#i started it some time in april and tried to finish up bits and pieces of it

[kaisludge]

the year's about to end and i still haven't finished up the design of my boss' hand tattoo 🙃

[myth1cs]

The Difference Between Snickerdoodles and Sugar Cookies (Minatozaki Sana x M!Reader)

April fools Sana smut;

Word Count: 3,174

"Jinx, I'm going out and getting myself some sugar cookies. Want to come with me?"

"I'd rather stay here and work on my creation I'm making Y/N but thanks for the offer."

"What are you making this time?"

"Just making an explosive, I don't agree with the governments recent decisions so I'm thinking I'll give them a piece of my mind."

"Jinx... I really can't tell when you're joking anymore."

"Who said I was ever joking?"

...

"Just stay out of trouble okay?"

"Sure won't toots!"

You sighed but went to leave the house anyways. As you opened the door to leave you saw someone on the other side. It was Lux.

"Jinx, Lux is here for you!" you yelled. Though Lux didn't tell you what she was here for you already knew she was here to see Jinx.

The next thing you heard was Jinx running downstairs. She pushed you out of the doorway and wrapped her arms around Lux. Jinx nuzzled her face on Lux's neck.

"Lux I've missed you!"

"I've missed you to Jinx."

The two of them peppered kisses on the others faces. You watched unsure of whether you should be watching them or if you should be leaving them to do their own thing.

"Are you just going to watch us like a pervert or are you going to leave us?" Jinx asked with clear irritation in her voice.

"Okay okay I'm leaving now... you don't have to get all snippy about it." You mumbled the last bit out. Luckily for you Jinx was too pre-occupied by Lux to hear you.

You walked down the street and eventually reached the pastry shop after some time. When you walked in your nostrils were filled with the smell of the sweets in there. It smelled rather pleasant.

"Hey, I'm Sana, welcome, tell me if you need help finding anything!"

"Thank you, Sana." you replied.

As you looked to the counter you saw your sugar cookies you had come to get. But right next to them you saw something labeled as "Snickerdoodles".

"What's the difference between snickerdoodles and sugar cookies?" you questioned.

"The difference is their flavor and texture, snickerdoodles are rolled in cinnamon sugar and have a softer texture."

It wasn't Sana who answered you. It was someone else, a voice you recognized.

"Sh- Shoko, is that you?"

"Y/N! I was wondering when we'd meet again."

"You know this guy Shoko?"

"Yeah, we went to the same university."

"It's been so long Shoko, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be a doctor."

"I'm still looking for a hospital to take me Y/N. So I'm working here until I find one."

"Didn't you cheat on your finals? I wouldn't hire you eith-"

Before you could finish your sentence Shoko smacked your cheek.

"Shut it Y/N I don't remember asking for your opinion on my situation!"

Sana was shocked at the sudden violence and quickly tried to defuse the situation.

"Guys guys settle down."

"Y/N started it by bringing up."

"I don't care who started it just stop fighting!"

"Alright fine."

Sana breathed out a sigh of relief. "Now back to what we were talking about. Y/N have you decided what you want to get?"

"Oh right, uhm how about I get a bit of both?" Truth be told you almost forgot why you even came here in the first place.

As Sana was getting your sweets your eyes lingered on her. Everything about her just looked so gorgeous. Shoko saw the way you looked at Sana she recognized that look. She put her hands on Sana's shoulders.

"I've been thinking, how about the three of us hangout at your house after our shift ends?"

"You want me to join you guys?"

"Of course. I need to catch up with Y/N and it'd be a little rude to not include you Sana. So what do you say?"

"I'm fine with it, as long as Y/N is also okay with it."

The two of them looked at you and waited for your response.

"I'm okay with it."

-

Once their shifts ended they got changed into their casual clothes. The three of you went to Sana's house which wasn't a far walk from the pastry shop. Along the way Shoko had fun telling Sana about her and your college days.

"Ah once Y/N accidentally spilled a hot beverage on himself which made him have a burn mark for about a week."

"Is that so?" Sana giggled hearing about your clumsiness.

"Yeah, oh I got to tell you about the time I found out about his-"

"Don't bring it up Shoko!"

"What? I thought it was rather funny."

Your face started burning red.

"Still, it's something rather... private."

Shoko could see the look in your eyes. She could tell you were being serious about this and weren't just joking around.

"Alright fine I'll drop it. But just so you know I'm still willing to remove it for you."

"As if I'd trust someone who cheated on their finals."

"Suit yourself Y/N."

Sana was a bit curious what the two of you were referring to but she didn't ask questions.

After some more time had passed the three of you arrived at Sana's house. She unlocked the front door and all of you went inside.

"This house is rather big. Do you live here all alone?"

"Yup, paid for it all on my own too."

"I'm impressed." You admitted.

"What about you Y/N, do you live with someone or do you live alone?"

"I live with someone, we're still trying to pay off the cost as a matter of fact."

"Are they nice?"

"Well... she can come off as rather rude and rash. She usually puts her own interests over others, but even so I can tell her heart is in the right place. She just has issues showing her affection towards others."

"That's good to hear... I think, I'm guessing you two are good friends."

"Friends may be a bit of a stretch."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"I'm going out for a smoke break. You kids have fun though."

"I thought she said she quit smoking." Sana said when Shoko left.

"She quit smoking? Since when?"

"She told me she quit smoking. Was she an active smoker when you two were friends?"

"Yeah, she always smoked though she did tell me that she only did it to get rid of the stress that college gave her. Kinda ironic seeing how she was studying to become a doctor."

"Speaking of, how did you two fall apart anyways if I may ask?"

"We didn't really fall apart. Just kinda stopped talking to each other as we moved on with life."

"Is that so? At least the two of you are still friends."

"I guess we are."

Your arm was starting to get tired of holding the box of sugar cookies and snickerdoodles. "Where's your kitchen?"

"I'll lead you to it."

As Sana led you to the kitchen you noticed how her pants hugged her legs and ass. They really highlighted Sana's curves making you think about how it would feel to be able to feel them. Just the thought of all of this was making your cock slightly hard.

This wasn't the time to be thinking these thoughts and you knew as much. You did your best to push away those thoughts but they were already there lingering on the back of your mind.

Luckily for you the two of you finally reached the kitchen and you sat the box on the table. You opened the box and took a sugar cookie. Finally your sweet tooth was dealt with as you bit into the sugar cookie. It was a bit cold now, but it was still soft.

"Looks good do you mind if I also grab a piece?"

"Go ahead."

Sana reached into the box and pulled out a sugar cookie for herself. When she bit into it and swallowed the cookie her face lit up. To be honest you found it rather cute. How could she be so cute without even trying? All she was doing was eating a cookie.

Now you decided to eat one of the snickerdoodles. As you bit into it and tasted it you thought they tasted rather nice. Though whether or not you liked them more than sugar cookies was up for debate.

Sana followed and ate one of the snickerdoodles herself. The way she ate it looked like a squirrel stuffing its face with an acorn. It made you fall in love with her even more.

"You got a few crumbs on your face."

"No I don't."

"It's on the left side of your lips."

Sana reached where you told her but missed the spot. "Nothing's there."

You reached to wipe off the crumbs and accidentally brushed your finger on her lips making her jolt backwards.

"I'm sorry."

Sana covered her face but you could see that her cheeks turned slightly red. Suddenly the two of you heard the front door open. Shoko walked into the kitchen and the both of you saw her put a few mints in her mouth.

"Sorry, I got caught up on something."

"It's fine Shoko."

"Man I'm starving do you have any food here?"

"We have the sweets Y/N bought."

"I want actual food though."

"We can all cook something."

"That sounds like a lovely idea."

"Wait I don't think you want my help in cooking."

"Ah I almost forgot. Y/N almost burned down the dorm when he tried to cook something for my birthday."

"Is that so?"

You looked away from embarrassment. "Maybe."

Sana grabbed your hand and held it to her heart. The action made you feel butterflies in your stomach.

"That's okay just because you failed once doesn't mean it'll happen again. Even if it does there's always another chance. Besides you're not alone this time are you?"

A rather simple act of reassurance but this one felt different. You could tell she meant the words she was saying. She wasn't saying them for the sake of saying them.

"No I'm not."

Sana flashed you a warm smile before she let go of your hand. You missed her warmth immediately. Regardless the three of you started to work on cooking. Sana grabbed your arms and guided their motion showing you how it should be done. It felt nice having her touch you, it was as if she was caressing your soul.

Once everything was done you all sat down on the table and ate the food. While you were eating you could have sworn Sana was scooting her chair closer to you. But no it must have just been your imagination. You let the thought go and focused on finishing your meal.

"It's time for me to go."

"So soon Shoko? We haven't even hung out for very long."

"Jobs don't hunt for me."

"I see, well take care."

"You too."

Shoko left the both of you.

"I feel like she only said that because she didn't want to help with the clean up." You told Sana.

"No way!"

"We still have to clean up regardless."

Sana sighed. Even though the mess wasn't very big to begin with the thought of having to clean up the mess was a bit daunting to Sana.

You put your hand on her shoulder.

"At least you're not doing it alone."

Sana smiled at how you repeated the words of affirmation she told you earlier. "Of course."

Cleaning up wasn't a big hassle. You washed the plates while Sana cleaned the table . The cleaning was finished relatively quickly.

After finishing the both of you sat down on the couch in the living room. "You're really good at cleaning Y/N. Do you clean often or are you a clean freak?"

"Well actually my roommate Jinx is a rather messy person. I clean up after her messes often that I just got efficient at cleaning."

"Oh? Seems like she's causing you some issues."

"I got used to it."

"You're free to stay here for a while longer if you want to."

"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep you company."

Sana smiled, her hand rested on your thigh. She picked up the remote to put something on. You did your best to keep your emotions in check.

She put on a show called... well you didn't really know. In fact you weren't paying attention to what was even happening in the show at all as you felt Sana's hand was rubbing your thigh gently.

Your cock was getting a bit hard but not just that. Something else was happening making your underwear-

"Can you point me to the bathroom?"

"It's just down the hall second door to the left."

You got up and quickly walked to the bathroom. Once you got in you tried to cleanse your mind but it was already too late. You were already getting horny and you had to relieve yourself.

Taking off your pants and underwear your cock sprung up, you also got a view of your-

"Y/N hurry up something interesting is happening!"

"J- just a moment." your voice was shaky as you started to rub your cock.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm good~." Again your voice gave you away. It frustrated you that you didn't feel close to ejaculating even after constant stimulation. It was a race against the clock and it seemed like you were losing.

You heard footsteps outside the bathroom door and froze. "Y/N what's going on in there? It sounds like you're hurting."

"No no I'm fi-"

Before you could finish your sentence the door to the bathroom swung open. You cursed under your breath when you realized you forgot to lock it.

There was no point hiding it. She already saw 'it'.

"Y/N is this what you and Shoko were talking about?"

You shook your head.

Without warning Sana walked over to you, her hands brushing over the lips of your pussy.

You were born with both a cock and a pussy. The doctors offered to remove whichever one of the parts you wanted but you didn't want to remove either of them. Luckily your parents were supportive of your decision. On a drunk night you ended up admitting to Shoko about your two private parts.

"Are you... ashamed of this?"

"No... I just... don't want people to find out. I don't want people to view me as some kind of freak or something."

"Y/N you're perfect. Let me prove it to you."

Sana shoved three of her fingers into your pussy, curling them. It made you moan in pleasure. This was the first time anyone has ever done this with you. She got on her knees and wrapped her lips around the tip of your cock and licked it.

Your hands grasped the back of her head as you struggled to maintain your balance. Her hair was getting messy.

"Ease up on the hair will ya?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine Y/N it's just hair."

Sana's continuous licking of the head of your cock along with her fingering your pussy felt better than anytime you had ever touched yourself. Sana started to swallow more of your length slowly you saw your cock disappear into her warm wet mouth. Her tongue gliding along your length making your whole cock wet with her saliva.

You pulled her away and she gasped for air. "Y/N I was taking it fine."

"That's not it. This is more than just about me."

Kneeling down at her level you put your hand on Sana's shirt and took it off of her. Her breasts slightly bounced when you did. You saw that she was wearing a black bra. Sana reached behind her back and unclasped her bra making it fall. Getting a full view of her fantastic breasts made your cock more hard than it already was. You latched your lips on her nipple as you gently sucked on it while your other hand squished her other breast.

Sana put her back to the floor letting you be on top of her. Both of your bodies were pressed together as you pleasured Sana and yourself with her breasts. She put her hands on your head and ruffled your hair.

"You're cute." she said as she reached down for your cock and gently scratched the head. "I can tell you want somewhere warm to put this."

You got off of her and slid her pants down eagerly. "Pink panties?"

"Pink is my favorite color."

Without any more hesitation you slid your cock into her tight pussy. It clenched around you so tightly you felt like the blood flow to your cock stopped.

"So damn tight."

It was hard for you to shove in but that made it only more rewarding when you were finally able to shove it all inside of her.

"This is perfect Y/N."

You thrust your cock in and out of her. Your finger drew circles on her clit making Sana a moaning mess. But she wasn't about to let you have complete control over her. She managed to shove a few of her fingers into your pussy making your eyes roll back.

"Not fair!"

The double stimulation you felt from both your cock and pussy was making you feel overstimulated. Yet it also felt perfect.

"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~"

Your voice filled the bathroom as you felt yourself about to orgasm. Before you could Sana pushed you off of her. "What?"

"Y/N trust me."

You nodded.

Sana kissed your lips and pushed you onto the floor. Now she was on top of you. She left a trail of kisses on you slowly making her way down your body until she reached your pussy.

"Yummy."

She inserted her tongue inside of your pussy and licked like she was dehydrated. She lapped every bit of fluid that dripped out of you and you felt yourself about to cum again.

"Love you so much Y/N, you're perfect."

Once those words left her mouth you came all over Sana's face. She licked whatever cum she could.

"Are you okay?"

"Mhm... just a bit dizzy."

Sana dressed you up before she dressed herself. When the both of you were clothed she wrapped your arm around her and helped you walk back to the living room. She sat you down on the couch.

"Need water?"

"That'd be nice."

Sana left you alone for a bit. You thought about the events that transpired today and you felt glad that you found someone like Sana.

She came back holding a glass of water. You reached out to grab it but she stopped you.

"No I'll give it to you. Now open your mouth."

You followed her command and she poured the water into your mouth. "Thank you."

Sana opened her other hand that you hadn't noticed she had closed.

"Want a snickerdoodle?"

-------- Ah yes my Kpop x League of Legends x Jujutsu Kaisen smut crossover technique. I haven't used this since the Heian Era.

Starring: You Sana (TWICE) Jinx, Lux (League of Legends) Shoko (Jujutsu Kaisen)

April fools! :p

[tavyliasin]

BG3 2025 Creative Challenge!

Baldur's Gate 3 Fandom Artists, Writers, and Creatives!

I would like to invite you to a year of prompts to create whatever you would like! SFW, NSFW, whatever medium you would like to create in, the choice is yours! The idea is that we have on prompt per month so it should be easier to follow along without becoming overloaded. You don't have to create something specifically for the event either - if you have a WIP or other work you're publishing that month that fits the description you are more than welcome to add that in! I'll make a new post at the start of each month with the details of that month's challenge prompt, but this will be our masterpost to start the year off with a bang. Details below the cut!

