you dance on a tightrope of weird

skylark bell, 20 you can call me sky if you want. i'm a sophomore at asu and the son of tinkerbell. most importantly, i'm an art-talent fairy which means that i'm obsessed with the aesthetic and that i tend to have more vision than those around me. i haven't decided which concentration of art needs me most, so i dabble in sketching and painting and sculpting and photography and even occasionally cinematography. no, i do not take commissions but if you have an interesting project i've been known to collaborate before. if you want to know anything else about me or my work you can always talk to me, drop a message, or ask one of my friends instead. #skybell

[skylarkbell]

↳INSTAROYAL @SKYLARKBELL UPLOADED A NEW PIC!

Orange you glad to see me in front of the camera for once? #badpun #spiritday #whydidwegettheworstcolor

↳ VIEW ALL COMMENTS

[skylarkbell]

rilespan‌:

You never know! I have 20/20 vision and at the health fair they told me that I might need blue-light glasses because my 20/20 seemed less certain than it used to be and my vision was getting blurry. It is! And you’re right, it totally means more than a Swipe. He’s already talked to me and he wanted to go with me to get ice cream, so I must be at least kind of interesting! 

My glasses have had blue-light filter to keep them healthy no matter how much I stare at computer screens, I'm fine. Or at least I hope I am. If I went blind, I'd need you to forever tell me what everything looks like and you have bette things to do than to be my seeing-eye Riley. You're all kinds of interesting but if it takes more people saying it for you to believe it, I'm glad this is happening. Is it, like, a date? Do you want it to be? Or is it like a ‘get to know you before a date’ thing?

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||✉☎ RILARK

Riley: WHAT IF I STARE AT MY OWN FACE SO MUCH I THROW UP?

Riley: Whaaaat? Why don't you like the second one? The second one's so good! I thought it was the third one that most people took issue with! And this is apparently why this is my RILEY ALONE-TIME CHEER UP series!

Riley: I DON'T THINK THEY HOOK UP AS MUCH AS WE THINK THEY HOOK UP! I THINK THAT THERE ARE JUST A FEW WHO TALK ABOUT IT SO MUCH THAT WE ASSUME TOO MUCH ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T TALK ABOUT IT! But!!! What if she's doing quickies in the piano closet or something???? Does she ever look disheveled to you?

Skylark: WHY WOULD YOU? YOU'RE GORGEOUS!

Skylark: The second one felt really racist and sexist and just really rude mean cringy humor to me in a way the first and third weren't in my opinion. Maybe that's just me!

Skylark: IDK, WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF THEM SPEND A LOT OF TIME HOOKING UP. I WOULD BELIEVE WE'RE UNDERESTIMATING THEM ACTUALLY. Hadley NEVER looks disheveled to me but maybe if she DOES hook up a lot she would have practice in always looking polished.

[skylarkbell]

kiara-adebowale‌:

It’s your thing, I think you’re allowed to be a little pretentious. Besides, some art calls for it. Like a classic Monet? Be pretentious about it. There’s a reason they’re classics, not exactly the same thing I can say for the books people praise these days. Maybe if people got excited about older books that deserve it, I’d pick up a book more often. Hey, pictures are worth a thousand words, right? No reason you shouldn’t use them instead. I told you! It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, I might need a refresher. Really sounds like I need to rewatch, so I’ll take that challenge. I’ll even Zap you during to prove that I’m not crying.

Thanks for the allowance because sometimes I can't help myself and the art snob pops out of me. Like it does around a Monet, for instance, despite him not being my favorite. What kind of books do you think deserve it then? I'm sure we have some book snobs among us that could point us in a good literary direction. I guess it makes sense that not everybody remembered the iconic notecards at a doorway imagery; I haven't forgotten it seen I've seen it but I blame that on my image-heavy brain. But please Zap me! I'd love to see someone's elses reactions. Especially if we have vastly different ones.

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||@ SKORI

Tori: LOL no. Being a mermaid's lit, I'd rather people just think of me as being half and half than never get to swim like that again ever. But I feel like I've got like... too much to not spill over and be both at the same time so yolo.

Tori: I ACCEPT THAT TITLE. CAN I BE THE SHARK QUEEN LIKE DAENERYS TARGARYEN IS THE DRAGON QUEEN? SHARK QUEEN SOUNDS BETTER.

Tori: Wow what a NOT subtle segue, why do you want to know about Kendall? He likes dad jokes and brunch and going with the flow and he loves his family but for premium information you're going to have to tell me WHY.

Skylark: Its funny, I wish we could switch the way people think about us. For the most part, people don't even realize I'm a fairy until they're reminded and idk they think I'm either solidly one or the other, not half and half. And I'll choose to be solidly one someday but until then it's not that simple.

