#daily astarion

[dailyastarionpics]

[shandoratheexplorer]

"Always, always you save me."

Art made by @acutecastle (thank you so, so much for this!!! I LOVE IT!)

As the others gather at the docks, their eyes turn skyward. The nautiloids above them, once terrible in their dominion, now spiral out of control, their monstrous forms colliding with the towers of Baldur’s Gate. A deafening cacophony of destruction fills the air as they plummet, their impact sending shockwaves through the city. Some disappear into the Chionthar below, the river swallowing their ruin whole. Astarion barely notices. "I—It’s gone...", he gasps, his voice wavering with disbelief. "The tadpole... I can’t feel it anymore." The words tremble on his lips as his mind races to process what it means. A slow smile spreads across his face, something fragile, something real—until his gaze finds Octavian. Octavian, who is already moving toward him, worry etched into every sharp line of his expression. The Paladin’s mismatched eyes search his face with an urgency that tightens Astarion’s throat. The vampire knows what’s coming next. He knows, and yet— Just one more time. Just a few more seconds. His chin tilts skyward, and he lets the evening sun caress his face. The glow of it, the gentle warmth against his skin, the way it bathes the world in gold—gods, how he will miss this. How he will long for it. He drinks it in, clings to the sensation as if he can will himself to withstand it. But the sun is a cruel lover. The warmth sours into fire, licking at his skin, searing through his flesh. He stumbles, the pain blooming across his body, but he refuses to move. "Astarion!" Octavian’s voice cuts through the agony, hands gripping his shoulders. "You have to get out of the sun!" But he can’t. Not yet. Because even as the fire tears at him, as his body weakens under the onslaught, he grieves. He grieves the one thing he loved most about this entire accursed tadpole business— Apart from finding his soulmate. His legs give out beneath him. He collapses, knees hitting the dock with a thud, the sun scorching his skin like a brand. He braces for the agony, for the light to consume him— And then, shadows envelop him. A rustle of feathers, the soft snap of wind against wings, and suddenly, the fire is gone. Astarion gasps as cool darkness swallows him whole, shielding him, saving him. The agony recedes, leaving behind only trembling exhaustion. Slowly, he lifts his head. Octavian’s wings stretch above them, crimson like the deepest velvet, silver filaments catching the dying light. Astarion’s breath stutters. Crimson meets pearl grey and sapphire blue. "Octavian..." His name is not just a name. It is a lifeline. A prayer. A love story written in blood and battle and a future that should have never been his to dream of. Astarion chuckles weakly, his voice fraying at the edges. "Always, always you save me." Octavian smiles down at him, something impossibly soft in his gaze. "If shelter is what you need, then shelter is what I will give you. Always, Starlight. Always." Astarion no longer has the strength to hesitate. He throws himself into Octavian’s arms, allowing the Paladin to gather him close, to wrap him in the warmth and safety of his wings, to become his shield against a world that has never been kind to creatures like him. His face presses into the cool metal of Octavian’s armor, and he exhales shakily, a whisper slipping from his lips like a sacred confession. "I love you." Octavian’s arms tighten around him, his voice steady, unshakable. "I love you too." And just like that, Astarion is home.

[naniksstuff]

Love his grandiloquent rant with an overdramatic deliver. The pure mockery in “VAMPIRIC MASTAAH!” phrase… Wow. Listening him in this game is nothing but an absolute joy. ❤️

[shandoratheexplorer]

oh dear heavens that made me giggle

Uh, he'd take it pretty well I think.

[surprisesausages]

Baby needs healing (💀)

[vamplire]

love when vampires have their "off-limits human" all while they are cruel & conniving & instinctually prey on the rest of the population. but them? oh, no, they could never see that side of the creature they have grown to love. with them they are gentleness incarnate fighting their nature every moment they lay in their arms.

[dailyastarionpics]

[shandoratheexplorer]

I NEEDED SOMEONE TO DRAW THIS AND NOW SOMEONE DID!

AHHH THANK YOU!!!

astarion in his nightgown going to the bathroom in the middle of the night....

[shandoratheexplorer]

Chapter 101: How to propose

The next chapter of Symphony of Shadow and Light is out y'all!!

And it features not one but two commissioned artpieces!

