#but then that changed once the Thinking tm started
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Freylin lovers… all four of you out there…. please talk to me abt them. I will love u forever
26 notes · View notes
beyondthetemples-ooc · 3 months ago
Text
...It has been So Long since I've actually sung a song and indulged in Feeling the Music and actually Using My Voice Aloud.
It really is cathartic and I'm smiling now. So. There's that.
2 notes · View notes
lisbonsteresa · 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
oh it's horrible; i love it
#tm#this is SO#because from lisbon's point of view this is....let's say strange i guess#nothing's really changed for her? yes she has (they have but he's not thinking like that right now) this dangerous risky job#but she always has; there's always been 'a new train every day' and they've dealt with them all; they'll deal with this one too#so yes of course she wants to try and reassure him but it's not as major to her as it is to him#*and also she's been very patient and understanding and hasn't put any expectations or pressure on their future#(i'm sure she HAS thoughts on it obviously but she's been the one reminding him to take things as they come#'right here it's good. it's very very good.')#meanwhile jane is.....for so long jane wasn't sure if he'd HAVE a future; he wasn't sure if he'd deserve one#and then blue bird and everything that came after it and it's been wonderful and he's been trying to take it one day at a time#but it's like once he let himself imagine a future for them; for himself he was immediately hit by the full reality of how tenuous it is#he's always known they have dangerous jobs but knowing that in a pre and post blue bird world are two very different things#now he has this; he has them; and he also knows that every time they get a phone call from abbott#there's a chance he might lose the most important person in the world to him just after learning he's the most important person to her#just after they finally started something together and then what he does later this ep it's just#once you get what you wanted most what would you do to protect it (because what kind of future would he have without her)#(and then failing that (in a few episodes) what would you do to grant yourself some semblance of peace of mind?)#but this kills me because he delivers the line in a kind of teasing way? he does not let on how nervous he really is#(or what he might be starting to plan) 'i made the decision not to tell you because i was worried that it would come between us' LIKE#he tried broaching the subject before (albeit not in a way that she could very easily understand) and it went nowhere#'are we really gonna work for the fbi for the rest of our lives?' 'it's who i am jane' 'i know'#he's terrified of what might happen but he's also terrified to bring it up because what if that drives a wedge in their relationship#what if he ruins it himself without any outside issue being to blame is that a self fulfilling prophecy back to the fear that kept him from#telling her how he felt during s6#so instead he holds back just how much he's spiraling until....and then he just CAN'T anymore and he has to get away#(and then lisbon's almost blindsided because yes she knew he was worried but THIS worried? to the point he won't even hear her arguments?)#GOD it's so so good it's the wooooorst i'm eating it up
19 notes · View notes
omegatop · 1 year ago
Text
:_)
0 notes
shannonsketches · 3 months ago
Text
This might come across as a little mean and I’m so sorry this is probably a teenager but oh my god update this has officially turned into my favorite interaction I’ve ever had on the internet I’m crying
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
All that and I never got an example. But I did get a hot tip that there is fanart on dA fjdjdj
The last little like sent me. Cherry on top. 10/10 Top Quality Organic Fandom. Never Change.
Disregard that last post, OP's definitely mad that Bulla is treated like a toddler and Trunks is treated like a teenager askljda
18 notes · View notes
cakeissweeterthanpickles · 2 years ago
Text
to start over, you know?
1 note · View note
demonic0angel · 15 days ago
Note
Your Damian Fenton post gave me severe Uncles+Aunt Everlasting Trio vibes.
After the Moment TM of Danny being jealous about Jazz fixating so much on Damian, and everything had been said and resolved, I can imagine Damian being a little insecure, because his own Uncle looked like he didn't like him.
The goggles being a gift from Danny would be the turning point for the two of them.
Imagine, Danny in the lab, looking over notes from Frostbite about some experiment that he wanted to try out, maybe to take neutral ectoplasm and make it into healing ectoplasm, and he's pulling out his hair a little bit, because it's a lot all at once, and Damian wanders into the room, a little nervous, because while Uncle Danny already said it wasn't his fault, Damian still desperately wants his family to like him.
It's the "lightbulb moment" of a successful experiment that turns it around into Danny and Dakian being thick as thieves.
Danny bouncing on the spot, watching the mixture settle and change colors, and as he feels Damian approach curiously, in true Jack Fenton fashion, Damian gets to be squished against Danny's chest like a teddy bear while listening to his Uncle rapid-fire explain what just happened. It's actually pretty nice, getting to go limp and be swung around while cradled against Danny's chest, while Danny purrs with joy.
By the time he's set down again, Damian has a cursory understanding of what the experiment was, and also undeniable proof of love from his Uncle.
From there, Danny breaks out his old lab coat, from when he was Damian's size with the matching safety goggles, and has Damian put them on so they can take a photo together and send it to Jazz.
I can imagine Danny ruffling Damian's hair, giving him the Gremlin Smile and telling him "your mother's gonna flip if she catches you here without safety gear. But don't worry, your uncle's gonna make sure you know how to stay safe."
Danny gets whapped with the newspaper for using Lab Time as a bonding moment, but Damian is still clinging to him and constantly swishing the ends of his lab coat like he can't believe he's wearing it.
From there, by the time Danny, Sam and Tucker finally start dating, Damian has at least one patch in all his jeans, courtesy of Tucker, and he keeps stealing one specific t-shirt from Sam, because she left it in Danny's room and Damian thought it was the coolest thing ever, so he's going to steal it, like the gremlin Fenton child that he's learning to be.
Sam shows up the next day with a whole suitcase of graphic t-shirts for Damian to try.
Do you think the reason why Damian meets the Bats is because the Trio have eventually moved to Gotham, and Jazz+Damian are taking a vacation to go see his Aunt and Uncles?
The Trio take their nephew to a dog park so he can pet the dogs? Maybe also because they adopted a puppy from a shelter and whenever Damian is with them he HAS to be involved in walking the dog every day?
Regardless, one of the Bats see this mini-Bruce racing a dog through the park, and immediately have to go stick their nose into it, to great distress to Damian, and some seriously ruffled feathers from his Uncles, Aunt and Mother. Luckily, not Grandma and Grandpa, this time, because they're busy attending a seminar with Frostbite and his students, or there would be even more threats of bodily harm than there already were.
Danny, Tucker, and Sam were definitely a large part of his life since they babysat him when Jazz was busy. He bonded with them a lot over shared hobbies and interests (Sam with gardening and plants, Tucker with cars and machinery, Danny with ghosts and science and stars).
Honestly, when I thought of Danny being jealous of Damian, it was meant to be a moment between Jazz and Danny since Damian would've been like,,, seven when it happened. However, your idea is super cute! Danny and Damian do often do experiments and hang out with each other, but that's a post for another day 😌 the coat is specifically from Jazz since she gave it to him for his first birthday with them.
The reason why Damian meets the Bats is that the entire Fenton family went there to visit for vacation, but the real reason was that Jazz was planning to move there for work and wanted to take Damian with her, so she wanted to check it out first. Of course, shenanigans ensue as Damian makes friends with the Batkids (who are endeared by the tiny, mad scientist) and then eventually meets Bruce.
253 notes · View notes
peachesofteal · 1 year ago
Text
Mermaids
Simon Riley masterlist
Tumblr media
Simon Riley/mermaid!reader 8.2k words - AO3 Warnings-tags: 18+ Minors DNI. Dark themes. Magical beings eating human hearts. Magic. Blood, Violence. Explicit sex. Blood kink. Breeding kink. Creampie. Dubious consent. Possessive Simon Riley. "And with your mermaid hair and your teeth so sharp, you crawled from the sea to break that sailor's heart" - F+TM
It begins early this year.
Earlier than usual, when your hunting ground in the mortal world was just starting to turn green, shaking its frosted and frozen branches free to make room for bright blooms and emerald leaves. Just as the steps of Brighton Pier changed from ice slick ledges to waterlogged, weeping wooden planks, and human clothing shifted from long coverings that protected their fragile membranes from the bitter wind to soft and flowing fabrics that allowed their bodies to breathe.
This time of the year the mortal world was alive. Full of rebirth and growth, strong and vibrant.
Vibrant, like the song that began early this year, the frequency echoing deep below the water’s surface to where you waited for its pull. The siren song of a true treasure, far beyond any other, the melody of your chosen, the ebb and flow of the rhythm that is not unlike the sea. The siren song of a mortal’s heart, the cacophony able to reach you and your sisters far below the swell and crash of the ocean, far beyond where the light ceases, the melody possessing the ability to pull you to the surface once a year.
Once a year, to hunt.
One a year, to dance and drink and fall in love, if only for a night.
Once a year, to sacrifice a human heart.
Your eldest sister holds you tight to her body in an embrace as the sun rises. Elegant fingers fuss with your hair, smoothing and tugging and pulling, a vain attempt at taming something wilder than her own heart. Her face is grim, a black void that reflects no joy or excitement, just dread. It is a mirror of yourself. It is a pain that you know too well.
“What bothers you?”
You are the last two left on the beach. The others have all gone, eager to stretch their legs and seek their own songs, the trill of the blood bubbling up in their veins, their bodies pulled like magnets to the source. One heart, one song, one human male for each sister, poor mortals who have no idea what awaits them today, their ignorance bliss on the last night of their lives. Your sisters, as well as you, all live for this night. The joy of the love, the thrill of the hunt, the taste of the ichor that sustains you. The anticipation of this night fills your dreams with swirls of violent songbird chords and sweet melodies of affection. It is all you talk about for cycles, leading up to the day when you leave the water at sunrise and your tail shifts and shatters to reveal two very human looking legs.
“I am weary.” She tells you plainly, an announcement that does not come as a surprise. You have watched how she fades. Watched her linger in the darkness of the caves, watched her float lifelessly on slow currents, gaze hollow, vigor lost. “My song is faint.” She pushes further, holding your hand tightly as she releases you from her embrace. “I think I may not take a heart this year.” But we must. Must we? It was a question unanswered, but one that plagued you both. How else could you live, if not for these sacrifices?
“You would choose to die.” You surmise and she gives you a curt nod, as if it is obvious. As if her admission does not rattle you down to your very bones. Perhaps you too, one day, would make this choice. Would choose not to hunt. Choose not to love and lose. The notion pains you, fills you with sorrow as it has for many, many years. This was not an unknown feeling, even though you still experienced the joy, the bliss of your hunting, of the harvesting, you still felt the pang of loss every time, stronger and stronger as the years ticked by.
“It aches now, knowing I will fall in love this night, just for it to end as the sun rises.” The sea crashes onto the beach behind the two of you, and her lips part with a smile before she leans in to graze a kiss along your cheek. “Happy hunting, my sister.”
The song encourages you onward, leading you through a maze of streets and buildings while the sun rises and lingers in the sky. You comb the city for your male, following the electric hum of the song through alleys and neighborhoods, stopping to enjoy the day, your one day on land, as often as you can. You relish in the things that are rare for you, the taste of coffee and human food, the smell of flowers in the park, the feel of grass on the bare pads of your feet. The dress you’ve chosen flutters in the breeze, allowing the cool air to caress your skin softly, and the sun beams down on your exposed limbs, warming you under its light as you indulge in mortal world. It is nice, you decide while you bask in its rays, to feel the sun as humans do. Such spoiled creatures, being so close to something that gives so much life.
That same sun begins to sink lower behind the skyline and you’re still mindlessly gazing at small insects and diving birds when your heart trills, the force of the song slamming between your ribs, a smattering of warning bells going off within you. He’s close, your blood croons, so, so close. The incessant rattle, the insistent pull is enough to bring you to your feet and anxiously smooth the wrinkles of your clothing, eyes darting wildly around while you hunt for the source, feet flying beneath you. So close, so close. 
You come to a stop in front of a pub where a black door is propped open, music and revelry echoing from inside. Here. He’s here. The supersonic vibrato that hums in your own blood draws you into the dimly lit bar, and you hear the song in his veins grow even stronger when you step through across the threshold. He is not hard to find, this close, and your magic strings out before you, weaving and seeking past the bodies that dance closely on the floor, each as desperate for one another as you have grown for your mortal and his song.
 He stands in the back, half covered by shadow, the dark pitch of the room matching his clothes and the mask he wears over most of his face. Everything about him is bigger than the males that have called to you in the past, his height, his arms, the width of his shoulders, even the feeling of him in this place. Everywhere you venture, every spot you position yourself in, you feel his eyes on you. He is unusual, and watches, from his vantage point, his companions, other humans, the bartender.
You perch atop a barstool on the opposite side of the room to study him. His eyes carry a ferocity, a heaviness of emotion that stirs the blood running through your own veins until it is pounding in your ears. The severity of him nearly intimidates you, the level of his awareness, the pools of his amber rich brown eyes occasionally flicking over to where your fingers wrap around a glass of beer, the heat of his gaze searing away at your skin underneath the dress. The mask confuses but does not caution you, and your own heart now beats in time with his due to your proximity. Handsome. You muse to yourself, caught up in tracing the outline of his cheekbones. Beautiful, in a dark way. 
There is something about him. Something ruinous, something different. Something you cannot name.
It is of no consequence. You are the huntress. You will have your prize, your immortality, the taste of his heart on your tongue. His death becomes your life. His love, his heart, becomes yours, for eternity.
But how nice, might it be, to keep this one? It is an impossible thought, a dreamless idea, but one that still crosses your mind. The fantasy of falling in love for eternity, of having more than one night, more than the blood and violence that follows, more than the loss that would sustain you. If it were to be one, you know you’d choose this one. Your thoughts stray to your sister for a moment, imagining her alone beneath the surface, mourning the centuries of life she has lived, the centuries of love she has lost. Did she know this feeling? This hopelessness, this despair. Your lips tug downward as you consider her words. It aches. It aches, knowing I will fall in love this night, only for it to end as the sun rises. Gloom washes through you, your own yearning itching inside your soul, your desperation for your human itching at your skin. It aches. It aches, it ach-
“Hello.” Someone says from behind you, a deep, distinct voice, and you snap upwards, straightening your posture to turn into the body that crowds you. You jerk backwards on the stool when you realize how close he is, the action unsettling you from your seat, and you slip forward, nearly falling free from your wooden perch. Balance on land is difficult, and yours is perpetually off, a skill you've never mastered. A massive hand wraps around your elbow to right you, gently steadying you, and your jaw goes slack when you finally look up.
