#that’s my interim captain right there

[watchyourbuck]

I don’t ever wanna hear anybody say that Firefighter Buckley doesn’t have leadership skills,,, that man single-handedly saved the entire 118 then went home and delivered a baby ???????

[bingebuddie]

Into The Unknown Part 2

It has been a busy few weeks for me. But I have been typing like my name is Jack Torrence...

Tease:

“This is Sargent Grant, Captain 118, respond.”  Athena’s voice comes over the radio.

“That’s you Hen.” Buck says.

Hen shakes her head, “I’m no use right now. My head, I can’t concentrate.”

“I know it hurts, but you have to, Hen.” Buck pleads. “I’m not… I’m not ready. I can’t do this by myself.”

Hen reaches out and takes Buck's hand, “You are, Buck. You can do this. I know you can. Show them what you’re made of Evan.”

Buck wipes his eyes and nods at Hen. He climbs back over on top of the ambulance, stands up, and looks over the scene. He wanted to be considered for interim Captain earlier this year, but not like this. He takes a deep breath, steadies himself, and then keys his radio, “This is acting Captain Evan Buckley-Diaz of the 118 here; good to hear your voice, Sergeant Grant.”

I also posted two one-shots recently.

In an effort to start to get past some of the awkwardness between them since the cemetery, Eddie invites Buck to the park with him and Christopher. A little basketball, some flirting, and an ill-timed visit from someone from the 118's past makes Buck's green start to show. Accidents happen, and Buck has some explaining to do.

The last year has been rough on the members of the 118, from almost losing one of their own to a lightning strike to a bridge collapsing from under them to a sinking cruise ship and everything in between. On the day of Maddie and Chimney's wedding, Eddie has a series of conversations and reminisces on these and the other events that took place leading them to this day.

[beanghostprincess]

Ya know there is so much in the Fandom and yet I have noticed a distinct lack of Buggy and Sanji content.

Not in a shipping way either but like. Buggy, the Flashiest Pirate In The East, would ABSOLUTELY go to the Baratie if only for the renown it has for its food. Also I bet he knew - or knew OF Zeff at the very least - when he was still a pirate. Buggy visiting the Baratie occasionally, sometimes in Normal Flashy Fashion, sometimes more toned down because he just needs a bit of a break. Zeff would absolutely take one look at this traumatized little hobgoblin of a pirate and go "oh wow. Someone get this bitch a meal. Bitches love meals"

Sanji, a wee tyke learning the ways of the kitchen, sees this absolute bozo who he, at first, assumes to be a second rate pirate. Zeff is better. Zeff tells all these stories about the Old Ways, the Pirate's Code, and Sanji thinks "this clown doesn't know the meaning of a code"

Then smth happens to completely change his tune. Maybe Buggy says or does something. Maybe Sanji overhears or sees smth. Maybe someone else kicks a fuss, and Buggy responds in the Right Ways. Who knows?

But Sanji is now intrigued. And Sanji is a kid, with lots of trauma sure, but a kid nonetheless. And Buggy Notices.

He gets forcibly assimilated into Sanji's found family. He never agreed to this. He never had a choice.

Sanji grows up with Zeff and uncle Buggy. He happens to leave with the Strawhats at the perfect time to do so - and he keeps avoiding Buggy via near misses, to the point Bugs is SEETHING playfully. How dare. Truly. All of his nephews are EVIL.

It comes to a head when, years later, with Emperors crowned, there is a series of wacky shenanigans which lead to Cross Guild and the Strawhats meeting face to face.

Sanji is flabbergasted by the realization that he now has step-uncles, one of which is the mosshead's mentor/father-figure. The other is the brutal ex dictator of Alabasta who later passed the captain's vibe check and might just be said captain's other father, there is no confirmation.

Buggy meanwhile is having twelve different attacks of a variety of nature bc he's due for his yearly fight to the death with his one nephew, and the other is here and within throttling range and - IS THAT A HICKEY!?!?!

Cue veeeerry awkward Meet The Family where Buggy and Usopp actually get along well while Sanji is debating his chances of kicking these men's asses and if it would dishonor Zoro's dreams if he threatened mihawk....

Both conversations boil down to "he's been through a lot, so be good to him or you'll be hearing from me, okay? Okay. Good."

Usopp actually is chill with this both bc "I would never" and also "even if he came for me, I could kick a clown's ass probably. If nit me, then Luffy. And if Luffy doesn't, then I will deserve it."

Crocodile and Mihawk are mildly amused but also curious - the clown? Having trauma? As if. They think of it initially as smth of a comparison. Severity of trauma is the highest rank. They think of Buggy's past as "his captain died, he broke up with his best friend, the end". They do not know of the interim details. The reasons that Shank and he both refuse to allow anyone below 14 at the bare minimum onto their crews. The reason Buggy was frothing when Shanks told him about Uta - after the fact. The reason Buggy only drinks certain brands of rum because some make him physically sick. The reason he can't sleep in pitch black darkness. The reason he sometimes simply Can't Sleep At All.

There's more to it, to everything, to all of it, than any one person knows.

Just. Back on topic but Buggy and Sanji. I just think they'd have the neatest dynamic.

You just chose two of my favorite characters and did THIS and I love it 😭 The funny thing is that it does make sense that Buggy had gone to the Baratie and met Sanji at some point... I've always thought mostly on Usopp/Buggy parallelisms but Sanji kind of relating to Buggy too because of feeling inferior to his family,,,, Besides I think the dynamic would be hilarious because okay, they get along, but I can imagine them growing closer and caring about each other but arguing all the time Sanji/Zeff style? So at first, everybody thinks he has something against Buggy because when they meet they won't stop yelling at each other but when they ask them about it, Sanji is like "??? Nah, he's something like my uncle don't- Don't think too hard about it". And I am also SO sure Sanji would know stuff about Shanks that Luffy doesn't because Buggy explained Sanji their childhoods,,, Going insane about this one, actually.

[outrunningthedark]

Literally don't care "what it all means", you know what my favorite thing about the upcoming Buck and Chris convo is? The tone. As much as we've talked about/hyped up the dinner scene from 6x01, I think we can admit (in hindsight) it was *mostly* for laughs, with Chris as the source. Why didn't Bobby think Buck was qualified to be interim Captain? Duh, Buck. You don't even have a couch. And what's that got to do with Buck's day job? "It's weird." Yes, it's a cute scene of all three and we can see it as the Buckley-Diaz family doing what they do, but contextually...not very personal, right? Not two adults working through an issue together while the child in the room is within earshot, ie the Kitchen Scene or Eddie reassuring Buck after the tsunami. That new thing? Whatever it is? Reminiscent of Eddie trusting Buck to get the truth out of Chris when he sneakily went to Buck's apartment in 4x08. It's Eddie's confiding in Buck, thinking it's best for *him* to be the one to talk to Chris. It's Eddie trusting Buck to say "the right thing" without his help, trusting Buck to know how to get Chris to open up. Does not matter one bit to me if people still want to argue about Buck's role in Chris's life. These are the moments that make them a real family. An unspoken one, maybe. But still a family.

[murdockbuckley]

i watched the 911 promo clip and here are my thoughts

captain hats - obviously one them becoming the interim captain

i know a lot of you on tumblr don't like the idea of it being buck but i think it could be him

hen will be settling in with the new child and that requires a lot from a person

chim is busy planning the wedding with maddie and literally every time a wedding has happened the person planning was not captain

it could be eddie but we've never really seen him want to be anything more than the role he has at the fire station currently

we saw how buck took charge in the bridge collapse and it's made him think his ready to actually be a captain but the cruise will make him realise he still hasn't properly dealt with his trauma and maybe he isn't actually ready for (or doesn't actually want) the captain's title

wedding ring - madney wedding

like i said chim is busy helping plan the wedding so maybe he won't actually be on call for the cruise

everyone he knows, all of his family, is working on it except him

it'll be a fun callback to season 2 after he got stabbed and called tommy(?, an old member of the 118 who transferred) in for extra help

this is how we get guest stars of previous characters (like lucy or tommy) that i mentioned in a previous post

the keys - buckley-diaz boys

this one is purely delusion okay

buddie having keys to each others houses is such a big thing to the fandom and if abc want to be great they definitely would've picked up on it

linking to the captains hat buck or eddie (or both) have panic attacks because of how much fucking trauma they have because of the water (the plane in s1, the tsunami, the well, the lightning strike - you could probably find something im every season) and they end up staying at eddie's together for awhile so they don't have to be alone

of course they both have their girlfriends (marisol and natalia) but they just don't understand this situation and the trauma they shared together and how bad it affected them

