dysphoria;

A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.

[ofmaite]

“it’s the autumn gala, yet some people couldn’t be bothered to adhere to this season’s color palette and decided to wear pastels instead. why am i not surprised?”

@gallagherstart

[kaelism]

“aren’t colour palettes just so outdated? i mean warm, dark colours for fall are of the same level of groundbreaking as florals for spring.” he wasn’t what anyone would describe as a fashionista, but that also meant he wasn’t about to get bitchy about the colour of clothes someone wanted to wear.

[micah-solarte]

[ @gallagherstart ]

“look, if you’re only here to get the mission done, do you want me to just tell you a secret so we can get this over with? i want you to pass but there’s absolutely no way you are going to be able to trick something out of me, so we’ll do it like this, or you’re going to fail.”

[kaelism]

kael dropped heavily into the seat next to his roommate, he was easiest to pick out of a crowd given the amount of time they spent together; not to mention the fact they’d gotten ready in the same room. “i’m pretty sure having them assign me you would be too easy. or maybe i should be insulted that they have no faith in my abilities to this extent.”

[ofsami-deactivated20220710]

You look gorgeous darling. I absolutely love that dress. You’ll have to tell me where on earth you found those earrings. Staz is half-sure the false pleasantries of the night have stained her teeth red, like wine; or blood. She extricates herself from one, only to step back with plastic smiles into another. Faces – too many faces – or too much to drink. Or not enough. She navigates out of another greeting with a firm should squeeze and tight-lipped smile.

“Fucking christ,” she says, in the barest resemblance to a stage whisper, “the bitch gave me a shiner in second year and now we’re supposed to play nice because my tits are out and we’re upperclassmen? I don’t think so, honey. Please, god, give me something else to fixate on before I claw my eyes out with these acrylics.”

[kaelism]

“i’m surprised you haven’t figured it out already given your - what - twentyish years on this earth? getting your tits out is the universal code to getting people to play nice.” he shrugged, “i guess it’s not surprising you got punched last year if it took you that long to realise.” kael may have been fairly new to this world, but he’d already figured out that everyone had an ulterior motive with every interaction. every move was calculated.

[rubymeriwether]

It was honestly kind of wack how fast this school expected people to so quickly and easily adapt. One day, she’s all set and ready to go to the college of her dreams and now she’s enrolled in a school that teaches almost a hundred languages as well as how to kill a man with one uncooked spaghetti noodle. Absolutely not. Ruby had the spent the week in a state of shock, and now she found herself amidst all her peers in gowns and suits. At least this gala, like any party or event, she could fit in well here. Her parents had always brought her along to the fancy dinners when they knew she’d make the photo op look better, so Ruby had grown familiar to the customs and manners of social gatherings. This was way easier to understand than any class had been all week. Except for one thing.

“Quick question,” Ruby tapped the arm of the nearest person. “No one’s going to, like, jump out with a knife in the middle of the dance floor while we all figure out the best way to neutralize them, right? This is just normal party stuff?”

[kaelism]

galas and formal events were not things that kael was used to. blackthorne certainly never put any emphasis on them and he wasn’t the type to attend high school dances -- they were only good for the after parties, in his opinion. he didn’t know what to expect from this night, but at least he couldn’t be disappointed with no expectations. he was busy scanning the room for his assigned mark when he felt someone trying to get his attention. he cocked an eyebrow at the girl before a wide grin spread across his face. “yeah, yeah, for sure. only normal party stuff. besides, one guy with a knife against the rest of us seems a little unfair.”

[robbynbeau-blog]

❛ i don’t think i’ll ever get used to this being a thing. ❜ it might have been her second year attending the school, but robbyn still wasn’t used to the fact that the gala was a thing. she had never even attended any high school dances because she was home schooled and graduated early. ❛ it’s just so - weird. ❜ it was easy to tell robbyn wasn’t completely comfortable. from the way she kept shifting where she stood to how she kept adjusting her clothes and hair.

[kaelism]

“the idea of forced socialisation is weird to you?” kael tilted his head to the side, “i can’t imagine why you would think that.” he shook his head. her constant fidgeting didn’t go missed by him either. “i’m guessing you’re the kind who never really got out of the house much when you were younger?” 

[sxpphircs]

“twenty years old and i just got asked if i was old enough to be attending this school.” the irritation in her voice couldn’t be missed, hailey understood she was short, but the insult of someone thinking she didn’t even attend the school was pretty high. “and if the next words out of your mouth are in any sort of agreement on the idea that i don’t attend gallagher, i might scream.” really, she’d probably just walk away.

[kaelism]

it would’ve been far too easy to continue with the jab. but given that he was going to be stuck in somewhat close quarters with her for the next few hours, he’d rather not have her seething at him right from the start. “you really should’ve just gone with it, y’know. let them think you’re some prodigy in a school of prodigies. would’ve really amped up your social points.”

