#Redux!Lightning

[bfdiredux]

ooooh can you do lightning? he needs more love in my opinion

LIGHTNING!! He, Cake, and Pie are up there on characters I want to dedicate an IDFB episode or a special to.

He's a FRESH adult by the start of BFB.

Feisty, impulsive, lively, and supportive. Lightning is a character with a lot of insecurities-- he's at an age where he's grappling with how adulthood is supposed to be, still learning about himself, and desperately seeking the approval of others. He's also got a knack for holding back until he breaks.

Lightning is physical-- he's a conduit for electricity and can carefully control how he exerts it.

Unfortunately, he joined the worst team to have those insecurities on.

Snowball roves on about strength, Pencil wants to put him to use(she says he's no good otherwise,, so does Match), Flower's at this weird middle ground between being snotty and being nice, Fanny just glares, Ruby is a hardcore Match and Pencil truther, and Bubble doesn't speak up until it's too late.

Pencil asks him to do things he doesn't want to do in BFB 1. She wants him to electrocute people! That hurts them but she praises him for it. It doesn't make him feel all good like Lightning thought it would.

Once Pencil is eliminated, Match takes over and goes all out. She snaps at Ruby, insults Bubble, and keeps pushing Lightning. This gets Bubble to call her out and an argument starts.

Lightning doesn't get involved... It's all old drama he doesn't know about.

He's down to join TPOT when Two arrives. He wants to break free of Iance's control and to be himself.

After Bottle and Pillow walk away from Death PACT, Lightning asks to join. He's seen them during BFB-- they got along well and were all for not causing pain!! So they wouldn't ask Lightning to zap people.

AAAAAAAND Fanny joins too. Pack your bags, fun is over. All Lightning sees is a total downer. She so negative!!

Black Hole is calm and steers his focus onto avoiding death. The team follows because he's their leader. Hm.

Tree and Marker are in support of Black Hole. Lightning is too. At first.

Pie.

Lightning doesn't get to know Pie for long,, they don't get to be all that close-- but their short time together makes him feel welcome and respected. She has a way of being so chill that Lightning can't help but be drawn in.

Pie is eliminated first. Lightning is unhappy.

Over the next few episodes, Lightning finds himself feeling like a loose end,, like he's not meant to be on the team. He tries to involve himself but like. It's not really working !!

After accidentally zapping the funny flower Death PACT Again is supposed to be protecting, they send Lightning back to TPOT's playing field, leaving him alone.

Remote is eliminated. Fanny seems to be calculating something.

During the baking challenge, Lightning finds a frozen fish in Gelatin's (abandoned) Steakhouse and Death PACT Again decides to try and revive it.

They are SUCCESSFUL!! I don't think they'll be using a time reversal ray to do it tho. Maybe?

This fish bites Two. It. Keeps biting Two.

Two puts Death PACT Again up for elimination.

Lightning gets the most votes.

Oh, THAT'S IT!!

Lightning EXPLODES with enough energy that it harms the Seven Wonders of Goiky.

Lightning FOLLOWED their stupid death prevention plan until the end, even when it COSTED THEM THE GAME. They PRIORITIZED IT. Chasing around Pillow, reviving that stupid fish, etc.-- what was the POINT?

WHY are they participating in this game if they aren't going to PLAY it? WHY do they have to follow Black Hole when his obsession is DRAGGING THEM DOWN. Yeah, it's good not to murder and stuff,, but it's becoming ALL Death PACT Again cares about.

And it's HURTING THEM. The team isn't even aware of how they hurt HIM. They're distracted and oblivious and--

Lightning is exhausted. That burst of electricity took a lot out of him. He drifts to the floor, heaving, ANGRY, and Two sends him to their domain.

He doesn't know it but his break starts Fanny and Black Hole's arc!! Everyone say thanks Lightning /silly

He cools off and recovers. Pie greets him.

I'd love to have a short focusing on that pair in Two's domain. Also just to get a look at whatever the hell is happening there. It's probably supposed to be. A mystery in canon,, we'll see!

Lightning and Pie give me little brother and big sister energy 😋

[chabeas]

LETS GO I AM THE ANIMATOR OF ALL TIME !!

I spent a month learning blender for this 🤭 I'm going to make some more too 🤪

[hkgcsblog]

I Honestly wish that Winx Club added Male Fairies since the concept of a Male Fairy is pretty cool and interesting to see more Fairies outside of general gender roles being able to join in. For example Like The Tinkerbell Movies, Friends and Backgrounds showed us that Male fairies exist regardless and are treated as normal since they're fairies like Tinkerbell. I'm probably comparing them despite being in different films, studio and plot but it's good to see some representation to expand more. No malicious instructions though since I'm here to Rant about my opinions and understanding. It's Fun to Think and Imagine a Male Transformation!

