#i've connected the dots/hasn't connected shit

[cherrywhite]

drawing THE flimsiest of lines between these two but idk there's something about the way they both build lies around themselves and how Hayward rewriting the conception of Paige's god parallels Faulkner telling his part of the verses. the way they both attempt to tell their stories, as twisted as they are

[edwardshundredyearoldspunk]

space babies comes first, there's no doubt about that. but everything else feels out of order. and nothing solidifies it more in my mind than ruby asking susan twist if they've met before. because what if they haven't? and what if also, they have? what if everything is happening at the same time? and that's why ruby simultaneously feels like she's known the doctor a lifetime and not long at all

[tortoisesshells]

89/274

[adamantiuminsides]

wrestling is to cm punk what brendon urie is to dallon weekes

[cowboyhorsegirl]

Dracula Daily, May 7th:

Dracula Daily, September 22nd:

[mr-saavik]

R.E. that last post about The Emissary may I suggest this niche letterboxd list I made

[therealabednadir]

"I've connected the dots!" (he hasn't connected shit)

[olderthannetfic]

fandom social justice history anon here - aaah, thank you, early fandom being dominated by academics definitely connected the dots I was missing, thank you! Yeah, now looking at it with this in mind, it's pretty obvious how the tone of the meta essays from that era, while often snarky or even outraged, definitely sounds more like the tone of people who are used to passionately arguing in a setting that doesn't allow you to just throw whatever ad hominem accusation at your opponent's head. In contrast, tumblr's (and as a result, twitter's and tiktok's) style of fandom drama now reads to me even more blatantly like a catfight between high schoolers who have just recently learned some Big Words they only care to use as ammunition. I've read multiple older fans (including your invaluably informative blog) talking about how tumblr definitely reshaped fandom and brought in a TON of new people, and how slash was far from the "mainstream" of fandom even in the livejournal-ffn.net days, and I'm having a feeling that, for all the imperfections of this first tumblr generation of fans' activism ("let my gays marry" etc etc) the thing that got slash to be "mainstreamed" within fandom the way it currently is, also has to do with this pretty sizeable influx of new fans being mostly teenagers. As in specifically, overwhelmingly teenage girls who were having their first sparks of interest in romance during the height of the "I'm not like other girls" era + everyone shitting on twilight & "girly" musicians, because if you look at the posts from that period, they often contrast being a slash reader with being the slutty partying "other girl" or annoying hipster & at my school too slash kind of spread as a "not like the other girls" alternative to mainstream romance. Yes, not the healthiest attitude either, and it's good we've mostly grown past that, but like I said, there's a good chance that was what buffed up the numbers of slash fans to the point where today people are surprised fandom ever even was hostile to it, and at least in my environment, fandom activism, for all its flaws, was most people's first exposure to any sort of "-rights" activism at all. But (as is probably obvious) I did not experience most of even that era personally (I joined tumblr fandom in 2014). Anyways, excuse the rambling, if you feel like adding anything to confirm or deny my hypothesis, I greatly appreciate it, and I hope you have a nice day/evening!

--

M/M still isn't mainstream in plenty of fandom contexts, just not the ones I hang out in, and "not like the other girls" of the type you describe was already big in the 90s among people who'd heard of fanfic. It's just that fanfic was harder to stumble across overall.

I think the two biggest factors are the changing attitudes towards gayness in mainstream culture in a number of countries and... well... AO3 getting popular.

FFN was the big place in the past, though not for my crowd. Now, AO3 is taking a massive bite out of not only its market share but now, in the last few years, Wattpad's.

When the visible institution around which fanfic revolves puts filtering out het front and center, it sends a strong message that previous fandom platforms did not. You had your m/m-only archives and your f/f-only archives and your places that let you filter for those but that treated het as an unmarked default.

Look at early discussions of AO3. There's an undercurrent there that we all assumed it would be one of a number of archives and that we didn't expect it to get this big.

Nobody could have foreseen the Het-Is-Eternal-Default Wattpad crowd being forced by their own platform's suckitude to come camp on the thing built by slashers. Now, we are the admins and they are the also-tolerated. That never happened before.

The thing that makes people not report gay hand holding as evil porn that must be eradicated is simply AO3 putting its foot down.

Anyone who thinks that virulent slash hate is gone just hasn't looked at other spaces.

This is not about individual fans behaving better: it is about institutional power.

[cyrassol]

HI i wrote an incredibly self-indulgent avery fic instead of drawing the requests, here's hoping folks enjoy anyway!!!

