#they should have lived together s6 and s7

[mr-stottlemonk]

▪︎ does everything they can to make the other comfortable. even if it makes them uncomfortable.

▪︎ drops everything they're doing for the other person

▪︎ stick their neck out for each other

▪︎ never want each other to hurt.

Also not to be rude but all the fandoms I’ve ever been in with very popular pairings ( ! ) never got as far as Leland and Adrian

• said I love you and got an I love you back

• cheek kiss

• hand holding & hug

• living together

• took the other’s name

• saved the other from dying or losing sanity

• bet everything they had to protect the other

• literal partners btw

• both are instantly associated with the other by others

• blind trust

• even at 3am answers the other

• devotion so strong they stare at each other 90% of the time they are in one frame

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | August 12th-18th 2024

Little bit late, but I hope you enjoy it!

Complete

Right Here, Right Meow by carpediaz/ @sofa-king-lame (Getting Together | 1,7K | General): The one where Buck gets a cat and ropes Eddie into looking after her. Not that Eddie needs much convincing, he'd do pretty much anything for Buck at this point.

plugged in by PretentiousSwanQueen/ @hotcinnamonsunset (Secret Buddie, PWP | 2,5K | Explicit): or: Buck and Eddie are secretly together and grabbing drinks with the team and decide to have a little fun with butt plugs along the way.

prove it by PretentiousSwanQueen/ @hotcinnamonsunset (Getting Together, Post-S7 | 3K | Explicit): or: when enough is enough, Eddie and Buck watch When Harry Met Sally because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. And you know. Blow jobs to follow.

🔥 Perfect Fit by Inell/ @inell (Post-S7, Friends to Fiances | 3K | Teen): Buck drops by to talk to Eddie after his break up with Tommy ends up with an unexpected offer. Eddie realizes that it’s time for him to finally make his move before it’s too late.

First Date Nerves by Inell/ @inell (First Date, PWP | 5K | Explicit): Buck and Eddie are on their first date, both nervous about taking their friendship to the next level. Neither one wants the date to end, though, so they continue it at Eddie’s house.

the cost of doing business by PretentiousSwanQueen/ @hotcinnamonsunset (Ravi POV, Secret Buddie | 5K | Teen): It happens like this: he had been this close! like, minutes away from printing out a new tenant lease! when the prospective renter in question calls the leasing office and mentions that she won’t be needing the 1 bed, 1 bath walk up in Faircrest Heights any more because she snagged a 2 bath loft downtown that seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

🔥 I'll Make This Feel Like Home by cairparavels (Post-S4 to S6 | 5K | Not Rated): Buck keeps calling Eddie's house home, and its making Eddie rethink a lot about his life. (Five times Buck refers to Eddie's house as his home plus one time Eddie does.)

🔥 Where You Go (I Go) by blueberrytwoberry/ @blueberrytwoberry (Post-S7, Getting Together | 7K | Explicit): Eddie stood before an open cupboard. He had a big cardboard box on the counter beside him. As Buck stood there, feeling as though he’d been turned to stone, Eddie put a stack of plates into the box. A stack of identical cardboard boxes sat by the kitchen table. Buck looked across all of it, his heart lurching painfully in his chest, and managed to ask, “What are - Eddie, what are you doing?” OR: Eddie's decided to change his living arrangements; Buck takes it poorly.

🔥 Vibrant by blueberrytwoberry/ @blueberrytwoberry (Soulmates AU | 8K | Teen): Color flooded into Buck’s world between one jump and the next in the middle of the tight, pressing crowd of a concert when he was twenty and making a pit stop from running somewhere - anywhere - away from where he’d been. He wished like hell, afterwards, that it had happened anywhere else at any other time. OR, Buck meets his soulmate, misses them, and tries to deal with that.

Right. Down. Medical. by blueberrytwoberry/ @blueberrytwoberry (Post-S7, Canon Typical Catastrophe, Getting Together | 8K | Teen): Buck hadn’t expected to end up in a disastrous accident when he boarded a train - the Pacific Surfliner - for what should have been a relaxing trip down the coast to enjoy some beautiful scenery and just relax, but if he had - and maybe he should have, considering the way bad luck and trouble seemed to follow him - he’d have expected something normal, you know, like a derailment. OR: Buck has some realizations about his life after an accident on a train.

like a vision reaching down to you by blueberrytwoberry/ @blueberrytwoberry (Post-S7, Crack | 8K | Teen): “You ever notice how a lot of the calls we go on seem kind of, I don’t know, predictive?” Buck asked, when the game they were watching cut over to a commercial, his voice an anchor dropped right in the middle of the spiral of Eddie’s thoughts, dispelling it. OR: The crew at the 118 realizes that the universe is, possibly, trying to tell them something via their jobs.

I never meant to fall for you but I was buried underneath by smilingbuckley/ @smilingbuckley (Canon Divergent Probie Buck | 9K | Teen):  Buck is the new probie at the 118 and Eddie.exe stops functioning.

🔥an inch away from more than just friends by allyasavedtheday/ @littlespoonevan (Post-S7, Getting Together | 10K | Teen): In which Buck has a clipboard and a list and is about to romance the hell out of Eddie Diaz. (Part 2 of Eddie vs Romance)

🔥From the Ground Up by blueberrytwoberry/ @blueberrytwoberry (S3, Animal Transformation | 17K | Mature): Eddie’s life had gone to shit in roughly every possible way. He felt about two seconds away from breaking every hour of every day, like someone had stepped up in front of him, shoved him down, smashed the life he’d been working on, and left him to rebuild from the ground up. And so, really, the last thing he needed when he got home at the end of a long shift was to find a massive, weird-ass dog curled up on his front porch. And yet, there it was.

Lost 'Til I Found You by JJK/ @trenchcoatsandtimetravel (911/MCU Crossover, S3 | 20K | Teen): A 9-1-1 x Marvel crossover where Buck is a genetic son of Steve Rogers because the doctors the Buckley's used to make their saviour baby were also experimenting with the super soldier serum.

WIP

🔥Where there's smoke by rainbow_nerds/ @rainbow-nerdss (Multiverses | 18/31 | 22K | Teen): His eyelids are heavy. His lungs ache. The smoke is dense and thick, slowly suffocating him. Eddie feels himself drift as Buck’s voice penetrates the smoke, cuts through the fog in his brain. “Eddie, stay with me. Stay with me, Eds.” Eddie wants to stay. He wants to open his eyes and see Buck. He doesn’t want to leave. But he’s so tired, and sleep is calling him. Maybe it will be okay. Maybe his dreams will be sweet. Maybe there’ll be peace, there. And maybe, if he just rests for a little while, he’ll be able to find his way back.

