mafwaff

[mafwaff]

Today, I’m feelin’ sick. 🤧

Sickness always seems to come when you have so much to do, eh? Don’t mind me, I’ll be finishing half rendered pieces, catching up on Arcane and maybe doodling… (I heard spice is good for colds, right? 😏)

Real talks and mid-month check in: I’m pretty proud of myself keeping up with illustrating and not getting as self-conscious as I normally do. I’ve found some awesome communities to keep the momentum up too. I’ve seen improvement already and instead of viewing my old drawings as ugly, I’m thankful for the stepping stone they provided me to get me to where I am.

Stay safe out there y’all 🧇

[mafwaff]

Mid afternoon rebloog 🧇

A painting study based on this reference that quickly turned into an obsessive character piece. I have some thoughts on my Durge Phonos; infodump below the cut 🧇

Let the yapathon begin! Fair warning, there are some dark urge spoilers ahead: Phonos is my second Durge. My first one was a joke mwhahah evil Durge (essentially named “give in”) that got me thinking about the Dark Urges’ story, Jergal and that multiple timeline head-canon that’s floating around and reasons for redemption. I’m not technically done his play-through ( I’m 3/4 through Act 3), but I have some major story beats based on how I’ve played him so far:

Named after the Greek concept , I wanted Phonos to be the personification of murder. In act 1, I set him up as a ruthless war general who was happy to fulfill his role in Bhaal’s plan. He initially embraces being “the beginning of the end”. I wanted him to be a character who could see the bigger picture, command others through intimation and manipulation and still be a skilled frontline warrior

Phonos is ambitious, but recognizes his limitations and finds a party who is able to fill the roles he can’t. He knows a war isn’t won with one. In his tactical plan, he wants to have a few lieutenants to - through their own means - help “spread the apocalypse”. Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Minthara and Lae’zel are all people that Phonos can see will be valuable in Bhaal’s plan

This goes against Bhaal’s ideology of his chosen spawn being the only one in the end. I’d like to think this fundamental difference in how the apocalypse should happen leads to his spawn turning against him.

This fundamental difference comes to a head in act 2 when Phonos is punished for taking too long to purge the Last Light Inn and was forced to lash out against his partner. The following night, he goes to the Last Light Inn without his party to in atonement. In doing so, he is granted the slayer. The slayer becomes an analogy for loss of control and giving up choice. Phonos only becomes the slayer when he can't handle the battle himself (i.e. when he's downed)

When Phonos goes through a period of reflection, deciding which path to choose, there are a handful of times he chooses the Slayer. This leads to some battles in early act 3, where his party is left having to down the beast to control its urges. The Baulder's Mouth was very messy.

Phonos whistles in battle. It’s haunting and becomes a signal to advance or a way for him to calm down when he feels the slayer coming out

Phonos ultimately kills Orin without her turning to the slayer (huge for his story, as it represents to both of them they don't need it). He rejects Bhaal and in doing so, is granted the freedom to continue being the catalyst towards destruction. There are many ways to go about the apocalypse after all; why does it have to be in Bhaal's name? Phonos' new freedom allows him to start future planning with Gale, Shadowheart and Astarion in mind

[mafwaff]

A painting study based on this reference that quickly turned into an obsessive character piece. I have some thoughts on my Durge Phonos; infodump below the cut 🧇

Let the yapathon begin! Fair warning, there are some dark urge spoilers ahead: Phonos is my second Durge. My first one was a joke mwhahah evil Durge (essentially named “give in”) that got me thinking about the Dark Urges’ story, Jergal and that multiple timeline head-canon that’s floating around and reasons for redemption. I’m not technically done his play-through ( I’m 3/4 through Act 3), but I have some major story beats based on how I’ve played him so far:

Named after the Greek concept , I wanted Phonos to be the personification of murder. In act 1, I set him up as a ruthless war general who was happy to fulfill his role in Bhaal’s plan. He initially embraces being “the beginning of the end”. I wanted him to be a character who could see the bigger picture, command others through intimation and manipulation and still be a skilled frontline warrior

Phonos is ambitious, but recognizes his limitations and finds a party who is able to fill the roles he can’t. He knows a war isn’t won with one. In his tactical plan, he wants to have a few lieutenants to - through their own means - help “spread the apocalypse”. Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Minthara and Lae’zel are all people that Phonos can see will be valuable in Bhaal’s plan

This goes against Bhaal’s ideology of his chosen spawn being the only one in the end. I’d like to think this fundamental difference in how the apocalypse should happen leads to Bhaal's spawn turning against him.

This fundamental difference comes to a head in act 2 when Phonos is punished for taking too long to purge the Last Light Inn and is forced to lash out against his partner. The following night, he goes to the Last Light Inn without his party in atonement. In doing so, he is granted the slayer. The slayer becomes an analogy for loss of control and giving up choice. Phonos only becomes the slayer when he can't handle the battle himself (i.e. when he's downed)

Shadowheart's decision to spare The Nightsong surprises Phonos. He saw this decision as definite so when she chooses differently, it forces him to think about realities and the future. This ultimately becomes the catalyst for denying Bhaal's gift

As Phonos goes through a period of reflection deciding which path to choose, there are a handful of times he chooses the Slayer. This leads to some battles in early act 3, where his party is left having to down the beast to control its urges. The Baulder's Mouth fight was very messy.

