#this wasn't meant to be this long

[poisonedfate]

i come before you today with a new proposition - an 'arthur knows' reveal set at the end of 04x07. gaius is back safely, no longer thought to be the traitor and arthur asks merlin to leave the room so he could speak to gaius alone. in the episode he asks about emrys and gaius protecting him, but what if instead he simply said "i know". what if instead of enquiring about whether or not gaius gave away any of camelot's secrets he simply asks "does she know?". and gaius drains of all colour, of course, he just had to protect merlin and now he's being challenged to do it again.

i imagine this is where the episode would end, but just for more perspective - in my mind, arthur was already suspicious before this. not exactly "oh, he has magic" suspicious, but "there's something, i don't know what, but it's on the very tip of my tongue" suspicious. in comes gwaine, who was just on the rescue mission with merlin where he had a guy fly and land on him (which, obviously, in the episode was brushed off). perhaps in the changed scenario he even overheard merlin and alator of the catha just for a brief moment.

gwaine would never just give away merlin's secret like that, not without good reason, but he's smart. he knows. he sees. he also had the run-in with agravaine where he was very clearly being suspicious. so gwaine pulls arthur aside and tries to hammer into arthur's thick skull that merlin is in danger - he's unsure if morgana knows, if she's realised she was looking for merlin, at the end of the day he didn't exactly see it all play out. but arthur won't take it, keeps asking and asking until gwaine just says "it's him, help him". nothing more, nothing else.

and that's how he ends up having the conversation with gaius. just as a last little note - obviously arthur is very hung up on dragoon/emrys being at fault for uther's death. in the episode gaius does try and convince him that the sorcerer meant no harm, but yknow, it's arthur. so i think he'd have to bring up the necklace, explain the actual circumstances as much as he can. no magic reveal is complete without arthur having some sort of Moment, but i think he'd help first and think second. how that plays out afterwards is up to interpretation.

[billy-hardgrove]

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48024550 It was more than obvious in the Hargrove house when Billy had a date. He would spend almost a solid hour in the bathroom, showering and getting his hair just right, emerging from a wall of steam with only a towel wrapped around him and a smug look on his face. He’d return to his room, and soon after the smell of body spray and cologne would waft out from under his door, and the house would shake from the boom of his record player.

Well, so long as his father wasn’t home. In which case everything remained the same, just more subdued.

When he was all done and ready he’d re-appear from his room, looking like he was ready to step onto the set of a photo shoot. Primped and pampered, not a strand of hair out of place; a fresh, crisp shirt buttoned only half the way up regardless of weather, and adorned with every piece of jewellery he owned. His looks and charisma were more than enough to woo his company for the night, but he still went above and beyond so there wasn’t even a shadow of a doubt he’d get what he was after.

He’d strut through the house like a proud peacock, as though he was walking some runway in Paris.  Putting on a silent show for no one. Well, no one important. Just Max, who was usually tucked away in her room or watching TV in the lounge; regarding Billy with no more than a roll of her eyes.

Apart from today. Billy was the one trying to pay her no mind, even though he could see the shit-eating grin on her face out the corner of his eye. He didn’t even make it to the door before she said something that stopped him in his tracks and made his whole body convulse.

“Say ‘Hi’ to Steve for me.”

He met her grin with a sneer, and quickly flipped her the bird before storming outside, the sound of her laughter following after him as he headed for the Camaro.

Eight o���clock. That was the time they’d agreed on. But it was closer to half past when Billy rolled up to the Harrington home. Though this was their first official date, they had hung out a few times already and Steve was notoriously always late; which is why the blonde was so surprised to see the other teen already sitting at the steps of his home.

“Been waiting long, gorgeous?” The gravel crunched under the tires of his car as he slowed down besides Steve, who huffed quietly and checked the chunky watch strapped to his wrist.

“Like… forty minutes, dude.” He got to his feet and brushed himself down, zipping up his bomber jacket and cramming his hands into the pockets as he slowly made his way around the car to climb into the passenger side.

“Mm. Sorry. Was running on Harrington time. Colour me surprised you were early for once.” He flicked his tongue out and smirked teasingly at the other, but then took a moment to really look him over. Steve always looked good. But tonight his hair looked expertly styled, his skin was practically glowing, and he smelled… divine. The guy had really made an effort for him. “Sorry.” He repeated himself, with a more sincere tone this time, patting Steve on the leg before taking Cam out of park and pulling away from the house.

The apology was accepted, and Steve seemed to relax more into his seat, the smallest of smiles creeping over his face as he wound down his window and let the cool, evening air blow over him. That’s when the butterflies set in for both of them. This was technically the first time Steve had even been inside the Camaro. In fact, he didn’t think he’d ever seen another guy in the passenger seat. Just girls. And Max. But Billy had been near insistent that he’d pick Steve up, rather than the pair just meeting somewhere.

“Hey. Where… where are we going, anyway? What does a Hargrove date look like?” Steve rest his arm against the open window and turned his body towards Billy, who gave him a quick quirk of his brow.

“Movie. Diner. Backseat. Usually.” The leather clad teen shrugged, keeping his eyes forwards on the dark roads and missing the blush that spread over Steve’s cheeks.

“...Yeah? We must have gotten dating tips from the back of the same magazine or something.” He laughed, and blushed even deeper when he saw the grin on Billy’s face. He’d done that. “Just never been on this side of the car before. Whole new perspective.” He had been trying to avoid looking into the back, knowing full well what usually happened there. What… might happen there tonight. Shit, is that where this was going? He hadn’t actually thought that far ahead.

They were just hanging out again, albeit in a more official capacity. But the two men were cut from the same cloth, and their dates usually ended in exactly the same way. Would they-? Who would-? Where would-?

Steve swallowed hard, and practically jumped out of his skin when Billy’s hand pressed against his thigh again, giving him a firm squeeze to snatch his attention. Their eyes met, just for a moment, and the blonde offered him a smile.

“Relax. This isn’t a typical ‘Hargrove date’. Got other plans.” He could still remember how agitated and wound up he would feel just from looking at Billy. From being anywhere near him. But now he was having the near opposite reaction. When did that happen? When did they start getting so close? Before or after Billy beat the crap out of him?

“Oh. I must be special.”

“You are.”

It was just meant to be a cheeky quip, something dumb and obnoxious to make him feel less tense. But then Billy had to go ahead and agree with him with zero hesitation and Steve was finally starting to learn what it felt like to be ‘woo’ed by someone.

Meanwhile Billy couldn’t get over how timid Steve looked. Even when backed into a corner the brunette usually remained stern. He’d thrown insults at him, teased him, bullied him, threatened him; and Steve always kept that steely gaze. He never backed down.

But now he was allowing himself to be vulnerable, bearing his stomach to Billy, so to speak. There was a softness to his expression, and an uncertainty in his eyes. This was new to both of them, but at least Billy was playing the role he always had, going through similar motions, even if for the first time he has someone in the passenger seat he may actually care for.

The silence that fell over them was becoming awkward quickly, so with a flick of his wrist Billy turned on the radio and cranked it up just high enough to suggest that speaking wasn’t necessary right now. They could just enjoy the drive, and each other’s company. Steve could take all the time he needed to adjust, to re-connect with that Harrington confidence.

“Billy…” That hadn’t been on the road for too long before they came to a stop somewhere familiar. And the confusion was more than apparent in Steve’s voice. “Why are we at school?” The Camaro pulled into it’s usual spot, and Billy killed the engine, his hands still holding onto the wheel as he rolled his head towards Steve and smirked.

“What? Only place I could think of that would be empty this time of night.” Right. Discretion was the name of the game, after all. They couldn’t exactly share a shake at the mall, or catch a movie. Even being seen together in a casual setting would be… suspicious. They were hardly known for being the best of friends. Or friends at all.

“We’re not breaking and entering are we…?” Steve glanced towards the building, shrouded in darkness and silent. It brought a shiver to his spine, seeing the place like this, a hollow corpse devoid of all life. It felt wrong. “We’re breaking and entering, aren’t we…” He sighed when he heard the click of Billy’s door opening, and could feel that grin burning into the back of his head without even having to look.

He followed suit, swinging himself up from the Camaro’s low seat and stretching himself out into the cool evening air; only to feel a pair of arms wrapping around him from behind, firmly holding him as Billy’s face pressed into his neck. The blonde’s lips against his skin made his whole body shiver, a wild rush of heat engulfing his body and his heart pumping a million miles a minute.

“B-Billy?!” Steve held his arms half way up, unsure what stance to take, completely taken by surprise by the sudden gesture of affection; his brows knitting into a small scowl when he felt the rumble of a quiet chuckle against his neck.

“Sorry.” His deep voice was low, no more than a whisper, but despite his apology he didn’t pull away, lavishing Steve with another tender kiss. “Just let me pretend for a minute, yeah?”

