#time to get back to updates and commissions!!! 💪💪💪

[bigfatbreak]

been a long week. we'll see if i overstepped at work and am gonna get myself shitmixed/scolded but in the very least, my girls at work should have a better foothold on things

[czenzo]

Watch Out for Skull – Chapter 5

[ao3] chapter links: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]

summary: Lucy takes on a cat-sitting job for a stranger, hoping for a quiet week in a nice London flat, with free food, no bills, and enough time to finish an art commission. But the cat is a menace, and the stranger’s friend is ridiculously charming—and a huge distraction.

words: 2,316 rating: T

note: I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! uni is KILLING ME right now but I'm determined to get this degree while writing about my blorbos 💪 hope it was worth the wait!

Lockwood stayed the night. Luckily, he had no qualms about using George’s bed. He woke up before Lucy; she blearily opened her eyes to the sound of him in the kitchen.

Before they ventured out into London’s streets at the crack of dawn, he rummaged in the cupboards and procured two thermoses, claiming that having piping tea on hand was sure to help keep their wits about them (and stop their extremities from falling off).

Assured by the comforting light of the rising sun, Lucy suggested they split up again to cover more ground. Lockwood agreed after only a moment's hesitation; she watched him walk away, sleep-mussed hair shining in the sunlight. This was the first time she hadn’t seen him so put together—knowing he forewent styling his hair and fussing the wrinkles out of his clothes for the sake of finding Skull made Lucy feel warmer than her thermos ever could.

Shaking off that line of thought, Lucy turned on her heel and resumed searching for the furry little fiend.

–––

Her feet ached, and the thermos had been drained quite some time ago.

As she weaved in and out of pedestrians, typing out a message to Lockwood—he would have told her if there were any updates, but it wouldn’t hurt to double-check—an incoming call popped up on her screen.

“Holly, hi.”

“Lucy, how are you? Actually, no, don’t answer that. How was the date?” Holly said, curiosity seeping through the phone’s speaker.

“Date?” Lucy said, before realisation dawned on her. “Oh. That date. Er—it didn’t go to plan.”

“Oh, no. How so? Was he a terrible kisser? Use awful pick-up lines?”

Lucy grimaced at the thought. “We didn’t go on the date at all.”

A moment of silence. “What?”

She took a breath. “George’s cat escaped yesterday. We were out looking for him yesterday, and we were back out at the crack of dawn today.”

“Oh, Lucy. That cat sounds like more trouble than he’s worth.”

“No,” she said quickly. “He’s a pest, but it’s kind of my fault he ran out. It’s a long story. I just hope we find him soon… I can’t bear the thought of telling George.”

“When does he get back from his trip?”

“Two days. He’s never going to forgive me, Hol.”

“Well,” Holly said slowly. “Lockwood’s helping you, right?”

“Mhm.”

“And Lockwood is George’s best friend, yes?”

Lucy narrowed her eyes. “I doubt even Lockwood could charm his best friend into forgiving a stranger who lost his cat.” Then, “Why would he even want to do that?”

“That man has been out on the streets looking for that cat with you.”

“It’s his best friend’s cat.”

“He’s spoken to you every day. Visited you almost every day.”

“…It’s his best friend’s cat.”

“That cat hates him! He clearly likes spending time with you. I think he’d make a good case about you to George. Besides,” Holly said with easy confidence, “I��m sure you’ll find the cat. If he’s used to being indoors, he’s probably too frightened to venture far.”

“I don’t know,” Lucy said, squinting up at a passing tree. “He likes climbing. Maybe I’ll have to get on Lockwood’s shoulders with a pair of binocu—”

Lucy stopped in her tracks.

“Lucy Carlyle. You can’t use a missing cat as an excuse to put his head between—”

“Shut up.”

“You’re being the scandalous one here, Lucy.”

“No, seriously. Shut up. I think I just heard a meow.”

Holly obediently went silent as Lucy whipped her head this way and that. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the bag of treats, and rattled it with wild abandon.

And something yowled in return.

Lucy craned her neck, shielding her eyes from the sun as she examined the tree, and—

There was a black hole hidden between the leaves.

Two wide, bright eyes stared back at her.

