cylinderarts

[cylinderarts]

To Defy The Gods - Chapter 14 - To Hope Again, part 2

Pairing: Shadowheart x f!Tav Word count for the whole work: 96k+ and going

Chapter summary

Shadowheart and Tav continue their night apart from the others, and for once, they have time to talk and simply be...

Banner art by @cylinderarts gif by me

[cylinderarts]

short-haired shadowheart ‼️

i love her sm 😭

[cylinderarts]

another commission, this time of everyone’s favorite tiefling for Astro! huge thanks for the support! 🔥

[cylinderarts]

our new full length album Breach will be here in september. the first song, The Contract, comes out june 12th. hello Clancy hello Blurryface let’s finish this |-/

[cylinderarts]

Bg3's beloved bard!

[cylinderarts]

Sketch

[cylinderarts]

Here is a wanted poster for our favorite outlaw from the fic No Good Deed by @shadowfalllen!!

You don’t want to miss the next chapter that just came out! It’s an amazing fic already, and I’m honored to play a part in bringing the story to life 😄

Check out chapter 2 here!

[cylinderarts]

Akali, the Rogue 🥷 🍃

[cylinderarts]

Smut ask game

I'm avoiding my brain. Send me a pairing BG3 canon character x reader or x OC (any gender) and pick a number and I'll write a snippet.

1. "I need you inside me."

2. "Pull my hair. Harder."

3. "I want your fingers around my throat."

4. "Can I call you daddy?"

5. "You look so good on your knees."

6. "How do the ropes feel? Not too tight?"

7. "You are so pretty with my cock in your mouth."

8. "Just one look from him/her and I'm wet."

9. "Eyes on me when you come."

10. "You don't have to stay the night. Just fuck me."

11. "I touched myself last night thinking about you." "I know."

12. "Swallow."

13. "Please, please let me come."

14. "Naughty little thing. On your knees."

15. "How many times did you come?"

16. "Is it okay if I masturbate?"

17. "I'm not wearing any underwear."

18. "I'm not going to beg." "Oh, but you will."

19. "Where do you want me to touch you?"

20. "Please, just kiss me."

[cylinderarts]

soft and squishy art inspired by a photo i took in photomode

[cylinderarts]

she’s definitely pulling late nights playing CoD and dunking on sexist men

[cylinderarts]

she’s definitely pulling late nights playing CoD and dunking on sexist men

[cylinderarts]

have some old art because i’ve been slacking lately 🥲

[cylinderarts]

shadowtav kiss prompt number 4? "where it hurts" 👀

Thank you so much for the ask, anon! Hope you enjoy what I cooked up for ya :)

Where it hurts

Shar was a cruel goddess.

It wasn’t exactly a secret, to everyone but Shadowheart at least. She had been blinded and brainwashed, crushed by her desperate devotion to a being that only wanted her as a puppet. The illusion had finally been lifted throughout their quest to save Baldur’s Gate, but she paid dearly for it with one last bitter lash from the Lady of Loss.

Saving her parents had been the final tipping point. Shadowheart couldn’t have imagined Shar could do anything worse to her than she already had after sparing Aylin, but she had been terribly wrong. Shar had struck her down with that torturous wound, setting her nerves alight and twisting every tendon and muscle with unimaginable pain. She watched as the wound spread across her hand like a creeping shadow, consuming the limb while twisted purple veins bloomed from her original burden like thorned vines. When the torture was over, her hand was left disfigured and aching as a permanent, crippling reminder of her disobediance.

Shar continued to use it as a conduit for pain, inflicting it upon Shadowheart whenever she felt particularly petty. Shadowheart tried her best to settle into her new life alongside Vel and her parents, even building a homestead out of an old cottage outside of the city. It was everything she had truly wanted in life, and felt she deserved.

Yet, as hard as she tried, the damage done proved to be too much to bear. She decided to truly be free, she would literally cut herself from Shar’s cruel grasp, choosing to remove the offending hand entirely. The Lady of Loss would not have her say any longer, even if it meant having one less hand to love her animals with. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a complete fix. New sensations plagued her even in the absence of dark, cruel magic. Sometimes there was an itch she couldn’t scratch, or tingling across fingers that were no longer there. There would be other times where pain would overtake her, all her muscles tensing as if the wound was still there, with no way to massage and alleviate the ache. 

Like now, for example.

Shadowheart was working in the garden when the pain struck, a sharp cramp blooming where her palm would have been. She clenched her teeth as the pain came in waves, rubbing uselessly at her forearm and praying it would work this time. It was almost like Shar was still there, laughing in her ears as she hunched over her lap and waited for it to pass.

