#which i thought was strange in season 7 already

[johanna-swann]

Don't worry guys, I'm sure we'll see Tommy again eventually. Or at least hear him get mentioned. It might not be in the aviation emergency episode (even though he's a pilot). And it might not be in the episode where the 217 is on call with the 118 (even though that's his station). But I'm sure it'll happen at some point.

[scentedpepper]

Missing | TWD

MALE READER X S5 GROUP

Summary: The group reverberates with a somberness upon your potential death

Content Warnings: Mention of Major Character Deaths from previous seasons, S5 and below spoilers

AUTHOR NOTE(S):

Not too sure how I feel about this one

Could be read as GN for the most part (he/him used a few times, 'Father' used once, 'Brother' used once)

Was originally supposed to be centered around Daryl and Rick, but somewhere along the writing process, I devlled into just about every other member of the group

Ya'll know how many last names I had to look up for these tags

Enjoy?

_________________________________________

7 days.

Seven days of them searching for their found family member who went out to investigate and never came back.

Glenn thought for sure that maybe with all the shit they have been through, the apocalypse must have treated you a little kinder.

That was assuming you were already dead.

Which Rick, in all his glory, continued to remind everyone that until there is evidence, there are just as many possibilities as there are stars in the sky.

He thought it was a strange fit, all doom and gloom, it wasn't like Glenn to carry around the carcasses of such negative presumptions about his loved ones, but nonetheless, he had just the same.

An ever present reminder as the fire was stoked by Glenn's constant fidgets, his spaced-out breaths being released with the baggage of endless possibilities.

"Glenn's gonna lose it when he sees this one. "

Is what Daryl said to Rick on the night of day 5, your shirt clenched in hand, approaching the church with footsteps so heavy you could mistake them for Walkers.

The worst part, Rick thought, was how he had found it, which further fueled the possibility that couldn't help but arise.

A decaying Walker's den where there was a mass majority of bodies wearing clothes; Not Walker corpses.

Hopeless and without explanation Rick approached camp with a grim expression that took root in his features.

And when Daryl had handed the shirt to Glenn after he feverishly chanted let me see it, let me see it, over and over, Daryl observed the way his hand shook when he snatched it and how the same hand came up to rub his face after he confirmed in his own mind that, without a doubt, it was yours.

Maggie had to take the shirt from his hands and when she felt the dirt and grime ragged against her skin, she almost burst at the seams, Rick knew by the strain in her brows and the way her hands turned into fists at her side.

She was the first person Rick had questioned upon your missing presence, wanting to know who you had walked out with last night and who stayed behind, wanting to pinpoint possible places you might be, or routes you could've taken.

Her response was ridden with anxious adrenaline, her lips chewed raw in worry, bouncing on her toes before stomping off and pulling everyone together to go looking for you.

There was no conversation within the group but a mutual agreement.

Naturally, the first person they looked to for some account of wrongdoing was Gabriel.

You had always been so intuitive, like you were the one who could read minds not him.

The others felt so comforted by you, Gabriel assumed.

He was only too accustomed to the fact that everyone saw the good in you, the positive, and while that brought him a modicum of solace, there were times where he couldn't help but wallow in envy.

A man of God and yet, it was you who they looked to, as if you were Christ himself.

As if you were his light.

Gabriel couldn't understand this fascination.

When he had confronted you about it, rather presumptuously, Gabriel was too quick to gauge the situation and allow his ego to speak for him. Said confrontation also happened to occur right before Maggie and Sasha who shared pointed looks with each other as they watched the scene unfold before them.

You were quick on your toes, always had been. Back on the farm, when Shane had been more akin to a wild boar, you were always the first to confront him. Always calm, or whenever you spoke you at least had the appearance of it, always matter of fact. Even when your voice raised or when anger was seething through you, it seemed like everyone just stopped, and listened.

It was one of your redeeming traits, sharp tongue laced with facts that wouldn't hesitate to point out things that were missing, contradictions, positions and beliefs.

It left some satisfaction amongst the ton when Gabriel pushed out of Judith's designated room, nearly knocking Carl off his feet as the door came with his exit.

A flustered look had replaced him, no doubt having felt the embarrassment, as if he had been burning inside.

After a beat, he had apologized under his breath and carried himself in haste towards you.

Unfortunately, this incident occurred the last night anyone had seen you.

When everyone had risen that morning, one by one coming off the floors of the church and stirring awake those who remained sleeping, you were the only one who hadn't stirred. Because your body wasn't even of prescence.

Almost immediately, everybody went on an emotional and mental frenzy.

Even when the conversation with Gabriel didn't bode well for him. He refuted, if a little pathetically, that you weren't very friendly towards him.

Upon hearing of what had happened just hours before they woke, Daryl seemed to retreat back to the deepest of his old roots.

Begrudgingly, Rick knew this was what they called "fight or flight."

Luckily for everyone involved, Daryl never moved unless there was something to fight for. The man had gained some sort of control over the years of personal development but like a dog, he'd jumped on Gabriel the second tensions rose.

There was a knife pressed against Gabriel's throat when Drayl pushed him into the nearest wall and the preacher did nothing but pray to himself and accept his fate.

Minuets later of interrogation and threatening, Michonne and Tara intervenned, though Daryl seemed none too eager to back off the smaller man, not until he was physically being dragged back and Rick telling him to get a hold of himself.

"He's lucky I didn't slit his fuckin' throat! It was him!"

Because back in the day, with Merle at his side, he would've and to hell with anyone who said differently.

Rick saw Carol's lips part to say something, as did Abraham, but nothing came out. Not with Rick cutting through them like cloth to speak, clearing his throat, hands rising in demand to appease the tension in the church.

"We are going to look for Y/N. It's no secret that we're standing on a ticking time bomb. " His head turned sharply towards everyone, waiting a beat before he continued. "Everybody gets paired off. No one leaves each other's sides. "

His gaze softened upon the archer as he came around to see the anger and frustration but most of all, the pain in his eyes. He wanted to assure him, they were going to find you. But he couldn't find the words to, as his own fingertips surged with doubt and as the rest of the days proceeded, his whole body seemed to become encapsulated by it.

They all began out at once, weapons gathered, determination and grievance fused into them as they exited the church in pairs. The only 2 persons staying behind being Judith and Abraham.

Before the front doors fell, Rick sought out Gabriel, his fingers ghosting over the knob as his stomach tied in knots.

"If you so much as touch a hair on her head. "

He was referring to Michonne who'd gotten the unsavory job of catering to Gabriel, "I swear it'll be the last thing you do. "

His eyes followed Gabriels timley swallow as he spoke.

"And if I find out you had an inkling of any wrongdoing, God won't be able to save you. "

It wasn't just Daryl that was shaken by the fear of your abduction –or worse, there wasn't a moment where Rick could stop to inhale without thinking about you. How tightly you had embraced him 2 nights prior, when he'd confided that maybe he wasn't suited for this leader job anymore, that he didn't know where you all would go, or if you'd even make it past these religious grounds before succumbing to hunger.

There was warmth radiating off you like a furnace and he couldn't shake the soothing way your fingertips gilded against his forearm as you told him that things would fall into place in time, no matter how difficult it got.

But Daryl was a damn firecracker, this way of his to emote through hostility and intimidation was a way for him to cope with the potential loss of his brother.

You were not Shane.

There's so much Rick could rationalize before he no longer had the will to counter how much he wished you were there now to quell the savagery within his best friend.

Carl was as much of a mess as the archer, if not more. The rage within him seemed to blaze each step closer to the forest. It burned at his eyes, tearing his hands into fists that felt as if their own knuckles may shatter within the grasp.

Rosita had to stop him.

"What?" He initially sneered at her, pushing out of her grip and continuing to stomp forward until he could feel her nipping at his heels.

"Carl, now is not the time to get some kind of revenge, alright? We'll find the fucker, but getting ourselves killed is not going to help. "

In time, she got him to sit down and collect himself, which consisted of roughly pacing and rubbing his face with his palms in an attempt to scrub the hostility right out of him. He wanted to scream, to fucking yell the earth apart because this wasn't fair, none of this was.

Yet, he found it somewhat easier to sit there and allow his teeth to sink into his knuckles while he suppressed tears.

Eugene and Tara had wandered the farthest the fastest, the church began to slowly disappear the deeper they strayed into the density of the trees until there was no distinguishable church at all, or street or houses for that matter.

They were silent the entire way, like speaking would somehow shatter the chances of finding you, safe, sound and alive.

So then when Tara's voice did come, meek and soft, far from anything close to the tone she usually sported, Eugene nearly jumped.

He halted immediately, his body turning as he looked every which way as if you may suddenly appear behind a tree.

"We should turn around and just make our way back. " She whispered.

That was her biggest concern, because with the route they had taken, any further into the unknown, she knew there were no way to familiarize themselves with where they were.

"Rick said to keep searching til sun down and that's just what I intend to do. " There was an an irrtation in his expression and an agony to his voice that confirmed his intentions were anything but logical.

"Eugene. "

And again, his body suddenly felt like it wasn't his, or maybe his bones weren't aligned and he was a puppet, a stranger, someone entirely else.

"Eugene, we won't get anywhere trying to force out this search. Please. The sun is already setting, it's near impossible to see 10 feet ahead and even if we were to press further in the dark, they're-"

She didn't need to finish her sentence to know what she wanted to say, the image was still clear in her mind as if she had just watched the last interaction you'd had with her and Rosita. The absolute dejection you allowed her to see in your eyes, the hesitation and restraint you had felt in giving your hugs. She took one and wrapped herself around you and you didn't dare do more than reciprocate the tightness, afraid to hurt her. As if.

After some minuets, Eugene came to and they turned back.