Gentle On My Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Shannon Lives, Buck/Eddie/Shannon | 1/? | 6K | Explicit): In which Shannon lives, tells a lie, and sends hers, Eddie's, and Buck's lives down a very different path.

go and kill, go and die by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Zombie Apocalypse AU | 3/14 | 12K | Mature): The 118 are a group of survivors in a small California town in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. For months they've been isolated and safe. But the arrival of some new players, the search for some missing loved ones, will shake everything up and put their little team in jeopardy.

🔥 Long Death by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Post-S7, Vampire AU | 13/15 | 62K | Explicit): In the summer of 2024, a never before seen form of vampirism breaks out in Los Angeles. Just as Eddie is about to get his son back. Six months later, Buck's life is permanently changed.

Podfic

🔥 [podfic] to hurt, to heal, to hope by be_brave13/ @djemsowhat // fic by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Post-S7, Getting Together | 10-20min | Teen): "I'd love to be more of a gentleman about this, and I mean this in the most abstract and metaphorical, and least possessive way possible, but in the spirit of not wasting any more time than we already have, Buck..." the words follow each other quickly through a single, whispered breath. "...you're fucking crazy if you think I'm letting you go on that date." "Eddie, you think I'm going anywhere, you're fucking crazy."

🔥[podfic] Advice Wanted by be_brave13/ @djemsowhat // fic by cairparavels (Social Media Fic | 45-60min | Teen): Eddie Diaz takes to Reddit to figure out why he hates his best friend’s new boyfriend so much.

[thethiefandtheairbender]

hi!! i’ve been reading your atla metas and i know there’s been some conspiracy theories about aaron ehasz in the writer’s room, but i think you would be very happy to know that he recently liked a tweet acknowledging how azula and katara are narrative foils in zuko’s life! your meta on that was excellent btw

I think that might've been my tweet tbh! He and I are actually mutuals on twitter cause I mostly post about his show The Dragon Prince (TDP) (which imo makes the preferences pretty clear as a result, but I'll get more to that in a minute) and one of my friends has interviewed him a few times for it

I bring this up because years ago (well before I was on twitter) he expressed interest in reading a meta I wrote regarding Katara/Aang's romantic development with the main ship of TDP, Callum/Rayla. This was noteworthy because at the time, Callum and Rayla were heavily implied but not actually canon.

The reason I say it makes the preference(s), if they are some, clear is because Callum and Rayla, although not initially planned, have parallels to both Katara and Aang as well as Mai and Zuko:

They are literally Moon, Ocean, and Sky per the show's magic system. Rayla is a Moonshadow elf, linked to life and death, and Callum becomes a Sky and Ocean mage

There are parallels between bloodbending and dark magic (including evil puppetmasters) in which, like how Katara breaks and learns bloodbending to save Aang's life in S3, Callum likewise uses dark magic to save Rayla even after claiming he'd never use it

Rayla and Zuko both leave their partners apologies and goodbye letters before they go on quests they don't want to drag the other person into

"No, I think it's great! You're like a secret hero!" / "It's because Rayla is a hero."

Rayla being a little older and bit of a magical instructor for Callum in a similar manner to how Katara teaches Aang waterbending

[in defense of "you ran away"] "Aang is the bravest person I know. He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him!" / [in defense of "you ran away"] "Rayla's brave. She saves people [...] Rayla, you're the most amazing person I've ever met."

Callum and Aang asking Rayla and Katara, respectively, to trust enemies who could be allies (Claudia, Zuko) due to their past history, and the girls reluctantly going along with it

There's also this post again from pre-Callum and Rayla going canon in S3:

Although there's some overlap perhaps with how Zuko helps Katara in show re: her mother's death, as Callum will be helping Rayla get her parents' back and give closure that way, but it's framed very differently. Whereas Zuko is surprised by how Katara responds to Yon Rha and Aang is ultimately portrayed as the one who knows her better ("You were right about what Katara needed"), the closure Callum offers is more in line with how Aang reaffirms Katara's ability to choose, as Rayla was going to stay behind and die for her parents' perceived failure and has to reevaluate upon finding out the truth:

Katara: But now that I know he's out there, I feel like I don't have a choice. Aang: Katara, you do have a choice.

Rayla: What does this mean? What should I do? Callum: I don't know. But it's your choice. No one else's. Rayla: We should decide together.

There are more parallels, and nothing in TDP is a 1:1 by any means - every character / couple / aspect of the show is its own unique thing - but like... you can see where they're pulling more inspiration from, I think, and I expect there'll be more parallels going into S6-S7 for TDP.

[momowoah]

my wishes for chenford in the next season and a half or so:

One of them asking the other to move in together in the S5 finale (would be a great moment for their relationship without rushing things too much, specially considering the fact that in the show's timeline there are a few weeks between each episode now apparently). They should go house hunting together since Tim has no guest room (Lucy was going to sleep in the couch in 4x01), Lucy has only two rooms and I want them to have space for Tam + future kids. Bonus points if they seriously discuss getting married/having kids.

Lucy getting a promotion or starting to work more UC either by the end of s5 (unlikely) or in the beginning of s6

Time skip between seasons so they'll already be living together + will have been together for longer by the time of ep100. also the rookie catching up to real life time would make everyone's lives easier

Proposal at the 100th ep and getting married in the season 6 finale OR proposal at the s6 winter finale and getting married at the 100th ep bc I love it when my favourite couples get married at the 100th

Pregnancy or deciding to have children at the s6 finale (if they're already married by then) or S7 mid season finale

Baby chenford by the end of s7

Hopefully we are being crazy enough about this couple to get the show to at least S8 bc it's my favorite thing on tv right now

[genderqueerpond]

like, my problem with series 7 is that in an ideal world it would have been at least three seasons

hear me out

there should have been a full season beginning with Asylum of the Daleks and ending with A Town Called Mercy, depicting the doctor picking up and dropping off Amy and Rory multiple times, and at one point just Amy, tying in with really addressing the Ponds failed-divorce arc. In fact I wouldn't mind would love if this was two seasons. Also maybe seed in the Great Intelligence once or twice, so the threat level of that guy doesn't come out of absolutely nowhere when it finally gets resolved. This doesn't necessarily have to start yet, though.

Because then, of course, the year of the slow invasion should have been a season in and of itself. That opening montage is a great season opener, then set the stage with the cubes, and end the first episode with the Doctor running out in a fit of boredom and frustration, followed by a half season of eleven knocking about on his own (kinda like ten's post-s4 specials: throw River in one to keep the familiar faces, hint at the Tally/the Shakri/Power of Three's Great Big Bad in a way that will feel face-slappingly obvious but only in retrospect, and maybe seed in the Great Intelligence as a proper threat for the first or second time-- could even have another Clara fragment although idk if I'd personally want that).

mid-season Christmas Special is also totally unrelated until the end when it contains That Scene from Power of Three....

then in the second half, the Doctor comes back for the Ponds, and we have half a season of their Anniversary Day Adventures, penultimately ending with them returning to the anniversary party, the confrontation with Brian, and the Doctor staying.

