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maybeimamuppet · 6 months

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the melted clock

BOO IM POSTING ON A TUESDAY INSTEAD OF A WEDNESDAY BE AFRAID BE VERY AFRAID

lol but in all seriousness happy halloween!! welcome to the halloween chapter ooooooh spooky

tw fooooor

mentioned suicide

and as always if i missed something please let me know so i can add it in :)

enhoy!

----------

Cady sighs as she walks into the art classroom on the first day of school. She’s never really been one for art, but she needs the credits to graduate.

She’s not quite the first one there, but she’s close to it. Two boys are set up on easels side by side towards the middle of the classroom, and a tall girl with thick, dark hair hides behind her own in the very back row. Cady picks one as close to the front as she can stand to be so she has the easiest view of what the teacher does.

Her classmates trickle in, some by themselves, and others with a friend or two. Everyone picks an easel and takes their seats on the stools behind them. Their teacher comes in and passes out their (cheap watercolor, to start with) paints, and they get started.

————-

The first week or so goes okay. It’s mostly about things like lighting and color theory and stuff Cady just has to take in and not act on.

Then they get their first assignment. And Cady quickly realizes she has absolutely no idea what she’s doing.

It’s a beginners painting class, so she’s positive that she could turn in the worst thing the teacher had ever seen and still get a decent grade, but it’s not worth the risk to her GPA to turn in anything less than B+ worthy.

She goes to the teacher after class and gets some helpful pointers. She’s also told the room is open after school if she ever wants to come spend some extra time working on projects.

Cady takes her up on it almost immediately.

—————

The room is empty when she walks in, so she gathers her supplies and picks an easel. She’s not stuck with the front of the classroom since the teacher isn’t there and there’s nothing she needs to learn or focus on.

She settles for the one furthest in the back, by the huge windows.

She’s just clipped her painting to it to resume working on it when her the hair on her neck starts to stand on end. Is someone looking at me?

Cady looks out the window she’s next to to see. Nobody’s there, and the windows are tinted on the outside. Unless they were pressed right against the glass, nobody could see in anyway.

Must just be my imagination.

Or not.

Cady jumps as she turns back the other way and sees the girl she saw on the first day standing, staring at her. “Jesus!”

Somehow, she materialized next to Cady in almost complete silence, in spite of being about five inches taller than her and clearly weighing a bit more. She’s certainly not small, by any means, and her clunky boots look like they’d be hard to keep quiet.

“Sorry.” is her only greeting.

“No, it’s okay, sorry for screaming at you,” Cady says with a giggle. “Do you need something?”

“…No. It’s fine,” the girl says softly.

“Are you sure? You were kinda… staring,” Cady stutters awkwardly.

“I’m sure. You’re just… in my spot.”

“Oh!” Cady says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“That’s why it’s fine,” the girl says. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll move, you can have it back-”

“No,” the girl interrupts. “For today. You… you have it. I can work somewhere else.”

She quietly shuffles to one a few rows away and starts setting up her things. Cady watches her for a moment before she speaks up. “…I’m Cady.”

The girl startles, as if she had forgotten Cady was there. She looks at her.

“I’m a junior. I just moved here this year. What about you?” Cady continues.

“I-I’m Janis. I’m a junior too,” the girl says. With that, she’s back to her work, picking up a brush and getting down to it. Cady tilts her head at the girl for a moment before she decides to do the same, and they work together in comfortable, if slightly awkward, silence.

—————

Cady sticks around every day after school that week. Her project could use the work, anyway, and the art room is a surprisingly comforting place to spend an afternoon. The smell of paint and turpentine, the old wood of the easels that have been painted on again and again for generations. The rickety metal stools and the autumn breeze blowing outside the window.

And Janis.

She’s always there. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they don’t. But she’s always, always, there.

“You… really seem to like it in here,” Cady offers as a greeting one day. Janis looks up at her from her easel.

“Yeah. Is that a problem?” she replies.

“No! No, of course not,” Cady says hastily. “I can’t say I blame you, honestly. It’s cozy in here.”

“It is,” Janis agrees. Once again, she returns to her work. Cady frowns at her for a moment before she picks up her own brush and tries desperately to turn the blob of green she’s got into distinguished blades of grass.

—————

Time flies by, and before Cady’s totally aware of it, it’s almost time for Thanksgiving break. It’s getting cold outside, so she’s even more thankful than she usually is to have an excuse to linger inside the heated building.

She’s done pretty well, so far. The worst grade she’s gotten on a project was a C+, which is far higher than she was expecting. The wonders of art class, I guess. She has two projects left before the end of the semester, so two more chances to boost her grade as much as she can. Unfortunately, they’re also the hardest ones yet.

The one she’s stuck desperately trying to get right on the last day before break has to do with anatomy. They were told they could paint any living animal, but the animal had to clearly be in some sort of motion.

Cady, naturally, decided to work off a photo she had of one of her lions leaping across the savanna. But somehow, with her skills, it just looks like a half-dead blob of orange that has something vaguely resembling four legs and a face.

She’s grumbling to herself so much she barely hears the, “Could you quiet down a little?”

Cady jumps. “Oh! Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Janis says.

She’s working in front of Cady today, so Cady gets to peek and see what she’s doing. She can barely hold back a gasp at what she sees. “Whoa, Janis, that’s amazing!”

“Huh?” Janis says. She follows Cady’s eyes. “Oh. Thanks.”

Janis has painted a fox. Its black, beady eyes seem to look directly out of the canvas and at Cady. Janis painted it so that it looks like it’s about to leap off the canvas and run amok in the world. Footprints are left in the snow behind it, it kicks up little flurries, its tail is swishing as it tracks the viewer, and Cady finds herself half believing it really will leap out and into her arms.

“Wow,” Cady repeats. Janis blushes.

“What… are you painting?” she asks.

“Oh, uh… it’s meant to be a lion, but I’m not doing so well,” Cady says, rubbing the back of her neck, hot with humiliation. She can’t speak up in time to stop Janis coming around to see her painting. Janis bites her lip so she doesn’t laugh.

“It’s not bad,” she says, a bit choked around the giggle stuck in her throat.

“Yes it is, you can say it,” Cady grumbles.

Janis chuckles. “It really isn’t. This is a beginners class, after all. You have the right idea.”

“I do?”

Janis nods. “It’ll help if you add some shadows and highlights. You can paint as big of an action scene as you want, but if it’s just flat colors, it still won’t look like much.”

Cady tilts her head and looks at her painting. She considers this point, and nods. “I’ll try that. Thanks, Janis.”

Janis just nods and heads back to her own workstation. Cady picks up her brush, adds a bit of brown to her orange paint, and tries adding some shadows to her lion.

She and Janis exchange the occasional word, but for the most part, it’s another slow, easy silence shared between them.

—-

Cady packs up her stuff when she thinks it’s as good as she can get it. To her surprise, Janis is still there. Most of the time she’s slipped out the door so quietly Cady doesn’t even notice, let alone get a chance to wish her a good evening or say she’ll see her tomorrow.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Janis,” she says as she ducks out the door.

Janis looks up at her, and a hint of a smile graces her lips. “You too, Cady.”

—————

To Cady’s surprise, there’s more people in the art classroom after school when she returns to work on their latest assignment after the break. Cady guesses the last project of the semester is probably important to a lot more of her classmates than the rest of them have been.

There’s a bunch of kids crowded around the easels in the front, talking loudly amongst themselves. But in the back, all alone, Cady can spy the slightest hint of that half-blonde hair she’s gotten so used to.

“Hey, Janis,” Cady greets brightly. Janis startles.

“Cady. Hi,” she responds.

“Why are you working back here all by yourself? You should go join the rest of that group,” Cady says. “I’m sure you could teach them a thing or two.”

“I’m fine back here,” Janis says immediately, like she didn’t even have to think about the words before they were out of her mouth. She hesitates, looks away, before she adds, “They’d just ignore me anyway. Whether I go near them or not.”

Cady frowns. “Janis,” she says sadly. “I didn’t know you were being bullied like that. You should tell someone.”

Janis looks at her for a long moment. Almost like she’s considering something. “I’m- it’s… it’s okay, Cady, really. I like being alone. Kinda beats hanging out with a bunch of high school schmoes anyway.”

“If you say so,” Cady says. Should she tell someone anyway? Best not to, she thinks. Janis would if she was worried about it, right? If she likes being alone I shouldn’t force her to be overly social. “I’ll just work with you then.”

Janis looks away from her as Cady sets up her paints on the easel next to her. Cady looks at her, and sees that soft smile on her face again. She smiles to herself and gets to work.

