#drow version to come

[xelina]

Want to get into Astarion's pants? Perhaps just steal his panties? I design cosplay themed clothes, and I'm really proud of these ones. I spent a bunch of time trying to get the design just right on the elven underwear from bg3! They're in my shop now! Currently three versions; Astarion, Halsin/Jaheira, and Twitch. they're available here!

And since it's one of the few times of year that my printer runs a sale, they're 10% off until December 30th!

[bluejay-makes]

Drow kiddos growing up in different cities

[spiderwarden]

@thcdoomed requested pictures (this post) and I’ll do them one better, because who am I to deny:

[the-weeping-dawn]

Even though Ilz would pretty rarely refuse personal power when given a chance basically the only person he wouldn't argue on that is literally Bane himself since personally his general goal was just to stay useful enough to stay alive, and yes a level of power is needed for that (and still prefers it when he looks weak, and is kept out of the centre as much as possible....) but doesn't see it as quite the same. Especially if one doesn't ignore that he certainly does get drawn to people who don't have small ambitions to say the least.

[moltensmusings]

A few things about Astarion that I need people to think about outside of him simply being flirty and attractive (since people keep reducing him to his sex scenes):

His route has a heavy focus on emotional intimacy and consent. You can sleep with him sure, but if in-between acts 2 and 3 you learn nothing about him and pressure him into having sex with you then you're not understanding his character and he'll only see you as someone who wants his body.

Ascended astarion is his bad/dark ending. I know people love it when he's powerful and ascended/durge is a relationship people love and I'm not here to say that's wrong or that you're a terrible person for doing it. But stop arguing that it's his happy ending, or that he's better for it when he literally loses himself and in a nonascended version he'll say he could feel himself changing in ways he didn't like. He becomes another cazador. He only truly expresses himself and feels release if he kills Cazador and doesn't ascend.

Unless you do the drow twin scene prior to beating Cazador you're not forcing him into anything. He gives approval for going through with it. Do I think he regrets it after because he realizes he was biting off too much too early? Yes. But it's literally him learning his boundaries and understanding what he is and isn't comfortable with. He's only just starting to be able to fully choose what he wants, sometimes you make mistakes. It's part of the process.

Astarion died young before he fully matured as an elf, but he wasn't a child. He was a magistrate in the city, he had a fully functioning brain. But just because he was an adult by human standards when he died doesn't make it any less heartbreaking. People dying in their 30s is still tragically young. And even more so for an elf.

(This one doesn't come up as often) he doesn't hate Gale, he is very much flirting with and attracted to Gale at in act 1 if you bring them around. In fact Shadowheart and Wyll are the only ones he has dislike for at any point and as the story goes he warms up to everyone. All the companions care for each other and it's one of the best found families in video games.

There are several companions I feel large portions of the fandom just misunderstand/don't fully read into and it's tiring because the devs made each one so layered and interesting. I just feel like since Astarion is essentially the face of the game now, he's the one who constantly gets boiled down to his most surface level qualities with little regard for his story as a whole.

[room-surprise]

PSA: There are no Dungeons in Dungeon Meshi! They're labyrinths!

(WARNING FOR MANGA SPOILERS)

When the characters in the manga talk about dungeons, in Japanese they are actually using the word 迷宮 (meikyū) which means labyrinth. The connotation based on the kanji used is a palace or castle with many confusing rooms. The word “dungeon” (ダンジョン, danjon) is only every used in the manga’s title, when the narrator of the manga is referring to the title ("ahh Dungeon Meshi!"), or when Kui discusses dungoniums (ダンジョニウム/Danjoniumu) which she describes in the world guide as miniature dungeons, built to emulate a labyrinth.

The English loan word “dungeon” is most likely intended to catch Japanese reader’s eyes because it is foreign and exotic, and lead them into a false sense of security because of the Japanese pop culture perception of “dungeon” as a relatively harmless place where characters have formulaic adventures and gather resources as part of a game, or a game-like story.

“Dungeons” in Japanese pop culture can be sinister, but they have come to mean something as innocuous as “level” or “environment.” The early story of Dungeon Meshi is lighthearted and full of comedy, which reinforces this idea and leads readers to believe that the labyrinth in the story is just a generic backdrop with little inherent importance, like it is in many fantasy stories. However, Kui repeatedly suggests the labyrinth is not benign, that it is itself a monster and that anyone foolish enough to go into it is at risk of becoming food, and being devoured.

Before the word dungeon came to generically mean “place to exploit for resources” in fantasy fiction and gaming, its primary meaning was prison. So then the title “Dungeon Meshi” actually means “prison meal.” But who or what does the prison in Dungeon Meshi contain? Of all the people in the dungeon, who are the prisoners? And what does a “prison meal” really mean? A meal eaten by prisoners? A meal cooked by prisoners? A meal cooked using prisoners as ingredients? All of these meanings are implied and hinted at in the manga.

The characters in the story call the dungeon a labyrinth, which is a word that means a maze-like prison, specifically one that traps innocent young people and a man-eating monster inside. Both the monster and its food, the people, are prisoners… But which of them will die and be eaten? Who will escape the labyrinth in the end, and what will it cost them?

You’ll have to read Dungeon Meshi to find out!

======================

But so, you may ask, Mushroom, aside from all that stuff you just said, why does the dungeon/labyrinth distinction matter?

ARIADNE SPIDERS

(Using the cute version here to protect anyone with arachnophobia)

These are giant spiders that the elves use to produce silk, which they use to make the armor the Canaries wear. Though we don’t know for sure, it’s likely the spiders are domesticated in order to make farming their silk easier.

Ariadne is the name of an Ancient Greek mythological character, and may be derived from the Ancient Cretan dialectical elements ari (ἀρι-) "most" (which is an intensive prefix) and adnós (ἀδνός) "holy", but the exact origins of the name are unknown. It may be pre-Greek and not from the Indo-European language family at all.

Ariadne was a princess of Crete that helped the hero Thesus escape from the maze/dungeon that contained the minotaur by giving Theseus a ball of magic thread. 

The spiders in the manga have a pattern on their backs that looks like a maze, and their silk thread is the thing that protects the Canaries while they’re in the dungeon, and allows them to make it back out alive. The elves may consider the spiders “most holy” because they provide the means for them to protect themselves in battle.

Having the elves use a giant spider as a type of livestock might also be a playful reference to the drow (dark elves) of Dungeons & Dragons, since they worship a spider goddess, and Kui’s elves probably don’t worship the spiders if they’re using them as livestock… Though it’s also possible that they have a reverence for the spiders similar to the way cows are worshiped in parts of India, since some of elven culture appears to be based on South Asia!

THE CANARIES ARE BEING SACRIFICED TO THE DUNGEONS

Minos, Ariadne’s father, prayed to the God Poseidon to help him defeat his brothers and become king. He was sent a snow-white bull as a sign of the God’s favor. Minos was supposed to sacrifice the bull to Posiedon to show his gratitude, but because it was so beautiful Minos kept it, and sacrificed a different, inferior bull instead. 

To punish Minos, Poseidon made Mino’s wife fall in love with the bull, which resulted in her mating with it and giving birth to a half-man, half-bull monster, a minotaur that could only survive by eating human flesh. King Minos constructed a labyrinth to hide the proof of his family’s shame and keep the minotaur trapped inside it.

In order to avoid war with King Minos, the people of Athens made a bargain, and every few years they sent 14 youths from their noble families to Minos as a sacrifice. These young men and women were sent into the labyrinth, where they became lost and trapped, and were eventually eaten by the minotaur. This continued until Ariadne fell in love with one of the Athenian youths, Theseus, and gave him a ball of magic thread which allowed him to kill the minotaur and escape the labyrinth.

There’s many ways this tale parallels the story of Dungeon Meshi. The ancients used the demon to accomplish their goals, and eventually their use of the demon’s power and their failure to control it led to them having to imprison the demon in a maze, and conceal its existence from the rest of the world. Now the elves, the descendants of the ancients, regularly “sacrifice” some of the children of their noble families to the dungeon, in an attempt to keep the demon from breaking free and destroying the world…

(This is an excerpt from my Dungeon Meshi essay.)

