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I literally have an entire essay on Eddie and his Narrative isolation in progress, (It's mostly just editing it and me debating if I want to insert the 8x14-8x16 drama into it at this point) and I completely agree with you - I love the detail you put into this about which characters would have conversations with which characters in each season.

If you don't mind me chiming in, what's really interesting is that you can see Eddie's isolation in particular with Ravi - all the main firefighting characters have a meaningful interaction with Ravi in season 5, excluding Chimney, who has it in 6. But that's 2 years of Ravi being on the show and every character getting to have some meaningful interaction with him except Eddie, where it has been 4 years since Ravi started on the show and not one single meaningful interaction between the two of them. (They had the potential in 8x16, but alas they did not take it.)

Yes exactly with your point about Ravi! I didn't include him in my original post because he is not technically a main but based on how much Chimney and Ravi talk to each other in 6x14 (which is such a great Chimney episode I need to say) if you add up all the amount of time Chimney and Ravi have one on one conversations, I feel it would be very similar to the amount of time Eddie and Chimney have had in one on one conversations.

And like every other 118 character minus Buck, Eddie only really talks to Ravi at work. In fact, I think 8x16 was the first time Ravi and Eddie ever had a conversation just the two of them. I literally just checked youtube searching "911 Eddie and Ravi" to see what came up and every single scene had Buck in it, and more than half of what came up didn't even have Eddie in it.

It just mind boggling how little time the show has put in to actually developing Eddie's relationships with the majority of the main cast or with frequent reoccurring guest stars like Ravi.

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I've been seeing some of the discourse that Eddie is currently not being treated like a main character, and it made want to share what I was thinking for awhile, which is that this isn't new to season 8 even if it feels more obvious now.

My biggest 911 hot take is that Eddie Diaz is the main character who is the worst integrated into the found family dynamic.

You might be saying, "how? he is in the 118, the 118 is a found family!"

I raise you that Eddie really only talks to two members of the 118, Buck and Bobby.

Eddie doesn't have his first one on one conversation with Hen until 2x13, 13 episodes after Eddie joins the 118. Chimney and Eddie don't have a one on one conversation until SEASON 3. Everyone jokes that Eddie never interacts with Maddie, which is true, but I also cannot think of a single time Eddie has had a one on one conversation with Athena.

Let's compare that to the rest of the cast. Every season you can count on:

Buck having a one on one conversation with: Eddie, Maddie, Bobby, Hen, and Chimney. (Athena? I can't think of a one on one conversation they had a conversation in season 7 but they do every other season)

Hen having a one on one conversation with: Chimney, Bobby, Athena, Buck, Karen Bobby having a one on one conversation with: Buck, Athena, Chimney, Hen, Eddie

Chimney having a one on one conversation with: Maddie, Hen, Bobby, Buck Athena having a one on one conversation with: Bobby, Hen, Maddie, and maybe Buck. (see above note.)

Maddie having a one on one conversation with: Buck, Chimney, Athena

And then you get to Eddie, and the only people you can count on him having a one on one conversation with are Buck, Bobby, and Chris.

Don't believe me? Try going to youtube and searching "911 Eddie and Hen" or "911 Eddie and Chimney" or "911 Eddie and Athena" you get maybe two scenes only of each pairing and every other result either has a ton more people in the scene, or is missing one of the characters you searched.

The show tells us Eddie is a part of the found family but they don't show it. He almost never speaks to members of the 118 (besides Buck) outside of the firehouse. He doesn't even interact with the members of the main cast who aren't in the 118.

Anytime they show us Eddie participating in a hobby that he supposedly does regularly, it is something specifically shown away from the rest of the found family, like the poker game, or basketball (which they say Chim doesn't go to often), or even his hobby montage in season 6.

Nearly all of Eddie's storylines take place away from the 118, and have to do with his family or something unrelated to every other character. So in a sense he just feels detached. Somehow, because they only really talk at work, and even then still mostly on calls, Eddie seems like a coworker friend to Hen and Chim, instead of the member of the found family he is supposed to be.