Avery x PC — who will they believe?

pc: unnamed, no Y/N either. gendered terms "woman" and "girl" used, but no mention of genitals or defined pronouns. second person POV

avery: male pronouns, amab

word count: little over 2k

content warnings: mild violence (hair pulling, not the kinky kind), "whore" used as a derogatory term once, yelling (avery is ANGRY), typical toxic dol relationships, mentions of and brief (albeit graphic) descriptions of sexual activities in dialogue

description: y'all know the scene with high crime and at least a little rage!avery where they drive you to the police station and threaten to turn you in? and defiant pc claps back? yup, this is based on that one! PC is a successful phantom thief who slipped up, and avery is none too happy about the effects that might have on his reputation

enjoy!!! likes are appreciated, replies and reblogs even more so ❤

•••••••••••••••

There's no way in hell.

"What's wrong, my little nymph?" Avery asks, a worried frown tugging at his mouth as if he hadn't parked on Barb Street, a stone's throw from the fucking police station. At least his car windows are darkened so there's no way for anyone to see you from the outside, but if a cop decides to come closer and investigate then it might all be over.

How does he know, anyway? You've been careful, you've been so goddamn careful—face hidden, gloves to avoid any fingerprints, staying out of sight from any would-be witnesses, doing favors for Landry every other week. No one should have been able to trace you, so how does he know?

And more importantly, why does he care?

"So quiet, all of a sudden," he hums, eyeing a couple of police officers as they escort someone with the same build and hair colour as you into the station. "Nervous, perhaps?"

"What's this about, dear?" you ask, tone dripping with the same insincerity, because one does not mingle with high society every weekend without picking up a thing or two.

"I was hoping you could tell me," he sighs, finally meeting your gaze. His expression and voice are perfectly composed into faux-concern, but as adept as Avery is at pretending he fits right in with the upper echelons of society, he still hasn't learned to mask the rage in his eyes. "I've tried to assume you must have good reasons each time you reject my generosity," he continues, mask briefly slipping when wrath makes his voice quiver on the word 'reject'. "But alas, it'd seem I was mistaken."

He doesn't expect a reply yet, and so you don't give him one. You've turned him down here and there for months and while it's clearly hit a nerve, it's nothing new. He hasn't told you the real reason he's mad yet.

"Instead," he goes on, just as you knew he would, "I start hearing rumours."

Ah. Shit.

"What sort of rumours?" you ask, curiosity feigned and genuine at the same time—feigned because you can already imagine what they are, but you also need to know where you fucked up.

"A phantom thief," Avery says, reaching out to twirl a strand of your hair between his fingers. "Several of my acquaintances have been hit by this scoundrel. They say the thief breaks into a new mansion every night, leaving no trace except for emptied coffers and missing family heirlooms."

You won't lie, the way he's describing you makes you a little proud. It's concerning that your victims have connected the dots that you're a single individual, of course—the chances of you getting caught are significantly higher if they've figured out your modus operandi—but hearing yourself being spoken about in such a romanticised way almost makes you want to keep going exactly as you are.

Provided Avery's bluffing about turning you in, naturally. And if you've messed with his reputation through people somehow figuring out the girl hanging off his arm at social events is the very thief who's robbing them blind, unfortunately there's a very high chance he isn't.

"And what makes you think I'm involved in anything like that, babe?" you ask, perhaps laying it on a bit too thickly with the nickname. He's never asked you to do it, but you figured out a long time ago that hearing a beautiful woman half his age call him that always makes him preen a little.

Avery gives you a tight smile, and it's the only warning you receive before his grip on your hair turns to iron.

"Because, my little sunshine," he grits out through his teeth, "the thief happened not to notice a security camera on their latest little exploit."

"Fuck."

It comes out before you can stop it, but it wouldn't have been any use keeping quiet anyway. Not if you've been caught on a fucking camera.

"Aptly put," he says with a chuckle that's entirely devoid of mirth. "The acquaintance who caught this criminal on camera made sure to show the footage to a whole group of us as well as the police, so we'd know who to be on the lookout for."

"Surely the thief had a mask on," you say, because you did, and also because you're desperately trying to find anything that might give you the plausible deniability you need to save your ass. "And their hair was definitely hidden, too. How would they have been recognised?"

"Their identity is still unknown," he agrees, before pulling painfully at your hair to tug you closer until you're inches from his face and you can see every fleck of green and every speck of rage in his eyes. "I, however, would recognise that ass anywhere, grainy security footage or no." Avery's smile is all teeth and no warmth. "I fuck it every weekend, after all."

You breathe out slowly through your nose, closing your eyes in defeat. "And if you can recognise me, it's only a matter of time until someone else does."

"Good girl," he says, letting go of your hair. "We finally understand each other."

A few moments of silence pass by as you consider your options, and he considers you.

Finally, he turns forward, hazel eyes cold and staring straight ahead at the police station. "Tell me why I shouldn't turn you in."

