#I did on Thursday and that was epic

[munchkin1156]

hey hey hey you see this?

I’m almost at 100 followers :00000

also 5555 posts coool-

So, TO THE POINT.

At 100 followers, I’m going to post something special. I don’t know what exactly, but once I hit that number, somethings going to happen…

Now, since I’m slightly impatient, let’s see if I can get there within a week… :) yes this makes it harder for me as well since I have to post something then if it gets reached but oh well-

I’ll keep you updated! Good luck! :D you’ll need it…

Taglist: @i-am-beckyu, @da3dm, @brick-a-doodle-do, want to try?

[wavernot4love]

just opened instagram to immediate whiplash when i saw this aka new dates .....

with YET ANOTHER thursdayband show in my immediate area???? the third in around ten months????? oh wavernot4love is going to be so very back this summer indeed

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Epic Buddie Fic Rec | March 10th-24th 2025

Work has just been.... a lot. Feels like the only thing getting me through the week is 9-1-1 Thursdays. Anyway. It's a long one cause you're getting two weeks. Bon appetit.

Complete

it has no name (no guarantee) by withmeornotatall/ @chronicowboy (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda, Pre-Buddie | 1,1K | General):

"H-hey, E-eddie." Buck isn't sure why he stumbles over Eddie's name. He's had enough practice over the past few days. Said it enough times in his life that it should be able to slip out seamlessly every damn time. "Hey, Buck." And there's Eddie sounding sure and confident and a little tired and warm and soft and so much like his best friend. Buck aches. "Just finished unpacking. Told myself I couldn't call until I was done. Incentive, y'know?" (or: eddie calls, buck blurts some things out, they're totally normal best friends)

all my life, there you go Chapter 29. Sleeping in by trysetmeonfire (Post-S8E9: Sob Stories, Eddie Back From Texas | 1,2K | Mature):

Buck shuffles a little and Eddie thinks for a moment maybe- but he just snorts a little and keeps dreaming. Eddie tries to tamp down on the kind of sleepover giddiness bubbling up in his chest — wake up wake up wake up — and takes the opportunity to watch his best friend. His- whatever. Whatever they are now that Eddie knows what kissing him is like, quickly and quietly in his parent’s backyard, now that Eddie has stumbled his way through a question — “Why are you- why did you- all of this- do you- do you-“ — and Buck had frowned a little, not in an unhappy way but in his serious way, and had heard the real thing Eddie had wanted to know, and said “Eddie- of course I love you.” 

is it enough now by foxwatson/ @eddiediazes (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda, Pre-Buddie | 1,4K | Teen):

“I’m not in love with you,” Buck blurts out as soon as the ringing stops on the other end of the phone. There’s dead air on the other end of the line, but the kind that’s filled with background noise - a distant hum, some breathing sounds, just enough for Buck to know that Eddie heard him. buck finally calls eddie. he's still working through some stuff. he's kind of a disaster, honestly.

city lights, without you (they don’t even shine like they used to) by farfromthstars/ @doeeyeseddie (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda | 1,5K | Teen):

“It wouldn’t be so crazy,” Maddie said, and she didn’t even sound surprised. Is this something she’s thought about before? Do his sister and his ex really think he’s secretly in love with Eddie? And if Maddie thinks so, does Chimney do, too? Fuck, does everyone think he’s pining after Eddie? ~ buck is not in love with eddie. definitely not.

I’ve pined for you my whole life (morning, noon, and night) by paleredheadinascifi (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda | 1,7K | Teen):

“Where did you do it?” Eddie asks in one quick breath. “Hmm?” Buck hums. “Sorry I - - I. Nevermind. Sorry. It’s none of my business,” Eddie croaks, and whatever that is in his voice is what finally clues Buck in. “Oh. Oh,” he gasps. “Where did I - - where did we sleep together?” Or, Buck calls Eddie after 8x11.

sanctioned departures by littleghost/ @ghostlandtoo (S8E10: Voices Coda | 1,9K | General):

Buck gets his sister back and loses his best friend in the same week.

a fool for you by staticsilencee (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda, Getting Together | 2K | Mature):

“You did what?” Eddie asked, his voice sounding faint over the phone. Buck groaned, dropping his face into his hands. “I moaned your name! I don’t know why man, I just– Tommy said a bunch of stuff after– after. And I can’t work any of it out, and I know this is probably weird but I really need my best friend right now.” -or- Buck accidentally moans Eddie's name after he bring Tommy back to his place- oops!

keep me by you by euadnes/ @kananjarus (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda | 2,5K | Teen):

"It's funny you say that," he says. His voice has gone so soft Buck thumbs the volume up, his heart in his throat. "My date tonight ended early because I too would not shut up about the amazing guy I apparently couldn't get over. And he didn't enjoy being used a rebound. Or at least that's how he put it." Buck didn't hear that right, right? He realizes his mouth has fallen open, a few seconds too late. He scarcely dares to breathe. "He -? Wait, you were on a date with a - a guy?" Eddie cocks his head, quirks his mouth. "That's the part of the conversation you're focusing on?"

Buddie Versus The Kiss Cam by explorerofworlds (Basketball Date, S8 | 3K | General):

Buck and Eddie take Tommy’s tickets and go to a basketball game together. While there, they end up on the kiss cam! Or the kiss cam fic.

I just want it to be you by Lihhelsing/ @lihhelsing (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda | 4K | Mature):

Five times someone calls Eddie Diaz to talk about Buck and one time Eddie calls Buck instead.

realizations by staticsilencee (S8E11: Holy Mother of God Coda, Getting Together | 4K | Teen):

“Are you okay?” On the ground, his phone screen was still lit, a call with Eddie displayed on the screen. Through the haze of panic, Buck was at least relieved that he hadn’t managed to start a video call. I think I’m in love with you. Oh God, I think I’m in love with you. “Yeah, I– everything’s good, I think I just– butt dialed you, or something.”

loose-tongued, in love by wenttoafortuneteller (Getting Together | 4K | Teen):

“Get home safe,” Buck says. Then, as always, he thinks: I love you. Eddie goes very, very still. His breathing stutters to a stop. There’s a strange expression on his face, his mouth twisting in that way it does when he doesn’t know what to say. Buck squints blearily at him. “What?” A muscle in his jaw twitches once. Twice. The muted light illuminates the quiet movement of his throat as he swallows. “What’d you just say?” “Get home safe,” Buck repeats, a yawn overtaking the last word. “Why…?” Or: the one where Buck, drowsy and delirious on pain medication, confesses his love to Eddie without realizing it.

24 Hours by xylodemon/ @xylodemon (Post-S8E10: Voices, Getting Together | 4K | Not Rated):

Chimney asks, "Who are you texting?" "Eddie." "Really? He's only been gone… what—? Two hours?" "Two hours and thirty-one minutes." "Not that anyone's counting." (Or, Buck and Eddie in the the first 24 hours after Eddie leaves.)

Coming for you by diazsdimples (Eddie Moves to Texas, PWP, Phone Sex | 4K | Explicit):

The idea of Buck on his bed, in his house, wearing his shirt, while he touches himself really does something for Eddie. It makes the small, possessive beast that’s curled up inside his chest purr with contentment. The beast that shouldn’t really exist, because Buck isn’t really his. His phone pings again with another text from Buck. OR Eddie moves to Texas, Buck moves into his house, and neither of them really know how to handle it. Good thing phone sex solves all problems!

How to supreme an orange by paleredheadinascifi (Post-Chris coming home, Getting together | 5K | Teen):

"I don’t like oranges.” “Since when?” Eddie frowns. “You used to love oranges.” Christopher shrugs. “I don’t like them anymore.” And that’s fine, really. Tastes change. Christopher doesn’t have to like oranges. It’s just that he does. Christopher loves oranges. Christopher has loved oranges since the first time he tasted one, Eddie watching on over a shaky video call from the desert. Or, Eddie knows his kid, and his kid loves oranges. Buck knows both of them better than Eddie realized. He shows it in various citrus-based ways.

stay in the line, stay in the line by Elgney (S4E5: Buck Begins | 5K | General):

"The other firefighters were very kind. We got to hear a lot of stories about you. They seem to like you a great deal." Or: two missing conversations from Buck Begins.

Don’t Think About It Too Much, Too Much, Too Much, Too Much by fruitsdoesnotknow/ @fruitsdontknow (Post-S8E11: Holy Mother of God, Chris Coming Home, Getting Together | 6K | Mature):

“My friend, my…. Eddie’s like that. He’s a single parent, too. Big worrier. He nests. Uh,” Buck dips his head down. “Loves his kid more than anything. That’s where he’s coming from, now. Picking up his son, Christopher.” “Your Diaz boys,” she clarifies, a warm look in her eyes, and Buck feels his cheeks heat up. “Yeah.” *** Eddie and Chris finally come back to Los Angeles. Buck has some realizations, and confessions, to make. Good thing Eddie's got some of his own to share, too.

softer, harder, in-between by mostardent/ @laracrofted (S8E9: Sob Stories, Jealous Eddie, PWP | 6K | Explicit):

“He was hitting on you!” “So? Who cares?” “I care. We’re married!” Buck blinks. And blinks and blinks and blinks. “Okay. Hold on. What?” One of Eddie's potential renters flirts with Buck, and Eddie is super normal about it and doesn't at all lose his mind over the idea of Buck dating the man who moves into his house.

I'll take your chaos and your crooked in a heartbeat by heartbeatdiaz/ @lonelychicago (Post-S8E10: Voices, Eddie Goes to Texas, Getting Together | 6K | Teen):

He shakes his head, trying to clear the thought before it can settle. Eddie isn’t dead. He’s in Texas, doing what’s best for Christopher. And Buck—Buck has to get over whatever this is. Swallowing hard, he moves to grab one of his own boxes, dragging it toward the hallway. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees it. A single, forgotten cardboard box in the far corner of the living room. In big, black letters, written with marker, it reads: EDDIE — KEEP. It’s not one of his. He is sure of that. or: Eddie leaves a very important box behind and Buck spirals.

the things i wanna hear by stevesconverse (Post-S8E6: Confessions, Chim's Bachelor Party | 6K | Teen):

— or the one where Buck finds a video of him and Eddie making out at Chimney's bachelor party.

we get back to my house (your hands, my mouth) by weewooforever (Post-S8E11: Holy Mother of God, PWP | 7K | Explicit):

Eddie finds out that Buck fucked Tommy in his house. His reaction to finding this out is perfectly normal.

