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kelmcdonald · 4 years

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Having my First Holiday Sale

New Post has been published on http://sorcery101.net/news/having-my-first-holiday-sale/

Having my First Holiday Sale

This is crossposted with my newsletter.

Hey all, right now everything in my store is 15% off with the code “GIFTS” until December 15th. This is my first time doing a holiday winter sale on my site and it’s thanks to having White Squirrel take over my store. I haven’t done holiday sales in the past because I usually have a kickstarter running this time of year. But also because Christmas time usually makes me depressed and didn’t want to add more stuff to my plate when that basics are hard enough. So I’m really grateful that White Squirrel is taking the lead on my shop. It and any extra funds this sale generates will help with what is usually a tough time of year for me (both mentally and financially).

This months plans are mostly keep writing You are the Chosen One so I can launch it next year. I posted an art round up for the concept art I did this month. I’ve got about 200 pages scripted. So when I’m done with the chapter I’m working on, I’ll probably start drawing. Then I’m gonna switch focus to the next The City Between book. I’d like to kickstarter that in June, so I need to make some headway. Not a lot mind you because like I said, I always have some serious depression issues around Christmas and probably won’t get a lot done.

I’m still on my manga kick this past month. (Also, last month I tried to imbed a video into my newletter for Delicious in Dungeon. It worked in all the preveiws mail chimp let me see but not in the newsletter. So here is a link) I finished up Silver Spoon, which I mentioned last month. My favorite character has to be Tamako who is a fat girl that takes zero shit.

I also read a whole bunch of Love is War by Aka Akasaka. The premise of which is two teens at an elite private school like each other but think the person in a relationship who makes the first move ends up in the weaker position of the couple. Neither wants to surrender the high ground, so they are engaging in a battle of wits where each is trying to trick the other into admitting their feelings. Basically, the first to say “I love you” loses.

It’s extremely over the top and rather funny. So even them playing old maid is presented as EXTREMELY dramatic. And half the time neither of them ends up succeeding but they over complicated everything.

With catching up on those two series, I’ve mostly caught up on/looked into the manga I’d heard good things about. So my reading for December will probably stick American comics on my “to read” shelf. Some of those have been sitting there for a couple of years.

As for stuff this month that some of you might have missed. I already pointed you to the art round up on Patreon. My patreon also hit it’s first goal, so I’ve been posting the reference photos I took for each page of The Dead Deception. Then my Patreon has a round up for those as well. Cat Farris posed in most of them this month. So big thanks to her.

My Patreon dollars this month are going to internet bill. As I said, December is usually tough for me, so I can’t put it to fixing/replacing something this month. Any new patrons or purchases from my store would really help me out.

Other things folks might have missed this month are:

Dirty Old Ladies did two interviews this month. Since Spike, Amanda, and I are all US based, we chatted with some comic gals outside the US to compare notes. The first was with Kate Ashwin to talk about comics in the UK. Then we talked to Nina Matsumoto about making comics in Canada.

Also, apparently my facebook updater (which I use to update my facebook page) is broken. I’m trying to fix it but you’re better off following me elsewhere for update reminders.

Thanks for all your support. I hope December treats you all well.

#newsletter

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terminallydepraved · 6 years

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Scintillate (Hisokuro Thieves!au)

this was a patreon commission for the wonderful @ekeu who requested a snippet of an au i came up with forever ago. enjoy!

Read on Ao3 Here

[Support me on Patreon] x [Commissions Page] x [ Buy Me a Coffee]

The café was bustling with the energy of a late afternoon, warm and fragrant with the scent of fresh pastries and newly brewed coffee. Chrollo sat at his table, quiet, contemplative, and lulled by the utter normalcy of it all. Hours had passed and dozens of people came and went. Their voices faded, replaced with new ones; their faces filled his mind but disappeared quickly, melting away into ephemera he wouldn’t remember come the evening.

Same old, same old. Another city and another afternoon spent pretending he was one with the ones he watched. Chrollo propped his chin on the back of his hand. He tore himself from the quaint café and looked down into the depths of his chai tea. It had long grown cold while he waited. He still stirred it anyway, enjoying the swirl that followed the eddies of the spoon.

He was late, Chrollo mused. Not exactly a surprise, but a disappointment all the same.

Chrollo let out the breath of a sigh and leaned back in his chair, checking his phone again. He thumbed in his passcode and glanced a little at the time. Nearly twenty minutes late now. A tap brought him into his emails. At the top sat one he’d starred. How Hisoka had gotten ahold of his email, he didn’t know. He couldn’t be too surprised, though. Hisoka was nothing if not resourceful.

