#it was the moment that he showed his commitment to doing this thing that he knew was wrong and made him feel awful

[hotvintagepoll]

Joe Roberts (The Goat, Three Ages, Our Hospitality)—6’3” with a handlebar mustache that would impress the mightiest walrus, joe brown shows up in several buster keaton shorts, usually as the Big scrungle to match buster’s Little scrungle. 12:32-16:19 has some scrungle reaction shots and some good chase scene'ing [link], which feels important for weird guys to do for their enrichment.

Harpo Marx (Night at the Opera, Night in Casablanca, Duck Soup)—While Groucho is better-known, Harpo's physical comedy is SECOND-TO-NONE. The man is a strange mime trapped in the paradigm of early 20th century movies. Every move is a symphony and simultaneously a colony of rats in a human skin suit. LISTEN. You MUST see this man in motion. Every still photo of him looks like a combination of a sad clown and a different, sadder clown, but it's only because he put so much joy in every motion.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Harpo Marx:

Harpo is mute in all of the Marx Bros movies and so his body language and facial expressions are SO over the top but he's also got fewer braincells than a goldfish while often being the emotional heart of the Marx Bros and he's just A Guy!!

Every scene with Harpo Marx is a treat! Just like watching a seagull steal a stranger's hotdog at the beach, it is a joy to watch him frustrate the hell out of all the other films' characters! Harpo Marx is the zenith of unhinged in all of his appearances, making any other funny man a straight man by comparison. (A fantastic feat considering he starred in films with his brothers Grouch and Harpo, who sported a shoe polish mustache and questionable Italian accent, respectively). The scrungliness of the little guys he plays come from his guileless, wide-eyed expression, curly blond wig, and the extreme ability to annoy others, despite never saying a word. Is he malicious? Most definitely, but hard to tell because he has a dopey grin on his face most of the time. Communicating through other sounds like honking horns and whistling, he is a force of chaos in every Marx brothers film! Also an accomplished harp player, the beautiful calm moments where Harpo plays juxtapose the zany, making him all the more scrungly. His visual style of comedy is timeless; Duck Soup had me rolling with laughter as a six year old and is still just as funny today. ///

In my opinion Harpo is the funniest of the Marx brothers because he is so good at slapstick comedy. Since he never speaks in his film appearances his performances are very physical, which contributes a lot to his scrungliness. He was fully committed to being wacky at all times. All of his hilarity is based on him being weird.

He's like if a clown was a hobo was also somehow a classically trained harpist, his face is always in some kind of contorted silly shape, feral curly haired ninnymuggins always doing weird things to people  

He's just a weird little guy who causes chaos everywhere he goes, and then sits down and plays a beautiful harp solo! He steals the show from his very chatty brothers without saying a word, and was surprisingly ripped under that old raincoat

All of the Marx Brothers are Scrungly to a degree, but Harpo is the scrungliest! His outfits are so big he gets lost in them, his pockets are full of everything, and because he never speaks, he always uses physical comedy. Also he's an incredible musician.

Joe Roberts:

[blakbonnet]

HAPPY FOX DAY TO ALL THOSE WHO CELEBRATE! Today's a special special AOTW because our featured author this week is best beloved @asneakyfox 🦊

Fox, I genuinely think you're one of the greatest fandom philosophers of our times, and what you write is so much more than regular old meta. Because we're all playing in the sandbox here and while a lot of us lose sight of canon sometimes, you have all four feet firmly planted in the lovely source material we've been provided with. And you don't stop there, you try to actively engage with the community, especially making sure you are keeping an eye on all the differing opinions. I feel like this is why your thesis resonates so thoroughly with different people--it's not trying to prove a point, it's very 'holmes saw a dead body and ejaculated'. You are just so smart that you make the rest of us smarter, but it's never intimidating to talk to you, and I love love love that I get to read your stories and your thoughts because of this show and this fandom.

Fox, brilliant as ever, agreed to answer a few questions for me:

What's your meta writing process like? Do you think in disparate strings about scenes and then write them down as they come to you OR is it usually a conversation or a thought that eats at you until you sit down and untangle it?

generally i'll be thinking about something, usually because i saw another post (or had a conversation about the show on discord; special shoutout to the crew on @figmentof and @scarrletmoon's servers, and especially to @glamaphonic, anything i've ever said you thought was really insightful probably came out of a dm conversation with glam) and some part of a post about it will start writing itself in my head, and unfortunately once that process starts the only way to stop it is to write it down.

even more unfortunately i never know whether it's all going to flow out easily into a coherent essay right away, or if it'll be one of those things where i write two really good paragraphs that ought to go in the middle section of a post that takes a while to figure out how to structure; i just have to start and see where it goes. some meta i've written that got lots of notes was written all at once the moment the thought struck me and posted as soon as it was done, but there's also a few that have been sitting in drafts for months as i keep rewriting the same section without being sure where it goes next.

Favourite themes or characterisations you like to explore while meta writing? (things like Ed's fisherman era and what led to it, etc)

i guess if there's a big theme i keep coming back to it's ed's character arc over the course of the show, his relationship with violence and how it affects his perception of himself and how he has to grow through that to be ready to commit to his relationship with stede. one of the very first things i ever said about the show on tumblr, way back in summer 2022, was that ed's absolute deepest fear was that he is fundamentally unlovable, so it was really a delight to see s2 dive so hard into addressing the exact issues i'd been looking at so explicitly. and of course there's also a lot of fandom racism that plays into some takes that go around about ed, and i think it's really important to call that out and push back against those takes.

i feel like it would be kind of silly to not call out izzy here too. izzy plays an absolutely crucial role in highlighting those exact issues in ed's arc, and i honestly just think the way their whole relationship develops in canon is deliciously meaty and a lot of fandom takes seem determined to flatten it out into something much more boring. so it's important to me to try to highlight the ways you don't have to pretend izzy was a secret good guy all along to appreciate the role he plays in the story.

finally i guess this has only developed over the last several months but i guess one of my trademarks now is speculation about what got deleted from s2. i've always been good at the game of watching a movie and guessing at scenes that were cut or changed, and my spider-sense for that was going off like crazy as i watched s2, and i didn't want to get too speculative at first, but as information has actually come out from samba and vico and other sources, a lot of it's lined up with what i thought. and i'm really interested in how the ofmd writers' room approached storybreaking, so it's worth it to me to try to understand this.

Whose head is it easier to get into - Ed or Stede? Why?

i guess i already answered this! i love them both a lot, and i'd been writing meta for a good while before i consciously realized i'd written a LOT more about ed than about stede, and the ed posts tend to be individually longer than the stede ones too. i think some of this is because ed's arc reads super clearly to me while stede, despite being the main character, gets an arc that's a lot more subtle and internal in some ways (and also i do think suffered significantly from the cuts to the second half of s2). and some of it's because people can be Wrong On The Internet about ed in ways i feel the need to push back against more than about stede. but some of it's just, you know, vibe.

it's always interesting to me that nearly all prolific fic authors in this fandom have a clear very strong preference for which POV they prefer - i don't think all fandoms are like that - but i guess my own alignment is obvious.

Your personal favourite thing you've written that you'd like more people to read

the obvious answer here is the one actual fic i have written for this fandom, "Nothing Could Touch It" which came out of thinking about how there's some post-s2 fic about ed reckoning with this relationship with izzy that i really like but none of it quite got at how i feel like canon's framing it. (don't worry it's not all about izzy! stede's there and there's a bunch of cuddling!)

as far as meta goes though i would call out this as the one i'm probably proudest of, this is the one where i most completely tried to lay out how i saw the show framing ed's relationship with violence during the s1 hiatus, and i think after s2 it holds up pretty well. but also since i was just talking about how i don't say enough about stede, this is the post where i tried to lay out the stuff i really admire in stede as a character.

What is the one word that you think you use a lot?

i've got a bunch of verbal tics i overuse but the one i'm self-conscious about in meta lately is "reading against the text," which sounds so pretentious and lit-crit i really wish there were another good phrase for it. but i think it's really useful as a way to clarify that sometimes i'm saying a particular take is clearly not how the narrative of ofmd is framing something but that doesn't mean you need to stop interpreting it that way. reading against the text is really fun and i recommend it sometimes! but you'll have more fun if you're aware that's what you're doing!

If you were writing his arc, keeping in mind that he stays largely antagonistic in line with the show, how would you have resolved the Izzy problem: would you have made the same decisions the writers made and written a redemption by death OR do you think that the spirit of the show specifically demands Izzy get a good guy (or not as bad a guy) ending where we see his muppetification

one of the predictions i was most confident of before s2 was that if izzy were redeemed, he wouldn't be able to remain in the cast as a good-guy crew muppet afterward. (for this reason i thought the likeliest possibility was a slower redemption arc that wouldn't fully complete till the end of s3.) several times i tried to game out what role a fully redeemed izzy could possibly continue to play within this story, or what personality traits that he showed in s1 he could even hang onto after a full redemption, and i couldn't come up with anything that felt plausible. not "loyalty to your captain," because his devotion to blackbeard was clearly toxic at the root and would need to be purged entirely before it could be replaced by anything healthier; not yelling at people to stop having so much fun and work harder, because that could work in a different story but would run directly counter to the core themes of ofmd - so what's left? i went looking at popular izzy redemption fic that tried to address that question, and some of it came up with answers that worked in the context of a fic focused mostly on izzy, but it was never anything that could possibly work in a tv show that already had established themes and would continue to focus primarily on other characters. and izzy wouldn't be able to just fade into the background with the other muppets after all the focus on him a believable redemption arc would require. so i knew once he was redeemed he'd be done as a character one way or another.

and s2 i think bore that out, honestly in a much more obvious way than i expected - over the course of izzy's s2 arc he's basically divested of all his s1 personality traits until all that's really left by the end is saying twat all the time, and Guy Who Says Twat is not a role the story's going to particularly need going forward. to keep him around after that you'd need to give him enough new traits that he'd be for all practical purposes a new character anyway.

i do sometimes wonder about a world where izzy's s2 arc saw him be offered a clear chance at redemption and choose to reject it and get worse instead. i kind of missed antagonist izzy by the end, and i wonder if a lot of people who'd originally wanted a redemption for him wouldn't have been happier with that even if they didn't realize it - a descent into full villainy would have kept izzy and his relationships with both ed and stede more central to the plot right up till the end, and in particular the sexual aspect of his feelings for ed could have stayed very directly relevant, where the redemption arc necessitated resolving that very firmly to clear it out of the way as early as possible in s2. i never agreed that ofmd's themes necessarily meant redemption for izzy was inevitable - ted lasso was much more overtly a show about redemption than ofmd right from the start, and even ted lasso let at least one of its antagonists make it all the way to the end as an unrepentant scumbag. if there's anything that meant izzy really had to be redeemed imo it wasn't the overall spirit of the show so much as izzy's role in ed's arc - before anything else izzy's narrative role was always to be a walking symbol of the part of ed that fears vulnerability and holds him back from committing himself to love, and for ed and stede to be happily together by the end of s2, ed had to get to a place where he could see that part of himself as something he no longer needs in his life but also doesn't hate anymore. nothing could have symbolized that like having ed embrace izzy as he dies granting ed permission to just be himself.

