#it is absolutely a stepping stone for the endgame

[samandcolbyownme]

Summary: You’re an actress and you get nominated for a big award show so you take Tara and your boyfriend, Zach.

Warnings: SMUT18+, sexual innuendos, strong language, mentions of alcohol, reader drinks, flirting, banter/joking with Zach, Zach being Zach, after party, unprotected sex, quickie, hair pulling, pet names (cute), funny and fluff with a little bit of filth

Reader has a laid back, jokester personality, kinda like Jennifer Lawrence, or even Emma stone maybe?

Word count: 4.6k | not edited

I wasn’t going to add smut into this but then I did, so enjoy!

╔═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╗

Zach has been your boyfriend for almost a year now. Everyone knows you’re together, hell. It was hard to hide it even the first few months.

You are a huge success is the acting industry, you’ve been in every genre of movie and tv show, and everyone absolutely loved you.

“Tara is running a little late.” Zach yells out, his voice growing closer, “Where-“ he groans, “are you?” The bathroom door pushes open and he tilts his head, “I’m going to need to put a bell on you or something.

You’re nervous. In shock. Absolutely terrified out of your mind - The Oscars was a huge deal for you.

You laugh lightly at his joke as you pick up the brush to brush your hair again, Cindie - you’re makeup artists, loves when you have your hair tangle free for her.

“Whoa, pump the breaks.” He walks in, closing the door behind him. He turns you to face him, fingers gently tilting your head up, “You’re nervous.”

You purse your lips and bite down on the inside of your cheek, as you can feel tears welling.

All you do is nod and that was enough for Zach. He wraps his arms around you, sighing out, “How many time so I gotta tell you, baby. You’re dating Zach justice and we never lose.”

You look up at him, laughing as you shake your head, “I’m so glad I have you.”

And you really were. Zach was your calm in the storm of the bad days with being so popular. All the flying, the not really having time to eat. Hell, you can barely get a minute alone to yourself most days.

Zach understands that, so he tries to give you your space when you’re home, but you never wanted to be alone when he was around.

“I get that a lot, but thank you. It’s an honor to called yours, m’lady.” He pretends to lift an invisible hat toward you and you smirk.

Zach knew just how to make you laugh. He loved hearing your laugh, he also loved to see how bad he could embarrass you. Once you guys got comfortable and cozy around each other - which was super fast.

You and Zach clicked instantly, like, you both knew you and him were endgame.

You both loved to roast each other, that’s mainly how you flirt, but, Zach does have his sweet and sensitive side when it comes to you. He knows when it’s okay to push and when it’s not.

One time when you were out shopping, there were people around and you weren’t really paying attention.

You were more or less focusing on whether or not this top was in your size. You feel a hand on your back and Zach leans in, “I’m going to go look at the shoes.”

You look up at him with a smile, “Okay. I’m almost done over here so I’ll find you.” He nods once, “Gimme a kiss.”

You stand on your tip toes and press your lips to his. In quick second, Zach steps back, his voice loud enough to draw attention of the people close by, “don’t kiss me, you’re my sister.”

Your smile drops and you freeze, quickly coming to terms with what just happened as you look over to a small group of people staring, “Zach!”

You run after him, clinging to his arm as you laugh, “You’re such a fucking asshole.” He laughs, “You love me.”

“I do.”

You hear the front door open and Zach closes his eyes, “Who gave her a key?”

“The Glam Wagon isn’t here yet?” Tara yells as she walks up the steps, “Hello?” There’s a knock on the door, “Y/n?”

“Go away we’re having the thing you do when you know, you take your pants off and smash genitals together.” Zach explain and you laugh, “Oh my g- Tara you can come in.”

The door opens and Zach is standing infront of it so Tara hits him again, “Move you jerk.” She comes in and looks at you, “What’s wrong?”

Zach looks at you and you sigh, “I’m nervous.”

Tara nods, “I would be, too. I mean, I’m nervous just going as your guest.” She lays a hand on her chest then motions to you as she shakes her head, “I honestly cannot imagine what you’re feeling.”

You nod and laugh slightly, “Oh fuck, this is actually happening.” You rest your forehead on Zach’s chest and he pats your back, “What did I tell you?” He pokes you, “Hey.”

You stand up, looking up at him as you monotone-ly repeat his catchphrase back to him while you fight a smirk, “I’m saying Zach justice, and we don’t lose.”

You mainly said it to get Tara’s reaction. She stares at Zach for a few seconds before letting oit a laugh, “no, there’s no way you say that to her.”

“Um, yeah?” Zach scoffs, “Why wouldn’t I tell her that?”

“Glam Wagon is here!” Cindie yells out from downstairs and you look at Tara, “Time to get pretty.”

You all file out of the bathroom and go downstairs, greeting Cindie and her crew, “Hey, Cindie. How are you?”

She smiles and nods, “I’m great, now..” she stops, pursing her lips as her eyes move to Zach, “Zach, sweetie..”

Zach looks up at her, “What’s up, Cin?” She laughs slightly, “Please tell me that you’re not wearing that.”

“Hey.” Zach holds his hand up, “Don’t hate me because you ain’t me, alright.” He tries not to laugh and you bite down on your lip so you don’t laugh, “Um.” You clear your throat, “I have a stylist coming for him, Cindie. Don’t worry.”

She nods and smiles as she looks away, “Alright, what are we doing for you ladies this afternoon.”

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

You see Zach’s eyes brighten at the sight of the final look on your face and hair. He swallows and nods, “You.. look like.. I need to.. excuse myself to the bathroom for a quick second.”

You roll your eyes, smiling at his hidden compliment, “Thank you, baby.” He winks at you and you spin over to look at Tara, “That lip color is your shade.”

She looks over at you and raises her brows, “Really?” Her voice goes higher as she bounces her legs on the metal bar of the hair chair, “Eeeee. I’m so excited to see it.”

“It looks incredible.” You turn to Zach, “can you grab that dress bag please?”

He stands up, “This one?” He points and you nod. He grabs it off the rack and goes do lay it over his arm but everyone in the room freaks out in unison, “Don’t lay it on your arm?”

Zach rips it up straight and jumps, “Oh my god that was scary!”

You all laugh and Zach makes sure to dramatically hold the dress out from him as he follows you to your bedroom to change.

“You can hang it up on here and then unzip it.” You point to a hook and start to undress. You didn’t need a bra for this so you slipped off the one you had on.

Zach turns around he’s like a teenager finding out what books are, gawking at them like this is the first time he’s ever seen yours, his eyes flick up to yours and he smirks.

“Don’t look at me like that.” You warn as you walk over to pull your dress out, “We don’t have time for you to look at me like that.” You laugh as you gently lay the dress down and step into it.

You pull the fabric up over your thighs and Zach is just in awe of this whole situation, “I, um. I was just admiring how good you happen to look without clothes on.”

He loved your body in every single way and there was nothing that could change his mind. He was proud to be yours, but he was even prouder that you were his.

“Can you zip me up, please?” You look at him over your shoulder and give him a small smile. He nods, “I can do a lot more than that if you want.”

He chuckles as you roll your eyes laughing, reaching forward and grabbing the small oval shaped zipper.

He places a hand on your hip as he drags it upward. You walk over to the mirror once you have it on and give yourself a look over, “This dress is-“ you scoff, “I’m in love.”

“Whoa, whoa, settle down now, let’s remember who’s actually able to love you in ways that you really like.”

Zach smirks at you and you nod, pointing to him, “You’re right.”

He walks over to you, arms sliding around your waist, “You look beautiful.” His eyes lock on to yours in the mirror, “Everyone loves you. I love you.”

He presses a gentle kiss to your neck, “You’re coming home with an award.” He presses another kiss, “We’re going to celebrate with everybody.” He kisses your neck once more, then looks up at you, “Then I’m going to bring you back here and I’m going to do whatever you want me to do.”

An excited shiver goes down your spine, Zach really can sweep you off of your feet.

Tara pushes the door open, “Zach get out. I need to change.”

Zach laughs slightly, “No, y/n. That’s why I wont lay on the sunroof of your car and allow you to act like a hamster.”

Your eyes go wide and you laugh, snapping your head to Tara. She’s giving you both a funny look, “Excuse the fuck out of me, but what are you trying to fucking do?”

Zach laughs and walks out, closing the door behind him. You sit down on the bed, “He was just fucking with me. Trying to embarrass me.”

Tara laughs as ahe changes into her dress with feathers at the top hem, “I figured. You guys are always roasting each other.”

She turns and backs up so you can zip up her dress, “And I think that’s so funny because, like now.” She turns around to face you and she laughs, “You know things we don’t, and it’s just, so funny.”

