#like this is 1.2k words

[inawickedlittletown]

No Queerbaiting Here

A long time ago…I’m talking May of 2021, I wrote a meta post about queerbaiting. Essentially an essay. I wrote it right before the S4 finale of 9-1-1 aired because I was frustrated by Buddie fans calling Queerbait entirely like the boy that cried wolf. I still stand by it. Sort of. 

Now, even back then I was pretty clear about how 50/50 I was on Buddie ever going canon. (Maybe not in that post but certainly elsewhere) But, I shipped Buddie then and wrote a lot of fic and meta and participated in fandom. I never said it couldn’t happen…I just would never be bothered if it didn’t.

Where we stand now: It’s not going to happen. 

And where I stand now: fully immersed in Bucktommy. And what’s more, I am more than perfectly happy about Buck and Tommy staying together and going the long-run. Although I can still look at Buddie and think it’s a cute ship, I just don’t want it in canon. I would not be satisfied if the show went that way. But what’s more if Buck and Tommy don’t work out, that would be disappointing, but I’d be okay as long as they got to be happy. There is, after all, always fanfiction. 

So, I wanted to revisit this concept a bit now that Buck has been confirmed as Bisexual and now that he is in a relationship with a man. Not Eddie. Tommy. And somehow, some Buddie fans are still crying queerbait because their ship is not canon. That’s not how it works. Also…shipping works outside of canon, that’s the whole point of shipping. 

To reiterate from my original post on queerbaiting, here’s the definition from wikipedia:

“Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ representation. They do so to attract a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion of relationships or characters that appeal to them, while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers.” 

Here’s where I stand: Buddie was abandoned a long time ago. If it was ever a real possibility, we won’t ever know. What we do know is that Oliver was aware that at one point he had given them the go-ahead to make Buck Bi. Whether this was by putting Buck and Eddie together or having Buck realize this another way, we just don’t know that. We don’t have that information and nor will it probably ever be provided to us. Narratively, I know that a lot of fans figured the timing of it fit with S4 and that particular finale but we really just don’t know despite what happened in the finale.

I found that interesting looking back at my own post from back then and the discussion that followed where some fans felt that the way the finale went would determine if Buddie would be another queerbait ship. (I think most people agreed after the will scene that it wasn’t queerbait because it did leave a kernel of hope that Buddie might still happen). 

And yeah, I guess you could argue that the network deciding not to go the route of a queer storyline points to missed opportunity. That doesn’t then mean that any queerbaiting occurred or that any fans are owed anything just because something that was set up or that the writers were writing towards was then scrapped by the network. Is it a shame that it didn’t happen in whatever way they wanted to play it out, sure, but only because Buck would have been confirmed queer earlier. In the same vein isn’t it nice that we have a confirmed Bisexual Buck now? That the show managed to bring it back to that.

A Buck that is happy and free and that has realized something so monumental about himself? Isn’t it nice that all the queer coding that Buck as a character has received since the start of the show is actually finally not just queer coding but full on character development? That we can look back at the show and see all the things Buck did around other men for exactly what they were. 

When Tommy first returned to 9-1-1 in S7, I think a lot of us were excited by the spoilers about Buck and Tommy because of Bi Buck, but also because this was the thing that could lead to Buddie. 

And then…then Tommy was actually on my screen and I doubted it. I actually thought maybe the spoilers were wrong and this was about Eddie and Tommy? That episode flipped things in such an expertly way that by the time Tommy and Buck were sharing a kiss for the first time I was right there with Buck. On a second watch, it is all there. Buck was never jealous because his friend was ignoring him. He was jealous because his best friend had the attention of the guy whose attention he wanted for himself. The writing on that was perfect and no amount of twisting it can change what happened on screen. 

Buck was not jealous because of Eddie. Tommy was never interested in more than friendship with Eddie. And Buck and Tommy have nothing to do with Buddie. Tommy is not a stepping stone, a way for Buck to be ready to then embark on a relationship with Eddie. That’s both disrespectful to Tommy and Buck, but just not what the story being told on the show is doing. 

The storyline is monumental. Having a big strong guy, a firefighter, figure out his sexuality in his thirties is such good storytelling and add to that Tommy. Someone that we already know, who already works as a first responder, and who can show up and wow Buck in such a way that he realizes something about himself? This is what I’ve always wanted. Because guess what, Buck never questioned his sexuality before this. Not when he met Eddie and not when he met anyone else, not until Tommy. 

