Michael Emond
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vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Michael Emond
@vinegarmichael.bsky.social
190 followers 20 following 750 posts
Human-made art, writing, and sh*tposts!

He/Him | Novelist | Artist | Author of “How Do You Free a Caged Bird?" |
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vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Me poorly describing the MCs of my various book projects:

"Well, you got mommy issues, mommy issues, daddy issues, cigarette junkie, more daddy issues, violent-asshole issues, and a weirdly self-actualized 17-year-old necromancer."

#booksky #writesky #writingcommunity #indieauthors #authorproblems
December 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
It's been a chaotic week and a half, so I unfortunately don't have anything new to show off, art or writing-wise.

So here's an Art VS The Artist video! Hope you guys like it!

#digitalart #artvstheartist #artsky #artvids #ocart #videogamefanart #art
December 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
So they started out by using AI for crappy anime dubbing, and now they're sneakily cramming AI chatbots into their eBooks without letting publishers opt out. 🙃

With all due respect to Amazon, "Go fuck yourself!"

#writesky #indieauthors #booksky #writingcommunity

www.pcmag.com/news/kindles...
Kindle’s New AI Feature Can Answer Questions About Your Books (Whether Authors Want It or Not)
The Kindle app's new feature will provide AI-generated tips to explain your book's plot or how the characters relate to one another, though it's currently only available on the iOS version.
www.pcmag.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:51 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
“That said, you were pretty quick to put your life on the line for a complete stranger,” he mused.

#WIPSnips #booksky #writesky #indieauthors #urbanfantasy #WIP #writingcommunity
“That said, you were pretty quick to put your life on the line for a complete stranger,” he mused. “You’re either incredibly courageous and selfless, or absolutely reckless with a fucking death wish. I still can’t decide which.” Kieren’s heart started to race. His hazy memories of that night, one by one, became clearer. “Regardless, your attempt at playing the hero was rewarded by almost being killed by the very person you were trying to help,” Ezra said. “If it weren’t for me, your carelessness could have very easily been the death of you that night.” Kieren’s chest tensed up, the memory of being impaled and left to bleed out on the ground surging through what felt like his every neuron. “Truth be told, after how banged up you got, you were almost beyond saving,” Ezra added. “You were unconscious for almost five days. I was genuinely starting to wonder if you would even wake up at all.”
December 15, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Michael Emond
quest64official.bsky.social
The image is a play on "I have no mouth and I must scream" But says "I have a mouth and ice cream"
December 15, 2025 at 1:00 AM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Currently trying to outline a trilogy of Urban Fantasy Vampire Noire novels while also editing and finalizing my current novella project.

Sanity was something I discarded long ago… orz

#writesky #indieauthors #booksky #writingcommunity #fantasybooks
December 15, 2025 at 1:08 AM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Live footage of my current mental health state over the past week and a half... 🙃

The horrors persist, but so do I.

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthumor #humor #relatable
a group of people are gathered in a living room with a fire coming out of the floor
ALT: a group of people are gathered in a living room with a fire coming out of the floor
media.tenor.com
December 13, 2025 at 11:11 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
"Turn the key to a world untold..."

Here's the time lapse for my Guilty Gear Strive ABA fanart! I hope you guys like it! 🎨

#fanart #digitalart #arttimelapse #guiltygearstrive #artsky #videogamefanart #gaming #fightinggamescommunity #arcsys #guiltygear #art #videogames
December 12, 2025 at 6:19 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
I can unfortunately think of a decent amount of people in the world who could benefit from three ghosts of Christmas terrorizing them into changing their ways for the better.

#writesky #booksky #writingcommunity
December 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
My new John Wick-style assassin thriller, "How Do You Free a Caged Bird?" is now available to read for free on Wattpad!

You want a suspenseful story to binge-read? I got you covered!

Link to read below:
www.wattpad.com/story/404888...

#writesky #booksky #wattpad #freetoread #assassinthriller
December 12, 2025 at 2:11 AM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
"Whatever may come, our love is eternal. Isn't it dear?"

