A Weakness for Wizards

Do you cast spells? Wear robes? Have a beard of some sort? Come right this way, I'm your girl. BG3 fanfiction. Heavily featuring Gale Dekarios and OCs. Current WIP: To Err Divine (Ch. 47/?)

[kt-catt]

A Weakness for Wizards - Fanfic Masterlist

I write BG3 fanfiction, focusing on Gale Dekarios and my OCs. All links go to AO3. 📖 Ongoing Works

To Err Divine

Pairing: Gale x Wren (Female Tav, Cleric of Mystra/Storm Sorceror - secretly spying on Gale)

Rating: Mature

Read if you want: God Gale, Mystra being a jerk, Mutual pining

Summary: He was only ever supposed to be a target, she became his savior. Together, they'll defy the gods, save the world, and claim their own seats in the pantheon.

"There is a situation in Waterdeep. A wizard named Gale Dekarios. He has ... acquired something that poses a significant threat to the city." "What are my orders?" "Surveillance. Watch him. Monitor the situation. Report any changes in his condition or behavior. If the orb becomes too unstable, you are to enact this protocol." "I understand the parameters of the mission, Father. I will not fail." "May Mystra guide your steps."

Status: Updating whenever I can - 1-2x/month] | [Read on AO3]

Further Research Required

Pairing: Gale x Alyss (Female OC, Bard, Chosen of Milil)

Rating: Mature

Read if you want: A married couple being cute and fluffy and having little adventures on their honeymoon in Candlekeep.

Summary: It has taken three years, but Gale Dekarios has convinced his beloved bard Alyss to settle down with him for good. Newly married, they set off for their honeymoon in Candlekeep with a long list of research topics and an inability to keep their hands off of each other for long. These two can't help but attract adventure wherever they go, so it doesn't take long for their studies to get derailed by the many mysteries that hide within the walls of the fortress. (Inspired by Candlekeep Mysteries)

"Though I should warn you, eternity is a long time to share a library with someone. You may find yourself revising the terms." He glanced meaningfully at the bookshelves across the room, then back at her. "My opinions about shelving organization have been reviewed as ‘madness-inducing’ and ‘utterly repellent’ by some of the finest minds in Waterdeep." "Gale." She fixed him with a look of pure, fond suffering. "I have lived with your library for three years. I once found a manuscript titled “How to Create A Personal Sigil” filed under C for 'Curses' rather than under the author's name, the title, or any organizational principle recognized by any institution in Faerûn." "That was a special case. I know very well how to create a sigil, but I wanted the book for its information about the three-fold curse of Mystra, so you see—" "I see how that helps you." "Exactly! I have always been able to find it perfectly well when I need it." She stared at him.  "You married me anyway," he pointed out.

Status: Updating whenever I can - 1-2x/month] | [Read on AO3]

📚 Completed Longfics

The Price of a Sunset (Part 1 of Songs of the Chosen)

Pairing: Gale x Alyss (Female OC, Bard, Chosen of Milil)

Rating: Mature

Length: 17 Chapters/68,211 words

Read if you want: Post-canon, Waterdeep setting, Fluffy romance

Summary: It has been just over a year since Gale returned from Baldur's Gate. He did the right thing and returned the Crown of Karsus to Mystra, so why doesn't it feel like a happy ending? He's lonelier than ever and restless. He's fallen into old habits and his studies and experiments have begun to wander into dangerous territory. Then, one night while he's drowning his sorrows at The Yawning Portal, a bard takes the stage ...

[Read on AO3]

The Worldweaver (Part 2 of Songs of the Chosen)

Pairing: Gale x Alyss (Female OC, Bard, Chosen of Milil)

Rating: Mature

Length: 24 Chapters/82,815 words

Read if you want: Fantasy adventure, established couple. happy ending

Summary: Gale Dekarios has reunited with the love he thought he lost, although it took a divine intervention. But gifts from the gods come with a hefty price. Instead of a happy ever after, Gale and Alyss are tasked with a deadly mission to retrieve an ancient artifact from one of the most dangerous liches in Faerûn.

[Read on AO3]

✨ One-Shots

A Fey Day Night's Dream (Part 3 of Songs of the Chosen)

Pairing: Gale x Alyss (Female OC, Bard, Chosen of Milil)

Rating: Mature

Summary: Gale has been planning the perfect Fey Day surprise for weeks: an elaborate costume, a flawless glamour, and a secret invitation to the grandest masquerade in Waterdeep where his lady love will perform as Titania. Surely she'll never recognize him as Oberon, Lord of Beasts. Surely this will go exactly as planned.

[Read on AO3]

Going With the Grain (Gift Fic)

Pairing: Halsin/OC (half-elf, trainee cleric)

Rating: PG-13

Summary: In the oppressive darkness of the Shadowlands, Kestrel finds Halsin carving by firelight to manage the emotions that being back here stirs up. When he offers to teach her, what begins as a simple lesson becomes an intimate moment of connection, trust, and almost-confessions. As wood shavings curl away and their hands meet, both must decide whether to acknowledge the feelings growing between them.

[Read on AO3]

[c-e-p5315]

Want to read about Gale and Mystra getting together?

Me neither!

But I’m going to write it anyway!

This chapter I’m working on has been such a slog because I truly do not want to write it. When I decided to do a full blown sequel of my fic detailing Gale’s pre-canon life I originally was going to just hand wave over this whole situationship. My beta reader, however, had other thoughts. Once again, she encouraged me to stretch my limits for one does not improve without at least some level of discomfort.

Not to mention I have always wondered what Gale was getting up to as a Chosen of Mystra. If playing him as origin Mystra mentions them going on adventures together, and that further sparked my curiosity (and now creativity). So here we go folks! A snippet from my upcoming chapter in which Gale and Mystra set off on the first of their adventures and start blurring the boundaries between gods and mortals!

