#loves to talk and has a lot of companions so there are MANY words
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I have so many thoughts and feelings about act 1 of Arcane season 2. I donât think I could even put them into coherent sentences right now. A few things that I can are:
â Iâve said this on a couple reblogs but I canât shake the thoughts about it. When Cait finally lets herself break in front of Vi, I noticed Vi almost hesitate. It looks like she takes a small step back before leaning forward to catch Cait. Once she does, she doesnât seem to hug back right away, hands closed into fists. Even when she does, her hands are still closed. When Cait slides her arms down Viâs back is when Vi finally opens her hands. I have a feeling it means something (aside from the dropping of her guard) and we might get a parallel to it.
â Speaking of Vi dropping her guard, she does it a lot around Cait in act 1. After their kiss, the gauntlets come off. Before the uh⌠super heartbreaking breakup, the gauntlets come off. She completely lowered her guard before talking to Cait (who was still armed) which almost makes it worse.
â Vi already drinking a lot.
â Completely unrelated to the show itself⌠Maddieâs voice actress is the same one who voices the companion Cait in Fallout 4. Kinda found that funny but also a touch irritated with myself for not noticing seeing as Cait is my favorite companion (outside of Dogmeat, of course). Like I should have noticed from the lines âI have to askâŚâ and â⌠a heart like yours.â Like⌠she says it damn near the exact same way in the game. So that makes 2 people in Arcane related to Fallout in some way. Ella Purnell (Jinx) being the other. She plays Lucy in the show. Just a neat little bit of trivia for the Fallout fans.
â Cait, darling, I love you but youâre making it awfully hard to keep defending you. Knock it off and go get your girl back. You better have a damn good apology.
â Jinx was so unbothered for most of act 1 and I am so here for it. Especially with Sevikaâs new arm.
â I see a lot of people going on about Maddie. Her vibe is all off to me. Not related to any of the leaks either (sigh). Just⌠nah. I dunno what it is.
â Can we also talk about the blue guy on the strike team? Come on. Heâs cool and doesnât even say a word. I want to know more about him. He has a good vibe about him⌠for now at least.
â Caitâs cape is cool looking.
â Heimerdinger was so unbothered. Absolutely love it. Funny lil guy.
â Viktor is Jesus?? Alrighty then.
â Mel got kidnapped?
â Ambessa needs to kindly fuck off and leave Cait alone.
âJayce needs to not touch things sometimes. I swear. Had to go fuck around with magic at the worst time while our girls were in the middle of a fucking battle.
Thereâs so much more bouncing around my head but canât quite put into words yet. Iâm sure Iâll get there and have even more to say once act 2 destroys us further. Until then, letâs just focus on that kiss and not what happened afterâŚ
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June 14th 2024 Developer Q&A (from the official BioWare Discord)Â - Complete transcript
Under a cut due to length.
Update:Â This post has now been updated into a word-for-word transcript.
[Link to video recording of Q&A]Â |Â [Link to equivalent post for second Q&A (August 30th)] |Â [Link to video recording for second Q&A]
Update:Â This post has now been updated into a word-for-word transcript.
If you would like to listen to the Q&A for yourself in video format, or listen to it again, Ghil Dirthalen recorded it and has now uploaded a video of it here. This blog post is linked in the description under the video. ( ˜´ ᾠ`˜ )
Corinne Busche, John Epler, Matt Rhodes and Community Manager Katey were the devs that were there.
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Katey: Hello!
John: Hello.
Katey: Beautiful, your mic sounds beautiful. How's everybody doing?
John: Excellent. I, just as a headsup, I have some folks doing some service, in the next room so, if I, if you hear background noise, that's what that is.
Katey: No worries at all. Well I hope that everybody who's been waiting in here is really excited, because I'm super excited. I'm Katey. I'm the Community Manager. If you don't already know, you can usually see my name at the top of this Discord server. But I'm joined here with some awesome guests that I'll let introduce themselves. Let's start with Corinne.
Corinne: Can you hear me okay?
John: Yep.
Katey: Yep, we can hear you beautifully.
Corinne: Great, perfect. I'm Corinne Busche, Game Director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
John: Awesome. I'm John Epler, Creative Director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Corinne: John!
John: Hello.
Katey: And then we've also got Matt Rhodes, who may be struggling to find the unmute button which is at the bottom left.
Corinne: Our, our resident artist-poet, Matt Rhodes.
Katey: I could unmute him, actually, I don't know if I can unmute him, but if he needs help, he can message me on the side.
John: The joys of being a giant nerd is I spend a lot of time on Discord anyway, so.
Corinne: Well there you go, right?
Katey: Fair enough. Alright, well, we have a ton of questions to answer. We probably won't be able to get to all of them today. You all have sent in so many really really great answers, sorry, questions for us to answer. And if we don't get to them today, we're hoping to be able to do things like this in the future. So without further ado, I'll get started. First question's a bit of a soft ball, I feel. If you could belong to any of the main factions shown in the game, which would you choose?
Corinne: I mean, listen Katey, you say softball, but like, this is hard! Iâm gonna cheat, and Iâm gonna give you two. So for fashion, the Antivan Crows, all day long. Their threads, youâre gonna love it. For vibes, though, like the ones that capture my vibe, Mourn Watch. Gimme those necromancers.
John: Those are good answers. I have, I have one for fashion, and also for, just general faction Iâd like to be a part of. Veil Jumpers. Who doesnât like a nice walk in the forest, yâknow? Even if that forest is filled with horrifying monsters and terrifying anomalies, but yeah.
Katey: I love that. I know that Matt has a few technical issues â oh, heâs unmuted. There we go. Or maybe not. Thatâs okay, I think we can move on.
John: The Fade has taken Matt.
Corinne: Thatâs right, thatâs right.
Katey: Yes. One quick thing, if you check your settings, the cog-wheel in the bottom left, make sure that your voice, like, your audio is all good. If youâre still hearing the music, feel free to maybe, force-quit Discord and rejoin by just joining the stage directly. And mute the music before you come in. Okay. I can move on to the next question for now. Iâve seen, so this question was from Acra. Iâve seen a lot of talk about only having two companions in your party instead of three for this game. What is the reasoning behind this and will we still get the same companion conversations and banter as seen in the previous Dragon Age games?
Corinne: Ooh, this is such a good question. Thankyou, whoever submitted this one. Yeah, Iâll guess Iâll start and then Iâll turn it over to John Epler. So, first of all, as you saw in the gameplay reveal, this is a much more intimate experience. Weâve pulled the camera in. For those that arenât aware, the reason why is we want you to feel like you actually are in this world, right? Like, youâre walking these city streets of Minrathous, youâre looking up, seeing the buildings all around you, youâre a part of this place. So itâs much more intimate, and we believe as the narrative unfolds this creates a lot more immersion. Now, how that relates to companions is in doing this, we went back and forth on it a lot, but we actually found, with this perspective, having two companions, really allows them more visibility and presence. Weâve talked about the incredible depth and focus weâve put on fleshing out these companions, theyâre very fully-realized. So here, you really get to see them more clearly, you get to see them shine. When you see Lace Harding jump into the air and unleash a volley of arrows, you can only really get that because of that more intimate view. So I love the spotlight thatâs been put on them. But, I think, in addition to the banter, one of the things that people are wondering about is, okay, but what about gameplay? So again, this has come about from our testing, working with the internal team, also our lovely Council of players. We just found that when youâre playing in the combat system, when youâre planning your strategies, two really felt like the right number to manage. So keep in mind, Rook has a lot of different types of actions, Abilities, individual attacks that are more fully fleshed-out than ever before. Timing and positioning matter a lot. So this really felt like the right balance to have. The number of inputs and actions weâre asking you as a player to take, including directing your companions, is higher than ever before. And I will also say, I engage with the companions, like I actively control what theyâre doing more than I ever have before in any of the other three games. But John, Iâll toss it over to you for the banter. Thatâs kind of like the, we got a two-for-one there.
John: Yeah, yeah.
Corinne: I think thatâs a, a great question.
John: So - itâs a great question, yeah. I mean honestly, I donât think you could actually stop the writers from writing banter. I will say for myself, itâs, itâs one of the more light but fun things to do. You get to write little stories, little arcs between different characters. And I mean, The Veilguard is no different. Banter is still absolutely core part of it. You know, weâve got global banter, you know, the general stuff that you get in all spaces, as well as mission-specific stuff. But, yeah, itâs definitely still a big thing. I think itâs, if anything itâs the most weâve, weâve ever done for pairings of companions. Beyond that weâve also made sure, and I mean Iâve been on Dragon Age for a while, and I know thereâs been issues, you know, things like, okay, well I donât wanna miss this banter. So weâve even added stuff like some interruptible and resumable banter as well, just to make sure that, because again, itâs a core part of the experience. Everyone loves hearing these companions talk to each other, everyone loves hearing these little stories and relationships develop over the course of the game and, as mentioned before, companions are the heart of this experience and banter is a big part of that, so, you still have it, itâs, if anything, like I said, you could not stop the writers from doing it even if we tried, so.
Corinne: Thatâs right, thatâs right. Well, John, you know, listening to you speak, one thing that comes to mind, maybe people are wondering, with two companions in the field do I get less interaction between, that, like do I get to see my companions interacting in a broader group more often.
John: Oh -
Corinne: And, the way youâll gather them around the kitchen table, thereâs just so many of those moments where theyâre all interacting with each other.
John: Well, I think â
Corinne: Those are some of my favorite parts.
John: Yeah, and I think, yeah, and actually thatâs a, a good call, because I think the other side of it is, weâre not talking too much about your home or anything, but, we also want to make sure that they feel like they have a relationships and a life outside of just, the times you take a certain pair of companions out on the field. So we made sure that, they have those interactions there as well.
Katey: Love that. Letâs see. Um, Matt, are we, are we all set, are we good? Yes? No? Okay. I can continue and we can come back to some of your questions. Alright. So that, I loved the answers to those. How customizable is the backstory of Rook? Will we get to determine their past in the Character Creator? And that was asked by Briar.
John: Yeah, so. Absolutely. So, one of, each, Rook has six different backgrounds that you can choose from. Each of them is tied to one of the major factions in The Veilguard and each one sets out who Rook was before they recruited, were recruited by Varric, and. Well that sets out the broad events. As you go through the game, as youâre gonna have conversations, either with members of your faction, other characters, you can define, not just what those events were, but what they meant to you, what was your motivation, what was the kind of person you are as you build up Rook, because again, we wanna make sure that roleplaying is at the heart of this experience. And taking Rook, giving them, again, giving them background to ground them in the world but then letting you decide what that means and what that says about you is also a big part of it, so. And again, there are six different factions in this game, two which, anyone whoâs played Dragon Age for a while will remember. Youâve got the Grey Wardens. Youâve got the Antivan Crows. We also have, in addition to that, we have four new ones, because weâre in northern Thedas. We have the Veil Jumpers. We have the Mourn Watch. We have the Shadow Dragons, and we have the Lords of Fortune, so. Again, a lot of different options, a lot of different background, and a lot of opportunities to really define what your, who your Rook was, and who they are now, so.
Katey: Amazing. Will crafting return? If yes, has it been improved over the system in Inquisition? Asked by Some Dude.
Matt: Testing.
Katey: Oh hey Matt!
Corinne: âSome Dudeâ, is that, Iâm gonna assume âSome Dudeâ is a username. Great question.
Katey: Yes.
Corinne: Welcome Matt, the lovely Matt Rhodes.
Matt: Testing, testing.
Corinne: Welcome, welcome, hello. Alright, so, will crafting return? You can absolutely improve and customize your gear, yes, that is a big part of RPG progression, so yes you can improve and customize it. I will say, though, itâs different this time around, and it does get into spoiler territory, so I, Iâm gonna be a little bit cagey about it, but there might be a mysterious entity that assists you with that thatâll be an important part of the narrative.
Katey: So mysterious.
Corinne: Oooh!
Katey: Matt, Iâm gonna actually go back to our first question so that you can answer, so everyone knows.
Matt: Thank you.
Katey: What faction, what faction you would choose if you could choose one for yourself?
Matt: Absolutely, oh, for me itâs definitely the Lords of Fortune. Iâve had a chance to try out a bunch of them, but I think Iâve finally settled on them. And itâs largely just because pirate-barbarian is just such a great combination of elements, so. Treasure-hunting plus beaches and palm trees and all that stuff, itâs a, itâs a really good mix, so thatâs kinda my default.
Katey: I think Iâm with you there, for sure. How about this one - this one was definitely asked probably amongst the most in Discord. Axolotl asks, can we kiss or romance Manfred the skeleton?
Matt: Uh, I, I would say, not that skeleton, but weâre not saying no skeletons.
Katey: I love that answer.
Corinne: This is my favorite answer so far.
Katey: Alright, so Iâm gonna get back on track here. Alright. What, what were some of the development considerations that you had to take into account to ensure that this new game flows and functions with prior games, and Dragon Age Keep, if Keep is being utilized?
Corinne: Ooh, thatâs a good one too. So, first of all, I would, I would point everyone to, we did an interview with IGN that goes into some of the details there, so, like, if you want a deeper dive on it, check out that article. But just to summarize, we have taken a different approach on how you import your decisions this time around. Itâs now actually been fully-integrated into the Character Creator, and kinda serves a dual purpose, to be honest. I, I playfully, itâs not called this in-game, but I playfully think of it as âLast Time On Dragon Ageâ.
Katey: I love that.
Corinne: Right? Now, when I talk about its dual purpose, itâs been ten years since the last Dragon Age game released, so it serves as a refresher on critical events as well as allowing you to re-make those decisions that are critical to you. The thing I love about it is, itâs very highly visual, it uses the familiar tarot card aesthetic, so itâs actually really visual and playful experience as you go through it. It is very much important to us that itâs built into the client, though. You can play this game entirely offline. No connection. You donât have to link to your EA accounts, like thatâs been a really big request. So, the refresher plus make those decisions in-client, I think weâre all pretty happy about that. I donât wanna spoil anything by revealing what decisions you can import, like, look, yâall donât want the spoilers, but I will say, itâs been a really interesting creative intersection for us, because on the one hand, this is a whole new adventure. Youâre in northern Thedas, these locations that youâve literally never been to before. So that affects some of what will matter and what weâre not using this time around, as far as decisions. But obviously thereâs some very, very clear connections to existing characters. Itâs no secret that the Inquisitor, our dear Inky, is gonna show up, so, thatâs, thatâs a factor.
Katey: Peachy asks, will this next game be an open-world game, or is it just contained to Tevinter?
John: Yeah, thatâs a great question. So, you are in northern Thedas, but the game only begins in Minrathous, it doesnât stay there. Iâm, I think one of the most exciting things for me, honestly, and again, to Corinneâs earlier point about spoilers, I donât wanna get into too much spoiler detail, but getting to go to, and work with the art team, work with the narrative, work with the design team to build out these locations that weâve talked about. Places that characters have referred to as where theyâve come from, places that characters, obviously, in previous games, have hailed from, has been absolutely exciting. So, itâs, you do start in Tevinter, you do start in Minrathous, but again, thatâs not the entire game by any stretch. So yeah.
Corinne: Yeah, and the first half of it is, is it an open-world game? Weâve gone back to what we believe delivers the best, most curated â
John: Mhm.
Corinne: - intense narratives. So, this is a hand-crafted experience, itâs mission-based. Now, these locations can open up. You can go back, solve mysteries, do some really great side-content. Not fetch-quests, not grind-quests, some really great side content.
John: Mhm.
Corinne: But, I wanna be clear. Itâs, itâs a really curated, hand-crafted experience.
John: And just to, just to bounce off of that very quickly. The most important thing for us, to what Corinne was saying about hand-crafted, obviously weâve talked about how, you know, narrative, story, characters, are the most, are critical to us, and this has allowed us to build these experiences in a way that emphasize that, extremely long, while still, again, tying into the story threads and the story beats, so.
Katey: Awesome. TastefulToxel wants to know - will the companions have unique specializations like Dragon Age II, or will it be the same ones we will have access to as the player in like DA: Origins, or Inquisition?
Corinne: Oh, cool. Hey TastefulToxel. Yeah, so, cool question. I think the best way for me to describe this is that, yes, our companions will have Abilities that are truly unique to them. But also, the companions do fall into the archetypes of mage, rogue, and warrior. Like, for instance, you might be surprised to hear, because she has a bow, but Bellara is, in fact, a mage, and I, I love that. So, some of the Abilities, the bulk of the Abilities of the companions are based on their own unique personality. Like, Neve is the only mage that is an Ice Mage, so you get distinct Abilities for her. But, because sheâs a mage, she does have access to Abilities that all the mages share, like Time Slow. So we really like the balance there. Itâs like a good mix of representing their archetype, their class, and also their distinct specialization or personality, whatever you wanna call it.
John: Yeah, actually, I would actually say the word âpersonalityâ is a really great one because thatâs, again, each of these characters exists, each of these characters have a history, have a story of how they became who they were, and part of that was finding that intersection between narrative and gameplay, and making sure that, again, we, we serve the needs of gameplay but also allow these characters to breathe and exist as their own people, not just in conversation, but out of conversations, as well.
Corinne: I would also say as part of that core mage kit, healing spells are there, so any of your mages, you wanna make âem a healer, do that.
Katey: Lunasoul Darkmoon asks, will The Veilguard have tactical combat still?
Corinne: Ooh, such a good one, such a good one. Okay. Yes! Combat gets quite tactical, like, obviously this is an evolution of the combat system, and I talked about immersion, wanting you, to put you in the world, like youâre actually living and existing in it, but it is very tactical. And, I will say, we have a robust difficulty system. The tactics are increasingly important the higher difficulty level you go. So like, look, if youâre showing up for a highly tactical experience, I would crank that difficulty level in particular. But I wanna make clear, Iâm, super, I wanna make sure Iâm super clear in my answer. You saw the gameplay reveal. Our pause-time tactical mode is not overhead. It stays close to Rook. It does allow you to cycle between targets, both in and out of combat, thereâs a reason for that. As the game progresses, and you didnât see this in that opening hour of the game, but itâll display strategic information on the enemies, so like, what are their vulnerabilities, what are their elemental weaknesses, their enhancements, what are they resistant to? So your type of Abilities, learning into elemental gameplay, matters a lot. Iâd also say, this is a long answer, itâs such a good question â tactical decision-making also takes the form, I would say this is front and center, of coordinating your Ability usage between Rook and your companions to create synergies, or really devastating â we call them â detonation combos. So, let me give you a couple of examples, because it can be a little hard to visualize, so hopefully this helps. So one of the tactics that I personally enjoy in my own builds, I just recently played as a Veil Ranger, I love it, itâs one of my favorites. If Iâm fighting Fade-touched enemies in Arlathan, I like to use Bellaraâs Galvanized Tear to pull enemies together, itâs like a gravity well. You then Slow Time with Neve and, Slow Time affects the world around you, but it does not affect you, so you clump them up, you Slow Time, and then with Rook, I come in and do, like a devastating AOE or damage over time spell or Ability, and itâs even better if itâs a lightning-based Ability, because the Fade-touched in Arlathan are vulnerable to that. So thereâs so many layers of coordination and strategy and tactics. Now we did talk about the devastating, like, detonation combos, honestly, thatâs probably one of my favorite features, because thatâs when youâre really leaning into explicit teamwork between your companions and Rook, or, the companions together. So when I, when I build out my team and Iâm going into a mission, I try to ensure that I have at least a couple of possible synergies, detonation combo synergies within my team. Might be between Harding and Neve, or it might be between Neve and me, or it might be both. So here, I would go into battle, Iâd pause time, open the Ability Wheel, get information on the enemy, and the Wheel will actually tell me that there is a synergy combo, you might have seen a screenshot that says âcombo availableâ. It will remind you of those synergies between companions. You can queue both of those Abilities up at the same time, go, close out of the pause-time menu, theyâll both execute, both Abilities will happen, then the detonation AOE happens, applies debuffs to all the enemies in a radius of it, itâs so satisfying, itâs so satisfying, I canât wait for yâall to see it. But the interesting thing is that too is a tactical choice. Iâm choosing to use my companions to do that, and that means, in that moment, Iâm not using them to heal me, or to give me that defense bonus, or to knock an enemy off a ledge, so itâs about the opportunity cost. I, I could spend the rest of the session talking about this, I, apologies for being long-winded, but this is just one of my favorite parts of, of the game.
Katey: That was a great answer. Can you choose Rookâs pronouns? If yes, being, is being non-binary an option? And also, how detailed is Character Creation?
Corinne: Hell yeah you can select your pronouns! Absolutely. You can actually select both your pronouns and your gender, because those are related concepts, but theyâre not actually the exact same thing, so. Itâs really cool. Yeah, you can be non-binary. We have they/them, she/her, he/him. Yes, emphatic yes. How detailed is the Character Creator? Oh my goodness, yâall. Like. Very! I donât wanna give away too much just yet, but itâs very, very deep. It has been revealed, itâs out there in a couple of articles, about the focus on hair, the focus on skin-tones that are done respectfully, full-body customization, hell yeah, we love to see it. But weâre, weâre gonna, weâre gonna come back, weâre gonna show you a lot more on Character Creator, but we wanna make sure we have the time and space to, to do that.
Katey: Will there be a Photo Mode in-game?
Corinne: So that is something weâre actively looking into. We know thereâs a tonne of interest, so stay tuned on that one. But we are very much looking into it.
Matt: I can add to that, is a feature that is, that, we like, we like the idea of, and, and, itâs not just player-facing but internally, itâs a really helpful thing for us as weâre, as weâre building things out to have that so itâs, itâs, weâll let ya know.
Corinne: Yes, yeah, absolutely. We, we are as geeked on that possibility as you all are.
Katey: A lot of people were asking about Abilities. This one is from Clemmy. Abilities, I donât think I saw this answered yet, but are we going to be limited in how many Abilities we can pick from the Wheel?
Corinne: Ah! Yes, yes, yes. So, Ability Wheel does have a capacity. You have to choose which three Abilities you wanna bring for Rook, which three for one of your companions, and which three for another companion. And what I, what I like about this is there is, kind of, an emergent gameplay depending on who you and your companions are coming into the mission with. Now the reason for that is, it actually creates really interesting balance of strategizing, having to do that strategy about your kit, your combat kit, before the mission. And then the tactical decisions once youâre in the field in combat, deciding what to do. But, I do wanna clear one thing up, because, while there are three Ability slots for Rook, thereâs so much more than that. Other actions that you can perform directly from the Wheel include, youâll have an Ultimate Ability, associated with your class or your specialization, so thereâs variance there. Thereâs a type of items that youâll get that function like Abilities, theyâre typically like buffs and enhancements in form of Runes. So youâll control that for Rook and/or the team from the Wheel. You may have also seen that you can direct which targets your companions will focus on, but what you might not know is that a lot of the companion gear really synergizes with that directing your companions. When you issue those commands, that too will proc based on the gear they have equipped. Really interesting and strategic effects. They can be more Ability-like, more, like, procced effects, thereâs just so much from the Wheel, that once you get in and see everything working together, becomes more and more apparent.
Katey: We have another question from TastefulToxel which is, will Fireball and Cone of Cold be back as skills, or as spells in Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
Corinne: Ohh, I love, all these combat questions, really good. So Fireball and Cone of Cold arenât specifically back, however, their successors are. Frost Nova and Meteor. So these serve the exact same combat role and function as those other Abilities. I would also say, it gives âem quite the glow-up, so. Meteor in particular, like, so satisfying nuking a group of darkspawn with a well-placed Meteor, itâs really wonderful.
Katey: What accessibility features are available? I would love to know if thereâs an arachnophobia mode. Will there be mod support?
Corinne: Oh my goodness, arachnophobia. I am wicked afraid of spiders too, my partner always laughs at me. Iâm just terrified of them. That said, thatâs one weâre going to save for a little bit closer to launch before weâll go into full details about accessibility features. But I do wanna assure you, weâve spent a lot of time thinking about this topic so you can play the game in a way that really works for you. Iâm, Iâm excited to share that with you when the time is right.
Katey: So this one is from a username named Cookie. How long is the time-skip from Inquisition to The Veilguard? I know weâll probably get more info on this, but Iâm so curious.
John: Yeah, so, anyone whoâs paid attention to Dragon Age, and I can say as somebody who���s been on Dragon Age since Origins, timelines are always a little iffy. They change, and they morph over development as we see how long events taking. But, for The Veilguard, we were actually pretty consistent from the start. Itâs been about ten years since the events of Trespasser. As you may or may not have noticed, Varricâs become a little bit of a silver fox. I know, Iâve heard, seen, Iâve seen a lot of comments on that on social media, but, yeah, ten years. Solasâ ritual is taken time to set up and youâre kinda coming in at the end of that hunt, so.
