#h50 series finale

[cowandcalf]

Tonight in Italy they'll air the final two episodes of H50 and I'm like....not ready, despite knowing exactly what I'm going to see. You know what the saddest thing is? I'm reading a s10 codas fic by flowerfan, and knowing that the show was ending, all people in the comments were hoping just for this (despite the somewhat awkward Steve's babbling about the sunset in 10x18): they they would keep Steve and Danny together, drinking beer in the sunset by the ocean, like they did at the end of the pilot. Nothing else. Together at peace. Nothing big or life changing. Nothing homo, even. Just....let them have peace, together.

I know you brilliantly explained and interpreted the (thankfully!) open ending we got, but honestly? We didn't even need an open ending, and we didn't need to see Steve taking that plane, if they really wanted him off in case of a s11 renewal which didn't happen. They wrote off Danny with zero explanation so many times, that Steve "waiting to take off on a plane for his soul-searching trip" would've been way better!

Hi there😃thank you so much for your message. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and I feel your heavy heart. I know the ending is not what the fandom wanted and it hurts. I also know that I’m one of the few who are okay with it and understands Steve’s intentions to leave. And I just look at the ending as a version of a fanfiction written by someone. I can’t change it but I feel you! And I’m thinking of you when you‘ll be watching the final episodes. It will hurt and cause anger and the never ending wish that it had happened differently. If you know the TV show Grimm you know that that pairing was canon and got the perfect ending, happy and marvelous, after six seasons. In my mind, the ending was McDanno. I always fix it to my liking. You hang in there, love.

[alea-says]

H50 Meta - Why Het Explanations Don't Work in the Absence of Women

OR, is it any wonder the H50 fandom rallied around McDanno when canonically, the more important a female relationship was to a main character, the less screen-time the female received.

OR, H50's inverse relation between the supposed 'romantic importance' of female characters and their screen-time.

I feel like I could write a whole series of essays on this, and it's linked not just to why fandom persists in 'shipping' McDanno, but also to the way the show doesn't represent women properly. Which isn't just a fault of H50, by the way, but I'm focusing on H50 because it's what I'm currently watching and there are some really clear examples.

Full Disclaimer: I am a McDanno shipper, so may carry some bias into this, however, I am also female and critical of the way women are presented, or rather not-presented, in television. I'm also one of those people who will happily ship a couple while also enjoying whatever ship is presented on-screen. In other words, while I love McDanno, if H50 could present me with a believable het ship for either of them, I would enjoy it. Finally, I have not yet finished H50, having just started s9, so this is written from that perspective.

Screen-time equals importance, so where's the female screen-time?

We all know that, the more important a character or scene is, the more time it is given on screen. That's why the main characters are on our screens far more than the side characters or extras.

One of the narrative ways television tells us something is important is by dedicating screen time to it.

If the camera zooms in a piece of paper wedged behind a bookshelf - you know it's going to be an important clue later. Because screen-time = importance.

However, on H50, I have seen it repeatedly shown that, the more 'important' a female character becomes to a main male character, the *less* screen-time they get.

So it is any wonder the audience is left questioning their actual importance or relevance?

Steve and Catherine

As one of the first het relationships presented to the audience in a positive light, I'll start with Steve and Catherine.

S1 Catherine is always there to fill a plot-hole and give Steve the intel he needs. They're shown as a rather relaxed 'couple', or 'friends with benefits'/'friends with favours'.

We continue on, and Cath becomes more of a main character, even joining five-0 in s4. For a while, at least, it appears that they're increasing her importance to Steve, and increasing her screen-time.

But then, in s5, suddenly - no Catherine. She's off elsewhere. It's like, somehow, she became so important they had to remove her completely.

Of course, she returns at the end of s5, and beginning of s6, just long enough for them to tell us Steve loves her so much he wants to propose.

Only - what happens when Steve considers proposing? Catherine leaves. And lies to him.

It's kinda hard to believe this is the het relationship they're selling, when she's not even on screen as much as she was in s1.

And there are any number of reasons for why they did it this way, but it starts a pattern that is seen throughout H50, of the increasing importance placed on a het relationship equaling decreased screentime for the female half of that relationship.

Danny and Rachel

The other main het relationship presented from the beginning, of course, is Danny and Rachel. Now, they start out divorced, but by the end of s1 Danny is having an affair with his ex-wife.

And what happens directly after that? Rachel actually leaves Hawai'i for a bit. There's the whole question of Grace's custody and Danny fighting to keep Grace in Hawai'i.

Now yes, Rachel ends up back with Stan (for a bit, anyway). But I find it fascinating that ex-wife Rachel who Danny is angry at gets far, far more screen-time than Rachel when Danny is pursuing her once more. Basically, as soon as she becomes an 'important romantic interest' for Danny - not more screen-time.

Want some stats? She's in 5 episodes of s1, and then not seen again until s5 (thanks to the Hawaii five-0 wiki for making those easy to grab).

Danny and Amber/Melissa

In terms of length of a relationship, Danny's relationship with Amber/Melissa runs through quite a few seasons. However, when we look at her actual screen-time, it's interesting to note that the more time it's been since she and Danny started dating - the less we see of her.

And also, the less she's mentioned. So not only do we not see her on-screen, but she's also not referred to on-screen very much. It got to the point where I would honestly go 'oh, I forgot about her' when she was mentioned. At which point it felt like they were mentioning her just for the sake of 'confirming' Danny's heterosexuality.

Steve and Lynn

The same can be said of Steve and Lynn.

I actually felt that, after burning the Steve and Catherine relationship, the start of Steve and Lynn's relationship was the most promising het one he'd had so far.

I mean, their first date involves getting shot at, which we know is basically like a hobby for Steve.

But then - suddenly - as their relationship continues on, and supposedly, based on length, becomes more 'important', the less of her we see.

She starts out as this interesting, dynamic character, and the longer she and Steve are the together the more she is shown as nothing more than a prop for his heterosexuality.

She isn't there for the 'intervention' about Steve's health that Danny stages (neither is Melissa, although Dog is - what does it say when it's more important to have your random poker buddy at your intervention than your long-term girlfriend?)