I also did the guys! don’t think I’ll retouch their specialist/guild looks yet but I can play around with their fairy/witch forms lol

[howifeltabouthim]

But I do not know whether it follows that because he was brave and successful once he must necessarily be brave and successful again. A man rides at some outrageous fence, and by the wonderful activity and obedient zeal of his horse is carried over it in safety. It does not follow that his horse will carry him over a house, or that he should be fool enough to ask the beast to do so.

Anthony Trollope, from Phineas Redux

[transienturl]

I wonder if I could write a block editor that uses redux.

(for the record this does not count as any points in favor of your community editor suggestion, echo! it totally doesn't. okay I mean—no, it doesn't.)

[blessyouhawkeye]

hey guys. getting real concerned buck is going to get shot this season. we got the well redux this episode, next episode we're getting lightning strike redux. there's only one other big buckandeddie disaster missing. and they've already started reestablishing eddie's capability as a field medic. therefore: buck should start wearing a bulletproof vest

[chabeas]

YIPPEE YIPPEE WAHOO

@chabeas eat up

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, I can't stop thinking about the way Eddie is always a little bit to late, always the last to know, he was the last one to see Shannon, he was the last one to know about Chris and Buck being at the tsunami, he was the last one to look up when Buck got struck by lightning, he was the last one to find out about Bobby. And I can't stop thinking about what that means for buddie and the way Buck and Ravi are trapped and Eddie is possibly about to storm that scene after being the last one to know again. They need to talk about all those events, Eddie's will, the shooting, the lightning, all these huge things that affected them deeply and they've been tiptoeing around not to mess with the status quo, and MY GOD I'm going crazy here, the possibilities to give Buck and Eddie a redux of the shooting that forces them to talk.

[delimeful]

how easy you are to need (redux) (7)

warnings: misunderstandings, feeling trapped, unhealthy thoughts about an assumed situation, death and injury mention, discussion of debts, unreliable narrator, virgil horribly misinterpreting yet another normal conversation, literally embarrassing levels of thick-headedness

-

Letting his guard down around the humans was far, far easier than it should have been.

He still eased his defenses down slowly, bit by bit, of course, he wasn’t a complete fool. An understanding between him and Patton didn’t necessarily mean that the others felt the same.

They were humans, not shifters, after all, and while he could see the shape of a pack in their closeness, that didn’t mean he could assume the same principles would apply. They all took on equal responsibilities in maintaining and protecting their home, and none of the three had shown any particular indication that they were a designated envoy, meant to speak for the entire pack.

Frankly, with it only being the three of them, a lack of envoy wouldn’t have been too surprising even if they had been shifters. Some smaller packs forewent assigned roles, rotating them as needed, or were close-knit enough that they essentially acted as one whole, any individual able to speak for the pack.

The humans loved to bicker, though, and it would have been like a slap in the face to trust in Patton’s promise and then have them argue about it right in front of him. Instead, Virgil tested the firmness of the new ground he’d been offered with slow, tentative steps, like a deer crossing over a frozen lake. Better to take his time and test the ice than plunge right through.

Irritatingly, the humans made it far too easy for him to forget how precarious his standing was.

Even the simplest of interactions seemed to please them. When he’d responded to Patton’s friendly greeting for the first time, the morning after their midnight conversation, the human’s expression had lit up like a lightning bug at dusk. When he’d finally answered one of Logan’s questions during a meal, the scholar had blinked a few times in quiet surprise before smiling in a way that made his entire face look softer. When he’d pursed his lips and snapped out a sharp retort to something annoying Roman had said, the hunter hadn’t hesitated to needle him right back with friendly delight, the same as he did with the other two.

They were keeping him trapped here, because they were human and they knew better than to let a monster roam free in the woods around their home, but they didn’t want a starved prisoner or a ticket to easy riches. They wanted to offer him comfort and belonging in the time that he had left.

He’d saved them, and they were repaying it in the only way they could afford to.

It was pathetic, how relieved he felt. How genuinely grateful he was for the simple fact that he wasn’t being forced to relive the unending torment of his first imprisonment. How such basic offerings of food and warmth and companionship made it possible to ignore or even briefly forget about the executioner’s axe hoisted over his head.

He’d been on his own for a long time. Returning to that solitude would be its own kind of death, a slow and painful relearning of what it meant to be alone. He knew this, but tried not to dwell on it. He’d survived it once before, and he would again. Better to endure the loneliness than lose the safety of isolation.

So, he forced himself to keep focusing on methods of escape, on the ways this slowly-growing camaraderie would offer lapses in security, on the new freedoms he could take advantage of, and didn’t think about what he would do afterwards.

With this goal in mind, he immediately decided to test his luck by poking his nose where it didn’t belong.

