#LIL DOODLE FROM TODAY HEHEHE | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

staysocky · 5 years ago

Photo

answering a handful of asks under the cut !!

answers & replies here are generally:

brush settings

misc. responses

(MANY OF THESE I’M ANSWERING...VERY LATE.... IM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY I JUST WANTED TO WAIT A BIT SO I COULD COMPILE EVERYTHING ALL TOGETHER.....)

Anonymous said: Hello friend may I ask about your brush settings? Because I am in love with your colouring and line work!

Anonymous said: Your art is so cute! What brushes do you use?

Answer: i main SAI2 now, but here are the same settings when i was using them in the original SAI!!

(i just copied my own settings in SAI2 now so they should work the same... also sometimes i use the marker tool for doodling nowadays)

Anonymous said: do you post speedpaints anywhere? i'd love to see your painting process! your art style is phenomenal hngh

Anonymous said: Do you have a youtube channel? Just wondering, since I can't seem to find it. I'd like to watch some speedpaints or something .u.

Anonymous said: could do you a tutorial on how you color hair??? its so pretty and baffles me all the time

Anonymous said: Would you ever do a tutorial showing how you draw? I've see you post on how you color but not lineart (ps your style is super duper cute!!)

Anonymous said: Ayy ;3c hello stocky, your art is amazing ;; how is your process for color your drawings? Plz need to know! God bless you♥

Anonymous said: How do you color soooo well? Can I get some tips? ( ;n; )

Answer: i’ve sometimes done lil art streams for friends before! i could use the same capture software to make speedpaints sometime.... i’ve been considering it for a while actually!

my process can be a lil sloppy when i try to break it down into steps for tutorials so i think the best way to show + explain is through art streams (& video process)...

i was thinking of starting art streams on twitch in the near future too... it’s just when i’ll finally be able to get setup finally that i’d be able to set a streaming schedule

Anonymous said: I never played Megaman but I used to watch my older brother play it, and I finally started playing it because of your art too lmao (i love it)

Answer: MEGAMAN GOOD!!! im so glad you’re enjoying the series now too!!

Anonymous said: Socky, will you restock the sanic charms (the knuckles and tails link one) or make other characters?? i love them !

Answer: THANK YOU i’m glad u like em!! each time they sell out i do plan to restock them so no worries!! 👍 I AM AIMING TO MAKE MORE CHARMS OF OTHER SONIC CHARACTERS TOO they’ll come eventually when i’m able to make the designs & get them ordered!!

Anonymous said: ((whispers, this may have been asked before and I wasn't sure where to ask it, but what does "i tried my best x5" mean? is it a reference to something? ;;))

Answer: OH NO WORRIES I’LL CLEAR IT UP!! it’s in reference to a youtube user’s rp comments as “kagamine len”. i’ve seen it MANY years ago & at that time it became sorta an inside joke between me & my friends.

later i referenced/used it as a response a few times on my len askblog to keep it going.

it’s a small lil thing i guess but i’ve sorta adopted the saying now haha

Anonymous said: socks r gr8 doncha think

Anonymous said: ookay im going to sleep now sorry

Answer: no come back you are valid !!

Anonymous said: your aRT gives me heARTATTACKKKS

Answer: BREATHE, ANON

Anonymous said: I JUST FOUND YOUR BLOG AND I LOVE YOUR ART STYLE! <3

Anonymous said: Wanted to say I absolutely love your art and how you draw the Kagamines. Please keep it up!

Anonymous said: HELLO I JUST. WANNA SAY I ADORE YOUR ART AND BLOGS !! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND I ALSO WISH YOU ALL THE BEST !!

Anonymous said: your art makes me cry out of joy. I am actually crying because your style makes me so happy!!!! keep up the good work!! <3

Anonymous said: your artstyle. CUTE

@transjackatlas said: you art style is absolutely adorable 💙💚💕

@emmi-san said: I only wanted to say that I love your art style and the cute representations of the vocaloid songs ✨💕

@tyranart said: Your arts wonderful and I hope your day is full of nothing but enjoyment

@thekillermarti said: how do you draw so cute?!

