#RE⠀*⠀:⠀&⠀SHADOWHEART .

[leeleebug3]

>:3

[selunesfavouriteprincess]

BG3 + Text posts: Shadowheart Edition

[hawke]

how to get shadowheart to save her parents autonomously (act 3)

update 24/06/23: i found this interesting video, which explains these triggers more in depth as well as the bugs that can occur.

update 24/06/19: there's a bug in this game where this doesn't seem to trigger properly if you give shadowheart the noblestalk in act 1 (thank you @shadowfallen for pointing this out! 🖤)

i haven't seen a post about this yet, and i think not everyone might know about this so i thought i might as well write a little tutorial about this! i apologize in advance if something is unclear or not written well, english is not my first language.

the last time i tested this was on a tav playthrough on 30th april (patch 6).

usually shadowheart always kills her parents if you let her make her own decisions in act 3, regardless of the outcome in the shadowrealm in act 2. if you want her to save her parents (whether it's for story telling, personal preference or whatsoever - i personally prefer this choice because shadowheart seems happier with her parents around, especially on the selûnite path) you always need to pass a skill check - unless you find two specific memory triggers, which will make shadowheart save her parents without needing to pass a check. these triggers will always make shadowheart save her parents, even if she became a dark justiciar. so if you want to stay shadowheart a sharran, you either have to actively encourage her to kill her parents, or simply not find these memory triggers.

both triggers can be found in the lower city of baldur's gate.

the first trigger is the tombstone of allister marnley, near the durinbold mausoleum (X: 26, Y: 15)

here you simply need to click on the grave when you have shadowheart in your party, she will make a comment about how the name seems familiar to her and then she will want to talk to you about said grave.

the second trigger is a graffiti that can be found outside of jaheira's house, behind the notice board. (X: 213, Y: 34)

once again, shadowheart will comment about it when you walk by this graffiti and want to engage a conversation with you.

after these two conversations, another one will pop up and shadowheart notes it's interesting how just wandering streets is causing little things coming back to her.

and that's basically it! i've heard that there's also a party banter at the docks that will cause shadowheart to save her parents, but i'm not sure if that's true. i've tested this multiple times in several playthroughs, both on a selûnite and sharran path, and whenever i found these two memory triggers with shadowheart in the party, she always chose to save her parents when i told her to make her own decisions.

i hope this little tutorial was helpful to some of you! if you need any clarifications on this, feel free to ask me! 🖤

[krembruleed]

⭒☽◯☾⭒

[smitthenreverie]

Doing some practice sketches with some casual baldurs gate 3 characters.

featuring my wives <3333

[lavenderfluorite14]

A Taste of Plums | Astarion x Female!Tav

Chapter 9: Derailed

Summary: The day is derailed even further, but that might be for the best.

Rating: 16+ for violence and gore. Kissing, making out.

Warnings: This chapter contains detailed descriptions of violence and gore, specifically arrow removal.

Full tag list on AO3. Read on AO3. Chapter 8. Read from the beginning.

Morale plummets in the wake of Lae’Zel’s departure. The rest of the morning is spent in silence as everyone finishes preparing for the day ahead. Even Shadowheart’s smug superiority at finally ousting Lae’Zel fades to a grim determination. Already, the hole Lae’Zel has left feels palpable.

Astarion is sure Lae’Zel will be fine out there. She is a warrior through and through. But an additional prickle of fear ripples through him at the idea that the others may leave him too. He cannot do this alone, he needs every ally he can get. 

He knew this was coming, he reminds himself. He knew Lae’Zel was always going to leave. It’s just happening earlier than expected. This is a good thing, actually. He has less competition now. And less opposition to the illithid powers. He cannot compromise that.

He had never really minded Lae’Zel’s condescension or rudeness, even when it was directed at him. Cazador had been much crueler. At least Lae'Zel was almost funny. And her passion for bloodshed had always been inspiring. He supposed he was just disappointed to see a strong ally leave over such a trifle.