Why OFMD 🥹

you know, i could say a lot here about how i think ofmd is genuinely incredibly well-written in some ways that are really unusual on american tv. season 1 in particular is just incredibly tight and elegantly plotted, and s2 is messier but that just makes it all the more interesting to look at the constraints they were under that led to that. my day job's in narrative and i really do professionally admire ofmd a lot, which is one of the reasons i tend to think about creator intent more than some people do when i'm writing meta - death of the author is a super valid perspective but personally i'm really interested in trying to figure out why the writers made the choices they made and what i can learn from that for when i'm in their position.

so all of that's true. but also we all know it's kind of beside the point here, this is a hyperfixation, it's not rational. i can tell you i watched the first nine episodes of our flag means death and liked it a lot but in what i would describe as a basically normal kind of way, and then i watched the tenth and at some point during that episode a rat inside my brain hit the dopamine spigot with a wrench and now it won't turn off so here we are.

aaaand if you've made it to this point, please join us in evil ganging up on fox with love by sending a lovely letter to them over on @ofmdlovelyletters who was also kind enough to make this header <3

[ckret2]

Decided to shake up the constant Gravity Falls asks on the blog (even though I adore them). What is your favorite transformers continuity? And what's your favorite character from that continuity?

Tough call, but probably IDW1. The comics had room to get expansive in ways the show-based continuities couldn't, and I like that feeling of bigness to the universe. It introduced a lot of my favorite Transformers lore: forged vs cold constructed bots, Functionism (especially as a critique of marrying religion to conservative politics), empurata, really creative uses of holoforms, conjunx endura & amica endura (and queer bots, let's give it up for queer bots!!), the complex network of lost colonies, the idea that the gods definitely officially existed BUT they were just guys, the DJD...

All the work that went into immediate pre-war culture with the turbulent corrupt senate and the corrupt Primes was terrific. LSOTW and SOTW are just so damn good, MTMTE up through Remain In Light was brilliant, and Getaway's coup was great. I'm thrilled we got a look at Cybertron's relationships with the rest of the galaxy and it turns out they're hated, because that makes perfect sense but we never really see that. The post-war politics on Cybertron were really fun. I was skeptical IDW could pull off writing about a post-war Cybertron—I assumed within a year they'd default back to restarting the war—and then that ended up being when the whole series really started to shine.

Introduced some characters I love—Drift, Tarn, Stardrive, Windblade, and Pharma stand out off the top of my head. Amazing artwork, especially whenever Milne had the pen. ABSOLUTELY LOVED seeing Starscream get to rule Cybertron. Even though they had trouble committing to it, I appreciate that they had the balls to make Optimus morph into a well-intentioned villain. Love the tragic former senator Shockwave characterization. Love the lonely logical Prowl who can see the Autobots' flaws too clearly for his own good and in his desperation to compensate for the rest of the army morally compromised his way into becoming the villain. Love horrible amoral Tarantulas with his small shining moments of love and tenderness.

Although by the end it was getting really bloated with other Hasbro property crossovers, I did like some of the crossovers they introduced: GI Joe slid in pretty seamlessly—probably helps that TF & GI Joe crossovers have an established history—and I was surprised a how much I liked Rom. And even though the sheer quantity of crossovers got tedious, the concept of going "they've all been dragged into this story because they were all affected by Cybertron's past colonialism" is GREAT.

Love that they ended the story by swinging from "yay look at all these fun new colonies for us to play with!" to "oh my god the Autobots are colonizers." LOVE that they ended with Unicron—every longform Transformers series could end with Unicron and I probably wouldn't complain—and that they let him eat some planets, let him eat half the cast, LET HIM EAT CYBERTRON... and characterized him not as some random bogeyman but specifically as the karmic vengeance for Cybertron's past colonial crimes. Love that the only way to stop him was not by killing him, but by acknowledging that Cybertron was wrong and showing him compassion.

IDW didn't always get things right with their attempted grand messages about politics and injustice and oppression and colonization—but, hell, even when they didn't quite hit the bullseye I love that they were playing with that dartboard.

Favorite character from IDW is Prowl (albeit not without stiff competition). I'm a gleeful Prowl apologist. Yeah he did those terrible things but he was right tho. I started picking up RID & MTMTE right when Prowl got Devastatored, and that was both the thing that made me go "oh hold on the comics are doing something interesting" and the thing that made me take notice of Prowl as a character for the first time in my life lmao. BIG fan of his messy lovelife. (Personally I go "he's too good for Chromedome" and then ship him with the Constructicons and Tarantulas, who are objectively far worse than Chromedome.) He's endlessly fascinating to me, one of my favorite characters to read and one of my favorite characters to write.

Right up there is Starscream—averaged out across all continuities, Starscream's probably my #1 favorite Transformers character, and IDW Starscream is my favorite Starscream, a perfect blend of the bombastic G1 campy villain and the wary, competent, resilient TFP schemer. And Tarantulas rounds out my top 3, I loved him in Beast Wars and then SOTW 3 happened and I had to stop at nearly every panel Tarantulas was in to go "oh my god, this is canon? They got away with that??" Read like a fanfic in the best possible way. "We were each the muse to the other" still has an iron grip on my heart. "I want YOU. I want US." God. SOTW 3 is a masterpiece of literature. Here, do you want a 130k no-war AU where Prowl and Tarantulas are paranormal investigators together? You can have it. For free.

I just spent a lot of time singing the praises of IDW but shoutout to Armada and Energon/Super Link (I preferred the fansub over the dub) for getting me into Transformers, wouldn't be in this fandom today if not for Starscream's beautifully melodramatic redemption arc in Armada. I'm not saying they're good. I'm saying I love them. Totally different thing.

[rosakuma]

Possible Parallels to Ace/Nico and Arei/Eden? Spoilers for Ch. 2

Okay so with the next episode approaching us fast, I wanted to get out this post that is something that could connect to the case via the similarities between Arei and Eden with Ace and Nico. This is a mixture of character analysis and theory through the eyes of Culptrit Eden view.

Note: Just because there similarities doesn’t fully cement that Eden is the culprit + I’ll be giving an interpretation on some parts that could be a possible connection. So take this subjectively 😋

Let’s get to our big meanies! To start out, let’s compare two of the biggest jerks of DRDT’s cast, Ace and Arei.

When it comes to their role as a bully to their respective target, both are different while being similar to their approach. Ace and Arei verbally bullyies Nico and Eden with insults or assumptions on them.

When it comes to Ace, his insults and assumptions are based off his own insecurities and paranoia on how others see him. While we still don't know what causes him to feel this way, we can see how this affects others like Nico and also bites him in the back with everyone hating him because of this.

Nico being the victim of these outbursts affects them hard to take things too far due to Ace’s behavior to them reminding them of unsavory memories in their past. Nico seems to had moments similar to what Ace would do of yelling at them for saying something wrong bluntly(though to them, they don't mean it in a bad way) or getting at them for either “Wanting Pity” or “Can’t defend themselves “. Knowing how Nico’s identity of being nonbinary has cause bullies to come after them with throwing rocks/mud at them or being accused of trying to get attention in a derogatory way, this is why Ace’s accusations towards them trying to get pity got to them hard. Enough to commit murder as while I don't think Nico before the killing game tried to kill their dad or any of their peers/teachers, I do think this reflects that Nico wishes they had power over them or maybe thoughts of harming them just to get back at them. Being able to have that temporarily over Ace, it was probably the first time they were able to take action back to others who treated them awful just for who they are as a person.

Getting back to Ace. Ace is aware of this behavior being too much when it comes to his anger, but still goes ahead with it regardless. Even though deep down, he wishes he both was and wasn't the things he claims Nico is. That someone would save him from this situation of the killing game/his self sabotage behavior and care about him. But he also doesn't want to let his guard down with being in this scary situation and refuses to let anyone talk shit to him to his face. That's why it hurt so much when his projection of this person being Levi was shattered the moment Levi reveals he does not care about anyone, including Ace who could live or die for all he cares. This is just speculation, but with this chapter showcasing everyone’s flaws or hints that there’s more to them. I believe Ace in a way like Arei, probably went through something to cause his paranoia on everyone thinking that he’s hot headed idiot and the need to “fight back” to show he’s not weak either. That no one really cares about him except for one person(Taylor) who’s presumably dead now. If I had to guess, it could relate to his talent of being a jockey in perhaps the competition would get to his head and knowing he can’t fail(maybe perhaps thanks to his family whether to disappoint them or fail to support them). Resulting in the Ace we know today as the hot headed all bark, but no bite jockey who doesn't care that his body is failing him as who’s going to care? He only got himself and he can’t go out until he dies on his own terms. He truly lives up to his secret quote of “I don’t know what to do with myself anymore” as he cannot figure out if he wants to just isolate and hurt himself in the process or to let others in to help him out and change this harmful behavior of his.

Going onto Arei, her way of bullying Eden is more out of a mixture envy and concern for her. Before we knew Arei was her manipulative self who would fake being nice and cry during ch.1 before revealing herself and started insulting others. After Min’s death in ch.2 we see how her feelings about what happened cause to her act out in this chapter.