[anim-ttrpgs]

A.N.I.M. Plans for January 2025

January 9th: Release Patreon Rewards

These will include a further updated and more finished version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, three short stories you may have heard me mention regarding the character Yvette Preux, the adventure modules, and, perhaps most excitingly, a sorta-playable preview of our upcoming new game, Silk&Dagger: A Sensible Drow RPG.

The best way to describe Silk&Dagger in a few sentences might be that it is a unique take on drow that explores what kind of society would actually result in the common tropes associated with them in fiction, and a game about slice-of-life in an oppressive underground society with strictly enforced social hierarchy and behavioral expectations for each social class. Most players will play servants, with one player playing a mistress, all trying to accomplish household tasks while each is weighed down by their own strict class expectations. Another player, a sort of co-GM representing the expectations of society at large, deducts and awards metacurrency based on how well each PC is sticking to what is expected of them. It is a black comedy, with a lot of the humor coming from just how overwhelmingly shitty this strict hierarchy-based society makes life for everyone, and the awkward hoops everyone has to jump through to keep up appearances.

The preview of Silk&Dagger coming to the patreon this month is not finished enough for me to call it fully playable, it doesn't even have proper character creation rules yet, but it does have enough rules and lore that you can get a good idea of how the game is supposed to play. Playtesters who have played this version with the help of me filling in the blanks verbally as we go have all said they really enjoyed it, though.

January 30th: Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Itchio Beta Update & Adventure Modules Release

January 2025 is when Eureka was originally supposed to be fully finished, but due to delays and, we will admit, an overambitious timeframe, Eureka just isn't fully finished this month. We will, however, be releasing what we have as an update to the free public beta on itchio. Work will still continue on Eureka as it has done, and we plan to have it fully finished by the end of this year at the absolute latest.

Along with this beta update of the rulebook, we are also releasing the beta for Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Mystery Modules Vol 1., which will include the two other Eureka adventure modules that are finished enough to be fully playable: The Eye of Neptune and FORIVA: The Angel Game, both previously only available through our patreon.

And finally,

Make at Least $1,360.82

We need to make at least $1,360.82 in January to keep the studio afloat and for me to continue supporting myself primarily through A.N.I.M. At the time of writing this (January 7th, 2025), we are at $175.30/$1,360.82.

To this end, we are really banking on the Silk&Dagger preview to draw people to the patreon, and getting a lot of itchio sales for both the Eureka beta and the never-before-fully-public adventure modules in the last couple days of the month. If you want to support us and more sure we reach this goal, reblog this post and our other posts and talk about Eureka (we live-and-die on word-of-mouth), and if you want to financially support us directly, here are some links. Thank you for all of your wonderful support thus far.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

hiii, i am writing my first book/novel. its highlighting d***th, romance, mystery, politics, pretty questionable characters w revenge, thriller and lots of women n power play. its my first book and im not that educated about such themes. but this rough plot i have in my mind is so beautiful that underperforming this excellent trope would be a shame....ive never written before so could you please what to do to actually write this kinda theme to my heart's satisfaction. I've never written a freaking chap before and now im really lost

Writing Ideas: Revenge Tropes

some tropes related to revenge, thriller, women, and power play

Afterlife Avenger: This trope involves the circumstance where a character explicitly still chooses to pursue conflicts against whatever's left of their hated target long after they've passed.

Best Served Cold: Named for the French (or Sicilian, or Klingon, or drow, depending on who you ask) proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." At least in the case of drow, it also means one can have well-planned revenge and drive them mad with fear as a bonus.

Crusading Widow: The death or murder of their significant other motivates the character to seek revenge.

Defeat as Backstory: A protagonist (or some other character's backstory) in a story begins by having been defeated either before the story began, or early on in the story (often in a prologue).

Dying Curse: With his dying breath, a character wishes ill fortune upon his killers, or some other personal enemy.

Pay Evil unto Evil: In real life, the sort of thinking behind this trope is called "retributive justice".

Revenge Through Corruption: Instead of inflicting physical harm, the villain attacks the mind and soul.

Villain-by-Proxy Fallacy: When someone goes after not only a crime's perpetrator, but those who supplied the perpetrator or were otherwise marginally connected to it, whether or not the people involved had anything to do with the actual crime.

Woman Scorned: A woman who's been dumped, cheated on, or otherwise done wrong by her significant other (or, in some cases, merely thinks she's been).

Examples

Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, probably the greatest revenge story of all time.

In the original version of Beauty and the Beast, the Prince's widowed mother goes off to fight a war and leaves a wicked fairy to help him rule. When the Prince comes of age, she tries to seduce him and turns him into a Beast when he refuses her advances.

In Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab makes it clear throughout the book that he'll pursue Moby Dick to, into, through, and out of Hell, and even then he still won't be satisfied until the whale suffers forever for its slight against him.

Crime and Punishment: One of the antagonists of the novel, Porfiry, works as a police officer and interrogator, which usually would qualify as a good-aligned job. As you further witness this officer's tactics in catching criminals, you see him commit to bribery, thievery, death-threats, and psychological torture to force an admission. Furthermore, he seems to actually enjoy it, toying with amateur criminals like a cat torturing a wounded mouse. The justification, of course, being that the victim of this was a murderer, and therefore deserves it.

George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood: After the war, Lady Joanna Lannister has a beef to pick with the Greyjoys, who've taken up raiding the coast, including killing a few Lannisters. She decides the best course of action is go to the Iron Islands and kill every man, woman and child she can find. She just settles for burning a lot of things and abducting one Greyjoy, gelding him and turning him into her fool.

Feyd Rautha Harkonnen receives a Dying Curse in Dune. After killing a combat slave in the arena, his opponent's final words are "One day one of us will get you." Given that this fighter is not just a slave, but one of the soldiers from the army of the Harkonnen's blood enemies, the Atreides, this may be prophetic.

In A Song of Ice and Fire, Arya Stark's conflation of justice and personal vengeance leads her to Villain-by-Proxy Fallacy. While many of people on her death list certainly deserve to be brought to justice, such as the Tickler for torture and Weese for abuse, others were merely acting on orders, such as the Hound, doing their jobs or are just guilty by association. Cersei Lannister is on her death list for being involved in the execution of Ned Stark, but Cersei wasn't complicit in that activity, and even spoke out against it. Same with Ilyn Payne, who was just doing his job as the royal executioner. The real mastermind of Ned's death, Littlefinger, is not on the list. Meryn Trant is on the list for killing Syrio Forel, but there isn't any evidence to confirm the crime. Polliver and Dunsen are on the list for flimsy reasons, like stealing. She has Chiswyck murdered for the crime of not being as funny as he thinks he is (granted, Chiswyck was joking about a gang rape, but that isn't the reason Arya cites as his crime). The conflation of justice and vengeance, and how that conflation leads to this trope, is one of the key themes of the entire story.

Queen Dido in The Aeneid, who prophesies that her and Aeneas's people will meet again in war (the Punic Wars — her future, Virgil's past). Particularly tragic in that it's made fairly obvious that he'd have stayed with her if he'd had the choice.

Sidney Sheldon's The Best Laid Plans: Leslie Stewart plots to ruin the career of Oliver Russell when he leaves her at the altar to marry a woman whose father promises to further his political career.

The Hunger Games: The Pay Evil Unto Evil trope is discussed all the way through Mockingjay, and reaches its culmination when President Coin suggests either executing all Capitol citizens or forcing their children into the Games.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hi, here are some tropes I found related to the themes you described. You can find more in the source linked above. Study how it is portrayed in different types of media, and in your favourite films/books, to gain inspiration for your own story. You can take the rough idea/plot you already have, and try to incorporate techniques and tropes used by other authors, but then deviate from borrowing those ideas when your story starts to flow naturally. All the best with your writing!

[autistichalsin]

One of the things that fascinates me about Halsin is how, as into sex as he is, he seems singularly focused on his partner's pleasure; he gets on his knees for them in his romance scene, but shows no sign of wanting them to return the favor.

And in fact, he is a lot better at giving advice than taking it. After flirting at the Tiefling party, Halsin tells the player not to worry about coming on too strong and that they were just seizing the moment, and yet, if the player rejects Halsin after he accidentally wildshapes, the next morning he apologizes for coming on too strong.

Whether that's just a hangup of his because he thinks he has to be the Best to make sure his lover won't leave him, or maybe some of it is a result of the Underdark, I'm not sure. But he definitely is harder on himself than others.