Katey: Siddy is asking the hardest-hitting question which is, is Solas still bald?
Matt: Yeah. I mean, if youâve watched the gameplay thing, we can all confirm, yes, Solas is still bald, Solas is still Solas. Weâve, weâve, I really, I really like how Solas has turned out this time around. I will say, hereâs a comment on this specific question thatâs gonna sound like a non-sequitur, but, once you get a chance to play it a little bit more, maybe youâll see it. In Thedas, ancient elves, they go bald when theyâre like millennia old, so. Solas wasnât always bald. So if you were to end up, end up seeing what Solas looked like in the past, things might be a little different. Youâll have â
John: - Now, now that said, Iâm sure some of you are wondering what happened to Solasâ wig from Tevinter Nights. Iâm sure he still has it somewhere, so.
Katey: Heâs just taking care of it elsewhere.
John: Heâs just taking care, itâs, itâs his most important possession.
Corinne: The Pride there, huh?
Katey: I have another one for Matt. This is, will we be able to, will we be able to change companionsâ appearances and outfits, or are they fixed, similar to Dragon Age II?
Matt: Yeah we, Dragon Age II was, we loved how the followers turned out in that but it was, it was sad given, given our constraints that we had to keep them with just one, one basic outfit. So we really tried to make some space for them this time around. So theyâre, they still have, kindâve iconic color palettes and things like that, but they do have a wider range of appearances that you can, that you can find for them. Some, some are just cool, but then there are some that are tied directly to their, to their narrative and just kinda whatâs happening in their life.
Katey: Another one for ya, which is, will we be seeing or visiting Kal-Sharok? Itâs, and, Tyrant says that theyâve been obsessed with it forever.
Matt: Yeah, me too. I, I will say, whatâs, whatâs been really cool, so in previous games, weâve kindâve alluded to this before. It was a lot of fun to hint at the locations that were off the map, the mysterious places that you werenât gonna go, you werenât going. And so you could just bring in some props or some characters, a piece of art, things like that, and you know, even Tevinter was only vaguely hinted at and then we would just add drips and bits and pieces, so that stuff was really fun. In The Veilguard, weâre actually getting to visit, most, like a whole lot of those locations that had only been hinted at for real, so you actually do run around Tevinter and a bunch of the other locations that weâve revealed. But this also means, like, weâre not completely filling out the map, and so that there are actually new things that we can start hinting at, that we can start drip-feeding, and so, itâs, itâs kindâve fun. Iâd say, yeah, for what we can show of Kal-Sharok, and, and other locations, itâs just, thereâs, thereâs more to do.
Katey: Awesome. MrFightmonster118 asks, will the dialogue wheel slash options be similar to Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda in the sense that itâs more tone-based?
John: Yeah, so, we have a number of different types of wheels in our game. All the dialogue wheels are based off the same principle. Anyone whoâs played a Dragon Age game remembers what they look like. In Dragon Age: The Veilguard we have tone wheels which are, you know, again, roleplaying your character, picking consistent tone. We also have emotion wheels where you can pick specific emotional reactions. And choice wheels which are, I donât have a strong emotional or tone tie here but I do want to make a choice based on what I do. Investigates obviously return as well, but. We do want players to understand as much as possible what it is theyâre going to be picking, and understand, and again, choice and consequence is fun, we wanna make sure the choice is clear, even if, again, one of the best parts about consequence is making sure thatâs not entirely clear, so.
Katey: How extensive are Rookâs decision trees for dialogue going to be with the companions and also with NPCs throughout the game?
John: Huge. I mean, again, itâs a Dragon Age game, we wanna make sure you have choices, we wanna make sure you can choose both your roleplaying but also choose outcomes of conversations, choose how events unfold, so, I mean, again, itâs a Dragon Age game, we wanna make sure that we also react to decisions youâve made, so. For example, you may be talking to a follower who is an elf, and if you yourself are an elf, obviously youâre gonna have a different perspective on events than someone whoâs not an elf. Sometimes that means different conversation options, sometimes thatâs going to mean entirely deep dialogue trees, as well as based off decisions youâve made throughout the game so, again, making sure that the game feels like itâs noticing what youâre doing is a huge part of how weâve written out the dialogue wheel, or dialogue trees, in this game.
Corinne: Blueberry has a question for Corinne. It was mentioned that there will be, that we will be able to romance who we like. Does that mean that all companions are romanceable by all player characters regardless of race or gender, as it has been in the past?
Corinne: Yeah, yeah. So, we have talked about this in some of the interviews, Iâve seen a few articles about it, so Iâd recommend everyone check out those articles. But let me just give you a quick overview. Each of the seven companions have full romance arcs and they are romanceable by all genders, absolutely. But something thatâs really important to, to us on the team, so I wanna make sure that we clarify and just double-down on, that doesnât mean playersexual. And if anyoneâs unaware of what we mean by that, it doesnât mean that they can form or twist their identities to who you the player are, like they, they wonât suddenly have a preference for men or women based on what youâre playing, right? Instead, they have their own fully fleshed-out identities, they are true and authentic to that. So in this game, they are all pansexual, with their own histories of romance. Sometimes youâll hear about preferences, or things of that nature. And what I really love is, if you donât pursue a romance with them, theyâll actually build their own romances with each other. So, in one of the interviews I talked about Lace Harding and Taash getting together. I give that example because honestly, itâs one of my favorites. Iâm gonna put a question back to the community, though. Iâve heard weâre going with âLaashâ for that ship-name? You tell me, like, what is that ship-name?
Katey: That one just rolls off the tongue, I feel like that works. This next question is from FallenArtesia. What are the markings on the faces of the elven Warden and Veil hopper?
Matt: So thereâs a, quite a few, probably, I think, easily more than weâve done before, tattoos from various, various cultures. Weâre bringing the vallaslin back, of course. But thereâs, yeah, ton of different options, especially when weâre, again, going into all these new regions. Each, each area has its own kindâve visual language for that. But yeah, we are bringing the vallaslin back and then a couple of the characters have them, but weâve kindâve customized them a little bit, theyâre a bit more specific to their personality.
Katey: And this is a question for all of you. What are you, what are you as a developer most proud of about the game, and what are you most excited for players to experience when itâs out?
John: Ooh, thatâs a good question.
Corinne: Isnât it?
John: Corinne, you wanna go first?
Corinne: Yeah, sure. Gosh. So I suspect for most of us, myself included, it is really gonna be the depth and authenticity of the companions, journeying along with them on their arcs, learning about their hardships, what they care about, being by their side, that, that authenticity is just so good. They all feel like my dear friends. But, I have to say, the closest runner-up for me, has to be the Character Creator, has to be. That Character Creator, the makeup options, the range of sliders. Iâm a qunari fan, so even just the, the way you customize the horns and combine that with the really great-looking hair. Character Creator has to be my, my, like very close runner up.
Matt: Oh yeah. For me, I would say, as far as, what, what I can say Iâm most proud of on this one, the, I can speak for the art team. We worked incredibly hard to make the story more visible than ever. Games are a visual medium, but, you know, itâs, sometimes itâs easier to do things in text format or written in a Codex somewhere or alluded to off-screen. But we really leaned in to trying to make sure that every design, prop, character, environment, the VFX weâre choosing, everything, all, all these choices, were putting the story on-screen so that you can really see it unfold. And I think, having worked on all of the Dragon Age games, I would say Veilguard represents one of the best attempts at that weâve made yet.
John: Iâm gonna cheat, because Iâm going last and I get to do that when I go last, and kinda combine both Corinneâs and Mattâs answer. Honestly, the companions are, for me, the absolute highlight of, just, being able to work across all the disciplines, building characters who look and sound and behave in very specific and characterful ways. These are the deepest companion arcs weâve ever done. Not just on Dragon Age, but at BioWare in general. Each, each companion has their own story arc, you can go through decisions you can make, they really do take center-stage, and I think, as you play through with them you see the care and love that the team has put into each and every one. I mean thereâs, thereâs moments in each arc that make you cry, make you angry, make you excited and, and the way that they integrate into the story as a whole is just, for me, something thatâs been really fun. Finding ways to bring these characters together, finding ways to make this, this narrative, this story of, you know, you need to put together a team and stop the end of the world, itâs just been absolutely exciting and thrilling. And again, you see the teamâs love in every single piece of it. As for what Iâm most excited? For me, Iâve been, I mean Dragon Age has been part of my career, part of my life for literally the last decade and a half. Iâve worked on it since Origins and thereâs something about The Veilguard that feels like a amazing mix of, novelty but also familiarity. Itâs like coming home in a way that I think is going to be very exciting for people who are existing Dragon Age players, but thereâs also so much here thatâs just new and exciting for people, new players and old players alike. And going to parts of the word, seeing things weâve never seen before, and just getting to take this amazing world, this amazing series and expand on it and build on it in ways that have just been, honestly, an absolute thrill, the best part of my career. And Iâve been in games for seventeen years now, this has been the absolute highlight for me, so. Thatâs what Iâm excited about.
Corinne: John, that was, that was such a good answer, and I just, I just wanna âyes, and -â that. It, I so completely agree with you. Thereâve been times in the companion arcs where even, knowing exactly whatâs going to happen, we work on the game, with some of these decisions, I, Iâve had to set down the controller, let out a heavy sigh and go âoh my god, what am I gonna do here?â Yeah, the depth of them is wonderful. And, I do wanna say, I, Iâd be, I wanna put this out there, when we talked about as a developer, what are we most proud of, can we just give a big shout-out to the dev team? I am so proud of them. This team has poured their heart and soul into this.
John: Absolutely.
Corinne: Anyone from BioWare whoâs listening in, thank you so much, yâall are just the best.
John: Hear, hear.
Katey: I absolutely love that. I knew that question was going to have some of my best, some of my favorite answers, and it delivered, so thank you three. This oneâs a fun one. Why does Varric have dark hair now? I feel like John mentioned this a little bit earlier, but.
John: Just for [inaudible].
Matt: Heâs been, heâs been adventuring for a while now. His hair is, is more gray, but heâs been in very dark scenes so far, so. Weâll see him in some more contexts.
Katey: In this question, we actually took from Tumblr, because there were a few really good ones in our ask box. Will the Inquisitor be appearing in the flesh, or are we just choosing their major Dragon Age: Inquisition decisions?
Corinne: Alright! Yeah, yes! They will. The Inky does appear. We know how attached yâall are to the Inquisitor, Iâve seen the love for your OC. Yes, the Inquisitor shows up. Now, we, weâd already confirmed that in a few places, so, let me just say, you can also customize them, includes some of our new customization options, yeah, theyâre gonna show up and theyâre gonna be your Inquisitor.
John: And I think, I think beyond that, I mean, the story of Solas and the story of the Inquisitor, obviously are tied, theyâre tied together as much as any story, so. It would have been strange for us not to bring them in for this one. They have, theyâre gonna be a part of the story, so.
Katey: Will there be any planned DLC? Just curious, as I always love the DLCs. Oh, and transmog armor. This one came from Lavell.
Corinne: Oh, heck yeah, good question. So, right now, our focus is entirely on the quality of the game. Like, itâs so important at this stage for us to be all-in, all attention on, just, finishing this game and delivering on the quality, the promise of it. So honestly, like, thatâs all I can really say about it. Weâre 100% focused on this being the most complete game we can make it. I will say, kindâve related to that though, and I just wanna underscore this, I wanna emphasize it. Thereâs not gonna be any microtransactions, thereâs not gonna be any battle passes, you donât have to connect online, our focus is making this the most complete singleplayer game we possibly can. Now, this was kindâve a two-for question, I love when we do that. Will there be transmog? Hell yeah. Iâm the kindâve player that, that believes fashion is the real end-game. Yeah, thereâs a transmog system, absolutely, itâs sick.
Katey: And then this next question is from Scott. I was asking if any of the characters will be explicitly asexual, or on the ace spectrum?
Corinne: So good. Such a good question. So, look, Iâm just, Iâm gonna be really forthcoming with yâall and a little bit vulnerable here. Iâm ace, Iâm a gray-ace, I donât mind sharing that, Iâm kindâve public with it. I will say though, that none of our companions this time around are explicitly ace. When we look at the characters, their motivations, who they are, we always assess, like is, is this the right time? This time it wasnât. But what I will say for everyone on the ace spectrum out there, I would love to represent an ace relationship sometime in the future when it feels like the most authentic fit for a companion, when we can do it best. Oh, and I do see some questions, you know, some questions, what do we mean by ace? Asexuality. We often refer to it as the ace spectrum.
Katey: Can mage Rook do blood magic? Will blood magic be a skill tree separate from regular magic?
Corinne: Okay. Um, this gets a little spoilery, so let me just say, Rook has some pretty good reasons to avoid blood magic. Rook is not gonna want to be interested in that. But I will say, the mage skill tree is packed with all kinds of spells, traits and perks to give you a ton of flexibility in your magic. Gonna go off-script just a little bit, because â
John: Oh no.
Corinne: Iâve seen, like, can you tell us about the specializations for mage? Iâm not gonna tell you the deets, but there is a necromancer one, there is an elemental one, and there is one thatâs actually more of like a combat mage, itâs my favorite.
Katey: Can we name the griffon? We also have a griffon emoji now in this Discord server.
John: Excellent. So, someone on your, in your party, again, spoilers, may have already named the griffon, but, donât worry, Assan is a very good boy, so.
Corinne: All these griffon emojis are, yâall are killing me.
Katey: Yeah, I love that, griffons in the chat. Let's see. Will we have a camp/home/headquarters that weâll be able to customize?
Matt: Well this time around, in Inquisition you had Skyhold. In this case you have a headquarters called the Lighthouse. More to be seen on that. But, itâs, it, narratively it, it serves kindâve a different purpose but also the same purpose. As far as customization goes, there are elements of it that change over time, and some things that you can adjust. I, I donât know how much weâre really going into that at the moment.
Katey: This one is â
Matt: But yeah, I would say, itâs like, thereâs some, it, one thing I like about it is it definitely does start to feel very much like a home over time.
Katey: Sorry for almost cutting you off there Matt. We have another very hard-hitting question, if I'm, if I do say so myself.
John: I love this one.
Katey: We need to - Same. We need to know, does pasta and noodles exist in Thedas? Thank you.
Matt: Well, and Iâll take it as a chance just to geek out about worldbuilding, because, again, weâre, The Veilguard for us is a really kinda dream opportunity to go to places that weâve only ever heard reference to, or weâve seen hints at. And so, in going through the worldbuilding process and trying to, trying to build these places out, not just as neat things from the IP but also as, you know, if youâve, if you've read about this stuff, if youâve been following along, youâve got your own version of it in your head. Youâve imagined what it might be like, youâre, and probably hoping for something spectacular. And our brains are always far better at creating this stuff than any game developer, any artist, or anyone can really do justice to, so you really have to swing for the fences to make something very satisfying and exciting. You know, is, that can be everything as big as architecture and landscape and biomes and ecosystems, but it does get into things like art and culture, costume design, and also food, and this time around we did, you know, that was one of the many things that we, that we did, looking to, just to try to catch the character and the feel of a place to make it feel believable and lived in, so. Thatâs my really long answer for, yeah, Iâm sure, I've, at least one place does have pasta.
Katey: I loved that. This next question is from Spectre Karro. Are we getting a mabari?
John: Ooh, thatâs a good question. I will say, youâre spending most of the game in the north of Thedas. Mabari are not nearly as big of a thing up there, so. In this particular instance, no, you will not get a mabari, sadly.
Katey: Honestly, I shouldâve pulled this one up to where we answered the first question about the griffon, but, can we pet the griffon?
Matt: You, Iâm really sorry to have to be the one to tell you â nah, Iâm kidding, yes you can. But itâs not even just petting the griffon. Iâve, this isnât a spoiler, I think you can actually, Iâve actually hugged the griffon, so, that feels like, even there, a step up. Yeah.
John: Thereâs lots of opportunities to interact with the griffon.
Corinne: Can we see, can we see Assan in chat if we wanna see him in the Lighthouse hanging out?
Katey: Assan in chat everybody.
Corinne: Assan in chat, alright!
Katey: I love it.
Corinne: Okay, yâall this was so important to the team too. Like, this is the teamâs like, just such huge support for this feature, so props to them.
Katey: This one is from Coriander. Will we get to see any of the Character Creator before the game releases?
Corinne: Yes, yes you will. Weâve got a, youâve probably seen, weâre laying out a roadmap for, you know, what weâre gonna show and when weâre gonna talk about, so, yes you will see it as we get a little bit closer to launch.
Katey: And then weâve got this question which is, will we be able to play as a qunari, dwarf, elf, or human?
Corinne: Hell yeah, hell yeah you will. All four, and all four have that full-body customization. I already talked a little bit about, I mean listen, Iâve always loved the qunari. I will say in Dragon Age: Inquisition it was hard to get a good-looking qunari hairstyle, so yes you can play as them, you can customize them, the horn options are rad, the hair options are rad. And also, I guess related to this, your lineage gives you a lot of really unique dialogue options, so thatâs a really lovely aspect of choosing your lineage as well.
John: Yeah, I would, so to actually just to bounce off that, to an earlier question about backgrounds, each lineage, there, depending on the lineage you choose and the background you choose there are some specifics call-outs to, for example, if itâs the Mourn Watch, the Mourn Watch being a faction from Nevarra of mages, you play as a dwarf, obviously your experience in that faction is going to be different than, say, a human or an elf, so. There are also specific call-outs tailored to those combinations and, with again, giving, the intention of giving each lineage their own little flavor as to how they're, they fit into that faction as a whole.
Katey: Okay, John, Iâve got a question from someone named Joe for you. Where is Barkspawn and is he okay?
John: Thatâs a Great question. Barkspawn is safely gnawing on a bone next to a fireplace somewhere in Ferelden, donât worry, heâs fine. You may question, ask yourself, but John, itâs been so long, in which I say, mabari live exactly as long as they need to.
Corinne: Getting into the deep-cut questions now.
John: Deep-cut questions, yeah.
Katey: Yeah. We are really speedinâ through these. Letâs see. Will Rook have a set of default name?
John: Yeah so, Rookâs last name is defined based on their faction, again, we wanted to tie that into your backstory, but also, thereâs a, thatâs a name generator that can give you a selection of first names. Obviously if you want to make your own first name, thatâs definitely something we support as well. If youâre somebody who maybe has a little bit more difficulty coming up with a name, so for example you name every single character âBobâ because thatâs the only name you can think of, we also give that opportunity for that generation, so.
Katey: I definitely always have trouble coming up with what I wanna name my characters, so thatâs great. This next question is, when will the voice acting cast be announced?
John: So, we worked with a lot of very talented actors on this one. I am super excited to talk about the voice acting cast. Weâll be talking a bit more over the summer, weâre not quite ready to announce names yet.
Katey: And I think we have a similar answer to this next question, which was, will there be a Collectorâs Edition? When can I pre-order?
John: Yeah, same answer, we have, weâll talk more about the different editions of the game soon.
Katey: Are there any special musical guests writing the sound-track? Will tavern songs return.
Corinne: Oh my goodness, yeah. There are tavern songs. And huge credit to the audio team and performance teams because theyâre pretty great. Thereâs one in a little tavern in Minrathous called The Swan, and the song you hear there might just, it might be, itâs up there, it might just be my favorite of the tavern songs.
Katey: Letâs see, are there any â ope, I have just asked that one. What are the required PC specs?
John: Much like the other two, we will have more information on required PC specs soon.
Katey: Saph from the Discord server noticed that two, Dragon Age IIâs main theme from the soundtrack brought back much of the iconic thematic material of Originsâ main theme, but I heard less of it in Inquisitionâs. Can we expect The Veilguardâs main theme to recall more or less of that original thematic material than Inquisition?
John: So weâre not, weâre not quite ready to talk about music yet in specifics, but in broad strokes I can say the process for us is always the same. Working with the composer, working, figuring out themes, figuring out what kinds of elements we want to keep, tying specific elements to, maybe specific characters. Itâs a really in-depth process and a really collaborative process. We have some fantastic audio people on our team that have done an amazing work, amazing job, working with composers, and, with the team as a whole to make sure that, again, we said earlier about cohesiveness. Making sure that the music feels like a cohesive part of the experience.
Katey: And this one, I see is also for John, but I think anyone can answer this. When writing the overall story of this game, what themes did you want to have as the prominent focus?
John: I mean again, itâs interesting, so itâs interesting, because when we were writing these games, and this has been true on every Dragon Age Iâve been part of, what you start with and where you end up arenât always necessarily the same. Sometimes you start writing out a theme, you realize actually itâs more interesting if we attack from this angle, or maybe if we twist it a little bit. I will say for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, from the beginning one of the biggest themes has been regret. How regretâs shaped peoplesâ lives, how people deal with their regrets, how people maybe move past their regrets and, each of the characters, you know, the stories as a whole, have elements of this tied throughout. We really wanted to have that thematic, that cohesiveness to the gameâs story and the gameâs writing so.
Katey: And I know that, you know, weâve, we've kindâve already answered this a few times, but can we play as dwarves and does the world react to your race and backstory? Probably be good to just directly answer that one.
John: Yes you can play as a dwarf. Yes the world does react to your race and backstory. And, again, youâll have unique dialogues or unique conversation options based on that, on that backstory and as well as that race.
Corinne: Iâll give you a little nugget here, because I saw it scrolling through real quickly. Do you have beards, like. So when I think about can I play as dwarves I think about, do we have glorious fantastic beards? Hell yeah, we do.
John: Yeah, I can say, as somebody who plays a lot of games with character creator, the beards on, I donât know what magic the character art team did for the beards, but they feel like a beard should feel like, itâs great. They look awesome.
Corinne: Just saw somebody say âitâs beard timeâ, I love it. Itâs beard time!
Katey: Will our heroes and companions leave us if we go against their wishes?
Corinne: Oh my good â do yâall just love pain? Do you want us to make you cry? If you go against their wishes, if you make decisions they donât like, I will tell you, you can piss them off, you can, they might not agree with you and they, they will take some time away. That said, this is the biggest threat to Thedas weâve ever seen, so theyâre, they are always gonna be willing to show up to defend Thedas but, yeah, you can piss them off and theyâll leave for a minute. As it relates to them showing up to defend Thedas, well yeah, they will, unlessâŚ
John: No spoilers Corinne!
Corinne: Aughhh, Iâll leave it there, Iâll leave it there.
John: No spoilers.
Corinne: Okay, alright, alright. But they want it!
John: Yep.
Matt: Donât try to stop me, Smee!
Katey: This oneâs a fun one about some inspirations for the game. Dracanmo would like to know if any songs, books, movies or anything have had inspired any of the writing for the characters?
John: I mean, honestly, the thing about art is, art is always a synthesis of your own experiences both in the real world but also the art you consume, the art you pay attention to. I donât think that any characters have what I would describe as, this character was a direct reference or direct inspiration but, I mean, yeah, theyâre all inspired by the things that we do, the things, both, again, in the real world, and also in the media we consume. And youâre gonna see elements of characters that, yeah, the things that weâve enjoyed, the things thatâve shaped us, show up in these characters. I think, for me, itâs, it comes down to, and I, I, writing is a deeply, can be a deeply personal experience, so even if you donât intend for it to be the case, things, parts of you are going to show up in your character, I think thatâs true for all the characters in The Veilguard. And, you know, sometimes itâs, exploring, exploring the, yâknow, things that, about yourself that you may like or may not like, and itâs also about exploring things about characters that you like or donât like, so. Thatâs kinda my long-winded way of saying yes, itâs impossible to not have that happen when youâre creating art. But I wouldnât say that thereâs one where you can say, oh this is this character, this is this character.
Katey: What was the thinking process behind making Harding a companion this time around? Was she always going to be one or did it evolve into one because she was such a lovable character?
John: Ohh, yeah. So Harding, I mean. When we released Inquisition, it was impossible not to see the love that people had for our murderous girl next door dwarf. Sheâs always been a fan favorite obviously, but I think beyond that, itâs something that there, that Hardingâs writer wanted to explore. There was more of a story to tell there, more perspective, and beyond that, Harding obviously has a strong connection to Solas, and to the, to Varric, and to the events of the past ten years, so. I wouldnât say itâs always been, but Iâd say Hardingâs probably one of the first ones we settled on as like, yes, this is a character we want and the writer had a story that they wanted to tell with her, so, it just made sense.
