#my highlighters are PERFECT for his facial expressions

[luc1ferian]

what no grass does to a motherfucker

[lawchwan]

the man of my romance book (ace)

summary: just ace giving you the most mind-blowing sex requested: @weasleyjumpeer reader: fem!reader disclaimer: piv, references of stalking, reader wears glasses and reads books, squirting, very rushed, reader is slightly shorter than ace, confusing timeline wtf, references of cunnilingus, Ace is referenced to have a big dick (but nothing's explicit about it because it's about technique, not size), unprotected sex-reader might get pregnant uh oh!, manhandling, dirty talking, references of filming/recording, did i mention that it's lowkey rushed... i'm sorry genre: smut a/n: hi, hello... its been a minute... so i had multiple factors on why i disappeared, one being that i am a busy woman with a job, went through the loss of a dear family member and other factors I don't want to get into. furthermore, i had a draft ready for this, and i accidentally deleted it, which led to me losing my shit and motivation. but here i am rn, and i hope i don't disappoint thanks to my hiatus. I do sincerely apologize, however, to keep you waiting for three—almost four months. i hope you enjoy this piece :)

crossposted on ao3

The night bloomed with the moon's gleaming essence shining through the room as it highlighted the discarded clothes thrown due to the immense desperation and lust shared by the two individuals who had known each other not too long, yet not too short.

Ace has had his eyes on you for so long, his friends and crew were just mere muffled background sounds, as you were sat across his with a book laid in front of you on the other side of the cafe. His gaze juxtaposes admiration and lust, with your figure, your hair, your perfect skin, and your facial expressions when the little words on the stack of papers cause you to react subtly, he has been examining you.

Unbeknownst to him, you did catch up to his examination and tried your best to keep your attention away from him. But how could you? You would be lying if you said he wasn't candy to your eyes. Shirtless with tattoos painted all over his body, cowboy hat that concealed the greasy top of his long curly hair, manspreading with his arms splayed across the booth seat behind him and his crew, freckles that can be seen from afar that speckled across his face; he was the embodiment of the protagonist you would read in your dark romance.

His crew set sail on your island for a while and you would see him frequently, wherever you went, it was guaranteed that he'd be there, almost as if he was intentionally stalking you and knew where you were going.

Still, though, you kept your eyes on your book, not giving him the satisfaction of providing him the attention he sought and instead hoping he could grow the courage to come over and ask for a date, or a good fuck.

Ace suddenly stood up, eyes still glued to you, causing his crew to look up at him curiously, as he moved out of his seat and walked over to you, almost like you've entranced him to come over without looking at him.

You sensed a tall presence looming in front of you, resulting you in getting out of the reading world and going back to reality to meet with the fine man standing in front of him. You two held eye contact, almost like you’ve unintentionally entered a staring contest, waiting for one of you to speak. Ace gaped his mouth, wanting to say something but his voice failed him as it cracked, making him clear his throat and scratch his neck, his flustered pink tones radiated up to the surface of his tan skin. You began laughing as you covered your mouth, making Ace’s skin crawl in embarrassment.

“God dammit, I fucked up,” Ace thought to himself, nerves getting the best of him. He should have walked away and faced the music of mockery from his crew, but what he didn’t expect was you extending your hand, signaling him to sit while you pushed the seat away with your foot.

Ace looked down at the chair and then back at you, bemused like a dog getting a new command from its owner, before sitting down while you simply closed the book and put it in your bookbag. You smiled at him as Ace nervously tried to recollect himself.

“Sorry, I am not usually one to stumble on my words… or go through a second puberty,” He muttered the last sentence, in an attempt to make it incoherent for you, yet you heard him loud and clear, making you chuckle in response.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, besides, I think that voice crack was adorable,” You teased, making Ace scoff back at you. You got closer, placing your arms on the table, extending your arm for a handshake, making Ace look down at the hand then back up at your beautiful yet alluring smile.

“I’m (Y/N)”

The curly-haired pirate reached out and shook your hand back, mirroring your grin.

“I’m Ace, but I guess you know that already, since y’know…” He shifted his eyes and cocked his head, which you nodded back as you scrunched your face with a smile as you found him endearing right then and there, pirate or no pirate, he was adorable.

—

Adorable.

Time passed and you once thought he was adorable, and he was, but you assumed he was a nervous wreck with a deceiving look. You certainly didn’t mind breaking his shell, but he certainly exceeded your expectations when he slowly leaned in to kiss you when he wanted to drop you off from your guys’ date. You were astonished by how good his lips were on yours, for a nervous fellow, he sure kisses like he isn’t. When he pulled away, your lips were chasing after his, causing him to smirk as he held your chin firmly, almost like he caught you underestimating him.

“I can do more if you want to, but I’ll save it for another time…” He husked his voice, as he teasingly leaned in, running his thumb across your bottom lips before he leaned back and walked away backward.

“Good night, babe,” His departure almost felt like a mixture of goading yet exhilarating anticipation of what’s to come the next time you see him.

He might be the death of you.

—

Some more time has passed and the term “adorable” is not a word you would give at the moment when he has you wrapping your legs around his hips as he carries you to your bedroom with his lips attached to yours with sheer fervor. As soon as you mentioned that you lived alone, Ace jumped at the opportunity to get closer to you however he wanted. It was a risky move from your end, letting know a man you knew.

He has you where he wanted you to be as you are to his. You gripped the back of his neck and tugged on the hairs revealed from his cowboy hat. With the feverish atmosphere, his hat was tipped back to his back as he pushed you onto a wall and began his attack on your neck. You gasped a beautiful sound that Ace intentionally tried to extract as he nipped on the sweet spot by your neck, making you throw your head back as you began to let out breathy moans.

Ace pulled back and looked down at you, his freckled face was flushed with desire while his eyes had lust and plead shown between his bangs as he pants.

“Where’s your bedroom?” Ace whispered, lips still close to yours and his thirst was quenching the more he looked at you in your most lustful state. You told him where it was through your huffed tone and he didn’t hesitate to carry you into the bedroom before he threw you into the bed with such strength.

He carried you and threw you onto the mattress like you weighed nothing—it seemed as though his muscular physique was not for show after all. You were astonished by his roughhousing, yet he left you no room to react as he pinned you down onto the bed, his large hands encapsulating your wrists with his lips remaining attached to your lips. Your breaths were shaken with anticipation as his lips began their exploration across your soft skin. He tongued from your jaw down to your collarbone, while his calloused fingers reached for the hem of your shirt and began lifting it to expose any skin. With your shirt out of the way, his lips began attacking your body again, this time he began grazing his teeth around the soft skin of your breasts, just above your bra line. You arched your back to allow room for him to reach around and remove your bralette, only for him to pull away, hold onto the fabric, and begin ripping it from the center, leaving the piece ripped in half. You gasped at the sudden motion while he just groaned at the sight of you sprawled half-naked with eyes wide and blown with desire.

“Oh, fuck, baby…” He growled, before reaching down again and began open mouth kissing your supple breasts, making you whine at the exhilarating sensation of his warm mouth around your nipple.

“Ace…~” You breathed with hooded eyes as Ace roamed lower with his hands following along, goosebumps arising from your skin.  Ace didn’t respond immediately instead he just smirked looking up at you teasingly as he nipped at your mound.

“Hold on, baby… we’ll be here all night, I just want to give this sweet…” Ace paused looking down at your breasts again and began kissing the side of it and massaging it before leaning onto the other breasts to give it the same attention, “Breasts of yours some love… you’ll let me right?”

—

And some love your breast was given by him, and he meant it.

And many more, as time passed and Ace showed no sign of stopping. His gapped and moaning mouth was covered with nothing but your sweet nectar while his rough hands were gripping your hips as he was thrusting into you at such a pace no man could maintain. His hair fell forward while his necklace swayed along with the beat of his thrusts. Your legs spread as you began screaming out his name while the tip hit a pleasurable spot you never thought existed, a promise that Ace had mentioned while he was getting ready to eat you out.

“I’ll make sure your neighbors know of me as the guy who fucks you good instead of a criminal, no good pirate,” he chuckles darkly as he placed himself between your legs, face inches away from your glistening pussy, “I know you like that shit, I know girls like you would love to be fucked by pirates who do nothing but wreak havoc, am I right, pretty girl? Tell me I’m right because I know I am…”

And Ace maintained that promise as you attempted to cover your face with a pillow due to the volume you were producing thanks to Ace’s rough yet pleasurable thrusts, only for him to chuck the pillow across the room with such aggression and grounds your wrist onto the mattress, leaving you no room to wiggle yourself away.

“No, no, baby, I need to hear you, I need to hear you become a mess for me.” Ace gritted his teeth as he groaned out strings of curse words while you were calling out his name like a prayer.

“Oo~ Ace~ Fuck yes!” You whimpered as the heated sensation was enflaming your insides—a funny correlation with having fire fist Ace ramming his hard cock into your pussy. A pussy that craved nothing but a specific type of pleasure that only a man like Ace can achieve, a one-of-a-kind man, and Ace knew of that and he relishes the fact that your body craves him and him only.

Even though you two don’t know each other for long, you gave him a sense of confidence no girl ever gave him. He knows he’s a good lover, but you made him a lover that a pornstar would envy to have. Especially with how you were writhing underneath him, whimpering out begs and his name.

Ace…

Ace…

Oo fuck me, Ace~

Sounds like he would love to have recorded, it’s a shame he left his den den mushi somewhere in the apartment and a camera back on the ship, he would have used it to his advantage.

The sounds of squelching skin-to-skin sounds, dubbed with your combined moans of pleasure were music to Ace’s ears, especially with how you were approaching your orgasm.

“I’m—fuck—I’m coming!” You whined out as your moans started to border onto panting, making Ace hit a deeper spot as he tried to keep with your pace. He nodded with a smirk as he panted out, “Same here, baby… come on, come for me and I’ll come for you…”

And with those words, you arched your back as Ace sent you to a space where you could only see white with how you rolled your eyes, thanks to the overwhelming pleasure he had put you through. Ace nearly fell on top of you as he landed on your shoulder, biting onto it as he came inside of you. After the two of you began catching your breaths, Ace pulled away to look at you before he placed his forehead and gave you strings of passionate kisses.

He pulled away, not after you bit his bottom lip to bring him back close to you, making him chuckle. You smiled up at him shyly as he just looked at you with such glamor and adoration.

“Wow… no one has ever fucked me like this…” You whispered, making Ace snort out a laugh as he shook his head, “You thought it was over?” Ace responded with a menacing smile on his face.

You widened your eyes, he fucked you this good, and there’s still more?

Your shock state unsettled Ace, his smirk dropped due to the lack of response, “unless you want us to stop—”

“No!” You exclaimed, making Ace flinch and you tight-lipped your mouth shut after you made a fool of yourself. Thankfully, Ace only chuckled and kissed your lips, the intention undetected yet the ardent intensity was present.

“You’re so cute,” Ace comments after pulling away from the kiss. He pulls himself up, only to look down at the scenery below him with a gasped delight. Your eyes followed his, and there you saw was a puddle of your essence staining your bedsheet, mixing with Ace’s pearly cum that fell out your pollen.

You gasped as you felt a rush of embarrassment coursing through you, yet you oddly had no sense of shame in your system. You looked up at Ace, shyly, hoping he doesn’t give you a reason to feel otherwise. Thankfully he leaned in again with another feverish kiss, before pulling back with a smirk, lips barely touching.