(alternatively the loft burns down and buck moves in with eddie, they share one set of keys)

also the anchor keychain?? buck and eddie are there for each other no matter what, they ground each other and have each others back

the watch - the time is right

i think the time on the watch is at 7:30 (obviously i could be wrong) and y'know what else had 7 and 3?? 3 minutes and 17 seconds

the number has been such a big part of tragic/traumatic storylines throughout the show i wouldn't be surprised if it was here now

timing is such a great them and goes perfectly with the already set up storylines for this season

madney wedding - there's no time like the present, lets gather everyone we love and have a wedding in a meaningful place (bathena backyard) and be happy together forever as soon as possible

baby wilson - they're finally ready to grow healthily, they've had a lot of things test their marriage (hen cheating, ivf, hen's kidnapping, karen losing her job, hen going to med school, karen almost dying in an explosion at her work) and now they can finally say they're at a place where they want to expand their family properly and permanently

buddie's girlfriends - the issue with their girlfriends had always been timing and when they meet, did marisol and natalia come at the right time? will they stay and be permanent for the boys? will they break up? will the break up still leave them as friends (i hope so)

bathena cruise - i don't need to say much. they thought they finally had time to relax and be themselves and be with each other. it seems the only way they're going to get that is retirement

some other fun stuff/thoughta:

you can see a helicopter light, could be lucy or tommy flying - we know they both can

the time duration on the call being 1:18 is great 10/10

the keys could also be about may? her being on college/uni, no longer being at dispatch, she wouldn't know what's going on other than through the updates on the news and anything she can get out of whoever is at the call/maddie (but then anyone at the cruise is highly unlikely to answer their calls/messages)

[brookheimer]

i honestly can’t believe (i sorta can but also don’t?) that gerri is leaving waystar royco. like she fought so so hard and kinda enjoyed being interim-CEO? was roman truly the last straw or are we missing something? i know this is her divorce revenge dress era but i believe gerri could survive so much more

no i feel you honestly — i mean, gerri was waystar royco and vice versa. it’s hard to imagine waystar without her or her without waystar. but i think that’s kinda the point in some ways. i mean, i’m not sure how permanent the decision to leave is going to be given this is the They’re Doing The Thing They Said They Weren’t Going To Do?! show but i wouldn’t be surprised or upset if it is final. i actually kind of like it, maybe. you are completely right that gerri could survive so much more, and honestly, i think that has been her mindset for years — i can survive this, i can survive far worse than this. that’s a big part of why she’s stayed even during these horrific past few months, i think: she knows she can deal, she knows she can weather it, she knows she can survive it. but… just because you can survive something doesn’t mean you have to.

i think that’s what roman’s firing shifted for gerri — it wasn’t that this particular action of his was beyond the pale and she just couldn’t deal with it any longer, but that gerri was suddenly faced with a waystar-less future for the first time in decades and she realized…. holy fuck, why AM i still here? why DO i put up with this? am i staying just to prove that i’m capable of staying, and if so, how does that benefit me at all? is it a sunk cost fallacy thing, and if so, isn’t it called a fallacy for a reason? what am i actually getting out of this? how does this serve my interests?

at least that’s my read — it’s not just that the firing was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but also served as a lightbulb moment that made gerri realize that just because she CAN weather it doesn’t mean she SHOULD. it was a reality check on a multitude of fronts — if after all this time she still held out some hope for a business partnership with roman, for the potential she knows was there to unearth itself once more, then the firing functioned as a rude awakening, making her realize what logan did long ago: these are not serious people. and even more importantly, it forced her to think about a life outside of waystar, something i assume she genuinely has not thought about in… i don’t even know, 30 years? waystar was an immovable aspect of her identity until suddenly it wasn’t, and being forced to look out into a waystar-less future made her realize “wait, why the fuck AM i putting up with this?” logan is gone. the company is spiraling downwards. it’s crisis after crisis. no one respects or listens to her. waystar is headed towards fascism and ruin and humiliation. meanwhile…. she could make millions upon millions, do whatever the fuck she wanted (if she wanted to keep working, she could get hired quite literally anywhere with her record), control her own narrative and go out with a bang, and on top of all that, not be tied to a sinking ship steered by a captain who psychosexually loves/hates/misses/avoids her and makes her life hell. she realized roman would never be the person she wanted him to be, but even more than that, why did it matter to her in the first place? everything that kept her at waystar is going going gone. she does not need waystar. waystar needs her.

so the question isn’t really “couldn’t she survive this?” in my opinion — it’s “why would she?” how does it serve her interests? and…. well, it doesn’t. staying at waystar after realizing that would be breaking the number one rule of being gerri kellman: only do what serves your interests. and now that waystar and her interests no longer align, what would she stay for, sentimentality? no. fuck that. she’s going to buy an island and become ceo of some other news conglomerate and drink her martinis in fucking peace because gerri does what’s best for her and god knows that isn’t waystar anymore — and, frankly, it hasn’t been for a long time. she was just so busy surviving, so GOOD at surviving, that maybe she forgot she didn’t need to.

[capseycartwright]

tell me all of the things that make you feel at ease

Ease. The absence of difficulty or effort.

Buck wasn't sure if he'd ever experienced true ease, in his life - and maybe he should have realised, when he had to turn to Eddie to explain what it meant to feel at ease, but Buck was known for being sort of oblivious.

ao3 link

Ease. The absence of difficulty or effort. That’s how it was defined on the internet, at least – Buck knew because he had looked it up, after his conversation with Bobby. It’s not like it was the word itself he was unfamiliar with – no, it was the feeling that Buck didn’t recognise. Ease – it felt like it should be something so easy, and so familiar, and yet Buck wasn’t sure if he had ever experienced the feeling. He certainly never felt at ease in the Buckley household growing up, their suburban home haunted by ghosts that Buck had only recently learned of the existence of, and ease hadn’t come after that either, as happy as he was in Los Angeles.

Ease.

Buck felt absolutely plagued by the word.

He knew Bobby was right.

Buck was a lot of things, but he was aware of his own failings – or, really, he was aware of what he lacked, and he knew at barely 30 – because could you claim an age when you’d only worn the numbers as a badge for two and a half months, now? – he still had a lot left to learn, and he was fine with that. He supposed, really, it wasn’t even about being interim captain at all, if he was willing to dig deep into the depths of why he felt so completely and utterly rocked by Bobby’s decision to make Lucy interim captain over him. It was more that Buck’s job felt like the only good, consistent thing in his life, amongst the wreckage of his failed relationships, and if he wasn’t succeeding at his job – was he succeeding at anything?

It had definitely sent him spiralling. Buck could admit that.

Ease.

He didn’t know what that meant to him, honestly.

“You’ve been quiet tonight.”

Eddie’s words roused Buck from his stupor, Buck suddenly aware that he had been staring out the window, scrubbing the same clean plate over, and over, for the last ten minutes. It wasn’t behaviour Eddie was going to let him wave away, he knew, and so Buck shrugged.

“I’m just thinking.”

Eddie fixed him with a curious look. Eddie did that, a lot – fixed him with the kind of stare that made Buck feel as though his best friend could read his every thought. “Are you still upset that Bobby didn’t pick you to be interim captain?” the ask wasn’t accusatory, or condescending – it was a genuine question. Buck appreciated that about Eddie, he never made Buck feel silly for the fact he sometimes did tend to overreact to things.

(“You’re allowed to have big emotions,” Eddie grinned, ever the father, repeating a speech that Buck had heard him give Christopher before: encouraging his son to feel his big emotions and overwhelming feelings and talk about them, too. Eddie was a great dad.)

Buck sighed, setting the dish on the counter, using the dish towel he’d tossed aside earlier to dry off his hands. He’d ripped the rubber gloves Eddie kept in his house for Buck’s sake, and his hands felt grim, and dry, the dish soap sucking all the moisture out of his skin. He hated doing dishes – but Eddie had cooked, and Buck was nothing if not an egalitarian when it came to their friendship: if Eddie cooked, Buck cleaned.

“I’m not upset about that,” Buck said, shaking his head when Eddie raised an eyebrow in response. “No, really – I’m not. I was, I’m not pretending that I wasn’t upset, because I was, but it’s not – it’s not that,” he paused. He could tell Eddie this. Right? Of course he could, because Eddie was his best friend, and he told Eddie everything, and maybe a problem shared was a problem halved, and all that. “Bobby said something to me the other day, and it’s been playing on my mind.”

Eddie’s brow furrowed, the expression unfamiliar these days, given the way Eddie tended to be so much happier, these days. He – Eddie looked good, these days. He’d put a lot of work in, over the months, and he looked better – happier, healthier, his face filled out again, the thinness brought about by months of depression and anxiety replaced with bright eyes and flushed cheeks and a healthier, happier version of his best friend. Buck knew it wasn’t easy to put the work in the way that Eddie had done, and it made Buck all the prouder.

“What did he say?”