Chewing your bottom lip, you study him from the corner of your eye. "... Have I ever robbed you?"

He snorts. "Not yet, you haven't."

That's good, at least you haven't made it overly personal. "To be fair, if I had then it wouldn't have been on purpose. I don't know where you live."

"Don't try to distract me," he hisses, immediately erasing any trace of mirth from the conversation. "You're a liability. Who's to say you won't get caught again? Do you have any idea what I'll go through if people find out I was the one who introduced a thief into their midst?"

You'd have robbed them regardless of knowing them or not, but saying that won't do you any favours.

"If merely knowing me is an issue, you're already in trouble," you say instead, and instantly realise it wasn't the correct thing to say either.

"Yes, brat," Avery snarls, eyes flashing. "That is precisely the problem. And right now, I can only see one way to solve it."

"Come on, they don't know who I am yet," you snap, patience running out now that you've already antagonised him anyway. "Turn me in and they'll know for sure that you've been hanging around a criminal."

He scoffs. "I'll plead ignorance, naturally. They have no reason to think I knew anything."

"I'll tell them everything else, then," you vow, because at this point you have nothing left to lose. "Every sordid little detail. They may forgive you for unknowingly associating yourself with a thief, but will your reputation survive word getting out that you approach vulnerable orphans so you have an easy target to groom into the arm candy you want? Into your perfect little sex toy?"

"Whore!" he roars loud enough for you to fear it was heard outside the car, and grabs you by the hair again. "You think you can threaten me?! It'll be my word against a random orphan's, who do you think they'll believe?"

"They may not believe me at first, no," you half-chuckle, half-gasp from the pain. "But once I'm gone and you've found some pretty little socialite to hang off your arm—because it certainly wouldn't do to hang around any more 'random orphans' for a while lest they really start getting suspicious—you know that won't be the end yet."

He opens his mouth to reply, but you don't let him, too incensed to stop now. "It won't be the end, because when that pretty little socialite is sucking your cock in my place, you can bet she'll want to see if those other rumours are true so she can tell her friends. So tell me, sir, when she runs her tongue along the vein under your dick and your eyes roll backward like I said they would, or scrapes her teeth just the tiniest bit against the tip and your hips thrust forward, just like I said they would, who then will they believe?"

For a few seconds, all that's heard inside the car is the sound of your combined laboured breathing. His jaw is clenched so tightly that it'll be a wonder if his teeth are intact after this.

You break the silence first. "Let me go, Avery."

His grip tightens for a moment, before he finally relents. He doesn't speak a word as he turns away from you, switches the ignition on and leaves the parking spot.

"The orphanage?" he asks curtly.

"No," you reply tiredly. "Harvest Street, if it's alright. Need to get some footage deleted as soon as possible."

It's not a request you'd ever risk making normally for many reasons, but these are special circumstances. He hums in acknowledgement, and the rest of the journey is silent.

Finally, Avery parks in an alley close to Harvest Street. The very last part of town that's still respectable, in case there's anyone around to recognise his car.

"Don't tell me where you're going," he says, eyes still staring ahead. "But when you're done, you're coming straight back here. I'll wait."

You grind your teeth, considering your options. He's obviously not happy and you're definitely going to catch hell for earlier, but at least he's not dropping you entirely.

"Twenty minutes, tops," you finally say, and he only nods in reply.

You're back in fifteen. Landry had cringed when you told him about the footage, and luckily you still had some favours he owed you so it didn't take much at all for him to assure you any traces of you would be gone from both police records and private security cameras by the end of the day.

"Will this happen again?" Avery asks, turning on the car as soon as you're back inside it.

"No." You'll make sure of it.

"You must be rather satisfied with yourself." His voice is calm, but when he glances at you, there's still traces of his previous anger in his gaze.

You really aren't. You got caught on camera and nearly lost both your freedom and your most stable source of income for it, as well as whatever weird relationship you two have outside of the sugar daddy and sugar baby dynamic. Avery is a nasty, angry man who thinks throwing money at people will make them love him and cares far too much about what others will say, but none of that means you want to lose him.

No, you're not satisfied at all. But you can't say any of that without reigniting his temper, and you're already on thin ice. So you stay quiet.

Until you notice you're no longer heading towards the orphanage, that is.

"Where are we going?" you ask before you've had time to make sure no panic would slip into your voice.

"My place," he replies, instantly flooring you. "After all, it wouldn't do for you to rob me next simply because you didn't know it was my house."

You open your mouth, but no words come out.

"Plus," he continues, voice far too nonchalant in a way that instantly snaps you back into reality. "You didn't think you were getting away with your little tantrum without consequences, did you? You're lucky I don't give up on you once and for all."