Then the final episode -- or probably final two parter -- begins by showing them all living together, then resolves the slow invasion plotline, giving proper time for the magnitude of a beyond-the-universe, stuff-of-time-lord-legend baddie...

And then, and only THEN, a half season of adventures for the Ponds on their last time out in the TARDIS (of course they don't know that), culminating in TATM and followed by the Snowmen.

At this point, I could accept season 7B as it is, although, if we're really going for ideal world, I'd put another half season of eleven knocking around on his own; looking for the Impossible Girl, and building up the Great Intelligence threat, followed by a full season of eleven and Clara.

There. Ideal total of 5 seasons, and we haven't even talked about the gap between the S7 conclusion and the 50th special (another full season) or all the missing time in season 6B (an elevenriver centric season between 6A and 6B; a whole lot more trio adventures between Night Terrors and the God Complex; and then, of course, at least 200 years of sad eleven on his own (but that pretty much has to be extended universe content) ) or the full season that should exist between s5 and s6, implied at by the specials.... or how much I personally want 10x more of s5 even if it is admittedly pretty tight as it is.... or, in the other direction again, the entire 10+ season long Big Finish range, the Trenzalore Chronicles (give it to me PLEASE).....

And like, I know that this could never have happened because of the scale and commitment involved, and I'm genuinely we got what we did. But 7A is like.... a highlight reel, just enough to communicate that there was this vast sprawling expanse of time.... and I prefer that to cutting the arc short, but I wish we'd gotten to see the show that those handful of episodes did so much to imply the existence of.

[discordiansamba]

Top 5/10 fav moments of Voltron?

Unironically the fucking. Lotor bounce in s6. I live for that moment. It was much deserved, although I think Romelle or Allura should have also gotten to kill him.

that scene between Hunk and Keith in s7. you know the one. I am rotating it constantly.

Allura's impression of Lance lives in my head rent free for reasons I do not understand.

these are tied but Allura reviving the Balmera and her destroying the Komar. great stuff.

the Keith vs Kuron fight in s6. I mean. this shouldn't surprise anyone. I love for shit like that.

that scene in Reunion where Pidge follows Matt's transponder code and it leads her to a graveyard and makes her think her brother is dead? That is actually probably like. the single most solid scene in all of VLD.

I am at all times, rotating like. the entirety of The Last Stand parts 1 and 2. I don't care if other people in the fandom hate those episodes bc none of our main characters are in them. They're so solid (except for the part where they killed off Adam. landspeed record for burying your gays, great job).

Keith attempting to sacrifice himself to save (checks hand) uh basically the entire rebellion. It's an iconic character moment for a reason.

the Keith vs Macidus fight, the second one.

Hunk's moment when they're adrift in space and he's trying desperately to hold everyone together, and how it all comes back to everyone saving Hunk. The actual linchpin of the team.

[kmze]

I have been reading & watching some old cast interviews and comic con panels lately.I never really paid attention to offscreen stuff before but is it me or there was always some underlying tension among them?Either they were trolling or they could barely stand each other to be in the same room or maybe I am reading too much into it.I think the one thing that remained constant was PW relentlessly trolling the show and its below-average writing and outlandish plots.So anyway in the process I got to the part where Malarkey slipped that Enzo will be Bonnie's love interest and Dries spewing BS about Bonlaric in the interviews.This is something Plec said she came up with after their scene in 6×21(hard to believe but whatever).Caroline was the only one the writers didn't say absolutely anything about until they probably decided to incorporate candice's pregnancy.One thing that I remember about both Bonnie and Caroline's so-called future relationships is that neither were compelling enough and little to no effort were made for them before the time jump while both SC & DB were left on cliffhanger.In fact both Carenzo and Bonenzo had the same story.Enzo betrayed both.;vervained Caroline & tied her up,hit Bonnie in the head and injected her with something that disabled her magic.And then in the end got his ass handed over to him by both the girls.😎

Anyway,in one interview,julie had even said that Bonnie and Caroline were going to take centre stage but Candice called and said she was pregnant.I'm not exactly sure how Candice's pregnancy could affect Bonnie's narrative unless it was just one of her lame ass excuses which it absolutely was.So what do you think Baroline's story was originally going to be before the time jump?Baroline being lesbians,dating each other and having the time of their lives in some European city?To be honest I would rather watch THAT.I hope someone does a Tell-All Book someday unless they all signed a NDA because too much shit happened that didn't make any lick of sense.

Hey so I actually think the cast are way more fond of each other than they let on, mostly because I don't see how a group of people would do so many of these cons together if they couldn't stand each other. I think Pauls just did a lot of trolling because he knew people thought it was funny. I do however think Kat hates Caroline Dries as she should and I don't think she likes Julie much either which is also completely warranted. The thing about Dries and Kat in what would be Bonnie's LI in S7 is that Dries said she didn't tell Kat but told Malarkey because Kat wasn't ready to hear it yet and like WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN??? Why does she think she had the right to treat her like a child? I'm so glad that bitch basically got fired in S7 and hasn't had success since, it's what she deserves. Bonnie and Enzo had some build-up in S5 too but it was similar to the stuff they had in 6x21 so it just felt like something the writers were putting a pin in for the future if they needed it. I just think the writers had no idea what to do with Enzo in S6 once they decided they didn't need him as the Klaus-lite foil to Stefan and rather wanted to isolate Stefan and Caroline while they built their love story.

I can probably answer the S7 questions better after I rewatch that season (I'm mid-way through S6 now) but I like 7x04 gives a good idea of what the season would have looked like with Candice's pregnancy. I think the SV baby would have been introduced and that would have been the obstacle for Steroline, maybe Stefan would have been stabbed protecting his kid? I also think Valerie might not have had such a big role that season if Candice wasn't pregnant because her screen time really dwindled after she was about 7 months pregnant. Bonnie on the other hand might have been more involved in the heretics plot and maybe that could have been used to develop Bonenzo but I'm sure Dries decided to make Enzo obsessed with Lily because she hates Kat. Like she would rather take a character we just fucking met and give her more stuff than Bonnie because to be blunt Valerie is white and Dries is racist.