I missed your skin when you were east by Lihhelsing/ @lihhelsing (Post-S8A, Getting Together | 7K | Explicit):

Maybe Buck had gotten used to people leaving. So much so that it didn’t affect him anymore. His life would keep going even if his best friend wasn’t there anymore. Eventually, he accepted that nothing would feel different. He signed the moving truck away and sat on the porch stairs, one almost warm beer in hand as he waited for Eddie to get home. When Eddie did, Buck almost felt like something was different about him, but then figured it was just his imagination. Buck left his half-drank beer on the porch of Eddie’s former house shortly after Eddie had left him the same way. Half-drunk. Unchanged. OR; Eddie leaves, and Buck's life stays the same. It's when he comes back that everything changes.

That’s what you do (when you love somebody) by scarmaddiewrites (Eddie Moves to Texas, Getting Together | 7K | Teen):

Buck can’t go home. He physically can’t, so he avoids it at all costs, until he doesn’t. Or The five times Buck avoids his house and the one time he never wants to leave

can you see what we are? (it’s all there written down) by kabnd/ @polkadotk804 (Canon, S2 onwards | 8K | General):

April 25, 2019 - Buck, genuinely distressed in the middle of the night in the bunkroom, presumably to Eddie (overheard by me, Chim): “Do you think that cat from the ‘hang in there’ poster is dead? Like how long do you think that little dude really hung in there?” Eddie, who I think was still mostly asleep: “At least he left a legacy.” OR: Maddie starts a shared note to document Buck and Eddie-isms…it gets just as unhinged at you’d imagine and tells their story from the perspective of the 118 & Co…and then Chris comes home!

smiling through it all by stevesconverse (Canon Divergent, S2E1: Under Pressure | 8K | Teen):

“So what’s your real name, then?” Eddie asks, sipping on his own drink—a whiskey he’s swirling around in the glass constantly. “Evan,” Buck says coyly, quickly adding, “But nobody really calls me that.” “Evan,” Eddie echoes, the sound dripping off his tongue like thick honey. “I like it.” It almost makes Buck regret to ever abandon it in the first place, driving a shiver down his spine. Almost. “And what’s Eddie short for? Eduardo?” he quickly shifts the conversation, stirring his drink and popping another peanut into his mouth. Eddie shakes his head and chuckles. “Edmundo,” he corrects him, then winks at Buck with a low, “But nobody really calls me that.” or the one where Buck and Eddie have a one-night-stand two days before Eddie starts at the 118.

think i know where you belong by stevesconverse (Eddie&Chris Go Back To LA, Roommates, Accidental Kiss | 8K | Teen):

“Bye,” Eddie mumbles distantly, and when Buck finally manages to open his eyes again, Eddie is halfway out the door already. Puzzled, he just stands there, listens to the slam of the door and the starting of the truck outside, his mind spinning and his lips still tingling. Eddie has just kissed him. Actually kissed him, like it was the most normal, casual thing in the world, like this was what they always do, a routine they follow, a dance they’ve learned. Except it’s none of that. 

meet me in the afterglow by literalmetaphor (Established Buddie, Hurt/Comfort | 9K | Explicit):

“We need a safe word,” Buck says. “You know, to make things as clear as possible.” “I feel like no works just fine,” Eddie says. Buck lets out a breath, because, sure, it probably will, but he needs assurance here. He needs something straightforward, simple, maybe something easier than Eddie telling him no. Maybe something easier than Eddie saying it’s too much. He’s never been great at that. “Just, humor me, okay? Communication is key with stuff like this.” Eddie’s laugh is soft, kind of incredulous, but he meets Buck’s eyes, and there’s a relenting fondness in them. “You think, what, you’re gonna be so good it’s gonna scramble my brain out of knowing how to say no?” An answering laugh tumbles out of Buck, peppered with the exasperation at the back of his throat. “I think this is new for you, and I think you should have options.” OR Eddie has to use the safe word.

love of my life, can't you see? by wenttoafortuneteller (S8E11 Spec, Crack | 10K | Teen):

“I asked Josh out,” Buck admits. It’s cartoonish how quickly Eddie’s jaw drops; how his eyes bulge out of his head. Buck rubs the back of his neck, sheepish, waiting for him to say something. There’s still silence. Buck frowns at his screen. “Eddie? Hello? I think you froze.” “I’m here,” Eddie says slowly, eyes still comically wide. “I just think I might have misheard you.” “Oh,” Buck says, and repeats himself. “I asked Josh out.” “Okay. So I didn’t mishear you.” Eddie scrubs a hand over his face. “Can I ask why?”  Or: Maddie nudges Buck towards Eddie, Buck misunderstands horribly, and Eddie suffers over FaceTime.

I can roll with all the punches (if you hold a couple back) by Elgney (Canon, S1-S2 | 13K | General):

“I need someone like you—someone who can keep up with him, and have his back, and maybe eventually even rein him in, should that be a thing that is humanly possible to do,” said Bobby, smiling warmly over the remaining half of his sandwich. “Oh, I see,” said Eddie. And he did now. That’s what Bobby’s whole hard sell was about—it wasn’t personal, it was about Eddie being the top of this class. “I know the type. You see guys a lot like that in the military.” “Oh, no,” said Bobby, “I didn’t mean to—well, what I mean is, I don’t think you have seen a lot of guys like Buck, to be honest. I don’t think there are a lot of people like him.” ----- Hen & Chim discussing the new probie; Buck's forgotten shield ceremony; Eddie's first shift with the 118. Or: three early impressions of Buck, through the eyes of his future found family.

hopeless, breathless, burning slow by mostardent/ @laracrofted (Post-S6E11: In Another Life | 14K | Mature):

He knows Eddie worries about him. Everyone does, but with Eddie, it’s not the same. He doesn’t look at Buck like he still has one foot in the grave. Eddie looks at him like he prayed for a miracle and God gave him Buck. In the pale blue-green light, Buck lifts his gaze mid-sentence and finds Eddie already looking at him. His hands are shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders down. He looks at ease, relaxed and peaceful, a fond smile on his face, coaxed from the corner of his mouth. One of his Christopher smiles, except Eddie’s gaze rests steadily on Buck, so maybe it’s a different kind of smile, one just for him. His dark eyes are warm and bright as afternoon sunshine, brimming with happiness, and it’s the most real Buck has felt in weeks. After the coma, Buck struggles to feel real and unofficially moves in with Eddie. (Or, Eddie hovers and Buck burns.)

listen for heaven by marviless/ @marviless (S8, Eddie Moves to Texas | Getting Together | 15K | Teen):

There’s a long pause before Buck answers. “Yeah, I do,” he says. “I felt alone for the first twenty something years of my life.” “What about now?” Eddie asks, and he’s not even quite sure what he means. What about now, right in this moment? or what about now, now that I’m gone? Buck chooses to answer the former. “I’m never lonely when I’m with you,” he says simply, softly. Eddie, Buck, and six phone calls.

Finding You by Sabs/ @memequeme (Soulmates AU, Eddie Goes to Texas, Getting Together | 16K | Teen):

Eddie leaves for Texas on a Tuesday and Buck feels it in his heart before he even exits the airport. He starts to feel it in his body on a Thursday. Or: Soulbonds are rare, spontaneous bonds are practically unheard, but Buck and Eddie have always been anything but conventional.

🔥been lost for a while by trysetmeonfire/ @try-set-me-on-fire (Canon Divergent, Nurse Eddie, S2 | 17K | Mature):

Eddie's wife has been dead for two weeks. There's a firefighter in bed five. These are not necessarily related facts, but Eddie will have a hard time separating them out, later. — A story, in many ways, about holding hands

you're more than a heart can take by Elgney (Eddie Coming Out, First Date | 19K | Mature):

“Come on, you’re telling me you wouldn’t consider sneaking into a storage closet with me?” “Obviously, I would!” Eddie was whisper-yelling now, and Buck wasn’t sure exactly what point he was trying to make, but he was enjoying every second of this. “But one of us is going to have to have restraint and it has to be the—the one with the most experience.” Buck felt his mouth drop open in delight. “Eddie,” he admonished. “Are you calling me a whore?” “No!” said Eddie, looking increasingly flustered. “I just mean—clearly you have the power to do—” he gestured at Buck, “that, so you have the—the responsibility to, like, use it. Responsibly.” “Did you just quote Spiderman?” Eddie propped his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands, groaning dramatically. “I’m going to die. The first date, and I’m going to die.” “Been there, wouldn’t recommend it.” --- Buck and Eddie and the first date.

under pressure by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Established Buddie, First Time, PWP | 22K | Explicit):

“It’s not funny,” Eddie sighs, knocking the back of his head against the kitchen cabinet as he brings a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “Oh, come on—it’s a—it’s a little funny,” Buck argues, amusement thick in his voice as Eddie feels his hand curl around his own wrist. Eddie takes a breath, and drops his wrist to rest over his own knee as he turns to meet Buck’s eyes, arching his own eyebrow in question. Or: Buck and Eddie have grand plans for their first time, it's just unfortunate that their bodies don't seem to be getting the message.

🔥 boy, we ain't got nothin' to lose by Elgney (Amnesia, Post-S7E5: You Don't Know Me | 26K | Teen):

“They just follow it around, copying it and helping it and bothering it so much that it's like, worn down into loving the duckling back and looking out for it.” “So,” said Eddie, furrowing his brow. “In this scenario, you are—” “A baby duckling, newly hatched into the world with no idea what’s going on.” “And I am—” “The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.” ---- Eddie has no idea how to cope when a temporary case of amnesia causes the return of Buck 1.0. Buck has no clue why his future self hasn't made the moves on his hot best friend. It all goes pretty well, considering.

🔥 Your Fake Name is Good Enough For Me by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Changeling AU, Post-S8A | 37K | Mature):

When a younger man claiming to be Evan Buckley is apprehended by Pennsylvania police, Buck's past and present are thrown into question. Buck must work with Bobby and Athena to discover who he really is, and what that means for his family.

🔥paving hell with energy by Elgney (S8E9 Spec, Kidnapping, Getting Together | 52K | Not Rated):

Oh, fuck him, did he almost sleep with a serial killer? Distantly, he thought, Hen and Chim are never going to let me live this down. And then he thought, I might not live at all. ----- Buck is having a hard time dealing with Eddie's impending move to El Paso and resorts to some Buck 1.0-style coping mechanisms. Unfortunately for everybody, this backfires in spectacular fashion. Especially for Eddie, who waited until now to realize he was in love with his best friend. OR: Buck and Maddie get kidnapped. Eddie spirals.

