#i know most people like him changing his name to diaz

[warpedpuppeteer]

My fave headcanon is that if Buddie get married Buck will keep his last name and they will hyphenate because he might have shit parents but he loves Maddie and Jee-Yun and wants to be connected to them (he also wants Daniel to live through their names even if he never knew him). Eddie agrees easily because he tells Buck he wants him to create his own happy family and associate happiness with the name Buckley. And Buck can't help the way his heart feels like exploding every time he sees "Christopher Buckley-Diaz" on anything.

[aaronsinferno]

Ryan is fighting tooth and nail to get them to understand that Eddie is, always has been, and always will be straight. From repeatedly calling Eddie a heterosexual male to stating how important it is for the show to display the relationship between a heterosexual guy and his queer best friend or brother.

Yet, it all gets overlooked and shot down by those online who swear they’re in it for the representation and storytelling. The same people who disregarded every other queer character on the show and who are actively targeting the current one.

Buddie isn’t happening. Not in the context they want it to anyway. Eddie is straight. It doesn’t matter what the writers thought of doing or considered in some room one day a few years ago. Eddie Diaz is a heterosexual man and that most likely won’t change. I don’t even think Ryan wants to play a queer character.

Buck is bisexual. Regardless if Tommy sticks around or not (I personally hope he stays) or if Buck decides to date women from now until the series ends, he’s still bisexual.

What those disgruntled shippers are doing to BuckTommy is nothing new. They think that harassing and attacking LI’s is what gets them removed from the show. They pride themselves because of it.

But what they’re doing to Lou is being done out of pure and genuine intimidation. They know that there’s potential and know that there’s a chance Tim might want him to stick around and they hate it. That’s why the hate aimed at him is so loud and strong. They don’t want him gone, they need him gone to fit whatever narrative they’ll collectively decide will apply to buddie after the fact.

And if you think I’m making any of this up, just search Lou’s name on twitter. Click on their pages and scroll. They don’t shy away from it or feel ashamed in any way. They’re poison

[iboatedhere]

Hi friend! Thanks for asking for prompts!

I’d love to request a fic based on a prompt from the June list - Peaches 🍑 (any interpretation you like 😏). Can’t wait to see what your awesome brain comes up with! ❤️❤️

start with a little inspo

"I'm having a full-on crisis."

"Henry, darling," Pez says over the line, "you'll have to be a tad more specific. You open a conversation this way at least three times a week." 

"This is the most urgent. This is the one that will have me change my name, grow a beard, and flee to the woods. It was lovely knowing you, Percy. Truly."

"I'm not entirely sure you could pull off a beard," Pez says. "Too blond and too pale. It'll just blend right in."

Henry groans.  

"Perhaps plastic surgery," Pez offers. "Although it would be a shame to cut up that gorgeous face." 

"Percy—."

"I'm sure I could find you an excellent surgeon. Let me make a few calls."

"Please go ahead and do that because I'm hanging up."

"I'm sorry, I'll stop," Pez says with a laugh that negates his promise. "Tell me what's wrong. You'll feel better once you do."

"I might have, accidentally, slightly, sexually harassed a politician on Instagram."

"That's quite the adventurous statement," Pez says after a moment. "Care to elaborate for me, Haz?"

"I don't even know where to start."

"The beginning, love." 

"You know how dreadful I am at social media."

"Indeed. If I had a penny for every time you accidentally posted a screenshot or sent me a DM filled with gibberish, I would never need to tap into my trust fund."

"Yes, well, there's this man that I follow—."

"The politician? Haz, if you dare tell me that you've taken an interest in some old, white dolt—."

"He is none of those things. He's quite young, and I believe he's said his father is Mexican—."

"Oh, you believe?" Pez says as if he already knows Henry has hung on to his every word since he followed him. 

"He's brilliant," Henry continues, "and beautiful."

"But still a politician."

"He's pro all the correct things, Pez. Nobody is perfect, but he's as close as I've seen."

"And you sexually harassed him?"

"Slightly. Accidentally. And via Instagram, which I know doesn't make it any better."

"What is his name?"

"Unimportant."

"You do realize I can find him by looking through your followers. It's the price you pay for only following one hundred people."

"I like to keep my feed neat and organized. Plus, the fewer people I follow, the less of a chance I have of embarrassing myself."

"And yet here we are."

"Indeed."

"Henry George Edward James Fox. What in the world did you do?"

"Well. He posted this photo to his stories, and I meant to scroll past it—."

"Did you?"

"I meant to screenshot it," Henry admits. 

"That's more like it. Do continue."

"I meant to screenshot it and then move on—."

"Wank off."

Henry hangs up. If Pez isn't going to be helpful, then they don't need to have a conversation. 

Thirty seconds later, Pez calls him, and Henry picks up against his better judgment. 

"Is his name Alex Claremont-Diaz?"

"Pez!"

"He's not hard to find. Running for New York's 11th Congressional District. Originally from Austin, Texas. Yee-haw."

"Pez, please, I'm dying."

"Moved to Manhattan to attend NYU law, then relocated to Brooklyn where he decided to try his hand at politics. Seems to volunteer a lot and posts quite a few thirst traps. I'm telling you, Haz. A man in a well-fit suit is a thousand times sexier than one with his shirt off."

"Did you look at his stories?"

"Looking now. A photo of the Brooklyn Bridge. Basic.  A Goldendoodle in the park. Adorable. A little photoshoot. Oh. Oh my. I see."

Henry hums, knowing precisely what Pez is looking at. 

Congressional hopeful, Alex Claremont-Diaz, facing sideways toward the camera in a jumper and khaki pants. 

"Certainly has a body on him, doesn't he? What did you accidentally say to him?"

"I didn't say anything. But I somehow sent him the peach emoji."

There's a moment of silence and then bubbling laughter. "Oh, Henry," he wheezes. 

"I don't know, my finger slipped on the screen or something, and then that little bar came up on the bottom, and the peach emoji auto-filled. I tried to delete it, but I hit send instead. Then I tried to delete that, but I couldn't, and now I'm panicking."

"Oh, darling."

"I don't know what to do. I'm so embarrassed I could die."

"I do think you're overthinking this a bit. The hopeful congressman did post that photo for a reason."

"So you think he was looking for this kind of reaction?"

"He's young, gorgeous, and very clearly knows it if he's taking GQ photo shoots and posting them to his socials. Plus, the angle of this shot…I think it's safe to say he got plenty of peaches sent his way."

"Oh," Henry says, doing an awful job of hiding his disappointment. He spends entirely too much of his time thinking about this man, and in return, he's barely a blip on his radar. "Okay. I suppose it's not as dire as I thought."

"As long as he doesn't block you, I think you're just fine."

"Okay," Henry says again as his phone dings. He pulls it away from his ear and looks down at a new Instagram notification. 

"Oh bloody hell," he breathes when he realizes what he's looking at. "It's a message from him."

Pez gasps. "What does it say?"

Henry holds his breath as he opens Instagram. "He sent me a photo of myself. That ridiculous one you made me post from during our trip to The Hamptons."

"The one in your swimsuit? By ridiculous, you must mean how ridiculously hot you looked. Posting that was a public service."

"I beg to differ," Henry says as another message appears. "Oh. Oh."

"What?" Pez asks. "What?"

"He sent the eggplant emoji. What does that mean?"

"Oh, Henry," Pez says, "love. It means you'll have quite the story to tell the grandkids."

[mvltisstuff]

Would you maybe write an Eddie Diaz x reader fic where she is cooking dinner and burns or cuts herself. Enough that they have to go to the ER and then just fluffy him helping her out after they get home...

night changes - e.d

summary: above :)

eddie diaz x reader

the fierce odor of the onions and smell of spices were overwhelming y/n’s nose, making her eyes water. she was chopping away at the onion, preparing a nice dinner for eddie, christopher, and herself. eddie was assisting, along with christopher who was sprinkling in some more flavoring into the pan. night like these were casual, but perfect. spending time with her two favorite people was the highlight of her days.

her relationship with eddie had its ups and downs, like any relationship might, but they were thriving now. both of them had steady jobs and were spending so much time together. they’d gotten extremely close over the years, and y/n spoke so gently to him and his son in ways that melted his big heart.

eddie adored her since the moment he met her, and after shannon died and dealing with the grief of that, y/n saved him. he saved her too, with her own experiences and feelings. they pulled each other out of the deep pits they were in.

eddie glanced over at y/n, with a wide smile as she spoke with christopher. her eyes were glossy, but the pure happiness across her face was very noticeable. her laugh was contagious, making the corners of eddie’s mouth rise up.

eddie’s phone rings, and looks at the name flashing across the screen. his friend, buck, had of course called and eddie handed the phone to christopher. “hi, buck!” he said into the phone, excitedly and wandered off to speak to him.

“i swear that kid loves him more than me,” eddie jokes.

“it’s the buck effect,” she replies. “makes everyone love him.”

“well i sure hope not you…” eddie says. he walks over to y/n, planting a kiss on her cheeks. she giggles lightly before demanding him to get back to whatever he was cooking before.

“oh, cmon, you know i love you the most,” and now it was her turn to move over and give him his own kiss. they didn’t have a fear of PDA in front of chris, but eddie was definitely more comfortable when he wasn’t around to see. christopher loves y/n, being the closet person he has to having a mother. she treated him like his own from the moment they were introduced.

y/n shuffles back to her own cutting board with her slippery hands from the wet veggies. she picks up the freshly sharpened knife to continue before she feels a massive slash on her hand. the knife had slipped out of her hand, landing directly on the other leaving a deep gash on the center of her palm. “ow, shit!” she yells out making eddie’s head turn like an owl.

he spots the deep cut on her hand, rapidly dripping out dark blood onto the cutting board and on her fingers. as an reflex, he grabs as many towels as he can and presses it against her hand. “woah, easy,” he calmly says under the pressure. “you alright?” he asks, placing his free hand on her cheek, swiping away a tear.

