#mistaken for a couple mcdanno

[teruel-a-witch]

just mcdanno things: tenderly stroking his knuckles

[teruel-a-witch]

i think it's definitely deliberately wlw couples and not mlm couples too, because imagine putting mcdanno and another couple of gay dads in one episode? watching the gay couple unable to outgay your main 'hetero bros' because no canon couple can rival steve and danny's chemistry?

even if they wanted to 'put the gay' somewhere else, they definitely failed spectacularly, like having the criminals have marathon sex on a couch while steve and danny are listening to them on a different couch wouldn't make people put two and two together xD not to mention larry talking about the benefits of having sex on the particular couch steve and danny spent two days on? and steve and danny having a discussion about gay vs lesbian sex? they put that all in the script so I'm not sure they knew what they were doing 😂

also choosing 6x11 to reveal the nugget that danny wasn't willing to go to therapy to improve his and rachel's relationship yet he is willing to do that to fix his and steve's 'not-marriage'? yet again defeats the 'unromantic purpose', especially with steve and danny making such a convincing couple the counselor advices the straight couples to be more like them 😂 they are so good at being married when they aren't even trying.

what they really achieved with those episodes is showing that mcdanno have more chemistry and is superior to any canon couple their feeble minds could come up with 😂

Why is it, that in a show that barely has any queer representation in it, the only two times we get to see queer people they are... basically mirroring the lead characters? Is it to take The Gay away from Danny and Steve and put it somewhere else?

Like in 5x17 where the girls are having sex on the couch so that no one can assume anything ever happened between Danny and Steve on Agnes' plastic covered couch, right? Because two guys sharing a stranger's apartment for a night while also sharing feelings is too homo for them? Come on.

Or in 6x11 where the lesbian couple is the only couple who seem genuinely interested in improving their real, romantic relationship; contrary to the two het couples there and especially other than Danny and Steve who are just there for their 'work' relationship. Or so we are meant to believe.

[having-conniptions]

McDanno was so wild y'all...

Here I am shipping Buddie and actually having hope for them when they haven't even said "I love you" like a hundred times, planned their retirement together, been repeatedly mistaken for a gay couple and cuddled on several occasions

McDanno had all of that and still never went canon so how delusional am I to ship Buddie 💀🥲

[teruel-a-witch]

summary of 5.17 'the stakeout'

[nobigsecrets]

Fic Writer 20 Questions

I was tagged for this by @luredin a few days ago and recently also by @itwoodbeprefect, thank you both!

How many works do you have on AO3?

68 works

What's your total AO3 word count?

157,933

What fandoms do you write for?

At the moment, it's still mostly H50 and some Ted Lasso.

Generally, the fandoms that make me want to write for them are the ones where I feel that there's still much left untold by canon. Be it character backstories that are just hinted at or be it the chemistry between two characters that makes me ship them, when I can't stop thinking about them it's usually me starting to write stories about them in my mind already.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Beautiful Thing (H50)

Oi! Tartt! Boot Room now! (Ted Lasso)

A Sense of Belonging (H50)

A hui hou nō (H50)

Together (we make a family) (H50)

Funnily enough, the first two fics are basically the same premise, just different fandoms: an outsider POV catching a private moment between the main characters and watching a kiss that wasn't meant for their eyes.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Not as consistently as I want. Sometimes it's the bare lack of time, often times it's that I don't know what to say even though getting a new comment makes me ridiculously happy. Please know I love and appreciate every single comment I have ever received on my works!

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm a sucker for happy endings and I hate unresolved endings so I usually don't write them. I tend to end my stories on a hopeful note at the very least so I'm not sure it qualifies as an angsty ending, but Runaway is closest I think. It's one of the rare cases where I wrote the ending in between and before the middle part of the story.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I say it's my H50 finale fix-it, A hui hou nō.

Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully not.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Occasionally. I try to make it not just porn but include the emotions as well; I aim to capture the intimacy of the moment.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope. Not my thing.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. Here We Go Again was translated into Russian for Fandom Kombat last year: Ну вот, опять

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nothing that's officially published. But bouncing ideas back and forth in the comments or via dm is lots of fun and has added up to fic length regularly (especially with Katya; we haven't done that in a long while, @teruel-a-witch!).

What's your all-time favorite ship?

I think McDanno has ruined me for all other ships.

What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have a WIP that's a few years old where Danny and Steve help with the Spring Cleaning at Charlie's kindergarten. They are mistaken as a couple by the teachers and the other parents alike, no thanks to Charlie calling them both "Dad". It's one of the fics where I have written the first part (and I like how it turned out) and then I just stopped without leaving a clue for myself how it's supposed to resolve. I know I once had an idea for it, but no matter how many times I open the document I can't remember what it was.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I can write short stories well that are precise and that can pack a punch. I'm told I write emotions well but I'm not always sure I agree. :)

What are your writing weaknesses?

I often find it hard to write dialogue. It has gotten easier over the years but I still find it hard, especially since I'm not a native English speaker.

