#ABP UP

[coleopterabyte]

ANTHRO BUG POLL 2024 SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN

Guidelines for what is considered "anthro" in this poll: -displays intelligent behavior in an environment where the character can communicate with other characters. This allows inclusion of characters like Buddy the jumping spider from Webbed. -must have features (besides wings and antennae) that diverge from the regular human body plan (essentially, no humans with an exoskeletal texture slapped on them). Use the Bog King from Strange Magic as a reference for how far this goes, anything less than his level of variation from being human is considered too human. -if character is from a piece full of bugs, they must be the protagonist(s) acting as a representative for all bugs in that piece of media. CAVEAT:

Ghost from HK is not allowed in the polls this year. They won last year, we all know the HK fandom is a powerful beast to not be trifled with. Let's see some other bugs get the spotlight.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Honestly, any way you feel like it. DM me, reply to this post, add it in the tags, send an ask, however. I'll be compiling everyone's suggestions (and the number of times a character has been suggested) into a google doc. An individual is free to submit multiple characters.

I'm hoping this year's poll will be mostly based on submissions, so if you end up seeing someone missing from this year's poll despite being in last year's, you'll know nobody submitted them.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Feb 1st, 2024.

[ask-cats-are-liquid]

(btw, u should take a break from all these asks!!)

Red, why do you bite the others, do you know they...may not like it? Σ(･o･;)

Also I wanna pet u!! :3

[pupuseriazag]

A friend told me about the Murata leak for Natlán and if its real I am going to be so fucking disapppointed but sadly not surprised.

I've been expecting them to AT FUCKING LEAST do some fucking research on mesoamerican fashion and not just do stereotypical eagle warriors (or worse, doing whatever the fuck is going on with that Murata leak). And listen if thats supposed to be the archon I m going to fucking explode

So many good designs could come just by taking the Mexica pantheon as reference. Since shes supposed to be the god of war she could take some symbolism from Huitzilopochtli! Since, you know, HE IS THE GOD OF WAR IN THE MEXICA PANTHEON

Thats of course assuming we were right about Natlán being based in Mesoamerica (which by the name makes sense since the suffix -tlán is often used in Nahuatl meaning "place of ---" (examples from my country: Suchitlan, Cuzcatlan, Usulutan, Amatitlan.) -tan being the Nawat variant.)

I just hope they dont go that fucking route or keep it a level where the most we can get is the traditional garments acquired AFTER the spanish conquest, ponganle un poco de empeño por la gran puta, que hay un REVERGASAL de donde sacar si se ponen a investigar por lo menos una pinche media hora leyendo codices y libros sobre mesoamerica.

And thats assuming they would only use the mexica culture as main inspiration tho, if they are planning to take ALL mesoamerican cultures (or at least, the ones we have more archives and info about) its going to be more difficult considering the differences in clothing/myths/makeup/weapons.

I am killing myself if they dont add weapons made from obsydian tho. A macahuitl at fucking least or a long tecpatl as sword

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume Meta 812 Disconnected

Ok so this would’ve been out a couple of days ago if it hadn’t been a super busy week at work and if a certain something relating to Bobby hadn’t distracted me so this didn’t get finished! It’s also a monster post - I got very carried away with colour theory - but it’s all done now - in the Knick of time before 813 starts - so lets dive in!

I will be focusing on costumes, but there will be quite a bit of set stuff in this meta because it is relevant as it interacts with the costumes, but also because yellow and blue colour theory really was out in full force in this episode which made me so very happy! We also had red and blue colour theory playing out as well in the first Buck and Eddie video call - but we’ll get to that in a little bit. 

Let’s start with orange and brown colour theming - the two colours I have spoken about in a lot of my other metas as being the overall colour theme for the season. Here in this episode we get a lot of orange and brown cropping up - especially in connection with Eddie. Most noticable is the amount of brown Eddie is wearing and the journey it goes on through the episode - both in terms of quantity of it, and also in terms of shade!

We see the first brown Eddie is wearing on his yellow ochre cream and brown plaid shirt  - the cream and yellow ochre are the more dominant colours, but the Brown is there. After that the next time we see Eddie wearing brown, it is again at the Diaz house. In fact at the Diaz house, we only see Eddie in shades of brown. The rest is below the cut to save your dash!

I have to say I love Ryans answer to the question about Eddies costumes for this episode. As a costumer it’s always great when you have an actor who is invested in what their character is wearing, how they wear it and why they are wearing a certain item. It makes the process collaborative and so much easier - you can really get to know what that actor is seeing in the script and how they are intending to play each scene - what their read on where the character is at and where they are going. Ryan talking about Eddie wearing different clothing in El Paso and how he wanted that to be a thing that we could see is exactly right - it is likely what ABP and her team were intending on doing to some extent, but Ryan specifically stating that he felt that should be the case makes it clear that he too is viewing Eddie as reverting and trying to fit himself back into that mould he broke free of. And the fact that we see the El Paso Eddie most clearly in the costuming when he is around his parents and when he is selling his car makes it even clearer where they are going with their intentions when it comes to costuming, and costuming Eddie in particular in this episode. More on that a bit later!

With the idea of Texas Eddie being different from LA Eddie firmly in mind, lets start with the costumes he wears when interacting with Helena and Ramon. This shirt with the yellow ochre is the brightest of all his outfits for the episode (technically the white tee is brighter, but the grey hoodie tones that outfit down making this one brighter!) and its interesting that we see it as his second outfit - at a point when he is still full of hope and optimism about reconnecting with Chris and the move being a good thing. This is Eddie in the closest colouring to yellow that we’ve seen him in a long time - it’s Eddie closest to his truest self - but even that is at cross purposes because of the check patterning - indicating that its not going to go well for him. In this scene he’s full of hope at beginning to reconnect with Chris and he is hopeful of the job at the firehouse and that having his own place will encourage Chris to move back in with him. After this - when the ps5 doesn’t work in getting Chris back to him and we see his parents undermining him at every turn, his colours mute and become dull and actually drain Eddie of colour as they are not a great choice for him tonally.

Which is exactly what we see with the final Diaz family scene which mirrors the first. This shirt, it is a much darker and more muted toned shirt - where before the yellow ochre and cream were the more dominant colours, here we have the brown being dominant with the beige and green taking a back seat. It’s a reversal of the ochre shirt in the same way that this scene is a reversal of the first scene. Where the brighter colours and lighter tone was indicative of Eddies hope and joy at being reconnected with his son and the possibility of a firefighting job - making him feel like he had stability and that he was succeeding, the darkening and more muted tone of this shirt is indicative of the impact his parents are having on him, and the fact that none of his hopes around his move to El Paso appear to be coming to fruition. The check pattern is indicating that what is happening in that scene is important and will come into play shortly and its also the first time we see Eddie in green toning in this episode - playing into the idea that the army version of Eddie is creeping back in - we’ve barely seen Eddie in green in seasons 7 or 8 - compared with how often we used to see him in it. In fact the only time we’ve actually seen him in green in the past two seasons have been in scenes that have played into that idea of a battle or conflict of some kind. For example - Eddie is in green in 704 when he arrives at the hangar, or he’s in green when he’s out on the boating lake with Kim, or when he’s trying to sublet his house - all scenes that are part of a building conflict within Eddies life.

So to have green appearing here is all about that thread of conflict starting to creep in. If that is meant to be the conflict we get with Chris discovering he’s not a firefighter but an uber driver (which is more an internal conflict) or if its about establishing the up coming conflict with his parents - Mom - remains to be seen - my feeling is its likely to be about both as they are likely connected. He is also not wearing his watch at this point either - which I will come back to in a moment.

In the middle of this we have this burgundy shirt - which is very brown toned. There is no check here, so its not about establishing check theory - although Ramon then takes up that check theory mantle and wears check is shirt is interesting to me and not only because it almost matches the mug! It looked much more maroon toned in the stills we got, but seeing it on screen, it is definitely more burgundy. Burgundy is a colour that is meant to represent power and sophistication. But it is also a colour that is connected to being prideful, introspection, being reserved and compassionate but also being a control freak. It also ties into the colouring I spoke about in my stills drop meta about the Diaz kitchen in 517. In that meta (read it here) I spoke about the darker red centred around Ramon being a symbol of poor health, while the brighter red in that scene surrounding Eddie was about him being in a healthier place, and that it was a symbol of Ramon missing out on things - on time and is what we’re kind of seeing in play here - this is Eddie not in a great place - his life is not going how he’d hoped - he’s struggling with connecting with Chris, he’s not a firefighter and he thinks that’s the only thing that Chris has ever been proud of him for so he’s failed there, he’s actively lying again and the job he has got is not going well and he had to give up the truck as part of that and he is having to let his parents provide for Chirs even further as he doesn’t have money coming in. He is also dealing with them undermining him, so it’s a symbol of everything compounding on him. To further add to this - he is not wearing his new blue strap watch - a symbol of the life he has left behind in LA (as it’s a firefighter watch). The fact that this scene and the brown check shirt scene are both missing the watch is pretty revealing. If you look at all the Eddie scenes across the episode you can see the watch in all of them, except these two - the two scenes when Eddie is at his lowest and feels like the biggest failure, when he isn’t having any success in anything - including getting to hear his son actually ask for his opinion on something he wants to do. Eddie feels like he is against the clock ans we actively see him missing out on something he came back to El Paso to try and do - parent his son. He has placed importance on being able to financially provide for Chris and he’s failing at doing that and then he is asleep and so misses Chris actively choosing to include him in his life and weigh in on an decision. The watch returns the moment Eddie starts making money - when he is able to provide in a financial way for Chris again - he has time once more.

It’s also one of the few times we see his hair not in his Texas helmet hairstyle around his parents - which to me feels like its about showing him as the not put together Eddie he’s trying to portray to his parents - when he’s asking for his parents to cover chess club fees because he’s not yet making any money as uber Eddie - its about showing us that his parents are seeing Eddie as a failure in that moment.

The other scene we have at the Diaz family home is on the couch when he is handing a computer game to Chris. I will talk about the insane amount of yellow and blue in this scene later on, but for now, we’re looking at costumes. You can see yet more check on Ramon in this scene, while Chris is in horizontal stripes - in yellow ochre and brown. Helena is in pale pink and white vertical stripes, while Eddie is in a solid black Henley and back to wearing his new watch - like I said above - he has time on the parenting clock once more.

In many ways the black Henley is a symbol of both Texas and LA Eddie - we see him wearing Henley’s of multiple colours in both environments in the show. Black ones however seem to be heavily attached to scenes that lead into issues - most of which surround Chris.

As a very quick rundown of when he wears a black Henley we have stolen money interrogation in 215 (which is attached to the flashbacks of arguments with Shannon about Chris’s surfing lessons and money), Eddie picking up Chris after Shannons death in 217, and in 218 when Bobby returns to the firehouse but Buck is still not there and Eddie makes his ‘almost’ comment about things being back to normal. Then we don’t see another one until Eddie takes in Hoover in 605, in 609 when he is playing computer games when Buck tells everyone he has successfully helped to create life, in 614 at Pepa’s house when she is setting Eddie up on a blind date, which ultimately leads to him dating Marisol, and finally in 701 When Buck talks to Chris about dating and Eddie then gives Chris the letter Shannon wrote for him.