Perhaps there was a tinge of worry for her as well. 

At least he knows that Tav won’t leave. Certainly not with the promise of tonight hanging between them like luscious, unpicked fruit.

Tav, Shadowheart, Karlach, and Astarion all trudge through the forest in silence, doggedly following the billowing smoke plume that Lae’Zel had spotted earlier. Along the way Tav and Shadowheart stop to forage, gathering berries, mushrooms, and eggs from bird nests. They even find a big, juicy honeycomb. All treats Astarion can’t truly enjoy.

“Are you sure about the tadpoles, Fangs?” Karlach asks him when they are finally alone. Tav and Shadowheart are far ahead at this point, digging up what appears to be a buried chest.

“Of course I am,” Astarion insists. The tadpole set him free. He has to follow this thread. 

“Even if it means you’ll become a Mindflayer?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“But what if it does?”

He briefly imagines the pain and horror of his bones turning into jelly, his handsome face sprouting tentacles, his personality and memories siphoned away to feed the gluttonous parasite. It’s too grotesque, too unimaginable to feel like a real possibility. 

But he can imagine Cazador placing his favorite knife against the coals of a blazing fire, the searing heat guaranteeing that its blade will be horrifically painful. He can imagine Godey behind him with the pliers, laughing a deep, clacking chuckle.  

“As I have said repeatedly, that is not going to happen.”

Karlach just sighs. “Well. If you’re sure, then.”

Silence resumes. The smoke cloud looms ever larger above them. Astarion thinks he hears a Worg howl.

“I’m just asking you to be careful. Your actions affect the rest of us too. If you begin to transform-"

“I won’t transform!” he yells at her. Up ahead, Tav and Shadowheart try to look busy. “I won’t let it get that far. The idea is to control the tadpole, not become it.”

“But we don’t know if that’s even possible,” she responds. 

“But what if it is? We have to inv-” There’s something up ahead. 

Tav’s message throbs through all their minds, rife with concern. Immediately everyone reaches for their weapons.

“Finally, some action,” Karlach growls, grabbing her sword.

“Finally, I agree with you,” Astarion replies, unsheathing his daggers. 

Let’s carefully approach-

Karlach charges ahead, bursting through the underbrush. She streaks ahead of them through the forest, a comet made flesh. They all race to catch up to her, nimbly dodging rocks, branches, roots, and all manner of forest debris as they hurtle towards danger. Soon they begin to hear the clangs of swords, the twangs of bowstrings, and they feel the unmistakable thrum of the Weave. There’s fighting up ahead, in the town square of the abandoned village.

What remains of a band of goblin marauders have cornered something against a wall. Whatever it is has put up quite a fight: goblin carcasses litter the ground in pools of dark, sticky blood. Astarion reflexively licks his lips. 

“Kill it!” a goblin booyahg cackles as she conjures a poisonous green cloud. She unleashes the magic on her target, which doubles over in a fit of hacking coughs. “Skva!” Lae’Zel barks between wheezes. A worg leaps at her, sinking its jaws into the hard muscle of her thigh. Lae’Zel snarls in pain, rapping its head with the pommel of her sword. The beast releases her, dazed, its jowls dripping blood. As Lae’Zel shifts into a new stance to compensate for her injured leg an arrow strikes her thigh, missing her plate by centimeters and embedding itself into her other leg. She screams in Githyanki, but somehow finds the force to keep standing. Multiple arrows have pierced her, jutting out of her flesh like pins in a horrifying pincushion. Blood drips from a cut on her brow, where a rock had struck her face, pooling in her eyes. 

“Oi! Meatheads!” Tav roars, her mockery grabbing their attention.  “The frog is ours! Back off, or you’ll be joining it!” one of the goblins yells. Lae’Zel uses the distraction to strike, knocking the nearest goblin prone. 