He’d regained some mobility after another week of healing, though he kept his walking pace to a slow shuffle out of caution, and the humans still tended to hover like agitated honeybees whenever he was on his feet for too long. The cabin was small enough that he had mapped out most of it within a day or two, and now he approached the only room he hadn’t yet entered or peered into.

When he pushed the door of Logan’s workspace open, the human’s head snapped up immediately, wearing the beginnings of a frown. Once he saw that it was Virgil who stood in the doorway, though, the displeased turn of his lips faded away, replaced by eyebrows raised in intrigue.

“Hello,” he said, voice polite despite the interruption. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Of the three of them, Logan had been the most respectful in his formality, and so Virgil impulsively tested the bounds of that patience by not answering right away, instead letting his gaze drift over the room and its contents.

There were far more plants scattered about than he’d expected, though perhaps he should have expected as much from the dedication Logan tended his garden with. Pots of different shapes and sizes were settled on every inch of the window ledges, and planters hung from shelves and hooks on the ceiling alike. There was an entire corner of the room dedicated to racks of drying herbs and flowers, both wild and homegrown, which lent the room a pleasant dusty floral smell that almost covered up the sting of ink and chemicals.

There was a table against one wall, the shelves around it packed full with bottles of miscellaneous ingredients, all of them labeled in neat handwriting. The table itself was covered in neatly-organized supplies, with protective sigils carefully carved into the outer edge of the wood, keeping any experimentation contained. It stank less than he’d thought it would, for human magecraft, but then he hadn’t yet seen Logan doing any of the typical dissection and harvesting of supernatural creatures, either.

After the full moon, it would have the bitter tang of magic made through unwilling sacrifice, the distant preserved rot of bottled blood. Virgil would recognize the stench of post-harvest ingredients anywhere. Not that he’d be there to smell it, at that point. He forcibly pulled his attention away.

The last section of the room was less orderly than the rest, primarily due to the heaps of books that were stacked and shoved wherever there was space. Logan’s desk was the only semi-clear spot, and even that had a few precarious book towers sitting atop or alongside it. It was also covered in stacks of parchment, with lines and lines of writing or intricate diagrams sketched on the paper.

Logan sat behind it, still awaiting a response, those keen eyes watching him right back.

There was no sign of the lodestone for the ward around the cabin at first glance. He had known better than to think it would be that easy, though.

He hadn’t known that he would actually get this far, assuming that they wouldn’t want their magic prisoner sticking his nose in the most likely place to find a way out of their wards. Even Roman and Patton didn’t tend to disturb Logan too often when he was working in this space, so he’d assumed he’d only get a few moments to glance around at best.

“You haven’t been to the leyline crossing,” he said, because the silence had begun to grow awkward and he’d panicked and they really hadn’t, even though it was well past the usual time of the month they went.

Logan’s stare sharpened, which was probably a bad sign, but he only stood up to clear the books off of a second chair, and gestured for him to sit.

This had been a bad idea. Virgil slunk forward with extreme reluctance and sat.

“We haven’t,” Logan answered affirmatively as he returned to his seat, adjusting his spectacles. “It didn’t seem wise to venture into the woods, seeing as that is where the bear headed, last we saw it.”

That was… a really good reason, actually. Virgil shuddered at even the idea of them running into that creature again in the dead of night, without him to help.

“I take it that you’ve been familiar with us for a while, then, since you know of our routine offerings?” Logan continued, sounding more curious than angry.

Virgil froze up, regardless. He should have known better than to hope he could make it through a conversation without giving anything away. He hadn’t even managed to make it through the first sentence.

“I am not upset,” Logan offered, glancing down at the open book before him in a gesture that seemed designed to give Virgil a moment to breathe. “On the contrary, I am… rather relieved, to have my suspicions confirmed.”

“Relieved?” Virgil echoed dubiously, his voice a low croak. It tended to go raspy and hoarse if he wasn’t focusing on speaking, probably the result of not using his human vocal cords to speak to anyone in literal years.

“Indeed,” Logan answered. “I will admit, my initial impression of you was made hastily. We had never seen you before, and yet you didn’t hesitate to defend us, and you earned a significant injury in the process. It was worrying to unexpectedly incur such a debt.”

Virgil managed to shove aside his embarrassment in favor of confusion. It was strange to mention a debt, especially one owed to a shifter. Humans didn’t consider shifters worth trading with in any fashion, in his experience, and even other supernatural beings knew that wolves weren’t fond of holding debts or grudges. Really, the way Logan spoke about it sounded more like…

“You see, I was aware that it is rather rare for a shifter to reveal themself to humans for any length of time, as I’m sure you know, and I was also aware that the fair folk are often deft hands at taking on wild shapes of their own, particularly when interacting with humans, so…” Logan trailed off, looking a bit flustered at the admission.

