#I remember not liking the pilot that much on first watch but it's a joy to rewatch it ngl

[killjoy-prince]

House M.D. but it's when a character says the name of the episode

[pixelbumblebee]

I just really like how some of the dialogue has double meaning in the show once you get the full context. Crystal saying: "I get angry [...] knowing you have a home but being unable to get there" makes sense the first time, sure. I'd be upset if I didn't remember my family. But once you know what her family is like, there's this whole other interpretation opening up: of her being sad and toxic before because despite her best effort, she probably could never get through to her parents to earn their love and affection. She couldn't go home. Because her home was not home for her.

[arieswritez]

golden boy

golden boy | yandere stepbrother!mark grayson x afab!reader

cw; DARK CONTENT!!! MDNI!! pseudo-incest, panty thief!mark, roofies, victim blaming, non-con video taping, voyeurism, rape, reader's anatomy is sexualized, forced breeding, time skip (mark is an adult & nolan never killed the guardians), mark is a sicko you've been warned

about; life was easier when mark was an only child. he wishes it would've stayed that way. (1.9k words)

a/n; an anon asked about a platonic yan sibling duo so i raise you: big pervy step bro who hates your guts but also wants to rearrange them

step brother mark who's used to being the light and joy of the grayson home. as the only child, he's spoiled beyond belief. he's spunky and cute and the graysons love him to death, constantly showering him with love and adoration.

step brother mark who gets a new sibling after villains make you an orphan. nolan finds you in the ruins and it's like he's on auto-pilot: carrying you to that secret hospital and handing you off to the doctors that rush to his aid. . but not before your tiny fist closes in his suit.

as he watches you being taken away, barely alive, something inside his chest pangs.

debbie notices nolan acting strange. he's restless and he's late for dinner, more so than usual. something's very clearly wrong. and it's not like her to grow suspicious of nolan but she does.

nolan's never given her a reason to believe his head may have been turned but for some reason, she starts to believe there might be someone else.

only to find he's been visiting you at the hospital, staying at your bedside for hours on end as you recover. you're in bad shape. doctors aren't sure how you survived. . if you even will. debbie's never seen nolan so torn over a survivor before. he's seen many things: deaths, disasters, you name it. yet, you're who's causing the sleepless nights.

of course, debbie has a kind heart and, soon, it's not just nolan who's worried. the graysons keep tabs on you. and when you come to, they’re the first thing you see.

you look confused, scared, but as nolan soothes you, you offer a meek smile and nolan finds himself feeling that same giddiness he felt when he first saw a tiny mark cradled in debbie's arms.

the graysons become your legal guardians and, suddenly, mark isn't the golden boy anymore.

you take up so much of their attention. now, christmases and birthdays all revolve around you. suddenly, marks good grades and the fact he hit a home run isn't all that impressive. mark's late for his baseball practice and games more times than he can count. . yet they never miss your dance recitals.

you got an A in an absurdly easy class and that was a cause for celebration. in the meantime, mark won a spelling bee & all he got was a 'good job'.

they treat you like you're made of glass, like you'll shatter into a million tiny pieces the second someone so much as looks at you the wrong way. mark still remembers being reprimanded whenever he said the smallest things to you. he doesn't think he's ever lived down that one orphanage joke that made you bawl. god, he was just kidding. . its not his fault you're sensitive.

soon, you're calling his parents 'mom and dad'. and worse of all, they reiterate the fact that you should be calling mark your 'big brother'.

fucking fantastic.

you are everything to them while mark is pushed aside. and it only worsens the older the two of you get. mark gets his powers - there's literally nothing more impressive than that - yet he still has to do a million and one things in order to outshine you. nothing ever works. and despite the fact that mark is - quite literally - saving lives. . your stupid birthday is still more important.

you are the light of their lives and mark bitterly remembers when they used to look at him that way, too.

you are perfect in their eyes. just like he once was.

and mark wishes you would've died in that accident, just like your parent(s).

as you start to develop a sense of self, mark gets into the habit of stealing your clothes. it's the only thing you seem to care about: the way you present yourself to the world.

they're small things at first. like a single shoe when his parents had bought you new ones yet refused to get him the ones he wanted. he'll admit it, it was petty and spiteful. but you were distressed and the graysons seemed upset you'd already misplaced your brand new - expensive - shoes.

at first, he was content with telling himself that what he was doing was solely to spite you. but that was a lie. when his kleptomania made him steal one of your shirts. . it wasn't spite that made him press the material to his nose and pump his cock until he came. no, it wasn't just spite.

all your simpering and whining, following him around like some lost puppy, that one time you asked him why he hated you so much. . it made him feel more than just hate.

he didn't know what to do with you then.

so, at first, he settled with stealing your clothes.

a couple more shirts.

a pair of shorts.

knee-highs or your favorite tights.

and finally, a pair of panties.

his favorite are a lacy pair. sheer and tiny, he recalls lifting them out of your drawer with a finger. . and thinking, seriously? what're these even meant to cover?

he's extremely sure you aren't supposed to have these~

mark is content with secretly stealing your things. he doesn't get in trouble for being mean to you anymore.

you don't think he hates you.

it's a win-win situation, really.

and mark would've been happy - he would've been fine - with the little game he's been playing. soon, the two of you would part ways for college and he'd forget all about you.

he'd forget the way you'd foolishly walk to your room in only a towel when you knew the two of you were home alone.

he'd forget the way you looked when you changed out of clothing, you never truly believed in fully closing the door, did you?

he'd forget the way your moans sounded, when you touched yourself at night, thinking everyone else was asleep. he'd forget the way he'd concentrate on hearing your pretty sounds - and it's not like he'd have to try hard, another perk of having powers.

he'd forget about how he could almost envision you: humping your fingers and biting at your lip, desperately trying to get yourself off. it was like he was in the room with you. . you were so wet he could hear the wet clicks of your cunt.

he'd forget all about you.

you, you, you.

he was sure of it.

but if it's one thing about you is that you could never just let things be.

you could never just let the graysons be a normal, happy family.

and you could never just let mark forget about you.

because the first time his parents say no to you - the very first fucking time - you don't listen.

you're just not used to it.

that stupid party you weren't supposed to go to.

that stupid party mark sneaks off to, too.

and when you see him there, you're surprised.

he pretends to be, too.

because it's not fair if only one of you was forbidden to go. no, you had to fuck it up for the both of them.

it's a good thing you're so spoiled, though. and it's even better that mark eavesdropped on the conversation you had with your friend, the one in which you planned to sneak out.

you're so fucking naive. so stupid.

you think the two of you are finally getting along when he gets you a drink and whispers, don't worry, i won't tell if you don't. and you laugh and wink at him like you'll keep his secret, drinking from whatever concoction he's prepared for you.

you were too young when your parent(s) passed and the graysons never seemed to sit you down for the talk. . or maybe they did and you were just too stupid to understand why you should never accept an open drink.

it's easy to blame it on you being a lightweight. the way you sway and slur your words, the way you stumble into him, the way your body overheats.

you've had too much to drink. you're not used to it, is all. he'll take care of you, don't you worry, big brother always does.

first, he's got to lay you down, you poor thing.

he doesn't want you to hurt your pretty little head by falling!

so, he lays you down in the empty room of the house as the party continues downstairs. as you fall to the bed in a heap, you swear you can see the throbbing beat of the music, now muffled behind the closed door.

