#halsin's hugs could make anyone feel safe

[raintides]

astarion is either sad or he was caught cuddling and is now hiding his face in embarrassment

[writteninlunarlight-years]

Did you get a request? It's headcanons for Wyll, Dammon, and Rolan being jealous of some guy is flirting with their female s/o although she's oblivious that he's flirting with her? He's so possessive that he even took her back home to have a heated make-out while holding her close! (For Dammon & Rolan, please have his tail wrapped around her 🥺). Please stay safe! Thanks!

I did, in fact, get your request, Anon! I just had a few ahead of you!

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

Wyll

Will is a pious man. He tries really hard to remain level-headed and cool as a cucumber.

That doesn't mean he doesn't have a moment or two of self-doubt or even rage.

Wyll is very quiet until he needs to speak up. He likes to observe and monitor the situation. For example, Y/N is being touched and laughing with Astarion for too long.

Wyll tried at first to use justification; maybe this is happening cause you are planning a battle strategy, or you need something lock-picked.

As the night progresses, he gets even more anxious and feels his blood boiling. Why haven't you come to his tent yet? Why are you busy now talking to that stupid Wizard?

Will would like do some soothing mantras, maybe even yoga, to calm himself down.

When you moved to talk to Halsin over him, though, all bets were off. Will stormed over there, so red in the face he rivaled the trim of his shirt.

Will is never physically harmful, but he did grab the back of your neck like a cat and redirect you to his tent.

As he let you in his tent before he entered, he turned to look at all the others in your group and stared them down individually before joining you.

Wyll hugged you close and sighed into your shoulder now that you were finally in his grasp.

As he calmed down, he started to feel really bad for his emotions and feelings of jealousy.

While doting on you, apologizing for his transgressions, you would tell him how much you liked it and thought it was hot.

That was all he needed to form an impish grin and smash his lips against yours. Wyll left hickies in places you didn't know hickies could go.

The following day, he had a huge grin, and you, sore and refreshed from your night together, proved to everyone in camp who owned you.

Dammon

Dammon is pretty secure in himself. His whole life, he was told how attractive and good-looking he was. Being a blacksmith just made him that much more attractive because of all the manual labor he had to do.

Dammon was indeed possessive of you but trusted you, so he didn't think he needed to show it all the time.

That was until the day those travelers came to town, and all resolve Dammon had was ruined.

It's not that he lost trust in you. No, he lost the ability to trust others as that man began to touch you and play with your hair even after introducing himself as your partner.

Dammon was hot, not just physically but mentally. He was beginning to see red.

Dammon knows how oblivious you can be. Hell, it took him eight weeks to get you to realize he had feelings for you because you were so clueless, but he loved that about you.

Dammon watched from afar as the travelers asked you more questions about the town and kept touching your arm.

Dammon did, in fact, ruin three swords while watching this whole interaction.

After the third sword snapped, he had enough. Dammon walked right over to where you two were talking. He shoved the traveler out of the way, grabbed the back of your head, and smashed his lips against yours.

Man did not stop kissing you until he needed to breathe. When he pulled away, he turned and looked at the traveler, who was mortified by the intense PDA just witnessed.

If someone were to ask Dammon what the bruise on his hand was, he would say he accidentally hit it with his hammer. If someone asked you or anyone else nearby, Dammon broke a man's nose and probably cheekbones.

After Dammon's display of superiority, he wrapped his tail around you gently and guided you back to your home, where he made sure everyone knew you were claimed by him from here on out. (I am talking about hickies; I do not believe Dammon would brand anyone with his equipment.)

Rolan

Rolan comes off as self-absorbed, but that's only because he is so scared of messing up and losing what little he has left.

He is very, very invested in his studies and in continuing to be the best Wizard on the coast so he can protect you and his siblings.

Once he had control over the tower, his obsession with learning grew even more, which never bothered you; seeing him succeed made you so happy.

Rolan would be in the middle of reading a book downstairs when he hears your laugh from the other side of the room.

Curious about what you found funny and wanting to reconnect with you since it had been a while, imagine his surprise when he saw you laughing at a Sorcerer who wandered in.

Hoping his eyes were deceiving him, he hid behind a bookshelf, watching as you checked out books for this man and laughed at his tales from the field.

Nothing seemed inherently wrong with the interaction; as Rolan began to blow it off, he noticed the Sorcerer's eyes rake across your body. Oh. Hell. No

Rolan redirected his attention to you two and noticed all the small queues the Sorcerer was giving, from prolonged hand touching, overzealous compliments, and those damn eyes.