Part 1 of not how the damage gets done

You tried to run (I tried to tie your shoes) by Elgney (Established Buddie, Fluff | 6K | General):

“Do I want to know what’s going on here?” Bobby asked. “Normal stuff,” Buck shouted from where he was, back on the couch. Eddie snorted down at his form, feeling fond and avoiding eye contact with Bobby, who must have stared down Chimney instead, because a second later he was fessing up. “We’re making them fill out their HR relationship forms separately, and then we’re going to compare them, Newlywed Game-style.” ---- Buck and Eddie fill out the LAFD's Consensual Relationship Agreement paperwork, Chim and Hen are over them already, and Bobby is just trying to make lunch and commit as few HR violations as possible.

Part 2 of not how the damage gets done

WIP

🔥 Doe & a Drop of Golden Sun by ohstars/ @oh-stars (Canon Divergent, Dad Buck | 14? | 60K | Teen):

Buck doesn't mean to keep secrets from everyone, but he also can't talk about the pain he experiences on a day to day basis. With his nine-year-old living across the country and his custody limited to one monthly visit, Buck doesn't know how to share this part of himself. How does he tell his team of six years that he's had a kid this whole time? How does he tell his sister? How does he tell his Edd-- best friend? It's fine. The universe isn't going to give him a choice in the matter when the worst thing imaginable becomes his reality.

🔥 for all the haunts and homes of menby euadnes/ @kananjarus (Canon Divergent, Post-Apocalyptic, Station Eleven Crossover | WIP | 17/18 | 169K | Mature | Warning: Violence):

The year by the old calendar is 2025. Home is gone. Home is a failed rescue mission and an echo of a memory. Home is a lost boy living in a wooden house by the sea. But first, there was a promise. Christopher, when it's safe, I'll take you back to your father. Buck had all but given up on keeping it after the world had died and everyone in it. But just as some oaths refuse to be forgotten, so the same can be said about the endurance of love.

Podfic

🔥[podfic] a cold world for such a long life by nuuma // fic by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Post-S7 | 1-1.5h | Teen):

Eddie befriends Bobby's estranged older brother in a virtual support group for queer adults struggling to come out. The only problem? He has no idea that's who Charlie is.

🔥[Podfic] Even in Winter There is Eranthis by Favourite_alias for letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Hades/Persephone AU | 45K | Explicit):

Buck is supposedly a god. Supposedly. But he's got no idea what his domain is or what role he plays in Olympus. When he meets Christopher, a young boy lost and trying to find his father, he helps Chris get home - and ends up accidentally binding himself to the Underworld. Now bound to Eddie, the god of the dead, Buck must spend half the year with him in the Underworld while winter reigns above. But even as something grows between them, there are still trials to endure. Just because the gods are not mortal... does not mean they cannot die.

🔥 [Podfic] Further Than Blood (Or Than Bones) by Favourite_alias for letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Vampires AU | 5-6h | Explicit):

Once, Eddie chose to save a newly turned against his better judgment. Five hundred years ago, Buck was saved by a rescuer he thought was a hallucination. Now they're together again and about to find out just how far either of them will go to try and deny what they are to each other.

[preppyacademy]

From a meaningless virtual life to the preppy boy I am now

Elliot's story

To convince you to come to the Preppy Academy, here's Elliot's personal testimonial. His life has changed radically thanks to our school's methods. The following are his words: 

Hello, my name is Elliot, I'm 20. I'm a student at the Preppy Academy. I'd like to thank M.Gilliard, our principal, who has asked me to write an account of my time here. 

Two years ago, I was still living with my father. I often dressed in sportswear; I loved Adidas clothes, so comfortable and easy to put on. Did I do any sport? No, not at all, but my mates dressed the same, so I followed suit. When I wasn't at school, I used to play video games all the time. I wore my clothes for days on end because I was too lazy to change. My bedroom was a real dump, with everything strewn all over the place. My diet consisted of eating chips and drinking sodas. 

My father was fed up with my bad behavior. He works in business, economics, something like that. My mother left us when I was a kid, and since then it's just been me and him. He'd tell me to “tidy my room”, “get dressed properly”. But I didn't give a damn, soon, I thought, I'll be able to leave soon, and I thought I'd be able to live with a friend in a flat-share for a bit of fun. 

There was a week when I made a decision that I had regretted at the time but that now makes me what I am. That week, it was at the beginning of my school year and I was playing a game that was too epic and I wanted to do it too much, so I made my dad think I was going to high school while I was pretending. Then, when he left for work, I'd come back and play on my P.S. console. But my stupidity caught up with me, and my father was contacted by the school and told of my repeated absences. It was a Thursday lunchtime, I remember, and he came home to find me quietly in bed. He came into my dirty room and said: 

" Elliot, that's enough! You're not going to school anymore, you're dressing like crap. Look at you, you've got holes in your clothes. You haven't washed or combed your hair in days. Things are going to change for you. A colleague at work told me about a boarding school that would be perfect for you. "

I was on my phone when he said this so I half-listened, as usual. He was clearly desperate about my behavior and had every reason to be. Now I understand. At the end of the afternoon, my father called me and reminded me that he had to take me to the dentist for an annual check-up. I'd completely forgotten, it wasn't something I was interested in remembering. I stayed in the same clothes and he took me to the dentist. I really didn't remember the appointment. Once there, my father accompanied me inside. A waiting room with other parents and their teenagers. There were guys from high school, who were also dressed in sweatpants and sweatshirts and sneakers. I wasn't the only one who dressed like that, which is why it seemed normal to do so. When it was my turn, the dentist called me in. I sat down in his dentist's chair. He asked me to lie down so he could check the inside of my mouth. He put some products in my mouth to relax it. And these products were starting to put me to sleep; he'd put in more than usual. 

I had fallen asleep on his armchair, I didn't know for how long. When I woke up, my hands were tied tightly to the chair. I tried to speak, but my mouth was still anesthetized. My father was talking to the dentist, and they were both looking at me. My father had collected my things, my bag and my phone. Looking around, I soon realized that I wasn't really at the dentist. The man posing as one approached me and said: 

"Elliot, your father, has informed us of your behavior at home and has decided to leave you with us for a while. Do you agree? "

I couldn't answer as my mouth was still anesthetized. 

" Since you're not answering my question, I imagine you're completely in agreement. If you don't say anything within a minute, we'll assume you agree."

I was trying to speak to refuse and scream for help, but only discreet moans came out. 

" Then we do have your agreement. "

My eyes began to tire again and I finally dozed off again.

I don't know what treatment he gave me, but it was like a dissociation. I saw myself outside my body like a ghost looking at my body. My father left with my things. The staff laid me properly on the bed and undressed me. I was completely naked at one point. They put a red ball in my mouth and covered my mouth with a gag that held with a tight strap behind it. I was as if unable to act, in the hands of my kidnappers. They dressed me in a white short-sleeved polo shirt, buttoned all the way up, tucked into khaki shorts with a brown belt, white knee-high socks and black loafers. They then cut my hair and styled it, neatly styled to the side and held with wax. I began to regain consciousness little by little, but I felt as if I were paralyzed in my own body, between the products that were still taking effect and the bonds that prevented me from fleeing. 

"Elliot, you're back with us. We've prepared you in a more respectable outfit than the garbage you used to wear. This preppy outfit suits you much better. Your hair looks much better like this. You probably have a lot of questions, but you're in good hands. I'm Doctor Greenwood, I'm here when sometimes you need a little push to get you into the Academy. I'll leave you here tonight and you'll make your official entrance tomorrow. "

I was stuck on this bed for several hours, and above me they'd set up a screen with a series of images and sounds that I had no choice but to watch. And no matter how tempted I was to close my eyes, a deep voice kept reading every word on the moving image. Eventually, I fell asleep to the rhythm of the video, which hypnotized me as it went along. 

“I want to be a preppy boy. Good preppy boys must obey, serve, submit, behave. Good boys comply. I want to be a good preppy boy” again and again and again...

This mantra was stuck in my head like music that never wants to come out. I still felt resistance, an urge to rebel and run away, but I was blocked and strangely began to feel pleasure at the idea of being a good preppy boy. 

When I woke up, four men in their thirties, all dressed in pastel shirts tucked into their pants, with bowties and loafers, took me by force. They took me by the arms and forced me to follow them. They put me in a van and tied me up. My gag was still in my mouth and I couldn't scream. I was at their mercy, with no power or control over the situation. I was their object. 

I was taken to a large, ivy-league type establishment, at the top of the main entrance is written “Preppy Academy”. I was led inside and up the stairs. I arrive in a very elegant office, with wood paneling and bookcases on every wall. The 4 men undress me.

I find myself in a preppy outfit: a white and blue striped OCBD shirt, pastel yellow shorts, red and blue suspenders, a dark blue and red striped tie tied around my neck, long white knee-high socks and dark loafers. Nothing to do with my outfits at home. I've been completely transformed into a preppy boy. I'm left with my hands tied and my mouth gagged in this office. I don't know what to do, I'm a slave to this establishment. My outfit isn't as comfortable as the one at home, I can feel the fabric of my shirt on my torso compressing me, the suspenders holding my shorts are like two ropes binding my outfit to my body, the pulled-up socks are so humiliating, I feel like a boy. But as I think I'm disgusted by my outfit, I realize that it actually turns me on. I like to think I have to be dressed like this to feel good. A few minutes later, a man in his fifties walks in. He's dressed in a nice three-piece suit, with a red tie. He looks at me deeply: 

"Hello Elliot! Welcome to the Preppy Academy. Your father told me you weren't behaving properly at home. He contacted us and paid for your enrollment. Whether you like it or not, you're staying here. You'll wake up here and sleep here. Your education needs to be reviewed. You must learn to be a good preppy boy for your superiors. I am M.Gilliard, the principal of this prestigious establishment. I am the Master of all the students here. You owe me obedience, submission, service and respect. "

These words enchanted me, and even though I wanted to leave, I could only nod in agreement. 

"To complete your admission among us, I must collect something. "

The 4 young men from earlier return and make me sit down on the chair, holding me tight. Mr. Gilliard unzips my pants and pulls out my penis. I start moaning, not agreeing with what's happening. Mr.Gilliard puts a sort of cage on my penis, forcing it to stay very small and any erection would hurt. 

" It's called a chastity cage. I'm the only one who keeps the keys. Every good boy here is caged. Your personal pleasure doesn't matter; you're here to obey and learn to serve. Your only satisfaction at the end of the day is to please men superior to you. "

“I want to be a preppy boy. Good preppy boys must obey, serve, submit, behave. Good boys comply. I want to be a good preppy boy”. This phrase made more and more sense. I was introduced to the establishment, the rules to follow and taken to a room I had to share, with a wardrobe full of preppy clothes, nothing I'd had before. 

