#I actually have a whole page of eggs in my sketchbook that I have painted for October

[eldritchberry]

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

(image description: eight sketchbook drawings of characters holding a variety of pride flags, all nude and posed in ways that match some old fine art pieces. The nudity has been censored with cute digital flower stickers. end description.)

Characters:

Dalmar, intersex man. Kouto, nonbinary. Chacha, agender. Parva, nonbinary. Xulic and Kidron, genderqueer. Obeli (or Abuela) Moruga, genderqeer. Olli, demiguy. Sajak, genderqueer.

Genderqueer is kind of my default for "well, biologically and culturally, they already don't have binary sex or gender, so they kinda default to genderqueer." And I know maybe some people will be bothered by that, but it's just part of the worldbuilding I've written around all these non-human and frequently non-mammalian species of people.

The uncensored version is on my Patreon page. I do have one more drawing to add to this series, but since it's four child characters I will not need to worry about adding any censors and keeping the original image only on my patreon, as they will simply be wearing their pride flags as whole outfits.

The previous part of this, my binary trans characters, can be found over here.

detailed character descriptions and explanations of the pose references under the cut

Dalmar Ubora, a black intersex elf man with short black hair. He is holding his arms up as he holds the intersex flag, mimicking the pose of Virgin Mary from Titian's painting "The Assumption of the Virgin". The shading was washed out by the photo, but his belly is still clearly round from pregnancy. Dalmar is an interesting case, in that he was assigned male at birth based on his outward appearance, continues to identify as male throughout his life, but finds during puberty that what was believed to be an undeveloped penis was actually just a non functional body part. Instead, what actually developed to full functionality was his uterus. He still identifies as a straight cis man, and has come to terms with his body. He is married to a medically transitioned trans woman, and he could undergo operations to change his body if he wanted to. Instead, he has embraced his body and even birthed some children who were conceived via sperm donations. This is why I wanted a Mary pose for him, and this painting in particular is about Mary being welcomed into heaven as a blessed holy woman. Dalmar may not be a miraculous holy figure, but there is a reverence in the way he has come to love his body and chosen to bear children, including the surrogate birth of his brother's child.

Kouto Hayashi-Loryck, a slender nonbinary elf with black hair tied into a bun. They are holding the nonbinary flag and standing in the pose of a statue known as "Apollo Belvedere", which is so old no one knows the artist's name. One arm raised, one lowered, legs in the relaxed contrapposto pose. Kouto is an artist and an art model. Apollo is a god of the arts, and regarded as a beautiful and sexual figure. Kouto is bisexual and admittedly a very sexual and flirtatious person. They did settle into a happy marriage though (actually they are Dalmar's in-law and the sperm donor for the aforementioned surrogate birth.) Marriage has not stopped Kouto's flirtations, merely limited their targets to a singular person. It felt right to give him this pose, from a pretty well known portrayal of Apollo. Beauty, art, and sex, all defining traits of Apollo and Kouto alike, all present in a pose where the figure seems to be reaching for something above them.

Chacha Faraji, an agender black elf with short hair. They are facing away from the viewer, seated on a stool that is covered by the draped agender flag. No physical traits that could betray their agab are visible. Chacha is sitting in the pose of Reubens' painting "Venus at the Mirror". The arm closest to the viewer ends at the elbow, while they hold a mirror in front of their face with their one whole arm. Their face is seen reflected, smiling, little wrinkles visible by their eyes. I chose this painting in part because it did allow me to obscure Chacha's agab. They were my first nonbinary character, and I never really settled on an agab. But also, I enjoy putting characters who have unconventional bodies into poses associated with Venus or Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. Chacha is missing half an arm, they are getting older and it shows in the wrinkles on their face. Chacha is also Aromantic and Asexual, the full queer triple A battery. The mirror pose has become an independence of beauty. "Look but don't touch." Chacha is beautiful, and they do not need to be beautiful for anyone but themself.