It's him. 
“Hi.” You smile, trying to recover from your less than graceful impression. Your heart thunders in your chest, and the melody inside him screams for you.
“I’m Ghost.” He motions to your mostly empty beer and raises his completely barren one in return. “Buy you another?”
The indulgent smile that scrawls across your face is practically involuntary as you give your answer.
“Sure.”
His name isn’t Ghost, but he keeps his true name close and won’t give it to you. You give him a nickname, one you usually use on land, and he doesn’t bat an eye, even when you tell him it’s a pet name and not your real one with a wink. The name Ghost doesn’t strike you as odd, after learning what he does, why he keeps it tucked away, and you marvel at him while he tells gives you bits and piece of himself, occasionally peeling his mask up to drink. He’s a solider, a Lieutenant in a special task force, some of which he happens to be out with tonight. He likes bourbon, specifically from a certain region in America, and he smells like the forest. You lean closer, completely unable to stop yourself, inhaling as deeply as you can, breathing in the mossy, earthy, green scent that hovers in the air around him. It was heady, and endless, and wrapped you in a dizzying cocoon of memories that you couldn’t place, but clearly envisioned. Forests, teeming with life and glowing chartreuse from top to bottom, oceans with aquamarine waters, shallow pools for you to bathe in under the sun, the water crisp and cold, your skin eagerly soaking it up its potent brine. Sapphire skies, the beaches stretching on and on, their seas fathomless, their bounties endless. You push closer, nosing as near as you can to his skin and take a lungful of the air. Strange. You knew humans wore things to mask or change their scents, but had never encountered one so… affecting.
“Alright, love?” He brushes the lightest contact of his fingers against yours, and you straighten, eyes ducking down in embarrassment.
“Yes, sorry. I- I was… distracted.”
Unusual indeed. 
One drink turns to many, and you carefully note how Ghost’s posture becomes more relaxed, shoulders less tense as the two of you indulge. He continues to surveil the room, observing and cataloguing, and you find it dangerously appealing, how in tune he is to his surroundings. How vigilant. Your hand lays gently on his thigh when you can no longer hold off the desire for physical touch, and he inclines his head to speak above your ear, the warmth of his cheek behind the fabric pressed casually to your head.
“D’ya want to go somewhere else?” Yes. You nod, and he motions to his group before excusing himself, his large body cutting a path through the packed room like he’s parting the sea.
You note the couplings around the bar as Ghost approaches his companions, leaning down to speak to one who is seated, legs spread wide on a faux velvet chair. He has a mohawk, and cerulean blue eyes that trace you from head to toe after Ghost begins to walk back towards where you're seated. You break the eye contact hastily, observing the others, pity pulling on your heart strings over a distraught female who sits in a corner, watching another with longing. The state of her broken heart is written all over face, her body rife with grief. The object of her affection, another stunningly beautiful female, dances with a different mortal, her artfully woven hair spiraling from her shoulders in tune to the way she moves her body. They have it so hard, you think. The song does all the work for us. You never have to woo your mortals, just provide them with the opportunity to find you. The song pushes them to seek you out, drives them to near madness unless they are in your company. They don’t always love you back, as you love them, certainly. But you never have to vie for their attention, never have to posture for their affection.
A large hand takes yours, warm and beating with the pulse of his heart, the rhythm of the song.
“Ready?” You open your mouth to say yes but nothing comes out, and the feeling of dread, the ache swamps you for a passing second. I think I may not take a heart this year. All you can do is nod.
As he leads you through the crowd, you cannot help but reach forward with your free hand and clasp onto the dancing woman. She pauses, eyes lighting wantonly when she sees you, but you push a sprinkle of magic through her, sparking desire in the base of her consciousness for the mournful dove in the chair.
You don’t look back at either of them as you leave, and silently pray to no one that they find happiness in love, that they relish it and keep one another, if only for you.
You bring him to the beach, as is your custom. It was where you felt safest, closest to the ocean, it’s where your power felt most pure should you need it, should something go wrong. You shiver at the thought, shoving down the memories that threaten your balance, and you clutch Ghost’s hand.
“Come down here often?” He inquires and you shrug, a response you know mortals are fond of.
“I like it here.” You offer, and he hums in acknowledgement. You tug him towards the overhang of the pier, where the shadows will shield you, where no one dares to venture. The only light comes from the moon, it’s silver glow glittering dimly through worn wooden pier slats, and you watch it catch his eye, his pupil expanding and contracting as you step closer and closer. “I want to kiss you.” you implore. “Will you remove your mask?” The song. You’re depending on the song to help you with this, depending on his desire, the power of the melody in his veins to urge him to comply with your request, and when he tilts his head like he’s considering you, you hold your breath.
It happens quickly. He removes the mask in a fluid motion, and then his lips are upon yours, hot and seeking, tongue exploring your mouth while yours opens for him, your body clenching with dizzying desire at the feel of his touch against your skin. 
“I knew it.” You gasp when you pull away and trace the fine point of a fingernail down his jaw. “I knew you were breathtaking under there.” He chuckles.
“Happy you think so.”
Your mouths melt together as he holds you around the waist, your bodies getting closer and closer until you can feel the hardness of his cock in his jeans, feel the scorching heat of him through his clothes. You are desperate for this mortal, your desire to feel him moving inside of you nearly as strong as the lust you feel to taste his heart. You sink to the sand together, a dance of limbs and movements that have you panting astride him when he settles, propped up on his elbows.
“Simon.” He says mid breath. “That’s my name. Want ya to have it.” Simon. 
“Simon.” You whisper it, and he nods before pulling you back to him, two large palms cradling your face like you’re a delicate creature. It makes you feel special, makes you feel cherished, like you’re something gentle to be treasured, and not a monster out for his life. You kiss him tenderly, one more time, as softly as you can manage, your heart trembling inside your chest, before your teeth bite into his lip, the ferocious intensity of the act returned by him, his mouth meeting yours full force. You bite again, and this time his flesh gives way, bright, mineral rich blood bubbling from the tiny cut and you eagerly lap at it, the ichor coating your tongue and exploding across your senses. He laughs, the echo of it rumbling deep in his chest, and you place your hand against his heart greedily, the vigor of its beating nearly making your eyes roll back into your head. The length of his cock throbs between your legs, where only the fabric of his jeans separates you, and you rut against him helplessly. Sparks ignite between you, your body shuddering when his hands hook into your hip, strong grip guiding your movements against him. Your magic swells inside of you, and your head spins.
Take him, take him. Take his heart, take his song. Have him, his love, his heart, for eternity, forever. 
You push him onto his back, dress rucked up around your hips, fabric pooling around the two of you.
“I want you.” you tell him, fingers fussing with his clothes, encouraging him to strip his shirt free and then unbutton his jeans. It’s messy, uncoordinated, and sloppy but you can’t find a care. You’re too filled with want, overflowing with desire for your mortal, your desperation mounting as he stills you, tracing a finger over your ribs and then down your pubic bone to where your slick, silken folds wait to be touched.
“Simon.” you whisper his name again, the word close to begging, and he shushes you, swirling a finger down where you’re leaking, circling the swollen bud of your clit with agonizing strokes that fill your senses with electricity.
“Shhh. I know what you need.” He soothes, and deftly pushes a finger inside of you, stroking along your walls. You shiver, face dropping into the crook his neck, and he turns his head so that the soft puff of his breath wafts over your skin as you whimper. “Does that feel good?” He asks, pressing another inside, his thumb flicking over your clit in lackadaisical patterns. You moan, body welcoming his touch, and you nip at the skin of his shoulder, eager to tear it apart, to taste his blood again. His other hand pushes at the back of your head, until your teeth are flush with his skin. “Go on.” He urges, and your eyes slip closed with bliss while you break the thin membrane, blood pooling to the surface as he lets out a small grunt. Your tongue swirls in it, painting his skin ruby, and you drag your lips downward, over where his heart pounds wildly in his chest. For you. It pounds for you. It sings for you. 
“I need you inside me.” He pulls at the straps of the dress, divesting you of the top, exposing your breasts to the cool air and silver light of the moon. His thumb rolls one of your nipples and you feel for him, already free from his under garment, the things humans wear under their outside clothes, and you swallow when you feel the size in your fingers.
You sink down onto him with a hiss, body stretching for the intrusion, cunt spasming around the width and length as it fights to make room. He pets your hip soothingly, and you sit straight up, letting out a cry when you feel the true length of his cock inside you, the absolute fullness of it nearly seated in your belly. When you look back down, your eyes trace the smear of blood from his lips and shoulder, and your tongue darts out against your own skin, seeking the flavor of ichor that waits on the corner of your mouth.
Something glitters in his eyes, something shifting as if he finally recognizes the danger he’s in. Even here, with you astride him, split open his cock, hips stuttering in slow circles, wariness flexes across his face as if he knows, finally, that he is the prey and you the predator.
“It’s okay, do not be afraid.” You reassure him, stroking a fingernail over his breastbone, to where his heart flutters beneath your touch. He blinks, eyes blissfully blank, the firm grip of his hand on your hip relaxing before he says:
“Will you not tell me your name?” A long sigh slips between your teeth. Mortals. So hung up on familiarity. But how could you refuse a dying man his last request? Your lips kiss the shell of his ear as you give it to him, the point of your fingernail pressing into his delicate flesh, desperate to seek the strong muscle beneath, the song in his blood echoing through your own bones with supersonic vibration. The sounds and colors of the mortal realm all increase, too bright, too loud, everything shaking like the earth is suddenly trembling and then-
Something snaps inside of you. Magic, raw and powerful, a force unlike anything you’ve ever felt spills into you, your body being washed over with the rush of floodwaters, your heart and blood now singing for him, yearning for him, desperate to be consumed by him. 
Yours. Yours. Yours. 
The claim burns beneath your skin, your magic twisting away into something completely new, something more powerful as your mind grapples with the changing reality.
In the next moment, you’re spinning, tumbling through the air until you’re on your back, splayed beneath him, hands trapped at your sides. Your legs are folded underneath the width of his torso, your body opened for him just so, the head of his cock pressing against your cervix, stretching the slick walls of your cunt with each punishing thrust.
“I-“ the words are cut off sharply when he seals his mouth to yours, teeth gnashing and gnawing down from your lips to your jaw and then up to you ear.
“You,” He punctuates the word with a sharp thrust, and you gasp. “are mine, little huntress.” It is a vow, snarled through clenched teeth, and your own body betrays you by tightening around him, eager and willing to be claimed. The air is hot, humid and electric with magic, the burning effects of your error travelling through your every vein, every cell of skin. The utterance of your name, the act of your own foolishness strings heavily between you, while your body tenses underneath him.
“Simon.” You breathe and he only nods, holding your cheek in a gentle palm, stroking a loving touch across your face.
“Sweet little Nereid...” He names your kind with a growl, and your heart slams in your chest, his cock thrusting into your cunt wildly, desperately. “More beautiful than the sea herself.” The laugh is crooned, like the satisfying scratch of a needle against a record, and his fingers stroke your clit while he presses himself to you, your hips pinned beneath his weight, your body immobile. “Did you truly believe me to be a mortal?” He smiles darkly, lips curling with sinister satisfaction, and you feel the cold hand of fate reaching into your own chest cavity, rooting around in your soul until magic is searing across your skin, a bending and scraping feeling digging underneath your ribs, your own magic twisting and clawing until it burns away into something new, something changed, something imbued with him.
No. It’s not possible. 
“You… you’re-“
“Yes.” 
Simon cares little for the mortal realm. It’s pace and its noise and its scents are all cloying to him, obnoxious and foreign, the general rush of its inhabitants and their lack of care for their world offensive to him and his kind. They do not care for their realm, and do not take care of it ether, instead choosing to let it rot and fester beneath their feet, their drive and determination to outdo one another single handedly responsible for the destruction of most of their world. They call it something here, 'capitalism', like naming it will excuse it, while Simon just calls it murder, and greed.
Mortals and their extreme indifference do allow him certain things, however. Their love of violence and obsession with wealth put even the most well-off of his kind to shame at times. His kind loved things that shone, certainly. But mortals? They loved things that bled. It was this lust for power, this ravenous streak of greed that gave him the opportunity to position himself as he has.
As a hunter. A killer. A ghost.
Simon had been hunting for the thing he loved for a very, very long time.
And tonight, he was finally going to bring you home.
The first time Simon saw you; over a century ago, it was beneath Brighton Pier. You had a human male panting after you as you walked beneath the wooden overhang, your hand cupping his cheek softly, eyes full of tenderness and love. Simon, and the man, were both entranced by your beauty, the way your body moved under the night sky, how your skin seemed to glitter against the sand. Simon watched as you led him to where the moon couldn’t reach, beneath the shield of the slats, the dark of the evening hiding you from all prying, curious eyes, except for his.
He watched you take the male inside your body, watched you lavish your tongue across his neck and chest, watched your lips form sweet words of reassurance and honey while you tasted his blood. He watched the nails of your fingers gleam in the low light, watched them sharpen and then dig, scratching and clawing beneath the threads of the male’s skin, until you held an ichor rich organ in your palm, a complex system of vessels and ventricles, it’s sinew glowing red beneath your touch. He stood in awe as you devoured it, your feeding turning into a frenzy as you consumed it piece by piece, the male bleeding out and dying slowly, all while still buried inside your cunt.