I've been here for two years now and I don't want to leave. I like to serve my Master when he asks for it. I like being a good preppy boy. Obedient and helpful. I don't miss my old life anymore. I encourage all boys and men to come to the Preppy Academy. You'll love it! 

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 25

Damn. I actually hate seeing that number up there. Because that means it's done. Eight months, twenty-five chapters, 52895 words, and one hell of a ride.

I'll start posting the sequel on Tuesday, and will post Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays until it's done. I hope to get it done before October's end. But that's not looking likely at the moment.

But once it's done, I will post the epilogue. This was actually written first and was a way for me to flesh out the band members. Then I just wanted to dive right in to writing the full story. A link to the original idea here.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24

~

The rest of the American tour while it had its ups and downs was pretty much was uneventful. When Steve got back to Cali, he got some actual therapy from someone Gareth’s therapist, Dr. Sam Owens recommended to him. To not only deal with the abandonment issues left by his parents and Nancy but to help deal with the sudden onslaught of fame.

It was going well.

It was the therapist that had strongly recommended going on the vacation with his two best friends. That really helped put his life in perspective.

They were out celebrating Gareth’s one year of being sober and everyone had been invited. Jeff, Brian, and Eddie, of course. Even Vickie made it out. Dustin, Will, Mike, Max, Lucas, Ellie, Hopper, Robin, all the members of The Fallen, sans persona. Gareth had really become friends with all of them, yes even Steve. Gareth and Shane became really close. It was nice to see.

“Cheers!” Jeff said holding up their glasses of sparkling apple cider that they had all brought to share.

“Cheers!” the rest of them cried, clinking their glasses together.

They had rented out a nice surf and turf restaurant for the occasion and everyone was catching up. The owner was a friend of Jonathan’s, Argyle Rivera. He had gotten his start with a pizza food truck and it just exploded.

“So what did you and Mike decide to do?” Steve asked when there was a lull in the conversation. “I know you two weren’t sure the last time I was in Hawkins.”

Mike and Will shared a bashful look before Mike said, “I wrote a children’s book and Will illustrated it. We sent it out to a couple of different publishers so we’re just waiting to hear back.”

“That’s amazing!” Dustin cried. “You guys are going to be awesome.”

“Yeah,” Will said brightly. “I finally convinced Jonathan into going in to photography at the local community collage and he’s doing really well.”

“Nancy is going to school, too,” Mike said quietly, knowing how most of the group felt about his sister.

Eddie raised his eyebrows. “Yeah? What is the once great Nancy Wheeler going to be studying?”

Mike perked up a little that someone had taken a interest in what he said. “She’s actually going into journalism. Especially to be a war corespondent. After everything rightfully fell apart after the incident with The Fallen and Corroded Coffin, she took a hard look at her life and decided she hated the person she had become. So she’s been in therapy and has gotten into her dream school of Emerson.”

“That’s good,” Steve said quietly. Robin gave his a hand gentle squeeze and he returned it with a grateful smile.

“What are doing next, Ellie?” Brian asked. “Designing more epic costumes for the rich and famous? I saw that dress you designed for Lupita Nyong’o for the premier of her new movie. That was a gorgeous shade of purple.”

Ellie’s face dimpled in the force of her wide, happy smile. “Something like that. I’m just glad the dress turned out so well. I’ll be heading back to New York, to stay this time. I got a job at a fashion house that I’m really excited for.”

“What about you and Dusty?” Lucas asked, tilting his head. “I thought things were going great.”

Both Dustin and Ellie share a blushing smile.

“We’re still together,” Dustin replied. “I’ll be in Boston and she’ll be in New York. We’ll going to try and make it work.”

Max nodded. “Long distance can suck, but if the other person is worth it you can make it work.” She nudged Lucas’s shoulder and he grinned back.

“So you didn’t get traded to Lakers like you wanted?” Gareth asked Lucas.

He shook his head. “Maybe next year. But in the mean time, Max has a couple interviews at Tony Hawk’s video game company as a mo-cap performer for the female characters in his games.”

Everyone oohed and ahhed and congratulated her.

“I don’t have the job yet,” she muttered, but happily soaked up the attention anyway.

Dustin turned to Steve and Robin. “When are you two going to do something with your lives?”

Eddie winced and Steve and Robin didn’t even have to glance at each other to be suddenly on the same wavelength of doom.

If this was an anime you would have have seen the dark waves behind their heads.

“We make good money doing what we do,” Robin said darkly. “Yeah, it’s a bit jack of all trades, but it’s fun. We’re never stuck doing the same thing. We get travel all over the world. We get to meet famous people and all the perks of fame with the drawbacks of having our privacy invaded on the regular.”

“Jack of all trades, but master of none,” Dustin said to be pedantic. “Don’t you guys want to do something specific, like a teacher or a doctor?”

Robin snorted. “No.”

Chrissy hand covered hers, and Robin gave her a squeeze back. She was fine, just annoyed.

“Yeah,” Steve said. “And I don’t why being a jack of all trades is bad thing. Focusing on one thing is great for the people who can do it, but I love the different jobs. Roadie one tour, PA another, then EMT the next. It’s great.”

Dustin frowned, stabbing his plate with his fork.

“My therapist says people are like plants,” Gareth said, “some people are trees and they grow up slowly. Some are bamboo and in the right environment shoot up super fast. But some people are like periwinkle and grow out sideways. Robin and Steve are like that. It’s still growth, just not the growth you want them to have.”

“I guess,” he huffed. He looked up at Steve. “Are you happy doing what you do?”

Steve and Eddie shared a glance. “Yes, for all its faults, I am very happy.”

He nodded and they went back to celebrating Gareth’s year of sobriety. But under the cover of the loud celebration and raucous laughter, Vickie and Simon chatted quietly to themselves.

~

Steve and Eddie lay on the bed in Eddie’s mansion curled up together after sex.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asked Steve when he had curled up under his chin and held on tight.

“We were out celebrating,” he murmured, “and I couldn’t even tell them we were in a relationship.”

“Most of the people there already knew, babe,” Eddie murmured. But when Steve didn’t say anything it clicked. “You wanted to tell the kids. Especially after the bomb Mike dropped about Nancy moving on.”

Steve nodded.

Eddie scooted down the bed to look Steve in the eye. “Whatever you do or don’t tell them is entirely up to you I don’t care either way.”

“You don’t care that we’ll never get to go on dates or be seen holding hands or kissing?” Steve asked seriously.

Eddie shook his head. “Do you want to know why?”

“I guess,” Steve said with a half shrug.

“Because when I first got into the music business,” Eddie murmured, “I slept with anyone who would give a passing fancy.”

Steve looked up at him in confusion. “But I thought you already had a crush on me then?”

“I did,” Eddie confirmed. “But here’s the thing, sweetheart, do you know who’s partners get torn apart the most in celebrity relationships?”

Steve shook his head.

“Those with non-famous partners,” Eddie said. “If your partner is anything other than a C or B list celebrity when you’re an A-list, you get called out for ‘slumming it’ and their partners get called all sorts of nasty names, but especially ‘gold digger’. Which is the last thing I wanted for you.”

“Is that why you were okay with being with after you found out I was secretly famous?”

Eddie rose up and tackled Steve into the pillows. “You listen close, Steve Harrington. That was absolutely not why. I didn’t even show up with the flowers intending on confessing anything other than knowing your secret. It was like I suddenly saw all the facets of the diamond I’d been admiring for years and realizing any reason I had to not put myself forward were stupid.”

Steve blinked up at him in awe. “Oh.”

“Yeah, baby, ‘oh’,” Eddie huffed. “Continuing to protect you from the shame and humiliation of the slings and arrows of the media is my mission in life, okay? And if you ever decide to come out, either as bisexual as Steve or as Steve as Abbadon, I will be there for you. One hundred percent.”

Steve’s eyes welled up and he nodded. “Okay.” His lips quivered. “I love you so much. I just want you to be happy.”

Eddie kissed him fiercely. “I know you do and you make me very happy. The Fallen, Abbadon, being closeted? All that? That’s just a part of you that I love.” He bounced onto the bed. “In fact...”

He grabbed his phone and started going through it. “Eureka!” He turned the phone around to a paint of a night, shielding a maiden from the sun and a large crowd of people. This is us, babe. I am the knight and you are my maiden. I won’t get tired, or upset that you need protecting.”

Steve blushed. He sat up and pulled up his knees to his chest. “When we first started coming up with names for us, we didn’t originally all have the same letter.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows. “Wait, really?”

Steve shook his head. “Spence was just Death. Shane was always Astraeus. Simon was struggling with finding a name that fit.”

“And did you have your name picked out?” Eddie asked gently, knowing where this was going.

He pursed his lips and nodded. “I didn’t think we’d make it this far. I really thought we would have crashed and burned by now.” He closed his eyes and hung his head. “Part of the myth with Icarus and the wax wings that people forget was that he was flying all over the place. That if he flied straight and true like his father suggested, he would have survived. But he flew too close to the seas as well as the sun.”

Steve sighed and then looked over at Eddie. “And that’s what I thought I was doing with the band. Flying too low with the fact that we were preps wanting to break into the metal scene and then flying too high with the personas and masks. I was going to not only wreck my life but the lives of people I cared about.”

He let out a low shuddering breath. “That maybe I should have listened to my father. To go to college, to get a degree in business, to fly straight.”

“So what changed your mind?” Eddie asked. “Other than Shane wanting everyone to have all the same letter as a middle finger to everyone trying to guess your identities, I guess.”

Steve let out a watery chuckle. “Shane reminded me of the beginning of Icarus’s story. That he had grown up in the labyrinth, never seeing the sky. How could his father had not seen that of course Icarus was going to play the second they were out? That, yes they were fleeing for their lives, but this was the first time his son had seen the sun, felt the breeze on his face and touched the waves on the sea.”

“But if Daedalus had played with Icarus instead of yelling at him, his father would have been able to keep him from getting too close to the things that would have harmed him,” Steve finished. “That he would have been there to catch his son when he began to fall.”

“So what was the lesson?” Eddie prompted.

“I wasn’t Icarus,” Steve said. “I was always free, I might have fallen from grace according to my parents, but that like God in the Christian story, they were cruel and cast me out because what they wanted for me wasn’t what I wanted.”