Parva Turbatus, a white nonbinary elf with shoulder length curly hair that has been shaved down on the far side of their head. They are holding the nonbinary flag, standing in the slightly closed off pose found in Paul Gariot's painting "Pandora's Box". One hand on their chest, one hand held out to hold the flag. They have top surgery scars on their chest and a c-section scar on their navel, though all of these have unfortunately been hidden by the flower censors. I chose a pandora pose for Parva because they have one of the most intense tragic backstories of any of my characters. Like Pandora opening the box, they have suffered through many things but came out the other side with Hope, and healing.

Xulic Vos and Kidron Engedi, a drow and a lizard person. They are sharing the genderqueer flag. Xulic has long ears and white hair in a braid, with a white monkey-like tail barely visible behind their legs. Kidron looks like a leopard gecko, and their tail is acting as a visual block in fron of Xulic's groin. They are standing together in the central pose of Raphael's "School of Athens" fresco. Xulic is pointing one hand up to the sky, while Kidron holds one hand palm down towards the earth. Xulic's chest is visibly flat, however I have rewritten the drow as a eusocial people, who's biology has made most of the common population infertile and visibly near identical above the waist. Xulic's agab is unknown to anyone but them, and perhaps their reptilian lover Kidron. Both drow and lizard folk have biology and cultures that do not really support a gender binary, so genderqueer suits them both quite well. I chose the School of Athens pose because these characters are scientists in fields that overlap, and they often get into deep discussions on the matter. Xulic is a paleontologist while Kidron is a geologist, and they have another friend (my protagonist) who studies archaeology.

Obeli (or Abuela) Moruga, an elderly goblin with sagging skin and axolotl-like frills on the sides of her head. She grins as she holds the gender queer flag, partly draped over the tall stool she is seated on. Her pose matches that of John Collier's "Priestess of Delphi" painting, which depicts a woman hunched over herself on a stool. Old Obeli Moruga, whose title best translates to "grandmother" is a significant figure in her community, both because of her more practical role as a leader and wise woman, but also because she has gained immortality and become an incarnation of Life Itself, after she was given the offer of such power when she nearly died in the goblin revolution. There are many figures that would suit her. Poses from statues of goddesses, like Athena or Gaia. Perhaps turning away from the theme of greek and roman figures I ended up with for my nonbinary group (dalmar is his own thing) and using the famous painting of Liberty on a battlefield. But now in her old age, all those poses of figures in more active poses, tall and imposing, simply didn't feel right. A wise old woman, hunched on a stool in a pose associated with the idea of an oracle, a priestess, a prophetess, felt much more fitting. (goblin culture does have specific pronouns for leadership, and in the common speech they have decided this translates best to the feminine "she/her")

Olli Moruga, also a goblin with axolotl-like frills, standing with the demiguy flag in his hands. He is in the pose of Michaelangelo's statue of Bacchus, god of wine, merriment, and madness. One hand up as if to salute with a cup, body leaning and perhaps a little unstable. Olli is a gay demiguy, stepping away from the naturally ungendered state of his people to embrace masculinity instead. He is extroverted, loves a good party, and has definitely been a little over his depth with alcohol on many occasions. He knows this is a problem. He used to act rebellious because of it, trying to be cool and aloof, but he has since admitted the truth to himself and now openly seeks help. His trans lover, Zaire (seen in a previous post) has become a great support to him. Even though it may seem odd to use the pose of a god of wine for a character that is trying to overcome an alcohol issue, I still feel like the vibe of Bacchus or Dionysus fits Olli well. He is not only a god of wine, but also of pleasure in general, a concept Olli embraces. Wild joy, perhaps to the point of becoming a little feral, abandoning tradition for personal fulfillment. It is unusual for goblins to embrace a binary gender, even partially. Gendered pronouns do not exist in their tongue, only being used in cases where common speech needs to be used to refer to certain significant figures, such as a leader. It is also unusual for a goblin to take a lover outside their species, since most goblins live in fairly isolated places and all mate together seasonally, depositing their eggs in a communal nursery pool. Olli stands out on purpose.

