#but Jasper is not too proud to beg 😌

[hawnks]

she has a fascination with his teeth.

he’s always known it— from the first time they met, when he paid her his best, roguish smile, and her eyes drifted to the dangerous glint of his fangs.

this was, of course, seconds before she bolted, and for months he’d done his best to keep everything predatory about him hidden, including (especially) his teeth.

but now, even with her snuggled on his chest, content and dozing, he catches her gaze fixed on his mouth, the little indents his fangs purse into his bottom lip.

“I love you,” he murmurs, peering down at her, studying her. minutely, her eyes follow the motion of his canines.

she likes his lips, of course. he’s made sure of that. tongue, too. these were pleasureable things, though, flesh almost the same as hers. she’s comfortable with them. she recognizes them.

but his teeth are a foreign artifact, something that signifies the difference between them, a reminder of how alien he really is. they’ve always obsessed her, even before she loved him back, even when they disgusted her.

and he can’t help himself. he feels her heartbeat pick up, a gasp settle in her throat. he can smell the dread coiling around them both.

and she lets him. it’s one of the things he cherishes most about her— that he could do anything to her, and she would let him.

he lifts one of her delicate (human, god, so human) hands to his mouth. he kisses each of her knuckles, smiling when she sighs, warm and pliable.

he prises a single finger from her, gives it a languid, savoring lick. and with the gentlest, tenderest pressure, he presses a fang into the soft meat of her fingertip. not enough to break the skin, but enough to be a warning, he could. it would be so easy, so simple.

he meets her eyes, dilated, peering back at him.

in an instant, in the span of one of her rabbit-quick heartbeats, he could become the heinous, violent thing she feared him to be.

and yet— he smells her desire, too. beneath the anxiety is the luxurious scent of want. the braiding of these primal, sensuous sensations.

he’s teaching her: fear doesn’t negate the lust. in fact, sometimes they are the same thing.

[serataenin]

The Dice album has me in tears from just how proud I am, the tracks are so so so beautiful. So groovy, so smooth, so fun, so emotional, so sweet, so sexy, so Onew. It’s a huge directional pivot after begging to get him out of the grandpa sweater vests and into a title track with bass and choreo and boy did they deliver - without compromising any of his identity! This album is gonna keep me company all summer long with such repeatable tracks and good energy throughout. My only gripe is that I almost miss a track with soaring vocals like the bad love outro they went so hard on every styling choice that I have no idea which fit/scene/track to turn into my wallpaper 😂

Initial impressions:

Dice - THE MV IM SCREAMING I love the whimsical elements and the MTTM call backs and actor Onew and oh lord does he look so good in every shot and the lemon woman at the end is sooooo precious and dancer Onew absolutely slaying?? And the fits and his smile and goo everywhere ugh I’m not saying anything of substance I just love love love it

Sunshine - I usually love the rnb jams the most but sunshine is so damn special. I’m partial to it esp bc it keeps the mttm/dice whimsy vibe alive and it’s just such a stylish arrangement, the joy and groove throughout the track is relentless. The verses are sexy and enticing, but it builds up to such a fantastic can’t-help-but-wiggle-in-your-seat chorus. Very likely this is one of the b-sides he’ll perform on music shows and I can’t wait! Getting ready with pina coladas in the Bahamas. 🍹🏝

On The Way - this song is written by Sam Kim, Cha Cha Malone, Adrian McKinnon, and Tay Jasper, it was already guaranteed to be rnb bop of the century before it even dropped. Because the other tracks have so many fun musical elements or intense vocal power, this one ends up feeling a little more chill and mellow on the album, but it’s welcome! True to the rnb genre, this track flows smooth and sultry, the harmonies are dreamy, the bass and claps the perfect amount of drive without overpowering the vocals, and onew’s tone is *chef’s kiss*

Love Phobia - WHEN I TELL YOU I WASNT READY FOR THIS ONE it knocked my socks off, it’s so colorful and dynamic and I’m always noticing something new even though it doesn’t seem like a powerhouse song on first listen. The pre chorus falsetto followed by those punchy chorus bass synths followed by the lil runs + yeahs? Scrumptious. Taemin liked this track for Onew too so it’s meant to be 😌

Yeowoobi - I haven’t even looked up the lyrics yet and my heart is so soft. The low notes and falsetto in the verse and pre chorus is exquisite as sets up the chorus well! Head over heels for the murky, layered bass esp in the chorus. THE BRIDGE IS EXEMPLARY this is where Onew gets to show off his range the most I believe, just a lovely track.

In the Whale - the 80s synths and velvet soft vocals I’m ascending. Onew wrote some of the lyrics and dedicated this track to shawols so I’m not sure if I’m ready to move from just vibing to possibly probably crying. This song is beautiful.

I am attempting to ahem small river for this one bc Onew really deserves the most, thank you for such a sweet gift jinki 💚