#and compare that to what they did to athena. insane.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

The I feel like she sees me line being said to Eddie who is the person that truly sees Buck for all that he is. Are we supposed to take this line at face value which would indicate piss poor writing because they needed to rush to a horrible ending or do we take it as Buck being an unreliable narrator? What was the audience supposed to interpret from Buck saying that, were we truly supposed to believe him or we supposed to be pissed at Buck for saying this to the one person that truly sees Buck?

Good morning to me, I guess.

I'm assuming you haven't really seen people's reactions in the fandom on tumblr because I feel like I saw this said in quite a few posts going around, but you are absolutely not supposed to take this line at face value. I'm surprised that people think you should. 9-1-1 has from the beginning had a habit of turning friendships into romantic relationships (Bathena and Madney) and taking their time with these things rather than having an instalove situation. Even Karen and Hen, who meet when they're set up on a date together, don't instantly fall in love. I do not think they would set Eddie or Buck up for an endgame relationship with a woman by having them date that woman immediately, even if they didn't plan to make Buddie canon.

Buck is clearly struggling post-death. He's lost and once again looking for the answer from a romantic partner. He did a lot of growth in regards to his family relationships this season but not his romantic ones. Remember, his couch ended up destroyed and he asked his latest girlfriend to pick the new one out for him. Again. He's still not picking his own damn couch. After being unable to sleep on the one his mom gave him but passed out instantly on Eddie's where he ran to feel safe.

If people think this is all, somehow, an accident or the writers are doing this without knowing what they're doing, then I can't help you. Do you also think the symbolism I put into my fanfics are a total accident? Do you guys think I picked the name of the poem "Fuchsia Emerald Alizarin Rose" just because the colors are fun and they accidentally spell out F.E.A.R. or do you think maybe I did that absolutely 100% on purpose and was waiting for someone to realize?

Buck saying that to Eddie is 100% supposed to make the audience raise their eyebrows. Especially when we see Eddie's reaction. He's confused and he's hurt and he's annoyed. Eddie then spends his next few lines showing Buck (and us) that he sees Buck. Buck misses it, it goes right over his head, but the audience is shown that Buck is wrong and Eddie sees him.

I think there was a lot of internal stuff going on behind the scenes way high up the ladder that meant Buddie didn't happen this season. No, I don't mean that in a tinhatting way, I just mean that they knew Fox wouldn't renew them, they didn't know if they'd get picked up somewhere else, Fox hasn't promoted or cared about this show the way it has its other shows in a while, and I think it's pretty clear there was shuffling and changes going on with 6B. So I think things had to be put off. Similar to the pandemic, where I genuinely wonder what kind of season four we would've gotten if we'd had the full 18 episodes and hadn't had to work around Covid. I think that when we know there was a big shift going on behind the scenes, we need to have some grace and patience in how that will effect the story that's told on screen.

But I think that this default to "everything good we see on our screens is an accident and the writers are making shitty choices" is a horrible bad faith argument, and it's exhausting. Aren't you exhausted? I'm exhausted. Fandom shouldn't treat the writing and production team like their enemies any more than the writing and production team should treat the fans like their enemies in some kind of war they have to win (looking at you, GoT showrunners).

We are supposed to be annoyed that Buck is missing the point. We are supposed to see Buck's yearning to be a husband and a father, and how he's missing what's right in front of him. We are supposed to put two and two together and see that Eddie was hurt by Buck's words, that Eddie sees Buck, that Eddie is Buck's safe place, and that Eddie in that moment decided he might not have a chance with Buck and needs to move on, because previously we saw Eddie admit he wants romance again but he doesn't want to go out on dates, we saw his aunt say she met her husband through work, we saw him say 'we have time' and then we saw him immediately after Buck tells him about this new girl who "sees him" flee to visit his mother and then immediately actually try dating. On a meta level this is also because Eddie needs confidence in himself as a romantic partner and needs some more experience under his belt before he's ready to take the plunge with Buck, but in Eddie's mind, I think it's pretty clear he feels Buck will never want him back and he's trying to find the love he wants somewhere else, even if his heart is still Buck's.

So that's what I think. I think it's not explicitly spelled out for a few reasons, but frankly if one of them was a woman we wouldn't need it explicitly spelled out and personally I kinda like that it's not. Something that annoys me with M/F pairings is the constant "we all know you two like each other" talks from third parties that half the time aren't about the characters but are about the audience, to either tell the audience SEE THEY LIKE EACH OTHER THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT or to give the audience some fanservice while the characters aren't ready to get together. I don't need to be pandered to that way, thank you, so I'm a fan of the slightly more subtle approach that I, personally, see going on with Buddie.

If you or anyone else disagrees with me and feels it was just "piss poor writing" then that's entirely your right. I'd just appreciate it if people who feel that way would stop watching the show, and stop putting their complaints into the inboxes of people who clearly do enjoy the show.

TL;DR - You answered your own question, Buck is an unreliable narrator (and always has been) and we are supposed to be frustrated he said this to Eddie who has proven time and again (and does so in that very scene) that he sees Buck.

[anxiousalene]

My Thoughts On the Vengence Saga 🔱🩸

HOLY SHIT ODYSSEUS MY GOD, BRO DID NOT HOLD BACK. The saga started with I'm not sorry for loving and it was sad on Calpyso's part (WANGUI COOKED SHE ABSOLUTELY COOKED) but I'm really glad Jorge didn't have Odysseus accept her "apology" because what she did even though she tries to justify it, it was 100% wrong AND THEN HERMES SHOWED UP AND WE GET REFERENCES TO THE TROY SAGA, OCEAN SAGA AND CIRCE SAGA. AND I LOVE THE "IF YOU DANCE WITH FATE THEN I KNOW YOU'LL ENHANCE YOUR STATE" LINE. I LOVE HOW MANY THINGS GET PERSONIFIED IN JORGE'S MUSIC LIKE PRIDE AND DANGER FEEL AS IF THEY'VE ACTUALLY COME TO LIFE. ALSO, THE FACT THAT JORGE'S SISTER VOICES THE PRINCESS WINION IS SO FUNNY TO ME, LIKE WE HAVE THE WHOLE FAMILY NOW. BUT DANGEROUS IS A BANGER LIKE I KNEW IT WOULD, ALL HERMES SONGS MAKE ME WANT TO DANCE. THE WINDBAG MAKES A SECOND APPEARANCE SO WE ALREADY KNOW THAT IS GONNA HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANCE. ALSO, ODYSSEUS IS GONNA USE RUTHLESSNESS FOR SURE. I ALSO LIKE THE "DON'T THANK ME FRIEND, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO FOUGHT FOR YOU" and Odysseus is like who then?? I was kinda hoping that Athena would show back up and it would be this whole big moment but she didn't :( RIP. Charybdis is REALLY COOL it was different from what I expected and I'm pretty sure it's Jorge's only entirely solo song In the show which is really cool. I also LOVE that right before Odysseus explains he doesn't have to fight Charybidis we get an electric guitar rift to show that he's using his intelligence. AT THE END HE SEES ITHACA AND HE'S ALMOST HOME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AND THE MUSIC IS SO SOFT COMPARED TO EARLIER IN THE SONG. But... POSEIDON SHOWS UP. IM ANNOYED FROM A SHOW PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE JUST LET THE POOR MAN GET HOME BUT STEVEN IS ALSO SO TALENTED. HE WENT BEAST MODE FOR GET IN THE WATER. I like how intentional Poseidon's threat of "I'll take your son and gouge his eyes" to give an eye-for-an-eye deal to harm Telemachus as Odysseus did to Polyphemus. I also love Odysseus really does use all his tricks because he tries to show Poseidon to forgive and almost "Greet the world with open arms" but when Poseidon ignores him, he goes F* it. Then Poseidon uses his final boss move "OCEAN SHATTER" and Odysseus gets weighed down in the water by everyone who has died because of him in someway. But what I find heartbreaking is instead of singing their own motifs or "final thoughts" they all sing Waiting and his name until something clicks in his mind. ODYSSEUS GRABS THE WIND BAG AND OPENS IT WITH GLOWING RED EYES DESPITE KNOWING THAT IT WILL BLOCK HIS ONLY WAY HOME. HE USES IT AS A JETPACK AND STRIKES POSEIDON WITH HIS BOSS MOVE "600 HUNDRED MAN STRIKE" JORGE DID SUCH A GOOD VOCALLY TO SHOW HOW ANGRY AND SURE OF HIMSELF ODYSSEUS IS. ALSO WHEN HE'S ATTACKING IT SOUNDS LIKE LEGENDARY AND I THINK IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE HE'S CLOSE TO HOME SO HE'S MORE SIMILAR TO HIS SON. ALSO, THE VOICES OF THE CREW IN THE BACKGROUND IS JUST AHHHH. ALSO, I LOVE THAT WE CAN HEAR THE WND BAG MUSIC AND THE STORM MUSIC AS THE BATTLE IS GOING ON. Then Poseidon proceeds to taunt Odysseus by the fact he released the storm because now Poseidon can kill him and there's no way for him to get home. ODYSSEUS GOES APESHIT, or rather VERY CALM. We hear the danger motif as Odysseus walks toward Poseidon and Posiedon says "You can't kill me" and Odysseus says "Exactly" HE PICKS UP POSEDON'S TRIDENT AND STABS HIM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER TO THE POINT WHERE POSEIDON IS BEGGING HIM TO STOP. but Odysseus has a Ruthlessness is mercy mentality and doesn't stop even as Poseidon, god of the seas, is calling him a MONSTER. AND THE CRAZIEST PART IS Poseidon relents the storm and asks "How will you sleep night?" and Odysseus goes "Next to my wife" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LIKE LINE IS SO ACTUALLY INSANE LIKE THIS SAGA WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER AND ODYSSEUS HAS TRULY STOPPED CARING ALSO, EVERYONE'S VOCALS WERE OFF THE CHARTS AND IM GOING TO BE OBSESSING ABOUT THIS FOR THE COMING WEEKS. As usual, thank you to the entire Epic Crew and everyone behind the scenes for making these sagas, they are awesome.

[ritzcuit]

PART 2 of "looking at all the times datz says something gay or familial that drives me crazy." i guess?! should look at part 1 if you havent yet

soj spoilers ahead obvs. part 1 here in case u missed it

i skipped A LOT between the last post and now, bc datz doesn't show up for. a while. Well like he does a little bit but it's not gay or anything. it doesn't matter. what matters is that we're back in khura'in now, we're apollo now, and athena is here

and um, dhurke is arrested for murder. lol. but talking to athena in one of those "what to do" segments gets this.......

which up until this point i haven't actually seen yet. the noise i made. DATZ HAVING A HEART ATTACK? IM GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK!!! WWAAAHHH!! :(!!!!! THINK ABOUT IT!! THINK ABOUT DATZ SCARED OUT OF HIS MIND FOR DHURKE'S SAFETY. THINK ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!! i don't exactly know what "wanted datz to go to him" means exactly. go to dhurke? well it doesnt matter i guess. cus the way they know damn well datz would freak out and try to bust dhurke out of jail...Sniffle... Sob........ i love datz so much.... loyalest man alive fr dont play with me

and then a Lot more bullshit happens, but good news;

theyre at the defiant dragons hideout again ^_^ with the photos ^_^ if you investigate them, you get this! here comes datz jumping at the chance to talk abt his (friend's) family again. the day WEEEEEEEEEE all went out fishing. shut up. WE!!! i always knew datz was there, in my heart, taking the photo... earlier, dhurke says "the three of us [dhurke, aj, yuty] living in the mountains", but clearly datz came by often enough. WE! WE WENT FISHING! WEEE!!! its just so easy to imagine... datz insisting they take a photo .. i cant take it... how many times was datz there. fishing w them. helping cook dinner and dealing w two rambunctious boys...crying

he also takes the chance to be hurt over yuty again.. datz has a lot to say about nahyuta.

investigating the sign [sic] gives datz a chance to geek about how cool dhurke is. "his fame as a lawyer spread far and wide!" i'm sure that's how they intended for datz knows about dhurke's lawyer days, but again, i like to believe datz was his weirdgirl. he probably was the advertising campaign if we're honest 😭

now we're talking to datz directly again ^_^ asking him about the sahdmadhi law offices. "and i quote" is so annoying. i know he's doing a deep voiced impression of dhurke right there. Stop memorizing shit he says. Gay

then! he says dhurke mentioned he wants apollo to take over the offices one day...which cute and whatever, but this isnt abt dhurke's dadliness, this is about datz being such a FUCKING GEEK! he's talking to dhurke directly, right, so why are you gassing him up 😭😭 TO HIMSELF! HE'S DHURKE! "must've been because of you, dhurke!" he's too much of a good friend. he's convinced everyone thinks dhurke is as cool as He thinks dhurke is. it's insane. the fanboy behavior will never end

it's nice to see dhurke and datz interact too. we really don't see much of that in this game. dhurke always seems kind of understated with datz as compared to when he's being Boisterous Dad or Rebel Leader in public... how many quiet moments did they share together... just sharing news and shooting the shit...dhurke doesn't have to put on big leader charisma 'cause datz uplifts him no matter what. Gay

Why Do You Know That, Datz

well, it's obvious why he knows that. BC HE WAS THEEEERREEEEEE of course, as a friend of someone, you wouldn't be totally blind to how they raise their kids, but we KNOW datz was there running around! paying attention. noticing these things. crazy. knowing another man's parenting style is crazy. "that much i'm sure of" knowing another man's Thoughts is crazy. Gay

also just makes me emo :( datz rly got front row seats to dhurke's parental anguish. i can imagine a hundred convos just like the earlier one, where dhurke regrets it, and datz is trying to cheer him up, same as always ...

datz has a lot to say about nahyuta. (asking him about nahyuta obviously) actually it isnt that much. but it's so funny. him being a hypeman for both sahdmadhis is so cute... and also him seeming frustrated that he doesn't know Why yuty is acting this way...'cause he cares :( he cares for his yuty :( CAUSE HE HELPED RAISE THAT DAMN KID!

ill smack dhurke rn he pisses me off so bad sometimes. datz is out here worrying over YOUR CHILD! and you're leaving him out to dry :( datz really loves that family...thinking about him trying to nudge answers out of dhurke, but respecting his boundaries all the while...GRRRRRR he's too good for you dhurke. you need to treasure what you have

asking datz about apollo's biological father leads to another Datz Exposition Dump in which i lose my mind bc he remembers too much about this fucking family. it's almost like he cares for them or something. "dhurke's the kinda guy who can become%$^%&#$%^" THIS ISNT ABOUT DHURKE QUIT GUZZLING HIM FOR 5 SECONDS! STOP!

this part is key to me cause, again, WEEEEEEE. *WE!* it proves that datz had been friends with dhurke before anything happened... a lot of his Datz Yapping could have just been recited stories, stuff he knew secondhand, but being close enough with dhurke to help him look for an orphaned baby's mother While fending off accusations of terrorism..... it's key. real ones get it. it isnt just "oh datz is a family friend" it's "datz was there at the beginning of everything". before the dragons started at all! Gay

presenting dhurke's law book gets this. not explicitly dhurke guzzling rly but idgaf. I also refuse it being metaphorical. give datz a gay chest tattoo. COWARD! just imagine it. how intimate it would be... who was doing the tattoos for the dragons at that time anyway? a stick n poke by dhurke would be cool and badass, but then asking dhurke to do a whole chest piece on his best friend... dhurke's like, "are you sure? that's ... pretty intense," but datz's burning passion for the revolution is intense, isn't it? fellas is it gay to impart your personal symbol of revolution onto your best friend's chest by candlelight? because i'm making it by candlelight now? Hello

presenting amara's assassination file. "i got the whole thing memorized" i should smack him genuinely. ive had enough of this man for real. CUS WHY ARE YOU MEMORIZING THAT? his loyalty knows no bounds. also datz sad about yuty again.. omfg i know he is SO SAD about that boy

he is genuinely the sahdmadhi's number one fan. him being dhurke's boyfriend would be less gay than what he has going on now. like despite everything there's still Something to be proud of yuty for...even if it's being a turncoat enldkfngd ... datz cant help it...that's his lil baby 😭

there isn't a lot left in the way of like, anything, but there is this

datz coming in at the last second with Dhurke Can Do No Wrong again. not very gay but i do like them existing together :)

he's just so. ugh. i wonder what happened here so bad. how did dhurke and datz meet up at all? but dhurke asked datz to break him out and datz was like OKAY YAY ^_^ bc he probably was itchy about dhurke being in custody at all. sorry aj! objectively it looks bad but datz is, i think, incapable of seeing dhurke in a critical eye, so he just assumes dhurke's Got A Plan and he's totally coming back 'cause why wouldn't he :) he doesn't even think dhurke got caught again or anything. hes like. well surely dhurke did escape, because he's dhurke and he's the coolest most capable amazing perfect man in existence. Obviously

(those who know..)

:(

honestly, a little underwhelming all things considered, he bounces back immediately right after this because he is A Freak. well, no, it's bc he knows damn well it's what dhurke would have wanted, dragon yielding and whatnot. but seeing his sad little face devastates me. he tries to put on a determined face at first, only to revert back to this sad pensive sprite... datz... honey....

how freaky is it that datz was running around with the ghost of his bestie without even realizing it? well, that dhurke's been dead for so long... even "you're a sight for sore eyes" is with ghost dhurke, right?!

oh he got over it

"like how dhurke always wanted" WHAT ABOUT YOU. DATZ. YOU. AS A PERSON. YOU ALSO WANTED THIS. YOU COULDNT SAY "WE"? well it's in memory of dhurke, right? to honor his death? that makes sense. surely this is the last time he attributes something to dhurke specifically

STOP

and that, actually, is it. well roughly? considering i found a new section of dialogue that i totally missed up until this point, i wouldn't be surprised if something slipped my mind. I also have no idea if this was worth anyone's time, but i had fun with it anyway :3

if u read this far then cheers!! if u have any thoughts abt these specific morsels then tell me about them..!! again, like, i know it is Literally datz's purpose as a character to be the sahdmadhi lore dump in lieu of dhurke and yuty, but that just means they created an uncle who loves that family with all his heart. if we ever EVER!!!!! got any canon acknowledgement of khura'in again, which i doubt we will, i'd pray and beg for another crumb of datz content. please...

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume meta 6x12

Thank you wardrobe team - for giving me half a chance with the costumes this week 😂 After the insane costume levels last week, it was nice to have fewer costumes to talk about this week! Have to admit I did go off on a bit of a side quest while writing this - shout out to fridge and beer theory 😳😂🤓

I'm not going to go character by character this week because they did something really interesting with the colour palette this episode. So I'm going to break things down colour by colour and it means I'll be talking about Wendell, Tamara and Connor as well!

Firstly there were 3 main colour in use in 6x12 - red blue and grey, with a couple of secondary colours also in play - the army drab green, white and pink. There were also some very interesting parallels at play in the costuming as well - not only in relation to the text, but specifically to the shooting - we see a lot of costume references to that arc as a whole and I'll go into those as we get to them.

as always the rest is below the cut to save your dash!

Red

So in 6x12 we see red/maroon used 4 times and on all 4 occasions its being worn by someone in the role of advisor and or parent/carer.

First up we have Athena (her in a rare denim wearing occurrence!!) in a wine red turtle neck - she is filling the role of advisor for Bobby here - providing him with information pertaining to the investigation into Wendell's death. she is displaying her care for Bobby and his wellbeing - pursuing a seemingly impossible task to help him get answers - she fully understands Bobbys need to pursue the case - the potential for it to impact on Bobbys sobriety if he's unable to get answers. I've spoken before about red being an energetic and powerful colour, we see both those aspects at play in this costume - Athena has powerful information that reenergises the case for Bobby. This is Athena in supportive spouse mode.