“In AA, there’s this idea that you take inventory of your life, admit your shortcomings – in the hopes that one day, you can look the world straight in the eye, and be alone at perfect peace, and ease,” Buck quipped. He’d thought about it so much, since he and Bobby had spoken, that the words felt like they were directly imprinted on his brain.

Eddie was quiet, for a second. “That makes sense, right?” he questioned, leaning against the kitchen counter. He was wearing a flannel shirt Buck didn’t recognise, the sleeves rolled to the elbow, Eddie’s sweatpants a few inches too long and dragging on the ground. It was a comfortable outfit, and that in itself wasn’t ground-breaking, but the fact Eddie was happy to wear it was. It was something Buck had realised, early on in his friendship with Eddie – he didn’t like to appear vulnerable to people, even through something as simple as wearing some slouchy clothes, and it meant a lot that he trusted Buck enough to be entirely comfortable.

Buck huffed out a breath. “I don’t know.”

read the rest on ao3

[watchyourbuck]

I really wanted to NOT analyze this scene bc it’s been done so many times but I’m a public menace, so

Buck and Eddie and Chris are at Buck’s loft, after a mission and a less than pleasant conversation w Bobby, and here are my thoughts:

We see Buck (who’s upset), cooking for Chris and Eddie, when — in the whole arc —, we never see him cook for Taylor (or Ali, or really, anyone else but the 118).

Recently therapied™️ Eddie doesn’t give a flying fuck about being interim captain, but has enough eyes to see Buck does. His voice softens, and he gives him foot to discuss his own feelings without hiding them bc Eddie doesn’t share them. (Bonus points bc he makes the same face he made after the lawsuit, in THE Kitchen Scene, when he tells Buck ‘not to beat himself up about it.’).

“Lucy is great– whatever-,” Buck says absentmindedly, and we get a glimpse of Eddie’s smug little face. It kind of implies he knows about the kiss, but opts to say nothing. He did, in fact, cheat on Taylor (and Chris is in the room). But the grin falls a little. Maybe he’s not so nonchalant about it, after all. Or maybe, he knows they (she and Buck) never stood a chance. He looks – relieved, almost.

Eddie feels comfortable enough to keep actually playing with his kid. Enough to win, actually. He doesn’t feel that comfortable at his parent’s house (5x17).

Buck keeps talking about this, and even if he acts like he doesn’t care (and Eddie has dealt with that sarcastic-coping-mechanism-tone Buck does one too many times), he’s visibly angry, so Eddie changes the subject. “What are you offering?”

“Right now? Bobby’s famous lasagna.” Okay, this doesn’t scream ‘I’m cooking you my family recipes’ to anyone else?

Then we have The Diaz’ compliments, which not only sound genuine, but make Buck grin. Like he did something right. Besides, it took him ‘three tries to get it right.’ Interesting, when other in the show has Buck not given up immediately after something doesn’t go his way? Surely, this had to be something he was very keen on achieving, cuz he barely cooks for himself.

Chris’ little ‘you don’t even have a couch’ is very funny to me. Because he’s a kid and he’s joking, or being smart. But Chris isn’t my focus here, it’s Eddie’s reaction. We do know kids absorb what their parents feel and say, right? Eddie laughs, so he must think alike. He looks almost drunk — all flushed cheeks, big smile, squinted eyes.

“My last two couches came with girlfriends” and the IMMEDIATE correction Eddie makes. We know Buck is at his most comfortable with the Diaz boys, so we know he’s not putting on a show. What he says – he means. Of the heart speaks the mouth. That’s how he feels about his past relationships, not the correction Eddie makes. (And if you may let me be annoying here, it’s kinda interesting, the correction. It sounds almost – hopeful. Eddie knows it’s supposed to be the way he corrects him to be, but in a way, he corrects him just to guarantee himself that that’s not what Buck meant ((and it’s not.)).

The way that Buck stops, stares and then plunges down on the chair. ‘Right,’ he thinks, ‘the girlfriends came with couches.’ Again, NOT his initial thought. He hides behind a grin.

Eddie is not careful mentioning Taylor. Buck isn’t heartbroken. He even mentions her in Chris’ presence, and we know by history they’ve always been careful. (If you ask me, that’s the reason they didn’t hook up after the ‘you wanna go for the title?’ scene).

“Maybe I don’t wanna pick the wrong couch again.” Please stay here for a second. In all objectivity we’re talking about furniture…, right? This is a three-street conversation, because Chris added himself to it, yet Buck won’t look at him. He looks at Eddie, very intently. As if… as if he’s saying something different with his words. Huh, whatever could he mean? (Faint whispers of: ‘your couch, you, I wanna pick you, I wanna pick you, pick me, too.’) And then Eddie, who is Oblivious Firefighter of the Year (awarded) brings the conversation down again to the actual topic, and Buck deflates, like his balloon has been popped. His eyes literally stop glimmering.

So, is this a conversation two best friends who are comfortable in that title would have?

[stagefoureddiediaz]

I’m so very interested in the fact that we seem to be getting a lawsuit arc 2.0 - because that sneak peak reads very much that Bobby didn’t learn the lessons from that arc. Because the lawsuit was t just about Buck being stupid and immature - it was also about the blurred lines of buck and Bobbys relationship- that buck looks up to bobby as a father figure as well as a captain.

Buck is very much someone who needs to feel included - to have things explained to him - or it will fester in his brain and lead buck into spirals - we’ve seen it with the lawsuit and now we’re seeing it here with the interim captain thing - it’s not about Lucy being asked to be interim captain in many ways - it’s about Bobbys dismissive attitude towards buck once it’s been revealed.

This is not to hate on Bobby (he’s my captain dad)- nor to woobyfy Buck - but simply to understand the complexity of character and their relationships. Because we have Buck who has always felt like he’s not good enough, especially when it comes to parental figures, who has been kept in the dark about things all his life - once again being kept in the dark about something - especially in the aftermath of being betrayed by Taylor and the feeling of being responsible for that betrayal because he let her into their lives and said she could be trusted. So buck would already be feeling like he has to prove himself again as a result (I honestly don’t think he’d seriously considered he’d be asked to be cap while Bobby is away until that video call with Lucy)

Then we have Bobby - who has been struggling himself - having to put extra effort into remaining sober and feeling responsible for the Jonah of it all in his own way. Seeing Bobby being less than understanding towards Buck in this scenario is very indicative of Bobbys own potential spiral - in the same way Buck is showing traits of old - falling into old thinking patterns, Bobby is too - that entire scene is eerily similar to scenes from the start of season 3 which suggests it will very likely get worse before it gets better because Bobby is in a place where he is unable to recognise that he is repeating a pattern of behaviour.

The difference this time is that Buck has Eddie standing in his corner - ready and able to support emotionally (yes he’s still going through his own stuff but he’s a world away from the Eddie of season 3 - he’s healing the right way this time and is far more emotionally available) and Bobby is in a much stronger place with Athena (their relationship is no longer fairly new) and will be removed from the equation for a period of time while he’s in Florida helping with Athena’s father.

It looks like it’s all set up very interestingly and I can’t wait to watch it unfold - we know they’ll come out of it having grown stronger than ever before!

[missmagooglie]

Ok, let's talk about the Couch Metaphor. Because on the surface, it's about romantic relationships, right? "My last two couches came with girlfriends"/"You mean your last two girlfriends came with couches".

But it's not just about Buck being single and wary of seeking a new relationship. Because when Bobby finally talks to Buck about the interim captain job, Buck's first question is "is this because I don't have a couch?" That's a discussion about Buck as a firefighter. It's about his career. His relationship status has no bearing on whether he is ready to take on additional responsibilities at work. But the couch isn't just about his love life, it's about finding a sense of fulfillment and contentment in his life overall. What the couch really represents is Buck's happiness. What he's looking for is something that will give him that sense of being able to look at his life and feel at ease the way that Bobby talked to him about.

If the couch was just about romance, there would have been no narrative reason for Margaret Buckley to insist on buying him a short lived replacement, or for Kameron to spectacularly ruin said replacement by giving birth on it. Those are two (three?) relationships in Buck's life that are decidedly not romantic, yet they are inarguably linked with the Couch Metaphor.

Buck is paralyzed by the idea of choosing a couch for himself. His insistence that he doesn't "want to pick the wrong couch again" belies the fact that he has never actually picked a couch before. Someone else picked his two previous couches for him. Just like Margaret did after the lightning strike, and just like he asked Natalia to do in the S6 finale.

The couch is not about Buck choosing the right partner for his happily ever after - which is why I honestly don't think him asking Natalia to go couch shopping with him at the end of S6 was the conclusion of the Couch Metaphor. He's found a girl, he likes her, but he is repeating past mistakes. He's asking her to help him pick a couch rather than having the self assurance to choose a couch that is right for him. He's still relying on other people to tell him what happiness looks like.