After your feast, you dragged the male’s lifeless body down the sand to the water with you, where you pulled it beneath the waves, never to be seen again. Surprised, and intrigued, he stood at the water’s edge, watching the tide that was tinged red lap calmly at the shore. He knew humans had a taste for blood, but this was another desire onto itself. What were you? 
The following year, Simon couldn’t help but return to the same area in hopes of spotting you again, the creature unknown to him, a mystery begging to be unraveled. You appeared at dawn on the same day, with a horde of others, who then dispersed into the city and surrounding areas, following the sound of a song he could not hear. He became a creature obsessed, tracking your every movement, watching your every hunt and sacrifice. He stood in the dark while you made love to the mortals whose lives you would take, watched you hunt with wild abandon, watched you enjoy the small, tiny things in your eternal life that others often overlook. He began to know you, began to learn what you liked and didn't, began to learn what made you smile. 
You became the brightest spot in his own too long existence, the yearly reminder of love, of vitality, of life. He loved you, desperately, recklessly so. His dreams were filled with soft, sweet visions of you, bloody moments of passion and adoring, lingering kisses that he swore he could still feel when he woke.
It took time, too long of a time, before he discovered who, or what, you were. He spent a century trying to learn how to lure you to the surface. Simon tore apart libraries, bargained favors across dimensions, granted wishes and wove powerful spells just to trade for information on you and your sisters, the Nereids, the lasting remnant of a forgotten power, reclusive magic lurking inside the deepest depths, a realm inside a realm, never to be discovered unless you wished it so. And even then, the additional answers he sought were scarce.
Every year, he returned to the human realm to see you, tucking himself away in cloaks of magic and darkness so that he could creep as close as possible to you. Every year, he watched you hunt, watched you capture your prey effortlessly and consume their heart. He watched you shed a tear for them. Watched your drag their corpses down the beach to the sea, where you carried them into the water with you before disappearing all together.
Eventually, time began to change you. He watched you regard your lovers, your mortals with callousness, and cruelty. He watched you treat them with tenderness, and adoration, caring for them, making their ends sweet and soothing their fears. He watched you stand on the beach for hours at dawn and try to fight the urge to hunt. He burned to take you away from this world, to sever you from your ocean, bring you home to him, but your kind did not live in his realm. He was unsure how to sustain your life, and the search for answers was slow. Years went by, and the soft dreams that he had always welcomed turned to nightmares, fueled by the fear he’d lose you before he even had the chance to try to bring you home. 
A decade ago, he watched you falter. Your body trembled as you took your sacrifice, your cries so hysterical he was certain you’d draw the entire block to where you hid in the shadow of someone’s gaff. His own body was rigid with tense, untethered magic that sought to lash out, and he was rife with worry that you’d give yourself away, you’d be caught by some mortal force and unable to return to the sea when the sun rose. The fear he felt was unreasonable, uncontainable. He'd level the city to protect you, to keep you safe, and he nearly did. He almost took you, that night. Was quite close, so close that he was crossing the street in front of vehicles and preparing to pull you into his realm when you composed yourself and completed your harvest, the glowing organ in your hands proof of your will to live, to love.
He rarely left the mortal realm after that. Only to seek his final answer and solidify his plan, his masquerade as the masked Ghost allowing him to exist in the realm indefinitely, giving him the availability to be close for when the time was right, for when you would be ready.  
A year ago, you were the last to return to the water, your steps slow and clumsy, your eyes tired and weepy. You appeared satisfied, but as you looked back on the city from the shoreline, he saw the hint of desolation in your eyes, the shadow of dejection haunting your face.
It was more than enough, to spring him into action. More than enough, to find your promised mortal for next year and steal his song, bringing it into himself by a small piece of blood magic, something so simple and obvious Simon cursed himself for not realizing sooner.  
This morning, as he observed you and your sister on the beach, he knew he had been right. He could see it in your face. The pain of sadness, of loss twisting your elegance into an ache, those feelings compounded by the admission of your eldest sibling. This could be your last hunt.
It was time to bring you home. Forever. 
“That her then?” Johnny nods, indicating he’s looking the same direction as Simon, watching you walk down the curb, paper coffee cup clutched in your hands, face smiling at the sun.
“Yes.” Simon answers, shifting uncomfortably. The bloody song has been heating his flesh for weeks, boiling in his veins and driving him practically mad. Nymph magic. Its incessant hum has been battling his own power, jockeying for position as it worked to pull you to the surface. Combined with his own, he wasn’t surprised it possessed the ability to bring you up earlier than normal, encouraging you and your sisters through the depths and to the shore. If his blood was singing, then so was every other poor sod’s in this city. 
You cross the street into the park, dress swaying around your hips, and he indulgently stares at the form of your body, the set of your shoulders, the texture of your hair. He closes his eyes to breathe, reaching into himself to get a handle on the battle of will going on in his blood, the warring magic factions pushing and pulling beneath his skin, begging to be let out, trying to lash out. Soon. He reassures himself. She will be with him soon. 
He can smell you from here. You’re ripe. Overflowing, your scent is like a flickering ocean breeze, briny and cold but full of life, of promise. You’re ready, ready to be taken from this awful realm, ready to be bent underneath his body, ready to be crying on his cock as you come while he floods your womb with himself and his power, tying you to him for all eternity.
That is, if he can get you to relinquish your name.
It is a key piece of his plan, and the one that worries him the most. 
He knows you do not give it freely; knows you keep it guarded. It’s like you’re already aware that he waits in the shadows for you, watching, keeping track of every step you take, every year, from sunup to the next, until you slink beneath the water where he cannot follow.
The pressure inside his body is nearly unbearable by the time you step into the pub. Dozens of heads turn towards you, mortals’ eyes roving all over your body like you’re a treat for them, like you’re something delicious they’ll have an opportunity to taste. Foolish, greedy mortals, too busy staring dreamily at you to recognize the predator that you are, or the predator he is, oblivious to the two hunters in the room with them right now. He wonders, if you'd bathe in their blood, given an opportunity. The image makes him smile. 
Johnny clears his throat expectantly, and Simon nods, casting a glance over to where Gaz sits with a pretty female on his lap, her attentions focused solely on him, her eyes heavily lidded with lust. Johnny gives him a nod.
“Good luck.” He offers and Simon waves him off. He’s no need for luck. His blood sings your song.
“Ready?” He nearly loses control when he watches your face fill with despair for a moment after his question, his aching need to soothe and comfort you almost forcing his hands out to touch you. I'm here, little huntress. You are not alone anymore. He cannot tell you this, not yet. So instead, he applies pressure to your hand gently and waits. When you nod, he breathes just a tiny bit easier. 
He cannot stay in this place any longer. The eyes, the mortals, their inane thirst for alcohol and violence starting to scratch underneath his skin. He needed you, needed your name, needed to take you home to his realm, and all this noise and smoke and foul-smelling liquor stood in his way. The feeling of your hand in his soothes him, calms the anxious explosion that’s building in his chest, but it’s not enough. Nothing will be enough, until he has what he wants.
On the way out, he does not miss your little spell. He is, and has been, the most powerful creature in this room. He has felt every ounce of magic used, by you, by Johnny, by Kyle, all night long. It makes his heart swell when he feels your effort to push the dancing female into the arms of her scorned lover, makes his heart soar when he realizes perhaps, you have not given up on love, on life. Perhaps, you just need something else, something other than the hunt, to live for.
He allows you to take your time beneath the Pier. He cannot rush you, cannot allow you the feeling of anything being amiss, being off. You are so close to the sea, so close to the edge of the water that if he spooks you, it will be too easy for you to slip away. Too easy for you to be lost beneath the surface, again, just as you have been for hundreds of years.
When your teeth tear into his flesh he nearly moans, almost loses control again, but tamps down the urge to spring forward and toss you into the sand beneath him. He needs your name, needs your name so bloody badly it has his head spinning, his entire being desperately urging him to act, to claim, to take you. Your cunt is searing hot around his cock, your body shivering in his arms as you rock your hips delicately, eyes watching him half addled, crazed with the lust for his blood, for his heart.
“Will you not tell me your name?” He thrusts slowly up into you, and pity flashes across your features as you bend forward to brush your mouth against your ear. He feels your lips part, hears the intake of your breath and then-
You’re his. The magic begins immediately, bonding you to him, searing you into his soul and vice versa, the song in his blood slipping away until all he feels is the combined force of your power and his, the melding of souls and magic that will guarantee your existence in his realm, by his side, guaranteeing your survival, your ability to thrive. He takes advantage of your confusion, of the chaos that rises in your heart and flips you on your back, spreading your thighs wide beneath him and plunging his cock as deep as he can. So close. So, so close, and then you will be truly his, for as long as you both shall live. 
“I-“
“You,” he thrusts harder, desperate to claim you. “are mine, little huntress.” He hisses it, pushing the words forward with the brunt of his power, and you gasp before whispering his name.
“Sweet little Nereid…more beautiful than the sea herself.” He kisses your throat, stroking your clit at a torturous pace while your confused gaze tracks his every movement. “Did you truly believe me to be a mortal?” The magic pushes through your blood and bones, continuing to stitch and sear you to him, and he can’t help the feelings of possession that come over him.
His. His. His. 
His magic cuts and gnaws at your own, ripping and shredding it to bits until it’s infected with him, the strength of your name, your free admission to him, turning you inside out, changing the very chemistry of your body. He watches with dark satisfactions as your face shifts, your lips parting with understanding, eyes widening with your knowledge of the truth.
“You… You’re-“ Clever little huntress.
“Yes.” He purrs, and punches his cock back up inside of you, pressing close to your cervix, your body wet and needy, just for him. You shudder and blink hazily, confusion flickering across your features while his magic roots around inside of you and binds you to him, cell by cell. He can still smell you, smell the cool salt air of the sea that comes from your skin, smell the ripeness of your body, your willingness spilling forward in the air, the scent of sweet honeysuckle and sea holly. Your thighs tighten around his hips, your body rocking swiftly in time with him while your brow furrows, like you’re not sure what you should be doing. He licks at the stain of his blood on your lips, his tongue pushing into your mouth, and you let out a sharp whine, small hands flexing against his chest.
“No.” you admonish, face stricken. “No. No, you t-tricked me.”
“I did.” He agrees, reaching between the two of you to rub your clit in a swift circle, your breath hitching. Your face twists into something sour, but your cunt clenches around him, and his lips curl into a crescent moon smirk. “Are you going to come on my cock, sweet one?”
“Unnf.” You moan nonsense, turning your face away from him but he does not stop, hips snapping against yours, his body working to bring yours closer and closer to its climax.
“I think you are.” He hisses and grips your jaw to turn your eyes back to him. They’re wet with tears, but he doesn’t see fear in them, doesn’t see the despair. Only flares of rage, and the heat of desire, the electricity of the magic that is now shared between the two of you. He smiles triumphantly. “I think,” he relaxes his pace, dragging his cock out of you painstakingly slowly, gaze never leaving your lovely face. “you’re going to come for me, and then I’m going to breed you, little huntress.” You tense around him, squeezing his cock, the words pulling a delicious, physical reaction from you that shakes his focus for a moment. His palm lays flat over your lower belly, low enough that his thumb can feel the hardness of your clit, can stroke around it’s hood while you gasp and convulse in his arms. You shake your head stubbornly, chest heaving for breath, and he slams himself back into you, your spine curling forward into his chest.
“Gods.” You cry out, fingers scrambling for something to hold onto, finding his shoulders and sinking deep, deep enough that he knows you're drawing blood. It oozes from the tiny wounds, tracing down his skin and when you pull away, your fingers have been darkened with it.
He watches with small wonder as you slip them into your mouth, face going slack with bliss, cunt spasming around him while he strokes deep. His skin prickles, mouth finding yours again, and you moan into him, uninhibited, full of abandon.
“I have watched you for over a century, my sweet Nereid. Watched you hunt, watched you love, watched you lose.” He slows to look down at you, caressing your face with a gentle touch. “I have watched the light fade from your eyes, watched despair take over your existence.” Your gaze widens, mouth dropping open in surprise, and then closing abruptly, eyes softening around the corners.
“Simon.” You murmur, pressing your finger to the weeping wound from your teeth.
“My huntress. You will never be alone again.” He noses your jaw, licking and sucking against your skin, cold brine exploding against his tongue. Your scent crests, peaking with the honey flower and salt, your body yearning beneath him, cunt milking his cock. “Come for me.” He encourages when he knows it’s time, when he sees the glossy want all over your face. It doesn’t take much urging, another stroke of your clit and you’re coming, body locking up around him, muscles straining as you cry out, face full of bliss and legs tense around his hips. You clamp down around him, holding him deep inside your body like a vice but he works you through it, thrusting slowly inside your scorching cunt, your walls desperately trying to keep him inside. “There you go.” He soothes, fucking you through the aftershocks, your face still twisted up. “That’s just what I needed.” The orgasm makes your more pliable, more soft and less angry, and he sees in your eyes what he knows to be true. You want this. Perhaps this is not what you would have chosen at first, perhaps the magic was too strong in your veins in the beginning, but your body knows what your mind works to accept. You are choosing this, choosing him, over the hunt. Over the sacrifice. Over the immortal life of loss.
So, so close.
He folds your legs towards your chest, opening you deeper and you mewl, lips parted in dazed, post orgasm glow. He can’t help but kiss you again and again, his painfully slow thrusts forcing irritated breaths to puff from your nose.
“Something you want?” He teases, and you nod, pressing your face into his shoulder and groaning into his skin.
“Simon. Please.” You voice breaks, and he feels your cunt pool around him, liquid heat forcing him to grit his teeth in an effort to stave off his own orgasm.
Ask me for it, little huntress. 
“Please, what?” He mocks, thumb pressing down on your clit hard, causing you to keen. He doesn’t move, just stays steady inside of you, your cunt working pull him deeper.