And I think that is one thing that would come out in his kinks; as much as he affirms that, for example, dom/sub fantasies are perfectly normal (like in that party banter to ascended Astarion, where his worry is specifically because the player is actually thralled) he seems like he has trouble affirming his own. For example, he shifts into bear form in the Drow brothel, but only does this when they express interest in his bear form; "we must give the people what they want, mustn't we?"

So it would be really interesting, then, for Halsin to have a really taboo kink/desire, and be absolutely terrified to tell his partner about it, terrified they'll think he's sick/a freak and leave him.

TW: Discussion of consensual non-consent, also known as rape fantasy or rapeplay, are under the cut. Read at your own risk.

So imagine Halsin having this fantasy. As a big guy he is used to being the dominant partner; no one has ever suspected he might like to bottom, or to be a submissive. The only time he's done such a thing was with his Drow captors. He knows he would like to give his submission willingly, and he does with his partner a few times, before expressing this particular kink.

One thing that gets horribly misunderstood is what makes one actually want CNC. It isn't that they actually want to get raped; it's the idea of having control forcibly taken so completely, while still being safe. Such people wouldn't enjoy a real assault. It's precisely because it comes from a trusted partner, who isn't actually hurting them, that people enjoy it.

So for Halsin, who always has to be in control, to want to explore his trauma where he was forced to lose control, and to experiment with elements from that in an entirely different scenario, where he can draw comfort from it, is something i could very much see him wanting. He would want to revisit those on his terms. He himself said that while under such endless stress from the Shadow Curse, he began to fantasize about his days with the Drow, viewing it as a safer place mentally. "Perhaps [the Shadow Curse] caused me to gild undeserving memories of my youth..." He is trying to work out his feelings towards when he lost control.

He clearly doesn't want to return to them; if a Lolth Drow threatens to sell him back to his captors, he snaps, "you would be unwise to attempt it, trust me. In any case, the house of my captors is long-extinct." Then he pauses and has a realization; realizing for the first time that they were captors, not hosts, and that captors was a more accurate term. Halsin is still processing parts of his trauma, after all this time, and admits that his current stresses caused him to struggle with this.

So he doesn't want to actually return to them, but in his head he constructed a fantasy version of them that was safer to engage with, where the violations he endured weren't real. And honestly, in his shoes, it's completely understandable how and why that happened.

So that makes the case for why he needs a safe place to explore himself, his fantasies, his fears, all of it.

The issue of course is that Halsin is self-sacrificing and, as noted above, doesn't seem to prioritize his wants as much as his partners'. If he ever did manage to speak about this, it would be, I think, after a great deal of guilt and maybe even self-loathing, thinking there must be something wrong with him for having these fantasies.

So imagine him with a partner who is happy to indulge him, who gets him to finally open up about his desires. Who affirms that he's allowed to have desires, to process his trauma however he needs; after all, any way of working through it is better than doing nothing like Halsin has been doing for centuries. This is him finally being willing to explore it, to see how it interacted with his own sexuality; of course his partner would never refuse him such a thing.

That is the core of the CNC fic I'm going to write; showing how Halsin's unique blend of traumas affect how and why he craves this in particular.

[rpgchoices]

Misdirection (Astarion romance route)

BG3 spoilers

I am obsessed with the misdirection in Astarion's romance. I said it before, I was absolutely tricked too. When you read a text or consume media every line is put there for a reason, it is a waste otherwise. By the party scene you kind of have a certain idea of what Astarion is. You know that he dislikes helping others, you know that he lies, he flirts a lot, he is vain, he is a killer, and he wants power (from the conversations about the tadpoles and Raphael).

At this point, if you chose him as a romance, it could also be that you enjoyed the idea of him being a vampire and all the tropes that come with it.

So when, after the first night together, you can ask him "It felt like you weren't fully there" there had to be a reason. From a writing pov, why was that line added?

As a player, you have to wonder. And by this point in the story it seems like a warning there is little that might convince you that what he answers with is not the truth, mainly because it falls right into the classic stereotypes of this kind of romance. Of course he is a danger, he did not want to lose control, be careful in the future - this is how it would sound to me if I romanced him without spoilers. I know because when I got his sex scene, I reloaded and romanced someone else because this kind of aggressive seduction vampire fantasy was not my thing.

If I had read this line, I would have been sure it was a small hint that romancing Astarion could end up very badly. Another small misdirection that could easily end up as a clue is in their second pre-sex scene together. Astarion is making sure the MC will stay with him, and he is very seductive. The funny thing is that if you choose the "yes" (1st option in the pictures just below) you don't get any other information or clue, but just flirting. You actually get even more of the fantasy, he talks about how he cannot stop thinking about you, he even presses on the word "dangerous", and his mannerism is all business

If instead you ask him to be better he goes on and on about his lines, he directly tells the player that these are all fake, basically. You can even ask him if these lines work on Cazador's targets, and he says "well, they worked on YOU".

So at this point as players we know that the player is being manipulated and teased up till a point. I definitely fell for it by immediately cutting the romance short, and never thinking about it again until I got the strenght potion scene. I got that scene as a friendship one, which has different options.

It is a bit different than the romance, he is much more direct in my opinion. He talks about his body as one of the few assets he has, and he is much more confused about why he was being "too precious" about the potion, he is actually surprised by himself.

And as I said, it is much more direct when he says that he never had a choice before (and he is specifically talking about sex). In the friendship version you can also convince him that he needs to use all of this that he has because he might, to protect himself and get advantage, which at least gives credit to our MC if we do romance him.

(TW!! for SA) In the romance scene instead you never get these options, you CANNOT convince him to keep using his body, and if you try to do so he will break up with you, as he should, he is much more confident.

And regarding the whole misdirection if you have not maximized his approval, you won't get his confession but you will find out the whole of his story after the drow potion scene. That is the scene where he thanks you for respecting his consent. I feel like it is such a monumental and surprising one, definitely not one I expected.

And the options are SO SO TELLING. The one sex option you get in this dialogue is the WRONG one. The game directly tells you that by choosing it you assaulted him and disregarded his consent.

There are instead 5 good options. I checked and they all seem to have the same amount of approval.

They are:

1. Showing him that your feelings are real so he can trust them. 2. Showing him intimacy without sex (hug). 3. Confirming that you want to be with him even with his burdens (he often mentions them in other dialogues, especially when you choose between him and Gale). 4. Saying you can be together without sex. And my favourite: 5. ASKING him what he wants, CARING about what he wants.

So yeah, I admit I absolutely fell for it, I was convinced this would take such a wildly different road. Glad to see it did not.

[karniss-bg3]

The Tragedy of Faith

So between tumblr and twitter I've read various takes on Kar'niss and what draws people to him. For some it's the monster fucking appeal, for others it's the desire to fix a clearly broken individual. There are in-betweens and of course this is subjective and depends on the person. Act 2 spoilers ahead. Where my personal interest comes from is how good Larian communicated the tragedy of faith and what a cult can do to a person. Kar'niss is a creature that has been broken by not one God, but two. Lolth broke him physically, the Absolute broke him mentally. His entire identity has been lost to a deity to the point he raises her in his speech. Referring to her as "Majesty" and "Queen", two terms you don't really hear anyone else address her as, he has elevated her to his final savior and leader. He also often refers to himself as "we" and "us", cementing him as part of the hive mind rather than holding any individuality of his own. When he does refer to himself as "I", it's mostly to show further loyalty to the Absolute, to maintain a position of importance in his fractured mind. Cults are notorious for targeting the most vulnerable in society as they are the easiest to mold and manipulate to their doctrine. The fact that goblins are one of the main races that fall to the Absolute's influence is telling in that regard, as they are often dismissed by the other races. Kar'niss was ripe for the picking, an easy target to lure into her arms. No doubt he was found shortly after Lolth twisted him into a drider and banished him, he didn't stand a chance.

Not even taking those elements into account, Kar'niss came from a society that is infamous for cruelty and violence, especially toward males of their species. Drow greatest hits include, but are not limited to: -Killing their young if they are not aesthetically pleasing enough. In other words, ugly. -Sacrificing every third born son to Lolth.

-If a male finds the favor of two competing females, it often doesn't end well for the male. The rival woman will kill the male and chuck his dead body into his opponents bedchambers, just for the sake of being petty.