Matt: You know, I think actually, to piggyback on that, thatâs something I hadnât really even thought about that much, but, and itâs not a huge part of her character, but, she tends to be one of the people that have the most insight into he was.
John: Yeah, thatâs exactly it, thatâs exactly, and yeah, thatâs a great way of looking at it too. It also provides you with a little bit of that, that perspective. For players whoâve been around, you know, who played with previous Dragon Age games, but also for new ones, who was Solas? What kind of character was, was he?
Matt: Yeah.
John: Yeah, itâs a great, itâs a great, using characters to provide windows onto the world is honestly one of my favorite things.
Matt: And, and when I say was, I just mean, in Inquisition.
John: Yes, thatâs, thatâs exactly it, yes. Thank you for correcting that.
Matt: Yeah.
Katey: And what approach are you taking to quest and world design in The Veilguard?
John: I think for us it just comes down to relevance and narrative heft. We want to make sure that each quest provides either a perspective on the world or perspective on the characters, or feels immediately and obviously relevant to what youâre, what youâre doing here. Youâre here to save the world and, again, at the end of the day, one of the things that we heard, we heard loud and clear, was some feedback about how relevant, or in this, in our case, not relevant, previous quests have felt, so for Veilguard, we really wanted to make sure that these quests felt like something that you, somebody faced with the end of the world would believe was necessary and important. So, again, thereâs quests of all sorts and sizes, but all of them share that same feeling of, this is the kind of thing that The Veilguard would do. This is the kindâve thing that my hero would do, especially faced with the end of the world.
Corinne: Yeah, thatâs, thatâs really good John. Thatâs so right. I would just, again, double-down on how hand-crafted all the quests are, and whether, whether youâre doing, like, the main story, or youâre journeying with your companions, or youâre out exploring and you encounter a mystery. Everythingâs handcrafted, intentional. We spent a lot of time listening to what yâall said, and of course everyone has slightly different tastes, but, you know, youâre not gonna be gathering shards in the Hinterlands. Everything is built with intention, and, you know, a dev there lovingly handcrafting the experience.
Katey: Are there any locations in the game that can only be accessed by making specific story choices?
John: So I donât wanna get too much into spoilers here because this does start getting into spoiler detail, but I will say that locations can fundamentally change based on decisions you make. Some of the parts of the world that you go to, you can have, the decision, the choices you make have an impact on how these spaces exist and develop, so, yeah, and again, donât wanna too many into, into story spoilers, but, your decisions do impact how the world shows up.
Katey: And will we be able to control our companions in combat through tactical mode, or if the PC, or player character, gets KOâd, like in previous games?
Corinne: Right, so. If Rook gets KOâd, your player character gets knocked out, this time around it is time to re-load your save, or better yet, the companions have really interesting progression, you can spec them out to be able to revive you, but thatâs, thatâs if youâve invested in their own progression and what they can do. And that said, I, I mentioned this earlier but I, I personally spend more time in the nature of this combat system when everything comes together, interacting and directing the companions than I have in any of the other games, so, like, like that, that interactivity between them, once you play it youâll see how, just engaged the team is.
Katey: A user named Itâs Sarah said, my real most important Dragon Age question is, will Solas still occasionally or dramatically speak in iambic pentameter?
John: You know, I was, I actually spent a little bit of time trying to figure out if I wanted to answer this question in iambic pentameter and then I very quickly gave up. Massive kudos to Patrick who, who always writes Solas so well. Again, Solas is a returning character, itâs the same Solas you know and love, or hate, depending on who you are. Same writer, so, I think, this has been, the answer is, well of, yeah, itâs Solas.
Katey: Will our decision of who in particular was left behind in the Fade be important?
John: So, while that decision does not show up, that â sorry, let me, restart. Not for The Veilguard. That decision doesnât show up here. Now, that said, that doesnât mean thatâs thatâs not a decision that will ever be important in the future, so. Again, not for this one, though.
Matt: Iâm glad to hear you say that, John, because one of my favorite stories was Bob getting stuck in the web in reboot and it just feels like -
John: Thatâs a, thatâs a deep cut!
Corinne: Very, thatâs a deep cut.
John: Holy smokes.
Corinne: My goodness.
John: The sound of my childhood.
Katey: Will we have mounts again? If so, any hints to what types weâll have?
Matt: So no, no, mounts, excuse me. Mounts were, they were, they addressed a need in Inquisition that we donât have in Veilguard, and youâll see why, when you get to play.
Katey: LightningStar asks, how is the side quest design? Will they be mostly story-based, or will there be a lot of radiant quests or resources or Power, like in Inquisition?
John: We talked about it a little bit earlier, but, no, they are all hand-crafted and story-focused. Again, narrative, the companions, not just the companions but the characters in the world as a whole are so much at the core of The Veilguard that, anything other than hand-crafted quests just felt like it would be a disservice to the game we were building.
Corinne: Yeah. And maybe, we can clarify as well, because, like Power was such a divisive mechanic in Inquisition. Thereâs no mechanic like that that blocks your progression until you fill a bar, right, like thatâs just not a thing in this. You have the autonomy to engage in these, these quests as you like. Thereâs no, like, y'know, grind-out gates before you can progress.
John: Thatâs right, yeah. Again, we wanna make sure that, again, that doing this content feels as natural and part of the logical flow of the story as possible.
Katey: So, it looks like we only have time for three more questions, so Iâm going to get through those. With this next one, is from someone named Jason. Will there be a similar system to the War Table missions?
Corinne: Ooh, interesting. So, we havenât talked much about the playerâs base, the Lighthouse. And weâre gonna save that for a beat, but what I will say is that the Lighthouse, your headquarters so to speak, it has its own unique purposes and functions this time. So thatâs an area that weâll, weâll leave for you when we talk more about the Lighthouse, and then when you have a chance to hop in, youâll be able to see what those unique purposes and functions are.
Katey: If there is dual-wield for warriors, will it rely on dexterity or strength?
Corinne: Ah, okay, yeah, yeah. So we did wanna bring dual-wielding back. It is part of the rogue kit this time. So warriors are really focused on mighty two-handed weapons, canât wait til you see, when you swing and connect with those weapons, thereâs, thereâs a real heft to it. And then of course sword and shield, so. Weâre leaving the dual-wielding to the rogues, but you, you can see just, the amount of hits you can get in in rapid succession dual-wielding as a rogue is really satisfying.
Katey: And the last question that weâre able to get to today, is, what have been some of the challenges and advantages of working on a single, on a single game for so many years? How did you sustain the work in yourselves and the process?
John: That is a fantastic question. I will say for myself, Iâve often joked, and I donât know how much of a joke it actually is, that when this game is out and I suddenly donât have to keep all these pieces of game and lore and story and everything straight in my head, Iâm suddenly gonna be able to speak Latin or something because thereâs gonna be a ton of brainpower freed up. But for me itâs just, you know, it's, the thing that keeps me sustained is just knowing the game that weâre building is the right one. Knowing that the beats are coming together, and knowing just how much people care about this franchise, care about these games, and how excited people are going to be when they get to see the fantastic work that the team has, has been doing. And that really is, I can say, Iâve been on this project since the start, and even today, I see things on a daily basis, Iâm like holy â smokes, sorry, I almost swore, I canât believe what the team is doing, I canât believe the, how good this looks, I canât believe. Because itâs a huge game. Thereâs pieces that I, I donât see every piece of the game every day so, I get pleasantly surprised on a daily basis and that, I will say, you know, confession, sometimes if Iâm having a particularly long day, Iâll spend about an hour late at night just watching cutscenes coming in, watching the work coming together and just, sitting back and being like, holy smokes, I cannot wait for someone who hasnât seen this every day for so long as I have to experience this and just be blown away by the work, so.
Corinne: It's, itâs been very real, hasnât it? And, and I will just say, speaking on behalf of the dev team, everyoneâs working so hard, theyâre putting so much passion, so much of themselves into it. Like this is a franchise they truly love, and seeing your support, cheering us on, itâs just meant a lot to them, so, let me just say thank you to all of you.
Katey: And I wanna say thank you to you three for taking the time to do this. I know that it matters a lot to the community to be able to, you know, get some time with you guys and, you know, make sure that some of their dying questions are, are answered, so thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to do this. For anyone whoâs still listening I promise that Iâm that Iâm working on a way for these questions to be immortalized somewhere. Stay tuned for that so that you donât have to worry about this, just, you know, disappearing into the ether. So, stay tuned, thank you all for your time. Anything else we wanna say before we jump off?
Matt: Thanks everyone.
John: Thank you. Yeah, Iâm super excited to show more of this and, yeah, this is gonna be, hopefully this is the first of many of these opportunities to talk to you all directly. Again, itâs been a while, and getting to talk about this game has been absolutely exciting. I know for myself, as well for the rest of the team, so thank you all.
Corinne: Just thank you, itâs, the Dragon Age community, how much it means to you, how much it means to us, itâs just wonderful to see you all so invested and excited to come here and talk to us. Thank you again, truly.
Katey: We'll hopefully do something like this again soon. Okay, cool, have a great day everybody! Talk soon!
John: Bye yâall!
Matt: Bye.
[source: The dev BioWare Discord Q&A on June 14th]
Update: If you would like to listen to the Q&A for yourself in video format, or listen to it again, Ghil Dirthalen recorded it and has now uploaded a video of it here.
#dragon age: the veilguard#dragon age: dreadwolf#dragon age 4#the dread wolf rises#da4#dragon age#bioware#video games#long post#longpost#solas#feels#lgbtq#mj best of
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I love how comfortable Adam and Lute are around each other.
I mean, look at this
So they're casually together during the extermination, much like how friends gravitate towards each other when in an event even if they're not talking or doing anything, just because it feels easier than being alone. Or perhaps Lute flew closer because she saw the huge war machine approaching Adam and got a little worried.
Charlie and Vaggie are going to attack them, and look at what they do:
Despite being Adam the one closer to Vaggie, he doesn't move an inch. They don't say anything (besides the shit talk) and Adam doesn't even look at her, he expects Lute will take care of Vaggie with no order from him, even if he's closer.
Obviously Adam is confident and doesn't think Vaggie can hurt him at all, but he clearly trusts Lute to get her out of the way. He probably knows how bloodthirsty Lute is for Vaggie and lets her have her without a word, and Lute complies, again, without a word, leaving him to handle the strongest of the enemies at that moment (Charlie).
So in this second, Adam and Lute communicated in silence. Adam didn't move and trusted her to cut in even if it was him the one under attack, and finally Lute trusted him to handle Charlie so she could fight Vaggie, as she didn't seem worried at all of the possibility of Charlie coming to protect her girlfriend.
They're in harmony. They're just natural together.
He lets her grab him like this and is willing to listen to her. It's clear he respects her and deep down appreciates that she'll keep him from doing something stupid, even if he whines.
She also climbs him? Lol. (Look at how she holds onto his arm 𼚠she's super comfortable with touching him!)
They're always hyping each other up, like in their songs:
(Look at Lute's smug face here đ, she's sooo satisfied with what Adam's saying)
I honestly believe that they kinda make each other worse, that neither of them would be SO mean all the time if they didn't have the other: a companion who is always backing them up, who agrees on any crap that comes out of their mouth (Lute lets him talk shit about random women and nods, Adam goes along with Lute's homophobia despite seeming to not care that much about homosexuals).
Many portray Lute being a lot smarter than Adam, but I think they're both dumbasses. I mean, we laugh at Adam for saying he never made a mistake in his fucking life, but it was Lute who first stated angels don't make mistakes, somehow keeping a serious face. I think Lute seems smart because she's more quiet and cares about the rules, but she doesn't do logic very well either and can be impulsive too, as shown in the end of ep. 1.
They're probably each other's best/only friend, because they're just so unlikeable. And it makes sense they'd deeply care for one another. They care about that person that stands them and agrees with them and actually enjoys being with them. They're always seen together, hanging out even off duty. They clearly have a lot of fun.
I'll be honest. I ship GuitarSpear, I love it, but I don't know if I want it to be canon for 2 reasons:
1. Lute might be a lesbian.
She is so repulsed by homosexuals that it feels personal. Talking about how disgusting and blasphemous Charlie and Vaggie's love is, or how many cocks were in Angel's mouth and calling him a whore. She cares too much about it for it to not be personal, and I think it makes sense that she'd be a closet lesbian with a shit ton of internalized homophobia. She probably knew about Vaggie's sexuality and held a lot of resentment towards her before tearing off her wings. Maybe she was even attracted to her and was so repulsed about it that she redirected her self-hatred to Vaggie.
2. I think it could be better for Adam's character.
Let's just think about it. This character has a very distorted view of women, he has a fixation on them and hypersexualizes them. So the idea of this horny man, who always sees women with sex colored glasses, being good friends with a hot female below him in the hierarchy with no sexual or romantic interest whatsoever is nice to me. It'd work as sort of a redeeming quality in regards of his relationship with women, and I personally think this man is very redeemable. Let's hope he gets a second chance!
Still! All of this trust and comfort and team feelings can be read as romantic and I certainly wouldn't mind if it becomes canon! They could be the best villain couple!
Summarizing, these two are soulmates, end of the story. They're worse together, but also probably provide the other of a very needed company.
I have no clue if Adam will actually come back, but if he doesn't, I'll feel very bad for Lute. Yeah, yeah, she's an evil bitch, I don't care.
#sorry if the way i write isn't very sophisticated#english is my second language đđ#hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel lute#hazbin hotel adam#analysis#guitarspear
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Luscious, Succulent, Delectable
Astarion x gn! Tav/Reader
Around 2.3K words
Tags: Fluff, so much kissing, so much moaning (so so much), body (thigh) worship, consensual touching, mutual love, they are so insanely in love, slight angst, consensual biting/blood sucking, soft! Astarion, implied smut, no y/n
Summary: After a tough battle, you canât help but fall apart in your tent, aching both inside and out. Astarion, whom youâve recently committed to a relationship with, comes to your side to comfort you. Wanting to help you focus more on yourself and what your wants and needs are, he finds himself lost in exploring your thighs.Â
~
Itâs been a long day. Hells, itâs been a long life. One day you wake up on a Nautiloid ship and suddenly youâre responsible for saving not just yourself, but pretty much all of FaerĂťn. Lucky you, right? Lifeâs punching bag, here in the flesh.Â
Itâs not all bad, though. Youâve been met with some kindness along the way, though perhaps not as much as you feel you deserve. One of your traveling companions, however, has certainly delivered on his promises of âkindnessâ. For nights on end you two would sneak off into the woods, exploring each otherâs pleasure limits, and for many, many mornings, Shadowheart was less than pleased to cure you of your bloodlessness.Â
As time went on, you learned more about Astarion, your pale, vampiric friend. You had your doubts about him at first, but you had grown to love him, caring for him deeply the more you learned about his past, the more he became vulnerable around you. After a drow from Moonrise Towers was very persistent to have Astarion drink from her, and you supported him in telling her to âfuck offâ (but in nicer words than youâd hoped for), you found yourselves re-evaluating your situation.Â
The vampire had grown to care for you, seeing much more in you than just protection. He saw something deeper, something real and fresh and⌠It was a bit much for him at first, but over time you both grew to be even more comfortable around each other, finding yourselves enjoying the smaller, lighter moments of intimacy that rose from being deeply in love.Â
Tonight was no different, as your party returns to camp from defending Halsinâs portal in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. You were covered in blood and bruises, trudging along to your tent at a slow pace. Most party members found themselves skipping dinner, just trying to sleep off their wounds and soreness. You found yourself nearly doing the same, sitting down on a soft cushion as you remove your armor, tossing it off to the side to be cleaned and polished later. Lying on your bedroll in your night clothes, you softly sigh, your body relaxing enough to where you can feel the full extent of the trauma your body went through today. Closing your eyes, you begin to doze off, trying to forget it all and think about what a new day could bring.Â
âHow are you feeling?â A smooth voice asks, the flap of your tent crinkling as a figure wanders in. You wake with a start, sitting up to meet the new inhabitant of your tent.Â
âIâve never felt better. Poets could write sonnets about how at peace I feel.â You sarcastically scoff, rolling your eyes.Â
Astarion grunts as he sits at your side, taking claim of the cushion you were previously on. Itâs clear that todayâs battle had also hit him quite hard. âIâll be sure to sing along as they recite it.â He teases, trying to hide his discomfort. You both sit there in silence for a moment, not wanting to show a sign of weakness talking about how much your bodies ache from the dayâs activities. You canât help but break the silence first.
âI donât know how weâre expected to do all of this. My whole body aches, Iâm unsure if Iâll be able to walk properly tomorrow!â You say, exasperated.
âYou carried on just fine after all those nights I left you unable to walkâŚâ He snickers, and you playfully push at his chest.Â
âIâm being serious! This is a lot of pressure, so many people are relying on us, relying on me⌠I just donât know how much longer I can keep doing this.â Your eyes land in your lap.
Astarion takes a softer tone, hating to see his love in such a melancholy mood. âDarlingâŚâ He sighs, his hand resting on your thigh. You flinch a little, your legs badly bruised. He is quick to notice this, and he begins to gently massage your thigh through the fabric, hoping to bring you some comfort.Â
âYou take on too much. I know you want to help, itâs a damn curse that you care so much, but we have to focus on taking care of ourselves for a bit. We spend so much time helping other people that I think you forget we have that hellish tadpole behind our eyes. We donât have much time left, but I know we have enough for you to take a break. Please, you need to rest. You canât solve everyoneâs problems, especially when you canât solve your own.âÂ
You find yourself on the verge of tears, trying to take in all these words that he would have never said to you before you became close. Hearing this from him, seeing this side of him, you know heâs serious and means every single word. He notices your silence, your closed-offness from the conversation, and he gently places his fingers on your chin, tilting your head up to meet his.Â
âPromise me youâll take a break? Only focus on the tadpole stuff for a bit?â He softly asks, his eyes switching between both of yours, looking for any sign of confirmation.
âOkâŚâ Is all you can breathe before he leans forward to hug you, both of your bodies trembling slightly from the bruises brought on from today. He pulls from you, placing soft kisses on your cheeks before a delicate one on your lips.
âI want to help you relax.â He offers, and you nod your head, trying to follow his words of advice about taking more time for yourself. He smiles as he moves down your body, slowly removing your trousers, leaving you in just your nightshirt and underwear. He tosses them off to the side, taking in the sight of your legs. He frowns before saying something in a low, rumbling, lustful tone.
âOh Darling, those bruises should be from me.âÂ
He sighs before crawling between your legs, his hands caressing the sides of your thighs as he lifts your legs over his shoulders. Moving his hands up and down your thighs gently, he takes in the scent of your skin. A smile creeps on his face as your body shivers from his touch, already very eager for more. Knowing this, he decides to take his time, teasing you for as long as he can handle. His hands begin to curl around your thighs, his fingertips dragging along the inside curve of your thighs now.
âGods, why have I been sleeping with that ratty old pillow when these have been here this whole time?â He growls, gripping your thighs a little tighter, holding them closer to his head.Â
You let out a small gasp from both the pain and excitement from his touch. Heâs massaging your thighs a little harder now, and you canât help but let out small moans here and there, only encouraging him to continue. You throw your head back into the pillow, your hand on your mouth as he massages a particularly sore spot. Seeing this, he stops, waiting for you to meet his gaze again. Distraught from his lack of touching, you open your eyes and look down at him to see him gazing at you through his lashes.
âDonât you ever hide those sounds from me, darling.â He purrs, a commanding tone in his voice. He reaches through your legs to remove your hand from your face, his hand trailing down your torso in a teasingly slow pace.
âIâm not even close to being done with you yet, I intend to make you sing all night. Your throat will be aching for agesâŚâ His words are dripping with lust, and your heart races at his usage of those dirty double entendres. His hand slips between your legs, hooking around your left thigh again, bringing it closer to his face.
Maintaining eye contact with you, he licks a stripe up your leg, starting near the junction between your torso and thigh, ending all the way up to your knee. His breath tickles your skin as he chuckles, watching you shake from his attention. He does the same with your other thigh, making sure to go just a little bit slower to really drag out your slight frustration. Your chest feels tight as it rises and falls quickly, the sound of your panting becoming loud enough to be quietly heard from outside your tent. At this point, neither of you cared if anyone in the camp heard you; it wouldnât be the first or last time theyâd hear it.Â
âYour body is so soft, so beautiful, so perfect. Your thighs-â He kisses the inside of your left thigh near your knee softly, his tongue tracing at your skin. As he continues to speak, he sloppily kisses down your thighs, panting from all this excitement he brought on himself. He laps at your skin like a wild, hungry animal, your legs a fresh, raw, succulent steak. Â
âThey are delectable, darling. ~mhm~ I just canât get enough of them. ~mhm~ The knowledge that you get to have them, ~mhm~ that theyâre part of you, ~mhm~ that you walk around with them ~mhm~ every day. ~mhm~ Gods, I envy you. ~mhm~ If I had legs these perfect, ~mhm~ Iâd never ~mhm~ hide them ~mhm~ from the world. ~mhm~ Just the sight of you, ~mhm~ lounging on cushions, ~mhm~ your legs draped on each other, ~mhm~ the way your legs look so soft ~mhm~ and inviting⌠~mhm~ It's a wonder how ~mhm~ I donât just take you ~mhm~ right then and there. ~mhm~ You drive me crazy, ~mhm~ my love. ~mhm~â
He pulls away from your thighs, both of you so riled up that you feel as though the air has been knocked out of you. Your head is hot from all the blushing, all the flattering comments, all the kissing. His face is slightly flushed, his pupils blown out, his eyes brimming with both love and lust. He almost sounds drunk as he speaks, his voice nearly cracking at the thought of what he wishes to do to you next. Pleading, he lies his cheek on the inside of your right thigh.Â
âYour thighs are so delicious. I just need a taste. Just a quick taste. Please.â You canât deny him, not after how much pleasure heâs brought you without even touching you like that yet. You nod your head, and even though he appears desperate, he makes it clear that heâs still the one in charge, the one with the upper hand.
âIf you want it, youâve got to say it.â You whimper as he massages your leg, teasing you.Â
âYes! Gods, yes!â You breathlessly exclaim.
Without wasting a single second, he sinks his teeth into your left thigh, moaning as he bites harder into your soft flesh. You moan with him, the feeling of both pain and pleasure extremely stimulating. In all your excitement, you clamp your thighs together, almost crushing his head between them. He moans even louder, his hands pressing into your thighs, encouraging the pressure. Had your legs not already been bruised, youâre sure youâd have the shape of his hands in your skin for a few days after this. During all of this, you can feel his body moving, shaking⌠thrusting. If you werenât already moaning, Gods only know how youâd react to the sight of him rolling, perhaps almost slamming, his hips into your bedroll as he drinks from you, his head clamped between your thighs.
As he drinks from your thigh, you feel the sharp stinging pain from the initial bite fading away, the tingling numbness taking its place. You can feel the blood leaving your body, and it feels different from how it usually does when it leaves your neck. Itâs a new, exciting feeling, hard to compare to your neck as both give such different feelings of pleasure.Â
You can feel him slowing down on drinking from your thigh, his throat thick with your blood, his moans slowly turning into needy little whimpers and whines. He pulls from your thigh, eagerly lapping up the blood that drips from the two puncture wounds. The sight of his desperation makes him look like heâs never had anything to drink before in his life. The pressure from your thighs around his head releases, your legs falling open as you relax. You both lie there together, his head resting on your right thigh and looking up at you as you both try to catch your breath. He goes to speak, his voice wavering as he still continues to pant, his body now full of more energy thanks to your blood.
âFor a moment there, I couldnât breathe at all. I thought about pushing your legs away from me to catch my breath, but then I realized that I could die happy knowing that my head was crushed between your luscious thighs.âÂ
You laugh, realizing how ridiculous his statement is, as well as how arousing it is too. He smiles, gently kissing the puncture wounds on your thigh again. Climbing on top of you, he nestles his hips between your legs, and you can feel just how much he enjoyed all of that. He leans over you, kissing you lightly, pulling back to gaze into your eyes.Â
âThank you.â You quietly say, brushing his hair out of his face. Your hand caresses his cheek, feeling how warm he is with all your blood rushing through his body.Â
âNo, thank you. And besides, donât think weâre done just yet, my love.â He gives you a knowing look, cocking his eyebrow. âI want to be the main reason you canât walk tomorrow.âÂ
Before anything else can be said, you hungrily grab his face, his lips crashing on to yours. Your legs wrap around his waist, drawing his body closer, his chest grinding into yours. The night wanders on, your tent rustling, full of moans and panting breaths, two people utterly, embarrassingly in love.Â
~
Authorâs Note:
GUYS. Ok think back to that one scene where he drinks from Tav for the first time. You guys remember that one line of dialogue that happens if you persuade him off of you? âMhh? Oh, of course. That - that was amazing.â His little whimper. His gulp. His panting. That one line alone was such a huge inspiration for how I wrote this, I need you all to know that thatâs basically what he sounds like during most of this fic. Do with that information what you will-Â
(Also this is probably the closest I'll ever get to writing smut. I donât feel 100% comfortable writing smut, but I hope you guys enjoy the moments like these as much as I do!!)