Lastly, Sajak, an amphibious person with some fish-like features such as their finned ears and a barely visible dorsal fin. They are holding the genderqueer flag as they stand in a commanding pose, one foot on a rock, one arm held out as if pointing to something below them. This pose is taken from the central Poseidon statue in the fountain of Trevi. Their head, arms, and torso are covered in dark tattoos in abstract designs, and they also have a few natural dark stripes along their arms and legs. The obvious connection between Sajak and this statue of Poseidon is that Sajak is a fish person and Poseidon is an ocean god. If I could have thought of a more medical figure, I may have made a different choice in the art reference. Sajak is primarily a doctor, a healer. They are fairly well known and they were an important figure on their home island, though they did leave eventually. Even so, there is a certain vibe to Sajak that suits the image of a powerful and unpredictable oceanic god. They are steady, intelligent, and careful, but they can become fierce when their loved ones are under threat, and the intense focus they show in their work as a doctor can be intimidating to see. There is a feeling of hidden power within Sajak, just as there is in the ocean when it seems calm. Fish folk, whether bipedal and amphibious or fully aquatic, also fit under my category of "non-mammalian people who are just kind of genderqueer by default due to their biology not fitting into a binary".

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

The Intern | Part Two

Summary: You move to New York to focus on your art but end up working as an intern at Stark Enterprises

Chapter Summary: you get an surprise visit on your day off

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

Word Count: 1600 and something (kinda short but i’m already half way through writing part three)

A/N: for the purposes of this story Stark Enterprise is set out like an office building in New York and the story does not follow the same timeline as the movies. Reader does not know Peter is SpiderMan. Also, spelling and grammar is not my strongest skill so please be kind :)

Masterlist   Part One

- - - - -

It had been a week since your meeting with Tony and since then the two of you had become quite good friends. Tony would make sure he came to the desk everyday or found you at lunch with Peter to catch up with you both.  

Today was your first day off in a while and it was much needed. You’d spent the day in your loungewear, doing some painting and listening to old 80’s rock music. In the evening you decided to order pizza, and do some baking while you wait for it to be delivered. You were just getting the ingredients ready when someone knocked at the door. ‘Pizza is early’ you thought as you put down the flour and headed to answer the door. 

“Wow that was quick- oh” you said opening the door surprised to see Tony on the other side. 

“Sorry were you expecting someone?” He asked.

“No no, just thought you were the pizza guy” you laugh awkwardly. 

“No pizza here I’m afraid. Just me. Wanted to check in, see if you’re okay? Didn’t see you in work today”

“It’s was my day off. I’m back in tomorrow”

“Ah right. Good. Well, that’s great then” he turns and goes to leave. 

“Would you like to come in for a drink, and maybe some pizza? Seeing as you came all this way.” You ask, surprising yourself with your sudden confidence. 

“I don't want to intrude..”

“you wouldn’t be. Ive been on my own all day, it would actually be nice to have some company.”

“Thanks” he smiles and walks past you. You shut the door, silently cursing yourself as you realise that your boss, THE Tony Stark, has now seen you in your paint stained loungewear. You follow him into the open plan kitchen/living room of your apartment and wish you’d cleaned up first. Your paints, brushes and sketchbook still all over the coffee table from earlier and the kitchen messy with baking stuff. 

“Sorry about the mess” you apologise, fiddling with the messy bun you’d thrown your hair into this morning, attempting to tidy it up a bit. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that bad”

You raise your eyebrow at him.

“no really, I’ve seen rooms in much worse states than this after some of the parties I used to have back in the day”

You both laugh and Tony walks over to look at one of the paintings hanging on your wall “this is nice” he says pointing at it and you walk over to stand next to him. The painting is of a beach with the sun setting over the ocean, the orange glow reflecting off the waves and ripples in the water. 

“its the beach I used to visit every summer when I was a kid. Some of my favourite memories happened there” you stare at the painting daydreaming about the past. Picnics with your parents, playing fetch with your childhood dog, swimming on really hot days. Tony watches you out the corner of his eye, smiling when he notices the content smile that has appeared on your face. When you suddenly take a breath and snap back into the present he turns his attention back to the painting. 

“this is actually one of the first paintings I ever did-“

“you painted this?” Tony interrupts, turning to look at you and you give him a shy nod. “wow, you have a real talent. When you said before that ‘painting didn’t pay the bills’, I presumed that just meant you weren’t very good”

You burst out laughing his blunt honestly which takes Tony by surprise. 

