#they really really really should have hired a drag artist

[normalady]

..... It's not even even

Baffling

[unintentionalseductress]

For my request, can you write a oneshot featuring Nanami and a woman reader in an Aladdin AU with chastity and edging please? In the story, Nanami has been hired to work as a palace guard for the sultana aka the reader. But he realizes too late that part of the job involves having his cock locked in a chastity cage and enduring various edging tests to determine his willpower. What do you think?

As You Wish, Princess

I'm so sorry this took so long! Here you go! I truly had fun writing this because subby Nanami isn't requested too often. Also, the premise was really fresh, which is something I've been struggling with. Ideas for JJK seem to be going like hotcakes, and while I can appreciate different takes on the same idea, I always want mine to be different, even if it's slightly.

Warnings: MDNI, coercion, male chastity, edging, ruined orgasm, power dynamics, dubcon

Applying for a position as a palace guard for the precious sultana was something Nanami had done for two reasons; one, the pay was amazing, and two, the position came with living quarters. As someone who had lived a hard life in the small streets of the marketplace as a laborer, there had been no qualms in his mind when a man from the palace had walked through the dusty roads calling out that the palace was hiring help. 

When he’d arrived at the outer courtyard, looking dog-eared and dirty, the designated official had looked at him up and down, wrinkling his nose, but had refrained from saying anything on account of his impressively muscled and toned body, the long hours spent dragging bags of rice, wheat, and other essential grains making him akin to a sharp, chiseled, marble statue, something that should belong in a museum for others to wonder at. He towered over the puny official who had directed him to the head guard. They had an array of tests that he needed to pass and he had done so with ease; running a mile within a few minutes, climbing various obstacles to check his core strength, and how quickly he could escape when surrounded on all sides. The only test he had almost failed was swordsmanship, barely managing to take down his opponent, winning by a hair. 

“The sultana has a final test of her own, after which it’ll be determined if you can keep the job. Wait here.” The head guard walks off into the cool, marbled entrance of the palace, and Nanami paces, awaiting his return. It takes a while before the guard comes strutting back, and then beckons him to follow. Nanami walks unassumingly behind him eyes scanning the opulence that is the palace. The marble seemed to shine, spotless and polished, with hints of gold tucked away artistically. Small murals adorned the walls and ceilings, rich tapestries hung everywhere. 

The guard leads him to a private wing where there is a single door, quite plain looking and rather lackluster. “The sultana is waiting in there. And remember peasant, whatever she tells you to do, do it. No questions, lest you want to be beheaded for impudence. Now go on. Don’t keep her waiting.” He knocks on the door and leaves. 

Nanami waits, wondering what kind of test this would be, and then startles when the door opens. You look at him with pretty eyes lined in kohl, dressed in a simple, flowy, full-armed, muslin dress that managed to flatter your figure despite not giving anything away. He bows and waits. 

You giggle. “Well, aren’t you polite? Enter, Mr…?”

“Kento Nanami,” he supplies as he raises and walks into the room. The shades were drawn despite the heat, and the room was lit by dim oil lamps scattered across the room. He awaits his permission to sit and hears the click of the door as it shuts behind him. You move towards him, admiring the thickness of his biceps, the broadness of his shoulders, and the sinew and tightness of his thighs, barely contained by the threadbare flowy pants he was wearing. 

“What brought you here?” you ask, circling him. Nanami is acutely aware of your gaze but he acts indifferent. 

“I was told the sultana needed a bodyguard. It’s a job preferable over manual labor.”

“Oh,” you titter, then come to a halt in front of him. He’s tall, and you have to tilt your head up to look at him. “Is that all? You didn’t come to admire my beauty and grace? Or for the prospect of being the only one who would be accompanying me everywhere? While I’m eating, bathing, changing my garb…none of that came into your mind?”

Truthfully, it hadn’t. The promise of gold, a roof over his head, and food in his belly had been his only motivators. But now as he gauges you standing so sweetly in front of him with those doe-eyes and full lips, he realizes that it made sense you were asking him this. The sultana’s bodyguard needed to have self-control after all, given that parts of the job required being somewhat intimately in proximity to her, as far as the decency laws allowed. 

“I admit sultana, no, it hadn’t. But if you are worried about me behaving indecently or taking advantage of you, there’s no reason to worry. I understand my limitations and would never compromise your purity.”

“You wouldn’t?” you cock your head to the side and tsk. “How boring.”

Taken aback, Kento stares at you, unsure how to respond. It wasn’t a reply he had been expecting. Your eyes are glittering now, full of mischief, and he wonders for a split second if you were toying with him. Surely not? The sultana had a reputation to maintain. You may have said it as a joke. He mustn’t take it seriously if he wanted this job.

“I was told that the final test before qualifying to be your bodyguard was set by you, sultana,” he ventures, hoping to change the topic. “If your grace so allows, may I ask what it is?”

You hum, then wander over to one of the divans and settle down on it, fiddling with your neatly styled hair, wondering. Kento truly was a treat for the womanly eyes. How such a delectable-looking specimen had managed to stay hidden for so long truly boggled your mind. However, he was a man, and men were fallible to their desires. 

“Have you ever been with a woman, Kento?” 

The muscled man looks rather startled at the question. Purity laws meant little to those who were not nobles. Of course he had been with a woman, many in fact, but he remains silent, trying to arrange his features into one of polite inquiry. 

“I beg you pardon your grace?”

“You see, our laws dictate I cannot intimately know a man unless he is wed to me. I must remain chaste and pure for the man who is to be my future husband. And that means that whoever becomes my bodyguard must remember this at all times, even when I am in immodest situations. After all, the sultana’s bodyguard remains with her at all times, sometimes right outside the door as her husband makes love to her.” You watch him squirm uncomfortably under your gaze and he quickly bows to you.

“I beg your forgiveness sultana but I cannot discuss this matter with you. It is very unbefitting for a woman of your birth.”

You giggle at his response. “A woman of my birth? Oh, how considerate of you Kento. So am I to assume you were a rogue out in the lawless streets beyond the palace? Have you tumbled with many a maiden then? Jumping from bed to bed whenever it suited your fancy?”

The color rises in Kento’s cheeks and he continues to keep his head low. “Sultana, I understand if this raises concern for someone such as yourself but I assure you, my intentions are unsullied. If I was hired to be your bodyguard, I understand I cannot live as I previously did. I will reform of course, to your bidding. I would consecrate my life for you, your grace. No one, man or woman, is a higher priority than you.”

You consider his words but can’t resist the unholy thoughts forming in your head. His clothes were so worn that you could grab his shirt by accident and it would tear. At least, you would make it look like an accident. You wondered how those muscles would ripple if you ran your fingers across them…maybe even daring to dip your fingertip into the little depression of his belly button. 

“So incredibly dedicated. I suppose I won’t find a bodyguard who passed all the other tests and also be this devoted would I?”

“I promise your grace you will not. I will be the only security you will ever need.”

“Then you won’t mind if I test your willpower? Put you to your limit and see how much you can take before you finally snap under the tension?” There’s a strange lilt to your tone as you speak, and Nanami can’t help but have his interest piqued.

“Not at all sultana.”

“Very well. Now remember, you must obey my requests without question. This is about me ensuring you have what it takes to be my personal guard, even if what I’m asking seems…unorthodox.” You sit up straighter on the divan. “You may begin by removing your clothes.”

Kento’s eyes widen in shock his mouth going dry. You were surely joking? “Sultana?” he asks hesitantly, hoping he’d misheard you. 

You giggle. “Oh, I assure you that you heard correctly. Remove your clothes.”

The burly man looks down at himself uncertainly. Sensing his doubt, you repeat the command with a firm touch of authority. “Your sultana, the person whose life you will be responsible for, has already made her request twice. Do not make me say it again.”

Kento’s jaw clenches as he tries to think of a good way out of this. Was this a test? Was he supposed to try denying you again? It didn’t feel so, not with the way you sat with your arms crossed impatiently over your chest, the fabric of your muslin dress curving over your bosom. Kento quickly kills that thought, images of food, fresh clothes, and money in his pocket tugging at his indecisiveness. He swallows causing his Adam’s apple to bob, a gesture that does not go unnoticed, as you wait for your unwilling prey to make a move. 

You can see the cogs in his brain turning, trying to think of a strategic way to another path forward but you know there are none. He was at your mercy if he wanted the job. Kento sighs, and then to your satisfaction, his hands start to bunch up the fabric of his thin tunic.

Kento is blushing as he pulls the cloth over his head, and he stands stripped to the waist, all hard muscles and veiny arms, looking like a delicious cut of steak. Your eyes wander over his skin, tanned from the sun, with a tatch of golden hair on his pecs that trailed down over his belly button and disappeared below his pants. He truly was a stunning specimen of masculinity. You can see him growing shy, grappling with the idea of whether or not he should continue.

“Everything looks good from here. Please continue.” You prompt him, unable to stop your lip from curling as he jerks his head in your direction. With shaky hands, he undoes the drawstring that holds up his loose cotton trousers, and with a soft swoosh, they fall to the floor, leaving his powerful thighs and toned calves bare. You’re pleased to see there’s a prominent bulge in his underwear. 

“Come on now. That too.” You say cajolingly glancing at his underwear. He can barely keep his head up and he pulls them down with trembling hands and your mouth waters as his cock finally springs free, looking so pretty and needy as it rests against his belly. 

