#give it up for one more close-up from 3x03

[buckera]

EVAN BUCKLEY + close-up 4/?

[meet-you-at-the-north-star]

Let Me In

Eric Northman x human! Reader

Summary: inspired by scenes from ep. 3x02 & 3x03 as well as a couple other plot points in the show (but plot is quite vague anyway)

Word count: 1517

“You’re going to invite me in” he stated, slowly, in that gentle purr his voice always sounded to my ears.

I took a step back, partially to hide the jolt that went through my body at those words. “And why would I do that?”

I wondered if he could sense the change in pace of my palpitations. They were yet to invent a way to disguise that from a vampire's super hearing.

“So I can protect you” He took a step forward. Then another, equally measured. “Or have passionate primal sex with you”.

When my hands touched the wood of the door behind me he stopped, slightly tilting his head: “Possibly both”

I gulped. I didn’t even realize that I had been backing away.

“You’re not gonna distract me by talking nasty” I said, perfectly aware that I was the one trying to distract him from the effect he was having on me.

He smirked, leaning down and invading even more of my personal space. “I already have”.

“So…are you going to invite me in?”

“That’s not how it works” I scolded him, a warning look on my face.

“Pity” He leaned back. “As soon as you let me know what the rules are, I’ll be more than happy to play along”

I stared at him for a moment, different streams of thoughts racing through my brain. “Do you really think something might happen to me tonight?”

“There’s a good chance it might. Tonight, the night after that, it doesn’t make much of a difference. I’d rather be safe than sorry” He cut short.

“Alright. I am going to invite you in…” I began, placing my hand on his chest to stop him from taking another step forward. “If you promise not to cross this threshold and to leave me alone the minute I do.”

“Well, that’s no fun”

“Eric.”

He nodded. “I promise. If that’s what you want”

“It is” I lied, but he didn’t need to know that. “You will be able to sense it if I’m in some kind of trouble, right?”

“Correct.”

“Good. Then you’re officially invited to come inside, Eric Northman…if I should need your help” I specified in an eloquent tone.

“Thank you.” His hand reached out to move a strand of hair behind my ear, with a tenderness that was as unexpected as disarming coming from someone like him.

I struggled to fight back the instinct to immediately take back everything I had just said, but I couldn't help but at least smile at him.

He smiled back at me and pulled his hand away. “Goodnight, Y/N”


A moment later he had literally vanished into thin air.

I closed the door behind me with a sigh, my heart now beating wildly. Sleeping was going to be no easy feat after all that.

I tried to prepare myself calmly, retracing all the steps of my usual nighttime routine in order to banish any kind of thoughts from my mind, both the positive and the negative.

When I finally got into bed, however, it was impossible to avoid those piercing blue eyes and features so beautiful they didn't seem real, which had so often populated my recent dreams.

Even though he had cheated by giving me his blood, a part of me couldn't help but think I would have dreamed of him regardless. After all, my daydreams were much the same way.

Eric’s eyes were my last conscious thought, then only darkness. And the sound of steps. Some kind of creature was approaching me. I could hear its menacing growl clearly now. I started running as fast as I could, but it seemed like the noise was only getting louder and more frightening. I turned a dark corner and my heart dropped realizing there was no way out of it. It was a dead-end. Then all of a sudden the floor opened up under my feet and I fell into an endless dark pit.

I let out a scream so loud I must have woken myself up. I felt cold arms holding me and instinctively fought to free myself from their grip, still screaming. Did the creature that was following me finally catch me?

“Hey” Two hands were cradling my face in an instant, gently. “it’s okay, it’s me, you’re alright”

I blinked once, twice and finally the fog clouding my brain started to dissipate as I found myself back in my room, staring into those blue eyes again. But this time I was only not seeing them with my mind. Usually impenetrable, they now betrayed concern as they studied my expression intently.

“What are you doing here?” I managed to utter in the end.

He looked a little uncomfortable, as if he was afraid I might be mad at him. “I sensed your fear”

It finally hit me: the chase, the panic I felt, it was all a dream. But he couldn’t tell the difference and thought I was actually in danger. I felt a blush quickly rising to color my cheeks and I rested my head against his chest to hide my embarrassment. “Oh my god, it was a stupid nightmare”

His arms slid up and down my back, holding me close in a protective grip. “It’s definitely quite a relief”

“I’m sorry you had to come all the way here for that”

“I’m not” he said, a half-smirk curving his lips.

“Eric” I leaned back and looked up at his face, trying to recover some sense of distance between us, but we were too close this time. And there was no invisible magical barrier I could cross.

He understood what I needed, slightly loosening the grip of his arms to allow me freedom of movement, but his eyes remained locked in mine. “Do you want me to go?”

I opened my mouth to respond but not a word came out. I ran a hand through my hair nervously, eyes darting everywhere until his hand came up to gently cup my chin, forcing me to bring my attention back to him.

My eyes dropped to his lips. They looked even redder in contrast to his unnaturally pale skin.

He didn’t move, waiting, while my brain performed somersaults to find any valid excuse why I shouldn’t let this happen.

It couldn’t.

I had about half a second to be surprised at my own impetuousness as I crashed my lips against his, then my mind went blank.

My hands quickly travelled up his neck and tangled in his hair, pulling him to me as our mouths explored each other, greedy and eager.

I felt the blood rushing through my veins and speeding up my heartbeat until it was a loud pounding in my ears. I should have been frightened by how vulnerable that probably made me in his presence, but I wasn’t.

I wasn’t afraid of him or this in the slightest, everything about it felt too right. The feeling of his arms surrounding me again in secure hold, his hands gripping my shoulders and then cradling my face, his lips hungry, relentlessly pressing on mine in a silent request for access.

My mouth parted with a sigh, allowing his tongue to slip inside, deepening the kiss. Our bodies were flush against one another and in the blink of an eye he’d pulled me onto his lap and my hands moved to his shoulders to regain my balance, lips still locked together in a restless dance.

“Hey!” I jokingly protested, finally parting for air after what felt like a two-hour apnea. “Some of us here still need to breathe”

“Mmm, you know that’s something I can easily remedy” He grinned, lips teasingly trailing up my neck and leaving nothing but small kisses behind.

“Don’t even think about that”

“What a shame” His eyes found mine again, thumb lightly stroking my cheek. “You’d make a stunning vampire”

I simply smiled at that, leaning down to capture his lips again. The kiss was slower this time, less frantic; but languid, our lips slowly taking their time to savor each other.

I felt him grin into the kiss as my hands moved in the small space between our bodies and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait a minute” I abruptly stopped and shot him a worried look. “You can’t stay here”

He raised both eyebrows in disbelief. “You cannot be serious right now”

“No, I mean…what about the sun?”

He burst into a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “Good thing you people have invented blinds”

“True, guess humans aren’t all that bad, uh? ” I smirked.

“They have their moments” He conceded, looking at me.“But you do realize” he began, tone dropping suggestively, “that means I’m going to be stuck in this room for the entire day, right?”

I bit my bottom lip and shamelessly let my eyes wander over his messy hair and the half-unbottoned shirt on his chest, drinking it all in: he was one to talk about “stunning”. Then I brought my lips close to his ear: “I’m sure I can think of a way to keep you occupied”

[raayllum]

I just finished Book 5, and do you think that Ezra’s arc will have him learn that words aren’t enough? Some fans do think that he’s the least emphasized of the Dragang

I don't think Ezran is going to learn that words aren't enough (they have been, often times in his life, and trying non violent routes are important) but I do think he's going to be presented with more and more situations where it is, as he acknowledges, "Not that simple" (4x03).

In Arc 1, you had the transformative trio of characters (Callum, Rayla, Soren) who were rapidly changing as people versus the more "circumstances change and drag out certain personality traits either more or less" stagnated trio (Ezran, Viren, Claudia). In Arc 2 thus far, it seems that Soren, Claudia, and Ezran are the 'stagnant' ones and Viren, Callum, and Rayla are the transformative ones. That being said, I do think S5 focused on Ezran as much as S4 focused on Rayla, so it's not surprising there's a bit of a trade off (especially with Janai very much being a Main Character in arc 2) with Callum (always our main Main protagonist) getting a decent amount every season. There's definitely a lack of Ezran in the first four episodes (he gets about one scene a-piece) but I do think it's over quality > quantity, in some ways. (Bow from She-Ra for example is in every single episode of that series, but gets very little by way of arcs or conflict or interiority, y'know?)

That said:

I talked about this a bit more in a podcast review I did for the season / this meta, but I think Soren and Ezran are having slowburn arcs that will come to fruition in S6. Soren, after all, hasn't really changed as a character since the end of S3 - he's on team good guy, he's reaffirming his choices and love for his friends, he still cares for Claudia and still views his father as a cruel villain (which, Viren is/can be).

Ezran, likewise, is dealing with his own well, slowburn of problems. In a lot of ways, Ezran has to hold it together when everyone else is falling apart (Rayla is MIA, Callum is a mess; staying level headed even when they're arguing; being the main negotiator seemingly between the Pentarchy and the dragons of Xadia; and ruling is own kingdom). He takes his duties seriously and wants to broker peace further, if maybe a tad faster than people are ready for. Like Janai says, I think, his priorities have changed since becoming king. His duty first and foremost is to his kingdom/the world. (Not that it wasn't his mindset before, but it wasn't his responsibility before pre-series, y'know?) Which is very Rayla of him, I think ("I let them all down" in 3x04 / "I just feel like I'm letting everybody down" for Ez in 3x03).

And we see how much this weighs on Ezran based on how heavily he takes responsibility for his perceived and or literal mistakes. Whether it's speeding things up too fast / not giving enough room for his people's, or his own anger...