All hells break loose. Karlach jumps into the fray, cleaving the worg in half with her sword. Astarion shimmies up a decaying roof, crouching low as he surveys the fight. He silently looses arrow after arrow, picking off goblins from his vantage point. There’s another booyahg perched on a nearby gable and Astarion quickly dispatches him with a clean shot to the neck, sending him plummeting to the stones below with a sickening thud. A goblin slashes at Lae’Zel but Tav grasps her with Hold Person, freezing her in place. Lae’Zel seizes the moment, chopping off her head with a clean sweep of her blade. The goblin band is no match for all of them, together. 

“Lae’Zel! Are you alright?” Tav calls out to her as the last goblin falls.

Lae’Zel does not answer. She briefly wobbles for a moment, blinking blood out of her golden eyes.  Then she swoons, hard. Karlach dives to catch her but Lae’Zel’s head strikes the cobblestones, knocking her out cold. Shadowheart rushes forward, her blue healing magic flickering at her fingertips. They all stand back as Shadowheart works to save Lae’Zel, watching as she feverishly casts her magic. They may hate each other, but that doesn’t mean that Shadowheart would let Lae’Zel die like this. 

“Lae’Zel better live through this,” Karlach murmurs. She has given Shadowheart the most space, ever conscious of her burning engine.

“She’ll be fine, darling. She’s too tough to let a couple of goblins get to her,” Astarion hand-waves. She won’t die. She can’t die.

“Tav!” Shadowheart calls frantically over her shoulder. Tav rushes over, her hands starting to glow with her own lesser healing magic. The two begin working in tandem: Tav props Lae’Zel’s head up so Shadowheart can carefully pour a healing potion down her throat. Lae’Zel groans, her eyes flickering open in a haze of pain. 

“Astarion!” Tav cries. Astarion dashes over, crouching at her side. “You have the best dexterity. We need you to help excise these arrows,” she explains. “I’ll walk you through it. Just do as I say, and everything will be fine,” Shadowheart assures him. “I can push this one through. But these two are pretty shallow, you will need to rip them out of her. I can’t finish healing her until they’ve been removed,” Shadowheart instructs. 

“That will make it worse!” Astarion frets.

“Not with goblin arrows. They’re just simple metal spikes, they don’t have the fancy head. You’ll still need to be quick though, so they can heal her before she bleeds out,” Karlach explains. “Please Astarion, just do it,” Tav pleads.

Tav gently supports the arrow shaft, holding it still. The shaft wiggles, which is a good sign. It hasn’t struck bone. He surveys Lae’Zel’s thigh, making note of the two arrows he will need to remove in rapid succession. Delicately but firmly, he grasps the shaft near the root. Lae’Zel swears thickly but Tav quietly soothes her, casting Calm Emotions. Blood bubbles forth from her flesh as he quickly rips the arrow out. The urge to bite almost overwhelms him, but Tav swoops in with a rag to staunch the bleeding before he can lose himself. Lae’Zel writhes in pain but Shadowheart does her best to hold her down. Karlach hovers over them, burning too fiercely to safely help.

They repeat the grisly process, removing all the arrows from Lae’Zel’s body. Lae’Zel screams, she swears, she twists in pain, but she does not complain. The last one is too deep, so Shadowheart snaps the shaft and swiftly pushes the arrow through her thigh, forcing it out the other side. When the horrible work is done, Karlach passes Shadowheart a Greater Healing potion, which Lae’Zel gulps down. Shadowheart stands up, wiping the sweat from her brow. Tav stays crouched, casting Prestidigitation to clean the blood and viscera from Lae’Zel’s prone form. Lae’Zel tries to stand but Karlach moves over her. “Hold it, soldier. Your wounds are closed but you are not fit to move,” she says. Lae’Zel chks.  “She’ll live, but she needs to rest.” Shadowheart declares. “And so do I. I’m almost completely out of magic now.”  Tav swears under her breath.