“Please, please. I want-“ you gasp when he bites the skin of your neck, and he smiles wickedly. Your cunt practically strangles him now, body working to drag his orgasm from him, magic singing in both of your hearts.
His. His. His. 
Yours. Yours. Yours. 
Your scent overpowers him, the swell of the ocean behind him combined with the salt of your essence pulling him harder into your gravity.
“What do you want?”
“I want your come.” You beg and he snarls, finally losing control, fucking into your eager body with abandon, hard and punishing while you moan and cry beneath him. He takes your earlobe in his teeth before whispering a vow:
“Then you shall have it.” He plays with your clit, the intensity of his strokes matching the pace of his thrusts and you pant eagerly. “You shall have it every day until you are full of me, full with my child.”
“Yes.” You moan, and he feels you moving towards another climax, your muscles spasming and eyes slipping shut.
“I’m going to breed you, give you my baby, sweetling. Make you mine, forever.” Your back arches and you wail, your cunt clamping down on him again, and he thrusts as deep as he can, chasing his release, fueling his burning desire to empty himself inside of you. He lets go completely, untethers his magic, lets it fully fuse with yours as he spills inside of you, the pressure of his orgasm working against your aftershocks, and your own magic that wraps itself wildly around him, clawing at the seat of his power, desperate to attach itself.
Yours. Yours. Yours. 
His. His. His. 
You fall asleep on his chest, body relaxed and sated, mouth open in a small o. He needs to get you up, needs to get you ready to travel to his realm but in this moment, he’s content to sit here, against the old wooden pier, timing the rise and fall of your breathing and planning for the future, for eternity.
“Will you care for her?” A musical voice asks from a short distance, and his head snaps up to see your sister, the one you stood with on the beach this morning, inclining her head towards your peaceful, sated body that sits snugly in his arms.
“Always.” He promises, and she nods, eyes looking down the shoreline.
“I am happy for her.” She looks sad, forlorn, not unlike how you appeared hours ago.
“It is not too late, for you to hunt. There is still plenty of time before the sunrise.” He tries to encourage, and she nods.
“Perhaps.” Simon briefly wonders if Kyle or Johnny are still in town, a sinister idea forming in his mind, taking shape before his very eyes. He pushes, just the gentlest bit of magic, the piece that’s mixed with yours, towards her. A long moment passes, and then, “I think I’ll walk.” She motions up the pier and gives a goodbye nod, as he strokes a hand down your spine when you shiver in his arms.
You do not stir until she is a speck on the horizon, and when you do, you lift your head wearily, like you’ve slept for a thousand years.
“What’s going on?” you murmur, shifting your dress so it covers your thighs. He presses a light kiss to your forehead before giving an answer.
“We’re going home now, little huntress.”
2K notes · View notes
dragonnarrative-writes · 3 months ago
Text
Transferrable Skills Part 4
Transferrable Skills Masterlist
CW: POV depiction of anxiety and dissociation, How It's Made, reader character wearing a wig (positive, protective style), Soap (nosy), mention of sex toys, Simon Riley Is Honesty Just A Big Guy (TM),
Tumblr media
Simon and Price are gone for less than a minute before you feel awkward. You’re almost done with the water, so you look around for the TV remote. It’s Gaz, absurdly pretty for some kind of international British SWAT team, who hands it to you with a half smile before wandering off, you assume to the bathroom.
That leaves you clicking through the TV while Soap does something on his phone. All of the local channels are in German, you know, so you look for something to stream. You chance a sidelong glance at Soap, but he’s already looking at you. He grins when you make eye contact.
“So yer LT’s girl, then?”
Fuck, that’s not a question you know how to answer. “Um.”
“Leave it, Soap,” Gaz says, returning from the bathroom. He smiles at you as he pockets his phone. “You don’t have to tell us anything you’re not comfortable with. Lieutenant Riley’s a private person, we understand.”
“That’s… it’s okay.” You tap into the PictureTime channel, since it’s not one you usually have access to. As you browse through the educational options - ooh, How It’s Built! - you say, “I think we’re both… a bit surprised to see each other here.”
“I can’t imagine,” Gaz says, sitting down at the other end of the couch. “Oh, I’ve not seen this one on puzzles and cheesecake.”
You tap into it, because you like puzzles, cheesecake, candles, and paintbrushes. Just in time to finish your water bottle. The armchair is a bit narrow and awkward, so you wiggle the cushion from behind your back so you can plop it, and yourself, onto the ground. You shuffle your legs to start your warm up as the theme song plays.
“How'd'ye come to answerin’ LT like yer military?” Soap asks. “’Acknowledge’, ‘acknowledged’, all o’ that?”
“Oh,” you answer, without thinking about it. “That’s just our protocol, to make sure I understand his directions.”
“’E’s givin’ you enough directions to need protocols?” He gives you a considering once-over. “Interestin’. Impressive that it held up in an emergency. That takes practice.”
Shit. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“’S he your, what’er they called? Dominant partner, then?”
God, Simon, why didn’t you take this one with you? “I’m… not at liberty to say?”
“Leave her alone, Soap,” Gaz says, exasperated. He tosses a throw pillow at Soap’s head. “She’s in shock, Simon’s trying to keep her calm and comfortable.”
“Ghostie adopts a civilian an’ ah’m supposed to have nae questions?” Soap grins at you. “She’s got a signal if she dinnae want to talk. Four fingers, right?”
“Bother Ghost about it, later,” Gaz says. He turns to you. “Do you know what you want to eat? There’s a few places open.”
Soap doesn’t pester you, after that. The three of you settle on Mediterranean food, and then they summarily leave you alone. Gaz seems content to watch the show, though Soap watches you do your floor stretches curiously.
You could probably have moved to another stretch a while ago, but you’re still in your work slacks and blouse. You think longingly of the yoga pants you laid out on your bed before leaving for meetings. And then you cringe to think of Simon coming in to sweep through the room and pack up all of your things. You hadn’t packed a lot, but you’d unpacked into the space to make yourself comfortable.
You realize that your sex toy is charging in the bedside table and cringe. You hope he doesn’t notice it. It’s good quality, but you can always buy another one.
And then you start to worry about your phone. You’d left your personal in the room because of the time zone change slowing down all of your personal messages. You’d lost your work phone and computer today with… everything that happened. Were people trying to get a hold of you? Had news of the incident made it to the US? Would Simon see your embarrassing phone background?
You resist the urge to get up and pace. Instead, you settle into butterflying your legs.
“You need more water?” Gaz’s voice startles you, but you nod and he passes a bottle to you on the floor. “Cap says that they’re done with the official stuff, he’s grabbing food while Ghost grabs your things. Probably less than an hour before they get back.”
Your anxiety shouts that that isn’t enough time. But since you can’t definitively answer the question For what?, you take a breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.”
Maybe it’s because your heart is beating a little faster, muscles a bit warmer, but you have trouble settling Into the show. Your mind races. You have to remind yourself to relax, then have to clamber to your feet and shuffle off to the bathroom because you relaxed your pelvic floor a little too much.
Your eyes in the mirror are a little too wide. The wig - every time you wear a good one, you almost forget you’re wearing it - is holding up admirably, at least. It feathers around your face, a bit squished where you slept on it. But with the smudged eyeliner and mascara you can kind of pretend you’re in an action movie.
Thank goodness agent Ghost rescued me and the other hostages, you think to yourself, pouting your lips dramatically as you wash your hands.
The last time you washed your hands there was a dead body on the floor.
“Nope,” you say aloud, practically flinging yourself into the bedroom. “Nope. Nope.”
You pace in a tight circle, kicking the door closed when you catch Gaz and Soap looking at you with concerned eyes. Two circuits later, the room is too small, so you open the door again and shuffle out to sit in the armchair again, one leg pulled up for you to wrap your arms around.
Throwing your mind into action shots of specialty machinery, you try to force yourself to settle. Your whole body feels like it will shake apart if you pay too much attention to it, so you don’t pay it any attention at all. The episode ends and rolls into the next one, so you learn about bird cages and automated pharmacy drones. You hear Gaz say something soft, and Soap answers, the burr of his voice just as quiet, mixing pleasantly with the murmur of the narrator.
You must lose time, again, because the next thing you know, Simon is crouching in front of you again. Big hands smooth over your arms, and he shushes you as you jump.
“Got y’r stuff,” he says. “Where’s your head at?”
You open your mouth, close it. Hold up four fingers.
“Mm, day’s catchin’ up, again. Go into the bedroom, get changed. No zippers or clasps. Buttons okay. Acknowledge.”
“Bedroom, change clothes,” you confirm, heaving a big sigh. “Comfy. Acknowledged.”
He helps you stand, and you can’t help but tip forward to put your face into his chest. He smells a little. Like stale sweat and gunpowder. His arms stop yours when they come up for an automatic hug.
“Go change,” he whispers into the top of your head, “An’ I’ll get rid of the rest of ‘em, eh?”
The haze around you pops. That’s the only way to describe it. One minute, everything is distantly fuzzy, and the next thing you know you can feel the circulation of the air in the room and his heartbeat against your forehead. The TV is quieter, and you can hear Price and Gaz and Soap talking between themselves.
“Acknowledged,” you say into his sternum. “Gotta go change.”
He has to gently guide you around his bulk. But eventually you shuffle back into the bedroom. Your suitcase is waiting for you in the far corner, and it doesn’t take you long to dig out your lounge wear. Soft, thin pants with cartoon dogs on them and an oversized tee you got from a fundraiser. And then you take both off because that’s not sexy.
Why didn’t I pack nicer stuff? Can I play off these lacy panties as sleep wear? He saw it all and packed it, he probably clocked those as the only sexy thing I have. You shake your head at yourself. He said to wear something comfortable. He knows what you have. This is fine.
Your friend’s son’s basketball mascot grins up at you. You decide to compromise and switch the shirt for a black cami you usually wear under a nice blouse.
When you peek out of the room, Simon’s in the middle of the couch, and he’s blocked one end by dragging the table closer to where he’s sitting. His jeans have been traded for black sweats, but you can’t tell if his black shirt is new or not. Somehow, he looks bigger, but in a nice way. Softer. If a brick shit-house could look soft. A brick book nook.
“’Ey, pretty girl,” he says, leaning enough to put an arm across the back of the couch. “Come sit, we’re gonna eat and then we’re gonna talk.”
When you get close, you realize that there’s not enough room for both of you to sit unless you’re half on top of him.
You want to throw yourself entirely into his lap. But you can smell the food now, and you’re so hungry. So you perch as much of your ass on the couch as you can and swing your legs over one of his. You meet his eyes just as his arm comes down across your thighs. His hand cups the outside of your leg in a way that makes you remember what he said.
He’s not letting you go, now.
287 notes · View notes
theminecraftbee · 10 months ago
Note
minotaur Joe for the fanon swap prompts? i feel like he'd do something very philosophical and Joe(tm) about mythology. or butterfly/moth Joe?
After waking up with a headache and looking in the mirror to shave, Joe pauses. He stares at his reflection in the mirror. For the past several days, he hadn't thought anything of it; it's usual enough, for a hermit to start to get weird as the day of the start of a new project approaches. Why, if all that moon stuff hadn't happened, Joe can only imagine what growing snakes would have been like for Cleo.
He wonders if it was anything like this: Joe wakes up, stretches, hears weird clacking as he goes to the bathroom, goes to grab his razor, and rather abruptly realizes that he doesn't have a beard, or, rather, that since he now has a bull's head, he has far more beard than can possibly be reasonably shaved, and he should throw the whole concept of 'shaving a beard' out the window.
"Huh," he says. "I guess growing horns does give people a headache? Who knew?"
If his voice is wavering as he says it, well, no one's around to hear. They're between seasons, and while Joe is sharing a server with several hermits at the moment, his mountain lodge doesn't have much by way of neighbors. He's alone to have this horrible revelation.
"How will the bunny ears look with the bull head?" he asks himself. He tries to picture the result and, determining it a little less existentially terrifying than a sudden, unplanned change of species, decides to put them on. He nods. "I am a Playboy Minotaur," he mutters to himself. "I am confident! Composed! Perhaps even a sexyman? Eh, I'll workshop it. I wonder if there's better-matching armor for this..."
He hitches in his morning routine when he realizes the weird clacking he'd been hearing had been hooves. Realistically, he should now be wondering how well any of his boots will fit, now that he doesn't really have toes, and if he needs to be shoed, like a horse might, to protect the hooves from damage instead. Realistically, he should be contacting Iskall about whatever modifications need to be made for the remainder of his time hunting vaults before season 10 starts. Realistically, he should be hunting down one of the less-human hermits and asking if eating burgers to gain levels is now cannibalism. All of these things are realistic concerns that he can bother people about right now, if he wants to!
Unrealistically, he's thinking more about a conversation he'd had with Cub the other day as he stares at his hooves, hands shaking far, far more than he'd care to admit.
They'd been arguing about who Daedalus was.
It had started when they started planning together. Joe had mentioned wanting to build a labyrinth a little bit ago, and Cub, who apparently loved building mazes, was going to help out with the planning. With any luck, all of the hermits were going to help build it! He'd rambled about giving himself a bit of themeing about Theseus as a result, about conquering this whole labyrinth build, this project he'd designed not to really have an end. About having to guide himself in and out through twisting tunnels.
Cub had then pointed out that if Joe had been building it, that technically makes him Daedalus; the one guy who knew the layout, the genius inventor building the trap for the server, designing its hallways. Joe had argued that was who Cub would be; Cub is the expert madman inventor being brought on, and Joe just like, wanted to build a maze. Cub had said that that sort of made Joe Minos then, but given season seven, the guy who once got cursed to turn everything he touched to gold didn't feel very fitting. Joe had agreed it hadn't fit. Maybe they'd split Daedalus then, if Theseus was a little too thematically muddled?
