#return to earth theory

[stagefoureddiediaz]

We’ve been looking at this all wrong the entire time...

So my brain is a weird place that I don’t fully understand, but sometimes it connects dots and I figure something out that has been staring us in the face the entire time! Lets just say it explains so many things - right down to the very pointed use of tommy calling Buck Evan!

This all stemmed from me looking at colour theory and costuming for Buck and Eddie (and by extension Tommy) season 7 again, because I was going to try write the buddie costume metas for episodes 9 and 10 that I never managed to get done before we started season 8 I will hopefully get to those posts, but this post - while technically about Tommy and his costumes (yes me ant Tommy person writing a post on him I know!) it does also look at the costuming for Buck and to a lesser extent Eddie more widely across the season and what the colours used actually mean - getting some distance and some time on the season has been a blessing!

Im not going to go into it in detail, but, broadly speaking the show has given each character a signature colour - this doesn’t mean they wear it all of the time - but they do wear it a lot of the time and especially in key scenes - characters can have more than one key/ signature colour, and it can change and develop over time. We can ignore season 1 because it was a pilot season and very often shows won’t choose to establish a signature colour for a character (911 s1 is all over the place from a costuming perspective - because they had several designers working across the 10 episodes but since s2 we’ve had much more continuity with Alayna Bell-Price at the helm for most of it). So for example Athena’s signature colour is mostly black with white and khaki green also in the mix. She’s moved away from that subsequently - wearing less black and more white/creams but both colours are still staples of her wardrobe.

Eddie we all know mirrors Athena from a costuming perspective - his signature colours are also black and khaki green with some white/cream as well. The khaki green was much more dominant than the black to begin with - which played into his military past -  that had evened out on the black and khaki front whilst the cream had stayed fairly steady, but now we’re also starting to see a little bit more of it as well as some darker blues. this mirrors Athenas own journey t healing - the more she heals the less Khaki we see and the more white/cream - Eddie is starting to follow the same path from a costume perspective. 

Bucks signature colour has always been blue, but he also wears a fair amount of yellow and grey, so those are his three colours. He obviously wears a lot of other colours, especially white, but white has its own specific use in Bucks costumes that sits separately from his signature colours. 

We all know about yellow/ blue and green blue colour theory - I’ve gone on about it enough (especially yellow blue colour theory and its queer coding) and others such as @lover-of-mine have as well. Well both yellow/blue and green/blue continued to play out in season 7, I’m not going to go into them in too much detail - there are posts on my pinned post that cover that much better and I want to get to the good stuff (and I know you all do too!) 

We do need to remember that Buck and Eddie very very rarely wear blue and green in scenes together - if Eddie is in green Buck won’t be in blue, and vice versa - this is because of the ties to blue/green being Buck and Eddies break up colours - the colours they wear opposite their respective girlfriends when the relationships are ending. This is a little less set for Eddie - who actually wears white/cream much more when he’s ending relationships than blue or green - but the one time he has actively done the breaking up he was in green.

As I was starting to do a bit of work on the 7x9 and 7x10 metas, I ended up going back and looking over the Buck and Eddie costumes for the season as a whole, and how Tommy fit into all of that as well - as we’ve all been billing him as Eddie lite.

While I do still think there is an element of Tommy being Eddie lite, I don’t actually think that is what the show has been doing -that concept is a bit of a red herring. I’m sorry that this is likely to get a bit convoluted and wordy - but my brain is  still reeling and incoherent so bear with me - I hope it all makes sense.

Right this post is super long so the rest is going below the cut! I hope you enjoy!

Because I was looking for Eddie and Tommy parallels in the costuming for the season, I had been looking at the choice to put Eddie in red/black for his dinner date with Kim and Buck being in green for the scene at Bucks loft, and the fact that back in 7x04 Tommy had been dressed in the same colours - a red henley which was shot with black giving it a red/black colour way. I naturally started looking at the other Eddie - Tommy costume parallels - and there are plenty - lots of the khaki green we see Eddie in - playing into Tommys own military background.

These are Tommy’s scenes - where he wasn’t in uniform of some description (which is a good chunk of his scenes to be fair) 

7x04 

at the hangar - white tee, greenish stone coloured shirt and a tan jacket with stonewash jeans

at the court - light grey marl cut off hoodie and bright blue shorts

at Bucks loft - red/black short sleeve henley and stone wash jeans

7x05

at the restaurant -dark khaki green shirt (I would also like to point out the blue green colour theory here with the addition of tommy having a blue phone case - which is relevant later I promise!)

coffee meet up - light grey henley and navy blue hoodie with mid wash jeans

7x06

karaoke club - navy blue short sleeved henley

7x10

light grey marl tee and greenish denim shirt 

So what you can see from this is that besides the use of henley’s, the only time we get actually get direct reference to Eddies costuming is through the use of khaki green and his first outfit at the hangar. There is of course the direct parallel of the red/black colour way I spoke of before, but, beyond that if you look you’ll see that Tommys outfits actually parallel Bucks far far more. I would even argue the Henley’s are more similar to Buck than Eddie - because they are short sleeved and Eddies are invariably long sleeved.

Bucks colours are blue and grey - and so are Tommy’s - particularly in scenes that are 1-1 with Buck. What I’m trying to get at and will explain is that this has never ever been about Tommy being Eddie lite - this is all about Tommy being Buck - Buck’s subconscious if you will. (I know you all this I’m completely mad at this point - but stick with me!) I have a lot to say about all of this which will explain the why of it all and how we ended up here so we’re going to go through it Tommy costume by Tommy costume!

Lets start with the hangar scene - the most Eddie like Tommy looks throughout the entire season. this is very much intentional - this is about the red herring of it all, but it is also about Eddie (I’m not discrediting anything we’ve talked about regarding Tommy being Eddie lite etc - it is all relevant - but that’s what makes it such a good red herring!) and about Buck being an unreliable narrator. This is in part why we also still see Buck in his too short trousers and his white sneakers. This is his journey (the sneakers), but he’s still trapped in his old self at this moment in time - but aware that he doesn’t fit his skin anymore (as an aside I will be writing a post about Bucks trousers and their changing fit throughout the seasons at some point soon!)

Script wise the key lines are plentiful - the entire scene is full of double meaning. We get Buck stating that he is ‘happy where he’s at’ and Tommy’s response of ‘you’re thinking of changing things up’. viewed through the idea that Tommy is a version of Buck, this then plays out as an internal conflict - a battle about wanting what you already have - being happy with what you have, but also wanting to change things.

Eddie saying ‘you aren’t thinking of leaving us are you’ and Bucks response ‘I’m keeping my options fluid.’ Eddie needing reassurance that what they have isn’t going to change, while Bucks reply is about him not really being sure of himself - of who he is - keeping his options open because he’s figuring out if he wants to change - the line is said to and directed at Eddie so its about Buck keeping his options open about possibly changing their dynamic - becoming something more, even in the face of Eddie not wanting things to be different.  Tommy stating in this scene that Buck doesn’t need to leave the 118 to get certified to fly - that its something he could do for fun on his days off - becomes even more loaded through the internal monologue lens - Buck considering how he can stay at the 118 and have the joy, fun and benefits of ‘flying’ when he isn’t at work - that he could fly with Eddie (Eddie going flying with Tommy to do something fun and date like is a very literal visual metaphor for Bucks internal monologue - showing him what it could be like if he changed things up). There not being three tickets - only two is also important - its again a metaphor this time about how if Buck and Eddies relationship changes - it would only change for the two of them - it would become a relationship that doesn’t have room for another in it. When I say that’s about Chris not being involved it sounds really harsh, but the reality is Chris cannot be a a part of Buddie - he cannot be a part of something romantic. it isn’t saying Chris isn’t important or central to Buck and Eddie - simply that he cannot be a factor in a romantic relationship - that has to be just between Buck and Eddie alone - its kind of about Eddie (and also to a certain extent the same is true for Buck) not being able to hide behind Chris anymore when it comes to Buck.

Fundamentally its all tied back to his death in season 6 (we even get the being struck by lightening reference from Buck just to bring that aspect home) and subsequent resurrection and rebirth  (post linked on my pinned post if anyone wants to read it!). we have to keep at the front of our minds that Buck has died and that is still playing on his mind - its still influencing who he is and who he is becoming and it was all throughout season 7 - even if it wasn’t obvious or stated.

