maybe just happy

When you look at yourself, do you like what you see? Skyler parks is many things: 18, army brat, artist, post-grad unschooler, college student. She is learning to love the skin she's in, and trying to create a life she can look back on and smile about.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Follow The Music || Skyler & Vana

[nirvanamariewes]

"Shhh…" Vana said with a laugh taking her drink from the bar tender and walking away from the crowded bar. She really hated crowds, obviously, Vana didn’t show it. She was way to cocky for that, but if she had to chose, she’d rather bring her own booze and it’d taste a whole lot better then the stuff she got at the shitty concert venue."Do what? Go to bars? Well, I never do that. I can’t stand being around a bunch of drunk girls and guys who just want to get lad." She said taking another sip of her drink "But, concerts are a different story, I always go to them, music is like my thing." She said grinning.

"I guess I could say that." Vana said with a shrug referring to her name "But, this generation has no idea what Buddhism is, they barely even know which way is up and which way is down, so my name is automatically associated with the stoner band, who I was named after." She laughed lightly taking another sip from her drink "Skyler, that’s a pretty name."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"What kind of music are you into? Skyler asked, hoping she'd list some musicians she knew. Skyler liked to think she had good taste in music, but it wasn't super varied. She tended to stick with the musicians she knew.  "I don't really go to many concerts." She admitted, "But it's super cool that you do.

"Yeah, that's true." Skyler said, "Our generation certainly leaves a lot to be desired." Skyler was becoming more and more impressed with Vana. She seemed fun to be around, but at the same time smart/cynical enough to see the flaws in the system. She was definitely glad they had met. "Thanks." Skyler said brightly, "My parents were at a toss up between Skyer Faith and Abigail Faith, and I am so glad Skyler won."

[tysonhart]

"Or we should just find them and ban them from the store. That might be an even better idea."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Well, that too.... I'd rather figure their mind out though - they seem really interesting."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Draw My Life || Skyler and Madame

[madameballet]

Madame enjoyed how enthusiastic the girl was with her silly little stories about the mischief she and the old man were causing back in the day. Still, the nostalgia the opportunity presented was slowly engulfing her, but the hold of the other comment that passed her lips was anchoring her to the reality she was facing. 

"Oh, why so dearie? Are you like me? Though Hale has been my home for years." She evaluated, having a little introspection of her own. "And Mass Communication does suit you. Very well, I think."  

At the mention of her profession, a shot of pain jolted her thigh, and it was getting immensely difficult to keep a straight face for the girl who was trying her hardest to draw her portrait. She tried to chuckle. “Oh? What do you want to know then?”

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Did you used to move around a lot? My dad is in the army, which is why we moved a lot." She explained, frowning at a section she wasn't satisfied with. She picked up her eraser, and gently began to use it, hoping she wouldn't damage the paper. "Mass communications is okay, I guess." She said, not sounding overly enthusiastic. She hadn't really thought it through it when she'd decided on Mass. Comm., but she was regreting her choice already. She could have gotten a job in social services, or maybe tried to learn a field where she could work with special needs kids. Those were way more her than some media based job.

"Oh, anything really." Skyler said brightly as she focused on the sketch. "How did you get into it? Are you still dancing? Where were you trained?"

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Follow The Music || Skyler & Vana

[nirvanamariewes]

"Ahh… Not drinking? That’s cool, but in that case, I’m not letting you pay for my drink." Vana said as she shoved through the half drunk guys that were already standing around the bar so she could get to the counter. She let go of Skyler’s had to fish her wallet out of her purse, she got the ID that said her name was Vana White and she was 23 instead of 17 and the eight dollars her Jack and Coke would be. Vana placed the ID and the cash on her bar with her fingers on top of it and go a bar tenders attention "Jack and Coke please." She said with a smile making eye contact with the man who tried to question her age but before he could say anything she chimed in with "I’m short, now look at my ID, I was born on March 23 1991, I’m 23." He turned away, passed her, her ID back and went to make the drink.

