#i love talking about and dissecting art

[emergency-vehicle]

one of my favourite things about prime is how it showcases scale. rarely do i find a piece of media that accurately depicts the sheer scale of something, especially in relation to a form we are all familiar with.

dune is a good example of media that does it right. every time dune shows one of the buildings or machines, its always on such an awe inducing scale, especially when it comes to their human counterparts. they look like sheer ants in comparison.

it's the same with prime. there are lots of shots where it's just the bots, and because our brains like familiarity, we perceive the bots on a human scale. but every now and again, there is a shot where humans are shown as tiny things compared to these massive pieces of living machinery.

i get this sense less with the kids and more with like fowler or june. they're adults, my size, and they are put in much more intimidating circumstances (dgmw the kids are too, but its different). so when you see the adults next to the bots it's just...a totally different feel.

anyway, i love the artistic direction of transformers prime. while the models leave something to be desired by today's standards, when it came out it truly was top of the line. and, even by today's standards, it's still really fucking good.

[anpiels]

In the pursuit of total perfection.

[spotlightstudios]

Ayo!!! It's been a while since I've drawn utau (utmv?) stuff in a fully rendered style, so.... when I saw @itsxroxannex had a dtiys I had to shoot my shot!

Actually, I don't think I've ever done a dtyis before 👀 so this was really fun.

(Speedpaint and More Process Rambles beneath the cut ♡)

I... actually don't think I've ever drawn Passive!NM either tbh. This entire drawing was kinda like a personal challenge to myself, since I often lack w/ backgrounds too.

I did kinda a study on the originals background, because I tend to just draw characters w/o a solid background, and when I do add a background characters usually blend into it a lil too well to discern figures, so the color choices and soft loose lines compared to the hard lines + cell shading felt really nice.

I also decided to go back to Procreate for this one too! Normally I draw w/ Medibang these days, but I learned to draw utau stuff on Procreate and so drawing them elsewhere feels wrong.

And, of course, the last note I'll add in the actual post: my sketch process is trash lmao. Literally I just wing the shapes of clothes and junk based on the vibes and resize as needed. I love looking at the og sketch tho cuz it's so... bald. No under-form, no indicator of limbs, nothing.

[darabeatha]

@hasarjunadoneanythingwrong replied ; this is super informative tbh

/ Thank youuuuu 😭😭😭😭😭 I love him lots and there's so little about him floating around !! it was through my researching and reading that i kept finding things that made sense to me about his design, like maybe a lot of these are speculations from my end/overthinking stuff and it's not that deep (or maybe it is who knows!) but I just love history and character design and symbolism and meaning, and I grew too attached to this emperor 😔✋

[starscreamingg]

Whenever I talk about how ass Detroit become human is in retrospect I have to preface it with the facts that I love the game I've loved it since the first day it released and it's the reason I met the person I plan to marry. I have nuance

[hsslilly-blog]

i think it's very in character for claire to call that man babeee ❤️ but ONLY to piss him off. she does not have a pet name for him except when she wants to be weird and i think that's so beautiful.

[nerdycheol]

Rent-A-Boyfriend || SVT

💘 a rental romance series 💘

divider by @cafekitsune

Thank you for 500 followers (I still can’t believe it 🥹)! To celebrate, I’m dropping something special—a series that started with a single unhinged thought:

what if you could rent a fake boyfriend from an app... and accidentally caught feelings?

🌟 COMING SOON (3rd July): I’ll be posting each one as a standalone drabble—but all under the same theme, so you can binge your faves or pick your bias. Hope you enjoy renting them as much as I enjoy writing them 💌

rent a boyfriend here! | join my permanent taglist

Choi Seungcheol

Your parents wanted someone respectable on your arm at a high-stakes gala. You expected charm, maybe a few photo ops—but Seungcheol treats the event like a high-stakes operation. He’s subtly steering you through crowds, keeping a protective eye on your every move. It was supposed to be for show—but the way he moves around you says otherwise.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Yoon Jeonghan

What starts as a petty plan to provoke your situationship quickly spirals when Jeonghan decides he has his own agenda. He’s charming, persuasive, and far too good at playing the part—but he doesn’t stop there. Suddenly, he’s helping with little schemes, showing up uninvited (but never unwelcome), and somehow ends up making himself at home in your life—and on your couch.

rent here

Joshua Hong

You needed someone who could blend in at your cousin’s picture-perfect wedding—filled with watchful eyes and whispered prayers. Joshua fits the mold effortlessly, all soft smiles and perfect manners. But in between performances, his glances linger, his concern feels too genuine, and suddenly, you’re not sure what’s part of the act—and what isn’t.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Wen Junhui

A language barrier seemed like the easiest way to avoid awkward small talk during your solo trip abroad. Jun arrives looking like a dream, translator app in hand and eyes full of curiosity. You expect distance—but instead, you find connection in shared silences, quiet gestures, and the way he always seems to be right by your side.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Kwon Soonyoung

You hired him to be someone else’s fake boyfriend—your best friend, who deserved a reminder of what good love looks like. Hoshi steps in like a rom-com lead, full of energy and affection. The only problem? He thinks you’re the one he’s supposed to impress. And somehow, along the way… he starts to.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Jeon Wonwoo

A harmless lie at work spirals when your coworkers demand proof of your made-up boyfriend. Enter Wonwoo, quiet and composed, playing the part a little too well. He blends into the scene with soft smiles and subtle touches—until the night takes a turn and he draws the line between fake and real with unexpected conviction.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Lee Jihoon

Showing up alone would’ve been too sad, but bringing a boyfriend would’ve been too obvious. That’s why you brought an ex—specifically, a painfully attractive one. Woozi plays the role with precision: cold, indifferent, just the right amount of sting. But then he starts going off-script, and the lines between act and intention start to blur.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Xu Minghao

Your boss wouldn’t stop bragging about their plus-one for the art gala, so you decided to show up with your own. Minghao arrives sharp-tongued and sharper dressed, casually dissecting every sculpture and sparking debates like it’s his job. Somewhere between holding your hand and calling your boss pretentious, he becomes the main exhibit of the night.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Kim Mingyu

You signed up for a fake-dating challenge as a joke, something light and temporary. Mingyu shows up with the whole boyfriend starter pack—cooking, cleaning, carrying your groceries like a pro. It’s all fun and games… until the cameras are off and people start asking when the two of you became real.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Lee Seokmin

You hired him to get your mom off your back. DK is everything she could want—thoughtful, helpful, maybe a little too perfect. He wins over your family like it’s second nature and somehow slips into your life with ease. You tell yourself it’s all pretend, but the little notes he leaves behind suggest otherwise.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Boo Seungkwan

What started as a plan to one-up your ex turned theatrical fast. Seungkwan doesn’t just play the role—he builds an entire storyline, complete with shared memories and inside jokes you didn’t know you had. He’s loud, proud, and fully committed. But beneath all the drama and performance, you start to catch moments that feel a little too genuine to be fake.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Choi Vernon

You weren’t expecting much when you booked the cheapest option on the app. Vernon is quiet, hands in his pockets, and doesn’t try too hard. But there’s something about the way he listens—really listens. Every so often, he says something that cuts through the noise, soft and sincere, and makes you forget this isn’t supposed to mean anything.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

Lee Chan

You just wanted practice—a rehearsal date to work through the nerves before the real thing. He arrives with cue cards, a practiced smile, and way too much enthusiasm. At first, it’s all predictable, even a little awkward. But somewhere between his over-prepared charm and unexpected confidence, he flips the script—and suddenly, it feels less like a test run and more like the real deal.

rent here: [Coming soon to your doorstep]

© nerdycheol. Please respect the creator — do not repost, copy, or translate without permission.

[stoop-fairy]

“off key” — gr63

summary — everyone thinks you broke up, so why not play into it?

fc & cw — gracie abrams. again, quality and timeline are uuuhhhhh but we don’t care!!!! it doesn’t really make sense but whatever. spanish songs, if u can pls listen to them because they’re amazing!!!! media speculation. BOOOORING.

liked by lilymhe, taylorswift, lewishamilton and 1M others

yourinsta ‘things i never said but wish i did’ is yours now 🤍 i wrote it for the moments i stayed silent even when it hurt, for the silence between goodbye and i love you.

i hope it finds you gently.