To my dearest muse,

I heard all about your success with your latest job. A chained manuscript this time. Don’t you ever find your eye caught by something a little shinier? You never fail to surprise me, but that certainly is part of your charm. You are as unpredictable as you are talented, and even more beautiful besides. I hope your spoils were worth the effort. It was masterful work. So masterful in fact that it has me thinking…

You’re vacationing in Madrid currently, last I heard. A wonderful coincidence, really, because so am I! Why don’t we meet for coffee? I know the perfect little spot for a chat. You can tell me all about your recent job and in turn I can share with you a proposition I’ve set aside especially for you. Meet me at La Café Blanca at four p.m. this Friday. It’ll be a date <3

I do hope you’ll come. I’d hate to chase you like I did in Paris…

Hisoka Morou <3

Chrollo rolled his eyes when he saw the heart by Hisoka’s name, much as he rolled them the first time he read the email. As far as most thieves went, Chrollo had to think Hisoka was far too forward. In their trade anonymity was as valuable as diamonds. Notoriety… Well, that was anathema.

Hisoka, on the other hand, seemed to embrace everything he shouldn’t.

“Oh, someone’s early,” a voice crooned in his ear. Chrollo blinked and turned. Speak of the devil.

Hisoka peered down at him from on high, his smile wide and his eyes narrowed as if he’d just spotted something particularly lovely just within reach. His outfit was casually opulent, comprised of a dress shirt worth more than Chrollo’s entire outfit. His hair… Well, his hair was certainly different. Chrollo stared at Hisoka as he moved around the table, pulling out the empty chair to seat himself with a smile.

“Blond?” Chrollo remarked, fixating on it just a bit. It was a stark difference from his natural red. “Did your photo get leaked again?”

Hisoka rolled his eyes, gesturing to a waitress with his hand. She seemed to understand what he meant by it, because she quickly set to making him a drink. When the man looked back at Chrollo, he did so indulgently. “Perhaps I just felt like a change was in order?” he offered. “Is that so hard to believe?”

Chrollo laughed a little. “I’ve told you before; you can’t be so attention getting. It’s bad form in this profession.”

“Funny how you say that,” Hisoka replied, taking his coffee from the woman when she paused next to his shoulder. A rumble of Spanish fell past his lips faster than Chrollo could understand. The woman blushed and then returned to her counter. “You act like I’m the one drawing eyes when it’s you who I can’t seem to look away from.”

That prompted Chrollo to roll his own. “Flatterer. What did you call me here for?” he asked. If he let Hisoka have his way, he’d dance around the issue for hours just for the excuse to keep him here. Chrollo lifted his phone, the email still on display. “How did you get my email?”

“Well, when you won’t give me your phone number, I’ve had to make do.” Hisoka swirled his spoon through his drink, taking a pleased sip. It was annoyingly grating how good he made that hair color look. “What I’ve called you here for--besides for a chance to luxuriate in your intoxicating company--is to offer you a job.”

Chrollo raised a brow. “A job? I don’t think I need you to bring me one of those. I’m fairly good at finding my own.”

“Ah, yes, you really are. But don’t you tire of stealing musty old books? What I’ve dug up promises to be… Let’s just say it’ll prove to be far shinier than some bound tomes of parchment.” Hisoka’s eyes positively sparkled. “And even if you aren’t interested in the contents of this particular safe, I certainly am. I’d be willing to compensate you either way.”

Oh? “If you’re so interested in it, why bother splitting the spoils by bringing me in?” Chrollo asked. His tea had long gone cold, but he took a sip from it anyway.

“We all have our particular skill sets,” the thief sighed, drawing his gaze skywards. “The intel I have on this safe suggests that it’s guarded by a security system I’m not familiar with. As much as I adore your company, I also could benefit from it. Leave all the heavy lifting to me; all I need are those graceful hands of yours to open the door.”

Lowering his cup back to the table, Chrollo cocked his head. He couldn’t say his interest wasn’t piqued. “What’s in the safe?” he asked next. Hisoka usually stole bonds and gold, diamonds and rubies. Pretty things worth a lot universally, unlike Chrollo who went for the niche, the esoteric.

Hisoka grinned. He leaned back in his chair and gave a lazy shrug. “I don’t know,” he said teasingly. “But I’ve heard it’s good. It’d make a fun evening to find out.” He blinked languidly, his smile growing wider. “It’d make an even better date. That is, if you’d care to join me.”