“I could still accompany you to the goblin camp, but I’ll only have my cantrips,” Shadowheart adds. Tav stands slowly so as to not disturb Lae’Zel, then kicks angrily at a nearby tuft of grass. “As much as I’d like to kick some goblin butt, I’m not going into enemy territory without another healer,” Karlach insists.

“Nor I,” Tav agrees. “Not if there’s as many goblins as I suspect.” They all glance up at the billowing smoke cloud. Lae’Zel was right, the camp is just beyond the ridge.

“Well, at least this was fun,” Astarion says. Karlach wraps Lae’Zel in a blanket from her pack, then hoists her up into her arms, gently cradling her. 

“Let’s get this one back to camp, yeah?” Karlach suggests. 

“Put me down this instant,” Lae’Zel demands. She squirms indignantly. “I am Lae’Zel of K’liir, not some hatchling.”

“And right now you are recovering from some serious injuries,” Tav says. “We’re going back to camp so we can all re-coup.”

“You tell me if it gets too hot, ok?” Karlach says. Lae’Zel grunts. 

“Were you anyone else I would strike you down for such disrespect,” she grumbles.

“Yeah, yeah, we can fight about it after you rest,” Karlach teases.

“As fierce as you are, darling, you shouldn’t run off like that. We were quite worried about you,” Astarion gently scolds her. Lae'Zel glowers at him but she does not rebuff his chastisement. Perhaps they really are growing on her after all.

As they walk, Lae'Zel eventually settles into Karlach's strong arms. If Astarion didn't know better, she almost seems content there.

Tav falls into step beside him. “Good job today,” she says. She gives his arm a quick, affectionate squeeze. The contact sends a jolt of something through him. He isn’t sure if it’s pleasant or not, but he does know that he loves the compliment.

“Why thank you, darling. What can I say, I’m quite skilled with my hands.”

Tav giggles at him. He leans in close to her, so the others won’t hear. “You’ll find out for yourself soon enough,” he promises. Tav playfully pushes him away, pantomiming annoyance, but once she’s done she shoots him a heated look that belies her true feelings. Astarion smirks back at her.

Tonight is the night.

~

There’s a dog waiting for them when they return. Apparently Wyll and Gale had found it wandering around the woods. It had not wanted to leave the body of its dead master, but Wyll had given it his scent anyway. According to the collar, the dog’s name was “Scratch.” Karlach and Shadowheart are delighted, but Astarion isn’t impressed. But he supposes he can live with the dog, so long as it doesn’t slobber all over his pillow.

Somehow, Wyll and Gale had also found the time to trek back to the Grove, trade for more potions and alchemy supplies, forage for food, and discover an owlbear cave. They had certainly been busy bees while they were gone. 

They all help pitch Lae’Zel’s tent, then Karlach lays Lae’Zel down gently in her bedroll, where she quickly falls asleep. They all mostly agree: if Lae’Zel wants to rejoin their group then she is welcome to stay. Shadowheart loudly objects, but she is overruled by Tav, Wyll, and Karlach. Everyone is welcome here so long as they are willing to cooperate with the group. 

Astarion knew he had bet correctly on Tav. 

They all take turns checking on Lae’Zel, even Astarion. When at last she stirs, Gale hands her a bowl of stew and Tav flits into her tent to talk. They all quietly gather nearby to eavesdrop, Gale included this time. 

Lae’Zel doesn’t apologize. She is still adamantly against using the tadpole, but she does agree to stay. Astarion intuitively understands that this is Githyanki for “thank you for saving my life.” Tav concedes that they are taking an enormous risk and agrees that if they begin to transform, Lae’Zel should kill them. Lae’Zel swears that she will see it so. Astarion frowns to himself. Even though he is confident that they can eventually control the tadpole, he still doesn’t appreciate that Tav has essentially forfeited their lives. But this seems to be an acceptable enough compromise for now.

Tav gives them all a knowing look as she exits Lae’Zel’s tent. No one tries to hide the fact that they were listening in. 