“i think so? i mean i just split my own hand open.”

eddie notices the blood sinking deep into the towels, almost completely covering the whiteness of the cloths. he pulls them off to examine the cut. the gash was incredibly deep, and unfortunately not something that could just be fixed by a bandaid. she hisses as he touches it lightly. “sorry, you’re alright,” eddie says softly, yet again. “i think we might need a trip to the ER, amor.”

“but i haven’t finished cooki-“

“you’re worried about cooking? you have a severe laceration to your hand!”

“mm, i love when you go all paramedic on me,” y/n smiles, and eddie shakes his head, concealing his own grin.

“chris! can you bring the phone in?” eddie yells to the other room. christopher comes walking in, handing the phone to eddie. “hey, man. wanna come hang out with chris? yeah, y/n cut her hand and we’re just gonna stop at the ER. she’ll be ok, i just don’t have anyone to watch him, also, make him dinner and don’t burn the house down, please!”

buck comes speeding over to be with chris, and y/n and eddie climb into his truck. “maybe i should get lights and a siren on this thing,” he says.

“eddie, i am not dying! at this rate you’ll get pulled over and i’ll bleed out in your nice truck.”

eddie rolls his eyes and pulls into the parking lot, then leading y/n in who is clutching her gushing hand. they’re guided into a section, as an intern comes over to sew up her hand.

she examines the stitches on her hand and holds it up to eddie, who hasn’t left her side for anything. he’s sitting next to her on the bed in the ER, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. “does it look cool?” she asks.

“sure, very cool,” he smiles and kisses her as the doctor cleans up, wrapping her hand up in gauze and sending them on their way.

the next few days, eddie was a complete clinger. he stayed by her side for anything she might need, because she was down a hand.

“eddie, i’m literally pouring cereal,” she says, sighing as he tried to take the box from her.

“he’s my own son, i can do it,” he smiles at her and leads her out of the way. he wanted to do everything for her because she does the same when he is hurt. it might be hypocritical, but he couldn’t care less. he wants to be with her when she does anything, incase something bad happens again and he isn’t there. she leads him out of the kitchen and onto the couch.

“babe, look at me,” she places her fingers under his chin and guides his face to look at her. “i am fine. it is just stitches, i didn’t break my arms. you don’t need to worry!”

“i know, i just want to help you. i feel bad, that’s all.”

“why do you feel bad? it’s not your fault my hand slipped.”

“i don’t know, i just didn’t like seeing you bleeding that much out of your own hands. it looked like a murder scene.”

“well, if you’re so desperate to help,” she smirks. “you can get in that kitchen and cook.”

eddie laughs and looks at her amusingly. the way she made the best out of a bad situation, and joked as she did it was the greatest gift he could’ve asked for. “fine, but it’s not my fault if it turns out awfully.”

“oh, don’t pity yourself. practice makes perfect,” y/n concludes and they head back into the kitchen together.

[hippolotamus]

Inspiration Saturday 🪩

Tagged by the delightful @thekristen999 @daffi-990 @lemonzestywrites @bidisasterevankinard @wikiangela

@theotherbuckley for Fuck it Friday. Thank you darlin’s (tagging you back for today) mwah! 💖

Made a lil moodboard for today's snippet. I'm not in love with all the words but that's what editing is for. So, here's Buck visiting Eddie's workplace for the first time. Surprise (because I don't think I've mentioned this before???) Eddie's not a firefighter in this either. He's a mechanic who works with a bunch of homophobic jerks. But also with Hen! Buck knows Eddie isn't out to most people so this is an... enlightening moment for him. Some of it's under the cut to save your dash. masterlist of posts here and no I'm not writing this remotely in order

“Oh, thank fuck,” he mumbles to himself when he pulls the door open and is greeted with a cool blast of air conditioning. 

Looking around the interior, he thinks it could pass for a museum. A snapshot in time, forever preserved exactly as it was. Gold framed articles about the 1973 grand re-opening hang on the wood-paneled walls alongside prints of hot rods and muscle cars. There are vintage metal signs mixed in for Shell, Texaco, Gulf, and some other brands he’s never heard of. 

“Do you have an appointment?” A gravelly voice asks from behind him.

Buck jerks around to the desk where a middle aged woman with auburn hair and green gray eyes glares at him with a mix of boredom and curiosity. Or maybe suspicion? He can't quite tell.

Her bronzed skin is littered with freckles and screams that she’s spent too much time outside with no sunscreen or other protection. A name plate, half hidden under papers and key rings, identifies her as Estelle. He’s heard a few stories about her from Eddie, but he’s not sure any of them did her intimidating demeanor justice.

“Uh, no?” He answers, not sure why it comes out as a question other than he’s not entirely convinced the five foot something couldn’t somehow manage to hurt him. 

It must take every ounce of strength to conceal the whole body sigh she wants to make as she looks down, licks her fingertip and begins flipping through a giant paper scheduling book. “If you don’t have an appointment I can maybe get you in next Thursday. Depending on what you need.”

“Actually, uh, I don’t need anything.” Estelle glances up, mouth slightly parted and eyes narrowed as if she’s about to ask what he’s doing standing in her lobby. He quickly adds, “Well, what I mean is, my car doesn’t need anything. I’m here to see Eddie? Uh, Eddie Diaz.”

She nods with something like understanding. At least he hopes that’s what it is as she picks up the phone receiver and punches in a few numbers.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, is Diaz around? Someone here asking about him.” 

“No, it’s not the cops! What’s the matter with you? I don’t know. Just some guy here looking for Eddie.”

Estelle huffs an exasperated sigh and looks toward the ceiling like it’ll give her strength. “Jay, I don’t have time for twenty questions and, quite frankly, I don’t care.”

“About time you quit screwin’ around. Send him out.” She hangs up the receiver and mutters something about not caring that he’s a relative. 

“He’ll be a few minutes. Take a seat.” She gestures to a line of metal chairs with sticky looking vinyl cushions without so much as glancing in Buck’s direction. 

He momentarily gets excited when he spots a gumball machine in the corner until he realizes it would require actual coins that he definitely doesn’t have. And he’s not about to ask Estelle if she’s got change for a twenty just so he can satisfy his sweet tooth. 

“Buck?” Eddie appears from a side door, wiping his hands on a rag. His hair is sweaty and mussed, likely from pushing it out of his face. His gorgeous, kissable face that Buck very much wants to kiss even more right now despite the streaks and smudges of god knows what decorating it. The corner of Eddie’s mouth twitches like he knows what Buck is thinking, but he clears his throat and schools it just as quickly when Estelle grunts, reminding them they’re at his workplace. 

“Uh, Buck. Hi. What can I do for you?” Eddie tilts his chin in the direction of the parking lot. “Everything okay with the jeep?”  

“Hi,” Buck answers, a little too breathy for their current situation. He can’t seem to help himself. Eddie’s always cleaned up when they meet, whether it’s at the club, a date out somewhere or an evening in. He’s never seen him marked up from his job, in his grimy army green coveralls. 

“Uh, yeah. Jeep’s fine. Just, you know, was nearby and thought I’d stop in.” Buck tracks the movement as Eddie’s tongue darts out, wetting his lips, before sneaking him a flirty, amused smirk. 

“Glad you did.” Eddie chances a look at Estelle who still has her head down, shuffling some papers that probably don’t need it. He takes a step closer and lowers his voice. “I haven’t taken my lunch yet. Give me five and we can get out of here?”

Buck nods, not knowing how to respond without giving anything away. 

Eddie puts more distance between them again, sticking his hand out. Buck takes it, thrown by the familiarity of his boyfriend mixed with the very conventional, socially acceptable handshake. “Great to see you again, Buck. Check that place on Viscount Boulevard. I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks,” Buck answers, reluctantly letting their palms slide apart. But he gets it. Eddie’s coworkers are all a bunch of ignorant, homophobic assholes. Well, except for Hen apparently. Regardless, Eddie can’t be risking his job and livelihood when he has Chris to think about. “I’ll go check it out. You said it’s about... ten minutes from here?”

“About that, yeah. Maybe fifteen.”

A warm, fluttering feeling washes over him as Eddie winks and smiles, seeming pleased that Buck caught on to his little game. He has to force himself to turn around and leave instead of watching his boyfriend walk away. 

“Have a nice day,” Estelle says as he opens the door, setting off a chime. It’s enough to snap him out of his haze, offering a weak ‘you too’ as he hurries back to his jeep.

np tagging @actuallyitsellie @epicbuddieficrecs @loveyouanyway @a-noble-dragon @tizniz

@mountedeverest @fortheloveofbuddie @weewootruck @saybiwithme @shipperqueen6

@ramonaflow @taketheplanspinitsideways @spotsandsocks @dangerpronebuddie @stereopticons

@kitteneddiediaz @mrs-f-darcy @drowsy-quill @your-catfish-friend @filet-o-feelings

@underwaterninja13 @lizzie-bennetdarcy @rainbow-nerdss @steadfastsaturnsrings @queenmabcreates

@inell @jesuisici33 @rmd-writes @shortsighted-owl @queerbuckleys

@bi-buckrights @elvensorceress @bucksbiawakening @giddyupbuck @hoodie-buck

@indestructibleheart @ladydorian05 @monsterrae1 @statueinthestone @slightlyobsessedwitheverything

@the-likesofus @thewolvesof1998 @watchyourbuck @welcometololaland @wildlife4life and anyone else who wants to 😘

[blazinghotfoggynights]

I am so happy for episode 7x4. Why? It has already led to lines of communication about romantic and queer journeys that are not typical.

I see Team!Tuck and Team!Buddie have some members that are not happy with the other and think the other team is delusional or doesn't make sense. Only the members of that show's crew know what is going to happen. For all we know, Buck could meet a third party, fall in love, leave the 118, and go off to happily ever after.

