#very grateful for my commissioner

[iztea]

commission for @/ nikkigogol 💣

[arcandoria]

being very brave and working through my queue 🐌

[love-toxin]

Seóirse Commission

a/n: a commission i did for one of my lovely commissioners! <33 cws: afab!darling, meet cute, pwp, size difference, heat/rut cycles, mating, scent kink, breeding, dirty talk, rough sex, m on f oral, groping, chokehold. word count: 5.1k

Today would be the day you finally did it. You'd made your choice–you were going to learn how to swim, even if it killed you. 

In retrospect, it wasn't the greatest of your many ideas. Swimming was a useful skill of course, and it might save you if you ever found yourself stranded somewhere or were somehow dropped into the ocean by the powers that be. But finding adult classes to learn how was both difficult and expensive, unless you wanted to pay to do water aerobics with a group of 70-year-old women…which actually didn't sound that bad when you thought about it. Regardless, you'd seen enough videos of parents chucking their babies into pools to feel confident enough to try it all on your own. In the ocean. On the beach. It couldn't be all bad–it was free, wasn't it?

Alas, that was how you found yourself in your current predicament, with a swollen ankle and your fingers gripping the buoy you'd managed to drag yourself up on. There were far more rocks than you expected on the bottom, and after trying to keep your balance against the unexpected strength of the current, you'd rolled your ankle on a loose one and yelped in pain before being swept up by one of the foamy waves that had lapped at your feet on the shore. It brought you right out into open water in what felt like an instant, and in a panic you started splashing and paddling for dear life. No amount of deep breaths could quell the overwhelming feeling of “I'm going to die” until your wild flailing eventually caused you to smack your hand on the buoy, and you scrambled to cling to it without thinking twice. 

As grateful as you were to have avoided a painful and sudden drowning, the assessment of your new circumstances was quick to bring tears to your eyes and a sniffle as you glanced around. Aside from the steadily moving shoreline that seemed to shrink the more the waves jostled the buoy, a look over your shoulder exposed the vast expanse of a wide, unending sea that would surely swallow you whole at the first opportunity. Sharks, whales, drop offs, whirlpools, anything and everything could kill you in an instant and each possibility appeared more horrifying than the last. It almost felt more hopeless to cry in the face of such daunting odds–after all, the shore was right there. Still close enough to swim back to. But you had no reassurance that you could fight the sea's luring pull out into the deep, and without that, you most certainly were not moving an inch off of this buoy. 

Luckily, you wouldn't have to. Right at the pinnacle of your sorrow when all seemed absolutely lost, a dark shape moved beneath the waves towards you…and at the very last moment, a head breached the surface and a man sucked in a deep breath as he peered up at your pitiful face.

“Are you okay?” His soft voice carried a twinge of sympathy, because he knew. It must've been obvious by your expression that you were anything but, all you had to do was shake your head to confirm it. “That's okay. You're safe now.”  

You noticed at first glance the way his blue eyes glinted under the overcast sky, but even more captivating was his hair; his silver locks had been slicked back by the water and a few strands twisted as the breeze blew them against his flushed cheeks, yet he looked so young at the same time that he almost struck you as having a baby face. There was no way he was over 40, but by his size and the gentle maturity of his voice you could tell he wasn't any average man in his twenties, nor could he be a teenager. His eyes locked in on your ankle, and without touching it he hovered his fingers over the swollen patch. 

“Looks twisted,” He mused under his breath. “Here, I'll help you down-” The stranger held out his huge arms to help you off the platform, but when you clung harder to it with a whimper he drew back instantly with a worried gleam in his eyes. “What's wrong? You don't want to get in the water?” 

A firm shake of your head said all that needed to be said. He let out a soft sigh, but he wasn't irritated–rather he seemed bothered by your apprehension itself, and wanted to make sure you felt secure. 

“Well…I see. Are you a strong swimmer?” 

“N-No..” With how shaken you looked, he was surprised you even answered. 

“Oh, that's alright. Why don't I carry you on my back? You can keep your head above water, and keep warm.” Sniffling softly, you peered down at him with a glimmer of hope.

“Are you sure?” 

“Of course.” He nodded happily. “There's nothing to be afraid of. We'll be back to dry land in no time.” The way he smiled up at you, how he held the buoy firmly in his hands and it resisted the current with his bare strength alone, all put you at ease with a haste that you'd rarely experienced from any other person, especially from a man you didn't know at all. He seemed kind. Humble. Maybe even one of those awkward yet friendly types, but in a good way. It was too easy for you to give up your name to the enigmatic stranger, but he replied with enthusiasm and a light splash as he kept treading water.

“I'm Seóirse. I'm a swimming instructor at the community pool, so I promise you're in good hands!” Seóirse chuckled meekly. “Just climb on my back, and I'll get you back home.” 

So you did. Awkwardly, and cringing with pain at the jostling of your sore ankle, but you managed to slide off the buoy with Seóirse's help and slip back into the dreaded water. He let you pull your arms round his shoulders and tugged your wrist for you to squeeze them closer to his neck, reassuring you with a smile that you wouldn't choke him. As soon as you were secure, he started paddling towards the shore–and it amazed you that, even with how massive he was compared to any man you'd ever known, he glided through the water with you like the current was nothing but a breeze against his skin. He managed to keep your head above water with each stroke and squeezed your thigh on his hip when your breath started hitching, assuaging your fears when you thought you saw something moving about in the sea around you. 

Although it felt like it took ten times as long to get back to land than it did to get dragged out to sea, you reached the shore before you even knew it was happening and tightened your grip on Seóirse once the heaviness of gravity set in upon him stepping up out of the shallows. Your squirming in anticipation of being put down just made him laugh; he held both your legs up and bounced you to get you higher up on his back, so your cheek rubbed against the silky strands of his damp, dripping hair. 

“That ankle needs to rest. My home isn't far–I can treat you there, if you like?” The question poked at your mind while he moved further up on the shore, the sand slipping out from under his feet though he managed to keep steady with your weight on him. You had to admit, it certainly sounded better than sitting in a hospital for hours waiting to be seen, especially for something that wasn't all that serious in the first place. 

“Um…uh, yeah.” Unconsciously, you nuzzled yourself closer to Seóirse's warm body and clung to him in the cold. The breeze from the overcast day cooled the water clinging to your skin in an instant, and left you feeling frigid and shivering as you both dripped all the way down the beach. He managed to bend down and grab the handle of your bag that you'd left on the rocks without having to set you down, and hooked it around his elbow to carry along before he continued towards a little cottage at the shore's end. If there wasn't anything else you could say about the rather enigmatic stranger, you could say this; he was incredibly strong, and it was difficult not to notice the flex of his toned muscles with every step he took while you were pressed against his body so intimately. 