The Year Of Prompts

January - New Year New You Pick a new character, trope, or pairing. Something you haven’t tried before. Make it a challenge to do something new and different! February - Romance Novels Go for something romantic, or if romance isn’t your cup of tea try something around the Necromancy of Thay instead! March - Marching Forwards March to your goal to finish a WIP or LongFic, or March into a new world by making something in an AU! April - Fools Rush In Make something humorous, something fun, whether it’s based on a meme or a joke pairing or just something with a bit more whimsy and some laughs~ May - Maybe? What If? Reverse a trope or reimagine a part of the canon - what if things were different? 

June - June Bugs Create something centred around a game glitch or exploit, past or present! July - Why Would July To Me? A piece around lies, deceptions, and other ways the truth can be twisted or obscured. August - When In Rome… A piece themed around the customs of specific races, backgrounds, regions, or Guilds. Are they followed or broken? That’s up to you! September - Seven Deadly Sins Pick one, or more, of the classic “seven deadly sins” and see how that can relate to one or more characters or tropes. October - Days of the Dead Create something around a character death, a memorial, a lingering ghost, or find a way a character might cheat their death or be brought back from it~ 

November - Gnomevember Either create something centred on Gnome characters from the game, or the other story points around them (Steel Watch, Iron Throne, Runepowder, etc) December - Season of Giving Create a surprise gift for someone in fandom, or write a piece around a gift being given by or to a character or characters!

Rules

The rules are very simple!

Create your piece in 2025, preferably within the prompt month but if you post a little early or late that's fine too!

All pieces must be your creations or a collaboration - No AI or chatbot content

You are free to work in whatever medium you like for each and every prompt!

Set your own goal - you can do a short 100-500 word minific, some simple sketches, or write a whole 10k word one shot epic, or draw a full page comic. What matters is that it's a goal YOU want to achieve!

There will be options to submit prompts and fill prompts in the AO3 collections - this is entirely your choice! You can take a prompt if you like, work on something you had already started, or create something entirely new!

Have fun!

The Goal

The aim really is simple - to set some targets, and work on at least 12 things this year so at this time next year you can look back on your progress and celebrate your achievements. If you miss a month or turn in late, that's fine! Do what works for you!

AO3 Collections

For those of you that would like to, there will be a parent collection for the year event as a whole and some sub-collections for each month to allow us to keep everything nice and organised. It's completely optional if you would like to put your work on AO3 or not - you're more than welcome to just keep it on Tumblr or wherever you usually share your works!

This event is for you to use however you feel best, to inspire creativity, working towards manageable goals, and trying something different.

Social Media Tags

Use the tag #BG32025 if you would like to! I don't know if anyone else is using this one but I'll cross my fingers that we're the only ones~ Feel free to share the event and please do support each other through our creativity! A character or pairing or kink or trope might not be your cup of tea, but let's celebrate how it is there for someone else who might really enjoy it, and keep a positive and passionate view whilst respecting boundaries by tagging works appropriately as always <3

Thank you for reading this far and I hope to see you all through they year adding your works and creativity to our fandom <3 we have so much amazing talent here, I'm delighted to have the privilege of seeing it all~

[msschemmenti]

girl in danger

part one

summary: JJ and Emily’s Southern Belle is in danger.

a/n: trying my hand at a bit of angst and suspense with my southern belle reader. i’m not exactly sure how this is going to go but i’m excited for the challenge. this takes place before “under one roof” and after the end of “girl next door” — this is all apart of the Sugared and Sweetied series on ao3

Monday. April 28th - The ass-crack of dawn

“Make it stop,” Emily murmured, burrowing further into Y/n’s back. There was no way it was time to get up for work. She felt like she’d only closed her eyes 30 minutes ago, there had to be more time in bed. More time wrapped around her girlfriends. The weekend couldn’t possibly be over already. But as the ringing alarm continued and the youngest of the three roused awake she knew her time was up.

She and JJ had stumbled in from a case just after 2 and persuaded Y/n to come spend her last few hours of sleep with them in their bed. And as the alarm was shut off, Emily recalled the younger woman’s warning about having to be up early to start her day. In a last-ditch effort to cling to the comfort, Emily pulled the younger woman back into her chest and kissed her bare shoulder. “Five more minutes.”

Y/n grinned sleepily, allowing the older woman to snuggle her a bit more but sigh shook her head nonetheless. “I told you last night. If I came over I’d have to go home early to get ready for the day.”

“Yeah, but do you really have to?” Emily urged, eyes already closed again.

JJ, who hadn’t even flinched when the alarm went off, finally lifted her head from Y/n’s chest with a pout. “Shh, too much talking.” Y/n rolled her eyes affectionately and placed a kiss on the sleepy woman’s head then finally untangled herself from her girlfriends. Both women whined tiredly and peeled their eyes open to watch the younger woman collect her things. “The weekend is too short,” JJ grumbled.

“I’m sure spending it chasing serial killers and on a plane didn’t help it feel long either. But go back to sleep, I’ll lock the door behind me.” Y/n waved over her shoulder as she shimmied back into her pajamas. “You can still get a few hours before heading in.”

“Will we see you tonight?” JJ asked hopefully. Their late return had secured them a late start and a week off rotation.

“Yep, but you might get in before me. I’ll pop over when I get home. Now give me some sugar so I can start my day properly.” Y/n kneeled on the edge of the bed with puckered lips.

-

“As I’ve expressed for the whole semester, in order to pass this class y’all will be required to participate in the departmental recital at the end of the year. Now for most of you, we’ve been working on your piece during performance class for the last few months. But there are three of you, I just haven’t been able to convince to workshop in class.” Y/n addressed the class, leaning against the piano in the choir room. She was three weeks out from finishing her first year teaching here in DC and this recital was marking the start of her summer. “With that being said, can I get three volunteers for next week's performance class?”

Y/n surveyed the room for the three students she was hinting at. She’d hoped they’d take the bait without her calling them out, but she was sadly mistaken when neither of them met her eyes. She’d worked with most of them individually over the semester, but apparently, something about being workshopped in front of your peers just really wasn’t appealing to them. At the silence, she pulled her notebook out to confirm the three students who still hadn’t volunteered for class. She read the three highlighted names over in her head and tried to smile out at them as she gazed at the class. “Claire, Matt, and Jordan. You three are the only ones who haven’t done the seminar this semester. And in case anyone’s forgotten– you’ve gotta do seminar at least once to pass Class Voice. Since the recital is coming up, let’s go ahead and put y’all down for next week, so I don’t have to give anyone a zero. Sound fair?” All three students nodded solemnly and Y/n sighed sadly. “Listen, I’m willing to throw in some extra lessons before next week”s class. You’ll just need to let me know when. Anything you need to help get you ready for workshop and then the recital.” She got some grunts of agreement and shook her head in amusement at her students. College students really had a way with words. “Alright, that’s all for today. Claire, Matt, and Jordan just let me know if you want some extra time. Have a good one y’all.”

Everyone gathered their things quickly, eager to take any and all extra time they could get with finals right around the corner. Y/n watched most of the students leave and grabbed her things to head for her office. The room quieted behind her and she slung her bag over her shoulder ready to leave, only to come face to face with Matt still sitting in his chair. Y/n jumped a bit with a cautious and uneasy smile. “Oh Matt, did you need something?”

The younger man’s eyes widened as if he was shocked he was being addressed, but stumbled over a reply. “No, not really.” His cheeks seemed to glow under Y/n’s attention and his eyes roamed the room wildly. When he moved his hand to the back of his neck to pull at the loose hair there, Y/n furrowed her brows in concern.

“Honey, are you okay? You’re looking bout as red as your shirt.” Matt huffed out a laugh and seemed to get even more flustered but he shook his head nervously. “Well alright, let me know if you wanna work on your song sometime.” When the student nodded, Y/n smiled and exited the classroom heading up the stairs for some planning before her next class.

-

“Claire, how about we work tomorrow, and Jordan we work Thursday? I’ve got a rehearsal with the faculty Wednesday night.” Y/n asked scanning her calendar for the week. Both girls nodded their understanding and pulled their planners out to note the addition to their week.

“Thanks, Professor Y/Ln. My last class is over at 5:30, what time should we plan to start?”

“Can you do 6? That way I can get you out of here before dinner time.”

“That works, I’ll let Miguel know and see if he can swing it.”

“Great, same time Thursday for you Jordan?” Jordan nods with a salute and both she and Claire head for the door. Y/n brought all her open tasks for the day to a close and gathered her things to return home. She’d already gotten a message from Emily and JJ saying they’d picked up dinner and were waiting for her return. So there really wasn’t any reason for her to stick around longer than she had to. With food and some loving on her mind, she burst through her office door, eyes cast down on her keys. What she hadn’t expected was a wall of a person to be waiting for her outside. Again, Matt stood eyeing Y/n. She eyed the guy in confusion with one hand on her keys and the other on the door. He really seemed to move silently. “Hello again, Matthew. You’re a quiet one, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” the kid nodded, hands tightening around the strap of his backpack subtly. “I was hoping we could go through my piece for the performance class. And the recital.”

Y/n let her eyes float to the hall clock behind Matt’s head and tried to convey some sort of sympathy toward the student. It was going on 8 pm and again, she had dinner and loving waiting for her. She flashed him an apologetic smile before speaking, “I’m sorry Matt, I was heading home for the night. I’ve got some guests waiting for me tonight. Tell ya what, come by sometime tomorrow and we can find a day to work on your piece, okay?” Y/n locked her office and started heading down the hall hoping to inspire Matt to start moving as well.

Matt followed down the hall and coughed out a response, “Uh yeah! Sure. I’ll stop by tomorrow between my classes. Sorry I came so late today, time just got away from me in the lab.”

They came to a stop at the end of the hall, Y/n heading for the faculty parking lot and Matt the front door. Sliding her phone from her purse, Y/n waved him off easily. “Don’t worry about it Matt. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night!” She gave him one last wave and exited the building to head home to her girlfriends.

-

“Honeys, I’m home!” Y/n grinned, tossing her purse and work things by the door in favor of seeking JJ and Emily out. She found JJ first, nestled in the corner of the couch with a movie paused on the tv. Y/n flopped almost on top of JJ with a content sigh.

“Welcome home baby.” JJ grinned down at the younger woman pulling her snuggly against her chest. Emily exited the kitchen shortly with three bowls stacked in her hands and laid them out for them on the coffee table.

“Does it feel weird getting in after us?” Emily laughed, watching as Y/n all but purred as JJ ran her fingers soothingly over her back.

“I don’t like it.” Y/n pouted and turned her head from JJ’s neck. “I would’ve been here sooner but everyone is obsessed with me or something. Three students in my office after 7? That’s about as pleasant as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.”

Both JJ and Emily rolled their eyes and laughed, adding that one to the ever growing list of absolutely absurd things that came out of the younger woman’s mouth. “Oh yeah, that sounds bad. What did they need?”

“We were scheduling some extra lessons to help them through their stage fright. I’ve been telling them all semester that they have to perform in order to pass the class and now we’re three weeks out and now they’re all shakin like a leaf in a hurricane. So I offered some of them some extra help with their pieces.” Y/n explained turning fully in JJ’s arms to face Emily.

“So you told them to come by your office?” JJ asked skeptically.

“Well yes, I have to. That doesn’t mean I thought they’d actually do it. I’ve been saying this all year long and no one has actually done it. Especially not after 5.” Y/n grumbled.

“Right, right. How dare they do what you ask.” Emily teased, passing the bowls to the women with a smile.

“I know you’re being sarcastic but yes how dare they. Now I’ll probably be coming in after y’all for the rest of the week at least. The balance of the world has shifted.”

“Order must be restored!” JJ jokingly cursed, waving her free hand in the air dramatically.

Y/n frowned and flicked JJ’s thigh, “For people who were begging to have me over just this morning, I’m getting a lot of teasing and not enough kissing. I’ve been here for what? 20 minutes and neither of you has used those smart mouths for good.” Both JJ and Emily fought to keep their laughter at bay but both puckered their lips to meet their girlfriend’s lips where she laid. “Now that’s more like it.”

[carlos-in-glasses]

The Ingrid Sweater - Finished Object!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have finished my Ingrid Sweater! My knitting magnum opus! Details and experience below the cut! (Spoiler alert: I love it!)

Cast On: 10 January 2025; Cast Off: 28 April 2025.

There was a little break before blocking because I went away and then had to wait for it to dry, but as of today…it’s all done! After 141 days! Just in time for hot weather - a big squishy sweater made from...

Materials: Sandes Garn’s Double Sunday in taupe (the recommended yarn) held with a strand of Isagar Eco Line Alpaca 1 in ecru, which I found in a charity shop and wanted to save for something special. Stitch markers, needle point protectors, a measuring tap, scissors and scrap yarn for safety lines were all used.

Needles: I went a bit higher than the recommended needle size and used 5mm for the body and sleeves, 4mm for the collar and cuffs and hem). I used my set of Knit Pro interchangeable needles in metal, which are definitely okay although can unscrew here and there.

Size: S for the body, XS sleeves (so picked up less stitches).

Pattern: The Ingrid Sweater by PetiteKnit linked here. I’ve had my eye on the Ingrid Sweater since before I started knitting. I never believed I could knit, so it was always something I appreciated the beauty of without thinking I’d get to own one. Almost 18 months since I started knitting, I’m completely jazzed to report that I was WRONG! 💃And I’d highly recommend this pattern as a first textured jumper. The pattern itself is written clearly, and it’s supplemented by video tutorials (vital for me!) I consider myself an ambitious/confident beginner rather than intermediate, and the pattern’s ranking suggests it’s for advance knitters, but don’t let that put you off! It took me five months because I couldn’t devote much time to it each day, not because of its difficulty – especially once I’d got through the yoke and was working in the round. This is my first PetiteKnit pattern and I understand the appeal.

Experience and Thoughts and Feelings: The hardest parts ended up being the German short rows because of a miscalculation on my part, and the first time I attempted the diamond section, but if I recall it’s because I’d miscounted the stitches I needed. Both times I had to unravel, and big love to the friends online and irl who had to deal with me when I was going through that...It’s vital to have the correct number of stitches for the diamond part, so my main tip would be to check often, and make sure you add safety lines at appropriate intervals. I was somewhat intimidated by the sleeves because I’d read so many reports of people struggling to get the diamond section perfect, but I think it looks fine! It’s just that one section of the diamonds is wider than the others, but it’s on the part of the sleeve you don’t really see. I was pleasantly surprised by how stress-free the sleeves ended up being, having assumed they’d be insurmountable.  

This is also my first successful attempt at a folded collar! I’d tried previously but knitted my knitting needles into the collar and had to cut them out. Which I’m pretty sure nobody has ever done before in the history of knitting. This time – thanks again to YouTube tutorials – I was able to do it without any issue, and I’m so glad I got back onto the horse that threw me. I was going to try a simple ribbed collar and call it a day, but this looks a lot more polished (by my standards).  

