#please come back in season 8b

[echowithpain]

Alrighty!!! Here we go! ✨✨✨

First, -1/2 point for the old dude who beat up the "cart cop"

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the fact that he beat him up. I think it was a decent twist cause I was originally expecting the security guard or someone else who got him from behind. My problem was "Why the heck did he turn out to be an escaped convict in hiding or whatever?"

Literally why??? He could've just been an old dude who was pissed at the kid for causing trouble and "stealing his job". I was so on board with everything until they revealed that the old guy wasn't actually the old guy. And Athena said she figured it out because he was "too camera shy"??? Lots of people are camera shy?? Yes he was hiding his face but I figured that was just because he was used to the kid being there so he was more annoyed than angry, or he just really didn't like being recorded. I know people like that and they aren't criminals (at least I hope not lmao 😂)

I get that 911 wants to do the "bet you didn't see this coming!" thing all the time, but why do the stakes have to be so high? I get it's a drama but I literally said in my last Echos Essays that I wanted Athena to get a bad feeling about someone but they DON'T turn out to be a serial killer or anything like that, they're just a regular person who maybe needs to talk a couple things out in therapy

They didn't need to go to the extreme or come up with a reason for why the old guy was capable of such violence, just having the small twist that it was him who beat up the kid instead of the security guy was enough.

So yeah... -1/2 point cause it took me out of the episode (even though it was at the end)

...

Umm... Is there anything else that I have problems with?? 🤔🤔🤔 I can't think of anything off the top of my head so I'll just list the things I loved until I remember something ✨

THINGS I LOVED: 💖Brad💖

Brad was freaking incredible this episode 😂💖😂 From watching his own show with the entire fire station (and repeating his lines), to being overdramatic and thinking everyone hated it and blaming the things they criticized on the network 😂, to being at the accident with them and seeing someone was passed out in a car and trying to help (yes he didn't know about the c-brace and gurney, but he was learning and genuinely wanted to help someone 💖), to the way I couldn't tell if he was angry or turned on when Bobby yelled at him 😭😭😭, to his serious heartfelt talk with Eddie about their kids 🥺-

F U U U U U C K !!!!!!!!!!!

I just remembered that Maddie's PREGNANT!!!!! AND SHE GETS KIDNAPPED NEXT EPISODE IN MARCH!!!!!!

Holy shit holy shit holy shit!!!!! HOLY FUCK IT DIDNT EVEN OCCUR TO ME THAT THAT WOULD BE HAPPENING WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT!!! I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT HER GETTING KIDNAPPED AGAIN AMD HOW LAST TIME SHE WAS IT WAS HER ABUSIVE EX HUSBAND WHO SHE ENDED UP HAVING TO KILL!!!! THE FACT THAT SHE IS PREGNANT DIDNT EVEN CROSS MY MIND HOLY FUCK!!!! WHAT THE SHIT!!!!! OH GOD WHAT IF THIS HURTS THE BABY 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Shit fuck wait but that's the promo not this episode I gotta focus, holy shit, fuck.... FUCK!!!! Okay ummm... Shit my fucking train of thought... fuck... Brad was great and dramatic and I still love him. Also loved the fact that he helped(?) the guy who was trying to kill himself to not want to kill himself anymore while also contemplating jumping himself and having to be talked down by the guy who was going to jump in the first place??? This dude is so dramatic and emotional ❤️‍🩹 Brad's back on his show but I hope we still get to see more of him 💖

Plus the fire fam guest starring in the episode he wakes up from the coma but being horrible actors? 😂😂😂 Do you think Christopher is gonna see the episode his dad is in? 🥺❤️‍🩹 (Also real quick, idk how much skill it takes for an actor to act as a character who's bad at acting but props to them because I just know it's always hilarious 😂 First thing that comes to mind is that one Supernatural episode where Sam and Dean were transported to "the real world" and replaced their actors 😂)

Hen and Bobby not being in the scene, probably by choice, was a mood and a half 😂 ALSO HEN USING THAT MED SCHOOL DOCTOR KNOWLEDGE LETS GOOO??? They remembered she went through that arc???? You could write it off as paramedic stuff, but paramedics know the stuff that'll get you to the doctors alive, and the doctors deal with the rest of the stuff (usually, this show is pretty lenient on what the paramedics are supposed to do. ie, when Eddie had to extract a bomb from a dude's thigh, Hen sticking her hand in a patient to keep them stable, Eddie doing the whatever he did to the kid who was ass backwards so he wouldn't die, etc.) I'm chosing to believe they remembered she studied to be a doctor 🥰

EDDIE!!!! EDDIE CALLED CHRISTOPHER AND HAD AN ACTUAL CONVERSATION WITH HIM 🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩 AND IT HURT MY FEELINGS 😭💔😭💔😭💔😭😭💔😭💔

"I can get an autograph and you can put it up in your room!" "So you'll send it to me? 😃"

Like, damn dude I really wasn't expecting that 😭😭😭 Why did the show have to hurt me like that? What did I ever do to you except love you and criticize you when needed? 😭😭😭 That doesn't give you an excuse hurt me like that 😭💔😭💔😭 Ow geez. Not funny. Cried. Bitch.

Okay um, sewer water rescue was nice. I love how I made a joke about kissing under the sewer water rainbow, and then a couple kissed under the sewer water rainbow 😂😂😂😂😂 I swear you can't write this shit

...Do I really not have any complaints besides the old dude being a secret criminal?

Oh, no, wait

-1/2 point for the brief mention of Temu. Still gotta be petty 🤭💅✨

Buuuut it did give us the scene of Eddie enjoying Bucks baking and Buck (and the audience) finding out that he's looking to move back to El Paso 🥺🥺🥺

Nah, I'm still gonna be petty 😘

But also EDDIEEEE 😭😭😭😭😭 anD THE COUCH MENTIONED AGAIN?!?!?!? They were so domestic holy shit I've missed them hanging out 😭💖

...I'm trying to remember anything else but that's genuinely all I've got. To be fair, I had a bunch of fun this episode and was laughing a LOT 😂😂😂

So yeah! I think that's it 😁

FINAL SCORE: 🌈9/10🌈

-1/2 point for the old dude being a secret criminal, and -1/2 point for the brief Temu mention ✨

I legit had so much fun this episode, I was laughing so much I was interrupting the people I was watching the episode with 😂😂😂😂😂 When Brad said he finally felt like a real hero and then immediately banged his head on the firetruck mirror, I cackled so loud and my grandmother was confused/upset with me because it was so fast that she missed it and wanted to know why I suddenly burst out laughing 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ah man, I love this show 🥰

...damn, it's not gonna be back until M A R C H 😭

Welp, see you then babes! I'll be lurking in the walls until it comes back 🙃

TCHAU!!!! 😘✌️✨

[screamlet]

fic recs: so you survived season 8(b) of 9-1-1

credits rolled on 8×18 and i decided to make myself feel better with some fic recs. these have tons of recency bias since i wanted to focus on stories set primarily during 8b - there have been a lot of good ones on this fucking section of the rollercoaster!!

if you're looking for more recs, check out my 911 fic rec or 911 fic tag (which includes my own stuff). there's also my ao3 bookmarks. fandoms include: 911, hockey rpf, bts, annnnnnnd whatever else i've got in there. (so much check please. what a time that was.) anyway.

--- all bucktommy unless noted otherwise, all complete (no wip's) most of them are locked to ao3 users

You as you were @geddyqueer 10k, rated M, complete notes: yes i know this was posted today but it needs to Be Here

"Evan," Tommy says, and the brittle look on his face makes Buck stop laughing right then and there. "What's going on?" "Oh, you know," Buck says. "I'm being evicted."