The basketball costume is actually the one that has always stood out for me - Its the most Buck outfit of all Tommys outfits. The bright blue shorts especially. 

So in that scene, which we know is supposed to read as being from Bucks view point, not only are we getting golden haloed super happy bouncy Eddie - Eddie the way Buck sees him -  but Buck is also projecting and seeing Tommy in the place he (Buck) has always existed in. It’s a visual representation of what Buck talked about with Maddie and Tommy replacing him in Eddies life.  Its unreliable narrator buck in visuals he’s seeing Eddie replacing him with Tommy - occupying the same places Buck has and more - from the calendar to the basketball court.

But that’s actually wonderful, because not only does it give us information on how Buck views himself (as expendable/replaceable) and how he thinks others view him - because if he thinks he’s similar to Tommy (which for a purely visual stand point he is - Lou looks more like Oliver than Ryan) but it also gives us information about the reality of how much Buck is actually intwined in Eddies (and Christophers) life - its telling us that Buck is in fact on Eddies calendar (and therefore fridge - fridge magnet theory for the win!) and how much space and conversation he occupies in the Diaz’s everyday life.

So he isn’t actually seeing Eddie in Tommy at all - he’s actually seeing the version of himself he doesn’t think he is but wants to be in Tommy. The version of himself that takes Eddie to vegas etc - that’s the Buck that Buck wants to be - the one openly flirting with Eddie and taking him on dates etc. That’s why the vegas fight is so seemingly ott (especially when you think about the fact Tommy and Eddie have known each other a week or so at most by this point) its the grand gesture Buck wishes he could be making.

All of this also makes Bucks ‘attack on Eddie’ more telling (it’s still the boy pulling the girl he likes pig tails in the playground concept) because Eddie is being receptive to all of these advances by Tommy - adding further weight to the Buck being jealous of and threatened by Tommy. 

Tommy is this version of Buck swooping in and doing all this stuff that Buck wants to be doing (subconsciously still at this point - willful ignorance be winning) but either didn’t know how to or didn’t know Eddie if would be receptive to. Remembering that this is all Bucks viewpoint of things its essentially Bucks brain showing him what dating Eddie would be like and Buck being Buck misunderstands what his brain is telling him (forever misunderstanding the assignment).

There is a second aspect to this and it ties into Tim’s comments about the hamster wheel Buck has a been stuck on and it being time he got off it - the hamster wheel is actually multifaceted and has more than one meaning. The most important is that the hamster wheel hasn’t ever been about his relationships or about the women he’s dating (or men now). The hamster wheel he’s stuck on is actually the fact that he’s built this strong relationship and family with Eddie and Chris - (you don’t find it son you make it) and its something safe and stable and predictable in his life. Getting off that hamster wheel is about being brave and moving that relationship - that family dynamic onto the next level - removing the platonic aspect of their family and making it a fully formed family for real - romantic love and all - so the ‘platonic’ family is the hamster wheel he actually needs to get off of. 

The other aspect of Tommy actually being Buck and the hamster wheel of it all is that hamster wheels are solitary pursuits - the implication is that Buck is the one standing in his own way - and coming back to the basketball game we see that played out in the moment where Buck tries to literally run through Tommy - only you can’t act out at yourself, and Tommy is a literal solid unmoving barrier and Buck won’t get past himself by just trying to bulldoze his way through.

This all then plays into the final Buck and Tommy scene of the episode - in bucks loft. I already spoke above about the red/black of it all, but now with the added concept of Tommy being A version of Buck things start to become more interesting. The red/black of it all is a warning (and the poker date red/black velvet suit and eddies red and black suit from s6 actually play into this as well!) - its dark romance - ‘forbidden’ dangerous romance or love. So for Eddie and his date with Kim that meaning is very self explanatory. The two season 6 suits are also fairly self explanatory - for Eddie again its the dangers of looking for romance that isn’t on your own terms and for Buck at the poker game its about the danger of falling in love with the person you are when you aren’t being truly yourself. Tommy being a version of Buck and this concept is a little more murky - essentially is about a similar thing to his poker suit - with a twist - its about the danger of seeing more value and loving a version of yourself that ‘used to exist’ as well as a version of yourself that you think will make you more attractive to others.

We do also need to Talk about Bucks costume here as well - the fact that it fits him almost perfectly - he’s in well fitted if slightly loose jeans and a navy shirt that isn’t tight with buttons not clinging on for dear life (to the same extent). The colouring is still on the dark side - so its not entirely positive - much in the same way that other scenes with buck in a dark navy shirt are moments where things go a bit askew for Buck (think the  taylor ‘I kinda love you for it’ scene from s5 as an example). The implication is that - before Tommy comes along Buck is at his most content with who he is - he’s fitting into his skin better than he has in a long while but it’s not perfect. This is key, firstly because of how the scene unfolds and secondly, because of how he is then costumed from here on out for the rest of the season.

I do also want to mention the yellow blue colour coding in this scene and that is mostly done through the lighting - Buck is in blue and the light behind him is always yellow - he is surrounded by yellow light. In contrast - Tommy is barely touched by the yellow light - not until Buck starts to figure things out - then we get him briefly touched by the yellow light - the rest of the time he is lit very cooly - which is in contrast to the warmth of the loft - and further plays into the idea of Tommy being a stand in for Evan - Evan who isn't loved and accepted in the same way Buck is - Evan who Buck needs to learn to love.

If we look at the script for this scene, it also fits in perfectly with the idea of Bucks internal monologue.  Tommy and Eddie being ‘buddie’s’ making perfect sense is a literal aside to the audience telling them that Buddie makes perfect sense - but it is more than that. This is where I have to bring up the ‘Evan’ of it all. I know a lot of us shudder with horror because of the fact Tommy only ever calls Buck ‘Evan’ and how both jarring and rude it is. How it shows how little Tommy knows Buck. We’ve always known it was being done intentionally. Well, if we view the use of Evan through the lens of Tommy being a version of Buck and things become clearer.  Because Tommy is basically the old version of Buck - the Buck who existed before he knew Eddie - before he joined the 118. And this is where the choice to bring back Tommy specifically for this role becomes a really smart one - because ‘Evan call me Buck Buckley’ was Tommys replacement at the 118. Tommy who has a problematic past that has never been dealt with on screen. This isn’t about the nature of the problematic past. This is the show playing on the idea of Buck’s software upgrades - before Buck 1.0 there was Evan, and using who Buck replaced at the 118 as a plot device to actually dig into Evan more so that Buck can deal with, accept and move on from Evan and become who Buck is meant to be.

Tommy saying he couldn’t replace Buck furthers this - because Buck cannot go back to being Evan - Evan can never replace Buck. invoking Christopher adds weight to this - because Chris never knew Evan - he’s only ever known Buck and Buck is ‘his Buck’ and irreplaceable. Tommy then stating his jealousy is about Evan feeling the lack of family that he grew up with - the recognition that as Buck he has made a family for himself - Bucks assertion that Tommy (Evan) was a part of it is valid - because without Evan Buck couldn’t build the family he has. The entirety of this conversation is about Buck choosing to ‘get to know’ his past (remember this is coming of the back of Buck crossing out the ‘LEY’ on his nameplate in s6 and his struggles with his parents acceptance in that season before the lightening strike), choosing to learn about Evan and embrace him as a part of Buck.  

Bucks assertion that he was ‘trying to get [Tommys] attention and it being exhausting’ is part of that as is the confusion Tommy expresses. The choice for Buck to use the word ‘exhausting’ - it’s Bucks subconscious trying to get his own attention - its his subconscious telling Buck that he’s exhausting himself by not listening to what his inner voice is saying. It’s of course a play on Buck being called exhausting by other people (and is perhaps why he doesn’t have the confidence to listen to that inner voice) and that also plays into the Evan of it all and how Buck views himself. Tommys confusion also plays into that - bucks own mind is confused - it was getting ready to ‘pursue’ Eddie but now we’re pivoting into what is essentially self love.

