#they're both so. buck wild turn of events.

[kyonite]

fabian blanket dancing vs kristen ribbon dancing and falling down the tower. in this essay I will explain how they're two sides of the same weird gay coin,

[slasher-dasher]

I totally haven't been stalking your amazing works recently- hehe o-o | Anyway, I like to give out semi-specific asks so... a little sorry in advance if ya can't do this. BUT! What if the slashers had a S/O who was famous? Could be for a different reason for each slasher {singer/model/DJ/etc.}. Go buck wild with this! Do as many slashers as you want lol. But I'd LOVE to see either/both Myers and Brahms in this!

Slashers w/a Famous S/O

︶꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷♡꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦︶

Brahms Heelshire:

He is less than pleased that he has to share you with the world

And when he finds out it's because you're a famous model he's furious.

You're his. You shouldn't need to appear in public, especially not in front of "fans" or for "photoshoots"

This does make him realize he has some magazines with you on the front page though, and if you jokingly sign them make sure you put a heart on them to cheer him up

Let him help pick your outfit too! He does like to help you pick your outfits

Remind him that he's the only one who gets to see you with your clothes off (he's a visual learner) and suddenly he doesn't mind your job that much anymore

OG!Michael Myers:

Michael doesn't really care about your fame, he knows how to stay out of the spotlight so getting caught is not a concern for him

What does intrigue him is that you're a famous author, covering mostly mysteries and thrillers

Need to know if something you wrote is realistic? He's your guy, just let him know what you need and he'll do it

This does mean sometimes your plot points get the attention of the news, but they're pretty easy to dismiss, just make sure he's a bit more careful next time he's helping you "research"

He does help you in ways other than murder too, like word choice or general plot ideas. He's a very good listener, and has a way of coming up with twists you hadn't thought of

Local critics learn very quickly that your work is off-limits, unless they want to see The Shape at every turn

RZ!Michael Myers:

Again, doesn't really care that you're famous, but is surprised that you're famous because you're a singer

He'd heard you hum while doing chores or when you thought he wasn't around, but just thought that was something people did

He hears you practicing one day and decides to listen in to his own personal concert, clapping for you when you finish your set (dramatically bow or he'll just keep clapping)

Michael doesn't mind being seen in public, so he becomes your bodyguard when you have to do shows or go to events, and always makes sure his mask matches you. Just don't bring him on stage

Also doesn't mind the attention your fans give you, he knows you're coming back home with him, even if he has to throw some guys out of the venue to ensure it

Give him little mini-concerts at home and he'll join in, humming the tune with your singing if he knows it. He'll even spin you around a bit if the song calls for it

Bo + Vincent Sinclair:

Bo is not happy to hear that you're famous, but warms up to the idea once he learns you're a famous artist

Vincent is ecstatic to find out you're a famous artist, especially because he pulls inspiration from your work when the artblock hits

You can help restore Ambrose! But people will notice if you're missing, so make sure you make a couple trips to town a month to avoid suspicion

Both argue over which one is your muse (Bo doesn't know what this means, he just likes to argue with Vincent). The answer is neither, but you won't tell them that

Vincent makes room for you in his workshop, giving you room to work and letting both of you spend time together. You two give each other critiques and tips often, and its improved your crafts significantly

Bo happily hangs your work in the house so he has something to admire while you're out at art/craft shows. He would love to come with you to them, but someone has to stay and keep his brothers in line

[robert-de-niro-only-fans]

Take Me Home Tonight

Robert De Niro x Reader

Set in the early 70s in L.A., hardly any plot, mostly smut 🤗

TW: verrrrry smutty, some vulgar words

Word Count: 3.8k

The atmosphere at The Roxy tonight is really buzzing; people are pouring in to see the newest band, and everyone knows that bands have to roll through the clubs in Los Angeles before they'll make it big in the United States.

You had become good friends with some people that worked there, and the owners certainly didn't mind the extra help, especially since it was free. Though, you do get something out of it when you meet all the bands and celebrities and executives that come through here.

You helped greet people as they came in and passed out flyers for upcoming concerts. Sometimes you would help put up posters or get the bands set up on stage before events.

"(Y/N)! Get in here!" Your friend calls from across the room that an audience is beginning to pack into. You leave your stack of flyers on a table for people to take, and join your friends in the dressing rooms. "Hey! I know you like to meet the band, and they have a little bit of time," your friend says. He befriended you a few months ago, and you think he really has a crush on you. You don't have feelings for him, but you are nice to him because he gets you backstage all the time.