---

the only way out is through @ambernotember 10k, rated T, complete notes: yes i know this was posted yesterday but it needs to Be Here

Bobby’s old apartment building. He knew how it would look to the others so he just… hadn’t mentioned it. He met them at their houses or took Jee to neutral places, like the park or the aquarium. No one questioned it. He doubted they’d even noticed.

---

called out from the mouth of oblivion @r-o-s-e-f-i-r-e bucktommy/bathena, 4k, rated E, complete notes: 8×15 au (bobby lives)

It was good, overall, that no one had ever managed to break Buck of his impulsive, hothead ways completely. Bucking the lead, Bobby thinks fondly. It’s the thing that’ll save all of their lives again before the end finally comes, he's sure of it, and one day it'll make Buck the best kind of captain, the kind his team will follow to hell and back.

---

half a page of scribbled lines @liminalmemories21, @cecilyv 25k, rated N/A, complete notes: kid fic aka THE ONE WITH ROBBY!!!!

They get married before they move in together. Tommy's pretty sure that if someone had told him a year ago that he'd be married and finding a place in his garage for the bike he's never seen Evan actually use, and watching Evan survey his — their — kitchen like he’s determining the best position to station his troops, he'd have given them a free ride to the hospital.

flag-bearers @liminalmemories21, @cecilyv tumblr fic, 8×15 coda

The bubble of hope pops abruptly when Evan says, "What are you doing here?" "Your sister called,” a voice he doesn't recognize says. And well, fuck. There's just no way this ends well.

---

wind finding @rcmclachlan 3k, rated T, complete notes: sunset helicopter drama, were we ever so young??

Tommy's in the cockpit of his favorite AW139 with a gun pressed to the base of his skull.

---

if there's solid ground below @stars-inthe-sky 1k, rated G, complete

This summer was shaping up differently.

---

inhale 'til your lungs get sore @apollabarnes 5k, rated T, complete

Bobby Nash dies. Bobby Nash... sticks around.

---

I Never Really Had a Friend @firewasabeast 5k, rated M, complete

Buck is standing in the middle of Eddie’s living room. No. His living room. At least for one more week. It’s almost empty... But it’s in this space, this room filled with memories and ghosts, that Buck decides he’s never really had a friend.

---

what I covet, I keep @firehose118 9k, rated E, complete

Eddie is back for the weekend and Tommy stakes a claim.

---

you take the love, i'll take the fall @postmodernau 4k, rated E, complete

Buck gets more than he bargains for from a Grindr hookup.

---

8×15 codas from @leashybebes

part one

It doesn't matter what they are. What they were in the past. What they might be in the future. Evan is breaking apart on the screen in front of him, and Tommy feels like there's a hook in his gut, hollowing him out even as it pulls him closer.

part two

Evan pushes away from him, sits up, scrubs his hands over his face. His shoulders straighten, his back stiffens, his jaw tightens. He clears his throat and a different person looks at him out of Evan's eyes, made dull by the low light and the things that have happened. They've never knowingly worked a sanctioned scene together before, but he thinks this is what Evan must look like when he takes charge in the field.

---

these episode codas from @alchemistc

favors

Tommy's the kind of asshole who checks his phone at the table in the middle of a first date, now.

ivory limbed and brown-eyed

Buck wakes with the sun streaking across his face and a finger tracing the lines around his eyes, feather light touch and a shadow across his brow like Tommy's tilted his head just to make sure he doesn't take a direct hit from the early morning rays.

---

and there's more every day because yay fandom! we made it!

[moonlightmornings]

hannah's buddie fic recs || pt. 1 💫

kinda wanted to get this done before season 8b hit, which will undoubtedly set up a part 2...

if you're the author of one of these, please reply and i'll tag your tumblr! and ALWAYS check the tags and warnings before reading!! stay safe :)

and you are the big answer tonight by folkfae | 13.5k words | explicit The LAFD changes its drug policy, Eddie's never smoked weed, and buck teaches him a thing or two... aka the weed fic.

cowboy take me away by pixelsmom1990 | 6.2k words | teen+ Buck is occasionally reminded of Eddie’s roots in Texas and behaves appropriately.

merry and bright by heartsdalliances | 20k words | teen+ During the annual toy drive, Buck and Eddie get themselves into a little bit of trouble when Buck's mother turns out to be flirting with Eddie - right in front of his father. What comes next is dinner, bad parents, romance, and the true meaning of family.

counteroffer by buckleyseddie - @buckleyseddie | 25k words | teen+ In order for Buck to make it up to Eddie, Eddie suggests that Buck gives him one hundred kisses.

the last shred of truth in the lost myth of true love by lemonzestywrites - @lemonzestywrites | 25.6k | explicit After the events of 6x13, Buck is worried he's lost his charm in bed. Eddie eagerly offers his services to prove otherwise.

every piece of me holds part of you by allthatsleft | 8.7k words | explicit “There’s cookie dough on your face.” Buck whispers, and— “Huh?” — “Cookie dough. On your face. Cheekbone.” Buck repeats, not pulling back. Eddie rolls his eyes. “Are you serious?”... Eddie's tired of waiting.

stick with me by buddieaya | 10.9k words | explicit A dare, fake dating, a freak out and lots and lots of stickers.

you can feel it on the way home (you are in love) by made_ofmemories - @made-ofmemories | 23.4k words | teen+ Buck's apartment is destroyed when an earthquake shakes LA, luckily there's always a space for him in the Diaz household.

no sight for heart eyes by znks - @znks | 20.5k words | explicit Losing your sight for a week sucks but at least Eddie has Buck to guide him through his healing or at least through his own house.

for a holiday (and forevermore) by wikiangela - @wikiangela / @wikiangela-fanfics | 94.9k words | mature Eddie's sick of personal, intrusive questions about his love life whenever he visits his family, so he starts bringing Buck for the holidays as his (fake) boyfriend. He only wants to shut them up, and doesn't expect that the small crush he has on his best friend could actually turn into something more...

short, shallow gasps by flxisms - @gayboyeddie | 6.7k words | explicit Eddie would like to state, for the record, that he has never cried during sex before. It’s just — Buck does something to him.

go play your video games by fandomlife54 | 5.9k words | general 3 times Buck noticed video games help Eddie fall asleep at night + 1 time he uses them to make his day better.

all i want for christmas is you by jiminthestreets_boneinthesheets | 7.9k words | general Eddie’s mom and ex-wife are up to no good at his Abuela’s Christmas Eve party, good thing Buck proposed he go to the party as Eddie fake date to keep them at bay.

have my hoodie (have all of me) by becausebuckley - @becausebuckley | 3k words | teen+ Buck visits the Diaz house one morning, he's confronted by the sight of his best friend wearing his clothes.

drop to hold you by ellewriteswrongs - @ellewriteswrongs | 3.8k words | teen+ For once, there was no use pretending he could handle everything on his own. Luckily for Eddie, his boys are always ready to drop everything to help.

soft arms, steady heart by babytown | 8.4k words | explicit Movie night takes a turn, Eddie gets needy, and Buck is more than happy to take care of him.