Once all his books were checked out, the conversation should have ended there. You could have even said goodbye and wished him a nice day. Yet that man stood there and kept talking for ages.

Once, Rolan heard the dreaded words, "Wanna hit a tavern with me?" He used Misty Step, the fastest he had ever had, and appeared before you.

At this moment, Rolan was the exact verbiage of 'if looks could kill.'

Putting on one of his business fake smiles, Rolan tried to strike up a conversation with the lesser-than-magic user.

What this man did that made Rolan's blood boil was that he ignored him and talked through him before starting to speak to you again.

Before you could defuse the situation at all, Rolan had already cast a few spells and charms on him. Rolan calmed down from rage to something else as the Sorcerer left his tail between his legs.

When he looked at you, he looked like a man in heat. Scooping you up, he quickly took you to his quarters.

"I must not have been paying you enough attention if others think they can claim what mine is."

Rolan devoured you that night and ensured you were covered in his love and admiration.

From then on, when out on the floor helping customers and guests in the building, Rolan kept a possessive tail wrapped around you until closing hours.

I hope you all enjoy this one. It is a bit longer than last time. I hope it is good enough. I am feeling stronger and more confident in my writing every day. Thank you, everyone!

[istoleyoursk1n]

How would the origin character (plus halsin too ig he can come to) react to a transmasc/transman tav (like tav romancing them and then like coming out to them if that makes sense)

•❅───────────✧❅✦❅✧───────────❅•

Origin + Halsin reacting to a transmasc Tav coming out

.

.

: ̗̀➛ ASTARION

“Oh darling, was that it? Don't you know I adore you regardless? Were you seriously worried that I’d dismiss you just like that? Oh my love, not in a thousand centuries.”

(Assuming he hasn't seen you completely bare)

Surprised but unbothered. You’re still you correct? Then what's the problem? This new revelation doesn't change how he views you in the slightest. He adores you, everything about you.

He’s surprisingly accepting, brushing it off easily, and immediately thanking you for sharing such information with him.

Goes on a tangent on how it shouldn't ever be something you should be ashamed of.

He’ll drain the blood out of anyone who dares say otherwise. (He already has)

You’re perfect and as long as you’re comfortable with it all, then he has no qualms.

Not much changes about your relationship other than the fact that he’ll only continue to love you more till his undead heart ceases to exist.

: ̗̀➛WYLL

“Oh! What wonderful news! I couldn't have guessed. Well, does this call for a celebration? A peaceful night out? Whatever you wish, it is yours, love.”

Surprised as well, but the shock quickly turns into joy. Don't mistake his chuckling for mockery, if anything he's happy.

If you allow it, he’d gently take your hand into his own, kissing your bare knuckles with that same tenderness you've grown to be smitten with.

This new sprinkle of information doesn't bother him at all, in fact, he’s grateful that you’d feel safe enough to share such a thing with him.

You're handsome just as you are and he’d never ask for you to change.

If you have top surgery scars, he’d speak with the weight of a thousand love letters of how gorgeous they are and how it’s one of his favorite parts of your body.

He’ll swear on his oath to beat the shit confront anyone who dares try to insult you for who you are.

Know this is something he’d always accept you for.

: ̗̀➛GALE

“You are? Well isn't this a pleasant little surprise? Good on you! Perhaps that's why I fell for you? You were just utterly TRANScending!” (bare with him please)

Oh?… Oh!

Confused, takes a few moments to process the information but he's definitely accepting. He just never realized.

Either way, he loves you. You’re still the man he fell in love with all those nights ago, why should he think of you any differently? He’ll praise your body regardless.

He’s pleased to know that you were comfortable enough to share such information with him. He can understand how difficult it might be to reveal such things aloud.

Perhaps he could even help in some what? Learn some magic to make your body look the way you wish to make you feel more comfortable.

This hardly changes a thing about your relationship other than a few curious questions about the whole process but he never digs too deep out of respect.

Consider anyone who tries to mock you for this, deceased. (He will fireball them off a cliff or consume every magical artifact they had on them.)

Nothing, not even this, would stop him from being with you.

: ̗̀➛KARLACH

“For real?! No way! Never could have guessed! Well either way, I still think you’re pretty damn cool!”

Shocked, excited, then shocked again.

Never actually thought of it as a possibility, I mean why would she?