Phonos whistles in battle. It’s haunting and becomes a signal to advance or a way for him to calm down when he feels the slayer coming out

Phonos kills Orin without her turning to the slayer (huge for his story, as it represents to both of them they don't need it). He rejects Bhaal and in doing so, is granted the freedom to continue being the destruction of the world. There are many ways to go about the apocalypse after all; why does it have to be in Bhaal's name? Phonos' new freedom allows him to start future planning with Gale, Shadowheart and Astarion in mind

[mafwaff]

Lord, can’t take this girl anywhere /// 🧇

It’s been a day and I needed some levity. Néva is levity. This is just some typical Néva behaviour at [insert tavern name here].

[mafwaff]

His dramatic ass would totally do something like this. It’s giving “Sashay away…” 🧇

I felt like drawing something that made me laugh today. As soon as I saw this reference, I knew I HAD to have Astarion “staring” into his reflection. ALSO I think I found my favourite sketchy line art pen for Procreate, so that’s nice 😌

[mafwaff]

My Selunite cleric 🤍 Painted in oils!

♡ My Ko-fi ♡ Commissions ♡ Prints

[mafwaff]

Borrowing Taking from Gale's collection 📚

A quiet moment at the Elfsong 🧇

Trying some different things with colouring and a quick background. I probably won’t go back to this type of pen for line art. Slowly learning; feels good man 😌

[mafwaff]

A quiet moment at the Elfsong 🧇

Trying some different things with colouring and a quick background. I probably won’t go back to this type of pen for line art. Slowly learning; feels good man 😌

[mafwaff]

Meet Nèva. She’s a wild magic sorcerer from Waterdeep. I originally made her for our Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign and ended up bringing her in for Icewind Dale. It only makes sense that she was my first Tav for BG3

(First full body render of Néva, LET’S GOO ) Backstory below the cut 🧇

(Be warned, I’m not much of a writer. Hopefully I don’t ramble too much. TBH, this part’s more for me than it is for you)

Name: Néva (pronounced NAHY-va). This is an alias; her real name is Evélynn (ev-AYH-lin) Margaster

Race and Class: half-elf wild magic sorcerer

First Impressions: Elegant, yet sloppy; flirty and reckless. Upon meeting her, she doesn’t seem to take anything seriously and has a way of turning a negative scenario into a chaotically hilarious situation.

~~~~

From: Waterdeep, North Ward

Family: She is a distant part of the Margaster household within Waterdeep. While she doesn’t have any siblings and is not fully involved with her family’s affairs, she does play an important role within a secretive sect of the Margaster family that still hold ties to Asmodeus worship. She’s not too concerned about “playing her role” and doesn’t fully understand what worship entails until it actually affects her… I like to think of it as the equivalent of going to church without realising what you’re doing and why.

Most defining life moment: Evélynn had a wife - Veronica - whom she was absolutely smitten by. Instead of studying over magical tomes and artifacts that might help the family as she was supposed to, Evélynn would shirk her duties to fawn over the love of her life. Lucky for the Margasters, Veronica had an innate gift for tapping into magic and would pick up the slack. Upon one of their many seafaring conquests, the Margasters find a powerful magical armlet that allows the wielder to receive a great boost to their own magical abilities. Evélynn and Veronica were tasked to study it and determine how useful it would be to further the church. Upon the day of their research review, Evélynn was late to the meeting and Veronica took her stead. As Evélynn finally arrived during the demonstration part of the review, something went wrong with the controls and caused a massive magical surge. Evélynn ran toward Veronica and, in doing so, got the brunt of blast. The armlet becomes infused to her upper right arm and shoulder, melting into her skin. When the dust settled and crumpled bodies lay strewn across the ground, Veronica was nowhere to be found. Evélynn, with very little innate magic ability to begin with, was suddenly imbued with uncontrollable power. She fled for her life, distraught at the disappearance of her wife and in fear of the Margasters getting their hands on her and whatever this artifact was. Evélynn changed her name to Néva and hid in plain sight within Waterdeep, living in squalor inside the Yawning Portal. It is later revealed that Veronica’s soul is stuck inside the armlet and powers Néva’s wild magic.

~~~~

Greatest strength and weakness: Néva is an extremely passionate person. This can be to both her benefit and her detriment. It lends way to her resilience in the hardest times, and her recklessness at other times. This recklessness is mainly seen in her hedonistic tendencies towards alcohol and sex, but can be also come out in poor decision-making on the battlefield. Néva is also a pretty broken person (more one why below); she overindulges in booze and promiscuity to forget most days. Her motto is “ I’m here for a good time, not a long timeline”.