There have been so many opportunities for Eddie to talk to other characters that never get used. Why didn't we get a scene about Hen and Eddie talking about what it means to get shot as a bystander, and what that trauma means? If that's part of Hen's backstory, it is right there for them to have an actual conversations about how they have dealt with a very specific event! Why haven't Chimney and Eddie talked about being parents in a high risk job? Or when Maddie was getting treatment for postpartum depression, talk about (temporarily in Chim's case) unexpectedly becoming a single parent?

The best Hen and Eddie content we get is in season 5 when they are temporary partners, and even that only lasts a couple episodes, and their conversations are almost entirely work related. Once Eddie goes to dispatch, they barely talk again.

Let's put this a different way, if you watched 911 only through Buck scenes you'd have a pretty good sense of every single character. If you watched only Bobby scenes, you'd have a good sense of every 118 character and Athena. But if you only watched Eddie scenes, you'd get a good sense of Eddie and Buck, and a decent sense of Bobby, but barely anything on any other character.

And that is a problem when you are trying to say he is just as integral to the found family as everyone else. The show tells us this, but we don't see it. I can think of one time Eddie and Hen hung out and had a conversation outside of work, in season 3 the Christmas episode when Buck is helping Christopher and Denny make gingerbread houses. I can't think of a single conversation between Chimney and Eddie that takes place outside of work.

People get attached to characters through their relationships, that's why shipping is a big deal, and most likely, your favorite character in the show is part of your favorite ship of the show.

One of the reasons Buck is so popular as a character is because he interacts with everyone and no matter who your favorite character is you will see him have a meaningful relationship with them.

It's frankly ridiculous that Eddie has been on the show for over 100 episodes and if you compiled all of the Eddie and Hen one on one conversations or all the Eddie and Chimney conversations, it would probably barely (if at all) last the length of one episode.

Eddie has been sidelined from day one on this show, it may not be as obvious as it is now, but the show has never done the work to fully integrate him into the found family dynamic. He is constantly isolated in the way that he is written, even when they aren't trying to isolate him as a character. This isn't new, and the disconnect between how we are told Eddie fits in with the found family versus what we are shown has honestly been one of my biggest frustrations with his character.

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given the current state of things:

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ever since 8x15 aired I can't get this awful thought out of my mind that part of the reason they killed off Bobby and effectively fired Peter Krause (who was the second billed cast member) was for financial reasons and to have more room in the budget.

911 is an expensive show, Fox cancelled it in season 6 despite it being the top show on the network because it is so expensive to produce. Same thing happened to Lone Star, it had the highest ratings on the network and it was cancelled because it was too expensive to produce, and they were already trying to avoid paying their actors (hence Sierra McClain leaving the show because they wouldn't pay her what she deserved)

tim minear has this stupid fantasy of these big emergencies that cost a lot of money, the cruise ship, the beenado, the plane crash, every fucking helicopter scene. None of this cheap.

we've already seen the show try and skimp out on things that cost money, in my opinion that's why we've seen less emergencies in each episode because it costs a lot of money to keep having guest stars, so if you can spend less by having the 118 respond to one emergency as opposed to 3 an episode, who cares if it limits the emotional growth and formula of the show? Let's do a two parter! it's easier to only have 3 guest actors participating in our emergency than responding to 4 emergencies that involve 2 people each!

In my opinion that's why most of the recurring guest cast has barely made an appearance since the move to ABC, because if someone is recurring they get paid more than a one off guest star. That's why we have barely seen Sue or Linda or Lou Ransome and all the other beloved side characters, and instead we got Karen, Tommy and Gerard being essentially the only reoccurring guest stars the past two seasons despite past seasons having a far more reoccurring characters.

Additionally could be part of the reason why we are losing sets left and right because the sets were expensive to maintain, goodbye buck's loft, goodbye bathena house, and look! by burying bobby in Minnesota we don't have to carve out money to regularly have scenes at his grave! The less sets, the better.

