#I'd actually cry if I could go to their panel

[aihoshiino]

chapter 166 thoughts

As of chapter 166, Oshi no Ko has finished a roughly four-and-a-half year run started back in 2020. While there's some speculation about an epilogue or some extra content in volume 16 when it drops, this is where the main story ends. And you know what that means!!!

OSHI NO KO HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED WITHOUT ADDRESSING OR ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT RUBY KISSED HER BROTHER IN CHAPTER 143

please understand that this is FUCKING BOGUS

I'll probably do a longer post on this subject specifically, but my main critique of 143 when the chapter dropped was that while I liked the individual beats in it and I was really glad to see Akasaka finally addressing this tension bubbling underneath Aqua and Ruby's relationship, the immediate swerve away from showing us the aftermath of that kiss felt to me like an admission that the story was going to needlessly draw this out even more. Now that the story has ended and we can see that moment had literally no impact on the plot or even the character dynamics, I'd like to revise that statement - it feels like an admission of compromise. It feels like crumbs thrown to AquRuby fans to tempt them to keep reading and to stir up the waters of the ship wars, so people would keep reading and stay invested in the manga right to the very end. But most of all, it feels deeply disrespectful to both Aqua and Ruby as characters. Rather than exploring their feelings and giving both of them interiority and complexity in relation to incest or even just fucking acknowledging that the kiss had happened and letting their dynamic evolve, the series just memory holes the entire event and asks that you do too. Rather than letting Ruby have any development whatsoever as pertains to that relationship or, god forbid, let a female character move on romantically from the male lead, the series ends with her feelings so up in the air that I literally could not tell you what she thinks of Aqua by the time he dies.

ANYWAY… FINAL CHAPTER. BREATHES OUT VERY HARD.

I really can't believe it's taken us until the final chapter to actually deal with Ruby's grief over Aqua lol. We got a snippet of it last chapter but it was so brief that it really just felt like a tease. I also just think it's kind of bizarre that we're spending this little time on Ruby having feelings about Aqua's death to the extent that I have no idea how or when she found out about it.

It's also kind of hard to feel particularly strongly about Ruby's grief when the chapter doesn't really bother to explore it all that much. It's just a montage of Ruby quite literally Screaming, Crying and Throwing Up while Akane dispassionately narrates it all. The art also doesn't really help in terms of connecting with the emotions at play - I usually really like Mengo's expression work and the way she depicts extreme emotions but this all just felt like of… I don't know how else to put it. Goofy??? Is that an insane thing to say about Ruby grieving her brother???

Idk, something about both the panelling and just the extreme on-the-noseness of Ruby, again, literally Screaming, Crying Throwing Up while she's wearing a Burning cosplay Just In Case You, The Audience, Didn't Get It only for her to abruptly be done crying with no exploration or insight as to what's going on in her head that allows her to move forward.

Honestly, this is kind of the issue with everyone in the cast. The resolution is just sort of "Aqua died and we were sad about it but then we stopped being sad". I know what the story is trying to go for here - it's trying to express that even when you're in pain, life goes on and so you have to find a way to go on with it. But the result is that we spend all this time oogling at their pain without spending equivalent or even meaningful time on their recovery process.

It feels both excessive and undercooked at the same time and I'm left with the same icky, voyeuristic feeling I got from Aqua's funeral last chapter. This should be the point in the story at which we empathize with Ruby the most, but she remains a frustratingly distant figure right to the final pages. Part of this is an unfortunate consequence of Akane's narration directing these final chapters meaning that we're hearing about Ruby from an outsider's perspective and thus don't really see what's going on in her head… but if I can be frank, this has been an issue of Aka's with Ruby in particular basically nonstop since chapter 123.

As others & myself have noted, despite the absolutely catastrophic downward spiral Ruby is in at that point, Aqua revealing himself as Gorou basically flips it all off like a switch. There's some mild lipservice paid to the idea that Ruby is just using her dependency on Gorou to prop herself up and it's pointed out that the issues that contributed to her breakdown haven't actually been resolved - but none of these issues are ever even acknowledged again, let alone resolved. So, functionally, that reveal does fix all Ruby's problems in the space of a single chapter and the result is, again, that we spend multiple chapters gourging on depictions of Ruby's absolute rock bottom only for her to ping back to normal like a lightswitch. As such, the depictions of her pain feel less like explorations of Ruby's interiority and more like voyeuristic oogling at Ruby's misery and trauma and the effect is that the resolution to it all is both unsatisfying and a little gross. The result is that it feels like Akasaka is just indulgently mining the imagery of cute girls suffering because it causes simple thoughts neuron activation but doesn't respect these girls enough as characters to build them back up.

It doesn't help that this is basically the in-universe excuse for Ruby's career further skyrocketing. Instead of Ruby becoming a star on her own merits as the story keeps insisting she was supposed to, she's artificially buoyed by the public's morbid fascination with her tragedy. If I was feeling charitable towards the story right now, I would say this is an avenue of intentional critique but… well, I don't feel super charitable about the story right now lol

I WILL say that the one part of this chapter I did just uncomplicatedly like was the beat of Mem trying to suspend activities (presumably in the wake of her grief for Aqua) only for Kana to basically immediately explode into her room and help her get back on her feet. It's a beat that would've been much more effective if we'd, you know, seen it, but I otherwise enjoyed it and I thought it was sweet.

But. pbbbbtttt. I guess I can't talk around it any longer… let's get into the Dome concert.

To start things off on the immediately worst note possible, Akane describes Ruby performing at the Dome as being 'everyone's dream', including Aqua's. I'm reminded once again of the strange turn the story took in insisting that um, actually, performing at the Dome was totes Ai's dream all along (even though she literally didn't give a shit even a week before she was due to perform there herself) so Ruby performing there is fulfilling that dream for her!!! and I can't help but wonder if this abrupt shift in focus is an attempt to make readers forget what Ai's actual dream was - to see her beloved children grow up happy and healthy. Hell, it wasn't even really Aqua's dream, until the story suddenly had to try and convince us that his entire purpose for existence was to kill himself so Ruby could be an idol for slightly longer than she would've otherwise. The only people whose dreams she's textually fulfilling are Ichigo and Miyako and Ruby herself, but…

Honestly, is this really Ruby's dream anymore?

Who is Hoshino Ruby? What does she want? Why does she want it? These should be the very least of what we can concretely say about not only a protagonist but a character who has become a central figure of the entire story as Ruby has, but with the way Oshi no Ko has warped and distorted her, I find myself increasingly unsure of what the story wants her to be or how I should answer those questions.What does Ruby feel about Aqua? Was she still in love with him? Had she moved on, romantically? Was she still waiting for a response to her confession? Did she finally realize it was probably kind of shitty to respond to her brother going "lowkey wanna kms" by sticking her tongue down his throat? I Guess We'll Never Know.

This extends to whatever the fuck Ruby's relationship with idols and being an idol is. Almost the entirety of Ruby's time in the story has been spent reiterating over and over that Ruby cannot just be an idol who imitates Ai and that to truly shine, she needs to step out of her mom's shadow and shine in her own way. Ruby even literally tells Kana in no uncertain terms in 137 - "I'll be a star in my own way. I won't be like Mama."