in the dark room, the moonlight leaking through the pale blue blinds look like drunken undulations, wavering like heat shimmers, yet you can't keep your eyes open long enough to ogle at them. your body doesn't feel like your own, but you're not as nervous as you should be.

mark yanks his shirt off over his head - practiced, ready - and stalks over to your semi-limp body that's nearly hanging off the bed.

it's not hard to undress you, considering you're dressed like some cheap slut. and, honestly, if it wasn't mark that night, he's sure it would've been another dude at the party. the way you're such a fucking tease, he doesn't think anyone would be able to keep their hands off of you for long.

so, really, it's only fair your older brother is the one to get his hands on the goods, first. afterall, he was there to watch them grow.

the little camcorder he took from his parents - the old silver one they used to record all their trips around the world, mark's first steps, your first birthday with them - blinks red, on and off, on and off, as he strips you. he makes sure to capture your body: your bare tits as your chest rises and falls with each panicked breath, the smooth skin of your tummy, then down, between your legs, as he records your sopping cunt taking his fingers.

you mewl and your vision's swimming. and you feel here, there, everywhere, and it's so, so confusing.

you don't know what's happening and it's distressing because you know something is.

your hands weakly try to push at the foreign body on top of you. . inside of you. . but mark is stronger than anyone will ever be and you are far too drugged to do anything about it.

they're gonna be so mad, mark thinks, as he slides into you and tries to keep the camera recording the way your cunt grips him as he feeds his cock inside of you.

they'll be so mad when they find out you've snuck out.

and maybe you'll tell them. . you think something happened. . someone did something to you. . when you try to wash his cum out of your pussy.

maybe you won't. maybe you shouldn't. they'll already be mad at you, best keep quiet about it~

but the graysons will feel even worse in the next few months. . when you start puking your guts out.

and like the perfect parents they are, they'll take you to a doctor. . only for the results to come back positive.

mark may not be a golden boy, anymore.

but in nine months, maybe you'll give him one, instead 💗

[half-bakedboy]

Hi! I saw that you were asking for Tommy/Buck prompts! What do you think about: "You're allowed to be happy, y'know."? With Tommy continuing to be just as gentle with Buck as he was with that kiss! I'm still not over it 🩷

Tommy kisses Buck on a Thursday and takes him on their first date the following Saturday. They go on two more official dates before Tommy reminds him his sister's getting married in a few weeks. They're five dates into their... well, whatever they are, when Buck watches Tommy dance with his newly married sister.

There's something so gentle about the way Tommy holds Maddie's manicured fingers delicately in his own. He has what can only be described as a gentlemanly hand on her waist and he's almost letting her take the lead like he's making sure he doesn't scare her away.

Maddie doesn't get scared anymore, not like she used to, but the fact that Tommy can put that amount of care into someone just in case makes Buck's eyes water. Even though he tries not to show too much emotion in public, he doesn't put any effort into holding the tears back. His sister just got married! He's allowed to feel.

"Buck!" Chimney shouts. He's running toward Maddie and Tommy with a faux scowl that couldn't reach his eyes even if he tried. "Get your man before he woos her with his fancy helicopter license."

"Pilot's license," Buck says as he stands, wiping subtly at his eyes. A smile tugs at the corner of Tommy's lips because he knows that's his influence. Buck had called it a helicopter license approximately five times before Tommy finally taught him how it all worked. 

“There’s only one firefighter for me, Howie,” Maddie says dreamily. Buck can’t remember a time he’d ever heard her so wistful, not since she was a kid reading him fairytales when they were both supposed to be sleeping. 

“And there’s only one Buckley for me,” Tommy adds, winking at Maddie dramatically before placing her hand in Chimney’s, “but I always have a plan b. Isn’t that what you taught me, Han?” Chimney swats at him half-heartedly, his attention already back on his bride. 

Buck watches them for a few moments, reveling in the sheer joy that illuminates between them like no storm cloud in the world could cover the sunshine they feel. He's struck by a stray bolt of lightning--pun only partially intended--when he thinks about what she's gotten through to be here, but it settles into calmness when Tommy clears his throat from beside him.

Buck snaps from his thoughts and realizes he's been ignoring Tommy's outstretched hand. He clasps their hands together, fully intending to drag them back to their table, when Tommy clicks his tongue and pulls him close.

Then they're dancing underneath a backyard tent surrounded by their friends and family, and Buck thinks that he's never been as happy as he is right then.

There's guilt in the feeling, as there almost always is. There are people in need of saving, people who are hurt or scared or lonely, and here is Evan Buckley--happy. He can’t begin to comprehend why or even if he deserves that. He's made mistakes, he's lied to himself his entire life without intention, he never protected his sister or his team well enough, and now he's with a man who he really likes but isn't sure exactly what it means.

He doesn't deserve--

"You're allowed to be happy, y'know." 

Tommy says the words like he's reading Buck's mind.

"I am happy," Buck says instinctively. Tommy chuckles and nods.

"You are," he agrees, "but you need to stop feeling so much shame about it."

His large palm presses against the small of Buck's back, leading him into a slow sway. He dips his head the few centimeters between them and rests their foreheads together like he's trying to keep Buck's attention. Like Buck's attention could be anywhere else when he's being held like this, with such tenderness that he feels weak in his knees.

"You're going to find happiness that you don't need to feel guilty for one day, Evan."

It feels like a promise, and Buck only hopes that Tommy's the one to keep it.

[ep2nd]

@remy-a

Today's topic- the change in animation in LMK

I know like the majority of the Fandom has probably been sent to the ER after season 5 animation (or the emotion couldn't tell) but I think someone said that the animation slightly changed from like the Pilot to s 1-3, somewhere there, so like 3 different animation at this point, maybe??

Alright here's my thoughts

AGGAGAGAGGGGHHHHHHHH

Okay for real this time-

When I first watched LMK, I fell IN LOVE with the fluid motions, the active movement, the anime-style Influence, the exaggeration, the most random fun moments, pop ups, yse of environment, angles, camera movement, facial and body expression and other stuff I don't know the name of

Now as someone who's never watched Anime, please don't kill me, I don't exactly know what that looks like, but try going anywhere on the internet without tripping down the stairs and falling into the basement of ANIME

Also, I'm used to more rigid, beautiful backrounds, great lighting, or basic show animation. Such as Trollhunters, Amphibia, The Owl House, Big City Greens, Ninjago, How to Train your Dragon, Carmen Sandiego and others

So as you can see, this was new to me, and I fricken loved it

Now I can tell there definitely has been change from the Pilot to season 4, more refined, less sloppy

So, when season 5-

Oh dear, I love you Wild Brain, I really do, Ninjago and Carmen Sandiego WERE BEAUTIFUL

BUT AHHHHHH

I will say this, this is a new artstyle, they need practice, and I'm sure it'll improve, but this is not that time it's time to CRITISIZE GET THE RED PEN (maybe I am an English Teacher)

Remember what I said about what I love about LMK animation? Okay now throw it out the window into the Fire of FRICK THIS

Now I will say, they used some angles pretty well, such as using the environment to show emotion/tension, like when it would Pam out and something was blocking the two characters, from Wukong to Macaque to the poll in the Pagado and then a mountain between MK and Wukong near the end- look for its cool- someone pointed it out here on Tumblr can't remember name sorry