Firing Peter Krause gives the show an extra $300,000 to use an episode that can go to more explosions or helicopters or more blockbuster dupes that are much harder to translate well to a TV screen.

And when 911 Nashville comes along, it's a lot cheaper to pay actors at the beginning of a show when it's just starting out compared to when the show has been running longer and the actors have stronger bargaining power.

I don't think finances are the only reason they killed Bobby off, but it's hard to look at the choices being made by the show and think they weren't looking for a way to save some money with a bold decision. And if they bring on a new cast member to replace Bobby on the team? they can pay that person a whole lot less than they were paying Peter Krause.

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i have a lot of thoughts on this but tim minear is a terrible show runner solely for the fact that it seems his entire goal is to appear smarter that his audience and to mess with them like we are some sort of toy for him to fuck around with

like i'm sorry, it is incredible uncaring to your audience to lay out all these clues (including behind the scenes content!) that this was a fake out only to have the main plot of the episode (and don't even get me started on how we really only got to see chimney and athena's grief because of the focus on this plot) was about a woman believing someone she loved wasn't really dead only for him to actually be. it's toying and making fun of your audience which is frankly rude and shows you don't value them as the people who make you successful.

the whole time he has been back as show runner it has felt like a massive ego trip, it basically felt like:

"see how funny i am with my meta jokes about firefighter tv show"

"wow you don't like the kim storyline? guess you are just uncultured and have never seen the classic film vertigo..."

"i am a benevolent god what i say goes even if it doesn't make sense"

he has no respect for what made the show succeed, he just wants to pull one on the audience and i find that frankly to be cruel and not worth giving him any more attention

i will not be watching any more 911 nor will i watch any properties tim minear will work on in the future

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Fuck it i don't even care at this point 911 ended when fox cancelled it after season 6.

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does tim minear know that by killing bobby nash he is also killing thousands of babies who are saved by bobby's magic blood???

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I don't think I can genuinely express how much of a fuck you this was to the audience. Part of the joy of 911 is that these characters have extreme plot armor and figure out ways to get out of the situation they are in, often by relying on their found family.

And this just destroyed that.

Also, Bobby is one of two main characters who has individual scenes with every main character of the show, he is quite literally the glue and the show does not work without him.

They have until the end of the season to fix this or show it was a fake out or I am absolutely done with this

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genuinely though how do you keep owen strand alive and kill bobby nash

fuck this

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say what you will about kristen reidel but she never would have fucking killed off bobby nash

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i NEED a yellowjackets edit to defense from we are the tigers

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Chapter 5 of The Politics of the Magic Dimension is up

Stella tries (and fails) to uphold propriety rules and evaluates her friends fashion choices.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44102169/chapters/161066158

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i meant to work on my fic tonight but i got distracted watching cory booker break a senate record and hold the senate floor for 25 hours

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do you ever think about how a princess ball is probably a major historical event in the magic dimension, almost like reintroducing the heir as an adult to the dimension and hows stella had probably been dreaming about what hers would be like her whole life.

and now this event that was supposed to be a celebration turned into one of her biggest traumas and will be included in the history books on solaria and in every mention of stella's reign when she eventually becomes queen?

like the princess ball was supposed to be a celebration of stella but now all history will say about it is she got turned into a monster and chased out of her own palace and it led to the start of an attempted coup.

in a hundred years when students learn about Queen Stella of Solaria they will be taught about the attack on her princess ball and how that nearly led to a takeover of her country

don't you think that stella would be a little messed up about that?

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Welcome back! This is the second installment of our monthly rec lists, where I round up my faves at the end of each month and tell you why I loved them.

The shortest month of the year was quite busy. I have 26 incredible fics to share with you, and that isn't even everything! I encourage you guys to make your own lists and tag me in them if you want. I love doing these, but I can't possibly keep up with all the wonderful fics in our fandom on my own. And as always, please show these writers some love!

