Len didn't understand why people were always avoiding Piko.

He seemed like a perfectly nice kid. A little shy, maybe, but certainly creative. He liked to draw, and Len always respected a fellow artist. Sure, his art might have needed a little work, but improvement took time.

He was always careful not to interrupt Piko when he was drawing. He knew how frustrating it was to have someone constantly leaning over your shoulder or bumping into you when you were in the middle of a piece. Still, he would always smile whenever he caught a glimpse of what the white-haired boy was doodling.

Most of the time, he drew cartoon characters. Len didn't have a problem with that; He personally preferred to create his own characters, but he liked seeing other people's fan art all the same. Whatever gets you passionate, he always said.

Still, he found him endearing, in a strange way. He decided, one day in-between classes, to ask him about his drawings.

"Um, hey!" he called out, waving a hand. Piko turned around, face flushing when he realized he was the one being addressed. "Yeah! Uh, sorry if this is weird, but I can't help but notice how much you like to draw!"

Piko looked momentarily taken aback, but he quickly nodded. "Oh, yes! I've been drawing since I was…" He paused to think it over. "Eight? Nine? I don't really remember, it's been a while." He looked pretty bashful, but proud at the same time. Len smiled.

"That's really cool! I like to draw, too. It was just a hobby I picked up a few years back, but recently it's been growing into a bigger thing for me, y'know?" He laughed. "My name's Len. You're Piko, right?"

The other boy seemed to perk up at the mention of his name. "Y-yep! That's me! It's nice to meet you, Len." He scratched his arm nervously. "Hey...do you wanna see them? My drawings, I mean!"

Len beamed. He was always excited to see what other artists liked to do. "Of course! I didn't bring my sketchbook today, though, so I can't really show you mine…"

"Oh, that's okay!" Piko said, already digging into his backpack. He excitedly produced a black sketchpad, swelling in pride. "Here you go! Bask in my artistic talent!"

Len chuckled at his confidence and gently took the proffered book. He opened it to the first page and was greeted with a drawing of what appeared to be an anthropomorphic hedgehog.

"Oh, hey!" he said, pointing the drawing out to Piko. "That's the hedgehog from the video games, right?" Len was never very interested in games to begin with, so he was a bit sheepish in asking the question.

Piko shook his head. "You may think that, but in actuality, he is my own original character, Piko the Hedgehog. He has super speed, super strength, and is super charming and attractive. Secretly, though, he has darkness inside of him, because he was bullied a lot as a kid and ended up killing his bullies with his ultimate godlike powers. Now, he trains in solitude to keep them under control." He had stars in his eyes the more he explained. Looking up at Len eagerly, he asked, "So, what do you think?"

Len said nothing. He wasn't sure how to respond. He kept staring blankly at the page, a conflicting mix of emotions welling up inside of him. As he continued to look through the book, he saw nothing but drawings of characters who looked very familiar, with only minor alterations made to their designs.

"It's...uh…" he started, but froze when he saw Piko's face. He was looking at him with pure excitement, anxiously awaiting his response. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Len gave him the most gentle smile he could muster. "It's...great! Very, um...colorful?"

Piko made a soft, happy sound. "You really think so? Everybody keeps telling me that they're bad!"

Len raised an eyebrow. "Wait...really?"

The white-haired boy nodded with a grimace. "Yeah. I post my drawings on the Internet sometimes, but I always get a ton of hate comments. People keep telling me that my characters are dumb and that my art sucks."

Len felt his heart sink. "That's awful!" Sure, Piko's characters weren't exactly the most original, but nobody deserved to be flat-out insulted for something as simple as that. "Doesn't anybody at least try to give you helpful, constructive criticism?"

"Sometimes, yes. I've actually made friends with some of the people who like my stuff and want to help me improve, but…" He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. "It's just...difficult, you know?"

Len felt a pang of sympathy in his chest. It didn't take a genius to see how passionate Piko was about his work; It broke his his heart to think about people harassing him for it. He handed the sketchbook back to him.

"Improvement can be hard, I know." he said. "But you know what? If you keep doing what you're doing, if you don't let anyone stop you, you'll always get better. Listen to those who want to help you, and create something that makes you happy with the knowledge that you gain. There will always be people who don't like your art, but as long as it makes you happy and isn't hurting anyone, then their opinions shouldn't bother you."

Piko stared at him with wide, mismatched eyes. Slowly, very slowly, he began to smile. "Heh...thanks, Len. That means a lot to me."

The blond grinned back and walked alongside him as they made their way to class. "No problem, man." he said, stopping in front of his classroom door. "Wanna hang out sometime? We can draw together and help each other out, if you want."

Piko blushed, but nodded. "O-oh, sure! I've, uh, kinda always wanted to collab with somebody…"

Len felt his own face start to heat up, but quickly forced it down. "Okay, cool! We can talk later, and then you can let me know when you're available."

And that was how Len helped a young artist improve.

This story is dedicated to young artists everywhere. When I was in middle school, I (as well as many others that I knew) had a bunch of Sonic OCs. Luckily, we grew out of that phase, but even now, I keep seeing people spreading hate and general negativity towards 12-year-old kids who are just having fun. To them, I say: Keep doing what you're doing as long as it makes you happy. Learn to take constructive criticism, continue to improve, and make something even better. I wish you all the best of luck! Keep creating!