It took less than ten minutes to reach the little home on the edge of the sea. A grassy outcrop at the end of the shore propped up the humble abode he called his own; he didn't even mind the water dripping in the foyer as he carried you in, reassuring you that it was no big deal and he tracked in all sorts of things you wouldn't believe. Seóirse brought you into a little sitting room off to the right and laid you down on a huge, comfy sofa, where he proceeded to fuss over you for an hour or more with ice and blankets and a towel to dry your hair. 

Of course he wanted to know why you–a person he'd never even seen around here before–was swimming out to sea on such an overcast day, especially since he knew for sure now that you were by no means a practiced athlete in that sense. It took a bit of prodding for him to ease it out, but when you finally admitted that you wanted to learn how to swim, he didn't click his tongue or lecture you on your poor methods of doing so. In fact, he smiled.

“Well, why don't I teach you?” The way his eyes brightened at the thought alone made your heart ache with the desire to say ‘yes’. “We can swim together. I don't get to go out in the ocean as much as I'd like, anyways..” He peered out almost longingly at the water through the window, churning and foamy and frightening-looking to anyone who wasn't so confident in the ocean. But he was. Nobody else would come to the rescue of a stranger from so far out if the water wasn't like a second skin to him. 

“I…o-okay. If that's alright with you?” You almost didn't want to accept for fear of acting greedy with his generous offer, but it was hard enough to say no to those sweet, gentle eyes. “Can I pay you?”

“Don't worry about it.” Seóirse rubbed your hand just to squeeze it in his giant palm. God, his smile was just blinding. He was like a living sunbeam. “We're friends now. You'd be doing me a favour, too.”

There wasn't much to argue with that. Seóirse made sure you were warmed up, ensured you could get home safely, and gave you his phone number before he sent you off. You had no idea just how prevalent his presence would be in your life from that day on, or how much he would go on to change everything you knew about your own world itself.

“Seóirse?” You called out softly, rapping your knuckles on his door yet again. With your bag slung over your shoulder and your hoodie on, you were more than ready for your weekly session together. 

But Seóirse hadn't answered your texts for two days, and you feared something might've happened to him. He was always so timely with his responses unless he was working, and even then you'd hear from him after an hour or two when he'd send you an apology, because he'd been tied up with a student or was doing an extra lesson in the pool. He'd never ignore you completely, and although you didn't want to pry you didn't want to just give up without making sure he was alright.

“Hey, Seóirse? Are you okay?” Knock knock. “It's me. I'm worried about you–if you're okay, can you come out?” 

Suddenly a thump resonated from inside the cottage and you jumped, shifting a half-step back as your mind raced. Was he getting robbed? Did he fall and hurt himself? 

“S-Seóirse?” 

“Go away.” His voice rumbling so close to the door startled you again, and you nearly slipped off the step, but if anything the raspiness of it made you infinitely more worried. It sounded as if he had pressed himself completely up against the door with how close he was, and you caught a whiff of something–it grew stronger and stronger as you took it in, a musky, heady scent that you could nearly taste with how thickly it hung in the air. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I haven't heard from you in-” A slow, soft grunt hit your ears in a funny way, his breathing deep enough it stopped you in your tracks. “...days.” 

It'd been several weeks since you'd first met Seóirse out at sea, and each day since then you'd had some kind of contact with your new friend. Whether through texts, calls, or meeting in person, your mind automatically went to him whenever you had something to do or wanted to feel a little less alone. He was so kind if a bit reserved, and that was fine with you, but this wasn't the first time you suspected that something was…off.

The real reason for that was the thing you had found by accident while searching through his attic for a space heater. It was small and cramped, far too tight for Seóirse's enormous body to squeeze into comfortably, and he'd let you up a few weeks ago when a cold front moved in and chilled you down right to the bone. Maybe being so huge, the cold didn't bother him as much, but when you came over for dinner he'd mentioned he might have a heater and let you climb up to search for it. But as you were dragging it out from the far corner, your foot bumped a box out from its hiding place and you'd dived to catch it before it fell down the hatch you'd climbed through. It wasn't really your fault for opening it, since it was already half-cracked…but when you peered inside out of curiosity, what awaited you was something you never would've expected. 

You could tell by looks alone that it was blubber, perhaps some sort of rubbery pelt from an animal as you touched it and felt the skin spring back. It was so pretty, so unusually soft it was almost slick, it gleamed without any light…when you lifted it you could guess it might be sealskin, but before you unfolded it completely, Seóirse called up suddenly from the bottom of the ladder and asked if everything was okay. It might've been a case of you projecting your own feelings, but you almost sensed a hint of panic in his voice as you shut the box with a snap and hurriedly tucked it back into its place. You wouldn't have thought much else of it and might've forgotten it completely by the time you climbed back down the ladder. But you caught your friend's sigh of relief when he saw the space heater in your arms, and when you headed down to the dining room you heard the muffled creak and a small shake of dust as someone else made his way up to the attic to double check. Only once he returned did things go back to normal, but you thought of that incident a lot, and paired with his behaviour now, and the scent…well, you had some ideas of what might be happening with your friend. And an online search had reaffirmed your convictions just days before he disappeared.

“S'nothing..” Seóirse sighed faintly. “...’m fine. I'll be fine.” 

Obviously he could sense your trepidation, but maybe he wasn't expecting how determined you would be to inject yourself into his private affairs. There was a bit of guilt welling up inside you for prodding so much, but how could you help it? 

“I'm gonna hurt you if you come in here,” He muttered at the twisting of the doorknob as you tried it to see if it would open. As if he was dumb enough not to lock his doors during this time of the month. 

“You'd never hurt me.”

“I might not have a choice.” He growled, guttural and almost feral, like he was more animal than man. “Leave.”

“I can't.” You insisted, just to flinch at the sound of his fist slamming against the doorframe. “I-I can't, Seóirse. I know you're in pain.”

“I can smell you.” He sucked in a breath of air through his teeth. “You smell so good..” 

“Something's going on. I know you're not…like me.” You leaned closer to whisper, hoping he would hear it over the erratic thumping of his own heart. “I know you came from the sea. I want you to know that I don't care about that–I won't judge you, and I won't tell another soul what you are.”