♥︎, yn.

see comments

lilymhe crying screaming throwing up

yourinsta that is me rn

user OH they’re done done

user u know it’s bad when she publishes an ep in both english and spanish..

lewishamilton this is beautiful, pure art.

yourinsta 🩶

user “the silence between goodbye and i love you” HELLO???

user this ep title + no george interaction = we were doomed from the start

user bitch even lewis commented and liked but george is nowhere to be seen

user bitch don’t play with me rn tell me this is a joke

taylorswift this ep hurts in all the right places. so proud of you 🖤

yourinsta thank u mama 🤍🪽

ynbrainrot yn with a fan today in new york! source: feltgoodabtu

remember ‘things i never said but wish i did’ is out on all platforms now!

see comments

user mind u she just released an entire ep that left millions crying..

user whys everyone acting like they broke up lol they haven’t said anything

user bitch bffr george hasn’t liked any of her posts in like 3 weeks + they haven’t posted each other

user she’s so happy wtf

user george russell you have 30 minutes

user if i were george and i saw her looking this good after emotionally dissecting me in two languages? i’d crash on purpose.

user she’s smiling because they’re just doing this for marketing right? RIGHT

user wtf is she doing in new york

liked by yourinsta, kikagomes and 890,672 others

fallontonight @yourinsta stops by the show and leaves us in pieces.

catch her interview + “otra noche de llorar” performance tonight.

#fallontonight

see comments

user otra noche de llorar live? oh george is DONE

user jimmy don’t ask about george unless you want your mic melted

user why is everyone talking about that man instead of focusing on her achievements???

yourinsta thanks so much for having me ❤️

user she’d haunt the narrative if she was in a book

user every man in the front row better shut UP and listen with respect

user award season campaign just began and i hope george knows he’s dating a grammy winner

user is he tho??

user i fear i will not survive this performance

liked by taylorswift, carlossainz55, alexandrasaintmleux and 902,783 others

yourinsta i hope you don’t think these songs are about you (they are)

see comments

user i won’t survive a collab between these two

user girl the timing of this post and that article is insane

user what article?

user [link]

lilymhe what’s going aaaawn

user she’s not denying anything. and george is radio silent. i’m scared

author how much longer will we have to keep crying? maybe it’s best if it ends here, better to let you go. if we love each other so much, why do we suffer? if you were so happy, so happy. don’t waste any more time, turn back. i’m not the one for you, i’m not the one for you. i won’t always be young, my love. maybe this way is better.

user the envelope. the lyrics. the TAYLOR. what are you trying to say bestie

user you can’t post this and then act like we’re delusional

taylorswift 🤫❤️

user café appears again!!!!! oh how i missed her

kikagomes miss girl loves the floor

user guys they’re still together, he literally posted himself bringing café home from the groomer last week 😭

user i mean maybe they’re co parenting because why haven’t they interacted or spoken up about it??

yn’s new album isn’t about george russell: here’s what fans missed

july 2024 — yn’s second ep things i never said but wish i did is out, and the internet is buzzing. with its raw, bilingual lyrics and emotional depth, fans quickly jumped to one conclusion: this must be a breakup ep. and since yn has been publicly dating formula 1 driver george russell since 2022, many assumed the record was about him, especially since the couple hasn’t been seen together publicly in months.

but here’s the truth: yn and george are still very much together.

sources close to them say the ep isn’t about george, it’s about a past relationship, from before yn’s rise to fame.

“this ep is her way of finally processing and saying the things she never said before,” one insider tells pop culture daily. “george has been supportive the whole time.”

longtime fans suspect the songs reference an ex from yn’s early days, someone outside the public eye she never talked about.

“this is a healing album, not a breakup one,” a fan account posted.

meanwhile, despite the speculation, yn and george’s relationship remains strong behind the scenes. they were spotted backstage at recent events and george is expected to support yn’s upcoming shows.

so no, this ep isn’t about george, it’s about closure, growth, and finally speaking the unsaid.

liked by georgerussell63, lilymhe and 1M others

yourinsta we didn’t break up we were just being mysterious

see comments

user YOU COULD’VE JUST SAID THAT 💔

yourinsta no bc it’s funnier this way

georgerussell63 mysterious is one word for it

yourinsta u were complicit don’t act innocent 😐

user currently curled up on the floor but happy for you

user so the songs were about your ex.. oh if i was george i would be crashing out

user she said in an interview that they’re based on a character she made up! so they’re not for her ex

user and the envelope?? she was just feeding into our delusions

user so you’re telling me i cried over a fake breakup??

user oh parasocial relationships are getting out of hand

lilymhe i would never let them breakup guys

user realest friend ever actually

user THANG GOOOOD

liked by taylorswift, georgerussell63 and 982k others

yourinsta soooo excited to share that my first full album ‘the secret of us’ will be urs 08.17.24

some songs are about george (yes, these really are about him) and some are about the things in between. can’t wait for u to hear it ⭐️

see comments

user muse alert 🚨

georgerussell63 guess i’m gonna need a good playlist for the next race… might as well be my own theme music

yourinsta fair warning: some tracks might make you want to pull over 🤷‍♀️

user album of the year already confirmed

user my emotional rollercoaster of the year, thanks yn

user george swiftie confirmed

taylorswift secret of uuuuuss

user she said SOME songs not ALL songs lol

kikagomes pre ordering now

user can we get a teaser? or a single? or anything pls

liked by yourinsta, lewishamilton and 972k others

georgerussell63 vegas delivered 🥇

car felt good, team was better… and i got the best trophy at the end 🤍🎲

see comments

yourinsta okay fine you looked cool or whatever

georgerussell63 you love me

yourinsta i do <3

user “hope you get all you could ask for” AND HE GOT P1!!!!!

user oh my god ur mind

lewishamilton finally some taste in trophy selection

yourinsta yup yup 👍

user finally george p1 who else cheered

user im eating this UUUUP

user sir you didn’t just win.. you WON

liked by georgerussell63, lilymhe and 892k others

yourinsta café first paddock experience 🐾 , she got a lot of pets, was very brave and extremely proud of her dad 💌

see comments

georgerussell63 my girls 🐶❤️

yourinsta we love you and we’re super proud ❤️

user café russell we love you

user family as god made it 🙂‍↕️

lilymhe she’s gonna demand a team radio next time i just know it

user she is the moment

mercedesamgf1 café is now officially part of the strategy team

georgerussell63 wait wdym bitchass

yourinsta at least it says you’re super handsome 🤷‍♀️

[mirrorcatcreditcard]

Take I haven't seen in the fandom yet:

Luka doesn't want to be freed.

"Now, MirrorCatCreditcard," you may say, "that's nonsense. Any human would want freedom from that system."

If you're thinking I'm gonna convince you that Luka doesn't know he wants freedom yet, you're wrong. I'm here to talk about indoctrination/conditioning, grooming/emotional manipulation, my own experience with those topics, and how all of the above connects with Luka as a character. If a deep dive like this is too much for you, please tap out for your own sake.

Luka's life was planned before he even existed. There has never ever been an alternative option. There is no life for Luka as anything but what Herperu chose. Everything in his life has been planned to have him be the perfect pet human idol. That is what he must be.

Fandom, I don't think most of you actually understand this and have dissected what this means (shout-out to the Luka stans who are getting there/have guessed similar things). These words we know have alternatives and are not set in stone are Luka's "gravity makes rain fall to the earth" and "water makes things wet." They are facts so deeply ingrained within him that even if shown the contrary he remarks that the person showing them is just disillusioned.

Take his commentary on Mizi and Hyun-A in the art book. He looks down on Mizi for not being able to control any of her emotions. How does he talk about Hyun-A? He has her at 70% affection yet shows a patronizing attitude—she's the one in denial at reality.

Now, how did we get here? How is a human so "delusional" and set in the control?

He's been conditioned.

Some of you don't know what I mean by this from experience and/or research, and count yourself fortunate that you don't. I pray you never experience such things firsthand. Don't worry about ignorance. Familiar or not, I will explain.