Eddie smiled. “So you became Abbadon instead. The one that fell but God still relied on to destroy the wicked. The opposite of Steve Harrington. The boy that rose up like a phoenix from the ashes to be better than his parents dreamed.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Icarus was the first to fall mythos wise, but Abbadon was the one people fear coming back.”

Eddie pulled him close. “Well, you’re my angel, now. Fallen or not, I’m not giving you up for anything.”

Steve kissed him softly. “I’m putting a lot of trust you, Munson. Don’t fuck this up.”

Eddie laughed and kissed him fiercely. Then he proceeded to show Steve all the ways loved him.

Steve knew he might always have doubts and fears, but now he had the support system he always needed.

It was more than past time to fly and in Eddie’s arms there was no limit to how high he could go now.

And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

~

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child @blondie1006

4- @yikes-a-bee @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten

5- @genderless-spoon @y4r3luv @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

6- @disrespectedgoatman @eyehartart @dawners @thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95

7- @iamthehybrid @croatoan-like-its-hot @papergrenade @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars

8- @ravenfrog @w1ll0wtr33 @child-of-cthulhu @kultiras @dreamercec

9- @machete-inventory-manager @useless-nb-bisexual @stripey82 @dotdot-wierdlife @kal-ology

10- @sadisticaltarts @urkadop @chameleonhair @clockworkballerina @garden-of-gay

[delusional-mishaps]

obsessing over a dust sans in the omega timeline GRRRR

just. hes chill. mostly. sorta elderly neighbour who hates the world vibes. very resigned, snappy, goes to pick up his newspaper from the front stoop in his slippers and boxers and a crusty shirt

he's mostly a hermit, no one knows much about him. he doesn't want to get too close to anyone. he doesn't like the other versions of him, his brother, his friends.

he's got hella survivors guilt, mostly because if his world wasn't destroyed, would they be alive? would there have been a reset, a time, eventually, where he didn't have to kill everyone in a screwed up show of justice? where they could live?

he'll never know, and it bothers him. but he tries to pretend it doesn't.

he's sorta half forced to do therapy because yeah he's actually clinically insane and bro needs to be medicated and it helps a bit ig.

he gets a little better. he Is Not Normal but hes better. somewhat.

i kinda like the idea that he adopts a dog, somewhat an emotional support animal??? or like a straight service dog that helps him with panic attacks GRAAHHH THATS SO CUTE GRRRR RHRGRG RRRGGGGRRR

ok normal again

unlike him LMAOO

anyway yeah he probably eventually comes around to hanging out with some others. he's very picky about who he hangs with but..

hear me out okay

cross and dust as besties ❤️❤️

he prob finds epic annoying tho so he doesnt really hang around him

sorry ik im talking abt cross and epic now but theyre my bfs i love them i cant not mention them 😭🙏 me and epic and cross and also dust ultimate power quadruple or wtv

he def wouldnt like CORE at first cuz like. thats frisk. Trauma. but he'll probably come around to them when he realizes they aren't, y'know, a fucking freak. they're probably the reason he got therapy in the first place 😭

whoever his poor therapist is... needs a raise fr 💔

i dont really think he and killer would be friends. maybe hesitant acquaintances..? idk i just dont think theyd vibe when theyre both reformed crazies (affectionate)

i could see him and dream going either way idk like they could be friends or dust couldn't give a gaf about him

he'd probably think dream is kind of annoying with all his hopefulness and joy and whimsey but he's also a certified hater so (so me coded)

"what's there to be happy about" my guy i PROMISE if you stop your edgelord shtick you can be happy too go frolic through a field

he's got hella one-sided beef with error ofc for destroying his world. he doesn't care if it was "falling apart" or if "his story was finished" maybe he could have found a way to bring everyone back

(no he couldnt but dont tell him that)

anyway yea he likes sitting on his porch with a cup of coffee in the morning and he likes yelling "GET OFF MY LAWN!!" at children and he probably plays poker at the bar like every thursday night and hes really fucking good at it.. suspiciously good

his crankiness captivates me...

walking thru the OT and you bump into this fuckass guy who's emotionally attached to wearing his hood up all the time and you always see him smoking whenever you catch a glimpse of him and sometimes you get to see his cute puppy

love at first sight... (you just wanted to pet his puppy)

guys with dogs get all the huzz trust (god why did i type that im cringing)

ok off topic. epic would def say huzz

"rizzing up the huzz 🤓👆" just take ur pants off bro.

OK SORRY i need to log off. (not going to) back to dust

HIS DOG IS SO CUTEEEEEE RHRGGGR sorry i cant stop thinking of him with a dog. it bowls him over when it senses an oncoming panic attack and just kinda lays on his chest and licks his face and digs in his pocket to pull put the tennis ball he keeps in there to distract him

its not actually like a fully trained service dog im ngl but its good at diverting his attention from the panic so. it works ig. man idk

uhm but yea good luck trying to romance him like i said he's hater and itll take a lot of effort

VERY slow burn

idk why im writing this as a little x reader

maybe because in my nonstop thoughts its all been self insert befriending/romancing this fucking loser

dude needs to work on himself before he can even think of romance. im so serious he'll have absolutely zero desire for a relationship until he's mentally stable enough.

he cant go getting attached to someone, especially a partner, if hes just going to go batshit again (his therapist is trying to convince him that wont happen. hes in a safe world. he isnt in danger. he can RELAX)

itll take YEARSSSSS before he's like actually feeling like a normal monster again. his sins weigh heavily on him, but he knows he cant change the past. he wouldn't be alive if he didsnt do what was necessary.

anyway hes real bad at romance when hes finally ready for that stage

like HORRIBLE

he has no fucking clue what the hell he should do. you'll have to hold his hand every damn step of the way.

hes probably freaky tho idk

he likes cuddling you tho. youre all warm and soft and when you lay on him its like a weighted blanket and very very soothing

his bones ache, a lot. so it feels nice.

run that man a nice warm bath with some nice smelling candles or smth and hell make out with you

man idk im literally jst yappin its 4:20 and jm fighting to keep my eyes open 😭😭 ill prob hate this jn the morning but idrc rn ok !!! desire toctalk about omega tlcdust is stranger thanxthe call of sleep

[too-antigonish]

The Great S7 Rewrite

An attempt at summarizing the rocky ground on which we some of us stand following this rather epic post yesterday: Prophetic words from Morse in Oracle?

People had so many interesting things to say that I though it would be nice to keep this discussion public for now.

On the most basic level, Season 7 has two overarching storylines: 

Opera Storyline: The one with Morse, Violetta, Ludo,  and the mysterious accidental deaths

Towpath Murders: The one with Morse and Thursday fighting mainly over whether or not Carl Sturgis did it.

Then you have the episodic murders for each episode: 

Oracle: The math TV program, Dept. of Latent Potential, women’s lib conference, and  misogynist professors in Oracle

Raga: The Indian restaurant, restaurant critic, gay wrestlers, racist poker game organizing politicians in Raga

Zenana: The coming together of the opera storyline and the towpath murder storyline in Zenana.

If, theoretically, you wanted a do-over for S7, what would you need to consider? Below are some of the issues raised in discussion yesterday:

Bone of Contention #1: Opera Rules

S7 may or may not have been asking us to view its world according to “opera rules.” If it wasn’t, then the storylines were just outrageous. If it was, then they didn’t do an adequate job of either:

Signaling that we needed to see this world through that filter

Making the story robust enough that you didn’t *need* to see the opera references to “get” the storylines. (As Durian pointed out: Ride works even if you don’t realize that it’s Gatsby, but S7 doesn’t work if you don’t realize it’s opera. It doesn’t stand on its own.)

I think actual S7 tried to signal that we were in Opera World (#1) by: 

Using theatrical techniques (voiceovers, mise en scene/ tableaux, etc.) to signal that we were in opera world (i.e. heightened reality)

Using opera tropes

Using role reversal with the characters. I think that’s a big reason why the season feels so unsettling overall. Normally Morse is the one doggedly pursuing a hunch based on an obscure clue. This time it’s Thursday. Normally it is Thursday finding out that Morse didn’t check someone’s alibi. This time it’s Morse. Normally Morse and Thursday are calling the shots at the crime scene. This time DeBryn and Strange are having to put them in their place like squabbling children. Etc., etc.

Things in the show are “out of place” as well. (e.g. Thursday is at the early morning crime scene in Oracle instead of Morse. Morse is in Venice instead of Oxford.)

So the questions about Opera Rules are:

Do you keep the idea of Opera Rules for S7?

If you keep Opera Rules, how do you do a better job of signaling them?

If you keep Opera Rules, how do you make the story strong enough that people who don’t understand opera rules will know what’s happening? 

Do you just out-and-out tell people about Opera Rules?

Bone of Contention #2: Ludo and Violetta?

I have yet to hear from anyone who really likes Ludo and Violetta. If someone reading this does, I’d be fascinated to hear why. To say that I find them off-putting is being kind. Why is Morse attracted to two such unpleasant people? And not only attracted, but taken in by both of them? Normally Morse is attracted to girl-next-door types (Monica, Joan). Normally Morse has no time for snobs who name-drop and talk about themselves non-stop (Oxford Don stereotype). 

For me the disconnect lies not in the fact that he could be taken in. I think Astrid and Fanfic are very right about both Morse’s lack of wisdom when it comes to friendship and love, and well as his “secret” desire to have friends who perhaps share more of his interests. The leap I can’t make is that it would happen with these two specific people. Even taking into account that Morse is behaving “the opposite” of his usual way, I can’t see him being attracted to either of these two personalities. 

In the end, like Astrid, I like the *idea* of the Ludo and Violetta storyline but found the way it was played out too incongruous. So what to do? It seems like you can either retool Ludo and Violetta or replace them entirely. Which you choose I think depends on how you want to remake the story and how loyal you are to canon.

My first instinct is to replace them. I find both of them so repugnant, but I do find myself returning repeatedly to an idea that I had when I first watched Oracle, which was that Violetta might actually be more directly based on the Violetta from La Traviata.

She would be a woman from the “other side of the tracks” so-to-speak, but genuinely in love with Morse. You could also use Traviata’s bit where Violetta’s “betrayal” of Alfredo is actually self-sacrifice, etc. I’m not sure about Ludo, but it would definitely need to be someone that Morse would *actually* want to befriend and not someone as obvious as Ludo.

So the questions about Ludo and Violetta are:

Do you keep Ludo and Violetta?

If you keep them, how do you retool them? 

If you throw them out, what do you replace them with? 

Either way (new or retooled), how do you make Morse’s attraction to them believable?

Either way (new or retooled), do you use existing opera tropes/storylines as a basis for their story?