The silence that followed was grim, heavy, dark like the clouds that were slowly gathering overhead. You'd get rained on if you didn't get inside soon, though what Seóirse uttered next raised the hairs on your neck faster than any oncoming lightning. 

“I'm in heat.” He whimpered under his breath. 

“I-I can help you..” You swallowed. “I can try.” Seóirse scoffed from beyond the door, but he seemed to understand your determination the longer he let it settle in. Help. 

The door suddenly swung open, and he dragged you inside with a heavy slam as it shut behind you. Pitched into almost complete darkness with the curtains covering every window, Seóirse's hands groping you in the dark made you squeak and shiver with every squeeze. What you thought might've been his leg suddenly dug into you painfully, the stiffness of his growing appendage sending a cold shiver racing up your spine. He was big. 

“You don't know what you're doing.” He muttered into your ear, and practically lifted you off your toes like you were a doll in his grip. “You should've run from me.” 

“I-I-” 

“You found it, didn't you?” He grunted lowly. “You found my skin. Why didn't you take it?” 

“Because I-” He cut you off with a kiss, his chapped lips hungrily devouring yours in the wettest kiss you could've imagined. He couldn't stop once he started, only trailing them further down your cheek to your neck before he bit down and started sucking. “..I-I couldn't do that–ah!” 

Seóirse sucked a deep, dark bruise into your throat that you wouldn't notice for days–you would have so many by the end of this that it'd be a struggle to count them. 

“Y-You're my friend, Seóirse..” 

“Friend?” 

The way he growled that singular word made your stomach knot itself up, only made more intense by his moan when you nodded against him. He grabbed the back of your head and held it to his chest, which was so warm and sweaty it heated up your whole body from the inside out. He wasn't the Seóirse you knew in that moment, but you weren't all that opposed to it the more he pressed himself against you. 

Yet, just as the energy in the room came to a climax, the arms you'd been wrapped up in peeled themselves away, and Seóirse stumbled back, rattling the end table as he bumped into it in the dark. Suddenly freed from his grip and sent teetering backwards, you felt along the wall for the light switch–and with a flip, you saw him in the state he’d been suffering in for the last couple days. 

Sweat poured its way down his body, it had drenched him from his forehead all the way down to his calves. You'd felt his skin but didn't realize he was completely naked, staring down at you with such a flushed face he looked sick. His bright eyes were hooded and dark, his breathing husky as his chest heaved, and he stared like he was watching the movements of prey–and then, in a flash, he darted away and raced through the hall to his bedroom, where he slammed the door shut behind him. 

This time, when you crept down the small corridor to reach him, you knew he wasn't holding it shut. You could hear it before you even peeked in, the squeaking of his bed frame and his panting as the sound of fabric swished over his skin. The room was just as dim as the rest of the cottage save for a soft light in the corner, a lamp lit up to highlight the glistening of Seóirse's back as he rutted against a pillow that had seen far better days. The poor thing was soaked through and worn with light patches where the fuzz was almost completely rubbed off; was this all he'd been using to get through his heat? It was honestly surprising that he managed to tear himself off you at all. 

“Just leave,” He practically pleaded, barely turning his head back over his shoulder while he couldn't stop humping his cotton-filled partner. “I'll hurt you…you won't…you won't like me anymore..” 

It almost sounded childish, but knowing Seóirse by now, you knew he felt that way genuinely. The man had such low self-esteem, so little faith in himself and his abilities, that he would apologize just for asking you to spend time with him as friends. He would've never imagined you felt the way you do for him–he probably thought he looked like a freakshow in your eyes. 

Hence why, when you started to strip quietly behind him, he didn't even glance back until your hands on his shoulders sent a jolt through his shuddering body. The way your soft skin pressed against him from behind would curse his wet dreams for the rest of his life. 

“Let me help you,” Seóirse's back arched as you whispered into his ear, a gasp quick to escape when he grabbed you from behind and practically flung your body over his shoulder, the pillow perfectly propping up your hips in front of him as you landed. He licked his lips, bent your legs back, and no power on earth could've muffled the squeals of pleasure from your lungs as he dove face-first between your legs. The shlucking of his tongue parting your slit nearly overshadowed the wet grip around his cock, each pump harsh and tight as he tried not to think too hard about breaking you in two with it. How hard you would scream when he stretched you to fit every inch…it was so awful of him, he was an awful friend, but he hadn't been able to get it off his mind since the first few hours of his rut. 

You wanted to help him, but here he was driving you crazy with his greed; slurping up your precious clit like you belonged to him, and all your pleasure was his to bestow. The guilt would kill him when he was finally able to think clearly again…but right now, it was more likely that not fucking you would kill him. 

You could barely cry out his name as he devoured you whole, and your fingers slid and trembled in his hair like you couldn't even manage to get a grip on it. The way your hips jumped and ground against his face gave him a clear picture that you liked it, but it wasn't until your legs were thrashing and your hole started leaking that he knew you'd hit your limit. But whether you had or hadn't, he wasn't quite done–and you could tell the moment he flipped you over and grunted as he dragged you back on your knees. Still spasming from the first one, Seóirse teased the tip against your entrance with a hooded look in his eyes. Just one push. Just wiggle it in. Even your own hips bumped back against him as you whined, almost in heat yourself, but he still struggled to just go for it and not hold himself back. If he hurt you, he knew he'd never forgive himself. 

“Please,” His hands trembled in the face of your begging. “Just wanna help…w-we’re friends, right?” Seóirse swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.

“Yeah..” Your back seized at the slow, gradual stretch, just the tip alone pressing into you like a mountain you couldn’t hope to summit. Seóirse’s guttural moans managed to help, though, because the shivers racing up your spine at the sound of them loosened you up with enough slick for him to slide, but he wouldn’t divert away from his goal. He’d pined over you for too long to give up now. “Yeah-!”

A sharp gasp, a twinge of stinging pain, and your nails tore the sheets beneath you as he settled in just barely halfway. Your so-called friend whined deep in his chest with pure, pleasured agony, and before you could speak a word his fingers tangled roughly into your hair.

“Squirm,” He commanded, growling hard as he gripped your head in his whole hand and tilted it back. “Squirm on it. You're not escaping me now.” Once you caught a glimpse of his near-manic expression, he shoved your face into the soft covering of his pillow–the very same he'd been using and thinking of you this whole time. The musk clinging to it alone drove you into a frenzy; animalistic and wild with little regard for your own conscience. Was this how Seóirse felt? Because if so, you could hardly blame him for what he was about to do, or how close he was gonna get to breaking you right in half. 