Skylark: OF COURSE. TORI TRITON, FIRST OF HER NAME, MOTHER OF SHARKS, THE UNDROWNED, THE BREAKER OF NETS AND DEFENDER OF THE SEA.

Skylark: It didn't need to be subtle, it needed to be effective :-P I need more info on what he's like dating.

Skylark: Not for me! For Riley! Apparently an ice cream invitation was extended and I know she thinks he's cute and nice and so if that's going to be a thing I need to be prepared. Or if you know something about him that makes me know it won't be a thing, knowing that would be useful too! Like if he's gay or has a secret girlfriend or a fear of committment or is only into blondes.

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||% HADLARK

Hadley: Well, you show people beauty through your pictures and not through your words, right? Just like I feel like I communicate best with music instead of with words. I'm sorry you didn't feel like Pixie Hollow was the place for you, though. I'm guessing that means you don't have a plan to go back there someday? Photography doesn't seem as fun when it's itty bitty, although you might do a huge service to scientists that way. Harp, cello, flute, timpani, and the trombone, I think. But that's subject to change. Oh! Wow, now don't I feel silly for assuming you liked taking pictures the best. Being well-rounded sounds nice, though. Not being boxed in.

Skylark: Typically yes lol I feel like my words are just insufficient and actually by now they're out of practice :-P You still seem very eloquent if you ask me, Hadley. And no, photography isn't as fun down there. The art there is far more painting or sculpture-centric which is fine, I love those too, but never being able to take a good horizon shot again? I can't imagine. I don't have a favorite medium but I have a favorite state of being, human-sized, and photography has paired the best with that so far so I see how you made that connection. Stings, woodwinds, percussion, and bass - learning all of those would make you VERY well-rounded indeed. It's not too late to learn some of those, is it?

[skylarkbell]

gastonlegume3‌:

Then your mind probably saw it all on its own and was just in denial about it. Nah, people could train their bodies to get over those addictions if they really tried, they’re just all weak-minded and strong-stomached, since they can shovel crap in all the time and not die.

Nope, my mind sees what it reads, so don't write gross things please. A lot of them seem to have some sort of bonding process that goes into sharing pastries; do you think that could ever be the same with veggies?

[skylarkbell]

claudine-frollo‌:

I’ll make sure I get to know you better. I wouldn’t want to make another mistake like that. I don’t think I’d want to go camping either. It’s being outside with no protection! I really don’t understand how anyone could like it.

Thank you, my hypothetical game self who doesn't want to die is very grateful. Growing up in Neverland was kind of like camping all the time, its garbage; I was always a city boy at heart, I guess.

[skylarkbell]

kiara-adebowale‌:

Yeah, eventually. It just sucks when you’re stuck in the middle of it. Okay, thank you! More words and pages doesn’t always mean better, and I always feel like it’s the thicker books that get all the attention and praise when it comes to “good books.” Sometimes a big book is just too exhausting to really enjoy! Hey, I get it. It’s more of a sentimental thing, not really anything you can explain. You don’t even have to try. Anger isn’t always a bad thing, like when it comes to social injustices and that sort of thing. But for this kind of thing? It’s something I want to be proud of, and I’m not exactly proud of that time in my life. I’ll be the first to admit that maybe I was a little bit childish in how I handled things, and the texts remind me of it. I guess it’s more the remorse hitting me than the anger. Okay, and you telling me this just tells me how little I actually remember the movie. Might be worth revisiting because, wow, I thought I was better at remembering movies than this. Like I remember liking the movie, but details? Not a one.

That's because it's always literature snobs who lead the discussions on what makes a good book; now, maybe as an art snob I can't say much because I'm sure I'm just as pretentious when it comes to my thing, but still. And phew, good. Not that I don't want to explain myself to you, but I'm more used to using images to express myself than words anyway. I see. Remorse is a strong one but it's also heavier than it is strong sometimes, I can't blame you for not wanting to get weighted down by it. The "to me, you are perfect" cards are iconic! And so so self-destructive honestly. Watch and try not to cry or cringe challenge.

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||@ HASIARK

Hasira: It's called s a r c a s m! Wait so even when you were a child you got to do whatever you want? I guess that sounds like the isle except yours is in a "you're grown" not a "I don't care" kind of way.

Hasira: Why wouldn't you want to live there? Sounds like a good deal to me.

Skylark: I love sarcasm but over text is the worst place to try it lmao. And yep, pretty much. Everyone in Pixie Hollow is their own person, huzzah, revolutionary. Who wants to know what a real mom feels like anyway?