And to be honest, I think the show has pretty explicitly told us that the "right couch" has been there all along. Buck spent season six preoccupied with how other people define happiness, with what other people think he needs. From his self help book phase to Lev at the happiness convention to talking with Dr Salazar post-lightning strike, he's very explicitly looking for someone to just tell him the answer about what he should want and how he should feel and what he needs to do to get there.

There is one time this season that he outright rejects someone else's idea of what it is he needs, and that's when he flees his own apartment and the neverending train of well-wishers "just checking in" on Maddie's meticulously arranged schedule, and flees to a familiar blue couch where he is immediately comfortable and at ease. Because here's the thing; the canon Buddie of it all aside, Eddie and Christopher are Buck's family. They are the source of the happiness and ease that will allow Buck to feel that he is leading a fulfilling life. And reciprocally, Buck is the partner Eddie has been looking for so that he isn't moving through life alone.

But season six kind of ended in this place where neither of them is quite ready to see what they are to each other. They both think that there is something they've been missing, something they have to go seek out elsewhere. In some ways, I think they're both caught up in the notion that finding what they're looking for is supposed to be hard, that it's supposed to be some great journey that leads them to something new rather than just looking up at your best friend and gently realizing "Everything I want I already have with you".

And I know that starts to sound a bit like "Natalia isn't the right couch because Eddie is the right couch" like it's purely about a romantic relationship, but it truly and genuinely is more than that. Because Buck's couch metaphor is also about Buck accepting a horribly uncomfortable couch his mother picked out being a metaphor for her not knowing how to love him and grieve Daniel at the same time so she did both poorly, and Buck being willing to accept the little bit of love she managed to offer even if it was ill-fitting and abrasive. It's also a metaphor about how Buck's biological son was born on the Wrong Couch because he wasn't Buck's to keep, but Christopher fell asleep on the Right Couch in a perfect mirror of Buck because Buck's link to Chris through love is stronger than his link to Connor and Kameron's son through blood. And it's also just about Buck looking outward to find happiness and fulfillment instead of taking stock of what he already has. It's about him understanding that finding the kind of ease Bobby was talking about comes from acceptance and understanding rather than transformation. Buck doesn't need anything new to be happy, he needs to understand what he already has.

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

👀 martyn and/or rendog for the mcyt blaseball au?

Oh my god ok so time to divulge a secret. While I said there were three legs of this AU (Empires, Hermitcraft, and the Life Series) I just cannot get the Life Series branch to Totally work. I don't know why, I just have a much more difficult time assigning teams to the Life Series players than any other SMP. I think it’s probably got to do with how wildly different everyone’s story is in any given season and something to do with the fact that dying in a Life Series is just wildly different that dying in Empires or Hermitcraft and that difference just doesn’t transfer quite right to a Blaseball AU.

However the Life Series branch of this AU does exist, and it has basically just become a treebark AU at this point, so you're in luck. You're especially in luck because Martyn still exists in the Hermitcraft AU, so I'll give you them in both!

Let's start with Hermitcraft, because that's the simple one.

Ren Dog is a shortstop for the San Francisco Lovers with the Charm modifier. He spends his time off the field as the test dummy for Doc’s experiments or Martyn’s video games, making any given reporter fall in love with him, and watching a lot of Flormula 1.

The Charm modifier is one that allows players who have it to periodically charm their opponent into failing. In Ren’s case, this means getting the pitcher to throw an extra ball or two with a well timed smile or wink. All the lovers have it, but ladies (and gentlemen and others) get in line, because Ren is particularly good at it. Ren is also the captain of the Lovers- self appointed- because he thinks he’s good at that (he’s not but they let him have this).

Martyn isn’t a player in this universe (but it’s not off the table! It never is off the table to become a player, if the Hermits are looking to add anyone to season 10). He’s just a regular guy doing regular guy things. He and Ren are at the very least living together, I’ve not decided if they’re married. I don’t know why but something in my bones is telling me that Martyn is a video game dev for his day job.

Ren’s Assigned Garages Song: i’m in love with a blaseball player

Sorry I’m not giving Martyn one because he doesn’t play

Martyn Inthelittlewood is our Parker Macmillan in this AU because I am nothing if not consistent.

Martyn I started his career as a first baseman for the Alaskan Immortals during Pre-History. He was one of the best players in the League and made the Fans, some of whom are Watchers, because the metaphor is literally right there, lots of money due to his Profit modification, which increased idol payouts x10. Fans of teams that weren’t the Immortals got jealous and cursed him with Non-Proft, baring any Immortals fans from making money off of him, as well as Firewalker, which would curse any team he left with team wide instability. If the Immortals Watchers wanted to make money off of Martyn, they’d either have to leave the team that he was single-handedly bringing to every championship or risk his leaving the team killing the entire team.

The Watchers chose to risk it.

And then a lot more stuff happened to Martyn I that I’m not gonna get into, and I’m going to assume that you’re a Blaseball fan, anon, so you already know all this anyways. If you’re not, I’d absolutely be willing to explain but this post is already so long without it. Anyways, Martyn I gets trapped in the Vault for an undisclosed number of years and clones get made of him that don’t remember any of this.

We don’t know what happened with Parker II, so we don’t know what happened with Martyn II either. This will never fail to make me deeply deeply angry.

Martyn III is made the intern-interim commissioner of the newest era of Blaseball, the era in which Ren was a season 1 player.

Ren Dog was a first basemen for the LA Tacos while they were still the LA Tacos. He’s our Wyatt Mason in this AU, if you haven’t gathered. This also means he should be way worse of a player than I made him but I felt bad doing that. When the Grand Unslam happened and the world fractured around him, every member of the Tacos suddenly lost their names, the only identifier Blaseball players had at this point, and became Ren Dog. Martyn III guided the Fans (Watchers and Listeners alike cause why not) in restoring all the members of the team, except for Ren. Because that’s just not how this works. It never is.

Ren dissolved into static and became the Microphone, his own entity separate from the gods and management of Blaseball. He plays by his own rules and helps save the world from the guys in charge. Martyn III might not be a fan of the guys in charge, but he doesn’t understand the Microphone, and it scares him, and he doesn’t know why.

It should be known that while Blaseball was running I was a diehard for Parker/Wyatt, and so that heavily effects this whole thing. Specifically, a very important thing to me was that Wyatt/Ren was a normal person during pre-history when Parker I/Martyn I was playing Blaseball for the first time. The Boss (the Watchers) weren’t his biggest fan and maybe, just maybe, the Watchers pulled some strings to put Ren in the latest iteration of Blaseball so they don’t run the risk of him and Martyn III meeting each other and talking for too long. What happens to Ren in the Grand Unslam is just helping keep them apart even more.

However, what Ren is doing as the Microphone is bad for business. Very bad. So maybe they pull another few strings to send Ren very far away for, ideally, a very long time. And maybe they equally orchestrate some bad things happening to Martyn III and Martyn IIII so that they finally get the perfect puppet with Martyn IIIII.

But nothing ever works out the way they want. Because the game, the business, is falling apart at the seams. Because Martyn I is still in the Vault, dead set on getting out, and when Martyn IIIII finds out that he isn’t his own person? That he’s a clone of a man that’s still alive and still angry? That he’s missing memories most of his life because they were taken from him?

Yeah he doesn’t take it so well.

He finds himself asking the Microphone- Ren- for help. He doesn’t know why. But Ren can’t reach him where he is, so Martyn takes ahold of the Microphone himself, directs the new generation of Fans into taking down the old ones, the Watchers, who are now management and straight up ending the world. And he does take them down, but the world still ends, and inside that Black Hole, everting gets weird for Martyn.

It’s a side effect of taking up the Microphone- you don’t do that and not get weird.

Ren’s still not quite around, never really will be again, but now that Martyn’s taken up the Microphone, they can talk. And this Martyn is not the one that Ren knew and loved long before all of this, but he also kind of is? He used to be, even if he doesn’t remember it? But admittedly, Ren isn’t the Ren that Martyn knew either. They’ve both changed beyond belief, and maybe they can have something new together now. And maybe having something new means having it in the void at the end of the world but, well, at least they get to have it.

I care about them a lot in this AU they make me crazy.

Martyn’s Assigned Garages Song: firewalker with me

Literally what else did you expect

Ren’s Assigned Garages Song: ENCORE

I’ll be frank this one’s a bit of a cop out because Rain is a Garage and this is a Blaseball song but it wasn’t released under the Garages label. But look it’s just so good.