—————

The last day before winter break rolls around near the middle of December. It’s a slow day. All assignments are turned in, and the students are free to wander around the school as they like. They’re playing holiday movies in the gym, selling various snacks in the cafeteria, and the elementary school students are visiting to put on a holiday musical in the auditorium.

Cady doesn’t really have many friends to spend the day with. She has classmates she’s friendly with, but for the most part, she’s kind of a loner. Just like another girl she’s gotten to know quite well. And she thinks she knows just where she’ll be, too.

She stops by the cafeteria to buy a couple of candy canes before she heads to the art classroom. The old familiar smell of paint welcomes her when she opens the door. And sure enough, right in the back, is Janis.

“Hey Janis,” she greets. She can see some dark hair pop up over the easel as Janis jumps, before the whole head pops out next to it.

“Hey,” Janis responds. “What’s up?”

“I knew you’d be in here,” Cady says with a smile, sitting on the counter next to where Janis is working. “I got you something.”

Janis looks at her in confusion. “Me?”

Cady nods. “Here.”

Janis takes the candy cane and stares at it like she’s never seen one before. “Man. Christmas already?”

“I know, right?” Cady giggles. “You… don’t have anyone you want to spend the last day with?”

Janis is quiet before she shakes her head, unwrapping the long end of the candy cane before she pops it into her mouth to suck on. “Not really. I like it in here.”

“I can tell. It’s almost like you live here,” Cady teases with a giggle as she opens her own candy cane.

“Would it be a bad thing if I did?” Janis responds in complete sincerity.

“…No, I guess not,” Cady responds quietly. “It’s kinda comforting, I guess. It’s like you’re part of the room. I know you’ll be here.”

Janis nods quietly.

A beat passes before Cady continues speaking, trying desperately to keep the conversation going. “It’s my first Christmas here.”

Janis nods again. “…Where did you move from?”

“Kenya,” Cady responds. “My family moved there when I was three. My parents are research zoologists. Or, they were, I guess. We went there to study migratory patterns of a specific species of lions. Originally. Then my parents kept observing new things and getting grants to study them, so we stayed. But then my mom got a new job working at the zoo in Chicago, so we moved here.”

“Kenya,” Janis says softly. Cady nods. “That’s cool. That’s why you painted that lion, then.”

“Yeah! I’m surprised you remembered that,” she says.

“It was only a month ago.”

“I guess so,” Cady giggles. “Yours was so much better, though. And thanks for the tip about shadows. You must really know art.”

“I know some,” Janis agrees. “I am still in a beginners class, though.”

“I think you should be moved up. I don’t know how Ms. Gray doesn’t see how talented you are,” Cady says.

“Talent is in the eye of the teacher,” Janis says poetically.

“I-I guess so,” Cady agrees. She doesn’t know how to continue with the subject, so she changes it. “Hey, they’re showing Christmas movies in the gym, you wanna come check ‘em out with me? We can stop by the cafeteria on the way and get more candy canes. And one of the lunch ladies made cooki-”

“No.”

Cady frowns. Janis looks… angry, almost. Not quite, but that was clearly the wrong thing for Cady to say.

“I… I’m sorry. No, thank you. If you want to go, you go ahead. I’m good here. Promise,” Janis amends.

“Well… okay. Sorry to try to drag you away,” Cady says. “Bye, Janis. Merry Christmas.”

“Bye, Cady. Merry Christmas,” Janis echoes, watching Cady as she leaves the room.

Cady thinks to herself as she heads down the hall to the cafeteria and buys a cookie before joining the mob in the gym. Maybe Janis really does live in there. Cady’s never seen her anywhere else. They clearly don’t have any classes together except art, and they must be far apart all day for Cady to never see her in the halls. She must just go there right when she gets to school and right when classes end. Cady can’t say as she blames her.

—————

It takes Cady a while to get back into the swing of things when they return in January. She’s about to leave to start her walk home when she remembers she left her painting in the art room instead of packing it up to bring with her.

She runs back through the hallways as they empty out for the day and crashes into the art room. Which easel was it? Ah, that one!

She frowns when she looks closer and sees someone drew a little smiley face in the corner. It’s cute, but Cady’s glad she’s already been graded on this one. How rude!

“You shouldn’t leave your paintings lying around for anyone to get into,” a voice says from behind her. Cady gasps and whirls around.

“Oh! Janis, it’s you,” she says in relief when she sees her friend.

Janis raises an eyebrow. “Surprised to see me?”

“Well… yeah, kinda,” Cady admits. Janis tilts her head and looks at her curiously.

“Why?”

“I hadn’t thought you’d be in here, still. Basically everyone else has gone home,” Cady says like it’s obvious. Isn’t it obvious? “They’ll lock you in if you’re not careful!”

“Oh no, how awful,” Janis says sarcastically. Cady glares at her, and Janis laughs. “I’m kidding. It’s fine, I just didn’t realize it was so late. Got distracted.”

“Painting?”

“You know it,” Janis says with a small smirk. Cady’s grown to love that smirk, even if it is infuriating. The little dimple Janis has on her left cheek and not the right one. That mischievous glint that always seems to be present in those chocolate brown eyes of hers. But they always seem to… soften, just a little bit, when she looks right at Cady. Almost like she melts the tiniest little bit.

“Well, are you done now? You wanna walk home with me?” Cady asks.

“No,” Janis says immediately. “I-I’m not done. Not yet. You go ahead, don’t worry about me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to just leave you here,” Cady says sadly.

“I’ll still be here tomorrow. You’re not leaving me,” Janis says comfortingly. “Really, Cady, don’t worry. You should go home yourself. It’ll be dark soon.”

“O-okay. Goodnight, Jay. Be safe getting home,” Cady says. She really doesn’t want to leave, but trying to get Janis to clearly won’t go anywhere. Literally.

“Goodnight, Cady. You too,” Janis says softly.

—————

When Cady goes to the art room after school the next week, Janis is there, like always. Cady says hi to her and sets up her easel like she always does.

To her surprise, Janis joins her. She leans casually against the easel, one ankle crossed over the other, and looks down at Cady.

“Hi,” Cady greets. “I think this is the first time you’ve ever come over to me.”

“I… I want to talk to you,” Janis says quietly, shuffling her rings around her fingers and looking down at her.

“Oh really? Well, aren’t you little miss surprising today,” Cady giggles.

“I-I’ll leave you alone, if you’re busy…”

“No! No, I’m not. I’m never too busy for you anyway. Sit, girl, sit,” Cady says. She pats the stool across from her. Janis scoots it a little closer and sits down on it.

She takes a breath. Another.

“Janis?” Cady asks in concern.

“Why did you come talk to me?” Janis asks in one rapid breath. “After… after the first time. When you stole my easel.”

“Hey!”

“Why did you come back?”

“I… I dunno,” Cady says. “You seemed… kinda lonely. I was too. I thought we could be friends. And then talking to you just got easier and easier.”

“Nobody’s ever… nobody’s done that,” Janis says quietly. “Until you. Nobody’s talked to me.”

“All year?! Janis, that’s horrible! I’ll tell Ms. Gray, she’ll-”

“No,” Janis says. “You-you think I’m being bullied, right? I-I thought that too. But I think… I think it’s something else.”

What else could it be?

“I’m not sure yet. But when you and I spend time together, things… come to me. Come back to me,” Janis says. “Sometimes. Not enough, yet. But I think-”

They’re interrupted by the door to the room opening. Cady jumps and looks up to see their teacher. “Ah, Cady, there you are.”

“Hi, Ms. Gray,” she greets.

“You’re in here alone?” Ms. Gray questions as she sets her things on her desk. “Anyway, I wanted to see if you wanted any help with the lighting assignment this month.”

“I’m not alone, I was just talking with Jan- oh,” Cady says. She’s gone. She must have ducked out when Cady was distracted by the conversation. “Some extra help would be great, thanks!”

—————

The beginning of February brings with it an absolutely massive blizzard.

Unfortunately for Cady, it hits right as she was finishing up her artwork for the day and getting ready to head home. She sighs as she hears the wind rushing outside the window and looks to see the snow fluttering down in a thick sheet. She’s gotten used to the snow in America, but trying to walk home in this would be practically asking to freeze to death. She’ll have to hole up until it stops.

She settles in by the heater and texts her parents to let them know the situation. They’re both at work, so they can’t come to pick her up, either. She’s well and truly stuck. At least she can use her backpack as a pillow and play some math games on her phone.

“Hey. You’re still here?” a familiar voice says.