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Season Five Codas

First up, we have a few incredible codas for the last Lone Star episodes. As always, our wonderful writers worked their magic and wrote some beautiful fics.

No Goodbyes - @carlos-in-glasses

For our first fic of the month, we have a coda from the lovely Cig, who always does an amazing job at mixing complex emotions and showing us the humans behind the characters. They're never just sad, or just angry, or just happy. Sometimes, it's so many things at once, and Cig does a beautiful job of capturing that. This fic in particular gives us a glimpse into the aftermath of 3x08 and shows us a potential origin story for the phrase "no goodbyes" and I love it so much because you can feel the gravity of everything that happened, the way Carlos is processing all of those emotions, and the many ways in which he and TK love each other.

Brighter Than All This Lightning - @paperstorm

This was the first finale coda I read, and I loved it a lot! It has several moments from 5x12 that we didn't get to see, like Tarlos' reunion hug, the uncertainty while the 126 are all in the hospital, and TK telling Carlos about his decision to quit his job. This fic does a great job exploring all of those emotions, and I love the way Carlos comforts TK throughout all of it. It's a small period of both relief and worry, and a slowed-down moment in between all of the chaos.

No Regrets - @carlos-in-glasses

No goodbyes, and NO REGRETS! What a perfect way to conclude this story (for now) and what a perfect coda to read after the finale. It has such a creative format, showing us snapshots throughout TK and Carlos' lives, and at the end we get to see how Jonah's life looks now that he's with them. I love the dynamics we can already see developing in their family. We see all of the different ways TK and Carlos are loving Jonah, and all of the pieces of themselves they're giving to him. This is such a sweet fic and a beautiful glimpse into this family.

Towards The Sun - @theghostofashton

Another amazing 5x12 coda! I really loved how this fic not only focused on Tarlos, but we also get to see how Nancy is struggling waiting to see if Mateo will be okay. And we get to see how TK and Carlos are there for her as well. Neha does a great job at expanding her fics and showing us so much more than just Tarlos, and it's always enjoyable to read them with that added element!

Oneshots

This Little Moment - @everlastingday

If you're looking for Jonah fics, start with this one! As far as fics focused on this family go, this is a favorite. I love the concept of looking at how the relationship between Jonah, TK and Carlos evolves overtime when we see how they interact in the future. I love all of the detail that was included in Jonah's personality and the dynamics between the three of them, as well as all of the little things that show how TK and Carlos are incredible parents. This was such a sweet and emotional fic, and I love that this story is being told through Jonah's perspective.

Somewhere Off The Coast Of Santorini - @alrightbuckaroo

Are you a fan of AUs? Well, you're in luck if you are, because Ada is doing an event that's all about AUs that you should check out, and you should also read this fic as well! It has everything you want in an assassins AU: tension, humor, and hot sex. I love the aspect of AUs where they're different enough, but still maintain the charm of the characters, and this fic does a great job with that! We get to see Tarlos in an entirely different career, we get to see them be as infatuated with each other as they are in every universe, and we get to see their friends teasing them about it!

Swing For The Fences - @strandnreyes

Sometimes we learn little pieces of lore about our favorite characters that are like hidden treasures that are just waiting to be explored, and that's exactly what Jen does here! We know TK plays softball, but now we have a whole other world to play with and another aspect of his and Carlos' life that comes into play. I love how this fic follows them through season 5 through this lens, introduces new characters for Tarlos to befriend, and includes Jonah being adorable!

Welcome Home, Jonah - @lemonlyman-dotcom

This fic takes us on the journey of Jonah finally coming home. It's beautiful in the way it shows all of the emotions everyone is feeling, as well as showing some realistic, early parenting hiccups that TK and Carlos run into. Lemon really knows how to deliver a sweet fic, and this one is perfect for if you're looking to read something with beautiful family moments and feel the endless love TK and Carlos have for Jonah, and for each other.

