#which is so interesting because they're so similar and they both love buck so much (just in different ways obviously)

[quarantine-anon]

.

[lemotmo]

You have already answered similar questions so feel free not to post. I just thought I would share 😊

Q. Where is the Promotional stuff?! What is going on? I need answers. Every show now has a trailer but 911. Is he coming back or not? I need to know something other than Tim is still obsessed with Ryan, haha.

A. Lol, the man is very transparent about his Ryan/Eddie love. He always has been. They're clearly hiding something. I think it was pretty much confirmed that The Rookie was the show something got spoiled for, I don't watch it so I have no clue how big of a spoiler it was. But obviously 911 took the opportunity to button everything up on their end. They clearly don't want something spoiled about the 3 episode event. I think we can pretty safely say there is no kind of AU happening. What we saw was most likely the television show Bobby is consulting on. For all the SPN ptsd's out there freaking out in my ask box, this is an entirely different show. It's not the same thing. However , it would make sense, and in fact be hilarious, if the characters on the show mirrored the real 118. There will be nothing wrong with doing that. We are talking about a Ryan Murphy show. I would be more surprised if they didn't do that.

I think if they drop a trailer it will be during the Family Fued episode. Double the PR in one sitting. They are doing things completely differently this time around. So it's hard to predict. I would imagine we'll get interviews the week leading up to the premier at least. We know Ryan has some sitting out there, and so far they're following the same pattern with Ryan/Eddie that they followed with Oliver/Buck last off-season. Everything else is different. But I would imagine the week leading up to the premier will be pretty PR heavy. Unless they want to hold everything until after the premier. If they're hiding something big we may have to wait. I'm going to address Tommy one more time and one more time only. He is not important enough to feature in anything that is currently taking place. He was made much more important by both fandoms than he ever was going to be to the show. Period. He was never going to be a main. He was never going to be main adjacent. He was a guest star with less than 30 total minutes of screen time. If we get a trailer and he isn't in the trailer I don't think he's returning. The previous seasons love interests have almost always featured in the trailer in some capacity so if they exclude him from that I think it's safe to assume he was let go. The only reason I'm hesitant to say he was fired is because they pinned his Instagram comment. I don't see them pinning a comment from a fired employee. However given everything we have learned about how control heavy Disney is I don't see how he kept his job following the cameo garbage. He clearly broke Disney protocol. So I genuinely don't know. He is very low hanging fruit by Disney standards though so it is what it is. If he shows up for a scene or two or an episode or two it doesn't really matter. He's not going to play any significant role one way or the other. And there is no need to keep talking in circles about it. We have 20 days to go. I'm looking forward to the FF episode and the stuff we will be getting once the season starts (hello Eddie in a church talking to the priest). We'll see what if anything juicy the FF episode provides and we will go from there. 💗

Thank you Nonny! I'm definitely posting this one, because people have been asking for Ali's opinion on the lack of promotion for Tommy, which is about the same opinion as mine, only more eloquently explained. 😉

So I'm not adding any of my opinions on this one, since all of you already know exactly what I think about most of this. :)

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If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[waitmyturtles]

High points and question points of 23.5, episode 7:

1) The mood is so much better. It's cute! Fon Kanittha does a wonderful job of focusing on elements of family and community in her pieces -- I love that she doesn't keep Ongsa's and Alpha's parents behind a curtain, that they're responsive to the nostalgic joys of watching a group of high schoolers commune and find each other.

2) Having Ongsa and Sun confirm their relationship while Ongsa was wearing a traditional outfit meant a lot. It's a visual bucking of an expectation of how a "woman should behave." Ongsa was of course gorgeous, but the shots of her holding Sun with those big gold bangles also meant that she was taking tradition to a new place, creating her own traditions -- all while we know that she was burdened with fear beforehand about publicly going out with Sun, and being afraid that Sun wouldn't feel comfortable being out with Ongsa (which clearly is not the case). (I also loved the move of having Ongsa get out of the first outfit, which was clearly indicative of a lower station than how Sun and Ton think about Ongsa. That was a nice little twist.)

3) @bengiyo mentioned in his Stray Thoughts on this episode that he wished that we could have sat a touch more in Ongsa's discomfort on the above, and I agree. This show is missing an exploration of emotional stuff that we've seen in other pieces by Fon Kanittha, especially, for me, as compared to 10 Years Ticket.

(On the recommendation of @dribs-and-drabbles, I'm giving My Precious a shot this weekend. MP is centered around a core romance, but in this piece, much of the first quarter of the piece is spent building the huge community around the main couple. And we get emotional nuances, wherever they might be, both from the individual characters, AND by learning more about them through each of their sets of parents, very similar to the structure of 10YT. In 23.5, we've rushed through this, or we didn't explore it in full.)

I have a theory: since this is GMMTV's first GL, I wonder if Fon is either intentionally, or being made to, give more attention to love tropes, either by reference to older ones, or creating new ones for GLs. We saw kabedon last week, for instance, and we're seeing a love interest make a turn for their courtier when it seems like their courtier may be straying, etc. (although the latter isn't necessarily specific to BLs). Since My Precious is also airing at the same time, I can't make a judgment as to Fon's takes on pure romance, as 10 Years Ticket was a community-focused lakorn of many stories. But in any case, it's weird that we're seeing these emotional skips. Just a couple more minutes spent, at this very moment, on WHY Ongsa has this (sometimes excruciating) hesitation of speaking and insecurity would be helpful to match what emotion we're seeing out of Sun. And seeing Sun nice and angry and jealous -- again, from my thoughts last week, I thought we'd see that a bit more after the catfishing reveal in holding Ongsa accountable.

I think this need for emotional clarity is dampening my overall embrace for this show, especially because I honestly didn't expect it from Fon Kanittha. But again, I thought the mood of this episode and the consistency of it made more sense than last week.

[buddiebeginz]

Hey so just fyi the B*mmy stans are not happy about us commenting on the newest 911 post so maybe go leave a new comment about how much you're looking forward to Buddie in s8. Don't engage with the B/T shippers and try to keep your comments as something positive.

Despite what this👇 ridiculous post says and despite the bs their fandom tries to peddle I get that when people say they want T*mmy killed off you're just making jokes (people have said similar things about the female love interests too) but especially if you're posting on the official 911 social media make your comments about Buddie and make them something positive. Our fandom is about supporting the amazing love story between these two men. We have a lot of history and depth on our side we don't need to stoop down to the level of the same people who have doxxed journalists because they ship Buddie.

Most of that post I included is just out right lies and them grasping at whatever reasons they can find to defend their ship and explain things like why Oliver hasn't given one single solitary fck about promoting that ship. Ryan has never "shot gay Eddie (or Buddie) down". Calling Eddie straight in an interview doesn't mean he's against Buddie or that is 100% where the story will stay. Buck was straight up until s7 and even if no one ever used the word heterosexual in an article about him a lot of the language used was that way including stuff said by Oliver. Both Ryan and Oliver have always been very supportive of Buddie and both have said they'd be up for it if the story would be taken that way including during interviews that happened during s7.

Trying to use anything the other cast said as a gotcha moment for why Buddie isn't happening just makes them look stupid honestly. The only people who matter when it comes to Buddie happening are Tim, Oliver, and Ryan and they're all on board for it. Also no one else (besides Oliver and Ryan) are going to know it's happening until the scripts are written. The B/T kiss in season 7 was leaked so I'm sure they're going to do as much as they can to keep Buddie going canon (which is a much bigger deal) secret until it happens. So neither Kenney nor JLH would even know until s8 what's going on.

I can't help but laugh at them bringing up those embarrassing cameos. There's every reason to believe that Lou was told by Tim and ABC to stop making them because he kept giving his own headcanons on T*mmy and B/T and making that ship seem so much more important than it ever was intended to be.

[thewolvesof1998]

Hi Wolf 💕💕💕

Please share more about headcanons or any other thoughts you have related to Eddie’s dog tags :)

Hi 🪐!!!

