pillowfort | twitter | instagram | ao3 ⚠️ do not reupload or edit my art without my permission ⚠️

pillowfort | twitter | instagram | ao3 ⚠️ do not reupload or edit my art without my permission ⚠️

pillowfort | twitter | instagram | ao3 ⚠️ do not reupload or edit my art without my permission ⚠️

pillowfort | twitter | instagram | ao3 ⚠️ do not reupload or edit my art without my permission ⚠️

pillowfort | twitter | instagram | ao3 ⚠️ do not reupload or edit my art without my permission ⚠️

⚠️ do not reupload or edit my artwork without my permission ⚠️

⚠️ do not reupload or edit my artwork without my permission ⚠️

"Takemura-san?"

"Yes?"

"Miss Powell is ready for you." The medical assistant gestured into the room, and Goro nodded in thanks before he stepped through the doorway.

Valerie stood at the edge of the hospital bed with her back to him as she fought with a zipper on a small duffel bag. Her blue hair was swept up in a loose bun, and she was dressed plainly in a black, baggy long-sleeve t-shirt and sweatpants.

She was a magnificent sight, truly.

"It is good to see you, Valerie," Goro said.

She spun around before he finished saying her name and grinned, wide and bright. He smiled in return, and Valerie looked up and down, lavishing Goro with her adoring, dark gaze. An inkling of pride swelled in his chest.

"Goro, it's good--You look... Wow." Valerie reached for his arm, running her hand down the fine silk sleeve. "I feel very underdressed."

"Miss Powell, as a reminder: it's recommended you continue to wear loose-fitting clothing for the next month," the assistant interjected from the bedside station. He continued to rapidly tap against the console screen without otherwise acknowledging them.

Goro caught Valerie rolling her eyes at the interruption, and he smirked at her silent display of petty rebellion.

"You look good, too," he murmured affectionately. Even under the harsh lighting, Valerie's hair and skin were luminous, and her eyes were vibrant, alert. She looked healthy and well-rested. Unburdened. Goro could not recall the last time he saw her so at ease, if he ever had.

"Not like you," she replied, resuming her appreciative caress down his sleeve. When she reached the hem, Goro turned his palm over to take her bare hand in his, but as soon as their skin touched, Valerie shuddered. Her breath hitched in a lascivious whimper, and she immediately clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Over-stimulation is an expected side effect," the attendant interjected again, disinterested and monotone. "The worst of it should subside within a week. Occasional episodes may persist during the first six months."

"That's very helpful, thank you," Valerie mumbled against her palm.

• My work should not be reposted anywhere without my permission. → Reblogging directly from me here on Tumblr, retweeting directly from me on Twitter, and directly sharing my work in Instagram stories are not considered "reposting." These all make me very happy--Thank you! → If you really want to put my work on Pinterest, please make sure it links back to my original post. I will report pins that don't link back to my posts. → None of my work will ever be available as an NFT, so if you ever see it included in one of those galleries, please let me know.
• My work should not be run through filters, like NewProfilePic, and then reposted anywhere. → I know they're fun and I'm not gonna say there's zero creative merit here, but slapping an AI filter over someone's work and calling it your own is very disingenuous. → If you want to use my work for some kind of personal design project, just ask me! I will probably say yes provided I'm credited.
• If you use my work as a reference for your own artwork, like doing a charcoal drawing of a screenshot I took, it would be nice to get some acknowledgment. That said, I usually don't come down too hard here as long as the artwork is for personal use and there's no money involved (e.g. a commission, selling of prints, etc.).

• If I get the sense that it's an honest mistake, I'll likely ask the person to edit their post to include a credit/link to me and to not do it again.
• If it's one of those NFT galleries or "fanart" social media accounts that just yoink people's work for clout, or if I suspect directly speaking with the person might not go well, I will just report the post to get it removed.

Valerie couldn’t help but smile as Goro pulled out his burner phone and then glanced up, looking like a lost puppy as he sought out her Hella. She unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over the passenger seat, waving an arm out the window to get his attention. When he spotted her, he walked to her car, his long strides abnormally unsteady.  “Come here often?” Valerie teased as she opened the door for him. “Valerie,” Goro said in greeting, ignoring her quip as he settled into the seat. He smelled like rain and sweet liquor and cologne, just a hint of second-hand smoke. Valerie found the scent oddly comforting. “It is good to see you. Thank you for coming. I know it is very late.” She squinted at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his usually sharp, vibrant eyes were glassy, almost dazed. There was an effort behind his speech that she hadn’t heard before. “Holy shit.” Valerie’s jaw slacked and then she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re drunk.” Goro languidly peered at her from the corner of his eyes, looking sheepish. “Is it that obvious?”