the paracosmist

"art is love made public" samuel "starrie" brookes, xxii gRapHic deSIgn is mY pASsIoN

[stcrries-blog]

edenroxe·:

eden shrugged, and he did have a point. she may have orchestrated the whole thing and gotten her cutest friends to camp out and get kissed up on with her, but in her defense it was all in the name of science. “i will take credit for the decorations though. i did the thing with that” she chuckled stepping next to him to admire the front of her booth once more. her eyes casually glanced over at the shy male pretending not to be ear hustling eden’s conversation with starrie, without thinking much over it she gave him an inviting wave before returning her attention to starrie. “hmm we have two very tantalizing options here. and regardless we both win soo” he was a lot taller than she was, but that didn’t stop her from closing the space between. she normally wasn’t this forward but she was feeling slightly rebellious. stretching up on her toes, her lips parted slightly and met his softly. she applied a small amount of pressure with a soft nibble to his bottom lip before coming back down from her toes. her eyes fluttered open “tell your friend to make his way over here before i give you another one”

“you certainly did the damn thing, indeed.” he laughed. it was all really impressive, starrie would easily admit that. he crossed his arms over his chest as she joined him to look up at the booth, looking over at her with an amused smile on his face. eden seemed like a fun person; spunky, flirtatious, and beautiful. when she went up onto her tiptoes to kiss him he didn’t even question it, meeting her halfway. their lips met but only for a brief moment before she was pulling away, but not before biting his lip. damn, this girl knew how to be a tease. she definitely knew what she was doing. “with kisses like that? maybe i’ll just tell him you hate his guts so he leaves.” he laughed under his breath as he looked down at her, smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. he reached into his back pocket for his wallet without breaking eye contact with her, pulling out two twenties and a faded old receipt. he grabbed the pen from behind his ear and scribbled his number onto it before folding it up with the money tucking it into the strap of eden’s tank top. “call me, yeah?” he tucked his pen back behind his ear as he stepped back from her, winking and shoving his hands into his pockets as he made his way back towards his friend, who looked somewhere between amused and angry once starrie started talking to him, but he did make a beeline straight for eden. bummer. 

[stcrries-blog]

edenroxe·:

eden looked on at the long-haired boy as his friends made a big stink and gave up their spot in line. she was a little bummed that they had left the line, but she was quick to change her expression as she saw him saunter up to the front of the line. she gave him a small smile as she tried to place her finger on his name. she knew it was something out of the ordinary, which made it a little harder for her to remember his name. nonetheless, she tucked her hair behind her ear and kept thinking. the big dipper, dip? apollo? constellation, no. what the fuck. stars, stars… STARRIE. she felt her confidence boost once more and gave him a bigger smile, “why thank you, thank you. it really was a working effort though” she curtsied as she took a look back at all of her fellow classmates helping her with the booth. “well that depends on what kind smooch you want” she said as she pointed one finger between her cheek and lips.

starrie smiled, eyes twinkling. she was certainly charismatic, and he could see why his classmate was crushing on her. “eh, come on. don’t you know the ringleader gets all of the credit?” it was true, but starrie thought it was pretty warranted, especially in eden’s case. grabbing a bunch of attractive students and make people pay to kiss them? she obviously knew how to run things. “actually, i kinda only came as moral support since my friend has a huge ol’ crush on you.” he tilted his head in the direction of his classmate, who was pretending not to watch them while being engaged in another conversation. “so i feel like i should do the nice thing and only pay for a kiss on the cheek. but i also feel like he needs the motivation to grow some balls, you know? what do you think?” that, of course, all depended on eden’s interest. but still, he wasn’t trying to create too much beef between him and his classmate. they still had a year left of school together.