When they got to the church, Abraham was doing circles around the confinements of the holy sanctuary with Judith in his arms.

"Where's Gabriel?" Eugene spoke cautiously, realizing the weight in his voice when he did so.

"He's locked in his office. Said to leave him to rot or somethin'. Not a bad idea, the bastards a fuckin killer. "

Abraham was just as convinced as Daryl. No one asked to elaborate because they somehow knew the moment he did, he'd lose his shit. Like a bomb that's set to a timer, ticking away until it explodes into your ears.

"Find anything?" He asked as Tara slid down the wall she had been leaning against since they returned and brought her legs to her chest. Eugene shook his head at him which made the soldier nod back bitterly.

By day two, Michonne decided to conduct a one man search party for the nights. When the moon came out, she snuck off to the woods and scouted the area she had previously searched, for any evidence that may have been missed on the 1st visitation. Which would prove to cause strife amongst the group when Carl found her out four days later.

"What are you doing?" He challenged harshly as he forced himself into the dark brush behind her with Michonne's body jolting at the abrupt arrival of company.

"Carl-"

"Are you crazy?”

The boy wasn't the only person who she'd receive these questions from, Tyrese had found himself wandering her way as well.

"Why would you come out here on your own? Have you lost it?" He griped under his breath, tone laced with disapproval as if the woods had just come to eat them alive.

"Well, what are you doing out here?" She retorted back in a whisper yell with a forceful gesture to the man who was just as armed, just as ready as her.

Her efforts were fruitless, though, and no response was heard, which left her walking the same way she came.

Rick wasn't happy about it.

At first, when Carl appeared through the door in the night, he thought his son was the culprit of the secret night searches, but soon realized what has transpired when he saw Michonne making her way inside.

"Everyone is on edge, alright? Everyone is doing exactly what is expected of them, they have been looking and looking and Michonne, it's about time you pulled your head from your ass and sat down for the night. " Rick had said 5 minuets after they'd settled in the privacy of Judiths room. Their voices were lowered considerably so as not to wake the others, but Rick's tone wasn't anything less than a demand.

"So we should just sit around?" She had, then, the urge to spit at him and remind him that you could be dead in the next second. Gone. Poof.

"We are not–" Rick's voice began to rise in octaves but he took a moment to lower the volume. "We are *not* just sitting around. "

There was an enervation in Rick's stance that Michonne could feel pricking her heart strings. He looked exhausted, absolutely strained.

"He could– he could be in trouble. " Michonne attempted to keep her voice leveled as she looked around in disdain, her lip trembling and Rick saw this, that she could not come to accept the way things were."I can't bury him." She hissed as clear glistens of wetness fell from the pools in her eyes.

Rick knew exactly the terror Michonne felt in the pit of her gut and he could almost see inside her head, the vision of a funeral and everyone in a heavy sweat of depression and rage, because it was the same one he saw every night before he closed his eyes.

A few dead bodies surrounding the fire pit in the woods while everyone circled around you and Daryl cried.

He had already envisioned it all, envisioned the way Glenn would crack at your loss. While Maggie was reduced to hiccups and broken speeches, she had somehow found the strength to collapse to the floor and refuse help.

Bobs face would fall, for once, it would fall and Sasha wouldn't be able to handle the breath leaving her body, clutching Tyrese, who looked just as devastated, to her to bring her solace.

Carol would gasp but it wouldn't matter because no one would hear her over Daryl's sobs, no one would see the way her lips pulled down at the corners and the lines in her face would tighten.

Rick didn't like to think about how he might react. He imagined it be something similar to crazed. But beyond that, he didn't want to picture it.

And what about his son? Carl who hadn't even fully grown yet. Rick couldn't stomach the thought, the sheer utter torment he'd experience watching his sons body begin to wither. He didn't want to know.

You'd been there while he was unconscious in that hospital bed, through every storm, everything, by his side. You were a father to Carl as much as he was and you'd been nothing short of a supporting role to Rick. There's been times when you just drove the both of them off in the car, taking trips to lakes and nearby parks, anywhere that offered a semblance of normalcy.

You'd scout the places out days before, cleaned it free of Walker's and set up a picnic on the cool greens of grass or near broken tables. Even once or twice when the fire smothered to ambers or if Carl's blood started to burn so hot, you'd give them a midnight rendezvous, all three of you climbing up a tree or anything that fit the current circumstances in which the group resided.

Rick had to run a hand through his hair and all he could do was grab Michonne by her shoulders, look her forcefully in the eyes and say:

"We are going to find him. And anyone who gets in the way of that will pay. "

Because he wasn't going to accept anything else.

Which is why he didn't stop Tyrese or Daryl or anybody who wanted a chunk out of Gabriel the morning of day eight when he suggested that they move on.

He even went as far as leaving the church entirely, not caring to put aside personal feelings, not caring how he may look. His expression was sour and drained and at this rate, the only thing he cared about was finding you.

He would have no problem burying his tomahawk right into the preachers skull.

Daryl kept watch most of the nights, refusing rest for the past week because every time he tried, he felt as if it were a ploy. He became distressed each time he was reminded you weren't going to walk in and slumber on the floor next to him or Carol. You weren't anywhere.

It pissed Daryl off beyond belief to know there was an actual possibility that you weren't breathing anymore, weren't thinking, feeling.

His anger had to be one of the few things driving him into the same track less search the next day as he pushed through the forest ahead of Rick.

Things were starting to feel all too familiar and he thought he might find you in a barn just the same as Sofia. But you didn't pop out the doors in any walkers veil, you weren't bloodied nor torn apart. There were no traces of anyone or anything in those forests.

You simply disappeared.

And it left them in another night of quiet.

Spoons scraping agaisnt cans, the faint sound of chewing. A tiny droplet of rain hitting a window pane or two.

That was all.

No one spoke, yet they all sat around a room cramped with anxious bodies.

Sasha's leg brushed against her guns outline, her boots rubbed together, her tongue flicked at her teeth and she felt as if her thoughts were vibrating the inside of her skull, riling her from the depths. There was an eerily absence of anything positive, because at this point no one was expecting good news.

Gabriel's execution was more or less inevitable as each of the nights rolled by. There'd be the lingering aura of danger and anticipation due to the preachers remaining presence. But no one ever mentioned it, let alone had the will to.

It was hard to digest the concept of your loss because not a single one of them wanted to bury you, the group preferred to be broken and you had become like an integral part of what bound them.

Food was beginning to dwindle down the line of low and low to nonexistent.

And as they sat there, in silence, there was collective knowing resonating around them that this would be the last night they spent in the church.

Not that anyone dared to speak it, not even Rick, who gazed afar into the burning light of a candle and contemplated.

Carol noticed first, maybe it was her nose, fine tuned for the scent of trouble and like a dog trailing a rabbit, she jumped up with a clatter and darted towards the front door.

But she didn't even get halfway across the church, with Rick trailing closely behind her, along with the others who were all clammering to their feet, when the doors burst open on their own, the cool whip of wind entering the room as the room itself seemed to rise up in temperature.

There, with a trail of blood drops, a scarily dehydrated and filthy body fell into her arms.

It was you.

And the sigh of relief felt as if you breathed the air back into everyones lungs. It reanimated the whole church.

[illmoraineakoi]

Timeline Implications

I'm a timeline nerd, so one of the first things I tend to become intrigued by is when hard dates are introduced into a series.

In AvA11, we get a ton of new ones (for Victim), but there's one that stuck out to me as...confusing.

2011?

2007 to 20...11?

Now, this might not seem so strange at first glance, if it wasn't for the event that is about to happen:

Dark and Chosen's attack on Newgrounds.

Why is this weird?

Because Dark and Chosen only escape Alan's pc on October 2, 2011.

And the Flashback shows them attacking three other things before they attack Newgrounds.

It's always been the assumption of the fandom that these attacks happened over the ~7 year interim between AvA3 and AvA Season 2 (which all happens on August 18, 2018.) IE: these four attacks were spread out over years.

But this isn't what AvA11 is saying.

It is saying that the Newgrounds attack (and probably all of them if they were in chronological order, but specifically Newgrounds) happened somewhere between October 2 and December 31st 2011.

A timespan of 2 months and 29 days, MAX.

It's strange, isn't it?

The Flashback had been the setup for why Chosen had a change of heart, as well as showing Dark just going off the fucking rails into becoming a murderous psychopath. It's weird that those two things would happen so quickly.

And leave literally YEARS worth of time they spent together a complete mystery. What in the hell were they doing, between 2012 and 2018, if they've already had their Establishing Character Events???

They were together that entire time. They're living together. Are there more attacks The Flashback just didn't show?

Or was the Flashback not entirely what we thought it was...?

There is a clear disconnect, between the Newgrounds scene in the Flashback, and the Newgrounds scene in AvA11:

[gif from @octdl-lee]

Not once is Chosen shown doing what he, supposedly, did in the Flashback. Meaning the events of the Flashback might not be entirely accurate to what actually happened, but more like Chosen's FEELINGS towards them. Or perhaps what HE interprets his own actions to have been like, a perspective that isn't accurate to how things looked from the outside.

The Flashback is, ultimately, showing Chosen's own recollected memories, memories that could be tainted and flawed by his own emotions and regrets at the time we're seeing them.

Chosen could be an unreliable narrator, of sorts.

Could this imply that the Newgrounds attack isn't actually the final straw for Chosen's own character change that we thought it was? Was it just a large enough event that affected him, opened his eyes to Dark's nature, that it was one of the ones he was remembering on the way back to the Outernet?

None of this really helps to explain anything about the timeline.

