#911 LS meta

[theghostofashton]

ugh and it makes my heart ache so much for judd because he's just trying his best. he's always been trying his best. grace left to do something really important to her and he's done his best to be supportive and hold down the fort with charlie and their life in austin. wyatt had his accident and judd quit his job so he could give him his full attention and time as a caregiver and now that wyatt is able to be independent and working he's doing his best to give him that space he needs. and time is passing and everyone's lives are moving on and he's still doing his best to stay afloat but it's so much harder when there's all this space where people in his life used to be, his wife, his son, his crew, his support system. he's doing his best to handle it because that's what he does and it's finally gotten to be too much and that's just so.... :(

[alrightbuckaroo]

gwyn's favorite song being the one that it is, is so methodical and well thought out. not only is it gorgeous, (maybe there's some bias, it's my favorite sondheim) but the image of tk growing up, listening to it so many times that he feels it in his bones, is so in touch with his character.

carlos being that someone he has to let in, as seen in the police station scene. carlos being that someone who's feelings he spares, as seen in the juice bar scene when carlos has to ask, "are we even a we?"

carlos being that someone to know him too well, each and every time tk thinks he needs to second guess himself. carlos being that someone who crowds him with love, each and every day that carlos gets to wake up next to him.

carlos being that someone who'll always be there, as frightened as him of being alive; carlos being the person who made him feel whole to the point he's afraid there will always be a of him piece missing if they're not together but that's the risk of love.

tk met carlos, and just like that, his mother's favorite song made sense.

[freneticfloetry]

Can we just talk about this for a moment?

We saw the rise of Glasses!Carlos with the Katie Cat kidnapping case (say that ten times fast). And while they continue to make appearances when Carlos is playing the world’s best armchair detective (and when he’s casually reading), even with his complaints about chronic eye strain, we’ve only seen him whip out the glasses in the comfort of his own home. With TK.

Yes, Carlos has been in full Detective Reyes mode all day, trying to track down Marjan. And while that probably involved the return of screen fatigue, what with all the phone maps and laptop police reports, so did scrubbing all that surveillance footage hunting for Owen’s stalker. We didn’t see Carlos in glasses in those scenes with Sadie, even at the loft, but we do here — in a hospital waiting room, with the entire 126 crew. That could be because, much like bringing enough tacos to feed everyone, he’s finally secure enough in his place within this family to show them this side of himself — the Clark Kent instead of the Superman. It could be because they’ve become a full extension of TK in his head — TK, who’s out like a light with Carlos as a pillow, just like he does at home. It could be because he’s just that tired. But it feels like A Decision, whether it’s conscious or not.

Whatever the reason, it’s precious.

[twopercentboy]

I watched the first episode of season 5 for 911 Lonestar and I really wish I had stuck to my initial decision to not touch s5, especially after Grace's departure was announced.

Genuinely that was the most boring, most disheartening episode to watch. you can tell the writing has gone rapidly downhill because every single actor feels like they got worse, but I know they didn't, it's just shitty writing. I didn't exactly have high hopes for season 5 given everything, especially with how they ended up treating the tarlos wedding and Gabriel's insanely unprompted death last season, but somehow, somehow, season 5 is so much worse than I could've ever predicted. I'm almost glad it's the cancelled after this season, because they took a decent show with characters I loved and have been slowly ruining them with each passing season.

s5e1 was so bad I couldnt even enjoy the tarlos scenes. do you know how bad something has to be for me to not find at least a little bit of joy out of queer characters being happy together? how do you mess up TK & Carlos to the point of being awkward to watch? I didn't think you could make TK & Carlos awkward to watch even if you tried bc the actors had such good chemistry, but apparently you just need stilted enough writing.

[notwithout-mymuse]

Having thoughts and feelings about this interview moment and how Ronen clearly interprets TK’s…

(under the cut because of the tw tags)

…overdose in 1x01 as a deliberate attempt to end his own life, rather than an accidental overdose, or an unfortunate drug batch.