“You thought I was fae,” Virgil completed the thought, feeling a bit taken aback at the idea. He certainly would have done a fair bit more against that bear if he’d had the sort of natural power that faeries so often courted.

Of course, things also would have turned out a lot worse for the humans if he’d been a fae, more likely than not. Humans who had fallen under the attention of one of the fair folk frequently met an unfortunate end because of it. Whether the faery in question was maliciously fixated or lovingly obsessed, the human would be lucky to come out irrevocably changed. They’d be lucky to come out alive at all.

“It was a working hypothesis,” Logan said primly, turning a page in his book despite the fact that he almost definitely hadn’t been reading while they spoke. “It was disproven easily enough, and so my precautions weren’t needed in the first place, but seeing as my haste has gotten me and those around me in trouble before, I thought it best to perform them anyhow.”

Precautions? Patton had said that Virgil saved his life, if not all of theirs. To the fae, a life debt like that could only be paid off one way, whether they’d been tricked into it or not.

Oh. He had wondered why Logan had been so uncharacteristically careless before, carrying an agitated and injured shifter back with its teeth only a handspan from his neck. If Virgil had been fae, if he’d chosen differently and torn out Logan’s throat, that would have been the end of any debt between him and the others. A life paid for a life owed.

“Did you run that plan by the others, first?” he asked, despite already knowing the answer.

Logan waved a hand dismissively, not bothering to pretend at regret. “They traveled out here on my behalf, in the first place. To let them suffer for my mistakes would be a poor repayment.”

From what he knew of them, Virgil thought Patton and Roman would disagree. Loudly.

“…Right,” said Virgil, in his most dubious tone. “On your behalf?”

“I’m cursed,” Logan explained shortly. “I don’t have the constitution required to perform magework without damaging my health. It was intended to make me choose between my health and my passion, but I was willing to give up neither, and found a third option: proximity to powerful natural magic, which would prevent spellwork from being as taxing.”

“Huh.” It was a clever solution. Logan might have been the one to propose their solution to Virgil, too. Offering a shifter a peaceful last few weeks certainly wasn’t an option he would have expected from any normal humans.

Right. He’d almost forgotten that his plan had been to push against the boundaries of his cage, to force them to acknowledge that he was stuck here, to remind himself that no amount of kind company was worth the pain of how this month would inevitably end.

“Well, you don’t owe me anything,” he said, a little too sharply. “And in that case, there’s no point in me staying.”

Logan sat up straight, posture stiffening as he frowned. “You’re still far from healed. I understand why you don’t wish to shift, but surely, leaving is a bad idea for the same reason?”

There it was. In the end, that was the biggest flaw in the arrangement the humans had come up with. If Virgil attacked them or tried to leave, they’d be forced to kill him immediately. He would lose, but so would they; killing him in his human form would make his corpse far, far less valuable.

“You’re only making things more difficult on yourself,” Virgil told him, crossing his arms as tightly as he could without jarring his wound. “I’m not fae. There’s no worth in being hospitable to me.”

It certainly wasn’t going to convince him to stop trying to escape. He might be pathetic, but he wasn’t that pathetic. Honestly, it’d probably be easier for everyone if they just cut their losses and killed him now.

Logan closed his book, folded his hands over it, and met Virgil’s eyes squarely. “We offered you our hospitality because we wanted to. It is freely given, no matter the ease or difficulty involved.”

Virgil couldn’t help the way his eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. That implied that they would keep on offering him this kindness even if he did get caught attempting to escape.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t ever been truly punished for that first desperate sprint to the wards, had he? None of the things he’d believed to be threats or punishments had ever panned out the way he’d assumed. Ultimately, they hadn’t so much as directly scolded him about the escape attempt, as though the act was hardly surprising. He hadn’t been drugged, and he still wasn’t guarded.

He couldn’t be certain unless he got caught again, but… the signs were all there. They were confident enough in their cage to indulge him even when he was caught gnawing at the bars. They were underestimating him.

“Don’t blame me if you regret it later,” he said dismissively, but he couldn’t help the disbelieving half smile creeping onto his lips.

Logan returned his smile with an encouraging one of his own, apparently unfazed by Virgil’s renewed determination. “I very much doubt I will.”

He snorted and left the human to his work, not cowed at all by the arrogance. Logan could doubt all he liked. Virgil had beaten much worse odds before.

[redux-iterum]

Hi! Sorry if this is a complicated ask/one that's been asked before, but I was wondering how you and Lynx settled on the religious system for the redux? I'm working on a personal rewrite of DoTC and while I have ideas of how I want their religion to be structured, a lot of the details evade me. Was there a clean cut process, or did it come as you went along? Thank you!