It doesn't make sense, for the Newgrounds attack to happen at the end of 2011, with Dark doing virtually NOTHING until 2018. Not for his character, which is shown reveling in destruction, who enjoyed attacking websites. He likes to destroy shit and cause chaos for the hell of it. He's an evil little bastard. He wouldn't just sit around twiddling his thumbs for 6 and a half years, no matter how nicely Chosen asked him to, and it did NOT take him that long to make the Virabots either.

[And that's something that's grinded my gears for years, why did Dark target Alan again after so many years??? Him sending the virabot to his PC just seems so out of the blue.]

There has to be more we haven't seen. There are far too many unanswered questions, about BOTH OF THEM, between the Newgrounds attack and the creation of the Virabot.

Was the Newgrounds attack instead the BEGINNING of Chosen's change of heart, not the end of it?

Or...

Was there more than one Newgrounds attack?

Did Chosen and Dark target certain popular websites, repeatedly?

That absolutely sounds like something Dark would do. It sounds like something Dark would ENJOY doing.

I don't know. There's so many unanswered questions with Dark and Chosen, it's hard to put the peices together. Especially now, when so many things keep tying back to Chosen and Dark's past. Mostly Dark. Because he's the bastard who keeps starting shit that somehow ends up getting Chosen into trouble.

Did they even go to the Outernet after they escaped? Or did they just jump right into destroying stuff?

They were clearly very satisfied with themselves after destroying Alan's PC, so why would they stop there?

Why wouldn't they ride the internet webstrings to Yahoo and blow it to smithereens? (Also Alan are you okay, you've targeted Yahoo like three times now, what did it do to hurt you?) Why not go destroy Angry Birds? Why not attack StickPage?

Why not Newgrounds, a website that Chosen must have known was a favorite of Alan's, considering he was used as a popup blocker for Alan's INTERNET BROWSER.

They could have absolutely just went on a rampage immediately after escaping. Four massive things attacked and nearly completely destroyed, in a single afternoon. Not even a single day, it was already 3:39 pm when they destroyed Alan's PC.

That's why I think 2011 was chosen in the episode, and not a much more reasonable 2012 or beyond. No significant event happened in 2012, and the date was clearly meant to induce a foreboding feeling into the viewers who KNOW the timeline. 2011 is significant to Dark and Chosen's part of the timeline. There was no other date they could have used, not until the entirety of Season 2 itself.

AvA11 has filled a TON of holes in Victim's story and in the lore as a whole, but it's also left us with a TON more questions about Chosen and Dark's histories, and their place in the overarching narrative.

Hopefully, one day we'll get some answers to these questions just like we did for Victim.

And maybe Chosen can get some fucking character development, like holy shit, literally every other hollow head's got hobbies and interests but my boi doesn't. Get him some personality, please.

[barbatusart]

so back when we were wrapping up SAD SACK i hid a cypher in the final page that when decoded would lead to a carrd site with a bunch of strange writings for a fictional religion + conlang stuff, unfortunately i hid it too good & nobody ever found it LOL & now that it's been over 5 years im honestly fine to just post it! below is a creation myth for the mots from uhhhhhhhh 2019, it was fun to try writing in real Ye Olde style. if you follow along with my other comic prelims ive posted, some of these names might look familiar!

disclaimer also, the fake religion in question is meant to be a misinterpretation of old extinct canaanite creeds where the folks who made it only had limited access to the already limited source materials + other writings from around the time period from different regions, so there is a Lot of cultural mishmash in here that i thought would reflect how people would actually mix and match the elements, similar to some modern day religions. just heads up!

1 The Earth began as Sea, Moon, and Stars. 2 The Sun emerged from the Moon, as through a window, and the Sun was in truth the LORD, come from a distant place in Heaven.

3 The LORD was weary and stopped to quench His thirst in the Sea, but the brine was sour and caused Him to be sick in the waters. 4 From His gorge and out of the Sea rose His organs, and They took shape and walked forth as his Brothers.

5 From the Sea rose the first Brother, clothed in robes of peridot, and at His left hip a crimson khopesh. 6 He looked upon the infinite Sea, and He breathed forth life unto the waters - fishes of every color, sprawling flora, and the people of the deep. 7 The LORD saw the wisdom of Heaven in his eyes, and the LORD called His name: BAAL KHASIS.

8 Then rose the second Brother, clothed in robes of emeralds, and in His left hand a crimson skinning blade. 9 He looked upon the people of the deep, and he breathed forth land, to split the Earth into above and below, as is Heaven and Earth. The Sea birthed clouds that crowned the lands, clouds that raged and spit cacophonous lightning and fresh sweet water, and the people of the deep migrated landwards. 10 The LORD saw the Earth's newborn storms in His eyes, and the LORD called His name: BAAL HADAD.

11 Then rose the third Brother, clothed in robes of golden topaz, and at His left eye a crimson maul. 12 He looked upon the land, and He breathed forth time - the sunrise and sunset, the seasons, the years, and old age. 13 The LORD saw the encroaching night in His eyes, and the LORD called His name: BAAL SHALIM.

14 Then rose the fourth brother, clothed in robes of pearls, and in His left mouth a crimson saw blade. 15 He looked upon the night, and He breathed forth coherence to the stars, the mighty constellations, the waxing and waning of the holy Moon, how it pulled the Sea's tides and bathed the shores. 16 The LORD saw the light of the Moon in His eyes, and the LORD called His name: BAAL YARIKH.

17 The LORD's Brothers produced for Him clothing of citrine to hide His nakedness. 18 And from His mouth the LORD poured the Sun's fire which He would fashion into any weapon of His choosing. 19 The LORD's brothers saw the infinite of all in His eyes, and They called His name: BAAL MUTH.

20 Then the five LORDS stepped into the Stars aside the Moon, above the lands and Sea, and They anointed themselves the LORDS of the Earth.

21 The Moon reflected BAAL MUTH's light and bathed the Earth's newborn land, and the LORDS' Shadows were formed on the land - weak, foul, and frail, each with one eye and half blind. 22 It angered the LORDS to see weakness in Their shapes, and They made war with their Shadows.

23 The first Shadow was Cacrinolas, a wicked man-faced wolfdog with the wings of an eagle. He opened his mouth and projected forth curses at the LORDS. 24 BAAL KHASIS's Brothers fell upon him in fury to tear the wings from his back. 25 With His burning khopesh, BAAL KHASIS beheaded Cacrinolas, and He cast the head into the Sea, 26 and He placed his wings into the Stars, so that they would become the celestial Nabu. But his grasp was not complete, and feathers of Cacrinolas fell loose and landed on the Moon.

27 The second Shadow was Forai, a vile beast with the head of a bull and innumerable hands. He opened his mouth and projected forth pleas for mercy so as to make the LORDS have pity. 28 But BAAL HADAD's Brothers fell upon him in turn to cut out his pleading tongue and take his hands from him. 29 With his burning skinning blade, BAAL HADAD removed Forai's genitals, and with his own hands Forai's heart, and He cast the genitals, the tongue, and the hands into the Sea, 30 and He placed his heart into the Stars, so that they would become the celestial Inanna. But unsteady were his hands, and the heart's blood fell and landed on the Moon.

31 The third Shadow Botis, a man-faced wayward serpent with a mouth of viper's fangs and a tail of rattling swords. He opened his mouth and projected forth poison from his fangs so as to make the LORDS sleep. 32 But BAAL SHALIM's Brothers fell upon him a moment before, to feed him his own poison and to take his fangs from his mouth. 33 With his burning maul, BAAL SHALIM broke Botis' skull in twain so that his brains ran free, and He cast the brains into the Sea, 34 and He placed his fangs into the Stars, so that they would become the celestial Ugarit. But His aim was not true, and one fang fell and landed on the Moon.

35 The fourth Shadow was Tuvres, a chimera with the body of both man and warhorse. So profane and so powerful was Tuvries that BAAL YARIKH's four Brothers could only restrain the beast and take from him his voice before he could speak, 36 so that BAAL YARIKH Himself could wield his burning saw blade and open his equine body to remove his entrails. 37 BAAL YARIKH beheaded Tuvres, and He cast the voice and the entrails into the Sea, 38 and He placed his head into the Stars, so that they would become the celestial Suen. But His grasp failed Him, and the head of Tuvres landed on the Moon.

39 So engulfed with wrath was BAAL MUTH, to see the holy Moon's light dimmed by such heavy handedness, such clumsiness, such carelessness. 40 So enraged was the LORD that his fire burned so hot as to burn even his Brothers. 41 So loud His roar, as though meant to crack the walls of Heaven itself. 42 The LORD BAAL MUTH opened His endless mouth, from where all things come and where all things return, where sound and light extinguish, where time folds inward, and He consumed His Brothers one by one.

[feather-dancer]

Tales of Arcadia fanfic recommendations part 8

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8

If at all interested in my own writing you can find it here! Several of my own are currently getting scrubbed for improvement to make them more readable. Currently goal is for all of Spotlight being completed by the end of the year.

Been a while huh? This has still been sitting in my drafts though even when my brain decided “Nope not reading” for a while. Still got quite a hefty backlog to read through along with authors I’m subscribed to for their most recent works as and when they pop up. Regardless, determined to get back on top of it and unearth things I want to give a shoutout to because it’s cool shit :)

To you, fans past and present and surviors of RotT Tales of Arcadia fandom.

General Tales of Arcadia

But Everything Hurts - You don’t come back from death with a free pass and Douxie’s fall from the castle cost was chronic pain for an immortal’s lifetime. He was told to learn how to live once, now it is learning to manage.

Of Hunger Pains and Old Habits - Food is hard when you’ve spent a very young life without it until life takes a strange turn and it becomes plentiful. Died in habits are hard though, Douxie will hear the unconvinced whispers for the rest of his life.

almost there - When Jim heads off until the Darklands alone Toby and Claire try to hold themselves together not knowing if he’ll ever return. This is set post season 1 and is wonderfully bittersweet.

