#i also wanted there to be at least one artist here that was older than 40 lol

[dodger-chan]

On this, a totally normal day, please enjoy this short scene featuring demon Steve Harrington:

“They’re con artists,” Steve asserted, rolling his eyes. “They’re nothing I need to worry about.”

It wasn’t that Eddie thought Steve was wrong. He’d read a book about their involvement in that possession and murder case in Connecticut five years back. It had certainly read more like fiction to him.

It was just that demons tended towards overconfidence. Or at least Steve did. Maybe that was more of a jock thing than a demon thing.

“You’re bound to the mortal plain by a two-bit ring from a Crackerjack box,” Robin snarked. “Forgive me if I’m a little concerned.”

There was that, too.

“I’ll have you know that ring cost me fifty cents. It’s solid nickel,” Eddie joked. But he kind of agreed with Robin. The ring was a flimsy object, and entirely incongruous with Steve’s preppy look. Even if the couple weren’t practiced demon killers, the ring would be an obvious target.

“So that’s why my finger keeps turning green,” Steve mused. “Look, I can’t let this stand, but one of you can wear the ring until they’re gone, okay?”

-------

Which was how Edde found himself twisting his old ouroboros ring around his finger, sitting in a diner booth across from Robin. Stealthily watching the demon hunters eat their lunch. Waiting for Steve to arrive. The wait wasn’t long, but it was tense.

Steve ignored them when he walked in, only paying attention to the couple seated behind them. Robin leaned forward and stole some of Eddie’s french fries.

“I think we’re in trouble,” she whispered. She was only half joking. They weren’t supposed to be there; Steve didn’t want either of them associated with a demon. But Robin was not about to let Steve face even fake demon hunters completely alone. And - coward or not - neither was Eddie.

He shushed her, keeping an eye on Steve as he sat down at the hunters’ table.

“I read the contract you signed with Susan Mayfield. Book rights to her daughter's story for a flat fee? Seriously? My deals are more fair.” Steve was facing away from them, so Eddie had to imagine the smug expression on his face. The older couple looked confused.

“Your deals?” The man asked, like maybe he hadn’t put it together yet.

“I’m sitting here right in front of you and you still have no idea.” Steve shook his head. “And you call yourself demon hunters. I knew you were just con artists.”

Understanding dawn on the woman first.

“You’re the demon,” she said, fear in her voice. “The one who killed those kids.”

“I am a demon. But no, I haven’t killed any kids in Hawkins,” Steve corrected. “Those three dead kids, the Mayfield girl’s injuries, that really was a human. People can be evil all on their own, you know.”

“Why should we believe you?” the man asked. He didn’t appear as afraid as his wife, but Eddie was an expert on posturing. The guy was about thirty seconds away from shitting his pants.

“Believe, don’t believe. I don’t give a fuck. I’m not here to keep you from writing your little book and ripping off the American public with your absolutely true demon stories.” Eddie would bet good money Steve was rolling his eyes. “I’m here about this.”

Robin nearly turned around to see what Steve was holding even though she knew what it would be. Eddie kicked her ankle and she turned back.

“You see,” Steve went on, “I made a deal with the Mayfield girl’s brother. It means I owe her a certain amount of protection. So this contract you sweet-talked her mom into signing? We’re going to rework the terms. I’m thinking percent off the gross?”

-----------

Notes:

"that possession and murder case" refers to the Arne Johnson murder trial, where the defense tried to argue the killer had been possessed by a demon. The book was titled The Devil in Connecticut and published in 1983. It's also the inspiration for one of the Conjuring films.

Allegedly (and I'm not doing enough research to confirm it because this six hundred word story has enough notes already) the Warrens paid people flat fees for the rights to their stories and then made bank themselves off of books and films about the 'hauntings' and 'possessions.' Frankly, everything I've read about them makes them sound like unscrupulous con artists.

"two-bit ring from a cracker jack box" is a reference to a Firesign Theatre sketch (The Further Adventures of Nick Danger) released in 1969; Robin knows it from her parents.

Two-bit means cheap in general, but also two-bits refers to a quarter, so when Eddie says he paid fifty cents for the ring he's saying it cost twice as much as Robin implied (still pretty cheap)

I doubt Eddie knows for sure what alloy any of his rings are made of, but cheap jewelry often contains nickel, and nickel can turn your skin green.

"percent off the gross" is revenue percentage rather than a percentage of the profit, so Max can't be cheated out of money via creative accounting.

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

my biggest takeaway from this poll is: some of y'all are wayyyy to smug about not knowing and/or listening to popular artists pfft

wait i wanna join in lol

(based on ones i see people talk about the most lol dont be leaving ur 'what about ____' tags because there's only 12 spaces what do you WANT from me!?!?!)

EDIT because people are already misunderstanding i mean heard as in listened to i'm not asking who you've heard OF lol...

[kifkay]

Winx & Specialists Dynamics that are so Precious to me

it makes sense that in the show, winx and their non-boyfriend specialists don’t interact much. but!! i’m very insane about codependent found families, and I want them all to love each other. so here’s my take on some tet-a-tet dynamics:

rare pairings:

Musa & Timmy: childhood frenemies. they used to go to the same middle school on Melody, and as type-A tweens do, had an intense, “you’re the only person I match myself to” kind of rivalry. they lost contact after Timmy moved away, chilled out considerably, reconnected in Alfea and had a wonderful banter-filled friendship since. because of how fast they slotted back into a friendship, some of their classmates genuinely thought they were siblings.

Tecna & Riven: got up from a rough patch. from “I dislike you but we both love Musa, so we have to be civil” to “you have more depths to you than I expected” to “now that I understand you, I can’t help but admire certain things about you” to “bitch, you are the only person who is as weird and clueless as I am, ARE YOU READY TO GO TO THE ARCADE AND ANNIHILATE KIDS FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES”

Flora & Brandon: little sister, older brother vibes. of similar temperaments and views, they enjoy spending time over a cup of tea — talking about everything and nothing. it’s therapeutic, almost.

(no one in the group knew that Brandon and Flo were good friends. once, when the two had to team up during a mission, Bloom couldn’t even finish saying: “it would be a good opportunity for you to get to know each ot-“, before the specialist-fairy duo were re-creating the most complicated and choreographed hand shake ever. jaws were on the floor.)

Aisha & Brandon: they are sporties, and they like doing sport things together! they don’t talk aside from exchanging brief encouragements and advice while out, preferring to spend their time in companionable silence. sorta like those dads who never talk to their buddies, but somehow have the strongest and longest bonds ever?

Helia & Bloom: artist besties. Bloom drags Helia out on picnics, where they practice observational drawing (and tiktok trends that Bloom desperately wants to reenact but none of the winx are good at arts); Helia responds by taking her out to see art museums in Magix. it’s a fun dynamic of Bloom being the bubbly gold retriever, and Helia being her black cat.

Tecna & Sky: they didn’t have much of a relationship until year 4. somehow, they both got really, intensely into weaponsmithing and built a joint workshop. they found that they enjoy working alongside each other and value each other’s insights. sky goes to tecna when he needs frank, un-sugarcoated advice, and tecna accompanies sky on hikes and other spirited adventures, for “bonding activities” (because he told her she doesn’t get out of her comfort zone enough). it’s a relationship of deep mutual respect.

Sky & Stella: childhood friends. they knew each other as children and enjoyed playing together (which is how Stella also knew Brandon pre-Red Fountaine). at least, until Stella was unofficially banned from Eraklyon because shenanigans, and they lost contact. they still jokingly call each other “My Lady” and “My Lord”.

Stella & Nabu. Both are flirty and extroverted people, who enjoy the spirit of showmanship. They have a friendly rivalry going of who can fluster the villain of the week the fastest.

canon bf-gf dynamics (dating in canon, open to interpretation otherwise):

Bloom x Sky: liked each other since the first meeting; bonded over being the friend group moms. (on unrelated note: bloom gentle parents her friends, while sky goes all exasperated cig mom on his team and repeats things like: “you better go to sleep right now, or so help me Dragon I will take away your Owl pilot privileges-“)

they are not the most outwardly affectionate couple of the winx, yet they are so wordlessly devoted to each other. sky will follow bloom to the ends of all dimensions, when she gets a calling from powers as mystical as she. bloom will always believe in him and see him as his own man, unlike the many who see him only as his father’s son. they were entwined by fate, long before one had met the other; yet, there’s the trust, the respect, the faith so strong — that could have only come from friendship forged and tested by fire.

Stella and Brandon: the hottest power couple; sole reason behind 60% of all student fairies/specialists/witches queer awakening.

they banter all. the. goddamn. time. these dorks are speaking a whole different language.

they are also most comfortable in each other’s company, being able to be their genuine, less polished selves. stella and brandon are both performers bred and born, playing the roles of a noble princess and a knight. it’s nice, to have a safe reprieve from all that acting.

Aisha and Nabu. their love was one that sneaked up on them. their distance, set by a discomfort at the idea of an arranged marriage, bridged as they transitioned from being reluctant comrades to friendly rivals to unwilling friends to best friends to “if someday the moon calls you by your name, don’t be surprised — because every night I tell her about you”

Tecna and Timmy: partners in crime, ride or die, sunny faith in each other — even when the other person doesn’t believe in themself. I have a whole post about them, go read that ;)

Flora and Helia: they are so. they are. they-

icons. the most romantic couple, the one that sets the standards, the one that gives their friends advice. they are extremely attentive to each other’s needs and tender with each other’s feelings.

flora can recite helia’s poems in her sleep, and trace his drawings with her eyes closed. helia brings mielle presents every time he stops by. flora has tea with helia’s dad every other tuesday; she keeps note of every time helia and saladin are supposed to meet up, to be able to whisk helia away after and distract him from his troubles. helia knows how to care of flora’s plants, and sends her lovingly assorted gift baskets semi-regularly.

Musa and Riven. their relationship is push and pull, is joy then sorrow.

it’s all in a drag of a cigarette, in the vortex of a starless night, in the hoarse laughter. “of all the people in the world, why did it have to be you?” she’ll say and smile.

“ I’m afraid we’re doomed, lover,” he’ll reply, faux-casually, and smile back. both of them will know it’s the truth.

their relationship was not built to last, not for the lack of love or try. maybe they were too similar — both headstrong, unbending, bleeding hearts. maybe they were just different enough not to understand their hurts. nevertheless, it was not built to last — but neither of them would ever bring to regret it. love prevails, no matter in what form in comes, or something like that.

[wixenburr]

Saw some ppl talking about Reverse Robins and i had thoughts

Talking abt u guys @eldritchdreamss @brucewaynehater101

Why kill Tim when you could kill baby Jason? What I want is for all of them to keep their own backstories and personalities (Developed in line with the story of course) So ofc i had to write a 1,000 word brainrot abt it.