2nd, the expressions look really typical, like I miss the shot eyebrow from Wukong, or the the pathetic puppy eyes of MK, or the :3 for Mei, or the furious faces of Pigsy, the sparkly pure joy of Sandy, the chaotic gremlinness of MO, the evil Edit maker smiles of Macaque (I've seen your tiktoks) ALL THE LITTLE EXTRA THAT MADE THE EXPRESSIONS AND HUMOR/TENSION/EMOTION BETTER

3rd, the movements. Seen especially in the second episode when they escape. It's just, so basic running, like compare them running to MK's run in s2 running from the LBD and then when he ran in s4 away from the Ink scroll. Just so much more fear and dread. Also talking bout LBD, her voice actor? Phenomenal as always? Her movements and how they animate her? She seems more like a red headed doll with button eyes than the horror of something like FNAF(haven't played FNAF so can't really compare) what I'm saying is she seemed less huanting, a weary, fear-instilling, and bone-chilling(shut up let me pun) presence this time around, which really makes the scene less dramatic, but the camera angles, voice acting, and some animation still make it somewhat good.

Okay, this post is getting long and I can rant all day, and that's not even with me rewatching the show to pick it apart, someone probably already has good for them I'll look for it👍

In conclusion, comes of more dull, simple, rough, and rushed. S5 story, which has some problems, really hit deep in the last few episodes, mostly MK and Wukong, and if the studio beforehand continued animating, then I think it would have been a masterpiece, really sad to see the wasted potential

I know it's a new studio, but I wish they took more time to practice and learn, and maybe do it on a season that wasn't like the big reveal and end (I'd say a more happy season but let's be honest the Trauma train ain't stopping for a LONG TIME)

so, I guess I'll give it a 4/10, points for using the backround to storytell, still got some great angles, some funny bits here and there (the soldiers where a joy), action scenes were somewhat good, not a lot can't judge more, and pity points because I know they're still learning

[inkformyblood]

celebrate the sunrise and set (CWFKB #19)

Celebratory kiss @codywanfirstkissbingo Canon Divergence - Rebel Cody, Obi-Wan doesn't die

Ben Kenobi tucks himself away, creases the name he has worn for decades along barely-there folds and places it in the bottom of the pack that he had somehow managed to keep with him from Tatooine to a rebel base. There’s a flurry of activity spilling out from the corridors, rushed footsteps heading everywhere at once, and Obi-Wan sets his back against a sturdy looking pile of crates and watches them move. The Force bleeds through his veins, warmth spiralling down his spine like a caress and he’s home and has never been further from it in the same breath. Obi-Wan looks to his left, the gesture ingrained into him and reinforced from a lifetime of expectation and disappointment when he is alone, and returns his careful sentry to the mismatched collections of ships spilling across the hangar bay. 

Some are more organised than others, spaced the regulation distance apart and Obi-Wan knows without needing to walk it heel-to-toe the exact dimensions of the bay marked out onto the floor by nothing more than a handful of stern words and a glare. Someone in this base has been trained by a clone. He won’t tear his heart into shreds anymore by thinking that the clone could be one of his men, that they could have escaped the whispered commands of the chip implanted in their head and somehow found their way here. The universe is too big to consider and his men deserve some peace after everything Obi-Wan could have protected them from. Another glance at the empty space at his side. Another breath that catches on every barely-healed wound in his soul. 

There is a group moving towards the hangar. Their footsteps echo and, for a moment, they’re in perfect unison, a wall of sound that carries as much of a presence as the men wearing the armour. Obi-Wan closes his eyes, he is old and he can be foolish for a moment, and listens to the sound of an army mobilising. Not as organised as his men but he can pretend.

“Should have let me reorganise the ships.”

That voice. 

“I know it’s an older system but it works. Less of this unorganised milling about like a group of lothcats let out into a solarium. Alpha-17 would have beaten me over the head with my own vambrace if I let my squad run around like that.”

Obi-Wan looks. He couldn’t stop himself if he tried. 

Cody looks like how Obi-Wan remembers. He’s aged, silver overrunning the black in his curls and fresh lines at the corners of his eyes and his mouth. More from sorrow than joy, Obi-Wan thinks, and likely matches the passage of time imprinted on his own features. His scar is still striking, dark despite the decades it had been since he had first received it, and there is a fresher tattoo covering his other eye, a broken red line from his scalp to his chin. His armour is piecemeal, some painted plastoid over his chest and the sheen of beskar on his vambraces, and his clothes beneath it are equally mismatched in various shades of dark brown. He’s breathtakingly beautiful even so.

“Disgraceful,” Cody continues, settling his hands on his hips before they slide down to his sides. His back is perfectly straight, the posture that Obi-Wan couldn’t believe he had forgotten about burning bright across his thoughts. How could he have forgotten anything about Cody? He loves him more than anything else in the universe and he had left him behind because of his duty. They had both known it would be a possibility, but that hadn’t made it hurt any less. 

He doesn’t know what to say.

He doesn’t know if he should say anything.

Cody seems happy here, balanced enough to grin at a teasing remark one of the pilots call over to him, to swipe at the back of another’s head as they pass in a gesture that is all showmanship and no substance, and Obi-Wan wouldn’t take this piece of stability away from him. He begins to back away, attempting to circle the edge of the crates so he would be hidden from Cody’s gaze, and his heel catches the side of the crate. It’s loud, far louder than it should be and it is just another sign that the universe wants to see him suffer that Cody looks over at him. Recognition is a quick-moving thing and Cody has always been exceptional in every regard. His eyes widen and his mouth moves in a soundless whisper of Obi-Wan’s name before he begins to move forward. Straight line, direct, and Obi-Wan braces himself for a blow. 

He isn’t expecting Cody to crash into him, wrapping his arm around Obi-Wan’s torso tight enough to break and secure enough to put him back together. For a moment, everything is right in the universe and Obi-Wan could tear the fabric of existence open and weave something new from the tattered shreds, then Cody steps away. He doesn’t move far, his palms remaining pressed to Obi-Wan’s elbows as he looks him over from head to foot before Cody glances down at his own torso. 

“I am surprised to not be stabbed,” Cody says as easily as he would comment on the weather, it looks like it will rain later, I expected you to kill me. 

Obi-Wan flexes his fingers, feeling the absence of anything in his hold, the light void of any kind of blade or a saber. He tucks his fingers beneath the curve of Cody’s vambraces, the first joints digging into the rumpled fabric and luxuriating in the warmth emitting from his skin. “I wouldn’t do that to you, love.”

“I would have.” Cody’s mouth twitches into a grimace, his lips drawn tight, and he blinks up at Obi-Wan. His brow is furrowed like he’s trying to stare into the sun, determined to push back such a fragile thing like human limitations. “Well, before. Do you— Do you know?”

“I do.” It is such a small phrase to try and encompass the forgiveness of a lifetime for his mistake, swearing himself to Cody as if he is pledging himself to the other man forever. Cody’s vambrace bites into his fingers but he doesn’t pull away, instead tucking his fingers further beneath the curved metal. It is a disadvantageous position with his hands occupied and he wouldn’t be able to defend himself if the same blank look would descend over Cody’s features again. He wouldn’t want to. 