“Fuck!” The curse felt foreign coming from his sweet mouth, but it paired perfectly with the frantic pump of his hips as he fought to sink even deeper into your heat. You clung to him like a vice, your walls and your womb knew what they needed, and he loved the sensation of your body bending to your instincts just like he did to his. The bed went from squeaking to rattling in an instant as his powerful thrusts knocked it against the wall, but if he broke it or broke you he couldn’t even mind it–his grasp on your waist and the resistance of your soft body as you squealed ensured that his mind wouldn’t escape the haze of lust that always came with these dreaded ruts. 

Maybe it was your own feelings for Seóirse that dulled it or it could’ve been an effect of his overwhelming pheromones, but even his size and the urgent pounding of his massive hips slamming back against you couldn’t rival the bliss that crept down every limb and seared throughout your veins. It could’ve been a breeding instinct, but whatever it was you wanted more; the pain of being spread open beyond your limit and knowing your sensitive areas would bear bruises in the morning was nothing compared to the dizzying pleasure of Seóirse pinning you under his weight and reaming you into the shape of his cock. 

The sudden brush of his bicep against your cheek made you stiffen, but without stopping his merciless rampage on you, he slid an arm over your throat and effortlessly tightened his hold to lift you higher, and meet your beautiful, glossy eyes with his own. Shrouded and dark unlike the pure blue that you’d come to adore, Seóirse cracked a devious smile that somehow still carried a tone of innocence about it. 

“You love me–your pussy loves me,” He gasped, tilting his head down to press his forehead to yours. “I can smell it, I love it. I love you–ah-! I love you..” The confessions tumbled out of his mouth one by one, from how he knew you were the one by the way you smiled at him to how he wanted to do this since the day he found you all cold and alone, stranded out at sea. How you were his beloved human and he wanted to be your selkie prince, please, because he only wanted one mate and he knew it just had to be you. On, and on, and on, until his chest sunk into your back and he plowed into you with increasing urgency, your gasps and little cries fueling his desire to blow his load as deep as your nethers could possibly take it. 

Seóirse’s needy tears spilled down your shoulder as he buried his blushing face into it. One shaky thrust, then two, and on the third he squeezed you tight enough for spots to dot the edges of your vision, and a shuddering wave of ecstasy washed over him as he relaxed completely into you. Spurts of thick, sticky selkie cum glued you both together once it started leaking from the seams of your union, but based on the dampness of his sheets and the haze hanging in the room itself you could be certain it wasn’t going to be any more of a mess than he would’ve made without you. 

What was more concerning was the fact that he barely even softened up once he’d finished. He didn’t bother easing out of you and instead let you warm him, nestled deep and snug and still not fitting completely; you were absolutely ruined, but Seóirse was only just getting started.

“Are…you okay?” He mumbled into your skin with a tender kiss, and thankfully drew his arm away from your neck to leave you ample space to breathe. At first you nodded, but he waited patiently until you managed to work up the strength to speak it out loud. “I’m glad. I’m so glad…so happy you’re with me.” His fingers traced soft patterns through your hair as he sighed with relief. “I knew you were the one for me.”

The one. The words left a fuzzy warmth settling into your heart. The one, his beloved, the person he wanted so badly to love that it pained him up until now…it didn’t feel too bad to be that person for Seóirse. Besides, this was only the beginning, and you had plenty of time to get to know this side of him until the end of his rut. A couple days, a week, hell, even a month–no matter how long it took to satisfy him, you had a good sense that it wouldn’t be the last time you stuck around for your ‘friend’. 

[iwanttobeaseme]

April batch commissioned art 🤗

Very grateful to all of my clients 🫶.

MAY COMMISSIONES ARE OPEN! Feel free to dm me if your have questions/interested 😉.

Ps. Check my bio for slots update. Thanks ya'll!!!

[Reblogs are very much appreciated!]

[maksinushka]

ranfren sona stuff

and little announcement (pls read it all)

if you didn't know - i'm freelance artist and all my income is commissions

and as you can understand - it's very hard to find commissioners for this style

and i want to pay for rent, food, clothes, etc. etc., so

so I open PWYW (pay what you want) for this style (quality depends on what you pay), but minimum is 5$

actually you can even point on some specific my art if you want something similar. there is a bunch of my ranfren art in different technique

you can commission any character, any idea. no problem with OCs or characters from other fandoms. You can DM me here or add me on Discord - maksinushka payment methods - Ko-Fi, Paypal, but if you need some specific method - i can check if it work for me ^^

big thanks for reading it all!! i also would be very grateful for a rb (´｡• ω •｡`)

[c-rowlesdraws]

how do you feel about people reusing your art for other OCs or such?

First of all, I’m always surprised and delighted when anyone wants to use my art for anything, and I’m perpetually grateful to everyone who enjoys my art. I always want to emphasize that.

But my answer to this ask depends on your definition of “reusing [my] art”. Some uses I’m fine with, and some I’m less fine with, and in all cases I would ask that I be visibly credited somewhere as the source of the art in question.

If you would like to crop or use a piece of original character art I’ve drawn as display art for an original character, in an online RP or a ttrpg, go for it! I think that’s awesome. If the artwork you want to use was commissioned from me, though, that character is someone else’s, and I’m not comfortable giving permission for that art to be used elsewhere without the commissioner’s permission first.

If you want to “reuse” my art as in trace over it to create a piece of your own… please don’t. Tracing is fine for private art practice though! But please don’t trace my artwork and pass it off as your own (this has happened, and as the original artist, it’s very surreal to stumble across).

If you’re unsure about something you’d like to use my art for, please DM me and ask! I’m always glad to talk these things out.