The continued bringing up of Eddie also makes sense with the contact of Tommy being alt Buck - because Eddie Eddie Eddie fills Bucks heart and mind - Both Evan and Buck recognise Eddies importance if not his full relevance in this moment. The resulting kiss then becomes less about Bucks bi awakening (I am not diminishing the importance of that in any way shape or form - its a vital aspect of Bucks journey) and more about Bucks decision to pursue loving himself - this ties into his statement ‘it wasn’t about me wanting to leave the 118 - it was about wanting to get to know you’ - its about Buck wanting to get to know himself - on the other side of his death and resurrection. It’s a continuation of his comments about Natalia ‘seeing him perhaps better than he sees himself’ - it’s about Buck starting to see himself better now he’s died and essentially been reborn and bout Buck now being in a place where he feels ready to confront that idea of being reborn and becoming someone new.

At the restaurant in 7x05 we have Tommy in an Eddie colour, but in a shirt that is much more Bucks style. There is also the green/blue colour play with Tommy stating Buck isn’t ready and Tommys ‘mismatched’ clothing bears that up - the play is on Bucks lingering confusion and uncertainty about what he wants - is it the Eddie side of things we’re pursuing the self love of Evan aspect we’re looking to explore? The entire scene is not just about Bucks first ‘date with a dude’ its also about Bucks fumbled attempts at self love - at not getting it right - its why Bucks outfit doesn’t fit him- why they’re now too big and baggy (I wrote about this in my costume meta for that episode - which like all the other costume posts can be found linked on my pinned post).  The innuendo about closets and Buck going into masculine bro mode is as much about his nervousness about being on a date with Tommy and being seen as it is about the fact that a man practicing self love is still taboo and so often met with derision - hiding that you are pursuing that is a kin to hiding queerness - at the start - until you get to a good place with it.

We side step into the Buck and Eddie loft scene briefly to look at Bucks confession to Eddie - I could write a whole thing on Eddies acceptance of Buck and its importance - but that is for a different post that isn’t already a million words long! what I want to mention in this scene is the why Buck can’t stop thinking about Tommy of it all - how it is essentially establishing the idea that Buck is starting to listen to himself.  He can’t stop thinking about Tommy because it isn’t Tommy he can’t stop thinking about it’s actually himself - Evan - in a learning to love himself and embrace who he is and was kind of way - all being done through a bi lens. it is essentially about Buck doing the thing he needs to do to be ready for a forever relationship with Eddie - which is love and accept himself - all of himself and acknowledging that to Eddie.

Buck switches back to better fitting clothes for the coffee date - and tommy is now dressed back in Buck colours and no trace of anything resembling Eddie in sight - making it clear that Buck has chosen to pursue himself. To get himself to the place he needs and wants to be first - the line about not knowing what it is he’s ready for but being ready for something is key - its a very self love line, but it also puts a very clear time frame on things - it makes it clear that Tommy is not endgame - because Bucks choosing self love and embracing and understanding ‘Evan’ isn’t his end game but a part of his bigger journey - a part of becoming who he needs to be to achieve what he actually wants - to get him to his endgame.

Then we have the Karaoke - brief scene(s). There isn’t really a huge amount in these scenes. But I do want to point out two things - the awkwardness of Buck and Tommys hug - and how that plays into the tentative nature of Bucks self love journey - and also Eddies behaviour towards Tommy - and the way it was very very clearly a lot cooler than we saw in 7x04.

We all jumped on the Petty Eddie train - and I agree there is an element of that. But - there is also the fact we are not seeing that scene through Bucks eyes - its through external eyes and we are therefore seeing the actual reality of Eddie and Tommys friendship - in that it isn’t this heightened date like - flirty new love type relationship - its simply two people who are loosely friends. Its remarkably normal and no threatening - only furthering the entire purpose of 7x04 being from Bucks viewpoint and Tommy being an alt Buck rather than an alt Eddie. It also therefore serves to further establish the Buddie of it all (but we all already knew that!). Tommy is still in Buck colours and the short sleeved henley is still something I would put more into the Buck costume camp than the Eddie one - especially in this season! 

The final Tommy scene and costume is the date at Bucks loft and the conversation about daddy kink. I still don’t like this scene (which has a lot more to do with execution and the script than the actual daddy kink of it all) but I am much more sanguine about it now that I understand what it is setting up.

Bear with me here I probably won’t make sense, but with the knowledge that Tommy is actually buck lite - a less good and developed version buck (Evan and in part the version of Buck that Buck himself thinks he is) the daddy kink scene actually becomes about setting up Buck addressing his past and his actual real daddy issues - because bucks past self sees his worth in those issues and without them it means both Evan and Buck have no worth. Buck confronting and dealing with them and choosing to forgive and move on means the end of Buck and Tommy because Tommy is no longer needed - he has served his purpose and Buck would be ready to start his future - Evan stays in the past and Buck completes his rebirth and closes his lightening strike arc.

Onto Bucks season 8 journey - Bringing Gerrard in to Bucks arc rather than the others who have far more connection to Gerrard now begins to make much more sense. Tommys past under Gerrard actually echoes Bucks past - in different ways and to vastly different degrees, but the parallel is there.  S1 Buck being a play boy and sleeping around and not treating women especially well (objectifying them etc) because of his own hang ups - is a pale echo of Tommy being closeted and racist sexist and homophobic under Gerrard. Like I said before - Buck is a pale imitation to Tommy here and that’s intentional (more in a sec) because once Tommy is under the wing of Bobby when he takes over the 118 we see him begin to grow and change. Buck follows the same pattern - Bobbys guidance pulls him away from his destructive behaviours and sets him onto the right path (Bobby is arguably the birther of Buck - Look I could write a whole thing off the back of my death and resurrection of Buck post about Bobbys role as God - the heavenly father - in Bucks life and how that is the overarching theme of Bobby and the show but I don’t have the time tbh!) to ‘redemption’.

Bucks behaviour is very intentionally not as bad as Tommys behaviour, because if Tommy is the plot device meant to essentially represent Bucks subconscious and how he views himself, then the reason we haven’t been shown Tommy atoning for any of his past sins and behaviours is because Buck hasn’t forgiven himself for his own. Buck is his own worst critic and will self flagellate to a ridiculous degree - and again with him being an unreliable narrator - he views his past indiscretions as being the equivalent of Tommys - therefore in his mind he hasn’t yet done enough to deserve absolution (Buck and Bobby being father and son in this as well!). 

Which brings me to s8 and the return of Gerrard and what Bucks arc is going to be (this is slightly incoherent and not fully formed - I’m still percolating!). Gerrard being central to Bucks arc - and Bucks push back is imo going to be about Buck taking a good look at himself and recognising/ facing up to and accepting his past. And that actually does come down to the daddy issues of it all. Because if Bobby is as good as Bucks dad - and allowed him (and his subconscious in the form of Tommy) to develop and grow - then Gerrard is Phillip Buckley (obviously a heightened more terrible version of reality in the same way Tommy is a much worse version of Buck) who parented Evan through apathy and taking the easy route - we saw Evan pushing back against Phillip in Buck Begins and being rewarded for it and thus establishing Bucks self destructive and self sacrificing pattern of behaviour. Acting out and getting hurt got him attention - so Buck acting out against Gerrard is this reduced and will ultimately have the same results just in an essentially more destructive way.  This is is a good thing - because this is about Buck recognising that he is worth and acting out etc is detrimental to him progressing as a person - its going to actively prevent his self love journey to flourish (and this is why in part I maintain my belief that Tommy is going to, if not encourage Bucks behaviour, then at least tell him to go along with Gerrard demands - for an easy life and also part of why I don’t think we’ll see a huge amount of Tommy - at least to begin with - until we get to a point where Buck is really motoring on the self love journey and getting to the point where he needs to do some pre break up face to face conversations that move him forward!).  It’s about forgiving and accepting his father for how Evan was raised - Bucks arc is going to be about forgiving himself and allowing himself to be happy, and he cannot do that if he doesn’t go through the Gerrard stuff - which is essentially a type of therapy. That’s also where I think the golf comes into it - it’s a metaphor for Buck building bridges, gaining understanding and accepting his past with his father - the metaphor of the driving range being the idea of standing side by side and performing the same thing, but landing in different places. There is also the concept of improving ones self and choosing to not repeat the mistakes of the past.

It also means the thing Tim said about Buck and Tommy becoming more comfortable with one another makes much more sense, and why he’d flip the question to talk about Eddie and about Eddie feeling a bit left out in the cold but not out in the cold! Buck is becoming more comfortable with himself and while he’s doing that and learning to be happy etc as I described above. Eddie is going to feel left out - because this is about Buck not Eddie - because it’s about Buck being ready for forever with Eddie - and Eddie ultimately cannot be a part of that journey - Buck has to do it for himself in the same way that Buck cannot help or be there while Eddie goes through his reckoning with the Catholic Church, and faiths place in his life and also dealing with the ghost of Shannon and his mother issues(because he has those and they are all set up to go in s8 - Chris being in Texas really sets that up nicely!