#astarion#baldurs gate 3#bg3#bg3 astarion#astarion fic#astarion x tav#bg3 tav#astarion x reader#astarion fluff#soft! Astarion#thigh worship#gn! tav#astarion x you#astarion x mc#so much moaning#no y/n#no pronouns#bg3 fic#they're so in love your honor#they're so hot#need me a freak like this#astarion whimpering#you're welcome :)#it's funny I put Tav bc they're not even mentioned in here#anyways eat up little freaks in my phone#I made this for me but also for all of you#like Brittany Broksi said#my touch starved freaky nasty bitches or whatever#ADDING THIS LATE BUT IM JUST SAYING THAT ASTARION IS SOOOO A THIGH GUY
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Hi!! Iâm new so Iâm not sure if thereâs a character limit but could I get the baldurs gate 3 characters with a plus size gn reader?
(If there is a limit could I get Wyll, Karlach, and/or Astarion?)
Thank you!!
I added gale because i want that wizard SO BAD this is a super cute request just keep in mind that i haven't played a whole lot of baldur's gate- also there is no character limit but i think id cap it at like 7 for hcs. Maybe slight possible spoilers. Yall are so lucky i almost included karniss for funsies but held back my spider simpingÂ
Cw : might have slightly suggestive bits but is sfw, gn reader, no pronouns, fluffy, mentions of past body shaming,Â
Wyll
He's so sweet- a real gentleman at heart
He loves to rest his head on your shoulder and wrap his arms rough your waistÂ
After the horns tho it makes it a bit harder so he settles for holding you and resting his head on your chestÂ
Kinda obsessed with your hands, always kisses the back of your hands or the inside of your wrist
Hes prone to stress, so when heâs feeling particularly stressed he gets kinda clingy- he will (wyll haha) never admit that he's being clingy tho
He hugs you, a deep sigh leaving his lips as he squeezes your sides and relaxes with exhale.Â
Your soft and comforting and after all the things he's been through he is in desperate need of some comfortÂ
I think wyll enjoys being seen as more knightly, your knight in shining armor
That being said this man can and will defend your honor, people can be so cruel and he won't stand for it, he is absolutely going to defend you when people are talking shit because he will have none of itÂ
Wyll is a sweet man, he wants you to be comfortable and happy with him, so he does his best to reassure you about how he loves every bit of you and tries to ease your insecuritiesÂ
KarlachÂ
Hrmmmmgghghggdgg love her,,,love her so much hehehehe
She loves cuddles so much and is so touch starved fight me on thisÂ
She sees you and gets a sappy smile because she is just so mushyÂ
I think out of all the companions she is definitely one of the top chubby person lovers
Handsy, she loves to hold and squish every part of you, the way your chubby arms wrap around her waist and torso while she rubs your back is heaven actually
I think she would love tummy kisses, she loves them even more if you get flustered because you are cute<3 she really adores how soft you are
She likes picking you up and she absolutely can and will at every opportunity that presents itselfÂ
She is throwing hands if someone body shames you
Like she gets the most aghast expression of âhow dare theyâÂ
Normally people just turn tail and run but she is so down to throw handsÂ
Being insecure with karlach is very hard because she has no issue telling you how much she loves you, and she is very honest, her words really show threw her actionsÂ
AstarionÂ
I feel like astarion is someone who understands insecurity on a deep level, there are many aspects of himself that make him insecure
You have been so warm to him, you love him so genuinely he wants to return the favor by also loving you so genuinely, size doesn't matter to this manÂ
Ignore that last part he loves feeding on you, so much to sink his teeth into ;) like eating something warm and comfortingÂ
âGorgeous as alwaysâ is a regular statement he makes whenever seeing youÂ
Loves to hold you before bed because he can just relax and feel himself melt into you.
Astarion is very fond of squishing your cheeks, if hes happy or mad at you your cheeks are getting squashed because this vampire has a bit of cuteness aggressionÂ
King of talk shit get bit because he is kinda just looking for a reason to have a little murder as a treat
Like he hears someone body shame you and is like âcan i pleaseeeeee stab them?just a littleâÂ
He will find themÂ
He won't tolerate people adding to your self doubt because he thinks you are genuinely just the most beautiful creature and he WON >:3
Gale
I WANT THIS WIZARD SO BADÂ
I'm so incredibly down bad for gale he's such a dork i love himÂ
He's awkward honestly, he'd like to be all suave but when it comes to physical affection he is quite awkward.Â
Eventually he finds peace in just being able to hold you close, he particularly enjoys being able to hold you against his chest while he reads to you
I think he would enjoy teaching you about magic (assuming you aren't also a wizard) and if you are a wizard he still enjoys reading you books about magicÂ
He's a sucker for just being sweet and domestic with you
Big fan of your thighs and if you are sitting in his vicinity his hand is always resting on your thigh occasionally giving it a gentle squeeze to calm you both downÂ
Big fan of shoulder kisses when you both first wake up
I love sassy kinda mean gale when he talks to rude people so i love the idea of him just verbally destroying someone who talks sit about youÂ
Hes actually pretty good about ginning you reassurance for your insecurities
He doesn't have the best way with words sometimes but he is just so flabbergasted at your thoughts because he personally wants to fuse souls lmaoÂ
#bg3 x reader#bg3#bg3 astarion#bg3 wyll#bg3 karlach#bg3 gale#baulders gate 3#baulders gate x reader#astarion#astarion x reader#astarion x tav#wyll x tav#wyll x reader#karlach#karlach x tav#karlach x reader#gale x tav#gale x reader#wyll ravengard#gale dekarios#gale of waterdeep#x reader#plus sized reader#x chubby reader
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this is a personal vent post so please let me just get it all out without trying to come at me lol:
so many ppl saying they respect larian's decision to peace out and not deal with hasbro/wotc, but i have to be honest, i don't respect them at all.
they are leaving a game behind that is unfinished and a narrative mess.
they leave a game behind where everyone paid the same amount of money for it, yet depending on which character you prefer, you get less content.
the disparity between everyone else and their writer's pet ast*rion is insane. he has a half to a third more content depending on which character you compare him to.
they leave behind a sparse act 2, which is already so barren compared to act 1 and all it had to offer. act 3 is a narrative mess and lacks structure.
they leave a game behind where they made promises a handful of weeks before release where they ought to have known that they, in fact, will not be delivering said promises: access to the upper city, consequences for playing certain races across the acts (playing a drow is going to be different in act 1 and gives you advantages vs act 3 where it would give you understandable disadvantages), etc etc etc.
they leave behind a game where content was cut from the companions to make it seem like the origins have something to offer when that system is barely able to compare what origin playthroughs offered in dos2 and it hurts the game and the experience (like tara being cut for companion gale).
they leave behind a game where they promised to much variety and proclaimed in panels from hell how they struggled to show the width and depth of the game, but really? it's about as deep as a puddle. a lot of the choices do not matter. kill ethel? nah, she's alive and well in the city. no sister hags to be angry here. give karlach no infernal iron and never talk to her at all? doesn't matter, she'll survive until the end of act 3 and will still call you her bff. dissuade gale to use the orb? we'll make sure he'll still offer 3 more times just in case. send yenna away from camp bc you don't want her there? doesn't matter, she'll stay. and yes, i'm aware these are all small things, but they are part of a larger problem. almost nothing you do truly matters to the point of where i just skip most things in act 1 and 2 now.
they leave behind a game that they promise to still patch, but some things have been broken since early access / release to the point of where i'm like i'm sorry, but your word that you will continue to patch things means about as much to me as all the other empty promises. the dialogue about morena dekarios is still broken and it's been over half a year now. the astral sea scene has low-res body textures for months. i know from mutuals who love minthara that her romance is still broken. and i could go on and on.
and what gets me the most about this is all is that they have learned nothing at all from dos2: act 3 of that game was so bugged and all over the place that i couldn't muster up the motivation to finish it the first time i played. they neglected a character to the point of where he could have been removed from the game or made a general hireling (beast).
those issues were at least attempted to be fixed in the definitive edition.
with swen saying that there will be no new content anymore and stating that both bg3 and its characters are now property of wotc/hasbro, it seems unlikely we'll even get an attempt of a fix.
so what this boils down to to me is just another game company not delivering on their promises after overselling their product and more or less abandoning it after a year to move onto the next big thing.
i don't think i can respect that ngl.
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What Happened at the Moon Lit Pond PART 2
Gale of waterdeep x F!Reader smut
Summary: You and your companions finally made it to baldurs gate, well, rivington. And it's finally time to relax and have a fun day out.
TW: drinking, sex, oral, PnV, F/M sex, thigh riding, brothel, overstimulation, a bit of anal, begging, everyone is consenting! I'd love to do a public sex chapter sometime, but not today.
word count 3.3k
{part one} {part 1.5}
-
It had been a long time since that night at the pond. You had long since left the grove and past the shadows, almost to baldurs gate, actually, in the small town of rivington. It was a long and difficult journey, yes, but with ample time and opportunities to talk about what had happened. But it never came up. Instead, there were many longing stares shot your way on gales part, small flirty conversations, and even more excuses to skip away from your companions to get any alone time with Gale, practically praying to the gods heâd say something first. But Gale wasnât the type to come out of his comfort to express his feelings, let alone such complex ones. He had been rendered speechless.
Today was different. Maybe it was the long journey nearing it's end, but everyone was ready to let loose, even if it was just for a short while. Karlach and Wyll had split up to look for some armor, jaheria stayed back at camp to care for the small child who lost their mother, so it was a smaller company than you were used to. Just halsin, Shadowheart, Astarion, and of course, You and Gale. It was really a perfect day to mill about town, the sun beaming down in warm rays of light, not too hot and not too cold out, not even a hint of rain, so the dirt paths often muddy were dry, no ruining the clothes you had just washed.
Everyone was at their happiest, though of course, the underlying anxiety and pain for events soon to come were lingering, just pushed aside for the time being.
"Is the sun usually this blinding?" Astarion hissed, shielding his eyes with his hand "I don't remember everything being this bright"
"It simply feels brighter coming out of the shadows, you will get used to it" Halsin smiled down at Astarion, slipping behind him slightly to cast a shadow around him, guarding him from the sun. "We Haven't been inside in a while, why don't we find a shop to rest in for awhile, we have some money to spare"
"I could use a new hair ribbon, My old one looks a bit strange now that my hair has changed.." Shadowheart commented, lightly playing with her hair.
You went from shop to shop, it didn't matter, stopping by everything on the way, getting food, drinks, jewlery, and other small goods, the last place you had any energy for was a small looking shop with people outside raving about their service and pleasure being a customer there., without really looking at the sign or name.
Inside was dimly lit, a dark oak, cream, and red color scheme. Easily the most expensive place in all of the town.
"this is...awfully fancy, isn't it?" Gale murmurs, eyes flickering across the room.
"Certainly. I wonder what we could get to drink, I need a good wine..." Astarion immediately glided across the hall and to one of the counters, a huge smile graced his pale face. He stood there, talking for quite a bit, meanswhile, shadowheart wandered around, peaking her head into a room, she slipped a bit more into the room, then suddenly jolted out.
"Shadowheart? you look like you've seen...a lot"
"It's a brothel!" Astarion and Shadowheart said in unison, shadowheart nearly a whisper, Astarion nearly a yell. The woman behind the desk gave them both a nasty stare for the disruption of the ambiance.
"oh of course, sorry, beautiful" Astarion cooed at the woman. the immediate reaction to his flattery and dashing smile visible as she tucked her auburn hair away from her blushed face. He sauntered over to your merry group, that smile still plastered over his face. "I got us a discounted rate on a pair very talented drow."
"Excuse me, what now?"
"I got a discounted rate for an absolutely lovely time with drow twins for the same rate as one person but five. And we will have two rooms for comfort of space. I'm just that good, you all should be thanking me."
"Thank you, Astarion-" Halsin crossed his arms, a small smirk on his lips.
"I-thank you?" Shadowheart sputtered, still looking a bit frazzled by her earlier revelation.
you were still trying to process all of what just happened when even Gale spoke up.
"Well, looks like you'll have just...four people joining you, I'd prefer the company of a good book and an ale right now, i think."Gales eyes met yours for a split second, as you looked up at him. A very distinct look. He wanted you. It was hunger, lust, but restraint. He wasn't going to stop you from having fun with your company, but god did he want you to stay with him.
"I...um.." you looked up at Gale, fully taking him in this time. Gods...He was really the only thing you wanted. You wanted his soft hair between your fingers, your thighs wrapped around his waist. You wanted to feel his tongue shoved inside of you again.
"I think I'd like an ale or two as well."
"Oooookay...Well, since i already paid for two rooms, why don't you both buy a round for the spare room while we get busy." Astarion's eye roll was quite visible and very pointed, but that didn't matter, no one would actually remember anything that was said, as they'd be wrapped in bodies and sweat, including you.
So you ordered two bottles of ale and two of a beautiful red wine, they sat in the middle of a small round table. The room itself was stunning, the walls painted a deep purple, with a golden trim at the tops and bottoms. There was a bed centered in the middle of the room, with an abundance of fluffy pillows on top and a velvet sheet to top it off. It was by far the fanciest room you'd stayed in. Everything dripped of gold and pearls, there was even a damn chandelier. If this was a side room, you wondered what the main room must've looked like.
"This is...." You trailed off, still taking in the whole room.
"extraordinary?" Gale muttered, taking no time to sit down and pour out two glasses of wine. Something was obviously on his mind, as he swirled the red liquid around, his eyes were slightly distant, and his brows furrowed. It didn't surprise, you, though, there was a lot going on, and he had the chance to end his own life to possibly save the world, and yet here he sat, already on his second glass. There must be a lot on his mind, you thought.
Really, he just wanted the courage to make a big move, and a bit of liquid honesty couldn't hurt. While you drank, he tried not to stare, but it seemed to be getting harder and harder. He wanted so badly to reach out and devour you. He wanted to taste you again, grip your thighs with his hands, leave hickeys across your whole body, he wanted everyone to know how much he could pleasure you. He couldn't help but look at his drink, look at you, and the bed. he kept repeating 'just tell her' Tell you what? He wasn't sure what to even tell you?
Was he madly in love with you? Likely. Did he Lust for you? Always. Of course he did. Out of all the worldly and otherworldly beings, things, concepts, you were the most perfect. He Would year the night sky apart to see your smile. Commit crimes to stare into those eyes endlessly.
"They're certainly making some noise," The drinks were certainly kicking in, your voice was a bit shakey, but your head still fairly clear, clear enough to hear the moaning and grunts from the other room, even some....weird god kinks, you weren't sure and didn't care to be that snoopy.
Gale chuckled, nodding his head. "I would bet 5000 gold I could get you moaning louder than all of them, combined."
"Is that the wine talking?" You tried to blink away the disbelief and shock you clearly wore on your face, Gale was an upfront man, but this was on another level...
"Only to help say what's been on my mind." His deep brown eyes looked at you with incredible lust, more than you'd ever seen before, It was hot, searing, intense. "You have always been on my mind."
You got up from your chair, legs weak not from the wine, but from how this charming wizard looked at you like you were the entire world, right in front of him. "Is that so?" You wanted nothing more than for Gale to wrap his arms around your waist and take all of you til night passed and morning arose.
Your legs slotted through his perfectly, your knee nearly grazing his crotch. In one big gulp, you downed the rest of your drink, and leaned over Gale to set the glass down on the table, not very subtly getting closer to him, and even though your chest was practically in his face, he was still looking into your eyes.
"it would be such a waste if we didn't use such a beautiful bed. We're not often afforded those luxuries.." You took one more small step closer to him, reaching out to the hand free from drink, guiding it to your waist. "And we don't want to be wasteful..."
"Certainly not." Gale took one last sip of wine, licking the small drip that fell from his lips. He stood from his chair, his obvious hard on graising your hip. A small gasp left your lips, gods, you had forgotten how badly you'd wanted him, how big he felt...It was all returning to you. Your face flushed with heat as you remembered his tongue deep in your pussy, your lips wrapped around his cock.
Gale was emboldened by the wine, tipsy off of lust, his mind racing with all that he wanted to do to you, sweep you off your feet and into the weave. but that would have to wait, the here and now, right in front of him, you practically offering yourself to him yet again, he'd be a fool not to take it. "Come here, beautiful."
You let out a sigh, biting down on your lip as you sat down on his thigh. He wrapped his hands around your hips, squeezing slightly, almost reassuringly. He guided your hips back and fourth, while pressing you down further onto his thigh. your dress rode up to your waist, only your thin underwear creating all the friction you ever needed between your pussy and his thigh, getting ungodly close his his bulge yet never quite close enough.
His pace was slow and hard, Still clutching onto you like you absolutely needed it, which, was true, as the longer he rocked you the more wobbily your legs felt. You breath started to get heavier and heavier. Your head fell to his shoulders, the pleasure wracking through your whole body.
"No no, beautiful, look at me when you cum" Gale's hand inched its way to the back of your neck, pulling your head off his shoulder and holding you steady as you looked into his eyes,
It was all so much, his needy eyes begging for you to cum, your throbbing pussy, the small wet stain now on his pants from how gods damn much he turned you on, it was hard to keep his stare but you did, as you moaned his name, gasping as pleasure kept pulsing through your body. "fuck..." you chocked out. He let go of your neck but kept his hand on your shoulder, still keeping a firm grasp on your hip as it was clear you weren't exactly stable.
"I...That was..." You nearly whispered, still shuddering from the orgasm. You were so flustered, something that wasn't too easy for you, yet, he made you. His intensity with a smile had you dizzy. "Do you want me to return the favor?"
He raised a hand back to your jaw, tilting your head to look at him fully, to stare into his eyes.
"Let me make love to you-" Gale cooed, soothing you with his charm. "Sit back and let me give you everything."
"Yes, please-" you practically begged. Gale used his fingers to tilt your head slightly, leaving room for him to trail kisses and love bites down your neck, sucking on your skin, leaving you with shivers down your spine. You leaned into his touch, your hands nearly shooting up to grasp his soft hair, pulling him even closer.
"you're so beautiful-" He muttered between hickeys, breath getting heavier as you pressed your hips against him, feeling how much he wanted you, straining
You pulled away slightly, grasping his hand and struggling a bit to get up, turning to lead him to the bed. Although your eyes were set in front of you, you felt his gaze scan your body, how your hips swayed as you walked, he wanted to take all the time in the world to explore your body, learn it more than anything he'd ever read.
"just lay down, beautiful." He pressed his hand to your chest, pushing slightly, letting you fully relax into the bed, his body hovering over yours, his steady and strong arm next to your head, the other making quick work of unbuttoning your dress.
"Take those off for me," he looked down at your panties, slipping a finger at the band of your underwear and pulling it back, snapping it against your skin. It took a moment to register, there was so much distracting you, but you somehow managed. Completely bare and laid out, displayed like a work of art for him to admire. Gale took a moment, sitting up on his knees, to take you all in. His fingers traced along your stomach, lowering slowly, with such a light touch you could barely tell if it was him or a chill.
It shouldn't have been surprising but when he slipped his middle finger inside, you gasped, letting a moan escape your lips as his finger curled in and out of you, working in a slow and consistent pace. His index finger grazed your clit every time he pumped in and out, lightly, still taking you down from the high of riding his thigh, him knowing you'd still be sensitive, to not overstimulate.
"Come here" You pulled him in by his hair, now slightly tosseled and looking frankly unfair. "kiss me."
He didn't need to be told twice, quickly pressing his own lips to yours. He tasted of the sweet red wine, with hints of caramel and clove. He was delicious , addicting. You licked his bottom lip, opening his mouth to allow you deeper into his mouth. While you explored his mouth, he slipped another finger deep inside you, pushing in further than he had been doing before, quickening his pace.
His lips left your own, slightly panting, a bit out of breath. He then trailed down your neck to your breast, looking back up at you, asking permission to suck on your skin. You nodded desperately, gods you needed anything he would give you. His lips attacked to your nipple, sucking and licking, bobbing his head with every pull, it was all building up.
"I'm gonna cum, gods, Gale please I'm close-" You begged, yet he pulled back quickly, you let out a disappointed groan, why would he stop now? It didn't take long to get your answer, he wanted your cum on his mouth. He moved fast to move his mouth to your pussy, not relenting in his speed with his fingers and now, tongue. It didn't take long for the wave of bliss to wash over you, uncontrollable sounds coming out while he rode our your orgasm with one less finger and slowing down with his lips. It wasn't until your hips stopped shaking that he drew out his fingers, moving them to his mouth where he sucked them dry, letting out a small moan when they were clean. "divine.."
His clothes were stripped off, yours now completely tossed aside, the cool air hitting you both, but neither of you really noticed. You were focused on his hard cock pressed against your pussy, grinding againt your lips, getting slick with his spit and your cum. It would be so easy just to slide it in, but he drew it out, teasing you til you begged, pleaded, please, you needed it, you wanted him so desperately. Yet still somehow a fraction of his need for you the past weeks.
Gales restraint was shocking, even to himself, but the sight of you underneath him, begging for his cock, glowing from the orgasm he brought you, was enough for a lifetime, though he hoped there'd be many more lifetimes of this.
One more whimper is all that it took for him to shove himself deep inside you, all the way to the hilt. You felt him pressing against your cervix, a small but sharp pain from the sudden sensation , a good pain, that meant you were taking it all, and so well for him too. He had waited too long for this to stop, he kept pumping inside you, at an unrelenting pace, fast and hard. He switched between sucking on your neck, your breast, and biting your lip, keeping eye contact whenever he could. He wanted to see how much you wanted him, and he wanted you to know how much lust he had in his soul, just for you.
Gale held your neck with his hand, grasping lightly, as he came for the first time, shoving his cock even deeper into your pussy as he slowed his pace down, nearly whimpering in your ear as his head fell to your shoulders, biting down on your skin to keep from some more sounds he found embarrassing, but was so very sexy. You expected him to lay down and rest, after that, but he kept going.
"Flip over for me." He asked, giving your earlobe a small nibble as he spoke. You couldn't move fast enough, laying down on your stomach as he held down your waist, fingernails digging into your skin, leaving small crescent dents. You shoved your ass down on him with every thrust, wave after wave of orgasms wracking through your body, it felt endless, overwhelming. When it all felt like enough he kept going, adding more, rubbing your clit as your ass bounced on his cock, his thumb slipping in and out of your ass, him completely exiting you and only coming back in when you came from his words alone, sweet talking you into more orgasms. Or stopping completely to finish you off with his mouth again, you'd squirted in his mouth more than once, and he came once just from that. Maybe the stopping and starting was also so he himself could keep going as much as he could muster, but that never crossed your mind.
"You take it so well-" and "I want to see you need me" and "You're just too beautiful when you cum, I can't help but follow."
You went until your bodies gave out. Too sweaty, too raw to take anymore.
Gale fell beside you, out of breath, tan skin glistened with sweat and cum, his cock still leaking a bit, though even he was shocked there was anything left in him. You laid there for minutes, maybe longer, it didn't matter. It didn't click that the room next to you had fallen silent until you'd finally caught your breath. Actually...you remember the screams and moans ending a while ago. you notice Gales eyes had also turned to the shared wall, probably coming to the same conclusion as you.
"Do you think they heard us?" You asked, a small smile forming.
"Most definitely."
_
A/N: Well that was a lot huh? This took probably 20 hours straight of writing if not more, so please tell me if you liked it! It would mean a lot to me. Requests are always open but slow, as i'm not a fast writer haha. Thanks for following along! My gale fics have done better than I ever expected, I've gotten about 1k new followers from them I believe, so thank you all!
