#I'll very likely also be opening commissions soon too

[phopollo]

Yo!!

I'd really like to encourage y'all to check out my Etsy shop! (This is a link, feel free to click it or share it)

There's not much in it right now, but!

I'd really appreciate if y'all could make a purchase or two!

My siblings birthday is soon, and Chanukah is also approaching, and I,,, don't have the money to buy everyone decent gifts rn, especially not decent ones,,,

So I'd really really appreciate if anyone would give me some business so I could work towards that!!

(Also! If anyone has any ideas for merch you'd like to see-- any kind of merch, character, general thing-- please share your idea with me in some way! Through reblog, dming me, in my ask box, whatever you're most comfortable with! I'd really like to know what people want so I can successfully expand my shop!)

[tropicalhigh]

Urgent Comms!

Commissions are OPEN and I'm taking even more slots! Right now it's set at 10 (9 of which are open at the time of posting this!) but I will open more if needed.

-> Pricing and information can be found here on my carrd! <-

Art is my only source of income and I need $$ for food, bills, basic living needs, and most importantly right now.. MY CAT! He's not doing the greatest again and might need to go to the vet soon. Which I have NO money for.

The last time he had to go to the vet for this each trip cost hundreds of dollars. And even if he doesn't end up needing to go to the vet this time I still need to be able to buy him his VERY important medications, and food!

Aside from that I really really need to start making enough money to be able to move out on my own again. I desperately need my own space and it will be better for my cat as well.

Every like & share is extremely appreciated ❤️

I also have a ko-fi where I'm always accepting donations if you don't want a comm, and you can also buy a $10 doodle!

At this point I am willing to negotiate pricing on things, especially my adopts (Moon Witch Cow is still available) so PLEASE feel free to DM to discuss things. The worst I'll say is no if the offer is too small but I won't bite!

Thank you to everyone for taking a look 💖💖💖

[burning-academia-if]

Hello, I am mostly back and recovered at the time of writing this lol. June wasn't very productive writing wise (...for BA), which is fine because I needed that break! Look at everything I did do in June:

RELEASED CHAPTER 2 FINALLY

Spent like 2 weeks fixing bugs (dw chapter 3 I'll get beta readers so it doesn't happen again LOL)

Participated in the Raffle for Palestine + wrote and sent out the story to the winner!

Wrote about 5k words of Chapter 3

Wrote and edited Zoe's back story

Wrote most of Lars back story because I was inspired (sorry you won't get this until after Chapter 3 drops)

I'm pretty happy to have released Chapter 2! I'm gonna be honest, this felt like such a daunting release lol When I started BA, I was expecting no one to read it save for a handful of people and I'd just be chilling and writing mostly for myself like usual, so releasing it with over 1.5k followers was very daunting. With that said, I am glad people overall enjoyed the new chapter! The plan is for Chapter 3 not to take as long, but life is still hectic so we'll see. At the very least, it hopefully won't be any later then October (BA's one year anniversary month!).

I also just want to give another shout out to everyone who participated in the raffle for Palestine! Raising over two thousand euros in two weeks is still amazing to me, and I'm happy the IF community could come together like this to help out a cause! This was lowkey another thing I was nervous about since I've never really done anything that's felt like a personal commission before (asks definitely feel different lol), but other then my initial nerves the whole thing was a really nice experience!

Now, going into July, I want to focus on the UI updates I want to make. I have some things I want to shift around and change, and since coding is my biggest weakness I know it's one of those things I'm going to have to focus on. If things go well, I'm hoping to do a pure UI update by August. It'll mostly be the menu pages (achievements/stats/relationships/etc), but there are a few other things I want to add in and adjust outside of it. As for Zoe's backstory, that should be out soon, so keep an eye out of that! Finally, I also might not be too active in July. For personal reasons, July is always a hard month for me. Hopefully it isn't obvious, but just in case I'm not around as much as usual, that's why!

OH and before I forget, here's this month's chapter preview ft Angry Rook:

Lastly, I made the questionable decision to make a side IF. Updates will be very sporadic since BA is and will always be my main project until its completion. But if you want to follow it, it's To Taste Sweet Silver. An 18+ gaslamp fantasy about trying to steal the Fruit of the Old Gods in order to bring the world to an end. It's a little more niche I think, but feel free to check it out! The demo shouldn't take too long to get out since I did accidentally write most of opening already.

[yaekiss]

#MailroomOpen! hi hi my darling qi this is the promised letter to my Special Little Guy!! letter delivery for yandere tartaglia with a nsfw reply back and also a meme reference for number 25 if it's alright? pet names are a-ok, encouraged even. ok here goes, thank you so much for doing this!!! i am cringe but i am free ♡

(The letter that arrives is black with gold borders and purple ink, with a purple lipstick kiss mark on the back of it. There are doodles of stars, moons, skulls, and hearts in the margins. The penmanship is neat and playful, every i and j dotted with either stars or hearts, depending on the subject matter. A small box of the same color as the letter comes with it, inside is an ocean-blue collar with a tag that says "My Ajax". It looks expensive.)

My lovely Ajax,

It's only been a few weeks since you left, but in my opinion, any time away from you is too long. I miss your presence, your conversation, your cooking, and some more...intimate things. I'm sure you feel the same. I really wish you didn't have to leave so often, sometimes I think you might care for your Tsaritsa more than me~ Hehe, I'm only joking, of course. I know you're very loyal, and love me very much... (There's a furious scribble over the next words, but you can just barely make out that it says "maybe more than you should") Anyway, moving on, this letter should arrive with a collar. I picked them out special just for you; blue like your eyes! There's a matching leash, but I kept it with me so we can use it when you get back, hehe ♡. Make sure to show me how pretty you look with it on, okay puppy~? ...And come back safe. I'll be patiently awaiting your return, hopefully soon.

~Your darling

꩜ Letter Content: Dom! GN! Reader x Yan! Sub! Tartaglia, no gendered terms for reader, Tartaglia calls you "dearest exalted", mentions of blood, unhealthy and obsessive relationship from Tartaglia, worshipping (reader receiving), collar and leash (used on Tartaglia), masochistic Tartaglia, mentions of mirror sex, Tartaglia calls himself puppy once, lmk if I missed out anything ! ꩜ Delivery Notes: Weird, as soon as he handed his parcel to me, he started booking it to your address, like damn it's not a race?! ꩜ Wanna write a love letter yourself? Check out it out here!

A medium-sized parcel finds its way into your possession, placed in front of your doorstep. The box is made of smooth varnished timber and the intricate details are inlaid with gems and shards that match the stunning shade of your eyes. Judging by all the elaborate carvings and the overall quality of the trunk, it must have cost him a pretty penny, especially if it was commissioned just for you. 

Flipping the lid of the box open at its hinge, your eyes are greeted by the sight of the sheer amount of items he sent to you. Ajax is nothing but a generous lover and it's definitely evident with all the gifts he prepared for you this time. Starting out, there are a few neatly packed food containers imbued with a charm that helped to preserve their contents perfectly over the lengthy delivery trip. Each one is labelled with the name of the dish it holds and after looking through the various containers, you realise they’re all your favourite dishes, lovingly made from scratch by Ajax.

To a side, there’s a hefty drawstring pouch. Tugging the bag open, a large pile of mora shimmers back at you. You should’ve known he would spoil you like this even if he were away. Tucked underneath the bag of mora, is his letter.

The envelope is a version of the one typically used for fatui matters, except this one is a lot gaudier than usual. …It’s the kind used for letters addressed exclusively to Her Royal Highness, the Tsaritsa. Just the look of it is expensive: A frosted gold border lines the front of the envelope and his wax stamp seals the letter shut at the back, away from prying eyes. Surely using an envelope reserved for the Tsaritsa for you is more than a bit… blasphemous. Nonetheless, you try not to think too much about it and gingerly open the letter up to read his reply.