[monigote001]

I just wanted to say thank you to all the people who have commissionated me, we are still in an awful situation but this help means the whole difference of having something to eat at the end of the month and I will be forever grateful for all this help

I'm sorry drawings are slower than usual, I have a lot on my plate to finish but I'm trying my best and I'm glad of the patience all of you have

I feel awful, kinda ashamed to ask for money but this is very important for my family, and me, at this point I'm just thinking of creating a Ko-fi ughh

I'm sorry if this is weird, this has been a rough year

[bat-boness]

your art makes me smile. the colors, the shading, the texture... your art is smooth and i love getting notifs when you post!

hope you're doing okay. stay safe, and if you ever need to talk to someone, you can talk to me if you're comfortable enough to 🫶

AHHH PLEASEEE UR KILLIN MEEE VRGRHR I'M SO GLAD TO KNOW YOU ENJOY WHAT I MAKE!! UR SRSLY SO SWEET AND TALENTED URSELF!! I WANNA take this time to appreciate and thank all of you for all of your support!!! Even if it's just a like or a comment on one of my posts, I remember all of them and they are very sweet and helpful!! Especially to my commissioners out there, it helps more than you even know especially in my current situation and I am extremely grateful for all of you!!!! :] ❤

[okkotsui]

kamisato ayato ⇄ about you.

synopsis : ever since the two of you got together, ayato is making sure he remembers and knows every single detail about you despite him being a busy man.

tags / warnings : gender–neutral!reader, lots & lots of fluff!!

truth be told, ayato is too busy to be in a relationship when he is the head of the kamisato clan, alongside being the head commissioner of the yashiro commission.

he only got little to no time for himself, why enter a relationship?— of course, every person’s perspective changes especially the time when he first saw you��� merely interacting, the way you look at him— with other people. he was mesmerized.

thoma saw it all, even his sister, ayaka. they saw it with their very own eyes how ayato changed when you entered his life. it was a great consequence, a positive one that thoma doesn’t have to worry about his waka anymore when it comes to his personal needs and problems because you made him— ayato prioritize himself before his duty and work as a head and a commissioner.

it was a tedious process when the two of you met and went to your own love story. ayato still remembers and knows very little things about you. from what you like to your favorites, hobbies from time to time, and your actions every time you are uncomfortable or anxious— he figures it all out. honestly speaking, he won’t forget any of it.

this is one of the days that you two had your time to yourselves where ayato finally manages his time well off and on from work, it was all because of you and he is grateful for it.

“darling, what are you doing here?” he came out of the state where you sat, drinking your favorite drink whilst taking a deep breath and fresh air to appreciate around you.

he knew that you’d been drinking your favorite refreshment these past few days and ayato noticed it, every time you do, you’ve been trying to calm yourself for some reason, there has been something bothering you.

not to mention, he requested your favorite food be brought here any minute now.

“ayato,” your eyes softened at his approaching figure where you moved to the side for him to be able to sit beside you.

“just taking some fresh air,” you replied, after he sat down, your favorite food was placed down, making you feel at ease.

your lover knows you very well.

“i see, if you’re tired, do not be afraid on taking a rest.”

“that’s ironic, isn’t that my saying for you?” you teased as he chuckled, leaning your head against his shoulder where his fingers were intertwined with yours.

“i am currently resting, that is not a problem but your rest? have you been resting?” he questioned back where you sighed in defeat.

“i am but it doesn’t feel enough” You closed your eyes, basking in his scent that always makes you feel at home every time you just took a bite of the food in front of you.

“it’s alright, you do not need to rush when you rest, that’s what you told me, didn’t you? take your time doing so.” he smiled, his eyes glimmering whilst looking at you.

there wasn’t a day that he never fall for you harder.

nodding your head, you indeed take your time resting (and eventually eating) with him. it was one of the times that the two of you just takes a break from each other with comfortable silence.

ayato tells himself that he should focus on taking care of you than himself, you told him many times that he shouldn’t as his being healthy mentally and physically affect everything around him positively, especially when he is overworked, somehow.

he always reminds himself to take care of you first but when you told him that he should prioritize himself first, he did it because you told him to and once he did, he always checks you like you are doing to him, just a give and take.

“do not pressure yourself, alright? it’s more important than our work” and that made you smile, seeing your good influence on him after years of being together.

what you did not know is Ayato is always thinking about you whenever or wherever he is. how he dedicates his life and work for you, to make everything better for the both of you.

“of course my love, not a problem.” you leaned your head against him, resting on each other’s arms as both of your homes.

staying like that until both of you are satisfied, it was time to go back to work— for Ayato that is. when going back to his working chambers, his heart is still beating, yearning for every inch of you. he just wanted you to stay by your side until every sun sets down the horizon.

he loves you much dearly with all of his life.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Paul Terdal

Published: Jul 2, 2024

It’s understandable to want to help troubled kids. But the evidence simply isn’t there that unproven drugs and surgeries are what they need.

In our drive to eliminate health inequities, my fellow liberal Democrats and I are eager to help children who identify as transgender. This compassionate urge has led our state, Oregon, to fast-track Medicaid coverage of medical transition services for kids, including puberty-blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical removal of breasts and genitals. Yet I’m deeply concerned that in the push for equity, Oregon has ignored evidence, to the point of jeopardizing children’s health. I know from experience that my state can do better to ensure that kids get medically necessary care.

Oregon has long been a national and even international model for evidence-based medicine. I personally encountered my state’s strong commitment to medical science after my two young sons were diagnosed with autism in the late 2000s. At the time, few autism treatments were covered by insurance or Medicaid anywhere in America, so I worked with state leaders and a broader coalition to right that wrong. One key hurdle was Oregon’s Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC), which determines what treatments Medicaid covers and strongly influences the coverage of private health-insurance plans.

HERC held us to its customary high standards for quality of evidence. We organized testimony from some of the world’s leading experts on autism and submitted reams of peer-reviewed journal articles, all of which were rigorously scrutinized by HERC’s experts. We prevailed only after the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a groundbreaking systematic review that supported the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for autistic children. In 2014, HERC approved Medicaid coverage of such treatments for children like mine. HERC’s wise focus on evidence steered patients and physicians away from risky and unproven interventions that were popular at the time, some of which, such as chelation therapy, reportedly killed autistic children. To this day, I’m grateful for the commission’s high standards.

Yet HERC hasn’t upheld the same standards for gender medicine. To its credit, the commission began looking at this issue in 2012, before gender dysphoria was on the social radar. At the time, based primarily on studies of adults over the age of 30, it concluded that there was “very poor evidence” of benefits of medical interventions for patients. Even so, HERC decided in 2014 to provide comprehensive Medicaid coverage for puberty-blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for anyone, including children, who identifies as transgender. In a strange departure from its own rules, HERC didn’t run these policies through its evidence-based-guidelines subcommittee. In my fight for autism coverage, that subcommittee was the most important part of the process.