So the original basic concept - the Three gods and the Mother - came from me, while the halls came from Lynx. We've been discussing adding an aspect to the religion that we won't get into today because ~spoilers~, but it's connected with the state of souls and StarClan, just not in a way the living cats are aware of. These things were all elaborations and rearranged ideas from the beliefs (or just...factual existences, I suppose) of the canon Clans that I/we didn't really like that much.

There are three mythical Clans consisting of leopards, lions and tigers, but there's not much to them and no real explanation for where they went or why they were there. So instead, we can make them three individuals who serve as gods of different facets of Clan life. There is a mine in the territories called "Mothermouth", but it's never elaborated on and I don't even know if they call it that in the books themselves. So let's utilize the implications of that name and make a progenitor of life named "The Mother", and that mine can be her sleeping body. And while we're at it, that Moonstone could be perceived as her heart, making a more alien creator for my own enjoyment. StarClan is sort of omnipresent and exists to fix living Clan problems, but that causes plot holes and limp storylines that go nowhere. So we can make the gods themselves have their own groups of souls that do original StarClan's job, while normal StarClan cats just handle tiny things like sending signs and dreams to seers. So on and so forth.

The design of this religious system was largely just that: taking canon and tweaking things to my particular enjoyment, then expanding on them in a way that would make sense for the Clans to believe in and want to follow. It helps to have some knowledge on the general structure of religions and mythologies, as Lynx does, so you have real-world information to draw from. You don't need to be encyclopedia-levels of informed, but recurring themes and practices are good to know (tricksters being both menaces and heroes to teach lessons, gods reigning over a hodgepodge of things rather than just being "the lightning god" or "the water god", etc). That knowledge, plus going with what you find fun to write about, plus taking canon and changing it to what you find sensible, can help create something that's unique to you.

That's about all I can really say on this topic. I hope it helps!

[bfdiredux]

i'd love to see your take on ruby! especially the entire situation with her sisters and so on

RUBY!! RUBY RUBY (I RUN AROUND IN CIRCLES) She's another BFDI character I associate heavily with ADHD. She's got so much spark to her I love her!

Redux!Ruby's Character Proposal:

Ruby is the youngest in a HUGE group of sisters. She's got so many. They're all greatly successful in their lines of work. Writers, doctors, inventors, scientists... The list could go on.

They don't all hate her for betraying and getting into BFDIA!! Her sisters are actually very supportive but because she has so many, Ruby isn't close to a lot of them.

Bubbly, curious, brilliant, and sensitive. She loves fun, harmless pranks, and making new friends. Not afraid to convey her emotions.

An aspiring actress. It came to me at 3 in the morning. She applied to BFDIA was to get her name out there.

ADHD friend!!

#2 Pencil apologist until BFB.

She meets Pencil and Match during BFDIA 1, where she goes right up to them and asks about an alliance. Pencil seems down to strengthen her team.

Match feels like an echo of Pencil. The two act so similar and so close it's no wonder that Match is Pencil's right hand.

Authority is authority. Ruby is LOYAL.

Bubble is a common spectator and eventually a temporary host for BFDIA. She seems hesitant about Ruby and that kinda hurts! Hopefully she'll come around.

Book!! She's agreeable and friendly-- a good team worker.

Ice Cube. Hmm. Pencil says she can be as stubborn as a bag of rocks. Honestly, though, Ruby doesn't mind.

There's times where Pencil snaps at Ruby for being "too much of x."(Her words!) Sometimes she says hurtful things and Ruby can't stop herself from crying.

Apparently that's the WRONG course of action because Pencil doesn't like that either. She'll berate Ruby for that too, call her a baby-- maybe it's better to walk on eggshells and watch Pencil's face.

Sometimes she's too distracted or too excited or too intense or too sensitive. Ruby sucks up and apologizes-- now she's being cringe. What???

Ruby is sure Pencil has a good reason to be that way. Surely. Don't ask her why, though. Ruby doesn't know.

Match is often the same but toned down, she doesn't scoff when Ruby apologizes and checks on Ruby after Pencil lights a fuse. That's nice.

IDFB... my favorite untouched territory

And where FreeSmart begins to fall apart.

Ruby and Bubble start to establish a stronger friendship.

Mid-late IDFB, Ice Cube leaves and Book follows. Ruby is out doing something during that time and comes back right as Pencil is telling Book to go.

Book looked so fucking hurt and Pencil looked pissed.

Ruby is sad to see Book go. Pencil is all "good riddance" about it and when Ruby asks, Pencil explains. Ruby now has Pencil's perspective.

Pencil also asks her to promise she won't be like Book. Ruby agrees.

Ruby does eventually come into contact with Book again. She hears Book's perspective and is quick to defend Pencil and after some back and forth Book tells her to just stop.

Ruby stammers and Book tells her to go. Ruby complies, feeling herself start to cry.