Next up we have Maddie - very intentionally in her dispatcher uniform and this putting her in maroon/burgundy. The use of her uniform is an indicator of Maddie managing things - putting up a sort of boundary. She is managing Buck in the same way she would manage one of her calls at dispatch. I need to mention the fact that Buck is in navy blue here - that he is wearing a tee that matches his own uniform and we barely see the grey joggers because he is standing behind the kitchen island. It is important to recognise that both of them are hiding behind being 'in uniform' and we see that fact effectively erecting barriers between them - it is only when the are both out of those colours that they are able to talk and understand (I'll talk more on that later on!).

Wendell's costume here is such a choice!!! Even if we hadn't been told in the previous flashback that Wendell was ex military, we would have been able to reach that conclusion ourselves because of this costume. does it remind you o the way they've styled anyone else on the show? perhaps a certain someone with their own military background?? thats right - this costume is straight out of the Eddie Diaz costume book! long sleeve maroon henley, olive drab combat style trousers and smartish leather boots. they've given Wendell his own twist - with the metal watch and the necklaces, but the look is deliberately meant to look similar to Eddie. The general audience will subconsciously draw the association.

For me this costume and its use in this particular scene is super fascinating - a conversation about 'getting back out there' and dating around a bit and the concept of impulsivity compared with Bobby knowing that Athena makes him feel like he's on solid ground. the costume is very much helping to foreshadow Eddies story here - he's going to take the road that Wendell suggests here - date around a bit - before figuring out what Bobby already has - that he wants and already has someone who makes him feel like he's on solid ground. the show has been paralleling Bathena and Buddie for a long time now, this is just another example of them doing this, especially because Bobby and Buck have been costume paralleled a lot, as have Athena and Eddie. The fact that the show has chosen to use this scene as part of this episode where those costume parallels are especially loud is really telling, clever and shows they're having fun with the build up of this slow burn!

Eddie - Like I've said above this is some very intentional costume paralleling going on in terms of foreshadowing for Eddie in the rest of season 6. But there is also the parallel to Athena and Maddie (we can pull Maddie into the paralleling because they chose to put Chimney in blue when Maddie get's home from work). the maroon is in the red part of the colour wheel and shares many of the same attributes - mostly relating to power, passion and confidence, but also its brown undertones hint at stability and comfort as well as protection.

These are all things we see from Eddie in the two scenes - the comfort and protection Eddie offers Buck in the first scene that allows Buck to fall asleep on the couch, with those same traits combining with stability, power and confidence in the kitchen scene. Eddie is the epitome of stability from bucks perspective - the Diaz house is a stable and supportive place and Eddie is at the centre of that for Buck. The power and confidence come from Eddies knowledge of Buck, giving him the space he needs and knowing when to push, but also from Eddie himself knowing where the line is - know ing that Buck won't benefit from Eddies full honesty at this point in time.

All of that is not the only thing that shirt is hinting at. I've spoken a lot about the use of maroon on male characters specifically as a symbol of fatherhood and parental responsibility and here is no different - Eddie making Christophers lunch in the kitchen scene (is this kitchen scene .3 or .4 ?) was a very deliberate choice for the simple reason that it connects to the shooting visually - right down to the choice of putting Eddie in dark trousers - mirroring Buck when he tells Christopher about his dad being shot. The Christopher of the equation remains relevant even now - as they actually talk about the shooting for the first time - he is not directly a part of the conversation, but he is still there in the background (in much the way the will still lingers in the background).

Blue

So fun overarching fact about the use of blue in this episode - it gets progressively lighter as the episode progresses! This is something the show has been playing with a bit this season - especially in connection with Buck. It's so informative as to the journeys of Bobby and Buck in this episode.

We do also see Chimney and Tamara in blue in this episode, but only once. Chimneys is in balance to the Red of Maddie - its playing into the colour trope of couples that we've seen the show use over and over to both draw parallels between the actual couples on the show as well as draw parallels with those couples and Buddie.

Here we Have Chimney in a shade of blue he wears a lot, I think this jumper is the same on we see him in when Maddie's kitchen floods, but the lighting is very different in the two scenes and that makes it hard to be sure. it is important to note that this blue doesn't sit in the same colour spectrum of the other blues in this episode - its much more of a green blue - having peacock or turquoise undertones. this is a deliberate choice - it still allows chimney to sit in the colour blocking of blue and red that we see in this episode and in the show more widely, but it also others him - he doesn't fit into the journey towards healing that we see the others go on.

Bobby goes through a spectrum of blue like I said. this first polo is really hard to define - its under a heavy filter which gives everything a greyish yellow tone - which the show uses in most of its flashback scenes. we can see its blue, but as to the specifics of shade, its hard to tell - it is definitely towards a navy colour, but not as dark.

This is a moment when Bobby is vulnerable, but is accepting of help - a darker navy wouldn't be the right choice here - bobby is in the darkness that navy hints at, but he is also accepting the help he asked for and this lighter slightly greener tone the filter gives the shirt shows us that - the greener tone suggesting growth.

Then we move on to the shirt we see Bobby in for most of the episode. The lighter navy with a bluish grey check pattern. The Check foreshadows (as always) the problems Bobby is going to face in his hunt for the truth of what happened to Wendell.

I loved the fact that they put Bobby and Tamara in similar shades of blue for this scene. its a brighter blue - much more of an azure or ultramarine blue - much more hopeful supportive and accepting. its meant to show us that they are in the same place emotionally, but also it ties the help they received from Wendell to the two of them - pointing out that because of him they are both on the right path .

Bobby then wears full dark navy blue when the Walshes are arrested (the picture of this is down in the other colours section of this post) with the same green jacket as the one he wears when he meets up with Tamara

Then we get this grey blue shirt when we see Bobby in full sponsor mode.

As you can see the blue gets progressively lighter as Bobby progresses through the episode and we end up with him a colour that matches the check from the first shirt. I think this is intentional - that we're supposed to read it as Bobby breaking out of things that have been holding him back up to now. The other thing about this blue/grey shirt is that it's almost the same colour as the knit polo that Buck is wearing . This is telling me two things - we are supposed to make the connection between where Bobby is at and where Buck is at respectively - that they are at similar points in their respective healing journeys - something made more obvious by the two costumes being worn at the same time in their respective scenes. The other thing it's doing is reinforcing the father son aspect of Bobby and Bucks relationship - visually connecting the two of them at the same time as the script.

Buck in navy - like I said above - this is very much about reflecting Bucks LAFD uniform - especially in relation to Maddie, Josh and to a point Hen. we get to see the grey sweatpants much more when it comes to Hen, because this is the person Buck has been most honest with up to this point and then Connor - once Buck establishes he's not part of Maddies schedule!

The navy is also an outward manifestation of Bucks internal struggles with the whole dying part of his reality post lightning strike. navy is often associated with depression and with avoiding confrontation (one of the reasons its used as a uniform colour so often) and attention. Here we have a Buck who is trying to do both - avoid causing confrontation and trying to deflect attention away from himself (the script also shows us this by is his leaving a note and running to Eddies) ad well as making it obvious that Buck is struggling with his mental health and over facing up to the reality that he died.

The final costume we see Buck in is this very light blue knit polo - which has grey undertones and connects in with crash and learn and the locker room conversation Buck has with Hen - about the secret to happiness. Having seen Buck in blue or grey for all of the episode, this bluish grey merges the two colours together and implies that the two different versions of Buck - the closed off navy blue one and the honest vulnerable grey ones have merged - erring more towards the grey version of Buck than the navy one. this is a clear choice - it shows Buck accepting and embracing that more vulnerable version of himself and we see that in action when he talks to Maddie about her over the top schedule.

The other thing with this pale blue is that it ties into a series of moments we've seen from Buck since 5x18. The blue suit of Hen and Karens wedding - representing the freeing himself of Taylor, the blue shirt from the locker room conversation with Hen when we see Buck really start to think about what it is that he wants/needs to be happy and when we find out that Kameron is pregnant, and now this one. All of these are moments when Buck is making progress in figuring out what he wants and how he can find his happiness - in some ways they are like the use of Bucks white shoes - where as those are a more general representation of his journey - the smaller steps as it were, these blue outfits are bigger strides forward.

Grey

I have so many thoughts about the grey of it all in this episode!! We only see Buck and Athena in grey.

Athena wears this grey turtleneck and waterfall front cardigan combo. Grey is a neutral colour, but it is also a colour of compromise and here we see Athena essentially compromising with bobby and giving him the information he needs to get in contact with Tamara.

The ribbed grey jumper that Buck wears to Eddies house along with the lighter grey sweats is such a choice. First thing to point out- this jumper has been put on over the navy blue tee - we can see a slither of the tee in the picture below - between the jumper and the sweats (costume department for the win on little details like these!)

Grey is like I said above a neutral colour, but it is also somewhat ambiguous - because of its place between black and white on the colour chart. it is also associated with wisdom and maturity. here we have a Buck who is being mature in his recovery - being wise

The fact that the ribbing gives the jumper an air of chainmail is also an interesting thing, it hints at the idea of protection - its not the full on protection of plate armour, but it is non the less a protective layer - in this instance it is Buck both protecting himself from Maddie's overbearing (but well meant) schedule, but it also serves as a barrier for the kitchen conversation - that in between stage we've spoken of, where Buck and Eddie aren't fully ready to talk about the full implications of the shooting. Eddie reads it and doesn't go into the full truth of what he remembers - the grey jumper is the visual representation of the fact Buck is still not fully ready to talk about it (even if Eddie is).

The use of ribbing also means this jumper fits into a theory i've been keeping an eye on since 6x01 with regards to Buck and vertical stripes - you can read it at the end of the 6x01 meta if you haven't already read it. Essentially though - Buck seems to wear vertical stripes when he is emotionally imprisoned or trapped in some way. this jumper is maybe stretching the metaphor a bit, but the theory works for this scenario - Buck is struggling - reckoning with death and the emotional trauma that has brought him. Its going to be interesting to see if this continues to play out in the rest of 6b!

The final thing to point out about this jumper is the long sleeves - and this ties into the costumes of all the other characters as well - when around Buck. If Buck is wearing short sleeves everyone else is wearing long sleeves and if Buck is wearing long sleeves, then the characters he interacts with (only Eddie) are wearing short sleeves. This is significant - Buck is his most open and honest about where he is at with his recovery etc when he's wearing long sleeves and his opposite is wearing short. Eddie wearing short sleeves appears to be concealing things from Buck - much like Buck has been doing with everyone else in this episode - not being completely honest with them. its a play on the idea of Buck being good at hiding his true feelings from others - in physical form and only making himself vulnerable when he has protections in place and he's with one of the few people who can understand his trauma (Chimney is the other one but we don't see them interact in this episode!).

Other colours

Hens costume is very much carrying on her costume theme from 6x11 - which is perfect - the orange brown and green place her in the same context as we saw her last week - its a form of continuity - she is still the representation of emotional strength and optimism through the orange, the brown is still the representation of stability and the green (which has gotten brighter) is still a reference to growth and security and health. The green being more obvious this epsiode is showing us the improvement in Bucks health - Hen is the most skilled medic on the show - her being in green is a show of that in connection with other characters when the scene is not about her directly - in this case - Buck and his health post death and resurrection.

Connor is an interesting one this week, the tan/beige jacket combined with the baby pink and blue pinstripe shirt is telling me a lot of things! Firstly the beige - beige is considered a 'boring' colour and as such it is often used to mask other things - its a colour that 'blends in with the crowd' and it being worn as an outer here is very much playing into that as a concept - outwardly Connor is deflecting attention away from himself - from his own internal struggles

The pink and blue pinstripe shirt however is saying a whole lot, firstly the use of pale pink and blue - colours that often have 'baby' placed in front of them as a denotation or the specific shades - baby pink and baby blue. This automatically and subconsciously encourages the brain to think about babies - the central theme of Connors arc on the show - pregnancy, babies/children and fatherhood or pending fatherhood.

Pink has lots of meanings attached to it, but pale or baby pinks are generally considered to represent immaturity and or naivety and I think that is what its use is trying to suggest here - it is foreshadowing and hinting at Connors actual feelings around Kameron's pregnancy.Its telling us that Connor hasn't actually thought through (not necessarily intentionally) the full reality of being/becoming a father when the child is not genetically his - its hinting that that is his journey (and Bucks) for the remainder of the season and pregnancy.

Again there are lots of meanings that can be attached to blue and it comes in a myriad of shades (probably the most wide range of shades of any colour to be honest) which also impacts its meaning. The blue pinstripes here are very much of the baby blue variety there are a couple of things that I think the use of blue here is trying to tell us - firstly blue at the lighter end of the spectrum tends to be positive, it also tends to be responsible and reliable. the fact that the blue stripes 'run through' the pink - the implication being that it runs through that naivety that I spoke about a moment ago - thats essentially a good thing - its telling us that the outcomes of this arc will be positive - I'm guessing that Connor will get his head around being a dad - learning and understanding that genetics don't necessarily make a father.

The other thing we need to talk about with regards to Connor - that I spotted and I think hints at things to come is his wedding band. in the above picture he is wearing it on his right hand rather than his left - as he has done all the way up to this point. THis can only be an intentional choice - in America the most common finger to wear a wedding band on is the left ring finger (its not something that would get missed or that would be put on the wrong hand by accident). Connors wedding band changing hands is pretty telling.

Interestingly there are a few things about wearing a wedding band on the right hand instead of the left - it is common in many countries - including Peru (👀) but it is also symbolic - before gay marriage was legal, it was (and still is) common for same sex couples to wear rings on their right hands as a show of commitment. The other (and possibly more relevant reason here) is that it is a fairly common thing for people cheating on their partner to do - it can be a signal of availability. Now I'm not saying Connor is out and out cheating on Kameron, what I am saying is that his wedding ring changing hands may be a visual signal that he is struggling with his relationship and is emotionally not al in it at the moment - that he is perhaps not feeling connected to his marriage because of his struggles with the baby and not being able to emotionally invest in that aspect of his relationship at this moment.

Its going to be very interesting and telling the next time we see Connor and Kameron on screen together if the ring changes back - and if we see it on the right hand again!

Maddie in black and pink when Buck and her have an honest conversation about their individual trauma and the way its interconnected is an interesting choice the black and pink has similar vibes to the maroon and black of Maddie's uniform, except its dressed down, its more flow-y and as a result more inviting of Bucks honesty and Maddie's own admissions. The pink is representing Maddie's nurturing tendencies, but also her unconditional love for her brother. I've said before that black is a colour of power and sophistication - here those traits are showing the power of growth and sophistication is both Maddie and Buck developing and understanding the complexities of their traumas and developing better ways of dealingwih them.

I've included the picture of the shooting below at this point because I want to highlight a couple of things. I've used this picture because its the only time we can see all of what Buck is wearing - White high-tops, black socks, grey trousers and the infamous white shirt with grey pinstripes.

Tamara is the first costume hint at the shooting arc we get in the episode. the white pinstripe shirt and the white high-tops are very much a direct reference to Bucks outfit. If we look at the bigger picture here and look at both the arc and the characters as a whole then we can see clear similarities between this arc and the shooting arc.

We have an 'overdose' as the catalyst in both arcs. Charlie both being dosed by his mother and his act of overdosing her, which leads to Eddie being shot as he tries to help. Then we have Tamara - in the same position as Charlie - she's being controlled in a similar way by the Walshes through her previous drug use etc. Wendell fills the role of Eddie in this arc - he is the one that goes in to help Tamara and ends up 'shot' (read shooting up as a metaphor for being shot!) as he tries to help. Only unlike Eddie, Wendell does actually die. Tamara also fits into the same roll as Buck - she is there when Wendell dies - in the same way Buck is there when Eddie gets shot.

Bobby and Athena placed in essentially the same roles (more on Athena in a moment) as in the shooting - a bit more of a lean into Bobby solving things where as Athena was more filling that role in the shooting arc, but the outcome is the same.

The arrest of the Walshes shows Athena back in her usual colour ways of black olive drab and white, which is an important touchstone for us as viewers (especially after we spent so much time in a coma world last week), but it also plays into the shooting arc throwbacks with her costume - the leather jacket is not identical, but its almost the same as the one she wears for most of the investigation into the shooter in the season 4 arc.

Finally we get Athena in this amazing purple jacket - dark purple being a colour of magic, spirituality enlightenment and wisdom. this jacket is in its own way connected to the shooting arc - the fact that Bobby didn't let Athena in that time - when he was trying to sponsor the drunk driver from blindsided (4x09). It shows us just how far they have both come since that moment.

Finally I have to talk about Bucks white high-tops because they were very prominent in this episode. I've had the theory for a while that they represent his journey towards happiness (there is a post on my pinned post all about it if you haven't read it or want a refresher!).

He wears them all the time he's not at the loft in this episode - their most prominent appearance is on Eddies Coffee table (buck I love you but you're a heathen!!) - literally the only time you should put your feet up on the coffee table is when you are at home - never at someone elses house - this plays into the whole 'this is Eddies house, I'm not really a guest' of it all. the fact that he does so in his white high-tops is actually really important - we've never seen those shoes anywhere except the floor up to now - Buck putting his feet up while wearing them is a symbol of both him being at home/ coming home, as well as a symbol - its foreshadowing that Buck's journey to find happiness ends here - at home in the Diaz house and as a part of the Diaz family!

we also see him wearing them at the park when he is contemplating the fire that lead to him being hit by lightnin after his appointment with Dr Salazar - again this is Buck very much on his journey - he is contemplative and making progress!

And there we have it 6x12 costume meta done!! Thank you as always for reading - it really does mean the world to me that you're interested in the costuming of our wee woo show!!

As always tagged people below - if anyone wants to be added to (or removed from) the list please let me know in the comments and I'll add you to the next one! Same goes if your url has changed and the tag is no longer working 😎

Until the next episode! 💜💜💜

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack  @buckscurls @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads  @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi  @callanee @calyssmarviss @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes  @spotsandsocks @livingwherethesidewalkends  @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @dickley-buddie  @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz  @ktinastrikesback  @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie  @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering  @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose  @talespinner230 @pop-kam @swiftiebuckleys @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @butchjerry @mandzuking17 @yelenascowboys @copyninjabuckley @name-code-black-widow @rogerzsteven @bi-moonlight @wandiinha

[beauzos]

7, 16, 21, 25 :3 for aa lol

🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

7. What character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

I think this is Klavier for me. To be clear I already didn't really like him in the base canon, but I think this is also because I expected far more of him because of fanon lol. He really ain't shit and it does kind of boggle me that he's SO fucking popular when he's like. this cardboard man.

Now I'm all about adding way more meaning to characters who I think can have way more depth than they do in canon, and Klavier is ripe for the picking there because he IS an interesting guy conceptually, but I don't... like what people do with his character. I kinda just don't get it. Like when I see fanart of him, esp. Kla-pollo art, it doesn't seem like him. It's like he's a different guy. I do not know this man. He's not cringefail and dry enough LOL. And I'm tired of seeing him shoehorned in everywhere.

16. You can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

I don't want to complain about Klavier again, so... well with canon I really don't get why people like AA4 so much but I know that's not what the question is asking LMAO. It's more about the fandom than anything.