You laugh and nod, “Right, before you came in, he was giving me this speech about how he’s proud of me, how he loves me and everyone loves me.” You smile, “He’s such a sweetheart.”

Tara walks over to grab your guys heels, “When Zach told me that you messages him. I’m not gonna lie.” She sits down on the bed next to you and hands you your heels, “I was kind of shocked.”

You laugh and lean down to put your shoes on, “Really?”

She nods, “I mean, it wasn’t until after I seen your movies that I understood why Zach was so crazy about you. You guys literally have that click. And it’s so nice to see someone treat Zach the way he deserves.”

You purse your lips, “Girl, I’m gonna cry. You can’t give me this speech now. I’m already a nervous wreck.”

Tara pouts and laughs, “Noooo. Don’t cry.” She moves over to hug you, “I’m sorry, I meant it as a good thing.”

You laugh, “I know, but it doesn’t matter.”

She laughs and stands up, “Come on. We are going to go take a shot or two before we go. I’m sure Zach is already ready, his stylist was here when I came up.”

“Alright.” You take a deep breath, grabbing your bag before you nod, “Let’s go win an award.” You look at Tara and she nods, “That’s the spirit.”

You walk down the steps and you hear a sharp ‘Eeeooww’. You look directly at Zach and he smirks, “Lookin’ good, ladies. Lookin’ good.”

You smirk and look around at the Glam Wagon - you have them that nickname after hiring Cindie. She absolutely loved the nickname, so it stuck.

“Oh. My girls.” Cindie presses her hands together and sighs, “You both look absolutely stunning!” You walk down and you both spin for her, “Y/n. That taupe color looks so good with Zach’s suit.”

You look at Zach who moves to stand next to you, his arm falling around your waist. Tara nods, “You guys look so good. I’m so glad you picked me to third wheel.”

You laugh and shrug, “Couldn’t have picked anyone better.” You hear a beep and you point, “Car is here. Let’s go.”

“Oh wait!” Tara says pulling you into the kitchen. She quickly grabs two shot glasses and puts a shot of tequila in both, “We don’t have time for vodka. Here do you bitch.”

You both laugh as you grab the shot glasses and tap them off the counter before taking them. You both cringe, groaning as you set them down.

In a harsh whisper while pointing to the door, “Let’s go.” You run to the car, giggling as you hold on to Tara’s hand.

“Oh what did you make her do, Tara?” Zach asks as he watches you get in, smiling wide. Tara gets in next to you and you laugh, “We may or may not have-“

“Took a shot of tequila?” Zach cuts you off with a laugh and you nod, “Oh god, is if that bad?”

“I think I did, too by the way the smell violated my sinuses.” Zach laughs and points to your bag, “I put a pack of gum in there for you.”

Tara leans forward and Zach looks at her, “Don’t even.”

Tara sits back, laughing as she takes a piece of gum from you. You hand one of Zach and he takes it, “Why thank you, I’d love a piece.”

“You’re ridiculous.” You laugh as you bite down on the small stick of gum, “But I love you.” You look over at him and he smirks, “I know you do. I love you.”

He pecks your lips and Tara yells, “Selfie!”

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

The ride to the venue was full of all of you yapping, talking about your speech, laughter. Your nerves were definitely calmed.

That was until the car stops and you see someone walking towards Tara’s door, “Oh fuck.” Zach squeezes your hand, “You got this baby, Tara and I are right here with you.”

You take a deep breath, “Okay.” Tara opens the door and starts to get out while Zach gets out his did and walks around to meet you. He holds his hand out, allowing you to take it as you get out of the car.

He makes sure you don’t flash anyone with your low hanging neck line and the high splitting v in your dress, “You ready?” He whispers and you look up at him with a smile, “I’m ready.”

You take his hand into yours and you start to walk down the carpet, stopping for pictures of just you, lots with Zach of course, you and Tara, and then finally some got shots with all three of you.

You looked up at Zach, smiling wide as his hand nestled securely on the small of your back.

“Stay right there, y/n.” “Don’t move!” “That’s absolutely perfect, yes!”

You laugh slightly as you hold your stare on Zach, “Kiss me.” You mouth and he licks his lips before he leans in, dipping you down as he closes the space.

Tara is cheering loudly which makes you smile within the kiss and Zach stands you up, “They are eating this up like thanksgiving dinner.” He kisses your head, “What did I tell you?”

You laugh slightly as you walk with him into the venue, “They love me.”

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

The next hour went by so slow, but you were still having a good time. Talking to other celebrities, introducing them to Zach and Tara.

You and Zach subtle taking jabs at each other, “I mean, I guess I had nothing to do.” Zach rolls his eyes with a laugh.

“Don’t mind him, he doesn’t have fun in his vocabulary.” You laugh and Emma laughs, “That’s okay. Neither does my husband. It was so good to see you again.” Emma leans in and hugs you, “Good luck tonight.”

“Hey, you too!” You smile and sit back down. Tara wraps her hand around your wrist, “That.. was Emma Stone.”

You nod, “I’m nominated in the same category as her,” you tilt your head, “Along with Jessica Chastain, Sandra Bullock, Shailene Woodley, and Natalie Portman.”

Her eyes widen and the lights go down, “Oh, oh. Here we go.” Your hand slides down find Zach’s. The nerves were setting in again.

He gives your hand a tight squeeze, nodding at you when you look over at him. You smile and lean back into your seat, hand still in his as you listen to the host start the show.

About an hour later - it’s your category.

The crowd applauses as Julia Roberts walks out onto stage. You take your hands from Zach and Tara and brush them over your thighs, trying to keep your heart from racing any faster.

“You’re okay.” Tara says quietly, “We got this, okay.”

You nod and look up, getting ready to smile because you know the cameras will be on you when she says your name.

“Y/n y/l/n for her role in The Strangers: Chapter One.”

You smile waving shyly to the camera and the two other nominees are announced. You return your hands to Zach and Tara’s and you’d think they were just as nervous as you were.

“The Oscar for the Actress In A Leading Role goes to..” the envelope opens, “Y/n Y/l/n.”

Everyone erupts in cheering and clapping. Zach pulls you to your feet and you look at him, “You won, baby. You frickin’ won!”

“Go, go, go!” Tara pushes you forward and you make your way to the stage, still in absolute shock. You get up and hug Julia, “Oh my gosh, hi. Thank you.”

You turn, taking the award from the gentleman on the stage, “Oh my g- thank you.” You walk over do the mic and let out a sigh, “Oh my gosh, wow. Thank you, all so much. Especially to the ones who voted for me, you’re why I do it. I love you so so so much.”

You laugh slightly, “I also wanted to give a quick little shoutout to the dress.” You pause and the audience erupts with yells and clapping, “Shout out Marchesa, and also, shout out to my boyfriend, Zach Justice who’s gonna be taking it off of me later. Thank you.”

You laugh as you wave, leave the stage with Julia. She wraps her arm around you, congratulating you once more before you make your way backstage to where a shit ton of people were waiting, ready to snap as many pictures as they can while you hold your eight and a half pound trophy.

You felt like you were on top of the world, after all. You are one of be youngest actresses to win an Oscar, you’re just good at what you do.

After a while of answering all the questions in the world, you’re ushered to where the crew brought Zach and Tara.

You walk through the door and as soon as Tara locks eyes with you, her mouth drops. You walk over and sit down between them on the couch, looking at them innocently, “What?”

“You did not just say that.” Tara leans in laughing, “y/n.” Zach looks over at you, “Oh, yeah. She did. On worldwide television.”

You lean in towards Zach, “Remember how I told you I was going to get you back for calling me your sister in front of all those people and then twitter blew up about it?”

Zach sighs before letting a laugh slip out, “You really one upped me this time.”

You laugh, “Do you still like me?”

Zach gives you a funny look, “Once my embarrassment subsides, this will be the funniest thing ever.”

“It already is the funniest thing ever. Zach.” Tara laughs, taking the trophy from your hand, “You have definitely met your match with this one.”

You laugh and he leans in to press a kiss to your lips, “I gotta start studying more. I can’t have a girlfriend who’s funnier than me.”

“Zach, this girl just won an Oscar. I don’t think you get to decide who the funnier one is.” Tara leans forward, laughing at Zach and he rolls his eyes, smiling at you, “You did win, and I am so proud of you for that, babe.”

He gives your thigh a squeeze and you were sure if it was the alcohol you drank with Tara, Zach just looking hot as fuck in his designed suit, or the post winning adrenaline - but you did know, you weren’t going to be able to handle not having your hands on him for much longer.

The door opens and a guy with a headset on comes in, “Y/n. If you’d like, since there isn’t a whole lot of time yet for the show, would you want to just head straight over to the Official After Party?”