So here are the three that I've already sent to @malewifediaz: Buck and Chris wearing Eddie's dog tags after he's gone missing and is presumed dead, Buck railing Eddie into the mattress and the dog tags hanging there between them/Eddie's hand coming up to Buck's chest, and he feels the tags underneath Buck's shirt and the one that I'm turning into my first Christmas Fic mistake identity- Buck is wearing Eddie’s tags when he gets hurt

But I have sooooooo many thoughts- it all started because Amanda wrote a fic i’ll bandage up your body and your bones and your bad days too and in it Buck's wearing Eddie's dog tags:

Buck, who’s halfway through a 24. Buck, who has Eddie’s dogtags around his neck and tucked beneath his uniform shirt. 

And I haven't stopped thinking about it since and if I can get Buck wearing Eddie's dog tags in all of my fics I will. Here are a few thoughts that have been bouncing around my head since then:

Eddie and Shannon don't get married when she gets pregnant, Eddie still runs away to the army to "support his child" between tours one and two, Eddie comes home to El Paso and has a hard time adjusting, Chris doesn't know him, his family is hard on him, he gets on well enough with Shannon though she still is like I need a partner. Anyway, he meets Buck who's in his ranch hand era, they have a steamy whirlwind romance and when Eddie goes back to Afghanistan he gives Buck his dog tags. Buck moves on to LA - because he thinks it's over with Eddie (which is kinda is as they leave it on a bad note). Eddie gets injured and discharged and when he gets back to El Paso is hurt to find Buck's left. He and Shannon move to LA to co-parent and help Shannon's mother, Eddie joins the LAFD and runs into Buck - who is still wearing his dog tags- which's revealed later at the angstiest time. - this one would be super long so I'm not going to be writing it anytime soon- if I ever do but I do think its juicy.

Young Buck and Eddie (kinda similar to above) where they're both broke so instead of proposing with a ring, Eddie uses his dog tags- instead.

Historical Buddie- Buck and Eddie meet during WW2 and fall in love, they exchange dog tags before they get separated. They both return to their lives afterwards- no way to find each other- a few years pass and they run into each other- they're still wearing each others tags.

Eddie has a lot of complicated thoughts about his tours and his tags, one day he's going through the box he keeps in his closet, its got his silver star and dog tags and some photos of his friends. Buck finds him siting on his bed with the stuff. Buck shows some interest in the tags and Eddie suggest that he wears them. Buck puts them on and Eddie loves it, loves having his name on Buck-basically its a possessive Eddie fic

Established Buddie, Buck wears Eddie's dog tags at work and it's five times Eddie sees his tags on Buck and it turns him on/he loves it and one time he shows Buck how much he likes it kinda thing- Like they're at a call and the tags slip out from Buck's shirt and someone has been flirting with Buck so Eddie goes over to him and tucks them back in and basically stakes his claim.

I'm just obsessed so thanks for letting me ramble about this!

Mwah <3<3<3

[lover-of-mine]

#anyone want to hear my season 7 buddie spec that has no basis besides the voices in my head? sdoaksoaksokasokasoak yes ! me i always like to read your metas and what you have in mind

thank you for the support oaksoaksoaks

okay, I'm gonna start this off by saying this whole thing hinges on whether or not the show is gonna keep mirroring Buck and Eddie's personal journeys and this is mostly about Buck, I have no idea what they're gonna do with Eddie lol. First of all, @aziraaphales made this set back when the finale aired about the similarities between Buck and Taylor and Buck and Natalia and that illustrates it beautifully, the whole she came back, they seem happy, are they really? and that's a point against Natalia lasting in my opinion. But the thing is, I think Bucktalia also mirrors Eddiana, and that's when things start to get interesting in my brand of insanity. You have Buck treating Natalia's hand, you have Eddie treating Ana's, Ana and Natalia being reduced to their jobs, the first date in broad daylight in a cafe of some sort, a second date at home being interrupted by the rest of their lives (if you push a bit and think about Kameron's pregnancy, both dates are interrupted by their children even if the baby isn't Buck's on the ways that matter), you have the picture-perfect ending at home after a near-death experience, so the parallels are there too. And that means one important parallel, Buck holding on for the wrong reasons the same way Eddie did, which could doom that relationship further, but also leave Buck spiraling. Because if we're comparing personal journeys, Buck is in a state that's a mix of season 4 Eddie trying to be happy through the trauma and outside looking in/fear-o-fobia Eddie. I think we can even directly parallel some stuff, like, I truly believe the cemetery is the way Buck would handle the outside looking in kitchen talk if that went the other way around.

But the thing is, Buck needs to deal with the shit that happened to him before getting together with Eddie so I'm choosing to look at these as fuel for my Buck Breakdown beliefs. Unlike Eddie, Buck actually died, so that changes the dynamic a little bit, there's also the way that Buck doesn't care about his own life enough to break over dying, but while Eddie's PTSD has many triggers, the thing that actually breaks him is the knowledge that he didn't save the people he thought he saved. So my grand theory here is something happening to Maddie, Bobby, or Christopher that makes Buck lose it. I don't really think they would do something to Chris, but using him would have a similar effect if it wasn't for the fact that it would also break Eddie. Eddie himself doesn't count in this situation unless is both Eddie and Chris, because Buck would be forced to keep it together if something happened to Eddie for Chris' sake. Or maybe if they like, killed off the Buckley parents and forced Buck to deal with that grief. But Maddie or Bobby, dangerous situation, close call, hospital stay, honestly, something that would leave them in enough danger to trigger Buck, low-key don't think you need much to trigger that man. But trigger, Buck losing it, Eddie talking Buck down (how would Eddie find out Buck is losing it? I don't know, plot convenience, I like the idea of divorced-era Buddie and Eddie storming the loft because he's tired of Buck's bullshit and finding him, or maybe someone from dispatch calls Eddie because there's been a call from Buck's address, I don't know, they can get creative there), Buck working towards working his own shit out. But we're in this weird season 4/season 5b mix, right? How do we end s4? Near-death experience that calls back to a previous trauma, big revelation, aborted love confession.

One thing I refuse to compromise on is the fact that Eddie had his oh! moment during the shooting (it's my truth I am not letting it go) so you can probably see where I'm going here, right? A Buck in a better mind space almost dying by chance, getting saved by Eddie, and realizing something. You see the vision? Current vision goes back and forth between equipment malfunctioning, Buck falling, and Eddie being the only one close enough to get to him, this usually goes around a cliff, a bridge, and Buck falling into water (I know the truck bombing is not technically equipment malfunction but equipment did try to kill him, and water is Buck's worst enemy lol), or Buck and Eddie stopping to help someone, and shit going to hell, this vision usually goes with Buck and Eddie seeing a car crash of some sort, again someone drove off a cliff or off a bridge, they go to help, Buck gets trapped in the car, Eddie needs to save him (trapped under a vehicle, water) or just straight up having them drive of a bridge. Because something really big about the shooting is the way that, one it happened by chance, two they weren't supposed to be there, three Buck didn't have anyone he trusted there so he did the saving alone, and four by having Eddie get shot, you're bringing up why he left the army. So with Buck, if they stick to this pattern, you need to drown him or trap him under something, or both. And you have the way the lightning parallels the well and the shooting, and the well triggered something for Eddie, you have the whole you need to keep fighting, find your own way out, the suffocation aspect for both of them when you realize Eddie is about to drown and Buck's lungs are not working, and also the way Buck is supposed to learn something during his coma that could lead to a conversation similar to the will reveal. This is when the vision gets cloudy. Because ideal world, the reveal is Buck's feelings and we don't have an aborted love confession, we have a plain old confession, but the aborted route is always a possibility with a see you in season 8 thing.

But yeah, Buck breakdown, Buck starting to deal with his shit, near-death experience, Eddie having to save him alone, tense conversation after. I'm also slightly obsessed with what could happen in a scene where Eddie is dragging Buck out of the water, cpr, mouth to mouth, "you're not doing this to me again", Buck coughing up water while sitting up, Eddie catching him, "I got you, I got you". The possibilities are ENDLESS. Just put Ryan's emotional power to work. All those fun things oskaoskaoskoaksas

Also, this mostly hinges on Buck doing something to change their relationship because considering Buck tripped into 4 relationships, he needs to start this one. I'm a firm Buck needs to do something first believer. Buck's endgame relationship needs to start with him making a move. Also, my whole Buck needs to choose thing is all about Shannon saying that Eddie keeps making all the choices, so Eddie needs to let go of control and Buck needs to go for what he wants.

