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shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
Shandora 🔞
@shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
590 followers 850 following 10K posts
33, she/her, fanfic writer
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AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShandoraTheExplorer
KoFi: https://ko-fi.com/shandora

Current hyperfocus: #RolimOC #VincentOC #ElegysOC #DominoOC
#TavQOTD #WeeklyWritingWednesday
Posts Replies Media Videos
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#VincentOC

"Ildran is in his room."

(Vincent power walks upstairs with the force of a battle tank.)
Vincent very much has a type. People who know just how to take him apart.
February 1, 2026 at 7:41 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
Mam'zell is terribly confused by #RolimOC. She's not sure what to say to make him spend money in her establishment.

"You crave... Softness and care... A... A room for you and your lover? Some privacy for just the two of you?"

"Not yet, but maybe one day."

🎨 @2leavespothos.bsky.social
A digital drawing of Rolim and Astarion.
February 1, 2026 at 7:36 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD

A very specific one, perhaps:
What type of Venetian mask would your Tav/Durge wear to a carnival ball?
An assortment of Venetian masks. An assortment of Venetian masks. An assortment of Venetian masks.
February 1, 2026 at 7:23 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#VPRedFriday

#ElegysOC

The lash of Bhaal.

#VPSupport #VPRepost #VPinspired #VirtualPhotography #BG3VP
Elegys in front of the skull of Bhaal at the temple. She looks enraptured. Elegys in slayer form, praying to her God.
February 1, 2026 at 7:15 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#ElegysOC

The electric blue of a lightning strike.

The aloof, slightly arrogant gaze of someone who cares for nothing. (It's a mask.)

The deep sadness about everything that could've been, everyone she's lost...
Rolan gazing into Elegys' eyes.
February 1, 2026 at 7:08 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
While #VincentOC doesn't do much with his hair apart from taking proper care of it, Shadowheart grows hers a lot longer and wears it open more often after they return from their adventures.

🎨 by @kcohed.bsky.social
📸 by @aristenfromwarsaw.bsky.social
A digital drawing of Vincent and Shadowheart. A BG3 virtual photography shot of Vincent and Shadowheart.
January 31, 2026 at 10:47 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#RolimOC let's Shadowheart cut his hair and dye a few strands red towards the end of act 1. (To distinguish himself from Cazador since they used to have similar hairstyles)
Post game he wears it open and flowy more often but still ties it back to dance.
Rolim in Act 1 Rolim after the game, he's mortal again and wears his hair in a ponytail with an undercut Rolim on his wedding night, he wears his hair open and flowy.
January 31, 2026 at 10:41 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#DominoOC grows his hair out after being on his own and away from his family for a while!
Domino with short hair. Domino with long hair.
January 31, 2026 at 10:37 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD #NSFW
#RolimOC usually goes for 2-3 which are already wearing him out quite a lot, especially if edging is on the menu.

But there have been nights where it was fun pushing it a bit.

There's been more than one night where @ishi-amai.bsky.social 's #Darius barely came up for air iykwim. 😏
Rolim and Darius sitting in an embrace.
January 30, 2026 at 11:09 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#VPMagentaThursday #VPSupport #VPRepost #VPinspired #VirtualPhotography #BG3VP

Who better to show off than my flashy silver-dragon #DominoOC? :D
Domino posing in a purple dress, his hair is longer with purple and magenta undertones. Domino posing in a purple dress, his hair is longer with purple and magenta undertones. Domino posing in a purple dress, his hair is longer with purple and magenta undertones. Domino posing in a purple dress, his hair is longer with purple and magenta undertones.
January 29, 2026 at 6:15 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#DailyOCs

#RolimOC: ✨Anxiety, kindness, seeing the good in people✨
#VincentOC: ✨Loves animals, protective over our friends and family✨
#ElegysOC: ✨OCD, perfectionism✨
#DominoOC: ✨ADHD, miming being happy just not to worry anyone✨
Rolim petting Scratch and the Owlbear Cub. Vincent talking to Lae'zel. Elegys looking skeptical as she does magic with Gale. Domino smiling at the tiefling kids.
January 29, 2026 at 5:23 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#DominoOC

The day his family split into two factions and he left for his travels.

It was the same day he'd finally received correspondence from his friends in Elturel, all of them telling him to get lost...
Domino looking in horror at the birth of a Gnoll.
January 29, 2026 at 4:12 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD CW: Pregnancy loss
#Durge #ElegysOC

The day she felt her unborn child die.
Elegys knew she was pregnant because she felt a tiny speck of wild magic where there was usually only the storm in her veins.
Thus, she also knew her child had not survived Kressa's prodding, when that magic died.
A close-up of Elegys, she looks sad.
January 29, 2026 at 4:09 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD CW: Cazador
#VincentOC has a few candidates too...