Some fan art I made of A.B.A from Guilty Gear Strive. 🎨

Hope y'all like it! o7

#guiltygearstrive #arcsys #aba #fightinggames #videogamefanart #art #videogames #gaming #guiltygear #fightinggamecommunity
Fan art of A.B.A from Guilty Gear Strive.
December 11, 2025 at 8:30 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Sneak peak at my current art project as I work on some fan art of A.B.A from Guilty Gear Strive~ 🎨
December 11, 2025 at 4:29 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Shoutouts to every creative person out there who gets burnt out because they're comically bad at pacing themselves.

We are birds of a feather, and we DESPERATELY need to do better. TwT

#writingcommunity #booksky #artsky #artists #writesky
December 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Whether you're indie-publishing or querying for traditional publishing, I'm finding one of the toughest battles when it comes to promoting work is finding ways to break through the noise and get people motivated to engage with what you put out.

#writesky #booksky #writingcommunity #writingandbooks
December 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Emond
dtpowell.bsky.social
Sitting & Waiting ☁️
#art #illustration #characterdesign
December 10, 2025 at 3:13 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
"Leon remembered how he used the money from his first job to pay four months’ rent,"

From my WIP, "How Do You Free a Caged?", chapters 3 and 4 will be available to read tomorrow on Wattpad.

Link to read Below:
www.wattpad.com/story/404888...

#writesky #WIPSnips #booksky #writingcommunity #WIP
Still, his organization paid good money for a successful contract, especially for a killer of his caliber. Leon remembered how he used the money from his first job to pay four months’ rent and to treat his younger sister and brother to their first dinner out since they could remember. Leon dropped out of High School to provide for his family after their mother died. As long as it was for them, he would do anything he had to do to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, no matter how morally dubious or underhanded. The Black Bird of Death thought it better to keep both of his younger siblings in the dark concerning the true, gruesome nature of his profession, knowing full well that they’d object wholeheartedly to the horrors he subjected himself to. For that reason, Leon told them both that an estranged friend of their father’s had reached out to him to work as an administrative assistant at a pharmaceutical company. Considering how Leon had initially stumbled into the world of murder-for-hire, it wasn’t too far from the truth. It was better for everyone involved that his brother and sister remained unaware of how he made his money. Considering the only resignation Oblivion accepted was death, it wasn’t like Leon had the luxury of quitting his job, even if he wanted to. It was all fine and dandy in the end. Leon was simply doing what he had to do to get by, and that was all there was to it. As far as The Black Bird of Death was concerned, he was paid by vile and shitty criminals to kill other criminals who were equally as vile and shitty. They all deserved to die, and he was simply profiting off their greed and bloodlust, as any good capitalist would. That’s what Leon tried to tell himself anyway. He knew deep down that one day, when everything was said and done, he’d see them all in Hell sooner or later.
December 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
The time lapse for my Sonic fan art. It took me three different attempts to get the pose right, but my hard work paid off in the end.

Hope you guys like it!

#art #arttimelaspe #sonicthehedgehog #sega #videogames #videogamefanart #gaming #fanart #sonic #digitalart
December 7, 2025 at 9:45 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Sonic Adventure was one of my first video games growing up, so I'm genuinely surprised I went this long without drawing him doing THE pose.

#sega #sonicthehedgehog #videogamefanart #artreveal #retrogaming #nostalgiagaming #digitalart #fanart #segadreamcast
December 7, 2025 at 5:03 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
I'm on the Autism Spectrum, play video games, and was born before 2000! Of course, I like Sonic the Hedgehog!

#art #digitalart #fanart #sonicthehedgehog #videogames #gaming #videogamefanart #sonicadventure #sega #segadreamcast
December 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Michael Emond
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Hey, friends! My book, "How Do You Free a Caged Bird?" is now up on Wattpad, and I will be updating it weekly. If you like John Wick-style thrillers, go check it out!

Link to Read Below:

www.wattpad.com/story/404888...