E: I had a speech planned for today. It was about peace and love and hope. But I think I left something out. I ignored something that was true. I denied something that is undeniable.

or in doing the right thing in saving the Baitlings, but putting his friends in danger.

And Soren acknowledges that this isn't really fair for Ezran, either:

Soren: This is all too heavy. It's not fair you have to struggle through this alone. You deserve time to do kid stuff. If you spend all your time doing adult stuff now, you'll grow up weird, like your brother and Rayla.

Now, on the certain level, Ezran is alone because he's like - he's the King, and that's its own unique position. However, if you look at how close Viren and Harrow, and Harrow and Sarai were, in their decision making, they did everything together. In spite of being a single dad, Harrow was never alone in what he did as king (for better or for worse): "I accept that tonight I may pay the price for our mistakes."

So I think it's interesting this emphasis on loneliness/alone in the same season we have Amaya and Rayla's conversation about it too:

A: My big sister Sarai was the smartest, strongest, bravest person I knew. When she died, I felt lost and weak without her.

I hated feeling that way, so I learned to be strong alone. Stoic, strong, and lonely. [...] To have that kind of strength, it is not enough to love someone. You have to trust them to share the burdens you're carrying.

So who does Ezran depend on to carry that burden with him? Because Ezran isn't supposed to be alone as king, and Harrow spelled it out for us:

When I am gone your brother Ezran will become king, and you will be his partner, his defender, and his closest advisor.

So the question is... has Callum really fulfilled his role for his brother? Callum isn't crownguard, so actually protecting Ezran is primarily in Soren and Corvus' hands, exemplified by Soren being the one to get angry over the ruined painting in 4x03, to run to Ezran in 4x09, and for Callum to be absent from the Dragon mission in S5. And when Callum is there to have a duty to fulfil:

Then we see the brothers - not Ezran and Rayla - disagree on how to proceed forward with Aaravos, getting momentarily a little heated before they both turn to Rayla (and remember those Rayla parallels I mentioned earlier?):

Now, it's not surprising that Ezran wants to take the diplomatic / least violent route. He's the one primarily appealing to Akiyu rather than barrelling onwards, and expresses great concern for her (even after she tried to kill them). Claudia thinks she can appeal to him in 5x09 because of his empathy. A more compassionate, reasonable route is what he's always done, trying to reason evenly with Finnegrin and with Rex Igneous, even if it doesn't precisely work out... simply because they, like his brother, don't exactly Value the same things Ezran does.

Alright, so the broyals disagreed once, and Callum is a little flighty as a High Mage. So what? Well: Callum now knows, and has already committed himself, to helping Rayla free her parents from the coins, including Runaan.

And Ezran's short story going into S5 hints that this may not exactly be something he's happy about:

Ezran gripped the arrow tight. The thing in his hands was a terrible letter, the ribbon its message: the king of Katolis was dead. King Harrow. His father. Something cold lurched inside him. He fought against it. He’d fought it before, that same hurt, years ago—when he’d found out what really happened that night in Katolis. Still, it haunted him. He couldn’t help but imagine the scene, all of it playing out like grim theater before him, as though he’d been there, as though he’d stood by and watched it happen. That Moonshadow elf upon the castle ramparts, skulking toward his father’s chambers. 

It stared up at him. Ezran felt a coldness twist its way around his heart. It took his lungs, too, and for a long moment he could not breathe, could not feel anything but an unfamiliar anger so potent it seized the whole of him, inside and out. Ezran stepped towards the arrow— —and stomped down on it as hard as he could. He wished he were bigger, stronger, he wished his boots were made of iron and not something soft. Still, it was enough. When he pulled his foot away, Ezran glared down at the arrow’s hawkish head, flattened and broken. Its ruby eye slipped from its socket, its black metal bent like frayed feathers. He left it there in the dark.

Full short story here.

So Ezran is going to find out, or possibly feel, that Callum and Rayla are keeping a secret from him (again, just like S2, which didn't make him happy then, either). Callum is going to side with Rayla over him if he mandates that Runaan shouldn't or can't be freed, giving into his anger and grief much the same way his father did. He may pull rank - and Callum is going to disregard it. A very similar fallout repeating itself...

Ezran being increasingly isolated (especially if Callum and Rayla are working, or leaving, to find the Starscraper), his disapproval and grief, trying to manage the possible fallout of Zubeia being injured/MIA, feeling undervalued and disregarded by his brother... There's little doubt in my mind that Callum and Ezran (and Rayla) will reconcile and find their way back to one another, healing their hurts, but Ezran has a lot of potential anger and angst to express and a lot on his upcoming plate, steadily added to and set up by the previous seasons.

Which in a lot of ways, makes sense. Ezran as king and Callum as high mage, and as brothers, have to prove they won't fall apart the same way that King Harrow and Viren did, more necessary than ever now that Callum has done dark magic again. Ezran was there to pick up the pieces after Rayla left, but he may still have anger over that and their joint secret keeping from him / feeling like they're treating him 'unfairly' like a child. We've also never really seen Ezran have this type of conflict before, nevermind for the trio as a whole (most of the time it's been Callum and Rayla disagreeing, a couple brief instances of Ez and Rayla, and Callum and Ez a few times in S1 / 5x05) so for Ezran to be what starts falling apart would really rattle all three of him, and seems to be where he's headed, character wise.

And I for one cannot wait to see it.

TLDR; Ezran's slow burn arc, much like Soren's, is being steadily set up and is going to likely be a big focus in the next two seasons, pushing him and other characters in brand new directions and with some really emotional, powerful storytelling to upstage our previously held status quo in all the ways.

[lydiaas]

I’m in desperate need for another jj and pope convo about kie. I was hoping for more in season 3 but re watching it’s actually perfect that it was left open? I feel like a lot more needs to be said between them, we don’t really know what jj and kie officially are in the last ep when they get back to OBX, they’re together yes but jj needs to figure out what’s going on, I can still see him pulling away especially if Luke is back, or maybe pope see’s them gravitating towards each other and that causes a bit of friction so they have another convo? Idk I just need pope to help jj realise he deserves happiness too. Not that jj needs his blessing but it’s a nice bro code moment I think is unfinished, what do you think?

You raise a great point that there is still time for these conversations to happen in S4. It definitely felt a bit unfinished for me because JJ and Pope basically never have another conversation after 3x03 and Kie never gets that moment with Pope. At this point, I personally would not want another conversation similar to the one in 3x03 but perhaps a scene of Pope giving JJ advice could address it in a more tasteful way. Maybe a scene that allows us to see from Pope's perspective how his relationship with Cleo is different to the one he had with Kie and how he knows they've all ended up in the right place. I think that would close the chapter nicely.

In general this show really needs to bring back those pogue on pogue moments where they can talk about what's going on in their lives.

[princeescaluswords]

I’m unsure how to say this but a lot (not always or even a majority) of the time when I see people complain about people liking black/white morality in characters it’s tied to them being upset that people aren’t whitewashing the actions of villains. There’s an intense need for others in the audience to treat the actions of the antagonist as understandable and redeemable no matter how unrepentant the character is about horrific actions. It seems more often they want to simplify the nuances down to the point that the character isn’t help responsible at all.

I am in complete agreement that too often people who employ "black-and-white morality" as a criticism against a fictional character are simply trying to recast a villain's actions as somehow justified. I find there are very few black-and-white protagonists portrayed in media anymore, especially since the turn of the millennium, United States audiences simply don't have the taste for them.

The greatest irony to me is that the parts of the fandom who rail against a heroic protagonist's "black-and-white thinking" eventually become guilty of it themselves. They choose to scorn evaluating individuals and actions through the lens of a rigid and unbending moral system only to replace it with evaluating individuals and actions through the lends of a rigid and unbending emotional partisanship. In other words, every engagement they have with a character to whom they have an emotional or physical attraction must, in the end, be positive. To use the common parlance, their "poor little meow-meow" must be defended against any negative evaluation, even if blood drips from their hands. In the world of politics, this is called partisanship or a cult of personality, and it can be quite dangerous; in the world of fandom, it can lead to similar, if far less serious, behavior.

Before I give an illustrative example, I want to remind people of the difference between protagonist, antagonist, hero and villain. The protagonist is the primary actor in the story; their decisions are the focus and they are changed by the plot. Antagonists are obstacles in that story with which they must grapple. There is not necessarily a moral component to the relationship between protagonist and antagonist. When there is a moral component to that relationship, they are called a hero and a villain.

My personal fandom, Teen Wolf, has a heroic protagonist in Scott McCall. In a stroke of misfortune that has had repercussions for years, the villain of Seasons 1 and 4, Peter Hale, once criticized Scott for "black-and-white thinking" and the villain-stans ran with it, even though this idea literally can not hold up to any close inspection. Here's the quote that started it from the episode Fireflies (3x03):

Peter: Oh, come on. How much damage can they do? So they off a few homeless people, a drunk stumbling out of a bar too late. So what? Let Scott deal with it. Let him be the hero of his morally black and white world. The real survivors, you and I, we live in shades of gray. Then again, even if you did kill them, you're still an Alpha. You can always make more werewolves.

I can guarantee you that no one in the production wanted the audience to think that this was a legitimate criticism. Peter was arguing that Derek, his nephew, allow his sister and one of the teenagers for which he is responsible to run moon-mad and kill innocents rather than risk injury to them or him, because this was all part of Deucalion's (one of the villains of Season 3) plans.

Peter's position isn't shades of gray. There's no moral trade-off happening here. It's selfishness. Letting Cora and Boyd murder innocents isn't going to stop Deucalion's plans. It's going to undermine Derek by driving a wedge between the alpha and his other remaining family member, one of his two remaining betas, and with Scott, who is -- and parts of the fandom are extraordinarily content to forget this -- Derek's consistent and reliable ally throughout the season. If Derek accepts this advice, it will increase Peter's influence by convincing the alpha that he is more like Peter; that they're the same. They're not.

