#key buddy

[the-starlight-mistress]

Thinking about the “buddy is a key” theory from Cinderella boy.

Usually the old but not aging character x the super young barely legal character really bothers me. It seems like barely concealed fetish and usually normalizes bad dynamics and toxic situations.

However it hasn’t bugged me so far with stargoth and I’ve been trying to figure out why.

Here’s what I think it comes down to.

For me the big issue with a much older character and a much younger character is the older character has the ability to use their experience in the world to manipulate the younger one. Even accidentally. The older one may know more sexually, socially, or emotionally and can use that against the younger person whether they mean to or not.

For example: this is the reason that vampire romances can be really hit or miss. It’s often the vampire using their knowledge and skills in the human world to control the human because the human is too young and impulsive to know better. Even if the vampire looks like they’re 20 they will still act and think like someone who has had 5 times the experience of a 20 year old.

But if buddy is a key, then he doesn’t have this sort of upper hand since he doesn’t have experience as a human. Not only is his only time being human relegated to story books (notoriously non realistic) but most likely he’s been in key form for most of his existence (given the fact that silver mentions often not knowing how much time has passed since she was allowed to be in not key form) which significantly lessens his years of consciousness (I think. please correct me if I’m wrong).

So even if he is technically some random number in the 100s years of age, he’s still got the mind and behavior of a young man, as we have seen throughout the comic.

Idk if I’m explaining it well but to me it’s a bit similar to those anime girls who look, talk, and act like children but are 120 or whatever. people try to justify sexualizing them because “well they’re 120 so they’re legal” but outsiders know that that’s a child even if the age supposedly makes them technically older. Same with buddy. He may be whatever age but he just doesn’t have the life experience to justify saying that he’s emotionally that much older than chase.

Anyway idk if any of this makes sense. It’s mostly just me rambling my thoughts. And I thought maybe it could help some of the people who would walk away from the fandom if it’s confirmed that buddy is indeed a key.

[sloasis]

We got Ravi back , we ALREADY got Eddie back and staying in LA and we got Buck looking gorgeously upset , WE ARE WINNING

[bronze-and-silver-keys]

Some danganrumple doodles from tonight. The eepy duo

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Obessed with this quote from Oliver - he was planning on leaning into queer buck regardless - scream

[mooph]

i've started binging 911 for the first time and oh yeah oh boy i see what they mean. i understand the 36k buddie fics on ao3 😭

[nicolosercredit]

It didn't take long for me and the other buddy key theory haters to fall in love. I mean just look at him, he's adorable

[virtu-art]

When I binge a Webtoon and get obsessed with the cliffhanger but have to wait and SUFFER :’)

[grumpchump]

Cinderella Boy PSA: Nox doesn't sparkle

[novel-navigator]

Buddy/Nox and Chase⭐️🖤

[karabell]

how DARE everyone start reading Keys are People Too, and make fanart so pretty that I had to read 350,000 words in like…four days

“How does Ravenell like to end your talks?”

…anyways I made some fanart and I’m obsessed so thanks :3

(Apologies for the very likely inaccuracies, esp with the outfits, I was just kinda doodling for fun lol)

[inc0mple]

BEHOLD

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58796194/chapters/164523109

IT IS DONE!

I've been working on Keys Are People Too PAINSTAKINGLY for the last several months and now IT IS DONE. It is done and posted go read it oh my god ahhhhh

CHECKMARK AHHHH

[the-starlight-mistress]

I’m honestly so obsessed with this

The way Nox is all snuggled into the hoodie, his little expression, the way Violet is standing over him. We can’t see her expression but I absolutely get exasperated vibes from her.

[basement-buddy]

[sirplibato]

little cb doodle dump :)

Enjoy haha

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Something something about Shannon in Eddie begins pushing Eddie to choose between her and his family - between her and Christopher - and Buck not pushing Eddie to make that choice between him or Christopher.

