Arisen Giullios, some of his favorite outfits and his favorite people.

From BEHOLD! Chapter 7: A Massive Capacity For Passion...

“You could say we were young and foolish," Brodcrum says. "So foolish that we disregarded the Barbarians’ and Amazons’ mutual second rule of non-suicidal quest selection: don’t mess with Ankyria!”

“Reasonable,” Kneewound says with a bitter laugh. “What’s the first rule?”

“Don’t mess with Osseon,” Brodcrum says grimly. “Another rule we’d eventually break, but… anyway, we set out for Vunderbort, the Ankyrian capital, as we’d heard tell of a great hoard of enchanted swords there, and figured Reductor might be in it.”

            “That must have been quite a journey,” Kneewound says. “Isn’t Vunderbort like a thousand miles from Um?”

            “More than half the span of the Earthshard,” Brodcrum confirms, and is pleased to realize he has at least one thing he can brag about: “To traverse it at speed we needed to conquer the terror of the bus.”

            “The terror of the… bus?” Kneewound sounds as confused as she is unimpressed.

            Brodcrum glowers. “I hear skepticism in your voice! Skepticism of a woman who has not encountered one of these horrid beasts of metal and spellsteam! Large as three hovels stuck together, very loud and very stinky, and prone to running over the unwary rather than get any farther behind on their unpredictable timetables! Still worse, Bhelg and I could not ride in their bellies for this would require us to wear clothes, and also give up our weapons, either of which alone would have been a dealbreaker. We had to learn the art of sneaking up on buses at night, mounting them, and riding on their backs from town to town unperceived by guards and driver alike! An exhilarating feat, especially when the wretched beasts careen at speed along the cliffside roads that traverse the Gorptbur Mountains!”

            That gets an appreciative eyebrow raise from Kneewound. “I imagine you had to move by night a lot. The Ankyrian police don’t take kindly to Barbarians and Amazons traveling in their territory.”

            Brodcrum makes a weighing motion. “Neither of us were either yet. We had heard of the Beautiful One, and admired him, but we would not take him into our hearts for some time. Still, we looked the part and that was enough. We had to steal from food hoards to eat.”

            “What, like grocery stores?”

            “Food hoards,” Brodcrum stresses. “The other name is lieful, for it implies any may come there to take food for a fair price--but we saw those prices! We took one look at them and, after filling our packs with food for ourselves, each took as much bread as we could carry, and before fleeing town scattered it on the doorsteps of the most wretched-looking hovels.”

            “Hey, there’s something to boast about!” Kneewound says with a smile that makes Brodcrum’s heart do a little dance. “Lots of honor in stealing when it’s to feed the poor, right? Maybe it’s not dangerous enough to impress your average Barbarian, but it’s a good thing.”

            “Bah, it wasn’t even my idea!” Brodcrum admits, though now he can’t help smiling. 💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀 BEHOLD! Chapter 7: A Massive Capacity For Passion is up on the Runesword Productions website.

A link to the beginning, for those new to the adventure.

This sword & sorcery adventure serial, by queer author/artist duo Rune J. Sword & Death McHandsome, is available for free and updates every other week, but contributors to our Subscribestar get early chapters and biweekly bonus stories.

Wishing you all a very, "embrace the civilization-destroying barbarism inside of you," - Rune

As long-time Deathheads will know, Dragon's Dogma is just about my most-talked-about video game.

So yeah, (besides work) this is all I've drawn since March 21st XD

Just kidding it's been extremely busy in life and work and I savor the limited time I get to spend in my sketchbook alone

edit: If anyone's on PS5 and wants to rent my feline friend.... G4W3YWZRNX9C ;)

For the first pages of this book, I drew some of my favorite, (un)forgettable BG3 side characters ^u^

Nemeses

Shortly thereafter they’re all outside, on a flat and pebbly stretch of dirt, which has another of those cheerful little signs marking it, Designated Dueling Ground. Brodcrum and Bhelg kneel opposite each other, each trying to drown the other out as they bellow their intention to sacrifice each other to the Grim Lord of Death. Bhelg accentuates this by raising her axes crossed over her head. Brodcrum punches himself in the face after each pronouncement. This goes on for a surprisingly long time, so Naewoon sidles over to Lunria and whispers, “We’re not really going to let them do this, are we?”