But, in the unending labor of villain defense, the true context of this scene is purposefully discarded in order to paint Scott as the true danger because of a "black and white world" he doesn't actually live in. Scott's refusal to kill victims or allow innocent people to be killed is oversimplified to a No-Killing Rule he never had. His suspicions about Peter and Derek -- vastly overstated by parts of the fandom -- are transformed from not unreasonable cautions about people who tried to murder him and his friends and lied to him repeatedly about it but into moral rigidity that causes him to judge others unfairly. One BNF has argued that Scott sorts people into Villain and Victim as a function of his black-and-white morality and can't comprehend that people can be both, even as Scott canonically argues that there is hope for Peter, comes to Peter's and Derek's aid, and speaks not one word of criticism to the sheriff.

The whole enterprise is illegitimate because there are plenty of scenes where Scott acknowledges that his attempts to save innocents might end up in other people dying. In Party Guessed (2x09), Visionary (3x08), Lunar Ellipse (3x12), and The Beast of Beacon Hills (5x19), Scott acknowledges that they might have to kill. The key of course is the word reluctant; the truth is that Scott's morality isn't so inflexible that he can't conceive of killing, but it is strong enough that he's never going to make it his first choice. Yet he doesn't cast Peter or Derek into the outer dark for their eagerness to kill. He works with both of them, especially Derek. Several times he does go to Peter for help and advice. He's so non-judgmental of Peter the serial killer that Stiles, his best friend, scolds him twice about it. And when that very same Stiles accidentally kills someone in self-defense and in a panic hides the fact, Scott is shaken, but he doesn't end his friendship with Stiles or even make a moral judgement -- he doesn't throw Stiles out of the pack or call him a monster, no matter what deranged anti anons might think -- a disappointed Scott tells Stiles to go talk to his Dad, the sheriff, which I think is an appropriate response when your friend accidentally kills someone.

But that's where the true black-and-white thinking comes in for the fandom. Scott believes that killing, however necessary or unplanned, is a bad thing, though he clearly doesn't believe that the person who kills is unsalvageable or even unworthy of his love or affection. But parts of the fandom do not share this ability with Scott. In a strange twist, in order to 'stan' a character, they must treat the character as justified no matter what they choose to do, so a villain's crimes -- in Peter's case manipulation, treachery, and serial murder -- must be justified, and any who oppose it in the slightest must be wrong at their core. No matter how much they protest otherwise, they can't acknowledge that the heroic protagonist should be able to react to what a villain does. Thus the very act of a heroic protagonist rejecting the crimes that anyone in their right mind would reject becomes the actual crime.

So suddenly, the heroic protagonist becomes their enemy. If the heroic protagonist has made mistakes as well, they're a hypocrite for even suggesting that the villain's crimes are actual crimes. Stans of a villain draw a bright line around their favorite. Anything within that line is justified, and anything outside of that line is hypocrisy or moral vacuity. This is a black-and-white dichotomy.

[floripire]

a quick and dirty event guide featuring important episodes and plot points: seasons 3 and 4.

note: the events of the show happen as they do, albeit tweaked and a little darker and more mature; the salvatore boarding school looks like a regular boarding school but behind closed doors, vampires are feeding off other students despite technically not being allowed to do so; witches use their abilities outside of the classrooms and are practicing forbidden magic, etc.

in 3x01, flori is fighting the urge to fall asleep at the assembly. she perks up at the mention of a field trip, however, and participates in the games.

a green knight shows up, effectively ruining the field trip. several students - including jed - try to attack him and much like josie, flori makes a face when alyssa flirts with jed.

flori connects the dots and figures out that this green knight is gawain, who had a wife named florie. once she says his name, his armor falls away - but according to loren, the enchantment sticks because it’s been building up for ages - and flori sees a tall boy about her own age with green eyes and dark hair. he collapses and she vamp speeds towards him, catching him and holding him close. he dies, thinking he finally made it back to his wife like he promised he would. flori plays along to give him some comfort in his final moments and sobs as he passes away.

in 3x02, tv!alaric dies (novel alaric can stay) and bonnie takes over as headmistress until caroline's return.

in 3x03, flori is furious with landon for not including bonnie in the musical but she helps kaleb and jed run their lines anyway. she goes to watch the musical for them and the saltzmans.

in 3x04, flori throws herself back into her malivore slash machado family slash night world research. she also tentatively reaches out to thea and blaise harman.

in 3x05, flori is present during the second go in the therapy box. she finds her safe word, becomes self aware and leaves the simulation.

in 3x06, flori is really excited when it turns out that gaby rodriguez is one of the people who's been recruited; gaby's one of her pen pal friends and has been since before flori got turned into a vampire. penelope returns from belgium.

in 3x07, flori helps out with the fundraiser but ends up leaving early.

in 3x08, blind spots come to light: flori's blind spots are her friends, her (estranged) family, and her other loved ones.

in 3x09, flori joins mg and enrolls (very briefly) at mystic falls high but she's not very happy to be there.

in 3x10, flori tells ethan that she's a vampire. she even goes as far to tell him how she got turned.

in 3x11, lizzie asks flori if she can do a headdive on finch. flori refuses, citing that she doesn't do headdives without the subject's say so. lizzie goes to mg next, who says yes.

kaleb and cleo go back to triad industries and flori joins them. she smiles when she catches kaleb and cleo flirting but kaleb turns it right back around on her, calling her out for flirting with jed.

in 3x12, to dissuade ethan from turning into a vampire, flori finally name drops his uncle, derek machado. mg ends up erasing ethan's memories.

in 3x13, flori is glad that finch has transferred to the salvatore school. despite them being as different as night and day, she does come to regard finch as a dear friend and the sister she never had. it feels good to have someone around with whom she can share her culture.

in 3x14, flori returns to grove hill where andi holds her witchy wellness retreat; before andi dies, flori talks to her about the triad industries detention center and the ties it has to the zetes institute.

in 3x16, flori stands with the anti squad and the super squad to oppose malivore for once and for all.

in season four, hope goes dark and flori helps figuring out ways to bring her back. both of the saltzmans become heretics, thereby solving the merge. caroline comes back and takes over the position as headmistress with bonnie as her right hand woman.

post canon: flori goes on a road trip with jed to help him find his sisters; derek pops back up, intending to kill as many people as it takes to get to hope mikaelson, and he'll start with flori. derek is also working together with burr (since released from his stone form) and veronica greasley as well as doug carlson, joe flowers and tami bryce - people from flori's past. meanwhile, flori also works on getting into circle daybreak, reconnecting with her family and eventually settles down and starts working for salvatore as their resident tech expert, making sure that all footage gets scrubbed accordingly and nothing gets out to the general public each time the young preternaturals of the world go out and do their things.

[outrunningthedark]

Hey darlin, this is less an ask and more a prompt.

You know we've chatted about how Ryan and Oliver interact with Gavin/Eddie and Buck interacting with Christopher? Just thought if you haven't before that sharing a post about the little details we get super excited about might be cool as I presume it's less obvious to others.

How they keep him safe and feeling supported but he also has freedom and doesn't appear to feel babied by them (as opposed to the patronising Diaz parent/grandparents).

It's not always an easy balance to get right but Oliver and Ryan manage it whilst acting and everything else they're doing.

Buddie fandom: OMG 🥺 Buck and Eddie are so good with Chris 🥺

You + I: Do you know why, tho? Do you SEE?

*Christopher Diaz voice* Let’s do this!

Our first look at Christopher (Gavin) comes in 2x02 when Eddie is walking him to school. Eddie (Ryan) has a hand close to his upper back, but is not guiding or gripping him. (Keep in mind this was probably the first scene they filmed together.)

2x03 included a piggyback ride:

2x04 showed us the Diaz boys arriving at Isabel’s house. Ryan walks down the steps after knocking on the door and keeps his eyes aimed at the ground, not on Gavin as gets closer to the front of the house.

Then this happened:

Click here to watch Ryan offer Gavin his hand as he approaches the hospital bed.

Skipping to 2x10, we had Ryan carrying Gavin after talking to Santa Claus, possibly to give his legs a break.

2x18 was Eddie’s firefighter ceremony, which has Buck/Oliver making the biggest heart eyes at Christopher/Gavin and an adorable hug between on-screen father and son. (Not included: Ryan eating cake off of Gavin’s fork.)

3x01: it’s the little things

At the pier, Oliver holds Gavin’s crutches as they collect their pics from the booth - Gavin has one hand on the front of the booth to brace himself. (I don’t have a link for this :/)

As Gavin stands up on a bench, Oliver maintains a grip on the back of his shirt in case he starts to lose his balance.

3x02:

I dare you to click this and not smile.

How many people watch this scene and notice Oliver’s thumb lightly rubbing Gavin’s head?

3x03 aka wait for me to come home had Ryan looking down at Gavin as they walk through the door, a hug between Oliver and Gavin, and then you realize Gavin walked to the living room himself.

Bonus: Ryan starts walking away before Gavin is fully situated on the coffee table. (This one has always stuck with me. 🥰)

3x04 was all about the bedtime routine

3x05? *bangs desk* strong! legs! I don’t care if it was in the script! 🙏🏻

3x11:

If you can’t guess what gifset from 3x12 you’re about to see… you don’t know me at all 😭 // watch the full clip here

3x18 gave us something to smile about 😍😍😍

+ Ryan letting loose around his tv son

COVID reduced the amount of Gavin we were blessed with in season four, but there were sleepy cuddles in 4x01 // Gavin answering the door in 4x13 for “Carla” (which I don’t have a gif of! 😐) // 4x13 also showed Gavin keeping himself upright with a hand on the bureau

(The point of this post was to illustrate how cerebral palsy does not prevent Gavin from being as independent as possible, as well as shine a light on how dedicated Ryan and Oliver are to making him feel safe and secure.)

