#astarion's guide to making friends and influencing people!

[clericofmystra]

Gale is standoffish enough (unusually for him!) towards Astarion that I was curious what their first interaction looks like, if Gale's already along when you meet Astarion and gets the cut scene.

Sure enough:

[explodingchantry]

The thing is it really isn't about anders' actions. It isn't. It's genuinely all about framing.

FF7 sees us partake in actual eco-terrorism - they call THEMSELVES eco-terrorists. And we're still seen as the irrevocable hero, and everyone who plays the game understands Cloud & AVALANCHE to be heroes. Complicated, flawed heroes, but heroes anyway. When Shinra collapses the upper city into sector 7, it's as a direct result of AVALANCHE's actions. But you don't see the wider fandom bickering and yelling at each other and hating Cloud or any other AVALANCHE members for the innocent lives lost. It's understood to be Shinra's fault, as they were the ones to destroy an entire sector. But what of potential innocents dying or being injured from the reactor we blow up within the first few minutes of the game? That's definitely our actions causing direct destruction, killing the employees at the facility and the ones we directly fight, the irreparable damage. We don't see people yapping about it because the writing makes it clear that their cause is just and the fandom understands.

What of bg3's Astarion? He was forced to charm these people and bring them to Cazador, yeah, sure - but he could've also chosen to let Cazador kill him or torture him more! The choice here is obvious - that he had to do what he did to survive, and the writing makes it clear as well that he is at no fault for his actions when literally a tortured slave with very limited free will. The game also looks at his rather... Morally corrupt behavior even after escaping Cazador's control via the tadpole with a lens of sympathy and understanding and compassion because our guy is still on the "kill or be killed" grindset and genuinely needs a guiding hand to teach him that he can be free without sacrificing everything - including his humanity - for it. Though the game does allow you to hate him and kill him or turn him into a piece of shit - those are openly considered "bad" endings. There is an obvious right thing to do, here. An obvious side the writing takes.

When Anders, at the time controlled by Justice, almost kills that mage girl in Dissent - it is framed as obviously a bad thing and Anders is immediately horrified. However, some of those around him try to cheer him up, for example Varric who points out the ludonarrative dissonance happening: in which Hawke and their whole party, including Anders, have killed in the hundreds or perhaps thousands and thus Anders ought to relax about the innocent life he almost took. Of course, Varric himself is presented as morally imperfect, but also deeply sympathetic. The player is most likely to side with him on most matters and be influenced by his opinions if only because of his position as your best friend in da2 and general incredible charisma and friendly attitude. This is genuinely good writing of a very sad and nuanced scene. Dissent is pretty good, overall. Unfortunately, it isn't the norm.

The game also goes out of its way to have Varric warn Hawke about Anders being crazy if they romance him, and a humorous/sarcastic Hawke may reply that they like crazy rather than actually defend him. In general, there are very few moments where we can openly support and comfort Anders without any caveats. It goes so far as to having the popular diplomatic options sometimes defending templars rather than supporting Anders, thus placing him, in the narrative, as an 'extremist' the same way Fenris is an extremist in his hatred of mages.

Even if Anders was a terrorist - which he is not - and the chantry boom was an act of terrorism - which it isn't - this wouldn't actually stop another narrative from offering him sympathy. In any other story written by any other writer, Anders would be the obvious victim, and obvious tragic hero. In another story written by any other writer, DAI would have several characters defend him. Even if you wanted to really argue that it makes sense for Varric to hate Anders and complain about him as much as he did (there is some truth to that but I personally remain of the opinion that it did go a bit too far and thus broke character in places), you would expect other characters to speak on him positively. Such as, oh idk, rebel mages or A HAWKE WHO ROMANCED HIM AND SUPPORTED HIM. Or maybe, oh I don't know, a respected and wise elven mage who undertook a difficult revolution in the past. it's these constant remarks about him, the fact that whenever he is mentioned post da2 has been negative, the fact that bioware has parroted the "all mages betray us" stupid fucking 'joke', the fact that the 'crazed' rebel mages attacking you in the hinterlands wear anders' outfit and when you meet anders in da:a he wears tevinter robes and the gift you can give him in da2 is a tevinter amulet thus drawing connections between him and tevinter when all we ever knew of tevinter until extremely recently was "everyone living there is an evil mage slaver". Literally any other writer would have made different choices in their framing that would make people see anders for the tragic hero he is.

