dear frida (coming september 1st)

written on skype

phone fully charged

lei owyang: i need your help.

leander leander: you're secretly a spy but your silent yet charming robot sidekick lazlo has been shot, so now you need me to help you climb buildings and shoot shit?

lei owyang: almost.

leander leander: you're secretly a spy but your silent yet charming robot sidekick burt has been shot, so now you need me to help you climb buildings and shoot shit?

lei owyang: how about i just tell you? also, are you implying i'm a spy because i'm asian?

leander leander: ofc i'm not?? is that even a thing??? (if there's some secret asian spy association, you should totally tell me. i'm grabbing the popcorn.)

lei owyang: sorry to disappoint, but i'm afraid jackie chan's pretty much the only one i know about.

leander leander: is that the one from that movie?

lei owyang: the spy next doors.

leander leander: as you don't live next doors, i think it's safe to conclude you're not a spy. but you still need my help, so... vampire?

lei owyang: (because i'm pale??) you just need to tell me where you got that skirt.

leander leander: (of course not???? because vampires are fucking cool???) it's starting to sound a lot like we're going thrift shopping today.

lei owyang: and what if i have something to do today?

leander leander: you do, you need to try on twenty-seven different outfits while subtly dancing to top 40 music in front of the fitting room mirror.

lei owyang: this is not a romcom??

leander leander: thank goodness. but for real now, you, me, thrift shopping, this afternoon? i know the best places. and i can get you discounts.

lei owyang: idk, i've got some homework...

leander leander: i'm sad-pouting so hard rn.

lei owyang: hey, you know, something else i needed your help with... i paint.

leander leander: walls? by number? stairwells? microsoft paint?

lei owyang: idk, on canvas.

leander leander: art painting?

lei owyang: you tell me.

lei owyang: attachment - 1 image

leander leander: okay, whoa, you made this?

lei owyang: what do you think? like, is it embarrasing? honestly?

leander leander: i think i'm not a connaisseur, but the lil' gal in the hot air balloon looks a fucking lot like you, and the colours of the balloon are fucking rad, and with the empty canvases and the clothes and everything she's throwing down, that's just... just whoa. how the fuck didn't i know about this? if i could paint like that, i'd flaunt the hell out of it.

lei owyang: it's just a strange hobby.

leander leander: doesn't look like it. how did you even get those clouds so shiny?? could you send me a close-up of the shit she's throwing away?

lei owyang: i don't know.

leander leander: why not?

lei owyang: it's kind of personal, i guess?

leander leander: the best art is.

lei owyang: (don't call it art.) okay, so, the strokes next to the sweater right below the basket, are supposed to be a's, b's, c's and f's. the paper on the left says "chink". the stain that's kind of ruining it all is supposed to look like gold glitter, but i used too much paint and i would fix it with actual glitter if i had any. the ribbon i'm clutching says "frida kahlo", and the one falling down "magdalena". the puppets behind me are supposed to look like laolao, nuan and mum, which they don't, but okay.

leander leander: and the text balloon?

lei owyang: it says "i wish i could speak chinese" in google translate chinese. it's probably not right, but that's kind of the point.

leander leander: who's magdalena?

lei owyang: that was frida kahlo's name before she became, you know, frida kahlo.

leander leander: you paint a little like her.

lei owyang: believe me, i don't.

leander leander: you do. and first the documentary, now this. fan of hers?

lei owyang: not really. i just feel a little connected to her, if that doesn't sound too strange. i found this quote of hers about feeling like the strangest person on earth, and i honestly relate so much.

leander leander: let's get you some artistic clothes to match that artistic af talk.

a/n: so sorry for the lack of updates lately! i missed this story like hell - or heck, as lei would say - so it feels v good do be back ^-^ how's everyone doing? ohh and tell me what time you're reading this, i wanna know