still at it

the gander and the hunter and the gatherer

[lycowarrior]

Death ancient and mad and mighty, death sorrowful and ashamed.

A shameful failure/Nothing will bloom from this/You can wait forever and still receive nothing/No redeeming end awaits

This is based on the butterfly hatching metaphor in the novel, but to make the scene more fatal, I drew the cocoon a failed-to-hatch one, with only malformed flesh inside.

[hot-german]

I drew a picture of Kasukabe two years ago. I love the style of the Dorohedoro manga. Рисовала для зина картиночку с Касукабе. Стиль Дорохедоро невероятный и мне очень нравится, но сюжет слишком злой для меня, поэтому я не смог заставить себя дочитать. Хотя на это так же повлияло слишкомноготекставбаблах, пхпх

[vakariansyndrome]

Making up for lost time, as they do.

full piece here.

As usual, I post WIPs from time to time on my bsky for those interested/curious. ☺️ 💜

Ada model by DazWiz and Leon model by Zeppers.

[lolthwoven]

*gasp* guys, LOOK AT THIS

I'm not even joking, this is so damn good and I haven't been able to stop staring at it 🫪

That linework, that lighting... just unreal. @yevyanko is ridiculously talented and really knocked it out of the park with this one ♥️

[ginateeth]

No More Words

Rating: Explicit 18+ Pairings: Jaheira/Khalid Summary: Inspired by the nameday note from Khalid found in Jaheira's basement in BG3. Before the Shadows of Amn, before Gorion's end, there was only them. When Jaheira discovers Khalid has been secretly rewriting their life through poetry—erasing every moment his stutter stole from him—she decides words are stealing her husband away. A raw, tender, and explicit exploration of love, acceptance, and living in the imperfect present.

OneShot Word Count: 2,610 Full fic on AO3

A spotless sky with sun to light our way out of shadows, we rise to meet our dawn. I faced you, love, and spoke unblemished, true, that always haunts my waking memory. “By leaf and root, by moon and mortal fire, I pledge my blade, my breath, my quiet faith. As elven hearts have joined through ages deep, so do I bind my days and nights to yours. No shadow, no cruel blade, no whispered doubt shall part what we have planted here in trust.” You answered soft, and all the world grew still.

Jaheira’s thumb worried the dried teardrops on the parchment, tracing a faint circle into the ink. She could almost see him hunched over the page by candlelight, eyes glistening, lips moving silently as he practiced the flawless words. The image made her chest ache with fierce, protective love.

This was the fifth poem she had found. A reimagining of their wedding day and his vows, unmarred by the exhausting physicality of verbal blocks and repetitions.

The first one, discovered months ago beside a dying campfire, had been a revision of one of their fiercest arguments about the Harpers. She had treasured it then—a rare, unfiltered window into his beautiful mind. But by the third, the pattern had become impossible to ignore.

Her gentle warrior, her quiet storm, her blushing blade was rewriting their history wherever his tongue had failed him, gilding every imperfect moment in false, painless sunlight.

That third poem—the night he first tried to tell her he loved her—had lodged in her like a thorn. In Khalid’s version, the words flowed effortlessly under starlight, his body entwined with hers. In reality, he had trembled against her, mouth opening and closing, the declaration dying into frustrated silence until he hid his face in her neck. She had held him then, patient, aching for him, and whispered that she already knew.

Were it not for the struggle, his blocks and stammers wouldn’t have bothered her in the slightest. If anything, he was her reminder, as if from Silvanus himself, to slow down and listen.

But the sixth poem was what finally drove her to act—the one that reached forward into a future they had not yet earned.

[blanchebees]

Cruel lover

Tip jar

[vitamin-k-tablets]

wolf I saw in a dream

don't know what the tumblr sniper wolf fanbase is like but i thought she was a pretty cool character and probably the character that left the most impact on me while playing mgs so i wanted to draw her (despite having to redraw this several times such is my torment)

[amphibianshaped]

deep

[vakariansyndrome]

✨Bring Back My Girls ✨

ʀᴜʟᴇꜱ: ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢᴀʟꜱ! ɢɪᴍᴍᴇ ꜱᴀᴜᴄʏ, ɢɪᴍᴍᴇ ꜱᴇᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ, ɢɪᴍᴍᴇ ᴅɪʀᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰɪʟᴛʜʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀɪᴍʏ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɢɪᴍᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴜʀʟꜱ. ꜱʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪᴠɪɴᴇ ꜰᴇᴍɪɴɪɴᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍ!

Thanks for the tag, wifey (@dramatiquechipmunk)! You already know Octavia is my second favorite... 😈

I have a couple OCs that fit the bill, but I'll dedicate this post to my main, my love, my everything: Adelaide Silverhand. Here is a combo of renders and VP I've done/taken of her.

As consort (render).

In a modern setting (render).

Warming up and looking fly (VP).

