#because none of the ones I could think of would work for Gale | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

barbiewritesstuff · 12 days

Text

I can't stop thinking of knitting Astarion a blanket.

Maybe it's because I'm elbow deep into crocheting baby clothes but who knows

Like, imagine knitting or crocheting Astarion a blanket. Because everyone else managed to bring something along for the journey when the mindflayers kidnapped you, you had a backpack and some coin, same for Laz'el, and Shadowheart and Gale and probably everyone else, but not Astareon.

He has nothing, not a coin to his name. Just a dagger, a bow, and a few arrows. He steals what he needs to make his tent but he's all too aware that none of it is really his.

And then he sees you working on your project by the fire, sipping on a mug of steaming tea or coffee. He sees you wandering around villages and random groups of people, bartering your way to some yarn.

Of course he's curious. But he'd never ask, because, obviously, it would never be any of his business. It could never be for him. And then, after working on it at any moment you could, you come to him one night with the blanket neatly folded in your hands.

"I don't know if you get cold," you say, "But I thought you might want a blanket if you do."

You're so awkward, you know Astarion likes the finer things in life. He likes luxury, and this is hardly luxury. It's a dark blue, but only because you died it. The yarn you bartered never came in the same colour and sometimes it wasn't even the same thickness. You tried to match it as best you could, but it wasn't perfect.

Astarion notices it and for the first time in his very long, miserable life. He doesn't give a shit. Because it's his. Completely, 100%, his own thing. Cazador has never touched this, he has never seen this, he will never lay a finger on his blanket. And the fact that it's his is only overshadowed by the fact that you made it for him. Not because he likes you, he's not even realised that yet, or not properly anyway, but because you looked at him, fangs, sarcasm, blood thirst and all, and decided you were going to take a tenday and make a blanket to gift to him. You decided he was worthy of yarn, time and effort. All so he could be a little warmer at night.

That blanket might not be worth much, if anything, but when you're as used as Asterion is to being worth less than shite, it's like happening upon a vault of precious diamonds.

He doesn't say thank you, he just grabs it from you and tries to act nonchalant. Because if he opens his mouth, he might actually just start crying.

#bg3 #original fic #baldurs gate astarion #astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #astarion x you #astarion imagine

929 notes · View notes

honest-moth-of-silver-grove · 6 months

Note

Hi!!! Would it be okay if I requested a worried head cannon for Astarion(Or Wyll or Halsin, I’m fine with any of them) where they lost track of Tav while on a scouting/stealth mission or on the battlefield? Thank you!

A/N: I went with losing track of their Tav on a stealth mission because that seemed the most anxiety-inducing… lol. Poor boys. Sorry, it’s not my best, I was rushing :(

✧ Losing Track of Their Tav on A Stealth Mission ✧

Astarion:

The most likely to panic, even though he swears he’d be the last to do so.

He’s running all the worst-case scenarios through his head: you’ve been killed, you’ve been captured, you’re being enslaved just like he is…

Immediately jumps to the worry that Cazador or someone working for him has realized the two of you are together and plans to get to him through you.

He considers getting one of his companion’s attention but ultimately decides to continue sneaking in alone. He’s pretty good at sneaking, and the others could screw it up. He can’t leave your fate in the hands of someone klutzy like Gale accidentally casting fireball and alerting everyone to their presence.

If he wasn’t intent on killing anyone in his way, he is now. They mean nothing to him. You mean everything to him. Do the math. You > Them.

Definitely ends up compromising the mission, by either getting seen and alerting everyone or by causing enough chaos and death that people begin to notice. But none of that matters anymore to Astarion, whose only goal is finding you. Of course, if anyone else was to make that mistake, he’d chew them out for it. But he can’t see how hypocritical he’s being: all he can think about is your safety.

When he finds you, he masks his fear with anger. He calls you an idiot, a fool- every name in the book. He doesn’t intend to hurt your feelings, he just doesn’t like how his affection for you puts him in a vulnerable place. He was terrified of losing you. The fear of that greatly outweighs the fear of the tadpole.

He’ll get you away from there, away from everyone else. He can’t trust the strangers of Baldur’s Gate, and he doesn’t want his companions to see him this emotional.

After the two of you are back to safety, and after he finishes berating you, he yanks you into a tight hug, refusing to let go.

You tell him you’re sorry, and that it’s over now and you inform him it’s okay to let it out. Be prepared for the shoulder of your top to become soaked in tears. He’ll cry into you, telling you in between sobs how you were the first person in forever to see him as an equal. He needs you. You are the only one who sees him. He can’t lose you.

After he’s calmed down, he’ll try to lighten the mood with a joke. Something about also being afraid to lose his very own privately stocked food source. Of course, you see right through the facade. You let him feed after that comment anyway, softly petting his hair as he does so.

And even though normally while feeding, he’d be comforting you, telling you it’s alright, that it’s almost over- you end up comforting him, shushing him, and telling him the two of you will be okay- you’re not going anywhere.

Wyll:

Probably the most level-headed in his reaction, even if his thoughts are racing like mad. As the Blade of Frontiers, he’s learned how to think strategically in most situations. Of course, that’s easier said than done when someone you know and love is personally on the line.

He’s figuring out all the possibilities, working out how likely each one is, in order to figure out which avenues to first explore.

He continues on his own before remembering he’s not acting solo anymore. He’ll round back to where the others are stationed, and give them the news. He tells them the mission’s priorities have changed, and the goal for now is to find you.

He doesn’t plan on completely abandoning the original job of course. He intends to get right back to business. He can keep both ideas in his head

Tries his best not to blow the original mission while looking for you. Of course, when push comes to shove, he’s going to choose you. The mission can be tried again at a later time: he can’t lose you. He’s lost too much in this life to accept having to part with another.

If he has no leads and it's been a while, and he’s growing increasingly nervous, he might consider calling Mizora and asking for her help, even though he knows it’s going to cost him more years of servitude. Having to work for a devil is much more bearable when there’s someone you love. He’d make a thousand deals if it meant you’d stay safe.

Once he finds you, he’ll quickly ask if you’re alright, before ushering everyone out. He wants nothing more than to speak to you freely, but he knows right then isn't the time to do it.

After you are safely far enough away, either back at camp, or somewhere secluded, he’ll firmly but kindly demand to know what the hell you were thinking, sneaking off like that?! He wants you to know he was worried, dammit! He loves you! Can’t you see how much losing you would hurt him?

He’ll take you into his arms and place a soft kiss on your forehead. You are so precious to him. Please, please, he asks, be more careful.

He vows to be at your side for any future stealth missions. He loves how brave you are, and how much you want to protect him. Just let him protect you in return.

Halsin:

Halsin probably reacts the least because he has the most faith that you’ll be okay. He sees you as his savior- a savior of his people, of the grove, of the tieflings- you are the most incredible person to him.

That being said, he’s not going to simply do nothing if he thinks you’ve run into trouble. You mean so much to him, of course he’s going to change courses and instead go search for you!

He’s also going to rope the others into helping him. I mean, he’s not forcing them or anything, but he does regroup and tell the others of his concerns. He’s very calm and level-headed, but also quite determined, so the others have few qualms about switching gears and following him.

He’s also the most adept at staying hidden while looking for you, being able to wild shape into an inconspicuous animal like a cat or a rat or a bird. He uses his druid abilities to his advantage, steering clear of confrontation as he makes a beeline to where your scent takes him.

Once he finds you, if you yourself haven't been discovered and taken, he’ll stay in animal form, and carefully guide you to a reliable exit. However, if you’ve already been caught, be prepared for things to get hairy. (Get it? Hairy?)

He will not hesitate to shift into a big-ass bear and rip people’s throats out as he carries you on his back to safety. Even though this makes him a much more large and obvious target, he’ll do it, if it means keeping you protected. Any hits or damage he can take, he can heal from, all the less pain you have to endure.

He absolutely brings you somewhere outside of the city. He feels safest in nature, and in order to calm down, he needs free-flowing nature, which is hard to come by in Baldur’s Gate.

He’s going to squish you- even if you’re bigger than him. He’ll lay you down gently, before resting on top of you, keeping balanced so that you don’t have to support all of his weight. He needs to be close to you, preferably with skin-to-skin contact. He needs your warmth, your smell, the softness of your skin… It centers him and brings him back down to earth.

He’ll voice his worries while simultaneously complimenting your skill. He doesn't want you to feel incapable, but he must let you know how he felt in that moment when he feared you were hurt or worse.

You are his light, you brought him out of the shadows. And he can’t bear to lose you. Please, don’t fade away. Don’t leave him in darkness once more.

...

Please Like & Reblog!!!

#astarion imagine #astarion x reader #wyll x reader #wyll imagine #halsin x reader #halsin imagine #bg3 x tav #bg3 x reader #bg3 #hc #hcs

920 notes · View notes

thatfreshi · 8 months

Note

Appreciate the Astarion works!!! 💙💙💙

If you'd like another request, what about Tav gifting him something that allows him to see his reflection? Idk some kinda spell/amulet/potion? They're already to the point where he feeds from them or in a relationship and he's just beyond touched/ shocked they would do something for him like this? (Bc we know he's not ever had the most kindness shown to him)

he's been living rent free in my head and I just want to give him everything his undead lil heart desires.

Recommended Song: Mirrorball - Taylor Swift

(I just started listening to her music and holy shit this song is so them!!!)

It's late, the perfect time of day for the two of you. You and Astarion and out in your backyard, putting out some new furniture that he haggled for today. It's hard to say no to that smile, you would know. As you move nice chairs around debating where you should put them, you get into a playful argument.

"I know you're like, the house decorator, but gods why can't we put it in this corner?"

"Because darling, it'll ruin the feng shui. We should put the chairs here instead, and keep the plants over here."

You roll your eyes.

"I bet you don't even know what feng shui means."

"I don't, but it sure sounds fancy doesn't it?"

You giggle.

"What, I'm laughable because I don't know one tiny phrase? I bet there are plenty of words you don't know."