He puts an arm around your shoulders and pulls you through door of the dressing room. There are of course lots of girls hanging out back there trying to get with some famous guy, not that you were any different. The guys in the band are all sat around with their big hair and lots of eyeliner, surrounded bottles of alcohol, drugs, and girls. Some staff is hanging out back there, making sure things stay tame. There are also some people back there because they're kind of popular; a lot of up-and-coming artists, actors, and models networking with one another.

Your friend takes you around the room introducing you to anyone who will stop long enough to talk to you. Just a few people away, you see a very cute guy who you're hoping you'll be able to introduce yourself to. When the models you're talking to kind of start taking to each other, you take the chance to slip away and find your way over to that cutie.

Just as you're about to speak to him, you feel your friend's hand on your shoulder. You feel yourself cringing a bit on the inside, because you had really hoped to talk to the hot guy alone.

"Oh, (Y/N)!! This is Robert! Robert De Niro! He's an actor from New York!" your friend more or less shouts.

The guy, who is apparently named Robert, turns to face you, giving you a bright smile with a hint of smugness, "Hey, (Y/N), right? It's nice to meet you."

He holds out his hand for you to shake; you put your hand in his, which he gently squeezes.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, too," is all you can really get out as the man in front of you gently pulls your hand towards him and places a kiss on your knuckles. His eyes stay locked with yours the whole time. After a short pause, you pipe up, "So you're an actor? Theatre or film?"

"Eh, a little bit of both, but more films recently."

"Oooh, any movies I would've seen on the big screen?"

He lets out a little chuckle, clearly not a fan of bragging on himself, "Um, maybe. I was in Mean Streets a couple years ago."

"Oh yeah! I saw that. Were you the main character?"

"No, that was my friend, Harvey; I played his best friend, the guy who blows up the mailbox at the beginning."

"No way! No way that's you! You look totally different now. Your haircut is a lot better now!" You both have a laugh as Robert steps closer to you and slips arm arm around your waist. Your friend had been called over somewhere else.

"Say, that guy that was with you, he's not your boyfriend, is he?" Robert asks, a bit more confident than he had been here.

"Oh, no!! We're just friends, and he gets me into shows here," you rub your hand up and down a spot on Robert's side right above his hip before letting your hand drop back down next to you.

"Mmm, so he's not gonna be jealous if I hold onto you for the night?" Everyone in the room starts to shuffle out; the band is about to go on. However, Robert holds you firmly to your spot with his arm that was still on your waist. He even presses his fingers into you when you make a move like you're about to go with everyone else.

"Well, he does have a crush on me, but he knows I don't like him back-"

"(Y/N)! You guys coming? Show starts in 5!" Speak of the Devil. Your friend calls to you, urging you to leave the dressing room and go with him.

"I'll be out soon! I'm just gonna talk to Robert a few more minutes," you say, just to get your friend off your back.

"Alright," he yells out before leaving the room and shutting the door. You and Robert are alone now, and Robert immediately takes advantage of this bybeing much more handsy than he had been before. He pulls you into him and puts a hand on the side of your face, his fingertips tangled up in your hair a bit.

"Woah! What's the rush?" you ask, putring your hands on his chest in an effort to slow him down.

"You said you were only gonna stay a few more minutes," Robert leans in and begins to whisper in your ear, "I just wanna make the most of it, and I certainly wouldn't want to make a liar out of you."

You don't say anything; in fact, you're trying really hard not to lose your cool, because that was kind of hot. You move your hands away from his chest, one landing in his side and the other on the side of his neck, mirroring his hand.

As you lean in and let your chest rest against his, he takes that as a sign and pulls you towards him with the hand tangled in your hair and begins kissing you, gently for just a second but then much more passionately.

You don't know what else to do besides surrender your mouth to him. By now the band was playing very loudly from the main stage, and you felt secluded in your own little world with Robert. He pulls away from the kiss, and gently graces his fingertips over your neck, perhaps testing the waters for if you might be into that kind of thing.

You decide to make a move on him, showing him that you can take charge as well. Your lips latch on to his neck letting your tongue and lips work on him. He leans his head back, letting out a low moan and giving you more access to the skin there. He lets out a small gasp when your teeth nip at him. You can only imagine him blushing over letting out that little gasp, how cute that would look on him.