Piece done by @acutecastle

There he stands, his Paladin, though his tall frame is swaying as if he might collapse at any moment. His right hand pushes firmly against his chest, trying to slow the bleeding from the deep, vicious wounds Orin left in her final assault. But it's his left hand that reveals the winner of this deathly duel. Clutched in his grasp is Orin's severed head, her grotesque, spiked form reduced to a lifeless trophy. His fingers curled around one of the Slayer's twisted horns, holding onto it tightly as a grim declaration of his victory. Blood drips steadily from the head, pooling at his feet, while his own blood paints his torso in vivid streaks of crimson. The Paladin's face is pale, his expression a mixture of exhaustion, pain and the unyielding resolve Astarion has come to know and love. Despite his broken wings hanging limply from his back. Despite the sway in his stance. Despite everything. Octavian has won.

Piece done by @fissart

His lips part, his throat hoarse and raw and the words slip free before he can think better of them. "Marry me." His voice is barely a whisper, a cracked, broken sound, but it rings through the silence like a bell. Astarion blinks, his breath catching, his mouth parting slightly as if he misheard and a choked, wet laugh breaks from him, the sound shaky, disbelieving, full of something both tender and utterly overwhelmed. "You're delirious", he breathes, his voice shaking as he grabs his discarded cloak again, swiping it over Tav's bloodied chest. But when he pulls the fabric away, there is no longer carnage, only smooth, pink scars where once there was ruin. The wounds are gone. The nightmare is finally over. His fingers tremble as the cloak slips from his grasp, forgotten as he cups Octavian's face instead, cradling him as though he might disappear again if he isn't held firmly in place. Octavian smiles, something soft, weary, but full of certainty, his fingers finally finding the strength to reach up, burying themselves in Astarion's silver curls while his other hand covers Astarion's own, pressing it against his cheek, grounding himself in his touch. "I don't want to die again without being married to you first", he whispers, voice still weak, still shaky, but steady in its conviction. Astarion inhales sharply, his crimson eyes widening slightly, his entire world narrowing to the man lying beneath him, battered but alive, so alive. Octavian's smile grows, his eyes holding nothing but love, nothing but absolute certainty. "Marry me", he whispers again. Astarion lets out another wet, broken chuckle, his body still shaking, his breath still uneven. Then—a very undignified sniff. He doesn't seem to care about the noise he just made. He doesn't seem to care how undone he looks, how much his emotions are laid bare. Just as long as Tav is fine. His smile wobbles, his chest trembles and he shakes his head just slightly, not in refusal, but in disbelief, in sheer, uncontainable affection. His eyes never leave Octavian's—because he needs to make sure. Make sure the light won't fade from them again. Make sure that this is real. He exhales a breathless, shaky laugh and whispers, "You're delirious", he says again, his voice a soft whisper full of love and affection. Then— He finally leans down to kiss him.

[naniksstuff]

He looks ethereal under moonlight … 🌌

[mutualcombat]

[panthermouthh]

“What manner of man is this, or what manner of creature is it in the semblance of man?”

My take on “book accurate” Count Dracula 🦇

[amberkendslacy]

I love Vampires that are so shit at hiding. Blood bags in the fridge next to the leftover pizza, framed photos of them from 200 years ago over the mantle. Not even trying but also bold face lying to the mortals with a straight face. Kiss on the head. You're perfect.

[ishaslife]

Sooooo, I've been playing around with the free cam mod and uhhh...

He looks so... relieved after pouring his heart out to you. To see that you feel the same way and don't want him simply for sex. He's shocked of course that you'd feel the same way but I bet part of him is going "phew, gods." Hugging him means so much because my goodness he deserves it, he's been needing a hug for the past hundreds of years he's been a slave.

Notice how he simply holds your hand in his at the ending of this scene, almost as if to make himself feel better saying "I have no idea what we're doing or what comes next, but I know that this... this is nice." He's been using sex as a way to get victims for Cazador for years, it has come to mean close to nothing to him except with you, you're the first person he had sex with of his own volition, that must mean so much to him and he just realises that in this scene. Holding hands, a simple hug, a little peck makes him feel appreciated and cared for, not just TRULY wanted but also, needed in more ways than one and it also makes him not want to let go. He wants to be your friend, someone to lean on along with being your lover, not just someone to have sex with. He is genuinely scared to lose you which is evident in his breakup line, he understands why you'd want to leave him but he is sad nonetheless, you're the first person to truly understand him or at least want to try to and he doesn't want to lose that.

This post is inspired from this post.

[shandoratheexplorer]

I am.. in awe

I guess im done? Checked 10 times to not forget anything but im sure i forgot something anyway as always. Welp That's sort of how i think he'd pose for portrait after ascension

[surprisesausages]

Every girlboss has her weakness😢