When Eden was searching for her to have her join her clock activitity with her and Teruko, Arei burst out in disgust about this invitation. Eden confused as Arei wanted to join last activity, gets hit with Arei blaming her for Min’s death. For pretending to be all sad about Min dying, before returning to her usually happy self. Telling her that acting this way and trying to do these “friendship” bonding activities is just going to cause more people to die. And it’ll will be all your fault.

This pushes Eden to tears and she runs away. To where we get in the conversation with Arei, David, and Teruko that she reveals her world view. That thanks to her sisters, her life been hell. That she used to be a nice person who tried being kind to others, but that kindness was only met by hate and manipulative jerks who take their sick kicks out on her because they had more power over her. Arei had no one who cared about her or show her kindness, only those who taught her its a dog eat dog world and you better get with it if you want to survive.

In a way, her bullying towards Eden unlike Ace’s towards Nico is because in her own way, she’s trying to help Eden. Eden probably reminds Arei of her old self that she had to disregard to survive during her childhood to adulthood. She doesn't wish any actually harm on Eden, she just wants Eden to not end up hurting like she did. But at the same time while not enjoying making Eden cry over this, she does feel something towards her. Envy

Arei feels envious towards how someone like Eden can exist. That she can be kind in this cruel world and no one takes advantage of her for it. That she can be this way and not experience any hell that Arei did despite not wanting to always be this way.

This makes me feel the connection between Ace and Arei. Both are envious towards their victims with what they have that they never gotten. Both Nico and Eden have people who cared about them and doesn't think of them being less than who they are. They can be themselves in this killing game with no one taking advantage of them(well until I guess the David reveal but nevermind that). While these two are trying to survive in a terrible situation with their own survival instincts they develop to survive in the world before this game. Although Arei before her death was trying to break out from this, to where she was given a hand from both Eden and David. Arei wanted to change even if she thought she was far too gone too. To be a good person like Eden and David. Even when getting her view of them shattered with David being a crappy person, she was glad as she’s not alone. Arei is thankful that there is no bad or good person, that she can change to be less shitty as there’s no impossible standards to live up to achieve it. Though Ace never got to get this as he had no David or Eden to reach out for him, to realize that he may be a shitty person like everyone else, but he could change his ways.

Now you’re probably wondering “Where does Eden come into all of this?” “How does this possibly connects to her being the culprit?” The thing is since both our bullies here have connections in similarities of how they treat their targets and how both murders are similar in how they’re done. What about the targets?

As we established with Nico earlier, Nico was driven to murder Ace because Ace reminded them of their past trauma right? What if Eden did the same to Arei because she reminded her of her past? Full speculation on possible Eden lore based off the little tidbits we know.

Now I don't think how Arei bullied Eden was the reason why Eden would plan to kill Arei her especially since they made up. Rather I think the reason why Eden killed her is because of when they made up. Remember, this is just speculation, so take this with a grain of salt.

I think with Eden’s secret being “Ever since you kissed her, you were afraid your sexuality would ruin your friendships” is connected to Arei’s friendship towards Eden. Whether this girl in the past was actually Arei maybe during their time at Hope’s Peak or someone else, I think when Arei promised to be Eden’s friend brought back memories to her. To someone who promised to be her friend, to protect her, to do stuff with her like baking dumb cakes, and to be someone she could rely on. We can tell with how that secret sounds, it might’ve ended badly for Eden’s crush on this girl who she felt like she ruined their friendship with.

When Arei promised to be this type of friend to Eden for now on, it caused Eden to think back to her and that Eden didn't want to be attached to someone like that again. It was already painful enough to lose that person because of who she was, she doesn't want to relive what happened to her. So she rather cut off what could’ve been a beautiful friendship that has the potential of becoming more just to prevent the hurt of losing someone like that again. With being inspired by Nico’s murder attempt, Eden was able to have the idea to have her plan in action.

Along with this, I think this could explain Eden’s behavior throughout this chapter with how strange she’s been acting about Arei’s death during the investigation to trial. She does clearly care about Arei and wanted to be her friend, but she doesn't want to be too attached to feel regret. Maybe if Arei’s words about Eden being sad about Min and then returning to her cheery self means anything, Eden is trying to do that with Arei of showing grief for a split second before trying to focus on “solving” the case to avoid feeling responsible to her death. Eden does regret doing the murder if she is the culprit as shown how she is so hurt about how she could’ve been friends with Arei, how Arei wanted to change to be a better person, and that she doesn’t want anyone to think any less of Arei that she willingly killed herself. But unlike Nico, who was able to finally speak up for themselves and admit their wrongdoings of almost committing murder, to acknowledge that they are not the victim in this situation. Eden is instead hiding and doing what she always done, rely on others to help her because she is too weak to do so. Her fatal flaw that prevents her from acknowledging that she did wrong and isn’t the ideal good person that Arei looked up to. Unbeknownst to her that Arei already knew Eden wasn’t perfect as she seemed to be.

Also it would make Charles’ conversation with Teruko in thinking that the secret he got(Eden’s) is actually important to the case as tragic but also kinda funny foreshadowing.

Essentially to boil down the connections between both parties in a nutshell:

The bullies are individuals who went through a tough life that formed their way of survival and takes it out on those who they perceived weaker than them.

The targets have to rely on others to protect them or fight their battles(Nico doesn’t do this on purpose as Hu defends them whether they want her or not, but still it happens).

The murders done to the bullies were because the targets were reminded of their past, which pushed them to commit murder.

The murder method are the same with the pulley method and making it seem like a suicide.

The target’s secrets are related to their identity(Eden being a lesbian and Nico being nonbinary) With all of this being said, I think this is the best way I can come up with how Culprit Eden could work motive wise as one of the many reasons why people believe that she couldn’t be the murder is because of no motive we can think that makes sense for her to kill her new friend. Because to be honest I do believe that Eden is the culprit based off the evidence against her with most of the things(the tape, learning the method, the note, the clothes) connecting more to her than Ace. But only reason why I’m still not 100% sure in her being the culprit is the motive. But now if this is true, then this can cement that Eden Tobisa, the ulitmate clockmaker, is the murder of Arei Nageishi!

Anyways, this case can go either way and I just know we’re all going to be destroyed this Friday when the episode airs. One of our gays is going to be buried and there’s nothing we can do about it 🥲

[theside-b]

Spoilers for the novel (and my review for the Live Action) ahead :

The boys do get together, but that act ends with their break up when people find out that Tian and Wang are romantically involved, unlike in Unknown where everyone was ok with Qian and Yuan getting together in A Certain Someone the fact that they are 'brothers' plays a huge role at that stage of their relationship and the eventual demise of their first attempt at a romance. Their break up lasts 6/7 years, don't remember exactly, but its a long time...

A lot more happens, but the show made some fundamental changes to both characters. It takes A LONG time for Tian to come to terms with his own feelings, that scene where he sees his father with another man in bed tints his whole worldview from a very young age — he develops quite the internalized homophobia; he is fine with other's queerness but it's his own that he cannot accept since he sees his father sexual orientation as the reason for the destruction of his family.

There is a tense moment between Tian and his father, where his dad says "we are more alike than you care to admit" hinting that he knows of what its happening between the boys and mind you Tian is still trying to sort out what he feels for Wang. The show sugarcoats quite a lot, novel's Tian would never initiate a kiss with Wang or even play along like he did in the show, at least not at that stage of their relationship.

Speaking of which, Wang is also different in the books. In the show he reads as pretty open minded, curious about anything and everything. In the novel he's pretty straight (at first), the journey really begins as a bromance until the feelings start to change. There is a lot of push and shove between the two of them, and is veeery slow.

The show pretty much burns bright the part where Wang tears Tian's emotional walls. Which I don't mind, otherwise it would take 50 episodes to wrap the first act. I honestly thought they were going to draw an original route for the show, but they are slowly adapting elements they left behind so they can follow the book.

Now for the review:

All in all, I think the show did a good job all things considered: production began in mainland China where Liu Dong was cast, but censorship hinders lgbtqia+ productions there so pre-production moved to Taiwan and there the rest of the casting was done. It's hard to tell how much of that interfered in the script but I assume Tian's father core plot was removed in the first draft and got re-integrated once production moved to Taiwan (Chris Lee's casting was one of the last to be announced which probably means he was also one of the last to join filming). Considering that productions like The Spirealm got pulled for much less is understandable that they would avoid the more thorny subjects under China's homophobic gaze.

(Educated guess here: considering all the publicity push, I imagine either Andy Cheng or Stan Huang were the choices for Wang, but since Liu's casting was an order from one of the financial backers they got smaller roles — it's a common move in taiwanese productions — by the way, there is a 'love triangle' later, is a sad thing since there is no-way you can split the main couple, but the show made me wonder who is going to be playing the third party in the live action).

As I always say about taiwanese shows: you have to watch the live play. The On1y One is much like it's local peers, it works wonders in small doses, but as soon as you see the whole picture you start to see the cracks. It reminded me a lot of Kiseki: Dear to Me in the sense that the main couple story is the emotional backbone, with a somber approach with brief moments of humor but everything surrounding it is slightly unhinged.

Everything that happened at that school was insane. The amount of crimes committed in the school grounds was ridiculous, the fact that Qi Jia Hao didn't ended up behind bars after ordering thugs to attack Wang and assault the english teacher is crazy. The whole side-plot involving the teachers was head-scraching by the way, much like everyone else I assumed that Zhao Xi and Benny were married when they were introduced.

Imagine my surprise finding out that not only they were not married but at one point Zhao Xi thought Benny could be interested in the english teacher (speaking of her, why the hell did she sounded dubbed? Is that not her real voice?). This whole story felt so disjointed from everything else, and it came at the tail end of the season(?), so not only it took some much suspension of disbelief for me to buy that these 40-year old gays were that emotionally impaired but also demanded patience since they spent very valuable screen time which could've benefited the main couple.

That is all to say that while I was having a blast while watching, the more I stop and think about it critically the more problems I see in this show. And again, that usually happens with taiwanese productions, experienced the same with Kiseki and Unknown, two shows that I adore, flaws and all, and now the same happens with The On1y One.