(Also i'll only be going over the main 4 batbros for now i will add more later but these guys are the ones im most passionate about so here we go)

Damian

Let Damian come in, desperate to be of use and be worthy of his father, only for a softer, less jaded bruce (since jason hasnt died yet) to help him open up his heart and let him act as a kid. With no competition for so long, I imagine he and Bruce get along very well while he works with him. Yeah, they need to work on the no killing deal and Damian's... i guess impulse control? But i think it would be easier with very intensely focused reparenting; no distractions of other kids you know? No favoring or anything.

I see Damian growing up as a stoic, jaded adult. He's had a rough life. Maybe he sticks with the vigilante business. but I really love headcanons where he gets out of it, and focuses on something calmer, like his art. (I do appreciate and love the veterinarian Damian AUs, but im going for FULL calmness, you know? And doctor/vet work is Not calm lol)

So yeah, maybe he grows a real passion for heroism, maybe he doesn't? Maybe he goes on to be an artist and that's just what he does. Bro is ready to settle down as a scarred, veteran trophy husband and i adore him for that.

(Sorry lol i just love Damian and i love the idea of him growing out of both of his parent's legacies. Let him live his own life!!! He fights so so hard for at least 15 years. ALL 15 years of his life. He deserves to have some peace.)

Tim

Tim i think would need a much different story to join the Batfam. He still starts out as a stalker who follows batman and. . . . . . . Redimar (meaning Redemption iykyk (I just spend 17min researching names rip)) at night, takes photos, etc... Since Damian doesn't die, maybe he finds Tim? and like, tim is like 11 and Damian is 17 or 18. He's started going out as Redimar less and less, not that B really minds? In fact hes probably happy for his son so...

But then Damian finds Tim, and now he has to keep going out because he can't let this kid get himself killed like this. He would hold himself accountable since hes the only reason Tim keeps going out so much- also i imagine Tim follows Redimar more than Batman.

Cue a classic Tim Joining The Batfam plotline. They get to know each other better, get a grasp on Tim's situation, Damian finally introduces Tim to Bruce... (Probably something like Dami: "Father, this is my new brother. Timothy, say hello to Father," Tim: "Hello, Father," Dami: "Perfect." Bruce: "*falls off the batchair*)

Anyway, so, Tim ends up kinda just merging with the Waynes. They start training him, its all good and nice, and Tim makes his own little hero team unlike Damian, which is actually pretty interesting here; its Tim who made the first young hero team. Damian only ever had Jon (Superboy 1 in this!!) and he finds Young Just Us and becomes a great leader and its all fine and dandy.

Tim and Damian get along well. Damian is the sage older brother whos kinda distant, but only because he has such high emotional walls (but secretly a softy). He is very much like Bruce- nope, nevermind, hes definitely worse than Bruce in this AU, since Bruce is depicted as being much more agreeable before Jason's death, you know? So yeah, Damian is the emotionally constipated bitch in the fam and we love him for that. But hey!! Tim does manage to get through his walls! And Bruce does sometimes too!! (Tho i imagine Bruce and Damian's relationship to be very.. idk let me try to expalain. Dami: "Father." Bruce: "Son :)" Dami: "Tt." Bruce: *nods* "Hrn." Dami: "Hmph." Bruce: "Hm.") DO U PICK UP WHAT IM PUTTING DOWN--- lmfao. They hardly need words.

Tim ends up growing up very very capable. Once his parents die, he gets a little jaded, but hes still Tim. He and Damian become kind of an... ice prince duo? If you get what I mean. But Tim is the one whos actually the ice prince, Damian is secretly a HUGE softie. He is Delicate and Tim protects him lmfao.

Jason

Jason comes along like he does in canon. Has the same backstory. Tries to steal the Batmobile's wheels. Tim is sleeping over at Damian's flat for the night, so its just Bruce. They bond. Shit happens. Jason joins the fam.

I don't imagine them not getting along, but they don't immediately hit it off either. Jason is wary of all of them for a time, but he ends up warming up to Damian pretty fast after realizing what a softie he is. He pokes fun at Damian and Damian just freaking takes it lmao. Hes an adult he cannot be disturbed. Bro has seen too much and he finds Jason adorable. (Dami: "You were never this cute, Timothy." <- he is lying. Tim: *offended* "What the fu- flip!?" Jason: "Lmao Tim just say fuck." Dami: *deadpan stare* Tim: "JASON NO DONT SAY THE FUCK WORD-") ahem.

anywho and then Jason dies rip skill issue ratio.

The whole batfam is heartbroken. Genuinely shattered. Jason was a light in their lives. Not that they were WITHOUT any light, but Jason was the epitome of a sunshine child.

It's been too long since Damian has killed someone. Bro's god oodles and oodles of trauma. He can't bring himself to kill the Joker.

but Tim can.

It's a whole dramatic thing; Damian feels awful that he made his- now only- little brother kill. Bruce is hella upset but feels responsible for not seeing how badly both of his kids were handling the death of their brother. Tim goes a little off the deep end.

Things turn out.... okay. sort of. but not really. Tim changes his hero name to Red Cardinal. He feels pretty lost. Maybe he stumbles into Ra's al Ghul or smthn idk maybe smthn happens there perhaps. Maybe Damian has to put on Redimar again and rescue him? But its less of a rescue and more of a "Stop joining the dark side Tim jesus christ-" (and it does work).

They go home. Tim gets a boyfriend or two. Damian falls into his art. Bruce is throwing himself into work. They're all kind of a mess, but they keep moving.

and then

Dick

(lmao that sounded wrong)

ahem; and then the circus comes to town. The batfam- well, Tim, Damian, and Bruce- all decide to get together to do something fun. Take the opportunities given, yk? So they go to the circus together.

Wham bam rip the falling Flying Graysons.

They see Dick, breaking apart, and they know they have to do something. Bruce is the first to move. Then Tim. Damian is the last.

It's pretty quick getting Dick home, since Bruce is already a foster parent cuz of Tim yk. So Dick doesn't have to suffer in Juvie at all really. But that doesn't change the fact that he is ANGRY.

Dick is SO angry. he wants to kill the person who murdered his parents. He knows what he saw.

The fam of course do their best to investigate. Mostly Tim, who feels unworthy of being around an innocent little kid after his whole.... villain era, i suppose lol. (ofc Dick thinks Tim doesnt like him lol misunderstanding arc GO)

The whole "Dick accepts that justice is better than murder kinda maybe FOR NOW" storyline happens, and Dick becomes the conniving, bright, little Robin we all know and love. (Thinking of the Young Justice Cartoon Robin (but not the characters- just Dick's character) aaaand

Womp womp GUESS WHOS BACK

Jason's Back

but i'll leave that for later.

[preet-01]

Since we're getting into fall weather here, I've been watching period pieces. So here's part one of a maxiel renaissance au with artist max

note: I have very little idea of how money worked in renaissance rome so some suspension of belief is needed for that. though it is a very interesting topic to study based on the little research I did - there were so many types of coins in Italy's history and vary based on the duchy

cw: dubious consent, prostitution

word count: 3287

part one ||| part two

Daniel sighs as he looks at the pouch of coins – ten florins and five grossi. It wouldn’t be enough to get groceries, medicine for Mark, and supplies for Oscar’s apprenticeship.

He would need to ration, Mark’s medicine was a necessity. For all Mark says his leg doesn’t pain him, the doctor had been clear that if they wanted Mark to heal properly then the medicine was necessary. It would take four florins to get all the medicine and bandages – leaving him with six florins and five grossi. 

Five florins would get him the supplies for Oscar’s apprenticeship. Signor Cordiani provides most of the materials Oscar needs, but he would need to get his own paper and drawing materials. It also meant that they would need to continue buying the materials as Oscar runs out of them, which left him with one florin and five grossi. 

He could get some vegetables and hopefully, he’d be able to make a stew with the few ingredients they had at home. That should last them a few days. They would have two grossi left which Daniel could give to Oscar just in case he would need to buy snacks whilst at his apprenticeship during the day. 

The journey from the market to their small home is quick. Neighbors greet him with smiles as they have seen him grow from babe in his mother’s belly to the man he now is. Girls giggle and wave, while men either avert their gazes or leer. Though the girls will do no more than giggle and wave, he is handsome, yes, but he has no money. Or at least not enough to entice any girl into marriage with him. And certainly not when he’s dedicated much of his adulthood so far to taking care of his brothers – marrying him would mean helping him take care of a younger brother who was being apprenticed and an older, bedridden brother. 

Oscar is already home when Daniel gets there. Busy mending his cloak, he doesn’t notice Daniel until the door shuts. Scraps of fabric and thread rest on the table next to Oscar, Daniel will need to buy stronger thread and warmer fabric soon as the warm sunny days become cold dark nights sooner and sooner with each passing day. 

“I’m sorry,” Oscar mumbles when he looks at the meager groceries and abundant supplies for his apprenticeship with Signor Cordiani.

“Don’t be,” Daniel says. He tries to smile at his little brother so he may reassure him that everything is fine and they are not extremely tight on money at the moment. He needed to be the strong one among the three of them, he needed to take care of his brothers. Mark’s injury kept him chained to the bed with only a few moments of walking every day and Oscar was yet young but the only one of the three of them who had the potential to make a name for himself. So he needed to be strong and work whatever jobs he got to provide for his brothers. “Signora Carini will be giving me an advance on my monthly wages soon,” he lies. It won’t be an advance on anything since Daniel does not have a set wage, he gets paid based on how many clients he has, on how many jobs he takes. “Could you go get water from the well? It was not on my way here,” he asks. 

Oscar nods and goes to get some water. Meanwhile, Daniel heads to Mark’s room with the medicine and bandages in hand. Mark is where he had been when Daniel went to work in the morning. Though able to walk a few steps with a cane, the pain in his leg kept him stuck on the bed. 

“You didn’t need to buy that. My leg barely even hurts anymore,” Mark grumbles when he sees the items in Daniel’s hands, “the coin could’ve been spent on something else.” Daniel simply raises his brow when Mark winces as he tries to sit up on the bed. Mark had turned to metal work instead of becoming a vendor when their parents were still alive – metalworkers made more money than vendors. 

The accident happened a few months ago. 

A scalding pot filled with liquid metal had fallen on Mark’s leg. Though the liquid metal hadn’t touched his skin, the heaviness of the pot had broken Mark’s leg and it had burned his skin. The healing process, the doctor has told them, would be slow. Their household had gone from two incomes to one at possibly the worst time ever, not that Daniel would say such a thing to his brothers. 

He couldn’t bear to witness their guilty looks or have Oscar not follow his dreams to help Daniel. 

Without another word, Daniel peels back the bandages he had done in the morning with the little bit of medicine they had left. Slowly, he cleans the wounds, trying his best to not hurt Mark or worsen the injury. “I spoke to Lucia,” Daniel brings up.

“Hmh?” 

