#911 LS 1x10 Talk

[pragmatic-optimist]

This week's theme: Rec a 'gateway' fic - a fic that you read and it was so good it lead you to read multiple works by the same writer.

The rules: Tag a fic and explain why it was a gateway fic / what you liked about it. Then tag some people to see what everyone else is reading. Spread the love! I'll do the round up on Sunday again, so if you're still recc-ing on Saturday, no pressure. Please tag @welcometololaland or #fic rec friday so I can compile the masterlist!

*****

Very excited about this week’s theme because the first fic of an author you read is a little bit like watching the pilot of a TV show that has several seasons, but you’ve only just found it. So you fall in love, and before you know it, you’ve blinked and spent 12 hours binging as many eps as you can. It’s a great feeling, to chase the same elixir of magic in each story someone has written. There are several fics I could mention here, but I challenged myself to choose fics purely from memory because otherwise I’d be here all day looking through my bookmarks. 😂

911 Lone Star

No Right to Love You by @reyescarlos: If you’ve been following me for a while or if we’ve had conversations about our all-time favorite fics, then you’ve read/heard my unhinged praise for No Right to Love You. It is not an understatement to say that this story was my whole personality for the entirety of April 2021 lol. This canon-divergent season 1 finale fic is truly epic and filled me with so many feels (so much yearning!). Kim posted it one chapter at a time over the course of a weekend, and when she posted the final chapter, I was standing in line at the grocery store when I saw the AO3 notification and proceeded to let out a loud yelp of excitement. There were looks.😂 This story and Kim’s writing were worth the public embarrassment, I just love it so much. 🙌🏾 It was my first Kim fic, and I immediately inhaled everything else she had written for LS.  

Begins at Sunrise by @iboatedhere: Ah, Begins at Sunrise. I’ve read so many of Rae’s fics over the last two years, so it’s really fun to think back to the first fic I ever read. TK and Carlos have the “who are we to each other?” talk on a spontaneous beach getaway because Carlos can’t deny TK anything, and their conversations/interactions here are so Them™️. Also, it’s all just very romantic and there’s a beautiful thread of vulnerability that runs through each scene, tugging at your heart. Given that it is a story set in season 1 circa ep 1x10, I appreciate it was written from Carlos POV and gave us some insight into his headspace after TK got shot. He was so in love already. There are a lot of single lines in this fic that pack an emotional wallop in the best way. As soon as I finished reading it, I hit the subscribe button so fast, and every AO3 email notification I’ve received sharing a Rae original has been a joy. 

All Along There Was Some Invisible String Tying You to Me by @tkstrrand: Alternate first meeting AUs are always a lot of fun because I love the notion that these two people will always find one another no matter what. AJ’s dual POV, ER Meet-Cute for TK and Carlos is a personal favorite. The story is lovely, with TK worried about Owen after accompanying him to the ER and Carlos (a stranger at first, also at the ER worried about his partner) stepping in to offer TK kindness and conversation and then eventually both realizing they don’t want their time together to end (and as the reader, you realize you don’t want your time with this version of them to end either). I loved this one a whole lot, and I am grateful it led to me finding more of AJ’s work! 

Red, White, and Royal Blue

Before This, After That by @orchidscript:  

I have a rule about not reading WIPs because I’m just not the most patient person when it comes to waiting for the next chapter (know thyself, etc). So I wait until the entire story is posted, and then I dive in. BUT every so often, a fic comes along and makes itself the exception to my rule. Before This, After That is the most recent exception. I adore this fic—it’s a great example of why I enjoy reading AUs. I love seeing how a writer captures the essence of the characters as individuals as well as the heart of their relationship and translates it into a brand-new world. This AU does it seamlessly with Alex and Henry. There are certain parts of this story that really feel inspired by Henry’s line from canon, “I thought if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.” Alex is hired to help Henry recover, but he realizes it’s more than just recovering from an injury, Henry needs to be brought back to life. [insert metaphor about Alex’s presence kindling Henry’s motivation to live]

I love how Alex shows care for Henry. There is a scene early on regarding Henry’s pain meds, and through a conversation, Alex swiftly resolves it. It’s a short scene but a really lovely moment. Henry feels so seen and heard in a way that he clearly hasn’t been since being hurt (or maybe ever). The whole exchange made me 😍😭🥹. The slow burn of this fic is fantastic, and I have also really enjoyed the interactions between Bea and Henry and (gasp) even Phillip. Lol. I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter, and as I wait, I’ll be reading more of orchidscript’s catalog! 

*****

Open tag to anyone who has a gateway fic that lives in their mind rent-free, please share (and tag me so I can add more fics to my marked for later lol). 

[bluestar22x]

I’m so glad the season didn’t end on a cliffhanger. That was such a wonderful end to the season. Man, I am shaking. I need every bit of that finale giffed please. I’m not joking. So much good stuff in 1x10 and 1x09 too!

[bluestar22x]

Pretty damn close for me.