“Want us to create more of a mess in the shower? The floor? Or more on the bed? Anything you want, baby, because I’m not done…”

And you hoped it wouldn’t end anytime soon…

characters are owned by oda. i will not tolerate nor accept translation, reposts on other websites, or plagiarism. divider made by mmadeinheavenn.

[taesankisser]

bf!taesan thoughts <3

warnings: fem!reader, super soft fluff, i am in love with this man and it shows (honestly no genuine content warnings!)

song rec: if you want to by beabadoobee or serenade by boynextdoor!

writing under the cut!

bf!taesan, who loves customizing things for you. if you want him to paint on everything you own, then he gladly will! you would come to him with two brand new pairs of white converse and he’d ask why you bought two, and you’d say with a smile that you wanted to match. he’d spend so much time making sure they were perfect and would wear your matching pair with so much pride. everything he made for you, you would cherish so deeply because you knew it was made with so much love. you would make a point to take extra care of the things he makes for you because of how special they are as he always puts so much time and effort into them!

bf!taesan, who goes out of his way to film everything for you if the two of you are apart from each other. if he’s away for whatever reason, he’ll make a point to record or take pictures of everything. the boys are being silly and he wants you to laugh along with them? it’s recorded. he sees a cute puppy? it’s snapshotted. it’s literally the most endearing thing ever how he wants to include you in on the highlights of his day. he doesn’t expect you to do the same either, but if you do he’s absolutely ecstatic! he just wants you to feel included in his life even though the two of you aren’t physically together.

bf!taesan, who sticks to you like glue. he looks so outwardly cold and intimidating, but on the inside he is so warm and gentle. he really loves to have his hands on you whenever he can. he’s not like super majorly into physical touch, but you’re his person, so he enjoys it with you. he loves when you reciprocate his touch too. if he leans on you, resting his head on your lap, and you start to play with his hair, he’ll let out a sigh of relief. that’s his own personal heaven; his favorite girl playing with his hair and just enjoying each other’s company.

bf!taesan, who is so romantic that sometimes you don’t even know how to react. he sometimes doesn’t outwardly say his feelings to you, but rather, he shows his love through actions. he’s not expressive in the sense that he’s extremely lovey-dovey with his words. instead, he’ll write you a song, making it extra special by detailing a shared memory between the two of you in the lyrics. he’s really thoughtful and despite not being super over the top about his feelings, you never go a day without feeling his deep adoration for you.

bf!taesan, who is an introvert and would prefer to be alone, but allows you in his personal bubble at all times. not just that he allows you, but he wants you around him all the time. you two can sit in comfortable silence with one another and sometimes that’s more than enough because what matters is that the two of you are together!

bf!taesan, who looks at you with so much love in his eyes. he looks at you like the earth would look at the sun, as if you’re the center of his universe. you didn’t notice how intense it was at first, until one of your friends took a candid picture of the two of you. you weren’t paying attention to his facial expressions as you were on your phone in said picture, but the look on his face says it all. his smile is so wide, his eyes turned into little crescent moons, and his heart on his sleeve. you never told him about the picture because you don’t want him to be aware of the way he stares at you, but your friends have made it known on many occasions that taesan looks at you like you’re the girl who stole his heart and he has no intention of getting it back.

<3

author’s note: eeek my first bonedo post!! i’m so excited to write for them & ofc had to start with my bias! i hope you enjoy & have a great day/night!

- lots of love, solar

[idontcare4urmom]

wrong || matt sturniolo

stepbrother!matt x fem!reader

summary: where your dad found a new woman on his life after one year of your mom's death,so you are forced to live all together after a lot of pressure,but what you didn't know yet is that her son is a total temping being that will send you over the edge..in many ways.

warnings: smuttt,unprotected sex,not proofread,porn with plot,dirty talk,eating out,pet-names,suggestive,scratching,tits sucking,etc.

a/n: my first language is not English,this sure has some grammar or other errors so i am sorry<3

."🎀".

"what the fuck you mean we have to move in with her?" you were basically shouting on your dad,and you weren't sure if you were more annoyed at the fact that he had moved on so far already or cause he didn't even cared to ask you if you acknowledge with it.

"i told you too many times that this is a very big and important step to me honey,besides her place is absolutely flawless,you will love it" his words only made you angrier,but you decided not to push it anymore since you knew deep down it would be waste of time,he had made his decision.

--------------------------------------

the days passed quickly,and you found yourself holding your suitcase in front of a captivating building that would change a part of your life for many years,at least your dad did not lie,it was trully more than luxurious,so with a deep sigh you walked until the doorway with him,your anxious levels on high.

after a few knocks the door opened to reveal a surprisingly tall,appealing woman standing there,with brunette silky highlights and a pretty good enough shaped body,the sight made you furrow although you could tell why your father had fallen for her.you were caught off guard when you were the one she even pulled into an embrace first and seemed in general eager to meet you.

"oh sweetie your dad has told me many things about you,i am Lana,come in,come in" you didn't had much time to process because she was pushing your hand gently inside,your eyes widening as you took in the house with your eyes,it was for sure bringing vibes of a cozy,modern place.

you didn't want to be in your normal pissy mood for the reason that she was treating you politely for now,so you made a small comment "wow,the decoration is really nice"

"oh thank you,i want you to be comfortable and feel welcomed here,you can go check the guest room that will be your own,is down the hall,if you need any help just call out my name" you nodded a little and began making your way towards the apparently new space you will probably spend most of the day at.

but,without realizing a sudden unrecognized human figure appeared in front of you while making it's way to another room,making you leave a small yelp from your lips "who are you?"

the blye eyed boy raised an eyebrow once he heard the question,letting a sarcastic laugh as he spoke "very ironic for someone to ask when they are the one in my house" oh? well he had sure attitude for the few seconds you had met him. you were about to say something in response even so he continued, a sheepish grin forming on his lips when he examined your presence through his dark eyelashes "wait..you must be my stepsister"

"huh?" was the only word you could express,you were incredibly confused--who was he? "i am Lana's son, Matt,no one informed you about me?" it was like he was able to read your thoughts,it only creeped you out more.

"no..my father must forgot to announce your existence to me" the words snarked out of your tongue as you were trying hard to act sassy,but for a disguise,cause shit the more you were observeting him the more perfect he got.

he had the necessary amount of beard to sense in case he ever trailed kisses down your body,his blue orbs seemed like they could stare deep into your soul yet in a enjoyable way,and hell those fingers were too distracting for no reason,especially with those silver rings that were practically begging for attention.just any of his facial features were ideal--however you weren't supposed to fall for him,it would be wrong.

you snapped out of your thoughts when there was a sound of a familiar voice snapping across the end of the hall,approaching the both of you excitedly,even though she was addresing specifically to you "i see you guys met,sorry darlin' i forgot to have a quick chat with you about that i have a kid..anyway he may be a pain sometimes but i am sure you will get along well with him"

--------------------------------

two weeks have passed,and she was completely wrong.every day the urge of smashing a bottle on top of his head is only increasing,he would suddenly barg into your bedroom searching for his own belongings,asserting that he often lost things by accident since he is being here from time to time--why? his set-up pc is on your area for years now.

despite that,his own bedroom is just a few steps away from yours,you have been struggling with sleeping peacefully cause he would blast music on his speaker at 2-3 am,you are almost confirmed that he must be doing it on purpose--and it doesn't end here,there is worse.

you are aware of a guy having 'needs' so the occasional echo of moaning could be heard to you from the thin paper walls,you swear that it's music to your ears and you feel like your mind is sabotaging you.he is annoying,that though didn't stopped you from having a weird desire rising in you for him,a pang on your chest with guilt for possessing the most unholy fantasizes whenever he would roam around in just a pair of sweatpants.

with all this being said,you produced a baffling bond with Matt,signs showing that he is on the same page as you,which leads you to today.laying down on your bed with your phone on your hands,stressfully ignoring his presence a few meters away.him entirely concentrated on his screen computer playing--God knows what--video games,with the controller on his hands.the silense more than unbearable.

you were determined to prove to yourself that maybe you can spend some time with him,you took advantage of him not wearing any headphones and lightly tapped his shoulder,pointing towards the black console afterwards "can i try?" you anticipated for his response,silently hoping that he doesn't mind.

Matt was kind of surpised by your request,nevertheless he had finished the round so he nodded "umh..sure" he slid off from the gaming chair while handing you the controller,your fingers barely brushing with his yet enough to make your head spinning.

you rested your body on the mesh fabric as he sat on the bed,and with a glance of the buttons you were clueless of the task in hand,not having any idea on how to participate in the online game.luckily,he noticed the confused look written on your face so he came next to you and started to make a fast learning lesson,

he taught you how to jump,how to run,how to kill,and other features you require to have in case of a proper match.as he did so,you caught him taking a few glimpses of your chest--it's not like he could help it,your crop top was exposing a certain amount of your cleavage,making it hard for him to focus.

a devilish smile curled to your face when you noticed,feeling bold enough to adjust down the shirt such as leaving only your breasts covered--matt could feel his heart beat raising,the temperature of the room turning thick once he stopped talking.

"can you show me how to jump again? i don't think i get it" you spoke,a hint of suggestiveness leaking from your tone--and he didn't want more than just to devour you right there, your father and his mother had left for shopping,so you were both totally alone which sent shivers down your back,

the tension bloomed into a insufferable feeling between the two of you,causing your breath to hitch around your throat,especially when you felt his fingers starting to touch yours fully in attempt to answer your previous 'request'.a hushed gasp breaking out from you when there was a unexpected hand gesture tracing your thigh in a agonizingly pace--screw this.

with a smooth shift of your face and waist you palmed his cheeks,bringing his lips to yours into a fiery dance.he didn't hesitate to shove his tongue in your mouth,impatiently exploring your taste before nipping down your bottom lip,eliciting a moan from you that get's shallowed against him,

the sound you made vibrated through matt's whole body,landing directly straight to his core and he could feel his jeans growing tight around his crotch,he didn't ever remembered himself getting hard from just a making out session--he craved more,he needed more,and so did you.

his hands started travelling their way to your stomach,crawling upwards until he squeezed your nipples over the fabric of your top and reaching to lift it up, "is this okay?" you nodded desperately at the question,he didn't wasted time by taking it off over your head,unclasping with one motion your bra afterwards to shower your bare chest with open-mouthed kisses,

your hums of approval soon turned into whimpers when he wrapped his mouth on the flesh of your left breast,swirling his tongue around it while his hand pinched the other between his free fingers,he repeated his actions by giving the same treatment to your right one after.

with a loud pop he pulled away,slowly reaching under the gaming chair so he is on his knees,his eye pupils half-lidded and fluttering over your face before he yanks off your shorts with panties,exposing your already wet dripping pussy to his hungry gaze,

"fuck you are soaked,how long have you been dreaming this? have you been waiting for me to finally pleasure you sweetheart?" you could him mutter cooing through gritted teeth,licking at your thighs in a intractable speed as he itches towards the arching spot in between your legs,lavishing his attention there as he made a long stripe up on your clit,making you buck your hips against his face shamelessly,

your nails found his hair,gripping and tugging on it for support,dragging a hiss from his mouth as he began to lap on your juices like you were his last meal,you started riding his face while whining pathetically,the obsence resounds filling the room as he continued to satisfy you.