Here's one. I don't get how a lot of the fandom characterizes Nahyuta. And it's because he's very unpopular and people hate on him, so they make him out to be way worse than he is. Like, he is NOT a very good person but I feel like it gets to a point where people make shit up about him to get mad about, or read everything he does in the most bad faith way possible. Like saying he was intentionally trying to trigger Athena, or that he's horrible to Ema because he expects her to follow his own (insane and unhealthy, admittedly) work pace.

That's not him. I know him and he's not doing it out of malice. He's just a freak LOL. People love mischaracterizing him because they do not like him.

21. Part of canon you think is overhyped

Bearing in mind I love the original trilogy, I do think it's a little overhyped compared to the AJ trilogy. People act like DD and SOJ are monstrous compared to the original trilogy and I'm like... nottt really? The scale is bigger but I don't feel like they're meaningfully all that much different compared to the original trilogy.

I also think TGAA 1 is overhyped only if you view it and 2 as separate games. If you recognize they're a single game split in two (ala LOTR being split into three but is a single book) it explains a lot of the issues. I love TGAA 1 but its cases are a little all over the place or too slow for me. Great game though.

25. Common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

I think this is an obvious answer knowing me but I'm sick to bastard death of listening to people talk shit on SOJ. I fucking love SOJ, it's still my top AA game that isn't TGAA. Like it has some major writing issues but what's there is legitimately so great. The most stacked cast in any AA game. Not a single bad character, not a SINGLE bad case (though the fourth one is getting there plot-wise, but the character interactions are terrific), super fun worldbuilding even if some of it is goofy. Like AJ's backstory is goofy but I LIKE it. It's the most cohesive backstory he has so far and I love his connection to Nahyuta.

Khura'in is such a special place and the Khura'inese cast is spectacular, truly spectacular. They're all my top favorite characters in the entire series.

More specifically, I'm sick to death of people bitching about Nahyuta. He's definitely underwritten and he needed to be more present in the trials because I actually DO feel like his voice is missing a little from these cases, but he's a fucking shining star. My favorite character in the series. I think his concept is brilliant and he's got a terrific design, too. I find him infinitely compelling and so fun to explore in writing.

[that-queer-blob]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't really like how prophecies are portrayed in PJO. It could very well be just a personal dislike, but it's just too cut and dry.

For one, there are multiple Oracles. Even if Delphi was the most prominent, there are a considerable amount of Oracles of Apollo, but there are some of Zeus, Demeter, Hermes, Hades and Persephone, and Hera. Then there are Oracles of heroes as well; the Oracle of Amphiaraus, a hero who was said to be swallowed by the ground; the Oracle of Amphilochus, the son of Amphiaraus; the Oracle of Trophonius, which requires a mountain of conditions in order to consult; the Oracle of Calchas, where those who consulted the Oracle had to sacrifice a black ram and sleep a night in the temple in it's skin (kinda morbid, I'll admit, but still quite tame compared to some Greek myths), the multiple Oracles of Asclepius, the Oracle of Heracles, the Oracle of Pasiphae, and the Oracle of Phrixus, where no rams were allowed to be sacrificed at all, thankfully. The list can go on and on.

Because there are multiple Oracles, there are also a bunch of requirements and ways to obtain a prophecy, instead of just merely consulting the Oracle.

But what bothers me the most is how prophecies are pretty much just turned into video game quests that you can just accept over and over. Prime example is Luke's quest before the series started.

The Apples of the Hesperides was Heracles' eleventh Labor. These Labors were part of Heracles' sentence for killing his family when Hera drove him to a temporary insanity. The Labors were considered impossible to complete, and some probably would have been without the help of his nephew, Iolaus, Athena, and Luke's own father, Hermes.

There's a lot of correlation between PJO and Greek myths--some bad, some good--but Luke receiving a prophecy that was previously given to someone to repent for "killing" their family doesn't make sense any way you cut it. Sure, his mother technically went insane, but she didn't kill anyone, and neither did he, at that point in time.

Prophecies are given to people for a purpose, not for glory or whatever Riordan believes they were. Ancients consulted the Oracles on a day-to-day basis, inquiring on personal and public life, to know the issue of what they are going to undertake, but at the same time to receive a sanction or authorisation by the deity of what that person was intending to do or not to do.

[enigmaincrimson-personal]

As for some random insanity on this end.

I need to flesh out Astaroth's entry... I really want to get that overly caffeinated workaholic up and going.

Make the character page for the RoboFizz prototype... which knowing Astaroth looks nothing like the mass-produced units. I mean, Astaroth is a perfectionist at heart, so she would likely make the thing with the original request of making a replica of Fizzaroli as accurately as possible... Although also knowing her, the replica is very much their own Imp at this point.

If there was an actual despair ring... that isn't on the elevator, what is it like compared to the other seven? I did sort of joke that it's like a "dark reflection" of the other seven, but... what does that mean?

I mean... if we dabble in inversions and extremes...

What would the people that live in the Despair Ring be like if there was one?

I should figure out what Astaroth's residence and main lab looks like and go over more of her behind the scenes antics in detail.

Does Astaroth have a secretary? If so, what are they like?

And yes, I do picture some hapless Demonologist coming upon Astaroth during one of her overly caffeinated lack of sleep benders and getting some rather interesting presumptions about her.

Like... the "wretched angel riding a demonic beast and holding a serpent" is more like "A frazzled workaholic running on a lack of sleep and red bull strangling a couple of her co-workers in some sort of sleep deprived frenzy."

Like I get... her responses are more reliable than the search engines and the internet everyone in Hell uses, but disturbing her while she's in the middle of some sort of project is a VERY bad idea.

Her being Lucifer's sister and Charlie's aunt was a bit of a tangent that happened during development.

Aveline is not Astaroth's secretary... even if some people jump to that conclusion. Considering that Astaroth rarely comes out of work for product launches, it's usually her secretary or one of her employees doing the announcement.

Astaroth being the Athena to Satan's Ares seems fitting for their relationship. Not that Astaroth won't beat anyone up, far from it... she's just more of the brains to his brawn.

Considering her role in things... If we use Blitzo's phone as an example, she's behind the phone, the cell service, the app store, the OS, everything necessary to make things run. Everyone else just makes things that run on the phone... while taking Astaroth's work for granted.

While I dabbled with her being the "Fortune teller", I also went with the idea of her being the "backstage" for the other seven rings, essentially supporting them, making them look good, and keeping them from setting the whole place on fire.

To be fair, Astaroth does have her dark side... but much like despair, it's complicated. She's kind of everywhere, in both a good and a bad way.

While Mammon runs the banks, Astaroth runs the Treasury... and the mint. Probably designed the anti-counterfeiting measures herself.

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Ares

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares

Lucifer

He cannot overstate what kind of damage this mortal was able to do in their first few seconds in the Devildom...

The instant they got to their feet, they had managed to incapacitate Satan and knock down Beel. Lucifer himself tried to get between them and Diavolo but…

If he hadn’t moved his head, if he was standing just ONE INCH to the left… he wouldn’t have a head anymore. Barbatos was there to intervene, but had he not they could have probably taken out the Avatar of Pride and done critical damage to the Demon Prince himself in one strike...

Frankly, Lucifer prefers not to dwell on that moment... He's sure Ares must be proud of this one...

He pretty much treats the mortal like a live bomb afterward, if he can get away with not interacting with them at all, that’s what he’ll do.

He’s NOT scared of them... much... It’s just that they have a bullish and uncooperative attitude at best and since they know they can take any of them, they don't even consider him - Lucifer, the eldest demon brother - a threat...

But you know what the most frustrating thing is? They won't give him an inch of respect, but they'll always listen to Levi! Levi!!

Look, Lucifer knows he may not hold a rank among the Hell's army and he might not have been a major player in the Celestial/Demonic wars of the day, but he's still the strongest demons here, dammit!! 😡

Lucifer finds nothing is more embarrassing than having to ask Levi of all people to keep the mortal in line because he can't... Oh, the humiliation… He hopes they leave soon...

Mammon

At first, he thought they were scary. But in time he thought they were scary… and also pretty damn awkward.

Mammon wasn’t there when they more or less wiped out the majority of his brothers in the Conference Hall but when he finally showed up he'd never seen Lucifer look so pale… If THAT doesn't make you shit your pants, he doesn't know what will.

Naturally, he kind of toned it down on the "stupid human" stuff real quick after seeing that…

But here's the thing. After the two made a pact together, Mammon started to notice that the MC wasn't all that mean, they were just… violent?

He legitimately thought that they couldn’t stand him for a while until one day a guy on the street called him a dirtbag. The MC threw a punch right there! No questions asked, they just decked that guy!!

It was kind of touching… and messy. Very messy. Did he mention that they’re terrifying yet? 😥

As it turns out, the MC has apparently spent a lot of their life just fighting things and being asked to fight things so they're not very used to showing non-violent affection… 

It took him awhile, but he realized that their way of saying, "I like you," is, "I will attack your enemies." So now all he does when his brothers tease him is say, "I'm telling MC!'' and they'll stop immediately. It's great!! 😁

Considers them to be his bodyguard when he goes out to gamble in some… shadier places. Most of the time not even the bouncers want to take on the MC, ain't nobody getting paid enough to lose that many teeth…

Leviathan

Okay, so. It's not very obvious anymore, but he USED to be on the front lines of the war against demons in the Celestial Realm. He was in charge of battle strategies, he led armies, and even now he still holds the highest rank of the royal navy!

So leave it to the kid of a war god to sniff all that out about him, huh…? They appeared to know all about his record the instant they saw him and they actually seemed to respect him for it!

For context, this mortal tells pretty much everybody to shove off but any time he’s around they call him “Admiral” or “sir” and actually pay attention to what he says! He can tell it drives Lucifer insane, but honestly? It’s a bit of an ego boost. 😌

It’s sort of cute when they come to him asking for tactical advice… They get just as into it as he does with his anime and any time he points out something that they haven't seen before they get so excited it's like they're a kid watching a magic trick. HUGE ego boost. 😏

Speaking of anime, it’s hit or miss whether or not they can watch any of it. Anything with good fight scenes (and let’s be honest, not that much talking) they’re on board for. But if the hero and the villain talk to each other for like an episode before throwing punches then the MC will just rant...

MC: “The enemy is distracted... Why aren’t they attacking yet??”

Levi: “Because the villain killed the hero’s best friend and they’re-”

MC: “They could avenge their friend right now if they ended things right here!”

Levi: “MC, we’ve been over this... That’s not how plot works.”

MC: “And now he got away!! See?? They should have killed him when they had the chance!”

Levi: “*sigh*... Let’s just play some CoD.”

Satan 

The last thing he remembered when the “human” hopped out of the portal was a sharp pain to the side of the temple and Asmo wailing as he fell unconscious…

Yeeeeah, not great. And unfortunately for the mortal the Avatar of Wrath tends to hold a grudge… 

For a comparatively brief moment in time, all of Satan’s considerable ire had shifted away from Lucifer and to their new housemate. They found their bed, clothes, pillows, food, and even their toothbrush cursed!

… But Ares kids must be built from some strong stuff, because half of what he employed didn’t even faze them! He even put an explosive spell on their backpack and not only did they tank the blast, it didn’t hurt them at all!! It was like they’re damn near immortal!

Annnnd they kind of are. Apparently the MC had taken a dip in the River Styx at some point before and became nigh invulnerable…

Was it maybe a little terrifying to know that they had kidnapped a nearly invincible demigod on the level of Achilles? Yes. Did that also mean that they must have had a weakness too? In theory....

Satan honestly devoted a depressing amount of time trying to uncover the “Achilles’ Heel” of his new sworn enemy… until…

The MC was walking with him and Asmo to RAD one morning when they passed by a group of lesser demons harassing a small puppy. Now Satan may be more of a cat man, but NO ONE fucks with animals while he’s around.

He was right about to go over and rip those demons a new one but the MC actually beat him to it! Apparently, the second that they realized what was happening, they launched themselves forward and started bashing the abusers' heads into a wall!

… Live by violence, forgive by violence because in that very moment Satan decided they weren’t so bad after all. He even joined in!

Oh, Asmo gave them both shit all day for the bloodstains on their uniforms and the scratches on their… everywhere, but it’s not like either of them cared. Righteous justice had been served and it was glorious!!

100% would team up with the MC in some kind of vigilante “punish-all-animal-abusers�� gig. They have but to ask. 😌

Asmodeus

Oh they TERRIFIED Asmo when they first showed up! How else was he supposed to react?? They brought down his brothers like they were made of cardboard!!

Though he had to admit that the confident, battle-ready look they had about them was sexy as hell, he knew better than to go bear poking! 😣 He avoided them like plague until they finally asked him for a pact.

And then he discovered something… something very unexpected….

They're actually adorable!!!

Okay, like, not in appearance (they look like they could pile drive Cerberus for Pete’s sake!) but he discovered that they have NO CLUE how to handle physical affection. Like zero!!

The first time Asmo actually got the courage to try and hug them he expected them to toss him off, but instead they just stood there like a malfunctioning doll, all flustered and confused… It was so cute!!! 🥰

From that point on, Asmo would take every chance he could to wrap his arms around them or kiss their cheeks just to watch them try and fail to handle it. It's more fun than picking on Levi!!

It took two months for them to finally attempt any kind of reciprocation and even that was adorable! They pecked him on the forehead without thinking about it then nearly passed out from the realization. Apparently, they had never felt like kissing anyone before so he was quite honored!

The brothers know that if the MC's looking too mad to listen to Levi, they just need to call Asmo. A nigh invincible warrior becomes a LOT less scary after you’ve cuddled them into submission! 🤭

Beelzebub

Beel didn't like them one bit, at least not at the beginning. They had managed to get past him and actually attack Lucifer which was NOT a great first impression on their part...

He honestly saw them as a threat for a while, but unlike the rest of his brothers he didn’t avoid them. He just kept an eye on them.... constantly….

Look. Beel is a big guy. Stealth is not his strong suit… If he's tailing you, you're probably going to know about it because there's a six-foot something behemoth in orange following you around while pounding down bags of chips. He's not very subtle…

That being said, after following them around for a while the two finally got to talking and he realized that they didn’t want to hurt anybody or anything. They were just acting on instinct before.

After making the MC promise not to hurt any of his family, they got on much better terms. Hell, he actually got them into fangol!

Beel's sport of choice is pretty much just ultra-violent American football so the MC took a liking to it instantly! After enough begging, the coach let them try out and they got onto his team immediately.

He likes having them as a teammate! They're very good at the game, uh... even if they take it a little too seriously…

They once tried to convince his teammates to decorate the team bus with "the helmets of their fallen foes." They're REALLY into the sport… But hey, they haven't lost a game since they’ve joined. It’ll be fine!... Probably.

Belphegor

Hahaha… He’s in danger… 😥

It took one look at this mortal to make him rethink the whole, “Trick the Human” plan… Since when have humans looked like that?? They could crush his skull under their heel!!

It took all he had in him to play it cool when they first met because his internal monologue was nothing but screaming… THIS was the "human" he had to use to get him out of there?? How in the WORLD was he going to kill them?!

Admittedly, he had to think about it for a while. Belphie's a clever guy… and a demon. So who needs an honorable fight, anyway? If he can’t win one-on-one, then he’ll cheat!

He waited until the MC got the door open and didn't attempt a frontal assault… No laughter, no gloating. He just waited for them to turn their back, claws ready to dig out their heart, and then-!

MC: "Do you really want to try that?"

The MC must have had some kind of danger sense, because they didn't even have to turn around to know what Belphie was doing…

MC: "Look. I like Beel and you're his twin brother… So I'm willing to let this slide. But if you really want to try me…"

MC: *looks over their shoulder with the glare of a bona fide killer* "I won't hold back."

That was... very persuasive.

The MC brought Belphie down to the others peacefully with his tail between his legs and honestly Lucifer was more relieved that he wasn’t a bloodstain on the floor than he was mad… They could have killed him sooo easily… 

They did, indeed, forgive and forget about the whole “attempted murder” thing, though Belphie was never quite able to shake off how frightening they were in that moment… He had nightmares for a while.

Thankfully, Asmo clued him in that the MC would melt into a harmless puddle of fluff if they got even the slightest bit of physical affection... Oh, the sweet payback he could dish out... It’s cuddle time. 😏

[kevindayscrown]

Neil Josten, son of Mars.

If you remember, a while back I had made this post about who would be the godly parents of the Foxes if they were demigods. So I'm starting off this headcanon with our resident violent boi.

Mary Hatford was born in violence and war. It was inevitable that she would one day attract the attention of the Roman God of War.

Patient and fierce, loyal and a fighter, Mars saw in her something that immediately pulled him to her.

That's how Nathaniel came to be. He lived as a Wesninski, his mother still ending up marrying Nathan, but he was a child of violence.

Nathaniel didn't know about his true heritage until after they runaway. After his mother was killed and he became Neil Josten. After a short blonde slammed the butt of his sword against his stomach.

He was told that he was a demigod. Of course, he didn't know what that meant, but even when he found out, he laughed it off and refused to believe it. He called the blonde and the man that had come with him crazy.

That was, until Kevin Day appeared. Of course he knew Kevin, because of his father's involvement with the Moriyamas. He knew Kevin better than he knew himself.

When Kevin said he was also a demigod, Neil started thinking they were all insane.

And then, he started believing he was insane, when he saw an actual monster attack them. When he saw Kevin and Andrew defend themselves with swords and spears. Swift and agile, strong and fierce. Like some goddamn Hollywood movie.

Kevin said it was a miracle Neil had not been attacked so far. Neil suddenly understood his mother's paranoia to move from place to place, never stopping or looking back.

And like this, the red head was convinced - and really, given no choice - to follow them to Camp Half Blood.

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy for Neil. It never was.

Gods nowadays were forced to claim their children early on. But with Neil, something was wrong.

Weeks passed and he was yet to be claimed. He had to suffer through the endless rantings of that one Hermes kid named Nicky at the Hermes Cabin, waiting for his so called 'godly parent' to give a sign.

He was starting to believe people were pulling some kind of prank at him.

However, he couldn't lie and pretend he didn't love some aspects of this camp. Playing capture the flag by Kevin's side, training, sharpening his skills, becoming better and better.

It took almost a month for someone to piece things together. To understand that Neil had a different attitude about him compared to other Greek demigods.

One day, a girl came and said she would help him figure things out.

She was Dan, daughter of Bellona. Neil didn't know what that meant until she explained that Bellona was a roman war Goddess.

She explained that there was another camp. For kids of the Roman gods.

Upon arriving to Camp Jupiter, Neil immediately thought that he had grown fond of the disorganised and chaotic Camp Half Blood and would probably never get used to the roman version of it.

Of course, the moment he stepped in, however, he was claimed.

Neil Josten, son of Mars.

The realisation that Neil wasn't his father's son, that he wasn't a Wesninski, shook him to his core. He was raised like one, though, and that stain would never disappear.

He asked to be taken back to Camp Half Blood. No one forced him to stay and so, Neil went back.

Realising that, unfortunately, he was half brothers with Seth Gordon, Neil moved to the Ares Cabin, still not trusting anyone. He still believed that this was some sort of joke.

Even when he saw things with his own eyes that shouldn't be possible.

It took a while to settle in, to slowly slip into a routine. It took even longer for him to understand his new self. It was like another new identity, with the only difference being that this one wasn't made up.

As a son of Mars, Neil was strong and fast. His impulses and tactical way of thinking translated well into battle. He also found that there were more weapons he could make use of, and skillfully so, but he more often than not stuck to his knives.