[invinciblerodent]

I both welcome the Iona posting, love your consistent pro bisexual stance and get that sometimes you just gotta seek out the worst take of your life, because brains are weird. Have a great day

Aww, thank you, that's so sweet! ❤️❤️ I'm glad you enjoy both those things- I can say with certainty that it will all continue, lol.

I mean, how could it not. Have you seen this woman?

Have you beheld her little face? Witnessed her (bisexual) swag and cute new outfit? Caressed her sweet cheeks (and i'm talking about both face-cheeks and butt-cheeks) with a tender, loving touch? No?

Well, you should. So hop on that.

..... but jokes aside, honestly, while it is sometimes just very simply funny (or even somewhat cathartic in a way) to read the completely off the wall, buck wild takes that some people may post, I do find it to be semi-important (at least to me personally), to have at least a cursory awareness of as many possible reads of a piece of media as it's.... I guess feasible to be aware of. Mostly as a way to try and step outside of the paradigm in which I know I normally exist, but sometimes also just as a way to sort of check myself, and confirm that at least I don't seem to have X bias, or haven't misread something by that much, lol.

Like, I was still taught (rigorously, over and over again, in every single class I have ever taken that had anything to do with literary-/media-analysis) that as long as you can find confirmation of your interpretation within the base text and aren't explicitly contradicted by other parts of it, any subjective interpretation can be just as valid as another. So it always fascinates me a bit when I see someone ignore this very basic tenet, and kind of pick and choose which bits of the base text (whatever that "text" may be) they want to take into account, and which parts they want to ignore for no reason other than that it doesn't fit their view.

How unwilling certain people are to change their minds if the text happens to contradict their initial assumptions, that's just so wild to me.

I'm obviously not saying that any base text would be prefect and without flaws or potential contradictions, but so often, the fervor with which people can cling to certain interpretations (even if they're contradicted consistently at every turn, are called out for bigotry in it, and their theories fall apart at the first deeper glance) is just so interesting.

I'm not exactly sure where I'm really going with this, it's quite late and I'm a bit loopy- I'm kind of just rambling a little bit at you and can't think of a way to end this, so look at my pretty, shrewd, slimy vixen of a woman instead.

I bet Astarion even calls her a vixen sometimes. Like I may see her as more similar to a weasel if we're going for animal symbolism (small. semi-feral. cute little face. will absolutely fuck you up.), but a fox is undoubtedly a more flattering comparison. Plus, "oh, you vixen❤️" is definitely a far sexier thing to purr into one's lover's ear than "my darling little weasel❤️".

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Okay, caught up to the episode fully at long last.

And holy fuckin' shit. Buck!whumpees getting served... all of the pain and angst and yikes and the coma.

Some things I just need to spew out, even though none of it makes sense or is supposed to, but I just need to get it out of the system.

Bobby and Buck

The parallel of Bobby holding the baby and then later holding on to Buck as he's lowered down... OMFG. The fact that he says similar words "c'mere, kid", "c'mon, kid"... I just can't. They're so sick for this. And I'm so sick for this. This is so sick, sick, sick. And I'm here for it, crying my eyes out.

Also, magnificent callback to how the two began and how they clashed in the first ever episode. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'd LOVE (and be deaded by it) to see Bobby coming more into his own as a father figure for Buck. It's something he's more or less shied away from, as he's done with Athena's kids, until a life-threatening situation come along. And boy, here it is.

Time to make that adoption official, Bobby. Boy's up for grabs.

Also also, the chili scene (weird name, but hey). For one, we get kind of a reverse between the two (Buck doing the cooking, Bobby going down internet research rabbit holes, which is a very Buck thing to do). But then Buck asking about the secret ingredient (and it ain't about the chili). And while Bobby provides him with the answer to perfect the dish, Buck's still none the wiser about what the secret ingredient is to bring his life to perfection.

Am I going to make a stupid joke about chocolate brown eyes factoring into this? No? Good that we all agree that this would be very embarrassing. But still, Eddie totally is the cocoa in that recipe, is all I'm saying.

Also also also, eternally interesting that we have Bobby struggling to move forward after his sponsor's death. And my guessing is that Buck's future now being on the line might just be the right catalyst to break him out of that vicious cycle. Like, him not giving up on figuring out what happened to his friend is good and right (and May's on the right track with it all... even though I am not a fan of civilian investigator doing this because they somehow can for reasons of their parents being in the profession... not a fan of those story lines, even though I love both May and Athena here).

But. There is a level of "obsession" to sticking to the past with Bobby, instead of looking for ways to move forward again. And Buck's accident as well as the recovery might serve just that purpose. To make Bobby see that he has new things to hold on to, a future to live towards. Because he's needed. Like, earlier on in the season, Bobby's been thinking about how the house is empty with the kids out (and he instantly adopted a dog because that guy is just dad shaped). To me, it felt like Bobby's been a bit lost well before things went down with his sponsor.

What's interesting to me is that this is something he shares in with Buck, even though they have very different ways of going about it.

Buck's basically on the opposite trajectory (leaving out the Daniel remark for the moment). Buck is not too invested in looking into the past, he's obsessed with the future (anyone thinking about those software updates again?). He is very much focused on looking ahead (helping to create a life that will reach further into the future, trying to find happiness that lies in the future, etc.).

Also, I will just say. Bobby dares to say "son" instead of "kid" at some point of this arc, I will lose it. Absolutely fuckin' lose it. And I will also totally lose any remaining shit I've got left in me if we see that guy praying for Buck. I cannot. I just cannot.

Buck noticing the small things but losing the big picture out of sight

Gotta say, I loved how they've built up the tension, and I felt like it reflected a lot in Buck noticing "small" things, until the big thing hit him in a flash. Buck saw the gasoline and stopped with the saw before sparks could fly. Crisis averted. He notices that the chili is missing a key ingredient. He is aware (has no real illusions) about how his parents may have just wanted to win an argument and how they do not approve of his life choices. He kept tabs on who went up the ladder truck when, which is why he knows it's his turn now. He notices something's off about the sounds in the sky. And then, hit in a flash.

In a way, I find that somewhat reflective of what we've seen with Buck thus far. Sure, he's made some truly life-changing decisions (hence big pictures). But in his quest for "true happiness" he's been all over the place.

He took inventory, got that armchair instead of a damned couch (obsessed about said couch to a very confused Bobby). Started with those self-help books. He hears about how Lucy may have been interim captain, which has him wonder about the big picture of where he fits in the firehouse in the future. The donor vs. dad thing - and how "the small deed" of filling a cup contributes to the big picture for someone else. Lev and him talking about what's potentially in store for him and Buck thinks the big milestones (wife, kids, house, you name it) are still on the horizon for him. But that's really just the details.

So my guessing is that they may want to hit the point home that Buck looks at the whole of it. To figure out what his true happiness is (and that he already has most of it, maybe just need that one co-worker to smooch him for good).

Parenthood

I felt like it was a very interesting choice that parenthood (and to a larger degree fatherhood, I felt) was at the forefront in an episode that ended on this... high note. Especially since one infamous father and certified DILF was not at all that present for that convo.

Like, I found it very deliberate that Eddie didn't factor into the fatherhood storyline as he normally would have. Because that is what we normally have when Buck's supposed to relate to his own position towards fatherhood, tangling things up with Eddie and Christopher (which, you know, Buddie).

Part of it, going by the stills, will be that they save it up for next week's episode (so I may never stop crying in my entire life over Christopher being at Buck's bedside). But I find it very interesting that they "removed" Christopher and Eddie as filters for Buck to reflect fatherhood through. And now we may very well get Eddie having to reflect on it without the Buck filter. Which is to say: He has to think about what it'd be like to be a father to Christopher without Buck in the picture. Which is interesting. To say the least. And potentially very, very gay. In the best possible way. Anywho.

Then we had other (grand-) father figures (Philip and Chim's father). I'm still pretty blank on what they wanna do with Chim and his father, to be honest. Also, Albert's way of acting keeps striking me as though there's more to it. I'm not yet sure what it is, but we'll have to see. I found it wonderful to have Hen tell Chimney that he should use his chance to say what he has to say (and reach some kind of conclusion that she's never gotten). After his father deprived him of the chance for all those years. And I do hope it offers him healing. But yeah, I'd have to sit on that a while longer.