*** She turns on her heel, a curious expression passing over her as she stares at him.  “Yes…yes, that is a brilliant idea!  Only, it is not Elminster who will go.  It will be you, Gale.”

A grin spreads across his face.  The gods cannot read minds, yet she has clearly intuited his.  “My lady, I was very much hoping you would grant me such a mission.”

With a swift swirl of her star-specked gown, Mystra settles onto the couch beside him. She leans forward.  Her eyes, mere inches from his, dance with exhilaration. “Would you permit me to accompany you?  I will aid you, and then I shall take the scroll with me to be kept safely here in my domain.”

The prospect of finding a Nether Scroll is thrilling in and of itself, but to do so at the side of the goddess of magic leaves him agape and void of words. Why, he shall be the only mortal other than Elminster to earn the boast of Mystra’s adventure if companion. “Of course. I…well, I am honored indeed,” Gale manages to stammer.

“Will you tell me,” she says in a soft voice, sliding the book back into his hands, “how long did it take you to decipher this?”

“Well, I…I did not have Tara around to time me, unfortunately,” he says with a chuckle.  “But once I had all my sources, I’d wager about a half hour.  Probably less.”

The exhilaration that livened her eyes deepens into something else.  The cool silver warms.  “Extraordinary,” she whispers. 

[lowrifaberart]

If Gale ain’t glowing I don’t wanna know.

But then he always is ✨✨

[cursed-nyxan]

J is for Jaheira.

What a great day to show off my favorite crow! I've been planning to shoot her since forever, and now I finally got the excuse to make it happen. 🙌

BG3 Alphabet Challenge

A B C D E F G H I

[kt-catt]

Self-Indulgent Sunday

Reverse tag from @optimisticgrey and a Self-Indulgent Sunday seems like the perfect place to post this writing exercise I did yesterday, which will never live anywhere but Discord and here. The prompt was to write a snippet in a POV you never use. I rarely write in first-person. I can think of one (never finished) piece I've written in first POV. It's hard for me to write pure first-person without making it a direct address, or it being epistolary, but I gave it a go with Gale. I've captured his thoughts as he falls from the nautiloid and into a broken waypoint. I actually like the way it came out. My writing is very different in first-person and I'm always a little presently surprised to see it. If only it came little more easily.

I was falling, but this was no cause for concern. Not at first. Not until I reached for a spell and found my resources fully depleted from the effort of escaping that hellship. This was when I first felt a hint of fear. It wasn't an acceptable end. At the corner of my eye, a glint of violet and the whisper of the Weave. I maneuvered myself to see it better. A teleportation sigil. I could work with that. As it pulled me in, I realized, too late, that it was broken. My bad fortune had not finished with me. I tried to laugh at the bitter irony of it, but nothing emerged in this void between dimensions. At least, I thought, I won't harm anyone here. That had been my goal all along, had it not? Then I felt it, for the first time in so long. The touch of rosewater on my tongue, cool hands at my brow, and a tickle at my ear, as of the softest lips. I reached for Her, as I had so many times before. To die in that embrace was all I wanted in that moment — to surrender and know forgiveness at last. You are needed still, that beloved voice whispered. Then She faded, and I was alone again, lost between worlds. At that instant, a hand grasped mine. Not soft and cool like Hers, but strong and warm. I gripped back. The sigil fought for me. Reality warped, and I was stretched between dimensions, pulled apart in too many directions at once. I focused my entire will on the hand in mine. With a sound like shredding cloth, I was ripped free. I looked up and saw eyes, glinting silver like polished steel. Then the darkness took me, leaving only the sensation of that hand, still holding mine, and Her voice telling me I was needed still.

No-pressure tags for @c-e-p5315, @elandra-beltharys, @glitterandmoondustofficial, @thesanguinesonnet, @unovafarm, @tynithia - if you've got something that fits, I'd love to see it.

[optimisticgrey]

Self-indulgent Sunday

collected WIP tags from @kt-catt @gloura @rdekarios @thesanguinesonnet and a reverse tag from @arlynx

Thank you, dears! Uno reverse for all of you 🫶

I am a bit behind on stuff, life has been a lot. Please poke me if I missed a tag!

I ate the stew because my body required nourishment.

I wasn't hungry but I had begun to understand that meals served purposes beyond merely sustaining the body. Sharing food was an act of companionship, a ritual of closeness people performed almost instinctively. It mattered to them, and increasingly, that meant it mattered to me.

The wizard had spent a surprising amount of time preparing the stew and appeared even more invested in everyone's reaction to it than strictly necessary. He informed us—twice—that it was based upon a family recipe, though circumstances had forced him to substitute several of the original spices. He spoke of this as though it were a tragedy of moderate significance.

I nodded dutifully, thanked him for the meal, and refrained from mentioning that the combination of rosemary and thyme reminded me vaguely of bathwater. Some observations are best kept private.

Besides, he was so pleased with himself that I lacked the heart to diminish it.

After dinner, I gathered the dishes and carried them to the stream.

The water was wonderfully cold. The summer air still lingered warmly around camp, but the stream flowed down from higher ground and carried with it a pleasant chill that numbed my fingers as I worked. I knelt by the bank, cleaning bowls and spoons while the sounds of conversation drifted faintly from the fire behind me.

And, despite my best efforts, my thoughts wandered once more to the lute. The instrument rested in my tent, yet I found my gaze seeking it whenever the opportunity arose. Even now, separated from it by distance and canvas, I was thinking about it again.

The fascination annoyed me. Something about that lute lingered. Not insistently or aggressively, simply present, like a half-forgotten thought refusing to disappear entirely no matter how often I turned my attention elsewhere.

I rinsed the final bowl, set it aside to dry, and stared into the water for a moment.

