#y know before this we where so zoomed in on our main cast of characters and their own tragedies but hyuna grabbed us and forced us back

[anxious-chaos-art]

Something something there will always be love and joy and mundanity even in moments of strife

Something something even those in the worst possible place will still find it in them to love and be loved and have small joys

Something something there will be people who care for you and love you no matter what

Something something you will carry your dead with you wherever you go and they will shape you

Something something there is always love and nothing can change that.

[five-wow]

i finally watched 10.10! here are some thoughts. you might maybe not want to read this if you really enjoyed adam’s plot in the episode, because i, uh, have some reservations.

i started laughing during the “previously on” flashbacks when adam told tamiko that she could get free of her yakuza ties because “look at me. i did.” are you sure, adam? are you sure you’re sure? because every single subplot you’ve ever had over your nine or so years on this show seems to contradict that, fjdkfd.

oof, poor adam has to fight his attackers utterly butt-naked, which is not the way you’d want to start your day. also, i mean, they have tamiko. double bad.

fdjkfd adam wakes up to tamiko’s dad’s men cleaning up the signs of struggle in the apartment and the dad standing over him, and adam’s been covered up with a sheet (very thoughtful mob men!) but that’s, uh, a very awkward position to be in with your girlfriend’s dad.

“we’ll leave five-0 out of it.” no adam, bad. bad idea. [sprays him with water bottle]

tani being the voice of reason in the face of junior and lou wanting to keep a tiny pink kid’s bike that samantha will have zero use for anymore is a thing of beauty, even if i do understand junior’s position.

fjdkfdjkf lou: “that’s right. [the victims are] all male, all in their early forties.” steve: “ooy. prime of their lives.” quinn, quietly but not so quietly steve won’t hear her: “guys in their forties love saying that.” haaa, i love her. so far, this is a GOOD episode for the women, omg.

steve talking about his health and getting older, even if it’s just that he’s a little down about it because his doctor says he can’t eat steak anymore (the horror!!!), is kind of very wonderful to see on screen, gosh. that’s the kind of content i want.

adam: “i came down with a bug or something.” yes, the bug is in his brain and it’s called i-have-a-stupid-need-to-tackle-my-problems-on-my-own. many people in five-0 are familiar with it, so you might want to ask their help, adam.

so. so here’s the thing: i never really liked adam for kono, and then i warmed up to them as a couple, and shortly after that they got divorced. i never really liked adam on the team, and then i started warming up to him as a member of it because he was being a genuinely good guy, making friends with a homeless man etcetera (and his last big yakuza plot was finally wrapped up), and now he’s going rogue and assaulting an informant and acting behind the team’s back, and he’s probably about to do worse things and get deep into yakuza business again, idk, and honestly, i just. i just don’t really care. i started to like him when he was kind and now he’s suddenly Bad Adam out of nowhere again (i mean, it’s because his girlfriend was kidnapped and that makes some sense, but we don’t really know her and i have zero investment in her or their relationship and she’s more of a prop than a person and it’s all just kind of whiplash-y and i wish i cared but i’m afraid i just don’t. they keep flipflopping between making adam a really sweet good guy and a violent, bad one and i wish they’d just choose, or at least make the seesawing more understandable and interesting. his motives and the stakes are too undefined to me, i guess. it doesn’t carry any weight.

quinn obnoxiously and loudly eating a malasada in front of steve while refusing to share for steve’s supposed health is wonderful though!!! i mean, steve almost gets into a car crash while trying to snatch a malasada, which shows slightly skewed priorities, but at least the desire for a donut is something i can relate to. that’s a good plot. (i kid, but not entirely.)

aha! duke finds out about adam’s activities for the day.

the adam plot is coming to a head and they have tamiko back but her dad’s been shot, and i know i just said i don’t really care and i still don’t for the most part, but my god, tamiko, that poor woman? she’s been kidnapped and drugged while naked and then there were people shooting over her head and just when she thought it was over, her father is dying, and doing a lot of violence to a woman is not the same as building a character or plot that makes me feel something (do! not! confuse those two!), but it does still make me feel something.

h50 is generally a fairly black and white show (the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good, and people who are in prison deserve to be there and worse), far more so than in any way fits into my own moral view of the world, so i really like seeing this plot in which a guy gets to be freed from incarceration by our main cast because it turns out he didn’t commit any crimes! it’s a nice turn around from viewing all prisoners as irredeemable bad guys - here’s a man who claims he’s innocent and actually is innocent. (even though his story also makes my heart hurt because he’s already been in there TEN YEARS and jfc, he’s going to need more therapy than tamiko.)