Bahaha Tim I’ve finally figured out your question answering methods and how they tell us all we need to know!! 

All this to say - Tommy is actually alt Buck - not Eddie lite (I mean he is still also that but it’s a bit of a red herring) he is a plot device for the biggest thing about Buck as a character and it all means Buddie here we come!

Thank you so so much if you have read this epic piece of waffle - I hope you enjoyed and I truly look forward to hearing all your thoughts on this and to you being as insane about it as I am!

Tagging some people who asked (and some who didn’t but might be interested anyway!)

@spotsandsocks @exhuastedpigeon @lover-of-mine @fruityfirehose @leothil

@bewitchedbewilderedbisexual @theladyyavilee @livingwherethesidewalkends @craigyxo

@izzysbeans @buddiediaz118 @inell @hotshotsxyz @winterskydragonx

[llamaisllama777]

WELL, THIS JUST HAPPENED!!!!

So, it looks like that security protocol is a lot more... violent, then we thought.

@shi404 gave me two theories that could happen.

1. It's Creator. The most likely one. Creator is activating a fail-safe he had installed in Earth before he sent her out. The security protocol isn't just a security protocol, but it's basically a "must-follow-orders-code!" And now Creator is trying to use Earth to kidnap Lunar. Which I don't think the Astrals will be big fans of that!

And the more interesting theory...

Theory 2. Earth's trauma and bent up emotions from all the trauma from Nexus is now breaking throughout and making Earth's security code act up. Turning the security code into a pseudo-killcode!

The G.A.I.A. protocol is basically starting to go nuts and become a brand new killcode.

Killcode will return.... through Earth.

[buryam-soul]

Maybe the REAL twist villain was the-- (shot by an arrow from behind) (almost a literal backstabbing if you will)

[morgulscribe]

The Witch-king as Sauron's Emissary

Statue based on John Howe's paintings of the Witch-king

In one of Tolkien's earlier drafts, the Witch-king survives the Battle of Pelennor Fields, and serves as Sauron's emissary at the Black Gate.

The scene where Eowyn challenges the Nazgul at Pelennor is much the same: they spar verbally for a few moments, and then she cuts off the head of his fell beast. However, in this version, the Witch-king does not attempt to slay Eowyn for killing his fell beast, and Merry and his barrow blade are nowhere to be found. The Witch-king, now bereft of a mount, makes a hasty retreat. The implication is that he tears off his cloak and flees to safety… which means that he wore no armor to the battle, and that his physical body was naked beneath the cloak.

"She raised her shield, and with a swift and sudden stroke smote off the bird's head. It fell, its vast wings outspread crumpled and helpless on the earth. About Eowyn the light of day fell bright and clear. With a clamour of dismay the hosts of Harad turned and fled, and over the ground a headless thing crawled away, snarling and sniveling, tearing at the cloak. Soon the black cloak too lay formless and still, and a long thin wail rent the air and vanished in the distance." --"The Battle of the Pelennor Fields," The War of the Ring, p. 366

Perhaps the Witch-king mooned Eowyn before making his ungraceful retreat. Either way, the shieldmaiden - and everyone else on the battlefield - got flashed by a streaking Nazgul without ever realizing it…

The next scene of importance in the chronology of the story is the Parley Before the Black Gate. In this version, the Mouth of Sauron does not exist, and the Witch-king acts as Sauron's emissary.

Keep in mind that the Witch-king is called the Wizard King in these early drafts and outlines.

"Aragorn and Eomer wind horns before the Morannon, and summon Sauron to come forth. There is no answer at first, but Sauron had already laid his plans and an embassy was already coming to the Black Gate. The Wizard King? He bears the Mithril coat and says that Sauron has already captured the messenger - a hobbit." --"The Story Foreseen From Forannest," The War of the Ring, 36

The dialog which follows is much the same as in the published version, although the ambassador makes a dramatic exit:

"The ambassador laughs, and gives a dreadful cry. Flinging off his garments he vanishes; but at that cry the host prepared in ambush sally from the mountains on either side, and from the Teeth, and pour out of the Gate. The host of Gondor taken at unawares wavers, and the leaders are surrounded. [Added in pencil: All the Nine Nazgul remounted swoop down; but the Eagles come to give battle." --"The Story Foreseen From Forannest," The War of the Ring, 362

Christopher Tolkien writes the following note about this scene:

"Earlier in this outline my father had questioned whether the ambassador was not in fact the Wizard King himself, and he appears again at the end, dispatched by Sauron to Orodruin (his fate on the fields of the Pelennor was therefore not yet finally decided). Since at the end of the parley the ambassador casts off his garments and vanishes, he was certainly a Ringwraith; is this the meaning of 'All the Nine Nazgul remounted'?" --"The Story Foreseen From Forannest," The War of the Ring, 364

Again, the Witch-king has insulted his enemies by flashing them. That naughty Nazgul!

In the published version of Lord of the Rings, the Witch-king was defeated at Pelennor Fields, and it is heavily implied that he is now a houseless spirit. Therefore, the role of Sauron's ambassador is filled by the Mouth of Sauron, who seems to be a diplomat in the service of the Dark Lord. Some theorize that it was the Mouth of Sauron who came to the dwarves of Erebor, seeking information about the whereabouts of Bilbo Baggins and the One Ring, though this is another subject entirely. (I agree with Michael Martinez in this essay that it was a Nazgul, not the Mouth of Sauron, who served as the ambassador.)

From the text in "The Black Gate Opens," it seems that the Mouth of Sauron has been chosen by the Dark Lord to be the new lord of Isengard, where he would rule over a conquered Gondor and Rohan.

"These are the terms," said the Messenger, and smiled as he eyed them one by one. "The rabble of Gondor and its deluded allies shall withdraw at once beyond the Anduin, first taking oaths never again to assail Sauron the Great in arms, open or secret. All lands east of Anduin shall be Sauron's for ever, solely. West of the Anduin as far as the Misty Mountains and the Gap of Rohan shall be tributary to Mordor, and men there shall bear no weapons, but shall have leave to govern their own affairs. But they shall help to rebuild Isengard which they have wantonly destroyed, and that shall be Sauron's, and there his lieutenant shall dwell: not Saruman, but one more worthy of trust." Looking in the Messenger's eyes they read his thought. He was to be that lieutenant, and gather all that remained of the West under his sway; he would be their tyrant and they his slaves. --"The Black Gate Opens," The Return of the King

Why did Tolkien create an entirely new character to fulfill the Witch-king's original role as Sauron's ambassador, instead of giving the role to one of the other Nazgul? Some have theorized that the Nazgul are just too frightening to be ambassadors, but I think this reasoning is rather faulty, because there is fairly good evidence that Sauron's ambassador to the dwarves was one of the Nine. (See the above linked essay by Michael Martinez.)

It is an important point in the story that Sauron's ambassador is both an emissary and the would-be lord of Isengard. Being second-in-command to the Witch-king, Khamul seems a logical choice to be Sauron's ambassador, but he is the Lieutenant of Dol Guldur. The Witch-king's own lieutenant is Gothmog, who might be a Nazgul (Tolkien never specified if Gothmog was a Nazgul, human, or orc). However, since it is established that Sauron's ambassador will become the new lord of Isengard, Gothmog might not be the best choice, as someone would need to rule Minas Morgul as the Witch-king's regent. We know little about the other Nazgul. Perhaps Sauron had other purposes for them, so he chose the Black Numenorean who would become known as the Mouth of Sauron.

Now this begs the question… In a scenario in which the Witch-king survives Pelennor and the Mouth of Sauron also exists as a character, what role would the Mouth of Sauron play? Would the Mouth of Sauron be named as the new lord of Isengard… or would it be the Witch-king?

I personally believe that the Witch-king should become the overlord of Gondor and Rohan. After all, he has hundreds of years of ruling countries beneath his belt, having been the king of both Angmar and Minas Morgul. We know little about the Mouth of Sauron, but it seems unlikely that he has ever served as a king of a country (For Tolkien's own theories about the identity of the Mouth of Sauron, check out my post: What Could Have Been: The Mouth of Sauron's Backstory.)