Cullen is given 4 entire pages on his history in WoT2. It gives him a dream of becoming a Templar to 'help' and 'protect' people, for which he worked incredibly hard for. It gives him siblings who care for him and support him no matter what, and goes at length to tell you how traumatised and 'unlike himself' Cullen was post dao broken circle. Anders gets 2 pages, which in fairness is more than most. And those two pages are, also in fairness, fairly sympathetic. But we are given nothing of what Anders does post da2, aside from a couple lines in da2 itself. I know that part of it is because there is the possibility of him being killed by Hawke, but potential character death has never stopped bioware from continuing their stories somehow, and with Anders being possessed by Justice giving him an out from certain death (why would Hawke stabbing him with a knife kill him but not a Templar spearing him with their sword in the pre-da2 short story?) there is little excuses. Furthermore, they could pull something similar to what they did with Hawke, with a simple line saying "whether or not Anders lived depends on the person telling the story" etc etc. Honestly I'm not too miffed about the absence of that, I'm not saying I want Anders to have ten pages dedicated to himself in WoT, I just wanted to point out the imbalance between a character obviously loved by Bioware and one obviously disliked.

When I offer the facts of the story to my friends who haven't touched dragon age, and try to remain as objective as possible, and remove the negative framing the game gives - they genuinely struggle to understand how anders would even possibly be hated. They're pretty baffled. And I always have to tell them, it's because of narrative bias. It genuinely, fully, is because of narrative bias.

[nerdalmighty]

hey! so, i just recently started playing baldur's gate 3 after seeing people put it all over my dash for months--and you're one of the people i've seen reblogging a lot of posts about it LOL. so if you don't mind me asking, i was wondering what kind of character do you/did you play as? and do you have any sort of backstory for your tav that you'd like to share?

Hoooooooooooooh my god thank you so much for asking. I have a friend who comes over to watch me play on Thursdays and I make a powerpoint every week to catch her up on what she missed - this week's powerpoint literally has slides about my Tav's background (more on those later). This is about to be long, I'm about to drop ALL my lore so buckle up! AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY BG3 BRAIN WORMS!!!!! I'm glad they convinced you to play 😈

So to begin, I've been in my first ever dnd campaign with a group of friends for a little over a year now. I didn't know much about Baldur's Gate except that it was a dnd video game and that you could romance people. Me, being a Big Fan of Romance And Fantasy was like "okay well I'm in" and my friend actually let me start a game at his house. Through that, I met Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion.

Backing up a bit to my character; I decided I'd put my character from my irl dnd campaign into the game since I already knew her whole deal. I get pretty overwhelmed with making decisions, ESPECIALLY with big open world games like bg3, so knowing who/what I wanted to be really helped me out.

In the campaign I'm in with friends, it's pirate themed, and I play a half-elf bard named Birdie Harp who's secretly half-siren (murder mermaid). To make a long story very short, she was born in the arctic and escaped her murderous pod during a coming-of-age trial where she also lost her siren abilities (hypnotizing voice, breathing underwater, etc).

I've watched a ton of Dimension 20 which is an actual play show on Dropout.tv (an "actual play" is where you watch other people run a campaign of dnd - like Critical Role, which a lot of people have at least heard of - HIGHLY recommend Dimension 20, as I find it incredibly funny and easier to get into than CR because of the episode lengths), and I knew that I really liked the silliness and theatricality of the bard class. I also loved the bards from The Owl House which helped influence my decision as well.

To be honest, Birdie is my first ever dnd character, so she's basically a self insert but with a MUCH more traumatic backstory than me (this IS dnd after all). As for the half-elf aspect, it was more of an "I want to be half mermaid, what's similar to that?" as opposed to a love for half-elves or something.

BACK TO BALDUR'S GATE - knowing I wanted Birdie to be in the game, I felt a lot less overwhelmed to come up with something entirely new - I knew a lot about the bard class having played one so I wanted to CONTINUE playing one (and I've learned even more since playing bg3!).