Ah, there it was. That typical Hisoka fickleness that kept the man chasing long after Chrollo had made his exit. What a shame it was that the man knew just how to catch his attention. Chrollo sighed and rested his head on his propped up hand, smiling when Hisoka leaned in.

Well, it sounded interesting enough. What was the harm?

“You’re paying for dinner,” Chrollo told him. “And the disguises. And the hacking tools. I lost mine in Sicily.”

“Oh, of course,” Hisoka said, covering Chrollo’s hand with his own. “What kind of date would I be if I didn’t?”

---

In hindsight, Chrollo really should have been a little more suspect when Hisoka came to him offering him a shot at a mark he’d never heard of before. Curiosity might be an attractive quality to some, but for Chrollo, it really was proving more of a hindrance than help.

“You didn’t tell me we’d be doing this in a broom closet,” Chrollo muttered, voice pitched low so as not to alert the guards patrolling just outside the door. He needn’t worry about Hisoka hearing though; the man was pressed firmly against his back, his broad chest burning straight through Chrollo’s shirt.

“Why? Feeling claustrophobic?” came the soft reply directly in his ear. Hisoka hooked his chin over Chrollo’s shoulder, sneaking a kiss to his cheek while Chrollo fiddled with the drill. “I’ve heard all about your exploits in Paris, Chrollo. You really can’t tell me you’re not accustomed to doing all sorts of things in tight places.”

Well, that was certainly true, except… “You’re leaving out the part where I work alone,” he replied, finally succeeding in removing the panel hiding the rear end of the safe situated in the room on the other side of the wall. Chrollo pulled it free and nudged it at Hisoka’s thigh, urging him to hold it. “Usually I don’t have another body to worry about on top of killing the alarms.”

“Mmm, consider it an added challenge,” the man purred, nuzzling him now. His free hand snaked around Chrollo’s waist, hugging him close. “You like being excited by your jobs, don’t you? Isn’t this stimulating?”

The laugh he gave sent goosebumps down Chrollo’s spine. Something firm nudged his ass. “Or perhaps that’s just me,” Hisoka mused.

“You’re the worst,” Chrollo mumbled. The absolute worst. Getting hard at a time like this… Chrollo tried to ignore it even as the arm around his waist gave his hip a squeeze. He reached into a pocket and pulled out the leather pouch that held his tools. A flick of his thumb popped the button on it, and he brought it to his teeth to pull out the tiny little wire cutters he needed for the next part. The safe back would be simple to break open once the outer sensors were taken care of. It was just a matter of cutting the right wires.

“You really do know your security systems,” Hisoka observed, watching him work with rapt attention. He turned his head and kissed at Chrollo’s temple, sniffing his hair and rocking his hips ever so gently against Chrollo’s ass.

“You’d know them too if you ever applied yourself.” Chrollo dropped the pouch back into his pocket and pulled the wires through the hole. Seven of them, just as he knew there would be.

That earned him a low, rumbly laugh. “Oh, I’d rather apply myself to you,” he said, because of course he did. “We all have our skill sets, Chrollo. Mine err less towards things with a tender touch. I’d much rather leave that kind of thing to you.”

True enough. Getting this far into the mansion during a gala this high end had required a certain… forcefulness that Hisoka had been able to deliver in spades. Chrollo typically eased his way through security employing less physical means, but results were results and in this case, they spoke for themselves.

His lips curled into a frown when he felt a warm hand slip beneath the hem of his shirt. That certainly spoke for itself as well. Hisoka ran his fingers up and down his stomach, tracing nonsensical shapes against his skin in a way that sent goosebumps traveling down Chrollo’s arms.

“What are you doing?” he mumbled, cheeks hot and pout firm as he tried to focus on the task at hand.

A hum teased his ear. “What do you think I’m doing?” Hisoka posed, nipping at his ear in a way that broadcasted his intent far faster than words ever could.

This really wasn’t the time or place for something like this. Unfortunately for Chrollo, he knew Hisoka too well to think logic would deter him from instigating it anyway. His hands shook as he fumbled with the wires, trying and failing to make out the tiny little numbers along the colored seams. The sharp tease of Hisoka’s nails tickled the flat plane of his stomach. Were these…? These were the right ones, Chrollo thought. It was too bad he couldn’t double check, though. Every time he tried that hand moved an inch lower, unbuttoning his slacks before Chrollo could process the weight against his zipper.