In this scenario, the Mouth of Sauron would remain the Lieutenant of Barad-dur and Sauron's primary ambassador in non-Ring related matters.

The Witch-king would become the new lord of Isengard.

Or perhaps he would prefer to rule from Minas Tirith.

"Shall there be two cities of Minas Morgul, grinning at each other across a dead land filled with rottenness?" --Faramir, "The Forbidden Pool," The Two Towers

Although Faramir is speaking of the corruption that the One Ring would bring to Gondor, the same could be said for a Minas Tirith ruled by the Witch-king.

[nuttysaladtree]

[Image description: A meme using screenshots from The Mummy Returns, showing the below conversation:

Izzy: The Earth is 70% water and uncarbonated.

Rick: Ok?

Izzy: So it's technically flat.

Rick looks down and away, trying not to laugh. /end ID]

[light-wrath-paradise]

Also when making my name spreadsheet (because I keep fucking up the spelling of most of the alien names and I feel bad about it jdjdjdj) I noticed that so far all the semi-high ranking Earth invasion-tasked Yeerks are from the Sulp Niar pool, which is kinda ????? Like what the hell is going on here. Why is everyone with a good job from the same school/class? Smh blatant favouritism towards the Sulp Niar pool I say

[cosmicsociology]

I just got a really cute self indulgent ChuZhang art idea to counteract some of the stuff I have drafted for my ChuZhang comic

[homunculus-argument]

Consider: Aliens land on Earth, they are vaguely humanoid in shape and size, but there is no real way to communicate with them. They're social, curious and friendly, though, and try to get to know humans and interact with us the same way as cats do. By mirroring.

They follow humans around - not necessarily any specific ones, but just wandering wherever people go - and do human things with them. Or at least do their best to try. In gravely serious, intensely focused, but deeply confused silence, they join human activities with this air of "I don't understand what we're doing, or what this achieves, but we're doing it together now."

When there are people waiting at bus stops, one or two of the creatures will join the group, standing in wait. When the bus comes, they'll join the queue lining up inside, and once inside, turn their open palm into a light source and show it to the bus driver in the exact same way as the people showing their bus passes from their phones (the aliens' ability to shapeshift this way has raised theories that they may not be naturally as humanoid as they seem, they've just adopted the human shape to better interact with us), and then go find seats wherever, just like humans do.

They're not going anywhere in particular, nor are they capable of actually paying for their ride, but since there doesn't seem to be any force to stop them from this, people just have to accept their presence. If the bus is crowded, they'll stand just like people do - and sometimes when seated aliens see a human offer their seat to someone who is pregnant, disabled or elderly, they will unpromptedly get up and offer their own to the nearest standing human.

They go to churches, temples, grocery stores, libraries, wherever people go, and clearly try their best to do whatever people are doing. In temples and holy places, they will sometimes join hymns in their eerie, wordless howls, which follow no melody but stop when humans stop singing. They sit and stand where the people do, and copy the positions in which humans pray, and many places of worship don't just tolerate, but downright welcome them - no matter what these creatures are, do they not have the right to pray?

In the libraries they are silent, eerily wandering the hallways, picking up books at random and staring at the pages, turning the page this way or that every few minutes. They don't bother anyone much, once the librarians figured out how to make them put the books they pick up into the returns cart, instead of some random place in the shelves. Some of them seem to enjoy simply grabbing random books, and carrying the whole piles to the returns cart.

They don't understand why we do what we do. We don't understand why they do what they do. But we're now doing it together.

[calmlb]

Higuchi’s Unrevealed Ability

my theory on what it could be…

i think that Higuchi’s ability will be called “Takekurabe” (Growing Up/Child’s Play) after her most famous work, and i believe it might have something to do with reincarnation. here’s why…

in this official art she is featured with red spider lilies, which are symbolic of death, but are also thought of as a bridge between heaven & earth…a reminder of the “cyclical nature of life & death”

Takekurabe also explores themes such as how life is fleeting. & also abt being forced into a role that you didn’t want, or wouldn’t have chosen for yourself

(plus potential foreshadowing: in this official art, Higuchi is surrounded by pinwheels— which symbolize childhood, but also the cycle of life, & the buddhist teaching of reincarnation)

back to reincarnation…

after being told that Akutagawa may never wake up, she reached out to him & a glow appeared around her hand— like she was activating an ability— before pulling away bc she remembered that he didn’t want her (or anyone’s) help

but this means that she’s able to give help in this sort of situation

additionally, the fact that she almost always appears in official arts w Akutagawa indicates that she will probably use her ability on him at some point, which makes sense considering his terminal condition

(note the pulse in the background, his bright eyes, & her white suit)

because we have yet to see her use her ability, i’m assuming that she can only use it once, so she’d be giving up her life for Akutagawa’s (a life for a life— his reincarnation)

this would imitate irl Higuchi’s unfortunately short life— with her having died at only 25 years old. it also makes sense to give her such a powerful ability since irl Higuchi is such an important figure in japanese history— japan’s first professional woman writer of modern literature

now for a less likely, but fun theory…

i wonder if Higuchi’s sister has anything to do with her ability (in bsd she’s unnamed, but her irl sister’s name was Kuniko so that’s what we’ll call her)

according to Higuchi’s bungo episode, despite her literary genius, irl Higuchi was practically useless without her sister

Kuniko was the one who made what Higuchi did possible & kept things functional behind the scenes

so i think it’d be super interesting (& a cool irl reference) if Kuniko was involved in some way with Higuchi’s ability (i also just want to see more of her bc this sister duo is so cute :’))

bonus: when i watched this anime adaptation of Takekurabe, this was the ending scene & i wonder if it was harukawa’s inspiration for this official art 🥹

white lilies represent purity, & since they were off by the side of the road, they might have represented the character’s fleeting purity. white lilies are also used at funerals to represent a soul’s return to purity & its journey to the afterlife… which circles back to the reincarnation theme 👀

[yuujispunches]

Seriously unserious ~ S.G.

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Reader

Summary: Gojo’s constantly flirting with you, but that’s just who he is, it’s not as if he actually liked you, is it?

CW (content warning): nothing really, this is purely teeth rotting fluff.

AN (author’s note): Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you for the support on all my other works, it really means a lot 🤍 I’m already working on the last part of my Megumi college AU, so keep an eye out for it. As always a reminder that English isn’t my first language and I’m typing this on my phone so I’m sorry if there’re any typos/mistakes. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

Requests are open so feel free to send yours! (you can check the list of characters I write for on my pinned post)

Masterlist

The morning air was crisp as it passed through the half-open windows of Jujutsu Tech, carrying the scent of rain and fresh earth. Students ambled around the campus, the more mischievous among them darting between buildings, hoping to avoid early training.

You sipped your tea slowly, glancing over a stack of lesson plans at your desk. Another long day ahead including exorcism simulations, cursed technique theory, and the ever-complicated emotional management of teenagers raised to fight monsters. Still, you found meaning in it. You always had.

Your door creaked open without a knock.

“Morning, sunshine.” Came a familiar, overly cheery voice.

You didn’t look up, you didn’t need to. “Gojo, it’s 7:03. Too early for your nonsense.”

Satoru Gojo leaned dramatically against the frame of your door, shades perched lazily on his nose instead of his usual blindfold. His snowy hair stuck up in disheveled tufts, as if he hadn’t even bothered trying to tame it.

“You wound me.” He pouted, hand in his chest, looking as if he was a Victorian lady who was about to pass out because her corset was too tight. “Is this how you treat the strongest sorcerer in the world?”

“Only when he barges into my classroom uninvited.” You muttered, tapping your pen pointedly against your clipboard.

Gojo sauntered in anyway, dropping himself onto the edge of your desk, crinkling a few of your worksheets. You narrowed your eyes, but he only smirked in return.

He plucked a sticky note off the top paper and held it up between two fingers.

“What’s this? ‘Yuuji needs extra training - still underestimating curses at Grade 2 level.’ Sounds harsh.”

You swiped the note from him and set it back where it belonged. “It’s called teaching. You should try it sometime.”

“I do teach!” He defended. “Just... unconventionally.”

“Gojo.”

“Yes?”

You gave him a look that managed to both scold and plead.

“I’m working.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. No more distractions. Just came to say good morning. And, you know...” He leaned a little closer, voice dropping half an octave. “To admire your radiant beauty.”