“Janis! I could say the same to you,” Cady giggles. “I was about to walk home, but, uh…”

“I think Queen Elsa’s coronation must be upon us,” Janis says with a chuckle. Cady doesn’t understand what she’s saying, but she laughs too. “Can I sit?”

“Of course. It’s warm here,” Cady says, scooting her things over to make room. Janis leans against the wall next to her and looks down at her.

Questions about their last conversation are practically burning in Cady’s gut, swirling around behind her eyes so quickly she can barely see. But, she doesn’t say anything. She knows now that Janis will talk when she’s ready to. She feels it’s best not to bring something like that up during pleasant conversation.

“What are you doing?” Janis asks, ironically being the one to pose the first question of the day.

“Oh, I’m playing this game,” Cady says. “It’s like a crossword but with numbers instead. I’ve always liked math.”

“Ew, you like math?” Janis asks with a positively disgusted face. Cady laughs.

“Yeah. I’ve actually thought about joining the Mathletes team here,” she admits.

“That’s social suicide,” Janis says warningly, but teasingly.

“I know, I know. But I think they need it,” Cady says with a chuckle. “And I think it would be kinda fun.”

“Wouldn’t see you in here much after school if you joined them.”

“I guess not,” Cady agrees sadly. “Maybe I’ll wait ‘til next year. I need all the extra time in here I can get, anyway.”

“That’s an understatement,” Janis says teasingly.

“Hey! I’m getting better,” Cady pouts.

“You are,” Janis agrees. “Definitely got shadows down, at least.”

“Thanks to you. I got an A- on that lion, by the way,” Cady says.

“Nice,” Janis says with a nod of approval.

“What did you get for your fox?”

“I-I don’t remember,” Janis says with a furrowed brow. “It was so long ago, anyway. Doesn’t matter. Nice job on the lion, though. Proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Cady says. “But seriously, you can’t have only started painting this year. How long have you been doing art?”

“A few years,” Janis admits. “I started in eighth grade. I kinda fell away from it for a bit, but I picked it back up a little while ago and stuck with it. I like it. Helps me focus.”

“That’s nice,” Cady says quietly. Janis nods.

A beat passes. Janis inhales and says, “I went to art therapy. That’s how I got started.”

“Oh,” Cady says. Janis nods again.

“My best friend outed me at the end of seventh grade. It got so bad my parents pulled me out of school for a while,” Janis continues, pointedly not looking at Cady. “The bullying. I missed eighth grade. Came back as a sophomore.”

“That’s awful,” Cady says. “I can’t believe someone would do something like that.”

“I couldn’t either,” Janis chuckles sadly. “But she did.”

“Did… did the art therapy help?” Cady asks. Janis looks away.

“A little. But like I said, I didn’t stick with it long enough,” she says quietly. She looks back, suddenly, and seems to brighten. “But what do you think about it? Are you turning to the art side?”

“Definitely not,” Cady laughs. “I’m a math person through and through. But I do really like this class. It’s hard, like, really hard. I don’t understand how it’s so easy for some people to listen to words about art concepts and then just… do it. But I like being determined to get something right. It’s a nice feeling. And it’s really satisfying if I do get it. And it’s nice to… make something, I guess. And be proud of it.”

“That’s what got me hooked too,” Janis says.

“You should be proud of what you make. I really don’t understand how nobody else sees how talented you are,” Cady says. Janis shrugs.

“You do.”

“Yeah, but I’m only one person.”

“That’s enough for me.”

Cady smiles up at her, and they booth scoot the slightest bit closer.

—————

Cady’s done weeks of research leading up to Valentine’s day. She cannot mess this up.

North Shore does a rose sale leading up to it. Cady buys one and signs the little note next to it, but asks to take it with her instead of having it delivered in class by ‘Cupid’. The student council member running the stall at lunch looks a little disgruntled by the breach in protocol, but lets her take the flower. Cady buys a chocolate chip cookie from the lunch line to pair with it and heads to find Janis.

And find her she does. Alone, like always. In the art room, like always.

“Janis!”

“Jesus!”

“Sorry,” Cady says, blushing furiously. “I got you something!”

“Y-you did?” Janis asks, like Cady’s accidentally speaking Swahili instead of English again. Cady nods eagerly, proffering the cookie and flower.

“Here!”

Janis looks at them for a long moment before she hesitantly takes the offered gifts. “Thank you.”

“Um… they’re for-for Valentine’s day,” Cady admits shyly.

“Valentine’s day?” Janis asks. “Right. I forgot it was even February already.”

Cady wants to agree with her, but there’s absolutely no way she could’ve forgotten about this day, even if she tried. “I-I’ve been doing a lot of research about it. We didn’t really do Valentine’s day in Kenya.”

Janis had been smiling faintly at the single flower she’s holding, but looks up at Cady when she finishes speaking. “Research?”

Cady nods. “I… I read that people give flowers and sweets to… to people they… like.”

Janis’ eyebrows raise high on her head. “Y-you…”

Cady nods. “I really like you, Janis.”

Janis smiles faintly at her. “I like you too, Cady. I feel bad, I didn’t get you anything.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Cady says. “I don’t expect anything. I just wanted you to know.”

“Message received,” Janis says with a smile. “Thank you. But… are you sure there’s… no one else you’d rather…”

“I’m sure,” Cady interrupts. “It’s been really nice getting to know you, Janis. Even though you look scary you’ve been… really nice to me. You’re one of the only friends I’ve made since I moved here. And I realized a little bit ago that I’d kind of like to be… more than that.”

Janis looks at her with a smile, still holding her gifts so, so delicately. “I… I’d really like that. Um, Cady…”

“What is it?” Cady asks gently.

“Could you… meet me here after school? Like… after, after school? When nobody else is here?” Janis asks, with a tone so heavy Cady wouldn’t be surprised if she asks her to kill a man next.

“Of course. I’ll be here,” Cady says. The bell rings, and they both jump. “Oh! Gotta go. See you later.”

Janis nods, and smiles as Cady goes rushing around to gather her things. “Bye.”

Cady waves and rushes out the door without a second thought.

—————

True to her word, Cady meets Janis in the art room after everyone else has left. She thinks this is technically trespassing at this point, but at least if they get busted she and Janis will go down together.

“Janis?”

“Cady.”

Cady jumps as Janis’ voice rings out through the dark classroom. All the lights have been turned off for the day, so the only light comes from the setting sun outside the large windows. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Janis responds quietly.

“What did you need?” Cady asks gently. Janis nods.

“I want to talk to you,” she says.

“Oh.”

“Not- you haven’t done anything wrong,” Janis says hastily. “The opposite, if anything. I-I love you.”

“I love you too,” Cady breathes with a smile. “But… what did you want to talk about, then?”

“Do you remember a few months ago, when we were talking about me being… bullied? Ms. Gray came in to help you,” Janis begins. Cady nods. “I… I’ve remembered a lot, since then. God, where do I even begin?” She sighs. “Hey.”

“Hm?” Cady hums delicately.

“Let’s go outside.”

“What? But every time I try to get you to leave, you-”

“I know. But let’s go now,” Janis says. Cady frowns in confusion, but she pulls the door open. Janis gestures for her to go first, so she does. What is going on?

Janis props the door open and takes a few steps back. She runs at the open door full tilt…

And bounces off.

She lands on the hard tile floor with a dull thud and a pained swear.

“Janis, what?” Cady whispers in disbelief. “If you’re taking up mime, now’s not the time to show me.”

“It’s not an act,” Janis says.

She punches the open space as hard as she can, but as soon as her knuckles would pass the threshold, they bounce off again. Janis tries and tries, but no part of her body ever manages to make it through the doorframe. Cady can’t believe her eyes. She steps back through the door as easily as ever.

“Janis,” she whispers.

“I can’t leave,” Janis says, turning to see her. “I’m stuck.”

“Janis, what-what do you mean?” Cady asks shakily, feeling tears start streaming down her face.

“I didn’t notice at first. But I’ve always been in here, Cady,” Janis responds. “I wake up here every day. After a while, I fade away, and then wake up again in the same place. I’ve always been here.

“I-I said I had started to learn things, since you started talking to me. Remember things. And I… I remember now,” Janis says. “I think you know too. Why-why nobody else talks to me. Nobody else notices me.”

“They… they can’t see you,” Cady realizes. Janis nods.

“I’ve been alone here for years. Kids would come and go. I noticed… a few weird things, but nothing really stood out. But nobody ever, ever talked to me. I tried to leave, and every time, I just bounced back. I got desperate. Started dancing around the classroom and screaming at the top of my lungs. And nobody noticed. Nobody… nobody could see me.”