Our Little Viginette - Moppet faces the end of an era with the fall of Camelot and (Temporary) loss of Merlin after the Battle of Killahead.

A way to cope - Jim pretends to cope with the trauma of being in the Darklands a lot better than he actually is, as long as he keeps the breakdowns out of sight then nobody can worry right?

dandelion eyes - In which Bellroc discovers the concept of nail polish.

Adieu - The final moments of Angor Rot

Saudade - It’s perfect. They beat Gunmar, nobody died and he can finally enjoy being a teenager again, Thinks Jim. Then why if he stops ignoring the feeling for even a few seconds does it all seem so hollow...?

Rise of the Titans

The Last Changeling - Jim escaped the timeline filled with mistakes in hopes of making things right. He didn’t account for those left behind to grieve or the changeling that suddenly found himself as the last.

I Can't Pull the Sword From the Stone - Jim went back and now Toby is the new Trollhunter which should be smooth sailing right? Except history is refusing to repeat it’s self exactly, little elements are already changing and Jim’s experiences have left him tainted with magic he can’t control along with all the memories and traumas. It’s hard to grieve for someone who is technically still alive but everything you had is gone without a soul out there to understand.

More is all you need - Jim has gone back, something stupid by his own admittance, however in sorting through his thoughts he comes to a realisation.

Stricklake

Comes Around - Post Trollhunters season 3, it’s a struggle to figure out what to do when you have a cradlestone full of babies and a changeling that no longer is but you have to just try and muddle through somehow... Perhaps a chance to try figure out what your relationship is meant to be too now things have calmed down a bit.

Media Consumption - Wholesome fluff that also involves Wally and creating an addict to the HtTyD franchise early on.  

A Measure of Intellect - The goblins are breaking into the stricklake household and they’ve already stolen the blender. The fun part is figuring out exactly what they’re up to. Related to Media Consumption.

enough - Figuring out a normal in the mundane of after everything has happened is quite a lot for a jaded changeling. Very fluffy.

The Wild Hunt - Letting your troll boyfriend hunt is good enrichment but the prize for capture is even better.

The Armour of Daylight - A little glimpse into a high fantasy world where everyone might just be a little bit cursed.

The School Of Janus - This is an AU while also being Stricklake so it lives here. The Darklands are the most prestigious educational process in the world according to their promo material and Jim is prepping to head there while putting off most of his packing as long as humanly possible. Good thing he does really the banter is delightful.

Ink Stains - An AU making an escape in the name of shipping again. Here Barbara married into court politics with her husband being an heir for Camelot and changelings are a secret guard force protecting those important hiding away in plain sight. Incredibly cool world building going on here.

Keen Swimmers 2023 - A collection from last year mostly in AU territory and very tasty. Read the summaries and off you go!

Special Delivery - Very short and sweet, if you’re interested in the ship just trust me and click it.

Locked Rooms - Barbara lost her memory. She doesn’t know how and she doesn’t really know why either. All she does know is that whatever they are seem to be behind a locked door and that strange imagery is leaking into her dreams.

Alternate Universe

Dig your eight graves - It was only supposed to be a fun trek out for Halloween for the Arcadia kids, test out the set up and give feedback so the owner could improve them for when it would officially open the next year. Nobody could have predicted how it’d go so horribly wrong.

Content warning: This fic is marked Mature for character death, body horror, desecration of corpses and for being of the general slasher genre. Please check the tags before proceeding.

Between Daylight and Darkness - The Sunshine AU is back and it’s time for the team to go Trollhunting.So how many spanners can Jim being the nearest equivilent to a were-troll throw into the works of canon? Well hopefully nothing fatal...

Toby's Appointment - Sometimes you need to read very silly things and this is probably the funniest possibility you could find in the dentist waiting room.

The Grave of the Felled Forest - A boy and his familiar go to check out Merlin’s places of power/various stash spots to make sure all is still well. They are not anticipating visitors or his intent to be poked. Part of The Heart of Janus AU.

[roublardise]

HAPPY FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 🎉

here's my little reclist :)

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In the Wake of the Winchesters - iamfoxfire / @supersapphical Cassie/Jess | 22k | 5/7

After her mother's passing, Cassie's grief drove her away from her hometown. Now she moves around the US, visiting any town that might have a story and publishing articles about her travels. Out in California, she hears rumors about a potential haunting but when she goes to investigate, she meets a ghost completely unlike the murderous spirits she's tangled with in the past. This ghost isn't deliberately violent but she is increasingly desperate in her attempts to be heard. Cassie realizes she is in a unique position to try to help this spirit over to the other side except that the more time they spend together, the more the strange connection between them grows.

-> the ghost sex really haunts me, and the description making the house so alive still inspire me to this day

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neatly-labelled leftovers - gayliens Mary/Jody | 3.1k

Mary hates Jody, she realises faintly, as she opens the fridge to a Tupperware stack of neatly-labelled leftovers. Green bean casserole, turkey chilli, maple-glazed pork chops. All homemade, probably. Jody has two kids of her own and Mary’s own kids to boot, a steady job and a good hunting gig and time to mash her own potatoes by hand. All Mary has to show for twenty-nine years is an aborted life of choosing hunting and home at the wrong times for the wrong reasons, a wedding ring she hurled into the woods two weeks after being resurrected, and a decent pussy-eating technique. None of this, technically, is Jody’s fault. But god, Mary hates her for it. or, mary stays with jody after asa's funeral. things get a little complicated

-> stunning writing !!! !! !!!!!!

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Fil Rose - @limbel Jo Harvelle | 1.3k

Pink was the color of the minidress that clung tight and glittery and oppressive to the smooth-plastic body of the Barbie that came out of the package, curly red ribbons and giftwrap now laying all scrunched next to Jo’s toes. Four stills from Jo's life, connected by a thread

-> jo gender thoughts in beautiful poetic prose

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Roadhouse Girl - Jo Daily universe - thereweresunflowers / @mrcowboydeanwinchester serie of 3 works. Jo Harvelle, Jo/Cassie | 42.9k total

Works inspired by Jo's Blog and set within the universe of my Jo manifesto fic Jo Daily - usually pre-season, in the Roadhouse.

-> and basically anything by Ola, half of which is in my to-read list already.. an icon

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Wolf Like Me - schmevil Bela/Meg | 4k

Meg takes Bela of the rack.

-> such an interesting exploration of Hell and being a demon

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caution blocks you from the wind - @captainangua Mary/Rowena | 3.5k

Rowena invites Mary out for drinks

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Target Practice - Petrichora_Vellichor / @petrichoravellichor Mary/Rowena | 2k

Mary and Rowena share a moment on the bunker's shooting range.

-> both of these are Mary/Rowena thesises to me :)

...

AND if I may.... here's my own Mary fic 💕

amidst ashes and feathers - anarchistamara Mary/Amara | 6.7k

"It's a matter of days until she crosses paths with another hunter. And she might not be recognized, but what could she say if they asked her name? Or where she learned to be that good? She can't be Winchester. She can't be Campbell either. She's not sure she can even be Mary." - Mary is brought back from the dead by Amara (again). This time, she doesn't want to do the same mistakes. This time, she wants to be herself. Whoever the hell that may be.

[stitched-mouth]

Five And Lila Season 4

I really needed to get this off my chest. Over the last month or two I’ve thought a lot about this ship and why it was included in the last season. I really didn’t like the first time I watched, it feel rushed and uncomfortable.

But I’ve been growing to actually like the ship.

People will definitely disagree with me, but since the beginning when Lila was introduced in Season 2, I did see more for Lila and Five in a relationship rather than Lila and Diego. I never completely loved Lila and Diego but I felt like the writer really wanted Diego to have a consistent love interest at that time and having Lila and Diego in the mental hospital was the best way to introduce Lila to the Umbrellas.

But because they went that way, it makes Lila’s and Five’s romance extremely forbidden and the fans would obviously hate the ship. It also doesn’t help that when the actors, Ritu Aruya (Lila) and Aidan Gallagher (Five) first met, Aidan was underage. It must of been very weird for Ritu to act out a romance with someone she saw as a child just 4 years ago. It also the opposite in the show, with Five being mentally 70 years old (53 when he began working in the commission, 58 when he left although this doesn’t make sense it’s how the writer went, 63 years old almost 64 beginning of S4 then 7 years in the subway) and Lila only 43 years old (she was 30 in S2, 36 at the beginning of S4 then spent 7 years in the subway) The age gap is weird both ways. Because of this, I really don’t know if they should have perused this plot.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t see the potential and the beginning of their romance makes complete sense to me. Being stuck in time together and being stuck for at least 6 years because they act on their feelings for each other. They already had the potential and matched personality wise, now they are forced to rely on each other and spend all their time together. Of course it became romantic between them.

I think the reason why I like the romance compared to others is because I can detach Diego from the situation, which might not be a good thing, but it’s because I always saw more potential in Lila and Five than Lila and Diego. Lila and Five are such similar people, they were both trained to kill and are traumatised in such a similar way. They both have impulsive tendencies and lack of sanity, Diego never really matched Lila’s energy. And another reason I like this romance more than others is because I love forbidden romances. While most fans loved Lila and Diego and they hate forbidden romances which is why they hate this ship. But honestly, y’all should have seen this coming this show loves forbidden romance just look at Allison and Luther being introduced in the first season (and is comic book accurate) and then Luther and Sloane. It’s obvious the writers never had an issue with making the fans uncomfortable with certain romances.

But I do have a strange reason for not completing liking this ship myself (other than this, I like it a lot), obviously other than the cheating on Diego part but I was really hoping to see a more fleshed out relationship between Five and Delores, I’ve been wanting this since season one and feel robbed of it. But I can kinda forgive it because if Five was lucky enough to get stuck in the apocalypse with another ‘real’ person, Lila was the best person…. Although I think they should have created a whole new character for this plot line, ideally Dolores or someone that reminds Five of Dolores.