Also, generally, writing in a foreign language can be challenging. There are some cultural things (informal speech, behaviors, acronyms, insults, unwritten rules etc.) that are hard to research. I'd love to write more about Steve's military background for example, but I don't think I know enough about life in the US military to do that in a believable way.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Not a big fan. I mean, if it's subtle or if, for example a character uses one or a few words from their native language regularly, that can be meaningful and add to their characterization. But if it's whole sentences or dialogues in another language it tends to pull me out of the reading flow.

What I have really come to hate is written dialects. There are some Ted Lasso fics I refuse to read because they tried to write down Jamie's Mancunian accent. As funny as it is hearing it on the show, it's just annoying to read.

First fandom you wrote for?

Uh, Harry Potter maybe? Or RPF for the German band Die Ärzte? I did write some original stuff. The first fic I published was definitely Football RPF.

Favorite fic you've ever written?

I can't really chose a favorite one. There are many stories I feel proud of and there are others that mean a lot on a personal level. I'm gonna pick Me Ke Aloha pretty much at random and I might chose a different fic if you ask me again tomorrow. :)

Tagging: With no pressure @cowandcalf, @actingcamplibrarian, @emphasisonthehomo, @stellagioia, @goneahead and anyone who feels like answering these questions - it was fun!

[trickster-archangel]

I know these are just some of the lines of the whole dialogue and Steve is referring to that nice young woman he sees sometimes (geeez granpa....), but out of context? That's the subtext they're conveying. Steve and Danny have sex. Period. In context?? Even worse...Why do you have to look at your platonic heterosexual job partner before answering a question about YOUR sex life, Steven?! Why do you look at him and giggle?! Why do you feel the urge to smile so fond and besotted when finally answering, never breaking eye contact with the aforementioned platonic heterosexual job partner?!

That scene is so ambiguous (and this is the real dialogue!).

[five-wow]

this scene from leverage but with steve and danny: let’s discuss.

personally, i think it should be steve making nice with the reception lady and danny going “i’m with him”, just because that means danny would get to say that this is totally not making him jealous, even though it would be, it so would be.

also: steve probably wasn’t flirting with a lot of intention, he was just being steve and trying to make his life easier in the process of getting information or whatever, so the first time he just goes “?? what just happened” and danny is like “my intervention was very necessary because [insert flimsy excuse that steve mostly swallows because he’s a shockingly oblivious man sometimes]”. however, by the fifth time, even steve is starting to grow just a little suspicious of danny’s true intentions.

or, alternately, a different angle: danny goes “yup, i’m with him” and drags steve off to the side, and the reception lady is like “oh my god!” and texts her three bffs about how mcgarrett from the governor’s taskforce totally just flirted with her and then his partner got jealous and confirmed they were together and literally dragged him away, gasp emoji! long story short, hawaii is a small island and by dinner time steve and danny’s phones are getting flooded with “CONGRATS on finally figuring your shit out and getting together!!! i knew it all along!!!” texts from every single person they even vaguely know on the island. kamekona is probably first.

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

Hi! I'm see you watch hawaii five-0 and I was wondering what you think the chances are they'd actually do anything with mcdanno? I'm fairly new to watching it and I'm trying not to get to invested because I know what these big tv shows are like! Thanks, hope you're having a great day 😊

Hmmm. I don't have any anticipation that it will be canon.

#1 This is CBS, arguably the most homophobic network for prime time TV shows. It only has LGBTQ "leads" that don't die in its online subscription-only shows (CBS All Access). As far as its broadcast shows, there is arguably the least amount of representation on any TV network. (The only broadcast show with an LGBTQ lead was Instinct, which had a gay male lead, and only lasted 24 episodes.) *Side note: H50 did have an episode where a queer person lived and wasn't a victim (s9e14). The character was a teenager that had homophobic parents. Social media? Hated the episode. All of prime time CBS viewership seemed to write comments condemning the episode for being too politically correct. The point? CBS's target demographic is homophobic AF, and the backlash from ONE FREAKING EPISODE was so bad that it virtually guarantees McDanno won't be canon.

#2 If it could have happened, it would have happened. This show's been on for 10 years. They've teased McDanno from the beginning, but they've literally never written a show or season that felt like it was building to a canon relationship. 🤷‍♀️

#3 Given 1 & 2, I anticipate that the best possible ending will be akin to what House and Wilson had in House MD -- the two ending with some kind of partnership that has them riding off into a metaphorical sunset together.

***Here's the thing. This show has done a great job deconstructing toxic masculinity. The two leads (McDanno) repeatedly say I Love You, cuddle with each other, don't shy away from emotional displays, are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other, share a bed, practically co-parent, get mistaken for a couple, go to couples therapy, etc. I freaking love every thing about this because their target audience? Men between the ages of 18 and 49? They need to see this shit.

But do I expect the showrunners to subvert this brotherly norm and give us a queer ship? No.

Is it fun to watch them deconstruct toxic masculinity? Yes.