All in all, completing this project is one of the things I’m proudest of in my life. I genuinely thought I was too stupid to knit, but I persisted and proved to myself that I’m capable of things I thought impossible. Would I knit this again? Yes! There’s some other pieces I want to make first (and I want to try colourwork!! Eeek!), but it’s good fun and so motivating to have different sections in the pattern you want to get to. I’m knitting something purely stockinette at the moment, and although it’s nice to have a breather, I miss having the right amount of complexity that keeps it engaging. I’m already dreaming of one of these in pink, held with mohair! So happy!!! I love it!!!

[iamamythologicalcreature]

2024 Round-Up and Review

2024, aka The Year I Discovered I Love Drawing Baz With Long Hair.

But also.

Honestly?

(Yeah, I'm going to be honest. Yeah, it's going to be a long post. Buuuut it's my blog, so here we go!)

This past year was rough. Really rough. In many ways as difficult as 2020, and in some ways, even harder than that. I lost my specialized medical care after 2023, and my health tanked in 2024. Medication changes, chronic illness/pain, and the hardest thing of all was... this idea I seemed to have that if I could just fake it enough, I could make it. Like I could deny my disability into non-existence. Pretend it away.

Instead, I ended up pushing myself past the breaking point, with the worst possible timing ever.

And THEN (when I desperately needed to stop and rest), I packed up my life and moved across a continent. (I hadn't moved since college. So I thought I'd move and it'd be done. That was wrong. Ahem. I'm still moving in...)

But the GOOD that happened last year came in the form of friendship. That's not just a line. My friends were my lifeline. To those friends who stuck it out with me even when things were far from easy, thank you. You are the most incredible people I know, and your friendship has given me reasons and opportunities to feel joy and hope where I might not otherwise have done.

Okay. So. The ROUND-UP is... *drum roll*... Under the cut!

At first I was a bit bummed to see I'd only finished 9 pieces of art during the entire year. But since I am being honest... I know I did my best, and so clearly the best I could do last year was nine pieces of art. So many of those pieces were attached to amazing projects, though! I got to do several collaborations with some truly amazing human beings, and I also got to run my very first fest for the fandom! So I'm calling it good.

Now, finally, the art links:

(I won't be including works in progress on this list, as I still hope to finish them at some point XD)

January: Oh my God, January. I didn't finish anything in January, but I worked on a lot.

February:

Tis better to give than to receive - This was my contribution to Erotic Grope Fest, and it was my first time doing anything NSFW. It's pretty tame, all things considered, but I think it still fit the mission. Also ended up posting a high-res version of this on AO3. Because. I mean. Come on. XD

March:

Three lost boys (found) - I started out as a beta reader for @mooncello's inspired take on Neverland, but by the time I received chapter 2 I was very nearly begging to be able to illustrate it. I'd had this particular image in my mind after reading the matching scene in chapter one, but had tried to suppress the inspiration. Silly me. I'm so glad I gave in. This is a favorite of mine.

April:

Keeping Neverland - (Technically posted on Tumblr in May, but on AO3 in April, so...) Illustrating @mooncello's writing again, and this one was a challenge! But one I wholeheartedly embraced. I wanted to echo Baz's journey as an artist with my illustrations, so where I used pencil sketching for the chapter one illustration, I went for a finished charcoal drawing, here. Digital charcoal, it turns out, can be just as difficult as the real deal. Slightly less messy, though. (I'm very proud of this finished piece.) Also where I continued my exploration of Baz's long hair. XD

May:

A rough sketch for a rough night - It feels a little off to be posting this sketch in my art round-up, considering the emotional inspiration, but truth be told I ended up liking this sketch quite a lot. I also learned a couple things, from both the events of that night (not my finest moment) and the drawing of the sketch (hey putting my feelings into art is a good idea). So I think ultimately this little sketch deserves to be included on this list.

June:

Teenage Dream - I posted this on Tumblr in June, for my birthday, but I actually did the art at the beginning of the year for the Valentine's Day exchange on the Carry On server. I rarely finish anything to this degree, and am immensely proud of it. That said, I ended up using it for so many things last year, I'd be okay to not look at it again for awhile. (I called it "Teenage Dream" because it made me think of a daydream Baz might have had as a teenager - now made real with Simon by his side. Cause I'm a sucker for their romance >.> )

Illustration from The Eternal Life of Baz Pitch - So I'm not sure how I got lucky enough to earn a special preview of @monbons's story, but I knew I couldn't read it in pieces. So she let me read the whole thing. It was very cool. I read it all at once I think? And when I was done I crashed Monica's DMs to yell at her about it. But then I drew this picture. (While I was chatting with her, even, and casually asking her about cherry blossoms so I could draw them the way she imagined them. It was very fun.) Now we're friends. XD (Check out the fic - now posted in entirety!)

July: Uh. Migraines. Just migraines. I had to pull back from the fandom a lot, and stopped participating in a lot of online activities. Boo.

August: Sketched concepts for CORB, and packed.

September: I moved over 4000 miles.

October: Everything I worked on in October ended up debuting in...

November:

Carry On Through the Ages! Okay, as stressed and sick as I was, I have no regrets about taking on COTTA. It was AMAZING. So much wonderful content! It was SO GOOD to contribute to the fandom, and to do that with history geeking? Dream come true. I also dipped into my previous area of expertise (picture manipulation) and did some cursed paintings to promote it. Mona Baz, Stormchaser Gothic, Mademoiselle Wellbelove, and Iconic Icon Simon.

A Prophesied Rivalry - Another dream come true was collaborating with @monbons for COTTA! I loved talking ideas with her, and she was so supportive when I hit road blocks, too. I love Ancient Egyptian art, and this was as much a love letter to that ancient art style as it was to my beloved Snowbaz. (I did a ridiculous amount of research to do this piece.) (And now I have Egyptian Baz and Simon in my new apartment. Extreme Bonus.)

Snow on Ice Illustration - Getting paired with @leithillustration for CORB was like winning the creative collaboration lottery. Not only did they grasp my concept from the get-go, but they've taken it in a creative and exciting direction. Also, we've become good friends, which is the very best possible outcome for a collaboration. (You should check out their story if you haven't already!)

(Snow-kitty also got very sick at the end of November, which halted a lot of my progress on some WIPs. It was scary for a bit, but I am so happy to say he has fully recovered.)

December:

Snowflake Exchange presents More Than a Footnote - I kind of love that I started the year illustrating one of @mooncello's stories, and ended it with an illustration from another! I was so excited to pull Heath's name from the proverbial hat for the exchange. I'd wanted to draw something from More Than a Footnote since the first time Heath told me about it. I completely love Dev and Niall at this point, so I hope to play with them some more in the future! (BTW Heath I think you're one of my muses hope that's okay XD)

SO. Yeah, the year was often a hard one, but a lot of good happened in spite of all the bad. The good was even more valuable for daring to happen in the midst of so much blah. (And boy howdy, did I get a lot of material to learn from.)

In 2025, I think I'm going to focus more on accepting my limits. Like, I can still work on improving my health and functionality, but I really need to try and determine when I need to stop. That has its own learning curve, but I have to start somewhere! I'm also working on vision therapy, which I'm doing on my own since I can't afford the out-of-pocket expense. Still... So far, so good. Fingers crossed!

Creatively, I think 2025 will be the year where I get to work on projects I started in 2023 and 2024, and I find that quite exciting because those are ideas I genuinely loved. I also hope to bring some other ideas I've had for a very long time to life. (Finally.) I hope, hope, hope! And hey, if I get to do more collabs? That would be awesome, too. (Carry On Through the Ages will be returning, as well!)

Thank you to these lovely people for tagging me in on this round-up, and for remembering me despite my frequent absence!

@emeryhall, @rimeswithpurple, @prettygoododds, @artsyunderstudy, @noblecorgi, @alexalexinii, @best--dress, @j-nipper-95, @roomwithanopenfire, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @imagineacoolusername, @mooncello, @whatevertheweather, @thewholelemon, @youarenevertooold, @monbons

And to everyone who is still tagging me on wipsday posts, other things, commented, any of that! Thank you. It means a lot to me. Hello's and How-Do's and general well-wishes to:

@drowninginships, @aristocratic-otter, @that-disabled-princess, @leithillustration, @bookish-bogwitch, @theimpossibledemon, @fiend-for-culture, @bazzybelle, @ic3-que3n, @blackberrysummerblog, @run-for-chamo-miles, @shrekgogurt, @confused-bi-queer, @hushed-chorus, @cutestkilla, @skeedelvee, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @wellbelesbian, @facewithoutheart, @ileadacharmedlife,, @raenestee, @supercutedinosaurs, @fatalfangirl, @palimpsessed, @martsonmars, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @theearlgreymage

And anyone else who actually read my extremely long post. XD

[anothermarkedone]

I'm too old to get adopted, right?

Word count: 1.7k

A/N: This is inspired by this post by @aprill-99 Feedback is always appreciated!

Xaden had no idea where he was, but he certainly wasn't in Navarre. It stands on the edge of a beautiful town spread out over rolling, steep hills. A dark blue river meanders through the landscape into the sea.

Xaden feels through his bond with Sgaeyl, but it's as if she isn't there. Xaden sighs, he has no weapons and no Sgaeyl. He tries his powers, which luckily work.

Wary, Xaden walks into town, hoping he can get a better idea of where he is. Around him he sees buildings made of white marble, warm sandstone and red stone.

A large mansion catches Xaden's attention. It is large, made of white marble with accents of dark wood. It was safe to say that Xaden has never seen such architecture in Navarre, or in Poromiel.

Suddenly there is a tall man standing in front of him with dark hair, golden-brown skin and- are those wings? Out of the corner of his eye, Xaden sees another man, this one pale with striking violet eyes, and before Xaden can react, he is unconscious.

-

Xaden wakes up with a start and sits up abruptly. He lies on a red lounger in a dark room, lit by the fireplace on his right.

Alert, Xaden scans the room and his eyes fall on a man behind a large desk. Xaden tries to move as softly as possible so that he can surprise the man and escape. But the man turns out to have really fucking good hearing, because he looks up from his papers, straight into Xaden's eyes.

“So let me see if I have it right,” the man says. "You have immense shadow power, incredible combat skills, height, tattoos, secrets, dead parents, a thirst for revenge, the weight of the world on your shoulders, a rebellion to lead, and..." he looks at his papers and tilts his head, “a dragon?”

'He probably has the same signet as Aetos,’ Xaden thinks to himself as he takes a defensive stance.

The man waves his hand dismissively, "I'm not going to hurt you." He adds with a grin, “see it for yourself.”

Xaden directs his second signet to the man and reads his true intentions in his head. The man truly has no intention of harming him. Slightly put at ease, Xaden decides to listen to the man.

"Well could I know your name first before I tell you my life story?" demands Xaden. The man smiles showing his white teeth. "Rhysand, high lord of the Night Court." Xaden has never heard of such a place, but mentally shrugs.

"Yes? I mean, there's also my girlfriend and 107 people under my protection, but-" Before Xaden can finish his sentence, Rhysand, ‘the high lord of the Night Court’, frantically flips through the pile of papers on his desk.

"This is the hyper-intelligent girlfriend with unprecedented lightning powers? The one you speak to telepathically and permanently nickname?" he looks expectantly.

Xaden decides to humor the man, "I only have one girlfriend. A bit offended that you would think otherwise."

Rhysand nods enthusiastically before scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Adopted. The rebellion thing is taken care of. Me and your aunts and uncles have this. Your new mother will need some time to add you and your mate to the family portrait in the gallery."

Xaden abruptly interrupts, "I'm sorry, my new mother?" Rhysand nods enthusiastically. "That's right, your bedroom is upstairs, the knives are in the training ring, the family dinner is every Thursday, you don't get any pocket money, but you have unlimited access to my finances and the curfew is...." Rhysand puts a finger thoughtfully on his chin, “…never.”

Rhysand stands up, "any questions?" Xaden mentally nods, ‘yeah, what the fuck?!’ Rhysand chuckles as if he heard it.

"Okay, crash course. So my name is Rhysand, I am 538 years old and the high lord of the Night Court and your new father." Xaden sputters in shock "538 years?!" "My wife and mate is Feyre, she is 21 years old and she is the high lady, we have a son Nyx, your brother." Rhysand opens his mouth, but Xaden cuts him off before he can say anything. “I'm….older than your wife?” Rhysand nods, "she'll be happy to have another son, Fae pregnancies are very difficult you know. But she'll be super excited to hear that we adopted you."

Xaden interrupts him again, "I'm still older than her." “Did I fucking stutter?” Rhysand asks with a raised eyebrow. Xaden gapes at him, "no sir." Rhysand nods happily, before paling, "don't tell your mother I swore or she'll refuse to give me soup." He ignores the disbelieving look Xaden gives him and continues introducing Xaden's ‘new family’.

Suddenly another winged man walks around the corner. “Ah, Rhys, we found them,” he says in a deep voice. Rhysand nods and gestures for Xaden to follow along. "Son, this is your Uncle Cassian, he is the general of my army, the two of you will work closely together to ensure that this rebellion of yours succeeds." 'Uncle' Cassian gives Xaden a big grin, "finally another nephew!"

“We found your friends, including my daughter-in-law,” Rhysand explains after seeing Xadens questioning look, waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he says “daughter-in-law.”

When the three walk into the foyer, Xaden sees his self-made family. Garrick, Bodhi, Liam, Imogen, and Quinn. Behind his family is Violet, along with her squad, Rhiannon, Ridoc and Sawyer and her brother, Brennan.

Garrick, Liam and Bodhi immediately walk up to Xaden and after a quick hug they start asking hundreds of questions. Xaden calls the other riders over and explains what happened.

"You're adopted?" Bodhi asks incredulously. “Seriously man, he just says we can finally win the rebellion and that's what you get out of it?”

Bodhi shrugs, "It's not every day that you hear that your cousin has been adopted by a 538 year old man and a 21 year old woman who is 2 years younger than the literal man she’s adopting."

"Okay kids," Rhysand claps his hands together and looks at everyone enthusiastically, "let's make sure you win the rebellion."

-

After Rhysand introduces the rest of Xaden's new family, including his new mother, who doesn't even seem shocked when Rhysand tells them that Xaden is their new son, and that he is two years older than her.

He then gives everyone an explanation of his army, what species they are and what their signets, or powers, are, the riders took the Fae to the hidden cave where Bodhi said they left their dragons.

The moment the group walks into the cave, Cassian gives a loud scream. Xaden looks over and sees that Cassian is hanging on to a very irritated Azriel like a koala with a scared look.

“What the fuck is that,” he points. Xaden looks over and sees that he is pointing at Sgaeyl. "That's Sgaeyl."

Cassian looks at him in disbelief, "I thought Sgaeyl was your cat!" he exclaims. Sgaeyl lets out an indignant huff and Cassian lets out another yelp.

Xaden ignores his so-called fearless uncle and focuses on Sgaeyl, prodding along their bond, but he comes up with nothing.

“My bond with her is muted,” he states. The other riders nod, theirs too.

"Violet and I can see if we can make a medicine," Brennan suggests. Violet nods in agreement. After the riders make their dragons promise to stay hidden in the cave and behave, they especially had trouble with Aotrom, who is apparently a dragon version of his rider and Andarna, the group walks back to the mansion in town. Cassian continues to look behind him uneasily, checking to see if the dragons are coming to attack him.

