weird horny pet boi and his Master.
I couldn't think of a context when I was drawing it, so in the end I decided to put the background of the room.
put the situation in your imagination (  ̄ ▽  ̄)╭
(headcanon:when psycop is anxious/nervous, he tugs and fiddles with his shirt collar almost involuntarily
and yes, in my head, he has a very femboy ass)
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” ⚆_⚆
Over the last year I have consumed a frankly absurd amount of audiobooks during my stupid infirmity, and I just have to make a rec for anyone who likes supernatural vibes, investigative procedural shows, and 2008 vibes- oh and hot gay sex.
Psycop is such a good ass book series. I can’t believe this came out so long ago and it took me until now to discover it.
an alternate cover edition can be found here Once upon…
Ignore how oddly abrupt the first chapter is, it gets totally addictive after that. The audiobooks are definitely the way to go if you do those.
A thing I always forget a little between PsyCop books that I really don’t like Jacob that much. Like, he's well-written. He's fine, but in that way where your friend is with someone and you Do Not Get It, but it makes your friend happy so that's that?
I do love the series though. Victor Bayne is my (gay) book boyfriend.
The quote: And when I felt overwhelmed, I’d just stand around and zone out, and everyone would assume I was talking to dead people. — Victor Bayne
I don't know what to make of this really. Honestly, I enjoyed the plot I like that sort of supernatural whatdunit and it took me a distressingly long time to figure this out. I know my supernatural lore I should have figured this out much earlier. But Among the Living also has a whole lot of I guess poorly written or ill-fitting smut. I don't read these for smut never have never will (wait that's a lie some authors do write it well enough that I will read their books regardless of plot). The characters have some chemistry but it essentially comes down to what Vic calls Psych groupie once you see that you cannot unsee it. Also, the plot ending is somewhat illogical even given the paranormal concept. Yes, they do have their own built-in logic systems and this one failed it's own system. Or Jordan Castillo Price chose to let the reader put together the scraps which is an option but doesn't make a lot of sense here. I did like the scene details and the writing though. The lore is at least mostly sound, the powers aren't op they all have a downside to them, a limitation or restriction. This is at least an okay start for a series.
I do sort of like the characters especially Lisa her powers are brilliant and powerful for something that appears so simple. It's also nice to see a character like her one who doesn't want her gift and is forced into revealing it. Carolyn's are just unenviable once you understand the scope and the way they can easily weaponised against her. Victor Bayne's scare me a little especially once you realise how much he sees. There is a rather distressing scene in the basement that felt so unnecessary but it also feels like it is setting something up for a future book, I really hope it wasn't just for kicks and giggles. It's a tiny moment in a book but oh I needed a minute there. There are innocent victims and then there is that. Our other leading man I struggled with Jacob Marks was a problem for me. Once Vic called him a Psych groupie I couldn't help but see him like that. The ending does not redeem that all, unfortunately. He kinda feeling like generic cop number 3. A walking talking wall of meat and muscle, yeah he has a brain but it's not utilised well. Victor himself is a good voice for a series. He has a reasonable voice and he's funny which is important. He actually reminds me a little of Calyx Starr from Juxtapose City but with less sex. If I compare anyone to Starr it's usually a good thing. Starr is a fave.
I know this is just me venting but I seriously bristle something fierce at queer books that have hang-ups about threesomes and open relationships. Just be together. All of you. What is the big deal?
Okay, this is primarily directed at my own frustration at shipping Victor x Jacob x Crash from the PsyCop series and scowling into the void has me feeling better.
Here goes.
Nothing says limited pov to me like the coveting of a two person romantic ideal. In my opinion that particular fixation (and obvious distrust of alternative options) leads to writing that's afraid to take chances on exploring the complexity and complications of adult relationships. Full disclosure: I have rolled my eyes at characters in romance who want threesomes and turn down threesomes because capitulation would mean their relationship was dead. I don't know many couples who haven't been in a threesome. It's not a dire death-knell. It's a pretty mundane human experience. Jealousy can be worked through. Jealousy should be worked through, whether polyam or not.
I can handle underdeveloped romances in a romance series if the other books flesh it out later. It's not going to turn me away from a story. However, when it came to Vic and Jacob... I love Victor way more than I cared about his relationship with Jacob. That's not to say I didn't like Jacob. I did, but Victor's romanticism of Jacob and my observations of Jacob didn't correlate. Which was fascinating when I thought the writing was heading for a Victor/ Jacob/ Crash romance, but became frustrating when I realised it wasn't. I was interested in the dynamic because Crash knows how not-perfect Jacob is, and Vic and Crash's mutual attraction was building in a way that Jacob and Victor's relationship never got the chance to.
The dynamic felt like a story that was going to be told and it filled all three men with definition. Rather than going through the motions of relationship milestones, it gave me hope for a continuing, series-wide development between Vic and Jacob. If that had been the case, I'd classify PsyCop as romance because it took me on a romantic journey. Rather, I'd say it's more erotica because Jacob's fetishism of Vic seemed to be the point of Jacob and Vic's dynamic.
I was also frustrated because Red's relationship with Crash is so underdeveloped and unnecessary it felt like what heterosexual writing does to homoerotic tension on tv— hastily pairing them off with love interests of a different gender to cut off the unconventional romantic tension. Crash and Victor had obvious sexual tension. Jacob had flaws when it came to his romantic dealing with both men. That tension didn't dissipate. That tension needed to be dealt with. And, yes, one option was navigating a polyam relationship.
Those relationships exist. I'm in one. Happily. Many in the queer community are in one. When you question one romantic social convention you question more of them. It works as any relationship involving people— communication and self awareness being the key to success. It would have been nice to see those three characters reaching the potential I saw in them to bring out the best in each other.
Ultimately PsyCop is a fun, gritty series with a great main character for the most part. Its plot and style is addictive. I just— I wish...