#maybe i'll do something with this some other time when I'm feeling better

[arc-misadventures]

Morning. For the Friends Au it appears that Winter is trying to reach out to Jaune... and maybe he sees it and it's confusing him as to why.

Does her each out to Saphron and Terra, and seek their advice?

On a side note, great series. Looking to further posts as you have time.

Specialist J.A.

Winter: Specialist Jaune Arc. It has a nice ring to it. Don't you agree?

Jaune: It has a bit of ring to it... But, it's not as special as you're making it sound.

Winter: You should be proud, Jaune: You're the youngest person to ever be accepted as a, Specialist, and the first person of none, Atlasian descent to become one. So, take pride in your accomplishments, Jaune.

Jaune: Okay, being the first none, Atlasian to join the, Specialist doesn't sound like that much of an achievement. But, am I really the youngest member?

Winter: Oh yes, I was twenty when I joined, most others, Specialist were around twenty one as well when they joined. You are nineteen years old; You are the youngest member to ever join the, Specialist!

Jaune: Wait really...? Wait, twenty? Does that mean you're around twenty three then?

Winter: Careful, Arc... You should know better than to ask a lady her age...

Jaune: I-I-I'm sorry! I've just been curious how old are!

Winter: And, why do wish to know that?

Jaune: I was just curious!

Winter: Curious...?

Jaune: Yeah. You have this ageless beauty about you, Winter. So, I've always been curious.

Winter: Ageless beauty...?

Winter: Ahem! So... So what do you think of your new uniform?

Winter changed the topic as she looked away from, Jaune hiding a faint blush threatening to spread across her face. Meanwhile, Jaune looked at his reflection taking in his new, Specialist uniform.

It wasn't what, Jaune had expected, but he loved it nonetheless. It was similar to the uniforms to the rest of the, Specialist work as in style.

Jaune's uniform was more of a long sleeve sweater than a dress shirt. A zipper ran up the middle of it to the high collar. A sleave that ran over zipper to connect to a series of buckle buttons on the side. The front was a vibrant white with red stripes running along the side. The rest was the vibrant deep blue that was commonly found on, Atlasian uniforms.

His blue denim jeans had been replace with black combat cargo pants, giving him extra pockets to store necessary supplies. His boots had also been chaged for more modern combat boots, rather than the surplus boots, Ruby tends to wear. He found the boots quite nice, there was space in the boots he could fit something like a knife in it, perhaps her should do something like that.

Jaune: I didn't expect the blue would fit me so well. I know the red, and white suit me. But, I was never sure of the blue.

Winter: The blue is quite fetching on you; it matches your eyes quite well.

Jaune: Really? T-Thanks...

Winter: Your welcome. So, how does your armour feel?

Jaune: Mmmm... It feels a little tight; I think I need to ask one of the armourers to readjust it for me.

Winter: I see... Well, you can ask the armourers to resize it for you, that shouldn't be a problem for them. In fact, they could forge you new armour if you want.

Jaune: New armour? I know my armour is pretty good as it is, but would I be able to get some of that, Paladin Armour plating if I asked?

Winter: Hmmm...?

Winter: That’s a possibility… You'll have to ask about it.

Jaune: Okay, I'll ask them to remake, Crocea Mors then... It's probably best if I ask for, General Ironwood’s permission first. I suspected considering the metal this is used for your, Paladins its restricted from personal use.

Winter: While I'm not sure about that myself. But, I'm sure he'll agree to it, at least he may eventually let you do that. Once you prove your worth to, Atlas.

Jaune: That's fair. He's already upgraded my gear as is. It feels a little greedy of me to ask for another upgrade.

Winter: So, everything alright with your new uniform, Jaune?

Jaune: My armour is a little snug, but everything else is just fine. But, what's with this sash?

Jaune pulled out a deep rich crimson sash with a white snowflake pattern on the edge of it. Jaune looked at the beautiful needle work before staring at, Winter. She looked away as a small blush crossed her face.

Jaune: Winter?

Winter: I uhh... I got you a gift...

Jaune: A gift?

Winter: Yes, a gift to celebrate you're joining the, Specialist core. I would have gotten you something else, but I wasn't sure what... what you would like...

Jaune ran his thumb across the sash marveling on the smooth fabric, and the intricate detail woven into the snowflake.

His mind wondered at the red sash, he wore, Pyrrha's stash as a memento of her, the gold of his armour was also from her. He worse it keep her close to him. But, maybe...?

Winter: Do you... Do you like it, Jaune?

Jaune's mind was running until he saw a flash of red, and gold in his eyes, his eyes moved up to see the ghost of, Pyrrha looking at him. A smile spread across her face as she nodded her head, and gestured to the sash. Jaune's eyes darted to the crimson sash in his hands before looking back at, Pyrrha, and realizing she was gone.

Jaune smiled as his hands reached down, and grab the sash before wrapping it around his waist. Jaune looked down at the sash, then at it in his reflection. He nodded his head before turning to look at, Winter with a smile on his face.

Jaune: Thank you, Winter, it's beautiful.

Jaune hand pulled on the sash to move it so it ran parrel with his hip, while he was fiddling with it, Winter stepped forward, and readjusted it so it would look better.

Winter: Oh thank goodness... I was worried you wouldn't like it. I rarely get presents for my siblings, I've never gotten one for someone else so I was really... worried...

Winter's rambling was cut short as she finished adjusting, Jaune's sash before standing back up staring directly into, Jaune's cerulean blue eyes, their faces mere centimeters apart.

Jaune: I uhhh...

Winter: Y-Yes...?

Red slowly creeped across their faces before the game of chicken was called to the end as the both turned away,. Brushing away their blushes in the process.

Winter: S-So... did... Did you tell your teammates about you're appointment to the, Specialist's?

Jaune: Uhh... no.

Winter: Do you plan to?

Jaune: They'll find out eventually. Just like when I learned that they forgot to invite me to, Ruby's birthday party the other day.

Winter: What? They did, when?

Jaune: They texted me my invitation when I was about to talk to, General Ironwood about me becoming a, Specialist.

Winter: The message you said was from, 'no one important.'

Jaune: Yep, that one.

Winter: You don't see them as anyone important in your lives now do you?

Jaune: Just returning the favour...

Winter: I see. Well then... Specialist Arc!

Jaune: Sir!

Winter: Are you ready for your first mission as a, Specailst?

Jaune: Yes, Sir!

Winter: Good! You will follow me to the cafeteria where we, Specialist will be holding your initiation!

Jaune: Yes, Sir. May I ask what this incitation process will be, Sir?

Winter: Yes, to survive, Marrows cooking!

Jaune: ...

Jaune: Eh?

Winter: The incitation is just a simple welcome party with food, drink, and cake that we, Specialist have. We're expected to each bring in our own food, hand crafted, or store bought. Marrow insists on bringing his family's chili recipe.

Winter: It taste terrible...

Jaune: Chili? Well... now I'm worried about the surviving bit... Should I bring something?

Winter: If you want to, but you're the guest of honour you don't have to.

Jaune: Why don't I cook something edible then. Something we can all enjoy.

Winter: You can cook?

Jaune: Seven sisters, and not a chef among the lot of them.

Winter: Well then, I'm looking forward to whatever it is you plan to make.

Jaune: When is the party?

Winter: This evening around six.

Jaune: That give me... five hours. I can whip up something nice by then. I best get to it. But, I'm going to change first. Don't want flour on my new uniform now.

Winter: I'll see you later then.

Jaune: till later then.

Winter soon made her way to the exit as, Jaune started unbuckling his armour. As the door opened, Winter stopped to say one last thing to, Jaune.

Winter: Oh, and Jaune...?

Jaune: Yes?

Winter: You... You don't need to call me, Sir, or Specialist Schnee... Just call me, Winter, okay?

Jaune: Okay... Winter...

Winter: Thank you~!

Winter smiled a sweet smile as she left, leaving, Jaune behind dumbfounded as he nervously swallowed.

Jaune: Shit...

Jaune: She does like me...

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been trying to focus on thinking about things I enjoy about the idea of the TWST anime. And regarding overblots, I think an anime version would really help illustrate (even more) how terrifying the process is. I really like how the manga shows Riddle's OB, and I love anime as a medium, so I'm pretty hyped to see how it will be conveyed in it.

I really hope they accentuate the horror of it- I'm aware that they might not go all in w the horror like I would personally like, but the thought still excites me. What kind of music will they play? Will the animation change like it does in some animes when the characters are distressed (wobbly lines, glitchy effects)...? What sort of directions will the voice actors get? I mean, they already voiced the game, but anime gives them more room to do voice stuff. I'm really hyped for this aspect tbh...

And I'm also excited for the possibility of dubs, since I'm quite a fan of the whole dubbing world. (I know some ppl have their fears about this last possibility, but in my case even if it turns out to not be so good, I think we could still have a good time w something like that. Plus I've seen some popular eng dub actors hyped about the anime and wanting to be casted for certain characters)

I also wanted to apologize for my previous ask ᕙ⁠(⁠⇀⁠‸⁠↼⁠‶⁠)⁠ᕗ I already did so in the comments, but I felt bad about doomposting on your inbox. My mind's first reaction is usually to see the negative first and become anxious, and it's something I'm working on, but it sometimes goes out of hand. But now that a bit has passed, and specially thanks to your advice, I can sit down and try to focus on the things that excite me rather than the ones that scare me. Sure, building too much expectation could backfire at the end— but as you said, we have little to no information at this point. So I think focusing on the things I'd like to see is a better usage of my time. If they turn out to disappoint me... That's something I'll worry about next year, I'll suppose. I'm still a bit anxious and scared, but there's also lots of things I'm hyped for. I'll try to take your advice and focus on those. 🫂 Sorry if my previous negativity made you uncomfortable.

[Referencing this news! Asker’s prior post here.]

I’ve seen a lot of fans speculating that the OB transformation sequences will resemble magical girl ones! While that’s a fun idea, I do feel like it makes more sense for the anime to portray OB as something scary and all-consuming, similar to how it is depicted at the end of animated dorm commercials and in the manga. For the characters experiencing them, it’s not meant to be glamorous… All that agony, the dripping ink leaking out of their orifices and dripping like blood. Overblot looks incredibly horrific, and I think that should come through in the animation—whether they change the usual style for these segments or keep it the same.

I think the anime would reuse (or maybe do remastered versions of?) the Twst soundtrack for a lot of the show. The compositions are already there, so might as well. Maybe experiencing the anime will help to make the music more memorable, since it seems the game soundtrack alone isn’t doing it for some fans.

No clue about the JP voice cast; I did see some people worrying that they could replace the game’s voice cast for the anime, but as I’ve mentioned already, that’s an unfounded claim. If the usual VAs are there, surely they won’t just reuse the already recorded lines from the game?? 😂 I’d think they’d at least have to rerecord those based on how the script and its scenes are laid out, plus additional dialogue to fill in the gaps (such as new scenes).

No confirmation of an English (or other language) dubs yet either! (Again, this is another topic related to the anime that sparks worry, but I must stress that it’s pointless to get into a tizzy about something that isn’t concrete yet.) But yes, I’ve already seen English VAs expressing interest in certain characters; Daman Mills wants to audition for Malleus, Alejandro Saab has made it known he has Twst on his radar and wants to voice Leona, etc. (The latter has done Twst dorm leader impressions for fun before; I think Mr. Saab could make for a decent Leona or even Malleus!)