He puts his hand on the back of your head, urging you to keep going, pressing your face into him. You work your way up to the shell of his ear, and when he lets out a needy moan, you kiss him gently on the earlobe and let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?" he breathes out.

You pull away to get a good look at him. "Nothing," you say, observing the pink flush on his cheeks and neck and the lust blown look in his eyes, "you're just cute. That's all." You step back from him and turn to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" He says, shifting awkwardly.

"Aren't you here for a concert? And I thought you said you didn't wanna make a liar out of me... It's been more than a few minutes." You turn back to him, but at a distance now. You're able to really take in his figure, not to mention the bulge that had formed at the front of his pants.

Robert rushes over to go with you, slipping his hand into yours as you lead the way out into the concert crowd.

The concert is wild; the band really has the crowd raring to party. Robert never strays far from you, keeping his hand in yours or his arms around you while you dance for him. The place is packed, so it gives you a reason to stay extra close to him. You make a point of rubbing up against him often, and he responds by squeezing your hips or nuzzling into your neck leaving quick little kisses.

The evening turns into a bit of a teasing game, as you dance against Robert, and he showers you in affection.

• • •

After the concert, you head back into the dressing room like you normally would, but this time with Robert in tow. He whispers in your ear, "Why don't we just head out of this place, baby? You know I can't wait to get you alone."

"This is what I normally do after the shows, I don't want my friends to think I've ditched them for a guy," you giggle, "and besides, it would be rude to leave without congratulating the band."

"Mmmm..." he whines, "I guess I'm not the one with a reputation to uphold here in LA." You both chuckle as you head back into the dressing rooms.

As an unspoken compromise to Robert, you make it quick saying goodnight to the band. In a matter of a few minutes, you're out on the street hailing a taxi.

"Where ya headed?" the taxi driver asks as Robert pulls you into the backseat. He gives the name of his hotel; you hadn't really discussed where you were going, just that you needed to go somewhere.

The taxi starts rolling, and immediately, Robert's lips are on yours. He wastes no time getting to business, as he grabs your legs and pulls you over to straddle his lap. You felt a little embarrassed about the taxi driver watching, but you kept going anyway. You run your hand over Robert's chest and through his hair as you makeout fiercely. The man beneath you wraps his arms around you, so he can press your chest into his.

The way his tongue explored your mouth... You had never experienced anything like it. He was very good at what he was doing. You let out a moan against his mouth, and you feel his hips move underneath you. He gets a grip on your hair with one hand and puts the other one your hip, pushing you down as he bucks his hips up into you. You let out a loud gasp as you feel his hardness against you.

You cradle your head in the crook of his neck trying to catch your breath as you rub his chest with your hands. "Robert?" It's almost a whisper because you're so close to his ear.

"Hmm?" he questions, clearly worked up.

"Maybe we should slow down a bit, I'd hate for this to reach an end before we even get out the taxi."

"Yeah... You're right," he says through a breathy chuckle. He rubs your head lightly, enjoying you cuddling into him. There's a bit of a lull in conversation and in action. "You know, I think you're really beautiful. I should've told you that earlier."

For the first time that night, you see Robert's sweet, vulnerable side. You can tell that he likes hooking up with girls, but that he likes to hook up with girls that he actually likes, not just anyone random. He cups your cheek in his hand, once again, and strokes his thumb over your chin and lightly presses on your bottom lip. You lightly take the tip of his thumb in your mouth, sucking on it. Robert makes a small noise and pulls his thumb from your mouth, then he gently brings you in for a kiss, much slower and more sensual this time. Between kisses, you stare into each other's eyes with nervous smiles; somehow this seems more intimate than what you had been doing before.

Amidst your comfortable silence, the taxi stops at Robert's hotel. Naturally, he invites you up to his room. He quickly pays the driver and takes you by the hand into the hotel.

Upon reaching his room, he opens the door for you, but before you can go too far, he grabs you by the arm and pins you against the wall with his body. His hand finds your cheek again, and he kisses you gently. As your kissing intensifies, his hand slides down to your neck, giving a gentle squeeze. When you let out a little whimper, he can't help but be a little proud of himself. He likes the idea of you making noises because of him.

His lips move down and find your neck, returning the favor from earlier. When you start letting out little gasps and moans, Robert continues his onslaught by leaving little love bites and sucking on the skin there. You put your fingers in his hair, tugging on it whenever you ball your hand into a first. You seem to both be hitting all the right buttons on the other person.