[scintillyyy]

oh season 6, we're in it now.

ih the dumb interim captain stuff is back. 10 years is a long time to be a firefighter and long enough to be a captain LOL. maybe things work different in la, but my husband has been a firefighter for 15 years total, probably close to 10 at his current department and the only reason he's making lieutenant on that seniority is because he got very close to full marks on his oral interview and written exam. and without that high of a score he wouldn't have been able to overcome that low of seniority at all.

i am fairly amused that they wrote off half of athena's family. only may and bobby matter!

aw maddie and chim are back together. i like them so yay.

i can't stress how stupid this interim captain stuff is. he's going on a vacation, not retiring. christ. have fun on your two week job.

ahaha, the sperm donor story <3

all these people coming to the firehouse on their days off. why would you ever subject yourself to work when you're not being paid to do so. there's one dude my husband used to work with who would just. not leave after his shift to avoid going home to his wife and kids because it kind of seemed like he did not like them. my husband made fun of him a lot. (and to be fair. he was definitely kind of trash but his wife was also admittedly a huge, frustrating mess. like. genuinely made constant incredibly dumb financial decisions no matter how often he took her through the finances and how they needed to cut back). anyways once my husband got asked why he was always in such a hurry to leave the firehouse as soon as his relief came and he was like. "um because i like my wife and kid and want to spend time with them????".

okay, sperm donor story. and ovulation thermometer. is a weird way to phrase it? i've never heard anyone call it that. it's usually called cycle monitoring or cycle tracking or ovulation tracking or tracking temps? and. temperature really only gives you data after the fact. it's not used to predict ovulation, just to confirm whether it occurred. what you usually do is an ovulation strip to measure if LH is increasing, which indicates the body is preparing to ovulate and then it's go time. now sometimes you can have multiple LH surges in a cycle before an egg is actually released, especially if you have a diagnosis like PCOS. since you need to have sex within the O-5 to O+1 range (ideally O-3, O-2, or O-1) to even have a chance at fertilization, you track the temperature to ensure you hit some of those days/you actually ovulated and have a chance that cycle. (since anovulatory cycles are a thing and can happen in 1-2 times a year even in a reproductively healthy adult). why does temperature tracking tell you that? because after ovulation, your basal body temperature (that is, the lowest natural body temperature in the day, usually taken right as you wake up in the morning) will rise about .5°-1°F higher for the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. you can confirm ovulation when you have at least 3 temperatures that are at least .2° higher than the highest of any of the 6 preceding temperature. when you chart it out in a graph you see a biphasic pattern that looks like this:

so once you have your confirmed ovulation day amd get your crosshairs on the chart, you can look back and know what days you hit to determine your chance of conception for the cycle. if conception was unsuccessful, then temps will go back down for the next follicular phase. once you have a confirmed ovulation day, you can also be pretty sure your period will come in the next 9-16 days (once you know your luteal phase length, this is highly individually consistent. mine was always 9-11 days, because i have a short luteal cycle. normal is usually 12-14 days. anyways if your cycle legnth varies each time, it's because the follicular phase will vary in length, not the luteal phase. the body can try and fail to release an egg for. a long, long ass time. but once you've actually ovulated, your period coming is inevitable and soon.)

anyways super long tangent. nobody says ovulation thermometer. they say BBT thermometer. taking it vaginally is most accurate. most people do oral. i bought myself a sweetass armpit armband that did all the work for me so i didn't have to wake up at 6am every day. and i guess to be fair to this guy, no matter how many times i educated my husband on this, he was always confused by the intricacies. bless.

ah the old fashioned pick and poke. the most dangerous, dumb thing they should never do.

aw hen and karen's meet cute is very neet cute.

hm. the hen surgeon thing. clearly making hen captain and unsure if how her life is changing is moving us back towards maybe hen won't become a doctor after all (which, fair. why give up a union job, retirement at 50, and a pension--which is an unmatched benefit). i'm just not sure about doing a 180 on her dreams after the whole "i can't let them be right about me, that i can't do this" thing.

and karen almost dying! between this and athena's dad and buck's death in a few episodes here this season is putting people through it. at least chim and maddie seem to finally be on the up and up after the past...5...seasons.

okay jee is not even 2 yet and "she's had breakfast and should be good until lunch"? doubt. doubt. they still recommend mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks at that age.

i do enjoy the toilet paper though. just let it go buck.

and more terrible cpr, classic.

not to be judgemental of their chim and maddie's parenting due to their housing situation because i am always sympathetic to the difficulty in finding a house in this day and age, but i'm not sure i would give the toddler an open concept room right next to the kitchen...like idk, they went with the fact they're constantly waking jee up and i would be more concerned about jee turning the stove on. or getting out the front door. but that's just me. anyways i feel like most parents in that situation either continue to room share or give their kid the available bedroom and bunk out in the living room so you don't run into any of that.

ah i see that's what they decided on. well, there you go.

wait are they gonna buy the murder house ? they're gonna buy the murder house aren't they.

do you know how fast the water in the engine is used? pretty fast lol.

this is the season of going through it. bobby's sponsor, now? jeez.

eddie chilling on his video games? love that for him. being a firefighter is the perfect job to have a video game habit actually. literally home for days.

aw, they bought the not murder house.

the episode i've been waiting for!

those selfish buckleys, helping their daughter's family buy a house and then complimenting it. and then they are shown to be loving grandparents and super supportive about buck being a sperm donor?? and defensive of him? so awful. (maybe they get weird about it idk).

also, mmm. albert was kind of a dick for bringing chim's dad without warning, but he does have a point in that. barring outright abuse and danger to the child, you do have to acknowledge that the child does have a right to a relationship with family regardless of your own complicated relationship with them and the intersection of those competing interests can be very painful and hard to navigate. and parents can be different as grandparents (not always, but can be).

and here we are!! buck on the ladder. there it is!! the lightning strike!! my god. eddie's face. climbing up the ladder. beautiful.

i'll end here. you know once i asked my husband about climbing the ladder and being harnessed it, since the older i get the more heights skeeve me out. and he was like "yea, we don't really use those lol" and i was like "oh why" and he's like "cause the only thing they're there for is so they can find your body."

[pastelavender88]

Sinboud- Chapter 1

Summary: We see what everyone has been up to since Chapter 24 of Right Person, Maybe Wrong Time.

Previous Series Masterlist

Series Masterlist

It’s been around 4 months since I told Eddie about my pregnancy and things have been going great. A house opened up near Alex and Christopher’s school and we were able to quickly purchase and move into it. Thank god for a recession and royalty checks. I’m around 5 months pregnant and now my stomach is a little hard to hide. So I’m always being petted by my boyfriend, kids, family, friends, and even strangers. It’s “amazing”. The morning sickness, which I never understood why they call it that if it’s all day, came and went. Now, I’m just around the house all-day complaining about swollen ankles, and a sore back. Don’t even get me started on my boobs, I mean if I lay on my back long enough I’m 100% sure they're gonna choke me out. Everyone has adjusted to living together and our routines have developed. Eddie is on morning duty. He has to wake up the kids, shower, wake the kids up again, start breakfast, make sure they're dressed properly and they brush their teeth, make them eat, then take them to school. Oh and of course my morning kiss, while I’m still half-asleep. I’m on afternoon and night duty. Which is pretty much making dinner, making sure they shower, and they head to bed on time. Ever since I told Eddie I was pregnant he’s been really concerned about my diet. He tries to make me eat “healthier” which means he’s tried to deny everyone in the house of snacks and sweets. Except now that he’s a firefighter again, he’s not always here. So I can eat my cravings of philly cheese steak sandwiches with Oreo Ice cream in peace. All and all, things have been great. 

Buck invited everyone over for dinner tonight so we were all huddled up in his dining room waiting for him to finish cooking. Buck was kind of just talking aloud when he directed a question towards Eddie. “So it doesn’t bother you?“ Eddie looked up from his game with Alex and Christopher confused. “That Bobby didn’t even consider either one of us for interim captain?”

“Not really. Just got back to the 118. Clearly it’s bothering you.” Eddie said.

“Listen, don’t get me wrong, I think Lucy is whatever.” Buck started.

“Understatement of the year but sure.” I said.

“Y/n, shh. She’s great but she’s out. You know, I think it’s weird that he’s struggling to pick a replacement when he has so many excellent options right under his nose.”

“Like you?” Eddie asked.

“Naw, I think he’s talking about Chim or Hen.” I replied.

“Haha. I’m serious. It’s like he’s choosing not to see them and everything they have to offer.”

“Time.” Eddie called in reference to the game him and the kids were playing. “Aw, y’all win next time.” He turned back to Buck. “What are you offering?”

“Right now, Bobby’s famous lasagna.”

“And his handsome face.” I said in a teasing manner.

“Yeah, that too.” Buck said, playing along with the joke. “This lasagna has 6 types of cheese and it’s cooked to perfection.” He grabbed the lasagna out of the oven and brought it over to the table. “Okay, very hot. Don’t use your hands.”

“Is it just my pregnancy or is that making anyone very hungry?” I asked,

“It does look good.” Eddie said.

“Smells really good, too.” Christopher confirmed.

“It only took me three tries to get it right.” Buck said.