I freaking *love* watching Danny be such a present, amazing father. I *love* that he cuddles with Steve for movie nights, flies half way around the world to be his emotional support, and imagines a shared future with him. All that is stuff that men aged 18-49 need to SEE. Need to know is good and honorable and heroic.

This is a ship that is shipped with a lot of canon support, but which no one thinks will be canon.

So... do with that what you will?

[teruel-a-witch]

as though introducing Danny as 'his partner' or himself as 'Danny's partner' isn't enough, Steve also keeps one had on Danny at all times to send a clear 'back off he's mine' message

[trickster-archangel]

This is where everything started going gloriously bad: that face on Steve? Trouble, boy! you're in trouble. Maybe not a romantic couple (though this poor woman surely had another idea of them, one that's been canon on all Hawai'i islands since six years before), but where's the friendship, where's the blood-brothers shit? Where's the love?

Steve is hurt. And angry. And an equally hurt and angry Steve, six years before, stormed a Governor’s house and brought hell over everyone. Just because Danny was reconnecting with Rachel and Steve was already seeing him on that plane.

Getting wasted is the least that could happen here.

#someone is ready for going public 

[teruel-a-witch]

6.11/2.09 middle of the night pillow talk. (well, Danny is on a pillow technically) 4 years apart. Danny is still a grumpy insomniac and Steve still finds him extremely adorable.

same yearning, still, after all this time, a holding pattern, the miscommunication trope. Steve desperately wants to spend time with Danny but Danny seems to dismiss any of his attempts while Danny thinks Steve would be so much happier and having more fun without him. Danny's negativity is a self-fulfilling prophecy but so are Steve's abandonment issues. Danny pushes people away deliberately so he'll be prepared for when they get enough of him while Steve leaves when he feels he's unwanted because it's better than being kicked out because he's overstayed his welcome.

they are still afraid to cross the boundary, still fighting about inconsequential stuff because they can't actually get to the heart of the matter, what's really bothering them, where the frustration with each other actually comes from. They assume they fail at co-habitation because they aren't compatible but in truth it's the unresolved romantic tension, all that pining and frustration bubbles up but there's also so much love there that they aren't willing to let go, they try so desperately to make it work somehow...when the solution is really simple. Cross that distance separating them, reach out and reach an understanding. Become that couple everyone already thinks they are.

[teruel-a-witch]

Danny's like 'why yes, I am his dream guy, whataboutit?'

[teruel-a-witch]

steve: this is my partner, detective danny williams, now, does that mean i have a boyfriend who happens to be a detective or we are cops or maybe, perhaps, both? yes.

today in steve's lessons™: when introducing your boyfriend partner to an old friend of your father's it's important to stroke his shoulder and back and then hold him closer in case a hawk swoops in and steals him, while you look away, i guess?

bonus you ain't fooling no one:

[teruel-a-witch]

3.17/7.10 Relax the grip, king, nobody is stealing him away from you 😉

When introducing your totally platonic bestie it's important to maintain an iron grip on his shoulder at all times to make sure no one snatches him away from your grasp. You can shake his hand but that's all you are getting. The fact that they both do this, equally insane about each other yet oblivious xD

[teruel-a-witch]

you know how steve constantly brings danny up even when he's not around? which is a lot on its own but particularly if he's with someone who doesn't know danny or what exactly their deal is, especially since he openly likens their relationship to a marriage to people he barely knows even. that lead me to this particular what if...

every year steve meets up with his former navy buddies, guys he came up with or trained with or went into battle with, between their schedules and as they get out they always try to make a date and catch up.

every year as they get older they start talking about their girlfriends and then their wives and then their kids, since that's a huge part of what's going on in their lives.

steve talks...about danny. his ohana. danny. gracie. danny and charlie. then eddie and the kids: tani and junior. and danny. his partner always comes up and no one questions it, they are used to not asking.

steve doesn't think much of it, until one time one of the other guys corners him, kinda nervous, and says he wants him to be the first of the group to know that he's gay. of course, steve is touched but he doesn't understand why until the guy explains. 'it was you, talking about your danny, and your kids, and the family you built together, with such love and conviction and no hint of shame, that made me believe i could some day have all of that too. it gave me courage to ask my now fiancé out on a date. we would be honoured to invite you two to the wedding, since you are at least partially responsible. we can only hope we are still as in love after 10 years together as you guys are.'

steve is in shock, but he doesn't have the heart to ruin the guy's beautiful coming out speech by telling him danny and him aren't like that. he lets him continue to assume what everyone else apparently had been doing for years.

except...perhaps, it's time to talk to danny. there would be plenty of opportunities when he comes home and tells his live-in partner why they have a wedding to attend to.

(two years later he's the one handing out save-the-dates)

[teruel-a-witch]

absolutely losing my mind over this promo pic from 6.11

the entire length of their bodies pressed against each other. Danny Williams and his Extra Extra Large™ Boyfriend (Steve was especially HULKING in s6) and his giant paws and everything else 😏