“Hmm that's more like it.” You rise gracefully and saunter over to him and before he has a chance to react you grab his erection. His mouth falls open and his eyes widen in shock. 

“You keep insisting that you’re dedicated. But I wonder how much restraint you have when you’re frustrated? Or when your patience is running thin. I believe it’s better to test it now.” You run your thumb over the head of cock, feeling the telltale signs of precum beginning to form in the slit. 

Kento was in hell but he doesn’t dare move. He knows how precarious this situation was. If anyone were to come in here and see them like this…it’s his head they would be after. He watches your small fingers wrap around him, barely touching around the column of heated velvet. He grits his teeth, a strangled grunt leaving him. What was your goal?

As you start to pump him, you can feel the angry throb of his cock, feel the pulse and observe the way the little veins bulge as you tend to him. You knew you had him cornered. He couldn’t cry for help. If he did, you would act as innocent as a lamb. You preferred it this way. Subservient guards were the best. You continue to play with him, even going as far as squeezing his balls, giving them light tugs that has him moaning, his hips bucking in hopes of finding a release. His eyes close and you can tell he was anticipating a sweet climax…before you stop, removing all physical contact and letting his cock hang in the lurch.

His eyelids fly open wildly and he looks at you in what looks like disbelief. You laugh at his state and run a finger down his brawny chest. “What did you think was going to happen here?” You see the confusion in his eyes as he tries to bring himself back to reality. “Did you forget this was a test of willpower?”

His eyes nervously follow yours as you stalk your prey. “You should be thankful I stopped before you came all over yourself. It would be messy to clean that up and there are no wash chambers nearby. You would have to go all the way down to the servant’s quarters. And I’m sure everyone would be curious as to why you’re leaving your meeting with the sultana with various stains on your clothes.”

Your eyes gleam as Kento blushes at your description. “Now, we are going to repeat this over and over again until I’m satisfied you can control yourself.” You gesture to a pouf and indicate you want him to sit down. Kento backs down shakily, unsure what to say. Morally, he knows this is wrong. But the authority you’re taking over him, this confident ownership, was gnawing away at his strength. Because didn’t the sultana own all her subjects? He was at your mercy, obliged to indulge your whims. He was ashamed at his arousal, at the thoughts forming in his head about what he would like to do to you now. He could imagine tearing off that frumpy muslin gown, exposing your nipples to his mouth while his hand presses against the tatch of curly hair between your legs while he stroked you to ecstasy.

His thought are interrupted as you kneel before him. You pump his cock again, and make direct eye contact. Wordlessly, your mouth opens, and Kento’s heart shoots into his throat as he realizes what you’re about to do. With a slurp, you take his heated flesh into your mouth, the hot wetness of it enveloping him like a glove. His fingers dig into the soft cushion and he bucks with abandon. He knows you weren’t planning on letting him cum but maybe if he was quick enough he could before you took your sweet, wet, cavern away…

You’re far too observant and quickly pull away your mouth and Kento is left heaving, an animalistic look in his eyes. He had been so close, had felt that telling scrunch of his balls before you abandoned him again. There’s a numb sensation of pain in his tip and he lays back trying to gain control.

“Not bad. Most men would be trying to pounce on me by now I suppose.” You stand, wiping saliva from your mouth, feeling the lingering aftertaste of his salty beads of precum that had escaped into your throat. You smack your lips, then make up your mind.

“You have the job.”

Disbelievingly, Kento looks at you. His cock pulsed from unleashed need. You quirk an eyebrow. “Unless, you don’t want it? Perhaps you’re a lion pretending to be a meek little kitten? Are you waiting for my back to turn so that you can pounce on me? Catch me unaware?”

Kento scampers to his feet and bows, his cock comically flopping as he expresses his gratitude. “Not at all sultana. I’m…” He clears his throat, trying to catch his breath. “I’m very thankful you’ve chosen me.”

You grin wickedly. “Of course. And I find the best guards are the ones that are always on high alert. Therefore-” You gesture at his semi-hard cock, “I think it’s best if that remains unrelieved.”

Kento feels his mouth go dry. “Unrelieved?”

“Don’t tell me that you weren’t planning on jerking yourself off once I’d dismissed you?” Your eyes gleam as he shrinks at your words. “That simply won’t do. You’re my personal guard now. Therefore, you must always be on my schedule.” 

You walk to a cabinet in the corner of the room and Kento watches you dubiously as you bring out a sort of cage made of metal. “Do you know what this is?” you ask, letting the contraption dangle from your finger. He shakes his head. He honestly had no idea.

You giggle and slip a metallic ring over his cock, pushing his balls through it and securing it behind them. The coldness makes him hard again. “Oh perfect. Makes this part easier.” You slide the strange, curved, cylindrical, device over his cock and he watches in fearful fascination as it lines up with the ring behind his balls. You smirk and slip a lock between the two, securing it in place, his cock contained inside.

“This is called a chastity cage. Think of it as a way to help your urges. From now on, your pleasure will be on my time.” Kento’s mind goes blank as he watches you pocket the key.

You chuckle. “What? This is what it means to devote your life to the sultana.” You pleasantly hand him his clothes. “Report to the main security quarters where they will give you your new uniform as well as information about your wage and living quarters. Report back here once this is all taken care of.”

You start to saunter out of the room, leaving Kento looking dumbstruck. At the door, you glance at him over your shoulder.

“Be prepared for regular testing from now on. Nothing like frequent training to keep your skills sharp hmm?” 

reblog divider by @/ cafekitsune

© unintentionalseductress original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

@aether-seawolf @makingtimemine @snwvie @facelessfionna @sweetskozume @theimmortalbuns @supernaturalbaesduh @marusatonanhin @pwd54gr54 @brekkersgf

[janeyseymour]

The Artist in Me

Summary: a request from a LONG time ago. Reader is the upper grades art teacher, but when the lower grades art teacher has to leave, Reader ends up taking over the arts for the entire school.

WC: ~3.45k

By some Grace of God, Abbott Elementary has it in the budget this year to hire a second art teacher. And you, after leaving your old school due to issues with the principal, were able to snag the position to teach the upper levels of the school.

In the time that you’ve been at Abbott, you mostly keep to yourself upstairs and throw yourself into providing the best education that you can for these kids. Despite being a related arts teacher, you’re also able to integrate different core subjects into your teaching, and you love being able to help enrich students with information that they might not get otherwise.

You’ve also made yourself out to be a bit tougher- the younger elementary art teacher is all sunshine and rainbows, and you can’t find it in you to be like that. So, you’ve gotten the reputation as the hard-ass of the related arts programs. You don’t really care. Some of these kids need discipline, and as long as they’re doing what they’re supposed to (and not trying to eat the clay you have for pottery projects), you really aren’t that tough.

The other thing is… your principal isn’t all that fond of you. You can’t quite figure out why though. You’re always on time, you’re prepared, you stay professional. It is what it is, you suppose. So, you keep to yourself, and you don’t really mind it. You’ve always been a bit more introverted and quiet, yet not timid. The only times you really see any of the other teachers is if you walk past them in the hallways or during a faculty meeting.

During those faculty meetings, you tend to doodle. All of the things that Ava speaks of either don’t relate to you, or they pertain to trainings you’ve already taken care of. You look up at her and her slides every once in a while, just to give off the illusion that you’re paying attention, but after diligently listening to the first meeting, you realized you didn’t have to do that to keep your job.

So, instead… you draw. You draw still lives of the library, you doodle up little flowers and other scenes, and then you take to drawing portraits. You have about a dozen drawings of your own face before you decide that maybe you should attempt another subject. So, your eyes wander around the room. Your gaze immediately focuses in on the beautiful red hair that is sitting with the one group of teachers that Ava always seems to chat with during her free time, which is conveniently a lot.

Melissa, you think that’s her name, rolls her eyes at something ridiculous that comes out of your boss’s mouth, and then she turns to another teacher and fake yawns. You only get a glimpse of her eyes for a moment, but in that second, you’re captivated. They’re a stunning shade of green, and you could swear you could see the little specks of gold in them too. You spend the rest of this pointless faculty meeting trying to get a sketch of her eyes just right.

The next faculty meeting that you find yourself dragging yourself into, you pick a seat where you can see Melissa fully. And… damn. The second grade teacher has quite a figure, and her face is beautiful. You spend most of that meeting drawing the redhead as she props herself up with her elbow. You’re just perfecting the glasses that hang off Melissa’s nose when you hear your name.

“And since we are losing Miss Lee so suddenly, Y/N will be taking over all of the art classes until I can find a replacement,” Ava sighs.

Your eyes widen, and you can feel every other staff member’s eyes on you. “I- Ava, what?”

“You heard me,” your boss shrugs. “Miss Lee is moving away next week, so you’ll have the entire school.” She then continues on about another topic- one entirely unrelated to the absolute bomb that she just dropped on you.

You glance to your lower grades art teacher and give her a questioning look. She just frowns and shakes her head, a tear falling down her face silently.

You spend the rest of the meeting trying to wrap your head around the fact that you are now in charge of the entire art curriculum, and your doodling of the redheaded teacher’s emerald eyes is put on pause.

It feels like an eternity before that meeting is over, but as soon as it is, your coworker is apologizing profusely to you.