When you are surrounded by only one truth and reality, that is the way you interpret life. If a parent tells a child "the moon goes to sleep during the day," until the child learns otherwise, that's what they believe. Now take that child-like belief and add some toxic environments to the mix. With time, any other kid would learn that the earth rotates from their peers or adults around them. But if the creatures around them all say and believe the same thing "the moon goes to sleep during the day," then that is what the child continues to believe. Years of that same thing being the only truth make that false knowledge into a fact in the person's head, and everything that supports that fact is taken as truth or on the right path to truth.

"This is kinda silly though," you guys are no doubt murmuring, "All of this is a hypothetical. Give us something that makes sense or that someone could actually see happen in our society."

I'll give you my own experience then. My parents taught me that God is real. My parents taught me that I will be damned I do not follow the commandments of the scriptures. I didn't need to worry though. As long as I was obedient to the God who loved me and wanted what was best, I would be saved despite being born an awful sinful human. I was homeschooled, only interacted with people of similar beliefs, and taught that people too different from me in ideology or with radical beliefs against my own were trying to harm me and my family. I believed the people who raised me because why would people who love me lie to me? My task was simple. I needed to obey God and love everyone, especially them. Love meant giving up my entire being and living only as servant and sacrifice. After all, being selfless to the utmost was the greatest form of love.

Let's go back to Luka. His guardian, Herperu, when questioned about any surprises while training Luka, stated not only that he was the one who endured the "tough moments" but also that "(Luka) owes his success to me, and naturally, he should be grateful." This sentiment is echoed by Luka in his interview (shown on Patreon). My god, it's giving parents with disabled kids who brag on social media about how much trouble their kid is and how much they do for them. Sickening. This shows exactly what environment Luka has lived in though.

When you are manipulated into having something as your reality, everything else is fiction and delusion.

Let's review what exactly is Luka's reality.

Heperu is the one suffering if Luka has any difficulties being obedient.

Gratitude is what Herperu is owed because he goes through so much trouble to make Luka a star.

Love/care is shown by owning another's autonomy.

Emotions and bodily reactions exist, sure, but someone should be able to control them; and if they can't, someone should control those reactions for them.

Segyein are superior and the good ones for dealing with humans. Humans must be disciplined and shaped to how an segyein wants it to act to be considered deserving of this goodness.

(Luka)'s perfection is defined by his guardian.

Luka's life is directly connected to being the perfect performer. His guardian praises his abilities with the statement that no other pet human will ever be as perfect as him yet leaves an underlying threat saying that it will be no good if a pet is not trained properly. This has probably been mentally (if not physically) beaten into Luka's mind: his greatness doesn't stop him from being able to be disposed of. The human instinct to want to live has been explained to him as Heperu's wish for him to live and that has been further distorted as a duty to live for the stage he has been placed on.

Luka believes fully that there is a debt in play here. In his interview, he mentions repaying love. He thinks the relationship between fan and idol is completely normal, encouraged, and healthy. Performance is the most important thing. Being where he is is a privilege.

There's a chain here:

Heperu indoctrinated Luka into believing what he says is all true.

The guardian manipulated him easily to do what he wanted with his body and mind.

The years have been spent constantly conditioning Luka to be the god who encapsulated fantasies for the audience.

He is continually being groomed to exist for the entertainment and enjoyment of segyein.

Circle back to my first point of this post. Luka does not want to be freed. He doesn't know what freedom actually is. He sees freedom as either foolish denials of reality (and doesn't consider that actual freedom) or as controlling the song and stage when he performs (something he learned from Hyuna). He cannot want something he cannot understand. He cannot want freedom in the sense the fandom keeps speaking about.

It's funny. From the moment Luka was revealed to be hated by the fandom, I wanted to know why. Instead of digging and finding horrific deeds, I instead found a character who portrayed my own traumas and experiences. I instantly attached and delved deeply into learning about this thirty year old singer. Why does he express himself in a certain way? Where do we first see mention of him? Who does he have emotions towards? How was he trained? What makes Luka himself? I have past essays/replies to other's theories if you're interested, but in this one I got personal and didn't sugarcoat the facts. If the fandom can't handle deep thought, we shouldn't be discussing this incredibly profound and depth-filled web series.

As always, thank you for your time, and I hope my thoughts allowed you to open your mind to new things. Mostly, I hope you enjoyed them 🫶

[rainrot4me]

Odd idea, proxies as tutors? What would their subject be?

So cute!! Welcome to Slender High, folks. Might’ve went a little crazy with this one.

── .✦

✦ . jeff the killer ➝ coach woods

P.E. / Health class.

Gym/Health Class. An extracurricular, but somehow still mandatory. He also coaches the baseball team.

The chaotic hot substitute energy. Always wearing a hoodie with the school’s mascot, sunglasses indoors, probably chewing on a toothpick.

“Alright losers, five laps, and if I see you walking, I’m calling your mom.”

He somehow turns dodgeball into mortal combat and makes health class 80% stories about near-death experiences and how to reset your own nose.

Probably shows a video on CPR and then says, “Now forget that, here’s how you really do it.”

Kids love him. Teachers fear him. The nurse hates him. And yes, he did have to teach Sex-ed. It was traumatic for everyone.

✦ . ticci toby ➝ mr. rogers

Woodshop / Auto mechanic Tech

Woodshop & small engine repair.

Looks constantly disheveled but knows exactly what he’s doing. Calls you “kid” even if you’re older than him.

“You cut your hand? Sick. Lemme see.”

Surprisingly patient with students and very good at explaining with his hands. Loud power tools soothe him. All the troublemakers sit in his class for lunch.

Keeps forgetting he’s not supposed to swear.

Will give you a project to build a birdhouse and then disappear for twenty minutes only to come back with a full crossbow.

✦ . eyeless jack ➝ dr. nyras

Biology / Anatomy

Advanced Biology & Human Anatomy. Both honors.

That freakishly calm, soft-spoken teacher who you don’t want to piss off. Wears gloves at all times.

“Today we’ll be dissecting fetal pigs. Please refrain from vomiting on your lab partners.”

He talks about organs with way too much enthusiasm. Will give you full marks for effort and curiosity, but will also deduct points for making squeamish faces.

Nobody’s brave enough to ask where he gets the extra specimens.

Has an endless supply of black coffee and leaves the room colder than any other on campus. There are definitely rumors circulating that he is secretly a cult member.

✦ . masky (tim wright) ➝ mr. wright

History.

American & World History. But specifically World War II and awesome battle retellings.

Burnt out, deadpan, but wildly intelligent. Could teach the class hungover and still make it captivating. The kind of homework you could turn in a blank document and somehow still get a 100.

“History’s just war, ego, and bad ideas. Let’s begin.”

Will go on 30-minute tangents about conspiracy theories but somehow ties it back to the curriculum every time.

Wears the same cardigan three days in a row. Still smells like parchment paper and cologne.

Doesn’t grade your paper, just leaves cryptic comments like “The empire always strikes back. B+.”

✦ . hoodie (brian thomas) ➝ mr. thomas

Photography / Media Arts

Photography, Film Studies, Journalism. Has published his own book and reads from it daily.

Quiet, intense, incredibly observant. Wears all black. Always has a camera or notepad.

“Art should make you uncomfortable. That’s how you know it’s real.”

He gives very detailed feedback on creative work but refuses to compliment directly.

Shows weird documentaries and calls it “inspiration.” However, people are falling asleep left and right.

You catch him staring out windows or filming empty hallways. Nobody knows where he goes during lunch.

✦ . kate the chaser ➝ coach milens-hayes

Debate / Track Coach

Debate, Current Events / Track Coach.

Tactical jacket, heavy boots, hair tied back. No-nonsense, all intensity. Lives off of making kids nervous.

“Speak like you mean it, or sit down.”

Coaches you like a soldier: brutal honesty, high expectations, but genuine pride when you succeed.

Has you running mental laps just as much as physical ones.

Won’t admit she cares about her students, but she shows up to every event and stays late to help you prep. First to get to the field and last to leave, always making sure it’s in tip-top shape.

✦ . ben drowned ➝ mr. b

Computer Science / Game Design

Coding, Game Development, Hacking 101.

Hoodie pulled up, Monster can in hand, sits on top of the desk like a menace.

“Anyone touches my gaming rig and dies. Let’s boot Unity.”

Encourages cheating “if you’re smart enough to not get caught.”

Replaces your cursor with a meme. Has every shortcut known to man memorized. Practically speaks in HTML code.