The sun is already beginning to set, so Astarion settles in and begins his grooming regimen. Tav will be expecting him soon. 

“Astarion! Can I trouble you for some help chopping these vegetables?” Gale calls to him from the makeshift kitchen he has staged by the fire. 

“I’m afraid I’m a bit busy, my dear,” he calls over. Astarion doesn’t have nail scissors or clippers, but he’s skilled enough with a knife to make do.

“Very well, then I shall come to you,” Gale announces, laying down his own knife and making his way over. As Gale approaches, Astarion wonders what he has done to deserve this. 

“I’d like to speak to you in private, if I may. About this morning,” Gale says. Astarion raises an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know we had more to say to each other,” Astarion says icily. “You already made your point quite clearly.”

“I actually don’t think I have,” Gale says. Oh good, more lecturing. 

“I spoke in anger and in haste this morning, and I wanted to offer my apologies. Although we have only known each other briefly, I meant what I said. I would stand at your side again, tadpole or no.”

“What?” Astarion says flatly. 

“I spoke in anger and in haste-"

“I heard you!” Astarion snaps.

“It occurred to me that you and I are not so different, in our ways,” Gale continues. “To be at the beck and call of a supernatural hunger has been challenging, even for a wizard of my acclaim.”

“That has certainly been true in my own experience,” Astarion offers slowly. 

"I know we didn’t meet under the best of circumstances and we have all been relatively slow to confide in one another. But now that we have a tad more trust and understanding, I hope that we can move forward towards curing our mutual infection,” Gale says.

“Do we have more trust in each other?” Astarion cuts in, ignoring Gale's mention of the parasite. “Because right now it seems as though the one waxing poetic about trust is keeping a pretty important secret from all of us.”

Gale sighs. “You are right, Astarion. I am asking a lot of all of you. But I assure you, now is not the right time. I promise that when the time is right, I will tell you everything,” Gale pledges.

Astarion looks him up and down, warily. “I suppose I understand better than most the need to keep a secret until the right time,” Astarion concedes.

“You’ve got to get the timing just right, I’m afraid.” Gale sighs again. “And as powerful as I am, I can't say I've been at my level best this past week. This whole adventure has been rather exhausting, if I’m being honest.”

“I quite agree,” Astarion replies.

“If also a bit invigorating,” Gale continues, conspiratorially. Astarion’s lips twitch.

“I quite agree,” Astarion smirks. 

“So! Shall we put this spat behind us?” Gale offers his hand for a gentlemanly shake.

Astarion eyes Gale’s outstretched hand. He briefly considers asking the wizard about his intentions with Tav. But his brief glimpse inside Gale’s tent lends credence to Astarion’s hunch that nothing of significance is going on between them. Wyll and Shadowheart are wrong.

Besides, they have almost no chemistry. If Tav would have rather bunked in Gale’s tent, she would be in Gale’s tent. Instead she’s promised herself to him.

“I suppose I can forgive you,” Astarion says, clasping Gale’s hand in his and giving it a firm shake. “Your words are…appreciated.”

“And is there anything that you would like to say to me?” Gale says hopefully. Astarion pauses. The cheek of this wizard.

“I suppose I can also make an effort to be more forthcoming in the future. Within reason. I do have an image to maintain, after all.”

“I can content myself with ‘an effort’ so long as it is a genuine one,” Gale chides him. “Although I hope I prove a worthy confidant,” he adds, smiling.

As Gale retreats towards Shadowheart’s tent, ostensibly on his apology tour, Astarion admits that Gale can be charming, on occasion. 

It occurs to Astarion that he hasn’t received a genuine apology like that in decades. 

~

Freshly bathed, trimmed, and coiffed, Astarion swaggers over to Tav’s tent, tapping on the flap by way of greeting. Tav beckons him in.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, my darling,” he asks, sliding inside. Although, he wouldn’t have cared even if he was disturbing her.