I apologize for having to link so many moments! The gif limit continues to hurt me. 😩

[paper-cuts-and-fresh-bruises]

They’re holding onto each other so tightly!! oh and personal space? we don’t know her!

I’m already desperate to see 3x03, I feel like every episode is going to make me feel this way, getting great content and then just when I think I’ll be able to handle the week ahead they give us the want for more. But also they really doing this to us with these two huh? and sorry Park but as lovely as you are I know which team I’m on, always have. The moment I saw this promo? gave me immeasurable joy, Park is one I can respect in that he seems to appreciate what Nancy does more than most in her passion for investigating and I think that’s something that intrigues Nancy because of what she’s used to in response to the way she does things, but I personally don’t see it deeper than him being someone who does his job well and is understanding. (plus Nancy avoiding Ace feelings by trying to turn her attention to someone else, which it doesn’t like she’ll be able to keep that up for long from the above pic and the 3x04 description)

Don’t get me wrong not every relationship has to have the same foundation in order to work well, but with Ace I like the particular way he’s invested beyond the job like Nancy is, and that they aren’t just the same two people except ones a guy and the other’s a girl, they have things that connect them but they remain distinct. Plus when Ace said he found purpose in what he was doing with Nancy and the others that hit me, because at the start of the show he’s introduced as a free spirit type with no grounding and in the time with Nancy and co, he’s found something that grounds him and that he actually likes. Additionally I like how technically unlikely and somewhat polarising he is to Nancy yet they compliment each other brilliantly, essentially a yin and yang dynamic. 

Plus in reference to above about relationship foundations, Ace has been her friend and someone she knows and trusts a lot longer than he has necessarily a straight up out there love interest, by which I mean most other men Nancy has been directed towards that she comes to meet end up being set out clearly with what they function as and don’t have much connection, Nick wasn’t someone she really got into knowing until after they already hooked up and it was a rocky relationship that didn't bond well or end well (no judgement on the hooking up part and admittedly she was dealing with stuff and she’s had character development since but yeah), Owen was definitely just a distraction as nice as he was (so sad what happened to him), and Gil was not only an avoidance tactic but an unfortunate result of the wraith. And with Ace he’s someone who she realises, probably for the first time in her life, is someone who isn’t a distraction, or someone who’s there so she can avoid things, or is someone she doesn’t need to worry about; she values his presence, what he thinks greater than anyone else (in a non-toxic way), she feels able to open up more with him and likes that he’s not pushy with her but encouraging, she appreciates that he can give her the space to process things and get to him in her own time, tell him what she can when she’s prepared. She likes how different he is yet how invested he is, he’s simply unexpected. The show has done well to take more care with this one, to slow burn it very deliberately and expertly.

Park’s appeal is that he does what Nancy does, plus she doesn’t have to concern herself with what would happen if something more happened between them, and that’s what I think Nancy’s going to have to confront by the finale, that she needs to put aside the fear of what her and Ace could be and take that chance, just as much as Ace needs to realise that he’s enough for Nancy and that she feels the same. For now Park also functions as a catalyst for Ace’s underlying feelings to emerge amongst other things that’ll push him, plus next week's episode looks like they’ll both be getting close in not only a literal but deeper level as well (at least I hope, but we’re certainly getting fed I know that from what’s been released for the episode). Also just gonna say I can’t get over how Nancy’s first thought was to text Ace about DetectiveCon, but I’m also concerned about Ace and the whole Bobbsey situation. Anyways, this got kinda deep, so if you stuck around congratulations you managed to stand my babbling, that’s all till next time Drewds.

*Also just as a fangirl note, Nancy and Ace have gorgeous hair, even though we’re all very aware, the interviewer from TV Line is right their babies would have beautiful hair, strictly their characters though*

[angsty-nerd]

Meta: Echo’s Big Fight in 3x09

Let's talk about the Big Echo fight. Because wandering around in the fandom this past week, I’ve seen a lot of very specific conclusions as far as what they were or weren't arguing about, and I’m not sure my take on that scene really aligns with other folks. So let me try to break it down a bit and give y’all an alternative perspective on it.

To start with, the scene opens with Max on edge because they're breaking and entering. Liz is singularly focused on the mission, and he's kinda freaking out. Instead of responding to his concerns, Liz gets straight to business.

"Ooh, ooh, this is interesting. Heath left Genoryx two days after I did. Must have realized he didn't need to be working underneath their corporate thumb."

Liz is kinda projecting here. Heath never once displayed any discomfort with Genoryx as a company the way that she did. He wanted her to stay. He wanted the resources there. We know these things as an audience, and Liz would too if she was thinking through the big picture at this point in time.

Max, on the other hand, doesn't know any of that. Here's what Max hears from Liz: he hears surprise. He hears Liz acknowledge that this is unexpected news. And right as he’s processing this unexpected reveal...Max sees Heath's Wild Pony t-shirt.

Weird coincidence #1 from Max's POV was Heath (the guy who is currently so pissed at Liz that he won't take her calls) supposedly rescuing Liz's science out of the good of his heart so that Genoryx doesn’t get their hands on it? This doesn't add up.

Weird coincidence #2 was Heath quitting Genoryx - a decision Heath made that Liz wasn't expecting.

The Wild Pony t-shirt is now the 3rd thing that doesn't add up. And if the t-shirt clue isn't adding up for you, see my post about it here:

The T-shirt is strike 3 for Max. He can't really pretend that he's not suspicious of Heath anymore. So he broaches the subject with her.

"How much do you know about this guy, Heath? How close were you?"

Max is feeling uncomfortable and looking for more information. He's trying to make the clue make sense. Why would Heath have the T-shirt? Does he have a connection to Roswell that Liz doesn't know about? And Liz doesn’t listen.

"This isn't the time to be jealous about a boy I met."

For all that Liz is clinical and on mission, she jumps very quickly to assuming that Max is NOT on mission. Yes, Max is inherently more emotional than she is. But throughout the episode he's been asking questions about Heath and NOT JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS. That's one of the keys to me here. Max really is trying to give her the benefit of the doubt about him.

At Liz's house, he asked about "the boyfriend" but he wasn't doing it in a jealous or judgy way. If anything it could almost be interpreted as concern. He started with "were you happy" and only when Liz kind of metaphorically admitted that any happiness was a façade...that's when he brought Heath into it. And yeah, Liz says that he impacted her life and helped her grow, but she didn't exactly express romantic feelings that would make Max jealous. So when she basically jumped straight to the jealousy assumption instead of actually discussing this with him, he starts getting worked up. Because she is not hearing him. She is not acknowledging that the facts they have found during this investigation are not adding up. So he is honest and blunt about what he's thinking.

"I'm just saying it's possible that he took your one-of-a-kind alien spores and quit, so that, just like you, he could use the research himself, free of Genoryx."

Max is the one who brings the science into this conversation. Not Liz. And he's not criticizing or questioning HER application of the science. He's questioning the trustworthiness of Heath. Because the lies are starting to jump out at him like a friggin’ neon light.

BUT — now that he's specifically brought up the science, he has her attention. Because Max questioning her science is HER sore spot. So what does she say back to him? Something kinda judgy.

"That grand trust speech certainly had a short shelf life."

Side note: I really don't think there actually was a "grand trust speech" in this episode. I can think of a few scenes where there might have been an opportunity for one. In particular during the milkshake scene when he admits to saving her tapes. But they actually don't talk about trust in that scene. They talk about having hard conversations. They talk about moving forward instead of looking backwards. But they don't talk about trust. My guess is that there might have been content cut for time at some point in this episode, that may have included some grand declaration from Max, but that's really just speculation on my part.

Regardless…Liz's response to Max bringing up the science is to basically accuse him of not trusting her. Which is not what he was saying. He was not questioning her use of the science. He was questioning her trust in Heath through the context of her science. So he elaborates on what he IS saying, and as he does, he's getting more and more worked up...because this does relate directly to his personal fears, and, frankly, his buried trauma that he's never properly addressed.

"I trust you. Okay? But I don't trust some guy I have barely met with a secret that could endanger me, could endanger my family and break the frickin' Internet if it came out."

Max doesn't know Heath, and he doesn't trust Heath with a secret that could endanger Michael and Isobel. His emotions are escalating, because now he's thinking about the science that scares him in the hands of a guy that all signs points to being potentially untrustworthy, and he's triggered.

BUT he doesn't back up his argument. He doesn't point out the very specific evidence he's identified that Heath is probably lying to Liz.

And Liz is inherently reactive and sometimes overly defensive (see 1x09 list of Liz's flaws). So even though he's focused on Heath, she immediately reacts defensively and takes it as a criticism of HER.

"You think I would let myself be conned?"

"No, I think you came out here looking for a partner, and it could blind you."

*deep breath* and this is where it starts to get personal. And rough. Max isn't entirely wrong here. But he also kind of is. Liz didn't choose Genoryx for partnership. She was looking for resources, freedom to do the science she wanted to do, and to save her father from deportation.

But partnership? Yeah, Liz wanted that. But she wanted that from MAX. She was looking for partnership in life, not in science.

And now that Max has thrown that direct criticism out there, Liz is going to throw a bomb right back at him.

"Just because you sabotaged me when I thought you were mine does not mean that Heath would take the same path."

Ouch. This is the hardest line in this whole scene for me to work with. Because it is combative. And purposefully hurtful.

BUT…she is NOT TALKING ABOUT HER SCIENCE. She has not said a single word about her science in this argument. She moved past that. She had the epiphany that she was wrong and she apologized (3x03). That is in the past for her.