You look between Zach and Tara, “We will need to stop back at the house so we can change, if that’s okay.”

The guy nods, “That’s more than okay. I’ll send a car for you.”

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

Once back the house, you’ve barely made it into the beddoor before Zach has your zipper going down your back.

You let out a laugh, “Can we at least get into the room first?” You hear a huff as you walk in, and Zach pulls you back into him as he kicks the door shut, “I just wanna show my girl how proud I am of her, okay?”

He spins you around, arms on your biceps, “Now, please, get that cockblock of a dress off your body.”

Your eyebrows raise and you nod, slipping the straps from your shoulders letting them fall down your arms, your dress pooling at your feet.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” His hands move to your waist as he backs you up to the bed. You move up to lay towards the top, watching him undress.

Zach looks at you and he smirks as he unbuttons his shirt. You bite your lip and nod, “Oh yeah, nice and slow, baby.”

Zach lets out a laugh as he shrugs his shirt off, but he secretly loves when you talk dirty to him.

Your eyes follow his hands, undoing his belt, then his pants. He quickly gets them off and is crawling up the bed towards you.

He plants little kisses along your body as he travels up, making his way to your neck. You tilt your head back, hands running up his bare chest, “Zach, baby please.”

You let out a whimper as he sucks a small mark into your skin, kissing up your neck and down your jaw to your lips.

You slide a hand down to the waistband of his boxers, slipping your fingers in to run them over the head of his leaky cock, “Need you.” You whimper out quietly, “Please.”

Zach sits up on his knees, pushing his boxers down as his eyes trail down your body. He watches you take your panties off, tossing them aside before you spread your legs.

His body moves to hover over yours and you feel the head of his cock pressing against your clit. You whimper, rolling your hips as you slide a hand up his arm.

Zach’s hand slides down to your hip as he pushes to slide in, a gasp leaving his lips as your chest squishes against his as you breathe out a quiet, “Fuuuck.”

Your legs immediately move to wrap tightly around his hips, arms doing the same to his neck as his thrusts grow to a quicker pace.

As much as you wanted to have him do whatever you wanted, there wasn’t much time. So, that’s being saved for a little later.

“Fuck, baby.” Zach groans into your neck, “Feels so good.”

You turn your head, lips meeting his in a sloppy embrace. He brings a hand up to cup your cheek as he pauses his thrusts, “Look at me.”

You look up at him and he rests his forehead against yours, “I am so beyond proud of you.”

You bite down on your lip, “Yeah, telling the world that you were ta-“ Zach cuts you off with a scoff, “Not that, that not.” He laughs slightly, “I’m being serious here, sweetheart.”

You smirk, “sorry.”

He pecks your lips as he starts to slowly thrust into you again, his voice in a low tone, “I’m so proud of you.” He presses a kiss to your forehead, “No one else deserved that award like you do.”

You bite down on your lip, muffling your moans as his words edge you closer.

You didn’t care about the time at this point.

“I love you and I am so proud to call you mine.”

You crash your lips onto hips, squeezing his cock as you whimper out, “M’so close, Zach.” You let out a moan, breathing out, “I love you.”

Your hand moves to his hair, tugging slightly as you arch your back off the bed, “Fuckfuckfuck.” Your nails dig into his skin, moaning louder as you cum around him.

“There ya go.” Zach whispers gently, “Fuck.” He groans into your neck and you feel his thrusts turn rather sloppy, rather quickly.

He pulls out, spilling his cum onto your pelvis with a groan. You cup his cheeks and pulls him into you, kissing him as you swallow his moans with ease.

He leans back, looking down at you with a smirk, “That award winning pussy will do it for me every time.” He winks at you and you feel the heat in your cheeks rising as you let out a laugh, “Get me a towel, please.”

You laugh again as Zach grabs you a towel, “Here ya be. Which dress are you wearing? I’ll get it out.”

You smile at Zach, admiring just how much you loved him, “It is the pink one right there.” You point and he pulled out the dress, holding it up for you to see.

You nod, standing up to go take it from him, “You know we’re leaving early tonight, right?”

Zach nods, watching as you pull the dress up over your ass, “Oh, yeah.” He looks at you when you turn towards him, “Please leave me taking this dress off out of everything, tonight.”

You smirk, walking up to him, “What? You don’t want me to out Zach-“ You raise your brows, “The Zach again?”

He cocks his jaw do the side and sighs, “When you put it that way..” he chuckles as he leans in to kiss you.

Tara bangs on the door while yelling from the other side, “Are you two ready yet? If not wrap it up because we have to go!”

“To be continued?” Zach smirks giving your ass a squeeze, and you nod, looking up at with a smirk, “Of course.”

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

Sorry it took an extra day or two, but here it is. I feel like it sucks, but let me know what you think. As always, I love yas! Thank you for being here. 🖤

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[shaunashipman]

I'm a new 9-1-1 viewer (binge watched the first 6 seasons like two weeks before the new one came out and been watching season 7 as it comes out) and I'm so glad I found your blog because it annoys me how most of the conversation around the show is always about b*ddie and I really needed to find people who weren't b*ddie shippers. Like, I get why people ship it even if I don't particularly see it or agree with it but they're always trying to prove how this plot point or the other points at them becoming canon next episode and it's so annoying? Especially now that Tommy is in the picture because I think he's such a great LI for Buck and has so much endgame potential but they're all talking about him being a "stepping stone" for their ship and completely ignoring how this is a chance for him to be in a loving, stable relationship in the long run, something he absolutely deserves.

Honestly sometimes I feel like b*ddie shippers don't even care or like Eddie and Buck, they just want them to kiss onscreen and ignore their well written arcs just because they don't end up in them being canon (which honestly after seven seasons of the same clownery they should have learnt by now that maybe it's just not happening and that's okay! they're well thought out, fully fleshed characters that don't need to be involved romantically to have a satisfying storyline!)

welcome to the fandom, and my blog 👋👋👋

it is unfortunate that the show has so many great characters and dynamics that get consistently drowned out by a single fanon ship. i get it if you're just here for b*ddie, but to make a big fuss over losing a single scene in another couple's big episode? when you still got something? sometimes you need a reality check that the show is actually about other people too

fandom is not about hunting for hints that your ship is going canon. like, i have never seen a fandom that seems to spend more time "proving" their ship is gonna go canon than actually, you know, doing fandom stuff. (i was not in spn/destiel, idk what nonsense went on there) we're supposed to ignore what the TPTB say while we play with our dolls because it doesn't matter, not ignore what they say because clearly they're lying and misdirecting and building up to do what they have have said, as explicitly as they can in tv world, won't be happening. this obsession with "going canon" is, frankly, weird in fandom.

my blood pressure goes up when i read the phrase "stepping stone". even if bucktommy doesn't last, they will never have been a stepping stone. one, because it is a relationship, and relationships can't be stepping stones, that is such a cynical way to look at things and really makes me wonder about some of these people's real life relationships (yeah i know it's fiction, but y'all take it too far in your vitriol for it not to be invading your personal lives) and two, because b*ddie is not happening, so it can't be a stepping stone to it.

they have done everything they can except saying "b*ddie isn't happening" because in tvland ambiguity is your best friend. but ryan calling eddie heterosexual twice is not ambiguous. and i've already said, but ignoring what ryan has said about the coming out scene because it doesn't fit your headcanon is extremely disrespectful. it is fiction, but it is fiction made by people drawing from real life experiences and y'all are shitting on that

and tommy does have such potential!! they like to shit on us for saying that, "oh he's only been there for 4 eps, we don't even know anything about him", and, ignoring that we actually do know some stuff about tommy, more than we've gotten for other LI's, that's why we say potential. we are looking at possible future storylines and seeing how tommy could fit. we are looking at what was lacking in prev LI's (not in a deficient way, just in a compatibility way) and seeing how tommy can fill the spaces they couldn't.

we're basing our theories of him at least sticking around for a bit, not on wardrobe hints and coded gazes and what actors post on their socials, but by what we've seen on-screen, what has been said in interviews in black&white no hidden meaning, and by simple knowledge of story pacing.

and we could be completely wrong. that's part of it being a theory; the acknowledgement that it is not guaranteed . once you start insisting something is 100% going to happen, it's no longer a theory

wow this got long 🫣 sorry for making you read all that, if you're still here lmao. but conciseness is not my strong suit, so enjoy my babbling if you stick around, and feel free to drop in my inbox anytime

[homerforsure]

TL;DR: it's not my ship, but they were done dirty

I always always always come back to that weird little reveal that when they were first floating the idea to bring Tommy back, they said it was to do a storyline with Eddie and it got switched to Buck because it was too weird or tricky to have them both break up with their LIs offscreen but only one actress could come back.