[hayscodings]

hi!! i know i probably sound insane at this point, but i love your posts so i have a few svetlana questions. if svet and yevgeny had stayed until the series finale what do you think would have happened with their characters? what would svetlana do when mickey gets out in season 10? would she and yevgeny attend the gallavich wedding? would svetlana stay in the thruple or get her own place or would something else happen? what would be a proper ending for her?? she’s such an interesting character and we were so robbed when she left with such a bad ending

Noooo I love your asks and asks in general, I am always more than happy to talk about Svetlana.

So before I get into these questions, I just want to preface this by saying that, even though I'm on my third rewatch, I still don't have a good "big picture" concept of each season, especially past S8. So I probably won't get into timeline specifics because my general recollection of the timeline is...not great. I've also never really thought about how Svetlana's storyline would have played out if she'd stayed on the show, so this will be entirely off the cuff.

Personally, I would have liked to see the throuple to work out. I think, because it was executed imperfectly, that there was a lot of potential to work out those kinks and improve on what needed improving. I think they should have delved into each of those dynamics more and showed us how they complemented one another. One of the things I missed in S7-8 was Kev and Svetlana's friendship. They bonded in S5 and worked alongside each other all of S6, but then as soon as they all became a throuple, the focus shifted to Svetlana and V (to the point where you almost forget that it was initially Svet and Kev who made a connection).

All three of their feelings, concerns, etc. should have been properly explored (one short therapy session scene wasn’t enough) and their issues should have been addressed and gradually worked out over the course of the season. I would have liked to see more meaningful conversations between them, not just short little disagreements that conveniently resolved themselves by the end of the episode without them getting to the actual root of the issue. Svetlana wasn't a good communicator, Kev would resort to immaturity any time he got angry, and V frequently put Svetlana on a pedestal while neglecting to consider Kev's feelings. They all had things they could work on.

As far as how it would all play out, I think it would have been good for Svetlana to be on her own for a bit. She could focus on herself and raising Yevgeny and maybe reflect on where she went wrong in her relationship with Kev and V. So let's say that by the end of S8 she's living in the apartment above the Alibi with Yev and her aunt. (She's not paying rent because Kev and V owe her that much after reporting her to ICE and generally treating her like shit.)

When S9 starts, she still owns 50% of the bar and is working alongside Kev and V. Maybe there's still some awkwardness from the whole breakup, but for the most part they're doing okay. I honest to god don't remember what Kev and V's plots are this season, but I think this is the one where Amy and Gemma start acting up and one of them says something about how they don't remember the girls behaving this way when Svetlana was around? I thought it was odd that they didn't consider that the twins missed their stepbrother and stepmom, so...Amy and Gemma start acting up, and they realize it's because the 'divorce' really affected them.

They talk to Svetlana about this (Yevgeny misses his sisters too) and decide to arrange playdates with the kids. I always felt that Svetlana just taking off to marry that old dude was too clean a break. I mean, they made no mention of a divorce, didn't have to deal with custody, didn’t bring up Svetlana’s 50% ownership of the bar, and never had the kids see each other again? That’s so lazy. So anyway, this gradually ends up bringing them all closer together again. They discuss putting the kids in the same preschool and it's all very full circle to S5.

Another thing I would have liked to see for Svetlana is her no longer having to depend on another person for a visa. The show never addressed her and V getting a divorce, so I have no idea when that happened, but let's say that they get one in S8. I am not an expert in immigration law by any means, but my guess is that Svetlana would be left in a similar position as she was in S6. So, she does some research, applies for a T Visa, and ends up being eligible for one. This is a huge relief for her because it's the first time that her status in the country is legitimately secured. By the end of the season she's saved up enough money to get her own place (the room above the Alibi isn't big enough for three people), so she rents a nice little apartment where Yev can have his own room. She also enrolls him in some sort of activity— maybe dance or gymnastics, whatever he shows interest in.

Come S10 she's thriving. Once again I have no idea what happens this season other than Gallavich wedding, so I apologize for not being able to incorporate more plot-relevant storylines. I'll come back to this ask once I’m further in my rewatch. Anyway, this is the season where shit really starts going her way for once— she's doing pretty good money-wise, she's officially back on good terms with Kev and V, and Yevgeny is thriving. She's got lots of ideas for bringing in business to the bar, and maybe a couple of side hustles for good measure. She's still in touch with most of the girls from the massage parlor and one of them ends up giving her the number of a therapist who specializes in helping survivors of human trafficking. She sits on it for a long time but finally brings herself to call when she gets news from her mother in Russia that her father passed away.

She finds out about Mickey getting out of prison from Ian. They end up reconnecting and talking somethings out and Svetlana tells Mickey that if he wants to have a relationship with Yev, whether in a parental capacity or otherwise, then the door is always open. He asks her about the whole throuple situation— teases her about how he would have loved to be a fly on the wall— and she assures him that that ship sailed and that she blew it. She gets invited to the Gallavich wedding and attends with Yevgeny. Mandy is also in attendance, and the two of them get to talking and wonder why they didn't bond sooner.

S11 is when she's finally a place where she's ready to try and make a relationship work again. She's grown and healed a lot since S8, and she's no longer dependent on anyone for security so that anxiety has ceased being a motivating factor for her actions. Kev and V have since apologized and made up for everything that they put her through, and Svetlana understands why they felt betrayed about the bar and apologizes for hurting them. The three of them start to rebuild their relationship throughout the season, determined not to make the same mistakes as last time. Eventually they decide to move in together and buy a place somewhere away from the Southside, though still not too far. It feels like a proper fresh start.

Ian and Mickey start to be a part of Yev's life and Svetlana considers them family. She also becomes very close with Mandy and encourages her to go back to school so that she can get a better job. She’s relieved when Mickey informs her that Terry died, but attends the funeral in solidarity. His mixed feelings remind her somewhat of her own when her father passed.

Post-series, Kev and V get to practice the little Russian that Svetlana has taught them when they finally meet her family (her mother and grandmother fly out to Chicago to see her and meet Yev for the first time). They’ve learned to embrace her culture. Yevgeny is fully fluent and the tries to teach Amy and Gemma. He’s also inherited his mom’s mathematical prowess. Svetlana is safe and happy and finally has what he always wanted for herself and her son— a loving family. Several years down the line she’s able to obtain citizenship.

[hero-adjacent]

Imagine if AtS s4 & BtVS s7 were fully utilizing the fact their arcs take place in the same universe and the main characters know each other so it's really one big story. (yeah I know different networks)

In Lessons, Willow moved a flower via magic 6,112 miles from Paraguay to England. She explained, "It's all connected. The root system, the molecules...the energy. Everything's connected."

Buffy turned her house into a shelter for outcasts, orphans, & refugees. Crowded together for months, sleeping on the floor, in line for the one bathroom. It's cabin fever that started the mutiny.