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#i literaly have no idea what color gales eyes are bc i'm always looking at his hair and hands i'm SORRYYYY#fanfiction#smut#gale of waterdeep#gale x reader#baldurs gate 3#baldurs gate gale#baldurs gate x reader#gale dekarios#bg3 gale#x reader#gale x tav#gale dekarios x reader#gale dekarios x tav#gale dekarios smut#gale of waterdeep smut#gale x reader smut#long reads#baldur's gate 3#baldur's gate iii#smutttttttt#smutty#lemon#thigh riding#baldurs gate iii#bg3 romance#bg 3#baldursgate#bg3 brainrot
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Huhu, me again :) As I am re-reading your stories while stuck at home with the flu, I was thinking of another possible story: Reader is Rebecca's friend and a high-end prostitute. She has seen and experienced some rough things and is not trusting around men at all. Elijah is in love with her, but she will only accept him as a client (just sex for money, no kissing, no tenderness). He does everything in his power to change her mind.
Thanks, â¤ď¸. Hope you have a lovely weekend!
Safe
18+ ---- {Masterlist} {Tag-List}
In a world where trust is hard to come by, you've learned to keep your guard up, especially around men. But when Elijah enters your life, he's determined to break through your defenses, venturing into a realm of passion, pain, and the search for something real.
âĄâĄ Thanks for the request @originals23 I always adore your requests! Hope you are feeling better âĄâĄ
8.2k words - Warnings: smut, oral sex, white knight Elijah, lots of fluff and affection, Rebekah being badass...
PLEASE NOTE: this has descriptions of sexual assault, trauma & violence... don't read if these things trigger you âĄâĄâĄ
Elijah considered himself a man of experience. He had seen and done everything in his many centuries. He was no stranger to the ways of the world, to the ways of power, to the ways of pleasure.
He watched society evolve and change in many ways, but some things always stayed the same, even after one thousand years.
Elijah knew what he was to women, the way they would fawn over him, the way they would throw themselves at him. It had never bothered him, he used this privilege to disarm potential threats, to protect those he loves.
Never in his long years had he considered paying for sex, he was not the kind of man that needed to pay for a woman's affections. He was a gentleman, he treated women with respect, courted them, loved them.
But then, there was you.
He would meet you in hotels, only the most luxurious, expensive, exclusive ones, where no questions were asked, and privacy was guaranteed.
You were always punctual and dressed to the nines, always with the most stunning outfits, the finest dresses, the highest heels. Your hair was always perfectly styled, your makeup expertly done.Â
You were far more put together than he could ever be. It made him want to believe that it was all just for him, but he knew better than that. You looked expensive because you were expensive.
The first time was a complete whim, a moment of weakness. He met you through his sister, at an event she was hosting. He tried to get you in his bed the old fashioned way, with his charm, and it almost worked. He was not used to rejection. But, he got the impression that it was not personal, for you it was just business.
So, he took a chance and hired you for the night. You were not expecting it, he could tell, but you quickly hid it behind a mask of professionalism.
The sex was... Immaculate. He would be a fool to say anything else. In his many centuries of living, he had experienced his fair share of pleasures. He was an excellent lover, he knew it, he prided himself in being one, but you were the first woman he had been with, where he felt like the student.
He would never forget the image of you on your knees before him, with your red lips wrapped around his cock, the sight would stay burned into his retinas for eternity.
You were the perfect companion, always the right thing to say, the right thing to do. You would only give, and never take, leaving him wanting more.
After your first meeting, he became a regular, every Friday at 8pm at the Roosevelt Hotel.
It had become his routine, you would arrive dressed in something different each time, more breathtaking than the last. And each Friday, you would repeat the same motions; meet him at the bar, have a drink, make small talk, before inevitably returning to his hotel room.
You never looked him in the eyes when you rode him, head thrown back in ecstasy, legs trembling and breasts bouncing, the very vision of sin.
You were all fire and passion, never letting your heart get involved, as was your work's rule. Always just fucking, no kissing, no affection, never sharing anything that had the smallest ounce of intimacy.
There was only once where he would have thought he saw an ounce of vulnerability in your eyes.
On that particular Friday, Elijah had arranged for the room to have flowers and champagne and a wonderful spread for dinner. When you arrived, he greeted you the same way he always did, taking you in his arms, feeling the weight of you pressed against him. When he released you from the embrace, he turned to lead you to the couch, but found your cheeks tinged with pink and tears running down your face.
That was new.
You composed yourself almost immediately, a smile returning to your beautiful face. The moment passed. You apologized, saying the roses were so lovely, you felt a bit sentimental for a moment.
He wanted to call it out, but he was not a fool; you were crying because you were moved. He wondered if anyone had treated you with sincerity before. But he held his tongue, only responding that he was glad you liked them.
You drew him in like a moth to a flame. Your beauty, your intelligence, your wit, it all appealed to him, but there was something else, something he couldn't put his finger on.
He wasn't sure what it was, why you affected him so. Perhaps it was the mystery, the fact that he could never really get close to you, not like he wanted.
You were the perfect escort, always attentive, always beautiful, always ready to please. But you were also distant, aloof. You didn't want any affection from him, or to speak of romance, of love.
Your emotional unavailability felt like a mirror, reflecting his own loneliness, his own fear of intimacy.
He wondered how somebody so young, with so little years behind them, could harbor such pain behind their eyes.
Perhaps that is what drew him to you, the possibility that you could understand him, the darkness that lived inside him, the burden of immortality, the isolation that came with it.
He wanted to know you, not just the performance you put on for him, but what lies underneath the façade.
But you didn't allow him to. You kept him at arm's length, never letting him get too close.
He tried to be respectful, he tried not to push you, but he found himself wanting more, wanting things he shouldn't.
You were a good girl, you gave him what he paid for, nothing more. But he wanted more, he wanted you. He wanted to take you out on a date, to spoil you, to make you feel loved, to show you the world.
But he knew that would never happen. You were a professional, and he was just another client. Still, he couldn't help but wonder, couldn't help but hope.
He would keep coming back, and maybe one day, you would let him in. Maybe one day, he would finally get to show you the truth of his feelings.
Maybe one day, you would fall in love with him, too.
You were on another date with a new client, you always met them in public first, making sure they were who they claimed to be before you headed to the hotel.
You were always cautious, using protection, staying safe, trusting your instincts.
You tried your best not to judge your clients, you didn't know why they sought you out instead of dating. For some, it was simply convenience, for others, it was something more sinister. You worked hard to keep the latter far away from you.
This client was a bit shy, he wouldn't meet your gaze or answer any of your questions. It was like pulling teeth. But he didn't have that "off" vibe. Maybe he was just uncomfortable around women and that's why he sought you out.
He seemed to loosen up after a few drinks, his smile becoming more confident, his laugh deepening. His hands would occasionally drift toward your thigh as he leaned in close to talk.
"I rented the penthouse for tonight, it comes with a hot tub," he said awkwardly.
"Oh, that's nice," you tried to sound interested, taking a fake sip of your drink. You never drank or consumed anything while working. You had a fear of being drugged, you prioritized staying alert when with new clients.
"Would you care to see it?" his tone was low and raspy, and his gaze darkened with arousal.
"Of course," you smirked, taking his hand as he led you out of the bar.
Your phone buzzed, it was a text from Rebekah; she always made sure to check in when you were meeting new clients. You smiled, knowing she was looking out for you. The two of you had an emergency plan, if you ever felt unsafe, all you had to do was text her the word 'trouble' and she would come running, and wouldn't hesitate to defend you.
This was another reason you loved being friends with Rebekah, despite the vampire thing, her overprotectiveness of the people she cared for, she was so fierce. It felt good to have someone watch your back in a business such as this. That hasn't always been the case for you.
You texted her your hotel and room number as usual, trying not to let your mind wander to her brother. It was unprofessional to be thinking about him while you were with another client, but you couldn't help it.
It had been nearly three months since you began your arrangement with Elijah, and yet he was always the one that occupied your thoughts, plaguing your dreams, controlling your waking thoughts, your fantasies.
Never had a client affected you in such a way. Sure, you had attractive and charming men seeking your company, ones that smelled nice and tipped well. But Elijah was something else entirely. He made you feel things you didn't want to feel, you had rules, boundaries, reasons to keep a safe distance. Yet with every encounter, you were drawn deeper and deeper.
You pushed the image of him out of your mind, focusing on your present client. In the elevator, his hands were all over you, pawing at you like a horny teen. Clearly, he was very excited about what was going to happen when you got to the penthouse.
"Baby, slow down, we've got all night," you reminded him, hoping he would calm down.
He ignored you and leaned in to kiss you, he was new, so you politely pushed on his chest and let him know what your rules were.
"Hold on baby, there are rules, remember?" you said, pushing his hands away.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I thought that was just a scam, you know, a way to drive up the price," he said, his hand going to his pocket, pulling out his wallet. "How much extra are we talking?"
You could see his wallet was thick with cash and you felt sick, but you played it cool. "Those are my boundaries, honey. No kissing, protection mandatory, no touching unless I say so. That's just how I do business," you said, flashing him a bright smile.
He looked disappointed, but he didn't push. "Fine," he said, putting his wallet away.
You reached the top floor and he led you to the penthouse suite, opening the door and stepping aside. "After you," he said, his voice filled with barely contained desire.
The suite was luxurious, but not the best you've seen. There was a hot tub in the corner and a huge king sized bed. The bathroom was stocked with expensive toiletries and there was a large TV.
"Take your clothes off," he demanded, taking a seat on the bed.
He was far more assertive now that you were alone with him, more controlling. This wasn't too bad, you could work with that. He was older, his hair was a dirty blonde, starting to recede, he was kind of handsome if you squinted.
You began to strip, revealing your black lace lingerie. Your red dress fell to the floor in a puddle of fabric and you heard him growl with excitement.
He eyed you hungrily, licking his lips. "How many hours did I pay for again?" he asked, his voice dripping with lust.
"Five, and I've already started the clock," you said, giving him a coy smile.
"Good," he said, pulling out his wallet and tossing it on the bed. "Come here."
You walked over, stopping in front of him. He reached up, grabbing your breast roughly. "You have great tits," he said, squeezing.
You smiled at him, pretending to enjoy it. You knew he was paying for this, for the fantasy. You pride yourself on your performance, making sure your clients are happy, but you could already tell this was going to be a long couple of hours.
He seemed impatient, rough and demanding. Not exactly your favorite, but this was part of the job. Besides, you had been through worse.
"Are you ready for me?" he asked, his fingers digging into your flesh.
"Yes, sir," you replied, playing the part.
He grabbed your face roughly, making you look into his eyes, then everything became strange, fuzzy, distorted.
Your body felt numb, like you were floating, the room was spinning, and you had the strange sensation of being both in your body and outside it.
You were riding him, you didn't remember how you got there, or when he took his clothes off, but there he was, his cock filling you.
He was groaning and moaning beneath you, his hands gripping your hips tightly. Your neck hurt, your breasts hurt, your thighs hurt, you looked down to see deep bite marks all over you, blood running down your skin.
You blinked, and suddenly you were on your back, the bedspread covered in blood, your blood. You looked up at the man above you, his mouth twisted into a cruel smirk, his eyes completely black.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Not enjoying yourself?" he sneered, his hand going to your throat. He squeezed, cutting off your air supply.
You gasped, struggling to breathe. Your lungs burned, your eyes filled with tears.
"What did you do to me?" You said, your voice sounding like it was coming from far away. He couldn't have drugged you, you didn't consume anything with him, you were always so careful.
He bit into your neck, his fangs sinking into your skin, holding you down with incredible strength. Cold fear ran through your veins, he was like Rebekah, like Elijah, he was a vampire.
You struggled, trying to fight him off, but you couldn't move, his strength was overwhelming. You felt him drinking your blood, his teeth tearing through your skin.
He pulled back, rolling off of you, lying beside you. "Don't worry, sweetheart, it'll only hurt for a minute," he said, his voice full of malicious glee. "Go wash up for round two," he demanded.
You sat up, trying to gather yourself. You needed to get out of there, and fast. You were bleeding heavily, and the world was still spinning.
He got off the bed and headed to the kitchenette, the sounds of glasses clinking and liquid pouring into a glass filled the air. He must've been getting a drink.
You were lightheaded from the blood loss, your legs shaky. You searched for your purse on the floor, the room looked different, distorted, and you couldn't find the damn thing anywhere. You were losing precious seconds looking for it, your adrenaline keeping the panic at bay.
You caught sight of it, it was beside the night table. You snatched it up and grabbed your phone, typing out the word 'trouble' to send it to Rebekah, hoping the word was enough for her to get the message.
You felt his hands on you again, a hard tug against your hair.
"Back on the bed like a good little whore," he hissed, throwing you on the bed. "I wasn't done with you."
He flipped you onto your stomach, hiking one leg up and exposing you to him. The edges of your vision grew dark, and you could hear your heartbeat growing slower, weaker. You tried to scream, but no sound came out.
You were going to die. He was going to kill you, and no one would know. Rebekah wouldn't come. You would be gone, and no one would ever find you.
Then, as your vision faded to black, all you could think of was how this was the end, how you didn't want to die this way. You had fought so hard to escape this fate, to be someone; something better than this, and yet, here you were, being raped and killed by a monster.
In the darkness you heard a bang, the cracking of wood. Someone was yelling, there was a struggle.
Then, a hand on your face, warm, soft. You heard a familiar voice, a voice that made your heart skip a beat.
"Elijah," you whispered, barely audible.
"I'm here, I'm here," he said, his voice full of panic.
You felt him press his wrist to your lips, his own blood filling your mouth. "Drink," he said softly, and you obeyed.
His blood sent a wave of heat through your body, the pain receding. You drank deeply, the world growing clearer.
You opened your eyes, his worried face above yours. He immediately pulled off his suit jacket and wrapped it around your naked form, scooping you up and cradling you in his arms.
You clung to him, feeling the last vestiges of the monster's compulsion fade. You could see Rebekah standing over the man, whose spine was in her hand, her eyes dark with rage.
You were suddenly aware of the gravity of the situation, and tears began to stream down your face. You sobbed, the trauma, the horror of what had almost happened hitting you full force. You thought you had escaped this life, that it was all in your past, but it was there, fresh and ugly, rearing its head like a hydra, reminding you it would always be a part of you.
Elijah held you tightly, whispering soothing words as Rebekah inspected the body. He was solid, strong, his arms encircling you, holding you together.
"Who is he? One of Marcel's?" Elijah asked, his voice low and angry.
"He better not be," she said, taking a picture of the vampire's face and sending it to someone.
She stood up, wiping her hands on her pants, the blood from the dead vampire staining the fabric. "I'll take care of it," she said, her voice hard and cold. "Get her home," she said, gesturing to you.
Elijah nodded, carrying you out of the room. You clung to him, trying not to fall apart, not to let the pain overwhelm you. He helped you get dressed, you felt like you were outside of your body, watching the events unfold from somewhere above, somewhere safe.
It was the same place you went before. When you were younger, when you were forced into this life, it was a coping mechanism, a way to protect yourself from the horror of it all. It was a way to survive, and it was serving you now, letting you function as your body went through the motions.
You found yourself in Elijah's car, his smell surrounding you. You buried your face in his suit jacket, inhaling his scent, letting it ground you.
He was quiet, his face grim, his jaw clenched. He drove quickly, his hands gripping the steering wheel. You expected a lecture about your lifestyle, perhaps a few well-meaning but patronizing comments about how you should change, should find a new line of work.
But he said nothing. He didn't judge, didn't make you feel small, or dirty. He simply drove, his presence a balm on your battered soul.
You arrived at your building, standing at your doorway, trying to find your keys. Your hands were shaking, and he gently took them from you, unlocking the door.
You stepped inside, feeling a sense of relief. You were safe now, he had saved you, and you were home. You turned to see him still waiting in the doorway, his eyes full of concern.
"You don't have to invite me in," he said softly. "I'll wait out here until I know you're safe."
Your heart melted a little, his kindness catching you off guard. He was a gentleman, and his chivalry touched something deep inside you.
You could feel yourself being pulled toward him, and it took all of your resolve to pull back, to remind yourself of the lines, the rules, and boundaries.
"It's okay, you can come in," you said.
He nodded, stepping into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He stood there awkwardly, it was breaking all the rules, being at your home, and he was unsure of the boundaries.
He could see you, the real you, in every facet of your home. From the paintings to the books, the carefully curated pieces of your life. It felt so personal, to be standing in this space, and he could see the pain and vulnerability, the fight in you. The beautiful complexity. It was so... human, to see your life displayed so honestly, no veneer, no illusion, no façade.
"I'm going to take a shower, make yourself at home," you said, gesturing towards the living room.
He nodded, moving towards the couch, taking a seat.
You disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He was angry, furious. Marcel better have answers as to why some random vampire was in the quarter attacking people, because if he didn't, there would be hell to pay.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his rage. He could hear the water running, and he tried not to think about you, what you just went through, what could have happened.
It all happened so fast, one moment he's in the compound, the next he's following Rebekah into a hotel room, watching her rip the spine from that vile beast.
Seeing you there, pale and lifeless, made him snap. He felt something shift inside him, his mind clouded by anger. In the years he lived, Elijah prided himself on being a rational man. He didn't lose control often, or ever, really, but at that moment, seeing you there, he was lost.
Rebekah killed him too quickly, he deserved a more painful death. He would have drawn it out, tortured him slowly, watching the light go out in his eyes. He hated vampires like that. Abusing humans in that way, playing with one's food was so very undignified.
He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice you walking out of the bathroom, wearing a large t-shirt that went past your knees.
You felt a bit more like yourself, the shower having washed away some of the pain and horror. You still felt shaken, and a little dazed, but you were starting to come back to yourself.
"I'm sorry, I think your jacket is ruined," you said, sitting down next to him.
He smiled sadly, glancing at the bloodied garment in his hands. "It's just a suit jacket. I can get another one," he replied.
A silence fell over you, a little uncomfortable, full of the emotions the night had stirred up. You felt raw, vulnerable. Like he could see right through you. Like everything was different, had changed, somehow. You weren't sure why. Maybe it was because he saved you.
You watched as he seemed to have a mental war with himself, his mind far away. You wondered what was going on in that ancient mind of his, what demons he was wrestling with, or what judgments he was passing.
Finally he looked at you, his expression soft, understanding. "I'm sorry about what happened. To you," he said gently.
The sincerity of his words took you by surprise, and tears sprang into your eyes. You blinked them back, not wanting to fall apart.
"It's my own fault, I'm used to this sort of thing," you replied, waving it off. "I knew better."
"You are used to this," he said, his tone careful. "You shouldn't be used to this," he explained.
Your eyes snapped to him, searching for the meaning behind his words.
"No one should ever have to endure that. No one," he said firmly.
He didn't say you should leave the business, act like some sort of savior, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. He didn't take it upon himself to make a proclamation about your lifestyle. Instead he met the facts with pure empathy and honesty.
It felt... genuine. It was a first. And somehow, coming from him, it meant something more. His kindness was a floodgate that allowed emotions, memories and old pain to come rushing forward.
"I ran away from home when I was just fourteen, my mom's boyfriend was... He would beat me, touch me," you said, tears stinging your eyes.
You hadn't talked about this in a long time, you had spent years trying to forget it ever happened, burying it under layers of denial, and in that moment, it all came flooding back.
"I met a woman on the street that offered me shelter for a night, and it snowballed into her making me turn tricks to repay her," you explained, looking anywhere but at his face.
It felt good to talk about it, to get the weight off of your chest. You had kept it all bottled up for so long, and the night had triggered those old memories, so it seemed right to finally share your story. His presence was warm, safe, comforting, and something told you, you could be vulnerable with him, and not be judged for it.
"When the women offered to take me in, it seemed like a blessing. Like she was saving me, offering to feed and clothe me," you sighed, shaking your head, lost in the memories of your youth.
"But she wasn't saving me, she was buying me. Buying my misery, my pain. My innocence, my body, my trust. And then, one day, I was beaten bloody, the guy she sold me to for the night refused to give her a cent and she put her cigarette out on my neck." You looked down at your lap, remembering the smell of your flesh burning, the pain radiating through your skin.
"I wasn't useful to her any longer, so she dumped me like a bag of trash." You spat the words out, trying to stay objective. Distant. You felt his eyes on you.
"And what did you do?" He asked, his voice so low and gentle. So inviting.
"I slept in a dumpster, stole clothes off of someone's line, begged on the corner, just to get by, to eat. A lady took pity on me and gave me enough money for a bus ticket," you continued, wiping a single tear away.
"The first bus I saw took me to New Orleans, and I've been here ever since," you concluded, a cold sense of finality settling over you. You didn't realize how heavy the memory had weighed on you, it had sat in the back of your mind, never giving you a moment of peace, haunting you.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to unload on you like that," you said, wiping the tears from your cheeks.
"Never apologize for what's happened to you, or how you've reacted to it," he replied. "I know this won't be much help, but you're a survivor. And you did what you had to, and still managed to end up here."
The simplicity of the statement hit you deeply. He understood. He understood what you went through, where you were coming from. He reached out and wiped away another one of your tears. You leaned into his touch, craving the comfort of his warmth.
You didn't understand how, or why, but somehow he had made it into your fortress, your walled off heart. A place no man had reached, touched or explored. Yet there he was. His thumb still swiped gently across your cheek, his dark eyes staring into your own.
He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his warmth. He was firm and solid, his shoulder the perfect spot to nestle in. This gesture, the simple embrace was overwhelming and your emotions spilling over. You cried, really cried, for the first time in many years. Not just tears streaming from your eyes, or silent drops, you sobbed. Your body racking with each painful outburst, a river of tears flowing over his crisp dress shirt. He held you the entire time, rubbing his hand in small circles across your back, whispering words of comfort, and strength.
Somehow, the mere knowledge of him understanding you, listening to you, opened the dam, releasing all of the pain you had repressed and carried around like an overloaded suitcase.
You cried until you exhausted yourself, and he picked you up, effortlessly and set you in his lap, your arms around his neck, your body folded into his. You rested your head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, soothing, grounding. You could stay like that forever, cocooned in his strength, feeling truly safe for the first time.
You let your eyes droop, knowing that nothing could hurt you while he was there, and you succumbed to sleep, his hand combing gently through your hair, humming a soft melody murmured in a long forgotten tongue.
You woke up with a start, the morning sun streaming in through the window. You were alone, Elijah's suit jacket draped over you.
You frowned, wondering if perhaps it all had been a dream. If the monster, if the comfort of a stranger had never happened, just a horrible, awful, vivid nightmare. You glanced down and saw the dry bloodstains covering the jacket and realized it hadn't been.
Elijah wasn't a stranger. Not anymore. Something had changed between you, in a matter of hours. He saw all of your exposed, bloody, emotional, broken places, and you showed him a tiny piece of your soul, told him of your past.
You could smell his cologne, his smell lingering in the air, a faint scent left on the jacket. You took a deep breath and slipped the garment back on, smiling sadly.
You were a sucker for a nice suit.
The other smell in the air was coffee and you followed the scent into the kitchen. Rebekah was there, sitting at the table, two cups in front of her.
"Hope you like it strong," she said as you entered, gesturing to a cup of coffee in front of her.
You grabbed it, taking a sip, appreciating the kick of flavor.
"Sleep well?" she asked, glancing at you over the cup of her own.
"Honestly? It's the best night sleep I've had in ages," you admitted, taking a seat, pulling his jacket a little tighter, it felt comforting to have it on, like a security blanket.
She laughed, studying you carefully, her eyes settling on the jacket.
You wondered if she knew, if she was able to tell you had developed a very powerful crush on her brother.
Rebekah didn't know that Elijah was one of your clients, and it felt like a big secret to keep. She never judged you for your job, but she certainly judged those who sought your services.
You felt guilty for not telling her, but it was all so complicated. Your feelings for him were evolving, and you weren't quite sure what they were, or what they meant. She was your only friend and you wanted to confide in her, but you didn't know how.
"Beks, I... I have to tell you something," you said, feeling a bit nervous.
"What is it?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Eli- Elijah has been my client since you introduced me to him," you blurted out.
She sat there, shocked, not saying anything for a moment.
"Elijah. Like my brother... Elijah? The one who was with us last night, and spent the night here? That Elijah?" She said, the look of shock on her face almost comical.
"Yes, that Elijah," you said, a blush creeping across your cheeks.
"My noble brother, who is too honorable and dignified to wear the same tie twice... Has been paying you for sex?" she said slowly, seeming to process the information, before a smirk formed on her lips. "What a delicious twist. I always thought Klaus was the manwhore brother," she added with a cackle.
You blinked, your jaw hanging open, before laughing. The tension easing, knowing she didn't hate you.
You took a deep drink of your coffee, relaxing, laughing. "I'll have you know Elijah is a great client. He's an excellent tipper, not an unkind word to say, and no requests are too kinky or strange," you said with a smile.