Because a stepping stone relationship makes perfect sense for Eddie. Something short and intense with angst and softness for him to get to this moment of letting himself feel joy and to taste how truly good it can be. He didn't need an endgame relationship right now. He did need to have his "first."

Buck didn't need that. Buck is absolutely ready for his forever and he has been for a while and giving him the "inviting Natalia to move in and then catching his own bad habit for once and backing out" would have been great.

But that didn't happen. Instead Eddie had to sit like a hot dog on one of those rolling warmers for a season while Buck started the queer dominos falling (and I admit this is a little bit from a Buddie endgame perspective because it doesn't feel to me like the show was deciding to explore the a character's sexuality just for exploratory purposes and I'm willing to admit I have a blind spot here.)

And honestly I think the fact that Oliver cares so much about Buck and telling this story well both for the character and everyone who sees himself in him and that Lou met that energy turned the storyline and the relationship into a more beautiful beginning than it would have been in the hands of other actors.

Which gave the show it's next problem. Because we can all see that Buck is ready for his forever love and you introduced a new love interest and then instead of sticking to a few episodes of awakening and moving on, I think they saw that people were starving for it and latched onto it and Tommy harder than they expected. So it's an easy thing to do to milk that for a little bit longer, but it was absolutely the wrong choice because people got invested in a way they wouldn't have if this had ended after the original number of episodes we expected.

And Buck and Tommy worked! I think you can nitpick relationship things if you weren't that into it and write a breakup narrative using those seeds, but their puzzle pieces absolutely fit together. So much so that they definitely had forever after potential that everyone could see and a lot of people were excited about and investing in and oops wait that wasn't the plan.

So what do you do? You either abandon the plan and embrace the accidental beauty that you discovered and let it ride or you write your way out of it. Give them some hurdles, some angst. Give them a tear-jerking breakup that respects what you built and the viewers who are invested in it and slowly work your way back to where you wanted to be.

They didn't write their way out of it.

And I so don't want to believe that after the work the actors put in and the viewer feedback that they were still viewing the relationship as a placeholder ready to be yeeted once Eddie's arc got back in position again, but I'm not sure what the alternatives are?

Either it's being talked about that this is the last season and so if they're really doing buddie then it's now or never? Or actually the internet is not a valid reflection of the viewership as a whole and someone from on high said the plug should be pulled?

Or the storyline was stumbled into and fumbled around from the beginning and never treated with as much care by the people in charge of it as it was by the people who loved it.

IDK it's just messy messy storytelling and I say that as someone who is not a multishipper but who does value a good story and a good narrative. They let the relationship go on for too long to end it so abruptly. If there was going to be a breakup, there was a better one to be had and it doesn't make me feel good that my preferred happy ending could come from one that breaks the heart of so many of my friends. And if it isn't in the service of a bigger, already in motion endgame, literally what the fuck?

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 30 – FIX-IT

The abyss by amaryllis (Lillyo)

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 917 Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Tony, Protective Steve

Summary: It's his biggest nightmare. He falls, wakes up... and is the only survivor. In nights like these it's Steve who catches him and brings him back to light.

Reasons why I love it: The love Steve feels for Tony is so palpable in this one, it's amazing. This fic conveys so much emotion, and I love how Steve takes care of Tony, it's super sweet to see. Go and check this one out if you haven't, I'm sure you'll love it just as much as I do!

from you, me by seadawnknight

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: NR Words: 2,261 Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Grief, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: This is how it starts: with Steve holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, mourning three and a half billion lives he couldn’t save. This is not how it ends.

Reasons why I love it: This fic is breathtakingly beautiful. The writing style feels like poetry, it flows so well, and the non-linear storytelling is absolutely spectacular. I can't believe how underrated this fic is, so I really hope that you go and check it out, because it deserves all the love in the world!

It Hurts Like Hell by agathaharknness

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 3,755 Tags: Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Endgame

Summary: Carol Danvers is Steve's only hope to see Tony again. If he's alive.

Reasons why I love it: This fic fits so seamlessly into canon it's like it was cut from the movies. The angst is so raw, and I really love Steve's inner monologue throughout all of it. And of course, the hopeful ending is absolutely beautiful. I love this fic, and I bet you will too!

What If... by Starlitverses

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: G Words: 5,623 Tags: Multiverse, Steve & Morgan, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: ‘There must be a world somewhere, where the snap or your fight or any of the things that led us here didn’t happen. Maybe everything would change.’ Steve goes back in time to return the stones. On his way, he changes a few events in certain times to make sure they end better than his own timeline. A different world where thanos never attack, where the snap doesn’t happen. A world where Tony Stark survives. A world where Steve and Tony fall in love.

Reasons why I love it: Aaaah, this is so sweet! I especially loved Natasha here, she's such a badass. Those branching timelines are super interesting, it's so cool how each of them plays out. And the ending is amazing, the exact kind of bittersweet that I adore. Please go and read this one, it's so good!

Conductivity by felisnocturna

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 4,243 Tags: Angst, Open Ending, Grief

Summary: The train taking Tony to California breaks down in the seemingly abandoned ghost town of Timely. Or: After Steve's death on the courthouse steps, Tony is about to witness another tragedy. This time, he sees it coming, but even that might not change anything - not least because he is pretty sure that it's all just a hallucination.

Reasons why I love it: This is such a cool idea for a multiversal crossover! I love how 616 canon and 1872 canon play off each other here, I'd read a million more words in this universe. And I really enjoyed the role reversal and the angst that comes with it, it's super well-written. Definitely check this one out, it's fantastic!

[jzargo]

I have a few criticisms for the endgame of Baldur's Gate 3, but one of my big ones is that the Netherbrain is...not a good villain.

Yes, we've been hearing about the 'Absolute' the entire game. The mysterious god who has a vast, terrifying cult under her control. The mystery builds and builds until you discover, at the end of Act 2, that the Absolute is in fact an Elder Brain being puppeteered by the Chosen Three (one of whom was the main villain of Act 2). Throughout all this time, there is also the mystery of the Dream Visitor.

We then spend the entirety of Act 3 dealing with the remaining Chosen and the revelation that the Dream Visitor is the Emperor. The Netherbrain is a looming threat, but it is abstract in comparison to the real, tangible threats that are Orin, Gortash, and the Emperor.

And none of them are the final boss.

Yes, depending on your actions, the Emperor may ally with the Netherbrain at the very end; but at that point he has become a puppet of the Netherbrain; another thrall, a stepping stone to reaching the true threat: the Netherbrain.

But it is just exhausting to go through fighting Orin and Gortash, to only then have to go against the Elder Brain and sit through a scene where no matter what you do, no matter what you roll or what choices you make, the same outcome always occurs: the Netherbrain breaks free and a bigger and even more exhausting end battle waits for you.

The game tries to spin it so that the Netherbrain was actually the secret mastermind the entire time - manipulating the Chosen Three and biding its time - but it just doesn't feel earned. They've already done a villain switcheroo on us: the Absolute isn't a god, it's an Elder Brain being controlled by the Chosen of the Dead Three. Switching it back and saying "Psych! The Netherbrain was the real final boss the entire time" feels cheap. What's more, the Netherbrain just isn't a compelling villain.

I know Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate comparisons are tired at this point, but look at Dragon Age: Origins. The Archdemon may be the final boss, but the villain most people talk and engage with is Loghain. He's compelling, he has motivations and drives, and depending on what background you picked his actions could have serious repercussions for your characters' friends and family. Loghain is the villain; the Archdemon is just a big monster. And it's the same with the Netherbrain.

Just look at how people are engaging with the characters; there's a plethora of meta being written about Thorm, Gortash, Orin, and the Emperor. I'm not seeing the Netherbrain get that same level of interaction. Though it is sentient and has its desires (the Illithid Grand Design), it's just a slightly more intelligent Big Monster that needs slaying. And for an RPG, a game that should be character focused, that is an immensely disappointing final boss.

I think instead, depending on player choice, one of the three Act 3 antagonists - Orin, Gortash, or the Emperor - ascends, takes full control of the Netherbrain, and they're who you have to fight. The final battle has more impact that way - you're fighting against a villain who has actual character, who you potentially have built an actual relationship and history with, and who you actually care about fighting. Imagine how satisfying it would be for the final battle to be against Gortash if you're playing Origin Wyll or Karlach? How much more tragic it would be if the Dark Urge's duel with Orin was the final battle instead of a mid-Act 3 moment? How earned it would feel for it to be the Emperor you're fighting against if you've spent the entire game being manipulated by him?

