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curatoroffiction · 2 years

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Art Therapy Part 2

Part 1 can be found here

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You and Azul came to an agreement; You lend him pieces of your art for him to use in a gallery. He charges admission, and you get 35% of the profits. He wriggled 15% out of you by threatening that he might not be able to get Jade and Floyd to keep up your protection. You were exhausted by running in circles for the contract, but you weren't about to give up a lot. His end of the bargain secures that you'll get your art back in perfect condition, or he'll owe you 100% of the proceeds and drop the gallery completely, while still providing you with protection.

Still, Azul is happy with the arrangement. You're... For the most part, content.

---

Jade arrives at Ramshackle with a group of Octavinelle students to pick up your first collection for the gallery. He steps inside as you've not finished deciding what pieces to send with them yet. It's hard to give up any of them, even if you know you'll be getting them back. At the steep losses Azul would incur if any of the pieces were damaged, you know damn well that he's not about to let a single chip of paint get knocked out of place.

You're surrounded with pieces you drew and painted and sculpted of places you remember from your world. Each one holds a special place in your heart. Jade watches as your eyes soften on your own art, and it gets him curious.

He's been curious for a while, since he learned to what extents you fought Azul to protect these pieces, and that you refused to sell no matter what.

"What is it about these pieces that you care so much about?" Jade asks, standing beside you as he looks over the pieces. They're novel, certainly, but the skill you present is hardly that of a master of the arts. None of these are a masterpiece by any technical standpoint. In fact, some even look like still-life pieces that artists make when they're just learning the basics. You painted a spoon for goodness sake! Surely you could part with that.

"... They've got the only memories I can remember of the world I came from. It's the only window I have to that world. It's the only window I may ever have to that world again."

Jade's eyes look to you with surprise. For the first time, he starts to wonder the rammifications of the loss of these art pieces. Every stroke of the paint is a memory, and every moment that passes, that memory fades just a little.

How long until this art is all you have of the world you've been ripped from?

How long until you can't remember the hues of colors from your own world?

He begins to look at your art with a renewed perspective. This painting of a spoon makes a lot more sense. The make of that metal, the design of the end, the bend in the middle where it's been used again and again and likely warped.. you may never see that spoon again in person. It only exists here, in your art, and in your memory.

And it's like this that he feels a tinge of a memory of his own. The story of a mermaid whose prized possession was once a 'comb' she'd collected from the world above. Two worlds, so unique and separate.. and yet, one little utensil can mean so much to the people who yearn for its origin.

He himself has always connected with that little mermaid. Delighting in a world beyond his own, excitement at exploring things he doesn't understand, but wants to..

Jade slowly finds himself connecting with your art as you continue to peruse, instructing Octavinelle students on which pieces they can take and which ones they have to leave as you give him the greenlight for certain pieces. He watches with keen eyes how you carefully weigh each piece's emotional value in your mind as you look them over. He begins noticing all the little details of each piece, and how they stand out from ordinary works as mundanely otherworldly.

It's like seeing the world through new eyes.

It seems you have a new fan.

---

"Shrimpyyyy" Floyd is sitting on one of the couches in Ramshackle. He's on protection detail. You've gotten pretty used to him being around the house, and he doesn't even joke about damaging your art (Likely because Azul would have none of it if he did). Still, he seems to think you should be entertaining him when there's no one to squeeze.

He comes looking for you in the house, only to find you in your workshop, working on a new piece.

This one is of some fish you remember from your own world, which catches Floyd off-guard. He comes up behind you and peers at the piece, surprised to see something so familiar look so foreign.

And it clicks to him.

This is what this whole world is like to you, isn't it?

Everything must be so familiar, and yet.. alien.

Like the fish in this scene you're making - They aren't real fish. Not in his experience. But they must be real to you, right?

You find that Floyd gets pretty quiet after finding you, and he sits on a chair nearby, watching you paint. He occasionally asks questions about the fish in the piece you're working on, and where you saw them, but for the most part he's pretty quiet.

Abnormally so.

---

Azul grins as he goes over the profits of the gallery. He gives a portion of the proceeds to the school to rent out a hall for your work, and it's considered a one-of-a-kind 'cultural faire'. Attendees get 'free' vouchers for drinks at the Mostro Lounge that cost less than the price of admission to the gallery. By his estimates, the majority of people who get the vouchers love the idea of a freebie, but then still pay for more than a meal when they come to cash it in.