As I hope you can see, most - but not all - are connected to Chris is some way - the only ones I would say aren’t directly connected to Chris are the 218 one at the firehouse and the sperm donor one in 609 - although it is connected into the concept of fatherhood - and that is what I think the black Henley means on Eddie - its about Eddie as a father and his ability to be able to provide for his son being called into question in some way - financially or through the provision of a second parental figure - either Shannon as Chris’s actual mother, or through the family expectation that a mother figure should exist in some way - which is then technically connected back to Shannon because Marisol is caught up in the Kim of it all (that part of this is technically a retcon as the Marisol of it all and the subsequent bringing back of Shannon within that arc wouldn’t have been known when the 614 scene was shot). The thing with all these scenes is that they precede issues of varying degrees treat Eddie encounters as a father.

Here in this scene we have Eddie able to provide for his son - financially - but Helena is still subtly calling him out and we know that he is lying about his income source at this point in time and that this lie is going to get discovered - it’s preceding the issue he is about to face of Chris discovering him in another lie.

We see Eddie in this episode wearing blue a couple of times, the first time we have the blue Eddie is as we open the episode with him at the 270 El Paso firehouse. Eddie is wearing what is effectively a blue check version of a firefighters uniform - navy trousers, black shoes and a blue shirt, even down to the belt with the square silver buckle imitating a firefighter belt. Eddie is also wearing his firefighter watch - adding further to the blue on blue of this costume. The shirt is a navy check over a lighter blue background, which is obviously not fully replicating a fire fighters uniform shirt, but it is about playing into check theory - that its Eddie at a crossroads and that things are not likely to go well for him at the firehouse in this episode (the dialogue is suggestive that the hiring freeze will end and he’ll get to become a firefighter again, but that he will also fulfill the captains fears and leave - when LA tugs at him and pulls him back) - but the use of all blue is really about pushing the narrative of Eddie identifying himself as a firefighter. It’s check theory establishing the fact that Eddie has relied on that identity as a firefighter in the same way he did with his identity as a soldier. It’s telling us that Eddie isn’t going to be able to identify himself through that route anymore - it’s about stripping that part of him away in the same way they removed his identity as a father. This is the deconstruction of Eddie in costume - giving a nod to his past (for now) career as a firefighter, whilst also setting him up as a wearer of check as he becomes ‘more Texas’ and essentially reverts back to pre LA Eddie - the one we saw in 315.

Then we see him in his new home in a short sleeved blue Henley with khaki green trousers. This costume was perhaps the most interesting choice in the entire episode to me and becasue even more so after Ryans interview answer about Eddies style changing in Texas. Becasue this costume is the one that most loudly speaks of Eddies style in LA - and it really helps to showcase the duality of Eddie in this moment - something his costumes across the entire episode play into. Around his parents - at their house specifically - and in that opening scene at the firehouse, we get a lot of check and a lot of clear nods to Texas Eddie. While in other scenes - when he’s talking to Buck and therefore connected in to LA, or in the last scene when he reconnects with Chris, we see his costumes closer to his LA style. You can see this style most clearly in his first video call with Buck - he’s just found out he hasn’t got a job at the firehouse in El Paso and is contemplating a return to LA so he can at least keep on providing for Chris.

The blue is a greyish blue and has that muted tone to it I spoke about earlier, but it is very much an outfit I would associate with LA Eddie and its doing multiple things in this scene, its connecting him into LA yes, but a part of that is showing where he actually belongs - the fact he’s wearing it when the El Paso captain calls to tell him about the hiring freeze is about the fact that part of him is still in LA - but it also connects him into being a firefighter because Eddie doesn’t wear blue that often - he does wear it, but its infrequent in his non uniform attire. It’s also about connecting him to Buck in two ways, firstly the few times we do see him in blue outside of his uniform, it is nearly always connected to Buck in some way - think Poker date, or the conversation about his dad in Chris’s room in Hero complex or when he’s telling him about the will or asking Buck for Help with Chris when he won’t come out of his room. And secondly, by having them both in blue for this scene and then also having them both connected into red - Bucks apron being the same maroon red as the chair Eddie sits in. Both aspects of this connection to Buck are about showing the depth of the our connection and also about Eddie listening to and hearing Buck - which is also something we see in those other scenes when Eddie wears blue.

The other thing its doing is telling us that when Eddie is alone - when he’s isn’t performing in any way, he reverts to wearing what he would wear in LA - that is his true style and true self. The show is literally showing us who Eddie is - at a moment when he’s had everything he holds as his identity stripped away from him (just like he’s stripping off that wallpaper I will get to in a minute!) - he isn’t a firefighter and he isn’t a father (in this moment as Chris is still not back with him and Eddie is feeling that divide) - the two things he has put at the centre of who he is and all he is left with is the parts of himself he hasn’t considered part of his identity - LA and Buck - its about that red string of fate connecting Eddie to those two things. That is why we have the red armchair in use here and why they have changed out Bucks usual firehouse apron for the maroon one. (I am going to point out that Buck is seemingly working on a salad at he firehouse - if you want to add it into salad theory then feel free to do so😎)

We also have the blue of the denim shirt. This outfit mirrors the one from the above scene - the blue and khaki combo - but a more Texas version. I’ve already written a lot about this outfit in my pre episode meta - and I stand by a lot of what I said about the repeat outfit of it and how it is connected into the concept of family and being on the right path, but also how it is connected to breaking free. I wanted to see the scene in full before I committed to anything solid around Shannon and Eddies grief and while we didn’t get anything explicit in the scene around Shannon - Eddies difficulty and sadness over giving up the Denali really does play into that concept of it being tied to Shannon and his grief and of letting her go. The reason I say this is because up to this point he hasn’t had much luck in connecting with Chris and things are not looking great for him, but in getting rid of the truck he does actually start to make progress and even though he lies about his job, he is able to salvage things with Chris - he owns up to his lying -thanks to Buck stopping his spiral and prompting him into making contact and actually pushing a bit - something he hasn’t done up to this point (that we’ve been shown) and his doing so bears fruit and he gets to reconnect with Chris - the act of letting go of the truck (and also his conviction that being a firefighter is the only thing Chris is proud of him for) symbolically is Eddie letting go of the last piece of his old life and that final piece being gone essentially frees Chris from the burden of it as well. I don’t know how much the show is going to show Chris and Eddie rebuilding their relationship from here - or if it will contain much angst (my feeling is that it won’t - that the angst will come from the Helena and Ramon side of things in Texas - but I do know that they’ve effectively cleared that final hurdle and that Chris and Eddie will just be seen rebuilding their relationship into something new before they return to LA. The key scene link with this outfit is the one from Eddie begins - it sets this costume as Texas Eddie, but it also connects into a scene where Eddie and Chris bond and begin to forge a new relationship - after his fight with his parents. The fight hasn’t happened yet but this outfit marks the same point in Eddie and Chris’s relationship as it did in Eddie begins - the actual beginning - when they were actually on the same page and able to connect - in a period after Shannon had left (the car representing Shannon leaving in this 812 scene).

A slight detour from costumes so that I can talk about Yellow and blue colour theory and its insane levels and use in this episode! I have already mentioned it a couple of times above and I did speak about it at length in my pre episode meta as well, but now I have seen the full extent of the car lot, and seen more of Eddies house and the make up of those scenes, I have a lot to say!

Car lot first - soooooo much yellow - like an insane amount of yellow as you can see in the picture above and below - Eddie is literally surrounded by it. There is also a lot of blue there as well in the scene - it’s just not visible in these screen grabs - but it is in the stills.

The Diaz parents house - which I’ve spoken about at length is also heavily coded yellow and blue - you can see the couch in the picture I included earlier, but below you can see a wide overhead shot which really highlights just how much blue and especially yellow there is. We‘re set up for Eddies arc of self discovery and now he has regained some grasp on fatherhood - we will be able to watch him continue to dismantle himself through his fixer upper and then build the new version of Eddie - but we’re still in the deconstruction part right now (more on that in a minute!) It’s no coincidence that the entirety of the Diaz parented house is yellow and blue coded. The screen grab of the wider high up angle shots we got show us the blue and yellow of it all - it’s essentially queer coding Eddies childhood in my eyes - the house being multiple shades of yellow and it being on the walls, while the blue is more there in scent form - chairs and curtains or dish towels. Yellow is Eddies colour and there was no reason for them to have gone that heavy on the yellow and blue coding in this episode around Eddie (espeically when you consider the madney scenes are heavily red coded!) in his parents house if it wasn’t about playing on the yellow and blue colour theory. They could have chosen any colour combination to decorate Helena and Ramon’s house but they chose these colours because Eddie is the main character here and Helena and Ramon are essentially plot devices - there to serve Eddies storyline and therefore their home is there to serve that same narrative, hence why it is colour coded for Eddie.

I’ve gone on and on about how yellow and blue colour coding in media is about queer coding - how it stems from the Wizard of Oz and the ‘friend of Dorothy’ being code for being gay and how it really found its feet during the Hayes code era, but how it has essentially become shorthand for queer subtext when it was still taboo for queer narratives to be told and how that has then transferred into actual queer media as an indicator of it being queer media (Heartstopper, RWRB, love Simon, stranger things, Mary and George etc etc all using the colour theory as part of the visual narrative), so to have Eddies childhood home (we assume - its certainly implied in Hero complex to be the case) so heavily yellow and blue coded (yellow especially) is suggestive that Eddies queer arc is going to stem from his childhood. Espeically as like I said in my pre episode meta - the yellow and blue is much more heavily surrounding Eddie than others in those scenes - look at Chris and Ramon on the yellow couch while Eddie is on the armchair - the room is yellow dominant - the darker yellow walls, the yellow of the couch and armchair themselves. But while the couch throw cushions are brown toned the throw cushion on the armchair is blue - subtly placing Eddie in the yellow/blue colouring while Chris and Ramon are yellow/ brown coded. Even Ramons blue check shirt is helping surround Eddie in the yellow and blue as he reaches over to hand Chris a computer game.

At the dining table during the scenes set there, the yellow walls and blue curtains are much more heavily surrounding Eddie compared with anyone else. Ramon and Chris have a lot more of the white of the cupboards or the nets at the windows in their backgrounds, and in the case of Helena, the net curtains and the painting makes up her background, breaking up the yellow and blue. We even have the very yellow lampshade positioned above Eddie during the scene - yes Ramon also appears under it, but it’s held in shot over Eddie far longer.

The fact that it’s specifically the walls that are yellow is also key. The show is very heavily playing on the metaphor of a house being a representation of the person who owns/ lives there - it’s something they’ve been doing with Eddie since the beginning. We were shown the LA Diaz house in season 2 early on and shown that all the spaces Chris occupied were far more decorated than Eddies bedroom, with brighter colours used in the decorative aspects such as furniture, pictures and carpets etc while Eddies room is painted magnolia with a simple dark blue bedspread, sparsely furnished and no art on the walls - it was all about showing us that Chris is Eddies focus - that he comes first in every aspect of who Eddie is - to the detriment of Eddie himself. The bedroom being sparse and cold is symbolic of Eddie neglecting himself - his own wellbeing. We only see this change slowly over time with the introduction of a bit of art on the walls - which all connects into his Texas and Mexican roots but plays on the idea of it being an inhospitable environment - cactus artworks suggesting prickliness. After he has destroyed his room we see the most drastic change - Eddies room gets colour - the walls are painted blue and we get new artwork, new lamps and furniture. The room is still cold though - the blue is icy and the art is a black and white photo of El Capitan and the yellow toned painting of a lone cowboy on a horse. Its saying that Eddies room is still not a warm and comfortable and inviting space - that his mind isn’t - that he still has a mountain to climb and also that he is a bit of a Lone Ranger.