“Oscar’s apprenticeship starts soon and you will need someone to help with your leg,” Daniel says, “she’s agreed to come by once every day to check in and make sure you do your daily walk.” 

“Daniel-” 

“Please, just go along with it for my sake? I worry,” Daniel cuts him off. Mark sighs but nods. Daniel knows that Mark isn’t happy about it, but for Daniel’s sake will do it. 

________

Daniel had wanted to explore. 

With a desire for adventure and a wish to see the world, Daniel spent much of his younger years studying cartography. He had been good at it. 

He’d been sixteen when their parents died. It had started as a fever spreading through the city. They’d all gotten it at one point or another, but while they pulled through, their parents hadn’t. Mother was the first to die and his father’s will to survive had lessened until he joined her. 

All hopes of his dreams and aspirations died along with them. There really was no other option. 

Oscar was just a child, barely eight years old and unable to understand what had happened to their parents. Mark, while older, had to work even more than he previously did. With longer hours and more time spent working, he couldn’t raise Oscar. Nor could they afford to pay someone to look after Oscar. 

So Daniel stowed his maps in a chest. Hiding them out of sight but unable to part from something he had loved so much. He’d suppressed his wanderlust and turned his attention to raising his little brother. 

He took menial jobs while Oscar was at lessons with other children in their neighborhood. Three to five-hour jobs with little stability so he could earn some money to lessen Mark’s stress and take care of food expenses. He’d done that until he landed on the doorstep of Signora Carini’s artists’ workshop. 

It’d started innocently. Signora Carini needed a male model for her workshop and he fit the ideal description. Classes at the workshop only lasted a few hours and there was stability. A consistent flow of coins helped them save money for Oscar’s tuition as he grew older. They couldn’t afford anything extravagant, but life was comfortable. 

Everything was okay until Mark’s accident. Daniel had thought about returning to his cartography and contacting his old tutor. He’d started to dream again of leaving the streets of Rome to see the world beyond what he knew. 

But leaving Rome was not in Daniel’s destiny. He was never going to escape the streets he grew up in. Not anymore. He knew that now. 

“Artists are romantics,” Signora Carini had told him when he went to her after Mark’s accident, “and you, my dear, are very pretty.” 

She had caressed his cheek like his mother used to do when he was younger and led him into a private room some artists rented out when they wanted to work without all the noise. 

Ophelia, one of the other models, was in the room. Moans and the smell of sex filled the room as Matteo, one of the regular artists at the workshop, fucked Ophelia. “What?” Signora Carini kept him there as Matteo fucked Ophelia and left her there with five florins — three more than they earned for being models. 

Matteo was the first to take him. Unlike there had been with Ophelia, there were no pretenses about what would happen when they were in the private room. The canvas went untouched as Matteo painted Daniel’s bare skin with bruises and cum. 

At least Matteo was handsome. Daniel could pretend that it was just another dalliance he had — no different from the men Daniel slept with before. 

Others were not so handsome. Nor did they let Daniel pretend like it was just another casual fuck. They wanted more control. They wanted him to smile prettily and let them move his limbs all under the guise of setting him in the perfect pose for a painting that would take thrice the time it should to be finished. 

“You’re much prettier than the girls the Signora has,” the man, Lorenzo, says between grunts. Daniel doesn’t say anything, just fakes a moan as he thinks of all he would need to do once he gets home. Mark should be taking his evening nap and Oscar off at his apprenticeship, giving Daniel enough time to bathe and wipe away any evidence of the things he’d done. If he was fast enough, he’d be able to have dinner on the table before Oscar got home. 

Thankfully the man doesn’t finish inside of him. Most did not listen to that request, too lost in taking their own pleasure. “Same time next week,” the man says when he’s leaving. Five florins rest on the table next to Daniel when he finally has the wherewithal to get up and wipe himself clean for the time being. 

Depositing the coins in his pouch, he goes about cleaning the room and storing the half-complete sketch for next week. 

Daniel is setting up the easel when his next client is let in. “No need for pretenses,” the man says, stopping him. “How many clients have you had today?” He questions. 

“Four already, Master Alberto,” Daniel answers. 

“Oh Daniel, my brightest pupil,” Alberto says, reaching forward to caress his cheek before pushing off the robe. “You would have made an excellent cartographer, but being a whore is your true calling,” he continues. 

Daniel doesn’t moan this time around. Just lays there as the man once meant to teach him the ways of cartography now charts a course of bruises and bites on his skin. He had never liked Daniel making much noise — not when Daniel was his student and certainly not now that he’s his favorite whore. 

Master Alberto always liked to enter Daniel when he was on his back, wanting to see the moment his cock breached the most private part of Daniel. He’d keep Daniel on his back for a few thrusts as his arousal grew at the sight of his once star pupil taking his cock. But sooner than later, he’d take Daniel like a dog takes a bitch in heat, pounding into him with little care about anything other than reaching his completion. 

Sometimes — when Daniel had taken many clients beforehand — he’d reach his peak quickly. Daniel hated those days. Not because he wanted his former tutor fucking him for longer. Rooms were rented based on hours, not orgasms. 

On those days, he’d have Daniel warm his cock. He’d keep it in Daniel’s mouth until he was hard again and then fuck Daniel again. So Daniel hated those days and prayed that Master Alberto would run out of his time. 

Daniel had wanted to explore the world. He had wanted to make maps and find new places. He had been good at it. The best student of Master Alberto — sixteen and filled with so much promise. 

________

Daniel would model for one of the workshop classes at the start of every week. It was the one day that Signora Carini wouldn’t schedule any private modelings for him. 

That is always Daniel’s favorite day. He’s not always naked on those days and the artists are there to perfect their craft, not have an excuse to fuck him without suspicions of being sodomists. 

One artist from the British Isles would always tell him a story of some far-off place he’d visited before coming to Rome. Stories of exotic people in the east and the vast seas in the west filled the classes. 

At the end, he’d always thank Daniel and say his goodbyes. Never once had he requested a private session or touched Daniel in any manner that wasn’t respectable. 

Daniel had always liked him best, just as he liked the start of the week best. 

“But I have the workshop?” Daniel asks, confused by Signora Carini guiding him toward the private room. He doesn’t earn more than two florins, but he likes earning those two florins. He likes starting the week with the handsome man from the British Isles who tells him stories and is kind. 

“Signor Verstappen is paying a lot and he requested you,” she tells him, “Ophelia will model for today’s workshop.” 

Inside the room, Signora Carini orders him to strip and put on the robe most of the models wear for private sessions. “Be good for him Daniel, he may be Dutch but he is very wealthy.” 

Daniel is tying the robe tightly across his waist when a blond-haired man steps into the room carrying his own canvas and paints. 

Handsome and foreign. Daniel could do this. He just needed to smile prettily and moan. 

“Ah, you must be Daniel. I’m Max Verstappen” the man, Signor Verstappen, says with a thick accent that makes his name sound unfamiliar. “Lewis spoke wonderfully about you,” he continues. 

Daniel had many clients ever since Mark’s accident, but he doesn’t remember any Lewis. There was Matteo, Alberto, Lorenzo, Cosimo, and Alexander, just to name a few of them. But no Lewis. 

“Lewis?” Daniel asks, wondering if one of the men has given a false name. He wouldn’t be surprised, some of the things they liked doing with him could ruin lives if even rumors spread of them.

Lewis, Max tells him, is the man from the British Isles who would tell Daniel tales of his travels. Max just keeps talking as he sets up his canvas and supplies. Daniel isn’t entirely sure of what he is saying, but Daniel just nods along. None of the other clients cared much about conversation unless it was to tell him how he’s prettier than some of the girls they’ve seen or how to pose to capture the light just right. 

“You are, of course, perfect for this,” Max says as Daniel zones back into the conversation. 

“Huh?” Daniel questions. 

“For Bacchus,” Max replies, “oh good, there’s oil.” The vial of oil rests on the table where artists would leave coins for him. 

For the next three hours, Daniel has his oddest day of work. 

Max doesn’t fuck him. Doesn’t touch him in any manner that would be considered blasphemous by the Church. Doesn’t make any comments about how pretty he is or how good he would look with a cock in him. 

Nothing. 

Absolutely nothing except sketching his pose on the canvas. He talks and talks and talks, but all of it concerns the painting or how different Rome is from Amsterdam. 

The same happens the next day. Daniel goes to the workshop and Signora Carini leads him to the private room where a robe and fruits are laid out on the bed. Wine and a laurel wreath rest on the table with the vial of oil. Pillows and draperies are nearby in a basket. And at the center of it all is Max Verstappen setting up his canvas and paints. 

Nothing happens, except Max spreads the oil across his chest and moves his limbs in the perfect position. He places the grapes and other fruits around Daniel, covering Daniel’s bare and oiled skin. 

For three hours Max paints him. 

“Do you like being a model?” Max questions. 

“It is a job,” Daniel says noncommittally. It’s not exactly what he had wanted, but it helps provide for his family and allows Oscar to achieve his dreams. If there was another option, he wouldn’t choose this, but this was his only option as he had never been able to hone his skills in any other line of work due to stopping everything when he was sixteen. All he had was his face and body – two things a lot of people wanted to pay a lot for. 

Max makes jokes more often than not. He makes his jokes and looks at Daniel from where he’s sat behind the canvas, and then doesn’t laugh until Daniel laughs. He asks questions about Daniel’s brothers – gives Dutch pain remedies when Daniel talks about Mark’s injury and listens intently as Daniel talks of how talented Oscar is. Max talks a lot about his painting and how he had searched everywhere for the perfect muse, the perfect model to embody Bacchus. 

It goes like that. Max asks him random questions while Daniel wonders when the other man would get it over with. Wondering when the other shoe would drop and Daniel would need to fulfill Max’s desires. Everything seems too normal. It makes him feel not like the whore his usual clients sought, but an actual artist’s model and muse he’d thought he would be when he first stepped through the doors of Signora Carini’s workshop. 

He breaks on the eighth day. After seven days, a week, of laying on the small bed with fresh fruits adorning his naked body, a glass of wine in hand, and oil on his chest instead of coating his hole, Daniel finally asks Max when he’ll fuck him so they could get it over with. 

“Wha-What??” Max sputters, his typically steady hand wavering as he holds the paintbrush just centimeters away from the nearly completed canvas. “Why would- what???” 

“You’re not here to fuck me?” Daniel questions, the grapes resting on his crotch falling as Daniel sits up. “Just to paint?” He grimaces when he sees traces of grape juice staining his skin. 

“Of course, I am here to paint. It is a workshop,” Max replies. 

Daniel just looks at him. Artists didn’t take private rooms to just paint. They didn’t fondle models and request oil to be on all the tables just to paint. They didn’t spend a fortune in the workshop almost every week just to paint. Daniel had seen more than his fair share of painting that would never be completed because the so called artists would rather fuck the models than hone their craft. 

Artist’s workshop was just another name for a brothel, only this way they didn’t have to worry about it impacting the lives they lived outside of these four walls.