PART TWO -> hannah's buddie fic recs

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 11!

wow, season 8b is inspiring some INCREDIBLE fics!! i hope you enjoy these as much as i did <3

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

a left at the graveyard (i'm driving past ghosts) | bucksprideflag | 36k | GA

Margaret Buckley dies, and Buck tries to navigate grief, develops a complex relationship with apple pie, while Eddie, as always, is there. this was recced to me by one of you, and what a beautiful rec it is!! so wonderfully written, so seeped through with emotion. just lovely!

always on the tip of my tongue | bookinit/@bookinit02 | 7.2k | T

eddie’s moving. buck’s dealing with it. such a beautiful fic!! i loved the dinosaur bit and also buck and bobby <3

call me (when you need) | littleghost/@ghostlandtoo | 3.3k | E

Buck just has to wait for Eddie to come back home—he can wait. He can be good. i do think that buddie sex games while eddie is in el paso is one of my absolute favourite things to come out of the current eddie plot... this is so hot and so good and so them <3

imagine in the silence | greenbergsays/@greenbergsays | 15.5k | T

In Eddie's absence, Buck starts daydreaming that he's still in LA. This goes about as well as you'd expect. the organs bit in this one genuinely left me speechless... i love how this one captures eddie's voice especially <3

nap trapped | paleredheadinascifi | 3.5k | T

Buck wears his pink cardigan and Eddie nap traps him about it. this fic feels like a warm hug in an expensive cardigan <3 so lovely!!

negative space | effervescentwolf/@effervescentwolf | 2.6k | T

when Eddie's sheets stop smelling like him, Buck makes do. i LOVE the idea of them using each other's furniture and stuff and everything so much. and the clothes!! i absolutely devoured this fic, it's so so good <3

number one fan | laplumasucia/@laplumasucia | 19.7k | E

Buck tells Eddie he has an OF. i think the only way to describe this fic is the fire emoji. i love how the onlyfans bits were written! feels like such a buck way to use that platform for sure.

the place where the light enters | theheartbelieves | 14.1k | E

Buck struggles with the lingering side effects of being struck by lightning, Eddie struggles to deal with Buck's death, somewhere in the middle, they find a new equilibrium. ohh i love how this captures buck and eddie, and i also really liked the group chat bit! there's an intimacy here that's just <3

trials & tribulations | sammyunhinged/@sammyunhinged | 23.7k | T

Buck and Eddie have both slipped into old habits, and it’s been causing problems. They haven’t fought like this since the lawsuit. It’s not affecting their work, but Bobby’s fed up. He sends them to couples therapy. Well, he calls it “mediation,” but let’s be honest, it’s couples therapy. the structure of this one is so cool!! i loved the little peeks into their lives and then the mediation/therapy inbetween <3

under pressure | brewrosemilk/@gayhoediaz | 22.3k | E

Buck and Eddie have grand plans for their first time, it's just unfortunate that their bodies don't seem to be getting the message. they're disgustingly in love and i love it <3 there's something so intimate about this one, it's brilliant!!

warmth | hopeintheashes/@hopeintheashes | 10.2k | T

As Buck finds out, sometimes you can't just keep pushing through. Eddie and Christopher are there to put the pieces back together. this was a reread <3 such a soft lovely fic!! some of the best emotional hurt/comfort ever

without you (what am i supposed to do) | staticsilencee | 6.5k | T

Eddie is lost after a building collapse, and his body is never recovered. Completely unrelated, a stray cat shows up at Buck's window. i have such a soft spot for animal transformation fics <3 this is angsty but also so so soft, i loved reading it!!

we are like frogs oblivious | facewithoutheart/@facewithoutheart | 9.8k | E

A mysterious illness gets Buck admitted to the hospital. Upon his release, Eddie takes the next plane to LA to check on Buck. What he finds will change their relationship forever. i cannot express how fast i clicked on this little link as it popped up in my email. genuinely such a fantastic premise and so so well-written. like, one of the tags for this one is eddie moves to texas and buck gets a vagina it's fine everything's fine. do i really need to say more? i don't think so. trust me, just click the link.

we both love the smoke in our lungs | playinginthunderstorms/@playinginthunderstorms | 4.2k | E

Buck clenches his teeth, opens his mouth to speak, and Eddie can’t help the “Ha,” that bursts out, feeling petty and spiteful. “Christ, no wonder you imprinted on the dog—you’re exactly the same! Desperate for some attention, any way you can get it, huh? Rolling over and begging didn’t work, so you’re biting fingers and tearing up the furniture, cause it’s aaaaall about you. Maybe what you need is a fucking chain and muzzle.” you know those authors for whom you go yeah i'd read their grocery lists cause i bet those are great too? yeah i have that with charlie's fics too. lucky for me though i don't even need to read grocery lists, because we get brilliant, brilliant fics like this one <3

[lemotmo]

911 8x18 episode thoughts and ruminations:

Okay, where to begin with this episode?

First of all:

I still think it was a good episode, but it wasn’t a good season finale episode. If this had been a midseason finale, it would have been fine, but as a grand finale? Nah.

It was still far better than the season 7 finale though. That one truly made me feel miserable.

Second:

What happened in 8b? It started out so great and then suddenly 8x14 hit us and it got progressively worse from then on, with one highlight in 8x17 and an okay 8x18 which wasn’t an episode fit for a finale.

And where is Tim Minear? He always gives a grand post episode interview and now he’s nowhere to be found? It does make you wonder what is going on at ABC and whether they still trust Tim after all of this mess.

Third: The Bobby storyline.

I really really really believed that the man was still alive. Every single thing in that narrative pointed into that direction. Not to mention the insane things that happened behind the scenes. Did Tim actually give out fake scripts to his actors to consciously mislead the audience? What a terrible thing to do. Why were the actors all laughing at that funeral BTS footage if they were all so sad that Bobby was dead? None of it adds up.

What happened with the Bobby tributes that were posted on the official social media? And why didn’t Peter get a bigger send-off?

I just don’t understand any of this.

So…

Either Bobby is still alive and we’ll find out next season OR he’s really dead and it was really poorly handled.

Fourth: The Buddie factor.

DISCLAIMER: I still very much believe that Buddie is going canon. If you don’t like that, turn away now.

(A cut to save your dash)

I have seen more than enough evidence in season 8 that it is happening. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. It’s important to follow your gut on this and I’m following mine.

But please, don’t blame me or other Buddie positive people for ‘making’ you believe they would happen in season 8. That is craziness. I turned off anon for now. I’ll probably keep it turned off for a while during this hiatus. If you want to be mad at me because of a TV-show? You can do it publicly.

I have been here since day one and I have seen much more dire season endings than this one when it comes to Buddie. I’m not throwing the towel into the ring now. At least we got a lot of scenes of them together in 8, which is more than in some other seasons. And this time we got actual Buddie build up, so I’m not going anywhere.

That being said, I know full well that there was a big Buddie problem in the back end of 8b.

The problem once again comes back to Bobby’s death. Oliver himself said in a recent interview that a lot of the personal storylines were sidelined because of the Bobby thing. It’s obvious from the beginning of 8B that they were planning on doing Buddie. Everything in the narrative was clearly leading us towards an 8B ending with one or two realisations. Instead the Bobby thing happened and derailed EVERYTHING.

It didn’t just derail Buddie, it also completely derailed Hen’s storyline and even Athena’s story.

I’m still confident in Buddie canon happening, because of the crazy upfronts interviews. Ali reminded me earlier that the upfronts are basically there to promote the next season of TV-shows.

So yeah, I’m still going to follow the narrative here and trust that Bobby’s death pushed Buddie into season 9, where they will tell us their full story. At least we didn’t end up with a half-assed love confession and then off screen development to come into full-fledged ‘together’ Buddie in season 9. That would have been my worst nightmare.

I loved the Buddie moments we got in 8x17 and the very few ones we got in the finale. I’ve seen people talk about how those moments in the finale were the same thing that we got seasons ago. I have to respectfully disagree here. That rescue scene? Buddie gold that was filmed with clear intent.

I was puzzled with Buck looking for a place of his own though. He only just moved in and he’s leaving again? I was hoping for a Buddie roommates era, but alas… it might not happen. I’m interested in seeing what will happen there.

Fifth: Eddie my love.