That might have been the best finale of any show I’ve seen-

[reyeslonestar]

Hi Alice, I hope it’s ok to pop into your inbox to chat Tarlos wardrobe! I really appreciate your wardrobe rambles, they echo so much of what I'm thinking every week. I've been meaning to try and go back to see when the coordination started. I feel like one week I was watching an episode and realized, "Oh wait their outfits..." 😍 Then I just started taking notice moving forward. In my head canon, it's something TK and Carlos do subconsciously as they become more in sync with one another. #prettygoodteam

Do you have a favorite wardrobe moment? I love when they put TK in one of his signature printed button up shirts and then Carlos in a solid color that complements the print. It’s subtle and wonderful. My favorite so far is the domestic!Tarlos couch scene in 2x07. TK's shirt has blue in it and Carlos is in that solid blue t-shirt. 🥺🥰

All the kudos to the 911 LS wardrobe team for their excellent work! Seeing their wardrobe choices for TK and Carlos has quickly become one of the things I look forward to when watching the show this season.

hi Sonia!! it is absolutely okay to pop into my inbox for any reason, and especially wardrobe :D im glad you enjoy my rambles!

so I have a headcanon that the times that theyre wearing coordinating outfits reflects where TK spent the night. 

personally I think that 2x10 is when they actively started coordinating outfits, certainly enough to make it obvious (the blue in tk’s 2x07 shirt is very subtle, so much so that I had to go back to find it just now sdkjfh). and I think that makes a lot of sense - 2x10 is when theyve officially moved into together, they’ll be dressing to go out together more often, they’ll be conscious of what the other is wearing and subconsciously and/or consciously dressing accordingly.

going further back, theyve had moments where they’ve been a little complimentary, but it wouldnt make sense for that to be conscious - TK’s shirt for 1x10 boba date has green tones in the stripes, but they would have come from separate places for that because they were still figuring things out, and so its more coincidence than anything else.

but then on occasions like the end group scene of 2x05, TK’s shirt has paler stripes in it which seem to complement Carlos’ grey shirt, which I choose to believe is because TK was spending the night with Carlos, and so got changed out of his uniform whilst at the condo.

as for my favourite wardrobe moment - oooh thats a tough one. Carlos in the denim shirt from the farmers market is hands down my favourite look on him, and I think there’s something complimentary in the tones of that denim and then the green of TK’s jacket. I have a soft spot for the scene in the vets for the implications which I talked about here. its also the most prominent moment that they started coordinating, imo, so its a special moment for that too! probably the most visually satisfying for me though was their outfits for the firefam hangout at the start of 2x11 - Carlos’ white shirt with the dark accents looked so good on him, and I really liked the palm tree design on TK’s shirt.

yeah! absolutely, so much kudos to the wardrobe department, they do an amazing job and I love the storytelling they achieve with visual cues that support the actors’ efforts. 

[reyesstrand]

I don't understand LS's timeline... like, how is it that TK celebrates 1 year sober in march? I assumed he was clean since the OD and that was at least a few weeks before moving to Austin... how much time has it passed in canon? Any idea? 🤔

so i’ve actually tried so hard to figure it out but have kinda given up on it because it’s so constantly contradicting akdnskdnsms like:

- 1x01: opens with the accident that kills the original 126 save for Judd ; six months later, we meet owen and tk, and presumably a week later they’re in austin

(however, there’s a wrinkle here already: in 1x05, grace talks about how she and judd hadn’t been intimate since the accident, and her friend says four months ago in reference to the accident, so....already some discrepancy)

- 1x05: tk says it’s been 116 days since his “soulmate” refused his proposal, which we can also consider to be roughly how long he’s been sober since overdosing

- and then skipping ahead a bit, we have at least four months between 1x10 and 2x01, considering owen’s comment about gwyn being a squatter, and in that time the pandemic hits. the og 911 and 911ls have parallel timelines at least in 4x03/2x03 for the crossover. in 2x05 of 911ls, we know from the car accident scene that it’s around the time of second semesters for colleges to be starting, which is january/february (as far as i know, at least at my school in canada we started mid-january due to the pandemic).

so honestly, the timeline’s super confusing and it doesn’t really make sense that he’d be just getting around to his one year sobriety mark—unless a) he hasn’t been sober as long as we’ve been lead to believe, which i don’t buy, or b) the writers just dug themselves into a hole re: their chronology, which i’m more inclined to believe!

[bluestar22x]

That space station scene is one of the most heartbreaking scenes on TV I’ve ever seen in my life. Not fair.

[bluestar22x]

This scene was sooo good.

TK is telling everyone about being an addict, his overdose, Owen saving and that he's where he belongs. I'm so glad that TK is staying and opened up like that to everyone, who were so supportive.

[bluestar22x]

Seeing the firehouse team go from strangers to family over the course of the season has been one of the most satisfying things I’ve seen on TV.

Can you believe that less than 2 months ago I didn’t know any of the Lone Star characters and now that beautiful funky little found family owns my entire heart and soul and I’m going to miss them all every single second of every single day until season 2

[bluestar22x]

I smell the need of a gif set parallel of TK And Owen with Carlos being all proud of each other.

Those parallels though....