I’m confident the commissioners were trying to help people in what was then a unique situation. At the time, in 2015, the state estimated that very few patients would choose medical transition: according to NPR, “at least 175” patients per year, of all ages. NPR quoted HERC’s medical expert as estimating that the combined total cost for this coverage would be “up to $200,000 — for the whole state.” Yet by 2019, more than 7,500 Oregonians were receiving such treatment, at a cost of over $20 million per year. Based on my analysis of state data, hundreds of children have received some combination of puberty-blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. None of these procedures have gone through clinical trials to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness, and in the case of hormones, children are receiving drugs that haven’t been approved for such use by the FDA.

Amid this exponential rise, HERC in 2023 commissioned a thorough review of the latest studies. The draft report, which I obtained via a freedom-of-information request, found that the evidence was still very limited. For youth, the investigators reported that they were unable to find any systematic reviews — the key evidence we had to provide for autism coverage — with “extractable data” showing benefits of transgender treatments for children. The report also noted that many lower-quality studies can’t be applied to patients who seek a rapid gender-affirming transition, which is typically the case with children. The report was essentially Oregon’s version of the Cass Report, which the United Kingdom released in April.

Yet Oregon’s report was never finalized, and HERC staff didn’t even present their draft to the body’s 13 commissioners. Instead, after the state passed a law requiring the coverage of “accepted standards of care” for transgender treatments, HERC quickly endorsed guidelines from an advocacy group — without any analysis of the contents. The guidelines are highly aggressive yet based on low-quality evidence. Today, preteen Oregonians can be put on powerful chemicals without FDA approval, before moving on to surgeries as adolescents. These interventions can irreversibly alter their bodies and leave them less likely or even unable to have children of their own later in life. The risks to their physical and mental health are high and, crucially, not justified by existing proof of benefit.

Equity cannot be achieved by ignoring evidence and stripping away consumer protections from historically underserved people. While I deeply sympathize with the goal of helping struggling kids, we can’t accept shortcutting medical ethics — and we didn’t accept it a decade ago, with autism coverage. The ethical path is for HERC to define “accepted standards of care” based on the best science. Medicine is supposed to follow the evidence because health and well-being hang in the balance. The stakes are especially high for children. If we truly want to be equitable, Oregon will stop undermining children’s right to evidence-based medical care.

[ Via: https://archive.today/WcL66 ]

[wellen-katze]

Yo if you started a Patreon I would back it. Just saying. It doesn’t have to be high pressure—you could have just like one $1-$5 tier where patrons get comics a few days early or something. I’m sure a lot of people would be down to support you!!

Thank you so much for your kind message! It makes me truly happy to know that there are people who want to support me and my comics.

In fact, I do have a Patreon account, although I haven't been actively promoting it lately as it's currently inactive. While I really enjoy sharing my art without people having to pay for it, I'm very grateful to the commissioners and supporters (who have already enabled me to provide for my beloved cats, haha♡).

Due to chronic health issues I face some challenges that prevent me from offering regular updates. However, I'm currently immersed in creating fanart inspired by Baldur's Gate3, which brings me immense joy. Yet, I hesitate to build a Patreon solely around this fandom at this time.

Nevertheless, I'm considering how I can use Patreon in my artistic journey in the future because it would allow me to spend more time creating art. Once again, I really appreciate it and thank you so much to everyone who supports me in any form or way!

Patreon link here

[kamisatomay018]

My Saviour: Part 3

Very fluff, a little slow burn but signifies the start of something special!

Enjoy<3

Ayato led you both outside into the back gardens of your estate, and there was an awkward silence between you two, which he decided to break. “Now that we’re alone Lady Hiragi, you can feel free to ask me anything you wish. Judging by your silence and the hesitation in your eyes, I suspect something is wrong..”

You were shocked at how he managed to see right through you, as you looked around a little nervously, afraid that the guards of your estate would eavesdrop and report back to your parents. “I..don’t think this would be the perfect opportunity Lord Kamisato..”

“You needn’t worry about anyone eavesdropping my lady, I made sure we would be left alone for our discussion.” He looked at you reassuringly, and in his lavender eyes you sensed warmth and comfort, something you were never given before. You nodded and to his dismay, you left his arm, stepping ahead to face the endless ocean.

“Then I will not sugarcoat my words Lord Kamisato. I request you to be completely honest with me. Why do you wish to marry me? Is it because Ayaka told you of my situation? As grateful as I am that you would try to save me from my inevitable fate, I do not think it is fair for you to lead a life with a woman you married out of force.”

Ayato had already expected you to say this, and your doubts were understandable. After all, you both had never met, and Ayaka indeed had informed him of your situation. So he decided to be completely honest with you, standing beside you while facing the waters of Inazuma, he spoke calmly with absolutely no hesitation in his voice. “It is indeed true that my sister informed me of your troubles and your unfortunate situation Lady Hiragi. However, I am not being forced to marry you, nor am I doing this just to save you from this wretched household. My decision to marry you comes from my heart, from my feelings for you, which I can say with complete confidence, are very genuine.”

You looked at him, his words confusing you even more. “But we have never met each other, how did you gain feelings for me?” He chuckled softly, looking into your eyes tenderly, making sure you knew that he was being very genuine right now. “My sister has spoken about you endlessly, and through her I got to know how selfless, kind and pure your heart is. The first time I saw your photograph, I was enchanted by your beauty, by your smile and your demeanour. All this while I had been searching for an opportunity to travel to Ritou in order to meet you, but alas my position as the Commissioner did not allow that. Tell me Lady Hiragi, how could I simply stand aside and watch the only woman who captured my eye get married to another noble?”

You were left speechless after listening to Ayato’s words. He liked you? Moreover he was willing to spend the rest of his life with you? Somewhere you felt guilty for you did not reciprocate his feelings; at least not yet. You were foreign to the concept of love, and although you knew that Ayato’s presence seemed to make your heart flutter, you were not quite sure of your feelings. You had only met him today after all. “Forgive me my lord…I..I don’t feel that way yet..”

He smiles softly, and although a little melancholy is hidden behind it, he appreciates your honesty and was prepared for such a response. “I am aware my lady; but I request you to give me a chance. A chance to show you how you deserve to be treated, a chance to make you happy, a chance to give you the love of a real family…”

You looked at him again, not knowing what you had done to deserve this amount of care from the Yashiro Commissioner himself. “Are you absolutely certain that you wish to marry me Lord Kamisato? What if I’m not good enough to be the wife of the Yashiro Commissioner?” Ayato smiled sweetly, stepping closer to you as he gently cupped your cheek. His touch felt so safe, so warm that you found yourself unknowingly leaning into it. “It matters not my lady, for I know that you are perfect to be the wife of Kamisato Ayato..”