While this has always been the text of the story, as I've pointed out before, the actual art with which Ruby's idolhood depicts her basically just as Ai 2.0. It relies so heavily on mining the imagery of Ai's charisma and personality as an idol and using them as the measure of Ruby's success as an idol that Ruby essentially has no visual or conceptual identity of her own as an idol. She's just Ai, But Arbitrarily Better, For Reasons The Narrative Fails To Actually Establish But Hopes That You Just Accept Anyway. This was always kind of annoying, but now that friction seems to have been resolved by… just making her Ai 2.0, But Arbitrarily Better (etc, etc) in the text as well. The fact that we're given no further insight as to Ruby's feelings and continue to just have Akane Explain Ruby's Character Arc to the camera also doesn't help.

All this combines to make the Dome concert and the final few pages feel exceptionally cold in a way I really don't think was intended by Akasaka. Yes, that splash page was nice and flashy but… I just felt nothing. I have no idea if or why Ruby cares about this. And even though the Dome concert has been hyped up through the entire story as the peak of Ruby's achievements as an idol, I feel no sense of accomplishment in her finally being there - not just because her journey to it was basically sneezed at us across two panels, but because it just feels hollow as a victory lap for Ruby. Again, she feels so distant and abstracted as a character that I can't bring myself to feel very strongly about her good or bad.

I think the perfect encapsulation of this are the final four pages of the story. Ruby's words here are very clearly intended to be a callback to Ai's words to Gorou in chapter one but as @all-of-her-light pointed out in our initial discussions of the chapter, Ruby very much does not have an equivalent to Ai's conclusion that she nevertheless wants and values the opportunity to find personal happiness and fulfillment outside of being an idol. Are we supposed to believe that simply being an idol is all that Ruby needs to achieve a similar degree of happiness and fulfillment? Is there no more to her than that?

I've seen a lot of people interpret this ending as exceptionally bleak and, as usual, gleefully predicting Ruby's immanent suicide because her beloved oniichansensei isn't around but this is indulging in, if you'll allow me to be frank, some pretty transparently ship-motivated flanderization. Despite what certain sections of the fandom would like to believe, Aqua and Ruby's lives, past and current, have never revolved around each other to the exclusion of every other relationship in their life. Ruby has a massive support network of people who love and care for her and actively want her to get back on her feet. I can one hundred percent believe that she does not need Aqua in her life to be happy and content.

The issue is that we don't see enough of Ruby to understand that ourselves. Again, she has become such a distant figure with so little insight into what she's thinking and why that this ending is basically a Rorschach test in which you can interpret basically whatever the hell you want or assume because we have so little canon basis to support or debunk our assumptions.

and yes. don't think i didn't see them. it IS both grimly hilarious and weirdly tonally appropriate for this ending that ruby has a bunch of oshi goods of ai and aqua including their fucking autographs set up to say goodbye to every day.

AND…… WE'RE DONE!!! THAT'S OSHI NO KO, BABY!!!! well, technically, there's going to be a 20 page extra chapter in volume 16 but I don't see it being big or substantive enough to meaningfully change my feelings about the ending so… I guess we're leaving it here. Damn. Feels crazy to be done with it.

I'll probably do a bigger post down the line about my thoughts on the ending as a whole but in terms of just How This Chapter Made Me feel, I guess the word is just… meh! It's definitely not an ending I like and I think the execution is sloppy and rushed but I also just don't really have the energy to feel angry about it. Maybe that's sad in its own way but tbh… I still really love Oshi no Ko! I still find it engaging and I find the characters I enjoy rewarding to talk about. I like the artistry of the anime adaptation. I don't blame anybody else for being so turned off by this ending that they're done with the series but for me, I like what I like about OnK too much that this ending could retroactively ruin it for me. Whatever else happens with the OnK franchise, whatever directions the anime and live-action take, this will always be the series that gave me Ai and the Hoshino family and. look at me. look at what she's done to my brain. could I really ask for anything more than that?

That being said, I'm definitely not done with discussing the series! I have fics to write (including a VERY exciting large scale project lined up with some friends), my Ai analysis post to finish and I also want to do a re-read of the series and finish my anime rewatch. I'll be here to discuss Oshi no Ko as long as I have things to say about it and as long as you guys will have me! Despite how the series ended, I've had a genuinely wonderful experience in the fandom and I really don't want to let go of the little community we've built together just because the series is done. I'm Ai's fan for all eternity!!!

[torra-and-the-toons]

God it would cost me like 800 dollars for the flight alone, ain't no way I can afford to go to Houston for that con...

I'm so sad :(

[skrunksthatwunk]

landing

[meo-eiru]

What's ur inspo for art? ur art style is so cute... any art advice?? Jajsjdkkaka, I understand if u wanna gatekeep 👁👁

I meant to answer this several days ago but couldn't find it in the sea of asks welp

Anyway as I mentioned before we don't gatekeep art related stuff in this household, artists help other artists.

Honestly it's hard to name an inspo but I do have artists I look up to a lot (this might be a bit long)

Kanisuke, you guys might be familiar with her, she's the artist of the upcoming yandere inside game Yandere Town. I know it's not out yet but I'm actually obsessed with this game and have even translated all the character intros (they are a bit old atp so there might be some mistakes) and actually if you see a Yandere Town related post high chance it's from me. Not only her art but I love her writing style as well.

Hakuri-sensei, their manga Sachi iro no One Room is definitely one of my biggest inspirations. I love the relationship between Sachi and her "captor" and it's the only manga I actually cried my eyes out while reading.

Tayu-sensei, all of their work for Yuugen Romantica (one of my fav drama cd series) are breathtaking and they've also developed even more since then, their current works are just so stunning and I love studying the way they draw hair

Shirahama-sensei, she👏is👏a👏queen👏 honestly I don't have much to say, go read Witch Hat Atelier it's an artistic masterpiece and a giant love letter to art itself

Furumi-sensei, another queen! She's the artist of my favorite Fate Grand Order character Ashiya Douman. I've even bough her art books before, honestly she is just so talented. I don't know what she was drinking when she came up with Douman but I need some of it

Usagi Routo-sense, another fgo artist AND JUST LOOK AT HOW INCREDIBLE THEY ARE AT USING COLORS LIKE??? HOW??? Their art is like cocain for my eyes I could look at them for hours

AU, one more fgo artist and oh my god guys this person right here is one of my biggest inspirations just look at their drawings. I'm not kidding I actually spent hours just inspecting how they shade outfits. I'd sacrifice my soul just to get a chance to watch them draw live

☝︎ FAN, an Ashiya Douman fanartist and god guys the comics they draw!!! They are the cause of some of my current biggest fetishes ngl

Oyo-sensei, an fgo artist and is also the main artist of 18trip. They have such a clean art style that's very pleasing to the eye. I especially love the reference sheets they draw.