-Love and emotions of any sort are in short supply, if not outright unseen as a general rule. The nature of drow to backstab and seek to rise in the ranks makes it near impossible to be anything other than fierce and domineering.

With these things in mind, it's easy to assume that Kar'niss had a turbulent upbringing and likely suffered untold abuse from many around him. It's not to say that good or reasonable drow don't exist, it's just not commonplace in a Lolthite society. Unfortunately, the game doesn't give us a great deal to go on as far as his past. What little he reveals only happens after he's dead, and even then its really a cliffs notes version. What we do know is that his devotion is intense and unwavering. He's willing to die for the Absolute because in his mind the Absolute are the only ones who care about him. We even see fellow followers talk down to him, dismiss him, and verbally eye-roll the guy. To them, his fanaticism is over the top and they follow the same God he does.

All told, this leads me to the conclusion that Kar'niss has never, or rarely, known true compassion in his entire life. He's been used as a puppet for one deity or another, and likely mocked or cast aside even when he did everything right. It doesn't surprise me that there are folks who desire a romance option, or barring that a side venture to break him free of the Absolute's hold. We don't know if Kar'niss did terrible things in his past, or where his moral compass sits as his entire personality revolves around God. But I'd love to know, and I crave more background on him in one form or another.

I've spent too much time thinking about different paths that could happen in-game. I also understand it's incredibly unlikely he'll ever become a companion. The sheer amount of time and resources needed to give a character a satisfying arc is likely more than Larian can do with other constraints, but maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised. So Kar'niss lovers, platonic, romantic, or everything in-between...I gotchu fam. We stan the spooder bby. Someone get that man a blanket and a nice mug of hot cocoa. And a cult de-programming kit, one of those would be good.

[lutethebodies]

The Misunderstood Blunt Instrument

Two Minthara posts from yesterday (this one about the glorious new wallpapers and this one about her weapons and armor) got me thinking about The Mace as her weapon of choice. If I recall correctly the fandom has touched on bits of it already, so I won't go too long on this (and forgive me if it's been mentioned already), but other than the two cited above my brief searches haven't yielded anything new. And what I got thinking about was how ditching the maces upon recruitment is almost essential.

Personally I never retain them as her melee weapons, for both mechanical and RP reasons. For the first it's because I routinely respec her to a Dex-based build and of course maces are Str-based. The second reason is because (and forgive me if I’m late to the party here) that as a paladin she’s a blunt instrument for whatever deity she’s sworn to: Lolth, the Absolute, etc. And once she’s free of both, she’s free to choose how to defend herself and/or her friends/lovers among the companions.

As noted here, the mace itself may be two fun call-backs in one—both to her EA version as a cleric and, as dual-wielded by an exile, to Drizzt's "draa velve" fighting style (and I'll take their word for it because I may be the only over-40 D&D fan who hasn't read Salvatore's books). But representing this with maces feels specifically like a reductive and more brutish or ugly choice—and the perfect encapsulation for what she's become while enthralled.

The Absolute (and/or the three Chosen) has sanded down all the complexities of Minthara's character into the "mad dog" epithet Ketheric dumps on her during her trial. I'd add (based on much better arguments by much smarter fans) that for the casual BG3 player this is all she is and all she'll ever be, especially (as she notes after Orin's death) that if Tav/Durge had killed her, that would indeed be her fate.

The mace is also a symbol of Minthara's pre-tadpoled hubris of privilege, arrogance, and elitism in that it's the deadweight of how her life up to that point had sculpted her to precisely this outcome. A symbol of her trauma. "How the mighty have fallen" is a cliché, sure, but it's a cliché precisely because it's true and happens so often. The schadenfreude that fellow envious Lolth-sworn might feel when encountering this manic, raving caricature of their own culture! The shock that anyone who knew her from her previous life might feel about how she's changed for the worse! She says as much when candidly later admitting that pride is one of her sins.

The mace is a great choice for an enthralled Minthara, but that makes it (for me) necessary to abandon when she's a companion. The mace helps further that convenient, simplistic, reactive, and reductive way of writing her off as just another male-hating Drow dominatrix. It helps any player confirm lazy priors about her, which might be why she's both blithely dismissed by some and jealously policed by others.

So that's why I always ditch those weapons and re-arm her with Phalar Aluve. It may be just as reductive, but I think it fits, because 1) it's a fab finesse weapon for Dex-based builds, 2) fuck you Lolth, this is a weapon of Eilistraee and Minthara will wield it at you if you come for her and anyone she loves, and 3) fuck you Absolute, she is not your blunt instrument anymore, and she will smite you with something entirely different and with extreme prejudice.

[meanbossart]

When you described the fashion that Drow dislikes it made me think about Bhaalist AU. Becasue Astarion on that one piece (the one with a mirror) looks exactly like your description. It's a bit ironic and I love it. Drow appreciates practicality. But Bhaalist Drow doesn't think Astarion needs to dress practical, Astarion is there to look pretty and Bhaalist Drow is there to make sure he is safe :) Do you have any more thoughts on how their (Drow vs Bhaalist Drow) perspective differ when it comes to clothing?

VERY WELL OBSERVED!

I would say, though, that it's more of a mixture of the things DU drow genuinely and consistently finds "tasteful" and the ostentatious garishness that he appalls in his redeemed path - and that is very much the character in a nutshell, a slightly more honed version of the person he used to be pre-tadpole, but who still requires that status and approval. He's more in control now - both of himself and of the world around him - but he's by no means "better".

By dressing Astarion up in a way that could be understated but then loading him with gold, silver and gems, he's making him a symbol of status as well. Astarion isn't supposed to look impressive, he's supposed to make him look impressive. And of course the fact that he's bound and weighted down in riches speaks for itself.

What's funny about Bhaalist DU drow AND "canon" drow, is that they both believe to be a new and improved person when compared to who they were prior to losing their memories. They would both mock him for his obsession with Orin, his weaknesses, his obnoxiousness, his appearance, his obsession with gold and jewels and intricate outfits - and they're both hypocritical for it in their own ways.

A Bhaal-Embracing DU drow would forego of a lot of the glitz and the murder-glamor that his past-self valued so much, especially in fashion, and treat his body itself far more like the statement piece it's supposed to be. Astarion, on the other hand would be showered with those kinds of gifts - because as mentioned earlier, he gets to be the expensive purse that DU drow carries around with him everywhere. He can care about looking nice and pretty, because he doesn't have much more of a purpose than that.

Canon DU drow, on the other hand, values things much more based on comfort, both in the practical and emotional sense. He doesn't value the individual rings he loots around, but having them on makes him feel nice even if they're cheap, scuffed, or just out of place with the rest of his look. Stealing pretty valuables is more of a fun past-time with his significant-other than a genuine lust for gold. Nice clothes are a treat, but not necessary, and regardless of his personal preferences he doesn't truly care about what his partner has on at all, as long as they seem happy about it. This is the biggest difference between the two versions of this character - they both want to make their better-halves happy, but only one of them cares whether or not it's a genuine kind of happiness.

[please-stop-finding-me]

Long version of the "things that are so dear to me" season 1 relisten notes | Season 2 | Season 3

Arthur immediately interested when he learns people can come back from the dark place... Don't

Newly blind Arthur keeps stepping in puddles through the first few episodes

I love Arthur sitting on the porch sulking, the image is delightful and he's "tired and frustrated" oh baby boy you ain't seen nothing yet.

Arthur wanting to focus on staying warm and safe (he doesn't get to. But back then he at least considered it lmao)

John describing the baby as a piano player for sure some day oh the heartbreak

"friend"

Arthur always asking for tea instead of coffee

"I feel that warmth within you" Arthur feeling John change in himself is so ?!!! End me

The pure tenderness of John telling Arthur he'll meet him in the dark world when he dies the first time

Love that they entertain the idea of settling down for a few days to rest and investigate. There is a universe where they got to do that.

"I trust that you wouldn't abandon me. I trust you." / "You shouldn't" all to Faroe's theme (+ me drowing in the background)

"Promise nothing will happen to him" finale, he's so gone already

"My fractured soul has become entangled in yours" I am a simple man and here is on of my favorite quotes!!!

Dreamlands time baby !!

[sxddekarios]

three gales and a sorcerer walk into a bar (NSFW)

Pt 3 of Casual

Summary:

“Fuck, Tav,” Gale groaned out. Apparently getting his cock licked was all it took to condense his vocabulary.