“Shadowheart?” 

Vel’s voice was as gentle as their touch as they grabbed her shoulders. The tiefling immediately caught on to her discomfort, moving to kneel in the grass in front of her before taking her arm in their hands. Their hands glowed with healing magic, the cool feeling flowing through her veins as she leaned into them. The magic did little to help, but the gesture itself was enough to ease some tension.

The pain began to ebb, enough for her to breathe but not to forget. She finally relaxed a bit, slumping into Vel’s waiting arms. She felt them pressing kisses against her silver hair as they drew soothing patterns between her shoulder blades with their fingertips.

“Are you having phantom pain again?”

“Yes,” she mumbled into their shoulder, just wishing it would go away. 

They held her in silence for a few minutes before giving a sympathetic squeeze and pulling away. They reached up to brush an errant strand of her bangs out of her face, searching her face with concerned eyes.

“I want to try something,” they began. “I read about it in an old healer's tome some time ago. It might help you.” 

Shadowheart’s face scrunched up in thought as she eyed them. They watched her expectantly, clearly wanting her to say yes.

“I suppose there is no harm,” she sighed. Vel smiled warmly.

“Okay, hold your hands out then,” they paused. “Or, well, hand.”

She raised an eyebrow at the poor joke but did as they asked regardless, holding her arms up with her one palm facing up. Vel closed their eyes in concentration, taking a deep breath as their hands began to glow again. She watched with curiosity as the air beside her residual limb began to change. A glowing shape materialized further, morphing into something she easily recognized—Vel had cast a mage hand spell.

Vel’s hand twitched slightly, and the spell reacted obediently to their commands. She felt the cool brush of magic on her skin as the hand settled into place right at the end of what was left of her arm, settling until it was a perfect mirror of her existing hand. She blinked in surprise, it had been quite some time since she had seen herself like this, even if it wasn’t real.

“How is this meant to help?” She asked skeptically. 

“Do you trust me or not?” They raised an eyebrow at her. She furrowed hers in response.

“Of course.”

“Then just let me do this.” 

Vel’s hands moved to hover just above hers, hesitating briefly before letting them make contact. Their touch started with her forearms, dragging mirrored paths across her skin. She fought the urge to squirm at the tickling sensation as they continued downward towards her wrists. Eventually, they reached where the mage hand was mimicking her missing limb, and the sensation disappeared on that side. 

“Focus your mind,” Vel murmured, their touch dancing between where she could feel and where she couldn’t. “Concentrate on making the hand an extension of you, and feeling my touch on both sides.” 

“But it isn’t mine,” she huffed. “I can’t feel what isn’t there.” 

Vel playfully rolled their eyes. “Shh. Just focus.” 

She sighed in exasperation but listened anyway, doing her best to pay attention. Vel’s attention shifted to the underside of her “hands”, continuing to brush their fingers along the lengths of her arms. 

“Make a fist, with both hands.”

“I don’t think—“

“C’mon, love,” Vel prodded gently. “Make a fist with both hands, really try.”

Shadowheart took a deep breath, looking down at her mismatched limbs. She tried to remember what it felt like, trying to imagine herself curling both hands into fists. The fingers on her real hand twitched nervously, and she held her breath as she let them curl toward her palm. To her surprise, the mage hand curled in perfect sync with her real hand, almost as if she had done it herself. 

“Again,” Vel urged, trying to hold back a smile.

They continued touching the backs of her hands as she rhythmically opened and closed them, the mage hand obeying her every time. She began to feel something, like a strange tingle, or maybe an itch. As Vel swirled a circular pattern on the back of the glowing hand, she swore she felt it, as if they had touched her actual hand.

“Wait,” she gasped, her heart hammering in her chest with excitement. “I think I felt that.” 

“Good, keep focusing,” Vel smiled for real this time, and she could hear the pride in their tone. 

The feeling of their touch grew stronger and stronger, until it was an almost perfect mirror of her real hand. Her brain had recognized the hand as her own, and it was like she could really feel again. She couldn’t help the elation that swelled in her chest and burst out as a breathy laugh. 

“It worked, it really worked.” 

Vel hummed. “Patience. I’m not done yet.” 

They grabbed her hands gently, their thumbs finding the centers of her palms. They began to massage them with small, firm circles, digging into all the right places. Relief washed over her as they rubbed at all the spots she had wished she could reach during all those moments of pain. She practically moaned as they gently stretched her fingers in a way she didn’t even know she needed. 

“Feeling better, I take it?” They teased, continuing their care. “Keep letting your muscles relax, I’ve got you.”