I think liking and also hating the ship are both valid opinions and the writers should have known the fans would be very likely to react negatively.

[saeki-rina]

Runaan is kinda out of character in season 7 of The Dragon Prince

I decided to start this thread because I haven't come across anything similar yet and the issue is bugging me. I would appreciate your thoughts and opinions because I'm very curious if anyone else has had a similar impression or has any other ideas about where it might come from.

My feelings after watching The Secret of Aaravos were like, "Runaan is out of character. He's not himself anymore, not completely. Man, he's become less believable to me as a character." I started to wonder why. Here's what I've come up with so far.

1. Runaan started looking out of character for his age.

In The Secret of Aaravos, Runaan looks younger to me than in The Dragon Prince. And much younger. What's the logical point of that? Even if we assume that while trapped in the coin the aging process stopped for him (which is not confirmed in any way, as far as I know), still - Runaan should look at least the same age as in Season 1. Not younger. Sure, maybe the team just decided they preferred a slightly changed/"new" character design, but still - it makes me as a viewer confused. Because I look at Runaan and just think "why did he suddenly get a decade younger?".

And I know Ethari also seems to look a bit younger with her new hair compared to Season 3, but not enough to be confusing. It's entirely possible that a new haircut or different clothing can make you look younger (I believe that's what Ethari is going for). But Runaan hasn't changed a bit in his appearance, and he still - looks much younger.

Credits - I know, the artstyle depends on artist, but still - chrologically younger Runaan looks more like in season 1 than 7

Bloodmoon Huntress

artbook

season 1

season 7

I noticed that Runaan already looks a bit younger in season 1, when he's not serious, irritated, angry, etc., but still, not as young as in season 7. There are limits.

2. Runaan behaves inconsistently with his character.

I don't mean like all the time, but in very situations. In my opinion, it comes down to a few things:

A) in season 7, Runaan's facial expressions are often inadequate to the original character creation.

I really understand the plot situation (2 years in the coin, regaining freedom, Rayla, a chance to return to Ethari) and the fact that Runaan could have changed - become more gentle. And it's no wonder that he's often sensitive this season, after all, he's in the company of Rayla or Ethari.

But I have the impression that the creators wanted to show how much is going on emotionally in Runaan so much that they overdid it. And there's nothing left of the ''COLD AND SHARP as steel'' assassin. His face is so expressive, he constantly seems lost and sad (but like a puppy, not an elf who after 2 years of absence might not keep up with the world).

I love the scene of returning to Ethari and the subtle smiles when she looks at him after picking mushrooms or during dinner, and the fact that he's also shown when he's grumpy [ ''Runaan's expression sheet is the only one to not feature a smile. This elf exclusively broods'' (The Art of the Dragon Prince), ‘’ our favorite broody assassin’’ (https://thedragonprince.com/runaan-birthday/)] . Very interesting, after seeing him only on duty or in prison in Season 1. But most of what is in Season 7 seems to me to be out of place for a serious, composed assassin.

In my opinion, the flashback from Season 3 did a very good job of balancing Runaan's standard seriousness of his expressionless face (or just neutral) with a situation where tenderness towards someone close to him creeps in. It looked natural and very believable.

B) some gestures do not fit Runaan's previous portrayal

Runaan's body language this season is strange to me. Even if he is lost after two years, hurt, tired - ok, I understand. But while in Season 1 his movements were decisive, confident, and - I really don't want to refer to stereotypes, but I can't find a better comparison, for which I apologize - "masculine", in The Secret of Aaravos Runaan sometimes moves strangely "softly". Maybe it's the animation, maybe the choice of shots, their fluidity, I don't know. But for me, even during the mission with Callum, Runaan no longer has the confidence in his movements that he had in season 1.

Unfortunately, I will refer to stereotypes again, sorry, but these are simply the only comparisons that came to my mind.

Two gestures in particular do not fit Runaan's creation so far. The first, when he looks at Silvergrove, putting his hands to his chest, and the second, when he tells Ezran "And yet with grace and strength, you have managed to lead with kindness". I know what the creators wanted to show, but I think the way they did it does not fit how Runaan was presented to us. In both situations, he looks more like the archetypal delicate and sensitive princess, not like a composed assassin who deals with many emotions and changes in mindset. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Runaan (or a man in general) can't be sensitive or delicate. I just think that it would be more consistent with Runaan's personality to show all of this in a more subtle way. For example, in the first situation Runaan might simply fall silent at the sight of Silvergrove, his gaze becoming softer and more thoughtful, camera focusing on his face (like when he saw a dragon egg or coins with Lain and Tiadrin in 1 season).

Apologetic but still self-aware worrior talks to king like that? It's hard to believe for me.

3. Runaan seems more like Rayla's brother than father

Because of his younger appearance, some indecisiveness in body language and a strange impression of "girliness" (again, sorry), as well as some plot situations, I stopped seeing Runaan as Rayla's father. At most an older brother, but it was really hard for me to convince myself that he was the same elf as in Season 1 or Bloodmoon Huntress.

And sure, I understand that maybe they wanted to show that now Rayla is taking care of him, that they are more equal, that Runaan allows her to take responsibility and prove herself. Still, the probably intentionally comical scene of Runaan resting and setting off to Ethari came across to me as if Rayla was scolding her siblings, not the adult elf who raised her. I understand that Runaan is impatient here and could have acted unwisely, but in my opinion it was a bit over the top.

In my language version, Runaan's voice actor changed - from someone with a ''typically male" voice to someone who sounds very "young". I know that this definitely affected my perception of Runaan, but then I watched all the scenes in English for comparison. It was better - now Runaan JUST LOOKED younger. But it still wasn't the Runaan from Season 1 or 3.

Summary

The more I think about it, the more I feel that Runaan's character in Season 7 is not consistent with what the creators presented in Season 1, 3 or the books (art book, Callum's Spellbook, Bloodmood Huntress).

I am deeply disappointed, because I followed this series mainly because of the Runaan, Viren and Aaravos storylines. And in each of them I see certain clashes and puzzling decisions of the writers. But nothing persecutes as much as the "new" Runaan - younger, more delicate (at times "girlish"), who says that he is Rayla's father, but somehow does not give that impression (cause he seems to be too young for that).

I do not understand these methods of the creators. I know what they wanted to show (maybe the confusion, the more delicate side of Runaan, his uncertainty, the change of previous beliefs about himself and his profession), but the way it was done does not convince me.

And although there are moments that I absolutely love and consider credible in the context of Runaan's personality (and the only problem is his younger appearance) - for me his character is no longer consistent with what we have seen and could read about him so far. In season 7 he's so often just looks like a lost, uncertain, delicate pretty princess to me.

I do not see in him that mature, determined warrior with the aura of a protector.

I feel more like I've met his twin brother - very similar in appearance, but very different overall.

season 1

season 7

[sgiandubh]

To your previous anon. When this side and mordor side are in 100% agreement about this latest stunt gone stupidly wrong, you know it's gone stupidly wrong! We don't agree on many things but with this we're all in agreement.

Dear 'Previous Anon' Anon,

Well, he screwed it up BIG time. He could have thought things better than reacting knee-jerk style in the spur of the moment. Holding hands was completely unnecessary, as it made him look as a disingenuous consumer of cheap company AND a fool.

His Mommies are, for the most part, Christian conservatives (this is a simple, but reliable descriptor, not a judgement) who came and stayed for the book first, then for that innocence. Of which they ALL wanted a part of. They wanted a part of the dream. But oh, now JAMMF (the confusion and the struggle are real, for the aging Onlies) canoodles with hookers in the streets of London. This is not 1744, there is no Bonnie Prince Charlie, no Murtagh, no Fergus and they are no Claire. I feel for them. And it is not the first time I am telling myself the whole agitation down here eerily mirrors particular book tropes - as if fiction seeped into their lives, somehow. Strange, to say the least.

How is he going to come out of it? I bet he hopes for the effective virtues of collective oblivion and prays for small mercies. But this is Season Eight in the making, already and both he and C are running out of time.

No underpants twisting from the *Ur-Troll will make this palatable to that public and the people still buying that particular brand of bullshit in shining wrap paper WANT to LIE to themselves. For the sake of the above fantasy only.

The Disgruntled Tumblrettes will snarl on. It is their moment of dubious grace, Gay Brigade included. At least Liberace had Sonja Henie, the Norwegian figure-skater Olympic champion. That woman is no Olympic champion (her discipline is not included in that club) and this will seal the deal to them.

What about us? I do wonder. Don't worry: I am not about to jump ship. I have better understanding of human nature than that and I am anything but shocked by what happened. However, I also do think that this man cannot go on like that, from blunder to blunder, from OL to LOL.

I will not post anything else about that woman. Anything about that woman, reblogs included, will give her traction and a raison d'être. My inbox is full with pleading Anons I am deleting. Go somewhere else for gossip, ask yourselves what happened to you in the process and why you are interested by a hooker.

I am still considering Landcon 7. I have not made my final decision and I think it's understandable. There is a fine line between being benevolent and being an idiot with one's own time and money. I will tell you very soon what my final thoughts on this are.

Tell yourself they are people like me and you. Good people make mistakes. This is a horrible mistake I am not finding excuses for. His problem to solve.

[sharksandstars]

Season 4 of TUA is terrible so far??