By this point, the man in front of you is majorly turned on again, and he lets you know this but pressing his hips against yours, letting you feel how hard he is for you. You can tell he is desperate for a little attention, so you slide a have around to the front of his pants, applying some extra pressure where it was needed. He rests his head on your shoulder and groans somewhat loudly, as he rocks his hips into your open palm.

"(Y/N)..." he nearly whines for you, "I want you. I want you so bad." He places some kisses over the small bruises forming on your neck.

You get right next to his ear to whisper, "Then take me..."

With that, he wraps your legs around his waist and carries you the short distance to the bed. He lays you down and within a second is on top of you, kissing you again and again.

You begin unbottuning his shirt, and he quickly pulls it off and throws it on the floor. Your hands travel down to his pants and unlatch his belt, while he starts giving attention to your shoulders and collarbone. As you get his zipper down, he says, "Thank you, honey, those were starting to get uncomfortable," after a short pause for more kissing, he asks, "You look very cute in this dress, but would you mind if I took it off?"

"No, I wouldn't mind, sweet boy," you answer as Robert lays his head on your chest, looking up at you with those pretty eyes.

He stands up beside the bed, and you certainly don't mind the view of him shirtless with his pants undone and his hard length outlined in his underwear.

You turn over and lay on your tummy, giving Robert access to the zipper on the back of your dress. As he unzips it, he leaves a trail of kisses down your back. You get on your hands and knees to let the dress slide off your arms, as Robert slides it over your hips and butt. He kneads one of your cheeks for a moment before you turn over and he slides your dress down your legs and drops it on the floor.

"Mmm, you've got a cute butt," he says. You lean up and pull his pants off, before he crawls back onto the bed. He lies next to you running a hand over your thighs, testing the waters before going further. When he leans in to kiss you, you feel his hand gently start to rub circles on your clit over your panties. You reach over and palm him roughly through his underwear as you continue to make out.

Robert moves your panties to the side and slides a finger into you, which earns a loud moan from you. You start to lose your composure as he curls that finger, hitting a sensitive spot inside you. He continues to massage your clit with his thumb, as he adds fingers to stretch you properly.

"You have such a lovely blush, especially when you're this turned on," he whispers to you. As you start to writhe around, your body practically begging for him, he decides he can't wait any longer. He removes his fingers and gets on top of you, hands working at the back of your bra while he kisses you. Once the article of clothing is gone, he cups at your breasts, squeezing lightly and teasing your nipples. He places a few nips and sucks across your exposed chest before moving down and grabbing at your panties. He gets on his knees at the foot of the bed and slides then down your legs before tossing the cloth aside.

He stays there, looking down at you, while he rubs a hand on one of your legs. "You're so beautiful," he says so quietly.

"You're just saying that because I have my clothes off," you giggle while sitting up in front of him.

"No! I told you earlier in the car you were beautiful! You're just... pretty, gorgeous, sexy, all of it."

You blush a little at the sweet man, before telling him, "Stand up."

He does as he's told by backing off the bed and standing on the floor. You sit on the edge of the bed in front of him, and tease at the hem of his boxer briefs with your fingertips. You look up at him and slowly pull the fabric down off of his hips. His hard length finally freed, you gently take it in your hands and start stroking him up and down. He immediately relaxes into your touch, moaning lightly at the feeling of it.

You lean towards him and press your lips to the side of his cock, working your way up to the tip. Still stroking him between kisses, a ball of precum starts to form, so you spread it around the with your thumb, earning a loud moan from Robert as he bucks his hips. You start placing sloppy kisses on the head of his penis, before you open your mouth, taking a bit of his length. His hand quickly finds your hair, tugging at it as you please him with your tongue.

Suddenly, he tugs your hair, which pulls you off of his length. He looks at you with pleading eyes, and says, "I want you, (Y/N). Now."

"Oh, well yes sir!" You joke and crawl back in the bed. He lays down between your legs, his cock teasing at your entrance. Robert being the romantic that he is, just couldn't help but kiss you some more before doing anything else.

While he kisses you, he gently starts pushing into you, using a hand to guide it. His hips rock back and forth in tiny motions as he slowly works his way deeper inside you. You're both moaning furiously against each other's lips, finally feeling what you'd wanted all evening.