Eddie Diaz has been treated terribly this season. The man is my favourite character and I really thought we were going to get more focus on him in 8, but his story never truly went anywhere. To be fair, he was probably doomed since season 7 when Tim came up with the stupid Vertigo storyline. I don’t think Tim knew how to deal with the consequences of that storyline, so then he half-assed it by making Eddie first choose joy to only then move to Texas, a place where he never knew joy.

Then he was sidelined in 2 episodes and was only brought back in 8x16, to say two lines or something like that. 8x17 was a great Eddie episode, but it wasn’t enough.

I loved Eddie in the finale. The hero music they played when he came in to save the day? Epic. But then he went straight back to looking for flights to go back to Texas. I am disappointed about that to be honest. His whole journey was about finding joy and choosing joy. Instead Chimney decided for him and everyone else that the 118 wasn’t going to split up.

Now, I do think that Eddie was already 90% with his heart in LA and that he wouldn’t need a big push to stay. Chimney just helped him along. It just would have been nice to see him make the conscious decision to stay in LA, with his family and Buck, because he is happier there.

And suddenly he is already moving in? What about his Texas house? Did he sell it? It didn’t make any sense.

Side-note: Eddie looked absolutely gorgeous in this episode. I legit crashed out when he showed up to help out the 118. It took me a few minutes to get my brain back online.

Sixth: a few miscellaneous topics that threw me off.

Athena selling the house didn’t make a lick of sense to me. This was hers and Bobby’s dream house. She told her kids she wasn’t moving out and then she suddenly changes her mind? What were her motivations? It wasn’t clear at all.

The second Madney baby was suddenly just there? This is a clear example of yet another storyline botched up by Bobby’s death. There was no emotional pay-off in that last scene. And sure they called the baby after Bobby, but I felt nothing.

The only thing that made me cry in the episode was that wonderful Chimney speech. Kenny did a great job there.

In conclusion:

Either ABC sits down with Tim and lays down some rules he has to abide to for season 9 OR they ship him off to Nashville, so someone else with a more clear vision, sense of pacing and natural flair for good storytelling steps in to take over.

If Tim does go to Nashville, I hope he takes Kristen with him.

I’m 100% tuning in for season 9, since I still love these characters so much and I need to see what happens to them. I am not giving up my Buddie-truther ways after 7 seasons. I have faith in them. I’ve been here before with other ships. This isn’t anything new. 😋

But I’m definitely going to go into that season with a bit more caution if Tim will still be there as a showrunner.

[flammableheart]

I said after 8x16 that, at the very least, the whole thing with the closed casket and the authorities keeping Bobby's body for two weeks was a get out clause in case Tim ever changed his mind and wanted to bring Bobby back. And that's still true. Bobby's death can still be retconned at any time. But I really hoped it wouldn't be the case - I hoped that this season would end with a reveal that Bobby was alive, somewhere, somehow, because that would mean there was a plan all along. That Tim didn't just kill his main character on a whim. That he didn't totally drop the story threads set up in 8a and the first half of 8b because he got distracted.

But here we are.

That episode was objectively... fine. But after a string of episodes designed to tear the 118 apart, we needed more than one rousing speech from Chimney to bring them back together. That's not to say his speech wasn't lovely - it was, and if that was his application for the position of Captain, I'm all for it. But I wanted more character-driven moments and less of the disaster. I wanted Athena and Chimney to really talk, not to have the convenient near-death of a side character bring them back together. I wanted to delve more into Hen's decision not to take the Captain role. I wanted to see Buck crash out and actually deal with his grief. I wanted to see Maddie before she gave birth, not just being a silent figure holding a baby in a hospital bed.

And then there's the Buddie of it all.

The Buddie train was so clearly set on the tracks in 8x09 and 8x11 but it's come to a screeching halt. It hasn't been derailed and I still believe the plan is to start it up again in season 9, because really what else are they going to do with those two? Give Eddie another bland girlfriend? Introduce someone else for a love triangle? Please no. But as things stand, it is a thread that has been left dangling with no satisfying conclusion.

Tim really needs to pull his head out of his ass next season and remember what it is people actually love about this show. It's the characters and the relationships that have taken hold of our hearts. That's what keeps people coming back week after week, not the spectacle of another unlikely disaster.

[azaharinflames]

Want for rest of 8B: I want Buck and Tommy to talk. I want Buck to realize that he's never learned how to be alone as he's always had someone around at all times really. He hates that lesson but he does need to learn it. So what I want is I want them to talk, and they can start things again as friends and eventually get to a relationship again. They never tried being just friends and I find the best relationships (particularly MLM ones) start as friends and slowly get towards a relationship. Put a relationship on the back burner so they can both work on themselves. Its not a No, its a Not Right Now.

Hi, Nonnie!

I think I have to disagree with you. I saw someone else analyzing this and they pointed out something that perfectly sums up what I wanted to say: Buck knows how to be alone. He's known how to be so all of his life. He, however, has abandonment issues.

It might seem like the same thing, but honestly? It is not. And, in my opinion, Buck has a hard time with that, and not so much with being alone.

If we take a look at the show, he's been alone for rather the majority of it. The only time it looked like he wanted a partner to not feel alone/because he wanted his life to be in the right path (paraphrasing) was in Season 4.

I will also bring back what Buck says during the car scene with Eddie in 810 - because that scene to me proves that he does not want to be with Tommy to not feel alone; he wants to be with him because he thinks that's how things should be. He puts his break-up with Tommy as the first thing that started all things bad coming into his life.

Do Buck and Tommy need more work before they get back together? 100%. But I don't think Buck being alone is the solution here.

Also, we run into the issue of main and recurring once again. They were able to pull off the 'let's just be friends for now' with Madney because we saw both of their journeys to get back to dating, but now? I don't want to say it is impossible, I just do not particularly see it. What we've seen on screen doesn't indicate that, either. I can see them deciding to take it slow, but other than that? I think it would be dragging it for too long. Especially so when it is near the end of the season and when we've been dealing with this since almost the start of it. The audience wants resolution, not to be dragged along. Not at this point in the series, yk?

My inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions! Though if you don't want yours posted, please make sure to say :)

Take care <3

[yall-it-me]

look. do i think we're getting buddie canon on thursday? no. do i think we'll get feelings realization on thursday? from buck, possibly, from eddie no. and this isn't because i don't ship buddie or because i don't think it's going to happen at all, i just don't think it's gonna happen thursday.

in terms of buddie canon as a whole, i think it would be rushing it to have them like kiss in the finale. that seems strange to say given that it's been seven seasons, but rushing it in the sense that the idea that buck could be in love with eddie at all (in canon) was only full-on acknowledged in 8b. since then, we also haven't seen a ton of eddie (ryan guzman please speak to your boss), let alone eddie actually reckoning with what happens with him and his family now that he has chris back, and certainly not now that he has chris back in la. in many ways, i think it would be nice to have an arc in season 9 about eddie coming to terms with who buck is to him and what that means, and for buck to come to terms with who eddie is to him and what that means. and i just don't think that can all be done well in the finale given that there are so many other things we have to cover, including the emergency itself, the captaincy, athena and chimney's relationship, and - god willing - bobby being alive.

now, we know from the bts that eddie is in gear for the emergency, and if trapped dads is true and real, then great. i also think if buck is trapped and eddie isn't there is some room for this development of both of them understanding more about what they mean to each other. but i don't think it's necessarily going to be in an "oh. oh." kind of way. one of the things that hasn't really been resolved is obviously buck's grief, and i think there's scope to really highlight the fact that buck doesn't currently feel like anyone needs him by having eddie express that he needs buck; not necessarily in a romantic sense, but in that he wouldn't have been able to do what he needed to get chris back without buck (there's more he would be able to say here, but). and not to make it about bbc merlin, but im envisioning a less dramatic version of in the finale of merlin when arthur says to merlin "everything you've done. i know now. for me, for camelot. for the kingdom you helped me build," and merlin says, "you'd have done it without me," and arthur just kind of chuckles and says, "maybe." like that's the energy im feeling. where it's so electrifyingly intimate to the point you feel insane but it leaves room for the writer's to develop more of the story.

i do think that for narrative sense, buck working through his grief should happen with eddie, but honestly i don't always believe that shows care about that, and so i also see room for buck's grief to be resolved with ravi almost as a callback to when buck was going to quit because he thought it was best and was prepping ravi to replace him. so it could be buck is going to give up on getting out, because bobby is gone so whatever, and ravi helps him see his place is still being alive and at the 118. in this event i still think there can be some buddie stuff after the emergency okay it's fine.

this has been long, but all to say that honest to god no matter what happens in the finale i will still be buddiemaxxing and bobbyalivemaxxing i do not care shipping is fun and i will continue to enjoy myself

[air--so--sweet]

Okay I've posted like 100 theories on how Buddie will go canon in season 8B, but I think theory 101 could be the one (watch the stills for next week come out and have me walk that back completely).