This argument, for Liz, is about betrayal. This is about her believing that they were going to be partners and move their lives forward together (2x12), and right when she believed in that future, Max made another massive decision that directly impacted her life (just like he did in 1x13) instead of working with her to make big decisions together.

"And just because you changed the wallpaper doesn't mean you've mended your blind spots."

I really hate this "change the wallpaper" line. It feels like they're mixing metaphors. Liz called her life a commercial. Max is saying that she's changed her decor. Like...pick one and stick with it.

That aside… I think this barb is about her arrogance. Earlier in the scene, she seemed baffled at the idea that Max believes she could have been conned by Heath, because Liz is used to always being the smartest person in the room. She thought she was smarter than Diego and he figured her out. She believed her lab was secure, but Diego (possibly) got in. Sometimes, like most scientists, Liz is so bogged down in the complicated, brilliant details she’s thinking through, that she misses simple things that contribute to the big picture. And I think that's what Max is getting at here. In her arrogance, she believes that she can control the Heath situation. But she's not acknowledging the human factor here - that Heath is a person who may have his own unspoken ulterior motives driving him. Just like Diego did. She's just not seeing what Max is seeing.

BUT - again I'll say. Max is also not communicating the scope of the evidence he is collecting. They're both wrong here.

"I have learned my lessons, but you... oh, my God, you sound an awful lot like the guy who blew up my lab. So forgive me, but you're making it perfectly clear why I felt like I had to go and change the wallpaper."

This is the only line where Liz even comes close to talking about her science, but again, she's talking about his betrayal. She's talking about him undermining their partnership. She's talking about her need for a change of scenery from HIM.

And that’s when Max blows out the safe and they put the fight on hold to finish their investigation.

But, to sum it up…the fight was all about trust and betrayal. It was necessary for them to work through it, though frankly? I wish they could have finished the discussion. Because instead of them coming to some sort of peace with their trust in each other, the truth came out about Heath, Liz realized that she was wrong, she apologized, and they moved forward together, on mission.

I can’t help pointing out though…after the fight and Liz's epiphany about Heath, Max and Liz spent at least 15 hours in a car together. And I'm sorry, I refuse to believe that they didn't talk about anything important for 15 hours. Fic writers assemble? 😆

Many thanks to @ober-affen-geil for doing a quick review and checking me on opinions vs facts. Very important.

And for my next trick… road trips, life choices, and Robert Frost! Coming soon to a Tumblr near you…

[stagefoureddiediaz]

having a minor breakdown over this;

Because WHY?? 

WHY ARE THEY DRESSED ALMOST THE SAME?? 

Like I know Eddie’s trousers are more camel/tan coloured, while Sheila’s are khaki, but I mean they’re basically dressed the same - down to the white undershirts and the rolled up sleeves!!! They could’ve put her in a black undershirt or a different coloured shirt or anything, but no they chose to basically dress her in the female version of Eddies outfit!

Actually now I’m sitting here typing this out, I’m starting to think this might actually be an insanely clever way of paralleling/ contrasting seasons 2 & 3 and foreshadowing whats been going on in season 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤯🤯🤯

lets do this in order

The only other time (I can think of off the top of my head) we’ve seen Eddie in that undershirt and shirt combo was 2x07 when Shannon came back, but he was wearing jeans then (don’t get me started on the whole double denim thing 😂) and Christopher wasn’t present - physically at least - but he was in the sense that Eddie only got in touch with Shannon for Christophers benefit - to get him into Durrand school - but he doesn’t intend to let her back into his life leading to that all important line when Shannon says

“Eddie always knows whats best for everyone”

Moving on to 3x03 and Eddie drops Christopher off with Buck (and reassures Buck in the process) - it is this moment that truly signifies and cements the bond between Buddifer - which grows into the will etc etc. Its another example of Eddie knowing whats best for everyone (Buddie Eddie/Shannon paralleling much!) only this time he actually is doing whats best for everyone - but the important thing here is that he communicates - yes he actually uses his words “there’s no one I trust more with my son than you” its also in that golden moment before everything starts to spiral out and Eddie closes back in on himself!

In 4x13 Sheila thinks she’s looking out for her son and providing for him (She is mentally ill - which is important) when the reality is that she isn’t looking out for her son - her actions are not in his best interests and are doing him harm - Charlie even tells Eddie he knows what Sheila has been doing to him “I see her put the eyedrops in my food, she thinks I don’t, but I do” 

Then we get to what Eddie is doing in season 5?? Eddie thinks what he’s doing is in Christophers best interests, but it’s not - his repression and refusal to face up to his trauma is the equivalent of Sheila putting eyedrops in Charlies food - Eddie is mentally ill and it is harming his son. I am not saying that what Eddie is doing is FIDA by any stretch, more that the parallel is the mental health side of things - the writers have deliberately created a parallel that highlights the need for parents to take care of their own mental health in order to look after their children - its genius writing!

Where falling through the balcony floor was the (literal) breaking point for Sheila (because it led to the discovery of what she was doing and I’m assuming meant she was taken off to get mental health treatment!) Christophers meltdown was the same moment for Eddie -almost like he had the rug pulled out from underneath him and discovered there was no floor beneath - so now he’s falling - which has led to his breaking point and him leaving the 118.

The thing is Eddie has reverted - he’s back to “always knowing whats best for everyone” without actually talking to them - god what I’d give to see what would’ve happened if Buck hadn’t filed that lawsuit - because Eddie was really starting to open up to Buck and communicate with him - and the lawsuit shut that down and its never been opened back up...

ok thats enough spiralling for tonight, but man on man is that some insanely clever storytelling through the contrasts and parallels of costumes - its making me feral!!!!! 

[faillen]

I mean, okay. binge-watching this show has me keeping a real close eye on screen time and onscreen relationship development and I’m just saying (I’m just saying) that Buck calling Eddie his best friend in 3x03 feels a lot like Bobby asking Athena out in 1x10—it seems like it comes out of left field, because you largely just see them interacting really well as coworkers (tbf, Buck & Eddie do get a bit more development than Bobby & Athena), and then the narrative sort of coalesces around trying to support the claim that the characters have made.

With Bobby & Athena, it was a lot of development of their relationship after they got together, and also the flashback to the Costas case in Bobby Begins Again, which reminds you that they’ve had a long working relationship (and this was alluded to in the first ep, but it’s easy to miss when you have no clue what relationships to pay attention to). At first you’re like, “where did this come from?” when Bobby expresses interest in Athena and vice versa, but then the show does the work to explain its origin.

With Buck & Eddie, their onscreen friendship in s2 is pretty sparse—largely because most of Eddie’s screen time went to Shannon after the first third of the season. So we get them as coworkers and tentative friends, and then there’s a bit of a gap—outside of the mall Santa thing—before we have a five month time skip to s3. And then it’s Bobby giving meaningful looks to Eddie when he talks about how the 118 needs to remind Buck that he still has them, and Eddie having reached a point of trust in the previous months where he feels comfy leaving Buck with Christopher. Which all tentatively support this thesis of “they’re good friends” and then Buck confirms that they’re best friends onscreen—that’s when the writing really ramps up trying to show how true that is, how close they are.

And hypothetically, the need to prove that they’re best friends is what gives us the sincerity at the end of 3x03, and the grocery store confrontation, and the Halloween forgiveness, and the well, etc, etc.

But all of that is so intense. It’s so much—it feels like it’s trying to prove something so much bigger than just “best friends”. And that has me wondering if the real thesis for Buck & Eddie’s relationship in 3x02-3x03, which really feels like the turning point in the way the show portrays their closeness, is actually something along the lines of “I love him enough to never stop trying. And I know you do, too.”

“How do I tell my best friend…” is easy to take at face value as a thin justification for all the devotion Buck and Eddie show each other over the course of the next three seasons. But it’s not a strong one. But the idea that Buck loves Christopher as much as Eddie, as much as his father, and the incredibly strong implication that there is space for the three of them to be a family, is a strong justification. imo this makes a lot more sense as the point that is trying to be proven by everything else that happens between Buck & Eddie (& Christopher)—that there’s enough love between the three of them for them to come together.

[raayllum]

The new images made me even more hyped as before uh. I can’t wait to see all the rayllum

I wanted to ask something, in which scenario you think they may confess their love for each other again?

Callum couldn’t say it out loud in 1x04 and it seems like it will be a very big deal. Maybe Rayla will be the one to say it first this time? I don’t know how it may go and maybe it’s too soon to guess but just wanted to know your opinion, your rayllum metas calm my days

I think Callum will say it first, unless it's in a life-or-death scenario and Rayla thinks it's her last words to him kind of scenario. One of the big components for Callum in S4 is his 'newfound' unwillingness to open up and express how he's feeling. Twice, the show gives us a 'sike' moment where we think he's talking about, or going to talk about, Rayla and he is more preoccupied with the immediate trauma with Aaravos (which is also a layer of everything with Rayla, but that's maybe a meta for another day).

C: I can't get it out of my head. Whenever I close my eyes, I'm back in that moment. It was... awful. E: Wow. I know you're hurting, but... I'm sure Rayla doesn't mean to make you feel like that. C: What? Rayla? I'm talking about Aaravos.

R: Whatever it is you have to say to me, everything will be fine. C: Whew, okay. Rayla. I need you... to kill me.

And again, I could talk about S4 continually highlighting Rayla and Aaravos' mirrored (pun intended) positions in Callum's life more than I already have, but that's another post for another day.

But the heart of the matter is that Rayla's feelings haven't taken a hit. She's just as in love with him, if not more so, after her leaving in TTM. She expressed it many times in her letter; she's more openly affectionate and the one wanting to work on their relationship specifically in S4. She's the one asking to stay, lovingly watching him sleep, emboldened and over the moon when he does reach out to her over the final few episodes in particular.