- The day Ildran broke up with him.
- The day he died (he was betrayed by someone he loved, someone he thought loved him too, he buried this memory deep).
- The night he was locked up away from Ro while *feeling* his brother's agony.
Vincent in front of a starlit sky.
January 29, 2026 at 4:07 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD CW: SA, death of a lover, death of a brother, Cazador Szarr, torture
A hard one for #RolimOC, there's more than one...

In chronological order:
- When he felt Vincent die at 25.
- When his father died.
- The night he received the ritual scars from Caz.
🧵⏬
Rolim lying on his side, he look contemplative, almost sad.
January 29, 2026 at 4:04 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#VincentOC is religiously stalking r/cheese, envying all the people who are NOT lactose intolerant.

He's also the secret founder of r/foundfaceinpizza, and he's very proud and giddy about every new post!
Vincent in full plate armor.
January 29, 2026 at 1:19 PM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#DominoOC is a half-dragon. It doesn't get much cooler than that!

His cringe: He snorts when he laughs too much and he does laugh a lot, he's very, very easily amused xD
Domino in a purple dress with long hair.
January 29, 2026 at 8:43 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
For #DominoOC, I really love that he's blossoming into his true self!

He lets his hair grow out, dresses in whatever the hell he wants and allows himself to show his excitement about the little things.

(His family often told him he was "too much" and his happiness was undignified.)
Domino in a purple dress with long hair.
January 29, 2026 at 8:40 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
With #ElegysOC, I really love that she's aware of her past mistakes and does everything she can to make amends.
She's way too harsh on herself most of the time, but she really blooms within her chosen family and that's just so beautiful!
Elegys in Act 1
January 29, 2026 at 8:37 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#VincentOC
I love how despite trying his best to be that gruff warrior, he's a big ass softie at heart.
He loves animals and would die to protect an injured bird!
He's also very, very protective over those he loves.
Vincent, a half-elf in full plate armor.
January 29, 2026 at 8:35 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#RolimOC 's ambition is to reform the church of Lathander.
Upon having a monastery established in Baldur's Gate, he meets many people from the clergy and notices how some of them have grown very complacent in their ways.

They condemn anything undead-adjacent, completely disregarding that🧵⏬
Rolim in Act 3
January 29, 2026 at 8:29 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
Been a while since I answered one for #DominoOC so here goes!

Domi's family is very ambitious, their goal was always to gather wealth and power in order to force people to treat Tieflings better.
That hurt Domi more than anything, because it effectively reduced him to a figurehead. ⏬🧵
Domino, a winged tiefling with greyish skin and purple hair, he has silver scales on his face.
January 29, 2026 at 8:19 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD #NSFW
Now in the AUs I have with @ishi-amai.bsky.social
#RolimOC is talking a whole lot more...

Some highlights:
Modern AU:
"Play with me, D." (involving a g-spot vibrator with app-control)
"I want you to fuck my ass, Darius."
"Now fold me up and fuck me. Please!"

Canon AU: ⏬
Rolim and Darius lying on a red carpet, staring into each other's eyes lovingly.
January 29, 2026 at 7:52 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#BrokenMirrors

archiveofourown.org/works/646722...
Broken Mirrors ShandoraTheExplorer Summary: When Rolim wakes up after the crash of the Nautiloid, he can hardly believe the reality he finds himself in. The compulsions once forced upon him by Cazador are gone—and somehow, the sun no longer burns his skin. But freedom comes with a price: an illithid tadpole now burrows through his grey matter and with it, a creeping loss of his vampiric strength and instincts. He soon finds himself among a ragtag group of survivors, all infected, all searching for a cure. One of them stands out more than the rest: Astarion. Handsome, sharp, and—unlike most—genuinely respectful of Rolim's boundaries. While Shadowheart hides her own secrets and Lae'zel simply doesn't care to ask, Astarion sees Rolim's need for space... and honors it. As their journey twists deeper into uncertainty, a question begins to take shape: What will become of them all when the fate they seek to change refuses to be rewritten? AU where Astarion is a 239 year old mortal elf and magistrate and Tav is the one under Cazador's thumb! Have fun!
January 29, 2026 at 7:07 AM
shandoraexplorer.bsky.social
#TavQOTD
#RolimOC is challenged on him having given up hope.
At the start of the game events he thinks they'll all die one way or another anyway, he's just waiting for the Damoclean blade to come down and cut his head off.
It's #Astarion who helps him hope again.