            Naewoon flinches as Lunria’s gaze locks on him. The spider witch would’ve been on the tall side even if she were a man. “Would you love Brodcrum as much if his passions were restrained like some civilized man?”

            Naewoon turns red. “He and I--we’re not--” 

            “I’m sorry, I forgot you Barbarians like to pretend you don’t do that with each other,” Lunria says. Naewoon can’t tell if her smile is kind or mocking. 

            By this point the pre-duel ritual has devolved into Brodcrum and Bhelg roaring at each other. They really seem a matched set. Naewoon can imagine their lovemaking leveling buildings, and he turns even redder as he wonders why he imagined such a thing. Finally the duel begins, the combatants’ feet shuffling back and forth as they test each other, Brodcrum’s sword held cautiously in front of him, one of Bhelg’s axes held low and the other high.

            “My poor Bhelg.” Lunria’s eyes sparkle as she covers her mouth with a hand that has at least three spiders on it. “She’s not ready for this nemesis relationship to end.”

            “Yeah, I’ve never seen Brodcrum not go straight through someone before,” Naewoon says, wondering, Does she actually not know about the two of them? She has to be able to tell they're exes just looking at them!

            But when Naewoon looks at Lunria again he finds her eyes aren’t on the shuffling sorta-fight. Her face has snapped round to gaze west, over the Crags of Calamity. Naewoon wonders what she’s looking at before he hears it too: a distant rumbling, growing steadily louder. 💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀

BEHOLD! Chapter 6: Nemeses is up on the Runesword Productions website.

For those who haven't read the first five chapters, here's a link to the very beginning of this queer fantasy adventure serial. Wishing you all the contentment that comes of knowing if *your* partner got into a duel with her ex, you'd be happy to watch because you know she's probably gonna kill that guy, - Rune

The Crags of Calamity

At least these silk shoes are good for sneaking, Naewoon reflects as he steps into the shadows of the crags. All around them is silence, and Naewoon keeps his gaze down, wary of small rocks that might make noise if kicked. Brodcrum slips and clambers between the rocks with silent confidence, seeming to know the way like the back of his hand. This is no small source of amazement to Naewoon, who loses his sense of direction immediately in this maze of rough stone. He has to be careful to keep the skirts of his anru from scraping noisily against close-pressing boulders. He’s not always successful. Some of the holes and crevices they creep through are so narrow he’s amazed Brodcrum can fit, and Naewoon can’t keep folds of silk from rasping against rock. But this isn’t enough sound to draw attention, or so Naewoon reasons from the way Brodcrum doesn’t turn to glare at him. Making good time, it’s not long before they encounter a clickbeetle.

            It’s a horrible thing to look at. Bigger than Brodcrum, it’s too massive to have much in the way of chitin, so it’s a surprisingly fleshy creature, with six pallid legs that look almost like human arms elongated with a bunch of extra joints. It has a bulbous and obscene looking abdomen shrouded by two vestigial, translucent little wings, and a razor-mandibled head that drips with slime.

Also it’s dead. Curled up on its back in the middle of a crag.

            This clearly confuses Brodcrum, who stops to examine the dead monster. Joining him in it, skin crawling at the thought of being chased by one of these things, Naewoon realizes there’s not a mark on the creature. No obvious wounds or trauma. It looks like it just… keeled over for no reason. Wondering what could have done this, Naewoon wonders if the Ankyrians have come, and are already ahead of them. He’d seen a motion picture once, imported at great expense from Ankyria and, in that, victims of magic wands fell down and died without a blemish on their bodies. Though now that he thinks about it, Naewoon expects that was just censorship on the Ankyrians’ part. Wands fire blasts of thaumatons--particles of pure magical potency--and there’s no way that much barely controlled energy doesn’t make a mess.

            If Brodcrum has any idea what killed the clickbeetle, he stays silent as he presses through the narrow gap between the corpse and the rock wall. Naewoon is slender enough to get through without touching it, but Brodcrum has to brush his bare chest against the dead and pallid flesh. Naewoon shudders at the thought and follows Brodcrum for just a few moments before they find another dead clickbeetle.