@neykoart said: YOUR ARTSTYLE IS SO CUTE OH MY GOD YOUR TETO DRAWING WARMS MY HEART SO MUCH

@dumiz-hyper-saiyan said: Hiya! I wanted to ask, how is your art so great!? You are so so talented (I know it’s not really a question but I love your drawings so much! I hope we can be friends cause you seem to be a amazing person!) hehe!♥️

@seraphofivorylight said: (￣▽￣) i just found ur blog today and i want to say i really love how soft ur art is !! its super pleasing to look and i definitely wish i could have some of these as prints to slap onto my wall of posters ✨ keep doing ur good work !! i hope ur doing well !!

Answer: THANK YOU SO MUCHHCH!!!!! i’m glad y’all are enjoying my art u folks are the MVPs & it’s super motivating to get your nice feedback _(┐「ε:)_ 💕 💕 //sends you all my lov e

@moderndayoutsider said: Just thought I'd shoot a message and say that I absolutely ADORE your art and you're one of my inspirations <3 God bless! Keep on doing what you're doing! :D

Anonymous said: ahh i wana say that ive been a fan of you for years and youve inspired my own art sm T_T... bout time i told you how much i love ur stuff 💖💖💖

Anonymous said: Woah, I'm a bit new to your blog and I just want to say how cute your art is. I'm literally so glad this was on my recommended. If I hadn't clicked on your blog then I don't know where I would be. To be honest, I would send you this on my real account but I'm actually really afraid to talk to you, and plus I'm really shy heheh. But keep up the good work! You're an inspiration to us all.

Anonymous said: Hi socky!!! I just wanna drop by and say that I love ur art so so so much !! The coloring and shape of it is so appealing and sometimes I spend hours at a time on your social media just marveling your art. It's really pretty!! Keep up the good work ✨✨✨

Answer: sdfgFDGDdsf knowing that u folks are inspired by my works makes it all worth it, i hope u know (;__;💕 💕 thank you so much for sticking around & enjoying!!! it really means A LOT pleas y’all have a lovely week!!

Anonymous said: Do you take commissions?

Anonymous said: Commission?

Answer: I SORTA HAVE COMMISSIONS OPEN tho i take them by a commission form which puts you on a waitlist. i’m more active on my twitter and tweet updates, & handle most contact about them there...

here’s a link to the tweet about my current commission info + the link to the form is inside --> [comm info]

Anonymous said: Where are you from? Your art is so clean and stylish!! 💖✨

@mysticmangaanimepainter said: What year u start drawing???😮

Answer: started drawing wayyy back when i was able to first hold a crayon haha. tho i sorta started paying attention to what i was doing around middle school? started drawing digitally between middle & high school iirc... im from the US also !!

AAAND AGAIN A LOT OF THESE WERE ASKED/SENT VERY LONG AGO..... & IM SORRY FOR JUST NOW ANSWERING THEM... o+<

but to all who’s sent me nice messages & words of encouragement, thank you so much 😭💕💕💕 i rly appreciate em all & even tho i’m not very responsive here on tumblr i rly like to look at and read the messages from time to time;;;💖

#THIS IS SO LATE THERE ARE ASKS SENT FROM YEARS AGO IM SO SORRY HGFDJLHDJ #i'm not very responsive here on tumblr but i do see & love all the good feedback yall have sent!!#ask compilation #answered

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17cafe · 7 years ago

Text

seventeen college au valentine’s date

(with member of your choice!)

so a little backstory

you and him are in the same art class

and you both always make these little doodles that take just a minute while you do other work

they were always super cute and to be honest it made you find him super cute

long story short things kept happening and u two ended up with crushes on each other hehe

and you found out you liked each other hehehe

just one day before it was valentine’s day he got to class before you

which he was very relieved about

and tucked his little doodle for you under a tin of markers that were at your spot

when you got to class you saw the corner of paper sticking out and u were like

“oh wow i wonder who could have done this”

super sarcasm

you look around for him though but don’t see him anywhere

he was hiding behind a corner looking at u kind of sneaky

to see your reaction

but he was too shy to like be beside you when you looked at the doodle

when you moved the tin off of it and picked it up

and unfolded it

you saw that the drawing was of you and him

and you were both holding this huge candy heart with equally huge smiles

and on the heart had the words “be mine?”

but in the bottom corner of the paper was another drawing

much smaller

of you both eating the candy heart because why let it go to waste

and you laugh then smile

when he sees you laugh he’s like hooo boy okay yes this is good

and he comes up to you finally

you’re actually so intrigued at how good the drawing is though it isn’t a normal doodle and you jump when he puts his hands on your shoulders

so you turn around and you’re smiling super wide and he’s smiling super wide and you’re like aWWWWW and hug him super tight

the other students in the room were going awww too

and some were ignoring u too but hey that’s okay

in response to the “be mine?” on the heart you say “yes do you even have to ask !!!”