He only briefly looks at you before turning back towards the road, eyes full of rage and lust in equal measures which immediately tell you everything you need to know about what your next hours are going to be like. Possibly the next day.

"Come on, babe," you chuckle nervously, hoping to appeal to the lust you saw in hopes that it makes your punishment if only a little bit lighter. "You know whatever little socialite you found after me was never gonna feel as good as I can make you feel."

His eyes flash towards you again, but he doesn't reply—and yet that matters little, because that brief look was enough to know with full certainty that you're right. You both know damn well he doesn't want to lose you either, whether he wants to admit it or not.

Which he won't, but there's no need for it. After all, Avery's weakness has always been and will always be that no matter what words leave or don't leave his mouth, the truth never stays hidden for long once you look into his eyes.

[artisticallyaroacecrickett]

right so I know there's only like four other people on here that have ever heard of this musical but my school's doing it in march and I'm just the slightest bit obsessed soooooo

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (musical) Incorrect Quotes!

Jasper: And I just want you for my own~ Rosa: Please leave me the fuck alone~ Alice Nutting: You know, I do love working here with the Music Hall Royale. We have a lot of laughs. Also Alice: FUCK OFF JANET. I'M NOT GOING TO YOUR FUCKING BABY SHOWER. (more under cut)

Crisparkle: All the festive decorations are up! There's only one thing left to hang! Everyone else, in complete unison: JASPER. Crisparkle: no.

Datchery: I've connected the dots. Killer: You didn't connect shit. Datchery: I've connected them. Jasper: I'll have you know that I have been a perfectly decent vocal instructor. Puffer: You fucked up a perfectly good kid is what you've done. Look at her, she's got anxiety! Bazzard: I truly believe that water can solve all your problems. Bazzard: Weight loss? Drink water. Bazzard: Clear skin? Drink water. Bazzard: Want to get rid of someone? Drown them. Puffer: Well, who the fuck- Chairman: LANGUAGE, ANGELA. Puffer: Ah, sorry Bill. Puffer: Whom the fuck- Chairman: When life get tough, I like to look at this photograph of all the actors that I keep in my pocket. Throttle: Aw, that's surprisingly swe- Chairman: It reminds me that if I can deal with those dumbasses on a daily basis, I can deal with anything. Throttle: There it is. Helena: That's ridiculous! Rosa doesn't have a crush on me. Neville: Yes she does. Puffer: Yes she does. Rosa: Yes I do. Helena: Two truths and a lie, I’ll start! Helena: I’ve killed someone, I'd do it again, and I'm not lactose intolerant. Drood, visibly nervous: I don’t- I don’t like this game. Rosa: Underestimate me. That'll be fun. Chairman: Janet, keep an eye on Alice today. She's going to say something to the wrong person and get punched. Janet Conover: Sure, I'd love to see Alice getting punched. Chairman: Try again. Janet, sighing: I will try to stop Alice from getting punched. Drood, at the top of a ladder: I'm scared, Jack! Jasper, holding out his arms: Do you trust me, Ned? Drood: Yes! Drood: *hits the ground, hard* Jasper: Rule #1, never trust anybody.

Bazzard: My life isn't as glamourous as my wanted posters make it look.

Crisparkle: Impossible burger? Please. Crisparkle: Through Christ, all things are possible. Chairman: Alright, listen up you little shits. Chairman: Not you, Mr. Throttle. You're an angel and we're thrilled you're here. Clive Paget, with his leg stuck in a chair: Now, you may be asking, "How did you do this to yourself, Mr. Paget?" Clive: Well, kids, Mr. Paget hasn't got a damn clue either. Durdles: *Pulls a glass of wine from out of nowhere* Deputy: Where did you get that? Durdles: My pocket. Deputy: How do you keep of glass of wine in your pocket? Durdles: Skills. Jasper: Am I going too far? Rosa: No, no, no. You went too far about two years ago. Now you're going to prison.

[kayla-marie-writes]

We are HALFWAY through My Demon! Time for Episode 8! (Again, I'm not sure if Song Kang's career is taking off like crazy, or if it's me being new to his work, but I've added a few more of his dramas to my watchlist).

Also. The thing is dramas where blatant crimes happen in public and it's never noticed is INSANE! YES, GET HIM! THE MASK CAME OFF! WHY ARE THEY TAKING PHOTOS, WHAT THE HELL?!

I know Seok-hoon is upset, but he wouldn't wish death on Jeong...oh. The tattoo isn't working?! Oh SHIT. What's going on with that? Oh-tears? Second male lead pain. My heart.💔 Okay, seriously WHO IS THAT LADY?!

Sigh. Still. I do not care for Star Jin. I don't. If you cared about him so much, you wouldn't be acting like a brat. I've never understood that fandom/crush trope. They can only be happy if they're yours? I understand that him falling for someone else hurts. I've had it happen. My issue is the whiny behavior. I can't relate to it.