Again, not only does Lynn lose screen-time as their relationship progresses, but also mentions of her drop off, until, like Melissa, she'd be mentioned suddenly after a long time of not being mentioned, and I'd go, huh, I forgot about her.

Girlfriends as opposed to Characters

It's like, once they become established girlfriends, the show can no longer treat them as proper characters.

Which makes the het relationships are really hard to believe - because relationships happen between characters.

We indicate who is important to us by how much we talk about and to them. So the fact that, the longer these relationships go on, the less they are even talked about by their supposed boyfriends, well - is it any wonder we find their relationship hard to believe?

And I could probably do a whole 'nother essay about the issues with how this perpetuates a narrative of women as only there for the men's desire, not standing as separate characters on their own, and simply a 'prop' to help show off their 'masculinity' and 'heterosexuality'.

It's incredibly two-dimensional, because to have a 3-dimensional relationship, you'd have to actually give them screen-time, either by putting them on the screen or at least by having other characters talk about them.

So why McDanno?

On the other hand, you've got Steve and Danny continually on screen, continually talking about and to each other, and showing through actions (and words) how much they care about each other.

Yes, they are main characters. But this is why fandoms like to ship main characters together. Because they *are* characters. Because the screen-time given to them tells us that they're important and we care about them.

It's a little hard to take their het relationships seriously when the people they're engaging in all the 'couple' behaviour on-screen with is each other (such as discussing their future plans, staging interventions, visiting each other in hospital, helping do up the house, etc). (and yes, also hugging, arms around shoulders, sitting next to each other while on 'dates' with their girlfriends, etc)

Now, I'm not saying you have to ship McDanno, or that I'd want a whole bunch of screen-time taken up by the next random woman chosen to prove the main's heterosexuality. But I am saying it's kinda hard to value those heterosexual relationships when both the characters, and show, aren't shown to value them.

[cowandcalf]

@stephmcx oh my, you about killed me with the praises, babe! Thank you so freaking much for supporting my metas *pulls you in a mad hug* even though we don’t share the same opinion on how the show ended. I can give all the compliments right back to you. I always enjoy your different POV of scenes and canon versions. Your view on the subjects are always inspiring. And you’re one of the very few people who can convince me otherwise. Love you, too, babe and it means the world to me to get this meta rec from you. I’m super glad we experienced the impact of the series finale life with all the heated discussions and the way it tore through the fandom. It’s still a wound but alas, it’s canon and fanfiction is the remedy to heal it all.

@trickster-archangel In case you read the metas and feel the need to discuss things, rant at me, unload emotions or whatever and DM me if you want. Believe me, the tidal wave of outrage after they aired 10.22 was epic and difficult. And what you read in my metas is still the opinion I stand for. May it provide some sort of comfort to you. It’s not easy to deal with it all and I get where the anger and disappointment come from.

Hey dear, I made myself sad+angry again by writing about 10x22 and especially that stupid line they put into Steve’s mouth about his father.

Wondering if you ever made some sort of collection about h50 and mcdanno meta, especially episodes analysis (I know you came in later, but I suppose you caught up?), and especially some good, balanced, professional dissection about the finale.

Thanks anyway, mahalo

Hey there! Aw man, sorry to hear you've written yourself into a mood but I understand very well how that can happen in regards to the H50 finale!

Your ask made me smile though. While I never thought of creating a collection of metas, it's a great idea (like a rec list for metas) and it sounds like a thing I might have tried if it ever occured to me, lol. (I've been into H50 since 2018. S8 had just wrapped up but I was there for all of S9 and S10.)

I do, however, try to tag my posts and reblogs somewhat consistently, so what I can offer you is to browse through the following tags on my blog: #meta and #episode review and #h50 finale. (Just click on them. You may find occasional posts about other fandoms in there, but it should be H50 mostly. It should be sorted chronologically, so you might have to scroll back a bit for the older stuff.)

As for some balanced reviews on the finale, I actually do have a rec for you! My friend @cowandcalf wrote a great meta series on the finale and she even posted them to AO3. Her views sometimes differ from the general fandom opinion and she's never shy to speak her mind (which I love about her). I value her opinions very much and always find them inspiring (even if we don't quite agree about the finale! :))

[Meta] PART I - The Goodbye Scene S10E22 – Steve and Danny [Meta] PART II - The Goodbye Scene S10E22 – Steve and Danny [Meta] PART III – Steve and Catherine (as in Steve & Catherine) 10.22 - The Scene on The Plane

[stellagioia]

One of our local channels just aired a rerun of the h50 series finale.

It still has great moments, but it is also still ten kinds of wrong. Everything that pi$$ed me off three years ago… still pi$$es me off. And I still turned it off after the last McDanno beach scene.

Current mood ⬇️

[racoonsa]

I’ll be disgusted with Peter Lenkov forever for ruining my H50 love and enjoyment in the final retcon ooc 3 min of the series.

[jamiemarsters]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Marsters News+ (@jamie_marsters)

Pics of the Day: James Marsters moving nothing but his eyes in this shot from the @hawaiifive0cbs series finale "Aloha"

@realjamesmarsters #JamesMarsters #HawaiiFive0 #H50 #IHadSoMuchFunScrollingBackAndForthBetweenThesePics #LiterallyOnlyHisEyesMove #DunnoWhyThatsSoEntertainingToMe #ButItReallyIs #YouTryIt!

[trickster-archangel]

Adding a bit because of Katya's tags:

Yes. I agree that Steve might’ve felt the urge to go away, put a distance for sometime, find himself and heal. What was completely OOC and in absolute stark contrast with the previous ten years, was that line about solving the murder. He could've gone away after season 5, or 6, at this point. But he didn't, because it wasn't about his father anymore.

I can justify it, considering an alternate universe where the writer was a normal human being with writing skills, emotional depth, and a professional eye, by thinking this:

Steve had stayed to avenge his father and find the truth about his mother, to find peace and let his ghost sleep. In the end, by pursuing this revenge, this state of mind, this obsession which had been also his father's and his mother's, he had almost destroyed the only good thing, the only one, that life had given him. He had put his revenge, and his past, above and beyond his love and his future, his happiness, his Danno, and he almost lost him. Almost lost it all. Suddenly, he understood his obsession for truth and revenge had turned him into the shadow of his parents. He hadn’t any reason to stay because he had failed Danny. He had forgot the real reason why he had stayed, he had put his honor before his Danno, and almost lost him.