he’s like i wasn’t sure! you can’t blame me! you play footsies under the table with the guy that sits across from us

you’re like uh do u really think that means he’s my boyfriend or something??

he’s like yeah

and you’re like hhahhaha !!! and he’s like ahaah

then the teacher is like okay kids sit down

and class starts

later on after school you stay a couple extra minutes to finish your assignment because you were almost done!! thankfully art was last class of the day for you

he stays with you of course

after a little while it was just you and him left because the other students all rushed outta there and the teacher left to go bake some clay

you bring up the footsies thing again and you start ranting

not angry ranting but just ranting nonstop

and he literally out of nowhere was like hey...and pecks your lips real quick so you stop talking

you actually gasp and put your pencil crayon down before leaning and kissing him back but on the cheek

he blushes SO HARD

he grabs your hand and bag and drawing and just pulls u out of the room and ur like WHAT are you doing

he doesn’t say anything and pulls you to the library

and sits at a secluded table and it’s so sosoososooo sweet

he just holds your hand and plays with your fingers and he just asks about your day and kind of mumbles things sometimes that u ask him to repeat

and it’s always something like “oh.. i just said you look cute when you make that face..”

the smile and faint blush never leaves his face as you guys talk with each other.. until one of the library workers is like hey we’re closing get out

now its an hour and a half since school ended and u guys are lke woah what

but he’s still holding onto your hand and grabs your bag for u again and leads you outta there

and there’s nobody in the hallways so u guys just wander around in the school and keep talking

but soon your phone rings and ur like whoop! i know what that is gotta go home

and you pout because you love spending time with him…

but he’s like “no that face is too pretty to pout”

boom your mood is instantly brighter

and he just smiles because he Knows and he’s like alright which way

you’re like ????

he’s like which way to your home

and he obviously walks you home

of course before you open the door to go inside he kisses your forehead.. and he’s like I’ll see you tomorrow right?? it’s valentines day you better come to school :((

and you’re like yes of course i will see you tomorrow!! and he grins and winks and says “tomorrow it is then”

when you go inside and close the door you just sigh and squeal and that dork is jumping around as he walks away and hops all the way home wow he’s such a happy boy

so tomorrow comes aka ~valentine’s day~

art class is right in the morning

and neither of you have afternoon classes !!

he got up early to look good for u.. he did his hair how you like it and wore a button up shirt with these nice black pants ooo

he got you candy hearts like the drawing and some flowers but shh you don’t know yet

also he drew another picture last night but wait for that ok

he came early because he wanted to be there before you again

he’s checking his hair and breath and making sure his shirt is all nicely resting with no wrinkles or anything

and he’s waiting in the art room beside the door when you come in

you don’t see him n hes like yes my plan worked

he silently follows you and waits until you sit down and whispers “happy valentine’s day~~” and holds the flowers and candy and folded drawing out in front of you and ur like WOAHH

OH BOY

HE PUTS ALL THE STUFF ON YOUR TABLE AND LITERALLY JUST. SPINS YOUR CHAIR

and kiss e s you

and it’s short but passionate and like it sucked the life out of you that was so unexpected

and he pulls back at looks at you all dazed and smiles

both of you are so red

he turns your chair back around and tucks you in before he takes his seat next to you and points to the flowers because he doesn’t want you looking at him he is TOO SHY

“do you like them?? they aren’t valentine colours but they reminded me of you~” because there’s yellow flowers mixed with the pink

and inside u are a total mess like crying but a good cry with heart eyes..

he’s giggling like crazy and you unfold the drawing finally and this boy

“im glad you like the flowers because–”

he drew your faces from side angles and your noses are touching and like the other drawing you both have those big scrunchy smiles

and you CANT you just hug him so tight and wrap your legs around him too because your chairs are against each other like one long chair and just

the other students coming in now are all smiley and some “awww” at you guys and you pull away but

he opens the candy container thing and picks one and brings it up for you to read before putting it in your hand

it’s one that said “be mine?”

more people are smiling and cooing at you guys and you hide your beet red face

he hides his face too but sees you doing it still and whispers in your ear

“you okay?”