“Y/N,” Miss Lee sighs softly. “I’m so sorry. I- I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I just haven’t had the time while trying to prep everything and come up with a way for you to be able to teach everyone.”

“What’s going on?” you ask her quietly as the two of you make it out of the library and into the hall.

“I’m leaving,” is all she tells you. “I- It’s for the best… if I want to live.”

“Soph,” your jaw drops. 

“Just… trust me, okay?” your coworker wipes a tear away. “C’mon. I’ve already come up with a schedule for you. You’ll have two classes at a time, but they’ll all be doing relatively similar things, so… I had the rest of this year planned too, so… hopefully this won’t be too difficult for you.”

You allow yourself to drop your act of not quite caring for your coworkers and squeeze the woman’s elbow gently. You don’t miss the way she flinches- it would be hard to. You immediately know why she’s leaving with such urgency.

“Don’t worry about me,” you tell her softly. “Just… keep yourself safe, yeah?”

“I’m gonna do my best,” Sophie grimaces. “If we meet during our preps the rest of this week, I can help you prepare.”

You nod. “And- and if you need any help with anything, I know we aren’t close, but… I’m here for you.”

As you transition into teaching the entire school for art classes, Sophia helps you as much as possible. You begin to combine classes, and you’re quite thankful that every teacher is a fan of your coworker’s, because they don’t ask questions about her leaving, and they are more than supportive of this decision. Although, those that don’t usually make it to the second floor aren’t necessarily thrilled about the trek they have to take to come up to your room. They just give your coworker a sad smile as they know it will probably be one of the last times they see her before she heads out and on her own. You continue to offer your support to Sophia as the days stretch on.

But she never asks for help. Instead, she whole-heartedly throws herself into helping to prepare you the best she can- everything from lugging materials up to your room to ensuring that what you’re having the older students do at least somewhat lines up with what she was planning for her younger students to make life even the slightest bit easier on you. 

And after Friday, it’s like she never existed. She completely goes off the grid. You can only hope that she’s alright in her endeavors.

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve taken over the arts for your school. You feel like you’re up to your eyeballs in clay, paint, paper mache, and pretty much any other art supply that would be able to stick to your body. You’re exhausted, to say the least. The days where your preps used to consist of cleaning up your room and settling in with a nice book are gone, and they’ve been replaced with a preparation period of running around trying to set everything up while also grading the elders’ art essays, firing up the kiln, scrubbing down tables from glue that the kindergarten and first grade students managed to get everywhere… it’s ridiculous. While you used to leave right as the teachers’ bell rang, you’re stuck staying late, and you usually come in at least an hour early to ensure that everything is as organized as it can be before your hurricanes you call students run amuck in your space. And if you’re being honest, you’ve had enough. 

So, while you should probably be preparing for the next… what feels like ever, you take your preparation period to head down to the teachers lounge and actually relax for once. You already worked through your lunch- you deserve this. 

As it would turn out, your preparation time is when the group that your boss loves has lunch. How convenient for them to all have lunch at the same time…

You give them a small wave as you practically drag your exhausted body over to the refrigerator to grab the small lunch you packed yourself this morning. You take a seat that’s somewhat distanced from the group and begin to eat.

You don’t even realize how tired you are until your eyes begin to droop and your head begins to lull forward. You have to catch yourself with a small gasp before you smack you face on the table. Of course, that draws attention to you, and your face turns about as red as Melissa Schemmenti’s hair.

“Oi,” the woman lets out a small chuckle. “Work wearing you down lately?”

You just nod as you continue to feed yourself from the tiny bag of pretzels you packed.

“Of course she’s exhausted,” another voice pipes up- Barbara Howard’s. “Who wouldn’t be exhausted after taking over art classes for the entire school. Oh dear, have you heard from Sophia at all?”

You shake your head silently before just barely offering up, “And I doubt I will. She left pretty abruptly, and from what I could tell, her situation was pretty serious.”

“Well, we do thank you for helping our classes,” Barb tells you with a sad smile. “As much as we hated to see Miss Lee go, our students are still going to get a fine arts education because of you.”

“I’m doing my best,” you sigh quietly as you finish off the rest of your pretzels. You nod to yourself as you close your bag and take another deep breath. You go to stand from your place at the table, but you find yourself seeing a few black spots in your vision. You force yourself to sit down again.

“You alright there?” Melissa asks, clearly at least a little concerned.

You nod. “Just a little tired is all.”

The green eyes that you still haven’t gotten quite right in your sketches stare into your soul for a split second. “Is that all you had to eat today?”

You shrug. “Don’t have much around the house.”

“No wonder you’re on the verge of passing out,” she rolls her eyes. Before you know it, she has a plate in front of you and is spooning some of her meal out onto it for you.

“This is yours,” you say quietly, in protest.

She dares you to challenge her as she continues to ration out her food. “And I also don’t need you passing out today… my kids have art later.”

You look to her, as if to see if she’s testing you or something. She just looks to the food pointedly and then back to you.

With a sigh, you thank her and begin to eat. “You didn’t have to,” you tell her softly.

The redhead shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. I blame it on my being Italian.”

The rest of your lunch is spent trying to subtly stare at Melissa Schemmenti’s eyes in order to perfectly capture how to draw them in your sketchbook.

When you’re finished, you sigh softly and thank her again before heading for the door.

“You should start having lunch with us if you can,” Janine tells you. “If we’re going to be working with you now, we should probably get to know you, right?”

You bite your lip nervously, thinking. Doing that would give you the perfect opportunity to observe the second grade teacher. You would probably be able to capture not only her eyes then, but different looks of hers, aside from just a standard sort of portrait. You nod. “Y-yeah. If I can fit it into my schedule, I’ll try to start coming down.”

When the redhead brings her class up to your room, she has a mug of coffee in hand too. Silently, you wish that you had a cup of coffee for yourself. The proper meal that you had helped to bring your energy up a bit, but the coffee would certainly be a nice pick me up. Maybe you can convince her to bring you one for when she picks up her-

The mug is being offered to you with the closest thing to a smile you’ve seen out of the tough teacher. “Thought you might like the pick-me-up.”

You tilt your head to the side, touched by this small but sweet gesture. “Thank you.” You take the mug gratefully, allowing the warmth of the steaming liquid to warm your cool to the touch hands.

Green eyes are rolled with a hint of a smirk dancing on her lips. 

Your days go by much nicer when you’re able to join that little crew for meals. They’re actually a lot nicer than you expected them to be. Melissa continues to bring you food, claiming that you’re actually helping her by eating some of the portions because she only knows how to cook for twelve. And when you aren’t able to make it down to the staff lounge, preoccupied with prepping new units for your classes, the second grade teacher makes her way up to you and sits with you while you continue to flit around the room and try to get everything in order. She continues to bring you cups of coffee on days where her class has art, and when her friends have art too, they usually come up with a mug and a soft, “from Melissa.”

As time goes on, you begin to show your less professional side- the side that your friends see. The Abbott crew begins to welcome it warmly, seeing that you aren’t as stuffy as you play. And in doing that, your boss begins to take more of a liking to you as well. It makes working at this school much easier. The only thing that is becoming more and more difficult as you integrate yourself into this school is the growing infatuation you have with a certain redheaded second grade teacher. She shamelessly flirts with you now, and you find yourself reciprocating quite often.

Since growing closer to the quirky little group, you have doodles of almost all of them down to a science. But there’s still one person who you can’t get quite right. Melissa Schemmenti. And for the amount of time you spend watching her and smiling with her, she should’ve been the first person you drew at the school to perfect. But you just aren’t satisfied. Or maybe you don’t want to be satisfied, because then that means you don’t really have a reason to sketch her anymore.

You’re sitting at one of the tables in the library while Ava drones on about God knows what. Your sketchbook sits in your lap as you continue to try to get her look just right- the way her eyes sparkle and her glasses sit on the tip of her nose as she clearly doesn’t pay attention to what your boss is going on about.

There’s something about this drawing that has you thinking you might just get it right this time. And because you have that feeling, you start to focus so intensely on your art that you don’t notice the meeting going on around you ends. In fact, you’re only made aware of the ending of the meeting when you feel a familiar hand on your shoulder.

“Wow,” is all she breathes softly as she looks at what you’re working on. “Is that… is that me?”

Instinctively, you try to slam your sketchbook shut. You can’t believe you got so into the zone that you didn’t realize the faculty meeting was over, and you really can’t believe you were just caught in the act of sketching your coworker.

“No,” Melissa says. “Open it back up. I want to see.”

You shake your head and try to stand.

“C’mon, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” the redhead tells you.

You just shake your head again as you head out of the library, refusing to make eye contact with her. You practically sprint up to your classroom and shut the door behind you. Your cheeks burn, and your heart feels like it’s about to burst out of your chest.

Your coworker doesn’t try to approach you right after the meeting. Instead, she waits until her lunch period. You don’t come down, just as she predicted. So she brings you up the portion that she brought for you. As she expected, you don’t turn when she enters your room, instead focusing all of your attention on the papers in front of you and trying to grade essays.

“You ain’t coming down?” her gravelly voice asks you.

You just wave your hand as you continue to bite at the tip of your pen. “Gotta grade,” you tell her from the little corner of your room that has a bean bag.

Green eyes glance over at your desk, and right there is your sketchbook on your desk.

“I’ll just set your stuff over on your desk then,” she says slowly as she toys with the idea of peeking at it.

