#put that guy in situations that make him throw a Tantrum

[kijosakka]

Total Drama World Tour AU, where before everyone votes, Alejandro asks Noah: "Since you knew my true colors, why didn't you team up with Heather? Why didn't you warn the others earlier? Why did you only warn Owen and Tyler now?"... Noah then answers: "Because I don't care what you do with the others... If they're dumb enough to fall for your tricks and charms, then they deserve to lose... But Owen is my best friend, and I don't like how you treat him, so he's the only one I'm warning..." 😏 What if Noah's answer makes Alejandro decide to vote off Duncan instead?... How would Noah react to not being voted off?... What if Alejandro likes Noah's logical apathy?

there’s something in how (according to the wiki, at least), noah takes notice of alejandro’s sketchy behavior in germany and only ever brings up the trust thing challenges later in london — not to say noah hasn’t spoken with owen about alejandro before then (seen through when owen says noah told him heather and alejandro were into each other ‘big time’, he’s obviously talked about him before) but as owen’s asking ‘why don’t you like him’ and noah explains why he distrusts him that would indicate it’s something that specifically hasn’t been brought up before.

all this to say that he’s spoken to owen about them before and it shows if nothing else he wants owen to be wary of alejandro, which would be why he jumps at the opportunity to further warn and explain to him his distrust.

anyway i’d imagine post-challenge, while dissatisfied with it, noah would expect his elimination (thus giving him reason to lay all this cards on the table via telling alejandro why he did so, if not being just straight-up spiteful and wanting to gloat), adding to the surprise when he isn’t.

duncan would be saved by chris here (because of,, drama or whatever. the dreaded love triangle), and on noah’s part probably dread or annoyance with a smidge of being happy he’s not voted off — because, yeah, he’s still here, but now he has to deal with that he revealed himself to alejandro and through implicitly voting for him duncan may be wary of any alliance between them, leaving him as the option.

because i do think alejandro would leverage him warning owen to his own advantage — and even if there’s no goodwill or trust, duncan would play swing vote if it means the heat is off himself. thus, if alejandro says, owen is gone — to keep noah close; but further than that i do think alejandro would at least find his apathy interesting, if initially in a purely strategic way.

a kind of, ‘noah is proactive enough to recognize me but spiteful enough to think the people around him don’t “deserve” to be warned because they can’t see it themselves’.

there would be appreciation there for his being able to even see through his façade in the first place, and im sure grudging respect for being willing to say it knowing everyone else is fooled and it would cause dislike to be thrown noahs way (…..not that i think noah thought of this. i just think alejandro would assume noah did)

i do think noah would, while being pretty incensed at leveraged into such a forced alliance situation, go along with it, riding alejandros coattails to keep owen safe.

story-wise it would make sense for owen to still be eliminated in sweden (through a tiebreaker, probably) so noah can properly break away from alejandro come merger and team with someone else

……or conversely noah stays with alejandro and flat-out trashes it to get himself voted out. arguably the most in-character thing for him to do.

^ also because through the entirety of it, noah may recognize it for what it is; showing off. alejandro has been shown in-canon to be the kind of person who puts showing off above strict pragmatism, so he’s ‘punishing’ noahs speaking out by ‘showing off’ that he can leverage the situation to his own benefit anyway. and noah, spiteful and upset that his friend is gone, would seize the opportunity to piss alejandro off via ruining his whole plan.

this is all to say i want this particular set-up to turn into noah vaguely annoyed but mostly apathetic at his situation and for alejandro to be the stupid loser he really is genuinely growing to really like noah and his brand of scheming (romantic or otherwise honestly). more stupid loser alejandro please. completely dumbfounded when noah gets himself out.

[sh1-n0bu]

You ever wonder about scara jerking himself off while you abuse his hole?

Just thinkin' ;)

♡︎ 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 ♡︎

characters: sub!scaramouche x nb!dom!reader

warnings: rough sex, creampie, overstimulation, dacryphillia, brat taming, mirror sex, cock can be interpreted as strap on - anything that’s comfy for u guys

notes: a biiiittt different than your og req but still the same thing, just a different tone. i hope you like the recipe! also it has been a while since i visited the sub genshin tags. hello my little horny goblins! have y’all missed me?/jk jk

what’s this???? nobu finishing up another req after publishing another one last night???? has she finally defeated writer’s block?????

“shlo-OOOUH! shlowerrrh~! [nam-] ca-aahnt!♡︎♡︎” letting out a guttural sob, scaramouche squirted all over his stomach again. he was being a little shit for the entire week - ruining your perfectly made cake, throwing tantrums like a kid, cussing you out when you forgot to give him his usual goodbye kisses before leaving for work. the list goes on and on.

and now when he’s met the consequences of his own actions he’s telling you to be gentle? after ruining the hard work you put in your cake’s icing? in his dreams.

the short man let out another choked scream when your cock hit his oversensitive prostate again, the plush soft muscle getting abused over and over ruthlessly by the tip of your cock repeatedly hitting them, clawing at your back with his blunt nails in a pathetic attempt to at least try and get you to slow down so he can properly breathe.

and it seems like his prayers were answered when you slowed down before stopping, the bruises formed by your hands’ rough grip on his waist making him let out a whine at the feeling, the bleeding bite marks left by your teeth still stinging so deliciously. the brat let out another whine when you pulled out of his hole, your cum flowing out of his loose hole and running down his plushy, hickey covered shaking thighs.

unfortunately the brat’s wishes didn’t last long when you manhandled his tiny body, turning him over with his back to your chest - looking straight at the full body mirror propped against the wall. everything looked so lecherous - from the sticky cum covering the insides of his thighs, the dark and blue hickeys on his neck and chest to the remains of his own fluids covering his tummy.

gosh scaramouche was completely ruined.

“[n-name] plea-ashee… n-no mowree~ sensitiIIGGH!!♡︎“ a shrill sound resembling a squeal left his lips when you slammed yourself all the way until the hilt back into him once more. small hands clenching and flexing, seemingly trying to grab ahold of something to try and get his fucked silly mind together again.

“‘m getting a bit tired kuni. so you gotta do some of the work too” guiding his one hand to his swollen, angry red cock you silently commanded him to stroke himself - which scaramouche understood. sloppily running his hand up and down on his cock, rubbing the slit wet precum filled tip with his thumb your sweet dumb boy just couldn’t help but let out another wail when you hooked your hands under his shaking legs and slammed him down to the rhythm of his strokes.

understanding the situation as much as his mushy brain could comprehend, scaramouche jerked himself off at a faster pace. hands stuttering with his tear stained eyes and flushed face looking directly at the mirror, the puppet could easily see your cock slipping in and out of his pink hole over and over. he was so tired - his tiny cock only managing to spill a small amount of cum as he spasmed through another orgasm yet you still didn’t stop.

after all someone’s gotta teach him how to stop being a brat right?♡︎

[coffeegnomee]

Something that has always fascinated me deeply is how UNintelligable PrinceZam is when viewed from any pov besides his own. 

Because from PrinceZam’s pov, his lore is deep and rich and filled with struggles and worries and regret and fear and paranoia and justifications and good reasonings to do evil arcs. He really crafts the most interesting and sympathetic characters of all of lifesteal. He responds to the happenings of the server with deep lore every time. Pours everything out to chat, giving us the littlest details about his mindset at every moment. 

But from EVERYONE else’s pov he just does’t make sense. Like even I feel confused about PrinceZam when I watch him from other povs. There’s something about it that I can’t put my finger on. But more often than not, everyone views him with utter confusion. 

But this is the ONLY way other lifestealers interact with Zam. They don’t get to watch PrinceZam streams. They don’t see him like we do. Ever. 

And this really applies to every lifestealer ever, none of them get to see the lore from within that person's mind. The can only react to the external view of it.

What a fascinating little conundrum. 

Because with the Saturday session and Flame, I could not help but feel like he was actually just doing a Joker arc. Not Abyss, Joker. 

Because the Abyss was about player activity, sure, but it was more about the trap, and it grew into a “we will destroy all of spawn” over time.

The Joker arc was about making minutetech and jumper see that pacifism does not belong on lifesteal. This is the killing people server and you should kill people. Kill me. I will blow up builds until you kill me. 

Now, Flame does not have the pizzazz of the gay joker. He never will. And he probably will never make anything truly interesting with this lore from his own pov. (and bro keeps not streaming any of it)

But that’s not what intrigues me about it and made me so happy seeing it unfold. 

It’s because Zam was walking around saying the same damn lines that Minutetech said about Zam all throughout the joker arc. Some of them lines that were said between Minute and Ash without Zam around. The following are Zam quotes from the Saturday stream.

“they just want attention, if we don’t give them attention they’ll give up” almost word for word from minute about mapicc and zam. 

“If he’s going to throw a tantrum we mighteswell just not give him the fight”  

Them digging their heels in and not doing the one thing Zam/Flame wanted them to do: kill them. Not doing it because it was the one thing the crazy evil guy blowing up bases told you he wanted. 

“if i fight them i give them exactly what they want. It’s so fucked up. There’s no, there’s no winning option here. There’s nothing I can do to win”

“maybe some people can’t feel regret the way I do, that’s fine, i guess, that’s whatever.If that’s how he is, that’s how he is. But i don't believe that for a second” (remember who you were in s3 Zam!)

“He’s just going to blow up more. And that’s okay. I’m willing to let him do that. I honestly don't care. Like, if that’s what he wants to do then that’s what he does I guess”

“YOURE having fun, but no one is gonna log on and see this and say oh I wanna fight flame now. No one’s doing that dude. This isn’t how this works.”

FLAME: “it makes me happy bro, that’s all that matters” How many times did Zam insist that the Joker arc was fun. How many times did Jumper go “why are you doing this” and Zam said “it’s fun” without elaborating the nuanced undertones of the arc. 

Zam even dropped the MinuteTech patented "okay"s when Flame and Wemmbu were saying they were doing it for fun.

From the outside the lore was the same. The damn same. But this time we have the pb&j side from PrinceZam. And it fascinates me how similarly they approached the situation. 

And then as a final bonus, there’s the question about moral high ground. On the first day of the server, Ash was talking to Wemmbu and the following conversation unfolded (1:38:00) 

WEMMBU: “I have done nothing evil this season. Leowook killed me for no reason, then I died to fall damage for no reason, well, because my water glitched out, and then I died to Spoke for no reason… DUDE I’M ON THE MORAL HIGH GROUND THIS TIME! Without having to like, make things up. This is great.” 