While it’s hinted at, it’s never actually been confirmed in canon, but I’ve always interpreted it that way too (imo his denial to Owen has always sounded like he was just saying what he thought Owen wanted to hear/what he was trying to convince himself was true).

And now I’m wondering how much that is Ronen’s influence - his headcanons, and the acting choices he makes, and how clearly his intentions come across.

It also raises so many other questions in my mind about younger TK and his thoughts/experiences/relationships, as well as his mental health and coping mechanisms. There’s just so much interesting stuff there, that I would love to pick Ronen’s brain about what he thinks and how he frames those experiences when acting scenes out. I would 10/10 read an entire novel on the subject.

Idk where I’m going with this, just in my pre-series era TK feels tonight.

[laylawatermelon]

Now all we need is a queer club scene a la lone Star.

Buck would absolutely flourish, henren would be flirting, Eddie would be sitting at the bar doing a beer watching Buck like a hawk and sometimes smiling, Tommy would be in the void floating (sorry babe I'm a Buddie 4 lifer), and for a lil pizzazz Maddie and Chimney also go.

(it evolved into a tiny fic 🥺if you wanna read you can🥺)

ao3 link :

Ravi is probably there somewhere with someone in the VIP section looking down at them both happy but also a bit worried to see them.

(he's been working with them for a while now he knows the rumors of that many collective jinx powers they hold)

He sends them drinks periodically and they all wonder if someone is about to get a sugar daddy and then realize they're all couples so who's the couple who's getting a third?

Hen has her hands permanently glued to her wife's side and her head in her neck. She's murmuring sweet nothings and Karen giggles it away as she rubs any part of her that's closest to her and sips her drink.

Chimney and Maddie chat as they become a two-headed, four-limbed creation that smells of tequila, love, and laughter.

Maddie is constantly getting compliments on her shiny outfit and nails and ends up beside Buck periodically through the night, both of them like radiant sunlight to others.

Chimney also magically appears next to her almost instantaneously but vanishes and returns with drinks for his friends eventually chatting up the biggest guys he can on their gym regimen and suggesting they buy a calendar to support the new Asian Sex Symbol.

Of course, they sell a few copies.

Buck is the crown Jewel of the drag queens who are all shapes, sizes, and identities getting off of a show to have a nice night out.

He's marvelous and praises their outfits before quickly getting sucked into impromptu makeup and drag lessons, cards for shows, drunken histories, sexuality stories, and good ole fun lip-syncing.

And of course, since he's a bright star who everyone loves, many people begin their hunt.

A quick wink, a lingering smile, a hand on his lower back that lingers as long as a guy slides past him.

Okay, that's it.

Eddie orders another two beers, checking his phone for the babysitter's update before pocketing it.

He slides up behind Buck sliding a beer in his hand and resting his head on his shoulder his hand coming up to his waist.

The girls immediately gush about the two saying there are Two Hot Firefighters ready to put out their fire and Eddie bursts out in laughter.

They begin to fawn over him next complimenting his jawline and face suggesting he go into modelling or movies.

One of them says it's a waste but they'd be all fired up if they see him covered in soot. Another asks if he's on the same calendar as the sexy Asian guy.

Buck pouts telling them no and he's the focus again.

The drag queens then launch into a spiel about fire safety and if they could do a lecture at a show or help them.

Buck ends up video calling Bobby at the request and he and Athena are laying in bed amused as they watch him stumble through his words before a crowd of colorful queens squeeze into the frame.

He assumes them he'll think about it and the comment on Athena's beauty before the call is cut.

Bobby turns to Athena after the call and she laughs. "Your boy is always getting into trouble." He kisses her forehead softly. "We should go next time." "Let's."

Later that night as Christopher's finally dozing off, his phone slipping out of his hand he jolts at the sound of the front door bursting open.

Harry and Denny freeze on the phone, their faces both lit up by their computer screen, "What was that?"

Chris reaches for his glasses and slips them on staying quiet.

He listens again and relaxes as he hears giggles and shushes.

He rolls his eyes and pulls his covers over his head. "It's my dads."

The shuffling gets louder and he groans softly as his door is knocked on before it's pushed open.