“I’m not sure you get three tries on the job. At least not without a significant body count.”

“I just want to know what these other candidates have that apparently I don’t.” Buck questioned.

“Buck, you don’t even have a couch.” Christopher teased. Everyone besides Buck started to giggle at his remark.

“Seriously dad, it’s getting sad.” Alex added.

“What does that have to do with being fire captain?”

“Nothing…” Alex said.

“...It’s just plain weird.” Christopher said, finishing Alex’s statement. Everyone chuckled again.

“My last two couches came with girlfriends.”

“I think you mean your last two girlfriends came with couches. Taylor moved out, what, 4 months ago, Buck? You could have replaced the couch by now.” Eddie said.

“Uh, well, maybe I don’t want to pick the wrong couch again.” Buck replied.

“Maybe that’s how Bobby feels about interim captain.” Eddie said. 

“Listen Buck, I have no idea how this whole thing works or what the criteria is but I’m sure Bobby not choosing you doesn’t have anything to do with your performance as a firefighter or anything else. I mean look at everyone around you. They’re all extremely qualified. Just relax.”

“It’s easier said than done.” Buck said.

“You know what isn’t? Feeding us. Let’s eat.” Alex called out. 

“Fine, fine. Hold your horses.” We all ate dinner and made small talk here and there.

Eddie’s POV

Chimney was telling us about the situation between Maddie and him and when he turned to me for advice. “Oh don’t ask me. I once asked Shannon to sneak out of my house so Christopher couldn’t see her. Plus Y/n and I did that all the time.”

“You see? Compared to that, I’m as chivalrous as Sir Galahad.” Chimney said.

“Or as delusional as Don Quixote. I don’t understand. Isn’t this what you’ve been wanting? What the two of you been working towards?”

“It is, it just feels like I’m waiting for…something.”

“Well all those times Y/n and I were sneaking around. We both told ourselves it was to protect the kids or Buck. The truth is deep down we were just protecting ourselves.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Chim asked.

“You didn’t skip the morning after conversation, Chim. You delayed it.” Bobby replied.

“And you added a whole new complicated layer.” I said.

“I had a one-night stand with my ex. I don’t know what the rules are.” Chim explained.

“Maybe that’s what you need to find out.” Bobby said.

Buck’s POV

Alex was spending the night which she rarely does now due to the new house and the baby on the way.  I was getting dinner situated when Alex began to talk.

“Dad?”

“Yes, sweetheart?” I turned to face Alex.

“If I ask a question, do you promise you won’t get mad?” 

“What?  Why would I get mad at you for asking a question?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes adults don’t like when kids ask them questions. Can you just promise?”

“Of course, I promise. Wassup?”

“Do you still have feelings for my mom?” She looked down at the counter. 

“Uhh…” I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone. It’s just you seemed sad when I told you mom was pregnant and now with you not getting captain…”

“Hey, kiddo, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m okay.”

“I just don’t want you to be sad. I would come over more it’s just that I like Chris and Eddie. Not more than you, but still. Plus the baby, she’s growing more and more by the day.”

“She?”

“Well, we don’t know yet but I think it’s a girl. Chris thinks it’s a boy. If it is, I'm literally gonna gag.”

“Alex, just be happy for a little sibling.”

“I am. It’s just that I would prefer a girl.” I let out a chuckle. “Seriously, dad are you okay?”

“Alex, I’m okay. I don’t like you mom. At least not in that way. She’s with Eddie and they’re having a baby, and I’m getting used to being on my own. Well not alone, I’ve got you.” 

“You’ve still got mom to dad.” She wrapped her arms around me.

“Yeah, I got her too.” To be honest, I was still head over heels in love with Y/n but she’s with Eddie, and as his best-friend I needed to be happy for them. No matter how much it hurt me.

I’m back! How’s everyone? There’s a lot in store for this season but it will no doubt be shorter than the other book.

[outrunningthedark]

Buddie in 6A: The Recap

What it says on the tin: a recap of the Buddie scenes from each episode in 6A.  I previously made similar posts for 5A and 5B.  6x01 // Let the Games Begin For context: The season-opening disaster involved a blimp crashing into Cal-Am Bank Stadium, home of LA’s two football (soccer) teams. ��� Bobby radios Eddie to tell him "Buck is on his way up to help you evacuate the co-pilot.”

🌈 Buckley-Diaz lasagna night that starts with Buck’s disappointment over not being named interim captain and ends with a discussion about “couches”:

(Only took him three tries to get it right!)

Buck: I just want to know what these other candidates have that apparently I don’t.

Christopher: Buck, you don’t even have a couch.

Buck: So what does that have to do with being fire captain?

Christopher: It’s weird.

Buck: My last two couches came with girlfriends.

Eddie: I think you mean your last two girlfriends came with couches. Taylor moved out, what, four months ago, Buck?

🌈 The team responds to a call about an injured golfer. Wanting to prove himself worthy of the interim captain role, Buck “secures the perimeter” even though he wasn’t asked.

Eddie: *is done with him*

🌈 The 118 is called to a car dealership when a competition for a brand new car leaves contestants in poor health. When the owner of the dealership refuses to suspend the competition, Bobby tells Buck to get the “saws and jaws” to cut up the car.

Eddie: *is highly amused*

6x02 // Crash and Learn

🌈 Buck and Eddie observe an overworked Hen (juggling med school and interim captain duties) napping in the fire truck.

Buck: I feel like we should do something.

Eddie: *nods* Get her a pillow.

🌈 After being unable to save a man named Lev at a happiness convention, Eddie and Chim try to get Buck and Hen to go out with them for breakfast.

Per writer & director Juan Carlos Coto, the shared glance between Eddie and Chim prior to mentioning breakfast was Ryan and Kenny’s suggestion:

It was Ryan and Kenny’s idea to do that little look at the top of the scene. Made the whole thing work.

6x04 // Animal Instincts Note: This episode marks the beginning of an individual arc for Buck that, though not related to Buddie, should be mentioned because it may influence future scenes between them - Buck is visited by an old roommate he hasn’t spoken to in years (Connor) and his wife (Kameron), who are hoping that Buck will agree to be their sperm donor. Also important, as it will come into play later: Buck adopts the theory of “radical acceptance” (his phrase, not mine), which is supposed to mean that he will say yes to new possibilities in order to gain new life experiences and figure out what will make him happiest.

🌈 As the rest of the 118 loads an injured birdwatcher into the ambulance, Buck and Eddie (still gathering the supplies) watch as the man who made the 9-1-1 call tries to flirt with the birdwatcher’s sister…and is rejected:

Embarrassed, the man explains that he thought it was “his shot” at asking her out.

Buck: Well, I think maybe you have bad instincts.

Eddie: Better luck next time.

🌈 Eddie discovers that Christopher has been skipping Science Club to hang out at the park with friends and discusses it with Hen (who is supposed to be taking time off) and Chim.

Eddie: I notice you’ve been awfully quiet over there, Buck. Christopher hasn’t said anything to you about these little secrets, has he? Buck (not listening because he’s still pondering Connor and Kameron’s request): Uh, to me? No, no-no secrets here. Eddie: *is suspicious*

🌈 The 118 tends to a bicyclist and the drunk driver that hit him. While Chim is attempting to treat the unconscious driver inside the vehicle, the man suddenly awakens, panics, and speeds off. When everyone realizes Chim has been “kidnapped”, Buck jumps on the abandoned bike and goes after him.  Eddie: *is annoyed* 

“Buck! Where the hell are you going?!” Note: By the end of the episode, Buck agrees to donate his sperm so Connor and Kameron can fulfill their dream. (Putting “radical acceptance” to the test.) 6x05 // Home Invasion 🌈 The 118 saves a man named Vincent who lost consciousness while trying to insulate/soundproof his sister Marisol’s attic. The rescue involved tearing down the walls of Marisol’s recently-purchased home, so Buck and Eddie decide to recruit some (never before seen) friends to help patch up the damage.

Buck: We thought maybe you could use a hand with some repairs. Eddie: Yeah, we heard somebody really destroyed your house. 6x06 // Tomorrow  Setup: formerly known as “Henren Begins”, the 118 must save Karen and her coworkers after an explosion in their space lab. The present day is juxtaposed with scenes from Henren’s early days as a couple. Karen is led out of the building, but collapses and nearly dies because her heart is not pumping enough blood. She is brought back by her wife. At the hospital, Chim informs Athena and the 118 (minus Hen) that Karen made it out of surgery - minus her spleen. Buck questions whether Karen will be able to live without the organ. (Up to you whether you think it was another example of Himbo Buck or he was so anxious he needed verbal confirmation.) Eddie: *bows head and smiles to himself*

“She’s gonna be okay.” 6x07 // Cursed Note: This is the first episode since 6x04 where the sperm donor request is brought up. Buck has multiple failed attempts at “finishing the job” (a sign that he should not go through with it), but successfully completes the first round by the end of the hour.  Setup: The 118 responds to a series of calls where a fading Hollywood star (Felisa) finds herself in dangerous situations. The belief is that a bracelet she purchased for good luck has actually “cursed” her, but Eddie disagrees. 🌈 At the firehouse, the 118 plus Athena are sitting down for breakfast in anticipation of Hen’s return to work following Karen’s brush with death. Buck, however, is only drinking green juice because he thinks it will help his overall health when donating.  Eddie looked at Buck as he sat down with his green juice, but, well...