So here, in what we are going to assume is Eddies childhood home, to have the walls being multiple shades of yellow is about the concept of yellow representing the very fabric of who Eddie is. Like the foundations, the walls and roof of a house are fundamental aspects of the structure - they are basic requirements of a house - and are therefore representative of the core parts of who someone is - Eddie in this case - and because it is his childhood home these walls are showing us who young Eddie is/was. They’re telling us this is the Eddie that needs to be rediscovered and then they further this concept by having Eddie ripping down the wallpaper in his fixer upper house - revealing yellow walls beneath the blue - in a yellow that is the same colour as the walls in the Diaz family house - suggesting Eddie is getting back to who that Eddie is.

The blue check pattern wallpaper in Eddies new house is also giving us information about Eddie - its telling us that check pattern theory is in play in Eddies life in a big way - indicating that big change is coming in the fundamentals of who Eddie has become - that the very fabric of who he is currently is going to be changed.

There is something to be said about Eddie removing the blue from the house and revealing the yellow of his childhood underneath. It’s not just about the fact that that Buck is blue coded while Eddie is yellow - which is important and plays on the idea that we are stripping back Bucks perspective of Eddie and seeing the real Eddie to a certain extent, but its also about Eddie removing layers of the things he himself has hidden behind - he’s hidden behind Buck and allowed himself to not get lost exactly, but to almost fade down. It’s about the show giving us Bucks pov on so much of Eddie that we don’t actually see who Eddie is and this plot line is about the fullness of Eddie being revealed - that we’re able to now see Eddie without the Buck goggles on - but also that Eddie is able to do that as well - Buck has provided Eddie with a huge safety net up to this point - stepping in and being that coparent to Chris with him and having his back at work. Eddie now gets to figure himself out - he still has Buck in his life and Buck is still going to have his back, but Eddie is learning to do things for himself to a much greater extent and this shows that transition for him. The entire house is a metaphor for Eddie finding himself now he has had everything stripped away from him. He is starting to put some of himself together - setting up furniture and making it feel a bit more homely even if the building itself needs a lot more work and its no coincidence that we see Chris coming to him at the moment we get to see that he has actually made inroads in that unpacking himself and setting up his living room - a space that is a shared one which enables him to be vulnerable in a way he hasn‘t really done before with Chris.

The show was given us box POV on so much of Eddie that we don’t actually see who Eddie is and this plot line is about the fullness of Eddie being revealed they were able to now see Eddie without the buck goggles on and without his identity as a firefighter but also that Eddie is able to do that for himself as well. we saw this concept played out to a certain extent in Season five after Eddie‘s breakdown when he left the 118, but he was still technically a firefighter then but was physically there providing Eddie with a huge safety in it stepping in and supporting him. Eddie is now in a situation where all that has been taken away from him and he now gets to figure himself out – he still has back in his life and is still going to have His back, he’s still a safety in it – as we see through the video calls, but Eddie is learning to do things for himself to a much greater extent this episode is about setting that up and showing that transition for him.

I do just quickly want to mention the sagey green wall at the far end of the room which appears to be the wall with the doors that go through to the bedroom and bathroom parts of the house. The fact this wall is green is playing into Eddie‘s army green colouring, the bedrooms are the most private spaces in a house and therefore are representative of your innermost self, your truest self. We’ve seen this metaphor play out before with Eddie when he destroyed his bedroom back in season five it was about him trying to destroy part of who he was at his core. so using Green on that wall is suggestive that Eddie is not ready to deal with that part of himself yet and that is why he’s focused on the living room, the shared space of the house and will work his way towards the bedrooms. 

Staying with the set aspect of it all for a little bit longer - we need to talk about couch theory because sue it was doing some very heavy lifting in this episode - and not just because Eddie mentions that he might need to sleep on Bucks uncomfortable couch! Because when Eddie is making that comment his couch is in shot – I need his covered in a dust sheet. At his own couch is not available to him and the show is taking great care and effort to establish the idea that Eddies couch is the right couch – but it’s the one both buck and Eddie are comfortable on and that they are able to be themselves on it and leather filters down. But falling asleep there easily after the lightning strike when he was having trouble sleeping on his own loft, Eddie discovering joy for himself heavily featuring the couch and then we also see both of them sat on it together for the very first time after that – showing them sharing joy and sorry together and just being able to be – not needing to say a word.

There is something to be said about Eddie removing the blue from the house and revealing the yellow of his childhood underneath. It’s not just about the fact that buck is blue coated well Eddie is yellow which is important and plays into the idea that we are stripping back box perspective, Eddie and seeing the real Eddie to a certain extent, but it is also about Eddie removing the layers of things he himself has hidden behind most of his life. He’s hidden behind various people or jobs for most of his life, Helena in the beginning, Shannon in his team and young adult is, the army, Chris as soon as he was born, and Eddie became a father and since moving to LA, being a firefighter and buck. This allowed himself to, not get lost exactly, but it just exist in the safe space that these people and jobs help create and that meant he didn’t have to examine those parts himself at his core.

It being covered over with a dust sheet here in this scene is about protecting it – it’s the most important thing in the scene – it’s literally the only piece of furniture that Eddie has covered up, yes there are things still in boxes, but may many of those are semi unpacked and none of the rest of his furniture is covered to protect it. Eddie is tearing down the house, but the couch is the one thing he has chosen to ensure has protection from the fallout while he literally stripped back the walls – stripping back the layers of himself.

It’s also a metaphor for Eddie not wanting to look at what the couch represents in that moment – that he is not ready to examine what the couch means – family, love, and comfort. Is a way of Eddie denying himself those things – he is still punishing himself and he needs to work on the fabric of himself before he can begin to examine what exists on the couch. Doing this also gives us a parallel with fucking 601 choosing not to replace his couch and just use the armchair – to work on himself before he finds a couch that is the right couch for him. In this scene Eddie only has his red leather chair to sit up. He is denying himself the comfort and love the couch provides. It is a show building further layers to the couch metaphor, which they take even further with the living room itself.

Eddie does eventually set up the living room - even as he is still working to remove the blue wallpaper - but he only sets the couch up once the blue is removed from the couch side of the room - so that the walls around the couch are yellow - bringing yellow and blue colour theory into play once again. The other thing about the living room itself is the way that its been set up to replicate the way he had his living room set up in LA - the front door behind the couch to its left, set up in front of the fireplace, with the red leather chair to the left of the fireplace. The room is narrower, so it’s a more compact version, but even the windows are located the same positions, they have even set up the dining room shelves in a position that mimics the large carved cabinet in Eddies LA living room set up (I assume the cabinet is in one of the bedrooms and that’s why we don’t see it - because it wouldn’t actually fit there!)! This is showing us that LA is where Eddie actually wants to be - where he feels he truly belongs - it’s about that home he had set up in LA being the right home for him and the couch now being set up is about Eddie being ready for Chris and Chris is the only one to sit on it - Eddie hugs Chris on the couch, but he never actually interacts with it himself.

And then there is the additional fact that in the previous episode, Buck sets up his own furniture in the Diaz LA living room in the same layout that Eddie had his - Buck toys with the idea of having the furniture in a different layout as you can see from this screen grab below

but the show makes a big effort to then show us that he has it set up to replicate Eddies layout. It really shows us that they belong together - that they are a family and that set up is a representation of their family dynamic. The other aspect of Buck decor is how cold it is - Buck is making it home by setting it out in the same way, right down to the armchair as Eddie had it but the colouring of his furniture doesn’t work with the cream walls where it did in the loft with its industrial and darker toned spaces. The loft was all greys and blacks and white and warm toned browns and high ceilings. But Eddies house is magnolia and the ceilings are lower and the lighting is brighter and coming from all angles instead of from one. Because of this it makes the space look like it lacks in colour - Eddie had coloured furniture and a rug to add warmth to the space, as well as the art on the walls, but Bucks furniture and art is making it look very flat toned and bland. It really plays into the idea of Bucks world being drained of colour without Eddie in it (not that he has been drained of colour, but the world around him).

The other aspect of the set design - before we go back to costumes, is the three magnets on Bucks fridge! Yes magnet theory is back in business! we only have the three magnets on Bucks fridge - which I find very interesting considering the fact that he had gone for a full assault of magnets and pictures on his fridge during 8a. the fact we have a yellow magnet, a blue magnet and a white/grey magnet and their positioning is making me thing about the sun moon and earth. Buck is the blue magnet as per yellow blue colour theory, and Eddie is the yellow one and I think the grey one is meant to represent Tommy.

The reason I think this is because it’s meant to be a play on the way Eddie and Tommy had been lit around Buck, as well as the use of lighting in 811 for the Tommy scenes - the use of darkness for the hook up especially (in fact its no coincidence that the majority of the BT scenes took place at night!). In 704 we were shown Eddie being bathed in light - glowing with light haloed around him, Tommy in that same episode was always in shadow or darkly lit - you can see it very clearly during the basketball game, but the loft scene between Buck and Tommy also shows Tommy being lit darkly and partially in shadow.

Even the kitchen scene in 811 shows Tommy always in shadow - he never goes near the windows - always in the shadow of the cabinets or on the far side of the room away from the light. This is because Buck is the earth and he orbits around Eddie - who is the sun, while Tommy essentially orbits around Buck (he’s a plot device that’s what they do!). The sun generates its own heat and light, whereas the moon can only reflect the sun’s light.

This is a play on the fact that Buck has misunderstood who’s attention he was trying to get - its no mistake that scene at the loft took place at night while all the times Buck was trying to get someone’s attention it was bright daylight. The moon is known as a symbol of enlightenment and transformation (and madness) and those are both things Tommy has helped Buck with but at the end of the day, the moon is borrowing its light from the sun in the same way Tommy is borrowing light from Eddie. The sun is a life force, but the moon is not - its reflected light can help guide you in the dark when it is full, but it cannot sustain life. That is exactly what we have seen play out with Buck Tommy and Eddie so far - Buck has been enlightened by Tommy, but he cannot be sustained by that - he needs the sun - Eddie - to thrive!

Back to costumes now and while we’re here, we’ll talk about Bucks teal. Teal is such an interesting colour - its a combination of of blue and green and can lean in either direction - this one is more blue toned - its almost peacock blue - but there is enough green in it to class it as teal (Bucks phone case is more peacock blue) Teal is a colour of clarity and openmindedness and objectivity and wisdom. These are all key traits we see Buck exibitiing in this scene - especially objectivity and clarity which he provides to Eddie and which Eddie takes on board and as a result is able to really make some inroads into healing things with Chris.

We are also meant to draw a comparison between Buck and Chris - who are both on Eddies dash in shades of blue. Buck is obviously in teal as we;ve just discussed, while Chris is in a blue that looks like Bucks normal blue. Chris being in blue here is really important as blue is a colour associated with trust, responsibility and protection - the little photo of Chris here is a representation of what Eddie is trying to regain - his parental responsibilities for his child who he wants to protect (and feels he failed) and Chris’s trust and Buck in his teal hoodie is able to provide the wisdom clarity and objectivity that allows Eddie to begin to do just that later in the episode.

I do just want to quickly mention the tree air fresheners while we’re here as well. We see Eddie fit a blue tree to his rear view mirror at the beginning of his uber Eddie arc and he then purchases a green one and switches them out just before he picks up Ezra and Chris and it remains during his talk with Buck. It’s no coincidence that we get this colour switch at this moment in time. The blue tree is representing those traits we spoke about above - trust, responsibility, and protection and blue can also be a symbol of reliability as well as conservatism. These are all traits Eddie needs to be an uber driver and that is why we have the blue tree there during the montage of his adventures in that job. But in the scene with Chris and the chat with Buck the green colour meaning is needed. Green is growth and renewal, hope and the future, but it is also judgemental. Eddie is judging himself in this couple of scenes and he thinks Chirs is too, but Buck also helps him to find some hope for the future and we see Eddies growth in the fact that he takes on board Bucks advice and actually actions it which leads to the renewal of Eddie and Chris’s relationship.