Shibatora-sensei, she is the artist of my FAVORITE drama cd series Shinai naru Thanatos and my overall favorite yandere character from any fiction Seo Eito. Honestly if you know me irl probably the first thing you'd mention about me would be my chronic Shinai naru Thanatos addiction because based on what everyone says I start speaking about it within 2 weeks of meeting someone new.

ORKA, the artist of A Stepmother's Marchen. Anyone who knows that manhwa probably knows why she's on this list, her art has so much soul and passion in it, literally every single panel looks like a painting and it makes me want to cry just looking at it

82 Pigeon, an incredible incredible Korean artist, I think they also give art lessons? I really tried to get them but couldn't figure out how. They also have a youtube channel and I learn a lot just by watching their speedpaints

[runningwithscizzorz]

HOW DO YOU DRAW FACES??!?! seriously, everything about your art is pure eyecandy, I love it SO MUCH, but faces. YOUR FACES. the faces are perfect. they capture every detail. they feel so human. so expressive. i would love to know how you draw/structure your faces because it's the biggest thing i'd like to improve on with my art!

Art is a translation of how you perceive the world. Art is both extremely watered down and painfully vulnerable with emotions. The artist translates the world, and people translate the art. Lots of art gets lost in translation. My goal is to make people read my art regardless of my language. I want my art to speak louder than my simple cluttered words could.

How can you read a face with no words? You have to find your own way to do that, but here’s a very rough way of how I read people and attempt to translate their world into mine.

One practice is drawing straight from a reference. I've been watching TLOU, which has some of the best acting ever and is perfect for screenshotting specific moments to recreate. Pulling scenes from episode five, I stretch and amplify the facial features to properly read their emotions in my style, ex, making Ellie and Sam's eyes bigger to amplify their youth, smoothing out facial wrinkles for simplicity, and (my favorite) exaggerating the mouths so they emote louder.

Second method is feeling how your face moves. Ethan Becker on YouTube explains it better (go watch all his videos) of how to feel and observe how your face compresses and works with different features to properly express emotions. Using your own face as a stencil to understand how your muscle and jaw work is both simple, and always accessible for artist reference.

An example of how I break down bits of a chapter into chunks for each panel while still attempting for it to run smoothly like the writing. Honestly, a lot of this part rides on wanting to do the author justice for their fabulous work. You want to show them how much their work affected you and why it’s totally worth it to draw their stories.

Some examples of scenes from media (that almost made me cry) and how I translate and manipulate it into my style. This is why I redraw scenes from movies so often, not only is it fun and easy, but it’s a great way of studying the masters

But, to actually answer your question, I think the reason my drawings are so expressive to you is because I still follow somewhat typical human anatomy while still being cartoony enough to break the uncanny valley and create an aesthetically pleasing style. I’m still practicing and studying everyday to get better. You must work as much as possible to attempt to properly translate the world.

[adventuringblind]

Drive With You Forever

Chapter 7.2: Lando's First Time

Max Verstappen x Charles Leclerc x Lando Norris x Reader x Oscar Piastri

Chapter summary: Title feels explanatory enough

Warnings: talks of sex, Dom/Sub dynamics, no actual sex occurs, this is a crack fic, lots of communication, talks of kinks

Notes: the start of Lando and his chaos

Masterlist

When Lando woke up this morning, he didn't think that he'd be spending breakfeast talking with Max about Sex.

His cereal had gone soggy. The shock of it all making it difficult to eat.

The worst part was that this seemed so easy for him. Sure, he'd taught the female about most sexual things she knows now, and he'd been through this with Charles. But this was completely new to Lando, and he didn't like that it was so... casual.

"-Again, I know this is probably a lot and of you don't want to-."

"I want to." The words tumbled out of his mouth faster than he could think about them. He could actively feel the blush on his cheeks growing.

"Okay then." Max smiles. "Let me go grab something, and you should probably get new cereal."

Lando decided it would be better to just wait until after this talk.

~

Max came back into the room with a notebook, a green colored pen, and Charles. "I was going to give you orange, but it doesn't show up well enough for me to read."

"Is y/n still asleep?"

"No, she's eating and cuddling with the cats. These conversations tend to... not embarrass her, but it definitely puts her in a place I don't want her in."

The two join him on the couch. Lando just looks at them with pure confusion. Lost in what Max is attempting to tell him.

Thankfully, Charles explains. "She's a pleaser and is still learning how to set boundaries. She will say yes to everything even if she doesn't want to."

"Why on earth would she do that?" Lando grimaces at his words. That sounded meaner than he was intending. The older boys exchange a look, and Max shrugs his shoulders.

"Well mate, as you will come to find out, the overwhelming urge to be praised makes it difficult for her to say no." Charles finishes woth a wink.

Lando's mouth falls open in an 'O' shape. Suddenly, everything clicked.

They'd gotten themselves into a sexually charged situation. It could and, probably would, have gone further if Max hadn't stopped them.

He'd dragged Lando out and sat him down for a talk. It was at this point that Lando agreed to add his blood panel to their ever expanding collection of them. Lando also learned at this point that Max is in charge and he quite likes the Dutch telling him what to do.

He'd also had to trade places with Charles because the girl in the room where he'd been dragged from was crying. Charles didn't tell Lando why as he sat in what used to be Max's chair. Just that she was feeling insecure after watching Max pull Lando off of her.

He'd also taken the time to explain that he didn't do anything wrong. Max is just fiercely protective and knows she will push her limits.

Now he's sitting between Max in Charles with a green pen in hand, looking at a list.

The notebook was filled with different things regarding their sex life. Again, Lando could see his blood work had been added to the list at the front along with the other two.

"No blood work for her?"

"I'd be surprised if it came back normal. Also, I took her virginity, and Charles is the only other persona she's had besides that."

Lando wasn't shocked, but hearing it aloud was still a little surprising. "Did she like... do other things?"

"I'm promise I'm not lying when I tell you she'd never been touched there before. At least that she remembers."

It's Charles turn to look at Max with confusion. "What? She said she'd never touched, non?"

Max sighs with a heavy sadness. "Her dreams and how her body reacts... I think there may have been things that happened that she didn't remember or was unconscious for."

"She did say she was drugged and unconscious a lot." Charles considers.

Lando didn't know what to think. His brain couldn't function, and the older boys beside him were incredibly normal about this. He was beginning to feel the insecurity creep up his throat.

"That's a discussion for another time, though." Max smiles at Lando again and snage the journal back from him. "Don't laugh, but this is how we keep track of things." Max turned the page to a list of names with various information beneath. "Mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Uh- no. It's a little odd that you think I would say no now that we're already here."

"Fair." Max simply shrugs again. Lando is grateful Charles is here. He loves Max, but sometimes he explains things in a way that makes his brain do cartwheels. He's also grateful because Charles lets him play with his rings. "Remember, there is no judgment. We have to be honest to make this work."

"What if I say something weird?"

"I said my first experience with a guy was at a sex party. If you can top that, I'd be impressed." Charles chuckles a little. He thinks fondly of that memory now, but at the time, he'd been miserable.