Eddie grins down at his son's lying form and stumbles over as gracefully as he can. Buck is in the kitchen filling two (plastic) cups with water and shakily walking to his room.

Eddie walks to the left of his bed and kneels down resting his head on his arm.

He pats his head suddenly emotional, "I love you so much you know that?"

Chris frowns at his distressed tone but also notices the softness in his touch.

They watch him and Buck tiptoe in to hand Eddie a cup and rest his on a nightstand.

"We should probably let him sleep, okay babe?"

Eddie drinks from his cup smiling and pats Chris' head one last time. "Okay. Night son."

As they're leaving Buck sticks his head back in, "By the way your phone light is still asking through the blanket. Go to bed, Chris."

Harry and Denny burst out laughing and Chris promptly hangs up. He closes his eyes with a smile on his face as his dads fall into bed sloppily in the next room, leaving their problems for themselves tomorrow. 

[karenandhenwilson]

Hello! The henchim info is from a cut scene - we know about it because Aisha posted a video of Oliver helping her run lines for it. So up to us if it's canon but it's very sweet. It's on 911bts I think

It is on 911bts here on tumblr, thank you for pointing me in the right direction! I didn't watch it the first time I saw it because the tone is really off for me which made it difficult to follow, but I did so now. As you answered in my inbox, I'll just dive deep into my own opinion about this (which I wouldn't have done in your post and tried not to do too much in my repost earlier). And that's everyone's warning to back off if you don't want to read a not-so-excited opinion about the issue of Chimney, Hen, and Karen in 8x05.

First of all, for everyone who can't deal with the tone quality of the video either: Hen goes to Bobby after the pumpkin head call, they seem to be in the firehouse. Bobby tells Hen he is working on shift schedules but that she should sit down and talk with him about why she came to him. Hen then tells Bobby that she wants to ask for a shift off, not for herself but for Chimney. Because she heard Chimney tell the guy with the head in the pumpkin how sad he was to miss Jee's first Halloween. Bobby tells her he can't do that because there can't be two people short on the shift. Hen asks about Buck, and Bobby explains, that no Buck will be back. But Chimney already asked for a shift off. On Hen's behalf, so she could spend Halloween with Mara. That's where it ends.

Let's look at this scene isolated from the rest of the episode: I agree, it says a lot about the friendship between Hen and Chimney. Shows us once more how deep this friendship is and how much they care for each other.

Now, let's consider where this is placed in the episode: It's after the pumpkin head call. So we already had the early Halloween party at the Wilson's house. Bobby already knows Buck will be back for the next shift, so it's also after the hospital scene with Buck, Eddie, and Tommy. It's, obviously, before Hen tells Karen no one is taking off for the shift. So, somewhere between this scene and Hen coming home, Chimney and Hen talk with each other about it and consequently decide "If not both of us can win, our whole family is going to lose. We aren't the ones who have to suffer the most under it anyway". (And also, later Bobby just accepted them both pulling the request back instead of ordering Hen to stop being an idiot and be with her family.)

Some people might tell me it's kind of hard and overexaggerated to say it in this way. I don't agree with those people and I hope they treat their partners better than Hen treats Karen here.

Because in this very moment when Hen and Chimney decide to both go to work the next shift, Hen is a horrible wife to Karen. She had a chance to be off of work, Bobby was already doing the work to make it possible! And Karen had voiced her desire to have that for once (I detailed here why I don't think it comes as out of left field as most people somehow claim it does). And Hen decided "Between the comfort of my wife, the memories my children will make (one of whom hasn't been with the family for any holiday before) and the comfort of my best friend (who incidentally already offered for me to be off work for that shift and was okay with it!), the most import thing for me is the comfort of my best friend."

How can anyone claim that's not absolutely horrible behavior? (I mean, of course, except for those people who clearly don't care for Henren at all. And I know, that's mostly all of fandom. Yes, this hiatus has made me very bitter about that and these words aren't aimed directly at the person whose ask I'm answering here but really at the general fandom.)