Push it down, don't make things worse. Ruby dries her tears before she returns to what's left of the alliance.

Ruby does get to see more of Pencil's meaner side throughout the end of IDFB-- the way she is with Book, the way she clings to control.

ALSO WITH FLOWER!! I want part of her character arc of being a better person to involve Ruby. Ruby is still nice to Flower even when Flower is being a jerk. Really, Ruby is still nice to everyone even when they're being a jerk.

BFB.

Getting invited to a new season of BFDI was not on Ruby's bingo.

She invites Flower to Iance by calling her pretty. Awh.

So, new teammates.

Fanny is negative about a lot of stuff. Ruby wonders why she hates and hates. Fanny is also mature-- she's able to recognize her own faults and for that, she has Ruby's respect.

Lightning has some problems to work out and Pencil treats him like a weapon. He also electrocutes anyone Pencil and Match asks him to soooo it's better to stay on it's good side!!

Snowball is an actual jerk. He's got this weird mindset about strength and it's going to take him a good minute to get out of it.

FLOWER!!! Pencil doesn't like her but Ruby does. She's learning to be better.

Pencil is the first BFB elimination. This leaves Match in charge.

To compensate, Match gets worse. She pushes the team to their limits and demotes Bubble twice. Is?? That even possible??

She insults Bubble too.

It gets to the point where Bubble snaps and calls her out. A small but loud argument starts-- in which Ruby tries to break it up and gets gently pulled aside by Fanny, who tells her to let it happen.

The results?

Bubble refuses to talk to Match. Ruby tries to comfort both of them.

Match eventually breaks down and apologized both to Bubble and Ruby. Bubble says she appreciates it and needs time.

Ruby tries to tell Match it's okay-- Bubble says it's not.

Match is eliminated.

Bubble and Ruby have a talk once the shock is over. Something about Bubble asking Ruby if she really thinks what Match and Pencil have done is okay. Like, she's never questioned them? Ever???

Ruby admits that she has but pushed it aside.

She was in denial. A part of her still doesn't want to believe it but...

The rest of BFB pre-split, Ruby is coming to her own conclusions and accepting that the way Pencil and Match behaved weren't okay.

Ruby could've gone to TPOT-- I think she and Two would've gotten a long real well!! But she stuck with Bubble and Flower.

My main goal with post-split Ruby is letting her be herself!! Nobody's scolding her for how she acts anymore, she can breathe.

Ruby is eliminated in BFB 20! She will cheer Flower and Bubble on.

Following the finale, I'll probably have Ruby take her leave for a bit-- she's still in contact with Flower and Bubble but now she's taking small acting jobs and visiting between them to experience joy and whimsy. #happy ending

[chabeas]

WIP! 🚨‼️🚨‼️

I'm never leaving the kitchen again bro I FREAKING LOVE DRAWRING! 💥💥💥💥💥💥

[daniwib]

Bandaids

Buck and Tommy have plans for a peaceful night in on the anniversary of the lightning strike. A storm, a chicken, a cat and the Q word have those plans going unfortunately awry.

[A Jinx redux written for @911actions for @theweewooshow's prompt: A Quiet night in. Also covers @bucktommyweek prompt: Date Night]

[cyclesprefectpress]

[video description: process recording of making a small edition of hand-bound books, printed both digitally and with handset type. Two Parables, written by the author for family, set in Century Schoolbook, with titles and decorative drop caps letterpress printed in silver. Made with custom dark green slipcases, dark green covers, exposed yellow bindery thread, and the flyleaf printed with the constellation Gemini. end description.]

boy slipcases are a lot of work but are so so satisfying. perfect enclosure for singular object, there is nothing better!! i never got well-lit footage of it but the inner sheets on the slipcases are this brilliant emerald green stuff lightning-shot with gold.

never did find an ID for the drop caps. I am. notoriously bad at googling things. If it's not in a catalog i have it's a mystery to me :( lmk if this deco-looking celtic knot redux looks familiar to u.

[ofasgardandalfheim]

Loki & The Siren; Chapter Sixteen

A Seductive Ruse. A Fierce Battle. The Taste of Power.

Fic Synopsis:

This is the story about how you met and fell in love with Loki, hundreds of years before the events in Avengers, while his family was visiting Alfheim, where you were a siren.

It is a companion piece to Lightning Over the Sea-Redux to give more insight into your past and relationship with Loki.

18+ only

Your senses are heightened as you ride, taking in the sights and sounds around you. The trees rush past in a verdant blur, their leaves rustling gently in the cool breeze. The sweet melodies of birdsong fill the air, soothing and calming your nerves. The rich scents of pine and earth invigorate you, sharpening your focus.

