#one is Wyllach

[fassina]

I ship Wyllach, very much so, but I also extremely love how Theo Solomon is so into the ship and Sam Beart is so completely dedicated to making Karlach a she/they sapphic butch at every turn

[artistictea]

People who reblog my very clearly wyllach art just to say that they don't like the ship are weak as hell btw

[eliseliedl]

Baldur's Gate 3 83 / ?

[iicaru2]

i may be wrong but regardless i think its silly that, out of the origins, i’m fairly certain the two most good-aligned characters (karlach and wyll) are the ones that cuss the most— with an honorary mention to lae’zel’s various gith curses. karlach drops f-bombs left and right and wyll arguably says the word “shit” more times than most other characters in the game. i like to think wyll’s increase in cursing (esp towards/about mizora) is in part due to spending so much time around karlach. i adore them both

[rainbow-femme]

Of all the companion pairings, I hadn’t expected Wyll/Karlach being my favorite but I just love the dynamic

Because obviously you’ve got the whole thing of him wanting to kill her because he thought she was evil and then realized she was also a victim and was willing to be turned into a demon because he wasn’t willing to sacrifice an innocent person for himself, and her then being willing to stand up to the devils who want her dead on his behalf

But I also feel like as far as a relationship dynamic they would be a Prince Charming/damsel thing except they both think they’re the Prince Charming and the other is the damsel

Wyll lamenting how his endlessly kind wife who only wants to live a simple life where she is treated equally kindly was tricked, sold, had her heart replaced with an infernal engine that keeps her trapped in basically hell, and was forced to be the first line of attack for the devil who did this to her. Meanwhile behind him Karlach is looking at a locked metal gate and just decides to open it by bending the bars with her bare hands, melting the iron as she does because she has flames inside of her body

Karlach talking about her poor husband Wyll who gave up a comfortable life as the son of a duke to be entered into a devil’s pact and made into a homeless hero who would always protect people but never really get to exist as his own person outside of his pact and his folk hero perception. Meanwhile Wyll is eldritch blasting a demon in the face behind her with an entirely casual and unbothered look on his face

They fix Karlach to the point where she can leave Avernus and Wyll goes to his family and friends to prepare them for meeting her, telling them that she can be very sensitive and has gone through some rough times and grew up on the streets so she’s going to be more rough around the edges than they’re used to and it would probably upset her to come back home only to be made fun of, so please be kind. And in walks his 7 foot tall wife who is as wide as the door with her big giant muscles, battle ax strapped to her back, slapping Duke Ravengard on the shoulder and asking “How the hell are ya?”

Karlach goes to her old Baldur’s Gate friends and says she wants them to meet her husband but he’s the son of nobility and spent a long time living in that more polished world so he talks very formal and polite and isn’t really used to how they talk and interact so please don’t make fun of him if you think he speaks funny. And in walks the Blade of the Frontiers with a suspicious amount of not quite dried blood on his pants

They both think they’re the “They said no pickles” part of the relationship but actually if they asked for no pickles and were given pickles they would make eye contact with the person who did it while using their biggest two handed weapon to scrape the pickles off onto the floor

[elminster-big-naturals]

karlach and wyll sheepishly going to tav for help because they were making out and got hornlocked like a pair of unruly goats

[sclappin]

Here is the official announcement!

I have a Patreon!

All patrons get access to WIP updates, as well as research updates on things I'm currently making art about, and my sketchbooks from the past decade or so as I slowly digitize them. I just posted a small one from last year to start with.

I'm also doing a postcard of the month club tier, and a higher tier that allows you to vote on things like what WIP to work on next (plus a one-time print of your choice from my shop).

(I may also end up utilizing this as a way to post some art that's harder to post on social media, but we shall see).