Don't worry about the previous ask ^^ I think it's better that we discuss these things with one another rather than post or tweet into the void and allow those negative feelings to fester. If you want to view it in a different way, think of it like the OB boys actually getting therapy/finding someone to confide in instead of being allowed to stew in their own emotions and risking OB a second time. Sometimes all it takes is that gentle nudge or a reminder to step back and take a deep breath. When we let our emotions get the best of us, we end up thinking and acting in irrational ways, and then that can lead to people--whether yourself or others--getting hurt.

[mirensiart]

HIIII.

so like I'm new and I'll probably be around for a while!

ANYWAYS. you don't have to do this if it's against your boundaries, but how do you think the chain would react to a period?

like hypothetically, one of them is Trans, or gets cursed into a female body, how do you think that would go for them?

(can I be 🥁anon?)

Oooh don't worry anon!

I personally headcanon some of the boys as afab, so you're good, I don't mind questions like these at all!

I've been asked about the chain + periods before, but I don't think I've gone into detail about it before so! More under the cut hehe

(these are my own interpretation btw! U can headcanon the boys as whatever u want, my vision isn't like canon for the au, I like to leave it vague so anyway can project what they want! But these are what i personally like)

I feel like it depends on the period? Like ok so I'm personally a big enjoyer of sky, twi and wars as butch/transmasc, but they all have very different periods

Sky for example, I love the idea that he's one of the lucky ones who have really short non painful periods, like maybe they hurt the first day a little bit and that's it

Wars on the other hand is full blown painful as fuck period cramps, he is MISERABLE!! nausea, headaches, included. They are short though, intense but short

Twilight is like right in the middle in the sense that they are painful, but they're not as bad as Wars', however they are long, like more than normal, so they're pretty uncomfortable especially on the road

Anyway, I feel like the others would react differently depending on who's it is

Like, no one really notices when Sky has his, like maybe they feel mild pain but they all shrug it as something else.

Wars is like, the most chaotic thing ever and I can see all of the amab links absolutely losing it like oh my god??? What IS THIS??? YOY GO THROUGH THIS EVERY MONTH???

I've mentioned it before, but I personally love the headcanon that wind & time went through the war of eras pre linked universe so they both know about Wars' chaotic periods, but they're both completely floored over how much they really hurt lmao LIKE WOW U WEREN'T LYING ABOUT THIS, ALL THIS TIME WE THOUGHT U WERE JUST DRAMATIC????

Sky is also in the surprised club despite having periods himself, cause like WDYM PERIODS HURT THIS BAD??? WTF???

Twilight's high pain tolerance + him being afab means he's not as affected during it, as like, helps calms everyone down and frets lol

When twilight's period comes around, everyone is miserable cause wdym we have to go through this AGAIN?

The periods eventually synchronize though cause that's what happens when u travel for a long time with other period havers, and shit goes down

Stay at camp or stay at the inn day(s) until they all feel better again

Anyway, thank you for the ask 🥁anon! And sorry for the extensive period talk lol

[igglemouse]

Lets start this day with some big news! Our little Flora is officially too big for her crib which means she's grown some! They do grow fast, don't they? It's almost hard to keep up!

Just look at her! My little princesa! She's wiggling and cooing and happy as can be and what else is there to say? I'm soaking in the moment with her and have little else to say. I just feel so lucky and fortunate and I know I keep saying this but all my love is for her right now!

I would have played with her a little more but I think all that growing wore her out, as it tends to do, so I would let her have her nap and whip up a pizza! Pizzas are easy to make thankfully and this one will just be a regular classic pepperoni as you can't go wrong with that. I think I do make a pretty good pizza pie! That's amore!

I think the scent of pizza brings Pascal to the kitchen but when he arrives he's looking a little sad. I admit, the frown on his face makes me forget for a moment that he's been oogling models in his spare time and I can't wait to offer my emotional support.

"What's wrong?" I ask, putting aside his wandering eyes for just a moment. I bet it has something to do with futbol, usually if he's sad that is why, but I can't ignore one significant difference about him. "You umm, forget to shave?"

"That's just it, my razor broke and I might have to go out like this," he looks so disheartened even as he rubs the new beard that now adorns his face.

"You look great! In fact, I'd say keep it!"

"Well, if you say so."

I can't help but chuckle at how dramatic he's being. "You look fine either way! Actually, I think it suits you! You're a daddy now and it matures you some."

"I guess it's not so bad..." he mumbles although the frown on his face doesn't budge. I remind him that there is fresh pizza in the kitchen so if that doesn't make him feel a little better than I don't know what will.

I've decided not to bring up the model oogling just yet. Eventually, yes, but right now I just don't feel it is the right time. I've thought a lot about it last night but I want to keep those thoughts to the side, not let them consume me. He's a man. I know, that's a poor excuse, but it is also the truth. It is also the truth that really I'm still very very very much into him and that right now is enough for me to set it aside and give him the benefit of the doubt.

Instead, my mind drifts to bigger things, longer term things, another baby kind of things and maybe, hopefully, a proposal. Yeah, the big M. I can't help but wonder when it will happen or...if it will happen.

I'll be honest, I probably would've spent the rest of the night overthinking about Pascal's liking history on Simstagram but the moment I see Flora's little face it grounds me completely. She's the result of our passion and love and I won't throw that away on a whim. Feeding her, holding her, playing with her reminds me of what truly matters.

Oh! She loves to hiccup! That makes her a hiccuper? It's the most adorable thing, it's a squeaky little sound and whenever she does it she almost looks confused as if she's asking 'did I do that?' and I have to remind her to have manners! A little lady doesn't go around hiccuping at others after all!

And I love her so much that I am taking her everywhere I go in my little carrier. Thankfully, she's a quiet one and she's pretty calm about being carried around. Only wriggling and cooing here and there and hopefully taking in what will hopefully be her home for many years to come.

Oh! Also, as I'm out and about, I notice that people are recognizing me? Nothing major, a few waves and hellos along with my name "Frida!" and I can't help but wonder is it from my food stand or me new growing SimTube channel? Either way, it does feel nice to be noticed! There's even a fellow food stand chef who offered me a free hotdog but I had to decline because Flora started to whine and flail, her way of wanting to go back home I think.

Oh, and Pascal did spend time with Flora after he came back from a game. I SWEAR she was giving him the side-eye. I might have ummm vented to her about the traveling eyes of men. Not that she could understand a word I've said but maybe, just maybe, she picked up on it in my tone...or it could be she's unsure of him because she really doesn't get to see him too much, he's always working, after all.

Meanwhile, in the poorer part of town, Sara and Simón were curled up together in his humble trailer. He had called her over saying that there was something important they needed to discuss but it didn't end up being much of a conversation. Instead, he simply asked for her loyalty and her love.

She wanted to, she wanted him to be the one, Watcher how she wanted to. He could be her escape, her distraction, her addiction, her everything, how she wanted every bit of that, but she knows oft times the heart doesn't get what it wants. The brain though, the brain can be a lot more realistic with its desires.

"I know what you are," she said suddenly, the realization blowing past her like a chill breeze. Her hands roamed his chest, the tips of her fingers searching for something, reassurance, maybe? The mystery of him perhaps, the missing puzzle piece that would make this thing between them work.

"I know you'd figure it out," his reply was quiet and his voice heavy. He wasn't shocked. He wouldn't deny it or talk her out of it. He couldn't run from his past like Frida because he had become his past and now as he looked at Sara he wondered if she could ever be part of his future. If she should. The danger he could put her through..."So, what do you think?"

"I don't want this to end," she decided, the words surprising even herself. Maybe, just maybe, he was worth the risk. Love is always worth the risk...

Frida Varela - Next Episode 9.5

[alexanderwales]

I finished the rest of Save the Cat almost in a single sitting, not because it was particularly riveting, but because I had time to kill, so this pseudo-liveblog is at an end.

Chapter 6 and 7 are basically the same, collections of small tricks and tips. Neither of them are terribly helpful, and all the tricks have terrible shorthand names like "Pope in a Pool". There's very little in the way of any thematic cohesion to these bits of advice, and no grand theory of the Laws of Storytelling emerges, in spite of the laws being invoked a number of times.

The advice itself is, I think, generally good:

give the reader something to root for early on to kickstart investment

spice up exposition with something entertaining

only one kind of magic per plot

don't tell a story that requires too much setup

don't tell a story with too many moving parts

include a ticking clock

have character arcs

keep the scope limited to the characters we care about

make the hero proactive

show, don't tell

make the bad guy very bad

the plot should go faster the further in it goes

use the whole spectrum of emotion

make sure each character has a distinct voice

make sure desires are "primal"

give characters something that makes them stand out

I don't endorse this whole list, and I especially don't endorse the way that Blake Snyder talks about them or the examples that he gives. And if I endorsed the list, then I would include a lot of caveats, and some general principles of storytelling that should be followed, rather than these specific pieces of advice, which are all conditional. Like ... okay, here's an example:

Exposition is a broccoli that the audience doesn't want to eat. There are very different ways of dealing with this, but we can start with "minimize exposition" as the first "law" of storytelling, and from there, we have different strategies:

Spruce up the exposition, making it into a mini-story, delivered in an entertaining way, so that people aren't bored.

Run something alongside the exposition so that people aren't bored, like sight gags in a comedy or an action scene in a thriller.

Have the exposition delivered through implication and clues, rather than stated outright, like having a character limp rather than explaining to the audience that they were wounded in the war. This is show, don't tell, and it's harder than it seems.

But while Snyder lays out some of this advice, it's all in different sections even though it's dealing with the same fundamental problem, and I'm not sure that he really understands that. If he does understand it, then he's not making that clear for the reader.

My thesis is that to understand storytelling, you want to understand root issues and classes of solutions. I have not written a book on writing, nor do I think there's a market for that, nor do I think I'm qualified, but it's the kind of thing that I would strive to deliver. There are a lot of writing problems that are parallel to each other, and there are a lot of structural elements that are mirrors of each other, so why not try to put it all together that way?

But Snyder makes basically no attempt to put even very related problems together, it's just little bits of advice to gnaw at the most common problems, and ... maybe that's fine, but it felt lazy to me.

Chapter 8 was the final chapter, and was mostly about trying to sell screenplays. This was irrelevant to me, but kind of interesting, and also made me feel like Blake Snyder is a better marketer and salesman than a screenwriter, and also maybe just got lucky to be working at a time when scripts were getting huge bidding wars for no good reason. The efficient market hypothesis gets clowned on again, I guess.

I'll probably write up some overall thoughts, a short review: I think I am unsuited to liveblogging because I go long. But the even shorter version is that I think I picked up a few things that were interesting to think about, and while Blake Snyder is a hack, he's an entertaining writer.