You just nod along, entirely forgetting that your book is sitting there and open to the page that you were working on during the meeting this morning.

You hear her heels clicking against the tile to your desk, but you don’t hear them walking away. Only then do you look up and see that she’s once again looking at your sketchbook. And then you watch her flip a page, and you’re mortified.

The previous page is quite literally just you trying to get her eyes right- something that you finally achieved last night.

“Hun, this is-“ she’s going to say incredible, but you all but tackle her to get your book back.

“Please stop looking at my things,” you say sharply as you grab the book from her clutch.

“Have you been drawing me during faculty meetings?” she asks you as she takes the book back into her hands. At this point, she’s holding it just out of your reach, and you know she’s already seen your work, so it’s futile to try to hide the sketchpad from her.

“I’ve been sketching a lot of things lately,” you sigh as she flips through.

Her eyes gaze over the still life of the library, of your classroom, of the portraits of your coworkers, but she looks at you with a furrowed brow.

“A lot of these are of me,” she notes quietly.

You worry your bottom lip through your teeth. “I’ve been trying to get your eyes right,” you manage. “They’re a bit more complicated than the others- brown eyes, green eyes, you know?”

The redhead continues to scan your sketchbook. There’s doodle after doodle.

“You’re real good,” she whispers as she allows her fingers to gently trace the pencil marks in your book. “Like… you shouldn’t be an art teacher, but an actual artist good.”

You blush. “I ain’t that good.”

“You are,” she promises you, and her green eyes look into your own. “But if you need help getting my eyes right, you can always just ask.” She looks up at you through those long lashes, and then her eyes flit down to your lips.

“M-maybe,” you whisper, your own eyes glancing down at hers, as you lick your lip subconsciously.

“I’m honored you would try this hard to get my eyes right,” the second grade teacher says softly as she moves just the slightest bit closer. 

You give her a nervous smile. “A beautiful thing deserves to be captured just right.”

“I’d say you captured my eyes nicely,” Melissa mumbles as she allows her hand to cup your cheek.

“Oh?” you raise a brow. “Can I try to capture something else of yours?”

“And what would that be?” You can practically feel Melissa’s breath on your lips.

As you give into your desire to kiss her, you mutter, “Your heart.”

TAGS: @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @a-queen-and-her-throne @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld @cosmichymns @sasheemo @m1lflov3rrr @ricejucie

[cupsy-daisy]

Woagh! 2 posts in 1 day! (Saying this like it’s not uncommon) but have my tma sona!!! These drawings are a month or 2 old but i’m finally posting them!!

This is just my sona from season 1-3 the progression of it n stuff, there were some sketches of 4 and 5 but i never finished them, idk if i will! But idk! We’ll see!

I’m wanna ramble a bit about my sona so if you wanna read it’s under the cut! Grahh

Got the idea from bestie @catattack08 to make it so i got hired at first for redesigning the institute logo, Because i’m a freelance artist, but then i started working on organizing physical files n caseloads on the shelves n stuff.

Hired me (mostly) because i had severe connections to a lot of entities, i had been touched by several throughout my lifetime :p

Nothing major happened to me through season 1 and 2 besides being kinda wary about john and probably agreeing that he murdered leitner in season 3.

So like- my sona story is involved with my friends a lot- and my friend was leaning towards john being innocent so managed to keep contact with him and we both went to georgies house to deliver some books, and i came with them to make sure they didn’t get murdered cuz i was still under the impression he murdered that guy.

John went out for a smoke, got kidnapped, i stepped outside to “have a word” with him abt what really went on and breekon and hope saw me, said “no witnesses” and dragged me along too, i have some drawings of that if anyones interested aaghh

When we were both together we had some time to connect and understand eachother (or as best we could) i was kept for the sake of extra skin in case john didn’t “fit” but anywayss- we bonded a lot and this is probably where i would’ve (in super canon) died, nikola kinda using me as a decoration for the ritual.

BUT i dont think abt that cuz i wanna see what happens if i live, so instead, micheal almost leaves me for dead until helen comes along and letting john and me pass through her door, we both make it back and i gain a lot more mutual respect and understanding for him, we’re both decently good friends now, then everything kinda moves forward from then on.

Until peter comes in, this is already getting long enough but long story short, i was used as a practice dummy for the lonely kinda, and i couldn’t kill em, so i got sent to super hell where martin found me. Talked me out of it, withhh the poowerrr of friendshipppp/j

Thennn i either go back home to @catattack08 orrr i stay and they come, and those have 2 different routes but grahhh idk if i should put it here, feel free to ask!

[alarrytale]

It does feel like they are speedrunning the stunt. Two sets of papshots on the same day? Either they cannot be bothered, which also makes sense from Louis' actual body language, or they are actually speedrunning it, which makes no sense given the Soccer Aid Timeline. I have a feeling Louis gaslights himself into thinking he needs to do these stunts to be perceived as a serious artist. It is a very pop-star thing to do, but not a punk rock artist thing. I was thinking about something today. I am also a massive Green Day fan, like Louis (or so he claims to be) and I know absolutely nothing about the lead singer's wife. She's not in the public sphere at all. I realized it is the same for all the other punk artists I know. I feel like Louis convinces himself that he has to do these stunts, but when it comes to the actual execution of it, he half asses it.

Also it is absolutely hilarious he brought Jesal back. If nothing else seals the fact that this is a stunt for people, this absolutely should. Go look up Jesal Marte's visitors; he's the one behind the famous Louis NOT AT Gemma's bday party with Harry tweets

Hi, anon!

It does kind of feel like they're speedrunning this stunt, but that might also be because they don't particularly care to make it believable. So we get the met the family, madly in love articles on day two lmao. At the same time they're sort of going for a low profile (secret dinners and papped at a parking space), so i think they're building this to last for a good while. They've invested too much in this to cut it off abruptly.

I don't agree that Louis thinks he has to do these stunts to be seen as a serious artist. I think he always does it for a reason, for a greater good, so that's why i'm so curious as to why he's doing this. Is he playing a closeted gay man on film? Is H coming out so L needs to beard up? Is LT3 called "Love songs about Harry"? Is bg ending (pleasepleaseplease)? This stunt really isn't beneficial to Louis in any concievable way, and if he needed to beard up he could have chosen someone else to stunt with. If he wanted good PR and attention, he would have chosen someone less controversial and fandom accepted, and someone internationally known. So i'm still waiting for the carrot here to reveal itself. He's not dragging himself through this just to end up losing half a million monthly Spotify listeners...

And about Jesal, yes, just him being hired to pap them tells you everything you need to know about how fake this relationship is.

[stelly38]

This review contains spoilers.

‘Epic’ was the word that hung in my mind after watching The Brutalist.  Everything about the picture was epic, from the allegorical story, spanning thirty-three years, to the larger-than-life characters, to the three-and-a-half-hour run time (which includes a fifteen minute intermission).  It was shot in 35mm VistaVision, and I was lucky enough to see it on an IMAX screen. 

The story follows Hungarian jew László Tóth from his entry at Ellis Island through his success as a talented and respected architect in his new country.  Everything in between, however, is what shapes him, and later in the story, his wife (Felicity Jones).  László has an already-assimilated cousin, Attila, who welcomes him to his home in Pennsylvania.  László’s first encounter with the cousin’s Catholic wife includes a conversation where she asks what happened to his nose.  Indeed, he’d injured it, but the question is purposely ambiguous; the viewer isn’t immediately sure if her intent is pure.  This incident foreshadows many of László’s encounters with Americans as he navigates finding employment, leaving his cousin’s house, homelessness, drug addiction, and the arduous process of bringing his wife and niece over from Europe. 

He meets Harrison Van Buren, (Guy Pearce), who becomes a kind of employer/patron, hiring him to design and build a large community center. Van Buren inserts himself into every facet of László’s life, offering him a place to stay on his vast estate, inviting him to dine with the family, and easing, through his wealth and influence, many processes that would be difficult or impossible for most immigrants to manage. For his part, Pearce was exceptional in the role, exuding out-of-touch aristocratic arrogance at every turn. Van Buren liked to think of himself as a ‘friend’ of László’s, but their relationship was anything but. The community center project dragged on over multiple hurdles, and was subject, at any time, to Van Buren’s rages.  At various points, it looked like the project was all but kaput.  The film reached an emotional and symbolic climax in a scene between Van Buren and Tóth that takes place in an Italian marble mine, during a business trip to procure materials for the community center.  It is here that Van Buren’s true character is confirmed, and the men have a falling out that seems (for reasons that should be obvious) irreparable. 

“This place is rotten; this country is rotten,” his wife Erszabet says, after learning what horrors Tóth endured in that Italian marble mine.  This line really encapsulated the movie for me, and was the phrase that stuck around in my head long after the credits had rolled. This isn’t an easy film to watch, but it is beautiful.  It brilliantly turns the story of the American Dream on its head, and exposes it for what it really is—a myth.

The last scene takes place in 1980, where László is shown in a wheelchair, at a celebratory retrospective of his career, the Venice Biennale.  The community center eventually was completed, although that wasn’t shown.  Regardless of how difficult the job had been, or how toxic his boss was, Tóth kept coming back to finish the project, to labor through low points, quitting, red tape, and a tragic sexual assault.  But we learn that he was driven to finish it because he’d designed the structure to symbolize the link he’d felt with his wife when they were both being held in different concentration camps during the war.