I have a lot of opinions on season 4 and I fear most of them aren't great. I watched the first and second episodes fully and briefly skimmed over the rest (yes, I plan to watch them fully!) and so far I can't say I'm a fan. I have to address the elephant in the room: Five and Lila. In my opinion, it was a terrible decision and it felt like the writers were just trying to put in the craziest thing they could think of. And on top of that, it really feels like the way they executed was like a really shitty Wattpad fanfiction. I mean, there were like 6 scenes where they were living in domestic bliss??? Hey, so that is weird by the way! I have so many issues with their relationship... first of all, the age gap between the actors. Aidan Gallagher is 20 years old while Ritu Arya is 35 years old. I'd be surprised if they didn't feel weird while filming. Secondly, Five and Lila would not fall in love. I understand enemies to lovers is a genre and it's not inherently bad but with Five and Lila it felt like their resentment was far too deep-rooted. I've also seen a lot of posts about this and it seems like everyone is in agreement that it's weird and gross, and it doesn't make sense! Knowing this, I do understand that being stranded in a strange subway timeline thing for 7 years can be a less-than-stellar experience. Lila's marriage was already rough, but they really just needed some couples counseling and they'd be fine. I'd also like to argue that Five realistically wanted to feel love since he had never truly felt it unless you want to count Delores. But again, mentioning my previous points, it seems incredibly out of character for Lila and Five to betray Diego like that. I'm not entirely sure what the writers were thinking. As for the rest of the characters, I was happy to see them living regular lives. I unfortunately don't think season 4 was as good as any of the other seasons despite this, which makes me incredibly sad. Season 1 was fantastic, season 2 really picked up, season 3 was alright but enjoyable, and I really expected Season 4 to bring it all home, but so far, it hasn't in my opinion. I don't think it would have been better to just cancel the show after season 3 because I'm not the biggest fan of ambiguous endings. I also have an issue with the duration of the season: 6 episodes don't feel like enough. A series finale shouldn't have only 6 episodes, especially since all of the other seasons had 10 episodes. I just feel like they could have done more with it and it's really unfortunate that this series ran for so long and built up such an incredible story only for it to kind of... fall off. Also, just furthering my argument with Five and Lila here, Five killed her parents when he worked for The Commission. Which led to Lila hating him and trying to KILL HIM MULTIPLE TIMES. The writers must have gotten a lobotomy between seasons 3 and 4. Leave me your thoughts so far. I'll make another post when I finish it.

(Edit: I posted this on Reddit as well)

[laurmaupilled]

Hello and welcome back to

Dungeons and Diaries,

a minecraft diaries dungeons and Dragons AU. in my last post i went over the main characters of Diaries – except for maybe zane – and so this week i thought i might go over some side characters from season 1 and 2, excluding villains. and so here is

Diaries side characters if they were in Dungeons and Dragons!

i would also like to clarify, quite a bit of what i use is homebrew. not my own personal homebrew, but primarily classes made by others and posted online; i should have said that in my last post, but i use a dnd character manager that blends homebrew so seamlessly with canon content that i don't even think about it. basically every character in my last post had homebrew in their build! that's why some classes or backgrounds may seem unfamiliar. if there's anything anyone would like clarification on i would be happy to elaborate a bit more on anything, and i will be marking homebrew/unofficial content with a star (⋆). now with that out of the way, we will start with my personal favorite of this bunch:

Lucinda

› lvl 7 / half-elf / requiem of the haunt grave warden ⋆

› far traveler background

› okay so. as much as i love her, i have always, ALWAYS had an issue with lucinda's backstory. i always found it a little cheap and random and i always found the reaction to magic/magicks in this world inconsistent and confusing (for example: kc/nana says her magic is outlawed, and so does lucinda, and even zoeys to an extent... but when sasha and Castor do magic nobody really bats an eye? and honestly, as much as they say it, nobody ever has any kind of averse reaction to their outlawed magic with the exception maybe of lord luke? very strange). anyway that's a topic for another day – my point is i wanted there to be a legitimate reason for lucinda to be feared and for her magic to be outlawed, and necromancy seemed like an obvious choice to me. i played around with her class for a bit, bouncing from a death cleric to a school of necromany wizard to a spiritualist. i eventually chose grave warden because it feels the most innately... evil? grave wardens are obsessive necromancers and their whole lives revolve around their work, which i think is an interesting angle for lucinda.

› her far traveler background stems from the fact her studies take her all around the world, and the fact that she is welcome in very few corners of it, making it difficult to place down roots in any one location. she owns towers in many remote villages across the map, and travels between them as needed, meaning she's never in one place for very long.

› lucinda's interest in necromancy began as a teenager, when she had a finger in many different magical pies. initially written off by her dad as teenage eccentricity, he had no major concerns over it until it turned into less of an interest and more of a fixation... and then a borderline obsession, with her slowly growing withdrawn and practicing some, uh, vaguely unethical hobbies in private. when she left she wasn't necessarily kicked out of pikoro – as by the time lord luke told her to leave the village, she was practically already gone. she does have a tower outside pikoro village, but she is unwelcome within the town, and the local children are told to give it a wide berth.

› after years of intense study, necromancy and dark magic come as second nature to lucinda. although the clutter of her towers is a grim sight to anyone else, her undead servants and cadavers no longer bother her. her dark powers have also physically changed her, with dark veins spider-webbing across her skin, which is pale and cold in an unnatural, distinctly corpse-like way.

› on a more light-hearted note, bigglesworth is lucinda's undead servant, a shadowy little owl which she created to keep her company.

KC/Nana

› lvl 6 / shifter tabaxi / battle smith artificer

› failed merchant background

› to preface: for the purpose of this au, i have reflavored tabaxi into a type of shifter. as you may guess, the continent of tu'la is therefore primarily populated by shifter tabaxi (aka the meif'wa). i chose to do this because 1. i like the idea of nana going full kitty cat mode, and 2. i feel like this better mirrors the werewolves, which is cool i guess i dont know. in their base form, like shifters, tabaxi are simply humanoids with strong cat-like features, and when they shift, instead of simply enhancing those features they "become" full tabaxi (but they're actually always tabaxi, and tabaxi are just now a race of shifters. hopefully this makes sense?). also, if you couldnt tell, kawaii~chan is going to be called nana, and she is no longer going to act Like That.

› of course, my decision to make her an artificer comes from her little maids. while she can create a range of magical items, she mostly sticks to dolls or somewhat innocuous items that make travel and work easier.

› in my au, nana is a refugee from tu'la, which is under extreme tyrannical rule by their king, and grew up poor. she was loved by her parents but lonely as a kid, and her creation of dolls to keep her company is how she eventually discovered her own kind of artificing, and the ablility to imbue her dolls with life, which she kept secret from mostly everyone. after her parents died, she fled to ru'aun to pursue a better life, and out of fear of being arrested or forced into a military position. she briefly found success running a bakery in o'khasis, but eventually she simply couldn't handle the hostility as a refugee any more, and left the city to strike out on her own, searching for a new place to put down new roots. this is why she has the failed merchant background.

› her "steel defender" is a very large anthropomorphic lamb doll, which both helps protect her on the road and transports her goods.

Zoey

› lvl 8 / fey eladrin / school of abjuration wizard

› hermit background

› with zoey, the existence of elves in dnd kind of threw a wrench into her whole Thing. because elves are so commonplace in this world i of course didn't want to make her just an elf, and so i ultimately decided to take it a step further with zoey and make her an eladrin. in this world eladrin typically live exclusively in the feywild, but zoey was born in a fey village that sits on an intersecting point between realms, causing it to warp between realms at random and making it extremely difficult to locate. despite this, the village was highly sought after and often under siege and so, instead of being ousted from her village, zoey left it willingly to study abjuration magic, hoping to better protect it. however, when she returned she found that her husband and son no longer welcomed her and, unable to face her community or family, she left to live a life of solitude (until she met aphmau, that is).

› i gave her the hermit background because i imagine her village had strict laws and was extremely disconnected from the outside world. besides that, she didn't live in a village with others after she left (i.e. she was not in the same village as donna), but lived on her own in a remote forest, only seeing people on the rare occasion that she travelled to sell goods. she's not fully used to outside customs or being around so many other people yet, which is why she spends so much time taking care of the children.

Nicole

› lvl 6 / mountain dwarf / path of the battlerager barbarian

› smuggler background

› ok i actually really love what i did with nicole in this au lol. for starters, i chose barbarian for her because it's the class that feels the most "brute strength" to me. i did consider monk, but it almost felt too "clean" for what i was going for with her, though as she got older i might put some levels into monk or gear her towards that more. either there's no specific reason for path of the battleranger, or i've forgotten what it was, lol. i think it was just because that's a dwarf-exclusive subclass. regardless, i chose barbarian because i wanted nicole to be extremely strong.

› i chose to make her a mountain dwarf because, of course, dwarves are extremely skilled in stone and metalworking. in this au, scaleswind actually started as a clan of mountain dwarves, but over many centuries grew into a large city and is now extremely diverse; while all kinds of races and classes now occupy scaleswind, the noble family still consists solely of mountain dwarves. however, despite being dwarves, the noble family has mostly lost their "touch", so to speak, and don't often take up the stoneworking that their ancestors did.

› unlike garroth, nicole left scaleswind at a much younger age. although she wasn't yet in an arranged marriage, it was almost a certainty, and nicole never really felt like she belonged in her family in the first place, as one of the few nobles still interested in stonework (or, in her case, borderline obsessed, feeling an almost spiritual connection with stone, the mountains, the earth). i gave her the smuggler background because when she ran away she established her underground tunnels as a way to traverse the continent unnoticed, but eventually began using them as smuggling routes. typically she smuggles refugees or other people in need, but she will smuggle almost anything for the right price.

and there's my second post for this au Hehe i had a lot of fun with these! i think i'd like to do villains next, or maybe some more side characters if i can think of enough (kiki just screams druid, cmon now). tell me what you think of this one if you want ... thanks 4 reading see u next time

[johanna-swann]

Am I the only one really pissed Tommy will probably not be in 8x18, not because of the ship, but because of the story line? I think the chances of Tommy being in season 9 are still fairly good, we might still get Bucktommy back, but it'll feel like too little too late for me because it just doesn't make sense.