[ofbvtterflies]

homecoming week was in full swing as eden pranced around campus. after three years she had finally gotten the science department to agree to her “kissing booth” fundraiser idea. every year they turned her down for the obvious reason that 1) some STI’s were transmitted orally through saliva like herpes simplex virus one and two, as well syphilis, and cytomegalovirus and 2) how would the science department look raising money from an event that was basically one huge germ fest. this year was different, eden came prepared with a product and a whole slide show presentation about octenicept, a hypoallergenic skin disinfectant that would virtually eliminate their worries. she also priced the kisses on the lips a higher than the kisses on the cheek hoping that would also eliminate any worries.

stepping up to the lawn in front of the science center, she set her booth up amongst the many other informational and fundraising booths. red, white, and pink balloons floated on each side of the booth and she had all so set up a back drop for all of those selfie loving people on campus. she took one final look at her booth and she felt the excitement run through her body. she thanked her friends from the science department that helped her put it all together. “remember everyone $10 for some cheek action and $35 if they want a full on kiss, also don’t forget to use the spray if they want a wet one” she reminded everybody with a wink. clearing her throat she spoke loudly “come one, come all to the science centers first annual… KISSING BOOTH. pick your favorite science hottie and have your wallets ready”

[stcrries-blog]

starrie was more amused by the week of homecoming than anything else, having lost the charm of it what felt like forever ago but was probably only last year. kissing booths weren’t his idea of fun, but he’d gotten dragged by his classmate who thought eden was cute and well, he couldn’t exactly blame him for that, even if he was just in line in order to wait for his friend to get this whole thing out of his system. he almost wanted to tell the poor guy that if he had to pay to kiss eden then it defeated the entire purpose of claiming to like her; didn’t it make more sense to... i don’t know. ask her on a date? or even just try to be her friend? instead of admiring her from afar like they were in high school or in some bad coming of age teen movie. a kissing booth wasn’t exactly a meet-cute, in starrie’s opinion. at the last minute though, his classmate chickened out, putting his wallet away and pushing a thoroughly exasperated starrie forward towards the booth. he rolled his eyes and stepped forward, even though the contingency was apparent on his face. “they definitely put the right person in charge of the kissing booth, didn’t they?” he whistled lowly as he looked at the booth. “how many liability waivers do i have to sign?” he laughed.

[stcrries-blog]

saccred·:

“ yes, actually, ” messi looked up at him in surprise, amused expression on her face. “ dammit, now another person knows of my middle-aged-blog-mom obsession over facebook recipes. ” it was nice, though, laughing around starrie again. she didn’t feel as uptight and on-edge around him as much, but she still was making sure to keep her emotions guarded. although no one really would have been able to guess that by how widely she smiled at his approval. messi has always cared about people’s opinions, but she valued starrie’s above all. she still had to learn how to wean off of that self-induced cripple. “ thank you, ” she breathed, accepting her phone back. “ i’m – really glad you like it. i spent all night on it and drank four coffees to finish it, which seems so silly because it’s a really simple design. i even checked out a photoshop for dummies book from the library. so, y’know, with all that in mind, i’m glad at least one person likes it. i submit it tomorrow so hopefully that number goes up to two. ” messi pocketed her phone, hoping she wasn’t coming off as too disgustingly happy. she felt like she’d been talking about herself a lot, so looked up and him and tested their waters by asking, “ how’ve you been ? ”

“that’s where i recognized it from. you’re not alone.” that’s basically all he did on facebook. he didn’t stop to look at anything else but if the post had to do with food then starrie was going to watch it. “four coffees? yeesh, messi. don’t get addicted to caffeine or anything.” he laughed, shaking his head. that was just like her to cram that hard. starrie had to pace himself when he did his work, he could never cram anything like she had a tendency to do - like a lot of people tended to do. “i’m sure you’ll get a good grade on it. and if you don’t then feel free to kick my ass or whatever for liking it and telling you it was good. but you’ll get a good grade on it.” she’d put a lot of thought into it so starrie was sure even though it was late messi would get a good score. at the question, he seemed to pause. he didn’t really know how he was doing; he was just existing, mostly. “i’ve been good. taking life one day at a time.” 

