iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The Shabti ebook is finally available again on Amazon. Listed under a different listing from all the other formats, with an incorrect spelling of my name, for about twice the price of the previous Kindle edition. (But less expensive Google Play version still seems to be available for now!)

That one meme of the guy with like 20 cigarettes.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

So I have a prop top hat that I got at some point for book marketing purposes. It eventually fell into the hands of my younger child, who played with it to the point that it began to fall apart. But, behold!!! The top hat facade has fallen away, only to reveal A TINY BOWLER HAT beneath

Photo of my hand holding a tiny prop top
hat. The stovepipe part is separating from the brim.

Photo of my hand holding the same prop hat. I’ve flipped back the top to reveal a tiny bowler hat.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Hey, look what I just got, @mythjae.bsky.social! :D I forgot I had preordered it, so this was a delightful surprise on what has been an otherwise kinda stressful day!

Photo of me holding This Mortal Coil by Jasmine Walls and Marie Enger

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Yes! Mine is a floofier boy, but they look very similar otherwise!

Photo of me with my Belgian Tervuren, Max.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I’m really sad the Michelin Man isn’t in this lineup. The man canonically drinks broken glass and nails while mocking his vanquished rivals. He’d be my first pick every time.

Famous vintage Michelin tire ad with a horrifying Michelin man raising a cup of broken glass with the toast “Nunc est bibendum.” Two other deflated tire men look on with expressions of quiet defeat.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

This film from my spouse is now on Amazon! It’s a very personal story many years in the making, and it tackles a lot of weighty themes about friendship, mental health, and the struggle to stay connected in an increasingly digital world.

Poster for the film Local Area Network featuring actors Michael Farca and Jeff A. Smith

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

If any of my Bsky friends are planning to be at the ALA conference in Chicago this month, I’d love to see you! I’ll be there on Saturday, June 27th, at 3:30 PM to sign books at Booth #2136.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

All but one, of course. Osiris’s dong was tossed into the Nile, where it was promptly eaten by a fish. But not to worry! Having Frankensteined her dead brother/husband back together, Isis made him a new penis. She then turned into a bird, specifically a kite, and had sex with his corpse.

Relief from Dendera depicting Isis as a kite having sex with the body of Osiris.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Okay, here is a quick update since I am taking a lunch break. Another deity who is commonly represented in ithyphallic form is Geb, the earth god. In this vignette from the funerary papyrus of Tameni, he is shown reclining below his sister/consort, the sky goddess Nut, unable to reach her

Detail of the Third Intermediate Period papyrus of Tameni (now in the British Museum) showing the earth god Geb with an impressively large erection trying fruitlessly to connect with the sky goddess Nut, who arches over him.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

the extremely ancient fertility god, Min. (Min was also associated with lettuce, by the way, which is . . . actually relevant. I'll get into that more later. :) ) But other deities also borrowed this iconography, including Amun, Ptah, and even, on occasion, the goddess Mut.

Relief of the god Min in his ithyphallic form from Karnak temple. He's standing in front of an offering table with one arm raised. He has a prominent erection and is wearing a feathered headdress and false beard. He balances a flail on his upraised hand. His other arm is not visible, but 3D representations show that in this pose it is actually tucked in at his side, with his left hand holding the peen.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

So, penises played a prominent (huh huh) role in ancient Egyptian religion, art, literature, and even the basic writing system. Yes, they had not one, but *two* commonly used penis glyphs. Due to the nature of the writing system, these signs are not just used to mean literally "penis," but 🧵

Screenshot of the two common phallus signs in Gardiner's sign list, with examples of words in which they appear.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I APOLOGIZE might I present you this statuette of a couple of people using a dude’s comedically massive dong as a music stand(?) as a peace offering

Photo of a statuette from the Brooklyn Museum of a guy with a dick longer than his own body. A woman is seated on one end of it playing a harp.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Sincerely can’t tell if this is getting any better. Hermann, my boy, why do you hate me?! 😭 (My 13yo is not helping. She looked at an earlier rendition and described it as “a portrait of a lovely man and his chopped-ass husband”.)