When I finally got my own game (I no longer play at my friend's house, but in the comfort of my own home), I recreated Birdie and started on my journey in earnest. I'm VERY MUCH someone who likes to be in control and know what to expect, so I've had guides and walkthroughs to help me the whole time - SUE ME! When it came to first meeting Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion back at my friend's house, Gale actually immediately stole my heart - a kind, witty wizard who likes books and cats? Literally say less. I went home from that session with my friend fully thinking I'd be a Gale girlie until I really looked into the other options and saw The Vampire.

Blah blah blah, he's hot and funny, but he can also be incredibly soft, which really won me over in the end. So I've been romancing That Guy.

Through Acts 1 and 2, I wasn't all too sure about this version of Birdie's background - sure she COULD still be that half-siren from the arctic, but the game kept suggesting she was FROM Baldur's Gate. I LOVED the inclusion of the harpies in Act 1 and thought maybe that was a viable entry point for her backstory, but so far, she was kind of just... me? She was making the choices I wanted to make (and a few that I knew Astarion would like lmao), but she wasn't really her own entity apart from me except for her name. She also felt vastly different from that character I'd created for my friends over a year ago. For instance, my irl Birdie currently has a crush on a Gale-type character, but this Birdie is ass deep in Astarion (hey, sorry I said "ass deep in Astarion"). The thing I love about Baldur's Gate 3 is how you can really come up with your own backstories, since the in-game one for your Tav is so vague. It's totally fine to ignore tiny details in the game and mold them to your own headcanons for your Tav, but I was so unsure of what I wanted for this Birdie that I kind of internalized that she was from Baldur's Gate.

HEADS UP! The following has some spoilers for Act 3 and some side quests, so STOP reading if that's something you'd care to avoid (the last 3 paragraphs of this post are SAFE from spoilers):

When Act 3 finally rolled around (which is where I am currently, I only have the one playthrough so far because I become INCREDIBLY attached to things), I stumbled across the Water Queen's House in Baldur's Gate. Ah ha! Now this felt promising.

A temple dedicated to the Vengeful Sea Goddess, Umberlee, and her loyal Wave Servants to serve her. It's ocean themed, it has mermaid undertones, and their goddess is basically evil. Seems like the perfect place to FINALLY insert this version of Birdie. I wasn't 100% sure until I completed the Iron Throne mission and was faced with either handing a (mostly) innocent man over to the Wave Servants, or fighting to defend him.

Here are a few of the slides from this week's powerpoint that I mentioned all the way back at the start, starting with SOME background on the Wave Servants:

Ass and Shart are what I affectionately call Astarion and Shadowheart (Also I got this beautiful "Birdie" art on Pinterest which originated from someone named Dantrelium on Reddit):

Apologies for the small text here, but there are some more details about THIS Birdie here, which I literally made up/figured out earlier this week:

Essentially, this Birdie was born at the Water Queen's House as Kittiwake Crest - Kittiwakes are common arctic birds, which I thought would be a nice little homage to the original character she was based off of. She was raised by the collective of Wave Servants there, the main one being Flood Tide Allandra Grey who seems to be head honcho at the Wave Mother's House (in this reality, she is).

Since Umberlee is such a vengeful goddess, I imagine she asked her Wave Servants to commit unspeakable acts in her name, mainly drownings, which THEY see as merciful, but I think Birdie always saw as horrifying. Who were they to decide the fates of others? I also think that the Wave Servants themselves were abusive during her upbringing to keep her in line (but much like how Nocturne was a light in the darkness for Shadowheart, I don't think EVERY Wave Servant was evil). GOTTA have a classic tragic backstory.

Upon researching Umberlee, I learned that most of her servants are clerics, so in my mind, that means Birdie was raised to eventually become one, with her official title eventually going to be "Seawind Kittiwake Crest." Is she still half-siren/mermaid though? Not entirely sure. This IS a magical world though, so I'd be inclined to say yes, probably.