A literal take after Gale's line in Sharess's Caress - “If I’m not enough for you, I could always conjure us up some sort of non-sentient companion.” Gale conjures 2 mirror images (one is the regular simulacrum from the game, the other is a female version) for a night of pleasure with Tav.

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“If I’m not enough for you, I could always conjure us up some sort of non-sentient companion.”

The offer from Gale makes Tav’s heart sink, as she realizes how personally he took her interest in Nym. Tav had always liked women — Gale was the only man she’d ever been interested in — and she was curious about a sexual encounter. But that was just that, wanting to indulge a curiosity.

It had nothing to do with Gale, whom she loved more than anything. She felt like a complete idiot for making him think that. Although … it did its job in bringing up the alternative, if it’s something Gale would actually like to do.

Tav looks at her partner, wondering how to address this with their present company. She finally settles on distraction.

���Actually,” Tav looked at Astarion and Shadowheart, “Could you guys keep talking to the other patrons and see if you find anything? I think the bandages on my leg came undone, and I need Gale to fix them.” She doubted the pair would buy her excuse, but at least she’d be afforded some alone time with Gale to apologize.

Astarion smirked at the drow twins’ confusion, then said, “Sure thing, darling. Make sure Gale wraps it tight this time.” Shadowheart raised her eyebrow but joined him on the way back to the bar.

Tav gave Gale a questioning look, holding her hand out to him so they could go to the restroom together. His warm palm found hers, and she led him up the stairs and down the hall until they happened upon an empty room.

She closed the door and turned around to face Gale, holding both of his hands in hers. “Hey,” she started, “I’m really sorry about that. You’re more than enough for me, you’re everything to me, and I love you so damn much.”

“I shouldn’t have said that. I should’ve talked to you about this first so you’d know it’s just a fantasy I’ve always had — but not something I need to do, especially now that I’m with you,” Tav continued. “I just … wanted the experience of pleasing a woman. Truly for curiosity’s sake, since I love you and only you. That’s another part of it where … I wanted you with me because I want you to be pleasured. I know I can’t offer you ‘regular’ sex, and I know you say it’s okay, but the option would be there if we were both with Nym. I know it was stupid though, and I’m so, so sorry, Gale.”

Gale couldn’t stay mad looking into his lover’s teary, earnest eyes. “Come here,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “I love you. I don’t want to be with anyone else, and I’m not comfortable with you being with anyone else. I didn’t realize that it was more about your sexuality than me, though, and I’m sorry for that. Still…” he hesitated.

He didn’t want to get in the way of her exploring this part of her identity. He knew it’d always be something she wondered about. But he also knew how jealous he’d be seeing her wrapped up with someone else, and he most certainly didn’t want to be sexually involved with another.

Tav rubbed her hand in circles on Gale’s back, sensing his internal conflict. “Do you…” she started, voice muffled by the fact that her face was still squarely pressed into Gale’s chest. “Were you serious about conjuring a magical being?”

Gale chuckled at her shy question. “Yes, if that’s something you’re interested in. It’s certainly possible, and I wouldn’t mind it.” He took a second to think about it. “Well, I’d probably still be a little jealous, but not as jealous as I would be with another person.”

“I don’t want to make you jealous!” Tav exclaimed. “Would you be jealous of me getting pleasure or giving it?” She asked, thinking she had a solution to both.

“Well, both, I guess. I’d be jealous of my mirror image pleasing you, to be honest. I’m sure it’s something I can get over, though, if I’m also there pleasing you. And doing more of the pleasing.”

Tav giggled at Gale’s genuine answer. Gods, he really was a giver.

She decided her idea should work for them both. “I definitely don’t want to receive anything without you doing most of the work.” Tav was grateful that her face was still hidden in Gale’s chest, because she knew how red it was about to get. “Like if you ate me out and your mirror image held my hands down and played with my hair. That’d be … nice.”

Tav felt Gale’s heart thump a little harder, a little faster. She continued with her idea of giving pleasure, “and I’d only want another being, a female one, for me to … experiment with. She could even be the female version of you, or a prettier version of me, so it’s not like seeing me with some stranger.”

Gale gave her hair a little tug so she’d look up at him. “There is no prettier version of you,” he spoke the words slowly. “You’re absolutely perfect the way you are, okay?” He knew Tav wouldn’t actually agree with him, but she needed to know his stance on the matter. Even if he’d said it a few times before.

“Okay,” Tav acquiesced. “So, I guess it’s a female Gale then?” She smirked.

“Yes,” Gale chuckled, “we can do that.” He leaned in to kiss her forehead. “I love you,” he said softly against her temple.

“I love you too.”

Tav’s hands caressed Gale’s hair as he pressed kisses down her body. The group was staying at the Elfsong Tavern so they could have some more space … Gale’s tent would be a bit cramped with four people.

Or entities. Tav wasn’t really sure how to think of them.

She was lying down on the bed, her head propped up in the lap of Gale’s mirror image. He gently brushed through her hair, occasionally murmuring praises.

Another spectral being lay next to her. She had long, wavy brown hair, large doe eyes, an adorable Grecian nose, full rosy lips, and a light dusting of freckles across the middle of her face.

She was currently still clothed in a sweater and trousers. Gale wanted to make sure to thoroughly warm Tav up before they brought in more variables. He wanted her to be relaxed.

The woman beside Tav — she decided to call her Raven — traced her delicate fingers along Tav’s bare arm. She shivered at the sensations and attention given to her whole body.

Gale left his spot between her thighs to kiss Tav’s lips. The kiss was colored by his need as gently pressed against her while he danced his tongue across the outside of her lips. He moaned when she pulled on his bottom lip, giving him a little bite.

Gale moved his lips against Tav’s for another moment. The couples’ hips moved together as well; Tav could feel Gale’s arousal through his trousers.

She bent one knee so she had more free space to rut up against him. It felt so glorious being able to explore pleasure in a safe space. With a safe partner.

“How are you doing?” Gale asked breathlessly as he paused to look at her.

Tav raised a hand to brush a lock of hair behind his ear. “Good,” she replied with a soft smile. She hesitated before continuing. “I think I’m ready for … more.”

The corner of Gale’s mouth lifted as he looked down at his love. So flushed, so nervous yet excited to explore something new with him.

He propped himself up on an elbow. “How do you want to do this?” Gale asked. He amended his question once her raised eyebrows reminded him how indecisive she is. “Would you like to see more of Raven?”

Tav’s eyes widened with the lustfully excited ‘really?’ Gale had grown used to in their time together.

“Yes,” Tav answered. “Please.”

Her lover smirked and sat up onto his knees — wincing at the achy pop that emitted — so he could cup Tav’s cheek in his hand. “You’re such a good girl.”

Gale chuckled as he felt Tav’s hips thrust up against his leg in response. She pouted up at him before raising onto her forearms and bringing herself up to sit.

Right in spectral Gale’s lap, which made both men groan. Tav smirked with pride.

“You’re so pretty.”

Tav’s head turned to Raven. She had been aptly aware of her, but the lack of familiarity made her unsure of what to say or do. She settled for a bashful “thank you.”

Luckily, Gale had accounted for that when conjuring these beings. They’d take charge without pushing her into anything. They were an extension of his consciousness, and thus a product of his desires and knowledge regarding Tav.

If it was her desires that drove them … Well, Gale thought he’d be the one on his back with his mirror image above him.

Raven regarded Tav with a reassuring smile. She sat up to join everyone else.

As Raven brought her hands to the hem of her sweater, she asked her question. “Would you like to see me undressed?”

Tav swore she felt her heart stop. Both Gales sat close to her, stroking her arm and back gently to remind her that this was real, and she was in control. She nodded desperately, unable to form words.

The real Gale leaned in and kissed her forehead. Tav’s gaze returned to him and she felt her heart melt.

He spoke low and soft. “You’re in control, sweetheart. This is your time and space to explore what you like, okay? There’s no expectations or embarrassment.”

Tav leaned into his chest and clutched his hand. “Thank you,” she whispered. She felt so lucky that he would take care of her like this.

Raven began to lift her sweater up as mirror Gale’s hands traced circles on Tav’s back.

Tav paid all of her attention to the pale skin being unveiled before her. Raven pulled her top over her head and tossed it behind her, exposing her chest.