So on to Philip... still somewhat a mystery to me, that dude. Like, was he really invested in "defending" his son, or was he - as Buck noted - maybe just not willing to let Chim's father have the last word on it? I am honestly unsure. I felt like him and Margaret were making an effort (as Chim noted, only on their best behavior). But I'm not entirely sure if that's coming from a genuine place of wanting to mend things with their kids. Or if they are much more focused on having that relationship with Jee as grandparents (you know, fresh starts and all). Like, as sweet as it was to see Margaret goof around with Jee (and what may come to highlight how far she's come along with her therapy)... it might also be rather bitter in the end. That she can be like this to her grandchild - but not to her own children.

What both fathers share in, to me at least, is how vastly different they are from Bobby as a father figure for Buck (and how inferior, really). Bobby's offering of advice and support comes from a genuine place, it always did. He helps Buck grow, and he's not really concerned to win an argument or to appear as the "better dad" or whatever. Even though he is. Dad shaped man, oh you. Like, it's not about appearances for him. But I feel like for Buck's actual parents, to a degree, it still is. Maybe they'll overcome that, but... I'm not sure.

Speaking of, the Buckley parents. Christ almighty, why does Margaret have to be so cringe sometimes? I guess this proved where Buck got this from at long last, because yeah, that's his mom right there. But. Oh. My. God. Why. Are. You. Like. This???

She really strikes me as the kind of mom that would've made everyone uncomfortable at any kind of school thing (and kudos to the actress for portraying it so well). She's so uptight and weird about it. But she's also nosy, while struggling so hard to let anyone see what cards she's got in her hand. Like, ugh. I can't with those kinds of people.

Her first impulse being that Buck would have a photo of Maddie's sonogram on his phone was both cringe and also so... devastating in a way? Like, great set-up for Buck's character arc here, but... that her first thought's not "oh, my son might be a father!" but that it's "oh, my daughter is gonna be a mom again, and he is also there to be an uncle again!" ... It is very telling, I believe.

Because Margaret and Philip didn't really compute Buck as that kind of person. And I do believe it was a deliberate contrast, after we opened the episode with Buck being great with the kids by the beach. Like, we as the audience know how great Buck is with kids, but for his parents, that's a total mystery.

Which is the absolute antithesis to Eddie telling Buck that he's Christopher's legal guardian. Eddie saw all this time that Buck's dad shaped, too. To the Buckley parents, he's still... anything but that. Margaret literally says to him that he's a "miracle baby", hence not really recognizing him as a rational, capable adult on his quest towards his own sense of fatherhood (son, not father). They still see him more as the troublemaker not ready to settle, it feels like.

Also, "miracle baby". Margaret. Why (yes, I know, for narrative purposes, but OMFG, lady, what the flying fuck's wrong with you???). The Buckley parents continue to push this idea of Buck being a miracle for as long as he provides services to others (either by saving or creating lives). They still have seemingly not grasped how important it is for them to recognize Buck's inherent value as a person and not just as a miracle that keeps on giving.

Also, the wording is just so... cringe. No, he's not a miracle baby. He never was. He was conceived to perform the miracle they could not, with the expectation of being the miracle bringer (and that he later on believed he disappointed said miracle by not being able to save Daniel). Like, Margaret, that's not a miracle baby. That's still a savior sibling you wanted to produce. Even if you put the miracle label on top, that changes nothing about the circumstance.

And if the writers want for them to learn that lesson... it certainly is the right place and time to teach them that. And if not... it will show what stuff they're actually made of, I guess. We'll have to see. As I said in a previous post, I don't know where they want to take the Buckley parents (more towards "redemption" or as the ultimate reminder of the reality that some people won't change out of their ways and that there are those relationships beyond repair).

On a quick side note: Gotta love the parenthood storyline with Hen and Denny. And the detail of her picking up baseball with Eddie when Denny started with it. Oh, I love her. I'll be interested to see how all of that plays out. I just feel like more trouble's ahead.

But. Back to Lightning McQueen I mean Evan (won't ever get over Oliver's facial journey there) I mean Buck and the parenthood issue. Like, I do believe that if we get an alternate scenario (that may very well answer the question what life would be like for him if he had indeed been the miracle baby to save Daniel), Buck will be brought to the realization that the big picture is already in place. With Eddie and Christopher and the 118 and Maddie.

Like, I can very well see them giving him "everything" of the things he told Lev were still on the horizon for him. Only to be dissatisfied, or desperately trying to get back to his reality. Because this is where he belongs. Those are the people he belongs with. And he doesn't need to hold on to a "dream" of being more than the donor in Connor's and Kameron's life to find fulfillment as a person, as a father. Because he's that to Christopher already, a co-parent. And I do believe they might hit that point home for him at long last. And it'd be epic.

In a Flash

I guess I don't have much to add. Everyone's basically expressed my views on it already. The tragic beauty of the red string connecting Buck and Eddie, both getting hit by the same bolt of lightning. Eddie crying out for Buck. Eddie coming to Buck's rescue, his own safety be damned. The Pieta-esque shot when Buck's being lowered to the ground. Eddie doing the whole "move, I'm gay" to get to Buck. Time standing still, only to jump forward after it all happened. The ending of the helmet on the ground... *chef's kiss*

You already are a family

That one struck me a bit. Because Eddie noting that to Buck is great foreshadowing, for one thing. But it might also prove to be the narrative reversal I'd so desperately crave. That Eddie says to Buck "We're already a family." That Buck is part of his family. And that Buck comes to the realization that he is already part of that family and doesn't need to be part of a dream family (his own that never was), or the one Kameron and Connor are building. That he wraps up his inventory and knows that what he wants is what he got - if only he gets to fully embrace his role as father figure to Christopher and certified DILF for Eddie.

Buck and Eddie (duh)

Did you think I'd end this post without obsessing a bit longer about Buddie specifically??? Yeah, no. I'm still not over all the angsty goodness we were given. I'm still at the edge of my seat over what's going on with Eddie (and Christopher) next episode. Will Eddie revert to his old ways and try to be stoic about it to keep face in front of Christopher? Will he break down in the face of the danger of losing yet another partner? Will he pull a Buck and get back into dating to cover up his feelings? Will Eddie's voice bring Buck back? Will it be Christopher's? Will Eddie take Buck's hand and beg him to stay with him? I don't know. All of it would be so epic. And I still can't wrap my head around all of those wonderfully awful options.

Like, there's great potential for Buck to reach some epiphanies, but they are just as well in store for Eddie here. Not only will he be confronted with the reality that he may have to raise Christopher without Buck's presence. But he will also have to reflect hard on why he made the choice to name that man Christopher's legal guardian. Because he could've died up on that ladder all the same, and then Christopher would've been "alone". Like, Eddie will have to think hard about that one. And he'll have to think even harder about why Buck is that person for him. What it means to him personally that he gave Buck that role in not just Christopher's but also in his life.

Plus, we may finally, finally, finally get them to talk about their shared traumas of either having witnessed the other nearly die... or nearly dying. Like, this is a gun that's been hanging on the wall for quite some time now. Time to fire it, right? *pew pew* Because they got very comfortable letting their talks run through the Christopher filter. They do things in Christopher's best interest. But what they still have to do is to talk honestly to each other about this. And that may open the door to something else. And that something else is very, very gay.

So yeah. I'm... not really coherent at this point. This episode was too much. And i may have to sit on that a while longer. Until then: Happy return of the weewoos and the ouchies, peeps!

Cheers!

[matan4il]

I just realized that the mirrored scenes of the camp talk and content ultra dad mode vs the distracted Chris secret conversation both happen with someone from Bucks past coming back. The first being Abby the ladder Connor with a weird request.

It's probably nothing and not meant to mean anything but I find it comical that even when unintended Buddie has a pattern

Also sort of wild that when a perceived love came back, Buck was at peak happiness if you will. That time frame was my favorite for Buddie. He just addressed her with hurt and confused regard IMHO. Even if he was unaware of it at the time he was happy to walk back to his new family.