you nod but still hide your face and he rubs your back and leans his head on the table right beside yours and hes trying to look at you

“lemme see that pretty face? pleeease?”

soon enough when class starts though he goes and gets the paints and brushes you always use & your project and brings everything to you

he gets to work but wraps his leggies around yours and you’re like ??? but he just keeps doing his own thing

u let it happen no questions just smiles

at the end of class he cleans up all his and your stuff for you too :’)

and you assume he just didn’t bring a bag or anything today because he has nothing with him

he just picks up all of your stuff and says

“we’re going out to get lunch today!”

and you’re just like ok sunshine!

he’s like o no i should be calling you that...

so you’re like “well why didn’t you”

“dang u right.. i’m sorry prince/ss” and he looks around once again seeing practically nobody in the room then kisses your cheeks like 10 times

all this luck of being nearly alone in a public place wow

you guys go to this small casual restaurant about a block away

you to pick a table as he orders and pays in advance because he knows it’s a good place they never mess up

you come back and ask “what did you order for us?”

he smiles at the word “us” and looks down shyly

doesn’t respond and picks up where you left off from the conversation after school yesterday

he lightly takes hold of your hand and stares at you so admiringly as you talk

the food all comes soon and ok are you ready

spring rolls with the sauce in a heart shaped dish

sandwiches cut in the shape of a heart

red drink with heart straw

dessert was a cupcake with pink icing and a bit of ice cream in the shape of a heart too

and you were like wo w they’re really in the valentine’s spirit!! and he was like hehe yeah

but really he had to request it and pay extra for all that but it was worth it because he loved when you giggled and smiled so much

when you guys finish eating and talking and get up

and when you’re at the door just about to leave the waiter comes up with one last thing

a heart balloon!! and hands it to you and u look at your boy

he shrugs and he’s like idk where that came from

you’re like well i do you goober and peck his lips and he’s like heHEEe

he caresses your cheek and kisses you back but you pull away kind of quickly because this is a public place

after leaving the restaurant you guys just walk around the neighbourhood talking and laughing and sneaking lil kissies in here and there

you end up laying in the field by your school and again luck is on your side because nobody else is out there and it’s a bit chilly but sunny and nice

so it’s just you guys on the grass

holding hands and he sings this little song he made for you after getting over his shyness about it

and it makes you fall so much harder

you tied the balloon to your wrist but somehow it came undone

and at one point the balloon flies up and you yell !! and he jumps up and you do too and jump onto his back and you touch the ribbon but it gets away :((

you huff and you’re so sad and lay limp on his back n in a soft voice he’s like “baby it’s okay hey it’s okay”

extra cuddles and kisses as u pretend to stay sad and say it was the most special balloon because he got it for you

tickles you a little so you laugh and man

keeps kissing u so much he can not get enough

they’re always so soft and warm just so delicate

it’s overwhelming because you’ve never really kissed before and now so many in one day !!! but it’s exciting!!

at one point you’re kind of on top of him attacking him in kisses to “get back” at him n you bring your hands up for better balance and end up tickling his sides and he jumps

you’re like >:))

continue the tickling and “revenge” kisses and omg

even though he’s laughing so hard all you hear is silence because you’re just focused on his face and how purely happy he seems and it’s like wow.. i caused that

but you end up laying side by side fiddling with each others fingers

you see the dot of the balloon way up in the clear sky

you two just spend hours at the field sitting and talking and sometimes getting up and running away from the other as they threatened to tickle you

soon enough it’s already getting dark?? you two were so caught up in each other that you didn’t even realize it

he thought dinner plans were too formal as you two just became a couple and you already went on the cute lunch date !! so he walked you home before it got too dark

you started rubbing your arms because you got cold

you had a jacket on already but he put his coat over your shoulders as well

when he dropped you off he got a little pouty

and you kissed him to make him smile again

of course he did

and of course he held your hands as he looked at you while you talked

he stood outside the door with you for a long time but then you got too cold and got a shiver

and he was like oh no okay go inside

he walked home in the dark and he was a little scared but that didn’t matter because he was so head over heels for you

when he got home he checked his phone and saw a message from you

but even before replying he called his mom and told her all about you omg

he couldn’t help himself

this... angel boy

likes you so much

he will always do anything to make you smile

and always protect you and help you and support you

and love you

and he knows you’ll do all the same

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legendofzeldaalinktothepast · 4 years ago

Text

Pathetic, Clinging Poetry - Chapter 17 (of 25)

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

I'm told the storm is on its way. I put the batteries in my flashlight. The clouds make their way over the horizon. I grab the blankets from my closet. Rain patters just down the street. I search for a good book to read. The wind pounds against the door.

