Just wanted to draw Gale when he isn't styling his hair. Perhaps, he looks like this when his hair is down.

Also, I'm going to be travelling for a while. I'll be back around the beginning of April with more Gale content!

i love my puter all my friends are inside it

<3 gorgeous

A friend lamented not being able to find any cocktails themed around the companions. So, with all the gay audacity in my heart and somewhat-rusty fancy cocktail knowledge I used to have at one point, I bring you...

in entirely too much thought and detail. 

The Fiendish Pact | Wyll Ravenguard

The Fiendish Pact Ingredients:

The Fiendish Pact Instructions:

I think he deserves to be a complex blend of warmth, sweetness, and depth. Dark rum and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky give his drink a robust base with a spicy kick. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur adds a layer of sophistication, while cranberry juice introduces tartness, adding balance to the sweetness.

//fair warning, some of the later descriptions are going to be cheesy as fuck cuz it sparked joy to be dramatic and extra, lol. Besides, it’ll give you something to laugh at while you drink it. 

Eclipse of the Heart | Astarion Ancunín 

^He is unamused by the pretty drink in his honor that he cannot have.

Eclipse of the Heart Ingredients:

Eclipse of the Heart Instructions:

As visually striking as our boy and as dark as his past, this one is flavorful drink that combines depth with surprisingly vibrant notes. Using of black vodka as the base gives it an intriguing visual element. Pomegranate juice gives it a very nice fruity sweetness (for the fruity boy) and a deep red hue, because we had black for trauma, now we need red for blood. Triple sec gives all that fruitiness a light citrus sweetness, while lime juice cuts through that sweetness just enough with its sharp acidity to keep it refreshing. Kind of like our boy balancing sarcasm and sweetness to always keep you on your toes.

Fuckin shame he can’t drink it, though. 

Infernal Heart | Karlach Cliffgate

I am so normal about her. *sigh...*

Infernal Heart Ingredients:

Infernal Heart Instructions:

A testament to survival, a sip of vengeance, and a toast to freedom. Each ingredient tells a part of Karlach's story, from her fiery infernal heritage to the icy resolve that has seen her through her darkest days. Combining the rich depth of bourbon with the spicy warmth of spiced rum, highlighted them both with a little tangy sweetness from blood orange juice and grenadine. A touch of Tabasco gives a subtle heat.

...and if it happens to look good next to Wyll... well, he looks good next to her.

Arcane Elixir | Gale Dekarios 

GODS was this one difficult. I think the pearl luster dust is a nice touch, though, credit to @nuclear--pigeon for this addition.

Arcane Elixir Ingredients:

Arcane Elixir Instructions:

Alright, so forgiving the fact that I used gin in Gale's drink, it does set a crisp, clear foundation. Then the Blue Curacao does actually lend quite a nice citrusy depth to it, if you can forgive the memories of college (because you were definitely of drinking age when you started drinking Blue Curacao, right?), while the Chambord Raspberry Liqueur is really just there for the color, though it does play really nicely with the citrus. Lemon juice adds a necessary acidity, it gives it some brightness and keeps the sweetness from dominating. Simple syrup just harmonizes the flavors, gives it a more balanced profile so nothing sits fun on the tongue...like the absinthe you should actually skip.

I will do a second drink for Gale with Waterdeep Whiskey in it later. At least it’s pretty tasty???

Emerald Embrace (or) Grove Guardian's Gift | Halsin Silverbough

Yadda yadda trying to encapsulate the essence of Halsin's character: a blend of strength, healing, and the untamed wild, with a touch of the hedonistic pleasures he openly embraces, you get my drift. Now look at the pretty giant druid.

I had fun with this one. I am also THE MOST normal about Oak Daddy.

Emerald Embrace Ingredients:

Emerald Embrace Instructions:

Elderflower liqueur gives it fragrant sweetness, while Green Chartreuse lends some herbal complexity. Fresh lime juice brings vitality and a bright zest, cutting through the sweetness with just enough acidity. Honey syrup brings balance across the flavors with its mellow, natural sweetness, while soda water gives the drink back its lightness.