Perhaps there was magic involved. Perhaps not. Whatever the cause, I found myself increasingly curious in a way I could neither explain nor dismiss.

The reality was simple enough: we might die tomorrow.

At that point in our journey, death felt less like a distant possibility and more like a scheduling conflict we were attempting to postpone. We carried mind flayer parasites behind our eyes. We had no cure, no answers, and only the increasingly fragile hope that one existed somewhere ahead of us. For all I knew, I might transform during the night, and whatever remained of me by morning would have very little interest in lutes.

Under those circumstances, there seemed little reason to ignore a mystery simply because it was small.

I placed the cleaned bowls into the crate we used for storage and rose to my feet.

The lute had occupied my thoughts all evening, it seemed only fair that I finally discover why.

And if the answer proved disappointing—well. There were certainly worse ways to spend what might potentially be one's final night as oneself.

I lowered myself onto a log someone had thoughtfully placed near the fire and began to tune.

The instrument was out of alignment, each string a little too sharp or too flat, as though it had been neglected for some time. I closed my eyes and leaned in, adjusting by feel more than thought. It came as naturally as breathing, familiar in a way I could not yet account for or even understand.

Around me, the camp remained still, no one spoke.

Only the fire did—its steady crackle, the occasional shift of embers—accompanied by the distant sounds of night settling into itself.

I heard movement at the edges of perception. Fabric brushing, careful footsteps, the soft clink of dishes being set aside with exaggerated caution. They were trying not to disturb me.

It was… unnecessary and oddly considerate.

When I was finally satisfied with the tuning, I rolled my shoulders back, stretching my neck until it gave a sharp, unceremonious crack. A few heads turned at the sound.

I did not care.

My fingers found the strings before any conscious thought could intervene and the first melody arrived without invitation. Not chosen or constructed, simply remembered, as though my hands had been waiting for permission my mind had not yet given.

The lute felt familiar beneath my fingers in a way that unsettled me. Not because I remembered it, but because I did not. Every movement came naturally, every adjustment of my hands instinctive, yet I could not recall learning any of it. There was no memory attached to the knowledge.

I plucked a few strings, listening to the notes ring through the evening air. A simple melody followed, my fingers finding it without instruction or conscious thought. The motions felt as natural as breathing.

And then did I open my mouth.

Singing, too, was not a decision.

It simply… happened.

I tested it cautiously at first.

I had not intended to. My mouth simply opened as the melody unfolded beneath my fingers, words rising unbidden from somewhere buried deeper than memory. A soft ballad emerged, gentle and melancholic, carrying the sort of longing that seemed older than I was. I could not recall where I had learned it. I could not remember hearing it before.

Yet I knew every word.

Every note.

Every pause.

The realization stole my breath for a heartbeat.

My voice carried effortlessly, rich and clear in a way that startled me. It was not merely pleasant. It possessed weight, presence. The sort of voice that naturally drew attention without ever demanding it, capable of filling a room not through volume but through simple certainty.

I felt it immediately. Not in my throat or my lungs, but in my soul.

The sensation struck with such force that my hands nearly faltered upon the strings.

I had done this before.

Not once or twice or even hundreds of times, but thousands. I knew it with the same certainty I knew how to walk or breathe. This was not something new. This was not a talent discovered by accident beside a cold stream on a night that might have been my last.

This was a piece of myself. A piece I had lost.

The realization settled over me slowly and all at once, the way certain truths do—arriving gradually until suddenly they are simply there, fully formed and undeniable.

For so the last days, I had stumbled through my own life surrounded by fragments; missing years, missing names, missing pieces of myself that existed just beyond reach, close enough to sense but never to hold. Every discovery had felt foreign, like uncovering evidence of another person's life and being told it belonged to me.

This felt different.

This did not feel like a stranger.

This felt like me.

Before I could stop myself, I smiled. A genuine smile. The sort that arrives before you realize it is there, before you have decided to allow it.

My fingers continued moving effortlessly across the strings. My breathing adjusted instinctively to support the song. My back straightened, my shoulders relaxed and every part of me settled into place with the ease of something returning to where it had always belonged.

For the first time since waking aboard the nautiloid, I was not discovering something I had lost.

I was remembering who I had been.

And for one brief, precious moment, I was not lost. Not a woman carrying a parasite behind her eye and a lifetime of missing memories behind her smile.

I was simply a musician.

And somehow, despite everything, that felt more like myself than anything else.

gentlest of tags for @tociminna @bladesingerlily @fangedgrace @theashenblade @valannamizarym @purplemilk27 @victoria-strangelove @elandra-beltharys @ele-millennial-weirdo @babydinosaur930 @lucretiouswept @deianestormborn @heartcrystal2000 @echoechowhiskey @spacethatsinbetween @dutifullylazybread @faeriiefire @oursusanellen @rdekarios @archduchessgortash

[optimisticgrey]

Tagging Game | Meet Cute

Woop woop, thank you, @kt-catt! 🖤

*rubs hands together like a greedy little fly*

(I really need new, neutral dividers)

What’s a small BG3 detail that you always notice and love?

Halsin's pipe. The lovingly crafted details throughout the Grove. The wonderfully bitchy banter of NPCs you only hear if you stop and listen. The attention to detail woven through every corner of the game. The single, unbitten apple sitting on the Risen Road.....

Not the grand revelations or world-ending stakes, but the tiny details that make the world feel lived in. The moments that tell stories not relevant to the main plot. The objects, conversations, and little pieces of environmental storytelling that reward curiosity and make Faerûn feel real.

What’s one piece of reference material you’re currently obsessed with?

Maphra's voice (which also serves as Celeste's voice claim). I am not an experienced singer and my guitar skills are best described as "enthusiastic." But one of the unexpected joys of writing Celeste has been learning how singing actually feels inside the body.