“Not at all,” she reassures him. Tav sits on a stool, applying mascara to her eyelashes with the help of a hand mirror.

“We finally have a quiet evening,” he observes lightly, coming around beside her. 

“As quiet as it can be around here, anyway,” she retorts. She screws the tube of mascara shut, slipping it into a little pouch. She then produces a small tin of salve, which she opens with a small click.

“A perfect night for two souls who would like to take some time to themselves,” he hints flirtatiously. “If you catch my meaning.”

“Hm, I don’t think I do,” Tav replies, swiping a fat dollop over her lips.  

“No?” Astarion questions, his tone playfully patronizing. 

“No,” she teases, rubbing the balm between her lips. “You’ll have to be more explicit,” she says, the challenge clear in her voice. Her lips look so pretty and glossy, a tempting target.

“Well then, since you apparently need it spelled out for you-“ Astarion leans down and kisses her, ruining the immaculate shine of her lips with a single press of his own. He lingers against her, enjoying the cloying scent of lavender and honey, the soft pillow of her lips against his own. It must be a beeswax of some kind. Tav opens her mouth to deepen the kiss, but Astarion pulls away.

“Not here,” he says, stopping her in her tracks. “There’s a clearing just over the hill. Once the others have gone to sleep, come find me there. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I will,” she promises. Already she’s rosy-cheeked and breathless. 

He’s going to positively wreck her. ~ Chapter 10: Want❤️‍🔥

[gaysparkler]

Ūru - Character Overview

Half-orc · Cleric of Ilmater · The Dark Urge · she/her

I've been teasing Ūru in tags so here is her grand online debut (let's ignore that I'm at 80+ hours with her in-game).

I love choosing names based on whichever fantasy language corresponds to my OCs, so I was very happy when I found a very limited orcish word list from Tolkien. "Ūru" means "sun" (makes sense considering, well, the Uruk-Hai LOL) and I felt it was very fitting for my most tragic girl of all time.

Ūru breaks out of her pod on the Nautiloid with no memories, an incomprehensible thirst for blood, and a sigil of Ilmater in her hands. Remembering her name feels like she tore another hole in her broken mind.

Though she has no memories, she can recall what a Cleric of Ilmater is supposed to do: heal wounds and limit suffering. This is why she spends most of Act 1 very distressed due to this internal conflict; her mind, her body craves and demands blood, but her conscience tells her that her duty is to heal.

That conflict has made her terrified of her urges and of the tadpole in her brain - there are too many missing variables, too many things that she can't understand, though despite all of it, she strives to do good.

Ūru found herself drawn to Shadowheart, not in small part because she also had amnesia and was a fellow cleric. Their gods were in opposition, she knew that, but to have someone who misses a part of herself but remaining devoted, was comforting to her. (Also the dynamic between someone trained to receive pain and someone whose very blood demands to inflict pain is top tier.)

Her goal early in game is to do her very best to ignore her urges and to get rid of the tadpole. Though she is a life cleric and her knowledge of anatomy is unparalleled, she let Volo attempt to remove the tadpole - knowing full well she would lose her eye in the process.

One of her solutions to quell the urges is to always put herself in harm's way, in the name of protecting her companions and others in need. The pain helps her distract herself from what her body demands, which she continually refuses. And it only gets worse for her from here ;)

[sharransepulchre]

"You're the person I'd trust to raise a cow with if... that ever came up. By the way." It is somehow said both casually, yet slightly awkwardly. Karlach just shrugging like this is a conversation topic that just always needs to be addressed.

The ex-Sharran had been kneeling at her tent, her graceful hands tending to the little plants she began to nourish, watching with excitement as they bloomed to life. She was humming a little ditty that she heard in the wind, unbeknownst to her that the source had been the very tiefling who approached her. She could feel the heat before she heard the voice that tickled her dreams - and a pleased little smile tugs at her lips. Karlach speaks, but it doesn't fully register in her mind, and she hums dumbly in acknowledgement, accompanied by a small nod of her head. Then, she pauses. Shadowheart wasn't entirely sure what she should have been expecting - but this was far from what she had in mind.