You hook your legs on his hips, and his actions become bigger as he gains better access to you. As he's making love to you, he never stops looking into your eyes, and he always has a hand cradling your head in some way, whether it's behind you head in your hair, stroking your cheek with his knuckles, or stroking your lips with his thumb.

Feeling him push in and out of you while he showers you in his affection really has you on cloud nine. He's an incredible lover, and he feels amazing.

As he shifts his legs slightly to find a different angle inside you, he hits that sweet spot that makes any girl go crazy. He picks up his pace hitting that spot over and over and snakes a hand down to play with your clit. In no time, you're a mess; you don't even think you could form a word if your life depended on it.

You start to become a bit noisy as Robert leads you towards your climax. He really enjoys the sound you're making: your moans and whines and even a little bit of yelling.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so good," he says in a breathy voice, "you gonna cum for me?"

You simply furrow your eyebrows and nod excitedly. His fingers teasing the same spot relentlessly combined with the feeling of his hard length rubbing over that sensitive area inside you, it sends you over the edge. Your hips start bucking and a string of sounds comes out of your mouth as you reach your orgasm.

Robert starts to grunt and moan as you tighten around him. His hand move up to your hair, and he changes position a little bit to be closer to you. You could tell he was close.

He wraps a hand around the back of one of your thighs pushing it up towards you chest, getting a deeper position. He buries his head in the crook of your neck, as he fucks into you quickly. A few seconds later, he gasps and presses his lips to yours, moaning against them. He pumps into you in a few long slow strokes, reaching his climax.

He starts giving you soft, sweet little kisses, while he comes down from his high. He presses his forehead to yours and looks into your eyes for a moment before rolling off of you. Your legs are shaky as you ease them down onto the bed.

You look at the man next to you, who is lying there with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, and you let out a small laugh.

He cracks an eye open and asks, "What's so funny?" with a smirk.

"Nothing," you say, cuddling in to his side, "it's just been a crazy night."

"Mmm... Yes it has," he answers, putting an arm around you, "god, you're so pretty."

"Pretty enough to make you come back to L.A. sometime?"

"Definitely," he whispers with a kiss to your forehead.

[agentmarymargaretskitz]

So... I was kinda disappointed with Buck Begins... NOT ENTIRELY. Just...

Major spoilers ahead. You should definitely watch the episode before reading my complaints... because I have a lot of them, and you shouldn't have the negative thoughts going into it...

But I'm gonna start with the good stuff.

The Buckley Siblings are everything to me. I love their relationship, and watching Buck grow up with Maddie protecting him? *chef's kiss* Perfection.

Buck being a daredevil because it was the only time that he got positive attention from his parents as a child? Absolutely heartbreaking and I hate his parents for *so much* for that.

Maddie doing whatever she could to help her baby brother, even when she was terrified and probably knew how bad it was going to get? I love her with my whole heart.

And I absolutely love the way they highlighted their relationship and how important Maddie is to Buck.

The moment when the team comes in to help Buck and save him and the other person? Cinematic excellence, I applaud them for that scene. His team loves him and will always have his back, and he *knows* that now.

And now for my grievances and where I think they missed the target...

It focused on Maddie too much for a "Buck Begins" episode. I get that she's a huge part of his life and that she would be in the childhood flashbacks, but even once Buck was out on his own, all we got to see were the postcards (with handwriting that did not look At All like Buck's handwriting, might I add) and the one scene of Buck bartending in Peru where he decided to move to LA and become a firefighter.

We already basically got a Maddie Begins episode, when Doug came back and kidnapped her. I didn't need another one. (I love Maddie and I loved the flashbacks, but... it just should have focused more on Buck. It was his episode, after all.)

We should have gotten to actually *see* what Buck did with his life before he made it to LA. They could have shown Maddie receiving a postcard, then done a montage with a shot of Buck writing one of the postcards. That montage focused more on Maddie than it did on Buck, which kind of frustrated me.

And then in present day? They made such a big deal about the family secret, and it just fizzled out. Like it didn't matter anymore. And I honestly don't see them doing much more with it, unless (God forbid) in a later season the Madney baby gets leukemia or something and Buck is a perfect match to save his niece. (Actually I could see them doing that and I would definitely cry. That would maybe give them a pass with this plot thread.)

Then with the factory fire? Idk, it didn't feel intense enough for me. NOT that I wanted Buck to horribly suffer more, but... Eddie being buried alive in his episode was So Much More Intense. Chimney's episode happened while he was literally bleeding nearly to death. I was hoping for more.