[stcrries-blog]

ahdelaine·:

     adelaine couldn’t help but laugh when the other showed off her outfit. it made her feel … special. pretty. the way he did it was cute & unexpected. “ you know what, i bet i’ll get a heck-load of compliments and it’s all because of this one litle bandaid. so thank you. ” when their hands met, addy noted the sweat on his hands. though, she didn’t make a comment about it ; she didn’t want to make him feel weird or awkward. “ funny enough, i was never late. i just … have a strange need to have all my books with me hours before class actually starts. ” shrug. it made her feel better knowing she had everything she needed. “ want me to walk you where you were going? we can walk and talk without you being ridiculously late. ” 

starrie grinned. “you’re welcome.” he hummed as she explained herself, wondering what that was like - to stress about having books for classes. he supposed it was the equivalent of him not having his tablet or notebook; going to class with nothing and having nothing to show for even going. “hours before class? man, we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. i left for class two minutes before it started.” he should probably get on her level, but it was just easy to slack off. he was sort of already working in his field of choice and was kind of cruising because of it. “yeah, sure. i’d love company.” he was already late, might as well enjoy the walk. it was nice outside anyways. “what’s your major, by the way?” he was curious now that he knew how she prepared for class, clearly mosying as he started to walk towards the building his class was in.

[stcrries-blog]

saccred·:

“ there’s this really cool dorm cooking hack i found one time – you take any mug you have and you crack an egg in it and then put, like, literally whatever you want in it and microwave it and it’s literally a quiche made in a cup. i might add that in the app. ” messi wasn’t the greatest at cooking, but she had managed to find little tips and tricks to use when she got tired of eating ramen packets or going to starrie’s and eating his snacks. she instantly felt nervous the second he agreed to see her design – this was a whole design major about to look at her work. she pulled out her phone and pulled up the picture, handing him the device and tucking her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. she bit at her bottom lip, feeling the need to immediately explain her design lest starrie think it was stupid for no reason. “ i um – i went with that color scheme because my professor did a whole slide show once about what things people gravitate towards. i can’t tell if it’s too bright or not, though, but i think the blue is really nice. and then – have you ever taken font and calligraphy with professor elisabel ? i took it as an elective and we played around with some fonts one time and i really liked the one i use here so i chose that. and – yeah… ” messi cleared her throat. “ what do you think ? ”

“did you see that on facebook?” he laughed only because he remembered seeing something similar. it was still a good idea so he wasn’t going to knock it. he’d done that more than a few times and the results weren’t too bad. he could feel how anxious she was and almost told her that she didn’t have to show him, but he was too curious to grant her the relief from him. when she handed him her phone he began to scroll through it, listening to her as she explained it. “mcdonald’s colors are red and yellow, i wouldn’t be too concerned about it being too bright.” he shrugged good-naturedly. “yeah, her class is good. you should take her typography class if you have the chance.” starrie had already taken it, so he wouldn’t see her there. “it looks good.  it’s homey and i like the complementary colors. i think the fact that they’re bright fits the brand. you did a good job.” he handed the phone back to her, chewing at his lip. 

[stcrries-blog]

saccred·:

“ yes, elbow grease. thanks. ” God, could she go … three seconds, maybe, without making herself seem like a total idiot around him ? she never expected anything after they broke up, or to even see him again, so the chance to be civil around him isn’t something she’s taking for granted. they didn’t have to be friends and she didn’t think they really could be, but it was still nice talking to him, even though looking at him still made her breath catch in her throat. messi just wished the first two times they’d really interacted she hadn’t been wasted for one and just plain stupid for the other. “ i guess there are more embarrassing things i could have said to you while drunk, ” messi chuckled, pushing a few of her curls behind her ear. if only she knew what she actually said to starrie. “ really ? you think it’s that good ? ” she asked, surprised. “ that’s really nice of you to say. i, um – i have the design i came up with for the logo of the app saved in my phone – do you want to see it ? of course if you literally couldn’t care less you can say no, but, i dunno’, ” she shrugged sheepishly, “ i really like how it turned out and want to show you, is all. ”

“mhm.” starrie smiled weakly. and well, everything messi said wasn’t the worst, but he knew she probably would’ve rather said nothing. he’d grant her the gift of pretending to be oblivious. “yeah. you have no idea how many people show up to school not knowing how to cook. it’d be super helpful.” starrie had been the one freshman in his dorm that had known how to cook - they’d literally had days where everyone would pitch in for groceries so starrie could cook everyone something that didn’t come from cafeteria fast food crap. he nodded his head. “yeah, go ahead. i’d love to see it.” branding and designing was starrie’s expertise, so he was curious regardless about what messi was thinking for this whole idea of hers. their majors weren’t all that different, in the grand scheme of things. 