She turns to look at Cady with tears streaming down her face. Cady reaches for her. “You-you’ve been here for years?”

Janis nods. “I can’t feel or sense time passing anymore. I’ve seen… at least four Christmases and Valentine’s days go by, in here. I can’t be sure exactly how many, anymore.

“Until you. You came, and you talked to me, like it was the most perfectly normal thing in the world. The first one in years. And you… you wouldn’t leave me alone. As we talked, I started remembering things. Just little… flashes, here and there. I started to put things together. To remember. Remember why I can’t leave.”

She takes a step closer to Cady with a soft sob. Cady echoes it. “You’re a ghost.”

Janis nods again. “I-I killed myself here, Cady. I’m not here. I never-never have been. I’ve been gone for years,” she sobs. “My-my internal clock broke with the rest of me. That’s why-why I don’t recognize time anymore. That’s why I’m stuck. Every day, every single day, just repeated over and over and over until it lost… until it lost any meaning. Until you.”

Cady gasps quietly as she looks at the beautiful girl before her, and notices she can see the wall behind her, through her. Janis… is fading. Disappearing before her eyes.

“I’m not being bullied. I’m not being ignored,” Janis continues. “They can’t see me. I’m not here.”

“But-but you are!” Cady begs around a sob. “I can see you! I can talk to you!”

Janis is getting more and more translucent as they keep going. She shakes her head. “No, Cady. I haven’t been here for a long time. Not really. I’m… I’m sorry things had to end this way.”

“End? What do you mean end?”

“Cady,” Janis says. Cady sobs at how echoey her voice is, how far away she really sounds now. “You… you reminded me. You got me unstuck. I have to go.”

“No, Janis, please!” Cady begs, falling to her knees in tears. Janis crouches down and tips up her chin. She’s so cold.

“I don’t have a choice, Cady, I’m sorry. But listen. I… I have no regrets. I chose to do what I did, and I chose to do it here. I… I wish I hadn’t, now. I wish we got more time together. I would’ve loved to… to talk with you more. See you learn more about painting. Get to know you. Touch you. If I wasn’t… if I wasn’t like this, I would’ve loved to know you.”

Cady throws her arms around her. She can feel Janis, softly. Her cold arms wrap around her too.

“I’m not in pain,” Janis whispers. “Because of you. But because of you, my… my clock ticks again. My spirit remembers. I remember. And I have to go.”

“No you don’t,” Cady sobs. “I-I’ll come every day, even on the weekends! I’ll come talk to you! You have to stay! You-you can’t go, Janis, you can’t! Dammit, you can’t leave me! If-if-if I do… if I come enough, you-you might be able to leave, someday! I’ll do it!”

“No, Cady,” Janis says, her voice echoing softly in Cady’s ear. “I’ve… I’ve been making up for lost time, with you, my love. You told me everything that happened this year. Even when I was a bitch and didn’t respond or even say hi, you did. The whole year is already done. My… my spirit got to make up for the time I never got to spend here. And… and Cady, I’m… I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that. But I’ll… my spirit can’t stay here forever. My lost time is fulfilled. I’ll stop soon.”

Janis is talking right next to her, in her ear, but her voice is so soft, so distant, that Cady can barely hear her.

“Don’t cry,” Janis begs around a sob of her own. “I… I’ll see you again someday.”

“Janis, no!” Cady begs, holding tight to the cold, fading form of her beloved in front of her. “No, wait, please! I-I still… there’s so much… so much to tell you. I don’t want this to be-be the last time.”

“It won’t be,” Janis says, with the burning intensity of the strongest oath. “Please, don’t cry. There’s nobody here to mourn. I’ve been gone for a long time, Cady. You’ve given me more than enough. I’m… I’m okay, Cady.”

“But-”

“Cady. Thank you. I love you.”

And with that, Cady’s arms hit her own chest. The coldness is gone, and Cady collapses to the ground. Nothing is there to hold her up. “Janis?!”

Nothing.

Cady frantically pats around on the ground, desperately searching for something she knows deep down… isn’t there. Never was. “No, Janis! Please!”

No one answers her.

—-

She stays there a long time, crying and screaming and cursing the world. But when her tears run dry and her throat is hoarse and scratchy, she picks herself up and wipes her eyes. She grabs her backpack and leaves the building.

She doesn’t look back.

She walks to the library. To the newspapers. Janis said she’d seen at least four. Four years…

She finds her in a newspaper from six years ago. In the obituaries. Her photo is there, the same as the day Cady met her. That bright smile, dyed blonde hair with dark roots. Those beautiful brown eyes that Cady fell in love with in the first place.

Janis Sarkisian, a local student, was found deceased last Friday afternoon by a janitor at North Shore High School. Sarkisian was a junior at the school and died by suicide in one of the art classrooms.

She is preceded in death by her father, Luca Sarkisian. She is survived by her mother, Juliette Sarkisian, and her younger sister, Juliana Sarkisian.

Janis was a bright, funny, rambunctious young girl and a joy to be around. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that loved ones donate to the national suicide prevention organization, bullying prevention organization, or the North Shore School District arts department. Her memorial is to be…

Cady traces her face with a finger. She really was gone. The whole time. She was never there.

She goes home and anonymously donates to the arts department. She leaves a message or just two words.

For Janis.

—————

Cady doesn’t want it to, but time passes. She almost forgets Janis won’t be there anymore when she walks into art class.

Eventually, she gets used to it. Kind of.

She moves on.

She… forgets.

In the spring, there’s a showcase for students in the painting and photography programs to show off their progress through the year to friends and family. Cady dresses up nice, does her hair and a little makeup. She smiles as she reminisces on all the paintings she did. All the work. All the progress she’s made.

She stands next to the little gallery of her works hung up on the wall and accepts compliments and congratulations from some parents, answers questions about them from a few others.

The hair on her neck stands up as she feels someone… watching her. She turns around.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at you,” the girl says when she notices Cady looking back. “You just… you look really familiar.”

“You do too,” Cady says, tilting her head. She has short, dark hair, cropped to her shoulders. Dark brown, shining eyes. Almost like… but it can’t be. “Do we know each other?”

“I… I don’t know,” the girl says.

“I’m Cady,” she says quietly. The girl’s eyes widen.

“I’m… Janis,” she says. Cady feels her own eyes almost pop out of her head.

“You… no you’re not. You can’t be,” Cady says, feeling all the blood drain from her face. “Janis is… she’s…”

“Dead?” Janis asks quietly. Cady nods, biting her lip so she won’t cry. “I thought so too.”

She opens her wallet and pulls out an ID. Sure enough, Janis Sarkisian is written clear as day. The birth date is the same.

Cady looks closer. Her hair is all brown, now, but… those are Janis’ eyes. Her dimple on the left side but not the other. That smirk.

“Janis!” she sobs, throwing herself at the girl. “H-how?”

“I’m not sure,” Janis confesses quietly, squeezing her back.

She’s warm, and solid, holding Cady tightly. She’s… alive. Memories start flooding Cady’s mind, things she and Janis did and said that she had already forgotten. They return so quickly she can barely keep up.

“Cady,” Janis whispers, and Cady knows the same thing is happening to her.

“How? How are you… how are you back?” she whispers through a thick, tearful lump in her throat.

“I don’t know,” Janis responds, pulling back to look in her eyes and squeezing Cady’s biceps. “I-I woke up in the art room again. But… different. And… and I left, Cady. I… I couldn’t remember anything since I had died at first, but once I left the room… things came back. I knew I had to find… someone. I’ve been looking for you for so long.”

“So have I,” Cady whispers, cupping Janis’ cheek. She almost can’t believe how real this is. How warm Janis’ face is, how wet the tears streaming down her face feel on her fingertips.

“I’m here now,” Janis says softly. “To stay.”

“Stay with me,” Cady whispers desperately. She gasps as Janis leans in to kiss her.

“Always.”

#cadnis #space safari #paint by numbers #cady heron x janis sarkisian #cady x janis #cady heron #janis sarkisian #mean girls #mean girls musical #mean girls broadway #mean girls the musical #mean girls on broadway

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two-calicos-in-a-trenchcoat · 8 months

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When I was binding my plant book I spent about an hour digging around online to figure out which stitch I would use and researching the different binding methods to figure out what would work best.

I also wanted a good written tutorial for how to do the stitch i ultimately chose (the coptic stitch) because I do not like video tutorials. Unfortunately none of the written tutorials had exactly what I needed. Specifically none of them told you what to do if you ran out of thread before finishing the binding. Their advice was "make sure to cut enough thread from the beginning" which was not going to work for me. While there is a way to measure out how much thread you need, I would likely still need to know how to add more thread. My plant book is quite a bit thicker than the books being made in the tutorials. And I dont know if you've ever tried to hand sew something by hand and thought "ehhh ill just cut off a bunch and hope its enough to do this in one go," but it NEVER works out that way.