Cody hums a noncommittal sound, shuffling closer until the tips of his boots press against Obi-Wan’s. His thumbs smooth over the sharp topography of Obi-Wan’s elbows, hollows exposed just as easily as the desert would strip flesh from bone. “I can’t believe you’re here,” Cody murmurs, his eyes dark and wavering with tears. “We should celebrate.”

“This isn’t something I wish to celebrate,” Obi-Wan answers. He should step away, stop intruding on the peace that Cody has managed to find for himself but Obi-Wan wants. He craves in a way he isn’t sure he has experienced before and he knows like he knows the twin suns will rise over Tatooine tomorrow that when he walks away from Cody again, he is going to die. His body will continue walking, his mind will continue thinking, but he will be dead. 

“Obi-Wan.” Cody moves impossibly closer, knocking Obi-Wan’s feet further apart with own, making a space for Cody to step into. “I should have died decades ago. If not from a Seppie, then from the Empire, a stray shot in a firefight, or just sheer bad luck. I should have aged into obsolescence and died like I was planned to, but I’m still here. We are still here. So I am going to celebrate every morning when I wake up and every evening when I go to sleep, every meal, and every breath because I am still here. So, please, Obi-Wan, let me celebrate with you.”

Obi-Wan swallows against the grief wrapped around his throat like a noose and nods, unable to speak. Cody raises a hand, Obi-Wan’s desperate grip moving with him, not to stop but only to hold, and cups Obi-Wan’s jaw. 

“Kiss me?” Obi-Wan murmurs, his voice ragged and ruined and so full of tentative hope. Cody nods and leans in. It’s gentle, the cautious press of his lips against Obi-Wan’s, his stubble a dull rasp against Obi-Wan’s skin, before he draws back just enough to breathe. Obi-Wan follows him, kissing him again and again and again until they’re laughing into each others embrace, tears streaming down their cheeks. 

[pigtailedgirl]

Now I'm curious how you got into due south originally, if you feel like explaining :)

Sure! It's nothing too exciting I guess, but my Dueser origins begin as a wee girl. I know my family must have vaguely watched it because I remember the image of All The Queen's Horses mountie chase pre-dates my series watch beginnings. I know my grandma later confessed as I had it on tv one summer that she watched it. Cause cute Benton Fraser lol.

But real seeing and watch began with a random catch of Free Willie one morning on the Showcase Network. Thank you kindly Showcase.

Yeah, I caught it one morning and stayed to watch because I think I vaguely recognized it, and just fell in love with it's charm and wit and Fraser and Ray. It was the first episode so great timing too. And they had it schedule set to air one episode in the morning, the same at night, five days a week. Perfect for catching up.

Promos were hilarious too. I should see if any are online.

Oh, and it was original edit, so it had extra scenes like the different Victoria's Secret ones.

So I caught up on the series quick. Also, what I think really cemented my season 1 and 2 love was they played that set for months at least before switching to the 3/4 season. That highlighted the difference in tone to my POV too I think, and it's why I kinda view them apart still.

But I really got to experience show first this way.

I think I found fandom when starting Livejournal same time the show hit resurgence there. And I happily caught the tail end of Yahoo Groups so got to back read fan stuff there. Missed most of Ray Wars. Yay. There was the 2000's snippets, but everyone was so fun at content creation and love, that was the best take-aways. It made for a great time. I participated in a watch-along! A big highlight of fannishness for me! That's when I saw The Pilot. Or my fav was squeeing about Pizza and Promises.

Just, some of the many wonderful fans like Nina_DS and movies_michelle and duenorthlaurie for episode discussion, and Sdwolfpup, Belmanoir, Aingeal8C as content creators, or Scotchsour, and Lozenger8 who made some banging icons....Truly, there were so many wonderful people, I couldn't even name them all. Due South provided so many wonderful glimpses of other fans to share with. LJ friends were so lovely.

I fell out in LJ world strangely cause I felt kinda outside the fandom wave as it crested I think, not shipping F/K or really loving those seasons as much. And just personally felt not into fannishness as whole after awhile. It's a me thing across everything, not just Due South. I took an internet break for a long time. I still watched the series on tv, with Showcase and TV Tropolis and DejaView lol, and by then DVD often. Along with new TV of course, although not much cause Tumblr me is not too different from old LJ me. Still kept an eye of forums, sometimes, or such, cause I love discussion as you can see by my screeds versus tech/creative skills, but not actively or with comment.

I return cause, I don't know, seeing people express love for the series again is hitting a happy place of nostaglia I think. I had a rough bout with real-life and comfort fannish stuff is reminding life was full of small good moments. The joy of the endearing nature of the show and the spirit of love for it in the fandom is proof of stuff enduring. Joy that it's still on rebranded Showcase here on the weekends lol, even if you never know which season.

And a new vidder made a wonderful F/V fanvid that, timing again as I hit Tumblr, I stumbled into, and just had me crying when I watched at the beauty and love I remembered in the pair. It spoke to my love of them so hard I think it jolted me into thinking hell yea that love deserves happy expression, I can do it too maybe. Sadly they took it down, but yeah, that was the spark, and that's me fannish story.

[dangermousie]

Farscape rewatch: 2x01

I really like this episode, Mind the Baby, because it leads so beautifully into themes of S2: the ambiguity of Crais, the growing bond between John and Aeryn (and them being each other's solace), the bond between the crew, the shadow of Scorpius and John's unbalance transforming into insanity. I know S3 is most people's favorite, but Season 2, with its sheer desperation, is mine.

Long so behind keep reading...

John is quite on edge in MtB and it's only the beginning. He is the one threatening to hunt down Crais. He is the one who walks into Talyn and manages to kidnap Crais through sheer balls and disregard for safety. 

This is not a well man. When Crais says Talyn will kill him if he kills Crais, John says it’s a fair price and he means it. Or how about this:

His trademark snark though is so old John peeking through this new walking trauma iteration and it remains constant through the whole run because it really is his coping mechanism.

His hatred of Crais (understandably) is set in stone but John is getting edgier and more off-key even as early as here, and you can tell. I remember reading BB say that he played John as reaction too much to little things and not enough to big ones because torture messed him up and you can see that (and of course, later the writers incorporated this into their concept of the chip). 

And the way their roles switch and how far John has come from the naive sweet pacifist of the start and how much further he still has to go; he couldn’t have survived otherwise but it is still tragic.

And yet, as early as this, you see that Aeryn is John's comfort and vice versa. When Aeryn is feeling disappointed about failing to get Talyn out of Crais' grasp, you see her and John sitting, comfortable, folded into each other, and he is playing with her hair, and the sheer peace, for both of them, of the gestures and the posture and the words, is immeasurable. John is stilled and Aeryn is at peace. It made me think of the scene in S4's Mental as Anything, where once again, Pilot's den is their peaceful place, under very different circumstances (I think Pilot is OK with it more because of Aeryn than of John).

Aeryn never taking easy solace is such a constant about her. But also, all these incredibly tender, open scenes are between them when they are in no way official couple and neither has even began to define, even to themselves, what they are to each other, somehow hits even harder.

(Side note - how telling it is that here Aeryn is the optimist, the one who thinks maybe Crais can change and John, the one who started the show always willing to give everyone a second chance, is having difficulty with the concept.)

