[OPEN] Dreams & Ghosts

[sharpjustice]

Who: Mayaka & you !

What: 2 open prompts (reviewing dreams from last month + attempting to get over her fear of ghosts) and wildcard option

Where: Around Bottlecay Bay + Skull Town

When: Beginning of Feb

Warnings: none atm


a. dream review

Perhaps you're passing through the Archives, or the living hall in Skull Town when you spot a Sneasel sitting at a table furiously scrawling out various drawings on paper. Mayaka's gloves have been set aside neatly beside her for now, because she finds it easier to hold onto the charcoal pencils using her bare claws. She's experienced some weird dreams from last month. Though she doesn't remember the exact details, she's been dutifully drawing out the images that lingered in her mind upon waking up. Now, it's time to try to make sense of them. On the table you'll find the following drawings:

1. What appears to be a spaceship, though Mayaka's drawn it to look more like a truck with four wheels underneath.

2. A primordial-looking fish creature. She has given it a pair of cute, anime-sized eyes to make it look more approachable.

3. A black cat with an extra pair of eyes on its stomach. More cat-like than Mimikyu at this point.

4. The drawing she's currently working on, and struggling to capture. She's trying to remember what the alien beings in the final big nightmare looked like, though the large and erratic shapes on paper may not look recognisable to anyone. Mayaka is finding it difficult because she doesn't have an image in mind to associate with what she saw in the nightmare.

She's too caught up with this to notice if someone were to approach...


b. how to deal with ghosts

If you're wandering around Bottlecap Bay, you'll find Mayaka outside her house in the Lum Berry housing area, rooted on the spot.

Her attention is focused on a small clay sculpture she's placed in the garden of her front porch. It's a little handmade ghost figurine with a hairbow on its head. While it might look strangely cute, the more you look at it, the more you'll notice that it's two eyes seem to be gazing directly at you with an unblinking Stare™.

This is the ghost that's been chasing her in her dreams, but she's too scared to get rid of it! (Also, the fact that it was a gift to her from Catrina doesn't help!)

The Sneasel is shaking a little, and it's not from the cold weather. She's standing a safe distance away from the figurine, muttering to herself: "It's just a doll... it's just a dolll..."

(Dolls are creepy too, though??)

c. wildcard!
for any other threads or ideas that come up!

Comments

[sharpjustice]

Mayaka presses her lips together, sulking as this little Sunkern lectures her. She can't bring herself to disagree with him, and that annoys her.

"Hiding your weakness, or pretending you don't have any is worse," she says, crossing her arms.

[friendlyflower]

For a moment there, he seemed to be rather serious. He goes back to his big goofy grin, covering up any emotional reaction he may have had.

"Weakness? Me? Golly, the only weakness I've got is being so cute!" He does a little hop in place to emphasize how nonthreatening and adorable he is. "Hee hee. Making enemies underestimate me is a strength in its own. It's all about how you manage those weaknesses."

[sharpjustice]

"... Whatever you say." Mayaka rolls her eyes, careful to not give him more words to twist and toy with.

She turns her attention back to the doll which started this whole back and forth. A suggestion Flowey made earlier comes back to her mind.

"I guess I could try making a sketch of it, for a start."

If she could bring herself to draw something she dislikes, maybe it'll make her a better artist?

[friendlyflower]

He decides to give the kid a break. (He ignores the fact that Mayaka is almost certainly older than him. Mental maturity is an entirely different thing.) "Sure. A little exposure therapy will work."

He doesn't feel like talking more on this subject, especially if it leads to her prodding him about his own weaknesses. He watches her to see if she'll start sketching now-- he's curious about her art.

[sharpjustice]

She turns to look at the Sunkern with a raised brow.

"You want me to do that right now?"

While she typically wouldn't draw while there's company around, especially with something as personal as this, she isn't completely opposed to the idea.

[friendlyflower]

"Aw, come on. Are you a Sneasel or a chicken?" he teases. "You're not going to get over your hangups as an artist without showing anyone your art."

Then again, it's likely she has shown her art to close friends-- a group he is decidedly not part of. He softens a little. "I'll draw with you! Even if you think whatever you make is bad, at least it won't be as bad as art by the Pokemon with no hands!"

