#cyrusXkarlach

[thedragonagelesbian]

heartsworn

#bg3 #karlach #tav #karlach x tav #cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #I AM A SIMPLE GUY I SEE FACE TOUCHING AND I START CRYING #finally posting these photosets lol #more coming (threat)

[thedragonagelesbian]

h-llowed

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Rating: T

Pairing: KarlachXM!Tav

Summary: The Shadowlands will do anything it can to blot out every last scrap of hope and light within its domain. When its darkness comes for him, Cyrus is left to face a terrifying question: what is a paladin without his oath?

“Hey soldier.”

Cyrus’ hands stilled. 

It was a beautiful shield: a bulwark of gleaming silver and delicate gold filigree that had once called to him. Before even seeing it for the first time, he had heard it humming in his heart as he had crossed the bridge to the Last Light Inn. With every step and thrum of his pulse, it had grown louder until, in the quartermaster’s tent, he had fallen to his knees in front of it. Hands reverent, metal singing, a holy consonance reverberating through him as he traced its engraving— the emblem of his oath.

But the symbol was fading now, faint at the edge where the paint was thinnest and Cyrus had rubbed in too much polish. 

He had done little else since returning to camp. He didn’t even know how long he had been there, hunched between tenuous firelight and creeping twilight. No armor, no sword, no companions.

Just the damned shield, quiet as the grave.

And, now, Karlach.

The tiefling woman crouched beside him in a low, restless squat. As she bounced from foot to foot, the shadows danced too, shifting with the shimmer of her flame-licked skin. Receding. And for the first time, Cyrus realized how cold he was. There was only so much the pixie’s bell could do for him, after all. The darkness wasn’t just out there anymore, kept at bay by torchlight and Selûne’s blessing. Its tendrils had hooked inside of him, twisted icicles of inky nothingness staked through his heart, and the emptiness was as heavy as it was frigid. A void howling with the weight of loss.

Cyrus had shouldered countless burdens in his century of life. He would bear this one too. He would endure it. The song would come back, if only he just proved his devotion.

He resumed his task, shrinking away from Karlach’s warmth and keeping his head low. “Should you still be calling me that?”

Keep reading on Ao3

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #tav #karlach #karlach x tav #cyrusXkarlach #cyrus bg3 #ITSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HERE YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL

[thedragonagelesbian]

look at him. so smiley. so adoringly in love.

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #i havent gotten any pics of his oathbreaker hair in sunlight but here you can see the strands of red still poking thru #swoon indeed!!!!

[thedragonagelesbian]

i am SO pleased to discover that there's a version of this for any character you're romancing...

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #bg3 spoilers #i had only seen the astarion one before this

[thedragonagelesbian]

i try to keep this screenshot open while im working so i can switch over to it & give myself a lil happiness boost

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #the tenderness of the neck touch just gets me every tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

[thedragonagelesbian]

as part of Missing Him hours/days/weeks, everyone has to be reminded of the original ThemTM

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #face touching & utter blissful adoration.... what more could you want

[thedragonagelesbian]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH MUCH LOVE TO @deer-trees FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIFT OF MY MOST SPECIAL BOY AND HIS FLAMING HOT WIFE WHOM HE LOVES VERY MUCH IM C R Y I N G

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #karlach #post-wildheart piercings check up my entire fucking H E A R T WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #im INCONSOLABLE ROLLING AROUND ON THE FLOOR WAILING

[thedragonagelesbian]

IVE EMERGED TRIUMPHANT

#I LOVE THEM SO FUCKING MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #bg3 spoilers

[thedragonagelesbian]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #it is in fact an immense joy to take care of cyrus when he lets you do it #it is the 'letting you do it' part that he struggles with

[thedragonagelesbian]

Cyrus and Wyll: 14, 5, 33

Cyrus and Halsin: 7, 12, 34

Cyrus and Karlach: 21, 26, 36

BG3 Cyrus and Meredith (redacted): 13, 10, 12

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ship asks :DDDDDD

CyrusXWyll

14. How would they describe one another if asked?

Cyrus about Wyll: Wyll is... gods, where to even begin? He's handsome, silly, charming, joyful, poetic, but most of all he's good. The kind of good that makes you believe in good again.