He was not the crazy one for asking why Max just kept painting him instead of doing what every other man did. He wasn’t. 

“I have to go,” Daniel says. Rushing to get up, he feels the juice of all the fruits squeezing and oozing underneath his limbs, but he does not get up. He needs to be away from here and from Max who doesn’t want to fuck him and just wants to paint him. People don’t want to paint him, they want to fuck him. He’s not a muse or anything like that, just the favorite whore. 

“Daniel-” Max starts to say, but Daniel doesn’t wait around to hear it. 

_______

Part 2 (Max POV) will be posted in about a week

[gremlinandacrow]

Mouthwashing Headcanons

I may be cringe...But I am free! This is my first time actively sharing my headcanons. Sorry if this sounds incoherent, these were partially done on impulse because I wanna share my love for this game!!!

(Note: There's no mentions of Post-crash here!) (Note #2: Yeah Anya has the most, she's a queen and deserves it!)

Anya 🌕

Early to mid-30s

Tall! I imagine she's at least 5'8 (and her sandals provide an extra inch of height as well)

Russian (credits to @lesbiananya for this hc actually! Her fics are awesome!)

She moved to America in her mid-20s

Lesbian

Growing up, her family placed many expectations on her. Academically, she went beyond most of her class, but as she got older, she struggled immensely with various insecurities over being "good enough".

It developed into her feeling very hyper-independent. She only considers it her final option.

It's...Partially the reason why she's so estranged from her family now.

Undiagnosed autistic (currently going through burnout)

Major reason why she kept failing medical school: She kept running out of money she earned from working hauls with Pony Express. Is in debt.

On the ship, she...Doesn't do much. With such a small crew, there's very little chance of anyone getting seriously hurt. And the food...Well, it's terrible, but not enough to make anyone sick.

She spends a lot of time (during the "workday") in her office. She likes playing the music while she studies in there. It's mostly ambient music.

Bands/Artists I'd think she'd like though: The Crane Wives, Mitski, boa (Maybe Big Thief as well?)

When the crew is playing a board game and it's getting intense, she'll go eerily quiet and have this intense glare!

Smokes often, usually when she's stressed. Unfortunately on this haul, she only packed one box, so she making them last as much as she can...

Also has a journal. She mainly uses it to vent her frustrations out. It's the only thing that will "listen" to her.

She's cold to the touch

After her first haul, she packed extra blankets. You can't tell me the Tulpar isn't cold 24/7!

Near-sighted! She wears contacts (I know this isn't the most original headcanon, but I wanted to mention this one!)

Curly 🚀

Mid-30s

6'1

Born in Australia, raised in America after his family moved when he was young

Bisexual, but he didn't know for a long time (At least until his late 20s)

Parents had him when they were older. Both passed by the time he was 30.

Has been Jimmy's friend since middle school.

Kept finding himself surrounded by bad influences. Sometimes he'd get out of those situations...And other times he'd stick by Jimmy.

Doesn't have that much of a social life outside of Pony Express. As a pilot, it's a super demanding job.

Daisuke 🌺

21

5'7 (Shortest of the Crew)

Japanese/Filipino (Born to immigrant parents)

Aroace, but hasn't realized yet (struggling with comphet)

Trans! At first, only Anya knew (due to medical reports). He's pretty open about it!

Loves art, but his parents didn't understand how it could've been a stable career/passion for him.

Not a morning person at all. For a while, the hardest part of being on the ship was waking up before noon.

Used to Naruto run (honestly he still does it sometimes for fun)

Not a fan of coffee unless if it's 90% creamer + sugar.

Also doesn't like alcohol (even the sweeter drinks such like Pina Coladas, Cosmopolitans, etc.), prefers soda!

Reminds Curly of when he himself was younger (right when he started working for Pony Express)

Swansea 🦢

Early 50s

5'10

American (Southeast)

Also has Welsh ancestry!

Married, has three daughters. Two of them already left the nest. He's estranged from his family due to work.

Doesn't wear his wedding ring while working. Safety hazard.

Like Curly, he goes by his last name rather than his first.

Sees Daisuke like the son he never had!

Didn't really understand what Daisuke was talking about when he came out to him. Mostly because the intern was talking really fast and used a lot of lingo Swansea couldn't begin to wrap his head around.

But he eventually got it. He's still a bit confused, but willing to learn. Just not while he's busy working.

Jimmy 🐴

(Content Warning: Implied childhood abuse and neglect.) (Additional Note: I did not make these headcanons to excuse, downplay his actions, or make him sympathetic.)

Mid-30s (A little bit older than Curly)

5'11

American (Midwest)

Rough childhood. Curly was the only one who knew the full extent of what his homelife was like. However, when Curly wanted to tell people, Jimmy pressured him not to.

He fully believed that his life would get worse if anyone got involved.

As an adult, he believes he'll never be like his father.

Barely graduated high school

HATES being called "James"

His feelings towards Curly are complicated, to say the least. They have a codependent relationship.

Listens to crunkcore and country exclusively.

[mysticstarlightduck]

Late Writeblr Intro!

Hello, friends!

I figured it was about time I made an actual blog intro of my own since I forgot to make one when I started this blog last year. Better late than never, lmao!

Pls, reblog, like, and/or reply to help boost the blog! 💕

Let's get started:

Personal Stuff! 💜🩶🖤

My name is Anna/Anya but you can call me Mystic, Ducky, or just Anya on this blog! My personal nickname is Ani and I adore it (:

I am an Asexual woman (my pronouns are she/her!) and I'm also personally an atheist who puts my faith in the spirits of Mother Nature, though I respect all other religions equally!

I'm Gen Z and Latina (Brazilian). I was raised bilingual (Brazilian Portuguese + English) and I love learning languages - currently, I'm working on learning French and Spanish! Career-wise I am studying in college to become a character designer and hopefully animator, as I want to pursue a career as an artist and writer! I also wish to have my WIPs published in the near future (:

Some fun facts about me!

My favorite shows are Critical Role, Game of Thrones, Castlevania, The Legend of Vox Machina (animated series), Star Wars, Voltron, The Dragon Prince, Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and DC Comics content, as well as many more lmao. I love watching movies and series!

My favorite Vox Machina characters are Vax'ildan and Percy (:

I am a younger sister 💖

My hair is short and curly (pixie style, similar to the haircut Rapunzel has at the end of the Tangled movie!)

I adore listening to music, especially songs that can inspire me to write my WIPs! Playlists are a huge part of my writing process and something I really enjoy making.

I'm currently rereading Shadow and Bone (+ Six of Crows) and I am always looking for more good dark fantasy/historical fantasy books to read so book recs are always welcome! I also am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series and Trials of Apollo (by Rick Riordan), though I'm usually more of a gritty/dark fantasy fan (like Game of Thrones)!

I have three dogs and two cats!😺🐶

I know how to play the piano, though I haven't done that in a while because things have been chaotic for me, but I'd like to start playing regularly again in my winter vacation.

I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old and have terrible eyesight without them (and some days with them, lol, so bear with me).

My friends and I are doing a DnD campaign every Sunday, where I play as a half-elf rogue named Aeryn (he/him). I'm adoring this adventure so far, it's so fun!!!

I love to bake and am rather good at it, but am a painfully average cook lmao (some specific recipes I make are actually rlly good, but it depends a lot on my mood and the 'alignment of the stars' lol)

I want to learn how to knit/crochet! 🧶

I'm a theater nerd and love musicals (:

About my Writing!🏹⌛

I write fictional works mostly in the genre of fantasy (high fantasy/epic fantasy/dark fantasy/historical fantasy/urban fantasy, etc. You name it!) and science fiction (space opera/cyberpunk/superhero, etc).

My works usually revolve around themes such as epic quests, secrets, adventure, rebels fighting an oppressive system, sibling bonds, acceptance/respect, outcasts, and much, much more! I love fluff and whump equally, and though my stories tend to focus on serious topics (or at least darker/heavier themes) within a fantasy/sci-fi setting, I like to have a good bit of humor, lighthearted fun, and comedy to my stories to lighten up the mood!

My main WIPs:

Song of Thorns

🌹WIP Intro: (here)🌹

Genre: dark fantasy, medieval fantasy, adventure/mystery, dark fairytale, eldritch horror (mild)

Style: Standalone (possible Trilogy)

Tags: #wip song of thorns #song of thorns

Short Summary/About: "A peasant girl moves with her siblings from her struggling seaside village to the kingdom's glittering floating capital, but after her older brother is kidnapped, she ends up discovering the dark, bloody secrets hiding behind the long-lasting royal family of the town and must team up with a young dhampir thief, the exiled prince, and a lonely druid girl to save the dying kingdom from this web of lies".

Supernova Initiative

🎇WIP Intro: (here) 🎇

Genre: space opera, adventure, exploration, laboratory whump, heist, thriller/mystery

Style: Episodic book series with an overarching plot (each chapter/group of chapters equivalent to an episode in a TV series)

Tags: #wip supernova initiative #supernova initiative

Short Summary/About: "A young intergalactic thief and his crew are captured after a heist gone wrong and forced to accept a strange deal - complete a mission for the Junction, retrieve important missing files, and get their freedom back. All the while that is happening, Jack Tithus, the protagonist, finds himself trapped as a test subject to an immoral, and elusive, man known as the Director."

Enchanted Illusions

💀 WIP Intro: (here)💀

Genre: Victorian fantasy, adventure, mystery, gothic fantasy, dark fantasy, crime-solving

Style: Possibly a trilogy

Tags: #wip enchanted illusions, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "On a magical setting inspired by Victorian times, a group of strangers and outcasts must work together to thwart a powerful secret organization and stop a murder spree that could lead to another civil war between myths and humans."

Of Starlight and Beasts

✨⚔️WIP Intro: (here)⚔️✨

Genre: medieval fantasy, epic fantasy, adventure/quest, dark fairytale, sword and sorcery, prophecies

Style: Book Series

Tags: #wip of starlight and beasts, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "A young knight in training and an amnesiac star mage embark on a quest to prevent an ancient prophecy from coming to fruition as a vengeful sorceress queen's army marches relentlessly onto their land with the intent to destroy all their kingdom has built."

The Last Wrath

🔥⚔️WIP Intro: to be made...⚔️🔥

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, political intrigue, espionage, adventure/quest, medieval fantasy, whump

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip the last wrath, #the last wrath

Short Summary/About: "In a land torn by an ancient war between two sides of a continent, a mageborn girl finds herself trapped amid the bloodshed after her past comes back to haunt her and her family. Now, stopping the war may be the only chance she still has to survive."

Tales of Wilted Flowers

��WIP Intro: to be made...🪻

Genre: RPG-inspired fantasy, high fantasy, adventure, fairytale, epic quest, heist story, whump, light fantasy

Style: Trilogy (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip tales of wilted flowers #tales of wilted flowers

Short Summary/About - "A group of youths rejected and betrayed by society in many different ways come together due to unexpected circumstances and must rely on each other to prevent the kingdom's corrupt Head Sorcerer and the King from reviving an ancient evil."