Once programmed a jumpscare into the school website for fun.

✦ . clockwork ➝ dr. ouellette

Psychology

Intro to Psych, Criminal Behavior, Criminal Justice.

Cool older sister energy. Heels, eyeliner, slightly intimidating but smells amazing. Dresses like a lawyer.

“Let’s talk about what trauma does to the brain. Yes, again.”

Talks casually about serial killers and makes it sound like reading a cookbook. Always starts class by pulling up the town’s news articles to see if there’s been any murders.

Students either have a crush on her or fear her (usually both).

Never lets you slack off. Encourages you to journal and process your emotions even though she never does. Snatches phones like it’s a hobby.

✦ . laughing jack ➝ mr. lj

Theater / Creative Writing

Theater & Creative Lit. He likes to multitask his teaching.

Always wearing eccentric scarves, multicolored pants, and glitter eyeshadow. Calls everyone “darling.”

“Today we’re expressing grief through mime. Yes, you have to participate. No, it doesn’t have to be good.”

Encourages absurd ideas with wild enthusiasm. Will show up with sock puppets and expect you to act out King Lear. Art is whatever you can get away with in his class.

Gives strange but insightful writing prompts like “Describe your first heartbreak in the style of a horror movie.”

Students adore him. Admin tries to fire him every year. They can’t catch him. He once got a hateful letter from a parent and acted it out in front of the class with props.

✦ . nina the killer + jane everlasting ➝ mrs. hopkins + ms. richardson

Cosmetology + Home Ec

Duo teachers who co-teach Home economics and Cosmetology / Personal Care.

One side is sleek, black, hyper-organized. The other is hot pink chaos with glitter stickers on everything. The energy is immaculate. Their outfits reflect that.

Nina is your cool chaotic older sister who shows up with a matcha and false lashes at 8 a.m. and somehow makes it work. Nail art, extreme glam, wigs, special FX gore makeup (where she thrives—suspiciously too good with blood effects).

“Blend like your ex just saw you at Target, babes.”

Jane is strong, composed, elegant—but always one thread away from snapping. Always in black. The only one in the building who can get the lunchroom to shut up just by walking in. Knife skills, holistic skincare, sewing/repair, and self-defense baked into everything.

“No, you may not use glitter glue in your soufflé.”

Enemies to reluctant co-workers who constantly roast each other but would absolutely murder anyone else who tried to do the same. Nina walks in late with Starbucks and Jane says “You’re late.” Nina replies, “Your mascara’s uneven.”

The class becomes the spot for gossip, life lessons, and oddly effective therapy. Students worship them both. Their arguments are like watching two queens from rival kingdoms argue over who gets the last bit of land.

✦ . slenderman ➝ principal s

Principal / Philosophy

Technically the principal, but hosts one elite seminar class on ethics and metaphysics that only the honors students are allowed to attend.

Wears suits so sharp they could cut time. You can hear his presence before you see him. Definitely has a lanyard with keys you can hear from two hallways away.

“You are not here to learn. You are here to remember.”

Speaks in riddles, never uses a whiteboard, and grades on an unknowable system. Heaven help if you’re called into his office for disciple, you won’t come out the same.

Everyone is scared of him. Everyone respects him. Rumor is he doesn’t walk—he glides. He buys the faculty’s lunch every Friday, but that doesn’t make them any less nervous around him.

You leave his class every time feeling like your brain got wrung out and kissed on the forehead.

꩜ .ᐟ

[yourislandgirl]

*:ꔫ:*ₓₒ LEMON DROP LIPS ˚ ༘♡ੈ✩ || 리키 x fem!reader || drabble

— KISS ME, DON’T SAY NO series

summary: enlisting the help of your boyfriend, you had a goal of completing your biology assignment well in advance, wanting to get back in your teachers good graces, and thanks to riki’s support, the task didn’t feel so impossible, a little sour for sure, but manageable

genres: fluff, romance, non-idol!riki x non-idol!reader, est. relationship

warnings: ni-ki is referred to as "riki", attempts at humour, swearing/cursing, brat boyfriend rikimura, standard high school student stress (i think i write stressed academics a bit too often . oh well)

wc: 2.8k

[archive]

“Why would you subject yourself to biology?”

You shrugged at the question.

But it was an assignment from that very class that had both you and your boyfriend at your local park hunting for flowers. The afternoon sunlight was slowly dipping lower and a gentle breeze swayed amongst the grass around your ankles. After carefully closing the lid of your lip balm and tucking it into your jacket pocket, you crouched down beside your boyfriend and took your biology question booklet out of his hands.

“Because,” you started, “I needed a science subject to close out my timetable and Miss Hwang said that bio had more visual learning and there were more hands-on experiments that we could do, so— Wait, why am I even explaining this to you? Dig!”

You nudged Riki with your shoulder, ignoring his groans as you flipped through the question booklet, making sure you’d found the right flower specimen.

Dissecting flora and delving into the horticulture topic was fascinating but equally a challenge. At the start, it included a lot of labelling and diagrams, and then it became more fun when your teacher brought in the bouquets — you and your friends got side tracked in class and started researching the language of flowers.

Riki had even started to take an interest when you talked about your lessons, sitting in the art room with him while he sketched.

Presently, as you pulled your phone out to take down a few notes, you smiled at the little doodle he did of carnation flowers that you’d placed in your phone case.

“They mean love, or something,” he’d muttered as he handed the sketch to you.

“Or something,” you’d muttered back before kissing him on the cheek.

more under cut !!

You shook your head, smiling at the memory while you closed your notes app and opened the camera instead. “Alright, here, take this.” Handing the phone to Riki, you chose to do the actual extraction yourself.

You grabbed the base of the stem and started to tug at it gently. Maybe a little too gently.

The seconds passed by and the stem moved just under a centimetre before Riki finally lost his patience and sighed a little. “Just pluck it.”

You shot him a small, harmless glare to which he replied with his tongue poking out but he remained in place ready to snap the photo.

“Riki, I need the root system as well.”

His expression soured. “I hate your teacher.”

“She hates you too. Go write a diss track about it later.”

You heard him chuckle quietly, your cheeks heating up at the sound.

It took you a few moments to brace yourself through it but eventually, you pulled out the flower, roots and all, and held in your hands as if it was a delicate angels feather. The sigh of relief that left your lips was nothing compared to the groan from Riki when he stood up after finally taking the photo.

“Ugh, my ankles are killing me.” He rolled his head back and clicked the joints in his neck and shoulders while he talked.

You felt a little bad for him but you needed the help. And in all honesty, Riki took better photos than you. The angle, the lighting, it all looked better when he was holding the camera. You used to think there was some secret to it but you quickly came to realise he just had an eye for beauty and composition that no one else had.

You loved the photo, immediately emailing it to yourself so you’d have it on your laptop. When you turned your gaze back up at Riki, he was resting his hands behind his head, eyes drooping a little.

You smirked. “Aw is Shnookums tired?” Reaching forward, your tried to poke his cheek before he gently swatted you away.

Your smile only grew at the sight of how Riki pinched the bridge of his nose, it seemed the memory of such a flattering childhood nicknames was an unwelcome one. “Stop, that was one time.” As he turned to walk further into the park, you could almost hear Riki chuckle as you hurried to catch up to him.

“I don’t know Shnookie,” your voice was torturously teasing, “The home videos your sister showed me say a different story.”

“God the next time I see her…”

Laughter blossomed out of you. Reaching for his hand, you continued to explore the local park’s flora and compare it to the required specimens needed for your biology class.

You’d carefully bagged each flower in a zip lock and handed them to Riki to slide into a folder before placing it in your backpack. Your little system of discovery, extraction, documentation and storage was going well, and you’d just about finished the list with only three remaining specimens left.

“Ok, I say we wrap it up for the day.” Riki got up from his crouched position for the seventh time in the afternoon, stretching every joint carefully, waiting for you to get up as well. Your jacket was slung over his shoulder like a towel, his own makeshift neck pillow.

“Uh…” You remained huddled on the grass, fingers flipping through the biology booklet.

“Y/N?” You looked up, seeing Riki’s expectant gaze, his hand outstretched ready to help you up. “Let’s go, I can walk you home.”

“I think I’m gonna stay a little longer. I can get my mum to pick me up, don’t worry.”