You rolled your eyes. “Subtle.”

“I thought so.” He grinned.

You didn’t bother replying. He always flirted like that grand declarations, poetic exaggerations, and endless teasing. You’d learned early on not to take it seriously. Gojo was like this with everyone: loud, charming, untouchable. He was Satoru Gojo, the most powerful sorcerer in the world. What would he ever want with someone like you?

Still, you couldn't deny that his visits were becoming... habitual. He never missed a morning to drop by your classroom. Sometimes it was under the guise of needing something from the faculty. Other times, he just "happened" to bring you coffee.

It was always playful. Always safe. Always Gojo.

So you treated it like you would a student’s tantrum with patience, detachment, and a firm boundary.

But Gojo wasn’t just another jujutsu hormonal teenager, even when he sometimes acted like one. And deep down, you knew it.

——————————————————————————

Your days blurred into a rhythm: early mornings, student evaluations, cursed object containment drills. Every so often, an active mission took you off campus, but you always returned to your little classroom and your stack of reports. It was safe. Predictable.

And then there was Gojo.

Relentless as the sun, he flared into your orbit with his teasing quips, spontaneous gifts that varied from sakura-flavored gum to an entire picnic lunch on a rainy day, and offhanded compliments that left you oddly breathless.

“You’re tense.” He noted one afternoon as you rubbed your shoulder after a particularly brutal sparring session with your second-years.

“I’m fine.” You muttered.

Then, without warning, he moved behind you and gently pressed two fingers into your upper back, right between your shoulder blades.

You froze. “Gojo- ”

“Relax.” He cut you off, voice low and not teasing for once. “You’re always carrying too much weight.”

You opened your mouth, but the words died there. His fingers worked slow circles into your back, gentle but firm. You hadn’t realized how sore you were. How tired. How long it had been since anyone touched you with care.

You hated how easy it was to melt under his touch.

He leaned closer. “You know, I give great full-body massages too.”

And there it was.

You snorted. “You were doing so well.”

“What, you thought I wasn’t gonna flirt? That’s half the fun.”

You elbowed him lightly and stood, brushing his hands off your shoulders with faux irritation. “You’re incorrigible.”

He smiled, but there was something quieter behind it. Something that flickered too fast for you to place.

——————————————————————————It wasn’t until a mission went sideways that things changed.

You’d taken a team of third-years into the outskirts of Kyoto. A Grade 1 curse, allegedly, in a crumbling hospital. You’d handled worse.

Except the information was wrong. The curse had evolved. It tore through the building like a banshee, separating you from the students. You needed to protect them. You fought it, injured it, banished it. But not without cost.

You limped back to the students with blood on your uniform and two broken ribs. They were safe. That was what mattered.

But the moment Gojo stepped off the helicopter that arrived to retrieve you, you saw his face go pale.

“Don’t.” You warned as he reached you. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t speak. Just stared. His sunglasses hung low on the bridge of his nose, allowing you to get a glimpse of his blue eyes, his expression tight. You realized you’d never seen him this serious outside of battle.

“I said I’m fine.” You repeated, firmer now.

“You’re not.” He said, serious, so unlike him that it almost made you feel bad for even letting yourself get injured like this.

“I’ve had worse.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

He looked at you like he was trying to burn the answer into your skin. “You almost didn’t come back.”

The silence stretched between you, filled only by the noise of medics preparing to fly you out. His voice, when he spoke again, was barely audible.

“I can’t lose you.”

You blinked. “What?”

He exhaled harshly and turned away. “Forget it.”

You didn’t. You couldn’t.

——————————————————————————

The hospital stay was short. A day and a half later, you were back on your feet, albeit with a wrapped chest and strict orders not to overdo it.

When you returned to your classroom, there was a note on your desk.

"Take one more step into that classroom and I swear I’ll seal you in a box." - Gojo. P.S. Come to the staff lounge. I have muffins.

Despite yourself, you smiled.

When you arrived, he was there, lounging like a cat across one of the couches, reading a comic book.

“You’re not my doctor.” You said.

“I could be.” He offered with a wink.

You sat across from him, avoiding his eyes.

“What happened in Kyoto…” You started. “You said- ”

“I know what I said.” He interrupted, sitting up.

You studied him. “Did you mean it?”

He met your gaze, his usual grin replaced by something far more fragile.

“I always mean it when it comes to you.”

Your breath caught.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

“Look.” He said, “I joke a lot. I flirt, yeah. But that doesn’t mean I’m not serious when I say I care about you.”

You said nothing. You couldn’t even if you wanted to, your brain was going high wire trying to process the words that were coming out of his mouth.

“I get it.” He continued. “You don’t think I’m capable of real feelings. That I’m all jokes and power and blindfolds.”

“That’s not what I think.” You whispered.

“Then what?” His voice cracked, just slightly. “Why do you never take me seriously?”

You stared at your hands. “Because it’s easier.”

“Easier than what?”

“Easier than letting myself hope.”

The silence that followed was thunderous.

Gojo reached across the table and took your hand, carefully, like it might vanish.

“Well,” he said, “what if I told you I’ve been hoping for a long time?”

You looked up, heart pounding.

He smiled, softer this time. “Don’t you think it’s time we stopped dancing around this?”

You didn’t know what startled you more, Satoru Gojo holding your hand like it meant something, or the fact that you were letting him.

His palm was warm. Slightly calloused from years of battle. It was the hand of someone who carried too much, who made the world laugh while quietly shouldering the weight of it.

And now, he was offering that same hand to you.

“You don’t have to decide anything right now.” He said gently. “I just... I needed to be honest, for once.”

You stared at your intertwined fingers.

For months, years even,,you had tucked away the tension that lived between you. Labeled it as “Gojo being Gojo.” Flirting for the sake of amusement. A man who could have anything, playing games because nothing ever stuck.

But this, this wasn’t a game. At least it didn’t feel like it.

“You really meant it.” You whispered, unsure, as if tasting the words on your lips.

He let out a breath, as if he’d been holding it for far too long.

“Yeah.” He said. “I really did.”

You looked up at him, and for once, didn’t find the ever-present smirk or playful glint. His expression was open. Raw. Nervous.

It struck you all at once, how long he must have been waiting for you to see him.

“How long have you...?”

His gaze flickered to your lips before returning to your eyes. “A while.” A sheepish smile on his lips, almost as if he was shy about that.

You squeezed his hand without thinking. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

He chuckled, low and almost self-deprecating. “Because you always laughed it off. I thought maybe... if I kept it light, I could stay close to you without scaring you off.”

“And if I had known?”

“I didn’t want to risk losing the version of us I already had.” He admitted. “At least that way, I still got to be near you.”

God.

You’d misunderstood everything. He hadn’t been trying to get under your skin. He’d been trying to get to your heart and you’d locked the door because you thought he was just knocking to be funny.

“I’m sorry.” You said.

He shook his head. “You don’t have to be. I get it. I’m not exactly the most... convincing romantic candidate.”

“Because you’re a manchild?” You teased gently.

“That too.” He grinned.

You were quiet for a long moment. The hum of the staff lounge’s refrigerator was the only sound in the background.

“I never thought you could be serious about me.” You confessed. “Not with... everything else. You’re Gojo. The strongest sorcerer. The one who never shuts up. I just assumed it was all a game.”

“I know.”

“And I guess I didn’t want to hope.”

“Why not?”

“Because hoping can hurt.” You said softly.

His thumb brushed along your knuckles.

“Yeah.” He murmured. “But sometimes... it heals too.” You could see a shadow of his past passing through his eyes as he said that, you knew exactly what he meant.

——————————————————————————

The days that followed were strange. You and Gojo hadn’t defined anything, not exactly at least. There were no grand declarations, no sudden shift in routine.

He still dropped by your classroom too early in the morning, still teased you about your coffee addiction, still stole your chalk. But now... now there was a new softness to his presence. A quiet tension. A thread you could tug on if you were brave enough.

And you were starting to want to tug.

One afternoon, after a long day of training the first-years, you found yourself wandering toward the faculty rooftop, a place Gojo often escaped to when he wanted to avoid paperwork.

Sure enough, he was there. Lounging against the railing, his sunglasses pushed up onto his head, arms folded loosely as he stared out at the horizon.

He heard you approach, of course.