It's not the first time that Hen put her friendship with Chimney above her family. She did so in season 5, too, when she offered to go with Chimney to chase after Maddie without even thinking for a moment about her wive or her son. (And with the way Chimney's car was packed, it was very clear he intended to stay away for a long time.)

It made me furious at Hen back then, and it's making me furious at Hen now again. It's just one more thing I'll have to ignore about Hen's behavior and I will headcanon that Hen took the chance and was with her family instead of declining the offer of the free day. Because I refuse to give up on Henren, no matter how often the show tries to ruin them for the drama's sake.

[manictvandfanfic]

“My son is resourceful and he can take care of himself.”

“I have no doubt that’s how you raised him”

“No, he figured that out all on his own”

Just needed to write down these lines between Gabriel and the detective in the abandoned house while TK was trying not to freak out. The difference between 2x08 when Carlos said that his dad thinks he’s too soft to now, when Gabriel is confident in his son’s abilities and claims no credit for that.

I’m totally fine...not wrecked at all.

[freneticfloetry]

I also tend to figure in Carlos voicing his reluctance to pursue things with TK to Michelle — that he hates to be the one doing the chasing. Add to that the reality of his situation with his parents, his own internalized homophobia, and even the way his clear physical confidence when they’re alone is at odds with the way he approached TK at the honky-tonk: the exaggerated casualness of it, how he glanced around before he said anything… for me, it paints a pretty clear picture.

In my personal headcanon, not only does Carlos not date as a general rule, he’s used to hooking up with guys who may want more than he’s ready, willing, or able to give. He’s the one who’s been chased in the past. And sometimes that makes followup hookups a possibility, but sometimes he’s just not comfortable with it at all.

I love seeing different takes, especially from authors. It’s fascinating to see what informs everyone’s interpretations of these characters, and how that presents itself in writing.

The look on Carlos's face when he climbs on top of TK on the couch 🥵. Like he's thinking "I'm gonna break you in half and then put you back together slowly"

He is just RAVENOUS. That predatory look, the confident way he whips his shirt off, the way he smacks TK’s thigh as he gets in top of him. The boy was hungry and TK was his snack. And from what we know of his backstory, that’s not just who Carlos was. He wasn’t a sexy confident king of one night stands. He was shy and repressed and dealing with internalized homophobia and the fear that he’d never be loved and he’d never been with a guy who made him feel right 😭 but he met TK and TK just unlocked something in him so unexpectedly. Made him confident and sexy in a way he never had been. Fucking soulmates.

[theghostofashton]

always had so many feelings about andrea telling carlos that him asking gabriel to be his best man was the happiest she had ever seen him. she didn't say that was the happiest he's ever been or that it made him so happy, she said it was the happiest she had ever seen him.

the woman that's seen him through so many big life events, before carlos was even a thought. their wedding day, the birth of both carlos's sisters and then carlos..... and the happiest she's ever seen gabriel is carlos asking him to be his best man. how healing it must've been for carlos to hear that, to hear how much his dad loved him, how much that gesture meant. things were difficult and they were complicated but now carlos has this to hold onto. after so many years of thinking he had disappointed him, he'll forever have this. he made his dad the happiest his mom has ever seen him. that's so special.

[alkaysani]

i put this in this wonderful gifset by @tylerkennedys and its tags already but the way chinese food has become synonymous to gwyn for tk and owen is so wonderful. when there's an experience of great grief, or turmoil, and the eventual relief, they want gwyn there with them. like with the plane on the way to her funeral, we find out chinese was gwyn and tk's way of bonding, but by the end of the episode, when they're all safe on ground, he asks if they want to have chinese, relief in his voice, closure clear in his disposition. and last night with owen, when he's telling TK how proud he is, even he made jest of it, he brings chinese food. because with that pride, comes celebration of his son, who is grown and resilient and wonderful in all his imperfections, and has found a man who loves him so much, so he wants to celebrate with gwyn, so he brings food from the exact restaurant they would get food with her before. and it's so beautiful

[freneticfloetry]

Carlos Reyes is what you get when the baby of the family is the only boy and also a Cancer

[carlos-in-glasses]

Wonderful wonderful cig.