His handwriting is scrawling and slightly messy as always but you know that it’s just from the eagerness that he seems to constantly have while around you, like some sort of oversized puppy. Present is a tangible tenderness in all his words and you can just about picture the silly little smile he had on his face while he wrote this letter to you. Additionally, there are hearts blotchily drawn in a rusty red around in the margins to match your love letter sent to him. His response reads:

“To my highest divinity, my owner,

It’s so so so good to hear from you, dearest exalted! Ah, I can’t believe you’d miss me, I’m swooning, at least now I know I’m not the only one left longing. I saw you mention that you missed my cooking so to remedy that, I prepared some of your favourite dishes, I didn’t quite know which one would be the best to send to you, so I just sent all of them, haha. Please let me know if they’re to your liking, dearest exalted. Regarding missing my presence… there’s only 1 solution for that which you’ll see soon enough!

I saw your scribbled-out words. ‘Maybe more than you should.’ My reverence for you must not be enough, and that’s why you still doubt me, doubt my love for you, right, dearest exalted? Although the Tsaritsa may be important to me, however, even the loyalty I have for her cannot hold a candle to the utmost adoration that I have for you. Far, far, far from it. What you see right now is but a mere glimpse of my endless devotion and love for you, dearest exalted. There is so much more that I would do for you. Just say the word, that’s all you’ll ever need to do, and I’ll carry out any of your orders till the end of my days. Even in death, I’d still be yours to command. Beyond the grave, that’s how much you deserved to be loved, dearest exalted. (His paragraph drips with festering lovesickness in the way the ink looks to be redder than the one in his inkwell.)

Ahem, moving on! Thank you for the collar, it sits wonderfully around my neck and fits like a glove. Really brings out my eyes too, was that intentional? And the tag… oh, the tag. I must confess, I’ve imagined what it would be like, to have you attach the leash to it and tug me in front of the mirror, making me watch through the reflection as you have your way with me. I would let out all the sounds you said you liked hearing from me, my moans or whines or screams, I’d give you anything you want. You could be as rough as you’d like to too, pulling harshly on the leash as you take your frustrations out on me, you know I love whatever you grace me with, dearest exalted.

I’ll end my letter here, my remaining words can be relayed when I’m back soonest, I promise! Remember to tell me if anyone has wronged you, I’ll gladly rid you of them, dearest exalted. Can’t wait to be under you again! 

Your most devoted puppy,

- Your Ajax -”

That’s certainly… a reply worthy of your contemplation, to say the least. Inserting his reply back into the envelope, you wonder what else he could’ve left unsaid in a letter that’s already chock full of the rawest form of veneration towards you. Sitting in pensive silence, your mind reels. Fortunately for you (or perhaps it’s the contrary), your answer arrives frighteningly fast, disrupting the stillness. 

There’s a knock at your door, a familiar keening whine bleeding through the wood.

Thanks for reading! Consider supporting me on kofi if you enjoyed this or check out my other works hehe ♡

[ikeromantic]

MasterList and Blog Info

I've reorganized my writing links and all new stories will be linked in the sections below. You can still find my old masterlist HERE too.

Currently Playing and Writing For:

Ikemen Vampire Masterlist

Ikemen Sengoku Masterlist

Ikemen Prince Masterlist

Ikemen Revolution Masterlist

Ikemen Villains - soon?

Obey Me Masterlist

Other Games/Fandoms Masterlist

Follower Celebration Masterlists:

Follower Celebrations 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700

Follower Celebrations 900 and 1K IkeVamp and IkeRev

Follower Celebration 1K IkeSen

Follower Celebration 1K IkePrince

No Longer Playing: Midnight Cinderella, Mr. Love: Queen's Choice, Destined to Love, Last Legacy

Other Fandoms:

Dragon Age, BG3, Mass Effect, Diablo, The Magnus Archives/Protocol, Malevolent, Stormlight Archives, The Expanse, Good Omens, The Wheel of Time, The Sandman, and a ton of random fantasy, sci-fi, and horror stuff.

Quizzies:

Your Perfect Valentine Quiz

Find Your IkeVamp LoveStyle Quiz

Blog rules and Ask courtesy:

I try to tag all my fics. If it's tagged smut or very spicy, you can assume it's mature, so don't interact if you aren't.

If I think a topic may be triggering, I will also tag that as tw: in the tags and/or in the description at the top.

If something isn't tagged and you think it should be, message me.

I love getting comments, likes, and reblogs. It lets me know there's still someone out there interested in what I've shared.

No hate please. Remember that fanart and fic are made for free from a shared passion. If it's not to your taste, read something else. You don't need to let me know how much you don't like it.

Asks are great, but I don't always have time to get to them quickly. If you don't hear from me, that means I have it in my to-do and will get to it when I can ^_^

If you want an ask faster, commission me on Kofi.

If you ASK as anon and I decide not to write your ask, you won't get any response. But if you ask as yourself, I'll let you know privately that I am not able write your request.

If the ASK box is open, I'm taking asks. When it's closed, I'm not.

[risunsky]

2023 review

So, was it a good year ?

I think so, I've enjoyed challenging myself, I've tried Beksinski for a second time, Klimt twice, I've done a crossover hellraiser which I'm quite happy with… I made cement for the first time and it was great!

At the 2022 review I said I wanted to do more horror, so I went for gore with all my emaciated skeletons and I'm very happy with that.

September is my favorite of all.

Outside of my fanart world, my biggest freelance achievement has been completing a big comic commission on time and now that the book is out and I've had good feedback from both commissioners and readers I'm relieved and quite proud. It's been a stressful time so it's nice to see that it hasn't all been for nothing. So, even though I'll never stop considering myself as a learner and experimenting with new things, I think that this year I've finally managed to settle on a style, or a range of styles, that I like and that I think I'll stick with for a long time. I've been drawing for a very long time but this is the first year I've felt so strongly that I've found MY style. As for my universe, it seems that somewhere in the horror area of dark fantasy it is my home.

What's planned for 2024?

In terms of priorities, the gift commissions, yeah.... I'm soooo late. I've finished one, but two are still on hold, and have been for at least a year now. I'm terribly sorry about that, because I haven't been overwhelmed like that for a long time, and I intend to sort it out as soon as possible.

It should also be the year I finish the Goya remake. Ideally, I'd like to finish in February because that's my birthday month, or March because that's the anniversary of my discovery of Ghost.

For the rest, don't take it as a promise, because I tend to let myself be carried along by my desires and they are constantly changing. For example, I was planning great things with Nunussy but the poor thing was left on the side of the road. My interest in it just died. it seems that shipping characters and writing an alternative universe for them is not my thing. I have at least 3 shorts comics ideas, more or less ghost related but always mixed with something else. I really really want to work on it but it's a lot of work and this year I need money, like more than usual so I don't know... I also want to do Bloodborne fanart.

The fails

I haven't kept to my plan to draw the other characters in the Ghost lore, oopsy. I still haven't had the time to open any commissions, but last year was really special, working on a big contract that kept me busy for months and that was something new, it was stressful enough. 2024 should be different. I had to show a bit more of my traditional technique, let's say I do it with the Goya project, it's a semi-failure.

Not really a failure: I still haven't come up with a design for an official t-shirt. I think that's because I'm more of an illustrator than a designer and for a good design I need to find a special thing. It's not a big deal for me, just, if it happens it's cool, if not, well, not the end of the world.

To finish

I'd like to thank all those who follow me and who like and share my drawings, including those who remain silent in the shadows - I'm myself a lurker so I understand! Of course, a huge thank you to those who have supported me on ko-fi, it's the first time I've tried this system and I'm happy to have had some support pretty quickly!

my apologies if there are any English mistakes in this text, which is still too long

Have a great festive season!

[aliveinacoffin]

Deja ya de llorar

Shoto x GN! Reader

You've had a very bad day, and you're very tired, and you have a very cute husband.

little angst/very comfort, mostly fluff ^*^

The front door swung open harshly before it was more gently clicked into place. The decoration hung on the outside knocking back in protest.