Rebekah raised her mug towards you in a cheers motion, clearly amused, but her expression fell a bit when she took you in a little more. "You like him," she stated, her blue eyes studying your face.
"He's my client," you answered defensively.
"Yes, I am aware of the rules you play by, but you like him." She repeated her observation, this time more sure of herself.
"Yeah," you sighed. "Maybe it's wrong to, you know, develop feelings for a client. But something's different, I don't know how to explain it," you finished.
"Well, this explains why he insisted on coming with me to save you last night. And why he's gone all avenging angel this morning. I've never seen him so protective over someone who isn't family," she said, grinning from ear to ear.
Avenging angel? It must have shown on your face because Rebekah launched into the tale of her brother's crusade this morning.
Apparently, he decided to eliminate everyone who associated with your attacker. Including the vampire who sired him and several others. He was methodical, brutal and utterly relentless in his vengeance. Tying them up and letting them burn in the rising sun.
"That's..." You couldn't find the words. It was insane, and it was for you. He was doing this because of you, and it made your heart swell with emotion.
"You're important to him," Rebekah said, her voice soft. "He doesn't do murder sprees for just anyone."
You sat there, processing the information, your mind a whirlwind. You weren't sure what to think, or how to feel, the fluttering in your stomach now a hurricane.
You had never been important to anyone, not like this. Men had always seen you as an object, a means to an end, but never someone who cared about your safety and well-being.
You loved him, even though it broke all your rules, all the careful walls you had built around yourself. He somehow managed to slip past your defenses, stealing his way into your heart and planting seeds for a future.
It had been a few weeks since the attack, and you were finally starting to feel normal again. You went back to work, seeing your regular clients.Â
Rebekah had personally vetted and compelled every single one, and you felt safe and protected. None of them could possibly harm you, not with her looking over you.
The only thing that hadn't returned to normal was your regular once-a-week meetings with Elijah. He never called, or showed up, and it ate away at you.
Were you different to him now? After he learned about your past? Maybe he saw you as damaged goods, no longer a fantasy he could indulge in.
You weren't going to reach out, not after what had happened. He had been so kind and compassionate, but you weren't certain if it had really been genuine, or the situation making him act that way.
It hurt. As much as you tried to push it aside, and pretend it wasn't important to you, it was. Not just the money, but his presence, his kind eyes, the gentle way he cared for you. You missed him, and it broke your heart.
You needed something familiar, something safe. You had worn his jacket to bed every night since the attack, it was comforting, it made you feel safe. But not having him, being uncertain of what was going on, it was frustrating, and painful.
So, when you opened the door and saw him standing there, you were surprised. He had a bag of groceries in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other, an apologetic look on his face.
"Hi," he said, a shy smile on his face. "I'm sorry, for being away for so long."
You opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come inside. He walked past you, a nervous energy radiating off of him.
"It's okay, I figured you found another girl to play with," you replied off-handedly, a small part of you hoping to get a reaction.
He placed the bag on the table and spun around. "I assure you, no other woman holds a candle to your charms."
You laughed, liking his response, so typically him.
"I bought some groceries, and some wine," he said, gesturing to the bag and the bouquet. "Is there anything you would like me to make you for dinner?"
You smiled at him, his thoughtfulness making you blush. "Anything would be fine," you said, watching as he moved around your small kitchen. "You didn't have to do all this," you added, still a little taken aback by his gesture.
"I want to," he said, his brown eyes meeting yours. "I have some things I'd like to say, and I think a nice dinner might help."
You nodded, a nervous energy filling the room. He poured some wine, handing you a glass. You hesitated for a moment, fear creeping in, a million thoughts of how this could go wrong flooding your mind.
He noticed the hesitation and gently took your hand, giving it a kiss.
"If you don't want to drink, that is okay," he whispered, his voice full of understanding.
"No, it's okay," you said, smiling shyly.
You sat at the island, watching him as he worked. He was so at ease, so confident. He chopped and stirred, and the aroma of delicious food filled the air. You never experienced this sort of thing growing up, the peaceful domesticity. It was strange, sitting there with Elijah, it felt so foreign, yet so normal. So perfect. He moved about the kitchen with a practiced ease, humming softly.
You sipped the wine, the sweet taste filling your mouth. You couldn't remember the last time you had drunk a whole glass, let alone several.
After a while, he put the food on the plates, and handed one to you. It smelled delicious, and looked even better. You took a bite, the flavors exploding in your mouth.
"Wow, this is incredible," you exclaimed, taking another bite.
He chuckled, sitting down next to you on the counter, it was so casual, so relaxed, almost intimate.
"How did you learn how to cook?" You asked, curious.
"I've lived for a thousand years, I think it would be pretty embarrassing if I didn't know how to make a proper meal," he replied, his voice laced with amusement.
"I always forget just how old you are," you said, smirking.
"Does it bother you?" He asked, his voice hesitant.
"No," you said, smiling reassuringly.
You finished eating, the two of you chatting about mundane things, no talk of work or pasts, just simple conversation. It was refreshing, being able to just be, no pressure or expectations.
After you were done, he took your plate and started washing the dishes. You couldn't help but laugh, and he turned around, a look of confusion on his face.
"What's so funny?" He asked, drying his hands.
"You just... cooking, cleaning," you said, trying to compose yourself. "I've never seen anything like it,"
"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"No," you said, grinning, "it's actually really nice,"
"Good," he said, chuckling, then he splashed some soap bubbles at you.
You gasped and glared at him, wiping the suds off your top.
"Oh, you did not just do that," you said, a wicked smile on your lips.
You grabbed the sponge and squirted him, laughing as the soap hit his face. He shook his head, a playful glint in his eyes.
"That's how you want to play it, hmm?" He asked, a mischievous smirk on his lips.
He grabbed the faucet and turned it on, spraying you with water. You squealed and tried to dodge, but he was too fast, your feet slipping on the now wet kitchen floor. You went sliding, and Elijah caught you in his arms, laughing.
Your heart was racing, and you were sure he could hear it, beating furiously in your chest. His warm arms were wrapped around you, and your face was inches from his. He was so close, so solid, so real. The world around you disappeared, all that mattered was him. You wanted to give in, to let yourself feel, but fear crept in.
The past flashed through your mind, the memories, the pain, the shame. You pulled away, your heart aching.
"I'm sorry," you whispered, your eyes full of tears.
He took a step back, his face full of understanding.
"It's okay," he said softly, his hand reaching out and stroking your cheek.
"What did you want to talk to me about? Why are you really here?" You asked, afraid of the answer.
"I..." He paused, his eyes searching yours. "I am no longer in need of your services,"
Your heart sank, your body suddenly feeling cold. It was the answer you were expecting, but it still hurt. After what he saw in that penthouse, after all of his concern and comfort, he was done with you. Your fears were coming true.
You nodded, forcing a weak smile.
"I just..." he trailed off, his eyes still searching yours, his hand still on your cheek. "I love you, and I've been using you," he said, his eyes full of sadness. "That's why I stopped coming, it was... too much. It felt like I was taking advantage of you."
You stared at him, shock washing over you. It felt like the world had stopped moving. Love? A word you never thought would apply to you, yet here was a man, looking at you with such tenderness, such compassion, such pure undiluted love. It wasn't something you could process, love wasn't a feeling you felt worthy of, it wasn't something you believed you deserved.Â
"Elijah..." You whispered, your voice barely audible. "You don't love me, you love the escort, the persona,"
"No, I love you, all of you," he said, his eyes locked on yours. "The good, the bad, the messy, all of it. That's why I can't use you anymore, because I want to love you, not just fuck you,"
You stood there, your emotions warring within you. Part of you was overjoyed, the other part was terrified.
You had never been loved before, and the thought of it was both exhilarating and terrifying. But you couldn't deny the pull between the two of you, the chemistry that was always there.
And it wasn't just physical, there was something deeper, something more. Something that was worth taking a chance on.
You reached out, your hand touching his face. You could feel his breath on your skin, his warmth radiating through you. Your heart was beating so fast, your hands trembling, but you pulled him closer, your lips ghosting across his.
He inhaled sharply, his eyes searching yours, his hand gently touching your face. You closed your eyes, his scent filling your nose. You didn't care that he was your client, that you swore this would never happen, or any of the reasons you always believed it would be better to stay distant.
He was the first one to move, kissing you softly, you could feel the love, the passion, the desire. His hands tangled in your hair, the kiss growing deeper, more intense.
You clung to him, your body pressed against his, the world around you fading away. It was perfect, the moment you had been waiting for. The first time you felt like someone actually wanted you, and it was better than anything you had ever imagined.
His hand slid down your body, his fingers brushing against your skin. You could feel the heat rising within you, the need for him growing stronger. He picked you up, his lips never leaving yours, and carried you into the bedroom.
He laid you on the bed, his body hovering over you. He kissed you again, his tongue exploring your mouth, his hands caressing your skin.
You moaned, your body arching into him. You wanted him, all of him. You tugged at his shirt, pulling it off. He helped you, then pulled your top over your head.
He trailed kisses down your neck, to your chest, his tongue flicking over your nipples. You let out a soft moan, your hands tangled in his hair.
He continued his exploration, his lips trailing lower, down your stomach, and stopped at the waistband of your skirt. He hooked his thumbs under it, and slowly pulled it down, his mouth kissing your hips.
He kneeled between your legs, kissing the soft skin of your thighs, waiting for your permission to break the rules.
This wasn't work, or something you were forced to do. This was something new, something special.
You spread your legs further, your arousal glistening in the dim light. He moved up your body, kissing your neck as he peeled off his remaining clothes. You reached up, tracing his jaw, and then cupping his face. He looked up at you, his eyes full of love, lust, and worry.
You nodded your head, giving him the permission he needed. His hands gripped your panties, slowly sliding them down. Your heart pounded in your chest, anticipation building.
He kissed your clit, his tongue exploring the sensitive spot. You let out a soft moan, your body shaking.
He took his time, wanting to taste you, wanting to give you pleasure. You deserved to feel good, to forget the pain, if even just for a moment.
He kept teasing you, his tongue circling your clit, then dancing around it. You were aching for him, the tension inside you building.
You gripped the sheets, your body writhing beneath him. You felt the pressure release, a wave of pleasure washing over you.
You floated on a cloud of bliss, your body tingling with aftershocks. He kissed his way back up to you, his lips finding yours.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
You smiled, cupping his face, pulling him close and kissing him. You had heard that from countless men over the years, but this was the first time you believed it, believed him.
You felt the length of him rubbing against your thigh. You reached down, stroking him, letting him know how much you wanted him.
He was so close, the scent of him filling your senses. He pressed himself against you, his erection teasing you, the ache between your thighs growing.
He wanted to make love to you, to show you what it meant to be with someone who cared about you, who loved you.
He slowly parted your legs, his gaze locked on yours, waiting for the final bit of permission.
You couldn't form the words, so instead you nodded, a shy smile on your lips. He understood, and slowly pushed into you.
You closed your eyes, the feeling of him filling you, stretching you, overwhelming you. It had been so long since anyone touched you like this, and he was doing it so perfectly.
But sudden fear coursed through you, everything replaying in your mind. All the men who had used you, forced you, made you perform. The vampire who dragged you back into your trauma, took away your control.
Elijah could see the distance in your eyes, the disconnect, and he pulled away, slightly, a concerned look on his face.
"It's okay," he said, his voice soft, "we can stop if you want to,"
You blinked, the memory fading, the realization setting in. Elijah wasn't like those men, he was different, caring, gentle. He made you feel safe in a way that no one else ever had.
You smiled at him, your heart swelling with love and affection. You reached up and cupped his face, gently pulling him towards you, your lips meeting his.
You poured your heart into the kiss, your emotions overwhelming you. He rolled the both of you on your sides, his arms wrapping around you. You clung to him, his name a whisper on your lips.
You felt a tingling building, but this wasn't pleasure, it was something else. A sense of euphoria washed over you, and for a brief moment, your whole being was at peace. You felt safe, loved, treasured. Your heart was whole, the pain and darkness gone, replaced by pure happiness and bliss.
You broke the kiss, your eyes wide as you looked at him, your heart pounding. You had never felt anything like it, never thought it was possible. You had experienced great pleasure, had orgasms that left you breathless, but this was something different, something deeper, something beyond description.
You blinked, reality settling in, your thoughts a tangled mess. You had broken your rules, given yourself to him completely, allowed him to touch the most broken and vulnerable part of you.
Your heart.
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Greek mythology has evolved over the course of hundreds of years, and with all those⌠retellings now, itâs gotten me thinking about just how many people have been spreading false details of myths through word of mouth to the point of becoming the most common interpretation, when if you were to look back in history, a great number of them were only recently made up, barely a a few centuries prior. Example of this is King Midas and his turning his daughter into a gold statue. I remember this part having been included all throughout my childhood, only to find out it was never part of the original myth but a recent addition in a book from 1852. (suddenly, the daughter being aptly named âMarigoldâ makes a lot more sense.) My ask is: which commonly told misconception of this type regarding any Greek myth is most infuriating to you and why?
oh my god misinformation can be INFURIATING smh
Let's start off with the Apollo misinformation.
"He raped Persephone/is a serial rapist!"
First of all, no he did not. LO, toss yourself into an eternal blaze and incinerate.
and secondly- he's not a serial rapist. There's only two accounts of rape, specifically Dryope and Creusa, but that depends on interpretation and the source so if you want to discard it, you can. No one can tell you you can't.
"UwU Apollo's love life is terrible!"
do i even need to say anything?
"Athena hates women!"
hell to the fuck no. the evidence people use for this is the Medusa Myth: Ovid's Version, and CONVIENTLY IGNORE THE ONES WHERE SHE HELPS WOMEN ESCAPE BEING RAPED!! AND THAT OVID IS THE ONLY ONE WHO DOES THIS!!
Even with the ones where she punishes the victim, the older versions do not have that! She made Nicymene her eternal owl companion, for heaven's sake!
"Hermes/Dionysus/Hephaestus is the only unproblematic god! UwU"
uh... *waves Leuconoe/Choine/Philonis around* no matter which version you go with, Hermes/Mercury does rape her...
...and in the Dionysica Dionysus rapes like two women...
...and Hephaestus tried to rape Athena... (oh wow, would you look at that...it's like Athena would have *gasp* sympathy for assault survivors...)
...See the double standards? :/ Ignores Roman/late Greek literature when it's convenient, and then exaggerates it to suit their own needs.
"Demeter is a terrible mom!"
GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NO ONE DISRESPECTS THE QUEEN
"Hades only kidnapped Persephone because Zeus told him too!"
Hades is his own man and wasn't being held at gunpoint to abduct her. He did so on his own merits. From a literal perspective, what was stopping him from just. you know. talking to her. kidnapping was not necessary.
(yes, yes, i know about the symbolic perspective, hence my use of 'literal'.)
"But Hades and Persephone are the only ones who don't cheat!!"
uh, nope. Hi Adonis, Minthe, how're you doing?
"But Adonis was more of a son to Persephone!!"
uh, NO. Even the ancients saw them as a couple!!
"Artemis is a girlboss who hates her brother!"
*kicks open door* OUT!
"Orion's the only man Artemis ever loved!"
how dare you disrespect my boy in this way Apollo was the first man she ever loved and no one will be able to replace him how dare you-
-and how dare you disrespect Hippolytus in this way he did not die in the name of all aroace people to be disrespected like this smh
"Zeus's only quality is how he fucks around!"
look, I've joked about this before but I know that's not all there is too him and that it has a symbolic representation.
Sure would be nice if people focused on that more :)
also anything that villainizes Aphrodite or Hera. god forbid women do anything.
"Clytemnestra is a girlboss who did no wrong!"
OH MY GOD THE DOUBLE STANDARDS.
funny how people fawn over Cassandra one moment and then COMPLETELY FORGET HER EXISTENCE to becry the woman who murdered her!
AND ALSO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HATE APOLLO FOR CURSING HER WHEN THEIR STORY IS LITERAL ABOUT A WOMAN'S AUTONOMY BEING RESPECTED!!
AND GUESS WHAT!! APOLLO AVENGES HER DEATH!!
anything that is "UwU Achilles!" omg i am sick of it.
that bitch had everything coming. he deserved everything he got. Tenes, Troilus, and Hemithea did NOT deserve what he did to them! APOLLO AND PARIS HAD EVERY RIGHT TO TAKE HIM DOWN!
i'm probably forgetting some but here's the one that popped into my head :)
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Darling, after the latest IKNBS chapter Iâm dying to hear more of your âneedy dom copiaâ thoughts⌠respectfully â¨
luv u dearly xoxoxox
Omg Bee I love youuu too âĄ
Thinking about this I realize that I subconsciously often write him like that or at least add this element, whimpery needy Copia who loses control is just something else đ
Anyway here are some more needy dom Copia thoughts, HCs in sentence form (1k words, mentions of being rough, spanking, semi-public sex), 18+ MDNI !!
I like to think that in an active clergy operation Copia is under a lot of pressure every day â as Cardinal he was responsible of the treasury, as Papa now he is responsible for the whole congregation, the Ghost project and even more. Therefore most days allow him little time to find relief for his own needs, not until he gets home to you, and even then sometimes he is too tired. And of course his mind has drifted to you many times during the day, the image of your naked form underneath him or on top of him a constant companion as he sits in meetings or during band practice. It can be torturous to desire the feeling of your skin against his but not being able to have you. The fantasies are persistent enough to have him distracted when he really cannot afford it, if only because the physical reaction it elicits can be quite hard to tame.
Some days he canât seek you out because there is just too much to do and he will come home practically ready to devour you on the nearest available surface, but some days he does seek you out during the day. If he has any pockets of spare time he orders you into his office and takes you with your body pressed against the wall, bent over his desk or even sitting you down in his lap and fucking up into you while you struggle to find purchase â deep, desperate, vocal.
If he is feeling particularly needy he will come to you, though, find you wherever youâre working and pull you into the nearest empty room or alcove if you donât mind a more public setting. During those times he will forgo some of the elements that he usually loves (he is someone who likes to take his time with you if he does have it, body worship and excessive foreplay included, he is nothing if not versatile and ready to serve you) but when heâs overcome with his need for you, there is no time to waste and he allows himself to be selfish, as you encouraged him to be from time to time. He will make sure youâre prepared and he will check in with you as long as his sanity allows it but thatâs about it with the ceremonials.
His body moves on its own accord the moment your warm skin touches his and he feels the heat between your legs. Even the most uncomfortable setting cannot keep him from taking you, joint pains or bruises be damned (as long as youâre not in pain, he makes sure you have safe words and signs for those cases). He loses patience quickly once he feels you so pliant for him, calling him Papa, begging for his touch, for his cock, so soft and willing and obedient, following his every word like youâre under his spell. He wants to feel you all over him, tearing at clothes to find pieces of skin, hands all over your body, groping, teasing, lightly spanking if youâre into that to create that symphony of lustful sounds he canât get enough of. And he will add to the music â whimper, growl, groan at every touch, every messy kiss and bite. Once heâs inside of you those sounds become louder and he canât hold them back even if he tries to. He is so so vocal, even more so when heâs needy and starved. If he finds the energy to talk he praises you and spurs you on, using the filthy words he knows have you blushing relentlessly.
And of course those fucks are messy, uncoordinated and not always as satisfying for either of you as he wishes them to be. But you bend to his will so easily anyway, knowing that the reward will come later when you have the time for it even if it doesnât come now. But even so Copia knows your body, knows what youâre into and what you can and cannot take, making sure you feel as good as you can in the very moment. Once the heat has passed he will take the time to hold you and clean you up no matter how busy he is, praising you and complimenting you, kissing you softly and thanking you for offering yourself to him like you do, checking in whether you feel good. The last thing he wants is for you to feel used in a way that goes beyond what you agreed on.
Now, there are times where he will try to keep up his patience, where he gets home and holds back for as long as he can, teasing you both, working you both up relentlessly until youâre both a mess and cannot take it any longer. He loves to lose himself in your body after he feels like heâs earned it, after he made you come more times than he can count in whatever ways he fancies, then allowing himself to take you in that sloppy, impatient way that makes him forget about the world. It only makes the payoff even more worth.
There are times in his daily life when he feels like a puppet that is pushed around, do this, do that, some people donât take him seriously because he enjoys being silly, enjoys making people laugh. But when youâre alone he allows himself to take charge in whichever way he desires, to be the powerful Papa he envisions himself as, that he can be if it truly comes down to it and his ambition comes to the surface. But yes, the moment you give into him, the moment he feels you against him and he is overcome with desire for you, he loses himself, feels that surge of confidence and control and desperately chases that high. When he loses control like that you know you wonât be able to walk for the rest of the day but youâre more than ready to give him exactly what he needs.
#copia x reader#cardinal copia x reader#papa emeritus iv x reader#copia headcanons#copia smut#papa emeritus iv smut#the band ghost fanfiction#asks
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I know a lot of people find it boring how much Halsin talks about nature, and I do get it- it is repetitive. However, I also find that if you break some of his statements down into what he's implying, you end up with something a lot more interesting. (ESPECIALLY because a lot of these support the "Halsin is autistic" interpretation.)
Take, for example, Halsin talking about his place in the world, specifically relating to relationships:
Halsin: I still have hot blood in my veins. Nature gifted us our desires, and the means to act on them. But we muddied its beautiful simplicity with rules, social strictures... clothes. So, I am not bound to nature. I am unbound in nature.
Halsin: Relationship? Such terms belong to civilisation - a little unfamiliar to my lips. You know what we share is more fluid, more founded in the principles of nature.
Implications: Halsin finds society too complicated. He enjoys nature because its rules are simpler and more sensical; rather than social rules and structures that are beyond him (especially when you take into account the autistic Halsin interpretation), he feels comforted by nature, which is complex in a way that he understands.
There's also Halsin's friendship with Thaniel.
Halsin:Â I had a friend when I was young, long ago. He played with me in the forests where I grew up... but eventually, I realised no one else had heard of him. It was Thaniel, of course. Nature was my very first friend. I get older, but he hasn't changed a day. I knew then that I had to be more than a companion to him. I had to be a protector.
Implications: Nature, by being Halsin's first friend, has always been what Halsin is comforted by. It has been a steady and comforting presence for him, something he can rely in, in contrast to other people who are unpredictable. Nature is consistent and comforting for him.
Halsin, infamously, is not happy in the city of Baldur's Gate.
Halsin:Â Too much noise, too many lanterns kept burning... nature's rhythm is ignored here.
Implications: Halsin is overstimulated easily by excessive noise and other sensory inputs. Nature provides him somewhere quiet.
Halsin:Â I wish... I wish there was a better way. I wish everyone could see the sun, have a full belly, and know nature as a friend. There is a balance that is yet to be found.
Implications: Again, Halsin sees nature- not just Thaniel, but all of nature- as a friend. A source of comfort and companionship.
Halsin:Â I think on [politics and high art] also. But nothing matches the splendour of an ancient tree.
Implications: Halsin loves the beauty of the natural world as much as anything else. Rather than art or music (which he can appreciate), what he prefers is something that grew rather than being made.
Halsin:Â I am... less anxious to find myself in a city. So removed from nature's power - I do not know how I will fare.
Implications: Not only does Halsin prefer not to be in the city, but he is actually, to some extent, frightened of it (likely due to how overstimulating it is for him), in contrast with his feeling of being right at home in nature.
There's other things to note as well. If a Dark Urge player embraces Bhaal and then tells Halsin to bow, Halsin has this to say:
Halsin:Â Nature bows to none. It will fight on and survive, no matter what madness your god has inspired you to undertake.
Implications: Halsin views nature as strength, and admires that very much. He draws a lot of his tougher qualities from this aspect of the natural world.
Or a line where Wyll gently points out that he talks about nature a lot:
Halsin:Â When you care about something deeply enough, it consumes every thought and word.
Implications: Halsin isn't thinking of little else besides nature because he's "boring"; it's because it's important to him. (A special interest, one might say.) And when something is deeply important to a person, they think of everything else in relation to that thing; think of a sports fan who constantly uses sports metaphors to understand the world around them.
There's another party banter with Wyll that is telling when combined with what he has to say about the city, too.
Halsin:Â It is most unfair to pour such scorn on rats - they have their place in nature, same as you or I.Â
Halsin:Â I thought cities were supposed to welcome folk of all walks of life. Clearly I was mistaken.