This time years later, therapy under his belt, and having successfully left a relationship. He is more unhappy then ever and it's because also just IMHO the Buddie relationship never fully righted to their pre Anna model but also didn't continue to the natural dating it would have had Anna not come along. Although without Anna we may never had got an Eddie gay panic attack storyline.

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for this lovely ask! ^u^

I think the interesting thing about unintentional parallels in writing is that they arise from something in the subconscious mind of writers being at work. Meaning that if you have a certain notion about a character/relationship, even if you don't think up a specific parallel intentionally, in order to express the notion, you'll find yourself revisiting similar themes, even similar words and phrases. And that's gonna give rise to parallels that might not be intended, but are still meaningful, precisely because they reveal something about the character/relationship. That's why we all go so mad over parallels, don't we? 'Coz we intuitively feel the repetition points to significance.

Which is to say, yes! There is meaning here as well. Both characters from Buck's past come back to shake him up and make him question where he is in life, what he has and what he wants. In one case, the conversation about Christopher's camp in 318 plays out to demonstrate what Buck has in his life even before he gets to the point of questioning it, but we as viewers can correctly read it 'coz we've seen Abby on the train and we know she's about to run into him. In contrast, in 604 he runs into Connor before Eddie notices his silence in regards to Chris, so Buck being uncharacteristically absent as Christopher's co-parent points to him already questioning some major things about his life.

I personally think that Buddie did go back to how things were before Ana, maybe even closer (see my 601 meta on why I think the kitchen scene there shows that), but I do think the closer they get, the harder it is not to be together. It's like I said in this ask reply, an 'almost' can ache so much more than 'nothing'. The closer they get without acknowledging that their feelings aren't strictly platonic, the harder it's going to get for them. Which I think is a very similar notion to what you were saying? They're caught in the "in between" and there's no harder place to be in, you become more aware of what you miss the closer you are to your destination, being able to sense its proximity, but not being close enough yet to see or touch it. Which is exactly what makes Buck aware enough that he said in 403 already that he's fine, he just wants to be finer. He was on his way, both our boys are on their way, they just took a small detour in the shape of Ana and Taylor (*insert infamous reference to Buddie's talk about construction on Sunset in 408 here*), and sometimes detours are needed when the journey is a complex, challenging one...

I hope you have a great day, lovely! And here is my ask tag! xoxox

[half-oz-eddie]

🩷🧡💛💚🩵💙💜💐🌸

This is mostly about Billy because that's the only one I know from your tags but you can answer for all of them. I do plan on watching 9-1-1 soon and would love some motivation on the Evan Buckley front 👀👀👀

HEHE I'm gonna answer for Billy and Buck ♡

Why are they your favorite? Billy - He's my favorite because he's such an interesting character with a relatable backstory. He had so much potential as a character and he's so deserving of love

Buck - Similar reason. He wanted to be loved so desperately by his parents, but he also has amazing character development from the little asshole he is in season one. It's literally like watching him grow up.

Do you have anything in common with them?

Well yes. I was also a little shit when I was younger and have trauma lmao

Do you have any polar opposite traits to them?

Yeah they're white LMFAO

What are your favorite added rep headcanons for them?

I headcanon that Buck and Billy are both bottoms but I kinda think the bottom buck headcanon might be true if you watch season 7 lmao

What's a popular headcanon for them you just can't get behind?

Straight Billy. He's very queer coded to me and I will never see him otherwise.

What's a popular headcanon for them that you adore?

For Billy - Bottom (obviously), Billy being good with kids, Billy being a decent (or terrible) cook, Billy being affectionate

For Buck - Buck being the boyfriend who shows off his boyfriend to everyone, ADHD Buck (which was kinda confirmed by Oliver Stark, the actor but not by the series so I guess it's still a headcanon, but he definitely is neurodivergent af FOR CERTAIN)

'Put that guy into situations' or 'take that guy out of situations'?

Put that guy into situations that are funny/healthy for them. Take that guy out of situations (by killing their parents)

What are your favorite poly ship(s) for them, if any?

I don't like any poly ships for buck. I think Fireflies is cool (Eddie/Buck/Tommy) But I don't ship it enough to explore it myself.

Well, unless you count Eddie/Buck/Clipboard as a ship because Buck and his clipboard is certainly a love affair LMAO

For Billy, I like metalsandwich ♡

What are your favorite mono ship(s) for them, if any?

Harringrove and Buddie are my true loves (I've been exploring bucktommy because it's like a shot of serotonin directly into my brain tho)

[stagefoureddiediaz]

For your "Buck being automatically parental post", I raise you the 6x14 speculation of that being when the Diaz parents come to visit next season, something happens with Eddie, and Buck goes to step up, per usual. Only for Helena and Ramon to flip, completely confused, and try to take over. Because so far canon presents Buck being as involved as he is as natural, normal, why wouldn't Buck be the first to make decisions. Someone needs to point out that no, most pals are not that involved in the life and raising of their friend's kid.

They've shown Buck stepping up twice without being questioned. I think the third time would be when they're ready to show some push back.

I see what you are raising and I like it, because I have had similar thoughts!! there were so many loaded moments in 5b which all point to this being a likely thing to happen. We have the domesticity of Buck being at Eddies - having stepped in and all that jazz, then the loaded line of 'Planes go both ways' and the whole framing of the conversation between Eddie and Ramon - that conversation, while left in a 'good place' is not over by a long shot because that was Eddie at the very beginning of his trauma - the beginning of his repression, we've yet to encounter the Helena of it all, because she has always been the more combative of Eddies parents - she has been the one leading the charge against Eddie in the scenes we've actually seen and those pointed digs etc are going to be leading somewhere.

So domestic Buck, and the Buckley-Diaz trio is coming into play somehow in S6. I can totally see Buck being at the Diaz house while Eddie is in a therapy session and H&R arriving and being super confused by Bucks presence, especially if he then doesn't leave when Eddie gets home, and or keeps being brought up in conversations by both Eddie and Chris etc.

I would love so much to see someone (cough Helena cough) push back against it, not only to see how Eddie reacts to it, but also Buck, because I think his reaction could be more interesting and telling than Eddies in all honesty!! There are so many possible ways this can be played as well and its such a great vehicle to drive Buddie forward and I am here for it! (especially if we have a very fragile Buck at the moment it happens - the potential for it to be a the final catalyst for a Buck breakdown of some sort is super interesting!!)

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here wondering do you also find it hilarious that TayKay, a much disliked character who is irrelevant to the show, who the writers have purposefully shown over and over again to be unsympathetic, selfish, and a horrible match for Buck, is almost identical to M*ria in terms of being a romantic partner? Like the 911 writers watched RNM S2 and were like "oh Michael will will learn to stand up for himself...wait this is supposed to be GOOD for him??!! ... you know Buck needs a growth arc.."

Bestie stoooooop! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

But seriously though. The similarities between Buck and Michael and the way they react to their different traumas, and the similarities between Eddie and Alex and the way they react to THEIR different traumas, and the way the writers tried to redeem m*ria and t*ylor with "sob stories" without ever addressing the actual reason their characters weren't liked, which was their actions and the shitty way they treat people and talk down to their boyfriends, and how everything we learn just makes their previous actions look worse, I just....😳😳😳

But also the way 911 is doing a decent job showing HOW wrong this relationship is for Buck (I mean, it's WAY too much screen time and taking away from other things we WANT to see (more parallels! 🤦🏻‍♀️) but still), and how deeply unhappy he is, vs RNM doubling down on "this character is actually perfect and has never done anything wrong and is universally beloved and you can tell because someone is saying her name in every single scene whether they need to or not!" and just straight up having the other characters pretend that it's normal and "cute" that Michael is being talked down to like a dog (calling him 'house trained? Or house broken? Or whatever TF it was? Christ.), and being told he had to be exclusively but she didn't, and him bending over backwards to support her while not being allowed to address the trauma of his mom's death or have her meet ANY of his emotional needs AND THEN forcing him and his ACTUALLY love interest to act like she's the greatest thing ever and DIDN'T manipulate both of them and ISN'T the reason they weren't together for like, two years, and refused to let them address the issue of Michael's character being forced to pick her over Alex repeatedly is just.....very loud in comparison.