He was able to adjust well to this new violent reality, at least. Training, fighting, preparing for battle.

Kevin promised to make him a better fighter. Promised to take his potential and make it into something useful.

He was a son of Athena, and claimed there wasn't anyone better to do it than him. Seeing him fight on the field, Neil believed him.

Andrew promised to keep him safe from the monsters of his past.

He was a son of Apollo. A strange kind of new light in Neil's life. And the redhead believed him.

But little did he know that war was being stirred up. And he was about to find himself right in the middle of it.

[writingsbysam]

Penance

  This time, one of the thousands and thousands and thousands of times, he’s bleeding out in my arms. It’s not like the first time, not a broken bronze chest plate and ravens picking out the maggots. There’s no funeral games here, no truce in the war, and no golden urn. Just a sweatshirt and the distinct smell of gunpowder. It’s my fault again, my rage provoked, taken out on everyone and anything within reach. I’ve always been worse than a hurricane, burned worse than the hottest days of summer. He dies protecting me, and my penance is no longer death, but having to live eternally without him. (How can one kill a god?)

  Iron bites into the flesh more, the new technology running through the world faster than Zeus’ lightning, a band of wanderers from a land further than Hyperborea. He’s struck by an arrow this time, and I hardly have to scream before the people from the sea stab him through the heart. I dragged him into this and three ravens croak out a mocking song that sounds strangely more like laughter than a lament. It’s the beginning of the curse that will haunt me for eternity. There’s always some war or another, even if the format changes. 

  One would think that three war deities would be far too many, but that never seemed to stop the Moirai for declaring me the third puzzle piece to the particular tripartite hell that is war. The first time I see Athena roaming the halls of Olympus her face is pinched with pity, and sympathy. I only see Ares see once, eye bags the size of a small nation, and crazed mutterings escaping through his lips. I’m scared that one day I’ll end up like him. 

  I meet the war deities of other pantheons, eventually. I see Inanna –or Ishtar as she’s sometimes known depending on the century and the people– quite often and there’s something ancient and all-encompassing about her presence that makes the skin crawl. She’s like if Aphrodite and Athena had a baby and it’s frightening.

   It’s a battle between Babylon and the Elamites. I shouldn’t be here in theory, but the curse holds strong, wherever he is, I’m with him always. I’m never a leader anymore, there’s a little less guilt in that, just a foot soldier. Inanna likes to run around as one of her sacred prostitutes, shell necklaces and gold armbands draped over Tyrian purple robes. She’s beautiful and mischievous but deadly as a viper, a combination of nightshade and honey. She holds my hand when I flinch, always watching the spear pierce my love just above the navel. I don’t love her, can’t love her, but her presence calms the roar in my skull. She’s a friend for a nearly a thousand years, until one day she fades away in a mirage and a watery smile. I may never have that luxury. (How can one kill a god?) 

  The next one I meet is the Morrigan, who lands on my shoulder in the form a crow as I gaze out over the peat. I flinch noticeably and she grows into a raven haired woman before my eyes. She says nothing the first meeting, just stares on out across the ocean over my shoulder. It’s years before I see her again.

 This time the Romans gather off the coast, but no fighting will take place today, just trade. He’s sitting there, wearing a woad dyed cloak and a Roman helmet but he is not one of them.

  “He will not die today,” Morrigan says in her distinctive croaky voice. I stare holes into his eyes, thankful for the invisibility of the divine for once. 

  “I know. He will tomorrow. It’s why you’re here, goddess, is it not?” I resign myself to my fate. A wolfen grin, the one I’ve seen when Athena creates a new weapon, splits across her face. 

  “Among other reasons. Am I not allowed to see my favourite Greek?” she laughs.

  “How am I your favourite?” I ask, not sure why, surely she talks to Athena more. 

  “You’re the only one who visits, even if it’s just for him. You’re even the Dadga’s favourite,” she laughs and it reminds me of the day the Moirai cursed me just a little too strongly. Morrigan is probably my best friend, someone who might understand even more than Inanna.

  It happens again the next morning, a version of me screaming at the general of the legion about a price, and an arrow through his temple. It hurts just as bad as the first time, and in fear of Morrigan I can’t let my tears fall. The warrior god and the goddess of might must be strong, right? 

   It happens again and again and again, all at the same time endlessly. Until one day, the future has no more need for fate and this time he gets to bleed out in my arms. Both of us, mortal and immortal, one 17 years old and desperate and the other 3,206 years old and still desperate. This might be the last time I see him, the curse is broken, and he might finally get some rest. Maybe I will too. 

  I strap rockets to my feet the week afterwards, shooting across the planet like a comet, taking down bad guys and finally living up to my title “God of Just War” (no war is just, whatever the Moirai thought. I lost everything to war and no one should have to do the same.) Morrigan joins the team after the biggest threat yet, claiming that she had nothing better to do. Her hair’s cherry red now, and she goes by a different name, but she can still kill a man with a paperclip so I don’t judge. We gain others who don’t know what we’ve done and make some sort of makeshift family, but I still weep for him, still long for Inanna’s overbearing smile. Morrigan is closer to mortal every day, as am I. I dream of him dying every night, of the threats to come (Morrigan and I compare notes in the morning, prophecy never quite left the both of us), and of the Mediterranean coast.

  I wake up in a cold sweat one night after a particularly rough mission, watching a teenaged boy get shot in the chest reminds me too strongly of my former curse, and I walk into the kitchen to find a certain redhead brewing hot cocoa. I sit down across from her and stare off for a time, could’ve been a minute, could’ve been an hour, could’ve been a year. I talk of inconsequential things for a bit before she looks me in the eyes. She’s muttering to herself before she says, 

  “What’s the point of being a hero, with all the things we’ve seen, all the things we’ve done?” she says. Her voice is thick and hoarse with an unnameable emotion, the croak that marks her voice out from all others, the one that commands the words of power finally re-emerges. 

  “Penance, I think,” a mirthless laugh escapes my lips, “we’ve done a lot of bad shit in our 3,000 years. Gotta wipe the ledger clean somehow, huh, Red?” Her eyes go somewhere far away as she slips into the old language, the one older than even the standing stones that dot the Emerald Isle,

  “Why, Achilles? Why us? Everyone else is gone or insane. Ares disappeared in 1945, Athena in ‘46, and Inanna… oh god Inanna… I don’t remember her face.”  I do, I’ve seen it every night since she disappeared into the Iraqi desert. I answer my birth tongue, a Greek older than Greece. The syllables sit clunkily in my mouth, the sounds rusty from disuse,

   “I do. I see it every night, bright as the day she left us. Morrigan… I think it’s because we already know how to be mortal. We cannot die because we have regrets.” 

   “What of Apollo, or Poseidon? They were mortal for a time and they’re still dying or dead,” she asks. 

   “They’re Olympians, they’re arrogant. We’re different. I… I can’t be forgotten because I started out mortal, to these days of science I was real therefore I can’t be forgotten. It’s the one thing the damned Moirai promised me when I left for Ilium, that I would have everlasting glory,” I ramble. Morrigan raises a perfect eyebrow, 

  “You think too much, Philos,” the Greek a halting stop in the lilting tongue. 

   “You’re probably right,” I admit, “it’s just I know why I do this. It’s for Patroclus. It’s penance. I save people because for three thousand years,” my voice hitches harshly, “I couldn’t save him, and I can’t make someone go through what I did.” Her brows knit into a mask of worry.

   “Let’s put on a mind numbing movie and just laugh our asses off for an hour, alright?” she says in English. I reply in Greek, savoring my time speaking my native tongue, 

   “Raise a toast with me first,” we both raise our mugs, “to Inanna, wherever she is, and to our penance, however long that may be.” She clinks her mug with mine and puts on a movie. 

  The two of us, the last of the gods, huddle together on a couch passing stories until the dawn, sharing our penance together. And if the next time we save the world, while the rest of our teammates are okay and eating a metric ton of pizza, I look at her across the room and mouth “This. This is why we do this” well that’s none of your business. 

 Sharing our penance is a little easier together. 

[atryoshka]

ok just finished my s6 rewatch (also rewatched the 2nd half of s5 bc im still feeling insane) AND NOW I CAN FINALLY WATCH THE AVAILABLE S7 EPISODES

i initially stopped watching after s6 bc that ending was such a joke so i wasnt planning on seeing s7 anytime soon unless there was a good reason (WHICH THERE IS NOW LOL). Was just gonna wait for it to finish airing and see if there were any buddie crumbs with no expectation of fox having the balls to make them canon fr.

After seeing the bi buck kiss scene that I came across on twt, I've been avoiding s7 spoilers so I can watch the new eps with fresh eyes.

All I know is some vague stuff like the name of the guy is tommy, apparently he's a good friend of eddie and buck feels left out, and something about a heart circled on a calendar?? Idk the details (ive been quickly scrolling past unfamiliar gifsets and s7 episode tags lmao) so im really excited to see everything in context and watching how this all plays out.

a quick rant since im all refreshed from the mini rewatch

It's honestly so wild to see how far this show has come. I didn't even know it switched from fox to abc until after the kiss spoilers were everywhere so im extra hype to see how that will make a difference in the relationship dynamics.

With fox, the emotional scenes with the high stake rescues, character drama, and team dynamics were always good, but when it came to Buck and Eddie's romantic relationships with women, it started feeling really forced and out of place the longer the show went on.

And in a noticeably odd homophobic way too.

It gave the vibe of just pairing them with women they either, didn't have much chemistry with, or with who they were not on the same emotional wavelength just to have them in a relationship with a woman. I never liked how rushed and cringy the meet-cute's felt, or the huge emotional disconnect while they spoke about being in love. Like it never felt like they were actually in love with who they were seeing.

Eddie dating out of obligation, family/peer pressure, or for Chris' sake to the point he feels like it's all a performance, never being able to truly trust/open up emotionally to any of them, overthinking, being so emotionally distant and critical, he ends up sabotaging the relationship anyway. Buck dating and having sex with just about any girl who shows him even a scrap of care regardless of compatibility bc he desperately wants to be accepted and validate his existence, wearing his huge heart on his sleeve, being too much too soon, molding himself into whoever he thinks they expect him to be, and eventually watching them walk away after clinging too hard.

It was honestly baffling to see when the relationship buddie had with each other clearly overshadowed what was going on with w.e girlfriend they had at the time. They were effortlessly meeting each other's emotional needs so well that the women they dated essentially ended up feeling like afterthoughts. Everything you'd expect they'd get from a healthy romantic relationship with the women they were paired with, including the ups and downs of an engaging romantic development, they instead got with each other.

It was to the point that I legit thought fox was trolling us in s6 with Marisol and Natalia.

On that note, I will say that Eddie's eventual choice to take a chance on Marisol felt slightly more organic than buck's choice to date Natalia with their non-existent chemistry, but it still felt really out of place.

Bobby was literally just telling Eddie how he wasn't looking for anything with Athena at first, how their relationship developed naturally from her offering him emotional support during a low point, to him inviting her to church to pray, to eventually taking her to dinner after they clicked. Then, we have Bobby comparing that to how Eddie got with Shannon at 14 in a similar light, emphasizing that Eddie wasn't trying to "make it happen" either.

But that's what makes Eddie asking Marisol out like he did so strange.

Like yeah, it did sort of fit in the theme of just "letting it happen" naturally, but since it was compared to how Eddie got with Shannon like it was a positive thing (which given their history of getting married bc she got pregnant, ending with resentment on both sides, it really wasn't) the parallel falls flat. Earlier in the season, Chim even called out how unromantic Eddie's proposal to Shannon was, like it was nothing, and the others even poke fun at him not even being the one to pursue her in the first place, like he didn't care either way.

So after all that, it almost feels like he's dating Marisol just bc he happened to run into her at the hardware store and she gave him a DIY recommendation with a smile. Because next thing you know, he's suddenly agonizing for days about asking her out on a date? What?? Why?? The emotional disconnect between how Bobby and Athena got together and Eddie just deciding to date her bc she's nice, even though there was no kind of emotional build up, had me reeling.

And don't even get me started on the second hand embarrassment I felt watching how Buck and Natalia started to date. It really did feel like a joke with the whole "she sees me" thing when there was literally nothing about their interactions to indicate that was true at all. Like how can anyone take that seriously after the kind of shallow conversations they had? Especially after they showed her walking out on Buck after barely scarping the surface of what his chaotic life entailed.

Even when she came back to apologize, it felt hollow since nothing in how she reacted to Buck's chaotic life changed from the last time she was there, she still looked ready to run again while simply handing over a towel and calling an ambulance so Buck could help deliver a baby. Buck seemed even more stressed after she showed up and it was like pulling teeth to get her to help him, even saying that he's just doing his job.

Honestly, nothing against her because it's completely valid for her to feel overwhelmed by everything she was thrown into. She barely knows him and there's already so much to unpack about his life. She came into this bc a cute guy with an interesting story about being stuck by lightning asked her out and she was intrigued, which is completely fair. But the point I'm trying to make is that they just aren't compatible, and she was/is not remotely ready to take that all on. I could def write a whole analysis on that if anyone wants but writing it all here would end up as 5000 word essay lmao

But getting back on track, I've been watching 911 since s3 started airing and fox's confusing writing for Buck and Eddie's female love interests always rubbed me the wrong way. It stood out even more esp since the other m/f relationships like Chim/Maddie and Bobby/Athena were written with so much care and believable development. Unless fox was planning the best kind of endgame slowburn by writing buddie's other romantic relationships to be so severely lacking in order to highlight how compatible buddie is in comparison (highly doubtful since it's fox) it really made no sense.

So yeah, abc taking over and already making changes that properly reflect buck's journey of self discovery, taking into account how experiences shaped him, and showing his emotional development has me shaking in relief and excitement!! Gonna start s7e1 now!

BI BUCK AND BUDDIE DRAMA HERE I COME

im shaking

like im just sitting here with watery eyes and staring in disbelief

it really happened after all this time

idk what to do with myself rn lmao like im so tempted to rewatch the whole series from the start again like a madwoman

might just go from s6 for now and save the full rewatch for after this season airs but godddddd im just???

BUCK IS BI

[starlightrevolution]

The Butterfly of Terror

The Butterfly of Terror

Sanctuary, Greece:

“I am once again passing by your temple.” Pearl declared, as she made her way up the steps leading to the second of the Twelve Temples. “Taurus Amethyst.”

“Hey, P.” Amethyst greeted her. “Are you going back to the Pisces temple?”

“I was planning on guarding the entrances to the Sanctuary, but the Pope ordered Sagittarius to do so instead.” Pearl explained. “All I can do right now is go back to guarding my Temple, and wait for further orders.”

“Connie didn’t come back yet, did she?” Amethyst asked, as Pearl stopped walked.

“Yeah, she has not.” Pearl declared. “It’s been almost an hour since the Bronze Saints left for that mission. They should have returned by now.”

“Are you planning on going after her?”

“I can’t.” Pearl declared, as she looked up to see the Twelve Temples, one for each Gold Saint, representing each zodiac sign. “We, the Gold Saints, are the most powerful soldiers under Athena. Now that the Holy War has begun, it is our job to protect her at all costs. We can’t afford to have even a single Gold Saint leave in a time like this.”

“Really?” Amethyst asked, as she also looked over the Twelve Temples. “I think there is a certain someone who hasn’t heard the news.”

“You mean Cancer, don’t you?” Pearl asked. “She’s completely insane. No matter what message we send her, she almost never shows up, and even when she does, she never does anything useful and only gets in the way. She acts like protecting Athena was a complete joke.”

“I’m not talking about her.” Amethyst commented, as Pearl turned to her. “Aren’t you feeling this strange absence? A Cosmo that should be there, but simply isn’t?”

Pearl carefully looked over the Twelve Temples, one temple at a time, before her eyes widened in surprise.

“That temple! It is completely empty!” Pearl declared in surprise. “She is not in there!”

“She was the last person I expected to just vanish at a time like this.” Amethyst declared. “She spends most of her time inside her temple, meditating and gathering her Cosmo. Makes me wonder where she could have gone.”

“The Saint who among all Saints is considered to be the closest to God. Has she abandoned us at a time like this?” Pearl asked in surprise. “The Saint of the sixth temple! Virgo!”

===============================================

Death Queen Island:

“I’ve been through hell, and now I’ve come for you, Papillon Myu!” Patricia declared as she pointed towards the Specter.

“How is it possible that you reached me?” Myu asked in curiosity, as his multicolored butterflies began flying around his body. “My butterflies have been watching over the entire island. I have been keeping a watch on everyone’s location ever since this battle began.”

“Look again.” Patricia declared, as Myu closed his eyes to look at the beach where the Cygnus Saint should still be laying unconscious, to see the figure on the ground was actually a perfect ice statue shaped exactly like Patricia. “I noticed your butterflies the moment I woke up on that beach. All I had to do was use my ice to trick your eyes.”

“Clever… but not clever enough.” Myu declared in a mocking tone. “You had the opportunity to escape and live, but instead you walked right into your own death.”

“That’s a lot of talk coming from a little butterfly.” Patricia declared.

“Joke while you can.” Myu declared as he opened his eyes and stared at Patricia with a calm expression. “Two of the four Bronze Saints that invaded this island have already been eliminated. After I am done with you, there will only be one enemy left.”

===============================================

“Hm… Damn it…” Jeff groaned as he opened his eyes. He brought his hand to his face for a moment, before getting up and looking around for a few seconds. He seemed to have landed right in the middle of a large open area. His entire body was hurting, but he had no time to waste, as he turned to a nearby mountain and began running towards it. “You three better not be dead! I still want to see your faces again!”

===============================================

“Diamond Dust!” Patricia declared as she punched the air, releasing a powerful blast of cold air towards Myu, who swiftly blocked it with one of his hands, as the wound in Patricia’s head opened and began bleeding. “Curse you, Moses! Burning my Cosmo is affecting my blood flow! My wounds are reopening!”

“My turn!” Myu declared, as Patricia suddenly felt as if a powerful force had just taken a hold of her body, and her limbs began moving by themselves. Her arms twisted as she felt like they were about to break, just as her legs completely froze in place, and she felt as if her head was trying to jump out of her neck.

“W-what is going on?” Patricia asked in surprise as she grinded her teeth in pain. “I feel like my body is being torn apart by an invisible force!”

“Surprised?” Myu asked sarcastically. “I, Papillon Myu, hold the greatest telekinetic powers among all Terrestrial Stars serving under Lord Hades. My powers are such that I could easily immobilize a Silver Saint with a single glance.”

Patricia struggled to move, trying to stop herself from yelling in pain as her limbs simply refused to obey her. Myu took a few steps towards her, as she felt every bone in her body about to snap. Patricia began burning her Cosmo, as the wound in her head continued to bleed.

“Which one should I break first? Your little arms or your little legs? Maybe I should simply shatter your spine.” Myu declared in a mocking tone. “Just tearing your head off would not be any fun, would it? Maybe I should just shred your body to pieces in a single second. I wonder what sound you would make.”

Myu stopped walking, as his eyes widened in slight surprise. Patricia closed her hands into fists, as she gathered all of her strength and began forcing her limbs to obey her. Patricia felt her wounds continuing to open all over her body. She forced her feet to take steps towards Myu, even as her bones felt like they were about to shatter, before she pulled her arm back and prepared to throw a punch towards Myu, only for the Specter to wave his hand, and Patricia’s body to be sent flying towards a nearby large stone.

