Seems Gene and Mimi want to run through the sprinkler. Let's watch...
MIMI: "It's been a while since we've run through the sprinkler---this'll be fun! ...Something wrong, Gene?"
GENE (gesturing to the clothesline behind him): "I forget to hide the water pet. If it sees us playing with water, it'll come to life and spoil our fun"
MIMI (playfully skeptical): "Nuh-uh!"
GENE (annoyed): "It will so!"
MIMI: "Show me"
GENE: "All right---I will!"
[at the clothesline]
GENE (to the water pet): "Show Mimi you're alive! ...c'mon, hurry up!"
[the water pet winks at Gene]
GENE (excited): "There! Did you see!? It winked!"
MIMI (displeased): "Did not; I was looking the whole time"
GENE: "But I saw---hey, why are you taking it down!?"
MIMI (cheerful): "It's cute; I wanna run through the sprinkler with it!"
GENE (arms crossed; indignant): "You're only giving it its way!"
MIMI (calling): "C'mon, Gene!"
GENE (to self): "You win this round, Water Pet!"
GENE (walking to the sprinkler; to self): "You win this round, water pet!"
All right, so to get this detail out of the way, Gene's bather and Mimi's were based on patterns by our friend FoxTown2002: https://www.deviantart.com/foxtown2002
This 'Satin Lead' pencil had been on eBay more than a year before I bought it---it just kept getting relisted every 30 days or so (a consequence of being egregiously overpriced). The pencil would be a hard sell as it was of little collector value.
The 'Satin Lead' is a 'Brand X' pencil, meaning it has no traceable maker. Additionally, it has no other features of interest (no long ferrule, square core, odd barrel shape, etc). Nothing about it to justify the price the seller wanted for it (more than $20, total).
Even so, I like random pencils ...so I'd asked about it at some point, but couldn't get the price down. :(
Still, just for fun, I made it an issue to keep the pencil on my watch list. Every time the pencil was relisted, I'd re-add it to my list. I dunno why I did this (autism?) but I did. ^^
Then, FINALLY, the price was greatly reduced ...but I didn't buy it. :P
One morning, I woke up thinking about the pencil and thought to check on it ...and couldn't find it! D: It felt like the end of an era---the pencil had at last found a home. But, by this time, it had become 'family' in some way, and I regretted not having bought it.
That said, I was yet drowsy from having just woke up and in an uncoffee'd condition. Once I had my cup of give-a-damn, I looked again and the pencil was there---I'd just forgotten to re-watch it after the end of its previous listing. :P
The pencil was still available at its lower price, so I bought it ...and now here it is, featured in a comic that'll be forgotten after a week, and end up in my FA/DA scrap folder. But at least I know where the pencil is (in an acid-free zip bag with four other random Brand-X pencils) and that it's safe ...for now. :3