“H-Hisoka,” he hissed, closing his eyes tight. “I can’t work like this.”

“Come now, that’s no way for a professional to talk.”

Professional? Hisoka was supposed to be a professional too, yet here he was, sticking his hand down Chrollo’s pants. One wrong move from either of them could set off an alarm or signal something was amiss to the guards just outside. There was nothing at all professional about what they were doing.

As Hisoka palmed his heat through his underwear, Chrollo just wished he could care more about it. When it felt this nice… Well, Hisoka definitely made it hard to complain.

“Hisoka…”

A warm breath tickled Chrollo’s ear. “What is it?” he murmured. “Do you want more? Do you want me to fuck you while you work? Let you test your skills under pressure?” On the word pressure, he gave Chrollo a roving, all-encompassing squeeze. Chrollo’s knees buckled beneath him. The arm around his chest kept him standing, but only just.

He’d sent that email just for the chance to do this. To trap Chrollo in one place long enough to pin him down and have his way with him, just as he always tried to do when they met on the job unawares.

Gasping for breath, shaking from head to toe, Chrollo didn’t bother trying to answer him. He just turned his head and sought out Hisoka’s lips, and Hisoka--generous and wanting and terrible as he was--met him halfway without needing asked.

One thing was for sure, Chrollo mused, losing himself in the kiss.

Jobs certainly were more interesting with a partner.

[Support me on Patreon] x [Commissions Page] x [ Buy Me a Coffee]

#hisokuro #fic #check ao3 for warnings #hisoka #chrollo lucilfer #hxh

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iris-writes-things · 7 years

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A Day At The Races chapter 4: Jailhouse Rock

Read on AO3, FF.net or under the cut, or read the illustrated version on my Patreon!

This fan fiction contains internalized racism, internalized homophobia and heavily prejudiced characters. If you are sensitive to any of the above, proceed with caution or not at all.

After seemingly getting revenge on his bully, Keith wakes up in a cold jail cell. To make matters worse, his father cuts him off from his friends, his phone, his cigarettes. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Red is being put up for auction.

As always, things have to get worse before they can get better.

Chapter 4 of 6 Completed 1407 words Romance/historical

When Keith woke again, it was on a moldy smelling cot in a cold jail cell at the local police station. He huddled into his jacket for warmth. His feet felt like clumps of ice inside his beat up sneakers, as did pretty much the rest of his body, the cotton jacket did very little to relieve him from the cold. Instead, he sat up. Rubbing the heels of his hands into his crusty eyes before running his fingers through what could be considered the worst bed head he ever had.

In short, last night hadn’t treated him well. Last night had shown him all he could have had, all he wanted to have, before stripping all of it away from him, just to remind him that the universe had it out for him.

The vivid memory of the look on Lance’s face when Keith was torn away from him, bent over his car as his rival’s dad cuffed him and read him his rights haunted him. He remembered how Lance stayed behind to get answers, even after everyone else had fled the scene. Only to be told to stay away from him. It all left a sour taste in Keith’s mouth. He tried to swallow it down along with the bile he felt rising up his throat.

Jimmy must have known he was going to lose, he must have been the one who tipped off his dad, he was the reason Keith was in a jail cell, freezing his toes off for what could have been easily solved with a hefty speeding ticket. Keith’s eyes snapped upwards when he heard a rattling sound; it was Jimmy’s dad unlocking the door.

“You’re lucky, kid. Your dad just paid the bail.” Officer Parker told him.

Keith, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure that meant he was lucky. Already dreading the ride home, Keith got to his feet and walked over to Officer Parker, who brought him to his father. Keith’s dad gripped his arm tightly, with an almost bruising force as he thanked Officer Parker before practically dragging Keith out of the police station. Keith all but whimpered as his father shoved him into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. When his dad got into the driver’s seat and started the engine, Keith spoke up weakly. “Dad, I’m sorry about the racing, but I only—”

He was cut off by a loud, barking laugh from his father. “The races?! You think I’m mad about the races?!”

“Well, aren’t you?” Keith asked, slightly taken aback. If his dad wasn’t mad about the races, what was he mad about?

“Of course I am, but sometimes a dad has to prioritize. What the Hell did you think you were doing making out with that boy?!”

“It was only a kiss, we didn’t go any—” Keith recoiled and shut himself up upon his father’s glare. “Honestly, I don’t think I was thinking at all…” Keith mumbled, looking down, cramming a bent cigarette between his lips and lighting it with shaking hands. However, it wasn’t long until his dad snatched it away to take a drag from it himself. “Hey!”