“no, no what I meant was, the art world is a hard one to get into as an unknown artist. I couldn’t risk waiting around for that big break.”

Tony nods, looking at you thoughtfully.

“can I see some more of your work?” He asks.

“yeah sure, I’ve got some stuff in a folder in my room” you say as you run off toward your bedroom. When you come back out carrying the folder of paintings you notice Tony sitting on the sofa looking through the sketchbook you’d left on your coffee table. 

“these are really good y/n, really I mean that.” He says, turning the pages and you take a seat next to him “you’ll have to paint something for me to hang in my office, that place needs brightening up a bit-“ he stops when he reaches a pencil sketch of Steve Rogers and you feel your whole body cringe. “this guy? really, you drew this guy?”

“what, I, uh..” You stutter “..he’s got a good jaw line. It’s very satisfying to draw” you shrink down into the sofa wishing it would swallow you whole, then theres a knock at the door.

“ah that will be the real pizza guy” you say jumping up to walk to the door but Tony stands in your way.

“no let me get it. You get us some drinks. I’ve been here a full five minutes and you’ve still not got me one” he winks at you and you roll your eyes playfully.

As you get glasses out the cupboard and put them on the counter you notice Tony is acting suspiciously. He walks slowly and carefully toward the door, and takes a long look through the peephole before finally opening the door. You presume he’s just always on high alert because of who he is. Being a high profile business man and one of the best known superheroes must mean he’s used to having dangerous people lurking around every corner. 

After pouring two drinks you move over to the sofa and place the glasses down on the coffee table and hiding your sketchbook under the sofa. Tony appears with the pizza and you quickly move your paints off the table to make space for him to put the box down. 

“thanks for grabbing the pizza, you’ve saved me the embarrassment of anyone else seeing the state of me right now” you say gesturing to your clothes, as he takes a seat next to you and you hand him his drink.

He looks you up and down, shrugs and says “I’ve seen worse” and winks at you. He holds his glass up for you to toast and you hold your glass up too.

“to you, and your weird fascination with Captain America’s chin” he teases you and you shake your head at him.

“I am not toasting to that” you laugh

- - - - -    

An hour later you’d both got through the whole pizza and almost a whole bottle of wine, talking and laughing the whole time as Tony told you about some of the things he used to get up to pre Iron Man. You get up to carry the empty pizza box over to the bin in your kitchen and refill both your glasses. 

“hey what’s for dessert” Tony shouts over to you.

“well I was just about to start making brownies before you arrived”

“I was only kidding about dessert but actually I would kinda love some brownies right now” Tony says, getting up and walking over to join you in the kitchen.

“well I guess we could bake some?” you say half joking but Tony grabs your apron off the hook on the wall and ties it around his waist which makes you laugh.

“what are you laughing at, I'm ready to learn”

“wait, you’ve never made brownies before? Not even as a kid?” You ask in disbelief and Tony shakes his head.

“my family weren’t really into that sort of thing” he shrugged. 

“well then Mr Stark, I am about to change your life” you say, handing him a wooden spoon and he smiles at you. 

Tony mixed together the melted chocolate and butter with the eggs and sugar while you measure out the flour into a bowl. You handed him the flour to add into the mixture but as he poured it in he dropped some of the flour onto the arm of his suit and you laughed covering your mouth with your hand. 

“oh you think thats funny do you?” He says and he takes a hand a handful of flour and chucks it at you, laughing. You gasp and wipe some of the flour off yourself before grabbing a handful and throwing it back at him. He grabs your hand mid air and pulls you slightly but you trip over your own feet and stumble into him. He catches you and the laughter dies down as you both look into each others eyes, faces dangerously close to each other. His eyes flicker down to your lips and he moves in slightly. But then he stops, and lets you go. Clearing his throat and taking a step back. You take a deep breath and brush some flour off yourself. 

“well, uh, this was fun” he says, slightly awkward “but, I should probably be going now”

“yeah, yeah..” you agree walking him to the door “it’s getting late”

He stops at the door and turns around to smile at you.