Violet walks up next to Xaden and hooks her arm through his, "so, adopted huh, I never expected my future mother-in-law and I to be the same age." Xaden grins, "mother-in-law?" Violet rolls her eyes and punches him in the arm.

“Shut up, you're the one in a ridiculously hilarious situation.”

-

The mansion turns out to have a lab slash medical bay. Violet and Brennan immediately start working on a medicine, Brennan mumbling all kinds of things under his breath, especially confusing curses.

Violet continues to throw grinning looks his way and she and the other riders burst into unashamed laughter as Rhysand deposits a winged baby in his arms and states that the baby is his new brother and that they should get acquainted.

-

Once Brennan and Violet perfect the medicine, they hand it out in cups.

“Well, bottoms up,” Garrick says, before putting the cup to his mouth.

Xaden follows suit and immediately feels the bond with Sgaeyl opening. "That was interesting," Sgaeyl says disinterestedly, a complete contrast to what she just said. Xaden rolls his eyes.

"The screaming human dragon from before is back," she says. Xaden raises his eyebrow. "He brought food, he's afraid we'll eat him."

Xaden wonders why that was worth sharing as Sgaeyl adds, "he completely freaked out when suddenly some kind of black mist with eyes and sharp teeth and claws appeared."

“He screamed like a little baby!” adds Andarna enthusiastically, "the mist's name is Byraxis, he's super funny!"

“He was indeed amusing,” Sgaeyl states, “in just a few minutes he humored me more than you have done in three years.”

Violet has clearly been listening as Xaden hears her laughter in his head. She stops abruptly when she hears Tairn's angry, jealous growl.

Andarna either doesn't realize what her adoptive parents are doing, or she just ignores it as she gleefully tells Xaden and Violet that Byraxis told her the story of when Cassian came to the bottom level of the library and how he literally wet his pants when he saw Byraxis.

Xaden sighs, he would do anything for a nap before fighting the rebellion with the help of a few extremely powerful centuries old Fae, three not so old Fae and an army of winged warriors.

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” he asks Violet. She snorts in response, “as if I’d let you do this on your own. Besides, this is way too hilarious, I haven’t laughed this much in years.” Suddenly Liam appears next to Xaden, watching them interact. “Will you fight with me?” Xaden asks his brother. 

“It would be my honor,” he answers without hesitation.

[mephestopheles]

Adding my thoughts to the collective brainrot of the locked tomb fandom. I literally couldn't wait more than a month before diving into the series again, having finished it at the beginning of April. I'm just starting act 3 of Htn and we'll, one thankfully it's much easier to follow now that I can kind of see the path ahead.

What struck me though is, I think I understand why Pal and Cam had to die instead of Magnus and Abigail in the Canaan House Au's. Harrow is healing herself of the damage done by the weird lobotomy she has given herself. I think she really tried to make sure it was permanent, but doesn't realise that as a lyctor all she would need is time, and given that she is in fact like 201 ghosts in one tiny frame, she doesn't even need a lot of time.

So when she's awake, it's the usual go and she's concerned with her physical body and she's dissociated enough from that, that even she can't see her eyes correctly in the mirror anymore. (Side note, I love how often everyone questions Ortus, when she mentions him and how subtle it is at first)

When Harrow's asleep though, she's healing her brain by recreating her memories from the ground up. Now maybe initially the plan was to rewrite all of those memories with Ortus to make sure it's as permanent as the physical tampering. But I don't think she planned or even anticipated that she's powerful enough to drag the actual ghosts back to puppet the story in full.

I believe she's powerful enough to have actually unintentionally brought Wake's ghost back with her through the River. That's why she's getting the bits of memories and notes from Wake (first about the eggs and then about killing the others)

But specifically in the rewrite of the memories, Harrow is trying to justify certain things that can't quite be changed. Gideon was very upset about Magnus and Abigail's death, she took it really hard and Harrow didn't understand it in the first book (now that's Gideon's pov and Gideon is so paranoid that it's possible that Harrow is reckoning with Gideon being treated like shit what a crumb of kindness did). So she transposes that pain and grief to the people who make sense. Thus rewriting their roles to be those who died and that leaves Magnus and Abigail taking over in Cam and Pal's shoes.

Another big reason is that Cam isn't dead and Pal isn't technically in the river so she can't drag them in to inhabit their puppets.

I also love that Gideon was so lovestruck by Dulcinea in Harrow's memories that she can't remove it from Ortus at all, so he's instantly developed feelings for Dulcie and doesn't care for Pro. Since we didn't get much from Pro in the first book (poor dead walking bodyguard) what we get might be real, or it could be Harrow giving Ortus some reason to not like him.

That's what I've pieced together so far, it seems to fit with what I remember, but let's face it the first read of Htn is generally a fever dream.

[silveroguy]

DUE TO STRESS AND STUFF I DECIDED THAT I WILL ONLY DO THE PARTS OF TMNTEMBER I GENUINELY WANNA DO CUZ I CANT SPIT OUT 22 ART PIECES IN THE SPAN OF TWO DAYS. I might actually finish the rest in October... Idk so here's the first topic I really wanted to talk about and draw:

DAY 13: SCARS, PART 1

oh boy oh boy! More talking less art but it counts.

So here's my idea on the scars, starting with my fav turtle, thus making his scars the WORST cuz I love him, DONATELLO!!

So we all know Donnie got disintegrated into atoms in that one ep right? And then got put together right? Well! I have a headcanon, also a part of my future AU. Basically:

A week or so after the events of the episode, Donnie wakes up in the middle of the night (for some reason idk I'm bad at making up shit). He scratches his head and finds out: his middle finger on his right hand is bleeding. It must've been for a while, cuz there's quite a bit of blood on the bed as well. When did that happen? Did he hurt himself during the day? Why would it start bleeding now? Wanting to continue sleeping, he just puts a bandaid on and goes to sleep again. He wakes up in the morning, and damn. The bandaid is completely drenched in blood, there's a lot of blood on the bed. Oh shit!

He gets up and Immediately runs to the kitchen to tell his brothers. Why won't it stop bleeding? It's just a tiny scratch. After thinking for a while, Leo tries using the healing mantra that Splinter taught him. The bleeding stops! For a whole minute. Then it starts again. This is weird. Really weird. They bandage it for now, sitting down in the kitchen to eat breakfast (pizza ofc idk?). Some time passes, and Casey and April show up to say hello! That's when it hits. Oh no. Donnie quickly runs to his lab, finds his best microscope, fiddles with it a bit so his finger fits under it and checks. Exactly what he thought. His finger is slowly dissapearing. Atom by atom, piece by piece. Due to the constant disintegration, the finger can't heal, causing blood to spill nonstop. Shit! What now??

Anyways. I think that's long enough... In the end they search for the remains of the crystal that managed to get Donnie put back together so Dee can study it and find out how to stop the disintegration, but by the time he does the damage done on his hand is really bad, thus the robotic prosthetic. Wowie!!!! I will definitely draw this someday

Man.. I feel like I'll make this into more parts cuz this is extremely long already. Most people won't even read this. So yeah, Part 1!!!

[indieyuugure]

Hello there

I just finished reading the latest chapter and I was wondering

How do the turtles back on earth know that Mikey is alive? Last we knew they all thought Mikey was dead, so how did they realize he was just captured

I'd say common sense but Idk

Anyways love the comic and so excited for more

Hm, interesting question. 🤔

I suppose part of this is my fault for not making it clearer, but the way Casey phrases those specific sentences are made to be that he’s making them sound more definite than he may actually believe.

Casey’s lines mentioning this are “It’s gonna be alright, dude. Leo’ll find Mikey.” It’s said in a hopeful tone, after all, for all he knows he’s trying to comfort his best friend who believes that his brother is dead and maybe convince him to have a little more hope.

Also, in between Casey’s lines, Raph mentions that he thinks Mikey isn’t dead as well. He says: “Mikey could’ve died because of me! I knew Leo was right but I was so…scared and confused and angry!” Raph is attempting to express that he was feeling the stage of grief “Anger.”

He doesn’t even know why he was so angry. Leo pointed out the flaws in the Kraang’s set up, he explained why it didn’t make any sense, he even drew parallels to other times things like this had happened, so you’d think that he would be over joyed, but that’s not how anger works. It’s not rational.

You can actually see that he doesn’t know why he’s angry in the first part of Retribution, Raph says: “Leo can go to freakin’ hell!” “I don’t give a crap what he has to say! It’s-” “-he’s just-” “…I-I don’t know!” As he’s trying to explain to Donnie why he’s angry, he realizes that even he himself doesn’t know and starts crying not knowing any other way to express the emotions he’s feeling.

So now, looking back after he’s calmed down a bit, Raph’s able to see what Leo was talking about and feels regret and guilt for being blinded by anger that, had Leo not been a stubborn turtle(but also he was in denial), could’ve meant that Mikey was left to die. That’s why he completely breaks down thinking that his anger and shortsightedness could’ve been responsible for killing his brother. It’s also why he thinks comparing himself to Leo is at all sensible.

Casey’s second line about Mikey is: “It wasn’t your fault that Mikey was captured, and none of this was!” It’s implied that most likely Donnie, who was the closest to the phone, heard Leo the clearest out of anyone and relayed what he heard to the others and they pieced together what happened.

There’s actually a scrapped piece of dialogue in Retribution, part 1, (the same page I was talking about earlier) where Raph actually tries to explain his point of view more to Donnie. If I remember, he says that, when asked, April said she couldn’t sense Mikey’s presence anymore. However, obviously if you take into account the possibility that the Kraang took Mikey to a different dimension, this argument stops holding water, and things start making sense.

Sorry that wasn’t as clear as I wished it was, but hopefully this clears some stuff up.

[carusolikey]

The Blue Hour

a Max Phillips & Bloodsucking Bastards FanFic

Chapter 3: This is the Skin of a Killer, Bella

This week on 'The Blue Hour' - a Max Phillip's vampire always pays their debts. We’re finally going to learn the true definition of a Peña Colada (get your notebooks ready, this will be on the final), and we’ll be playing a tricky game of “Are You Smarter Than a Twilight Vampire?” Reader beware, you're in for graphic fare!

Pairing: Max Phillips of Bloodsucking Bastards x afab!fem!reader

Rating: Explicit / NSFW 18+ (No Minors)

Author’s Note: I wrote this piece during the month of April 2024 - Adenomyosis Awareness Month, and the idea came to me during March 2024 (Endometriosis Awareness Month). This will not have any type of pregnancy kink, but will touch on infertility of OC due to the aforementioned; canon for this story is also that Vampires are infertile - there will be no Renesmé. OC is intended to be around the same age as Max, reader’s choice up or down, but no age gap. Because older afab/fem lovers are sexy - we drink and we know things.

Warnings: This will continue to be a blanket coverage of this point forward.

A bit of rough sex/smut (fingering, fem penetration - P in V, oral [m + f receiving]), food play, 18+ only content, able bodied fem afab reader, alcohol consumption, non-gendered pet names, fem can be carried and has hair - though length is not mentioned, consensual "bondage", some use of y+n - but not explicitly, though consensuality is implied and intended through actions and reactions, no protection used for Vampire reasons TBD (be wise and always use protection, this is fiction). Did attempt to stay away from gendered pronouns and nicknames, although did use the word woman, 3 times throughout the entire piece (not fully published yet) referring to OC. Discussion of history of endo / adeno, and future chapter will mention previous relationship / SA; there will also be Vampire hunting, murdering, and blood….sucking bastards.

Wordcount: 8k + a few, but who's counting?

Return to the Masterlist!

Shaking my head, I tried to pretend like I didn’t just wake up with a pillow tightly squeezed between my legs, and let out a huge, exasperated sigh, screaming a little bit into the pillow my head laid upon.

“Siri, play My Song 5 by Haim.”

“I’m sorry, I’m having trouble connecting to the internet.” 

“Gaaaah!” I groaned in anguish. “Fine. I’ll do it the hard way.”

Opening up Spotify on my phone, I flipped to my mega, 78 hour and 53 minutes long playlist and searched, clicking on the song I wanted.

The rough beat perfectly matched my grumpy mood at waking up so unreasonably horny. Dammit, I thought to myself, I cannot be this starved for the Vitamin D.

I got out of bed and noticed Mr. Rochester, forlornly abandoned on the floor. Oooh, better wash him off. 

As I gave Mr. Rochester a thorough scrub, laying him on a clean hand towel on the side of the bathroom sink, I felt my stomach grumble. Whew - I guess Max really did give me a workout last night! I blushed, grinning to myself as I thought of his charming grin with its dimple, the way he looked up at me, as I pulled on his tie - the feeling of straddling him as I sat on his lap, facing him. 

Quickly giving my face a wash and brushing my teeth, I tried to put those thoughts out of my head. Once I was done in the bathroom, I put on a robe and went straight into the kitchen - opting to start my day with Yerba Mate instead of coffee.

Oh, dear. You must have it bad, if coffee is reminding you too much of his eyes. I shook my head, trying to think of what I might do with my day off instead. Books to catch up on? Poetry to write? Call my sister? No. She can always tell when something’s up with me. Call my mom? Maybe - she loves telling me about the latest hometown gossip, and I can just listen while I do something productive, like - OH! That hat I need to finish knitting! Perfect. 

After making some toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam, and enjoying a bowl of fresh strawberries and blueberries, I was just about to call my mom when a text popped up from Max. It was a gif of Ryan Reynolds making a sassy come hither face, with the words, “you up?” flashing underneath. 

I giggled to myself and texted him back, “Yes, Ryan Reynolds. I am.”

Immediately the text dots popped up, and Max’s response came through, “Mind if I stop by? I believe I have something that belongs to you.”

Looking down at my robe and silk set, I had to think for a moment, “Uh, I’m not dressed yet, if you want to give me 10-15 minutes?”

Almost instantaneously, Max’s reply came through, “Don’t get dressed on account of me.” Followed by a prompt knock on the door that caused me to spill tea over a small portion of the dining table.

“Oh, no.”

I jumped up and reached over the kitchen bar for paper towels, calling out, “I’ll be right there!”

Unwrapping about 20 towels from the roll, which was significantly more than needed, I cleaned up the spill as quickly as possible, then hurriedly tossed the paper towels in the trash. Finally, I headed straight to the door while adjusting my hair and checking my teeth on my phone camera. Alright, that’s as good as it gets! I opened the door, and Max was leaning against the door frame - his grin pulled up to one side, dimple on full display, better than I remembered.

Mr. Vilallonga’s door was open, but he had his hand over his eyes as he picked up yet another package, already apologizing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry….” 

“I told him that he has to do that from now on.” Max smiled a big toothy grin, his eyes crinkling, as he stepped away from the door frame and entered the apartment.

He closed the door behind him as he gave me a kiss on the forehead.

Laughing, shocked at Max’s gall and a little impressed that he went to such lengths to ensure that I wouldn’t be caught in the same compromising position again - my hand instinctively went to my forehead, as I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair.

“It’s okay. He likes it.” Max assured me, giving me another kiss on the cheek and the neck.

As he straightened up, I realized that he was holding a bouquet of white orchids and white magnolias. They smelled absolutely wonderful, fragrant and sweet like a bakery in the morning - a bit of vanilla, with a hint of citrus and honey, and the musky scent of lemon-verbena. 