The way they juxtaposed Shannon choosing to step out and leave when he doesn’t immediately choose her - when he chooses Christopher and his family - making that choice because he knows deep down he is not in a good place and that his family can provide the stability Chris needs in that moment, in order for him to heal himself.

With Buck - who is acting out in a way that is making it seem he is trying to push Eddie into making a choice between him and Christopher but who ultimately makes a choice that allows Eddie to choose Christopher - because he knows that’s what Eddie needs to do and will support him in that choice even if it means causing himself pain.

The way the show has essentially paralleled the idea of family providing the space needed to heal - having Christopher deciding to return to Texas and the stability of his wider family whilst Eddie needed the space to heal himself. Christopher was deeply affected by Shannon abandoning him in Texas - the show doesn’t explicitly say it or show it, but it’s clear it’s a trauma that has impacted him and continues to do so. So his choice to return to Texas - to the grandparents who supported him through that trauma - at a moment when he is confronted with the ‘ghost’ of his dead mother - having been given and read her letter to him in the recent past - makes complete sense. He’s subconsciously repeating his past experiences with Eddie’s trauma and Shannon being gone - being raised by his grandparents while his dad is a semi presence in his life - until Eddie makes a choice and actually talks to Chris about it.

I’m not getting into the nitty gritty of Shannon because this isn’t about the rights or wrongs of what she did when it comes to Christopher - it’s incredibly nuanced and she’s a complex character we don’t have enough background on to pass full judgement on, but isn’t what I’m looking at here.

What we’re seeing, is a clear paralleling of the situations Shannon and Buck find themselves in - in a not great place themselves and looking to Eddie for help and support, but we get a loud juxtaposition between the choices they make when Eddie is not able to provide that support and reassurance - when Eddie makes a choice that he feels he needs to make.

Eddie is struggling with trauma and his mental health is compromised (ptsd in both cases in my opinion).

The military ptsd is obvious in Eddie begins, which Shannon compounds with her desire to leave almost as soon as Eddie is back, making things worse and Eddie digs in.

While in season 7 Kim triggers his ptsd and her decision to role play Shannon only compounds the situation.

Both result in Ramon and Helena taking care of Chris and we have it implied that Eddie has found his way through his military ptsd in Eddie begins , seemingly on his own and while he worked - with little support for himself from his parents even as they supported Chris, and we are shown Eddie working through his trauma in the first half of season 8. Again seemingly on his own (not saying buck hasn’t been there for him - but we’re not shown Eddie actually opening up to him in any way - father Brian is the only real opening up of Eddie we’re shown) and while he continues working - with little support from his parents for himself - they are once again focused on Christopher.

But where Shannon pushes and then chooses to abandon him and Chris when he doesn’t immediately agree with her and go along with her desires, Buck takes the opposite tack - he pushes (semi subconsciously) in a similar but less explicit way to Shannon - but where she had already made her choice - and streps out and away. Buck realises pushing is the wrong tactic and alters course - understanding what Eddie needs is actually a helping hand and so Buck steps even further in with him and gives him that hand in the form of taking over the lease.

The beauty of this parallel and then juxtaposition between Shannon and Buck - and Eddie’s arc is that we then get to move back into another parallel and juxtaposition between them. We’re likely going to get the parallel of Eddie and Chris sat on the porch deciding to go to LA together (once they’ve reconciled and rebuilt their relationship) in the aftermath of Eddie standing up to his parents. But we get the juxtaposition of Eddie (semi) subconsciously choosing LA because Shannon is there with him actively choosing LA because Buck is there - both instances led/lead to the reconnecting of family, to a do over or a fresh start. But where reconnecting with Shannon ended in tragedy because it was built on the idea of the same relationship they had before and not something new or different, reconnecting with Buck will end happily because it will be a different relationship to the one they had before, it’s a new beginning - and that is why it will be successful.

[the-lantern-lights]

Happy Magnus protocol Gerry! Someone compared him to a calico cat and now it’s all I see :3