Realms of Loss

🍂WIP Intro: (here)🍂

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, medieval fantasy, high fantasy, ancient times fantasy, Viking-inspired, prophecies & curses

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip realms of loss #realms of loss

Short Summary/About - "In a continent destroyed by the fall of the Old Gods, and trapped in an endless toil for survival, a cocky young prince discovers his role in an ancient prophecy after his brother, the King, is murdered and assassins come for him too. Running away into the forsaken land beyond the walls of his kingdom, he'll have to learn to be a leader and save his people as a dead, murderous God awakens."

Mutant Inquiries/Open Secret Files

🤖 WIP Intro: to be made..🤖

Genre: superhero, cyberpunk, futuristic, dystopian, science fiction, urban fantasy

Style: Episodic Series, still in development

Tags: #wip mutant inquiries #wip open secret files #mutant inquiries #open secret files

Short Summary/About: "In a dystopian, high-tech future, a group of mutant teenagers become vigilantes and crime fighters to rebel against the oppressive government regime and survive their crime-ridden city."

I have a few other smaller-scale WIPs I occasionally, less frequently work on, such as Lies Untold and Jade Ruins, but those up above are the main ones that I wish to publish. I've also got a big, secret extra WIP I'm working on for fun and will share it with you guys soon!

[sweet-star-sketches]

Sketches + Colour from December 9th-11th, 2024 oops! new blorbos unlocked ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

listen December is Dread Month™ for me so I take whatever my brain can get to survive it emotionally, so in this instance it's joining my buddy @eleanorose123 in her current hyperfixation like I have for the past while :D So while she is still my "target audience" so to speak because she loves Yu-Gi-Oh and I like making art for friends, these are for me too :] (like all of my art is, really. I would not spend this much time on it if it wasn't at least partially for me!) I'm more or less a "fandom tourist" at this point; I don't officially go here but a friend does so I'm here visiting to have a good time, and whatever "souvenirs" I get are all the funny scenes and funky little guys that live in my head rent free now! Yippee :D I have more doodles that are actually older than this set, but I want to do a little more with them so I'll post those later :]

I have a lot to say so I'll put the rest under the cut! (apologies in advance for my verbosity but also this is my blog lol)

I have no reasoning behind why my brain arrived at the idea of Kirby crossover art that parodies an iCarly meme but do I really need it??? Naaaaaaaah :] Two of my funny space creatures together <3 I enjoy the idea of Saiou just carrying him around like "yep you're mine now :)" Ponder the orb (and buy him a smoothie) Unironically this is some of the best art I've made all year, like it turned out so absurdly well that I took it to clean lines and colour/shading, and that too came out well! They both have their respective anime colours, but with some additional highlights and coloured line art because my boys deserve it <3333

This is honestly the most fun I've had with art in a while too, though I know fan art tends to do that for an artist! Don't get me wrong, I've loved everything I've put out for my own projects and commissions this year, as I am not predominantly a fan artist despite how many things I love in that regard.

But considering I've been largely unable to actually let myself do this kind of art as frequently as I used to (the ever-looming anxiety of not getting enough commission work to live or personal project work done to tell my stories is a strong one) I really needed this, even if it was born out of necessity to survive Dread Month than anything else. That's as good a reason as any, I suppose! Might be an odd thing to reflect on for such silly/lighthearted art such as this, but I think that's the point.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that no artistic endeavour is ever truly wasted, even if you don't know how or when it'll come back to you! I actually got some really good analysis of my own art journey and style during my adventures in exploring the Yu-Gi-Oh art style here, which was as unexpected as the rest of this, honestly!

I'm already an introspective person to begin with, but the end of the year makes me reflect on things even more than usual, so thanks for reading this far! If nothing else, I hope you enjoyed the sillies :]

[meabh-mcinness]

I really loved your Narnia courting headcanons!, can we get the same but for Kalego and opera?

You sure can! We’ll start with Kalego and then do Opera in a separate post because space~ totally not because I find them harder to write hahaha😅

Main Masterlist

Kalego Courting Human!reader

Much like his older brother, it’ll take a minute for Kalego to even admit he likes you, much less try to court you.

But for a completely different reason.

Whereas Narnia wouldn’t want to because you’re human, Kalego wouldn’t want to because he seems to have some less than desirable thoughts towards “love”.

Likely due to the way he was raised I will strangle whoever came up with the Naberius rules, I swear He seems to be the type to believe love is a distraction rather than something to seek out or even want.

Probably doesn't help that you're related to a boss he hates and a student who constantly causes trouble. Not to mention who your security devil is.

Also, he probably doesn’t know you’re human still, at least in the beginning.

Because let’s be honest, at this point it’s not so much that no one trusts him with the secret so much as you just literally forgot to tell him and have assumed he knew, since both Shichirou and Opera do, and he's always involved in things that happen.

(This leads to a very funny confrontation one day when you kinda just throw out some knowledge about the human world in comparison to the Netherworld.

“You act like you’ve been there.”

“Well of course I have, it’s a bit hard to be born a human down here. Although I wouldn’t be too surprised if there's a small colony or two hidden somewhere. As a race, we're rather adaptable, it's why Iruma and I can attune to different situations so well.”

“…born as a what now?” 😐)

He may have a tiny fit about this at first.

Humans are considered weak and fragile, after all.

But he gets over it.

Once he finally admits to himself he does in fact fancy you, he still won't make a move right away.

Kalego is a surprisingly cautious demon, and he doesn't want to risk the humiliation of rejection, or make either of you uncomfortable.

He will however choose to be around you more, subtly testing the waters with your reactions to different things.

He isn't very good at it, though.

You ask to borrow a pen since yours has run out of ink? He'll hand one over with only a bit of snark, his fingers purposefully brushing against your palm and linger for a moment or two longer than necessary.

You complain, only to him, about running out of your favourite brand of something? The next day, you have an "anonymous" gift of that very thing.

He is only slightly less petty to you. Whereas other 'newbie' teachers will end up with piles of work as tall as them, yours is maybe half that.

Just as I said in Narnia's, I think demons start courtships with gifts!

I think he'll probably give you something along the lines of practicality, but specialized practicality.

Perhaps a leather-bound notebook with a pretty one of a kind design on it. If you're the artist type, he might get you the highest quality brushes with your name ingrained on them.

I still stand by that Kalego is the silent acts of service, gift giving and quiet quality time type.

He's a confirmed rich boy, and so has no issue giving you gifts he thinks are worthy of your station.

Definitely not into PDA. The most you're getting out of him in a public space is an offered elbow and a hand on your back to guide you in crowded areas. If you're lucky, you might get a hand to hold.

I don't know why, but hand holding with him just seems super OOC to me. But him placing a possessive hand on your back seems far more in character.

He's an old school lover by personality and training.

He is better at initiating at home, but not by much.

Will hug you randomly when he needs comfort, though. Buries his face in your neck to inhale your scent until he has nothing but an empty brain and you.

While he's bad at initiating touch, he's perfectly fine with you doing it. Just gotta warn him before you do bigger things.

Want to rest your head on his shoulder while you both grade? AOK, as long as you're in private.

Want to sit in his lap while you both read, sharing a glass of wine, music playing in the background? He's more than OK with that.

He also enjoys having you pet his head. Enjoys the pressure of your fingers against the spots where headaches had been forming, and then are chased away by your skilled ministrations.

Also, I feel like he would enjoy ear messages?

I personally think that much like Narnia's been confirmed to have a seriously good sense of smell, Kalego has seriously good hearing.

He says "Silence!" so much, even when the people around him don't seem that loud, because they actually are that loud to him.

Better than normal senses are both a blessing and a curse. For him, though, it's mostly a curse.

He works in a high school filled with loud teenagers and just as loud co-workers. His ears are probably practically bleeding before the first period has even started.

Which is why he enjoys the ear messages. Helps the pain go away.

When it comes to you, though? He's never been happier to have it.

He loves music, but he's found no better rhythm than your heart beat and has never heard a better vocalist, even when you're sick with a scratchy voice.

You are quite literally his favourite song.

Hope you're brushed up in musical terms, by the way. He will use them a lot.

Despite his love of music, he probably doesn't get much chance to talk about it. So you're going to bear the brunt of everything he wants to say from the "The lyrics are atrocious, but the melody is quite lovely. Though they could stand to add a piano bit here and perhaps a few more strings." to "Have you heard so-and-so's latest album? It's really very good compared to other things coming out lately. It almost seems like this band knows what they're doing. Almost."

Although let's be real, hearing him jabber on about his interests is not going to be a chore.

Speaking of interests, I hope you're OK with cacti because they are everywhere.

He likes to collect them and takes great joy in caring for them.

Will occasionally compare you to one, but he means it in a good way.

Not in a 'you're really prickly' way, but in a 'Much like their beauty, yours is incomparable and unmatched before anyone else's' kind of way.

He'll also do things for you without prompting.

Running low on items needed for a beloved hobby? You'll suddenly find them replaced the next day.

Need to eat, but you don't have the energy to cook? He'll either cook for you or have a spontaneous restaurant date.

He'll always have a fresh steaming cup of tea for you in the morning. Or your whatever your favourite drink is if you don't like tea.

On a side note, I feel bad for you coffee lovers because I'm pretty certain it doesn't exist in the Netherworld, and it doesn't seem like there is a counterpart to it.

Have fun going cold turkey! -Love from a tea enthusiast

He will play music for you!

And if you also play an instrument? Even it's just singing or a light clapping of the hands, he would love to duet with you. Having a partner to play music with is literally something I can see him looking for in a partner.

If you don't play an instrument, but like to dance? He would more than love to see you dancing to his music.

It makes him feel things he didn't know he could feel.

If you can't music or dance, don't worry! He's more than happy to just play for you as you listen.

If you're interested, though, he'll be more than happy to teach you.

Little at home dates teaching you to play the piano or the violin, or any instrument you want to learn, is one of his favourite ways to spend time with you.

Line Break

He's quite distressed though when he realizes that by courting you, he's exposing himself more to the Sullivan family. He had to call out for a few days from the headache it gave him and wanted to cry at the fact he'd have to be related to the two demons he hated most, plus his favourite problem child.

Unlike Narnia though, he's incredibly helpful with raising Iruma since he practically already saw him as his own pup anyway. (Lets be honest, all of the misfits are his kids, even if he won't admit it.)

He brings the stricter side of parenting to your softer one to help balance it out. Iruma is quite happy with this arrangement, since now he has another parent to bring pride too and encourage him.

Sullivan cries a lot at Kalego blocking him from a good portion of his overboard ideas when it comes to you and Iruma. It's one of the few times you can see Kalego and Opera working together without complaint.