his index finger rubbed your entrance,letting you shaking for more and barely hearing his gagged whispers "you taste so fucking amazing,such an intoxicating cunt",your lower abdomen started quivering into the familiar knot,reminding you of your approaching release,making you clench uncontrollably around his mouth,

"come on,finish all over face baby" matt sneered out when he sucked on robs of your pre-cum, your lips forming a perfect 'o' shape in the same time you swirled your digits on his roots so his head is forced to be still there,with a long pornographic moan you erupted,spurting thick,white jets that made your legs glistening.

after pulling away he swooped you into his arms,carrying you bridal-style on the mattress of the bed,him laying down firstly before grasping your sides stronly,helping you to be on top of him as he guided your hips so you can push against his clothed erection,the sensation maddening for the both of you.

your still sensitive heat grinded back and forth,feeling his cock poking under you so your hands progress to tug the zipper of his jeans down,sliding them down along with his boxers to his ankles in a way of exposing his throbbing tip,you usually didn't liked how dicks looked but matt's was different; a needy tenderness to have it deep inside you,he adjusted with ease the head down your folds,and with no doubt you sinked down on his length.

a unbidden squeal slipped from you as he grunted repeatedly,his grunts turned into loud groans of pure filthiness as soon as you started bouncing yourself,your tight walls squelching him, sending him closer to the edge even though it hadn't passed a minute of you riding him,his back arching forward which gave you the opportunity of scratching down the skin of his behind shoulders,

"such a good girl,fucking yourself on your stepbrother's cock, such a whore f'me" his words actually made you feel pitiful yet encouraging your movements to speed up their pace,his hips thrusting up to meet yours so he can pound into your hole frequently, "c-close" you panted out,your second orgasm increasing through you as your walls clinged around him,the actions driving matt insane "going to fill you up,do you want that? do you want me to cum inside you?"

you miserably sobbed in bliss and let a ''hphm'' of approval,before you knew it matt had busted,his climax exploding extremely hard into your pussy,following suit after him with your head throwed back and stopping after a minute so you can pull yourself out of him,both of you being a panting mess,

"that was incredible" "i am never letting you to even enter my room again"

------------------------------------

evelyn speaks!! thank you so much for 250 followers jixijcmjg,my last post with Matt got more than 800 notes likeee insane,thank you ALL for the support it means everything xoxo🤍🤍

tags! @writtensturn @pixiespax @verywonderlandpolice @itsnotmariahh @user9383738392 @monroesturnns @badussybumper @nwlluvsturnsstars17 @shadowthesim

[judasgot-it]

Writing major! reader x STEM! major! Ratio

This got way too long btw so there's gonna be another part to this. Comment if you want to be tagged in it (Also ik ratio has humanities degrees but dear god I'm not writing all of them here)

There was something odd about one of your classmates.

Well, classmate was an odd term - you had come to know a lot of your fellow writing majors, and this guy....this was the first class you had with him.

Most of your classmates were odd in one way or another. But this guy really took it to a new level.

He wore a mask to every class. And he was serious about it too - it was the head of a statue, one with no smile and no real facial expression. It was beautiful, with a perfect face that was intimidating. But still, undeniably strange.

This was a workshop course, and while everyone else was dressed in slacks and pulled back ponytails, this weirdo was dressed as if he had to attend a buisness meeting with the IPC.

You didn't want to judge him too hard. His accent and way of speaking was from some planet you forgot the name of, and perhaps where he was from, this was considered the standard.

It made him stick out though. Especially when he had to sit in a chair at the front during workshop.

He wrote sci-fi. Hard sci-fi, as in, he could explain the concepts in it as if he were a professor teaching it.

The story was mainly about anti-planetary weapons. He went way too in depth about how they worked - he had a whopping five pages dedicated to how the energy for it was used.

That wasn't the issue with the story however. You weren't a scientist nor an engineer, so you couldn't really point out anything wrong with it.

But the story supposedly had romance in it. There was a female love interest - a sculptor - who spent her time alongside his main character. She gets captured and is then saved....and that's it.

She has zero personality and is in love with this man for no reason but to love him. Her existence in the story was just an excuse for this man to use his weapon and explain it for the majority of the story.

Whoever this masked weirdo was, you wanted to shoot him with the damn anti-plantery weapon. This might have been the worst romance you ever read.

You didn't hide it from him. You could feel your classmates giving you weird looks when you said this - perhaps you were being too mean.

Even after your class had finished, you felt just a tad bit guilty.

But again. You had to read over 300 pages of this stupid weapon and not even get one good scene. His characters had kissed once, and it wasn't even described.

How dare he waste your time.

-

You had said this, but perhaps the universe had told this man and he found it to be a challenge.

You finally found out his name - Veritas Ratio. Strange name, considering you were on Veritas Prime. But he was already strange, so it seemed in character.

He had found you in the library. You tended to hide in the corner, on one of the upper floors where the books and shelves were so packed together that it was sound proof.

It was the perfect place to write. No one passed through here, and you had a window seat to watch your fellow scholars walk like ants.

Until, of course, your freak of a classmate found you.

How? He never explained really. But you couldn't get rid of him.

"What exactly did you dislike about my story?"

That's all he said. You didn't really have a choice in the matter - he had handed you a large stack of printed papers and several highlighters. As if you didn't own any (you didn't. You had one blue pen you found in the floor and it smeared ink all over your hands all of the time).

He made sure to sit right next to you as well, borderline stealing your space. Veritas still had that mask on his face and was sitting as if you were the one who came up to him and bothered him.

"What do you mean?"

"You said that I wrote my characters poorly."

"Yeah. I did say that." Good to know this man has basic listening skills, even underneath that silly head. His saving grace at the moment.

"What exactly do I need to do to fix that?"

He sounded...earnest. Best way to describe it. At least that was what you thought, since he said this as if you were stupid.

"...have you ever kissed a girl?"

"Is that relevant?"

"You don't write love well," honestly, he writes like a virgin. "Your main character seems more in love with his weapon than the 'woman of his dreams'. And said woman?"

You could point to exactly where her character failed. In the very beginning, where his male lead thinks of her - her sculptures and her beauty - he fails to mention anything about her.

There was nothing interesting about her. Like, how does she like her coffee? What was even beautiful about her? Nothing.

"Zero personality. You can replace her with a dog and it would be the same story."

"...I see."

"Read this," you flipped through the stack of his manuscript, in the very beginning of chapter 3, where you really started to tear your hair out.

"The way she's described can be literally anything. If I had a boyfriend, I would basically be insulting him with this."

"...you're single?"

"Is that relevant?"

There was a pause. You weren't sure if he was trying to hit on you or if he was socially inept. Most likely the latter, but you couldn't help but be cautious.

"...no. I suppose not,"

Despite his rough way of speaking, he was awkward as hell, too. He stood up like a soldier and patted down his clothing as if he would catch a horrible disease if he didn't disinfect himself from your presence.

"I have a research lab soon. We'll discuss this later."

Veritas disappeared as quick as he came. He left his highlighters and manuscript with you, and marched away as if he has never been there to begin with.

You couldn't even say anything about it. Fucker.

-

The next time you saw Veritas was when you had class together.

Your class met once a week and was three hours long. It was enough time for 2-3 people to workshop their stories, as well as discuss stories you had all read.

This time, instead of sitting in the corner by himself, Veritas had chosen to sit by you. The man never said much, but you could feel his presence a little too much.

He was tall for one thing.

Was also awkward when you both were the first ones there. There was a silence that lay heavy, and you hated it.

"How do you read from that mask?"

"Excuse me?"

He had taken off the head for some reason. His hair was rather messy - clinging to parts of his face and flying around the back of his head. It was kind of cute, honestly. A messy bed head that he had begun to smooth down.

"Your eyes are covered. How do you know what to look at?"

For once, you were actually seeing them. His eyes looked more cat-like than you expected - his pupils were oblong-shaped, with an intense amber to them. His eyelashes were strange too, given that when the light shined on them, they revealed their true shade as a reddish-brown rather than the expected black.

Or purple. Weird that they didn't match his hair.

"I memorized it."

"Memorized?"

"Unlike most fools, I can memorize the most important parts of the story."

"Even the spelling mistakes?"

His voice was much more evocative than his facial expressions. It was harder to tell if he was annoyed or bantering, really.

"Especially the spelling mistakes. Which reminds me, you need a better spellchecker. You've misspelled words I didn't think were capable of being misspelled."

"I'm a fast typer! Gimme a break."

"Inexcusable. A writer should understand the basics of their craft, no?"

"Hey, I'm published, you know? I think I know plenty about my craft."

Published as in, a few literary magazines. There was pride to be had there though, even if saying it still made you feel silly.

"I've been published as well. In several D1 journals, in fact."

"Oh? So you're not an artist then?"

Makes sense why he's so strange then. He's a goddamn STEM major. You weren't one to judge, but they were always a little strange. Him, especially, since he was the first one you met who actually showered.

"...do you really not know what I study?"

"I mean. We are in a writing course, so forgive me for the assumptions."

"So you haven't heard my name before?"

"No..." You were feeling a little silly for not knowing now. He was looking at you as if he were trying to dissect you - strangely suspicious of your answer, despite the fact that you were truly being honest.

"Makes sense, though. I know most people in the writing department, and this is the first time I've seen you around."

"I did introduce myself at the beginning of this course."

You couldn't help but roll your eyes as he said this, as if you were too stupid to remember just how important the oh so great Veritas Ratio was.

"The first day had a whole blackout, remember? Had to walk because of it. Ended up like 20 minutes late."

"Ah. Yes, I do recall that now. How unfortunate."

This made a lot of sense now. Why he wrote such intense sci-fi and had such lacking character skills; Why this was your first time seeing him around this building. His strangeness was still strange to you, but part of it was making sense now.

"So, what's your major?" Aeons, you hated that question. But what the hell do university students talk about with each other? Maybe the fact that the canteen sold stale food, or the one guy who drank a gallon of oil in the student park?

For being a top university, the intellect on this campus was lacking.

"Biology, Mathematics, Engineering, Medicine, Philosophy, Natural Theology, Physics, and Computer Science,"

Maybe you were seeing things, but part of you was convinced that the genius in front of you was flexing as he said this. He certainly had an impressive physique, but did he really have to show it off at this moment?

"I'm on the PhD track with the honors college. I'm currently working on a thesis project to solve the energy crisis on this planet."

"...oh. That's cool, man."

"...cool?"

"Sorry. Neat that you're doing all of that," Honestly, what does someone say to that? Like, very cool, but that wasn't really part of what you did in this class. But you were never one for math, so to your surface level of understanding it just sounds like a whole lot of jargon. "But then, why are you taking this class? It seems a little bit left field for you."

This didn't deflate the man one bit. He leaned in closer, and with this new angle, you could see how his shirt revealed more of his skin and muscles than you had ever realized. If he's studying 8 different majors, than how the hell does he have the time to work out?

"I am pursuing philosophy and natural theology. Those concepts are not just explored through essays, but through works of literature as well," you would have expected him to say your question was stupid, but somehow he seemed almost pleased when talking with you. "Much can be said the same with science. Some concepts are perhaps so outlandish that they need to be explored in a world of fantasy before becoming a reality."

"So, like your anti-star weapon?"

"Quite."

Somehow, conversation flowed easily between the two of you. While his vocabulary was large and his words as blunt as a rock thrown at your head, he had a charm to him. There was always something he knew and could explain, and he was clearly passionate about what he did. Better than some people you've known, who only study a subject because it'll give them a high-paying job.