We know from the promo Buck gets trapped alongside Ravi and a civilian, and we know from BTS photos that, despite not being a member of the 118 anymore Eddie gets involved in the call (it doesn't look like he'll have suddenly re-joined offscreen next week as he's wearing turnouts over a Henley). I've already talked about how I think he'll get involved in rescuing all three, but Buck will become trapped alone due to further explosions/a minor earthquake causing more of the building to collapse after Ravi and the civilian getting out.

Because Buck's spiralling right now, and when talking to Bobby in the confessional he told him that he's not okay and that the other's don't need him. So what if rather than getting cut off completely from Eddie as I originally thought, what if Buck gets pinned or trapped in some other way where he can still communicate with Eddie and he's telling Eddie to go. Gerrard ordered an evacuation, it's not safe and Buck (whose passively suicidal at the best of time and this isn't the best of times by any stretch of the imagination) says its fine if he doesn't get out. No one needs him, they'll be fine without him.

And Eddie will argue, the 118 needs Buck, Eddie needs Buck and Buck will keep denying it, Eddie left Buck to go to El Paso like it was nothing, none of them haven't found Buck's efforts at support helpful (because Buck doesn't understand that others grief isn't something he can fix and and they just need him to be there and talk to them rather than doing psych evals on them) and he failed Bobby at the lab and he's failing him now by not being able to stop everything falling apart.

And Eddie, at the end of his rope, maybe fully crying now, will say 'I do need you Buck, I do. I can't lose you because I-' his voice cracks, 'I love you. More than I even knew I could love someone. I can't do this without you Buck, I can't. So please, I need you to still be here, so I'm not leaving!'

[sugdendingle]

I get that some of you are nervous of Eddie leaving and Buddie not happening but trust me when I tell you Ryan isn’t going anywhere. There are zero signs that he wants to leave the show.

All of the main cast seem very happy and like a family and like they want to be working together for as long as possible. They’re also working in roles that you can’t do in just any other acting job, doing these crazy emergencies regularly. You don’t just leave a work environment like that for no reason. It’s also not like Ryan can’t do other projects while working on 911, he just worked on a movie not too long ago. So no he’s not leaving.

When it comes to Buddie I think some of you have gotten so used to storylines that play out instantly on streaming you’re not used to a network slow burn where you have to wait.

I get being scared of being let down by the show. I know how much we’re all hoping and waiting for Buddie to happen. But Buddie has been in the works for years. It was originally supposed to happen in s5 (Buck was supposed to come out in s4) but Fox refused to let it happen. So Tim left and then the show moved to abc and so Tim came back. When he did he started putting the wheels in motion for Buddie canon and that started with Buck coming out in s7. Buddie going canon has already started we’ve been in the storyline since last season when Buck’s coming out was heavily connected to Eddie.

If I didn’t think Buddie was going to happen or that it was a big maybe I’d say so but in all the years of watching the show I’ve never been as certain it’s happening as I am now.

The other thing is I think there would be zero doubt right now if Buddie was a straight ship. But because they’re two guys and they’re breaking new ground with being the first real slow burn queer ship on a primetime network show people will question if it’s happening the whole way.

Tim knows how a significant portion of the audience for the show loves Buddie. Tim, Oliver, and Ryan have all shown support for Buddie over the years which btw isn’t common for non canon queer ships. A lot of things are in our favor. If Tim didn’t want to make Buddie happen he would have made that clear when he came back and it’s been the total opposite. In s7 they were together more than ever and they’ve still been joined at the hip in s8 even if hey haven’t had a ton of scenes while Tim was closing up other storylines. We can see with 808 and recent interviews that the bulk of Eddie and Buddie’s s8 storylines are going to be in 8b.

I’ve seen people say why doesn’t Eddie just go get Chris and bring him home. I believe he will eventually but this storyline with Eddie contemplating moving to Texas isn’t as much about the Chris storyline as it is about the Buddie storyline. You have to have obstacles in a will they/won’t they that makes the audience think they aren’t going to end up together. There is always lots of angst leading up to the moment when they finally get together or get back together. This makes for a more emotional dramatic moment and some of the best tv.

We’re meant to think Eddie is leaving but even if he goes to Texas for a minute it won’t be permanent. I’m confident in saying we’ll have Buddie canon by the end of the season and Chris back too.

Please don’t let fandom’s tendency to catastrophize make you worry about where the story is going. Also take all the interviews with a grain of salt because they can’t and won’t tell us exactly where things are going. Like with the most recent Tim interviews and him making it sound like Eddie is moving. That makes sense because we’re right at the beginning of that storyline he can’t say what will happen.

Things with Buddie will take a little time to play out but we’ll get there. We are going into this hiatus in the best possible place we can be in right now and we should all be incredibly excited for what’s to come for Buddie in 8b.

[tevanbuckley]

If you could take Tims place for 8b how would the rest of the season play out? Would you put Tommy and Buck back together and if so, how?

oh where to begin...

tbh i think the bucktommy stuff is the easiest to fix, because the biggest problem (outside of needlessly losing an interesting new character) is it puts buck back to square one, so it could be solved by pretty much any variation of them getting back together. personally, i think the cleanest way would be to have tommy reach out after the kidnapping. would that be the most satisfying resolution? no, but it would stick with the theme of tommy showing up for buck and could be nested within the maddie storyline without taking up a ton of limited screen space. then i'd have buck actually think about his sexuality for thirty seconds (and say the word bisexual).

eddie is difficult bc his arc is dependent on how much truth there is to the speculation of ryan wanting out, but either way for the love of god PLEASE bring up shannon! my thing with that situation has always been eddie's refusal to accept that for all intents and purposes he didn't lose his wife, he lost his ex-wife, and i think having him finally grapple with that would be a good way to conclude his arc (whether he moves to texas or not).

athena is...frustrating, i think there's maybe something in her training new recruits. it would certainly give a bit more structure to her storylines than "random cop shit." i know a certain amount of copaganda is inevitable but 911 is especially bad for it (and imo has actually gotten worse over the years), partly because they refuse to take an actual stance (like why tf was the lady who got shot a sovereign citizen? the audience isn't stupid we know that's not the average victim of police violence). in theory the training stuff could help illustrate how policing is rotten all the way down the chain and potentially challenge some of athena's beliefs (i will be shocked if this happens)

for bobby i'd bring back some of the stuff that was touched on last season. he was an active suicide risk for christ's sake and are we really gonna drop all the tragic backstory about his family and then do nothing with it? perhaps his brother reaches out and causes problems or passes away.

madney and henren meanwhile i fear are a bit of lost cause this season. presumably madney is gonna be wrapped up with the kidnapping/pregnancy shit, which again forces chim into the position of "maddie's worried husband," don't get me wrong i think we'll get some stellar acting from kenny (and jlh) but "madney being sad," is not particularly interesting at this point.

similarly all the really juicy stuff with mara/ortiz/gerrard has already been pissed away — could've been especially interesting if hen and chim were still on the outs during the kidnapping but oh well — if tim's serious about wanting to "blow stuff up," one way to do that would be having hen consider a move to captain at another station. which (assuming they get s9) could even facilitate bobby taking a promotion down the line and her coming back to the 118 in his place.

