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Remember before s7 aired and the Buddies were jumping for joy that Tim was back because this for sure meant Buck and Eddie would kiss.

They turned on him so fucking fast and now want ABC to fire him for killing Bobby.

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THIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSS!!!!! I think from s2-4 bvddie morphed from fun Fandom shipping to "maybe they'll actually do it if we're really vocal" to, at some point (I think between the start of s4 and end of s5) interpreting EVERYTHING as the show laying groundwork for canon bvddie. We went from expecting at least a feelings realization for one of them in 4a, to nope but probably in the first few eps of 4b, to seeing the way s4 ended as the perfect setup for at least a feelings realization in 5a, then a whole season of pining leading up to a kiss in the finale, or at least a love confession. And that exact same convo has repeated itself in the bvddie fandom every single season. I took part in it. The analysis and theorizing. But even now I am 1000% certain that no matter how this season ends, there will be an initial burst of clarity, lots of bvddie shippers accepting that it just will not happen and reacting with varying levels of anger/grief. But then, within hours, a handful of voices will start explaining why it (no matter what the "it" is) was actually setting up for bvddie canon s9. Just dragging out the slow burn for ratings. Cut to days later and those theories are being discussed as obvious fact to anyone who's really paying attention. Somewhere along the line we lost touch with the FUN of fandom shipping and started DEMANDING canon status. I wish that hadn't happened and I wish I hadn't let myself get sucked into it, but now I'm nostalgically fandom shipping bvddie and rooting for bucktommy endgame with my whole heart. Why is it that so frowned upon?!?

OK the best way I've come up with to boil this all down to is fandom shipping vs fandom canon shipping. And it is specifically NOT TO SAY that fandom shipping is bad!!! But they are different.

I'm a huge rickyl (Rick/Daryl) shipper in the TWD fandom. The way I ship rickyl is pure fandom shipping. I KNEW (/know, but don't ask me about my spinoffs reunion delusions) that the show would never actually pair up the two. I admittedly held out hope for a queer / ace Daryl for a long time, though that's a different beast, but I didn't ever realllyyyyy think they'd make Rick break from comic canon so far as to be queer and fall for a non-comic-canon male character, especially when we were given explicit canon, in-narrative evidence Rick is straight. That doesn't mean I didn't see every split second of loaded interactions, chemistry, queer undertones, and potential of those characters that made me ship them extra hard and overanalyze all of those moments and explore their potential, alongside thousands of other rickyl shippers. We aren't crazy; we're fandom shippers. It's fun. It's sexy. It's imaginary.

The crazy part comes in when you think your interpretation supercedes canon, reality, and explicit narrative evidence so much as to manifest it into the show, to the point of delusions that cause you to harass real living people.

Anyway. All that about shipping rickyl is completely different from shipping Buck/Tommy, because none of that ship is wishful thinking. It being endgame? Maybe. Them getting back together? Maybe. But IT. IS. FACT. that they were together, banging, catching feelings, building something, etc., all in-narrative and canon to the show. (And we haven't gotten an explicit "NO" that that ship has sailed, but again, different [fire] beast.)

Eddie has been explicitly illustrated as straight time and time again, and was wonderfully casually supportive of Buck's bisexuality and interest in Tommy without missing a beat, which would've possibly demonstrated any personal crisis about Buck being into men if he HAD hesitated or freaked out. We've been given explicit acknowledgement of the *potential* that exists with Buck and Eddie, but I believe *specifically* to acknowledge the proverbial elephant in the room to get it out of the way for their real intentions with Buck and Tommy.

My endgame opinion aside, it is unavoidable truth that Buck and Tommy are a real ship while Buck and Eddie are a fandom ship. And THAT IS OKAY. Fuck, I was a buddie shipper before s7, but I shipped it the way I ship rickyl: as fandom fantasy shipping fun. Tommy changed everything, and IN A GOOD WAY. The wish for queer and bi male rep expansion was happening before our very eyes, on screen and in 4k. THAT'S AMAZING. I can't even begin to emphasize the victory that is bi Buck and the Buck/Tommy storyline being on a cable TV show.