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[stcrries-blog]

ahdelaine·:

    “ yeah, it’s … not very nice when you hit the ground, huh? ” especially when wearing shorts – she just learned that the hard way. she glanced down at the bandaid ; it was cute. blue with patrick’s signature pink and him waving in the middle. “ you know, it kind of goes with my outfit? it really is the perfect one. ” surprisingly, the pink on the bandaid almost perfectly matched the pink top she was wearing. it was actually … scary how much it matched. “ starrie .. that’s a nice name. i’m adelaine. ” the blonde extended her hand in hopes of getting a handshake. “ it’s nice to meet you. ”

“absolutely not. nothing fun about eating sidewalk for breakfast.” he eyed her outfit, humming and framing her with his hands just to make a show out of it. “oh yeah, you’re right. really working the magic today. maybe that bandaid was destined for you today. i bet you’ll get a bunch of compliments because of it.” he took her hand to shake it. “thanks. adelaine is a nice name, too.” were his palms sweaty? a little bit. “it’s nice to meet you, too. ‘m sorry about running into ya. i feel like i’m making you late now.” he laughed a bit, pushing his hair back and out of his face.

[stcrries-blog]

saccred·:

“ that’s actually… not a bad idea ? like, this one time my suitemate spilled her smoothie all over the bathroom countertops and didn’t clean it up, so by the time i got to it, it was already sticking and solidifying onto the surface. it takes a ridiculous amount of – what’s that saying ? heavy grease ? grease power ? anyways, it’s a workout in of itself to get some stains out, so i can probably advertise it as– …i’m rambling, sorry. i’m sure you can see the cogs turning in my head for yourself. ” was she rambling because she was happy she had a potential direction to use for her assignment, or because she was just nervous talking to starrie ? “ no, not by the due date, but my professor allowed me an extension, thankfully. …i told you about my project while i was drunk ? ”

“... elbow grease?” starrie guessed the word she was looking for. he gave her a weak smile and shook his head. “it’s okay. talking is good for getting ideas going.” he really didn’t mind is messi rambled too him - he’d heard her go on and on plenty of times... even if it wasn’t exactly recently. he hummed, chewing at his lip. “that’s good. yeah, you talked about it briefly.” he wasn’t going to mention that she’d invited him to her games, or that she said the way he was treating her was going to make her like him again, or that he’d taken her to get waffle fries. “it sounded like a good idea.” it was instinct for him to want to scold her a bit for putting her work off to go to a party, but it wasn’t his place to do that in any capacity anymore, even if it was light. “honestly, i bet if you pitched it to real developers they’d take it. and probably monetize it, which is counterproductive for college students in the first place, but-. yeah. you should think about it.” 

[stcrries-blog]

ahdelaine·:

     eyes widen & her head nods. it was most definitely that time of the year. “ it’s just a little scrape, it’ll be okay. ” reassured adelaine with a small smile. though, the smallest wounds did hurt the most. she could feel the warmth surrounding her knee. it wasn’t a comfortable feeling. she felt bad for making him late ; the blonde stood and watched as he took out a first aid kit. “ smart of you to keep that in your bag. ” giggle. “ patrick was my favourite character. so i think it’s fitting that i get him on a bandaid. ” she took the bandaid in her hand and knelt down, placing her books on the ground before applying the bandaid to her wound. “ thank you for takin’ care of me. ” adelaine rose to her feet and smiled. “ hey uh … what’s your name? ”

“i used to skateboard a lot, until i gave into the reality that the pavement here is utter shit.” starrie had crashed out more than a few times, in front of people, too. that’s part of the reason he was always late, he’d grab his skateboard and then remember how awful it was skating to class and be reduced to walking. “patrick was my favorite, too. i guess i picked the perfect bandaid for you.” her giggle was cute, and so was her smile. he waved her off casually, shouldering his backpack back onto his shoulder. “no worries. it’s nothin’.” he held out a hand to her and smiled. “i’m starrie. and you?” 