It has become a bit of an art study all on its own. And as a delightful side effect, I get to spend hours listening to absolutely beautiful music while convincing myself it is research.....

Share a snippet or visual from your current project that you’re quietly proud of.

Young Celeste in all her blood glory.

What’s something you’re looking forward to creating or finishing soon?

Some personal projects outside of fandom should be reaching the finish line relatively soon, which is both exciting and mildly terrifying.

The memoir is going to take forever. Not because I lack motivation, but because it keeps growing. Every time I think I have found the shape of the story, another thread appears that deserves exploring, another question needs answering, another piece of Celeste's life demands attention.

Which is, admittedly, a rather fitting problem for a memoir spanning the life of a Bhaalspawn. 😁

What’s a fun or silly tradition you have with your OCs/Tavs?

Usually, when I sit down to write (not just draft), I murmur ,"okay, girl, come now. Behave." And then smirk a little. She never does.

What’s a BG3 NPC you’d love to see in a completely different outfit or setting?

Dammon. Always Dammon.

What is a BG3 collab project that you would want to do?

I have a zine idea I am going to pitch to a friend in a few months, to see if they are down for it (and we both have the capacity).

What’s a tiny headcanon or detail you’ve added to your Tav/OC that brings you joy?

Honestly, I would not dedicate this much time, energy, and precious brain juice to her if her entire gods-forsaken existence—and her slow, steady descent into absolute madness—did not bring me an unreasonable amount of joy.

At some point, I stopped pretending I was in control of this project.

I am not.

I am merely the unfortunate soul tasked with documenting the life of a deeply complicated woman who keeps making increasingly questionable decisions while I sit in the corner taking notes.

And I adore her for it.

What is something you want your followers to know about you?

I consider myself to be funny and apologize if I am not 😁

no pressure tags for @archduchessgortash @defira85 @cinder-rellish181 @missfortunetherogue @bloodsol94 @deianestormborn @perpetualmaladaptivedaydream @faeriiefire @facetheworldbitch @zigloo @alrendriablaze @purpleasters-inseptember and, as always, @lilhumanoid

[rdekarios]

Tag Game: Meet Cute

Thank you so much @kt-catt for the tag! ❤️😁

No pressure tagging: @perpetualmaladaptivedaydream, @lucretiouswept, @babydinosaur930, @ann-bg3-lol, @selunitejeanne, @bladesingerlily, @defira85, @zigloo, @riddlerosehearts

What’s a small BG3 detail that you always notice and love? That I am still discovering new things about it after multiple play throughs and over a year in fandom. The lore drops in books I find in new places each time I play. The buried lines of dialogue if you click the right buttons. The different possible endings, most of which I still haven’t seen or discovered. Every time I think there cannot be more, there IS. It feels like my choices matter every single time.

What’s one piece of reference material you’re currently obsessed with? Aurora's album The Gods We Can Touch. It's a combination of the lyrics screaming Gale/Mystra, Gale/Phina and the fact that I listened to it for the first time a lot during my early BG3 obsession, so it always has a link for me to the game, but honestly if that music comes on and I'm out on a walk, my head is fully transported into my silly little story.

Share a snippet or visual from your current project that you’re quietly proud of. My favourite part of chapter 1 of my fanfic:

In his former years - the ones tied to accolades of his magical prowess, scored by the praise and commendations of his mentors and rewarded in the embrace of his goddess - he’d have scoffed to think he’d ever end up in a situation like this. For the great Gale of Waterdeep to have been kidnapped by mindflayers at all would have been unlikely, for a start. With silver fire at his fingertips, he could’ve taken down the Nautiloid the instant it burst through the skies of Yartar, giving the thing scarcely a moment to wield its fleshy tentacles and snatch him up. But even if he had been caught - body held fast by the Nautiloid pod, unable to do anything but watch as a tadpole writhed its way sickeningly behind his eye socket - at the very least he would’ve landed on solid ground with more dignity and grace than this.

What’s something you’re looking forward to creating or finishing soon? I have a really beautiful, sensual 3D render idea in mind that I want to bring to life very soon. I got as far as the pose so far!

What’s a fun or silly tradition you have with your OCs/Tavs? I don’t know if it’s a ‘tradition’, but I do actually chat to her while interacting with her in the game.

“I know, darling, it’s very scary but you got this!”

“I promise he’s flirting when he says he says you smell, you get married eventually, it’s gonna work out.”

“Oh dear, yes, summoning a cambion by mistake probably wasn’t very helpful during the already intense Ketheric fight, but it’s okay hon, you’re doing good!”

“Please can I put you in this new dress mod, it’s so cute— oh you still don’t like having too much leg showing? sigh 🙄 Alright, alright, I get it.”

“Sorry I made you into a vampire. You look hot though, okay? It’s fine. Just an AU. Back to regularly scheduled demure Phina tomorrow I promise.”

What’s a BG3 NPC you’d love to see in a completely different outfit or setting? Okay, it probably comes as no surprise that I am obsessed with regency AU Gale. Give the man a cravat and a top hat. Please. I’m begging you.

What is a BG3 collab project that you would want to do? Honestly, I’d be down to collab on anything that lets me be creative and has me chatting to a fandom friend about the beautiful intricacies of this game… especially if it has anything to do with Gale 😜

What’s a tiny headcanon or detail you’ve added to your Tav/OC that brings you joy? She LOVES how all the festivals and holidays are celebrated in Waterdeep. First of all, it is Gale taking her to all of them during their first year in Waterdeep together - and he has fun rediscovering the city of splendours for himself. But then every year after that Phina’s like “Gale put down the research, we’re going out!”