Callum is the one who's unsure and stumbling, unable or unwilling to express himself. He's been quite shut down in S4 and we see it's not just a reservation to talk about Rayla; as previously stated, he's worried about Aaravos as well, but he doesn't want to talk about that either. He interrogates, not confides in, Soren in 4x01 as well.

This is actually all in line how Callum has processed his feelings about Rayla before. Rayla is the one babbling and awkwardly stumbling over herself in 2x09 / 3x02. Callum is clearly also falling as well, but mostly keeping it to himself as he draws in his sketchbook (2x07) or is caught staring (3x03). And it is also reflective in how Rayla's big speeches / expressions of feelings tend to be over how much she loves/needs him, and Callum's tend to be how much he loves/admires her. Rayla has both asked him to stay and for her to be allowed to stay; Callum has done neither.

Callum's expression(s) of love has been his unwavering support and his consistent "Let me go with you". But him expressing that he does need her, that he wants her to stay, for him to ask her to stay... That feels more and more like a natural next step. He couldn't admit that he loved her in 4x01 (not that Ez needed him to). And I don't know if Rayla would say it first, else it feel (to herself) like she's pushing or putting expectations on it/him. I think she would if she thought he needed the reassurance, or as a final plea on behalf on of one of their lives (a goodbye from her, perhaps out of desperation to a brainwashed Callum to try and break him out of it) but I think otherwise it'll be him.

TLDR; leaning more towards Callum for arc reasons, could easily be Rayla for dramatic reasons.

[diazevan]

I'm falling apart (and all I want is to trust you)

Eddie and Christopher's reactions to Buck collapsing in 3x03: The Searchers.

Christopher Diaz Week, Day 4: Eddie & Chris + “You’re the most important person.”

Read on AO3

Eddie attempted to hold his breath, but he couldn’t.

A natural instinct fought against him, forcing him to struggle through quick strangled breaths.

He leaned his head back, scanning Christopher for possible injuries with rapid eyes, and when he couldn’t see anything aside from a few scratches, he drew his son back into his arms, frantically gripping onto him as if he would disappear, without a moment’s notice.

Me and Christopher, we were at the beach.

Eddie screwed up his face as he pressed his forehead against Christopher’s chest, taking a moment to listen to the comforting sound of his heart beating.

He swallowed the rising bile in his throat.

His son had been there, he survived the wave as it came crashing down upon him, and Eddie wasn’t; he would need more than ten fingers to count all the times he wasn’t there for his son, and the longer the list became, the heavier he felt.

 “Dad—” Christopher’s tired voice muttered, “Buck fell over.”

Buck.

When Eddie had set eyes on his best friend, with two bleeding gashes across his face and an injured arm tied up in a makeshift bandage, he was sure he hadn’t felt dread like it since he had seen Shannon laid lifelessly across that street.

There was the initial shock; seeing Buck, bloodied and bruised, the same guy who’d escaped death twice in the shortest space of time, who happened to be on blood thinners, barely standing on his own two feet.

Then, it changed quickly, Eddie’s fatherly instincts canceled out everything else and his mind fixated on Christopher’s absence.

Christopher hiccupped, “Dad.”

Eddie, I just don't know how to say it.

Christopher tangled his legs around Eddie’s middle, tucking his head against his shoulder as he admitted, in the gentlest of whispers, “I want Buck.”

He was looking for Buck.

“Okay.” Eddie scraped his teeth over his lower lip as he swayed up onto his feet, allowing the world around him to come crashing back, “Let’s—”

Buck was down. Still awake, but his eyes were unfocused, staring blankly ahead; his skin was an awful grey, and his breaths were less controlled than Eddie’s erratic ones.

A panicked Hen was perching behind, acting as a human pillow for Buck to fall back on, but that didn’t stop her from ripping a glove off, to press her fingers on his pulse point.

Bobby had his hand pressed firmly against Buck’s shoulder, he was speaking, but Eddie couldn’t hear him.

Chimney charged over, clutching a medkit as he knelt, his hand on Buck’s cheek, trying to gain his attention, but Buck barely flinched at the touch. 

Eddie knew exactly what Buck needed and what the half-asleep kid bundled in his arms did too.

Reassurance.

“Buck—” Eddie breathed as he hurried over, “Hey, Buck—”

Buck lifted his eyes, they widened when he met Eddie’s gaze, “Eddie, I—” He tried to move, but was easily pulled back, “I’m sorry.”

Eddie rushed to reassure, “It’s okay, look…” He got onto one knee, sitting Christopher down, he looped his arms under his son’s, and turned him, so that he was facing Buck, “Look who it is.”

Christopher extended his hand, gently laying it across Buck’s cheek, “Buck.”

Buck choked out a sob, his face leaning into the hold, “Christopher—”

“I couldn’t find you,” Christopher admitted, “So, I just kept swimming.”

Buck attempted a lopsided grin, “So did I.” He scrunched his nose, “Sorry I couldn’t find you.”

“But I found you!” Christopher jumped up, off his dad’s knee, bringing him his arms to gently wrap around Buck, “And you didn’t stop looking.”

Eddie caught Hen’s face, as he crumpled, tears filling her eyes, Bobby and Chimney were the same, turning his faces away.

Christopher leaned back, hand on his chest, “I’m Nemo.” He proclaimed, “And you’re Dory.” He prodded the center of Buck’s chest, “Dad’s Marlin.”

Eddie wiped a hand over his eyes as he smiled.

Buck nodded, his eyelids drooping slightly, “That’s right, buddy.”

“Okay—” Eddie reached out, reluctantly pulling Christopher away, “Uncle Chimney needs to make sure Buck is okay.”

Hen spoke soft, “And I can check you over too Chris—”

“I’m okay,” Christopher hummed, “Buck saved me.”

Hen nodded, tying her arm tighter around Buck’s unstable front, “I bet he did.”

Chimney was busy manhandling Buck, doing all the routine checks, “Your chest doesn’t sound too good, Buckaroo.”

“I’m—” Buck let his head flop against Bobby’s shoulder, “Tired.”

Eddie jumped to his feet, scooping Christopher up with him, facing him away from the chaos.

“I know—” Bobby jostled him, “But you know the drill, kid, stay awake.”  

Buck nodded, “Okay.”

“I’m gonna see if they’ve got a bed for him,” Chimney hurried through the automatic doors, where he collided with Athena, who jumped into action as soon as her eyes found Buck; she followed behind Chimney.

“Pulse is erratic,” Hen muttered, darting her eyes between Eddie and Bobby, “We don’t know how long he was in the water.”

Eddie informed them, “They were at the beach.”

Hen lowered her head, shaking it.

“That’s—” Bobby bit his lip, “That’s impossible.”

Hen squeezed his arm, “They made it out.” She moved her head, turning her attention to Buck, “Hey, you wanna show me those beautiful blue eyes of yours?”

“Sure,” Buck blinked slowly, “But you’re married.”

“Ha.” Hen stroked her fingers through his hair, “In your dreams.”

Buck stammered, “Lost Chris—”

“He’s here, Buck,” Hen told him, pointing up, “He’s okay.”

“No.” Buck was stern, “We were safe, then lost him—”

Bobby looked to Eddie, “It was a natural disaster, son,” He told him, “Not your fault.”

“Wave came back.”

The wave retracted half an hour before sundown, and that was six hours ago, that was how long they spent apart. Could have been worse. That meant they spent six hours together and almost five apart.

“We were on a firetruck,” Buck laughed at the irony of it all, “He fell in, and I jumped—”

Eddie closed his eyes, drawing in a sharp breath as he drew Christopher closer.

Buck didn’t even hesitate to follow.

Eddie wished he didn’t have to listen, but at least Buck was talking.

“Eddie—” Buck winced, “I’m so sorry.”

“Stop.” Eddie ordered, “You did everything right and he’s okay.”

“He’s okay,” Buck relaxed, heavy against Bobby’s side, “He’s okay—” He muttered as his eyes came to a close.

“No.” Hen patted his back, trying to coax him awake, “Buck!”

“Come on, kid,” Bobby turned, hands on Buck’s face, “You’ve gotta stay awake.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Hey—” Chimney jogged over, panic etched on his face, “We’ve got a bed free, Athena’s making sure nobody claims it.”

Hen spun her head, “We’re gonna need a gurney.”

“No.” Buck winced, “No—”

Hen pressed a hand to his forehead, hissing, “I don’t like—”

“Please—” In his fevered state, Buck moved closer to Bobby, “Please!”

Bobby grabbed at Buck’s loose limbs, tugging him up so that his head was pressing against the older man’s chest, “Hey.”

“Want—” Whatever Buck wanted, he was determined, “Need—”

“What do you need, kid?”

Buck slurred, his breathing slowed, “Important—”

“What’s important?”

“You.”

Eddie could pinpoint the moment that Bobby’s heart shattered.

“I’ve got you, kid,” Bobby tapped his arm, “I’m right here.”

Hen was unable to hide the slight crack in her voice, “We need to get him inside, Bobby.”

“Okay.” Bobby looped his arm under Buck’s back, clutching his fingers around his shoulder, “I’ll take him.”

Chimney’s eyes widened, “You sure?”

“I’m not as old as I look,” Bobby got up onto his feet, one arm under Buck’s back and the other under his knees, gathering his legs, “See.”

Hen gently lifted Buck’s head, letting it sit at an uncomfortable angle against Bobby’s chest.

Buck was a little taller than Bobby, but it worked, for the most part, and Bobby didn’t even flinch.

Chimney gently tapped Bobby’s back, wearing his cautious smile, “Let’s get him inside.”

Bobby and Chimney headed towards the automatic doors, people parted to allow them through.

Hen cleared her throat, “Eddie, I can check Christopher over now.”