Damn this got loooooong and rambly but I'm never NOT going to go off on how awful that whole situation was portrayed and handled. And I just hope the 911 writers room has more sense which, given what we've seen from them is a pretty good bet. (Though, as my favorite radio host from the town of Night Vale says, "past performance isn't an indicator of future results" and if only we had all listened to that advice after RNM 1x01-1x03 aired we might not have had such high expectations 🤣) I'm clearly seeing the set up for an actually GOOD Buck growth arc where he realizes he's unhappy and gets to be the one to break things off (another HUGE thing the m*luca storyline botched) and I cannot wait to see it!

Thanks for giving me a reason to vent about RNM again, it actually makes me feel SO much better about 911 and whatever TF they're doing this season. 😘

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

I was doing some thinking, now that we're in the final stretch before next Monday.

I know I keep mentioning how Buck and Eddie are two sides of the same coin but that the show almost seems to be melting down that coin in order to make for one piece of some metal-type substance, meaning their stories are being merged and it's no longer about them being two sides of the coin. And I couldn't help but think about some perfect examples to showcase the difference.

Buck and Eddie start out as two sides of the same coin and we see this trend continue throughout the series:

The Shannon and Abby parallels

In 2x07, we see Buck and Eddie dealing with their ghosts: Abby and Shannon -> Buck writes a goodbye letter to Abby and leaves her apartment; Eddie asks for Shannon's help with Christopher's school, confronts her and finds out why she didn't come back, and starts reconnecting with her

In 2x18, the theme being that they chose the firefighter/first responder life for a reason, Buck is struggling after his crush injury and he has a conversation with Ali where he finds out she's not sure if she can handle the relationship continuing if Buck is going to continue being a firefighter, he makes it clear to Maddie later on that being a firefighter is who he is; Eddie's parents try to convince him aka manipulate him into moving back to El Paso with Christopher after Shannon's death, Eddie resists and makes sure to tell them that he chose this life for a reason (and we see his induction ceremony later on)

In season 3, Eddie struggles with the fallout of Shannon's death, Christopher's nightmares after the tsunami, and Buck's absence during the lawsuit; Buck struggles with fallout of the blood thinner situation, being prevented from coming back to work though he was cleared (due to the blood thinners), and missing his family

Both of their situations with their parents

Both get new love interests in season 4

(I know there's way more than this but this is off the top of my head rn)

But here is where we see the "blending" or merging happening:

The Buck and Shannon parallels - the fact that they're making sure to parallel the two makes all the difference and evolves the "bromance" into something else; Shannon is in a romantic role for Eddie until she no longer is, the fact that they're paralleling Ana to her makes sense because they both are in similar roles in Eddie's story, similar dynamics, so paralleling Buck to that role in Eddie's story (or doing the same thing with Eddie and Abby in Buck's story) changes the bromance or sibling dynamic completely

This also includes the obvious contrasts that Buck and Eddie have with each other's romantic interests: Eddie vs Abby, Buck vs Shannon, Buck vs Ana, Eddie vs Taylor, etc.

Their co-parenting of Christopher: some may not see this as an obvious earmark of this merging the two together with romantic shadowing so to speak but it absolutely is one - while Eddie and Buck's stories with their parents echo each other with the dynamics and the effects each have had on both characters (which is a two sides of the same coin type parallel), it's the fact that both men are resolving this particular issue for their stories through the same character that merges the two. For Eddie, Christopher's actual father, this makes sense. For Buck to also start achieving this through Christopher as well (especially through a co-parent role) is where it starts moving out of that coin parallel into something more complex and interwoven. Which of course was compacted by Christopher running to Buck in 4x08, the light-hearted convo of "good cop" and "too much discipline" in 4x10, and of course Buck stepping in to care for Christopher in 4x14, his stepping into Eddie's role in his absence & working with Carla, and the legal guardianship reveal that Eddie brought up not for Christopher's sake but for Buck's. It's building not only into a cohesive family unit but also into a solid partnership between Buck and Eddie that does not leave any room for anyone else (i.e. Ana).

The two not only contrasting with each other's romantic interests (past and present) but making sure to show us their reactions to said romantic interests (not something needed for the coin parallel), i.e. Eddie to Abby, Buck to Shannon, Buck to Eddie dating Ana (4x08), Eddie to Taylor -- the only romantic interest Buck had that we never saw Eddie reacting to was Ali (and I truly believe that's because it was in season 2 where the show hadn't committed to turning the boat onto the Buddie path yet completely)

The consistent paralleling to other romantic relationships in the show, i.e. Bathena, Henren, Madney, etc.

While the two sides of the same coin parallels are meant to strengthen the friendship, partnership, family relationship, and bromance, the merging and interweaving is what makes it something more than all of the sum of that.

[inkbloodpaperandbone]

My mum's reactions to 9-1-1 episode 2, Let Go

Opening scene: Devon and Chad waiting to get on rollercoaster: "Something bad is going to happen obviously." Well duh mum it's a drama about first responders.

She also asks if I remember that Alton towers (a theme park here in the UK) had a devastating crash on one of its rides a few years ago. Which I do, I then had to pause the episode while she looked up what happened to the victims.

Rollercoaster rescue: Devon falls, my mum gasps pretty loudly and she looks a little misty eyed.

This is the first real death scene and I don't think my mum was expecting one so soon into the season.

Abby meets her Mom's new carer: my mum pretty much instantly likes Carla. As a former carer my mum respects Carla's dimeener and the way she talks and treats Abby's mom Patricia.

My mum knows from experience what it's like to be a carer for people with Alzheimer's and other serious medical conditions, mum says the people she cared for are some the most interesting and lovely people she's ever had the privilege to met.

Athena is dispatched to the dog attack and immediately goes to a drive thru:"What are the burgers for?" Just wait mum.

Athena and Hen use the burgers to distract the dogs: "Oh I get it."

The house owner comes back: "Wait it wasn't the other guy's house? And Athena let him go. That's not good."

Therapy scenes: Athena and Michael: "It's hard to let go of relationships even when you know it can't work anymore"

Buck and his therapist: "what's with all the not quite sex scenes?"

Idk mum but it's awkward watching them with you😬.

"And there's no way they should have ever have had sex. That's messed up."

I agree. The show agrees. The whole fandom agrees.

Carla and Abby talking about Buck: "who's the road warrior?" Mad Max mum you've watched Fury Road. Carla is totally referring to Tom Hardy by the way, (there is a slight resemblance.) (@himbo-buckley and I have had conversations about this)

Mum laughs at Carla agreeing to stay late and have wine with Abby to spite her husband. And at her egging Abby on to phone Buck. She really finds her so funny, my mum rarely laughs at shows that are complete comedy.

Buck and Abby's first phone conversation: "Is it creepy that she's phoned him like that?" To be honest a little bit.

Abby totally broke the rules saving Buck's number, I mean Maddie got suspended for doing something similar in season 3!

Carla convinces Abby to ask Buck out: "He doesn't even know what she looks like! Not that's she's ugly but still he doesn't know that."

Okay so we both find the flirting cringey. (Don't at me that whole conversation is so awkward.)

Buck saying he's starting to realize he has issues with sex and intimacy: My mum: "yeah you do"

Buck: "I had sex with my therapist", Mum: "it was gross"

Buck: "I want to try being friends" (and Abby is happy despite getting a no), Mum: "so they're going to get together then, right?"

Athena finds May: I'm not going to write what she said because it's very personal and for my ears only, but I can say that both my mum and I have been in a similar situation.

Overall, she was definitely more invested in watching this episode than the last, 1) because she wasn't sure if she'd like the show with the first episode, 2) there's a lot more emotional drama in this one and 3) she's really anxious to find out what happened to May.

Mum is now eagerly awaiting the next episode.

(top gif is made by me, inkbloodpaperandbone)

[kali-tmblr]

The Narcissistic Parents: Parallels in the Lives of Jacques and Raven

(Sorry to take so long. I forgot how unpleasant it is to write about narcissists.)

Jacques and Raven are both narcissists who are also the parents of grown children. There's a lot we don't know about their pasts, but what we do know fits the narcissism pattern perfectly.