Oh and earlier - his and Aeryn's non-good-bye and damn Crais or anyone else who is watching, with interlaced hands, and the looks, and the not-saying-goodbye? I literally let out and audible noise.

Love Crais pretty much rolling his eyes btw...

And then we also have D'Argo and John bond (eeee!), and as always hilarious.

And of course the sense of crew as family as we see Chiana's disbelief and joy when she sees it's really Crichton, but also how she is cautious now and won’t believe it at first. 

Her delight is contagious and you get the sense of family reassembling when she jumps into John's arms (and what a different entrance onto Moya for John from S1: he comes in, hauling Crais, with a gun cocked). 

But yes, I consistently adore what they did with Chiana and John in this show, the way they are so consistently snarky but caretaker older brother and bratty but loyal younger sister.

And Rygel's joy and the fact that Rygel and Chiana decided to stick with Moya no matter what. And of course the layers and double crosses and the shadows of Crais and Scorpius. I can't wait to rewatch what happens next.

PS I could rewatch this scene on a loop forever...

Heeeee....

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Since you made the mistake of allowing me to ask you questions, here I am! Who, in your opinion, was the more unlucky between Hurin and Turin?

Oh god who had it worse? I hate comparing suffering but honestly they both had it really bad.

While Turin had the ability to travel among companions and find joy and ultimately had a terrible end, Hurin had to watch the whole thing and then live with the knowledge. We also don't know what Hurin endured alongside all that since he was trapped in Morgoth's castle and that place was compared to Hell on earth but explicitly run by the setting's hateful Lucifer.

But even if it was just imprisonment and suffering, Hurin was still a prisoner in Morgoth's grasp to know no peace or gentle grace. For decades.

Turin's deal was also a heavy mix of curses shoved onto him as well as his own arrogance and pride.

Much like Denethor when he psychically wrestled every time to use the Palantir against whatever poisonous shadow Sauron cast on the scrying tools, Hurin only saw what Morgoth's own powers allowed or maybe even reshaped. A twisted form of Sight that meant that much like someone depressed or cynical, Hurin only saw the worst things or saw things in the worst light. Which is why when he finally saw Thingol, he judged the elf harshly for what happened to their son and his daughter. (I say their son because Thingol may have treated Turin as his own son.)

On the flipside his greatest suffering was watching someone else suffer. His son and surviving daughter, unable to help them, unable to warn them... and in the aftermath forced to live with the knowledge.

Turin had moments of joy and the ability to choose freely what his actions were but everything was always brought to ruin.

I really can't choose who had it worse. Constant misery versus gradual horror. But if forced to, I'd have to go with Turin because he lived it.

For anyone who's like "who the hell are you talking about? Hurin? Turin? Are they dwarves since the Hobbit's dwarves had all those rhyming names?":

By the way trigger warnings for three counts of suicide and two unknowing incest. Everything else is setting typical violence and betrayals. Turin's story is a mix of Sigurd the Volsung, Beowulf, Oedipus, and Kullervo.

Hurin is one of the famous human heroes of the First Age. Hurin is also one of Elrond's great grand uncles through his half-elf father Earendil. Earendil is also the father of Elros who is the first Numenorian king (long story there) and by the way is Aragorn's ancestor (with about 6300 years between the birth of Elros's first son and Aragorn so there's a lot of time there). Half-Elves are able to choose whether they want to live life as an elf or life life as a human. Both choices have their ups and downs but the biggest thing is choosing long life over the unknown of what happens after humans die. As far as I can remember, no one is told what happens to humanity. Not even Mandos (the Valar Archangel God of the Dead), or if he does he keeps silent on the matter. This is part of why Arwen is able to choose to remain with Aragorn and why her choice hits Elrond so hard: because not only is this Luthien all over again but his own brother made the same choice just as Elrond chose like their father to be an elf for other reasons.

Earendil by the way is the "Evening Star's" pilot because of a lot of reasons. The light is from the silmaril on his fancy crown as he drives the enchanted ship. It's THAT bright. How the hell he sees with it on I don't know. It's bright enough to be mistaken for Venus for goodness sake.

Turin is Hurin's son and honestly the person who I would've loved to see a grim edgy AAA action game about instead of the wonderful then mess that the Shadow of Mordor/War games are. Of course, considering his life, it makes sense that he was skipped over for it. Because there were some really nasty bits in it. As hinted in the trigger warning.

Turin's life basically has him picking up cursed objects left and right and being an unlucky SoB. Like the family heirloom helmet? Turns out it's magic and nopes away any attempt to kill its wearer at least through a head-based deathblow. Swords break and arrows deflect. Which admittedly is good, but it won't be the only thing.

His mom sent him off for his safety, he was adopted by Luthien's father Thingol (could do worse than a hidden kingdom's king, honestly)… but one of Thingol's counselors hated him for being an outsider. Maybe also for being a human I'm not sure but the guy was a Grade A prick. Saeros would not let up on Turin and kept provoking him and trying to get him killed, which just caused an escalation in embarrassment and pain on his side… until the elf was forced to run buckass naked through the forest and fell to his death.

Apparently other people hated Turin too because Turin got booted out before Thingol could stop it. I like to think that Thingol was waiting for the right time to bring him back when things calm down but elves hold on to grudges like nobody's business (dwarves do too, as to mortal men, so its not like anyone's automatically in the right here).

By the way I've touched on Thingol and Luthien before here for those just dropping in.

So, like you do, Turin runs across a band of outlaws and tells them his name is something that basically means the Wronged One or the Betrayed. The bandits were quick to follow him because they liked how strong he was and then went along with his leadership after he killed their old boss for trying to do what outlaws often do. So instead of going around robbing people and doing horrible things to people, Turin used the group to hunt orcs.

His best friend Beleg was worried, got permission to go off, and tracked down where the bandits were later and joined them as Turin's subordinate. Although some of the members of the band weren't happy with this fancy ass stranger just making himself home there. One of the people least happy by this was Mim, a "petty dwarf" (not petty as in petty but he is that too but basically it's implied that the petty dwarves are descendants of dwarven exiles so…) because Beleg is an elf and good god there's so much bad blood between the two kinds you don't even know.

Mim barely put up with the outlaws because Turin offered him aid as apology for something. Mim would later sell them all out to Morgoth but in return for a promise that Turin would be spared. Then after Turin's death, Hurin would kill him for is part (however minor) in what happened to Turin but Mim would actually curse his treasure - including or maybe just the fancy necklace that was later combined with the Silmaril Thingol got Beren to get and would later play into Thingol's death so yes these things connect god help us.

But here's one of the fun things: Thingol gave Beleg the black sword Anglachel. This is important because unlike most swords, this one is not only meteoric iron but actually super cursed. It is with that sword that Turin unintentionally kills Beleg. The sword thirsts for blood in a way that no other should. By that metric it is a good sword. But… yeah. The sword had to be reforged as it actually mourned Beleg's death by turning chipped and dull so it became Gurthang.

Turin wielded the sword in battle and slew monsters with it, but it was also used to kill people too. I forget the full details but the dragon Glaurung pulled some Looney Tunes shit by telling Turin that his mother and sister were suffering. Instead of killing the dragon then and there, Turin dropped everything to go back to his original home of Dor-lomin and walked in on an empty house.

Just imagine it. Man runs from a battle field for about 150 miles only to walk in on an empty house.