Part of you wished that you could see his smile. From the way his voice sounded when talking about the subjects he wanted to write about, you would think that he was grinning from ear to ear instead of his small little upturned smile.

-

It was time you give Veritas your feedback. You had reread it maybe a hundred times - yes, all 300 something pages - and had found the issues of his story.

Particularly, the plot. Or maybe sub-plot.

He used the technique of hiding his ideals and schematics behind a typical plot of 'hero saves the girl'. Which was fine. It wasn't your forte, and you weren't going to force him to write what you wanted. The issue was that this had made the plot fall apart.

You had said it to his face, but now it was really time to point out the issues. Seriously, when you read his story, you were convinced that he had never even held a girls hand before.

That and how he must have some sort of magic printer. 300 pages doesn't sound a lot, but it felt more like you were lugging around bricks rather than a novel manuscript.

He responded rather quickly to your email. Almost frighteningly fast, as if he already had it opened and was waiting for you.

I appreciate this. I will give you my next draft promptly :)

[bratzkoo]

WGM episode 7 | dk

episode 7: photoshoot

Author: bratzkoo Pairing: seokmin x reader Genre: fluff Rating: PG-13 Word count: 2.9k~ Warnings/note: fluff, fake marriage, and real feelings. cursing, seokmin curses a lot in his head.

summary: WE GOT MARRIED is back. Seokmin and Y/N pairs up to shoot 10 episodes for a special. Turns out, there are more things happenings off-camera than what meets the eye.

taglist (hit me up if you wanna be added): @ateez-atiny380 , @aeerio . @vernons-wifey12 , @odevote118 , @btskzfav , @codeinebelle , @syluslittlecrows, @minghaofied , @ikbennatas , @armycarat2612 , @smiileflower

requests are close, but you can just say hi! | masterlist series masterlist | previous episode | next episode

[Opening sequence: Highlights from Episode 6, showing their decoration adventure and resolved argument over the rug]

Narrator: "After successfully creating their cozy love nest, our newlyweds are taking their relationship public with a special photoshoot for a popular magazine!"

---

Seokmin sat in the makeup chair, trying not to fidget as the stylist applied what felt like the seventeenth layer of something to his face. He was no stranger to photoshoots—they were a regular part of idol life—but this was different. This was a couple photoshoot. With Y/N. For a major magazine.

The PD had informed them last week that they'd been selected as the featured couple for _Newlywed Life_ magazine's monthly spotlight. Apparently, their "We Got Married" pairing had been generating significant buzz online, with viewers particularly taken by Seokmin's impromptu wedding song and their cooking disaster turned success.

"You're very popular," the PD had said, looking smugly satisfied with the ratings. "The public is invested in your love story."

Love story. The phrase made Seokmin's stomach twist with a complicated mix of emotions. Because the problem—the increasingly undeniable problem—was that he was starting to forget this was all fabricated for television.

"You're thinking too loudly," came a familiar voice, and Seokmin's eyes flew open to see Y/N being led to the makeup chair beside his. "I can practically hear the internal screaming from across the room."

"That obvious, huh?" Seokmin asked, managing a smile despite the riot of butterflies her presence instantly triggered.

"Only to someone who's spent six episodes watching your every facial expression," Y/N replied lightly. "Your ears are also a dead giveaway. They're already turning pink."

Seokmin's hands flew up to cover his treacherous ears. "They're just... warm from the lights."

"Sure they are," Y/N teased, settling into her chair as the makeup artist began working on her. "Nothing to do with being nervous about the shoot."

"Why would I be nervous?" Seokmin asked with exaggerated innocence. "It's just a nationally distributed magazine where we'll be portrayed as a loving couple with potentially millions of people analyzing our body language and chemistry. Totally casual."

Y/N laughed, the sound still doing dangerous things to his cardiac rhythm even after all this time. "When you put it that way, it sounds completely reasonable to panic."

"I'm not panicking," Seokmin protested. "This is my calm, collected pre-panic state. The actual panicking comes later, right before the camera starts clicking."

The makeup artist working on him sighed dramatically. "Please stop making expressions while I'm trying to contour."

"Sorry," Seokmin apologized, attempting to arrange his features into a neutral mask. "I'll just sit here expressionless like a good idol."

"Impossible," Y/N commented. "You're physically incapable of having no expression. Your face has two settings: extremely animated or asleep."

"I can be stoic!" Seokmin insisted, attempting to demonstrate with what he hoped was a serious, brooding look.

Y/N burst out laughing. "You look constipated."

"Perfect!" Seokmin declared. "That's exactly the vibe I was going for in this photoshoot. 'Local idol appears constipated next to his gorgeous fake wife.' It'll be revolutionary."

Both makeup artists were now giving them exasperated looks, though Seokmin caught the whisper of "They're so cute together" from one to the other.

If only they knew the truth. Except lately, Seokmin wasn't entirely sure what the truth was anymore.

---

An hour later, they were ushered onto the set where the photographer and creative team waited. The concept, they were told, was "Domestic Bliss"—capturing the sweet, intimate moments of newlywed life.

"We want natural, authentic interactions," the photographer explained. "Forget the cameras are there. Just focus on each other."

Focus on each other. That wouldn't be difficult. Seokmin already found it nearly impossible to focus on anything else when Y/N was in the room.

She looked breathtaking in a simple white dress, her hair styled in soft waves, makeup natural and glowing. Seokmin himself had been dressed in light beige slacks and a blue button-up shirt, sleeves casually rolled to his elbows. They looked like they'd walked straight out of a romance drama.

"The first setup is in the kitchen," the photographer continued, leading them to a beautifully arranged kitchen set. "We're recreating your famous carbonara success."

Seokmin and Y/N exchanged amused looks. Their "famous" carbonara had become something of a running joke between them, with Y/N regularly texting him photos of pasta dishes she encountered with captions like "not as good as ours" or "they clearly didn't respect the egg yolks."

"Remember," the photographer said as they took their positions, "natural and intimate. Like you're cooking together on a lazy Sunday morning."

Natural and intimate. In front of fifteen crew members, three cameras, and the PD watching from the sidelines. TOTALLY NATURAL.

As the first shots began, Seokmin found himself hyper-aware of every movement, every expression. He'd done countless photoshoots before, but never one where he had to pretend to be in love with his co-star. The pressure to appear convincing was overwhelming.

"You're too stiff," the photographer called out after several shots. "Loosen up! You're supposed to be comfortable with each other."

Y/N sidled closer to Seokmin, speaking low enough that only he could hear. "Remember our actual cooking disaster? When you added enough gochujang to burn a hole through the pot?"

Despite his nerves, Seokmin laughed at the memory. "Or when you insisted that 'a pinch of salt' meant literally one pinch for the entire dish?"

"Hey, cooking instructions are unnecessarily vague," Y/N defended herself, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Perfect!" the photographer exclaimed, capturing their genuine moment of laughter. "More like that!"

And just like that, the ice was broken. As they moved through different poses—stirring a pot together, Y/N pretending to feed Seokmin a taste of something, Seokmin playfully dabbing flour on Y/N's nose—the awkwardness gradually faded. They fell into the easy rhythm they'd developed over the past few months, the banter and gentle teasing that had become second nature.

"Now let's move to the living room set," the photographer directed after they'd captured enough kitchen shots.

The living room setup was designed to look cozy and intimate, with a plush sofa, soft blankets, and warm lighting. This, Seokmin realized with a flutter of nerves, was where things would get more physically affectionate.

"For this series, we want to capture those sweet, quiet moments couples share," the photographer explained. "Reading together, cuddling, just being close."

Cuddling. The word sent a jolt through Seokmin's system. They'd maintained a careful physical distance throughout most of their filming, with only occasional hand-holding and the cheek kiss at the wedding. This would be new territory.

"Is that okay?" the photographer asked, seeming to sense their hesitation.

"Of course," Y/N replied smoothly, though Seokmin caught a hint of pink in her cheeks. "We're professionals."

Professionals. Right. This was just work. Not at all an excuse to hold Y/N close without the awkwardness of having to initiate it himself.

They settled on the couch, initially sitting with a respectable few inches between them. The photographer frowned.

"Closer," he directed. "You're supposed to be married, not strangers on a bus."

Y/N scooted closer, until their sides were pressed together. Seokmin could feel the warmth of her through his shirt, could smell her perfume—something light and floral that had become achingly familiar.

"Still too formal," the photographer sighed. "Seokmin, put your arm around her. Y/N, lean into him like he's your favorite pillow."

Oh god. This is fine. This is normal. Just a normal day pretending to cuddle with the woman you're definitely not developing real feelings for. COMPLETELY FINE.

Seokmin carefully placed his arm around Y/N's shoulders, hyperaware of every point of contact between them. She hesitated for just a moment before relaxing against him, her head finding a spot against his shoulder that somehow felt perfectly natural, as if they'd sat this way a hundred times before.

"Much better," the photographer approved. "Now look at each other like you're sharing a secret."

They turned their faces toward each other, and Seokmin's breath caught in his throat. Y/N was so close—close enough that he could see the individual flecks of color in her eyes, the slight imperfections in her makeup that only made her more beautiful. For a moment, he forgot about the cameras, the crew, the pretense of it all.

"Hi," Y/N whispered, a small, almost shy smile playing at her lips.

"Hi," Seokmin whispered back, momentarily lost in the unreality of the moment.

"Perfect!" the photographer exclaimed, the camera clicking rapidly. "That connection! Hold that!"

Connection. Was it still acting when it felt this real?

They moved through several more poses on the couch—Y/N reading a book while Seokmin looked over her shoulder, both of them laughing over something on a prop tablet, Seokmin pretending to play with Y/N's hair while she closed her eyes in contentment. With each setup, the initial awkwardness faded further, replaced by a comfortable intimacy that scared Seokmin with how natural it felt.

"Last set," the photographer announced. "The bedroom."

Seokmin nearly choked on air. "B-bedroom?"

"Nothing inappropriate," the photographer clarified quickly, catching their expressions. "Just morning coffee in bed, maybe looking at a laptop together. Wholesome newlywed stuff."

The bedroom set was tastefully arranged with plush white bedding, soft pillows, and warm lighting. Despite the photographer's assurances, Seokmin felt his heart rate spike at the thought of being in bed—any bed, even a prop one—with Y/N.

"Shoes off," the photographer directed. "And get comfortable against the headboard."

Seokmin slipped off his shoes and cautiously climbed onto the bed, hyperaware of every crease he made in the perfectly arranged comforter. Y/N followed, settling beside him with what appeared to be casual ease, though he noticed her careful maintenance of a few inches of space between them.

"Perfect. Now, Y/N, lean against Seokmin's chest. Seokmin, one arm around her while you both look at this laptop."

This is fine. Just work. Professional actors being professional. The fact that my heart is about to beat out of my chest is completely unrelated to anything happening right now.

Y/N shifted, leaning back against him tentatively. Seokmin wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to appear natural while fighting the urge to either freeze completely still or pull her closer.

"Relax," the photographer called. "You look like you're posing with a mannequin, not your wife."

Y/N turned her head slightly to whisper to him. "Your heart is racing. Are you okay?"

She could feel his heartbeat. Of course she could. She was pressed against his chest.

"Just... warm under these lights," Seokmin lied poorly.