“Thank you.”

Christopher held up his head, looking around, “Wanna go with Buck.” He was clear and precise with his demand, “Please.”

Eddie didn’t want to keep them apart, but knew, for now, they had to be.

“You can later.” Hen pressed a hand to Christopher’s back, “When the doctors have checked him over, you’ll be the first one to give him a hug, okay?”

Christopher nodded, “Okay.”

Eddie was quiet, while sitting on the corner of the cot, Christopher on his lap as Hen did her usual checks, asking Christopher a couple of questions, which he answered happily while peppering in the fact that Buck was a superhero.

“He’s good,” Hen assured Eddie, “Really good.”

“Yeah?”

“He’s barely got a scratch on him, and the ones he does have don’t even need bandages,” She told him, “A change of clothes and a good night’s sleep, that’s what this one needs.”

“That’s—”

“I know,” Hen nodded, “Buck really went through the wringer—”

“He spent six hours searching alone,” Eddie scraped his teeth over his lower lip, keeping his voice low, “Bleeding out—”

“Like I said before,” Hen lifted her shoulders, “He’s a golden retriever.”

Eddie snorted a laugh.

“And a fighter.” Hen locked her fingers together, “He did good. Both of them did.” She stood up, “I’ll go and check on him, I’ll report back to you, are you staying?”

“Can’t keep these two apart for too long,” Eddie tied his arm around Christopher’s front, “I won’t do that.”

“Okay.” She nodded, “I’ll see if I can grab some blankets too.” She turned on her heel, heading for the main entrance, quick on her feet.

Christopher shuffled off Eddie’s lap, taking the seat next to him and resting his head on his arm, “Will Buck be okay?”

“He will be,” Eddie said with an uncertain nod, “It’s been a long day.”

“He got hurt looking for me?” Christopher lifted his chin, “Why?”

“He was scared,” Eddie calmed his voice, “You’re a very important person and he loves you.”

He squeaked, “I love him too.”

“It must have been scary, when you couldn’t find him,” Eddie combed a hand through Christopher’s hair, his heart beating at a mile a minute.

“I looked for him, Dad, promise.” Christopher wrapped his hand around Eddie’s, “Like he looked for me.”

“Yeah, and you found him, buddy,” Eddie breathed, “You found each other.”

Christopher straightened his back, searching the crowd, “Is everybody here important?”

“Yeah, everybody is,” He spoke optimistically, of course, knowing that they were more than a few terrible people in the world, but that wasn’t a conversation for now, “But guess what?”

Christopher offered his most adorable grin, “What?”

Eddie pressed his finger against Christopher’s chest, “You’re the most important person.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really…” Eddie scrunched his nose, “To me, Pepa, Abuela, Abuelo, Buck…”

“That’s cool.” Christopher smiled, “You’re important too, Daddy.”

Eddie tucked him closer, “Thank God for you, kid.”

“Hey…” Chimney jogged over, holding a bunch of blankets, he darted his eyes around while he headed over, searching the camp for somebody, “Have you seen Maddie?”

“No,” Eddie shook his head, “Is she on her way?”

“Last I heard, stuck in traffic,” Chimney sighed, “Apparently, Buck phoned her, just before—” He cut himself off, “Here.”

Eddie grasped the blankets, wrapping one around Christopher, “Thanks.”

Christopher celebrated, “Thanks Chimney!”

Chimney smiled, “No problem, kid.”

“How’s Buck doing?” Eddie asked, his knee bouncing.

“He’s doing okay,” Chimney lowered his voice, “They’re letting him rest right now, he’s latched onto Bobby like some sort of octopus.”

Eddie snorted a fond laugh.

“He was a little out of it,” Chimney grinned, “But he made Bobby and Athena cry.”

“Hang on, he made Athena cry?” Eddie held up a hand, “We’re talking about the same Athena, here, right?”

“I know.” Chimney hissed through his teeth, “He basically assumed that everybody would wanna go home, like leave him—”

Eddie smile gradually disappeared; he always had the feeling that Buck was used to being abandoned, and he hated it.

“Said something about his mom and it pushed Athena, a little,” Chimney explained, “He’s sleeping now.”

“Any room for us?” Eddie asked, “I think they need each other.”

“They do.” Chimney spoke in full agreement, “He’s being transferred to First Presbyterian in an hour, should be more room there.”

“Good.”

Christopher yawned, “It’s been a long day, Dad.”

Eddie and Chimney laughed at that.

“Yeah, bud,” Eddie agreed, “It’s been a long day, but you can sleep if you like.”

“Nope.” Christopher sang, “Not until I see Buck.”

Chimney lifted his eyebrows as if to say, ‘we’ll see.’

He was proven wrong as even on the journey to First Presbyterian; Christopher didn’t sleep.

Once they bypassed a couple of rules, they made it into Buck’s room, and Christopher crawled up onto the bed, latching onto Buck’s side, the pair falling asleep instantly.

Eddie relaxed in the seat beside them, crossing his arms, letting himself drift off to sleep.

There was nobody in the world that he trusted, with his son, more than Buck.

[lovergirlstyles]

Sorry for being inactive but I'm back with top 10 moments for episode three and four. Here we go:

3X03

1. Florence nancy, ace and detective con with the one person who knows how the two of them feel for each other aka George

2. Bess and the new girls hate story to love story really had my heart

3. Nick with geroges sisters is always so cute. It really makes me feel that he will be a great dad

4. The all the people I know and care are from horseshoe bay and the eye contact.. ughhhh can they just date please

5. The whole fan fans thing was super cool I would like to see George get one whe day to be the protagonist in the story

6. Ace being possessed by the three fingered man. It seemed so personal the way it was said about his grandfather, that touched me.

7. The apparent serial killer saying you won't understand that had me going like yaay there's still more to come about this plot line

8. The way Nancy caught onto ace when the door of the warehouse was closing. That was the cutest thing ever and the way he ran to save her. That's the best part about Nace they always dive headfirst to save the other one

9. I enjoyed the storyline with the person of color and white person being in love that was really sweet and somber

10. The last scene between ace and Nancy, like do they know the concept of physical distance I really wonder sometimes

3X04

1. Impeccable acting for each of the drew crew member. I have no words genuinely for the way the potray the sleep walking phase and them after it feels so real and beautiful

2. Ryan at the end of the episode with the crowbar is so cute. I'm warming up to him every episode

3. Bess Marvin starting the women in white, interesting and scary at the same time and I am ready!

4. I am done with the dreamscape nace moments can we get some actual romance soon ? Thank you! But Nancy is literally like me when I have a crush on a guy and I always dream of them confessing .. ugh relatable Nancy part 1000

5. I love Nick so much for what he is doing for the kids, he's such a kind soul and his dreamscape also being related to that was the cutest thing ever

6. Bess demanding respect from the drew crew was so needed. She has been giving her all and she deserves the respect and appreciation!

7. Carson cooking Primavera is my new favourite thing

8. Temperance can rule the episode without even being on the screen that's power

9. Was it me or that sandman reminded someone else of the Gargoyle king from Riverdale too ?

10. This show gets better with each episode and I don't know how they do it. Also special mention for Carson finding out about Ace's involvement with senior Bobbsey

[johannas-motivational-insults]

So I don’t mean this argumentatively, I’m just genuinely confused & would like to understand this. I also struggle with empathy & take things very literally, so that could be part of why I’m not understanding. But where is Catra shown to be empathetic or compassionate? I understand that her abuse informs a lot of her actions and that’s why she is impulsive, lies, and manipulates others in the earlier seasons- they’re survival tactics that she got from SW + growing up in the Horde.

But I didn’t notice her going out of her way for others unless it could also benefit her in some way. I’ve also seen people say that she died in the process of sending Glimmer to Adora, & therefore deserves redemption because she made the ultimate sacrifice, only to then be saved and effectively made to work on her behavior and become a better person. And that would be all well & good, except we don’t really see her working on her behavior, except in the scene where she’s telling Adora that she’s working on her anger, and in the scene where she asks her to stay. I’m also not sure that she actually died, though I have heard a lot of people saying that. And I get that it’s called a redemption arc for a reason, & that the implication is that she will continue to work on her behavior and be better, but I just don’t know that we saw enough of that in the show.

So the thing with Catra is that a lot of this is pretty subtle. And as I said in the other ask that I assume you’re referring to with this, she’s often driven by a mix of selfish and unselfish motives. You’re correct that a lot of the times she does things for other people could also be seen as selfish moves because there’s something in it for her too, but that’s not always true and even when it is it doesn’t mean that that empathy or care for other people isn’t there.

Some examples of times when she shows empathy/care for others while also helping herself:

Gives Adora the sword so she and Glimmer can escape in 1x09, which is a kindness to Adora but also allows Catra to keep her job and her power (even if it breaks her heart to give up on bringing Adora back)

Warns Entrapta to stay out of Hordak’s sanctum and chases Entrapta down when she defies her in 2x03, which seems to be a mix of not wanting to deal with an angry Hordak herself and protecting a rather oblivious Entrapta from getting into trouble

(Note that in both of these examples she does this in a rather brusque or mean way, hiding her concern, but the subtext is there if you watch closely)

However, there are also many instances where Catra helps other people despite there not only being nothing in it for her, but when it’s actually against her own interests. Here’s the ones I can think of off the top of my head (but I’m sure there’s more):

Lies about Adora’s whereabouts and then her identity as She-Ra early in season 1 to protect her from the Horde, even after she’s promoted to Force Captain, which is dangerous not only to her career but to her life and limb

Tries to comfort her abuser Shadow Weaver when she sees her in distress in 1x04 and 1x10, the former instance right after Shadow Weaver gears up to attack her and "drag the truth” from her mind (anyone less empathetic would run away or even gloat)

Brings Shadow Weaver her old badge in 2x06 as a final favor when SW is about to be shipped away for good, despite it possibly being something that could get her in trouble and there being nothing in it for her (and in fact if she’s as selfish and callous as some say she’d deny SW this closure out of spite)

Turns down Scorpia’s offer to break her out of prison in 3x01, which seems to be entirely for Scorpia’s benefit as Catra has nothing to lose at this point (people just don’t see the compassion in this because she drives Scorpia away in a mean way to ensure she actually leaves)

Doesn’t tell Hordak that Scorpia “broke the recordings” that were inside Emily in 4x06, lies and says there was nothing, which turns Hordak’s anger on her instead of Scorpia (this perhaps is also motivated by guilt over how she just yelled at Scorpia and said awful things to her -- like I said, Catra is complicated -- but alleviating her guilt doesn’t help her situation at all so that’s borderline)

If you want, there’s a whole tweet thread of instances of Catra showing care and empathy for others. Some of these are weaker than others and the list may not be complete, but they’re all there for your consideration.