❝ i . . . what ? ❞ The smaller woman suddenly says, eyes fluttering slightly as she turns around, her prior attention directed towards the plant utterly abandoned for the sake of her companion. Her wide emerald eyes take in her appearance for a long moment, as if deciphering whether or not this was a ploy... But she was uncharacteristically awkward. Damn how her heart fluttered in her chest. She wasn't some schoolgirl - have some class .

❝ a . . . cow ? did i hear you right ? ❞ She clarifies, but with every word, her lips seem to pull into a wider and wider smile, showing off her pearly whites and her pointy canines between plush lips. A sly look twinkles in her eye, but it's nearly overshadowed by sheer delight. ❝ perhaps a milk cow ? named daphne ? an essential for living off of the land , if we ' re playing pretend . . . you ' re the type of person i would trust to chop down a cherry tree and use the wood to make a lovely little swinging bench ; a perfect addition for a wrap - around porch . . . ❞

[optiwashere]

How do you manage to write smut that's like, actually arousing? What's the secret?

Well, first of all thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it, I really am. Happy to hear from you here as well 💜

Also, I'll let you in on my secret — I can't stand almost anything I write after it's posted. I see nothing but the flaws, grammatical choices, and technical foibles. This extends triple, quadruple, to smut. So if you're feeling the same kinda way, that your writing feels somehow off, then just know you're not alone.

I could give some pointers, but I don't really know how much benefit anyone will get hearing these from me of all people. But in my opinion it's a lot of the non-smut aspects that highlight the smut and make it shine. So here ya go.

Keep it in-character. I'm not out here talking as an authority on anyone's characterization, nor am I saying I'm some master of it and there are plenty of people out there with differing opinions, so take this with a colossal mountain of salt. But you should focus on making the voices, internal thoughts, and prose in keeping with the POV character. This is something called "POV control" and it's a very useful skill. Be able to flow in and out of a character's POV as the need arises. How Shadowheart interacts with sex is very different from Karlach is different from Orin, for example.

Strong focus on dialogue. This is a sorta addendum to the first point. Characters shouldn't suddenly turn silent when they're having sex. That is, unless that's the point of the story! They should also be speaking in-character even (or especially) during sex. Also, "porn dialogue" is something that gets brought up a lot in writing, and I think we all know it when we read it. That being said, people in the real world do say things during sex that, out of context, are hilarious. So it's a balancing act.

Fitting descriptions. This is actually one of the more important ones! If a scene is very romantic and meant to be light and fluffy, maybe avoid words for genitals altogether and focus entirely on simple visual aesthetics (how moonlight plays on a body, to give an example). If it's meant to be rough and focused on bodies or the mechanics of the scene, ham it up on those words. This also isn't a binary. Things flow back and forth all the time.

Firm language. I don't mean, like, power dynamics "firm." I'm talking about a willingness to use the words that fit the descriptions and sticking to it. Some people despise certain words, but other people will find the alternatives hilarious and completely tone-breaking. Find the words you like and stick to them; consistency gives your voice strength.

Don't try to appease everybody. You just can't. You have to write what you personally enjoy reading/writing/doing/thinking about, and go with it. If you try to cater to everyone's whims with any of the above, you'll wind up with a beige platter of nothingness. That doesn't mean you can't explore other tones or flavors, but don't try to do too much in one story.

Focus on emotions. Emotions could mean anything from love to lust to anxiety to fear to uncertainty and so on and so forth. My strategy is to center a fic on a theme/emotion that resonates with the characters involved and then I explore the smut around that central point. Revisit the idea between the action. Show how the characters' feelings around the theme change or how they're reaffirmed.