You violently kicked your shoes off, not bothering to put them neatly back in their place in the shoe cubby that rested against the wall. Trying to get on with the settling down process, you went through the motions of hanging up your jacket, not noticing that you missed your mark and instead, it fell miserably to the floor.

"I'm hooome." You sighed, barely loud enough to be heard from the front door to the kitchen. You then limply tripped over the side, flopping down hard on the couch, squishing your face on the plush cushions.

There was silence in the house, no sounds of music or the TV playing. Most notably, no sound of your husband. Usually, he was out in the dining room doing papers or just otherwise bumbling around the house. Sometimes he'd meal prep or work out or even just be doing some D.I.Y project. But today, there seemed to be an absence of him. Which, wasn't a big deal, both of you were heroes, having met each other in class 1-A. Ever since you two had just been inseparable, clung together like magnets. Still, he made no mention that he would be working late.

You sighed and flipped over to your back, and took your phone out of your pocket. Lazily, you dialed his work phone and waited for him to pick up.

"This is Icy-Hot. I'm not available right now, reach either my assistant, partner, or me at a later time. I apologize for the inconvenience." The familiar one-toned voice you had gotten used to bleated back to you, and the phone beeped to leave a message. You made a confused noise before moving over to his personal phone number, the one that not many people had.

Just as the call was going to send you to voice mail, he picked up. "Hello? Is everything alright?" Shoto's voice called out to you, concern lacing his voice.

"No," You sighed, exhaustion taking over you slowly, unable for you to fight it much longer, "You weren't home and I was just making sure you were alive."

He chuckled, "Well I am don't worry. I'm on my way home soon, just another big battle in Tokyo, and you know how traffic can be." He sounded happy and content, and jealousy filled you at his ease.

"I hope it went well, and I'm glad you're safe. I love you, get home soon."

"It did, I'll tell you more at home. I love you, I'll see you soon."

The call disconnected, leaving the house in silence again. Suddenly, without even prompt or major reason, tilled filled your eyes and you were left breathless.

You were so tired, your body and mind so worn down that everything was moving too fast for you to keep up. Your eyes stung all the time, and your joints ached, body screaming in protest for running on fumes for so long.

You also had so many hard cases this month, a tsunami had hit the east, and because of the shortest of pros, you had been sent down there to mitigate the damage. The things you saw only added to the pile of horrors that kept you up at night. Lost little girls, old men torn apart, and young men crying in the middle of the street would haunt you for years to come. The paperwork and reconstruction that took weeks to finish, on top of commission work and public work, you were left beaten and bruised.

You cried yourself to sleep on the couch, too tired to change out of your civilian clothes or even move yourself to a comfortable position to find even a restful sleep.

___________________________________________

When you woke up, crusty, thirsty, and hungry, you found yourself in your shared room. Pictures of you and Shoto decorated the space, along with your different families and friends. Books, papers, and other small trinkets littered the room. When you came home after being away from a work trip, it always made your heart warm and fuzzy at your cozy living space, knowing you shared it with the person you loved the most.

You heard soft music from the downstairs, and slowly you drifted out of your bedroom. (You were also pleasantly surprised to find yourself in soft pjs.) Peeking out, a smiled crawled on your face at the sight you were blessed with.

Shoto, still in his hero outfit, was swaying softly to a soft song that you recognized, Hijo del corazón. While doing so he was making your favorite comfort meal. Both of you always had each other's comfort meals prepped and ready to go in case the others needed it.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" You said sleepily, hooded bagged eyes looking at him with ease.

Shoto turned to you, jumping a little in surprise before he completely melted under your gaze.

"Yeah, you tell me every day you love me, plus, I get a daily reminder you do every time I wash my hands." He tapped to the ring on his finger, the pale moon gem that was the centerpiece. The weight of your sun ring reminded you of both your vows, in sickness and in health.

"True, but I super love you." You walked closer to him, nuzzling against him while he kept busy.

"I love you, hard day?" He asked, and even though his eyes were on the food, you knew you had his full undivided attention.

"Hard month more like it. I'm just glad we're almost done though." You sighed, dragging your feet to grab a glass of water. Your heart filled with warmth when you saw your respective bachelor party cups.

"I'm glad, I miss you at home." Shoto said almost pouting.

"Just a little bit more recon, and a smidge more paperwork and I'm back to a normal work schedule. What about you though?" You asked, eyeing him up and down with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He turned to you, looking at you with his own raised eyebrows while he carried the food to the table.

"You're still in your hero suit, you didn't change back at the agency." You said that the answer was the simplest thing in the work. In truth, it kinda was.

"Oh," He looked down at himself, embracement suddenly flooding his cheeks. "I was just in such a rush to get home, I guess I didn't change." He started to eat with you.

"Why the rush? I'll always make it home." Or try to, at least.

"I missed you, plus, I have a surprise." Shoto suddenly got up, walking over to the kitchen to grab a fancy-looking velvet box.

"Sho' I don't mean to break your heart, but we've already gotten married." You laughed quietly at your own joke, turning in your spot to follow him.

"No not that. I know you don't really like jewelry, but I saw it and I just had to give it to you." He had you the box gently, placing it in your awaiting hands.

You looked at him before tenderly peeling open the box, and a gasp escaped your lips when you saw what was inside.

It was a beautiful golden heart-shaped locket. The design it had was stunning, on the front was an open sort of caged design, and you could see the inside of the locket through it. Around the mini heart-shaped window was a winged sort of design with small bridges on the side. On the back were two interlocked hearts surrounded by leaves and little tiny snowflakes.

When you peeled it open, it was your guy's wedding pictures. But it wasn't one where either of you were fake smiling. Instead, it was you ugly laughing with your eyes closed and leaning toward Shoto. While he had the widest grin ever looking at you so tenderly it made tears spring to your eyes.

"Oh Sho', it's beautiful. Thank you so much, I love it." You stood up to bring him into a tight hug. He hugged you twice as hard, resting his head on your shoulder.

"Of course, I hoped you'd like it." He whispered.

"I love it, thank you so much for being here for me." You sighed into his arms, the warm embrace he protected you into would always bring you inner peace.

God you loved this man, and you knew he loved you ten times as much.

[gatheredfates]

Hello everyone! 🐋 It's Friday here, just before the Live Letter, so I thought I'd whip out a small Compendium update before it gets crazy!

There's not that much this week but, with Dawntrail, so close, I'm not worried — I'm sure I'll be swamped with people coming back very soon. With that in mind, however, as of today (06/14), the following resources have been added to Sea's Community Compendium for XIV Creatives.

MISC

Pride Backlighting Tutorial — Do you want to see your characters awash in the colours of Pride? Maybe you just want some cool backlighting behind them? @whitherwanderer has put together a guide for you!

SEAFLOOR

We're a Tumblr Community now! For people unfamiliar with the concept of Communities, I encourage you to check out the tumblr post by staff made about them here. However, copy/pasting what I have written in the Compendium, the Community functions as so:

SEAFLOOR (A FFXIV Community) is a Tumblr community whose duel-purpose focuses on my projects — the Compendium, question drives and screenshot events — whilst also reblogging member created works, resources (including events, commissions and looking for content/roleplay/free company posts), affirmations and other xiv-related content. If you are interested in supporting my projects without the social aspect of a Discord, I highly encourage you to join the Community. Everything hosted on the Discord will be cross-posted there; you will not miss out on anything. As Communities are still in beta, members need to be manually invited. If you would like to join, please like the tumblr post here. Once Communities are out of beta, I will remove this section to better reflect its true public status.

I'm hoping the Community will function as a member-curated dash, resource hub and visual diary for my projects and member created works. There are no hard feelings if you want to leave the Discord and only join the Community. Please do what makes you comfortable!

Want to submit? You can either fill out the google form here or send me an ask with the relevant information!

Is my space suitable for the Compendium? Most of the time, yes! Below the read more is some more information/stipulations. Again, all the below information is accessible on the document! 🦈

Below are the following things I do not accept on the Compendium:

Personal/Single-Character LFC ads.

