Splinters Under Pressure

"Havoc, my love, I wore pants for you."

Lachlan the centaur from Malicious Midpoint (Demon Magic, book 3). This is a really funny book...well, of course it is - it's Alice Winters.

I think this would actually work if the fastening goes along the spine...

The rest of L.J. Hayward’s Death and the Devil series finally came out in audio - the perfect accompaniment to drawing some chibi badasses.

“You’re dreaming, love.”

Sully and Elliot from the delightful historical fantasy Imperfect Illusions by Vanora Lawless. The image of Sully surrounded by his recurring nightmares and Elliot breaking in to rescue him hit me in the middle of the book and just wouldn’t vacate my brain until I drew it. Can’t wait for book 2...

My brain keeps reminding me that Subway Slayings by C.S. Poe is out this month...the end of the month, that is ಥ_ಥ

In the mean time, I’ve got Larkin on the mind. Had to let him out...

Who’s this cutie, you ask? Well, I’m beta reading the upcoming Oak King Holly King short stories for @nothwell, and Hullvardr of the Court of Hidden Folk is in a couple of the ones I’ve read so far. He’s a sweetie. You’ll love him. But I promised no spoilers, so you’ll just have to read the book when it comes out ^_^

Where are his pants? *shrug* 

Two doofuses and an egg baby

Tim, Elliott and egg baby Meggan from H.S. Valley’s Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues. I don’t read a lot of YA, and I’ve never done fanart for any before, but these silly boys and their fake baby (which is an egg for some reason) for Life Skills class were just adorable, so here we are.

The book isn’t widely available outside of New Zealand and Australia, but Kobo’s international site can hook you up. Probably some other places, too, but that’s where I found it.

“I would die for the offspring, and I would certainly kill for them.”

Captain Maxwell Davis, gettin’ his earth daddy on to keep his tentacle babies, two of whom he’s got tucked in his shirt, safe. Y’know, the old “maintenance hook into internal organs” manoeuvre. A classic, for sure ⚆_⚆

You wouldn’t think that a book about a guy who gets accidentally abducted and ends up working for a tentacle alien that nobody likes could be all sweet and romantic, but you’d be wrong. Lyn Gala’s Earth Fathers are Weird is really strange but it so worked for me. 

I was going for that vintage comics feel, with the grainy texture and stereotypical action pose. I scoured the book, and the sequel, for any physical description of Max, but other than descriptions of bruise colours that might be hard to see on really dark skin, there was nothing. I freely admit I just winged it *shrug*

One of the short stories in the new PsyCop Briefs collection, Seasons, has Vic caving to peer pressure and participating in a fictitious moustache-growing charity event. And of course he can’t grow a decent moustache because he’s Vic. But it put silly pictures in my head, so I give you “VemberStache Vic” ⚆_⚆

Chibi Wren Lofthouse, bad-ass mode. From @nothwell ‘s upcoming Oak King Holly King, which I beta read. Because I wanted to draw freckles, and Wren has so very many.

Percy, prizefighting in Covent Garden. I imagined him smiling his foxy smile the whole time, once he got the hang of putting on a good show ^_^

Yes - those pinkish houses were already there, though the roofs were a different colour in the 18th century. 

Quick sketch to try out Percy’s scandalous (according to Kit) prizefighting outfit from Cat Sebastian’s The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, in preparation for a fancier picture at some point. Loved this book ^_^

Another old W&G chibi, freshly coloured - Dr Gerritson, “indisposed” in his office  ⚆_⚆

Some quick, silly doodles of the worple horse Squab from Lee Welch’s long-awaited new book, Seducing the Sorcerer, which is fantastic, as expected, with a couple of jaded, pragmatic, middle-aged guys with plenty of baggage and a shared enjoyment of the D/s dynamic in bed. And in the stables. And in the storage room...you get the idea. Comes complete will all the romance feels you could ask for and plenty of magic and action and humour (mostly courtesy of Squab). Definitely recommended. 

The perfect snuggle.

Haven’t been feeling the art mood, but I got serious warm fuzzies from Nash’s musings on the perfect snuggle (spoiler - it involves a lovely/ snuggly person, good positioning and at least one cat) in Winter Blackthorne’s The Viscount Debacle. So here’s a chibi cuddle.

I really like the protagonists in this book. I’m a total sucker for cute, endearing ace leads in romance, and Nash and awkward, neurodiverse-coded Simon are adorable together ^_^

The Big Question

Really tickled by C.S. Poe’s short story, “New Game, Start”. It’s language nerd plus video game nerd with flirting via homemade dating simulator and a rom-com-worthy, find-each-other-in-a-crowd ending. So much squee ^_^

Our chairs

Jonty and Orlando in the Senior Common Room at St Bride’s, Cambridge, just being daft and adorable.

I recently reread whole Cambridge Fellows series by Charlie Cochrane, though this time I had the sense not to read book 8 in public - the first time, I ended up crying in the queue for a charity sale, with people giving me serious side-eye. Live and learn.

“It has sentimental value.”

Here’s a silly chibi Will Darling and his emotional support knife. I know the handle is supposed to be carved in an unspecified artistic fashion, but I drew a complete blank so it’s just got the standard design.

Subtle Blood is as fantastic as expected. Few can rip out all your feelings and put them in a blender like @kjcharleswriter and she masterfully guides us through the end stages of the long process of two wounded, closed off people learning to be vulnerable with one another. Plus all the pulpy intrigue and violence you could want as an exciting backdrop *dreamy romance sigh*

Just one thing has been nagging at me since book 2 - if DS is here, where’s AC...?