He hadn’t a reason to stay because he didn't deserve Danny anymore, since the fault for all that had happened was his, and his alone.

He had thought that solving that mystery would've brought him the peace he craved so desperately. He was wrong. By doing so, he lost everything else, exactly like his parents. He couldn’t stay, not for the moment at least, not until he had found himself, not until he had gained clarity of mind and maybe found psychological help, because all that he had done while pursuing his obsession, was losing track completely of the only thing that mattered and that could've been his. From the very beginning.

Steve had understood he was so fucked up that he lacked the emotional balance and mind clarity to understand what really mattered.

Steve was punishing himself, and trying to rebuild himself a new man.

Yet another thing I require an explanation for from s5 writers:

Danny's ringtone for Rachel IN STEVE'S BRAIN is none other than the 1977 hit Love Is In The Air by John Paul Young, so it's the kind of tune/theme that Steve imagines Danny choosing for his beloved spouse atm, that's Steve's brain let me reiterate. And then, then, just 8 episodes later, in the Valentine's episode during which Steve is officially single (but starts it and ends it with Danny anyway) we have this

???? What does that mean, what does that mean???? Steve who isn't even a big romantic and doesn't have anyone officially in such a good mood he's practically speaking in cheesy platitudes about love? What, pray tell, (or rather who) put him in such an amorous mood? Is Steve now the lucky owner of Danny's beloved spouse ringtone? :P

Whatever this may mean, Steve sure did have love and romance on the brain (or should I say ~in the air~ ) in Danny's vicinity.

[emphasisonthehomo]

Fic Review of 2023!

I was tagged by @stephmcx!

Boy howdy I uh..... managed to write a lot last year. I genuinely have no idea how I did it.

Words & Fic (on Ao3)

Words Posted: 116,930

Fics posted: 17

First Fic: Sewing on a Different Kind of Seam, the first of PI Trans Danno!

Last Fic: Home Run, Steve gets whacked in the junk!

Ships & Fandoms

It's all been McDanno H50 because I guess I got BIT but the FUCKING BUG.

Top 5 Fics by Kudos:

ONE: (When You Hold Me) Press My Skin Until It's Sore H50, McDanno, 15.7k words. Steve and Danny finally get their shit together in the PI au.

TWO: Sewing on a Different Kind of Seam H50, McDanno, 8.7k words. The beginning of the PI au.

THREE: Shudder H50, McDanno, 5.4k. Danny calls Steve ~sir~ and gets plowed.

FOUR: If I had a Choice I'd Tear it Asunder H50, McDanno, 7.6k. Steve offers Danny a job w/ Five O in the PI au.

FIVE: Deep Inside Your Hands are Tied H50, McDanno, 7.9k. Danny tells Steve about the trans thing in the PI au.

Top 5 Favorite Fics: (In alphabetical order)

Agitated States of Amazement The start of t4t McDanno. My newest baby. I need to finish this series so badly, but for whatever reason it's been a struggle.

Home Run I just really like how this one turned out y'all. I never thought I'd write about CBT, but here I am.

Salt Porn.

Shudder More porn.

Where Waters Do Not Curve Is this technically cheating? Just putting the entire series for PI Trans Danno? Maybe. Do I care? No. This is my baby, I'm so proud of it.

Projects for 2024!

The big obvious one is to work on t4t, I gotta get my girl Stef finished.

I have several other WIPs floating around, including a Mob au, Professor Danno, and a soulmark one.

I'm also in the middle of a disgustingly fluffy xmas fic, that got sidelined because I got sick and then uhhhhh my cat died. So I don't care that it's not really the holiday season anymore, I'll post it when I'm finished.

[satashiiwrites]

Mana’olana, Chapter 5

Knocking another chapter off my to-do list for April. It’s not looking like I’ll get the only other task done since i have work-related social plans this evening but never say never….

title: Mana’olana, Chapter 5

Fandom: H50

Pairing: Endgame McDanno. Canon other pairings up until end of season 5.

Fic summary:

Mana’olana: to hope, to have faith. 

Finding out he’s Charlie’s father sets in motion a series of changes for Danny. Some for the better, some not. But once the first domino falls it sets off a cascade and it’s not only Danny and Charlie that are effected. As the extended ohana gathers for Kono’s and Adam’s wedding, Danny finds that maybe not everything is lost.

Chapter summary: Danny has a rough night and then the team catches a case right before Kono’s big day.

Tags/warnings: season 5 finale-fix-it, endgame mcdanno, not nice to Rachel Edwards, discussion of child custody agreements, canon-typical cases/violence.

Read Chapter 5 here on AO3

[mcdannoangelwolf]

McDanno! Because of law enforcement I'm curious of what you'd do with Arcanine/Growlithe

Ahh finally posting this story. THank you to my amazing Alpha @merlin-wolfgang-trades-hale for the prompt. I loved writing it.

This story could technically be part of my future Pokemon/H50 fusion as it features Pokemon from Steve and Danny's teams in my Pokeheroes series. However I have no idea where it would place in the story as I don't know the full universe yet lol.

Anywho, enjoy everyone. Pics of featured Pokemon, (Arcanine, Luxray, Arbok), can be found at the bottom the story.

 Luxray shooting to her feet broke Steve from his unfocused stare at his computer. He hated the quarterly supply and requisition paperwork. Following her gaze to the bullpen he saw Danny throw open the doors and stalk in.

 Danny’s shoulders were hunched, his face was flushed, and Steve could see a tic going through his partners' jaw where he was clenching his teeth.

 “This can’t be good,” Steve spoke aloud as Danny stomped to his office and stalked inside.

 “Lux.” Luxray chirped in reply before laying back down in her bed. Despite working together, and dating, Luxray still had a contentious relationship with Danny. Steve wasn’t sure why but he’d have to figure it out before he and Danny moved into together.