“You’re getting predictable.” He said without turning.

“So are you.” You replied, stepping beside him. “Always hiding out here after combat days.”

“I prefer to call it strategic retreat.”

You snorted. “Is that what you tell the elders?”

“Only when I’m feeling generous.”

You leaned against the railing beside him, the cool breeze lifting the strands of hair at your temples. It smelled like distant rain and pine.

He glanced at you, and for a second, there was nothing flippant in his gaze. Only quiet curiosity.

“You’ve been distant.” He pointed out, breaking the delicate silence that had fell between the two of you.

“I’ve been thinking.” You replied.

His expression didn’t change, but you felt the tension ripple off him in waves.

“I think I’ve spent so long telling myself you were a flirt... that I forgot to ask what I actually felt.”

“And?” His question is almost breathless, expecting.

You turned to him. “I feel... stupid.”

He blinked.

“Because I didn’t see it sooner.” You explained. “Because I kept pushing you away. Because part of me wanted to believe it was real, but I was too afraid to risk it.”

He studied you in silence. His hands twitches lightly at his side, itching to touch you.

“I’m not afraid anymore.” You said.

Something softened in his eyes.

“Is that your way of saying you like me?” He asked, voice carefully light.

You rolled your eyes, but your cheeks were warm. “Yes, Gojo. I like you.”

He looked at you for a long beat, then reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair behind your ear.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that.”

“Why me?” You asked quietly. “Of all people?”

“Because you’re the only one who treats me like a person.” He said. “Not a weapon. Not a god. Not a joke. Just... Satoru.”

Your breath caught in your throat.

“You see me.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And even when I tried to be annoying, you never pushed me out completely.”

“I should’ve.” You joked weakly.

“Probably.” He grinned. “But I’m glad you didn’t.”

You hesitated.

Then, slowly, carefully you reached up and brushed your fingers along his jaw. He tilted into the touch, like it was instinct.

No blindfold. No mask. Just Gojo. Just Satoru.

“I want to try.” You whispered.

His eyes burned into yours. “Yeah?”

You nodded. “But you have to promise to stop stealing my coffee.”

“Absolutely not.”

You laughed, and that was when he leaned in.

He kissed you like he’d been waiting his whole life for it soft at first, almost reverent, as if afraid you might pull away. But you didn’t. You tilted your chin and kissed him back, your fingers curling into the fabric of his jacket.

It wasn’t fireworks. It wasn’t dramatic.

It was better. It was steady. Familiar. Real.

When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours.

“So, what now?” He murmured.

You smiled. “Now we get to be insufferable together.”

“I can live with that.”

Taglists are open so let me know if you want to be added for future works! :)

[sparrowlucero]

The genus Silurian ("Person of the Silures", in reference to the historical territory of Wales in which they were first found) was initially known only from a single fossil, notable in part for the unusual object fossilized alongside it (1). Though this was generally accepted to simply be a large petrified stick, the "Silurian Artifact" and the associated "Silurian Hypothesis" were often a point of discussion in the topic of dinosaur intelligence and the theory of pre-human civilizations. It wasn't until large-scale mining operations began to impede on their extensive networks of stasis chambers that the Silurians themselves finally woke up and were able to meet humankind in person. To the surprise of many (and dismay of a few) the Silurians were not the scaled, humanoid "dinosauroids" so often depicted, but colorful, feathered, and relatively goose-shaped. Most Silurians who were present in the planet's underground represent the gentry and high ranking military, who were given priority in the earth-based shelters. Most others were evacuated on large, extensive spaceships, all of which are yet to return to Earth. Due to this, the varied mindsets and cultures of the Silurians are in shambles at best, largely replaced by the speciesism and real estate concerns of the upper classes. (1) Much later, the original type fossil was identified as Rohlik, a student who fell to his death after attempting to drunkenly pole vault over a ravine with a large petrified stick.

[creature-wizard]

This is a random message, but recently I've been reading a lot of manga and stories with religious themes. However, I'm gay and have religious trauma so I don't see myself returning to it. But I'm also afraid I'm making a mistake in doing so. Do you think you can point me in tue right direction book wise or christian witch creators? I'm completely new to this and don't want to learn incorrect or conspiracy theory information. Thank you 🩵😊

The best way to avoid internalizing conspiracy theories is to improve your critical thinking and research skills, and to research them from a critical or academic perspective and to learn real history and science. Avoiding "bad" fiction is neither a good nor realistic plan, given that tropes associated with conspiracy theories are found in probably the majority of science fiction and fantasy, and frequently pop up in other forms of fiction as well.

(Avoiding "bad" fiction is the puritan/reactionary's answer to social problems, and it has never fixed a single thing because it's about giving in to a gut reaction telling you to avoid confronting the problem instead of carefully analyzing it to find the actual best solution.)

Here are some resources:

Information Literacy Basics

Critical Thinking Skills: Definitions, Examples, and How to Improve Them

11 Characteristics of Pseudoscience

Six Ways To Debunk Any Conspiracy Theory

Miniminuteman

ESOTERICA

Angela's Symposium

BS-Free Witchcraft

Digital Hammurabi

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman podcast

It's Probably (not!) Aliens (this is the YouTube page for the podcast, but if you search for it you can find it on other platforms)

Behind The Bastards

Tales of Times Forgotten (you can search the blog for topical words like Atlantis, aliens, antisemitism, conspiracy theory, witch, or whatever)

Jason Colavito's blog (again, you can search for topics)

Conspirituality Podcast

Gutsick Gibbon (debunks young earth creationist claims, do not overlook this one!)

Edit: Adding these. If you're trying to educate yourself on conspiracy theory tropes, consider them required reading:

Check your conspiracy theory. Does it sound anything like this?

Check your conspiracy theory part two: double, double, boil and trouble

Check Your Conspiracy Theory Part Three: Babylonian Mysteries?? In My Religion???

[morgulscribe]

Could the Witch-king Wear His Ring and Remain Visible? A Scholarly Essay About Naked Nazgul

The Black Wizards by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

This is a follow-up of my post entitled "The Witch-king as Sauron's Emissary."

In early drafts from The History of Middle-earth, the Witch-king had a penchant for making dramatic getaways by flinging off his clothing Níniel style and fleeing naked and unseen from his enemies. He does this both at the Battle of Pelennor Fields when fleeing from Eowyn, and at the Black Gate, where he serves as the Emissary of Sauron who offers terms of surrender to the Host of the West. This habit, while peculiar, does not seem out of place within the writing of an author who was known to include random scenes of non-sexual nudity in his works. In fact, when taking the material from The History of Middle-earth into consideration, the Nazgul have more nude scenes in the legendarium than the hobbits and anyone associated with the Children of Hurin combined.

"With a clamour of dismay the hosts of Harad turned and fled, and over the ground a headless thing crawled away, snarling and sniveling, tearing at the cloak. Soon the black cloak too lay formless and still, and a long thin wail rent the air and vanished in the distance." --"The Battle of the Pelennor Fields," The War of the Ring, p. 366

"The ambassador laughs, and gives a dreadful cry. Flinging off his garments he vanishes; but at that cry the host prepared in ambush sally from the mountains on either side, and from the Teeth, and pour out of the Gate." --"The Story Foreseen From Forannest," The War of the Ring, 362

Just to clarify, the garments that the Witch-king casts aside refer to the clothing that he wears in the world of the living, not to the garments that he wears in the wraith world. I believe that a Nazgul's appearance in the wraith world is more representative of his soul/fëa, and has little correlation with what he wears upon his physical body/hröa. This explains why the Nazgul are described as wearing black garments when pursuing Frodo, but gray robes when he puts on the One Ring and sees them in the wraith world for the first time.

Now one might assume that the Witch-king in these early drafts did not possess his Ring. It has often been assumed that the Nine Rings work in the exact same fashion as the One Ring: the moment that the wearer puts one of the Nine Rings upon their finger, they become invisible to mortals, clothing and all. Using that logic, if the Witch-king had his Ring in these two scenes, he would have had no need to tear off his clothing to become invisible. He would simply take his Ring from a pocket in his cloak, or from a chain about his neck, and slip it onto his finger. Instant invisibility - with far more dignity.

However, this is the tricky part.

Tolkien might have intended for the Witch-king to be wearing his Ring in both of these scenes.