DO NOT LISTEN TO THAT VOICE. THAT IS THE DEVIL SPEAKING.

All that will happen is you end up with a giant tangled mess of thread that you can never untangle. And im pretty good at untangling threads but its a pain in the ass and just not something I would like to waste my time on. Not to mention the wasted thread. So I ended up having to watch part of a video tutorial to figure out what I was supposed to do when the thread inevitably ran out. And I told myself that the next time I did this, I would make my own written tutorial with pictures showing what to do and also showing how I reinforce the spine because I go a bit further than any of the tutorials I found.

(Tutorial under the cut)

Most people seem to choose the coptic stitch because they like how it looks and they keep the stitching exposed. While I agree that it looks good, I dont personally like the exposed stitching. I like people to look at my books and be surprised when I tell them I bound them myself. And making a book that looks professionally done accomplishes that. Also I prefer it over the exposed stitching, ALSO I don't use proper bookbinding thread cuz I do this on a budget with stuff I can get at walmart or already have lying around the house and covering the stitching helps reinforce it. I ultimately decided on the coptic stitch partly because it allows the book to lie flat when open, but also because every article I read on different stitches to use said that it was the most complicated one and I looked at that and was like "pffffttt cant be that hard." And honestly I think I was right. Its pretty straightforward.

So what youre gonna need is some paper. Personally, I like to take those sketchbooks that are bound with tape or glue and pull all the pages out. This way you also get a front and back cover.

Again, every tutorial was telling me to fold the pages with a bone fold, which is nice if you have one, I guess, but I do not, so I used the clip on the side of my mechanical pencil to fold the pages in half. If youre using regular sketch paper then you wanna make some signatures which is a group of 4 to 5 sheets of paper, folded in half, and placed inside each other. But for something thicker like watercolor paper, I just sew each individual sheet on separately.

Next, you're gonna wanna take the hard piece of cardboard at the back of the taped together sketchbook and cut that shit in half. I use an exacto knife but ive also used scissors for this in the past. I do not recommend using scissors. Its possible to do but not worth the hand cramps. And then BOOM you have the covers of your sketchbook.

Another thing most people tell you to use is an awl to punch the holes in the paper. Again, I do not have an awl. Nor do I have the money to buy one. At first, I just punched the holes in with a thumbtack but thumbtacks are tiny and after awhile your fingers start to hurt and you may start to lose your grip on it and its just generally a bad time. But, ya bois got a lot of sewing needles (I kept losing them for awhile there and would give up and buy new ones only to then find the pack I lost. So I have like 3 packs of sewing needles.

Thats not counting the ones my mom has also bought because she's done the same thing) and out of frustration from using the thumbtack I decided to try sticking a sewing needle into one of my mechanical pencils and seeing if it would fit and not just immediately push back in when I tried to use it. And what do you fuckin know?

It worked extremely well and I wish id thought of it sooner. I cut the time spent poking holes into the signatures in half and it doesnt hurt my fingers at all.

Youre also going to need thread, of course. I use embroidery thread cuz thats what I already had. Normally you should go for a thicker thread. Preferably a waxed thread. And most people would recommend using a curved sewing needle. This is the one thing im considering getting for myself at some point. You CAN do it with a straight needle but a curved one would definitely make some aspects of this significantly easier.

Now to start off, you wanna take your string and put it in the needle and fold it in half and tie the ends together and then

You wanna thread the needle through the first signature and then

Pull it up through the bottom of the first hole in the cover and loop it around twice and pull it tight

Then push the needle back into the first hole in the paper

And put it through the next hole in the signature

Then repeat that process til you get to the end of the holes. When you get to the last one start like you did with all the others but after wrapping the thread around the cardboard twice you get the next signature

And push it in through the first hole and back out the second (tbc)

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rozzy02 · 2 months

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FOLKS i just got accepted into my first ever art show!!!! Im super anxious about my work because I started doing art later than my peers. But im super proud of myself! These are the two watercolors that got in, it was my first time working with watercolor so im just super excited (ive been getting alot better but i still love these boys)

#artwork #origional work #art

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k-ru-h · 7 months

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theres something to be said about inherent human kindness and art and all that

i had an absolute trainwreck of a day and an hour long gap between classes, so i decided to plop by the local art store thats too far away from my home but maybe a 10min walk from school. they had really good prices and i wanted to buy the pretty pastel watercolors for myself and my friend, to make the day less miserable.

the storeworker, a kind-looking old man (surely at least in his 60s), picked up all the aquarelle boxes, saying he didnt want me, a seemingly abled person, to have to kneel on the floor to look at them. and he told me how he doesnt stock all the colors but he explained to me in detail, umprompted, how to order them for myself, with or without paying him. and he told me how hes owned this store for 28 years and hasnt changed locations (despite the location being horrible) because hes genuinely attached to this one. this shitty, tiny little hole in the wall place with no AC or even proper ventilation. and he started talking about his days as an artist, and all the incredible people he met, and how stores from the capital monopolizing certain brands ruined his once proud selection of products, and how to properly use watercolor paper, how to use distilled water and stick to one paper brand and how his personal dream is to get his hands on the aquarelles created only by and for that one russian college, and he treated me, a fucking infant baby child (18) whos been doing aquarelles for like two days (4 years) as a genuine peer and worthy conversation partner. and i almost started crying from the genuine love i felt for him.

and the day after, i got hungry between classes and decided to stop by the bakery. the bakery itself is overpriced - for the same price as other ones, you get maybe half the product. and its been closed for tax fraud maybe a month ago.

and this storeworker is an elder woman - not as old as the artist, but surely near or in her 50s - and she sometimes wears the bracelet i made her. the other students call her the "empress" of the store (named "empress"). she is the only reason i go there, and i only go when shes working the shift. at first it was because of the free food shed give us. shed always toss in a few cookies, she even remembered my favorite, and shed wish you a "royal" day (pun intended). soon, we started going there outside of the rush hours, and actually talking to her. her dream has always been to be an opera singer, but this is a poor country, and she has a sickly mother and a son who lives abroad to take care of. but she told us she found her fulfilment in work through the kindness she spread - not just the free food, but the compliments and kind words. and i almost cry every time i remember she didnt know she was so loved by the students. when i told her everybody only goes there for her, she actually didnt believe me, and when i noticed she dyed her hair (we now have similar haircolors!), she put it down and posed in front of the little hanging mirror with the biggest smile ive ever seen on her.

and i havent seen this person lately, im assuming because i havent been to one of the two places she frequents and she, probably, has, but theres this wonderful woman - i cant tell if shes old or worn down by hard work and stress - who always has the most vibrant, colorful jewelry and carries a little cardboard box.

and she approached me one day, i was going to meet up with some friends to talk about lord of the rings, and she stopped me to tell me how beautiful my hand made jewelry was. and she was holding a puppy under one arm, almost cartoonishly, and told me all about how she used to have a jewlery stand right here in this street. all of the money shes ever made shes invested in taking care of stray cats and dogs. even if it meant shed go hungry, she always made sure the animals she took care of were fed and warm and happy. but the stand was closed because of tax issues, and no cop was sympathetic towards the little kitten or puppy shed always take with her, so she was forced to make ends meet however she could and beg for money or pet food donations. and this wasnt her pressuring me for money - i hadnt even brought my wallet that day, i had my phone and some tea. this was her genuinely just wanting to stop and compliment me, and being delighted to have someone to talk to, and whenever i see people treat her like dirt i want to cry.

my point is, i met a painter and a singer and a craftsman, and all of them were the kindest people ive ever met. and i don't really look approachable, i usually only get hateful looks in public, but these three people, with far more experience than me, just genuinely wanted to talk about the things they cared about, and what they create, and i think creation makes you kinder. i think painting and singing and crafting, no matter if its a life long profession, a dream, or a failed venture, makes you more than the summ of all your parts. or something cringe like that idfk

#i just needed to get this vent out of my system actually bye

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the-kipsabian · 1 year

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9, 26, 27 and 28!