“thanks for the pizza, and for the baking lesson”

“no problem” you smile “i’ll bring some of the brownies in to work tomorrow” 

“Good night y/n” he says walking out the door

“Good night” 

You close the door behind him and press your forehead against it, replaying what just happened in your head. Did you really just almost kiss your boss? And did he almost kiss you back? Did you overstep your boundaries even inviting him in tonight? Would things be awkward tomorrow? 

You let out a frustrated sigh and go back to the kitchen to finish baking and tidy up the mess from your flour fight. You know there’s no point thinking about it tonight but you also know that you won’t be able to think of anything else. 

Part Three

Taglist: @brownbuble​ 

[artificialqueens]

Paris (Trixya) - Lyonne-dlm & Saiphl

Well, we know November is far gone now, and that all of us are really getting into the Christmas mood, but we don’t really care that the Trixyawrimo is over now, we took one of their prompts, put into our beloved Soulmate AU, and added a pinch of Christmas Vibe, poured some ice and shook it.

Here is the result, and we hope you like it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

PARIS (Trixya) - Lyonne-dlm & Saiphl

Almost five years have passed since Katya and Trixie finally found each other on that art gallery, five years fully charged with the best memories and moments built by the two of them. From the perfectly awkward shared milkshake in the closest diner to the gallery where they met, to Trixie’s first concert. From moving in together and Katya’s weird style of decor, to their meticulously planned wedding, with the perfect flowers and the princess dress that Trixie had always dreamt about.

Katya still thought Trixie was her personal miracle, the only reason to keep her going; the only woman that could make her want to wait for her down the aisle all dressed in white and still cry each time she watched the video of the magical moment when they swore to love each other forever.

Trixie was holding an iron grip on Katya’s hands, looking intensely to her ice blue eyes, when they finally were allowed to say their vows. Katya cleared her throat and started talking. “Trixie, I’ve been drawing you since i was 16. I grew up watching you smile in my dreams. My heart broke when I saw you cry and I fell in love with you.” She sighed deeply, trying to keep her voice steady.  “All those years before meeting you and when I was 27, I finally got to meet you for the first time in the gallery, got to Kiss you for the first time, got to hear your voice, know your name and to touch you.”, a soft smile spreaded on Trixie’s lips by the memory of that first moment, when she heard the raspy voice live. “I needed to, I had to make sure you were actually there.” Katya lifted a hand to touch Trixie’s face, still in disbelief of her being real. “I know that after you find your soulmate you are supposed to stop dreaming about them, but really how could i stop dreaming about you? my dreams are still about you Trixie ,Now i am 29 and i can barely wait one more second to be your wife.” Katya said, finally falling to her own emotion, and smiling fondly to her soulmate.

Shea reached to give Trixie a tissue to clear the tears off her face, still avoiding to ruin her perfectly beated face. Trixie looked at Katya, holding her hands again before saying her own vows. “It took eleven years and like a zillion of messages from Shea to find you, Katya and I have to admit that I was giving up on finding you… “ She said, giving a side look to Pearl, who was holding hands with an impressive brunette girl, who was leaning her head over Pearl’s shoulder. “That’s something I’m not proud of, thankfully, my friends kept the hoping up for me… Thank you Pearlie, Shea… this couldn’t be happening without you.” Trixie said, not looking to her friends, but knowing that was how she felt. “Every night, when I heard your voice saying I love you and good night baby, was the reason to keep moving every single day. I love you Katya… so much, and I can’t wait to be yours, forever.”

Katya’s tears were drawing soft lines on her face, Raja helping her to fix it without releasing their hands holding. They shared an intense gaze, and then kissed when they were allowed to, sealing their everlasting love promise.

Life had been awesome since then, and they were grateful of all the things they got to do and achieve together. What led them to that precise moment, when life changed forever for the both of them. They were taking a long vacation in France, taking their time to discover the country side of the most romantic places of the world.  

Katya was drawing Trixie sitting on a fountain, so concentrated that she was totally foreign to the children playing nearby. “Katya… I need one of those”. Katya kept drawing, not even looking at her, only to pay attention when she felt a soccer ball hitting her leg and Trixie’s. A little freckled boy ran to them, the only brave enough to reach a couple of strangers and talk to them, asking for his ball. Trixie took the toy and gave it back to him, to hear him say “Merci Barbie,” making her laugh lightly.