There is a second aspect to the green tree as well - back in 701 Eddie talks to Buck about Chris dating multiple girls and asks him to talk to Chris about it. They are dealing with a small car fire and Buck hands the cars owner a green tree air freshener and says that it wasn’t a total loss when he asks. We have a parallel conversation here between Buck and Eddie and once again - it’s not a total loss for Eddie - he has a chance to salvage something.

Let’s finish up on Eddies grey which has an interesting journey with Eddie. We’ve seen him wear an increasing amount of grey in the seasons where he is going through mental health arcs - so seasons 5 and 6 are grey heavy. This seaosn so far hasn’t been, but we get a pretty sizeable chunk of this episode with him in grey.

We start with the montage of him dealing with all the various issues in his fixer upper house showing us a hint of the reality of what Eddie has purchased, and then we spend all of his time as an uber driver with him wearing a grey hoodie over a white tee. Grey is a neutral, balanced colour and is also ambiguous and considered a colour of safety, professionalism and practicality.

The fact that they have been increasing the amount of grey Eddie wears as we go through the seasons where he is dealing with his mental health is interesting, because of its neutrality as well as safety, but here in this season I find interesting not only on that front, but also its ambiguous connotations. The fact that we see him trying to settle into his fixer upper house - dealing with leaks and faulty electrics etc whilst wearing grey (or grey blue as that is what he was wearing in the scene when he didn’t get he firefighting job - it needed to be both blue and grey!) makes that ambiguity clear - Eddie is unsure about what he is doing - if it is the right thing to be doing at all. It also ties that ambiguity to Eddie tearing down and rebuilding his life and himself - ambiguity about which way it could go - success or failure - but also straight or queer. Its a bit of a tease from the wardrobe team as to Eddie’s arc - that the straight or queer question is one that needs to be asked and if that needs to be asked then the answer will fall in the queer camp - hence the yellow and blue coding in the rooms themselves.

The hoodie over the white tee is essentially Eddie in uniform and it plays into those other meanings of grey - safety professionalism and practicality - once more all things we see Eddie exhibit in his uber driver scenes - especially when he has learnt the unwritten rules of being an uber driver from his very helpful passenger. The blue ties and zip give a little nod to the trustworthy and protection and responsibility elements of blue as well all working together with the grey but also still keeping him connected to his blue firefighters uniform in a low key way - suggesting things he learnt as a firefighter are relevant to him i his job as an uber driver.

Right, I’m going to stop waffling now as this has got super long and is super late! As always, I hope you enjoyed this costume meta that was more a set meta and colour theory conversation than about the costumes this week, and thanks for taking the time to read it - it means a lot to me.

Tagged people below and do let me know if you want adding to the list!

@lover-of-mine @spotsandsocks @fruityfirehose @wanderingwomanwondering @livingwherethesidewalkends @buddiediaz118 @bewitchedbewilderedbisexual @satvojihusana @elvensorceress @icebergeddie @buckleyanddiaz @eddiedisasterdiaz @kejfeblintz @cookie-kat777 @leothil @bucksbelly @kyoteugly @bi-moonlight @somebodycall911onabc @trudayss @chaosandwolves @lemotmo

[slytherinshua]

+1 CUTENESS

genre. fluff warnings. none. pairing. so mun x fem!reader. wc. 612. a/n. from this req by @blue-jisungs!!

“What are you doing?”

“Shh, just focus on the movie.” You smiled, turning So Mun’s head to look back at the TV screen. You were situated in his lap, but instead of paying attention to the movie currently playing, you were more engrossed in Mun’s curly hair. 

You had probably spent dozens of hours playing with it, just running your fingers through the soft curls. But you could never get over it. So Mun was just so pretty, and that especially included his hair. It smelled like his shampoo and framed his face so perfectly. You had no idea how it was so soft all the time— maybe it was a counter thing?

So Mun had let you put his hair in a ponytail in the past, and even braid it when you begged him enough, but today you had a different plan. You had been recently trying different hair accessories and had impulsively bought a pack of little colourful butterfly clips. You couldn’t lie and say that your intention of this movie night had been to actually watch the movie— no, you were desperate to see how cute Mun would look with colourful clips in his hair.

You had already snuck one into his hair, almost catching his attention. But he seemed completely relaxed now, and utterly unaware of your masterplan. You gently clipped a blue butterfly to one of his curls, squinting to see what the best placement for a pink one would be.

“Y/n.”

“Hm?”

“You’re not even paying attention to the movie anymore.” So Mun pointed out, a small pout forming on his face.

“I was!” You insisted.

Mun raised an eyebrow, “Really? What’s the last thing that happened?” 

Ah, so this is where he would catch you in your act…

“Okay, maybe I wasn’t paying full attention to it.” You mumbled.

So Mun giggled, “You could’ve just said if you weren’t interested in watching.”

“Well, it’s not that I’m uninterested in watching, but…”

“But?”

You held out your hand, one red and one yellow butterfly clip still resting in your palm, the last two that you hadn’t been able to sneak into his hair in time.

“I got these last week, but everything always looks better on you than it does on me, so…” You trailed off, giving him a guilty smile. He stared at you for a few seconds before raking a hand up to his hair and feeling around for the clips.

“Cute.” He whispered.

Minutes later, the movie had been turned off and the lights turned back on (which helped immensely for figuring out the proper placement of the butterflies). So Mun sat across from you as you took out the awkwardly placed clips and repositioned them to better spots. You couldn’t help but blush as you did it— Mun seemed to be so content to stare at you as you worked.

“Stop staring.” You muttered.

A smile crept onto his face, “But I like you.”

“Is that why you’re letting me put clips in your hair?” You asked with flushed cheeks, placing the last butterfly in his hair as he hummed approvingly. “All done.” You grabbed your hand mirror and held it up for him to look.

He giggled, “I look ridiculous.”

“You look cute!” You countered, but stopped when you caught Mun’s gaze again. “Why are you staring again? I feel self-conscious.” You complained half-jokingly. 

“I’m trying to see who’s cuter.” He said simply, eyes squinting between you and the mirror.

“You have plus 1 cuteness for the clips, but who wins?”

“You.”

Your cheeks turned a brighter shade of pink at the comment, “Why?”

“Plus 3 cuteness for the blush.”

↳ k-drama taglist: @yeonjuns-redhair,, @wolfmoonmusic,, @cha3w0n-hearts (abp & tuc only),, @tempobaekh (tuc only),, @edensgardenn

[film-in-my-soul]

the shoulders of a gentleman | 789 | finkpishnets / @madroxed

Summary: Billy’s perfectly aware that the only reason he keeps dragging himself out of bed at six in the morning on the weekends is because of Teddy Altman.

Simple Transactions | 1,250 | abp / @ferretrade

Summary: You can meet people anywhere--even at the bank.

Like the Change of Season | 1,521 | riko

Summary: Winter is particularly harsh this year. A scene from a hypothetical AU.

Magnetism | 1,839 | heartslogos / @heartslogos

Summary: They're like magnets pushing against each other. A pair of invisible forces colliding and holding each other up.

(See more recommendations below!)

In Sickness | 1,984 | Solarcat / @solarcat

Summary: Billy Kaplan frowned as his fingertips hit the cardboard bottom of the tissue box. That was not good. It could, in fact, constitute an emergency of epic proportions.

I Don't Care What You Think (As Long as it's About Me) | 2,436 | ambitiousbutrubbish / @unclebabybilly

Summary: “Why don’t you think Tommy’s hot?” Billy sort of shouts, and judging by the look on Teddy’s face, that had come out a bit more accusatory and hurt than Billy had intended. Also, he’s pretty sure he leapt over the line from ‘flirty self-deprecation to get your boyfriend to tell you you’re cute’ straight into just plain ‘creepy’. Fortunately - or unfortunately, as has been the case in the past - Billy is a pretty devoted practitioner of the principle of ‘go big or go home’, and he sets his jaw firm.

Enchanted | 2,829 | akaparalian / @floralegia

Summary: Billy wouldn’t be here, because Billy hates school dances, but his mom had chastised and nagged and chased him out the door with threats to call teachers to make sure he actually went, after giving him some psychologist-babble about how participating in social events, such as school dances, was crucial to emotional development in teenagers, but you know, it was fine, because he’d sit in whatever his new school’s version of the Nerd Corner was and he’d be okay.

Let Us Too Yield | 6,576 | takadainmate / @takadainmate

Summary: Trapped and hurt, all Billy wants is to protect Teddy. And maybe come out of this alive.

J. Haydn - Hob I:96 - Symphony No. 96 in D major (The Miracle) | 8,598 | ambitiousbutrubbish / @unclebabybilly

Summary: Really, Teddy's only orchestral goal is to stay well away from all that String DramaTM. Falling for their harpist literally at first sight was probably not conductive to the plan.

All Who Are Hungry | 8,943 | Ardatli / @ardatli

Summary: Teddy and Tommy are staying at the Kaplans' place for now, but they haven't really considered the meaning of being adopted into a large Jewish family. ~A seder teaches them the true meaning of Pesach~ (Insert holiday cliche of your choice here). Shenanigans, horseradish, matzah and fluff ensue.

Look Where We Land | 11,742 | riko

Summary: Teddy has always privately thought they had something special. Something worth listening to.

For the Love of Dog | 11,750 | ApolloAttraction / @apolloattraction

Summary: Billy’s depression has been getting the better of him lately, so Tommy gives him a dog to foster. Billy doesn’t really know how a dog is supposed to help, but things do start looking up right around the time he takes her to the pet store and meets the cute cashier.

Genesis / In the Beginning | 23,182 | Ardatli / @ardatli

Summary: The realization was as awful as it had been slow-building, loud enough now that he couldn’t force himself to ignore it any longer. Maybe it wasn’t Teddy who was the asshole.

Lazy Sunday | 1,016 | Lady_Ganesh

Summary: Billy and Teddy hang out. Pre-series. Written for mixe for Yuletide 2007.

bombs over manhattan | 1,230 | constellatory

Summary: Post-Civil War, pre-Children's Crusade. There's a special kind of terror reserved only for that moment when you see someone you love go down, and you're not sure they're getting back up.

Making Up Is Hard To Do | 1,299 | lilpocketninja (Banah) / @banahbanah

Summary: Sometimes, Teddy is an idiot. This is one of those times. (For the prompt "first fight -- making up.")

Tonight | 1,617 | minumi / @minumi-chan

Summary: Tonight something is different. Although, it’s very hard to identify why exactly that is when your boyfriend is intent on kissing all sense out of you.

peace on distant stars | 2,009 | sister_wolf

Summary: Billy isn't sure what the Young Avengers are even doing here, in the middle of a superhero civil war.

can we get a drumroll, please | 2,227 | hulklinging

Summary: You can take the nerds out of band class, but you can't take the band out of the nerds. You can, however, take them on a crazy ride to rock star status. Teddy's still feeling a little winded.

These Are Your Shoes | 2,369 | atti (attilatehbun) / @recursivities

Summary: Billy and Teddy live in each other's pockets, basically.

The Final Move | 2,455 | fontech / @akaikit

Summary: Fic request: Cris asked for Teddy's thoughts on discovering that he's an alien. A Teddy introspective on the death of his mother, and the questions of his identity left unanswered.

Definitely Not Good | 2,648 | Sheeana

Summary: Billy hurts himself. Teddy is not (very) amused. A couple days in the lives of a couple superheroes.