ASH: “Yea, don’t do that bro. It’s not worth it. Seriously. It’s not worth it and you won’t even get a good video. Do you know how easy it is to be a good guy, and then last second go ‘I want to be an agent of chaos’ and how much that fucks everyone else on your team up?” 

And Zam on Saturday, “Why does it even matter? What the- what does moral high ground get me?!”

Ominous shit man.

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Hello there sagau brain rot like in many sagau versions reader/creator are often to soft to kind to my taste and then Idea comes to my head what if creator reader shows his cruler uncaring side to the pepole he truly hates or thinks deserve thier wrath like I can image that in place of raiden shogun the creator kills Singniora after begin defeated by traveler, azar the grand sage after whole begin in that day loop, and scaramouche when he had audacity to think that by begin inside giant mech he is now a God becose even if the creator is the kindest begin in tevyat.....his wrath has no bounds

@zardas75 welcome back to my very dead mailbox LOL—Let me see what I can come up with with your brainrot.

I don't fully get the Raiden Shogun vs Signora part, so I'm going to (unfortunately) not include that in this post.

The Creator Being Moody Fr (Jkjk—Unless? 👀)

(Disclaimer: Might Be OOC & Spoilers to the Genshin Impact Archon Quest Lore!)

Boy oh boy...where to begin...

To put it simply: It's Azar's Fault. Blame and point your fingers to the rusty old man, bois, we ain't forgiving him any time soon. It all started with him.

The moment you saw him in the Archon Quest, you knew, without even needing the slightest hint of evidence, that you did not like him and he was sus.

And when things escalated throughout the Archon Quest, you swore so loudly it shook the entire nation of Sumeru, if not all of Teyvat.

Here were Some of the Sumeru People's Reactions:

Cyno

He finished his confrontation with Azar and was waiting outside when you swore like your life depended on it. During his entire time being under your presence, Cyno was aware of how much you hated the guy—every moment you had gotten, you were seething and spouting insults from your mouth about Azar.

Even the General Mahamatra was stunned and shocked to the very core. He didn't you could and would do this.

And when you made it clear that your tantrum was yet to end, Cyno just braced himself for the fate of Sumeru to be in your hands.

"At least Azar is truly facing the wrathful judgement of the gods..." he mutters to himself, trying to convince himself of the situation at hand.

(Meanwhile You in the background: "YOU MF HOW DARE YOU. HOW DARE YOUUUU I WILL F—KING KILL YOU IF YOU CONTINUE THIS YOU SON OF A B—")

Scaramouche & Nahida

(Decided to add them both here since It's the False God Fight. This is kinda for the sake of convenience—)

Nahida never knew such intense emotion could ever erupt from Their High, Almighty Grace, and here you are, cursing and insulting Scaramouche. It wasn't as bad as Azar's, since you weren't throwing in any "I will have your head by morning" or anything similar threats, but it was still pretty intense.

Scaramouche, on the other hand, has heard you yelling at the old man Azar, and he already been yelled at for—quote on quote—"killing Teppei" (REST IN PEACE, TEPPEI 😭), so he knows what your wrath was like.

He did not like it then, and he still doesn't like it now. That much was a solid fact. Nevertheless, he has an image to uphold, especially in front of that Buer.

"Their Almighty Grace is really mad..." Nahida thought as they were confronting Scaramouche. (Cue you in the background still insulting Azar) "And it seems they won't be forgiving Azar anytime soon..."

"So, Their Grace still hasn't let go of their grudge against me..." Scaramouche mutters to himself once he was out of the view of Their Almighty Grace in his mecha. "Tch. Whatever...I'll make them see my true potential one I've squashed these insects."

Dehya

She knew you were explosive. She's seen it happen by the way you were cheering to beat Rahman's ass and "save the kid's grandpa!"

She knew you were pretty emotional on behalf of them. She's pretty happy and honored about that—that means Teyvat meant a lot to you.

What she was not expecting was to hear you curse and scream at Azar at the top of your lungs, as if that was the only enjoyment you were able to indulge yourself in.

You sounded murderous, and yet here you were, just yelling. Dehya would've shrugged it off, since she understood getting things out of your system was good, but she was not expecting the world to shake with your voice.

She looks over at Rahman. "You think Their Grace is handling this well?" "Probably not...Hard to say, Dehya." "Well, we'll just have to wait it out, then. They'll get it out of their system...eventually..."

Dehya was not expecting to wait until after beating the False God for it to be truly over. Gosh, that was scary...

Tighnari

He sensed that you didn't like Azar the moment you saw him, and frankly, he's pretty glad you don't trust him too. What he wasn't expecting was your explosive personality.

For all the stories about the Almighty Creator's kind and gentle nature, you were ANYTHING but. And you were proving it HARD.

Tighnari thought he heard it all when he got struck by lightning. Boy, was he wrong, because you just one-upped his expectations with the amount of cussing, cursing, threats, and insults you were hurtling in one go, streaming out of your mouth like you were running a marathon with your words.

So here he was, waiting in some form of dread in Pardis Dhyai, waiting if you were going to strike down the Akademiya with your godly might.

"I hope they don't accidentally blow up all of Sumeru..." he mutters to himself as he prays to all the archons that the nation wouldn't be turned into water or something.

Alhaitham

He should have taken account of your behaviour to the plan. You did play a crucial part. That was the sole mistake he overlooked.

Then again...it didn't seem like you were doing anything other than yelling at Azar...So perhaps the plan wouldn't change all that much.

He should keep in mind of how reactive you are, though. You...remind of his roommate sometimes...

"Hm. It seems Their Grace has yet to let Azar go of their scandal." He says it so calmly as he waits in Aaru Village. Candace stands a few feet away, looking unsure of what was going on—and probably praying that Their Almighty Grace won't strike down Sumeru in their anger against the rogue Grand Sage.

And let's not talk about the Traveler or Paimon. Those two are both used to it and still terrified. But they're okay with you dw 👍

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: IM COMING BACK WOOO! I'm so excited! There's been quite a few more requests than I usually got back in the past, so I'm a little stoked. They'll be out real soon, but I hope you enjoy this one! Hopefully I'll have time to do them all! :D

✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦

[prinzrupprecht]

Hi, can I request for Thor from record of Ragnarok being protective of his wife? I've always seen him as a protective type of guy for his lover.

Invasion on Asgard

Sorry took a while to write this! Had to make him a banner and try to not mess up his personality.

Synopsis: Nobody had expected it. A huge army of giants from Jötunheim attacked Asgard with full force. You were ready to die protecting your home, but Thor wouldn’t let that happen.

TW: none—?

WC: 904

You had just left the castle for some fresh air and to explore the lower parts of Asgard alone. Normally you never left the castle. However, Forsetti had tried to stop you from leaving which left you confused but you didn’t listen to him. Did you really need permission? Thor wasn’t anywhere and he would hesitantly let you have your own space if you wanted to be alone, the same with him. He liked his personal space but he never said no to you if you wanted to be by his side. However, today was odd because you had no idea where he was. This wasn’t new to you, he always disappeared for long periods of the day. Being the wife of Thor meant other duties within the castle and getting pestered around the castle by Forsetti or other servants. You rarely saw Loki or Odin which was a good thing.

You wanted to get out after hours of being cooped up in the castle bored and the cats that hung around the room didn’t help much. Thor normally always told you it was better if you’d stay in the castle where it’s safe. He was always quiet and didn't mind ramblings, yet your presence seemed to calm every ounce of his heart and mind.

Your marriage was arranged and neither of you could tolerate each other in the beginning but slowly you both grew attached over time. You were quite the tsundere in the beginning throwing tantrums when things didn’t go your way. He admired how you were hard to control and was the quiet one in the marriage. When a few guards had tried to harm you and that was when he snapped and killed them.

As you were looking at some of the stores and the people walking by you, Asgard was truly a beautiful place outside of the castle. Many people didn’t recognize you as the wife of the strongest Norse god which was a good thing. Thor was known as the strongest warrior and god in Asgard.

Just as you were observing the townsfolk some people began to shout and scream. You looked up and saw maybe almost an army of a hundred of them launching an offensive attack on the capital of Asgard. You had stood in place not knowing if you should turn back or use your magic on them. You were just an ordinary sorcery goddess from a noble family. You had thought of the many times Thor told you to stay out of these situations. This wasn’t the first Asgard has been attacked but this army was much larger than any from the past. You left your staff back at the castle but this didn’t warrant you as useless yet.

Many buildings were being destroyed and this was unlike Thor to not be anywhere in sight. Smoke was filling the area from the city being trampled. You would most likely be outmatched by them. Many of the civilians were being killed and this was causing you to panic on the inside. Did you want to be killed like them? You kept wondering where Thor was and you felt stubborn needing him at this time.

You tried to push your way back, maybe you could grab your staff— but as you were leaving the area you were picked up by one of the giants. You were screaming and demanding to be put down.

It was no use, you began to panic and kept screaming. “Put her down!” You heard his voice shout making your heart beat harder in your chest. You rarely hear him yell or lose his self-control. The giant was stained in an instant and you found yourself falling and thought you were gonna hit the ground but the impact didn’t come. Your body crashed into his to make sure you took less fall damage. His arm wrapped around your back while the other held his hammer.

“Where the hell were you?!” You were pissed and puffing your cheeks out while tears were brimming at the corners of your eyes. You knew Thor was angry that you left the castle because of attacks like this could’ve happened anytime and no guard was with you. It angered him further but he calmed himself letting you down. He wanted to cut the rest of the giants but he needed to keep you safe first.

“Don’t ignore me!” You were being pulled into him and before you knew it, Thor had teleported you both back to the castle.

“Stay here, I’ll be back once I eliminate them.” He stopped himself before leaving. He saw how sad you were. He was itching to kill them all but he pulled your face to his and you were inches away from kissing him.

“I’ll make sure none of them would touch you again." He pressed his lips against yours as if this would be the last you’d see him. It was for a brief moment that you could understand his itch for a worthy fight. Many were risking their lives to save Asgard from falling to ruins. Thor held you close before pulling away to savour his thirst for blood from the giants running rampage.

“Make sure you come back,” you whispered while still being stubborn. This was a trait he liked about you. He smiled and didn’t respond before leaving the castle and you in the dark cold place.

[thechaoticdruid]

Something some people don't seem to get about Astarion is that he pretends not to care as a coping mechanism for guilt. He pretty much lies not only to us but also to himself. Probably hoping that if he says he doesn't care enough that the guilt will just vanish.