This just gives her the excuse to love you ten times more! What else did you expect? She’d welcome you with open arms (as long you don't burn of course)

Assuming she can touch you, she’d already be lifting you up into the air, giving hug after hug as she chuckles and jumps about with you in her arms.

As long as you are happy and comfortable, she is too, she wants to make sure your whole ‘coming out’ moment is one filled with joy.

Will absolutely demolish anyone who tries to be mean to you because of this (as if she wouldn't demolish anyone who makes fun of anything about you).

Her love for you is the one thing of hers that’ll never burn out.

: ̗̀➛SHADOWHEART

“Hm. Quite the revelation, not one that I am disappointed to hear in the slightest… I’m happy for you and if there is anything that I can do for you I’ll be right here as always.”

Surprised but not too shocked by the news. She's not bothered by it at all.

Your trans? Cool. As long as you’re happy then she sees no reason why she should say anything negative. She's happy for you either way.

All she sees is the man she fell in love with, her newfound information doesn't change that.

Accepts you immediately with a warm smile on her face.

She doesn't need you to be anything more or less than what you are now, and if new changes do decide to come, she’ll welcome them with an open heart.

Her glare is enough to ward off anyone with the intent of insulting you for who you are.

You were her light in a world full of darkness, loving you in this life to the next.

: ̗̀➛LAE’ZEL

“Is this supposed to make me see you any differently? To see you anything less than the warrior you are? Zhak vo’n fynh duj, that is what you’ll always be.”

And?

This changes nothing, but if coming out to her made you feel any better then of course she’s glad her as-stoned face as she appears.

She still respects you and sees you as the same admirable individual she completely fell for.

You've proved yourself, you've fought hard for her, for your friends, for yourself, and you've done so much to light her heart aflame. This wouldn't deter her fiery love for you.

If you have top surgery scars? Even better! She loves them as much as she adores all your battle scars. A precious mark she could always praise.

You can't stop her from cutting the heads off of anyone who dares try to insult you though.

Even before the words escape their lips-

Nevertheless, you are still the one person she truly bleeds for.

: ̗̀➛HALSIN

“You are? Well. I’m honored to be the one you chose to share this with, my heart. Know that even so, my love for you is as boundless as the ever-flowing river.”

Not bothered at all by the news.

He's seen too many things in his life to ever make him surprised or revolt at this new information.

In the end of the day, he loves everything that you are and thank the Gods that he was blessed to gaze upon someone as gorgeous as you.

Immediately accepts you as you are as well, why would he ever ask you to be any different?

If you have any top surgery scars, he litters them with gentle kisses, just as he does with every little scar on your body.

You can see him visibly tense whenever someone dares insult you. He's a snap away from mauling them but he keeps it together for you.

You’re his to love, to protect, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

•❅───────────✧❅✦❅✧───────────❅•

[web-spinning]

The following implies past abuse.

The vampire spawn tossed and turned in his sleep. His mind has been replaying the darkest moments from his past, leaving him to only whimper in his sleep. He couldn't escape.

He had to obey his master all over again.

Those antics did not go unnoticed by Halsin. He was used to waking up to cries; for a reason the children in the Grove always calmed down way faster with him than with their parents. But this was new. It wasn't a child, it was a grown man crying, begging in his sleep to not be hurt.

The druid blinked a few times, adjusting his eyes to the campfire's light. After a moment, he stood up, leaving his bedroll behind.

Halsin approached the much smaller man, kneeling next to him.

Astarion seemed to notice this shift in his surroundings, as some broken whispers left his mouth.

"Master, please...master."

The druid looked over the poor vampire, slowly bringing his hands to the man's chest. His palms glowed a light green energy as he casted a calming spell on the smaller man to help him get out of the nightmare.

Before even a second could pass, Astarion bolted his head up, catching his breaths. He sat up and analyzed his surroundings but didn't seem to notice the druid, who still had his hand on his chest.

"The one you're looking for is not here. You're safe." Halsin explained. The vampire noticed him then, along with the hand on his chest.

Halsin slowly let go, putting his hand on the ground. They both stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Why were you..."

"Heard your cries, you were having a bad dream. Wanted to help." Halsin explained.

"I don't need your pity." Astarion replied after a moment of thought. His mind was still scattered all over the place, but he had managed to built his walls back up. He had to act just the way he always did with his companions; short and cold. He didn't know any other way of defending himself.

"I'm not pitying you, Fangs. I'm worried. I know it haunts you. I know you feel like any given moment he can come back and..."