More yadda yadda a cocktail that invites you into the heart of the forest... but beware the bear (...of a headache you'll have in the morning from drinking too many of these. Don't worry, he'll take care of you.)

Shadow's Caress | Shadowheart Hallowleaf 

Shadow's Caress Ingredients:

Shadow's Caress Instructions:

I like this one. A delightfully nuanced blend of sweet, tart, and floral flavors, trying to give it a theme of complexity and depth. Something to sip and savor. Blackberry brandy is fruity and dark, while Creme de Violette adds a delicate floral note. Lemon juice cuts through the sweetness with its acidity, adding brightness.

The honey syrup I certainly didn't happen to have around softens the overall flavor profile with its natural sweetness, and the addition of blackberry syrup enhances the drink's depth of color and flavor, reinforcing the theme of depth and complexity.

//okay, side note? I started this project with Shadowheart’s drink and the first version was just a play on what she suffers, so it was dark and twisted. Then I did Wyll’s drink and had fun with it, so I started the whole project over. I still have the scary Shadowheart drink recipe if anyone is interested for any reason, but you must promise not to drink it.

Astral Blade | Lae'zel of Crèche K'liir

Astral Blade Ingredients:

Astral Blade Instructions:

Okay, so I really like this one. I like how the crispness of the silver tequila plays nicely with the tartness of lime juice and the subtle sweetness of agave syrup. But the blue butterfly pea flower tea is where it's at. It gives the drink this dynamic, deep blue hue that transforms with a splash of acidity which is just very pretty to watch. The silver dust, too, just adds a gorgeous element to the drink.

…and also if it just happens that her drink looks really pretty with Shadowheart’s drink, that’s definitely not because I ship them real hard. 

That’s it, folks! …for now.

--------------

You’ve reached the end for now! If you like any these drinks, I wanna hear about it! If you want drinks for you Tav or for other game characters, let me know and I’ll see what I can come up with!

Completed commissions for @rattusn0rvegicus

I'm so in love with how these turned out and I definitely did not cry at all when I had to watch the Gale orb scene for references!! Getting to draw Wyll and Gale together was such a treat, thank you so much for commissioning me 💖

Pictured: Gale rolling a nat 1 on his insight check

The Grantaire cross stitch is finished!! It is 7.6"x9.3" , 13780 stitches, 100 colours. It took 128 hours and 12 minutes over the course of 47 days (full breakdown of timing it below the cut). Also his hair was the single most complex thing I have ever stitched. Colour with the most stitches was B5200 at 2650 stitches (most of the background) and the least was 3779 with 6 stitches (a very pale pink used in the bridge of the nose).

Unsurprisingly the next project will be a portrait of Enjolras, however I won't be starting that until late May as sadly I have uni exams to focus on.

if you’re having a bad day, here’s a cute little marching band

this actually made me cry with joy also one of them is eating noodles

It just keeps going and getting better. *^^*

Me two minutes ago: “cry with joy? an animation of cats playing instruments made someone cry with joy?”

Me now: (sobs into a tissue) “OH MY GOD THAT ONE IS PLAYING TWO RECORDERS AT THE SAME TIME” (blows nose)

CAT PARADE IS BACK

The image of Astarion as flamboyant Dracula was too much to ignore. So have this.

Audio from the Dracula: a Comedy of Terrors play

Nice to meet you | Baldur’s Gate 3 | Animatic

girlz

Les Amis + Marius as weird memes I found from Pinterest

Enjolras

Grantaire

Combeferre

Courfeyrac

Jehan

Joly

Bossuet

Bahorel

Feuilly

Marius

Made my day

701 frames, 542 artists, 3 months, all collaborating on 1 animation. Here is the result.

@neil-gaiman @goodomensonprime

O.O So cool

Learning To Cat

LOOK AT THIS BABY

THIS BABY IS DOING SO GOOD!

I.. Am about to cry.

@why-animals-do-the-thing here’s some unproblematic cute for you!