There are a plethora of interesting and compelling villains in Baldur's Gate 3, and for some reason none of them are the final boss. The final boss is just a big monster. And that's such a big letdown.

[piningbuddies]

i know this may just me being pissed but i blame every single f'n fan that has abandoned buddie for the fresh new toy because what if the reason buddie karaoke got cut is because they saw the response to bucktommy so now they've decided to eliminate buddie romance all together to give us this stale ass fucking shit that no one truly wants as anything but a stepping stone towards buddie. like everyone still wants buddie endgame, I will be so furious if that's the reason they cut the karaoke scene.

…you do get there’s other reasons scenes get cut, right? like pacing? storylines? pursuing a slightly different narrative? like TRUST me i’m bummed about buddie karaoke being cut too but literally who’s jumping ship because of this? they’re absolutely not cutting buddie because of bucktommy lets all take a breath please and thank you! and also remember this is tv. like that’s a very real thing to consider and remember here.

[epiphainie]

u have a very eloquent way of speaking and will get the idea across way better than I could so what do u think about how people are twisting tommy’s mentions of jealousy regarding having and wanting a family and a father figure that he’s brought up on two separate occasions? the way some people are coming at him as someone with absolutely evil and malicious intentions to idk take over and steal bucks life is so wild to me. largely because of you are truly harbouring an evil form of jealous and have the plan to take someone down, you don’t let the person know that you’re jealous of them in a vulnerable and intimate way. what to me was a moment of healthy communication between two people in a developing relationship other people have turned into proof of tommy and buck not working out because tommy’s jealousy comes with some sort of malicious hidden agenda. I also just wanna know how jealousy is an inherently bad emotion? sorry I can’t quite articulate by thoughts properly but I hope u get what I mean and maybe articulate them better lol

Hi anon!

I think you articulated it very well. I gotta admit I ignored all of those takes, didn't even take a glance because they are simply so silly. Trying to find anything as a precursor to BuckTommy's 'inevitable' fall results in the wildest takes as you said because for what we have of BuckTommy so far, no interaction between them has been played as a potential flaw. Like I said before, when you watch this arc like a normal person (and not someone who found themselves looking for some sort of validation through a fictional piece of media approving your beliefs), BuckTommy are kinda sickeningly good for each other so far. The moment they realized bi Buck wasn't a stepping stone to their fantasy endgame, there was no escaping their bad faith interpretations, but it's been kind of funny with how ridiculously normal and healthy BuckTommy has been in the actual text. I can't even imagine what we'll deal with next year when they actually experience some relationship drama for the development.

Like you said, there's nothing wrong with vocalizing your jealousy. No emotion is inherently bad and talking about it with the person you're pursuing a relationship with is good, it's healthy. Jealousy is not this monster where you're dying inside to get what you don't have, sometimes it's an expression of dismay that things didn't work out the same way for you. Most of the time it doesn't even have anything to do with other people, it's about the experiences you've had. How would this even cause a problem for a couple, like? Sorry babe, I can't stand that you wanna be friends with my friends too?

Anyway, forgot what I was saying. It's just all very dumb.

[itsany62]

SteveTony - 22/23 favorites

Here are some of my favorite fics of 2022 and 2023 . Don't forget to leave kudos and nice comments in every fic! 

...but the place where you belong by Mireille, 2k, Pre-Relationship, Fluff, Post-Avengers (2012).

Steve meets somebody very important to Tony, and makes a good impression. (Pre-relationship fluff.)

The Northern Cascades by resurrectedhippo, 81k, Grief/Mourning, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Civil War Fix-It, Road Trips.

“I’m asking.” Steve walks two steps forward and waits. Tony’s wide eyes track his movements. “If you’d like to come. Like you said, see the country. How it’s changed. How it keeps going forward.”

***

A post-Infinity War fix-it set three years after the Snap where Steve tries to outrun his grief. This time, Tony runs after him.

met my destiny (in quite a similar way) by ishipallthings, 1k, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Post-Avengers (2012), Getting Together. 

“I’m in love with you.”

The spatula in Tony’s hand clatters to the floor with an audible thwack.

(In which Tony is incredulous, Steve is determined, and absolutely no pancakes are made for breakfast.)

Punitive Measures (Met your Match) by BladeoftheNebula, 19k, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Historical, Dom/sub Undertones. 

“Gods, he’s a beast,” Tiberius said from beside him, and for a moment, Tony had forgotten he was there. “I don’t envy the omegas, he looks like he’d have a strong hand.”

When the village elders bring in someone from the outside to fairly administer justice in the community, the alphas leap at the chance to send their unruly omegas to the Flagellator.

Tiberius Stone can't understand why his omega keeps acting up so much.

by your hands or mine by apricity_and_soulshine, 1k, Alternate Universe - Western, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics. 

A short little one-shot featuring protective parent Tony and equally as protective mate Steve.

•••

Steve looked comfortable where he had dozed off at his desk. His arms crossed over his chest, boots propped up lazily. His Stetson was tipped down to block out the light bleeding in through the windows of the Sheriff's office. Steve's peace, however, like most days, could only last so long before he was so very rudely startled from his mid-afternoon nap. He jolted awake at the shouting that ensued as Alexander Pierce clambered into the station, Tony hot on his tail. The sheriff barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mate and the man who owned most of the town spitting curses and crude remarks at one another.

this love came back to me by meidui, 8k, Breaking Up & Making Up, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie).

It’s been five years.

Tony is softer than he remembers, in navy blue wool, silver in his hair and beard, laugh lines deeper around his eyes and mouth, holding onto his little girl. Steve thinks he must look rougher than Tony remembers, from the way Tony holds her tighter and steps back from him when he shuts the door of his car, as if looking for an escape.

As if he could get away from Steve.

The Best Laid Plans by ChocolateCapCookie, 3k, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Single Parent Tony Stark.

“Pete, we need to set dad up with Mr. Rogers!” said Harley excitedly. “Think about it, they’d be perfect for each other! Dad’s always so tired and stressed, he could use someone like Mr. Rogers to calm him down a bit. And I know Mr. Rogers is single, he’s always talking about it being just him and his dog…”

“Harley, this is a stupid idea,” Peter interrupted. “You don’t know that Mr. Rogers is into men. And even if he was, what do you want to do, lock them in a closet together?”

"Yes."

"No, Harley”

On Today's Agenda by Annie D (scaramouche), 779, Established Relationship, Mpreg.

Tony and Steve have been on a baby-making agenda, and Tony wants to get right back to it.

Today Was a Fairytale by iam93percentstardust, 2k, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Prince Tony Stark, Getting Together.

Today was a fairytale You've got a smile that takes me to another planet Every move you make everything you say is right Today was a fairytale

~

Steve gives Tony daisies.

And it’s… nice.

Tony’s suitors send him roses and exotic orchids and genetically modified blossoms that bloom in impossible colors no one could ever hope to find in nature. His mother makes sure there’s always a fresh bouquet of irises in his room—they usually come from her own garden, but he still doesn’t know how she manages to find them even in the middle of winter.

And Steve… Steve gives him daisies.

love me like a sinner by ArabellaAM, 5k, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie),  Misunderstandings. 

“So,” he says in the end, attracting Steve’s gaze towards him. “Is that everything you wanted?” It’s only then —when he swears he can feel Steve’s breath tickling his cheek— that he realizes how close they actually are. So close the hunger in those blue eyes is undeniable, just as it’s undeniable Steve is no longer looking at him in the eye, but rather to his lips. “Not really,” Steve says, voice raw and thick, as his eyes move quickly to Tony’s annular finger before returning to his lips. Tony tilts his head and asks, in a tone that sounds more like a dare, “then what are you waiting for?” Steve doesn’t actually answer; it’s Tony that makes an educated guess as he tries to grasp for air once Steve dips his head and drowns in his lips.

Or, Steve visits Tony after five years and it's not the salvation of the world he's after.

as long as you love me so by ohjustpeachy, 1k, Established Relationship, Snowed In, Christmas Fluff. 

“For what it’s worth, this is not how I imagined our first Christmas going,” Steve groans from where he’s sitting on the floor. It’s hard wood, and Tony knows it simply cannot be comfortable sitting that way. Even super soldiers aren’t immune to backaches, surely, and after the day they’ve both had, Tony wants nothing more than to lay right there beside him, ice and snow and ruined Christmas and failed mission be damned. 

Or, after a mission goes wrong, Steve and Tony find themselves snowed in at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. On Christmas Eve.

[acourtofthought]

Problematic Arguments Part III

As Lucien took off his jacket, kneeling before Elain. She cringed away from the coat, from him—

It's one of the big sticking points to support why Elucien can't end up together. Because Elain "cringed" away. Even though Feyre has no idea exactly what Elain was cringing away from whether it was the jacket, Lucien himself, or simply any motion next to her. Because we are not given any idea where Elain was looking at that moment, whether she knew who was next to her.