"Mmhmm," Y/N hummed skeptically, but she mercifully didn't push the issue.

Instead, she surprised him by fully relaxing against him, her body softening as she sank more naturally into his embrace. The gesture of trust—even if just for the cameras—made something warm bloom in his chest.

"There we go," the photographer approved. "Now look at something on the laptop together—like you're planning a trip or reminiscing about photos."

They pretended to scroll through vacation destinations, making genuine comments about places they'd each like to visit someday. The conversation flowed easily, almost making Seokmin forget they were being photographed.

"Last few shots," the photographer announced. "Looking at each other, like you've just woken up and you're happy to see each other's faces."

They set the laptop aside and turned toward each other. In this position, lying on their sides facing one another, the intimacy was undeniable. There was nowhere to hide, no way to create distance without being obvious.

Y/N's eyes met his, soft and warm in the golden lighting. She smiled—not her camera smile or her professional smile, but something smaller and more genuine that made Seokmin's chest ache with longing.

"Just like that," the photographer said softly, the camera clicking gently in the background. "Perfect."

For a suspended moment, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. It was just the two of them, looking at each other with an honesty that transcended the artifice of their situation.

Then the photographer called, "That's a wrap!" and reality came rushing back in.

---

Later, as they changed back into their regular clothes and removed the layers of makeup, Seokmin found himself struggling to regain his emotional equilibrium. The shoot had felt too real, too close to the feelings he was desperately trying to keep contained.

"That was... something," Y/N said as they waited for the PD to finish discussing details with the magazine staff.

"Yeah," Seokmin agreed eloquently, still not fully trusting himself to speak normally.

"You were really good," she continued. "Very natural. I almost believed we were actually married at some points."

Seokmin tried to laugh, but it came out slightly strangled. "All those performance classes finally paying off."

Y/N gave him a curious look, something unreadable in her expression. "Right. Performance."

Before she could say more, the PD approached them. "Great work today! The magazine loved the shots. They want one more thing, though—a couple selca taken by you two for their social media."

"We can handle that," Y/N said, pulling out her phone. "We're practically selca experts at this point."

They positioned themselves against a plain wall, Y/N holding the phone out in front of them. Seokmin automatically put his arm around her shoulders, the gesture now familiar after hours of similar poses.

"Smile!" Y/N directed, but just before she took the photo, she turned and pressed a quick, light kiss to Seokmin's cheek.

The resulting photo captured his perfect look of surprised delight, eyes wide and a brilliant smile breaking across his face as Y/N kissed his cheek with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"That'll get the fans talking," she said casually, showing the photo to the PD, who approved enthusiastically.

"Definitely using that one," the PD agreed. "Great initiative!"

As the PD walked away, Seokmin touched his cheek where Y/N had kissed him. "A little warning next time?" he asked, aiming for teasing but landing closer to breathless.

"Where's the fun in that?" Y/N replied with a smile. "Your genuine reactions are always the best."

For the show, Seokmin reminded himself. It was all for the show. The kiss, the closeness, the casual affection—just creating content for the viewers, feeding the narrative of their fake marriage.

So why did it feel so real?

---

That evening, as Seokmin arrived back at the dorm, he found several of his members gathered in the common area, clearly waiting for him.

"How was the couple photoshoot?" Jeonghan asked with a knowing smirk.

"Fine," Seokmin replied, aiming for nonchalance and missing by a mile. "Very professional. Normal workday."

"Then why are your ears the color of kimchi?" Seungkwan observed mercilessly.

"It's hot outside," Seokmin protested weakly.

"It's literally raining and 15 degrees," Joshua pointed out.

Seokmin groaned, collapsing onto the couch. "I'm not discussing this."

"Discussing what?" Mingyu asked innocently. "Your completely professional, not-at-all-emotionally-complicated relationship with your fake wife?"

"Exactly that," Seokmin confirmed, throwing an arm over his face. "Nothing to discuss because it's just work."

There was a moment of suspicious silence before his phone buzzed with a notification. Automatically, he pulled it out to check.

It was from Y/N—the selca they'd taken, now posted on the magazine's Instagram account with the caption: "Love is in the air! Exclusive couple photoshoot with #WeGotMarried's favorite newlyweds coming in our next issue! #RelationshipGoals"

The members, who had naturally crowded around to see his phone, erupted in a chorus of teasing sounds.

"Just work, huh?" Hoshi said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"That's called method acting," Seokmin insisted, even as his ears burned hotter. "Creating content for the viewers."

"Method acting usually stops when the cameras turn off," Woozi pointed out unhelpfully. "That kiss looks pretty genuine to me."

"It was for the photo!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Jeonghan said, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "But maybe start thinking about what happens when the show ends."

When the show ends. The thought sent a chill through Seokmin that he wasn't prepared to examine.

Later that night, alone in his room, he found himself staring at the selca again. Y/N looked so natural beside him, so right. The casual affection of her kiss, the genuine surprise and happiness on his face—it didn't look staged or performed. It looked... real.

His phone buzzed with a new message.

Y/N: Magazine editor says we "have amazing chemistry" and wants to feature us in next month's issue too. We must be better actors than we thought.

Actors. Right. That's all this was.

Seokmin: My years of variety show training are finally paying off.

Y/N: The cheek kiss was genius, if I do say so myself. #ContentCreation

Seokmin: Very sneaky. Didn't peg you for the surprise attack type.

Y/N: There's a lot you still don't know about me, fake husband. 😉

That winking emoji would be the death of him.

Seokmin: Looking forward to discovering all your sneaky tactics over the next few episodes.

Y/N: Be prepared. I'm full of surprises.

Seokmin set his phone down, a complicated mix of emotions swirling in his chest. With each episode, each text, each moment spent together, the line between reality and pretend was becoming increasingly blurred. The problem wasn't that he couldn't tell the difference anymore.

The problem was that he didn't want to.

[22ayla21]

hey victoria!! its my first req sooo

imagine

fic with ifa x female!buff reader. that looks masc and tall, i think ifa would totally fall for her🙂‍↕️ I hope you can find the time for this, and it's okay if you don't! In any case, I will be grateful for your answer <3

Steel spine, but a heart of gold

She could easily lift a hefty saurian with one hand, but for Ifa, her heroic build only highlighted the tenderness that shone in her eyes when she laughed beside him.

Ifa dropped the forceps again.

They clattered against the countertop, causing the nearest saurian to squeak in displeasure and twitch its tail, immediately earning a guilty gesture from Ifa. The veterinarian, however, couldn't take his eyes off the figure by the far wall: his beloved effortlessly lifted a heavy basket of medicinal herbs and carefully placed it on the top shelf, balancing on one leg as if she knew neither fatigue nor pain.

Her shoulders were broad, like a huntress's, her muscles hinted at even under the thin fabric of her shirt, and her movements were sharp, precise, and, what particularly struck Ifa, graceful. Strength and self-possession were combined in her in an astonishing way. It seemed Natlan himself had imbued her with the spirit of a volcano, forged in its own flames.

"Admiring again?" her voice reached him, low, calm, with its usual huskiness. She didn't even turn around, she simply felt his gaze.

"Listen, I'm a veterinarian. It's not my fault my heart skips a beat every time I see such perfect anatomy," Ifa replied lazily, a slight smile playing on his lips.

She only snorted, but the corners of her lips twitched. He noticed, of course. He knew her every facial expression, every wrinkle at the corners of her eyes when she held back laughter.

Sometimes it seemed to him that someone in the heavens had played a joke by creating this union: a courageous, tall woman with a body capable of protecting against any beast—and him, fragile, with the hands of a surgeon and a voice softer than a whisper. Next to her, he seemed like a fledgling beside a grown Qucusaur.

But that was exactly what he loved. Behind all that power lay incredible tenderness. She never pressured him, never demanded anything. She knew how to be strong—not only in body but also in spirit. Confident. Reliable. Protective. He had seen her more than once stand without hesitation between him and an enraged zaurian. Or carry a child from a neighboring tribe through the forest, never letting go of her bow and without breaking stride.

When she laughed, the world around them became brighter. When she touched his shoulder, he felt everything in his life fall into place.

"Hey," her voice again, now closer. She approached, leaning slightly to look into his eyes. "Dropped the forceps again."

"Just admiring. Studying the effect of beauty on brain function," he said seriously, but his eyes betrayed him: he had simply lost his power of speech again.

She crossed her arms over her chest. Ifa heard the fabric stretch across her biceps, and his heart gave a sweet lurch. Not from fear—from admiration.

"You're incorrigible," she said softly, but when he rose on tiptoes and touched her chin, pulling her down for a short kiss, tenderness gleamed in her eyes.

"And you are perfect," he whispered. "I would fall in love with you again and again. Even if I saw you for the first time—every day."

She looked at him with that special expression that was only for him. Behind the broad chest, behind the strength, behind the confidence, he saw the woman he loved with every cell of his being. The woman who could move a stone but carried in her heart a tenderness softer than a petal of a flower feather.

"Let's get to work, veterinarian," she chuckled. "Or I'll think you're just here to flirt."

He shrugged. "And what if I am? I simply have no immunity to tall, strong, and beautiful women. Especially when they're also in love with me."

She shook her head, but she was already laughing. Ifa picked up the forceps, and in his soul, a simple, almost boyish feeling beat again and again: love.

Love for a woman whose body could protect, and whose soul could heal.

[ephemeralinstance]

highlights

Weisshaupt. The whole thing. It's fantastic. I've played it four times already and it's just as good every time.

'kiss me so I know it's real' oh Neve my love

Solas being dastardly. I wasn't angry at all when he swapped with Rook, I was too busy admiring him.

All the environmental storytelling in Arlathan. It's beautiful and perilous and gives such a clear sense of place.

Realising who the Gloom Howler was - this subplot was so fun because it really made having read the novel feel very worthwhile.

Davrin returning the griffons to Arlathan. I love him and his arc. Beautiful full circle moment.

Solas sobbing. Incredibly cathartic. Perfect facial expressions. The tears in his eyes. The Lost Elf theme!!

Talking with Stalgard on the mountains, above the frozen Titan. The grief and the painful moving forward. Gorgeous music, chills down my spine.

Solas and Elgar'nan quarreling in Arlathan. Somehow both hilarious and deeply poignant.

Bringing Manfred back. The love between that man and that spirit.

Taash and their mother. Oh Taash. They're so raw and real. Wonderfully done.

Lavellan speaking in Solas' cadence. My Lavellan means so much to me and this was such a beautiful and loving detail.

[obriengf]

24 Crayons || Stiles Stilinski x Reader

Summary: A boy met a girl in the midst of innocence, and formed a friendship that would last the ages. Words: 1.1k Warnings: omg just cuteness to the max Notes: written in third person, remaining chapters set in first person!

part one of TWENTY FOUR - a stiles stilinski series (masterlist)

Innocence was the simplicity of a sunny day; the way the light warmed skin and caught reflections in a twinkling gleam. It was the gentle hum of a small Californian town, filled with buzzing townsfolk in suburban settings and singing birds that found sanctuary in the surrounding wilderness. It was the floral scent of garden-lined sidewalks that was encapsulated within a plethora of beautiful flowers. But most of all, on this very particular day, innocence was the budding friendship between two children on their first day of kindergarten. Brown, doe-like eyes, peered upward as lips jutted out in a pout. They belonged to a young boy as nerves overtook his small body, worried about being alone and away from his parents. His hands were small as they gripped onto the pant legs of his father before cementing his little feet to the pavement below. He was refusing to move; head shaking, frown quivering, cheek rubbing against khaki-coloured material. "Stiles, honey..." A tender voice cooed, a woman with dark brown hair and the sweetest of smiles now moving to crouch to his level. She was among the shining light of the sun, ethereal glows highlighting her frame before a hand with a loving touch cupped the young boy's face. "You'll have the best time, I promise. Once you make some friends, you will love it here." "B-but you and dad are my friends!"