Sketch Me A Text | 2,764 | aconitemare / @aconitemare

Summary: Billy made a strangled noise and grabbed his pencil, drawing some random lines in his sketchbook while he gathered his composure. Cassie leaned toward Billy’s ear. “I think he heard you.” “Don’t worry, that has definitely been noted and filed under Reasons I’m Never Leaving My House Again Ever,” Billy assured.

Four Eyes | 2,939 | Xander_The_Undead / @xandertheundead

Summary: Billy wore glasses, and Teddy had no idea why this new discovery made him so excited.

International Diplomacy | 2,984 | DangerousCommieSubversive / @dangerouscommiesubversive

Summary: The delegation from the Kree and Skrull Empires has arrived, and Prince William is ordered by his aunt to keep the visiting Prince Dorrek entertained. Somehow.

We Don't Put Our Hands Over Our Mouths | 3,324 | atti (attilatehbun) / @recursivities

Summary: Billy has never had good impulse control. Something pops into his head and he generally just says it, or does it - joining a super-team, anyone? - before he actually thinks about whatever he's doing might mean. So far he's managed to mostly avoid making a complete idiot of himself through some crazy combination of snarkiness and luck. But this time he's not so sure.

Love is Like Falling | 3,487 | Khirsah / @khirsahle

Summary: Teddy reached down and took Billy’s hand, threading their fingers together. The warm, gentle grip immediately derailed his words, his brain. “Sure,” Teddy said, squeezing Billy’s hand. “That sounds cool.” “Cool,” Billy breathed. “Cool.” “Cool.” Teddy squinted at him. “Are you secretly a Buffybot stuck on some kind of programming loop?” Billy snorted, turning his face to press his forehead against Teddy’s arm. When he breathed, his lungs were filled with the incredible scent of him. “No,” he said. “Shut up, I’m just having a spaz.” “Oh, well, in that case.”

Redefining Normal | 3,510 | Tangerine / @atangeriner

Summary: Normal is overrated.

A Little Like Mutant Manifestation | 3,886 | howlikeagod / @eternalgirlscout

Summary: Billy pulls back a little (normal), and grins down at Teddy. His face is flushed (normal), his hair is a godawful mess (completely normal), and Teddy wants him to take his clothes off (not normal at all). That desire slams into him like a semi-truck and leaves him gasping. He’s lived his whole life a little too aware of where his eyes catch, on the lips and hands of other boys, where his thoughts wander to kissing and holding in the darkest corners he can find. It’s never been more than that.

On Responsibility | 4,501 | natcat5 / @natcat5

Summary: It’s about responsibility, and being held accountable for your actions. He doesn’t have to tell Teddy, doesn’t have to tell anyone because- Because- It wasn’t like a suicide suicide attempt. He wasn’t- it wasn’t because- He was just trying to fix what he had broken. Clean up the mess that he had made. Take responsibility.

The Common Issue | 4,833 | riko

Summary: Billy has feelings about civil procedure, the firm's new junior associate, and the fact that his co-workers are all nuts, and he isn't thinking about any of them.

Scenes From A Teen Life | 5,252 | Etharei / @etharei

Summary: He's never been in this space before: broad daylight, his cheek throbbing, clothing dirty from the street, and at the same time floating, skin thrumming like he's using magic; hopelessly, helplessly happy. In which Billy Kaplan, against all expectations and documented statistics, has a boyfriend.

One More Bad Excuse | 5,323 | Ardatli / @ardatli

Summary: Life is full of changes. Losing his mother was one, losing his home was another. Teddy can't begin to cope with the idea that he might be losing Billy, too.

Who Can Retell (the things that befell us) | 6,297 | Ardatli / @ardatli

Summary: Or, one Christmas that Billy and Teddy didn’t spend together, and five that they did.

Monsters of Men | 8,873 | takadainmate / @takadainmate

Summary: "Get up," he said, and his voice sounded muffled and distant and for a long time Teddy stared at him, trying to work out what he meant. They had nowhere to go. There was no point in going anywhere. They were alone here and no one was going to save them. No one could save them.

Our Lives Lead Other Lives | 10,045 | riko

Summary: "Those things Billy's learned to bundle up tightly, keep compact and hidden so far down that even he forgets they're there sometimes. The gay thing is one. The being bullied at school is another. Now the spellcasting, shooting lightning from his fingertips, and fighting evil are rounding out the roster."

The Shelter Rule | 10,890 | orphan_account

Summary: Teddy’s life consists of a couple bags of clothes, a bed at the youth shelter, a therapy group run by his case manager, and two very dead parents. At least, until he switches schools. Then, Teddy’s life grows exponentially.

All Grown Up and Still Don't Know What (or; Billy Kaplan's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Life) | 14,233 | atti (attilatehbun) / @recursivities

Summary: Everything cycles back around into powers, his new powers. Powers that, by the feel of it, Billy’s really only scratched the surface of. But powers that he thinks could really do some actual good, on the right team. Assuming he doesn’t blow anything up with his mind by then.

Mine | 1,415 | isengard / @goulets

Summary: You are the best thing That’s ever been mine.

The Things I Am Doing (Instead of The Things That Should Be Done) | 1,541 | atti (attilatehbun) / @recursivities

Summary: Normally there's classes, work, citizens to be saved from dimension-ripping monsters with tentacles bursting from their eyes and venom dripping from several sets of extra ears. That, or Kate's endless charity functions, in both official and unofficial capacity. But not this morning. This morning there's just them; them, a bed cozy and warm with body heat, and time.

The Problem with Planning | 2,238 | atti (attilatehbun) / @recursivities

Summary: Billy really doesn't want to hate his friends, he loves his friends, but he wishes that for once, just once when he and Teddy shut Teddy's door it wasn't banging open again before they'd even crossed to Teddy's narrow bed. He'd love them a whole lot more easily if they could understand the concept of 'personal time'.

Birthday Boy is King | 3,203 | tekowrites

Summary: Teddy/Billy, for Teddy’s birthday Billy decides on a little body modification present, the problem though is not letting anyone find out about it.

Fire in the Blood | 3,385 | youngavengersbigbang

Summary: Teddy was so close he was practically whispering in the shell of the man’s ear. Billy watched, transfixed, as one big hand slid into the neat fold of his pewter gray suit and pulled out a straight razor. The handle was mother of pearl. The little blade shown like a mirror, giving a whispered shhht as Teddy opened it into a wide, gleaming smile.

Maybe Everything Returns | 7,321 | riko

Summary: There are 3058 miles between them, and Teddy can feel every one.

whatever's living will yourself become | 7,816 | atti (attilatehbun) / @recursivities

Summary: The trouble with shape-shifting is that so often the shape seems to shift more than you do. It changes day to day, moment to moment, and every time you shift to fit it you're one step behind.

Alms in Autumn | 13,861 | aud_k

Summary: In which a fairy reluctantly dons the mantle of “prey,” a golden-haired prince leads a ritual hunt, and a November dawn chases away more than just the night’s shadows. There are many ways to die, and some of them, William discovers, are smaller—and luckier—than others.

Work In Progress | 20,912 | Ardatli / @ardatli

Summary: Wherein Billy is a Steve/Tony fanfic writer, Teddy is a fanartist, online relationships are confusing, and NYCC is coming.

*True Colors | 34,093 | Khirsah / @khirsahle

Summary: Growing up queer can be tough, even in New York. Lucky for them, there's a place upstate they can go every summer to meet new friends, let loose, and know they are not alone. Welcome to Camp True Colors.

*this fic also heavily includes the Steve/Bucky ship

2024 Reclists · INBOX · Blog Updates

[loveanalyst]

What I've Learned From The New "World Underneath" Chapters

If you're not reading The World Underneath Chapters, you are truly missing out on some wonderful lore and alternate perspectives! Honestly, I find them more interesting than someone the main story chapters!

These aren't full summaries of the chapters, just the notes I took and things I found interesting. In my handy Triple L (LaDS Lore Log) I color code the chapters that involve or reffrence the Lis. Not all of them do.

Xavier Zayne Rafayel Sylus Caleb

#11

Follows Colin: A man that has been working as a Hunter Dispatcher for the last 12 years.

He takes a call where a wander attacks 3 people (we find out later that 2 of those people were in the process of attempting to rob the third, a lil ol' lady.) A mysterious woman shows up, saves them and holds the would be robbers until authorities arrive. She reports that she is a retired hunter and is confirmed to have previously worked for the DAWN sector.

He takes another call from a man named Orson. Orson is "Linkon City Police Department's infamous repeat offender". He has been arrested several times for protocore smuggling. After getting out of jail this most recent time, he takes up counterfeiting protocores by making fakes out of rock candy. He called in to report that several men with illegal protocore weapons are after him because of his scams. Only 2 hunters show up despite Colin essentially putting out an ABP. The two hunters take the men down with no issue. They are from the revered UNICORNS. It's Mc and Xavier. Over the phone Colin can hear Mc yell at Xavier not to "eat the evidence" (the rock candy fakes.) Orson is arrested for fraud.

#12

The Fractal Library

A mystery library that contains "books". We don't know who owns it, however the entity being interviewed is the library's administrator. They mention that most of the "books" are "science fiction. Nearly every fictional universe inside them branches out after it's own big bang and spawns countless worlds of infinite complexity. The books themselves reflect this fractal nature, each with a sense of variety and overwhelming similarity." The ongoing explanation is reminiscent of main LaDs story's structure.

I put "books" in quotations because a visitor to the library notes the things in the library don't look like books, to which the administrator replies "You're right. A lot of the things here aren't what you'd call books, but let's call them 'books' for the sake of convenience."

#13

The Gallery Manager: Thomas's Story.

Side note: Writing the plural of a name ending in 'S' with and Apostrophe 'S' is not incorrect (i.e. Thomas's) , but I don't like it! It looks super weird because I was taught to use the apostrophe on it's own(i.e. Thomas'). It also changes how I read it. I would pronounces Thomas' Apple as Thomas Apple where I am inclined to pronounce Thomas's Apple as Thomas-es Apple which sounds wrong to me. I digress.

Thomas forgets to put an interview on Rafayels schedule and ends up doing an interview in his place. It just so happens it's also his birthday. We learn that Thomas is married to a woman named Solana and they have a baby daughter together. Thomas is a very busy man, but loves his family dearly. Mc and Rafayel stop by his home to wish him a happy birthday and bring him a gift.

#14

Takes place in the N109 Zone. We learn about "Phantom Thief Mr. P." who steals but also seems to leave something of equal value behind. He visits an establishment called Elysium that has a secret menu for intel and other "hush-hush" services. The owner is a woman named Ginevera and the bar is tended by a young lady named Aislinn. Aislinn was abused by her father in her youth and asked for Ginevera to take her under her wing after seeing how strong and fierce she was. Ginevera agreed and they've been together for 10 yrs since. (Aislinn was 12 and now 22). We learn that the N109 zone was originally run by 4 distinct powers until a war broke out. We learn that a "protocore map" was highly coveted. Elysium went unscathed through all the fighting and we find out this is because Ginevera offered the map to Sylus in exchange for protection. Sylus now has this map and control of the N109 zone. Aislinn remarks that she knows Genevera as well as a scarred man named Dexter are "good guys" based on something she saw but did not reveal.

#15

This is an interview of an author named Yevette who also use to work for the Deepspae Aviation Administration. We learn the following:

When the DeepSpace tunnel appeared it caused deep magnetic fluctuations that caused several islands to "detach from their tectonic plates" and float:

in 2036 EVER proposed the "SkyHaven project" A plan to stabilize the island(s) using protocore technology and create and aerial base.