Meanwhile Angel owned a hotel with a huge lobby, offices, elevators, 68 suites (living room, bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom), a few unexplored rooms.

Willow drove to LA to tell Angel that Buffy died. In AtS s4 AI never told Buffy that Angel was missing. In AtS s3 Gunn said she's the "love of his life & that ain't no short life." Yet it didn't occur to them she would want to know or could help find him. In s7 Buffy (a month post rescue) says "I would've given up everything I had to be with--I loved him more than I will ever love anything in this life."

Willow could've tethered Buffy's house to Angel's hotel, only a 120 mile distance. Every Potential as well as every Scooby & AI member could have their own private apartment with suites to spare.

Buffy lived in Los Angeles 16.5 of 22 years. It's on her mind in s6 when talking of the hallucinations. "And I was just some nutcase in LA." In s7 did she see the news reporting on the city raining fireballs and a localized eclipse with 24/7 darkness?

In BtVS s1 Buffy was Jocasta (Oedipus' mom-wife) on stage. In AtS s4 Angelus mocks Connor/Cordy saying "there should be a play." In The Puppet Show a demon hunter who had an affair with a Slayer was turned into a ventriloquist dummy. Angel has been a puppet literally & figuratively with the PTB.

Hyperion is named after a titan from Greek myth, dad of Eos (dawn), Helios (sun), & Selene (moon). Does Angel know Dawn is Buffy's daughter?

Greek is big in the verse. Willow writing a Sappho poem in Greek. Anya, "It's like a Greek tragedy." Willow called upon the titan Kronos for revenge on Glory. In s8 comics Buffy's Sysiphus analogy.

Met Oracles--portal connected post office to their realm, entrance written in Greek "gateway for lost souls"--the day Angel & Buffy reunited. "Together you were powerful, alone you are dead."

If the Scooby Gang & Fang Gang shared info they'd realize they were in the same situation.

Ra-Tet (conduit for Senior Partners) were the five manifestations of the Egyptian god Ra. It was the Egyptian god Osiris who resurrected Buffy.

AtS s4/BtVS s7 -- Power That Be/First Evil wants to be corporeal and influence everyone on earth for tranquility/chaos, right hand Beast/Caleb hunted down WR&H/WC, the gang take over the ruins

Imagine Wood meeting Connor (both raised by man grieving the victims of Spike & Angelus).

Buffy (nonstop Hellmouth horror):

Faith (bored in Northern CA):

The millennias old Watcher's Council is dismantled and there's a global genocide against the Slayer line but AtS broke Faith out to fight Angelus.

Buffy dreamt of Potentials in September and they started to arrive at her door in December yet Faith didn't know a thing til late April or early May.

[yonemurishiroku]

need to know more about your thoughts of voltron. what do u ship. what season are you at (please dont watch past s3/4). are you a keith girl i hope youre a keith girl you’d better a keith kinda guy because theres no way in hell youre a nico girl without being a keith guy they are my two sons my two babies my most beloved the only boys in the world ever they are the same they are so beautiful they are so special the end

I just want you to know that reading this ask absolutely delights me LOL I can see your love for Keith clearly like the sun in a summer noon.

Anyway, to answer your questions, I'm currently in S6, moving to S7 with the slowest wifi ever (dammit). You say I shouldn't watch past S3/4 but actually? I only see things really spicing up when I've gone through like half the series. That is to say: I had to drag myself through s1 & s2 LMAO. When I first started this show, everything was just... weird. So, so weird - the robot, the characterization, the plot and how it's told. It still is! I suppose the American cartoon does differ considerably from the Japanese mangas I usually read (even when VLD is actually inspired by a Japanese series---). I had to struggle for quite a bit to accommodate.

But I dragged myself through it, successfully solely because of Keith. Oh thank god for Keith. And yes, I'm 100% a Keith girl. I don't even need to finish the series to know that. Well like a Keith parent but we'll talk ab that later.

I started this series when I saw a quote of him, when he and Pidge argued, ya know? "You're putting the lives of two people over the lives of everyone else in the universe!" or something along that line. And I've known, from that single moment, he would have my heart in his hand. I'm also aware that people usually compare Keith and Nico, and that's actually the number 1 reason I came to know Voltron LOL many thanks to the crossovers.

Still, nothing could have prepared me for the incredibility that is... Keith. He is... magnificent, I'd say. His voice (dammit his voice---), his character design (the cropped jacket please I'm on my knees---And why does Keith have so many stunning shots????? What r u trying to tell me, staff??), his personality---- Somehow, they are all on point - unlike the others'.

Now, I'm not saying the others are bad. I'm saying that there are so many things to explore about them - I do think Lance has many potentials actually - but somehow, only Keith, Pidge (and maybe Shiro, it's hard to tell) give me the mere sense of fulfillment and contentment upon watching. Pidge - bc damn that girl is incredible, Keith - bc his character arcs are beautiful. Lotor is a freaking rollercoaster and I enjoy that ride. I do not talk about Allura, though she is built quite well. And Hunk is just... there, I do like him tho. Maybe it's the storytelling style that gets me bewildered like half the time. I'm trying. I admit I sometimes find their building... inadequate, to say the least.

I have many things to say about Keith, but let's leave it until I'm ready lolol.

About the shipping thingies, I have to admit Sheith is currently strangling me LMAO. The appeal is clear as day. However, I intend to start indulging in the shipping only when I've finished watching, and maybe after a few days of ruminating on it. There're many potentials! I don't like limiting myself to one ship, which I tend to do without firsthand exploration, when there's so much to enjoy. That is to say: I'm open for everything! LOL Hit me with everything you've got and we'll see if I can join your crew, sailing towards the horizon together.

All in all, I'm having a great time! And probably love Keith more than I should. Can't wait to ramble about it with you, buddy.