And maybe it has something to do with the lack of reaction from the entire team when the building exploded. Not only did we not see Eddie panic, even briefly, about Buck being trapped, we didn't see Bobby or Chimney of Hen panic either! Bobby sees Buck as a son, this is basically canon now. And Chimney and Hen see him as their little brother.

The exploding ladder truck and the tsunami both felt way more intense for Buck than the factory fire in this episode.

And then to top it off, NOBODY GAVE BUCK A HUG AFTER THR FACTORY FIRE! And Eddie and Chimney weren't even there by the ambulance! Like, what the fuck? Yes, Bobby, Athena, and Hen told him what he needed to hear, but they all should have been there! Supporting him! Where were they???

Also, they missed the perfect opportunity to casually make Buck canonically bisexual. Instead of meeting a girl who taught him how to surf, he could have met a guy. Then things didn't work out, just like they didn't with the girl.

UGH, these writers! They're either *really* amazing or *really* miss the important stuff... there was so much potential, and they just wasted it!

Anyway, enough of my ranting. I did enjoy the episode, but it was definitely not the best Begins episode in my opinion.

What are your thoughts? I clearly have too many.

-Quarantine Anon

So I just finished watching. Spoilers beneath the cut

So here’s what I knew going into this- everyone was going wild with theories and ideas and great fics of what was going to play out. Which is great. But I do think it got hyped up because of that.

The flashbacks to the Buckley childhood hurt so much. Margaret seemed to take it out on Evan so much because in her eyes- he failed her by not saving Daniel. BEGONE, Margaret! You can’t put that on your child if your own plan was to use the child to save a sibling and then deem him not deserving of love because of nature and genetics. But Maddie and Buck? I love a pair of siblings while being in agony over the hells they’ve walked through.

The use of ‘So Far’ and the team helping him? Poetic cinema. I felt so many emotions and had a bit of a cry.

I actually liked the postcards. I think if they had gone to film all of what he did, it would have gotten jammed packed. The bartender was stated in canon, so that felt worthy of a flashback (and oh wow, that was not the revelation I needed that I try to know cool things to impress cute people. Buck is not straight, I don’t care what anyone says). Plus, with Covid-19, I bet there would be some filming issues. Also, it felt the ups and downs in Buck’s postcards paralleled Maddie’s injuries from Doug. They were both lost thinking they were living, except they weren’t. It was all about survival. And the worst part is that sometimes, you will lull yourself into a sense that survival=living when that’s not the case. That’s what happened to the Buckleys I think.

We don’t know what’s to come, but the family secret might come up again in therapy. Which they better freaking continue and not drop like the Flash did.

On the factory fire- I think we hyped it up more than we expected. Eddie Begins and Chimney Begins were really serious episodes with their lives on the line. And I think about Buck talking about giving up after he gets out. He wasn’t going into this fire with a clear head. I think he saw himself as the replacement baby still who couldn’t ever live up, who couldn’t do things right. He wouldn’t leave despite ordered because that was showing Saleh he didn’t matter. To Buck, he did. He gets being left behind and in those situations, you’d rather someone else be happier and fine while you take the impact. Like the world would keep turning and everyone would be fine (eventually) after you left it.

The ladder truck and tsunami were physical pain. The factory fire was emotional pain. (which reminds me, I need to make a post about the element symbolism in Begins episodes)

If we didn’t see a hug in the episode, then we write the fic for it. Missing scenes can be created ;) Not to mention they’ve all still got work to get done on the scene. After events like that, I think everyone needed time to process it.

I get bisexual vibes off Buck big time in this episode. And I think there is repression and closeting that comes into play here. Your parents are constantly disappointed in you, so why disappoint them further? Bury it down deep and deeper who you really are. It was the attention-seeking that would work out for him. Also, bisexuality is more than one. You identify as bi and your partner uses she/her? Bi. Partner uses he/his? BI. Partner uses them/they? Still bi. (Also, how much do we know about the postcards he wrote. Maybe he didn’t give her the full story. There’s only so much room in a postcard and she was the one person in the world who still believed in him. Was he afraid to disappoint her?)

Overall, I did enjoy the episode. Eddie Begins always holds a special place in my heart as the first ever episode of 911 I saw enough of to get me interested in the show. The thing is that I can’t pit the Begins episodes against each other. They all show a journey in some way. 

Hopefully this was coherant enough and I’m sorry for my little bisexual rant.