(I so don't want that. But what can a girl do?)

I want to say that as someone who probably has just a teeny bit more of life experience than many people on here and other social media, no I am not sharing my age, I have seen, and experienced, a lot. Remember I mentioned lines of communication opening? They are open now because people are inspired and feel empowered to share their thoughts and experiences.

To Team!Tuck, yes, Team!Buddie is still quite a possibility. How? Did you know you can be so in love with someone you have no idea you are in love with them? Sounds crazy, right? But it can happen. It took many years for me to see that I was head over heels for my best friend. I never considered it. I never looked at him that way. We were just really close and besties.

It took someone asking me if I were stuck on a deserted island and could only have one person there with me, who I would choose. I said his name instead of my then boyfriend's name. I didn’t even think about it. It was reflexive.

The person was staring at me smiling and watching me as I realized what I’d said and then a montage of our friendship played in my mind.

“Oh my god.” That was me.

“Finally figured it out?” That was the other person.

When I thought about it, I compared men to him all the time. The qualities I was most attracted to in my partners up to that point were qualities they shared with him. But it was at that moment, many years into our friendship, that I realized that had been happening.

This leads me to Team!Buddie. Team!Tuck is valid and could very well be endgame. If the writers make Eddie a completely hetero man with no flexibility, Buddie will not happen. However, they have offered a character who is literally an amalgamation of Buck and Eddie as a possible love interest. It is funny to me, because when I look at the Tommy character I see the lovechild of Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley. Buck picked a man who mirrors him physically but shares a lot with Eddie including military background, quick wit, snarkiness, the willingness to say screw the rules when needed, hobbies, etc.

If Buck knows with no uncertainty that Eddie is not, and will never be, an option, wouldn’t it make sense that a man who is so much like Eddie would catch Buck’s eye?

I will also say that it is not impossible for someone who truly believes they are 100% heterosexual their entire lives to realize one day that may not be the case. How do they realize it? They look at someone of the same sex and have an epiphany.

As a young one who was new to this world, I fell for the rhetoric that sexuality is static and does not change. You were either straight or gay. There was nothing else.

This older, wiser version of me knows the only things you can count on in life are change, surprise, and unpredictability. She is also grateful for those who worked hard to explain that sexuality is a spectrum and give those who never quite found a space a label that finally fit.

She is extremely grateful for the brave people who who have the courage to live out loud and raise their voices in pride so others know maybe one day they can do the same.

I will always have my fingers crossed for Buddie endgame. I’m talking big wedding, tears being shed, vows so sweet everyone requires insulin. You get the picture.

However, I also want to see the two characters who never have happiness or a partner who truly supports them find what Hen/Karen and Athena/Bobby have. If that is with other people, so be it.

One more time, I am going to say major respect for ABC and the show writers for flipping off that network that can go to hell and giving this arc life and to Oliver and Lou for doing what is bound to piss off a lot of people who won't be shy about vocalizing their narrowmindedness.

[wenellyb]

Eddie Diaz is a white Latino. Did people learn nothing from the Pedro Pascal discourse? And does the fandom *not* remember that episode where the funeral protestor refuses to be tended by Hen and Chim, so he asks Eddie to give him care— fully seeing he’s white— until Eddie says his last name is Diaz and his father’s Mexican, but he can channel his mother’s Swedish heritage for the man’s comfort? White people are not members of the global majority, but they do live and exist outside Western Europe and the U.S. (like Mexico).

It’s so weird how parts of the fandom are making any positive reaction to a m/m relationship in this show (that isn’t their yaoi ‘buddie’ fanfiction) into something about loving to see white men kiss. Y’all would still be getting that with canon buddie! Y’all couldn’t even support Michael and Glenn (calling them “homewreckers”). Y’all constantly ignore Hen and Karen with your complaints of “queerbaiting.” Y’all also called TK & Carlos’ (911 Lone Star) relationship “toxic” because it began with sex and because y’all fanon Carlos as some aggressive control freak. Like… c’mon!

I don’t think anyone who is supportive of Buck’s new relationship is arguing that Tommy is perfect. He’s was a fucking dick to both Hen and Chim when they joined the 118. His “delivery man” comment to Chim was wildly unacceptable. No one has forgotten this. Yet both Hen and Chim are *NOW* good friends with him…? Why? He changed. And the show shows the audience this. They show that he developed a great camaraderie with Hen and Chim. They show how he— unlike Sal and Gerrard— shifted his behavior and worldview to accept, embrace, and enjoy change.

Tommy could have been Sal. He could have been Gerrard. He had a good working relationship with both men and both men encouraged bad behavior in the 118. Yet he didn’t. He stayed on and befriended Hen and Chim (when most of the other guys still refused). Because he chose to learn and change and open himself to people’s differences (which likely also helped him come to terms with his own “differences”).

Tommy’s arc is meant to show how someone can make amends, repair relationships, and become a better person (y’know… learn, grow, and reform himself). The general audience for this show is straight and white. They *need* to see white people changing and learning to be better. They *need* to see queer people coming into themselves. These are important story lines.

Fans like Buck and Tommy together because they like Buck and Tommy together, because they like what this means for them and what might happen going forward. That’s literally it. We’re all just overjoyed by having more queer representation, including Bi representation. That’s it.

But there are a lot of “buddie” shippers in people’s inboxes hating on Buck and Tommy together for no reason other than it stands in the way of their ideal porn fantasies (“buddie”). And they’re being weirdly queerphobic about it, too.

Hi Anon!!!! So much to unpack here. I'll post this and let anyone comment their thoughts because this is an interesting conversation.

I'll start by saying that it never occurred to me that Ryan Guzman was not White, until Bucktommy became more popular and some Buddie shippers said that Bucktommy shippers were preferring the White MM pairing and I was like "Hmm.... both Buddie and Bucktommy are White MM pairings"???? Like it never even occured to me.

I'm not here to debate Ryan Guzman's ethnicity, he knows that better than us, but as you mentionned people seem to forget that there are White latinos.

I should add that Americans will maybe have a different perspective but in Europe, there is racism, and there is also xenophobia both are bad, but not the same.

If I'm talking about someone who is White and Latino being a victim of prejudice, I would never say that they're victim of racism, I would say that he's victim of xenophobia.

Believe it or not there are a lot of Europeans are xenophobic but not racist and vice versa.

With that being said, I agree with the rest of your ask..

I love 911 Lone Star and watched 911 casually but I never got the Buddie shippers, especially the ones who said they shipped Buddie as a form of activism, or because there was a lack of Queer representation (which is true) but Henren are there, TK and Carlos are right there and it's the same franchise.

They never cared about Henren, they even erased them whenever they accused the show of Queerbaiting even thought it has several Queer characters.

I remember when they started complaining that Bucktommy had more fics that Henren after one kiss.... but never said anything about Buddie having over 20 000 fics after 6 years of nothing even thought Henren was canon.

A lot of their takes are rooted in hypocrisy, it's like they're taking all the arguments that have been thrown at them and throwing them back at Bucktommy shippers without even thinking about it.

It's very important to have discussion about fandom racism, because it's a huge issue especially in the biggest fandoms but I do feel like some of them are bringing the issue in bad faith. This discussion is so important but it needs to be had with the Bucktommy fandom AND the Buddie fandom. So far the Buddie shippers only want the Bucktommy shippers to have it.

Why don't they take a look at the mirror first and ask themselves why they never cared about a Black Lesbian couple when one of them was a Main Character. Why don't they ask themselves why a ship with 2 best friends has over 20000 fics and a canon ship that is TK and Carlos only have 7000.

And why do they find the weirdest excuses to hate on Carlos (as you said), who's clearly not White and never give him the same courtesy they give their fave White chatacters.

When Buddie shippers talk about fandom racism, all I can think is: the call is coming from inside the house.

[rainbow-nerdss]

Definition

Written for @augustwritingchallenge day 25 (Joker Prompt): Role Reversal Buddie, 2.8k Read on AO3

or: 5 times people get Buck's role in Chris's life wrong, and 1 time they set the record straight

1: 

It starts on a night in December, after Buck tagged along with Eddie when he was bringing Chris to see Santa Claus. 

“You two have an adorable son,” the elf says to Buck, after Chris is done, refusing to say what he wished for but laughing when Eddie picks him up and carries him off.

Buck doesn’t correct her. She’s doing her job, and she’s being nice, and there’s no point in making the situation awkward by pointing out the mistake. 

He can’t blame her for making the assumption, either — they’re two adults, together. taking a kid out to see Santa. They’d been sitting pretty close together by the fountain, and Buck knows he’s been looking at Chris like a proud parent even though he’s not one.

It’s like a whiplash, though, going from talking to Eddie about Shannon’s place as Chris’s parent, her place in both of their lives, to someone assuming Buck is the one in that place. It makes him uncomfortable, but at the same time… there’s a longing there, for that to be true someday. Not with Eddie and Chris, but with someone.

He rejoins Eddie and Chris, and he doesn’t tell them, either. But he keeps that little mistake, and the warmth it sparked in his chest, and he holds onto it. 

He doesn’t know why, not for a long time, but that one little sentence sticks with him.

2: 

It’s years later, and Maddie’s just announced her pregnancy to the whole team. Eddie already knows, Buck’s excitement at the news making it impossible for him not to spill. They’re at a barbecue in Bobby and Athena’s back yard, and everyone toasts the happy couple.

Bobby turns to Buck, once the initial round of cheers and congratulations for the parents-to-be. “So you’re gonna be an uncle, huh? How’s it feeling?”

Eddie sips his beer, smiling to himself. Buck’s spoken about anything else since he heard the news, so Eddie’s pretty sure he knows the answer.