[normal-thoughts-official]

here is the thing

when i started playing bg3, i didn't expect wyll to be so devoted to karlach. her devotion to him is a given; the guy risked his life to save her when they had literally just met. of course he matters so much to her

but wyll matched that same devotion right back, as if she had been the one to save him, even though karlach never really got the chance to do anything of that magnitude back for him

but then i think about it

mizora's punishment plays directly into wyll's worst trauma. to be suddenly branded as demonic, so people will always look at him and see that first. like his father did. like the whole city, everyone who ever knew him, did. no amount of good deeds will ever be enough to compensate for his association with evil; his soul will burn in hell and he will not be welcome anywhere because he's a greedy warlock who made his choice. i don't know if that is actually true, but he certainly thinks it to be, if anything, from his assumption that the people of the grove (whose lives he had just saved, and who had known him for at least a few days as nothing but a kind hero who looked out for them) would be unable to look past his appearance and wouldn't want him near them

and mind, mizora clearly wants wyll to stay isolated. why else would she forbid him from explaining the circumstances of his pact? what could she possibly gain from that, other than making sure he can never dispel the notion that he made a deal with the devil simply for power?

so it makes sense that that, more even than the non-consensual body modification, was the punishment. to put his warlock status on display, so that people would immediately be offput by him - and even if they aren't, he will be sure they are

his own father couldn't stand to look at him, and that was back when he had just lost an eye

but the first thing karlach tells him is this:

"Thank you for seeing me for who I really am. And... I think I can see you for who you really are, too. A hero"

obviously, it's common sense for her to see him like this after he just saved her life at great, and at the time unknown, personal cost. but it would also have been common sense for his father to know that the son he himself raised and who's nothing if not a paragon of kindness and duty wouldn't just decide to sell his soul for power out of the blue one fine day. or that, if he keeps trying to say something but can't, then there might be more to the story. for fuck's sake, he lost an eye. and yet, ulder didn't. wyll's association with the demonic was enough to dispel everything about his personhood, his values, and his actions. and now said association was branded, quite literally, on his forehead

and karlach's suffered so much at the hands of devils. just like with the other tieflings, he expects her to be unsettled by him, at the very least

but then she says that she looks at him and sees only a hero. the man who saved her. the man who cared enough to listen and do what was right. the man who sacrificed something for her, who had to make a choice no one should have to make

he had saved an entire city when he first made the pact, and yet not one soul in it was able to see that. see him

but karlach did

karlach does

and not only that. not only is she the first person in perhaps his whole life to put more weight to wyll's personhood and actions than to mizora's; but she knew he needed to hear that. she says it like someone who's trying to offer a comfort in a hopeless situation, which is exactly what she's doing. she knows that he is afraid of being rejected

and of course she does

she is the one who comes closest to fully understanding him.

can you imagine being wyll and seeing karlach's story play out in dizzyingly rapid succession in your mind? had a pretty good, happy life, then in the span of one day everything changed when she was associated with the demonic. she lost everything and everyone she ever had. from then on, she only knew one thing: to fight. no rest and no friends and no breaks, just endless, senseless fighting. her body was changed against her will. she hadn't been touched in a positive way in ten years. even fucking mizora was there

that's his story, too

sure, he might not have been literally unable to touch people, but neither was karlach when she was in hell. he's been completely alone except for mizora for the last seven years, at least in the ways that matter. nothing in his life was constant, except for the fighting and the humiliation at a devil's hand. and the loneliness

of course he thinks it's a trick. it hits too close to home

and of course he can't help but listen anyway. because wyll is nothing if not compassionate, and he's just watched a tldr of his own pain inflicted on someone else

so when karlach says that she still sees him as himself first?

he is reminded that she gets it

for the first time in seven years, he is not alone, and he is understood

of course he would do anything to keep her in his life, just as she would

in a way, she did save him, too.

(slightly late meta submission for @thekindredcollective's wyllstravaganza2024, day 19: bond)

[karlachismylife]

Sorry I'm a little late, but here are some happy fluffy wyllach that have fought and earned their freedom to celebrate the Juneteenth. None are free until all are free!

And yes, I'm still obsessed with the imagery of Wyll with an afro. He's beautiful, sue me.

There's a blissful smile on Wyll's face. With a deep sigh, he raises his chin and lets flickering sunlight shining through the rich green leaves dance on his skin, caressing the dark scars. Everything's perfect.

"Hey, soldier, don't squirm," gently reprimands Karlach from behind his back and gives him a little nudge with her tail. "I'm almost done."

"Really? What a pity. I could spend the whole day like this." Wyll's voice rumbles like the distant river falling into the beautiful lively lake they chose to rest at. Karlach snorts, just as flustered as all those months back from the tiniest bit of flirting, and continues to pick his hair with a beautiful pick Fytz gifted them after finally approving of Wyll - and threatening him to treat Karlach right. "Thank you, my love."