[witches-dream]

The way Smoked Cheese says "I'm looking forward to it" right after Burning Spice says "your destruction shall be my greatest pleasure" makes me think they want us to believe that he's gonna be on Spice's side. Option 1: it's correct and Smoked Cheese doesn't get redemption, cuz when he's allying with a beast you know he's too far gone, after such a thing it wouldn't make sense either for us nor Goldie to forgive him. Option 2: it's a red herring, he could be saying this as in "I'm looking forward... To seeing you FAIL" or he pretends to be on Spice's side. There's two reasons for me to believe this. One is the end of chapter 18 where Goldie forgives him and he looks sorry for a moment there. The way that that moment was written makes me think that redemption is a logical next step for his character. Two is Mozzarella, it's that she pretended to be by Smoked Cheese's side, only to betray him last second and reveal she was still loyal to Goldie the entire time. So if Smoked Cheese does this, it would be a great way to have us on edge, wondering if he has really committed to the path of a traitor, or if he's fooling all of us, but also it would show that he has learned from his mistakes and learned from Mozzarella as he would be doing the same thing she did to him. I think the second option is more likely cuz i don't see Smoked Cheese being wholly evil as a character. Cuz i feel like, unlike Affogato, a similar character, he doesn't have traits and motivations that makes him as likeable of a villain; so if he is made wholly evil, he'd just be a mean jerk and nobody likes that. Anyway that's my theory i will pull for him no matter what cuz i love him and i have faith in the writers at devsis to make him and all the new characters awesome as hell either way

Edit: i forgot about this while writing, but i do not think Smoked Cheese would want Burning Spice to destroy Golden Cheese. He wants her kingdom for himself, and he's fucking dead and Goldie is the only one who can revive the kingdom, so if she's dead then he's dead and the kingdom's dead. And even if it can be revived through other means, like if Burning Spice will promise Smoked Cheese to revive the kingdom for him to rule, Smoked Cheese will obviously not believe the Beast of Fucking Destruction saying that, like?? So when Smoked Cheese reveals he was fooling Burning Spice all along, he'll be like "don't think I'm doing this for you, Your Radiance, I'm doing this for MY kingdom" and Goldie will be like :") he's still my sweet greedy child.. (not literally, you get what i mean). So those are my predictions

[allhailsugu]

Was in the mood for drama. 🥲 I miss him so muchhh.

Synopsis: Geto x. Y/N, having a fight, smut, consensual, word count: 4.9k

You lay in bed, curled up and Geto lets out a shaky breath, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions. He watches you on the bed, the sight of you curled up making his heart ache. He takes a step forward, hesitating for a moment before moving towards the bed.

He sits down on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on you, his body tense with nerves. He takes a deep breath, summoning up the courage to break the silence between you. His voice comes out low and rough, filled with emotion.

“I’m... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, for everything…”

You don’t respond, eyes fixated on a point in your vision.

“I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you. I’m sorry for being a coward, for being weak, for hurting you…”

He glances at you, hoping for some sort of response, some indication that you’re listening to him, but your expression remains stoic, your eyes fixed on that same point in your vision. He swallows hard, the lump in his throat growing thicker with every word.

“I was wrong... Wrong to ignore you, wrong to put my own fears ahead of your feelings, wrong to let anyone mess with you, wrong to push you away...”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses…….” 

Geto’s heart sinks at your words, your stoic expression and flat tone making his stomach twist with anxiety and guilt.

“I know… I know you don’t want to hear my excuses. But please, just listen to me…”

“Explaining it won’t make it right…. Telling me a bunch of excuses won’t change the past……” You say quietly, your voice laced with hurt and disappointment.

“I know... I know that it won't make it right. I know I can't change the past, but I need you to understand why I did what I did…”

He looks at you, his eyes pleading, desperate for you to understand his perspective. He knows that it's not an excuse, but he needs you to know that he wasn’t doing it to hurt you, that it was his own fear and insecurity that drove him to act the way he did. He takes another deep breath, his voice soft and earnest.

“I was... I was scared. Scared of how I felt about you, scared of how much you meant to me. I didn't want to admit it to myself, and I let that fear control my actions. I know I can’t undo what I’ve done… I know I can’t take back how I acted, how I treated you… but I promise you, I promise with everything I have… I will do better.”

You don’t react. You don’t look up. You don’t even think of anything, in fact, you just want proof. Not empty words he knew to spit so well. You needed commitment. Needed more.

Geto feels your lack of response like a punch to the gut. He can tell you’re not convinced by his words, that you need more than just empty promises to believe in him again. He clenches his jaw, his mind racing as he tries to think of a way to prove to you that he’s sincere, that he’s committed to making things right between you. He takes a deep breath before speaking.

“What do you need? What do I need to do to show you that I’m serious?”

Your head snaps up, your eyes locking onto his.

“I need you to give me my promises back, my…..! My trust, my heart, my…. my….”

You trail off, looking at him just hurts. Geto’s heart clenches at your words, the weight of your pain and hurt hitting him like a tidal wave. He can hear the anguish in your voice, the desperation, and it breaks his heart all over again.

He reaches out towards you, his hand slowly lifting up to brush against your cheek. His fingers gently trace along the line of your jaw, feeling the smoothness of your skin, trying to find the right words to respond.

“I… I can’t give it back. I can’t undo what’s been done... But I can try… try to earn…” He takes a moment, his throat feeling tight, his heart feeling heavy.

“…try to earn back your trust, your faith in me, your… your…” He trails off again, the words getting stuck in his throat. He looks at you, his eyes meeting yours, taking in the pain and hurt in your expression, and it hurts like a physical blow.

“…your love. I can try to earn back your love.”

He can see the doubt in your eyes, the hesitation, and he can’t blame you for it. He knows he’s done nothing to prove to you that he’s worthy of your love, of your trust, and he knows he has a long way to go to make things right.

He takes a deep breath, his hand still resting on your cheek, his thumb gently caressing your skin as he speaks.

“I know I messed up. I know I hurt you, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But… I want to try. Will you let me try?”

Again, you don’t respond. You don’t want him to ask for permission. Don’t want him to wait for a ‘yes’ to do something. You want him to wanna do it, no matter what your answer is. Because he himself wants it not because you tell him to.

He knows that words aren’t enough, that he has to show you with his actions that he’s serious about fixing things between you. He hesitates for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions.

He slowly moves forward, closing the distance between you and him. His body now fully on the bed, his knees on each side of yours. The bed shifts slightly under his weight, the sound of the mattress creaking underneath him filling the silence in the room. His eyes are fixed on yours, his expression intense and focused, his heart beating furiously in his chest.

He slowly reaches up, his hand moving to your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. His fingers brush against your skin, gentle and almost reverent, as if he’s touching something fragile and precious. He studies your face, taking in every contour, every line, every freckle, every little detail that makes you who you are. His thumb gently caresses your skin, tracing along the edge of your jaw, his touch sending small shivers down his spine. Your eyes meeting his, your breath slowing down, every touch sending electricity through your joints.

He swallows hard, his throat feeling dry, his heart feeling full.

“I… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to make things right between us… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to undo the pain I have caused you… But I want to try…”

His voice is rough and low, filled with emotion and a hint of desperation. He searches your eyes, looking for a sign, any sign that he hasn’t lost you completely. He moves his hand from your chin, his fingers gently tracing down your neck and stopping at the hollow of your throat, resting there, feeling the steady thump of your pulse beneath his fingertips.

You look up at him, your breath silently hitching at the feel of his tentative touch and Geto can see the shift in your breathing, the way your breath catches in your throat, and it sends a wave of emotion through him. He can feel the rapid beat of your pulse under his fingers, the proof that you’re there, that you’re real, that you’re alive.

He keeps his eyes locked on yours, his gaze intense and unwavering. He moves his hand slightly, his fingertips tracing a soft path down your collarbone and across your shoulder, his touch light and gentle. He can feel the heat of your skin through the fabric of your clothes, the warmth of your body seeping into his fingertips, making his palm feel feverish. His hand continues tracing a slow, light path across your skin, his fingers memorizing the contour of your body and feeling the soft, supple flesh beneath. He reaches the edge of your shirt, his hand pausing for a moment, his fingers toying with the fabric, feeling the way the material is stretched over your skin, the way it moves with your body, the way it follows the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe.

His knuckles brushing against the bare skin of your abdomen, feeling the smoothness and the heat. His heart skips a beat, his breathing growing slightly erratic as his fingers continue moving, tracing a slow, deliberate path back upwards and he can hear the sound of your breathing, the soft, uneven rhythm of your breath as it hitches in your throat, the small gasps and the quiet hums that escape your lips. 

You crane your neck, exposing more of your skin to him, your hands trembling as you grip the bed sheets, tugging them slightly towards yourself, still laying on your side.

The movement of your head and the way you expose your neck to him sends a shiver down his spine, his fingers pausing for a moment as he takes in the sight of your skin, soft and smooth and vulnerable. His heart pounds in his chest, his breaths growing deeper and more uneven as he watches the way your chest rises and falls, the way your collarbone juts out, the way your pulse thrums in your throat.

His fingers resume their path, moving across the expanse of your neck, tracing along the line of your jugular vein, feeling the way your pulse races against his fingertips. His touch is gentle, almost reverent, as if he’s worshipping every inch of your skin under his touch. He moves closer, his body pressing against yours, his chest moving against your back. He can feel the heat of your body against his, the way your back presses against his chest, the way your body fits perfectly against his. His fingers keep moving, his touch growing slightly firmer, his knuckles tracing across the line of your spine, feeling the way it curves and dips, feeling the taut muscles of your back contract and relax under his fingers.

He can feel the way you shiver under his touch, the way your body responds to his touch, the soft, quiet hums and gasps that escape your lips as he continues his path, his fingers moving down, dancing along the edge of your shirt, his knuckles brushing against the soft, exposed skin of your lower back.

He leans down, his body pressing closer to yours, his breath hot against your ear. His lips find the skin of your neck, his mouth hovering over the pulse point, his tongue darting out to taste your skin making you gasp, your body jolting at the contact and Geto can feel the way your body responds to his touch and it sends a wave of heat through him.