Skull cried out again, paws slipping on the branch as he attempted to inch across it.

“Holly,” Lucy said, breathlessly. “I’ll call you back later.”

–––

“How the actual hell did he get all the way up there?”

With hands on his hips, Lockwood squinted up at Skull’s precarious position.

“I don’t know,” Lucy said, still startled at how fast he appeared after she called. His breath was laboured and hair even more mussed than when she last saw him—had he run the whole way to her? “But between the two of us, you have a better chance of reaching him.”

Lockwood gave her a withering look. “He hates me.”

She nodded up at Skull. “Look at him. If anything, he’ll be thanking you for getting him down.”

“This isn’t exactly the best attire for scaling trees,” he murmured, but nevertheless approached the trunk. His ascent was far from graceful. Lucy stayed at the base, watching carefully for any slips or stumbles, but they both knew her presence beneath him simply served as a comfort and not a real line of defence should he fall. Lucy wasn’t puny by any means, but a plummeting Lockwood would still flatten her against the ground.

“Be careful,” she said, uselessly.

“Trying my best,” Lockwood said tightly. He inched closer to Skull, who instinctively began treading backwards. “No, no… Don’t— Please, come here. Please.”

Skull examined the outstretched hand with wide eyes and a twitching nose, but stubbornly stayed put.

“I swear to God,” Lucy called up, “if you come down right now I’ll give you all the treats you could possibly want. Stop being a dick, Skull!”

Skull’s ears twitched. A flash of hope appeared on Lockwood’s face, and he braced himself to grab the cat and bundle him against his chest—when all of a sudden, Skull hopped onto his arm, travelled its length, and promptly sat on his shoulder, gripping his claws into either side of Lockwood’s head.

His breath hitched. Lucy grimaced as she imagined the sensation of tiny knives in his temples.

But Skull stayed put, curling his head into Lockwood’s hair, and didn’t move a muscle as Lockwood began his painfully slow descent back to the ground. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Skull threw himself off his shoulders and skittered over to Lucy, who crouched with open, welcoming arms, but stopped dead in his tracks in front of her and put on a pretence of nonchalance. Lucy let her arms drop as she watched him groom away the cobwebs and dirt matted in his fur, examine his claws, and look everywhere but at her.

Lockwood laughed. “I think he’s happy to see you.”

Lucy looked up at him; he was too preoccupied brushing off his trousers to notice her staring or spot the gleam in her eyes. “Thank you, Lockwood.”

“It was nothing.”

“No,” she insisted. “Seriously. You saved my arse—and Skull’s. Thank you.”

“Oh, come off it,” he said, turning away not quite quick enough to hide the flush in his cheeks. “It was partly my fault he escaped in the first place.”

Lucy scooped an unsuspecting Skull up into her arms. For a moment, he stilled, then subtly nuzzled his nose against her neck. His purrs were near silent, but Lucy could feel the gentle rumbles in her bones. “I’d suggest a celebratory Swiss roll, but we’ve already scoffed it all.”

After a moment’s thought, Lockwood perked up. “Would doughnuts do the trick? I know just the place.”

–––

Skull was practically glued to Lucy’s ankles as she brewed the tea and plated the doughnuts; she was rather impressed with her ability to not fall flat on her face as he repeatedly circled her.

He hadn’t left her side since returning home.

“How about Sharknado?” Lockwood called from the next room.

“No,” Lucy said immediately.

“Cocaine Bear?”

Lucy peered out of the kitchen and caught his eye. The sarcastic comment she had locked and loaded died at the back of her throat as she saw his charmingly lopsided grin.

“You have terrible taste,” she managed to say eventually.

“Maybe I’ll let Skull pick instead,” he said. “Let him trot on the remote and see where it takes us.”

Skull looked up at her with wide eyes. Lucy shrugged in agreement. “Sounds better than trusting your judgement.”

Lockwood pressed a hand to his chest, brows knotting in a silly pretence of offence. “I’m wounded, Lucy.”

She huffed a laugh as she nipped back into the kitchen. Lockwood jumped out of his seat and followed, helping her transport the mugs and plates to the coffee table.

He smiled upon seeing Lucy’s mug. “I take it you liked my charity shop find?”