Tóth gets the last laugh, however: his structures were artistic replications of concentration camps, actualized in churches, community centers, and schools—those ubiquitous, pedestrian places that house the mundane, day-to-day existence of most Americans.  

Criticism of Corbet’s picture is pointed at gaps in the story.  More specifically, that certain characters aren’t fleshed out; that Harrison Van Buren disappears without any explanation, etc).  However, if you believe this film to be an allegory, these gaps simply don’t matter.  Harrison disappeared the way the wealthy elite have always been disappearing when shit gets real—they have money, friends in high places, political clout—access that allows them to make all the bad stuff go away. There are never any real or lasting consequences for them.

The film is so packed with symbolism that you could take apart all the dialogue and put it back together again, analyze every shot, and still find that all the meaning has not been wrung from it. 

Catch this in theaters currently. You’ll be thinking about it for a while. 

[noonaishere]

Music of the Heart [J.YH] - thirty-one | JUPiTER

You walked into the studio to the cacophonous sound of multiple keys on the keyboard being held down. You looked over at the keyboard to find Hongjoong, face down on the keys.

You laughed softly; he probably fell asleep there last night and didn’t even hear the noise. This poor guy was going to make himself deaf before thirty if he kept doing this kind of thing.

With a chuckle, you walked over to the keyboard and switched it off.

“Why’d you do that?”

“AHH!”

Hongjoong looked up at you, the lines of the keys indented on his face.

“What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you fell asleep like last time.”

“Oh…” he touched his face and then ruffled his hair in frustration. “I was just thinking.”

“Having emos?” You chuckled.

“Yeah, having emos.” He turned the keyboard back on.

Now that your heart rate had lowered to a number under 180 bpm, you could put your stuff down on the table. “What about?”

“This song I’m working on for my own recordings.”

“Are you also a soloist?”

He nodded as he pressed a few keys idly. “I release under another name though.”

“Really? Why?”

He shrugged. “I’d rather people look at my solo work without being biased by my producing work.”

“Makes sense. You are one of the most famous producers in the business.”

He nodded tiredly. “Anyway, JUPiTER is coming in today so I think I need to give up for now.”

Your eyebrows ticked up. 

JUPiTER was Wonderland Entertainment’s most popular boy band. While their main concept was astronomy and Greek mythology, each of their comebacks had a different vibes, from cool, to cute, to sexy, they pulled them all off well. As expected of a group managed by Wonderland.

“Wow, really?”

“Mhm. we had finished their album right before we hired you. I think they had some questions for their performances.”

“Umm, what should I be doing?”

“You should just observe today.”

You nodded. “Okay.”

You took your notebook and a pen out of your bag so you could make notes if you needed to. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Hongjoong watch you for a moment before going back to idly pressing the keyboard keys.

A few minutes later, Maddox came in with JUPiTER behind him.

“Yes I be the cat and, yes I do the dragging.” He sang as he walked in, followed by his temporary entourage.

You looked up and bowed as they came into the room.

Hongjoong stood as well. “This is our new bassist and producer in training, t/l/n t/f/n.”

The group of boys took turns shaking your hand as they introduced themselves: the leader, Dal; the “mom”, Max; the unofficial maknae, Keeho; the fashionista, Jiung; and the actual maknae, Jongseob. You had seen them all on stage and in pictures before but - even though they were wearing casual clothes - they were all gorgeous in real life. Who could possibly think the visual arts were still needed when there were people this pretty on planet earth?

“It’s nice to meet you all.” You said.

They all nodded and responded with the same sentiment to varying degrees.

“So what are you doing here today?” Dal asked.

“She’s here to observe the recording process,” Hongjoong answered.

“But we’re done,” Keeho pointed out.

Hongjoong nodded. “And answering the questions of the artists is also part of the process. Otherwise you wouldn’t be in the studio today, would you?” He smiled.

They all nodded. He was right. 

He gestured to the chairs at the table. “Please, sit.”

Maddox joined you on one side and Keeho sat on the other side.

A few hours of discussion went by as mostly Dal and Max asked questions having to do with technical aspects, and asked for notes Hongjoong might have for the sound guys on the music shows.

You paid attention and took copious notes; if Hongjoong was really serious about training you as a producer, you wanted to show him that you were serious too.

When the conversation slowed and it seemed like the meeting was about to adjourn, Keeho turned to you.

“So how long have you been working here? You’re new right?”

You nodded. “I’ve been here… a few weeks already?

He nodded. “That’s cool. You’ll be around for our comeback-- Dal?”

Dal looked up. “Yeah?”

“When’s this comeback again?”

You opened your phone and went to the recording calendar, it had the comebacks on it. You checked the upcoming week. It was in three days.

“Umm… You know, it’s soon but I forgot the date again. I’ll check when we get back to the dorms. It’s not this week, I know that.”

“Okay.”

Your brow furrowed, could he have forgotten his own group’s comeback date? That’s weird.

You opened your mouth to help him, when you felt something hit your foot. Looking down, Maddox’s foot was now against yours. You looked up at him, confused, and he shook his head slightly. You looked to Hongjoong and he did the same.

You closed your phone and put it in your pocket.

After a few more minutes of questions and notes, the members, you, Hongjoong, and Maddox all said goodbye to each other and the members left. Maddox and Hongjoong went to their chairs at the desk and you sat at the table and got ready to do some transcribing.

“So um… is there a reason why Dal forgot his own group’s comeback date?”

Hongjoong and Maddox both laughed.

“What?”

“Dal knows it,” Hongjoong started, “he’s a really good leader who’s on top of everything. It’s just that Keeho…” He looked for the right words and looked to Maddox for help.

“Keeho is a streamer,” Maddox said, “and has spoiled every single comeback in some way since they debuted, so eventually the rest of the group decided that they had to lie to him if they didn’t want to continue getting yelled at by their managers for spoiling their comeback dates.”

You laughed. The idea was absurd. “On-- he’s spoiled them on purpose or by accident?”

“By accident. Every single one.”

“Wow,” you laughed. “Okay.”

They both nodded.

“That’s kind of ridiculous that they had to resort to lying to him about it.

“It really is.” Maddox laughed.

“Honestly, they’re doing it for his own good.” Hongjoong added.

“Does he know they’re lying?”

“At this point? I’m not even sure.”

You shook your head with a laugh and got to work transcribing.

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[pardonmydelays]

I love long essay responses!!

I bet the concert is going to be amazing, and I’m excited for you! Hahaha…so tøp actually came to my city last year and my brother went. He said it was a neat show! The time is finally here for you 🙌🏽 “WHAT IF I CRY. 😭” I cry on the inside every once in a while about her concert… In October?? No way! If there’s any more tickets then you should go with your friend (if you’re able to and want to). I support you going to 4 concerts in one year—100%. Lol, I need to go to more. Last night I looked up who’s coming and there’s a few artists I want to see, so I need to look further into the details.

Awww, that’s so cool! I hope you and your … Tumblr bestie???? … enjoy being roommates and get to go on tons of adventures. Truly the best. I don’t know what my future holds, but I plan on renewing my lease for next year unless anything changes (a good change, I hope). As for meeting people and attending events, to say you’re proud of me actually means a lot 🥹😭 You’re so sweet, thank you!! I definitely encourage it, especially if you’re in or near an area where there is a lot of cool events going on. Or even just places to check out.

I’ve been applying to many jobs and I really hope someone gives me a chance. I would love to be out of retail before summer starts, and I think that that is a realistic goal, but someone just needs to hire me. I like my coworkers, so it’s not them at all, it’s just the company itself and industry. Policies changed and I don’t like the changes. That’s great you start in May! At least you’ll have that to look forward to as well as other things before your new job. I don’t blame you for wanting to work next month, however, if you are in a position to be able to rest all of April, then I encourage it. But that’s just me.

I’m going to make that trip before August 17. 🤩😤 Friend or no friend. Going alone actually sounds much better to be honest… I can geek out like the total weirdo nerd I am and not feel embarrassed, lol. My friend likes musicals and her as well, but just not as much me …apparently. The lengths we go and sacrifices we make for our favorites! That’s so neat you did that!

Have an amazing Monday!!

(Your hashtags 🥺 I missed talking to you too!)

omfg i'm so happy your brother could actually experience this! literally no one does it like them... is he a fan or was it more of a spontaneous decision (i'm sorry but i have to ask it's important to me shfyrbhdsmj)? i don't really know if i want to see katy perry, even if the tickets were still available, they were actually quite expensive and i only have one rule: don't spend money on artists you don't actually listen to 😂 if they were cheaper, maybe. but i'd rather spend my money on someone else (or more twenty one pilots merch because obviously i should have more things in my collection). if there's anyone interesting in your area, let me know!

actually, my city is really interesting and we have various events here all the time, however my introverted ass usually wants to stay home or just go for a walk with my music. i don't like meeting new people because it makes me feel uncomfortable, it's just the way i am, really 😂 that's why i'm proud of you - all of this is literally too scary for me.

about the job - i totally understand. my old one wasn't really bad and i liked my coworkers and everything. it's just my boss (don't even get me started...), i'd rather eat glass than work for this person one more day. but that's a long story (my mom literally told me that i could write a book about everything that happens in my old company because it's honestly hard to believe that things like that are even possible). i truly hope the new job is going to be... normal at least. and i am keeping my fingers crossed for you, as always! ❤️

of course you can go alone! it would be just as fun! honestly even planning the entire trip is awesome and i always say it's better to go alone than to drag someone with you, because they may not be as excited as you are. and that's less fun. anyway, think about it and please let me know about your decision!

have a great day!!!