The air immediately hardened Raven’s nipples even more. The rosy buds stood in stark contrast to the soft, pale flesh of her breasts.

So beautiful, Tav thought. She reminded herself to say it aloud, so at least Gale would know what she was thinking. Tav brought her gaze up from Raven’s breasts to tell her. “You’re so beautiful.”

Raven grinned and responded with her thanks.

Tav felt embarrassed at how big this was for her — she had never seen a woman naked, yet Gale had. Dozens of times. Maybe even hundreds. It wasn’t anything new to him, but it was to her.

And she’s not even fully naked yet, Tav reminded herself.

Tav turned her head to face Gale, anxious to see his reaction. He was just staring at her.

He asked her again how she felt, and she told him again she felt good, just embarrassed.

Gale smiled and pressed a kiss to her brow. “Trust me, everyone’s stunned when they see breasts for the first time.” He meant to comfort her, but realized his words had the opposite affect as she frowned. She was imagining him — his first time with someone else.

“What I mean is,” he jumped in while reaching an arm around her waist and pulling her in, “is that there’s no reason for you to be embarrassed. You deserve to enjoy this, and that’s all I want. I’m here to watch you.”

That finally got a small smile out of Tav. Gale sighed in relief.

She couldn’t believe that this beautiful, half-naked woman was in bed with them, and Gale was looking at her. And he knew she wasn’t going to take all her clothes off.

“Would you like to touch me?” Raven asked Tav seductively.

Tav whimpered and nodded in response. She reached out a shaky hand and tentatively placed it under Raven’s collarbone.

Her skin felt smooth and strangely, but pleasantly, cool to the touch. Tav scooted a bit closer for better access as she drew her left hand down to cup one of Raven’s breasts.

Raven’s moans encouraged her. Tav traced her fingers lightly around the soft flesh before venturing to her nipple.

As Gale continued to rub soft circles on her back and coo in her ear, Tav decided to go for it. She leaned in closer, moving her left hand over to Raven’s other breast, her right hand down to her waist, and her mouth to her nipple.

She flicked her tongue out and reveled at the moan that escaped Raven. Tav drew circles with her tongue, sometimes lightly sucking on the pink bud. A tingling sensation grew between her thighs.

Gale ran his fingers through Tav’s hair while his mirror image stroked her thigh. Tav moaned against Raven’s breast as she felt Gale’s nails gently rake over her scalp.

Raven cupped the back of Tav’s head, and Tav took the cue to move to Raven’s right breast. She renewed her ministrations, caressing the other hardened peak with her tongue.

A rush of adrenaline filled Tav as she looked up at Raven. Her eyes were half-lidded, head tilted back, lips parted, and cheeks flushed. She was just as pretty as her Gale.

Tav moved one hand from the sensitive skin under Raven’s breasts down her stomach. She pulled back to ask, “May I?” as her hand stopped where Raven���s trousers began.

Gale’s hand stilled for a moment in Tav’s hair. It was a delicious, comforting pressure. He leaned in to kiss the shell of Tav’s ear, causing her to giggle.

Raven smiled at the couple before returning her gaze to Tav. “Of course,” she said. Then she spread her legs apart.

“You’re doing so good,” Gale said into Tav’s ear. Goosebumps covered her skin at his low voice so close to her.

He continued, “Remember this is all about what you want. Are you feeling alright?”

Tav smiled softly at the care in his voice. “Yeah,” she replied, “I feel good.”

She felt her nerves sparking, but she felt comforted by the lovely man behind her.

So she brought her hands down to Raven’s trousers and slid them down her pale legs. Returning to remove her lace black underwear, Tav gave Raven a questioning glance. She was answered with a nod and Raven lifting her hips off the bed, so Tav gently pulled the fabric down and cast it aside.

This was it. Raven proudly parted her legs again, exposing her slit.

Tav felt her breath catch in her throat. Her mind was singularly focused on Raven’s center.

It took her a minute to remember that she was truly here, she was capable of doing things. She placed a hand on either one of Raven’s thighs and gently massaged the soft skin. Raven let out a throaty moan and spread her legs wider apart.

Now Tav had a much clearer view. As her slit parted, Tav noticed her swollen clit standing out, along with a steady trail of wetness leaking out of her.

What Tav didn’t noticed was the whimper she herself let out.

Gale leaned in closer to wrap his arms around his love and rest his chin on her shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the warm skin.

Tav’s hands inched closer to their destination. “Can I,” she trailed off, unsure of herself. Gale pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, giving her the courage to go on. “Touch you?” She finished, blushing.

Raven smiled again, patient as ever. “Yes please.” She leaned back on the bed.

Her whole body seemed to glow as Tav moved her left thumb to gather some of the wetness at her entrance. She felt so warm. And so slick, Tav thought with envy.

Tav slowly moved her thumb up to her clit. She wasn’t going for all the other teasing that Gale often did. She didn’t really know how, and she didn’t really care to find out in this moment. Especially given how wet Raven already was.

Tav turned around to face Gale. She pressed a hard kiss to his lips, taking him by surprise. Still, he returned it in earnest, tightening his grip on her.

She licked at his lips before pulling away, leaving him moaning and breathless. She smirked at his reaction to a quick kiss.

“Does she look different?” Tav asked. Gale furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

She amended, “Is her vagina more… open than mine? Like something you can see, rather than just feel?” It’s something she’d always been curious about, but she’d never had a chance for comparison.

Gale chuckled and shook his head. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before answering. “Yes. It’s not a huge difference visually, but you can see a clear opening and more of her inner walls. That’s not visible with you, it’s more smooth muscle until I use some pressure to dip my finger down and into your pretty pussy.”

How he kept a straight face while saying that, Tav had no idea. Her mouth dropped open while her clit pulsed. She yearned to press herself against Gale’s knee, but her body was still facing Raven. All the while, the two spectral beings were chuckling at her reaction.

Tav pouted and scowled playfully at Gale before turning back around. She’d get her time with him in a minute.

Spectral Gale was rubbing Raven’s clit as they watched the couple with amusement. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, but not very sincerely. “I got bored and thought I could keep her warm for you while you two eye-fucked each other.”

Gale let out an indignant scoff while Tav rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away. “Much appreciated,” she said with a laugh. “Now it’s my turn.”

She gathered more slick and moved her thumb up between Raven’s pink folds. Back where she left off. “Mhm,” Raven groaned as she threw her head back.

Tav smiled, excited, and began rubbing small circles around her clit. She marveled at the way Raven moved and moaned differently depending on how she touched her. All of it seemed pleasurable.

She switched to the vertical motion that she herself loved. Raven gasped and bucked her hips against Tav’s hand.

Tav giggled, causing her to finally notice Gale’s hard cock pressing against her back.

Gale moaned and gripped her hips as she pressed back into him.

As beautiful as Raven’s body was, Tav didn’t want to just look and touch anymore. She wanted to taste.

She leaned forward onto her forearms, lifting her ass and pressing it against Gale’s stomach in a puppy-esque pose. He groaned with desire at feeling her against him, seeing her in this position she so rarely got into with him behind her.

His hands found her hips again. He kept a reassuring pressure on her.

Gale’s mirror image brushed Tav’s hair out of her face as she lowered herself down to be level with Raven’s center. Tav looked up at the girl again.

“Please,” Raven whined.

Tav placed soft butterfly kisses to her inner thighs. She could smell Raven’s sweet scent, like strawberries in the rain. Is this what she smelled like to Gale?

She finally understood the aphrodisiac quality. She formed her mouth into a small O and blew a warm breath onto Raven’s clit.

Raven let out her sweetest moan yet, delightfully similar to Gale’s. Her hips shifted closer to Tav’s mouth, clearly craving more. Tav obliged.

She licked a strip from the bottom of Raven’s entrance, tasting her sweet nectar, to her clit.

“Fuck,” Raven moaned. Her hands clutched the blankets as she held herself up to watch Tav eat her out. Gale’s simulacrum moved one arm around Raven’s back to help support her, using his other hand to trace lines on Tav’s shoulder.

Tav softly licked at Raven’s clit. She moved her tongue up and down, side to side, and pressed harder on each upwards stroke.

“Good girl,” Gale said to her.

How could his words excite her even more than what she was currently doing?