“Well, he’s already an uncle, right?” Ravi interrupts. Eddie frowns at him, and Buck looks as confused as he feels. 

“What do you mean?” he asks.

Ravi looks between the two of them. “I mean, not by blood, sure, but like…” He gestures over to Christopher, playing with Denny on the ipad.

Eddie feels himself grimace. Something about it strikes him as wrong. Buck’s an important part of Chris’s life, but uncle? He thinks of his own tíos, how they’d come to visit every now and again, spend most of the time talking to his parents and talking to him just long enough to establish how he was doing in school, and whether or not he had a girlfriend. 

He knows Buck won’t be like that with Maddie’s kid, but it still feels…. different.

Eddie doesn’t know how to respond to it, honestly. "Buck isn’t—that's not..." But what can he say? That's not how it is. That’s not enough to describe Buck’s importance in Chris’s life.

Eddie looks back at Buck, and sees matching confusion on his face. “Chris doesn’t call me his uncle,” he says, as though the idea has never even occurred to him. Eddie smiles at him, and Buck smiles back, and there’s a mutual understanding there.

Buck’s not Chris’s uncle. He’s… Well, he’s something else — something Eddie’s not quite ready to name yet, but there’s a piece of paper in a lawyer’s office to attest to it.

3: 

Chris is not feeling good. His head is spinning, his stomach churning, and he feels both hot and cold at the same time. 

“Your dad will be here soon, okay, honey?” Nurse Rodriguez tells him, after hanging up the phone. “You just sit tight and let me know if anything changes.”

He’s in the nurse’s office, staring bleary-eyed at the linoleum floor. The pattern swims around as his vision blurs, and he hugs the little basin Nurse Rodriguez had given him close, feeling more like he was gonna need it with every passing second.

“I’m here for Christopher Diaz?” 

He hears a familiar voice outside the room, and it makes him relax, just knowing he’ll be home soon, able to curl up in bed or on the couch, watch TV and be taken care of.

“Mr. Diaz!” Nurse Rodriguez says, in her overly-friendly voice, and Chris laughs, lurching his stomach and making him feel so much worse.

“Uh, I’m not… I’m Buck—Evan Buckley, I mean, I should be…?”

Nurse Rodriguez backtracks, apologizing. “Oh! I am so sorry, Mr. Buckley, I see you on the emergency contact list. If you’d just sign here?”

Chris loses track of the conversation outside, focusing instead on his breathing until Nurse Rodriguez comes back in and escorts him out to Buck. Buck wraps an arm around him and helps him out to the car, then sets him up with blankets and a bucket on the couch, and serves up chicken noodle soup when Chris is able to stomach food.

He lets Chris curl into his side to take a nap, warm and comfortable, like he’s a little kid again, and he stays there even after Chris goes to bed, even after his dad gets home and comes in to check on him.

4:

Buck knocks on Hen's door, and is immediately met with an armful of sleepy infant as she passes the baby over to him. He takes it in stride, adjusting her in his arms so she's comfortable and following Hen inside. 

"Everything okay?" He asks, once they're in the kitchen, surrounded by dirty mixing bowls and flour dusting every surface.

"There's a bake sale at the school tomorrow, and someone forgot to mention it until about an hour ago." She raises her voice on the word someone, pointedly glaring out to where Denny is doing his homework in the next room.

"I said I was sorry!" Denny calls back, and Hen grumbles but Buck can see there's no real resentment there.

"That's rough," Buck commiserates. "I take it we're not going to see that movie tonight, then?"

Hen shakes her head. "Sorry, man. I gotta take care of this. I do not trust Karen with baking supplies." Hen makes a face. "Granted, I'm also not spectacular at it but…"

Buck laughs. "I can help out," he offers. "I've got a great recipe for cupcakes?"

Hen makes a face. "Are you sure? You wouldn't know it, Buck, but those PTA moms are so picky about what you bring and whether it's good enough for their precious little babies—"

Buck snorts, gently settling the baby in her rocker. She fusses a little, but calms down after a moment or two. He gets the recipe up on his phone. "Oh, trust me—I know."

Hen looks confused, so he elaborates with an amused smile. "What, you think Eddie Diaz does all that stuff? I'll never forget the look on Carter's mom's face when my cookies outsold hers at the last bake sale at Chris's school." Buck chuckles to himself, then starts gathering ingredients. 

"Huh, I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed—I mean, he's got his aunt, and Carla…" Hen trails off with a shrug and falls into place next to Buck, reading the recipe and pointing him to the right cupboards to find what he needs.

"They do some, when we've got work or something, but…" Buck falters. He wants to say something like "That's different," or "They're not his parents," but... neither is Buck, is he? He remembers the elf from all those years ago, how he hadn't corrected her. The feeling of wanting that. 

At the time, he’d thought the want was just for a family of his own, a partner, a kid. Now, though… those lines aren’t as clear anymore.

"I like to help out," is all he says, and then switches on the mixer, effectively shutting off conversation.

5: 

Eddie's had a few drinks. Buck's at work, and Chris has been coerced into going with Pepa to visit Eddie's parents for the weekend. Eddie had been supposed to go too, but he doesn't feel too guilty about playing up his injuries as an excuse not to join them. He did feel slightly bad that his parents hadn't let them off the hook entirely, insisting on taking Chris off his hands.

Chris had dragged his feet about it, but Eddie knows he's stubborn enough to stay behind if he really wants to — he likes getting to see his older cousins, and while he doesn’t want to live with them, he does like visiting his grandparents, too — if only because they spoil him rotten.

Buck hadn't wanted to leave Eddie alone tonight, not after he'd been injured on the bridge — no more than a dislocated shoulder and a few bruised ribs in the end, nothing compared to Chimney, to Bobby even Hen, but it was enough to get him signed off work for a fortnight. Things had been sketchy for a few minutes there, and for a moment, Eddie had feared… but then there was Buck, opening the doors, pulling him out by one arm.

It hurts like a bitch, but he's fine. Still, when Buck insisted on calling in Carla to keep him company tonight, Eddie didn't point out that was exactly what Buck had been so against Maddie doing for him after the lightning. He doesn't mind the company, especially since he hates being home alone at night.

Besides, Carla doesn't treat him like an invalid. She brings a bottle of some fruity gin, and Eddie orders from the nice Thai place, and they just hang out, catching up on all of the grown-up stuff they rarely get to talk about when they’re busy discussing Chris.

Still, they're halfway through the gin when Carla brings it up. "Buck said he was scared he lost you for a second there."

Eddie shrugs, then winces. He's not sure how much of the wince is because it tugged at his shoulder, and how much is the reminder. "Honestly, for a second, I was worried too. But Buck got me out." Like he always does, Eddie doesn't say. He'd come so close to telling Buck, then. Telling him everything, how he felt for him.

"You know, this house is weird without Chris in it," Carla slurs her words, just as tipsy as he is.. For a moment, Eddie thinks the subject has been changed, until she continues. "If anything does happen to you, there's no way in hell I'm letting your parents drag Chris to Texas for good. I'm gonna fight to keep that boy here, and I know Buck'll do the same."

Eddie laughs, realizing that he hadn't told her about his will. He hadn't told anyone, really, other than Pepa, Abuela and Buck. He'd known at the time it was a big deal, that people might get the wrong impression if he told them.

Turns out, it would have been the right impression after all.

"That won't be necessary," he tells her, after draining his glass.

"I know, I know — you're fine, you aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

"No, that's —well, yes, that too, but also—" Eddie gets up, gestures for her glass too, then pours them both a fresh drink. "My folks wouldn't get Chris, if anything happens. I have a will, so…" he shrugs, sitting back down and sliding Carla's glass over. "Buck's gonna look after him. If I can't anymore. Prob'ly still have to fight, but it's on paper, it's… official."

Carla hums, watching him carefully. "And Buck knows this?" she asks.

Eddie nods. "Told him after… after the shooting."

The last time Buck took Eddie’s hand, pulling him from danger, dragging him to safety.

Carla sighs, shaking her head. She looks at him like she's seeing something new, like this is the last piece in a puzzle she's been working on for years. "Why haven't either of you made a move yet?"

Eddie chokes on his drink, and she pushes a dishcloth across the table for him to mop himself up. Once he's composed himself, he meets her eye.

"Honestly?" He asks. "I can't speak for Buck, but… I'm sort of starting to wonder the same thing."

+1:

Chris is honestly tired of everyone making assumptions about Buck's place in his life. It's been clear to Chris himself for a long time—probably longer than Buck himself has known. The problem is, they've never said it out loud.

That's going to change today.

A month ago, Chris got home from Texas to find his dad and Buck making out in the kitchen.

He'd run to wash out his eyes, but then they say him down,  and the three of them had talked it out together, and he's happy for them. Happy they’ve finally started being honest with themselves, with him, and with each other.

And now, it's Christopher's turn to do the same.

He's not as good as Buck at making pancakes, but he can do French toast pretty well, so he makes enough for the three of them and sets it on the table. It's a little overcooked, but he doesn't think they'll mind. 

Then he knocks on their bedroom door—because Buck may still be paying rent on his apartment for now, but he basically lives with them already. Chris likes that, likes having Buck around even more than before.

He disappears back to the kitchen before they can get to the door, calling them down when he hears Buck ask after him in a sleepy voice.

"Oh my god," his dad says, taking in the sight of the food on the table when both of them shuffle in. "This is… you made this yourself?"

"It's Father's Day, dad. I wanted to treat you."

Chris accepts the tearful hug with only minimal complaints, part of the gift.

Once they're both seated, he goes back to his room, returning with the real present.

"Carla helped with these," he explains, suddenly nervous. "I designed them, and then she sent them off to be made with the money from my allowance, um…"

Chris hands over the one on top first, putting it in front of his dad. Buck chews on his French toast, eyeing the package curiously while Eddie opens it.