"You don't! You don't know anything!" Astarion lashed out. It caught the druid off guard, but he let the vampire continue. "You don't know what it's like! I feel watched everywhere I go. Every coven we enter I'm scared he's lurking there, in the shadows. Every new companion we meet I'm scared they're a hunter send by him...every step we make to get rid of those tadpoles I..."

Halsin didn't say anything, just let the man continue.

"...I'm scared I'll have to go back to him once it's all done. I won't be invincible to the sun anymore. And he will be able to control me."

The druid nodded, a sad smile on his face. He didn't comment on the confession.

They both stayed in silence for a moment.

"Can I touch you?" Halsin asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Can I touch you?" The man repeated. Astarion thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Tell me if you don't like anything I will do. I promise I will listen."

Halsin slowly put his strong arms around the smaller man, pulling him into a hug, then he laid both of them down onto the bedroll. He placed the blanket back over them both. The vampire spawn didn't speak, just hugged him back. He put his head on the man's big chest, and cuddled into it.

"Why are you doing this?" Astarion asked. His head was spinning still from the nightmares, and he couldn't help but feel nice in this position. He liked it. He wanted it.

But all of his guts told him it's a trap. That Halsin is planning something. He's gonna wait until sundown to kill him, or wait until he falls asleep and bring him to the monster hunter...His destructive thoughts were stopped when another wave of the calming spell hit him.

"Like I said, I'm worried. I grew fond of you during our troubles. I know you keep up this mask of the sure of himself, sassy prick, but deep down you're just hurt. I know you don't like showing weakness, but please, don't be scared. I won't tell anyone. I will keep everything that happened tonight a secret." Halsin explained, hugging the man tighter. Again, Astarion didn't protest, and nodded into the man's chest.

"Besides, this isn't the first time I wake up to you whimpering about your master. He took a toll on you, didn't he? That bastard...but you're safe now. I promise."

The coziness of the bigger man's chest and the small cracks of fire from the campfire made Astarion slowly begin to slip away.

"Halsin?"

"Yes, Fangs?"

"I think I'm in love with you".

[pixie-in-a-moonlantern]

WIP Wednesday

Apparently, writers post their WIPs on this glorious day. Why not, I'll bite - I'm in the middle of something right now ;)

As some of you know, I have this fun little thrupple of f!Durge, Gort and Halsin. I've written 2 smutty Durgetash fics, so now it's time for a Halsin-only interlude fic before I mix them up more.

So I share with you this smutty and fluffy snippet 💛

Explicit NSFW 18+, f!Durge, loving smut (inexperienced blowjob), angst, fluff. (No aggressive abs and dehydrated muscles 😘)

His breath catches when my teeth gently nip at his earlobe. The tips of my fingers run along the swirly lines of his tattoo, then down to his chest to tangle in the bushy body hair. I press my palms into his flesh, enjoying the perfect ratio of firmness and softness of his impressive muscles.

I toss all restraint aside and bite into his scrumptious breast. He chuckles, but I sense the tremble of his hand as it comes up to rake my hair. Encouraged by this, I gently bite into his skin lower and lower, over the mild hill of his plush tummy, right down to the hem of his trousers.

I hear him gulp above me and I grin to myself, my mouth already watering at the sight of the bulge of his cock straining against the fabric.

I look up and he knows what I’m asking. One corner of his mouth curls upwards and he nods, his hazel eyes wild.

I’ve only done this to him twice and I was bad at it—I couldn’t fit much of him in my mouth and I gagged way too soon—but I loved tasting him and he seemed to enjoy letting me. So I free the thick shaft from his trousers and lie on my stomach with my head in his lap, so I can use both my hands to play.

It’s long and thick and dreamy. A delicate pattern of veins stretches across the delicious purplish velvet. The head is like a bell hat on top, already softly glistening, sporting the clear bead of his excitement as a fancy accessory.

“Has anyone ever told you your cock is gorgeous?” I can't help but ask.

He’s watching me with hooded eyes and seems taken by surprise by my question. So I wait for nothing and wrap my lips around him. I hum in approval, tasting the musky goodness. Then begin unhurriedly licking and sucking, taking in as much as I safely can.

The sounds I’m drawing from him are music to my ears. The vulnerability of a man with his manhood at the mercy of a lover’s mouth… there’s something divine about it. I’m almost positive a chunk of my enjoyment lies in the desire to have power over people in an entirely different situation: torture and murder. But the majority of me loves it for these sounds.

And for the chaotic, unfocused way his hand is softly grasping for my hair; not to control, but to caress.