The woman's gaze saddened as they flickered up toward her husband, a mutual conversation of silent expressions and empathy. With a tender pat to her shoulder, the woman stood, instead replaced by a man with kind eyes and a gold badge that glimmered in the light. Stiles' focus moved to the word 'Deputy' as his small finger dragged over the engraving on the golden metal, his sobs quietening only in the slightest.

"Do you want to see the special big boy present we got for your first day, bud?" The man spoke with a gentle tone before being met with a sniffle and hesitant head nod from his son. He was careful as he dug through the spiderman backpack in front of him, his facial features contorting with funny expressions to make Stiles laugh. The sound of happiness made the man sigh with contentment as he pulled out a yellow box - colours, one of every rainbow shade, were lined up perfectly and ready for a creative imagination.

"Crayons!" Any prior sense of despair had dissipated as the boy's eyes grew, childlike wonder and jovial sounds now becoming his persona in the way his parents had always known him. The box was grasped with delicate fingers before small arms were thrown behind the father's neck, holding him in a loving embrace.

The man smiled. All surroundings slowly faded as this family of three stood within their bubble of perfection - of love, and purity. Everything was right in the world, and nothing could stand in their way.

Stiles stood off to the side; his senses were on alert, nervousness working through his small frame as he overlooked the large classroom and the many bodies that took up its space. He was too shy to speak to anyone, and he felt as if the room began to close in on him the longer he isolated himself. He dreamed of being back in the arms of his father, to be looking up at his mother's graceful smile that made all the scary moments go away. Everybody seemed to have someone and Stiles had never felt so alone.

It wasn't until he looked across to the far side of the room - past the children playing with their toys, and his new teacher talking to other adults that he didn't know - that he spotted another that seemed as lonely as he did. She had her back turned to him, but he could tell that she was sad by the way her pencil moved slowly over the page in front of her.

Little feet padded with caution as Stiles made his way toward her, the box his father gave him clutched tightly to his chest as a reminder that he was a big boy now and that alone was enough to give him some courage.

He cleared his throat, voice quiet as he peered over her shoulder, "Can I sit with you?"

Her head shot up with surprise to hear another voice, body turning quickly to see a young boy with the biggest brown eyes she'd ever seen. She nodded eagerly, pushing the chair beside her out for him to drop beside her. Stiles felt relief, his smile wide with anticipation as he stuck his hand out - something his father taught him when saying hello to new people. The girl looked at him funny before she smiled too, her hand sliding against his easily.

"Hi, my name is Mieczyslaw!" He spoke quickly, the sound of his name amusing as it came from his young squeaky voice. It didn't make it any easier to understand with the tooth missing from his bottom row, either.

Her head tilted, lashes fluttering as she thought of what he said. The girl hummed, "Mich.. ca.. slor?"

Stiles laughed loudly, his grin growing wider, if even possible. The boy nodded, "Kinda, but it's okay, it's hard to say sometimes."

The girl giggled along with him, her body turning further in her seat until she was facing him front on. "That's a funny name!"

"It's my grampa's name.." He started, shuffling closer to the girl, "But you can call me Stiles! Erry'one calls me that."

"Okay, Stiles. That's a funny name too!" She followed his earlier sentiment as her small hand was thrown toward him, ready for another shake, "I'm Y/n."

He took it gladly, "I like that name, it's pretty. Y/n."

A red hue dusted her cheeks, a mix of excitement and happiness as she found someone to talk to. And he was someone that made her laugh, which she liked most of all.

Stiles wasn't afraid as he put his box of crayons on the table between them, a sense of pride filling him as he saw her eyes widen in amazement. He patted the top, "My dad and mom gave me these."

"Wow! And you got the big box too, with all the good colors!"

Stiles' smile never faltered, and he knew that he liked you straight away. You were going to be a good friend. "Yeah! I haven't opened 'em yet. Did you wanna color with me?!"

That was the beginning of an unbreakable friendship, the first chapter in the lives of you and Stiles Stilinski.

[sun4ndmoon]

rewatch Dark Phoenix and all I can say is... It's worse than I remembered.

Okay, I understand that they decided to dive into another part of Charles, a part kept unseen from others, a part that's completely contrary to his former selfless "nature". They tried to dive into his selfishness. And I totally get it that being selfless makes you a saint, not a human, whereas Charles is no more a human being with all those "human" desires.

However, in a myriad of ways they could have gone to explore his other characteristics, they chose the most unreasonable way?!

Raven blamed him for "changing", but since the beginning, has he ever strayed from his ideal of showing the world the better part of mutants so they can live in peace? Hank blamed him for indirectly causing the death of Raven, did he really remember who'd done this? Aren't they all trying to find someone to blame (and that person, how coincidentally, is Charles) instead of analysing what had happened and finding a solution?

Well, that's not how you write your characters, at least in a compelling way (since we all agree that it's so contradicting to the previous movies instead of showing "another" part of the characters). I'm no professional to show those been producing movies half their lives how to write contradicting parts coexisting in a character, but please, it's not impossible. See that Riario from Da Vinci's Demons? (I know, there are more well-known examples but the little cunning Count has taken all free space in my head T-T, and David S. Goyer did not do him dirty. He's truly a good example.)

Also, character development-wise, Jean just doesn't feel right to me. It feels like she was like me in my period (overthinking, hypersensitive, overemotional and extreme mood swings... honestly?!). The only exception is she's a mutant, her mood swings cause destructions whereas I can only harm my stomach and my back at most. She deserves a better development, something holding more weight and less impromptu. Yes, she could have left after realizing what Charles had hidden from her, but wouldn't it be better if we highlighted the way she learns to control the power by herself and others' help rather than put her into the manipulation of some aliens and then loose conscious for a while so we can see how Erik handled those aliens like the real master of magnetism?! And why do we need a second martyr in a movie not to mention the first one is completely unnecessary?!

Sorry, I get carried away. Anyways, I mean it's HER movie, I demand to see more of her than confusion and guilt!

Of course I only rewatch because I want to see Charles and Erik together :D (IT'S BEEN SO LONG I SWEAR I CAN'T HANDLE NO MORE T-T. I MISSED THEM SO MUCH!!!). Gosh I missed their acting too (or their acting together), but these:

And these:

"A long time ago, you saved my life.

Then you offered me a home.

I'd like to do the same for you."

And James' subtle facial expressions?

PERFECTION T-T~

NOW WHERE ARE MY POST-DARK PHOENIX SLOWBURN HURT/COMFORT ONESHOTS???

[zombie-eats-world]

Rob Lucci; Double Agent

Look I know Rob Lucci and CP9 has a less than stellar reputation. Lucci is either despised, begrudgingly loved, or just not thought about. But recent events have made me look back over his inclusion with renewed interest in what his story could be hiding.

Rob Lucci might just be working for the Revolutionary Army…

Let’s begin with setting the scene.

It’s pre time skip and CP9 just barely escaped Enies Lobby with their lives. They’ve been picked as the Scapegoats for the whole kerfuffle, despite how obviously Spandam held all the blame as both the person that messed up, and the leader who should have taken responsibility. Spandam’s connections and the inherent corruption of the WG covered for his absolute incompetence.

This is probably the first time Oda has highlighted the CP9 teams camaraderie. Before this we couldn’t tell if they even liked each other past being co workers. But seeing them come together was actually pretty sweet. Personally I enjoyed seeing them be more of a family than co workers that only tolerated each other.

 This begins CP9 teams days as fugitives, falsely blamed for Spandam mistakes. Which is interesting when you consider Bluenos words from Chapter 374 Page 18:

WE sympathize very deeply with that woman.

Considering we know now that the CP9 agents are closer than previously thought, Blueno using the royal ‘we’ here is poignant. It would suggest the group had discussed this, had shared their opinions with each other about feeling bad for Robin. It’s a minor detail, but it highlights that while brainwashed to be blank slates for the government, they do have their own opinions and thoughts about the world.

And now, they don’t have to sympathize with Robin, they can empathize with her as fellow fugitives for a bullshit reason.

Now I think CP9 taking Lucci to a hospital is such an underrated move. They could have abandoned Lucci. He was heavily injured and they are now running from the World Government.

But they rally together, and go to the lengths of doing street performances in order to gather the money for Lucci’s medical expenses. I’m not sure if anyone’s pointed it out before, but medical expenses is one of the most common things to radicalize a person in real life, and I don’t think Oda wouldn’t have known and understood that.

I can only see this as an incredible humbling and radicalizing moment for all the CP9 agents.

Seeing them hang out and just enjoy each others company is actually really wholesome. Especially with how happy they seem to have Lucci back. They go bowling to celebrate! Rob Lucci goes bowling with his found family team and they just chill together. It’s shockingly tender for how ruthlessness and cold CP9 had been portrayed as until this cover story.

And something I really want to highlight is Lucci upon waking up

His blank expression, his clenched fists, the way Hattori is so animated. Clearly Lucci is learning what’s happened and he’s upset, his entire world view might even have shifted. The government, of which he served with perfect precision, believed the buffoon that is Spandam and was now hunting him. This is a man with no direction anymore. This is a man who had lost his direction.

The arrival of the Candy pirates in the Independent Report is an interesting turn in my opinion.

For one it’s the first time we see CP9 step up to protect innocent people of their own free will. They don’t have to do this, but they do, because I believe they truly do care about justice.

Notably even Oda’s descriptions call them messengers of justice and Hero’s specifically. This is the most objectively ‘good’ thing we’ve ever seen them do.

But having Lucci go too far, and making the townspeople run scared from them, thus forcing them to leave is also an interesting narrative flip. Lucci is known for his bloodthirsty nature and yet were explicitly shown him being punished for those actions. I can’t help but notice that we are denied Lucci’s facial reaction to this consequence (Chapter 514 cover). We don’t get to know how he feels about this and he is excluded from the reward as well. On the chapter 515 cover they are given a flower as thanks for saving the little girl and her mother from the chapter 511 cover. This is the only reward they get, and it’s important enough to be referred to again later (so remember it) and Lucci is left out here, almost as if his excessive justice was a mistake that’s he’s being punished for.

And then they are off, taking the pirate ship like true criminals and sailing off from ST. Poplar.

(I have now reached the image cap for a post, I shall continue this in a reblog)

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Rook Hunt - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Rook: The Land of Dawning's National Museum of Art… Ahh, what an exhilarating place.

Rook: They have so many spectacular works of art exhibited here… I don't think there's enough time in a single day to view everything.

???: ―Oh hey, I know this painting. This is the scene where the Fairest Queen is sending her Huntsman on a mission.

???: I can even see just how tense his facial muscles are. This painting is so detailed even to the finest points.

Rook: Beauté! You have a good eye for detail. The thin rays of light that cut through the dark room just highlights how stiff he is.

Rook: When I gaze upon this painting, I feel as though even I am being struck with a chill as cold as a winter breeze.

Ortho: But Rook Hunt-san, this isn't a painting set in winter, right?