But when we first meet the Wave Servants, they're singing beautifully for their drowned sister, Holli. I think Birdie REALLY loved music and singing with her sisters and secretly trained herself in bard magic when she should have been learning to be a cleric. It's also a classic trait of bards to hide their pain through humor, so I often imagine the type of stupid things Birdie gets up to to bring herself joy (my favorite headcanon being when you meet Skittle the Rat in Wyrm's Rock prison - he's a rat merchant who speaks exclusively in puns. I think Birdie and Gale would excitedly throw puns back and forth with Skittle while Astarion and Shadowheart begrudgingly (and affectionately) roll their eyes in the background).

Another thing I love about the game is how you can string together your own ideas of how companions react to things between big cut scenes. For example, in my head, in my game, Astarion has really become a Big Softy thanks to how fucking Stupid (affectionate) Birdie acts in life and has drawn him out of his shell, but also runs a tag team scam with her where she plays her lute to distract people while he loots an entire place. Gale is Birdie's partner in crime when it comes to tomfoolery and loves to joke and fool around with her (so long as it goes easy on his knees). And Shadowheart is basically a sister figure who flip flops between sassing with Astarion and joining in on the fun. THEY'RE JUST THE BEST, OKAY? OF COURSE I'M GONNA WALK AROUND WITH A BUNCH OF IDIOTS. I LOVE THEM.

Anyway, back to Birdie's backstory: she always hated the atrocities that were asked of her, and she was looking for a way out, but was too scared to take that step and leave since the Wave Mother's House is all she's ever known. One night, while stepping out to quietly dip her toes in the water, the Mindflayers captured her, and that's where we start Act One, all the way up on the Nautiloid. She changed her name to Birdie to distance herself from her previous life, fully took up the bard class, and the rest is history.

Back to that dilemma with handing over that (mostly) innocent guy or fighting the Wave Servants: with encouragement from the party, they convince Birdie to face her traumatic upbringing and fight the Wave Servants once and for all. At this point in Act 3, she's basically helped every single person with their problems except her own. Here's another slide featuring Ass and Birdie:

That's right folks, Birdie faced her past! But the bad news is we don't get to see Astarion in this (audio from The Adventurous Adventures of One Direction):

(Video description - Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 wearing the Wave Mother's Armor with the following audio:

Guard 1: Whoa, check it out.

Guard 2: Hubba hubba hubba.

Gaurd 1: Nice. I love dudes in skirts.

END VIDEO.) I don't want to tell you how many times I recorded that until I felt like I got it right lol. Also yes, I DID do a scum save where I handed the guy over ONCE just so I could see Ass in this outfit, but Birdie did canonically save Redhammer in my actual save file.

And honestly, that's BASICALLY it for now! My most recent save was after that battle, so I need to figure out if Birdie's going to go back with her party to confront the rest of (or most of) the Wave Servants, or if this chapter of her life is closed.

In an ideal world I'd LOVE to make one of those artsy gif edits of my Tav like this and this, but PS5s make it hard to download clips without uploading them to YouTube first which I don't really want to do.

Thank you SO MUCH for this ask, I had a blast writing it!! Sorry it's so long, I just love this game so much and LOVE talking about it. Please feel free to ask more questions OR chat with me about YOUR Tav! I'd love to hear all about them :)

[fangswbenefits]

I went digging after I saw all your asks guiding me to that anonymous one. At first, it made my blood boil. But then, I took a few steps back to be more rationale. It is never okay to project one’s insecurities onto someone else, especially a complete stranger that has no influence over your life whatsoever. Take that self hate and turn it into gold.

People never know what artists or writers endure before they reach a certain level of popularity. Sometimes, even when you are considered a popular blog, your posts don’t always “blow up,” and that’s fine. As long as you are writing things for yourself and you enjoy what you produce, you’ve accomplished something monumental. People enjoying them alongside you is a bonus.

I appreciate how gracefully you replied to that ask. You didn’t fight hate with hate. Instead, you took that as an opportunity to encourage them and you kept it pushing.

As for your stories, I love your Astarion content. I legit check your blog every other day for updates because I’m so hooked. You have beautiful prose and I look forward to reading more from you in the future. 🙂 Sorry this ask was so freaking long. 😅😅😅

Hi, friend 🥹🩷 thank you so much for these lovely words!