Peony rubbed her eyes as she awoke, cringing at the stiff feeling in her back. Her sleep had been on-and-off throughout the night; no matter how much she adjusted, sleeping in a car seat just wasn't comfortable. She turned her sleepy eyes towards the screen of the GPS; less than half an hour left til they could finally get out of the car and lay down in a real bed. Stretching her arms and yawning, she turned towards the woman in the driver's seat and gazed at her lovingly. "Good morning." she whispered, her voice a little raspy as she was still waking up. She reached for her hand and stroked the fabric of her white fingerless gloves.

"You get enough rest, Peeps?" Spinel asked.

"Not quite. But it's alright, I'll catch up once we're there." Peony sighed. She smoothed her hair out with her fingers with her free hand; now that it was so short, it stuck up all over the place in a way that seemed to defy gravity. "May I steal a sip of your coffee?"

"Go for it."

Peony reached for the travel mug in the cup holder and took a tiny sip -- very sweet, with a hint of chocolate, and still a tad warm. Spinel probably bought it recently, during one of Peony's sporadic naps. "I know I've asked this a million times, but... They won't mind that I'm coming with you, will they?"

"Pfft, hell no." Spinel said. "I promise, cutie pie, they couldn't be more excited that we're coming over. My aunties have been sufferin' from empty nest syndrome ever since their little Pinkie moved out. If anything, they'll be the ones driving you crazy."

Peony giggled. "Oh goodness. At least I have some experience with that." she said. Setting the coffee back down, she gave Spinel's hand a little squeeze. "I hope Pearl will be happy to see me... She tried so hard to have me come along with her, but... In the end, I think it's better that I waited." Peony said, pressing a kiss to Spinel's cheek.

A blush spread across Spinel's freckled face. "Aww... I think your sis is gonna be thrilled that you're alright. She's probably been thinkin' about you ever since she ran away." she said, stroking Peony's knuckles with her thumb. "I promise, the minute we're settled in at my aunts' house, we'll take a lil roadtrip to try and find her. You're sure she's in Beach City, right?"

"I'm sure of it. She told me she was moving in with her friend Jasper. And since it's only been a few months, I can't imagine she'd already be living on her own or somewhere else." Peony said. "And if I know my sister at all, she's probably spending a lot of time at the library. So when we go over to Beach City, we should look there, first."

"Sounds like a plan." Spinel said, giving Peony a reassuring pat on the back.

Peony felt a flutter of excitement in her chest; before she knew it, they were going to be reunited! With a sigh of content, she turned her gaze back towards the window, watching as they drove past what seemed like miles of grassy fields. Occasionally, Peony would see herds of cows or horses grazing, and she'd excitedly gesture for Spinel to look. "So cute... Didn't you say your aunties used to have horses?"

"They still do." Spinel grinned. "And they got a crapload of land to ride around on, too. Maybe one day I could show you how to ride -- though my skills are a little rusty -- and we could go for a walk through the nearby woods."

"Whoa..." Peony said, her eyes wide. "I've never touched a pony before. Whenever I saw one at the fair or at the zoo as a little girl, my mom always told me they were gross and dirty."

"Heheh! Well, she's not wrong, but God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt." Spinel snorted.

Peony burst into laughter. "I guess that's true, huh?" she giggled, leaning towards Spinel and resting her head against her shoulder. She glanced at the GPS again; fifteen minutes.

Spinel ran one hand through Peony's hair, keeping the other firm on the steering wheel. "Almost there, cutie. I love ya..."

"I love you too.”

It had been a while since Amethyst set foot in the library; every now and then, she'd walk over to get some quiet time after a fight with Jasper, flipping through the monthly fashion magazines or reading the first few chapters of some cheesy romance novel, only to realize that it sucked ass before placing it on the return cart. These past few months, however, she'd been getting along a little better with Jasper, so she didn't have much of a reason to go there... But today, she was joining Pearl to help out with story time. In all honesty, waking up before noon to spend time with a bunch of drooly kids wasn't really her cup of tea, but Pearl seemed really eager to bring her along, and she figured it was probably better than painting alone in her room all day.