And Elain, as if she’d been thrown by a wave, washed onto the stones facedown.

Elain sucked in a breath, her fine-boned back rising, her wet nightgown nearly sheer. And as she rose from the ground onto her elbows, the gag in place, as she twisted to look at me—

Elain was still shivering on the wet stones, her nightgown shoved up to her thighs, her small breasts fully visible beneath the soaked fabric. Guards snickered.

Lucien snarled at the king over the bite of the magic at his throat, “Don’t just leave her on the damned floor—” There was a flare of light, and a scrape, and then Lucien was stalking toward Elain, freed of his restraints. Tamlin remained leashed on the ground, a gag of white, iridescent magic in his mouth now. But his eyes were on Lucien as— As Lucien took off his jacket, kneeling before Elain. She cringed away from the coat, from him—

But even if she cringed away from Lucien in that scene or even "shrank further into herself" later on in the series (to which there is a valid argument to be made that Lucien sees too much of what Elain is trying to hide from herself and everyone else in terms of whether she's really happy in Velaris), you know why even that wouldn't matter?

Let's take it way back to Feysands first meeting :

something about the way he stood with absolute stillness, the night seeming to press in closer around him, made me hesitate to speak—made me want to run in the other direction.

I took a step back.

“Two ladies,” I lied again.

Had I just traded three monsters for something far worse?

I was terrified of him, but I wasn’t about to let him know.

I hurried back to the hollow, too aware of the fact that I was putting my back to him. I was grateful to lose myself in the crowd milling along the path to the cave, still waiting for some moment to occur. When I stopped shaking,

Not to mention elsewhere in the series.....

“Rhys used to smuggle in books and booze for me.” I cringed at the sound of his name. (this was AFTER Feyre realized they were mates).

Feyre was very uneasy around Rhys is there first meeting. Through that unease, she was still somewhat curious and called out to him but that doesn't change that she at first wanted to run in the other direction from him, that she lied to him because she was worried about what he might do to her.

Elain might have initially cringed away from Lucien which makes sense considering she had never met him and when every other person from that day had tried to cause her harm, it's an understandable reflex. But just as Feyre then called back out to Rhys, Elain allowed Lucien to hold her in his arms after that and only left him because Nesta forcibly removed her.

All these arguments about Elucien's / Gwynriels being problematic for their ship or why we're "Deluciens" who lack reading comprehension when the reality is it's almost too easy for us to prove why the arguments hold no weight so I'm not sure why anyone is still in using them.

Our parallels between other endgame couples are real parallels and not just ones where we search for key words without matching context.

While no one knows what SJM will do, I think it's pretty obvious that nothing about Gwynriel or Elucien's current setups are reasons why they can't be together

Male interested in another female at the start of the book? No problem, we saw it with Chaol.

Female interested in another male at the start of her book? Been there with Feyre.

Male doesn't consider female a friend and is her trainer? Rowan!

Male not able to fully see the female for who she is because he's distraught over the death of a lost love? Also Rowan.

Female choosing to hook up with males even though she knew from the start that Cassian meant something to her? Hey Nesta!

Female cringes / runs away from / is scared of the male? Looking at you Feyre.

Female can't stand to be the same room as him and refuses to talk to him? Nesta again.

While none of those are proof that Elucien / Gwynriel will end up together, they are proof that those pairings are still very much in the game.

[voxofthevoid]

Forever off anonymous am I. Anyway, I noticed some of the folders have pictures in them, so I'm picking from those. Number 52 I am my mother's child (I'll love you till my breathing stops), or if someone has already asked for that, Number 26 and with every step forward put a little more sword in your heart. Please and thank you <3

The illuminated void welcomes thee ✨

The pictures are generally reference images; whenever I go, "surely I will remember this pose/art/post," I end up regretting it because my memory is kinda fickle.

And you get both! Especially because 52 is gonna be...something of an acquired taste.

26

Title: and every step forward put a little more sword in your heart (from “The Grey” by Bad Omens)

Ship: Nanami/Yuuji, Gojou/Yuuji (both endgame)

CWs: None, for once. Yuuji's over 18 in this.

Premise: Canon divergence where Shibuya doesn't happen because Gojou burned Getou's body (which is my go-to rationale for no-Shibuya AUs) and is considerably more fucked up because of it. The Tokyo trio live to graduate, they celebrate it, and Nanami spends the aftermath playing human handkerchief to an extremely drunk Yuuji, who's sobbing into his neck about his teacher being too pretty. Nanami takes him to his own place to sleep it off, they fuck it off instead, and Nanami's attempt to be all "this can never happen again" about it devolves into an FWB arrangement with absolute shit communication. Yuuji's still in love with Gojou; Gojou is oblivious until he really, really isn't. This is a three-part monster of an idea that will cover Nanami PoV, Yuuji PoV, and Gojou PoV, in that order, assuming I ever write it.

Inspiration: You know how Part 1 of the deaging series leans heavily into platonic Nanami&Yuuji. Well, I wound up liking their relationship so much that it stopped being platonic, leading to this idea. It was also the start of my descent into Yuuji multishipping hell. I've since discovered that nothing—absolutely nothing, no relationship dynamic—is safe from me if I'm invested enough; this will be relevant for #52.

52

Title: i am my mother's child (i'll love you till my breathing stops) (from “Writer in the Dark” by Lorde)

Ship: Kenjaku/Yuuji, Gojou/Yuuji (goyuu endgame)

CWs: Incest, underage, human experimentation, body horror, monsterfucking

Premise: Pre-canon where Kenjaku pays their favorite child a few in-person visits, finds that Yuuji's body is rejecting Sukuna's fingers, and lets their scientific curiosity run a little wilder than usual. The end result is a Yuuji who's more curse than human, nigh indestructible, has a few extra prehensile limbs, and is also furious at his "mother." Since Kenjaku's got important plans of chaos to execute and can't babysit their monsterfied kid, they put Yuuji to sleep, stash him away, and fuck off to arrange the Shibuya Incident (a few years delayed, probably). Gojou finds Yuuji while investigating unusual curse activity. Cue tentacle sex and Gojou acquiring a new "pet."

Inspiration: This was the collision of two separate urges. One, my interest in Kenjaku's connection to Yuuji growing to the point I wanted to write about it, except I can't write genfic to save my life. Two, my desire to write tentacle!goyuu that's not an AU. I've done that for MCU, and it's fun, but it's way more rewarding to find some way to work in freaky sex into canonverse. And Kenjaku is my go-to plot point when I need to put Yuuji through the horrors, but this time, I figured I'd make it a hell of a more hands-on. Two birds with one stone.

Thanks for asking 💝

[kutputli]

"There is no need to catastrophize" yeah sure, maybe anon is ok with Louis popping up just to say "I love you" to Lestat after 3 or 4 seasons of Lestat's antics and give them a happy ending, cause this is exactly what Louis is to them, not a (black) character in his own right. "No need to worry they are endgame!"ok that's not what we are talking about, we are talking about throwing away a beautiful character to reduce him to a stepping stone for the white character.

Yeah, Louis really has been everything. The absolute heart of the story. But it is clear that the showrunners weren't interested in telling the story of a Black man, what they wanted to do was to make a white slaveowner Black so that they could avoid the liberal guilt factor.

I'm not even getting into the idea of the 'love story' because just. no.

[taldigi]

Why does Marinette seem interested or have a crush on Nathan? I just can wrap my head around it because Marinette is friends with Felix and his brother acts so harshly towards him and I wonder how does Marinette have a crush on a guy that is so rude towards her friend. Or maybe I misinterpreted Marinette and Nathan's dynamic or that there is some deeper context I'm missing. Sorry for the long ask.

oh it is absolutely all attraction based. there's nothing romantic about it, let alone healthy. It's basically adrienette at it's base form (wow he's so handsome I can't stop myself from swooning and I can't make myself actually talk and get to know him!) except Nathan IS an ultra-competitive, jealous, "I'm owed her love and attention" asshole who demands kisses and forces roses on her.

I like it BECAUSE it's a bad relationship. BECAUSE it's a good STORY. It's an interesting stepping stone in Marinette's life where she LEARNS that not all people you like will be good for you and just because he has a beautiful face, doesn't mean he has a beautiful heart.