ANYway.

TL;DR - buddie is fandom shipping and bucktommy is fandom canon shipping, and while neither is better or worse, it's important to acknowledge that one is for the fun of it while enjoying a TV show, and one is for the celebration of its reality in the world we live in where this TV show exists and support of its continuation because it matters.

Thanks for reading my rant, ily.

P.S. - Don't get me started on where destiel fits into all dis.

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I'd love to see any of these mentioned again.

Plot lines the 9-1-1 never mentioned again that have potential:

Bobby’s special blood

Taylor Kelly’s s5 Xmas gift bracelet beacon thing

Ravi’s childhood cancer arc (Ravi Begins ep WHERE??)

Guy from the Academy that Chim convinced to be a dispatcher (fear of heights dude)

Buck’s lightning scars (the POTENTIAL)

Eddie’s (lesbian) hermanas

Hen shot as a teenager? Mentioned like once??

Lena Bosko

Taylor Kelly, Tommy Kinard & Lucy Donato helicopter Air Support team up? (The potential in that random helicopter chase in s8? Missed opportunity)

Other 118 a, b & c shift firefighters (office style ep from their pov of our 118 guys)

Mayravi potential

The invisible fire engine driver dude

So much lore has been dropped over the years yet never mentioned again

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Fandom complaints below, ignore me

It’s kinda funny, kinda not, that so many of the same people who get mad at BoB’s for being all up in Lou’s business are the same ones who know literally everything that’s going on in the BoB world. Like, why are you following all these anti accounts?? Why are you keeping tabs on them? I understand that some of those people are tagging Lou and being disrespectful, but you’re also creating such a negative environment for yourself by constantly caring what these people are saying.

Stop wasting so much time on people who hate your fave. Stop giving them so much recognition. You’re not going to change their minds. You’re not gonna break through. In your efforts to call out “bad fans” and “bad fan behavior” you’re being just as weird.

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AMERICA DID NOT BECOME AN INDEPENDENT NATION BY WINNING A TICKLE FIGHT, YOU RULING CLASS DICK! Like it or not there is a time and place for violent uprising--it should ALWAYS be a last resort, but the fact is violence is the ONLY THING throughout history that has ever defeated a deeply entrenched Corporate Oligarchy, which is what America has become. No amount of hand wringing or talking about the way a "civilized society" should behave will change that fact.

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It's been like 9 months and I can still feel the ecstatic joy of that night. The night Evan Buckley allied too close to the sun and his Straight Card melted before Tommy could even ask "like that?" Damn, what a night! Every time I think about it none of the ugliness that came after matters.

(though I maintained a mostly positive experience for myself by blocking/ignoring/not getting involved with toxicity or arguments)

I am so super eager to find out what happens for bi Buck in 8b! *jitters with excitement*

BI BUCK IS REAL!! WE WON OH MY GOD!!!!! WHAT JUST HAPPENED PLEASE HELP!!!

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I'd be there in a heartbeat. Hell, I'd participate!

I’ve seen a lot of crude jokes going around about the CEO assassination, and I just want to say one thing.

I think we should do worse.

Live reenactments. Several scheduled a day, like the shows at Disney parks. Someone brings brownies to pass around for the 10:30am showing. Everyone chants “DENY, DEFEND, DEPOSE” as the shots are being fired. People clap at the end. Someone pops one of those party poppers filled with monopoly money. People leave the place with a huge smile on their faces. “Sorry I was late, Boss. I was watching The Adjustment.”

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This one is badass.

DENY. DEFEND. DEPOSE.

ART WILL ALWAYS BE FOR THE WORKING CLASS.

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Do these psychopathic fucks not here themselves speak? Or do they just not care? I think deep down they truly believe the poor and working classes aren't worthy of quality care.