There’s a holiday basically every other day in Waterdeep, so that poor man’s getting no rest 😅

What is something you want your followers to know about you? I really, really mean it when I say, please don’t be shy to chat to me. I have self esteem issues that hold me back from reaching out to people first, so I love it when someone else reaches out to me instead. I'm trying to get better but my default is to assume I am annoying, so I talk myself out of it a lot.

I also LOVE to help people, so if you have a question about something I did, I am so down to chat and help ❤️

[c-e-p5315]

SpringWeave Masterlist

Hello there!

Welcome to my little corner where I share my brainrot! I'm in the midst of writing a fic series wherein I attempt to flesh out Gale's backstory along with that of my OC. This is where I will post new chapter announcements, status updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more than likely a fair amount of musings and ramblings.

Below is the list of works I currently have, both completed and WIPs. Links to AO3 are provided along with the tags I will use when posting here for anyone who is interested in only certain works.

Tidal Fates of Mortal Days: WIP Series

Part One: Threads of Fate

Pairing - Gale x OC

Rating - Mature

AO3 Tags - Alternating POV; Pre-canon; Fluff and Angst; Mutual Pining; Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending (but first some yearning); additional tags on AO3

AO3 Summary -

Set in Waterdeep well before The Crisis of The Absolute… Gale Dekarios is ambitious. He knows he is on the cusp of greatness. But his aspirations have been stifled by a command to wait for something he cannot control. The restlessness is starting to take its toll. Eliwyn Torleth is content. But her parents do not think a young elf should live so long in the same human city. So, she must leave home behind and build her life anew. When their paths cross on the streets of Waterdeep they quickly form a bond. Soon, a dormant promise stirs and it expects to be honored. A choice must be made: mortal love or divine devotion? OR: The Forgotten Realms equivalent of two young professionals navigating the challenges of establishing their careers and finding love.

Chapters - 32

Words - 169,797

Status - COMPLETE

Tumblr Tags - ToF

---

Part 2: Shores of Will

Pairing - Gale x Mystra; OC x OC

Rating - Mature

AO3 Tags - Pre-canon; Alternating POV; Yearning; Fluff & Angst; Adventure; additional tags to be added

AO3 Summary -

Five months have passed since a divine command came between Gale and Eliwyn. Now, Gale is set on fulfilling his destiny as the First of Mystra’s Chosen. He is sure his endeavors will prove his worth, but keeping the approval of a goddess is no easy undertaking. Meanwhile, Eliwyn seeks a new path of her own. Guided by her faith but restricted by her vow to do no harm, she ventures into the wide world. Dangers lurk around every bend in the road. Luckily, she does not face them alone. Set against the backdrop of a newly reordered realm of the gods and a land rebuilding after a century of conflict, Eliwyn and Gale will see old faces and meet new friends. Yet beneath the turbulent waters of their journeys, something stirs. Even the waves of fate will break upon the shores of will… But for how long?

Chapters - 8/?

Word Count - 33,703

Status - updating when I can!

Tumblr Tags - SoW

***

Prelude of a Springlady: WIP Series

Pairing - OC x OC; OC & Wyll

Rating - Teen & Up

AO3 Tags - Fluff; First Love; Grief/Mourning; Religious Imagery/Symbolism; additional tags to be added

AO3 Summary -

A collection of scenes and vignettes providing a glimpse into Eliwyn’s past. PLEASE NOTE: This series was born of a writing event on the Real Housewives of Baldur’s Gate discord server. This series is largely meant to be enjoyed alongside my main fic, Threads of Fate. If you have not yet read the main fic you are of course welcome to continue reading this series, but please be aware that much of it may not entirely make sense. I also highly recommend you begin with Part 1 of the series if you have not yet read ToF.

Number of works - 26

Word Count - 30,772

Status - I have a few more prompts to finish, but this is very much a side project. It'll get finished eventually!

Tumblr Tags - PoaS

[alstromeri-a]

A friendly reminder

to tell your favorite creator that their work means something to you.

Especially if they're quiet. If they seem distant. If they come across as a little intimidating, a little snobbish, or awkward whenever someone compliments them.

There's a good chance that their work is simply their primary language.

Some people pour most of their energy into creating rather than communicating. Into learning, experimenting, refining, and trying to capture a feeling exactly the way they imagined it. They speak through stories, shots, paintings, edits, music, or words.

And many of them never really had the chance to learn how to accept praise in the first place.

But that doesn't mean they don't remember it.

Most of them remember far more than they let on.

And more often than not, they answer in the language they know best: by creating something new.

Something more thoughtful. More ambitious. More beautiful than the last piece.

Not because they feel obligated to repay kindness, but because genuine support has a remarkable way of making people want to keep creating. In fact, many creators remember kind words for years.

A comment left under a post. A message sent on a random afternoon. A repost with a thoughtful note attached.

Most people never realize how much those things matter.

I've been lucky enough to know creators like that, both inside and outside this fandom. They're often quiet, self-contained people who spend countless hours improving their craft, learning from the strangest places, collecting knowledge one tiny piece at a time.

And I've also been lucky enough to know incredibly kind people who regularly remind me (often against my will😅) that artists tend to be much harsher on themselves than anyone else ever could.

Lately, I've watched more and more creators quietly drift into the background.

Maybe it's summer.

Maybe the fandom is getting older.

Maybe people are simply tired, busy, or dealing with things outside the internet.

Most likely, it's a combination of all of those things.

But it made me wonder:

Does that person know they inspired you?

Do they know that their work brightened difficult days, made you smile, gave you ideas, or helped you love a character even more?

You'd be surprised how many people have absolutely no idea that they did.

