Little Sketch Here To Try Out Sketchbook And Get The Hang Of It

Flash frowns internally—or maybe he does it externally, too—as he stares down a guy who has obvious interest in his baby sister. The man in front of him—Graydon or something—returns his gaze with no sign of backing down. "May I ask...what's your relationship with Jesse?"

Flash raises a brow, "are you that curious?"

"I am, yes."

"Well, I've been curious myself. What do you think of Jessica?"

"....She's my friend."

"Is that it?"

"Are you looking for a different answer?" they challenge.

"Yes. A manlier one."

"A...manlier one?"

"Yeah, you know, direct to the point, leaving nothing for you to guess, that sorta answer."

They blink and lean back, having leaned forward during their daring conversation. "I..." they mull it over, looking for the proper words, "I want to be the one she loves."

Flash stays silent, searching their face for deceit. Slowly, he nods, and looks away, arms crossed as Jesse returns with their ordered beverages. She looks between the two of them, noting the tells of displeasure in her brother. She smiles and starts up a conversation with Graydon, not caring for her brother's lack of input for now.

She smiles as Graydon looks at his watch and excuses himself, having errands to run. She waves him goodbye and watches him drive away. Only then does she look at her brother who's already staring at her, knowing that she'll want to speak with him. "...You don't like him?"

He sighs and sips on his coffee, watered-down with melted ice, "not satisfied with him, no."

She purses her lips and nods, sullen at the admission. "What is it about him?"

He peers up at her, "just...suspicious of him. Plus, I didn't like his answer."

"Well, what do you want him to do..?" she inquires, hopeful but clearly upset.

Flash shrugs, "treat you well."

"He does, though."

"Then date him."

"But—" she exhales loudly.

He sighs after a beat of silence, "do you like him?"

"Yes," she says, resolutely.

"Then date him, even if it might hurt in the future."

She frowns deeper, "it's like you want me to be hurt."

"If I wanted you to be hurt, you wouldn't be asking what your boyfriend or whatever can do to make me like him. You wouldn't even ask me."

She exhales, her brother has a point.

"It's not that I want you to be hurt, I don't. I'm your older brother, I want to protect you from harm, it's basically my duty."

She glances at him.

"But, I can't protect you from every harm without doing the damage. It happens, we all get hurt, no matter how careful we are. If I try to protect you from every thing that might hurt you, you'd be hurt. If I didn't, you'd be hurt. Doesn't matter what you do, you can't live a painless life. What matters is how you overcome those painful times. That's what I'm here for, I'll always be here for you."

She smiles tearfully.

"Date him if you like him, maybe it'll be the greatest choice you make. Some things are worth the pain, in the end. And if he ends up being an ass, then I'll be here for you. Point is, you'll get hurt no matter what, maybe you two would argue, maybe he'd treat you badly. You'll make mistakes and you'll learn from them, you'll get hurt and you'll be stronger. As long as you get out of there when it's getting...toxic, then be with him. It's the happy memories that matters, in the end, right?"

She nods, "yeah."

"Promise me you'll leave if it gets toxic, though."

She holds out her pinkie, linking it with his, "promise. And I know that you'll be there to pull me out."

He smiles, "make good friends, yeah? Good ones, the ones that'll stick with you no matter what."

"I will, I do....Thanks, Flash."

He smiles, "anything for my sister."

Stars Like Freckles

You're like the stars, did you know? Maybe you've heard it a couple dozen times, I'm sure, with your countless freckles mirroring the stars. I'm sure that you've been compared to those balls of gases more than thrice in your lifetime and, surely, it'll happen again. As long as freckles dot your skin like constellation tattoos the sky.

You shine just as brightly as the twinkling and glinting flecks in the sky. As I stare into the calm visage of night sky, my thoughts can only circle around you. I reach out my hand as if wanting to touch the stardust.

How idiotic.

As if one can merely reach the unreachable with sheer will and desire. As if anyone is worthy enough to touch the stars...especially someone so bathed in sin as I am, so covered in the filth that I cannot even distinguish where I am underneath the grime.

I stretch my hand out and tears prick the corners of my eyes. In the patterns of the stars, I see the silhouette of you. I see your ginger hair, flowing in the wind, your cloak billowing around you like some fairy tale hero.