Screenshot of a WIP of Hermann and Dashiel digitally painted in pulp cover style. Hermann looks off and I feel like my brain cells are actively dying every time I try to fix it. My reach exceeds my grasp, I have Procreated too close to the sun.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Guys, I… I am STRUGGLING At this point things are just starting to get silly

Detail from a WIP digital painting of Dashiel and Hermann from The Shabti. Hermann has a horrifying CalArts smile and anime blush lines because I cannot draw this man’s goddamn mouth if my life depended on it.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

I am trying to learn how to paint like the ‘30s pulp cover artists, and it is a *struggle*. This obviously has a loooong way to go overall, but there’s something deeply satisfying about doing eyes this way with the little cartoony wedge highlight. 😆

Very unfinished detail of a digital painting of Dashiel from The Shabti in a pulp cover style. He’s looking terrified and reaching out for something, bathed from slightly below in yellowish light.

Closeup of the eyes from the same painting. They’re outlined in dark (digital) pencil and have a little wedge-shaped highlight over each iris.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Hell, yeah! I’ll always be grateful to Daniel Cantada for making The Shabti such a gorgeous book, both inside and out. The font choices! The little hats!!! 🎩 ❤️

Cover design by Daniel Cantada for The Shabti, featuring an Egyptian shabti figurine casting the shadow of a man with a cane and top hat. The figures are black against a bright yellow background. The title is written diagonally in white letters, in a font reminiscent of old horror movie posters.

Photo of the first page of Chapter 1 of The Shabti, featuring a graphic of a top hat as the header.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Wheee, I’m going to be at ALA!! I’m still not sure exactly *when* on that day I’ll be signing, but hopefully I’ll have that info to share soon.

Photo of me holding a copy of The Shabti against a convention hall backdrop. The text says “Come meet me at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago! I’ll be there Saturday, June 27th, at Booth #2136 with my publisher, Marble Press (exact time TBA). Stop by to say hello and get a signed copy of The Shabti!”

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Beans!! This is a less scrungly commission I recently completed for @placeholderhandle.bsky.social .

Digital painting of a young black cat in an abstractly rendered fabric tunnel. The background is in shades of blue, purple, and magenta.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Hi! I draw scrungly portraits of people’s cats sometimes (see my currently pinned post)! Here are a couple of examples of recent commissions:

Black and white drawing of a scruffy tabby cat with a cat stuffie

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

I’ve been falling into a bit of a rabbit hole lately about Louis Wain and his increasingly weird cat paintings. Hermann absolutely has several Wain prints hanging up in his apartment. He probably wrote him fan mail at some point.

A colorful Louis Wain illustration of several cats in fashionable Edwardian attire, entitled “My Friend the Prince.”

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

…And the fancier version, with color. (Please pardon the chaos with the sketch and photo reference layer at the beginning. I keep forgetting Procreate has a handy built-in reference tool. XD)

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

I thought it might be fun to share a process video of one of my scrungly cat portraits! Here’s the quick greyscale version…

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Just completed a full color/less scrungly version of @hauntedtoasters.bsky.social’s lovely kitties! I loved drawing those stunning coat colors and patterns.

A digital drawing, in color, of two cats snuggling on a blanket. One is a dilute calico, and the other is a dark brown Siamese.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I was honored to draw this ✨rare double scrungle✨of @hauntedtoasters.bsky.social’s two gorgeous cats! I may have a special edition of this one in the works…

Greyscale drawing of two cats, a dilute calico and a dark Siamese, snuggling on a blanket.

The photo reference of the same two cats, looking blissfully cuddly and cozy.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

I was bombarded by a series of unexpected expenses over the last couple of weeks, so I’ve decided to try something new and open up commissions! I love to draw quick pet portraits (especially cats, but I’m open to any kind of critter). LMK if you’re interested, and please share!

Graphic with three drawings. Two are quick black and white sketches of cats, and the other is a more carefully done color drawing of a dog. The text says “Quick ‘n scrungly pet portrait - $25. Less scrungly - $50. DM me to enquire!”

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

I’m cursed to do my best doodles on the worst drawing surfaces. This is a character from a short story I’m working on (that might balloon into a little novella if I’m not careful…)

Ballpoint pen drawing of a young woman with short, wavy hair wearing a newsboy cap. The drawing is on a piece of junk mail. Part of a handwritten grocery list is visible to the right.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Here is a small sampling of illustrations that rewired my brain chemistry as a child.

Sapphire Mermaid from Erte’s precious stones series.

Princess Ozma from the end of The Marvelous Land of Oz, as illustrated by John R. Neill.

Illustration of the princess knocking the cursed drink out of the farm boy’s hand from the 12 Dancing Princesses by Kinuko Y. Kraft.