Inside is a plaque, printed to look like a dictionary entry. It's cheesy as hell, but if Chris knows his dad, he'll eat it up. 

It reads:

Dad (n): a firefighter with a terrible sense of humor, someone who drinks too much coffee and spends too much time on his hair. See also: Father

Just as Chris predicted, Eddie's eyes grow wet, and he reaches out for another hug, which Chris indulges again.

"What's the other one?" Buck asks.

Chris takes a deep breath. This is it, he tells himself, and he hands the second package to Buck.

Buck looks at it, then up at Chris in confusion, waiting for him to nod before opening it with slow, careful movements — it's so unlike Buck, who always tears into the wrapping paper on his birthday presents, that Chris almost wants to laugh. He doesn't, though. This is serious, after all.

Buck stares down at the plaque, the same style as the first, with a different message.

This one reads:

Buck (n): A firefighter with a terrible sense of humor, the maker of the best pancakes, someone who knows way too many random facts. See also: Father.

"Chris…" Buck's voice is soft, and he looks to be at a loss for words, so Chris speaks instead. He practiced what he’s going to say here, to make his meaning absolutely clear.

"I know I only ever call you Buck," he says, "but that's just because calling both of you dad would be confusing, and pops is Bobby." Chris laughs, thinking of the time he'd spent on his own in his room, thinking of different words for dad he could call Buck, none of them fitting until he realized why. "But… Buck means the same thing as those other names to me, and it has ever since the pier. Since you saved me. You're my Buck. And I'm your son."

Chris is bright red by the end of his speech, he doesn't think he's said that much uninterrupted to his parents in a long time, and they're both just… staring at him.

Chris initiates the hug this time, throwing himself into Buck's arms. Later, he'll claim it was just so he didn't have to see the sappy looks on their faces, but he buries his face in Buck's shoulder, feels Buck's arms around his back, and he knows without a doubt that he's safe there.

His dad joins the hug too after a moment, sandwiching Chris in the middle in a way that should be uncomfortable, but Chris smiles to himself anyway.

The two plaques hang side by side on the wall of the living room, for everyone who visits to see, clearing up any and all confusion in the matter.

Buck is Christopher's dad, nothing more, and nothing less.

[lemotmo]

OMG to your last anon YES! the complete canon Buck erasure that is happening on some of those blogs is batshit crazy. Conquer ten thousand percent and yes the damse/helpless without Tommyl nonsense is gross. They're telling us Buck has been begging people to call him Evan for years and Tommy is just the only one who's listened to him *gag me* WHAT?! I even saw a few that said Tommy will help Buck see that the entire 118 has been emotionally manipulative to him for years and he's just taken it because no one's ever loved him enough to tell him he's worth more until now SERIOUSLY I HATE IT HERE.

Oh and one genius said they can't wait for the episode where Eddie leaves Buck to die in order to save himself and Tommy comes to his rescue and punches Eddie in the face and Buck decides to transfer to Tommy's house as a result. These are people who have supposedly been watching for 6 plus years. What the actual FUCK?

I'm not going to touch the Oliver hate that is creeping more and more into some of it. They finally seemed to agree he's not into it. It is a fandom of Tommy shipping. Buck has nothing to do with it. And those fucking cameo videos are entirely to blame.

Hi Nonny. Yeah, I understand your frustration. I've seen some of these takes around as well. Some of these people dismiss what the show is really about: the 118 as a found family.

Buck is woobyfied and treated as a small boy that needs to be protected by his new big hulky loving boyfriend. That is not the Buck we have come to know and love over the last couple of seasons. He doesn't need protection in a romantic relationship. He needs understanding, recognition and love. And guess what? He already has someone in his life who can give him just that. His name is Eddie Diaz.

The Ryan/Eddie hate is strong in that part of the fandom as well, but lately I have also seen some Oliver hate creep in. I agree that it probably has to do with the total non-reaction by Oliver on the BT relationship.

But look, he never lied about BT or lead them on in any way. He made it clear from the start that BT is a transitional relationship that will end. So he has decided to not engage with that part of the fandom, not willing to give them false hope. He did the same with Buddie in the past, until something changed pre-season 7 and he started gushing about it again. To me this is another sure sign that Buddie is happening.

As for Eddie leaving Buck to die? LOL! As if! That man wouldn't leave Buck to die even if it meant him dying as well. That's devotion.

I find it waaaay more likely that Tommy will be the one to emotionally leave Buck on his own as the 118 will be dealing with Gerrard. I can see Tommy saying: "Just don't interfere and stay low. That's what I did. It'll blow over." after Buck told him once again how Gerrard is making Chim and Hen (and probably Eddie, Ravi and Buck included) pay for what happened with him in the past.

Most of these 'headcanons' floating around were started by Lou on his cameos and -unfortunately- some people just rolled with it. I don't know if they understand that these are things that Lou made up in his mind as an actor, but they aren't real parts of Tommy's character. The writers are the only ones writing Tommy. They decide who he is and how he acts. And so far, Tommy has not really been a very interesting or loving character towards Buck. That is what is canon right now. It's important to keep that in mind.

Ultimately I wouldn't get too worked up about it. The BT scenes were about 17 minutes from a season made up of 10 episodes. A season that has tons of great Buddie scenes, more than ever before. The writing on the wall is as obvious as it can be. It's not our problem that some people can't read it.

[marzeephan]

MLP next generation: Star and Sky

Formally introducing Twilight Sky and Shining Star, Twilight's children, before you ask for their other parent, yes they do have one but I will not reveal them for now, also, they aren't Twi's partner, they acted more like a donor, but the kids do know their other parent, they just spend most of their time with Twilight.

Onto the info!

Twilight Sky:

Age: 19

Family: Twilight Sparkle (mother), Shining Star (twin brother)

Cutiemark: a starry sunset colored sky with an orange and yellow colored star in the middle

Occupation: Student of the princesses and current Princess of Friendship

Sky Facts:

- She is a very chill mare, which leads those who don't know her to think of her as a mysterious and withdrawn princess, which she isn't.

She is actually a little withdrawn and doesn't tend to share her life details with many ponies, but she doesn't do it in a malicious way, she is just like that, once you get to know her she is actually the nicest pony you'll ever meet and a really loyal friend. Think of her as a more soft version of Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99.

- She gained her cutiemark at 6 years old, a very young age, she got it at the same time as her brother, only they weren't toghether that day, she was spending the evening with Flurry Heart, surfing the sky and as the sun was setting she looked at the sky and felt a deep connection, she closed her eyes and at that same time the sky suddenly changed its color for a dusk pallette, Flurry was mesmerized, it was as Sky changed the color of the Sky herself...

Sky still with her eyes closed, lost control of her wings and as she fell a beam of light revolved around her. Flurry manged to catch her as they were very high in the sky and asked her if she was okay, she said that she was, that she felt like she just woke up from a very long nap, and there it was, her cutiemark.

-Many ponies think she is named after her mother, and while she kinda is because twilight is a family name, her mother actaully wanted to name her children after someone close in the family, so she is actually named after Twilight Velvet.

Shining Star:

Age: 19

Family: Twilight Sparkle (mother), Twilight Sky (twin sister).

Cutiemark: a constellation formed between three yellow and orange colored stars, each one of different size.

Occupation: Student of the princesses and current Prince of Friendship.

Star Facts:

- He is a calm and sweet stallion, but he unwillingly is very very clumsy and dorky, which he tries so hard not to be because it embarasses him, but people actually see this a a sign that their prince is just another pony like them. He is also a huge bookworm like his mother and you can always find him at the library or at the astronomy tower.

- He gained his cutiemark at 6 years old, a very young age, at the same time as her sister, only they weren't together, he was spending the evening with his grandpa Night Light, who is an astronomer (as i headcanon him), to wait for the sun to set so they could gaze the stars. When the sun set, and the moment the sky changed its color, Star started to see the starts appear in it, his eyes closed as he felt a deep connection with them, at that moment, all the stars in the sky abruptly appeared, and milions of new stars that weren't ever seen before appeared too, Night Light was shocked, he didn' t see anything like this in his entire life, he looked down and saw that Star was laying on the ground,a beam of light around him, and them the light dissapeared he asked Star if he was okay, Star answered that he was, he just felt like he had been woken up from a long nap, and there it was, his cutiemark.

- He was named after his uncle Shining Armor.

Facts:

- Their family, the mane six and the princesses were a little shocked that they weren't unicorns, but as Twilight never revealed the identity of their other parent, they just assumed it was because of their genetics. However, a small portion of the ponies in equestria weren't happy upon hearing that the new royals could not wield any magic, these ponies were groups of ponies of the high elite, old ponies with closed minds and etc, so their opinion wasn't really taken as important and despite this the birth of the twins was celebrated in all of equestria.

- The day Star and Sky got their cutiemarks, the majority of ponies assumed it was a great day and that that was it, but Twilight and the Princesses, especially Celestia and Luna, knew that it wasn't normal that the sky and the stars acted like that, they had magic, and much more than that, the princesses concluded that their fate and destiny would be something that could change equestria.

-And so, they started studying and training in magic, from a very young age, Twilight discovered that although they weren't unicorns, they had a great amount of magic inside that would cause them problems if it wasn't worked on. The closest magic experts worked along with the princesses to find something that would channel their magic without causing them to losing it or causing any damage to the royal siblings. After many time of work, the prince and princess were granted a special crystal for each one of them.

- These crystals are pictured in the drawing, Star channels his magic through his hooves, so he wears the crystal as a bracelet, as for Sky, she channles her magic through her wings, but Twilight was struggling to find an accesory that wouldn't restrain her wings while wearing it, so they tried a pendant, and it actually worked, whenever she uses magic though, she wears the crystal on her back, so it reaches the start of her wings, but as long as she isn't using magic she just wears it as a normal pendant.