“Impressive. This is the first time one of my opponents was ever able to resist my telekinesis.” Myu declared, as Patricia struggled to get back to her feet, her body wet with blood as she felt like her entire skeleton was about to fall apart. “I guess it is only fair I bestow upon you a much more terrifying fate.”

Patricia got back to her feet, being carefully not to fall down once again, as she prepared her fists and began burning her white Cosmo once again.

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you really think you can defeat me in such a state?” Myu asked. “Your Cloth is about to fall apart, and you’re suffering from major blood loss. Just lay down and accept death.”

“Shut your mouth!” Patricia declared angrily. She looked up to the sky for a few seconds. She couldn’t see the sun. she was supposed to pray five times a day, but she probably already missed a few because of all of this mess. She continued to burn her Cosmo, doing her best to ignore the pain in the back of her skull. “I wear this Cloth because I promised to protect the world from the likes of you. Even if I lose all of my blood, or my limbs, or even if I am face to face with death, I must continue fighting, and be the light of hope that shines in this world of darkness!”

“Light of hope, hm? Very well.” Myu declared, as he summoned several butterflies around himself. “Let’s snuff you out!”

Myu fired his butterflies towards Patricia, which flew with incredible speeds towards the Bronze Saint. Patricia suddenly found herself unable to move, as the butterflies froze her in place, before she saw a powerful rainbow-colored light shining around her, and screamed as the light engulfed her entire body.

“Deadly Enchantment!”  Myu declared. “The light from my beautiful butterflies can teleport the target directly to the world of the dead. Once you enter that place, it is impossible to return. That is, unless you have permission from Lord Hades, like us Specters.”

“Kol'tso.” Myu heard, before he looked down to see several small crystals of ice flying around his body. He moved his eyes, to see Patricia was standing just a few meters away from him. “Those ice crystals will paralyze your movements.”

“What? Impossible!” Myu declared in surprise. “You’ve returned from death?”

“I was never sent there in the first place.” Patricia declared, as she approached the Specter. “I was trained from childhood to use my Cosmo to slow down the movements of the atoms around me using my Cosmo, thus resulting in a sudden drop in temperature. My entire fighting style revolves around restraining movement. Escaping a paralyzing technique as simple as your butterflies was never a problem to me. I got out of the way right before you could fire your light.”

“I must say, I am impressed. You are the first person I’ve met to have ever escaped my Deadly Enchantment.” Myu declared with a smile.

“Don’t be cocky.” Patricia declared. “Now you are the one who are paralyzed.”

“Is that what you think?” Myu asked sarcastically, as his eyes began glowing in rainbow light, and a powerful telekinetic push flew out of his body, breaking the ice crystals around him to pieces, and sending Patricia flying. “Those little crystals are nothing compared to my mighty telekinesis!”

“What a violent attack! He just blew right through my ice!” Patricia declared as she looked up in surprise. She looked up to see Myu calmly walking towards her. “Even though he shows a calm demeanor, behind it he hides just as much rage and brutality as any other Specter!”

“I am going to kill you now.” Myu declared.

“You are trying to crush my spirit, but I won’t let that happen…” Patricia declared as she managed to push herself back up, her legs feeling like they were about to shatter under the weight of her body. She continued to burn her Cosmo, as she once again felt that same sharp pain coming from the wound Moses had made in the back of her head. “I will show you something that shines brighter than those hellish butterflies! The light of my Cosmo in the shape of a thundering aurora!”

“You fool! Trying to use such a power will affect your blood flow! Even if you do manage to hit me, you will bleed out for sure!” Myu declared as he once again fired his butterflies towards Patricia. “Deadly Enchantment!”

“Holodnyj Smerč!” Patricia declared, as she punched the air, and a gigantic hurricane of air flew out of her fist, freezing its way right through the butterflies, before shattering them to pieces and flying towards Myu.

“What? But how can she muster such powerful Cosmo? She should be bleeding out for sure!” Myu asked, before he looked at Patricia, and his eyes widened upon seeing the frozen spot right in the back of her head. “She froze the wound to stop the blood from coming out!”

“Die, Specter!” Patricia declared, as the gigantic hurricane struck Myu directly, sending him flying into the air, as snow began falling down from the sky. Patricia stood for a few seconds as the hurricane dissipated, before the frozen spot in the back of her head once again broke open, blood flowing out, before she fell to her knees in pain. “Damn it… I lost too much blood… I might actually end up dying today…”

“Did you really think it was going to be this easy?” Patricia heard, before she looked up, her vision beginning to black out, as she saw Myu’s multicolored wings flapping, and the Specter gently landed right in front of her, several rainbow butterflies surrounding his body. “That last move surely was impressive. Had it not been for my butterflies pulling me out of the hurricane, I would have been killed for sure. You Bronze Saints sure are something.”

“Damn it…” Patricia whispered, as she once again forced herself to stand up. It felt like the entire world around her was spinning as she got into her fighting stance.

“Considering the amount of blood you’ve lost with that last attack, it should not take much to kill you.” Myu declared calmly. “If you don’t stop bleeding, you’ll probably only have a few more minutes to live. Even something as small as a cut will put your life at risk.”

“If I’m going to die here, then so be it.” Patricia declared, feeling herself about to faint. “I’ll go to hell pridefully knowing that I fought to protect the world.”

“Very well.” Myu declared. “Then I will be your executioner.”

“Blood… stay in my veins just a little longer…” Patricia thought to herself, as she looked up to see Myu’s Cosmo changing shape, making it appear like a massive butterfly was behind him, just as her own Cosmo took the shape of a massive swan behind her. “It’s not time for you to leave yet…”

“One finger.” Myu declared, as he held up his index finger. “This is all I need to kill you. For the rest of the fight, this one finger is all I am going to use.”

“Quit with your non-sense!” Patricia declared, before she dashed as fast as she could and threw a punch towards Myu, Cosmo surrounding her fist as she struck the Specter directly on his chest, a large flash of light emanating from her fist, before the light dissipated, and Patricia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is that all your rage can muster?” Myu asked, not even bothering to block, as Patricia’s punch had absolutely no effect. “Pathetic.”

Before Patricia could react, her back struck a nearby large rock, and she felt to the ground. It was if an immensely powerful force had just thrown her away, so fast that she could not perceive it. Patricia looked up, to see Myu was still holding up his finger. Had he struck her with it? Patricia tried to get back up, when Myu suddenly vanished, and a powerful force once again tossed Patricia away. Patricia looked up, to see Myu standing over her, pointing his finger towards her face.

“First I’ll take your arm.” Myu declared, before he pierced through Patricia’s left arm with his finger. Patricia screamed in pain as the bone in her arm broke, and the shoulder of her Cloth exploded to pieces, before Myu pulled his finger out, and the wound he had left began bleeding. Patricia reached for the wound and held it closed. If she let Myu continued to open wounds in her, she would bleed out in minutes. Myu leaped away as Patricia tried to get back up, only to fall to her knees. “You must have trouble moving now. Your body feels heavy, doesn’t it? Is your head spinning? It is amazing you can even stand.”

Myu once again disappeared. Patricia looked around for a few seconds, before looking up to see Myu standing on top of a large rock, looking down at her as his butterflies surrounded his body.

“You had no hope of ever defeating me after the wounds you received in your battle against Moses.” Myu declared. “Why did you even come to fight in such a state?”

“I already told you…” Patricia answered as she breathed heavily. “It is my job as a Saint to save the world from the likes of you!”

“You are a fool.” Myu declared, as he pointed his finger towards Patricia, his telekinetic powers making her scream in agony, as she felt a sharp pain striking every spot of her body at once. “Die with your pathetic honor, Saint.”

“Master…” Patricia thought, as she grinded her teeth and clenched her right hand into a fist, and began burning her Cosmo with as much intensity as she could. She held both of her hands up as she looked up at Myu, before she leaped towards him with all of the strength she had left. “I am sorry… I think this is the end for me…”

===============================================

Siberia, four years earlier:

“I must not burn my Cosmo to the limit?” Patricia asked, as she sat around a small fire, alongside her master.

“Not if your body is heavily damaged.” Garnet declared, her shades covering her facial expression. “Your Cosmo is powerful enough to drop the temperature in an area so large that it reaches up to the clouds. You could even make it snow in the desert if you so desired.”

Garnet looked up to the stars for a moment, staring towards the constellations, before turning to Patricia.

“When such power flows through your body, it affects your blood. The explosion of your Cosmo makes your entire blood flow in reverse, even if just for a second.” Garnet explained. “If you use such power while debilitated, the cells of your body will not be able to withstand the sudden impact, and will begin to die out. Your veins won’t be able to hold the intensity of your own blood, and will burst themselves open. Your blood will begin to pour out from all over your body.”

Patricia looked down upon her own hands, which began glowing slightly with Cosmo.

“In the exact moment you strike your enemy…” Garnet declared. “Your life will end.”

===============================================

Death Queen Island, Present day:

“Burn, my Cosmo! Burn towards infinity!” Patricia declared after leaping towards Myu. The Specter looked at her, before his eyes widened in shock, as all of the veins in Patricia’s body suddenly exploded, and several large wounds formed all over her body, blood flying out of every single opening in her skin.

“You idiot!” Myu yelled in shock. “What is the point of winning if you lose your own life?”

Patricia did not answer, as she continued to fly towards Myu, her blood hitting the ground like raindrops, as the Cosmo burning around her body took the shape of a flying swan heading towards the Specter. Myu raised his arm to block in desperation, which Patricia struck, swiftly shattering the arm of Myu’s Surplice to pieces, before the impact of her fist struck Myu’s head through his arm, shattering Myu’s helmet and sending pieces flying everywhere, before Myu’s entire body flew away and hit a nearby large rock, the rock exploding to pieces.

“Goodbye…” Patricia whispered, as she fell face first to the stone ground, her blood still falling into a large puddle beneath her. Patricia closed her eyes, before she heard the sound of footsteps, and once again opened her eyes in shock, and looked up to see Myu walking towards her. “He… he’s alive…”

“Never before in my life… have I ever felt a greater pain than the one you just made me go through…” Myu whispered, as his calm demeanor suddenly shattered, and he dashed towards Patricia with nothing but pure hate in his eyes. “It hurt!”

Myu kicked Patricia up from the ground, sending her flying upwards, before striking her several times in midair, and sending her back to the ground. Myu approached the Bronze Saint, before stomping on her broken arm, making her scream in pain, following it with several kicks.

“Now die! Go to hell where you belong, and suffer the punishment brought upon you by Lord Hades!” Myu declared, as he punched right through the chest plate of the Cygnus Cloth, and torn right through Patricia’s chest. In a last-ditch effort, Patricia closed her fist and struck Myu’s arm, which was no longer protected by the now shattered arm of the Surplice. Myu screamed in pain, as his arm shattered, before he pulled his arm in surprise. “Damn you! Do you not ever give up?”

Myu looked down at Patricia’s body, as the hole he had made on her chest began bleeding intensely.

“Doesn’t matter. This must have been the last bit of strength you had left in your body. Even if you could still fight, you wouldn’t even be able to kill an ant with your punches.” Myu declared, as he looked over Patricia’s bleeding body. Myu looked over his arm, which Patricia had just broken, before he pulled his other arm and prepared to throw a punch. “How dare an insignificant pest such as you break my bones? I will cut your head off!”

Myu threw a punch, but stopped before his fist could make contact with Patricia’s head.

“This is worthless. She is already dead.” Myu declared, as Patricia closed her eye and stopped moving, the puddle of blood beneath her becoming large enough to touch Myu’s feet. Myu turned around and began walking away, leaving bloody footsteps in his way. “Now there is only one Saint left out of the four invaders. That Silver Saint that Lord Hades brought back to life should take care of him quickly. After that, I can finally be done with this mission.”

Myu looked down at his broken arm once again.

“But my pride will be forever tarnished by this pest!” Myu whispered in anger as he walked away from Patricia’s dead body. Unknown to Myu was a small detail, a little glimmer of light reflecting from a small object, located right inside the hole Myu had made on Patricia’s chest, which continued to glimmer as the Bronze Saint remained immobile.

===============================================

“Alright, what do we have here?” Jeff commented as he finally reached the top of the mountain. From a high place, it would be easier to look over the area and find the others. Jeff stopped walking, as he saw the silhouettes of two Saints standing right in the middle of the top of the mountain. “Hey! Pegasus! Andromeda!”

Jeff began calmly making his way towards the two.

“I was searching for you guys. Is Cygnus with you too? I’ve just ben running around on my own ever since those Silver Saints appeared.” Jeff commented as he approached his two fellow Saints, before he suddenly stopped walking, and took a few steps back in surprise. “You are… this can’t be…”

Jeff stared in shock at the two Saints, who had been transformed into stone statues.

“You two were turned to stone!” Jeff declared in surprise. Jeff turned around, to see a bright light flying towards him, which quickly engulfed his entire body.

“It is done.” Declared the Silver Saint, before he took a few steps towards the statues, showing that the bright light had actually come from the eyes of the shield that was glued to his arm, which was shaped like a woman with snakes in her hair. “I, Perseus Algol, have turned all of our enemies into stone with my Medusa Shield. Now nothing will stand between us and the eternal life that was promised by Lord Hades.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Algol heard, before he opened his eyes, to see Jeff standing in a battle position. “I, Dragon Jeff, will now be your opponent!”

“What? Impossible!” Algol declared in surprise. “Nobody who looks into the eyes of the Medusa has lived to tell the tale!”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it seems like not even the mighty Medusa can get past my unbreakable shield!” Jeff declared, as he showed the shield that was glued to his arm. “The most powerful defense among all Bronze Cloths! The Dragon Shield!”

“You blocked the light from the eyes of the Medusa with your shield?” Algol asked in surprise. “Clever, but you only delayed your death by a few more moments. We Silver Saints are a hundred times more powerful than you Bronze Saints on average. You have no hope of ever defeating me.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s see about that!” Jeff declared, as he held his shield with one hand and prepared to attack with the other. “I’ll show you what happens when you anger the dragon!”

Has the Medusa Shield met its match in this battle against the Dragon Shield? The immovable object now faces the unstoppable force!

To be continued.

Status:

Pegasus Connie: Inactive.

Dragon Jeff: Active.

Cygnus Patricia: Dead.

Andromeda Daniel: Inactive.

Lizard Misty: Dead.

Cetus Moses: Dead.

Cerberus Dante: Dead.

Perseus Algol: Active.

Worm Laimi: Dead. Awaiting resurrection.

Papillon Myu: Active.

Author’s note: It seems like our beautiful swan of ice has bit the dust. Patricia was a character that I really liked to write for. Hyoga was one of my favorite characters in the original Saint Seiya, and I certainly loved to be able to add my own spin on it. Patricia was also the first Muslim character I ever tried to write for. Did I do a good job? Don’t forget to keep your eyes open for the next chapter, because now it all relies on the Dragon.

[gyromitra-esculenta]

Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday

Stretching fingers from the mermaid au for a moment, worked on the older idea, forgot how past tenses work. It has some sexy *cough* times in it.

Warnings: Eldritch stuff; Eldritch std; Eldritch Pregnancy; TENTACLES (some, not a lot) - Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane category; gore, violence, blood; dark humor; Major Character Death (Myabe, maybe not, quite esoteric in its essence); Underage (contextual allusion, but I'd decided to err on the side of caution); Lots of unsubtle manipulation; SOMEHOW LIKE PRETTY MUCH CANON-COMPLIANT AND I'M LIKE WHAT?

*

*

Jack Morrison had been dead for the better part of three decades.

After locking the door behind himself with the personal override that cut off all the outside communication, Gabriel turned to face the thing wearing Jack Morrison's skin sitting behind the Strike Commander's desk. He watched the pretense of any human emotion bleed out of Jack's face, to be replaced with impersonal curiosity.

"If this is about the discourteous United Nations representative, in my defense, I was hungry, and he irritated me."

Great. Time for breathing exercises. And Gabriel wondered, somehow, where his developing drinking problem was coming from. He crossed the distance to the desk and leaned on it with both his hands gripping the edge.

"You can't eat people only because..." Hell, who was he kidding, they had this particular argument rehearsed past the point of déjà vu. "Is there anything left I have to worry about?"

"It's not one of your operations," Jack smiled, teeth showing, and without the usual mimicry, the expression could – and did – look downright terrifying, "or one of your inconvenient detainees. I'm always careful."

"Yeah, about that..." The real Jack Morrison had been dead for the better part of three decades, a victim of a hit and run left to die in a ditch whom something else found and crawled into – if Gabriel were to trust anything this Jack Morrison told him. “You gave me some kind of eldritch std.”

"I did?" Jack craned his head to the side, the reaction almost impossible to gauge. Gabriel let go of the desk, slowly, and pulled up his jacket together with the shirt underneath. The skin on his side still pulsated with immaterial liquid blackness coming apart. "So I did."

"That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"This situation is far from an exact science, Gabe. To this time, you're the only human that has survived in full health." Jack brushed his fingers against the undulating mass trying to cling to his fingertips like water in zero gravity.

"You have no idea, then."

"No. But I think I know who might prove helpful, you will only have to put on your charm after I'm done with her." Jack brought up a profile on the screen. "Just say the word."

Gabriel did not need to read it, he had prepared the dossier himself and advised caution, preferably termination.

"Do it."

Two months later, Moira O'Deorain was inducted into Blackwatch.

*

Blackwatch's best-kept secret was the fact some occupants of the holding cells sometimes disappeared without a trace, only leaving behind the unusually bloody mess splattered even on the ceilings. Awful stuff no-one wanted to be stuck cleaning up, so everybody kept their mouths rightfully shut.

Gabriel flicked the ash off the cigarette he'd been barely smoking in front of one of such cells.

"Are you done in there? You have a party in an hour, and if I can't get out of it..."

The door opened with a high-pitched whine of one of the hinges – he should have someone look at it later – and Jack, looking pristine compared to the gory mayhem inside, stepped out, slowly licking the tips of his fingers, the tongue flitting in and out of his lips.

"...then neither can I?"

"Then neither can you." The wet sounds of the blood dripping from the ceiling still held their unnerving quality. "Did you learn anything useful?"

"Only a bunch of religious nonsense. Tell me," Jack turned to face him inside the hidden elevator going straight to his quarters. "Why do you all find a merciful god when faced with me?"

Because there has to be something to balance out the existence of whatever you are, Gabriel answered him the first time the question had been asked. A rehash of an old argument, Jack being facetious and playful, always leaving him wondering how many of those interactions were purely for his benefit, and what he was exactly to Jack: a pet, a project, an interesting specimen?

'One that didn't run' was an exponentially poor explanation to Gabriel's liking, and the only one he ever got. After all, running was of no use, and that night he had snuck out to smoke on the roof of their compound, Gabriel decided he might as well finish his cigarette before he got devoured like Mason, or be driven insane by the sight of the thing that wore Jack Morrison's skin.

Funny how spontaneous explosion due to unexplainable internal buildup of unknown gases got on the list of some more baffling SEP side effects.

"My turn?" Gabriel had asked when Jack turned to him, face slack and expressionless like one on a corpse, but put on something living, a travesty against the natural order. He raised his half-burned cigarette up for Jack to see. "Give me a minute or two."

With Jack slowly circling him, far too close for it to be of any comfort, he got to finish his smoke.

"I like you. You might do."

It took him two more cigarettes in the company of the splatter of organs, bone, and blood Mason had become to realize he was alone, and around half an hour before he called the whole mess in, avoiding any mention of what had actually occurred. An elaborate hallucination, Gabriel had assumed. God, was he wrong then, and on the next placement rotation, Jack made sure there were no doubts to be had about the authenticity of the roof incident.