I hope that person heals and realises that they should put their time and energy into what makes them happy. Everyone here starts from 0. Popularity is a side effect that not everyone seeks. Just happens. I'm also not a fan of how some will downplay "popular" authors as if there is no skill or talent involved. I like to believe I have something of value to offer to the fandoms I write for 🩷

At the end of the day, this is just a hobby. I wish I could live off of this, though 😅 we're just here to cry and yell and cry again over these fictional men 🥺

Thank you so much for enjoying my Astarion content, friend 🥹🩷 took me over two months to dive into some smut but now.... 👀

[piratemousey]

Bg3 fanfic

Astarion x Tav

Tav = Nym Drow Sorcerer

Kinda dark but kinda sweet. Just like our favorite vamp

Warning: blood kink, monster kink, a little cnc, he's a vampire so, yeah

As a child of the Underdark, the surface sometimes made Nym sweat on even temperate days. She liked when there was a breeze a chill in the air. Winter was nice.

Winter was why when Nym first left the Underdark, she headed north. She'd read in a book at her academy library that there were training schools in the north of Faerun which could hone you into a weapon of precision. A wrist and a blade.

When Nym first woke up with the parasite, they were frightened. They began to meet others with the same affliction. She easily gained their trust.

Nym figured they could get rid of the parasite and maybe make a little coin along the way. They knew how to influence people and began to guide the group.

Nym (they/she) was a wild magic sorcerer who never wanted that life. They ran from the magic school her mother sent her to and trained in duelist weapons fighting on the surface.

The first time Astarion bit Nym they thought they could use his hunger and desperation to their advantage. But something changed as the seven companions traveled together. They began to grow friendships and bonds.

The defining moment of their friendship came during a particularly hazardous fight with a hag. Shadowheart fell to the ground after scorching the hag with radiant power. As Nym saw Shadowheart collapse, they felt a desperation they'd never felt before.

When Nym turned to Astarion she saw the same dawning horror on his face.

They both cared. Truly cared.

Passed the schemes and keeping their hides alive, they both knew to lose Shadowheart or any member of the group would be devistating.

Astarion dispelled an illusion of the hag with his off hand and reached for Shadowheart with his left. He pulled her up and she managed to down a potion. In several more moves, the hag lay dead.

Karlach and Shadowheart wasted no time in looting the hags sanctuary, a joy the friends usually shared. But Nym stood with Mayrina as she cried over her husbands coffin. Nym slid the blackened wand which they'd found on the hags table into her bag. They'd pocketed it before anyone else could see. As wild mages sometimes made the best hags, Nym studied their magic as well as her own. She knew a wand to raise the dead. An object that could be nothing but cursed.

Meanwhile, Astarion returned to the surface and hurried off into the putrid bog. He disappeared through the yellowed fog without a word.

Nefore the hag, the group had together that their next step would be to enter the Underdark. When Astarion didn't show up at the entrance they'd agreed on, Nym felt terror in her gut.

Astarion had run from them.

Despite descending into the Underdark with a carefree wave of her hand, Nym couldn't continue. She couldnt pretend Astarion's absense didnt sting.

They made camp the underground ruins of a temple to Selunè. Usually, Shadowheart had something to say when the group encountered the moon goddess and her people, but she was quiet as she made camp. They were all quiet.

The Underdark felt cool and refreshing to Nym after the humidity and stink of the bog. She washed in a small river they found, then settled into her bed. The day was too full of surprises and pain. Though Karlach and Wyll did a lot to bolster moral at dinner, it wasn't enough to sustain Nym's sense of hope.

Later that night, Nym felt the tadpole in her brain move. A shiver of anticipation running over it.

Astarion was back at camp. He moved quietly despite the tadpole sending out a call to the others. She felt some of the others breathe easier knowing he'd returned safe.

She didnt call to him, she waited to see what he would do. Nym often found that if you wanted long enough someone's true self would always be revealed.

The opening to her tent eased back. She could hear the rustle of cloth. Smell the perfumed body of her lover.

But was he her lover? If they were both being manipulative, what could they be?

Nym's heart skipped despite the calm she was trying to maintain.

Astarion eased under the soft sheet which covered Nym. His body was comfortable against their skin. His cool arm slid over her as it did each night. He leaned his mouth close to their neck. His breath warmer then the rest of him. Astarion hovered there in the dark, but he hesitated.