[sailingfireshipz]

My 13x15 download ✨️This one is going to be long.

1. Opening with the Pascals. The foreshadowing was so damn thick with these two. Do we think we'll see Olivia(Monica's sister) at the funeral? Monica mentioned mending fences, so if she does appear, will we finally find out what happened in Miami?

1a. Monica to Pascal. "Well, thank God it'll be a dark day when it doesn't." ohhh.. dark days ahead, i fear

2. STELLARIDE. Omg their nervous energy. The freaking sweaters. Their faces when scary Terry was making notes. Kellys face when he mentioned the corners not being covered.

2a. "How is that more stressful than fighting an inferno?" Oh dear, you just wait 😆

3. Jenner is a DUCKER. Leaving Damon & the victim because he's got a wife & kid. I'm really surprised the rest of the firehouse stood behind him?

4. Is that Kelly Severide saving his broooother!? AAAAAAAAH really enjoyed seeing Squad assist another house on a rescue

4a. Damon really is a wise ass "you're missing overhaul. I know that's your favorite part"

5. I'm actually surprised by the advice Kelly gave Damon to keep his head down as it relates to Jenner. Definitely not the tone he took last season with Lennox or any other firefighter that's not fit for duty.

6. Novak & Damon... giiiiirl please 😵‍💫

7. STELLARIDE. Kelly Severide, the man that you are. From reaching for Stella's hand when she was talking to the "my little one" 🥹🥹🥹🥹

8. Cruz & Hermann coming in & immediately wrecking shit. This entire comedic storyline was absolutely hilarious!

8a. Hermann & Cruz, in front of Stellaride asking about the video conference, definitely gave off their kids coming to them when they knock over a vase or get in trouble at school. Kelly immediately shutting it down & Hermann shrinking behind Cruz! HELP!

8b. Bringing Tony & Capp to the meeting was definitely something I know they told them to just smile & wave when they were in the hallway 😆

9. "Riddle wrapped in a mystery. That's Pascal for you" ok, yes, but are we going to unravel this mystery 🤔

10. Violet dodging Flynn... Missing Carver more than she thought she could... & so it begins 🙂

11. Mouch & Pascal conversation about the open lieutenant position. Honestly, yall & i can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually agree with Pascal. I don't think Hermann wants it! 😕

11a. Random thought. Did anyone notice how many times the episode title was used in this episode? I counted 3x. Is that normal? I've never noticed it before.

12. Boden mentioned! We wiiiin. Honestly, I'm so against Damon being brought back to 51. I get it it's Stella making the recommendation, but I think at it's core if Damon were any other person not connected to Kelly, they wouldn't be entertaining the idea. Outside of that, there's a deeper conversation that needs to be had about how they've been moving with the representation & stability on 81 since Stella took over as lieutenant. Because where is Mason & is Gibson ok on this recovery journey!? More on that later.

13. STELLARIDE. Approved as adoptive parents!!! The way Kelly kept looking at Stella yall, he lives to love that woman. Which makes the parrales that the Pascals have with Stellaride so very eerie sometimes.

13a. Random observation. Did they change Stellarides' theme? Because last week they used it in a Novak & Violet scene but have not used it during the adoption scenes. It's been similar but not their original theme. I'm just curious 🤔

14. Oooh, Stella... running & tackling that man, giiiiirl. Kelly immediately running straight to her. I do have a question. Was Stella supposed to let the man walk into oncoming traffic & get hit? How could she have handled that situation better? 🤔 "we run towards the danger, not away from it" pretty sure Pascal said that to Novak earlier this season.

15. Mouch stepping up, saying he'd call the chief & asking to ride with her to Med. He's going to make an amazing lieutenant. Question for you all, though..WHERE IS CAPTAIN HERMANN!?

16. Monica in the ambo, her arms flailing. Pascal at the restaurant waiting fidgeting with her perfect anniversary gift. His little smile before checking the time. Him telling himself that she's going to be ok because she's strong. Telling Violet that she's wrong even though she didn't say a word. Stella appearing & holding onto Vi because she knows how triggering this is for her. OMG! Idc call me dramatic, but this scene gutted me.

Pascal is about to spiral & I'm curious to see how it impacts the house. Who will go to bat for him & who will go against him. I'm also curious to know if his leadership & recent behavior will play apart into the E18 synopsis. For the commissioner to send a deputy commissioner out to investigate, I'm sure HQ has some concerns with Pascals' behavior post Monica's death. Which is interesting as the episode title is literally post-mortem. Whew! Idk about anyone else, but I'm bracing for impact. I have a feeling these last 7 episodes are about to be madness.

As always, let me know your thoughts! Did i miss anything?

[moonlightmornings]

hannah's buddie fic recs || pt. 2 💫

okay okay, i know i said part two would come after season 8b hit but there's a lot of awesome people out there who write REALLY good stuff-

as usual, if you're the author of one of these please reply and i'll tag your tumblr! and ALWAYS check the tags and warnings before reading!! stay safe :)

<- PART ONE: hannah's buddie fic recs

soft and slow kisses by malmal88 | 1k words | teen+ Buck comforts Eddie after Chris has a nightmare. It helps Eddie realize some things.

what humans do by brewrosemilk - @gayhoediaz | 18.5k words | explicit "…and the thought that she had just escaped death by such a narrow margin made me realize the intensity of my feelings toward her.” - Buck trails off when Eddie reaches for the book, gently luring it out of his grasp.... (Buck reads to Eddie and they get something more out of it)

and longer by far by farfromthstars - @doeeyeseddie | 14.5k words | teen+ Everyone seems to expect Eddie to propose to Buck any minute now, which is annoying because Eddie doesn’t want to get married again. He's sure of that. Or is he?

you're my kind of therapy by jesm - @jesmme | 5.9k words | explicit Eddie's stressed and Buck knows exactly how to get him out of his head.

the mouth is the thing that craves by underhung_aura - @eddiebabygirldiaz | 11.7k words | explicit “You need something in your mouth, sweetheart? Need to hold me close, don’t you?�� Eddie loves Buck and he really loves Buck's cock.

baby, can i hold you? by fleetinghearts - @shitouttabuck | 3.6k words | teen+ A hand on a shoulder, a press of bodies beside each other, a nudge of knees under the table. “Can I, uh. Can I touch you?”

or, Eddie panics. Buck holds him.

i do all my own healing, manage all of my feelings by himbobuckley - @bumblebee-be | 1k words | teen+ “Eddie,” Buck tries, squeezing his wrist as tears prick his eyes. “Baby, c’mon I’m right here.” This is something deeper, something Buck can’t soothe with his fingertips or ease with a kiss.

Eddie has a nightmare and all Buck can do, really, is be there and do his best to comfort him.

to chase away the nightmares by dracculaura - @dracculaura | 3.1k words | general “You know, I used to have nightmares when I was a kid,” Buck tells Chris. - Buck helps Chris with his nightmares after Eddie gets shot.

long day, longer nights by becausebuckley - @becausebuckley | 3.6k words | general “There you are,” Buck mumbles into Eddie’s hair. His arms are tight around Eddie’s back, holding him close. Eddie goes boneless in the hug, sagging into Buck’s body and trusting his boyfriend to hold him up. The touch is a balm on his tired soul, every second of it seeping into him and providing relief. “You’re home.”