[kvella]

"be alone with me tonight" ?!!

here's what my notes say lol

[fllagellant]

What flipped the switch in my brain to make me think about The Witcher . Anyways . Um . Witcher au Giilvas and Wyll , Wyll is an Eagle Witcher and Giilvas is a Bear Witcher who mainly hung around Wolf Witchers and picked up their fighting style and for their first few run ins Wyll is trying to guess what school Giilvas is from ( bc he also hides his medallion so Wyll doesn’ t even have that One Bit of visual information ) . Um . They meet everyone else thru a series of contracts that they both keep picking up and doing at the same time ( Omg Destiny ) and they all end up travelling together … sorry I blacked out what was this post about

[heartsdefine]

@faithchosen:

        ▌ continued. sometimes the world had it's funny ways of working. as it were shadowheart had exhausted herself at tending the wounds of the rest of their party with no room for herself and with their potion supply low she was left with @heartsdefine as her only option to deal with if she were to get any proper rest. shadowheart remains quiet, letting elspeth carry on with little protest. she rolls her eyes. "i was hoping you would be." she winces only slightly, never fun to be at the other end of this. healing. she's rather not think where this healing magic comes from. she'd rather not think about that at all. "-after all you learned from the best." she talks as to not think. as dry and short she would like to be, she'd rather be somewhat warm and distracted.

        it's a rare thing indeed that shadowheart will allow elspeth near her with her magic. she thinks she understands why, though she doesn't share in her aversion. healing magic is healing magic. she'll take a spell from shadowheart over none at all. nevertheless, she lays her hands gently on shadowheart's back and shoulder and utters the spell to heal the worst of her wounds.

        and elspeth smiles slightly behind shadowheart's back. “i meant even before, when i had to do it with a needle and thread.” not everyone can afford healing magic, and she volunteered her time to those who needed it. “this does make things remarkably easier.” 

[rowanisawriter]

He still glows in the moonlight.

His back is straight, his pose elegant and refined, even the horse underneath him looks more polished than hers, although she spent most of the daylight hours tending to him, brushing his coat until it was shiny and clean. Her eyes drift up to Astarion’s hair. She touches her own again.

“A bit too late for second thoughts now, darling,” he says without looking back.

She nudges her horse forward, catching up with him, until they’re trotting side by side.

“You don’t like it,” she says.

“Oh, no. I love it. I think it’s you who doesn’t like it.”

She runs her fingers through her hair again and a stray long strand unwinds from somewhere, caught on her nail. She yanks it out quickly and watches it catch the light as it falls from her hand onto the road. In moments, they’ve moved on, and a piece of her is here on the road, or blown away on a breeze, somewhere between Baldur’s Gate and Waterdeep, gone forever.

Astarion reaches across the space between them and their horses. His cool fingers trail over the back of her hand. His skin absorbs the moonlight. Perhaps this quality would make him a good Selunite. She tries to imagine him kneeling before an altar but can’t. She can’t even imagine it.

She imagines herself kneeling in a pool of moonlight at the House of the Moon. In her mind, the image of herself still has long hair, and the edges are smoky and unrealized, unclear.

from pilgrimage

[wehaveimagineshere]

We're Opening Up!

Hi all! We're reviving this blog to write imagines and headcanons! We're expanding our fandoms so come take a look!

Our fandoms currently are: Modern Warfare 2 Baldur's Gate 3 Resident Evil Detroit: Become Human

If you got a request for us, check out our rules and send us an ask!

[araneapeixes]

i'd love to see your tav/durge in a modern au! i love all the outfit designs you do for modern versions of characters, so i'd love to see it

Ahh thank you for appreciating the little outfits I put my besties in <3 And HELL YEAH!! Modern AU Ren has been on my mind for days and she WILL see the light of day

[ohlawsons]

also at some point, since i wasn't around here for the bg3 release, i'll have to introduce sol. i have my issues with the full release version but the tav/shart/halsin trio is not one of them