[stcrries-blog]

ahdelaine·:

      she quickly got up and dusted herself off. falling onto pavement was never fun. the blonde glanced down to see a decent sized scrape on her knee before letting out a sigh. “ i’m okay. and i’m glad you are too, ” adelaine managed to force a smile. “ oh – thank you, ” the girl said quietly as she took her books. “ it’s been a … hectic few days to say the least. ” she wondered if she looked as bad as she felt. “ sorry, again. i didn’t even see you coming. i hope you aren’t late to anything because of me. ”

starrie resisted the urge to say that he could tell she’d been having a rough time, offering a sympathetic smile. “no problem. it’s that time of the year, you know? your knee okay?” he shrugged his backpack off of his shoulder, laughing a bit and shaking his head. “i mean, i am late but that’s not your fault.” he dug through the pockets of his backpack until he tugged out a tiny first aid kit. “need a bandaid for your knee? they’re spongebob squarepants.” he pulled one out and stared hard at the packaging. “i think this one’s patrick.” he held it out to her with a grin. 

[stcrries-blog]

saccred·:

“ i never thought i’d have to consider hiring bikini models to try and sell a cleaning product to men. 

… by the way, um. i wanted to – thank you for helping me out, the other night. i don’t remember much so i pray i didn’t make a fool out of myself, but i do remember you being there. and i just… appreciate it, is all. ”

“or, you could hire beefy hot guys to convince them they’ll also be beefy and hot if they use your sponges. 

oh... no, you didn’t. don’t worry about. i wasn’t going to leave you messed up and alone at a party. did you finish your project?”

[ahdelaine]

      messy bun, sweat pants & a half - empty mug of coffee … it was obvious that adelaine had had a rough night. she sat alone on a bench & filed through her notebook. eyes widen. “ fuck.. ” her movements speed up as she seems to be trying to find something. “ fuck, fuck, fuck ! ” the blonde rose to her feet. addy had forgotten to bring her important assignment papers with her. she rushed to gather her things. when she turned, she bounced off someone & fell to the ground. both the notebook and coffee flew out of her hands. “ shit, i am so sorry — are you okay? ”

[stcrries-blog]

starrie jumped out of his skin when someone ran into him, sending books and coffee down to the pavement. “oh- uh...” he really hadn’t expected her to get up as he passed by, but here they were colliding like they had no spatial awareness. “yeah, yeah. i’m perfectly fine.” the coffee hadn’t gotten him, but it was now a waste on the sidewalk, so that sucked. “are you okay?” he picked up the notebook and handed it over to her with a concerned smile on his face. 

[stcrries-blog]

saccred·:

“ …i’m honestly impressed. God, never in my life did i think i’d have to sexualize a sponge, though. is this really the only thing that’ll work on a man ? ”

“no, probably not. but that’s how random everyday shit is advertised to men regardless. as much as i love old spice commercials, it’s just deoderant, you know? but they really try to sell the masculinity.” 

[saccred]

“ my market research class just gave me the most insane assignment – i’ve been given a mock brand and they only sell sponges, and somehow i have to figure out how to market it exclusively to men. i have no idea how to pitch it ; what man on this earth actually cares enough about a 3-pack of different colored sponges ? ”

[stcrries-blog]

“sponges for bachelors. only the hottest and most eligible of bachelors use these sponges. impress any sexual conquest with these sponges made especially for men. made with military grade sponges and high-density scourer that gets out the toughest of stains, your messes will be gone in 3-2-1. sponges for men.”

[thickdickgrayson]

booboo stewart as todd in pitching tents (2017)