[piscesgirl87]

he took advantage of hailey. end of 6x02 she was emotionally distraught and vulnerable about jay getting shot and he took advantage of that by taking her home to sleep with her. kevin and torres would never! i will never forgive adam for this! not unless he say sorry to hailey but shes gone so that will never happen!

he used kim in the infection crossover. he ignored her all of s6 and the episodes before the infection then suddenly he wanted to take her home all because he was lonely, horny, miserable about his break up with hailey and because he was having hard time adjusting after jail. it sucks kim felt guilty about the miscarriage and he felt no guilt at all. he should! it was fault of the guy who hurt kim in the bathroom but it was adams fault too! i will never forgive adam for this too unless he beg on his knees crying for kim’s forgiveness

he is racist because in the show he only ever got rough with black guys. in s5 and s6 he hit 2 guys for calling hailey a bitch. in s11 some guy called kim a bitch and there was no reaction from him. he was calm. why did he get more upset in s5 and s6 than in s11? either because he cares more about hailey than kim or because the guys in s5 and 6 were black and the guy in s11 wasnt. what do you think?

go watch 7x05 and see how condesending and arrogant he was being to a black cop and telling him how to do his job. 1 good thing did come from kim’s miscarriage. it humbled adam and made his arrogance go away. mack would have hated s6 and s7 adam because thats when he was being a arrogant angry douche boy. adam was not ready to be dad in s7. a dad needs to be man. adam was boy in s7. in s8 he was being dismissive about blm with kev in 8x08 and 8x16. he hit kev in 8x16! he didnt bother hitting the guy who called kim a bitch in 11x03 but he have no problem beating up kev his black “best friend” for no reason in 8x16! for hailey his white girlfriend he had no problem considering buying a big, expensive house thats “bigger than any place hes ever lived in” and taking her on vacations but for mack his black daughter he settled for his old, small, run down, fixer upper, cheap house and he hasnt bothered to take her on vacations. i guess he thinks black people arent worth spending too much money on. i cant believe chicago pd thought it was good idea to give racist character a black daughter!

i pray kim cheats on him with a black man. i pray that man will be richer, successfuller, more handsomer than adam and he will be friend of theirs. i pray he will come home to find them sleeping together on their bed and it will devastate him but she wont give a fuck! she’ll tell him shes leaving him for the black man and take mack with her! this will devastate him forever and make him depressed and suicidal because thats the kind of life adam loser ruzek deserves!

if you think this will never happen well this is tv! anything can happen on tv!

lol

Wow….

I think we’re watching different shows

[starry-mist]

I'd like a profile on this lady.

Me tooooo!

Yay Jesse band singer!

I could listen to Justin sing all day.

This is giving me smiling-awkwardly-at-the-girl-you-like vibes. Charlie, my dude, you two almost live together.

They should have danced together. In fact I hereby request that they dance together next season. Yes I know it’s wrapped.

You know which seasons didn't end on an lighter note? Peter Mitchell's seasons. Maybe that guy had a clause in his contract that said "don't touch my season finales or else".

I’d believe it. 18 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries (fewer back then but you get me) must have earned him some pull in the industry.

It was... a season. It's a good thing that they only went up from that mediocre S6 premiere, and the more the episodes progressed, the more the show looked like the show we know and love.

Yeah when taken as a whole it feels like any other season (exceptions being 4-5) with perhaps a little more character development than 1-3.

Lots of thirsting too hehehe. I'm unapologetic about that. Don't show me a beautiful cast if you don't want me to thirst over them.

They’re GORGEOUS.

Thank you to everyone who engaged with this, liked, reblogged and commented, this definitely wouldn't be as fun if I were to do it on my own.

This has been so much fun to follow along with, thank you!

I hope we all have a nice S7 watch!

🎉🎉🎉

Hudson and Rex S06E16 - Rex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll - Part C

And Charlie nods lol

Damn, Rex, we're trying to save the guy.

"I'm glad I don't have to clean this up."

"That's right. I've had enough of people trying to hurt my human this season."

There is no way dude says that he wanted to be a good husband and father! Like, do you even hear yourself?

"Can you believe this idiot?"

I'd like a profile on this lady.

Wow. She's so clinical and unremorseful.

Yeah, that's fair.

*"Deadly Women" theme plays* (I don't actually know it, they just air the show all the time here for some reason.)

Well, Jesse's first homicide case was a doozy.

Yay Jesse band singer!

And some fans.

This is giving me smiling-awkwardly-at-the-girl-you-like vibes. Charlie, my dude, you two almost live together.

I wanted more song! This is actually something I also noticed in the movie Believe in Christmas, do they pay song licensing according to how many seconds are played over there or something?

Good episode. Not good season finale. Was not intended to be the season finale. I think CityTV has the notion, because they've done this before, that the show needs to end on a lighter note. You know which seasons didn't end on an lighter note? Peter Mitchell's seasons. Maybe that guy had a clause in his contract that said "don't touch my season finales or else".

It was... a season. It's a good thing that they only went up from that mediocre S6 premiere, and the more the episodes progressed, the more the show looked like the show we know and love.

So, this concludes The Great Hudson and Rex Rewatch of 2024, which spilled onto 2025 lol. It was fun, although I wish I didn't have to rush it towards the end. There were a lot of things I'd forgotten and I was glad to be reminded of. Lots of thirsting too hehehe. I'm unapologetic about that. Don't show me a beautiful cast if you don't want me to thirst over them.

Thank you to everyone who engaged with this, liked, reblogged and commented, this definitely wouldn't be as fun if I were to do it on my own. Feel free to use any of the screenshots I took as you see fit, I don't claim ownership over them and I'd be glad to know that someone has a use for them.

I hope we all have a nice S7 watch!

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Fic rec for my BFF, pt. 1

My best friend is currently watching 9-1-1. I've been trying to get her onboard the Buddie ship and she is graciously tolerating me. She's asked for some fic recs and so this is what I came up with! I did have to work with a few parameters to fit her taste, the most important one being nothing post season 3 cause that's where she's up to and she didn't want spoilers.

Hope you enjoy these bestie!

Canon to Canon Divergent

Things We're All Too Young to Know by Daisies_and_Briar / @cal-daisies-and-briars 

Canon S1-S6, S7 Spec | 123/? | 379K | Mature

This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

THE canon fics to end all canon fics. I know it's still a WIP and it spans up to post-S6, but if you want a canon fic, that's the one to go for.

Leading with the Left by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels 

Canon Divergent, Different First Meeting, Stripper Buck | 84K | Explicit

When Buck said he was a "bartender" in "South America" what he actually meant was "stripper" in "Mexico." And when Eddie said, "What's your problem?" what he actually meant was, "Is this about the time you gave me a lap dance?" In other words, there's a few things the 118 doesn't know about Buck. Or Eddie. Or Buck and Eddie's relationship.

One of my most re-read fics. The smut is impeccable. The angst is so good. Absolutely love this fic!

Your Scars and Your Lonely Heart by Taste_is_Sweet

Sentinels AU, Canon Divergent - Tsunami | 82K | Teen

Clara Williams just wanted to visit Pacific Park during her layover in Los Angeles. She never expected to find a young, exceptional Sentinel dying for lack of a bond. Actually, what she really never expected was a tsunami, or the same Sentinel to save her life. But Clara's a Guide, so now she's on a mission to keep Evan "Buck" Buckley alive until she can get him to Eddie Diaz, the Guide who should have bonded with him, but didn't. Because Clara can't bond with Buck, no matter how much she wants to. There's just one problem: Buck's convinced Eddie doesn't want him, and he might not survive long enough to find out the truth.