The ding of the elevator arriving was enough to bring Gabriel back to the present.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Mason."

"Always the romantic." Jack moved deeper into the suite, ordering Athena to open the windows but lower the blinds, getting the ‘security’ expert in Gabriel to wince before he eventually remembered he had no idea if Jack could even be killed. He had seen the body pull itself back together more than once, the pulverized muscle and bone popping into its proper place with visceral slurps and cracks, the sinews tying the single strands back into a whole – an atavism, as he came to learn. The perfect image in one's mind's eye to be undressed to.

Not that Gabriel minded, particularly. Not at all.

But seeing Jack feed always brought something out of him – and being satiated always made Jack prone to indulge in more pedestrian matters, like having Gabriel spread painfully over his lap and speared on his cock, tendrils of void keeping him bound and upright, and immobile. Dissecting him with clinical precision and then putting him back together, all while observing Gabriel with the professional disinterest one might wear during a specimen’s autopsy. Honestly, the thought itself made his dick strain against his thigh, nothing at all like bending Jack over Strike Commander's desk for a quick fuck, or having him on his knees with his scary pretty mouth on Gabriel's cock, sometimes even playing along in a fashion making him appear almost human, and so much more horrifying for making Gabriel doubt who – or rather what – was sucking his dick.

He was jostled out of his unconscious train of thought by something pressed hard against his side, sinking into the flesh turned black. With his neck craned, Gabriel observed in morbid fascination the tentacle as it moved deeper in, soon joined by another one following the suit.

"...what?" Gabriel gasped out before slick mass forced itself between his lips and surged down his throat, choking him with its girth, and for a moment took his mind off the sensation of becoming increasingly – inconceivably – bloated, for all the wrong reasons. To his rising panic, the intrusion blocking off his air remained still and rigid, making it impossible to breathe around it until it eventually moved and contracted, slipping slowly further along. The first few breaths Gabriel took produced embarrassingly wet wheezing gurgles becoming frantic again with the growing awareness of something stuck in his gut, poking and prodding where nothing should, the feeling of things inside squirming alien and impossible to ignore.

He strained futilely against the bonds keeping him in place.

This was it, finally, the moment Jack would devour him because he had become bored with him, or Gabriel had lost his usefulness to him – the moment Gabriel would become a pitiful smear of flesh and blood painting the walls and the ceiling – and maybe even Jack himself. The thought should scare him. Instead, Gabriel felt his dick twitch in excitement as his balls tightened and heat pooled between his legs, leaving him trying to fuck the air in the vain hope of creating any friction while still held in the vice of unyielding tentacles.

Pleading with his eyes, not for his life, but to be let to come.

Jack pressed his palm to his chest, lips on his scary pretty face curled up in either amusement or sneer, or something entirely else, and the sensation of something popping inside reverberated behind Gabriel's ribs. Peritoneal rupture, the still-functioning analytical part of his mind supplied. Internal bleeding, infection, immediate medical intervention needed. But Jack was only smiling up at him while something contracted his lungs, leaving his chest fluttering desperately.

"She has outdone herself, his time," Jack mused, breaking away the eye contact as his lips closed around Gabriel's nipple – teeth scraping over it – biting into it – just one of the myriad of sensations breaking through the descending fog of lightheadedness. His body fighting for its life, Gabriel focused on just, or as much as, staying conscious while the animal inside clawed and whined, maddened with the primal fear of death until something was squeezed from the inside – almost an explosion – and, screaming, he tasted the bitter ichor.

Slowly coming to, and laid out on the bed, Gabriel was simply amazed to be alive – still. Sore, hurting, spent, but neither in pain nor dying. His hand, held to his side, rested on solid unbroken skin while his befuddled mind tried to come up with any explanation at all. Fucked within an inch of his life, definitely. Confused as hell why – somehow and inexplicably – he was still breathing and existing? That too.

Something brushed the back of his hand, and the tendril receded back to Jack, folding back into his form with unhurried neatness.

"Being fashionably late is back in fashion, I hear," Jack, in his dress attire, laughed before walking out and leaving Gabriel to his own devices. He glanced at the digital clock on the wall and swore.

He made it to the party an hour late, already hating everybody there.

And with any function like this one, nothing more was expected of him but to be an intimidating wallflower, allowed to be almost as rude and uncouth as he truly wanted to be when telling people to fuck off while he nursed his undiluted vodka, eyes on Jack flitting around the room. All smiles and sparkles, and sweet words of social conventions and contracts he had no care for save for keeping up the appearances. The performance was nauseating by itself.

As for Gabriel, he was more than happy with their silent arrangement, the small talk exhausting and pointless – and what was he supposed to even say?

'Dear ma'am, I murder people, and when I don't, I find people for your precious devil-sent Strike Commander to eat, and by the way, ma'am, you look simply enchanting tonight!'

Gabriel set the empty glass on a windowsill and grabbed another one from a passing waiter.

'Sir, so nice to meet you, I'm Gabriel Reyes, this is my partner who is an unholy abomination straight from some hell – if hell exists, but I’m willing to err on the side of caution in those circumstances – and our kid literally popped out of me on the battlefield, yeah, I'm still trying to figure that one out' also never seemed like it would do well as a conversation starter.

Gabriel knocked back the drink, gin and tonic this time, and left the glass standing next to the previous one. He walked out to the balcony, hand already reaching for the pack in his pocket, fingers itching to feel the weight of a lighted cigarette between them. Turning around, he came face to face with Jack bringing up an already burning lighter for him, his back to the crowd in the room. Gabriel leaned against the balustrade and lighted his cigarette, drew in the smoke slowly into his lungs – savoring it – observing and waiting. Jack pocketed the lighter, and then tampered with Gabriel's tie, his fingers sliding lower after, splayed, with a smile of something that had never learned what a smile was really about.

The ride or die kind of smile, all teeth and malice, the last thing for anyone else but Gabriel to see.

"It's coming along all nice," Jack mused.

"You put another one in me?"

"Maybe." Coy and teasing, the answer sent shivers down Gabriel's spine.

"When."

"Not today. Would you have said no to me?"

The choice he didn't have aside, Gabriel knew he wouldn't have refused.

Curiosity was the first step on the stairs leading all the way straight down to hell, and he had gladly taken a tumble down, his sanity forfeited with the knowledge he had never wanted but couldn't get enough of. They say curiosity killed the cat, but the satisfaction brought it back.

And the satisfaction had tasted of iron in his mouth, smelled of burning circuitry, felt like a projectile ripping through his armor – Jack huddled over him, speaking nonsense words of encouragement not to him but to the thing gnawing at Gabriel from the inside. It finally burst out, and Jack took it into himself before calling in the medvac, hitting all the right notes in his voice on the call: trembling and interrupted, pitched higher than usual.

"When it's coming?"

"When it's ready."

Gabriel blew the smoke in his face, slowly.

Later that night, long into the morning hours, fucking into the body going through its paces below him – back arched and mouth open, fluttering fingers clenched on the sheets – Gabriel asked again about the why.

"Do you really want to know?" Jack whispered into his ear. "That night, on that roof, you held no faith. And I thought, I'll make you believe in me."

The answer horrified Gabriel more than anything else Jack had ever told him, not because it rang false but because it rang true – and the truth of himself was worse than all the lies Jack could spin.

*

Following months – almost a year – passed in an unfettered deluge of things going wrong and compromised operations. Jack didn't give a fuck, starting with Rialto.

"I want you to kill him."

Gabriel stared at him, waiting for a follow-up that didn't come.

"It runs contrary to..."

"Either way, you will find your hand forced. Isn't it better to act out of one's own volition?"

What had sounded not unlike a veiled threat turned out to be an even more veiled warning. 'You still need her,' was Jack's answer to Gabriel's ire, delivered with a note of amusement. The worst of it, he was right, disgustingly and irredeemably right. Gabriel hated it; Moira remained on retainer.

But today, another name was on Gabriel's mind – swamped with fear, anger, and desperation – as he broke into a run towards the landing bay.

Ana.

Jack had killed Ana.

Gabriel pushed past the agents and the medical personnel, ignoring the surprised sounds of indignation, Jesse behind him taking over the explanations, his voice relaxed and unhurried.

"Better clear out, the commanders are gonna have, ah, whatcha call it, a private word."

Jack, still in the carrier, sitting with his head bowed, pensive, Ziegler standing in front of him, didn't acknowledge his presence, not until Gabriel sneered at the medic to get the fuck out. The perfect image of the caring commander in how he slowly nodded to her.

"Now!" Passing Gabriel, Ziegler flinched with her entire body. He waited for her to clear at least some distance from the carrier before he was looking into amused blue eyes while he had Jack pressed by his neck against the far wall of the craft's inside. "The fuck have you...?"

"What do you think I've done?"

He didn't remember much of it – startled out of his fury by the sound of laughter, of all things – sitting on Jack's chest with knees braced on either side of Jack’s ribs – fist raised, hurting – skin on his knuckles cracked and covered in blood, his and Jack's.

"You killed her. You killed Ana. You..."

But Jack didn't stop laughing – meat and bone fixing itself back into shape, torn lip regaining its arch – a proof of Gabriel's impotence, his momentum cut short when it met with the simple inability to cause harm to the wretched thing under him.

"I’ve never ever touched her."

"You're lying!"

"Why would I? You see," Gabriel started at the touch curling around the nape of his neck, pulling him to lean down with the strength that suffered no objection until their foreheads met, "your dear Ana, she left you."

"She wouldn't..."

"She did. She saw an out, and she took it, so clever."

Arms wrapped around his back and Gabriel slumped against Jack's frame, adrenaline and tension bleeding out of his body – leaving behind surging feelings of betrayal and hopelessness – and still, some doubt that dispersed with fingers combing through his hair, lips brushing against his cheek in a light kiss, and a hissing whisper.

"I could hunt her down for you."

"No."

Gabriel didn't question Jack's ability to find Ana, he feared what Jack would do when he found her.

"Poor Gabriel, left all alone. Alone, with me," Jack chuckled. His fingertips massaged Gabriel’s scalp in a soothing pattern. "She's always understood, and she still abandoned you to me."

Gabriel had no strength left in him to protest that she couldn't know.

"Such keen eyes, to call me ifrit of the jinn. Such a narrow vision to call me that. So much more than I came to expect from your kind," Jack continued, words dripping with twisted amusement, and Gabriel closed his eyes. "A vengeful curse of the dead. I do like the sound of it. Don’t you?"

*

The noose slipped around his neck and the ground gave way, everything falling apart to rubble and leaving an empty husk behind. Gabriel didn't want to fight anymore. The blue coat rested thrown over the back of the chair Jack sat in with his chin propped up on his palm.

"I don't know what else can be done. This situation is... Are you even going to do anything?"

"No." Jack tapped his fingers against his cheek, slow and idle, a smile stretching on his face at Gabriel's resignation.

"I don't know why I even care anymore."

And he didn't. He could try to bullshit himself with the tired phrases of duty, of having poured his heart and soul into Overwatch, of doing good and fighting the good fight, but ultimately, they would all turn out to be poor excuses.

'I will make you believe in me.'

"You shouldn't care." Jack stood up and walked around the desk, stopping in front of Gabriel. He put his hands on Gabriel's face; some part of Gabriel hated the fact he didn't flinch. He never did. "This system's complexity outgrew the possibility of governance a decade ago."

It had been for nothing. And now, as Jack leaned in with the grimace of a baleful smile stretched across his face – touching his forehead to Gabriel's – with the defeat came relief: in the greater scheme of things, whatever were his actions, they were meaningless after all.

Gabriel looked – truly looked – at Jack for the first time in ages, and he saw the details he had always noticed but never considered as a whole: the receding and thinning hairline, the white at the temples, the crow's feet, the spiderweb-like labyrinth of small purplish veins under the skin. Superficial signs of aging appearing subtly over the years, the question of either performance, or the body pushing its own narrative over the thing inhabiting it, but, according to Jack, death didn't exist, and what existed in its stead was change.

"What do you intend to do now?"

"A real quandary, isn't it, what will I do next? What should I do? What do you think, Gabe?" Jack mused, his eyes leisurely half-closed, Gabriel's hands finding their resting place at his hips. He answered the question by himself, the one Gabriel was on the cusp of asking but too afraid to voice. "We could find Ana, air our grievances with her, we do have some, don't we? Or play around and hunt down some dirty scurrying rats. With nothing holding you back anymore, just imagine it, all the bloodshed, and all the violence you might ever wish for."

"Tempting." And it was. Gabriel sighed, reassured at being included.

"I knew you'd see it my way." Corners of Jack's eyes crinkled in amusement. Of course, Gabriel would, Jack made sure of it: seeped under his skin and into his thoughts, slithered all over his nerves and took root in his mind, bound Gabriel to himself with Gabriel's own permission. In hindsight, he wouldn't change a thing, as long as he was still wanted, for the lack of a better word.

Jack stirred, eyes flicking to the side for a moment, lips pursed and attention focused on something beyond the room.

"I see. This is how it's going to be."

Jack pulled him with his hands in for a kiss – crushing and ravenous – devouring Gabriel as the ground gave way under their feet among the roar of the blood rushing in his ears and the wail of the backdraft before the suffocating darkness overtook everything.

After he had pulled all the parts of himself together among the smoking rubble, deafened by the cacophony of gunfire and screams, Gabriel fled. Jack would survive on his own.

Sombra slipped out of his flesh with little fanfare days later, a small shadow through which alien stars shone like glittering eyes. But he called her that only when she began to fill in her form, soon a young woman consuming knowledge with the voracity of a newborn.

The hearings came and went. Ziegler made a show out of herself. Gabriel had scoffed at her testimony then. In retrospection, he could see how she had reached her conclusion.

Months passed and Gabriel, struggling to keep whole at the seams, had finally understood Jack was not coming back. He handed Sombra to Jesse, who could teach her so much more than Gabriel ever could, and sought help from the only person who could offer it.

Years down the line, looking at the frail – small – mangled body – its fingers twitching in a growing pool of blood, and pinkish bubbles breaking on the lips, eyelids on an uneven level, one eye bloodshot – the thing inhabiting it gone with a soundless pop of ripped reality, Gabriel realized Jack had never specified if the kid was dead when he had found him.

It was a split-second decision that he made.

"O'Deorain, get your ass down to the lab stat, the body is still alive."

*

With the kid below him – back arched and mouth open, fluttering fingers clenched on the sheets – Gabriel was, once again, found doubting.

[thecountoflondonfansite]

Rachel quickly shook away those woman’s words. It was obvious to her and to anyone who saw them that Dr. Two Brains genuinely loved and cherished Henry. Rachel felt silly asking Ito and a few of the other lodgers to look into the mad scientist. They would likely find nothing on the mouse man. Rachel should have figured that the woman was absolutely bonkers. She has seen mad and insane people like Hyde and a few of the eccentric lodgers. Though their madness was nothing compared to Athena’s. Rachel swore she saw pure insanity within Miss Cartwright’s eyes. A type of insanity that was held back by a false veil of normality. Henry did give in and began to talk about Two Brains with such love and fondness in his expression and voice. Rachel smiled warmly, pushing back the madwoman from her mind. She reassured herself that everything was a huge misunderstanding created by a delusional woman. The next day Henry was at school once again. He wasn’t as tired as before as he had time to play with his daughter Amber. He didn’t even stay up too late to finish his lesson plans and had time to prepare a simple review quiz for his class to take. Henry smiled and greeted his students as they entered the classroom. Henry emotionally braced himself when Becky entered the classroom. The young girl gave him a smile and wave as she greeted him. “Good morning Dr. Jekyll.” Becky spoke, unaware that her teacher now knew her most treasured secret. “Good morning as well Miss Boxleitner.” Henry greeted back, maintaining a smile despite his nervousness. Luckily, Becky didn’t seem to notice as she proceeded to head to her desk. Henry let out an internal sigh and began to teach his class just as the bell rang. “Good morning everyone. Today we are going to go over the homework from last night and later ah am going to give you a quiz. This will help prepare ye for the science test on Wednesday.” Henry exclaimed. He ignored the groans from some of his students as well as the voice inside his head. Henry Jekyll was nearly tempted to let Hyde loose on the police of this city because of their apparent laziness. Seriously, how can those bloody adults depend so much on a young child to solve all of their criminal problems! Ten  times Henry saw Becky look nervous, annoyed, or flinch when she had heard what he figured to be an alarm go off. She only made excuses for about four of those times which Henry assumed was due to other heroes showing up which was a relief. The worst of those times was during the quiz. He saw Becky express moments of anxiousness and annoyance at something she could only hear. To anyone else, it looked like Becky had to take a much needed trip to the loo. Henry caught glimpses of Becky’s hands moving so fast as if they were invisible. All the while Becky casted glances around the room, making sure her powers weren’t spotted. Henry had to look away a few times and pretend he didn’t see anything when Becky looked his away. After finishing her quiz, Becky made a bathroom excuse and hurried out of the room. She came back sometime later before the bell rang for recess. The poor girl looked exhausted and upset to Henry even though she was trying to pretend everything was fine. Henry didn’t know what exactly happened but he caught Becky whispering to Violet. He had only heard her whisper certain parts such as the “Police chief was upset I was late…” “It was just Amazing Rope Guy.” This made Henry’s blood boil and he had to do everything in his power to not slam his desk in frustration nor shout in righteous anger. He also had to mask his features like everything was fine when it was clearly not! When the bell rang to end the school day, Henry marched to his car without speaking to his fellow colleagues. He opened the door, got inside, and slammed it shut before releasing his anger. “Damn these lazy and pathetic bloody peelers! Henry shouted in frustration.   @unhingedexperimenter

(You can tag me on my tgs side blog. I also apologize but I know a few Scottish words. So to anyone reading this I apologize for the inaccuracy.) Becky Boxleitner noticed a change in the atmosphere as she and her pet monkey Bob walked into the sixth grade classroom. All of the students were excitedly chatting with one another. Becky and Bob exchanged confused looks at the scene. 'What is going on?' They both thought. Becky walked to where her friends Violet Heaslip, Rose Franklin, and Todd Scoops Ming were sitting, also joining in the excited yet low volume chattering. "Hey guys what's going on?" Becky asked her friends. They each turned their heads to greet their friend. "Hey Becky guess what, we're getting a new teacher for our class!" Scoops exclaimed. Becky looked surprised at the announcement. Bob also mimicked her facial expression. "Wait really? What happened to Miss Davis?" Becky asked, wondering what happened to their old teacher. It was just a week only into the new school year so a sudden teacher exchange was a complete shock to Becky especially since there were no announcements about it beforehand. "Miss Davis had to move back home because of a family emergency." Rose Franklin answered. "The principal had to scramble to find a new teacher to fill in for our class. It was all last minute stuff." Becky nodded in understanding of her friends' answers. It was a nice perk to be friends who were upcoming reporters. Soon the final bell rang which indicated for every student to take their seats. Becky took her place beside her best friend Violet and Bob plopped down next to her. Soon a man who looked to be in his mid 30s walked in and towards the desk. He had curly brown air, an arched nose, and reddish brown eyes. He wore a tan button-down shirt with a red vest as well as brown slacks and dark suede shoes. The man gave a pleasant and warm smile to all the students there. "Hello my name is Dr. Henry Jekyll and I will be your teacher for the school year." Becky and the other kids ears perked up as they took note of the man's accent. Even Tobey became slightly interested in his new teacher. None of them were sure where their new teacher was from. Dr. Jekyll gave a light chuckle as if he could sense their growing curiosity about him. He lightly clapped his hands together to gain their undivided attention and focus. "Well since this is my first time teaching here, why don't we all play a little game so we can all get better acquainted with each other. Here's what to do. One at a time, say your name and share a wee bit about yourself. Likes, family, interests and all that. I'll go first to show ya what ah mean. Again. My name is Dr. Henry Jekyll. I was born in Glasgow but ah moved to London where I attended university. I have a five year old wee lassie or daughter named Amber. I enjoy chemistry and reading on occasions. Now who would like to go next?" @unhingedexperimenter