Not too long ago I rewatched ‘Unlikely Event of An Emergency’ and like always I sobbed, no matter how many times I watched it.

But the feeling multiplied tenfolds because I was somewhat taken a back to your work ‘Where All This Loves Comes From”.More specifically the scene where Owen tells TK that being loved is the first thing he ever experienced on Earth. And also the one in 2020 where TK and Gwyn was on Spring Street before he was about to propose to Alex, and Gwyn reminded TK of how both of them love him.

I think it’s lovely how work can fandom can enhance and just unconsciously be adapted to the canon-show. Because now every time I think about the Strand family, my mind goes back to the work you have beautifully created. There’s so many works from canon compliant to canon divergence to AUs, that has been cemented in my mind and heart, even when the show or the pairing has ended, and that’s the beauty of fandom.

So I just want to say thank you, to you and so many amazing member of the fandom for being the heart to the journey of enjoying the show. Whether you are a creator or an enjoyer, on the sideline cheering on our lovely creators giving them loves and positive feedbacks.

The wonderful people who has been majorly open and accepting, the works created, the meta, the silly discussion has been majority part of why I enjoyed LS so much so I won’t be worried when the show end. So, I hope the show ending wouldn’t discourage a lot of people in joining and/or creating, because the main part of fandom has always been the community, the genuine love and excitement from fan.

p.s.

I can’t wait to read the Poet Fic and unravel what you had in store for us. A 117k work 😱 you spoil us

😭 Oh wonderful wonderful anon! I don’t even know what to say. This is such an amazing message. That you remember anything about my fics after reading them completely knocks me off my feet. I get it, because so many fics live in my head rent free, but it just feels amazing to be told this about my own too, in particular during a tough week where I’ve been feeling quite worried about lots of things. And that Unlikely Event of an Emergency sparked you to think of it!! I’m hugely flattered, thank you!

Anyway - I completely agree with you about the works in his fandom. My love for LS and Tarlos goes beyond the show and belongs within the versions of the characters that are created by the writers here, some of whom I’ve been lucky enough to befriend, and others who I don’t really know but think are immensely cool and talented. I did have a bit of a hard time with the opening arc of season 4 (and the ending! Gosh) but the fics, gif sets, art, meta posts, made all the difference. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but when the show ends, the characters do not. They will be available to rewatch anyway, in hours and hours worth of episodes (which is more than some fandoms get) AND they become ours. Like a special gift. The fandom will change a bit after season 5 (in a way I hope includes new fans arriving!) but I will be here, I will be writing and reading, and I’m really happy to know lovely people like you will be too. I feel your positivity right in my heart, and I hope lots of other creators and enjoyers of the fandom see it too - because this is such a gorgeous love note to them, not just me 🥰 So I’m adding the 911 Lone Star and Tarlos tags to this.

And thank you for wanting to read Poet Fic! I’m so excited about it and feedback has been amazing, so I hope you like it if you do get to it! 🌈

How your message finds me:

[spectres-fulcrum]

Okay. I figured out how to word how I see the differences between 911 and it's spinoff series, Lone Star(Note: I'm on halfway through season 3 of LS-so sorry if this doesn't incorporate Season 4 stuff).

It boils down to: 911 is more of a large family that has entwined their lives and has more personal/character stakes while Lone Star feels like a big group of friends, but has more professional/story stakes. And both are good, but 911 is my heart.

911 has more personal stakes. The characters have more to lose, and they have more to lose with each other. They're older than the majority of the LS crew, both in age and in life. They're married, they have kids, they have settled lives. And they've connected their lives. Their kids play together. They have BBQs and parties. Bobby married Hen's best friend and Chim married Buck's sister and Buck is seriously dating a guy Chim has known, what, some 19 years?(I feel like I could do a whole meta about this.) And they all come from shitty or abusive homes, been through trauma with each other by their sides, that of course they're family.

There's a magic they've all created. I knew from the start of episode 1 that that magic was going to become my home.