Snips from Ch. 5 & 25, fic ⏬
I sense him before he even reaches my side. I expect him to ask why I'm crying. If I want to talk. If I need a hug. But Astarion does none of that. Instead, I feel the soft brush of his fingers against mine. Warm. Gentle. And before I can even think, I entwine our hands. It's instinct. A reflex I haven't felt in centuries. I hold onto him, letting the dying sun warm my bones and dry the tears still clinging to my face. "I don't want to string you along, Astarion", I murmur as the sun dips beneath the horizon. "If you want to pursue something with Halsin... please do. Don't mind me." He squeezes my fingers, light but sure. "Please look at me, Rolim", he says softly. I turn. And there it is— That familiar smile. Gentle. Open. Not demanding, but steady. "I do mind you", he says once he has my full attention. "I mind you very much. Sometimes I think I overthink everything... but Halsin and I are friends. Just friends. Not like you and I." I swallow hard. Bracing for what's coming next. Bracing for the request I can't fulfill. "I care about you", he whispers. "Very, very much. But I would never push you into something you don't want. Or something you're not ready for." I stare at him. The words catch in my throat. Because I care about him, too. And yes—gods help me—what I feel when I see him with Halsin is jealousy. But what right do I have to say that aloud? What right do I have to claim something I'm not ready to reach for? What right do I have to ask him to wait... for a maybe? I've been touched more than enough for five lifetimes. And intimacy—true, mutual intimacy—isn't something I know how to trust. So how could I possibly ask him to wait for a version of me that might never come? "You don't have to do anything with what I just said", Astarion speaks again, his voice low and steady. "But please... don't let fear or doubt hold you back. I'm more than willing to go at whatever pace that makes you feel safe." He tilts his head slightly, his smile softening into something deeper. "And try to remember—I'm a high elf. I might not be immortal like you, but if we make it through this illithid mess, if we free you from Cazador... if all goes well, I still have five centuries left in me." He smiles wider. "There's no need to rush." I let that truth sink in. Because honestly? I'd never thought about it like that before. That he'd wait for me. Not just weeks or months. But years. Centuries, even. He's offering me time. All the time that I might just need. "The only thing that's stable right now, the only person that anchored me through all the madness of today… is you", I admit and stand to face him properly. I don't let go of his hand, weaving our fingers together as they drop to our side. He still stays quiet, giving me time to sort out my thoughts, to explain to him why a kiss feels like the right move to make now. I can feel a warmth bloom beneath my ribs, my undead heart squeezing with an emotion I haven't been afforded the luxury to feel in two centuries. It took me a while to detangle and reveal it all, but the truth stares right at me with unflinching honesty. It's love. Over the course of today, I realized I love him. And it's not just because he's the first one in our merry band who truly supported me without question, but because of him—his patience, his loyalty, his ability to be strong when it's needed and still easily show vulnerability if it helps to bring us closer. He didn't have to tell me about his trouble within his family, but he shared that story with me, because that's what lovers do when they get to know each other. He readily leveled the playing field between us, unveiling his own scars after tending to mine oftentimes before. "You told that bitch, Araj, all the things I wanted to say but felt too tired and defeated to utter", I continue past the lump in my throat. This new, monumental emotion chokes me, but in the very best way. "You didn't question my decision to get my twin out of there", I say. "And, you had complete trust in me that I'd be able to handle him, stop him from killing you." "It was well placed", he finally answers with a soft smile, squeezing my hand where our fingers are entwined, his thumb running over my knuckles. "I knew you wouldn't let him maul me." I chuckle, leaning forward and up. He meets me halfway, and I press our foreheads together. Some of the water still in his hair drips on my face. It feels like a baptism, like I'm becoming someone new, someone who is finally allowed to love again without being scared that it'll all be ripped from my hands the next moment. It's a tentative hope, for Cazador's shadow still looms over me like a Damoclean blade. But it's a hope I still allow myself to feel. "I haven't seen my twin in 140 years", I tell him. "He could've changed in unpredictable ways. I took a big risk freeing him. But you backed me anyway." "Of course", he nods. "He's your brother. I'm sure you'd have done the same for me if it were Evindral chained up in there." I smile and easily agree with him. "Of course, if there's any chance to get a beloved family member back, you gotta take it." I lean back again, looking up at him as his free hand gently cradles my face, thumb stroking over my unscarred cheek. And I decide to just say it. "I love you, Astarion", I say, and before he can fully answer, I'm on my tiptoes and push my lips against his.
January 29, 2026 at 7:07 AM