[wingedshadowfan]

⚠️arcane s2 act iii spoilers // caitvi ending commentary ⚠️

the difference between the last individual scenes of vi and caitlyn, and the one they shared actually made me sob, so vhere's my analysis of what it all meant

caitlyn is at home, in her family mansion in piltover. her monologue seems to be a messege or an archive for the kirammans or historians after her; she's also looking at the kiramman house files, a family heirloom, a symbol of her legacy and her station, a connection to her mother. she's perhaps looking for something needed in order to start rebuilding the city, perhaps checking if jinx could still be somewhere out there, maybe even seeing what ekko saw about the undercity's vents and water ducts. she still seems to have purpose, or to be in search of one for herself.

vi is also in caitlyn's house in piltover, but she's not with caitlyn. in a city not her own, in a house not her own, it seems she's chosen to sit in a room alone with her thoughts, staring at the fireplace. we hear her humming the tune to a song her mother used to sing, the same one jinx was humming when we first saw her this season - vi's small comfort, the faintest memory from those before her, and nothing to leave to those after her. no roots and no legacy. she's grieving everyone and everything she's lost. stripped of will and void of purpose.

caitlyn is excited to hear vi humming a song. we don't know how long it's been since the war ended, but this implies she hasn't been doing much other than sitting by herself in silence in quite some time. she's become a shell of herself, and caitlyn is worried - she's there for her but doesn't want to push her either. she asks her if she's "still in the fight", and this is a loaded question that i can see two main meanings in - one notably sadder.

1) are you still in there?

what part of you is left, and is it strong enough to keep fighting this state you're in? do you have it in you to keep going? do you have the will to live in spite of it all? is there any fight left in you? are you still with me, or are you just in the room?

and i feel like caitlyn knows the answer but wants to hear it from vi, check in on her and encourage her to open up if she's feeling ready to. because she heard her humming to herself.

and when vi says she's the dirt under caitlyn's nails, she doesn't mean it in a cute, flirty or romantic way. she means it in a self-deprecating "i know i'm not being easy right now" kind of way.

i'm not fun to be around, to have to take care of and wait around for. i'm making things harder for you and i'm holding you back by not cooperating and just getting better. i can't help it.

and she adds onto this, "nothing's ever gonna clean me out"

you're stuck with me. i'm a nuisance to you but i can't leave you because you're all i have left. i think i'm lost and broken beyond repair. i'm crooked. i think i'll never be okay again.

2) have you given up on zaun?

are you still in on fighting the system? have you given up on trying to make others see your people for who you are? do you still have hope in the dream for unity and freedom for zaun?

it sounds like caitlyn does, and she's still up for it, just like she was in the latter half of the first season, before jinx kidnapped her, tried to get vi to kill her, and blew up the counsil building just as its members were about to vote for zaun's sovereignty, killing caitlyn's mother. but caitlyn can't do it on her own - it's vi's home, vi's people, vi's identity - and she needs to know if vi still believes they can change something.

and when vi says she's the dirt under caitlyn's nails, she doesn't literally mean caitlyn, or herself. she means the opposing poles they represent - piltover and zaun, oppressor and oppressed, a pristine policewoman and a crooked criminal. until piltover's view of the undercity and its people changes, zaun will always be a torn in its side, fighting it, defying it, trying to free itself from its clutches. small, perhaps insignificant, an inconvenience, but a part of it that it can't get rid of or erase. it'll always be there, it'll always fight back.

and when she says nothing's ever gonna clean her out, she means she'll never be bent out of shape and lose that part of herself - the ugly, dirty, raggedy part that grew up on the streets of zaun and was raised among all the tragedy, misery and poverty of the undercity. a product of the system. she'll never let that be "washed out" of her, she won't forget her origin or her goals. this is who she is, her identity - not just in the eyes of piltover, but in her own heart - a zaunite.

EDIT: i also saw this interpretation on tiktok if you're interested. to summarize: there's a spanish saying "like nails and dirt" which is used to refer to two people who are inseparable, so this is a testimony of vi's love for caitlyn having given her reason to keep going and stay by her.

[gyusimp]

꧁𝐒𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮꧂ ᴋᴇɴᴊɪ ꜱᴀᴛᴏ x ꜰᴇᴍ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ [ɴꜱꜰᴡ]

꧁ᵂᴬᴿᴺᴵᴺᴳˢ: ᴺˢᶠᵂ | ˢʰᵒʷᵉʳ/ᵇᵃᵗʰᵘᵇ ˢ³ˣ | ᶠⁱⁿᵍᵉʳⁱⁿᵍ | ᴱˣᵖˡⁱᶜⁱᵗ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ | ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ ᶠᵉᵉˡˢ ⁱⁿˢᵉᶜᵘʳᵉ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳ ᵇᵒᵈʸ | ᴮᵃᵈ ʷᵒʳᵈˢ | ᴹᴰᴺᴵ! | 6.7k words

It had been a couple of hours since Ken came home, he greeted you as usual and then went down to the basement to take care of Emi for a moment although without much enthusiasm. Today he felt tired, more emotionally than physically but still he had to be a father, mother? Responsible for the little kaiju and after spending the whole day locked up in her containment unit it was only fair that he let her spend at least some time with him. However, you noticed he looked a little down when he greeted you. His smile was gone and his eyes looked dull and his mood only confirmed his frustrated state when he went back up to you.

"Mina, mute all notifications," he asked her assistant, his voice slightly irritated, to which the robot complied.

Ken walked over to his wide bed and dropped onto his back, his dark locks moving against the bump on the mattress.You stopped what you were doing and went to peek through the door, finding him in bed with one arm on the mattress and the other covering his face.

"Are you okay Ken?" You asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind you as you walked in his direction.

"I'm fine" he replied through gritted teeth, still lying down.

You frowned, you knew it wasn't true and in a way it still bothered you that he tried to be strong with you. He was in a safe place now, why couldn't he just tell you how he felt? Whatever was wrong with him, you always ended up listening to him. You sighed regretfully and sat down on the bed before laying down next to him and gently hugging him to your chest.

"Why are you doing this?"

"What?" You didn't understand where he was going with his question.

"You tend to be around me always...even if I seem irritable" he replied, letting his arm fall around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

"Sure, because I'm your girlfriend, silly" you said jokingly "What is it that's bothering you, my love? Do you want to talk about it?" Your voice was softer now, conveying confidence and reminding him that he could always rely on you.

He let out a sigh, tightening his arm around you and burying his face a little deeper into your neck as he turned on the bed to face you. Ken took a few deep breaths before answering.

"I'm... tired, I guess." It was noticeable in his voice.

"I see... because of baseball or Ultraman?"

"Both...even though it's been a while, sometimes I still feel like I can't handle everything, including Emi....I feel exhausted all the time"

"Aawww my love" you said, cradling his face against your neck and kissing his cheek "I know how you feel, it's not easy to carry so much at once...but you're doing an excellent job with everything. For today just rest...relax, the day is over and I'm sure tomorrow will be better for you honey...we're together now okay?" You spoke sweetly, trying to comfort him, feeling him settle into your shoulder as he closed his eyes.

He simply let out a small snort of laughter and snuggled up to you. He already felt a little better, just being in your presence was enough. Although, that didn't mean he wasn't still exhausted...

"Is there something you want me to do for you my love? To make you feel better?" You asked, carefully running your fingers through his hair. “I can make you something to eat or run you a bath.”

“Stay here with me,” he murmured into your neck, pulling you a little closer to him, making you smile.

“You sure? You don’t want anything?” Ken hesitated for a moment longer, considering the question.

"Well, maybe I like the idea of a bath," he said, standing up slightly so he could see your face and smile at you with a tired air.

"You want to join?" He asked, smiling.You couldn't refuse when he asked you so sweetly. You kissed his cheek and smiled against his skin.

"I guess that sounds good. I'll go get everything ready, okay?" you said, kissing his forehead and getting out of bed.

Ken stayed in bed, still looking at the ceiling while resting one hand on his chest and the other next to his head on the mattress. His eyelids were starting to get slightly heavier as he heard faint sounds of you walking in the distance in the bathroom next to his room. He didn't know how much time passed when he started to slowly squint.

"Ready," you said, accidentally waking him up when you peeked through the door of his room and came back, while he stretched and settled on the edge of the bed.

Ken stood up and walked into the bathroom where he saw you arranging some things in the bathroom space where his tub was, which looked more like a jacuzzi of sorts.

"Come here baby, I'll take care of it," you told him, starting to take off his shirt as he let himself be carried in your hands, feeling immersed in the warm environment watching as a thin layer of steam formed on the glass that surrounded the shower area.

You unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down his legs until they reached his feet as well as his underwear. He felt a little embarrassed by the fact that you were still fully dressed while he stood in front of you, completely naked. He kept his gaze on your face, watching your reaction to seeing him like that.

"What's wrong?" You said as you felt his gaze on you. He remained silent and a little embarrassed for a moment, simply watching you as you stood in front of him. After a few moments, Ken finally spoke.

"I'm, uh... just a little embarrassed, I guess," he admitted, his face a little red. "You're the only person I've ever really shown my body to," he added.You smiled tenderly at him, hearing his words and seeing him so still.

"Don't be embarrassed, you're beautiful. Besides, it's not the first time we've seen each other naked," you joked, trying to make him relax.Ken couldn't help but crack a small smile at that, embarrassed but amused. He raised a hand and scratched the back of his neck, still watching you.

"I know, it's just different when I'm completely naked while you're still dressed" he replied in a more confident but still slightly embarrassed tone from afar.

"Oh don't worry" You finished stacking his clothes and arranged them on a small piece of furniture next to you before starting to get rid of your own. You took off your shirt, jeans followed by your underwear and let your hair down, leaving you as naked as he was.

"Well, I'm less embarrassed now" he admitted quietly, a small smile appearing on his face.

You laughed with him as you both walked to the spacious tub, slowly feeling the warmth of the water hugging your legs until you both sat at the base. Ken leaned back, leaving his arms resting on the edge while you stayed next to him, giving him some space in case he needed it. You noticed his frustrated expression leave his face and his eyes slowly close as he let out a tired but now relieved sigh.

"This... feels good..." he murmured, closing his eyes as he sank a little deeper.

"I know... I needed this too" you said, lying down on the other end next to him, closing your eyes and sighing.

The atmosphere was perfect, no doubt this only helped him feel better, forgetting for a moment all his problems, responsibilities and frustrations. Spending moments like this with you made him feel so safe. It was ironic how being the most famous and greatest superhero in Tokyo, you were the one who always ended up saving him.

Your soft voice while talking to you was his greatest relaxation now, seeing your smile made him laugh too and wish that time would stop somehow.

"Hey, why are you there? Come closer," he asked, being the one who was more eager to close the distance between you two as much as possible.

"Sure," you agreed happily, moving through the water to get closer to him and position yourself between his legs, resting your head against his chest.Kenji's arms wrapped around your waist and his chin gently rested on your head.

"Better like this?"

"Much better," he admitted with a smile."We should do this more often."

Kenji was totally on board, but after a few minutes of conversation, he immediately noticed how you began to cross your arms and cover yourself nervously, still sitting behind you and resting his chin on your shoulder. His eyes moved over your body again, before leaning a little closer.

One of his hands gently placed itself on your side, under your crossed arm, simply holding you.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Why do you say that?" you asked calmly.

He kept his hand on your side, sliding it lightly up and down. "You're covering yourself up," he replied in a whisper almost against your skin, leaving his hand on your waist instead.

"No, it's not true," you tried to deny it but you felt trapped. It wasn't a lie that this wasn't the first time that Kenji and you were naked and so close together, however, this time you felt intimidated by the lights and how the lighting revealed small things that probably only you noticed but making you feel insecure being next to him, preventing him from observing you completely.