9. Tattoos i want: oh mica youre gonna make me crave but hmm. currently i have a few ive settled on that i definitely want, so (also gonna separate these by arms cause the left one is supposed to be more of a wrestling themed sleeve and the right for the rest lol, and mostly i have just planned these for my arms or upper body at least) - knives. i want a double set of switchblades, one on each arm, currently thinking above my elbow on the back of my arm. one pointing upwards and one downwards - i need the ace austin ace logo (left arm). cause fucking aesthetic (also matching tats with my babe <3) - some sort of a set of the house of black masks or at least one of them (left arm) - libra constellation (right arm, preferably right hand) - some type of a cat. i havent decided on this yet, most likely its gonna be a matching one with my wife, but definitely cat themed (right arm) - fox done in a watercolor style (right arm). this is one ive wanted for the longest time, so we'll see when that eventually happen. i just want it to be like the size of my entire upper arm lol - "night crow" (right arm). im not going into details cause it would take a while and its a work in progress and idk if i can actually make it happen but this is something personal and kip related lol - if i ever get a chest removal, my scars will be covered with "im not a woman, im a god". also potential matching tattoo idea with babe <3

..i think thats all ive been thinking rn? most likely at least one knife will be next, but that entirely depends what im feeling, who i can get as an artist and when i come to monies for anything but. theres a short list for now LOL

26. What’s one thing you regret? im trying to think but like. nothing major comes to mind honestly? im too old to regret things lol

27. First celebrity you think of when someone says attractive: ..oh. you know. YOU KNOW

kicking my feet, twirling my hair <333 (we just talked about this last night too, but like yeah.. hes attractive to the point where i ended up liking facial hair actually LMAO)

28. Favorite ice cream? like. theres this really good one i get constantly from the store during the summer. where its like. chocolate ice cream. with little chocolate cake pieces in it. and little chocolate drops in it. and mocha sauce on top of it. its so ridiculously good like holy shit

get in my business please ~

#now im thinking about tattoos again lol thankssss #why must i be poor i would like to continue to add to my arms they crave for needles :(#my kip one is lonely it needs company!!#anyways thank you <3 #thetimecrystal #thank you for asking! <3

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chapst1ckmcdyke · 1 year

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15 questions/15 people

i got tagged by @thatcharmingjerk thank u so much! i love this kind of stuff :>

1. are you named after anyone?

Not my first name! I don't want to give away my chosen last name for obvious reasons but I took it from a lady I really loved in a childhood movie :>

2. when was the last time you cried?

Lol last night- im a big crier tbh.

3. do you have kids?

HELL no- I pretty much raised my little sis for a few years, but I was a kid myself and despite the fact I had to constantly stop her from calling me “mama” i don't think it really counts

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

All the time but only at work tbh. I work with nothing but cishet men and bc of that curse I constantly have an attitude and sarcasm is a pretty common part of that.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

Tbh I’m incredibly hypervigilant so the first thing I notice is if a person gives off any kind of indication that they are going to be an absolute asshole. Other than that? What makes people unique from is usually what I try to notice first :>

6. what’s your eye color?

Blue :>

7. scary movie or happy endings?

Depends on my mood >:3 sometimes i LOVE a good horror show or slasher its awesome. Other times i need a story that illustrates the good things in the world or else ill descend into madness.

8. any special talents?

I'm an excellent writer and singer actually! I can also play the mario-bros theme by tapping my cheeks to make that bubble-popping sound. Most useless thing ever lmao.

9. where were you born?

Central Texas :> i moved back to my hometown recently actually.

10. what are your hobbies?

Writing primarily! I have several novels in the works right now in various early stages :D i also love to read and do watercolors on occasion :3

11. do you have any pets?

I have a little black cat named Boba that i love with all my heart he is such a little weirdo <3

12. what sports do you play/have you played?

I used to play volleyball and even did horseback riding as a kid but now I dont really do sports. I REALLY would love to do roller-derby or try MMA but that requires time and money both of which im short on T_T

13. how tall are you?

Under 5 ft lol (abt 152cm) im built like a short little bulldog

14. favorite subject in school?

English, forensics, and cooking both in highschool AND in college lol

15. dream job?

Fantasy dream job? Full-time published author or maybe an artist :> realistically based on my life path? A master plumber with my own company or high up in a company of LGBT-centered tradespeople. <3 <3 <3

tagging: mmmm i think i'll tag @loverbear-butch @softsapphicvibes @tinylittlemexican @lyssafreyguy @dykeredhood @redrockbutch @jortking of course nobody HAS to do this i just thought of you :>

#thank you so much for tagging me!!! <3 <3 <3

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dausy · 2 years

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I accidentally got a Daily Deviation on Deviantart. Which very cool, thank you so much. Its not my first one ever but first one recently and I'm still impressed with the amount of active users there. Kept my inbox a bit busy. I kinda upload and run so I wasn't expecting that much interaction. I probably should pay more attention to it because honestly it has netted me more interaction then the ever holy twitter.

I've so far screwed up my day today. I accidentally slept in til 9am and I can't tell you the last time I did that. Maybe on a nightshift a couple years ago. I usually am up by 6am. So my entire day and schedule is thrown. Im debating if its even worth it to go to the gym at this point. Silly I know, somebodies early morning is 9am.

I did finish painting the silly drawing I'd been trying to get to (the bubbletea guy above). He's been in my sketchbook for a while but I either kept going out of town or I ended up doing another project instead. This one was actually the one I meant to do in my cheap dollar store pastel watercolors from Typo but I didn't think it'd be colorful enough to use all the colors..hence I drew a rainbow llama. But thats why he's kinda colorful. In hindsight the watercolors definitely would not have colored that background (I was thinking about doing a gradient) and I could not get colored pencil to go over those watercolors either. So it wouldn't have worked out. Which is why its always so scary to try out cheap art supplies! If you draw something you kinda like and destroy it with bad supplies it kinda physically hurts. When I drew him I was trying to keep it kinda ugly to where I didn't care if I destroyed him but then he turned out cuter than I had anticipated. He got my regular wash of color instead.

anywho, I know its obscenely colorful haha.

less obnoxious.

But again, the vibrant color is fun in the sketchbook he's in. If I was a journal-er I could decorate the entire occupying page with stuff and it'd be artistic.

I did film the painting process of him that I'll upload to youtube either later today or tomorrow. Since my schedule is so thrown off now..ugh..I dont know. I wanted to start one last project too celebrating the end of august.

#watercolors #furry #anthro #whitetiger #tigers #illustration #cat illustration #sketchbook #realmedia #drawing #gouache #traditionalart #mixedmedia #artwork #illustrators on tumblr #artists on tumblr #illustration art #bubbletea

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bigearsbunbun · 3 months

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New Year !! 1/30/2024

its been ages since I last posted in this account er.. well things had been busy with school and I completely forgot this website existedT.T

So um a lot has changed for sure!! though I dont really know where to start....

well school um...I became an achiever in the first quarter can u believe it:O well obviously my math is still terrible but um Im trying my best still!! we're still waiting on the second quarter card (grades) which I think the card giving will take place next month? they havent really announced the date so we're just waiting for them to...

okay social life.. have I made some friends this school year...well yes a lot actually they're very friendly I guess some people I just happen to have the same interests with and some are just sociable T.T though I still prefer my grade 9 friends...but Im sure ill get close with some of these people in 3rd quarter cause thats how it all started in grade 9 anywayTT

my grade 9 friend group is still alive so Im pretty happy we hanged out like after exams and got some milk tea:D some of our friends weren't able to come though but its okay...

lately Ive been helping my aunt clean her store and she offered me to work there part time.... well I think its a realy good opportunity since Im really saving up for some stuff Im planning to buy:D example a new phone because the one Im currently using isnt really good anymore and Ive had it for ages already...

In regards of my new years resolution I guess I do have a few that I wanna start doing...like reading more books...sleeping some more and avoid staying up till 2 am everydayTT....continue learning languages...and journal some more...Im actually itching to go to the store and buy a sketchbook to use it as a journal because its just way cleaner to use a blank paper than some paper with lines since I can just adjust the size of my hand writing however I like

Okay now...my arts...I was literally stuck in art block for 3 weeks..... couldnt draw at all I was so out of it....but now Ive been drawing some doodles so I guess thats a good thing at leastxD my aunt gave me her coloring pencils since she said she doesnt even use them anymore..I was so grateful since I dont really have a proper set of coloring pencils...and now I have like so many coloring materials..I have 2 sets of crayons the other one having like 96 colors pretty crazy ik....i hate 2 sets of coloring pencils...coloring markers...I have some paints and a watercolor...IK so manyTT AND I HAVENT EVEN MASTERED USING COLORS YET gosh goodluck to me>.<

well I think thats about all...I really do feel like Im missing some stuff but er I'll write those in the upcoming posts in the future:D if I ever dont forget about this website again that isx3!! WELL BABAIII<33!!