Oh my god my heart. I can’t tell if this is actually observational learning, but it definitely looks like it could be - and no matter what, it is too cute. 

<3

soft exr for you <3

:3

aerarius_metalworks

@eldriwolf sent me this, and I immediately thought of the Indian bagh nakh “tiger-claw” weapon, which isn’t usually articulated or as realistic - for a given value of realism - but was a very nasty piece of kit.

The basic version was a steel bar with two rings for index and pinkie fingers, and four steel claws for ripping into an enemy’s soft parts - probably neck and stomach, where there were no awkward bones and the result would be more effective.

These simple versions had an extra advantage of being easy to conceal…

…and sometimes the finger-rings would be gilded and decorated with gems as if they were just jewellery.

Okay, maybe quite a lot of jewellery.

I bet that if timing and location were organised properly, political assassination could be passed off - in honest belief or for convenience - as the victim having encountered a real tiger.

“But where are the marks of the tiger’s teeth?” That too could be arranged:

These double daggers have proper flattened-diamond blade profiles, and their points are too close for a full-grown tiger or leopard - but (fiction-writer imagination at work) there’s no reason why a special-purpose one couldn’t have been made with realistic separation and correct tooth-spike shape.

The modern era has seen plenty of convenient “accidents” and “suicides”(what writer Len Deighton calls XPD or Expedient Demise) so how good was Mughal-era CSI?

Or more correctly, when required by Certain Circumstances, how bad did it need to be?

If an Important Person announced: “Clearly a tiger did it. How sad. Too bad. Long live the new maharajah, my Dear Little Nephew”, the best way for doubters to maintain good health would be agreement…

*****

There was another version which - if the “attacked by a wild beast” excuse was still used - came with a suggestion that tigers in that particular region were getting disturbingly smart. (Though pointing this out may not have been wise, see above…) :->

These are bichuwa bagh nakh, “scorpion-sting tiger claws”, the dagger name deriving from its recurved blade shape resembling the business end of a scorpion’s tail.

They were sometimes carried in combat, bichuwa bagh nakh in the left hand and a talwar (curved) or khanda (straight) sword in the right.

During close-quarter grappling the claws could rake and the dagger stab, while the finger-rings meant less risk of dropping it.

In the same way that many Indian weapons had “tacticool” add-ons - miniature pistols, axe-gun combinations, concealed daggers and so on - there were bagh nakh with more than just one extra blade…

…bagh nakh with extra folding blades and a knuckle-guard…

…and this articulated contraption which (IMO anyway) was for defence as well as attack.

*****

It was, like the much simpler two-ring-no-blades version, a lot less obvious than the first photo suggests…

…and since many Indian helmets were open-faced while others had face-protection only of mail…

…a surprise slap across the face might spoil any warrior’s day.

The reason I think it also had a defensive purpose is the fairly thick metal palm and that little spur low down on it, almost certainly meant to stop a palm-blocked blade from sliding any further.

I’m not sure there’s enough articulation for such a blade to be actually gripped tightly, but once trapped between spur and claws it could be twisted aside for long enough that a weapon in the other hand could attend to its wielder.

*****

Yet again: when creating a fantasy weapon for writing or RPG, do a search for whatever you have in mind, because it may well have been made for real a couple of centuries ago by an Indian weaponsmith demonstrating what he could do to advertise his skill, or just making some oddity in steel to see if it was possible… :->

(reminding self to ask @petermorwood if he’s sharpened the kitchen knives this week)

Rebbloging for reference

When you are a classical musician and the public asks you to play Queen …

@hieronymus-bush … although I’m not sure what you’ll think of it 😆

Holy hell. He has amazing technique AND he didn’t just transcribe the piece to piano, he essentially composed classical music (and honestly some neo-classical, lol) based on the melody. Plus, he kind of looks like Freddie.

People in the 1800s would've gone apeshit over this in the concert halls

Reblogging to watch later...

He understood the assignment.

A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.

Prints & PDF

GUYS I MADE IT! I ANIMATED THE FULL DRINK WITH ME SONG