Going into the new season we know a few things and one of those is that Buck and Tommy are thriving. The media coverage talks about them as a solid couple, it talks about Buck having someone to turn to and complain to. It talks about how they are still in the getting to know each other phase and I love that for them. I love how they are being treated and described and I can’t wait to see what plays out for them and how much of the build up of their relationship we may get to actually see. 

Do you know what the media and the show never talked about outwardly like this? Buddie. Whenever it came up it was always brushed aside in a way that was respectful to fans and what they saw, but without ever confirming or hinting that the show would ever go there. They never queerbaited anyone with Buddie, what they have done is say “yeah…we know what you see” and then turned around and given us a Buck and Eddie friendship and Buck kissing Tommy, going on a date with Tommy, and thriving with Tommy. 

So, no queerbaiting here on the show where half of the major canon pairings are queer. It’s actually more like some fans baiting other fans with theories and headcanons that just don’t fit.

[rotthepoet]

i’m still thinking about fwb/bsf!theo every day, the way you wrote his yearning drove me crazyyyyyyyy. do you think you would ever write out all the boys’ reaction when they finally get it confirmed?? walking back in at the party, clearly fucked out or (if they never come back down) when someone makes a comment on a hickey and you’re like “oh yeah theo got carried away” and they’re all like AHA GOTCHA and they’re like ?? have no idea what you’re talking about we’ve never been secretive. just like straight up gaslighting them as enzo gives blaise some galleons from their bet. theo becoming even more touchy in public and absolutely devoted to his girl. oh and their summer in italy???? good loooooooord. thinking many thoughts always

This message made me so happy. Im gonna be real, I had completely forgotten everything I wrote about them and I got to go back and read my old writing. Hand over my mouth like i dont know whats going to happen. Part 3??? Genuinely have no recollection of writing a full length fic about them. SO IM SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT BACK UO BECAUSE WE CAN HAVE CLOSURE!!!! WOOT WOOT (lowkey just kinda rambling in this. If we want a full, put together fic of summer in italy im so fucking down bro because mattheo is so pissy in this and I need more jealous bestie mattheo)

He was so gentle the first time he took you, his girlfriend, his lover, his. Finally his. Fuck, you were finally his. His hips rocked slowly into yours, pulling you into heaven with a blissful orgasm. But fuck it wasn’t enough. It was never enough with the two of you. Not with all the time Theodore had spent shoving away his feelings. Not with all the time wasted whike you cried over a boy who would “never love you back”

How stupid you both were for wasting precious time.

Throughly fucked out, eyes hazy and limping slightly while Theo guides you back out to the party. He fixes your dress for you, his hands lingering on your exposed skin without shame as he admired how the green lights darkened your new hickies and love bites.

His friends sat on a couch, each with a drink or joint in their hands, yelling and calling over Theo with excitement. They cant help but catcall you as well, noting your disheveled look.

“Got lucky tonight?” Lorenzo asks you tauntingly, nudging an unimpressed Mattheo, who can’t help but glare between you and Theo. His leg bounces anxiously, and Blaise sits further on the edge of the couch.

“Yeah, Theo got a bit carried away,” you hum in response, falling into Theodores lap as he sits down on a soft, green chair.

Mattheo’s gaze pierced through Theodore’s, smoldering with a look you couldn’t quite place. It seemed Theo hadnt noticed yet, with how busy he was sucking a new bruise onto your shoulder.

Draco sits up, a bit drunk, “What did I say? I knew they were fucking— fuckin’… little whores,” he laughed, “Thought you were so slick, but couldn’t keep shit secret.” He laughed.

Your gaze meets Theo’s, and you both know what needs to happen.

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be making my girlfriend feel good?” Theo questioned, faux curiosity and confusion lacing his tone.

Lorenzo chokes on the smoke of his joint, eyes bulging from bis head. “The fuck? You—“ he paused, coughing up a lung, and Draco interjected with his prissy annoyance, “You said there was nothing going on between you two not even a week ago.”

You knit your brows in confusion, forcing down the smile trying to force its way onto your face. “I don’t think either of us ever said that… we’ve made it pretty obvious, y’know, that we’re together?” You debate, but you can’t bother listening to Lorenzo and Draco break out into angered rants as Mattheo stands suddenly from his seat. He shoves through the crowd, disappearing beneath the haze of vapor and smoke.

Theo’s eyes follow him, but his grip never loosens on you.

Thats a whole other problem there.