He raised his head slightly so he could see your face better, his hand still on your waist and the other holding your crossed arm. He raised an eyebrow slightly at your weak attempt to resist.

"Come on, don't cover yourself up. I know you're nervous, but there's nothing to be ashamed of, sweetheart. You always look great."

You felt your face heat up slightly. "Ken... I just... don't like it, and you know it, I mean... I don't like the way I look and I'm embarrassed..." you admitted to him.

He let go of your arm and brought that hand to the back of your neck, gently caressing it. He continued to rest his head close to your ear, his breath against your neck as he spoke to you in a soft voice.

"My beautiful girl... you have nothing to be ashamed of. But I know you like to keep the lights off and not let me see you. It's so obvious," he murmured, his hand caressing your neck softly.

"Yeah... I know it won't be like that but... I don't like the way I look and, I think that if you see me well then you won't like me either" you admitted, with a slightly lower voice, hugging yourself to hide your chest.

"Honey, listen to me. I know I can't change the way you look, but I know you're beautiful. And I've never felt less attracted to you. You're beautiful and sexy to me, no matter how much you insist otherwise" he pointed out sweetly, his voice serious but soft.

"Okay..." you said, letting yourself go and slowly moving your arms over your chest, letting only the thin layer of water at the beginning of your body cover you in the middle of it.

"That's better"

He held you tightly against him, with one arm around your waist, while he lightly caressed the lower part of your torso. His eyes were still on your bust, clearly appreciating the view. Kenji gently leaned closer to your neck, pressing a small kiss just below your ear, you were blushing heavily and avoided turning your face to look at him.

"I don't like the way I look, I've always thought they're too... small" you admitted, a little annoyed.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss just above your shoulder. "I think they're perfect" he added. You were about to say something back but his impulse was faster, making you swallow your words and startle when you felt both of his hands holding your breasts under the water, one in each hand. "Relax" he murmured against your jaw, gently tightening his grip as he placed a kiss on your cheek.

"What are you up to?" His hands cupped your bust delicately, feeling his fingers on your wet skin warmed every part of you, physically and in every way. "This isn't anything strange for us, darling," he whispered, pressing a small kiss just below your cheek.

You looked at his hands and hesitated but eventually gave in, relaxing your back and leaning back against his chest as his hands continued to touch your bust softly. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. Everything about you is perfect, including this."

"Y-you really... like them?" you asked blushing.

Kenji let out a small snort, a small smile on his face as his hands continued to caress and squeeze your breasts in the water. "Of course, they're perfect for me. I love them. I want you to like them too" he replied, leaving another small kiss on your neck again.

"If I like them it doesn't matter... I want you to think I'm pretty... Please, keep going..." it was starting to feel so good that you asked him to keep going, leaning back on him and closing your eyes trying to ignore the growing sensation between your legs with each touch of his fingers.

"Of course... Anything you want" he whispered, leaving another small kiss.

Kenji continued to hold your breasts in his hands under the water, leaving small, tender kisses on your neck while his fingers lightly caressed and massaged your nipples.You couldn't help but let out a small, tender moan after feeling his fingers run over the tips of your breasts, making you jump and half open your eyes to see his hands.

"Oh, you like that, huh?" he whispered in a soft voice, while continuing to work your nipples with his fingers. "I love hearing that, honey. I want to know how I make you feel," he replied, still in a soft voice.

His fingers fit perfectly over every inch of you, the touch of his fingers making you half-close your eyes and lean your head back on his shoulder and bare chest while his hands continued on you, caressing you without any hurry, amidst small sounds in the water that surrounded them. His other hand slid lightly from your chest to your stomach, gently caressing your belly with his thumb. Instinctively, you moved your legs through the water of the tub to open them. You then noticed your actions and were slightly embarrassed wondering if Kenji had noticed, you acted without thinking when you noticed that one of his hands had moved down your body as if it was screaming at him where you needed more attention.

"What are you doing?" He whispered in a soft and amused voice, leaving a perfect silence for you to excuse yourself with a short "nothing" as you felt trapped."Trying to pretend that you didn't open up a little" Kenji took his hand from your nipple and placed it lightly on your thigh, sliding it down and across your leg, passing over your knee as he did so.

"I was just getting settled"

"Really?" he replied, still amused, with a small hint of disbelief in his voice. You took his hands and brought them over your breasts again "Are you going to keep going?" you asked blushing.

His fingers started moving again, carefully squeezing your nipples and caressing them again. You closed your eyes trying to relax as small muffled moans sounded in your throat trying to ignore your desires but then you whimpered slightly desperate, calling Kenji's attention, it was impossible not to want him so much and more in the middle of the situation you were now in.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" he added, gently caressing your cheek and placing himself close to your ear again.

"I give up okay?" you said, lying back against his chest as he watched you take both legs out of the water and arrange them in the tub, to keep them open, more than they were before.

Kenji loved how you didn't even need words to let each other know what you wanted and right now he knew he was all you needed, stirring a surge of love and turmoil inside your chest at once.

"This isn't giving up, baby" he replied, his voice soft but playful. "Just keep giving me all your cute little moans. I love knowing that you love what I do"

"Okay... " you moaned lightly "but only if you keep touching me..." you hesitated a little before saying where.

"Oh no problem sweetie, where do you want me to touch you?" he added, a small trace of teasing in his voice. You looked at him annoyed and very flushed

"Please Ken, you know perfectly well where" He let out another small laugh as his eyes locked on yours for a second.

One of his hands made its way down your body until it reached your thighs and caressed them before having his fingers where he urged you. His fingers still gently caressing down through that sensitive area between your legs, passing through your folds and reaching your entrance with his middle finger.

"Wow... you're so wet" Kenji murmured.

"How do you know? We're in the water" you replied with slight annoyance and a big blush.

He let out another small laugh, still gently caressing your entrance with his fingers. "It can feel... it's different, I know you very well."

"And I guess that makes you feel too cocky, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does" Kenji replied, sliding his finger down, caressing your folds with teasing movements and without warning, he slid inside your entrance. He let out another small huff, a smile still on his face and still close to your neck as he slid his index finger even further inside you, his thumb began to press slightly upwards, gently moving against your clit repeatedly. You almost stood up, arching your back and clinging to his thighs on either side of you with both arms, squeezing your eyes shut and frowning, making him laugh shamelessly at your explicit reactions to the feeling.

Your head rested on his shoulder as you gripped his thighs with your fingers as you felt his index finger move even deeper inside you. "I love making you feel like this, baby," he continued, moving his thumb in small circles against your clit causing a burning sensation from so much pleasure building up around the area.

You brought your hand to your mouth and bit your knuckles trying to keep your composure under his touch despite feeling like he was stretching you out. He left a small kiss on your neck, still with your head resting against him and your fingers clinging to his thighs, but he could feel you tensing against his hand. "Don't hold back princess...I want to hear you" he added, sliding a second finger into your entrance, pushing them in and stretching you even more than before making you moan more intensely than before.

It wasn’t even a big deal what Kenji had done to you yet and you were already a mess. Your hips moved against his hand as you felt his long, slender fingers curl inside of you along with his thumb poking and caressing that sweet spot over and over again. His name escaped your lips in the dirtiest way possible, as if it was the only word you knew how to say while your hands tightly gripped his thighs, squeezing them every time he advanced further inside you until he made you see stars. His smile showed how proud he felt to see you like this and to know that no one else could see you in such a vulnerable and intimate way, you awakened a selfish feeling in him and it filled his chest to know that you would writhe like this just for him.

He knew every part of you very well as you knew him so touching all those places where even you couldn’t reach and observing your different reactions was priceless. This man adores you, needs you and wants you, you are his woman and he will do whatever it takes to keep his woman satisfied. His.

His fingers moved with agility faster and faster making you open your legs more and more, feel a couple more touches of his fingers were missing to make you cum when suddenly everything fell apart; like a pyramid of cards under a breeze outside. Your expression of frustration and irritation was present when you felt completely empty from one moment to the next when Kenji completely removed his fingers from you. You turned to see him and he noticed your annoyance immediately.

"Damn it Ken, what are you doing?" You gasped in frustration, feeling the needy throbbing in your center.

"Shut up, you're ready. Now turn around" He demanded, with the same need in his voice.

You were so focused on what his fingers were doing to you that everything around you blurred, including the bulge between his legs that you sat on. Kenji grabbed you by the waist and helped you turn around to straddle his lap, causing small waves between both of your bodies until you were facing him directly with both hands on his shoulders. His other hand slid down your back, caressing your skin to your thigh, pressing his fingers lightly against your leg through the water, and lifting it up, placing it around his hip.

His hand around your waist kept you close against him as he slid inside you, still caressing your back with his other hand that was under the water. He sighed against your neck with his head against your shoulder as he gradually entered deeper and deeper inside you, caressing your walls with his tip not being able to stop you from moaning for a single second. The small moan that escaped you when you felt him enter made his lips curve into a smile against your neck. “Does it feel good?” he murmured against your neck, gently caressing your thigh under the water with his other hand.

“Good? ...fuck, I feel like I'm in heaven, baby.” You could barely speak without panting.

Kenji moved more firmly and a little roughly to make you bounce on him repeatedly, getting what he wanted. A loud moan escaped your mouth almost involuntarily, making you blush for sounding so dirty.

“Ah, ah... that's the noise I wanted to hear, baby. I want to hear more of that,” he purred against your neck, his voice soft and slightly breathy.

"Then give me reasons."You held onto his shoulders tightly as you felt his hands on your hips to increase the intensity of his thrusts, looking at him blushing deeply, unable to stop moaning and whimpering his name for more, letting your wet bangs fall over your face as well as his, looking at him through your wet, long eyelashes.

His hand around your hip pressed you even tighter against him, still having your body pressed close to his, with his lips still pressed against your neck as he felt your body still arch against him. "That's it baby. I wanna hear you moan my name... I wanna hear you scream my name" he panted softly against your neck, bringing his hands down to your ass to grab you tightly so he could fill you up better.

"K-Kenjii!" you moaned louder "more... I want more of you" you begged, almost in the middle of a tantrum. "Fuck Ken, you're perfect"

"No... not perfect. I just wanna make you feel good..." he murmured, softly against your ear, his voice soft and still holding you tight against him in the water.

Well you're perfect for me you said grabbing him by the nape of the neck and pulling him closer to you to kiss his lips, feeling the speed of his movements increase. He opened his mouth even more so your tongue could enter his mouth, still having your body even tighter against him, still moving inside you firmly and needily.

You continued kissing him with need and desperation, biting his lip and taking his tongue in your mouth letting the saliva of both of you mix in your mouths. "Mmmhhh... damn, I love the way you kiss me" Kenji panted against your mouth, his voice soft and breathy while still moving you against him.

"And I love the way you fuck me" you told him in the middle of the kiss.

His hands went to your hair, still pressed against your head, still with your tongues tangling in the middle of the kiss. He still moved inside you, having your legs around his hips and your body close against him, keeping your back arched.

"But I enjoy the way you squeeze me, babe" he panted in the middle of the kiss.