Rook: Fufu, I know that. I only meant… Well, that I can almost feel the tension that is freezing him in his tracks.

Ortho: Guess that makes sense, since he's making an appearance before the queen. But don't you think that for someone meeting a queen his outfit is pretty casual?

Rook: I'm sure he is to head out on his mission immediately. Besides, he is very well groomed.

Ortho: Very well groomed…? Ah, yeah, it does feel like he's taken very good care of his beard.

Rook: Oui. In addition, he is someone who works outdoors, and yet there is not a single stain, let along any frayed ends on his attire.

Rook: Take a close look at his bangs. You see how they are cut short just above his eyebrows?

Rook: Essentially, that means his bangs won't obstruct his vision. He is sure to be able to keep his prey in sight.

Ortho: I see, so then, that must the best type of hairstyle for a hunter. Rook-san, you're amazing to notice that.

Rook: I, too, take caution of how lengthy my bangs can become. In the past, I believed that as long as it was short, that was good enough…

Rook: So whenever my bangs grew out, I would just chop it off with a knife, while the rest of my hair just looked like an overgrown garden.

Ortho: It's hard for me to picture that, knowing the you standing here now…

Rook: After I became a Pomefiore student and cut off all the damaged and frayed ends…

Rook: Not only did my vision become unhindered, but I ceased to find leaves or branches tangled in my hair any more.

Rook: I'm sure even the Queen's Huntsman also knew that a proper grooming regimen would help him be even more efficient as his job.

Rook: By fixing up my own hair, I came to understand just how capable of the huntsman he truly was.

Rook: In my search of perfection and functionality, I was able to settle on this hairstyle… is basically what it all amounts to.

Ortho: Huh… I totally thought that you had chosen that hairstyle because it suits the shape of your face.

Rook: Thank you. I am beyond honored that you think it suits me.

Rook: However, there is still much to improve. I must continue to refine my appearance.

Rook: It is all to improve my efficiency and my hunting skills.

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Rook: Ooh là là! These beings depicted here are the Thorn Fairy's subordinates.

Rook: Despite the dark overtone and the terrifyingly green flames illuminating them, this piece gives off a pleasant sensation.

Ortho: They're all dancing in celebration of the Thorn Fairy's successful accomplishment, right? Hehe, they all look so happy.

Rook: This painting shows just how beloved the Thorn Fairy was to her subordinates. It's wonderful that they would express their joy via dance.

Rook: Now that I'm learning how to dance… It may behoove me to express my own happiness through moving my whole body, instead of just penning words.

Rook: WITH BALLET!!

Ortho: Eh, you're good at dancing ballet, Rook Hunt-san!?

Rook: Non. I wouldn't go so far as to say I am any good at it. I've only started picking up the fundamentals recently.

Ortho: Oh, you just started… So, why did you just suddenly decide to learn ballet?

Rook: To improve my posture, of course.

Rook: We of Pomefiore must carry ourselves beautifully, not only in how we walk, but with every single gesture we make.

Rook: That is why I began my training in order to keep to the standards of my dormitory.

Rook: As to why I chose ballet, that would be because Roi du Poison… Vil recommended it to me.

Ortho: I think Vil's advice is sound. It's said that ballet can help with your core and flexibility.

Rook: You do know your stuff, Ortho.

Ortho: You said that you just recently started learning, but… You're pretty physically fit, so I'm sure it's going pretty smoothly, right?

Rook: Well… Truthfully, the road to perfect posture has been nowhere near as smooth.

Rook: I've twisted my ankle while training to stand on my toes, and I've fallen down so ungracefully without being able to keep my balance…

Rook: When I first began practicing, my muscles were so sore that even going up and down stairs was a trial in and of itself.

Rook: I realized just how many muscles I've yet to use… It has been quite a learning experience.

Ortho: Even though you're saying how hard it was… It looks to me like you're still enjoying yourself.

Rook: Yes, it was indeed a fantastic time. One time, I became so engrossed that I danced the night away.

Ortho: Your posture now is really good, Rook-san… Looks to me like the fruits of your ballet training is showing.

Rook: Oui! Also, as I had my ballet lessons, I was able to get a taste of yet another wonderful joy.

Ortho: What do you mean, a wonderful joy?

Rook: ESSENTIALLY, MY RESPECT FOR BALLET GREW!

Rook: Up until now, I would only have an adoration of the perfect performances I would watch on stage.

Rook: However, now that I've experienced it firsthand, I know just how difficult each individual technique can be.

Rook: These ballet dancers perform as gracefully as swans, putting forth such extraordinary efforts that we never get to witness.

Rook: They have honed their bodies through all the time they've spent dancing, and then these dancers take their honed bodies to bring forth perfected movements...

Rook: And then there is the spectacular stage productions that can draw out the beauty of those movements in full…!

Rook: I now have the pleasure of seeing those performances in an even more beautiful light… From the bottom of my heart, I am pleased to be learning ballet.

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Ortho: This painting shows the scene where the Rabbit Retainers has announced Queen of Hearts' arrival to her card soldiers.

Rook: We know that the Queen of Hearts had a rather strict personality, but… The expression she carries here is so lovely!

Ortho: I kinda find it funny with how the white rabbit is looking so tired beside her.

Ortho: This rabbit came running just before the Queen was set to arrive.

Rook: Indeed. There are many times that him frantically running while trying to do his tasks have shown up in other stories.

Rook: It's said that everyone could hear his running footsteps from all over the country… He must have been quite the busy one.

Ortho: Ah, talking about footsteps reminds me… Rook-san, you really don't make a sound when you walk.

Rook: Is that so?

Ortho: Yeah. I have a motion sensor, so I'll always know, but… A normal person wouldn't notice if you came up behind them.

Ortho: How are you able to walk without making a sound like that?

Rook: It's probably because I've grown up surrounded by nature.

Rook: Whenever I am with the trees, I become a leaf on one of its branches. Whenever I am in the meadow, I become a reed swaying in the wind…

Rook: As I dedicated myself to become one with nature like so, my footsteps naturally became softer.

Ortho: It sounds difficult to live in nature…

Rook: Fufu, it's nothing much. This is simply how I was raised alongside my family.

Ortho: I see… But I don't think there's any reason for you to watch your footsteps here at Night Raven College, do you?

Rook: Since it's more or less an ingrained habit at this point, it's not something I'm doing consciously. However…

Rook: Large and obtrusive footsteps can ruin a beautiful moment.

Rook: It could startle a bird that had settled down to sip nectar from a flower, or interrupt an enjoyable moment between friends.

Rook: That is why I wouldn't dream of making louder footsteps. I wish to capture as many beautiful moments and I possibly can with my own eyes.

Ortho: That's amazing… But how is it that you still don't make any noise on gravel roads or wooden floors?

Rook: If I had to attribute it to something, it's probably due to my shoes.

Rook: Whenever I purchase a pair, I make sure to request to have a size snug against my toes to the nearest millimeter.

Rook: Perhaps when one wears shoes that are a perfect fit, even footsteps naturally become quieter.

Ortho: You really think of everything! Now I'm curious what kind of thought you put into choosing a design for them.

Rook: Let me think… When it comes to designs, I often just select whatever was recommended to me by the shopkeeper.

Rook: I may be a Pomefiore student, but… I still haven't familiarized myself with selecting clothes and shoes that necessarily suit me.

Ortho: Woah… I'm a little surprised. I totally thought you'd be particular about the materials in your shoes, or the shape of your heels.

Ortho: You know how whenever everyone wears the high heels with the ceremonial robes, their footsteps are louder than usual?

Rook: Oui! I find the ringing sound of the heels clacking is music to my ears.

Rook: Unfortunately, I find I'm unable to make as clear a sound. Perhaps I'm subconsciously keeping my heels from hitting the ground?

Ortho: Heheh, really? I love your story, Rook-san, since they defy my known data.

Ortho: Thanks for sharing all of that with me! Okay, then I'm heading out to view the other exhibits.

Rook: Right, let us talk together again sometime. ―Now then, it's time to go see that one piece of artwork that I have been longing for.

Rook: Ah… The famed work of art that depicts the princess singing to the fauna around her… Why does my heart dance for joy each time I gaze upon it?

Rook: With her lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony, and skin white as snow… Mayhap the animals are entranced by her charm, as well.

Requested by @butterflyremix.

[ruminiscence]

Character Analysis of Johan Liebert - Monster, Naoki Urasawa (2004)

In my opinion, Johan represents Jung's concept of the shadow, which is why both Tenma and Nina couldn't kill him in the end. Despite tirelessly, and relentlessly going after him. If they did end up doing so, they would be destroying themselves in the process. The constant fear on Tenma's face once he heard the buzz words 'monster' and 'inside of me' highlights his underlying fear. It is, of course, aggravating, considering how close they both were to killing Johan (multiple times, might I add). But, to them, it would have come at too high a cost.

Consequently, Johan was not the monster he and everyone thought him to be. The forgiveness Nina offered to Johan (as well as) Tenma’s acceptance (in a way) gave Johan that validation. In my opinion, Johan had an identity problem, not a complete lack thereof, as most people say. Johan completely understood how senseless the world is; the picture book from his childhood made sense of that senselessness. That narrative (mostly born from the book) gave significance to his existence, whether he knew it or not. I found it interesting that he went through several names throughout his life, but ‘Johan Liebert’ was recurring. Whether this is just for convenience's sake, I don’t know.

The scene where we see his reaction when re-reading the book (likely the first time since he was a child) furthers this notion. Johan's facial expressions are to be paid attention to, every single one, even if they barely change. We see the most significant change in his face in the final scene: that of sheer disappointment, hopelessness, and defeat. His master plan did not go accordingly; the plan was for him to be completely wiped off the face of the earth, rendered fictitious. The drunk man who unexpectedly shot him stripped him of that. So did Tenma, in not allowing Johan to kill/destroy his (Tenma’s) altruistic nature.

Johan's perfect suicide ultimately fails because he is not the nameless monster he believed himself to be; this is shown merely in the fact that he does not kill (nor even think about killing) Nina & Tenma; he realised that they are the only two people to understand him in this world. This also explains Johan's bizarre attachment to Tenma from the get-go (which also makes a lot of sense). In the scene where we listen to the tape, we're made aware of Johan's desperation; he does not want to forget 'Anna'; he believes they are the only two people in the world. Later on, Tenma was added to that list. Hence, every other person's life is rendered meaningless to Johan; this is the reason for his remorseless killings, of course. He killed everyone that could eventually be tied into his and Anna/Nina's existence, and arguably Tenma, too.

I also think Johan eventually lets go of this (seemingly) obsession with names in the final scene. Whether the last scene of him and Tenma speaking was a dream or not remains significant. Before Tenma reveals his potential real name to Johan, the subject is changed. This is when we learn about the biological mother's sacrifice. Despite her not choosing to sacrifice Johan, he still doubts the decision. All of this is to say that perhaps the failure of his perfect suicidal plan was, in fact, the real success after all. He successfully kills everyone who does not know him but knows of the nameless monster's existence. This explains why the only two people on this earth who did are still alive and were eventually saved emotionally.

