Astarion Pov - Tumblr Posts
WIP Wednesday
Thank you for tagging me, @inkymoonbunny !!
Here's a WIP for Chapter 5 of With Stars to Fill My Dream, coming out this coming Sunday 8/11!
Visions of smiles, of tears, of sitting and writing and singing and strumming fill his mind. He sees her happy again in the presence of a different boy- skin and hair and eyes to match hers. They dance in gaudy, flashy outfits amid a crowd of similarly dressed people, all regalia and loud music. It’s unlike anything he’s ever heard, the musicians dressed in black and trimmed with gold, wide hats covering their heads as violins and accordions orchestrate the pretty swirls of Ofelia’s dress. Her smile is brighter than the sun. The next scene snaps into view, devoid of all the life and merriment of the previous one. She stands in black, above a hole in the ground, rain from a gray sky pelting her scalp. Her eyes are empty and rimmed in red. No trace of her former self left.
I know it's small, I'm sorry, but I gotta keep the rest under wraps!
Tagging everyone again- don't feel pressured, I'm just obsessed with you all ❤️
@ladyduellist @preciouslittlebhaalbae @sashitf @verbenaa @elinorbard @khywren
(Teaser) Chapter 5: Close Your Eyes and Hear My Secret
Guys, I still don't have screenshots, but I SWEAR I'll have some fresh ones for the chapter release tomorrow! So please enjoy this sunrise pic of Mt. Hood from the 205 bridge!
Anyway, if you're interested on catching up, chapter 1-4 can be read on AO3 here!
Astarion’s POV
“Astarion…” A voice drags him out of the black, the world tilting and swaying. He feels hands reach for him as the person belonging to the voice comes into focus. Ofelia.
He nearly startles at her face- can see all the past versions of herself reflected there. The wide almond eyes, brown and soft and concerned, the small birthmarks that speckle her forehead, nose, jaw, cheek- he hadn’t noticed them before. His eyes drift to her shoulder, the tip of one scar poking out of her collar and he swallows thickly, seeing her even more drained and exhausted than she’d been before their link, perhaps worse off than him.
He steadies her before she falls off the stone, brown eyes half-lidded as she looks up at him.
“Sorry for… showing you everything. I know it wasn’t all of it but… it was probably overwhelming. I don’t know how to control it.” He continues to look at her, not letting go of her arms yet not speaking as she blinks moisture from her eyes. He doesn’t realize it, but his sting as well and he hastily closes them, the residual effects of her emotions still lingering like tethers and bonds.
He’d been… wrong. She really is just another victim of the mind flayers…
He wishes he hadn’t plunged in, hadn’t absorbed the chaos and pain of her life and memories as they slowly file into the back of his mind in neat little rows. The violence and agony had scored the inside of his chest into raw, aching wounds that he tries now to madly cover up and erase. He’ll have to be more careful next time he links with someone- the lingering dominion of her roiling thoughts and emotions are proving hard to shake, but slowly they ebb until he feels cold and shaky.
Some of the scenes had left a lasting mark on him- not entirely relatable, but just enough to have him feeling simultaneously sympathetic and appalled. She may not have been locked up in a tomb for a year, or constantly tortured, but it was still enough to remind him of his own not-so-distant past that he both pitied and looked down on her. Weak. Strong. Victimized. Brave. A multitude of contradictions- just like him. The thoughts roll around and around in his mind, unclear if his view of her has shifted… perhaps it’s better left for thinking on later when he’s alone.
Chapter title is my fave Crumb song, Locket!
Art WIP I'm working on for Ofelia!
Little excerpt from Chapter 5 of With Stars to Fill My Dream to go along with it!
Behind her, hovering close, is a disembodied shape. It exists as a mass, spectral and pitch black in the vague outline of a person. He can’t make out any discerning features, can feel nothing but the heart pounding terror that Ofelia wades through as she caves in on herself, rocking back and forth, murmuring the song she and her mama had been chanting, shivering and jumping at every sound before red and blue lights blare in from the outside. The figure behind her moves slightly, and Astarion watches, realizes the twin points of red where the eyes should be flash to him and he almost loses the connection as the floor drops out beneath him and he spirals farther into her head, away from the eerie presence.