“Nara,” he manages to grunt as I’m mindlessly swirling my tongue around the head, tasting his musk. “I need to be inside you.”

My eyes widen in a silent question. Oh well, I shrug to myself. I can give it a good try. I angle him into my mouth, try to relax my throat as much as I can, and slowly slide more and more of him in.

I feel his fingers touch my chin as he chuckles. I let go of his cock and look up.

“I had something else in mind,” he smiles and gently guides me up to his mouth. “Your turn,” he whispers and kisses me, his hands already pulling my clothes off.

“Oh,” I snicker. “Not getting better at it, am I?”

“You still need practice,” he rumbles, amusement in his tone. “But it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it. I just want to repay you.”

“You’ve kept me alive through the worst case of my murderous urges, I think there’s nothing to repay,” I shake my head.

“I would have done that regardless of the shape of our bond, Nara,” he looks me in the eyes, mien serious. “I want to repay your love. You could have been with your old flame right now, getting treated like the deity you are. Instead, you’re here with me, worried about my feelings. I fail to put into words what that means to me.”

“Halsin,” I breathe out, hugging him. “That just makes me want to shower you with love even harder. I want you to feel loved. Do you feel loved when you’re with me?”

He gulps and softly sighs, “Yes.”

I can tell he’s scared. Perhaps expecting me to disappear. I can’t even imagine what would make me do that if I was free—but Bhaal can still make the choice for me. There’s really nothing I can promise as long as I’m puppeteered by his hand.

So I hug Halsin tighter, running my fingers through his hair, inhaling their scent. He slowly finishes undressing me, his fingers electrifying every inch of my skin they touch. The air is getting cool as the sun is slowly setting, but his enormous form is like a furnace, keeping me warm against the breeze.

[bladeweavedance]

More Ship Meme Details!

This one says car, and there's no cars in Faerun, so I changed it to carriage. Originally, I thought "Nah, neither of these guys know how to drive" but then I remembered Wyll has Animal Handling and given his nature as a hero, he's totally had a moment or two or three where there's been a run-away carriage, and he's swooped in like the dashing and daring hero he is to take the reins and stop the thing and the horses before anyone gets hurt. So… Yeah.

We all know Gale is the camp cook, and if Wyll's dialogue is anything to go by, it sounds like he's quite territorial about it. But Wyll can be pretty determined and insistent, and I headcanon that he's not a bad cook himself. He might have started out that way (as the duke's son, he probably didn't have to cook his own meals - so he had to start from scratch when he was kicked out of Baldur's Gate), but I think his years of surviving on his own - he might have learned a few thing about seasoning with wild herbs and whatever spices he could pick up along his way as well as experimenting with various ingredients.

PDA - While both Wyll and Gale are on the more modest side of things (especially Gale given his whole "I won't undress even in front of my tressym" thing and wearing full-on long-sleeved pajamas and Wyll seems at least willing to wear a crop top) - so I can't see them engaging in more, err, private activities - I can definitely see them doing things like praising each other in public, saying romantic things to each other in public, holding hands, kissing, a face caress, hugs. They're both very affectionate people who aren't afraid of showing affection.

Wyll, being the hero that he is, has a natural inclination towards protecting people and can be especially fierce when it comes to protecting the people he loves. This is also evidenced in his origin if you romance Gale and make Wyll the Blade of Frontiers (he talks about keeping an eye on Gale, and Gale is touched that Wyll is so protective of him). Given how deeply Gale loves and the fact that he's a powerful wizard, though… I imagine Gale ALSO has a protective streak towards the ones he loves as well (you see this in his trying to distance himself from his mother because he believes himself to be a danger to her, and if you play his Origin, he can give Tara a stern talking to for traveling outside of Waterdeep where it isn't safe). Wyll, of course, is plenty capable of protecting himself, but that won't stop Gale from unleashing all of his magical fury on anyone who might threaten his love.

Relationship experience! So, we know Gale has SOME relationship experience - there's his relationship with Mystra which likely lasted years, but he also mentioned having mortal lovers before that. There seems to be some inclination that he didn't have A LOT of lovers before Mystra, maybe just a couple or a few. So, he's got maybe a moderate amount of experience; though, I get the feeling very little long-term experience and his relationship with Mystra probably left a lot to be desired in terms of how a normal relationship is supposed to work. That being said, due to his age and some things Wyll has said (more on that in a moment) - He has a LOT more experience than Wyll.