Skylark: THAT was sarcasm lol :-P

Skylark: Because. I don't have to work for my success there. I'd be an artist just based on the fact that I was born one, not because anyone actually likes what I do. And I like being tall. Being pinky sized has its disadvantages.

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||⁇ SKOVA

Nova: I'm gonna go light my face on fire so I look creepy like The Hound from Game of Thrones instead! BURN, BABY, BURN!

Skylark: ifthats what u wana do libe your best life but fire REALLKY hurts.

[rilespan]

skylarkbell‌:

Skylark nodded, glad that Riley’s  intense want to be a girlfriend didn’t have her settling for some freshman basic chum who probably didn’t know how to do laundry and wore the same underwear for a week before turning it inside out and wow, his inner monologue had gotten specific; he just knew she deserved better than to have to be the mom in a relationship and her boundaries were sensible. It made him happy to agree. “No, I think you’re on the right track. It’s a whole new world for freshmen, that does make them babies, whereas we’re the soph-o-mores. Very sophisticated,” he laughed. 

The new parameters were in mind as they kept going and that excluded guys like Theo anyway who was a senior but still not mature enough for Riley, in Sky’s completely biased opinion. Besides, if Riley was going for a Medici, Isaac was a better fit for what she wanted. Kendall was too. He and Sky weren’t close, so he wouldn’t have to pick sides if it didn’t work out like he had with Riley’s last try, and if it did work out? There were far worse guys out there to try to make Riley happy. She was happy already, with the way that she grinned and the way she said the word ‘perfect’ so eagerly, so Sky let out a sigh and smiled and swiped right. There was a charged silence for the direct second after, to see if there was a match, but nothing popped on the screen. Awkward.

“Well, we said that was the last one for today,” he said, turning his eyes to her, trying to think of the perfect thing to move them past this moment “Want to go eat something? My treat, if and only if you don’t ignore me in favor of the many conversations you’re bound to be having once these people swipe back while.”

Despite all the time that the two of them had spent using the app last year, Riley felt like all the specifics of how it worked eluded her now. Sky might have felt a flash of disappointment on her behalf that Kendall hadn’t immediately popped up as a match, but Riley didn’t; she figured it would take time, although the temptation to obsessively check her phone to see if he’d swiped back on her was definitely going to be hard to resist. But if he didn’t… maybe he just friend-liked her too much to want to date her? She could probably make excuses in her head all day long, but was relieved for the fact that she didn’t have to.

“Food sounds perfect – who knew being anxious about Matchmakr could make a person so hungry?” Riley giggled, hopping up from her seat and reaching out her hand to help pull Sky up, too. She felt lighter now that the app was closed and she wasn’t obsessing over it as much, but she’d never admit it out loud that the dating app almost made her more nervous than just going through her regular, everyday life did. If she said it out loud, she was sure Sky would encourage her to delete it immediately, but she didn’t want to right now. All she wanted was good food, and the best company, and she tried to close the Matchmaking side of her brain off as she asked him, “What are you in the mood for? My treat, if you’ll hold onto my phone so I’m not checking it a million times while we’re out.”

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||✉☎ RILARK

Riley: I'M GOING TO NEED A PHOTOGRAPHIC SIDE BY SIDE TO ANALYZE FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL I CAN MAYBE SORT OF FIND A WAY TO AGREE.

Riley: EVERYONE FROM PITCH PERFECT IS SACRED IN THEIR OWN WAY! I watch those movies so many times!

Riley: HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU THINK OUR CLASSMATES ARE SEEING NAKED ON AVERAGE? And oh my God, you're right! (Also, you're one of the quiet ones!) I still don't think Claudine's doing it, though, but what if Hadley is??? She's so busy talking about pianos and dogs and student government all the time that I don't know much about her personal life! Now I'm going to be so on-high-alert around her, thanks a lot!

Skylark: THAT CAN VERY VERY VERY VERY EASILY BE ARRANGED!!

Skylark: LOLOL the movie IS pretty superb. The first one, anyway. I'm still upset I had to watch the second with my own two eyes.

Skylark: I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE ONE A MONTH? PEOPLE HOOK UP AROUND HERE! (I'm quiet, yes, but YOU know what I'm doing or not :-P and you could count as one of the quiet ones to people too!) LOL my main question for Hadley is WHEN would she have the time to get down and semi-dirty. I feel like every time I talk to her she's left one thing and about to go do another, if that lowers your edge around her.

[skylarkbell]

rilespan‌:

And I wasn’t even trying to validate you on purpose this time, imagine if I turned on my concerted-effort-charm! Oh. I mean, you’re right, it probably would make me a little bit uncomfortable, but not because I don’t think it’s really sweet and amazing that you see me that way! Just because I’d, I don’t know, think maybe you needed to get your eyes checked. Or maybe he already swiped left! Although if he swiped left, why did he invite me to go get ice cream with him? The world is so confusing. 

