#and Tarlos in LS too

[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.

[melancholyghoul]

You're telling me Carlos Reyes got his boyfriend A BEARDED DRAGON even though he is incredibly put off by reptiles ???? Because he knows TK loves them ???? I fall more in love with this man every episode

[actuallysara]

[sageandred]

I think that Tarlos-Jonah scene had the potential to end me this episode. Carlos sleep-rights (as I've always known); Jonah jumping on Carlos; them being a domestic little family; "Papa-Bro"...I was about to cry.

[fent4ny1]

if u squint u can pretend they're rubbing their dicks together in this pic

[alrightbuckaroo]

tarlos + love is stored in the food

[rmd-writes]

too stressed to undress

A gift for @welcometololaland who is quite simply one of the best things to ever happen to me from fandom. She started posting RWRB fic at the end of October 2021 and I think by sometime in November 2021 I’d taken up residence in her DMs and never left 💖💖

When TK takes a phone call, he forgets about a certain four-legged resident of the loft. Chaos ensues and he falls back on some tried and tested distraction techniques.

aka Rae tried to be funny and wrote smut instead

Read on ao3

[sonnycrsi]

A little rant about culture and family dynamics

Am I the only one who do not like the wording of this particular scene. I understand and can appreciate the main point Andrea was going with. That what Carlos current perception of his father was slightly inaccurate and how his Dad actually has been trying to break within the system. (I don’t want to talk about the whole hypocrisy of Carlos regarding APD/Ranger because ACAB as always).

The things that left a really bad taste in my mouth is how this scene (before the last line Andrea delivered on how he is entitled to feel whatever) and the one following where Carlos went to his parent house somehow makes me (as the viewer) perceived that Carlos has to be the bigger person. That Carlos is the only one to blame for the communication problem that ended up on both of them having false perception of each other and how his at-the-moment perception of his Dad as the cause of those communication problem is invalid, because it is not true.

I guess that it might be because I relate a little bit too much to their family dynamics and communication style (unfortunately). For background I come from SEASIAN countries that was colonized and one of them was by Portugal. When I was writing my thesis, I found that there was a lot of Portugal’s culture integrated to the country (like any other colonized countries). Even our languages are actually very similar !

The collective identity and combined that with being a very religious country (not in the way that is biblically accurate just in the way that people will indoctrinate the major religion teaching into other people’s personal life). It leaves the notion that no matter what happens family is a very important. Which is not actually a bad thing but it also can be lead to legitimate respond to dangerous and/or horrible situation to be painted as “hallmark of the pious life”.

It might be hitting a little close to home because for so many times when I complained to my mom she gives her perspective of what she experienced and painted to as what I said was wrong and not at all what I went through. It always makes me feel like she was always on his said and what I said is invalid. And how I always have to forgive my parents no matter what because that is what the preacher for so many years have taught us.

Just as with Carlos, I wish we can see in the show, Andrea acknowledges that what she knows/ her perception of Gabriel and what Carlos knows/ his perception of Gabriel can be very different and both are valid. It is valid for Carlos to have whatever feeling/ resentment/ awkward relationship based off what his mind was conscious of. It is very valid for him to feel that his father did not like him/ was proud of him albeit Gabriel being very sweet when he was a kid.

Don’t give me wrong I really like their redemption arc, between Carlos and Gabriel but I wish it came actively and directly from the two sides rather than just one, yes not just passively mentioning your guilt to an outsider (Owen). Because for so long the notion in my culture has always been the children to be the one that is forgiving, and even then most of time the parent doesn’t even acknowledge the hurt and the wrongdoing.

In the hope that I’m not projecting too much, I would very much love to hear from people who has the same background and culture as Carlos or similar enough or even the opposite about this particular scene and/or arc or just how they experience arc of forgiveness between families, especially between children and parents

[ninacarstairss]

i am so unwell

[taralaurel]

Tarlos Mood Board

So I recently got tagged in a tag game where you search "[your name] + core aesthetic" into Pinterest and share the first nine pictures. I thought I'd have a little fun and do the same with out favorite couple. They turned out way too accurate that it's almost scary....

TK:

CARLOS:

[cowboytarlos]

TK “dip you in honey so I can be sticking to you” Strand

[three-drink-amy]

Rate My Dinner

A love letter to @rmd-writes and her great ideas and writing and all around wonderfulness

The same prompt for two fandoms: a dish sent back.

Take It Back

Henry is the head chef at a fancy French restaurant, finally achieving his dreams. But every few days, an obnoxious patron sends his food back, poking at him to make him do better. Finally too annoyed to let it continue, Henry confronts the patron. The kitchen may get just that bit hotter.

Make It Right

TK is on a journey of self-discovery after getting shot, deciding firefighting isn't for him. He'd left so much of that life behind, including Carlos. But when a chance run in with Carlos gives him the chance to make up for everything, he has to take it. Maybe it will even lead him to what he really wants to do with his life.

[spaghett-onaplate]

Seven Sentence Sunday

Thanks for the tag Milo @cozy-fish-crow !!