So, now we come to Wyll, sweet Wyll. First, I'm going to point out that Wyll says to Astarion in the Blushing Mermaid that he didn't have his first kiss until he was 15 years old. It's important to remember that Wyll was kicked out of Baldur's Gate when he was 17. So, that leaves two years where he could've possibly had a relationship (or a few really short-term ones) before he's trekking the wilderness and saving the day and having to deal with Mizora on a regular basis (which likely put a dent on his seeking relationship prospects).

Next, in some banter with Halsin, Wyll suggests his romance (if you're romancing him) is his first love. In another banter with Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate, Wyll specifically says he's "tight-laced" and "never been the type to sow his wild oats." Add that to his insistence on a fairy tale romance, the fact that he proposes to his partner before even considering sex with them and well…

What I'm saying there is a VERY HIGH chance that Wyll is a virgin, so yeah he's very close to the No Relationship Experience side of things.

[crossdressingdeath]

For the durge question: 10 and 19 (I'm especifically curious about who Kyvir is close to platonically!)

(Durge asks!)

10. What motivates your Dark Urge to either embrace or resist the tadpole? I'm afraid I can't properly answer this one just yet (I haven't decided whether Kyvir's going to embrace or resist the tadpole beyond him definitely not going half-illithid, my plan is to nom all the tadpoles I can this run and then decide what suits him better from there), but in terms of his reasoning both ways... On the "embrace" side the way that the Urge has little to no hold on him when he's hanging out with the Dream Visitor encourages him to lean into it in the hope that he can keep the Urge in check or maybe silence it altogether by giving the tadpole just a little more power, and to some extent the Emperor's attempts at copying Gortash's form does encourage Kyvir to trust him. On the "resist" side the fact that the Emperor cobbled this form together from what flashes of memory he could pull from Kyvir's ravaged mind means that it always feels just a bit wrong to him, which leads to him having more reservations than he might have otherwise, and he also has concerns about sticking more stuff in his brain when it's already such a mess. Plus, the idea of letting himself become reliant on the Dream Visitor even enough to trust him to be telling the truth about absorbing the tadpoles being a good idea rubs him the wrong way. We'll see what side he ultimately comes down on!

19. Has your Dark Urge become particularly close to anyone romantically and/or platonically in their journey? If so, who, and what is the relationship like? If no, why not? Well, obviously Astarion and Halsin as his lovers. Summarizing since you're more interested in the platonic ones, Halsin's warmth and kindness are a massive comfort (and knowing that someone so ultimately good could possibly love him makes Kyvir feel like maybe he's not entirely monstrous after all), and Kyvir and Astarion have this Thing where it starts out as pure manipulation on both sides and they're basically both having to learn how to love another person at the same time. Platonically, Kyvir's closest to Gale and Karlach. With Gale it starts because by sheer coincidence Gale happens to offer to help Kyvir connect to the Weave the night after Alfira's death, and having that moment of peace and connection and comfort in the middle of all his confusion and self-disgust and fear made him latch onto Gale... pretty hard? Not helped by Gale's constant praise during that scene, because this poor boy is starved for people telling him he's doing good. He actually probably could've ended up falling for Gale quite easily, but Gale's romantic feelings come before his sexual ones and that scared Kyvir off when it came up. They're still the very best of friends, though. They hang out and talk magic theory like nerds together all the time, it's great fun. For them. Everyone else finds it deeply weird (affectionate). With Karlach I think it started with Karlach being delighted at how immediately Kyvir was like "You want us to kill some paladins for you? We will absolutely do that! I will take no arguments from the rest of the group on this!" and Kyvir not having the heart to tell her that actually he just. really wanted to kill some paladins, and was actually a little disappointed when it turned out they weren't. But then Karlach started seeking Kyvir out to hang out with him and she was so nice and sweet and also violent and he just... really liked her! And then they started getting into the "I would rather die than return to where I was" commonality and even though Kyvir didn't remember his past that... did strike a nerve and they bonded over it. Also: she's very warm. Before Dammon cooled down the engine Kyvir had to sit like a foot away from her, sure, but that was still warm and after it's safe to touch her she's so quick to hug people so it's just. touch-starved tiefling cuddle piles. (Not coincidentally, Gale and Karlach are two of the characters who respond worst to the Bhaal's Chosen reveal. This makes that whole situation Much Much Worse.)

[ryttu3k]

#halsin's hugs could make anyone feel safe #karlach is also an s-tier hug provider except she gets too excited and your spine ends up in danger

astarion is either sad or he was caught cuddling and is now hiding his face in embarrassment