His lips move along your neck, tracing a path up to the edge of your jaw, his teeth gently nipping at the sensitive skin. He can taste the salty sweetness of your skin and it makes his mouth water, his tongue darting out to trace along the edge of your earlobe. His fingers continue their journey, moving across your lower back, tracing the line of your spine, the path of your vertebrae, his touch firm but gentle, his hands seeming to burn marks onto your skin.

His body presses closer to yours, his chest flush against your back, his body moving in unison with yours, his touch making your every nerve feel alive and on fire. He can feel the way your body tenses and relaxes at his touch, the way your hips arch towards him, seeking more contact while his lips move to the skin below your ear, his tongue tracing a slow, deliberate path down to your jawline, his breaths coming in short, uneven gasps.

His fingers pause at the edge of your waistband, his thumb moving in slow, almost lazy circles against the sensitive skin of your lower back, his mouth still busy with the skin of your neck, his teeth gently nipping and his tongue tracing along your pulse point.

He can feel the way your body trembles under his touch, the way you press yourself closer to him, your body seeming to seek more contact, more friction. He can hear the soft, uneven gasp that escapes your lips, the way your breath hitches in your throat, the way your skin feels impossibly hot under his lips.

He moves his hands to your hips, his fingers digging into your flesh, his touch firmer now as he pulls you closer to him, his body pressing flush against your back, his heat seeping into your bones. His mouth continues its path along your neck, his teeth gently nipping, his tongue tracing a soft path down to the hollow of your shoulder.

Your hands gripping the sheets tightly unable to resist his touch, as you reach back to hold onto him when suddenly there it was…. 

A soft moan. 

The sound of the moan leaving your lips hits his ears like a jolt of electricity, his whole body seeming to tighten in response. His eyes widen slightly, his hands pausing for a moment on your hips, his ears straining to hear that sound again, the sound of your voice, the sound of your pleasure.

He swallows hard, his body responding to your sound, his heart hammering in his chest, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps. He can feel the way your body moves against his, the way your back flexes and arches towards him, the way your skin feels hotter and hotter with every passing moment. He moves his mouth back to the skin of your neck, his tongue drawing a long, slow path across your pulse point, his teeth nipping at the sensitive skin as he moves one hand to your stomach, his palm flat against the soft, taut flesh, his fingers tracing circles in the dip of your abdomen.

Your skin retracts beneath his touch, twitching and trembling as he keeps moving his hands over your skin, while all you can do is squirm and writhe…. 

Another moan.

The sound of yet another moan escaping your lips hits his ears like a splash of cold water, making his head spin and his heart pound even louder. He groans softly, his hand moving up, his fingers tracing along the curve of your breasts, feeling the heat of your body even through the thin fabric of your shirt.

He can feel the way your body responds to his touch, the way your back arches into his hand, the way your skin trembles and shakes under his fingers. Your moan rings in his ears, fueling the heat that was already coursing through his body and he moves his other hand to your other side, his fingers tracing the outline of your ribcage, feeling the way your hips repeatedly shift, your ass pressing into him as you move involuntarily and the feel of it grinding into him sends a wave of heat through his body, his heart feeling like it’s going to explode out of his chest. He closes his eyes, his head spinning, his breaths coming in short, shallow gasps as he struggles to keep control.

He can feel the heat radiating off you, your skin feeling so hot and so soft under his fingers, and it’s all he can do to not lose control completely. He moves his mouth back to your neck, his lips moving along your jawline, finding his way back to your ear as he whispers, his voice hoarse and gravelly.

“Is this okay?” he breathes, his voice rough and uneven, his breath hot against your ear, his hands still tracing along your body, touching, exploring, feeling every inch of your skin like it’s something fragile and precious.

“Please tell me this is okay,” he continues, his lips moving to the skin just below your ear, the words hot and desperate against your skin. His hands continue their path across your body, his touch becoming firmer, more deliberate, as he slowly loses control. 

“Please.”

And you nod, whimpering and mewling, the sound of it combined with the feeling of your body shifting and moving into his touch is nearly too much for him to handle, and he feels the last shred of restraint and control he was holding onto disappear.

His hands move to the hem of your shirt, his fingers slowly pulling the material up, exposing more of your skin to his eyes. His lips move down to your collarbone, his kisses and nips growing more intense, leaving marks and love bites as he goes. His body is now fully pressed against your back, his hips moving against yours in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

“Suguru-……”

The sound of his name on your lips, said in a way he’s sure he’ll never get used to, makes his heart skip a beat, his body growing even hotter at the way his name rolls off your tongue. The way it sounds when you say it, like you’re calling out to him and no one else. It’s like a drug to him.

He groans against the skin of your shoulder, his hands moving to your hips, pulling you even closer to him, his body moving against yours as the aching need in his lower belly grows with each passing moment. He presses his hardened length against yours, his skin feeling feverish as he continues to grind against your ass. His lips move back to your neck, his teeth gently biting down, the feeling of your body in his arms like a revelation, like a prayer answered, like a promise fulfilled.

He moves one of his hands down, his palm flattening against your stomach, his fingers tracing the edge of your waistband, his touch featherlight and teasing as he hikes up your skirt, lifting your leg to angle it up in front of you, and with one motion ripping your stocking right between your legs, making you gasp and mewl at the sound of ripping fabric, and the quick, sharp snap, sends a jolt through his body, his breathing growing more irregular as he feels heat flow through him in waves.

His hands move to your exposed skin, his knuckles brushing against your inner thigh, the touch soft at first, then a little firmer, as if he’s seeking something, as if he’s trying to answer a question. He can feel the way your skin feels against his touch, the way it heats up and starts to tremble, the way he can hear your breath hitch in your throat. The image in his mind, the sight of your legs exposed in front of him, the sound of the fabric ripping, it all makes his lower belly ache with need, and desire pool deep in his lower abdomen and he groans gently, his teeth biting down on your shoulder in response.

His hand moves up, his thumb tracing a slow, deliberate path across the smooth, bare skin of your upper thigh, just under the edge of your skirt. His touch feels almost reverent, the way it maps out the shape and contour of your skin, the heat and the softness, like he’s trying to memorize every inch of you, every curve and dip. He can hear your breathing, the ragged, uneven gasps as you struggle to keep control. He can feel your skin as it trembles and shudders under his touch, the way you press yourself back against him, seeking more of his skin, seeking more of his touch, and it makes his heart quicken, it makes his body burn.

He moves his hand higher, his fingers tracing the edge of the elastic of your underwear, his touch still gentle, still teasing. He can feel the heat and the dampness through the thin fabric, and it makes him groan softly, his head spinning at the sight of you, at the feel of you, at the knowledge that you’re wanting him, needing him, just as he needs you.

His fingers grip the elastic of your underwear, his knuckles brushing against your skin as he slowly, tantalizingly, starts to pull the fabric down over your hips. He can feel the way your body responds to his touch, the way you arch your hips up towards him, seeking more of his touch, seeking more skin-to-skin contact, and the heat in his body grows hotter and hotter as he slowly pulls your underwear and ripped stocking down your legs, his lips moving to your ear, his breath hot against your skin as he groans softly, whispering your name, like it’s a prayer, like it’s an invocation.

He moves your body gently, repositioning you on the bed so that your front is pressed against the sheets, your legs slightly splayed, the sight before his eyes like something out of a dream, like something he never thought he’d get to see. He moves his hands to your hips, his thumbs pressing into the soft flesh, his touch still firm but gentle, tracing circles into your skin as he bends down over you, moving your hair out of your nape, his lips moving to plant kisses there.

His tongue tracing long, lazy paths along your spine, his teeth nipping and gently biting down on your skin. He groans against your skin, his breathing coming in short, desperate gasps, his body aching with need and desire for you, his body trembling at the feeling of your skin underneath his touch. He moves his hands down, his fingers tracing the curve of your lower back, his touch growing firmer, more deliberate, tracing a path down the back of your thighs, his knuckles brushing against your skin as if they’re leaving trails of fire in their wake. He can feel the way you shiver under his touch, each sound you make sending heat surging through him, each gasp and moan making his body ache and burn.

He moves his lips back to your neck, his tongue tracing a slow, torturous path along the line of your shoulder, as his hands move to your hips, gripping the flesh beneath his fingers, his body moving closer to yours, the heat of his skin burning against yours. He can feel the way your body responds to his touch, the way you shiver and tremble, the way you arch and press yourself against him, seeking more of his touch, seeking more of him. He can hear the sound of your voice, the way it comes in unsteady, uneven gasps, the way you sound like you’re calling out to him, begging him and he can’t control himself anymore.

His body moving of its own accord, his hips pressing against your behind, grinding and rocking, his hands gripping your hips like the only solid thing in the world. He’s desperate, hungry, his body aching for relief, for release, his mind completely overwhelmed with the feeling of you, the sound of you, the scent of you, everything about you making him feel like he’s drowning and yet never wanting to come up.

He presses himself harder against you, the heat of his body seeping into your skin, the feel of every inch of him against you sending heat and fire and need through your limbs. He can feel every part of you, your softness, your skin, the way you sound, the way you move, like you’re a drug, like you’re his lifeline.

You mewl and pant, your body making way to embrace him, to take him and make him feel good, just like your body remembers from your nights together. From how needy your body is for his, from how much it ached to be connected with his… Just like you remember.

He groans softly your movements sending heat surging through him, making his body throb and ache with need. He shifts his weight slightly, one of his legs slipping between yours, his body slotting into the spaces between your own like it’s meant to be there, like he’s claiming you, connecting with you on a physical level that’s almost spiritual. He fumbles his already tight pants off and the sound of his zipper sending a series of shivers down your spine.

He moves his lips to your neck again, his mouth tracing a slow, languid path along your skin, his teeth nipping and gently biting down while he pulls down his pants, his tongue leaving a trail of fire in its wake as you feel the hard, hot skin of his cock grinding between the cheeks of your ass. He moves one of his hands down, his palm flat against the top of your thigh, his fingers tracing lazy circles into the silky skin, his touch growing firmer, more deliberate, spreading you, as his need for you reaches its peak.