Carlos Reyes And The No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Day - @the-126-family

This is the first of two fics that emerged from this post, which was already hilarious, and I love how this fic expanded on that idea. The combination of the serious stress of the asteroid aftermath and the more lighthearted stress of Lou getting out (and of course, being more frightening than the end of the world to Carlos) made for a really enjoyable fic!

Moka Pot Monday - @daggerandrose

Similar to the previous fic, this one also gives us some post-asteroid Lou shenanigans! It also does an amazing job at balancing all of those emotions, and I love the soft Tarlos moments as well! This fic shows the beauty and domesticity of their relationship in the way they interact with Lou, and in the way they comfort each other after a near death experience.

The End Is Near - angstk

Paging all whump lovers! We love tension, we love danger, we love angst, and this fic gives us all of that. TK and Carlos are in a hostage situation (because of course they are) and I love how this fic shows how the fear affects them, as well as how they take charge and try to save the day. It's action packed, it's high-stakes, and it will absolutely break your heart before putting it back together again.

You Wanting Me Tonight Feels Impossible - @emsprovisions

Our favorite original character is back: Lizzie the dog! This time, it's a universe where TK and Carlos are in Oregon, dealing with their strained relationship and the hardships of a brutal winter storm. The vibes are perfect for the angst this fic delivers, and the resolution is so beautiful! No matter what happens, or where they go, Tarlos are always going to get through it together.

We're Gonna Be Just Okay - @lemonlyman-dotcom

The title speaks for itself, because they really are going to be okay, aren't they? Lemon is back with yet another beautiful Jonah fic, and this time it's from the perspective of TK and Marjan, who are both entering parenthood together. This fic, like many of Lemon's fics, does such a good job showing the strength of TK and Marjan's friendship, and the moments with Jonah are absolutely precious.

Through Thick And Thin - @chaoticbug

This is another fic that dives into TK and Marjan's friendship, and what better way to do that than to have TK being there for her as she takes a pregnancy test and waits for the biggest news of her life. The 126 is truly a family, and this fic is a perfect representation of how strong that family is and how they support each other in moments like these.

Lost - @denizoid

This songfic (based on this song) is so good! It's so simple, yet it really shows just how Carlos and TK fall for each other so quickly after meeting for the first time. It's sweet, it's a beautiful meetcute, and it's a very enjoyable read. If you're into the "meeting in the middle of nowhere" vibe, then you'll definitely love this fic! I also recommend listening to the song while you read.

💞 Valentine's Day Fics 💞

Holiday themed fics are always fun, and y'all went all out for Valentine's Day!

Famous Last Words - @captain-gillian

TK and Carlos' first Valentine's with Jonah is nothing short of eventful! They have a three-year-old in the house now, and they'll do just about anything for him, which doesn't end so well for them here. This fic is so fun, and I love how it shows some of the more lighthearted ways in which things can go wrong. Overall it's a beautiful fic where we get to see more of this new family, and one of the many interesting situations they'd find themselves in with Jonah.

A Taste Of Something Sweet, A Window To Your Soul - @everlastingday

An AU where TK is a chocolatier is something I didn't know I needed, but now that I've read this I am so, so happy that this idea was brought to life! It's not just a simple Valentine's meetcute, it's so much more than that. We see Carlos and TK falling in love because of the care TK puts into his chocolates, and the way the flavors are described is so evocative. This is such a well written story, and it's perfect for those of us who have more than one kind of sweet tooth!

Like An Ocean In Love - @alrightbuckaroo

This is such a lovely 5+1 concept, and Ada did a fantastic job with it! I love all of the moments she chose to dive into, and each of these soft, special, and romantic moments is beautifully brought to life. Ada's writing is so gorgeous, and I highly recommend reading this if you need more of TK and Carlos being undeniably in love!

