and not aroused, only to discover that she was extremely ticklish.

----------

I'm thoroughly enjoying these new brushes and becoming more comfortable with them. Once I complete my current WIPs, I plan to do comics in this style only. It should be a lot faster, gods I always hated doing flat color in procreate 😅.

I'm still on my journey of self-discovery, and eventually, I'll develop my own unique artistic style. (Art envy is real, and I just have to keep telling myself this to cope🤣)

[lirotation]

Having fun with those watercolor brushes, I really do like them.

I know I know - I should be working on my comics, but I tend to get distracted when my script fails to maintain my enthusiasm. Sigh.

[lirotation]

Summer vibes.