He guides himself towards your seeping hole and presses himself closer to you, as his hands move to your hips, gripping the fat of your ass as he pulls you down, stretching you so torturously over his hardened cock until his body is flush against yours, his skin so hot he feels like he’s going to burn you from the inside out. He can feel your body trembling beneath his touch, the way you arch and shiver and mewl with each caress, each kiss. He snakes one arm around your waist to steady his grip, bracing himself onto the other arm.

His mind is hazy with desire, the heat and the need almost too much for him to handle, the feeling of you in his arms like a dream come to life. He can feel the way your body responds to his touch, the way you whimper and mewl, the way your voice sounds, needy and desperate, the way it sounds like you’re calling out to him, begging him. He can feel the heat of your body, the way it’s like a beacon, pulling him towards you, and he can’t resist any longer. 

He shifts his weight, positioning himself over you, his body still pressed up against your back, his hips fitting into the spaces between your legs, as if he was made to be there, like a puzzle piece finally slotting into place. He can feel the heat of your body, the way you shiver and tremble underneath him, the way your skin feels so hot and soft and smooth.

He kisses the back of your neck, his lips tracing a slow, gentle path to your shoulder, nipping and biting at the skin, his tongue leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He groans softly, the sound of it reverberating through your body, the feeling of his mouth on your skin like a brand, marking you as his as he tortures you, not moving his hips. 

He can feel the way you shift beneath him, the way you arch and press yourself back against him, seeking more of his touch, more of him, wanting him just as much as he wants you. He moves his lips back to your ear, his breath hot against your skin, his voice rough and uneven, as he whispers your name like a prayer, like a mantra.

He moves his hips against you in one hard thrust before stilling again before he pulls back again and repeats the motion. One hard thrust, making you gasp and choke, making your toes curl as he penetrates you so deep within it knocks out any air in your lungs. But his body was seeking more contact, more friction, his need for you almost overwhelming him, the heat inside his body a burning inferno making him pick up his pace. He can feel your bodies move together, the way they fit together, like you were made for each other.

He can hear the way you moan and gasp, the sounds coming from deep within your throat, the way they roll off your lips like music, beautiful and mesmerizing. He can feel the tremors in your body, the way you tremble under his touch, like you’re completely lost in this moment, completely consumed by him, by his touch, by his need. 

He moves his hands to your wrists, pinning them above your head, holding you in place beneath him, the feeling of your body completely at his mercy driving him wild. He kisses the back of your neck, his teeth gently nipping at the sensitive skin, his body pressing you completely into the bed, his weight on top of you like a cage, holding you in place, holding you where he wants you, where you’re meant to be.

He can hear your voice, the way you moan and call out to him, the sound of his name coming from your lips like a mantra, a prayer, a benediction. He can feel the way your body responds to his touch, the way you move and arch and press yourself against him, your body becoming completely his, completely owned by him.

He moves his lips back to your neck, his teeth gently biting down on the skin, the feeling of the mark he’s leaving, the bruise he’s making on your skin making him feel something primal, something raw and possessive. He’s lost in you, completely consumed by you, and his body is moving on its own.

The previous fight forgotten. The hurt covered by desire and need. The icy cold exchanged by intense heat and fire.

Just like always during the rare occasions when you both were fighting.

[bidokja]

I was joking a while back that the actor they have playing KDJ for the orv movie was too handsome for him and a friend who's read orv was like "KDJ is actually secretly attractive!!" And I just felt my soul leave my body right then

SIGHS...

Okay. Buckle in. I'm gonna finally actually address and explain and theorize about this whole...thing.

I'm not gonna cite any exact chapters cause it's like 11:30 and I've got an 8 hour drive in the morning but I'll at least make an approximate reference to where certain things are mentioned. Also, this post is just my personal interpretation for a good bit of it, but it's an interpretation I feel very solid about, so do with that what you will. Moving on to the meat of things:

There is one (1) instance in the web novel that I know of which describes specific features of Kim Dokja (especially ones other people notice). This takes place when members of KimCom are trying to make Kim Dokja presentable to give his speech at the Industrial Complex (after it's been plopped down on Earth). This is when they start really paying attention and focusing on Kim Dokja's appearance since they're putting makeup on him; I still don't think they can interpret his whole face, but they can accurately pick out and retain more features than usual. If I remember correctly they reference him having long eyelashes, smooth skin, and soft hair. These features can be viewed as (stereotypically) attractive.

Certain parts of the fandom have taken this scene and run with it at a very surface level, without realizing (or without acknowledging at the very least) that this scene is not about how Kim Dokja looks. This is, in part, due to not realizing or acknowledging why Kim Dokja's face is "censored" in the first place, and what that censoring actually means. I think it's also possible that some people are assuming the censorship works like a physical phenomena rather than an altered perception.

I'll address that last point first. The censorship of Kim Dokja's features is not something as simple as a physical phenomena. It's not a bar or scribble or mosaic over his face. If that were true it'd be very obvious to anyone looking at him that his face is hidden. But his face is not hidden to people. They can look at him and see a face. If they concentrate on his eyes, they can see where he's looking. They know when he's frowning or grinning. They see a face loud and clear. But what face are they seeing? Because it's not really his, whatever they're seeing.

No one quite agrees on what he really looks like. And if they try and think about what he looks like, they can't recall. Or if they do, it's vague, or different each time. We notice these little details throughout the series. Basically, Kim Dokja's face is cognitively obscured. Something - likely the Fourth Wall, though I can't recall if this is ever stated outright - is interfering with everyone's ability to perceive him properly. This culminated in him feeling off to others; and since they don't even realize this is happening, they surmise that he is "ugly."

Moving on to the other point about what the censorship means: To be blunt, the censorship of his face is an allegory for his disconnect from the "story" (aka: real life, and the real people at his side). The lifting - however slight - of this censorship represents him becoming more and more a part of the "story" (aka: less disconnected from the life he is living and the people at his side). The censorship's existence and lifting can represent other things - like dissociation or depersonalization or, if you want to get really meta, the fact that he is all of our faces at once - but that's how I'd sum up the main premise of it. (The Fourth Wall is a larger part of the dissociation allegory, but that's for another post).

So you see, them noticing his individual features isn't about the features. It's not about the features! It doesn't matter at all which features got listed. Because they could describe any features whatsoever and it would not change the entire point of the scene. Because the point isn't what he looks like. The point is that they can truly and clearly see these features. For the first time. They are seeing parts of him for the first time. Re-read that sentence multiple times, literally and metaphorically. What does it mean to see someone as they are?

This is an extremely significant turning point dressed up as a dress-up scene.

---

P.S. / Additionally, I'm of the opinion that Kim Dokja is not handsome, and he is not ugly. He is not pretty, and he is not ghastly. Not attractive, nor unattractive. Kim Dokja isn't any of these things. More importantly, Kim Dokja can't be any of these things. The entire point of Kim Dokja is that you cannot pick him out of a crowd; he is the crowd. He's a reader. He's the reader. Why does he need to be handsome? Why must he be pretty? Why is him being attractive necessary or relevant? He doesn't, he doesn't, it's not. He is someone deeply deeply loved and irreplaceable to those around him, and someone who cannot even begin to recognize or accept that unless it's through a love letter masquerading as a story he can read. He is the crowd, a reader, the reader. He's you, he's me. He's every single one of us.

[gumy-shark]

to absolutely no one’s surprise, i am thinking about the big cleanup arc again

[ginalinettiofficial]

idk i just don’t trust ppl who say “billy is a racist abusive piece of shit” but then turn around and reblog jason content like. okay if u have that opinion that’s your prerogative but it’s MY prerogative to point out that it’s weird af to feel that way abt billy and NOT abt jason

[gentaroukisaragi]

Kingohger spoilers

Kaguragi and Suzume vs Racles and Gira in the last ep was so fun.

Two sibs who know each other so well, they'll go along with any and all nonsense/humiliation in pursuit of their true goal to protect their nation

Vs two sibs, one of whom disappeared the other but the other still remembers enough to take note of the massive disparity between who he was and who he is

And then the bridge between the two. Gira understanding how much Suzume and Kaguragi mean to each enough to try and go save her and enough to respect her decision to stay. Gira understanding that Kaguragi is very much on Racles' side but still wanting to convey that tidbit of info for free while they can still speak...

[bpdamn]

he’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. i know i’ll never find someone like him but it’s whatever cause i don’t ever wanna try to replace him. all i want is to be by his side. but i can’t or at least i shouldn’t be. it really fucking hurts. it hurts that i ruin everything good. it’s too painful to watch him suffer with me cause he deserves nothing but the best. i know that i’m in the way of his happiness cause no matter how hard i try there’s no escaping the past. i’m trying not to think about what i’m about to lose cause the thought of being without him is unbearable but i know i’ll eventually have to. i’m terrified of the day where the realization will hit me that i’ve lost my one and only chance to make my shitshow of a life worth living

[firebirdsdaughter]

Oh no…

… I thought about the horrible romance plot in The Hobbit and now I'm angy.

[caramel-ribbons]

I just watched Avatar for the first time all the way through, and yeah, it’s great, but the one thing that surprised me was how different Katara was compared to the fandom interpretation I’d seen and internalized before watching.

Like, before you watch Avatar, you’ve seen all these memes about Katara and her mom, and based on those memes, you assume it’s one of those lines you have to get used to hearing at least once every episode. But then you watch the show and realize that she only talks about her mom maybe five or six times per season and you also realize she only brings her up when she’s trying to comfort someone or empathize with them because that’s how she processes her grief and that’s one way she connects with people.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

Or you see all of the clips where Katara puts Aang in the “friendzone” and you expect to have this wishy washy back and forth where Aang is putting his feelings out there only to have Katara neither commit nor express any clear reciprocation or rejection. Then you watch and realize that, as cute as the ship is initially, that there’s never a point where Aang returns any comfort or grace to Katara despite her always doing this for him to the point of coddling. That for as much as Aang says he loves her, he never seems to outgrow his perception of her so he can recognize her as someone who feels grief, anger, and pain as much as she expresses love, kindness, and maturity. And instead of having moments where he learns to see her beyond her strength or compassion, you’re instead given moments where Aang forces his feelings onto her, both romantic and non-romantic, and Katara is expected to just…shoulder those feelings the way she shoulders everyone else’s.