Content intended for or can be used for bullying, harassment and OOC gossip. E.g. ‘Secrets’ blogs, receipts, callout posts, etc. This does not include in-character tabloid blogs used to generate RP.

Communities that do not have an RP/writing element (large-scale exempt).

Anything I find personally distasteful or goes against the spirit of this project.

Common-sense rule applies.

FAQ.

I want to put my community on the compendium but we have an application process. Is this okay?

Yes! Just note somewhere in your application that's a requirement. The only thing that is mandatory for the Compendium is that you must be open to new members or have a public-facing/accessible facet. There's no point advertising a community if no one can join it in some way!

I want to put my community on the compendium but I only have x number of members —

Also totally okay! People don't start with large communities. Activity is a must but, whether your server has two or two thousand members, if you're looking for new people to join, I'd love to help you find people.

I want to put my community on the compendium but I worry its too niche?

Okay, and? If your Eorzean Fishing Alliance has four members but you roleplay every second weekend, I still want to know about it.

What resources/communities can I add if I'm not the owner of them?

Mutual consent is extremely important to me, so anything that isn't a large-scale community OR a publicly accessible resource must be endorsed by the owner/admin/moderators in order to be added to the compendium. I operate under the assumption that a resource posted to a public space (tumblr, googledocs, youtube, etc) is open to all. A large-scale community is one with a significant member count or openly advertises itself as being accessible to everyone for whatever purpose it serves. If in doubt, please get in touch with me. I'm happy to contact your community owners for you!

How active does a community need to be?

If you find a community has not been active in about two/three months, send me a message and I'll take a look at it. Communities have ebbs and flows, especially event spaces that may take hiatuses depending on member interest/life events. I'm not strict in my implementation provided a space isn't dead. If a link or anything is broken, absolutely contact me about that.

I have [insert a question not stated here]?

No drama! Send me an ask or use the #Compendium channel in my Discord!

[yxstxrdrxxm]

Hello, everyone! Navina (or Black Swan) here. I'd like to make a personal announcement:

My commissions are open!

I've been thinking of opening a Ko-Fi account for a while, and after a lot of time debating on the matter, it is finally done. You can view the page right here!

I only take commissions as I have no idea how running a shop works (lol), but I'll probably get to it one day. As for why I opened my Ko-Fi page, I simply wanted to branch out what this blog has and its potential.

Again, if you would like to commission me, feel free to check what I have. It's barren right now but I assure you that I'll open more of my services when I got the time.

(also to my mutuals/dreamjolt hostelry members you guys get a discount from my shop, 70% off of everything on stock because ily all too much haha)

In a serious note, I'd like to formally apologize for the lack of activity. I've been going through a lot of things and I had to take a step back in writing, especially when it got really, really personal/difficult to run this blog. I do plan on getting back to posting, but I cannot guarantee this blog to be back on its usual momentum like it used to.

(I will be explaining some serious stuff utc so if you dont want to read it, no worries, you're free to stop here. Thanks for reading though!)

As many of you noticed, I've been posting less because of the motivation dropping since Flawed. I've been cooking up some posts in the past, but with how complicated things are, it's been extremely difficult to push myself to write.

I am also going through a lot of personal issues, some that leave me financially strained (as a college student), hence why I opened commissions. Its not required for you to commission me if you can't, but it is why I made the page.

As a heads up: I plan on opening up editing commissions for my rentry/editing blog (@/dxxth-gxd), but that is still a huge ???. Do not get your hopes up in case it does not go through.

And finally, I plan on returning to writing very soon. I have a long and very big fic working and it may serve as my comeback to this blog (with new banners too!) but I ask that you remain patient. I'm (truthfully) not in the best state of mind, but I'm working my butt off to bring the best quality of my work for all of you who are still around.

Once again, thank you for the support, and I apologize for my absence. If you'd like to support me monetarily, you may drop a tip or a commission to my page. Every dollar counts, no matter how small. If you can't, just you supporting me by reading, rbing, and even sharing to others is more than I can ask for.

I will most likely be chilling and writing in the dark in the meantime, so thanks for sticking around. <3 I'll make you all proud. I promise.

[adaptacy]

A Found Flame {Pt.12}

Pairing: Mentor!Gale Dekarios x Apprentice!GN!Reader

(Previous Chapter) - (Next Chapter) ➔ (AO3)

A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating this super frequently, I lowkey forgot tumblr existed for a hot second. it's all up to date on AO3, but I'll get back into posting it on here too! Also, I have commissions up on my page! There's a link to an info post on my pinned :) could really use the extra money & I'm happy to write for ideas that y'all have!!

Word Count: 4.6k

The start of the morning went according to routine. Waking up at sunrise, fixing yourself and Tara breakfast, and tidying up the study before she awoke. While doing some light reading over a cup of hot coffee, you’re startled by a knock on the door. Soon your increased heart rate is not out of fear, but instead out of excitement. An eagerness to see a familiar face, somehow believing that he had managed to cut the trip down to only nine days. An incredible feat, but you certainly weren’t going to complain – you would be without him no more!

You’re quick to stand from the loveseat and rush for the front door, leaving the book you’d been reading on the table, far less interested in its contents when Gale had finally come back. You open the door – you don’t bother to call out, or ask who it might be, as you’re sure that you know who it is. 

But Gale’s beard was certainly not that long. And not nearly as white. And his face was never as… old. 

“Hello?” You stammer, caught off-guard by a completely unfamiliar elder, dressed in obvious wizard-esque attire, with a long orange and red robe and a matching hat that drapes behind him. He nods, smiling wearily and glancing behind you.

“The apprentice, I presume? I intend not to affright thee. Might you indulge an old man? I bear regards to Gale,” he speaks, his voice deep in the stereotypical elderly way, and you swear he’s far too old for a mortal human, but he looks plenty human. 

“You know Gale?” You ask, hesitant to believe anything the man says, both due to your immediate disappointment that the door didn’t open to Gale, and because you know better than to immediately trust strangers. 

“Indubitably. You may safely classify Gale and I as friends,” he confirms, and you realize that this may very well be Gale’s ‘old friend’ that he intended to visit. After all, he’s plenty old, and allegedly a friend. There is an instant pit in your stomach – If he is here, and notably lacking the company of your mentor, then something must be wrong. 

You know that your worry shows on your face, but you don’t care. You step out of the way and pull the door open further, inviting him in. “Come in, please.” It takes a lot not to choke on your words, on your rising anxiety, on your terror. He enters, steps out of his boots, and makes his way to the study, not requiring any sort of direction – a confirmation that he’s likely who he says he is. 

You follow, and he pauses in the middle of the study, motioning about the room. “A mighty toothsome abode this has become – cert ameliorated since I last bore tarriance.” He turns to look at you and waves a hand, a smile crossing his wrinkled features. “Compliments! Alas, I trekked not for flattery. Should thy curiosity bear uncertainty, I shall put to rest such indecision. Elminster Aumar, at your service.” He extends a hand, and you stare at it for a moment before ultimately taking it, and he gives it a firm shake, pushing dried wrinkles against your palm, before he drops his hand. 

“Nice to meet you. Where is Gale? Is everything okay?” You question, desperately searching his eyes for answers, perhaps something more clear than his convoluted conversation will provide, but you find a barrier of blue wisdom, refusing you any peeks into his true nature. 

“Enigmatic, the situation remains. Harrowing dawns are upon us, I fear. Mystra sanctioned the deliverance of a memorandum most paramount,” he sighs, and you frown, simultaneously trying to decipher his statements and search for assurance that Gale is okay. You don’t particularly succeed at either. “Cognizant am I of his absenteeism, inclusive of thy enlistment to the abecedarian chosen’s – ah, erstwhile chosen’s – service. A most discommodious concatenation has seized the deliberation of the Gods.”

There’s a few seconds of silence, but when he doesn’t speak anymore, you shake your head, narrowing your eyes. “I’m… not understanding.” 