“That she is,” spectral Gale agreed with his hand in Tav’s hair. Gale glared at him, still a bit jealous of the other self he created.

Tav moaned against Raven’s pussy as she drew the nub into her mouth and sucked. Raven’s moans grew louder and more desperate as Tav pulsed her tongue against her clit.

She only pulled away to address her own needs.

“Gale,” she whined. “Can you touch me?”

Gale’s face flushed. “It’d be my pleasure, my love.”

He dragged his thumb across her clit through her shorts. Tav shivered as she brought her mouth back down to pleasure Raven. Gale continued his strokes in tandem with the strokes of Tav’s tongue.

After a few more minutes of languidly licking, sucking, and kissing her pussy, Tav pulled back again to ask if she wanted a finger inside of her.

“Fuck,” Raven answered breathlessly, “yes.”

Tav brought her index finger to her mouth, swirled her tongue around it to wet it, and brought it back to Raven’s opening. She began gently pushing it in as she placed kisses around Raven’s clit.

It glided in with ease. Bitter jealousy coursed through Tav again, but she tried to push it aside. Just because her body worked differently didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy being on this end of things.

Especially with Gale touching her.

She crooked her finger inside of Raven. She was so wet, so warm, but so open. Now Tav finally knew how different she felt from ‘normal’ women. Still, Gale loved her.

Tav didn’t exactly know where Raven’s special spot was, but she figured she could find it. If she didn’t get there on her own, Gale could give her a demonstration. Spectral Gale, she corrected herself. She’d be incredibly jealous if she saw her Gale’s finger inside of someone else.

Raven screamed when Tav found her g-spot while licking at her clit. Tav smiled around the nub and applied more pressure with her finger.

She realized that Raven would probably want two fingers, but that freaked her out too much. If she could scream from one finger, Tav reasoned*, it should be fine*.

Tav glanced up to see spectral Gale teasing Raven’s nipples between his fingers. She felt another rush of heat between her own thighs.

He grinned cheekily as he noticed Tav looking at them.

Tav’s own arousal must have translated to the pace of her tongue against Raven and her finger inside of her, because Raven screamed again as she came. Her muscles spasmed around Tav’s finger, wet juices flowing out of her pussy.

A few minutes later, Gale’s turn to please Tav had finally come. He refused to leave her lips for a single moment, instead pressing kisses against her throughout every shift of her body. Eventually, she pulled away.

Gale took a second to marvel at how beautiful she looked. Her lips were swollen, cheeks flushed, strands of hair stuck to her face. Nothing else mattered to him at moments like this.

Tav looked up at him as she bit her lip anxiously. “I have an idea.”

The wizard quirked up an eyebrow. His mirror images looked over in interest from their entanglement next to them. “Do go on,” Gale encouraged her.

“Would you maybe…” Tav started. She steeled herself to get the words out as fast as she could. “I thought maybe we could sit together, with you behind me, playing with me, while your mirror image masturbates.”

Gale could only gape at the suggestion. Clearly, this was something she had thought about before. Though she was looking down in embarrassment, she asked him. She told him what she wanted. That’s all he could wish for.

Jealously continued to plague him when it came to the simulacrums. He’d luckily be giving her the physical pleasure in this case, and he understood that it would be difficult for him to both please her and masturbate for her at the same time. Without a mage hand or two, that is. It stoked a fire low in his belly knowing that’s what got her off — watching him get off. Yes, it was his conjuration, but the idea was the same.

He gently tugged Tav’s chin up so she’d look at him. Their hearts beat in tandem as he pressed a firm kiss to her lips. “I’m game,” he said to her with a smile. “But, I do have a proposition of my own, if you’d indulge me.” He kissed her forehead. “It’s completely okay if you’d rather not.”

Tav hummed, wondering what his proposition was. “Care to elaborate?” She asked as she leaned into his warm chest. Still rudely covered by a shirt.

Gale chuckled softly as he smoothed his hands over her back, allowing one to tangle in her hair. “I was thinking that if you’re watching my simulacrum, then maybe we could position a mirror a bit behind him, and off to the side, so I could watch you?” He tried to make the suggestion as lightly as he could. Heat rushed through him at the thought, but he never wanted to pressure her.

“You don’t have to be fully undressed,” he assured her. “I just want to watch your beautiful face.” His hand reached up to stroke her cheek.

She pressed her face into his palm, briefly closing her eyes to enjoy the sweet contact. She shifted to press a kiss to the palm of his hand, causing Gale to let out a surprised whimper. Of course, she giggled at that. He rolled his eyes at her in turn.

“Sounds good,” Tav said with a bright smile. “Could you conjure me something a little more sexy to wear then?”

Tav sat with her back pressed against Gale’s now bare chest. And his hard cock. She wore a lacy peacock blue nightie that complimented her breasts while flowing out past them, so it comfortably covered her stomach. Gale’s fingers were dancing at her core under its hem.

He pressed kisses to her head, her neck, her shoulders — anything he could reach — while he watched her reactions in the mirror. Meanwhile, she watched his simulacrum sitting across from them slowly stroke himself.

Raven rested between Tav and the simulacrum. She watched them both while running her fingers along Tav’s legs and feet in ways that made her shiver.

Tav moaned and bucked with her hands tied behind her back. Each shift of Gale’s deft fingers — the one vibrating on her clit, and the one stroking the inside of her pussy — caused her to gasp. Heat flooded between her thighs as she shifted her gaze from Raven to a masturbating image of Gale to the mirror where Gale watched her face as he played with her.

Every time he caught her eye, he smiled at her. This only made her clench around his finger as more wetness pooled between her legs.

“You’re so beautiful,” Gale spoke lowly in her ear while he watched them in the mirror. “I love feeling how wet and needy you get from looking at how hard my cock is for you. I can’t count the number of times I’ve laid in my tent, stroking my cock while thinking about your sweet laugh, your adorable smile, and your precious, delicious pussy.”

He knew his voice was what sent her over the edge, especially when he was absolutely fucking obscene. Tav came undone with a cry of his name.

Raven held her legs down so Gale could continue to touch her through her orgasm. Tav’s hips bucked, she pressed her knees together, and finally pressed her hips back against Gale as she was overcome with pleasure. Gale whispered one more sweet nothing into her ear while the finger fucking her slowed down. “I love feeling your wetness squirt against my palm when you cum for me, Tav.”

She whimpered and sagged against him with her eyes closed.

Gale was a good boy, cuddling with her while she recovered. But as they began shifting against each other in the bed, the simulacrums still reverently touching Tav in every place she wanted, he somehow ended up with his head between her thighs.

One of Tav’s hands was fisted in his hair as he lapped at her pussy. It’d been a week since he last tasted her, and he wanted to savor every drop. Gods, how he’d missed this.

His mirror image held Tav’s other hand up over her head. Gale kept their connection strong, so he could speak the words to Tav that he wanted. He told her how good she was, how delectable she tasted, and how much he loved that she allowed him to make her come again.

Two more hands caressed every inch of Tav’s body that wasn’t covered by her lingerie or currently being devoured by her wizard. Raven focused on the parts Gale couldn’t reach while his finger was buried inside of Tav and his tongue was most certainly not going to leave her clit until she had come on his mouth at least twice.

Tav’s gaze slowly went up to where their mirror now floated. She’d be against his lavish expenditure of magic for her pleasure if she didn’t know that pleasing her gave him more of a boost.

Once she saw the full image of them — Gale lying on his stomach between her legs and grinding his cock into the mattress, her fingers twined through his gorgeous hair, his simulacrum smiling down at her while he pinned her arm pack, and Raven caressing her while still unclothed — she couldn’t hold her second orgasm back.

Gale moaned as her wetness splashed against his mouth, soaking his beard, while her legs shook around his head. He was incredibly grateful for her hand being pinned down, because he didn’t want to stop. He gave her a small reprise as his movement slowed down to sweet, loving kisses while her walls slowed in their pulsating around his finger. His simulacrum gently took her hand from Gale’s hair and held it firmly with the other one. “We can stop at any time,” he told her. “Your safe word is apple.” Tav nodded, unsure of what the plan was.

Once her muscles relaxed as much as they would, Gale cast another lubrication spell and rubbed his finger against her g-spot in quick, small movements. Tav’s shocked moans caused beads of precum to leak out of his cock as he flickered his tongue against her clit.