Bone of Contention #3: Towpath Storyline

It seems that there is pretty much universal agreement on keeping the Towpath Murders as a storyline. Also, there is pretty much unanimous approval for the idea of an earlier and more prominent role for Dorothea in the case. Durian points out that this could also have the side effect of reducing some of the tension between Morse and Thursday. 

Disagreement arises over two main elements:

Too many things going on in the storyline

How the conflict between Thursday and Morse is handled.

I’m in agreement on both of these things. In terms of the number of things going on in the storyline you have the whole is it or isn’t it a serial killer, the ESP angle, the flasher thing, the copycat killer, all of the animal imagery and later wolf imagery, the blood drinking, and much, much more. It could work if it all tied together coherently, but it doesn’t—at least for me. It feels like I can sort of see what they were going for, but that they definitely didn’t get there. There needs to be a unifying theme.

With the conflict between Thursday and Morse, my problem is not so much that they have the conflict, but that it comes seemingly out of nowhere. We jump from the reconciliation of Degüello to the petty arguments of Oracle with nothing in-between to explain the change. It’s not that I didn’t find the conflict between these two characters interesting or believable. It’s simply that there was nothing to explain it. Yes, you can say that Morse was becoming more of his own man, but that doesn’t seem adequate to me.

So the questions about the Towpath Storyline are: 

What elements would you throw out and what would you keep?

What would make a good unifying theme for the Towpath case?

What is the source of the conflict between Morse and Thursday? What sets it off?

How do we have Ms. Frazil on the case sooner rather than later?

How does Dorothea diminish tension between Thursday and Morse. 

Of the arguments between Morse and Thursday, what would you keep and what would you throw out?

Bone of Contention #3: The Episodic Storylines

I find it pretty telling that except for one brief mention, no one has strong feelings about the episodic mystery in Oracle. It definitely had less substance that the one in Raga, in part because it had to leave room for the establishment of the two big overarching stories. Personally, I found the sexism angle (the Women’s Lib Conference and Prof. Blish beating out the others for the spot on the tv show) more compelling than the ESP studies angle.

Durian mentioned that Raga, like the Towpath Murders, has way too much going on (Indian restaurant, Oberon Prince and his ex-wife, the gay wrestlers, the racist poker game, the return of the evil beautician, two stabbed teenagers, etc.) Fanfic raised the interesting idea of making the conflict in Raga more of a family conflict, using the political situation with East and West Pakistan (Bangladesh) as a focus.

So the questions about the Episodic Storylines are: 

What elements would you throw out of Oracle and what would you keep?

What elements of Oracle would you change entirely?

What elements would you throw out of Raga and what would you keep?

What elements of Raga would you change entirely? (e.g. changing to internal family conflict)

OK. I'd love to hear thoughts on all of this!

[raging-and-giggles]

How many of y’all are watching Agatha all along and also following epic the musical?

Did I mix up the dates or are we getting the livestream of the new saga on Wednesday evening?

How am I meant to process that much emotional turmoil in one evening? Are we postponing one of them to watch on Thursday or just facing the music (haha) head on? Help I can’t be the only one who’s in both fandoms

[mariacallous]

By the standards of world-historical events, much of Donald Trump’s Wednesday afternoon speech in the Rose Garden was remarkably forgettable. Trump opened the affair, which he had billed as America’s “Liberation Day,” with a rant about the dire state of the nation that could have been cribbed directly from Steve Bannon’s first draft of Trump’s 2017 “American Carnage” Inaugural Address: cities and towns “raped” and “pillaged”; factories “ransacked”; a country “ripped off.” The apocalyptic bluster, like the loud red tie and the strange riffs about Canadian milk and radical-left lunatic judges, was familiar stuff—we’ve heard this so many times before.

But, by the time Trump finished, something else was clear, too—we’ve never actually seen anything like it. About halfway through his speech, he called Howard Lutnick, his billionaire golf buddy turned Commerce Secretary, up to the podium with the big reveal: a chart with a list of countries and the previously secret amounts of sweeping retaliatory tariffs that Trump planned to impose on them. As the world squinted to find out its fate, Trump read the numbers off like a MAGA auctioneer. The global trade war that he’d long threatened and somehow never actually triggered finally seemed to be happening. “We’re going to have to go through a little tough love, maybe,” he said.

Tough love, indeed. Even as Trump spoke, the initial verdict from financial markets around the world came in—a global meltdown. The tariffs were worse than expected. Stock-market futures plunged. The dollar dropped against other currencies. By the close of the markets on Thursday, the damage was all too evident: U.S. stocks had recorded their biggest drop since the earliest days of the COVID pandemic, losing close to three trillion dollars in value. Companies started preëmptively laying off workers. “Never before has an hour of Presidential rhetoric cost so many people so much,” Larry Summers wrote on X. Once again, the Wall Street boys, despite Trump’s many warnings, had failed to take him seriously. “Far more onerous than the market was expecting,” one hedge-fund manager told Politico. “Shockingly high,” another told the Times. “It’s a disaster.” Etc., etc. You get the point.

Amid the chaos of eviscerated retirement savings, blown-up supply chains, and pissed-off allies, perhaps it’s a mistake to linger on just how wrong America’s business establishment continues to be about Trump. But, wow, has this been a case of near-catastrophic wishful thinking. And I think it speaks to much of what we are still not understanding about the ways in which Trump’s second term is off to a darker, more dangerous start than his first. “What’s striking to me is not just that Wall Street so badly underestimated downside risk—it’s that they piled all-in on post-election euphoria that assumed, contrary to all reporting, the tariffs wouldn’t happen,” Jeff Stein, the Washington Post’s economics reporter, wrote Thursday morning on X.

But, of course, the real mistake has little to do with global trade policy, and much to do with a failed theory of the case about Trump.

There is no rational analysis that would lead one to the conclusion that a President would single-handedly decide to blow up a century’s worth of globalization on a chilly Wednesday afternoon in April. I thought a response to Stein from Garry Kasparov, the international chess champion turned modern-day Russian dissident, was particularly revealing. Kasparov attributed the failure to anticipate Trump’s trade war to an epic level of denial about the President’s Vladimir Putin-like brand of autocratic personality disorder—after all, Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine did not make much sense, either, to many of those presented with irrefutable evidence that he was planning it. Instead, Kasparov suggested a maxim for our unhappy times: “Dictators always lie about what they’ve done, but are often quite plain about what they want to do.”

And yet the simplest truths about Trump have proved surprisingly elusive. Why else would so many people who have so much riding on the outcome convince themselves that Trump did not mean what he’s been publicly threatening to do since his first campaign nine years ago? The record has long suggested that, though Trump has few fixed ideological principles, an almost mystical belief in the powers of the tariff is one of them. He explicitly promised to roll out reciprocal tariffs in a campaign video on June 21, 2023, vowing, “An eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff.” In an appearance before hundreds of business executives in Chicago a few weeks before the 2024 election, he said, “To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is ‘tariff.’ ” At Wednesday’s Rose Garden event, Trump spoke of the national debt disappearing, of jobs and factories “roaring back.” (Prices would fall, too, he promised—“ultimately.”)

In this new political moment of the unthinkable made manifest, the sheer power rush for Trump should also not be underestimated. Imagine his joy as he sat down to sign an executive order decreeing the new tariffs on the basis of sweeping powers he may or may not legally possess to declare a “national economic emergency”—here was Trump transforming the world with a single flourish of his Sharpie pen. “It’s such an honor to be finally able to do this,” he said. At what other moment in modern times has a single man wielded so much unaccountable power over such a large swath of the world economy? There are whole businesses devoted to risk analysis for corporations; this is a situation in which Trump himself is the risk and the crisis being analyzed is one that he created. Talk about an ego trip.

Beyond a misunderstanding of Trump’s psychology, there are a few other telling conclusions to be drawn from all this. One is about the maximalist approach the President has taken to his second term. Trump 1.0 fulminated about government waste, the evils of the “deep state,” and the need to take legally questionable actions against illegal immigration; Trump 2.0 has shown a striking willingness to act on his most disruptive ideas. This seems to have surprised many who assessed his rhetoric as just more hype likely to fall prey to the same institutional constraints and poor execution that hampered Trump in his first term. By such logic, the fact that Trump had not succeeded in gutting federal agencies or blowing up the global economic order at the end of his first four years in office was proof that he would not do so this time, either. Oops.

The difference is not so much Trump—it’s who surrounds him now compared with eight years ago. Yesterday’s yes-men, it turns out, weren’t quite so compliant as today’s. (Mnuchin nostalgia? It’s a thing.) A scene from Trump’s first term sums up the contrast: On April 26, 2017, Bannon, who was then still one of Trump’s closest White House advisers, had walked into the Oval Office hoping to get the President to sign a draft executive order for the U.S. to withdraw from NAFTA; the plan was for Trump to announce the end of America’s free-trade deal with Canada and Mexico at a prime-time rally as the marquee event of his first hundred days in office. Trump himself had long railed against NAFTA. But many of his other aides were dead set against abruptly blowing up relations with America’s two closest neighbors for the sake of an applause line at a political rally. Learning of Bannon’s ploy, Trump’s then chief of staff, Reince Priebus, urgently summoned Cabinet officials who supported NAFTA, including Trump’s first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, to the White House to stop it. Trump reluctantly agreed to wait, though he told the Washington Post ruefully the next day, “I was all set to terminate.”

Long afterward, Priebus would take credit for having “orchestrated” the successful pushback. But he understood what it has taken eight years for many others to figure out—Trump truly was prepared to do it. This time, it only took seventy-four days to smash the global economic order. Trump is liberated, even if the rest of us are not. In his second-term White House, they are all Steve Bannons now. 

[keyofnow]

Paul goes AWOL in the name of Apple

It's Thursday, two days after Paul's 26th birthday — and an hour before the next Beatles session is scheduled to start — when Paul skips town and flies to California.

Was it because none of the other Beatles had come to his birthday party at Apple HQ a couple days ago, not even John? Or was it because George and Ringo had gone to John's theatrical premiere instead? Or was Paul annoyed that George and Ringo had just taken an extended holiday to Cali, leaving him feeling alone in London with his own failing relationship with Jane in the face of John's new love with Yoko? Did Paul feel unloved? Had any of them even wished him a happy birthday?!

Does Paul feel that the Apple staff — the ones who'd given enough of a shit to spend his birthday with him — are more his buddies right now than his bandmates are? (Certainly Paul spends a good bit of time with Derek Taylor over the next several weeks.)