They'd laughed about it. Joe hadn't really intended for the maze to be based on myth, anyway. That would be stealing Cleo's bit, and he knows better than to do that.
And yet.
"We didn't consider I might be the Minotaur," Joe says to no one in particular. "You know. Of the figures associated with the Labyrinth, we didn't consider the big bull trapped in the middle. I should tell Cub we forgot about that one. It'll be a real laugh."
He can't quite say out loud the thing he's really thinking, which is this:
Well, if the universe has decided the guy with the maze won't be the hero, or the inventor, or the king, but the bull it was designed to trap--well. What's that say about him, exactly, in symbology?
"Maybe it's just in reference to the vaults," he says, trying to hype himself up. It falls a little flat. He takes a deep breath. He realizes he's still holding his razor, even after crossing his house to get the bunny ears. He goes to put the razor down and catches sight of his head in the mirror once again.
Monstrous. He's friends with a lot of monsters, of course; he's known Cleo for more than a decade. And his mannerisms, they're still him. But right then, in that moment...
He pokes the bunny ears.
"I am the Playboy Minotaur," he says, more insistently. "Didn't Iskall have that dress he had covered in flowers? That's what's really important here. That, and the obligatory cannibalism if I want to reach the level 100 goal in time, of course. The Minotaur clearly ate meat, despite being a cow, and ate people, despite being half person, but we really know nothing about what cow would do to my diet. Hold on, I have a very confusing message I can write Iskall about this one."
He deliberately turns away from the mirror and goes to write Iskall something that will explain nothing at all, and then tell Cub about their oversight. It's not like he can change it now.
210 notes · View notes
absolutebl · 10 months ago
Text
47 BLs Announced for 2024
Here are the BLs I have logged on the Spreadsheet of Doom (TM) as announced for 2024 (with supporting evidence, so not just options or acquisitions) as of the beginning of the year. Bold are the ones I'm most intrigued by .
JAPAN
Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka
From YTV releasing 1/11 about Soga, who, after a divorce and relocation to Osaka, seeks solace in dining at 26-year-old Sakae's restaurant. Unbeknownst to Soga, Sakae sees him as more than just a regular customer.
Ossan's Love Season 2
Five years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan, so probubly not. More here.
Perfect Propose
Fuji TV (the Pornographer series) adapting Mayo Tsurakame’s manga, production team includes Tadaaki Horai (My Love Mix-Up!) and Takeshi Miyamoto (scriptwriter for “Old Fashion Cupcake”). Hiro’s so stressed at work he barely has time to eat so he passes out on the sidewalk. An unfamiliar face saves him and insists that they once promised to marry each other.
KOREA
Love For Love's Sake
Based on the Manhwa Love Supremacy Zone by Hwacha, this will star actors Lee Tae Vin, Cha Jun Wan, Oh Min Su and Cha Woon Ki. The plot of the drama is based on Tae Myung Ha, a young man who is dropped into a game based off of a novel that he knows. His mission is to make another player, Cha Yeo Woon happy. Cha Yeo Woon is Myung-Has favourite character in the novel. But then the game starts going completely different from the novel.
Love in the Big City
Movie adaptation of Booker nominated famous coming of age novel ‘Love in The Big City’ by Park Sang-Young. A cynical yet fun loving student writer name Young pinballs from home, to class, to Tinder matches. He and Jaehee, his female best friend and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they push away their worries about life, love, and money with soju and Marlboros. But as time passes Jaehee settles down and leaves Young to face his problems on his own, finding comfort in the arms of the series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness and another who might be the great love of his life. Not really BL. To star Kim Go-eun (The King: Eternal Monarch), Noh Sang-hyun (aka Steve Sanghyun as Young) and Nam Yoon Su (The King’s Affection). More here.
TAIWAN
Anti Reset AKA Anti-Reset AKA Antireset
From Vidol to air on 2/2/2024 about a human and robot find love.
THAILAND
1000 Years Old
From Feel Good Bangkok this is one of many gay vampire BLs coming in 2024. Stars Shane (My Engineer) and fresh face Opal, directed by Champ (2gether). More here.
A Secretly Love
Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks things may be different.
Addicted Heroin (Thai version)
From the producers of Love Stage!!
Bad Guy My Boss
Assistant to a player boss who is in love with his boss decides to quit to save himself. The boos then makes a move. (A gay "What's up with Secretary Kim"?)
Born to be Y
announced 9/23
youtube
City of Stars AKA Fueangnakorn
Star Hunter started filming this 12/23 about an actor falls in love with a programmer and the narrative intends to “explore the ramifications of being public figure in the social network era who must endure critics, bullying, and defamation.” Looks like another Lovely Writer, Call It What You Want sort of thing.
youtube
Four Ever You Project AKA Fourever You Project
Sampler pack BL series from Wabi Sabi stars Bas (Gen Y), Earth (UWMA, 12%). Four stories, four couples, all adapted under the Fourever You Project.
I Saw You in My Dream
DeeHupHouse for WeTV based on the novel of the same name by Afterday. The story portrays Aya, a young man who has prophetic dreams. Everything he dreams always comes true. He doesn’t have a problem with it until he starts to dream of dating the guy next door. But the guy next door is in a serious relationship with a girl he’s known since high school.
Iridescent Love
Got nothing.
Harikarn Solution (the Chains of Heart people - boo) stars Gun (Khom in Unforgotten Night) opposite fresh face but cast includes familiar faces from other pulps. Ordinary office worker kinda recluse dork but who at night however, has an only fans account. Then he meets the guy next door.
youtube
Jack & Joker (YinWar)
DeHup brings us be gay, do crimes. Yin, War, Mark and a few other familiar faces doing Leverage but gayer. Yes, thank you, I will have that.
Kidnap
GMMTV Ohm Pawat is back but there is some question over whether this is BL or not.
Knock-Knock Boys
Kongthup for WeTV airing 4/2024 Four college friends who conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. stars Seng Wichai, Best Vittswin, Nokia Chinnawat and Jaonine Jiraphat.
Lost On The River
Another Sammon story
Love Sea (FortPeat)
MAME warning, stars same couple as LITA2, but new characters to the Mameverse. While travelling a writer has a one night stand with a very irritating man.
Love Sick AKA Lovesick remake
Remake of the original. No thank you.
youtube
Love Upon a Time (NetJames)
Domundi announced for 6/7/2023 then delayed to 2024. NetJames in a historical BL! Also feat Tonnam(Dr Sing from Triage).
youtube
Lovely Addict
9NAA brings us a hotel set, high heat, features same pair as Venus In Sky.
youtube
Lover Merman
Fantasy BL about a man who falls in love with a merman.
Me and Who
Domundi for WeTV brings this adaptation of Wickedwish’s novel of the same name. it depicts a young man who dies and is reborn into the body of a billionaire heir. The heir happens to be engaged to a handsome man.
Monster Next Door
WeTV Adapted from the novel Godzilla Next Door by Jiwinil. It portrays an introvert who lives mostly in his room, until an extrovert moves in next door. He is loud, frantic and annoying. Do opposites really attract? Will they find a way to get along?
youtube
My Golden Blood
GMMTV. Okay, I do find Joss very watchable but this looks very bad and also very like Kissable Lips. But at least land is finally giving us the trashy gay vampires we richly deserve?
youtube
My Love Mix-Up Thai Remake (GemniForth)
GMMTV. Hum, well I do love this pair and I did like the original and maybe this time these characters will actually kiss? I'm actually fine with this pick-up. I kind of enjoy seeing different countries remake the same IP. Especially if it's IP I'm mostly unfazed by.
My Stand-In AKA My Stand In
Chinese IP ALERT! Adapted from the novel Professional Body Double (职业替身) by Shui Qiang Cheng (水千丞) stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please).
OMG Vampire AKA OMG! Vampire (LeeFrank)
Frank and Lee Long Shi are back only vampires now. So many vampires.
youtube
Only Boo!
New main pair in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks, grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, to become an idol baby boy can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.
Ossan‘s Love Thai Remake (EarthMix
Ugh, why?!?!
Red Peafowl
More Thai mafia stuffs.
Spare Me Your Mercy
Increased rates of deaths in terminal patients has a police captain investigating the palliative care doctor with whom he's fallen in love. Their relationship deepens but the mystery persists, driven by mistrust. Adapted from the novel Euthanasia by Sammon (Triage, Manner of Death) stars some old guard BL actors: Tor Thanapob from Hormones as the doctor and (fuck me YES) Jaylerr from Great Men Academy and goddamn Grean Fictions as the captain!
youtube
Spirit Reborn AKA Kemjira Will Survive
Star Hunter (of all studios) adapting supposedly the scariest BL. Khem is born cursed. A daughter would be safe but a son dies at 20 so Khem’s mother cleverly gives him a girl’s name, Khemjira “forever safe.” But Knem is baout to turn 20 and he doesn't think it's working so he seeks the help of a cursebreaker, turns out to be his great love from a prvious life.
Star Scope
Wabi Sabi trailer here. Looks sad, one of them is terminally ill, abandons his bf in high school them meet again in uni.
The Boy Next World (BossNoeul)
Same couple as LITA, this is the backstory of Cirrus & Phugun from TharnType 2 played by different actors.
The Hell Guards AKA Hey Don't Mess With My Heart
Boy wakes up from a coma and becomes a messenger between grim reapers and the underworld. Oh will it be... bureaucratic? I think it WILL.
The Hidden Moon
Casting happened 9/23. This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) ‘เดือนพราง’ by Violet Rain. A Bangkok writer is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai which is being converted into a café. He gets into an accident and nearly dies on his way there. After that, he sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, one boy catches his attention. Stars Benjamin Brasier (2 Moons 2) and Folk Touch Inthirat from Brothers. Trailer here.
The Next Prince (ZeeNew)
Domundi brings us more ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - FUCK YES PLEASE. I did not expect this pair to stick so I really hope this happens. Trailer here.
The Rebound (MeenPing)
VIU Basketball based romance staring Meen (a national basketball player, so yay for that).
The Trainee (OffGun)
GMMTV Office set, may not be BL. Trailer here.
Time the series
MFlow Entertainment for Gaga, WeTV, Channel 3 trailer here. Airs 1/9 After witnessing the death of his beloved Chris from a gunshot wound, the heartbroken actor Foam is given a pocket watch that allows him to go back in time and discover the truth… Can Foam take the chance to set things right and bring Chris back from the brink of death? Only time will tell…
To Be Continued
High school sweethearts who had a bad break up reunite when both of them have full times jobs but coming out is still a problem. Trailer here.
Vampire Project (BounPrem)
Wabi Sabi's My Broccoli only now... vampires.
Wandee Godday
GMMTV and AllThis Entertainment producing a very pulp offering for GMMTV with new pair GreatInn doing high heat Boxer meets surgeon. It features a one night stand, fake relationship, and all the cheesiest of tropes. Also features Drake, Podd, and Thor+ pretty boy (be still my heart). This is totally my kind of BL even if it actually isn't GMMTV's style of BL, so I'm intrigued. Trailer here.
We Are (PondPhuwin)
GMMTV's university friendship Bl featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawin - basically ALL in the good kind of messy friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is gay. I'm IN! Trailer here.
A reminder we had c. 136 BLs release in 2023 but c. 55 that did not get made.
That seems about right.
Of those announced we seem to get about 2/3 actually released for the year we are told they'll release in.
(source)
161 notes · View notes
canonicallyobserving911 · 8 days ago
Text
Buddie: Buck’s “In Another Life” journey continues into Season 8.
Tumblr media
Buck’s and Eddie’s journeys are the MAIN FOCUS and Buddie is the ‘SHIP’ TM (showrunner) is highlighting and is primarily concerned with since the other ships, Bathena, Henren and Madney are already CANON.  Based on the way things happened in 8x5, it appears he’s reverting back to the original reason why he included Tommy in the first place and it’s evident in the way the character is being portrayed!  Instead of being Buck’s boyfriend, he was shown to GUIDE/ADVISE him in a way that would lead Buck to Eddie.  Furthermore, Buck and Tommy are NOT boyfriends!  It was illustrated numerous times in 8x5 via the absence of any displays of affection between them.  There was no kissing, no longing gazes that illustrated how much they like each other and there wasn't any casual intimacy of any kind included in the episode and that was ON PURPOSE.
This is a LONG POST because there’s a lot about Buck’s, Eddie’s and Tommy’s scenes in seasons 7 and 8 to unpack.  It’s imperative to note a lot of things changed after 7x4 aired and I’ll get into the possible reasons why below but it’s important to specify some details before I get into the analysis regarding the way it appears the showrunner wanted Tommy’s role to be handled in that initial episode.  When things went sideways and some fans turned into BT and LFJr. STANS, they started walking back the things that happened after 7x4 to rectify them and in season 8 they’ve included callbacks, foreshadowing and metaphors that specifically lead back to Buck and Eddie.
Before I delve into this, please note these are my interpretations and observations and everyone may not agree with them especially since people interpret media differently. I'm basing my speculation off the entirety of Buck's and Eddie’s 7 year relationship which includes a lot of depth. If someone doesn't agree, that's perfectly ok because differences of opinion can co-exist. DO NOT REBLOG THIS AND ADD AN OPPOSING OPINION BECASUSE IF ANYONE DOES THEY’LL GET BLOCKED.  EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN BLOG TO POST ON SO PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND.
I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE!  I ALWAYS HAVE AND I ALWAYS WILL.
Now back to the regularly scheduled program...
Analysis of episode 8x5 is below the cut.
Before I begin, there are a few points I need to highlight.
I haven’t watched any episodes in season 8 live because I need to be able to fast forward through scenes I don’t want to see.  Therefore, once I finally watched 8x5, I was able to rewind certain scenes to see what the show was trying to relay to the audience.