He tuts, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes, sighing yet again. “Apologies. I come bearing a–”

“By Mystra’s mercy!” Tara yowls, her tail stiffening and puffing as she emerges from Gale’s room, anxiously glancing Elminster up and down, her head shaking and her wings twitching. “Elminster Aumar? Oh, dear – whatever trouble has my wizard gotten into?” 

Elminster looks at Tara, and he smiles nervously, dipping his head once more. “Tara, dearest, a delight to see you.” He clears his throat, addressing you once more, and Tara comes to rub against your calf, taking a seat between your ankles and looking up at the old man. “I desiderate not to impose you, but to entrust to you a message. A consideration, on Mystra’s part, to offer Gale redemption.” 

Your eyebrows furrow, and you feel Tara’s fur bristle against your skin, both of your guards up. “Redemption? I don’t understand – where is Gale?” 

“I know not his precise locale. Hence my emergence in Waterdeep. It is in your hands I allocate his discovery. Tara – grant me aplomb, will you?”

Her tail swishes, brushing over the ground in mild irritation, or perhaps worry – maybe even a combination of both. “I can find him, Elminster. Rest assured.” 

“Most meritorious. Upon reconciliation, I ask you to inform him of the following. It is imperative that he understands the false deity he faces is far more dangerous than he may possibly conceive. It threatens the gods, the realm, the universe itself. Mystra believes only he is capable of its thorough destruction.” His voice is tainted with regret – as if he is apologetic for the goddess’ message. He reaches into his robe, presenting a tightly tied scroll, and you take it from him, though don’t dare to open it. “If he complies, the spell contained within that scroll will put a halt to the orb’s impending implosion. A temporary fix – all too temporary indeed. He must find the heart, and obey the ritual.”

“False deity? Threatening the gods – the ‘heart’? What are you on about?” You let out an exhale that borders on the edge of a confused, overwhelmed whine, your head shaking in an attempt to dispel the oncoming migraine. 

“Set out as quickly as you can. The realm battles against time. He will understand, even if you do not.” He shakes his own head, inhaling slowly, as if to steady himself. “My sincerest apologies, child. Had I any choice in the matter, you would not be my target of burden. Alas, you know him well, and the trust is mutual. I have little time – Mystra beckons me afresh. I may only bestow upon you luck. And the best of luck it is.” 

. . .

“So, he is her chosen?” You ask, sorting through Gale’s desk as you collect two pouches of gold, dropping them into a quickly-filling traveling pack. 

“Has been for many a century. Oh, I do so hope to be absolved of my misery at a quicker rate than that. To live for a millenia – isn’t it plain dreadful?” She mews, kneading at the cushion of the loveseat across the room from you. 

You close the drawer that you’d been sifting through, opening a different drawer filled with quills, as well as a dagger that has gone unused for longer than you’ve known Gale. You don’t have any intentions of using it, but you’re smart enough to know better than to travel unarmed. “Did you understand anything he said? All of that about Mystra and the ‘huge threat’, or whatever he called it?” 

“Hardly, though I rarely concern myself with the affairs of gods. Once we find Mr. Dekarios, he will explain all. He won’t want to risk the clawing that would come with keeping us in the dark about whatever he is up to,” she replies, stretching out her back and jumping off of the couch, approaching you before hopping onto the desk, inspecting the bag you were packing. “My, quite the pile of gold you’ve acquired, dear.”

“Well, yeah. We’ll need to afford rations for the trip, there’s no telling how long it will take, and probably transportation, and–”

“Hah!” She meows, amused at your statement. “Nonsense. The trip will be a short one. With my purrrfect nose, we’ll find him in a whisker’s twitch.” 

“We’ll still need to travel to him, though.”

“Ah. With my trusty sense of smell, my unbridled connection to my darling humanoid, and a sprinkling of conjuration magic, we’ll be in the… general area of Mr. Dekarios,” she assures, sticking her head into the bag and biting the tip of a gold pouch, removing it and dropping it onto the desk. “Let’s leave some inheritance for our return, yes?”

“Wait – we can just… appear there? Like, teleporting?” You chuckle in surprise, a little baffled that it would be that easy.

“Well, thirty-two years of companionship doesn’t go without its benefits! Aside from the self-warming bed, of course. I know Mr. Dekarios better than he knows himself. I’ll find him, don’t you fret. Elminster emphasized the urgency of the situation, so I best be referring to a few studies on transpositional spells. We should depart before the evening. Will you be ready?”

You think over what else you need to do, or pack, and eventually nod. “Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Delightful,” she praises, hopping off of his desk once more and walking towards his room. She pauses, however, to look behind herself at you, her ears twitching. “Do bring along some of that salmon, would you? As much as I enjoy hunting the occasional mouse, we’ve larger missions to sink our claws into.”

“Of course. I’ll even cut it up into squares,” you tease, and she lets out a loud purr in response, satisfied with your answer. Tara disappears into his room, and you return to your packing, picking up the backpack and leaving the study, immediately preparing the salmon before you risk forgetting. You slice it into squares as you’ve been doing for the past few days, and then place those squares on a sheet of parchment paper, rolling it up and securing it before you tuck it into your bag. 

Knowing that you have very little hunting experience, you make sure to grab plenty of rations for yourself, as well, though find that the bag is getting quite full. You suppose the several changes of clothes are mostly at fault for that, and you have to sacrifice two sets in order to fit what you believe will keep you fed for at least a few days. Maybe less, should you need to share with Gale, but you’d be happy enough to have found him, you doubt you’ll have room for complaints. 

When you return to the study, you can hear Tara muttering incantations in the next room over, and you decide better than to risk interrupting her. You would pick out a book to keep you company, but you doubt you have the room for that, and as Tara said, you’d probably have your hands full for the next few days. Instead, you take a seat by the unlit fireplace, allowing yourself a few minutes to think – to properly process everything that has been dumped onto you in a morning. Truly, it would be nice if ‘grand reveals’ were a little more spaced out, or had some build up to them. Alas, you were smacked with concerning news flashes that rattled you for a morning, or a single conversation, and then you were promptly dropped in a sea of confusion, left to teach yourself how to swim. 

How unfair. 

Thanks in part to Elminster’s intensely coded and decorated speech mannerisms, you have no clue what you should expect. On the bright side, it seemed quite assured that he was not dead. Mystra would certainly know if he was – not only because of her familiarity with him, but likely that her connection to the weave within him would draw her immediate attention, should that connection be severed, or… exploded. 

She was rather audacious, if you had to be honest. To abandon him in his time of need, to leave him wandering and hurting after everything he tried to do for her, was one issue, and a plenty large enough issue on its own. But now for her to suddenly call upon him for a mission because she felt threatened? Oh, the gall. 

You couldn’t tell if it was incredibly serious because she’d called on a mortal to do her bidding, or if it was incredibly un-serious, because she had called on a mortal to do her bidding! She, a goddess, the weave incarnate, the mistress of magic, couldn’t take care of a threat to the entire universe, but Gale Dekarios, a middle-aged, objectively gauche and reclusive wizard, was capable of such victory? 

It was the orb. It had to be. In no world did Gale naturally have such power at his fingertips. Even so, the weave within him is only a fraction of Mystra. Surely she is stronger? Surely she can cast such destruction tenfold, should she be so inclined. 

…Right?

Gale was not more powerful than Mystra. Nobody could be – not via the weave, anyways. Gale wasn’t even on a similar level to Mystra. He had a fraction – a fraction – of her power. Didn’t he? That’s what he’d told you. 

You recall your own experience – pulling energy with the orb as your source. The split second of unforeseen power that you felt, that surged through you as if it was you. In that moment, you’d believed yourself unbeatable. All-powerful. An irrational thought, you’re aware, and yet such possibility intrigues. 

If Mystra controlled the weave, couldn’t she remove the orb? According to Elminster, she’s capable of pausing it, and yet it remains latched and active within his body. She had to have her reasons. Mystra would not turn down the ability to be even stronger without good reason. 

