Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Focused Examination: Intimate Choreography with Small-sized Characters

I'm talking, of course, about doggy-style. It's a position that is often thought of as more wild or animalistic, and in some cultures it's even thought of as demeaning or insulting (and yet... still maintains pride of place as the favourite even in those nations). It's a position that generally allows more direct depth of penetration than most, and is a favourite in situations that want to convey raw, hungry lust.



Now, in real life, doggy-style sex can certainly be intimate and romantic, but its frequent association with being 'as animals do it' means it's rarely associated as such. Passionate, yes; romantic, rarely (sadly...) Nevertheless, it can be used in a romantic scene if it's constructed and shot in the right way. Even for same-sized partners, kissing is difficult from this position – and trying to do so in the middle of love-making is usually just awkward; if the receiving partner leans up and arches back, and twists their torso enough, it's doable, but any lower body movements from either partner will usually have amplified effect on the receiver's upper body, so it's rarely practical. Instead, the giving partner can focus on the receiver's neck – this is a perfectly intimate substitute for direct lip-to-lip kissing, and relieves the awkward difficulties by not requiring the same precision or coordination. For a purely romantic scene, pan shots the follow the giver's back, as well as the body shapes and curves up the torso are good; focus around the faces and neck, which should be close, are also the best choice, as well as paying attention to the hands – in romantic situations, a receiver with a free hand can reach up over their shoulder to old hands with their partner easily enough. As usual, face focused close-ups should never be solo in this type of scene – but focusing on one partner whispering something intimate to the other in their ear or by their neck is wonderful.

Rough, passionate scenes are where this position shines; emphasising rhythm, pace, and vigorous movements are something that this position lends itself to naturally. A receiving partner that wants to be seen to be contributing to their lust for the activity can put one hand back to grip their partner's behind or thigh, directing or confirming the pace. A giving partner has full access with both hands to the entirety of their partner's body relatively easily, and any action of lust or passion – playing with a breast, holding the receiver back and up against them, grabbing the hips or reaching underneath (always good, but likely of special interest to male receivers, I imagine?) are all very easy to do from her, and the scene shooting can show these elements in tactful, erotic yet non-explicit ways quite easily – and shot that shows these elements without being overt will also naturally be contributing to emphasising the pace and motion of the act. Face focused close-ups can be individual in this type of scene, at the height of passion – though they're usually reserved for the receiver – but they should generally be avoided unless they are conveying an extreme moment.

For overt sexual scripting, showing more drawn out shots – close, but not close enough to cut out any of the activity, are likely the main staple; shots that directly show the hip movement (usually some variation of side-angled shots) are the rawest and most directly sexual, but lower angled front shots, and higher angled back shots are also good choices. Interestingly enough, face focused close-ups can work in even this type of sequence, in the specific circumstance of words being shared at particularly, er, important moments... they likely aren't going to be romantic words, and probably would be more lustful, crude or guttural... but that's kind of the point.

But then, we're working with a small-sized receiver, and suddenly we hit a small snag...



“You said kneel down...”
“I didn't mean... never mind, just...”

Just what? Well, clearly just realigning the pelvis position isn't going to cut it here. The pose needs to be adapted. In the case of a small-sized receiver, the giver can either attempt to lower their groin to the right height, or the receiver can lift up somehow.

In the first case, the penetrating partner will need to widen their knees substantially – in order to not make this an uncomfortable or excessive stretch, they'll also have to sit back on their haunches. The small receiver can more easily be positioned to make the pose work now, however there are some important details to note if you go with this correction.


Sitting back like this, the amount of control that either participant has over the pace and depth of the coupling is determined by how raised up or lowered down the Receiver settles. In the first set of images, with the receiver bent low, they actually have the majority of the control – hip motions from the giver are of limited utility because of the position and the angle, while the receiver can put their weight on their hands and control the thrusting easily. Short of the giver bodily grabbing a hold of their partner, the receiver is in control here – so if you correct the position in this way, the receiver should be the one leading the motion. The giver best participates with their hands, since kissing is more or less out of the question – they can take hold of their partner's hips in order to balance out the control and contribute to the rhythm of the scene, or if they're feeling gentle and intimate, perhaps delicate finger strokes down the back, or soft touches to thee hair and cheek.