Turin learns some stranger married a "kinswoman" (cousin? cousin to a sister-in-law to an uncle? I'm not sure) to claim his father's lands. Remember it's been about 25-27 years since Hurin was around so someone must've gone "oooh easy pickings". Turin learns through him that his mother isn't there, then kills the man in a rage like he's Hamlet shanking Claudius. Then runs back. To be fair the murder wasn't exactly of an innocent man since Brodda is said to have forced Aerin to marry him and also intended to have children with her but...

While Turin was running back to find the people he left behind to save his family, Aerin killed herself via fire (not an uncommon occurrence in the setting really), and the kin to Brodda ("Easterlings" who have been under Morgoth and Sauron's banner with the known lands of Middle Earth being one of the large pockets of resistance against them) used it to do even worse things to their people.

Turin believed that all this was what the evil fate would be and yes this is part of why I say he's arrogant and prideful, including the death of Finduilas (Gil-Galad's sister) because of his own foolishness. Considering Gil-Galad was fine with Elrond (at least we think it's the same Gil-Galad), I doubt that he holds his family responsible for his sister's death because I know there's a lot of other people who would. So Turin thinks that's the worst that can happen, that he's now the master of his own destiny.

You can probably hear Morgoth laughing.

But what I want to know is how the dragon - who he fought again years down the line - knew that the wife Turin took later was actually his younger sister (who he never met because his mom sent him away to Thingol) traumatized and possibly cursed into forgetting her past. ... Morgoth, probably Morgoth.

Yeah. Okay time to explain that.

Nienor, the surviving daughter of Hurin (because the other one died when she was 3 to one of Morgoth's attacks), had no memory of her life before meeting the band of orc hunters. She was found shivering in the dark, terrified and half-death from being unable to find any food in the wild. So she was named Ninel and the only peace she was able to find after dark was when pressed against Turin's side. Eventually they married and both found happiness in each other's arms. … But when Turin fought the dragon, it broke through the curse/trauma and made Nienor remember herself. With that horrible truth, Nienor threw herself and their unborn child off a cliff.

So that reveal combined with everything else in his life similarly drove Turin over the edge. He spoke to his sword basically going "in my hand you've killed without care for any but the hand that bears you, so seek my own heart's blood and end me quickly". And the damn sword spoke! Who knows if it's the first time or the last, but it spoke and basically said it wanted to wash out the blood of Beleg and the latest innocent man from its memory. So with that sword Turin killed himself.

As I said, Hurin later threw the fancy dwarven necklace (cursed by Mim) at Thingol's feet and stormed off. The necklace combined with the Silmaril led to the hidden kingdom being attacked and raided and ransacked because you do not send people to get Silmarils (Beren) and then expect to know peace especially not when there's at least one of Feanor's sons in the area who are oathsworn (cursed) to seek them out.

[pokechbi]

Chapter 4 <3

The cold November wind bit at my cheeks as I walked down the street, tote bags in hand. I was walking down the street to the local grocery store. I had really underestimated how cold it would be up here on the northern part of the East Coast. Pulling my jacket closer to me, I look up at the sky and let out a shaky breath. 

After Detective Loki had left the other night, I made myself busy with house chores and ordered Chinese takeout for Mark and I. He came home and pretty much left me alone, which I was used to. I couldn't complain, though. It was easier to be left alone than to be pestered by a man-child that I wasn't even sure I loved anymore. 

It was a hard task, hiding all of my subconscious smiles from him when thinking about Detective Loki. I knew that if he saw me smiling to myself like an idiot for no reason at all, he'd know something was up. As much as I wanted to settle down and start a new chapter in this sleepy little town, I wanted so bad to get away from Mark. I needed to get away from him. I wanted to go to New York City, become a freelance writer and live my dream. Or just start it somewhere, at least. Some place where I couldn't be found.  And with the sea of bustling people in New York, it seemed like the perfect place. I would maybe even travel, or find love somewhere in the breezy countryside of Paris, France. It's a cliché dream, but it's what I wanted, and what I strived for. I smiled to myself thinking of traveling with Detective Loki, but I shot it down instinctively. I didn't even know the man. Before I met Mark, I had aspirations. I had a heart full of love and gave it to the first person who asked. And it got me nowhere good. I didn't want to make the same mistake again.

With my jean-covered legs being on auto-pilot and my mind elsewhere, I reached the main street pretty fast. Watching the bustle of the neighborhood brought me a small joy. I strolled past some city workers putting up Christmas decorations. I wondered if I could get out by Christmas. But as much as the thought of leaving to New York City so soon appealed to me, I wanted to take a break from being so on edge. Mark was working nearly all day, and I usually had the house to myself, to do whatever I wanted until I would start my new job. I made a mental note to myself to keep myself calm, and stay on Mark's good side if I wanted my temporary stay here to be the least bit enjoyable. 

I took a deep breath, and inhaled the crispy winter air that smelled of wet leaves and café food. Entering the market, I grabbed a shopping cart and headed to the first isle I saw. I planned on walking around for a good bit, getting to know the market and what I could bring home all by myself. I need to invest in a car, once I start working. I can't rely on him to take me everywhere. i thought to myself. 

Walking mindlessly throughout the isles, I reached the frozen section where I planned on rummaging. I loved to cook, I thought of it as an art. I cooked all the time when Mark and I first started dating. He loved my cooking, and that was one of the first things we did together once we made our relationship official. We loved to do it together. But now, I couldn't bring myself to put as much love into it as I used to. I missed it. 

I picked up some frozen garlic toast, pondering making Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner, when I heard a familiar voice behind me. 

"I personally like the New York Bakery brand. Or better yet, homemade." I turned and was face-to-face with Detective Loki. He was wearing a black winter coat, zipped up to his jaw, covering that neck tattoo that I liked to stare at. His hair was slicked back and neat as always, and his smell instantly drifted towards my direction. I remembered not to sniff so hard this time. 

"Oh! It's you" I say with a toothy grin and a chuckle. "Yeah, I make a bomb garlic toast from scratch, but I'm not in a huge cooking mood today, you know how it is." I toss the toast into my cart with a shrug, leaning on my shopping cart to face him. 

"Trust me, I understand." He looks at me with a sarcastic smile, motioning to his shopping basket, filled with instant ramen noodles and a case of energy drinks. I let out a hearty laugh, feeling heat rise up to my cheeks. As funny as it was, I felt bad for him. I could tell he needed a better diet, especially with the hard work and long hours he does.

"How's everything going? With the case, you know." I say, my smile fading. I couldn't even imagine the pain this case was causing everyone. Detective Loki included. It must have been why his diet only consisted of instant noodles and energy drinks. 

"Oh. You know. It's been rough on everyone. The first 48 hours always is. We're holding the first search party tonight, if you want to come on by and help the girls' families out. I'm sure they'd appreciate it." 

"Yeah, I'd love that. I'm sorry,  haven't heard about it on the news or anything. Haven't invested in a TV just yet, haha." I say with a light giggle. "What time is the search party?" I look up at his eyes, feeling a rush of heat through my body. He made eye contact with me, taking a second to respond, his eyes blinking a couple times before he spoke.

"At 6. It's about a quarter to. You can stop by at the station and we'll be handing out vests and gear and all that stuff." I was more than happy to help out. I wanted to try my best and help these families find their daughters. If it were my child, I'd want people to do the same. 