"Good morning!" Pearl greeted as she led Amethyst into the activity room, approaching a short, elderly woman sitting in a chair. She wore a teal polka dotted blouse and a ankle-length skirt, and had a cane sitting beside her. "This is Mrs. Fluorite! Mrs. Fluorite, this is my friend Amethyst." She could hear Pearl hesitate on the word "friend", and admittedly, felt her heart sink -- but she didn't blame her for playing it safe. As nice as she seemed, she had no idea how tolerant this lady was.

"Hey." Amethyst greeted, awkwardly extending a hand towards the old woman. She gave it a gentle shake, smiling warmly at her. "Thank you for joining us today, Amethyst! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure the little angels will be excited to make a new friend today."

And just like that, a tiny pair of arms wrapped around her. "Hi Amanda!" Steven greeted.

"It's Amethyst." she smirked, ruffling his hair. "Nice to see ya, kiddo."

"Am... a... fist. Got it!" Steven gave her a thumbs up. "I didn't know you came to story time!"

"I normally don't, but I thought I'd come and help out a little today." she said, giving her girlfriend a knowing grin.

"Why don't you go and wipe down the tables while I make copies of the coloring page?" Pearl suggested. "There's a sink in the back of the room, and some paper towels and bleach spray!" she said.

"On it!" Amethyst said. As she made her way towards the back, however, she could feel herself growing slightly anxious. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been around kids -- especially a group this big. And from her experience, kids could be pretty cruel...

'Ugh, snap out of it.' she thought, shaking her head. 'Worst case scenario, one of the munchkins calls me an ugly doodoohead. I think I'll live to see another day if that happens.'. Pulling out a few paper towels, she reached for the bleach spray and began to make her way back towards the cluster of round tables.

By then, all of the kids had arrived and seated themselves on the carpet in a circle; as she sprayed the bright red colored tabletops with some bleach and wiped them down, she glanced at the doorway every now and then, eagerly waiting for Pearl to come back with the coloring pages.

"Alright, kids, we have a new friend joining us today!" Mrs. Fluorite announced, turning her gaze towards Amethyst. "Say hello to Amethyst!"

"Hello, Amethyst!" "Hi, Amethyst!" "I like your purple hair!" the kids greeted, waving their little hands at her. While she was still feeling pretty nervous, the warm greeting eased her nerves. "Hey, kiddos. Nice to meet you all! And uh, thanks!"

Once the chatter in the room settled down, Mrs. Fluorite reached into her handbag and pulled out the story of the day. "Today we're going to be reading Corduroy!" she announced, holding up the picture book in her hands so they could see the cover. It had a picture of a teddy bear in a pair of green overalls. "Do any of you have a stuffed bear like him at home?"

"I do!" "I do, too!" "I have three teddies, Mrs. Fluorite!"

Soon enough, all of the tables were clean. Once that was out of the way, Amethyst tossed the paper towels in the trash, looking around the room for something else she could do... It seemed relatively clean, and with the kids sitting down for the story, there didn't seem to be much else that needed done. 'I wonder what's taking Pearl so long...' she thought, nervously biting her lip as she seated herself in one of the tiny chairs. 'Heh, they're me-sized.' she silently remarked, amused by how comfortably she fit in a piece of furniture clearly made for toddlers.

"Amethyst, would you like to join the story circle?" Mrs. Fluorite asked with a warm smile. "You're free to sit wherever you're comfortable, but I thought I'd let you know there's plenty of room for you on the carpet."

Amethyst smiled nervously. In all honesty, she really didn't want to; she was already feeling pretty anxious, sitting in a room full of little kids she didn't know, especially with Pearl still out of the room. But she also didn't wanna seem rude... especially when Steven looked at her with those big brown eyes. So she needed some kind of excuse. "Ah, I'd love to, but uh, my knees are kinda sh- bad. Sitting on the floor kinda makes them hurt. I'll listen from over here, though!"

"Alright." Mrs. Fluorite nodded in understanding. "Let's begin the story, then, shall we?"

As Mrs. Fluorite began to read, her voice gentle and very slow (which was ideal, considering she was reading to people whose brains weren't fully formed yet), Amethyst realized she needed to keep her hands busy. So she reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a little pad of blue sticky notes and a mechanical pencil. She clicked the pencil and placed the sticky notepad on the table. A little doodling always kept her mind busy when she was feeling jittery.