Eddie has had a long day. Buck is there for him.

i don't like my mind right now (stacking up problems that are so unnecessary) by xjustlikeyou - @xjustlikeyou | 9.9k words | explicit Buck asks Eddie how he feels about combining sensory deprivation with temperature play. Eddie does not feel good about it, but agrees to try it after talking it out... aka the subdrop!Eddie fic

buck's new favorite chair by kittydiaz - @kitteneddiediaz | 13.3k words | explicit Buck buys a chair, and then fucks Eddie on it.

still my heart and make me breathe by finbish | 5.2k words | explicit Buck sat on his chair. Ankle hitched over his knee as he stared, enrapt. In Buck’s hand was a remote, and across from him, on his bed, laid his boyfriend, riding ecstasy.

nightmares, nightmares, go away & never come back another day by michi_rambles - @theweewooshowtookovermylife | 2.1k words | teen+ During a stormy night Eddie deals with nightmares, and Buck comes to his aide.

let me wrap my teeth around the world by folkfae | 4.7k words | explicit When Eddie had come over to Buck‘s loft for dinner and a movie, he’d thought he was going to get dinner and a movie they’ve seen a hundred times before and could easily fuck to. But he can only take so many dramatic choreographed dance sequences and over-the-top acting before he needs to do something else to occupy his mind. And his mouth.

bumps and grooves by simplyylupin - @simplylupin | 26.1k words | teen+ When Eddie was seven years old his mother had taught him about God. "He loves us, Edmundo. He loves all," she tells him, tucking his blanket to his chin, "Everything you see around you is His love."

Now, Buck grins at him from across the table and Eddie thinks this is the closest he's ever been to understanding how his mother viewed the world. As a manifestation of love. A higher power.

-> PART THREE: hannah's buddie fic recs

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 6!

and what a week it's been... idk about you all, but i'm very much looking forward to all the 8b spec fic after seeing That One Leak...

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some might also contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

a graveyard in blue | moonlightmornings/@moonlight-mornings | 12.9k | GA

After a call goes south because of limited resources and an equipment malfunction, Eddie's brave move to rescue a young girl takes a nasty turn. i love how this captures the energy and vibe of a rescue!! genuinely feels straight out of an episode <3

and i'd do it over and over again | playinginthunderstorms/@playinginthunderstorms | 4.4k | E

Buck and Eddie hook up at the end of "Confessions". oh when i tell you i savoured this one... such a wonderful fic that captures buddie's first time so so perfectly!! i love how their dynamic is written here <3

everything in between | simplyylupin | 2.1k | T

They’re quiet for a moment, mulling over the unsaid, and then Buck’s bringing his phone closer to his face, eyes squinting. “Are you naked?” the absolute codependency of these two <3 so good!!

hot ghost problems | ebjameston/@ebjameston | 40.9k | T

The ghost would prefer to go by Buck, if Eddie wouldn’t mind. this was a reread! i was reminded of the magic system here and revisited it - can confirm that magic and ghosts and all that are so very good here, and i love the diaz siblings!!

i'll tell them put me back in it (and i would do it again) | paleredheadinascifi | 4.8k| T

Eddie doesn't know how to make his listening history private. Buck doesn't know what to do with the words in front of his eyes. Chris cannot believe he has to deal with either of them. the sheer brilliance of this concept... such a lovely look at the buckley-diaz dynamics! i was smiling the whole way through <3

it's golden, like daylight | rarakiplin/@hoediaz | 8.7k | T

“Shut up,” fingers dig into his ribs, “I mean, would you want to? Be married again?” such wonderful firefam dynamics!! i read this last week, i think, and already reread it this past week as well. a new favourite for sure <3

lonely little love dog | littleghost/@ghostlandtoo | 24k | M

When the 118 is closed for reconstruction after an earthquake, Buck is a floater for different stations around the city. He tries not to let it get to him. Much. this is such a fascinating look at buck's character!! and i LOVED the mara scene <3

parabola | semperama/@semperama | 4.6k | T

“Hey, uh. By the way.” Buck’s been thinking about this, and he has to say it now, or it’ll explode out of him at a much worse time, in a much worse way. “Make sure you don’t forget to change your will again.” truly no fic captures the angst with a happy ending tag like this. also this fic is how i learned that there's a special ao3 tag for eddie's will, which sounds about right. anyway, point is, this is wonderful!!

the last shred of truth in the lost myth of true love | lemonzestywrites/@lemonzestywrites | 25.7k | E

After the events of 6x13, Buck is worried he's lost his charm in bed. Eddie eagerly offers his services to prove otherwise. a reread of one of my favourite fics <3 there's something about the intersection of smut and feelings realisation and introspection in this fic that just hits so very hard, it's lovely <3

the whale fall principle | fastcardotmp3/@fastcardotmp3 | 95.5k | M

Daniel Buckley lives, but he’s still deciding what that means. Maddie is having a baby, but it isn’t her husband’s. And Evan knows his purpose. Until he doesn’t anymore. okay so definitely heed the creator chose not to use archive warnings tag here (there are specific warnings in the chapter notes) but holy shit, this fic. genuinely the best buckley sibling dynamics i have read, like, maybe ever. such a wonderful eddie and chimney and everyone, and such gorgeous writing!! if this one sounds up your alley, you're in for a treat <3

to ebb and flow | akapeterman/@akapeterman | 5.1k | GA

buck is sick, eddie is worried, and christopher is an angel. they'll be okay. i've really been vibing with sickfics lately, can you tell? this is another lovely lovely fic, such great hurt/comfort/domestic fluff!!

wait for me to come home | written_promises | 1.9k | GA

Eddie comes back home to LA from Texas to find Buck waiting for him… in his bed. Because he’s been living in Eddie’s home. and eddie's bed is exactly where buck should be<3 so soft and sweet and beautiful!!

we return to each other in waves | cozycatwriter/@leon-trans-kennedy | 3.1k | GA

“Yes I do. Of course I do. You saved Chris and looked after him the best you could during a tsunami-and you’re still recovering from an embolism from having your leg crushed on the job. The least I could do is look after you and let you stay the night. Besides, Chris would want you to stay.” post-tsunami fics my beloveds <3 it genuinely makes me so happy to see new ones pop up, and this is truly an excellent one!! i love the bed-sharing especially!

you need a friendly hand (and i need action) | AmZamReads | 13.1k | E

Eddie picks up pottery as a hobby and accidentally blows up on Instagram for "accidentally" posting thirst traps of him throwing on the wheel. Buck stumbles across the account and immediately becomes obsessed with Eddie's hands, and horny shenanigans ensues. this fic makes me wish i could make pottery. i love eddie's pottery friends!! and a lovely buddie dynamic too <3

[lemotmo]

Hi, I'm sorry to bring partial negativity to your inbox but I really need get someone else's perspective and you're always so balanced and kind when you answer people and I thoroughly enjoy reading your thoughts and opinions on the show.

Firstly, I love that the scene between Eddie and Helena is so satisfying for some many people, I honestly wish I could share in it completely, but I'm still feeling frustrated. Not because I think it should have been a shouting match or anything like that, tonally I loved that scene, and Eddie taking back control at the first sign that Chris wasn't happy. My issue it that I feel like I'm being tricked by the show into thinking that Helena was just acting as a concerned grandmother who went a bit far. Not a woman who took her grandson across state lines with no actual intention of returning him and then spent months manipulating both her son and grandson into thinking the other didn't need or want them, respectively. It didn't even feel like a half-hearted redemption and forgiveness arc like all the other parents got, it feels as though I'm expected to think there's nothing to forgive in the first place. And considering we've been seeing this behaviour from her since season 2, I'm just confused. I don't know what my ideal but realistic resolution to this would be, maybe just Eddie having acknowledged that them not doing anything to help being him and Chris back together was an awful thing to do?