“Huh?” What did he mean by that? Pretend… what? Steve’s eyes glanced around the empty parking lot, “Oh.” The realization formed a pit in his stomach, something bitter-sweet. You see it everyday, a guy wrapping his arms around his girl, couples sharing kisses, holding hands. No one bats an eye at it, it’s just part of teen life, those squishy displays of personal affection that earn no more from everyone else than a roll of the eyes.

He can taste their disgust in the back of his mouth if they were to see them.

“You never seem that interested in the girls you drive home.” Steve leans back into Billy at last, allowing his body to relax with a content exhale. And the blonde returned in kind by tightening his embrace and resting his chin upon the slightly taller man’s shoulder, lazy eyes watching the side of his face. “You trying to act cool or you just not into them?”

He didn’t answer him right away, letting the question sit in the air. He knew what Steve was really asking, but Billy didn’t really have an answer for him.

“Does it matter? Driving you home now.”

“Billy, we can’t—“

“I know.”

They could both feel the cold in their bones, Billy’s chest aching when Steve pulled away from him, only to have both of his hands seized by the other; cautious eyes looking upwards to be met with a warm smile.

The world wasn’t ready for them. Or, maybe, they weren’t ready to take on the world just yet.

“But, hey, my car is a hunk of junk. Hasn’t seen a mechanic since I got it. Who knows. Maybe one morning she won’t start and I’ll have to call in a favour? Nothing suspicious about that. I know Max. Max asks you. We start hanging out.” The smile grew into a grin, and Billy couldn’t help but laugh at how much thought Steve had put into this. Into them.

“Got it all planned out, ey princess?” Steve’s face scrunched up at the nickname, but before he could protest there were sun-kissed lips pressed against his own; eyes wide in surprise, then fluttering shut as the pair melted into one another.

Billy was the first to tease the other with his tongue, teeth grazing against a bottom lip, hands finding themselves on Steve’s waist, fingers pushing up under his shirt to graze softly against the brunette’s skin; which was enough to send a bolt of excitement from the tip of Steve’s head down to the soles of his feet and right back up.

With the smallest of gasps his lips parted and their tongues clashed for the first time, tasting each other and going all in. Steve’s hands were in Billy’s wild locks, holding his head to the side as he pushed himself forwards, taking charge and forcing the Californian’s tongue back into his own mouth, his giving pursuit.

The chill of the night was quickly replaced with a heat rising in both of their bodies; the excitement of their first ever kiss, the thrill of being somewhere so familiar to them, and the fear that someone could happen upon them at any moment.

They were both so touch starved.

At least Billy knew he was. But it came as a surprise to Steve, how badly he needed this. Not just the kiss, but the feeling of want coming from Billy. He wasn’t just letting it happen, waiting for it to be over, doing it because he felt like it was what they were supposed to do. It was also a surprise how willing Billy was to allow him to take the lead, despite being the one to initiate it. Steve was conducting the dance, and Billy was matching each step perfectly.

When the kiss finally broke they just stared at each other for a few moments, their chests rising and falling in sync as they caught their breath. Nothing was said on it. Simply letting the experience be without the need for commentary; Billy finally wiping his mouth off on his sleeve and smiling warmly at Steve before stepping away.

He retrieved a small crate of beer from the trunk of his car, and for the rest of the night the pair perched on the hood, side by side, drinking, smoking, talking. Billy opening up about life back in California. Steve opened up about the absence of his parents. They spoke about Max, and the rest of the kids. They skirted around the topic of how weird the town could be.

It was comfortable. It felt natural. Billy loving how intense Steve got whenever he was recalling a story; the way his face would twist up and he’d speak so aggressively with his hands. And Steve loving the lightness in Billy’s laugh, his real laugh, not that obnoxious barking he did around others. It was slightly higher in pitch than his voice usually was, and he always ended it with a deep exhale and a content sigh that always made it sound like he was slowly deflating.

By the end of the night they were leaning against each other, fingers laced, Billy’s head on Steve’s shoulder; comfortable in each other’s silence as they finished their beers and looked up into the starry sky.

“This was nice.” Steve knew they’d have to be getting back soon. It was getting late, and even though he didn’t have anyone to scold him for being out so long, he knew Billy did.

“Mm.” The blonde at his side defiantly pressed himself harder against his body, turning to hide his face into Steve’s neck.

“Come on, man…” The gentle chuckle brought a smile to Billy’s face, who eventually relented and hopped himself off the hood of his car and retrieved the keys from his pocket. Taking this chance to stop and look at the other, admire the sight of one of the most gorgeous men he’d ever seen perched so casually on his car.

The look didn’t go unnoticed, a blush coming to Steve’s cheeks as he slid to his feet and bumped his arm playfully against Billy’s before they both climbed back into the Camaro and headed off.

There was no awkward silence this time, just more casual conversation as the pair got more accustom to one another. Neither knew what it was going to be like tomorrow, when they were back in the world of the waking and surrounded by people again.

That didn’t matter right now. They both wanted tonight to simply exist in and of itself.

“First date I’ve had in awhile that didn’t end with at least a blow job.” Billy stood outside the Harrington house, Steve already in the doorway and grinning back at him.

“I mean, you can come inside and give me one if you’re that desperate.” That had the blonde laughing like a maniac, shaking his head and slowly wagging his finger at Steve, who beamed with pride.

“Good one. I’ll give you that.” He stepped forwards, and Steve’s heart actually stopped for a moment.

“H-Hey, it was just a joke, you—“ He was interrupted by a brief kiss to his lips, which melted away all that anxiety and replaced it with a dopey look on his face, and a serene feeling in his chest.

“Maybe next time. See you around, Harrington.” With a wink Billy headed back to his car, Steve calling out to him.

“See you tomorrow morning! I think, uh, I think I might have some car trouble…”

[jurakan]

Fun facts about the Crusades?

Today You Learned about Frederick Barbarossa.

I wasn't planning to use his profile pic from Wikipedia, but I just thought it looked kind of funny.

Born in 1122, Friederich I, nicknamed 'Barbarossa' because of his red beard, was the Holy Roman Emperor. This dude has a reputation as a badass. See, the Holy Roman Empire (not the same as the Roman Empire you probably think of) wasn't quite as awesome as it had been in the past, so Friedrich wanted to fix that. Upon ascension to the throne, he solidified his power base, did international politicking like a pro, made friends with the Pope (though his relationship with the Papacy later turned sour), and proceeded to wage several major campaigns in northern Italy to re-establish Holy Roman presence there.

He grabbed the relics of the Three Magi and put them in Cologne, Germany, where they're kept to this day. He worked hard to get Charlemagne canonized--which kind of happened, by an antipope though, so it doesn't actually count for us Catholics. He built a friendly rapport with the Byzantines. And then he built tons of family connections by getting kids hitched to Italian nobles.

Also! Fun fact: while he later put a tax on the Jewish population of his kingdom, he also passed laws protecting them, and punishing anyone who would preach against or harm them. Which in this point of history is mind-blowing.

Dude didn't have a spotless record, but he was a certified badass and experienced statesman.

And then the Third Crusade happened.

After a sermon pitching another Crusade, Freddy Barbarossa asked an assembly if he should take the Cross. The crowd overwhelmingly cheered for it, and so he did, making preparations to go East and free the Holy Land. And this Crusade was going to be AWESOME, right? Three Kings on Crusade: Frederick Barbarossa, Philip II of France, and... some guy from some island people hardly cared about.

[That last one's an exaggeration, but I'm doing it for dramatic effect so stick with me.]

Philip and the other guy decided to sail. Friederich went over land, with an army a hundred thousand strong, with tens of thousands of knights. This was THE SHIZ, man, he was going all out. They had some opposition on the way, because some kingdoms don't like it when you march an army through them! But they pushed through, and this was going to be the Most Awesomest Crusade Evah. Saladin was quaking in his boots.

So, uh... yeah, he stopped somewhere on the way there, and uh... drowned.

Goshdarnit, Friederich.

There are conflicting accounts as to how that happened. Some say he went swimming across the river and drowned in unexpectedly strong currents. One account says he got thrown from his horse and drowned because he was in his armor. Some (including some Saracens) declared it was God's punishment.

Regardless of exactly what happened, we still had a dead Holy Roman Emperor. A lot of his army just packed up and went home. Philip of France saw that the biggest guns for this operation were gone, and decided he's also turn around. Without Frederick Barbarossa, it was going to be a bust.

And so that third guy, that nobody from a backwater? He decided not to go home. He decided, "Screw it! Frederick's dead, and the French are leaving! I'll do this Crusade on my own!" And he did; it made his career (and arguably bankrupted his country). For his role in the Third Crusade, Richard, the last guy standing, was later known as "King Richard the Lion-Hearted".