Blaise, waving off the bickering, nods his head at you. “And are you joining us at the Nott summer home this year?” He asked, and Theo grinned big, “Of course she is. Would miss my girl too much otherwise,” which only instigates another loud argument from both Malfoy and Berkshire.

His girl. Thats what you are now. Thats what you were always meant to be<3

[wikiangela]

wip wednesday

tagged by @kinard-buckley @bidisasterevankinard 💖

istg this fic will be done and posted tomorrow (hopefully lol if not, forget I said anything🙈) I just need time to finish it and I have a day off tomorrow so let's hope I get motivated tonight haha

prev snippet

___

“Genuine question, do you want me to go up to him and punch that stupid mustache off his face?” he asks, just as softly, and Tommy barks out a surprised laugh. “I’m serious, I will, even if it costs me my job.” He doesn’t know what he can do or say right now, so he just wants to cheer his boyfriend up, and if Tommy’s willing to, they can talk about it all in more detail later, at his loft, when they’re alone, without friends and coworkers around. When it can be just the two of them, and they can be as open and vulnerable with each other as they want.

“Evan.” Tommy says with that fond exasperation that seems to be reserved for Buck.

___

no pressure tags: @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @watchyourbuck @loserdiaz @ladydorian05 @diazpatcher @monsterrae1 @weewootruck @spagheddiediaz @rainbow-nerdss @epicbuddieficrecs @pirrusstuff @nmcggg @rogerzsteven @giddyupbuck @sunshinediaz @honestlydarkprincess @911-on-abc @jesuisici33 @steadfastsaturnsrings @buddieswhvre @fortheloveofbuddie @daffi-990 @hoodie-buck @aroeddiediaz @thewolvesof1998 @exhuastedpigeon @underwaterninja13 @spotsandsocks @hippolotamus @your-catfish-friend @dangerpronebuddie @neverevan @loveyouanyway @tizniz @theotherbuckley @diazsdimples

[windupaidoneus]

wrote something so heartbreaking i legitimately sobbed there's something wrong with me

[shalomniscient]

head in hands

[miabrown007]

why does a fic have to have "plot", is it not enough to [insert blorbos]

[tsukasalover]

This is the exact reason why I hate when people ask to go through my phone. Its always Tsukasa’s fault just remember that.

[bookishjules]

When do you think Simon and Izzy first start falling for each other?

ooh.. falling feels soo subjective. like in general. its so hard to define. like could you say an initial aesthetic appreciation counts as 'starting' or is it more like.. when each one's heart tripped over itself for the first time when looking at or thinking about the other. and if it's the latter, would they have to recognize that tripping heart as an indication of the something more for it to count. and that starting point feels esp hard when so much of the early stages of their development was pretty glossed over.

i think by the beginning of cog, whatever drew them to each other initially (jealousy/parental disapproval etc.) has faded and their friendship is something true if not romantically leaning. by the end of cog, they've both definitely caught some sort of feelings.. but in the way i'd define that start of falling.. i don't think i'd place it until we're into cofa. not that either of them would have admitted to it at that point.

it seems pretty clear to me from the beginning of cofa that simon likes maia's company, but that there's something extra when he's with isabelle, but he sticks with his indecision etc. bc maia is safe. because she's more like clary, and that's the kind of person he thinks he'd be with. on the other hand, we have izzy.. who (simon) claims to be dating other people, but we don't see evidence of this. what we do see evidence for is just how upset she gets at the idea that simon, who she'd thought was easily under her thumb, might have had other options. facing the reality of that situation, i think, really initiates this question of like.. why she wanted him to herself so bad. i don't think she had that answered by the end of cofa, but i also don't think they would have reconciled like they did if they hadn't already manifested some stronger feelings toward each other.

obviously we know izzy is grappling with the idea that she's fallen for simon in cols, and i think it's safe to assume that would have been processing for a while. meanwhile, i think simon was kinda.. quietly aware of where his own feelings were headed, at least since luke and jocelyn's engagement party. idk that still feels so vague but.. again, with a ship that takes the entire six book series to get to the point of dtr-ing, it's pretty much impossible to pinpoint a single moment, rather than circling a period in their relationship's evolution that the data most points to.

[thecollectionsof]

some crystal/jackie wip wtuesday for @aqpippin (happy birthday lovely thank you for falling into methydcox hours with me <3)

Jackie hears the sound of faint footsteps outside and only has a second to stand back up before Ophelia goes tearing over to the door.