Oh. Spontaneous combustion must be slow and awful. He is a baby when he's hurt. Why is it cute?! Awww, he keeps asking for Do-hee!😭😭😭😭🥹. Honestly, I'd use the Wild Dogs to track tbe killer down. They're funny and loyal. I think they'd be useful, too. Why. Are. They. Adorable?!

The leap out of bed was so-what's with the cutesness in this episode? I hope we get more of the office in the series. Or maybe I need a good workplace comedy to watch.

Oh, people are connecting the dots. I KNEW THEY WERE WORKING TOGETHER!! OMG!! They just wanna cuddle, but you know...he's gotta charge.😉 Awwww, OMG, I CANNOT!! 🥹😍 Cuddly demon...

I LOVE Do-hee's assistant, and I think she lowkey ships them. What's that?? I think the butler is handsome, honestly. He is sunshine. And funny. Jeong is so (again) cute when it comes to sweets.

Right, so the truth about Madam Ju and Do-hee's parents hasn't been revealed yet. We still don't know who killed her, as that's the one death we haven't seen signs of Creepy Bastard being involved...WHY IS HE KEEPING HIS PAIN FROM HER?!

Do-hee, I'm pretty sure he knows about demons and we KNOW HE KNOWS the killer. I was just about to comment that it was nice to not see her family this episode...the bitch got what she wanted, and she's STILL annoying.😒

Okay, WAIT WHAT?! Why is she telling him this?!💔💔💔 I am so sick of them. *eye roll*...okay, so I missed when Needy Jin said something to Doo-hee.🙄 He's not in love with you, you aren't doing this for his sake. You know Do-hee has the tattoo.

Oh. Both male leads face off. Seok-hoon has been going through it. AAAHHHH!!!!!!! CONFESSION??! Maybe? Kinda?! (Not the dramatic sprinkler🤣😭😍). Ok, so now, I wonder if the powers will work better, or become stronger now? OOH THE PREVIEWS FOR THE NEXT EPISODE! I can't wait until tomorrow!

[fizzywashere87]

It Was Fun While it Lasted Pt.1

notes: kess emak. Warnings!: breakups, crying, physical pain, angst. Also, this isn't an x reader

M. List | Pt. 2

She's walking to her locker, binders from her previous class in her arms, She finds a piece of paper sticking out of one of the top slots of her locker.

It's February 13th, is it a Valentines day note?

Yes. Yes it is.

She only skimmed through it, only picking up things like a compliment on her hair and her smile. She wasn't amused, flustered or flattered, though she was very confused when she seen who had written the note. This wasn't real. Haha, funny prank, She's not fooled.

She drops her stuff off in her next class before heading to lunch, the note hasn't left her hand yet. On the off chance it was actually a confession, She didn't want to throw it away, although She was planning to reject Him. Of course, the one I'm narrating for is a fucking genius and an complete dumbass bitch at the same time. Constant overthinking, yet constant impulsive decisions.

On her way to lunch She spots her friend, the note was still in her hand she walks up to him. "Bro, I just got a love note from someone." She says, showing her friend the paper with the shitty ass handwriting. "Don't say anything though, I don't even think it's real." Her friend grabs the paper and immediately has a knowing smile on his face. She wasn't in the mood for this shit honestly.

"What?" She raises her brow at him, getting a shrug in response. "It's probably not even real, I've never talked to him once bro." She says as they get closer to the lunch room she begins balling up the paper. "Who do you think wrote it?" She asks him as they walk.

"Probably (A)." He shrugs, as if (A) had been pranking people around this time. Why would (A) know where her locker is? She didn't feel like thinking too much into it, deciding it's fake to be easier on her, she throws the note away, and her and her friend part ways as they go to sit at their own tables.

Debating whether or not she should mention it to her friends, she stays quiet for a few minutes as they wait to get dismissed to get their food. As they wait in line for their trays, she pulls one of her friends to stand next to her. "I got a fake love note today." She tells her friend, who looks as confused as she did when she first read the note.

"From who?" Her friend would ask her, nose scrunched in confusion.

"Him." She answers, and her friend's face contorts in mild disgust.

"I know, I've never even talked to him before. He's not that bad though." She shrugs, not really caring. "I think it's fake though, (AB) told me (AA) probably wrote it as a prank." She says and her friend nods, though still also confused.

She decides not to tell anyone else about the note, not wanting to spread untrue rumors about him, as she thought it was someone messing with both him and herself, but that doesn't stop her mind from talking about it. Why would he choose him to make it from? And damn, she probably looks like an asshole if that note was real. Part of her hopes the note is real, but most of her mind is still conflicted...