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

The fandom interpretation of Katara has been so bastardized that even those who haven’t watched the show know her for this fanon version and not for who she is. She’s such an interesting character beyond her fandom limitations, though. She’s brave, hot-headed, and hopeful as well as gentle and caring. She wishes to learn waterbending, not only because she wants to fight in the war, but because she wants to continue her culture’s practices because, and people often forget this, she also lost an entire subculture within her already fractured tribe. And she wants to defeat the Fire Nation both because of her deep love and empathy for other people, but also because she wants to avenge her mother. But because some of the fans have reduced Katara to a bitch who constantly whines about her mother and friendzones Aang, you wouldn’t know any of this, and it sucks because she’s the only character whose been dumbed down to such an extent.

[aperrywilliams]

That Wasn't Fake (Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader)

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Author Masterlist

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Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader.

Request: Can you write a Spencer fic where the reader is kind of quiet and shy when she begins working at the BAU, and Spencer has a crush on her, and then they have a case, and she has to like to seduce the unsub lowkey and everyone kind of like...how is she going to do this shes not very outgoing but when she does shes really good at it, and everyone is surprised and impressed.

Summary:  You're shy and reserved. Spencer has a crush on you, and unbeknown to him, you have a crush on him. Maybe the cat can get out of the bag when you have to step aside of your comfort zone to catch an elusive unsub.

Word Count: 4.2k (no self control here)

Warnings: Words like 'fuck' and 'bitch'. A rant about self-doubt. Typical CM stuff: unsubs, killings, etc.

A/N: Another request I loved! It should have been a little shorter, but I'm having a hard time getting to the point these days. Please keep sending requests!

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

Spencer knows it is inappropriate, but he can't help it. You're coworkers, and that itself sets a boundary, so he shouldn't be thinking of trespassing.

But the crush he has on you seems to grow every day.

He doesn't know if it is your beautiful smile, the kindness you show in everything you do, or the enthusiasm you put into every task you are committed to. Since the moment he saw you pass the bullpen glass doors, Spencer knew he was damned.

From that moment, Spencer knew he wanted to know you and learn everything about you. About what you liked, what you hated, and what your fears and dreams were. Everything.

But not much after that revelation in his mind, he understood it wasn't going to be easy to get to you.

You were extremely shy and reserved.

In fact, your first interaction - when Emily introduced you both - consisted of a wave of your hand and a timid 'nice to meet you.'

He thought as time went by, you would loosen and become less bashful and quiet. And in part, he was right. As the months passed, you began to feel more comfortable within the team. You laughed at Luke's jokes, you commented on Rossi's stories, and you could even - when the stars aligned - crack a joke yourself to Tara or Matt.

But beyond that, no one knew much about your life outside of the BAU, unlike JJ, who always talks about her kids and her husband, or Matt, who talks about his kids, too. Or Tara, who recounts her failed dates. Or the same Luke who always shows photos of Roxy.

You, on the other hand, seemed to be an enigma. But Spencer Reid loved decoding enigmas.

At first, he turned his interest in you out of mere scientific curiosity. However, internally, he knew it wasn't just that.

It started with small random questions about the times you worked together: Is this coffee okay? What was the last book you read? Do you think we should buy some donuts for the team?

If you were honest, it picked your interest why, from all people, Dr. Spencer Reid was so adamant in making conversation with you.

From what you knew and from what the team said, Spencer was not a person very interested in things other than work or books. But suddenly, out of nowhere, he asked you what the last movie you saw was or something like that.

You always answered his questions; however, you would have liked to be much more talkative and engage in longer conversations, but your nature stopped you.

'What if I don't have anything more interesting for him to say?'

'Does he just talk to me because he feels sorry for me?'

And that was the big issue: you have never had problems with the way you live your life. You're pretty satisfied with what you do in your job and out of it, too. But you have always thought you are too 'simple' to entertain people's interest.

And to be honest, being surrounded by people with so much experience and big things happening in their lives still intimidates you a bit. So, you usually refrain from talking too much about yourself or anything for that matter.

But with Spencer, things are a bit different. He's always checking on you but respects your boundaries. He has learned that sometimes you just don't want to talk, and he doesn't push.

Despite his interest beyond the professional, Spencer would never do anything to make you uncomfortable. Being able to share time with you will have to be enough for him.

In a way, he has become your protector. He is your backup during interrogations or in situations where you can feel awkward, like the times when some police officers tried to flirt with you and got too close. Sure, you know how to turn them down, but sometimes guys don't get the memo and keep pushing. You're too shy to yell or be aggressive about it.

The team also understands the way you are, and they know it does not make you any less professional. However, they have always been careful not to take you too much out of your comfort zone.

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

A whole two weeks and five murders later, the team is stuck trying to catch an unsub who has preferences for killing women after club nights. The profile says he is not interested in just any woman but in those between 25-30 years old who like to flirt with several men in the clubs. But it is not just any type of flirting; it is the type that is initiated and dominated by them. In short, he likes to kill women who are the opposite of submissive. He sees them as predators on a hunting ground.

Another finding in victimology is that the women he kills, in addition to having a specific age range, have very similar physical characteristics. And similar to you.

All his victims have your build, eye color, hair color, and height. It gets to be creepy to a certain point. And it's something difficult to ignore.

Bouncing information and possible strategies, the team agrees they need to be proactive to get him to show up before another killing happens.

"Okay, what options do we have?" Emily asks.

"The witnesses haven't gotten us anywhere," Luke complains.

"Although we've narrowed down his hunting grounds," Rossi shrugs.

"Yeah, we know the clubs where he likes to hunt," JJ backs Rossi.

"But although the profile, we have yet to learn about what to look for there. I mean, we know what the unsub wants, but not how he looks like." This time, it's Tara who speaks.

You've rarely seen Emily bite her tongue when she wants to say something, but it's clear that she has something on her mind, and she doesn't know how to put it, or maybe the problem is something else. You look at her out of the corner of your eye, and she looks back at you; what do those eyes say? They look like they're even apologetic.

It's a fraction of the time before she comes back to behave like herself.

"We need to lurk him. It's the only way," she says. And everyone's eyes - yours included - are on her immediately.

"Lurk him?" Matt repeats.

"Yes. And all we know who should be the one going undercover to do that," Emily adds, looking at you this time.

That's it—the elephant in the room.

Of course, you're the ideal candidate. Well, you're perfect in the physical aspect because if we talk about the victim's personality and yours...

There's silence in the room, and you can feel like the team's eyes are all on you.

Do they expect you to say no? To refuse? From your perspective, it's not a question; it's more like the option you all have to catch the guy.

"It's true (Y/N) would be the closest to the unsub type, but there are a lot of things to take into account," Matt says. And you know perfectly well what's behind his words, even if he doesn't say it directly.

And that's okay; it's perfectly plausible they have their doubts. It is not enough to look like the victims for the operation to work.

But if there is one thing you are sure of, it's that you will always give your all to your job, even if that means becoming a completely different person.

"I can do it," you mumbled so quietly that if the AC weren't in the lower setting, people wouldn't have heard you.

"But (Y/N), you know about this guy. It's dangerous," Matt points, a frown on his face.

"Not to mention he likes rough interactions," Luke adds.

"You don't have to do it if you feel uncomfortable." This time, it is JJ who voices her opinion. And you know, that's the closest reason to the team's main concern.

And the fact you can blow up the entire plan.

Spencer stays in silence. Internally he's freaking out thinking of you having to lurk on the unsub, but he knows you are a professional. And he feels a kind of deja vu.

When he was younger, the team would have said the same about him doing something like that. Spencer knows what it's like when people baby you, making you feel insecure. Sure, he hasn't had to worry about that anymore. Spencer is almost forty, and no one would dare to tell him he can't do something. Not after all the things he has been through.

"JJ is right, Bella. You don't have to do it. We can think of another way," Rossi backs JJ.

That's when Spencer notices the slight frown on your face. It's invisible to everyone but him. He knows it's there.

You stay collected, even when everyone on the team has something to say about how bad the idea of you going undercover to lurk the unsub is.

Emily is who stops everyone's rant.

"Guys, hey. If (Y/N) is telling us she can do it, we're going to do it. Of course, we'll be there to back up her and catch this unsub."

And this is how the discussion is settled.

Emily sends everyone out with a task to prepare for the night. Today is Friday, and the unsub will surely be stalking some new victim. The chances are high.

When it's just you and Spencer in the room, he still looks at you in silence.

"Do you also think I'll not be able to pull off this mission and I'm going to ruin everything?"

You downcast your gaze, exhaling deeply.

"No. I don't think that," Spencer clarifies, and you raise your gaze to meet his eyes. "You are more than capable, (Y/N). The team is worried because you'll be out of your comfort zone in a dangerous situation."

"The team? Not you?" You narrow your eyes to him.

You try not to sound accusatory, but if you're as scared as everyone, you also are fed up with the other's doubts.

Spencer closes the distance between you both but doesn't invade your personal space.

"Of course, I'm worried too! I don't want anything bad to happen to you. But I trust you and your judgment."

Your heart does flip-flops, and you're not sure if it's because Spencer is worried or because, despite that, he trusts you—or both.

"You do?" You ask, not so convinced.

Spencer nods and smiles at you.

"And we'll be there when you catch the guy."

If that is the reassurance you need, you don't mention it. Instead, you grin at Spencer as a promise you'll do your job just how you are supposed to.

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

You insist on getting ready in your hotel room. The only assistant you ask for is Emily. She was the one who trusted you first in this, so you'll take every piece of advice she can give you before this night starts.

Everyone has a role in the plan.

Rossi will be the chauffeur who will drive you to the club.

Luke and Spencer would be in the club, mingling with the patrons. JJ, Matt, and Emily would be in the van monitoring the whole situation with cameras and earpieces. Rossi would keep his facade as a driver so he could be at one of the entrances. Tara would be at the club, too, eyeing nothing suspicious going on in the bar because there is a chance the unsub is getting help from the bartender.

When you are in front of the mirror applying the last touch of makeup, Emily is looking at you with a stare you can't decipher.