“Ophie baby! Who’s my best girl?” Crystal says delightedly as she opens the door using the key that Jackie has given to her (permanently, at this point. If Jan ever tried to stop over unannounced she wouldn’t be able to get in, not when the spare key is in the hands of a colorful, chaotic whirlwind, but it makes sense. Crystal comes over more than anyone else by a long shot.) “Have you been good for your Mama? Of course you have, you’re—”

Jackie’s looking at her, so of course she notices the moment Crystal notices her. “You call her Ophie?” she says without thinking, and then cringes. Not even a hello? No small talk? This is why she’s single.

“Um. Yeah, she likes it, I think.” Ophelia, Ophie, is proving her point, if her wagging tail and excited steps as she dances around Crystal are any indication of things. “I think it’s cute. I can stop calling her that if you don’t like it.” They both know that means I’ll call her Ophie when you aren’t around, not that Crystal knows she’s focused on her enough in their short conversations to know when she’s lying. Or maybe she does, who knows.

[flowersfortheghost]

OH MY FUCKING GOD RHE IDEA I JUST HAD FOR MY GHOSTFLOWER FAKE DATING AU DJNSKZ

so like its already heavily inspired by hunger games but GOD I CAN ADD TO THAT IN THE BEST AND ANGSTIEST (is that even a word?) WAY POSSIBLE

[denzartriste]

So i have this traffic light series monster au(no better name for it it's literally "trafic light monster" in my notes) and in it Cleo is a zombie. Kinda. See the thing is that before they were a zombie they were a witch (still are) and anyways while they were fully alive she did a resurencion spell(?) on herself. Don't ask me why i dont have all the details, i'll figure it out. My thoughts with it are maybe they were dying/on deaths doorstep or something, unsure. But anyways yeah so now every couple of months they have to re-resurrect themselves because the spell heals them a bit but then she's back to square one and back to actively dying. And i seemed to have zoned out and wrote a 1.2k word sickfic of that going on. If i dont finish the pirate au chapter 2 by the 11th i think im just gonna clean it up a bit and post it to keep my schedule

Anyways yeah never doubt a sick person looking for sickfics and finding nothing because they'll just make one themselves i guess

[eyepatchdate]

me: im done writing for today.

me: reopens word doc

[im-sorry-what-ii]

Editing feels like ripping my brain apart but ITS FINISHED!!! I HAVE A WHOLE CHAPTER WRITTEN!!!

[furymint]

❤️ - How did your muse come to realize their romantic and sexual orientations? Was it difficult to accept? Are they proud of who they are?

Miscellaneous Symbol Headcanons

(Elliot figured it out quickly but not before he irrevocably damaged his understanding of love with unrealistic expectations and few boundaries. He's constantly chagrined by society + his own self hatred but has a decent amount of compromises in place to protect himself. and nolanel is not normal. nolanel will never be normal about anything in his life, least of all sex)

but oh MAN this is a good question and one i think abt all the time. the answers are v detailed and a bit nsfw so it's all going under a cut

elliot was young when he figured it out. his childhood was lonely and studious--and that was partly his doing. josseloux treated him almost like an adult, allowing him to make his own decisions abt where to go and what to do, and elliot invariably pursued learning over play. he was snobbish, oversensitive, and peculiarly observant and analytical--which hasn't rly changed.

he was obsessed with quixotic male heroes, would find his eye drawn for hours to the ideal male figures in statues, and wanted nothing to do with the coarse or unintelligent (read: not like him) boys around him. josseloux wasn't unaware, and stuffed a few books in his shelves to bait his son. something like edward carpenter's anthology of friendship Absolutely ruined elliot's understanding of what a relationship w another man should be: something full of devout loyalty, intellectual greatness, unerring inspiration, and nothing like what he observed in real life. he was Different and he wanted Better.

women were Better but they didn't do it Right. they had the grace, kindness, and beauty that he wanted--except they were women, and women were inconvenient bc of societal structure/expectations and ☆misogyny☆. he intuited what sex was between the lines of his dad's books and decided it was not for him. then a teenage boy stopped an 8yo eli in the hall, bent to fix elliot’s tie, and spiraled him into understanding.

his imagination became more in depth once he knew what he wanted to see but wasn't seeing it. as he grew older, his queerness became more prominent in contrast w the dominant culture, and he began to resent the way people treated him as a curiosity. it was in his sense of beauty, his voice, the carry of his body, his values, and he knew that he would feel humiliated abt it for the rest of his life. he doubled down on himself and allowed ppl who wanted to dislike him to do so; he would weaponize gossip against them eventually.