I honestly feel like these toxic coping habits also get turned up to eleven when he's ascended. So when you reject his offer to make you his spawn he deals with the pain by convincing himself that he didn't believe in love anyway.

Tav turns into a mind flayer and he can no longer bring himself to want to be with them. "Oh well they're disgusting so I don't care."

(I'd recently found out that if mind Flayer Tav peeks into A!Astarion's brain they find out he apparently still feels love so I guess he actually does feel the same way Spawn Astarion does about the situation. But of course AA is an ass about it.)

He can't turn Karlach so now he can't keep her with him forever. "It's not my fault it's yours!" *Proceeds to throw tantrum like a spoiled brat.*

Spawn Ending Astarion however learns to let himself be vulnerable and let it out since Tav actually makes him feel safe enough to do so.

So basically what I'm saying is Astarion is tsundere about his feelings if that makes sense. He keeps how he really feels guarded and insists he doesn't care when in actuality he does. And as THE VAMPIRE ASCENDANT these habits become even worse since he's done with the idea of being a good person entirely and just embraces his darkest impulses, but I doubt he can snuff out his humanity completely. He still comforts Tav if they end up bound to the incubus, he doesn't want Karlach to die and actually puts off his world-domination plans for her.

Anyway I think I made my point. I started this mostly because one of my guy friends who is also playing BG3 is convinced Astarion is 100% evil which isn't true. He definitely does evil things and is a selfish bastard but saying he's just evil isn't entirely accurate. (Granted this friend has yet to do an Astarion romance run so perhaps he's missing context.) Sorry if I might have got off topic or worded something strangely, but if you have anything to add to this comment below. 👇

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Hey! Hope you’re having a good day! Just wanted to say I’ve become obsessed with your psychology analysis on the Vees and VoxVal. I’m curious, since the relationship is definitely toxic, how do you think the cycle of relationship abuse would work with them? (Honeymoon phase, tension, incident, ex)

Awww I'm so glad you like my silly headcanons, I fucking love writing them <3

(headcanons in question because they are relevant to this post: Vox and NPD | Valentino and BPD | random Vees headcanons)

You know, I believe their relationship is toxic because neither of them is particularly well-adjusted. However, I wouldn't apply the cycle of abuse theory to them. As far as I know, that theory is used to describe relationships that are highly unequal with clearly defined roles of abuser and victim. For instance, during the tension phase, tension grows in the abuser while the victim "walks on eggshells," trying their best to calm the abuser and constantly living in fear of an incident. I can't really imagine Vox or Valentino being that frightened of each other. Actually, that's why I think they are meant to be together - they can handle each other.

That being said, I do believe they have some relationship issues. In episode 2, we witnessed Vox calming Valentino (by yelling at him so very toxic) when he was angry. Vox hates Valentino's unpredictability because he is a total control freak. While he finds Valentino's fiery temper extremely alluring, he also wishes Val would tone it down. He'd like to have a more reliable partner, especially because for him, falling in love was a significant and risky investment.

On the flip side, immediately after Vox managed to calm Valentino down, Valentino essentially provoked him into a temper tantrum. Look at this shit-eating smile; he knew damn well what he was doing.

Vox usually keeps his emotions hidden behind a polished facade, staying detached. Valentino, on the other hand, is all about intense emotions—loves passion, violence, and desperation. He digs Vox's cool business daddy vibe, but it drives him nuts when Vox gets all emotionally distant from him. Vox tries to guard himself because he knows Valentino can easily weaponize people's emotions against them, and he's lowkey scared of being vulnerable. So when he's going through some tough shit, Vox puts up this wall, becomes all distant, and then Valentino feels rejected and starts being a total jerk, pushing Vox away because he's hurting (if you've read my BPD Valentino headcanons, you get what I mean).

So those are the main sources of tension in their relationship. Sometimes one of them snaps. In Vox's case, it means complete withdrawal from the relationship and sinking into work (since he wants a perfect relationship, he rarely even admits he's angry, he's just like "It's fine I just don't have time to see you") which obviously drives Val crazy. Because he's obsessively in love. So to fix the situation he doesn't apologize (since Vox "wasn't even angry") - he just invites himself to Vox's apartment/office and seduces him by acting nice and submissive so Vox can feel in control again.

In Valentino's case, snapping means a violent outburst (though, I don't think he's physically abusive because he knows Vox is not afraid of him and could easily bite back or, even worse, leave him for good). These outbursts make Vox furious because he can't stop them. Then, they end up yelling a lot, throwing stuff around, and sometimes even breaking up. After that, Valentino goes on a week-long bender, just partying and hooking up with dozens of people. Vox, being obsessed, watches everything, and his jealousy always gets the best of him. He finally breaks and sends someone to bring Val back home. Or he personally intervenes, kills whoever Val is fucking, gives him a giant bouquet of roses, and goes all out to prove that he's the best guy Val could ever have. Vox is a showman, so he acts almost like a charming and obnoxiously rich mafia boss from a smutty novel, who wants nothing more than to please his princess with grand gestures.

Oh also I think Val is very sensitive about Vox treating him "like a woman." He's actually very secure in his masculinity; he feels comfortable enough to present himself in feminine ways while still acting masculine. Like I mentioned, he's queer and he totally owns it. On the other hand, Vox still grapples with some deeply internalized heteronormative ideas, occasionally treating Valentino like his bitch. Valentino hates it because he's aware of Vox's sexist tendencies, and he refuses to allow Vox to treat him as though he's beneath him. He genuinely believes in the concept of an equal partnership in their relationship and can't stand Vox's attempts to alter the power dynamics in his favor.

If you like this post you may also like my VoxVal fanfiction

[seijorhi]

Just wanted to let you know that that oikawa soulmate drabble you just posted is such a banger. I can just imagine the look on oikawa’s face as he’s reading the caption on his soulmate’s socials . . . Does he decide then and say, f waiting gotta go find her and remind her of their agreement? Does he blast her name out after winning his next game, saying it’s because of her that he’s been able to accomplish so much and then conveniently shares a reel of that victory speech to one of your friends who likes volleyball and happens to be friends with his fake profile?

There are so many ways this scenario could go and it’s always so interesting and thrilling the way you leave your drabbles open-ended✨✨

Thank you for sharing!

well first of all there's the epic tantrum he throws. tears, snot, a shattered phone. basically wrecks his bedroom, tears at his hair and screams into his pillows. a very measured, healthy response.

ONCE he calms down (which he will, eventually) that's when he gets plotting. oikawa's not a man who takes losing well, he's also not the type of guy to hit back with only one

up until that point, he'd managed to talk himself out of physical stalking. the online stuff was fine, because you'd made it public, you'd posted it and put it out into the world, but actually following you home, finding out your day-to-day routine – when he can afford to, those rare, precious days off – that would've been creepy. or... crossing a line, at least. a step too far. but now he knows there's some asshole trying to weasel into his girl's life, take his place–

six months, six months, six months, six months, six months, six months

–he doesn't feel all that torn up about it. and while he spends his time between volleyball and you, he's sure he can spare some cash to throw at a pi to look into your boyfriend too. surely the asshole's got a few secrets he can use against him. no one's perfect, and everyone's exploitable. he could probably pay one of the girls at that asshole's office to get him in a compromising position, take a few photos and send them your way. he could probably pay someone to drag him into an alley on his way home and beat the fuck out of him too, but that one's a little dicier. more of a 'plan b' situation, he thinks.

he's always been pretty tight lipped about his soulmate status. his teammates have undoubtedly caught a glimpse or two, but they know he doesn't talk about it, and it's too personal a thing to just casually drop into conversation. publicly, he's never said a word.

until now.

he'll make it sound like a cinderella moment. one of those missed connections stories people go nuts over. he'll say that he saw you through the crowds after one of his games, just a glimpse before you were swallowed up. never got your name, never even had a chance to speak to you, but your eyes met for a split second, a heartbeat, and he knew you were his soulmate. now he's desperately trying to find you again, enlisting his fans and followers' help to do so.

he'll sprinkle in enough vague-ish details for the people in your life to pick up on and recognise. maybe start nudging you towards him.

he'll admit, with a soft, self-deprecating chuckle that you were there with another guy – a date, probably. it's why he held off trying to find you at first, but he... he just can't anymore. he doesn't care if you're with someone else.

he's totally swept up in you, it's all he can think about. he's already completely in love with you, and he doesn't even know your name.

it sounds crazy, he knows that, but he can't help it. he just needs to see you again. to learn your name. for you to give him a chance.

you're soulmates, and this is just the beginning of your love story.

[ch-4-eri]

Different — Abby Anderson.

Abby X female!reader.

Warnings: comphet, anger issues, owen jumpscare (sorry) shouting, arguing, angst.

Word count: 1.2k

This fic is lowkey trauma dumping, self projection as it’s finest but hey we’ve all been there, also excuse how short it is I’m still learning how to write all over again after leaving it for a hot minute, but please do enjoy this.

You miss her. You really do, you had no other idea as to what made you and Abby’s friendship seem like it was something you’d made in the back of your mind.

Which is stupid considering everything, you knew the source of the problem, how deep he rooted his claws into her, Owen fucking Moore.

He was a senior at some point before he met Abby at a game you both went to. Soon enough he graduated which meant you’d never see Abby after school and or even the entire day as they got together. It dragged on until you noticed how moody she got, more angry than usual and you always knew Abby had temper problems.

You’d see them right outside of school, and he’d just leave her there, and you couldn’t interfere at all— you thought Abby wouldn’t like that, wouldn’t accept help in such situations.. and you were rather drifting, you’d let her figure it out on her own.

You just wondered if she misses you as well? And was Owen really worth it? Forget friendship… Abby was doing horribly in almost everything she used to like to do, her quarterback duties? Yeah, she was often arguing with her team, constantly throwing tantrums after or before games when there’s crowds watching it and the scene’s too awkward. People leave earlier than usual and it’s always intense if the argument is before the game. Even argues with the cheerleaders and their choreography as it’s not something she can pick, only the cheer coach. Abby was disturbed in many aspects, and all you could do was blame Owen.

You also wondered if it’s also Owen or something else? Was he treating her right? You doubt it, putting in mind how much she seems so temper ridden towards everything.

It was a random night you so badly wanted to check up on her, maybe hang out with her like you used to, it was all so awkward and you had no idea how else to resolve such already fucked up friendship.