So perhaps today is as good a day as any to remind them🖤

[kt-catt]

New Chapter: Further Research Required

The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces

"This book is called The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces," he explained. "I had some ideas for the tower, but this is a subject with which I am unfortunately unfamiliar beyond the basics. I never really had a need for extra space living on my own, but now—" He paused, with the slight self-consciousness of a man still adjusting to the particular happiness of now. "Well. I thought it might be nice for us to have a little courtyard, which the architecture of the tower quite obviously doesn't support. And perhaps a new music room for you, where you wouldn't be bothered by the sounds of the tower. One with a spot for me, of course, so I may watch you when you invite me." He smiled with the boyish delight that appeared whenever a new idea genuinely seized him. "I have other ideas too, but I thought I’d better learn how much I can feasibly accomplish before I go setting myself up with projects for the next year or ten."

Alyss echoed his smile back at him, delighted by his delight. "What wonderful ideas. I'm sure you can do any of them you set your mind to, but perhaps start with just the two? I'm not sure I can keep track of too many little pockets in our tower, and I don't want your next adventure to be rescuing your lost wife from an interdimensional labyrinth."

"Nor I,” Gale said. "I've only just convinced you to marry me. It would be highly irresponsible and more than a little devastating to lose you now. Perhaps I should also research navigational devices and recall spells. Oh!" He caught himself. "But before I grow too distracted by my own plans, see here."

He drew her attention to the margins of the page, where someone had written in a dense, cramped hand quite different from the main text. The symbols and abbreviations were layered so tightly together that at first glance they looked almost decorative.

"The main text is interesting enough," he said. "It’s a thorough treatment of extradimensional spaces, how they're constructed, how they're sustained, and the theoretical underpinnings of the Magnificent Mansion spell in particular. Worthy scholarship." He tapped the margin. "But this is something else entirely."

He turned back several pages to show her the pattern of it. The marginal notes appeared at irregular intervals, sometimes a single line, sometimes a dense cluster that nearly overwrote the original text.

"It's arcane shorthand. A personal notation system, by the look of it. Scholars develop them sometimes when they're working quickly and don't want to be understood at a glance. This one seems to be part cipher, part abbreviation, and part personal vocabulary. Whoever wrote this was working fast and thinking faster." He pointed to a recurring symbol, a small looping mark that appeared at the start of each cluster of notes. "This appears to be a kind of anchor point. The same symbol begins each new entry. And here—" he moved his finger to a series of tightly packed characters "—I can make out what I believe are spatial coordinates of some kind. But the rest of it..." He sat back. "The rest requires a second pair of eyes and, I suspect, considerably more patience than I am currently capable of mustering alone." He tilted his head, resting it against hers.

"You have a musician's eye for pattern," he said. "And you definitely have more patience than me. Will you help me work through it?"

Gale and Alyss start their research at Candlekeep but get derailed by the marginalia in Gale's book. An unexpected option for adventure presents itself and of course they take it. [Read on AO3]

[kt-catt]

Tagging Game | Meet Cute

Thanks @thesanguinesonnet - love these little activities :)

Some questions to get to know me. No pressure tags to: @glitterandmoondustofficial, @87000beesinapersonsuit, @optimisticgrey, @alliskit, @lolthwoven, @rdekarios, @unovafarm, @tynithia (if you haven't done this and want to, otherwise feel free to ignore).

1. What’s a small BG3 detail that you always notice and love? The views. I love to get up high and look all around. The view from Ramazith's tower is a good one. 2. What’s one piece of reference material you’re currently obsessed with? Not for BG3, but I have an original fiction I've been working on for ages. It takes place in an alternate version of England, so I've spent an inordinate amount of time studying the features of wool market towns, abbey ruins, and Anglo-Saxon geographical terms.

3. Share a snippet or visual from your current project that you’re quietly proud of. Writing for BG3 is the first time I've written combat. I find it really challenging, but my "in" has been to show the relationships between the characters in how they fight together.

He whipped around and tried to sidestep, but the creature surged forward and a jet of high-pressure water caught him across the chest, sending him staggering backward. A crushing tightness seized his chest, followed immediately by sharp pain. He tried to breathe but couldn't get enough air, and there was a disturbing grinding in his side as he stumbled away from the myrmidon.

Radiant heat warmed his face as the fire myrmidon, freed from the ice, turned toward him as well, its flames building. He raised a shaking hand—trying to ignore the stabbing in his side as magic gathered—but his fingers felt clumsy and the words wouldn't come.

Wren appeared between him and the advancing elementals. Her hands came up and a shimmering barrier of force snapped into place. The fire myrmidon's flames crashed against it harmlessly.

She spoke a healing word that did nothing. "Gods be damned," she swore, in furious, impotent frustration. "Potion," she ordered tersely, as more bolts sprang from her sphere to strike at the myrmidons. "Now."

He fumbled for the pouch at his belt, each small movement sending lances of pain up his sides. After a minor eternity, he managed to find the right vial, pull it out, and drink it. The cold burn swept through him, healing the worst of the damage. He gasped at the ruthless speed of it, missing the feel of Wren's hands on him as his body knit itself back together.

He looked up to find her shield beginning to crumble under the myrmidons' assault. "Tempestas!" His voice rang out, strong again. As his hands began to work—their function fully restored—he took command of the winds streaming in through the demolished window and drove the myrmidons back toward the walls.

Wren turned toward Lorroakan, her sparks snapping, and her wind caught Gale's, whipping around them both. She drew two more whirlstars from her belt and sent them flying at the wizard. One sank into his chest, another into his shoulder. He shrieked in fury, blood spreading in dark stains across his gaudy robes.

The whirlstars exploded on impact. One with a crack of thunder that made Lorroakan stumble, the other with a brilliant flash of lightning that left scorch marks across his flesh. He screamed again, more in rage than pain, and his staff came up.

"Arde!"

A massive fireball erupted from the staff's tip, streaking toward them both. With a quick set of gestures and a cry, Gale's shield spell flared to life and deflected the worst of the blast. Heat washed over them, singeing hair and cloth, but did no real harm.