“It’s… adequate,” she replied, revelling in how her smirk made Lockwood laugh.

They settled into the sofa, and Lockwood placed the remote on Lucy’s other side. When Skull leapt up and lay beside her, resting his head on her thigh to keep one eye on Lockwood, his paws jabbed various buttons and lo and behold, a film began playing on the TV.

As the opening credits rolled, Lucy looked between the cat curled at one side, the man sat closely on her other, the freshly brewed tea in their own personalised mugs… It was all rather domestic.

She paused with the mug halfway to her lips.

Did this count as a date?

The way Lockwood caught her eye suggested he was thinking the same thing. She held his gaze as she sipped her tea, then he took an alarmingly big bite from a doughnut and shattered the strange moment of tension.

Skull’s breathing soon evened, and Lucy wished she had her phone on hand to take a picture of his serene sleeping face. She lightly trailed a finger across the slope of his ears and the bridge of his nose, feeling utterly blown away that something so small and unassuming could create such havoc and evoke such affection in her. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her tomorrow was her last full day with him—George was due to return the day after. She turned to the film for distraction.

The doughnuts disappeared rather quickly; Lucy now understood what Lockwood meant when he claimed Arif sold the best ones this side of London (“Perhaps even all of London,” he’d added. “But George hasn’t gotten round to testing all the other candidates yet.”). She tried to brush off as many sugar crystals as she could from poor Skull’s head without waking him up.

Someone on-screen cracked a terribly cheesy joke, and Lockwood let out a sharp laugh. Lucy could practically see him making a mental note of it to relay to George later on. The soft glow of the TV illuminated the sharp angles and contours of his face—from the jut of his brow to the slope of his nose, his enviable cheekbones to the few moles dotted across his porcelain skin. His eyes crinkled as he smiled, teeth glinting in the light. Lucy knew exactly how she’d paint him, the way she’d move the brush to get the strokes of his hair just right, the colours she’d mix to create the deep brown of his eyes…

“I have to say, Skull has far better taste in films than I do,” Lockwood said, turning to her. He stilled when he found she was already looking right at him; heat rose in Lucy’s face.

“It’s finished?” she said, not bothering to check the screen.

Lockwood nodded. “Is everything alright? I haven’t got sugar on my face, have I?”

“No, you’re fine.” She paused, then, “Thanks again, by the way.” Not just for saving Skull, she thought, but for the company, the mug, and the past week as a whole. She’d known Lockwood for a matter of days, yet felt oddly possessive of his presence in her life.

He shifted to turn more towards her, and as she did the same, Skull awoke and scrambled back onto the floor. “He still isn’t too keen on me,” Lockwood said, watching him wander away.

“It’s alright,” Lucy said, wondering if something in those doughnuts was to blame for her sudden boost of boldness. She spoke quietly, but with confidence. “I like you just fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Lockwood said just as softly. “I rather like you, too.”

Lucy decided that Arif must have put something in the doughnuts, because it now seemed like Lockwood was leaning in closer. And closer.

And she was leaning in too.

She was seconds away from closing her eyes when a horrific screech sounded through the flat, making her jerk away and frantically search for its source. Skull sat in front of a door, dragging his claws down the painted wood in long, slow, repeated motions. The noises were grating, and Lucy knew if they went on much longer they’d bring on a headache, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon Lockwood on the sofa to shoo Skull away from the door to the—

“Oh, shit,��� Lucy said vehemently. Skull scratched away at the door to George’s bedroom—the room that contained the ruined commission. “I got so distracted by Skull”—and other things, though she needn’t admit this out loud—“I forgot about that stupid painting.” She snapped her fingers to catch Skull’s attention and lured him back over with a feather toy, but no amount of stroking his soft fur could tear her attention away from that door.

“It’s late,” Lockwood said. “You’ve had a long, tiring day. How about we leave it for tomorrow Lucy to deal with?”

“Tomorrow Lucy will fucking hate me for that,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Tomorrow Lucy can deal with it just fine, I know she can.”

A small part of her wanted to argue, but drowsiness seeped into her body, making her limbs feel heavy. She settled further into the sofa, felt an arm rest around her shoulders and Skull curl up on her lap, and let all her anxieties drift away in favour of falling asleep.