"First question: dom or sub? Or neither."

Lando blinks at him. "Bottom?"

"Not what I asked."

Lando inhales through his teeth. "Sub." His eyes immediately find the floor. Not for long, though. Max grabs his chin and gently brings his gaze back to his.

"Need to see your eyes. You've got nothing to be ashamed of." The gentle voice Max uses throws his head into a tizzy.

"Again, Lan, if it makes you feel any better, I've been the dom in most my previous relationships, and then Max had me screaming daddy for the neighbors to hear."

"Don't be fooled, though. Charlie still knows how to take control when I let him." Max winks, and Landos feels as if he's gotten in the middle of something.

"Next question: have you used the stop light safe words?"

Lando just shakes his head. "Isn't that universal?"

"Yes, which makes it easy to use and remember."

"We have a list of hard pass kinks. I'll let you look at it, and you can add any to the list." Max flips the page again and hands the book to Lando. He reads through it and ponders for a moment. The things they have written are anything super harmful or just unsanitary. A few others scattered in between that have their own categories. He hands the book to Max when he feels satisfied.

"Great! Now the fun part." Max wiggles his eyebrows, and Charles wheezes because of how comical it looks.

"Mon amour, please- your going to scare him!"

"Rude. But anyway." Max flips again to the page they were on previously. "Okay, a couple of things to go over and some rules. Do you like being praised or degraded?"

"...Both." Lando tries to move back to looking at the floor, but Max catches him and tuts. He moves his gaze once again, and Lando is forced to look at the memorizing blue.

"Any positions you either don't like or haven't tried?"

For fucks sake. He sounds like such a slut right now. Is it bad that he likes this? "Pretty sure I've tried everything, but I'm always open to new things anyway." This time, he doesn't look away.

Charles leans back a little amused. Watching the two go back and forth in discussion. The obvious hard-on that Lando has dragging his attention away. The Brit can see him staring. He finds it somewhat like a compliment.

"Rules time."

"I struggle to remember, so please be patient."

"No worries, Lan. That's what the book is for." Now Max actually closes the book. All of Lando's information has been jot down. All of his kinks are now documented.

"So for Charles, he is a switch. But like... a dom leaning switch, if that makes sense." Lando shakes his head, and Max hums in approval. "Obviously, I'm in charge, and I like it that way." Max winks horribly at him, and Lando can't help but chuckle at his attempt to keep him comfortable. "She is a sub. She will slip into a subspace within five minutes of any sexual scenario. It's a given. That's why we have to be a little cautious."

Lando cocks his head to the side. His questioning eyes find the Monegasque again. "There are times her mind puts her there because she thinks we're upset with her, and it's how she can fix it even if she didn't do anything. If she's on her knees, it's usually a tell tale sign. Her father used to put her there when he wasn't happy with her. Basically, if she's on her knees, then don't go any further. It's not her consenting, it's her mind telling her she needs to fix things and we don't want to take advantage of that."

Lando's heart hurts at the statement. It's terrible that she ever had to do that. He nods in understanding and appreciation of charles' explanation.

"On that not also, because she can go crazy far into sub space, she can drop hard. One minute, we're starting aftercare, and the next, she can't fathom being in her own skin. Like she did something wrong or wasn't enough or going as far as to hate that she went there in the first place."

"Lan, please be honest. Do you get deep in the headspace and drop?" Charles' voice is so nice that he almost whimpers at it.

"Yes, but I also do other things." Max and Charles eye each other for a moment. It would make sense why, they just listed all his kinks. "I find it fun not to do as told and rile people up."

Max looks at him with something mischievous. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun."

Charles leans in to Lando. His breath hot on his ear. "I tried it once. Never again. This is the time I cried daddy for the entire building to hear."

Lando looks directly at Max. "I like a challenge."

Max is breathing heavier now. Lando is now joined in his predicament.

"I think we should give him something to help his little issue. Don't you think cher?" The hot breath and low voice of the Monegasque does nothing to help him.

~

Charles had been sitting on the bed with her. She was lost in the sound of his voice telling her everything about Lando. What he likes, what he doesn't, the important things.

She's already fading, and she knows it. It's not just because of the soothing voice of a certain Monegasque, but also because she can clearly hear Lando whimpering.

Charles runs his fingers along her body. "Are you feeling fuzzy already?" She nods and curls up into him. "We don't have to join. I can take care of you here if you think joining them will be too much."

She shakes her head no and quickly stands from the bed to emphasize her point.

They completely disregard the fact that she's in nothing but one of Max's oversized hoodies. It's all just going to come off again regardless, and she completely trusts Lando anyway.

The sight on the couch is nothing that she was expecting. Why does Max have Lando over his knee already?

"I brought someone to join." Charles strokes her cheek, and she leans into the soothing touch. Any touch right now feels like heaven in her eyes.

Max manhandles Lando off of him and into a kneeling position. This is also new. They never let her stay on her knees.

Max gets off the couch and pointedly looks at Lando. "Stay put."

Max caresses the other side of her face when he reaches her. "Things are going to be different again because Lando is here now. Do you understand?"

She'd already learned that when Charles came along. But he is similar to Max in a way. Lando is very new. "Yes."

"Yes who?"

"Yes, sir."

Her words make Max smile. But it goes away as soon as he turns around and sees Lando sitting on the floor instead of kneeling. "Technically speaking, I stayed put!"

She looks to Charles for some sort of explanation. "Lando likes to misbehave."

Misbehave? That's an option? She'd always done as told without questions. Though she'd gotten punished before. It's not in the sex part. It's with the life part.

Max had started it after her unhealthy habits started getting worse. It helped her to break them. Even if they cone through because she gets in her head, Max and Charles have been there to pull her back with their bedroom tactics. The way the two tag team is terrifying sometimes.

Charles guides her to the sofa and Max is quickly back to manhandling Lando. The Brit is smiling like an idiot and she thinks for a moment that this will be interesting to watch.

She leans into Charles as they sit down. “why does he like it? I thought that misbehaving is a bad thing?”

“To you, yes. You like it when we tell you you’re doing a good job.” Charles points to where Max is teasing Lando. The Brits body being pinned exactly where Max wants him. “He likes making people lose patience and then people calling him, uh, degrading things.”

“Like the words we use only in scenes?” Charles hums a confirmation. the vibration tickling her skin.

"I'm shocked we haven't corrupted you you yet chéri. You're still so parfaite, so innocent." His voice sends a shudder down her spine. His finger still brushing the spots along her body that make her mind spin.

Their moment is interrupted by Lando, again, being tossed onto the couch. Effectively startling the two out of their moment.

“Max, amour, must you throw him around?”

“Better work out then just lifting in my opinion.” Max shrugs and laughs.

Lando readjusts himself, throwing his legs over the other two. “I think this I gonna be fun.” He smirks.