We find out that Yvette is divorced. During the interview she picks up her children who ask to see their father. Upon taking them to him we find out that her ex husband is the adjutant to the new Farspace Fleet Colonel (Caleb). It's Liam, and their divorce is due to his coldness and distance (due to the chip. However, it's unclear if she knows about it or not). She plans to release a book based on it called "heartless". When asked if she named the book that because of the change in Liam she responds "its because 'heartless' rhymes with 'coreless'"

#16

These are log entries from an archeologist named Shaylin. She is know for being the first person to discover/study and name protofields. She notes several times that people who seem to have been killed by wanderers, may actually just be trapped within protofields. She disappeared in 2034 without a trace. Her mental and physical health had been declining, some of her notes seem to be rambles and at some points hard to make out. However in her last entry she remarks that she is lucid as ever, it then hints that she may have gone into a protofield for good.

She notes that protofields are real alternate places/dimension where one can eat, drink, and explore. Protofields change based on the wanderer class and appear when a wanderer is close to being defeated. It dissipates and returns the person(s) trapped once the wanderer is killed.

#17

Didn't get a ton from this. Its about real vs. virtual life and how they can blend together and overlap.

#18

Abysmal Chaos Missions Told By Wontony.

The A.I.s are up to somthing. "A.I No.1" has killed it's creator (Mr. T). Well...kinda, it ruined his credibility and legacy on purpose as revenge for being discarded and replaced, the subsequent backlash causing Mr. T to commit suicide. Wontony, OTTO, and No.1 talk to each other.

During the Mr. T/No.1 case, Wontrony runs into an "unknown A.I." Wontony notes it's technology is "beyond anything humans can manage right now." Wontony tried to communicate with it, asking it questions, but the only response it gets is "Caw." (Mephisto??). Wontony feels no malice and cannot resist it. "As you wish" is the last thing we hear Wontony say to it.

[alice2447sstuff]

Abp cyan fanart!!

I love him sm, he such a cutiepie and a sunshine!

Also i made my shapesona in abp universe

I made a much older version of my shapesona , she is 23 years old!She works as a waitress at Charlie's Café to pay for medical school.

Bonus:

I like gossip and my shapesona is literally me soo, she knows a lot of gossip and ends up even discovering some things because she's stealthy, so sometimes she gives some information or rumors to S.quad!

(Sometimes she asks smth in return for information but it's something silly like "i wanna meet Charlie alone, can you help me on that?")

And one last curiosity is that she still being a spider hybrid.

Abp and The two characters belong to: @cinnamationstudios

[dungeon-roving]

Laios Statblock in PF1e

Laios Touden CR 13

Tallman inquisitor 1 / fighter (Lore Warden) 13 NG Medium human (tallman) Init +2; Senses Perception +21

DEFENSE AC 30, touch 14, flat-footed 28 (+13 armor, +1 Dex, +3 deflection, +3 natural) hp 126 (1d8 + 13d10 + 41) Fort +15 Ref +11 Will +13

OFFENSE Speed 20ft Melee Kensuke +26/+21/+16 (1d8+14/19-20) Special Attacks judgement 1/day, weapon training (heavy blades +2, light blades +1), know thy enemy Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +3) 1st (2/day) -- cure light wounds, true strike Inquisitions Tactics

STATISTICS Str 22, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 10 Base Atk +13; CMB +25; CMD 38 Feats Cleave, Combat Expertise (Bonus), Greater Weapon Specialization (longsword),Heavy Armor Proficiency, Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Knowledge [Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nature, Religion, Planes]), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword), Skills Acrobatics +12, Climb +18, Knowledge (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nature, Planes, Religion) +27 (+31 to identify a creature), Knowledge (Engineering) +8 (+12 to identify a creature), Knowledge (Nobility) +8, Perception +21, Languages Common, Elven, Dwarven Combat Gear fullplate, Kensuke (longsword), wooden holy symbol

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Hair’s Breadth (Ex): At 11th level, a lore warden can attempt an Acrobatics check as an immediate action to negate a confirmation role for a critical hit. The critical hit confirmation is negated (though the attack still hits and deals normal damage) if the Acrobatics check is greater than the opponent’s confirmation roll. This ability replaces armor training 3.

Know Thy Enemy (Ex): At 7th level, a lore warden can take a standard action to study a specific target in sight. He must make a Knowledge check to determine the target’s abilities and weaknesses as part of this standard action. If successful, the lore warden not only notes the appropriate abilities and weaknesses, as detailed under the Knowledge skill on page 100 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, but also gains a +2 competence bonus on all attack rolls and weapon damage rolls made against that enemy. Note that this bonus on attack and damage rolls applies only to that specific creature. This bonus lasts for the duration of an encounter, or until the lore warden attempts a new Knowledge check to use this ability on a different target. This ability replaces armor training 2.

Here's a Laios Statblock, capped at level 14 since that's when an Arcanist can learn stone-to-flesh. It uses the ABP rules, bumped up to its equivalent for level 16 in order to account for the little-to-no-magic-items-itis that Dunmeshi has, as the alternate rule suggests.

Safe to say, he very much is pulling off Know Thy Enemy consistently, and if you want to increase his danger-level a bit, give him an extra level to make it a swift action.

I also screwed up in his armor in my initial post. It's some kind of plate armor, can't tell if it's halfplate or fullplate. So, we have to burn a feat. And yes, that's a good 6 feats dedicated solely to Skill Focuses. I haven't gotten around to statting Kensuke as a "magic" item yet, but he'd pretty much only be useful for an extra Perception roll.

(If I do more of them, I'll probably keep it so it's inline with the Dunmeshi universe. and call humanoids humans and humans tallmen.)

[postsofbabel]

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[fandomt4keover]

Introduction/info!

Hello! Im Fandom- But you can also call me Doodle, Duskull, Boxten, or Periastron ! Let’s be friends! I use She/Her pronouns btw !

I'm also a multishipper ( And I like rarepairs! ) :D

I love to draw, roleplay, and play games! And as my username suggests, Im kinda obsessed with a few fandoms-

Please do NOT tag me / send asks related to saving Palestine / Gaza. I can't help as I'm a minor. No like seriously stop. /vsrs

Some fandoms im in:

Just Shapes & Beats ( 🔺️&🎵 ), Cats are Liquid: ALitS and ABP, Nameless Cat, Warrior Cats, Splatoon, Pokèmon, Pluto’s Reprisal, Heart Star, Divineko, Dandy’s World, Let Him Go, and Forsaken !!!

Main fandom(s): Let Him Go. , Forsaken, and maybe 🔺&🎵

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Extra Info below cut !!!

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#3 Disstrack/BentoBox/Shrimpo x Boxten shipper! ( i wanted to be #1 or #2 but a few others took that,,, )

#1 MusicTheatre/Razzle and Dazzle x Boxten shipper!

#1 MusicConductor/MusicShow/Boxten x Vee shipper!

#1 BattleTrack/Zoey x Boxten shipper! ( Zoey is a friend's oc !! )

#1 Boxten fan! ( trust me i am /silly )

#1 Common Toon fan + kin !! ( i kin them all in some way heh )

The CEO of the common toons heh /silly

GLISTEN'S #1 HATER. /vsrs

#1 Duskull fan!

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Cool people they're cool go follow them !!!! ( some of these r moots and some r people i find cool ! ) also you can ask to be up here moots trust ( and you can asked to be removed if you want :3 ) /gen

@music-notez - YOU'RE SO COOL DUDE I CANT BELIEVE I WAS MOOTS WITH YOU BEFORE I JOINED TUMBLR AND FYM WE MET BC OF THE FNF: VS GHOST TWINS MOD ????? IM FINNA EAT YOUR ART UP TOO BTW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /vsillypos !!

@mugzymiik - Cool person, they're so amazing even though we had like less than 5 interactions but their ocs are so cool ( Bug is so cool,, i'd draw fanart but i can't draw an octogon,,, ) ALSO THEY'RE GOLD FROM TPC REAL !!!! /vpos

@lightning-heart15 - You silly creature,,, heh,,, /vsillypos

@jayden-for-now - You're cool and and your jsab designs are fire !! /pos

@deryyle - MUSICCONDUCTOR SHIPPER I REPEAT MUSICCONDUCTOR SHIPPER !!!!! ALSO IM FINNA EAT YOUR ARTSTYLE !!!!!!!! ( i dont really know this guy but they're cool ) /vsillypos

@cheerfulfor1one - YOU'RE ONE OF MY BENTOBOX SUPPLIERS I LOVE YOUR ART AAAAAAAAAAAA /vpos !!!! ( we have not interacted once but yeah )

@nimos-flakes - We have interacted a few ( very VERY little ) times also DISSTRACK SHIPPER !!!!!!!!!! /sillypos !!

@modcroissant - I LOVE YOUR ART SO MUCH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE HOW YOU DRAW THE TOONS AND YOUR TAMED TWISTEDS AU AAAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /vsillypos !!!!

@literallycosmo - i know her bc we go to the same school !!!!! ( also istg cosmo if you threaten to touch me again i'll do it first,, /j /nsrs /silly ) !!!

@rory-multifandom-mess - VRO I LOVE YOUR ARTSTYLE IT GIVES ME ENERGY FOR SOME REASON- ITS LIKE AN ENERGY DRINK FOR ART TO ME !!!!!? /vpos !!

@gooblover124 - i got sprout and bobette BEFORE you !!!!!!!

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JS&B au acc: @jsabtjo4h

TPC acc: @cubeandcubic-thepinkcorruption

Dandy's World acc: @razzle-dazzle-dandysworldrpblog

Dandy's World OC rp acc: @dandysworld-ocblog

Boxten's World AU: @welcometo-boxtensworld

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Friendly reminder; Im a minor, so don't be weird with me.

Don't cause drama on any of my accounts.

Don't trace my art.

I also swear a bit- sorry if that makes you uncomfortable! /gen

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DNI LIST.

Proshippers, darkshippers, incestshippers or whatever the fuck you call it - Fuck off and don't interact with me, you will get blocked.

If you are racist, homophobic, transphobic, RCTA, ect.. - Also fuck off please. You will get blocked.

Meowbahh supporters - Ew. Get off my page. You will get blocked.

BreaBitchBear Jones supporters - DON'T INTERACT WITH ME. You will get blocked.

NSFW bot accounts - Go the fuck away. You will get blocked

Thin ice.

Comshippers - It depends if you do darkships or not, if you're a comshipper that does darkships DNI. If you do just lightships, you're fine!

Mirrorshippers - I have mixed feelings about mirrorshipping. Just don't do any weird shit and you're fine ig..

Solarballs fans - Uh.. As long as you're not weird as hell ( iykyk ) you're fine

AngryHugs shippers - I'm actually fine with you if you're not weird. But just know I don't really like this ship ( i wont hate you if you ship this tho :D )

That's really all for now-

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I hope we can all get along! :3

[ask-cats-are-liquid]

Can you give the cats some brownies for me :3 (but without real chocolate so it's cat friendly)

[alders-simblr]

Rowanwood Estates

Rowanwood Estates - WillowCreek - Sage Estates

I'm calling this the 'lite' version because I'm going to go back and clutter it up and change it but it is by no mean 'light' on CC. This one is going to be a long list of links just as a warning and includes my own mod tweak packages for the two cars on it (further explained below).

As with ALL my builds, you're going to want to have bb.moveobjects ON before placing the lot and I DID use TOOL to place some of the more complicated tweaks.

As with all my builds, it is on my gallery under EA ID: alderwitch but you can also download the tray files on my patreon as well here.