[maxhpart]

Blogiversary the Fifth

Hiya, folks! It’s that time again where I reflect on the past year’s ups and downs and oddities.

For my art, 2023 ended up having a heavier emphasis on fashion, dreams, and expressionism, which was fun. This year’s notable art moments included:

designing a couple more OCs for D&D and updating an old one

the sales of a few more charms

my Art Fight 16-character mass attack (plus a small last-minute one), and receiving a precious revenge of Rill

a big-for-me hit with my Barbie/Matrix crossover piece, crossing 1k notes for only the 4th time ever on this blog

overall playing around with style a bit, especially when making more of my smaller, looser art like feelsposts and dream outfits, the latter of which I did in a bigger way for Fashiontober

participating in the 900 koroks project and more AGE projects, which led to...

...finally making it into the CR fanart gallery for the first time!!!! And then TWO MORE TIMES after that!!

I feel like I scrapped a lot more things this year—I have plenty of unfinished WIPs sitting around, for one reason or another. And oddly enough, zines weren’t really a thing for me this year (until this month), but AGE scratched the “big group project” itches nicely :) And I’ve literally been hoping to get into the CR fan art gallery since I started this art blog—back when the gallery was still a reel in the streams!—so to gain that honor thrice in one year is a dream come true in triplicate. (Looking back at last year’s blogiversary post, I see where I had specifically wished for realized dreams for us all this year. How fitting! I hope some of yours materialized, too.)

I don't quite know where I want to go from here, but I think I’d like to tackle some more art style and anatomy studies. I’ve also got an art series/merch idea from last year that I never made and would still like to bring to life, so perhaps I’ll take time for it soonish. In any case, I’ve got a couple commissions I’m working on now, and we’ll see where next year takes me!

Thank you to my 138 followers, the lurkers (hi, you!), and all the others who believe in me. Let’s use 2024 for a fresh start and try some new things!

Cheers, and stay hearty! 💪💚

[parallaxabomination]

the ko-fi update yeah

I have officially closed and ended my PATREON. But I will start posting updates/wips here! I like Ko‑fi more, because even if you don't sub to me, you can still peak at my sub based posts.

the only difference being MESOS TEIR and higher can download .clip/.mp4/brushes! whatever!

but. if you just want to one off hand me pocket change, you can look at those sloppy wips from time to time ;]

I hope to officially "debut" some sort of twitch/animation demo reel. But for now I am recovering from the big scary thing that made me close my account in the first place... so for now any support is appreciated while I get back on my feet.💪 I hope to open commissions again soon. Thanks for reading!

KO-FI  CARRD

[dragonsaltartales]

Updates on this cause I forgor I made this post.

My grandma is doing ok for now, she's just high risk for a major medical emergency.

My sister's transplant fell through (this was call number 9, 10th time's a charm???)

The family friend/practically an uncle to me made it through and he's in recovery.

And my car is most likely a sensor issue, but my parents got me a rental for my trip just in case.

Things are looking up, and I'm getting back into the groove of things.

On top of that, I finally feel like I've settled into my job??? Like I'm to the point of not being utterly exhausted when I get home and feel like I can do things when I get home. 💪

So expect more art soon. I've also been working on some things while at work when I get the chance. ❤️

I'm also considering closing commissions entirely. I will give a heads up on when, but just wanted to throw that out there. Been wanting to focus on portfolio and personal things to help my chances of making art a full time career. 👌

If it's not one thing it's another

My grandma is not doing great, my sister got a transplant call, and someone that's practically an uncle to me is being air lifted and they're unsure if he'll make it through the night.

And my car is acting up right before I'm taking a big trip.

I'm gonna be MIA a bit longer guys. I'm just going through it this year.

[darkanddirtyknb]

PERSONAL NOTICE

arumaonthemoon said: Kai’s in distress?? Then I’m sending you lots of love and positive vibes! 😘 I’ve kind of just been scrolling past everything on Tumblr lately, but I can’t scroll past you, Kai. Know that I’m cheering on you so you can kick life’s ass! 😠💪

turnaboutdiana said: *brings you more pillows and blankets and snacks* I hope your day turns around very soon - you deserve all the love and happiness this world has to give. We all believe in you and love you so much! You can get through it, I know you can.