"Well, I don't know them, so I'm not worried about them."

You saunter over to him, throwing your arms up around his shoulders, and the two of you stare at each other for a moment.

"You know our anniversary is tomorrow right?"

"How could I forget my sweet?"

"I don't know, maybe the way you forgot what feng shui means."

"Okay, ouch. But yes of course, I have wondrous plans for the two of us."

"Okay but you can't have that good of plans because I really need to make sure you don't one-up this."

You walk back into the house for a brief moment, grabbing a scroll out of your bag.

"When I walked away while we were at the market, because I said I got tired of hearing you argue with that old lady? Well, I found this."

You hold the scroll out, and he gently grabs it out of your hands.

"I tried to get Gale to teach me, but you know I'm not very magically inclined so..."

He unrolls the scroll, reading the scrawled writing.

"This is-"

You cut him off in excitement.

"Mirror image! I thought maybe you could use it to make a reflection of yourself."

He stares at the scroll in shock.

"How much did you pay for this?"

"None of your damn business."

You grin at him, knowing all too well that you paid that guy way too much.

"This is very sweet my dear, I... I don't know what to say."

"Well you don't have to say anything, try it!"

After reading for a moment, he goes to cast the spell. He says a few words that go right over your head, and suddenly there were three more Astarions in your backyard.

"Gods!"

Astarion's cry of shock echoed through, all four of him? You're not quite sure how this works. After getting his bearings, Astarion looks around at his three reflections.

"Wow, this is certainly... wow."

You're so excited, you can finally show him all the little details you like about him, he gets to see how gorgeous he is, the list goes on and on.

"Okay, I have to do something funny, because I NEED you to see your little laugh lines. Hm..."

He furrows his brow at you, wondering what you're planning. And then you tickle his sides, causing an eruption of laughter.

"Quick, look!"

As he's still smiling, he catches a glimpse of one of the reflections, the little crow's feet he gets when he laughs.

"Oh, that was so important you had to attack me? If anything they make me look old."

"Well... you are kinda old."

He playfully pushes your shoulder. After the two of you quiet your laughter, he stands staring at one of the reflections, taking it all in. The eyes, the hair, trying to remember what he used to look like.

"What do you think?"

"I think... I think it's fitting."

He snarls to look at his fangs. Astarion has never seen just how menacing he can be, why people listen to him when he's threatening. You don't see anything scary though. Maybe you used to, long long ago. But now, he's just Astarion. That's all he has to be.

"This red really is quite bright."

He says, commenting on his eyes.

"Yeah, they're nice though. Piercing."

"At least my hair looks as good as I think it does. All my efforts haven't been wasted."

And just as fast as they came, the reflections vanish, fading out of existence. It's just the two of you again.

"Damn, I thought it would last a little longer."

You frown a little, wondering if it was really worth it. Astarion catches your glance, realizing your doubt. He tilts your chin up and cups your face in his hand.

"Even if it was short, it was a wondrous gift darling. I appreciate it, truly. Besides, now I know what kind of handsome devil you've ended up with."

"Yeah, trust me, I know."

You wrap yourselves up in each other, locking lips, somehow sharing your gratitude for each other in kisses. He gets a little handsy, and you jokingly whisper to him.

"Should've done this with the reflections."

He laughs quietly.

"Oh hush."

You end the evening tangled up in each other, and he seems to be more sure of himself than usual. Turns out seeing yourself after two hundred years can do something for the ego. Maybe one day, you'll find a more permanent soluton, but for now, one little scroll is enough. He's enough. You're both enough, as long as you have each other.

#astarion #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #fluff

441 notes · View notes

tomurakii · 5 months

Text

My last post about bloodweave was pretty negative (though necessarily so imo) so I wanted to talk about the little things about the bloodweave dynamic that I DO like and want to see more of in fic (under the cut).

- the orb means Astarion can't start their relationship transactionally. Gale can't give Astarion blood, and also can't have sex with him (and presumably would refuse casual sex anyway). How would the relationship develop without Astarion being able to rely on the give-and-take, forced instead to just trust Gale will watch his back? Astarion isn't a plans guy, I imagine having to come up with something on the spot (considering none of the other companions are reeaaaally an option either) would lead to a lot more emotional vulnerability as he tries to take a route he has much less experience with. Not to mention that the flirty and standoffish front isn't exactly going to endear him to Gale, who approves of the capable, loyal, and righteous. How long can Astarion pretend to be invested in Gale's wellbeing before it becomes true?

- they both have bad ascension endings, but different natural outcomes. Gale is considered the more morally upstanding one, but in their solo states (without the player's influence) Gale will go through with ascension and Astarion won't. Would they goad each other on? Gale disapproves of Astarion's ascension, using arguments that could apply to himself about the personal sacrifice and loss of the soul. Would Astarion flip them around, become defensive? Their dynamic could mean the power hungry character ending up discouraging the pursuit of godhood, or the two of them hurtling over the edge together. Or, maybe, Astarion encouraging Gale to ascend and having to trust him to return.

- they're the party members with the most life experience, and they're also both pretty well-educated (even if Astarion's law qualifications may well have expired by the events of the game). He spent his time under Cazador sewing (like Gale in his Baldur's Gate epilogue) and learning languages (of which Gale knows four). They have enduring common interests beyond their circumstances. Gale can help Astarion rediscover the latent nerd potential he lost when he died, and lord knows he would love to pick his brain for a first hand account of the mid-to-late 12th century.

- Astarion recently regained hope for his future when the tadpole freed him, Gale recently lost all of it. While act 1 is a continuous series of positive discoveries for Astarion (tadpole frees him from cazador -> ceremorphosis is held off by the dream visitor -> tadpole can be controlled), Gale's life gets worse with time as his treatment stops working. It's a dynamic that could give Gale hope, force Astarion to practise empathy, or put them completely at odds.

- Astarion's all-encompassing desire to reclaim his life could be inspiring to Gale. Moreover, I imagine seeing just how passive Gale is about his death would infuriate him. To have so little regard for his real, mortal, free life? It's a great source of angst, and also a great starting point for Gale to start wanting to live again. Because after learning about Astarion's past he would agree, he'd recognise how much value a mortal life was supposed to have. He'd think himself ungrateful or impolite for entertaining the idea of throwing it away when Astarion would give anything to have what he had. This would lead to guilt, and potentially self-loathing, unless someone was there to help pick up the pieces.

- If Astarion meets Oblodra before Gale's act 2 romance scene, (or for a fanfic plot, just before Gale is confident enough to confess) they most likely won't have sex until the graveyard scene in late act 3 (or the post-ascension equivalent). It means that rather than the fuckfest we so often see from bloodweave fics, the relationship is almost entirely a slow-burning, emotionally intimate affair. I'd really love to see that play out, the progression from semi-horny yearning on both parts as the orb keeps them apart, to two love confessions that are followed by the both of them experiencing non-sexual intimacy for the first time in years. I doubt Mystra was one to hug her chosen, after all, or hold their hands.

I just love a bg3 ship that forces the characters to take different actions than they do in canon. It makes me feel like I'm developing a broader understanding of the characters, you know?

#perhaps I will write a bw fic. since from the tags of my other post it seems like a lot of people want less-explicit work of them #and i (as the number 1 gale understander /s) have a dif perspective than a lot of bw writers (largely astarion stans)#im workin on a gale/illithid tav postgame whump based on one of my other posts first tho. which could be a chara study for him #and the nature of (this version of) bw is that it puts astarion out of his comfort zone more than gale. so id want to have a good handle on #gale so that the bw fic can focus on the astarion character study rather than me finding both characters kinda finicky #hmm. hmm #but regardless PLEASE PLEASE everyone is welcome to write fic based on/incorporating these and tag me I wanna see em so bad😭😭#bg3 #bloodweave #gale dekarios #astarion ancunin #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate #astarion x gale #baldurs gate 3

166 notes · View notes

galedekarios · 4 months

Note

Hey! You're my go-to blog when it comes to Gale. I love your meta about him, your insight and your knowledge of his character. This being said, I'd like to know your opinion of this line in his romance:

“To know you love me for the man I am, and not the magic I command... None have loved me so purely before.”

Do you think he's talking about romantic love here? Because his mother and Tara clearly love him for the person he is, too. Or are his insecurities and the idea of himself so strong that he can't see this? Thank you in advance, have a great evening!

thank you so much! 🖤

personally, i do think that he does mean this in a romantic context.

HOWEVER, having said that, i do think there are different insecurities woven into his perception of relationships that venture outside of his worth due to magic, and into his worth as a person who is in need of help and support - yet considering the core of why that is, they are also connected.

what i mean by that is that there are moments in particular that make me believe he feels a burden to people, because he is in need of help and - from his perception - makes others 'work' to help him, he asks a "sacrifice" of people (needing magical artefact so he consume the weave inside to stabilise the netherese orb) that is so great in his eyes that he feels the need to convince them that said sacrifice is worth the "investment".

i realise this is sort of going in two directions, but i don't think i can answer this differently so i hope you'll bear with me for a bit:

i'll try to look at the relationships you mentioned in your ask separately to illustrate what exactly i mean.