Narcissism is a combination of great egotism, inflexibility, and a complete lack of empathy and compassion. It seems to be caused by a lack of consistent attention growing up, leaving the person to believe that attention is a resource that can be fought for and won, and that other people are just obstacles in the way of that goal. We don't know anything about Jacques' past, but it's easy to believe that Raven encountered such conditions growing up in a bandit camp.

This next fact is something that people who haven't met a narcissist find hard to believe, and people who have one in their life that they want to have a relationship with find very, very hard to accept: narcissists see people as things, and they always will. It's not just that they "don't get it", they lack the ability to ever "get it". The connection can't be made because the connector isn't there. It just doesn't make sense to them. As far as the narcissist is concerned, being asked to not treat people as exploitable resources is like sitting a starving child in front of a plate of food and asking them not to eat. It's obvious the food is there to be eaten, and the resources (the people) are there to be exploited. To assume otherwise is stupid and actually offensive as far as the narcissist is concerned.

This condition is permanent. There is no "growing out of it". There is no deathbed conversion, unless it's a final performance for status points from a sympathetic audience. From personal experience I can say that while they're very likely to be bitter and angry at how ineffective their coping strategy has been on their deathbed, they still won't change it.

In recent years our culture has slowly come to comprehend that there are certain concepts that people with severe autism will never understand. We need to comprehend that narcissists have the same inability to understand empathy and compassion.

Narcissists can be very flamboyant in early adulthood, cutting quite a social swath with their combination of charismatic egomania and a willingness to buck convention out of a genuine lack of concern for the consequences of their actions on other people. This matches both what we know of Raven at Beacon and Jacques at the time of his marriage to Willow Schnee. Over time the people they knew in their youth usually come to see through them and distance themselves, which will leave the narcissist isolated and alone. The only solution for this is if they have reached a high enough social status that there will always be a fresh supply of willing syncophants to replace those they lose. Both Raven and Jacques have reached such a position, but the difference is that the later syncophants rarely form as strong a bond as the earlier ones did, before the narcissist developed a reputation as a user. This could prove especially damaging for Raven, as her ability to use people as teleportation anchors depends on her ability to form a close bond with them, which in a narcissist tends to diminish over time.

Narcissists can be socially useful. I once knew a narcissist who worked for the UN, using her overly aggressive personality to bully third-world leaders into complying with UNICEF, saving children's lives in the process. The high social status points she got from the work were enough to keep her at the task, although her husband had a full-time job managing other people's expectations that she be anything other than a bully. Their kids didn't come around anymore.

I think Ozpin had something similar in mind for Raven, hoping the high social status of being a Huntress would be enough to keep her at the job. It worked for a while, and might have worked longer if she hadn't found out that he had lied to her. Then again, there probably came a time when the allure of being a bandit queen simply won out over the drudgery of being a new mother. A bandit queen is always the center of attention, whereas a new mother must cede the spotlight to her baby.

But Jacques and Raven aren't simply narcissists, they are narcissistic parents, and that's a special kind of awful. There are distinct differences in healthy families and families of narcissists,and distinctive ways they damage those around them, especially children.

To the narcissistic parent, children, like all people, are things, either tools or obstacles/enemies. Tools fall into two categories, syncophants or scapegoats. In contrast, healthy families with children are designed to guide them on their path to becoming independent adults, with deference given to their personal wishes when doing so is realistic and appropriate. These different approaches cause some very distinctive differences in how healthy families and families of narcissists organize themselves.

A healthy family with children consists of a series of stepped barriers designed to protect the children from harm. The highest barrier is around the youngest children, keeping out much of the outside world and even protecting them from harm from older siblings. As the children age and become more competent, the barriers gradually lower.

There is also a barrier between the children and the parents/caregivers. For the safety of the children certain topics are not discussed in their presence and certain pieces of information are withheld from them.

We see an example of a family with healthy boundaries in the Xiao Long household. Ruby mentions in the third episode that the girls were sheltered from boys at a younger age. We find out in the third season that Tai and honorary caregiver Qrow have conspired to hide information about her mother from Yang, fearing another incident like the one that nearly killed the girls early on. Even when Yang is considered old enough to be told the truth, Qrow still holds back telling her so as not to distract her from her normal life, only revealing it when she needs a distraction after being disqualified from the Vytal Festival Tournament. Qrow also mentions having "a number of inappropriate stories" he could tell about their parents now that the girls are grown or nearly grown, but lets the subject drop when they express disinterest.

Narcissistic families are organized for the benefit of the narcissist. Other family members orbit the narcissist like planets orbit a star. They occupy roles assigned to them by the narcissist, in different variations of syncophant and scapegoat, with the syncophants usually, but not always, kept closer. They are controlled through manipulation, which may take the form of either flattery or threats, but always contains an element of coercion. The children are used as tools to accomplish the goals of the narcissist, and information is withheld from them or provided to them in the service of these goals, without any consideration for whether or not it is age-appropriate,or whether they express actual interest. Internal barriers are minimal or non-existent. External barriers exist to protect the narcissist, not the children.

Growing up with narcissist parents/caregivers leaves marks on a child's psyche. The biggest one is a lack of self worth and self-confidence. In extreme forms this deficit can lead to an individual who lacks an internal compass and who must rely on others to tell them right from wrong. It also leads to an individual who has difficulty connecting to other people. These tendencies can take various forms, including but not limited to the Perfectionist, the People-Pleaser, the Rebel, the Observer, and the Manipulator.

Jacques has three biological children, Winter, Weiss, and Whitley. Raven has one biological child, Yang; and two defacto foster children, Vernal and the previous Spring Maiden.

When speaking of and to their children, both Raven and Jacques are bored and disinterested in them as people. They show no interest in them unless their children can be used to their benefit. The emotion they express the most in regard to them is annoyance. No matter how much their children accomplish, they never once express pride in them. Nor do they ever show love or tenderness towards them. This is in marked contrast to the concern, pride, and love that the Belladonnas show Blake, and that Tai and Qrow show Yang and Ruby.

Yang is more affected by Raven's abandonment than by her direct narcissism, so the damage done to her was indirect, but still substantial. The writers have said they will address that issue in V7.

We don't know much about Raven's relationship with the last Spring Maiden. Raven took her in, trained her, and murdered her for reasons which Raven is vague about, but probably had to do with Raven nearing the upper age limit for inheriting the power. I used to say that Raven was a better parent than Jacques because she removed her toxic presence from Yang's vicinity, but Jacques hasn't committed filicide -- yet.

Vernal is a perfect syncophant to Raven, loyal until death and only concerned with "family", i.e. what Raven wants. Cinder even compliments Raven in front of Vernal on how well Raven has "conditioned" Vernal.

All of the Schnee children appear to have self-esteem issues. All of them seem to have been syncophants at one point in time, although the girls may now be scapegoats. Certainly Ironwood is the scapegoat blamed for "stealing" Winter away from Jacques (because of course she would not have left him of her own free will!)

From what we have seen of her Winter has Perfectionist tendencies. When she arrived at Beacon Weiss had both Perfectionist and some Manipulator tendencies, although those have lessoned since Volume 1. Whitley seems to be manifesting Manipulator tendencies. He appears to be the most damaged of the siblings and also the most terrified, judging by the look on his face immediately after Jacques struck Weiss. Unlike the girls, he would have been subjected to Jacques' undivided attention after they left, and as I blogged earlier, I suspect Jacques may be planning to use the Aura transfer technology to take over Whitley's body at some point in the future.

A lot of people want Jacques to acknowledge what he's done, break down, and beg for forgiveness. This is unrealistic. A narcissist never does that unless they are backed into a corner and performing for an audience, and even then it's just a performance.

What I would like to see is the Schnees get out from under Jacques' thumb -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. This won't happen without a fight. He already set the Armor Gigas on Weiss to stop her from leaving the first time. He'll no doubt employ more and dirtier tricks next time.

(I'm leaving Salem and Cinder out of this discussion because I'm not entirely convinced they are narcissists as opposed to some other malignancy. Salem isn't an egomaniac. Cinder is certainly an egomaniac and probably a narcissist, but the jury's still out.)

Next up in the Parallels series will be Sisters or Heirs, followed by Drunkards and Scapegoats. They should all be much shorter.