Of course Tobey had taken the opportunity to place attention on himself and to have a reason to boast about himself. “My name is Tobey McCallister the third and I will be the most intelligent student you'll meet here.” The others had rolled their eyes, used to this kind of behavior from their peers. Becky seemed to be the most annoyed by it. Having been forced to put up with his destructive tantrums in the past. Henry smiled just as warmly as before. Unbothered by the obnoxious behavior that the boy had been displaying. Tobey had been going on about himself for a good few minutes before the teacher finally spoke up. “Ahem, yes. Thank you for that Mr. McCallister. Would anyone else like to tell me a bit about themselves as well?” No one could tell that behind the facade, Dr. Henry Jekyll was becoming more irritated by the moment. Not by the child but by the pest that refused to leave him be. Scoffing within his head at what they just heard. He didn't share the disembodied voice's opinion but wanted to give the other children a chance to introduce themselves as well. To the others' shock, Tobey seemed to have taken this well. Quickly going back to his desk with no issues. Becky was relieved at that. Soon the other children had started to introduce themselves to their new teacher with little to no issues. He seemed genuinely nice enough to her. This new teacher didn't seem like most of the adults within this city. Some she had to define words repeatedly for. Dr. Jekyll knew what he was teaching and knew his vocabulary. It was Violet who had brought Becky out from her own thoughts, calling her name. Waving a hand in front of her face. “Becky?” The girl smiled in an embarrassed manner. “Huh? Yes?” Violet smiled, patient with her best friend. “Why don't you introduce yourself now? Nearly everybody else already did.” She had given a surprised expression. Becky hadn't realized that she was so lost within her thoughts until then. She stood up and began speaking. “My name is Becky Boxleitner and I also like libraries,reading and Pretty Princess.” The presence that was grating at the teacher's nerves had deemed this too dull to enjoy. Leaving Dr. Jekyll be to his teaching. Well, getting to know his students. He was happy to see that they were engaged in these activities that were meant to break the ice. Though one student in particular had caught his attention the most. Becky. While she did seem rather bright, there was something strange about her behavior at times. Pausing whatever she was doing at the time to listen in on something. Thinking it went unnoticed. Even once looking alarmed and she made an excuse to go to the bathroom. He had allowed it. Feeling that it would've been better to have let her. It seemed…oddly familiar. As if he had seen that behavior somewhere before but couldn't figure out exactly where from. When the school day was finally over, Becky had gone to go home like the others. Dr. Jekyll had of course stayed behind to set more things up within his new classroom. Making a plan on exactly what he'll actually start teaching the next day. Though, the grating voice had returned to be a thorn in his side. “Come on. Leave this boring stuff alone. Leave it until tomorrow. I've been pent up for far too long. Let's have some fun.” This had earned an eye roll and a loud huff from the teacher. “No, I've got to get this done now. You will have enough time tonight. Just be patient until then.” A shadowy figure formed in front of Dr. Jekyll. A frown on its face. “But this is so extremely dull. I want to stretch my legs. I want to make myself known already.” Dr. Jekyll glared. “And that is precisely why I'm so hesitant to let you out so soon. At least let us get acclimated to our surroundings first.” The figure let out an annoyed groan. “You know you want this as much as I do. Otherwise you'd never have any actual fun in the sad and pathetic life you call yours.”

@thecountoflondonfansite

[gothpanda]

A Little Bit of Attitude Ch. 8: I’ll Remember That

WORD COUNT: 4.9k

A/N: I start school tomorrow rip

Read on Ao3

Previous/Next

San Francisco was completely different compared to Los Angeles as soon as the four drove down the streets. From the crispness in the air to the smell of the bay, it felt more alive to Sammi than the busyness smog of Los Angeles. The taxi pulled up to a simple hotel with five floors in the middle of many tall buildings. The taxi driver helped Tommy and Vince pull out the duffle bags from the trunk, getting a tip from Vince after Tommy paid for the fare. The girls looked around once more, smiling from being away from home. They hadn’t realized how long it had been since being out of the city. To Sammi, a trip was driving to Santa Monica or Malibu for a beach day. Being hours away from everything felt freeing for the girls at this moment. 

The four walked into the lobby of the hotel, smiling at the employees as they passed by everything heading to the bar. In the distance, Sammi and Athena were able to see Nikki and Mick sitting down at a small dark bar top the hotel had at the end of the lobby. 

“Hey, guys! Guess who we found on the streets!” shouted Tommy, hitting both Nikki and Mick on the backs. Mick groaned, slowly turning in his stool to see the little sisters of his drummer. He gave a small two-second smile before standing up to hug Sammi and Athena. “Good to see you, girls, I know it’s an early but happy birthday, Sammi,” Mick said smiling at the shorter girl. Sammi smiled back at Mick with a thank you, turning her attention to Nikki. 

“Hey, princess, happy birthday,” Nikki said wrapping his arms around Sammi, engulfing her into a tight hug. Sammi began leaning back as she hugged him back, smiling at Nikki’s hug from ear to ear. “By the way, nice hair change. You look more beautiful with dark hair.” Nikki said tucking a loose lock of Sammi behind her ear. Sammi felt herself begin to flush, biting her lips as she looked up at Nikki. “Thank you. I just wanted a change,” Sammi said looking down, moving past the bass player. 

Mick scowled at the pair walking toward Vince by the bar who only kept his eyes away from them. “Since when did Nikki become a gentleman all of a sudden? Never heard the guy call a girl beautiful.” Mick whispering to Vince who rolled his eyes and shot down a glass of pure whiskey. “Don’t know, don’t care. He’s just putting up a front for Tommy.” Vince said thanking the bartender for another glass of whiskey. Mick looked over at Vince’s annoyance as he tapped on his glass remaining his gaze ahead of him instead of seeing Sammi. Mick only gave Vince pats on the back while he sat down next to the singer. 

“Come on guys! Let’s get some drinks in us.” Tommy said banging on the bar top sitting next to Athena with a seat in between him and Nikki. Sammi walked over to Vince tapping his arm with a smile. Vince turned matching Sammi smiles falsely, putting an arm around her and pulling her into his side. “You okay, Vince?” Sammi asked taking a sip from Vince’s glass. Vince nodded, looking away “Yeah I’m good. Just got a bit tired, that's all.” Vince took back his glass, ignoring Sammi frown at him. Sammi walked over to the seat between Nikki and Tommy noticing the glass of jack and coke waiting for her. “Cheers to my sisters joining our circus!” Tommy said clanking the glasses of Athena and Sammi’s. Sammi clanked Nikki’s glass, giving him a sweet smile as he gave back a certain smirk. 

“So what have you been doing? You guys haven’t killed anyone yet?” Athena asks peering over to her right. Vince, Nikki, and Tommy snicker to each other as Mick stays silent with a small amused smirk on his face. “It’s been pretty good. Trashed a few hotel rooms and almost got kicked out. They keep saying they’ll kick us off the tour if we don’t shape up.” Nikki said finishing his drink, with another one ready for him. “And who are you even touring with? You never told us,” 

“Kiss…” Mick mumbled rolling his eyes, rubbing his forehead. Everyone began giggling at Mick’s dread of playing with a band he highly hates. Vince and Nikki patted Mick on his back while he still groaned at the thought. “Mick is gonna have to deal with the sweet sound of Kiss for eight months,” Nikki said chuckling at him. Sammi scrunched her eyebrows at Tommy then turning to Nikki confused. “Wait what do you mean eight? I thought it was just for four months?” asked Sammi. “We got offered to tour a bit more before we start recording our first professional album. Gonna play at a festival too near San Bernardino in May to wrap it up.” Nikki said looking down at Sammi. “Don’t worry Princess, you’re going to be okay without us.” Sammi smiled at Nikki before pouring down the rest of her drink. Tommy eyed Nikki then to Vince who was whispering something to Mick in private. Mick gave a quick glance to Nikki before whispering something back to Vince.

After about five drinks down Sammi’s system, Tommy gave a slap to the bar top getting up from his seat. “Okay so here’s the thing the rooms. Vince has an empty bed in his room because Mick got annoyed with him and got his own room.” Vince chuckles looking at Mick and then to Tommy. “Well, what about your room?” Sammi asks looking at the boys then back to Tommy. “Me and Nikki are sharing, I figured Athena and I could share and you’d decide where you’d sleep. You can sleep with Nikki or in Vinces.” Tommy says looking at the men's expressions for any sign. For Tommy, this was his way to see where his little sister's head was at. He saw Sammi think for a while before Nikki put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump a little. “If you feel uncomfortable, I could just move my shit to Vince’s room for the night.” Nikki said with a considerate look on his face. “No it’s okay, I’m totally okay rooming with Vince. I get my own bed and don’t have to deal with Tommy’s insane snoring.” said Sammi. Vince tried his best covering his smile from everyone. Vince got out of his seat, walking over to the duffle bags on the floor to grab Sammi’s. Swinging it over his shoulder, he put an arm around Sammi smiling down at her. 

“Don’t worry I kept the room clean and in one piece,” Sammi laughed at Vince putting her arm around his waist. Tommy looked at Athena who rests her cheek against her palm shrugging to her brother at what their little sister had chosen. “Alright then! Let’s go up to the rooms!” 

In the Terror Twins room, Tommy and Athena sat alone on a queen sized bed near the window, seeing the door slowly close from Nikki going to run an errand. Athena rested her back against the headboard sitting criss cross as Tommy laid on his side in front of her. “I think our sister might actually like Vince.” Tommy said pulling out two cigarettes for him and Athena. Athena took the white stick, putting it between her lips with Tommy lighting it for her. She took in one puff, exhaling with a thought in her mind. Athena bit the nail of her thumb as she looked at the afternoon go by outside. 

“I think, for once, you may be right about this.” Athena took another drag from her cigarette, “She has a different tone when she talks to him.” Tommy nods, taking a drag for himself. “I mean when have we seen Sammi actually like someone? I feel like she keeps to herself all the time about that stuff.” says Tommy. 

Athena chuckled, “I have, she denies it with every fiber of her being until that person admits to it first. She does almost become softer around others, but I think this time it’s different.” Tommy scrunches his eyebrows to Athena with a tilted expression. 

“Vince has a girlfriend. She knows nothing will happen with the two of them if Vince doesn’t break up with Beth.” Athena says tapping off some ash into the glass tray next to her. “Vince doesn’t give a shit about Beth. He cheats on her all the time.”

“That still isn’t going to make Sammi want to be with him. Also, she takes the criticism of Amanda to heart. I doubt she would try anything with Amanda in her head.” Athena says looking at the closed door. Tommy finishes his cigarette, shaking his head at the idea of Sammi and Vince. He knew Athena had a point in Vince being a cheater even Nikki said Vince would always cheat. 

“I have a curious question from observation. Is Nikki always flirty with Sammi?” Tommy snaps out of his train of thought, looking at Athena. Tommy presses his lips together, trying to think about the question. “Like since when did Nikki start calling her Princess?” Athena asks.

“He’s called her princess for a while now but I never thought much of it. Nikki wouldn’t mess with Sammi.” Athena raises an eyebrow to Tommy somewhat disagreeing. “I love Nikki but that wouldn’t be a good idea in the long run.” Athena nods, “Yet I have a feeling Sammi won’t make the best decisions right now.” 

In Sammi and Vince's room, they sat on their individual beds facing each other to talk. Sammi sitting in the bed closest to the wall as Vince got the bed by the window. “So how are you liking touring so far? You didn’t really say anything at the bar.” Sammi says to Vince. 

Vince gave a half, remembering the past week alone, “It’s fun and amazing. You get to basically party 24/7 then go crazy on stage. I will say though, I do miss just hanging out by the strip and stuff.” Sammi smiles at Vince. 

“Well if you’re ever homesick, you just give me a quick call and tell you what’s going on. I do live closer to West Hollywood now.” Vince smiled at Sammi nodding at her idea, “I’ll remember that.” 

Vince huffed scratching his head remembering his attempts at calling ‘home’. “I call Beth sometimes, but it just turns into us fighting over stupid shit. I know I’m not a great boyfriend, but I do try.” Vince says. Sammi gives an empathic smile to Vince, walking over to his bed. She put her arm around his waist for a second in an attempt at a hug. 

“I’m sorry. Everything will be alright and fall into place when it needs to. Maybe you’ll find someone who you won’t want to fuck things up.” Sammi says with a shrug and a genuine smile. 

Vince snickered away from Sammi, looking down at his feet. He put an arm around her shoulders pulling Sammi into his side. Sammi smiles, wrapping her arms around his waist. Vince rested his cheek against the top of Sammi’s head, staying in this moment for a while. It wasn’t until a banging on the door made them both jump with fright. Vince got up from the bed, walking over to the door opening it to Nikki leaning against the doorframe. 

Vince rolled his eyes with a huff seeing Nikki’s mischievous smirk on his face. “What’s up Nikki? What do you want?” Vince asks biting the inside of his cheek. Nikki walked past Vince entering the hotel with a strut, smiling at Sammi gleefully. 

“I just came to you guys, we’re gonna be heading to a bar down the street. It’s already getting dark out and Tommy’s getting antsy.” Nikki says sitting down next to Sammi. Vince eyes the bass player for a moment before standing in front of them. 

“Okay cool just let me change real quick. I do not look cute in this shirt and jeans.” Sammi says walking over to her duffle bag. She pulled out a pair of cut off jean shorts with a tight red and yellow striped cropped tank top. With a quick change in the restroom, Nikki and Vince couldn’t help but notice the toned legs Sammi had on her. A small part of her stomach showed, getting a glimpse at Sammi’s somewhat equally toned stomach. It was clear to the men Sammi still had an athlete spirit in her.

Sammi tossed her clothes by her duffle bag as she put on her shoes smiling at Vince and Nikki. “Ready?” 

Nikki and Vince nodded, walking out of the hotel room together. 

With a quick walk down the night streets of San Francisco, the misfits found themselves at a billiards hall filled with biker guys all around the floor. The billiards hall had about six pool tables side by side near the back while the bar and tables were set up in the front. Many biker guys were quick to turn their heads at the sound of a door opening to the gang of misfits. They eyed them intensely as they strolled along to the bar top to order drinks and settle in. It wasn’t an upbeat place, but it provided enough entertainment for this moment of the night. 

Sammi and Athena both leaned against the bar to order themselves another jack and coke for the evening, unaware of the staring men in the back of them. They eyed the sisters up and down like a piece of hanging meat, making sure to take their sweet time looking at Sammi’s ass in particular. They kept their looks going on until the sight of a man dressed in head to toe in black blocked their view. Nikki put his chin on top of Sammi’s head, resting his arms on her shoulders. Sammi paid no attention it Nikki only leaned her back against his chest. Athena looked at the two confused but only sat next to Tommy, ignoring it. 

“How about some pool, Vince? You vs. me and Sammi.” Nikki says smirking at Vince from down the bar. Vince could scrunch his eyebrows together, sipping on his drink. “Why you and Sammi?” 

“I’m going to make sure Sammi beats you, it’s the least I could do for the birthday girl.” Nikki says wrapping his arms around Sammi as a hug. Sammi began to giggle looking at Vince with a slow drunk smile. Vince bit the inside of his cheek before shooting down the rest of whatever was in his glass. “Okay fine, let’s play.” Vince mumbles walking to the first available pool table. 

Nikki grabs Sammi by the hand leading her to the pool cues on the wall. Rubbing the tip of one with the cue cube, Nikki passes it to Sammi. She leans over to the table, feeling Nikki up against her as he helped her aim for the first shot. Vince grinds his teeth, standing at the other end of the table growing with annoyance at the two. “Sammi’s solids, I’m stripes.” Vince says dragging his feet for his turn. 

From the bar, Tommy and Athena sat like owls as they observed what Sammi was doing. Tommy turns to face Mick, drinking in peaceful silence waiting for the shenanigans of his bandmates to arise. “Hey Mick what do you think of Sammi?” Tommy asks giving his full attention to the eldest. 

“She’s too smart to be hanging around any of us, this included you and Athena.” Mick says quickly with no expression or tone in his voice. “Hey!” the Bass siblings say simultaneously frowning at Mick. 

“What do you mean she’s too smart for all of us?” Tommy asks taking a sip of his drink. Mick faces Tommy with a groan, looking past the two to see Sammi with Nikki and Vince. The game almost finished, Vince ready to clock out for tonight with something to numb himself.

“She’s in college, studying for a hard fucking career with a job on top of that while we’re all barely making it. We’re in our 20s’ just as she’s about to turn 19 in a couple of hours with nothing but drugs and booze. She’s too smart.” Mick says finishing his drink and ordering another one. Tommy and Athena look at each with the knowledge of Mick being right in this sense. “He has a point, Tom. I didn’t even get past one semester of college.” Athena says with a defeated type smile. 

Athena gets up from her seat with four shots in both her hands. “I’m gonna be a good friend and help Vince out a bit.”

“You need to make sure Sammi doesn’t do something to fuck shit up for herself. That would be a fucking tragedy.” Mick says.

“What do you mean?” Mick gestures past Tommy for him to see his sister in a growing Motley mode. 

Vince took three shots in one breathe with Athena next to him sitting on one side of the pool table. On the other was Nikki whispering words of gold in Sammi’s ear with his hands resting on her waist. She seemed to giggle at every single thing he said to her as she rested against the pool table. Tommy shakes his head remembering the conversation in his hotel room with Athena. “You’re crazy, Mick. Sammi isn’t going to do something stupid. Like you said she’s smart.” Mick only gave a shrug and went back to his peaceful silence. Tommy eyed the situation ahead of him trying not to think of the worst to come. 

“No offense to this lovely lovely pool hall that you picked out, but I’m really fucking bored.” Sammi said with a pout looking up at Nikki with big eyes. Nikki licked the corner of his lips, staring at Sammi deviously. “Well let me think, by this point we’d be at a strip club tipping girls like we owned the place.” Nikki says with a smirk. 

“Okay, let’s go then.” Nikki raised an eyebrow, curious and surprised to hear Sammi agree to such an idea. “You do know they’ll be naked girls there right?” Sammi nods, completely understanding what she was agreeing to. 

“And probably music that I can dance to. Don’t you think that sounds way more fun than me just sitting down at a bar?” Sammi says tilting her head with a small smile, one that makes everyone agree with her. Nikki only shrugged his shoulders taking Sammi by the hand, looking up to Vince shooting daggers at the two. 

“The princess wants to go to a strip club, Vince. Tell Tommy and Mick and we’ll be outside in a minute.” Nikki says guiding Sammi to the single men's restroom. Vince turns to Athena who could shake her head at the two, getting off the pool table. “Come on Vince let’s just wait outside for them.” Athena gently loops her arm around Vince’s dragging him to the rest. Vince could only keep his eye at the restroom door. 