“Is this the thing that belongs to me?” I asked, my tone of voice betraying me, revealing my surprise and delight immediately.

“Well, it’s - part - of the thing that I believe belongs to you. It’s sort of an apology.” Max scrunched up his nose, looking a little self-conscious. That’s funny, I thought, never thought I’d see him with that look on his face.

I took the flowers into the kitchen, giving them a happy inhale, as Max followed closely behind. Opening a cabinet next to the sink, I let my eyes roam until I spotted what I was looking for on one of the top shelves. Hmm… a bit high. Max reached above me and grabbed the deep red, clear glass vase.

“Thank you!”

“Anytime.”

He smiled down at me, and then leaned on the counter as I trimmed the ends of the flowers before placing them in the vase. As I arranged the last flower, he pulled out a small box he’d had tucked under his arm.

“I believe I owe you a debt.”

“What??” looking at him, confused, I hesitantly took the small, thin blue box. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting for me to open it.

Carefully, cautiously, I gave a light tug on the ribbon, which easily gave way and then set it on the counter. I took off the lid and folded back the tissue paper, biting my lip as I laid eyes on the loveliest vintage silk, teal and black lace silk bra. My mouth slightly agape, I set down the box, holding up the bra and admiring it.

“There’s more,” Max nodded towards the box on the counter, and I eagerly peered into the box.

“Oh, really?” I asked, giving him a cheeky little laugh.

Inside the box was a matching garter of the same vintage teal silk and black lace, and a pair of black thigh highs with the seam going up the back.

“They should fit, if you want to try them on,” Max gazed at me expectantly.

“So vampires have the ability to actually size people up by looking at them? That’s a thing?” I asked him dubiously.

“Well –” he began, a bit apprehensively, “I did grab your moderately destroyed lingerie this morning, when you left the room, so that I could replace it with the correct size. I felt pretty bad about wrecking it. Even though I loved it in the moment - sorry?”

He shrugged his shoulders, and to be honest, his apology was very half-hearted, and I had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t going to be the last time he ripped an item of clothing off my body. At least judging by the playful glint in his eye.

“Tentatively forgiven, Max. Tentatively.”

Squinting at him, I continued, “I reserve the right to rescind that absolution should the crime be repeated. In which case, recurrent offenses may be subject to increased punishments and fines. As per prevailing statutes regarding Lingerie Law.”

“Oh, of course. Lingerie Law - that’s closely related to Bird Law, right?”

“Obviously. The fact that you even have to ask.” I scoffed at him.

He laughed, and then took both of my hands in his, locking his eyes with mine, “Please try on the lingerie. Please.”

“Of course.” I felt my cheeks flush, and Max leaned in, kissing me on the lips - gentle, sweet, but firm in their resolve to get me good and kissed.

Gathering up the box of lingerie, tissue paper, ribbon, I took it with me into my bedroom and closed the door behind me. Inspecting the contents of the box, I was struck not only by how tasteful the lingerie was, but how it was really exactly my style. It was weird to feel… so seen by something so - simple? Naughty? Sexy? 

Putting it on, it fit perfectly, and it felt very nice as it hugged all of my curves in all of the right spots. I looked in the mirror and felt a little bit like Bettie Page, it was empowering.

Taking the ribbon from the box, I tied it in my hair like a headband. It felt like I was missing something, so I took a look in my closet, a smirk crossing my face as my eyes strayed toward the perfect accessories. 

Walking out of my bedroom in some patent leather Mary Jane style shoes and a lovely long red floral robe draped over my shoulders, letting the lingerie peek-a-boo through, Max looked up - immediately dropping his crossed arms, standing up straighter, and his jaw dropping slightly.

“What, this old thing?” I teased.

“Yeah. Yes. That old thing.” He walked over to me, taking my hand and bringing it up above my head, giving me a twirl, “Max likey. Max likey a lot.”

“Oh! So I’ve earned third person accolades?”

“Uh-huh.” Max kept nodding and spun me into his arms. As his eyes washed over me, he dazedly continued, “I have something else I want to share with you.”

“Something else?” I asked, incredulously. What more could he have for me? This felt like quite enough. Although, I was curious. Dammit. Damn my curiosity.

He stepped back, and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, sitting on one of the dining table chairs. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly was not prepared for what he presented to me.

“What do you think of this?” He smirked, “They were just going to throw these out at work!”

It was an old school label maker. The really old kind that had a dial for the letters, and for each letter you had to squeeze the handle very tightly in order to get it to make an impression on the label tape. They were a pain to use, but to be fair, those types of label makers always made the wickedest labels.

“Okay, that’s actually pretty cool, Max.” I admitted, “But what made you think of me when they were getting rid of it?”

“Well, I was thinking it would be helpful - we could use it to label our relationship.”

“Label the relationship? How do you mean?” intrigued, I wanted to hear where he was going with this.

“As in–” he started punching letters into the label maker, “EXACTLY–” punch, punch, punch, “what–” punch, punch, punch – punch, punch, “I–” punch, punch, “said.” punch. 

He finished, very satisfied with himself, and held up the finished product - a label that said, “Max’s Favorite”, with a huge smile on his face. Max immediately pulled off the protective paper on the back, and stuck the label on my forehead.

Admiring his work aloud, “Perfect.”

I felt a bit less sexy with a label on my forehead.

Max was all in on the label maker, he kept punching in more letters, and the next thing he came up with was, “Best Kisser,” putting it right on my chin. Followed by, “Sexiest Décolletage,” just below my clavicles, “Stinkiest In a Good Way,” on my neck, “Most Likely to Be Bitten by a Vampire,” on my wrists. 

And then he got really excited and asked me, “Where’s Mr. Rochester?” 

Confused, I gave him the downlow, the lowdown, the 411, the fax - no printer, the webmd, the no cap, “Mr. Rochester has retired to the bath - he’s taking a day off.”

“Good!” Max sassily and decidedly replied.

When he came back from the bathroom, he showed me Mr. Rochester, who now had his own label: “UNEMPLOYED”.

“Unemployed? Did you just fire my vibrator?!” I exclaimed, shocked that he would take the initiative to terminate my household staff’s employment. Frowning, “I think that’s outside of your purview.”

Max shrugged, setting Mr. Rochester on the dining table behind me and then picked me up, gliding easily from my little dining nook into the kitchen area, where he delicately set me on top of the L-shaped peninsula of the kitchen counter. I crossed one leg over the other, as I leaned forward with my palms on the edge of the counter.

“Well, Mr. Phillips - it seems like you’ve got a prerogative for this evening.”

He put his hands on either side of me, looking down at my legs, my chest, while talking, “I do, actually. But I - I wanted to ask you something.” He looked up into my eyes, waiting for me to give him the go ahead.

“That’s fine. Ask away.”

“How are you feeling today?”

I laughed, “I’m good. I’m very good, Max.”

“No. No, I mean–” he hesitated again, biting his lip, “was I too rough with you last night? Are you sore or in pain?”

“Oh.” I sighed. “Okay.”

“I really - I would hate myself if I hurt you.”

“Listen–” I took ahold of his hands and looked him straight in the eyes, “After the second surgery, I went on a bunch of dates and felt obligated to tell the men I dated that I was still in healing mode, and that kids might be an issue - if they were looking for something serious.”

Taking my right hand, I brushed my fingers through a little curl forming along his forehead. 

“Which sucked, of course, because who wants to hear about that right away? Although I felt like it wasn’t fair to let someone get emotionally involved with me if my endo was going to be a problem for them. And I wanted someone who could be gentle as I was healing. Unfortunately, it led to a lot of them being afraid to have sex with me. A real bunch of cowards they were.”

Max’s eyes took on a watery depth, not quite on the brink of crying, but of deep warmth and caring. 

“At this point, I’m many months post-op, and while my hormones are still driving me a bit batty,” he flinched as I said that, “I’m in much, much better shape - I evicted the organ that was causing the most pain, and I’m way hornier now. It might seem like ‘in theory’ I don’t have as much space for you, but vaginas are magical organs that get really stretchy the more turned on they get. I mean - it’s built for pushing out a new human, so… it’s good to go. Do not back down on my account. You know what Hal Sparks said, right?”

He squinted at me, and I went on, “Pussy bleeds every month and it never dies - it’s like The Predator.”

Max burst out laughing, “Okay! Okay! I trust that you’ll let me know, I won’t back down.” 

“Good. Do not go gentle into that good night.”

“I will not. I will rage until the dying of the light,” he said passionately, still chuckling.

“Now, I will admit that while I can take a pounding –” Max tilted his head, curious where I was going with this statement, “I’m actually extremely sensitive to a lot of other things, because of the whole residual nerve sensitivity - my body tends to be on high alert when it comes to most of my senses, touch - very much so, taste, smell, sometimes I can be sensitive to sound / noises, super bright lights. Besides sound and light, the other senses can actually be very sensual with the right person.”

“Oh, reaeeaaallly?” Max asked, an idea seemingly sparked within him.

“Yeah. Totally.”

He reached over and pulled the vase of flowers he brought closer to the two of us, “Do you know why I chose white orchids and magnolias?”

“They’re beautiful, and I love them!?” He turned and looked at me. “But other than that, no.”

“All flowers have meanings. White orchids can be used to convey hope - new beginnings,” he raised his eyebrow as he looked at me.

“Magnolias represent beauty, and in Victorian times it was the flower of choice for lovers sending correspondence. But the white magnolia in particular, well - it represents the Lunar Goddess.” He brushed his fingers across my cheek, then drew them down the line of my jaw, stopping at my chin, where he held my face so that I was looking up at him - his thumb gently stroking my bottom lip.

“My beautiful, midnight, Lunar Goddess.”

I smiled up at him, and kissed his thumb.

His eyes grew wide, “I want to try something.”

“Uh, okay?”

“I want to test your sensitivity.”

“Uhhhhh….”

“We can try it, and if you hate it as soon as I start, we’ll stop, but I have a feeling - you’re going to enjoy it.”

I shrugged, “Okay, Max. I guess - I trust you.”

He gave me a look like his heart was going to burst when he heard that, pausing only for a moment, and then getting back to the business at hand. 

“Let’s remove your outer layer, shall we?” He gestured to my floral robe, and I used both hands to release it from my shoulders.

Max sat and stared for a moment, pleased with how well the lingerie fit and looking like he couldn’t decide whether to keep it on me or take it off. Slowly, he took his gaze off me, and reached for a stem of orchids from the vase.

I cocked my head to the side, unsure how he was going to proceed.

He took the orchids, and reaching out, let them lightly drag down the crook of my neck and across my clavicle.

My skin pricked up, I could feel the sensation rushing to my nipples as he drew the petals down across my new silk bra.

Quivering, my hands gripped the counter. Max followed the line of my bra strap, up around my back and he walked behind me. Feeling the bra unclasp, one of his hands lightly loosened the straps so that the bra fell forward, while the other continued to trail the orchid up and down my spine. My breathing quickened, and I felt my legs start to shake a bit as my vagina clenched, breasts moving up and down as I tried to pace my breathing - and closed my eyes.

“Look at me.”

I opened my eyes, and Max was in front of me again, watching me with his mouth slightly open, his tongue hungrily, precipitously waiting between two slightly open lips. 

Drawing the flowers across my untethered breasts, over my peaked nipples, my legs clamped together like a vice. Gingerly moving the orchids lower, underneath my breasts, around my rib cage, moving straight down my stomach, towards the top of the garter.

The moment he got to the top of the garter, I let out a small squeak of a moan, and he immediately put the flower back in the vase, tapping my knee with one hand, and grabbing the back of my neck with the other as he pulled me in for an extremely passionate, breathtaking kiss. 

Like an upside down Heinz 57 Ketchup bottle tapped in just the right spot, my legs opened for him, and he used his available hand to start massaging my pussy and clitoris through the fabric. Meanwhile, he continued to open me up with his kisses, deep and rolling into me like waves from the ocean. Right as we came up for air, he immediately began kissing down my neck and focusing his fingers on my clitoris, moving in steady, focused circles, until I gasped.

Max pulled back, his breathing a bit deeper. He walked over to the sink and washed his hands, and immediately I knew what he was planning on doing. The effort, though - the consideration, knowing what I’d been through, and not taking any risks with my body. Fuck. That’s hot. Coming back over to me, he gave me another intense kiss, and then leaned me back down on the countertop, sliding my lingerie down my waist, and off completely. As I laid there on the counter, he put his left hand on my lower abdomen, and with his right middle finger, he started massaging against my cunt and up to my clitoris, his left hand slowly moving up my abdomen towards the middle of my chest, right between my breasts.

I arched my back, feeling the power of his hands on me, in me, but not trying to hold me down. Just trying to please me. Slowly, Max leaned his face over to where his right hand worked me, his thumb switching places with his middle finger, stimulating my clit with steady, firm circles, and licked into my vagina. I clenched and twitched, and his left hand moved to my breast, massaging, squeezing, then focusing on the nipple, giving it small pinches. Moaning in pleasure, I looked down my body at Max, who was staring right back at me - eyes crinkling. I couldn’t see his mouth, but his eyes were definitely smiling.

He moved up a bit, switching places with his hand so that his mouth was sucking on my clit, and his middle finger was pumping and curling inside me. Trembling, I grabbed onto his left hand, still on my breast, and through haphazard breaths, “I’m coming - I’m coming.”

With an involuntary jerk, I almost kicked him, but he held my leg in place, easily. Stars exploded as my vagina clamped and convulsed around his finger, which continued moving into me as it gradually altered to a slower pace. As the ebb and flow of my orgasm finally ceased, Max pulled his finger out and stuck it in his mouth all the way up to his knuckle - licking the entire thing clean, saying, “Mmmmm,” the entire time, while I laughed and covered my face.

Max pushed the vase of flowers further back from where I was on the counter, to give me a little space as I sat up, but almost knocked it over. “Oh, shit! What’s this?” 

“Whoops. I think I accidentally left that out - from the last time I used it.” I grimaced in a classic “Whoops! My bad!” expression.

Smirking as he chuckled, Max cupped my face in one hand, and used the other hand to pick up the jar that nearly caused the fall of the house of orchids, examining the label closely.

“Organic, virgin, unrefined, cold-pressed, natural coconut oil, preservative free and fragrance free.” He scrunched his nose up at the jar, then said, “That feels like a lot to ask of your coconut oil.” 

“Hey! Only the best for me!”

“Okay, fair enough. What do you use this for?”

“Well,” I started, “it’s great for skin, for lip care, for hair, and - are you allergic to coconut?”

Max shook his head. “No. I like coconut a lot, actually.”

“Okay, that’s good.” I gave him a sly smile. “Why don’t you hand me the jar, and a spoon out of the second drawer there,” I gestured to a middle drawer across from the peninsula I was sitting on.

“Hmm. Okay.”

Max inquisitively handed me the jar, turned to the designated spoon drawer and retrieved the required item. Which, he then handed to me, as I sat there naked as a jaybird, save for the black thigh highs and heels.

I opened the jar and scooped out a very small amount of coconut oil with the spoon, closing the jar again. 

“Hey Siri, play Playa Tropical by Passion Coco.” I called out.

Max raised an eyebrow, “Oh, this requires mood music?”