we get lou on the phone with samantha and it’s really cute! and then he also talks to tani and junior about how will’s gone now too, and it’s good to at least know that (i mean, we could guess, but we’d never gotten any kind of confirmation before), but it also puts into stark contrast that we still don’t actually know for sure where grace is this year, fjdkfd. we can infer that she went to college, but like. mention it. (hashtag don’t let grace be the next female character that disappears on this show, please.)

dsfjdkfjdkfjdfjdk right SO. adam has realized that the guy who now inherits tamiko’s dead dad’s power probably plotted to murder tamiko’s dad, and then the guy is like “let’s finish our business” and essentially, it boils down to adam having kidnapped and tortured a guy for information and now that man is about to get killed while adam’s there and very definitely guilty of a number of things and i’m screaming because this gives me extreme déjà vu feelings to the time adam killed two guys in the woods and that time he tortured another guy, i think? both also after he’d finally gotten onto the right path, and then he ended up in prison. i guess they want adam off the show again, so they had to make him do ~bad things~ that were definitely totally absolutely against his will for [cue dramatic music and wind machine] The Woman He Loves! [dramatic zoom on Adam’s face or something, idek, eagle cries in the distance]

now adam is being threatened by New Baddest Guy and i am genuinely confused, because i think we’re supposed to feel sorry for him when the guy says adam’s career with five-0 will be over? but i kind of, um. kind of think that might maybe be a good idea? not even just because he did bad things, but also like, adam keeps getting drawn into this yakuza shit and he just really, really needs to move states and start a new life from scratch that doesn’t involve law enforcement but accounting or painting or modelling or what have you, because this is like an addiction that keeps pulling at him and it’s good for no one, least of all him.

dude gets shot (the one adam abducted and hand delivered), adam looks shocked. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT, ADAM.

and then steve calls adam and asks him to come to hq and we get a little scene showing us that duke brought steve all the evidence against adam, and the episode ends. oh boy.

so i liked some things about this episode! all of tani and quinn’s lines, lou talking about how he feels about his kids moving out, tani and junior’s interactions, steve’s health being a topic that gets brought up even if it’s jokingly, the general substance of the case steve and quinn solved. i feel like i’m being very negative about the adam plot and if you’re someone who does like it, obviously that’s cool, and i’m happy for you! i’m glad you can enjoy that. i just. personally, i’m so tired. this makes very little sense to me in ways that aren’t “i don’t understand this” but rather “this doesn’t logically work for me” (and i’m also simply not very interested in it, i’ll admit) and if this is a thing leading up to adam leaving, then if this is the version of adam we’re going to get for the forseeable future, i honestly wouldn’t mind. i liked good, kind, found-a-good-place-in-life adam! but oh dear lord, i’m tired of watching him slide back into yakuza drama over and over and over again because the writers don’t seem to want to think of a different storyline for him that might not involve... whatever this is. (also, tamiko absolutely failed the sexy lamp test in this episode (as in, she could have been replaced by a sexy lamp and the plot would have been the exact same) and it makes me sad.)

[1ooo-w0rds]

we met on ocean avenue pt 3

A/N: September fic. The lack of Leo is making me sad. Instead we have Hazel, Drew and Tristan to keep Piper company. Left on a bit of a cliff hanger. @dancer-dramatic-13 any edits for this chapter? 

Part: one. two.

Hazel, 4:50pm: Where are you? My mom and I are here.

Piper, 5:10pm: omw. Forgot how horrible LA traffic is.

Hazel, 5:12pm: You Texans and your big roads.

Piper, 5:13pm: Hey, everything's bigger in Texas.

Piper: And I'm not scared of dying on the road with your crazy drivers.

Hazel, 5:15pm: Pssh, our drivers are just fine. We've honed our reflexes.

Piper, 5:16pm: And endanger everyone else on the road.

Hazel, 5:17pm: No one's dead.

Piper, 5:17: Yet.

Piper giggled as Hazel sent her a string of emojis with a lot of eyerolls, glares and angry faces. Tristan's eyes met hers in the rear view mirror as he turned off of the busy highway. Jackie, his PA, sat comfortably in the passenger seat, tapping on her phone. Piper always found it odd how her dad enjoyed driving, especially with the horrible LA traffic. Jackie laughed when she started working for Tristan, not used to being chauffeured by her boss.

"It's one of the few things he can control." Jackie told Piper once as they watched Tristan get fussed over in the makeup chair. Wardrobe held up a shirt, frowning before tossing it into the pile. Tristan was all smiles, the ever charming actor. Jackie hugged her phone to her chest. "We all need that one thing we alone can control. For him, it's driving."