I LOVE HER. More than myself, maybe, idk. 😂 I have a whole series jsut for her and Astarion on AO3. <3

Gentle tags for: @lottavilja, @lolthwoven, @lenorebutsad, @strixamans, & @optimisticgrey. Sorry if you've been tagged already!

If you're seeing this and want to do it, feel free to tag me, too so I don't miss it. <3

[tapeworrmart]

Dirty work

[baldurs-writers-3]

This time our recs are fics staring the characters we know so well, but in settings that are rather less familiar. Changes range from relatively minor divergences from canon to flat out different realities.

We got into the spirit of things here by posting from an alternative reality where recs come out on the 16th, not the 15th. We didn't just forget. Honest.

Consonance by EliteSeven (41946, Explicit) Content Notes: None Pairings: Shadowheart/Tav

Band AU in which Shadowheart and Tav fall deeply in love.

Reccer says: It's angsty, sweet, hot, hopeful... it's all the best things and a masterclass of an AU. Excellent complex characterization of Shadowheart, and Tav is the sweetest cinnamon roll. I want to hug them both.

Wild Blood by IshtaDawnstar (483737, Mature) Content Notes: None Pairings: Astarion/Original Female Character

What happens if Astarion was given to the Gur by Durge? A look at the people who Durge left behind. But this fic later on involves actual multiverses which is why I think it fits for an AU

Reccer says: Truly inspired writing, brilliant ideas, angst, sweetness and laugh out loud hilarity.

Rare by nyxueaurelia (150k, Explicit) Content Notes: None Pairings: Astarion/Gale

Chronically ill and fed up with doctors Astarion meets Gale, a doctor who is determined to find answers. Feelings happen.

Reccer says: Depiction of chronic illness is so accurate it hurts. Great side characters (Minthy as Astarion's best friend and Isobel as Gale's office partner) are fun.

One Last Call by shars_will (84650, Explicit) Content Notes: Pairings: Dame Aylin/Isobel Thorm, Karlach/Shadowheart

Incredible AU set over just 24 hours, in a steam-punk sort of world where the shadowcurse hangs over a Reithwin that has Thorm as a politician running for election, and where Karlach and Aylin are both bartenders at a bar named Last Light.

Reccer says: Beautiful prose, internalized characterization that feels real and lived in, and surprises around every turn. And Aylin as a motorcycle!

One Night Only by AlwaysMauria (8789, Explicit) Content Notes: This is hot as the hells, but also full of lovely little music details and so evocative, I really felt like I was there. Pairings: Astarion/Reader

Astarion is the lead singer of Arcane Trickster. You get invited backstage.

Reccer says: I liked it!

DOLL PARTS by Desdimonda (33, 950, Explicit) Content Notes: There are heavy themes of dubious consent, unhealthy relationships and some touching on non-con with prison life and dolls. Pairings: Voss/Tav, Orpheus/Tav, Orpheus/Voss

A story following snapshots of several characters (mostly githyanki) in a dark cyberpunk verse under Vlaakith's dystopian Empire trying to survive a difficult winter, finding comfort in who and with what they can find.

Reccer says: The worldbuilding is immersive, immense and complex, alongside the characters that fit so well with it and with each other. Even amongst the grimdark of everything that's happening there's still hope there whether they find it in each other or in the promise of carving it out through violence or change.

Broken Mirrors by ShandoraTheExplorer (145525, Explicit) Content Notes: CW: Cazador Szarr is very much appropriate for some of the flashback scenes. It has a lot of hurt/comfort too, though. Pairings: Tav/Astarion, Gale/Halsin

It's an AU where Astarion was never turned into a vampire, and Tav is Cazador's spawn instead. Canonization of the game events.

Reccer says: The author hasn't just grabbed a new face and written Astarion, the MC is very much his own person with different reactions to Astarion's canon trauma.

Barely Skating By by patheticfangirl (167000, Explicit) Content Notes: None Pairings: Gale/Astarion

A production of Starlight Express in Waterdeep ends up tangled with politics, vampires, and a guy who really loves trains.

Reccer says: The world building is top notch. The humor is on point. It's hard to not love this version of Gale and Astarion and the way their relationship develops.

Dead Men Make No Maps by LolthWoven (16927, Explicit) Content Notes: None Pairings: The Dark Urge/Rugan

A modern crime AU where Rugan’s an ageing smuggler happily retired and done with all the drama, until Bhaal’s daughter pulls him straight back into the middle of a faction war.

Reccer says: A funny, sarcastic-as-hell slow burn narrated from Rugan’s POV.

OK, Sune by totally_irritated (52302, Explicit) Content Notes: Pairings: Gale/Tav

Gale stumbles his way into a coffee date after his friends bully him into making a dating profile.

Reccer says: Great writing! Lots of familiar faces in a modern setting, witty dialogue, plenty of plot & tasty spice!

12 Days of Debauchery by chaus_cobolorum (46679, Explicit) Content Notes: Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent Pairings: Astarion/George Gordon Byron | Lord Byron

Astarion finally gets Lord Byron to come for a visit to his country estate Arkhenmyr, with an invitation Byron couldn't refuse - A Christmas Day Masquerade with a classics theme. Astarion offers his muse a special present, 12 Days of Learning the Art of Debauchery, with him as the teacher.