- Star and Sky know that they can't be the only non unicorn ponies in all of equestria that can use magic, as the Princesses and all of equestria believe, so in the time they aren't studying or attending royal duties, they do a lot of research on magic, and actually work on devices that could channel pegasus and earth pony magic.

-They have been together all of their lives and can't fathom being without the other, even though they are very different.

And that's all, I will not be writing all of their story in this post as I haven't yet finished creating this universe (who knows if i'll finish it), but feel free to ask anything you want about them in the comments, I'll try to answer as much as possible :)

Hope you like them, and thank you for taking the time to read this!

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Buddie Moodboard - Criminal Minds AU

So yeah, I've started rewatching that show. And of course, Buddie jumped right back into my face and wouldn't let go until I moodboarded this. So... the moodboards have won yet again. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Cheers!

Looking back, Eddie Diaz never thought he'd join the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. After his time in the war, he took a long time, figuring out where to fit in, what to do with his life now that he is out of the military. So no, becoming an FBI agent, moving to Los Angeles to join the BAU sub-branch there, as a single dad, and to dive into dangerous situations on the daily is not the first choice that comes to mind. Less so if you asked his parents.

But there is only looking forward, so Eddie is taking his chances with the team under the lead of Special Agent Robert "Bobby" Nash. While everyone on the team is undoubtedly capable and undeniably nice to him upon his first day, one of the agents just returned from some time off seems less than pleased. In his opinion, they don't need anyone else on the team.

It doesn't take a profiler to figure out that the guy's got the heart in the right place, just a bit afraid of change, of people leaving – and someone allergic to being called by his first name. Though after their first together, Eddie and Buck don't just find a common ground, it doesn't take them long to develop a strong friendship.

One of the odd things about being surrounded by profilers is that it becomes all the harder to keep your private life private. Not only do you spend so many hours together, but you are surrounded by people whose job it is to figure other people out. So it's hardly surprising to anyone that each of the team has their very personal demons haunting them: Be it having lost loved ones to unsubs they didn't catch in time, or having found themselves in an unsub's hands and be saved by people of just that profession.

Buck also has his special reasons for being there. And as Eddie finds out early on, this job is so much more to him than a job is to most other people. He considers it his true purpose, more so because he feels like he owes it to Bobby that he ever got there. He used to be a regular police officer who just "tagged along", until Bobby consulted on a murder that happened in the town he was stationed at. Bobby picked up on Buck's innate talent to get inside an unsub's head and his dedication to the cause. Or as Bobby puts it:

"You can teach crafts and skills. But you can't teach talent and attitude. And Buck's always had both of these things."

So Bobby gave him his card, told him to try out for the BAU's special program. And Buck did. While it's taken a lot of effort, he eventually managed to join the team. Which is why he is not only protective of his friends at the BAU, for him, this job is his life. And he will defend that till last.

Buck's life is turned upside-down more than once when his sister Maddie steps back into his life. A few years back, he wouldn't have noticed that something is off, but as a profiler, he knows. He is no longer the kid stuck in a loveless home, believing every soothing word his sister says to keep him out of harm's way. This time, he vows to himself, he will protect her from her abusive husband, he will make her stay. So he helps her land a job at the FBI, filling the empty space his ex Abby left.

Things seem to be moving all the right directions once Maddie breaks out of her shell and dares to fall in love again. Chimney and her are as happy as they can be. That is, until Doug comes back, nearly kills Chimney, and abducts Maddie. The team races to save her, which, thankfully, they manage.

Though this is far from the only crisis the team has to face. One particular event changes everything for Buck and Eddie. After Eddie nearly dies at the hands of a sniper, nothing is as it was between them. Buck doesn't just feel like he failed his best friend. He feels like the feelings he's been trying to put off, those romantic feelings for Eddie that have no space in their world together, are shattered like glass, too.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Eddie quits the BAU. First for his son's sake. Later on, actually for his own. Eddie finally has to reckon with his past traumas, all the things he pushed down over the years. And he can't do that while working a job that forces him into swallowing it all down.

Though Eddie misses his job. He misses the team. He misses having Buck's back. Sure, he is around, but it's not the same as it used to. To top it all, Buck seems to be withdrawing more and more from them for reasons Eddie can't yet fathom. Eddie is hesitant about returning, though, fearing that Christopher won't take it well. After all, he nearly lost him once, and the fear of losing his father is all too painful and all too real in the line of work they do.

The whole world stops turning for Eddie one evening, though. Because he has to watch footage of Buck bleeding out on a street, held hostage by a kid seeking revenge on Bobby, with a suicide belt on and the trigger in his hand. It is then that Eddie decides to follow his heart and join the team as they race to rescue Buck...

Find more moodboards here.

[cupcakes-and-pain]

Rat: CYOA

Well, you did it. You gained enough status to get an invite to a Virginia Diaz-Hills party. Whether this is a good thing or not remains to be seen, of course, but it’s not like you could refuse.

So you try to have fun. You try to blend in. You end up spending a lot of time in the corner, granted, but you did talk to a few people! There was this older gentleman named Monty. His breath stank and he spoke very rudely to the staff, but he was willing to introduce you to a few others and get you connected. Next you met Virginia herself. Her very presence made your knees shake. And later, while you were hiding in the corner again, you met Jai, the photographer. They seemed like the most normal person at the party, though you wouldn’t exactly describe them as trustworthy.

Around midnight, a crowd gathered near a door and then moved towards the center of the ballroom, gaining more and more as it went.

Screw it, you might as well see what all the fuss is about. It’s not like anything else exciting is happening.

Edging closer, you strain to see what everyone is looking at. Suddenly, amongst the smell of bodies and booze, you catch a very strong scent of blood.

“Alright, alright, everyone!” A worker announced, standing on a little stage. “Friends, associates, and borderline enemies! The entertainment has arrived. Step back, the boss is coming through to announce what we’re doing tonight.”

Suddenly everyone parts, and since you had been pushing to see what was going on, you suddenly fall in front of everyone. Many laugh, some point or take pictures (when and why did they get cameras out?), and a few look very worried.

Virginia steps forward, and the whole room goes quiet.

“Hey, it’s the newbie again! Are you enjoying my party?”

With no clue what else you’re supposed to do in this situation, you nod emphatically. She smiles.

“So, you probably have no clue about what sort of entertainment we do around here?” The way she annunciates ‘entertainment’ sends shivers down your spine.

“No ma’am.”

“Would you like to?”

And without waiting for an answer, she grabs your arm and yanks you to your feet. Then, without waiting for you to regain your balance, she drags to the center of the room. The smell of blood gets stronger, and you see a man tied to a board on stage. He is covered in bruises, scars, and cuts, many of which are open and bleeding all over that place.

“This is Rat. It’s one of the playthings I keep for me and my friends. You’re my friend, aren’t you?” You nod. “Good. Well then, friend, since you’re new, do you want to get the ball rolling? What should we do to it first?”

You blank, trying to think of something to please this terrifying woman.

“Aw, cat caught your tongue? Maybe you need some ideas. Personally, I’d love to give it a good beating, maybe make it pass out. And what about you guys?” She turns to all the people surrounding you.

Many yell out their suggestions. The only one you hear clearly is Monty’s, since he’s very close to the front.

“I say we drug it and push it around a while. Ooh, maybe even make it do tricks!”

As you’re thinking over your options, your eyes flick to the other side of the little stage. Jai is there, holding their camera, but they look like they’d rather be anywhere else. If Virginia made them choose, they’d probably suggest something mild, like leaving it there on stage to be looked at but not touched.

I’m going to tag the usual Rat tag list only for this one. Tell me if you want to be tagged in future installments. Also, updates will probably be every other day for now. I’ll let you know in the future if things change.

@kim-poce @lumpofwhump @scp-1296

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

SVTFOE Theory: If Sol Diaz and Marco Diaz were Twin Brothers...

[Note: reading this post is optional.]

yeah, I blame the pilot for this fan theory and fan headcanon.

that even if the pilot version of Marco was named Sol, but what if Sol and Marco were separate but were twins.

both Marco and Sol would have crushes on Jackie, but would also be rivals for her affection.

Sol could end up being jealous when Jackie chooses Marco, and well Star could be there for Sol as a friend, and as weird as it might be, Ponyhead could treat Sol a bit better than she does Marco.

like Sol could start out at first dressing the same as Marco, even if they both wear different color pants, but at some point Sol decides to change his hoodie to something that is less like the one that his younger twin wears.

it could make sense that in this theory, if those two were twins, Marco would be the younger twin.

it would also give Mariposa two older brothers instead of one.

and Meteora would only give the glare to Marco, but act sweet to Sol who views her as a perfect little angel and ignores the whole Marco saying that she keeps giving him dirty and hateful looks, which Sol could tell Marco that it is all in his mind and she wasn't giving him dirty or hateful looks.

the idea of Marco and Sol being separate characters and being twins, could work in a SVTFOE AU and Fanon Timeline.

maybe I will draw the idea sometime...and in the timeline where Marco and Sol are twins and are best friends with Star, in that timeline Star doesn't scapegoat the magic that her Mom and most of her family had misused in the first place...

I still love the show, I just can't agree with Star scapegoating the magic when it was her Mom who was partly responsible for hurting so many people, both Mewman and Monster...and she can't just place the full blame on Mina Loveberry either, she is only half responsible.

and scapegoating the magic, that Star's family had misused by their own free will, isn't right.

same goes for the whole Discord, Celestia and Luna solving a problem by turning Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy to stone.

there can be different forms of scapegoating, and Discord is the one who is responsible for bringing those three together in the first place.

and I'm pretty sure not sending Cozy to some form of Juvenile Hall For Foals and sending her to Tartarus instead, is just some form of twisted logic that Celestia and Luna have.