Shadowheart gladly obliged, simply enjoying her lover’s gentle touch. After some time, the pain was gone entirely, with no more lingering ache of muscles and tendons begging for a break she couldn’t give them. Her arm had finally relaxed. 

“How is your pain now?”

“Gone,” she answered with a smile. An idea suddenly crossed her mind as she finally looked up to meet their eyes. “But, there is one more thing.”

Vel furrowed their brows. “Yes?”

“I want to hold your face, with both hands. Please.”

They looked surprised before a radiant smile lit up their whole expression. They didn’t reply verbally, instead slowly guiding her hands toward their face. Her breath caught in her chest as her fingers first made contact with their jaw, sliding over their skin until her palms were cupping their jaw. Their fingers tangled with hers as they leaned into her touch, pressing her hands against their warm, red skin. 

“It’s been too long since I have been able to do this,” she whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. 

Vel nuzzled further into her touch, turning their head until their lips brushed against her spectral hand. They pressed a firm kiss against her palm, feeling the pressure of their lips. It was a healing feeling, and she felt truly free for the first time in a while—no pain, no regrets, only love. 

They pressed lingering kisses to each digit even as the spell began to fade out. She could feel the sensation waning as the spell disappeared, leaving her back to reality. A single tear spilled over as Vel cradled her residual limb. 

“I’m sorry, I wish I could keep the spell up forever,” they murmured, reaching up to wipe away the tear with a thumb. “Are you okay?”

Vel grunted as she abruptly crashed into them, throwing her arms around their neck in an embrace. They pulled her closer as her tears soaked into their shirt, not from sadness or loss, but from overwhelming happiness. 

“More than okay,” she replied.

Shar could have her hand—she had everything she could ever need right here.

[cylinderarts]

Trying something so have some tadfools

[cylinderarts]

Hey Cyl! I’d like to see your take on a jealous kiss, pretty please 🥹❤️

thanks for the request! this prompt was also requested by @fogno! hope you guys like ittttt <3

Out of Jealousy

They had rescued the grove.

It was strange to Shadowheart—caring about a bunch of refugees wasn’t exactly something she thought would be at the forefront of her mind with everything else. Yet here she was, idly sipping a goblet full of wine with a warm feeling in her chest as she glanced around at the smiling faces of the tieflings occupying the camp. Surely it was just the alcohol kicking in.

Her eyes settled on a much more familiar face among the crowd, one she had come to rather enjoy seeing every day. Vel was sitting on a log by the fire, lazily strumming a tune on a lute as some of the camp gathered to listen. Shadowheart was tempted to go over there herself and reluctantly join the festivities, only to be a little bit closer to Vel. However, the idea was quickly scrapped when she saw their company.

Sitting next to Vel was Alfira, who had her own lute, tuning it to perfection as she watched Vel strum. The tiefling woman was just a little too close to them for Shadowheart’s liking, her leg occasionally bumping against theirs as she laughed at whatever they said. 

Shadowheart sipped her wine as the crowd hushed, eagerly waiting as Vel and Alfira prepared to play. Despite the distance, Shadowheart was just as eager to listen, maybe even more than anyone else.

Alfira began to sing, her clear, bright voice carrying easily across the camp. The tune of the lutes complemented her voice as the tieflings played in perfect sync, each note dancing around the next beautifully. Shadowheart was mesmerized as Vel’s fingers plucked the strings with clearly practiced ease. They even sang from time to time, their warmer tone harmonizing with Alfira’s. Shadowheart wouldn’t mind getting to hear that from them more often.

The song eventually tapered off, with Vel playing the last note as it faded out into silence. The camp erupted into cheers and hollers as the two tieflings bowed. Shadowheart’s fingers tightened around her goblet as Alfira beamed at Vel, her blue cheeks flushing purple as a blush crept across her face. The tiefling woman leaned into them even further, their shoulders brushing as Vel laughed. Shadowheart couldn’t help the scowl that twisted her face as jealousy churned her insides, hot and uncomfortable. 

She forced herself to look away as her skin prickled with anger, taking a moment to breathe and try to control herself. When she looked back, the crowd had dispersed a little, leaving her a clearer sightline to Vel…who was staring straight at her.

Shadowheart stiffened as she locked eyes with them. Their mismatched eyes were watching her rather intensely, the light of the fire dancing off the intrigue in them. She tried to keep her face neutral, refusing to give anything away as they searched her face. 