Implications: Halsin feels everyone has a place in the natural world, yet that the city shuns those it deems different. As someone who has struggled greatly with fitting in/finding a place he "belongs", Halsin feels more sympathetic to nature, where all living things belong, than anywhere else.
I think that when you break up Halsin's love of nature into all the little things it implies, it paints a much more interesting picture of him, personally. It also supports the "Halsin is autistic" interpretation, which makes him even MORE interesting.
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I might be a bit of a weirdo in this regard so I am a bit biased, but I think a fundamental problem AI Companion Apps like lets say Friend.com are going to have in "replacing socializing" is that socialization is instrumental and that instrumentality lies in the real. The ad copy for this product and so many of its various clones is a normal-looking everyman just chatting with their companion, making comments about the weather or how their hiking is going, etc. Treating it like a friend and talking to it like a friend does.
The rub there is that not many people do those behaviors for the reasons presented. They are treated as somehow "inherently" enjoyable, that you just love talking to ~something~ about the weather and anything that can pantomime the right responses is going to do it for you. That isn't how it works for most people; the point is the other person. The words themselves, divorced from the speaker being a breathing human you have a relationship with, are not very interesting. Instead it is about building rapport, signalling care, a human-connected daily ritual. Sometimes it is positive, but it is negative sometimes too! You put up with Kyle's 18th story about his dog's health woes because, look, it's boring as shit, but Kyle needs to rant about it and if this is the price of admission to his amazing saturday brunch parties you are going to pay up.
Even interesting-in-their-own-right convos are normally not like wow, you taught me some amazing new fact; it is hearing your friend's interesting take or experiences. There is this whole structural undercurrent here, this person is admirable or kind or you have a lot of history with them or they are really hot and so their words are contextualized into an emotional experience of connection or curiosity or wanting to impress them and a million other things around that structure.
When you shed all of that, when it is an AI that you know is just programmed to listen, that you can turn off at will, that you can just override and ask it for directions or to switch over to spotify or to sext you catgirl pics, there isn't anything left. These conversations are useless - what is the point? Why would I tell my phone how tired I am? Those are empty words, I am immediately bored and will flip over to YouTube instead.
Obviously there are niche applications. Porn and its adjacencies of course, where the fiction is the point. Specifics like a daily journal that interacts with you a bit? Sure, that would work for some. One-offs and curiosities of course, "Siri+" because that is a functional tool. But none of these are the same thing.
Now there are already, and have been for years, successful apps like Replika or Character.AI. The people on those clearly seem to enjoy talking to a digital friend, right? And I agree with you, humans are diverse, for some people this stuff works. Now for many, even possibly the majority depending on how you count it, these things are just the above categories though; a porn bot, a curiosity, a "man look how far AI has come" exploration. But I agree there are users who truly treat these tools as their friend or partner
And I have looked at the conversations those people have with their friend or partner. And...look. These tools suck. They do not, in any way, believably mimic a human conversation. By design they do not, endlessly accommodating and affirming, with shallow personalities and infinite flexibility. They are not friends, they are boxes to stuff inputs into and get validations out of, no human conversation works this way. Some people want that, no worries. Some people need that, maybe, I get it. But most people don't. These conversations would, if treated as an actual companion to most people, be incredibly cringe. They are not a sign that AI friends for everyone are right around the corner, if only we boost the specs. They are a niche product for a certain kind of person that does not mass scale at all.
You can sell people the "illusion" of a friend, even a nearly perfect one, and it might sell - as the stage show it is. Like a video game, something you explore, experience, and discard. Because it's not a person; I can just drop it if I want and it won't feel anything. That is what makes it an illusion and not magic; it is a trick that I see through over time. And making whatever implementation of Claude your little bluetooth-on-a-necklace runs have 10% higher fidelity or "able to pass the Turing Test" isn't going to change that. Maybe it will work as a product - video games sell after all. But it won't be a social revolution.
Then again these Friend.com guys apparently spent 2/3rds of their seed money on buying the web domain for Friend so they might have other problems to worry about.
#AI Friendship & Its Discontent#Though funnily enough if you can *pretend* to be a real person that changes things...
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Tav Goes Missing
Ok uh holy shit this is long, I hope you all like it - it was a labor of love đ
Based on my prompt by the same name
Pairing: Astarion x fem!Tav
Word count: 7,556
Synopsis: Tav is under a lot of pressure - sheâs suddenly been shoved into leading a team of parasite infested misfits, everything seems to want to kill them, and a certain vampire has been on her mind far too much. She needs some time away from camp, but while venturing out on her own she gets hurt - and even worse, stuck. Who will come to her rescue?
---------------------------------------------
Trudging back to camp Tav feels a heaviness descend upon her. In her body, sure, but thatâs an unavoidable fact of life at this point. More so her mind feels weary, and sheâs pretty sure itâs not the parasiteâs doing. At least not this time.
Thereâs been an anxiety hovering over her, one that only seems to kick in as they return each evening. The events of the day and the many before catching up with her as she enters the safety of camp. She should be relieved each time they make it back with all their limbs still attached, but lately, she just feels dread.
Tav feels somewhat guilty at the thought.
Itâs been a pleasant surprise how much sheâs enjoyed traveling with her new companions. Who would have thought that being in constant danger and sharing a psychic tadpole would be so effective in bonding them together?
If sheâs being honest, though - it can be a bit much at times. Thereâs always some crisis, some literal life-ending problem popping up at the worst time. Really it doesn't matter what it is, Tav knows she can't bring herself to let any of them to deal with it alone. She knows that feeling all too well.
And truly, she is happy to have people around who need her and who she needs. Who enjoys her as she enjoys them.
So then why do I always feel so alone still?
Tav dismisses the thought. Itâs not their fault, everything has been too much recently. Too much fighting, too much talking - trying to save their skin at every turn from some new, twisted form of danger. During the day she has no other option but to stay strong, to push the anxieties away. Failing at that means risking the safety of the whole party.
Upon their return to camp, all those thoughts suddenly come racing back. Sometimes it feels impossible to shut them off - and she needs to figure out how to shut them off. Even within the bounds of camp she knows she needs to be their unwavering leader. Sure of herself and them - carrying none of the doubts and fears that keep running through her mind.Â
She just needs a minute to think - to breathe. Some space would do her well, just for a couple hours so she can get this out of her system. As tempting as it is to wander off without saying anything, she convinces herself to check in with the others.
âWhat can I do to help?â Tav asks as she approaches Gale. Heâs building a fire, preparing to cook dinner.
Gale looks up, âWell, well - if it isnât our fearless leader!â Tav winces a little at that.Â
He doesnât notice, glancing around, âHmm, I think most of it is covered. I suppose we need firewood? And about this much kindling.â He holds his arms out making a circle away from his body. She resists the urge to roll her eyes, he couldâve just said an armful. âThereâs enough to get us through cooking dinner, but we wonât have enough into the night.â
Shadowheart is nearby, helping Gale with dinner by chopping carrots. She pipes up, âI just saw Karloch with her axe heading towards the other side of camp. I think sheâs going to chop some wood for us.â
Tav surveys the rest of their camp. Wyll is by the communal chest, focused on going through their inventory, trying to organize everything theyâve gathered in the last few days. Hopefully theyâll be going to the market tomorrow to sell some items and pick up some much needed supplies. Sheâs relieved, silently thanking Wyll - her brain could not handle that task right now.
Next to him is Laeâzel, who like clockwork can be found cleaning and sharpening her weapons each evening. Sheâs doing just that. Tav smiles as she notices Wyllâs sword and one of Karlochâs many axes at her feet.
Lately, Laeâzel has taken to helping the rest of the camp keep their weapons in top condition. Slowly but surely beginning to open up to them - in her own way of course. âYou take such poor care of your blade. You clearly are unsuited for such a task, I will take it to my tent and return it to you later,â she says, her face giving away nothing. But Tav sees how she pays attention, how she knows who needs their weapons taken care of on any given evening.
Gale interrupts her train of thought, âSounds like that leaves kindling Tav, do you want to grab some? Dinner wonât be ready for a while.â He starts talking about the stew heâs making and stresses that it needs an absolute minimum cooking time of two hours for optimal tenderness and flavor. He starts complaining about how they havenât had a hot meal in far too long.Â
Itâs been like a day, Tav sighs internally. Thatâs fine, it just means sheâs got plenty of time to burn.
âPatience is a virtue,â Gale finishes, holding one finger up. Turning it towards himself he continues with a grin, âAnd Iâm quite virtuousâ. Sheâs amused but wonât let him see it, heâs been incorrigible lately.Â
Her stomach rumbles loudly. She, on the other hand, is not particularly virtuous it would seem. Fishing out an apple and some bread from her larger pack, she makes purposeful eye contact with Gale and raises her eyebrows. He shakes his head chuckling a little and turns back to building the campfire. She stashes the snacks in her satchel, she wonât be gone that long but it doesnât hurt to have on hand.
âIâll go get the kindling, I might be a little while though.â Gale waves a hand in her direction and just tells her to have fun.
Tav goes to change into her camp clothes and as she strips off her shirt she notices a tear in the sleeve. Itâs going to need to be mended. She grabs it and heads towards Astarionâs tent.
As far as camp duties go, Astarion typically gets away with minimal work - instead focusing on looking pretty while reading one of his many books. He swears up and down that heâs doing it for research purposes, âYou never know what kind of helpful information can be found until you find it, darling. If you think about it, Iâm doing the most arduous work here! Now shoo.â
Occasionally, he can be convinced to mend clothing and the like. She approaches Astarionâs tent, knowing thereâs about a 50/50 chance sheâll be able to talk him into fixing it for her. Better than it used to be, she thinks with a smirk.
Seeing the shirt in her hands as she walks up, Astarion doesnât even wait before he says, âOh no you donât - you better not be coming over here with that. Iâve already mended plenty of clothing this week! Itâs getting ridiculous really, I hadnât realized Iâd become the camp seamstress,â he huffs. âI mean honestly Tav, canât you tell Iâve got plenty of reading to do,â he gestures to the books haphazardly stacked next to him. She can see the smile heâs trying to hide and knows heâll do it for her if she chooses her next words carefully.
âI donât see those books going anywhere anytime soon, Astarion.â Her eyes flick to his, âPlus, Iâll make it worth your while, I promise,â she says, knowing heâll take the bait.
âWorth my while?â the corners of his lips twitch before revealing the smile he had tried hiding. She very much enjoys those smiles, the ones he doesn't mean to let slip. âI like the sound of thatâ, he purrs, effortlessly switching into a more flirtatious tone.
She steals one of his moves - a quick look up and down, as if shamelessly admiring his beauty while simultaneously sizing him up. Bringing her eyes to his, she flirts back with, âDonât get ahead of yourself, handsome. Weâll have to see how good of a job you do before we work out payment.â
âThat hardly sounds fair,â he fake pouts. Â
Time to appeal to his more practical side, âBesides, you need to make yourself look busy before you get pulled into doing something more labor intensive by the others.â
He strokes his chin thoughtfully before making up his mind, âFine, I suppose you canât keep walking around looking like a slob. Hand it here.â She goes to hand it over and he brushes his long fingers across hers purposefully. That flirtatious tone comes back, âAnd donât forget, you owe me.â
She almost rolls her eyes, but reminds herself she had encouraged it. Sometimes he can be so frustrating. One second heâs there, present and having a good time, then something happens and she sees one of his many masks slip into place. It was difficult to spot at first, but now that sheâs gotten to know him better, itâs hard not to notice. Tav still canât pin down the why - it seems so random at times. Despite her curiosity, she doesnât call him out on it. Sheâs gathered enough bits and pieces to know itâs not the kind of subject that leads to an easy conversation.
And to be fair, it is fun to flirt back and forth with him.
âSee, was that so hard?â she teases before turning away. Waving over her shoulder she throws out a quick, âThank you Astarion!â and is off.
âYeah, yeah,â he mutters back, lost in thought, eyes still glued to her as she walks away.
Tav knows he wonât say it, but he likes people coming to him, needing his help. At least in this kind of way. The small, satisfied smile he has on his face when she examines his handiwork and praises him for the quality of it - âWow, good as new!â - is all she needs to know.
She heads towards the edge of camp. Sure enough, Karloch is going to town on the surprisingly large tree limb sheâd carried back a couple days ago. Tav catches Karlochâs eye just as her greataxe finds itself driven into the wood once again. Karloch waves, yelling out, ���Just letting off some steam!â with a proud smile on her face. âPun fully intended!â
Tav just chuckles and waves back.
----
Itâs turning into a pleasantly cool evening, the sun will set in the next few hours but that gives her plenty of time to gather wood at her leisure - relishing the alone time this affords her.
She knows where she wants to go and starts heading that direction. They passed a cave the other day, but despite her pleas the others didnât want to explore it, saying they were too tired. Tav suspects none of them are going to be interested in going back so she figures, if she has to go pick up sticks, then might as well do it somewhere interesting.
Her mind begins to wander. Thinking about the events of the last few days, dissecting a recent fight with some Harpies near the grove.
Theyâd caught the party by surprise. It was a rough start to the encounter. Shadowheart, who was closest to the beasts, immediately fell into a trance, charmed by their song. Karloch wasnât in an ideal position either, too far from the harpies to charge them but also too low down for her ranged attacks to be effective. She settled for stepping in front of the child to create the best tiefling shield she could. That was good thinking on her part, Tav notes.
Tav and Gale caught each otherâs eyes and silently agreed to move towards higher ground. Both scrambling up the opposite sides of the embankment, ready to use their ranged spells.
Despite the initial disadvantage, they were making good progress handling the beasts. That is, until two more flew in - this time heading straight for them. One descended on Gale, kicking him square in the chest. He was thrown off the embankment right as he used a fireball scroll to finish off the harpy singing across the water.
Thankfully, that broke Shadowheartâs trance and she quickly oriented herself to cast silence on the two harpies closest to her, a much welcomed relief. With the third preoccupied - trying to stomp Gale into the ground albeit - at least they didnât have to worry about being charmed for now.
An arrow wizzes by, finding its way into the neck of the harpy attacking Gale. Astarion had tagged along that day as their fifth member, saying something about how dreadfully bored he was and that he needed to go to the market. It was a good thing Tav let him, he was the one really covering their asses at the moment. He had secured a hiding spot high on the nearby cliffs and relentlessly fired arrow after arrow, crippling their enemies from the shadows. With the one near Gale now critically wounded, Astarion immediately turned to shoot the one closing in on Shadowheart - it dropped right out of the air, hitting the ground hard. Tav sees it from the corner of her eye, nice one.
Karloch, happy to finally be able to properly hit the damn things, finishes off the one standing over Gale with a quick swing of her axe. She then proceeds to run to the now badly injured harpy lying on the ground, a fury of ruthless swings befall it and it soon lies still, thoroughly dead. The final harpy screeches and takes flight, in the next second Tav is pinned. She tried to free herself but was running on fumes, already hurt pretty badly. Astarion is the one who drives two arrows into its back, killing it before it can get another swipe on her. Shadowheart, out of breath but generally unhurt, runs over and proceeds to heal everyone. After almost getting their asses handed to them, they really needed it.
âWhat in the nine hells was that all about?!â Astarion yells, only sounding slightly hysterical. âI was practically carrying the whole team just now!â His pitch somehow increases, âAnd Iâm not even supposed to be here!!â
They collectively groan. Rubbing her sore shoulder Tav just says, âNot now Astarion. We werenât expecting to fight on this side of the grove.â
He scoffs, âReally though, is that how you all fight when Iâm not here? Next time try to be a little more perceptive. Youâre extremely lucky I came along today. I canât always be the one saving you from danger!â
Tav glares at him, about to argue. Instead, Karloch steps in to defuse the strange tension thatâs begun to form between the two of them. She smiles cheerfully, âOf course you can soldier, that was some top notch fighting out there.â Looking at the others she says, âShall we head back to camp?â Her tone is light but they can tell itâs an order, not a question.
Shaking herself out of the daydream, Tav smiles - despite the ambush and the drama, the team had worked well together. Theyâve been working well together for a while now, she reflects. In this relatively short amount of time, they really have fallen into a good rhythm. Learning to trust each other and adapting their fighting styles to compliment one another. Thinking back to what camp looks like right now, she realizes itâs not just battle theyâve fallen into a good rhythm with either. She feels a little bit better at the thought.
Slowing down Tav takes a moment to re-orient herself - she hadnât realized how far sheâd walked. The cave should be nearby but sheâs not sure. Up ahead there's an overturned tree stump, theyâd passed it the same day she spotted the cave. She relaxes, it shouldnât be much further.Â
Marching on, the cool air has gotten even cooler, starting to feel heavy with moisture. The trees are swaying gently as the wind picks up, their leaves fluttering above her.
Itâs going to rain, she realizes.
To her disappointment, there will be no time to explore the cave today. She turns to head back to camp, miffed about walking all this way for nothing, but knowing sheâll need to pick up her pace if sheâs going to get back before it rains. She considers leaving without the wood, after all, theyâre probably not going to be able to keep the fire going tonight with the rain. She decides against it, theyâll need dry kindling for the morning.
The storm clouds are rolling in and have darkened the sky, by proxy the forest darkens as well. This is not good, Tav thinks. She really needs to pick up the pace now. Her arms are completely full of twigs and branches, making it difficult to walk. She stops, shifting to get a better grip. Itâs hard to see over the pile in her arms and the light is fading fast.
She should've just grabbed wood near camp then went exploring. She mentally kicks herself.
As Tav begins to hurry along again, she doesnât get very far. A tree root jutting out of the earth finds itself in her path. She doesnât see it and as she steps forward, directly on the root, her right ankle gives out. As Tav swings towards the dirt, she lets out a startled, âSHITâ.
She finds herself not just hitting the ground, but tumbling down into the ditch sheâd been walking along. A fiery pain shoots up her leg. Tav groans as she rolls over and sits upright. Taking stock of herself, she tries moving her ankle but that intensifies the pain. Yeah, thatâs messed up for sure. She reaches up to her brow where she feels a trickle of something wet. She brushes her fingers over the area and winces at the sting of a small cut. Itâs bleeding, but thatâs the least of her worries right now.
She takes a deep breath to calm herself. Getting back to camp will not be fun, but sheâll have to try her best. The wood is a lost cause, strewn about in a rough pile on the ground. She tries to gain her composure before attempting to prop herself against the side of the ditch. Itâs a steep incline, sheâll need to stand to have a chance to pull herself out. She tries several times to shift to a better position, but with her right foot dangling uselessly sheâs not going anywhere this way. The pain in her ankle is no joke, but sheâs been hurt way worse than this before and kept going. Itâll be okay, she tells herself.
Her optimism is met with rain. The universe makes it clear that it is staunchly opposed to giving her a break today. Itâs only sprinkling for now, but the incline out of the ditch is only going to get slicker.
----
Back at camp the others begin to wonder where sheâs at. It's getting dark and theyâve noticed the rain clouds too. Theyâre gathered near the fire, discussing what they should do. âShe said she might be a while,â Gale chimes in, âI bet sheâll be back any minute now. Sheâs not going to want to miss my delicious stew.â Itâs a hopeful statement, but his voice still carries a tinge of worry.Â
Karloch frowns, âI donât know Gale, she should be back by now. Gathering kindling doesnât take that long, even if she was taking herself for a little walk.â
âYeah, plus itâs about to rain.â Wyll backs her up.
While the group continues debating if they should go look for her or wait just a little longer, Astarion is quiet. Heâs been painfully aware of the approaching rainstorm and how long itâs been since she left, but he also knows Tav is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.Â
Though...they did see some juvenile gnolls the other day, but never found their den - he canât shake the thought, something else occurring to him - shit and she probably ventured out to that damn cave she was going on about the other day.
He tries to push away the worry in the pit of his stomach, but those two thoughts make up his mind. âYou lot do whatever you want - Iâm not sitting around here any longer to wait until it starts pouring to go look for her,â he says, storming off in the direction she had exited camp. He hears Karloch and Wyll volunteer to go look too, splitting down different paths to cover more ground.
Astarion heads in the general direction of the cave. Itâs a much farther walk than he was expecting, several times doubting if he was going in the right direction. Soon it starts raining lightly, and to his annoyance his nice clothes are getting wet, his poor shoes muddying as well. Ugh, and his hair must look a mess. He combs a hand through it, pushing it back and off his face. If Tav is back at camp right now and heâs out here for nothing heâs going to be pissed. With the path getting muddier by the minute, he considers heading back. The gnolls flash through his mind and a feeling of dread rises inside his chest.
No, not quite yet, he thinks.
Soon he sees the large stump theyâd passed the other day - heâs getting close. Astarion keeps an eye out for any signs of Tav, soon coming across a rough pile of sticks down in a ditch. It looks suspiciously like someone had gathered wood and then chucked it down there. Looking a little closer he sees what appears to be drag marks moving away from the pile. Shit, thatâs not good. The dread turns into real fear. Now heâs certain Tav has to be nearby.
âTav?â he calls out loudly before he can stop himself. After all, someone or something nefarious could be lurking about. That thought is interrupted by Tavâs relieved voice calling back, âAstarion, is that you?â
Duh, he thinks, who else sounds like him? He hurries in the direction of her voice. Sheâs not far.
When he spots her, his throat feels tight. She looks an absolute mess - covered in mud, scratches down her chest and arms, and her head is bleeding. He rushes over and climbs down to her. âWhat in the hells are you doing down here? What happened? Are you ok?â He starts looking her over, positive she can hear the worry in his voice, but he doesn't care about that right now.
He looks rather disheveled, Tav observes. The rain has picked up and his hair is wet and matted to his head, his shoes and now his pants covered in mud. His shirt clings to his chest, slightly translucent from the rain. Sheâs never quite seen him like this. Focus Tav, she thinks.
âI hurt myself and couldnât get out of the ditch,â she grimaces, gesturing to her ankle. âI was trying to drag myself to higher ground in case a flash flood came through here.â
âWell, thatâs one smart thing you did.â
Tav wants to be offended, but now is not the time. She can see heâs upset - whether itâs at her or the situation sheâs not sure. âDid you bring any healing supplies?â she asks hopefully.Â
He deflates, âUhhh no, those seem to have, uh, evaded me.â
She just looks up at the sky, fat raindrops falling on her face, cursing whatever deity has it out for her today.Â
âWhat? Don't be like that. I rushed out of camp and came all this way through the rain and the wretched mud to rescue you.â He frowns. âOf course it would've been ideal if I had thought to grab a healing potion or two but..â trailing off thereâs nothing else to say except, âIâm here alright??â
She lets out a sigh, âJust please get me out of this ditch before you get stuck down here too.â
She doesn't need to tell him twice. Astarion bends down and without warning throws Tav over his shoulder in one smooth motion. Heâd already come to terms with the fact that heâs going to be covered in mud by the time they get out of here. She lets out a startled yelp. âShit, Tav, Iâm sorry - did I hurt you?â She can hear the worry creep back into his voice.
She feels a bit lightheaded, âAh, no. You just surprised me. Didnât expect to be hauled over your shoulder like a rag doll,â she tries to play it off with a joke, but it just comes out lamely. In actuality, she didnât think he could lift her like that - but she wonât dare say that. Heâs strong, donât get her wrong, but not the Karloch or Laeâzel type of strong. Itâs kind of impressive actually.
âHonestly Tav, if youâre going to keep criticizing my rescue attempt I can leave you right here.â While he is genuinely annoyed, they both know he doesnât mean it one bit.
âNo no, youâre doing a great job hero-ing it up. Please just get me out of here, Iâm tired of sitting in the mud.â
He doesnât even justify that with a response, instead taking a few steps forward and shifting her so he can boost her up to grab another tree root. She has to push up with both legs for a moment and she lets out an actual cry from the pain.
This is awful, Astarion thinks.
She makes it and he pulls himself up right behind her, she is grimacing in pain on her hands and knees. Astarion puts a hand on her back and her arm around his neck, helping her up to stand on one foot.
The rain is quickly turning into a downpour and itâs almost fully dark now. Now what? Try to carry her back to camp, through the mud and rain? He doesnât think thatâs an option at this point. They need to find shelter.
âYou were out here looking for that damn cave werenât you?â he asks.Â
She looks at him sheepishly, âYeah it should be just past those trees.â She points to a nearby cluster of trees. âAre you thinking about sheltering there until the rain passes?â
He doesnât answer her question, just scoops her up in his arms and starts walking.
âIâll take that as a yes,â she says, but doesnât give him any more attitude than that. Sheâs starting to feel bad, knowing that this is not what Astarion had planned for his evening.Â
He just keeps looking forward, trying not to think about how nice she feels in his arms. Sheâs shivering, but compared to him sheâs so warm against his chest. It feels good, clearing away some of the worry that's been knotting in there for the last couple hours. Relief, he supposes, unconsciously holding her a little tighter.