"Eh, don't mention. You'll get used to doing it around the horns," she murmurs, carefully detangling a stubborn coil with her fingers, and finally lays the pick aside, leaning back to admire Wyll's hair. It's only recently that he started being able to wear it like this - away from the grime of hard travels and the ashes of Avernus; and seeing him in full glory, with horns barely peeking out of a voluminous dark shape, is still new - and will never be any less exciting to Karlach.

Wyll runs his hand over it and then turns around, his smile shining just as bright as the sun above them. It makes the finally stable engine in Karlach's chest look dull and slumbering, but as soon as Wyll leans closer, he feels the surge of heat his closeness evokes.

"Does that mean I'll lose the privilege of trusting you with doing it?"

Karlach wants to tease him back - she hears all the playful notes in his voice, and a jab about him making her do all the hard work dances on the tip of her devilish tongue; but instead she just huffs and reaches out, cupping Wyll's cheek. She brushes her warm thumb over his light stubble and scratches him under his jaw a bit, watching his two different eyes flutter shut in a cat-like manner.

He catches her hand and presses a kiss to her palm - there's a taste of smoked clove on his lips; she can't keep her tail in place, and it hooks itself around his knee. They're gone; dissolved in the sunlight and wind rustling along the lake shore, soaking in the pure, absolute, distilled freedom that comes with unbraided hair and even hum of a healthy engine.

No one can take them away again. Karlach opens her mouth to say something and squawks, toppling over onto her back with her hands pressed into the soft grass.

"Wyll!" She nudges him with her knee, her tail still holding onto him for dear life, and grins, flashing her canines at Wyll hovering above. "That's not fair, I wasn't expecting it! I demand a rematch."

"Oh, I'm not dueling with you, my beloved hellion," purrs Wyll, delightfully watching her ears twitch, exposing her true feelings. He tilts her chin up with his fingers for a kiss, then trails his knuckles down her neck and chest, stopping right above the engine they managed to fix. "By Nine Hells, you're beautiful."

Karlach's voice disappears for a second - but the glow in her chest flares up with cerulean blue, reflected in Wyll's eye, and she pulls him in impatiently, almost crushing him in a tight hug and an even tighter kiss. She's no good with words - and she lets touch speak for her, finally after all the years of being silenced in her most natural language. Her fingers run over Wyll's strong shoulders, scratch through the dark fur on his chest with long tiefling nails, tug on his linen shirt and slide under it when it gets freed from under his belt.

"Easy, love. There's no rush," Wyll doesn't actually move to stop her, stroking her heated red cheek - if only her skin could get any redder - and tugging on one of her earrings teasingly. "We have all the time now. And you are still my yesterday, my today and tomorrow."

Karlach's tail unwraps itself from his leg - only to grip his waist, pinning Wyll flush against her glowing chest.

"Yeah. I'm still not wasting a second on being away from you, soldier."

"Well," Wyll chuckles breathlessly, squeezed by her strong muscles, and leans in for another kiss. "Who am I to argue?"

It's not like this isn't exactly what they fought for.

[piltoverfinest]

Wyllach ❤️‍🔥⚔️

“we’ll face this together” kiss, desperate to make them stop crying

I'd love to see your interpretation of Karlach's story (when she has to return to Avernus), or it can be something else - wherever your mind takes this :)

You read my heart like a book, my love. Wyllach it is because they rule my life and my mind. Of course, like always, I am unable to keep things on the short side so naturally this turned out a little longer than expected. Ooops, I guess. This kinda ties into my idea of them being childhood friends and then losing the other due to circumstances... I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. <3 If anyone else wants to send me a prompt, please go ahead. <3

Rating: T Fandom/Pairing: Baldur's Gate 3/Wyllach (Wyll Ravengard & Karlach Cliffgate) Word Count: 1982 words AO3 Link: Find it here

She's dying. 

Of course she is.

It's sad, almost, how she isn't even surprised when the first flash of heat races through her. Ironic, in a way, how she is the happiest she has ever been in her whole life and that is the moment fate decides to take her. She doesn't even get a whole day to celebrate their survival. Not even an hour to bathe in the golden joy of victory and sink into the lighthearted embrace of her friends. 

Just one moment, she wishes, just one...