Or is this simply a case of, anything you can do I can do too. (The situation certainly bears that hallmark.)

Painting testimonial pictures...

• George and Ringo flew back that day from ten days in California.

• On Tuesday, John had a theatrical opening (his first!) that evening, while Jane also had a theatrical opening (not her first!).

• George and Ringo attended John's opening, while Paul attended Jane's.

• None of the other Beatles attended any birthday celebration for Paul, however modest, and he partied with the Apple staff that day.

What's it all about?!

What is preventing John from dropping by the Apple office to say ‘hi hi hi’? Or even phone up Paul to wish him a happy happy?

Did John and George and Ringo all expect to see each other, and presumably Paul, that night?

What's to prevent Paul from going to John's theatrical opening?

Why does Paul instead go to his estranged fiancée's opening night? (She's already caught him cheating on her, and is very close to dumping him very publicly.)

Is John's new love with Yoko painful to Paul because he sees his old love with Jane irreparably crumbling?

Is Paul jealous of John's new relationship?

Is Paul jealous of John's new artistic landmark, which happens to coincide with his birthday, like the cosmos is rubbing Paul's nose in John's artistic superiority? Is that why Paul snubs it, out of sheer pettiness?

Or does Paul think that choosing Jane's artistic endeavours over John's will send a message to his creative partner about choosing Yoko over him?

It's all too much. It's unclear if any of them saw each other on Wednesday, but on Thursday Paul legged it in the name of Apple and left the band hanging. (That turned out to be the day John and Yoko orchestrated the epic tape loop session for their mad sound collage, with a little help from George.)

Whatever the reason, Paul suddenly goes AWOL without a warning — without so much as even a heads-up to the band, apparently — and jumps onto the Apple promotional tour bound for the States.

The deeper you go:

So, let me get this straight—

Paul is feeling a certain way about John choosing Yoko over him; and so on the night of John's big opening he chooses Jane's opening over John's (with the plausible excuse that it's his birthday, and he can spend it how he wishes).

Paul is feeling a certain way about George taking a (seemingly) spontaneous trip to California; and so Paul takes a (literally) spontaneous trip to California.

Paul is feeling a certain way about the band not showing up for his bloody birthday; and so Paul bails on The Beatles to go hang out with the Apple crew who are giving him more attention.

Paul is feeling a certain way about George devoting so much effort to “extra-curriculars” (i.e., artistic activities directly pertaining to neither Beatles nor Apple); and so Paul devotes himself to Apple (albeit at the temporary expense of Beatles).

Paul is absolutely feeling a certain way about John's blossoming relationship with Yoko vs. his own disintegrating lovelife; and so Paul uses this US trip as an excuse to ring up Linda Eastman.

Maybe I'm talking rubbish... but I don't think so!

🍏

[radioactivepeasant]

Haven't done a snippet prompt poll in a hot minute

And since I can only do one poll per post, the second poll is an "answer in the comments" type lol.

The Dramatic, Eerie, or Silly snippet should be in what setting?

Altering 1 (one) epic poem because they're public domain anyway. Either Beowulf or The Odyssey

Jak and Daxter Trespasser au (Jak and Daxter found Spargus by accident, got promptly plopped in a youth hostel, and proceeded to give Everyone But Especially Damas gray hairs by deciding to adopt Damas as resident parental figure)

It would require some context, but it's this weird au that started as a very unhinged dream I had last year. There are cowboys involved, but also Jak and Daxter characters so they ride dinosaur-like critters instead of horses. It also incorporates stuff from @sparguscityangel 's universes, and Boylei Hobbytime's "Wild Imaginary West" diorama universe (now an official tabletop rpg in production, congrats to him).

I promise the last one actually makes more sense than it did in the dream it's based on.

The dream was what happens when your sleeping brain tries to tell you that Red Dead Redemption, Jak 3, and Dragon Age: Inquisition are all the same video game.

[perryelornitorrinco]

Based on that one tag game: Do you wanna tell the story of how you got your switch? 👉👈 ^^

DEFINITELY >:·3

It's been a while now, but it was from that tag game of how you got into loz. This one wont be that long tho (I hope) XDSJADH.

I bought my switch in 2017 (bro is so tired in 2025 I feel bad for them omg), but not in March cause I had to study, so I bought it in June, AND OMG IT WAS ALWAYS SOLD OUT, so you can imagine.

Classic 14 year old excited to get the new nintendo but gets to the store and there's no switch in sight. And it was like that for a whole week. I would go to the store at 10am when they just opened and the lady would tell me they're sold out.

BUT, one of those days (I think by the 6th day going there the lady just knew who i was lol 💀) I went asking for a switch like a victorian child dirty from soot begging for bread for the 34899845th time, and she told me "okay, come this thursday at 10 and I'll save one for you when we restock, so when you come you can get it" cause the truck with all the store's restock would come that thursday, and omg I got too excited.

So I went to the store again that thursday and she was there, asked for the console and gave it to me, and I said thanks like 93579375 times XD. And oh boy, I even cried when I placed it on the shopping cart, I was so happy seeing it in the damn cart and knowing I could play with it that very same day, I waited for so long and saved a lot of money to buy it and I was just too happy hahaha!!! My mom told me I looked silly but I didn't care ngl, I wanted that new nintendo so bad. So badly that I didn't even realized what games were out for the switch to play XDDKSJA.

So then I looked over the videogame section and made the great decision of buying the new Zelda game which I didn't know if I was gonna like or not (I did). And 1, 2 switch (which is really boring if you're an only child and don't have friends to play with lol).

I also remember getting home and unboxing it, it felt so weird, the joycons were so different from the Wii remotes, and I will always remember being pissed off because the menu didn't have music/camera/flipnote studio/silly menu games/THEMES, I'm still mad to this day lol, I hate the switch in general, love the games but the console? Boring. The 3DS is the superior console. But yeah, turning it on and plugging the joycons in was really epic atm, I was just :O the whole time XDDSALJH. It's been 8 years almost omg. 💀

So yeah, that was my switch story :·3, it could've been shorter but my professional yapper ahh can't shut up so I made it longer

This could be a chain/tag game too but don't wanna pressure people, so if you wanna talk about how did y'all get your switch or some random experience with it feel tagged or tag me :·3 or tell me in my askbox! :D

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, January 30

Buffy: Everyday Woman? Joyce: Mm-hm. There's the receipt. Buffy: Why didn't you just go to Muu-Muus R Us? Joyce: Do now, make fun of your mother later.

~~Bad Eggs~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Dom Xander (Xander/Anya, M) by danu40k

Light (Angel/Cordelia, M) by MarlaHectic

A Change of Scenery (Buffy/Angelus, NR) by Nymue

Adventures in Bath (Buffy/Angelus, NR) by Nymue

Triptych (Buffy/Angelus, Angelus/William, NR) by Nymue

Further Adventures in Bath (Buffy/Angelus, Angelus/William, NR) by Nymue

Promise me this, That you'll stand by me forever (Buffy/Faith, G) by Cumultus9

Mrs Giles (Giles/Reader, SFW) by reginaphalangelobster125

[Chaptered Fiction]

Loop, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by simmony

Animal I Have Become, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Perfect Clarity, Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Joan963z and Ragini

OSP meet IWC, Chapter 3 (Crossover with NCIS, FR18) by Yorkie

Waiting for You, Chapter 36 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

Overture, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by simmony

Ripples, Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by violettathepiratequeen

Xmas in the Air Is the Love We Share, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Vampire Whxre, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by ClowniestLivEver

[Images, Audio & Video]

Cosplay:Buffy cosplay by Skelekate_creates

Itabag:Updated the spuffy itabag! by angelic-chu

Artwork:“… you’re a hell of a woman. You’re the one Buffy.” by petridishbabydesigns

Artwork:Back with another btvs manga style sketch, this time featuring Dawn and my second favourite character dynamic - Dawn & Spike by djmanemihi

Moodboard:moodboard: tara x willow by courtillyy

Gifset:BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER REWATCH -> Homecoming (3.05) by laufeysons

Gifset:FAITH LEHANE in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 3.13 THE ZEPPO by 5bi5

Video: Buffy The Vampire Slayer | Season 4 Epic Cinematic Recap | Toxic by Up The Buff!

Video: Buffy The Vampire Slayer WB Bumper November 10,1998 by Tracy G. Jackson TV

Video: Buffy Summers & Faith Lehane | Taste - Sabrina Carpenter | BTVS by Buffeh

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x5 & 6x6 REACTION | "Life Serial" & "All the Way" by The Horror Bandwagon

First Time Watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer "ANNE" S3E1 (REACTION!!!) by JerBear Reacts

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 5x5 REACTION | No Place Like Home by George Alexander

Buffy The Vampire Slayer S4 EP20 (Reaction) by CLC Reacts

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3 Episode 19 - Choices by Sh*t 90s Shows Taught Me

[Fandom Discussions]

there is something so “eve tasting the forbidden fruit” about spike getting his soul back. by lesbianmarrow

You know, rewatching S2 as an adult, I don't... get everyone's (as in the characters') vilification of Jenny? by sparklyfaerie

Sometimes I see people claim Faith tried to help the Mayor end the world, but ... she didn't? by coraniaid

why did giles never just. talk. to buffy. [About the Angel age gap vs Angel is a vampire] by camellcat

The thing that always hits me about season 5 is like... Buffy is just so fucking tired. by firelxdykatara

Is it weird that season 6 didn't touch on Dawn's existence by multiple authors

Angel 1x19 Hot Take by multiple authors

Comedy Gold by multiple authors

What if Buffy had been told that Angel had died? by multiple authors

Spike's Character Development by multiple authors

sanctuary buffy by multiple authors

Azura Dawn Storozynski / Azura Skye (Cassie Newton) had so much magnetism as an innocent, kind, broody, teenager.... and then when she played the first she was just even better playing evil. What did you think? by multiple authors

The more I think about it… by multiple authors

The Annointed One by multiple authors

Empty Places by multiple authors

Cordelia's Hair in Angel by multiple authors

A hole in the world. by multiple authors

Despite how difficult you may find it, what are some Buffyverse takes or topics that you tend to just "agree to disagree" on? by multiple authors

I’ve got a theory (about Spike) by multiple authors

Do you think Willow would have tried to heal Buffy after she got shot if Tara hadn’t just died? by multiple authors

Who wanted more Spike/William poetry? by multiple authors

Hypothetically by multiple authors

anyone else find this extremely satisfying by multiple authors

Julie Benz - podcast interview by multiple authors

Why does Jasmine look like...that? by multiple authors

Did Oz kill the girl that appeared to Buffy in "Lessons"? by multiple authors

The role of dreams in Buffy — Amends and…? by multiple authors

How in character was it for every member of team Angel to join Wolfram & Hart gladly and/or without qualms? by multiple authors

watching this ep for the first time.... by multiple authors

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[hairscare]

I fully understand the red show hate but your beef with it is very comical to me. The only thing keeping that show from being your nemesis is the fact that you probably wouldn't even want to be associated with it on that level

i am proudly that shows #1 hater. anyways throwback thursday to when i was pitching my play about the fall of lucifer which is a prequel to paradise lost by john milton (if you follow me you damn well know abt this by now but if not its an christian epic poem from the 1600s) and someone in my pitch group was like "omg this is just like hazbin hotel" and started telling our teacher about hazbin hotel during MY pitch. this person, who i dubbed Hazbin Hotel Person, then proceeded to insist on playing lucifer in every reading we did of my play but they were so bad at acting that they ruined the readings. they also became obsessed with me even though i never talked to them outside of class and also i fucking hated them and every class i would write down everything they did that annoyed me and then come back to my dorm and read the list to my roommate so we could make fun of them together. i hope you guys understand i am not a hater i am The Hater.