[violentviolette]

Wait, that's sick as fuck. I didn't know you originally majored in sculpture ! Now I'm curious about the long story. It's so cool to collaborate with tattoo artists, that sounds like a lovely experience for a first tattoo.

aaa ty! it really was great and i loved my artist he was really awesome and did an amazing job. my tattoo is over 10 years old now and still looks great, i couldnt be happier with it!

this actually ended up SO long so the full tea and all the drama under the cut but the TLDR: school hired a new head of the art department, he was a graphic designer who dissolved the fine arts programs and cut my major and i had to switch. insane highlights included are him being a misogynist a filling a female professors office with tampons, my homophobic jewelry professor trying to get my scholarship revoked when he found out i put on drag shows, my college's president embezzling millions, a parking garage collapsing, him getting fired, and my college no longer existing LOL

the long story is that i went to school for sculpture, but my university wasnt a dedicated arts university, we instead had an accredited arts college within our university. the year i enrolled they hired a new head of the arts department who was a graphic designer and decided he wanted to shift the program away from fine arts and towards digital arts because that was "the future" and began cutting the fine arts departments. i did not know this when i enrolled, obviously lol

so this dude is cutting more and more fine arts classes as the years go on, tho ofc he starts with the courses taught by women. the painting classes, which were taught by a dude named Todd who had it written into his tenure contract that he started every semester a week late because he'd be at burning man every year, kept his job to the very end. Todd was also a furry with a spotted hyena fursona and had 2 six food tall pillars called the "pillars of Todd" inside the painting studio where each side was a different version of his fursona wearing a little outfit. also all his paintings had a hidden gnome. Todd was overall pretty cool honestly he was a kept boytoy his wife was this 6ft tall butch construction worker who was loaded af and came from old money and genuinely kept him like some kind of feral animal. it was insane. he let me paint bridges and wet caves.

but anyway they keep telling everyone that if u enrolled under a fine arts major that ull be able to graduate with that degree, guaranteed. because technically, the higher u get into ur degree, the more freelance ur classes become, u go from taking like "intro to x" to just "studio" classes. so like for sculpture, u take "intro to sculpture" or "sculpture 100" then "sculpture 200" then 300 then 400 then "sculpture studio" and so ur senior year u should be taking at least 4 studio classes in ur given major which are essentially just free studio time to be working on whatever art your making. so u dont really need a full class of 30 ppl, a "studio" class can be just u. so even if they arent actively advertising that theyre offering sculpture anymore, i could still be taking sculpture studios, or so they said. at my university, each senior student had a final that consisted of a "senior gallery showcase" which was literally just a gallery show where u displayed all the art ud made over the course of ur 4 years there, usually there was some kind of theme or thesis, but really it could be whatever u wanted. it was ur creative vision and u got to do whatever u wanted with it.

it was also a chance to teach students *how* to showcase their art in a gallery, how to present it to the public, how to hang it, light it, price it, name it, describe it, advertise it, how to work with a venue and just other kinds of practical real world things that a lot of artists have to deal with but dont really think about till theyre out in the real world selling their pieces u know. it was a really cool program. one year a girl did like, a guerilla marketing campaign where one night her and a couple other ppl printed out these little 4x4 square pictures of sheep she drew, and they posted them EVERYWHERE like one day everyone woke up and the entire campus was just plastered with sheep and no one knew where they came from and everybody was fucking talking about these sheep. for days ppl were dying to know wtf was up with the sheep. and then at the end of the week right before the show same thing, everyone goes to bed next day they wake up and theres posters with the sheep and a time and place and so then everyone shows up to figure out where tf the sheep are leading us and BOOM its her gallery show. it was amazing and fucking genius. she had the biggest turn out i'd seen my entire time there. i still have one of those sheep i'll never forget it it was one of the most genius pieces of marketing ive ever witnessed in my life

so okay, im in my 4rd year, they're no longer offering sculpture as an actual major u can have, but im now 4 years deep into sculpture studios, i have all my other art prerequisites done, i am just working on my studio courses in order to have enough pieces and enough outside credits to graduate and i go to sign up for my final 4 studio courses. and this piece of shit *fires* the only sculpture professor in the entire university in order to fully dissolve my program because I was her only student left. and he tells me "well its fine, u can just transfer to pottery" as if thats at all the fucking same

which, fun sidenote to all this, this dude is a huge misogynist and a homophobe and is best buddies with the jewelry professor who is *also* a misogynist and homophobe and ALSO a gigantic racist weeb. he had a big ass FMA tattoo and spent a year abroad teaching in japan, his wife was also japanese but did not speak much english and he would always say the most fetishistic gross shit about her. the sculpture professor they fired, was a woman who they were constantly harassing to the point that she got a big ass german shepard service dog because she felt so unsafe on campus after they filled her office with fake "used" tampons dipped in paint. they were trying to get her to quit so they wouldnt have to pay her any benefits but she fucking stood her ground and refused so finally they fired her instead. after the jewelry professor found out i was gay and the head of our on campus lgbtq group that put on drag shows on campus, he called around and tried to have my scholarship revoked in order to get me kicked out because he knew i was there on a full tuition scholarship and couldnt afford it otherwise. it did not work and i filed a formal complaint against him that went nowhere cause ofc it did.

so like very literally these fucking men tried to actively ruin my life lol so after all that i said fuck all of this and decided to completely change my major and leave the art program entirely. I was really close with the head of the sociology department at the time, because i was taking a minor in womens studies and a lot of philosophy courses and stuff, and literally just broke down crying in her office and asked her to help me and she sat down with me and looked at what credits i had and what we could do and what degrees i could realistically get without having to completely start over from square 1. it still took me 7 years to graduate because i was completely unmedicated at the time and the mentals be illnessing and all but i did it eventually LOL

and while we're here and im spilling tea on my university, while i was there it came out that the president of the university and the dude who hired said piece of shit head of the art department, was embezzling millions of dollars from the school and had mismanaged a huge renovation project that crippled the school. so like, he built this gigantic fucking convention center at the far end of campus ontop of our parking lot, in order to make up for the parking loss, he built a parking garage on the other end of campus. well, since he embezzled the millions he got for the building of the convention center, he ended up selling it off to private investors, so the school doesnt even own the convention center. then, he cut tons of corners with the parking garage and used completely unsafe materials like indoor elevators for the outdoor garage (i got stuck in them one year because they would freeze in the winter and lock up) and concrete that wasnt rated for that weight and it literally fully collapsed, crushing everything inside. thankfully no one died. he was eventually found out and fired, obviously, because he was clearly very bad at hiding this. it also came to light that a lot of the ppl he hired and the decisions he made were equally bullshit, like that art dept head? yea he was also sexually abusing multiple female professors ontop of the harassment of my sculpture professor. the football coach got caught purposefully poaching suspended members of other schools teams who had criminal records because he knew theyd come to our school for dirt cheap, so our football team literally consisted of nothing but 20somethings with charges for assault and rape. literally tons of departments were a clusterfuck of a mess because everyone he put in charge were his "buddies" or otherwise unqualified pieces of shit and all of his hiring and firing decisions were ass

end of the story is that my university literally no longer exists LOL they dissolved it entirely and now its campus merged with a bunch of other schools to become one conglomerate state school and its called like pennwest or something now. absolutely fucking hilarious outcome honestly. good riddance

[youranemicvampire]

Thoughts and opinions on The Little Mermaid (2023) with SPOILERS.

First of all, i'm so happy to be able to watch it. I've been waiting for it since 2019. And the casting announcement was the reason i became a fan of Chloe x Halle

The casting is perfect! I'm really a sucker for a good casting so....

Halle Bailey is everything Ariel. TBH, it feels like she's not acting that hard coz her expressions and voice are naturally Ariel. She's born to be a Disney princess. I could not imagine another person playing this role. From her face, features, physique, height and voice. She's a whole package.

Jonah Hauer-King is indeed charming. When his casting got announced, i never doubted him coz from his looks, he also has this Disney and Princely face. And i even like his version of Prince Eric better than the animated one.

Melissa McCarthy is great. She is actually terrifying lol but my complaint is that her make-up is lacking and then i found out that a straight person made it. I don't see the Drag in her face. It should have been better. Way better. They should have hired a queer make-up artist or someone in the Drag scene.

I know we all hate Awkwafina, but she actually has this annoying bird voice that is right for the role.

It's my first time to see Jessica Alexander act and whew! I think i might have a new crush. And she's bisexual??? I stan!

I don't have that much say for the other casts, but they are all great and visually amazing.

I expected a lot of changes, but i think it's good that they only changed the things that are necessary. It felt more genuine.

It's not that dark! It was just the right level of darkness for the scenes that are meant to be dark. The day scenes are actually colorful.

I saw a take about the sea creatures not being animated and expressive enough, but i think it's more of the CGI limitations, not the movie itself.

Having said that, Flounder could've been better. Still cute tho.

Halle and Jonah's chemistry is amazing. I'm a hetero-hater, but i was gushing in the theatre. Ariel and Eric are the best Disney live-action couple 💯 And Jalle's friendship offscreen is cute and wholesome.