You continued the kiss until he felt your moans increase and get caught in the middle while you frowned and your moans stayed between your mouths, you let him take you by the hair with a little more pressure and without stopping kissing him, you began to move more on top of him, riding him urgently and quickly, bouncing on him repeatedly. "Mmm... baby, you're eager, aren't you..." he panted into the kiss, gripping your hair.

You moaned in response, still moving harder and harder until he felt you tighten around him and knew why. His hand still gripped your hair even tighter, as your body moved in circles on him, pressing at a slightly different angle.

"Mmm... baby... you're tighter," he panted against your ear, his voice soft and a little breathy.

"And do you know why that is?"

"Tell me," he panted against your ear, keeping a hard grip on your hair.

"How about I show you instead?" You asked, moving faster on him.

You didn't stop moving on him for a second, slamming your hips against his crotch until a couple of minutes later you clung to his strong shoulders, almost digging your nails in as you felt your hands slide over his silky wet skin, arching your back and letting yourself go without a care, cumming on top of him completely pleased by each of his thrusts, feeling your release seep in even under the water giving you a different and warm sensation. Kenji gasped in your ear as he felt you cling to his shoulders and arch your back slightly as you cum on his lap, holding you close to help keep you stable on top of him.

"Mmm... good girl..." he murmured.

You were breathless, letting yourself fall on his shoulder, closing your eyes as you felt him continue to move in you on his own, seeking his own release, you barely moaned as you felt him move and you were very overstimulated, Kenji was almost using you so he could cum himself.

His moans against your neck grew slightly louder and more erratic as he continued to thrust into you, still holding your hips with one hand and your hair with the other. His breath was hot against your skin, and you could feel his body tense slightly.

“You feel too good, gurl…” he panted into your ear, his voice soft but muffled, still pressing you lightly against him through his thrusts. “Shit… you still feel… so tight…”

“Kenji…” you moaned, wrapping both arms around him and resting your face on his shoulder, tired and hypersensitive with each thrust, “are you almost there?”

After a few minutes, Kenji was finally on the edge and after a few more thrusts he called your name loudly as he eased you down on top of him, squeezing your hips as he finished, sending thick ropes through you. Kenji dropped into the tub, both arms on the edges as he tried to normalize his breathing, and you lay down on his chest with increasing tiredness.

You stayed like that for a few minutes as he caught his breath, holding you close with his arms, gently caressing your hair and your back with his hand, having your body relaxed against him. After a while, still with a soft voice, he broke the silence slightly.

"That was... pretty intense..." he said, still with his breathing ragged.

"I know... I bet I'll wake up sore tomorrow." After a few minutes when your body wasn't shaking as much anymore, you noticed that you were both still wet in the now dirty water with the release of both of you making you blush.

"Don't you think we should take a shower?" He let out a soft laugh and shook his head slightly, still with his chin resting on your shoulder.

After a moment, he responded slightly in a mocking tone."I guess so, I think we've already made the water dirty enough."

You held onto his shoulders and slowly moved up so he could get out of you and both of you stood up, letting the used water go down the drain. Kenji got out first and then helped you out of the tub by taking your hand and walking together to the shower where he turned on the faucet and both of you got wet under it.

He washed his hair and then helped you with yours, treating you with ironic care after having taken you as hard as he pleased and when you were about to clean your body of the remains of him, he told you considerably, that he wanted to take care of it himself.

"Let me take care of it..."

"Are you sure?""Believe me, I want to."

He let out a soft laugh again when you gave in and let him touch you and take over. His hands began to move softly and carefully over your body, soaping the soft skin and wetting it even more with the warm water.

You watched as Kenji bent down a little to gently bring his hand between your legs and clean you off of him, as you blushed and gently rested a hand on his shoulder to support you. His touch was gentle and careful, as he lightly ran his hands along your thighs and into your folds, continuing in the same manner for a few minutes with the water still falling gently over the two of you and with his hand still resting on your hip.

After a moment, he slightly looked up and looked at you lightly with a smile on his face.

“Are you still blushing sweetie?” you simply smiled sweetly at him, as he finished and stood back up to clean himself off. “You’re adorable when you blush…”

“Thanks…” you said a little shyly. This time with Kenji was so private and cute so you couldn’t help but go up to him and hug him under the shower. He hugged you back, and wrapped his arms around you gently, still with the water falling over both of you.

"You're very sticky today, huh?" He teased softly against your neck. You closed your eyes feeling his warmth and the water all over your body as you tenderly kissed his collarbone and shoulder.

"I love every part of you." His arms tightened slightly around your body in response, as his hand lightly caressed your back and hair, you leaned your face on his shoulder and wrapped both arms around his back tightly.

"You're so affectionate... I love it.." You smirked

"I'm always so cold... consider yourself lucky."

"Oh, I can assure you, I consider myself very lucky... as long as I'm the one who gets this adorable and loving version of you."

"Of course, always just for you." He held you even closer to him, his arms wrapping around your small figure and the water gently passing over both of you as he still gently caressed your back and hair. "I promise it will be like this my love" you said taking his cheek and kissing his face. Kenji leaned forward slightly and kissed you softly on the lips with softness and warmth, still with his arms wrapped around your figure and his hand gently running through your hair.

After a while more of hugging and cuddling under the shower, you both got out and dried yourselves with towels before going back up to his room. You both started to get dressed again, while relaxed silence reigned between the two of you.

"Can I ask you something?" Kenji broke the silence, catching your attention. "Why are you always so cold to everyone?"

You weren't expecting that question so you looked at him trying to explain "I...I don't know" you laughed "It's just...it's not easy for me to express what I feel I guess. Even with my family who are people I really love, but with you..." you smiled more and looked at him "The 'I love you's' come to me in droves for some reason"

He kept looking at you for a moment, watching as you tried to give him an explanation while you laughed softly, and he adjusted his shirt. After a moment, you looked at him and answered, with the smile growing on your face and with your eyes slightly shining.

"I guess that's something that's very much just me, huh?" he joked softly in a low voice, with a smile on his face at your confession. "Well, it's nice to know that I'm the only one who sees this version of you... it really is very, very cute."

"Thanks...I didn't even know how affectionate i could be" you joked "I guess...you bring out the best in me" you said with some nostalgia.

You both climbed into bed, settling down between the sheets after getting fully dressed, leaning against the headboard as Kenji checked a few messages in his team group about training and baseball stuff. He took his phone in his hand to focus his sight on some messages left a couple of hours ago, raising his arm to his forehead to rub it lightly while he still had the phone in his other hand.

He continued to read the few messages on his phone, when suddenly he felt a gaze on him. Kenji turned his face slightly to his side and found you looking at him with a smile on your face, with your hand under your head, while you were still lying next to him. He slightly raised an eyebrow at the smile, slightly amused, and put the phone back down.

"What's wrong?" He replied as he looked at you for a moment, a small smile on his face

"You're just so beautiful." Your voice was like you were looking at the most unique piece of art hanging on the walls of a museum.

"Thanks love..." he said softly laughing, running a hand through his hair and feeling slightly embarrassed by the compliment on his appearance "You're gorgeous too..."

"Thank you" you said laughing and wrinkling your nose in embarrassment "but you more so, Mr. "Best alive player"

"Eh, you don't have to remind me... although I admit it's true..."

"You should have said the most precious alive player" He gave a small smile as he answered with the soft and gently mocking tone.

"Well, if it were up to me, that's what I would have said... "the most precious player alive" would sound better... but the reporters aren't ready for that truth..."

You laughed next to him and got closer to him, gently taking his face in your hands and looking into his eyes making him completely forget about his cell phone "But look at that cute little face" you said sweetly

"Are you telling me I'm adorable?"

"Maybe... more than that you are "Perfect," you said softly, tracing the entire profile of his nose with your index finger and caressing his cheeks.

"Perfect, huh? Where does all this come from?"

"What do you mean, where? Every time I see you..." He continued to look into your eyes, slightly curious, as he listened to how you responded to your feelings towards him.

Kenji kept his head still, slightly relaxed with your caress and soft voice, with slight traces of curiosity in his eyes."Isn't what you're saying a little exaggerated..?"

"Not at all, it's what I feel, what I think... it's the truth." You said hugging him, resting your face on his shoulder and after a silence you spoke "I really think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me... maybe the only good thing in my life. I always felt so alone, hurt, misunderstood... having to be strong in order to move forward and not let anyone know me well enough to hurt me" you said in a low voice "always so distant, so distrustful, expecting the worst from others, but with you... none of that exists... all those walls fall when I'm with you... and you can see who I really am... I'm not afraid or distrustful of anything when we're together"

He immediately responded to your hug, resting his head on yours and wrapping his arms around you protectively. After a moment, he heard you speak quietly, your voice still low, and he felt the hug around him relax slightly. He kept his hug around you, listening to you intently. As he listened to your words, he felt his own heart relax and break at the same time as he saw how vulnerable and fragile you felt at that moment.

"I'm honored that you trust me so much... I don't want you to be alone anymore... I always want to be by your side..."

"I love you Kenji Sato... I fall more and more in love with you every day that passes."

"I love you even more every day, my love... I love you more than I can describe..."

He gently pulled away from your arms and continued to lightly caress your cheek with one hand, gently running a thumb along the skin of your cheek, and watched you for a moment with a tender smile on his lips, seeing the smile on your face. After a moment, he gently moved forward with the smile on his lips and softly replied.

"Can I kiss you now, darling?" You laughed at him being a little shy and seeing him blush.

“Of course.” You said and grabbed his face to kiss him.

He smiled lightly again as he listened to your laugh and your small affirmation, relaxing into the soft grip of your hand against his cheek. After a moment, he let himself go with your movements, allowing you to pull him forward towards you so he could kiss you. His lips pressed softly against yours, his hand gently caressing your cheek.

After a moment, he brought a hand to your neck, holding your head firmly close to him as his lips pressed even more firmly against yours, gently caressing your neck with his thumbs as he did so, gently running his tongue along your bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. After a few more moments, he finally pulled away from you slightly, lips still dangerously close to yours with his eyes slightly lidded. He took your hip in his hands and moved you slightly so that you were on top of him under the sheets as he relaxed on the bed and held you close.

Kenji let you kiss his chest lightly, relaxing even more beneath you. “I love you… with every fiber of my being…” His tone had never sounded so sincere.

You smiled, hugging him and settling on top of him “I love you too my love…”

He responded to your smile by relaxing even more, and wrapped his arms around you even tighter, making sure you were as close to him as possible under the sheets.

After a moment, he stopped holding you and relaxed even more, placing a hand against your cheek and responding softly, with a small laugh.“It’s late… we should sleep…”

“You’re right" you said, kissing his chest. "Good night honey"

"Sleep well, darling… "

I'm so sorry for the delay! T~T university is killing me! But after Dec 14th i'll have more free time. Hope you enjoyed pookies, love u so much! 💖

[uceyliyahh]

SOMETHING BOUT’ US

Summary: "I want you more than anything in my life." After being in a difficult relationship with Carmelo Yasmine decided to move on from him and become the next big thing while getting drafted on the smackdown roster she always thought she would never find love again due to her commitment issues until she met him.

This fanfic is 18+! NO MINORS ALLOWED

word count: 3590

smut warning; it’ll come in the story randomly so PLEASE PLEASE look out for it I’m not really good at writing ✍🏽 smuts but I’m improving at the moment.