You looked into his eyes, as the impact of those words settled into your mind. It was Ayato that mattered the most, not the Yashiro Commissioner. It was Ayato that needed the love, not the mask that he put on every time he had to handle the duties of his clan. You understood that he wanted you to focus on his real self, and not his noble identity. You smiled shyly, looking down as you made your mind. “Then I give you my word that I’ll try to give you all the happiness and perform all the duties of a wife..”

He shook his head, gently lifting your chin up. Archons, he was so handsome that you could stare at him all day without getting tired. “Being my wife does not mean you are going to be my responsibility my lady. Being my wife would make you my equal, my other half, my partner for the rest of my life. You will have no duties, you will have your own will, your own voice. You can be rest assured that in the Kamisato estate, you will be given the treatment of a queen.”

You felt your lips part in shock, as he once again left you completely speechless. He was so different than the other noblemen you had ever seen or heard of. You knew that you would never find a man like him, and that he would manage to make you fall head over heels in love with him very soon. Your smile widened, and Ayato finally got a glimpse of that dimpled smile his sister would speak so fondly of. “then it would be my greatest honour to be your wife Lord Kamisato..”

Ayato smiles happily at your words, placing a chaste kiss on your forehead, a sign of respect, love and endearment. “Call me Ayato my lady..” your heartbeat accelerated as your eyes closed to feel that soft kiss on your forehead. It was the first time you had felt such love and warmth, and your heart craved even more. “You can also address me by my name, or any other name you wish to give me Ayato..”

He chuckles at your words, his lavender eyes carrying a hint of mischief “whatever name I wish hm? Then how about my Daarin?” (Darling in Japanese) you felt your cheeks flush at his teasing, mumbling shyly “I don’t mind..”

Ayato smiled even more, gently holding your hand, intertwining your fingers together as both of you watched the waves crash gently against the shore. He felt true happiness with you, and he was determined to make you fall in love with him. This was the beginning of a new life, this time, with you by his side.

[dotthings]

So this is it. Last episode of Gotham Knights.

Thank you to James Stoteraux and Chad Fiveash for a fantastic finale. And to all the writers and cast and crew who made this beautiful DC series.

Season one gave us a taste of all the places this could go and what this show could be and it was SO GOOD I'm sorry there won't be more of it. There's only a few DC live action TV series that have worked for me over the years, Gotham Knights is among them.

"Batman chose well. Gotham needs its Robin." I LOVE this. Carrie's mom trusting her to look after herself, to stay alive, having seen her daughter in action as Robin, and asking her daughter to go save lives and trusting her to survive in return.

Commissioner Soto!! Knew!!! So...maybe she was the Gordon analogue in this continuity. All this time.

What finally made Harvey give himself over to the Two Face personality, what finally made him fully snap -- HE DID IT TO SAVE HIS DAUGHTER AND THOUSANDS OF LIVES IN GOTHAM. This is a really brilliant re-imagining.

With Turner's parents, I got that there was more to the story. Batman was defending himself from assassins. I didn't expect this version to have Batman actually have killed them, because the Batman doesn't kill idea is so seminal in most continuities including this one--this Batman also had the do not kill code.

He's a precise highly trained fighter, who has a strong code about not killing. So in that fight, something went wrong, he was in deadly peril, or, in defending himself, did something he didn't intend to be a kill, but wound up killing them.

Misha Collins and Olivia Rose-Keegan are hitting it out of the park in all their scenes. Duela with Harvey, Duela with Two Face, two very different dynamics and both riveting.

Misha getting to play Harvey as a regretful father who wants to save his daughter and thousands of lives and make amends and then Misha getting to play completely unhinged scarred, murderous Two Face and Misha floors it in both directions.

GIVE HIM AWARDS I'M NOT KIDDING HE DESERVES NOMINATIONS.

Sadly, because it's the CW network and a superhero show, the critical awards people won't even look at it. But I'm betting industry folks will take note anyway. Bravo, Misha.

I didn't expect Turner to actually be dead, and that tactical team had French accents so I expected Henri Ducard. Still enjoyed that reveal at the end. Guessing they're going with the comics background as inspiration (and would put their own twists on it--and not Nolanverse.) Henri Ducard trained Bruce Wayne. He's not a good guy, but he helped Bruce. I like how this show's plan was to have him train his son too.

And Turner, who wants to live up to his father's legacy, becomes a legacy and inspiration for his friends, to Duela, to keep fighting for Gotham, like Bruce did, like Turner wanted.

I can only guess what the S2 plans were. It's hinting Turner becoming a new kind of Batman eventually, not sure by S2.

The Knights are going to be pissed he didn't tell them he's alive.

The Two Face and Duela stories I'm sure would be riveting.

Steph/Harper and Duela/Turner getting more development and drama. Harper enrolling at Gotham Academy. Cullen would get a boyfriend.

Beyond that, it's a wild card. Two Face likely as a significant villain, but perhaps one who goes after other villains, who ultimately acts to preserve Gotham. Maybe some Owl remnants would be in play?

As it stands, I'm grateful. I got to have this, as a DC fan. I didn't go into this solely as a Misha fan. The bulk of my perspective of this show was as a DC fan, and it was good and I am going to keep saying it was good.

I love the team, I love its beautiful, candle-lit, aged, gothic, old stones and hidden dark corners and dirigibles and pre-war towers Gotham style. It gave, in my opinion, what is the best filmed take on Harvey Dent I've ever seen. The most nuanced and compassionate and unhinged and heartwrenching and frightening and gloriously fun to watch.

And it gave me this amazing and wonderful version of Carrie Kelley's Robin and I think I will miss her most of all.

[newfrontierbackstage]

1,000 views Milestone and more

Hello everyone. Today I have come to talk about the most important milestone the fic has ever reached. A little bit ago, New Frontier reached 1k views on Ao3 and it honestly made me so proud, happy and satisfied with seeing such a number, even after months of hiatus and inactivity. The support that this fic has received is... honestly something I never expected.

If I may go off character for a bit, I want to tell you guys a few guys. I created this fic just for myself, for my own sake and to show the fandom some cool stuff, some action and my type of writing that I tend to like and go for. The first version was very much a showcase of inexperience and lack of understanding for a lot of things when it came to writing, but it was still the most fun I had writing the fic.