If the note was real, would she reject him? Would she accept him? Her problem was that she had never even talked to the boy, how is she going to know if he's who she would like?

Although, now that she's thinking about it, he may actually have a crush on her. She wasn't stupid, she knew how to connect the dots, she knew to play dumb until she knew for sure, but, one thing stuck out to her as she thinks back...

"Hey," (AA) calls her attention as he's walking to his seat, causing her to perk up slightly and look at him.

"Hm?" She hums in acknowledgement, she hasn't ever talked to him before so it's kind of weird he would be calling her right now.

"Do you like Him?"

Huh? Why him? She's never talked to him before. To her understanding, he was friends with (AA) so he could be just messing with his friend but still. She glances at him briefly, seeing he's not even looking this way, and turns back to (AA)

"No, I've never talked to him before." She answers honestly, seeing (AS) who was sitting next to her also turn his head to look at her. Before she could ask why, he spoke up again.

"Would you ever date him?"

What the fuck. Where did that come from? Bro's pulling this shit out of his ass because what in the Redbull gives you wings?

"Uhm," She didn't want to say no. He wasn't half bad looking at all, but at the same time, she didn't even know him, and she's doesn't want to go for looks. "I don't know, I've never talked him before, how do you expect me to answer that?" She says, slightly irritated if she was honest.

"Is he cute though?"

Alright bud. Alright. She shrugs her shoulders, there's no way in hell she's saying yes to that when he was sitting right there. "Why're you asking me these questions bro?" She asks watching as he just shrugs his shoulders with a little smile. Whatever.

Yeah. That probably meant something. But you know what? She doesn't care unless she knows for sure. She goes through the rest of her lunch break not saying anything about the note, and she messes with her friends like she normally would. As her table gets dismissed to go back to class she spends time in the hallways with her friends as she already put her stuff in her 5th hour class before lunch. (On Tuesdays their schedule is changed up and they're let out 90 minutes earlier from school.)

The rest of the day was boring as hell, she went through it like it was any other day. She probably enjoyed gym, it's not really important as of right now though. She went to her basketball practice, everything went normally. She came home, ate, took a shower, and eventually went to sleep.

On Valentine's Day, nothing out of the ordinary happened with him, although, she did technically get asked by another boy...

She was setting her stuff in her 4th hour class, going to lunch right after when (S) calls her name. She's never talked to (S) before either, she only knew him because he was dating (MS), one of her close friends.

"You're @^@ 8@221, right?" He asked her, getting a slightly confused nod from her. (S) looks to the boy standing outside the door by him who seems to be awkwardly standing there like he was waiting for something. The boy had a crush on her, she found that out a few weeks ago.

Welp, she knew what was coming next. Damn, she was hoping this wasn't going to happen right now but it seems fate has woven itself already. Sighing internally, she listened to (S) as he began talking while mentally preparing herself to say no respectfully, "Uhm, he likes you and he wants you to be his Valentine, do you accept?" On impulse, she shook her head in a small-ish manner,

"No." So much for respectfully.

(S) muttered a 'damn' and turned to his friend who was already down the hallway, and instantly she felt like shit as she heard (S) call out to his friend about her answer. Damn.

The rest of the day was uneventful, nothing happened. It was boring again. Though now, as a few days went by, she's thinking about him a bit more, here and there, sometimes when she's in her thoughts, they'll walk back little ways to the note she wishes she read slightly more thoroughly now. Still, not knowing if it was fake or not, still not really interested, though now, she can't help but notice him.

[mscribbles]

i've connected the dots (hasn't connected shit)

[fru1typunch]

I've connected the dots (I haven't connected shit) also; spoiler warning for Good Omens season two! I'll tag it, but still! This is a silly connection I noticed that made me come up with an equally silly theory.

So like the "apology dance" reminded me of this one moment from My Little Pony: FiM.

Context for those interested; Cadence (pink horse) does the "sunshine dance" her and Twilight (purple horse) made up as kids to identify herself as the REAL Cadence to Twilight when changelings invade and their Queen takes Cadence's form and imprisons her. In the previous episode, Twilight did it to the fake Cadence and received no reaction, immediately raising Twilight's suspicion. The dance/song are used in later seasons as well to identify each other so it's kinda significant. (If you don't watch/haven't watched My Little Pony, sorry, I know this is dumb and confusing but hang in there).

I feel like the apology dance will be significant again later and could be used in a similar way, like maybe in season three Aziraphale will have some kind of heavenly shenanigans done that mess with his mind (if it hasn't already happened, according to the "Metatron brainwashed Aziraphale via coffee" theory). Crowley recognizes that something is up with Aziraphale, but doesn't trust him and is wary. At some point, later on, Aziraphale comes to his senses and does the dance or the little jingle unprompted to Crowley, showing that it's the REAL Aziraphale and he's no longer under heavenly shenanigans. Even if I'm wrong there I still really hope we see Aziraphale do it just once just for sillies regardless.