I'm also a big musical fan so this live-action is special to me because they actually casted a singer and not just a basic one. What i hated about other Disney live-actions is the autotune. It's so annoying.

One of the minor issues i have is that i wished they didn't release too many stills and clips. I was kinda pissed on the "Under the sea" part coz i already saw the majority of it on social media. I wanted to be surprised because that scene was so fun and magical.

They should definitely have a sequel, a prequel, and a mermaid sisters spin-off. It would be a waste to only see them once especially Halle and Jonah's chemistry. The sisters are also too beautiful not to have their own stories coz from how they look, they have really different identities.

People complain too much on animal designs, but ignore the mermaid tails of Ariel and her sisters.

I'm also proud of Halle's acting coz i watched her on Grown.ish and her acting skills and confidence really improved by miles. Even when she lost her voice, she was very expressive. She didn't even have to try that much.

For me, this is the 2nd best Disney live-action so far. My first is still Maleficent.

Idk if I still need to say this, but the soundtrack is on-repeat after I watched. I actually want to rewatch the whole thing with subs coz i can't understand the British accent. lol

Halle Bailey needs to be in more musicals. I just can't get enough. Jessica Alexander should also be in more villain roles. Sapphic villain specifically 🥵

I also liked how Ariel and Prince Eric were longing for each other's world you know. It's a story about freedom really, not wanting to be boxed, and wanting to explore no matter how dangerous it is. It's such a queer allegory. And it's special knowing the original version of Hans Christian Andersen.

[queenofcats17]

I've been thinking about how I want to handle BATDR in my AU and this is what I've come up with.

So, after Henry frees everyone from the studio, GENT probably comes in and repossesses the machine, much to Tom and Joey's collective horror. They both try to argue that it should be destroyed, but GENT refuses to listen.

Tom and Joey end up meeting up quite a bit to try and figure out some contingency plans and what to do if the machine gets turned on. They actually start to become somewhat good friends during these meetings. Joey begins to really respect Tom and his knowledge and Tom admires how dedicated Joey is to trying to be better.

And then Nathan buys the machine and some other assets from the old studio.

Both Joey and Tom are nervous about this, but Joey's still in a bit of a self-deprecating slump, so he thinks his legacy would be better off in the hands of someone else. Not to mention, both Joey and Tom are pretty paranoid about what might happen if anyone finds out just what the Ink Machine is truly capable of.

Unfortunately, GENT has already figured out some of the machine's capabilities, having gathered data from the remains of the studio and the ink left behind once everyone was freed. And worst of all... Wilson has caught wind that something strange is going on with his father's old friend and the fact that he doesn't seem to have aged in the 20 years he's been gone.

So, Wilson goes and starts messing with the machine.

And Joey feels the first time it gets turned on. Fusing himself with the Ink Demon for 20 years gave him a connection to the machine and the ink that none of the other survivors have. So, he calls Tom in a panic and the two of them head over to the Arch Gate building. But, of course, they aren't let in. And by the time Joey manages to get Nathan over to let them in, the machine's been shut off and Wilson's cleared out.

This repeats a few times more times as Wilson goes back and forth, building up an empire in the studio world. After the first two or three times, it becomes clear that they can't keep rushing over every time Joey feels the machine turn on. So, they elect to just observe for now, with Joey telling Tom when he feels the machine be turned on so Tom can note it down.

In this case, I think an imprint of the studio would have been left in the ink. None of the people who were trapped there for those 20 years are there anymore, but imprints of them remain, captured in the ink. So, there's a twisted Alice Susie, a more perfect Alice Allison, a Tom Boris, a deranged Prophet Sammy, et cetera. So, it's a pocket dimension like the base game, but also a recreation of the real place.

And while Wilson is messing with the studio, Joey is having dreams about what's going on. But they're pretty vague, just sort of thoughts and feelings coming through from the Ink Demon.

I think by the point Wilson starts messing with the machine, Audrey's been working at Arch Gate for a while. Nathan probably hired her as a favor to Esther and Joey, wanting to give his friend's daughter an opportunity. Not that he goes around saying that, of course. And although Audrey is probably using the name Klein, Wilson knows she's Joey's daughter.

And, like, all the other times, Joey feels when the Ink Machine is turned on when Wilson drags Audrey in. But he also feels Audrey go in. Which leads to another panicked call to Tom to alert him. But Joey ends up going to the Arch Gate building on his own. He can't wait for Tom. He needs to go in there.

So, Joey ends up in the pocket dimension to try and rescue his daughter, forced to confront his mistakes once more.

I think he and Audrey do meet up pretty soon after she goes in. Maybe when she's getting ready to head to Artist's Rest. And, Joey had told her about the things he'd done after he was freed. But being told and actually seeing the devastation is another thing entirely.

I think the Ink Demon and Baby Benders would be especially hostile toward Joey because he perceives Joey as having abandoned him. The Ink Demon didn't get to be freed with the humans. He returned to the Ink. So he didn't understand why Joey had left and why he'd had to go through the pain of Wilson's experiments alone. A part of the Ink Demon also probably both resents and sympathizes with Audrey. Because, on one hand, he feels like Audrey is the child Joey chose. But on the other hand, he knows Joey abandoned Audrey too. So, the Ink Demon has some complicated feelings.

There also probably wouldn't be a cell for Henry in this, or a Henry at all, because it's not a timeloop. But Joey would probably get thrown into a cell when the Keepers catch Audrey and take her to Wilson. Which would mean he'd be the one going through The Cage plotline that's coming up.

I'm not entirely sure how things would end, but I think Joey and Audrey would try to work with Tom to figure out a way to help the memories left behind in the ink. Especially the Ink Demon, whose mind Joey knows he poisoned.

There would also probably be a very interesting conversation with Nathan about how his son is dead.

[scribblyshipping]

(Critter) Scribbly lore rambles bc I can’t sleep:

Scribbly meets Charlie and Pim through the smiling friends- she calls them. She wasn’t even sure the company was real.

She’s in a place similar to how Desmond was. Except she’s just not as… outward… as she was with it.

She explains that she was recently cut off from help from her parents (not much details are shared) and has been paying for everything from her savings account as well as trying to finish college while feeling lost on what she wants to do in life and with herself overall.

Needless to say the two critters helping her are stumped. With every positive thing they try to suggest, push her life towards, she doesn’t take to it- talking about all the things that can go wrong with it.

“I like drawing, I guess…” “then you should become an artist! They make money offa that, right?” “I’ve been trying since I was 16 this shit is not gonna work out.”

It’s so bad that by the end of the day, they can’t make Scribbly smile. They take her to the establishment so she can fill out some paperwork saying they couldn’t help her.

While Charlie is finding the papers, she ends up meeting Allan and Glep. They have pleasant conversation, and as Pim watches, he gets an idea.

“Scribbly- you said you were looking for a job, right? Why not work here?”

She’s reluctant at first- the only reason she made it here was because she was a failure, and he thinks she has a chance at being hired?

Allan and Glep talk about how there’s more than just ‘field work’ to do and she could become an intern or simply run errands.

She starts nodding along, growing to like the idea of it. Pim drags her into The Boss’ office for an impromptu meeting/interview and she’s hired. Turns out he’s really chill.

As Pim and Scribbly walk out of the office and explain the good news to the others- she finally smiles, and that little jingle plays and everything.

Seconds later Charlie walks back into the room holding the paperwork.

“Are you fuckin serious, you just wasted like five minutes of my time dude. I am not putting these back where they belong.”

Credits yaayy

WOW this turned into an Episode Idea Post. I think I’ll do a separate one for little details and fun facts

[fromdevcom]

It's easy to create a professional website that lets you communicate with customers and sell products or services. Building a great business website doesn’t require a degree in computer science or coding experience. The best way to build a website for free is to use a website building platform that gives you the necessary tools to quickly and easily set up a fully functional website. Here are five essentials for building an effective website. Tip #1 - Brand Yourself Want to build a website that stands out? Pick a great logo that represents your company's branding and makes a significant impact. A logo is one of the most important branding investments a business can make. A logo should have the following characteristics: Distinctive Appropriate Practical Simple Pro Tip: No need to hire an artist. Online logo design tools like Logo.com have fonts, icons, shapes, and colors to make a cool logo in just a few minutes. Tip #2 - Design: Function and Flair Successful website design gives your users an amazing experience and helps your users navigate from one page to another seamlessly. No matter how great the content on your site is, you could be losing conversions if your website isn’t visually appealing. Three of the most important aesthetic elements for effective website design are Color - these should match your branding and product line. Typography - use a font that’s keeping with your industry. Use a clear font and text size for clarity and comfort. Layout - make sure your site flows so your audience knows what you want them to do. They should know how to add a product to a shopping cart and contact customer service. Pro Tip: There are many website templates to use when you build a website. These are designed by experts. Choose a template that fits your business and customizes it with your company information. Then if you want, add your own flair and personalization using easy drag n’ drop tech. Tip #3 - E-Commerce Chances are if you are selling a product you are already familiar with an e-commerce or online store design. Making sure it has user-friendly features is necessary. "Studies show that 76% of consumers say the most important characteristic of a website is ease of use.” Global access, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Search functionality - autocomplete options really help your users save time and get to the product they want. Every site you have should be mobile-friendly - make sure your online store is 100% responsive. Reviews - let your customers get you more sales with review options. Wishlists - a great way to get customers to convert is letting them create a wishlist for them to purchase later. Pro Tip: Pick a ready-made online store template to quickly add products and bring your business online. Tip #4 - Landing Pages A landing page is a crucial element when building a website because it provides a targeted platform for converting higher percentages of visitors into leads. A landing page is a great way to drive traffic, improve your SEO, and build your brand. Most leading businesses use landing pages to generate leads for future conversion. Landing pages lead customers to a specific product, service, or offer and encourage them to take action. Pro Tip: Landing page creator platforms allow you to quickly pick a design and connect your own custom domain. Tip #5 -Blog About It By blogging consistently, you give Google and other search engines new content to index and you create opportunities to plug in those all-important keywords to increase your visibility on search engine results pages. More importantly, blogging allows you to develop relationships with potential and existing customers. One of the biggest benefits of business blogging is the ability to provide value to visitors. Posts that help them solve problems or include tips to make something in their life easier are far more interesting to potential leads than obvious ads. A few examples of ways that blogs add value are :

