#they will make out later don't worry

[desertfangs]

Lestat/Daniel

First sentence: Hey! Where is that hand going?!

This went in a direction I didn't expect but I had fun with it and I hope you'll have fun with it, too! I don't usually write this way, either, so it's a bit of an experiment and I hope it works.

“Hey, where is that hand going?” Lestat smiles teasingly at Daniel as he reaches for his jeans, to pull the little box of cigarettes from his front pocket. 

Daniel gives him an exasperated look but it’s temperated by the elation in him, the joy from the concert they’ve just left. Lestat can smell the blood and sweat on him from jumping and dancing around to the music. 

He puts the cigarette to his lips and flicks the lighter until a tiny flame dances on the top. He touches the cigarette to his lips and inhales, his dead lungs expanding in his chest. Lestat can hear the breath move into them and the way his heart speeds up almost imperceptibility. He offers Lestat the box.

Lestat holds up a hand in refusal. Daniel shrugs and puts the box back in his pocket, creating a small bulge over his hip. Lestat’s eyes trail to the other bulge beneath his jeans and he smiles to himself. Such a mortal thing to notice. Such mortal desires. But then he’s not immune to the pleasures of the flesh. They’re no longer the same as when he was a human boy, but no less intense. 

He watches Daniel smoke, the cigarette held between two long fingers that bring it to his soft lips. His blond hair is damp with blood sweat near the roots and the aroma is intoxicating. Lestat moves closer without realizing and Daniel looks at him.

The look stops his heart. It’s so open with the hint of a soft smile on his youthful face. Lestat can see plainly how this boy captivated Armand so quickly. With his tenacity and boldness, surely, but no doubt his beauty played a part. He’s a captivating creature. And yet there’s a casualness to his movements, an almost unawareness of just how alluring it is when he sucks on the cigarette, his lips puckering around it. 

“Did you like the band?” Daniel asks, shifting nervously under Lestat’s gaze. Lestat turns away, watching the rest of the crowd exiting the building, their hearts hammering at frenetic tempos. They smell of sweat, beer, and hairspray, the faint smell of marijuana lingering in the air. 

“They had a good energy, though I was tempted to go up there and show the lead singer how it’s done.” 

Daniel laughs, a puff of smoke coming out of his mouth as he does. “Yeah, well, not everyone can be The Vampire Lestat.” The cigarettes make his voice rougher and give it a texture that sets Lestat’s hair on end. 

“I’ve been thinking it’s time for a reunion tour,” Lestat says. He doesn’t really mean it. Yes, he longs to do it, to be on stage again, but as much as teases Marius, he knows it’s not realistic. His new role is the role of a lifetime: the prince of all vampire kind. He works that stage brilliantly, plays the part with fervor and zeal. But sometimes when he posts videos of himself singing a few bars on the internet and the comments go wild, he wants to be on the stage again like he used to.

“Yeah, well, sign me up,” Daniel says. “I’ll work your merchandise table.” 

Lestat laughs. This is what he loves about Daniel. When he says things like that, Armand will frown trying to work out how serious he is and Louis gets that familiar little wrinkle in his forehead that marks his concern. Marius will jump into a long lecture of why he can’t ever be on stage again. But Daniel simply jumps on board.

Lestat moves closer and snatches the cigarette from his fingers. Again, Daniel gives him that exasperated look, the one perfected over years with Armand. There’s no real rancor in it, though. Lestat touches the cigarette to his lips, slightly moist from Daniel’s mouth, and inhales. The smoke is hot, filling his lungs with dry, crackling air. Daniel takes it back, putting it right to his own mouth and leaving it there hanging on his lip as he runs his fingers through his blond hair.

“You can be my tour manager,” Lestat says.

“I know you’re joking but if you want, we could make it happen,” Daniel says. 

Lestat’s pulse quickens. He imagines the heat of the lights, the microphone in his hand, the crowd in front of him going berserk like they did for this mediocre local rock band. 

“Armand has connections in the music scene here, he could secure a venue. Maybe even this one.” Daniel gestures behind him. “We could sell you as a cover artist. Get you a back up band for one night. No one would think it was really you but…” He shrugs. “Could be fun.”

It could be fun. Lestat can imagine it clearly enough. He can wear a costume similar to one of his more famous ones and go wild with the hair and makeup. He’ll be an impersonator to the audience, playing a role. 

“The role I was born to play,” he mumbles.

“Yourself?” Daniel snorts.  He drops the cigarette to the ground and grinds it out with his shoe. “Yeah, man, it’d be cool.”