In addition to the things she does for other people, a lot of this is in her body language. If you really watch Catra, you can see that being cruel does not come naturally to her and she feels conflicted about a lot of her choices (or is straight up haunted by them, like her nightmare about betraying Entrapta in 4x03). Likewise, you often see her expression soften when she sees someone in distress. There are so many examples, it’s something baked into her character and it’s evident throughout the show, even when she’s at her lowest. But I think people often miss these moments because she usually shoves that initial reaction down and reacts in a way that on paper just makes her look like a cruel villain. For instance, she has a particularly guilt-stricken moment in 4x12 when Kyle calls her out for treating her old squad badly before she reacts by shoving that guilt down and reasserting her power, as that’s the only thing protecting her.

You have to understand that Catra was taught both implicitly and explicitly that compassion and vulnerability are weaknesses. And throughout the show, oftentimes when she does open up or do something for someone else it results in her being hurt/betrayed. Shadow Weaver in 2x06 and Double Trouble in 4x13 teach her that trusting people and allowing them in is dangerous and only ends in pain and devastation (and with Shadow Weaver, it teaches her the same lesson about showing mercy). When she spirals into her homocidal/suicidal breakdown starting in 3x03 it’s because she finds out Shadow Weaver left her to join the rebellion, just like Adora, and that Bright Moon is now harboring her abuser (as she understands it). Thing is, that all happens just as she’s starting to open up to and actually befriend Scorpia, and even though Scorpia isn’t the one who hurt her it still reinforces that pattern that vulnerability and kindness comes before a horrible, life-shattering event. Because of all this, she hides the empathy and kindness intrinsic to her actual character under layers of power and cruelty to protect her broken heart from being hurt again and protect herself from getting removed from power, because that’s the only thing keeping her from becoming someone’s abuse victim again after so many years suffering under Shadow Weaver’s heel.

I totally hear you about wishing there was a bit more to Catra’s redemption arc, but much like the rest of her emotional arc a lot of it is implicit. I’m very glad they added that one moment where she talks about working on her anger as well as her mini arc with Perfuma in 5x10 that culminated in Perfuma’s speech about learning to be vulnerable so you can be happy. But there’s lots of smaller moments buried in the season too, where we see her conflicted and struggling with these impulses of protecting herself vs. opening up or showing kindness. I mean, her half of 5x06 was basically about that too, though that’s only the beginning of this journey. Having Melog around was great too because they not only mirror her emotions for the audience to see but also help her process said emotions. Basically, the redemption is a process for her and a lot of it is not super explicit but in the end I think we have all we need to understand who Catra really is and that she wants to do better and is going to continue to in the future.

Really, Catra’s redemption arc is not so much about making up for what she did (which I and many others wish there was more of but oh well) as it is about rediscovering her true self and honoring that, learning to be vulnerable and kind again. In the end, her willingness to open herself up to potential rejection and loss and her kindness and love motivating her to help Adora get to the Heart and complete her mission are what ended up saving the universe, and that was a very intentional choice by the creators. Catra’s journey is not about coming back to Adora, it’s about coming back to herself, and I think that’s beautiful.

[outrunningthedark]

When the cast knows that the characters aren’t just friends but the writers still won’t do anything about it so they decide to make some interesting acting choices on purpose because they are trying to give us what they can

I understand your frustration, nonnie, but let's not blame ALL the writers when the only one publicly resisting canon!Buddie (because it's way more fun than saying, 'Buddie will definitely happen. Wait for it.') is Tim. Some highlights various writers have given us: 2x01 Under Pressure (written by: Tim Minear! 😦 & Brad Falchuk) ⭐ "We might end up real close." (Nice foreshadowing, Tim!) 2x04 Stuck (written by: John J. Gray) ⭐ "And, uh, who is this?" ... "I thought you just dressed alike." ⭐ "Buck gave me a heads up." ⭐"So, does this boy crush on Eddie mean that you're, uh, finally ready to move on from Abby?" 2x06 Dosed (written by: Juan Carlos Coto) ⭐"Wait, Chimney has a kid?" "No, I-I thought you meant..." 2x10 Merry Ex-Mas (written by: Christopher Monfette) ⭐ "You two have an adorable son." 2x18 This Life We Choose (written by: TIMOTHY MINEAR!!!) ⭐"Well, [Eddie's ceremony] is more important. If I break anything else, they can just fix that, too, with the other stuff." 3x01 Kids Today (written by: Kristen Reidel) ⭐Eddie using a key to get into Buck's apartment ⭐"He's hanging out with his Buck today!" 3x03 The Searchers (written by: David Fury) ⭐ "He was looking for Buck." ⭐ "I love him enough to never stop trying. And I know you do, too." ⭐ "Buck, there's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you." ⭐ A few choices words can sometimes be the life raft that gets you home. To be seen. To be found. Isn't that what we're all searching for? 3x05 Rage (written by: Lyndsey Beaulieu) ⭐"You know how much Christopher misses you? How could you? You're not around." 3x06 Monsters (written by: Christopher Monfette) ⭐"I just want you to talk to me. Even if it's just to say that you're still mad." ⭐ "When you decided to sue the department, to make Cap the bad guy, did you ever stop for a minute to think what that could do to us?" 3x09 Fallout (written by: Juan Carlos Coto) ⭐ "I'm sorry I wasn't there, Eddie. You and Chris needed me, and I had my head so far up my own behind with that stupid lawsuit..." ⭐ "I'd still take you." // "You think so?" // "I know. *pause* You wanna go for the title?" 3x11 Seize the Day (written by: Lyndsey Beaulieu) ⭐ "Uh, this is Eddie's house. I'm not really a guest." 3x12 Fools (written by: Andrew Meyers) ⭐ Ana's ableism versus Buck helping Eddie build an accessible skateboard 3x15 Eddie Begins (written by: Christopher Monfette) ⭐ Buck clawing at the dirt and mud when he thinks Eddie is gone ⭐ "So we can end up with two cut lines?" 3x18 What's Next? (written by: Juan Carlos Coto & Kristen Reidel) ⭐ "Buck, stop! Alright. I know you made a promise." ⭐"To Abby. His fiancée's Abby." 4x03 Future Tense (written by: Andrew Meyers) ⭐ Buckley-Diaz family time ⭐ "I can know weird stuff, too." ⭐ Christopher and Buck conspiring to freak Eddie out 4x04 9-1-1, What's Your Grievance? (written by: Nadia Abass-Madden) ⭐ "What do you have to apologize for? Did you say anything that wasn't true? ... Well, look. Maybe you could have come at it a little differently, but if that's how you feel, how they made you feel? You have every right to say so." 4x05 Buck Begins (written by: Juan Carlos Coto) ⭐ "I had to do it." // "I know you did." 4x06 Jinx (written by: Taylor Wong) ⭐ "Yup." // "I'm sorry, what was that?" // "Check." ⭐ "Still not sure what inspired the software update." 4x08 Breaking Point (written by: Bob Goodman) ⭐Eddie coming home after his date and calling Buck "a miracle worker" ⭐ Christopher taking an Uber to Buck's apartment ⭐ "You still got me. 'Cause I'm not going anywhere." 4x10 Parenthood (written by: Lyndsey Beaulieu) ⭐ ["Can't you both be good cops?"] (Simultaneously) "No!" ⭐ "I'm curious to know what your definition of 'too much discipline' is." 4x12 Treasure Hunt (written by: Bob Goodman) ⭐ Eddie asking Buck if he wants to find the treasure together, Buck initially says he already made a deal with Taylor, then caves after one look from Eddie 4x13 Suspicion (written by: Lyndsey Beaulieu & Andrew Meyers) ⭐"But just be sure that you're following your heart, not Christopher's, okay?"

⭐ Buck is the one who accompanies Eddie to Charlie's apartment, not Chimney (who was also aware what was going on!), and watches Eddie get shot in broad daylight

4x14 Survivors (written by: Kristen Reidel) ⭐ "Hey...Are you hurt?" ⭐ "We're so close. I just...I need you to hang...I need you to hang on." ⭐ Buck crying in Christopher's bedroom after getting the news that Eddie made it out of surgery ⭐ Buck taking his parental responsibilities very seriously without ever getting permission from Eddie, Abuela, or Pepa ⭐ "You were there for him when I couldn't be. That's what matters." ⭐ "It's in my will, if I die, you become Christopher's legal guardian." ⭐ "No one will fight for my son as hard as you. That is what I want for him." ⭐ "Because, Evan. You came in here the other day and you said you thought it would have been better if it had been you who was shot. You act like you're expendable. But you're wrong." The writers have BEEN setting the stage for a romance from early on (the parallels between Buck and Shannon? Hello?), but it's up to Tim to decide when to pull the trigger.