1. from what little we do know about morena, nearly every time she is mentioned it's made clear that she truly and unequivocally loves gale, and i do believe gale is aware that she loves him, too - and really, truly just for him.

we have these two convos with tara that highlight how that love (both are from gale's origin playthrough):

Tara the Tressym: Well, if it isn't my favourite fellow himself. Gale: How are things back in Waterdeep? Tara the Tressym: More or less the same - though news of some mad faction calling themselves 'Absolutists' is starting to trickle in. Tara the Tressym: I told your mother not to worry. That if they were anything to worry about, Baldur's Gate would handle things quick-sharp. Keep them from spreading their tendrils north. She still wants to know when she'll see you again, sir. I avoid giving any answers. But she misses you. Gale: I miss her too. Tara the Tressym: I'll tell her. With my Cat Flap of Displacement, I can afford the occasional visit. I'd bring you along, if I could. Perhaps some day. - Gale: I can't risk putting her in danger. Tara the Tressym: I know that, but she doesn't. She'd keel over if she knew just how you'd tried to manipulate the Weave. Or maybe she'd just say something like, 'My Gale always was one to make the impossible possible.' Oh, but she adores you.

and this one from act ii:

Gale: Will you love me when I'm a mind flayer? Tara the Tressym: Depends. Are mind flayers warm-blooded? If so, my prize napping spot on your lap won't be compromised. In which case, I suppose we could find an accord. And, of course, your mother would still think you a prince, no matter how many tentacles you had. And with a nautiloid, you may even manage to visit her more often.

from the one tiny snippet (that is still bugged) in which gale mentions his mother to the player character, he seems quite assured in that love his mother has for him as well:

Player: So your last name is Dekarios? Gale: It is. Courtesy of my mother, the inimitable, dare I say it sometimes unavoidable, Morena Dekarios. It's been so long since I've used it. 'Gale Dekarios' cut a poor figure next to the wizard prowess of 'Gale of Waterdeep'. [...] - Player: Doesn't your matter mind? Gale: Oh, she's happy if I'm happy. Morena couldn't care one jot what I call myself. Tara's the real stickler for using it. Has done since I summoned her. I'd prefer you not follow her exmaple, if that's all the same to you. 'Gale' is more than sufficient.

she's happy if he's happy.

i think the only thing that detrimental to the relationship with his mother is the orb, the shame he feels over what has happened and fearing he may put her in danger. which, sadly, is a valid concern to have. these fears aren't only echoed in the conversations with tara. we have this bit from the same conversation as well:

Player: You’re right. Just 'Gale’ is better. Gale: I agree. And on the plus side, if I get myself into any truly cataclysmic straits during the remainder of our journey, my family name will go untarnished.

his family name will go untarnished and with that, his mother's name.

this is more speculative, but in another meta i mentioned that i do believe that gale's father left the family at some point, abandoning morena and gale. his father also is not mentioned in the letter from elminster in god!gale's ending:

this could of course be meaningless and his father simply may not have been there at this point in time, but i think this overall goes with the theme of an absent father and it may have brought gale and morena even closer.

2. tara herself doesn't let gale doubt her love him when the game allows her to be there.

she is extremely quick to try and beat any and all self-deprecating remarks gale may make. she is aghast at mystra's demands to the point of saying that she is considering picking up a crossbow to "put the gods" out of "our business." she's always been there for him, and she always will be. she's his longest friend and companion, as well as colleague.

i've picked a another example here to illustrate what i mean:

this very sadly appears to be cut content (tara was supposed to be there for a companion gale as well), but:

Gale: You seem to have fared well enough without me, Tara. You look positively prosperous. Gale: Or should I say, positively proser-puss! Ha! Tara the Tressym: No, you should not say that ever again. Gale: Apologies! Couldn't help myself. Tara the Tressym: True enough. That's why I came looking - to help, if I could. Gale: I have not failed to notice. I truly do not deserve such loyal companionship. Tara the Tressym: Yes, you do.

unfortunately, like i said, tara as gale's familiar and companion was cut from the final version of the game, so while we do know that gale is aware of all that tara has done for him (considering the conversation from the tiefling party, helping him through his isolation, finding out what his condition needs to be treated, getting magical artefacts for him, etc.), we have act iii companion gale saying this:

Gale: Tara remains as wilfull as ever, but I'm glad you've finally made her acquaintance. Given the length of my time away, I feared she might have given up on me. I should have known better - she'd never do such a thing.

while this is not gale thinking tara doesn't love him for who he is, it is very much gale thinking that tara may have given up on him because of their time apart.

there are definitely insecurities lurking there in the vein of "i cost her so much effort and so much work, so maybe now that i've been away for so long, she's finally had enough."

it's very sad to see.

3. when gale talks about previous lovers he has this to say:

Player: Gale, am I the first... mortal being you've been with? Gale: What a question... Gale: No, you are not the first. Though you are the first since my relationship with Mystra came to its ignominous end. Gale: When the true danger posed by my condition became apparent, I had no choice but to sequester myself away from civilised society. A reclusive wizard - who'd have thought? Gale: After so long with Mystra, I have to say the pleasures of mortal love are much sweeter than I remember. Though perhaps that's simply because it's with you.

this tells us that he must have had at least one lover before. yet, and that is where the quote in your ask is from, he also says this:

Player: What does our relationship mean to you? Gale: You must know, our relationship is the brightest spot in our otherwise bleak endeavour. Gale: To know you love me for the man I am, and not the magic I command... None have loved me so purely before. Gale: You are everything to me, and yet our relationship is only a nascent fraction of what it will become. You give me hope, and I've not had that in some time.

i think we can extrapolate from that that not only his relationship with mystra made him feel these insecurities, but that the relationships he had previous may have also fed into this perception of his worth as a romantic partner is tied to his magical abilities.

it's not hard to imagine: waterdeep is very much a city of intrigue. gale was not only a graduate of blackstaff academy, but a powerful archwizard and a chosen of mystra.

4. lastly, i want to talk a bit more about what i said in the beginning and when i talked about tara and companion!gale: that gale feels he is a burden / an investment.

it's already reflected a bit in the way that he believes his relationship with tara has deteriorated in act iii simply because of the distance between them now that he has been away from waterdeep for a prolonged amount of time.

the first time you can get a sense for this aspect of gale is when you agree right away to help him with his condition. there's a prolonged amount of silence and it's clear on his face that he didn't expect you to agree so quickly and without needing to be persuaded.

Gale: Thank you. I see my trust in you was not misplaced! Gale: I'm sure we won't have to look very far to find what I need: Faerûn overflows with magic-infused treasure. Gale: As do our packs, as a matter of fact. We've such an item already in our possession, primed for the moment the need arises. Gale: I know the allure magic artefacts hold. I understand their value and their power. All this to say: I understand the sacrifice I ask of you.

Player: No. If you aren't willing to tell me the truth, I'm not helping you. Gale: I understand that I'm asking for a lot, but I can't tell you everything.

he makes sure to thank the player deeply every time they do give him an artefact, bowing to them, citing their "boundless kindness" and it's also why he is also quick to reassure them that there will be an upside for them, making this "sacrifice" for his sake.

gale's power and knowledge and skills as a wizard.

he is useful and he can make himself useful.

your "investment" in him now will be "worth" the return later.

in conclusion, i hope now it's clearer why i felt like i had to bring these two things together. i believe they are clearly interwoven with each other.

also sorry for rambling! this got away from me a bit. 🖤

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #ch: gale dekarios #vg: baldur's gate 3 #series: baldur's gate #meta: mybg3 #text: asks #long post for ts

118 notes · View notes

fl3shm4id3n · 7 months

Text

ₐ Gₗₐₛₛ ₛₗᵢₚₚₑᵣ

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴀꜱᴛᴀʀɪᴏɴ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ᴛᴀᴠ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Tw: None ♡

A/N: I really liked that Cinderella idea from that lovely Anon, I began to think of something. I hope you like this. Now I want to write more princess inspired fics.

Masterlist

You and your companions had stopped at a city, in which there was a ball. You along with your party were invited, you didn't think it would be a good idea at first, but you thought about it and you were convinced to go. You could either go dressed in your regular clothes or go dressed up. You thought about trying to buy a dress or at least rent one out. But you didn't find anything you liked, you were almost desperate to find a dress. While everyone found something to wear, you still haven't, it was very close to the ball and you had nothing to wear.

It was already getting late, everyone had gone to the ball already. Meanwhile you were debating whether you should get whatever dress or just go not go, you were really excited for it too. To have some fun and relax, not having to worry about everything that was happening. Then you saw Gale approached you, he was wearing something very different and very fancy. "Why aren't you at the ball?" He asked, seen that you were still wearing your regular clothes. "I have nothing to wear..." you admitted, he saw the sad look on your face, he knew that you were really wanted to go.

Gale stopped to think, then he had it. "I know something that could help." He said, making you raise your eyebrow at him. "You do?" you asked him, he nodded. "Yeah, I've been practicing this spell to change into a disguise and that sort of thing, do you trust me?" he asked you. At this point, you were willing to try whatever. "Yeah, go for it." You replied to him. Gale then grew excited, finally being able to use this spell he has been working on. He cracked his fingers a bit, then he began to do his trick.

Next thing you knew, your regular clothes, then changed into a beautiful dress. Looking down, the grown had layers of silver and blue fabrics sown together, it was beautiful. Looking closer, you lifted the gown up to look at your feet. Seen a pair of glass slippers. You then walked over to the fountain and got up on the molded concrete. Looking at yourself in the reflection of the water. Seen how your hair was now style nicely, like a work of art. You also noticed the small hint of makeup on your eyelids, cheeks, and lips. "I love it, thank you Gale!" you said, getting down back on the floor. "Your welcome, but the spell might wear off, maybe in a couple hours? I think midnight is when the spell wears off." He explained, you only nodded while looking down at the glass slippers on your shoes. "I understand." You responded.

You and Gale arrived at the ball, it was a very lovely view, seen the many people in the ball room. You parted your ways from Gale, beginning to look around the place, it was nicely decorated and not to mention how the people were dressed. As you walked around, you didn't notice someone going right up to you. Right as you were about to go outside, you felt a hand grab yours. You stopped and looked to see who it was. It was Astarion. He looked even more handsome that he already was, he was wearing a black and red formal attire, it really suited him.

"Hello there beautiful, I don't think we haven't met." He said with a small smirk on his lips. Then he brought up your hand up to his lips and gave it a small kiss. Did he not recognize you? Probably because he's never seen you all dolled up like this. "I'm Astarion" he asked, while admiring your beauty. "I'm sorry, but do I know you my dear?" He asked, studying you some more. You looked familiar to him, but he didn't know where to connect the dots, before you could answer, music had began to start playing. "Oh, no time to talk, please, allow me to have this dance with you my lady." He said, very charmingly. Then he took you to the dance floor.

You both danced along with the other couples who were also dancing on the first floor. You were nervous that you'd step on his shoes, but he didn't seem to mind at all. He was actually teaching you how to properly square dance, you did not step on his toes at all. He had commented on how you were a natural. As you both danced, Shadowheart, Karlach, Lae'zel, and Wyll were wondering who Astarion was dancing with. They were trying to figure it out all together, while Gale just watched, amused, knowing full well who it was.

A couple minutes after dancing, Astarion decided to take you out on a walk the late night. The whole time you both talked and walked around the garden, enjoying each other's company. He was very nice and charming the whole time. As if, you saw a whole new Astarion. You were very caught up in the conversation that you didn't even notice how fast the time went, it was almost as if it went slow.

After a while, while you and Astarion was sitting on one of the benches talking, you looked up and saw how high the moon was, it was close to being midnight, that made you panic. "Oh! I have to get going!" You said, getting up quickly, followed by a now confused Astarion. "Leave? How so?" he asked, watching you picking up the layered skirt and attempted to walk away but was stopped by him. "Come on darling, stay a bit more. Pretty please?" He asked, as much as you didn't want to say no, you couldn't. "I can't, I'm sorry, goodbye!" You said, turning around and now you began to run.

As you ran, Astarion followed right behind you. "At least tell me your name!" He asked, but you ignored him, you continued to run, it was hard due to the glass slipper. You manage to slip through a crowd that prevented him from passing by. That was good. So gone outside, as you walked down the stair, you stumped but manage to catch yourself, but your slipper had slipped off your left foot. You saw it on the step, you attempted to grab it but you saw Astarion's shadow approaching, so you just left it and continued to run away, as fast as you could.

Now you were hiding behind an alley, now dressed in your regular clothes. You didn't see or hear Astarion near by, you must have lost him. As you took a breather, you looked down at your feet. Seen that your left foot was bare, but not your right. Reaching down you took off the glass slipper and brought it up to you, it was beautiful, you thought about keeping it as a reminder of the night and how you spend it with Astarion.

The next day, everyone was back, they had asked about your whereabouts. So you just told them that you didn't find anything and decided not to go. But when you looked at Astarion, he seemed, sad? Not only that, but he also had the glass slipper that you lost. He wouldn't stop looking at the shoe, as if it was the most precious thing in his hands. It broke your heart a bit seen this, but you didn't want to tell him that it was you who he was dancing and hanging out with last night, you didn't want to break his illusions.

You were still staying in the city for the next couple days, at the moment you were in your spot of the camp, sharpening your blade while everyone did their thing. Then Astarion approached you. "Hello darling, I need for you to help me with something." He said to you, getting your attention. "What is it? Do you need more blood?" you asked, while looking at him. "That would be nice, but no dear. I need your help with finding someone." He said, this made your ears perk up. "Who?" you asked him. "Last night at the ball, I was with this lovely lady, but she had to leave in a rush and I didn't get her name. She only left her slipper behind and I intend to find her by having ladies in the city try it on, will you help me with that? Pretty please?" he asked you, with a pleading smirk. You raised your brows at him, you didn't know what to say to him, then you sighed. "Alright, I'll help you, but I just don't get too carried away with this." You said to him, seen the happy smile on his lips. "Oh thank you darling! You're the absolute best!" He said, excitedly.

For the next two days, you and Astarion were in the city, searching for his 'mystery' woman from last night. We've asked lots of women to try on the slipper, but non of them fit the shoe. This made Astarion a little desperate, it made you feel bad, because you didn't how to explained to him that his mystery girl was you! You felt so bad. After a long day, you were back at camp, it was already getting late. "Did she disappear or something? Was she a fairy of some kind!? What!?" He said, dramatically kicking the dirt floor like child. He was genuinely upset. You couldn't take it anymore, you had to tell him.

"Astarion, I have something to tell you." You told him, then he looked at you, with a sad kicked puppy look. "I... I..." you couldn't say a full sentence. You felt nervous that you almost felt nauseous. "Take your time dear." He said, sweetly towards you. You took another deep breath and wiped the sweat off your forehead. "I may... or may not have been..." You paused, then you looked at the slipper, you felt your heart race like crazy. You felt as if you were about to pass out. Then Astarion stopped you. "I know, how about you put on the slipper?" he asked, then you felt like your stomach dropped. "What?" you asked. "Try the slipper on dear." He said, giving you the slipper and put in your hands. "But... but." You kept repeating. "Come on dear, don't be shy, try it on. Here let me help you." He said, helping you sit on a wooden crate and got on his knees in front of you.

He took off your foot on your left foot, then he softly grabbed your foot and gently slipped on the glass slipper, adjusting it correctly. You felt like you were about to die. It fits perfectly. "Well you look at that." He said with a smirk, and out of nowhere, your clothes changed back into the silver and blue dress, along with your hair and make up also appeared. Not only that, but the other slipper appeared at your feet. "Took you long enough to confess!" Astarion said with a tease.

"Wait! You knew!?" You asked shocked. "Of course I did! I just wanted you to confess, but since you didn't, I thought about taking a bit of a drastic measures to see what you would so, also you were also very nervous the whole the time, it was quite adorable." He said with a grin, then got up and pulled you back up on your feet. Admiring you like that night. "You're just so beautiful! I could just look at you all day, you look like a princess." He said teasingly. All you could feel if your face heating up by his compliments. "Alright can I take these shoes off? I'd like to go back into my regular clothes now." You added. "Come on! Not yet dear! Just let me admire you a bit more, please love?" he asked, with a puppy eye look. All you did was sigh with a small laugh. "Fine, but only for a bit, I don't want the other to see me like this." You explained. "Oh let them! Let them see your beauty!" he said with a smile, while looking at you some more.

121 notes · View notes

ilywrites · 2 months

Text

KARL HEISENBERG GENERAL HEADCANNONS

A/N - Finally got enough energy to actually finish something! I keep writing then disliking it and starting over again. I’ll eventually be posting more Heisenberg content along with Astarion or Gale. 👀 Enjoy!!

Warnings: None!

———

- He cant sleep with a blanket on, like it literally would make him sweat to no end.

- You both would wake up to a pool of sweat if he did.

- Even if it’s cold outside, he stays warm. He’s like your own personal heater.

- So because of that he usually winds up being your blanket instead of using the actual one.

- Whether he is laying on you or you’re curled up in his arms. He is always whats keeping you warm.

- I also think he would like it whenever you sit in his lap.

- It makes him feel loved, plus he likes holding you.

- Speaking of which, he would totally carry you around the factory if you were too tired to walk.

- It’s time to go to bed? Say you’re too tired to go upstairs and boom he’s already carrying you.

- It’s no problem to him at all, i mean he carries a big ass hammer around he can carry you too.

- If you ever say something about being too heavy he’d reassure you that you aren’t.

- Though i don’t think he’d be amazing at reassuring, or words in general.

- He could show you he loves you through actions any day. But words? Probably not as much.

- He just doesn’t know how to, he barely knows how to love someone more or less tell them how much he does.

- If you really needed it though, he would try his hardest to tell you.

- I also believe he would bring little trinkets to you, maybe something he made or something he found lying around.

- He would brush it off as nothing but always stare and make sure you liked it.

- “If you don’t like it then too bad”

- This man would be the most stubborn person to deal with honestly.

- If you tried to tear him away from work to sleep or rest, he would either leave then go back after 5 minutes.

- Or he would just say no and ignore your persistence.

- All in all he is trying to be the best person he can be for you, he just needs time to do so.

#fluff #karl heisenberg #resident evil 8 #resident evil village #karl re8 #re8 heisenberg #lord heisenberg #resident evil heisenberg #heisenberg x reader #re8 x reader #re8 village #karl heisenburg x reader #karl resident evil #resident evil

90 notes · View notes

thelittlepinkwitchblog · 3 months

Text

"God he just wants to be loved. All he has is a library and a cat... and Elmister, but c'mon give the man a break." - Tim Downie

Okay so I'm watching an interview with Gale's VA and Dan Allen and Tim's natural voice and cadence are so so close to Gale's it's almost weird. (Not only was the early concept for his audition because on MOCAP he would resemble Henry Cavil from the Tudors. Also, Tim Downie almost voiced Raphael, he auditioned for both parts) Here are a few quotes that made me think of our favorite purple wizard man -

"When I was younger, I was very much a night owl. But as I get older I find myself waking up earlier."

"What are you doing? Go back to bed this instant."

"I need every book here. How many times - it doesn't matter how many times I've read them, It doesn't matter. Don't get into the details."

"I was bidding my time. Just bidding my time, I know my stuff. I've done my research... no it was just complete fluke and luck."

"Horror and comedy work in very similar ways. Creep, creep, creep, open the door, nothing happens. You sigh in relief and then the thing happens. Creating that comfort and then hitting you with something. "

"Although, what you could actually have, maybe some artifact so we dont blow Daddy up. I'm just putting it out there, you wouldn't want Daddy blown up, would you? Of course you wouldn't. "

"What I found the hardest was saying something and then embodying it. Being too cerebral with things."

"The cake I made was perfectly baked, layered, colored. Just little bits and pieces and little ideas..."

"That's what you're watching, an adult man, mid 40's, working hard. I know, it's unbelievable isn't it?"

"OH, there'll be a romance thing. Okay, sure, yeah. Wait, there's going to be a lot of it?"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry you're going to have to sit through all of this with me, again. Take a deep breath, and off we go."

"It was great, great fun. A lot of work and hard work to get it all done. But to give it everything it needed and everything it warranted, my Gods it was fun to do."

"I'm just an incredibly modest, calm, calm man."

"This is a trajectory, either it's a good outcome, a bad outcome or a miscellaneous outcome. But on this, it could be any of those things, and all of those things and none of those things."

♡ NOTES ♡

The boat scene in the weave took 4 sessions to film, roughly 6 hours because of various technical difficulties and script changes

He loved filming and recording Gale as a hologram, it was one of his favorite parts

#bg3 gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #tim downie #baldurs gate gale #dan allen gaming #gale lines au #gale dekarios au

56 notes · View notes

stars-and-inkpots · 6 months

Note

hi! if it interests you, I think it'd be funny to see Tav feeling like they're babysitting a bunch of squabbling (overly attractive) children 🤔 🤣 especially towards the beginning when NOBODY got along

much love! your fics are amazing and just hit all the spots! 💖

this was such a silly idea i loved it so much. it took me a while to get a clear idea of how i wanted to write it, but i finally took some time today to get it done ! it's a little short, but it's a fun little scenario of just reader and companions. i hope you enjoy and thank you for the idea!

Getting Along | Reader and Companions (Gale, Astarion, Wyll, Shadowheart, Lae'zel)

Trying to travel with your newfound companions is getting increasingly difficult. None of them seem to get along (except Wyll, of course), and are more than eager to start arguments rather than solving more pressing issues. Even your patience has it's limits.

Pairing: no romantic pairing

Word Count: 770

To say that your life had changed since the nautiloid would be a massive understatement. Your life was upheaved, completely changed, and you were thrown into an entire adventure completely against your will. At least, you thought to yourself, you had company.

Though, that ‘company’ was quickly beginning to become more of a problem to solve in its own way.

One would think that the tadpoles in your minds would bring all of you together. One would think that it would give at least some reason to ensure that everyone was tolerable of each other. This was clearly not the case.

You’ve lost track of how many times you’ve had to tell Astarion to stop bothering Gale while all of you walk through the forest path. Astarion starts it every time, but Gale is stubborn and is easily lured into a new argument only minutes after the last had ended.

“Gale, just stop answering him,” you say, exasperated after the fifth spat between the two of them in the span of twenty minutes.

“He knows he’s wrong though! He just won’t admit it!”

Astarion is only barely concealing his laughter behind you.

“Yes. Because he knows it upsets you. Just ignore him.” You bring a hand up to your face, pinching the bridge of your nose as you feel the stress of the day already getting to you. It’s barely noon.

Gale gives an annoyed groan, but mercifully listens to you. You can see the effort it takes, however, when Astarion continues to try and goad Gale into another rant.

---

In the afternoon, Gale has managed to ignore Astarion for a good majority of the time. Instead, it is now Lae’zel and Shadowheart who have been at each other’s throats (thankfully, only figuratively so far) almost constantly. Astarion, now bored with Gale’s determined disinterest, is happy to antagonize both of them, encouraging the divide between the two.

“I just think maybe Shadowheart deserves to keep the relic, since she was able to take it so easily.” Astarion knows it’s more complicated than that. He also knows that saying this will infuriate Lae’zel.

“Finally, you speak some sense,” Shadowheart says, not even sparing either Astarion or Lae’zel a glance.

“Do not start,” you warn.

Wyll, the only other one who seems to see reason in working together, steps between Lae’zel and Shadowheart. He only looks a little nervous as he does, knowing full well that the githyanki could easily push him to the side.

“The half-elf can fight her own battles as she seeks them. I do not suggest getting in my way, unless you wish me to go through you.” Lae’zel’s hand is holding the hilt of her sword so tightly that you are impressed she hasn’t snapped it entirely. Wyll keeps his gaze on the path ahead, giving no indication that he’s heard her at all except for a momentary, nervous glance at you.

“Enough! There will be no more fighting! You will all behave until we get through the day. And then you will continue to behave when we are back at camp. Am I understood?” You feel like an exhausted parent, scolding children. The only thing missing is a corner for timeouts.

“I was behaving. Quite well, in fact,” Shadowheart says, with the nerve to cross her arms petulantly. Lae’zel only grumbles, but her hand leaves her sword.

“Everyone is going to be quiet now. Not a word, unless necessary, until we camp for the night.” You remember hearing a parent encourage their children to play something called ‘the silent game’ once, and it feels very similar to what you’re requesting of your companions now.

They listen. For the rest of the night, there is blessed silence. Even through dinner that night, no one says a word.

Before everyone retires for the night, you speak up to all of them.

“Tomorrow, everyone is going to get along. We are in this together. We need to work together. Astarion, stop trying to start fights. Gale, stop answering Astarion. Lae’zel and Shadowheart, leave each other alone. Wyll… keep it up, you’ve been great. Now everyone, get a good rest and when we travel tomorrow, you will all be in a good mood. Okay?”

There are a few indignant huffs, but everyone mumbles their reluctant agreement.

The night is peaceful, and that peace continues on to the next day. Maybe because you finally managed to get through to them, or maybe because they didn’t want to have to endure yet another lecture. Whatever the reason, you’re happy to have at least one day where you don’t feel like a babysitter.

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #x reader fic #reader insert #bg3 fic #bg3 fanfiction #gale dekarios #lae'zel #shadowheart #astarion ancunin #baldurs gate x reader

128 notes · View notes

profoundlyfaded · 8 days

Text

[HC] The Orb and Karsite Weave

(Or: How Mystra is Only Out For Herself)

This primarily comes from my head canon that I use in all cases about the The Orb, and well specifically the book from where The Orb was contained.

I think the book in which the Orb was contained arrived back on the Material Plane at the same time The Crown was heisted out of Mephistopheles’s vault, stored by the Archdevil because he knew it contained this nascent divine power and perhaps he was considering whether a time would come when he would use it.

The Book, and by extension The Orb, were accidental passengers in Durge and Gortash’s return from Cania, perhaps that one could not be without the other - however, they completely overlook this book. But the Book and Crown are a pair and had our two villains realised this, they’d have had something more powerful than even they originally conceived!

So, it lands in the world and it’s like a flashing beacon; ancient, almost primordial. At first, Mystra’s Chosen picks up on it because it’s his work, seeking out and destroying magic that would threaten The Weave. However, his assessment of it is that of the old Weave, Mystral’s Weave, before she unravelled to end Karsus. Restoring this would be a great boon to Mystra, and to him, increasing her opinion of him in her eyes as well.

Gale has no idea it’s Karasite Weave; he tells us this in Act III and there is absolutely no subterfuge on his part when it comes to his titbit of information. And this isn’t a ridiculous notion - all magic was destroyed that day, and the Karasite Weave probably only existed for seconds. It should have been wiped out as something too small to shatter.

The only person who knows what it is, is Mystra. And I have trouble believing she wasn’t aware of what her Chosen had found until it was too late. Mystra could have stopped Gale, saved him before he needed saving but she let him open the book.

I suspect her reasons stem from a ruthless decision that she was willing to let any number of people die to destroy this piece of magic. It’s a threat to her - something that has utterly destroyed her Weave in the past (Gale tells us this in the none-romanced version of this discussion). It’s important to note from the Audience between Mystra and Gale is she says herself that it was his focus on saving himself that caused her to shun him. So, in essence, Mystra has two things to fear - the Crown itself as well as her Chosen now being imbued with this terrifyingly powerful nascent divine power. She knows if Gale combines the two, he’ll probably outstrip her as a God in a very short space of time.

(As an aside here, I think Dekarios the Divine does eventually usurp Ao if you pursue Godhood - that’s my interpretation of Raphael’s ‘warning’.)

Mystra shuts herself off from Gale, hoping, maybe even going as far as praying that he’ll run out of artefacts and explode, destroying the Karsite Weave with him. Again, she doesn’t really care about the casualties, to her any number of dead justifies the destruction of the Orb.

But he doesn’t run out. Instead Gale crosses paths with the Mindflayers, their Netherse imbued tadpoles and in orbit of The Crown.

Mystra sees the opportunity - she knows Gale has no idea what he’s really dealing with. She can be rid of The Crown and Orb in one fell swoop, and Gale is the Chosen who fell in service to his Goddess. I get the feeling the Mystra thought Gale might be grateful and much more willing to do this than he actually is, and feels her path is assured. She doesn’t count on the leader of the pack (or in the case of a Gale Origin run, Gale himself) deciding not to kill the Elder Brain at that moment.

It’s the easy route, isn’t it - what is a little sacrifice to save the world? Why would these heroes opt for the harder path?

So she dispatch’s Elminster to deliver the news and provide Gale with the much needed relief to let the Orb feed off the Weave. Remember this is not a cure, it’s a temporary respite that she could take away again.

(Aside here - the Human!Gale Orb ending is actually, in my opinion a really double edged sword because he’s not cured).

I do actually believe that Mystra couldn’t cure the Orb before now. The quest information for The Wizard of Waterdeep tells us, regardless of Gale’s decision, that if he seizes the Crown, the Orb will answer to him. I think Mystra can’t outright cure the Orb until she gets the crown because other Weaves don’t answer to her - look at the Shadow Curse, her power is deeply limited within Shar’s domain.

Once she has the Crown, it becomes in her best interest to extract the Orb from Gale. She takes it for herself, and we don’t really know what she does with it - perhaps she locks it away in one of her Pleasure Domes; perhaps she ponders using it against a fellow God such as Shar - but she needs both the Crown and Orb together. She cures Gale because it suits her and she’s not outright malicious enough to kill him in the process. I do think she held on to lingering affection for him but she also views him as what he can do for her.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #the orb #the crown of Karsus #Mystra #no good can come of this #headcanon

21 notes · View notes

sharpth1ng · 4 months

Note

If someday they will make last part of scream, like definitely the end who do you want as ghostfaces? I saw different opinion, probably Sam and Sidney being the most popular (in this duo or in one of them + Billy ghost duo). I personally would like to see Stu + Billy ghost as like final Buckle but that’s maybe because I love that kind of plot twist.

Let’s say that we are in different universe where scream don’t have problems with production, no one was fired and everyone are willing to come back to play their roles

I can't really see Sidney going ghostface in the context of the movie franchise as it's played out so far. Sid has successfully moved on, she retaliates unflinchingly when attacked but she doesn't attack first because she doesn't want a life of violence and vengeance. I think bringing her back in and making her a ghostface at this point would be a regression for her character and I would need that to be justified pretty well for it to work for me.

In terms of making Sam a ghostface, I think that would be a bad call in terms of her character arc. Part of what works for Sam (and I think the movies could have done a much better job of this) is that she experiences insane amounts of victim blaming but for the most part the movie sides with her.

Unfortunately we live in a world where the violent actions of victims against their aggressors are heavily scrutinized, and victimhood gets questioned if the victim is angry, imperfect, or if they fight back. Sam FIGHTS BACK though, and she isn't bad for that. I also wouldn't want to see her turned into a villain because I already feel that the representation of her mental health/hallucination situation isn't great. I don't experience psychosis so other people are better positioned to speak on this, but from what I've heard from friends the way the movie deals with this part of her character makes them uncomfy too.

SO thats why I wouldn't want Sam and Sid ghostfaces at this point. I can see them putting on the mask to fight back but I cant see them being the killers themselves.

Now on to who think should be the final ghosties:

Gale

I've been thinking she would make a good ghostface for a while but where we are in terms of her character arc in the series I think she's extra well set up for it. We've always known Gale to be cutthroat and career focused. We've also known Dewey to be someone who anchors and softens her but Dewey has passed so she doesn't have that anchor anymore. Even with the boyfriend she has in scream 6 she barely reacts when he dies; she's struggling to form real attachments. We also know she's struggling with her career. Her main subject is ghostface, that's her claim to fame and her writing doesn't sell as well without it.

So we have a Gale struggling with meaningful social connections, struggling with her career, and her entire adult life has been defined by ghostface. She's been dragged through movie after movie getting chased around and having people killed off around her, and this is where it gets meta (like a good scream movie should).

Because at this point in the franchise what can we be commenting on? We've commented on sequels, requels/reboots, trilogies to a certain extent. And to be honest I think scream 6 totally failed with the meta-commentary part here but that's a rant for another day. So I think what we need to comment on is something like genre fatigue.

We have this final girl (Gale absolutely is, even though we don't always call her that) who's been forced through movie after movie after movie, and what does that do to a character in the context of a franchise? They become flanderized. They become a hollow and superficially characterized version of themselves, occasionally they become someone you can't even recognize as the original version of the character. Of course this doesn't always happen, careful writing and attention to character progression can keep that from happening, but to be honest Gale hasn't had much of that (not none, just not enough imo).

So to bring Gale in, socially isolated, unwilling to keep forming connections because they all fucking die, and desperate for some more recognition and a paycheck, and have her put on the mask and robe to revive the series? That feels like meta-commentary, baby.

Can you even imagine the reveal of that? Especially if Sidney comes back? That would be a legitimately tragic betrayal the likes of which we haven't seen in this franchise in a second. It's always a significant other, a family member, or a friend. But we've never had a former survivor as ghostface, and certainly never the other final girl, so this would be a legitimate plot twist if done well (scream 6 plot twist fell flat on it's face for me ngl).

There's also something good about the way this comments on different reactions to trauma as well. Not everyone is like Sid. Some victims internalize the abuse and repeat the cycle, especially when they've had to re-live it over and over to the point that they're numb to it.

In terms of Gale's partner we could go a few different directions. I could see her hiring a few randoms to ghostface for her, maybe like 4 or 5 so several can die through the course of the movie and still we know it can't be over.

That said, Gale's partner could also be a freshly released Stu. While I don't think they would be super in-sync with each other, I can totally see Gale seeking him out because ultimately she's doing this all for a good story, and what could be a better story than one of the original killers coming back?

I also think that this would provide some good final act drama because Gale would clearly be trying to frame Stu as the only killer to position herself as a victim, and Stu would absolutely double-cross her. Beyond that I would love to see Stu interacting with Billy's daughter, especially because I think he would disobey Gale if she told him to kill Sam.

So yeah lmao wrote another novel but these are my thoughts. Fuck Spyglass pictures though.

#scream movie #final ghostface casting #sharp thoughts #ask

32 notes · View notes

mrsnancywheeler · 2 months

Note

This one is so long I’m so sorry!!!

But Finnick is just so Hozier (I love a whipped man. Not like gale tho)

Finnick is “Work song” by Hozier it’s not even funny.

~~~~

“Boys, workin' on empty

Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat?

I just think about my baby”

Despite everything that has happened to him he persists because he thinks about his sweet girl. The pain, the hardships, the struggles, he can get through it all if he just thinks about her

~~~~~~

“I'm so full of love I could barely eat”

Just his all encompassing love, his love is enough to nourish him, he doesn’t need anything else she just needs his sweet girl

~~~~~

“There's nothing sweeter than my baby”

I mean….he literally calls her “sweet girl”. He thinks the world of her. She’s kind, she’s caring, to him she’s the definition of “sweet”. He thinks the world of her, nothing is better then her.

~~~~~

“'Cause my baby's sweet as can be

She give me toothaches just from kissin' me”

Again more just thinking the world of his sweet girl. There’s no one better, no one who makes him feel anywhere remotely close to what his sweet girl makes him feel. Just being around her fixes his mood, fixes his day.

And plus to him she literally tastes sweet, like peaches.

~~~~~

“When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold, dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her”

So I feel like this is so much about 1) Finnick also having kinda a death wish sometimes but 2) feeling the need to live so he can be with her. He fought in 13 for her, he’d fight tooth and nail for her.

All he needs to know is that she’s gonna be there. He will crawl from the depths of the earth, the depths of display to go back home (aka her arms)

~~~~~~

“Boys, when my baby found me

I was three days on a drunken sin”

OKAY BUT LIKE THINK ABOUT THR CONTEXT OF WHAT FINNUCK WAS GOING THROUGH WHEN HE MET HER??? ITS SO FITTING

~~~~~~

“And I was burnin' up a fever

I didn't care much how long I lived

But I swear I thought I dreamed her”

Again think about what he was going through when he met her. It’s not like he valued his own life all that much and that year he spent with her felt like a dream, like something that was too good to be true.

~~~~~

“She never asked me once about the wrong I did”

“My babe would never fret none

About what my hands and my body done”

“If the Lord don't forgive me

I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me”

This is getting long so I’ll have these lines together…so like again during the first year of their relationship. Finnick feels very guilty about the death he caused, that he’s a bad person, but his sweet girl never once held it against him, never once blamed him. She never even asked. Despite everything he’s done she’s still with him

~~~~~

“When I was kissing on my baby

And she put her love down soft and sweet

In the low lamplight I was free

Heaven and hell were words to me”

AGAIN!!! Being with her is what defines his happiness. Those secrete moments between them, the ones in their home, when the Capitol isn’t with them, he was as free as he could be. Heaven and hell meant nothing being he was with her

~~~~

Anyway I love Finnick and I love Hozier

-🌾anon

you're all good pookie 💕

THIS. you're literally so correct with this, and he's the adorable, loving kind of whipped for his sweet girl

when he's in the depths of suffering or hardships he still only thinks about his sweet girl. how he needs to protect her and get back to her no matter what it takes, the games, the rebellion, the war, whatever he's got to do

and she truly is everywhere for him, like when he smells what he thinks might be peaches in his food and is consumed with grief because it makes him think of her. and regardless of how we as an audience might read into her actions as more harsh or impulsive, he sees only the good parts, her flaws are just things he has nothing but sympathy and love for. she does most of what she does out of a place of care of self-hate, and he just loves her endlessly. when he's without her, life is bitter.

yes yes yes, he needs her to stay as something he can come back too, to work for, to give him reason to keep living. he begs her not to go into the quell, he does all he can do she won't be on the squad. he won't let death get him when he knows he can come back to his sweet girl. if she's in the heat of danger and something happens, he doesn't think he'll be able to weather that and knows she wouldn't be able to either, which he could never forgive himself for, even in death.

YES finnick was a young, drunk teenage boy living in peak opulence, having everything at his fingertips, endless parties, and drinks, and fun, but then there's her. she feels so right, it's just too good to be true, to be real, because she's so perfect for him. he understands her and she understands him in a way that no one else can.

he's fresh out of the games really, like a year or so later and of course he's still wrecked with guilt, and always with the nightmares. she's so comforting, she doesn't pry, lets him open up whenever he wants too, and when he does she's nothing but loving. reminding him that he didn't have a choice and all the things he did just brought them together and he's starstruck with how endlessly kind she is. he can't fathom how she puts no blame on him, and he feels the same way when she comes back from her games.

when they can just purely be together, be themselves it's the most free he's ever felt and nothing else he's ever done or felt guilty for matters because it's just the two of them. his sweet girl in his arms, someone he loves more then life itself and he can drown in her very being because of the pure joy it creates

and that's so real of you, he's a Hozier of a man ❤️

#wanda 💋#finnick odair x reader #finnick odair x y/n #the lakes #finnick odair #the river #finnick odair fluff #finnick odair angst #finnick odair x reader fluff #finnick odair x you #🌾 anon

16 notes · View notes

l6ndrys · 1 year

Note

Could you do a oneshot where reader is around 18-19 years old and they're ghostface and jill roberts younger adopted sibling, and they basically did it for revenge for what happened to Jill (and they wanna carry on her legacy by getting famous off this), and they plan on going after everyone sidney knows, which means they're after any survivor of ghostface. So basically instead of having a whole reveal and quinn and her dad being ghostfaces, it's just ethan and reader that are ghostfaces and they frame Quinn and Bailey but the core 4 and gkirby and gale don't know because they had arrived after ethan and reader were done setting up the "aftermath" of the reveal (yk like they injure themselves purposely, and make It look like quinn and Bailey did it). So flash forward a week or two ethan and reader gather the core 4, kirby, and gale at readers house or apartment, and ethan and reader reveal themselves as ghostface (you can decide whether they lose or not, also can reader and ethan be dating secretly but reader betrays him like Jill did Charlie)

a/n : thank you for the request anon!! i hope you enjoy :D

this fic contains : cursing, mentions of death, stabbing, g*ns, blood, murder, violence, etc!! pls stay safe <3

better than revenge

ethan landry x reader

you sat next to anika, eyes glued to the television screen. the news reporter talking about the film students who you just so happened to have a little, chat, with. you weren't really listening, only hearing a panicked sam telling tara to pack her things. a phone starts ringing, making everyone's heads turn toward the noise. it was quinn's.

"it's my dad" she says, picking up and leaving to go into her room. you looked over to ethan, who was already looking up at you. the plan was working. soon enough quinn was speed-walking around the room, grabbing her coat and keys. she pulls the phone away from her face, "hey i've gotta go down to the station, i'll be back in a bit"

before anyone could say anything, she slams the door shut, clearly in a hurry. soon enough, a photo of quinn's drivers license flashed up on the tv, covered in blood at the crime scene. voices started to murmur around the room, you took this as your sign to leave.

"hey, i'm probably gonna head back to my dorm. make sure my roommate's okay." you say, gathering your stuff. "woah wait, no you're not leaving. we need to stay together." mindy says, leaving anika's grasp by standing up. ethan stands up too, "i'll walk them there, plus we both have econ tomorrow. we can be each other's alibis."

mindy looks at us, suspiciously eyeing us down before sighing, "fine, but if you go missing any other time, i swear to god–" chad cuts her off with an 'okay calm down', turning to the both of you with an apologetic look on his face. you turn to leave, letting ethan grab his stuff, before opening the door and leaving the apartment.

you both walk down the dimly lit sidewalks towards campus, occasionally bumping shoulders. ethan clears his throat, which makes you turn to him, "so what's next?" it makes you wanna roll your eyes, but you turn to him, "next, we frame quinn and her dad. i thought we already went over this?" he just nods, turning back towards the sidewalk ahead of you.

he understood why you were doing this, all for your sister's legacy. but why did you need him? he didn't wanna think too much about it, he was just happy to help you get revenge.

tara had told you quinn was out hooking up with some guy downtown, you didn't really know. all you knew was she was out, and could only imagine her dad was trying to solve the case of the murders. you told—no—sent ethan to pay a visit to your friends. since they knew you and ethan were both at 'econ', they could only assume it none other than quinn.

you, on the other hand, were getting ready for your part of the plan in your dorm. you had followed your sister's steps with this one. you plunged the knife into your thigh, grimacing while you twisted it. you just hoped ethan would be on time before you actually died.

you hit your limbs into different types of furniture, making sure bruises would form, breaking anything you could to make it look like you were attacked. you added a slash or two on your stomach and arms, before stumbling to your kitchen. you placed the knife in the sink, making sure to wash your blood off of it before going to lay in your spot.

you honestly didn't even have to fake cry. with how much pain you were in, your tear ducts did the job for you. just then the door slams open, revealing ethan. he looks like he's worried, despite him knowing the plan before hand, as well as putting on the whole nerdy act. you could hear him on the phone, probably calling kirby or someone, saying that you were both being attacked. everything faded to black before you could say anything.

it had been a couple weeks since the "incident". with ethan planting all of the evidence pointing to quinn and her dad being the murderers, kirby and gale were having a little 'survivor get together' or so they called it. you offered to have it at your place, since it was already fixed and pretty spacious, considering your roommate moving out after you were attacked.

you were the recent talk of blackmore university, and you were loving it. jill was right, you didn't need friends. you needed followers. and you'd be damned if you gonna let it stop. you needed to be sure to keep her legacy alive, you just had to get rid of the other woodsboro massacre survivors. and your little boyfriend in the process.

which you didn't even know if you could call him that. sure, in another life, another timeline, he'd be your dream guy. but that was another life. not this one.

you held up your glass of what was not wine, but you toasted anyway, "to the survivors," you fake smiled, looking to ethan, who was at the back of the room. he had a look that only you'd seen, and to be completely honest, it was hot.

"though," this caught people's attention, "i don't know if i'd call you that after tonight." confused looks shot over everyone's faces, "what do you mean y/n?" tara asked.

"oh its simple, really. i was tasked with a dying wish. my sister, jill," a look that you couldn't decipher wiped over kirby's face, "was murdered. she wanted to be famous like our cousin sidney. she would've loved social media these days and how easy a sob story can make you famous. too bad she never got to see it."

"jill never had a sibling." kirby said, clearly mad she'd been tricked again. "oh but she did. i came around right before her death. i was adopted and she just so happened to leave behind notes upon notes about herself. a guide, if you will, to go by. don't you think it's time for a little revenge?" you say, looking toward ethan, nodding.

kirby reaches for her gun, realizing it wasn't there. you wave it around, acting like a little kid mocking the other kid after stealing their toy. ethan stabs her, multiple times, leaving her to fall on the ground. ethan knew you had to act like you both got attacked again, putting his arms in the air, letting you know he was ready.

"sorry but there can only be one sole survivor" you whispered in his ear, stabbing him in the chest. you were really following in your sister's footsteps. he looked defeated, having been betrayed but you didn't really care. you needed to find the rest of the fuckers that snuck away.

you dropped the gun for a second, pulling the knife out of his chest. you reach for the gun, realizing it's not there. you turn to see tara holding the gun, "say hi to your sister for me." she says, pulling the trigger, shooting you in the chest. at least you could say you fufilled your older sister's legacy.

a/n : THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT I HOPE ITS OKAY IM NOT THE BEST AT WRITING ACTION LMAO ITS DEFINITELY SOMETHING I NEED TO WORK ON!! BUT THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING

#𓆩♡𓆪 ami writes #ethan landry x reader #scream x reader #scream 2023 #scream vi x reader

93 notes · View notes

razzberrydazz · 6 months

Text

Neurodivergence and mental illness headcanons and analysis with the BG3 cast! All of them have trauma there's no way any of them are totally mentally well (NONE of them are mentally fully well, being an adventurer is traumatic in and of itself).

Shadowheart and Astarion both have Borderline Personality Disorder undoubtedly to me, with Shart also having an extra dose of anxiety and depression on top of that. Being kidnapped and raised in a cult and being held hostage by a vampire lord are more than traumatizing enough to cause that.

Astarion definitely has PTSD from his time with Cazador. Shadowheart, Halsin, and Durge (if the player plays as Dark Urge) definitely also have PTSD.

-My analysis for my Durge is for a different post because there is so much going on there, but know that OCD and BPD and PTSD are all strong contenders for their mental idiosyncrasies-

Gale most definitely has depression and likely comorbid Autism and ADHD.

Lae'Zel is very autistic-coded to me with her directness and perceived low empathy and struggle to understand faerunian customs - many alien type characters are autistic-coded by the nature of their 'fish out of water' character arcs. She also has anger issues galore, and trust issues, she was raised in a militaristic alien cult society there's no way she wouldn't have fucked up emotional development. She's direct and quick to anger, but I don't think she's outright Rude - others may Think she's being rude but she's not, she's being honest and saying what she thinks.

Karlach is Sooooo ADHD coded to me, she also has hella anger issues and I do not blame her one bit, as well as a moderate dose of anxiety. Someone give her a fireproof fidget toy I beg of thee.

Wyll hides his trauma and issues relatively well, but I would not say he's as well-adjusted as many assume him to be. He's self-sacrificing to the point of extreme detriment, possibly a people pleaser, I am certain he has anxiety and depression that he does his best to mask, and he may not have full blown PTSD but he definitely has trauma. I get the impression he has a low opinion of himself due to his pact and often can even be self-depreciating especially when made to look like a devil, definitely has signs of depression in him. He is such a precious man and I want to help him see that he's worth so much more than he thinks 🥺

Minthara, while I don't know her character as well as the others, definitely has trauma from being raised in the toxic cult of lolth-sworn drow society, greatly reduced empathy (but not non-existent) due to said cult society, is definitely a sadist, could have developed Antisocial Personality Disorder due to the way lolthite society molded her (Lolthite society raises people in a way to predispose them to having APD if you ask me, since it's built on manipulation and fear and ladder climbing on the backs of others). Despite possibly having APD due to the trauma of Lolthite society, Minthara is not incapable of love and devotion and can grow to care for tav and other party members over time, perhaps even to a fanatical level if you romance her.

Halsin has trauma that he often brushes off or downplays, he can be quite self-depreciating at times, and from my viewpoint he is hypersexual as a maladaptive coping mechanism. Definitely has self-image issues and doesn't see himself as worthy of the love and affection and positions of authority he's been placed in. Probably has depression that he works hard to mask in front of others.

Jaheira has a long history of trauma that include the events of the first two games, I would not be surprised if she has PTSD, but overall she is pretty well adjusted all things considered. She has trust issues but I don't blame her, she has justification.

Minsc is hilarious, that man has autism I am convinced, he has trauma but I'm not sure if he realizes his trauma is indeed trauma and not simply a mild inconvenience in his life. Either none of his trauma is processed as such in his brain so he is genuinely that happy-go-lucky, or that jovial attitude is a mask. Boo is...Boo. I do not know the inner machinations of a miniature giant space hamster.

If anyone in the game is a Narcissist, it's Orin the Red (NPD does not make one inherently abusive or evil of course, no personality disorder or mental illness makes anyone inherently bad, Orin just happens to embody many of its traits to the extreme and has the traumatic upbringing to cause it). Her story is so tragic to me, she wants so badly for Bhaal to love her, she wants the admiration and affection of the god of murder so bad and she doesn't care if that means killing the entire world. She's incredibly tragic, she doesn't realize she's as traumatized as she is because it got channeled into her mask of self-importance and lack of empathy extreme sadism and want for admiration from Bhaal specifically. If it was possible to if not redeem her, at least spare her from death and break her out of her cult mindset, I would do it in a heartbeat. I love Orin as a character so much.

Gortash could be APD, but I think he fits Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder more. His want for control, for order, under the tyranny of Bane, to wrench control and revenge for the childhood he was robbed of, it's very fitting. He's distrustful and known for deceit but his ride or dieness with Durge and willingness to Risk It All for Tav is endearing to me, and could be him manipulating or simply be that he does in fact see teaming up with Tav as the best course of action for him to maintain his control. I'm biased I know, I like Gortash too much.

Ketheric is spiteful and traumatized from the death of his wife and daughter and the cult he imbedded himself in yes, but he takes it to an extreme in his lashing out from his grief. I don't think he's antisocial or narcissistic, I mainly think he's depressed and a victim of a sunk-cost fallacy taken way too far. He committed to the bit until the very end.

If anyone else could possibly have APD or NPD, I think it'd be the Emperor, but I also feel the mental quirks of being a mindflayer predispose someone to being manipulative and self-agrandizing. He is a Very sly and effective manipulator, and even though overall he has the common goal as the player and protects them from death and transforming into a mind flayer for the majority of the game, he is ultimately doing it for his own aims. He hid the truth of Orpheus and his own form for most of the game, because he was so distrustful of Tav that he believed they would never trust him otherwise - which he can't actually know as true or not. Unfortunately for him I chose saving Orpheus and helping Lae'Zel over helping him because his history of manipulation and omition of information caught up to him and caused the very distrust he wanted to avoid. He is a great morally grey/dubious character who can be both loved and loathed for his antics.

Dame Aylin and Isobel definitely have trauma if not PTSD, and Aylin probably is autistic.

Listen what I'm saying is autistic people have a surprisingly high level of charisma and they and other neurospicy people congregate together to make some delicious neurospicy food.

Those are all the characters I have thoughts about for the moment, and these are my headcanons more than anything, so don't take this too seriously.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #razzberry rambles #razz rambles #character analysis #mental illness #headcanons #razz headcanons #listen it is way too easy for me to read every damn party member as having bpd they're all traumatized it's par for the course #neurospicy

27 notes · View notes

do-androids-dream-ao3acc · 2 months

Note

„That‘s not supposed to bend like that“ for Gale/ Astarion pls :)) 🫶

Wow, this felt like I haven't written in months (which is true, especially for anything whump) and like I have unlearned how to do this. But it's a good exercise, thank you ❤️ The whump meme, my humble offering under the cut. More Bloodweave here :)

......

"That‘s not supposed to bend like that."

There's undoubtedly astonishment in Gale's voice, some concern too; but above all, and most annoyingly, curiosity. Naturally. Astarion emits an exasperated noise.

"You would probably still find it interesting if my bone stuck out to wave at you," he returns sullenly.

"Do you think that's possible?"

"Gale! Focus, darling. This is a cleric’s job. Preferably soon."

Even Gale, who can hardly take his eyes off Astarion's unusually crooked arm, can't help noticing that the vampire spawn doesn't exactly look pleased. The wizard has spent many thoughts wondering what advantages Astarion actually has from his transformation. Since he is constantly complaining, there can't be many. He may be undead, but that spares him neither hunger nor pain.

"The bone must be broken," says Gale.

"Of course it is," Astarion replies, drawing out "of course" particularly long, rolling his eyes. "Gods, you suck at survival skills. And you’re definitely not a cleric."

Gale lifts his brows. The only thing missing is Astarion waving a graceful hand and telling him to look for a healer. As if that wasn't what they've been doing for days, albeit for a very different reason. In his sad collection of despairs, whom he only calls "adventurers" in his most optimistic thoughts, there is actually a cleric. However, she is out collecting medicinal plants, possibly to replenish their meagre supply of healing potions later. Healing potions, all of which are currently in Shadowheart's pockets. Gale has none, and he has no idea what to do.

"At least we can say for sure that you won't die from it, right?"

His fake laughter dies away at Astarion's stare. The waves of guilt washing through Gale do not break. After all, it had been his idea to explore the old ruins. His idea to open the lid of an extraordinarily elaborately decorated tomb. Instead of pleasant burial objects such as gold, there had only been an angry and suddenly very lively corpse inside. In the end, they could be glad that this undead had only broken Astarion's arm and not his neck. They had escaped from this disgraceful adventure with a lot of luck and many bruises, but now…

"At least do some magic," Astarion grumbles, crouching on the ground of a semi-safe-looking hollow.

"I'm honored that you obviously have a lot of faith in me, but you might have the wrong idea about the weave’s power if you think I can straighten arms with it."

Astarion throws his arms in the air. That is, he tries this gesture of despair, but forgets about his broken arm. Swearing, screaming, and a lot of moaning occurs. It's hard to say how much of it is real suffering. It looks real, his face is contorted in pain, but Astarion is a natural actor. In any case, it works, Gale immediately feels even guiltier. No healing potions, no cleric, and all his wisdom useless because he never gave a single thought to studying a healing spell. A fine leader he is.

"I'm afraid we'll have to fall back on conventional methods until we get back to camp," he explains regretfully.

"Conventional?" Astarion wrinkles his nose. "Namely which ones?"

"Well," Gale returns hesitantly, pensively tugging at his stubbly chin, "some kind of splint, I would say. With a branch, perhaps. And a noose. That should do the trick until we meet Shadowheart again."

"A branch?" Astarion makes a face as if the wizard had suggested he take a mud bath in his best shirt.

Above all, Gale recognizes, he looks like someone who has quickly become accustomed to the convenience of instant healing. Gale doesn't know much about the vampire spawn yet, but he has noticed some details already. There’s the way he sets up camp: exemplary on the outside, total chaos on the inside. The way he meets kindness with mistrust, and only adopts a nice tone when he thinks it will benefit him. The haunted glance. The scars. He doesn't tell much about the life he was torn from, but it can't have been a very good one. At the end of the day, he's just a spawn. That means there must be a master. And one thing is clear, Astarion hates pain like everyone else, but he is no stranger to it.

"We're two hours away from camp," says Gale. "If we want to make it until nightfall, we have to leave soon. I'm sure you won't want to walk for two hours with your arm in this condition."

He points to the almost grotesquely twisted arm with a nod of his head. Astarion's gaze follows his, and he sighs.

"Fine, then."

Gale claps his hands enthusiastically, exclaiming a cheerful "There you go", then he jumps up and immediately starts looking for a suitable twig. Neither of them are necessarily well equipped, be it to build a splint or even a noose. It's a strange life at the moment, with this ticking time bomb in their heads and the cultists breathing down their necks. They often resort to methods that Gale would have rejected as immoral in his previous life. Now he’s not sure whether he can ever go back to this life. Everything is unsure, and everyone has secrets, even Gale. He will soon have to confide his to someone. Surprisingly, Astarion doesn't seem the worst choice, even if he doesn't yet understand why he feels that way. But not today, not now. Now he has to splint an arm, and he has to look confident, not like a man who had a single lecture in naturopathy at university and dismissed it as useless.

Astarion appears somewhat nervous as Gale approaches with the branch he has carefully trimmed with a knife. Perhaps the stick reminds the vampire too much of a stake. However, this procedure, which even Gale finds almost barbaric in view of the efficient use of healing spells demonstrated by Shadowheart, is painful in any case.

"I'll be careful," he promises, but Astarion lets out a hoarse laugh. A strange sound, he’s usually so melodic in everything he utters.

"I'm not a virgin," he says.

"I'm sorry about that," Gale replies seriously, because it's clear what Astarion means, and it's quite sad to think about what getting used to pain implies. Only later does he realize the ambiguity of the spawn’s words, long after Astarion looks at him open-mouthed, at a loss for words for the first time. And much, much later, he realizes that Astarion hasn't experienced any real kindness, any real affection for a very long time.

Pain, however, is a constant, and it can be a connection. Gale touches Astarion with a delicate grip, as if he is holding something fragile in his hands; and somehow this slender, pale arm is very delicate indeed.

"I broke my arm when I was seven," he explains in a conversational tone.

"Really, Gale Dekarios fell off a tree? Hard to believe."

The mockery in Astarion's voice has no edge, and Gale is too good-natured to take offense anyway. Or too soft.

"Not a tree. It's a less than glorious story... I practiced a spell from a book that was far beyond my abilities at the time. The spell backfired, and the force shattered my elbow like this."

He snaps his fingers and grins wryly. It's not easy taking care of Astarion's arm with a bunch of cloth (Gale's shirt, Astarion protested loudly when the wizard asked for his garment) and a branch, and it's clearly no fun for the spawn. Quickly, he goes on.

"My mother summoned the best healer in all of Waterdeep in no time at all, and in addition to her justified reproaches, I had to consume foul-tasting potions for a week, to strengthen the repaired bone."

"For a whole week? My dear, you've let yourself be ripped off."

There's something strangely comforting in Astarion's mischievous gaze.

"Done," says Gale, and Astarion looks at his arm in amazement.

Something is working in him, it's clear, his astonishment is genuine. His words, on the other hand, are as dry as ever, he quickly catches on.

"Well, it still hurts," he says and struggles to get to his feet.

"My apologies."

"No need, you can easily make up for it. Someone has to carry my stuff, right?"

"As long as you keep the true nature of our adventure a secret from our esteemed cleric."

Astarion tilts his head. "You're bargaining? Interesting. But I will have to provide some kind of explanation, won't I?"

"You'll think of something. But don't forget to mention the good care, provided by the humble wizard."

Despite the cheerful words, Astarion looks at Gale for quite a while, almost as if he wants to look behind his forehead. There is at least the tadpole, and its abilities are still uncanny to both of them.

"I'll think about it," he says slowly. "It could have been worse. Just don't assume, that I will go on another mission like this with you alone, Gale of Waterdeep."

"We'll see," Gale replies, and this once, Astarion doesn't argue.

#writing #fanfiction #my fics #Gale/Astarion #Baldur's Gate 3 #whump #whump fics #Astarion/Gale #bloodweave #gale x astarion #astarion baldurs gate #astarion x gale #astarion whump #galestarion

14 notes · View notes