“How did the age of absolutely turn into alfalfa smoothies?” Bonus: Bobby: What’s with the, uh, green juice? *eyes land on Eddie* Eddie: *puts hand up* I don’t know.  🌈 (Following a call where Felisa was left unconscious)  Buck: So you still don’t think she’s cursed? Eddie. No, but I’m starting to think I am.  🌈 Buck looking on fondly as Eddie attempts to get into contact with Felisa to return her bracelet (that was left in the back of the ambulance) 🌈 Buck backs up Eddie’s stance re: the bracelet not actually causing Felisa’s troubles: “Listen, I’m-I’m starting to think maybe Eddie has a point here. The accident at the crystal shop...bracelet wasn’t even there.” Note: Buck quickly changes his mind about the bracelet after the 118 (excluding Hen, who found out in 6x04) learns of his plans to donate his sperm thanks to an unplanned conversation between Buck, Connor, and Kameron at the firehouse. 

6x08 // What’s Your Fantasy? 🌈 The firefam learns that Christopher has a crush on a classmate, but Eddie doesn’t know their name because “he’s not spilling, and I don’t feel like pushing.” Buck, predictably, has Opinions on the matter:

“Uh, isn’t he kinda young to start dating?” 🌈 Back in the truck, the conversation turns to first kisses. Eddie says they’ve “drifted off topic” because “Christopher isn’t kissing anyone.” Buck: *is not helping* Eddie: I know it's normal. I just didn't think Christopher was old enough yet. Bobby: Maybe the problem is it makes you feel old. Chimney: Wait till he starts shaving. Buck: Before you know it, someone's gonna be calling you Grandpa. Eddie: I don't know why I tell you guys anything. 🌈 (Still in the truck) Bobby spots a mysterious man falling from somewhere above, landing on the pavement. The 118 gets out to help the victim and inspect the premises.  Buck: There aren’t any tall buildings around here. Eddie: Right. Buck: And unless that song was based in truth, I don’t think it’s ever actually raining men. Eddie: *has no idea how to respond to that*

🌈 The Buddie moments this week concluded with these shots of the Buckley-Diazes in action.   6x09 // Red Flag 🌈 The opening call saw members of the 118 going door-to-door to try and find the owner of a severed hand. Buck and Eddie: *over it* 

[link to full set]

🌈 After all attempts are unsuccessful, the 118 catches a bystander running away with their cooler of ice. He and his friends are missing appendages thanks to a fireworks mishap. Buck says he’s “not it” to get out of chasing after the kid. Eddie is displeased. 🌈 A woman sleepwalks (really, sleepdrives) her way into the firehouse, causing an accident. The car does not belong to her. She is also naked.  Buck and Eddie try to be gentlemen about it, ofc.  🌈 Buck asks the woman if she always sleeps “in the nude.” Eddie reacts as you would expect. 🌈 The 118 is on the roof of the firehouse, talking and drinking hot chocolate because nobody can sleep. Buck: Who can sleep when there’s cars driving unannounced into the building? Eddie: Would you prefer an announcement? (Answer: Yes.) 🌈 gifsets one + two of Eddie and Buck on the roof, featuring Eddie handing Buck his cup of cocoa 🌈 Buck calls Chim, who’s already on the phone with Hen, because he has some news he wants to share. But before doing so, he decides to “grab Eddie” and add him to the conversation. The news is that Buck’s sperm donation has been successful, Connor and Kameron are finally pregnant.  Eddie doesn’t think this is news worth celebrating. He also removes himself from the conversation before Buck expresses how he feels about helping create a new life:

I'll try and take a nap. Chris is gonna be up in an hour. Hey, see you guys tomorrow. Hen: All right. See ya. Hey, Buck, you never said. How are you feeling about this... creation of new life? Buck: I mean, I'm-I'm happy. You know, I'm happy for them. I-I was worried that... what if it didn't work out, a-and me saying yes just ended up setting them up for more disappointment? Chimney: So, you're good? Buck: Yeah. Yeah, I-I think I am. In fact, I feel like I can finally go and get some sleep. 🌈 We say goodbye to Buddie in 6A with these shots of the guys getting a well-deserved rest. Note: the camera transitioned from Eddie to Buck as the scene unfolded.

Bonus: gifset one + two showing just how close they were in the finale. (Queen Brenna was back and she fed us well.) >>See ya in the spring (I hope)!<<

[baddygab-bi]

I watched this knowing that the writers thought this was the series finale when it was produced, and you can tell 100% that that’s the truth.

I have another post about this, but this is how the show wanted to go out. If there wasn’t a season 7, this would’ve been it. This is what they think of their characters, fans, storylines, etc.

I just… I don’t know. I thought the call was amazing, every bit of it, including Oliver’s accent slipping out. It had Buck take a captain position that he wanted all season, but yet there was no callback to that at all like him wanting to be interim captain never happened. Hen could’ve said “No, Buck, it’s you.” When he tells her that she’s Cap, because she knew she wasn’t okay. But they didn’t even do that.

Madney, Bathena, and HenRen were wrapped up exactly as I figured they’d be. A nice bow for each of them. They sent them off into the sunset with beautiful lives. They then set up Eddie and Buck into their own relationships with two episodes remaining that they didn’t think they’d have to nurture, and sent them on their way too.

They thought this was the finale season and this was what we got. Storyline upon storyline that didn’t actually make a difference. Buck literally died and what happened with him? He got a girlfriend out of it. That’s literally it. I repeat, they thought the show was ending this WHOLE season, and the season they wrote had Buck DIE, and nothing in his life changed. It was heading there, and then nothing. It fell flat. He had superpowers, played poker, and got a girlfriend. They could’ve done so much with the storylines they had already written, and actually make them solid and final if they thought this was it, instead they had wishy-washy conclusions and… I don’t know. It was just sloppy.

Plus, since they thought they were done, they thought they were over, they made sure to no homo right until the end. Going so far as to include 2 new relationships and that girl and her mom’s best friend in the finale. They said, “See, you can love your friend’s kid and it’s not gay!” Right until the end. This is what they thought of buddie shippers and now that there could be a season 7 (I’m not holding my breathe honestly, due to the strike, shortened season, change of network, this being a clear finale finale, I wouldn’t be surprised if ABC cancels it after all), we’re gonna go in knowing how the show sees anyone who shipped buddie.

[hoodie-buck]

the one where he didn't even have a couch

here’s my short drabble from tonight’s ep that i just whipped up on my phone <3

rated: g | words: 2k | read on ao3

With the bread in the oven, the lasagna almost ready, Buck began to mix the salad, busying himself while Chris and Eddie played another round of boggle.

He went on with their conversation, the one he couldn’t seem to get out of his head.

“So it doesn’t bother you that Bobby didn’t even consider one of us for interim captain?

Eddie shrugged his shoulders, not looking up from the game. “Not really. Just got back to the 118.”

Yea, Buck knew; not having Eddie by his side out on the field had been some of the most difficult months of his life.

Eddie looked up to him then, pointing then pen in his hand out toward him.

“Clearly it bothers you though.”

Well yea, it did. He just wasn’t quite sure why.

“Listen, Lucy is—whatever.” Buck didn’t really think much of anything of her to be completely honest; she hadn’t been around enough for him to get to know her.

“Look, the point is,” Buck paused again, getting distracted as Eddie smiled fondly down to Christopher. Those two could really melt his heart sometimes. Ok, it was all of the time, but Buck didn’t have time to dive into that at the moment.

“The point is, is that she’s gone, and it’s weird that Caps struggling to pick a replacement when he has so many other excellent options right under his nose.”

“Like you?” Eddie asked with a pointed look Bucks’ direction.

“It’s like he’s choosing not to see them, and everything they have to offer,” Buck said, adding some seasoning to the salad.

As Eddie and Chris finished their game, Eddie called time, telling Christopher that maybe he’d win next time. Giving Buck his full attention then, Eddie asked, “what’re you offering?”

Buck refrained from telling Eddie anything he wanted, placing his attention on their dinner instead of actually answering the man.

“Uh right now? Bobby’s famous lasagna with six layers of cheese, cooked to perfection.”

Grabbing the hot pads, Buck got the lasagna out and brought it to the table, two eager faces looking up to him. It was nights like these that were his favorites. He could pretend like the three of them were a family—a real one.