Jey Uso x Yasmine

AWFUL GRAMMAR IM GETTING BETTER I SWEAR LOL.

comments, likes, repost are appreciated I would love the constructive feedback in what area I need to approve in. 🤍

ALSO! I don’t not want nobody stealing my fanfics or take it as theirs that will be an issue fasho so keep it cute respectfully.

I only own my OC along with the make up scenarios

But I’ll be writing along the way since this story is in my drafts on Wattpad right now so yuh. 💁🏽‍♀️

7.

YASMINE It was Crown Jewel day, and I was nervous to say the least about tonight's main event, which involved me going against Liv Morgan for her title. I couldn't believe that I'd be having my first PPV tonight; thinking about it gave me butterflies in my stomach.

I was in my hotel room watching TV while eating some food that I had ordered from the menu that they had in the room. I haven't heard from Jey since we last saw each other, and I started to miss him because he normally doesn't go days without texting or calling me.

That's when I felt my phone buzzing as I grabbed it from the dresser, seeing that Trinity had texted me.

Trin🤭🫶🏽 sent a message.

IMESSAGE 💬 Trin🤭🫶🏽: Hey, girly I was checking up on you to see how you were doing? Minnie🧃: I'm doing fine just nervous about today Trin🤭🫶🏽: girl, you're going to be fine just bring that title home for us Minnie🧃: Trin, you know I got'chu if you want a title shot Trin🤭🫶🏽: fasho girl I know Minnie🧃: also have you heard from Jey? Trin🤭🫶🏽: last time I check him and Jon were heading to the gym together then hangout with some friends before the show Minnie🧃: oh okay Trin🤭🫶🏽: did something happen? Minnie🧃: nah I just wanted to see if you have heard from him since he hasn't text me or called me at least Trin🤭🫶🏽: hm, that's not like him I'll see what's going on but I'll see you later girl byeee love you Minnie🧃: love you too

After texting Trinity, I decided to munch on my food while continuing to watch my show on Netflix. Jey and I have been doing this friends-with-benefits thing ever since we met.

I knew he was my person, my peacemaker, especially whenever I'm feeling down or about to panic. He's always right there to fix it, no matter what, but for some odd reason, I started to feel more for him than I should.

Maybe it was the dick that was making me feel this way about him, not knowing how he felt entirely, but it was odd not hearing from him all day today.

I'll probably see him at work or something, then we could talk about it, hopefully.

✧˚° I finally made it to work, seeing everyone that I was cool with backstage. Meanwhile, I was looking for Jey, hoping that I'd see him and greet him with hugs and kisses like I normally do.

As I was walking down toward Montez's locker room, I caught something. It was Jey speaking to Liv, for whatever reason, so I went behind the corner and watched them.

His energy seemed a bit flirty, and the way he felt up on her like he did with me almost shattered me. I sighed deeply, getting out of the corner and continuing to walk towards my brother's locker room.

Walking past them as Jey made eye contact with me before I rolled my eyes at him going towards Montez's locker room. Maybe he didn't feel the same way like I did.

As I walked in my brother's locker room I saw Bianca sitting on the couch gazing up at me with a smile as I did the same to her.

I sat down on the couch, looking up at the screen and seeing the commutators speaking about the matches for tonight. Bianca could sense my energy seemed a bit off as she nudged my shoulder.

"You okay Minks?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine just nervous about my match for the main event," I said while having flashbacks of seeing Jey with Liv being all up on her.

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty uncomfortable about something," I said, shaking my head and telling her that I was fine and just needed a moment by myself.

That's when I felt my phone vibrating, seeing a text from an unknown number that seemed like they had sent me a picture.

When I opened the message, it felt like my whole world had stopped spinning. It was a picture of Jey and Liv, with him having her in a back-shot position and the message saying, 'Hey, girl.' I didn't want to express those feelings toward Bianca, so I went out to the locker room for a moment, trying to calm myself down before I had a mental breakdown.

How could he? Why would he do this? I went inside the bathroom, went inside the stall, and began bawling my eyes out in silence so that nobody would hear me.

I put my trust into a nigga that would just do me dirty now everyone is going to be looking at me all weirdly.

After I was bawling my eyes out, I opened the stall and looked inside the mirror, touching up my makeup, praying that I wouldn't see him again or anymore. Ion even wanna tell Montez about it. Hell, he probably knows.

I walked out of the bathroom and toward Ms. Kim to check on my gear and make sure everything was okay. When I went that way, I saw Carmelo talking to somebody, but I didn't pay attention to him.

He saw me walking past him and tried to grab my arm, but I quickly snatched it away.

"Are you good, Yasmine? " he asked. I just rolled my eyes at him, wondering why he cared if I was okay.

I just nodded my head and walked away because I didn't want to engage in the conversation anymore. I honestly didn't want to talk to anybody.

Ms. Kim saw me walking toward her, and she smiled at me.

"Hey, Yasmine, I see that you're here for your attire?" She said.

"Yeah, I just wanted to come pick it up so that I could have it before my match," I said as she nodded her head and gave me my attire.

My eyes sparkled with excitement. I love the detail of the gear; it just suited me so well. I thanked Ms. Kim before heading back toward Montez's locker room.

✧˚° I sat in my brother's locker room, lost in thought about what I'd seen while watching the matches on his TV.

I'm still puzzled. What did I do wrong? Did he not see me as good enough? I guess it shouldn't bother me since we're friends with benefits, right?

As I watched TV, a knock on the door signaled someone to come in, but I didn't look at them until they were right in front of me.

When I looked up, I saw that it was him—the person I didn't even want to see at the moment.

My eyebrows furrowed a bit, and I sighed deeply. " What? Why are you in my face for?" I remarked, giving him an attitude.

"Let me explain, Minks," Jey begged as I rolled my eyes at him.

"There's nothing for you to explain, Josh. I thought I could trust you, and I gave my BODY to you. Is this what you do? I understand that we are friends with benefits but damn," I wanted to lash out on him so bad but it just wasn't in me I didn't need this when I have a match coming up.

I got up from the couch, not wanting to speak to him anymore when he grabbed me by the waist and looked deeply into my brown eyes.

Those same eyes that captured me hypnotized me.

"C'mon, don't do this. She doesn't mean anything to me, mama." I wanted to give in so badly, but he didn't deserve it. He can be with her instead of me.

"Let me go, Ion' have time for this. We are only friends with benefits, right? It shouldn't matter anyway; I have a match to go to." I pulled away from his grasp before going towards the gorilla, trying to pump myself up until I saw her walking past me with a smirk.

She was mouthing, "he's mine now," I wanted to knock the brains outta her so bad but I kept it professional smiling at her as her music began playing.

I had to keep my emotions together putting them to the side for right now not wanting to mess up my opportunity to take away that damn belt from her.

My music began to play as the cameraman was next me while I mouthed, "it's show time yall," while walking out the gorilla hearing the people cheering for me.

Just reminded me when I was in NXT going against Roxanne for her title, I blew kisses to everyone while skipping towards the ring.

"And her opponent from Brooklyn, New York weighing in at 148 pounds YASMINE!!!!"

I smiled at waved at everyone giving them a high five before flipping my hair in the process I know that this was getting underneath her skin.

I got on top of the ropes sitting on them while I flipped over them landing a spilt on the ground before getting back up.

"Yasmine is honestly a very talented athlete Cole,"

"I agree with you hundred percent Graves she's going to be the next face of the company,"

I took off my jacket and cap throwing it outside of the ring. I hyped myself as the referee held up the title before ringing the bell.

"1!" "2!" "3!"

"Oh my god! She did it! Yasmine is your new women's world champion!"

"She honestly deserves it,"

I was absolutely stunned when I defeated Liv Morgan. Although Dom and Jey provided some interference, I still managed to emerge victorious in a fair manner. The look of despair in Liv's eyes was evident. Perhaps this was Karma's way of teaching her a lesson, but let's not dwell on that. The referee presented me with the title, and as I held my hand, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in my stomach.

Hearing the crowd screaming that I deserved it made my heart warm. I blew them kisses before rolling out of the room and heading towards the gorilla.

I saw Bianca, Trinity, Montez and Jon standing there waiting on me as I walked inside they all came up to me hugging me tightly.

I cried happy tears while embracing them together; I looked up for a second, seeing Jey standing there with his arms crossed around his chest.

He seemed proud of me for what I had accomplished.

"We are honestly so proud of you, baby girl!" Trinity said.

"Girl, ion' know you be doing them moves when you're so little bro," I shrugged my shoulders at her telling her that it's just a skill and learning mechanism for me.

After they congratulated me, I saw Jey walking up towards me, and I rolled my eyes at him. "Can we talk alone?" I sighed softly, nodding my head as I followed him toward his and Jonathan's locker room, which they shared together.

We both made it to their locker room as he opened the door for me to come in first before him while shutting the door behind him. I sat down on the couch, placing my championship next to me.

It was nothing but silence. I don't think I have the energy to deal with this, especially after tonight's match.

"You wanted to talk so speak up," I retorted while folding my arms.

I knew that he liked my sassy attitude, but I was honestly dead-ass serious about this one, hearing a light, dark chuckle escape his lips.

"You wanna fix that tone of yours, little mama?" He questioned me.

"No, I will not fix my fucking tone nigga. I have every right to have this funky ass attitude with yo' ass playing in my fucking face," I was lashing out at him badly, knowing that what he did really did shatter me and now made me more closed off.

"Like, why me? What did I do so wrong to deserve that? When I saw you as my peacemaker, someone I could go to without feeling guilty..." Jey listened attentively, hearing me lash out at him.

"It was a mistake, Minks. I swear it wasn't supposed to go that far." I shook my head, knowing that he was lying just to get out of it.

"It was a fucking choice not a damn mistake, you know my fucking brother trusted you? And now you have broken that trust for some whore," I vented while wiping the tears away from my cheeks.

I got up from the couch, holding my championship on my shoulder and staring down at him deeply, "Maybe I was a fool to fall in love with you, maybe it was dick that was making me feel this way or something, but I hope you and her both have a wonderful life together I'm gone Josh," before I could head out the door I felt him scooping me up by the thighs causing me to yelp as he took us over to his couch keeping me place on his lap.

His arms snaked around my waist, and I placed my championship next to him, wrapping my arms around his neck for support.

"Don't go please minks, You know I love you," Jey said placing soft kisses on my neck.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't be with Liv Morgan now, would ya?" I tried to resist his wet kisses trailing down my neck because I didn't want to give in; that's how it'll make me look dumb.

"She doesn't mean anything to me like you do," I said, turning away from him, not wanting to listen to anything else he had to say.

He continued to give me wet soft kisses on my neck while placing his hands on my ass cheeks squeezing them both.

I didn't know if this was his way of saying sorry it's definitely working because I am starting to give in to this man as my anger started to go away.

My body didn't operate properly whenever he touched me, Jey gazed up at me seeing me trembling under his touch.

"C'mon you know you love this shit," this was manipulation at this point but he wasn't wrong about that. I managed to push him away while getting up from his lap grabbing my title in the process.

"T-this doesn't feel right at all Josh, after you fucked her now you wanna get into my panties? Nah I'm not doing this with you anymore I'm out," I said as I left his locker room leaving him dumbfounded.

✧˚° OMNISCIENT Yasmine been getting a bunch of miss calls from Jey ever since she left the arena, she was in her hotel room with the blankets over her body watching a movie that's when she heard her door knocking.