[Okay, so England wasn't exactly a backwater no one cared about, but it wasn't considered as important as France or the Holy Roman Empire. Richard helped make them more noticeable on the medieval world stage.]

For whatever reason, some people decided that it was difficult to believe that Frederick got himself killed so lamely. So there's a popular German legend that came up in the Middle Ages claiming that he's not dead, he's just sleeping under a mountain somewhere, and will pop back up when he's needed.

Of course, given German history, you can probably guess what unsavory sorts co-opted this story, or the imagery of Frederick as the great warrior king, while also forgetting that he put up historic protections for the Jewish people. The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union was titled "Operation Barbarossa" after this guy.

Nazis suck and they lie about history. What else is new?

Putting the 'fun' back in 'Fun Fact', Barbarossa's death is also a major Plot Point in the novel Baudolino by (the notably anti-fascist) Umberto Eco, where it's turned into a bit of a mystery. Also there's a lot of weird stuff in that book, and Barbarossa's death is maybe the least weird thing going on.

Hope this was an enlightening Fun Fact for you!

[voicestm]

@berylcluster hit the <3

Hers is a charmed life. She has no illusions of this. Though she's been sheltered and kept protected from the dangers of the Known Universe, she had also been taught not to take the life she had been gifted for granted. A princess in a tall tower she might be, dumb and ignorant she was not. She was her people's future and it was an honor she took seriously.

She was able to afford the small creature comforts due to her station and though usually she would reframe from over indulgence, she hadn't truly been prepared for that first dry heat when she stepped onto the surface of that desert planet; Arrakis. How glad she was her family ship held silly things like a large bathhouse and a shimmering pool.

The planet was lovely in a way she wasn't used to. Different from her own home world. Some would call it dull and dab but she sees it through the lens of wonder and excitement. Who could say what adventure would seek her out, what secrets and long to be told stories could be found all around. Still. There was the matter of the heat, the moisture that seemed to leech from her very body. She knew she'd have to be careful when exploring for more than once a single reason. Her party pauses and she glances towards the focus of their gazes. The royal family had come to greet them. She studies the Duke and his wife, [she refused to think of Lady Jessica as anything but, it seemed disrespectful and she knew how she'd feel if someone thought less of her mother because her father was stubborn. ] both presented themselves as befitting their ranks yet they couldn't keep her eye for very long as Paul Atreides steps from behind them and seems to find her gaze in the crowd. As handsome as she's been told. His father's coloring and his mother's features. He's truly striking and suddenly she finds herself wondering if she painted such a picture. She was merely many shades of pale. From her hair to her dress and the jewelry she worn.. Both parties are moved indoors with some haste and she soon finds herself far too interested in the building around her and when she looks back to where her party should be.. She finds she's alone.. Except for the prince standing and watching her.

Her cheeks darken with color and she quickly finds her voice. "I'm sorry.. I must have.. Did I stray away or did I simply move too slowly?" She asks, trapping over her words, that flush spreading over the bridge of her nose.

[booasaur]

Renegade Nell (2024) - 1x06

[lazylittledragon]

ok i swear i'm not going to talk about my breakup forever but the thing that just keeps bothering me:

i know that not getting what you need in a relationship is a COMPLETELY valid reason to end it but also. i feel like having a very vulnerable moment where i opened up about my struggles with intimacy and being relieved that i didn't have to keep doing things i wasn't comfortable with, then being dumped a YEAR later because of my lack of intimacy. is something i should be allowed to be very hurt by???

[stagefoureddiediaz]

911 and the Wizard of Oz!

So I’ve written a couple of times about the wizard of Oz connections that 911 has had in the past. Well after 8x03 and the trailer for 8x04 - everything has become much clearer to me and boy oh boy is Tim pulling a blinder with this one!

I need to start by saying he is playing on lore from both the original books as well as the film, so much of this wouldn’t be evident if you had little to no knowledge of the book series. I however do - because I loved the books as a child and I have also long been interested in the link between the books, the original film and the queer narrative that runs through them. Especially because of my yellow and blue and then blue and green colour theory and its use in telling queer narratives in cinema and television in the aftermath of the 1939 film.

For those who don’t know the background of it, you can read my post here about the wizard of oz and its queer narrative and the yellow/blue colour theme, but for a brief run down the wizard of oz and its themes have been a key part of the queer narrative since they first appeared in print and then on film. Yellow blue colour theory stems from Dorothys dress and the yellow brick road and became a film short hand for queer narratives in film, during the hays code era (1934-1968), and has continued on to this day. the most recent and most obvious use of the blue/yellow blue/green coding has been in heartsotopper - where it is very heavily and very cleverly used to help tell the queer narrative, but it is its use in films during the hays code where it was doing a lot of work to ‘secretly’ provide queer narrative in film. (this is a specialist subject of mine and I could write about it all day - I really would love to do a phd in it, but I do not have the money or time to do that so I write about it at any opportunity on tumblr!)

Many of the nods to the story are subtle, but they are there and I am going to go through a good number of them with you - especially the ones we’ve had in season 8 so far, the main thing to note right off the bat though is that they all connect in to Eddie and that is very telling to me - especially when we take 5x01 - 5x04 into account. the rest is below the cut becasue it's long!

The very first reference to the Wizard of Oz we get is in 202 - 7.1. We have the entitled woman (that is the name they gave the character in the credits!) with her dog - Paisley.The entitled woman is wearing red shoes and we get shown her with just her feet sticking out from under the rubble in a clear nod to the wicked witch of the east being buried under Dorothys house in Oz.

Kat the little girl who gets separated from her family and ultimately reunited with them is a nod to the overall story of Dorothy in the wizard of Oz - and Paisley is a nod to Toto - Dorothy’s dog. I will also mention the fact that we get a heart metaphor during this disaster - Jeff - the heart of a champion. 

We get a further nod in season 2 in 207 - Haunted - where we have the girl at the halloween parade dressed as the film version of Dorothy. I don’t think there is a huge amount to read into from a Wizard of Oz perspective, beyond the fact that it is referenced - we don’t actually need to see anything further in regards to the Wizard of Oz - its all about making the connection.

This episode is a big episode of Eddie and his storyline and this is a way for 911 to link Eddie into the Wizard of Oz theme without being massively obvious about it and his absence from this scene is a key part of that.

There are other key elements in this scene that we’ve been seeing come into play over the seasons for Eddie and that is what makes the wizard of Oz reference especially interesting. First up it's important to note that this is the episode we see the return of Shannon in. We have the horse and his rider - being separated by the death of the horse and the officer describing the horse as his friend. There are two things this is playing on here - the first is the foreshadowing of Shannons death, the second is that the show has then reused this metaphor of partners being separated by death, this time making use of the police aspect as a part of Eddies breakdown in season 5 - Mills’s - Eddies partner while he was in the army and her death. These two elements are why Eddie absence is key - Eddie becomes the officer and Shannon or Mills becomes the Horse and having Eddie present in the scene waters down the metaphor.

The fact we get a lot of wizard of Oz references in season 5, makes this a really interesting and clever connection to draw. The other aspects of this scene in 207 is the pretty important reference about the horse needing a sedative to stop him thrashing around until his heart gave out. Bearing in mind this is the first really intentional heart metaphor we see on the show and it’s a pretty key episode for Eddie in relation to his heart, his absence from this scene becomes louder, especially as he is off with his heart (Christopher) enjoying halloween. It makes it clear that the Eddie and hearts metaphor has been there since very early on - and has been (at least loosely)connected to The Wizard of Oz.

Remembering what I said above and in my other post about the wizard of Oz being very heavily connected to queer theming and storytelling in media it makes it likely that this is the show putting in early building blocks for a queer Eddie arc gif they wanted to then go down that route later on. (this makes the season 5 theming I’ll talk about shortly even more interesting to me!)

The last thing to mention is the is the emphasis on the devil, a priest and a drag queen at the parade- all things we see appearing in Eddies arc through season n7 and into 8. The drag queens from the bachelor party - in which we really see Eddie letting go and have fun for the first time. The priest and the devil are a metaphor for Eddies struggles with his faith - the idea of temptation (in the catholic church - especially the devout catholic church, being queer in any way is seen as being tempted by the devil), and with us having knowledge of Eddie going to church and likely talking to a priest in some capacity in the next few episodes, we have yet another tie back to this storyline from 207.

Now I obviously have no proof with what the intentions were for ~Eddie in season 5, but I’ve long had my theories and now, knowing that they had originally intended to have Bucks bisexual arc take place in s5 but it got shut down by the higher ups, I can make some pretty educated guesses based off what we did get early on in the season.

Season 5 opened with the blackout and then we led straight in to 5x04 ‘Home and Away’ with all its yellow and blue colour theming. Can you see where I’m going with this? How does the opening of the film version of the Wizard of Oz start? Yup that’s right - in black and white and then when Dorothy finds herself over the rainbow everything is in colour and the use of yellow and blue is very strong with Dorothy’s blue gingham dress and the yellow brick road with the green colouring coming later on when they reach the emerald city.