~

Tags: @styles-sunflower @purplephantomwolf @boiohboii @reblog-princess-blog @jayda12 @faithm120601 @eugene-emt-roe @lpab @yaaadii @80sloverry @spongebeck3101 @eviethetheatrefreak @chanshintien @vellicora @hollie911 @pretty-little-bunny382728 @be-your-coffee-pot @copper-boom

[satureja13]

One night (or whatever time of the 'day' it was in the vastness of space surrounding them) Jack heard a rustle behind the panels! Jack: "Kiyoshi - wake up! Did you hear this?" Kiyoshi, who was sleeping way too comfortable with his mate tugged tight in his arms, pulled Jack even closer to him: "Mhh... hm? what?" Jack: "There was something rustling behind the panels! Maybe it's an alien creature coming after us!" They scrambled out of bed. Poor Kiyoshi still half asleep.

Kiyoshi: "Maybe we have an engine damage? This is an old ship. I hope we won't have a breakdown out here ö.ö " But Jack was sure: "It sounded like an alien creature." With all the weird theories Jack's world consists of, Kiyoshi didn't even bother to ask Jack when he ever actually heard an alien creature rustle to recognize the noises they're making...

They shoved their bed aside and opened the panel. Kiyoshi had a hard time convincing Jack to stay behind - and safe. But eventually he obeyed. Even though he's a werewolf (and the Super Soldier after all!) he's not invincible. And a stern and commanding Kiyoshi is undiniably hot!

And really, there was an open vent hole - leading into a narrow shaft! Too narrow for them to enter... (luckily ö.Ö')

They closed the hatch and secured it, then moved the panel back in place. Jack: "What are we supposed to do now? We should check the others' quarters to make sure they're safe!" Kiyoshi: "Don't you think maybe the Little Ones crawled in there, nosy as they are? To spy on us?" Skully chuckled from his perch on the sideboard: "They might be nosy but they are far from being that subtle! If they'd want to watch you, they'd barrel right in hahaHA!" Kiyoshi: "Where he's right he's right."

Jack: "But see! If it's not them, it is an alien creature - and it's coming after us then!" Kiyoshi: "Jack. We are the aliens out here... Did you ever think about that? Let's sleep. Your shift starts soon. We'll figure something out, hm? I'll message the others so they can check themselves." Jack: "You drop stuff like that and think I can sleep?"

Kiyoshi: "I'll hold you and watch over you." Jack: "Tch. Well, it's reassuring that you are on the side with the hatch. It'll eat you first." Kiyoshi: "I'd be not so certain about that. You are tastier :3 " Jack poked Kiyoshi in his side but snuggled closer nonetheless.

Soon after, Jack fell sound asleep. Because he did feel safe in Kiyoshi's arms. Aliens in the ventilation shafts or not... While Kiyoshi wished he could taste Jack just once again. And maybe he put a chaste kiss on Jack's forehead. That must do.

And Skully hummed 'I'm not in Love' by 10cc.

'I like to see you, but then again That doesn't mean you mean that much to me So if I call you, don't make a fuss Don't tell your friends about the two of us

Be quiet, big boys don't cry Big boys don't cry Big boys don't cry Big boys don't cry Big boys don't cry Big boys don't cry…

I keep your picture upon the wall It hides a nasty stain that's lying there So don't you ask me to give it back I know you know it doesn't mean that much to me

I'm not in love, no, no (It's because) Ooh, you'll wait a long time for me

I'm not in love, so don't forget it It's just a silly phase I'm going through And just because I call you up Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it made, ooh

I'm not in Love - 10cc

If this isn't the perfect song for the two of them then I don't know which :3 It's also from Awesome Mix No 1 (OST of Guardians of the Galaxy 1)

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[quarter-lif3crisis]

So finally caught up with the JJK manga.....

Spoilers..

[Screams]

I've finally caught up eventho I said I would never touch the manga and I'd like to reiterate what I said when I watched the anime..... I WISH I NEVER TOUCHED JJK.. I dread the day when the rest of the manga is animated 😭😭 I don't think my heart could take it tbh. Especially the like the whole Gojo dying, megumi having to kill his own sister and like CHOSO DYING and then like yuta having to use Gojos body. The part that really got me was the part when yuta was talking about how Gojo had to be a monster to protect jujutsu society 😭😭😭. And omg when itadori and the rest see Gojo off. Ngl Shoko handled everything much more better than i would. And itadoris 'id be lonely without you.'😭 BUT NOBARAS BACKKKK.

Also Finally watched jjk 0 aswell and wow safe to say I was not a happy bunny. I knew what was gonna happen cuz I watched S2 first and yk spoilers so I always just on edge the whole time. Thought it wouldn't hurt as much cux I knew the ending.. oh I was so bloody wrong that shit HURT

AND THIS PANELL OMGG WTH WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL???? Like I understand in some way it's closure but GOD IT HURT. Them all being reunited and the fact that they're in their teens 😭😭😭😭😭😭 And omg wdym then only thing u were disappointed about when walking to ur certain death was that your bsf/bf wasn't there to pat you on your back😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I'm going to start crying again

[uriekukistan]

Hi riiin 🫶🫶🫶 I hope you're having a good day. Good luck with uni 🤲💖 about the jjk asks!!

3. What would be your cursed technique/domain expansion in JJK?

6. A Manga panel you can talk about for hours?

9. What's your favorite fight scene?

Take so much care!! 🎀

hiii thank you and thank you for the ask :D hope you're doing well too <33

3. What would be your cursed technique/domain expansion in JJK?

this is funny bc i actually came up with one as a joke a few months ago in the dms w my friend,,, basically i said i was gonna cry at sukuna until he drowned bc i missed megumi 😭😭😭 so i ended up building it into a whole thing. i came up with these different kinds of poison tears i could cry and they would have different effects on my opponents and use different amounts of CE, and then for my DE i called it "infinite tears" like off of "infinite void" 😭 and it was pretty cool in my brain, basically a big cave bunch of really jagged rocks and a powerful river rushing through that can poison and/or drown my opponent

these days, i'd be interested in thinking of a new one that's based on writing, i think that'd be cool

6. A Manga panel you can talk about for hours?

i was gonna pick a megumi panel, but i decided to pick something different.....this panel BREAKS MY HEART literally saw this on leaks night and started crying,,,,,,,,,,

manifesting that yuuta returns to his body safely 🕯🕯🕯

9. What's your favorite fight scene?

gotta go with megumi vs reggie. my boy was COOKING if not that then his first domain expansion. i just like to see megumi kicking ass

thank you again for the ask !!

send me an ask :D

[miammey]

BSD Chapter 117 Screaming!!!

Spoilers ahead, of course!!

Damn, if that happened to my daughter I'd commit mass murder too

Hey, BSD, can you NOT make me cry?? Thanks!!

Aku's back!! This panel actually looks pretty damn cool

What in the Naruto is even going on at this point, this is so cool but also so damn confusing (not complaining, but still)

Bro.

This is definitely death bait, everyone he ate is gonna get spat back out after his defeat, right? Right...? (I'm desperate)

Fucking hell, this is how it ends!??

Closing thoughts:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Seriously, they're continuously making it more and more difficult for the main characters to win, which is cool narratively, but also these guys need a break.