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river-witchery · 4 years

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If you cant buy your own pride merch, homemade is fine.

#im working with watercolors for the first time ever #which is really fun #but so much different from acrylic #or ink #or pencil #anyhow #enjoy some more pride stuff

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aerequets · 3 years

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can you give me some webtoon recommendations? name some of your favorites! :)

i am here to answer folks 😎

all of these webtoons can be found on webtoons.com! I'm not sure about the whole daily pass thing they've got going on (which sucks tbh) but like,,, you could probably find it online illegally. NOT THAT I CONDONE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY HAHAHAHA ᵖˢˢᵗ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ⁱᵗ'ˢ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ

I'll split these up between completed and in progress :) most are still in progress though

COMPLETED

1) Gourmet Hound (166 chapters)

this is like, my all time favorite webtoon. it follows Lucy and her quest to find all the chefs that left her favorite restaurant, Dimanche! it’s a really heartfelt story and the food illustrations make you really hungry, so make sure you have a snack before you sit down to read it. each character’s name is also food-related, so that’s pretty cool too! and the diversity in this webtoon is AMAZING. it’s the only webtoon i’ve ever read that has a hijabi character in the main cast. the development is done really well and it explores themes of loving and letting go. all in all, it has a bit of everything. i personally love food-related things, and this centers around it, so i was set LOL

(also a bonus is that this webtoon has NOT succumbed to daily pass hell, so you can binge read the whole thing. legally.)

2) Hooky (200 chapters)

if you like stories of witches, this is the one! the summary and beginning chapters are deceptively lighthearted. DO NOT BE FOOLED! the story really develops further on and explores numerous conflicts, a big one being (if i remember correctly) witch vs. nonwitch. if you like to see struggles between two sides, not a good-and-evil but just people-who-want-the-best-for-themselves-and-their-loved-ones type of thing, this is good for that. also, sibling love! the two main characters are Dani and Dorian, and while there is someee romance, i like how this story centers around the siblings first and foremost. ALSO THE ART??? I LOVE HOW THE AUTHOR DRAWS SETTINGS SO MUCH and am unabashedly jealous because i am completely incapable of doing so just like,,,, even if the story doesn’t pull you in, you can at least stare at each panel for long stretches of time.

(unfortunately succumbed to daily pass, but you can read it on mangaowl or manganelo!)

3) Spirit Fingers (167 chapters)

aww, this one is cute. Amy is 18 and lacking in self confidence (her family definitely doesn’t help). but HEY she joins a wacky art club!! without her parents knowing!! HECK YEAH!! unfortunately it takes more than joining an art club for her to learn to love herself (it is a long journey after all!). i love this webtoon because it explores the problems of multiple people, not just amy: her high achieving brothers, her mother who had to give up her dream, the different members in the art club, Amy’s girl friends. the art is unique and has a cool watercolor-y texture! and the main couple is just adorable, too. if you’re an artist especially, i recommend this because that’s a big theme and you get to see these characters expand their art styles! which is very cool!

(you can read this one fully on 1stkissmanga)

now here’s where the majority of my recs are:

IN PROGRESS (all can be read on webtoon.com)

1) The Makeup Remover (currently 71 chapters)

i look forward to this every tuesday and friday because oh man!!!!!!!!! idk about you guys, but i am thinking about beauty standards A Large Amount of the time, especially when i consume media. and this webtoon is all about beauty standards (specifically in Korea, but still applicable like. everywhere). Main character Yeseul ends up having to partake in this beauty competition and, with her experiences through it, she begins seeing makeup and beauty standards for the huge role they play in society. i said it already but i LOVE LOVE LOVE this webtoon because it really challenges you as a reader to think about your own perspectives. why do we find the things/people beautiful that we do? what shapes our perception? how much of it is marketing, and how much of it shows in our daily lives? what assumptions do you make about people based on how they look? AGHH im sounding like an essay prompt instead of a reviewer but man. if you like webtoons that examine society through a critical lens (gosh i sound like an english teacher), this is the one.

2) Odd Girl out (currently 261 chapters; on season 2)

okay, first and foremost: if you’re NOT into long winded drama, this probably isn’t it for you. i will admit im not a fan of long problems that get dragged out, especially in a school setting, but i did keep reading this webtoon and i am glad that i did! the character development here is amazing and ONE CRUCIAL THING is that the whole first season (which is many, many chapters. at least over 100) focuses on the friendship between our main 4 girls. if you don’t wanna wait for a romance storyline (which comes in season 2), then you’ve gotta have the patience of a saint. i loved this though because lots of romance webtoons cast friendships aside or use them to further the romantic plot. platonic relationships are great to read about and this one does it masterfully! main character nari is resilient and emotionally strong, and it’s great to see her ruin her enemies

3) Cursed Princess Club (currently 110 chapters; on break before the final season)

this is another one about beauty and societal expectations, but in a fantasy setting! it’s really funny and the cast of characters is heartwarming. Gwen is a princess, but she doesn’t look like the typical princess. she accidentally stumbles upon the Cursed Princess Club, which is exactly what it sounds like: a club for princesses that have been cursed and are trying to find their self worth despite not being conventional princesses! now that i think about it, this is like a lighthearted mixture of Makeup Remover and Spirit Fingers. although while i do say “lighthearted”, this webtoon has its fair share of mysteries and exploration of deeper topics. but its funny throughout

4) Brass & Sass (currently 83 chapters)

ahh this one is really cute and the art is cute, too! i also like how this has a diverse cast. high schooler Camilla kinda sucks at band, but dangit if she’s not passionate. Victor is some type of musical prodigy but he’s a brass-hole (hahaha get it. no that’s not original i ripped it from the summary). now i KNOW I KNOW, the whole “perky girl and asshole guy” is so overplayed BUT DON’T FRET! this isn’t the type of story where the girl “fixes” the guy, or where the guy is an asshole to everyone except the girl. believe me, the character development and relationship development in this story is SPLENDID. there’s no real antagonist. it’s just a bunch of high schoolers trying their best to make themselves and everyone else happy, and that’s hard! the story is carried more by the characters than by the plot, but it works well in this case since the characters are strong and each one has a presence.

5) Surviving Romance (currently 10 chapters)

this one is relatively new compared to my other recs but it’s by the author of the Makeup Remover so yaknow i had to hop on it. BUT IT IS VERY DIFFERENT! first off, it’s a horror, so keep that in mind. the best way i can describe it is a mixture of the standard “girl falls into a story” genre, Groundhog Day, and zombies. Yeah. Bascially, Chaerin is our main girl and she’s in a romance story that’s she’s read a bajillion times, so she knows the day has come for her male lead to confess his love! except he doesn’t! because he becomes a zombie instead! hahaha well that sucks! it’s only got 10 chapters but i am very into it, and it seems to be taking an emphasis on platonic relationships, so i am very closely watching 👁👁

6) The Witch and the Bull (currently 60 chapters)

another witch story! and the art is GORGEOUS. more witch + nonwitch conflict, too! our main dude, Tan, is the royal advisor and he’s hella bigoted against witches. our main girl, Aro, happens to be a witch. and Tan needs her help to make him into a human again (because he got turned into a bull. that is worth mentioning). this is a very barebones summary and there’s a lot more that goes on, but that’s the general gist of the beginning!

ANYWAYS. this got very long, predictably, and i rambled for each title, predictably. i’ve got more that i’m reading, but i really like these 9! i also made comments on the art for a lot of them, which might not matter to some people, but i feel like my art was very impacted by each webtoon i read. if you’re an artist i recommend finding a webtoon you like and studying the art; try implementing parts you like into your own style!

anyways, i am FINALLY done talking. bye yall

#webtoons #my recs

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descendantofthesparrow · 3 years

Text

Soulmate au! tattoos - Harry Hook x Reader - Oneshot

Small spin on two soulmate au ideas that got sent in, name tattooed somewhere on the body and whatever is drawn on the skin shows up on the other, and im including tattoos (except those don’t disappear so if your soulmate get a tattoo you get one too and unless you get it removed it's there to stay)

soulmate au ideas from anon and @harryhasmehooked

tattoo designs/ideas borrowed from @kindofchaoticgood

Everyone was born with their soulmates name tattooed somewhere on their body, on their wrist, on their collarbone, on the back of the neck, anywhere really. Another thing was that whatever your soulmate had something written or drawn on their arm, it would show up on your body as well.

Many soulmates found each other by communicating with a pen and writing their information on their skin, others liked to make it a hunt and only give hints to their soulmate.

Then there were the tattoos. and not the ones that one was born with. The ones that someone got willingly inked onto their body.