Gods, fate is a cruel bitch. If she could, she would fight it tooth and nail but in a way, she knows, she already has. She's lived longer than expected. She outstayed her welcome in this plane of existence for far longer than anyone would've thought in the beginning.

And now, she is dying.

She expected it, of course. Dammon made it pretty clear that at some point her engine would break beyond repair and there's nothing he can do for her if she decides to stay in Baldur's Gate. As if going back to Avernus is a realistic option for her. It never was. It never will be. Pain rips through her chest, bringing her to her knees as flames lick up her arms like cutting knives. Her skin burns and crawls yet all she can do is look up at Tav, who cowers before her, eyes wide in a state of overwhelming guilt. Their voice breaks on her name.

Karlach grinds her teeth, determined to stay strong for her friend. That's her role, after all. The strong one. The optimistic one. The one to shoulder all her burdens with a smile. If she breaks…

And really, what reason (apart from dying, of course) is there for her to cry. They just won the war against the Absolute. She did what she came here to do. She dies a free woman. 

A gods-damned hero. 

Zariel has no power over her nor does the Absolute. She is her own person, once again, after years of slavery. It's all she ever wanted. She should be happy she got to achieve that much, at least.

Or that’s what she has told herself for the last five years. But looking up at her friends, the space where her heart used to be clenches around her dying engine. It's a lie. 

She never dared to wish for more, scared of the pain of never finding it, but Gods has she dreamed of feeling a sense of home again. Of having people to call friends. Of gasping under someone else's adoring touch once she finally gets the chance to love and be loved.

She wants to be alive so badly it hurts.

"Karlach."

Her name sounds like a song falling from his lips and she can't help but sob at the tone of his voice. She wants to be strong for them, even in the face of death but she griefs for what she will never get to experience. Five years of yearning, waiting. Five years of loneliness, of wishing, hoping, praying. And here he is. Close enough to touch, close enough to hold-

Close enough to burn to ashes in her hellfire flames.

Wyll falls to his knees before her, hands trembling at his sides and she holds up her palms to stop him. "Careful," she gasps. "Hot." 

Embers meet wood when their eyes meet and he crumbles before her, pleading without words. She has seen this look before, a long time ago, when he asked her not to work for an unjust and lying man. If only she had listened. But she couldn't then and she can't listen now.

“Karlach, you do not have to die like this,” he says, his voice shaky like his fingers reaching out towards her. The tips of his gloves go from brown to black as they singe in her heat and she jerks back.

“Sorry mate, I’m not going back,” she squeezes out between heaved breaths. Her engine roars and so does she.

“Please, listen to me,” Wyll pleads and she averts her eyes, hiding from the pull he has on her metal heart. “We have so much still before us, so many things undone.”

She shakes her head, balling her fists at her sides. Sharp fingernails dig into her flesh but it's nothing next to the flames eating at her body from the inside. “I can't, Wyll. I can't go back there.” 

She can't flee his gaze any longer. He is captivatingly beautiful and so full of warmth that she sees no harm in indulging in his friendship just one last time. If she dies, at least she'll have known love. At least she'll die in the company of her friends.

“You won't be alone this time.” 

His eyes are filled with determination, his jaw tense as he speaks his promise and she almost wants to laugh. Here he is, laying his life down for her once again. This stupid, reckless, absolutely selfless man. She loves him more than she can comprehend.

“I can't ask that of you,” she cries. She won't because she knows if she does, he will say ‘Yes’ and that is something she will never be able to live with. She won't steal his life away from him just to save hers. Not again. “You… you will be Duke of Baldur’s Gate, finish your fathers work. Rebuild the city. Find a nice wife to give you stupidly cute, little Ravengard babies.”

“Karlach-” Wyll protests but she gives him a silencing look, cutting his words short.

“It's your duty,” Karlach snaps and Wyll falls silent. He regards her with a disbelieving look, squinting at her and for a moment she isn't sure if maybe she pushed out her words in Infernal on accident.

“Fuck duty,” he scoffs and Karlach nearly folds in surprise. He almost never swears. And he certainly doesn't disregard his principles. He's the Blade of Frontiers. 

“Fuck the nobles. Fuck it all.” He spits the words out like they burn his tongue, like he swallowed venom. She stares at him, flames licking at her skin and all she can see is the pain in his dark-brown eyes. “What good is my life without you in it?” 

