status: closed ; @finnarthur
location: their shared house.
time: 7:43am, january 10th.
early mornings were perhaps the worst, in chelsea's opinion. for whatever reason, though, alex woke them up at 7 in the morning, only to fall back asleep when they herded her into bed. they were, unfortunately, wide awake at that point.
they convince themself to get out of bed, tucking alex back in before leaving the room. they are eternally grateful they share a house with someone else on these mornings. " hey, finn. have you made coffee? " they call as they step out of their room.
name: chelsea lee
age: 27
birthdate: october 24, 1995
faceclaim: adeline rudolph
occupation: tattoo artist & owner of celestial ink
neighborhood: westside
gender & preferred pronouns: nonbinary ; they/them.
sexuality: bisexual, demiromantic.
positive: loyal, open-minded, sincere, hard-working.
negative: disorganized, pessimistic, impulsive, stubborn.
playlist | pinterest
There were seven years where their life seemed almost ideal. Both parents were regularly present, though their father worked nights at the pub and their mother spent her days off doing god knows what. Chelsea still isn’t sure what it was, but whatever it was turned into the reason why their parents divorced. Their mother left them with their father and bolted from half moon bay to the other side of the country. They’ve not heard from her since.
They were an artistic child, notes brimming with doodles more than actual notes. In a way, it’s a wonder they ever passed their classes with higher than a C. They know they’re lucky that they were able to turn it into a career, let alone one where people wind up wearing their art. It’s a point of pride.
Perhaps it’s no surprise, but in middle school, they were diagnosed with ADHD. Their father shrugged it off, and they learned how to self-medicate with too much caffeine and various copying of notes from their friends. As an adult, they’re trying to learn how to navigate it properly.
Chelsea spent much of their teen years being self-sufficient, cooking every night and cleaning the house on the weekends while their father worked, doing their best so he could come home and rest. It was never asked of them, but it was something they did nevertheless. Leftovers would keep after all.
They worked all sorts of jobs in high school, from cashier to cook to waiter. Sometimes, Chels worked two or three jobs at once. They rarely slept as it was, so they figured they might as well make money from it.
Such decisions took a toll on their body. Their memory, while already poor, suffered, along with their ability to multitask. They started failing classes, forgetting about shifts. Their father intervened and sat them down, drawing lines in the sand. One job or none, that was the only choice.
They listened, going down to just babysitting and working as a cashier at the grocery store. They saved every dime and nickel they could, money shoved in jars and drawers. Their father insisted they do, and he refused every offer to help make ends meet. The money was theirs, not his.
They moved out of their father's house at 20, using the money they saved. They still spend much of their days off over there, cleaning and cooking just as they once did. But this time, it's more meal prepping than anything.
A night of drunken mistakes found them - of all things - pregnant. While they considered every option available, they decided to keep the pregnancy. It’s not a decision they regret, with their two-year-old daughter, Alex, being the absolute light of their life.
Fairly recently, within the last few years, they opened Celestial Ink. They made it a priority to have it be well-lit with no loud music, and private rooms instead of a shared workspace. They are always working to create more of a safe space in their studio, using ideas from other parlors striving to do the same.
They never meant to stay where they grew up, as they always thought they’d be more likely to travel. But they don’t necessarily regret it. Celestial Ink feels more like home than anywhere they could have gone and for now? That’s enough.