Marithan isn't endgame. It should never be endgame. but boy, it's interesting and boy is the ride FUN as you watch Marinette form a sense of self-worth and the dawning realization that "Oh fuck he's not just a bad boy, he's a BAD boy"

edit: Why does Marinette seem interested or have a crush on Adrien? He was nice to her? Nathaniel was nice to her. Alya was nice to her. Every single akumatized villian has gone through a phase of "was bad, but then apologized." No. Marinette likes him because he's pretty, and he gave her attention. That's why Marinette likes Nathan. because he's gorgeous and talented, and he gave her attention once.

[outrunningthedark]

do you ever think about the possibility of buck going into to kiss tommy but tommy not reciprocating? i’m only saying that since tim & oliver said lou was only going to be there for a few episodes & im not sure if they’ll fit a tommy/buck dating storyline in there that quickly but i mean who knows. anything can happen at this point.

I think people are getting tripped up on the "speed" of the story line, but Tim is working with 10 episodes, not 18, and the cruise disaster eliminated three chances for Tommy to get a *real* introduction/character exploration. As of right now, Tommy IS only in a few episodes (#four, five, probably six since logic would say he was meant to go to the wedding...nothing else to speculate on yet), and, IMO, Tommy isn't currently being written as a serious long-term LI. Maybe Tim will leave it open-ended in the finale in case the audience reaction is positive enough to continue the story in season eight for a bit, but the way I look at it...this "relationship" is being presented as a stepping stone for Buck to date other men in the future, including one that could end up being his endgame. (Does that mean Buddie's going canon? No. But it does mean that Tim is more likely to put Buck with a man if this story line succeeds instead of sticking him in the same old hetero dynamic that goes absolutely nowhere because the writers aren't inspired.)

[mr-leach]

So the thing about Tales of Xillia 2 is that while you are given choices to make and ultimately, a definitive path to choose at the end, the choices are, indeed, limited, and really, your path is fairly set in stone throughout most of the game. This is often--correctly--cited as a flaw in the game design, but I am a firm believer that even if the curtains are just blue, one can still find meaning in meaningless decisions made on the creative side, so hear me out:

[Tales of Xillia 2 spoilers ahead]

The lack of meaningful decisions throughout Ludger's journey and the ultimate dearth of choices to make nearing the end can, in a certain light, be seen as foreshadowing the fact that, ultimately, Chronos rigged the game from the beginning such that the choices the Kresnik clan would have to make would not only be extremely limited, but also, inherently, be awful no matter what.

Ludger's unique family situation also happens to give the player a window into the limited choices one can make long before the endgame rears its ugly purple foetus head; the members of his family that you encounter are, in fact, all in the process of choosing one of the three major pathways Ludger can take. While some prefer to refer to the three major endings as the "neutral" ending, the "bad" ending, and the "good" or "true" ending, myself and a few others I personally know have taken up the habit of calling them the "Victor" ending, the "Julius" ending, and the "Ludger" or "Elle" ending, respectively. The reason for this being, by trying to selfishly choose to save Elle over the world, you, in fact, make the same choice that Victor had made before you, killing your brother and father so that you can use your one wish to rescue the little girl you fell in love with from her fate as the key of Kresnik. Also, by choosing to save Julius, even if it means having to forsake everyone else, is exactly the choice Julius made when he decided to adopt Ludger and hide him from Bisley all those years ago. Or, you can instead choose to sacrifice yourself, save everyone, including Elle...by heeding Bisley's final words before he, too, sacrifices himself to buy you enough time to make the right choice.

Yeeeaaah, I got you! This post is about Bisley Bakur, sorry. I was gonna make a less generalized post about his role as a father so I could properly defend him against the ACTUAL Elympios' Worst Dad winner but then I started thinking about his MASSIVE role in the story and how salty I am that most people's impression of him is "mean nasty CEO guy who also happens to be your dad" when by all accounts he is extremely badass and integral to Ludger's successes throughout the trial. And yeah, I DO think that by choosing the Good/Elle ending, Ludger is, in fact, following in Bisley's footsteps. Allow me to explain:

The thing about Ludger is that all of this stuff is absolutely brand spanking new to him. One day he was a normal dude with a new job at the train station deli and the next he is the key to saving all of humanity from collapsing under it's own hubris. That's kind of a lot! And just in case he doesn't really feel like being a hero, the world's most powerful rich guy shows up to threaten to destroy his life if he doesn't step up and do what needs doing. The problem is, what needs doing is extremely morally wretched and could easily be described as mass genocide, and is thus incredibly emotionally taxing on top of taking a serious physical toll. Ludger has no context for anything that's going on and has to be coerced to even consider participating in it, and on top of that, everything is happening to him extremely fast. Meanwhile, Julius and Bisley know exactly what is going on, as both of them got to go through the exact same awakening journey a lot earlier and at a much more reasonable pace, and of the two, the only one who might be willing to explain this shit to Ludger is currently public enemy #1 and doesn't exactly have a lot of time to chat.

The thing is, while Bisley's need-to-know basis for informing Ludger of what's going on is actually just the norm for everyone in Spirius. Bisley never had access to all of the knowledge about the trial when he was an agent, and only became privy to everything there was to know when he became CEO of Spirius following his father's death. Julius only found out as much as he knows because he's a supergenious hacker and dug up the knowledge on his own. And the thing is that both of them, knowing everything, can agree that the less a person knows about it all the better, because actually, it's all horrible, all the way down, and requires superhuman mental fortitude to to remain sane about it enough to continue doing what needs doing so humanity won't all be turned into mindless living batteries for spirits to power their discmans with. It's miserable.

By a series of. Circumstances. Bisley himself was placed in the extremely bad position of having the key of Kresnik and reaching his final chromatus without having any of the waymarkers to Canaan, which technically wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that Chronos doesn't like to play fair and showed up to wreck his shit. Bisley very nearly lost EVERYTHING. He lost his wife, the key of Kresnik, and one of the few chances he might have had to complete his life's mission. He learned that day that if he used his power much more, he would become a divergence catalyst. He had survived, only to be given the impossible task of shepherding a new generation of chromatus bearers--including his, at the time, 5 year old son--to their dooms, or else risk all of mankind being enslaved and robbed of their free will. Worse, he couldn't even pretend that this world might just be a fractured dimension: Chronos' meddling confirmed that this was, in fact, the prime dimension.

Like Victor, Bisley could have used his power to save what was left of his family and insulate himself from the horrors of the trial. Like Julius, he could have absconded his duty and run away, perhaps to Reize Maxia which was still sequestered from Elympios at the time, and hid from the rest of the clan. But Bisley, instead, chose to continue. There was the underlying motivation of getting revenge on the spirits, sure, but his core belief was that he had to be the one to do it, to save whatever poor soul might have to come after him. He was already strong enough, he already had the knowledge, he even increased the chances of it working by creating the Kudlak to locate and keep track of the fractured dimensions. He would have to do terrible things to succeed, set aside his own humanity, and become the worst kind of person. He would destroy himself for the sake of not forcing those who came after him to do so.

Now, again, the major difference between Ludger and Bisley is that Bisley knew all along what he was doing. Ludger did a lot of horrible things that, if he had known, there's a chance he would have avoided at all costs. His ignorance was what allowed his conscience to remain clear for the most part, at least until the reality of those revelations eventually came to light. Bisley had to made a more conscious decision to take up the terrible tasks ahead of him, including the decision to keep Ludger in the dark for as long as possible, while he still believed Ludger was the key. Like Abraham, he led his Isaac to the altar, and did not tell him of the sacrifice to be made until the moment of truth. And then God was merciful, and the goat appeared, and Bisley learned that Elle was the true key.

This is really the part that makes me want to defend Bisley as a dad. Like, setting aside the extremely wacko stuff surrounding him becoming a father in the first place (seriously Cornelia WTF) the SECOND Bisley learned that Elle was the true key, he does whatever he can to keep Ludger out of it. Clears his debts. Gives him a wicked promotion. Julius, too, has the charges on him dropped. Suddenly, he has a way to get to Canaan, stop Chronos, and end the trial for good, and also save the lives of his two children. And the thing is he probably doesn't expect to survive. Like for YEARS he knew he would likely become a divergence catalyst as soon as he definitively utilized his chromatus. He could save humanity AND his children, whom he loved unconditionally.

And really, the biggest tell...is how incredibly LIVID he is when Ludger arrives in Canaan. He knows what Ludger would have had to do. And like. He didn't even have to use his full chromatus to defeat Chronos. He was probably walking on fucking air at that point, and then Ludger shows up. And he KNOWS how strong Ludger is. He KNOWS one of them will die if they fight. He was SO close. He straight up tells Ludger that he's thrown his own life away, not just Julius', and he is MAD.