he's still self-conscious. self-hatred is part of it, but most of that hatred is towards other parts of himself. at this point, he's thrown himself so far into fretting about his socks  that bigger matters feel smaller. almost every salon, house, lodge, and backroom where queer talk happens has also heard elliot's laugh. his experience w relationships before nol are unexpectedly fleeting and shallow, too: 6 months mightve been the longest because he always knew smth isnt clicking completely and it's all hot & quick sparks before they stop talking.

his first approach to nol was intellectual before anything else, then sexual, and when neither of those made nol open up, he regarded their interactions as platonic until he actually learned what nolanel's suppressed af tells were. then he kissed the dope and entered the 'Oh. So Nolanel Like-Likes Me. He's Also Terrified Of Me. Please God Tell Me I Can Fix This' phase. it got worse before it got better. its a miracle he didnt drop nol then and there but i never claimed elliot was smart.

anyway. nols insanity aside its a huge effort for elliot to have to juggle his big silly personality & professionalism with smth (possibly) undesirable that ppl clock in him the minute he's in view. by n large tho, he likes being gay n celebrates it. he just gets in trouble bc his gay feelings are too big for him to handle.

nolanel is just. jfc. so practically everything in the world terrifies nol. romance and sex are no different. part of that is just his own brain, and the other half is taught or cultural. he grew up knowing the how and why of sex bc of how crucial it was to the operation of the ranch. simultaneously, the only love he had towards a person was ephemie, so he just assumed one day he'd marry her and figure the rest out. he kissed her when he was 10 and both of them were like. uh yeah No.

his only other exposure to love was at community dances in the lowlands, where he danced and tried to convince himself of feelings but just couldn't sympathize with the couples secreted away and groping at each other. it didnt seem fun or worth breaking rules for. halone would be mad.

moving to the brume when he was 14 woke him up. the culture around sex was more open, which was distressing and confusing and thrilling. then the military compounded the jumble with peer pressure, the live-before-you-die mentality, and ohhhhhhh god oh no no no men everywhere why are men hot too. sex seemed embedded in everything down to their uniforms. perhaps he would learn to live w this. :)

absolutely fucking not. the ppl who ply sex horrify him by reminding him of his own desires (which halone says are bad). the most nol's done is make out w rando ladies but the minute they touch him past that he nopes out. this got even worse when his body was burned. dont look at him dont touch him (please look at him please touch him). he wants to be in love and have sex but any exp fills him w dread to the point it makes him sick. also, war makes him scared and sick. he is now doubly scared and sick. he starts telling himself its a waste and a distraction while knowing its not bc he cant. stop. thinking abt it.

ENTER BRUCEMONT. who loves sniffing out a weakness. he drills those feelings deeper into nols head while loudly contradicting them in his own life. he'll sit there and give explicit details abt the woman he bedded the night before so nol gets blueballed and furious. its hook line and sinker every time. truly embarrassing. brucemont loves his job. also, elliot is a political pest Needs To Go.

so this uber ridiculous religious, occupational, and personal shame cocktail is rly not helpful to nols state of mind. he Literally throws up after elliot kisses him for the first time bc he's so violently scared. his internalized homophobia acts up at the worst times, he's deathly ashamed of loving elliot at all for a while, and it takes forever for him learn that privacy is not secrecy and vice versa. the last thing i wrote is all about this.

honest to god if he just let himself enjoy something instead of analyzing the moral properties of kissing the man he's been pining after for 4 yrs, he'd have a better time of life. nol please go get laid im crying. and then he can't be normal abt that either bc hes i like uhhhh yeahhhhh im not rly interested in taking any of my clothes off the first time

i think if he fell in love w a woman he'd feel a lot more comfortable about it. anyone but elliot (and bruce. i know i joke abt it but GOD its possible its terrifying) would also do him good. nol has a v servile personality that adapts to the needs of the person he likes, but he and eli have such wildly different needs that they have to beat each other's brains like laundry for several years before they're compatible. none of this helps nol view his sexuality as smth hes remotely okay with for a v long time

[chicohungers24-7]

Okay back to writing 😔😔😔😔

[lovebrushed]

with the encouragement of tumblr user gepazu i have chosen to abandon final lamb (read: take a break from it) and run away with ayn alwyn (read: write a little angst drabble to prepare u guys for the NOVEL that is final lamb)