Again, you return to your memory – the quiet calm of the orb, paired with Gale’s utter terror. It makes you think.

Is Mystra scared of it?

“Are you quite ready?” Tara peeks her head out from Gale’s bedroom, and you quickly stand, putting on your boots and nodding, grabbing your backpack from the loveseat. You follow her into Gale’s bedroom, where a swirling purple and black vortex awaits you. 

“We’ll be able to return, right?”

“Oh, of course,” she reassures, and you relax, stepping closer to the portal. You feel her rub against your ankle, and she outstretches her wings, yawning. Jumping to fly behind you, she perches on your shoulder, her tail bumping against your back. “With the assistance of a horse, but a return is a return, yes?”

You cringe, a little less sure, but give an affirmative shrug nonetheless. “Right. Here goes, I guess.”

“Prepare your feathers, dear – a quick trip through the cosmos and we’ll surely be on his doorstep! Or… somewhere in the vicinity.”

With that, and a nod at one another, you step through the portal, having to rely on your trust in Tara to recite the spell correctly and not land you in a heap of trouble. 

–   –   –

He’d left the ruckus of the party behind him, the noise from drunken singing and laughing a little too much for him to bear. And far too sweet of an opportunity. A perfect distraction – as if it had been curated for him. He did deserve it, didn’t he? 

He’d worked so hard. Slain so many goblins. Thoroughly exhausted himself, dirtied his daggers and saved lives. Heroes, they named them. As if his intentions were entirely pure – as if he felt empathy for the tieflings, as if he’d been pushed to act in their honor, as if he cared. 

The wine was tolerable, at least. The company not so much. Drunk and dry. Below his standards, and far too chatty. 

The boars were better than the rats. Had more sustenance to them – a little more flavor. More of a kick, too, as small as their legs were. Alas, he was hungry, and ever-so-greedy. Perhaps he’d find a deer. Or another boar – it wasn’t too wretched of an idea. If he had to compromise, he wasn’t entirely opposed to it. Hardly a fan, but blood was, ultimately, blood. A boar would hold him off for another day or two. A deer, though? Oh, certainly a week. 

He finds himself traveling deeper and deeper into the forest. The party, ringing through the trees around their little clearing, scaring off the prey he so helplessly yearned for. What insatiable hunger. A hindrance, a terrible flaw, a godsforsaken craving – until he satisfied it, at least. 

However temporary the satisfaction, it made the carnal desires, the churning desperation, the withdrawals – all of it, worth it, for a little while. Few things came close to the sensation of blood running down his neck, washing him inside and out, fulfilling his bone-chilling needs. 

How clueless his companions remained. It granted him fragmented amusement, witnessing their utter hopelessness – gave him the slightest rushes of power, of pride. Of security. To know, and to trust, that his secret remained just that, all thanks to his carefully plucked words, his controlled smiles, his flawless manipulation. Even his kills were tidy –

Well, save for the first boar, that is. Not that they’d picked up on it, fortunately, but he supposes he could have cleaned that one up a little better. He’d been desperate, and practically starved. Trekking about in unfamiliar lands was so incredibly exhausting. Especially when he was forced to sweat under the heat of the sun – not to say he didn’t enjoy walking freely under the sun, of course he did, but the sweat he could do without. 

And slaying was even more taxing on his body. Swinging, dashing, dodging – oh, catching prey used to be so easy. 

At least he did it for himself now. Made the burdens far easier to bear. Free will was such a luxury, wasn’t it?

Astarion pauses, hearing movement ahead of him. He can’t hear the noise of the party anymore, nor can he see the lights, and he’s sure that his prey lies close. So he sticks closer to the denser parts of the forest, hugging every shadow that he can, moving with them as one as though he’s Baldur Gate’s best trained assassin, or a panther, slinking about the underbrush, eyes on a darling, oblivious gazelle. 

He smells a fire, and then he hears quiet chattering –

A person.

His heart flutters, his fangs practically ache, and he realizes that settling for a boar would be a horrific lowball. Unfair – unfair to him. 

He deserves better. He deserves real prey. He deserves payment for two-hundred years spent in a hell personalized for him. He deserves payment for having his freedom robbed from him. He deserves payment for freeing those poor, defenseless tieflings. 

He deserves payment. Retribution. 

He deserves real blood. Sweet blood. Thick, terrified blood – crying blood, pleading blood. Blood with a life. Blood with a soul. Blood with a personality. 

Better him than a wolf, or a bear. Better fangs in the neck than claws across the torso, surely. He’d be doing this stranger a mercy. Maybe he’ll even be gentle. Maybe he’ll be kind – maybe, he’ll be the hero that the tieflings claim he is.

But he is hungry. And he is weary. And he can smell them, smell a meal, smell satisfaction. It is yards away, and he is closing in, and his fingers twitch, and he is silent. The grass does not betray him, no sticks dare to sneak under his steps, not a leaf crunches under his weight.

He is being given what he deserves, at last.

No – he is offered no gifts. Every step is a careful one, every stick is dodged, every leaf is tip-toed over.

He is taking what he deserves. 

He creeps closer, finding someone getting ready for rest, curled up alone on a bedroll, unaware of the danger lurking mere feet away. They smell sweet – innocent. Had he any less dignity, he’d positively be salivating, closer to an excited mutt than an ex-magistrate. However far he’s fallen, he cares not. 

His mind belongs not to him, but to his need, to his cravings, to the yearning of his fangs. He watches them, their eyes closed, but he’s sure they’re awake; moments ago, they shifted their makeshift blanket, ensuring perfect comfort. 

He hopes it’s an adequate final resting place. 

In an instant, he’s pounced, and he kneels beside them, a hand firmly clasped over their mouth as their eyes widen and they writhe, making his own blood rush. He shushes them, feigning some care for their comfort, but he knows that the more terrified they are, the quicker their heart beats, and the more blood that will be pumped directly into his mouth. 

His other hand tangles in their hair, and he yanks them up, his mouth opening as he eyes their neck, and at last, he bites down, earning a pained squeal from his victim. 

It is magnificent. 

Perfect, sweet with a kick, and it warms him, far better than any blood he’s ever tasted. Animals are no match. When blood like this exists, blood that makes him feel like royalty, blood that makes him twitch, blood that consumes his mind as he consumes–

“Fiend!” A feminine voice hisses, and Astarion feels claws rake across his face, earning a hiss from himself as he stumbles off of the victim, dreadfully yanked away from his meal. That meal clutches their neck, and Astarion finds that his assailant is a winged cat, her fur standing on end, her tail thick and bristled, claws unsheathed and prepared to strike again. 

“Bloody hells! What is wrong with you?!” His victim cries out, and Astarion’s eyes linger on the blood trailing down their neck, pooling in the crevice of their collarbone, painting them a perfect feast–

Once more, claws strike across his nose, and he growls, backing away an extra step and looking between his victim and the tabby. Despite his urges, and his concern for allowing a victim to escape, he recoils and retreats, believing it to be better to return to camp rather than expel any more energy in a battle. 

After all, it’s quite unlikely for the pair to stay in these woods when they’re aware of a vampire on the loose – They’d have to be positively insane to stick around.

–   –   –

It’d been too long since he’d indulged in the bittersweet sting of wine, and he’d made up for lost time tonight. Several glasses deep, as a matter of fact, and his mind was entirely distracted from any pressing matters, and certainly drawn away from the impending regret to follow the next morning. 

The river bank they camped by was perhaps the most peaceful place he’d found thus far. So it was on the bank that he sat, not minding the tickle of sand, too focused on the quiet, buried sound of the water slowly running past. Buried, that was, underneath the sound of the off-tune singing and chattering of his companions and their guests, the tieflings they’d rescued. 