She sketched out the shape of a head, and then began to fill in the details; Amethyst was almost tempted to look at Pearl for reference, only to remember she still hadn't returned with those damn coloring pages. 'Taking her time, huh...' she thought. 'Oh well. Guess I'll have to go by memory... Not like I don't stare at her face for hours on end, heh.'

Amethyst eventually got sucked into her drawing, and before she knew it, the story was over and the kids were getting up from the carpet. "Oh, huh, guess it's time for you kiddos to do your coloring pages, huh?" she said, rising to her feet so one of the kids could take her chair. She turned to Mrs. Fluorite. "Want me to see what's taking Pearlie so long...?"

"That would be a good idea, yes." Mrs. Fluorite said with a smile. "Perhaps she was having some trouble with the printer..."

"Whoaa, Miss Amethyst, this picture is so cool!" one of the kids said, grabbing the sticky note she'd left on the table. "Look at this, Mrs. Fortnite! Miss Amethyst drawed Miss Pearl! She's so good!"

"Oh my..." Mrs. Fluorite didn't even bother to correct the kid's butchering of her name, putting on her glasses and taking the sticky note in her hands. "Did you really draw this?"

Amethyst blushed. "Aw, yeah -- just did a little doodle to pass the time, heh..."

"It's beautiful!" Mrs. Fluorite beamed. "You have a lot of talent, Amethyst. How would you like to draw a coloring page for us one day?"

"Oh man, really?" Amethyst shoved her hands into her pocket. "I don't see why not... Just tell me what to draw, and I'll sketch it up for ya, ma'am!"

The door to the activity room suddenly swung open, causing Amethyst to jump. "I'm back!" Pearl exclaimed, holding a stack of papers in her arms. "Please excuse me, Mrs. Fluorite! The printer was all jammed, and I panicked because I thought it was my fault, and I had to go to the information desk and --"

"Shh, it's all okay, I promise." the old woman reassured, resting a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "What matters is it's all figured out, and that you're here, now."

"Ah, alright..." Pearl said. Still catching her breath (she had clearly sprinted down the hallway), she handed the stack of coloring pages to Amethyst. "I'll go and fetch the crayons. Would you mind passing those out?"

"Aye aye, Pierogi." Amethyst said. She placed a coloring sheet in front of each kid -- it was a picture of a teddy bear with a pair of overalls, just like the one from the book. 'Cute but simple, with an extra thick outline. If that's the kinda stuff she wants me to draw, I'm sure it won't be too hard!'

Once the coloring pages were all passed out, and Pearl had given each table a few boxes of crayons, Mrs. Fluorite approached Pearl with the sticky note in her hand. "Pearl, did you know that your friend was such a talented artist?"

"I certainly did!" Pearl said as she took the drawing and admired it. Her expression softened even more once she realized who was the subject of Amethyst's drawing. "You sure made me look pretty, huh?"

"She's going to be drawing a coloring page for us one day!" Mrs. Fluorite said.

"Is that so?" Pearl beamed with pride.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try my best, anyway!" Amethyst said with a shrug. "B-but hey, my art's got nothing on your poetry!"

Pearl huffed. "Well, when I'm not suffering from a decade long writers block, I do a decent job... You, on the other hand, are constantly creating stunning artwork!"

"Well, if you ever want to bring in some of your writing to read to the kids, you are more than welcome!" Mrs. Fluorite said. "As much as I love sharing classic stories with the little ones, I'm sure they'd love to hear something of yours!"

"That's true..." Pearl said, tapping her chin. "P-perhaps. I'll have to see if I can wipe the dust off the part of my brain that I use to write."

"Hey, if you write a little story or poem, I'll draw the coloring page to go with it." Amethyst gave Pearl a playful nudge.

Pearl giggled. "I guess... It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

"We totally should!" Amethyst said with a grin.

"That would be wonderful!" Mrs. Fluorite clasped her hands together. "I'll be looking forward to seeing what you girls come up with!”

Bzzzt. Jasper's phone vibrated in her pocket; with a sigh of annoyance, she kept one hand on the steering wheel, fishing for her phone with her free hand. She quickly glanced at the screen, rolling her eyes once she saw who it was. 'For fuck's sake, when will this lady lay off?' she thought. These past few weeks had been nonstop calls from Pearl's obsessive mother. She'd tried her best to keep it a secret, knowing that Pearl already had enough on her plate, but damn, was it starting to get annoying. In a fit of frustration she chucked her phone into the passenger seat. It continued to vibrate, shimmying around on the leather cushion and falling onto the floor. The buzzing eventually stopped, and a minute or two later, she heard the little ding that her phone made whenever she received a voicemail.

