#wizardsexual

AKA two delusional idiots discuss their religious trauma in a very cramped tent

"Mystra knew she needed to reestablish her following on Toril to grow in power and influence, and she knew that one of the best ways to do that was to—"

"—name more Chosen," Tamsin whispered as the piece clicked into place. Of course; she remembered that era well. The Second Sundering had set every deity scrambling to consolidate power. Even Oghma's clergy had felt the pressure, though they'd kept to observing and cataloging while others went to war.

"Indeed," Gale said softly. "She came to me within days of her return. Appeared in my study and told me I'd become everything she'd hoped for. That after a hundred years, I would be her first new Chosen—the Silver Fire, the power, everything I'd been promised."

His voice dropped. "And I accepted. Eagerly."

"Of course you did," Tamsin teased; but although her tone was light, there was a hint of fondness beneath it.

Gale looked up sharply. "I'm... not sure you take my meaning."

"What?"

A ruddy flush spread across his cheeks. "I wasn't just honored. I was besotted. Every task she set me, I performed with the devotion of more than a mere disciple." He stopped himself, cleared his throat. "I wanted to prove I was worthy of the distinction she'd granted me."

He couldn't meet her eyes. "And eventually—when she was fully restored—she rewarded that devotion. She came to my tower. And we became... intimate."

Whatever Tamsin had expected him to say next, it hadn't been that.

"Oh," she managed. Heat flooded her face and she found her gaze dropping to his knee—safe, boring, entirely unerotic—only to realize with a jolt how close it was to hers.

I'm not sure if anyone is still keeping up with my glacially slow burning longfic but I swear I haven't abandoned it ❤️

wizard pride flag!

here is what the colors mean:

green is for sick and twisted experiments, yellow is for magic of course, white is for that funky little beard all the cool wizards have, and purple is for gay sex

I love the astral sex scene and it means so much to me, and I have some problems with the way I've seen it talked about.

I should start by saying this post is not intended to critique anybody's personal preferences. The license to do Whatever The Fuck in an rpg is sacrosanct and there are no wrong choices. But I’ve also seen people imply that the astral scene is not “real” sex, or that Gale romancers “deserved more.” I hope I do not have to explain why that's kinda fucked.

Additionally, I think it is a saddening misread to call the astral scene “performative” in contrast to the bed scene (which gets correspondingly framed as “showing Gale that you want the real him.”) But doing a grandiose magical gesture IS the real him!

I know I'm not alone in viewing Gale as autistic; for me the astral sex scene is a big contributor to that. For one thing, it resonates with the concept of having unusual sensory wants. For another, it reads to me as Gale opening up and showing his passion for magic to the PC in a way he’s never been able to with another mortal before. What neurodivergent person has not had someone view their passion as too weird or too over the top? Have you ever been at a level of enthusiasm that wraps back around into seeming “performative” to others? Ever wanted to show a loved one something that matters to you, but worried they’d never understand—or, worse, they’d actively cringe?

In the astral sex scene, Gale shows the PC how much he loves the Weave (which is not the same as loving Mystra), and the PC does not cringe.

If all the glowing merging translucent bodies, the nebulae, the multiplying limbs, the spinning, the trippiness, the celestial music—if all these trappings made you, the player, cringe: there is nothing wrong with that. But I do think it is a misread to say that the bed version constitutes “helping him heal from his trauma.”

Maybe I have a hair-trigger for anything that implies “becoming more sexually normative = character growth.” Or “vanilla sex = a more intimate connection.” But they are just such tiresome concepts.

I understand that some of the dialogue in the game also suggests that idea, but all that dialogue is coming from the PC. What Gale says is that having bodily sex is “a small gesture toward your comfort.” This has been widely glossed over, imo.

Ultimately the two versions of this scene fulfill two different narrative functions: the bed version is to show the player that Gale will set these wants aside for you should you ask him to. But the astral version is there to show the player who HE is and what HE wants. And I think it is sad to write off this beautiful, lovingly crafted, unique and creative approach to a sex scene as merely something “performative” that he only does because Mystra made him think he had to.

“Stay with me now. There are endless worlds out there. Countless ways to declare love. Infinite ways to express it. Too much for one night... but we shall try.” I've admittedly got a ways to go in the game, but so far this is my single favorite line of dialogue. I genuinely don't understand how people can hear this line, the way it’s acted, and think it's just for show. He knows he's about to get weird but he longingly, vulnerably asks you to stay there in his weirdness with him.

Many writers, when they are writing something kinda out there, have doubts of the form Who is this even for? If the astral scene just isn’t for you I don't have beef with that. But the people who saw the astral sex scene and went "Oh, my god, now THIS is FOR ME"—are perhaps people who only very rarely get to watch a sex scene and have that reaction.