It isn’t half the view, but it reminds him of Waterdeep. Reminds him of the view from the balcony – the one he could share with them, no matter the time of day, or night. The breeze here was slight, but it’s enough to make him reminisce on the salty breeze he had grown so used to. The kind that’s just chilly enough to allow for him to pull them closer, wrapping an arm around their shoulder in mock defense of the cold and be safe from any possible accusations about ulterior motives. Gods forbid he be pushed to answer for what exactly his feelings on them were – he hardly knew, and he doubted anyone else, especially them, would be capable of understanding.

Tara called it love. Tara also had quite the habit of getting ahead of herself. He enjoyed their company, that was certainly a given, but toleration was quite different from love. Albeit, he was beyond simply tolerating them, but it still hardly called for such an extreme adjective. He was not, and still is not, a man who is searching for love. Even if he did possess such feelings for them – which was wildly unlikely – he wouldn’t be able to act upon such feelings. Gods, he didn’t want to even imagine the embarrassment that would follow any kind of confession from his end. Perhaps even worse, the accusations. He had not taken them in so he could pursue any kind of an intimate relationship with them. He had not mentored them with such intentions in play. 

Gale knows his concerns are reasonable, and completely justified. Any such unforeseen flattery would put too heavy a damper on what they already had; a perfectly innocent business relationship, perhaps even one more akin to a professor and his student. The kind of relationship that absolutely did not, under any circumstances, have room for romantics. 

Anyways, he harbored no longing for them. So it mattered none. Whatever limitations he had firmly set in his mind were not going to become tainted with regret, because there was nothing to regret. Nothing more to wish for. He yearned for survival, nothing else. Certainly not them. 

Likely, the wine was to blame – mixing unpleasantly with the tadpole in his head, causing his thoughts to branch off into unsavory places. The wine and the scenery. Wishing for them, now, meant nothing. Being calmed by the waking dream of their presence beside him, it was nothing more than a result of his exhaustion from the day’s events. What little peace he experienced now, he wished he could share with them. But that was not due to love, he was a perfectly sane man, and sane men don’t fall in love with their apprentices. Unreasonable – that’s all it was. Unreasonable to miss more than their company. Unreasonable to allow himself to crave their touch, to dream of the sound of their voice. 

Unreasonable to revisit the feeling of their weight in his arms, carrying them back to bed after they’d fallen asleep in the study, resting so comfortably against his chest. It had been unreasonable for him to hold them for a few moments more, despite standing beside their bed, knowing he should set them down. 

Unreasonable for his mind to drift in this moment, the wine barely being strong enough for him to blame his less chaste thoughts on, conjuring up other scenarios in which he might feel their weight against his body, close and gentle, or what sorts of noises he may be able to pull from them when his hands are allowed to roam their body freely. The expressions that may come across their face, acting entirely on reactions to his saccharine teasing, playing them much like he would a lute, capable of plucking their strings enough to form only the most blissful of melodies. How pleasant such an encounter would–

“The fun is coming to an end.”

Gale’s eyes open quickly, and he finds himself gripping the base of his chalice rather tightly, causing him to gulp and forcefully relax, sitting up and turning his attention to Shadowheart, a glass of her own in her hand. He nods, cracking an awkward smile and raising an eyebrow. “Is it?”

She nods, motioning with her cup back towards the main gathering space of their camp. “Indeed. Assumed you’d want to say some goodbyes. Perhaps accept another round of praise. I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

Gale scoffs, shaking his head and rising to his feet. “Nonsense. I was merely enjoying the quiet. Past time I submitted to sleep – fear I’ve gotten well-too deep in our wine supply for one night,” he chuckles, and Shadowheart dips her head and raises her glass in agreement, returning to the fading festivities alongside him. 

[mint-yooxgi]

jackie!!!!! how’s it going? hopefully everything is going well for you! it’s amazing to see you slowly coming back :))

i also forgot to add, i think i remember you saying you were getting some of your work published?? if so how’s that going! and don’t forget to take care of yourself, you have all of your followers on here rooting for you!

Hello!! Thank you so much!! It's honestly been a wild year for me, and not everything has been great. However, things are starting to look up finally and I'm getting excited about writing again! I have a feeling it's going to be a slow return, but I'm usually always around. Like my most recent post said, I've got a few ideas brewing in my head that I might work at just to get the old brain going again. The more I think about them, the more excited I get lol. Not sure when I'll pick back up old series, but they're always there.

And yes! It's been very slow - i.e. I haven't really been working on things due to some personal and familial reasons going on throughout the year, but I still have the commission I'm working on! I'm hoping this resurgence helps in that aspect as well. I'm just really lucky and glad the commissioner is really open and understanding about things, and isn't in a rush.

I've got about 2-3 ideas stirring in my head currently, but we'll see how they go. I know I have so much else to continue or pick back up, too. I'll just have to take things one day at a time and hopefully I'll have some new stories for you all soon!

I hope you've been well, and thank you so much for sending such a lovely message! It really means a lot to me! 🥰

[madbrake]

Updates and Things for 2024

Hi all! I had a few announcements I wanted to make for shop things/commissions so I wanted to compile them all here for the New Year. It's pretty long but I made the subtitles all big so you can skip around/skim however you want o7

Inprnt

Firstly, I finally opened an Inprnt store after dragging my feet for so long. I've been hesitant because I've heard people frequently have issues getting paid by them, so I may end up shutting it down if that becomes the case. BUT UNTIL THEN, Inprnt offers international shipping and paper options I don't have. Their prints are VERY nice quality but a little pricier because of that. If you'd like to support my work through buying prints and other items, Etsy is still my preferred shop, but I hope Inprnt will provide some nice alternative options for ya'll.

New Foil Prints and Sticker

Second, foil prints for Celestial and Church of the Owl have been added to my Etsy shop. I also added the bone bat sticker I made for the 13 Advent Calendar zine earlier this year. :)

Commissions

Thirdly, I plan to open commissions again on January 3rd, 2024. I'll have 2 ink/digital slots and 1 ornate slot open (I'll make a proper post when that's live). I updated my website to include pricing estimates and examples. I'm sorry the text is so huge, I didn't realize it would look like that and I'm a little too tired to fix it atm :(

Going Rogue (Quitting My Day Job)

Lastly, I'm excited to say that I'm going to be quitting my retail day job in late February 2024. Gonna give full time freelancing/conventions a go. I'm really grateful to everyone who has supported me for giving me this opportunity. Whatever comes of it, I'm just glad I've had this chance. I'm hoping to get a Patreon up and running as soon as I feel like I'm in a position to fulfill Patreon-style rewards, but I do currently have a ko-fi if you'd like to support me on there. At the end of the day, I hope I can make even more art and neat things for everyone and try something different. :)

Thanks so much for reading all this! Happy New Year all!

[uldahstreetrat]

considering with opening up some commissions soon because I have some larger expenses coming up but I'm uncertain what kind I would like to do?

it's much easier for me to do super low pressure very cheap sketch commissions but doing too many of them can really wipe me out, whereas doing one or two high price high quality commissions would take more time but less energy but they also tend to stress me out much more because they feel so high stakes

well, if I open anything, I'll throw my ko-fi link back out there and let people know! (and if you'd be really interested in one of my more painterly commissions, feel free to also message me directly, my DMs are always open <3)

[ichigoli]

Yumi and The Nightmare Painter Shadowbox Master Post 1:

The Yoki-Hijo

I am head over heels for making these Cosmere Shadow Boxes. I would love to find a better mold than the 4" coasters but for now they are so pretty! I don't even know what I'll do with them but for now I'm happy the exist.

To begin, I once again sketched out a design trying to focus on strong silhouettes, and cut out each layer on a different piece of card stock. I decided to go with warm colors to push the heat of Yumi's environment and give some good contrast to the Painter Box coming soon.

Learning from the Mistborn Shadow Box, I was worried about such delicate shapes floating in the resin and messing with the depth. So I tried something that worked out ok with a fabric backing I did for a commission for a friend. I painted the paper cut outs with resin and let them cure on a silicone mat to hopefully give them some more rigidity and less buoyancy in the resin.