This is one of his most successful ventures yet!

Which is also why it's been one of his most stressful ventures. Every time someone gets rowdy in the gallery, he has to stay on top of it to keep people from putting your art at risk. He spends so much of his time organizing the art bouncers and keeping patrons in check that he never really looks at your work.

Jade and Floyd both seem to think there's something special about your work, both having made passing comments about how it's interesting.

As the gallery has closed, Azul comes to find himself looking through the art pieces. As long as it was something people were willing to pay to see, he wasn't about to judge the art.. But..

Upon closer inspection, these art pieces are so.. ordinary?

Have you actually been sending him artworks that fit the contractual obligations?

Has this all been one big joke against him?

Are Jade and Floyd in on it?

He finds himself storming to Ramshackle pretty late in the evening to get some answers.

---

"You've just been sending me works of flowers and mundane things!"

"... That's all I've ever painted." You rub the sleep out of your eyes as you stare at Azul, dumbfounded. First he bullied you into letting him showcase your art, and now he's getting up in arms about... being allowed to showcase your art?

"So then how are people supposed to know it's otherworldly!?"

"..?" You shoot him a look as though to ask 'what the hell are you talking about?'

"What if the patrons of the gallery begin to question the validity of your works? I need something that showcases something truly otherworldly."

"Azul, I don't know what to tell you. I make what I make, and that's all I've done this whole time. You wanted to showcase my art, and that's exactly what you're doing."

"Floyd said you had a piece about fish. Fish that don't exist in this world! That's perfect."

"That piece isn't going to the gallery."

"I want to see it."

"You barging into my house and demanding to see my work isn't part of our agreement."

"Me verifying the quality of your pieces to ensure that I'm getting an even quality of your best pieces IS, however."

You sigh. You knew that contract would bite you in the ass. You slowly open the door and Azul steps in, demanding to see your workspace. You take him into your art studio and he looks around at all of the pieces. They all look so.. similar. This can't be it, though. He begins opening the closet door.

"The stuff in there isn't meant for other people to see."

"I'll be the judge of that." He begins hoisting up pieces out of your closet to get a better look at them in the light.

"..."

Azul finds himself looking at a piece that is starkly different, and much darker than your usual works.

It's a piece that depicts loneliness in its most raw forms.

It's rough and it's cringy and it feels so...

Familiar.

You're quiet as he stares at the piece in silence. It's hard for him to tear himself away from what he's just found.

And it hits him why you've been so protective and careful about these pieces. They're a raw part of you put onto the page. The parts of you that you don't want to let anyone else see.

And yet here he stands, holding your soul in his hands, and you're not even fighting him on it.

He suddenly feels.. extremely guilty.

His actions suddenly so much louder than they were moments ago, now ringing in his own ears.

He puts the piece down carefully, closing the closet door. "... I'm sorry. I ah.. I believe you're correct. These are not the art pieces we agreed upon."

"... Can you leave now?"

"... Yes, I think that would be for the best."

Azul leaves, but, he doesn't forget.

---

Azul stares over the contract, alone in his VIP office. He pushed and prodded you, and now he's left feeling incredibly uncomfortable about how hard he pushed you. He forced your hand at every turn, and now he can't even look at this contract without feeling sick to his stomach. He asked Jade and Floyd about what they saw in your art, and they each had such.. unique interpretations.

Interpretations that allowed him to see the simple beauty of your work.

The simple beauty of your world.

---

All he can see when he looks at it is how he forced you to put your heart and soul on display for the world to see.

---

The gallery closes shortly after Azul's night visit. Your pieces are returned to you with not a single speck out of place or page damaged. You get a sum that Azul tells you is 35%, which feels like more money than you anticipated given the amount of people who came to see the gallery.

And even though the gallery is closed, Azul holds his end of the bargain to keep Ramshackle protected from prying eyes from the art world.

It even feels like, within almost a month, the whole world has forgotten about your art.

All except for three certain students, who have each come to appreciate your works for different reasons.

And the three merfolk find themselves gravitating to Ramshackle where they can see your works on display, and talk with you about them over gifts of food.