"The Nazgul came once more, slaves of the Nine Rings, and to each, since now they were utterly subject to his will, their Lord had given again that ring of power that he had used of old." --"The Siege of Gondor," The War of the Ring, 335

Now, there is very strong evidence in the published version of Lord of the Rings that Sauron had possession of the Nine Rings of the Nazgul in the latter part of the Third Age. Tolkien even stated in Letter 246 that Sauron held the Nine Rings and used them to have "primary control of their wills." So it is obvious that Tolkien abandoned the idea of having the Witch-king and other Nazgul wield their Rings at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Over the years, I have read theories that perhaps Tolkien did not want to address the situation which might arise if someone found the Witch-king's Ring after he fell upon the battlefield, and that it would be better if the Nine Rings were destroyed during the fall of Barad-dur. Whether or not this was Tolkien's actual line of thinking when he made this decision, only Eru and the Professor know.

But back to the early drafts in which the Witch-king was wielding his Ring at the Battle of Pelennor and at the Black Gate.

If the Witch-king's clothing was visible when he was wearing his Ring, that means that the Nine Rings might work more like the Three Elven Rings as opposed to the One Ring. In other words, the clothing of the wielder stays visible, while the wielder can will the Ring itself to appear invisible. Remember how Frodo could see Nenya on Galadriel's hand, while Sam could not.

While we do not know the exact properties of the Nine Rings, we do know that they were originally created for elves. When Sauron's plan to control the elves through rings did not pan out, he reclaimed sixteen of them and gave nine to powerful men. Tolkien writes, "The chief power (of all the rings alike) was the prevention or slowing of decay […], the preservation of what is desired or loved, or its semblance […]. But they also enhanced the powers of a possessor […]. And finally they had other powers, more directly derived from Sauron […] such as rendering invisible the material body, and making things of the invisible world visible." (Letter 131)

These preservation effects have a unique effect upon Men: "A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings." - "The Shadow of the Past," Fellowship of the Ring, p.56

Of the Nazgul, we know: "Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thralldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows." - "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," The Silmarillion, p.289

I posed this question some time back on Reddit, and one person theorized that since the Nazgul were already wraiths, the property that Rings of Power have of drawing a mortal wearer into the spirit realm would no longer have any effect upon them. So, based upon this theory, the Nazgul would function more like elves or maiar when wearing their Rings. We know that Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond were visible at all times, although Nenya, Narya and Vilya remained hidden.

So could a Nazgul wear his own Ring without his clothing turning invisible?

By time of the War of the Rings, the Nazgul had been wraiths for almost 5,000 years. Surely by that time they would have figured out a way to will their clothing to be visible while wearing their Rings.

[bklynsboys]

The Theory on Other Halves

pairing: spencer reid x reader summary: "there's an old buddhist saying, i once read, that when you meet your soulmate, remember that the act to bring you together was 500 years in the making." genre: fluff word count: 1k author's notes: i wrote this because this particular line of spencer's is one of my absolute favorites! i think it's really beautiful how all of the people we love were meant to be in our lives since 500 years ago. and of course, as a fan of space & constellations, i had to insert it into this fic. enjoy <3

THE AIR HUNG HEAVY WITH THE AFTERMATH OF A PARTICULARLY BRUTAL CASE—TYPICAL FOR A DAY IN THE BAU. Dust specks danced in the pale slivers of moonlight filtering through the blinds. Hotch decided it'd be best to give the team a few hours to rest in the motel before heading back home. If it were up to you, you'd be back in your bed as soon as humanly possible, but rooming with the resident genius, Dr. Spencer Reid—the object of your unspoken affections—is an opportunity you wouldn't miss.

For months, the two of you have shared a silent dance of exchanged glances and shared interests. Your colleagues, particularly the girls whom you confided in, seemed to think it was mutual. Now, you sat across from each other on motel beds, a comfortable silence blanketing the room. You traced a thoughtful finger along the rim of your empty coffee cup.

"You have a constellation," he said softly, breaking the stillness.

Your gaze flicked to Spencer, then down to your arm where his hand had landed. A faint scattering of moles dotted the inside of your forearm, resembling a modicum of stars. A small smile tugged at your lips.

"Looks like Ursa Major," he mused, tracing the pattern with his finger. "Though perhaps a little worse for wear, and without the usual bright light, of course."

You chuckled, mirroring his action on your arm. There, nestled just below your elbow, was a crescent moon birthmark, a surprise you always enjoyed revealing.

"Here's another one," you offered.

He turned his hand, examining the crescent with a childlike curiosity. " It's beautiful," he said simply.

"Did you know," Spencer added softly, his voice barely a murmur, "that the ancient Greek saw Ursa Major as a bear?"

You tilted your head, surprised by the random fact. " A bear?"

A smile played on his lip. " Apparently, the constellation's asterism resembled the animal to them. Makes you wonder what they saw in the night sky that we don't."

"Well, my mom had a different take on that," you began, a fond memory surfacing. " She used to say my moon and stars meant I'd meet a space nerd someday who'd love these marks, and we'd be orbiting each other, kind of like the Earth and the sun. She was into soulmates, you see, and space."

The conversation flowed easily, a map of your bodies sketched through shared stories. You pointed to a jagged scar on your knee, the fading memory of you running around and ending up with a scrape on your knee. He, in turn, showed you the faint line on his palm, a souvenir from a particularly enthusiastic attempt at a science experiment as a child.

Your fingers trailed down the faint scar near his hairline, so faint one wouldn't notice it if they weren't looking at Spencer's face intently. "What's this from?" you asked gently.

Spencer chuckled. " You know, how I have really bad coordination?" He sighed. " I was lost in a book, I ran straight into a doorpost. My mom called me 'Crash' after that."

You squeezed his hand gently, a silent understanding passing between you. You knew how much Spencer cherished his mom, especially with her health declining. Sharing stories about her felt like a tender offering of his vulnerability.

He returned the gesture, his thumb tracing the faint outline of a mango-shaped birthmark on your back. " My mom swears it's from all the mangoes she craved while pregnant," you said with a laugh, remembering your childhood debates about the science behind birthmarks.

As the night wore on, your exploration became a conversation without words. You ended up curled up on one bed. You ran your fingers over the slight dip in his lower back, a lingering ache from a wrestling match between an unsub gone wrong. He skimmed his thumb across the freckle dusting your shoulder, a map of sun-drenched summer days.

There was no urgency, no pressure. Just a quiet appreciation for the way your bodies, like your minds, fit together, like puzzle pieces worn from being fitted together—entangled from experiences, both big and small. In the faint intimacy, you found a deeper connection, a comfort that transcended beyond just physical.

Suddenly, Spencer spoke, his voice soft. " Maybe your mom was right, you know."

"Right about what?" You murmured, head tilting at the man's question.

His gaze met yours, a thoughtful crease furrowing his brow. " About finding your soulmate," he said hesitantly. " There's an old Buddhist saying, I once read, that when you meet your soulmate, remember that the act to bring you together was 500 years in the making."

A thoughtful hum escaped your lips. " That's beautiful, Spencer," you whispered.

He continued, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, "Plato once wrote humans used to have four arms, four legs, and two faces, but Zeus split us in half as a punishment for our pride, and we were destined to walk the Earth searching for our other half."

A soft blush crept up your neck. You hadn't expected such a personal turn in the conversation.

"Plato," you murmured, surprised." The one who wasn't a big fan of the soulmate idea, right?"

Spencer's lips curved into a small smile.

"True," he admitted. "But even a brilliant mind like his couldn't deny the undeniable pull we sometimes feel towards certain people. Maybe the Greeks weren't so far off . Maybe the stars, the constellations, these little imperfections on our skin... Maybe they all tell us a story of where we belong."

His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. You found yourself captivated by the way the moonlight glinted in his eyes.

"So," you finally spoke, your voice barely a whisper, "are you saying we're destined to be wandering halves searching for the other?"

Spencer shook his head slowly, his gaze never leaving yours. "No," he said, his voice a smooth cadence. " Maybe... Maybe we already found each other."

The silence that followed was thick with unspoken sentiments. The air crackled with a tension that both terrified and exhilarated you. Your heart hammered against your ribs, a frantic drumbeat to the quiet reverberation of the night. Curled beside him, Spencer's arm draped casually across you, its weight a comforting presence, you drifted off to sleep.

A faint smile touched Spencer's lips as he listened to your soft snores. "Good night," he whispered into the darkness.