"Sounds good. " I smile and a nod. "I'll walk home and drop this stuff off and I'll be on my way. My place is probably a 15 minute walk from here." I say, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. 

"Let me drive you." He says in a firm tone. I hesitated for a second, "No, I couldn't ask you to do that. I don't live that far." I say with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't mention it." He says, waving a hand in dismissal. "It's cold out, and you've got a lot of groceries to handle. It's the least I can do." He says with a gentle smile. "You can count this as a favor returned for that great coffee you made me." He says. I couldn't help but smile at his absolute charm. His vibe was so comforting. I wanted to give him a hug and never let go. 

"I'll go ahead and checkout, and I'll meet you in the front of the store. Sound good?" He says. I didn't even get a chance to refuse it. He was so persistent in helping me. I loved that about him already. I didn't feel a tiny bit guilty wanting to get into his car and talk a bit more, even if it was for a short time before he had to get back to work. 

"Alright then" I say in happy defeat. "I'm almost done here." I mention towards the isle of frozen foods.

"No worries, take your time." He says strolling away into the next isle.

...

Lugging my bags of groceries to the front of the store, I feel a hand on my back and a woman's voice speak out to me.

"Miss, let me help you with that. You've got an awful lot of groceries there for such a small lady." She says with a chuckle. I turn to face her, and I'm face to face with an average height woman, who looks to be in her fifties. She had frizzy graying hair, and some outdated glasses. What's with these people and their 80's glasses?  I think to myself. 

"Oh, it's alright, thank you so much. I've got someone to help me, but thanks so much for the offer, umm..."

"Holly. Holly Jones. And no, I insist. Let me help you carry this to your car, please." She was insistent on helping me, and wouldn't let me say no. Her persistence caught me off guard and put me off a bit, but I was stuck in a position where I couldn't leave, or decline her offer. I clearly wasn't able to carry them alone. 

"That's alright, Mrs. Jones. I can help her carry them." Detective Loki walked up to us, slightly waving a hand in dismissal in Holly's direction. She looked up at him above her glasses, a frown plastered on her wrinkled face.

"Ahhh. Detective...Loki, was it? The man who let my son be attacked by a deranged man." She said in a low tone. I didn't know what she was talking about, but I could feel the tension rising. "Say, Detective, did you arrest that man for assault? I would hope so, considering your reputation around here." She says, looking around. There wasn't many people left in the store, but the cashiers were starting to take notice of the situation forming. 

Embarrassed, I looked at Detective Loki, his eyes blinking rapidly and his brows furrowing. He bends down to grab my bags, and avoids eye contact with the woman. "Let's go, Cass." He says harshly. God, I loved the way my name rolled off of his tongue. I follow after him, looking back at the woman who had a smug smirk on her face, both hands gripping her shopping cart handle.

"He wouldn't be in this position if he kept his daughter on a tighter leash, Detective." She says in his direction. I look at him, the anger rising up to his face, and his eyes blinking. As he seems to do when he's thinking hard about something, or angry in this case. I instinctively put a hand on his bicep, trying to bring him back down to himself. I feel the outline of his muscles in my palm, feeling the sweat starting to rise in my hands. I give his arm a small squeeze, out of my own selfish curiosity. 

"Please, Loki. She's just taunting you. It's just pettiness. Let it go, okay? Let's go. We've got those girls to look for." I say softly, with sorrowful eyes. I placed a gentle hand on the space between his muscular shoulders. He seemed to relax into my touch a bit, so I gave him a gentle rub and let go. I felt extremely bad, feeling as if it were my fault that I had put him in that position. He looks at me, and then speaks. 

"You're right. Let's go." He took a deep breath, letting out a shaky breath. I could tell he was still angry, just trying to hide it as best as he could. Male rage was my specialty, and being with Mark taught me to learn the ins and outs of body language when it came to them about to lose control of themselves. 

We walked to the car in silence. It wasn't so much awkward, but it was a tension-filled moment that put us in a weird silence. As we loaded the trunk with the grocery bags, I looked up to Detective Loki. "Are you alright? I know that was...something." I say, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Yeah, I..I'm alright. Stuff like that just doesn't make this job easy when there's so much pressure. You know?" He says with a gentler tone, distancing his stare. "I'm trying my hardest here. I'm human too." His words made me want to wrap him in a warm blanket, and rip him away from all of his worries.

"Yeah. I get it. It's so hard on you already, I don't understand the lack of empathy some people have." I say, nodding my head in understanding. He looks at me and smiles, nodding his head also. 

"You get it. That's refreshing to know." 

We both get inside of the car, rubbing our hands together and scrambling to turn the car's heat on. 

"Thank you, Loki. You didn't have to do this, you know." 

"David. You can call me David." He says, pressing the Heat button on the dashboard. "And it's no worries. I'll be damned if I let you walk home alone in the cold and dark with that many bags. How would you defend yourself with your hands full?" He says quietly, looking directly at me. He looked my face up and down, his eyes landing on my lips. When he lowered his tone, I felt a tingle between my legs. His voice was so gentle, so charming. I wanted him to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. 

Still looking at me, he chuckles and puts the car into drive. 

"Don't know, David. Guess I'll need a knight in shining armor to defend me, huh." I say sarcastically. 

"I wonder who that is" He says invitingly. 

We both let out shy laughter and with that, we were off to my place.

[incorrectpizza]

@jacensyndullaweek is pretty much over - thank you so much to ALL the creators and commenters who made the week fun!

I didn't write as much as I would've liked but I have added quite a few entries to "First" and am calling it complete - for now. If anyone has any ideas for more entries, I'd love to continue it someday.

Fic under the cut for anyone who prefers to read here on Tumblr.

"Dada"

Hera drops the dish she’s washing the first time she hears Jacen say “Dada!”

The plate, made of child-proof plastoid, doesn’t shatter.

Her heart does.

Jacen’s sitting at the table when he says it, playing with the Tooka cat Sabine had made him out of one of Kanan’s old shirts.

Hera stares, watching every movement of Jacen’s tiny fingers. As she analyzes her son’s burbling noise, she wonders if she had heard him correctly.

Then Jacen points at the cat and exclaims “Dada!” again.

It’s all she can do to stay standing.

She inches along the wall from the kitchen to the common room, bracing herself with one hand.Sinking down onto the bench next to Jacen, she rubs the back of his hand and strokes the tooka’s ears with her fingertips.

After over a minute of excruciating silence, she tries to make sense of Jacen’s new word.

“Your tooka is made out of Dada’s shirt.” The raw truth. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Did Sabine tell you that?”

In response to her rhetorical question, Jacen nods while burbling and babbling “Dada” and “Mama” both several more times.

Using the Force

The first time Hera sees Jacen use the Force, she breaks.

She's suspected it for a few weeks - how else could Jacen have retrieved the plushie he tossed from his crib? - but she hoped, prayed she would be wrong. Having a normal child would be easier. Safer.

She wouldn't have to worry about him getting delusions of grandeur and going off to fight a war single-handedly, or dying on some backwater world protecting a few innocents. But watching his favorite green Tooka flying across the room, she can picture a lightsaber hurtling to his hand someday, in some stupid, noble act.

She snatches it away from him, and holds it tight, but he wails and pulls at it again, harder. She can feel the toy pulsing, and it’s one of the strangest sensations she’s ever felt. She loosens her grip and the Tooka returns to Jacen, who immediately returns to giggling.