 Not that they were planning that…yet. Well, they weren’t planning it….But if Steve himself was making some tentative plans for the future…well no one needed to know. Still, Luxray not particularly caring for Danny was an issue. But not one he needed to solve today.

 “Stay put, I’ll be back,” Steve told her before making his way to Danny’s office. Luxray just watched him go out of one eye.

 Steve found Danny at his desk glaring at an extremely wrinkled and slightly torn piece of paper.

 “Bad news?” Steve questioned, rhetorically. It obviously wasn’t good news. In answer, Danny shoved the paper across the desk toward him.

 “ ‘Dear Mr. Williams I am deeply disappointed that my previous attempts to reach you have gone unanswered,’ “ Steve read aloud, “ ‘Please understand that my client is highly motivated and will happily discuss whatever compensation you desire in exchange for the specimen. As a reminder, our current offer stands at-‘”

 “Whoa, that’s a lot of zeros.” Steve broke off at the number listed on the crumpled paper.

 “Almost what I make in a year. Before taxes.” Danny replied scathingly. Steve looked up to find Danny glaring at the paper, a scratched and dinged-up pokeball clutched in his left hand.

 Arcanine’s pokeball.

“This about that article?” Steve didn’t really need to ask as he dropped to sit opposite Danny.

“‘Course it is, stupid fucking thing. Never should have given that fuckin interview. Haven’t had a moment's peace since it was published.” Danny replied bitterly. Steve could sympathize a little.

 The article had been about pokémon in law enforcement. Steve and the Team had been ordered to participate by the governor, it was good publicity she claimed, and while Steve’s Luxray had garnered a fair bit of interest; Danny’s Arcanine had stolen the show.

 Growlithe, as an introduced species in Hawaii, was pretty rare. They had to fight for territory with the Rockruff, Rattata, and Meowth lines so it was rare for Growlithe to be seen, in person, on the islands. Much less an Arcanine. A canine the size of a horse had been a huge hit with the people born and raised on the Islands.

 “Previous attempts? How many times have you been contacted, who’s it even from?” Steve asked, once more looking over the letter. That amount of money, for a pokémon, wasn’t unheard of. Especially for a poke’ of Arcanines pedigree, but Steve didn’t think anyone on the islands would be able to shell it out.

 “I dunno,” Danny sighed tiredly, “A few dozen. Letters mostly, but a few phone calls. I don’t know who it is. Everything just comes from a law firm in Honolulu.”

“Dozen’s,” Steve replied, shocked, “Danno that’s ridiculous. Why didn’t you say anything?” Steve asked and Danny just shrugged.

 “That’s just from this place. I’ve been getting requests from all kinds of folks. Breeders, PokeVets, Labs, and Researchers. Not just from here, but the mainland too. Seems like everyone wants a piece of him.” Exhaustion bled into Danny’s voice and Steve felt shame and upset filling him. He and Danny had been dating for months, how had he not realized Danny was being harassed?

 “Don’t do that,” Danny’s statement caught Steve’s focus, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know because I didn’t let you know. I didn’t want to deal with it. It’s not your fault for not noticing something that I didn’t let you see.”

 Danny’s words; spoken with a wane smile, put a little bubble of warmth in Steve’s chest. Danny knew him better than he knew himself most days. It seemed. Steve smiled in return and got to his feet. He rounded Danny’s desk and pressed a kiss to his boyfriends’ hair.

 “Watch the do, you maniac,” Danny grumbled as Steve stood up. He patted his bulletproof quaff needlessly but smiled up at Steve.

 “I’m in the know now, and I’m taking it from here. Get me everything got, emails, letters, and phone numbers. This is done for.” Steve replied, snatching up the letter as he headed for the office door.

 Danny just nodded at him as he left the room and Steve realized it was a mark of how tired Danny was with the harassment that he didn’t ask what Steve was doing.

###

  Danny breathed a sigh of relief as he checked the mail, finding only junk and circulars. It had been almost a month since Steve had started his one-man offensive against the different folks that had been harassing him about Arcanine. Danny didn’t know what exactly his boyfriend had done, only that Steve had spent days making phone calls, sending emails, and even meeting in person with a few people at HQ.

  A few of the people Steve had brought in had, initially, seemed interested in talking to Danny. He had braced himself each time, he had avoided meeting anyone in person to keep from losing his temper, but each time Steve had herded them into his own office before they could so much as approach Danny.

  At each meeting, Steve had locked his office door and closed the blinds. When the people left they didn’t even look in Danny’s direction. Danny knew he should be worried about who it was that Steve was likely threatening but he couldn’t bring himself to care. All he cared about was that the letters and phone calls had slowly but surely stopped.

 Dropping down onto his loveseat Danny picked up Arcanines pokeball. It was an old ball, faded, nicked up, and dented. It was the original ball Danny had been issued when he was given Growlithe after entering the Police Academy back in Jersey.

 Every cadet was issued a Growlithe when they entered the Academy. Part of your training was to train a Growlithe that would be your partner Poke’. If you washed out your Growlithe was reassigned. If you graduated you were issued a Pokeball and you’d be allowed to formally capture the Growlithe you had trained, imprinting it with your trainer I.D. and biometrics.

 Danny hadn’t discovered until years later that his Growlithe hadn’t been a standard Ditto-bred one. Danny’s Growlithe was a purebred, a dual-Arcanine pairing with a history of rarity-coloring in both bloodlines. A mix-up at the breeding facility had seen his Growlithes egg placed with the ones bred for the Academy. He should have suspected. There was nothing wrong or substandard with Ditto-bred Growlithe but Danny’s had always been a bit…different. A bit faster, a bit stronger, and a bit smarter.

 “Come on out buddy.” Danny triggered Arcanine’s ball and the giant canine, really too big for Danny’s apartment, appeared in a flash of white light.

 “Well big guy I think we might finally be done with people trying to snatch you up for study or breeding.” Arcanine gave a soft ‘awoo’ and padded over to drop onto his back at Danny’s feet.

 “Geez, you really are just a big puppy.” Danny smiled, burying his hands in Arcanine’s thick fur, scratching his chest and belly. Danny kept up his ministrations as Arcanine stretched sleepily.