"When is it acceptable to leave a cast party?" Piper held her phone to her lips to hide her grin at Tristan's comment.

"Whatever you're thinking, it's too soon." Jackie answered without looking up from her phone. Tristan sighed dramatically like a teenager. Unfazed, Jackie reached out and patted Tristan's arm. "Don't worry, sir, it's only the main cast, a good number of the crew and their family. No paparazzi or media. Dawn booked the place underneath her family name. No one suspects a thing."

"Unless they're following little McMeme. Our own paparazzi." Tristan said as he nodded back to his daughter. Piper shrugged in response. Her live tweets about Huntington Hospital cast-related parties and insider events were hilarious. They were her most popular, drawing in fans young and old of the show. She made sure to highlight different actors and actresses and even people in the crew.

"Dad, you know my tweets are what makes Huntington Hospital so popular." Piper said with a smug grin. "We can't stop this tradition now. I'm in too deep."

"You should be happy it's only her, Tristan." Jackie reassured before they discussed details about a charity event. Piper blocked out the business chat as she tried to get a good angle for her pre-party selfie.

Piper McLean, PiperMcMeme: To the cast party! #HuntingtonHospital #Insider #LATraffic #SayYesToThisDress?

Esmeralda Valdez MamaValdez: Aw sweetie that's adorable! I love the jacket!

Piper smiled reading Mama Valdez' reply to her post, as a notification popped up. Hazel had messaged her again.

Hazel, 5:25: I'm going to scout out an area for us to hide when things get out of hand.

Hazel, 5:26: Let's hope it's not a repeat of 2012 again.

Piper, 5:28: I hope not. I still can't believe that Valentina cracked that glass over Laurel's head.

Hazel, 5:29: The sound of the crack was surprisingly satisfying to hear.

Piper, 5:30: Hazel!

Piper sighed as she turned to look out the window. The long rows of palm trees against the clear blue sky zoomed by. Tour buses full of tourists inched by as they tried to merge in. She could hear the speaker as they pointed out famous landmarks and studios while telling stories of the rich and famous. Piper hugged her phone to her chest, missing the quietness of her small town. Time moved too quickly in this city. She could barely take a moment to breathe. Her phone buzzed against her chest and she looked down.

Grandpa Tom: Little dove, how's the city of stars? Is your father well?

Piper's heart squeezed at the pet name of grandpa gave her. Grandpa Tom was her paternal grandfather and when she's home in League City, her guardian. She taught him to text recently, amazed by how quickly he caught on. Piper nibbled her lower lip as her hands shook a bit.

As amazing as Grandpa Tom is, Piper still worried about his health. The air in Los Angeles is harsh which is why Tristan is hesitant to relocate Grandpa Tom. He always had lung problems for his entire life. Neither modern or traditional Cherokee medicine had any effects. But being away from his father and daughter for so long is having an affect on Tristan and his work. Thankfully, Esmeralda "Mama" Valdez offered to keep an eye on the two to ease Tristan's mind.

"You're practically family." Esmeralda said when Tristan tried to offer her money. "I would be doing this even if you were here, Tristan. Stop being a stiff." Piper grinned at the memory as she typed out her response.

Piper: Jackie is keeping him clean, fed and employed. Which Hollywood star would you like a picture of this time?

Grandpa Tom: Surprise me, dove. Mama Valdez is here to watch Wheel of Fortune with me. Love you. He added a pair of kiss-y and winky emojis. 

"Oh and apparently he's showing up today at the party." Piper blinked as she caught the tail end of Jackie's words right as they pulled into the valet parking. Tristan turned and faced his assistant with wide eyes. Jackie grinned back. "Surprised?"

"Didn't he just fly in?" Tristan asked as the valet opened his door. Piper cranked her neck, trying to follow the conversation but Jackie stepped out. Tristan moved to hand his keys over, still whispering to his assisstant about this mysterious person. Piper frowned, unable to catch any words as she smoothed down the folds of her dress. "Who told him to come? He should be resting."

"He probably wants to make a good impression." Jackie replied as she looked over Tristan one more time. The redhead sighed and shook her head before stepping into Tristan's personal bubble, patting the creases out of his polo. Like she could sense his glare, Jackie looked up. "Don't shoot the messenger, Tristan. That's just what Amie told me. It could just be rumors."

"Sure." Tristan murmured back as she stepped away, satisfied with his appearance. "Come on, Piper."

"Coming." Piper said as she quickly typed up her tweet.

Piper McLean, PiperMcMeme: Scoop! Looks like there might be a new face on #HuntingtonHospital #WhoCouldItBe?