Illustration of Robin and the Fairy Queen from Wild Robin by Susan Jeffers

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I found more of my kid’s inexplicable drawings in my camera roll this morning. God, I love her 🤣

Some kind of bony creepypasta nightmare creature with a star-shaped head stands with his back to the viewer and looms over a little cartoony goober in a suit and top hat, casting an ominous shadow.

The star-head guy now crouches on the floor facing us, grinning happily and showing way too many teeth. He’s blushing and wearing a flower crown. The little suit and top hat guy kneels on a stool next to him, looking fondly delighted.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Well, I didn’t quite recreate my PFP, but it’s close-ish. (Also, I have now had my dastardly revenge upon the young accessory thief in my house. Ha! And again, I say ha!)

Photo of me in a white button-up shirt wearing a red paisley bow tie and matching suspenders.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Urgent message from @authorsabb.bsky.social. Call your reps to voice your opposition to the proposed nationwide book banning bill H.R. 7661.

Slide 1: a blue graphic with an outline of the United States. Red and white text reads: Call.
National Book Banning Bill Proposed in US House of Reps. Tell your rep: Vote no on H.R. 7661.

Slide 2: a blue and red graphic with white text that reads: House Republicans have introduced a
bill to effectively grant the federal government decision-making power over what books make it
into the library. Misleadingly called the "Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,
" H.R. 7661 is a
national-level book banning bill that would ban any book that, according to the bill's language,
"(ii) involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism.
" This means any book about a trans person
or the trans experience would be banned from every public school in the United States.

Slide 3: a blue and red graphic with white text that reads: The bill has been referred to the
House Committee on Education and Workforce. If you are represented by one of the members
of this committee listed below, they need to hear from you.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, California (CA-3) (Chair) - entering vulnerable election cycle
Rep. Mary E. Miller, Illinois (Vice Chair)
Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, Pennsylvania
Rep. Burgess Owens, Utah
Rep. Michael A. Rulli, Ohio
Rep. James C. Moylan, Guam - entering vulnerable election cycle
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, Pennsylvania - entering vulnerable election cycle
Rep. Mark Harris, North Carolina
Rep. Mark B. Messmer, Indiana
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon, Ranking Member
Rep. Jahana Hayes, Connecticut
Rep. Summer L. Lee, Pennsylvania
Rep. John W. Mannion, New York
Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, Florida
Rep. Alma S. Adams, North Carolina
Rep. Adelita Grijalva, Arizona

Slide 4: a blue graphic with red and white text that reads: If you are represented by the
congresspeople listed above: Call your reps. Tell them they must oppose this bill at every turn. It
is egregiously unconstitutional, targets ideas based on ideological disapproval, and misleads
parents and the public about the content of children's books. It does nothing to protect kids and
will badly harm education. It will tie school material funding into knots and hurt anyone who is a
library materials vendor, regardless of content. If you are a bookseller, librarian, or author, tell
them your livelihood depends on the next generation of readers.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

My feral youngster has been so civil and restrained on the bus this year, with one rather notable exception 🫠

Cartoon panel of a small child in a winter cap and coat kicking the seat in front of him on a school bus. He looks angry. A child across the aisle watches with concern.

The bus driver, a bearded man in an Army cap, turns around and mildly chides the child: “Sebastian, don’t hurt my bus, buddy.”

Closeup of the kid narrowing his eyes defiantly. He’s sick of everyone’s shit.

The child scornfully says “Fuck this bus.” The bus driver glances back in surprise.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Yay, I was able to do it for real without bleach! The dye I got claimed to be specifically formulated to work on dark hair, but I was skeptical due to past lackluster hair coloring attempts. This is just about what I was aiming for, though!

Photo of me showing off dyed, dark copper hair.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

I achieved a nice copper shade with this tinted hair cream stuff, but it’s a huge pain in the ass to apply and I’d love to try something a little more permanent.

Photo of me showing off dyed coppery reddish hair.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

My 6yo keeps asking to listen to the Frog and Toad Broadway musical at bedtime

Cartoon of Frog and Toad from the Frog and Toad books. Frog is dancing with a cane and straw boater hat while Toad sits in the background looking smitten. Frog sings a line from A Year with Frog and Toad: “I’d like to sing an ode about my good friend Toad, Toad, with whom I frequently take tea…”

Frog continues to sing, while Toad begins to look annoyed: “He’s not so good at sports, and of course he’s got those warts”

Frog is really getting into it now. He is grandly gesticulating with his back to the viewer, singing “And let’s not even get started on his dysfunctional relationship with cookieees”

Toad raises his hands in exasperation and says “Bruh wtf”

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Ooo I’m so fancy! I don’t get enough opportunities to be fancy.