Asking Riki not to worry was like asking him to immediately start panicking, because both resulted in the same outcome. His eyebrows would furrow, his shoulder would tense up, his only goal would be to understand why and what he could do to help.

“I don’t understand,” he reached for your hand, pulling you up with ease, wanting to speak to you at eye level, or, somewhat-eye-level. “This isn’t due until after the weekend. You’ve got time to do this, you can take a break for now. Right?”

You gripped the booklet in your other hand a little tighter.

“Y/N, hey, it’s ok to take a break.”

You puffed out a breath, blowing some stray hairs off your cheeks. “I know that,” you mused. “I just need to do this now. I think… It could make Miss Hwang happy, that’s all.”

Riki’s frown turned from concern to judgement so fast, you’d miss the transition if you blinked. “Ok, what? Who gives a fuck what she thinks?”

“My parents, my report card, my scholarship applications, my—”

“I get it.”

He subtly reached for your wrist, his fingers gentle as they slide down your palm and interlocked with yours.

The silence was anticipatory. The kind where you could feel his questions churning inside by the way his thumb tapped against the back of your hand. It was the kind of silence where you felt his gaze on you a few times as if waiting for you to break the quiet and initiate some conversation.

Riki liked having answer, that much you knew. But you also knew that he’d never force them out of you.

Maybe that’s why it was easier to talk to him more than anyone else.

“Miss Hwang held me and a few others back in class last week.”

Riki slowed down his pace a little, frowning as he recollected the past week. “Hang on, you said you had extra bio work to do.”

“I did,” you shrugged. “I was doing it while she held me back. I, um…”

The hesitation on your face made Riki frown a little deeper, his lips pouting just enough to alleviate your mood that littlest bit. He really did not like that woman, and for what it was worth, that amused you deeply.

Enough to admit the reason with a shy smirk, “She may have seen me texting you while my friends and I did buzzfeed quizzes.”

He scoffed, his head tipping back with a sigh, the mental image of you, his high achieving girlfriend, wasting class time? “Buzzfeed? Really?”

Your eyes lit up with a simmering annoyance that you’d been harbouring for days. “We finished the class work! She was being so petty!”

“She is petty.”

You sighed, “She’s not horrible. Just, I don’t know, strict?”

Shrugging, Riki led you to a park bench to take a seat. “Lovingly, don’t care. Not a fan.”

“Doesn’t matter,” you leaned back onto the cool wood of the park bench, “I need to make her a fan of me again. I really don’t want to lose the favour of a teacher like her ya know?”

Riki merely gave you a blank expression before conceding, “Yeah, ‘kay.”

Wordlessly, he pulled your jacket off his shoulders and dropped it on your lap before taking the biology booklet out of your hands. He started flipping through.

You raised an eyebrow at his actions but quickly became distracted by the sheer concentration on his face.

It was the same face he wore when making sure he had every material needed before painting. Or when he was making sure he’d followed the rule of thirds during a preliminary canvas sketch. He had a precision to his perspective that you could not find in another person.

He only further proved your point by putting an arm over your shoulder and bringing you closer so that you could read along with him. He muttered under his breath about how many samples you’d collected, how many double ups you’d found, the general locations and other areas you could try in the park before it got too dark.

“You want to finish this by the end of the week right? Submit it early?” He didn’t wait for an answer before getting off the bench, taking you with him, his hand holding yours once again. “I’d say we’ve got fifteen more minutes before the street lights turn on.”

He turned to face you again. “We might have to come back tomorrow, babe. I’m sorry.” Pressing a soft kiss on your temple, Riki pulled his phone out to text his sister, asking her to come pick you both up. When he looked back up, Riki halted at the sight of your smile.

“You’re not upset?”

“What?” You hadn’t realised you’d been smiling. Shaking your head to compose yourself, you breathed out a nervous laugh, “Right. No, I’m not. I just… Thank you.”

You smiled wider at his confusion, spurring him to smile back, no less confused than before. At that moment the weight of Miss Hwang’s expectations didn’t matter. Your drive to please her regulated into a drive to please yourself.

As you slowly pulled Riki back to the park bench to sit next you, the simmering urge to submit early started to dissipate. Of course you knew it would come back again tomorrow morning, and you were prepared for that. But maybe Riki had a point, you could afford to take a break.

You’d made excellent progress, and with his help tomorrow, you’d have this assignment completed well before the due date, exactly as planned.

The street lights started to flicker to life, burning their midnight oil, unlike you, who’d chosen to preserve yours.

“You okay?” Riki’s voice was low, lower than a whisper. He still wore an expression of confusion but it had morphed into intrigue, enchantment — he didn’t need to know why you thanked him, he just needed to make sure whatever he did, he’d keep doing it.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” you whispered back. “I guess sometimes it hits different, knowing that I’ve got people in my corner, rooting for me and doing whatever they can to help me succeed. Even if the prize isn’t anything special.”

Riki smirked, “In your own words, an A+ is better than a winning lottery ticket.” He pulled you closer once again, the feeling of his arm draped over your shoulder was a welcomed comfort, a familiar warmth.

Even his teasing was welcomed; “That is a foul sentiment, by the way. Who taught you something so illogical? Let me at ‘em.”

You giggled at his dramatics. “I was being sarcastic.”

“I should hope so.”

Riki’s thumb drew small circles into your shoulder, his head dropping down to rest on top of yours. “Seriously, though. You don’t need to thank me for this. Of course I’d help you.”

Your cheeks felt like they were in bloom, lip quirking up as you spoke. “Even though you hate Miss Hwang?”

“Especially because I hate Miss Hwang,” he scoffed, sitting up a little to face you, the glint in his eyes like a fire cracker just looking for trouble.

“Think about it,” he started, “What better way is there to get back at that witch?” He pulled your biology booklet out once more, flipping through the pages speedily, as if to show just how much you’d completed in one afternoon.

“She’s gonna have to give you the top mark, and her knowing that you’re my girl just makes it better.”

You gasped, mockingly. “You petty little—”

“Listen sweets, if there’s anyone that I want succeeding, it’s you.” His arm found its place over your shoulder once more, this time pulling you into the warmth between his collar and neck.

“My support shouldn’t be a shock, it’s a given,” he said, softly.

You breathed in his scent, a little musky coupled with the slight smell of acrylic paint. Pursing your lips, biting back another smile, you turned to gaze up at him.

He glanced down. “What?”

You hummed a noncommittal tone, “You just look very kissable right now.”

It was amusing to witness, the way Riki’s gentle expression morphed into a boyish grin. “Well not to brag but, I fear I just wake up looking kissable.”

“Mhm.”

He nodded, “Honestly, go ahead, feel how kissable my lips are.” Just to prove his point, he puckered them up for you dramatically.

Nudging him in the ribs lightly, you leaned away in faux disgust. “Shut up.”

“Oh come on,” he grabbed your wrist, “I even used your lip balm.”

Your smile dropped, brows furrowing instantly.

Riki halted, verbally backpedaling “Wait, I mean—”

“You used my limited edition lemon drop lip balm?!”

“…No?”

You hands patted frantically against your jacket that was rested on your lap, feeling each of the pockets and finding no small plastic tube of citrusy softness.

Your gaze locked with your boyfriend’s, who’d already gotten off the bench and started walking away hastily.

“Riki!” You followed after him, both of you speeding into a jog, then a run, then a sprint.

Riki’s deep laughter resounded the local park, every other passerby with a dog or on a walk had turned to look at the scene that bolted past them.

You groaned, feeling yourself slowing down. “Stop running!”

“Stop chasing!” He yelled over his shoulder, turning slightly to see your speed reduce, causing him to do the same.

He kept a decent distance from you, hands up in surrender. Well, one hand open. The other was in a fist, his large palm could have been hiding anything but you had an inkling to what was inside.

“Got it right here,” he declared, smugly. Your beloved lip balm.

You stalked closer, before lunging forward to reach his hand. A failed attempt, of course. as he simply lifted it higher. “When did you even take it? Give it back!”

Your hands went to his ribs, aiming to tickle him into submission but he quickly dodged you, circling around, his free hand on your shoulder to hold you at arms length.

“Give me a kiss first!” His eyes were alight, sparked with love, cloaked with mischief.