They reach the cave and he sets her down gently on a rock right inside the entrance. He peers further into the cave, obviously wondering if theyâre the only occupants, the threat of gnolls popping back into his head. âIâll be right back,â he says as he quietly makes his way further in. Astarion returns a couple minutes later and reports thereâs nothing else in there with them. He picks Tav up again and carries her further into a larger, dryer portion of the cave.
She spots a bedroll in decent condition, discarded near what looks to have been an extinguished campfire. Some wood even remained stacked next to it. Someone must have been here recently.
âDo you think anyone will be coming back?â she asks, pointing to the firewood.
Astarion sets her down again, this time on the ground so she can lean against the wall. âNo, I donât think so. Thereâs too many cobwebs covering that pile, I doubt anyone has been here for a while.â
She agrees and relaxes a little. Her ankle is throbbing in pain, sheâs really noticing how bad it is now that theyâre in relative safety. Sounds about right, she thinks, shivering again.Â
Astarion looks at her, lips pressed together as if to keep himself from saying whatâs really on his mind. How unusual.
âYouâre drenched and disgusting.âÂ
Ah. There it is. She fires back, âWell youâre not much better off, pal.â
His frown deepens. âVery observant Tav, that is in fact correct,â he hisses. His voice rises dramatically, echoing through the cave, âAND whoâs fault might that be?â
Yikes, ok, she needs to cool it with the comments. He is understandably not in the mood for her shit right now. Itâs just so hard to resist poking at him, she likes it when he gets riled up. And usually he does too, though he hides his amusement the best he can.
He takes a breath, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. Looking at the ceiling of the cave as if asking, why me? Â
âLook, Iâm not going to catch a cold but you might,â he finally says, and she fears that frown on his face isnât going away anytime soon.
âWe can build a fire while waiting for the storm to pass,â she pauses before asking, âYou can build a fire, right?â
Sheâs on thin ice. He huffs, âIn theory, yes. In practice, Iâm not sure. Thatâs usually Galeâs job.â
She knows he just needs some encouragement. âI think I have a flint in my satchel, grab it and I can walk you through it.â He turns and does so without any complaints - thatâs also odd for him, she notes.
Once the fire is going she can see Astarion relax a little. Tav looks down at her muddy clothing. Astarion looks at her again, âYou should probably take your clothes off.âÂ
Tav understands what heâs saying, but still she jokes in a scandalized voice, âAstarion, now is hardly the time for that.â He rolls his eyes and she gets the tiniest smile out of him. She knew it, he canât help himself either. She holds her hands up in peace, âSorry, just trying to lighten up a pretty shit situation.â
Astarion shakes out the abandoned bedroll, ripping a strip of fabric from its bottom layer. He then lays it down near the fire. Itâs not ideal but better than lying on the uncomfortable cave floor. âAnd I love that for you, darling, but excuse me if Iâm still feeling a little on edge.â
Thereâs no real venom behind the words. That guilty feeling creeps back up on Tav. âHey, Iâm really sorry about this. I-â
Heâs not ready to talk about it yet, interrupting her by saying, âAt least take your pants off so I can look at your ankle.â
Tav gives up, she wonât argue this time. Moving to undo her pants she says, âIâm going to need some help with these. Theyâre soaked and Iâm not the mostâŚmobile right now.â She looks up at him, her exhaustion is starting to show, âPlease?â
Something flashes across his face, a look she hasnât seen before. It stays put this time, no flirtatious words or familiar mask taking its place. He moves closer, leaning down.
âGrab my shoulders,â he says, his tone a little gruffer than sheâs used to. Tav does as he says, wrapping her arms around his neck. One of his arms wraps around her waist while the other hand travels up the back of her right thigh, holding that leg steady so she doesnât have to put any pressure on it while he stands her up.Â
Clinging to him as he lifts her off the ground, her face finds its way into his neck. She exhales and can feel a shiver run down his body. Tav was not expecting whatever this is. Her heart rate picks up and she can feel a blush spread down her neck.Â
Astarion moves them towards where he laid out the bedroll. He doesnât lay her down but instead continues to hold her tightly. He moves his leg between hers, removing his hand from her thigh and bracing her against his own, so her hurt leg still dangles a little off the ground. She feels tingly and a little lightheaded, sheâs quick to blame it on the fact that she hasnât eaten much tonight.
The arm wrapped around her waist helps keep her up while the other moves to her waistband. He pulls back and looks at her for permission, all she can do is nod breathlessly. He maneuvers his fingers gently into her waistband, sliding her pants past her butt and down to her thighs as far as he can go.
âIâm going to set you down now.â He places his hand on the back of her thigh again and begins lowering her back down. His voice still sounds a little strange.
Sheâs stunned - what the hell was that.
He doesnât say anything else as he continues on, gently pulling her boots off first, her pants soon following. He makes sure to be especially careful with her injured foot. Her ankle is already swollen and a concerning shade of purple.
âWhat do you think doc?â, she breaks the tension in the air.Â
He clears his throat, his voice sounds normal again as he says, âTsk, I donât think youâre going to make it.â He shakes his head solemnly, âSuch a shame - before all of this you were my favorite one at camp.â
He doesnât leave her any time to retort before standing up to go lay out her pants on the other side of the fire. It wonât fix how muddy they are but it will dry them out. âDo you want to dry your shirt too, or no? I can always, ahem, help with that if needed.â
Tav can see the mask reforming, whatever happened moments ago slipping away. Donât go, she thinks - instead she says, âNo need, Iâve had you do enough for one day.â She only feels a little shy as she takes it off, tossing it over to him. He follows suit, stripping his shirt off, but briefly hesitating before slipping his pants off as well. Heâs practically never the shy one, itâs something heâs done thousands of times - but with Tav he suddenly feels vulnerable.
Something in the air still feels weird between them. Tav canât think of anything to say except, âNice undies.â She apparently just cannot help herself with the comments today.
That charming face is fully back on. Deflecting, he makes a comment about her getting lost out here to seduce him. âAll you had to do was ask and we could both be in my tent, in a similar state of undress, nice and warm right now.â
She looks at him and blurts out, âWhy do you do that?â
His face drops for a second. âWhat do you mean?â
âYour face, it..changes sometimes, like youâre flipping a switch.â She hesitates before adding, âOr putting on a mask.â
âIâm not exactly sure what youâre getting at..â he starts to say, but heâs tired and decides to be somewhat honest. Sheâs certainly being direct with him. âWell, I suppose when youâre as pretty as I am dear, people expect a little flirtation.â He looks down at Tav, trying to get a read on her after asking him such a strange question. âUsually itâs welcomed, but...I mean, if youâre uncomfortable I can tone it down.âÂ
She shakes her head, âI donât mind per se, but I feel weird sometimes because it doesnât always seem authentic.â
Shit, sheâs way more perceptive than I thought.
âI donât mean that in a bad way, but..â she trails off for a second. âYou do know we can just be friends, right? I donât need you to flirt with me to like you, Astarion.â
Now he really doesnât know what to say.
âWhy?â is the only thing that comes out of his mouth.
âWhy would I like you even when youâre not flirting with me?â
âYes, thatâs usually what everyone wants.â
Sheâs starting to understand a little better now, so she says, âWell, I guess I donât particularly want anything from you, Astarion.â
Ah, there it is, so she just doesnât want him around in general. He canât even lie to himself - it stings a little bit. Heâs not used to being rejected, especially not by someone he actually gives a shit about. He laughs louder than he means to, âWell I canât fathom why my company isnât wanted - Iâm a delight, if I do say so myself - but if you want me to leave then so be it. I can go and grab the others now that youâre in a safe place.â
Sheâs slightly baffled by his response, âWhat? No, Astarion, I do want you around. I just mean I will take what youâll give me. I donât want anything from you that you donât want to give.âÂ
Ok, now sheâs really not making sense. What does that even mean? He tries to hide his confusion. âAh ok I see...but why?â he asks again. This time thereâs curiosity behind it - instead of an accusation in the form of a question.
She shrugs, âDo I need a reason? I enjoy you Astarion. I like your company, youâre fun to talk to. Weâre friends, and friends donât have to do anything for each other. We can just be.â
He doesnât say anything so she continues, âI admire you in a lot of ways - how you speak your mind, your sense of humor, the way you indulge me when Iâm being annoying.â She sees an amused look form on his face and she smiles, âHow you make me feel protected.â Oh no, itâs getting too serious now - she recovers, âI mean, your proclivity for violence definitely comes in handy.â Her eyes swing to his with a mischievous look on her face.Â
She hadnât even mentioned anything about my looks, Astarion thinks, digesting her words. Heâs practically naked too. Usually he would feel offended, but this time it feels..nice. âWeâre friends?â Itâs the only thing he can think to say.
âI wouldnât have said it if I didnât mean it.â
This is not how he imagined this conversation, let alone this night, going. He decides itâs his turn now, âWell if weâre friends then let me ask you a question.â
Tav raises one eyebrow, âGo on.â
âWhy did you go off all this way by yourself? And donât you dare say it was just to explore this awful cave - thereâs more to it.â Astarion knows heâs right. After all, Tavâs not the only one good at reading people.
Tav sighs. âI guess Iâve just been very overwhelmed lately. I needed some time away, to sort through my thoughts and figure shit out. Just exist without the weight of the world on my shoulders for a little bit.â
Astarion ponders that for a second then says, âI may not have the most experience in this arena, but isnât that the kind of thing friends help out with? âVentingâ, I think they call it.â She snorts and he continues, âEveryone is always coming to you, but you never come to us.â
Heâs not sure if he should say this next part, âYou say I have a mask, but I see yours too.â
Heâs not wrong, she thinks. âI donât know, everyone else just has these big huge things going on and Iâm just..here. How could I not help?â
He rephrases his statement into a question, âOk yes, but why do you feel the need to help literally every single person you come into contact with, yet still canât ask for it in return?â
She looks at her hands, another sigh escaping her lips, âProbably because Iâm used to handling my own problems by myself.â
The thought of her being alone is surprising to him. Tav seems like the kind of person who has lots of friends back home. Sheâs funny and charismatic, always taking care of others - he canât think of one reason why she wouldnât have people eager to be her friend. Heâs not going to dig further into that at the moment, he senses itâs not what she needs right now.
âI may not know much about friendship, but I do happen to know a few things about loneliness.â He sits down facing her, gingerly propping her hurt leg up in his lap and carefully begins to wrap her ankle with fabric he tore from the bedroll. His bedside manner isnât the worst sheâs experienced. âBack in Baldurâs Gate I couldnât let myself get close to anyone. If I did, they would just become another weakness for Cazador to exploit against me.â His face twists, âAnd honestly, people werenât exactly lining up looking for friendship from me.â He keeps going, âWhat I do know is the last several weeks traveling in a team has beenâŚgood. I feel lighter, safer. Like I can actually somewhat enjoy my days, even when you all are acting insufferable.â
He just had to throw that last part in there, Tav thinks - letting out a small chuckle. She doesnât care, sheâs just happy to hear him open up to her like this. She feels less alone.
He moves his hand to her shin, not even thinking as he nervously rubs small circles into her skin. âAnd Tav, I attribute most of that to you.â
Her breath catches for a second at the look on his face, she can tell he means it when he says, âI may not be the best at it, but I want to be here for you as well.â He clears his throat. âSo you need to get it together and start relying on your friends.â
Her face is on fire, but she tries to play it cool. Once again, she was not expecting that at all.Â
âWhat Iâm hearing you say is that you do like me after all,â she teases him, a grin on her face now.
He groans in response, âDonât make me regret this.â
They both sit in silence for a minute, each thinking about what the other said.
âSo hypothetically, what if I wanted to keep flirting with you?â Astarion asks, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
She laughs, of all things thatâs what he wants to circle back to? âIf you want to flirt with me, Iâm all for it - but only if you hypothetically really want to.â She tries to read his face.
He looks at her now, eyes straying to her lips. Sheâs so beautiful in the light of the fire. Hair wet, cheeks rosy, eyes sparkling with amusement. Even slightly scratched up and muddy, she's a vision. He canât stop himself, âAnd what if..what if I wanted to kiss you?â
Tav's heart is racing so fast that she can feel her own pulse. What is going on today? First the worst luck sheâs had in a while, and now this? The universe is messing with her.
Time to put her cards on the table. She wants to show him sheâs sure about him - sure about whatever the hell is going on right now. âI would welcome it.â
He moves her leg gently, placing it back on the ground. In the next moment heâs moved up next to her, studying her face the whole time. He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
His eyes are so round and soft - the softest expression she's ever seen on his face. His voice is much lower now, "What if I wanted to kiss you right now?"
Looking to his lips and then back at his eyes, she leans towards him. Only a breath away now, Tav whispers, âThen I would kiss you back.â
And with that he closes the distance, her lips are so soft and warm that it makes him shiver. His tongue swipes against her bottom lip and she welcomes him. Itâs not fair how good she tastes. His hands come up to cup both sides of her face and he kisses her more deeply. Her head is swimming, itâs by far one of the most passionate kisses sheâs ever received.
He pulls back, slightly breathless, and moves his face to rest against her cheek. âI was really worried about you today.â It's a confession.Â
She doesnât move, just says, âI know,â and brings her hand to cup the back of his neck. She can feel the tension there. âThank you for coming to my rescue.â
âAnytime.â
And she knows he means it.
--
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--
--
Bonus:
âOk but seriously, where are the others at? They just let you venture off alone to rescue me?â
He shrugs, âI know at least Karloch and Wyll also went out looking, but Iâm sure theyâre back at camp by now.â
âWhat about the others?âÂ
âThey just donât like you as much as I do apparently.â he cracks a mischievous smile.
âThatâs messed up.â She says, but sheâs laughing. He loves it when she laughs.
Astarion chuckles, âI can tell you that Galeâs probably making love to his stew right about now.â
Tav shakes her head still smiling, âThat sounds painful.â
#holy dialogue batman#what's better than stripping down and talking about your feelings#I just know Tav has gotta have crippling anxiety at some point#alt title: dude where's my tav#astarion#baldur's gate 3#bg3#bg3 astarion#baldurs gate 3#baldurs gate astarion#astarion x tav#astarion/tav#bg3 tav#astarion fanfic#karloch#gale dekarios#wyll ravengard#shadowheart#lae'zel
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i have this h2g2 headcanon that i'm really rather fond of. im gonna talk about it.
okay so first of all, ford has to be able to speak english. which means that he learned how to speak english. and no, i refuse to believe that betelgeusian Just So Happens to work exactly like english, wow what a weird and useful coincidence! because (a) that's just lazy worldbuilding, and (b) we have at least one word in betelgeusian that translates into english: ford's name, ix. "ix" isn't a given name, it's a betelgeusian word given to ford as a nickname because he couldn't say his own nameâand, presumably, neither could anybody around him.
i say that ford has to be able to speak english because he lived for fifteen years on a planet full of people without babel fish in their ears. if he came down and started babbling in betegeusian, he would have had a very different experience here. so he either learned english before hitching a ride to earth (highly unlikely, imo, considering how little a role earth plays in the galaxyâi doubt any earth language is too well-known in the wider galaxy), or he had to learn english when he first arrived. this latter is also backed up, to me, by the fact that ford was a bit careless in his original research. i just feel like he would have done the same thing as when he chose a name: get it almost right, but just a little bit off.
i do think ford picks up languages really quickly. in most parts of the galaxy, it doesn't matter if he can speak a language or not, since babel fish are pretty readily available, and everybody has one. however, because babel fish are so readily available, there's no need for a universal language that everybody speaks. the babel fish only work for your ears, not your eyes, so somebody as well-traveled as ford would, by necessity, pick up some basics in a lot of different languages. these basics probably include primarily what you'll find on menus and in travel ports, if i had to guess. (maybe there's some kind of companion to the guide, a hitchhiker's dictionary. maybe that's part of the guide? idk.)
but aside from the necessity of being able to read at least bits and pieces of many languages when one hitchhikes, i think ford does it to make up for not knowing his dad's praxibetel. so what, he never learned the dialect his father loved. so what, he couldn't ever learn to say his own name. so what, he killed his own father/uncle by doing so. so what?? he's gonna learn every other language in the galaxy, just to prove that he can. he's running around the galaxy, convinced that if he can write an article about a planet and know its dialects well enough to read and write them, then what happened to him won't ever happen to anybody else.
and that leads me to my next conclusion: that ford speaks accented english. obviously, everybody does, but i rather like the idea that the way he talks on earthâand possibly, everywhere elseâalways strikes everybody around him as different. everything else about him doesâwhy shouldn't his voice? so yeah my ford doesn't have a british accent.
but of course, once they're off earth, up in space, once arthur has a babel fish, there's no need for ford to speak english anymore, so he returns to his native betelgeusian ... which leads to a rather surprised arthur going, "ford, what the hell happened to your accent?!"
because since ford isn't speaking a language arthur already knows, the babel fish has to translate his speech now! and i suppose i don't think the babel fish translates accents. like, i guess i don't totally understand how the babel fish works (am i meant to?) but ... i don't know. i think the fish eats up sound waves and what it excretes is something the user can understand based on what's already in their mind. that is to say, arthur, who grew up british and with british accents, hears anything the babel fish as to translate in a british accent. so when ford stops speaking accented but understandable english, and starts speaking a language arthur doesn't know, the babel fish translates with a british accent because that's just what's in arthur's mind.
tl;dr ford picks up languages really easily because he's got something to prove to his dead dad, he speaks english, and it confuses the hell out of arthur when he stops speaking english because the babel fish doesn't translate accents. this is one of my favorite headcanons about ford.
#talk tag#h2g2#the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy#ford prefect#listen i just think he loves words. am i projecting? POSSIBLY.#not my fault he's hella easy to project onto
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Eddie with shy(or autistic doesn't matter)!reader where when they're overwhelmed/don't want to speak they use sign language
This was such a sweet request. I didnât specify if reader is autistic, shy, has anxiety, or other so that you can fill in those blanks any way youâd like. I hope you enjoy đ§Ą
Words: 600
Most people donât understand how it feels when you get overwhelmed. Itâs something that happens to everyone, but you react to it in a way that is foreign to a lot of people. Words become hard, speaking seems difficult. When you first met Eddie, it didnât take him long to catch onto this. For many people, sitting in silence can be awkward. With Eddie, it always felt companionable. Comfortable. It was one of the reasons you started to fall for him. He never made you feel weird or different just for not wanting or being able to talk at times. Oftentimes, Eddie knew when you were feeling anxious or overwhelmed even before you stopped speaking. The first time he communicated with you in sign language, your jaw dropped.
You know how to sign? youâd signed.
Eddie gave you a small smile and had to think for a moment before giving you his response. Iâm learning.
Why?
For you.
Tears flooded your eyes and Eddie was immediately concerned. His eyes widened and he stepped towards you, but you just shook your head at him.
Itâs just so nice. Youâre so sweet.
Eddie practiced his signing for weeks, wanting to perfect one question in particular before asking it. He was aware that he could always ask the question verbally, but he thought the question might overwhelm you and you would move to signing anyway. So, why not just ask the question that way?
The two of you are sitting on the empty bleachers out by the football field when you notice him fidgeting more than usual. As well as Eddie had learned to read you, youâd learned him just as well.Â
âAre you okay?â you ask.
âOh, um, yeah,â Eddie answers, giving you a shaky smile. You werenât buying it, but you werenât going to push him either. He waves at you, catching your attention as you look back to your book.Â
I have a question for you, he signs.
Eddie usually only initiated the signing if he knew you were getting overwhelmed, but youâre clearly fine right now. It confuses you, but you go with it.
What?
Youâre not sure if youâve ever seen Eddie this nervous before. Nerves werenât really his thing. This is the man who could make a stage out of a table any day or give an impromptu speech in class when he forgot he was supposed to prepare one the night before.Â
His fingers twitch before he begins to sign his question. Will you go out on a date with me?
The question takes you completely by surprise. Youâd dreamed that Eddie would ask you out, but never once thought it would actually happen. Heâs so loud and outgoing, you just assumed he wouldnât be interested in someone as quiet and reserved as you. Suddenly, it occurs to you that Eddie may not understand what he just asked. Heâs fairly new to signing and mistakes are common.
You want to go out with me? On a date?
Yes.
Your heart begins to thud against your ribs and a shy smile curls on your lips.
I would love that.
Now itâs Eddieâs turn to look surprised. Really?
Yes!
Eddie slides himself closer to you on the bench and holds his hand out. Slowly, you reach up and place your hand in his. He wraps his fingers around yours and gives your hand a squeeze.
âDinner and the bookstore?â Eddie asks, breaking the silence.
âI canât think of anything better,â you answer.
#eddie munson#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson x y/n#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson fic#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson fan fiction#request
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How do you make readers see that the characters you are writing about have a platonic relationship not a romantic one without writing he's a father figure to her or someone asking the question âwhy you two are not together?â To which they reply something which implies they have a platonic relationship. Like how to show without saying or writing particular words?
This is an excellent question with many layers. Iâve addressed elsewhere how to write long-established loving relationships where I explored romantic vs companionate love. Letâs dig deeper into emotional intimacy, which I see as the basis for both platonic and romantic relationships. But first, letâs take a detour into authorial intent.
Authorial intent
I think every writer has experienced that moment when a reader latches onto something in the work â a relationship, a plot point, a world building thread â and runs off in a direction the author did not intend. Witness the wild and prolific world of fanfic.
I take it as a compliment that people connect with my work and expand on it in their own imaginations. I admit to sometimes being puzzled by where they go with it. Recognizing this happens can save you a lot of headaches.
That obviously platonic relationship you wrote? There will be readers who will, in their own headcanon, make it romantic. Not what you wanted, and it can be frustrating, especially if you are trying to explore platonic relationships. My advice is to shake it off and donât worry about it. You canât control how others relate to your work or what speaks to them.Â
With that out of the way, letâs talk about ways to clearly signal which type of relationship it is and how to avoid signaling that you really intend for it to be romantic at some point in the future.
Platonic vs romantic relationships
Start by thinking of the various platonic relationships in your life and that you see around you. Observe people in coffee shops, parks, restaurants. Can you tell by watching which people are in romantic relationships and which are good friends? What are the differences you see between friendships and romantic relationships?
Look at personal space, eye contact, nicknames, the patterns of speech used, and how they touch or donât touch one another. This also needs to be looked at through the lens of what is appropriate for the given culture. Now think about best friends. This is a very common platonic relationship. What does that look like?
Itâs easy to see how the two types of relationships can be confused. Both are often lifelong and carry a lot of emotional intimacy. What secrets does your best friend know about you? Who do you go to when you need to solve a problem? To further complicate it, many people consider their romantic partner to be their best friend. Think of it as a Venn diagram. There is a lot of overlap between platonic and romantic relationships.Â
Show vs tellÂ
So how does an author signal its platonic and not romantic? You can, of course, just tell the reader that X is Yâs best friend and there is no romantic attraction. Does the reader believe you? Letâs look at a few ways you can show that is the case.Â
Are either of them in a romantic relationship? Have them discuss their lovers past and present.Â
A corollary to the above â have one act as the otherâs wingman in a social situation.
How are you describing physical contact between the two? How does a platonic hug differ from a romantic one? Do they link arms when walking? How is that different from how they would do so with a lover?Â
Give them more of a sibling vibe, and think about how siblings treat each other.Â
How do your characters feel about romance in general? Is one or the other asexual?Â
Emotional intimacy
Whatever you do, donât shy away from writing about emotional intimacy. Have your characters share their problems, feelings, and secrets. How do they help one another or get in one anotherâs way? How do they joke with each other? Then find ways of showing how they do that differently in a romantic relationship. You can also do that with secondary characters in your work who are in a romantic relationship. That contrast will help make your point that itâs platonic.Â
Finally, it is absolutely ok if you donât want to write about romantic relationships at all or you are writing an asexual character who would never have a romantic relationship. You can still do the compare-and-contrast to background characters or social expectations. A quick line here and there will also cover it. Asexual characters can express how they just donât feel attraction or are disgusted by romance or certain types of physical contact. You can have someone ask, âIs this your boyfriend/girlfriend?â and have your character respond. It can be an opportunity to show how they imagine that scenario.
#writeblr#creative writing#writers of tumblr#writing tips#writing community#writing#writers#creative writers#writing inspiration#writerblr#writer#ask novlr#writing advice#writers on tumblr#writing resources
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