(Art not mine.)

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Hey Kym! I hope you're having a lovely week! It's been a while but I'm back with yet another colour theory question. I've been rewatching 911 and I've noticed that Ana wore quite a lot of purple and I was curious to the colour theory aspect of this colour and its meaning particularly the scene in 4x13 where the boys are both in dark colours but Ana is in this bright purple. As always love your posts! 💜

Hey Monique 💜

I'm having a great week thanks for asking - I'm off work so I've been embroidering to my hearts content whilst rewatching 911! As always its wonderful to have you popping up in my inbox and as always you've asked a super interesting question and as always my answer got super long!🤓

I'll look at the outfits from 4x13 at the end of this post, but first let's look at Ana's other clothing.

Ana's outfits in general tend towards floral (stupid tumblr 10 image limit means I've only been able to include some of them) - but actually not a huge amount of purple - only two outfits!

3x12 - in the first meeting we have a blue and red floral skirt which I think might be a tulip print - interesting because its the first time we meet Ana and tulips are a spring flower, they're also a symbol of rebirth and this is perfect for where Eddie is at at this point and the establishing of a new relationship.

Later in the episode we get this peachy red coloured star flower print

Then we have the ditsy red print top from the end of 3x15 which echoes the one seen on Shannon earlier in the episode. There is no way that wasn't deliberate - they wanted to highlight the similarities between Shannon and Ana - they're basically telling us the relationship is doomed before its even started!

4x06 - When we are reintroduced to Ana she's white top with tiny black tulip print - so again we're looking at spring and rebirth - the beginning of a relationship again but the use of black and white is interesting. Seeing things in black of white is somewhat formulaic - the ideas that there is one way of doing things. Its safe and obvious, but it excludes an entire spectrum of colours and is 'dangerous' in that it closes a person off to other points of view or possibilities - its playing with the idea of following expectations - which is exactly what Ana is - Eddie following the expectations of his family and 'society'.

4x08 - Ana is reintroduced to Christopher and we see her in purple of the first time - its a sort of (what I would call) sugary lilac/pinky purple - again designed to highlight that she is a woman and incidentally the floral print on the dress is a victorian design - playing the idea of tradition.

4x10 - green top with ditsy white flower print, similar to the red one from 3x15 and also the pink dress we see Shannon in on the beach.

4x14 - I'm not 100% sure because its hard to get a good sharp still of the flowers, but I think they're blue forget me nots! Forget me nots are symbols of fidelity - and we see this from Ana in this scene - faithfully sitting at Eddies bedside, blue forget me nots are also symbolic of healing!

The red blouse has a white floral outline print on that might be peonies, but I'n not sure its a big print and pretty brash for Ana - almost like she's trying to assert herself in this scene - make herself stand out and be seen after so much fading into the background up o this point. I'm still bemused by the fact that the balloons match Ana and Bucks shirts in this scene 😂 and by the fact that Abeula is wearing blue and yellow stripes , which matches what Eddie and Buck are wearing (also blue and yellow make green which is what Christopher is wearing, I'll leave it to you to decide if that has any significance 🤷🏻‍♀️)

We're staying with busy red floral patterning for 5x01, remember what I've said about busy patterns as representing internal confusion etc? well this holds here (and in fact also for the scene above) - Ana is already aware of the problems in her relationship (her reactions in this scene and in the hospital bear testament to that!) with Eddie.

5x02

this outfit is sooooooo hilarious to me - I mean the costume department isn't even trying to be subtle because you cannot tell me they we're trying to hint at this outfit ⬇️

you know, the outfit Shannon died in! It's literally shouting that the relationship is over - dead!

She has other outfits that are not floral, they all highlight mood or intention - for example, when we see her at the hospital in the scene when Buck runs into the room - she's in black - she's effectively a shadow in that scene and in many ways the same can be said of the black outfit she wears in the math date scene (I cringe just writing about it!!), she is a shadow and the scene with her is just there to set up the following one with Buck - construction on sunset, just like the scene in 4x13 when she reveals Charlie is being munchenhausened by his mother - she's in black and is merely a vehicle to get that information to Eddie - because why isn't she helping with the toys in Christopher room?

Basically she wears more floral than not and the floral outfits are highlighting her femininity - that she is a female, and the use of similar ditsy prints to those we see on Shannon is supposed to put her into the same category as Shannon -we should compare them and see them as being i the same mould.

What is really interesting is the contrast with Taylor - we don't see Taylor in floral outfits because we're always meant to see her in a professional capacity - her work comes first - she's always in business mode - the only times she isn't she's either in pink or something suggestive of sex (red dress, or underwear etc). This corresponds with the times Ana is in a disconnected and professional capacity - Christopher falling off the skateboard for example - she' in block colours.

anyway back to the outfits from your ask!

Eddie has his 'date outfit' on 😂 black undershirt, black shirt with khaki green trousers and fancy watch.

Christopher is dressed very similarly - khaki green trousers wit ha dark navy polo shirt which has little beach themed embroideries on - beach chairs, umbrellas and surfers 🏖🏄🏻

Then we have Ana in her bright purple/magenta see through cardigan with a white dress which has a pale purple magnolia flower and bright pink stems print.

Eddie and Chris being dressed very similarly is supposed to show that they're family, whilst also suggesting that they're on the same page - at this point in time (before Carla sets Eddie into questioning mode) the relationship is still pretty new and things are meant to seem like they're moving in the right direction - both Eddie and Chris like Ana. 'Introducing' her to Carla is a bit like introducing her to the family (obviously she's met Carla previously, but she's in a different role now) and its clear that Ana is nervous about it - she knows how important it is, and Eddie does too - thats why he's in his 'date' outfit - this is a significant moment and Ana stands out rather than fitting in.

I do wonder if the littler surfers Christopher is wearing are supposed to suggest he's just riding the wave - going with what his Dad wants - its what I think they mean at any rate!

The choice of Purple for Ana is an intriguing one. Purples are generally associated with magic, royalty and religion - because they were a rare colour in nature (thats why wizards are so often depicted in purple robes and why Roman emperors, Kings, bishops and archbishops wore the colour too!) however this rarity in nature also means can be associated with artificiality. It is considered a devoted, uplifting and creative colour which is welcoming and enlightening (especially related to self enlightenment) although it is also considered a flawed colour as it can encourage arrogance and immaturity.

I would definitely feel comfortable saying that Eddie and Anas relationship trends towards artificial, but for all that Ana isn't a good fit for Eddie or the Diaz's generally, we do see that Ana is devoted, she is also welcoming and the enlightenment aspect plays out in her being the one to provide the information about Charlie later in the episode. I don't really see the arrogance aspect in her (although you could argue that her treatment of Christopher when she's his teacher trends in that direction!) but I've always got immaturity vibes from her (and in many ways from her relationship with Eddie - it was never a fully formed thing).

The choice of magnolia print is an intriguing one because magnolias are fascinating! The magnolia genus is ancient - like 95million years ancient and this predated bees (75 million years if you're interested!) which means they were reliant on beetles for pollination - hence the tough petals. Basically they're a dinosaur plant - they were around at the same time a the t-rex and diplodocus - and oh how well that fits into the theme of Chris being surrounded by dinosaurs in relation to the women in Eddies life!!

Magnolias are generally an evergreen plant, but the flowers are susceptible to cold temperatures and the buds and flowers can be killed by a late frost (anyone spotting any similarities with Eddie and Anas relationship yet?!) and they thrive best in full sun - I enjoy the fact that a blackout killed the relationship even more after discovering this fact!! Ok I'll throw something else interesting about magnolia flowers at you - they are said to be perfect flowers - as in they're bisexual (also known as hermaphrodite plants and this links back to its Cretaceous origns!)- each flower contains both the male stamen and female pistil - advantageous when you are reliant on beetles to pollinate you!

Overall that purple outfit is shouting so many things and its super interesting so thank you for getting me to look at it in a bit more detail because I totally hadn't twigged on the magnolia thing!

as always my inbox is open to anyone with costume or colour theory questions, or anything else you might want to chat to me about - I love hearing from each and everyone of you! I'm off to continue with my embroidery again now - I will get it finished before 5b airs, I'm determined!

💜💜💜