WIP Whenever!
Hehe, thank you for tagging me @verbenaa 🖤🖤 I've got so much in store, some kinktober stuff (yes, the infamous incubus fic that has been in the works since July) but have some Chapter 12 dance stuff!!! Because I have really pretty art to share with that chapter and I'm so excited since the person who made it for me put so much beauty and hard work into it!
His companions dance, embers stretching up to the stars. He watches, listens, hears the words wash over him, and feels the drum resonate in his chest, the lyrics lighting over his subconscious. When she’s exhausted, her body radiating heat, sweat clinging to her skin in a glossy glow, he stares brazenly. She walks over to him, her cheeks flushed red, her hands raising to settle on his shoulders. He thanks the ithbank Wyll had passed around for her warm eyes as she rests against his chest, arms wrapping around his neck while a soft melody, unlike the one before, billows around them. Unsure what else to do, he settles his hands on her hips, swaying slightly as she sighs. “Thanks for carrying me back.” She murmurs into his chest and he snickers softly, knowing someone would have told her. “You’re very welcome.” She laughs this time, pulling away to look into his eyes. Her gaze distracts him, not noticing Shadowheart slow-dancing with Wyll while Gale casts a copy of himself for Karlach to twirl. Lae’zel is sitting on the ground, a half-empty bottle in her hand, looking satisfied and surprisingly content. He wants to ask about their talk in the windmill, about her reluctance but lets the questions die on his tongue as she smiles at him. He wants to pull her in close, maybe work some kind of magic to entice her into a kiss, but she doesn’t seem to need it. On her own, she moves closer and he closes his eyes, waiting for her soft lips to touch his, but it never comes. Instead, she leaves a featherlight peck on his cheek, gentle, before resting her head against his shoulder. He looks at her hair, and the pink tips of her ears, at a loss for words as the music takes them the rest of the way through the evening.
Tagging all of you again if you feel like sharing 🖤🖤 @preciouslittlebhaalbae @inkymoonbunny @justabiteofspite @elinorbard @ladyduellist @roguishcat @khywren @kalmiaphlox
Snippet Sunday Monday
Thank you for the tags, @verbenaa @khywren @kalmiaphlox ❤️❤️❤️
I am late! Oh well, I spent way too much time messing around in the game taking pretty pictures yesterday that I missed my bedtime! 🤷🏻♀️ Please enjoy this snippet of Chapter 12- Gale Saving the Day by Charging Ofelia’s Phone! (No that's not the actual name of the chapter lol)
Release Date: October 20th
“Oh my god… it's full.” She holds the little glowing box in her hands as they all crowd around her, faces lit up by the screen. He grunts and protests when the others smash together, forcing him to be in their proximity, but he isn’t as annoyed about it as he thought he’d be. An image of a misty forest with what appears to be the time pops up and she breathes out in a rush before pressing her finger to the center to change the image. She cheers, fingers moving and tapping things he doesn’t know how to comprehend before she lowers it and looks at all of them. “I’m going to take a picture of us. Just smile, if you want-” She directs her playful jab at him and he rolls his eyes. “-but stay still!” When she raises the little screen again, they’re all there, even him, and he startles at the image. After two hundred years of forgetting what he looks like, he’s not sure he’ll ever get used to seeing himself again. “Okay, so I’m going to start it with ‘say cheese!’ and I want all of you to say cheese at the same time and I’ll click it. 1… 2… 3… say cheese!” They all echo the statement except Astarion and Lae’zel- who looks completely dumbfounded- and Ofelia shows them all the result. An odd feeling washes over him when he looks at it. Karlach’s beaming, Wyll’s grinning ear to ear, Gale’s wearing a kind smile. Even Shadowheart has a mirth to her eyes, despite her lips being relaxed. And then there’s the shining star, right in the middle, looking happy and content. And his face smushed next to hers, his cheek still tingling from their brief contact.
No pressure tags!
@preciouslittlebhaalbae @ladyduellist @elinorbard @inkymoonbunny @pinkberrytea @roguishcat @justabiteofspite @bhaalsdeepbat