Lestat considers. Puts his arm around Daniel’s shoulders and pulls him into a hug right there on the street. No one cares. That’s the best thing about this modern age in the big city. No one really pays attention to anyone else. Everyone is too busy stumbling out of the venue, heading for the subway or a taxi, or a bar.

“Let’s get a drink,” Lestat says. 

Daniel gives him a sidelong look, and his thoughts are easy enough to read. But he vocalizes his question anyway: “What kind of drink?” 

Daniel is young and he’s fed. He has no need of blood right now, though Lestat is tempted to take him somewhere dark and quiet and offer him some regardless. 

“In a bar! Let’s follow the crowd.” 

“Sure. I actually know a good place three blocks down,” Daniel says. 

Lestat grins. He lowers his arm so it’s around Daniel’s waist and Daniel puts his arm around Lestat’s waist in turn. They walk together, milling through the crowd. “If were to do this show—a one night only engagement you understand—“ 

Daniel nods. “Obviously.” 

“Do you really think Armand would help?” 

“Of course! He’ll love the idea. Getting to dress you up in 80s rockstar regalia and watch you perform? He’ll be first in line.” 

“I suppose you and your maker get up to plenty of trouble in this town,” Lestat says. 

Daniel snorts. “You can say that.”

The idea is stuck in his head now, and he can’t stop thinking of which songs he’ll want to do, how many rehearsals it’ll take with a new band, how much time they’ll need. “What about the others?” Lestat asks, as they stop at the curb and wait to cross. 

Daniel considers, worrying his lip. It’s an extremely human gesture. Louis might be the most human of them all but Daniel has retained so much of his humanity, and Lestat enjoys that about him, too. “I think Louis will come around once we explain the whole impersonator part.” 

“Hm.” Lestat can picture Louis’ elegant face shifting into disapproval, but then he remembers their reunion in the 80s, and how delicious it was. How delicious it always is to see him worried and perturbed and to prove him wrong. Besides, he’ll love it, too. Perhaps even more than rest, not that he’ll ever admit it. “Good. Then we should start making plans immediately.” 

The light changes for them to cross, and Daniel hesitates. Lestat can hear the uncertainty in his thoughts, not for this crazed concert venture, but whether it’d be best to go back to Trinity Gate and enlist Armand’s help immediately, or whether they can do some basic planning at the bar. Lestat is  still buzzing from the energy of the show and his new plan for a show of his own and he wants to be in a lively setting, surrounded by people. 

“To the bar, Danny,” Lestat says, giving him a hard pat on his ass. “You can call your maker and have him join us there. He can bring a computer.” 

Daniel laughs and shakes his head and they head across the street. 

[narsh-poptarts]

surprise surprise, taking a comics class has you making comics a lot!!!

[pollen]

i'm tired of doing work that alienates me from myself. i miss teaching composition and being a writing coach! i miss fostering a community around the joy of self-discovery through creation! i miss feeling like my editing skillset is being put to truly good use!

so, in addition to my usual reblogged posts, you'll probably be seeing original content from me more often, since this is a platform where i feel this can be possible.

here are just some things that i'd like to do here and that i'd like you all to be part of in any capacity that you wish:

offer editing services to writers on tumblr, including developmental, copy, and line editing, as well as proofreading

provide resources about composition, content, marketing, or any combination of the above

collaborate with writers who might need support in communicating their story, message, or intention, in the form of writing coaching

share insights on marketing to shed light on messaging tactics and strategies used and lift the veil over what marketing materials are actually saying

establish a community of writers and editors, where we can benefit from a supportive and encouraging environment and form lasting connections

i just feel so strongly this is what i'm meant to do. i hope you'll all find value in this as i work toward creating a life for myself i love to live :)

with all that said, my editing and writing coaching services are yours for free, as long as that's viable! i'm a message away if anyone is needing some creative support <3

[crimescrimson]

Ada Wong & Leon S. Kennedy: The History [ Resident Evil 4 (2023) ]

[dootznbootz]

Odypen definitely and equivalently adore each other BUT I weirdly can't see them as the type to actually say "I Love you".

They still definitely vocalize their love for each other but it's more so in "My Joy", and "Extraordinary Woman", "Strange Woman/Man", etc. And very cheesy lines (both say some cheesy shit in the Odyssey, and he definitely does in the Iliad as well. "Joy like a drowning sailor seeing land" bit???)