Glancing back over your shoulder, you see your companions' determined expressions, a sense of solidarity washing over you. You grin at Thor and Hogun, Thor returning the smile at the sight of you astride the massive wolf. Pride swells in your heart, knowing the new allies you’ve recruited will make all the difference. You tighten your grip on Hrimfang's neck, and the great wolf turns his head, giving you a reassuring glance.

As you and your companions arrive outside the village, the acrid scent of smoke and fear hangs thick in the air. Approaching cautiously, you spot enemy raiders posted at the perimeter. Your heart races with adrenaline as you look to Thor, your voice barely above a whisper, "Do you trust me?"

Thor's eyes darken, his expression serious. "Always," he replies, his voice low and steady.

You turn eagerly to Thor and Hogun, presenting your plan. "I have an idea. I can use Thor's red cape to distract the enemy and make my way into their fortress undetected. With your permission, Thor?"

Thor nods in agreement. "Of course, if it can help us achieve our mission."

Without hesitation, you unsheathe your sword and slice off a section of the vibrant red cape. Draping it over your shoulders, you feel the smooth fabric caress your skin as you fasten it around your neck, admiring how the bold color contrasts beautifully against the black of your armor.

A mischievous grin spreads across your face as you begin casting a spell of illusion, transforming your armor into a seductive red dress that hugs your curves perfectly.

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[dragonydreams]

No Crisis, Only Calm (Redux) - Buck & May

Title: No Crisis, Only Calm (Redux) Fandom: 9-1-1 Rating: General Audience Pairings/Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley & May Grant Tags: mentions Evan "Buck" Buckley/Tommy Kinard, Coming Out, TV show recs, pseudo sibling bonding Summary: May shares with Buck the magic of Heartstopper after Buck tells her about his date with Tommy. Timeline: post 7x05 Word Count: 1,633 Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Television, and 20th Century Fox Television. Betas: Thank you to @medieshanachie for looking this over for me. Author's Note: This idea popped into my head after seeing an article about Heartstopper S3.

Author's Note 2: I wasn't satisfied with the first version of this story so I reformatted it and expanded it. I'm much happier with this now and hope you enjoy it too.

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Are you on shift?

The text popped up on Buck's phone and he couldn't help smiling at it. He didn't hear from May as much since she'd started college, but she has been checking in more since the lightning.

Not today, Buck responded. What's up?

His phone lit up with May's face as he was alerted that he had an incoming video call. He immediately accepted. 

"Why were you being weird Saturday night?" May asked before he could even say hello.

Buck did a wonderful impression of a fish as he stared wide-eyed at May. He nervously licked his lips before he asked, "What do you know about Saturday night?"

"Eddie texted me to ask if I knew why you were acting weird."

"Why would he ask you that?"

"That's what I said!" May exclaimed. 

"And it took you a week to follow up with me?"

May rolled her eyes. "I had classes.  And study groups. And homework. So much homework."

"Well, Eddie and I have talked since then and he now knows why I was acting weird," Buck said, hoping to end this conversation. It wasn't that he didn't want May to know about Tommy. He actually kinda wanted to shout from the roof to tell everyone about him.

"...and?" she prompted. 

Buck took a moment to decide if he wanted to tell her. He hadn't told Bobby yet, but he could trust May not to gossip. If he asked her not to, at least.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "When I saw Eddie, I was on a date. With a man. But I was caught off guard and reacted badly."

"Since when do you date men?" May asked. 

"Since Saturday," Buck said, wincing slightly.

"OMG, was he your bi-awakening?" May squealed, excitedly.

"I suppose you could call it that," Buck admitted. "He kissed me the Thursday before our date and it felt like the whole world came into focus." He could feel himself grinning like an idiot as he remembered the kiss.

"How far down the research hole did you fall after?" 

"Not very, if you can believe it."

"I'm having trouble believing that," May teased.

"I know, it's very not me. Then again, so is being into men." He paused to think about what he'd just said. "Although, I guess that is me, now."

While he'd been speaking, May was obviously looking something up on her phone. 

"In that case, go watch this," a text with a link popped up for a trailer, "and then call me back."

Buck clicked on the link after May hung up on him and watched the clip about two teenage boys in England falling for each other - one was gay and the other was bi. Apparently it was based on a graphic novel. 

As soon as Buck finished watching he called May back. "How did I not know about this?"

"Because you weren't seeking out queer YA shows?" May suggested. "But you should watch. The episodes are only like half an hour each."

"I guess I know how I'm spending the rest of my day."

Buck watched May look away briefly and bit her lip before meeting his eyes again. "Want some company while you watch?"

Buck blinked back the sudden moisture in his eyes. 

"Yeah, I think I'd like that."

"I can be there in an hour. With ice cream," she said.

"I'll be here."

"I'll see you soon," May said before ending the call.

Buck stared at the phone for a minute, moved by May's offer to share this show, which she obviously enjoyed, with him.