 Sleep. Sleep sounded good. He was tired. It had been a long day. Danny sat back and looked up at the wall clock, surely it was time for a bed. Blinking hard Danny tried to bring the clock into focus, instead, it just moved more, duplicating and spinning around.

 “Fuu uk somsomtin wrong.” Alarm swelled up in Danny’s chest as he struggled to stand up, his feet didn’t seem to want to cooperate. Making it to his feet made Danny’s head swim and the world went topsy-turvy.

 Pain raced through him as his body hit…something. Everything was spinning, light and color twisting around. Danny rolled, arms flailing, trying to find some semblance of stability. Closing his eyes as his stomach churned and the world tumbled Danny came to rest on…something…something soft and moving.

 “Ar..arcarc we gotgo.” Danny mumbled as the world faded away.

***

 “Steve we can’t…what are we supposed to…tranq?” Voices broke through the pounding and fog in Danny’s brain.

 “We can’t…too…might crush...” Another voice cut in…images swam in Danny’s head. A tall brunette, muscular, tattoos.

“Chaaarr!” The screech directly above him sent a spike through his brain and Danny tried to reach out to smack at the offending cause.

 Tried being the operative word. His arms were pinned behind his back, his wrists cinched painfully.

“Wha…” Danny mumbled, the fog in his brain was clearing but sudden panic-induced adrenaline sped it up.

 “Danny, Danny if you can hear me, stop struggling. Your arms are zip-tied behind your back. Arbok is out and pissed off. He’s circling you. If you bleed it might set him off. Do. Not. Move.” This voice was a woman and Danny was finally able to put a face to it.

 “Ko…no.” The word slurred out, his tongue heavy.

 “Yea, it’s me. We’re trying to find a way to calm Arbok down so we can get to you.” Kono’s words registered through the haze in his head and Danny finally cracked open his eyes.

 The shitty beige carpet of his apartment blurrily took up his vision. He attempted to roll onto his back but was stopped by pressure on his legs and Arbok’s hiss above him.

 Danny didn’t know what was happening. The fog was clearing out of his head but in its place a jackhammer pounded in the back of his skull. Closing his eyes again he tried to think back but all he could come up with were fragments.

 “Arc…where’s Arcanine?” Danny forced the words out, eyes wrenching open in panic.

 “We don’t see him Danno…we…we think he got snatched.” Steve…that was Steve. The same voice from earlier. Jesus…what happened to knock Steve out of his head?

 “Get…Get Luxray.” Danny ordered and felt Arbok, who had been shifting above him, freeze.

 “Lux? Danny, we can’t attack. You could be caught in the crossfire.” Steve replied and even through the headache he could hear Steve’s worry.

 “Don’t need to. Get her…he’s ‘fraid of her.” Danny might not have known what was going on and his memory may have been Swiss cheese but he did know Arbok. He wasn’t going to listen to him like this. He didn’t know where his pokeballs were and the only ‘mon Arbok was afraid of, besides his Blastoise and Pangoro, was Luxray.

“Luxray!” Danny could feel Arbok tense where he rested across his legs at Luxray’s hiss.

“Tell…tell her to circle…he’ll move to avoid her.” Words were coming easier now and he could think a bit more clearly.

 “You heard him, girl. If he gets agitated, back off.” Danny heard Steve tell her.

 “Lux…ray.” Luxray purred and, even in Danny’s obviously drugged state, he could hear the danger in her vocalization.

 Military trained, like her trainer, Luxray was silent on her feet but Danny could tell the direction she was moving by the way Arbok moved to avoid her, while still keeping her in his sight. Slowly, she was able to herd Arkbok off of his legs.

 Once Arbok was fully off his legs he felt Luxray’s paw on his arms. For one dicey moment fear welled up in him, fear that Arbok might lash out, but the feline moved her paw after slitting the zip ties on his wrists. The action took him by surprise and his arms immediately fell to his side, pain lancing through his shoulders as the pins-and-needles of feeling hit his hands and wrists.

 Carefully, to not startle Luxray; who was standing at his side, Danny rolled onto his back. He brought his hands up to his chest, rolling his wrists and flexing his fingers against the oncoming ache, he surveyed what he could see of his apartment.

 The small coffee table and side table were flipped over and two of the couch cushions were thrown off, exposing the hide-a-bed underneath. Coiled in the small entry space between the living room and his dine-in kitchenette was Arbok. The cobra pokemon’s hood was fully expanded and his eyes were fixed on Luxray. To others, the tense snake probably looked poised to attack but Danny could spot his tells, the tight way he was coiled up to minimize his large size, the fine tremors in his hood, the way the tip of his tail flicked. He was scared.

 “Okay GI Jane,” Danny rasped to Luxray, “You did good. Back to your trainer.” Luxray didn’t move, remaining resolutely by his side, glaring at Arbok.

 “Steve, call her off.” Danny turned his head to find the man in question standing just inside the door to his apartment, Kono, Pua, and a few other HPD members behind him.

Steve glared hard at him for a moment, clearly thinking of arguing, but Danny just tweaked his eyebrows at him and Steve relented.

 “Luxray, return,” Steve ordered, gleaming black and yellow Ultraball in hand.

 Luxray gave a final growl before dissolving into scintillating red light and returning to her ball.

 Danny climbed shakily to his feet, waving Steve off as he moved to help, and turned to Arbok. The ‘mon was less tightly coiled, rearing up to his not unintimidating full height, eyes focused on Danny.

 “That’s a good boy,” Danny said as he moved carefully toward Arbok, “Keeping me safe while I was knocked out. But we talked about this. Steve and crew are family, ohana. Remember?” Even after years together, and the most stringent training Danny could give, Arbok could still be aggressive and mistrustful when he wanted to be.

“Chaaaarvok.” The pokemon hissed out quietly, lowering himself to Danny’s height, posture less aggressive.

 “I’m not mad atcha, something went down here; even if I can’t remember it. Why don’t you take a rest, where’s your Duskball.” The mention of Arbok’s ball had him rearing back, hissing in annoyance.