[thesecretbookstore]

This Week’s Expert Picks

While it is not a regular (if there is such a thing) book of poetics, Dana Gioia's Can Poetry Matter? is a profound and important book for those who appreciate poetry and those looking to appreciate more. In 1991, Dana Gioia's provocative essay "Can Poetry Matter?" was published in the Atlantic Monthly, and received more public response than any other piece in the magazine's history. In his book, Gioia more fully addressed the question: Is there a place for poetry to be part of modern American mainstream culture? Ten years later, the debate is as lively and heated as ever. Adam Kirsch of The New York Sun praised the book as “Undoubtedly one of the most important American books of poetry criticism of the last 50 years.” And I can't agree more. Any person, poet or otherwise, should buy and read this book immediately. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections.

I dove into another classic this week and not just because it has a dog in it.

Just kidding! That was 100% why I chose this book, hello? Have you ever seen an Alaskan sled dog? Cute AF!

Anyway, basically, Buck, this adorable fucking, fluffy, sled-Husky, well, he is just chilling in the Yukon, and everyone everyone starts freaking out about gold.

Gold! Gold! Gold!

Well, how are they gonna get this gold? Right? Like you’d think they’d plan ahead a little but they just kinda showed up. Well, it turns out that they need this one specific kinda sled dog to pull their little sled carts or whatever because it’s the 1890’s and cars aren’t a thing yet and horses are useless at those temperatures.

So, naturally, Buck, being that specific kinda dog, is in high demand.

So someone just steals him and makes him fight the other dogs in the wild to be the top dog or something.

Like, um, kinda like on the chef shows when Gordon Ramsey emotionally abuses the people without GED’s until they make the one kinda macaroni and cheese with the crumbles that makes it gourmet?

You know what I mean.

Okay, what was I saying?

Oh yeah! This has a dog in it so obviously 100/100. An absolutely great read. You gotta get this one next. LAW

Lauren is more of a writer than a reader and many, many, many people aren’t sure which is more concerning.

I know some people will never touch nonfiction or books that look like they're 900 pages (it's only 344) but I have to recommend this book to all (US) Americans.

Battle For The Marble Palace is a masterpiece of US socio-political history. Michael Bobelian impressed me and endeared himself to me with his first book Children Of Armenia and in this grander endeavor he employs the same narrative structure that makes the book read almost like a novel. Bobelian has an uncanny ability in both of his books to give the reader hope for a different ending, despite reading (meticulously researched) history.

The chapters are arranged in such a way that the narrative builds intrigue and tension with references to contemporary events that are not only helpful (to me, a reader who wasn't alive for the Eisenhower, Johnson, or Nixon administrations) but also enrich the narrative and the general thesis of the book: these events came to dictate how our judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government not just interact with each other, but how they function in their own rights.

Bobelian is nimble with his prose, uses humor and parallels to construct a three dimensional environment that allows the reader to fully understand how and why each signifying event in the Supreme Court's history (between Eisenhower and Nixon) came to happen. He builds suspense and moves the story in real time.

This is one of the most difficult books I've read in a long time time but I feel enriched as a person for it. I want to engage more with US history and follow Bobelian's journalism more closely.

The sole flaw I can find in the piece is that the margins are tiny.

Bonus: 130+ pages of references, notes, bibliography, etc. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

This is the first Ottessa Moshfegh (such a cool name) I’ve read, despite having a number of her works on my to be read list. Homesick for Another World is a collection of fourteen short stories, covering self-deception across a spectrum of individuals representing the human condition.

Moshfegh’s writing could be described as a literary grotesque. She depicts these reprehensible characters with such merit and blam. It's why I love Bukowski, he highlights the lowlights of people, the squalor type of existence. Showcasing people in the periphery of society, ignoring societal normalcy for a unique existence that people often don’t get to see. Her characters in these short stories all strive to connect to others or another world in which they are excluded.

As I mentioned, I love her writing but I think I would prefer it in a novel format as opposed to this collection of stories (obviously a personal preference). Her novel Eileen which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a short-lister for the 2016 Man Booker has been on my read list for a while. I look forward to checking out more of her work, and I recall David Sedaris mentioning liking her writing, and who doesn’t love David? Ottessa infuses the outrageous with compassion and I can’t wait to read more of her work. CJH

Callahan J. Herrig is a writer from Iowa. He is here to tell you more about nothing and less about everything. He owns CallahanCreative.