Could I be very wrong? probably. Did Neil Gaiman watch My Little Pony and get inspired? Highly doubt it and I'm not suggesting that. I'm simply making a connection of interesting potential similarities from two pieces of media I enjoy, and inferring how the GO s3 story may be affected based on that other unrelated media's similarity.

Now I'm going to go and figure out how to dub over the apology song with the sunshine song from MLP.

[buckevantommy]

Hey! It's the first time Buck Begins anon from before!! First of all do not feel bad for rambling - that is exactly what that ask was for! I loved hearing your thoughts!

And to answer your question about how I started watching -- 911 was a show always a show on my 'to watch' radar but I didn't give it much thought? I did watch s1 of lone star tho. until then I saw bi Buck on my dash for the first time after Tommy kisses him and i just went oh??!??! 👀👀 I binge watched season 1 and 2, and then I gave up and ended up watching s7 part 2 live while also watching s3 for the first time 🤣 there were some gaps I had to fill using fanon knowledge but I think it worked? And now I'm furiously trying to watch s4 around my busy work schedule before s8 airs 😅🤣

Hasn't stopped my from reading bucktommy fic or posting gifsets tho. Tommy has bewitched me, I love him. Every time I watch a scene where Buck talks about his love life a part of me is just- don't worry, your man is coming

oh! same here! i'd known about it for years but i'd just avoided it thinking it was just a different take on the same old tired procedural cop shows, or maybe something too dramatised like grey's anatomy. i'm not sure i even realised it was about firefighters until i heard people referring to it as 'the gay firefighter show' and even then i didn't really connect the dots.. 🔥👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨🚒

one of my fave spn blogs (bc i was a destiel girlie before the gay firefighter show consumed my life) was a 911 fan so i learned about bi!buck through her blogging (shoutout to @sunglassesmish: kay, you have changed my life for the better 😚🫶). i mean, i came from spn - where bi!dean is widely considered unacknowledged canon and it's a show now several years past its finale but with a dedicated fanbase still hoping for some kind of reboot or movie or something to fix the shit they did in the finale - to a show with a canon bi character, moreover a character in his 30s who had been presumed (by some)/written as (sorta) straight for 6 whole seasons. and evan buckley.. he's so much like dean wincester: the all american heroic ladies man with a traumatic upbringing and a megawatt smile and babygirl features and a heart of gold who just wants to be loved.. honestly i could write essays about these two.. ✍️

i love that we're on the same page! i started with season 7 (i watched 7x05 and onwards live) and got through seasons 1-3 while s7 was airing week to week, and so my buck knowledge was growing as i excitedly waited for the next ep to air with the rest of fandom (there's just something about that weeklong anticipation, i've missed it so much - the theorising, the time for fanworks, etc). 📺

i was also the same, trying to learn what i could through dash osmosis of the seasons i hadn't watched yet (i knew vaguely about the lightning strike and tried not to spoil myself too much about the family secret but reading fic and meta blew those doors wide open 😅). and even in season 1 i was like: i'm so glad he'll grow to be that person in season 7 one day, that he'll get to be vulnerable and open and earnest and loved and also get kissed by a handsome guy. 🥰

OMG WE ARE BOTH ON SEASON 4!! 🥳 i mean, i knew that, but it's still so exciting to know there are folks out there in the same boat! ⛵ i don't think i've liveblogged any other ep besides Buck Begins, but i think i'll probably do a lightning strike/coma liveblog when i get to it.

omg the amount of bucktommy fics i've consumed since april.. i remember in those early days i was consuming every single fic that got posted on ao3 - about a dozen 1k fics a day - until eventually there was 60+ fics a day and i couldn't keep up, but i'm still reading about 2-5 fics (mostly short ones) a day. this fandom is hella talented. 📚

our love for tommy kinard knows no bounds. 🤝💖🤝 and YES- omg- the way he is just craving love and a partner on the same page as him, someone he can be himself with.. lightning boy will meet him flying into a hurricane and i just think that's neat. ⛈️😘

[consumeroflemoans]

So some more small stuff for the lighthouse AU, on an unrelated note I've also been considering giving myself an anon name considering my insistence on announcing myself along with the amount of asks I send in

Vil comes to in a tub of water looking up at the weirdest looking eighteen year old he's ever seen staring at him with all the subtlety of a screaming sperm whale

As mentioned when first meeting they did not get along, Vil was downright personally offended by Idias lack of effort and readiness to just give up, when he asked the guy who's supposed to keep everyone safe, who's supposed to be a wall between the inhabitants of the very waters he lives in and that which craves to invade them how to get out he was laughed at!