You shook your head, your own grin was involuntary at that point. “Riki, I swear—”

“Nope.” He leaned forward, his empty hand snaking around your waist and pulling you closer. “My name’s not Riki, it’s Shnookums. Now hold still and you’ll get your lip balm.”

You fidgeted out of his grip, determined to hold off on kissing him until you got your limited edition. “Fine.” Your hand was held out, palm open for the trade.

Riki unfurled his fist, an empty hand grasped yours and pulled you into him, his own lips locking onto yours.

Any semblance of stubborn determination was immediately dissolved against the taste of lemon meringue and citrusy zest that met your tongue.

The flavour faltered your thoughts, leaving you a blinking, blushing mess as Riki pulled away.

“Is that enough lip balm for you?” He shoved his hands in his pockets, taking a couple steps back.

You jutted your lip out, deep in pretend-thought. “I might need more, funnily enough.”

You giggled at his expression. “Hilarious.”

a.n: FINAL INSTALMENT OF THE KISS ME, DON'T SAY NO SERIES IS HERE AHHHHH — i hope you all enjoyed the ride and i've got so many more drafts just itching to be posted but anyway, thank yoouuuu xx <3

taglist: @oceanstide — @sheepsgf — @itsrinsdrs — @enjakey — @rynnest

2025 © yourislandgirl

[trupie]

I totally agree on a lot of these points!

In retrospect, I wish I'd made it clearer that I also REALLY like Making Money. Mavolio Bent is a fantastic character, I like the asides at Unseen University, Moist's confession is absolute GENIUS, I love that Adora gets to be more of an active character in proceedings, and I love love love how more much interactive the book feels with Ankh-Morpork. I love the appearances of CMOT Dibbler, Harry King, and Vimes, it makes AM feel much more like a real city with consistent power players.

I also agree that while GP is a book about personal growth, MM is more about Moist coming to terms with himself. He reconciles his, as Vetinari puts it, Criminal Mind with his Honest Heart. The first book confronted him with the cost of his previous con artist way of life, this book helps him reconcile that his adrenaline seeking, people charming, game running ways are an inseparable part of him that he ultimately finds a way to rehabilitate and channel for the good of the city. It's also the beginning of an arc that seems to imply Vetinari is grooming is favorite chew toy to become Patrician after him.

You've honestly given me a new perspective on the first third of the book. One of the reasons I preferred GP was that things seemed a bit too easy for Moist at first in MM. He never really felt threatened until they discovered the fake gold in the vaults. I never had considered that that may have been entirely on purpose, let alone the point!

Making Money is absolutely a good book on its own merits. All I was trying to do is explain why I liked Going Postal better. I'm a sucker for a story with a good narrative foil, and Reacher Gilt is a GREAT foil for Moist. Definitely in the top five Pratchett antagonists, if not the top three.

I've read Going Postal approximately a zillion times because its my favorite Discworld novel, and by extension I've read Making Money a fair few times because it is What Is Done after reading GP. But I've never liked it as much.

Making Money is lacking the drive that Moist gets from a foil as fantastic as Reacher Gilt. He was a perfect antagonist because he was Moist writ large. Reacher is the logical endpoint of the road that Moist was walking down when his angel came for him.

I just don't get what Cosmo Lavish and Cribbins are supposed to say about Moist. Like, the difference between Moist and Cribbins is that Cribbins has no respect for people, no style, and is willing to get violent. But I don't think this really reveals any truths about Moist as a character. We already know that Moist has style, that he cares about people in his way, that he is sickened by violence. Revealing Cribbins as his mentor is interesting, but he doesn't really push Moist to grow or change.

Ditto Cosmo. He's a cunning adversary to be sure. But the only real point of contention he has with Moist is that Cosmo wants to be the Patrician, whereas Moist gets uncomfortable thinking Vetinari's way. Otherwise, Cosmo is a very self-deluded Quixotic egotist, while Moist is much more of a realist with a huge ego and a small self-esteem.

Reacher showed us all of the talents and skills Moist valued, raised to excellence, but it revealed Moist's morality. He saw the absolute apex of what he wanted to be and was horrified. Reacher made Moist into a better person just as much as Adora or Vetinari by showing him everything he didn't want to be. To not be a hammer.

I dunno. The story just lacks that strong character glue that makes Going Postal such an effective read.

[yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere]

the genre that is photos of Jessie and Jack together and how much i love them both! <3

+LOTS of grishaverse content in THIS post :https://yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere.tumblr.com/post/768200262755221504/and-the-saga-continues-just-girls-i-hope

+How i first experienced Jack's incredible talent and Their magic (the day was January 13, 2022 Jack/Wylan day IYKYK) i went into youtube and watched this. Since then i've been only more and more and more in awe of everything He's doing, all the art They send into this world. JACK SINGING 'A Lot Like Me' from The Magician's Elephant:https://youtu.be/xf_DqSXKJak(VERY Wylan's song yes. LOVE the comments here btw)

!https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/718197308183969793/falafel14-proof-that-jack-wolfe-has-been-walking?source=share

-iconic 'Who's Mark?' :https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/711124098894479360/this-and-also-9-days?source=share &https://yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere.tumblr.com/post/711124098894479360/this-and-also-9-days

-Shadow and Bone Season 2 + subtle hints to Wylan’s backstory(in GIFS):https://www.tumblr.com/stevenrogered/712346903736664064/shadow-and-bone-season-2-subtle-hints-to-wylans

+https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/712331646000627712/in-jmls-words-the-women-of-grishaverse-can-do &https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/711793091810590720/they-are-all-so-beautiful-new

-he fell first, he fell harder :https://yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere.tumblr.com/post/711788484640260096/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere-yes &https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/711305533150380032/yes-iconic-whos-mark?source=share

-https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/720000720048422912/what-an-icon-and-hes-trending-on-twitter &https://yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere.tumblr.com/post/720000720048422912/what-an-icon-and-hes-trending-on-twitter

[rikudaa]

༉‧₊˚Blue Paint and Binary

Tim Drake/Red Robin x Reader | Part 1. >>>

ღA/N: I haven’t finished the Jason’s one yet but already started on Tim, I don’t have any excuse your honor. Dividers are made by @cafekitsune ! Also there’s a familiar name, I wonder why it’s there👀

Note: This is a Yandere story but for the start off the chapter it’s just a life of being student in university. You’re an art major with a psychology focus, and he’s in another major likely something strategic, analytical, or tech-heavy. Academic rivals are ruled.

No gender mention for reader, just “You” and “Y/N”. Enjoy!

You see him again.

Fourth time this week. Fifth if you count the reflection in the library window Monday night, where he didn’t notice you watching him stalk through the neuroscience wing like he had a hitlist tucked in his backpack. He probably did. Probably alphabetized, color-coded, timestamped. You don’t know what his major is, exactly. You just know it involves enough data and silence to make your teeth itch.

You’re not even sure how it started, this thing between you.

Maybe it was the day he tore down your entire color-theory thesis in front of the honors seminar like you hadn’t poured eight weeks of insomnia into it. Or maybe it was when you psychoanalyzed the subtle ways he corrects professors, like he’s trying not to challenge their authority outright. A boy raised in the shadows, needing to be smarter than the room but invisible at the same time.

He hated that.

You liked that he hated that.

It made things interesting.

Now you both sit two rows apart in the interdisciplinary lecture you don’t need, but keep taking anyway. You, because it fulfills a loose psych elective. Him, because–well, you’re still figuring that out. You suspect it’s just to keep an eye on you.

His laptop is open. Of course. Always typing, even when the professor is off-topic or ranting about Kantian frameworks like anyone in this generation gives a damn. You sketch while he types. His fingers never pause. Neither does your pencil.

You don’t know what he’s writing. He doesn’t know you’re drawing him. (He probably does)

Sometimes you wonder what it’d be like if you weren’t circling each other like dogs bred for war. If you weren’t two kids with too many ghosts and not enough peace. If you weren’t chasing two versions of control in different languages–his clean, hard logic versus your bleeding, beautiful chaos.

“Drake,” you mutter when he passes by your table at the campus café.

He looks up. Neutral expression, polite voice.

“Y/N.”

The way he says your name–it’s never soft. Like it’s a task. Like he’s filing you under ‘problems to solve later.’