From my Tarlos roommates and realistic fantasy AU:

TK wakes up an indeterminable amount of time later, overheated, mouth dry and limbs heavy. One of his shoes is still on, the other somehow on top of the dresser opposite the edge of his bed. He’s star-fished horizontally over his bed, his pillow clutched beneath one arm.

The all-day throbbing of his head and full-body tired ache has receded though, so he counts that as a win and lies still for a while longer, swallowing thickly and blinking groggily. His curtains are still wide open, and the sky outside is dark, well into the night. From the kitchen comes sizzling noises, and the tap of a spoon against a pot.

TK frowns and drags himself to his feet, finally taking off his shoe.

Tagging (no pressure!): @iworshipsappho @carlos-in-glasses @stygianirondiangelo

[crossingalaxies]

hot take apparently but to me it’s tiring and boring and frankly a baffling way to approach tv or any other media to engage with fictional characters only to ‘judge’ them. like you can’t just let them make whatever mistakes they’re making or be as flawed and fucked up as they want without judging if they have behaved well enough for whatever standard you hold them up to and how they should correct their behaviour moving forward. are you watching a fictional show or filling up an employee evaluation sheet???

‘this character should have done this’ ‘that character should not have done that’ okay???? who cares. it would be supremely boring, not to mention unrealistic, if fictional characters only behaved in the most adequate perfectly reasonable way possible. so they fucked up? so they fucked up again and again and didn’t learn their lesson the first time? okay??? that’s life???

‘but we didn’t see this character learn from their mistakes and grow’. you ARE seeing it, it’s a process, not something that happens after ONE time they were confronted with their mistakes, especially if said mistakes are tied to one of their cardinal flaws rooted in the very essence of the character itself. it’s so much more interesting and rewarding to me as a viewer, not to mention easier for me to get attached to characters who are complete and utter messes, characters who stumble and fall, even when they should know better, characters who don’t immediately learn from their mistakes, who fail again and again, but keep trying to be better, and still through it all, they are loved, because they are deserving of it no matter what they think.

‘but this conversation should have happened sooner’ okay well it didn’t. people make dumb choices all the time, they act irresponsibly and unreasonably all the time, no matter how mature or level-headed they might be.

‘but this relationship doesn’t feel healthy’ okay here’s the thing: ‘healthy relationship’ has become just another buzzword that tiktok users throw around without understanding at all what it means. ‘healthy relationship’ doesn’t mean two people need to be on the same page about everything, it doesn’t mean mistakes are made once, dealt with and never made again; a healthy relationship isn’t based on 100% compatibility or perfect communication at all times and perfect solutions to every problem. it’s based on mutual respect and love and the willingness to make compromises, and to keep trying to understand each other better and choose each other every day. if there is a failure of communication or a disagreement or an inability to come to a perfect soultion for whatever issue, that in itself doesn’t make a relationship unhealthy. and honestly even if it did, so what? it’s fictional, it adds flavour! (not to mention expecting humans to always be perfectly emotionally healthy is... well not realistic, to say the least).

‘but they should learn to communicate better before they get married’ marriage isn’t some kind of prize that only perfectly functional couples are worthy of, some final achievement for the perfect relationship. relationships are changing and growing all the time, they don’t have to reach a perfect final level of ‘healthy’ before they can be awarded the prize of marriage. relationships keep evolving and couples keep learning more about each other all the time, during marriage just like before. the idea that a relationship is doomed unless it reaches its final form of perfection before marriage is crazy.

and on a final note, HOW do you watch a fictional couple that disagrees on having children work out not necessarily a final solution, but a compromise, with one of them admitting they have issues to deal with and trauma to process, and the other realizing that the kids issue is not a dealbreaker because ultimately what they want most is their partner, and come away thinking ‘well that’s not a very good relationship’?????

[danieljradcliffe]

What was wrong with it? The only thing I didn’t like was that Carlos went from saying how bad the Rangers were as an institution in the previous episode but then he was suddenly okay going off and taking the law in his own hands the next as if he’s also not under an institution that facilitates white supremacy and his very act of wanting to take the law in his own hands is exactly what is wrong with people in his profession

I'll put this under a read more because apparently my opinion is vv unpopular.

Wyatt/Judd storyline: I know this is a ridiculous drama show and I shouldn't take it seriously but... as someone who works in the healthcare system and has spent a large portion of my career in rehab....... this was just the most disability!saviour bullshit. Judd taking Wyatt home to try and rehab him, himself? Not having Wyatt have his own autonomy in that? Wyatt not being told by physicians (even though he is an adult, with capacity) about his prognosis? Wyatt requires long term, specialized rehab with professionals who are experts in their field? I don't know this entire plot line rubbed me so wrong.

Robert/Owen storyline: We didn't know Robert well enough for this to be as "heart breaking" as the writers intended. So much valuable time in these episodes was dedicated to this but as a viewer I felt disconnected from what was happening. And for the final moments to go to that (very triggering death scene) over a hopeful, joyful moment of Tarlos on their honeymoon was a fucked-up choice.