Cast with me, he sent, and felt Wren's immediate acknowledgement along with a fierce delight in fighting at his side. She called her lightning to her while Gale gathered his winds. Their magic recognized each other, coming together like dancers who'd practiced this routine a thousand times.

4. What’s something you’re looking forward to creating or finishing soon? My "Tale of Three Gales" one-shot! It's been pure fun to work on, but I'm looking forward to getting it finished and getting it posted.

5. What’s a fun or silly tradition you have with your OCs/Tavs?

Hmm, I'm not sure if I have any traditions, but both of my BG3 OCs were played before photo mode existed, so I've been having fun going back and doing photo shoots with them. In particular with Wren - I deleted her save, so I've been recreating her story with pictures. I don't use any of the fancy photo mode mods, so my images are middling at best, but I have fun getting creative with the tools I have.

6. What’s a BG3 NPC you’d love to see in a completely different outfit or setting? I'd love to see a cowboy Gale, his look fits it so well, while his personality absolutely does not. Also Gortash is made to be an early 2000s LA guy in a small band that plays clubs on Sunset and thinks that makes him maximally desirable. 7. What is a BG3 collab project that you would want to do? Honestly, any! I love to collab, so if anyone has something they really want to do, all you gotta do is let me know. 8. What’s a tiny headcanon or detail you’ve added to your Tav/OC that brings you joy?

For Alyss: I think it's her mischief and her love of teasing. I just have so much fun writing her and Gale's more lighthearted scenes and coming up with different ways for her to tease Gale.

For Wren: It's the fact that she's a woman of few words most of the time. It's honestly relaxing (especially as a Gale writer) to write dialogue that's terse and plain-spoken. 9. What is something you want your followers to know about you?

This is my first time writing fan fiction, and being part of a community like this. I have loved getting to know everyone's OCs, stories, and art. Talking to y'all and seeing how you work has been really inspiring to me. Thanks for being such a supportive and welcoming community!

[optimisticgrey]

Tag game: Ten people you'd like to know better✨

tagged by @kimberbohwrites @kt-catt @fangedgrace @faeriiefire @facetheworldbitch @doomedlamb @lucretiouswept @alrendriablaze @litsenn

Thank you so much, darlings 🫠

Last Song: Still Maphra's cover of Faouzia's Unethical

Current Obsession: The brainrot is....brain rotting. Baldur's Gate 3. I have been revisiting older drafts of my first Scifi book though. That was horrifying.

Currently Reading: The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

and the regular reread of @thecurlyginger's Your Protector Coming Home Series

Currently Working on: Celeste's Memoir (to no one's surprise)

Currently Wearing: ....really? 😅 Black Cotton, as usual. Longsleeve and pants.

Last Search: DnD 5e mend spell

Favourite Flower: I am allergic to everything that contains pollen, so....sunflowers?

no pressure tags for @lutethebodies @missfortunetherogue @babydinosaur930 @elceewunjo @cinder-rellish181 @goodgirlgonebard @renofdragons @citruskushh @alleiramagic @dragonsbone and, as always, @lilhumanoid

[rdekarios]

WIP Wednesday... only a day late this time

Tagged by the lovely @ann-bg3-lol, @deianestormborn, @emmy-and-the-tieflings and @bladesingerlily - consider yourselves uno-reverse tagged, as well as no pressure tags for @defira85, @optimisticgrey, @babydinosaur930, @dr4gonwriter, @kt-catt, @wasteful-sam 💖

Her head throbbed.

Not with the writhing of the tadpole that she'd long since gotten used to, but with the abysmal realisation that she had drank far, far too much.

Her clothes clung to sweat-dampened skin and the world seemed to spin on its axis even as she lay motionless, barely covered by the fabric of her bedroll. She groaned as she shoved herself upright, stomach roiling with the movement.

The light was still dim outside — early morning birdsong worsening the ache in her skull. She needed water. If she was quick enough, nobody would have to see her.

With a shaky breath she steeled herself, pulling herself up to her feet and opening up the tent flap, wincing against the light.

Frigid mountain air wrapped itself around her. Goosebumps rose on her arm, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she glanced around the campsite.

A fresh fire was lit beneath the cook pot, sausages already beginning to sizzle in the heat, and she heaved as the scent of them caught on the air.

Before her brain could catch up to wonder where or who the cook was, Gale emerged through the line of trees at the edge of camp, clutching a waterskin. His hair - usually immaculately swept back or half tied up - was noticeably disheveled, stray locks curling around his ears or flying away in the breeze. His robes bore the crumples of being haphazardly thrown on in haste, and dark circles lined his eyes. Still he smiled when he saw her.

"Good morning, Phina."

His voice came low and gentle, as though mindful of her condition, and for half a second she softened, letting his voice wash over her comfortingly.

Before she remembered that she must look like she'd crawled her way back from the fugue plane, soul barely in fact.

Another wave of nausea gripped her stomach.

"Gale, I-"

She'd hoped to claw the edges of her dignity back together before seeing him again. Of all her companions to see her looking so out of sorts, he was the one she minded the most. Foolish, really, when he'd already made it abundantly clear that he was not interested in her. More foolish still to imagine a reality where anybody would be interested in her after the embarrassment she must have made of herself the night before.

No, it wasn't just embarrassment she felt. It was mortification.

She'd offended him. Vilified their goddess — his ex-lover, even — for a divine charge she had no business interfering with, and with far sharper words than she would have dared utter sober. Gods only knew the details of everything she'd said. Their conversation returned to her only in sharp fragments, the edges of each memory stinging far worse than the headache ever could. But the look on his face... that was etched onto the back of her eyelids. His eyes wide with hurt. His brow knitted with frustration. His mouth agape — either in sheer disbelief, or like he was moments from reprimanding her.

A fate she no doubt deserved.