While watching the episode, I HAD TO REMOVE MY BUDDIE SHIPPER GOGGLES AND PUT ON MY GENERAL AUDIENCE LENSES.  Also, I asked myself questions that I believe TM considers when he’s originating his ideas for each episode.  I did this because numerous times he’s explained how his focus for episodes is based on the network’s needs and the things he believes the GA should see.
1. What information does 9-1-1 want the GA to gather from the episode? 2. Which main characters’ story/stories is/are being told? 3. What should the GA interpret from the included scenes? 4. What is Tommy’s purpose? 5. Why was Eddie included in several of Buck’s and Tommy’s scenes? 6. Why are Buck and Tommy acting differently with regards to displays of affection?
Full Disclosure: I DON’T LIKE TOMMY KINARD!  My dislike for him has nothing to do with Buddie but it has everything to do with the way his character was originally introduced in season 2 as a racist and a bigot!  I’ve posted about it numerous times and I still don’t like him (I NEVER WILL) but in order to provide a balanced and fair assessment, I had to review the character from the same perspective as any other person in the GA.  I’m not excusing his past behaviors because I’ll never forget them and I’ve already posted about the reason why I think Gerrard’s and Tommy’s problematic pasts were pushed under the rug never to be discussed again (linked here).
Based on the way things played out after 7x4 aired, it appears the “Network” stepped in (just like they did with the airplane disaster) and if they did it after that episode, then it could be the reason why Buck’s storyline and arc for season 7 went in a different direction than the showrunner intended.
Since TM (showrunner) appears to be fascinated with old movies, he’s continued to incorporate them into 9-1-1 scripts, i.e., “Earthquake” 1974 (season 2 opener); “The Poseidon Adventure” 1972 (season 7 opener); “Vertigo” 1958 (episodes 7x7 and 7x9) and the list goes on with “Speed”, “Tsunami”, “Rear Window” and others.  Additionally, the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” was used as a point of reference for 6x11 “In Another Life” and based on the way things have been handled over the past two seasons, it’s possible it might still be in play.  Before 7x10 aired, I posted “My Buddie Crack Theory” (linked here) and it includes a lot of details about why I believe Buck could have still been in a coma during season 7.  I don’t know if he is now but his actions show that he’s still trying to figure things out and now I’m thinking he may have some form of retrograde amnesia because of the way his interactions with Tommy were handled in 8x5 since he can’t remember or understand the nature of his relationship with Eddie.
Let’s get started!
Overall, my perspective after watching 8x5 is that Tommy was NEVER meant to be Buck’s boyfriend and 9-1-1 is course correcting in season 8 by putting him in the role they originally intended during season 7.  All the scenes he had with Buck and Eddie and the ones he had alone with Buck portrayed him as a HELPFUL friend or a supportive guide but after 7x4 something happened and I have my suspicions it was related to network interference.  Basically, the writers gave him a personality transplant and put him in the position of a guide or an advisor so he can be there for Buck to help him realize who’s attention he was after in 7x4.  IIRC, since he was reintroduced, Tommy has never considered Buck to be his boyfriend and in fact, in season 7, he continuously told him that he didn’t think Buck was ready for a relationship.  Additionally, after Tommy showed up unannounced at the loft, he told Buck that he could have more than one friend.  Therefore, Buck is being shown to do what he’s done in the past which is cling to someone even though they aren’t looking for anything serious and he’s the one pursuing Tommy but reminder, the story is being told from Buck’s unreliable perspective.
The character’s point of view is important because TM said in a season 7 interview that Buck’s not really seeing things the way they actually are (paraphrasing).  He was trying to get Eddie’s attention but he got confused and projected them onto Tommy.  That projection of his misplaced feelings was supposed to be temporary but I’ll get into that later.
“Evan” vs. “Buck”
IMO, Tommy calls Buck “Evan” for two reasons.  First, Buck listens when people call him by his legal name and in CANON there have only been a handful of people to do it.  His parents do it consistently even though he’s asked them to call him Buck (in 7x6, Phillip called him Evan again when he called him before the wedding), Maddie also calls him by his legal name but she uses it interchangeably.  Bobby called him Evan once and it happened on the day Buck arrived at the 118 and Dr. Copeland calls him Evan.  Once or twice Ali called him that and since I rarely listened to anything Taylor said, I can’t recall if she did.  Finally, Eddie called him Evan once in CANON and that was during the will reveal.  Therefore, it leads me to my second point of reference, the will reveal.  I think Tommy calls him Evan to remind Buck about that important encounter that happened the day Eddie was being discharged from the hospital.  It was a pivotal moment in their relationship because it’s when Eddie gave Buck his heart for the rest of his life.  Make no mistake, Chris is Eddie’s heart so him updating his will and naming Buck to be Chris’ legal guardian is a huge deal for both Eddie and Buck.
Tumblr media
Here's another point I want to make about Buck’s death and I’ll start with his comment in 7x4 to Tommy because it’s where all of this begins.  While they were at Air Operations, Buck said, “I guess that night was the most fun I’ve had since being struck by lightning” and Tommy replied, “You need to raise your bar, kid!”   Then Buck responded, “Not that being struck by lightning was fun, just uh… using it as a point of reference.”  Every word in the script, every piece of clothing the actors wear and every item on set has meaning, therefore Buck referencing the lightning strike is important and it’s his comment that kickstarted all of this.
Their conversation and everything that followed it appears to CLEARLY illustrate the way TM wanted Tommy’s character to be perceived and that’s as a GUIDE/ADVISOR person for Buck the same way Clarence was the AS2 for George in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Several of the scenes are similar to those in the movie and I’ve compared them below.
Why is this relevant?  Because in a post 7x4 interview, OS explained it each time a journalist or podcaster asked him about Buck and Tommy’s relationship.  He said (paraphrasing) the character of Tommy was serving a purpose because he was there to help Buck navigate that time in his life and once it was over, he hoped Buck and Tommy could remain friends.  He said it repeatedly but then someone (perhaps network interference) had the idea to put Buck in a relationship with him so that they could maintain the new viewers who started watching just because of the kiss.  Instead of the focus remaining on Buck, the effects of changing the course of the narrative resulted in a $hitshow of epic proportions because several BT Stans refused to see what the show was illustrating.  It didn’t help that the actor who plays Tommy egged them on with his Cameos which made the hiatus unbearable for the network, showrunner (TM admitted it in an interview), cast, crew, fans, audience and Buddie shippers by sending death threats, harassment and just plain vile actions.  These are facts and it’s the reason why I believe the show is rectifying and retconning whosever decision it was to turn Tommy into a love interest instead of leaving him as Buck’s advisor who’s purpose was to lead him to Eddie.
During their conversation at the hanger, Tommy called Buck “kid” but the only people who have ever called him that in the past were Bobby, Red and Athena.  Additionally, if Buck’s death wasn’t supposed to be highlighted, he wouldn’t have mentioned it.  Reminder, everything in CANON has a purpose.
Tumblr media
Furthermore, after Eddie drove up and Tommy said, “This guy” to Buck then patted him on the back, he was trying to tell him that he doesn’t realize he’s overlooking the fact that Eddie’s right in front of him and he’s been waiting for Buck to realize it.  There’s a slang definition for this phrase and I’ve already posted about it (linked here).
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Also, Tommy mentioned how saving someone’s life and then DATING them never turns out the way someone expects it and his comments parallel with Clarence’s statement to George about the reason why he jumped into the river.  He told him that he did it because he wanted to save him but George said he jumped to save him.  Clarence responded that he knew George was going to jump in to save him if he saw him drowning and he did it to prevent George from committing suicide. The point is the NEW AND IMPROVED Tommy shares a lot of character traits with Clarence since they’re both supposed to be guides to the people they were assigned to. Buck can be compared to George and Tommy can be compared to Clarence.
8x5 - Scene Analysis
I’m not going to delve into the Christopher birthday party scene in 8x1 because Buck, Eddie and Tommy were the only three there.  Also, Tommy only had two lines and one was “You’re a vision in a cone” which was weird but after analyzing their scenes in 8x5, I don’t think he meant it as a compliment but let’s move on and my reasoning for this will be explained below.
Billy Boils’ Introduction
Tumblr media
The introduction of “Billy Boils” or “William James McCurdy” is important because it appears Billy’s life parallels with Buck’s in a lot of ways.
Tumblr media
Buck’s description of him while he was in the hospital relates to Buck’s life, i.e. his birth year 1993 (which was CANONICALLY retconned from 1991 in season 6) along with the year Daniel died but there’s one date he didn’t have and that’s what’s missing. Also, when Tommy asks is there a twist coming? The answer is YES! Why? Because the twist is Buddie is coming! The camera panned to Eddie after he asked the question. Just saying.
Tumblr media
Additionally, at first glance, Billy’s shirt appears to be similar to the suit jacket Eddie was wearing in 7x6 during the bachelor party but once Billy’s whole casket is shown, it’s apparent he’s not wearing a full suit.  His shirt is similar to the suit color but he’s wearing a red bandana around his neck and he’s also wearing a pair of blue jeans.  I think the jeans and the bandana were meant to connect with the “Cowboy” costume Buck wore later in the episode since he was wearing those clothing items.
The hospital
Tumblr media
When Tommy arrived, Eddie was already present and most of the time while he was talking to Buck, he kept glancing at Eddie for some reason and at first I thought it was because he was trying to get at him (my Buddie shipper goggles state he still is) but upon further review, it appears he was trying to direct Buck’s attention to Eddie.  He did it several times throughout their scenes and on at least two occasions, he verbally said something that caused Buck to refocus his attention onto Eddie.
Tumblr media
Tommy was outside while the doctor was in the room and he only entered afterwards.  I’m not going to delve into his visitor’s badge and other things because they’ve already been discussed but I will focus on the lack of affection between the two of them since it was a theme throughout the episode.  It seems like the show wanted the audience to know that Tommy and Buck are friends and nothing more.  If they were in a relationship, then Tommy would have reacted differently especially since Buck didn’t have any boils on his face at the time.  I mean Buck was lying in bed with his chest all out and from both a Buddie shipper and a GA perspective, I asked myself why because every other time Buck’s been in the hospital (he’s been in one at least four times over the seasons) and each time he was wearing a gown but not this time.  Therefore, there had to be a reason.  Logically, if Tommy and Buck were dating, Buck would have covered up since Eddie was in there but he was bare chested before Tommy arrived.  Additionally, Buck hasn't been seen SHIRTLESS IN YEARS (IIRC, season 2 was the last time), so there's a reason why he was naked up top, right? Right! I will point out that he pulled the covers up when Tommy entered so there’s that but from a viewer’s point of view, Buck’s boobs were out for Eddie’s benefit.
Also, the part about Billy getting his sights on someone, that was another reference to Eddie because once Buck figures out he was trying to get Eddie's attention, he'll never let him go. 😎
The loft before Eddie arrived
Tumblr media
The next time we saw Buck and Tommy, it was nighttime and they were in the loft getting ready to go to sleep.  Buck was doing one of his deep dives on the internet about Billy Boils but after Tommy got him an ice pack and some ibuprofen, he wanted to lay on the couch and go to sleep.  Now before I mention any details regarding the things he said to Buck, I’ll admit when I watched the scene with my Buddie shipper goggles, I thought he was being an asshat.  However, when I viewed it from a GA perspective, I asked myself what the show wanted the audience to see and it appears he came across as a friend who didn’t want to end up there taking care of someone he’s only known for a few months.  It would have been easy to have Eddie there especially since he spent time there with Buck during the pandemic as well as other times.  However, if he would have been there, it’s possible the audience wouldn’t have questioned why Tommy wasn’t.  Apparently, this is all part of TM’s big relationship reveal for Buddie.  Was it painful for anyone who knows the character of Buck to watch?  YES!  Why?  Because Tommy literally told him to go to bed and that he needed to turn off his laptop.  He sounded like a parent and the more I think about it, the more I believe that’s the option the show wants the GA to see and believe.
Tumblr media
Reminder, Tommy calls him Evan but what other grown man on the show calls him that?  PHILLIP!  Eddie’s only called him Evan once but Phillip does it all the time (I’ll do a separate post about this because if I include it all here, this post will be even longer).
The point is if Tommy’s supposed to be Buck’s boyfriend, then the GA will question why they aren’t acting romantically.  Therefore, it appears the show is allowing them to demonstrate in CANON that they ARE NOT in a relationship.  Why is this important?  Because if someone watched 7x4 it means they saw them kiss and now they’re questioning why they are so distant and why they aren’t touching each other or holding hands.  They showed just enough for their relationship to be questioned so that whenever Eddie was in the scene, it would be CRYSTAL CLEAR that he’s Buck’s life partner NOT Tommy’s.
The loft after Eddie arrived
Tumblr media
The next day, after Tommy literally recoiled at Buck’s boils, Eddie was there and he was shown medically assisting Buck while Tommy just watched.  This is also important for the GA because they should ask themselves the same question I did since Tommy’s a firefighter/EMT too (post linked here).  I wanted to know why he wasn’t helping him and honestly, it pissed me off regardless as to whether I was viewing the episode as a GA member or a Buddie shipper.  It’s just another reason why it seems like the show wanted Eddie there and IMO, it worked perfectly.
Tumblr media
While they're talking, Tommy actually tells Buck to "listen to the medic" and "Well, there's you answer" and he was looking at and talking about Eddie when he made both statements. Reminder, Eddie and Chris are the answers (related post linked here).
The firehouse
Tumblr media
When Buck arrived at the firehouse, Eddie wouldn’t look at him and from a Buddie shipper perspective, initially I thought it was weird.  But after I remembered the way Eddie was wearing sunglasses for the majority of 7x4, I figured he did it because he didn’t want Buck to see his heart eyes.  Reminder, the episode is called “Masks” and Eddie did everything he could to avoid looking at Buck whenever they were alone together.  It happened at the hospital while he was pretending to read a magazine, at the firehouse and at the hospital again while they were waiting to get news about Denny.