Jouno could probably help beat him since he can't be stabbed directly with his Ability (yes I'm desperate to see him, but this is still a valid idea and I want to see him again)

[lightofraye]

Jensen is fine, i saw it with my own two eyes, he's the sweetest guy.

Reading your blog upsets me, because you claim to care about him, and yet you do this.

I don't understand, you love him, but you don't think he deserves respect and privacy?

if you want to talk about abuse, and create awareness, why don't use Sam and Dean as examples?

They got massive amounts of abuse, of several types, from several people, including from eachother.

Sam and Dean aren't real, talking about their abuse hurts nobody.

Remember Jensen is a real human being, and he deserves to be treated with kindness, respect and dignity, just like everyone else.

what makes you think you're entitled to his private life?

Hello anon.

Your ask was one I also thought over carefully. There's a reason. I'm going to address your ask as carefully as I can.

Jensen is fine, i saw it with my own two eyes, he's the sweetest guy.

You mean physically fine. The vast majority of the abuse he's enduring/had endured is emotional and verbal. You're not going to ever see that, not unless he wants you to. And yes... he's sweet. Most of the time, abuse victims fall over backwards to be people pleasers.

Reading your blog upsets me, because you claim to care about him, and yet you do this.

I don't understand, you love him, but you don't think he deserves respect and privacy?

I'm sorry, anon. This is where it's going to hurt.

He's a public figure. He's a celebrity. Just about all of what I've analyzed, speak over, is available for public consumption. Interviews, con/panels, photos, all of it has been available to the public. That is the only thing I touch. I may make some speculations about other things, but I try to point it out when I do.

What I don't do is stalk his home, invade the privacy of his children. I would never, ever touch the children (aside from expressing concern about their wellbeing in witnessing their parents hate each other, sigh).

I do respect him--which is why I'm speaking out! You think he'd ever admit this? Any of it? As it is, he admitted his own father beat him in a con, for crying out loud! He even indicated that his father insisted he wed Danneel instead of breaking it off right before the wedding.

When people around him around giving him no comfort, no respect, no freedom to relax and be vulnerable... what do you think then?

If I could meet him in person, I'd offer him the sanctuary of my home. I've done it before, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. For anyone.

You should be upset over the abuse he's experienced and endured, instead of someone speaking of it so we can actually ask him if he's freakin' okay!

if you want to talk about abuse, and create awareness, why don't use Sam and Dean as examples?

They got massive amounts of abuse, of several types, from several people, including from each other.

Sam and Dean aren't real, talking about their abuse hurts nobody.

Because in the end, it's fictional. And a bad representation. You think the writers actually researched abuse, the psychology behind it, or even cared about how they may be misrepresenting it? Hell, even Law & Order: SVU gets it painfully wrong. A lot of television gets it wrong--from medical science to law to abuse.

What we need is real life examples. Sadly... Jensen and Danneel are one of them.

Remember Jensen is a real human being, and he deserves to be treated with kindness, respect and dignity, just like everyone else.

You think I'm not doing that? Please, point out one harmful thing I said about him that wasn't/isn't couched in concern and support? Oh right... you mean Danneel.

She isn't entitled to my respect. She's cheated on him, admitted to it in a podcast. She's dunked on him countless times. That isn't someone worthy of any respect.

Jensen is. And I give it to him. Couched with loving criticism for his bad decisions and support for his hopeful full recovery.

what makes you think you're entitled to his private life?

Now that, I've never claimed. But everything I've spoken about is available for public consumption.

The day he announces he's retired, I'd stop. I have more respect for him than a lot of fans, believe me. (Just check out the destiel/cockles fans; bleh.)

I'm sorry this upsets you, anon, but I shan't stop.

I'd recommend, perhaps, blocking the tags I use so you never have to see my posts again.

[dianight]

I've done a reread of dunmeshi from chapter 52 (where the anime ends) and we just got confirmation that season 2 has started production.

A minor thought: it will be as good (if not better) than everyone insists it is. It is going to be annoying, but it's a good story and the praise is deserved.

Other thoughts, with spoilers:

Kabru is actually right in that the world ending was his fault for not letting Mithrun kill Thistle. While his reasoning at the time was solid, banking on Laios like that was a massive gamble.

We never see the demon eat Marcille's desire to arrange her hair, no doubt a tasty meal... So I wonder what other "minor" desires he could have eaten off her or Thistle.

All demons are part of the same being (hardly a being, more like a force of nature or even a concept) and they share memories yet are different individuals.

Even while in mortal danger, Laios never stopped trying to understand the demon to find a way to overcome it. They were just that delicious huh?

Thistle dying(?)/completely giving up is what lifts the spell that sunk the kingdom. I always assumed he dies right there, but a poll about who could be his caretaker after the story made me check to make sure and it's not confirmed. He just doesn't need anything anymore...

Marcille did nothing wrong. I know it sounds like a meme but given the circumstances it was literally impossible to get any other outcome. It was her or Laios.

After the demon eats Thistle desire to live (?) (the big one that looks like some manysided crystal) he grows in size from a goofy face to the form he keeps the rest of the series.

Just like the goat with Mithrun, eating Thistle alone was actually not enough to break through the dungeon and reach the surface.

The panel after Marcille carries everyone's corpses inside after fighting the rabbits and she lays down crying is heartbreaking. Did you even stop to think about what it would be like for me to be surrounded by everyone's dead bodies...? Her literal worst nightmare made real.

If all demons share their memories, is getting one of them enough to stop all others? Or do they now know their own weakness? Can anyone else even digest, let alone eat their hunger?

I'd like to see a sequel where Izutsumi goes beat up the sorcerer that transformed her.

Chapter 87 remains the best one in the series.

[lockpickingliar]

Ouma Kokichi (Cookie) on Death

Or: Ouma Kokichi on the Hydraulic Press

CW: Explicit descriptions of gore

By the time Momota and I had everything prepared and I was finally on the press, I was genuinely unsure if the press or the poison would finish me off first. That panel moves pretty slowly, y'know. The game seems to speed it up a little bit to get the satisfying look of the splatter of a grape being stepped on, but it was actually much, much more agonizingly slow.

The poison was eating away at my brain and nervous system, making it difficult to breathe and shutting down my organs little by little, basically turning my insides to soup. I thought it was the most painful thing I'd ever had to go through, and to my credit it was.

But that doesn't count the impending pain of the press and my imminent death.

Imagine already being in that much pain, and then slowly that panel comes down and you can feel your skull slowly splitting like a watermelon. Your rib cage flattening into whatever's left of your lungs. Your hips cracking like a wishbone under the pressure.

I couldn't scream. The camera would catch it and then it'd all be for nothing. Thankfully you can't really scream when you can't breathe, especially when all the air is being methodically pressed out of your lungs like a particularly slow compression of an accordion--too slow for the passage of air to make any noise.

You'd think once your skull cracks it'd be over, but you'd be wrong. The brain is a funny thing and can handle a surprising amount of damage before it finally checks out--you've probably read horror stories about lobotomies and victims like Phineas Gage--and the press... it was so slow I never quite passed out from the pain as it slowly increased.