“Son, for the next month, you’re grounded. No telephone, no television, no friends and last but not least, no smoking. I’ve already called Mr. Shirogane and Mr. Holt to send you home the second they see you anywhere near the diner and the garage.”

Keith huffed, crossing his arms and glaring out the window. All this trouble just because he kissed a boy. It didn’t seem worth the fuss.

“I should have seen it coming. Should have nipped it right in the bud when you decided to grow your hair out. I swear to God, all I ever asked for was a son, but now it’s looking more and more like I got a daughter instead.”

***

The following day, Keith was confronted with stares from everyone at school. Keith Cogain, the rebel without a cause, showed up with his hair trimmed short, neatly parted on the right side of his head and drenched in hair gel. Not a single one of his unruly hairs would fall out of place. It felt like a damn helmet when it dried. He was outfitted in a stark white button up shirt, tucked into neatly pressed pants.

“Thanks, mom.” He sarcastically mumbled under his breath. Keith loved his mother, he really did, but this was pushing it. This was humiliating. This was putting a sign on his back that screamed ‘Please beat me up, I’m an easy target!’ and Keith hated every second of it.

The stares were soon replaced by whispers, which were, in turn, replaced by laughter and Keith could feel the ‘tough guy’ image he spent years building crumbling under his feet. No more façade to hide behind. There was only the short, scrawny Asian kid who just happened to know how to be really, really fast.

He was about to bolt out of there when a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a nearby classroom.

“Oh my God, Keith, I had to see it to believe it…” Katie stared up at him in awe. She had barely even recognized him in the hallway, but as the only colored kid left in this school, Keith tended to stand out.

“Would you stop staring at me like that?!” Keith snapped, his frustration finally getting to him. A pang of guilt struck him when he saw the girl recoil from his outburst. “I’m sorry…” he whispered.

“Hey, it’s okay. I would be on edge too if I were in your situation.” Katie said, rubbing his arm reassuringly. “Word on the street is that the police are auctioning off Red sometime next week.”

“For real? That’s soon.” Keith said, deep in thought. They had gotten cheap cars from the police department auctions before, but those had all been impounded for at least a year before they were sold. “Katie, I can’t go to that auction myself. My dad will actually kill me if I set foot outside the house. You’ve got all my money, I need you to win that car back for me.”

“Yeah, about that…” Katie whispered. “Word on the street is also that Jimmy wants it as well. I promise, I’ll give it all I’ve got, but we’ve got tough competition.”

Keith smiled sadly as he pulled Katie into a tight hug. “You’ve got this. I believe in you, champ.”

***

“Keith, buddy, I’m really not sure I should be helping you skip school.” Hunk weakly protested as the younger boy hopped into the passenger seat of his pick-up.

“Come on man, it’s just a ride to Carlsbad. You’re the only one who can get me back here before my dad shows up and won’t rat me out.” Keith said as he quickly counted a hundred dollars off a large wad of cash, before stuffing the money back into his jacket.

“Seriously, why don’t you just put everything in your account at once?”

“Because an eighteen year old turning in two thousand dollars once every other week would be a little suspicious, wouldn’t it?”

“And the reason you don’t use the bank here...?”

“Also too suspicious. The tellers in Carlsbad catching on to a pattern is okay. They don’t know my parents. But tellers at our bank, the one my parents use, catching on to a pattern is not okay, because they can and will tell my parents and I would be grounded for the rest of my life.”

“Eh, fair enough.”

***

“Good afternoon, sir, how can I help you?” The teller asked, her tone sugary sweet. She was young, fresh out of high school from the looks of it. Cute, even, had she been Keith’s type.

“I’d like to make a deposit, please.” Keith placed his $100 on the counter and managed to force a smile. “K. Cogain.”

“I’m going to need to see some ID.”

Keith nodded, flashing his driver’s license.

“Wow, Mr. Cogain, I wouldn’t have recognized you! You sure clean up nicely. Are you seeing anyone by any chance?” The teller smiled up at him, more flirtatious than anything else this time.

Blood rushed to his face, coloring his cheeks and ears a bright red. “N-no… But there is someone I’d like to date.” He stammered nervously.

The girl behind the counter only smiled wider. “She’s a very lucky girl, you know?”

‘Yeah… Lucky girl...’

#EN #fanfic #Voltron: Legendary Defender #Voltron #50S AU #klance

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