That he was still even speaking to her was a miracle. The soft smile he offered was a mystery.

"You're up early," was all she could think to say.

[unovafarm]

10 People You’d Like to Know Better ♥️

Thanks so much for the tags @deianestormborn, @gortashsrighthand, @cinder-rellish181, @faeriiefire, @kt-catt, @miauzuli, @purpleasters-inseptember, and @lucretiouswept ♥️♥️ loved getting to learn more about you all ☺️

🩸Last song: Sum 41 - With Me

🩸Current obsession: Honestly BG3, whether it's writing/reading fanfic, practicing VP, playing the game itself, etc. It does so much for my mental health while I grieve and gives me an outlet for all that emotional energy

Also I LOVE matcha and I'm fascinated by it and drink it all the time

🩸Currently reading: Stealing Moonlight by @cinder-rellish181, I Think I Might Push My Luck With You by @andromedaancunin, Foundations of Decay by @carnivaley, You've Got Gale by @asorceresswrites, Song-Hexed by @emmy-and-the-tieflings, Quiet Affection by @laurelli-fiction, and as of today, Papillon by @gortashsrighthand, and honestly like dozens others but too many to list here!!

I'm also reading the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

🩸Currently working on: I am having SO MUCH FUN writing "Her Harper, His Sufferer." I've got crushes on most BG3 characters but Harper Geraldus really stole my heart*

*rendered me a delusional mess pining every waking hour over a weepy anxious bundle of pixels that I wanna have sex with

🩸Currently wearing: A super super oversized metal band t-shirt, underwear, and no pants LOL it's very hot out today

🩸Last search: "Can grief turn your eyelashes white?" (for Nienna design purposes LMAO)

🩸Favorite flower: Black bat flowers/Tacca chantrieri. If you haven't seen one, look it up (trust me). I don't want to include a pic because I feel like it'll get my post flagged lol

I'm getting to this a lot later than everyone else, so if you've already done this and I missed it please link me your post!! Gentle gentle no pressure tags to @scoldingdarjeeling, @galacticsparkles, @wyfyoyo, @spillingteanotpermitted, @ele-millennial-weirdo, @helyanwe4608, @onlytavs, @andromedaancunin, @emmy-and-the-tieflings, and anyone else who'd like to participate, consider this an invite and tag me in your post!! I'd love to get to know more folks here ♥️☺️

[kt-catt]

WIP Wednesday on Thursday

Tagged by @rdekarios on her lovely excerpt! I would love to see what's cooking from @thesanguinesonnet, @optimisticgrey @alliskit, @lolthwoven, @ginateeth, @tynithia - no pressure, only if you've got something! I'm still plugging away at my tale of three Gales - they have names now!

About an hour in, the door to the roof opened and Alyss walked out. She was half-dressed, with her robe fluttering open over a creamy muslin chemise, and her hair flowing down her back like warm honey. She was in the process of clasping a bracelet around her wrist. "Gale," she said, "have you seen my hairnet?" She stopped dead. Three Gales stood frozen in the act of jockeying over the proper angle for a support rod. All three took in her state of undress and her hair shining loose in the sun, and their expressions went soft and smitten at the exact same moment. She took in the scene, her eyes moving over each of them before stopping, without difficulty or doubt, on the actual Gale. "Should I be concerned about this, my love?" "No, no," he said. "My simulacrum spell went in an unexpected direction this morning, but once we're done with this project, I will take care of it." He tried to sound more confident than he felt. "Are you going to introduce me to your friends?" She looked at the other two Gales curiously. "I am Gale," the active one said, stepping smoothly forward, taking her hand, and bowing over it to press his lips to her knuckles. "And I am Gale," said the intellectual one, offering a stiff, formal bow. "That's not going to work," she said, shaking her head. She turned to the active one still before her and smoothly extricated her hand from his. "You," she said, "are Dale." He smiled charmingly. "You may call me anything you like, my beauty." "Wonderful. And you," she turned to the intellectual one, "are—" she paused, running through possibilities. "Gabe," she supplied. "I am most certainly not!" He huffed indignantly. "You are," said both Dale and Gale. He scowled and grumbled but made no further protest.

[kt-catt]

Tag game: ten people you'd like to know better

Thanks @thesanguinesonnet and @rdekarios for the tag! Last song: Disorder - Joy Division It's getting faster, moving faster now It's getting out of hand On the tenth floor, down the back stairs It's a no man's land Lights are flashing, cars are crashing Getting frequent now I've got the spirit, lose the feeling Let it out somehow Current obsession: Writing fiction and writing for my own pleasure. I've been a writer for $$ for years and have neglected my creative writing because of it. With the rise of AI, and pressures at work to use it, I have become suddenly obsessed with practicing my craft organically and for my own pleasure where no one can tell me how to do it or what tools to use. Currently Reading:

Book: The Unicorn Hunters - Katherine Arden Fics: Shores of Will - c_e_p (pre-canon BG3, OC and Gale) Of Relics, Ruin, and Romance - Lalaithgreen (post-canon BG3, Gale/OC) The Chiaroscuro of Szarr - thesanguinesonnet (Cazador/OC - BG3 AU where the story is not what we were told) The Matriarch: The Morena Dekarios Story - Tynithia (Pre-canon BG3)

Currently working on: Chapter 50 (!) of To Err Divine and a couple of one-shots for some prompts from the Baldur's Writers III Prompt Meme August event.

Currently wearing: An old comfy hoodie and my hiking pants (I am on a plane). Last search: "elf cuisine of Faerun" (me trying to figure out what three different Gales would cook to compete to be the one to impress their half-elf girlfriend the most) Favorite flower:  Dahlia

Gently tagging: @lolthwoven, @unovafarm, @alliskit, @optimisticgrey, @tynithia - if you've already done this, link me if you want!