Lot Size: 50 x 50

Furnished Price: 915,012 Unfurnished: 336,018

Bedrooms: 6 Bathrooms: 7

Details and CC Shopping List below the cut.

Packs Used: HSY, Cottage Living, Snowy Escape, Eco Lifestyle, Island Living, Get Famous, Seasons, City Living, Get Together, Get To Work, Werewolves, Wedding Stories, Dream Home, Dine Out, Spa Day, Little Campers, Blooming Rooms, Courtyard Oasis, Bust the Dust, Nifty Knitting, Fitness, Backyard, Romantic Garden, Movie Hangout, Cool Kitchen

CC Used: CM Designs: Isla Pt 2, Jasper, Oakley, Rugs, Thermostat Oni: Traditional Japanese Room, Artist's World Room, Custom Food Pink Baddie: Baby Food, Magical Rug, Play Kitchen Sooky: Abstract Frames, Moroccan Rugs, Hydrangea Jug, Kids Rugs, Pretty Blue Rugs ClutterCat: Shiba Inu Rug Aira: Vanilla Rice Cooker Amoebae: Half Strip Tile, Statement Walls, Hallway Stone ATS4: Bagclutter AWingledLLama: Diaper Pail House of Harlix: Bafroom, Baysic, Harluxe, Jardane Brazen Lotus: ABP Closet, Greenhouse, Chronicles of Dressup, Reupholstered Sofa, Phoenix Fence Black Charly Pancakes: Lighthouse Collection, All CC Merged? Felixandre: Chateau, August 2019, Berlin Pt 3, Colonial Pt 2, Florence Set Pt 1, pt 3, Georgian, Grove Pt 4, Paris pt 1, Pt 3, Shop the Look Season 1 Walls That Make Sense: Dynasty, Fundamentals, Lights, Opulence Harrie: Country, Octave, Livin Rum, Tiny Twavellers Icemunmun: AirFryer, Canning Preserves, Finger Sandwiches, Floral tea, Burger Essentials, Mill, Soup, Soda Joliebean: Padtow LBB: Grannie's Cookbook, Recipe Tin, Recipe Stand LilacCreative: Body Butter, Candle LeafMotif: Magnolia Bathroom, Sunbeam Study, Starlight Crystals Ivy LittleDica: Chic Bathroom, Rise N Grind Cafe, Sleek Slumber, Modern Kitchen, Roman Holiday MadameRia: Back to Basics, Luxe, CoL Wallpaper Addon, Lucky Man Marvell: Lux, Janina, KC, Tiny Footsteps, UPcycle MyCupofCC: Maple Manor Books, Curtain, Macrame Shelf Max20: MasterBedroom Pack, Pouf Soft, Washing and Drying Machines Myshousun: Nora Living, Serene Bathroom, Zephyr Office, Dawn Living, Garden Stories, Freja, Gale Peacemaker: Atwood, Grasscloth, Bayside, Caine, Coulor Me Rugs, Drapery Delights, Elme Jute, Elsie, Futura, Gorgeous Georgian, Glass Tile, Hamptons Hideaway, Hamptons Retreat, Hinterlands, Hudsoon, Kingston, Kitayama, Lennox, MCE, Mina, Myra, Nox, Oasis, Quintin, Serenity, Vara, Marcissus Folly PieriSim: David Apartment, Domaine Du Clos, MCM, Oak House, Teeny Weeny, The Office, Tidying Up, Winter Garden Redhead Sims: Nintendo Switch RVSN: Advant 2020 Holiday Decor, Bidet, Binge Inking, CakeABreak, Cupcake Machine, Don't Be Alarmed Alarm Clock, Flood Saucer Light, Hoarders, Void Critter Gaming, Kids Toybin, Knit Happens, Major Inspo, MOtivational Speaker, Personal Brewer, Cod Fish Tank, One Nightstand Short, Peg to Differ, Procraftination, Shop Chef, Shut the Front Door, Smeglish Dishwasher, Sport Retail Therapy, Throw Shade, ToolTime, Watts Not to Love, SP Built Ins, You know the Drill, Ruggable SimCredible: DishDrainer, Naturalis Pantry SimKoos: Boba Storage, Home Clutter, Infant Bottles, Office Tour, Stroller Deluxe Sixam: Cozy Family Room, Gothic W Lighting, Home Basics, Home Improvement, Luxbath, Mixer, Private Surface, RetroVibes, Small Spaces, Spring Six, Stylish Wood, Teen Room Softerhaze: Bramblefinch Powder Walls Syboulette: Oceane, Advent 2022 Wood Parquet, Attic, Bayhouse, Boho Wedding, Brigette, Bougainvillers, Candy, Clarisse, Coraline, Crossfit, Delphine, Designer Meeting Table, Diane, Dino, Dreamy, Faveo, Fitness, Helios, Karaoke, Laundry, Louane, Millenial, Mozaik, Nothingtowear, Pascaline, Petite Chef, Ratatoulle, Sabine, Serenity, Unicorn Birthday Taurus Design: Cassandra Bathroom, Eliza Bedroom and Closet, Elsa, Jade, Katrina Tuds: 2nd Wave, Cave, Crib, Cross, Emma, NCTR, SHKR, Wave WhoisSage: Shag Rug, Handful of Mats, Simply Striking

Functionality

These mods are not technically in the build but are needed to have mods (syboulette's crossfit and aira's rice cooker specifically) functional.

ZulfAndHakrabr: Let's Get Fits Modpack Ricky: Useable RiceCooker

Vehicles

Technically, the two vehicles used for this build use the the Breeze Motors 2018 Mercedes E-Class Wagon and the 2020 Maserati Quattroporte as their base. I won't link to the download page as its a perma-paywaller and I fundamentally disagree with how Breeze Motors is handling their patreon personally. I will leave it to you to decide if you want their CC and how you acquire it if you choose to do so.

For my personal game, I have edited and stripped down my copies of these two cars and modified them so that they work with Simnation Travel. I have a pinned patreon post that is not paywall locked here explaining that more in depth and include the required files HERE.

If you go that route, and would like to download the cars, you can find them here:

Maserati Quattroporte

Mercedes E-Class

I should note that in addition to lacking the door open /close options of the original as those were stripped down, the textures were redone with simlish for a more maxis match look in game.

Mods for this Build

These are not technically required for the build to function but this build was built using overrides for both Sim Realist's SNB Bills mod as well as Simnation Travel vehicles. You shouldn't get any weird errors if you load the build in without those mods but if there's an exception caught by MCC related to that, it's probably just reconciling that the override the lot was built with is not in place in your game. It should only be a one time alert the first time the game loads in if it happens and should not cause any issue other than MCC making a noise at you about it noticing weirdness.

(The SNB provides the High Speed Internet trait to the lot and I think it will just set that trait to empty if its loaded without but I haven't personally confirmed it, hence the note here. ) Additional Note

I'm pushing this to live today just to make sure it hits my tumblr the same time as I pushed the build to my gallery but I will be going back to add links into the list. There are just a LOT to track down and it might take me a day or two to finish that part.

[kicksaddictny]

Where To Cop The Nike Air Max 95'

The Nike Air Max 95 “Neon” is back—and sneakerheads everywhere are gearing up for what could be one of the most anticipated drops of 2025. A true classic from 1995, this colorway remains one of the most celebrated Air Max designs of all time. And now, it’s returning with a bigger Air Max bubble, bringing it closer to its original form than we’ve seen in years.

A Sneaker Icon with a Fresh Update

The return of the Air Max 95 “Neon” was first reported by Complex last year, and Nike later confirmed the retro in a SNKRS preview. In a surprise move, Nike even did an early drop in Tokyo—a city that has long revered the silhouette. But for the rest of the world, the wait is almost over.

Release Details & Availability

Release Date: April 4, 2025

Style Code: HM4740-001

Limited Release: Reports suggest only 10,000 pairs will be in circulation, making this drop harder to cop than previous retros. Retailers have also indicated low allocations, meaning competition will be fierce.

43 Einhalb

ABP

Afew

A Ma Maniere

Asphalt Gold

Bait (Melrose)

Better Gift Shop

Concepts

Dover Street Market

End Clothing

Extra Butter

Finish Line

Footdistrict

Footpatrol

JD Sports

Kith

Lapstone & Hammer

Limited Edt

Livestock

Momentum

Naked

Naked CPH

Offspring

Packer Shoes

Premium Goods

Sally’s Shoes

Sesinko

Sevenstore

Shoe Gallery

Slam Jam

Sneakersnstuff

Social Status

Solebox

Succezz

Tops and Bottoms

Undefeated

Up NYC

Wish

[walker-extended-universe]

Sammy Reborn, Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Relationship(s): August Walker & Dean Winchester, August Walker & Cordell Walker, Cassie Perez & Cordell Walker

Tags/Warnings: Kidnapping, Drugging, Investigations, Delusions, Obsession

Written for @medwhumpmay Day 4- Sedated

Summary: In which August tries to make a move and Walker tries to keep his wits about him.

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

------

Cordell stumbled into the ranch house at around 4am, got a couple hours of sleep, then made his way to the family breakfast table to break the news to his family. 

He and Cassie had spent hours looking through traffic cam footage the night before and hadn’t had much luck. They did manage to identify the car most likely used by the kidnapper but the license plate they pulled from the footage was fake and tracking the car had proved to be almost impossible since the driver mostly used side streets away from the cameras. All they knew was that they were looking for a black 1967 Chevy Impala (which they put the APB out for before leaving) and that whoever did was long gone.

Not exactly great news.

He hesitated before the doorway and took a deep breath. He couldn’t put this off any longer.

“Mornin’ everyone….” He tried to smile but he wasn’t sure it was convincing. “I…I have something to tell you. Something important.” He didn’t wait for his mama’s concerned questions before barreling through it. “Last night, August was kidnapped while taking out the trash at the Side Step. We don’t know who took him or why. All we have right now is the vehicle the kidnapper was driving and we’ve got a state-wide ABP out on it right now-”

“Wait, what? Last night?” Stella turned in her stool, breakfast forgotten. “Why didn’t you tell us as soon as you found out?”

“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?” Cordell muttered. “Colton’s the one that called it in. And after that….. I needed to know what we could find out. I wish I had better news but at this point there’s not much we can do. We’ll have to wait for someone to report the car and that’s honestly the best we can hope for. Until then, all we can do is investigate things here, try and find out if anything suspicious has been happening around August lately. I’m not dragging all of you in for interrogation but we’ll need to have a talk about what he’s told you -if he has- and we’ll need to track down some of his school friends too.”

He watched as his family slowly absorbed the news. There was a long silence before anyone said anything.

“He didn’t mention anything strange to me,” Liam said slowly. “Stel?”

She shook her head. “No, but I know some of his school friends; I can talk to them and see if they know anything.”

“Do you know if he kept a journal?” Bonham asked. “He may have put something in there.”

He shook his head. “Not one that I knew of but it couldn’t hurt to look. But I’ve got to get to work, see if there have been any updates.”

“Cordi, honey, it’s been one night. You can at least get some breakfast before you go,” Abby insisted.

“But-”

“If there’s a big update, they’ll call you. And you won’t do August any good collapsing on the job. Eat.”

Sighing, Cordell sat down and started eating. He knew better than to argue with that tone.

—-------

August woke up with a groan. His head hurt and the loud music wasn’t helping. Why was Stella blasting Led Zepplin anyway?

“Oh, sorry. Did I wake you Sammy? Here, let me turn that down.”

The lowered volume did help August’s head but that voice didn’t help his nerves. It was the same voice from the alleyway. The guy that jumped him and knocked him out.