[ofophies]

@gallagherstart

location: common room role: you can be the student or an observer. doesn’t matter.

“okay, i know you shouldn’t do it, you know you shouldn’t do it, so put down the bottle and hand it to me.” pip held out his hand, waggling his fingers. he was speaking to an underage student he knew from blackthorne, but mostly he was jonesing for something new to drink besides that vodka he and thalia had swiped. “i can report you, you know.”

[kaelism]

kael watched from around the corner as pip cornered the underclassmen with their illegally obtained alcohol. watched as their expressions turned into those of horror at being found out. it was almost too easy how quickly they dropped the bottle and ran off. “are you technically allowed to confiscate contraband if you’re not a prefect?” he finally spoke up once it was just the two of them left behind.

[kaelism]

arielismz‌:

“it’s a good thing we clean with bleach and anti-bacterial products, then,” she said, crossing her arms. “i mean, you didn’t have to. there are other schools, gallagher is just the best. and if you paid attention during orientation — sutton did speak on it. she clearly stated, as she does every single year, that we are responsible for how this place looks and for keeping it clean and looking good. students and faculty do all the dirty work. it’s pretty much common sense to clean up a mess if you see one, although i guess i shouldn’t hold my expectations so high since… clearly no one at the land of the filth bothered to try getting that place back into order. we have a reputation to uphold. the blackthorners aren’t gonna fuck that up for us.”

kael laughed, “you’re really determined to not let us doing anything that could potentially mess up your school, huh.” he shrugged in response to her accusation about his not paying attention. she wasn’t wrong, but all that introductory stuff was just so boring and he doubted he was the only one who thought that. he just happened to be so unlucky as to run into one of the few who actually cared. “i shouldn’t have to clean messes up that aren’t mine, i do enough of that in group missions,” he made a face. he never quite understood the whole school spirit thing. “what reputation? isn’t all that we do here supposed to be a secret anyway, what does it matter.”

[kaelism]

kassamigos‌:

Kass froze at the voice that responded to her – this was why she shouldn’t just talk into the abyss and hope someone would catch on.  Chin raised a bit, she looked over at Kael, only realizing a beat too late that he had asked her a question, and she had completely blanked on what he had said.   “ — Yeah. Yeah, “   she said quickly, tucking some hair behind her ear.  Awkward.  How do you treat someone who randomly dumped you and is yet still talking to you ?   Beats her.   “ How, um, are you liking Gallagher ? “   She decided on pleasantries, despite her best interest. 

kael hadn’t intentionally ghosted as a form of breaking up with her...he just kind of forgot. or he couldn’t figure out how to do it and by the time he did, weeks had already passed. he didn’t have an excuse for his behaviour, but he wasn’t about to apologise for it either, not at this point. his solution to the whole problem was to just pretend nothing ever happened between them. he chuckled at how lost she seemed for a second one recognition hit. “gallagher is something. it’s nice, really nice. but, doesn’t everyone say it’s the people who make the place? jury’s still out on that one.”

[kaelism]

calvinlinacre‌:

cal saw kael silently regret his offer of the chocolate bar and took it back with a shrug. more for him. he unwrapped his, breaking it into single squares so he could eat them one at a time, slowly. 

he listened uncharacteristically intently as kael recounted his summer, genuinely interested. he was always keen to hear about kael’s home life, having met his family once briefly. boring sounded so good to him. blackthorne sure had been a dump just before they had all left, but it had still been their home, and cal bit back a unnecessarily rude response. “as if,” he rolled his eyes. “i stayed in roseville, picked up some shifts at a coffee shop, scouted out the best places to eat. salvaged some things from blackthorne before i left that i am going to sell to the boys on the lowdown when they start getting nostalgic.” 

kael chuckled at his friend’s business plan; there was always a different take with this guy. still, he wish he had thought to go scavenge the deserted buildings, no doubt there was probably some interesting gadget unaccounted for. maybe he’d try to convince calvin to do a day trip back there one day. “you honestly think that any of the guys here would start to feel nostalgic about it? you’d have better chances selling to alumni who didn’t have to live through those last few months.” kael never tried to hide his distaste for what their school had become, honestly, it was embarrassing for him.

[kaelism]

ameliasfm‌:

        blazer is folded carefully between nimble fingertips  ,   she taking care before she places it besides her  .   and amelia listens to him talk  ,   eyes closing as she  soaks up  the sun  ,   head slightly tilted so that he’s aware that she’s listening  .     “  i simply yearn for fall  .   far too short of a season  ,   but potentially the most  FUN  of them all  .  ”   a sigh  ,   she finally opens her eyes  .     “  summer is fine when you don’t have to  wear  anything  .  ”   or simply go somewhere colder  .  

“technically all seasons are supposed to be the same length. but isn’t time just a man-made construct anyway?” kael turned to face her amused, “so you’re a nudist outside gallagher’s gates? duly noted.”