They keep putting the Bucktommy plot on ice like time passes differently for them, like it doesn't matter that weeks or months pass between their interactions. "We can take care of that later, it won't turn bad in the freezer, right?"

First they didn't show us anything relevant about their relationship after 7x06. They flirted a little at the medal ceremony and had dinner in 7x10, that was it. They only really put him in one episode of 8a before the break-up and it was kinda cute, but again we didn't find out much about their relationship. We barely got the confirmation that they are indeed boyfriends and then the next episode the Bucktommy plot was suddenly over - or so we were lead to believe.

Even then Minear could've said something like: "This is going to continue to affect Buck and we will see this thread continue after the midseason hiatus." Instead we got: "Well, it isn't impossible that we'll see Tommy again, he is a character in that universe and a firefighter at that, so they could technically run into each other at work." The first one sounds like: "At least for Buck this story line isn't over, but that doesn't mean we'll see Tommy again soon." The second one sound a lot like: "The story line is pretty much over, we haven't really thought about it much."

Tommy does reappear though about 5-6 months later (in universe). And okay, Tommy initiated the break-up and probably thought Buck wouldn't want to hear from him after that, Buck likely assumed Tommy was sure about the break-up and reaching out wouldn't change anything. Also the show was on hiatus, so they get a pass for this one. But then we get confirmation that they still have feelings for each other and we get confirmation that Buck wants to reach out and apologise.

And then they put the Bucktommy plot on ice again for 3 episodes and (in universe) another month or longer go by and they don't even mention Tommy in the meantime. How does that make sense. Are we supposed to believe that Buck just forgot to reach out to Tommy? They even bothered to confirm in an interview that this doesn't happen off screen. Otherwise we could at least assume that Buck reached out, but Tommy didn't answer because he was still hurt or something like that.

Side note and this is something I noticed very early on in season 7: Either Tommy is in the episode or he ceases to exist. He is barely ever mentioned by anyone, even Buck. Bobby brings him up once in 7x09 and Buck says how he misses Tommy in the two episodes right after the break-up and that's it. There are ways to make characters appear more present than they are by having the other characters talk about them. They never did that with Tommy. Nobody except Bobby ever asks about their relationship or Tommy individually even though Eddie, Hen and Chimney are all friends with Tommy as well. It's strange.

Anyway, then Tommy does come back for the helicopter chase in 8x15, but this doesn't move the Bucktommy plot anywhere at all. They have that very short maybe flirty interaction in the helicopter which sort of indicates that they still have feelings for each other, but the show already told us as much in 8x11.

Since then we haven't seen Buck and Tommy interact and fair enough, we had a main character death. Maybe the romance plot doesn't take priority right now. But are you honestly telling me that Tommy once again came when Buck called, confirmed Buck still matters to him and then witnesses how Buck completely breaks down over Bobby's death and then Tommy just doesn't talk to Buck till September? Buck at some point will start to move on from Bobby's death, will think about the other things in his life and he doesn't check in with Tommy? Even though he's been meaning to talk to him and Tommy also lost Bobby?

Fuck still having a shot at Bucktommy canon (2.0), I want their story line well written. I want their time line to make sense. Them actually going canon again is very low on my list of priorities tbh.

[rottingchapel]

hello! for starters, i adore your takes and your character analysis on franco barbi. i love how you go in depth with how you perceive him/your interpretations. i'm sure you've been told that many times before (+ media literacy/comprehension seems rare these days), but i just love seeing people understanding characters. secondly, would it be okay to ask for an analysis on amelia/the escapist? i'm curious what your thoughts and opinions are of her, and if you have any theories on how her story might play out. also, how do you think she would feel about the prime assets? i suspect that, given her criminal background, she would have a great distaste for coyle since he's a cop, for example. not sure how she'd feel about the other two, though. anyway sorry for the long ask 😅

I love Amelia, she's super fresh and a good change of pace. My only problem is that I want a lot more of her than we're getting!

We've gotten a lot of story about the staff of sinyala but not a lot about the reagents, which has stood out to me as sort of strange!

The reagents are going through hellish shit 24/7, and we're even told during the lupara update that they have access to combustible chemicals and there's been multiple escape attempts; if this was in real life Sinyala would probably be overrun with Amelia style wall living rat people by now.

Franco's Vault Box implies he's managed to get a hold of staff already despite most of them not having high clearance, and the pusher expops are ex-staff. Gooseberry is getting lucid enough to know she's not in "tv land". Easterman is. Well, Easterman. Sinyala is already falling apart. Amelia feels natural. Of course someone finally made it out of the trials and survived -- it's a miracle that no one else has done the same already.

The one thing that sets her escape apart (and thus more successful) is the fact she didn't even attempt to leave the actual facility. Anyone else who made it out died just outside the facility, presumably because of Murkoff catching up to them or just due to the elements: Sinyala is in the middle of the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Straight up desert, commedically isolated and inhospitable. Her anger is what makes her different from the other reagents.

Anger which undoubtedly extends to the primes. They're a part of the system of suffering inflicted on the reagents -- they actively benefit from all the pain. They revel in it. They're not victims, at least not in Sinyala. I think if Amelia had the chance to "tear it all down", it would definitely include the primes. I don't think we'll get that, though. We're only in "season two" of Trials, and the Sinyala Facility is still intact and at the least partially operational in Outlast 2, decades later. It's not looking very good for Amelia and her revenge.

[honeyspeeches]

THE BLACK PALADINS & ALL GOOD THINGS

On my rewatch of the Black Paladins episode, I had a weird feeling throughout the fight, but I shrugged it off, because I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was. I thought it was just my old feelings of wishing everyone was involved in the fight, and so I didn’t think more about it. But then I watched the next episode, All Good Things. This is where I got my first clue, and I started growing very suspicious. I’ll take you through it all in the order in which I found the clues.

Before we begin though, I have to say that I haven’t watched the Black Paladins since January 2019, which I couldn’t even finish because I felt very strongly that everyone should have been a part of the arc, because I was working under the presumption that this was a found family story. I argued in the main analysis why I no longer believe this, but I’m telling you this just to let you know the state of mind I was in when I rewatched the Black Paladins episode this time around, because it means that I haven’t watched All Good Things since Season 6 came out 7 years ago.

So, imagine my great surprise and shock when I rewatched All Good Things, and I could finally put my finger on what was bothering me.

First of all, on my first rewatch for this analysis, I was very surprised to see that the Black Paladins arc/fight doesn’t happen until midway through the episode. I didn’t remember that it was so short, in fact I remembered it as a full episode. But no, the arc starts around the 10-minute mark, when Keith lands on the other side of the wormhole that Shiro disappeared into. This was a strange choice to me, given the importance Shiro and Keith’s relationship has had to Keith as a character, but also to the whole show, so I found it odd that they only gave that whole arc half an episode. Compare it to the Blade of Marmora episode which lasted all 20 minutes, as well as Pidge’s episode in season 4, where she finds her brother, Matt.

Second of all, this is how All Good Things starts

With Keith opening his eyes. Huh. Why would he open his eyes at the end of the Black Paladins, just to close them again? Strange choice, but not entirely suspicious, let’s keep watching.

Then Keith starts by saying this: “Where are you, Shiro? Show yourself! [...] What is this place? Where are we? You—You were trying to kill me. The others! You— You said you…”

ummmm sorry but what the hell is Keith talking about here?? The last episode ended with Keith holding on to Shiro, and trying to save him. He had already cut his arm off, so he was out of danger. So why would he open with saying that Shiro was trying to kill him?? And why does he look and sound so scared and hostile?? I tried to excuse it, saying it’s probably because he woke up in a strange place and he’s still high on adrenaline from the fight. 

But then Shiro disappears mid-sentence:

And I realized that what we are hearing is dialogue from their original fight before it was edited. That’s right. The Black Paladins episode was edited and so was this episode.

And it’s not just the dialogue. Let’s dive into it.

Read More

[fallloverfic]

Thoughts for people worried about what happens in ENNEAD Season 2, Episode 98 (the newest Korean episode that went up ~5 hours ago as of this writing) and how this will affect Horuseth.

(tldr; I think Horuseth is fine, but spoilers and discussion below the read more)

To sum up part of what happened: we see that Nephthys seemingly loved Seth to some degree before Anubis was born or perhaps even conceived. We don't fully know the details: as Isis indicates at the episode end, there's more to this that we're not seeing (and we'll probably see next episode), because Nephthys was proven honest by Maat's scales when Nephthys testified that she loved Osiris in S01E69.

The implication from S02E97 is that Hathor's mirror made Nephthys love Osiris, and Nephthys' affection/love/memories of love(?) was trapped in the mirror after she looked into it.

We don't quite have confirmation that happened, just Horus putting pieces together, and the implication we're going to either get confirmation/learn more at least in the next episode. Horus has been wrong before and hasn't had the whole picture before, lest we forget in S01E36-7 where he accused Sekhmet of imprisoning Nephthys in the mirror and making, "the fake Nephthys give birth to Anubis. [She] got rid of the real god of peace and provoked the god of war... ...in order to stain the land of Egypt with blood." (If the Nephthys in Heliopolis was never a fake after all, and mirror!Nephthys is just some of her memory/feelings, then yeah, Horus really didn't know the truth of the situation). He might still be right about some part of that, but recent episodes have seemingly indicated that while his intuition was right on points, he didn't investigate enough and came to the wrong factual conclusions about things, because he just trusted his intuition too much. He states as much in S02E97: how he relied overmuch on his intuition, which made him an idiot.