Another one of my most re-read fics! I had never read a Sentinels AU before and I fell in love with the concept!

the distance to the stars by cloudydaisies 

Didn't Know They Were Dating, Post-S3 | 27K | General

“Didn’t know you were seeing someone.” Buck just laughs. Like, honest to god giggles. Eddie is stuck fighting off doubly massive waves of butterflies and confusion, all while Buck just gazes down at him. “That’s cute,” he hears Buck mumble, just before climbing into the truck, calling Eddie after him. - or, everyone knows eddie is dating buck except for eddie, literally.

Don't know if you knew this, Marie, but Buddie is the #1 most tagged ship in the "Didn't Know They Were Dating" tag cause they're such idiots <3 and this is one of my favorite ones!

the weekly bet (but the forever kind) by theleftboobgrabber/ @theleftboobgrabber 

Late S3, Getting Together | 49K | Explicit

“Thanks,” Eddie mumbles, hiding his face deep in his pillow, even if Buck can’t see him in the dark. “What for?” Leave it to Buck to be confused about something so obvious. “Being you, idiot.” “And again with the name calling,” he answers, content and sleepy. Nights like this, Eddie feels like asking for a miracle. But to the team, it wasn’t a matter of if Abby would take him back, but when. A matter of days. When the squad bets on how long it will take for Buck and Abby to get back together when she comes back to LA, Eddie is forced to reconsider keeping his feelings for Buck a secret.

Top tier pining + oblivious Eddie = 👌

Always, All Ways by ashavahishta/ @tevankinkley

A/B/O AU | 85K | Explicit

“Buck is very dear, Mr Diaz. Not only to me but to the pack. You’ll find that if you treat him with anything less than utmost respect you’ll have a lot of people to answer to.”   Eddie swallowed. It was clear that in the absence of a mate, this omega had found himself a very protective pack. “Understood, sir.” Or: Buck’s the only omega in the 118. He’s got secrets, and walls a mile high. Eddie’s the alpha determined to knock them down.

There's not a ton of A/B/O fics in this fandom, and I should really try to read more of them, but this is probably my favorite one so far!

I Hit the Accelerator (But the Car was in Reverse) by extasiswings/@extasiswings, letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/@letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

S3, Friends With Benefits, BDSM | 68K | Explicit

When Buck is forced to confront the truth about his breakup with Abby, having casual sex with his hot new coworker seems like the best rebound idea. Unfortunately, that hot new coworker turns into his best friend. But best friends can keep having sex with each other, right? There's no way this could possibly go wrong.

THE friends with benefits fic! (ok lbr there's a ton of great ones, but this one is S2 focused iirc)

AUs

My Blood on Your Skin (My Rose on Your Snow) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

Mythological AU, BDSM | 80K | Explicit

When Eddie needs cash and fast to take care of Christopher, his LAFD Academy buddy suggests a job as a bouncer at Elysium - an exclusive sex club in downtown Los Angeles. Eddie doesn't care what goes on there, so long as he's paid, but he finds he cares a lot bout the club's enigmatic owner, Evan Buckley, and it's not long before the two of them are violating every boss-employee rule in the book. But there's something different about Buck and the club, something not quite... human. If Eddie wants to keep Buck, he's going to have to delve into the world of immortals, and all the risks that implies.

You can expect amazing smut by this author as always, but also really interesting worldbuilding and characters!

All My Shattered Oaths by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

Vampires AU | 107K | Explicit

Eddie wants to stay away from his family’s legacy and give his son a normal life. Buck’s desperate to find a way to get over the love he lost. Fate has other plans for both of them.

SO GOOD. The canon divergent reincarnation vampire AU you didn't know you needed!!!

a bleeding sun on a silver screen by rarakiplin (gmontys)/ @hoediaz 

Actors AU, Friends With Benefits | 130K | Mature

One day, Buck will tell an interviewer that he would be happy to make movies with Eddie Diaz until the day he dies. But first, years before that, he sees Eddie for the first time on the set of Chimney’s fifth movie.

An epic tale of movie making and enemies to friends to FWB to strangers to lovers!

The Truth of Love (Amas Veritas) by allyasavedtheday/ @littlespoonevan

Practical Magic AU | 20K | Teen

Bobby opens his mouth like he wants to argue but decides against it. “Walk me through the logic here then. How will this make sure you never fall in love?” “Because I’m making someone who doesn’t exist,” Buck explains, glancing from the half-full bowl to Bobby. He can’t work out what the look on Bobby’s face means so he pointedly elects to ignore it. “They’ll have brown hair,” he starts, clipping another petal from the rose bush. “And brown eyes-“ “Lotta people out there with brown hair and brown eyes, kid,” Bobby says lightly and Buck rolls his eyes. “But not many that can ride a horse backwards,” Buck counters. “And whose favourite shape is a star and who’s got…two scars,” he decides, plucking a basil leaf and dropping it in the bowl. “One on each shoulder.”

Because Practical Magic AUs always make me think of you <3

I'll Scrawl it on Every Wall I See by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

Canon Divergent, You've Got Mail Fusion | 29K | Teen

When Eddie joins the 118, he and Buck don't exactly hit it off on the right foot. Or continue to walk on the right foot. In fact they kind of can't stand each other. Good thing they each have a beloved anonymous pen pal to share their daily woes with, someone completely unlike their insufferable coworker.

I do love some good romcom vibes!

[thatiranianphantom]

what's your opinion on the 6x22 jabitha scene?? their entire future together because imo it seems extremely suspicious they had them go through their whole lives together like that as if they don't plan on them lasting which I always felt anyways tbh!! I had a friend of mine tell me they thought that scene solidified jabitha endgame because IMHO it did the exact opposite!! jabitha are a very poor imitation of bughead only not nearly as amazing and perfect! they tried but failed to make them anything like bughead, jabitha are the most boring couple ever, after tangs! I was just wondering what your opinion was on it because the very few jabitha shippers I've seen think their endgame because of it ugh sorry not sorry but bughead will always be the best ship of this show, same with varchie they can't erase them no matter how hard they try or replace them!! sorry for bothering you btw <3

Hello love, you're not bothering me! I'm going to refer to them as JT in this, just so that it stands a chance of not showing up in the tag for the maybe 4 shippers.

Okay, so I guess continuing JT is theoretically possible as much as anything else in s7? But I have some severe doubts. Number one, Tabitha is and was a historically unpopular character, and JT is an incredibly unpopular ship. This isn't a bias thing, this is actual facts. Numerically, statistically, JT is a really really bad idea. That's to say nothing of the fact that the actors look like they're being forced to interact at gunpoint.