Anonymous said: Love, I assume you understand my worry about you with the latest update of yours. I wish you would take proper care of yourself. I would give you a hand on that; unfortunately I cannot. So, I reckon you will be a good little one and take a rest. You need your spirit when I come and pick you up. - Imayoshi

Anonymous said: Kai! What’s wrong? Are you ok?

Anonymous said: I’m worried about you. I read your update. It’s not like you to post something like that. It must be bad. We need are shining light back!

Anonymous said: Feel better! I hope you’re okay.

I’m sorry for worrying all of you! Aruma, Diana, Laura, I love you all. Thank you for your kind messages. They mean so much to me. The same goes to you, anons. Thank you. I guess it’s only fair that I let you know what’s going on. You’re like family to me, so I hope you don’t mind me sharing. I’ll post everything under the cut for those who don’t want scroll past what I imagine is going to be a really long message.

Basically I’m going to be reiterating some things that a lot of you already know, but for those who haven’t read my previous messages or are new to the blog, I’ll be filling you in on some things about myself.

So obviously I am a writer with the aspiration to one day be a published author. I have been writing since the day I learned how to pick up a pencil and haven’t stopped since. I have been fighting to carry out both my short-term and long-term goals while battling illness and tragedy. In 2012 I lost two of my dogs to cancer, both of which were very dear to me. Then, the following year I lost my brother to suicide. After losing the will to write for some time, I slowly began regaining interest and started writing commissions for people who enjoy my work. However, I’ve been living with debilitating hemiplegic migraines since I was eleven years old and more often than not, they put me in the hospital. I have “silent brain damage” and white matter lesions on my brain due to their severity. Unfortunately, the only medication that works for me is no longer covered by my insurance and the affordable medications don’t work. My neurologist has tried issuing prior authorizations for insurance approval many times to no avail. I want more than anything to continue writing but between struggling with medical bills and life’s necessities, I can’t afford the new computer I need to work efficiently. I’ve applied for many jobs but I’m seen as a liability due to the severity of my migraines. (I have stroke-like symptoms and have been known to lose my sight and even my consciousness at the onset of my headaches.) My commissions are the only way I’ve kept my head above water and I’m terrified that I’m going to lose them too. My current computer is extremely old and showing signs of its age. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop what I’m doing. I’ll keep writing until my computer dies, but I am concerned.

I’m a really private person and it’s a really big hit to my pride to ask people for help, for anything. But I’m struggling and it’s bad – some people have even commented on how I don’t seem like myself lately. I have almost no savings left due to my medical needs. I have been to various physicians and specialists numerous times over the last three years. (As a lot of you know.) I’ve been told that I have everything from MS to Lupus to being told that “It must be something autoimmune,” with no concrete answer. Every day is a challenge for me because I don’t know how I’m going to feel, and what’s worse, is that I can’t get a resolution. I know that I’m by no means the only person out there who needs help and I’m by far from the one who needs it the most, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still need assistance. I’m certainly not looking for pity and I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to help me.

My current job is to write commissions for people. It’s not stable and a lot of times things fall through. I’m grateful for the work I do get but it’s not nearly enough to sustain me – life’s expensive, as I’m sure most of you know. I want to move but I don’t have the money to do it right now. Yet, I desperately need to go somewhere that’s more affordable. I will never make it here. I want to be successful on my own and the fact that it’s gotten to the point where I need to post something like this is humiliating to me.

I guess what I’m getting at is, if you can help me even a little it will be greatly appreciated – whatever you chip in will go towards a new computer so I can keep writing and the migraine medication I need to do pretty much anything. I will continue writing for as long as I can, which is my way of saying thank you for your generosity. I have no plans of quitting anytime soon. This blog has my heart and soul.

If you’ve read to the end of this, I thank you for your time. Whether you contribute or not, it means a lot to me. (PayPal: skinflowersandwolfteeth@gmail.com.) I wouldn’t even ask but I’m having a really hard time and it’s starting to take a real toll on me, both physically and emotionally. Maybe I’m just having a particularly off day but I felt compelled to tell you all what’s been going on. Thank you for your support. I love each and every one of you. <3