It's also important to point out that, in this position, if the receiver wishes to make eye contact with their partner, they will actually need to twist their body significantly – note the lowered shoulder allowing them to look up and around far enough to lock eyes here. The receiver might also put one hand back, to rest on their partner's leg, or even to hold hands, depending on the tone you want to set for the scene – these would be good for romantic or soft scenes, but less so for raw or passionate ones. Particularly animal or lustful encounters might forgo any attempt at eye contact – in such cases, the receiver might focus entirely on the act of sensation, and their head might be lowered towards the ground in focus and effort.

This position adjustment changes dramatically if the receiver adopts – or is held in – a more upright position.



In the second set of images (Please forgive the wonky shoulder joints... the models don't like to play nice with arm-over-head positions...), the small receiver has a raised up torso. The result is that now all of the control in this scene rests almost entirely with the Giver instead. The angle of penetration is changed, and with it, the giver's ability to thrust more easily sets the pace and rhythm of the coupling... and the receiver can do very little about this directly. If you're writing this scene to have the larger giver leading the pace and rhythm, or otherwise being in control of the coupling, then this would be the better choice between the two.

If you adjust a doggy style position with a small receiver so that they kneel up while the giver rests back like this, then the receiver's balance is more upright stable and this frees their hands to participate in the scene; if you want them to regain some measure of control, or participate in the rhythm, then their best option is to brace their hands either against their partner's thighs, or to reach back with one hand to press against their chest. In reality, the most a small partner can really achieve in this situation is to guide, or to let their partner know what they want – they can't actually exert any real control of the situation like this.

Kissing is feasible from this position, though it's worth remembering that it's upside-down kissing, by way of the smaller receiver leaning up and back, while the giver leans forward and down – a kiss like this usually comes off as playful or romantic – it doesn't quite mesh with a vigorously passionate scene. A twist of the upper torso can help make the position work more smoothly, as does tilting the heads.

The giver in this position has a lot of freedom, and what they do with it can make or break the tone you're aiming to set when you use this position. Once again, hands and what they do; physical contact beyond the basic genital intersection is so important, throughout any scene or position, but here it's particularly front and centre – the hands must be doing something worth watching for this position to work at all. Whether that's gripping and holding tightly, to emphasise passion or reinforce their lead in the scene, or more gentle touches, gropes and caresses to convey a softer atmosphere, you have the freedom to make sure your actions match the aimed for tone and type of scene, so make sure it does. And a helping hand is never a bad thing, either, regardless of exactly what configuration of genitals it's helping.

One last point of note for this position adjustment – in either case, but most especially if the smaller receiver is male, this position more or less requires complete models, since the genital area is almost certainly going to be visible in the majority of useful angles or shots... so if complete models are out of the question, then this way of adjusting the position will likely not be suitable.

The other way of adjusting a doggy style position for a smaller receiver is if the smaller partner stands up instead.

If the larger giver remains in the same comfortable kneeling position that they might use for the 'standard' doggy style position with a same-sized partner, then a smaller receiver will need to stand up to compensate. Whether it's strictly necessary or not, it's this writer's personal opinion that positions like this always look better, regardless of tone or context, if the receiver stands on the balls of their feet, completely aside the fact that doing so generally makes most positions of this nature easier... Ahem...



If you adjust a traditional doggy-style position in this manner, primarily reconfiguring the smaller receiver to stand up, there are a few considerations that have a notable impact on the dynamic of the scene; meaning, again, that you need to pick carefully the type off adjustment that best suites the tone and atmosphere you're setting.

Positioning of the feet, as minor a detail as it might seen at first glance, affects this position considerably. If the receiver's feet are positioned in line with, and inside the knees to their partner, this naturally puts them in a position where they must rely on their partner for balance unless they have a convenient object nearby to lean on – and it's the right height. What this means is that in most cases, the ability to control the scene and lead within it it falls firmly to the larger sized giver. If your small character adopts – or is held in – an upright torso position, they will be functionally helpless to have any further impact on the scene from that position.