Then of course, when all is said and done, and he knows he will turn into a divergence catalyst...he takes a step back, and remembers that he was already at terms with sacrificing everything. He already decided it's more important to save everyone. He sets aside his selfishness one last time, warns Ludger to stop using his chromatus, and ends his own life to prevent the trial from ending before Ludger has a chance to make his wish.

I could go over Victor, I suppose, but really I think it's a no brainer. His actions did help in the end, but the motivation was entirely selfish. He was in the same place, having lost the key, the trial, his family, and Elle, and although he rightfully felt cheated, he couldn't at least live the rest of his life knowing it wasn't his duty to do anything more. He didn't have to sacrifice anything else, but he put his peaceful life, his friends, his family, and his actual child on the altar on the off chance that he could get a do-over. Like, what a dick. Seriously just live your nice rich guy life next to the gorgeous lake with your kid what is your problem you asshole.

Anyway I never know how to end these things but I hope you had fun, happy new year

[beyonce-giselle]

bucktalia ❤️ they look very cute together! i would love for buck to have his endgame partner now so we can enjoy a few seasons of them together tbh. she has speed-learned all about buck's messy (love) life and past, something that enough people judge buck for or joke about, but she did not. instead, she said that he lived his life well and that his choice to be a donor was admirable. as overwhelmed as the poor woman was on their second date (for good reasons), her choosing buck not despite but because of everything she knows about him? i was so giddy watching that scene. i really hope the ending of season 6 was not just meant as a quick fix in case of no renewal because i really need more time to respectfully stare at annelise cepero and watch natalia become more multifaceted. cannot get over the way she looked at buck with hearteyes when buck said "because i could" while standing in the hospital, being covered in blood and likely other birth-related things! girl, same, i am also in awe of buck's good heart! 😭 i need buck to go full malewife for her and also be in absolute awe of her in season 7!

Hiii anon! YASSSSSS! BUCKTALIA SUPREMACY!!!!! Snaps for taste.

Granted I have not caught up but the gifs have me on the floor enough and I need to see it.( will be contributing with my own gifs lol) It’s six seasons, Buck had plenty of love interests. It’s time to give him an endgame and I need it to be Natalia. I need the opposites attract, the fluffy and the angst but good communication ok.

Buck been through some shit, like the fact he just wants to be seen and Natalia SEES him is so important ( basing this on what you told me and I’m gonna rock with it 🥹) is all he has ever wanted in a relationship imo. His past love interest were stepping stones to Natalia.

Jumping ahead and jumping on board with male wife Buck catering to Natalia in s7. You see the vision, let’s hope they deliver! It’s endgame time.

[sometimesrosy]

idk if it’s spoiler. It shouldn’t be since it’s an interview but anyways. how do you feel abt tas*a’s words regarding bec*o. abt their “ first” fight and then “balancing each other”? I don’t know what to think since she seems to be not that trustworthy during interviews. But fight and balancing eo doesn’t make me think of a break up.So what do you think? i don’t want u to think im an hateful anon, it was just a thought. Feel free to not answer.

I want to answer and this is not hateful. I’m going to have to make judgment calls on what I think is a spoiler and what isn’t. And since his was an interview and NOT in Sanctum, I’m going to count it as safe.

So what do I think of Tasya’s interview?

First of all, I do not think of Tasya’s interviews as unreliable. They have helped me come to understand Echo’s character much better. Because as far as I can tell, Tasya basically only tells us ECHO’S point of view. Tasya is NOT analyzing the story for narrative or themes or endgame. She is ONLY talking about Echo. That’s how she goes into the script and the show, that’s what she’s asking the directors and JR about. ECHO. Echo’s character, echo’s motivation, echo’s story. 

When people ask Tasya something, they might be asking to figure out the whole story, or their ship or whatever. But when she answers, she can only answer with what ECHO knows or would think about the question.

So when we ask about Bellamy, she’s not telling us what happens in the end, or what Bellamy thinks or how it affects Bellarke. She is ONLY speaking of Echo and what she feels.

This is an example of what I mean when I tell everyone to question the information they receive, on anything. Question the agenda of the speaker. Question their perspective. Where are they coming from? What do they know? What do they want?

TBH, Tasya has been very professional. She’s speaking to you as an actress who plays this character, who she’s been thinking about for years. If you want her to give you proof of Bellarke, either to confirm or destroy it, it’s you who is stepping out of line and asking her not only to reveal spoilers, but also to speak as an authority on a thing that is not her arena. She plays Echo. The story now has Echo with Bellamy. THAT’S what she can speak of. She’s not the showrunner who can tell us Echo’s fate. She’s not Pedowitz who can allow spoilers. She’s the actress who can tell you what Echo wants, feels or knows. And that’s ALL she’s telling us. 

When she says Echo thinks Bellarke are like siblings, that’s telling us what ECHO feels, not what Bellamy or Clarke feel or what JR intends. And looking at the story that way, it is FAR more revealing to the state of B/E and the intentions of JR, and the way the narrative is proceeding than any other bit of evidence I’ve seen. Or, it makes sense of all that narrative evidence and gives motivation for her actions. It’s like the missing piece in what B/E actually is.

So if you look at Tasya’s comments from the close perspective of Echo, they ALL make sense. That’s why when I make my speculation about c/b/e, I feel like I know where Echo is going to go. Because I’m considering Echo’s canon and stated character, and evaluating how someone like that would act in various situations.

So what about her current comments. I like them. I like them for my c/b/e concerns. 

They have an argument. Yes. That’s what I want. I want the feelings to get out. I want conflict. Different goals and focuses? Different moralities? Different ideas about how to move forward? How he feels about other characters? Yes.

We need to see conflict because Bellamy and Echo have some fundamental differences in character that were not apparent on the ring because there was no real conflict. They have not been tested as a couple. And now comes the test. I know what I think will happen, but Bellamy and Echo don’t. Depending upon what happens with Clarke, that will affect things. I think more importantly for b/e, how they deal with their concept of Being The Good Guy vs Doing What’s Best For Your People, is going to be the deciding factor. Because Bellamy is the good guy, and Echo is the assassin who will do bad things to protect her people. Bellamy has learned that is not who he wants to be. Echo has not. 

As for the balance? This is their relationship. They are partners and family and they have developed an equilibrium over six years. Does that equilibrium last when they have new challenges? When the stable family of 7 people is added to or subtracted from? IDK. Maybe it only works in one way, not another. 

I think fandom wants to think that if there is anything positive in B/E, then it means Bellarke is doomed. But that’s not how it works. B/E is a positive, healthy relationship that is there to show us that Bellamy has grown and healed and learned how to accept love, something he was unable to do when he was with Clarke before praimfaya. Not with Clarke, not with Octavia, not with Kane. And he struggled with the delinquents, too. He was growing, and learning to accept himself. He got a whole lesson from Jasper about it. B/E shows us that he achieved this healing. If Clarke had made it to the ring, for sure he would have shown his growth through a relationship with HER, but then we would have missed out entirely on the development of the central relationship of The 100 becoming romantic and that WOULD HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE.

If B/E was a horrible relationship, that would have meant that Bellamy wasn’t ready to be with Clarke yet. If Echo knew about how he felt about Bellamy, and had to deal with his love for a dead girl for 6 years, she would have a different reaction to Clarke’s reappearance and to Bellamy and their relationship. That she didn’t means B/E was a recent relationship and not settled. B/E OPENS THE DOOR to the Bellarke relationship.

I know when you ship a thing on a show, and when you fall in love in real life, you want to believe that THIS IS ENDGAME and will last forever, but the truth is that most relationships, even loving ones, end. The better they are, the more potential they have as a match, the more you learn from them. If Echo and Bellamy balance each other, that’s good. They have a healthy, working relationship.

But it doesn’t compare to what Clarke and Bellamy mean to each other. They don’t just balance each other. They center each other. They are the head to the other’s heart. They question each other. They believe in each other. They trust each other. They save each other and redeem each other. They are honest with each other. They are devoted to each other. They are soulmates.

B/E works. Bellarke is, however, destined to be together, and together they are stronger, better and bigger than they are alone. 

I also don’t think Echo’s story this season will be about b/e at all. I think her narrative arc and character arc is about herself, her past, being the good guy, making choices for herself as an individual NOT as part of a tribe or even a family. Echo is a child slave who became a servant to the throne who became an exile, who became dependent upon an isolated family. Her self worth has ALWAYS been about serving other people, about being there for THEM. I think season 6 will be about Echo learning for the first time that she is more than just someone there to protect and serve, but a person on her own.

And if you look at the things Tasya says in interviews, that’s what she’s talking about, even when people ask shipping questions to figure out either B/E or Bellarke. Echo’s thoughts about b/e or bellarke are just thoughts. They aren’t telling you story, just where Echo’s head is at.