Jackie tutted but smiled knowing as Piper slide her phone back into her pocket. Piper shrugged. Jackie shouldn't know better then to talk about business in front of Piper. The redhead shook her head fondly before wandering over to where the other PAs were gathering.

The party was in full swing when Tristain and Piper stepped in. The large pool had kids splashing as their parents chatted. Huntington Hospital is a close-knit group of stars. "Tristan!" Alyssa, Tristan's co-star, called out as she held her hands open accepting his hug. They chatted happily as she pulled Tristan to where everyone else was gathered. Her father gave Piper a 'save me' look which she smiled and waved goodbye to.

Piper leaned against the stone railing, looking around the pool for a familiar head of cinnamon brown. "Hazel!" Piper screamed when she noticed her with a beach ball tossing to the other kids. Piper rushed down the stairs, ignoring the warning calls from the adults. She nearly tackled the fourteen year old as she hugged her tightly. Hazel laughed as she returned the hug. "Look at you! That romper is so cute!" She gushed as she held Hazel arm's length.

Hazel was a petite thing with gleeful golden eyes and an easy smile. Her beautiful hair curled in tight ringlets. The baby blue of the romper accented her dark skin perfectly. A simple silver necklace sat at the base of her neck. She had some paint splattered on her arm, probably from painting. Her mother works on special effects for the show. It involves a lot of fake blood.

"Ah, Piper! What about you?" Hazel screamed back as she clenched her arms.

"Yes, looks like little McLean can look nice." Piper cringed at the sound of the sultry voice and backhanded compliment. She turned slowly and tried not to glare as one of the stylists of Huntington Hospital approached them. Drew Tanaka has always been a thorn in Piper's side. The older girl looked stunning in her maxi dress that highlighted her long legs and womanly curves. Her black hair fell artfully over her left shoulder in soft curls. Her signature golden bands clicked together on her wrist as she reached for the sleeve of Piper's dress. "I recognized this dress. You're follow my blog?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Piper denied as she crossed her arms, unwilling to admit it was one of Drew's recommendation for the summer. Aside from being one of the youngest stylist on the crew, Drew ran a successful fashion blog. She featured a number of new styles, makeup tutorials and general tips for all body types. She gain a lot of fame, explaining clothing choices for the characters of the show and her own personal projects.

"Of course you don't." Drew replied before turning to Hazel and complimenting her on her outfit. Hazel did a little spin at her request. Piper frowned, not sure how Drew and Hazel were friends. While Hazel is the sweetest person you've ever met, Drew knows exactly what to say to bring your mood down. She constantly rubbed Piper the wrong way.

"Drew," Hazel asked as the girls finished pleasantries, "you're not usually at the season opening party. You always complained how it's the same old faces." Piper sipped her mocktail as she settled at the edge of the pool, dipping her feet in the cool water. Hazel and Drew sat on a beach chair right behind her. Children of the cast laughed as they ran around, playing with pool toys. Tristan stood with his co-star as someone showed them a video of their son.

"Amie said I should be here." Drew started as she stirred her drink. "Apparently there's an upstart who's joining the cast this season. They want me to keep an eye on him, style his character and help navigate LA and Hollywood. What a pain." Drew shook her head. Again, another mention of a new star. "He's about your age, Piper. Instagram famous to boot."

"Yeah? What's his handle?" Piper asked.

"JASON!" Everyone seemed to jump at the booming voice of the director as he opened his arms, greeting the young man who just entered the patio area. A pair of dark sunglasses covered his eyes. He wore a light blue short sleeve paired with a nice pair of shorts. He lifted his sunglasses as the director pulled him into a hug, laughing as the man patted his back. Piper felt her heart thump in her chest as she connected the dots. BlondSuperman aka Jason Grace was here in all his glory.

"Well," Drew murmured as she pushed her sunglasses up to sit atop of her hair. "He's not a hopeless case."

Piper's hand shook as she took her phone out, trying to get the camera open. Jason shook her dad's hand, laughing a bit as Alyssa pinched his cheeks. She can't post this on Twitter, it's too big of a scoop and Huntington Hospital's marketing group would hound her for days. Pulling out her personal Tumblr, Piper typed out a post.

McMeme:

Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. Jason fucking Grace, hottie of the year, just walked into the pool area I'm at. I'm trying not to freak out and fall into this pool. He's soo hot. No one is allowed to be that hot.

#WhatIsGoingOn? #HolyHell #ThisCanNotBeHappening? #DidISayHeWasHot #FuckI'mNotTaggingHim

Once Piper's heart stopped pounding in her chest and she posted, a little bubble popped up in her notifications. A message popped in her inbox.

Anonymous: Do you still do For the Vine? I dare you to ask out Jason Grace and post it on Twitter.