He's also a real guard dog when it comes to you.

He is fully willing and able to fight off anyone and everyone who decides they want to have a go at you. Even if it's his own family members. Whether it be members who have gone rogue coughNarniacough or members who think that courting is beneath Naberius's, especially unranked demons, he'll fight them all.

Listen, I have a headcannon that the Naberius clan uses highly ranked surrogate carriers and just don't do courting/marriages because romance would be a distraction.

Kalego fully believed in this until he met you. Now he's fighting the other family members (i.e his father, because his uncle couldn't care less) into submission because he refuses to give you up.

Speaking of Naberius headcannons I'm pretty sure they all have dog tails, and while Kalego usually hides his, he'll let it out and about for you. When you're alone, of course.

He refuses to admit it out loud, but he enjoys your fingers running through his tail fur, move your fingers just right, and you might even get to see it wag a little.

Will occasionally sit down next to you and just plop his tail in your lap for the pets while pretending to have not noticed and be doing something else.

Also, he's addicted to you even if he's very good at not showing it.

He's not pleased to go an extended amount of time without seeing you.

Will be extra grump and waspish during that separation period, and then will actually be slightly touchy when you're back.

Especially after the HeartBreaker exam, he will be keeping an incredibly close eye on you, and will be making lots of excuses on why you should be spending time together. From schedule/training planning for the misfits, to paperwork discussions when on school property, to a lot of at home dates when you're not at school.

In other words you have your own personal guard dog.

[verxsyon]

·:*¨༺ ❝ 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖 (𝐈) ❞

with your auto workshop at risk of closing down, your best friend offers to introduce you to people who are definitely in need of your high quality services: underground street racers of blue lock, whose obsessions are winning the races. however, your arrival at the track makes them think otherwise.

✧ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. kira ryosuke, isagi yoichi, bachira meguru, chigiri hyoma, kunigami rensuke, barou shouei, niko ikki, mikage reo, & nagi seishiro x gn!reader

✧ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭. headcanon (written) ; 1.1k

✧ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞. e2l au, f2l au, street racer au ; fluff

✧ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. slight possessive behavior (barou)

✧ 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚. so my streamer au hcs popped off… ngl, i wasn’t expecting much, but thanks for that! here’s another one with more characters into the mix. i’ve been waiting to write this au, ugh. this was originally a huge post with 18 characters, but i thought it was too much so i’m splitting this into two parts. hm, a week or two for the second part?

[ 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖 (𝐈𝐈) ] 

𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐞. the jewel. he has been your best friend since diapers, as well as your soulmate, partner-in-crime, ride or die, and a lot of other things referring to him as your other half. as your best friend, he hates to see you unhappy. for instance, recently, he tells you that he knows people who will gladly pay you a generous amount to fix their cars, risking your safety because it’s blue lock of all things. it’s not easy to turn him down, so you agree to meet your new potential customers at the track underground despite the consequences. the likes of you rarely come to blue lock so it’s natural to have everyone wary of your arrival, which he warns you to stay close to him.

𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢 𝐲𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢. the heart. he’s relatively new to blue lock, but is already very popular among the audience for the freshness he brings to the atmosphere, which most of the older racers lack. ryosuke’s his first friend, so at least there’s someone other than your partner who you can trust. you’re in his care while ryosuke checks in with the rest of his team, and he decides to give you a tour of blue lock to keep you entertained. he’s sweet and kind, asking you if you want water and if you feel alright because racers have been staring at you since you arrived. before he can say more, an uproar booms, caused by a racer standing proudly on his car with paint all over his body.

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮. the monster. he loves decorating, especially his car which explains the spray paint, but is terrible at being an artist. on the surface, he seems playful and cheerful, performing some sort of gymnastics routine through the crowd to isagi and greets him with pinches and stretches on his cheeks. however, his gaze tells a whole other story. he’s dangerous, with the possibility that he can beat up the entire venue with his spray paint bottles. jokes aside, he’s made a strong first impression, and it seems like he feels the same when he’s up at your face, studying you intensely. that earns him a flick on the forehead from a red-haired boy who’s too pretty to be true.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐢 𝐡𝐲𝐨𝐦𝐚. the surge. he’s the fastest racer in blue lock, securing every victory at the speed of light. also known as its “princess”, but he doesn’t seem too fond of that moniker. as he approaches bachira to scold him for always scaring newcomers, his beauty is so unreal that you don’t even realize you’ve been staring at him until he tells you to stop and that you’re turning into bachira. in all seriousness, he apologizes for teammate’s antics, justifying that he acts like that before a highly anticipated race. he’s out due to a leg injury and has a teammate helping him to stay in shape: a bulky racer with orange spiky hair who you first see at the team garage.

𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐞. the hero. he’s the strongest racer in blue lock in terms of endurance, outlasting everyone in those types of races. the de facto leader of team z, he acts as an older brother to them as he’s very protective and solves issues in a civil manner, which balances out his hot-blooded personality. he’s more than thrilled to have you as blue lock’s business partner, but first things first, as ryosuke has matters to take care of, he’s asked on his behalf to take you home. you thank him for the ride and being nice to you. embarrassed, he says he’ll see you at the race before zooming away.

𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐞𝐢. the king. he’s the leader of team y, the racer ryosuke’s been complaining about ever since he came back to your shop the day after your first time to blue lock. based on his description, he’s selfish and arrogant, claiming that the venue is his throne, and also that he’ll be one of the competitors in the upcoming race. ryosuke advises you to refuse him if he visits. after all, you have that right; but out of goodwill, you won’t. sometimes you wish you don’t mean the things that you’ve said because you disliked him upon the first verbal exchange. he had the audacity to tell you you’re his when he wins. you’ll follow ryosuke’s advice for sure when this guy comes.

𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐨 𝐢𝐤𝐤𝐢. the sentry. he’s the youngest member of blue lock and the only non-racer. instead, he has sharp eyesight for alerting everyone when the police are near. he’s seen your little exchange with barou, so he decides to talk to you about him. not only is his ability useful for avoiding trouble with the law, he can analyze hand movements and facial expressions, whether they’re genuine or not. barou rarely says that to anyone, meaning he’s not an exception to be captivated by you. this boy admits you’re one of the people he admires due to your mechanical expertise. as he had said, him and barou aren’t the only ones; a fan favorite’s waiting to be graced by your presence.

𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐨. the heir. he’s the leader as well as the second-best racer of team v. he considers ryosuke to be one of the best racers in blue lock, besides his best friend nagi of course, which is what he’ll use during his negotiations with you. a master at that developed by his upbringing, they worked on the majority of his teammates, earning their respect, so he hopes that you’ll find his terms reasonable and work for him. but what he doesn’t expect is you playing hard to get. you think a pretty rich boy like him deserves a wild goose chase for shits and giggles, but in fact, it makes his pursuit very exhilarating like his races. nagi thinks that what he’s doing is a waste of time.

𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢 𝐬𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨. the genius. he’s the best racer of team v and is ranked sixth of the top six racers of blue lock. most people would be happy about their achievements, but he doesn’t care as they’re essentially reo’s efforts. all he cares about are his video games and his cactus, until you arrived. he’s interested in attempting to impress you, with “attempt” being the keyword. but reo does all his work once again by introducing him to you as his most prized possession. you may not believe it because of his lazy disposition, but reo promises that you’ll see his full potential in the upcoming race. someone else who he doesn’t find to be a bother, he hopes to see you more often.

✧ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬. if your url is in bold, that means i can’t tag you!

@2018-01-20 ; @astranne ; @kamiiyaka​ ; @keqism ; @lilikags ; @wanderersbell ; @venexus

[easybrainrot34]

🖼️Lil Benedict Bridgerton Headcanons Pt 2🖼️

Woohoo part 2 baby!! Part 1 is right here! Some of these are modern!AU some of these are Regency era. As I said before I am truly a ✨slut✨ for this man. Hope y’all enjoy 😊

All r fluff and crack. Bonus Polin Headcanon ❤️

🎨= modern!AU

🎻= Renaissance era

🎨🎻= either

Also mentioned : Colin, Anthony, Kathony, Queer!Eloise, Gregory, and Polin

Ps, my ask and request r open :)

🎨 He went on a gap year before college to travel the world. He went kinda everywhere but he’s not one of those people that’s pretentious and has to talk about it all the time (no shade Colin, he’s more of an excited puppy about where he’s been anyway)

🎨 During cov!d he really honed in on his skills as an artist but also got really into skincare and hair care. Now he does a whole curly hair care routine because even though I can see him keeping his hair on the shorter side, he still likes it to have a little body.

🎨🎻 He would never admit it to Anthony (at least sober) but he wants the love that Kate and Anthony have for each other. He is such a hopeless romantic and I think he wants nothing more in this world than to find someone he feels he truly can’t live without.

🎻 Now we all know Benedict goes to balls more out of family obligation than actually wanting to, but I truly feel like once he’s married, he wants you to throw balls every season. He loves being able to show you off and what better setting them a ball with you as the person of honor. I also feel like he would enjoy throwing balls/parties for his more artistic, not part of the ton friends.

🎨 Now let’s say this is a modern AU where Eloise is a lesbian and our dear Ben is bisexual. I feel like when Eloise came out to him and said “I’m gay” he said, with no hesitation “you too?” I feel like the next day this man would just barge into her place with a gift bag full of Girl in Red, Chappell Roan, and Raneé Rapp albums, a pride flag, and a Carabiner. She would give him the “these are all stereotypes” lecture, but truly she appreciates it.

🎨🎻 I feel like he is very weak willed when it comes to his nieces and nephews. Like he is the favorite uncle, yes it took him bribing the kiddos, and yes he has no shame about it. He would stay firm with them (respecting the majority of set rules) but he will let them get away with small things. It will take him having his own kiddos to understand where everyone is coming from. (trust & believe that the siblings take their revenge)

🎨 He’s weak for a sundress. Weather it’s a cute little flower print, or a simple solid color, he just loves a little flowy sundress. I can’t explain it. It’s just this man’s weakness. (Btw this is what I mean when I say sundress, because apparently the Internet is having a debate about this right now lol)

🎻 Y’all remember when people were painting on each other’s bodies during Covid? Yeah he would do that. I feel like he would very much use u as a canvas during yall’s honeymoon. I feel like it would also end in a little ✨spicy time✨

🎨 While I can really see this man not giving a fck about whether he is fit or not I feel like as he starts to get a little bit older (late 30s early 40s) he would sign up for the gym. I feel like this will be a combination of him wanting to, but also Anthony, Colin, and Gregory would tease him about getting a “dad bod”. He knows though that you love it so he wouldn’t try to get too fit, just enough to be a little toned.

🎨🎻BONUS🎻🎨

He has such a fondness for Pen. This man is in her corner, if her and Colin get into a fight he automatically is taking her side. If he sees Cressida doing some shady sh!t he’s calling her out right then and there. I also feel once Colin and Pen announce their engagement, he would go to her and say “I’m sorry it took him so long to realize what we all knew” AHHH I JUST KNOW HE SHIPS POLIN!!!