In a way, they also saved Johan too. Hence the *seemingly* peaceful disappearance from the hospital. He just wanted to be understood. This is also why I believe he asked Nina to shoot him as a child and then again all those years later. His mother placed this seed of doubt, which he seemed confident in, but because of Nina's existence, he could extend this and not be entirely solid in this sense of doubt. He latched this on to Nina's being, hence merging their identities. As a child, he did seek her forgiveness despite his contradictory actions (asking to be shot). When she finally offered forgiveness in a similar situation later on, the doubt was gone. That little spec of forgiveness and acceptance was all he needed. Acceptance is not to say that he wanted her or even Tenma to accept his actions; hence, Johan says, 'We can't turn back now' when Nina does forgive him. Other people and their deaths (at his hands) simply did not matter to him; he was utterly indifferent to it. So evidently, that one thing mattered to him, which he mostly did not believe to be real; it turned real, giving him what he had so desperately been looking for since childhood. He is saved. The only three people that mattered in the show (concerning Johan's essence) are saved. 

[cedarxwing]

Hello!!

What do you think made Will bluebeard's last wife? And how did Will understand that Hannibal was in love with him when he had the bluebeard discussion with Bedelia?

Hello! I see that someone already answered this question here, but I'll try to put my own spin on it.

Some context:

In the folktale, Bluebeard is a wealthy man whose wives keep mysteriously disappearing. He gives his seventh wife the key to all the locked doors in their house, but tells her not to open the door to the basement ("Secrets you're not to know, yet sworn to keep"). Of course, the wife goes snooping and discovers the corpses of all his former wives. It's a classic Pandora/Psyche myth with a horrific twist.

Key point: Bluebeard's seventh and final wife survives, inherits his fortune, and lives happily ever after.

The Bluebeard analogy is honestly perfect for Hannibal's character because it highlights the way he destroys everyone he loves. He brings a series of "wives" behind the veil (Miriam, Abigail, Gideon) and all of them end up maimed, mentally broken, or dead. This pattern echoes his childhood behavior, originating with the consumption of Mischa and developing with his mind games with Chiyoh. "Every family loves differently. Every love is unique." Hannibal expresses love through destruction and consumption.

Bedelia understands this. When she says she would've preferred to be Bluebeard's last wife, she means that she would've preferred to be the one who escaped Hannibal and lived happily ever after. She does not want to be on the receiving end of Hannibal's "love."

There's a deleted scene in the Antipasto script where she says the same line to Dimmond:

Basically, "Help me lock this monster up, because I'm not going to be one of his victims. I do want his money, though."

The same line, said accusingly to Will, takes on a different meaning. Hannibal is courting a new partner, and if Bedelia isn't his final wife anymore... well, she's going to end up in the basement with the rest. @genufa wrote an interesting analysis on this concept here.

Now, let's zoom out and view the whole conversation from Will's perspective:

Will can't let go of the fact that Bedelia emerged from Hannibal's influence completely unscathed, whereas Hannibal took--and continues to take--everything from Will. He's operating on his understanding of the Chesapeake Ripper: "Contrapasso. You play, you pay." So why does Hannibal make Will pay again and again and again, while Bedelia got away with mere psychological torment? According to Chesapeake Ripper logic, that would mean Bedelia is preferred, right?

Before this conversation, Will doesn't understand how Hannibal expresses love ( @suchawrathfullamb wrote a lovely post about this). He thinks that everything Hannibal did to him (encephalitis era, prison era, honeytrap codependency era, Mizumono, the Primavera human heart, the attempted brain-eating in Dolce) was out of pure sadism. If Hannibal found him more interesting than Randall, Margot, and his other violent patients, it was only because his empathy and involvement with the FBI made him a rare specimen.

[BOOK TANGENT TIME! Oh boy, my favorite!! :D]

Will's misdiagnosis of Hannibal's ability to love was inspired by this piece of hack psychoanalysis in chapter 51 of Hannibal:

^ This is clearly posed as an incorrect interpretation of Hannibal Lecter:

Yes, Hannibal is excited by distress, but he loves those who bear distress beautifully, with strength, courage, and discipline. This is how he comes to care for people like Abigail, Jack, and Bella. And, of course, Will suffers the most pornographically beautifully of all.

[END BOOK TANGENT]

"It's distress that excites him," Will thinks. So it catches his attention when Bedelia says of his forehead scar, "It excites [Hannibal] to see you marked in this particular way." Why? Why this particular way? Is it a mark of ownership (the metaphorical facial theory)? A symbol of the permanent effect Hannibal had on him? This is Bedelia's first hint that Will's distress means more to Hannibal than punishment or sadistic entertainment.

When Bedelia turns the Bluebeard analogy back on Will, it finally clicks for him that distress/destruction/consumption is the pattern of Hannibal's love, and the fact that Hannibal tortures Will more than anyone else means that Will holds a place of honor in his heart. With this context, Hannibal's attempt to eat his brain becomes an act of adoration. The mark on his forehead becomes a laurel wreath.

To answer your first question, I don't think "Bluebeard's last wife" is a great analogy for Will.

First of all, Bedelia never called him that. She implied that Will was becoming the next wife, emphasizing the threat associated with Hannibal's affection. Bluebeard's last wife would've ended up in the basement too if she hadn't been clever enough to escape, and Will doesn't seem particularly clever to Bedelia at this point. Even Will admits his surrender: "I don't know if I can save myself, and maybe that's just fine."

Second of all, Bluebeard's last wife betrays him to the authorities, and Will does the exact opposite in TWOTL. I guess you could interpret "I don't intend Hannibal to be caught a second time," as "I'm planning to kill him myself," but passionately embracing Hannibal before gently dragging him off a cliff in a failed murder-suicide doesn't read as "Bluebeard's last wife" behavior to me.

If Will is to be Bluebeard's last wife, it's because Hannibal's love for him breaks the pattern, meaning Hannibal is no longer Bluebeard. A true fairytale ending. <3

[crystaltoa]

The Turaga Movie Designs, Ranked

#6 Matau

Weirdly the most human looking mask but rendered without any kind of expression. They didn't even give him eyebrows. Looks like he overdid the botox and sends him straight into uncanny valley territory. I get that he doesn't get any speaking lines and has barely any screentime, but contrasted with the amount of care put into his Matoran form it's a bit of a sad effort. The gold highlights are a nice idea in theory that link to his Toa form, but the blend of gold and grey gives him a weirdly discoloured look. 2/10

#5 Whenua

Eh. Not a lot of personality coming through here. His mask is basically identical to the Ruru wearing Matoran. Just Some Guy really. 3/10

#4 Nokama

She at least has facial expressions. Her mask was one of the simpler designs in set form but they've stripped it of all detail- maybe the designers thought the curved lines on the cheeks made her look too old or unfeminine? Eh. Some personality, but still a little bland. Don't look too closely at the body armour. 5/10

#3 Onewa

Now we're getting somewhere. Most of the details of his mask have been kept, and I like how the ridges above the eyes became Big Craggy Eyebrows. Manages to avoid the uncanny valley that Matau fell into. Has personality but not too ostentatious. Fits the character pretty well 7/10

#2 Vakama

Yeah, he's the Main Guy out of the Turaga so naturally he got more attention to detail. We make fun of his big monobrow but it really helps sell the character, as does his long pharoah beard. He has the vent covering his mouth but they still managed to make it expressive. The stylized fire staff is nice too. Forehead's a little tall but that's really my only gripe. 9/10

#1 Nuju

Looks like a horrid little owl man. Strong gargoyle energy. Has one expression and it's Thinking About Murder All Day. Character designers understood the assignment exactly. Mata Nui's perfect creature 1000/10

[lespaulchen]

Let's fantasy about Paul...

You're witnessing one of the rarest and most unique miracles of this world - a clean shirtless Paul.

And you are the one to get him all dirty for the show.

You try to keep your heart still, after all you're a pro and except from the urge to eat the man alive, you also have an appropriate respect for him and his job. You look at the stuff you're going to work with - two mixtures of coffee and body paint with different density, flour (Paul had requested it himself instead of the cosmetic white powder; you feel relieved at least he hadn't asked for sugar icing), classic makeup accessories, two brushes of different size…

"Alright, let's start," you say, trying to focus on the paints. Paul puts his guitar away and stands in front of you. You decide to start from his lower belly and work your way up.

You make a few dark-brown marks around his navel with a small brush and see him slightly shudder from the ticking sensation, the muscles on his wonderfully flat belly visibly trembling. You try to ignore the inner sound of blood boiling in your vessels.

"Would it be okay for me to use my hands as well?" You ask not looking him in the eye.

"Sure." He answers simply. You assume at this point they all treat their bodies more as their tool for work - they're showmen, they need to look in a particular way, they've been touched and probed so much so they wouldn't bat an eye. But it was still polite to ask.

You try to focus on forming shapes of marks not to get lost in the sensation of feeling his firm flesh. With the make-up, gently highlight already well-accented muscles.

"This is really a wonderful body." You say emotionlessly, as if you were a nerdy professor in a museum sophistically praising shapes of the first furniture from Baroque era. That costed you the best acting skills you could pull off, but you just couldn't help articulating your thoughts about this man's appearance.

"Oh, it's not mine, I just borrowed it for the show," he answers playfully.

You chuckle. Of course he always knows how to answer. He's too polite to ignore your remark or roll his eyes at the obvious, but also too badass and strongly Rockstar attituded to simply thank you. You'd gladly reply: "Great choice", but that would be a big mistake. The less is more.

For a moment you avoid touching him with your hands and use purely the brushes, not to overdo it, both the make-up and praising. You apply impressive stains on his chest, not getting too close to the nipples (more for your own sake, not his), and with a hugely focused facial expression work on the spots around his tattoos. You notice in the corner of your eye a little smug smirk on his lips, yet he's not looking directly at you either.

You wonder how much aware he is of you experiencing the most pleasant torture painting his body. He must know for sure how wildly attractive he is, and that even professionals have a hard time hiding the affect he has on them. But as long as you succeed, you're save to think he respects you and feels comfortable with you.

"I think that's enough here, now let's get the back done."

He obediently turns around and you feel your knees get soft. You swallow with difficulty, trying to do it as quiet as possible. With the greatest effort you stop yourself from putting your lips, let alone teeth, on the back of his gorgeous neck. Since he's mostly with his front to the audience, you don't have to spend too much time on shapes and shades of the marks, they don't need to be that perfect, just need to be there.

You're almost done, quietly thanking God this time he's wearing the actual pants, and not those little black shorts, because if you were about to paint him then… avoiding embarrassment would be so much more difficult. You think about the Mein Land video briefly and conclude that, ironically, in the swimming suit wasn't that wildly tempting… Surely those other things did the job: his double belts and massive chains at his hip, wristbands, choker… The choker! Oh damn…

"Are you going to put your choker on?"

He turns around and looks at you surprised.

"I mean… we're done with paints, now it's time for the powder… actually the flour… would be better to apply it with all the other accessories on…" you babble out, wishing somebody could shoot you right there.

You see the flash of his gorgeous smile as he lets out a little chuckle. You're so totally cooked. He probably knows for sure you're on your edge.

"No, no choker today, only the wrist bands."

He approaches the drawer, takes out the accessories and puts them on. Then comes back to you for the last element of his stage make-up. You spread the white powder on him almost like a cherry on the cake of your work.

"Done," you smile shyly, still embarrassed.

He returns the smile that, in his case, is anything but shy.

"Thank you," he answers, with a quick gestures kisses your hand and disappears behind his dressing room door, grinning widely.

________

I'd like to dedicate this silly little fic to my beloved @soffuiii 🤗