So I think 911 was intending to play on that concept in season 5 - the idea that the black out is a nod to Kansas being in black and white (not to mention the use of green for the hackers!) and then 5x04 is a play on Dorothy following the yellow brick road - hence the heavy use of yellow and blue and the way it winds through the narrative of the episode (along with the use of the bluejay as the schools animal emblem - which is a symbol of communication, curiosity and confidence - seeing a bluejay is telling you to be bold and chase your goals!). What is the other thing we get a huge number of references to in season 5 - especially connected to Eddie - hearts and heart metaphors.

We do also get a nod to the wizard of Oz in season 6 and the zeppelin disaster - which is a nod to the hot air balloon the wizard crashed into Oz in. The zeppelin is yellow and blue and the conversation on board refers to one of the pilots mother in law - whilst she isn’t stated to be a witch, the implication is there. the 110 is also closed in roughly the same place as we get it closed in 8x03. along with the fact that Eddie is the one to go into the zeppelin - Chim and Buck only partially go in - and the parallel storyline in the episode is about a heart issue, we once again have The Wizard of Oz being tied into heart metaphors.

Let’s move on to season 8 now and look at the vast number of Wizard of Oz references we have seen so far and appear to have coming up in 8x04. I will say the sheer number of references in season 8 compared with the more subtle ones from seasons 5 and 6 is one of the reasons I’m so very sure we have a queer Eddie arc going on - that they’ve finally been able to pull that trigger and move things forward for him.

Just remember that things don’t have to exactly follow the story of the wizard of Oz to be relevant - its not about the narrative following the same path, but more about the use of recognised aspects and tropes from the book and film to convey information and aid the storytelling. It is often more about the concept and meaning behind something and a 911 character may share the traits of more than one wizard of oz character because it is their traits that are relevant not necessarily TWoO characters full journey through the book or film.

The bee-nado is a literal reference to the tornado that sent Dorothy to oz - its one of the reasons we don’t see more of the bees - they serve their purpose in the same way the tornado does so we don’t need to see them again.

Gerrard building ‘his 118’ with a security fence around the firehouse and cast iron plumbing is a reference to the wizard building the Emerald city - which has a wall around it for security. In Oz it is the place full o the most up to date technology etc. So Gerrard is building his Emerald City.

The mother in the car falling asleep due to anaphylaxis is likely a reference to the poppy field in the film version of TWoO, along with the flowers at the perfume launch and Bucks statement that ‘smoke worked last time’ - because the smoke did make the bees sleepy like the poppies made Dorothy and her friends sleepy.

Bucks plan to have Eddie run and attract the the swarm of bees is a reference to an event that happens in the book. The wicked witch sends a swarm of bees to sting them to death. The tin man and scarecrow had seen them coming and scarecrow comes up with a plan - he has Dorothy, toto and the lion covered in his straw to hide them from the bees who only find the tin man - they try to sting him but it breaks their stings and kills them instead without hurting the tin man as he is impervious to bees by nature of being made of tin. What we see happen in 801 is very clearly placing Buck into the role of Scarecrow and Eddie into the role of tin man - Buck comes up with the plan and Eddie undertakes it successfully - his turnouts protecting him from the bees just like the tin man being made of tin protected him.

Gerrard hitting his head is a reference to Dorothy hitting her head in the tornado and waking up in Oz - its a reference to Dororthy’s line  ‘Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore’ - its a play on the fact that the 118 is a very different place to when Gerrard was removed first time. Gerrard represents the black and white world - outdated and not up with the times (which he wasn’t back in the day either but that’s kind of the point), the world (the 118) is now in glorious technicolour since his departure and Gerrard will end up back in a black and white world in the end while the rest of the 118 will remain in colour and move forward. This places Gerrard in the role of the Wizard, but it is more akin to the book wizard than the film wizard - originally in the books (it was later glossed over as it didn’t go down well with readers) the Wizard arrives in a hot air balloon and becomes ruler of Oz by usurping he King and handing over the princess to a witch (more on this later!). As is shown in the film, he leaves Oz to return home in a hot air balloon.  If Gerrard is the wizard, this makes Bobby the king (usurped from his throne at the 118) and Hen becomes Ozma (this is something I will talk about a bit later as it deserves its own section!) which fits with how we are being shown Hen being given the 118 captains role on a more frequent basis - suggesting the show is transitioning her into becoming the captain down the line.

Tia, her dog and Jordan are an interesting trio - they are a very clear parallel serve as a multi layered allegory as they play on several aspects of the film and books, as well as linking to aspects of 911 and especially on Buck and Eddies storyline. 

Firstly we have the dog - who is the same type of dog as Paisley from season 2 - right down to the red bow in the hair (which is encouraging us to draw parallels with the earthquake disaster). Both dogs are a nod to Toto - Dorothy’s dog in the Wizard of Oz. The dog is also a representation of Buck, but I’ll go into that when I talk about Buck below!

Tia represents both Dorothy and the tin man, we see her initially as, not heartless, but guarded, but she softens especially when we see her following the instructions Hen gives, and bonding with various people on the plane including Jordan, in much the same way we see the tin man do for Dorothy and scarecrow. She is also a representation of Eddie (again I’ll go into this more later on) 

Jordan is a reference to both the flying monkeys (through his telephone conversation he is implied to be a business monkey which is in turn a play on monkey business - behaviour that causes discomfort our annoyance) and the cowardly lion. He is also a reference to Chopfyt who only appears in the books and is a man made from the parts of others and is a reference to Tommy, which I will explain later as well!

its worth pointing out that Jordans viagra fuelled boner is hidden under a rainbow towel and when they get off the plane Tia, Jordan and the dog are sat on a yellow tarpaulin - the implication being that they are still in Oz and over the rainbow, but that isn't real life - its fake - a dream - and reaity will set back in once they are able to go home.

Buck has 2 red flares to bring the plane home - symbolic of the red slippers - click three times and say there’s no place like home.

There is a lot of yellow and blue lighting used in combination - especially around Buck and Eddie.

The green lighting on the plane after it has landed - a reference to leaving the Emerald city and Oz and going home.

Im sure there are others that I may have missed, but these are the key ones, and most of them will likely remain in play in some capacity in the upcoming episodes.

As for the potential upcoming oz references, we have the following

the tiger in 804 is likely a reference to lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! from the film, but may also be a reference to the hungry tiger from the books - who is a tiger who is never full and desires to eat a fat baby but never would as his conscience would never allow him to. He is described in the books as the largest and most powerful of his kind and is one of Ozmas chariot drivers and is friends with the cowardly lion. The Tiger reference coming in no place like home and the books connection of the tiger with Princess Ozma and the cowardly lion makes me feel like Karen may be represented by and paralleled with the tiger, and the idea that Karens conscience won’t allow her to metaphorically eat Ortiz (the fat baby) but that is purely speculation on my part!

the pumpkin stuck on a head storyline that’s been hinted at coming up in 805 - in the books there is a character called Jack pumpkin head who is made by the Princess Ozma when she is Tip and then brought to life by magic (Ozma is the rightful ruler of Oz and was given to the Witch Mombi of the North by the wizard in order to prevent he rightful ruler of Oz ascending the throne. Ozma is transformed into a boy called Tip by Mombi, but is later turned back when Glinda discovers what has happened). Im expecting this arc on the show to play into Jack’s storyline in the books. Jack refers to having lost a father when Tip is returned to being Ozma. I think we’ll see it played as a reference to Mara, Chim and Hen, because Hen is Very Ozma coded which I’ll explain a bit more later on!

Masks. with 805 being titled masks it feels very loaded towards the Wizard of oz and the fact he wears different masks (in the book) depending on who he is meeting with. He appears to Dorothy as a giant head (as we see used in the film), to the Scarecrow as a lovely lady, to the Tin Woodman as a terrible beast, and to the cowardly Lion as a ball of fire. He does this with the intention of scaring them all, but in all cases has chosen the wrong image to make the desired impression. there is of course the fact that the mask slips (the curtain gets pulled away by Toto) and the truth of the Wizard is revealed - that he is a fraud -  merely a man who has been using magic tricks to make himself seem great and powerful.

these are just the ones we know about, there may very likely be more revered once we’ve seen the episodes, for example we might get a play on Eddie in church and going to confession - the idea of hiding ones identity behind a screen.

I want to talk a bit about the specifics of the firefam, and how they fit into the concept in a more detailed way. Obviously all members of the firefam fit into multiple aspects of each of the 4 main characters in Oz, but they each have one that has a stronger pull than the others. Each one of the characters in the books and film have specific traits that form their personality and a key part of their narrative - Dorothy wants to get home, The lion wants courage, the scarecrow a brain and the tin man a heart. These are all allegories for the bigger picture. 