As the retro-surfer beat and reverb-drenched, twangy guitar started playing, I gave Max a cheeky grin, “Would you rather be asking questions or receiving right now?”

Bringing his hand up to his mouth, he made the international symbol of locking his trap and throwing away the key, an eager and excited expression etched on his face.

With the spoon in one hand, I grabbed Max’s tie with the other. Why is he always, always wearing a three-piece suit every time I see him? It’s just not fair. Tugging him towards me just a little bit at a time as I wrapped his tie around my hand, I brought Max close, but not too close. Dropping the tie, I used that same hand to unbutton the top button of his pants and unzip the zipper. Untucking his shirt, I was able to reach his navy blue boxer briefs, slowly pushing them down in the front and I was not disappointed. I could see the top of his shaft was already hard and licked my lips, as I reached my hand inside the briefs to pull out his dick. Glancing up at Max, his eyes were trained on my hand on his cock, his jaw clenching and unclenching. 

Letting his penis free of the confines of his pants, I released it and Max let out the breath he’d been holding. Using the spoon to apply the coconut oil to my free hand, I rubbed the oil between my hands to warm it up. Then taking my fragrant, slick hands, I reached down, making a loose circle with each, index finger to thumb. I tenderly and deliberately placed one hand in front of the other, over and over and over again, in the same direction. Max happily moaned, reaching up and grabbing my breast, until I reversed directions and he jerked slightly. His breathing became a bit more labored, and he leaned in to give me some heated kisses along my neck, holding himself up on my shoulders.

I could tell he was getting closer, and there was no way I was letting him get any further without tasting him. Slowing down with my hands, I slid off the counter, submitting myself on my knees for him - licking the precum off the tip of his exquisite, mouthwatering cock. Bringing him into my mouth, wrapping my lips around his coconut flavored dick, I felt like I was finally on the vacation I always wanted - sipping from the exact tall, delicious drink of which I’d always dreamed. Swirling my tongue just past the head, applying just a little bit of pressure on the just the right spot, feeling him shiver with pleasure, I couldn’t help but move one hand down my own body.

As I knelt on the floor looking up at him, he looked straight back down into my eyes with his mouth slightly agape - his penis in my mouth, one hand working his shaft, my other hand working my own clit. He tried to speak, “I’m gonna - can I - can - in your mouth?”

I nodded, continuing what I was doing so that he could finish inside me, and then I felt the abrupt convulsions in my hand, in my mouth, while Max’s whole body shuddered, and felt the warm, sticky cum running down my throat. The taste of coconut, with rum raisin, pineapple and a bit of salt - it was unusual, but seemed to be Max’s signature flavor and I licked that dick clean, while he leaned over me, watching.

“Sweetness, that was fucking hot.”

I looked up at him from the floor, and he offered his hand, lifting me up.

“Watching you masturbate while sucking my dick –” he shook his head, almost in disbelief, “But I can tell you still have a lot of heat and tension, and I’m gonna fuck that right out of you.”

I let out a loud guffaw, and covered my mouth, “Are you?”

He stepped closer to me, pressing me against the kitchen counter, “That’s satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back.”

I could feel his dick already starting to get hard again as it pressed into my hip.

Immediately, I started unbuttoning his vest, which he pulled off as I started working on the buttons on his shirt, which he yanked off and tossed on the floor. Then he pulled his pants and briefs off, leaving just his black business socks on. He picked me up and took me to my leather couch, laying me down, kissing me deeply - bestowing a thousand little kisses up and down my face and neck, moving down to suck on my nipples. When I thought I couldn’t take it any longer, he started rubbing his dick all along my pussy. Up and down, dipping in just enough to tease me, pulling back out and teasing me again. He was incorrigible. 

I scowled at him, and he smirked, “I know what you want.”

“Then give it to me.”

“You asked for it, Sweetness.”

He rammed into me, and I cried out in bliss, each lunge into me, touching that magical little g spot, as the hairs above his shaft rubbed against my clit, creating an amazing dynamic of friction. 

I could feel my release coming, “Don’t stop!”

My words fortified him, and he kept going, a teensy bit faster, a little bit harder, and Goldilocks perfect. I would not be surprised if two universes collided as a result of our build up and eventual release. We laid on the couch for a good 20 minutes after, not saying anything. Max on top of me, inside of me, curled up against me as we both caught our breath. Giving each other little kisses, but content to stay in place for the time being.

Until my stomach gurgled. Max lifted his head and looked at me, squinting at me beneath furrowed brows, as I gave him my most innocent, wide-eyed expression.

“Was that your stomach, growling like a baby cougar?”

After an elongated, awkward, Tina Belcher laugh, resistance was futile and I admitted the truth with a sing-songy, “Mayyy-beee.”

“Alright, yeah. I could eat, too.” Really? He can eat? Interesting. Put a pin in that for later.

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Hmmm –” giving it a moment while I thought, “Well, obviously there aren’t a lot of places open at this hour, but there is this amazing little Brazilian bakery/market that’s open 24/7. They have the most absolutely scrumtrulescent coxinhas,” sitting up, I started to get very excited, speaking with my hands, “perfectly crispy on the outside, with delicious, tender pulled chicken, veggies, cheese on the inside, and the dough is,” I put my hand up to my mouth, giving a chef’s kiss, “They use tapioca flour in their coxinhas and cheese bread, so every time you take a bite into them, it’s stretchy and cheesy and lightly crunchy and exquisitely savory.”

Leaning back against the couch, I sighed, content by the mere thought.

Staring at me with a grin on his face, Max nodded, “How about that? Sounds like I better not get in between you and this Brazilian bakery - if I want any chance of sticking around.”

Turning red, I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous implication. He chuckled and grabbed my leg at the calf, kissing my ankle, before reaching for his phone. As he scrolled through the meal delivery app, reading off different items on the menu, asking which things sounded better and whether or not I would share with him, I wrapped myself in my grandmother’s afghan thinking, Sorry, G-Ma, I know you’re jealous, wherever you are. Rest in Petty.

I know what you’re thinking, but she was judgy, okay? Good vibes only.

“So, what would you like to do while we wait?” Max asked, booping me on the nose.

“Let’s see if there are any good movies on the ol’ streamer,” sitting up again, I reached for the remote, turning on one of those popular streaming services, probably the one that begins with an “H” and ends with an “ulu” - because the first movie advertised on the main screen with an extremely loud preview was Twilight.

Jerking my head to the left to look at Max, a grin rapidly turning into a smile rivaling The Joker, nodding furiously, he laughed at me. He laughed with me? He laughed. In what appeared to be a good natured way. So I hit play and we were immediately transported to Forks, Washington.

“Uh, uh, wha - uh,” I did my best Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan impersonation, as Max slammed his hand over his mouth and nose, his face expressing pure disgust when I looked over at him, in a perfect “Edward reacts to Bella entering Bio class” move.

“Cool, cool,” was my automatic response, “Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool,” as my face contorted in overdramatic mock worry. 

Taking his hand down from his mouth, Max smiled, rubbing my leg reassuringly. I didn’t need to be reassured, but it was nice anyway - I enjoyed the pampering from this confident, borderline arrogant man, sharing my grandmother’s (now “sex”) afghan with me on my couch.

“Okay - be real. You’re a vampire, you live forever, right?” 

“Uh, yeah?” Max cautiously responded.

“Are you actually going to go back to high school and graduate 25 times?”

A deep chuckle, rumbling in his chest, “No! Absolutely not - I would never be that bored or boring to not move on to college, at least. There’s a whole world out there and so many people and vampires to meet. It’s not that small of a world that you don’t get a whole new set of people every lifetime to meet and explore.”

He was still laughing, when he looked over at me, recognizing by the far off look in my eye, that I was mulling over the fact that I was only one lifetime for him. His face dropped.

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m such an asshole.”

“No - no. It’s okay. It’s true, though, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he lamented, “It’s something that I really had to come to terms with after my unholy transition, and while I’m in a better place now, the idea is honestly a bit scary to me. I think it’s going to be one of the hardest things I do - to watch the people around me disappear, while I just keep going. I’ve made connections in the vampire world, so I’m not completely alone, but I’m not sure it’s going to be quite the same.”

He gave a light, hollow and sarcastic chuckle, shaking his head.

I mulled over his admission, the sadness that seemed to hang in the air despite his attempt to convince me otherwise by laughing about the permanence of his situation.

How should I approach this? How do I let him know that I’m here and he can talk to me? How do I give him the space to open up to me, without feeling obligated or feeling like he needs to protect me from difficult feelings? I can’t imagine there’s such a thing as an undead vampire therapist, to help humans becoming vampires with the emotional transition? 

“If you could go back in time, and give yourself advice before you were turned - so that you could maybe have more choice in the situation, what would you tell yourself?”

Max shrugged his shoulders, “Hmm…” gazing into the distance, he went on, “I don’t know that it matters.” He looked back at me, “In the end, I’m exactly where I want to be - now.”

My heart, glowing as it beat a little bit faster, pumped blood straight to my face, as Max and I held each other’s gaze for what felt like too short a time. Though I’m sure it was at least a few minutes - until Max’s phone rang. On the TV, tires screeched, a horn honked, and just as Bella was about to get hit by a car, Edward jumped in front of her, denting the side of an oncoming van that surely would have crushed her against her truck.

We both laughed as I paused the movie and Max answered his phone.

“Yep, we’ll buzz you in. Thanks.” 

Standing up while opening the buzzer app on his phone, he was completely naked. Save for the tie I left on him from our earlier shenanigans. I think I have a tie kink? Is that a thing? Max, abruptly aware that I was sitting on, and therefore hogging heretofore named Sex Afghan, giggled as he looked down at me, smiling doe-eyed as I gave him the up-down and the ‘how you doin’?’ Surveying the room, he paused as his gaze caught hold of something in the kitchen, drawing him there without a second to waste.

Trying not to be creepy, I decided to check my phone, instead of watching him walk away. Which technically, I did have my phone in my hand, I absolutely caught him in the corner of my eye as he sauntered towards the kitchen. Beauty, thy name is Max. However, I was truly tickled when he returned wearing my red floral robe, with the tie and the black socks. I couldn’t help but clap my hands together in joyful delight!

“Oh, you like this, huh?”

Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door and Max went to answer it, quietly talking to the person on the other side of the door, “Yeah - thanks. That’s for you, slugger - no change.”

“Thank you so much, sir! Have a good night!” came a disembodied voice from the hallway.

I jumped up and went to the kitchen, grabbing some plates, utensils, napkins - carrying them back to the living room, where Max was setting the bag of take out on the coffee table. We sat down together, looking at our spread and admiring the feast before us, each getting excited to serve each other from the next container that we’d opened, “Have you gotten any of this, yet?” -  “Make sure you try these with this sauce!”

Hitting resume on Twilight, we contentedly consumed both food and questionable media. As I watched Max happily biting into a coxinha, I was overcome with a very pressing question, “Max?”

“Hmm?”

“Twilight is telling me that vampires don’t eat people-food, but here I am, watching you eat. What the fuck is going on here? This movie is based on a book, and books don’t lie. Who even are you?”

In a fake rage, Max slapped his coxinha on his plate and pointed at the tv, “That’s fake fucking news is what that is. FAKE. NEWS.” 

Switching back to his pleasant smirk, complete with adorable dimple, “Vampires need blood. It’s like I said before about the extreme anemia and vitamin D deficiency. We don’t need food. Food is a want. Food is icing on the cake. Can you imagine how terrible eternity would be without being able to try new cuisines?”

He shook his head, clearly imagining a hellish future in which food was no longer an option as he took a big, greedy bite into the coxinha - cheese stretching from his hand to his mouth.

“That - makes me incredibly happy to know.” I beamed at him, glad for the small joys that remained in a life lived undead.

On screen, Edward and Bella were in the middle of the forest, as Bella queried her own vampire, “How long have you been 17?”

“A while.” Edward huskily breathed.

“I know what you are.” Bella said, accusingly.

“Say it.” Edward demanded. “Out loud. Say it.”

Gasping in an almost orgasmic tone, “Vampire!”

We both threw back our heads and laughed, and then I cut my laughing short, leaving Max to stop also, out of confusion. “How old are you?”

“Wait - what?”

“I need to know that I’m not dating someone who’s trying to groom me.”

“Well, in vampire years –” he started counting on his fingers, and I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

“Human years, Max! Human years!”

His mouth dropped open and he cried fake tears, holding his shoulder, “You’re so strong!” I squinted at him. “Okay, okay. I’m 42 in human-years. Not like a permanent 42, but I turned 42 this year. Also, I’m glad that we’re officially dating. Your words.”

He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, then popped a mini cheese bread in his mouth without breaking eye contact.

Relieved, I sighed, “Good. I refuse to date someone 80 plus years older than me. That’s not healthy.”

Max agreed, nodding while sipping his drink from a crazy straw he found in one of my kitchen drawers.

While we continued watching the movie, I had a few more questions for him, although I tried not to press too deeply, in case any subjects were still sensitive.

“Sparkly skin - yay or nay?”

“In the sun?” Max scoffed, “Vampires don't make a habit of going in the sun. It hurts. On account of the burning and the minor flames.”

“I was wondering about that –”

“I mean, I can go out in the sun.”

Puzzled, I stared at him, awaiting some clarification.

“Vampires aren’t the only things that exist that you wouldn’t normally expect in the natural world.”

“Do go on, I’m all ears.”

“Witches.”

He chuckled at my stunned pout, “Down in New Orleans, there’s a heavy presence of those who practice witchcraft, Wiccan, and so many other varieties of, well, magic. It’s incredible really. But the vampires and the witches down there also have an understanding - which allowed me to procure this –” he held up his left hand, pointing to a silver ring on his middle finger.

“It’s a Daylight Ring. Its enchantment allows me to go out in the daylight whenever I want, without suffering from the excruciating side effects of being ‘sun averse’ and prone to burning.”

Laughing, I couldn’t help but respond, “Of course - why shouldn’t magic exist in the world? And when you have magic, why not use it to create accessibility options for vampires? It’s pretty genius.”

Slogging through the rest of the movie, unable to get through more than a few minutes at a time without finding ourselves providing what we both deemed to be constructive criticisms, we reached a point where I found myself with even more questions for Max.

“Are werewolves really that much of an occupational hazard?”

“OH, you don’t even know.” Max started, “They stink, they pee everywhere, there’s a truce in place, but it’s extremely fragile.”

“Seriously? A truce? Who put that in place?” I laughed, incredulous at all of this new information I was learning.

“Well, there’s actually a vampiric council. You’ve got the international branch of course, and then there’s regional ones. I’m still learning about the specific regions, but the one I’m most familiar with is the one in Staten Island. They’re - not the brightest. But they are definitely a good time.”

“So, this type of weird pack, coven, roving roommate pod of vampires where they feel the need to establish boundaries and lay claim to certain areas is more bureaucratic than animalistic as portrayed in the film?”

“Uhhhh –” Max took a moment to think, “They can feel very protective of their familiars and that bond is generally respected, but boundaries? They kinda don’t give a shit, unless someone is messing with their specific living space. Kinda like humans, honestly. Familiars are pets, don’t fuck with them. And stay off their lawn.”