(Sidenote: how-do, Melinda! For your sake I hope it takes you more than 5 minutes to find and reblog this. And you should probably consider removing your full name from some of your socials. Just an aside.)

Anyway, could they return to s6 or keep the JT going in S7? I guess, but it's been to the detriment of both characters, who have really nosedived in popularity because of JT. Then we have to consider if they did, what story would there be to continue? Life with the JT kids? BA planning their wedding? Percival is gone, the comet has hit, the couples were wrapped up with a neat little bow, in all seriousness, what story is there to return to?

Then we get into Tabitha's role this season. The line she got in the description was very 👀 , as is the fact that she's hardly been seen in BTS this season. Making her an angel talking to Jughead makes her plot entirely contingent on his, and per RAS, we know that he kinda settles into the 50s thing at the end of the first episode. Again, this is all spec, but given her unpopularity, and given how much they need to keep this season to things that work, I do wonder if she is very sporadically in the season or only in the first episode. Who knows really, but is JT a thing I am worried about? Nah, not really.

(Also, thanks for mentioning Tangs, one of the most genuinely hilarious parts of last season. Without hyperbole, a couple with zero fans, I about died laughing when they were on screen. Chemistry comparable to JT, acting skills minimal to none, compatibility nonexistent, married on a lie. Ah, sweet love.)

Hope this helps!

[hanna-water]

Part 5 “I’ll Be Fine”: Talk about Popculture, Druck and Gen Z Popkultur Festival Berlin 2022, wednesday 24.08.2022 with Eren M. Güvercin, Nhung Hoang, Naomi Bechert (social media team during s5 – s6, writer of s7 and s8) Moderated by Aidan Riebensahm Naomi: (talks about how Gen Z gives her hope for the future and how the generations should work together to improve things. Then she says that millenials have kind of paved the way for Gen Z.) Eren: uhm wasn´t this also the generation before you, like your parents? Aidan: I wanted to add that actually. This were developments that took hundreds of years. And now things are finally progressing. Without putting all the pressure only on you because our age difference is not THAT big, right? Nhungi: I think that older generations also had a lot of similar demands but I think what is different is that we have been indoctrinated with this catastrophe-fetish. We get told “tomorrow the world ends.” all the time and then we say “shit tomorrow the world ends, then lets make the best out of it.”. And we try to solidars..... solidarise “damn shit”. (everybody laughs because she sweared) Aidan: “shit?” It´s ok I will allow it. Naomi: I`ve been told worse. Aidan: Eren said I witnessed ´68. (everyone laughs) Eren: I did not say you witnessed ´68 that was only a comparison. (laughs) Nhungi: yeah well, and because of the internet there is a lot of gun powder and we will try to change something. Eren: I think it is not like…. sometimes I think that our generation thinks too much of itself. And then I read about very interesting history, for example white boys (or wild boys?) 1920, google it. So many heavy things have happened even 100 years ago. Nhungi: do you remember? (to Aidan) Everyone laughs Eren: I think its important to think about who paved the way for the activism today. Aidan: (talks about how older generations were more forced to adjust and the younger generations are confident to just do their thing.) Naomi: (talks about how it is more normal nowadays to stand behind your values and the role of social media to encourage discussions) Aidan: How do you calm down and get the pressure off when everything is getting too much? Can you collect a few things? Nhungi: My best advice is to just go offline and go outside. See real people, learn to know real people, interact with them because what is shown on the internet and on your foryou page is not the reality. Its not what defines our society. I myself can easily lose myself in a rush of negativity, self-hate and negative thoughts when I don´t have a 15 minutes timer set up. And then I just turn everything off for a moment, go outside, talk to people, drink a coffee, meet my friends and its basically the best you can do. Its partly an avoidance strategy. Because then I don´t have to deal with those topics. But for me its like, how do I create a room for myself so that I can take this information in with a healthy mindset? Eren: I agree. I am more the type of person who likes to stay at home and does nothing. Turning the phone off, using no media in general and read a book and chill with it. Aidan: What are you currently reading? Eren: (laughs) recently I finished “21 lessons for the 21st century” by Yuval Noah Harari and now I start with “Feuchtgebiete” by Charlotte Roche (apparently the english title is “Wetlands”). laughter from the audience Aidan: I wrote a paper/essay about that in 8th grade. Naomi: That’s such a millennial book actually. Aidan: yes totally. Eren: I am fully excited. I am on page 1. Naomi: (talks about going to places in the nature to calm down) Eren: Or Falafel Halloumi. Around the corner of where I live, there is a Falafel restaurant where I just know, I can go there if I am not in the mood to do anything or if I have too much on my mind. Nhungi: support your locals! Aidan: support your local Fallafel Halloumi! Ok we will open for questions of the audience now.

[herinsectreflection]

Speaking of speculation about alternate versions of the series, what would you think of a version of Buffy that ended after season 5? Would you be happy with that?

It's weird, I've done almost a complete 180 on this question since I first watched the show. My not-really-secret shame is that I used to be a bit of a S6-hater. I had major problems with the last two seasons, S6 in particular, and once would have virulently defended the idea of Buffy ending with S5.

I was wrong, of course. S6 is a great season, and S7 has many components of greatness. But The Gift still works perfectly as a series finale. It has a feeling of finality, of tying everything together - from the previously on epically covering the entire series to the final shot summating the main character in a perfectly understated way (she did, indeed, save the world a lot). It gives the secondary characters clear directions to their happy ending - Willow and Tara are reunited, Xander and Anya are engaged. And while it's sad that Buffy is dead, she got to die in the best way possible. She wasn't offed in an alley by some random vampire "having a good day". She got to give her life to save her sister, her friends, and the entire multiverse. Death is inevitable, as S5 made very clear - but she made a victory out of that inevitability. For a slayer, winning means dying well. And... she won.

This is what makes S6 so jarring. Buffy even says it herself in After Life. "I was finished. Complete." She's talking about herself but she's also talking about the show. The show was done, and ended with the perfect finale. There was no good reason to continue it. And yet... it continues. It shouldn't, but it does. The show itself is like a vampire - more alive than it should be. Perhaps the biggest change I have undergone as a fan is from being frustrated by the sense of wrongness to absolutely fascinated by it.

I've said before - Buffy was suicidal in S5, and she got to experience a suicidal person's greatest fantasy - a good reason to die. Being able to kill yourself in a way that your friends and family will understand. In a way that is an act of kindness to them. That's powerful. She is suicidal in S6 again because she is experiencing the reality. There is no good reason to die. It just leaves your loved ones alone and in danger. Her managing to move through that and claw her way out, saving her sister while still living, is powerful in its own uglier, quieter way.