Product reviews Tutorials, instructional webinars News about upcoming products and services Pro Tip: Blogging platforms and Apps let you choose your topic, write engaging articles, add images, optimize and publish them in just a few steps. Takeaway Creating an effective website doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Wow, your users with an amazing design that showcases your brand with great logo colors, typography, and layout. Add features an online storefront, a blog, and a landing page to drive business.  There are many website building tools and platforms available that allow anyone to build a professional website quickly and easily. By following these five essential tips, you can establish your company’s online presence, drive sales, and improve your search engine optimization.

[kpoptarotvibes]

Jungkook's posts were messy and I think while his heart was in the right place, he went about it terribly. He's been in the military on a really strict base for months and friday/saturday was most likely the start of chuseok holiday break (which is why other bts members who are enlisted also posted or were out and about). I think he probably got out, saw the youtube video the girls had made and felt the need to speak up. With all love for jungkook, it reminded me of a middle schooler making a post about #kony2012 on facebook after watching one video about the matter. I feel bad for the other groups who were affected too, but my guess is that he wasn't fully educated/updated/aware of all the fallout surrounding the situation. Tbh, if he was, he would have realized how useless his post was since the artists he's saying shouldn't be used, are the same ones choosing to force themselves into the legal/corporate matter. They WANT to be tied to MHJ, they literally include her in all their demands and in their sns posts.

As for MHJ, yes she's absolutely a bad guy. Hybe is a corporation, so treat them accordingly (i.e. fuck companies because they're just out for profit), but MHJ is a whole other monster. A former ador employee is suing her because they tried to come forward about sexual harassment and she just disparaged them and called them a liar. Real messages were leaked (she admitted they were real) of her body shaming and shitting on the NJ's girls. She has a pattern of sexualizing minors and using themes of p*dophilia in groups concepts she has worked with. Based on this recent mess, there is concerns about if she groomed the NJ girls based on reports about how intertwined she was with them and their families since they were minors. And this is all on top of her trying to overthrow hybe and dragging hybe groups into the mess to get hate. She's overall a terrible human being.

Honestly I don't even know what we are debating about because. Both sides Hybe and MHJ are bad. They are both playing dirty and petty with each other. And New Jeans are in the middle of them. I feel two things can be true at the same time MHJ could have been protecting those girls for her own gain and intentions.

Meanwhile Hybe should have never hired her in the first place. She been a problem since Cookie song and everyone in Hybe brushed it off. Also if Hybe was really standing on business with her they could have beaten her in court on workplace data and complaints alone. But no you take her personal texts to court. So to me no side is good in the end of all this.

Because honestly fact of the matter is there are games being played back and forth between the higher ups. And who suffers at the end of the games. It trickles down to the people who work for them. The artist, management, etc.

[pendinghope]

A list of shows where I question my decision for watching them. They’re not bad just got some concerning plot lines. If you enjoy them good for you, if not that’s cool too. I’ll just write what they’re about and you can decide for yourself.

Paint with love. The concept seemed interesting. A company president obsessed with profit needs to hire an artist for a job. Due to unforeseen circumstances they’re now stuck together in business. And then… the plot worsens. Interesting start but then the subplots and misunderstandings kinda drag the story down. There are some side couples in the show as well. There’s this one subplot that just… once it’s revealed you’ll be like oh… ohhhhhhh.. oh no… why?! Just why?! And then once one of the characters knows about it they still misunderstand?! Why!?! What’s the point? At the most dramatic part of this plot it does get resolved within an episode and a half. And then it comes back? After being resolved? Leading to my confusion and concern. And then one of the characters just acts super rude to this other character for no apparent reason. Leading to more unnecessary drama. The main romance also starts to feel off balance after a while. As one of the characters always apologizes but the other character never does. Which feels bad, like the other character gets a free pass for his actions. I don’t know how to feel about this show. The subplots are just getting ridiculous as well as the drama. We finally reach a good understanding and boom unnecessary conflict… I am still going to try to finish it and hold onto hope that it gets better.

My stand-in. Super toxic romance. Toxic workplace, mistreatment, etc. A lovely main character gets dealt a bad hand in life and love the first go around only to find himself in another body... with perhaps an even worse hand in life. The main character is nice and kind and has a handful of wonderful people surrounding him. But the more powerful ones are far more impactful, dangerous, and toxic. Poor guy. If you want the main character to be happy, good luck. It's gonna take him a while.

Love syndrome. I have no idea what this one's about. Stumbled upon an episode and was highly confused/concerned. From what I saw, super toxic and concerning behavior. However there does seem to be multiple seasons or parts of this show and I only saw one of them out of order. So who knows. Update: there’s a lot of different versions of this show. What I saw was called love syndrome the beginning, so my view of the show is from that specific episode. The other versions could be very different, I have no idea. I looked through it and realized I recognized some of the actors so imma try to see what it’s about. Uhh never mind. Reading up on it I don’t think this show is for me. Enjoy if you want, imma check out.

Update: I’ve started watching love syndrome 3. It’s been months since I wrote this and now I feel like trying it out. It is insanely toxic but it’s what I feel like watching right now so I am. Until I can handle the next episode of peaceful property at least. Have a wonderful day! (My thoughts while watching this show “Oh they’re adorable!… oh they’re toxic as hell! Oh look they’re adorable again!”) Not me just now realizing that not only do Unforgotten Night and Love Syndrome take place in the same universe, the main characters actively interact. Sometimes I just don’t notice things until a while later into a series.

Dance with the devils. A vampire anime... yes one of those vampire animes. However, it's a musical. So it's really enjoyable to watch in the sense of laughing at its goofiness and staring in horror at its... other scenes. Also the bestie should have totally gotten with the mc.

Ah that’s all I have time to ramble about at the moment. More to come later so have a wonderful day/night!

[madiiscn]

"I can't tell you what to do, but maybe reply, let her reach out and see what she wants. If it's a simple Happy New Year then fine, but... I don't know, maybe she wants to start putting in some effort. It's a bit late for that, yeah, but would it hurt to just see?" Madison offered as a suggestion, and that was merely all it was. She wouldn't push him, but she figured that's what she would have done if she were in his shoes. Maybe even try to get something out of it.

"If it's a problem networking you have, you should have let me know. I can totally broadcast you to all my friends back home." A smile then appeared, as she had a lightbulb moment. "Oh my god! My dad could help. I mean, he's a plastic surgeon, he'd totally need photos of his work. I know it's not all... artistic and edgy like you had in mind, but he'd definitely hire you to do some headshots and whatever." She could already tell that he'd say no, or at least expected he would. Perhaps it were just another one of her stupid ideas.

When he questioned her next moves surrounding college and the lack of Finn Brooks guiding her through the year, she shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I'll have to find someone new to save my ass and drag me through all that coursework." She teased. Although, she didn't really know how she would survive. Most of the time, she only attended class to spend more time with him. College was becoming a bore, and she couldn't wait to just start actually getting out into the real world and becoming an actress.

"I just feel a bit stuck right now. I can't wait for things to just start... going."

@finn-brooks

Finn shrugs. "It is something, but it is also nothing at the same time." But at one point in time, he was getting years of radio silence. "Maybe that makes me ungrateful. She thought of me, I guess it's something, just like you said." Is it too much to ask for more than the bare minimum?

He considers it 'less than', and it's why he takes the message with a bout of apathy toward it.

"Thanks. But you know how I feel about that. I'm not trying to live the sugar baby life."

It is tempting, but Finn's never been a freeloader. Save for the few generous contributions to his current life - the car, a college degree, the like - he respects Madison. He thinks he might even l-

"Stench?" Finn repeats, unable to hold back to most subtle giggle. "You sure have a way with words." The bad emo music might be a stretch, but he gives that one to her. He likes the thought of 'second home'.

Aurora Bay Drive tends to be a lighthouse of sorts, guiding him to various places. Long driveways lined with fences or perfectly trimmed bushes, and he'll never forget the first time he saw the violet petals of jacaranda flowers scattered down the sidewalks. It's funny how it's nearly his every day routine to walk under those trees, close to the salt water and beaches.

"I do not know, Mads. I have my portfolio ready, but for now, it is random freelance opportunities and picking up hours at Tidal Wave. I should have put more effort into networking, but you live and you learn, right?" Finn will figure it out. "How are you going to survive class without me, though? That's the real question."

@madiiscn