“That sounds - surprisingly reasonable?” I waved my hand at the tv, “As opposed to whatever is going on here. Dramaaaa!”

Biting his lip, snickering, Max took my plate and set it on the coffee table, pulling me close to him as he set a throw pillow in his lap. Urging me to lay my head down, he gently started brushing his fingers along the hairline of my forehead, behind my ear, and down my neck. Repeating the motion, he continued to stroke my hair, occasionally using the tips of his fingers to massage along the back of my neck, as we finished the movie. Or, at least I think we finished the movie. 

It felt like I just closed my eyes for a second, but when I opened them again, the tv volume was way down. On screen Bella, Jacob, and Edward were in some sort of heated threesome argument, with Edward begging Bella to come with him, Jacob making empty threats, and Bella asking Edward to read Jacob’s mind, because that’s obviously not a violation of anyone’s privacy.

Stretching, yawning, I asked, “Is this New Moon? Did you turn on the second movie?”

“Ehhhh —” Max hemmed, not entirely eager to answer, “Yeah. It is. It’s not - great. But it is a challenge to look away. It’s like when all the cars stop on the road when there’s some unfortunate incident, and everybody can’t help but slow down and look. I want to look away, but I’m powerless for some reason. Also, you were like a kitten in my lap, I couldn’t move while you slept - you seemed like you really needed it. I was kinda hostage to these movies.”

I guffawed, “Ha! Sure, absolutely. Nothing else to stream, huh?”

He gave me a playful warning ‘tsk, tsk, tsk’ between his teeth, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes down at me. 

Taking the hint, I casually changed the subject.

“This mind reading business - is that a thing? Can you do that? I mean, sometimes you’re –”

Max laughed, interrupting me.

“No, no, no. That’s not a thing. Not for vampires at least, as far as I know. Our senses are heightened - taste, touch, smell, sound, sight…”

“And the sixth sense? Dead people?”

“Yes, but not in the way you’re hoping.” He said with a huge grin. “Unless, you want to find out?” 

The way he phrased it was extremely flirtatious, but my inner instinct felt like the subject matter was - not? He can make anything sexy. Is that another vampire thing or just a Max thing? I wondered to myself, unsure whether or not to dissect the sexual innuendo of that last statement outloud.

A smile curled upwards on Max’s lips, “Your heart rate just rose.”

Putting my hand over my heart, as though I could hide it, he cackled, “It never gets old. Watching your changing expressions and how you react to me.”

Frowning up at him, he leaned down and kissed me, as one hand snaked its way into mine, stretching in between my fingers, flexing in and out. We continued our slow kiss, until the opening chords of House of the Rising Sun broke our focus and our calm.

Leaning back up, Max stretched, reaching for his phone and shutting off the music.

“Alarm.” He sighed, looking back down at me, “Time for this vampire to turn back into a salesman.”

As I sat up, I turned so that I could face him - lifting my hand up to stroke his cheek, and he nestled into my hand, kissing my palm.

“Thank you for tonight, Max. Thank you for the beautiful new lingerie, dinner, the –” I spelled it out and exaggeratedly whispered, as though we’d done something unforgivable, “S-E-X.”

“Anytime and every time, Sweetness.” Giving me a wink and a kiss on the forehead before he stood up, “I’m wearing this back to my apartment,” indicating my red floral robe.

I frowned at him, unsure how I felt about him stealing one of my favorite clothing items, but then he took his right hand and lifted the right side lapel to his nose, sniffing deeply.

“It smells like you.”

Geezus, fuck. That was hot.

“Oh, oh. Okay, sure.” I nodded, suddenly very fine with it.

He gathered his clothing from the pile we’d left in the kitchen, and taking his white button up, he placed it around my shoulders, as I put my arms inside the sleeves.

“I want to see you in this later. Just this.”

Mimicking what he’d done with my robe, as we walked to the door, I gave him a curt response, “I suppose that can be arranged.” 

He stared at me, mouth open slightly, for about 30 seconds before saying, “No. No - I’ve gotta go.” And pulled me in close for a quick kiss on the lips, before heading down the hallway. Turning around to throw me a cheeky smirk, he looked sufficiently ridiculous and somehow very, very spicy in the robe, socks, and tie.

Closing the door behind him, I proceed to walk over to the couch, where I picked up my sequined Nic Cage pillow, smoothing down all the sequins, before calmly jamming it against my face and giving a pleased groan, “Oh My Goooooood!”

Why did he make me feel like such a teenager? 

My dopamine levels soaring, I knew I needed to pull myself down from these heights so that I could get some sleep. Lighting a lavender & sage candle, I started the shower, and put on a random selection of albums by neo-psychedelic surf-pop band, La Luz.

“They love you today, soon they’ve gone away. You will know me by the way, I won’t ever hesitate.” 

Crooning along to the trippy tunes, I thought about Max’s life as a vampire, “If the golden glow simmers into black and leaves you reeling. I won’t take it back. When I say I’m yours, you know I mean it.”

I stepped out of the shower, and remembering the melancholic undercurrents that he so coolly skated over in our earlier conversation about his vampiric lifestyle, I considered what I’d want my options to be. To at least have a companion, someone dear with me to spend the rest of time, to explore the world, to always consider that person my special place to hang my heart and call home. Forever is a long time to be a strong, independent person, who doesn’t need anyone else. 

All this time that we were spending together, made me wonder if Max was flirting with the idea of turning me? Not once had he brought it up, so this would certainly be presumptuous on my part to expect him to make such an offer. From what I’ve seen of him, he doubtless goes after what he wants. Albeit, he has been very considerate of my feelings, my boundaries, my wants and needs. But I’m putting the cart before the horse - would I even say yes to that proposition?

Dressing in my silk night set, I grabbed my journal. Let’s write this out - maybe a stream of consciousness poem will help me to work out how I feel. Putting pen to paper, I thought about the way his jaw clenched a bit, right before his mouth turned up into a smile on one side, his dimple becoming prominent. The way it warmed me up from the inside out when he teased me, making my stomach drop like I’d just gone down the biggest hill on a rollercoaster, my fingers tingling, and my face a bit dizzy with the rush of blood to my cheeks.

In the warmth of your smile, I melt like wax rolling down the edge of a candle. Flame licked and flickering under your glow. If I’m not careful you might soften what the world made hard in me. If I’m not careful the fire in you might jump my wick. But maybe, that’s how we were meant to meet - your flame igniting what was intended to be consumed, illuminating my darkness - bringing light to my nights.

Hmmm. I scrunched up my nose as I read over the words. Not entirely sure that made anything clearer - I closed my journal, and opted to sleep on it.

To be continued...

Check out the Easter Eggs for this chapter here.

Return to the Masterlist!

Sharing is caring - hit that big ol' sassy reblog button!

[blazehedgehog]

ICYMI: My Sonic Frontiers Criticism/Essay Is Out Now

So here's the last four months of my life come to fruition: the longest piece of edited criticism I've ever put on my Youtube channel, clocking in at just over an hour. For those of you that may be new around here, I am pretty against making long videos. I don't know if I overthink things too much or what, but it's rare for me to have much tolerance for feature-length reviews of things. They can wear me out just watching them, and it definitely wears me out to make them.

But sometimes you just have a lot to say. And I didn't even necessarily say everything I could have said here; there were things I would have added if not for the looming deadline proposed by the video sponsor. That's not a complaint -- sometimes you need someone else to tell you "be done by this date or else." Limitations foster creativity and toiling away at perfection can sometimes be just as toxic as crunch.

What I was trying to say is it's a big video, and it was hard keeping everything straight in my head because there was so much. One of those times where I was glad how I planned things out in advance, because sometimes the thoughts you had four months ago are not the same thoughts you have today, and the thoughts from four months ago were better.

It's already proving to be a bit of a divisive video, given I am going against the grain here. But I'm a big boy. I've spent time on the front lines of these sorts of things before. I know how to handle myself. I mean, half the reason I started my tumblr back in the day was pointing out some of the truly deranged takes I'd get in the replies to my Sonic 06 video.

Though I do worry. I'm getting a lot of people who are... politely declining to tell me what they think. More than a few "I don't agree with you, but I'm glad you released this video" that then never elaborate further. And that makes me feel bad? But why? Do I want to argue with my friends? Not particularly.

But more to the point, are people afraid to argue with me? Do I get too aggressive? I've picked up on a vibe, not just from friends, where people seem to go out of their way to avoid arguments with and/or around me. I mean I literally just said I started my Tumblr blog as a "get a load of this guy in my comments" spotlight (which, for the record, I don't do anymore). I don't want to be scary. But is it scary, or is it a strength? Or am I just imagining the whole thing? History says it's probably that last one, but it doesn't stop me from wondering. It's a lot to chew on.

At the end of the day, I do think parts of this script could have been better. I do kind of get a little mean at a couple points in ways I could have written around. A lot of people are bristling at the opening spiel, where I get more than a little "you people" about the Game Awards voting situation. There's another part later in the video where I also feature actual comments from a previous video and as I was editing it together I thought, "this sounds mean." But given I was less than 24 hours away from that deadline, I just had to roll with it (so I at least blurred the names and cropped the avatars out).

I'll end this post by quoting what I wrote on Patreon day before yesterday for the early access version of this video:

What a march this has been. I've worked on some videos that felt like they took forever, but nothing like this. This felt like the project that would never end. Some of that's because, after pushing myself so hard on the Sonic Adventure 2 video, I tried to be a little more casual with this one. I think I started the script around the end of April, a couple weeks after finishing the game on-stream. The idea was to avoid burnout.  And then the script grew, and grew, and grew, to be the longest script I've ever written. After doing voice over, I had three hours of material I had to cut down. I captured more than 60 hours of gameplay from more than 50 games. Thank goodness I took the time to stop and "storyboard" out this review like I did with the SA2 video. It actually proved to be extremely valuable here -- with a video this long, that takes so long to put together, it's hard to keep all of your ideas hot and ready in your head. Often I'd fall back to the storyboard and realize I planned something months ago that was way better than what I was doing in the moment.  And then in July, a sponsor came calling again. Suddenly I had a real deadline. The last four weeks have been a race to move this mountain of material into something resembling the shape of a video. The last couple days in particular have felt something like a miracle. A work ethic I hadn't tapped into in years suddenly roared to life as I locked down 20+ minutes of video in a matter of hours. It may have involved several actual panic attacks and me running on about four hours of sleep, but here we are. I was revising the script all the way up until a week ago. In retrospect, the sponsor segment probably leans a little too much on SAGE content, but by the time I realized that the train was barreling down the tracks too fast to stop. Thoughts for next time, I guess.

Patrons get a PDF of the script I used, including an unfinished earlier draft I abandoned where I think I was actually even meaner about it, if you can believe it. They also get a PDF of what my "storyboarding" process looks like (which is all just text).

I'll probably toss up a post for all the art I made for this video, too.

[disposal-blueeee]

summary for this year !

A WHOLE YEAR OF VARGAS ! so proud of myself ( wiping tears

i'll talk and talk and talk under the cut

JANUARY

oh , i still love that piece . it was my pfp on a bunch of social media sites for like , 6 months because i didn't think i made art good enough to be icons . you know that thing where you're an artist and feel like you NEED to have your art as a pfp ? yeah well .

i really REALLY liked this set of brushes . i changed to csp after may , and i haven't been able to find a brush that pretty for csp . im actually heartbroken , i made like TWO drawings with them . tried to make my colors prettier , too . experimenting a bit . really like this piece .

FEBRUARY

oh god , i was so stressed about getting a colored piece for november because i wanted all of these to be colored pieces . then looking through my files i realized i have almost NOTHING from february to march . TRAGIC .

i didn't even finish that drawing . i was struggling to get some stuff right so i just gave up , lolz . I HAVE NOTHING DECENT FOR THIS MONTH .

MARCH

a drawing of brusk's bird . even if it's an au , still counts as vargas hehee . that day i was just looking through pinterest , and i saw some pretty drawings of harpies that gave me some inspiration . brusk really liked it , too ! she spent a while drawing the guy with those clothes hehee . la bata cagada , como la llamó ella .

APRIL

i think it wasn't until april that i started to really take art seriously . a pretty piece of edgar and scri as kids interacting with todd for another one of brusk's aus , actors au ! i had so much fun working with this one , and god that brush was GORGEOUS even if it was kinda difficult to use . i still miss it .

MAY

now , i know what i just said , but this month i started taking art seriously FOR REAL . tried to make my colors prettier once again . switched to csp ! got a bunch of new brushes and that drawing sucks mostly because of that : i had no idea what i was doing lol . that isn't a good brush for lineart , sunny .

JUNE

locked in . as i already said , i had no idea what i was doing on that last drawing , and i realized i don't really know how to color stuff properly . my art just looked boring . so i told myself i would color every single piece i made to practice ! i started to work with more elaborate pieces , had a thing on pinterest full of stuff i wanted to draw , started to take a lot of references . . .

i don't really like this piece . but i put it there because it looked pretty and because it has a background . yaaeey

JULY

icon for the askblog ! i had a really , REALLY specific style to paint . . . changed pretty much every brush i used . just trying some stuff , experimenting with colors . . . i don't have a lot to say about july . just that . big change . hehee

AUGUST

art for the askblog ! remember how i told myself i would color every piece i made ? well . it made working on the askblog a living hell . I'M PHYSICALLY UNABLE OF NOT PUTTING FULL EFFORT INTO SOMETHING . ah , well . at least zarla said she liked it . i really liked this coloring style ! and i feel that as soon as i go back to work on the askblog i'll keep using it . because it's been a while .

SEPTEMBER

i honestly didn't like this drawing LOOOL . oh god , if i got a dollar every time i ruined a nice drawing with my inability to make backgrounds , i'd have like three dollars . this was like , kind of the first time i succeeded . but i still think it looks a bit weird . ALSO IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE , WHY IS THERE WARM LIGHT HITTING THEIR FACES fireflies are supposed to glow GREEN !!! i knew this from the start but ngl i ignored it LOL

also , um . . . discovered yaelokre around this month . it made me want to make my art more detailed . i put a bunch of effort into this one ! their shoes took me ages aaaah .

OCTOBER

choosing a piece for october was like , SO HARD AND ALMOST UNFAIR . vargastober made me work in so many great pieces ! i still chose this one because it's my favorite and probably my best piece ever . i have a whole entry talking about this one so i won't talk too much about this one here . . . but , it took a long time . that's enough information .

NOVEMBER

i don't know . seems like i accidentally caused myself a burnt out thanks to vargastober . because november was all about not doing anything . the piece i used was for vargastober , but i remember finishing it after october was over because i was too lazy to finish it . i didn't want to add this one . . . i still have some colored mouthwashing pieces i made on this month but i wanted this to be all vargas . i also considered cheating and saying that i finished december's piece on november instead , because i actually did start it before december , but meh . oh , also . i don't like that piece lol . it just looks bad

DECEMBER

i'm still in love with that piece and edgar's TRIED A BUNCH OF NEW STUFF , changed brushes again , blah blah blah . took me a bunch of time because getting myself to draw became difficult again ( and still is . uuugghh

i honestly have no idea what's going to happen this year . i told myself i would fix my life because if i keep just doing my own stuff my family will kill me . ( for those who don't know , i graduated from highschool but didn't go to college because stress was driving me crazy and i guess i have to take care of that now . . . ) so um . . . i will probably not have as much time to work on stuff anymore . i mean , thinking about it . . . i did make more pieces on 2023 haha but most of them were sketches anyway . . . i'll have to learn how to manage my time properly . mmm

a full year of vargas and i don't plan to stop soon . i do wonder how long the vargas juice will last . . . i know that if i lose my hyperfix again i can just . re-activate it by rereading , so i'm not worried .

anyway , happy new year ! :D

[summmeister]

2024: Art In Review

2024 has come and gone with a whole new slew of art from yours truly. The first half of this year felt fairly stagnant, but I do believe I really cleaned up in the second half. I’m really proud of a lot of the art I made this year! As always, I’ll be going over everything month by month, making sure to point out anything important along the way.