You pulled up to her door with your bike, the sound of her and Owen arguing was loud enough you could hear what they were arguing about, Abby’s voice too familiar to just get over.

As you made your way out of your bike and to the front door, it slammed open with a very angry Owen stomping out, making you glare at him as he matched your glare and walked away.

Your eyes rolled and walked inside, finding Abby leaning against the counter. Still heaving in anger as she saw you; not even saying anything as you closed the door he almost broke.

“What was that?” You first said, forget the i miss yous and the corny bullshit that used to be okay between you two.

“What was what?” Abby responded, her tone cold and just as pissed off as if she’s still talking to Owen.

“Why was he yelling at you? That’s not okay.” You added, crossing your arms, keeping your voice steady. You’re not here to fight, that was Abby. Your Abby.

Abby narrowed her eyes as she’s surprised to find you there, her disturbance erupts from many things and not being able to talk to you was one of them.

She knew she fucked up when she picked Owen over you, it wasn’t even a decision she made; she just woke up one day without you around, and just him there.

She didn’t like it.

She hated it in fact.

Abby knew Owen was not a soulmate.

But the realisation of losing you for him, that stung more, made her more angry and defensive.

She was too prideful to admit what she did was wrong, be with such a guy and then lose you slowly.

Every time she recalls how good you’d treat her over stuff Owen made her feel bad about it was a damn list she had in the back of her mind every time he said something she didn’t like in which you’d be so sweet about.

Like her working out habits and how she looks, you’d encourage her and ask to come with her to the gym, Owen would just make fun of her for not looking feminine enough.

You’d take care of her when she’s sick never leaving her side enough you’d also get sick and Abby would take care of you when she’s better, Owen would just ignore her texts all day because she’s too sick in bed apparently and she’s ’too big of a girl’ she can ‘handle’ it on her own.

How you made her feel good about herself for having a ‘strong best friend’ and how proud you were of her, while Owen was too insecure to ever say something kind about it, insecure how a girl looks like she could ‘toss him away with a flick’.

The minute she had to compare the two of you, it made her feel more agony than she liked to admit even between her and herself.

As you stood in front of her after such a long time she still knew that she should be sorry, hug you and act like nothing happened.

But she couldn’t; so much had happened, she knew she shouldn’t have let you go, not for Owen or anyone because knowing he was not her soulmate, you were.

You were just right, Abby was always so certain of that, no matter who she lost or who she had, you’d be there and she let go of that like it’s nothing and she can’t mend that now, she felt too unworthy of your friendship.

It can’t be fixed.

“So what? I was yelling at him too, stop with that feminist bullshit.” Abby cursed, rolling her eyes at your defence, she loved you for it; she needed it, but she had to push you away for how wrong she did you.

“It’s not feminist bullshit, Abby, he's treating you like dirt!” You argued, showing her what’s right in hopes she’d see it.

“It’s none of your business! You don’t even have a boyfriend, you don’t get it!”

“Oh low blow! The whole ‘I don’t have a boyfriend’ bullshit just so you don’t admit he sucks and he doesn’t treat you well and he’s too fucking old for you, I don’t know what the fuck is going on Abby but this isn’t you! Hanging out with jerks like him, we used to make fun of guys like him!” You argued, eyebrows furrowed that made Abby wanna go on her knees for your forgiveness, you were right.

She wanted to cry about how wrong she’d been, she wants you back, she wants to just end this and apologise but she did you too wrong to act like this is okay.

“Shut up, get out of here!” Was all Abby managed, she wanted to save you for any more insults that could leave her mouth right at this second, there’s so much she needed to fix but you had to leave right now.

You blinked a few times at her request, Abby never raised her voice at you and maybe she didn’t mean it, but it hurt so much, she could see it as well.

“Don’t come crying to me when he’s left you, and let’s be real he will. And he will find a girl his age or maybe a girl that wears stupid bow ties in her hair because let’s face it he’s a fucking weirdo and you fell for it.” You said as a tear sheds down your cheek. “He wants to change you, and he can’t, I don’t even recognize you anymore… you won’t find me there when he does.” Was all you muttered before breaking down completely at the loss you just have to endure, leaving her house and leaving her there.

[thatsdemko]

the more that keeps on giving - p.gavi

part three of the fake it mini series | previous part | next part

warnings: google translated Spanish

NOW

“what’s with that face?”

he knows the look on your face. he’s seen you give your brothers that same look, and he’s been on the receiving end of it a few times. it’s contorted sour look with anger mixed in, it settles into his stomach like acid that makes his heart drop.

“I’m not your girlfriend.”

you could throw your heels into his face— maybe poke out his eyes like you’d wanted done to you this evening—if you mustered up the energy, but you’re so tired from faking smiles and shaking hands that a glare into his soul will just have to do.

“oh,” his face falls, eyes focused on his hands into his lap, “I messed up, I know I’m sorry.”

an apology won’t cut it, and you’re too tired to form words, you just let him put the car in drive and take you back to your apartment. you listen in on the sound of the cars that whip past you while pressing your forehead into the cold glass.

he fights every instinct in his body to talk to you. he knows you just need space and he needed time to think over his words. why did he let that slip out? you were platonic friends who’d grown up together and hung out occasionally as adults, but you were definitely not dating. there was a time in his life where he wished he was dating you, but he knew every guy went through that phase with their girl best friends.

pulling into your apartment complex’s parking lot, he puts the car in park, “do you need me to walk you up?” he finally asks. it takes you a second to realize you’re home, after all that daydreaming about city life, and wishing you could’ve drank your way through the evening, you sat feet away from the entrance to your apartment.

“oh no it’s okay.” you shoot him a small smile collecting your things that had seemingly fallen onto the floor. the leather and black interior looked spotless compared to last night, you wondered when he had the time to take the car in for a cleaning.

“you sure?”

“positive.” you flash him a confirming smile while opening the passenger door, “drive safe, Pablo—“

“do you think you can do me one more favor?”

a sigh leaves your lips. you lower your head down so he can see the same sour mixed with angry expression, “does have to do with fake girlfriending?”

“and a hundred euros. you in?”

“text me the details.”

—

the hundred euros sit in the pocket of your wallet. you follow Pablo around with your sweaty hand in his and spend another two hours pretending to care about fashion, modeling, and a mixture of drama that bores you to death.

if this is what a wag life was like, you could for sure stop wishing for Ruben Dias every night before bed, this certainly was not the life you’d want.

“Pablo tells us you guys met when you were kids? what was he like?”

a snort escapes your nose, and trying your best to cover it up you situate yourself into a more comfortable position between the few of them that were eager to hear about young gavi’s antics. although they were all the same, tantrums and ankle biting you somehow survived it all to tell the tale.

“like he is now, but he’s much more tamed and mild than he was as a kid.” you glance in his direction and lucky enough for you, he knows those eyes need saving. it’s not uncommon for you to have a conversation about Pablo, in fact he’s a lot of your conversations now, but having to pretend you love him was unfamiliar territory.

“oh god I’m afraid to even know more.”

you feel a pair of strong arms wrap around your shoulders, a whiff of cologne that’s familiar and brings you to a calmer state. you relax into his arms and listen to his heartbeat against your head.

“I wasn’t a bad kid. misguided is what they call it nowadays.”

another uncontrollable snort leaves your mouth that makes you look up at him. he flashes a devilish smile that would’ve made you run when you were kids, but you stay seated now. you’re thankful the ankle biting and screaming was just a phase. you’re not sure when that anxiety stopped.

“I have a hard time believing y/n was ever misguiding you.”

“no not her! her brothers! she was little miss princess sitting on her throne.”

you roll your eyes playfully feeling the heat in your body rise. you hated this amount of attention. you know you’d have to get used to it since gavi was such an international superstar, but you couldn’t even handle five women pestering you with questions before needing saving.

“yet somehow I always became a victim to your ankle biting.”

the women find your comment amusing, and while Pablo doesn’t he just mutters a ‘whatever’ and presses a gentle kiss into your hair, “es-tu prêt à quitter la princesse?”

“si.”

—

“you survived another day as my girlfriend.”

you fight the urge to roll your eyes and just offer him your best fake smile, “hardly. thanks for saving me though.”

“eh with more practice you’ll get better.”

giving him a sideways look, that smile rises to his lips again and the anxiety that once was dug deep resurfaces to your stomach. that look is never good.

“relax I’m not going to bite your ankles,” he playfully pressed his hands to your shoulder giving you a shove, “but you are invited to sit in the box for el clasico. it’s important you’re there for me, all the girls are and it would be weird if you weren’t.”

“a hundred more euros?”

“you’re going to make me broke aren’t you?”

tags: @ncentic @footballerficsposts @chriss-club @xjval @morenofilm @leclercloml

want to be tagged? let me know here!

[kristlewrites]

“Slow it down, Make it bouncy”

CW: Lactation kink, Sub Zoro, Nicknames (mommy, papa, baby, sweetie),Smut, Family AU, Titty fucking, Oral (m!receiving), mommy kink (jus in case)

PAIRING: Zoro x Blk!FemReader

WC: 1.1K

🫧🗯️: I had so much fun wrting this one omg, im always weak for a flustered man. anyways, tyyy SO MUCH for the support ive been receving on all my fics! it means so much to me. so pls enjoy this and ngl i was falling for reader a lil bit like hold awn. Also going thru some of my previous work I do realize that i need to do a little proof read lmao..i apolgise if theres any errors on this.

MINORS DNI

(bounce)

You and your husband have been terrorized by your little infant, crying, screaming, and throwing tantrums. It was almost impossible to get her to calm down, but when she did it wasn’t for long. When she was asleep you would try your best to quickly tidy up all her toys and her highchair just so you can have some peace of mind. Zoro was also a great help too, when It came to take care of the baby. He would give her bubble baths, feed her, and keep her entertained while you're trying to catch up with some sleep. Even though with all the pain and frustrations you can’t bring yourself to be mad at the situation at all. 

But due to all of that you and Zoro had barely any time to even sleep in the same bed?!? As you were busy taking care of the baby, Zoro was also preoccupied with work. You guys had no time at all for each other! So you come up with a brilliant idea, you drop off your little baby girl at your parents house for the weekend, and clean up the house. You take a nice steamy shower and put on your most seductive lingerie you own and waited.

Alerted by the sounds of the keys clicking, you stay in the bedroom awaiting your husband.