She holds her breath and bites her tongue. All she ever wanted, all she ever craved for, right in front of her and she has to let him slip away. She has to let him go. She can't force him into a life below the surface. 

“Wyll…” she starts but her words break alongside her resolve. Somewhere far in the depths of hell her tiefling heart bursts into a thousand tiny pieces, hidden and locked away in Zariel’s lair but she feels it nonetheless.

“Zariel won't touch you. You will never be her slave again.” She wants to shake her head but she can't because she believes every word he says. If Zariel hadn’t taken her heart, he would have found her the first time. He would have kept his promise. He will keep it now, she knows it. “You have my word, Karlach. My only duty is to you.” 

Her head spins, vision blurring as her engine stutters. It's only a matter of minutes. Seconds, maybe. Soon, it will all be over. 

“Argh!” Another flare of heat rushes through her, stealing her breath and she falls forward, barely catching herself with her arms. 

Wyll’s hands shoot forward, catching her shoulders. The leather of his gloves sizzles and squeaks, the smell of burned flesh stings her nose. She jerks back, trying to move away from him, to break the singing contact. His grip tightens. A soft, pained gasp pulls her gaze upwards, wide-eyed with fear and guilt as she meets his again. 

Wyll holds her stare, gritting his teeth. His jaw twitches. “I would burn in the hellfires a thousand times if it granted me the chance to be with you.”

For a moment, time stands still. Something blooms in his eyes, a strength only to be compared with an ancient acorn tree. His breath shakes, pain tugging at the corner of his lips yet he engulfs her with such comfort it makes her want to melt into him. It's a different kind of warmth, one that doesn't want to kill but heal.

“Fine, I'll go, Wyll. With you,” she breathes out, surprising herself as well as him. Wyll glows at her, tight smile on his lips. “You really have a way with words.” 

He chuckles. “So I've been told.” 

Behind him, Tav shoots a look towards Gale over their shoulder and the wizard nods courtly. One hand movement later, the portal opens, illuminating Wyll’s face in flickering purple. Goodbye happens quickly, a rushed peck on her cheek and a wave of a hand. Her engine stutters and stops. With a tug at her hand Wyll pulls her through…not a moment too soon.

Her whole world spins, leaving her gasping, falling, scrambling for balance. Metal creaks inside her chest, slowly getting into motion again as the smell of sulfur and iron floods her senses. Everything around them loses all color except for the shades of red painting the sky. 

They tumble through the Portal, landing on their knees and she heaves out a breath. The flames on her body cool down, the pain ebbs away. Dust lingers on her tongue as she coughs out, fingers grey with ash and dirt. She closes her eyes, lets her head hang low between her shoulders as the sound of screams takes over her mind once again.

She's back. 

She's alive.

The dam inside her breaks as saltwater floods rush out of her. Her fists connect with the ground beneath her, blowing clouds of rusty dust into the air. A guttural scream rattles through her body, leaving her shaking. 

She's back in Avernus.

Wyll crawls over towards her, fingertips meeting her heaving body. He whispers her name, holds her close. She takes the chance to finally do what she has never allowed herself to do before: she folds and breaks and crumbles and he catches her like a lifeline, arms embracing her like wings of an Asimaar. 

Wyll is patient and gentle and kind as he rakes his fingernails through the short side of her hair. Whispering sweet nothings into her ear while she lets her tears fall. He smells like home and safety and she buries her nose in the junction of his neck. 

She doesn't know how long it takes for her breathing to return to normal, nor does she care. If there is ever a right moment to curse the Gods and roar at the skies in anger, it is now. It is hers. 

When her breath settles after half an eternity and her tears dry in the heat of the hells, she untangles her arms from his neck. Looking back at him, she’s greeted by warmth and something she never thought she’d be granted to see: love. 

He loves her. 

He went to hell for her. 

With her. 

His hands frame her face, soft skin on her still heated cheeks. A soft smile plays on his lips. Something tugs on the space where her heart should have been, filling it with fluttering energy that courses through her whole body. Before she knows it, she leans in, magnetic pull luring her closer.

He meets her in the middle, plump lips meeting hers in a kiss that feels like a breath of fresh morning air. His eyelashes tickle her skin and she chases his taste, burning with a different kind of heat than just a moment ago.