            What the hell? Naewoon mouths at Brodcrum, who shakes his head, brow furrowed with thought. It’s only then that Naewoon realizes they have a problem. This crevice is much narrower than the first, and the clickbeetle’s body blocks it completely. Brodcrum hesitates only a moment before climbing the body, wincing as it makes a squelching sound underfoot. He listens silently, perched atop it and, when he fails to detect approaching danger, turns to offer Naewoon a hand up. Naewoon takes it, letting himself be hoisted even as he cringes to feel the dead monster squishing under his feet. Brodcrum hops silently down, and Naewoon makes to follow him--

            Only for the skirts of his anru to catch on one of the clickbeetle’s claws. He loses his balance and tumbles forward. His anru tears, and he hits the ground with a loud thump.

            He just barely tamps down a cry of dismay as he tries to roll over and stand up, but Brodcrum pins him down with a hand over his mouth. The Barbarian crouches over him, eyes wary and sword poised in his hand, and then Naewoon hears it.

            A rhythmic click-click-clicking, loud and terribly close.

💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀

BEHOLD! Chapter 5: The Crags of Calamity is up on the Runesword Productions website.

For those who haven't read the first four chapters, here's a link to the very beginning of this barbarous disaster bi adventure.

The whole book's going up for free, chapter by chapter every other week, but by signing up for the Patreon you can get access to chapters released a month early, as well as bonus stories including our novella SURVIVORS, a hilarious and brutal tale of feelings vs social expectations, sapphics vs a gaytriarchal horde of undead abominations. Up next after that, the novella BHELG THE BIFURCATOR AND THE QUEST FOR THE WEDDING HAT, an adventure tale of goblins, acespec romance, and killing the pope to take his hat. Hoping your day doesn't include any giant killer bugs--unless, y'know, you're into that sort of thing. - Rune

Gale fanfic premise #2....

Achievements: Achieved. Now, I can finally play the game....

I have a COUNTLESS fanfic prompts stored in my memory bank, but I can NOT write.

In this playthrough, I let Gale pursue my straight male Fighter on PURPOSE.

Very happy to be living through the Elden Ring Speculation renaissance...

I am not exaggerating when I say that Dark Urge is my very favorite protagonist in any game I can remember. And I have played a LOT of games. Just look at them.

Celebrating an Honour Run well done ;)

Unjust, And Also Stupid

“But what of you?" Brodcrum asks. "What does your heart tell you about yourself?”

            Naewoon gives him a measuring look, trying to figure if Brodcrum’s coming onto him. But the Barbarian’s tone is more comforting than pressing, and Naewoon figures he’d helped Brodcrum by listening to him, and now Brodcrum feels honor-bound to return the favor. Naewoon finds himself saying, “My heart tells me I don’t know what I want.”

            “Those sound like the words of a woman who is looking on the desires of others, thinking they are her own.”

            “Maybe,” Naewoon says, and after a long silence, “I’m here because I didn’t want to get married. It’s the ideal, supposedly, for an Aeyilwurtian scholar to never marry, to give their whole life to their work. That’s what I was doing for a few years after I came of age, and I was happy. Then one day my mother visited, saying, ‘Good news, Naewoon! I’ve arranged the perfect match for you!’ It was all I could do to sputter, ‘What, like a marriage?’ And before I knew it, she was introducing me to my fiancee, and she was… perfect, or so everyone said. Gorgeous, intelligent, a renowned scholar from a very old family of renowned scholars. But there was something… not right.”

            “You needed a man,” Brodcrum guesses. “Not a match, but a counterpart to your womanly loveliness.”

            “That was my mother’s reaction too, when I called it off,” Naewoon says, followed by a mental, Minus your strange ideas about my gender. “She said my fiancee’s parents would let me marry their son if I preferred, so long as I still had children with their daughter.”

            “Sordid.”

            Naewoon nods. “Even if it hadn’t been so… icky, I wouldn’t have had any interest in that either. It’s not that I was… what’s traditionally called a ‘perfect scholar’ or, more precisely, an asexual--”

            “Attracted to ace swordsmen?” Brodcrum asks hopefully.