“It does look really good,” Eddie said, Chris adding, “smells really good too!”

“And it only took me three tries to get it right!”

He was proud of himself, ok?

“Not sure you get three tries on the job.”

At Eddie’s words, Buck paused. If that were the case, he would’ve lost his job altogether long ago.

“I just—I wanna know what these other candidates have that I apparently don’t.”

“Buck, you don’t even have a couch!” Chris hollered out, Eddie chuckling, the two of them fist bumping for it.

Buck’s eyes wandered over to the blank space of his living room where the couch used to be, the one he still hadn’t been able to replace.

“So, so what uh, what does that have to do with being fire captain?”

“It’s weird,” Chris said, Eddie sniggering once again.

Buck sighed, though he had to let out a chuckle himself. God did that kid get his sass from his dad.

“Well, my last two couches came with girlfriends.”

“I think you mean, your last two girlfriends came with couches”, Eddie noted a little smugly.

Buck squinted over to Eddie, though he couldn’t deny it, his best friend trying to level with him still.

“Taylor moved out, what, four months ago Buck? You could’ve replaced it by now.”

Four months, one week, and three days—not that he was counting. He just hated being alone…didn’t know how to be.

“Well maybe I-maybe I don’t wanna pick the wrong couch again.”

Eddie placed his hand out between them, studying Buck over for a moment.

“Buck, there’s plenty of couches to pick from.”

“Well what if, what if the couch I want is already taken, or-or doesn’t want me, you know um…doesn’t suit me?”

Eddie leveled with him. “Well maybe you’ve been looking for couches in the wrong places.”

They stared each other down then, brown holding blue, Christopher finally bringing them back.

“Dad, you should help Buck shop for a couch since he loves ours so much!”

“Uh—” Buck gave a nervous laugh, Eddie looking between the two of them.

“Yea, maybe I should. Whata you say Buckley?”

There weren’t any coherent words Buck could form, so instead, he shoved a large bite of lasagna into his mouth, nodding his head in answer. Eddie gave him that fond yet exasperated look, Buck grinning with his mouth closed.

It was because of this that Buck found himself with Eddie at the furniture stores a few days later, the two of them already on store number five.

“C’mon Buck, there’s gotta be at least one you’ve liked by now.”

There was; he just couldn’t have it.

“I dunno Eds, maybe this was a bad idea.”

He slumped onto one of the display couches, Eddie moving to sit next to him, angling his body so he was facing Buck, their knees brushing together.

“You wanna tell me what’s really going on in that big head of yours?”

Buck huffed out a laugh, though he couldn’t quite meet Eddie’s gaze.

“Remember when I first got my place, and then I had to lay on that damn couch for months?”

“Yea Buck, I remember.”

It had been a difficult time for the both of them, Buck only grateful that it had brought them closer in the end.

Eddie sighed as he turned more toward Buck, reaching a hand out before seeming to think better of it, dropping it into his own lap.

“Listen, no matter what couch you decide, I’ll still be your best friend. And besides, if it doesn’t work out, you can always get a new one.”

“What if I want my next couch to be my last?”

He watched as Eddie pulled in his lower lip, their phones going off signaling it was time for them to start their shift.

Buck was tired of couches coming and going. He wanted one that would stay, one that could become a permanent fixture in his life. He wanted a couch that would choose him, forever.

~

Instead of focusing on his couch—but not really his couch—issues, Buck put all of his efforts into showing Bobby he was worthy of being intern captain, trying to take the lead on scenes, as well as checking their stocks and supplies at work—it didn’t go over very well.

He found himself in the bay re-organizing the truck after Hen had rudely taken away his trusty clipboard when Bobby approached him.

“Uh hey Cap! S-sorry this is still such a mess. I’ll have it polished and reorganized within the hour.”

“I think it all looks great. I see you’ve been going the extra mile lately and I appreciate it.”

Buck tried not to preen under the praise. “Just uh, trying to show you what I got.”

“I already know what you’ve got Buck, but I’m not naming you interim captain.”

Oh.

“Hen has agreed to take on that role, ok?”

“Um no, yea, it’s Hen, she’ll make a great Captain.”

“And so will you, someday.”

It hurt that Bobby didn’t think he was ready, but it helped that Bobby believed he would be one day.

Bobby told Buck how he needed more life experience, and that he was already great at what he did.

Buck sighed, holding up his hand.

“Is this because I don’t have a couch?”

Bobby eyed him keenly. “Why don’t you have a couch?”

Another weighted sigh fell from Bucks lips as he moved to sit, looking up to Bobby.

“I-I—don’t know. I guess I’ve been having trouble picking one out. I think I’m afraid of making a mistake again.”

And he was. Every decision he seemed to make as of late always came back to smack him in the face. There were days he felt he couldn’t do anything right, that he really was just defective parts.

“Buck, is this really all about your couch?”

No? Yes? He was so confused.

“Listen,” Bobby started. “I’ve seen you make plenty of dumb decisions, but I’ve also seen you make some pretty smart ones, ones that even saved lives.”

Bobby was always the father Buck wished he could’ve had, the man not afraid to call him on his shit, but always there to love and support him even still.

Bobby placed his hand to Bucks shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. “Whatever couch you pick, just make sure it’s for you. The rest will follow.”

With another squeeze, Bobby left him to it, Buck getting back to work. Bobby’s words didn’t leave him through the rest of the shift, Buck going home to his empty and couch-less loft.

It was several hours later that he found himself outside of a door he’d become all to used too, Buck never knocking these days.

Eddie answered the door with a yawn, looking all too adorable in his sweats and old rumpled t-shirt, Buck just knowing he’d been having one of his ‘old-man’ naps on the couch.

“Buck? You lose your key or something?”

“My chair looked lonely and stupid in front of the tv,” Buck blurred out, Eddie raising a brow in question.

“I’m not following Buck, what does your chair have to do with anything?”

Buck shook his head, trying to gain some clarity.

“It’s-it’s my couch. I don’t wanna buy a new one Eds, not—not when I already have the best one in my life.”

Eddie turned to look at his couch, then back to Buck.

“So, you’re here to—sleep on my couch?”

What?

Buck sighed with frustration. “No, I’m here for you dumbass. You’re my couch!”

“Oohh”, Eddie said with a nod of his head. “So you want to sleep on me? Got it. Just needed to make sure we were talking about the same couch.”

Buck stood there with wide eyes, Eddie looking at him all too fondly.

“See, I knew my couch wasn’t that comfortable. Guess it was me you were always coming back for.”

“We’ll mostly Chris, but yea.”

Eddie shook his head with a roll of his eyes. “Would you get in here already?”

Buck didn’t need to be told twice, following his best friend in and to the couch, the two of them sitting right next to each other, pressed together from shoulder to thigh.

“You know, I’m really glad you didn’t buy a new couch, Buck.”

“Yea?” Buck asked with a raise of his eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Because,” Eddie said, leaning in close, brushing his thumb ever so softly across Bucks birthmark. “Then you’d just have to get rid of it when I ask you to move in.”

Buck watched as Eddie’s eyes looked over his lips, Buck sure he was doing the same to Eddie in turn. Their lips met in the middle, brushing together before they kissed tenderly, Eddie’s hand cupping Bucks face while Buck placed his around Eddie’s waist, tugging them closer together.

Unlike all of Bucks other couches, he knew this one like the back of his hand, Eddie slotting perfectly together with him. Eddie was worn and soft in all the right places, while being sturdy and supportive in others. He was the perfect couch, the last one Buck ever wanted in his life.

Eddie brought his lips up to Bucks ear, whispering softly. “You’re my couch too.”

Buck smiled right into Eddie, burying his face in the crook of Eddie’s neck. “You’re my favorite couch.”

Eddie snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

If they made out and fell asleep on the couch after, well, that was just fine with Buck, Christopher too. And when they eventually had to get a new couch, the three of them picked it out together, Buck reminding himself that it really was just a couch after all, and even if it wasn’t, he already had the best one, one that would never need to be replaced again. As far as couches went, Eddie made a pretty damn good one.

-tagging squad below, lmk if you wanna be added or removed <3-

tags: @buddiextarlos @fearlessdiaz @mansikkaomenabanaani @confetti-cupcake @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @swiftiebuckleyhan @loveyourownsmiilee @justsmilestuffhappens @prettyboyandthekid @honestlydarkprincess @corgiqueen14 @zainclaw @madneyandbuddie @djdangerlove @bifirefighters @mr-and-mr-diaz @blaidddrwg1982 @buddierights @crazyfangirlallert @imsupposedtobewritting @dickley-buddie @panicatthediaz @princessbb @jacksadventuresinwriting @prettyboybuckley @rogerzsteven @eddiediazisascorpio @daughterofbuddie @gayhoediaz