"Well that was easy, they usually argue a bit more." Vana mumbled to the other girl "Anyway, I don’t think I caught your name… I’m Vana, well Nirvana, but everyone calls me Vana because who calls someone by a band name? It’s fucking stupid. I don’t know what my parents were thinking." She said with a roll of her deep brown eyes.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Hey! I got to pay, that was the deal!" Skyler exclaimed with a grin. She let it slide though without much argument though, figuring she could stubbornly repay her later. Skyler watched a little impressed at how confident and comfortable the girl seemed to be with lying about her age. She would probably completely stumble over her words and make a complete fool of herself out of nerves.

"Do you do this a lot?" She asked, her eyes widening, "Don't you're parents keep tabs on you?" She blurted out, before realizing that wasn't probably appropriate. "Sorry, that was a really personal question. Forget I even asked." She listened to Nirvana, or Vana, introduce herself with a slight smile. The name suited her. "Nirvana's a pretty name. Plus you could think of it as referencing the Buddhist belief set, despite what your parents say to the contrary." She said, before introducing herself. "Oh, I'm Skyler - it's nice to officially meet you, Vana." 

[tysonhart]

Again with the book switching. Someone divided up all the copies of 1984 between the Politics and Non-Fiction section. While I can’t confirm if I agree with this or not, I just seriously want to know how this person’s mind is working.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"The elusive book swapper strikes again! We should start compiling a list of what they put where."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Draw My Life || Skyler and Madame

[madameballet]

"Yes." Madame chuckled. "We eve had a fight about what we were supposed to name the damn thing before we settled on his last name." The fondness of the memory had her breaking her previous pose, but had gained her composure as quick as it went. "Not when you were there to watch us fight it out."

"Where are you from then, dearie? wait, the better question is what are you taking then?" Madame raises an inquisitive brow at the student who was almost done with the rough draft of her wrinkled face." She paused, taking in the question. a slight pang of pain resonated in her chest; her legs involuntarily twitching. Maybe it was psychosomatic, maybe it was a symptom, she didn’t knew. All she knew was she should answer. "I’m a ballerina by profession. But I am, actually the directress of the University here." She replied, measured, deciding on giving the long answer.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Skyler smiled as she listened to the woman talk. She adored hearing people's stories about the past, or things they did in the past. "But still you got to help name it, and so a part of you went into it. That's so rad!"

"Well, to answer both questions, I'm not really from anywhere. I've never lived more than a couple of years in any state, to be honest. And I'm studying mass communications." Skyler paused in her sketching, considering first the picture and the the lady's face so she could figure out how to best go next. Her eyes lit up when the woman said she was a ballerina. "Really? That's incredible! Um, the ballerina part - being the university directress is cool too though. That explains why you're so graceful! Wow, I bet you have a million amazing stories!" 

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Follow The Music || Skyler & Vana

[nirvanamariewes]

In Vana’s mind she was way beyond the age of 17. Most 17 year olds were stupid, they were wrapped up in why the boy they liked didn’t text them back, or what they were going to wear to prom. While, Vana was stupid because of excessive drinking and drug use, her problems were much more adult then that. She was always looking for a new place to sleep and wondering where she was going to get her next meal because even though her parents were well off and so was Vana because of her dealing job, she blew all the money on the drugs and feeding the selfish addiction she was set up to have. And of course she had a place to stay with her parents, but she could never stay with them, especially because she was high. She didn’t really want them to know her using was more of a problem then they thought it was.

Vana bit her lip looking at the girl, she was too sober for this. She never asked to buy someone a drink without at least four shots and three pills in her tiny body, but there was something different about the girl with pink hair standing in front of her. She just wanted to know her and she wanted to be somewhat sober when she did. “Well, it seems like we have ourselves a deal.” Vana said with a small smile and pushed her brunette bangs out of her face, before grabbing the other girls hand and pushing through the crowd to the bar. “So what are you drinking tonight?” Vana asked her with a smile on her face.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Skyler smiled a little when the girl grabbed her hand and began pushing them through the crowd. She'd always wondered what it would be like to hole hands with another girl, and she found she was enjoying it - even if the other girl was a perfect stranger. The girl was quite lovely with her colorful hair, and dark eyes. Skyler found she definitely wanted to get to know her better. 