Greatest Desire: More than anything, Néva wants to see her late wife again. She wants to make her whole, hold her close and apologize. At the beginning of her adventures in Waterdeep, Néva wants Veronica alive again. However, as she travels the Swordcoast and many of her leads turn fruitless, she settles for being able to see her wife again and say a final goodbye.

Fatal flaw: Néva’s desire to see Veronica again clouds her actions and moral judgements, leading her down some pretty dark paths. Of course, trying to bring someone’s soul back to a body that no longer exists will lead to powerful necromancy, fringe religions and other planar powers, all of which Néva can barely grasp. Yet she must try. If there is a possibility, Néva will gravitate to it even if it’s detrimental to herself and her party members. This had led to some broken relationships and tough conversations between her and her party. Headcannon: Act 2 of bg3 was a big turning point for Néva’s obsession to get her wife back when she meets and learns more about Isobel and Ketheric. She can see it’s possible yet she is faced with what her future looks like (i.e. what Ketheric has become) if she continues haphazardly down her obsessive path. This leads to a positive shift in her desires and by the time she reaches Icewind Dale, she’s really just looking to be able to put her wife to rest.

Worldview: likely existential in the way that she’s grown up in wealth through conquest. Néva recognizes how blunt and cruel the world is and that if you want to be happy, you have to carve it out yourself. Even after Veronica is gone, Néva’s main coping strategy is to “enjoy” life in whatever that might entail in the moment. It leads to some chaotic shenanigans and drunken mistakes.

Three adjectives: flirty, vibrant, hedonistic

Personality quirks: dresses elegantly but rarely wears dresses, loves a good bottle of red or two…, has a mean rbf, has way too fancy a palate for living in squalor, likes to listen poetry recited in song form, sleeps at the strangest hours

~~~~

Other Random Facts:

the armlet ended up melting into Néva in the rough shape of a butterfly (think kintsugi); coincidently, many of Néva’s spells take the shape of a butterfly;

Néva wears a blue ribbon in her hair that used to be Veronica’s necktie (I really wanted to add this because it reminded me of butterfly wings, but it’s really a awkward angle and ends up looking pretty stupid when I draw her head turned. I’ve dropped this for now and edited the drawing.)

She has used illusion-based cantrips (namely thaumaturgy) to turn tricks at the Yawning Portal (she really should be a bard…)

Bg3 specific: when Néva first met Gale, she was immediately on edge that another Waterdavian who might know her and her family was in the party…she gets more comfortable as time goes on and they have this missed connection sort of thing; Néva initially gravitated to Shadowheart, but something that she did/said during their wine night in act 1 reminded her too much of Veronica, so Néva chose to distance herself; Néva’s dream visitor took the form of Veronica… she immediately knew the dream visitor wasn’t who they claimed to be, but it felt so real that she was okay suspending her disbelieve for a while; Néva ends up with Astarion in a kind of “birds of a feather” way (more doodles exploring this later) - initially, she sees him as a distraction and ultimately uses him in a similar way that he uses you; when he opens up in Act 2, Néva has to reevaluate how she sees relationships and physicality again; the events of act 3 give them plenty of opportunities to open up to each other and learn more about each other’s sorted pasts…Néva would have shared more about her late wife; after the events of bg3, I’d like to think they travel together to search for a way to walk in the sun and a way to separate a soul from metal

[mafwaff]

I rewatched the first BG3 DnD one-shot: Shadows of Athkatla and just HAD to doodle the Temple of Sune spa scene between Gale and Wyll. 🧇

Tim Downie and Theo Solomon have great repartee.

Link (starts at 55:40 for those who haven’t seen it)

[mafwaff]

Some softness to start this saturdayy

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What's he reading? Wrong answers only 🧇

Line-art is done 🩸

Still testing out brushes. Not sure if I love this one for line-art. Anyone has any Procreate brush recommendations? 🧇

[mafwaff]

Line-art is done 🩸

Still testing out brushes. Not sure if I love this one for line-art. Anyone has any Procreate brush recommendations? 🧇

[mafwaff]

Hey! I’m MafWaff (otherwise known as Mafia-Waffles) and I’m a hobbyist illustrator. I mainly draw DnD and fantasy characters. I will also (obsessively) dabble in fandoms. Current brainrot era: Bauldur’s Gate 3. Please don’t hesitate to comment, critique or ask anything. I’m looking to build my craft and will open myself up to character art commissions soon. More to come 🧇

[mafwaff]

The many faces of Phonos… *ahem* 🧇

This is the first time I’ve painted overtop of sketches without making a line-art layer. I kinda love the painterly feel of it.

[mafwaff]

Meet Phonos - my Durge. He has daddy issues and loves the feel of the kill.

Real talks: This is my first time in YEARS that I’ve coloured digitally, so I wanted to show you my stages. It was fun making some cleaner line work and trying out painting. Some of what I know in traditional painting translates, but I want to get better at rendering and figuring out what brushes I like.

Open to comments/critique/suggestions 🧇

[mafwaff]