For One Weekend Only - @no-goodbyes-no-regrets

This was written for the @tarlos-secret-cupid event, and I am so, so thankful to have been the recipient of this beautiful fic! Bijou did such an incredible job with the alternative meeting prompt, and I absolutely love the dynamic between Carlos and Luisa here! There were so many things about this fic that were sweet and fun and overall this was a very lovely read!

Of Your Kiss And Your Warm Embrace - @carlos-in-glasses

Not directly a Valentine's fic, but this fic was also written for the secret cupid event and Cig did such an amazing job (as usual) with this! I love the prompt of TK saving Carlos from a horrible date, and Cig worked wonders with it. As usual, it's silly and hot and we get to see Tarlos' soulmate-ism at work once again. If you're looking for something sweet and fun to read, this is the fic for you.

Chaptered Fics

You're Still The One - @strandnreyes

Did someone say Sweet Home Alabama AU? I've been obsessed with this concept ever since I saw the first snippets, and as usual, Jen has been giving us an amazing story! This exes to lovers fic is giving us the angst we all desperately crave. Or maybe it's just me craving it, but this story is definitely delivering! We know Tarlos will find their way back to each other, but the process of unpacking their past and confronting those emotions has been both beautiful and heartbreaking so far.

This fic is currently ongoing.

The Widow's Bite - @henrygrass

The writing in this fic is just so incredibly evocative, and it's everything I would have wanted from a spinoff. With Carlos and Sam working together while their families are in hiding, there's so much tension and so many twists and turns that have me on the edge of my seat. Every time I sit down to read a chapter, I physically cannot pull myself away! I can't wait to see where this story goes, and I highly recommend reading if you're looking to dive into a gripping nail-biter that also offers plenty of angsty and emotional moments.

This fic is currently ongoing.

Something Worth Waiting For - @carlossreaders

An AU where Tarlos are divorced parents was an intriguing concept to say the least, and the way this story came together was beautiful. We usually wouldn't see TK and Carlos dealing with something like this in fics, but I think that's what makes this one so good, because it shows just how strong their love is. We get heartbreaking flashbacks of the loss they faced and the struggles that came with it, we get to meet their two kids whose personalities are big and whose hearts are even bigger, and we get to see how Tarlos come back to each other and confront the pain that separated them to begin with. Love, loss, Parenthood, and TK and Carlos being soulmates: all of these elements came together to create an incredible story.

This fic is now complete.

The Lone Ranger - @rangersoup

Do you want more Ranger Soup? Do you want to see more of the dynamic between Sam and Carlos? Then you should read this fic! It's intense, and it shows just how strong the bond between Sam and Carlos is when Carlos is injured. It moves fast and slow in all the right moments, it gives us perspectives from different characters, and we see how TK surpresses his fear in order to stay professional and attempt to save Carlos. It's full of the action we all crave, and I can't wait for more!

This fic is currently ongoing.

Are We In The Clear Yet? Good. - @liminalmemories21

This series of season five codas is, for lack of a better description, fucking beautiful. There is so much love that has clearly been poured into this, and each moment that was expanded on is so thoughtfully written. I loved all of the angst, joy, and every emotion in between that I got to experience while reading, and this fic genuinely made me want to go rewatch season five afterward. There's so much detail, so many complexities, and so much love for these characters and their story. If you're looking to ride the rollercoaster that was this season again, look no further than this fic.

This fic is now complete.

Somewhere In A Song - @paperstorm

Returning from the January rec list: This is a beautiful Musician AU, and it keeps getting better! I also highly recommend listening to the playlist as well. The way each song is woven into the story is so thoughtful, and being able to dive into the lyrics and relate them to these characters makes the reading experience incredibly enjoyable!

This fic is currently ongoing.

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this fic idea wouldn't leave me alone so enjoy 2k words of TK and Marjan friendship during the 5 month time jump in the series finale

The last thing TK expected during the first week home with Jonah was Marjan knocking on his door freaking out about needing to take a pregnancy test.

What are friends for but helping each other through a crisis?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63381622