I could see "I adore you" but even then, that's probably during very specific moments but the actual "I love you"??? I just typed it just now for fic shit and... It weirdly just didn't feel right and I don't know why. 😅

Idk maybe it's kind of because I see them as over the top in ways, they love wordplay and riddles and I think they'd almost think "...That's not good enough >:( " about it??? I don't know???😂

[capybaraonabicycle]

Anne: I want to be like you: Unmarried because I don't give a shit about romance.

Josephine: Anne, I'm a lesbian. And my wife just died.

[weaverofink]

Danny Temple you will always be famous to me. also your unnamed twin brother that showed up in exactly 3 panels

[bruhstation]

checking out theodore tugboat right now and all I can say is that foduck would really benefit from reading the dsm v

[paimonial-rage]

alhaitham analysis

When you first meet Alhaitham, he comes across as someone that has a negative EQ. He's curt, rude, and critical. And yet the truth is surprising? Like looking at his character quest and how he basically emotionally manipulated the whole hive into revolting, this man is very emotionally intelligent. You can honestly see it in a lot of his lines too. When he speaks about people, yes, he may sound like he's simplifying or trivializing things too much, but he's not wrong. He understands people. He knows how they work. It's just that he views emotional labor as too much of a hassle majority of the time.

Spoilers below the cut

You can gather a lot about Alhaitham through Kaveh's character stories. Like while it may not seem like it, Alhaitham is genuinely trying to help Kaveh. He points out to Kaveh that the source of his problems isn't luck, but his sense of impractical idealism and inescapable guilt. Some may say Alhaitham lacked tact when saying this, but it was kindness on Alhaitham's part. Once someone can acknowledge the truth, no matter how hurtful, they can then make the needed changes for the better. When they met up again years later, Alhaitham asked him, "How has realizing your ideals gone for you?" This wasn't done out of a sense of pettiness, but to solidify the truth once more. It was to help.

I think if you don't know someone that operates in this way, Alhaitham's love language may be difficult to decipher. His words may seem cruel. It may seem like he's trivializing your problems. But to speak truth is to show that you're not a lost cause. He has proven he won't abandon you along the way. After all, to speak truth, no matter how hurtful, is to show love.

[robinsnest2111]

sorry for disappearing. I promised I wouldn't do that again but it's always the thing I fall back on in desperate times. idk how to stop doing that

I'm just so tired and in pain, I wanna lay down and cry and never get back up again

[doodle17]

They constantly bully eachother (lovingly)

Made this to warm up before working on some of the requests

[desognthinking]

👀 More haunted house designer au?! 👀 I love that concept so much so would be overjoyed if you ever decided to revisit it :)

😎i love it too. i wish i could tell you there are finally actually haunted houses in this one but unfortunately the girls are still working through it 😭 also i am working through it (editing 😭)

so in this one they're on a scouting-slash-forced teambuilding trip and it's um Going. it's a few thousand k of Meet The Ava wherein Ava is frustrated + up against it + dramatic, but also Meets The Beatrice.

anyway anyway it starts like this (subject to me finding it too cringey and editing it):

Ava sees her at the end of the pier, a dark figure in the already-dark; a smudge of barely-moving ink on the line between wind and water. Barely, indeed – wavering less than the yearning swallow and swoop of the waves interrupted by pillars of wood, and, further back, stone. 

At night, after everything’s shut, this place is quiet until the fishermen get out in the early morning. In the off-season, even more so. Rain slings down frequently, and it’s not warm enough for balmy walks by the rocks. Not many come out, if any. Ava’s one.

She calls out as she walks down the planks, only thinking belatedly that perhaps she might not want to be disturbed. Out here behind the motel, unmoving under the preliminary drizzle of rain, embraced and cocooned by temperamentally warping air. It is, after all, that tremulous transitory phase between spring and summer that borrows its faces from both, and switches its masks sharply in the slit-time of blinks.

[crossbackpoke-check]

Why I Am Not Coming In To Work Today [abridged], Jess Zimmerman

part one | part two

[toasteaa]

It's egg day and I haven't made a single pussy egg post. My bad y'all -

[iceical]

I liked my warmup sketch so much I ended up rendering it. I think it turned out cute as heck I love the neo trio so much

[galaxywhump]

A small announcement:

I know I haven't been too active in ages so it doesn't change much, but I think I'm going to go on a general hiatus. I realized that recently opening and browsing tumblr has started to make me feel anxious, as well as guilty about not writing. I don't want to leave the community for good, and I think, or hope anyway, that I still have some love for writing, but maybe taking a break is a good idea. I'm sorry, and love you all ❤️