Vel broke eye contact first, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She watched them lean over to say something to Alfira that Shadowheart couldn’t quite make out before setting down their lute. They stood up, and their gaze found Shadowheart again as they began to walk towards her. Her heart was racing the closer they got, and her mouth was suddenly a little too dry for comfort. She brought her goblet to her lips and threw her head back, gulping down the rest of her wine in one go before Vel reached her.

“Did you enjoy the song?” they asked as soon as they were within earshot.

“I did, actually,” she admitted. “I didn’t know that you could play like that and sing. Your voice is beautiful.”

Vel’s eyes widened in surprise briefly before they smiled, their cheeks darkening with a blush. “Oh, it was nothing special, really,” they deflected bashfully. “Alfira was the one who had everyone’s attention.” 

Shadowheart couldn’t help her sour expression at the mention of Alfira. She peered around Vel’s shoulder to look at the tiefling woman still sitting alone on the log. Surprisingly, Alfira was looking their way, stiffening slightly as she met Shadowheart’s less than friendly stare. The bard waved, sheepish and uncomfortable as Shadowheart practically glared at her before returning her attention to Vel. They seemed completely oblivious to the interaction.

“Well,” Shadowheart began, reaching out to brush her fingertips against their bare forearm. She felt rather daring all of a sudden. “Not to give away my secrets, but I was really only listening to you.”

Surprise flashed across their face again, before being quickly replaced with playful confidence. They looked quite pleased as they smiled at her, the corners of their eyes crinkling in a way she had become rather fond of. “Sharing secrets now, are we? Never thought I'd see the day.” 

She hummed in amusement at their teasing as her fingers continued their ascent, dancing over the texture of their tunic sleeve and pressing gently into the relaxed muscle of their bicep beneath. “I have plenty of other things to keep. I can let this one slip.”

A glint of intrigue lit up their eyes. The air seemed to shift around them, an invisible force encircling them and pushing them together. Vel seemed to feel it too, as they subconsciously shuffled a little closer until she could smell the campfire smoke clinging to them.

“Oh, really?” Their voice lowered, their words slow and drawn out. “Care to tell me another?”

Shadowheart held her breath as she tried to settle her runaway heart. She wondered if Alfira was still looking, and the thought churned her stomach with that ugly feeling again. As hard as she tried to stuff it down, her emotions built, and her mouth was forming the words before her brain could catch up.

“Lean in closer and I'll tell you,” she whispered.

Vel’s breath caught at her enticing tone. They slowly leaned down, bringing their ear closer to her waiting lips. However, she wasn’t interested in telling them a secret; instead, she reached up to catch their cheek in her palm and tilt their head just right so that she could press her lips against theirs without warning. 

Shadowheart felt them tense up, the surprise making them pause before they returned the kiss eagerly. They melted into her touch as their hands found her hips, their head tilting slightly and deepening the kiss. She wondered if they could taste the wine on her tongue as it met theirs, beginning a languid dance that neither of them wanted to stop. Alfira faded into the back of her until she wasn’t even a thought at all as kissing Vel drowned out everything else.

The need to breathe finally broke them apart, their breath mingling as they breathed each other in. Vel’s cheeks looked just as flushed as hers felt, and she couldn’t help but return their contagious smile. She was tempted to kiss them again, but the ambient noise of the party was sobering. They were still standing so close, and she wondered if anyone had noticed. 

She dared to look, trying to be subtle as she peeked around their shoulder. No one else seemed to mind, except for a very embarrassed-looking Alfira, who was clearly trying to avert her eyes. The corner of Shadowheart’s lips twitched with a victorious smile that she fought to control, but it was too late. Vel’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she was too slow to try and distract them as they looked over their shoulder. They both watched as Alfira made herself scarce, her cheeks flushed even darker as she scampered off. 

Vel looked back at Shadowheart, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Did you know she was watching?”

Shadowheart paled. The silence was loud as her brain fumbled to come up with an answer. Vel furrowed their brows. 

“Were you…jealous? Of Alfira?” They tilted their head curiously. “Is that why you kissed me?”

“Fine, I was jealous,” she admitted with a huff. “But that wasn’t the only reason I kissed you.”

Vel looked pleasantly surprised at her reluctant confession. Their air of confidence from before returned, and Shadowheart felt her heart skip a beat. 

“What’s the other reason?” 

Laughter bubbled up in her chest at the eagerness in their tone. Her hands curled tighter around the back of their neck, pulling them closer until her lips were ghosting against theirs. Their hands reactively squeezed her hips, and it made her stomach twist with an entirely different feeling.

“That’s a secret I think I’ll keep."

[cylinderarts]

Another awesome comm from @shartstan97 !! I had a lot of fun with this one, and this is probably one of my best works to date.

Thanks again for your support! <3