Dementor Porn!

Um, ok, not expecting a ton of Google hits on that one. (Though you never know. Believe it or not, I actually got a hit from "Walrus Porn".)

I've been lax in keeping you up-to-date on Håkan Ackegård's updates to his online galleries. There's good stuff in all of them.

Starting with his safe-for-work gallery, there's a sketch of Douglas the Dragon, some heroes, and a lot of cute, fluffy bunnies. Over at his NSFW Playelf gallery, he has an arm-wrestling "Tough Elf Gal" with ears out of World of Warcraft, and some anthropomorphic vixen girl pics. But be sure to catch " Evil Plot Foiled at the Masquerade Ball", an older commission that's amazing in its detail. I think it's a bit too busy, too much action happening all at once, but it's the climactic moment of the battle, and I'm certain it's exactly what the folks who commissioned the piece wanted. It's a wonderful showcase of Mr. Ackegård's command of anatomy, his flexibility as an artist, and his exacting attention to detail. I think the composition is a bit rough, too busy at the top, like I said, but it still stands head-and-shoulders above much of what you'll see even in books by WotC and White Wolf.

Finally, a ton of new stuff can be found at his extremely NSFW Grigbertz gallery. Have I mentioned before now "Dungeon Encounter"? Interesting, but it left me wanting. It feels too simple, asks too few questions. I think my major beef with it is the lack of anything interesting about the lizard fellow. Without any ornamentation, equipment, or decoration, I'm not inspired to indulge my interest in para-anthropology. Still, it's a technically exceptional piece.

Next come some playful "Bride of the Beast" sketches. "Julie in Trouble" is especially imaginative, and feels a bit more like a brainstorming session for a few pages in a comic book. Mr. Ackegård's ability to suggest so much with a few simple lines and some shading continues to impress me. The more finished "Pillory at Nighttime" is, of course, the bit of dementor porn I mentioned. Ok, it's not really a dementor, but it could pass for a close cousin, right? Er, ok, mebbe not...

"Playtime in the Garden" is classic Ackegård. A pretty girl, indecently clothed (but with her ankles disguised), is encountered in a lovely setting. The setting is a bit more ephemeral this time, indistinct, but still peppered with those little details we've come to expect.

"Leash" is a return to the Nethack illustrations. Have we seen this Valkyrie before? I want to say yes, but a cursory search didn't turn her up. A bit of bestiality in this one, so you've been warned.

If wolves are not your thing, how about nuns? "Worship" is another depiction of bondage nuns being naughty in the world of "Pontifex Maximus". It's much softer than his usual stuff, and I'm guessing it's chalk and pencil. Scarlett's anatomy is a lot softer than normal, and the girl almost looks rubbery rather than flesh and bone. Still, if you like your erotica with a soft focus, you'll find something to appreciate in this one.

And then something a little different. Our "Pontifex Maximus" heroines are transported to a technologically sophisticated world, something feeling a tad cyber-sorcerer-punkish. The feeling is very much "Shadowrun" or "Torg". I love "The Techno Town Bazaar" for its little details: the rat-girl's pistol hidden beneath her makeshift counter, the way the wolf-guy has an inflatable tome hovering over his book store, the guy checking Scarlett out as he walks by. I'm not a huge fan of latex, so "Plastic Scarlett" isn't nearly as interesting for me. The next work, however, is a wonderful bit of Ackegård whimsy: "Bondage Witch vs. the Hoverboard Gang". You almost feel sorry for the poor gangers. Who is their captive? What are Scarlett's plans for her? You can make up your own story, of course, or follow the link to a podcasted story by Nobilis. I haven't listened to it yet myself, so I can't tell you what it's like.

"Bondage Witch Appreciation" is another quick sketch in the same series. We finally catch up to Sofia in "Mole's Tavern". It's not quite as rich as "Bazaar", but is still fun. "Outside Looking In" offers us another sketchy Ackegård cityscape to frame the lovely Scarlett. Finally, "Chibi Scarlett" (in black-and-white and later in color) is exactly what you'd expect.

Turning to something different, we finally get a bit of story from the Savage Tide world. I must confess to being a bit confused by that name. Most of the pics have been in a forest, and completely lacking in tides. Maybe there's an allusion I'm missing?

Anyway, we have a series of pictures featuring the druidess Jenn we've seen a few times before, as she is forced to endure a druidic hazing ritual. There's some amazing work done with perspective on a few of these, and the angles shown are something I can't remember ever having seen before, though the idea is obvious and delightful, once you see how Mr. Ackegård tackles it. The stoneshaped restraints and wicked pixie are the sorts of creative turns that Mr. Ackegård excels at. I'm very much looking forward to more work from him based on this world.