You sip your coffee. He doesn’t sit, but he also doesn’t leave.

“I heard you’re presenting at the symposium next month,” he says. Tone clipped. “Didn’t think postmodern expressionism was ready for prime time.”

You smile over the rim of your cup. “I didn’t think future CIA agents attended art showcases.”

His lip twitches. A crack in the porcelain. You almost write that down. Instead, you offer a shrug.

“It’s about trauma translation in visual mediums,” you say casually. “Memory distortion in painted narratives. Thought you’d be into that, don’t you guys love poking at trauma?”

“I don’t poke,” he says. “I dissect.”

“Wow. That supposed to impress me?”

“No,” he says. “But I’m guessing that’s your default response to feeling threatened.”

You narrow your eyes. “I’m not threatened.”

“Sure.”

You hate that you want to throw your coffee at him and kiss him at the same time.

There’s no label for what you two are. You share a dozen classes. Compete for the same awards. Sit on the same late-night panels when professors need overachievers to flex for alumni donors.

You’ve even been grouped for the occasional cross-discipline project where you talk, and he listens, and then he talks, and you sketch the slope of his mouth when he forgets he’s performing.

Sometimes you work in silence for hours.

Sometimes you fight.

Sometimes you wonder what he dreams about when he forgets to pretend he doesn’t dream.

You catch him reading your analysis paper once. The one you left out in the shared research lab. He doesn’t know you’re watching from the stairwell. He reads it twice.

You never mention it.

Weeks pass. You win the campus-wide art grant. He wins the dean’s medallion. You both pretend not to care about the other’s win, but neither of you stop looking. Comparing. Weighing.

During one particularly brutal review, your advisor calls your piece “Catharsis in Crimson” emotionally erratic.

You leave class furious, chalk-stained fingers clenching your coat.

Tim’s outside already, leaning against the wall like he’d been waiting. You scowl.

“If you came to gloat–”

“I liked it.”

You blink.

“What?”

“I liked your piece,” he says. “The one they tore apart.”

Your voice is smaller than you want. “You don’t get to say that.”

“I know.” He nods. “But I’m saying it anyway.”

It’s quiet for a beat. You look at the sky to avoid looking at his face. The clouds are heavy and gray and stubborn. You think, Maybe we’re like that too.

“I don’t know what we are,” you admit.

Tim exhales slowly. “Neither do I.”

You laugh softly but the bitterness already etched on your tongue.

“Must drive you crazy. Not knowing.”

“It does,” he says. “You’re an outlier. I don’t have a model for you.”

You look at him then. Really look. There’s something honest in the way his hands curl at his sides. Something tired in the slouch of his shoulders, like he’s been fighting a war no one sees.

“I could say the same.”

“I know.”

And there it is again. The space between you, small and sharp and unbearably loud.

You don’t touch. You don’t cross the line.

But you both know it’s there.

Waiting.

Next up: Observe and Detach | Part 1. >>>

©𐙚 rikudaa—Please do not repost or copy this content to other websites.

[clya4]

Freak Therapy

-> READ FIRST SESSION HERE.

pairings: Eddie Munson x oc

summary: She signed up for a psychology internship expecting to babysit a few lost teenagers. Instead, she got Eddie Munson: Hawkins’ finest metalhead, three-time senior, and all-around expert in making life difficult. For eight weeks, she’ll try to “fix” him. He’ll try to survive her. Spoiler alert: neither is ready for what happens next. Eight sessions. One freak. Zero chance this stays professional.

general warnings: Mild age gap (she’s a psychology intern, he’s a three-time senior), eventual smut, sarcasm levels off the charts, slow-burn tension hotter than Eddie’s guitar riffs, questionable professionalism, emotional damage (yours and theirs), occasional nerd references.

if you want to be added to the official taglist for this fic then please let me know in the comments ⋆.

Session two - Eddie’s POV

I tried...really, but the human brain is a cruel, horny little traitor.

One week. That’s how long I’d tried, and failed, not to think about the shrink. About the way she’d looked at me like she could see straight through my bullshit. About how she’d laughed, just a tiny bit, when I’d made her crack during that first session.

I was stuck in the cafeteria, sketchbook balanced on my knee, poking at yesterday’s meatloaf reheated into today’s mystery slop. Around me, the usual crowd roared and banged their trays like orcs.

I’d almost finished shading the wings on one of the “monsters” she’d asked me to draw, even though it felt stupid as hell.

The next second, Gareth dropped into the seat across from me.

“Look at this, boys! Our glorious dungeon master, studying at lunch? Are pigs flying outside or something?”

Jeff took a seat too, grinning.

I smirked. “It’s not homework, dipshits. It’s...art therapy. School’s forcing me to talk to some shrink so I don’t flunk out again"

Dustin nearly spat out his drink. “ART therapy? Holy shit, what, you gonna start painting sunsets next?”

Jeff snickered, but it wasn’t mean. “Well, if it keeps you from repeating senior year a third time, go for it, man.”

I shot him a middle finger, lazy. “Appreciate the support.”

Gareth elbowed me, eyes gleaming. “So, did they assign you some crusty old dude with elbow patches or like... some grandma in a twinset?”

I pretended to focus on the page. “She’s fine.”

Handerson perked up like a dog. “Fine like...old-lady fine, or fine fine?”

I shook my head. “No. She’s…she’s young.” I hated how awkward that sounded.

Jeff perked up. “Young? Like very young?”

“Christ...I dunno, mid-twenties,” I grumbled.

Gareth smirked. “Dude’s got a crush on his shrink.”

Eddie slammed the pencil down dramatically. “Yeah, I’m so in love with being dissected like a frog. Dream come true."

They laughed, pounding their trays like idiots and went back to tearing apart their fries, debating whether Steve Harrington’s hair was a government conspiracy, or something equally stupid.

I snapped my sketchbook shut, half-proud, half-disgusted with what had crawled out of my brain. 

I stretched my neck, eyes drifting toward the big glass windows across the cafeteria...and there she was.

Miss Cole, walking through the hallway...looking about a million years too good for Hawkins High. Hair half-up with those soft strands doing criminal things around her cheekbones, clipboard in hand, all serious business.

For a second I just sat there staring, heat pooling in my gut, because fuck, she looked like she could ruin a guy in about fifteen different ways. 

Jesus, Eddie, pull it together.

Jeff followed my line of sight  “Holy shit, Munson, that’s her?”

I cleared my throat, trying to play it cool. "Yeah"

Dustin nearly choked on his fries. "What?! Man, I’d go nuts on purpose.”

Jeff whistled low. "I’d draw anything she asked me to. Hell, I’d let her dissect me.”

I snorted, but inside, yeah - fuck, same.

Gareth cackled. “Forget that, I’d let her electroshock me.”

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. “You assholes done?” I hissed, standing up, grabbing my bag. “It’s a government-sanctioned mental cavity search." I shot back. “And there’s nothing cool or fun about it”

They all howled anyway, loving every second of my misery, while I trudged toward the door.

Second session. Round two.

God help me.

The door was already half opened. I stepped into her little office, she was sitting behind her desk, flipping through a stack of notes with her “serious” face on,  the one that looked like she was trying to solve a murder case instead of babysitting my sorry ass.

“Hey"

She glanced up and gave me that calm, polite therapist smile that made me wanna jump out the window.

“Hi, Eddie. Come on in.”

I dropped into the chair across from her, trying not to look as antsy as I felt.

"Back for round two, huh? ”

She gave me a tiny smile and nodded toward my sketchbook poking out of my backpack. “Did you bring your drawings?”

I sighed “Yeah.”

I pulled it out, flipping to the latest page before sliding it over, fighting the urge to snatch it right back. 

The monsters were ugly, yeah... rows of eyes, but none of them looking forward, each one gazing somewhere else. Its teeth were cracked and mismatched, like a busted piano.

She studied it with that soft, almost careful focus, eyes scanning the pencil lines like she was searching for hidden code.

“They have a lot of eyes.”

“Yeah. So they can see everything.”

 “But they are not looking at you,” she noted quietly, tapping her pen against the margin.

I swallowed, forcing a shrug. “Guess they are busy.”

She met my eyes, and for a second I felt… transparent. Like she was picking apart every piece of me.

“Busy ignoring you?”

I huffed a laugh without responding.