I wanted to lean in to the "traditional" vibe that Yumi's side of the story has, so I included real natural elements as part of the resin inclusions.

Real pressed flowers and gravel give the work a more grounded (sorry) element which will contrast nicely with what I have planned for Painter. I also decided to have some fun with it and "stacked" some rocks up the sides. The flowers floating in the sky are such an iconic part of her world that I had to include them.

I didn't take pictures of the individual layers going in this time around because, thanks to the resin painted over each piece, the long curing time between each layer became unnecessary so the process was a lot faster this time around (yay, we're learning!) But you can see the added flowers and some of the gems acting as stand ins for the Hijo floating around the stacks. I know they aren't "book accurate" but I wanted just the tiniest bits of Cyan and Magenta in Yumi's piece. (Keep an eye out for their parallels in Painter's piece)

I'm really fond of the way the resin soaks into the light card stock like water. It creates a very specific kind of translucency that lends itself to the "atmospheric fade" that creates a light illusion of distance and depth.

A quick check through the bottom to preview how it all looks before we add the resin on to the final backing paper layer...

The pale lemon yellow paper pics up a lot of depth from the resin soaking in. I also swirled in the littlest bit of gold luster-dust and a drip of orange ink to the corners for a little depth of color before putting the paper down and more resin over top.

And the final reveal:

A little flat with the simple background, but that's expected. The contrast is exactly what I was hoping for. I mixed a little bit of the glow powder seen beneath the Shadow Box there to help boost the reflectivity of light which can be seen bleeding up around her knees a little bit which I hope helps evoke that heat her land is known for.

When backlit, the rein soaked into the card stock gives the whole scene an almost dreamy quality as the stone stacks fade but Yumi remains stark and crisply focused.

A few close ups of details and how lovely the layering looks peeking through the open spaces.

<3

No preview of Painter yet, I am still trying to puzzle out a good silhouette for him that will show what he's actually doing when he's hunched over a canvas without being able to use internal contours... but I can share that I bought some EL wire and hope to line his piece with real hion lines!... once I figure out how to make the wire Cyan and Magenta along the places I want it to go.

Once Painter is done, I don't plan to stop. Maybe Warbreaker next... or Stormlight, though I have other plans for that behemoth.

Real talk: Anyone who wants to float an idea, I wanna hear it. These are too fun to stop. (I could maybe even be talked into parting with one if the situation arises)

[gamchawizzy]

A life update!

It's been an unreal time lately and I apologise for the lack of art and presence. Normally I avoid sharing too much in public, but truth be told I think 7/8 years of nonstop work and escaping a bad place and bad people has finally, utterly burned me out. I also developed body pain, and given my previous medical history, I think I have to go back to the doctor for a diagosis on paper for something else.

That being said, my current gig is extremely demanding of my time and energy, and I've gotten sick several times because of it. I'm on 1.5 meals a day sometimes. I really want to quit lmao but I am feeding a family and a bunch of pets and trying to get a sibling thru college and paying the house bills. I wish I had more time to draw because drawing is what I do best and it would've been great extra income, but alas. My free time off work is spent resting and recuperating because the pain gets too much some days.

My comm queue is finally cleared but I still owe so much to my patrons and I'm very sorry for the lack of updates. For now I paused billing and it will be paused indefinitely while I catch up on all obligations and everything I owe. My hope is that it'll only be for a couple months while I get my shit together as well as streamline my online presence and social media management. I don't have much else to say but I miss art so much and yet I also feel weird about drawing, I have to redo my art habits from the ground up.

I feel a lil weird having to open all of these up because I don't want it to sound like I'm copping out, but my loved ones are already concerned. My track record with all my comms are clean so far and I intend to make good on everything I owe 😭

Will make a more formal post for current patrons and any ex-patrons who left during my hiatus, but I'll get you all either a skeb-type (pay what you want, good quality for cheap but no revisions) commission that you can avail, OR turn the total amount you pledged during my hiatus into credits you can use to get discounts on a proper commission. Let me know if that works for y'all? 👉👈

I also miss all my online friends and I hope we get to interact more soon, you guys are the realest and I hope you all are doing well 💗

Anyway update done, I wish you all very cosy holidays and good food!! I'll try to respond to people as best as I can, but any business/patron/etc related stuff feel free to dm/email me for it :'33

[juniper-pines]

Help Please! Commissions! Art for Doodles! Drive to Immediately Stabilize!

So I have a little under 80 days as of this writing to make about $8,000.00 - $10,000 USD

I have been struggling without work. Unpayed bills from the past few months have piled up. I've lost so much already, and I'm at risk of losing even more. On top of that, I need to move halfway across the country by the end of October, since the family I'm staying with is moving out of the country. I can't really follow them with my financial situation.

This escalation happened about a week after I had finally reached a point where I'm able to complete commissions and take in new ones. So now I have additional plans and schedules and stuff that need to be done... Additional money needs to be made, and fast, before I can settle into a more sensible work flow.

So... I'm doing everything. EVERYTHING! Whatever I can do! It's crunch time x1000!

The Quick Summary:

I have a Carrd now! There, you can find links to all my socials, Patreon, Ko-fi, GoFundMe, the form for requesting Commissions or Doodles-For-Donations and Monthly Patreon Doodles, and more! Check it out: https://juni-p.carrd.co/

My Patreon has been updated and makes sense finally! Monthly Doodles can be requested from the form at the bottom of the Commissions page on my Carrd for each monthly Patreon contribution!

You can request Doodles-For-Donations on that same form if you're donated anywhere! Ko-fi, Patreon, wherever! Check out the bottom of the Commissions page on my Carrd for info and a link to the form!

Commissions are open for requests right now! I'll start taking new ones very soon, so get your requests in! Look for the form link on the bottom of my Carrd's Commissions page!

My GoFundMe is still available, and has been updated with info about the move and such. You can read that for more info about it all and donate if you're feeling generous <3 (Also, this still counts for Doodles-for-Donations, too, if you want!)

Soon I'll have a store! With stickers and stuff! Maybe even shirts! I'll send out notifications when there's merch and stuff up, and the links will be up on my Carrd too!

Lots more specifics below, so keep reading! And thank you in advance for any help!

MILESTONES:

I have an income tracker on the Carrd, under News. When I hit a milestone, I'll be doing something special! ...though I haven't figured out what the special thing is just yet! Pls let me know if you have ideas. I wanna make it nice b/c TYTYTYTYTYTYTYTYthankyou~

PATREON INCENTIVES!

All Patreon backers now get a Doodle per month! Details and request form are on the Carrd! It's the same form as Commissions, so just make sure you pick the "Patreon" option, okay? I'm still thinking of what other incentives I can put on there. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know! I really appreciate y'all so much~

KOFI and Donation Doodles!

Like the Patreon doodles, but for one-time donations and things like that I'll be doing these whenever I'm on stream, too, so come say hi! Same request form! It's all on the Carrd!

Commission Requests are open!

I'll be taking new ones soon, once I get more of my backlog done, so if you want a commission, get your requests in! Pricing and details all on the Carrd! I'm working hard <3 <3

Also I'm doing Animations now, too! And YCH stuff soon! I'm excited about it!!! :D :D :D Pic related to both <3 (Thank you X!!!)

GoFundMe

My GoFundMe's been updated to explain my situation some, and to help give me some relief from the amount of work I now have to do in such a short time. Shares, reblogs, etc, are just as appreciated as the donations. Thank you <3

I'm also opening a RedBubble with stickers and prints and stuff!

I don't know what to put there yet, but I already have the storefront and such. More to come soon, of course <3 It's empty at the time of posting, but there'll be stuff there soon!

Finishing commissions comes first, of course~

If you read all of that, TY

I am going through the climax of this whole ordeal I've been in for the past few years and/or most of my life Honestly, the uncertainty hitting such a high is scary, but I'm gonna do my best ( TuT)9 My DMs on Discord are always open if you have any thoughts or questions, okay? TY, everyone, for sticking with me through it all <3