Wyll chuckles against her lips, breath mingling with hers. He strokes her cheek, tilting his head and leaning his forehead against hers. 

“We’ll face this together," he mumbles. "I swear it."

And she believes him because if there is one person who has always kept his promises, it’s Wyll Ravengard.

[ladyofrosefire]

Wyll and Karlach's Bucket List on Returning From Avernus

Bathe

Sleep in a real bed

Eat a meal that isn't a ration pack or something dubious taken from a cambion

Hug every single one of their friends

Visit Ulder

Check on the tieflings they met at the Grove

Go swimming

Go dancing

Find a house a little ways outside the city

Acquire a few goats

Make snow angels

Kiss a lot

And other things

Get a ring

Make a reservation at The Singing Lute

[dreamingofthewild]

Can we please stop harassing people over the ships or characters they enjoy? All it does is poison the atmosphere and push creators away. If a pairing or head‑canon isn’t for you, just mute, filter, or block—it’s that simple.

Remember why we’re here: we all love this game and the stories it inspires. It isn’t anyone’s “fault” that a character or ship they attached to happens to be liked by many others too. Liking something mainstream doesn’t make fans “deluded,” and it certainly doesn’t mean they’re ignoring the rest of the cast. They’ve simply found a dynamic they like and want to explore it. That’s perfectly valid.

Fandom thrives on variety, so let people enjoy things—even when their tastes don’t match yours. When we assume the worst about others, we end up with two outcomes: creators leave, or they stop sharing their work. Neither is healthy for the community.

By all means, offer constructive criticism, but blanket insults and sweeping assumptions are not criticism—they’re hostility. Instead of tearing down what you dislike, channel that energy into making or supporting content you do enjoy. You don’t have to justify your dislikes, and no one should have to defend their likes.

Fandom is supposed to be fun. Instead, it's filled toxic discourse and hatred.

[fallen-goldfishcracker]

It requires Wyll keeping his pact (which I hate) but listen in an half-ideal world the Blade of Avernus involves Wyll getting up to 11th level so he can cast Investiture of Flame and give Karlach a hug for ten minutes. He casts it every day just so he can hold her hand. listen to me. I'm right. (and then they break his pact and kill mizora and zariel and fix her engine and go home to their fancy tailor boyfriend in Baldur's Gate and then be happy forever. the end.)

[constantvariations]

I get why people say Wyll/Karlach is enemies-to-lovers but it's missing too many of its signatures for me to agree

By nature, E-t-L's are slow burn. A good chunk of the story waits for one party to discover they're on the wrong side/both parties to realize they have more in common with each other than their factions, then a whole other chunk is dedicated to them learning how to trust each other. The higher the stakes in the story, the slower the burn

Yet everything between Wyll and Karlach is revealed and resolved in a single conversation. There are no lasting consequences of that initial animosity. Both are too good to hold grudges and all the fault lies firmly in hands not their own. Karlach trusts Wyll instantly and he her. Their friendship is so immediate that it's easy to forget that we met Karlach with the intent to kill her

And then there's the source of their quarrel. Wyll was led to believe Karlach's a devil seeking destruction and Karlach was just trying to go home. The thing that sets them against each other isn't their own beliefs or loyalties or anything deep seated and personal, it's the chain of command, something they're both eager to be rid of by the time we meet them. While it gives them something in common, it leaves them with nothing to unpack or overcome together

Compare that to the king of E-t-L's, Zutara of Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko spent most of the show's runtime trying to capture the Avatar to guarantee the Fire Nation's total conquest, something Katara wants to prevent at all costs. When the two are stuck together by happenstance, they lash out at each other only to bond over their lost mothers. Then Zuko betrays her, something Katara does not forget and does not forgive until he proves himself much, much later. Afterwards, they support each other, watch over the others together, and make a damn good team against Azula. Perfect, should have been canon, fuck Bryke

Honestly, I think Wyllach is just Faerûn's version of a meet-cute

[perilegs]

it's a good day to be alive

[stranger-queers]

The natural enemies -> reluctant acknowledgement of understanding each other on a deeper level than most others -> fierce allies helping each other try to escape their pasts -> falling in love pipeline is so evident in both wyll x karlach and (selunite) Shadowheart x Halsin romances and I am living for it