While Lone Star... Has more professional/story stakes. Like Lone Star kills off WAY more people-and not as trauma. Just as this is the story and so we're going to shock you sometimes. And it is shocking. Calls are a bit more likely to end in death, a 126 paramedic died on scene, family members have died. I'm a bit more on my toes. 911 never would've done Gwyn's drawn out pregnancy plotline and had the baby be Enzo's. And Bobby and the 118 is mostly just another firehouse, Owen was handpicked to bring the 126 back to life. He handpicked everyone in the 126. He's been asked to be Deputy Fire Chief or whatever, they have eyes on them all the time. They're in the news so often(not that the 118 isn't for their craziness but it's different. The 126 so very nearly failed and Owen gave up. Owen. Gave. up. ).

And the tradeoff for that is that the characters are a lot more lighthearted. They have mostly stable backgrounds, not saying they haven't gone through shit, but that's shit, not abuse. They have a lot more free time, to goof off on IG and catan nights with snacks and other single stuff or Tarlos being on and off. Marjan and Paul are "ride or die" but Marjan had to break down the door of his apartment but we know the 118 exchanged keys just in case.

And LS has some very good, very long multi episode arcs.

IDK. This is long

[doublel27]

Honestly a little surprised that you are "not mad" that Carlos didn't tell TK this huge secret in all the time they've been together. Especially after the way he acted about TK and his sponsor. Yeah the set-up for this storyline was non-existant and that's bad writing, but also, Carlos's complete lack of remorse and TK's complete lack of a reaction to the news makes me feel like I'm watching pod people. Is TK gunning for sainthood? Even if the set-up was there the way they handled the reveal just makes no sense.

Look, this is a man who spent four-six months of a break up lying to his parents about the break up and the fact that they weren’t living together anymore in a time period that included major holidays AND TK’s birthday.

He hates confrontation (I have a whole meta on it) and his anxiety is like for real bad (therapy Carlos my love please)

This is not new or news.

I’m going to detour (but bring it back around): this morning I was catching up on the Drama Queen’s podcast and they were discussing a storyline in which a half a married couple admits he’s lied by omission and his wife was physically injured due to this lie. And Sophia Bush (my angel, my love) brought up how as a person with severe anxiety (like me and Carlos and the queen herself) learns from a very young age to not bring their anxiety and worries to other people but to feel that they have to have a solution to the problem before they let others in.

The need to have an solution ready before he loops anyone else in is a VERY common behavior in Carlos. We see it from season one through season three. This is an area of growth for him.

Do I believe Carlos should have told TK long ago: yes.

Is this a flaw in Carlos’s character: absolutely

Does TK have every right to be pissed and hurt: most certainly.

But it’s Carlos turn to do the growing. We’ve gotten three seasons of TK’s character development arc start with a failed proposal in the series premiere and end with a successful proposal in the season three finale. TK’s ability not to immediately internalize this as Carlos thinking he was too fragile to handle this news and recognizing that Carlos has been drowning in his anxiety and guilt and shame over this and THAT is why he didn’t say anything, is outstanding and amazing and WHY Tarlos works. They take turns being the messy one.

So no, I’m not mad with Carlos. I don’t think not telling TK with the depth of guilt and shame and Carlos’s history of conflict avoidance is out of character. I do not blame others for being mad at Carlos and TK definitely has every right to surface his mad about this later after processing and when Carlos isn’t on an anxiety spiral.

I said it last season and I will say it again this season: we are watching two men with two different manifesting mental health issues navigate a relationship. They’re both doing their best but they will still hurt each other in the process of doing their best. Sometimes their best isn’t enough.

That’s marriage, kids, especially when you throw in depression, anxiety, substance abuse, internalized homophobia, and stressful jobs.

[manictvandfanfic]

#i'm not crying it's just raining on my face#also the way tk is so clearly appreciative but not like. starving for it#whatever happened that day and whatever has been happening with his dad has not derailed him#he's home; he's happy; he's wearing a sex sweater#his sense of self is no longer dependent on the fleeting moments of connection he gets with his dad so he can just enjoy them as they come (excellent tags by unstatedmartini)

9-1-1: LONE STAR S04E06 | This Is Not a Drill"