Tav opened her eyes again, barely believing that Gale was still going. But there he was, absolutely devouring her while practically humping the blanket under him. Her thoughts were consumed with this image of Gale pleasing himself — being so turned on that he resorted to humping the bed — and she felt all the muscles in her lower body tighten as a third orgasm hit her. She cried out in pleasure once again, unaware of her heels digging into Gale’s back or the wet pool she was making under them.

“Please,” she gasped out as the pleasure faded into overstimulation, “Gale, I’m finished.”

Gale pulled back to shower her center with kisses before he propped himself up and at smiled at her. “Did you enjoy that?” He asked cheekily, clearly pleased with himself and his effect on her.

Tav playfully glared at him. “Obviously,” she responded, gesturing to his very wet mouth. “Now clean that up and come here. Please,” she added saccharinely.

He obliged and went through the normal routine of cleaning his mouth off (for her benefit) and placing a warm, wet cloth between her legs to help with the pain and mess. Once he was done, Tav reached towards him with her cute little grabby hands. Gale smiled down at her as he eased himself back onto the bed and in her arms.

They embraced for a few moments before Tav lightly pushed him back. “How are your knees?”

“Fine,” Gale replied with a raised eyebrow. He wasn’t really on his knees during this entire evening, so he wasn’t sure why she was concerned now.

“Good,” Tav grinned with a blend of innocence and seductive mischief. “On your knees, please.” She motioned Gale up.

Still confused, Gale followed her command. He rose to his knees on the bed in front of her, his cock bobbing in the air. He had cleaned up most of the precum, but another bead leaked out as he got a look at Tav’s face right in front of his hardness.

The way Tav smiled up at him from this position struck him in a way he had never felt before. There was so much love, lust, and vulnerability.

She reached for both of his hands and placed them in her hair. “Gale Jr,” she directed the order at his mirror image, “support him if he needs it.” She turned her attention to Raven. “You can keep your hands on me, if you like.”

“As you wish,” the simulacrum replied with a grin.

“My pleasure,” Raven murmured as she pressed against Tav, running her hand over her thigh.

Tav took one last moment to enjoy the utter bewilderment on Gale’s face. Then she leaned in and licked the tip of his cock.

“Fuck,” Gale exclaimed in surprise. Somehow he didn’t see where this was going.

Tav grinned before pressing her tongue against his slit and licking another strip.

Gale whimpered, and his mirror image braced him to keep him upright as his knees buckled.

“Fuck, Tav,” Gale groaned out. Apparently getting his cock licked was all it took to condense his vocabulary.

“Sweetheart,” he continued as he gently pulled Tav’s head back. “You don’t have to do this. Seriously. I don’t need anything, or expect anything, like that from you, my love.” He looked at her with pure care even when he clearly wanted to come.

“I want to do this,” Tav assured him seriously. “I don’t want to like, deepthroat you, because ow, but I do want to taste you. You taste like cinnamon rolls, by the way. I just want to play around with your cock in my mouth for a bit, if that’s alright with you?”

His cock bobbed up, seemingly giving Tav the okay. Gale wanted whatever she wanted to give him. “Okay,” he said. “That’s more than alright with me. But any discomfort, physical or mental, and I want you to stop, okay? Just press a nail into my thigh and I’ll pull away.”

Tav wished she could kiss him, but there was no way she was raising up to meet his lips. So she settled for pressing a kiss to the head of his cock, eliciting another deep moan. “Yes sir!”

Warm, wet lips met Gale’s cock. He sighed and shivered at the contact. Tav brought one hand to his thigh and gently wrapped the other around his cock. She gave him a little squeeze as she moved her mouth down. The tip of his cock was in her mouth.

He had never even let himself think of this possibility. It didn’t feel right before their relationship, and it rarely crossed his waking mind afterwards since he knew her desires and limits. So this was an earth-shattering, star-crashing experience for him.

For being with Tav, his love. For being the first time he had this specific kind of pleasure in …. years, actually. It’d been years since he’d been intimate with another mortal, and this wasn’t something Mystra deigned to do.

Tav moaned softly as she swirled her tongue around Gale’s tip.

“Tav,” Gale whimpered. Her name sounded so beautiful on his lips.

More sweet precum leaked onto Tav’s tongue, which she swallowed happily. Gale almost lost it at feeling her swallow around his cock, even though only an inch was in her sweet little mouth.

His simulacrum dripped lubricant onto Gale’s cock, seeming to anticipate what Tav wanted to do. She muttered her thanks to him — which was just a hum around Gale’s cock, to his pleasure — and began moving her hand up and down Gale’s shaft.

The suction of Tav’s mouth was utterly divine. Gale ran his fingers through her soft hair while he murmured praises.

“My love,” he said nervously, “I’m not going to last much longer.” He choked on a moan. “I can finish somewhere else, you don’t have to —”

Tav started to shake her head before realizing how weird that was with his cock in her mouth. She pulled off of him with a pop. “I want you to cum in my mouth, Gale. I can always pull away or spit it out, but I want to try it,” she stated firmly.

Gale nodded at her, his body begging him for release at her words. Tav brought her mouth back to his member. She traced circles with her tongue, slowly pumped her fist along his shaft, and then moved her other hand from his thigh to lightly touch his balls.

Gale gasped at the unexpected contact, his cum immediately spurting out into his love’s mouth. He saw nothing but her, thought of nothing but her, and wanted nothing but holding her in his arms for the rest of their lives. He would’ve fell back if his simulacrum hadn’t held him up as pleasure ravished his entire body.

Tav kept her mouth around Gale’s cock for a solid minute before pulling away. She quite literally was playing with it, as if it were a sweet lollipop she wanted to savor.

She swallowed every drop of his warm cum, now sure that his underwear enchantment had to make it taste like icing. It was quite the pleasant experience. With a smile, Tav grabbed Gale’s hand and yanked him down to her. They collapsed onto the bed together, limbs entwined.

“That was amazing,” Gale said. His exertion was still clear by the breathiness of his voice, which Tav loved. She snuggled closer into him.

“I agree,” she spoke into his bare chest. The thin sheen of sweat on him was unreasonably attractive.

Gale kissed her temple. “I promise you I’ll be able to put more words to that experience at a later time, when I am not so literally spent from your affections.” Once he had more energy, there was no stopping him from waxing poetic about their entire night and the pleasure — both mental and physical — he got from being with her. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too,” Tav murmured. Gale could feel her smile against his chest. “Now magic a blanket over us so we can cuddle properly.”

[myers-meadow]

Going feral for halsin this morning wifey, I require you best halsin headcannons 🥺🤭

Hiiii!

So glad to hear from you, beloved! How have you been?? I didn't know you're into bg3 too. Send me ur faves, ur headcanons, ur lore - i wanna see it all!! btw did u see the lil Halsin drabble I posted yesterday? uwu. I have such bad brainrot for him, frankly HAH <3 i love him <3

Here are some short and sweet Halsin headcanons I have ✨🌿 Stay safe, love!

Warnings: canon-typical discussions of darker topics. sfw.

Divider by saradika-graphics.

Halsin loves bathing with his love, and with his friends. He's very casual with nudity and intimacy, and dotes on his friends too.

After he regained his freedom from the drows, he spent extended amounts of time in wildshape. It made him feel free, and safe, in a way. It also helped him reclaim that part of him as something that wasn't to be used as some sexual novelty.

After his captivity, he tried a relationship, but he quickly found he needed to heal more, before being able to fully open himself up again to another person. Trust didn't come easy.

He gets along well with all of the companions, especially with Karlach and Gale.

Owlbear cub, Yenna's cat and Scratch are sooooo fond of him.

He's done a lot of healing, but sometimes seeing Astarion lash out because of his similar history, hits a little too close to home.

Him being in the party is partly because he seeks to run away - even if that means going to a city he dislikes. The other part is because of his fondness of the band of misfits and of Tav in particular.

He's one of the few companions who doesn't react badly when left at camp, but make no mistake. He has his own version of restlessness. Usually, he solves it by changing into wildshape or meditating. Everything to keep his mind off of you, possibly getting hurt out there, without him by your side to help.

His main love language is acts of service. After that is physical touch. He keeps you in mind with everything he does.

Sometimes, he helps Gale with cooking. He likes to forage, and always brings plenty of good snacks to camp.