I wonder sometimes what Momota must have heard as he was forced to witness it all. I was in so much pain my senses weren't exactly functioning properly. I couldn't really process the sound of my own bones cracking. I couldn't process much of anything at all in the face of pain, pain, pain. A steel panel makes things pretty dark when it's slowly smashing itself into your face.

Don't scream.

Don't cry.

Don't let the camera hear your voice.

You'll ruin everything.

It was a mantra that kept me sane. (Could I still be called sane by that point?) That and the thought that maybe with this, I'd be able to make up for all my mistakes. The shoddy job I'd done as a leader. What kind of Ultimate Supreme Leader couldn't lead one little group of fellow Ultimates? I could make up for it, pay for such pitiful work with my death and my plan to end the killing game.

It would end one way or another--I had contingency plans--but I really hoped that my sacrifice would go hand-in-hand with it, just to make it a little more meaningful. To make up for everyone who died on my watch.

For Ran-chan, who I didn't stop that night from going with everyone despite the sneaking suspicion he was planning something reckless.

For Akamatsu-chan, who I ignored despite her clearly sketchy behavior as she and Saihara went around on their little fetch quests.

For Hoshi-chan, who I left alone despite knowing the gravity of his martyr complex.

For Toujou-chan, who I never thought to consider the pressure she was under in favor of taking my stress out on her.

For Yonaga-chan, who I ignored the dangers of with her cult shit and its influence on the class.

For Chabashira-chan, who I completely failed by allowing that other ritual to take place in the first place, let alone assisting with it...

For Kiyo-chan, who I completely breezed past the red flags of as background noise to everything else.

For... Iruma-chan... who I could have just leveled with from the beginning instead of using as cannon fodder...

For...

..........

He didn't deserve anything I put him through. Much less what I made him do in the end.

Even if he agreed.

Even if he assured everyone that he was willing.

I shouldn't have suggested it. But I did.

And then right before they took him away, I lied to him. Right to his face. A kind lie, one that would allow him to die with a sense of peace, feeling like he could rest assured that everyone would get along after he was gone.

But a lie nonetheless.

I should have died with him. That vote should have been 50/50 and I should have died with him as an accomplice.

Damn you Saihara.

...

Anyway.

Between that and my atrocious performance as a leader from beginning to end--failing to convince the others of the dangers of the flashback lights, failing to pull off the Motive Viewing Party, failing, failing, failing--I was hoping it would make up for everything. I would die and I would feel better because I atoned and I made up for everything.

And I did die.

But I didn't feel better.

So now what?

But that's a topic for another essay. I wanted to talk about death here. About the pain, because even after I died the pain didn't stop.

In fact, it continued so vividly that I didn't even notice I'd died at first. I laid there in a pulpy heap for at least a minute before I realized it was over and I was somewhere else so I could finally scream.

And boy, did I scream.

Everyone in town heard it, I've been told. The agonized wail of suffering so visceral that it emanated from my soul itself, with no mouth left to project it.

And then I blacked out for a while to awake in that goddamn hospital. Tubes and wires all hooked up to try to get my organs to respond.

But no heart monitor.

Hospital rooms are a lot quieter without the constant beeping of your heart to keep you company, I've learned. It's an absence you can feel. Everything hurt. My entire body was in agonizing pain even after they put me back together. I couldn't breathe unassisted, and even if I didn't have to it made my lungs burn if I didn't. I couldn't eat because my digestive track wasn't working. I couldn't move because my muscles weren't responding. All I could do was lay there on my back and stare at the ceiling. In the dark.

The dark makes any ceiling look a lot like the press, I realized.

I still get hung up on it even now, months later, after I've already been discharged. I prefer to sleep on my side now, curled up with my back pressed against something--usually Ran-chan or another member of DICE--because I can't stand leaving my back exposed after being shot there by Harukawa.

You'd think you'd be able to leave your trauma behind when you die, but I was sorely disappointed.

Or maybe that's a good thing, because it gives you the opportunity to move on and heal rather than erase it like it was nothing. Because it wasn't nothing. It shouldn't be treated like nothing just because you died, I think.

That's a lie.

I think I'm going to have to carry the weight of that press with me for the rest of eternity. It's more than just the pain or the gore. After everything, I still have nightmares not because of dying but because that press represents everything that drove me to that point. It's a culmination of what the killing game did to me.

It put on the pressure until I couldn't take it anymore. It was unrelenting in my efforts to fight back and try to take control and dare the hope. Until I cracked and split apart and all the blood and viscera of my shockingly fragile existence spilled out in a tragic, gory mess on the exisal hangar floor. Until I became nothing.

Hope turned me to paste.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

HEY HEY, i wanted to send this days ago but i realised i was shadowbanned or something, so i couldn’t send any asks, which kinda makes me late with the “help me” note theory addition but i reallyyy wanted to add this, since i haven’t seen anyone else talk about it yet, at least on this blog

(this is a copy paste from my notes, 3rd may, glad i saved it)

according to the manga panels, your suggestion about “help me” being a cry for help is technically correct, because of the wording. you see, russian verbs can be in plural and are usually used to refer to multiple people/objects. in this case «помогите мне» is plural, which means it doesn’t technically have a specific receiver, and it makes this thing even more questionable (eg. if it was meant just for 1 person, it would be «помоги мне» instead). but it also could be a translation error, since we don’t know whether they used a translator or actually asked a russian-speaking person😭

alr i’m done, i don’t really think it made things clearer but heyy

Lol well I am super late replying, so it's totally cool, and uh... sorry about that. I know absolutely nothing about Russian (I mentioned this before) so this is really helpful!! Thank you! I really think this note raises a lot more questions than it answers. I don't think it was Fyodor who left it at all, seems weird to be Nikolai... Pushkin? New character? Idk. If it has no specific receiver, that implies it isn't meant for any one person in particular and instead is a general cry for help, which to me, implies it's someone who doesn't know who's going to pick up the note. That wouldn't be any of our Meursault girlies...

^There were copies but really, don't worry! I'd rather receive multiples of the same ask so you can be sure they got through! Glad you are no longer shadowbanned... or whatever happened hehe.

Again, sorry for the huge delay on my part!

[nebulous-rain]

Hello! My name is Moriah and I am a junior in high school. I was wondering if I might be able to get your insight on a few questions I have?

I am in my final years of high school and am starting to think about college but I have no idea what I want to pursue. I know I love art, so for a long time I have been thinking about getting an art major or going to an art school.

I’m reaching out because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR ART and I think you are a very talented artist! I have been in love with your art for so long and I am curious and wondering how you are able to fit drawing into your life?

1.) If you are going to college for art, or went to college for art, what is it like? Do you think going to school for art or having an art major is worth it?

2.) how can I fit art into my everyday life? I’m sure you have work and other things to do in your life so how do you balance it out? (I just want to know how you can draw as much as you do!)

3.) do you do art as a hobby or a career? If it is a hobby how to you balance art, work/school, and home life? If it is a career or part-time career is it an alright source of income?