#booksky #writesky #freetoread #wattpad #fiction #newbooks #thrillerbooks
Deep within the criminal underworld exists a professional assassin who even the most hardened of kingpins and crime lords speak of only in hushed whispers. A phantom who single-handedly brought entire heavily-armed crime organizations to their knees, leaving behind knives in all of his victims like a bird that had molted its feathers. The paid assassin they all call… The Black Bird of Death. Leon Graves was taught to kill from an early age. Left to pick up the shattered pieces of his family after the death of their mother and abandonment by their father, Leon took up professional assassination to provide for his younger brother and sister. Despite being one of the most prolific hitmen employed by the murder-for-hire conglomerate known as Oblivion, the Black Bird of Death sees his profession as nothing more than a cage he willingly entered out of desperation. Leon now treads a delicate line, trying to balance his deadly double life so he may protect everything he holds dear.
December 5, 2025 at 3:44 AM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Hey, friends! My book, "How Do You Free a Caged Bird?" is now up on Wattpad, and I will be updating it weekly. If you like John Wick-style thrillers, go check it out!

Link to Read Below:

www.wattpad.com/story/404888...

#booksky #writesky #freetoread #wattpad #fiction #newbooks #thrillerbooks
Deep within the criminal underworld exists a professional assassin who even the most hardened of kingpins and crime lords speak of only in hushed whispers. A phantom who single-handedly brought entire heavily-armed crime organizations to their knees, leaving behind knives in all of his victims like a bird that had molted its feathers. The paid assassin they all call… The Black Bird of Death. Leon Graves was taught to kill from an early age. Left to pick up the shattered pieces of his family after the death of their mother and abandonment by their father, Leon took up professional assassination to provide for his younger brother and sister. Despite being one of the most prolific hitmen employed by the murder-for-hire conglomerate known as Oblivion, the Black Bird of Death sees his profession as nothing more than a cage he willingly entered out of desperation. Leon now treads a delicate line, trying to balance his deadly double life so he may protect everything he holds dear.
December 5, 2025 at 3:44 AM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
PoV: You're editing your manuscript:

"He sighed."
"She sighed."
"They sighed."
"With a heavy sigh—"
"He let out a weary sigh."
"She sighed in exasperation."
"'Honestly...' they groaned with a tired sigh."

#writesky #writingcommunity #writingandbooks #indieauthors #writingfiction #fiction
December 4, 2025 at 4:39 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Fiddled around a bit, and I think I finally landed on a concept for the cover of my next book.

#booksky #artsky #digitalart #indieauthors #writesky #bookcovers #wip
December 4, 2025 at 12:42 AM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
Just finished the first round of edits for my current book project.

Among other things, I'm doubling down on this cautionary tale about how we as a society drive people (especially young men) down a path of destruction where no one wins.

#writingcommunity #booksky #indieauthors #WIP #writesky
December 3, 2025 at 6:28 PM
vinegarmichael.bsky.social
"And Oblivion essentially runs a monopoly on this industry," he said.

#WIPSnips #WIP #indieauthors #booksky #writesky #thrillerbooks #writingcommunity #writingandbooks
“And Oblivion essentially runs a monopoly on this industry,” he said. “They have powerful financial backers and many influential allies in high places. If you betray the organization, there’s no escape. There’s nowhere in the developed world you could run to where they couldn’t hunt you down. Any person who rebels or leaves is a dead man. That’s probably why Charon chose to band with some other defectors and hole up in the middle of a remote ghost town. Objectively speaking, it’s the best shot he has at escaping.” As Leon spoke this truth aloud, he cursed his lot in life. His fate was sealed the moment he joined Oblivion. Whether he met his end at the hands of another assassin or kicked the bucket via some other grizzly outcome he had failed to consider, Oblivion would own him, body and soul, until the day he died. In Leon’s eyes, Charon’s rebellion was foolish. Pointless. It was always better to just bend to those with power than to stand up to them and be broken, especially if the people you cared about most would get caught in the crossfire. Yet even after acknowledging that, a small flame of envy burned within the Black Bird of Death, jealous that Charon was courageous enough to defy an authority that Leon himself had already obediently bent the knee to.
December 3, 2025 at 3:04 PM