            “Without sexual interest.” Naewoon’s not sure if Brodcrum had been joking or honestly confused. “No, there was a part of me that thrilled at the sight of my fiancee, and her brother too, because he was as handsome as she was beautiful. But another part of me, part I still don’t understand, said, ‘NO. Absolutely not.’ I just knew I had to get out of that marriage any way I could.”

            Brodcrum strokes his chin. “The woman I loved, in a time that is now lost, I knew for years before we fell into each other’s arms. The year before our first lovemaking we had been through much that tied us together as if with chains. She told me, after some time to reflect, that she had felt not a solitary spark of desire for me or anyone else until shortly before that first night. I told her, ‘But of course! I was a boy when we first met, and now--behold--by my deeds I have become a demigod! You are demigodsexual!’ She told me I was stupid, and that it was not my deeds, but our bond that made her want me. Perhaps you are a… loversexual? Like her. You needed a bond that you did not have, because you did not know her before your mother told you to marry her.”

            “I don’t think it’s that. I’ve met total strangers that make my heart beat fast and my knees go weak--” Naewoon blushes when he realizes he’s just described Brodcrum, but that’s ridiculous. That had been the result of peril, and even if it hadn’t been, he can’t go getting hot under the collar and hard in the pants for this Barbarian, not when the plan is to return to Aeyilwurt in triumph, to reclaim his reputation and perhaps seek a wife or husband on his own terms. “There was just… something about that situation, how transactional it was, maybe, that made me willing to burn down my whole career to get out of it.”

            “I do not understand.” Brodcrum leans forward attentively. “Aeyilwurt is like the Inn at the Edge of the World but for scholars instead of swordsmen, yes? If I rejected a woman who everyone praised as perfect, men would mock me behind my back, but I would still be Brodcrum the Bloody. There is nothing about not desiring this beautiful yet repulsive woman that--”

            “Don’t call her that. She was perfectly nice the whole time, even when I called things off, which is more than I can say for most people. I hope she ends up with someone who can cherish her properly.”

            “But there is nothing about your unmarriagefulness that makes you a less able book-witch, that is what I mean to say.”

            “Aeyilwurt is… weird.” Naewoon searches for words. “Ankyria has had its eyes on us for more than a century now, and everyone says they leave us alone because rich Ankyrians send their sons to us to be educated, but the reality is that it’s Quat’s intercession alone that keeps us free. And what Quat wants is knowledge. He wants great scholars who offer up their original research the way other gods receive meat and mead. That means Aeyilwurt doesn’t just need great scholars, it needs to keep having great scholars. Supposedly we’re civilized. Supposedly everyone is free to love or not love whomever they choose, but all that really matters, if you’re an elite scholar from a family of elite scholars, is that you have children. That you contribute to the population of scholars who will continue to ensure Aeyilwurt’s so-called freedom. You show that you aren’t willing to do that…” Naewoon snaps his fingers. “And your career can evaporate before your eyes.”             “That is unjust, and also stupid,” Brodcrum rumbles, his eyes full of a distant wrath that makes Naewoon think he’d probably kill Magister Onkilput if he were to suddenly appear at their fireside. Naewoon is uncomfortable with how grateful he is for that homicidal level of support. 💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀⚔💀 BEHOLD! Chapter 4: Unjust, And Also Stupid is up on https://www.runeswordproductions.com/ Direct link to the beginning for those new to the adventure: https://www.runeswordproductions.com/beholdcover The whole book's going up for free, chapter by chapter every other week, but by signing up for the Patreon you can get access to chapters released a month early, as well as bonus stories including BLOOD AND STARLIGHT, a prequel tale for Brodcrum, our illustrious bi-barian. https://www.patreon.com/RuneswordProductions Wishing you all the solace that comes of trauma dumping to an enormous professional killer with a heart of gold, - Rune

You know who else invents things, dresses badly and has an army of short, unwilling laborers? .......

And there's my wholesome sword boys again.

I like it when stories have villains that are not just... maniacal... you know, at least one of them should have some sense.... anyway...

Blood... Blood.. Blood... Blood.... Blood....

My BG3 ship dynamics... SO FAR....

They are already selling data to midjourney, and it's very likely your work is already being used to train their models because you have to OPT OUT of this, not opt in. Very scummy of them to roll this out unannounced.