“You wanna stop at the next exit and get something to eat? I’m a little hungry myself. I bet you are too. You gotta get something besides a salad this time though. I know you’re on a health kick and all that but you’re too skinny.”

August made himself sit up and open his eyes. He wasn’t sure what this guy wanted or why but he figured it’d probably be smart to play along for now. Just until he could find a way to contact his family. “Where are we?”

“We’re just coming up on Texarkana. I’m good on gas for a bit but I think we need fuel for us before we go much further. I know I’m starving.” The guy took the next exit but he was going too fast for August to see where it was.

August was feeling hungry too, but he didn’t think he could trust anything this guy would give him. But maybe he could use this to get some more information. “I’m not that hungry, actually. Thanks though, Mr….?”

His captor laughed. “Sammy, I know you’re hungry. And don’t call me that. I know I’m older than you, but come on, I’m just your brother.”

August had so many arguments he could make but none of them seemed like a good idea in a moving car. “Fine. Where are we going?”

“Just a little diner I know. You’ll love it.”

August very much doubted that but, again, he didn’t think it was a good idea to get into it.

It was another half an hour of his captor singing off-tune before they pulled into the diner parking lot. It was a grungy place that looked like it had been open a few decades too long- then again Gramps swore up and down those places made the best food (besides Mawline’s, of course). And August actually was a bit hungry, not that he felt like admitting it.

“Yeah, I know it doesn’t look like much,” the man said, unlocking the doors. “But I’m sure they have some kind of salad for you. But I am gonna order you a burger; you’re too damn skinny, Sammy.”

August wouldn’t mind a burger. It would give him the energy to run away if nothing else.

And being here gave him some options. He didn’t have his phone anymore, but there were people here. If he could get away from this guy for just a second, he could get someone to call his dad. That would have to be good enough until he could find another way to talk to his family.

“Well, howdy Dean!” The waitress standing behind the counter greeted them with a blinding smile. “Been a while since I’ve seen you. A few months at least. And who’s this fella?”

The man, Dean, returned her smile and pulled August into a one-armed hug. “This is my little brother, Sammy. We’ll have my usual, Debbie.”

They were given a table near the front window while they waited for whatever Dean’s usual was. August spent his time looking around the diner. There was a decent crowd, not so busy that he wouldn’t be able to get a waitress’ attention for a few seconds but busy enough that he could do it without drawing Dean’s attention. Hopefully.

“Alright, here ya are!” Debbie plunked two plates in front of them. Dean’s “usual” was a heart attack on a plate- a greasy bacon burger with an overwhelming side of fries.

Normally, August would dig in with glee. He was a growing boy and while the Walkers weren’t exactly health nuts, something as greasy as this was definitely a rarity. 

But, normally August hadn’t been kidnapped by some weirdo. So that killed his appetite a bit.

“Come on, Sammy, eat up,” Dean said around a mouthful of food. “We gotta hit the road if we wanna be home by sundown.”

August ate some fries and looked around the diner, waiting for the right opportunity. If he could just get a waittress’ attention….

He saw one of the young ladies in a uniform going into the restroom area. Bingo.

“Hey, uh, I gotta hit the head. I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Sure thing, Sammy,” Dean muttered, entranced by his burger.

August quickly dashed to the back of the restaurant. There was a “No Entry- Cleaning” sign on the door but he opened it anyway. This was more important.

“Didn’t you see the sign?” said a very annoyed voice.

“I- Yes, but this is important.”

“I don’t care which burrito you ate, I’m cleaning.” A very annoyed woman poked her head out of one of the stalls. “You can wait five minutes.”

“I really can’t. It’s- I don’t actually have to use the bathroom but….” How was he supposed to explain this?

The woman’s face softened a bit. “Are you okay? If you ate the Dynomite blaster-”

“It’s not that. It’s- You know that guy I came in with.”

She nodded. “Yeah, Debbie said he’s your older brother.”

“He isn’t. He’s not my brother at all. I don’t even know him.”

Her eyes widened with understanding. “Do you need to sneak out the back?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t think that would work. That guy is…. Scary. And I don’t even have my phone on me. But my dad’s a cop and I know the tip line for where I live. If you could just call and tell them I was here, that would help a lot.” He could just play nice with Dean until his dad rescued him.

Right?

“Uh, well… I don’t-”

“I’ll be okay, I promise. Just- Let me give you the number.”

She handed him her order pad and he quickly scrawled the number for the Ranger tip line and his name. Hopefully he wouldn’t be stuck with Dean much longer.

He thanked her and quickly went back to his table. Feeling slightly better now that he had a plan in place, he went straight for the burger. He didn’t know if it was actually a good burger or if he was just hungry, but it tasted like the best thing he’d eaten in months.

“Woah, slow your roll, Sammy. I don’t need you getting sick in the car.”

August rolled his eyes. “I haven’t eaten in hours, I’m starving.”

“Suit yourself.”

As soon as they finished eating, Dean threw some cash down on the table and motioned for August to get up. He did and immediately felt queasy. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten that burger in less than a minute after all….

—-----

It took longer than Dean thought for the drugs to knock Sammy out. He’d made the dose smaller so it wouldn’t hurt Sam by accident. He’d have to adjust it for next time, but it did the job for now.

Sam fell asleep about 30 minutes into the car ride and Dean turned the music down for him. “Sweet dreams, kiddo,” he murmured, stroking his hair. “We’ll be home soon.” It was a 10 hour drive, but with Dean at the wheel they’d make it in 5.

He hated to drug Sam for the ride. He wanted to sing along to the radio with his brother rolling his eyes at him the whole way. But Sammy was still confused and Dean didn’t want to risk losing him again. He just needed some alone time with Sam and then things could start getting back to normal.

It wouldn’t be an easy transition for Sammy- kid always was stubborn. But, just like when Dean got him back from Stanford all those years ago, he would eventually come around. He’d stop having all those big dreams about leaving Dean behind and living a “normal” life, whatever that meant. 

And it would be better this time. There would be no Dad to drive him away, no Jessica to keep him away, no Ruby to poison his mind, no Lucifer to claim him, not even Castiel to ruin him. Sammy would be all his this time. Just like he should be.

And if his other “family” tried to come after him, to take what isn’t theirs anymore, Dean would take care of it. Just like he always did.

—---------

Cassie rewound the traffic cam footage again, just in case she missed something. Even a taillight would be something more than what she had. And she had to give something to Walker. She had to.

She glanced over at the conference room where he was staring blankly at their- equally as blank- caseboard. She would bet anything he was currently running through the stats on survival of a missing person versus how long it took to find them. She certainly was.

Her desk phone ringing jarred her out of her thoughts. “Texas Rangers,” she answered.

“Uh, is this the anonymous tip line?”

She sat up straighter. “Yes. What do you have to report?”

“Uh…. God, this is gonna sound weird….”

“Nothing too weird for the tip line, believe me. What did you see?”

The woman sighed. “God, this is dumb. I shouldn’t’ve let him go. I shoulda told him to sneak out the back and just called the cops right then. What was I thinking?”

“Ma’am, I can’t help you or him unless you tell me what’s happened.”

“Right, right. Uh, well, these two guys came into the diner earlier. The older one called the younger one his brother and he ordered from Debbie. But then the younger one came and found me while I was cleaning the bathroom and told me they weren’t actually brothers and told me to call this number.”

“Right.” Cassie grabbed one of the report slips and started scribbling down information. “Can you tell me anything else.”

“Well, the older one is a regular. Debbie knows him well. His name is Dean I think. He called the younger one “Sammy” but then the kid told me his name is actually August Walker. Said his dad was a cop and that’s why I had to call this number.”

“Thank you. Is there anything else you can tell me about the man August was with?”

“Uh, well he’s older. I’d say in his forties maybe? He’s white, he’s got green eyes, and I’d say he’s about six feet tall. He always pays in cash, he drives one of those classic cars- a black one- and I think he’s from somewhere in Kansas? I think that’s what Debbie said.”

“That’s great. And can you tell me the address of this diner?”

“Oh, right! I forgot.” She gave up the address and Cassie did her best to keep all the details straight. “They were here about half an hour ago. I couldn’t call sooner because we were busy; this was my first chance to take a break.”

“That’s still helpful. Thank you.” She hung up and picked up her report slip. She smiled as she read over everything again. This was good. This was a lead. This was a chance. They could bring August home.

“Hey, Walker,” she said, rushing toward the conference room. “We just got a tip on August. A waitress in Texarkana called in about him. Whoever took him stopped for lunch and August was able to get away long enough to get help.”

His head snapped toward her and he zeroed in on the slip in her hand. “Really?” he said. “Texarkana? They must’ve been driving all night…” He snatched it from her and read over it. “This is good. We can work with this. We should probably get in touch with the PD there and see if we can get camera footage from the diner and the surrounding streets. Also put an APB on this description.” He was moving around the conference room frantically now, adding to the still sparse case board.

“I’ll let James know,” Cassie said, backing out of the room to let Walker do what he needed to do. His son was missing; he could sweat out as much nervous energy as he needed to.

[shadowmaat]

Artificial Incompetence

The conversations around "artificial intelligence" are getting a bit bonkers. Not that they're really conversations so much as screaming matches. And not that we're talking about true artificial intelligence so much as algorithm blending programs.

I don't like the recent fad of ABPs. It has a lot of the same earmarks and defenders as NFTs had, and boy howdy did that not work out well for folks. I don't think ABPs have been tied to the fake currency market, but their current implementation is still going to do more harm than good, in my opinion.

I'm not gonna say that writing or art should be "hard" or that people need to "struggle" in order to create things. I do, however, believe that they need to do the goddamn work themselves. Feeding prompts into a content generator doesn't make you a writer or artist. Well, scam artist, maybe. It's taking words/brush strokes from someone else and claiming credit for it. Even if you mention you used an ABP you still didn't create the art yourself, you just fed a program some prompts or the name of some artists you like and it spat out something you claimed as your own.

That's one of the big hangups I have with this fad: taking credit for someone else's work. Reaping all the perceived benefits (kudos, reblogs, etc) without actually doing anything to earn it.

If I give someone a prompt and they write a fic based on it, that story isn't mine. Sure, they might mention I gave them the prompt, but they were the one to write the actual story. Not me. My name doesn't go on the author line and I can't boast to others about the fic I wrote. Because I didn't.

I'm all for accessibility tools to help people complete tasks, and if ABPs were being widely used to help make creative efforts more accessible, I might have a different opinion. As it stands, however, the vast majority of people currently using ABPs aren't using them to help with their own creativity, they're using them as a substitute.

The arguments about data scraping and plagiarism are important, especially if we want to make sure that ABPs stop doing that, but from where I stand it still all boils down to people trying to loophole past responsibility and effort.

It gets worse when you switch gears from fic writing to essays and articles. At least in fiction stuff is supposed to be made up, so, all jokes aside, if some details are wrong it doesn't really matter.

When students start submitting essays to their teachers that they didn't write or sites try using an ABP to write articles, facts become a lot more important. And ABPs are infamous for making shit up whole cloth, even to the point of citing imaginary sources for their facts. That is, quite frankly, dangerous.

You think the past few years (decades, centuries) of misinformation have been bad? It can get a whole lot worse. These programs can seed in just enough "real" information to sell their bullshit as legitimate, and if even some experts have to double-check stuff to figure out what's false, where does that leave the rest of us? Especially all the ones who don't fact check at all before reblogging/believing something they read?

I think the future of artificial intelligence- real artificial intelligence- could be incredibly cool, and when the first AI submits a fic to AO3 I hope I'm around to read it. Right now, though, it's less about exploring potential and all about exploiting it.