They can place a hand back on their partner to show what sort of pace or depth they want, but they can't exert their desire directly, and must rely on their partner to lead as they ask. Similarly, kissing is possible in this position, but it must be initiated by the giver – the receiver can lift their head up and show a desire or willingness, but the giver has to take the action (while, conversely, they can bend down and kiss their partner without any directed cooperation if they wish)

The larger partner in this position can show a wide spread of tones and desires – lip-to-lip kisses can be romantic or playful, in this pose (but will be awkward for energetic or passionate choreography), and what the larger partner does with their hands will, as in the previous adjusted position, have major, major impact on what sort of a scene it feels like.

Even if the smaller partner leans forward and has a suitable object to support their balance with, having their feet back within the arch of their partner's knees leaves them very few means of actively contributing to the scene; their hands will necessarily be taken up by the role of support, and their partner will still have full control over the rhythm and depth of the act itself.

In short, this adjustment should be used if the scene is one where the larger-sized giver is clearly leading the intimacy, if there is a leader; even in a more balanced, equally shared love-making scene, the giver is unavoidably in control here, and that's worth remembering. It should be avoided in the smaller partner is implied to be more assertive or to have more control of the situation.

A smaller partner that is intended to be shot in a way that still contributes meaningfully to the scene has a few options in this position. In an upright variation, they'll be relying on their partner's support for balance, but using their own hands to hold onto wherever their partner is touching or holding them can add a sense of greater intimacy to an otherwise much more raw sequence. Similarly, if they wish to be seen to be contributing to the motions of the love-making itself, then putting one hand back against their partner's chest or abdomen, to guide the rhythm, can communicate this well. As usual in this kind of position, making eye contact is a deliberate effort, and not something that will happen by chance. If the choreography calls for eye contact, the smaller partner will need to arch back and twist their torso to achieve it comfortably and without strange stretches – it would seem more comfortable from an upright position, than a forward-leaning one.

The dynamic of this position changes, or at least it can change where previously it couldn't, if the smaller receiver places their feet forward of their partner. This gives them a more stable centre of balance, and they don't need to necessarily rely on being held in position by their partner. This adjustment lends itself far more to letting the smaller partner lean forward – an upright position with the feet forward actually makes proper penetration kind of difficult.

As before, when leaning forward, the smaller partner needs something to lean on, and it must an appropriate height (ideally no more than about a foot and half tall at most) – the great big altars won't really do, unless you turn the pose entirely into an “against the wall” type position... This is not a bad thing, and is a very legitimate option for adjusting the scene for a smaller character, but I'll talk about that position later.

From this position, the smaller partner can exhibit at least a little bit more impact on the scene – they can use the support point to push and pull as a means of having input on the rhythm and depth of the act, at least more so than the limit of their own isolated hip movements, previously.

Leaning forward, eye contact and similar forms of closeness are less feasible, but the head being thrown back, or steadfastly lowered can both show passion for what's going on, and a focus on sensation, rather than specific intimacy with their partner.

The larger giver can still exert full control of the scene if that is the intention; a hand gripping the shoulder (or neck) of the smaller partner, or using one or both hands to hold their hips and midsection, can more or less negate the smaller partner's ability to change or adjust the flow of the scene... but equally so, the giver can surrender the driving lead of the scene to their partner in this position, using only gentle touches, or removing their hands entirely, to allow the smaller partner to be the primary source of movement – something not really feasible in the upright adjustment.

Some last things to remember when adjusting for a small-sized receiver, from a same-sized doggy-style scene: If the original scene was choreographed to have one character leading the scene or being the primary source of movement in it, make sure to adjust the position in a way that matches your intention – if the smaller character is meant to be an assertive or leading participant, don't pick a means of adjusting that makes it difficult for them to still do this. If the original choreography involved moments of kissing, nuzzling or other close face contact, remember to pick a way of adjusting the scene that still allows for this, and bear in mind the tone of how you go about it – or else make sure to replace that shot with a suitable surrogate action instead; eye contact, and soft touches to the cheek, hair and neck are always good stand-ins. Lastly, doggy-style for two same-sized partners is generally very stable, but balance becomes more of a consideration once you being adapting it for a small-sized receiver; make sure to pick adjustments that are sensible for the new centre of balance, and don't leave things hanging at improbable angles or tilts.