So I decided to get a pic of myself for Cathy as a Valentine's Day present. A bit vain, maybe, but I was sure she'd appreciate it. I was after a nice beefcake pic of myself lounging on the couch, obviously naked but covered so nothing actually showed. Sexy but tasteful, right? Kinda like that scene in Titanic, but you know... male.

The photographer looked at me oddly when I told it to him, but dutifully had me strip and provided a small sheet to cover the important bits. "All right, lie back," he said. "Turn a little towards me. A little more... okay. Now lift your arm. No, over your head, like... yeah, like that." Eventually he had me just how he wanted, and with a click the photo was done.

When I got the print and file a few days later, I could only sigh. I didn't intend for it to be quite this much like that scene in the movie...

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The little story above is almost exactly what actually happened in real life. I wanted a nice beefcake pic of Xodiac to give to Cathy, and told the artist (DropletKrin, and I'll make that a link if I ever find he has a web site or FA account), "Sort of like the scene in Titanic, you know?" I meant it to be the mood (and said as much), but he took it as the pose and setting. Since this is EXACTLY the sort of thing that happens to Xodiac I can't even be mad. It's perfectly in-character for him to want a beefcake pic and get posed for cheesecake. And since this wound up kind of a mix, I decided to call it cheefcake.