Sammi leaned against the door as she saw Nikki pull out a full baggie of coke to pour on the small sink counter. Nikki peers over his shoulder seeing Sammi eye the white powder. “Where are my manners? You want a bump, birthday girl?” says Nikki holding up a rolled up dollar bill to Sammi. “I don’t want to blackout like last time…” Sammi says shaving her eyes glued to the sink. 

“If you do one line, you’ll last 10, 20 minutes max on a high. I promise you won’t blackout. It was just your first time that’s all.” Nikki says gentle placing the bill into Sammi’s hand. Sammi nodded, “Okay.” Sammi walked up to the counter as Nikki cut up one perfect line for her. Just like last time, it stung for a bit before a numbing feeling. “Want another one?” Sammi nods again smiling at Nikki. 

“What the fuck is taking so long?” busting into the restroom, Mick shouts with a buzz in his system. He sees the coke immediately and some residue on Sammi’s nose. He eyes Nikki coldly, grabbing Sammi the arm forcefully taking her out of the restroom. “Never again, Nikki.” Mick says marching out of the restroom. Mick let go of Sammi in the corner where no one would pay attention, feeling like he was about to get mad at his kid. 

Sammi frowned with a pout rubbing her arm, Mick rubbing his temples. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Mick says gritting his teeth, blocking Sammi from getting away. “I just wanted to have fun.” Sammi says avoiding Mick’s eyes. Mick huffed, shaking his head. “Well it enjoy it this last time. You’re not going to become a fuck up like the rest of us.” Sammi nods. 

Mick grabs Sammi, bringing her outside to the front as her siblings and Vince waited like they were told. Sammi stumbled into Athena, laughing as she wrapped her arms around her sister's neck. Athena only gave a tight-lipped smile, knowing Sammi was high off something. “Alright let’s go!” Nikki says jumping out of the bar to lead the misfits. Vince walked slowly hanging in the back with Mick. 

“She’s high isn’t she?” Vince whispers. Mick only nods, keeping the same scowl. Vince shook his head, hearing everyone laugh loudly in front of him. “Goddammit, Sammi.” 

The strip club named Angel Babies was filled to the brim with people, men and women enjoying themselves. Athena and Sammi drifted away from the guys to dance, not wanting to just sit and gawk at the beautiful women. They went into their own little world, even messing around on an unoccupied pole. Sammi jumped giggly, spinning around the pole until she fell gracefully on her knees. Athena only laughed and took her turn at being a ‘stripper’. 

Vince sank into the velvet armchair, face resting on his palm with eyes glued on Sammi the entire time. The ladies on the pole would try to get his attention, but he would just turn back to see Sammi dance. Tommy took note of this pretty quickly, convincing himself of his opinion and turn it into a fact. He had one last test before talking to Vince or Sammi in the morning. 

Tommy walked up to the stage, where a skinny blonde danced in her skimpy bikini. He got her attention by pulling out a 10 dollar bill for the request of a lap dance on his friend Vince. The stripper seductively walked in front of Vince, swaying her hips with the beat of the music. To Vince’s defeat, he tore away from Sammi to place his hands on the thighs of the woman who began straddling him. 

“How are you doing pretty boy?” The woman whispered into Vince’s ear, grinding on him. Vince licked his lips, hovering his lips over the woman’s neck. “So much better now that you’re here. How much is it for a private room?” 

“For you, it’s on the house.” The stripper said, grabbing Vince by the hand and guiding him to the back rooms hidden away by red curtains. 

The two walked hand in hand, passing everyone around them including Sammi and Athena who were still in their own little world. They wouldn’t have noticed Vince at all, if it wasn’t for Vince wanting to become noticed. With feather-like fingers, he grazed the open skin on Sammi’s back to make her turn around. She looked to right then her left to see Vince disappear behind the curtains with a woman more attractive than Sammi. At least that’s what the crossfaded Sammi thought. 

Sammi rolled her eyes, grabbing a random shot on the table next to her and Athena. “I’ll be right back.” Sammi says walking away from Athena making a Beeline for Nikki. Nikki paid no attention to anyone but the girls in front of him, snorting more lines discreetly to not cause a scene. 

Sammi touched Nikki on the shoulder, lowering herself to his ear. “Forget what I said, I want to blackout,” Sammi whispers making Nikki smirk turning to see the princess annoyed instead of happy. Nikki nodded, seeing if Mick or Tommy were paying attention to them. Nikki couldn’t tell if Mick was looking as he wore his dark sunglasses in the already dark club. 

“Wait outside the restrooms, I’ll be there in a bit,” Nikki whispered giving Sammi the green light. Sammi nods to Nikki, ignoring Tommy’s gaze at her and doing what she is told.

In the men's restroom, Sammi and Nikki each snort three lines of coke back to back along the multiple sink counter, ignoring anyway coming in or out. When Sammi finally came up for air, she leans against the wall wiping away any bit of coke from her nose. She giggles with her eyes closed, feeling like she’s on cloud nine who can run a marathon. 

Nikki rubs the back of his hand against his nose, turning to a man washing his hands noticing the watch on his wrist. “Hey man, what time is it?” Nikki asks tapping the gentleman on the arm. “It’s 12:05” Nikki nods with a polite smile as the man exited the restroom. 

He turns to see Sammi looking up at him with a loopy smile and giant eyes. If her eyes weren’t dark before, they sure are black as night now. Nikki moves closer to Sammi, moving away a piece of hair from her face. “Well princess, it’s already the 8th. Happy birthday,” says Nikki with a little smirk. Sammi giggles, licking the corner of her lip rolling her eyes happily. 

“Got a birthday present for me? Drugs don’t count.” Nikki shrugs his shoulder inching closer to Sammi. “Close your eyes.” 

Sammi closes her eyes for a moment, leaning her head against the wall almost as if she was falling asleep. Soon she felt two hands cup her face, then a pair of warm lips against hers. The lips kissed against her softly but also with a hunger. She didn’t freak out or get scared, only accept it by wrapping her arms around Nikki’s neck kissing him back with more force encouraging Nikki. Nikki moved his hands down south to Sammi’s waist and thighs to lift off the ground. He sat her down on the counter, sloppy kissing each other with Sammi running her hands through Nikki’s hair. Nikki moved down to Sammi’s neck guaranteeing to make Sammi moan. 

They heard the door opening but still didn’t pull part ways kissing each other until hearing a huff. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Sammi and Nikki pulled away to see Vince clench his jaw with an icy stare at the two. Sammi hopped off the sink, frozen in speech unaware of what to say. At least it wasn’t Tommy, right? 

Nikki smirked at Vince, feeling proud of himself for kissing Sammi. Vince shot daggers to Nikki as he grabbed Sammi by the arm and dragged her out of the restroom. She thought it was going to be like Mick, and he would let go but kept a hold on her until they reached all the outside. 

Stumbling down the street, Sammi yanked her arm out of Vince’s grip making him turn around to show his anger. “What the fuck was that?! Why the fuck are you doing coke again?! Mick told me he found you in the restroom at the bar!” Vince shouted not caring about the stares they were getting by the walking nightlife. Sammi ran a hand through her hair, looking anyway but Vince. “I’m talking to you!” 

“I wanted to have fun okay!? It’s my birthday, I can do whatever the fuck I want!” Sammi yells back at Vince. Vince rolled his eyes rubbing his face to calm him down. 

“And that means making out with Nikki and almost having restroom sex?!” Sammi gasped, not believing Vince’s attitude. 

“We weren’t going to do-” 

“Oh come on Sammi, it’s Nikki. He fucking gets high and gets whatever he wants! Someone who YOU shouldn’t fuck around with!” 

“You seriously can’t say shit! You went into the backrooms with a fucking stripper, probably actually having sex!” Vince rolls his eyes again turning to look away at Sammi for a moment. 

“And to think I fucking felt bad for you about Beth! The only reason she probably is a ‘bitch’ to you is that you can’t keep it in your fucking pants!” 

Vince looked at Sammi with an empty stare and a parted mouth. 

“You flirt with so many fucking girls! You’re never going to change from being a fucking manwhore!” Vince winces at Sammi’s words, staring down at the concrete sidewalk.

“Whatever I’m leaving,” Vince whispers taking a few steps away from Sammi. 

“Fine leave! I’ll just stay with Nikki! Have fun sleeping alone for once!” Vince turned back getting up in Sammi’s face. Sammi saw the sad eyes Vince had but didn’t do anything to make up for it. 

“Enjoy your birthday, Samantha,” Vince mumbles walking down the street to the hotel. 

Sammi stood in front of the club in silence, staring out into the distance seeing Vince disappear. It wasn’t until she felt a hand on her shoulder that made her snap back to reality. It was Athena scrunching her eyes at her. “What’s going on? Where’s Vince?”

Sammi shook her head, looking at the ground. “It’s nothing he just left. Let’s back inside.” Sammi grabs Athena by the hand walking back to the club. Athena only listened and followed her sister, looking out to the streets.

[troybarnesbucky]

I woke up and decided to analyze each 9-1-1 pairing with regards to timing and also buddie

I just woke up and all im gonna say right now is this: this is long-winded but basically it takes a look at all the relationships on 9-1-1 and compare the timing and level of intimacy to that of buck and eddie’s relationship. 

at the end of season 1 of 911 I remember watching and realizing they were gonna push the whole bobby and athena relationship, and I was surprised, because I didnt think there was any preamble or much hinting to it. but I guess it made sense to me - they were both single, both in the same social circle, they got along. sure, made sense. and then season 2 comes along and they’re smack dab in the middle of their relationship and we have zero time to adjust to it as an audience, but once again, we quickly did (mind you, I did not watch it live as intently as a fan would, but I do recall a lot of episodes because my mom watches the show and I remembered a lot when I was catching up myself). at this point bobby and athena are happily married and I really do love them together, genuinely.

then, maddie comes along and there’s a bit more to the story. she has a lot going on, a lot she’s been through and we spend much of her first season getting to know her and watching her confront her past and create her own present. chimney had a bit of a rough start with relationships (.... tatiana, sorry love, but you could’ve had it all sis). her and chimney start out as friends but it’s very clear from their blossoming friendship that the writers intend for us to want a relationship for them, and we DO. because theyre adorable together and genuinely have so much chemistry and they’re good for one another. it’s a bit of a slowburn but we get there eventually, so much so that in the season 3 finale, we find out maddie is pregnant! which yes, did make me cry shut up. 

hen and karen had a rough start. even if they did look happy, they went through a ton of shit in the first and second season, especially the first season. which is fair; hen cheated on karen, and a large part of her storyline revolved around her ex and having to fight for denny. but there’s so much love between them, and a heavy history that is palpable through the screen. by the time season 2 comes around, they are a bit more grounded, and more so by the time season 3, too. it was interesting to think about their relationship is comparison to the others, which we watched blossom in real time. especially in season 3, because we see their love and support of one another during their attempt to have another child, and yes I also did cry when they met nia for the first time and no I will not elaborate. hen also went through a lot of shit this season; karen, despite what she went through, was and continues to be super wonderful and supportive, if a bit wary (but its okay because drunk karen and chim was a gift and we were well fed) for a second. their relationship is everything and also karen carries the whole show’s sense of humor on her back, I said what I said. 

then we have three more main relationships: michael and athena’s, which is over in episode 1; buck and abby (im not counting ali because genuinely she was in three episodes, im only looking at the main relationships for each character), which starts and ends in season 1; and eddie and shannon, which technically starts before season 1 and kinda ends in season 2 but then she dies. 

personally I dont think there’s much to add about michael and athena’s relationship. firstly, michael is a doll and if they hurt him in season 4 I will riot. but more so, the show gave us a LOT to work with in terms of their past relationship. also, it was interesting as a viewer, to learn about them from the bottom up. we see the tail-end of their romantic relationship and watch it get replaced with a genuine love and care for each other and their family. it’s a stark contrast to what a lot of shows on television would go for; it has a bit of rough, bumpy start, but by midway through season 2, they’re both on steady ground in terms of personal family life, and it’s actually a breath of fresh air. their dynamic is heavily surrounded by love for family, and we love love love that. 

I think with abby and buck we all liked it a little, at the start. buck was sweet to her and we see a change in attitude and an effort from buck that is clear to have never been made before. abby is also a pretty admirable character; she takes care of her mother, is incredible at her job as a dispatcher, and she struggles with maintaining personal relationships but still gives it a go with buck. and buck, from the start to end of the season, grows a lot, both independently from and surrounding their relationship. as a viewer I watched the show way later on, so I knew abby was leaving and honestly, I really did like her and their chemistry. as we go into season 2, we have buck, who is still living in abby’s place, and then the introduction of eddie.

so here’s the thing; this is where I was trying to get to. the show (the writers) made and continue to make interesting character and relationship choices. with eddie and shannon, there is a very clear closeness and chemistry between them that yes, does get revamped for a little. there is also history, which is very important and can’t be disregarded. but more than anything, we are looking at timing in this meta. eddie comes along in season 2 and there are a lot of things happening: hen and karen are getting back to normal, athena and bobby are suddenly dating, buck and abby are - despite what buck thinks - very over, and chim is single and ready to pringle, plus maddie is new and freshly separated from d*ug. as we go through season 2, we see development with athena and bobby, very clearly on their way to a stable relationship and marriage. hen and karen are working through things, we don't really doubt their relationship either. both maddie and chimney are single, and they become friends, and we very quickly, as viewers, realize where the writers are taking us and what they want us to think. 

so now im gonna get on my clown shit when I talk about buck and eddie. specifically, regarding the writers and their timing and why I think they’re either really stupid or actually very smart.

listen, everyone loves slowburn. hell, I'm writing a buddie au that will probably end up being like, upwards of 80k words and it’s gonna be a slowburn. buck, at the beginning of season 2, is in denial. im not gonna go through details but I will say that like..... okay, he’s heartbroken and thats fair. eddie, through means of “what a man,” is introduced and within one fell swoop, buck is immediately jealous and then like, twenty four hours later, they’re besties. tea. totally fair. in terms of timing, especially regarding relationships, there really aren’t many things to note: buck goes through that weird thing with taylor kelly, eddie goes through his drama with shannon, and when shannon wants a divorce, it kinda all goes to shit. by the end of season 2, we have buck trying to move on (and also nearly dying by means of a firetruck but thats not my point but also writers wtf) and dating ali (guys how do you spell her name lol) while eddie deals with the aftermath of his (ex, technically but I don't know if its mean to say that) wife. there are more than a few moments between buck and eddie that hint to a potential romance and feelings, like the santa scene and multiple others. then, season 3 is very very interesting. 

buck and ally(? seriously I don't know) are broken up, eddie is focused on christopher and actually, also buck, and then the tsunami happens. there is also not much going on in terms of other relationships on the show; maddie and chim get their shit together while also having a crazy season starting and ending with talking about having kids with a brief intermission of “I cant say I love you” and nearly dying on both parts and albert appears lol (and then disappears, too?? wtf). athena and bobby are pretty cool, hen and karen are trying for kids and hen wants to be a doctor. we have some others, like josh, who go through too much shit for my liking and deserve better, and michael, who...... deserves the world. 

okay. cleared that up. but timing-wise, if we look at the writers and their regard for timing, then we see this: any time two characters are single and there’s an ounce of friendship even hinted, they end up together. fine, that’s fair to say because we’ve seen it, right? after the tsunami, which is a WHOLE OTHER thing im not getting into, we have the lawsuit, eddie fighting, lena bosko (yall can be mad but she was hella cool), hen killing that cello (I think) player, michael getting sick, wow this season was fucking insane holy shit.

but in terms of character relationships and timing, a lot goes on with buck and eddie. in this one season alone, we go from eddie being the first one to hug buck at his surprise party and christopher giving buck a card with “bff” on it, then buck almost dies (again) and eddie is, quite frankly, the only one who takes no crap from him after he quits and then the tsunami and buck literally tearing himself apart to find his best friend’s son and collapsing at the sight of them reunited and then “there’s no one I trust more with my son than you” (is that the quote, I don't know it by heart) and THEN heart eyes, and then the lawsuit and supermarket and “you’re exhausting” and “christopher misses you” and “I couldn't even call you to bail me outta jail” and then the “I’m hearing a lotta ‘I’s, buck” and “I forgive you” and then the Infamous Kitchen Scene and me endlessly screaming WHY WAS BUCK’S HAND ON HIS BELT LIKE THAT? but also very pointedly I will say eddie fighting specifically when he can’t talk to buck and then it stops around the time he can hmmmmm. and also “this is eddie’s house im not really a guest here” then the fuckaifajfgkjfglgakjdgag tunnel collapsing and buck literally, once again tearing himself and everything apart for a diaz, digging with his bare hands and the defeated look on his face and refusing to think about eddie dying and eddie very nearly dying but then recalling christopher, his family, buck, then christopher and buck, then christopher and buck again, then a rare shannon appears, and then it’s just-

okay. OKay. O K AY. ok. here’s what I think. either the writers are incredibly smart or just viciously stupid, or the third, lesser liked option, they know what they’re doing and don’t give two shits. they are sitting on, and quite frankly they have created, a fucking goldmine. but in terms of timing, and relationship choices, we have eddie and anna(?) as a brief thing that will either reappear in season 4 or never be touched again, then abby’s lame-ass apology that was just her attempting to justify her actions by claiming she simply just should’ve told buck sooner. but a lot of this season explores buck’s loneliness, and in a way, too, eddie’s. 

yes, eddie has christopher, and the others? they have families and significant others. buck has no one (except maddie but you get my point) to go home to. I think, in terms of timing and thematic elements, this season took the time to explore the loneliness of two men, but also by doing so, only high-lighted their need for one another, their love for one another. in the past, that has lead to two couples getting together: athena and bobby, and chimney and maddie. 

so, my point is, season 4 is the make it or break it point. we got (weak-ass) closure with abby, eddie’s anger and regret with shannon (and yes, christopher), an exploration of both of their loneliness, and a very, very clear rocket launch of their closeness and dependence on one another, in season 3. it started with a lot and ended with closure on all extraneous factors that could have possibly deterred the two of them from a potential relationship. more so, abby is getting married and buck has no choice but to move on; he may not have loved her anymore but he needed the closure (and no I do not think it was good enough and I think buck deserved more but that’s not my point).

this can’t be read that much into. it’s not subtle, it’s not subtext. it’s very clearly there on our screens, with every small or big line. they mean a lot to each other. anyone with eyes can say that, has to say that. the problem is, what’s the intention? like, are the writers actually doing what I've just said, setting up for a slowburn, taking it season by season. you can look at it that way, and it actually doesnt take a lot to get to that point of a thought process. there is a HUGE, fundamental shift in buck and eddie’s relationship in season 3. there is a perceived difference in their friendship versus both their relationship with others and the friendship between others. denny doesn’t call chimney his best friend, “his chimney.” athena has never once told hen she trusts her children with her more than anyone in the world. 

there are a lot of interesting choices that have been made over the course of three season, particularly this past season. there are also a lot of possibilities for the upcoming season. we may see a return of that teacher, we might see buck fall into other women, we may see eddie not fully over shannon, or (hopefully not) an abby return. it’s just a matter of waiting, but there’s no denying the way things were left off; buck and eddie were both single throughout the entirety of season 3, considerably closer and not guests at each other’s place, both very lonely in spite of the people around them, closer to each other than the rest of the 118, both have a family member (or more than one for eddie) to keep them anchored. buck is, yes, more lonely, but they are both left off in the same place. my question, more than anything, is whether it’s intentional after all that’s said and done. and if it’s not, then why, pray tell, are the writers following their OWN very clear and self-fulfilled pattern of timing and relationships to an even stronger extent than they ever have?