[sharpjustice]

Mayaka feels completely seen through, and can only sputter, "I'm neither! I'm human!" in an attempt to respond.

A part of her is certainly curious to see what Flowey can draw, now that he's offered.

"Fine," she says, trying to sound nonchalant about it. She runs to open the front door to her house, and gestures from him to follow. "I have some art supplies indoors."

[friendlyflower]

Still clinging to those vestiges of humanity, huh...? He makes a mental note of that. He hops inside, looking around. "Nice place you've got here! A little haunted doll would bring it all together, but still!"

[sharpjustice]

She hasn't done much to the place since she moved in. In the main sitting room is a humble fireplace where a small fire is crackling. Mayaka's placed a woven basket by the wall containing the random items she's amassed from completing quests.

"Stay here!" she tells her guest in a wary tone, pointing to the chairs by the sitting room table.

The Sneasel then walks into her room to retrieve the drawing materials. The door is left ajar, so if Flowey peaks, he'll be able to see that she has a pink study desk covered with pages upon pages of manga drafts and sketches, a whirlwind of furious activity from the night before that Mayaka hadn't bothered cleaning up.

[friendlyflower]

When Mayaka returns, Flowey is sitting on one of the chairs, whistling innocently. He's extremely suspicious, but he might just be bluffing because it's funny. Regardless, there's no way to prove that he was snooping.

He can't really grasp things with his leaves or stem, but he can dip them in a little bit of paint or ink to doodle. It's pretty abstract, but it seems like he might be trying to draw a representation of the doll as well.

[sharpjustice]

Mayaka works quietly on her own drawing. Using charcoal pencils, she coaxes herself to sketch out a chibi ghost-cat wearing an obnoxiously big bow. Frankly, it looks nothing like Catrina's cursed doll.

She seeks a glance at Flowey's piece of parchment, smiling at little when she realises he's actually giving it a try.

It'd be awkward to admit it, but it's sort of nice to make art like this. Usually, she has a clear purpose for drawing -- whether it's to complete a story, to improve her skills, or to convey a message.

[friendlyflower]

He glances over at her artwork, too. "Is THAT supposed to be the doll? I think you might've misrepresented it just a little bit," he teases.

Although, he doesn't want her to completely close off her art from him. "Well, it's still not bad, I guess. You must've had to work hard to get that good at drawing with those poison claws!"

1/2

[sharpjustice]

"This is... just the way I prefer to draw!"

Though truthfully, Mayaka knows she should be expanding beyond her comfort zone to draw in styles that she doesn't naturally gravitate towards. Hyper-realism is something she struggles with.

Somehow, it's easier to talk about her art with someone who can be brutally honest about it. She'd rather hear about what she can work on, not well-meaning compliments.

2/2

[sharpjustice]

"Was that something nice you just said, kid?"

It's her turn to tease the Sunkern.

[friendlyflower]

"Don't get used to it," he says, chuckling. "I'm not going soft on you anytime soon."

Looking down at his own artwork, he feels almost a little contemplative. "I can just recognize you're not completely terrible, that's all. I used to try making art, myself." Back when he still had arms, largely.

omg are we seeing the kindlings of the art club forming...

[sharpjustice]

Mayaka brightens a little as she learns this new detail.

As mean and scary as Flowey tries to be, there was a point where he was a kid who enjoyed stuff like this, huh?

"If you ever want to pick it up again seriously, Gio-chan told me he wants to make more art too. We can organise something together."

[friendlyflower]

"Yeah, sure, because I'd love to spend more time hanging around with you morons." He doesn't even know which one of them 'Gio-chan' is supposed to be. Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, he smudges ink all over his drawing. "Try asking someone with hands."

[sharpjustice]

Mayaka frowns, not bothering to hide her irritation. And here she thought she was making progress with him!

It aches her heart a bit to see the Sunkern ruin the drawing, but she's done that before too, out of frustration.

She takes a deep breath and holds her tongue, reminding herself he's just a kid.

(flowey, lying severely)

[friendlyflower]

"Sheesh, what are you all mopey over? Did you think we were becoming friends or something? Or is it this stupid doodle?" He knocks the drawing away. "I'm only here because I was doing you a favor."