She blushed a little when the girl asked her what she was drinking tonight. She got the feeling the other girl expected her to rattle off some alcoholic drink, but in reality Skyler had never tried anything alcoholic before. The fact that she didn't drink had never bothered her before, but this girl gave off an air of someone who'd tried it all. "Um...I'm not actually drinking anything..." She said, trying to give off the vibe that she knew all about this sort of thing "But I'm open to suggestions. What about you - just sticking to beer, or am I getting you something else?"

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Draw My Life || Skyler and Madame

[madameballet]

"Charming, aren’t you? You are by far the first person I met who is actually excited about getting wrinkles. Most people would shudder at the thought.” She remarked, mesmerized by how graceful she was moving her pencil.

"Yes, the old cook and I have been friends for a long time. I watched him build this cafe. Even helped him name it." Madame chuckled at the memory. Just then, the old Serafim passed by the pair. When he saw the pair by his spot, he just chuckled at his old friend and went back to his business. 

"Oh? You’re new here? And you major in art? Ah, I now see why. What brings you here? And I do get what you mean dearie. I struggled with my craft too before my career took of." She smiled sadly.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Really?" Skyler said, considering the cafe with a new interest. She'd never considered the fact that it had to be new at some point. The fact that the woman across from her had been involved with the naming was pretty cool. "That's really neat."

"Yeah, I'm pretty new. Not majoring in art though - my parents advised me against it, and since they're paying for my college I took their advice. I'm just here for school right now, but I hope to stay after I graduate." Skyler explained as she worked. "What's your craft, if I may ask." 

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Follow The Music || Skyler & Vana

[nirvanamariewes]

"No you shouldn’t, it was totally my fault. I am a clutz and I wasn’t looking where I was going." Vana said with a bit of a laugh. Vana though the situation was a bit awkward and she shrugged when asked about her age "Well, I’m seventeen, but my ID says I’m twenty-three." Vana said with a smirk.

Vana wasn’t one of those kids that bragged about underage drinking, she usually just lied about her age, but she wasn’t about to start a relationship with a pretty girl off on a lie. “So… How about that drink? I could really use one now since, well, you know.”

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Skyler's smile faded a little when she found out the girls age. She wasn't even a legal adult yet. Skyler pushed the thoughts out of her mind, reminding herself not to judge. It wasn't like she was of age either, and she was actually considered getting something alcoholic. Skyler wondered vaguely if her straightedge card could be revoked by her just trying it.

"Um..." She thought about it for a second. She glanced back up at the stage then back at the girl. What would her parents want her to do? Well, say no, obviously. It was illegal after all. But what would her old (literally - most of them were at least in their 80s) friends from her time working at the nursing home tell her? ...They'd say live a little. Skyler decided she liked their imaginary advice better. "Yeah, okay. I think we should buy eachother drinks though, since it was both of our faults! But, um, you'll have to actually buy them and let me reimburse you. I don't have a fake ID." 

[jtheograham-blog]

"I’ll buy myself a pack of beer and die on my couch with good movies. That’s a promise."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"At least that's something."

[jtheograham-blog]

"Well I mean, you can’t exactly force me - So like I said, I’ll be going now."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Fine, whatever. You do need to do something to celebrate though. Birthdays only come once a year, you know!"

[jtheograham-blog]

"Ah - Well see, there you go. Perfectly good example."

"I dunno, I think I’m good - I’m probably just gonna spend the day to myself. But I’ll take a raincheck - I’m just… Not into or used to celebrating this and don’t plan on starting yet. Thanks, though. It means a lot."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Spending your birthday alone is not an option. I'm going to force you to celebrate it and have fun."

[vanity-em-deactivated20140910]

close yet far ll skyler + francis

[vanity-em-deactivated20140910]

The girl looked close to her age, maybe older - Francis could never really tell when it came to ages but she guessed the girl was around twenty. She was pretty too, the alternative look was somewhat popular around Hale she’d noticed, the bright color of the girls hair created a pleasant contrast against the grey beach behind her. 