Anyway, on to the "Seth/Nephthys really did love each other and they're gonna get back together so now Horuseth can't be a thing anymore" stuff I see people doomposting about.

Folks do remember Seth loved Nephthys for a really long time, right? Like Seth says as much in S01E48: "I love Nephthys with all my heart". His loving her is not news. It's why the potential idea of her never loving him to begin with/Osiris' involvement hurt so bad.

If you think Nephthys needed to love him back to make his love for her... real(?) and thus, perhaps, his hurt valid or invalid or I don't know, that's just really strange. He loved her. He was hurt by the idea she never loved him, or never loved him fully, or otherwise lied about it, on top of lying to him about the identity of Anubis' biological father. For perhaps hundreds of years. It's still a tragedy, it's just perhaps more tragic because maybe Osiris really was a liar - like he seemed to be anyway, because he loves manipulating the truth/reality to his whims - and maybe Nephthys really was done wrong, too, by having her affections stolen.

Nephthys maybe loving him back doesn't make anything he went through that night less painful than it already was. More painful, perhaps, but it was already a tragedy. He was already on the road to becoming who he is now. It doesn't change the fact that unfortunately, Nephthys seemingly didn't love him at that point, and had lied to him about Anubis.

One of the few things we knew about Seth/Nephthys prior to S02E98 is that Seth would act angry so that Nephthys couldn't talk to him. In S01E41, Seth tells Osiris during the night of usurpation, "I always just acted angry so that I wouldn't have to hear what she had to say. She was probably afraid of things ending up this way..."

He already had regrets about their relationship. This just seemingly confirmed his fears (his fear of "being forgotten by them" from earlier in the episode/the previous episode).

People can move on from relationships. I don't personally see how, after everything both Nephthys and Seth have been through in the hundreds of years since what happened in S02E98, that Seth and Nephthys fully can come back to the relationship in the memory in S02E98. Possible, yes. Probable? Ehhh...

Seth might be glad Osiris is a confirmed liar. (If that's true: again, even Isis notes in the episode there's more to what's going on we haven't seen yet). Seth might be glad to know he really was loved. He might hate himself for doubting Nephthys. Seth might hate Osiris more for any number of things, particularly if Osiris intentionally placed the mirror in Seth's rooms to either make Seth fall in love with him or make Nephthys fall out of love with Seth (with the possible idea of making Seth turn to Osiris out of a sense of abandonment or something idk) or at least put Nephthys at risk of getting harmed.

It's been hundreds of years, though (if not more than that). Seth and Nephthys are now very different people, and Seth has a good and improving relationship with Horus. Nephthys saw Seth abuse Anubis (S01E05). Seth trapped Isis in the labyrinth, and Nephthys helped her out. Seth hurt a lot of people and cursed many people. Maybe whatever romantic love she might have had for him, even if she somehow gets it back, hasn't survived all that she's gone through and seen.

Seth's been through a lot, mentally, too. I kind of think he's moved on and after everything he's done, he might be too ashamed to go back to her. Even if it was out of their control that Nephthys stopped loving him, the other stuff still happened.

You don't need to doompost about Horuseth. Nothing has really changed. I say that in the sense that while the idea of Nephthys potentially having loved Seth until the mirror's interference might hurt him, particularly if he discovers Horus hid it from him, Seth is still who he is, he's still done all the things he's done, as king, as a father, as a husband, as a sibling, and he's still got this thing with Horus going.

Remember, in S02E70, Seth says to Horus, "I'm a god of the old generation who needs to disappear, not to mention an evil god who destroyed the country." He already has a lot of self-esteem issues and doesn't view himself highly. One reason he likes Horus is seemingly that Horus sees who he is beneath all that: believes in him as a guardian god, as a powerful god worthy of respect and affection ("My nephew, who dragged me down, is the only one who acknowledges me" - S02E74).

But also Seth did a lot of terrible things and he knows it. Horus is okay with that - to a degree at least, particularly with Seth trying to make amends - but is Nephthys? Nephthys, who gave him the curse bracelet - which nearly killed him multiple times - to make amends? She says in S01E66 she doesn't want him to be purged, and she clearly wants to support him, but that's not the same as wanting to live as his wife/partner again.

If nothing else, what keeps Horuseth together might be Seth realizing this doesn't change all that much about who they are. He could be mad at Horus. I can see him getting furious about this. He might even attack Horus, maybe even badly injure or kill him (but it's possible Horus could be revived, like how Isis revived Osiris, or something about Horus' uniqueness as a demigod/god). Maybe they'll separate and have an eventual reconciliation. But I don't personally believe they're doomed as a couple because of this. There's too many ways for them to stay together or get back together.

People can have past good, healthy relationships and not stay together. Sometimes we just grow out of relationships and into new ones. It happens. Horus makes Seth feel seen and cared for, and he listens to things that seemingly Seth's siblings - even maybe before whatever happened with Nephthys happened - didn't listen to, like Seth's opinions about eating or his opinions on his "duty" to guard Egypt or Seth's status as a god or his relationship with Isis.

Maybe Seth/Nephthys gets back together briefly but Seth goes back to Horus in the end because they don't work or he loves Horus more and his and Nephthys' time apart just doesn't let them work or Nephthys wants to focus on herself for a while. Maybe Seth attacks Horus because Horus hid info about Nephthys' affections. Maybe Horuseth reconciles because Seth realizes Horus genuinely loves him and hid whatever he learned because he genuinely loves Seth or was otherwise afraid of talking or how to explain it, and Seth realizes it's a messy thing to explain. Maybe Horus didn't say anything because, like he was seemingly aware the first time he went into the mirror, mirror!Nephthys/her affection for Seth, can't come out of the mirror anyway, so what's going to change? This is encouraged by the fact that Isis apparently learned all of this and did nothing about it. Even the god of magic - and miracles - hasn't freed mirror!Nephthys, when she possibly had opportunity (or maybe there's another reason we haven't learned yet for why she didn't; point is we don't know much). Seth might look at that and go, "I really hate this, but I guess it's just how things are now, and I'm going to learn to live with it."

Maybe Seth realizes that, despite everything, he genuinely cares for Horus and this isn't going to defeat them. That Horus had his back time and again. Sometimes things being out of our control don't mean we can just go back to how we were. Life happens. He's still got Nephthys' curse bracelet :/

If you, like I, believe Horuseth is real at this point, have faith that it'll continue to be real despite this. Horus is the main love interest, it's a boys love series, their relationship is pretty strong already, and more to the point, Mojito is a good writer. I think they'll be fine.

[diazfox]

How do you imagine a more complex sexual awakening for Buck? Cause I also thought Buck's coming out went surprisingly smoothly. For one, I specifically missed how Buck never questioned if his strange conduct in that ep was only about Tommy and not at all about Eddie, and most importantly, no experiences of his have been addressed other than checking out a hot guy's ass

hey anon! i'm coming from a purely storytelling perspective, not pro/anti buddie/bucktommy so yall better not come for me!

i think this trajectory is very on brand for buck. a complex coming out arc is dearly reserved for eddie in my head, i always imagined buck's coming out to be pretty smooth and i think season 7 writers have done a really good job at that!

for all his acting before thinking tendencies, i think there's also a comfort zone buck has built around himself that he doesnt feel the need to step out of.

for starters, i definitely see comphet elements to buck. he stops at mere appreciation (checking out hot guys asses) because he doesnt feel the need to think too deeply about it given that he's very comfortable in his attraction to women already. he attributes these sorts of questionable moments to his strong allyship instead and prides (🏳️‍🌈?) himself in it. this would explain why he never dwells on moments of doubt because he set those criteria for himself and never revisited them because loving women was satisfying enough.

which is why i think spontaneity is the driving force for his sexual awakening rather than a surface level attraction. tommy kissing him is what allows him to see past his comfort zone and realise that he could expand his options if he wanted to. the eddie vs tommy conflict is never addressed in his head because tommy becomes instantaneously and willingly available and there's no need for him to think or look further.

speaking of, a second example of the comfort zone he has built is with eddie. in comparison to his past relationships and having to overcompensate for others' shortcomings, his relationship with eddie is perfect. he doesn't give room for any other interpretation or extrapolation of this friendship because for once he feels this mutual trust and security he never felt before with others, not even family. it's the fact that even when they do have a conflict, the writers made buck be the one to apologise for not caring enough. this further cements just how entrenched eddie is in their friendship, something buck has been guilty of doing in the past and getting hurt by repeatedly. hence buck doesnt give room for questionable moments to penetrate the platonic boundaries he's set for his and eddie's relationship and instead finds answers within the confines of friendship. he maps his confusion around eddie to guilt about lying to his best friend.

given these interpretations plus the fact that he's often the source of comedic relief, it's understandable why his coming out arc is less complex and more romcom-esque. this is especially important if they are planning a coming out arc for eddie as well, because his is going to be a trainwreck and they would want to cover different bases instead of repeating similar stories.

looking at recent directional choices though, i think there's still room to build complexity through bucktommy. especially since all of tommy's scenes since he's been established as a LI serve no other purpose than to further buck's bisexuality journey (building confidence, publicly coming out). there was no need for him to be written off the bachelor party if they wanted us to properly root for him. he wouldn't have disappointed buck for not dressing up and not being there for the search party, which are perfect opportunities to build an emotional connection between them. i'm especially intrigued by this knowing tim minear through lone star, because you can tell how much he values significant others being there for each other in the most random times (carlos literally follows tk everywhere he goes). if this direction keeps being intentionally pursued, their relationship might end with a purpose too, and perhaps this could turn buck's world upside down?

all i'm desperately hoping for is that this doesn't end in another person abandoning buck... because he's had enough. and I'VE had enough