It is really disturbing how people can lose their humanity and threaten you just because you *checks notes* sentenced their child to death :'(

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I really do love their use of the word "some" here 😅 like bitch try ALL. You can't even gaslight us into that isn't the REAL narrative by writing something different because we ain't bothering with subtlety this time. It's ALL OF US now. For fucking once in a long damn time, we're on the same page.

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And GOD ALMIGHTY have they lost it! Those poor talking heads on tv news shows have zero power to shape the narrative this time. It's ours now. It belongs to the people.

It's like every new piece of information they release is designed to make the UHC assassin sound cool af and the police sound like complete idiots. I didn't think it was possible for the modern-day media machine to lose control of the narrative like this.

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Something I find very interesting about this CEO assassination is that the guy who did it has basically become an American hero.

They're probably quite worried about what will happen when they catch this guy, especially with the level of public support he has. If they catch him alive and he gets to air his grievances, he could unite the entire country against the private healthcare system. It could go to trial and result in jury nullification, which would basically send a message to the American public that catching a rich body comes without consquences.

If they kill him to keep his mouth shut, I'd say people will burn cities to the ground, and it could potentially provoke even more anger against private health insurance. In a powder keg, it only takes one person lighting the match.

I know it sounds over the top, but a figurehead is a powerful thing, and that's what this shooter is. The rich understand it. That's why Blue Cross just magically decided they were going to pay for anesthesia again. Those dead-eyed psychopaths were going to take everything they could until someone shot that guy and that's the gospel truth.

Keep the hate fire burning. Watching their fear is the closest I've come to knowing joy since the Bush administration.

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Yesterday some things really annoyed me so I just want to go ahead and get this off my chest.

If you don't like Eddie Diaz, there is no need to go into people's inbox who love him and say awful shit to them.

If you don't like Tommy Kinard, there is no need to go into people's inbox who love him and say awful shit to them.

This sentiment counts for all of the characters but I am trying to make a point and it will get too long if I list them all. But. It. Counts. For. All. Of. Them.

And another thing: No matter whether you like a character or not, there is no need to not tag them in your fic if they appear/are mentioned since, news flash, there are multishippers out there who do like all the characters and do not want to see bashing in fic, minor or major.

In general, just don't be a fucking dick.

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"Tommy is nothing"

Tommy is the only other canon gay male character after Josh that we've seen since Michael and David left

Tommy was Buck's bisexual awakening and that will ALWAYS be important

Tommy haunted the narrative after he left AND Buck kept on stress baking which is something we haven't seen with any of his love interests, not even with Abby

And, most importantly, Tommy sure isn't nothing to all the queer ppl who saw this flawed character who grew to be a better person and had major baggage similar to what a lot of us go through and was able to relate to him on a personal level

In conclusion: Tommy is NOT nothing. Not to the narrative and especially not to us

Thank you for coming to my Tedtalk

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We had fun. Personally I'm still having fun, but maybe that's just me. Merrily frolicking in my own sandbox.

ok but seriously congratulations to bucktommy fans for making it 12th on the top 100 ships of 2024 that's commitment and a fierce love for your pairing

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As this god-awful month is coming to an end, allow me to get sentimental.

For bucktommyblr, this month was - something. A rollercoaster, going through the seven stages of grief over and over, but man have we made it fun.

All those posts. Getting bucktommy to trend several times over. All the theories, and the beautiful thought-pieces, and the criticism. All of it helped me a lot.

In the past three weeks, I have written more than 80k words worth of bucktommy fic. Seven fix-its, where I rewrote the same scenario seven times, and explored the characters in seven different ways.

I have not written this much in years, much less in less than a month. And I haven't had this much fun with a ship in years, either.

I love what we made of it. Whatever the show will give us might not be satisfying or even fun, but it doesn't matter anymore. We have this.

I love everyone in this fucking bar. Here's to more.