Leisurely, Zoro twists the bedroom door knob flinching at the provocative sight. You laying in bed, in a too tight lingerie laying down. You get up immediately and greet your husband. “Hey baby, how was work?” you ask, giving him a fat kiss on his cheek.

“Uh It was fine” He says clearly startled by your appearance. “Where's Kamora?” He asks scanning the room. 

“I dropped her off at my parents, and trust me they are elated to see their granddaughter” You reply tapping him on his chest.

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to have some us time, we've barely had any time for the both of us, alone.” You pout “Plus I wanna treat you, since you've been working so hard lately” you say trailing you acrylic down his chest. “What do you say papa?” 

Zoro positioned on the edge of your bed with you on your knees. You drag both his pants and his boxers down, and you are met with his throbbing dick. Marveling at it in all its glory you reach for the base and spit on it using it as  a makeshift lubricant. Swiftly you start stroking in a vertical motion going up and down on his large cock. You can hear Zoro moan above, “You like it like this?, honey” you whisper but just loud enough that Zoro can hear. Nodding his head you hear him let out a small whimper “Yeaah let it all out for mama” You grin, with one hand still stroking, you bring your breast wrapping them around his dick.

      Bouncing up and down you envelop his dick within your large titties, going nice and slow. Using your hands you usher up your tits, swallowing up his poor penis. You feel it twitching, “Baby are you gonna cum?” You tease, pecking his tip. “It’s okay, cum all over mamas titties” and as if it was on command zoro came all over your chest. “It felt good didn’t it?” You ask, letting out a small giggle..

’Mhmm’ Zoro moaned.

Kissing his cock, you go down slowly leaving no area untouched and leaving salvia everywhere. Licking upwards you insert his tip between your lips. Gradually you admit his whole cock into your mouth. At a faster pace you start rocking back and forth, wrapping your warm tongue around his dick, taking it in so sloppily. Using your hands you enfold the rest of his fat cock and twist around in a fluid motion.You continue this for another thirty seconds until you feel zoro's dick tremor in your mouth. With no warning, you feel zoro's warm sticky cum lodges in your throat. Releasing his cock with a smooth ‘pop’ sound you smile, “Oh my god baby, you are so sensitive. Have you missed me?” You muse grinning upwards looking at your husband's flustered face.

“yes” Zoro shyly replies

“You are so cute papa” you marvel while rising up towards his face, leaning towards his lips and kissing him. He then opens his mouth and enters , bit by bit your tongue enters and works its way onto his. You push him down carefully so that now you are still on top of him. Still kissing, you bite down on his bottom lip and he lets out a small whimper.

You crawl down, now onto his pelvis region, you sensually remove your lingerie displaying your leaking cunt. You climb onto his dick, letting the slick from your pussy help ease it in. You gasp from sensation, continuing to position yourself upon his dick. You grab Zoro's still hands and situate them on your hips. “Cmon baby you can't expect me to take all this by myself” you pout a lil teasing zoro. Hearing your pleas he strengthens his grip on your hips and assists down his dick. 

“Ah” you cry out, feeling his dick all up in your vagina. Firmly you press your hands against his abdomen using it as support and start bouncing. You start going up and slowly, but once you get more comfortable you start going in a faster motion. Adjusting into smooth tempo, your ass smacking against his pelvis noises filling up the room, you whine from the movement. Feeling his dick sliding up and down your cunt. Wailing from how good it feels to be so full. Mesmerized, zoro studies your breasts as they follow the rhythm of your bounce. Guiding his fingers to your nipples, squeezing them. Milk spurts out.

“Mmm” You wail “You can't do that, it's for kamora sweetie” You say gasping, exhausted. Your legs are sore from the endless bouncing. Your hands still placed on his stomach, you pick up the pace, going faster. You feel Zoro squirming underneath you. “Cum in me, i want another one please.” You plead, leading one of your fingers towards your tummy where his dick bulge is displayed. This drives him crazy and he shoots it up your pussy, painting your walls white. Your orgasm comes flooding down just right after. “Agh” you squeal out, collapsing down on Zoro's chest.

“Not too much, what about kamora?” you whine, gently tapping the side of zoro's face. Latched onto your right nipple draining all you have. You guys are laying down under yalls sheets, zoro as the little spoon indulging himself into your boobs.

“But it's so sweet mommy” Zoro sulks, leaving a small saliva trail on your titty.

“Well when you say it like that, only a little bit more ok?”

Zoro nods, and resumes sucking. Whilst you comb your hot pink acrylics through his short stubby minty hair

[iambilliejeanok]

Hcs of what would happen if you accidentally farted on your Naruto dude during sex, please! :) Because I want to make everyone feel awkward.

Specific Naruto guys: Madara, Tobirama, Izuna, Sasuke and Itachi

Warnings: 18+, nsfw mentions pls, lots of farts it might get a little stinky

Madara

Madara is absolutely shocked. He just hasn’t formulated a way out of a situation like this yet. If you focus too much on the fact that you farted he’s also just gonna stop and look at you…And you two will just be there like

Your vagina does make those farty sounds when you two are at it sometimes, so if you play it cool he will definitely tell himself it was one of those instead.

If your fart was stinky mate…he will hold his breath for as long as he needs to and keep on doing what he’s doing. “Wow, you’re really losing control huh?”, he will tease and make you laugh involuntarily, laughing with you before diving in for a kiss.

“Don’t make me fuck the fart out of you”, he teases whenever he playfully threatens to put you in place. “Madara!”, you whine, “It was an accident okay!!”, you try to defend yourself. “An accident that I can and will make happen again so stop playing with me”, he laughs, holding his tummy at the sight of your embarrassed expression.

Itachi

“Stinky”, he teases before he places a kiss on your forehead and continues with whatever he’s doing.

He’s loves how normal you can be sometimes, and will try his best to not make you feel awkward about normal things like that.

He doesn’t pay too much mind to whether it smells or not. Even if it really wreaks, he will hide away any facial expression from you. He farts around you all the time anyway to it would be really unfair for him to make a big deal out of it.

He might actually fart too to try and level things out. He’s a strategist after all.

Tobirama

He might secretly have a bit of a fart kink….Yes. You fart in your sleep now and then and he just buries himself under the covers to get some good whiffs alright. Yeah. Especially the warm and wet farts those ones are his favorite.

If you fart during sex he becomes really awkward. Not because you farted but because he’s worried you might figure out that he’s trying to sniff it. You notice how weird he’s being and immediately apologize. “I’m sorry love, I didn’t mean to do that”, you softly say, “oh, uhm *clears throat* don’t worry it’s really okay” he quickly responds. Making you doubt if it really is… whole time he’s really into it.

Fart while he’s eating you out and he’s coming for that impatient hole next, shoving his tongue inside of it immediately!!! He just needs to taste it and it breathe it all in. Yes. He just

Sasuke

That shits over faster than you can apologize. You just killed the vibes real bad y/n. How dare you. If it’s a stinky fart he will literally turn you over and spank you ON SIGHT.

He will come back and finish where he left off once he’s done throwing his little tantrum. At that point you’re also a bit turned off but he will force them orgasms out of you stop playing.

But if he’s seriously punishing you, you might need to consider farting, it could possibly free you from whatever torture he’s putting you through. Use your fart like a weapon y/n. It could help you more than you know.

[claudemblems]

"I Have a Crush on YOU!" ft. Ace + Leona | Twisted Wonderland

"All you talk about is your crush! Why don't you just go tell him how you feel already?!" "Fine, I like you!" "???"

Summary: Tired of listening to you going on and on about your mystery crush, Ace and Leona suggest that you should just confess your feelings already, and so you do...

They just weren't expecting that your crush would be on them.

Content: Fem!Reader. Slight angst (arguments) with a hint of fluff. Ace and Leona are oblivious fools (they're trying their best)

Notes: I officially started playing Twisted Wonderland not too long ago (I'd been watching playthroughs on YouTube) and I've had so much fun with the game :3 I love my TWST boys so much

ACE TRAPPOLA

Ace wasn't sure how much more of your "girl talk" he could take before he finally lost his sanity.

For the past 15 minutes, you'd dramatically fawned over your unnamed crush without ceasing, taking every opportunity to highlight his good traits, his charming personality, even commenting on how his borderline idiotic tendencies still managed to somehow look endearing in your eyes.  Honestly, the more you talked about this guy, the more Ace began to wonder what in Twisted Wonderland you actually found attractive about him. He almost felt inclined to inform the headmage about your concerning mental state, but then he remembered Crowley had a knack for making every situation even worse.

So Ace had endured and endured until he couldn't anymore, desperate to finally put your incessant ramblings to a rest.

"He's so oblivious but also so sweet in his own way. I just like everything about him! I don’t think any of his flaws could make think of him any less—”

"Okay, Prefect! I get it, alright? You like him!"

You stopped midway through your sentence, brows furrowing at Ace’s sudden outburst. "I'm sorry?"

"You talk about this guy day and night! Don't you ever get tired of listening to yourself say the same thing?"

"What? Does talking about my crush annoy you that much?"

Ace groaned, letting his body flop back against the couch in protest. "That's not what I said. I'm just tired of coming over to Ramshackle only to listen to you gush about some guy I don't even know! How am I supposed to have a conversation with you if it's so one-sided?"

The room grew quiet for several moments, Ace hoping that the silence meant you were thinking of another topic to discuss. But little did he know that the conflict he'd simply wanted to resolve had just turned into an ominous storm.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for letting you know I like 'some guy.' I thought you'd be interested because you're my friend."

Ace's irritation grew increasingly by the minute, and he could barely stop the barrage of heated words falling off his own tongue. "Friends get tired of hearing the same thing every day!" 

"Friends care about what each other have to say, unlike you!"

"Would you stop throwing a tantrum like a child?"

"Would you stop being such a jerk?"

"How about this: if you like this guy so much, why don't you just tell him?!"

"You know what? Fine. I like you, Ace Trappola, for better, or obviously, for much worse!"

As soon as the words reached his ears, Ace's heart skipped in his chest, the reality of the situation finally dawning on him. He then bolted upright, staring at you with pupils blown wide. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Unfortunately, he didn't receive an answer. You'd already marched your way over to the front door, ignoring the sound of Ace scrambling to his feet behind you.

"Prefect, wait!"

The only answer Ace received was a door slamming shut in his face, leaving him in a thick and almost unbearable silence. He could only watch through the windows as you hurried away from the dormitory grounds, no doubt going out to seek some peace and quiet.