Jade loves sharing the bounties of this world with you, learning about the world you knew before. Floyd loves getting to see all the different weird details of changes. Why is that fruit red? Why is that one blue? What are all those little bumps? Seeds? Why does it look like that when you cut it open?

And Azul finds comfort in being able to appreciate your art without guilt, knowing he's helped you recover what he so carelessly ripped from you; Your privacy.

You may not have wanted the whole world's attention, but you certainly couldn't stop your art from reaching a few hearts. Not with how much of your own heart you poured into it.

#Writing #Fanfic #Twisted Wonderland #Twst #Octo-trio #Octo trio #Octotrio #Reader insert #Reader-insert

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curatoroffiction · 2 years

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Congratulations on your milestone!!!

Can i request perhaps a comfort with Octa trio, with an artist reader but finding out their art it just a coping mechanism, please?

if its not too much tho— feel free to ignore the request:)

Thank you!

Azul had long-since attempted to get one of your art pieces in the Mostro Lounge. The art of another world - Another universe! It was a novelty that was discovered in your first art class. You had techniques and perspectives and memories of places no one had ever seen. Whatever you put your mind to, you poured your heart and soul into it to bring something alive in it. Something none of Twisted Wonderland had ever experienced before you arrived; Your world.

Your teachers were surprised and excited by your works. Other students marveled as they asked questions about the places you painted, or the things you captured in your sculptures. Your art very quickly became the talk of the school - And it was spreading quickly beyond those confines as people passionately shared photos of your work online and discussed what you'd say about your own work. Posts of your paintings were going viral online, and you were attracting quite the unique art convention to Night Raven College. But to you, it was the only way you could see your world, even just a glimpse of it. It was because of your rise in popularity that Azul was willing to do whatever it took to get a piece of your art. Something to attract people to the Mostro Lounge, something he could invest in for the future - A ___ ___ original! But you weren't selling. "Look, Azul, I've told you several times already that I'm not selling. I'm not doing commission work. I just, I just create art, and I'm keeping it for myself." "Surely, ___.. You couldn't appreciate all this art on your own? You MUST have some pieces you're willing to part with. I've got quite the offer, I'd say.." "No thank you." "You can have a meal a day at the Mostro Lounge for a month." "No." "Two months." "I said no." "Three-" You start closing the door on him again, which is when a foot slips right between the door and the doorframe. You look up to see Floyd grinning, having just slithered into view. "Now Shrimpy, I think you should hear out Azul's offer.. ~ Wouldn't want to be rude, yeah?" He's daring you to give him just one reason. You sigh, slowly opening the door. You're not looking to give him a reason. Azul straightens his tie, coughing into his fist as he puts on his smile again. "Now, ___.. I'm sorry we're getting a little more.. eager? But you have to know by now that your art is going to make a lot of noise. If you let me host a public gallery, we can keep the art hounds off of you. No one will know your address, and anyone who comes here to harass you would meet quite the resistance! I know you like your privacy, so please, let us help you." "...." You stare at the two, your hands still firmly on the door, ready to attempt to slam it at any moment. Jade is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn't mean he isn't here. But still.. there's a certain sense to what he's saying. You could let him showcase your art, keeping the pieces all to yourself at the end of the day, and he'd keep people from trying to take it for themselves. And, if you aren't selling, that creates an exclusivity that should be appealing to him.. "How's this; I could let you showcase my art, BUT- The pieces are still my own. Mine. I'm not selling. I'm not selling to you, I'm not selling to the art critics, I'm not selling." "That's fine! I can work with that! Yes, an art exhibit could be quite thrilling!" Azul flashes an excited and warm smile. "And it'll be quite beneficial for the both of-" "I want half the proceeds." "..." Azul blinks. He then gives you a bewildered look. ".... What?" "You're gonna charge for admission, yeah? I want half of whatever you make from my art." "..... I'm sure we can iron out the details-" "It's a non-negotiable term." Azul pauses. He smiles once again. "We'll iron out the details in a contract, to keep both parties honest." "You'll be speaking with my lawyer." "... Who is your lawyer, exactly..?" "Crewel." "... I see. ----- Part 2

#Twst #Twisted Wonderland #Octotrio #Octo-Trio #Octo Trio #Azul #Jade #Floyd #Reader Insert #Reader-Insert #Fanfic #Writing

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