Francis took a drag of the menthol cigarette, smoke pouring out from the corners of her mouth, and her nose when she smiled. “I don’t mind sharing the bench at all, it’s not mine.” She pat the wood with her hand, a welcoming gesture. “I’m almost sure that hundreds of thousands of people have sat on this bench, and it wasn’t theirs either, but it’s quite a good place to meet new people apparently.” Francis reached her un-occupied hand out to the girl, waiting for her to shake it.

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Skyler sat down lightly, and shook the girls hand. "You make a good point!" she said brightly, "It is a great place to meet people. I'm Skyler."

She examined the girl. She was about her age, and seemed pretty cool in that alternative Hale sort of way. Her style wasn't too over the top though, so it wasn't really intimidating. Skyler knew she of all people shouldn't be intimidated by really alternative people...But that didn't matter. She still completely was. "I like your hair!"

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Follow The Music || Skyler & Vana

[nirvanamariewes]

This band. Vana had been waiting months to see this band even though she’s seen them six times before, this was one of Vana’s favorite bands. It was her favorite little band, like her favorite band that wasn’t on the radio, that none of the stupid “wannabe hipsters” knew about, only the true hipsters, like herself knew about them. There Vana was. With her teased up multicolored hair, dressed in black from head to toe, drinking the night away. She was having the time of her life.

Besides the booze that Vana was slowly drinking, she was sober because concerts were the only place where she felt safe enough to not be high. But, she couldn’t get through the night 100 percent sober, so she had her booze and her baggy of pills in her pocket in case of an emergency. Vana was sipping her drink until she only had a half a can left, knowing she was going to need more soon,  she turned on her heals and began to walk towards the bar until suddenly BAM! Vana crashed into someone spilling the rest of her drink all over the girl “Oh shit, I’m sorry… That’s my bad.” Vana said before eyeing the girl up and down “Let me buy you a drink to make up for it.”

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Are you kidding?" Skyler said, "I should by you a drink!" She looked back down at herself and shook her head. Of all the things to happen. Of all the things to have happen - well, at least it would make for a good story. She could tell her friends about it, and they could all have a good laugh.

She studied the girl for a moment, admiring her awesome hair. She didn't look any older than Skyler was. "You don't look old enough to be drinking." Skyler noted, "How old are you?" 

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

Draw My Life || Skyler and Madame

[madameballet]

Madame watched her fingers glide around the pad and she immediately thought about that ballet production she put together before she left The Royal Company. When she heard the girl’s explanation, she scoffed. Maybe she was just mistaking that for her posture mandated by her profession? Or was it the choice of her clothing that day?

"Dearie, wrinkles aren’t exactly lovely with your generation." She joked.

When she noticed that the girl was so concentrated with what she was doing, Madame froze her face in an angle that she knew was interesting, with her experience in theatrical dance, an angle that she could watch her create something, and at the same time still face her. It would certainly be rude not to.

"Oh, just Amadeu. This is our spot. It’s funny. When either one of us sits here, they know it’s him and I meeting." She chuckled, fond at the memory. "How about you? Is this your past time? I don’t usually see you here at the cafe." 

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"I love them." Skyler said as she worked, "They mean you have expierence, and they always make people look so interesting."

She glanced back up at the lady, smiling a little when she saw the expression she had made. She looked like she'd had expirence modeling before.

"Amadeu? As in, Mr. Serafim?" Skyly asked to clarify. "I don't usually come in here, plus I'm pretty new. And yeah, art is my past time - I wish I could make a career out of it, ya know, but not in this economy. I'm just lucky to be able to pay for university."

[jtheograham-blog]

"Eh, no you look like you’re look young for a long time. Just keep your reckless habits and you won’t be worried at how old you act when you’re my age."

"I’m into all of that?"

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"I don't have any reckless habits besides hair dye and weird clothes. Like, an exciting Friday night for me is working on my knitting.... Oh my god, I'm old already aren't I?"

"Choose one, and I'll pay your way for whatever it is!"

[judemccullough]

"The Velvet Underground and then he did some later solo stuff whenever they broke up. Everything he did was just mind blowing. Well aside from the Metallica split he did, but the rest of his albums make up for that."

[dizzyxizzers-blog]

"Oh, I've heard of them! I've never actually listened to them though - but I'll look into him."