"What?" you ask, and Emily chuckles.

"Please, don't take this in a bad way, but I never thought I would live the day of seeing you using clothing like this. And Jesus, you look so hot!"

Your cheeks redens.

"It's a little bit odd coming from my boss, don't you think?" you muse, smoothing the fabric of your dress.

"Point taken," Emily raises her hands in defense. "Although I know someone who is going to run out of breath after seeing you."

You let out a scoff. It's not a surprise for you. The BAU girls - boss included - have been trying to set you up with Spencer since forever. You don't entertain the idea only because you don't think it's possible and not because you don't like the concept.

"Come on, don't say that. You are not helping to my nerves."

"Sorry, I'll shut up. We should go, though," Emily says, checking her watch.

One of the SUVs drives you to the van parking point. You needed to review the operation details.

At the back of the van - or commander point - JJ, Luke, Tara, Rossi, Matt, and Spencer see you come up with Emily.

For the best US profilers, they're not doing a good job hiding that they are gawking at you. Surely, no one imagined seeing you in such a revealing outfit. Outfit that, without a doubt, suits you extremely well, highlighting all your body attributes.

Spencer feels like he died and was resurrected after seeing you.

"Okay, guys, we need to check the details again," Emily announces.

The plan is in motion, and everyone is in position.

As expected, you arrive with Rossi at the club, who opens the door for you and helps you descend from the car. Rossi gives you a reassuring smile before letting you go.

Like a switch, you are no longer the shy SSA (Y/L/N). Now you are the woman who is going to take what she wants and attract the unsub attention doing that.

Your walk is determined, and your eyes send out flames of confidence to those who look at you. The music is very loud, something that would usually bother you, but not now. This needs to feel like your environment. That's how you like it, you tell yourself.

Almost instantly, you start to attract the looks of men who are eager for a woman like you.

You exude determination, and you don't go unnoticed.

Walking into the club, you make brief eye contact with Luke, who is on the dance floor. You see Spencer perched in a booth, nursing a beer.

At the same time, Tara is stationed at the bar.

"Remember (Y/N); the unsub expects the woman to approach men. The flirt needs to come from you," Emily reminds you by the earpiece hidden in one of the earrings you're wearing.

"Show time," you mumble to yourself.

You walk seductively to the dance floor, where a young man is dancing with a blonde. You approach and whisper something in his ear. That makes the boy completely lose interest in the blonde and start dancing with you. You smile and cling to the man's body, who wastes no time and takes your hips as if they were his possessions.

That dance certainly has nothing innocent about it. You continue whispering things in the boy's ear, and he looks more and more excited. Once you consider it a reasonable amount of time to have attracted attention, you leave the boy alone and head to the bar. Just a few meters away from Tara, a suspicious man is staring at you. You see him out of the corner of your eye as you order a drink. When the bartender passes it to you, you make subtle eye contact with Tara, who nods, indicating that the drink is clean.

You look next to you and see another man not so subtly looking at you. You know the unsub's profile, and you can't be intimidated or dominated by another man. You are the one who calls the shots. Otherwise, this will not work.

Before the man makes his attempt to seduce you, you turn to him, and with a penetrating look and disdainful voice, you stop him.

"Sorry, honey. Don't waste your time. You're not my type," and with that, you leave to move to the opposite side of the club. The guy huffs, and you're almost sure hearing him call you 'bitch' under his breath.

JJ, who's following the cameras inside the club, sees someone who looks suspect.

"Hey, this guy has been peeking at (Y/N) the entire time, and look, he clenched his fists when (Y/N) turned down that guy at the bar."

Emily confirms JJ's observation before giving you the next instructions.

"(Y/N), you're doing great. We have a possible target. So we need to raise the bet."

You know exactly what Emily means. You both had talked about the strategy to follow, having more details about what you should do than the rest of the team.

Matt and JJ look confused at each other but say nothing.

Your next step is to find another dude to seduce before delivering the coup de grace.

Luke and Spencer keep an eye on you. And while Luke is pleasantly surprised by your audacity, Spencer can't help but feel his stomach tighten. He tells himself it's because he is afraid something bad could happen to you, but inside of him, it's that and the fact of seeing you flirt with other men.

Just like you did with the guy on the dance floor, you attract the attention of another man; this time, you take his hand and pull him to the dance floor.

JJ and Matt's jaws drop to the floor. If Tara, Luke, and Spencer could do the same without giving themselves away, they would have done it, too.

As if it were your second nature, you laugh and move to the music. The man seems to enjoy the moment so much that he takes a bold step by leaning in to kiss you. You let him get closer until his lips are almost on yours. But before touching each other, you pull back with a malicious smile.

"Naughty boy. I'm who says if you can kiss or no," you pout, faking disappointment. Dizzed, the guy cocks his head and sees you walk away.

Matt chirps now. "It's him. Look boss," he tells Prentiss, pointing to the same guy JJ saw before.

There is no longer any doubt that it is him. Now you just have to catch him red-handed.

"(Y/N), we got him. It's time for the last play," Emily tells you.

With Emily's instruction, you go to the bar for another drink before heading over to where Spencer is sitting.

He tries to play it off, but he has no idea why you're approaching him.

"Is this seat taken, handsome?" You ask, with your drink in hand.

"N- no. Please," Spencer gestures to the booth on his front, but you opt to perch to his side. Spencer thinks he never has been this close to you. He looks at your eyes, and it's like you are a totally different person. It's a little bit contradictory for him, to be honest. He already likes you just as you are, but this version of you? It's driving him insane.

Some resemblance of your true self looks with a kind of curiosity the nervousness on Spencer. You don't think much about it; you assume he's playing the nervous guy who is baffled by you.

The thing is, Spencer isn't playing. He's definitely baffled by you.

"Are you okay?" You ask him, masking your question with a seductive smile.

"Yeah. Are - are you?" Spencer stutters a bit—something that is perfect for the plan but embarrassing for him.

You get closer to him to speak in his ear.

"This was Emily's idea," you tell him before kissing his ear and gently biting his lobe.

Spencer's breath hitches in his throat, and he thinks he's going to pass out any second. You're not doing it better: your heart is also pumping hard from the adrenaline. Of course, you had imagined something like that with Spencer, but only in your erotic dreams. You wouldn't dare do this on any given day.

You keep teasing Spencer, who, despite the nervousness, tries to play along. If this is the closest he will ever have you, he wants to engrave this in his memory.

"Just a little push, (Y/N). We almost have him," Emily instructs by the earpiece.

You swallow as subtly as possible as you wrap your arm around Spencer's neck, pulling him closer to you.

It's only a second between that action and the fact that you're kissing Spencer like it's your last meal.

Spencer doesn't know how to respond, and you were counting on that; it was enough time for the unsub to notice that you were the one who chose her last prey.

When Spencer is about to reciprocate the kiss, you murmur a 'sorry' into his lips and quickly pull away, giving him a disdainful look—which you hope he understands is fake—before getting up and walking toward the back exit door.

As expected, the unsub follows you towards the back door, and while your back is turned, he believes he has the advantage to attack you. What he doesn't know is that Matt and Luke are ready to lunge at him the moment he tries to touch you.

Everything that happens after is too fast.

The unsub is detained and taken to a patrol car while the team gathers around you, congratulating you on the successful operation. They all apologize to you for their previous apprehensions. You tell them that you understand and that there is no need to apologize. And it's like the switch has been flipped again since you came out of the femme fatale role.

But something is wrong. Spencer is not in the group. You see him a little further away, near the exit door of the club. Emily notices the looks between you both, and she sends the team on different tasks to close the case, leaving you and Spencer there.

There's something in his eyes that you can't decipher. You think it's resentment for using him without warning him what you were going to do.

You shyly approach him.

"It's me again," you tell him, pulling a face. You don't know what to say to make the situation better. Spencer nods.

"Yeah. You did it great, by the way," he compliments you. But it doesn't feel good like Spencer's compliments usually do.

"Look, about the kiss back there-" you start. He needs an explanation as a bare minimum.

"I know. It was fake," Spencer cuts you off.

Those words shouldn't hurt you as they do now. But isn't that the most reasonable thing to believe? The you in the club weren't you, so all you did inside was pretend.

Everything except that kiss.

If it's true you couldn't enjoy it the way you would have liked, you will never forget his lips on yours.

A tense silence takes over the moment. This is not okay.

You can't afford to lie to one of the most important people in your life, even if telling the truth takes you out of your comfort zone.

What the hell! Tonight has already been a total of 180 from a usual day for you.

"It wasn't," you mumble, and you see his eyes flicking to yours in a second.

"What?" Spencer asks, narrowing his eyes at you.

"Everything was fake, but not the kiss," you say with a stadied voice this time.

Spencer's heart races again. If you say you didn't fake it, then what he felt on your part at that moment was real?

"It wasn't fake?" He asks for clarification. You nod.

A smirk forms on Spencer's lips, seeing your cheeks redden.

There you are. The girl he had fallen for in the past two years.

"Well, you know that I am a man of science, right?" he tells you, and you frown because you have no idea where this is going.

"I know," you say with some hesitation.

"And as a man of science, I need evidence of things, you know?"

Now, you are the one who smirks at him.

"Evidence, huh?"

"Yep," he says, emphasizing the 'p' and swaying his body on his feet. You hum.

"I believe I can provide the necessary evidence if you need them," you concede, and Spencer's eyes sparkle with excitement.

Now, he is the one who reaches out and cups your cheeks. Your breathing quickens, but that doesn't stop you from standing on your tiptoes and connecting your lips with his.

This time, there is no unsub, no curious eyes are looking at you, there is no rush, there is no femme fatale role, and above all, this is not fake; it's as real as the fact that your heart beats for him, and his for you.

------------------ 

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[juniestar]

Makes me so so sad that my first relationship was bad for me even though nothing explicitly bad happened. I see all these things about first loves or firsts in general and how fun it is but all I felt was obsessive, scared, confused, very rarely good. I only had fun when I was drunk (and he always made sure I was safe when I was drunk ofc) but the rest of it-- and even that-- was so tense and fraught, like trying to make unoiled gears turn