Idia cannot stand how much of a fuss Vil is making, like it's such a big deal to be trapped here, he's been doing it since he was like four feet tall and He's Fine and he just can't shake off the bitterness of having to endure this shit for longer after thinking that maybe, just maybe something could work out

But when you forcefully live together you're bound to see each other a lot, though Idia tries to spend as much time upstairs as possible because it's not like Vil could go there and Vil has definetly splashed Idia with the water in his tub at least once

In that regard I also think that as soon as they would start actually getting closer and being friendly with each other Idia would be constantly overthinking everything, you have to remember Idia hasn't even seen a living persons face in eight years, if your only exposure to what interaction is supposed to be like are the story books you took with you when you were ten, whatever writings the former keepers of the lighthouse left you with, believe me they weren't any more well-adjusted, and whatever the ghosts of the shipwrecked scream at you, while he's fully expecting for everything to go completly wrong, he's also... Eager he thinks, kind of excited he thinks, he hasn't felt that in a good while

So he's really intent on not fucking it up, takes out his most well loved books and scrunges up whatever melancholic reflection on past love he can get out of the diaries and the ghosts wailing and writes himself up a list of Things-That-Vil-Will-Definetly-Like, needless to say Vil is very confused

Vil doesn't have much knowledge on what happens above sea, there's a reason merfolk is only seen in myths and fables on land, but he tries to fill in Idia as best has he can on any major changes and advances made while he was absent and lets him compare what his books say with his own experiences

The whole tower is filled with tinkering and little knick knacks made out of whatever Idia could get his hands on while bored, Vil is fascinated, there's at least one of those incredibly elaborate marble runs set up throughout the tower though it's started catching dust by now, Vil specifically takes a liking to a small metal crafted merman Idia made out of some of the cutlery in his second year there, it used to be part of a lovingly made mobile (I'm not sure about that translation so I'm adding a description: One of those things you hang up and they have stuff hanging from them) with little figures of everything he wanted to see and everything he misses, with the sticks being made out of the wood from his and Orthos boat, that he used to stare at, it's long been stuffed into a drawer and the string has come loose, the metal has rusted, as Vil leaves it is with it clasped in his hands

Giving the symbol of your lost hope to the person you believe in more than anyone, who has made you believe more than anyone and such

When he looks around he notices something odd about the ceiling as well, someone drew on it, little dots of ink, some are connected, but they're smudged like someone tried to remove them and then he recognises that they're stars

The area around the lighthouse is an odd thing, the sky never seems to be visible, it's always equally dark and equally empty as if something had swallowed up every heavenly body or the universe itself was too scared to look upon these waters

Also great to hear the enthusiasm about the sea monsters, I always love when I can put some kind of creature into something, in the last ask I tried to imply that the place they're trapped in has something very wrong with it, what I was imagening was that the monsters do not evolve to fit the area they're in, but the very space and reality around them warps to fit itself to them ever so slowly, shifting the laws of nature which is also why the lighthouse keeper gets progressively more fucked up and non-human looking the longer he does his job

At some point Idia tries his damndest to put his weak noodle arms into action and "carries", more accurately drags, Vil all the way up the stairs of the lighthouse while his tail bumps into every step and Idia is wheezing out his breaths until they eventually reach the top and Vil gets to overlook the space they're trapped in for the first time as the light roams over the waves

POV Mer Vil Schoenheit learns what depression is

No but actually I love the thought of Vil and Idia disliking each other at first before getting to know each other. They’re very different people and they’ve had their idealized versions of each other shattered. But they’re stuck together so they have to get along.

Mmmmgm I love the thought of Idia reading books to Vil and explaining the concepts inside of them. Vil may not even be able to read human languages and even if he can, Idia’s not risking water damage on the only source of entertainment he has.

Vil watching Idia, fascinated by all these human concepts is so cute to me.

ALSO I love the thought of Vil being fascinated by little trinkets. The fish brain going oooh shiny.

GIVING THR SYMBOL OF YOUR LOST HOPE TO THE PERSON YOU BELIEVE IN MORE THAN ANYONE. ANON I AM SHAKING YOU SO HARD RN

Oooh damn I love your ideas with the lighthouse itself. The actual water adapting to fit the creatures that inhabit it is fascinating. Mmmgngn this could have some really fun horror aspects to it and man I love me some water based horror.

OMG IM SOBBJNG Idia with his twig arms trying to haul a whole ass fish man up a lighthouse is a hilarious thought. But Vil gets what he wants and that man is seeing the outside.

Man I want them to be happy so much, but also the angst here is too good. They deserve to kiss and also suffer