“I like you, Ace Trappola.”

He had to be dreaming…right?

"I know you're an idiot,” a voice piped up next him, clicking their tongue in disapproval, “but I didn't expect you to screw up this badly.”

Ace turned to see Grim floating beside him, shaking his head and loudly sighing. "I told her she was going to end up getting hurt falling for you of all people."

"I don't wanna hear sass from you, tanuki."

"Well, was I wrong?"

He wasn't, and that was a hard pill for Ace to swallow.

You'd liked him, him of all the boys in that school, of all the boys in Twisted Wonderland, and of your own world, too. You saw something in him that made you so, so happy….

So happy that you'd spent every day gushing about how much you liked him. 

And what had he done in return? Minimized your feelings and asked you to shut up already.

Screwing stuff up was just the Ace way of doing things, but he couldn't allow himself to continue on this way, not when his stupid actions ended up hurting you.

Especially because he liked you just as much, maybe even more. 

At first, he'd tried to push his feelings away, likening them to puppy love or a phase that he'd grow out of in the next week or so. But he found that every time he looked at you, his breath would catch in his throat, his heart would drum fast beats against his chest, and all he could think of was how much he wanted to hold you close and finally admit that he was mesmerized by you—every single part of you—and that no one had ever managed to make him feel that way before. But he might have just blown his chance at confessing with the shameful words he'd thrown your way. 

No...he couldn't give up. At least, not before he tried to set things right.

"Grim," Ace began, already formulating a foolproof plan in his head, "if I said I already had 10 cans of tuna with your name on them, would you be willing to be my wingman for the day?"

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

Were all herbivores this insufferable when it came to being in love?

You were one of the few people Leona genuinely liked. Most people he tolerated, a select few he couldn't stand to be in the same room with (sorry Malleus), but you intrigued him, challenged him in his thinking and his own perception of himself. It annoyed him to no end, but it also left him wanting to know more about you. Plus, you were a lady, and he'd been raised to respect any woman he had the pleasure of meeting.

But keeping his composure was an impossible task when you couldn't spare him a mere five minutes of silence. 

"My friends don't understand what I see in him. I'd probably think the same if the roles were reversed. But maybe I just see good things about him that they don't. If only they knew what a kind person he really is deep down, maybe they'd—"

"Hey, herbivore, are you gonna keep torturing me with your sappy love stories, or are you gonna let me finally get some sleep?"

"Uh...I..."

Leona briefly opened an eye at you as he took in your confused expression, shifting around on his bed as made himself more comfortable. "I don't know why you'd talk about that sort of stuff to me of all people. You've got those Heartslabyul guys to gossip to, don't you? They'd be interested in hearing your woes."

"I didn't know talking about my crush made you so irritated," you said, face falling in shame and embarrassment.

"It's just irritating when I'm trying to get a nap in,” he yawned as if to further prove his point. “I don't know what you're trying to accomplish by telling me all this anyways."

"I'm telling you because you're my friend..."

"And friends get tired of each other sometimes and need their own space, and you refuse to give me any."

His words carried a bite to them, and you’d nearly shot back at him in your anger. But you held your tongue, reserving your energy for a better cause.

"...You're right. I'm sorry for disturbing you. It seems that you don't return my feelings at all anyways, so I won't talk about them again."

Leona's eyes shot open at your admission, and suddenly a weight felt as if it had fallen onto his chest. You liked him? He was this mystery person you'd been praising nonstop every time you came over to the dorm?

He was a massive idiot, even more so than those two Heartslabyul boys who'd nearly been expelled on the first day of classes.

And Leona actually admitting that to himself said a lot.

"I'll be going now."

"Herbivore, wait." Leona reached out to grab your wrist, but you'd veered out of his way, hurrying out of the botanical gardens. Just as soon as you'd confessed, you were gone, and Leona was left to ruminate on all of his mistakes he’d made in a matter of seconds.

He was a prince with all the money and power in the world he could ever want, but none of it could help him figure out how to undo this mess and make things right.

If only you knew he cared for you, too, more than he wanted to admit. His naps weren't the same without you there beside him, and the dorm felt empty without your presence. You livened up the atmosphere with your warm smiles and laughter, and night after night, your face would be the last thing he envisioned before finally succumbing to a restful sleep.

As much as he'd tried to push down those pesky feelings building in his heart, he'd eventually come to realize they were there to stay. And, truthfully, all the more glad for it. He’d never imagined falling for someone, afraid that no one would want a second-rate prince, yet there he was, yearning for the chance to love and be loved by you.

Now he was left with two choices: letting you go, or picking up the scattered pieces of your heart and piecing them back together as best as he could.

And letting you go was an option he couldn’t even think to consider.

“Well, I guess it's time to finally be honest about my feelings for once,” Leona said to himself, rising to his feet with a newfound confidence. “And if everything goes well…” a small smile formed on his face at the picture that came to life in his mind, “then there’ll be one more person to add to my pride."

[zahri-melitor]

ooo yeah I noticed the birds of prey thing too. before I sat down to read it I definitely had the conception of them as the "fuck yeah girl power!" team and I was thinking about the. higher presence of male characters as members of the team? I almost made a post about it myself recently but I had trouble figuring out how to say it in a way that didn't feel to me like "but what about the men!!1!"

anyways yeah 👍 I'd never call any of them the heart of the team per se but they are still important parts of it imo

Yeah, exactly. It's hmm, more organically driven out of the scenario in say Dixon's run, where Jason Bard is present (because he and Babs used to date in the Bronze Age) but also they're friendly exes! And Bard is running his own detective agency where he mentored under Dinah's father! There are solid reasons for Bard's inclusion, but also the story does not focus on him particularly.

Or Ted being an outright member of the team...on the computer tech side with Barbara, because he's officially retired as Blue Beetle.

It makes sense. They're contributing skills and they have reason to be present.

Or in Simone's run, it's full of women (including the post Dinah/Ollie marriage section where Dinah's left the team to go be in GA/BC and Barbara is reacting extremely normally to not having Dinah around and certainly not throwing a tantrum and pushing people away by recruiting a bunch of people she has emotional distance from), but Babs is also focused on reforming Savant and Creote. They were bad guys! They were introduced kidnapping and injuring Dinah! And yet their contributions as team members are built up over time.

It's not so much 'what about the menz' as much as 'why only women?'

(It is also marked that this happens in the transition from Birds of Prey as Barbara's Op Team, the team Babs put together to accomplish her own goals, to a more generic 'oh this is the girl character team' situation, where the team's formed in n52 by Dinah and there's that whole alternate canonical Harley Quinn BOP run, to the point that Kelly Thompson and team got a bit surprised by the level of frustration and requests for 'where is Barbara? where is Helena?' over the 2023 team, because the viewpoint has shifted so much from This is The Team Barbara Directs to DC's Premier Women Team)

[ssuperficialspacecadett]

Friday Fight Night

Chapter Four of the Through the Scope series | Chapter Five

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3.4K

Chapter Overview: You help Benny and the guys get ready for FFN.

Notes: this chapter is just a bit shorter than what i usually like to post, but i didn't have a lot of time to write this week & i'm actually content with where i ended it ! sometimes u just have to stop a little short so u don't just start typing random shit to meet a bullshit word count u give urself u know? i updated the tag list so if i missed u PLZ LET ME KNOW & i will add u asap !! well as usual...my asks are always open & happy reading <3

*no use of y/n & female presenting reader*

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Why is this so difficult? It's just like every other day at work, except for the fact that it's not. You have been standing in front of your closet for a good 10 minutes now just looking at your clothes. Suddenly nothing seems good enough to wear. Maybe something would be good enough if you knew how to dress for a fight. Should you wear workout gear? No, you weren’t the one fighting. Should you wear a tank top and a tennis skirt? Probably not if it gets as rowdy as Benny says it will. 

“Just pick a fucking outfit, you idiot.” You chastise. 

After yet another once over of your closet you pick out a worn, white t-shirt with an image of Speed Racer on it. It had definitely seen its glory days years ago when you were still in college. If it worked then, it should work now. You take it off its hanger, along with some jeans, and put it all on. You’re tying your shoes when your phone chimes next to you. 

???: Hey, we will be getting to the gym around closing time. Are you staying to help Benny set up? 

???: Oh, this is Frankie BTW

Seeing his name on your screen makes your chest tighten with excitement. You obviously gave him your number so he could text you, but now it feels so real. Something about Frankie texting ‘BTW’ makes you giggle to yourself as you sit on the floor.

You: Yes, I figured I would make myself useful. No point in going home since the fights start at 10:00 P.M. and I might lose my parking spot.

You have to set your phone down before you overthink the most basic text you have ever sent in your life. Just for good measure, you leave it on your bed while you go into the bathroom. Despite your best efforts to remain nonchalant about the whole situation, you find yourself putting on a little more makeup than usual. By the time you have wrapped up and returned to your room an unread text is waiting for you. 

Frankie: Good thinking. See you tonight then.

The rest of your morning has a bit more pep in it than before.

***

Your day at the gym passes by as usual. The only two exceptions were a truck load of last minute Friday Fight Night tickets sales and then compliments on how the gym was smelling. You made a mental note to smack Benny upside the head for throwing such a temper tantrum about it. In between customers you found yourself checking your phone more than you regularly do. You told yourself that it was just because you were excited about the fights and were counting down the minutes and not because you were hoping to receive another text from Frankie. Unfortunately, lying to yourself never really works out. 

In an effort to keep yourself occupied, you answer emails from people that are applying for a gym membership, make laps around the gym to see if you need to replace any of the wipes used to clean the machines, and collect all of the dirty towels for a load of laundry. Much to your dismay, these tasks don’t take very long to complete. By 3:30 P.M. you reluctantly slink back to the front desk where the single most unwanted guest is waiting. 

“There she is! My favorite receptionist! I’m still interested in knowing your name, darlin’.” 

“Good afternoon, Brunson.” You plop yourself down in your chair and pull up the schedule on the computer. “Just working out today? I don’t see that you’re with Benny.”

“You caught me. I want to make sure that I’m in good shape when I fight in a few weeks time.” 

For a few blissful seconds you allow yourself to indulge in the idea of Brunson getting clocked, hard, right in the jaw. 

“Well, enjoy yourself.” You scan his card quickly in an attempt to move him on his way.

“I always do so when you’re here.” He clicks his tongue at you while he walks past your desk. 

“God, he’s insufferable.” You mumble to yourself.