Dorothy wants to go home, yes, but that is part of her bigger desire to belong - the books reveal much more about her past and upbringing in Kansas. She is also the first person in the wider story - it is her journey that sets in motion all of the other ones.

The cowardly lion is in fact not cowardly, but incredibly brave, and a loyal friend, he is just full of self doubt because he believes his fear makes him inadequate as lions are supposed to be the king of beasts. we see him overcome that self doubt and go onto succeed - becoming a well respected and important member of Ozma'z court.

The scarecrow wants a brain but is in fact shown to be the smartest of the group - coming up with clever plans and sharing a great depth of knowledge the also becomes the ruler of the Emerald city - appointed by the wizard when he leaves, and it is stated by the tin man in one of the later books the he is ‘probably the wisest man in all Oz’

The Tin man wants a heart, but in fact is one of the most tender, emotional, considerate and caring people in Oz as well as being extremely competent and practical.  He is also shown to seize up and rust due to either the rain or his tears. In the books he is given more backstory - his axe was enchanted by the wicked witch of the east and it causes him to chop off his body parts limb by limb. The witch does this because he is win love with her ward Nimmie Amee. when he chops out his heart he feels his could no longer love her and so left. he does later try to find his long lost love but is left disappointed when he finds her married to a man made up of his body parts and those of another tin man called Captain Fyter who had also been enchanted by the witch for the same reason. she refuses to leave her man of parts and tin man and scarecrow return to the emerald city together.

The Tin man and the scarecrow sit very much in parallel with one another in both the books and the 1939 film, they are very much a pair and shown to be each others foil and in the books especially spend a long time debating with one another about the relative importance of the brain and heart, but in combination with one another form a perfect whole. 

With the main characters of Oz covered we can explore the way 911 is using their traits to tell the stories of our firefam, but before we do that I want to look at a few other key 911 characters and how they relate to the wizard of oz!

Bobby in my opinion is Glinda the good witch - he shares a lot of traits with her. It is Ginda who helps restore Oz (the 118) to its fully unified state - something that had ceased to be under the Wizard and the wicked witches rule in separate counties. She also tends not to meddle or interfere in Ozian matters unless requested to do so. This fits with bobby’s traits very well - he doesn’t tend to get involved in things unless pushed to do so or asked directly. Much earlier in Oz’s history Glinda also helps redeem the tyrannical king of Oz through the creation of the forbidden fountain and the waters of oblivion - the king drank the water and then forgets his cruel and nefarious intentions. bobby replacing Gerrard at the 118 fits fairly well into this theme.

Ortiz is an interesting one - she fits into bot the role of The wizard, as well as the wicked witch of the west. I think that Ortiz is the wizard in part because the name Ortiz can loosely be read a s a play on ‘wiz’ as in wizard, but also because she is the most powerful person in the show right now - and it is all built on lies and corruption - much like the wizard is in Oz! However as the film unfolds we are shown that the witch is in fact more powerful than the wizard, but is also eventually easily brought down. This is why I think she is also a reference to the wicked witch, but also because the witch controls the flying Monkeys - who serve as her lackeys and undertake her bidding.

Gerrard is both  the Wizard of Oz and a flying monkey. I wrote above about the wizard hiding behind screens and masks and and Gerrard and I wrote about Gerrard building fences around the 118 being reference to the wizard building the emerald city. The flying monkey connection is obvious - he is working under Ortiz.

Tommy fits into a couple of different characters. He is in my opinion most closely connected to Chopfyt and Nimmie Amee, but he also fits into the meaning of the flying monkeys. Chopfyt is made up of the parts of the Tin woodman and Captain Fyter (the tin soldier) who are rivals for the attention of Nimmie Amee who is married to Chopfyt but was at one time courted by the tin man and the tin soldier.  Captain Fyter and the Tin Woodman  become friends during their journey to find Nimmie Amee. The flying monkey connection is perhaps a more obvious of the three, the monkeys are subservient to the wicked witch of the west and in the begins episodes we are shown Tommy being very much under Gerrard wing through his behaviour. It is also worth nothing that the flying Monkeys in the book drop the tin man over shape rocks leaving him so dented he could not move and they pull the scarecrow apart, scattering his straw and throwing his clothes up a tree - Dorothy is able to repair them both with the aid of the Winkies (the people under the control of the wicked witch of the west) and Dorothy then commands the flying monkeys to take them to the Emerald city. 

The meaning of these character connections is clear to me - Tommy as Nimmie Amee courts first the tin man (Eddie) and then the Tin Soldier (Buck) but chooses Chopfyt in the long run. Tommy is made up of parts of both Buck and Eddie in the same way that Chopfyt is made up of parts of Tin man and Captain Fyter. The fact neither Tin man or the Tin soldier succeed with Nimmie Amee and that she choses Chopfyt is telling and possibly gives us clues about the eventual demise of Buck and Tommys relationship and suggests that as tommy fits both characters parts (both characters who are fairly small roles in the books and are plot devices - much in the same way as Tommy is in 911), he will ultimately choose himself (as we’ve already seen him do in 705).

Onto the 4 remaining members of the firefam, and I believe Chimney is for the moist part, meant to be Dorothy - he is the first member of the firefam in the same way Dorothy is, he fits a lot more of the Dorothy tropes from the book than the film shows, he is described as the heart of the 118 - which is basically what Dorothy represents in the books and film - she is the one who keeps everyone together, or brings them back together when they have been separated. And if we follow the theming of Gerrard being the wicked witch of the west, it becomes more apparent - in the books Dorothy is enslaved by the wicked witch and forced to carry out menial cleaning tasks - in much the same way we see Chim being treated by Gerrard in Chim begins. It is Chim who we are shown supporting Hen, Buck, and Eddie as they begin their careers at the 118.

The other thing of note - which currently doesn’t fully work, but will if, as I suspect, the wizard of oz references around Eddie are a part of his Queer journey - is that Chimney is the only one of the four members of the team (we are not including Bobby as he is the captain) who has no queer coding in any way and is in a heterosexual marriage. The reason this is important and plays into the idea of Chim being Dorothy is that the term ‘Friend of Dorothy’ is coded speak for being queer - I explain it further in my meta which I linked at the top of this post - the play is that Dorothy herself is not queer, but that her companions on her journey down the yellow brick road are. Which fits Chimney perfectly - with Hen and Buck being Lesbian and bi respectively and with the Wizard of Oz connections to Eddies storylines across the previous seasons and again in the current season being very loud, it feels fair to assume that Eddie will also sit somewhere on the queer spectrum before too long (and really is the reason behind me writing this insanely long post!) 

Hen is the cowardly lion. We are shown Hen doubting her abilities at several points throughout the show, but she is arguably the bravest of the 118. The cowardly lion’s favoured companion is the hungry tiger (as I wrote about above - we may well see Karen paralleled with the tiger in 804)

But Hen is also Princess Ozma and this is a far more powerful connection. Ozma is the rightful heir to the throne of Oz and spent much of her childhood in the form of a boy called Tip as she had been enchanted by the witch Mombi until Glinda the good witch discovers the enchantment and forces Mombi to return her to her true form and take her rightful place as ruler of Oz. With Bobby filling the role of Glinda, helping Hen achieve her full potential and the allegory of Hen having to hide herself for much of her life until she becomes a firefighter - the wig we see Hen wearing in Hen begins plays into this idea perfectly - that Hen was disguised but has been freed from that disguise and become her true self.

Buck is the scarecrow. But he is also Toto and Captain Fyter. I explained the Captain Fyter connection above in the section on Tommy so I won’t repeat myself here. Buck is toto for a couple of reasons. Firstly we have the connection to the dog in the plane in season 8 who growls at Jordan and Tia tells him that the dog doesn’t like men, he then becomes friendly when Jordan is ill, but we see him returned to Tia when they leave the plane. this is all a allegory for Buck’s bi arc. Tia is Eddie in the scenario and Tommy is Jordan . The dog growling and being protective is akin to Buck growling and becoming jealous over Eddie and Tommys friendship, trying to keep Tommy away from Eddie, but then becoming friendly with Tommy in the same way the dog becomes friendly with Jordan in a therapy dog kind of way before returning to Tia at the end, implying that Buck will always go back to Eddie when it comes down to it. the therapy dog aspect is also interesting as it implies BUck is providing some kind of therapy for Tommy - this could be read as Buck helping Tommy learn and grown (likely in connection with his still undressed past behaviour) - makes him a better person, before they part ways and Buck ‘returns’ to Eddie. 