If someone got a tattoo, that same tattoo would appear on their soulmate's body, but unlike when they simply wrote on their arm with a pen, it wouldn’t disappear unless they got it removed.

Sometimes, people gushed over their soulmate's tattoo and proudly wore them, others hid their tattoos away in fear they would be judged.

Usually, the ones who hid their tattoos either had a good reason to hide them or were just ashamed of their soulmate's choice of art.

You weren’t one of those people.

Around the time you were 11 or 12, small temporary tattoos began to appear on your skin, first just little inked ones that would easily wash off, but soon little stick and poke tattoos started to appear, they would fade after a while but they were cute and you retouched them on your own when you could. Some were little music notes, others resembled constellations, and one, which was your favorite, was a small hook nestled in the crook of your palm.

The first “real” tattoo showed up several months after the first poke and stick tattoos, your cousin had joked about how cliche it was and your soulmate must be a pirate or something, a skull with crossed swords on the right side of your chest.

Your parents had pretty much freaked out, you only being 12 and already having a tattoo but you brushed it off and admired it every day, writing on your arm to ask your soulmate where and how they had gotten the tattoo.

Unfortunately, you had never gotten a response.

The next tattoo to appear, on the left side of your chest this time, was a ship sailing into the horizon. Again you asked them where and how they had gotten the tattoo, along with asking the name of the ship, once again there was no response.

Only a week later a new tattoo showed up, this time on the inside of your left arm, written in slight cursive were the words “No grave can hold me down” you had traced the words the entire night into the next morning.

Soon after that, another tattoo showed up, this one on the back of your left hand, depicting three swords crossing their blades.

Your cousins always teased you about how pirate-like your soulmate's tattoos were, but you laughed at the slight irony of it since your soulmate might have been a pirate after all.

Considering their last name was “Hook” it was a pretty good chance that they had followed their dad's footsteps.

“Harry Hook” a name that drifted through your dreams, you always imagined what they would be like, hopefully, nothing like James hook.

It was years before a new tattoo showed up, when you were 16 and attending Auradon prep, after King Ben had invited four villain kids to Auradon, curling black inked words on the inside of your right arm ‘death before disloyalty’. You had no clue what it meant, but it clearly had a deeper meaning.

Throughout the years you had no luck in attempting to contact your ‘Harry Hook’, you had either sent a simple ‘hi’ or a small little note mentioning one of the tattoos. It was always no response. Though you got little notes from them that were rare and never had anything to do with what you sent him. Just little ‘hello’s and asking your name, but every time you responded, nothing came back.

you had mentioned it to Evie, who was in your art class, who said that because of the barrier, it prevented soulmate magic as well, meaning Harry hadn’t ever seen your little notes and didn’t even have your name tattooed on him somewhere.

Evie was also the only one who knew of your soulmate's name that was willing to tell you about him, being the least…biased against her fellow vk. Mal, Jay, and Carlos all seemed to have some sort of grudge against him and always badmouthed him when the topic of Harry came up.

Though thanks to Evie and her thankfully amazing art skills, she had depicted Harry for you, she had said it wasn’t perfect since she was more of a concept artist than one who practiced realism, that was more Mal’s thing, but you could tell she was just being modest.

Black fluffy hair, ocean blue eyes always lined with liner, plump lips that Evie said were always in a sharp smirk, a jaw that could cut someone. He was perfect, and you hoped you could meet him soon.

Three months after the vks had come to Auradon, a new tattoo appeared; this time of a solid black anchor on your right forearm. You traced it constantly with your finger, wondering what this one meant, just as you did with every tattoo appearance.

Soon after that, a swallow appeared just above the crook of your right elbow, and a lioness with a language you couldn’t speak written under it appearing on your left wrist.

Then a watercolor lily on the side of your right forearm, then constellations started to appear on your back, you had Evie take a picture each time one appeared, smiling as yours appeared among them (star sign, like Virgo or Capricorn)

Around April, another tattoo appeared, again on your right forearm, this time of a treble clef symbol with a series of notes within the loops. You wondered what the song was, humming it under your breath as you tapped out the notes on whatever surface your hand was resting on.

It was several months later before another tattoo appeared, and it was the most beautiful one yet. Swirling turquoise tentacles curled around and down your right arm, starting from your right shoulder and ending just below your elbow.

You had started wearing sleeveless tops more often, wanting everyone to see the masterpiece that was curled around your arm.

Once you turned 18 you started to decorate your skin as well, your first being a watercolor compass on your left bicep that melted into waves as it drew away from the middle.

Next, you got one with a moon theme on the back of your neck just below your hairline, reaching down your neck and connecting with the constellations on your back.

After that you got a skeleton hand on your right hand, then the map of Neverland on your thigh, then the north star on your ankle.

You were almost covered in tattoos, to which some people gaped and gasped, but you paid them no mind, your tattoos were your only connection to your soulmate and you couldn’t wait for the day that he would finally see your combined works.

Harry didn’t know if he had a soulmate or not, the barrier prevented any type of communication through writing on their skin or their names being tattooed on their body.

So Harry had gone his entire life without knowing the name of his, possibly non-existent, soulmate, and no matter how many times he had tried to talk to them, there was never any response.

He always did wonder though, if he had a soulmate, what they thought of his tattoos. Did they like them? Did they wear them proudly? Did they hide them? Did they get them removed? He would probably never know.

Until one day, only a couple days after the four traitors had invited four new vks, he was outside of the barrier.

The blank spots on his skin bloomed to life, a watercolor compass on his left bicep, a skeleton hand on his right hand, Gil told him about the moon tattoo on the back of his neck, the tingle of magic on his thigh and ankle told him there were new tattoos there was well.

He stared at the new tattoos, smiling slightly at the realization that he did have a soulmate. His smile dipped a bit as his left wrist started to burn slightly, and he ripped away the old bandage that covered his scar from years ago, eyes widening as the curving letters of his soulmates started to appear.

‘(y/n) (l/n)’

Harry stared at the name, not realizing everyone was moving towards Auradon till Gil gently pushed at his shoulder to get him to move “oh” Harry muttered, catching up with Uma and smirking as she stared at the large tattoo sleeve on his right arm.

“you are such a dork” she snorted, pushing at his arm and looking at his hand “didn’t think you were one to get a skeleton tattoo”

Harry just held up his left wrist with a grin “Oh holy shit!” Uma laughed, grabbing onto his hand and examining the name “(y/n) huh?...nice name” Mal yelled at them to catch up, making Uma glare at the girl. “hold your pants princess were dealing with some shit back here!”

Uma and Harry shared a look ‘we’ll talk about this later’ and followed after the other vks, Uma continuing to poke and prod at Harry's new tattoos.

Harry stood awkwardly in a quiet corner at Mal and Ben's engagement party as everyone else danced in the middle of the large garden. He swirled the pink lemonade in the small glass cup and took a careful sip. He let a small smile grow on his face as Gil and Uma spun around on the dance floor.

He glanced down at his left wrist, flexing it a bit as his soulmate's name shined lightly in the sunlight. He let out a sigh and took another sip of his drink, he had no idea where his soulmate was, they could be anywhere really, in Auradon, or maybe on the other side of the world.

“I like your tattoos” a voice spoke from beside him, and Harry glanced at them for a moment before looking back at the dance floor.

“Thank yeh” he muttered back, pausing as he went to take another sip of his drink. He whirled back around, eyes widening as he really looked at the person who had complimented him.

They were covered in tattoos, ones that matched his exactly, on their right arm were turquoise tentacles, an anchor, a swallow in flight, a watercolor lily, a treble clef with music notes, and…his name on the inside of your wrist. “Harry Hook…right?” you asked nervously, tapping your foot against the ground.

Harry looked down at his wrist again and looked back at you “aye…(y/n) (l/n)?” he asked softly, smiling as you grinned and nodded.

“That would be me, it's nice to finally meet you Harry” you held out your hand, your grin widening as Harry eagerly took it. “Come on, let's talk”

“Okay,” Harry muttered, sharing a smile with Uma and Gil as they pointed at your tattoos with wide grins “let's talk.”

You tugged Harry out of the garden party, your hands tightly intertwined. Just below your intertwined hands at the wrists, the tattooed names glowed for a moment then shimmered to a shining, just visible, gold color.

A symbol that one's soulmate had been found.

-end-

another short but sweet oneshot! probably didnt make complete sense but im just wanting to get back into writing since ive been feeling a bit of a block with my main stories, so if anybody else has anymore soulmate au ideas send em in.

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#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #harry hook #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine #soulmate au #tattoos

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