She groaned deeply feeling annoyed as she got up from the bed while going towards the door looking through the peephole to see who it was.

It was Trinity standing there along with Bianca she opened the door seeing them look at her. She let them in as she went towards her bed sitting on it.

"Girl, what's is going on with you and Jey?" Trinity questioned her.

'What the fuck did he tell them?'

'Ion' even wanna bring his ass up after what he did,'

"I'm not speaking to him anymore after what he did," She said folding her arms in the process.

They both looked at each other then back at her with a confused expression on their faces. "What do you mean?"

That's when she explained to them that Jey had been fucking around with Liv while showing them the picture that she had gotten from Liv's phone number.

They were shocked to say the least even Trinity knowing that Jey was a loyal man but this was something surprising to her.

"Did you at least hear him out?" Yasmine shook her head.

"No, I refused to listen to him whatsoever because he didn't seem trustful," Yasmine replied as she heard the girls sigh.

Yasmine eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at them with a perplexed expression before saying something. "What y'all?"

They both looked at each other and then back at Yasmine.

"We feel like y'all should talk things out—" That's when she lost it.

"IM SORRY? I AM NOT GOING OUT MY WAY JUST FOR HIM TO FUCK ME AND THEN BE WITH THAT WHORE LIV. TALK THINGS OUT TUH." She lashed out at them, running her fingers through her hair, feeling frustrated.

"We understand that, but at least hear him out. Minks for us, please," Bianca begged, seeing Yasmine in disbelief.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing right now, her best friends telling her to listen to a man who fucked another girl and played in her face.

The only way she could listen to what he had to say was if he was going through something or feeling bad about it.

"No, no, I'm not going to do that respectfully. I love you guys, but if you're going to take his side, then all can leave." With that, Yasmine got up from her bed and went towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind her as she slid down on it.

Covering herself in between her legs along with muffled cries and tears coming down her cheeks, she didn't want to speak to him.

She didn't want to deal with him any further, but her heart said something different. She knew that he meant well and didn't want it to happen, but it did.

Yasmine knew that she loved him, that he was her peacemaker, especially when dealing with complicated things like this.

She sat there for a while in the bathroom before hopping in the shower, trying to clear her thoughts.

After taking a shower, she put on some comfy clothes while picking up her phone, debating whether to text him or go see him in his hotel room.

Biting her fingernails she looked at the time, all she could think 'damn he's probably sleep right now,' But she decided to say fuck it and go see him to hear what he has to say.

She put on her slippers and Hoodie while going towards the elevator since his room was on the second floor. Yasmine waited patiently for the elevator to go up to the second floor remembering his room number.

The elevator doors opened as she walked out, heading towards his hotel room. When she approached his room, she knocked on the door, waiting for him to come open it.

Yasmine had her arms folded around her chest as she heard footsteps from behind the door. When the door swung open, he was standing there towering over her 5'2 "figure.

He was shirtless, with his Cuban gold chain around his neck. He was also wearing some sweats and his slides.

"What'chu doing here this late, little mama?" He asked, looking around the hallway.

"I came to see you...I wanna hear what you have to say Josh..." Yasmine said gazing up at the fine Samoan specimen.

He nodded his head while stepping aside for her to come into his room as he shut the door behind them. She sat down on his bed, which smelt like him. His scent put her in a trance.

"You want something to drink, little lady?" She nodded her head as he gave her a cold water bottle.

Once he was settled in, he sat down next to her, admiring her features while he placed his hands on her thigh, rubbing it and letting out a sigh. "Look, what I did was wrong, and I didn't mean for it to happen but she kept pushing me and pushing me until I couldn't anymore without even thinking that it would hurt you minks,"

Yasmine was listening to him attentively, gazing into his brown, pretty eyes.

"I was planning on coming to see you, too, but she came in the way, and I didn't know about the picture she took either. Like I said before, you mean way more to me than her," Jey said, intertwining his hands with her small ones.

"I'm sorry, mama, like for real." She looked into his eyes to see if there was any sincerity behind his words, and there was.

She turned around to face him while sighing deeply, "You know how much that hurt me, Josh? Seeing you in that position with her? It felt like a bullet shot me dead in the heart after seeing that," Yasmine heard her voice crack a little bit.

"You're my peacemaker, and I felt like I lost my person," his eyebrows began to furrow a bit when she said that.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Yasmine was very hesitant to express her feelings to him because she wasn't sure if he felt the same way as she did, so she just left it alone. She opened her mouth, beginning to say something, but nothing came out, so she closed it while avoiding eye contact with him.

That's when he grabbed her by the chin, placing his soft lips onto hers. This caught her off guard, but she managed to catch on as their lips moved in sync.

Wrapping her arms around his neck as he placed her onto his lap, causing her to grind on him while he gave her ass a smack.

"Fuck, I love you so much, Minks, you don't even know," He confessed as her facial expressions became perplexed.

"Y-you what?" She questioned him.

"You heard me, little girl. I said I love you like you're in love with me, right?" His statement shocked her.

Was this true? That he actually loves her?

"You playing right?" Jey shook his head, gazing up at her.

"No, I'm not. I'm serious, mamas; I'm serious about us," that made her heart flutter as she smiled at him, knowing how he loved it whenever she smiled.

For the rest of the night, they made love, embracing each other's scent.

SOMETHING BOUT' US

A/n: sorrrry for the late update I've been busy at work this past week but I'll be updating again but I hope what Jey is saying is true because ion like it when Yasmine is getting played especially after dealing with Mello ass.

But I hope yall enjoy this chapter lmk in the comments below.

STAY UCEY.

[doshiart]

🖤 ART TAG 🖤

Hey to all artists! I want to talk about our art journey. Some of us have a long path, some have started only recently, but each of us has had our own individual path and I think it's really important to remember how we all started. And it's also important to share it with others so that no one would be scared to start their own journey and just create.

How did you start drawing? What year was it that you become more seriously and consciously interested in it?

As everyone I'll say I've been drawing since early childhood, but I think the end of 2019 is my beginning. Because that's the time I started to practice actively.

When you felt the urge to share your art with other people? When did you start posting your drawings on social media?

Maybe it's always been? I think for the first time I posted something traditional drawn on my personal social media. I started my art socials in 2020.

Your first/earliest drawing. What were your impressions of it back then and what are your feelings now?

It's hard to track my very first drawing, but here are the early traditional drawings and my very first digital hand drawing. It was before I got a tablet, so it was drawn with a mouse. My impressions? My hand was tired... But if seriously back then it looked like something cool to me and I was surprised that I could draw something like that. Now, of course, I can see all my mistakes. But let's be honest, any mistake is a move forward.

🚧 ALARM 🚧

My very first attempts after getting a tablet.

Should I mention that I was upset at the first second that it didn't work out on the first try?

Your first fanart ever

I had a lot of traditional drawings of Adventure Time (I'm a big fan of Marceline). It's roughly a little over a decade ago.

But in digital, I guess this? Snufkin and The Groke from Moomin stories. [aug 8, 2020]

Your first gallavich fanart

Hi babies! This post and this post.

[nov 27, 2023] - oh my god it's almost a year???

But what if I told you that my sister asked me to draw Cameron Monaghan… Who knew that ten years later I'd be drawing him once again...

When you had bad days and things didn't work out, what inspired you to keep trying?

I just need to rest, try again, or think about what exactly goes wrong. When I started my path as a digital artist I was very inspired by the older work by 'big artists'. No one is perfect at the first moment and there is always a long road of striving and practice behind cool works. And I knew that the more I tried, the more I could consider myself 'cool' too. (spoiler: that feeling is still with me)

Show your old piece that you strongly dislike and tell why.

It's a hard choice. I stopped liking a lot of my work after a time, but this one was initially a struggle. I really didn't like how it looked in the end. I wasn't able to draw it as I wanted, and had problems with the face and dynamics. But the background is cool! (A lot of the work you don't like has some good in it!)

Renee and Andrew from AFTG [dec 5, 2021]

Show your old piece that you very like and tell why. What's the difference with the previous?

I love the shading and the face, especially eyes. And i still love this drawing! Face looks better than previous and hair has a dynamic, and the expression is really good.

Buck Toothsome from School for vampires [nov 8, 2021]

Show your old piece that you were very proud of back then.

I really loved this study redraw!

Ginny with Marcus from Ginny & Georgia [june 22, 2021]

Do you do any practice sketches or warm-ups before you draw something big?

I've started to do it recently! I'd forgotten how many sketches I made in sketchbooks when I was studying drawing.

I tried to change the pen pressure.

Sketch vs Final. Show your process.

Actually, it's been a tough process.

Your most recent drawing.

I'm working on my secret santa's gift right now, so I can't share it 🤭But here's my last sketch during warm-up session 🤲🖤

Give yourself some praise! Look at what improved in your art!

I just want to say that four years ago I would've been shocked by my current drawings. I've really improved in drawing faces and anatomy, I'm trying new interesting composition, trying to learn new things and use it in my works.

Any advice you'd give to your earlier self?

Do more thinking while creating your art. Do a sketches warm-ups before digging into the big work. Don't be afraid to draw it again if something doesn't work. Take breaks to physically exercise!

Set a goal for yourself for the coming year.

I want to improve facial expressions. Make a professional portfolio. Keep growing and enjoying drawing.

I want to see more your drawings...

@deathclassic @suzy-queued @kiennilove @gallapiech @spookygingerr

@konaiiro @michellemisfit @heymrspatel @vintagelacerosette @sgtmickeyslaughter

@burninface @lingy910y @crossmydna @deedala

[vykio]

flash fic 2024.09.08 - aaron & seth should not share stations

Hey yah! We did flash fic saturday. The wheel gave me AARON and SETH and an extra WYMACK. Clarence @merceyca prompted "manicure" and Jane @billdenbrough gave me "restaurant AU" so I wrote this unfinished scene in that hour HAHA I didn't reread this before posting...

———

Aaron has been trying to decide if he’s seeing things right for the past four minutes. Seth’s nails are fucking glistening. Every time they catch the light at a certain angle, they shimmer right into Aaron’s eyes, like the obnoxious glare of sunlight off a the face of a watch. Like Scott Summers took off his protective visors and beamed him straight in the face—it’s distracting, is what it is, especially when Seth’s well-groomed cuticles catch stray particles of raw ground beef and he doesn’t shake off the immediately. It’s pissing Aaron off. 

“You’re not wearing gloves.” Seth doesn’t answer. “You’ll ruin your new manicure if you—“

“Fuck all the way off, fuckface.”

Okay, Aaron doesn’t care about his manicure anyway. “Did you wash your hands?”

“It’s my own lunch, dumbass. I don’t fucking care.”

“I hope you catch a case of listeriosis so bad, you shit and vomit every-fucking-where.”

“I washed my hands, Aaron,” Seth says through gritted teeth. “And I’ll throttle you with them if you keep talking.”

“Put in my obituary I died asphyxiated by the prettiest hands on the block.” 

Seth stops kneading and finally looks up at Aaron. “If you don’t keep using that knife, I will.” 

“I can’t cut anything with your gay nails shining in my eyes like a beacon.”