Katya lifts her face from the sketchbook she was working with “a sketchbook? baby, we have thousands of those at home, but if you need it right now I can give you mine.”

“I need one of those Katya…” Trixie repeated, turning to look her in the eye, barely directing her arm to the group of playing children.

“Oh… oh, a child” Katya says, amused by her wife’s admission, “like, really need it or it’s just hypothetical, like the kid we raised a couple of years back, in our little place in Chicago?” Outraged, Trixie looked at Katya, hitting her arm lightly. she knew fully well they’d only imagined having kids.

“I’m just making sure we are on the same page baby” Katya takes her hand and drags her back to the bench they were sharing. “You know I want to raise a family with you, but you need to be conscious of how it will change our lives.”  Katya looks at her, deadly serious, and saying matter of factly “we won’t be able to travel so often, and also, we’ll have to be… a little bit more discreet with… you know”

Trixie nodded to each point, already picturing herself holding their little bundle. “And will require a lot of time from the both of us, from the search of the donor, going through keeping them alive, to them leaving to college,” She said. Her mind was full of the images of their child riding a bike, going to the first day of school, doing their driving test.

Katya knew the precise moment when Trixie’s mind started going wild on the idea of the baby, and she snapped her back touching her cheek. “Don’t forget the sleepless nights when they get sick,” Katya said, in a kinda dark tone, remembering her own nights of fever along her childhood. “The science projects, the nightmare nights, them knowing their soulmate and when they get a heartbreak.” She continued, still putting over the table their own experience on finding each other. “We are going to have to be in everything and put them first in our decisions. Taking all that into consideration. Do you still want to do it Trix?“

“Yes Katya, I want to hear little steps running in our house, and wake up on sundays to find you painting with our baby,” she continued, her face lighting with the expectation. “I want to bake birthday cakes and plan themed parties… I want to be the mother of our child.”

==================

Months later, they were looking on Trixie’s laptop to the profiles of the sperm bank, trying to find the best option for the donor. After more than three hours and what seemed to be an endless parade of male specimens, Trixie finally found what she was looking for. “There he is Katya, he’s perfect… like perfect”, she said all full of excitement and waking Katya from the tiredness of looking straight to the laptop for so long.

What Katya saw when she looked at the screen, almost made her cackle. “Trixie… he looks like my father when he was young and my mother made sure to get into his pants.” Trixie gasped at that piece of her wife’s story… she hadn’t known before, and didn’t need to know that her-mother-in-law was the one jumping her father-in-law’s bones.

“And you just made him like 25% less perfect with that phrase Katya,” Trixie said humorless, but still liking the guy, who’s profile made him look like the male version of Katya. “Still, I like him, at least his features will help our baby to look like they’re your actual kid.”

Katya smiled fondly at her wife. she was seriously involved with the process of making their family growth happening, and it melted her heart. “You know what? you’re right, I like his face. The only thing that’s really different from me, is that his eyes are a bit of a different color. I think he can be the 50% of our baby that I cannot give.” She kissed Trixie’s temple, and the other blonde clicked the selection button on the page. Their journey was starting.

The following week, they went to an appointment with Trixie’s doctor, who explained them the whole fertilization process, and how they’d have to wait from two to three weeks before knowing if the whole thing had actually been successful and the little one will grow healthy inside Trixie’s womb.

From the day the eggs were put inside Trixie they were both excited and terrified.  Katya taking care of her and driving from her studio, to Trixies job to pick her up and then going back together home. When the time finally came to take the pharmacy tests, Katya was holding Trixie on their bathtub, getting her relaxed with a bath bomb and a silly conversation about how Raja and Manila were finally agreeing on getting married in… four or five years.  They left the tub when the water was getting cold and Katya was the one looking to the sticks of the tests because Trixie didn’t found the bravery to do it by herself.

“We… we made it! There’s a little human cub growing inside you Trix!” Katya yelled excitedly, hugging her wife tightly and lifting her up from the ground.  “We’re going to be moms! I love you baby, so much, SO, SO, SO MUCH!” Katya kissed Trixie passionately and deeply, exactly the same way she’d done it since the very first time.