Reccer says: 12 Days... is a delightfully debauched regency AU fic with a surprising amount of tenderness, humor, and dark romance that has one of the more interesting takes on Ascended Astarion that I have had the pleasure of reading. Chaus put so much care and attention into getting everything just right and it shows; Lord Byron is captured perfectly, as are the dangers, thrills, and social sensibilities around sexuality and queer identity in the regency era. Came for the wanton debauchery, stayed for the incredibly plot woven throughout (...and the debauchery lol)

Quicksilver by AlwaysMauria (7434, Explicit) Content Notes: Major Character Death Pairings: Astarion/Freddie Mercury

On the Eve of the QueenRock concerts, Astarion meets Freddie Mercury, at Le Mystique. Though the encounter is brief, it kicks off something.

Reccer says: An interesting pairing, great writing, well-balanced smut

That Pure Severity of Perfect Light by TheBlindBandit (11668, Teen) Content Notes: Religious Crises, Major Character Death, Bad Fathers, Torture, Messy Reunions Pairings: Dame Aylin/Isobel Thorm

Aylin and Isobel are Lathanderian alternatives of themselves at Rosymorn and Ketheric is still who he is as a person. They go through an alternative version of their heartbreaking separation and a complicated reunion under the skeptical eye of the Morninglord.

Reccer says: This piece broke my heart and put it back together kintsugi-style like Aylin's gold-lined flesh.

A Million Points of Light by IxiaGrey (21329, Explicit) Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, enemies(ish) to lovers, epic Dragonborn-body appreciation! Pairings: Gortash/The Dark Urge

What if Enver Gortash was a wildly popular model, playboy, and socialite; and what if Durge was hired as his bodyguard? A slightly modern AU still set in Baldur's Gate.

Reccer says: A fun take on their characters, with roles that play well into their dynamic. The story itself is engaging with twists you won't see coming, plenty of pining and angst!

I have known you by optimisticgrey (9611, Not Rated) Content Notes: None Pairings: Gale/Reader

The author describes a scenario where a person from this world dreams of a life with Gale but it feels very real to them.

Reccer says: I liked it!

Velvet Arcanum by Fireflyeyes (7674, Explicit) Content Notes: None Pairings: Gale/OC

Velvet Arcanum: 70s rock glamour, celestial prints, and enough ego to fill an airship.

Reccer says: I liked it!

Override & Underground by Sayl (18021, Explicit) Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence Pairings: Gale/The Dark Urge, Enver Gortash/The Dark Urge

Modern AU. Think big pharma meets fast & furious! Gale returns to his former job at Harper Pharmaceuticals as head of IT & Cybersecurity. But being back in the place he met his lost love proves difficult.

Reccer says: I liked it!

Keep You With Me, Always by candles_and_moths, Wild_Magic (20756, Not Rated) Content Notes: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Depictions of Death, Depictions of Intense Grief Pairings: Astarion/Original Male Character

When a mysterious illness befalls the baronet, the most qualified but least conventional doctor is engaged to tend him. It soon becomes clear this is no ordinary sickness, and the bottom of this mystery is deeper and darker than anyone could have anticipated.

Reccer says: Reads like an original novella while paying homage to the source material in unexpected ways.

10/10, Would Recommend by Aerin67 (2970, Teen) Content Notes: None Pairings: Gale/Tav

Librarian, and yearner extraordinaire, Gale develops a crush on the mysterious vandal ruining his ‘Recommendation Wall’. A post-it note war ensues!

Reccer says: This is utterly feel-good, and I love the realistic (almost antagonistic) friendship that Gale and Astarion have in this. Also. THE YEARNING!

[lycowarrior]

Can you see what I see

“Worry not! Eileanar shall show them the beauty we visioned, and the joy we have known. In time, all shall follow us and our enclave.”

—Karsus, aged 22

[87000beesinapersonsuit]

modern au freedom!! they’re the lead singer for a shitty underground band :)

[ixjj]

[tuxedkitt]

Getting into Metal Gear. They didn’t tell me this shit had Metal Gear

[lolthwoven]

Outsiders' Welcome

Chapter 1: The Sauceman's Sacrament Pairing: Rugan/F!Tav Rating: T, for Two sausages, both unfortunately on the table. Summary:

The walls of Little Calimshan were built to be exactly as welcoming to Baldurians as the Baldurians had been to them. There are two ways into a place that does not want you: walking through the front gate as if you have every right to be there, and going over the wall as if rights had nothing to do with it. A Fist who could do the first and a Zhent who preferred the second were about to discover, on a particularly unfortunate evening, that they needed each other.

AO3 link 💛

[renmorris]

trying to think of video game foreshadowing as fucked as Harrier Du Bois calling himself Ambrosius and I can’t. you spend a whole game giggling at Harry’s silly fake name. a whole game. you don’t know who Ambrosius is yet. you don’t know.