[billiousserpent]

This is my interpretation of Keegan P. Russ luvlies!!

Man I've seen people talk about how they were disappointed when they saw his face so I draw him in my style instead. Literally had to trace his facial features so y'all can see what I see 😘

Let's talk about his face— Okay, some may say that I might've draw him a little older than how he old he actually is(?) But that's just how I view him as. Let's be real here this man is almost in his forties, fucking tired from his job, too. The fuck y'all expect? A role model 😭??

Though from how I draw him, he may look a little similar towards Blooms, can you blame me? I traced it and had to at least give Brian some credits for the character. (Ngl he has a big ass forehead, I love it.)

Hair? I like to think that he may, or may not get it buzzed, but either way, I like it. In my opinion, this man has very thick silky hair yet often keeps it trimmed due to his job requirements. Man barely gets contact with ANY necessary products for his body nor hair in a normal daily basis

Little plus— I think he would have a pretty jawline, but I can't say it's the most visible, though. But you can still feel it whenever you caress his handsome face. I have a feeling his facial hair also grows fast, so he shaves it almost every(?) morning to keep it neat. Sometimes would forget it, though. You know what's his reminder? The amount to discomfort he feels once he puts his mask on, man can't even complain shit cus he knew it's his fault for forgetting (poor bebe) I also wanted to add his tattoos, but still don't know how to unfortunately :(( Think it's more of tentacles and as for his leg, i can say there's a cobweb design but can't really see the rest.

Also this is how I would see him if he hasn't buzzed his hair yet 👇👇👇

I'd also like to address that the HCs are from a friend of mine! I have spoken to one of the artist where my friend got the inspiration from, and wanted to give credits to them!

Credits to: @moosch !!

You should check out their content about this man (or about the Ghosts), too! To me (+ my friend) their HCs of him are very accurate!!

[kosmicdream]

Please don’t think of me as a male artist.

..is what i used to feel, for many years, even when I finally came out as trans. In a way, its one of the factors that kept me from pursuing HRT (which im so glad i finally did.) After only one year, my feeling on this hasn’t evaporated completely but i suppose I kind of don’t care anymore about how I am interpreted, as a person/artist, ect.. It isn’t something i can be in control of anyway, which upsets me less than it used to.

Sometimes in the past, the way i write characters has often been analyzed by the gender I am, or appear to be - that my male characters were written like how a woman writes men (too emotional/vulnerable, ect) , or how my female characters are written thoughtlessly- like how a man would. (too horny, stupid, violent, ect.) Its not a new way to analyze a story but I can’t say that it doesn’t annoy me. It could still be true that my characters/writing could fall into sexist/problematic archetypes, but gendering my work based on the way my characters act always reminds me of the “you draw like a girl/boy” comments, which used to be more frequent when i was a teen.. But the idea that boys = angular, good at cars! Or something and girls are, i dunno, gonna draw sexy anime men or something. Even as a teenager, i hated this idea that my art was “girl art.” Truthfully, i always viewed my art and myself as an artist as genderfluid, maybe even a type of drag performance, where i can explore any gender and not be limited by my body, it was my escape from that. Which naturally, it became my place to explore gender presentation and eventually helped me “crack my egg” of realizing i was a trans man.

I do think its important to reflect or regard my work as the art made by a trans man, or transmasculine person. I feel more and more just like “just a dude” these days. I am also a gay man. I think those things are important to my work. I think that the analysis of my work in regards to my identity as a person is important to reflect on. I also think the steps I took to get there were important, that transformation and my continued exploration of my older selves and more “label-less” self in the art i make. That’s a private space for me, that I happen to share with the world too. I feel the audience is part of my work too, I welcome it even. I have become part of the audience too and I look at my work as if I’m also a stranger. The older my work gets, the more of it I can study, the more I can see plainly how I got here and also it feels so confusing how it did. I try to study my art to help me find where I want to go to next, a map to guide me. 

In some ways, I feel more lost than I did before, where all my instinct was pushing me was just to grow and explore as much as possible. Now, I don’t have that same type of energy that I used to. Its not a bad thing, its just different. There’s a sense of duty and commitment and a sense of dread of the time it takes to do what I feel compelled to do on this step of my journey. I am trying to focus more on the things I used to think I was incapable of before and I’m trying to remember the things I used to think were so effortless. I can tell my art is sharper but it feels almost like a mimicry of my older selves - at least when I revisit old work to continue its journey past where its been frozen in time. Comics take a long time, after all, it's normal that after a few years - a story might be yours, but it feels like it belongs to the past of you too, maybe more than it does in the present. I like the commitment I have to my comics though, its not a burden to me. The feeling is strange anyway. 

I tend to think that 1-3 years of a project being made, those are the honeymoon years of the relationship. But you hit a wall in 4-5 years and sometimes you’re in denial about it, you try to keep the dreams and feeling alive as you drag it forward, and sometimes the project really reaches its end around 8-10 years and it becomes a type of empty promise to return to it. Not that this is true for every artist, every project, ect. But I think its a natural lifespan for comics that I’ve observed, and it's because it is uncomfortable to face morality and the morality of our own art. Art is this escape, and when it becomes a job - or an uncomfortable mirror into these things about ourselves, about our failures and promises we couldn’t manage to make, the pressures of the audience, the boredom of the task if you have already told yourself the story a thousand times and you have no longer a desire to continue it, ect - its a normal and natural feeling to want to drop it off a cliff. Blow it up, start over fresh - I know the feeling! Its happened many times. But its kind of temporary? Then, it cycles back to nostalgia - and the desire to create and recreate and reform the past to something tangible again.. uh

Sorry, sorry.. I am getting far from the point I started with. Not that any of this makes too much sense, I feel like writing it anyway. It bothers me that the fantasy of art to me, is the ability to dissolve yourself and stop existing, you are the creator creating. You don’t need to be confined by, really anything. It is in “your control” now, and you surrender your own control by falling into the art and letting it “lead you” places. This is a very seductive process and while it might temporarily be fulfilling (even when done for a lifetime) cannot really.. What.. completely fill the void of whatever you’re chasing down there? Its nice though. At least, when I think about when i first started drawing comics, it was to draw Vash the Stampede (from the original 98 anime series, i hate the new one. We’re not talking about there here) coming out of my television after a thunderstorm and he had to just live in my house now. It was the closest thing I could do to actually manifesting that as reality, of making this amazing anime husband come to life to just like live with me now and be my boyfriend. In a lot of ways I don’t see my pursuit of writing ocs, specifically male ones, really much different from this same desire of like “i can just make my perfect boyfriend!” born out of the loneliness I felt in my heart, and the fear that there is no boyfriend out there for me so i need to frankenstein my own - and this boyfriend will be poifect in every way. Or like, crafting the perfect “relationship” in replace the lack of one, or just the fantasy of watching very abstract extremes come to life in various puppets i crafted, beating the shit out of each other for entertainment. But to subject all these.. Abstract Internal conflicts as simply like a “boy author thing” or “girl author thing” is like.. Tiring. Are we really not past that? (Of course not.) 

Like there’s some hidden truth to the way someone might write/draw, the way that “makes sense” in retrospect once the identity of the author is analyzed and discovered.. How can you make sense of the self, let alone the other .. and In a way that’s permanent? And gendered? Does art now have an inherent sex characteristic? But I cannot deny that I do want my art to look and feel like part of who I am, what I have chosen to sexually identify as - a transgender, a man, a faggot. I DO identify as a sexual deviant, but that is hilarious because I have been single for so long at this point I can’t even remember in a tangible way what that felt like and I question if I ever felt it or experienced it “for realsies” because of the experiences I have had or havent didn’t feel very fulfilling or romantic, despite that being something I desire so much - and so I feel like a failure. And to create art just based on the fantasy of desire rather than the lived reality, can it even really display what that would actually be like. So its embarrassing, right? 

I have worked on my art a lot and I have often thought, or come to the conclusion (true or not) that my singleness is the result of my pursuit and dedication to art - which is the pursuit of self isolation and protection from harm. From influence, from acknowledging that life can exist and someday end. And when you work on projects for years and years, the pride/shame dichotomy only gets more.. Weird. It gets weird, guys! It always was weird, but.. I just think about so many my heroes, my art inspirations, working decades on their art.. I follow in their footsteps too and it feels scarier and lonelier than I expected it to be. And the more and more I realized that as a reality, as my 20s faded away, the more I kept walking. I wasn’t gonna stop now, even if I could, I don’t want to and its not hard to do other things too. I have a slower pace than I used to (thank god) and gets slower but I’m still moving. 

I don’t post or write my little art journals as much as I used to. Mostly cause I don’t really have anything good to say and it kinda feels embarrassing to post them too LOL. But.. whatever!! Its been a weird four months of me being off work and I’m about to go back to being a normal working person again.. But its like, its weird to tell people about your art when they ask about what you do. Its like “oh yeah, i draw webcomics” and they wont get it, you’ll say - “yeah its 8,000 pages long” and they’ll say, “thats a lot!” and it is. They’re very nice about it, but there’s a lack of satisfaction there with what that means. I don’t expect it, that’d be dumb as hell. Its nice to take a break from it too, to discover other sides of myself I never let shine because i stayed indoors for a decade, but its a weird feeling too. Like, what will it mean in the end? I don’t really know. 

I don’t think I need “success” to feel like this was worth it, its not like a trophy is gonna come in the mail for the good workTM I’ve done - there is no closure to the work I make even when a story finishes. I have to keep going regardless of that, and its strange to know it won’t ever feel done. But I am so thirsty for that temporary itch to be scratched, it keeps me working every day for the “maybe” of what that might feel like. Kinda silly, really. Is it my “male” pride that demands recognition? Would respect be given more freely if I had “remained” to be perceived as a woman, for subverting the expectations for what a woman can/can’t write? (lol) Is my value as a person determined by that sort of thing in my art? I don’t think of my pride as gendered, but I know its there and I know because of who I say I am, my pride will be gendered by others. I think when I was a woman, that pissed me off more than now because.. Well.. I wasn’t even living as the way i wanted to. I still don’t really live as the way I want to, the way I want to be perceived, but even being on HRT for a little more than 1 year, without much else lifestyle changes, I feel a little more at peace not mattering what others will take away from me or what i write about. I have a lot of my own expectations for myself and what i write about and that concerns me far more. 

I don’t really know how else to end this, I’m going to eat chocolate now. Oh, to answer your question (?) if you might have this one: can I think of you as a male artist, kosmic? sure. I am one after all.