 “It’s here Danny,” Steve called out. Without taking his eyes off the grumpy ‘mon in front of him Danny motioned for Steve to bring it, adding a quiet ‘slowly’ as he did so.

 A moment later Steve was standing next to him, pressing the Duskball into his hand.

 “Arbok, return.” Danny lifted the ball as the beam shot out. For a moment Arbok glowed red but before he could dematerialize he reared back further, breaking the beam in a shower of red sparks.

“ChaaaarVOK!” Arbok hissed violently and Danny’s vision was immediately full of insane superSEAL as Steve jumped between them.

 “Move you goon,” Danny ordered as he pulled at Steve’s shirt, “He won’t attack me but I don’t know about you.”  Steve just shook his head.

 “You didn’t see him when we got here Danny, He was circling you, looking at you like you were lunch. We thought he’d attacked you until we saw the zip ties.” Danny felt fearful at Steve’s grumbled statement for an instant before his brain caught up. Danny moved his hands to grip Steve’s hips and leaned his forehead against his back.

 “I know how scared that had to make you, I know you don’t trust Arbok, but if he was gonna eat me he would have done it immediately after breaking out of his ball. But he was protecting me. He only breaks out of his ball if he senses something is wrong. Something big, trust me, just move to the side.” Steve, tense under his hands, relaxed after a moment and slid to the side.

 He didn’t go far, instead, he wrapped one arm around Danny’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. Danny leaned gratefully into Steve’s side, but also spied Luxrays’ ball in Steve’s free hand.

 “See big guy, I’m fine now. Safe and sound. Get back in your ball until I sort all this out. Then you can come out. I’ll take you for a nice swim and everything.” Danny addressed his ‘mon with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Once again he lifted the Duskball to call him back but this time Arbok hissed quietly and dropped fully to the floor. Before he could react Steve pulled him backward and Arbok slithered off quickly down the short hallway toward the bathroom and lone bedroom.

 “What the hell, you overgrown worm,” Danny grumbled, dragging Steve with him to follow the snake.

 “Danny we don’t have time for this we need to get you checked…out.” Steve’s statement died on his lips as they stopped outside the bathroom door. Coming from under the door was a small trickle of blood.

 Steve immediately let go of him and reached for his gun. Before he could make contact with it though Danny grabbed his wrist.

 “You know how he feels about guns.” Danny nodded toward Arbok, who was now coiled, docile, in the open door of his bedroom. Steve grumbled but didn’t pull his gun.

 “Is that why you won’t go back,” Danny asked the serpent, “Something or someone in here?” Arbok’s only action was to turn and slither more deeply into Danny’s bedroom, eyes glowing in the gloom of his blackout curtains.

 “You don’t have to go back into your ball, yet,” Danny stressed the word harshly, “But stay put.” He raised a slightly shaky hand and pointed at his ‘mon. Arbok gave a low hiss that Danny chose to take as acceptance before turning back to the door.

 “Do your thing, Rambo.” Danny nodded at the closed door, feeling a bit nauseated as he did so. Shit, he really did need to get checked out. The longer he was on his feet the more his stomach wanted to empty itself.

 Steve grimaced, likely at the Rambo comment, and drew his weapon after placing Luxray’s ball on his belt. Danny moved to take shelter in his bedroom doorway at Steve’s glare, only just then realizing that Kono had followed them, as the two of them took up position on either side.

 Danny watched as Kono twisted the knob and Steve moved to thrust it open, only for the door to remain steadfastly shut.

 “What the…something is against it,” Steve said as he pressed more firmly. The door just started to open before someone screamed from within and slammed it shut, knocking Steve back a bit.

 “Fuck this…” Steve growled and before Danny could protest the SEAL stood tall and kicked the door open with all his might.

 Instead of the hail of bullets Danny had been expecting, another, louder, scream came from within. This time accompanied by what sounded like someone trying to climb up the walls.

 Steve and Kono, guns up, rushed in and Danny peered in behind them. There was blood all over the dingy tile of his bathroom and the shower curtain had been ripped down. Taking shelter in his tub was a Hawaiian man in a Team Skull uniform, his leg bleeding through a ripped-up pant leg from what looked like a V-shaped bite.

 “Arbok must have got him,” Danny mused aloud, “His saliva has an anticoagulant.” At the mention of his ‘mon the guy tried to scramble up the wall, backward, only to fall back into the tub when his leg wouldn’t hold him.

 “I’ll do anything, tell you anything you want, just keep that fucking thing away from me!” The guy screamed, pointing toward the door. Danny turned to find Arbok hovering menacingly behind him.

 “I told you to stay in the bedroom,” Danny grumbled at the snake. Arbok just flicked his tongue at Danny before flipping his tail toward Danny’s hand, the hand holding his Duskball.

 “Now you wanna go?” He asked and Arbok just looked at him, “Fine, return.” This time as he was enveloped in red light he only gave a short hiss before he dematerialized back into the ball.

###

  Steve stepped lightly through the hospital halls, heading for his Danno’s room. In the end, it was all very anti-climactic. He left Kono and HPD to get their Team Skull perp bundled up and dealt with while he took Danny to the hospital himself. After being assured that Danny would be okay, he had been knocked out with a gas derived from Butterfree sleep powder, Danny demanded that Steve join Kono in tracking Arcanine.

 Kono, as it turned out, hadn’t needed him. The Grunt, with a severe case of ophidiophobia, had told them exactly where the rest of the Team was holed up. After a trouncing by Chin, Kono, and Pua the other Grunts had given up easily. They returned Arcanine and even dimed out the rich collector on the mainland that hired them to snatch Arcanine for his breeding facility, as well as supplying them with the illegal knock-out gas.

 Steve often wondered why Team Skull continued to operate. The vast majority of them were terrible trainers and all of them were universally bad criminals. The few that Steve had battled that were decent were, he believed, wasting their talent. Especially as members of a wannabe Rocket replacement. They were a problem for another day though. For now, a half dozen of them were sitting in jail, a rich jackass on the east coast was being arrested for an illegal breeding ring, and Steve had an Arcanine to deliver.