“My God we are going to be moms!” Trixie said, finally realizing the magnitude of what was happening. “Katya… we’re doing this, like actually doing it”, she breathed heavily. “I love you too, and I love baby cub… and love us all!” Trixie cried, lacing her arms behind Katya’s neck to find balance, she felt her legs so wobbly, that she doubted they could keep her up by themselves.

That same week, they went to the doctor and he confirmed the news, as expected, just one of the three eggs had worked, but it was well positioned and being careful along the first trimester, they would get a perfectly healthy newborn for the first weeks of april of the following year.

The first trimester they lived in constant stress, Katya making Trixie bring her along on walks because she was afraid to let Trixie alone, and cooking herself every meal Trixie ate. Trixie started having a very healthy lifestyle, quitting immediately coffee, wine and what was the most difficult for her to leave: sugary things. Every doctor appointment was a whole event. Those visits fit into a schedule composed of the morning pregnancy yoga routine that both Katya and Trixie performed religiously, then the enriched breakfast and Trixie’s pregnancy vitamins, then getting ready and driving to the doctor’s office.

When they reached the week twelve and they were told everything was going perfect, they were so happy, relieved and excited, that they invited all their friends to share the news about the new member of their family.

“Oh my God! the first one of the next generation, I’m so excited!” Shea said, looking pointedly to Trixie’s womb, trying to make it grow faster by looking at it. “I hope it’s a girl, so we’ll be able to spoil her to death.”

“You bet, I’ll make sure she’s a total brat”, Pearl said, getting a loud cackle from her girlfriend Violet and an annoyed look from Katya. “What? She will be my first niece, I have a moral obligation to spoil her rotten.” Violet nodded in agreement to her girlfriend, who lifted her face proudly to get support from her soulmate.

“Guys, we don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy,” Raja said lazily, taking a sip of wine to create a dramatic effect to her words. “And we all know that it doesn’t matter what’s the sex of the baby, we’ll going to spoil them rotten, just because we’ll be madly in love with them.” The group of women agreed, and Trixie leaned her head on Katya’s shoulder.

Katya surrounded her with an arm and told  her wife “we’re so screwed… this bunch of crazy women will create a monster that we have to raise to be a good human being.” Trixie laughed at how funny that sounded, because she knew deep inside that their friends will always take care, spoil, and make sure that the little one is safe, that was what family was meant to do. And all of them were family.

==================

October ran faster than they expected, the last thing they were talking about was the diner with their friends, and then Halloween was coming, giving room to a November that Trixie spent melting herself into each one of her cravings. Going from a full pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream mixed with candy corn; chocolate flakes and what Katya described as the biggest monstrosity created since the atomic bomb: A Gigantic Burrito drowned in melted cheese and covered with chili, apart of the chili inside.

They started decorating the baby’s room, painting the walls in soft mint green, with some rabbits and bears that Katya painted by herself, spending most of her rare free time on their kid space. Step by step, the room started shaping, first with a wooden crib, which Trixie dressed up with a quilted cover, and Katya installed shelves that would soon be filled with stuffed animals.

One day Katya arrived home with a package that was big enough to require help to be put inside their home. It had been sent by Katya’s mother in Boston, the rocking chair that Katya’s grandfather made when she was born, the last piece of furniture made by the man before passing away. Trixie asked Katya to put it beside the window. “I’ll sing them to sleep there, and I want to breastfeed our kid sitting on that piece of her mom’s story.

December finally came, with a heat wave that no one could actually explain. Trixie and Katya started the Christmas decorations, full of the hot pink Trixie loved so much, and part of the red that actually was a part of Katya’s personality. The little fireplace on their house held a full display of their wedding pictures, and below, a print of the first fuzzy image of their baby. Hung on the mantle were a hot pink christmas stocking with Trixie’s name embroidered in golden letters, and Katya’s all red and also embroidered but in a pearly black color. “I’ll put a hanger for the baby, Trix” Katya said, frowning at the empty space on the fireplace. “It’s their first Christmas, they deserve a stocking in the fireplace.”