Then there is the wizard of oz references - it is Toto who sets much of the plot of the wizard of Oz in motion - by biting Almira Gulch in Kansas in the film version and by hiding under the bed in fright in the book version. It is Toto who reveals the truth of the Wizard of Oz being just a man, and it is Toto who leads The lion, scarecrow, and tin man to where Dorothy is after she has been captured by the wicked witch (in the film - he is less involved in the book!) and it is toto who stops Dorothy from leaving with the Wizard and ultimately leads to Dorothy learning the slippers she wears can carry her home if she clicks her heels together 3 times and wishes to go home. All of these events either play into Bucks arcs in 911 or will potentially going forward. Bucks impulsive ways could be said to mirror Toto’s impulsive actions in TWoO and it will be interesting to see if being taken under Gerrard wing leads to him gaining information that helps Hen take down Ortiz!

The biggest connection though is with the scarecrow. The scarecrow has long been associated with bisexuality - due to his line in the film ‘of course some people go both ways’. in the book the scarecrow also reveals that he lacks a brain but greatly desires one - he is in fact only 2 days old when Dorothy meets him so he is essentially just naive because as the book progresses it becomes increasingly clear he actually is very intelligent and knows many things. One of the other aspects of the scarecrow is his ability to know his own limitations and in the books he becomes ruler of Emerald city, but hands the crown over to Princess Ozma enabling her to take up her rightful position as ruler of all Oz, becoming one of her most trusted advisors. Most of these are traits that Buck shares with the scarecrow - we see season 1 buck reflected in the naijvtie of a 2 day old scarecrow, but once he hits his stride, we see that Buck is actually very intelligent, full of knowledge (random facts wiki Buck!) and comes up with great ideas - things that are being very clearly demonstrated in season 8 so far. He is also becoming much much better at knowing his limitations and that is something I think we will continue to see develop in the way it does in the scarecrow across the books.

And finally we have Eddie. Eddie is the Tin man through and through. The heart metaphors that surround Eddie - especially in season 5 are a very obvious and direct link to the tin man. and Like I said above the Tin man is the most compassionate, sensitive and tender and caring people in Oz. He is incredibly practical and competent as well and undertakes the scarecrows plans readily. He and the scarecrow pair up a lot across the book series and go on adventures together, their heart and brains combining to lead them to success in nearly all cases. The tin man also becomes a trusted advisor to Ozma and is considered to be a fair and wise person in Oz. These are all things we see portrayed in Eddie. He has this tough exterior, but inside he is very soft and tender and he only reveals that side of himself to those he can trust. Eddies heart is a key part of Buck and Eddies dynamic especially in combination with Bucks brains - we are so often shown Buck having an idea and Eddie carrying it out because he trusts Buck - the perfume bee run is just the latest in a long line of them and it is a key aspect of the Tin man and Scarecrow in the Oz books. I’ve spoken above about the other aspects of the tin man and his connection with various characters, but it really is the tin man and scarecrow dynamic that is at the heart of things in the wonderful wizard of Oz book especially (pun intended!!).

All of it plays into the Oz theming we’re being shown in 911 having an important meaning and it is very much connected to Eddie far more than any other character. One can argue that the books - at their core - are about following your heart and letting it lead you to your truth and to home and that is the very heart of Eddies story. Carla’s line about making sure he’s following his heart and not Christophers rings very true, and we’ve reached a point now where Eddie has to follow his own heart, because Christopher is not in the picture and they’ve chosen to go very very hard with the wizard of Oz metaphors - building on the foundations they already created in previous seasons and now being able to bring them to fruition.

I could literally write about this all day, but this is already ridiculously long and I'm not sure it even makes sense at this point! It was only supposed to be a short post! So I’m stopping here and letting you all go back to your lives - thank you for reading especially if you've made it this far! and let me know your thoughts!💜💜💜🐝🌪🌈

Tagging a few random people just in case they're interested! @buddiediaz118 @buddie911abc @fruityfirehose @sunflowerdigs

@spotsandsocks @livingwherethesidewalkends @satvojihusana @inell @eddiedisasterdiaz @lemotmo @courtjestermerlin @lover-of-mine @lovecolibri

[constelationprize]

Thinking many many thoughts about how Jean was Riko's partner for a YEAR and was still rooming with Goon #3. Because that was how unwilling Riko was to let go of Kevin. And how that implies that Jean was placed as his partner both because of the practicality of Kevin being gone AND as a punishment for letting him go in the first place. Being partners with Jean could actually slow Riko down depending on how often he's hurt (because I don't think Riko was all that exempt from the rules to the point where his partner's performance would completely not matter) and he was still placed there. Riko was just THAT angry at him over Kevin's escape. And all the while he was keeping Kevin's side of room like an altar, even back when he didn't even think Kevin could PLAY, because of an injury he caused.

[mistlekissy]

i can't believe i'm in my 20s processing a 1d member's death

[flowersandfashion]

sorry let me rant about downton abbey 10 years later

Thomas's conversion therapy plot pisses me off so much. firstly, it's incredibly out of character. he never wanted to change to conform to society, he wanted the world to change to accomodate him. the man who said "it's not against the law to hope is it" and "I'm not foul, Mr Carson, I'm not like you, but I'm not foul" would NEVER

secondly, from a storytelling perspective, the only 'problem' is that he used infected needles. did we forget that Thomas was a sergeant in the RAMC? he knows how to sterilise needles and how to recognise and treat infection. this also shifts the blame to Thomas himself for getting sick and implies that the conversion therapy itself is harmless (Dr Clarkson says it's just saline solution)

thirdly, it's not historically accurate. I'm not an expert but conversion therapy was not at all common in the 1920s, even Sigmund Freud was against it. hormone therapy and chemical castration were barely developing let alone available to the public (I can't imagine what else the 'treatment' was supposed to be). the only practices that I can find evidence of were psychoanalysis and electric shock therapy

Thomas also mentions that he did electric shock treatment - if you really want to make a point about homophobia in the 1920s (and make Thomas suffer as much as possible), show that instead. watching him be literally tortured for his sexuality would have been far more impactful than him just... looking sweaty for a few episodes

[epickiya722]

I just realized and maybe I missed a scene or something... but...

Yuji never enjoys fighting. As in, he's not showing thrill in fighting with someone. Hasn't even cracked a smile whether it be out of pure enjoyment of fighting or just feeling a feral moment.

It's not like how Gojo, Sukuna, Toji, Todo, Nobara has done it a time or two, even Megumi.

But Yuji?

He's just dead serious. He ain't laughing, no jokes, he's not smirking. Instead, he has this look in his eyes that's like "your lights are about to go out". And sometimes, he's raging out.

Which, with a character like Yuji, it makes sense that he wouldn't enjoy fighting.

Yuji is a strong kid, but he's not boastful about it. He doesn't feel the need to show off what he can do. Anytime he says he "won't lose", he's thinking about winning for others. He took it to heart when Wasuke told him he's a strong kid and try to help others.

I have a thought, which is apart of another post working on, but I feel like this is one of the reasons why Sukuna despises Yuji.

Whenever Sukuna fights someone, he enjoys it. He's known as the King of Curses, the strongest sorcerer during the Heian period. And he likes to show it off.

Those he praises are those who push themselves to win and the reason would be out of pride.

Yuji is the opposite. He has the potential, yet doesn't care to be arrogant about it. And when he fights, it's not a game to him.

Sukuna probably has been observing Yuji all this time and thinking "how could this brat have all this strength and power and not relish in it?" He knows Yuji isn't really weak. He is always front row and center. Yuji even has the ability to suppress him and the first time he fought Sukuna, he was throwing skulls, punching at surfaces hard enough to shake them, etc. Maybe Sukuna called him boring because he saw that Yuji had that capability of giving him some entertaining match due to his skills, but Yuji wasn't showing enjoyment.

And what happened at the detention center I also believes plays a part, but I'll talk about that later in another post.

Anyways, yeah, Sukuna probably calls Yuji "weak" and "boring" to egg him on and finally get Yuji to snap into a "I'll show you weak" state to finally battle out to see who is the strongest. Not for the sake of the world, but for some actual entertainment.