In that moment of hesitation, Nym turned her head to gaze up at Astarion. In the dark, she could see his face. His eyes glowed like deep garnets set into the face of a marble statue.

"You don't have to feed on me tonight if you don't want to."

"I thought you rather enjoyed me feeding on you," His head titled and his voice was smooth. That same cocky humor laced his words but Nym could see through the mask, around the venier where fear was hiding. "Your breath does flutter so."

Hunger? Passion? Nym felt panic as they tried to analyze Astarion's tone. But her complex emotions from the days events had her fogged up.

"I like being close to you, I suppose." Nym said. She let herself be vulnerable. While the worst thing that could result from her vulnerability was Astarion killing her, she knew if he mocked her it would hurt, if he left she might cry. But she couldn't play right now, and she didn't want him too either.

"I'm glad you found us," Nym said. "When you didn't come home..."

"Home?" Astarion chuckled dryly.

The sound stung but Nym pressed on. "I was worried you wouldn't find us because we'd come down here."

"Worried? About me?" Astarion asked, his tone softening around the edges. "Why would you do that?"

"I don't know," Nym said. "I couldn't stop thinking of bad things that could happen."

"Darling, you should know better. Not only am I a viscous killer but I'm an expert at tracking."

"I know you're capable," Nym answered. "We've simply faced so many obstacles."

"Well, you can stop worrying," Astarion said. "I've returned to open all the locks and do most of the fighting. Your delicate tool is back."

"I'm glad you're back," Nym replied. They ignored his boasting and his cutting remarks. Nym trusted what he said and accepted it.

"What in the hells is the matter with you?" Astarion asked. He sat up, pulling away. Nym missed the contact but she wouldn't force him. "We dance around such feelings. We're above deep, short term gain attachments. I thought we understood that about one another."

"I don't know, Astarion," Nym said. "Some of the game isn't fun anymore. The risks are too high."

He loomed over her, his hands landing on either side of her head. "The risks are worth the rewards. These fools would blindly follow you into a fire. What an opportunity."

"I know," Nym said. "But, things are different. I'm different. There's my friends, you're my friend."

"Friend," Astarion's eyes flicked towards the entrance to the tent. Either afraid someone my hear him utter the word or he was about to run again.

Nym touched Astarion's arm, letting their fingers move up the sculpted muscles to his shoulder. Their fingers trailed delicately over his bottom lip.

"You can feed on me, or you can hold me," Nym said. Throat was tight with emotion, they continued. "I'm just happy to have you back."

"And if I chose to tear through this camp, drinking all their blood and ingesting their worms to gain power? Then what?" Astarion threatened.

"I'd be dead." Nym replied. "I wouldn't care what happened after that. Though, my soul would mourn you on whatever plane I ended up on."

Astarion's eyes softened before hardening again. He moved so fast that Nym felt the sting of his teeth before she was aware he'd even moved. Her body arched against him as he laid his weight on top of her, pushing himself between her knees. She let him take her, let him do what he wanted.

If he'd been a mortal, she'd have stabbed him under his ribs with her dagger. But he was a vampire spawn. He was Astarion.

His mouth soften on her neck and he pulled back, his arms holding him up above her.

"I didn't mean to bite so hard," Astarion rushed to say.

"I know," Nym stared back at him. They both knew he was lying, but Nym knew he lied because he regretted it. For Astarion that was a big deal.

Nym waited for his next reaction. He tilted his head as he looked over their face. While the Underdark didn't have moonlight and stars to illuminate things, it did have phosphorescent mushrooms, spores, and insects. Most of which cast a lavender glow.

"Are you all right?" He asked in a hushed tone. Astarion moved off their hips. She missed his weight but didn't say anything. Nym worried about Astarion more than herself. More than she'd worried about anyone for a long time.

"I'll be fine," Nym said. I just need rest and a restoration hit from Shadowheart.

"Perhaps we can sleep in tomorrow," Astarion said. "We'll claim we need rest and make the big-boot squad go out without us." Astarion tilted his head. Nym could tell he was satisfied with his nickname for when Karlack, Lae'zel, Wyll, and Halsin went for supplies.