Wyll about Cyrus: Cyrus is a bit like a blackberry bush: sure, there are brambles and thorns, and even the leaves will prick you, but there's a great deal of sweetness to be found if you've a steady hand.

5. What’s their love language like? Are they compatible with one another?

Cyrus shows love through acts of service and likes to be shown love through physical touch.

Wyll shows love through words of affirmation and likes to be shown love through quality time.

They're immensely compatible, Wyll's words of affirmation make Cyrus blush and Cyrus' acts of service make Wyll swoon, and whether its sparring or gardening or listening to Wyll compose, they love to just be near each other.

The one fault line is Cyrus' desire for physical (and sexual) touch. They both have their hesitations-- Wyll's idealized chaste fairytale romance and worry about Mizora impinging on his intimacy, Cyrus' anxiety about being that vulnerable with someone again, it makes a lot of sense for both of them that they don't sleep together until Act 3, but even for non-sexual intimacy, it takes some time & negotiation & exploration. Very regency-esque. The first time they hold hands????????? woag...

33. Who was the first to say ‘I love you’?

I'm not sure yet, I have to play through more of Wyll's romance first, though I'm leaning toward Wyll, since this version of Cyrus has a much harder time with those words (which is heartbreaking given how readily he otherwise says it).

CyrusXHalsin

7. What do they argue about?

They're both so non-confrontational & default to prioritizing the other's feelings, it's hard to imagine them arguing. Even dealing with Cyrus' martyr complex, I picture Halsin being much more patient about it (if no less firm) than, say, Anders (as far as exasperated cyrusXhealer ships go). I could see them arguing about having children that were theirs in a deeper sense than the communal care for the orphans in the epilogue, as something Halsin might want but Cyrus really wouldn't. And I think they 'argue' about whose fault it was that Halsin got kidnapped by Orin, insofar as they both blame themselves.

12. What would they say each other’s worst quality is?

They'd say the same thing about each other: the impulse to minimize their pain.

34. Who is more stubborn?

Hmmmmm I'd say Cyrus but I think Halsin is uniquely well-equipped to manage that stubborness by triggering Cyrus' 'im not arguing with a thick hunk of an elf whatever you say beautiful' mode (especially when it comes to accepting care).

CyrusXKarlach

21. Who is better at games? Does the loser take it graciously?

For Cyrus, games are more a reason to hang out with people than something he actually cares about playing. For some games, especially those that involve gambling or deception, he'd much rather just be at the table watching his friends play & getting drunk & snuggling than actually participating.

I can see Karlach getting super competitive, and you're 80% sure she's exaggerating & playing it up for fun, but like... maybe she is really going to flip the table. At the same time, she handles losing better than Cyrus handles her losing. He roots for her very hard and (depending on how drunk he is) gets very sad on her behalf.

Also if they're on the same team for like a couples game or something, they get very loud and very excited together very fast.

26. Do any of them have bad habits that the other can’t stand?

Cyrus is much more on the fence about using the soul coins than Karlach is.

If Wyll reinitiates his pact with Mizora in Act 3, Karlach has a line to the effect of "you know, there's such a thing as being too good of a person. Someone should tell Wyll Ravengard." She feels similarly about Cyrus' worst sacrificial tendencies, especially when he's considering becoming a mindflayer at the end of the game.

36. How long have they been friends? Would they consider each other best friends?

Cyrus and Karlach kind of pass over becoming friends and skip right to wanting to jump each others' bones really bad. Especially because in my original playthrough, I ended up recruiting her super late (between defeating the goblin camp and the tiefling party), they hit the ground running with 'now i just need to find me a fire retardant lover' and 'i want to ride you until you see stars' and Cyrus giving himself third degree burns trying to hold her hand

Of course, in the absence of physical touch, they do develop a very close friendship leading up to Karlach's second round of engine repairs, but they'd name other party members as their besties (Shadowheart for Cyrus, Wyll for Karlach).