[in1-nutshell]

Bot Buddy the single parent with Optimus Primal, Rattrap, and Silverbolt

SFW, Platonic, Familial, Cybertronian reader

BW

Buddy needed a break. They had been running on fumes for the past couple of days. From the stress of the Predacons to their regular duties as a parent and teammate, everything was becoming too much. And if they didn’t do it soon their team was going to have an intervention. They didn’t want to go through that one again like last time.

But the world doesn’t stop when one is a single parent. Luckily, they had help.

Optimus Primal

The second-best babysitter on this list.

He has a calming effect on the sparkling so they don’t cause too much trouble.

Primal while he is the leader of the Maximals, he also wants to help the others when they need it.

He is glad that Buddy has finally decided to take a break, he is more than welcome to take care of the sparkling.

“Are you sure that this isn’t a problem? I could always ask Silverbolt.”--Buddy

“Yes, ask Silverbolt!”--Silverbolt

“No, you’re on patrol duty today with Blackarachnia—”--Optimus

“Never mind, patrol duty it is!”--Silverbolt

“Anyways, thank you Primal. I’ll see you in a little bit.”--Buddy

“Take your time Buddy, we are here to help.”—Optimus

If the sparkling is restless, there is a good chance that Primal will bring them on a small trip outside the base in his jetpack. That always gets the kid giggle and tuckered out.

As the sparkling gets tired Primal will hold them close to his chassis as he continues doing his work. More than likely the sparkling falls asleep with a death grip on the leader’s arm.

Primal refuses to move the little one so he finishes the rest of his work with one arm.

When Buddy comes back to take the sparkling Primal tells them that they weren’t trouble and to remember that if Buddy does need to take another break, he and some of the others are more than willing to help Buddy out.

“Thank you again Primal. I hope they weren’t that much trouble.”--Buddy

“Not at all, and remember don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, okay?”--Optimus

“Noted Primal and thanks.”—Buddy

Rattrap

He is the last on the list. Not that he is the worst though, he is a good babysitter. One of the best on the team, he just falls short on this list.

The only reason he volunteered to babysit was to make sure Buddy was rested enough so he didn’t have to go on patrol with Dinobot again.

That’s the story he tells everyone at least.

He is glad Buddy understands their limitations and is willing to help his pal.

“Now while I like the Tike and all, why me? Why not ol’ lovesick puppy over there?”--Rattrap

“Yes—”--Silverbolt

“Silverbolt you are recovering from that ambush from yesterday. There is no way I’m letting the little one potentially undo your progress.”--Buddy

“But—”--Silverbolt

“No ‘but’s’ Lover boy. Now give me the kid.”--Rattrap

Now Rattrap knows that smaller bots can cause a ton of trouble. He has caused the Predacons tons of helmaches from his antics. So, he is preparing for the sparklings arrival. The sparkling keeps him on his toes the entire time he is playing with them.

When the sparkling gets tired Rattrap, after he makes sure no one is watching, rocks the sparkling back and forth until they fall asleep.

Rattrap takes this time to catch some z’s himself.

Does the sparkling escape his grasp while he is taking a nap? Yes, yes, they do.

But he made sure that his room was sparkling proofed and had a silent alarm that would alert him of the sparklings movements. He is up and ready to catch the little one.

When Buddy comes back to get the sparkling, Rattrap has most of the sparklings this ready. He keeps some of the stuff in case he has to babysit again. He makes sure to tell Buddy to let the little tike take a nap before babysitting duties again.

“The kids gonna be a natural escape artist when they get older.”--Rattrap

“Part of me hopes not.”--Buddy

“Yeah… but I do have the placed decked with cameras if that gives ya something to think or something...”--Rattrap

“Thanks Rattrap. I mean it.”--Buddy

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get soft on me. You owe me some patrols to make up for the one’s with Scalebelly.”--Rattrap

“Sure thing.”--Buddy

“I am right here!?”--Dinobot

Silverbolt

He is number one on this list.

He is ready for the sparkling.

Silverbolt almost takes the sparkling from Buddy’s servos when they ask him for help.

“Hey Silverbolt, do you mind looking after—”--Buddy

“FINALLY—I mean of course!”--Silverbolt

Silverbolt has everything ready for the sparkling.

They want to play a game? He knows the sparklings top 3 games they like to play.

They want to get out of the base for a bit? He already knows the perfect places to fly around.

They want a story? How about the time he met Blackarachnia for the first time, that one always puts the to sleep.

When the sparkling does start falling asleep, he has his room with soft blankets and pillows for the sparkling to take their nap while he watches them vigilantly. That sparkling is not leaving that room without him knowing.

When Buddy comes back to take the sparkling, Silverbolt is laughing with the sparkling who is in a mini carrier strapped on his chassis. For the sake of both, Buddy takes a longer break.

“Hey I’m back—”--Buddy

Silverbolt and the sparkling laughing and just having a great time before noticing Buddy in the room.

“…I don’t want to spoil the fun, but if you want to have them for a bit longer—”--Buddy

“YES—I mean if you don’t mind.”--Silverbolt

“Not at all. I think I could go for a longer break.”--Buddy

[crayonbunnyagere]

Big long ramble about some stuff below. TLDR of it is “I think we should make this community a SFW 18+ one, instead of just a SFW one.”

Yesterday’s ask has had me thinking a bit about the age regression community, and how there does appear to be a fair amount of minors in it. This is something that makes me a bit concerned for their safety. Simply put, no matter how much you argue it isn’t, we have to acknowledge that this community, the agere community, isn’t that far from the AB/DL community. For those unaware, that community is made up of people who are either Adult Babies (the AB portion, made up of people who are also age regressors, but also age players, and caregivers), Diaper Lovers (the DL portion, made up of people who love to wear diapers, either for sexual or non sexual reasons), a bit of both AB and DL. Now the AB/DL community is a kink community, and thus it only allows people who are 18 or older. Despite this, as with any kink, it can be sexual or nonsexual. There is a not so insignificant portion of the AB/DL community who are fully non sexual age regressors who are fully SFW people. But because they identify with a kink community and identity, any space they run is 18+ only, once again highlighting the Adult part of Adult Baby. Now, personally, I don’t like interacting with minors, in fact I prefer the people i interact with personally be at least 21 nowadays, as i feel teenagers, even 18 and 19 year olds, aren’t mature enough. This is a personal preference based off of my own lived experience, and because of it, i had decided a few years ago to make my personal social media accounts 18+ pages. I also wanted to make more mature art at the time (I’m an artist irl), so i felt it was also worth removing those under 18 so I could explore more mature and personal topics. When making this account, @crayonbunnyagere, i had very simple plans for it. I would model it after agre blogs on this platform, tumblr, but content wise it would basically be an art blog with occasional posts of gif sets from movies and shows i saw as a kid. It would evolve with some encouragement from my therapist, and become more blog like, with some occasional posts like the Bunny posts. Whenever i do something like go to build-a-bear or i do something like play with play dough, i would post here. Furthermore i decided to expand Crayon Bunny to Bluesky and Twitter. On those platforms I noticed the agere community is SFW, but many accounts are 18+, and I felt like on those platforms, the agere community is much closer to the AB/DL community than it is here. As such, I felt it made sense to make my agere spaces 18+ too, and honestly, I’m wondering if the community in general should be 18+. Seeing the first search results and uh…

Yeah… like, i don’t know, it just makes sense to me, to make this space 18+. I don’t really know, like, can i get some other opinions on this? Do y’all agree? Disagree? Why do you feel that way?

[cosmicvenusnebula]

⋆ Teachers Pet - I ⋆

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Characters: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

AU: Modern (No Outbreak)

Chapter description: Your first day of college.

Contents: Fluff, incredibly large age-gap, cussing, slow burn, very feminine Y/n, mentions of childhood trauma and parental death,

Word Count: 673 - 3,707 characters.

A/n: As of right now, I am 17. I turn 18 in 53 days, so it's gonna be slow burn until January 2025, then its gonna get smutty <3

Also no fucking idea when I will be releasing more chapters, I have severe writers block.

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Masterlist

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"Here you go Miss L/n! Your first class starts in 30 minutes." A nice lady at the office hands you your semesters schedule, your first class was music in Building C.

You begin walking towards your first class, looking around you can't believe how big everything is. It almost reminds you of a castle... albeit a crappy castle. You only went to in-person education for Elementary so it never occurred to you that schools for older people would be bigger.

Junior High and Highschool took place in your living room in-front of a large computer, bored 24/7, zoned out into the screen as your parents argued all day.

You didn't understand why your parents refused to let you in public school, but at least you were still able to get good grades, even pick up a few skills in art and music despite the cons of being home everyday.

After you graduated highschool, it wasn't a surprise when your father said you shouldn't go to public college because you were "too much".

It also wasn't a surprise when he drank himself to death a year later. It was the same night he got taken away by an ambulance that you realized he never wanted you to go to public school because he couldn't control what you did or said.

You finally started researching colleges, and you got yourself enrolled to Texas University of Art and Music. Having your entire childhood spent drawing, painting, and singing you have a strong connection to the artistic side of yourself.

Thankfully the university gave you grants, and your mom used all your dead fathers money to pay for what expenses were left.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You make it to your first class 10 minutes early, finding your assigned seat you sit down and drop your bag at your feet. You look around slightly and notice a couple girls your age staring, and as you continue to look around you notice no one else is wearing a dress.

'Whatever' you think to yourself, it was just a pink sundress, with light pink tights, a white cardigan, and your white sneakers. You didn't feel like you overdressed, this was just your aesthetic, you wore this kind of outfit every time you went out of the house.

Jeans were uncomfortable, and you only wore sweatpants or shorts to bed.

The faint sound of the large clock in the middle district dinging, letting everyone know the hour was up and it was now 9am.

A older female walks in, followed by an even older man. She looked around 54, the man looked a little over 60, and he was... quite attractive. He was taller than you, with salt and pepper hair, a scruffy short beard and mustache, and he was well built but had a slight dad-bod.

"Good morning everyone! I am Professor Servopoulos, I will be teaching you how to properly use your vocals over this next year." The women said, gesturing to the man to go next. "I uhm. I'm Professor Miller, and I'll be showing you how to play instruments." He seems to be slightly nervous, or maybe just awkward.

"Singers, please enter the open door to your left. That's the room we will hold our class in. Instrument players, please stay where you are." Professor Servopoulos walks through the door with her students, turning on the light and you see a choir set-up.

After the door shuts, Professor Miller clears his throat. "Ok, everyone." He says clapping his hands, voice deep and gruff. "This class is to teach you how to teach others music. It's purpose is to give you opportunities for jobs like mine. Today is orientation, and there is a paper on all of your desks, fill it out and hand it back to me when your done."

You begin to fill out the paper, it's a get to know you page. Questions about you, your goals for the future, and 4 options for what instrument category you want to excel in.

Stringed

Percussion

Brass

Woodwind

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I'ma leave it there, it's not good I know, but I don't know how to do slow burn, so uh... we'll pick up in the next chapter <3

(Trust me I am way better at one-shots so... oof sorry)