Nym reached up and touched the soft white curls on his forehead which did little to hide his worry lines.

"We should," Nym said.

"We'll squirrel away with a jar of Gale's honied plums and get fat on them." Astarion said.

"He'd give them to you if you asked, darling," Nym loved the small moniker. It started as Astarion attempting to flirt with her to get into her good graces but had become so many other things too.

"It's more fun to take them and watch him wonder what happened to them while we lick sweet nectar from each other's lips."

"You have me sold," Nym said, smiling up at Astarion.

"I do like how agreeable you are," Astarion said. He leaned close to her neck, cleaning the small trickle of blood which remained. Sealing the wounds enough to stop the bleeding.

"You just happen to make the same choices as me and we agree about things, it's not the same thing." Nym said.

"Go back to telling me I'm pretty," Astarion teased.

"You're the most beautiful person in the world to me," Nym said. She didn't have to lie. Her affection made Astarion beautiful, but also, yes, Astarion was beautiful.

Astarion kissed over Nym's eyelids before settling beside her again. She turned toward him, resting against his chest. They held each other even after the first sounds of the others in the camp stirring reached them.

[findingtarshish]

💛📿🕷️🖤 Let's get to know Lady Thule a bit more!

💛 Which of your non-romanced companions did your Tav stay closest to after the end of the game? Which companions drifted apart?

Helona stayed close with all the origin characters. Gale is, of course, her beloved husband. Wyll and Karlach are her dear friends that she doesn't see often enough, but through Yurgir, she can get letters to and from them. Astarion was pretty heavily influenced by her (he forsook his roguish ways and swore a paladin's oath at her guidance) so they remain closely in touch, with Astarion regaling her with stories of his heroics, on occasion asking for advice, and frequently teasing her for her quiet life with Gale of all people. She doesn't get many chances to talk to Lae'zel, but they miss each other a great deal. Shadowheart is, of course, very close, and they always spend time together when she's in Waterdeep. Shadowheart also joined her for the Run the year after the Absolute crisis. Even though Shadowheart isn't drow, with Sharrans hunting her, life on the surface is no less dangerous, and between them they had plenty of trouble to get up to. Hel also wanted someone with her, since she and Gale were expecting their first child soon, and she knew she couldn't fight at full capacity for a few more months.

However, she has remained closest with Minthara. They worked together to establish connections for her resistance movement in Waterdeep, and Helona has provided her additional support using the, uh, staggering wealth she collected during her adventures. They make an odd pair, a noble of Qu'ellarz'orl providing her sword and a conwoman of the Braeryn providing her coin. She's also entrusted Minthara with the mission of finding her family and bringing them to the surface.

📿 Are there any specific items that your Tav kept as heirlooms, or were otherwise significant to them for sentimental reasons? Did they give any of them as gifts to their companions?

Yes! The Sussar Greatsword hangs over the mantle in Gale's tower, much to his protestation- he doesn't like the sword because of its antimagic properties, but Hel can't bring herself to give it up. She also gave Phalar Aluve to Minthara, a guiding song to light her path in the Underdark.

🖤 Does your Tav have any regrets about the things they did?

Unfortunately, yes. Helona found herself blinded by her anger with Mystic Carrion, and upon discovering the location of his heart, she destroyed Thrumbo rather than coax the heart out of him. When she searched Carrion's upper floors, she found the notes from him and realized what she'd done. Murdering a fellow survivor of abuse and imprisonment weighs heavily on her conscience, zombie or no.

🕷 How many gods did your Tav mouth off to on their adventures? Who was their most behated god?

Six- Mystra (she constantly badmouthed her during the events of the game, then directly insulted her after the game ended), Vlaakith, Milil, Shar, Bane, and Myrkul. Withers was the only god she was nice to, at least when he wasn't calling her bitchless. Pointedly, with Mystra, she encouraged Gale to give the crown to her and get the orb removed, just so they could tell her to fuck off when she tried to make Gale her chosen.

[anghraine]

Astarion's guide to making friends and influencing people!

(But Gale <3)

Gale is standoffish enough (unusually for him!) towards Astarion that I was curious what their first interaction looks like, if Gale's already along when you meet Astarion and gets the cut scene.

Sure enough: