Since I’m finally back to writing my Ascended Astarion/Shadow Druid Halsin bg3 fic series again, and I’ve been very bad about posting chapter releases to Tumblr, I figured it was about time I made a Tumblr masterlist to better outline my plans and progress. I may eventually add plot summaries and art here as well depending on what my free time allows.
Feel free to leave me an ask or a comment if there’s something you want to see more of.
Life, Loss, and Bearfaced Lies
Complete, 31k words, 4 chapters
PoV: Halsin
Focus: Plot-heavy drama, the road to corruption for Halsin
AO3 blurb: Faced with a new threat from the Lady of Loss, Halsin must return to Baldur's Gate and the dark memories he'd left behind. Who can he trust in the city to stand against Shar? And what price will he pay to banish her shadows this time?
A Taste of Freedom
Complete, 9k words, 1 chapter
PoV: Astarion’s Spawn
Focus: Slice of life and romantic evolution
AO3 blurb: Lord Astarion's spawn aren't sure what to make of this massive ex-Archdruid or their master's fixation on keeping him alive and somewhat happy. What they do know is that no one can resist the Vampire Ascendant forever. Just how much will Master Halsin manage to get from the dark lord before he offers his lifeblood in return?
Fine Print
Complete, 7k words, 1 chapter
PoV: Thieves and Halsin
Focus: Power couple imagery, plot setup
AO3 blurb: With the House of Grief in ruins and Arabella now in charge of the Emerald Grove, Astarion and Halsin work to convert the previously goblin-infested Selunite temple into a second home away from the radiant palace. However, the Dark Lady and her followers will not give up so easily, leaving the two elves to make a choice about what they are willing to sacrifice for their future.
The Prices we Pay
Complete, 19k words, 6 chapters
PoV: Astarion
Focus: Drama-heavy plot, power exploration, and romantic evolution
AO3 blurb: A deal has been struck - three souls to restore Shadowheart's memory and, hopefully, put an end to the Shadow Plague. With Halsin needing to watch over Arabella's training to become a new Archdruid, Astarion is on the prowl for another victim to add to his ledger in Raphael's name, while the devil has a far grander plot in mind.
Polar Bear in a Snowstorm
Incomplete, 18k+ words, 6/13 chapters
PoV: Halsin and Astarion
Focus: Slice of life, (non-humanoid) kid fic
AO3 blurb: While pursuing the final soul to fulfill Astarion's deal with Raphael, he and Halsin discover a creature in need of their help. This unexpected addition to their bizarre list of allies threatens to make the budding relationship between them bloom or wilt, and Halsin isn't sure which he fears more.
Forgotten Legacy
Incomplete, 14k+ words, 4/16 chapters
PoV: Halsin and Astarion , alternating
Focus: Plot-heavy drama, backstory tie-ins, and romantic evolution
AO3 blurb: Astarion and Halsin invade Shadowheart's new hideout in hopes of putting an end to Shar's feud with the Vampire Ascendant, but they aren't the only ones interested in the fate of Shadow Plague. There is a new player on the board who seems determined to tear them apart. Or, more accurately, a very old player.
Dire Ambitions
Not started
AO3 blurb: It’s time to take the fight to Shar. But even for an archdruid and the Vampire Ascendant, the power to stop a goddess does not come easily. They must decide who can help them triumph: the wilds, the hells, or an old acquaintance who knows the limitations of godhood better than most.
*Whispers* This might sound horrible, but I want to read/write a fic where Tav convinces Astarion to remain a spawn, to keep him dependent, in-line, and under control. And Tav is narratively portrayed as a sweet ever smiling Cazador 2.0 in sheep's clothing.
Be the change you want to see in the world!
Seriously, if you like the idea, write it. I wrote a less dark piece along a similar theme myself. In that one Tav is not intentionally controlling like Cazador, but it follows a pattern I've often seen irl when someone escapes a bad situation. They start out really excited about everything. If they were 'rescued' by someone (or someones, like a religious organization), they are utterly devoted to that person and will do anything for them because that's the only framework they have for love. As time goes on, the person who was 'saved' starts to realize their 'savior' only likes them when they conform to how a person should feel and act in the savior's eyes. That often doesn't align with the person's actual thoughts and feelings, though they may be beaten down into agreeing and trying to change themselves or lie about their feelings to stay in the savior's good graces. Eventually, the person who escaped grows resentful. They come to the conclusion that savior doesn't actually like their autonomy; they just wanted to feel as though they were a good person by giving the downtrodden a chance to pursue the 'right' and/or 'healthy' way to live. Sometimes this leads to an explosion or overcorrection as they try to escape from the person or group that saved them from their original hell.
In my fic that looks like the honeymoon phase wearing off after a decade or so and Astarion feeling trapped by Tav's expectations of him. He doesn't want to constantly fight his all-consuming hunger to be a well-mannered vampire who doesn't hurt people except when approved by Tav. He doesn't want to be beholden to them to sate his craving for blood. He doesn't want to hold his tongue around everyone but people Tav deems evil or deserving of his vitriol. He doesn't want to have a drawn out conversation about consent every time he has sex or worse, not be allowed to explore it at all because Tav refuses to 'be complicit' in him 'hurting himself' if he doesn't enjoy it. So he breaks up and runs away to go live in the woods, creates an underground empire largely run by delinquent children he teaches to be cutthroat rogues, indulges in debauchery and promiscuity to his heart's content, and kills anyone who gets in his way. He's not completely unsympathetic or uncaring about others, but he's not really kind or soft anymore either. Not unless it's a matter of survival.
The beauty of bg3 is in how many different stories can be told with the same characters, especially post game. Enjoy what makes you happy and ignore anyone who tells you there's only one possible canon interpretation of a character; that's a blatant misunderstanding of cyoa narratives and the importance of personal perspective in experiencing art. Even if it wasn't, transformative works like fanfiction are all about headcanons and making interesting stories. Don't be afraid to play with things that are really dark or really light or anything in-between. Fandom is about having fun.
Recently, there have been a few people stepping forward to defend Dark Romance in the context of Baldur’s Gate 3.
There has been a lot of emphasis on how healing it can be, and certainly in the case of Astarion, a lot of people have stated that his story helped them heal from past trauma and abuse.
That is a completely valid reason for enjoying Dark Romance, but it is not the only reason for creating or consuming such content.
Dark Romance has been around since the 18th century, and it has been a consistently popular genre.
It has also consistently provoked a degree of moral panic, undoubtedly due to the genre being mostly popular with women.
I have enjoyed Dark Romance since I was a teenager, but I am not going to use things that have happened to me in real life to justify that, because we all have stuff that we have to deal with.
I am not romancing Ascended Astarion and writing Dark fiction to process past trauma.
I am doing those things simply because I enjoy them. End of. No apologies.
Why go to the bother saying that? Because I don’t want to perpetuate the situation we had on Larian’s forums recently where Ascended Astarion fans were outing themselves as having experienced abuse in real life in the vain hope of having their arguments taken seriously by other users.
I am really happy for people who have found Astarion’s story helpful in healing their trauma, but I don’t like the way certain elements in the fandom have almost demanded that Ascended Astarion fans show their ‘credentials’. It is as if they are saying you can enjoy the ascended route, just as long as you admit you are broken and need help.
As for the people who responded to Ascended Astarion fans stories of real life abuse by saying they must have secretly liked it or, even worse, deserved it, all I can say is, people never fail to disappoint.
Ascending Astarion is commonly regarded as his ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ ending, and many regard his unascended or ‘good’ ending as a redemption path. However, since vampires and vampire spawn are both evil aligned in DnD, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Astarion is saved or redeemed by remaining a spawn.
He still lives by preying on people, but now he is being paid to do so, by the forces of law and order apparently, since he seems to be acting with impunity.
In one ending we see unascended Astarion smiling as he advances on a bound and terrified victim, hardly the action of someone who is wholly good or redeemed.
Even if we accept that Astarion is redeemed by remaining a spawn, I find it hard to believe that Stephen Rooney created the ascended path for Astarion in the hope that we would all collectively clutch our pearls and shun him.
Like his unascended self, Ascended Astarion is there for us to have fun with.
Baudelaire Welch, who also worked on the BG3 romances, has muddied the waters somewhat by publicly saying video games have a part to play in teaching people about relationships, something I strongly disagree with (just look how well that has worked out with Veilguard), but a lot of what they said has been taken out of context.
In the talk that is quoted most often, Mx Welch spoke at length about how the player had the option to abuse their romance partner and to then see the consequences of those actions in the game. It was their hope that players might learn something from this.
In other words, they were not saying the player character would experience abuse, but rather that the player is free to role-play as an abuser, if they wish.
eg. In Astarion’s case, by such actions as forcing him to have sex, betraying him to Cazador or enslaving him at the end of the game.
<<<<<>>>>>
So, just for fun, let’s look at some of the most common reasons put forward for why romancing Ascended Astarion in BG3 is an unequivocally bad idea.
“Ascended Astarion becomes an abuser, so you’re excusing abuse.”
First you would have to convince me the first part of that statement is true and so far, I have not been convinced. The Patch 6 kisses were put forward as proof (look Tav’s scared!), but
a) They were a late addition to the game
and
b) Larian altered them. And no, I don’t believe any game company spends money changing things after release because a tiny minority complains. I would assume there were either a huge amount of complaints or, more likely, the implied non-consent put the game’s rating into question and Larian did not want to raise it and potentially lose a large chunk of their market.
Nothing in the actual game dialogue backs the abuse theory up.
Yes, Astarion is unpleasant if you try to break up with him, but even then, his reaction is very mild. No attempted murder, no attacks on either Tav or their friends. He just says a few things that aren’t very nice.
He does imply that Tav can’t leave him and vampire lore for both spawn and bride would back that up, but he only threatens you with living ‘your best life’ (Ooh! How terrible!).
“By portraying it as a romance rather than abuse, you might lead vulnerable and impressionable young girls to make unfortunate choices in real life.”
I was shocked that anyone would think like that in the 21st century, but that argument has been put forward on several social media platforms. Blatant misogyny presented as care and concern for women, with their fluffy little brains and inability to make rational decisions.
Well, it is not like you see young women holding down responsible jobs or in positions of authority, is it? /s
Most interesting to me is that the concern expressed is purely for young women. Not one person has suggested that playing as Ascended Astarion might encourage young male players to abuse their partners in real life. That would be totally ridiculous of course, but then, so is the argument that young women might romance Ascended Astarion and end up in an abusive relationship as a direct consequence.
I am definitely sensing a good dose of misogyny and to a lesser extent homophobia in these arguments.
Consider also that Minthara and Dark Justiciar Shadowheart are both morally reprehensible characters, but nobody seems to feel that players who romance them, need to be protected from their evil influence.
“If you think Astarion makes Tav a ‘bride’ when he turns them, you are delusional.” (usually written as ‘delulu’ but I refuse to go down to that level. Use your words properly, people!)
I think Tav’s turning was left deliberately vague, with the intention of leaving a nice little Easter egg for those people who know their 2nd edition DnD lore (it keeps changing with every edition).
You can interpret it either way. Tav might be a spawn or they might be a bride. It’s up to the player to decide.
Astarion never says Tav is a spawn. He deflects by saying spawn is ‘such an ugly word’. Instead he calls them his consort, which just to be clear means the spouse of a ruler, not a slave or a concubine.
Like Astarion’s original eye colour I feel this is something Larian have left open on purpose so that players can play the relationship however they choose.
The idea of Tav as a ‘vampire bride’ provokes ire from people who like the Astarion as abuser/Cazador II narrative, because a bride has autonomy, though the bride frequently does not realise it. More importantly, the bond between the master vampire and the bride means any extreme emotion felt by the bride is felt by the master, too.
So, while it is not unknown for a master vampire to destroy their bride, being habitually cruel or abusive towards them seems very unlikely.
(source: Van Richten’s Guide to Vampires).
<<<<<>>>>>
So, what about writing Dark Fiction/Dark Romance.
If I’m not doing it to heal from some awful trauma, why do I do it?
To let my mind wander down the roads not taken
To explore myths and the darker side of human nature
To make sense of the world and other people
And first and foremost, to entertain myself and hopefully my readers.
I put a lot of effort into my work and I want the reader to have an emotional response. I want them to care about the characters I create and to be invested in what happens to them.
When I write a dark scene featuring say, non-con, betrayal or torture I always do it for a reason and I don’t want it to be a comfortable experience; it is not comfortable to write it, but then, I do not believe that art should always be comfortable.
I do hope that the people who choose to read those scenes enjoy them though, not in a gratuitous fashion, but more in the sense of being taken somewhere you would not normally choose to go, and doing it in a way that is safe and controllable.
Sometimes you want fiction to give you a hug and a mug of hot chocolate, and sometimes you want it to leave you alone in a dark forest knowing something is out there, it definitely means you harm, and it is getting closer.
The nice thing about fiction is, you can walk away from that forest any time you like and nobody gets hurt. You don’t even have to go in.
<<<<>>>>
Well that’s my ten cents worth, hopefully nobody feels the need to block me over my views, because I’m a reasonable person and I’m not planning on going into anyone’s space and telling them their take on Astarion is wrong.
If anyone wants to come into my space and tell me I’m wrong, I probably won’t bite because I’m getting a bit long in the tooth for internet spats.
That said, I’m always up for polite debate and discussion.
You know that thing that happens when you set out to write something soft, sweet, and shippy without worrying a lick about characterization or canon because you're sick and writing is meant to be relaxing, but then you instead end up with zero romance and your intended ship characters bantering at each other for 2k words instead of offering any real comfort? Just me?
In any case, here's a sickfic set in Act 1 of bg3 that was intended to be pre-relationship Halstarion with Halsin as the sick one, but Astarion being Astarion derailed everything. You can sort of see the foundation for a future relationship if you squint really hard? At least speed writing it today made me laugh, which was sorely needed while stuck in bed all day.
As this year draws to a close, I just wanted to take a moment to look back at and celebrate all the new fics I wrote this year. I encourage all you creative folks to do the same with your own works!
This was a year of almost entirely writing for bg3 and pretty much exclusively very niche ideas. It's been a tough fandom to navigate, with much less community to others compared to what I'm used to thanks to the branching narratives, but I still love writing for it.
We started the year with the first entry in The Monster and The Wild series, aka the Ascended Astarion/(eventual) Shadow Druid Halsin verse, as a gift for a dear friend. At the end of the year, that same series now has 5 fics of various styles and is about 70k words. Writing a story that plays with the concepts of corruption and conscience in markedly different ways between each entry has been a difficult and enjoyable experience. Besides finishing the lighter in tone 5th fic, there is a heavy 6th one plotted that I'm very excited about and hope to release in 2025. There are still many storylines to wrap up and characters to check in with, so who knows how much more I will write!
In February, I finished up my one Ace of Diamond fic for Chrismiyu day called Full House. It's part of a mafia/card sharks inspired verse that has nothing to do with baseball. I don't know if I'll have anything in store for Chrismiyu day in 2025, but I still have a few notes and unfinished fics floating around out there if I decide I want a break from writing fantasy.
Then in May was Girdled Roots, which was easily my favorite thing to write this year and the fic I'm most proud of. It is the amalgamation of a ton of research, combing obscure references to my favorite potential canon events that very few people have experienced in bg3 along with my nature nerd tendencies. I was so excited to write something dark yet hopeful about the post game; a character study where the characters didn't immediately get a happily ever after the credits roll and the epilogue was treated as a typical 'class reunion' where only palatable, partial truths about their day-to-day lives were told to each other. As a bonus, this fic also touched on almost all the companions, which allowed me to write some relationships I rarely get to in my other plots.
Past Meetings, Future Greetings was in November, a vignette fic following a mildly de-aged Halsin along with each companion in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. A mix of silly, a bit sexy, and serious, it was fun to write from everyone's point of view other than Halsin's for once. I'd love to come back to this one in 2025 and play with some other scenarios involving temporarily 100-year-old Halsin if time and inspiration allow.
And now, as we wrap up December, I'm just starting Polar Bear in a Snowstorm as a new entry in the Monster and the Wild series. This is mostly an excuse to write dragons and evil domesticity, and I'm having a blast with it. There are a lot of chapters planned for this one, though most are intended to be rather short. I'm looking forward to working on it in the new year, and hope the readers who enjoy my bg3 niche have fun with it, too!
Happy new year to all. See you in 2025!
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Almost forgot to cross post this here once I finished.
This is the de-aged to a young adult Halsin fic I talked about writing a while back. Each chapter other than the first is focused on him with a different companion - Wyll, Karlach, Gale, Lae'zel, Astarion, Shadowheart, and Jaheira. A lot of flirting (genuine and otherwise), sexual propositions, culture clashes, learning experiences, and a touch of angst since this is set during Act 2. No explicit romantic ships but plenty of physical attraction. There's also a chance I may add on additional chapters in the future as I get inspiration or requests.
My next fic will almost certainly be back to my main dark Halstarion verse, but ironically, covering somewhat wholesome topics. Hopefully I can get started sometime during the holiday months, though I'm quite busy irl atm.
Still, if you have stuff you'd like to see me write or analyze from bg3, my askbox is always open!
Not including Tav, which party of four companions would you most love to see adventuring together?
My personal pick would be: Gale, Astarion, Halsin, and Jaheira aka the old person squad.
Besides their cutting humor and collective pragmatism, I love how this group can always have one "odd man out" when almost any situation comes up.
Gale - The token human
He may be older than a lot of the other companions, but with these three he's constantly listening to them complain about things that happened before he was born. When he tries to join in by discussing the histories he's read, he usually learns how much his books were missing and is teased for being the child of the group who still has creaky knees. He also has to remind them that he can't see in the dark at least once a tenday.
Astarion - The token non-caster
Oh, he has an affinity for magic when it comes to practical use, but not at all on the level of the other three. There is a great deal of whinging and, when that fails, stealing of unimportant trinkets from the distracted party's pockets whenever they go on for too long about their spellcraft.
Bonus as the token evil guy. Though it's really more the "token evil ideas guy" because the other three, though not prone to his daydreams of wanton sadism, are far less bothered about getting their hands dirty than he expected. Apparently, once you've lived long enough, a lot of things stop being shocking to you even if you disapprove of them.
Halsin - The token country bumpkin
He's traveled much of the world, but despises city life and finds its customs foreign, constantly surprising the other three with enormous gaps in his 'wise old man' persona. Gale tries to teach him about the city (often to excess), Jaheira calls him out for being ignorant at his age, and Astarion finds whatever opportunities he can to humiliate Halsin using civilization for the party's entertainment, though it often backfires.
Jaheira - The token girl
That's not to say her gender has a huge influence on how the others treat her, but it's something they're aware of when it's just the four of them out there. She'd argue it probably makes her self-appointed job of keeping them in line easier. She doesn't hesitate to weaponize her crotchety old woman voice whenever she calls out the "stupid men" for doing foolish things, and it gives her the opportunity to send them to handle any "boy's club" missions on their own while she makes pithy judgements from the sidelines.
I know this is a wildly impractical squad for the game and there is very little canon banter between them. I just think they'd be neat. Though, to be honest, I think most groups of four companions have their own uniquely charming dynamics.
So, what about you? What companion-based adventuring party do you like best?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Finally wrapped up the next installment of my Ascended Astarion x Shadow Druid Halsin verse. This one is from Astarion's PoV for the first time, following his (shortsighted) attempts to bring Raphael souls as payment for information on Shadowheart. It also gives more insight into his odd, obsessive relationship with Halsin that's been brewing in the background of the other fics, as well as a few of the rules of the Vampire Ascendant in this universe. Lots of lore and worldbuilding, a lot less interpersonal stuff this time around. If you're just here to read the Halstarion interaction moments, they're in Chapters 1, 4, and 6.
Although the fic isn't particularly graphic, there's a ton of horrible people in this one whether OCs or canon, so be aware if you're planning to read.
Next up will probably be my de-aged (still to adulthood) Halsin fic. Then I'll be back in this verse again, playing with one of the concepts I've been most excited to do since I started this series: how the two corrupt boys handle trying to raise another creature together...particularly when that creature is a classically Evil D&D one.
As always, feel free to reach out with questions, comments, kudos, or ideas/analysis you'd like to see me tackle.
I just realized I'm missing a fun detail in my post about Halsin's treatment of Astarion's Ascension - his reaction to asking a story of the player in the Epilogue if the player is Ascended Astarion.
For those who don't know, the stories you can give Halsin in the Epilogue change depending on what character you play and the circumstances of your character at endgame. There are almost 30 different possible lines.
It always starts the same way:
Halsin: Please, spare no details. I shall not lie - I have an ulterior motive in wishing to hear all. It is the children, you see. My charges.
Halsin: Their appetite for bedtime tales is greater than I could ever have anticipated: 'Another story, Daddy Halsin, another!' is the chorus that greets me each nightfall.
Halsin: They have all but exhausted my repertoire in but a few short months - no mean feat, given the lifetime I have lived. I desperately need new material, please. My reputation is at stake.
Player: All right, let me see what I have...
Halsin: I am all ears. Though I never cared for that phrase. A rather unsettling image...
When playing Ascended Origin Astarion, this is the exchange afterward:
Astarion: My tales are a little heavy on murder and sex. But if the children want to hear them...
Halsin: Hmm. Perhaps I can substitute the bloodlust and... eh, general lust for cuddles and animals in the retelling. The children may be confused, but no matter - they will soon be asleep.
Halsin: Even with a few little white lies, rest assured that they shall be engrossed. Thank you.
The audio of Halsin's initial reaction for your listening pleasure:
Halsin's awkward fumbling for a way to somehow make use of Astarion's tales about murder and sex in bedtime stories for the children is the funniest thing to me. He could just say "You know what? I appreciate the stories, but maybe your flavor of adventure would be better for the kids once they're older." That's what he does with his own raunchy stories, after all.
Player: I expect you'll have a few tales that will need to wait until they are older.
Halsin: More than a few, I should think. At least I shall be equipped to explain the birds and the bees when the time comes, but I hope that time is quite a while off yet.
He even does it to Dark Justiciar Shadowheart:
Shadowheart: Tell Halsin of how you consolidated your power over Lady Shar's church, purging the disloyal with bloody vigor.
Halsin: My. Perhaps a tale for the older children, once I trim off a few of the... less savoury details. But thank you, all the same.
But no, Halsin is going to somehow force Lord Astarion's stories to be safe for the little kiddos. It's hilarious to imagine him feeling the need to make big, bad Astarion and his life of debauchery feel included in Halsin's own more bucolic existence. He may accept Astarion's wild stories into his repertoire, but Halsin is internally making note that Lord Astarion is absolutely not a good fit to ever become "Uncle Astarion". Some friends (or lovers) are only for adults to meet.
And, because I know some will be curious about how this compares to his other ends, Halsin's need to censor Astarion's stories is actually true for every version of Astarion. I just find his Ascended version is just the most blatant about it, though he's amusingly almost equally uncomfortable with a Spawn Astarion who has killed Cazador:
(Spawn, Cazador dead) Astarion: I've been revelling in my freedom, rediscovering the joys of the night.
Halsin: Sanguine joys, no doubt? Perhaps I shall smoothen out some of those details - the children do not need to know the full truth of your diet. But they shall be rapt all the same, thank you.
The version where you've chosen not to kill Cazador before finishing the game is censored in a much different way, essentially turning Astarion's depressing story into one of perseverance.
(Spawn, Cazador alive) Astarion: Halsin, I've been hiding in sewers and eating rats. It's not a glorious tale.
Halsin: Ah, but the glory can be found in the telling. The children love tales of underdogs, facing odds most unlikely. They shall appreciate your story, trust me.
You could dive into a huge analysis about this particular response regarding the morality of shielding children from unhappy endings and the enticing nature of stories about 'nobility in poverty', but that's a heavy philosophical debate I don't feel is suited for this silly little post. I just find these bonus endcaps really fun for the few who have persevered through an entire Origin run, and it's an extra crumb for the few who enjoy Ascended Astarion's odd chemistry with Halsin.
I'm currently trundling through writing another more plot-driven installment of my Ascended Astarion/Shadow Druid Halsin series, but once that's done I'm considering picking up the much lighter de-aged (to about 100) Halsin story I've talked about before.
I'm tentatively thinking of making it a 7-8 chapter fic. The first chapter will be to set up the scenario and the rest to go through him interacting with each of the origin companions.
With that in mind, which companion would you like to see 100-year old Halsin interact with first? I won't necessarily follow the order picked here exactly because some companion story beats might need to happen in a particular order, but I'd like to get a rough idea of what people are excited about.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Back on my nonsense again with the Vampire Ascendant Astarion and (gradually falling) Shadow Druid Halsin verse, this time also featuring a cameo by Raphael and teasing even more hidden machinations by evil beings. I doubt anyone but me cares about all the subterfuge plots, but I love it. Apparently "characters doing their best while deceiving each other and working on bad partial information" is my favorite genre to write for bg3.
In truth, this fic exists solely because I wanted to write an evil power couple moment. Even if it's somewhat ruined later by the fact they're not quite a couple and don't totally trust each other...
As always, if there's something in particular you like or want to see more of, please don't hesitate to drop me a comment. Hope ya'll who are into this unusual verse/pair enjoy!
Tossing this slightly more serious fic idea onto the "neat, but not going to write" pile: a prequel for Astarion based on "No Longer You"
Astarion, magistrate of Baldur's Gate, ends up stranded with the Gur after a pirate attack and is trying to get home. He's particularly desperate to return to his wife, a woman he married for political gain despite his youth, because he fears he will lose his grip on her if he's delayed too long. Desperate to find a solution, he turns to one of the Gur's seers.
Astarion is shocked by the cryptic condemnation he receives about his future, and furious the seer says not only can he not help the magistrate return home, but his wife will end up with a murderer. The seer predicts many other horrible things, too - betrayal, deathly sacrifice, a brother standing against him (despite Astarion being an only child), a palace covered in red, and Astarion's untimely demise. There is no future where he, as he is now, will make it home.
It all seems like ludicrous nonsense meant to humiliate a magistrate. And as is often the case in these tales, Astarion's arrogance and ignorance about the prophecy causes him to fulfill it.
His anger at the seer for saying he would die and seemingly refusing to help Astarion get home is what spurs him to target the Gur with unjust laws and punishments upon his eventual return. That then sets in motion each of the seer's visions.
He is betrayed by the Gur and beaten to the brink of death.
He dies at Cazador's hands, shocking several people, including his wife who was never unfaithful despite their loveless marriage, when he shows up "alive" years later.
The red palace in the seer's vision belongs to Cazador (and perhaps Astarion one day), and the blood implied to color it is that of his victims.
The sacrifices mentioned by the seer are for the Rite of Profane Ascension, Astarion among those chosen.
The final stand of his brother is not a natural sibling, but his brother as made by Cazador, trying to escape his fate.
And, of course, Astarion himself becomes a ruthless, cursed creature to survive, making his wife the spouse of a murderer. Just as the seer predicted, he is never able to return home as the elf he was when he left.
I was definitely not expecting more Halstarion with Ascended Astarion and (accidental) Shadow Druid Halsin to be winning my little poll. Chrismiyu & Analysis posts are only shortly behind, so I'll likely still spread a bit between all of them as time allows.
For my small group of dark Halstarion enthusiasts, I have a follow up question since I don't have a particular story planned at the moment.
What are you most interested in reading?
Spawn/Ancunin Palace gossip about Halsin & Halstarion
A bloody party thrown at the palace on Halsin's behalf
Halsin's care and feeding of Astarion's wolves
Halstarion's return and eventual takeover of Emerald Grove
As requested, here's a fic that's mostly just Lord Astarion's spawn grumbling and gossiping about Halsin and Astarion's relationship. If you enjoyed this sort of thing, make sure you let me know, so I can decide if I should come back to this or a similar verse sometime in the future. Thanks for voting everyone!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I was definitely not expecting more Halstarion with Ascended Astarion and (accidental) Shadow Druid Halsin to be winning my little poll. Chrismiyu & Analysis posts are only shortly behind, so I'll likely still spread a bit between all of them as time allows.
For my small group of dark Halstarion enthusiasts, I have a follow up question since I don't have a particular story planned at the moment.
What are you most interested in reading?
Spawn/Ancunin Palace gossip about Halsin & Halstarion
A bloody party thrown at the palace on Halsin's behalf
Halsin's care and feeding of Astarion's wolves
Halstarion's return and eventual takeover of Emerald Grove
As I'm finishing up the drafts of my last few chapters for my current longfic (yes, I'm actually ahead of posting for once, I know, I don't believe it either), I've realized I don't know what I want to work on next. I've got a long list of backlog items and no clear drive. My fandoms are mostly dead or fractured, and I've been writing for a wildly unpopular area of bg3 so I haven't been as active in fandom spaces as I used to be. Still, might as well ask for anyone who stumbles on this.
What would you be interested in seeing from me next?
More Halstarion with accidental Shadow Druid Halsin & Ascended Astarion
More Chrismiyu
Finish one of my outstanding longfics
Deep dive analysis posts (topic suggestions welcome)