It’s 4:00 P.M. when Benny finally ventures up to the front lobby with you.

“Where have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you all day, man.”

“Because you haven’t,” He covers his face with his hands and whines into them before coming back up for air. “At first I couldn’t find where the white board I used to write out the fightin’ pairs was. Then there was somethin’ wrong with the beer delivery and they kept me out back for fuckin’ ever. That isn’t even coverin’ all the one on one sessions I've had today or the ones I’m still goin’ to have.”

It’s breaking your heart to see how stressed out he’s getting with all of the things he has to juggle today. You get out of your chair, walk over to him, and rub on his shoulder comfortingly. 

“It’s going to be alright, Benny. I’m staying after work to help you set up and Frankie told me that the guys are coming to help around closing too. You won't be in this alone for much longer.”

He places both of his hands on his hips and exhales deeply.

“Thank you,” You can see the earnestness in his eyes. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. That’s what friends are for, right?”

He smiles down at you from his 6’2 frame and before you can move he pulls you in for a deadly tight hug.

“Benny!” You can’t stop laughing. “Let me go this fucking instant!”

“Friends like hugs from other friends, right?” He yells over your incessant protesting. 

“I’m going to kill you, you know that?!” Your tone of voice doesn’t even sound remotely serious. 

Eventually you get him to unlatch himself from you so the two of you can finish up the work day in order to prepare for this evening.

***

You stand back proudly and admire all of your handiwork. Benny put you in charge of setting up the beer table, so set up the beer table you did. You designed a poster to hang on the wall above the table so people would be able to clearly see their options and their respective prices. You set a long, metal tub in the center of the table and filled it halfway with ice. Then you made a little arrangement out of the beer and poured the last half of the ice on it to keep it cold. The cash box was fully stocked and set to the side. All in all, you did a pretty good job. Thankfully, one of Benny’s regulars volunteered to work it this evening.

“All done over here!” You call over to Benny. “How’s the sign coming?”

You watch in horror as he stands up to reveal a barely legible fighting roster. He must have seen your face flounder when you looked at it because he just tosses the dry erase marker over to you and crosses his arms. 

“Oh, Benny I-”

“I know it looks bad. I’ve never had a knack for all this creative shit.”

You squeeze his hand as you pass him while heading to the white board. He slides over the roster that has been printed on paper for you to use as your guide. You’re so engrossed with your new task that you don’t notice when the guys come in around 8:30 P.M..

“You sure are givin’ Benny a run for his money this evenin’. The place hasn’t looked this put together in…well ever.” That sugary, sweet southern drawl could only belong to one man. 

“Thank you, Will!” You toss over your shoulder.

“Aw screw you, dude. Maybe it would have been if y’all had gotten here when y’all said you would.” Benny notes.

“Blame Fish.” Pope snickers. “He couldn’t find the perfect outfit.” 

That got your interest peaked. You turn around to look at what Frankie is wearing. Regular work boots, soft looking denim jeans, a black undershirt, a worn blue button up with the top few buttons left undone, and finally his cap- oh god he’s looking at you. If you had been a smarter woman, you would have noticed that two thirds of the group standing behind you were looking at your sign. That damned one third of the group was watching you trail your way up his whole body. He’s like an oak; completely unwavering as you take him in. 

“Well, I like it. ” You squeak out as you turn your attention back to the roster. “Now why don’t you guys go make yourselves useful and help Benny?”

You hear a unified ‘yes ma’am’ come from behind you followed by the scattering of three pairs of feet. There truly isn't anything more sexy than men who can follow orders.

All five of y’all work tirelessly for the next hour to get everything finished before the doors open to the public. When you cross off the last item on your to-do list, you decide that you have earned a drink. You sneak over to the beer table and open one of the coolers that you set up behind it that contains the excess bottles. Much to your dismay, the bottle caps don't twist off like you originally thought. You’re on your knees looking around in the extra bags and praying that Benny had the foresight to get a bottle opener when Frankie walks up next to you. 

“Lose something?”

“Just my dignity trying to locate the stupid fucking bottle opener.”

He laughs jovially as he extends his hand to help you up. You take it and sheepishly hand him your bottle when he motions for it. The two of you walk around to the front of the table and you watch as he easily takes out his keys and pops the cap open with a bottle opener he had attached to them. You notice that instead of tossing the cap in the trash he places it back in his pocket along with his keys. Right when he starts to hand the drink back to you he pulls it back towards him. 

“Hey! What gives?”

“I have to test it to make sure it isn’t poisonous or something.”

“Oh my god, you dick.” You lean back on the table behind you.

“You won’t be saying that when I save your life.” He takes a small sip and passes it over to you. “Nope. It’s not poison. You’re in the clear.”

Now it’s your turn. You turn to look out at the gym while you take a drink of your well deserved reward. 

“Wait,” You look over at Frankie. “What if it's a slow acting poison and now we are both infected? I guess you have to stay here and finish this with me so we can go out together.”

He leisurely reclines next to you on the table and takes the bottle in his hand when you offer it to him. “That's some pretty sound logic. I can’t argue with that.”

You try to stop yourself, but you watch as he brings the frosty glass to his pouty lips. They look more pink than usual against the dark color of the bottle. His hands make the beer bottle look so much smaller than it really is. Your eyes wander to that nose you’re so fond of. God, what would it feel like on your clit as he ate his fill of you? Now that you’re closer to him you’re able to see the gray that's intricately woven into his beard and hair. Would it tickle the inside of your thighs when he buried his face in your pussy? Feelings you haven’t had for a man in a long time rock through your body the further you sink into your fantasy. Drifting even further, his adam’s apple bobs as he swallows the chilled liquid. You want to decorate the sensitive skin with blossoming purple marks. 

“What?” He’s looking at you now. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No,” You say almost breathlessly. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t hog it all.”

“I would never.” The low baritone of his voice reverberates through you. 

Benny, thankfully, yells from across the gym at the both of y’all before you do something questionable. 

“Hey, lazy asses! It’s showtime!”

You and Frankie both let out a breath neither of y’all realized you were holding. He looks down at his watch and then faces his friend with a mild look of annoyance.

“It’s 9:30, man. It’s just the boxers and the ring girls coming in right now.”

You notice that Frankie’s body immediately tenses up after he says this. Confused, you look over at Benny who has eyes as bright as the sun and is making a beeline towards you. 

“I’m sorry.” Frankie whispers down to you. “I’m so sorry.”

“Benny? What are you-?”

“I have a proposition for you.” He says while gripping both sides of your arms. “Do you wanna hear it?”

“I don’t think I have a choice by the look of things.”

“Please be my ring girl.” He gasps.

“Oh my god.” You let your head roll back. “Benny, are you serious right now?”

“Don’t say no yet. Just think about it before you decide.” 

You roll your head over to face Frankie and raise your eyebrows. You’re met with a shrug that is just as innocent as his grin.

“Does this offer have an expiration date?” You inquire shifting your focus back to the man that currently has you in a vice grip. 

“Just think about it.” He pleads.

“Fine, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna say n-”

“La-la-la! I can’t hear you! La-la-la!”

“Don’t you have fighters to go hype up in the locker room?” Frankie cuts in.

“Nothin’ I hate more than when you’re right, Fish. Catch y’all in between the matches!”

With one final ‘think about it’, he bounds off into the locker rooms. All you can do is laugh hysterically at what just transpired. Frankie probably thinks you have lost your mind with the way you are doubled over right now. 

“Hey let us in on the joke, why don’t you?” Pope sits next to you on the table. 

“I could use a good laugh as well.” Will adds blithely.

“What you two could use is a reality check.” you walk around the table and grab a beer for each of them. “God, I can’t believe him.”

You hand Will and Pope their drinks completely forgetting about taking the tops off. Fortunately, that didn’t stop them. Will snatches Pope’s beer out of his hand and positions the bottles where one has its cap resting just barely on the edge of the other's cap. Then he slams them down on his knee and Pope’s opens with ease. After he hands the open one off, he pops his own with a thick ring he’s wearing. 

“I’m thoroughly impressed, Will. What the hell was that?”

“You just gotta learn to make due sometimes.” 

Frankie and Pope both mutter ‘show-off’ under their breaths as Will explains to you the physics behind his little trick. 

“Okay, now back to what Benny was talking about.” You adjust your stance so you can better face the group. “Are y’all in on this? This ‘ring girl’ shit?”

“Can’t say it wouldn’t be fun though.” Pope prods his finger at you. 

“Oh, yes I can.” You say swatting at him.

“You know, Benny. Once he sets his mind to somethin’ he’s pretty determined to see it through.”

“That doesn’t even begin to answer my question, Will.” You groan as you take the beer from Frankie’s hand. 

The movements between y’all are so natural, so fluid that it feels like something you have been doing for years. You see Pope, almost in shock, watch you as you take a drink.

“Can I get some of that?”

“No way, man.” You shelter the bottle against your body. “Three is a crowd and you literally have an open one in your hand.”

“Will’s right,” Frankie reasons with you. “Benny is as one track minded as they come.”

“Tell him to get on another track then.”

“How about this?” Pope counters. “You go into the locker room with Benny and see what it takes to be a ring girl. Then and only then will he accept your answer of ‘no’ if that’s still what you want.”

“If that will get him off my case then that's fine with me.” 

You start to turn towards the locker room doors when a blue sleeved arm reaches over your shoulder and plucks the beer from you. 

“Hey, give that back!”

“I just want to make sure you don’t hog it all.” Frankie’s tone is thick with sarcasm.

“I would never.” You grin.

Pope waits until you have cleared the locker room doors before he whacks Frankie in the shoulder. Unfortunately, Frankie doesn’t see it coming because he is too busy hoping to catch one more glimpse of you.

“If that's how you act around women you think are ‘just cool’ then I’m terrified to see how you act around women you actually like.”

“The fuck was that for? And the fuck are you talking about, man?” He massages the spot where Pope smacked him. 

“Will, please tell me you aren’t as blind as he is?”

“Sorry, Fish. I see it too.”

“See what?”

“That you look like a goddamn catfish whenever you look at her! Eyes all big and mouth agape.”

“I do not.” Frankie mutters. 

“Come on.” Pope folds his arms across his chest. “You think she’s cute.”

“What are we in middle school? You’re being ridiculous. Will?” 

“I’ll be honest, I wanna know too.” He flashes that signature boyish Miller smile.