“Enough.” Wymack doesn’t raise his voice—he never has to—but it cuts in between them like he’d used a megaphone anyway. “Aaron, switch with Neil at the dishwasher. Keep it to yourself,” he adds when he sees Aaron open his mouth to argue.

“Replacing him with that jackass Neil isn’t much better,” Seth grumbles, but Wymack’s already turned away to leave the kitchen. 

Aaron holds out his hand expectantly and Seth slaps his hand down to grip Aaron. Aaron is surprised but he should have known he’d try to unbalance him. He resists the downward push until Seth relents and relaxes in his palm. Aaron scowls at him and he gets a scowl back, then brings up Seth’s hand for examination. He tilts his hand back and forth to see the nails shimmer. It’s kind of fun.

“It’s just clear polish,” Seth says, annoyed.

“Boring,” Aaron says flatly, unimpressed. Seth tries to pull his hand away but Aaron’s holds fast. When he tries again, he’s successful, and shoves Aaron back twice to make space between them.

Seth points a warning finger at Aaron.

[piko-power]

My Personal Headcanon On Why Amy's Love For Sonic Died Down Lately (and their dynamic)

When they were younger, Amy's love for Sonic was pretty extreme, and Sonic was, understandable, uncomfortable for the most part. He knows she means well, but that girl needs to calm down.

She can fight, but sometimes her hammer could only stun her enemies for a while. (It took her a long time to get rid of that robot that has been chasing her around Station Square.) She wasn't fully independent yet, even if she fought on her own a couple of times.

She often follows Sonic and his friends around. She is part of the team, but she was not a strong as she is now at the time yet.

She admires Sonic. A LOT. And Sonic knows that. Obviously, he could only run away from something like that, since he is NOT ready for that kind of thing, and whether Amy takes the hint or stop, she still loves him.

...BUT, I think things were slightly starting to change between her and Sonic after Lost World.

Remember this line?

You remember that? Okay, okay. Here's another totally unrelated question:

Before the events of Lost World, when was the last time Amy said "I love you" to Sonic out loud?

...YEP. 😈 (Unless I'm missing something, let me know lmao)

As more games and adventures come out, the characters get slightly older, and Amy is 12 to 13 now, and she is most certainly at that age where her body starts to change, but especially on how she views Sonic.

She knows she loves Sonic, but it was this moment during her change where she actually wanted to admit that she loves him.

I believe that Amy was all about sharing her affection to him not through confessions, but through obvious hints. Sonic totally got it, and there was no need to confess. Sonic knows she loves her.

...But she never said it. And she almost did, but she never did again for a while.

I think this was the moment in her life where, oh, God, she actually loves Sonic. SHE LOVES HIM, WHAT.

And she was looking back at all the times she had with Sonic that she can now see were unpleasant to Sonic (At least that's what she thinks) and that's probably why she isn't so expressive about her love to him than how she used to back then.

She wasn't sure what to do with this realization, and sets aside it for a while, and nearly stayed as her casual, peppy self... until the Eggman War happened.

During the 6 months of being with the Resistance, fighting Eggman's army all day and all night, all she can think of was Sonic.

She dreams that he still with not just her, but with her friends. She just wanted to see Sonic again, she just wants to be with her hero again.

But I'd like to think that she was also thinking about how she used to treat Sonic back when they were younger, how Sonic would almost always run away from her whenever she asks him out, or always look so uncomfortable whenever she gets so close to him.

Cringing at those memories big time, she wanted to change and hopefully when Sonic is okay and comes back, she can be better for him.

...Or will he still find her uncomfortable regardless? Would he even be happy to see her at all if he did survive?

But, hold on! She can't just give up her love for Sonic! He made her who she is today! A peppy, nature-loving, hammer-swinging, confident, brave... loud-mouth... annoying... Sonic obsessed... weak... pathetic... lonely little girl.

If she gives up on Sonic, it'll be like she gave up on the one hedgehog who saved her life. If she didn't she'll still be the same ol' Amy.

I also like to think she had parents a long while before she met Sonic, and was even expecting a little sister, but a robot invasion happened from where she was and attacked her parents and instead of trying to save them, after getting hurt, she ran away, hoping that they'll come back okay. But they never did.

She was all alone, and needed someone, a friend, a new family, someone who will hold her hand, anyone, to be there for her. But she was ignored by lots, and at that point, she's better off by herself, but still longed for company.

Eventually though, her tarot cards told her her future hero, and there might be hope after all. She encountered Sonic, held onto the belief of the cards tight, and the rest is history.

So, with that headcanon in mind, not only did Amy loose her parents that she didn't save because of her cowardliness (she was only so little at the time that happened) and also Sonic, who she thought will be her only hope, but now gone.

She doesn't even care if he did come back, he'd probably hate her now after everything she did to him, always talking about their "future wedding" or forcing him to go to Twinkle Park.

For the last few months of the war, it was nothing but Amy mentally beating herself up for either refusing to change or moving on, and they are both not fine choices.

She loves Sonic, but he does not love her, and she finally, finally realized it. And it's probably for the best if no body loved her at all.

But of course Sonic did survive and all of her worries wash away in an instant, she's just not expressive about her love for Sonic AT ALL now, since she's still worried about it but rather not mention it to Sonic because it doesn't matter.

If Sonic doesn't love her, then her feelings don't matter to him, and according to Amy herself, that is okay.

But also, I'd like to think that Sonic was thinking about his friends a lot up in the Death Egg for the past months, sometimes it's Tails (worried for his safety), sometimes it's Shadow (because he's wondering why he would join Eggman.) At some point, for a few days, Amy was in his mind the longest, and he felt bad about how he thought he was rude and pushy to her.

He wondered if she's not thinking about it too much, and if she is, will she give up on him? Yeah, he doesn't feel the same and still not looking for a relationship, but it's so strange but interesting how anyone could ever like someone like Sonic the Hedgehog. Amy was never afraid to show that, and she probably might be now.

He couldn't help but feel guilty. They were kids when she was like this, but he was so... arrogant at the time too. Not a lot happened at the time yet. He'd always have trouble expressing how much he value his friends, until he shattered the Paradox Prism. (I'd like to think Prime took place before Forces. It makes sense.)

She is such a sweet girl, and he probably made her believe that he didn't care for her. Just because he doesn't feel the same, that doesn't mean he hates her at all.

He wished he never ran away from Amy... Worrying for his little bro and wishing to be a good person for Amy was when Sonic cried in the Death Egg for the first and only time.

Frontiers, in my opinion, is kind of confirming their dynamic now. Sonic is a lot more sincere and kinder to Amy and she is not all hyperactive and lovey to Sonic. There is probably a real reason for this now.

They are both hiding their feelings from them, and they are both unaware of this. Amy, hiding her mental issues from Sonic, and Sonic, hiding his guilt away from Amy.

None of those things are important now. Sonic is with Amy and Amy is with Sonic. They are here with each other. They can be finally be better for each other now.

They don't care if they'll ever be something more when they get older. None of that matters anymore. They are here with each other. They can be finally be better for each other now.

Maybe someday they'll both talk about it, but for now, the present is important. They care about each other too much to think about it right now.

It's the kind of love that is unbreakable. It doesn't even have to be romantic. It's just love. Love is important for everyone, in any form. It's something Sonic and his friends need. And especially Sonic and Amy.

Amy Rose is the living embodiment of love, and without her, a lot would go downhill for Sonic and co. Heck, if it weren't for her, Shadow wouldn't have never remembered Maria's promise, which lead him to save the world with Sonic, before he temporarily disappeared from their lives for a while.

She is always there to lend a helping hand for anybody, even bad guys like Metal Sonic, and despite what she had been through, both in Forces and headcanon wise, she still fights back, even without her hammer.

She will pick you back up on your feet, reminding you that you are important and that you are loved, and that you should never give up. It's pretty much the words of encouragement she herself needed also...

She is still the happy, hyper, butt-kicking hedgehog we all know and love, but she still need someone to pick her back up on her feet after so long. Thankfully, she has her friends and her blue hero. The hero who made her who she is today.

I think Amy has no idea how important she thought she is, but Sonic does. Sonic knows fully well how important she is to a lot of people. It's about time he returns the favor to her. It's his turn to remind her how much a lot of people love her.

How much he loves her.

And I feel like The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog was the moment where their dynamic really shined, but also the starting point of their relationship not only healing, but also the next chapter of what's to come for them.

Everyone, friends old and new, gathered around for a special birthday. A birthday for the confident, unshakable, and radiant Amy Rose.

It was such a special moment in Amy's life. After years of chasing and following the people she look up to, she is part of the team, but most importantly, she is part of the family.

She is fully realized as someone more than just a fangirl, but someone strong, courageous, creative, kind and a big inspiration for others.

I feel like this moment here...

-is where Amy is eternally grateful to call her friends her family. A family she thought she'll never have again. She's not alone anymore, and as long as they're by her side, she'll never will be again.

Her chasing days are over. She's finally caught up to them. She's finally home.

And it's all thanks to Sonic.

If it weren't for him, she'd probably be alone forever. Her past moments with Sonic might be embarrassing to look back on for a while, but they are good memories regardless, because they involve him.

Sonic saved her life in more ways than one, and despite everything, he's grateful to have her too.

He cares about her. He really does... And in her eyes, that all she needed to know. As long as Sonic loves her in his own way, she'll be happy.

Amy hasn't given up on Sonic. As long as Amy always supports him, he'll be happy.

Maybe sometime in the future, they can talk about their problems, but that's a story for another time. At this point, they need to. Right now, they are happy. They are okay.

They are here for each other. They are finally better for each other now.

"You guys won't ever leave me, right?"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

[faithfromanewperspective]

need a private tumblr to be an outlet for feelings had while activisming

[seithr]

Randomly remembered the half-reason i call my oc-verse by the name it has while laying in bed. One-half of the reason i still knew, but I had forgotten what had truly, really cemented it jointly until now

(it was a song from my favourite band I haven't listened to in a while.)

(the song fit so well at the time, still does, that i needed to hold onto it for the main protagonists forever, by partially naming their story in reference.)

Does this explanation make any sense? Does anyone know why I'm tearing up remembering this. Aahh

[dragonanne4fun]

.

[mcalhenwrites]

Seriously, I wish I knew what I was doing wrong with my writing, tho, bc if I want to be a career author, why can't I get anyone to engage with what I share for free? Isn't that a sign of being EXTEMELY BAD AT THIS?! (And yeah, lots of my followers aren't active, some might be bots that slipped through, and people miss things on their dashes, but most of the time, I get notifs for reblogging other people's writing from the couple of hundred who must still be active out of nearly 1k. Whatever I post? Not wanted.) And please don't "write for yourself" at me if you see this, bc I've been writing for over 30 years and couldn't name anyone else I am doing it for. Even with gift fics, I don't write anything I don't want to. Edit: Also like... it's hard to express these feelings and not go, "ugh, shut up shut up" to myself, but... I can't really keep going on like this (with the nonstop only-ever-experience-failure* part), I just can't. *Some people never do anything but fail, we try and try and try and maybe maybe maybe it'd help to be believed that when we can't swim on our own, we drown Another edit: I just... I want to be good enough, and I want to be happy, and I want time and spoons to write, and I want to stop waking up scared bc things keep getting worse and I can't save myself.

[juniperjelly]

once again minecraft fans be mad for all the wrong reasons