“Katya, they won’t be here to open their gifts on Christmas morning, maybe we can wait to next Christmas, so we can actually get Christmas photoshoot and official family greeting cards,” Trixie said. She rubbed the slight curve of her womb that she popped buttons on her top to show off. “Don’t look at me like that, we haven’t even chosen a name for them, we can’t have a nameless stocking in the fireplace… not on my watch.”

It was the day before Christmas Eve when they had their 20th week appointment; Trixie’s bump kept growing, to the point she actually looked pregnant, and she finally got to wear a stupid denim overall that Katya hated, but tolerated because Trixie was very excited to wear it.  “We will know today, you know?”, she said to Katya when they were driving to the doctor’s office. “It’s time to know if we’re having a boy or a girl… I’m nervous baby.”

“Everything will be fine, love. Also we will be better able to decide on a name once we know what sex they are.” They  walked hand in hand to the office, and kept holding hands when the doctor finally let them know the baby’s gender. Both of them cried a stream of happy tears when the words ‘it’s a boy’ came out of their doctor’s mouth.

What followed was the largest argument they’ve had since they met. Trixie was nagging on the idea of a single name, something simple. Katya was spreading some names here and there. None of them actually coming to an agreement until Trixie said. “No Bible names, nothing Jew… please, nothing personal, it’s just I think they’re so common. Also, I don’t want none of those fancy ‘Blake Cinnamon’ thing, I respect our child enough for that matter.”

“Well, what do you think about gender neutral names?” Katya prompted ,”I mean, we don’t know what he’s going to want when he grow up, better to give him a starting point.” Trixie arched a brow, pondering the idea, and finding it endearing. Also, a gender neutral name would be a nice surprise for their friends, who will keep asking what the baby was.

“I’m on it, we’ll make some research at home” Trixie said, giving Katya some room to breathe. They finally had an agreement.

It was close to midnight when Trixie put aside the computer, totally frustrated and looking at Katya as if she had a third eye and palmed fingers. “No Katya, for the hundredth time today, my son will not be named Blake, and that’s a final word.”

“It’s a good name Trix, come on, you can’t just dismiss any friggin option I’m giving. And no, my son will not be named Avery… it sounds awful.”  They looked at each other, fire, annoyance, and tiredness in their respective gazes. “If I didn’t know this baby is a boy, I’d name her Helena… just a face like Helen of Troy would cause such a war between two loving women.”

Trixie snapped her head, looking at Katya. “There it is, we haven’t considered greek names!” Katya looked at her, rubbing her chin and arching a brow in deep thought.

“You know, I’ve been studying the greek myths for the new collection, a reinvention of the classic figures. I’ve just read about the Trojan war, and it all happened because Paris couldn’t keep his hands to himself, and needed to kidnap Helen to him.” Katya explained, making Trixie huff in annoyance. “The point is, I guess Paris is a good name, like… gender neutral, and also will always remind us of the time we decided to become his mothers, as we were in France when we decided it to happen.”

Trixie nodded, “I guess it’s a good idea, Paris.  Paris Mattel-Zamolodchikova, I really like it Katya.” She leaned to kiss her wife to seal the deal “His name is Paris, and I’ll embroider it tomorrow on his stocking, so he will have a proper presence in our house.”

“And on his first Christmas” Katya said enthusiastically, then put a hand on Trixie’s belly, who gave a little jump “did you felt that Katya?”, Trixie asked, amused. “Oh… Oh! there it is again, have you felt it?”

Katya’s eyes opened wide, looking from Trixie’s face to her hand on her belly. “That’s him. It’s Paris kicking!” The baby kicked one more time, making them excited, happy and teary. “He likes my voice baby, he really likes it.” Katya kissed Trixie once and then bent to talk to the bumping baby  “Hello Paris, I’m Katya, your mom, and she is Trixie, your mommy, and we are very excited to know you’re our boy.”

“And right now, we’re going to bed, cause I know you’re not tired Paris, but I’m exhausted, and you go wherever I wanna go… at least now.” They both laughed, and Katya got off the couch to help Trixie to stand up.

Some minutes later, Trixie was fast asleep, leaning on Katya’s chest, a soft smile spreaded on her lips, before Katya whispered “Good night Baby. Good Night Paris. Merry Christmas. I love you both.”