Thank you so much! And sorry if these questions might seem personal. I just want to know how other artist manage to draw and create their work and still have an adult life. Thanks again, and thank you for being a huge inspiration in my life to create the art I love! Your art means so much to me!❤️❤️ ❤️

i am going to CRY this is the sweetest message ever. i'm happy you found your niche and i'm even happier that i could help inspire that!!! i'm not sure if i'm gonna be able to answer all your questions, but i'll try to squeeze in some possibilities where i fall short:

1) growing up i definitely figured i was going to end up in art school because that's what everyone told me i should go into. but as i got older in high school i was kind of panicking cuz i really didn't want to turn my hobby into a job, and i figured out that i wanted to go into education!

but that's just me- my wife is actually going to college for graphic design sometime soon because she loves what she does. if it's something you really enjoy, and that you think you can monetize while still enjoying it, then it's definitely worth it! money is important but you need to put you and your happiness first.

2) to be honest, i haven't had the time or energy to do much art lately (if you look at my post dates you can see how spread out they've been the past year)- but this entirely depends on how you manage your time and your workload. i'm horrific at time management! so that's my problem. BUT, i think sneaking in drawing time in little ways helps a lot, as i tend to sketch small panels of a potential comic or animatic on notebooks and papers while i'm listening to lectures. i've even posted ms paint doodles i've drawn during class

i always have plans for what i'd like to draw once i have the time. it's kind of motivating, but also frustrating, and it's hard to efficiently empty my brain of ideas while still keeping up with everything else. this might be something you'll have to wiggle around once you get settled into a routine each semester!

3) i really wanted art to stay as a hobby for me. the idea of drawing and creating art every day for things i wasn't inspired to do made me really nervous, because what i really wanted was to make fanart and draw my little guys all day lol

if you take anything away from this, i think the most important thing is that if you want to keep art in your life, you will. if you desire having time to make art just for yourself, you'll find time to work that into your life, one way or another- but in order to do that you absolutely need to have a positive mindset about what you're going into, and if you can't find that positivity, maybe it isn't for you

thank you for asking!!! i'm not sure if this'll be any help, but i appreciate the questions <:')

[a-x-ce]

Keep rereading that romance in OP post 'cause honestly it has me thinking about the current options for endgame partnerships.

I put Kaya and Usopp as the most obvious 'cause it literally is. I mean hell we just saw Kaya and a panel of Usopp's 3 veggie friends with them literally pointing out how lucky he is to have a woman like her waiting for him to come home and heal any of his wounds...like please. I miss the days when it was shown how often he thought about her too, making snow statues of her, drawing her, stuff like that.

It's also been heavily implied there WILL be more between Sanji and Pudding. I don't know to what degree Oda will go with them but at some point she has to return his memory of her kissing him, and his reaction to that 'cause hello, that's the first woman to fully and completely return his affection. I know Viola seemed close but I just don't think they got enough in Dressrosa to go further and not much else to imply they'll have more chances to see each other. Pudding has so much set-up to stay a part of Sanji's story past everything that happened in WCI, I firmly believe he'll be the one to save her once the Straw Hat's finally face the Blackbeard pirates.

Less certain but there's also Hiyori and Zoro. I'm not sold on it just yet 'cause Zoro did not care when they parted. I know a lot of people see him and Tashigi and like...eh. All Zoro sees when he's forced to interact with her is Kuina, and Zoro wasn't in love with Kuina, she's his rival and his ''goal''. In order for Tashigi and Zoro to work even remotely that would have to be addressed in full. Semi-likely he ends the series with no partnership though.

I think Chopper's only option is Milky LOL (reindeer mink from Zou) 'cause like...yeah, he can't and doesn't find any appeal in human women, and he's been thoroughly and completely rejected by actual reindeer. He's not even physically or mentally compatible with full animal reindeer anymore thanks to his DF. He could talk with them sure, but would he find a life of a common animal fulfilling if he were try and return to it for partnership? Highly doubtful. Otherwise, Chopper endgame has no love interest, 'cause he's baby (I know he's canonically 16 but shut up I can't accept it).

Two characters in the SHs that are obviously not getting any endgame relationships are Brook and Jinbe, one's literally dead and the other is already well into his adult life having had no prior showcases of being in or pursuing a partnership. It'd be kinda weird to shove one in for Jinbe at this stage in the series or going forward when we're in the final saga with few arcs left.

Luffy remains our aroace king and I hope he stays that way but IF Oda were to pull a Dragon Ball on us then he's done enough work for Hancock to make her the most obvious choice. She loves him, and he at least respects her, which isn't love but who knows. Luffy is not incapable of deep love as clearly shown in this series, it's just not been of the romantic kind and he feels no sexual attraction toward anyone. But honesty if Luffy ends the series with no clear partner I'll cry tears of joy he avoided the shounen curse of getting a bad haircut before being married off with kids for the inevitable sequel.

Nami is a lesbian hasn't been presented with a clear partnership either. So many people ship her with 1 or more men of the crew but aside from that she hasn't interacted enough with any characters that make it clear if she has an endgame partnership. However, there is still time I think...'cause we still don't have all of Nami's backstory. We still know nothing about Oykot and Bellemere finding Nojiko and Nami in those ruins, the fact she was smiling/laughing through the despair (very D. coded) and so that leaves it open for more story for her, where a potential love interest could still be introduced. Otherwise, she may also end the series not paired up.

I'd also throw Robin and Franky in the group of 'no ending partnerships' but for different reasons. Franky because he, like Jinbe, has gone most of his life not being presented as pursuing or caring about that. Franky already has a family, the Franky family, consisting of all his brothers and sisters. He's content with his ragtag-found family back in Water 7, he's always been happy with that dynamic since he was raised that same way by Tom with Kokoro (who were not a couple, just business partners/friends) and Iceburg. If Franky having a love interest was something Oda cared about he'd have sprinkled in any kind of element of interest in his backstory, or showcased him having any type of reaction in the current story from his introduction. But there's nothing, the only reaction of excitement Franky ever showcases is toward cool-ass tech and Vegapunk LOL

Robin because she's only just now fully coming into her own thanks directly to the Straw Hats. Robin's been isolated and burned by people her whole life, it took the events of Enies Lobby for her to FINALLY accept that her crew loves her unconditionally. For her to go from only accepting and loving them thanks to a lot of work to falling for some other person she's met or yet to meet would be interesting to say the least. She'd have to have a good relationship with that person already to some degree to open up to them. Which is why there are people who are open to the idea of her being with Law (they also have several similarities akin to Pudding and Sanji, plus all the time he was with them through multiple arcs has made the crew comfortable with him, including scenes with them specifically). But otherwise, I don't see her in a relationship either in the end of the series.

I guess in conclusion I can only really see 3, maybe 4 out of the 10 current SHs being in a relationship by the time OP ends. I can also see an ending where none of them are ever officially paired off but instead it's left open on where everyone went after completing their dreams/goals and parting ways as the Straw Hats. I'll be interested in seeing what Oda does with them compared to how he left Roger's crew.