I can't even imagine, I'd blush so hard that I wouldn't need extra lighting at my photo shoots. My eyes are perfect, especially when it comes to you, thank you very much, but keeping those thoughts in my head is easy enough, don't worry. I won't make you feel weird if I can help it. Did he? That's great, then. Isn't that what you wanted? And like I said, it probably just means he hasn't seen you in the app yet or that he hasn't logged on. Someone inviting you to do something says more than a swipe does.

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||% HADLARK

Hadley: It sounds really nice there. Sorry if that's such a lame response to such a beautiful description, but I don't know, I've always thought nice is one of the best things something or someone can be. Cricket-whistling-talent, though, wow! Is it the same noises we hear from crickets here, when we're big, or does it sound different from fairy-size? And none of those sound like piano :-p Not that that's a bad thing. I wish I knew more instruments. I'd play six of them if I could, but I guess it's better to be truly good at one than just moderately good at a few. Um... Not really? Well, that's not true. Maybe Cassie, we're in student government together and she loves animals.

Skylark: LOL don't worry, I don't think it was a lame response just like I don't think it was a beautiful description. I'm not terribly fond of Pixie Hollow. Even as a kid, I'd sneak off to other parts of Neverland and follow the Pans around more than I ever tried to be part of the fairy city. And yeah lol there's a talent for basically everything. Crickets are much bigger there so their sounds are MUCH deeper, the first time I heard a cricket when I was human-sized I lost my mind a little bit. What other five instruments would you play if you had to choose them, right now? As an art-talent fairy, I feel pretty good at all mediums. I don't really have a favorite if I'm being honest, and I feel like I should by now but oh well. And great! Let's get her on standby, we might need her.

[skylarkbell]

kiara-adebowale‌:

Right? And then he went on to say that simple problems have simple solutions. I’m just… over it to be honest. No point stressing over it when he had no idea what went into it all. Oh, okay, short is good. I’ll be honest, the longer the book, the less I wanna read it. Your old texts gotta be more emotion provoking than mine, the only emotion I get is anger if I scroll far enough to see all the arguments between my dad and me. And I dont want to go back to that you know? I think me and him are finally getting in a good spot. Okay, wait. Which part of Love, Actually is that? I dont remember anything like cry worthy.

Oh right, because as we all know, artist's block is the easiest of all problems. At least it always passes eventually, right? I love The Little Prince's simplicity, some stories think they need to be a thousand pages to explain what a better book could do in five. And I don't know, old texts can hold memories of old times and even if nothing was really happening at the moment... it's hard to explain. Just suffice to say personal internal interactions are quite inspiring. Arguments with your dad sound good! Anger is a powerful feeling! But if you don't want to go back to those, don't. I don't mind hurting myself and reopening wounds in the name of art but I'm aware that that's not, uh, healthy. And all of if? I guess? The part with the "to me you are perfect" cards make me cry, mainly because I don't know how that dude could lower himself and subject himself to that. What a bad friend. What a jerk move to do to Keira Knightley. And what, all because he couldn't hold his feelings in?

[skylarkbell]

TEXT ||@ SKORI

Tori: I mean, I can be a mermaid, but that makes me feel like I'm like... different. When I'm hanging with the humans I feel just like I'm one of them, so I'd rather think of it as I can be both instead of as me having to be one or the other. I DIDN'T WANT TO BUT NOW I DO, DANGIT.

Tori: And that's part of why you're one of my favorites, thank you :-p WE COULD MAKE IT A VERY SOFT DOOR! THEY'RE USUALLY JUST MADE OUT OF LIKE, PLASTIC AND NOT SOMETHING THAT HEAVY! And if it hurt they could just stay with me forever :-p

Tori: Well giving me shit when I'm being nice and helpful might ACTUALLY knock you off of the fun cool people list :-p You're not looking for an all you can eat buffet here, greedy! Just like, a kindred spirit, wandering the halls alone too. But maybe buy a museum annual pass just in case you strike out on your first couple of trips :-p

Skylark: I get that. Would you give up being a mermaid for the rest of your life to feel like you're not different? I'd give up being a fairy, easy. TORI TRITON, MASTER OF THE AIR AND SKY!

Skylark: You're welcome :-P OKAY THEN THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN. You're going to be the world's first old shark lady I swear lol. Or young shark lady since you're basically a shark lady already.

Skylark: Noooo please I love my spot on this list :( And the more options there are, the more likely I'll find somebody! Thus the annual pass is probably a good idea. But speaking of people that are on your good list, can you tell me some about Kendall Andersen??