I mean yeah, even when we think about it, Princess Morbucks from the Powerpuff Girls and Gideon Gleeful from Gravity Falls being send to jail or prison instead in a Juvenile Hall For Children where they truly belong, was never truly questioned.

Gideon was lucky that some of the prisoners end up becoming like family to him and treating him like both a boss and the son they never had.

plus Mabel, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are still partly to blame for Gideon and Princess becoming way worse than they were originally.

I mean, ya don't automatically need powers to be a super hero, plus if they tried to befriend Princess and try to help her become better from the start, she could of been like a Batman well Batgirl of the Powerpuff Girls, even if she isn't biologically their sister.

even if Mabel didn't want to hurt Gideon, she should of told him the truth instead of having Dipper do it.

at least it seems that Mabel and Dipper are friends with Gideon now.

in a Crossover, maybe Pacifica could understand that Princess is just lonely and the reason she acts the way she does is because not only because her Dad spoils her in the wrong way, but also because she is lonely doesn't know how to express it.

it is possible only some percent of those who do act like selfish and bratty snobs wont have a good heart deep down...

but as for those like Cozy Glow, Gideon Gleeful, Princess Morbucks and Pacifica Northwest.

they can have different reasons why they became the way they were in the shows they appeared in.

and besides Discord being part of the reason of Cozy's change, it could be possible that Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo may have done something that broke Cozy's trust in them as well as twisted her view on friendship.

Cozy might be better off living with Sunset in the human world, and becoming friends with the human versions of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo...

anyway, even if we can still like SVTFOE, Gravity Falls, Powerpuff Girls and MLPFIM.

it doesn't mean we have to like the parts that we might end up realizing isn't okay, and seem not very much like the element of empathy...if Sunset is the element of empathy, she could be the one that can get through to and even reform Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis as well as being able to understand why they did the things they did and part of the reason could be from a deep emotional pain.

not everyone has to agree about that, plus Toffee from SVTFOE could have had some form of emotional pain that was caused by Moon's Mom who had misused the magic and ended up hurting someone he deeply cared about.

Moon breaking her promise to Eclipsa could be the misuse of magic, and the punishment for the extreme misuse would be the markings on her arms, which even Eclipsa has but her misusing the magic spell that got her those marks, could be different from Moon's.

like one who misuses magic in a small way, wont get those marks, but if it is in a extreme way that crosses a very big line, then yes.

Solaria likely created many dangerous spells that crossed a line, and the more she crossed them the more likely she was punished for it.

the marks may not only have to do with the spell that Eclipsa taught Moon, it could also be a way for magic to punish those who choose to use such a spell.

if Sol was part of the main timeline and was a twin of Marco, he would likely tell Star that destroying the magic wont solve the bigger problems and one of them being that Moon, her Mom had really messed up and hurt a lot of people for some Mewman Supremacy.

Sol could tell her that scapegoating the magic, isn't the way, might of got through to Star.

Star was mad at Moon, and she had every right to be, she had hurt so many people just to try to make Mewni go back to before Eclipsa became Queen again...but Mewni was probably already a broken caste system even before Eclipsa became Queen again, so even if some viewed Moon as a great Queen, she was likely not viewed that way by every Mewman.

anyway, the fan theory about Marco and Sol being twins, would be more of a what-if type, and this theory and idea might not be liked by everyone, and well maybe only a few people might like it.

anyway I think maybe later or tomorrow, I will make a second poll.

I will have to think over what type of poll to make, but maybe it will come to me when its ready, and it could be weirder than that first poll I made on here. XD

[fabuloustrash05]

What is Leatherhead and Koya like in the Might Mutanimals AU? Also is there any romance in the AU? (I would have asked if that one ship is cannon in the AU but then I realized your the queen of that ship lmao)

Leatherhead is the oldest and wisest of the group. He basically like the dad of the team, though he isn't the leader, he takes care of everyone and keeps them safe, cooking meals for everyone and such. He was the one who founded the team and had everyone meet. Him and Slash kind of have adoptive father and son relationship.

Leatherhead was human before his mutation his name being Jack Kurtzman, he was actually a talented doctor and was married, but after he was captured and experimented on by some strange creatures who had the possession of a mysterious green ooze, Leatherhead left that old life behind. He hasn't been in contact with his husband since he went missing and was mutated so LH's husband is convinced he's dead. In truth LH is fearful of how his husband will react to seeing him now being a terrifying mutant alligator monster. Leatherhead tries not to let his mutation get in the way, despite his towering and intimated nature, he's very gentle and kind, continuing his career as a doctor by being a medic for the mutanimals team and also running a community shelter for mutagen bomb victims. LH is very hardworking, serious, supportive of his friends, a rule follower and very strict. I based his personality on Raymond Holt from Brooklyn 99

Koya is a character I change a bunch compared to her IDW counterpart cause in truth, there's so much potential and none of it was used right which resulted in her not being a good character (in my opinion). Unlike Leatherhead, Koya was an animal turned mutant, so she was never a human. In the beginning she HATED herself because of her mutation and hiding herself away from everyone. She's a loner (or at least claims to be one) but deep down she really wants friends, but struggles to make any because she lacks social cues. Since she was formally an animal, Koya is very curious but cautious about everything in the world, which can result in her being hostile towards things or people she does not understand just yet, but is a quick learner. Koya is the most intimidating of the team, often her mere presence alone causes her teammates to have a chill run down their spines. To describe her personality, I'd say she's stoic, but gloomy deep down, closed off and can have a temper if you push the right buttons. She's based on a mix of Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99 and Mai from Atla.

As for romance, there's only TWO couples in this spin off so far that I have planned (Three if you count Leatherhead and his husband):

Slash x Alopex and Mona Lisa x Raphael

Slash and Alopex is a ship I created for the 2012 series so I brought it back for this story. Their relationship I guess you could say is the more "main focused ship", think of it like Robin and Starfire from Teen Titans (2003). Romance is not the primary focus of storytelling but they are usually the go to. A friends to lovers mixed with "will they, won't they?" Everyone knows they like each other, it's just all on the WHEN is it gonna happen??

And of course if I'm gonna do a TMNT story I gotta add my OTP! I am the queen/captain of this ship after all! LOL But yeah, though the Ninja Turtles in this story only make little cameos from time to time, Mona Lisa is in a secret relationship with Raphael. That is actually how Raph is introduced. One of the Mutanimals spies on Mona (maybe Mondo Gecko cause he's nosey) cause they put together that she's hiding something and soon discovers that she has a secret boyfriend and it's Raphael.

[wickedsrest-rp]

Name: Milo de la Vega Species: Spellcaster Occupation: Cashier at Periwinkle Paints Age: 24 Years Old Played By: Ang Face Claim: Sydney Mae Diaz

"I know what it's like to feel hopeless, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

TW: Sibling death, vague mentions of abuse, implied homophobia/transphobia

Milo de la Vega was a normal kid with a normal family. Sure, his dad occasionally got angry over small things, and sure, his aunt was kind of weird, but everything was normal. That was, until around the age of 8, when his older sister starting exhibiting some strange behavior. Things would break when she was angry, flowers would bloom when she was happy, one time the book she wanted glided over to her in midair. You know, normal. 

Turns out, his mom’s side of the family were spellcasters, and while that particular trait had skipped over his mother, it had been passed down to his sister. A handful of years later, he found out it had passed on to him as well, and eventually, to his younger sister as well. 

Under their aunt's tutelage, the siblings began to learn about channeling magic and casting spells. It was amazing, especially since things hadn’t been going especially well for Milo in the other aspects of his life. Growing up was difficult enough as it was, living in the Bronx with a distant mother and a father you had to walk on eggshells around. Factor in the additional problems that came with realizing you were queer, with being bullied, with undiagnosed ADHD, and it’s not surprising that Milo struggled throughout his childhood. Throughout it all, though, he had his sisters and his aunt, and he had his magic. 

By the time he got to high school, he had even chosen a school of magic that he had begun to study. It was a no-brainer, choosing to learn about protection magic. Maybe he couldn’t protect himself or his family from his father’s horrible words and attitude, but he could learn how to protect them from any physical dangers. He could protect himself and the other so-called outcasts from the wrath of school bullies. So he did, and things started looking up. 

His parents finally decided to separate, and they ended up moving in with their aunt, his mother relented and let him start taking hormones, and his mental health improved drastically. He graduated high school, worked some odd jobs, volunteered at the local queer community center and eventually landed him a job there. He moved out, he made friends, he helped support his younger sister, and all the while he continued to practice his magic, to cast protection spells on his loved ones and the people in his community who needed it the most. Things were great!

But, then, he found this cool looking stone at a street fair, and when he touched it, everything changed. Milo had always been extremely proud of his magical abilities. Magic was one thing he excelled at, it was a part of him. Now, though, whenever he tried to channel magic, it was a roll of the dice. Sometimes things went perfectly. Other times, they went very, very poorly. After he nearly set his entire apartment building on fire, he went to his older sister for help. 

Genevieve de la Vega was a spitfire young woman. The eldest by three years, she had stepped up and become a sort of parental figure for her siblings. She was also talented in the art of summoning magic. So, when Milo came to her, she, of course, attempted a summoning, hoping to gain some insight from a magical being. Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong, and, when she lost control of the demonic entity, Milo acted without thinking. Instead of shielding his sister like he intended, his magic went awry and slowed Genevieve’s actions, leaving her an open target for the demon. She was killed, and the demon got away. 

Wracked by guilt and grief, Milo spiraled. He swore off using his magic, terrified of hurting anyone else. He couldn’t even face his baby sister after what he did. He tried his best to find a way to fix things, to track down someone who could help him figure out what this magical artifact had done to him, to his magic, or what it even was. After a few months of searching, his quest led him to Wicked’s Rest. Leaving his home, his job, and what family he had left to move to a small town Maine on the vague notion that he might find some answers seemed crazy, but what else could he do? There was something terribly wrong with him, and he needed to understand what had happened and fix it before someone else ended up hurt. Hopefully this town has the answers he’s looking for. 