[majimaisms]

absolutely fascinating to me that this is what majima thinks makoto wants/needs to hear. considering how much he's projecting onto her, and how he sees her as a version of himself, i think one of the logical conclusions to draw here is that this is what majima wants to hear. he wants to be told that someone will be there beside him and that they'll keep him safe no matter what happens.

and she's having none of it. because she is actually too much like majima. she acts as a perfect mirror. and certainly, there's an interpretation of this as majima underestimating her, not giving her enough credit, but i think it's also possible that he's just projecting. believing that this is what she needs to hear doesn't mean he thinks any less of her, just that she is too much like him. his double standard then becomes a matter of something more akin to self-recognition through the other, rather than something that can be boiled down to misogyny.

but here's where things get interesting. this implies that whatever "similarity" exists between them, at least in terms of how self-reliant they are, how "independent" they are, is an illusion. that it's not that makoto is actually too much like majima -- it's that she's the ideal that majima is aspiring to. makoto at this point in the story is a genuine example of what majima only appears to be, was forced to be, and perhaps resents having to be. because why go out of your way, over and over again, to shelter people you strongly identify with (as opposed to just people you care about) if you don't believe it's something everyone, if given the choice, would choose? to have someone to "keep them safe no matter what happens"?

it's the kind of baseline assumption that people make when they think everyone who's a lot like them is exactly like them. a very common pitfall. but he's wrong.

she proves his assumptions wrong. she does not, when given the opportunity, choose that. she asks him to kill dojima and his lieutenants, because she has convinced herself it's what tachibana would've wanted, and she's had enough of people trying to solve her problems for her by protecting or sheltering her, without her input. "helping" makoto has to be done on her terms now. and the first words to come out of her mouth as she's dying? expressing shame for failing to accomplish her goals on her own. for not being able to be self-reliant enough.

and majima tried to discourage her from taking revenge on the dojima family because it's "not who she is," and he "can't imagine that's who her brother was." because he sees her as better than himself, too good, too pure, too soft, and he wants to preserve that in her. and this time it's because he thinks they're too different. but he's actually wrong again. he's both not giving himself enough credit here, and giving her too much. because he's uncharitable to himself, and too charitable to her. but they are the same in this. and the moment she's in danger, he's the one seeking vengeance, for her, in her stead, just like she did with tachibana.

they both think the ultimate sacrifice you can make in the name of love is to compromise your values, your principles. do the unspeakable thing, do the "wrong" thing, as long as that's what it takes to keep your loved ones safe.

it takes sera spelling it out to majima that bloodying his hands for makoto's sake will hurt her more than it will help her to stop him killing dojima. and majima goes ballistic at the suggestion that even the ultimate sacrifice is not enough to protect her, to save her from a lifetime of being a target for the tojo. (an organization he has sworn unwavering loyalty to, by the way, and is trying to crawl back into.)

majima's "hannya" side has never been about his own retaliation, his own revenge. it's always been for the sake of people he cares about, and makoto is the most prominent example of this. but more importantly, she also is exactly like this. majima lists nishitani, sagawa and lee as the people he learned from in y0. and they certainly were the people he modeled mad dog after and learned important life lessons from. but i think #1 on that list is and always will be makoto, followed by sera. because he would never have found the strength to become mad dog if he had not watched makoto do it first.

makoto has a level of emotional strength that majima lacks but is drawn to and inspired by. her whole life, she has been protected by "older brothers" who took care of her like a little sister -- tachibana, lee, majima. she has had to fight for her independence to be recognized.

majima has had no one. he's too independent. but it's not by choice. and he wants to be protected and taken care of. this is the one thing they are opposites in and i think what makes them such compelling parallels and contrasts to each other, as well as people who had a lot to learn from each other but ultimately needed the exact opposite of what they could give each other. yakuza 0 the game that you are

[forgettable-au]

How are Wingdings’ cooking skills?

They're okay, he's usually good at following the recipe

But if the instructions aren't specific enough then it will go wrong...

He finds cooking a little stressful, so he would rather not

He doesn't have time for that stuff anyway

[miksterrr]

what if when an elemental master gives birth, their powers don't just instantly go to their kid, but it slowly saps away from them until their child is old enough and strong enough to handle the full intensity of the element.

what if that's why lilly got sick? she was so utterly connected with her element, it was embedded deep into her bones, it should've taken a long time for cole to fully achieve the full element, yet because cole was meant to be one of the protectors of the green ninja, one of the most powerful elementals of creation-

it didn't take long for lilly to realize why she was getting sick, at first she thought it was the earth getting sick- that's what happened to her father after all, when the earth got sick so did he, and that's why lilly inherted her element as young as she did but as she was dying and her son was getting strong she knew it was because of him. she never blamed him- she wondered why it was cole- why it was her who got this sick- why cole got that strong-

the element erroded itself away from lilly's bones- from her very soul, until she got sick, and cole just kept on getting more and more powerful and stronger as his mom got weaker and weaker. maybe that's why lou couldn't stand to look at cole for so long- why he avoided their home- bc he knew cole was in part, responsible for lilly's death.

what if that's why libber left jay at the walkers? maybe she thought there was a way to stop him from inheriting her powers- she knows how volatile her element is, how shrieking and blinding and buzzing lightning is. it was a double edged sword, leaving her son and cliff for the sake of them- seperating their little family just so her element wouldn't pass onto her son. she scoured the world to figure out a way to keep her powers to herself- to keep it so jay wouldn't end up like her- blind and shaky and unsure.

she tried so many spells and home remedies and just about anything to protect him. but she knew all of her effort was pointless. she can't tell you when she figured it out, but one day she just felt weak and sickly and her lighting didn't feel as volatile as it used too- she knew jay- her sweet little blue jay- had inherted her powers.

it didn't occur to her until it was too late that jay should've only been about fourteen- maybe fifteen- when most of herelement was depleted. it took libber until she was nineteen- maybe twenty when she had full access to her powers.

what if that's why zane had never met the ice elemental before him? or any other? of course the previous ice elemental was old, probably nearing his death when he gave his element to zane. instead of the ice slowly sapping away like it would've for a blood relation, it was near instantaneous. the ice elemental knew this- it was a tradition for the ice elementals- one he wasn't able to pass on in note or word- the instant disappearence of his element is what brought him to his death.

he had high hopes for zane, that's why he chose him. he's heard of dr. julien through his sister, about the man who can create things out of thought alone. it mystified the ice elemental, and when he met dr. julien's son, he knew, he knew that zane was the one to bare his element, and maybe the last one too.

elements are meant to be passed on- especially the elements of creation - they're not meant for one sole body to bare for years upon years, it deteriorates them as much as it powers them. but zane was a robot- his machinery like no other- and with the core of an ice elemental- he would live on for generations without fear of erosion to his body.

and something nagged at the old ice elemental, he could blame on wu if he tried, the man's superstitions finally herding their way to his mind- but something told him that zane would be unlike the other ice elementals- that his generation of elementals would be like no other before- maybe they'd be more powerful or experience more wars than his ever did- he'll never know until he meets them in the afterlife.

what if that's why it took kai so long to control his powers- for wu to find him and nya? even though their parents went missing and pressumed dead, they were still alive. ray and maya's powers were slowly seeping away from them as they worked for krux, but that was the only way they knew their kids were still alive- the only thing to keep them sane, knowing their kids were somewhat okay while they were out there.

what if that's why it took wu so long to tell nya of her heritage? or her element? wu was so focused on the elements of creation of the formidable source of them all- that he neglected nya's element. the boundless sea- powerful and destructive in its own right. it was something he had no control over- he knew all about the elements of creation but barely anything about how nya's work- only that as beautiful and habital the ocean can be, it can be devastating and damaging as well.

despite their parents powers slowly seeping away, kai and nya are powerful just like the others, both in their own right. kai bc he harnesses an element of creation and nya bc her element knows no bounds. like the others, their powers have always been with them, even before they knew it. kai always held warmth and searing heat in his hands only tempered by shoving or punching someone, and nya always moved fluidly- their neigbhors always called nya a fish out of water - her tember knew no bounds, neither did her beauty.

what if that's why lloyd is the first person to harness his element? of course, the prophecy always said that "a ninja who would rise above all others and become the savior of ninjago." but everyone, even wu, thought it would be one of the others, someone who harnessed one of the elements of creation already- not some kid who just so happened to be the grandson of the first spinjitzu master-

in hindsight, it makes more sense than it should. lloyd has the empthay of a human child and the power of a god- the best of both worlds, some may say. his power in itself is unstable- it's hard to control unless you've been doing it your entire life.

as lloyd grew stronger, the others did too. their powers grew as their parents grew weaker, just so they'd be ready for when lloyd became of age- when it was time for him to defeat the dark lord. when lloyd skipped up a few years because of the tommorow's tea the ninja felt a rush of their power come forth- it was odd and weird and they couldn't explain why- they thought they already unlocked all of it when achieving their true potentials, but appearently not.

as much as the elements of creation is embedded into each of it's user, it's also engraved into lloyd. when he gets weak, so do their powers. as they grew and got older, it become unnoticeable, they all had gotten better control over their powers, over when and when not to use them.

lloyd isn't meant to pass down his power- not ever. it's too much for a child- a human one, at least. and if fallen into a god's soul, it would make them power-crazed. his generation may very well be the last of the elements of creation- at least to the power that they hold. he's seen scrolls that wu has written, documenting his experience with them, and how they're unlike their parents- more powerful than them- at least from when they're young.

maybe their powers aren't meant to be passed on, any of theirs.

maybe it's for selfish reasons or selfless.

maybe they'll end up becoming oxidized statues- only living on in stories, their powers extravaganted.

or maybe they'll outlive everyone.

