Reblogged
Lots of thoughts recently. Everything feels plastic.
I could go on and on about why all that AI "art" is bad. I could mention theft, lack of creativity, it's impact on the work field and environment, but countless people have already said all that. I wanted to touch on something that to me is the most utterly wrong about all of it.
Art is more than just something pretty to look at or listen to. It's therapeutic. It's a form of communication. A tool for human connection. It's a pure, human need.
Support real artists ☀️
Reblogged dead-dolphins
Source: crisfhatena.deviantart.com
Reblogged
La Douleur Exquise
Summary:
After years of unrequited feelings for her best friend, Mikasa decides that it’s time to move on permanently if her dreams of being a wife and mother are ever to be realized. Eren, her best friend, has a few things to say about this new status quo and nothing loosens the tongue like a bit (a lot) of alcohol. Perhaps, Mikasa will achieve one of her dreams sooner than expected.
Explicit | 18+/NSFW | WC: 24,831 | Mildly Dubious Consent
Read on AO3
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As the door clicked shut behind her, Mikasa felt her muscles give way, her back, slumping against the solid surface as her fingers fumbled behind her to turn the locks back in place for the night. For long seconds, she couldn’t bring herself to move. She couldn’t find the energy to push off the solid surface supporting her weight and let some light into her darkened apartment.
Right. It wouldn’t matter if the lights were on or off, the place would still be empty, devoid of any life, but her own, a reminder of just how single she was, and just how spectacularly her vision for the future was fizzling out just like her abysmal dating life. Disappointment was something Mikasa should be used to by this point, yet her heart sank impossibly lower when what she already knew was proven true by the lights flicking on to reveal a starkly empty living room.
The weariness that pervaded her body seemed to roll off her in waves, covering the room as she trekked through the small space, not bothering to make it to the bedroom before kicking off her heels. Putting them on had been a waste just like wearing this dress that showed much more cleavage than she would’ve on any regular date which was even worse than the effort put into her hair and makeup.
This was date five! Date seven with Kevin. It was supposed to be special, magical, maybe even resulting in her getting laid because how many guys could she’d say she’d been on five dates within the past six years? None. Absolutely none. Don’t get her wrong. It wasn’t that she needed to make it to date number five to sleep with a guy. If that were the case, at the ripe age of 27, her V–card would still be very much intact.
Not that there was anything wrong with that. Mikasa wouldn’t have minded at all, especially given how shitty her first time was, but the fact remained that she’d given up her chastity as an idiotic response to knowing someone else had not only thrown away their own with no caution but was taking their time to give everyone except her a taste of his wild oats.
It was embarrassing. Humiliating even.
Date after date after date and none of them interested her or stuck around past outing two or three. And of course she didn’t want to waste anyone’s time, just like she didn’t want her time wasted, but Mikasa knew what other people said about her, hell her friends, however kind they thought that they were being, said it to her face on many occasions. From that terrible first experience with sex at nineteen to every ‘missed opportunity’ and crappy date in between, they all expressed their concerns like she didn’t know she had a problem.
All the issues in her love life lead back to Eren Yeager, the one who was supposed to be one of her best, if not, her best friend for whom, despite Mikasa’s best efforts, she continued to hold a flame for after being utterly rejected by him years ago. Yes, ninth grade was eons ago by this point, but it still stood that he would rather remain friends than jeopardize their relationship in case things went sour. What they had was something he couldn’t mess up.
The sincere sentiments both shattered her teenage heart and lifted it higher than she ever thought it could go. Even if he didn’t return her feelings, Eren valued her. She was so important to him that he couldn’t risk them breaking apart. For a long time, those words, shown and expressed through their time together, made being by his side enough. Even though she wilted a little with every girl he dated or slept with that wasn’t her, it was enough for Mikasa until she looked up at her own life one day and realized enough wasn’t going to cut it.
Would she ever confess to Eren again? No. That ship had sailed. Not once in the thirteen years since had it indicted turning back to the harbor. Now more than ever, she was actively trying to move on from him. Her biological clock was ticking and if she wanted to be married, wanted to be a mother by the time thirty came around, she had to get serious. Getting serious meant putting in more effort. It meant meeting more guys, going on more dates hoping someone would finally stick, and seeing less of Eren.
As Mikasa vigorously scrubbed makeup from her face, she could still feel his presence as if he were still leaning against the far side of the counter, arms folded tight, brow creased and folded down in agitation. In displeasure at her. She should’ve known that the night was doomed from the start. Eren hadn’t taken it well that she was seeing less of him. His specific words?
“So I don’t count for shit anymore? I always make time for you but you’re too busy throwing yourself at every guy that spares you a glance?” Eyeliner froze inches from her face. Wide, gray eyes inched the direction of his reflection. “Come on, Mikasa. You’re not desperate.” If the words had come from literally anyone else, perhaps they would have felt less piercing. Perhaps she could have said that exploring her options didn’t make her desperate even if she decided to do so because the feeling that she was going to be alone, stuck in this place for the rest of her life was starting to suffocate her in a slow death that had the beginnings of inevitability.
Reblogged
Caged Wings Had this idea in my head for a while now. Finally gave it a go. Though my original idea was of a caged tiger, it somehow became birds as I sketched. Maybe I'll make another version with a tiger in the future~ Here's a quick timelapse. The full hours long 6 recording sessions for this painting, plus HD image and PSD file will be DMed on Patreon.com/Yuumei on April 5th.