All Frankie can do is laugh nervously while he removes his cap and runs his fingers through his hair. He knows that he’s in the middle of a losing battle and that he’ll have to concede. They are going to be ecstatic that a woman other than Rochelle has caught his eye. Especially when it's a woman that meshes so naturally with their group. No, what’s stopping him is that a part of himself wants to keep it a secret. To have something that is just his. No prying eyes, no unwanted advice, no consequences, and no one else has to get hurt but him. As soon as the acknowledgement of his affection for you falls from his lips, it's real. As selfish as it sounds, he wants to keep you at arms length. He feels like everything he touches breaks and he doesn’t want you to become the next casualty. You wouldn’t want him if you knew the truth about the things he has done. But then you smile or laugh and he can feel himself falling deeper and deeper into his delusions of grandeur. 

“Well, if you don’t like her then maybe I’ll ask her out.”

“No, you won't because,” Frankie puts his cap back on. “I think she’s cute. Are y’all happy? I like her.”

“Atta boy, Fish!” Will cheers. 

“I knew it!” Pope says as he pulls Frankie in for a hug. “She’s a good one, man.”

“I know she is. I just don’t know if I’m going to do anything about it right now.”

Will’s hand comes to rest on his shoulder. “Why’s that?” 

“I don’t want to fuck it up. To drag her into the shit show that is my life. I don’t even know if she feels the same way either!”

The two other men nod in understanding. Frankie takes a sip of the drink he stole from you and sighs as he looks up at the ceiling. 

“All I know is…is that I like her.”

“Shh!” 

“Pope, you were the one that wanted to talk about this!”

“Shut the fuck up! She's coming!”

“Y’all ready? I’m going to open the doors for everyone!”

The three of them use the time it takes you to unlock the doors and arrive back in order to regroup from their previous conversation.

“Did you,” Will clears his throat. “Did you like the view back there? See a future in being Benny’s ring girl?”

“I like the view from right here, thank you very much.” 

“So,” Pope rubs his hands together. “Who ready to see some dudes get the shit beat out of them?”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

{tag list: @cutesyscreenname @rsquared31 @smol-beb @bitchwitch1981 @avastrasposts @hoeslingz @saltybutteredtoast @javicstories @c-justhere @pimosworld @modernperplexity @beboldbebravethings @modernperplexity @mxtokko @moonliqhtszn @tanzthompson }

[fast-moon]

DS9 Season 2 Thoughts

I've made it through the second season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine after missing out on it during its original run due to being too young to understand it at the time. Let's see how it holds up now!

1. The Homecoming: Kira goes to rescue a Bajoran prisoner who she hopes can unify the planet, but it turns out all the legends about him are just that, and he's just some guy who's not up to the task. But Sisko knows how religious people work, and insists he play the part anyway, since they won't be bothered about whether any claims about him are real or not.

2. The Circle: The plot continues to be too real as a government official conspires with the leader of a small but vocal conservative religious sect to use terrorism to overthrow the government and install themselves. Even the more liberal religious leader still has naughty fantasies.

3. The Siege: The three-parter misses the landing by naively believing that religious extremists attempting to overthrow the government would actually reconsider if shown proof that they're secretly being funded by an enemy power who wants to use them to destabilize the country.

4. Invasive Procedures: Okay, seriously, is Dax just utterly emotionally dissociated from her current body? She shrugs off constant sexual harassment and objectification, she was indifferent about being executed for a crime she didn't commit, she didn't treat Bashir's sexualized replica of her as any kind of violation, and now she's like, "Welp, this guy wants my liver squid. Oh well, bye, guys." Also, I get that Quark's an entertaining POS, but there are certain things he's done that he really should be facing consequences for.

5. Cardassians: Our fabulous Cardassian tailor returns! I'm not sure how I feel about sending the kid back with his bio dad, but if it had ended with him staying with his adoptive family, I'm not sure how I would have felt about that, either. It was a crap situation for that poor kid either way.

6. Melora: The station crew trip over themselves trying to improve the accessibility of the station for a new special needs crew member. Gosh, if only they were that worried about its accessibility for their permanent crew member who still has to contort himself into unnatural shapes on a daily basis in order to utilize its systems. #JusticeForOdo

7. Rules of Acquisition: Quark's new business partner starts hitting on him. His partner then turns out to be a woman, which actually ends up making it even more scandalous.

8. Necessary Evil: Oh, cool, a film noir episode that shows what the station was like under Cardassian rule. Quark finally gets some comeuppance but is saved by plot armor. Odo explores his inner Columbo. He was also apparently a lab subject and then a sideshow attraction before Gul Dukat hired him as security, so good lord, someone give this poor slime a break.

9. Second Sight: A woman in an unhappy marriage literally dreams up a self-insert OC to pair with Sisko.

10. Sanctuary: An entire nation of refugees comes through the wormhole and demands to settle on Bajor because it's their holy promised land. They get denied, then get pissy because one deeply religious group annexing territory from another deeply religious group and then having to live side-by-side has historically worked out so well in the past.

11. Rivals: Prince Humperdinck brings aboard a gatcha game that breaks the universe's RNG.

12. The Alternate: It's finally Odo's turn to get infected with the crazypox that he usually has to save everyone else from. Although, even without the crazypox as an excuse, I think he's earned the right to throw a violent temper tantrum after all the bullshit he's had to put up with. Also, "Wasn't that pillar over here before?" "It was in my way; I had it moved." is living rent-free in my brain due to how deliberate the inclusion of this exchange was yet how utterly pointless it ended up being. A red herring is one thing, but the entire pillar subplot simply vanished entirely following this scene and it left me so confused.

13. Armageddon Game: Aliens gift Sisko a deepfake video of how they would have killed O'Brien and Bashir if they were actually halfway competent about it.

14. Whispers: O'Brien becomes paranoid that everyone is conspiring against him, and it turns out he's right. Nice subtle touch to having him repeatedly order coffee throughout the episode, since his coffee habits in the previous episode were what initially clued them in that he was a fake.

15. Paradise: Sisko: "Excuse me, are y'all with the cult?" Alixus: "We're not a cult, we're an isolated commune that rejects technology and--" Sisko: "Yeah, this is it."

16. Shadowplay: Odo and Dax figure out everyone in the village is a hologram because the episode title gave it away. Also, I really hope that Odo remains aro-ace and the rest of the crew come to respect that, instead of constantly teasing him about his lack of a sex life and ultimately forcing him into thinking he needs a relationship to be happy. He already has to contort himself into uncomfortable shapes to conform. Don't force him to contort into conformity any further. #JusticeForOdo

17. Playing God: Huh. So there are rats on space stations. Also, Dax discovers a potentially universe-destroying proto-universe and decides to dump it in the Gamma Quadrant for them to deal with.

18. Profit and Loss: Quark teaches us that when a woman says "no", she really means "yes" if you hound and threaten her long enough.

19. Blood Oath: Curzon Dax continues to posthumously make me question Sisko's choice in friends, as Jadzia Dax now feels obligated to attend a Klingon murder party that Curzon RSVP'd to.

20-21. The Maquis: Humans set up colonies next to a known bear cave, whine that the Federation won't protect them from the bears, start an anti-bear movement.

22. The Wire: Bashir goes into a panic after his boyfriend ODs. Honestly, Bashir really needs to stop chasing women and recognize he has way more chemistry with Garak. He's always been annoyingly shallow and self-serving to the point that I wouldn't trust him as a doctor no matter how skilled he was. But this episode actually let him give a damn about someone without objectifying them, which is good progress. Hopefully it sticks. Also, Sisko's proclamation to keep Quark locked up "forever" in the previous episode didn't seem to last very long. But at least now I know where the "Especially the lies" meme comes from!

23. Crossover: Bashir learned nothing from the previous episode and goes right back to womanizing and talking incessantly about himself. Damn. Kira's meets her mirror universe counterpart who instantly falls in love with her, which... same.

24. The Collaborator: The liberals lose the election because they're more concerned with their candidate being 100% unproblematic than preventing the entire planet from falling under the rule of a goddamn religious tyrant. (throws table in a fit of "this is too real")

25. Tribunal: O'Brien goes on vacation to Planet Kangaroo Court, which is actually a bit more relaxing than what he usually has to put up with.

26. The Jem'Hadar: are truly truly truly outrageous. And really want to meet a Klingon, and I know we're getting Worf eventually because he's on the series splash screen. But until then, bring on the Dominion!

I found Season 2 generally a bit better than Season 1. I was really uncomfortable with Bashir in Season 1, and he was a bit more tolerable in Season 2. Downright redeemed in "The Wire", then he regressed immediately in the next episode, so I still have a fairly low opinion of him. Dax is another character I'm having trouble caring about since even after two seasons I still have no clear idea of "What would Dax do?" in any hypothetical situation.

Like, if a bunch of monkeys got loose on the station, I can imagine that Sisko would order a containment field and then go monkey-hunting with Kira, who would spend the whole time exasperated like, "Really?! Monkeys?!" O'Brien would technobabble together a monkey trap while grumbling about how this sort of thing always happens to him, Bashir would tell a long-winded story about how there was a similar incident with Emus back at the academy and how much of an adventure it was and he ended up saving the day and then a bunch of women were swooning all over him, Quark would stash a couple of monkeys away to sell later, and Odo would have grumpily already rounded them all up because he's the only competent crew member (and relieving Quark of his monkey stash). And Dax would just... kind of stand there I guess. Maybe quip about how one of her previous incarnations had a monkey. But she just doesn't have enough of a notable personality for me to go, "Yep, that's a Dax thing to do, all right." So far she still feels uncomfortably like a fetish character with little actual substance.

Also, the depiction of the Universal Translator analyzing a new language in "Sanctuary" made me even more perplexed as to how it even works. So, they started out speaking an unknown language, and over the course of the episode, the UT learned it and started translating it. Okay, cool. Except that implies that the aliens -- and probably everyone on the station -- are all actually still speaking their native languages and the UT is just real-time translating them all. But how does this work in a conversation? If Sisko speaks to Kira and Quark, how do they both hear something they can understand? Where even is the UT? They'll beam down to a planet and lose all their equipment but can still communicate with everyone fine. And how does the UT know to stop translating, like when someone will yell in Klingon for one sentence and then switch back to English?

I wonder if there's ever an episode where the Universal Translator malfunctions and everyone has to figure out how to communicate with each other. Heck, might be an opportunity for Dax to actually do something since she's the one most likely to be a polyglot.

Anyway, on to Season 3!