January

A fairly tame month overall with the prime exception of my plague doctor drawing from near the end of the month. Even now, I’m still quite proud of myself for this piece! The detail and shading are both fantastic, albeit with a little roughness in some areas. Going into 2025, I would like to improve at drawing humans, and this piece is a good starting point for that goal.

February

A fairly cozy month with only a few pieces made. If you asked me at the time, I would say I was the most proud of the Sunspot drawing, but if you asked me now, I would say I’m most proud of the Chao drawing. I’ve looked at it quite a lot since initially drawing it (mainly due to it being, for some reason, one of the first files to show up on Google Drive) and I realise it actually looks quite nice! The rough lines and bright back-shading add a lot. NEVER gonna get over that extra thumb on Chao’s left hand though. No idea how I missed that.

March

A VERY dry month, unfortunately. I dipped back into Pokemon (if only very, VERY slightly) by drawing Impidimp. Satina is here too. Things get more exciting later!

April

It’s got the same amount of drawings as last month, but I actually have things to say this time! The Baxter and Forthington drawing was meant to be a bit of a successor to art I made for a Rhythm Heaven art collaboration I was a part of nearly 3 years ago. It certainly looks a lot better than the art I made back then! Still think it could be a little better though… I’m a bit more experienced with smooth shading now, so maybe I should give it another shot?

The Wortox drawing is also interesting, although not as much. I deliberately went for a rougher style with it, and decided not to draw new lines for the line art, and instead use the lines I had already drawn for the sketch. I could try something like this again for quicker drawings…

May

It’s got a few more drawings than last month, although most of them are doodles and tests, unfortunately. The Sam & Max drawing is easily the standout here. I always love drawing them every once in a while. I also tried my hand at a new art style this month! Judging by the fact the drawing was never finished, I don’t think that was all too successful.

June

Now THIS is a big month. Picture this: It’s the run-up to Art Fight and I’ve got no updated reference images for all of my OCs! I have been experimenting with a new art style earlier in the month but it still needs some tweaking. The drawings as a result of these factors are some of my favorites from the whole year! The gradient into two different layers of shading looks great and you’ll be seeing more from this art style later in the year.

As well as adopting a new style for myself, I also experimented a little bit more with smooth shading with my drawing of Jack O’ Lantern, from Shin Megami Tensei. Considering it was a drawing of the same character that showed me I could improve at my art, I’m happy to say I’m really proud of this one! I don’t think I’ll try a style like this again though: I like my lines smooth.

Lastly, an unfinished Lethal Company drawing. Once again tried a different style with this one, and while I do think some of it looks fantastic, it overall wasn’t shaping up to how I wanted it to look, so I stopped working on it before I got to the shading stage.

July

July was Art Fight month! I only did one piece for myself, and it was for my 21st birthday. I used this month to experiment more with tweaks to my art style during Art Fight. You can find the results of that here. I found a style of smooth shading that works well for me, and I had a whole lotta fun throughout the event!

August

Oops! Nothing

But seriously, I was so burnt out after Art Fight I kinda just… didn’t do anything this month! Apologies.

September

Didn’t do too much this month! Was still burnt out from Art Fight, but I managed to squeeze a few pieces out in the latter half. The Wortox and Krampus drawing was an experiment in doing more elaborate scenes. Truth is, this was actually my second attempt at doing something like this. The first is still a sketch! I might finish that some day.

October

This was a VERY interesting month. See, this month, I did a drawing challenge, of sorts. I challenged myself to come up with a new original character for every day of October, from the 1st to the 31st. Some of these ended up as quick doodles, others as fully completed drawings. A few even got remade! I’m really quite proud of myself for being able to stick it out the whole month, even if some of the drawings were rushed or the ideas were rough. I’ll definitely try something similar next year, although the topic is yet to be decided…

Also! Halloween! As always, I did a halloween drawing this year: Skweeb as a pumpkin… Pumpskwin! But that’s not the end of it! At the end of the month, my friends and I decided to host a very special movie night, with all of us in costume! Unfortunately, I don’t have a webcam and didn’t bother to buy one before the event, so I instead opted to create a Pumpskwin VTuber! It was a real fun process from start to finish and I just love working on odd projects like these. Maybe I can do another in the future?...

November

After the rollercoaster that was October, November saw things settle down quite a bit. I experimented a little more with art styles and made a birthday drawing for a friend. Quite a cozy month.

December

Finally! December! This month! It had a little bit more activity than last month, with more art style experimentation! I believe I’ve landed on a secondary art style, one I can use alongside the style developed in June. It’s a modified version of an art style I had for a bit earlier in the year, but with cleaner lines. I quite like how drawings look with it!

Well! That’s all 12 months covered! While I could very easily just put my best drawing from each month in a template and post that, I like going over all of my thoughts and goals month by month instead of simply showing the results. Anyone trying to get into art could read through something like this and get an idea of how they want to approach their projects. I also just like talking about my interests, too.

Of course! LAST but CERTAINLY not least, my yearly redraw of my first ever art piece! I believe this is a BIG improvement from last year’s, and I’m really quite proud of how it looks!

Thank you for reading.

2025 is right around the corner!

[lord-shitbox]

part 2 of this ask

📝Process for hurt mezu drawing 

here are the steps i dug out of an art server's wips channel lol

1. initial sketch

2. refine sketch. thats lines now babey. (omitted "the sleeves are KILLING ME WAHHH" stage that led to this)

3. grayscale, to use with gradient map (this is a more polished grayscale than I started with, i dug the working file out to get better images)

4. find nice gradient map (ended up being the same one I'd used for the piece i made right before. the goal is to make what's essentially an underpainting, not to color the whole thing with one map)

5. tweak and add colors that arent in the map with hard light layers & also sneak in a layer for special effect and atmospheric/ scenic perspective while you're at it

6. shading & more finishing effects. pretty much all of the shading was done with hard light layers! the only non-hard light layers I used for the shading were the particle effect layers & like one faint glow layer to fix some values. blood was done with linear burn

✨Inspiration for hurt mezu drawing 

the coloring method (grayscale -> saturated gradient map underpainting -> additive color adjustments) is something I tried out with the piece i'd made right before (the one where gozu is holding mezu from behind) & turned out really well, so I wanted to keep going with it

I also wanted to draw them angstily again because it'd been a very long time. like half a year at least. angsting them is very enriching for my soul so I try to do it regularly, this one was overdue

subconsciously referenced the poses in the initial sketch from this old thing (feb 2021). i love doing this. all my for-fun works recycle old elements in some way. my favorite game is "what old art reminds me of what im doing rn" im so good at digging stuff out of my archives for it. everyone loves when i do this

the gangi-kozou panel also

i went through a "shade in bold red-orange & dark blue with hard light layers" phase in like..april/may of 2021. i still like that stuff a lot so I wanted to revisit it

💚Things you like about hurt mezu drawing

repasting the link there but the sixth image in the process is essentially the final so you can just look at that

the colors are nice!! I'm real happy with using more saturated colors n I think the warm vs cool balance works really well

the sleeves (man being dramatic on the sand meme)

no like fr look at the 2021 piece's kimono sleeves vs the one I just did 2.5 years later. so satisfying

Gozu's expression came out nice

i think the claws and flash lines successfully added Emphasis to Gozu's expression & the piece overall

the poses … the drama …. the brush textures are also good

⏳Things you’d do differently with hurt mezu drawing

add in a liiitle more contrast...aka use a wider range of values. Some lighter lights and darker darks. I miss my 2021 hard neon lighting

a bit more distinction between the characters and the background also

the composition isn't bad but it could be better. Should've thought more about the way the eye would flow around the image in the drafting stage (solid b&w color block thumbnails are good for this)

Moar Sparkles. (I put a solid amount of large & low opacity light bubbles in there & some finer brighter dots especially around the claw stems, but I think more clusters of tiny bright lights on the characters themselves would've gone hard)

💌Some favourite feedback on art

as the wise man Austin Kleon once said: keep a "praise file" of all the positive feedback you get (if you've never read "Steal Like an Artist," you must). so. i am prepared for this question hold on

tastes like sugar glass

multiple people have told me my art is soft & dreamlike

jayce you reblogged my touchstarved art with nice tags on april 10th ive got that saved love uou

umm theres a lot...anytime someone keysmashes or feels emotional because of my art i get happy ,,, lys messaged me about the hurt mezu piece that made me happy also,,,,,there is so much joy in the world

[bowlofworms]

I keep thinking about this nonstop and I have THOUGHTS!

Two movies, split by Jason’s death into his time as Robin and his start as the Red Hood.

Obviously the first movie (which I wanna call “Robin:” and something relating to Jason’s “Robin made me magic” thing) ends with these three final scenes:

Jason’s funeral and the tragedy and tom-fuckery Bruce pulled with that whole thing. Jason looking so little in his coffin (he was 4’6” and 87 lbs when he died). The post-mortem makeup only being able to do so much. The funeral just being Bruce and Alfred. Paparazzi flashes way off in the distance. Being buried next to Catherine Todd.

A soundless shot of Dick arguing with Bruce (finding out that Jason died), then sprinting off into the cemetery. As he starts running the long distance to Gotham Cemetery (because Jason wasn’t buried in the Wayne Family Cemetery and I have FEELINGS on that), the dusky sky darkening into night, the rain beginning to pelt, we start to hear Dick read the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice, we see him fall to his knees in front of Jason’s grave. The voice reading is steady, obviously from Dick visiting the grave at a later date, but the Dick on screen is soaking wet in the Gotham rain and messy sobbing on his knees at Jason’s grave. Through a couple of rough fades we see Dick eventually get up and leave. Zoom in on Jason’s grave.

The final shot fades from the previous zoom on Jason’s grave to the same shot, but time has obviously passed (fallen leaves/slushy snow on the October/November ground as opposed to the freshly turned April soil) a single hand bursts through the ground. Screen cuts to black, we hear Jason cry out for Bruce (maybe even calling him Dad)

The beginning of the second movie (which I think would be fun to call Robin II) we hear the echoing of Jason’s cry from the ending of the first movie. We see him finish crawling out of the dirt and look around, obviously confused. Then we see him start to get more confused, and eventually catatonic. Very 100-yard stare. We watch him amble about Gotham in his dirt and mud covered suit, eventually being found by Talia who immediately recognizes him.

We see some of his early league training (and young Damian!) while he’s still not 100% there, we see little pieces of Jason creep through here and there, but Talia hasn’t tried to restore his mind with the Lazarus Pit yet. All of the pre-pit scenes are shot in a way that is also a bit disorienting to us the viewer so we are also experiencing a little of what Jason is. Sudden time skips, weird angles, even a Jason POV once or twice.

We see a mirror to the scene in the first movie when he chooses the tire iron over the crow bar. A large table with many, many, weapons that Jason learns to use. We hear a voice say “pick” and see one disappear as Jason is trained in it, this repeats over and over. There is a crowbar amongst a bunch of improvised weapons. Jason never picks it. The table is clear of everything but the crowbar. The voice says “pick” and Jason stands at the table, eyes glazed over, then turns around and stands at attention, like the table is empty.

We see Jason and young Damian. Jason, who has never spoken since he called out for Bruce, ambles about. We see him usher Damian into bed and tuck him in, much to Damian’s confusion. We see Jason walk over to a bookshelf and look at the books. His eyes settle on Pride and Prejudice, and we hear the very faint sound of Dick reading it aloud (the same track from the end of the first movie.) He grabs the book and sits at the bedside. He opens it, and stares at the pages, and then stares at Damian, who has never been tucked into bed before nor has been read a bedtime story. Jason’s vacant eyes scan the pages. He turns the pages several pages at a time. He closes the book and opens it again. He flips the pages. He still never says a word. We can see he’s so, so confused, but determined because he KNOWS this is important even though he has not a clue why or even what he’s doing. Camera angle changes so we’re peeking through the door at the sight of Jason so broken and gone that he cannot figure out how to read a bedtime story, but not gone enough that he still knows that Damian SHOULD be read a bedtime story and that no one else is doing it, so he must. It zooms out to Talia peeking through the door with us. Screen fades to black.

Suddenly the entire screen is neon green. Jason bursts through the water, his eyes shining neon green and he’s screaming and violent. He remembers nothing after digging himself out of his own grave, but retains the skills he learned. He doesn’t know why he can use a sword or shoot a gun or why he’s so angry and the world is so so green but he can and he is. From this point onwards, there is a green tint on the screen unless we’re viewing back in Gotham, filled with more reds than we remember. The green fades a bit over time, but ramps up whenever the madness consumes him.

There's a post about wanting a story about Jason's time as Robin. I made a reblog of it so long ago, but I can't stop thinking about it.

I want to watch Jason's flight as Robin, but the entire story he's haunted by the future we all know is going to come.

When he first grabs his tire iron, he has the choice of taking a crowbar instead.

Subtle purples or greens pop up when he's in danger (but not necessarily the Joker).

He frees a bird trapped inside a warehouse.

He rescues a kid who was kidnapped by their mom and returns them to their dad.

So many dead or injured birds

While helping Alfred with gardening, he breaks a nail

Gun magazines at many scenes

Motorcyclists wearing red helmets

Someone's bubbling jacuzzi has a green light on

Duffle bags

He helps hold a bandage to someone's neck until paramedics arrive

Jason reads Frankenstein while at the Manor

An ad proclaims their coffins to be the sturdiest

Just his Robin story being jammed packed with foreshadowing.

It'd also be rad to have Easter Eggs:

Someone makes a comment about assassin kids

When talking to Bruce about something, on the batscreen is a very short file about "One Who is All"

Someone at a gala mentions the Drakes' newest archeology find

Kids at Jason's school chat about meta powers and how cool controlling light is

When visiting the hospital, the nurse introduces herself as Crystal

The buildup of the audience watching Jason, who's unaware of his future, continuously face sign after sign after sign? The irrational hope that maybe someone will notice the universe basically screaming about the future? Nobody notices as more and more signs pop up. It's maddening but so intriguing.

Jason's story of Robin would follow him as he goes from being desperate to survive to thriving. His paranoia that it's too good to be true thrums in his veins, but he learns to ignore it. He's fed, loved, and flies over Gotham every night. There's conflict, sure, but he's figuring out. It's okay.

The signs start out slow and subtle. As he starts to reach towards the end, they get more and more obvious. They occur more often.

Jason doesn't know when it all goes wrong, but he's figured it out before.

We don't see him lose hope until the very end.

EDIT:

Here's the og post I was referencing