[antonleez]

WONBIN / WE RIIZE EP. 18

[piko-rose]

My Personal Headcanon On Why Amy's Love For Sonic Died Down Lately (and their dynamic)

When they were younger, Amy's love for Sonic was pretty extreme, and Sonic was, understandable, uncomfortable for the most part. He knows she means well, but that girl needs to calm down.

She can fight, but sometimes her hammer could only stun her enemies for a while. (It took her a long time to get rid of that robot that has been chasing her around Station Square.) She wasn't fully independent yet, even if she fought on her own a couple of times.

She often follows Sonic and his friends around. She is part of the team, but she was not a strong as she is now at the time yet.

She admires Sonic. A LOT. And Sonic knows that. Obviously, he could only run away from something like that, since he is NOT ready for that kind of thing, and whether Amy takes the hint or stop, she still loves him.

...BUT, I think things were slightly starting to change between her and Sonic after Lost World.

Remember this line?

You remember that? Okay, okay. Here's another totally unrelated question:

Before the events of Lost World, when was the last time Amy said "I love you" to Sonic out loud?

...YEP. 😈 (Unless I'm missing something, let me know lmao)

As more games and adventures come out, the characters get slightly older, and Amy is 12 to 13 now, and she is most certainly at that age where her body starts to change, but especially on how she views Sonic.

She knows she loves Sonic, but it was this moment during her change where she actually wanted to admit that she loves him.

I believe that Amy was all about sharing her affection to him not through confessions, but through obvious hints. Sonic totally got it, and there was no need to confess. Sonic knows she loves her.

...But she never said it. And she almost did, but she never did again for a while.

I think this was the moment in her life where, oh, God, she actually loves Sonic. SHE LOVES HIM, WHAT.

And she was looking back at all the times she had with Sonic that she can now see were unpleasant to Sonic (At least that's what she thinks) and that's probably why she isn't so expressive about her love to him than how she used to back then.

She wasn't sure what to do with this realization, and sets aside it for a while, and nearly stayed as her casual, peppy self... until the Eggman War happened.

During the 6 months of being with the Resistance, fighting Eggman's army all day and all night, all she can think of was Sonic.

She dreams that he still with not just her, but with her friends. She just wanted to see Sonic again, she just wants to be with her hero again.

But I'd like to think that she was also thinking about how she used to treat Sonic back when they were younger, how Sonic would almost always run away from her whenever she asks him out, or always look so uncomfortable whenever she gets so close to him.

Cringing at those memories big time, she wanted to change and hopefully when Sonic is okay and comes back, she can be better for him.

...Or will he still find her uncomfortable regardless? Would he even be happy to see her at all if he did survive?

But, hold on! She can't just give up her love for Sonic! He made her who she is today! A peppy, nature-loving, hammer-swinging, confident, brave... loud-mouth... annoying... Sonic obsessed... weak... pathetic... lonely little girl.

If she gives up on Sonic, it'll be like she gave up on the one hedgehog who saved her life. If she didn't she'll still be the same ol' Amy.

I also like to think she had parents a long while before she met Sonic, and was even expecting a little sister, but a robot invasion happened from where she was and attacked her parents and instead of trying to save them, after getting hurt, she ran away, hoping that they'll come back okay. But they never did.

She was all alone, and needed someone, a friend, a new family, someone who will hold her hand, anyone, to be there for her. But she was ignored by lots, and at that point, she's better off by herself, but still longed for company.

Eventually though, her tarot cards told her her future hero, and there might be hope after all. She encountered Sonic, held onto the belief of the cards tight, and the rest is history.

So, with that headcanon in mind, not only did Amy loose her parents that she didn't save because of her cowardliness (she was only so little at the time that happened) and also Sonic, who she thought will be her only hope, but now gone.

She doesn't even care if he did come back, he'd probably hate her now after everything she did to him, always talking about their "future wedding" or forcing him to go to Twinkle Park.

For the last few months of the war, it was nothing but Amy mentally beating herself up for either refusing to change or moving on, and they are both not fine choices.

She loves Sonic, but he does not love her, and she finally, finally realized it. And it's probably for the best if no body loved her at all.

But of course Sonic did survive and all of her worries wash away in an instant, she's just not expressive about her love for Sonic AT ALL now, since she's still worried about it but rather not mention it to Sonic because it doesn't matter.

If Sonic doesn't love her, then her feelings don't matter to him, and according to Amy herself, that is okay.

But also, I'd like to think that Sonic was thinking about his friends a lot up in the Death Egg for the past months, sometimes it's Tails (worried for his safety), sometimes it's Shadow (because he's wondering why he would join Eggman.) At some point, for a few days, Amy was in his mind the longest, and he felt bad about how he thought he was rude and pushy to her.

He wondered if she's not thinking about it too much, and if she is, will she give up on him? Yeah, he doesn't feel the same and still not looking for a relationship, but it's so strange but interesting how anyone could ever like someone like Sonic the Hedgehog. Amy was never afraid to show that, and she probably might be now.

He couldn't help but feel guilty. They were kids when she was like this, but he was so... arrogant at the time too. Not a lot happened at the time yet. He'd always have trouble expressing how much he value his friends, until he shattered the Paradox Prism. (I'd like to think Prime took place before Forces. It makes sense.)

She is such a sweet girl, and he probably made her believe that he didn't care for her. Just because he doesn't feel the same, that doesn't mean he hates her at all.

He wished he never ran away from Amy... Worrying for his little bro and wishing to be a good person for Amy was when Sonic cried in the Death Egg for the first and only time.

Frontiers, in my opinion, is kind of confirming their dynamic now. Sonic is a lot more sincere and kinder to Amy and she is not all hyperactive and lovey to Sonic. There is probably a real reason for this now.

They are both hiding their feelings from them, and they are both unaware of this. Amy, hiding her mental issues from Sonic, and Sonic, hiding his guilt away from Amy.

None of those things are important now. Sonic is with Amy and Amy is with Sonic. They are here with each other. They can be finally be better for each other now.

They don't care if they'll ever be something more when they get older. None of that matters anymore. They are here with each other. They can be finally be better for each other now.

Maybe someday they'll both talk about it, but for now, the present is important. They care about each other too much to think about it right now.

It's the kind of love that is unbreakable. It doesn't even have to be romantic. It's just love. Love is important for everyone, in any form. It's something Sonic and his friends need. And especially Sonic and Amy.

Amy Rose is the living embodiment of love, and without her, a lot would go downhill for Sonic and co. Heck, if it weren't for her, Shadow wouldn't have never remembered Maria's promise, which lead him to save the world with Sonic, before he temporarily disappeared from their lives for a while.

She is always there to lend a helping hand for anybody, even bad guys like Metal Sonic, and despite what she had been through, both in Forces and headcanon wise, she still fights back, even without her hammer.

She will pick you back up on your feet, reminding you that you are important and that you are loved, and that you should never give up. It's pretty much the words of encouragement she herself needed also...

She is still the happy, hyper, butt-kicking hedgehog we all know and love, but she still need someone to pick her back up on her feet after so long. Thankfully, she has her friends and her blue hero. The hero who made her who she is today.

I think Amy has no idea how important she thought she is, but Sonic does. Sonic knows fully well how important she is to a lot of people. It's about time he returns the favor to her. It's his turn to remind her how much a lot of people love her.

How much he loves her.

And I feel like The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog was the moment where their dynamic really shined, but also the starting point of their relationship not only healing, but also the next chapter of what's to come for them.

Everyone, friends old and new, gathered around for a special birthday. A birthday for the confident, unshakable, and radiant Amy Rose.

It was such a special moment in Amy's life. After years of chasing and following the people she look up to, she is part of the team, but most importantly, she is part of the family.

She is fully realized as someone more than just a fangirl, but someone strong, courageous, creative, kind and a big inspiration for others.

I feel like this moment here...

-is where Amy is eternally grateful to call her friends her family. A family she thought she'll never have again. She's not alone anymore, and as long as they're by her side, she'll never will be again.

Her chasing days are over. She's finally caught up to them. She's finally home.

And it's all thanks to Sonic.

If it weren't for him, she'd probably be alone forever. Her past moments with Sonic might be embarrassing to look back on for a while, but they are good memories regardless, because they involve him.

Sonic saved her life in more ways than one, and despite everything, he's grateful to have her too.

He cares about her. He really does... And in her eyes, that all she needed to know. As long as Sonic loves her in his own way, she'll be happy.

Amy hasn't given up on Sonic. As long as Amy always supports him, he'll be happy.

Maybe sometime in the future, they can talk about their problems, but that's a story for another time. At this point, they need to. Right now, they are happy. They are okay.

They are here for each other. They are finally better for each other now.

"You guys won't ever leave me, right?"

"Wouldn't dream of it."