Character Facts:

Personality: Empathetic, disorganized, emotional, forgetful, friendly, passionate, protective, soft

Milo is a big nerd. Comics, games, RPGs? He lives for that stuff.

Has an all black cat familiar named Kida.

He’s a knitter. It helps with his ADHD, having something to do with his hands.

Call him stereotypical, but he loves plants and animals and crystals and incense. 

He’s a decent cook, but his baking skills are non-existent. 

[moonlightswritingandstuff]

all my life i've been so lonely all in the name of being holy (and still, you'd like to think you own me)

Valentina Diaz is a lot of things to a lot of people, but none of those are her own; those are all false facets of an imaginary person that Valentina never could and never will be. Or: five words others think of Valentina as, and her own opinion in that matter.

read on ao3!

trigger warnings: none

One

If there's one word to describe Valentina Diaz, it's unforgettable, Alex thinks. She is a tempest; a tempest of which stormed into his heart two months ago and broke it today.

He can still smell her perfume on the edges of his apartment; it seems to linger even though Valentina herself is long gone. The perfume smells of honeysuckle and hope, hope she seems to forget to inspire.

Oh, well. Valentina dated Alex for two months and he is not surprised. His friends had all warned him, a slough of "she only dates people for a maximum of three months" and "she's going to break your heart". He would just be another in her long line of exes, they said, and they were right.

Oh, well.

Alex likes fun, and Valentina was fun. It wasn't serious, she didn't even really break his heart. But she sort of did all the same, like a good memory that, in the light of its passing, renders it more sad.

But he still wasn't sure how he would move on, if he ever would completely. Stuck in heartbreak while also having moved on long ago, a strange limbo that Alex couldn't seem to shake no matter what he tried.

But for some reason, Alex didn't care. Bittersweet as it was, Valentina Diaz is not someone Alex would ever want to forget, or go back before they dated.

It was weird, but perfectly natural at the same time.

After all, if there's one word to describe Valentina Diaz, it's unforgettable.

«»

Two

If there's one word to describe Valentina Diaz, it's shallow. Piper's never found her sister to be all that interesting or deep, she just seemed to care for nothing but boys and breaking their hearts.

Well, most of Piper's siblings are like that. They don't care about people, they care about things. Material over emotional. Which is why Piper cannot stand her siblings. They're terrible, terrible people, only seeming to care about pink and love and dating and not the actual people behind them.

They're so fake, Valentina most of all. Because she pretends to care, even when everyone knows she very much does not. At least Drew has the decency to embrace how terrible she is.

Valentina pretends to care. She breaks heart after heart, all boys and girls who don't know what they're in for when it comes to Valentina Diaz.

And Valentina Diaz is a terrible, terrible person. She breaks hearts without remorse, she cares for nothing but the jewels adorning her neck and ears, she wouldn't know true love if it hit her upside down in the head.

Valentina Diaz hates Silena Beauregard just as much as Drew, too. Piper may have never met Silena, but she was a hero. That's what everyone says, except for the Aphrodite Cabin.

Honestly, Piper doesn't know how they can do that. How they can hate someone who clearly isn't in the wrong.

But, if Piper's being honest, she doesn't really care to know her siblings, and neither do they care to know her. Because her siblings are terrible, terrible people, and Piper most definitely is not.

Because at least Piper has the decency to care.

And just like every other one of Piper's siblings, the one word to describe Valentina Diaz is shallow.

«»

Three

If there's one word to describe Valentina Diaz, it is disagreeable. Adelita Diaz has find her cousin to be all too self-important.

Because something changed about Valentina Diaz when she was fourteen. Because Valentina Diaz holds herself like someone who has no experience with things, because Valentina speaks like someone tired with fate. What could she ever feel tired of?

Sure, Valentina’s mother is long-dead or long-gone - everyone around them talks too much about unimportant things and too little about important things when it comes to the mysterious woman who is Valentina’s mother - and Adelita doesn’t care much to listen, either.

Valentina Diaz has never been much of a concern to Adelita Diaz, yet Valentina bothers her all the same. Valentina goes through boyfriends (and girlfriends and partners in general) as fast as Adelita goes through books.

Which is to say, all too quickly.

But besides that, Adelita has never quite known how to act around Valentina. Sure, they're cousins, but Valentina changes like the fall winds. When Adelita thinks she has Valentina down - like she did until they were both fourteen - and then Valentina changes radically, and suddenly Adelita's blindsided by her cousin's changing. And then Adelita gets used to the new Valentina, and suddenly Valentina goes back to Old Valentina with the flighty dating, and then Valentina changes once more.

Valentina changes like the fall winds, and she doesn't slow down enough for Adelita to catch up.

And that's it, Adelita would say. Valentina is a cacophony that changes meter every few seconds. Adelita can never understand her cousin; Adelita can never sympathize with her cousin.

And because of that, the one word to describe Valentina Diaz is disagreeable.

«»

Four

If there's one word to describe Valentina Diaz, it is flaming. After all. Alice Miyazawa has always loved her best friend. Valentina is a tempest, a heartbreaker, but she's also fun. Just what Alice wants in a best friend.

Valentina isn't like Drew with a heart of snow; her heart is made of fire instead, burning and warming all the same. All that Alice wants for a best friend.

The boys she falls in love with only to fall out of love soon enough are just trees in a grand forest she rages in; Alice is not a tree. She is a person warming themselves by a hearth-fire after a cold night; Alice sees the life under the fire that Valentina is.

Fire is Valentina, Alice muses. Nothing more, nothing less.

Alice loves Valentina because she's fun, because although she may be flighty and may be careless with others' hearts, she'll never be careless with Alice's. Valentina will never be careless with her friends' hearts.

And Alice is Valentina's friend.

So the next time Alice gets broken up with someone, she'll sit on Valentina's couch with her friend and cry over ice cream and the best hot chocolate ever - because Valentina always makes excellent hot chocolate.

(Seriously. Is it an Aphrodite thing or is Valentina just that good at hot chocolate of all things?)

But there's no way in Hades that Alice would ever tell one of her friends to date Valentina. There's not way in Hades that Alice would ever set Valentina up with someone.

Because she doesn't want her friends to get their heart broken.

After all, through thick and thin, the one word to describe Valentina Diaz is flaming.

«»

Five

If there is one word to describe Valentina, it is unshakeable. Lacy admires her sister more than she'll ever tell.

Valentina, who can easily come back from everything. Valentina, who bounces back from tragedy and becomes their shoulder to cry on.

Lacy can rely on Valentina like no one else.

Because at least Valentina won't betray them like Silena did. Because at least Valentina won't twist her love into cruelty like Drew. Because at least Valentina won't expect them to be people they aren't like Piper. Because at least Valentina cares enough to leave her mask on and keep them safe.

Valentina has always been Lacy's favourite sibling. She's the person who taught Lacy how to apply makeup, how to select her outfits. Lacy has always looked like a doll, one of those creepy dolls that haunt suburban Southern homes, but Valentina tells her it makes her beautiful, tells her to lean into it.

And so Lacy does. And Lacy can rely on Valentina.

It's a few days after the Titan War. Valentina smiled at her through the mirror, raising her dagger up to apply her eyeliner. Lacy copied that motion, and it's messy, but Valentina smiled even more, and gently helped Lacy to get it right.

Lacy's young, they all are. But being part of the Aphrodite Cabin means something. It means something more than what it should. It means a certain responsibility, a certain awareness of her body that no thirteen-year-old should have. It's a silent obligation they all have. And Valentina bears it best, somehow. Valentina can carry the rest of them to a home they will never have.

They don't talk about it, but Drew once remarked something that they all know too dearly: beautiful women have unhappy fates. Lacy supposes it applies to everybody.

But it never seems to affect Valentina all that much.

And because of that, the best word to describe Valentina Diaz is unshakeable

«»

+ One

Valentina does not know who she is.

She feels terrible for breaking so many hearts. Alex was the most recent. She feels like she has to warm her friends. Like Alice. She feels like she has to portray a mask. Even to Piper, her sister. She feels like she has to be more mature. Like with Adelita and Lacy.

Romantic relationships are so easy, Valentina thinks. In romantic relationships, she doesn't have to be committed. She can casually date. Alex knew what was going to happen. He knew what he was getting into. Friendships are worse, family is worse.

With Alice, she never feels truly like herself. Alice sees what she wants, and she sees the Valentina as her best friend. Best friend is a scary term; it never seems to mean what people think it should. Best friend means too much. It sets Alice apart. Valentina doesn't do close relationships. So she'll make Alice her hot chocolate and don the mask of Alice's Best Friend, and it's so different from Valentina's Daughter of Aphrodite mask, and Valentina's Good Older Sister mask, and Valentina's Indifferent Beauty mask.

She shows so many people masks. All she is is masks, buried over and over and over each other, not a single one showing who she is.

She is a jewel, facets upon facets of equally beautiful, equally wanted. They are facets owned by many and owned by few, but none of those facets are owned by Valentina.

She wants to be rough, a diamond uncut. She wants to be coal, messy and dirty and being everywhere possible. She wants to be obsidian, strong and unshakeable.

She is her masks, her masks are her, but they are not everything. Valentina has never been anything but her masks.

She knows all her ex-boyfriends and most people at camp - including Piper, her own sister - see the Daughter of Aphrodite mask, or the Indifferent Beauty mask, depending on how well they know her. Alice sees Alice's Best Friend mask, and so does Julia, Alice's other best friend who doesn't like Valentina all that much. Oh well. And Valentina knows her half-siblings except Piper see the Good Older Sister mask.

And they are her masks, and nothing more. Valentina has never been anything but her masks.

So, if you asked Valentina, and she was being truthful, she would say that she does not know who she is.