She flipped the page slowly, looking at another sketch, one with twisted claws, like it was reaching for something.

“These are incredible,” she said.

“Detailed, creative… you really put a lot of thought into them.”

“Yeah, well. It’s easier to draw a monster than talk about the real ones, right?”

That got a sweet empathetic smile out of her, just a quick one.

Then someone knocked on the door. She sighed, politely excusing herself and stepping out into the hallway, leaving the folder half-open on the desk.

I stared at it.

Nope. Don’t do it.

…Don’t do it, Munson.

I drummed my fingers on the arm of the chair

Of course I did it.

....screw it, I snatched up her notebook.

The first note was: 

Back to Hawkins, Day 1. Let’s survive this.

I flipped through the pages, searching for the crap she’d written about me.

“Edward “Eddie” Munson.

Exceptionally creative, uses humor to mask emotional discomfort. Personality suggest themes of social invisibility and fear of abandonment.

Possibly charming despite efforts to appear detached.

Enjoys being provocative, borderline endearing, annoyingly so.”

I snorted, almost loud enough to get caught.

Charming. Okay, princess.

Then my stomach did something weird, seeing the last line, squeezed between clinical observations:

“May be more sensitive than he wants to admit.”

I closed the folder fast, heart pounding, trying to play it cool before she came back in.

She slipped through the door a second later, apologetic, smoothing her skirt as she sat back down.

“Sorry about that. Where were we?”

I forced a grin, arms folded.

“Talking about my deep, tragic monster trauma, I think.”

She raised a brow, pen ready again. “Let’s dig into that, shall we?”

She studied them with that thoughtful, calm face of hers, the pen tapping against her lower lip. “Tell me about these,” 

I blew out a slow breath, trying to look bored. “The big one’s like… everyone around me. All those eyes, you know? Always watching”

She nodded, scribbling something down. I caught a glimpse of a word, maybe isolation or neglect, classic shrink talk.

“And the little one?”

I shifted in my seat. “That’s… I dunno, I guess that’s me. Always reaching, always trying to…connect, or be heard, or…something”

She leaned in, eyes sharp. “Does that feeling come up with your parents?”

My stomach clenched a bit. I hated talking about this crap. “Don’t live with them,” I said, voice tight. “I’m with my uncle in a camper. He’s cool, but he works a ton, so mostly it’s just me talking to the moldy coffee pot.”

Marissa’s mouth curved, sympathetic but a little sad. “That sounds lonely.”

“Yeah, well,” I forced a grin, “good thing I’ve got a couple of flesh-eating imaginary buddies to keep me company, huh?”

She actually snorted at that. “Charming.”

“Hey, you said it, doc.”

She flipped the page back toward me. “Okay, so the big one’s the world that won’t see you, and the little one is you, trying anyway.”

I stared at her, stunned that she’d nailed it so fast. It rattled me, way more than I wanted to admit.

She held my gaze, steady and kind of terrifying. “But right now, I’m seeing you. How does that feel?”

My mouth went dry. I forced a grin anyway, because that’s what I did. “Weird,” I shot back. “Like being under a microscope. Or, you know, poked with a stick.”

She raised an eyebrow, not buying the act. Of course she didn’t. That was her job.

I sighed, shoulders sinking. “Okay. Maybe it’s… nice. Freaky, but nice.”

She nodded, as if that was the most normal thing in the world, and made a note. God, the fucking notes.

Before I could spiral, she leaned forward just a fraction. “Eddie… it’s okay to let people see you.”

Yeah. Sure. Like that had ever worked out. I rubbed the back of my neck.

“You’re really good at this, you know,” I mumbled “Reading people. Guess that means no one ever bothered to read you, huh?”

That stopped her for a second, a tiny, genuine flicker of surprise in her perfect therapist face. I’ll take that as a win.

“Touché,” she said finally, voice a little softer.

Silence fell, heavy but not awful. And for the first time, it felt like maybe we were both a little less alone.

She cleared her throat and smiled, pulling her walls back up. 

She looked so collected it was almost inhuman. Then she tilted her head and asked me, calm as ever,

“Do you think you’re good at reading people too, Eddie?”

I huffed a laugh. “Yeah, sometimes.” I let a beat hang in the air “Only the ones who don’t really belong anywhere.”

Her pen stilled.

I leaned in, smirking. “Like you.”

She froze, eyes darting up to mine. I shrugged, acting casual, even though I liked watching her squirm.

I tapped the table, amused. “I figure you’re kinda… in between, just like me. Not really from here anymore, but not from wherever you went, either.”

The pause that followed was glorious. She blinked, speechless for a second - rare for her - and that felt like winning a jackpot.

But that was also when I realized I’d screwed up.

Because she never told me she’d left Hawkins and come back.

Her voice was calm, too calm. “Eddie… how did you know I’d been away?”

Shit.

I felt the heat creeping up my neck, and tried to play it cool. She waited me out, patient as a cat.

Finally, I sighed. “Look, you left your notes right there, okay? I might’ve… peeked.”

Her brow arched, dangerously elegant. “You read my notes on you?”

I gave a one-shoulder shrug, guilty as charged. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Why?” she asked, level, not angry. Just… curious.

That threw me. I’d expected her to bite my head off, but she didn’t.

I scratched the back of my neck, fumbling for words. “Morbid curiosity? Wanted to see if you were planning to lock me up or just call me an asshole in fancy psychology terms.”

She studied me for a moment, eyes softening in a way that made me want to look away.

Then she nodded, calm as ever. “Thank you for being honest.”

Which, honestly, was about a thousand times scarier than if she’d thrown the notebook in my face and called me a nosy bastard. 

I was still trying to figure out if she’d roast me alive when she closed her notebook and went, totally casual, “So for next session, I’d like us to play together.”

My brain, and my traitor cock, glitched so hard I think I physically twitched.

Play? Play like, therapist-loses-her-license play?

My mouth kind of fell open. “Uh-play?" I croaked, about as graceful as a dying frog. "Like, what… play… how… in what sense?”

Yeah, real suave, Munson. Pure seduction.

She smiled, all professional, totally unbothered. “Dungeons & Dragons,” she clarified, and I swear I almost passed out from relief and disappointment at the same time. “I want to see these monsters you’ve created in their world. It might help you feel safer opening up if we use your own language.”

My own language. Jesus. She was speaking straight to my dark twisted little heart.

I swallowed, trying to look cool. “So… you wanna… be one of my players?”

She nodded, like this was the most normal thing ever. “Exactly. We’ll build a short scenario together, using your creatures. You’ll show me how they move, what they do, what they want.”

My brain was basically screaming she wants to play my campaign, holy shit, but I tried to keep my face neutral.

“Wow,” I managed to choke out. “Okay, Doc. Uh… fair warning, I don’t usually let civilians into my games.”

She arched an eyebrow, totally unimpressed. “I’ll do my best to earn my place, Dungeon Master.”

Oh fucking hell.

Cue my heart exploding out of my chest.

She did not just call me that.

Yep, dead. I was dead.

Next session was gonna be wild.

[bluemoonscape]

Just saw a post saying all the Yellowjackets girls this season are “annoying and stupid” and I cannot say clearly enough how if that’s really what you think this show is literally just not for you.

Why are you watching? If you don’t like any of the main characters?? Not one???? Why are you engaging with the fandom of a show you don’t even like?

Seriously, the hate this show is getting for the goofiest reasons when the season isn’t even halfway through is hilarious. There’s a tip out there that tells you to engage with what you like, not with what you dislike. If you dislike the show, stop engaging with a fandom full of people who love it. If you dislike Shauna Shipman, stop engaging with people who love Shauna Shipman in her tag (seriously. stop. it’s okay not to like her but stop). If you dislike Misty, Tai, Van, Mari, Lottie, etc., STOP ENGAGING WITH THEIR TAGS. If you can’t even find one likable trait in ONE of the girls in Season 3, STOP ENGAGING WITH THE FANDOM AND SPREADING NEGATIVITY.

Criticism and needless negativity are different!! I’m not talking about all the people who are shaken over things like Lottie’s death. It’s okay to bring up legitimate constructive criticisms of the show and certain creative decisions. It’s part of the dissection of the art. But if you just hate the show, hate the girls, hate the fandom…

Why are you still engaging with them?