 When Steve made it to Danny’s room he found his partner asleep. Quietly Steve dropped down into the chair by the bed frowning at the I.V. stand and vitals monitor. Everything seemed to be in order but he still didn’t like it. Steve dropped Arcanines ball onto the tray table and took Danny’s hand in his.

 “I got Arcanine back babe. He’s right here waiting on you for when you wake up.” Steve said quietly and Danny just slept on. Smiling, Steve leaned back in his chair to wait. He was just closing his eyes, thinking of working in a nap, when the shaking of Arcanines' ball caught his attention.

 As the indicator began to flash Steve lunged, grabbing the pokeball from the table and pointing it at the floor. In a flash of white light Arcanine appeared, stretching his bulk in the limited space of the hospital room.

 “Hey, why’d ya stop hol’ing my hand, we fightn?” Danny’s slightly slurred question caught Steve’s attention before he could scold the canine, who was now curling up at the foot of Danny’s bed. Glad Danny was awake and happy he had saved him from being crushed under Arcanine’s weight, Steve dropped back into his chair and took Danny’s hand again.

 “No Danno, we’re not fighting. I had to get Arcanine’s ball before he landed on you.” Steve replied, smiling when Danny cast a bleary eye around for his poke’.

 “He’s curled up on the floor, safe and sound, and there are several Team Skull numbskulls sitting in lock up,” Steve explained and Danny lay back on his pillows.

 “What’d they wan’ him for? ‘Sides his awesome hair?” Danny queried and Steve had to suppress a laugh. The Butterfree gas must have still been in his system, his carefully controlled Jersy accent was slipping in.

 “Rich guy on the east coast saw the article, hired them to snatch him. The guy has been under investigation for ties to an illegal breeding ring. Arc’s poke’napping will be the nail in his coffin.” Steve explained, he could give Danny the full details when he was more awake.

 Danny gave him a crooked smile and rolled onto his side to face him more fully.

“Coulda tol’em it was a waste of time. Tried to breed him. Females and Dittos. He’s got no interest. The only lady he’s ever liked is yer Pyroar...and thas different. Think he might be gay.” Danny trailed off with a chuckle before snuggling into his pillow, still gripping tight to Steve’s hand.

 Steve just shook his head and settled back in his chair, still holding Danny’s hand. Homosexual behavior had been seen in pokémon, but it wasn’t very common. Steve couldn’t help but chuckle. If that was the case that would just be Danny’s odd luck. Accidentally got a purebred Growlithe, with rare bloodlines, and it evolved into an Arcanine with zero interest in females.

 Not that it mattered, not really. Everyone was safe and sound, Danny was on the mend and Arcanine was home. They could talk more later. Maybe…just maybe Danny would think about moving in with him now. Arcanine gave a quiet snort in his sleep, like he could hear Steve’s pining thoughts, and curled into himself more.

 Leaning back Steve closed his eyes with a smile, deciding to join the pair in a nap.

[itwoodbeprefect]

*in Oliver Twist voice* Please, sir, may I have two more? (for the WIP meme)

17. I love you sounds different if you’re saying it to a guy you’re sleeping with

20. The soap opera fix

oh gosh. yes! and you can also have a cookie: 🍪

-

I love you sounds different if you’re saying it to a guy you’re sleeping with

this is technically part of a series i started once upon a time, but there are also four more parts between what’s already posted and this WIP, so that doesn’t bode incredibly well for this fic. i could decide to cut it loose, though - it could work outside of the context of that series just fine, potentially.

it’s pretty much what the title probably implies: they start sleeping together, things turn explicitly romantic between them, and one morning not long after they run into the fact that suddenly “i love you” is a very weighty combination of words. steve says it anyway, and takes great pains to tell danny that he doesn’t have to if he can’t, and danny has a ramble about how he couldn’t tell melissa he loved her, but the point isn’t (like steve briefly expects) “this is the past, so i hope you understand what you’ve gotten yourself into”, it’s “the i love you thing with melissa wasn’t really about saying i love you, it was about who and what is a priority in my life, and i’m buying a house with you, weirdo, of course i love you” (and also steve has always been a priority in danny’s life, and that doesn’t stop because they’re having sex now, so neither do the i love yous).

-

The soap opera fix

this one is part of the original run of roughly a dozen fix-it fics i started writing very soon after the finale aired, so there’s a certain degree of spite showing through here i think. it’s a finale... AU? tag scene? AU tag scene? in which after steve says goodbye, danny joins the team in the living room of the mcgarrett home and they all have a sad our-friend-left drink, and then the door flies open and steve falls inside with blood on his face:

Before Danny has another moment to take stock of the situation, he’s already up, forgetting about his cane or his own barely healed injuries in an attempt to help keep Steve upright. Steve barely seems to need it, but he’s harried-looking and disbelieving and a little furious when he squeezes Danny’s arm to the point of pain, looks around the room at all the wide-eyed faces, and spits, “Why the hell did none of you come to find me?”

which is when it turns out that steve has a doppelganger, oh noes! the real steve was kidnapped during his evening run, and the doppelganger was the one with them for the last day who said goodbye to all of them to go fly off with catherine, so pretty soon they’re all racing to the airport to keep cath from getting on a plane with a potentially dangerous definitely creepy guy, and this explains why steve heard danny say he’s depressed and told him he has a phone and then walked away (it’s because it wasn’t steve), and it has danny going “wow, i’ve never been more glad to be a coward” and steve’s like “you’re not a coward” and danny goes “well, i very nearly kissed you when you said bye, but it’s a good thing i didn’t, because it wasn’t you”.

in the end cath doesn’t get on the plane with the doppelganger, and it turns out he looks so much like steve because he’s steve’s twin brother that john never knew about because doris gave him up at birth, and he’s Evil because that’s what happens if you’re an orphaned twin on a soap opera (or, let’s face it, on h50), and he was trying to torture steve by stealing the One Thing steve truly cares about - [insert dramatic reveal music here] HIS GIRLFRIEND. (steve’s twin is not the best criminal mastermind.)

also. steve’s twin’s name is stan. because around these parts we like making danny suffer in irrelevant little ways.

also also. there’s some doris dragging involved:

“How is it possible that I never knew about you? Where were you all these years?”