[dinosaurcharcuterie]

My mom had two linen-cotton blend shorts she wanted pockets put in, and after my aunt said she would and then realized she didn't know how, I was called in. And I said yes, because, hey, it's pockets. Those take like maybe half an hour per pair. Easy peasy. Right?

Did she have fabric? Uhhh.. no. She'd go to the store last week. This week. Thursday. (It was Friday afternoon.) Matching thread? Eh, we'd find something.

When I got there, it was three shorts. One of them a true fuchsia that resisted matching any purple or pink thread in three seperate sewing stashes. But definitely, definitely cotton linen, all natural fibers. Except they stuck to the iron if you had it on too high. And wouldn't take a crease no matter what. Also, no idea what the bought fabric's fiber content was. Something slinky. Aaaand in the last few weeks, the butt seams were starting to stretch weird.

Turns out the entire thing was assembled on an overlock-type machine using "thread" that dissolves into fluff if it comes loose in any sense of the word. The stitches were so loose, one snip of the seam ripper had 7 cm coming undone.

Had I lugged along my 8 kilos of overlocker? I was told it's 4 pockets, of course not.

Did I mention all 3 shorts had been a "steal" at 20 bucks? Oh, and that they sparkle like Christmas tinsel under my sewing machine in a way no linen or cotton has done ever? The bought fabric was less plasticky than the shorts, and despite not being expensive either, would have probably made for twice as expensive shorts.

Whatever, at least my aunt had already printed the pocket pattern and we just... She had not. Fine. I copied the one off my mom's favorite pocketed dress, since those pockets met with approval. My aunt is the queen of scissors, so she cut pocket flaps, I undid side seams and reinforced some butt seams.

I pinned them on, sewed the first one and... Wrong side of the fabric. Whatever. Unpick, repin all 6 flaps, sew again. Aunt points out, these fabrics look like they'd fray in the wash; run a zigzag over it.

These wibbly wobbly bitches warp like I insulted their mothers the second they meet a zigzag in any capacity. Whatever. Aunt takes them away to be ironed out so I can pin and sew again.

One of the pocket flaps is up upside down. No one noticed this while sewing or ironing. And my machine apparently has very small stitches. Oh, and this thread came from my great-aunt, who never skimped on sewing supplies' quality. That seam is the strongest part of the entire pair of shorts at this point.

Aunt takes out the seam ripper and I work on the other two shorts. My mom comes back from an appointment and asks what's up. Can she help zigzag on her machine? Yeah, sure, but what's up? Please don't ask painful questions and just zigzag.

Those two other shorts? Zero issues. Straight seams, no messed up fabric sides, all pieces matching beautifully and blending into the original design like we had barely modified them.

That first pair? It took two hours to undo that one double-sewn seam. My uncle had to tap on to come help at one point. The unpicking stretched out one side of a half-sewn seam. And the pocket piece. The pattern markings, despite being just two and high contrast, disappeared twice. The fudging to get those seams even-ish was epic.

My aunt's knee is messed up. My hip is messed up. My mom's sewing machine resents being rethreaded. No one was having a good time by the time that pocket was done.

We spent 7 hours from start to finish, with two breaks for food. I have finished entire dresses in that kind of time frame. I have no idea what went wrong.

Oh, and I still had to shorten something for one of the nephews after. Which my aunt, blessedly, had ironed into shape for me.

It took 10 minutes.

And after all of that, my aunt tells me "I'm still not entirely sure how you put in pockets..."

[dynamic-k]

:D

U back :) So how was camp? :>

IT WAS AMAZING AND AMAZING AND AMAZING AND-

I'm an ambivert, but the instant I set foot on campgrounds I was in full extrovert jittery ramble mode for some reason-

I quickly bonded with my cabin mates, had fun with this thing called axe throwing [where i get ta yeet little axe hatchet things at a target and surprisingly I was good at it], sipped on brewed coffee since there wasn't espresso, played dodgeball and broke my glasses when a ball smacked me right in the face, but i had my superglue and a spare pair of glasses, so i repaired the fracture, left it to set, and walked back into the gym building to play more dodgeball-

I went down the potato-sack slide [a hard plastic big long slide that you sit on a potato sack and slide down, it's so fun~], did this awesome zipline at least 50 times over the week, discovered I love high speed activities, got 11,000 steps Sunday, 19,000 steps Monday, 21,000 steps Wednesday, 18,000 steps on Thursday when my legs felt a teeny bit sore, and I forgot the general amounts for Friday and Saturday, but they were about the same amount with minor fluctuation.

I played a cool game on the beach in a flat sandy area on day one, Sunday, and it's called Dragon Ball. IT'S SO COOL, IT'S A LITTLE LIKE DODGEBALL, BUT WITH EXTRA STUFF-

So- Two teams are in the middle of a giant circle to be the last team standing, and every other team stands on the outskirts of the big circle with access to balls. :D Teehee, yey for game violence-

[except the balls don't really hurt- I got hit on the cheek once and was fine-]

The two teams are individual 'dragons'. The head of the dragon wears a colored headband, and every other member of that team makes a train of people by setting both hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them.

But the people on the outside of the circle cannot just target the head of the dragon and get that person out to immediately kill the entire team, you have to hit the backmost person first and work your way up to the head dragon person with many shots.

IT. WAS. EPIC.

apparently, I am good at aiming balls where I want and I got QUITE a lot of people out, my competitive personality completely taking over-

I ended up as the head dragon, wearing this lime green neon green headband [soft, fuzzy, stretchy little thing~] Our team was originally contemplating doing like- A rock, paper, scissors tournament to decide who would wear the headband and be the head dragon, meaning that the moment all your team is out and you are the last one, you are quickly targeted. And the balls tend to come from all directions, as you're in a circle. Now, I am really good at ducking and dodging by looking at ball trajectory [I love high speed reflexive games~], but being in a circle and surrounded on every side does ush the limits of my ability to see what is coming for me.

Before the game began and we understood the rules, our dean, Gabe, called the names of who was on what team, one team at a time, and one of the two counselors on each team grabbed a random headband from the bag [as it doesn't matter if two or more dragon teams get the same color, we still know who wins and who doesn't].

Anyway, I looked at the bag of headbands, intrigued and wanting to pick one out too, but only one headband per team is taken, and my counselor had already selected a neon green one and left, leaving me to follow in mild disappointment I cannot wear a headband.

Then I discover that I could actually wear the headband, if my team let me be the head of the dragon~

So, I jokingly, actually I was quite serious, told my team I just really wanted a headband. Nathan, my other counselor aside Clare, was super nice, he offered it to me to my surprise, and since I knew I was proficient in dodging and had spoken this to my team, I was shockingly just handed the headband-

I love that thing an unusual amount- It's a cheap, fuzzy neon green piece of stretchy fabric in a circle band, to be worn on the head. I have an attachment to it.

We had great fun, and when I inevitably was in the "Ring of Fire", as Clare dubbed the circle everyone with balls stood in, I was eventually the last remaining member on my team.

I stuck close to the other team's dragon, which had around 4 or 5 people left to get out, and i was by myself. I did this thing where i stepped backward and then forward and rotated and tried to move fast so I could be unpredictable, and it did keep me in for a good 2 minutes before I didn't see one ball heading my way and got hit in de cheek. [was fine, i promise- they don't hurt that much at all-]

I had fun even though our team was eliminated~ I LOVE MURDERING DRAGONS WITH DODGEBALLS OKAY- /insanity-toned

Afterward, I removed the headband, unsure where we were supposed to return it, but then I wondered if I could keep it. I didn't feel right walking off with it, since I wasn't sure how valuable they were or if the camp needed them for something else later, so I found Clare and asked him.

Clarence, Clare, my family group leader and the father of the dean who runs everything, he let me keep my headband.

He originally stood there and stared at the headband, unsure for a moment, I stood there and widened my eyes and basically pleading expression with my hands behind my back in a joking way.

BUT HE SAID I COULD KEEP IT, SO I SCURRIED OFFFFFFFFFF

I wore it every day, entire rest of the week, and made it part of my personality~ XD

HEADBAND- :D

there are more stories, but I have been quite busy since returning from camp, and hardly have time unless I really make time-

Like, using the bathroom while on a device and monitoring any and all online work or notifications, or using my lunch break exercise time to sit on the couch and be inactive so I can try to work through more of the emails I've gotten~ MULTITASKING HAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA

:3 I've been brainrotting stuff-

I've been brainrotting so much Spark AU, and also some Second's Tale because I'm trying to figure out the ending that I never planned-

Second's Tale is so stuck right now, but I wanna update it so badddlyyyyy

also the poor poor Guessing Game- I'M SORRY LEENA-

..plus a few other fics..

And here I am with a new AU idea too- *sheepish* Can't say nothing, can't say it-

I wanna try and finish the entire AU before I publish, that way I don't end up hooking people and getting everyone riled up and impatient for this new thing of mine- I can bring it to completion first! (That may.. take a while. BUT NEW AU-)

The only downside might be the fact I kinda got tired for a few days afterward? Like- I used up so much extrovert-ish energy at camp, and then kinda went strangely peaceful and quiet for some time afterward, like my introvertism tendencies are trying to balance out all the energy I used.

I wouldn't even call that too much a downside, except for the fact I felt bad for not responding to online stuff right away, and my brain felt slower to function and process. I tend to beat myself up when I have difficulty doing stuff, lol-