I have a few issues that make media comprehension difficult for me, I miss things sometimes, especially if they're subtextual, and I need prompting where to look, so maybe that is the issue here? But I feel like I'm losing my mind a bit.

No, I get your confusion Nonny. I really do.

I was the same. I really felt like Eddie just needed to yell at his mom for all of of this. But then I realised that I wouldn't have yelled at my mom either if she had done something like this. It simply isn't in my nature. 🤷‍♀️

I just don't think it's in his nature either to be honest. He has always been shown as a calm guy. Yes, during his illegal fighting days he had a lot of rage within him, but that was mostly because of his untreated PTSD. He dealt with that and went to therapy.

From all that we have gathered, Eddie was an obedient kid while growing up. He was always trying to please his parents by trying to do what they wanted him to do. And in some ways he is still the same person he was back then. He is still the boy they pressured into competitive ballroom dancing and the boy they forced to marry Shannon because she was pregnant.

At the end of season 7 and throughout 8a and the beginning of 8b he was still trying to please his parents AND his son at the same time. He let his parents swoop in and take his son, because he was used to obeying them, so he allowed it.

I feel like the Eddie we have seen in season 8 has become a lot more level-headed though. And the lesson he learned in episode 12 and 13 is that he isn't obligated to please his parents anymore. He is no longer a child or a teenager. He is Chris' dad first and foremost and he needed to 'dad up' for that.

But he also knows that Chris loves his grandparents very much. And I do think Eddie loves his parents very much as well, even though they are overbearing and manipulative in many ways.

In some ways I do think Helena and Ramon did all of this because they genuinly thought they were 'helping' Eddie and Chris. I truly think they can't see where they went wrong and how flawed their love for their son is.

And I think that Eddie knows this and finally comes to accept it in episode 13. He accepts that this is the way it's always going to be with his parents. They aren't going to change their ways.

But he can change and is willing to change and do better for his son. So he gently confronts his mom, telling her how it's going to be from now on, letting her know he is no longer going to be manipulated and guilt-tripped into letting them raise his son. He is no longer going to take their bullshit on how to live his life right.

In a way he is saying goodbye to the Eddie of old, the Eddie that grew up in Texas and was stiffled by his parents, the Eddie who allowed himself to be led by his parents' decisions for him. He is stepping up for himself and Chris and moving on.

By leaving his dad in Lubbock and telling his mom what he was going to do, without any yelling involved, he basically gave them an ultimatum:

Either accept the way things are going to be from now on OR never see either of us again.

And even though his parents are never going to be parents of the year, I do think they love Eddie and Chris in their own way. So they would never risk losing them completely.

I don't know if any of this made sense Nonny. I wrote this in a stream of consciousness kind of way. I knew exactly what I wanted to say in my head, but translating it into English was challenging as a non-native speaker. I hope it helped you out a little though.

Thank you for the lovely comment you made in the beginning of your ask. And don't worry, I didn't interpret this ask as anything negative at all.

I think a lot of us were confused at Eddie's reaction at first. I know I was. But after I rewatched, sat down with it, thought about it... I finally realised that Eddie yelling at his mom would have been regression for his character growth. They are showing us a new Eddie. An Eddie who isn't afraid to step outside of the mold and make his own decisions, other people's opinions be damned.

And yeah, I'll make this about Buddie. 😋 When don't I?

I do think this was the final step Eddie needed to take to be ready to see, realise and accept his love for Buck.

[tgd-sideblog]

I think I am most frustrated by what they’ve done to Chris. Yes, he is a supporting character not a main, so I never expected him to have a major arc, but there should have been something.

His pain at the climax of S7 was what caused him to call Eddie’s parents to take him away. In 8a he was repeatedly standoffish to Eddie putting up barriers to their communication and therefore convincing Eddie that nothing could be resolved without going to Texas. And he also completely ignored Buck on the one shared call we saw them on.

And in 8b we skipped right past any reaction he had to Eddie moving to Texas. When we finally saw them together he was civil to Eddie, a little distant but with none of the brush offs we’d seen him give during the 8a video calls. And when he learns about Eddie’s financial strain and uber driving, he off his own initiative goes to Eddie to reassure him of their relationship and offer to return the PS5 to help with Eddie’s financial situation. All with no explanation of why there has been such a sudden change in his attitude to Eddie. Then we have the chess plotline where we get some explanation that he dislikes chess but feels pressured to please his grandparents, but is glad to be back living with Eddie when Eddie makes that decision for him. He’s happy Eddie is his dad again, there is no exploration of the fact Chris is the one who pushed Eddie out of his life to begin with. He also has no expressed opinions of being in El Paso and at no point in any of this arc makes any reference to having left a life or friends back in LA. You could watch this arc in isolation and think the Eddie begins flashback played out different and Eddie let his parents raise Chris this whole time, because Chris makes no acknowledgment of anything outside of his immediate situation (including the events that instigated it).

Then the funeral happens and Eddie flies back without Chris (not entirely unreasonable, although they were both part of the wider 118 family Chris was not personally close to Bobby) and with no explanation of who Chris is staying with (presumably Eddie’s parents, does Chris have any opinion of being left with them a few weeks after Eddie so pointedly took him away because they were pressuring Chris to the point of making him sick? who knows). After the funeral Eddie stays in LA for an unconfirmed amount of time but at least several days, possibly more than a week, before Chris is contacted by him to come to LA to surprise Buck with a family dinner.

He seems pleased to see Buck at this point, but what has he thought about Buck the entire time he’s been away? Have they been in any contact? Did he miss him? Did he want to reach out? Who knows. He’s happy to see Buck in that moment and offer condolences for Bobby’s death, but the fact he’s had a year long absence by his own choice is unexplored.

Then they’re about to fly back to El Paso. Chris looks rather glum in the leaving party scene but does and says nothing. Then he sees the high rise collapse on TV and draws Eddie’s attention to it, but again, looks unhappy but has nothing to say about the situation and we cut away before he can react to Eddie deciding to go help. And then Eddie changed his mind at the last minute and they’re moving back into the LA house. Chris has plans with his LA friends. Did he miss them this whole time? How much has he kept in touch? How does he feel about rejoining a group that has spent a year without him. Does he have any thoughts about the decision to move, opinions on changing schools or leaving friends behind in El Paso? Who knows we're cutting to one of several dramatic Athena walking shots in this montage.

Eddie’s entire season 8 arc hinges on Christopher’s choices and emotions, and yet in the back half of the season Chris is almost entirely passive and given no agency and little emotional depth. Eddie flies him in to cheer up Buck, and it’s a sweet gesture, but Chris is supposed to be a 14 year old, he should have some input in this, not just be waiting in El Paso for Eddie to hand him over. No relationships with anyone outside of Eddie and Eddie’s parents. The only time his motives are explored is the chess subplot. We have no exploration of why he was still freezing Eddie out months after the incident or why is chill with Eddie again by the time we see Eddie settled in El Paso. Chris instigated the move to Texas, yet has no opinion on living there or in LA.

He’s only a minor character, but he’s previously been treated as a character in his own right, and in 8a his choices were a driver of the plot and Eddie’s own decisions were constrained by Christopher’s agency, but then in 8b he’s basically reduced to a plot token for Eddie to fight with his parents over and give to Buck to cheer him up while having no opinions of his own about any of the upheaval in his life.

We didn’t need to see his thoughts on everything, but after using him to instigate so much he should have also been involved in the resolution. And it frustrates me that he was written so passively, not all of the 118 kids get a lot of exploration, but we’ve seen Chris’s personality develop over the years so it’s frustrating to see him written in such an unnuanced way.