~~*~~

Buck was sitting at the kitchen table when there was a knock on the door 58 minutes after he'd hung up with May. Now that May was going to introduce him to this show about a bi-awakening, as she'd called it, he was curious about what else was out there. 

He'd found the expected "Could I be gay?" quizzes, but he already knew the answer to that question. He still loved women, but he was also definitely attracted to men. Which made him bisexual, or pan, but he thought bisexual was the right word for him.

He went to open the door and May was grinning at him as she held up the bag with ice cream in it. 

"You know, I don't think I've ever actually been here before," May said as Buck held the door open for her. "This is nice."

Buck blinked as he closed the door and realized that she was right. "Well then, it's about time. It's a loft so the tour will be quick. This is the kitchen, bathroom is over there," he pointed to a closed door next to the stairs, "bedroom is in the loft, and living room is this way." He led her through to the room in question.

May took the ice cream out of the bag and noticed that Buck had already set out a couple of spoons and glasses of water. The show was pulled up on the TV, just waiting for them.

As she made herself at home on the couch with one of the pints of ice cream, May said, "So, tell me more about this guy that turned your world upside down."

Buck felt his cheeks heating up as he settled next to her with the other pint. "Well, Tommy's a firefighter with Harbor. A pilot. He's actually the one that flew us to rescue your mom and Bobby."

"Hold up," May said, sitting up from her slouch and holding out her hand. "You don't mean Tommy Kinard?" 

"Uh, yeah," Buck confirmed. 

"Damn, Buckley. He's fine," May said. "I mean, he's old enough to be my dad, but damn."

Buck felt his face flush again as he couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, he is." 

"So how did you go from him helping to rescue Mom and Bobby to him kissing you?" May asked as she settled back.

"Well, uh, I guess both Eddie and I wanted to get to know Tommy better after he helped with the rescue. Those two started spending a lot of time together and I guess I got kinda jealous. Like Eddie was replacing me? But also because he was spending all this time with Tommy. Things got a little out of hand at this pickup basketball game and I got Eddie hurt. Later that night Tommy came over to tell me that he wasn't trying to come between me and Eddie and I told him that I just really wanted to get to know him better. That trying to get his attention was exhausting and then he kissed me." 

Buck took a big bit of ice cream after he finished word vomiting all over May. 

"Wow," she said. "That was a lot."

"Oh, and after making sure I was okay with the kiss he asked me out for Saturday."

"And you didn't spiral after that kiss?" May asked. "That seems like something that would cause you to spiral."

"Yeah, I was kinda surprised about that myself," Buck admitted. "But it was more like a puzzle piece finally turning the right way to fit in a hole in a larger puzzle. Everything just felt right. Settled in a way that I've never been in my life before." 

"That sounds wonderful," May said, in awe.

"It is. Of course then Eddie and Marisol showed up at the restaurant Tommy took us to on Saturday and I was so surprised that I went all dudebro and told Eddie we were just two guys hanging out and were gonna go pick up some hot chicks later."

"You. Did. Not."

"Oh, I did. Tommy was not amused and instead of going to a movie after dinner he got an Uber home by himself. Just left me in front of the restaurant."

"Can't say I really blame him," May said. 

"Neither could I. But I told Eddie and he convinced me to call Tommy. Luckily he agreed to meet me for coffee and I invited him to be my date at Maddie's wedding."

May's eyes widened. "You're bringing him as your date to your sister's wedding? Way to come out to everyone at once."

Buck shrugged. "This is who I am. It shouldn't matter if I want to bring a man as my date instead of a woman. I'm happy and that's all that should matter. If anyone has a problem with that, that's on them, not me."

"I am loving this attitude," May said. "And you're right. It doesn't matter."

"Just, uh, I haven't told Bobby yet, so for now can you not say anything? I'd rather he find out with everyone else."

"Of course. So just me and Eddie know?"

"Maddie knows, too. It was kind of an accident, but she does know. I let the pronoun slip when I was talking about my interrupted date to her."

"How'd she take the news?"

"You know Maddie, she was totally supportive. Surprised, but supportive. Eddie, too."

"And now me," May said. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

"Thank you for sharing this," he gestured to the television, "with me."

"Is that your way of telling me you're talked out?" May teased.

"Yes, but I also want to see this show," Buck said.

"Then let's watch. It's been a while since I did a re-watch," May said. 

"How many times have you seen it?" Buck asked.

"A couple," May answered. "It's a really sweet story. Lots of good queer representation."

"Is this your way of trying to tell me something?" Buck tentatively asked.

"No, I just like watching all kinds of love stories, not just heterosexual ones," May said. "But thank you for asking."

"Anytime," Buck said. 

He grabbed the remote and hit play.

Link to trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrK4xPy4ahg