You turn your head and I see your dazzling grin, the corners of your lips pulled taut with the joy pouring out your pores. How easy it is for you to smile as if I never see your eyes dim and darken with insecurities and doubts and fears. How easy it is for you to smile despite baring all the scars you do.

Ironically, I will claim, with all my arrogance and pride, that I know you better than those flocking to you. Maybe in another life I can be by your side as well. In another life, I can tell you that I see you and you see me. In another life, you'll direct that smile to me without snark.

But that life is not for this universe. And I will forever be stuck in a place where I can only admire you from a far. Where I can only smile as I see your smarts at play, or when I catch the fleeting whispers of your conversations. The way you blabber on and on about things and the way you'll scold your friends and be the moral compass.

Sometimes, I will watch you and be pulled out of my paradise with reminders of what this life entails. I'll watch as you turn to me, my heart will flutter for a milisecond and my hopes will soar like eagles and my life would seem brighter, and watch the way your grin drops into a sneer and your jovial eyes will narrow with hatred and anger.

You'll sneer at me and my heart will shatter into a million pieces for the millionth time and I will put it back again as I always do, with my heart gaining another crack as it holds on in all of it's cracked and chipped and broken glory.

In another universe, you'll turn to me and smile wider. My heart will flutter. Maybe I'll stutter. But you'll be happier.

In this universe, I can only stargaze.

Nijimura: Whenever I'm feeling sad, stressed, or angry, I look at a picture of all of us.

KnS/GoM(+ Momoi & Haizaki): *touched*

Nijimura: And think, "if I can keep all of these little sh!ts in place and alive (especially Haizaki) and continue being in Teiko, I can do anything."

Imagine if Zuko's role and life and bloodline was taken even more extreme by the developers and writers and decided to make Zuko a descendent of Avatar Wan by making Sozin a descendent.

Something dark clings to me—has always lived in me. You brought it to light, Jhin.

Mastermind!Korekiyo which I designed and Illustrated for the Danganronpa AU Zine 'I AM the Mastermind' (@mastermind-zine) a long while back which explores the different universes in which other characters are the masterminds of the killing game! 🕯️🌹 Prints

That Which Marks the Future (of Literature)

The history of literature has been lined with technology, giving us the copious amount of literary works influenced by technology and the imagination of people who’ve taken fictional technological systems to new heights which offered readers a fresh idea on how technology could advance. The contents of works aren’t the only thing impacted by technology, as the medium of writing and reading are also affected by it. With every passing year, technology’s impact on literature and its future only continues to grow in numerous ways, most of which I find beneficial.

The rise of technology within our society opened the doors for people to have the ability to write through blogs, social media platforms, etc. and spread their ideas to a wider extent. With technology, knowledge is easier to access. Everyone with the means uses the internet to scour for news and information for various reasons. Technology could help people with learning disabilities by aiding them in reading. People with dyslexia might be more inclined to use e-books as it helps them read better because of the more dyslexia-friendly formatting which you can also change.

Though technology isn’t always available to everyone and the access to information isn’t always easily accessible. In fact, there is an estimate of 37% of the world population who have yet to even access the internet. Furthermore, studies show that people retain more information when reading from a printed medium rather than e-books. Not only that, but using digital methods for literature erases the use of books which have certain aspects that make people love literature.

However, a study by Melinis (2011) showed that students’ motivation and engagement increased with e-books and strengthened comprehension skills. Furthermore, a study by DeGroot (2019) states that there is an implication that e-books are as effective for learning as printed versions are. Similarly, audiobooks also help people with learning disabilities and those that have problems reading chunks of texts for several reasons. Moreover, audiobooks are more engaging and entertaining due to their nature which is more likely to hook.

As our world continues to advance with technology, it seems that technology’s impact on literature is immense. Digitized methods of reading and writing literature will only continue to rise in popularity. Even in current times, technology’s impact on literature is already vast as it is, with blogs being popular, and online sites wherein writers can post their works to be accessed by a wider range of people. Due to that, there may even come a time where the hardback and paperback books we’re fond of disappearing to be replaced. As we see it, technology marks the future of literature

"What kind of unforseen yet completely predictable stupidity have your ruined my day with this time?"

— Squidward