Gabriel: I wonder if there will come a day when writers recognize that you don't need to kill off characters to advance other character's storylines. A much more impactful (and less lazy) way to move Carlos' progression forward would have been to keep Gabriel alive and have them work through their issues. Growth, healing, communication. Isn't that so much more beautiful and poignant that a shocking and traumatizing death that was simply used for shock value? On a similar note, what the hell was the point of the Reyes sisters? I wish he stayed an assumed only child. The rehearsal dinner was full of characters we didn't know or care about (save Tarlos, Owen, and Gabriel/Andrea).

Tarlos: There literally wasn't a conversation between them at their own wedding....... They were in the background for the entirety of the reception. We got literally 6 seconds of a honeymoon. Tim fucking cut all of the scenes they used to promo the wedding that we all went feral over. How much more was probably filmed that we didn't get? And for what? All of 4.18 TK felt like a prop just there to further Carlos' arc. For Carlos to again end up LYING and DECEIVING "the love of his life." This arc may have worked if it was spread out for an entire season. But to try and shove it into half an episode? It felt incredibly rushed and the writing felt sloppy. All the rhetoric of Tarlos and the viewers' "earning" the wedding. Why can't they be happy after everything? Why can't we enjoy their wedding without having to earn anything? They use Tarlos to advertise and promote and when it comes down to it the show runners don't deliver and delete half their scenes and pretend they care about "representation."

Queer characters and queer viewers deserve authentic and happy plot lines that are not OVERSHADOWED by trauma and grief. I truly would have rathered they postponed the wedding until season 5 rather than thrown it on at the end like they did. It didn't feel right. Where was the joy they promised? Nothing could've made up for what we went through prior.

But none of the ABOVE even mattered when it came down to the wedding because as a viewer, I was fucking reeling from watching Gabriel's needless death that I didn't even process what I was seeing. They tainted the wedding for fucking ever. I've rewatched the vows but I can't even fully invest in them. While it was airing, I wanted to turn it off. I didn't want to watch. I was stunned, numb, and angry. Those emotions are now what I relate to the supposed "Tarlos Wedding" episode. It may have been better honestly split into 2 weeks so that the viewers could process and prepare.

Anyways... that's a little bit of what I'm feeling.

Sidenote... For anyone who has experienced the loss of a parent (I have and i think that's what made this ep so hard for me), my ask/inbox is always open. Your feelings are valid and I hope you're all taking care of yourself after last night.

[howtosingit]

First 4x12 Tarlos Sneak Peek

TK is having a conversation about them being fathers, Carlos is having a conversation about them being husbands. They’re not really disagreeing, they’re just focusing on different things, they’re envisioning different roles for themselves.

TK enters the conversation with a lot of drama (”gaping chasm”), Carlos responds with flippant sarcasm. Neither tone is helpful or really appropriate, especially when they’re not having the same conversation.

TK wants to be a father and doesn’t understand why Carlos wouldn’t when Carlos has so many great dad-like qualities. He’s a natural caregiver and TK has always seen Carlos as a future father, so this is throwing him. And then his insecurities cut in and he assumes it’s because Carlos doesn’t think he’d be a good dad.

Carlos just wants them to be able to enjoy their marriage, figure out who they are as a married couple, without all the trauma that they’ve faced. He’s been a husband before but not the husband he always wanted to be. He wants to be that, he wants to live in that role for now. He wants to have experiences with TK that aren’t terrible and traumatic, but also don’t include kids, who let’s be real, significantly alter experiences when they’re involved.

Neither of them are really listening to each other, mostly because, again, they aren’t having the same conversation. TK brings up Carlos’s love for children, Carlos doesn’t disagree that he loves children, just other people’s children. TK then names other people’s children, as evidence, but that doesn’t prove his point... it actually proves Carlos’s. And he responds as such.

Carlos wants to go on adventures and even to NYC, but he wants to go with TK as TK’s husband, something for them to do together as just themselves. TK argues that children can go to NYC too, but that’s not the point Carlos is making. 

Carlos mentions the pet in the context of responsibility and experience. TK mentions Lou, which was a disaster situation that didn’t teach them responsibility or experience. Lou doesn’t support TK’s argument, it futher supports Carlos’s statement.

TK thinks Carlos doesn’t believe he can be a father and Carlos immediately says that he did not say that. And he’s right, he never said or implied that. That’s not the conversation Carlos was having. That was never a thought that Carlos had.

Throughout the scene, Carlos ignores how TK is feeling and remains flippant and dismissive. Likewise, TK ignores what Carlos is saying and remains dramatic and takes it all a little personally. Neither are their best selves, but I just think they’re confused and not having the conversation they need to be having. But it’s early in the episode, so I think they’ll get there by the end. 

Personally, I don’t like that this conversation is only happening now, but I’m intrigued to see what we learn about them while they go through these important moments. Especially if we’ll see them communicating better than they have in the past.

Overall, I love that Carlos just wants to be someone’s husband before he takes on another role like parenthood. I think that really speaks to his love for TK and the life they can have together. It’s his dream. I love that TK wants to be a father so bad and sees Carlos as a perfect partner for that role. I love that for both of them, and I think they’re on the same page about their futures, they just have to figure out the timing.