[REDACTED]

I was NOT expecting asks about this relationship, these took me out of left field & hurt a lot (<3)

13. What would they say each other’s best quality is?

Cyrus: her conviction

Meredith: his loyalty

10. How do they make up after a fight?

Cyrus apologies first; Meredith is always quick to forgive him, stressing how glad she is that he did the right thing so they can move past something that was probably her fault. If it's a big fight, she keeps avoiding him until she can be sure the apology will happen while she's seated in her court on her throne.

12. What would they say each other’s worst quality is?

Cyrus: her harshness

Meredith: she thinks he's perfect; even more inconvenient traits for the right hand of a tyrant, like his kindness, can be easily turned to her advantage

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXwyll #cyrusXhalsin #cyrusXkarlach #(no ship tag for [redacted]) #speaking of perc'ahlia things that cyrus and wyll can also pull off i considered slipping in a 'he is my heart he is my judgement' #for how they would describe each other #i couldnt make it work but. its on my mind.

[thedragonagelesbian]

I REALLY FUCKING CANT WITH THEM YALL...... H A N D S

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach

[thedragonagelesbian]

they are important to me

Karlach expected to feel his lips on her cheeks again, but he went for her arm instead, kissing up the spiderwebs of her burn scars to the vents in her shoulders. He mouthed the rubber and suckled the steam as if they were ambrosia, and Karlach watched her flames burst blue beneath his lips. The last place she ever thought anyone would want to touch her was there, her skin stuccoed with Zariel’s engineering, but Cyrus lavished her.

All of her— moving up to her collarbone to kiss across her chest, pausing at the hollow of her throat before veering downward. The azure glow of the engine working overtime beneath Karlach’s sternum cast the grey of his eyes like sapphires as he kissed the edges of her halter. He followed it along the swell of her breast—Karlach breathing in sharp—to the strap, but instead of moving up to her shoulder again, he brought his face to her underarm. Mouth sucking at the hollow of her armpit, nose buried deep in the hair, Cyrus’ eyes slid closed.

Touching their tadpoles together, Karlach felt herself on Cyrus’ tongue, sweat and musk swimming with the bliss in his head, not a single other thought floating there.

“So this is devotion,” Karlach murmured, as off-hand as she could manage, but then Cyrus made a pleased purring sound that rumbled against her skin, and she had to pant a couple of times to get her engine to cool down. “A woman could get used to this…”

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #i have so many cyrus fics to work on & come monday i will finally have time for them again...

[thedragonagelesbian]

yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #bg3 spoilers #also the contrast between karlach's intense regard for cyrus' safety if hes with her #versus astarion's blatant disregard (up to and including KILLING HIM) is................................. #themes and parallels are happening between these silly little guys in my computer #anyway. they get their own post but im now 5/? on kissing companions

[thedragonagelesbian]

'new kissing animations' where are my animations of cyrus sitting in karlach's lap.

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #thinking about how in fucking separable the two of them are after karlach's engine cools down enough for them to touch #the most obnoxious pda anyone in the party has ever seen #and im. always a sucker for tipsy/blasted/tired cyrus cuddling with someone who is trying to do something else but hes too cute to ignore #neck nuzzling ear kissing playing idly with the little bits of metal in her hair

[thedragonagelesbian]

i have not taken nearly enough advantage of the fact that both karlach & cyrus can cast speak with animals for free...

#cyrus bg3 #cyrusXkarlach #i imagine karlach would want to talk to like. every single critter she comes across. #cyrus probably limits his use to checking in w/scratch & the owlbear cub #i think one day they decide to fuck with the rest of the party by pretending to communicate exclusively in growls #no one buys it until halsin nods sagely like yes i understand every word of it they are engaged in a deep and tender discourse

[thedragonagelesbian]

so..............................................................................

#cyrus bg3 #bg3 spoilers #cyrusXkarlach #cyrusXhalsin #the contrast of it all...................... what is very probably his last kiss with karlach #against halsin's adamant insistence that this is not the end for either of them #while cyrus is at war with himself over accepting the sacrifice to become a mindflayer #versus passing that responsibility onto orpheus #'the only honorable conclusion'.......................... can you not see how pained he is by taking selfish cowardly way out of this