If they caught it, the GA should question it but since most viewers only watch an episode once, it’s possible they didn’t.  Reminder, they don’t theorize, look at scenes more than once to see how many times they looked or glanced at each other and they don’t analyze episodes.  Therefore, the interactions between Buck and Eddie have to illustrate they’re perfect for each other from an overall perspective so they can notice it and that’s what it appears the show is doing.
The hospital scene with the 118
Tumblr media
After I watched this scene I laughed because it kind of seemed like Tommy wasn’t even present.  My perspective didn’t change when I rewatched it because I noticed for the second time that no one was interacting with him except for Buck, the nurse who asked Buck if he’d been seen and the one time Eddie looked up.  This was another scene that reminded me of George Bailey since there were times when he was the only person who could see Clarence.  I thought it was interesting that Chimney, Bobby and Athena didn’t interact with Tommy once and in fact, they never looked at him.  Chimney was literally sitting in front of him beside Eddie but he couldn’t be bothered.  From a GA perspective, I asked why and I think other viewers might have too.
The graveyard
Tumblr media
After watching Buck stand in the graveyard with Tommy several feet away from him, I was reminded of Buck’s and Eddie’s graveyard scene from 6x15 along with two movies; “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Karate Kid.”  First, the way Buck and Tommy were standing caught my attention because when George and Clarence went to visit George’s brother Harry in the graveyard in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, they were standing several feet apart too.
Tumblr media
Reminder, Clarence was an angel who served as a guide to George when he questioned why he was born.  Also, if George had never been born, then his brother Harry would have died.  It’s similar to Buck’s story, however even though Buck was born to save Daniel, he wasn’t able to save him.
Tumblr media
Second, in the movie “The Karate Kid” after Daniel kicked that bully’s ass (I don’t remember his name), Mr. Myiagi (the man who taught Daniel how to do karate) was standing outside of the ring watching Daniel during his final match.  When Daniel won, Mr. Myiagi smiled and nodded his head the same way Tommy was doing while Buck was talking to Billy Boils.  It stuck out to me because Mr. Myiagi was the guide/teacher/advisor to Daniel and it appears that’s who Tommy is to Buck.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
While Buck was doing his monologue, when he got to the part about dying alone and the scene cut to Eddie, my heart broke and it reminded me of the scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” when George went to find Mary (the woman he married) who ended up being an “Old Maid” (the movie’s words not mine) because George was never born.  I think that’s a reference point and if my season 7 analysis is correct about Buck still being in a coma or having amnesia, then it’s possible Eddie’s still waiting for Buck to remember.
Tumblr media
Also, when Buck asks Billy to lift the curse and he walks away, Tommy says, “Please lift it” but I don’t think he was saying that for himself.  My interpretation is Tommy’s found himself in a situation that he never intended to be in because he’s a loner and he’s the type of person who does exactly what he said in 7x4.  He doesn’t date people he meets on calls because it never turns out the way they expect it to but they’re grateful.  If that’s the case then it seems like the show has turned Tommy’s character into someone who’s only supposed to be there for a short time, i.e., a teacher, an advisor or a guide which means he’ll be gone soon.
It appears Buck’s the one who’s trying to turn him into his boyfriend simply because he’s confused about who’s attention he really wanted.  OS has referenced relationship problems for them but no one knows what those are.  Based on this episode, it’s possible it could revolve around the status of their relationship or the fact that they were never meant to be.
Additional references
There are several references that link Eddie and Buck that have been incorporated into episodes and I’ve included some important ones below.  Four of them are specific to Buck, Eddie and Tommy and they include the words “Math” (or functions that relate to it), “Cowboy”, “Exhausting” and “Dating someone you rescued.”  They appear to be used as a way to direct the GA to Buddie since Eddie said them first, Buck repeated them and Tommy said the words too at some point while he's been on screen. It appears he was gently reminding Buck that his focus and attention should be on Eddie!
“Showstopper”
Tumblr media
Buck told the 118 that Billy Boils was a real showstopper and after he realized he was a real person, Bobby told him he was right, Billy was a real showstopper.  I included this reference because it seemed like it was relevant to 7x4 since Buck’s bisexual journey began at the end of the episode and it was a showstopper.  It’s just the BT stans took things too far by focusing on the PLOT DEVICE instead of the MAIN CHARACTER and that’s how things got off course. Buck and Eddie are MAIN CHARACTERS and Tommy is NOT. He never will be so it's evident the show wants the GA to remember that especially since Tommy will be gone soon.
“Math”
Tumblr media
In 3x4, Eddie told Buck, “You don’t know math!” while Buck was the Fire Marshal and in 6x13, after Buck was struck by lightning, he ended up with a special math skill.  He told Eddie and Chris, “Turns out, I love math” and in 6x15, while Buck and Eddie were standing in the cemetery, Eddie said, “I know we razed you about your old ‘math’ skills.  Maybe I even tried to get rich off of them.”  And in 8x5, Tommy referred to his accountant (math related field of study) cousin and commented, “Every tax season, my accountant cousin breaks out in hives all across his legs.”  FYI: Math is a universal language just like love.
“Cowboy”
Tumblr media
In 6x10, Eddie said, “Alright ‘cowboy’ go get ‘em” right before Buck went up the ladder before the lightning strike.  In 8x5, Buck’s costume (reminder, his blue jeans was the bottom half of Billy Boils’ costume) was a ‘Cowboy’ and later in the episode, Tommy said, “I think someone was up too late with their ‘cowboy’.”
“Dating someone you rescued”
Tumblr media
In 6x15, Eddie told Buck that dating someone he rescued from a call wouldn’t end well which means Buck knows this but he did it anyway.  Then in 7x4, Tommy reiterated what Eddie had already told Buck when he said dating someone he rescued never ends the way he expected.  This is one of the reasons why Buck dating Tommy would never work because Tommy isn’t looking for a long term relationship but Buck is and now Buck’s clinging like he always does and it appears Tommy wants to leave.
“Exhausting”
Tumblr media
In 3x5, during Eddie’s and Buck’s famous supermarket argument, Eddie said, “Because you’re ‘exhausting’!” then he continued and explained his reasoning (which had absolutely nothing to do with firefighting and everything to do with how much he missed Buck).  Then four seasons later, in 7x4, since Buck was STILL confused about who’s attention he was trying to get, he told Tommy “Trying to get your attention has been kind of ‘exhausting’!” but Tommy’s response of “My attention?” proves he KNEW Buck wasn’t trying to get his attention and the showrunner called back to this in 8x5 when Tommy said, “Lights out Evan.  I’m ‘exhausted’.”
Similar to the cowboy reference, Eddie said it first, Buck remembered it and said it to Tommy who turned around and referred to it in 8x5 to Buck to HELP GUIDE HIM TO EDDIE!
The point of this post is to illustrate 9-1-1 was trying to show the GA that Buck and Tommy were never meant to be a couple.  If they were, then they would have shown some sort of public displays of affection.  They would have been in bed together when they went to the loft and REMINDER, this is a TV show and that “Hotshots” director reiterated that when Bobby was trying to tell Brad and the other actors about using sledgehammers to open the wall.  That’s important because TV shows aren’t accurate and that means if they wanted to, they could have let Buck and Tommy be romantic and show intimacy BUT THEY DIDN’T BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT THEM TO AND THEY’RE NOT A COUPLE.
Tommy didn’t kiss Buck once but he touched his leg when he arrived at the hospital and that was before the boils appeared on his face.  The bottom line is in 7x4, Tommy was set up to be Buck’s confidant and guide so that he would have a supposedly more experienced and older person to help him as he learned more about his bisexuality.  However, either the network, BT Stans or both ruined it because they cared more about Buck being with ANY dude than the man who’s given him his heart over and over again (EDDIE).  Therefore, it appears the showrunner is unraveling the messy way season 7 ended with Buck being in a relationship with the person who was supposed to be more of a friend so that Buck and Eddie can get their EPIC LOVE STORY!
It’s likely Buck’s next onscreen kiss will be with EDDIE DIAZ and reminder... Buck’s boobs weren’t out for nothing. 👀 Eddie was trying not to look but Tommy didn't look below Buck's face at all for the entirety of episode 8x5. Just saying.
These are the things that were shown in CANON and I am not involved in the show so I don’t have any say in how things are done.  But if I did, Tommy wouldn’t have ever been included because IMO, he wasn’t needed since Buddie’s romantic foundation was established several seasons ago (looking at the kitchen scene).  For some reason, TM felt like he needed to redo everything and here we are waiting on Eddie’s storyline to move forward and Buck to remove himself from whatever TF he has going on with Tommy.  The only logical idea I can came up with is maybe TM wanted to start over since they’re on a new network but it wasn’t necessary especially since 9-1-1 is in its 8th season.  Older shows run out of time and if viewership keeps dropping (I’m talking about live viewers), it’ll be difficult for them to get a 9th season so this show needs to get on with making them CANON so they won’t run out of time.
Tumblr media
Before I end this post, I’d like to invite everyone to think about what happened at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  George went home after he realized he was better off being alive than dead and he went home to his wife and kids.  I’m not saying Buck will go home to Eddie for Christmas but… if my analysis is correct and 9-1-1 is still using Buck’s coma dream/amnesia or whatever as a point of reference then who knows what could happen before the end of 8A.  Also, as of the date this post is completed, there hasn’t been any confirmation that there will be a Christmas episode this year.  One last thing, in 3x10 “Christmas Spirt” Buck worked with Athena so the 118 could celebrate Christmas with their families since they had to work and in 2x10 “Merry X-Mas” the Christmas Elf told Buck, “You two have an adorable son” and Buck said, “Thank you.”
We’ll all just have to wait and see what happens.
TLDR: Buck and Eddie are the main characters and the BUDDIE SHIP is the primary and only focus.  The showrunner created the ship, he’s very vocal about his opinions of it and he’s quick to let the audience know it was his idea.  BuckTommy is a fan/stan created ship, it’s NOT part of the plan, Tommy will never be a main because he’s a PLOT DEVICE who had one job and that’s to guide Buck to Eddie because Buck was trying to get Eddie’s attention in 7x4.
53 notes · View notes
lisbonsteresa · 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
oh ok 😵‍💫
#once again it's hers and his once again it's (almost) pink and blue oh i'm going crazy over this actually; so many questions#i'm like 95% sure he bought the nightgown (i mean he bought her two whole outfits so i would not be surprised)#(and we have at least two other instances of lisbon wearing something different to bed....the change from s3 to s7 though aldsfkj ok sluts)#but when did he buy his pjs? only after they got together (and he started sleeping in a bed consistently oh now i'm sad)?#or has he always had them and just not really worn them because he usually ends up sleeping on the couch#and he bought the nightgown thinking (or at least on some level aware like come on how could he not be) that they'd match?#if he'd not fallen asleep on the couch would they have been wearing semi-matching pjs?#AND FOR THAT MATTER did he just fall asleep on the couch or did they agree on that arrangement ahead of time#(i'd have to assume the latter - surely this house has multiple bedrooms after all - but what IF-)#oh he's still wearing his scarf (fjafKLDS) he did just fall asleep (oh honeypie...)#(god imagining them fumbling around some version of a 'only one bed' conversation and lisbon noticing the pj matching#or jane waking up slightly after she puts the blanket over him and smiling at seeing her in the nightgown)#(or it not even being a nightgown; them having an agreement that jane would be in another bedroom/the couch#and lisbon ends up grabbing one of his pj shirts on impulse thinking she'd just change early the next morning but she comes downstairs#and drapes the blanket over him and he's still slightly awake and sees her in it and......oh the word doc is taunting me)#tm
12 notes · View notes
seirindono · 3 months ago
Note
two questions.
one, HOW DOES ONE COMIC/STORY BOARD??
IM OBSESSED WITH HOW YOU DO IT ITS SO BEAUTIFUL
two, HOW DO YOU SO IT SO FAST( that’s question is more just me being super impressed oh my goodness)
you’re very good😳
Aw, sweet, a board question *puts on serious glasses*
Ok, bring it on anon.
So, the first thing to ask yourself when starting a comic, as I see it, is what type of board are you dealing with. Webtoon? A4 pages? 4 panels? There are many ways to go about it, and each involves different processes. For example, pages will allow for more superfluous scenes, whereas the webtoon format has to be super succinct because of the reading direction. I personally think that's the main reason I do pages, among other advantages: •narrative density •variety •Tumblr-friendly format
There are quite a few disadvantages too but you have to go through the process of trials and errors to really find out what suits you best!
Then there's the ambition of the sequence you're boarding for. And it goes from 1. how used I am to boarding this kind of sequence/drawing these characters/setting and backgrounds, to 2. is it an emotional sequence? Dialogue-heavy? Or more contemplative?
It changes the way you work and how you should approach your board! For example, in TMS, the very wordy chapters (4 and 5 for ex) generally called for simple and narrow framing. Of course, you don't want to bore the reader so you can spice things up to match the characters mood and reactions once in a while, but you have to bear in mind that the sequence aims to provide dialogue and information = the text bubbles are key and WILL take a lot of place. So let them.
( then again, it's all about pacing and balance. A page full of dialogue and one with too much happening are equally hard to read and boring to do)
Tumblr media
Only dialogue, simple squares, no compostion, the focus is on Mel's reaction
On the other hand, parts 7 and 8 are all about action and atmosphere! This makes for wider and more varied shots!
Tumblr media
They're fighting, things are going fast so why not use a single line to show many actions! They're still basically squares and rectangles but the pacing is totally different!
Tumblr media
Or why not give the action a full page to really show its sheer impact
Tumblr media
You can also split things, with a zoom or small time gap, depending on if it's a gag or if you want to put the focus on a reaction. Here, the asymmetry helps reinforce the unstable, jerky aspect of the scene. The situation is getting out of hand, and visually, the pages are affected too.