Then I went to reread what I had created and written... I started to see the cracks, to see that what I had put on the paper just wasn't as amazing as I first thought it was. So with that in mind, I decided to start going back and rewrite previous chapters, as it felt necessary and I felt it could elevate the story to higher levels and although that was pretty fun at first, it started to drain me pretty bad in the lenghtier chapters. It started to feel like a job.

The chapters have absolutely improved and I feel the fic's direction is in a much better spot, but I had to fight myself to get the motivation to keep going. Being honest, I was very much considering the possibility of dropping the fic on its entirety. as it truly felt that draining and boring to write. I wasn't doing new stuff, I was just rewriting older stuff and noticing my many mistakes!

My friends like CharmmyColour and LonelyLittleShips adviced me to write other parts of the story that were more exciting or thrilling. I honestly didn't think that was going to work out and I still tried to write through Chapter's 5 and 6 with a pessimistic and saddened state of mind.

That was until GoldenTulipLynx (my current cowriter) came into my life a year ago. We started to discuss more of the fic and he actively encouraged me more and more to write a few months ago. He told me to do so at least once a week to get some progress done and I did. It wasn't a perfect process, but it definitely led me to write more. Then he suggested me to write something exciting and for the first time, I actually listened to that advice and...

It worked. It gave me my inspiration back somewhat and it made me want to get writing more and more. If it wasn't for his inspiration and also the encouragement from my other friends, I may have cancelled the fic as a whole, so for that I'm truly grateful to them.

What I'm also grateful for is have fans and followers that have been patient, loyal and comprehensive towards the fic's state and progress. This took so long because I wanted to give you guys something worthy of that much of a wait and also have fun while doing so.

I really wanted this message to be special, as I felt the ocassion was the perfect time to do so. Truly, thank you guys. Thank you for still being here and I hope you look forward to what else I have cooking up.

And because I knew this was such a special ocassion/milestone, I also wanted to give you guys something exceptional, so with that in mind... I commissioned some art for New Frontier as a treat for you guys, one that displays Cavendish with his rifle in a wonderful forest, one that's going to be the usual hangout spot for him and Dakota.

This is my gift to you, everyone. Hope you have a good day/afternoon/evening/night and I'll see y'all down the trail!

With love: hypersonicJD

Edit: I have removed the background of this piece as I have found out it was been AI generated. I do not condone anything AI generated and thus, the commissioner's credits have been removed as well and I would like everyone to reblog this new version of this post.

[almaadst]

Commission rules update!

Hello everyone ｡^‿^｡ New Year, new updated rules! I wanted to make the post here to summarize all the changes because I know the majority of people who order from me follow me here. This is a short version of the changes the more detailed file you can find HERE.

The longest time of commission delivery is 3 weeks now.

The time in which the commissioner has to reply to my messages are 24 hours.

I don't accept only descriptions for the character design.

You have to send the payment within 24 hours.

You can cancel the order at any stage we are and the refund amount I will calculate individually.

In case I had to drop the commissions because of personal problems (like health) I will calculate the refund amount individually depending on the stage we are in.

If you cancel/move your reservation on the waiting list two times in a row I will have to charge you in case you want to reserve a spot for the third time. I will calculate the fee amount individually.

I described in more detail what the options for which I have a discount include (canon x oc, cover art, comic page).

The "soft NSFW" artwork has a fee which is 10% of the whole price.

I added/changed this for your and my comfort and to make the whole process clearer without wasting each other time. I hope this does not sound too harsh LOL The big majority of people who commission from me are doing it already and are so pleasant to work with, they are always on time and respectful which I am very grateful for ( ˘ ³˘)♥ If you have any questions feel free to ask! The commission prices will not change in 2024 and you can check them HERE! Love U all, Alex 🌷

[bright-tatters]

Tatters #6

Piper looked up from his desk in the Tatters Ward’s police headquarters to see a strikingly beautiful woman in a clinging red dress that really wasn’t trying very hard above the waist. She walked up to Piper’s desk and edged her hip onto the surface, looking down at him.

“Hello,” she said.

He knew Councilor Reinaldo’s younger sister by reputation. She was as overdressed as always. He had a certain respect for a woman who could commit to the bit. “Lady Reinaldo. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You talk well, Officer Poet.” Her red lips matched her dress. Her skin was light brown and flawless. “Officer Poet, what a charming juxtaposition. What did you do before you came here?”

“I was a musician, ma’am. Violin.”

“Your vocations are multiplying.”

“If I may ask, ma’am? What brings you here?”

“Travail is my concern as much as the rest of the city. I’m here on my sister’s behalf.”

“Councilor Reinaldo, of course.” The Underglow’s representative. “How can I be of service?”

“The commissioner tells me you’re got a thriving one-way correspondence with Travail’s foremost thug.”

“He’s actually rather—” More a twink than a thug, Piper managed not to say. “I send him letters sometimes. It ensures he doesn’t forget that the police have their eyes on him.”

“Yes, I’m told it’s full of saber rattling.” She looked him over, ending with the front of his pants. “What I wonder is what he thinks of it all.”

“He’s never answered. I wouldn’t expect him to. He is in theory my enemy number one.”

“I have…a question, of interest to the city. Of interest to my sister on the Council. What should I know about Fortune? What draws him out, what does he value?”

Piper straightened, lighting up. “You’ve come to the right man. Fortune likes fine things. Alcohol and clothes, mostly. He commissions the best designers in the city for his events.”

“With what money? Travail’s in poverty.”

“We have investigators on that, ma’am. Run of the mill strongman tactics, calibrated to avoid breaking any cooperative person’s back. You want his attention? Be a good designer, or snatch a good designer away from him. Aesthetics and good gin. I’ve heard a dozen people around here say that if we got what he’s attracted to he’ll come running, but we don’t have a lot of evidence for that.”

“Do you know what he’s attracted to?”

“Still working on it.” One letter at a time.

“You’re cooperating an awful lot against a man you profess to admire.”

“I know the difference between fantasy and reality,” said Piper. “All kids from Tatters do. Can I get you anything from the kitchen?”

“Hm. No.” She smiled and slid to her feet. “You’ve been quite helpful, Officer. If Fortune ever answers…Underglow would be most grateful to hear about it.”

“Of course. You’re welcome. Good day.” If Fortune ever answered, Piper would protect it like a chunk of his own heart. And his heart, the musician, the Poet, the Piper, would never belong to any employer.

But pleasing politicians was something to keep in mind.