'Huh, that's new.' Jasper thought. Normally when Whitney called, she never bothered to leave a message; she clearly wanted to speak directly to her daughter, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe she was starting to get desperate; part of Jasper knew she should just delete the message without even listening to it, but... She was morbidly curious, too.

She pulled into the driveway and parked behind Pearl's car. If she was going to listen to that voicemail, she'd definitely have to do it before she went into the house... With a sigh of defeat, Jasper leaned over and grabbed her phone from the floor.

The message was less than a minute long. Jasper contemplated for a few more moments before finally pressing "play".

"...Hello, Miss Jasper? I know the chances of you even listening to this are slim, but... I'm getting desperate. I've... I've come to the realization that Pearl doesn't want to speak with me anymore..."

'No shit, Sherlock.' Jasper rolled her eyes.

"...And I'm sure you aren't very fond of me yourself, either, but... If you don't mind, I have one small request to ask of you. Next time you speak to Pearl and Peony... Could you please tell them that I love them very much? And that if they ever want to come back home... I will welcome them with open arms, as if they never ran away in the first place. I pray that you'll make the right decision and pass this message on; God bless."

Jasper's thumb hovered over the "delete" button as she listened. She had no intention to pass it on, that was for sure... But for a reason she couldn't parse, she couldn't bring herself to delete the message, either. After a few moments of contemplation, she decided against it and locked her phone again, shoving it back into her pocket and stepping out of her car.

Steam rose from Pearl's green tea as she placed it down on the coffee table, putting a newspaper beneath it so the mug wouldn't leave a ring. She'd showered and changed into a pair of Jasper's sweat pants (she had to pull the drawstrings very tight to keep them from falling down), and had just finished doing the laundry. With all of her daily responsibilities out of the way, and the house peacefully quiet, it was the perfect time to write.

Amethyst was up in her room, probably working on her most recent painting. The only sound in the house was the clinking of dishes in the kitchen as Jasper prepared dinner. Pearl seated herself on the couch and tucked her legs beneath herself -- then realized that wasn't very comfortable, and decided to sprawl out on her stomach instead, propped up on her elbows. She grabbed her new notebook from the coffee table, as well as a purple gel pen, and placed it in front of herself. 'Alright... Let's get to work.' Pearl knew that the longer she thought about it, the more her creativity would dwindle, so she brought the tip of her pen to her paper without any sense of direction.

She started with something simple, yet incredibly cliche; Once upon a time... And before she knew it, she'd filled one page, then two, and finally a third, where her story came to its conclusion.

Pearl sat upright and shoved her pen into the notebook spiral, unable to resist the grin spreading across her face. "Finally!" she giggled to nobody in particular, jumping to her feet and spinning around. "Thank goodness! Ah, I can't believe I've finally done it!"

"What are you so giddy about?" Jasper teased, and Pearl immediately froze up. For a moment, she'd forgotten Jasper was downstairs and could hear her. Her cheeks bright red, Pearl closed up her notebook. "Ah, well -- I wrote something!" she said, her smile returning once she reassured herself that Jasper was merely curious, not judging. "For the first time since... God knows when!"

"Aww, that's awesome!" Jasper said, playfully ruffling Pearl's hair. "Want me to read it?"

"Goodness, no!" Pearl said, clutching her notebook against her chest. "Not yet, anyway. This is merely the first draft -- it should never see the light of day. But once I do some heavy revising, then yes, I'll definitely let you read it!"

"Ah, right, I forgot about the elusive first draft." Jasper chuckled. "Well, regardless, I can't wait to read the finished work."

"My skills are still a tad rusty, so don't expect anything too high quality... But I'm just proud I wrote anything, and I think you'll enjoy it for what it is." Pearl said.

"I'm so proud of you, Pearlie girlie." Jasper said, giving Pearl a little hug. "So hey, you ready for some dinner? I'm making blueberry pancakes and home fries."

"Ooh, yes!" Pearl had gotten so lost in her story that she'd lost track of time; she'd definitely worked up an appetite during her intense writing session. "I'll go and let Amethyst know it's time for breakfast-dinner!" And with that, she turned and skipped up the stairs.

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