Now, these are case-by-case examples. And I never work on my pages separately.
For context, this-
Tumblr media
-is the "first" board I did for part 8.
The drawings are very small and frankly difficult to make out, but the intention is what matters at this point lol I have the script (very important) next to my canvas, and I scribble the pages one after the ither. This allows me to see if the actions flow well, if the compositions are varied and also whether certain passages are too long or too short in regard to their importance. Which scenes can be merged? Removed? Toned down or if they deserve more bite?
This is a really fun and creative part but, I'll say it again, made a lot easier with a solid scipt. And I'm talking about a text document with clearly defined dialogues (or at least outlines) and actions.
I can't really explain how to write a script, it really depends on your work flow and how confortable you are with writing, but it's too important to just rush through it. No matter how much it changes before, during or after your finish boarding (cuz you gotta break your own rules sometimes and you'll often realize some things don't work as well once you put them on paper/sometimes art block can be resolved by writing the scene and just taking the time to imagine) but it's still your one guideline.
Aaaand, that's about it.
Other than that, I can only highly recommend reading lots of comics, Webtoon, books, watching movies, paintings, illustrations, animatics or listening to music, to inspire you and expand your own "personal library of references". Professional or not, anything your find inspiring and well executed. Boarding is at its core, telling stories. No art skill involved, just pure subjectivity. At the end of the day, it's all about squares, rectangles and bubbles so you gotta work on your creativity. The rest is gut feeling!
Constantly ask yourself how to tell this story, and how you want to tell it. How this sequence should be perceived? What do you need to show to make pages and pages of words appealing and interesting.
Be patient, be bold. Start with easy stuff to get some confidence if you need to. Accept that "boring" pages are smt necessary and that it's up to you to build up tension for a scene to really pop. Try new ideas and be ready to scrap many of them, the result will be worth all the work!
Now, concerning the "fast" part, I'm flattered but I personally think I'm super slow xD You prbly get that impression bc I finish the whole chapter before posting it, but behind the scene, I'm just working at a very regular pace.
Thank youuu anon ♡( ◡‿◡ )
59 notes · View notes
momowoah · 5 months ago
Text
Okay but I really think that the worst part is that this is season seven. Unless they're planning to turn 9-1-1 into the new Grey's Anatomy the chances of us being already in the final half of the show are huge. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any drama, but the characters should've started to go forward, and yet nearly all of them feel stuck in the same place they have been for several seasons. Or should I say 2-3 seasons?
tldr: all/most S7 storylines were either useless in the long run or recycles. The only characters who had storylines on the good side of the scale (as in, they helped the characters develop and move to a new place in their lives) were Maddie and Chimney (and maybe Buck but he's on thin ice). All the characters are back to the same place they were in s4/s5. It's probably TM's fault. This shouldn't be happening in a 7th season.
(really long post under the cut but worth it imo)
Bobby and Athena had a whole seven episodes for their storylines and yet it didn't significantly change anything about them or their relationship. The doubts of how they are when they're at peace that were brought up in ep1 ended up not being addressed at all. We started the season with what was supposed to be this huge thing in their relationship and it was just never brought up again! Instead they put bathena through distress again just for the sake of being dramatic. And while I'm extremely glad we got Amir and think there were several high points in his storyline, what difference did it make in the long run? Yes, it brought up interesting things to Bobby's storyline, such as more insight into his childhood and the chance for him to explore another side of the fire he caused, but is it going to change anything? No! Bobby will be reinstated in S8 bc that's just how these things go, and I doubt they'll put any effort to continue the survivors storyline. I'd bet it'll just be ignored in the next seasons.
Hen and Karen have been trying for YEARS AND YEARS to adopt a child and they just can't let them! As a wlw, do you know how awful that is to watch? Seeing them fail time and time again and have their family broken up once again just because??? It was one thing with Nia, she got a happy ending, but that wasn't the case with Mara. The best thing for everyone involved would be for her to stay with Hen and Karen, but they blew it up. I know she's with Madney, but it's not the fucking same. Why do they have to go through this again? Why can't they finally get the family they've spent years fighting for? Why can't the drama be about anything else, why does it have to be about failed adoptions? I've seen this enough times before. Why not let them be able to adopt???? Why? I'm genuinely upset abt this btw, probably more than about anything else that went down.
Buck got to finally come out and it was great but instead of taking it as an opportunity to let him grow into himself they just threw him right back into the hamster wheel of dating people who are either not fully into him or who he's not fully into. (if you like bt probably skip the rest of this paragraph but I'd also be upset about how they're handling them if I liked the ship bc I liked the previous bt and they did something similar to them lol) Tommy's behavior could be explained away at first, but I feel like time and time again the show goes the extra mile to make him uninterested in Buck or just straight up an asshole to him? Instead of taking the small opportunities of portraying them as a healthy happy couple they just consistently screw up their relationship? They're not the couple I support but even then I wanted them to be good together bc I want Buck to be happy, and yet all we get is this?
I don't even have words about Eddie, especially considering what rg has said about him destroying his life and possibly reverting back to military no emotions mode next season. WHY CAN'T HE BE HAPPY? We already saw him break down, WE'VE ALREADY HAD A STORYLINE ABOUT HIM REBUILDING HIS LIFE, but happiness is boring so now he has to ruin his relationship with his son too right? It just pisses me off how they go about his character sometimes. I liked that they were bringing back the Shannon storyline because he was supposed to be able to finally move on, but this wasn't about that. No, it was about retraumatizing Eddie and Chris and splitting them up at a time when they should be leaning on each other and healing, because Chris has also been suffering with the Shannon stuff. We saw it in fucking ep 1. Don't even get me started on the Marisol stuff because idek why she was there at all. Literally don't get it. We had an off-screen breakup anyways. She wasn't relevant at all to anything that happened. Why was she even there? I'm genuinely asking. The only Eddie arc that has some positive potential for next season is him dealing with his relationship with religion (especially if they tie it to the military and the way he lives his life for others' expectations), but tbh I don't trust them not to fuck it up.
Finally, I don't have complaints about madney, except for why tf was Maddie so absent this season? The wedding episode was all about Chimney (who was also maybe kinda missing tbh), and although I love him and his backstory and the opportunity to see Kevin again, I really wanted it to be about their relationship, since it was their wedding, yk. Dispatch was also severely under utilized. We did get the 7x07 Maddie plotline and it might've been bc it was a shortened season but yeah, I'm still not that satisfied.
So, we have all the characters stuck in places they've been before. More specifically, in the place they were in season 4/5. Bathena relationship problems followed by a life threatening situation? Check. Henren struggling with adoption? Check. Buck getting into what was supposed to be a good relationship only for it to end up going really bad? Check. Eddie struggling with relationships and his mental health going to hell? Check. Madney in a good place with a new child and about to have an awful fucking time? Hopefully just check for the first part. And you know which question this makes me ask? It's whether Tim Minear is just reverting everyone to their s4 state out of spite for the seasons he was away. And even if it is a genuine attempt at getting the show back on the track he wanted out of good intentions, it still sucks, because it doesn't change the fact that it is just a repeat of old storylines. I actually complained at this before the show even aired, but (iirc) I ended up deleting my post because I thought that I was just overreacting. Guess what? I fucking wasn't, bc that's EXACTLY what they did.
Now, going back to the start of this post, the reason why all these storylines suck so much is not that they are bad. It's not even that they aren't original. No, it's the fact that we're doing storylines that belong in the fourth or fifth season of a show in its seventh season. Even the Gerrard plotline, which is new to 9-1-1, feels like it came too late, because the split up crew/villain captain storyline tends to happen much sooner in procedurals, and for a reason. Besides the fact that this was never really a big bad type of show and I don't get why they are making it one all of a sudden, and ignoring the fact that Gerrard being brought back as captain, especially to the 118 of all places, makes no fucking sense, that kind of plotline is one that it's obviously always temporary. No one believes he'll still be the captain by the end of 8A, much less by the end of the season. He'll hardly survive the first 3-5 episodes. That's ultimately a filler storyline. It helps the show go on for longer, it might even help in the development of a couple characters, but at the end of the day it doesn't change anything, which appears to be a recurring theme when it comes to 9-1-1 storylines.
The reason I have a problem with this is that we don't need a filler storyline, because no one knows whether the show has the luxury of taking its sweet time. Yeah, it has a huge audience and it is doing good numbers, but it is still a fucking money pit that was already cancelled once and it's unsustainable on the long run. It might not end that soon, but is it honestly going to reach season 14? Does anyone truly think that we've only seen half of it (or less) so far? Because I don't. Not many shows make it that far, and there's a reason for that. We have three huge names who are extremely important to the show. What happens if they get tired? What happens if someone gets a better offer? What happens if we're still revisiting old storylines when that happens? Do we get an incomplete story or a rushed one?
The show should be moving forward, even if there are no plans for it to end soon. We have the drama of the huge disasters 9-1-1 loves. We have the drama of the cases. We have a myriad of new possible dramatic storylines for the characters that show development without being too final. Athena could have so many different job related storylines (from moving up in her career to abandoning it), and her and Bobby's storyline from the beginning of the season about being boring together can be played in a good and dramatic line. Henren and Madney have a whole world of parenting issues that they could go through. Buck and Eddie both still need either an endgame love interest (whether it's each other or not) or to get to the point where they are fine not having one, and we have all of the relationship trouble that comes with that. This show can give us new things, storylines that are good for the characters, without losing the dramatic factor (which, if I'm being honest, would not be a deal breaker for me). Yet, it refuses to, and probably not for a good reason, because it comes down to either Tim wanting to rewrite history or just trying to drag this show for as long as possible (which apparently he only knows how to do by refusing to make the characters happy). And you know what? I'm fucking mad about it, and I think you should be too.
Btw, this is not to say the whole season sucked. We got Madney and Henren together multiple times which was great. We finally got Bi Buck. There were several amazing acting moments for both the main and recurring actors. As a standalone season, it was good. It just doesn't work when you look at the bigger picture.
86 notes · View notes
eating-figs-here · 4 months ago
Text
Oh my stars I need to gnaw on bones and perish in the woods because. Because some people believe Wanderer/Scaramouche has gone through an entire redemption arc. No!! He is at the beginning. He is taking his first steps forward!!! He is STICKING with the Good Guys (TM) because it's the most optimal thing to do!! It's not out of character, he knows how to play the cards he's been dealt! And y'know, overtime, he should begin to grow to care for the people of Sumeru and the region itself!!! Like that's the point!!!! He isn't there yet!!!!!! He isn't supposed to be a good guy yet!!! The reason this "redemption arc" feels "unsatisfying" is because he isn't a fully converted good guy yet!!!! Aaaaaaaa!! :(
I have my thoughts below- and uh, it's a bit long
And to those saying Hoyo should've killed him off? Please, I do want to hear why you believe that killing off Scaramouche would've been more impactful than keeping him alive. I, personally, believe that killing him off would be a disservice to what the story has been trying to get across as Sumeru's version of wisdom.
And to explain what I believe the story has been trying to get across about wisdom: Wisdom is, to Sumeru, the celebration of individuality interwoven with the celebration of community. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata says that dreams are the fruit of human wisdom, and dreams are reflections of a person's raw joys, anxieties, sorrows, and examples of the bottomless creativity the mind produces. Those combined dreams power the Akasha, which helped Rukkhadevata repel forbidden knowledge and is considered an incredible piece of technology in Teyvat. (That's a lot of weight and power they're putting into dreams!!)
Wanna see another example of how starkly different individuals come together to beat an imposing foe? LITERALLY THE SUMERU CAST. Wonder why when you played throughout the Sumeru quest line it felt a tad bit like found family?? Because that's the point!! The narrative spends time fleshing out the bonds between characters, whether old or new! We see characters like Cyno, Dehya, and Alhaitham grow to trust one another despite their tense start! We see previously established relationships like Dehya and Dunyarzad or Tighnari and Cyno! They all get closer to the Traveler as well! It is INTENTIONAL!!
Okay, now back to this puppet, Scaramouche is someone who has consistently had his own personhood denied, with his right to exist as an individual played with. His own perceived abandonment from Ei and the Fatui orchestrating the destruction of his only support group (the people of Tatarasuna) in order to be used for their own gain hammers that point home. He rejects himself by ignoring his own humanity in favor of becoming something he THINKS he's supposed to be! The Harbingers do not trust one another, and they are ready to stab their colleagues in the back from their own gain. (Which he does!! What sense of community here?? None!!)
Do you see? Scaramouche, in this state, is the antithesis of Sumeru's wisdom. Which is precisely why he fails. He fails and he falls due to the wisdom of the people of Sumeru and the joint efforts of the Sumeru cast. He, a shattered puppet once more, is forced to reckon with the fact that who he believes he should be is not who he is. And to make that realization have meaning, he must live.
There is a reason why the nation of wisdom is also the nation of dendro. To grow, adapt, and change are its core principles. So why wouldn't the Dendro Archon extend her hand to someone denied what she had been recently given- support, companionship, community. Wouldn't it be much more impactful to see a sickly sapling turn into a tree rather than letting it die? With Wanderer, we will (eventually) see the harvest of Sumeru's ideals. From rocky start to the nebulous finish, Wanderer will embody the adaptation and growth that marks Sumeru's wisdom as he steadily grows into his own individual- with many characters we know accompanying him on that journey.
I dunno how else to put this, I literally just think that having a character actively being shaped by what makes Sumeru.. Sumeru after a total rejection of it is neat. Because.. Y'know. Plants? Nurturing and growing?? I am being SO real I do not think narratively cutting off a character's ability to grow would be Sumeru's jam. Sorry for this mess of a rant, I hope my thoughts got through.. and this isn't even talking about the nuances of other characters (especially Nahida!!) but I am. Tired. So tired :')
55 notes · View notes