“I was given up for adoption without our father’s knowledge. I spent the first thirty years of my life tracking down my birth parents, and when I finally found our mother, she told me never to contact you because you were her favorite and she was afraid it might be the thing that would finally make you realize she was not an entirely stable person.”

[cowandcalf]

Feeback Fest 2024: H50 Fic Recs

For International Fanworks Day, February 15 (for more information see this post by @transformativeworks)

Thank you, babe @stephmcx because of your great fic rec list I noticed this amazing Fic Rec Day! I'm not often on Tumblr anymore scrolling and discovering interesting things and I miss the interaction with other fandom folks. And here you are, posting a great fic rec list of the most epic OTP ever: Steve and Danny.

I have my McDanno 'go-to' fics I love dearly but for this list I put together a different number of McDanno stories from my bookmarks. I hope some of you haven't read them already. Maybe there's a chance you find an unknown great McDanno story. All of my recommanded stories always act like a large safety net of love I let myself fall into when I need those special, unique, and most magic McDanno vibes.

1.Blue Shorts and Gloves by WeirdoOfTheCentury - Summary: Danny... well Danny is Danny. Stella is a protective Sister and both Steve and herself wanna commit a crime when it comes to Danno. @shadowhunterdownworlderhybrid

2.Touch My World With Your Fingertips by kristen999 - Summary: Danny has plans for Steve when he returns home from his reserve drill.

3.More Than Words, Part One by Candy_A - Summary: The first chapter in a series based on the events that follow Danny's rescue from Colombia (Episode 5.17). In this installment, Danny returns to Hawaii and he and Steve begin to cope with the reality of Danny's ordeal there. (Nine parts belong to this outstanding series)

4.See You Tomorrow by bgharison - Summary: "When we were leaving the office, I said, ‘see you tomorrow’ to Chin and Kono, and they said, ‘yeah, see you tomorrow'. I said, ‘see you tomorrow’ to you, and you said, ‘goodnight’, And 'goodnight' sounded like 'goodbye', okay?""I wasn't saying goodbye," he said, finally. But he kept his eyes fixed on the water.

5.Why don't you try me? by azziria - Summary: Steve and Danny both want the same thing, they just don't know it yet.

6.Back To Back (They Faced Each Other) by harrycrewe - Summary: Danny didn’t even realize that Steve was a sentinel when they first met. That probably said a lot right there about what kind of a guide Danny was.

7.Like Death and Taxes by ariadnes_string - Summary: "One of these days," Steve growled, voice low and rough and filthy, "I'm gonna rip this thing off you and gag you with it." (That's my very first McDanno fanfic I read.)

8.Moments In The Skript by joannereads - Summary: Hello all! So, over the last few years I have dreamed of a few scenarios before, during and after the events of The Script. I wanted to add to it, but never found the time, so now I'm making a point of doing it. I'll add to this as and when I have time or the muse is singing. Some of the stories will be teen and up, some explicit. Hope you enjoy! (RPF)

9.Close To Me by joannereads - Summary: Danny Williams is 17. Steve McGarrett is 26. They all live in Hawaii. And their lives are about to get really, really messy. Because Steve? Steve's his brother's best friend.

10.Sock Monkey by Cattraine - Summary: He’s late; he’s running late when the call comes in. One minute he’s sitting at a traffic light on a perfect day on his way to work, bemoaning his lack of coffee and the next he’s screeching the Camaro’s tires towards the accident, heart pounding, keeping perfect time with the chant in his head. No, no, no. It can’t be.

[eneiryu]

saw you saying that you read some really good sterek fics, would you mind recommending some? ☺️

Happily!

So my absolute, hands-down, really no contest these-are-the-characterizations-of-Stiles-and-Derek-that-I-accept favorites are:

Aftershocked, Mixed Messages, and Brave New World by pyes (it’s a series, in that order), with Brave New World being far and away my favorite. I think I’ve read it over a dozen times? UNFORTUNATELY, the author deleted them (and themselves, apparently?) off of AO3, so I have no idea where one would find them now. But if you can find them, cannot recommend them enough. (Anything by pyes is pure gold, they’ve got a Wynona Earp fic that I just had to sit with, for a few minutes after reading.)

I also adore this fic, which is just extremely well-written with some excellent themes (it heavily inspired my own the only other sound’s the break):

This is another excellent one (anything by Siria is fantastic, check out their H50 fics too, if that’s your thing:

Another strong contender for absolute Sterek favorite:

And this one is just such an absolutely delightful slice of life, also featuring Stiles and Sheriff Stilinski:

And finally, anything in my bookmarks on my AO3 account under the Derek/Stiles tag (I’m just a little too lazy to copy them all over here).

And hell, if folks have sterek recs, I’d love some. 😆

[oldfangirl81]

I was trying to think if I actually have a "Top 10 finales I pretend don't exist". And no. I can only think of 5. A lot that make ranked lists aren't series I watched.

And this isn't saying they are bad but I just prefer to be in denial about the finale.

In no ranked order what I came up with

• The Glades

• Supernatural

• How I Met Your Mother

• H50

• Angel

[enbyeddiediaz]

i'm with you, the hawaii five-o finale still pisses me off

I got my roommates into h50 and I told one of them how the series ended bc I read a really good fic abt it and wanted to send it to them but they needed context and for an entire week they were just like "they ended the show like THAT??????" it was so fucking bad

[stellagioia]

Reblogging because I’d still like to have this answered.

Fellow Hawaii Five-0 fans, help me understand.

The hero in this tweet is Steve. Who, according to the EP, “won” in the end. I assume he means in the series finale.

HOW?

How did Steve win exactly?? Because try as I might, I can’t count him leaving everything (and everyone) behind as a win. It might count as a first step, maybe. A faltering attempt towards healing, but definitely not a win.

He was at his lowest when he left, and brought with him all the baggage collected over thirty years of trauma. We don’t know if leaving actually helped, if setting out for parts unknown gave him the peace he was looking for. We don’t know because we weren’t told anything about it. The EP left us on that beach with Danny, with not even a reassurance that Steve would be back. So based on that, on what we saw, how did this hero win?