[kaelism]

haileyives‌:

“it’s a spy school, standing in a door way could get you killed, not looking at someone just means you don’t see them as a threat.” her words came simply, harshly, and only once she’d noted that it was a boy, did she even bother to set her phone down and glance their way. “i don’t take those, my only classes are physical.”  another comment that came out coldly, details hailey didn’t mind giving when she was typically a closed book. “i live in a single, clearly, unless you are assuming you would be allowed to share the bed, in which case you’d be wrong.”

“i’m pretty sure that there are rules against murder at this school. if not, i guess i underestimated how hardcore you girls are on the day-to-day basis.” kael hadn’t been planning on staying, he’d just been exploring the dorms, seeing if his room was the shittiest one there or not. but she had pulled his intrigue. he raised his eyebrows in surprise, “they really just let you only do physical training? your poor brain is going to atrophy.” with a smile, he took a seat at her desk, her talking to him was invitation enough. “what can i say,” he shrugged, “budget cuts, they severely underestimated how many students they’d be taking on with the merger.”

[kaelism]

azrakaplan‌:

“listen!” she started, but stopped, because  really what excuse did she have other than being new? and was that even a viable excuse? probably not. “i’ll figure it out soon enough, but you can’t tell me you know the lay of the land for a place you’ve never been.” poor defense, but she was sticking to it.

his expression remained stony as she continued to blab out her explanation. “you’re new here but i think you should know that literally every single male you see here today -- capable of finding their way around by themselves -- is also new. so you’re out of excuses, princess. it’s called being prepared.”

[kaelism]

arielismz‌:

“no. i live here, so why in the everlasting hell would i want to visit a school that’s probably ridden with disease where no one cared enough to keep it clean? it’s disgusting. this school is the cleanest there is,” she said before crossing her arms. “uh, maybe you should have done your research before you decided to come here, but the students take care of the cleaning and landscaping responsibilities. we don’t have custodians or gardeners or anybody hired to keep it clean and nice. it’s up to all of us to do that.”

“if our school was ridden with disease, i’m sorry to inform you, darling, that it probably is getting brought over too.” he shot her a sympathetic look. “it wasn’t exactly a conscious decision to come to this school. if anything, it should’ve been on the director to debrief us on basic things like that, especially if you guys are going to be so anal about it.” kael rolled his eyes. he wouldn’t say he was exactly a slob, but he had definitely contributed to some of the destruction that happened at blackthorne.

[kaelism]

drewsleung‌:

“ i mean, i’ve seen them in pictures. but i’ve never touched one. you wanna go see them with me sometime? “ he asked of the other. while it’s true that drew doesn’t have much to worry about ( he hasn’t gotten into any trouble yet, nor has he made enemies .. so far ) it made him feel more comfortable to walk around gallagher with a familiar face. it wasn’t a hundred percent obvious, but he hasn’t fully adjusted to their new academic institution. “ true. very true. i mean, it’s not like i’d push it around, so.. “

animals were not exactly kael’s thing, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t the slightest bit curious to go check the stables out with drew. “why not now?” he raised his eyebrows in suggestion. it wasn’t like they currently had any class to go to. or if they ended up being late, saying they were new was always a valid excuse. and he liked the sense of familiarity he had with drew in a foreign location. “just don’t get kicked in the face by it, and i think we’ll be good.”

[kaelism]

elisaspar‌:

“ sinatra said it best, pal. you get a lamborghini when you are a somebody. like a reward, i guess. or an entitlement. “ she shrugged. “ what’s it to you if i am? scared i’ll let you die on the field? “ she teased before finally deciding to start sitting up. as she sat up, elisa raised a brow at the other. “ will it make you feel better if i said i only call you ‘new guy’? though i think loudly proclaiming you as new guy would stunt your adaptation technique. “

“isn’t the whole point of going to this school that we will never be somebody? i guess covert ops isn’t your thing either, then.” he laughed, “not that you’ll let me die, more like i’d complete a mission and then get in a car with you and die in a wreck.” kael placed a hand over his heart and shot her a dazzling smile, “it would make my whole week. nothing gets me going more than feeling special. i’m pretty sure all guys here are technically new, so i don’t think it’ll matter.”

[drewsleung]

( @kaelism ) – “ did you know they had horses here? real live horses. i have never seen one in my entire damn life. “ he admitted to kael before taking a sip of from his water flask. drew’s life has always been in the city. family outings consisted of visits to their relatives that lived nearby. and disney land. zoos or anything similar never occurred to the leungs for some reason. “ wait, wait, are horses the one that throw up on you or is that goats? or a different animal altogether? “

[kaelism]

kael laughed at his classmate’s reaction to the animals on campus. while he wasn’t exactly a country boy himself, he wasn’t about to lose his shit over some animals that, ultimately, he probably had no use for. “how have you never seen a horse before?” kael screwed up his face. “i’m pretty sure any animal is capable of spitting on you if you do the right things to it.”