Photo of me sitting on a couch in the Charlie Chaplin room at Club Arcada, wearing red lipstick, a red velvet dress and black boots, cheesing at the camera. There’s a fancy cocktail on the fancy table in front of me.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Is this the laziest and most slapdash drawing/graphic I have done to promote my book yet? PERHAPS. Nevertheless, I hope you will consider The Shabti if you're looking for a romance with a healthy dose of the heebie-jeebies this Valentine's Day!

Graphic showing Hermann and Dashiel from The Shabti embracing, surrounded by tendrils of smoke in the shape of a heart emerging from a tiny shabti figure. The cover of The Shabti is at bottom left. There are pressed flowers around the outside of the drawing. At the top of the image it says "Have an unsettling happy Valentine's Day" with "unsettling" crossed out.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Looking for a spooky-cozy tale to warm you through this bleak February? My supernatural thriller/historical fantasy/MM romance about a former phony medium and an Egyptologist teaming up to investigate a haunted artifact is available from a variety of booksellers that are not THAT bookseller!

Graphic of The Shabti book cover in front of an image of a man's hand pouring brandy from a decanter. Scraps of paper arranged around the image have the words "Kobo," "Bookshop.org," and "Libro.fm" printed on them.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

For my daughter, who is in an ELO phase.

Vividly colored pseudo-‘70s style illustration of a cartoony man in a blue suit, straw hat, and yellow gloves and bow tie walking down a set of rainbow stairs, holding a cane. He’s surrounded by clouds, rainbows, and sunshine. He looks cheerful and pleased with himself. “Mr. Blue Sky” is written in the bottom right corner in big, blue, hand lettered text.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Don’t worry, he apparently received first aid and comfort toast after his tragic accident

A character with brown hair holds a first aid kit and puts a bandaid on the bruised and battered bow tie guy’s face

The character with brown hair comfortingly pats the patched up bow tie guy on the head while he smiles and eats buttered toast

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Idk exactly what my daughter is up to, but there’s a whole saga with this little guy in the red bow tie showing up in my phone’s photo gallery.

A cartoon of a little guy in a red bow tie sitting atop an Ionic column, looking worried

Another cartoony character has offered bow tie guy a ladder. He is climbing down, but he still looks worried.

The ladder has begun to fall away from the pillar while bow tie guy is at the top. Both characters look alarmed.

Tragedy has struck. Bow tie guy is actively falling along with the ladder. The other character looks on in horror.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

I had to draw my brother and SIL’s cat. She is dainty, she is demure, she WILL cut you

Drawing of a plump little tabby cat dressed like an Edwardian lady, holding a fancy teacup in one paw and a switchblade in the other.

Photo of the same cat lying on a wood floor, giving the camera an affronted look.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

What “other juice,” meijer? What. “Other.” “Juice.”

Photo of a jug of Cranberry Strawberry juice cocktail. The label says it contains “another juice from concentrate”

Closeup on the words “with another juice from concentrate”

Extreme closeup on the words “another juice from concentrate”

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

The child failed to appreciate my brilliant rendition of Rouxls, but at least she approves of my attempt at Tenna and Spamton. 😔

Drawing of Mr. Tenna from Deltarune looking concerned and mildly disgusted as he holds up Spamton by the back of his jacket.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

My daughter asked me to draw Rouxls Kaard, and she is horrified with the result. It’s not my fault bro is absolutely terrifying when rendered semi-realistically, smh

Digital drawing of Rouxls Kaard from Deltarune, from the chest up.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Today my kid burst into my office with a pair of Spamtons made of air-dry clay and a pile of paint markers and was like “YOU WORK ON THIS ONE, I’LL DO THE OTHER!” I feel like this is an indication I’ve done something right as a parent. Not sure what, but… something

My hand holding a pair of air dry clay sculptures of Spamton G Spamton from Deltarune, along with a pipis.

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Megaera Lorenz @megaeralwrites.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

I saw this perfect creature and had to draw them.

Quick pencil sketch of the incredibly floofy cat on the right. It is basically a hairy rectangle with a head, paws, and tail.

Screenshot of an extremely fluffy cat lying belly up, its head vanishing into the mounds of floof around its shoulders

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