Seeing his smile only makes it worse. She can’t breathe, can’t stay. Stumbling into Kanan’s old cabin, she clutches one of his shirts and sobs into it. Praying and ranting to her Ryl gods and the Force itself, she pleads for her son and mourns her dream of a peaceful life for him. 

Flying the Ghost

“Mom, mom, can I fly?” 

Hera has absolutely no recollection of the first time Jacen asked her, begged her , to let him take the pilot’s chair. He was no more than three, and in subsequent months and years, the question seems to echo throughout the Ghost every day, whether they’re together or apart.

She does, however, always treasure and remember the first day she finally relents to his pleas. He’s five years old and inquisitive as ever.  They’re taking a joyride after the victory at Endor, a rare reprieve from the fight. Hera has seen enough to know it’s not over - and might not be in her lifetime. But the joyous atmosphere has permeated her so thoroughly she lets herself imagine, for one night, that it is.

When Jacen asks once again, “Can I have a turn, mom?”, she tells him,  “Yes, but you have to be careful, love.” She lets him clamber up on her lap, and he shrieks and giggles. After he’s over his little fit of joy, she lets him “fly” - gently placing his hands above her own.

She loosens her grip, letting him steer the ship. He circles and spins and she gulps down bile for as long as she can before gently retaking control of the Ghost.

"Does this mean I'm a pilot now?" 

She rustles his green hair and places a light kiss on top. "You still have a long way to go, love." 

Date

Jacen goes on his first date when he’s sixteen. Hera gives him a ride to Ryloth to spend a quiet evening with a girl he’s been friends with since the first summer he spent with Cham. 

Hera doesn’t know her well, but she’s heard all about her from Jacen. 

Her name is Melyni, but her friends call her Mel, and she’s seventeen, with purple-pink skin, a few light freckles and a bubbly laugh. She just graduated from high school, early, and she’s leaving Ryloth soon for university. 

Hera walks with Jacen as far as Central Square. From a nearby shop, she watches as he knocks and waits and shakes Mel’s father’s hand. They walk hand-in-hand down to a traditional Twi’leki restaurant, then disappear. She buys a few meilooruns and walks a few blocks to Cham’s little cottage on the outskirts of town. They spend the evening reminiscing of their own young loves.

When Hera makes it back to the Ghost , Jacen’s still not there. She and Chopper wait up until dangerously close to curfew. Jacen comes back with a glint in his eyes she remembers from Kanan’s youth - and a smudge of red on his lip.

She offers him a napkin and he stares at it for several seconds before blushing a brilliant green.

Steps

Jacen’s first steps are not from mother to father, but mother to droid. He’s been testing his legs for weeks, hands gripping onto ledges and chairs. Hera gives him her hands and he wraps his fist tight around two fingers.

And then he takes his first wobbly, independent steps.

Chopper’s on the other side of the Ghost ’s common room, waving his manipulators and beeping some concerns about the ship. Jacen glances over at the droid and wriggles free of Hera’s grasp. He toddles precariously a meter or so, then leans up against Chopper, hands on his dome, and looks back at her, grinning. 

Hera swears she feels a presence beside her, light and joyful, and looks over, half expecting to see Kanan standing there. There’s nothing, of course, but, somehow, she knows he’s watching. Turning back around, she watches as Chopper waves his manipulators, and Jacen claps and shrieks. Jacen’s excitement causes him to grow unsteady again, and he falls flat onto his bottom.

Hera scoops him up, tickles him, and praises him. And for once, she doesn’t cry, doesn’t mourn, just laughs and enjoys her son.

Meeting Ezra

Hera’s sons meet for the first time when they’re six and twenty-four. Ezra returns home with little fanfare, just a hastily-thrown together family dinner. He’s shocked to discover Jacen, but delighted. No longer the baby of their ragtag family, he scoops Jacen up in his arms as Hera tells him that yes, he’s Kanan’s son - a last gift to them from lover and father and friend. 

After the initial surprise wears off, Ezra swiftly steps into his new big brother shoes.

The years have made him more confident. He walks with a bit of humble swagger - not the childish attempt he’d done at fourteen, but real charm. He and Sabine laugh and joke and Jacen begs to see his new lightsaber, which Ezra wisely locks in a cabinet on the Ghost after briefly showing the boy how it lights up. They spend the rest of the day playing games, sparring with practice sticks and meditating.

At the end of the night, they all gather around the common room in Ezra’s tower, Ezra telling story after story from the last six years. Jacen sits scrunched between Hera and Zeb, neck craning over to watch Ezra until his head finally flops onto Hera’s lap. Sabine grabs a tie-dyed blanket and stretches it over him before returning to her seat at Ezra’s side.

“And then, Thrawn said-”

Hera feels herself slowly drifting off to sleep as Ezra’s words blur together. Zeb’s arm creeps around her and he offers Hera a sympathetic grin, inviting her to rest her head on his shoulder. She surrenders, unwilling to disturb Jacen - or leave her family, just this once.

In her last moments of wakefulness, Hera hears a distant wolf howl.

[sparkanonymous]

Alright... who's ready for me to talk about Hazbin Hotel?

⚠️ Spoilers for Hazbin Hotel Below ⚠️

I'll most likely do this for Helluva Boss as well, if I even finish this, but I don't promise anything. If you're unfamiliar with how this goes, I jot down notes while I watch the episode. Most of the time, it's probably easier to watch the episode while reading the notes so that you know what I'm talking about, but it's not necessary if you just want to read someone's random thoughts on something.

I have not heard a lot of great things about the HH and HB fandoms. I'm not gonna try and be mean or anything, I'm just writing this stuff down for the shits and giggles. I don't see this doing well on my page anyway since I focus on Total Drama and Ninjago of all things. (I will most likely not join the HH and HB fandoms after this, either. I lurk a little bit in those spaces because of the art, but I don't really participate or go looking for anything related to these franchises... except for rewrites that I don't end up reading.)

Towards the end of this, I became increasingly more distracted and tired, so it's kinda just me listing things that I liked.

Have fun!

Hazbin Hotel - The Pilot

(I've watched this twice, but that was when it first came out.)

The song the pilot starts on is actually really pretty, imo. I've started getting sick of the songs that come from Spindlehorse (I watched the first episode of HH on Prime a bit ago, and I didn't really like either of the songs in it), but this song reminds me of why I wanted to watch this series back then.

Maybe this show is why I like the color red so much, lol

I've seen some spoilers on TikTok. I recognize the design of that one angel character by Adam- I think I saw Adam's silhouette for a moment too, that character that's Alastor's bestie, that techie demon, and maybe I'll recognize more. But how much of this story did Viv have planned before her show got the go-ahead?

(30 second unskippable ad after about 2 and a half minutes into the episode)

I remember when I saw this when it first came out, and I did not understand the point of having the snake villain. He was stupid, his egg minions were stupid, and there were clearly bigger things to focus on- like Charlie's hotel idea and advertising it, and then later, Alastor's whole thing. I had thought this entire battle between Cherry Bomb, Angel, and the snake (what is his name again) could have been cut, and there would be no issues. I still kinda think that this could've been written around. But I do like the snake guy. He's fun and eccentric.

(Another 30 second unskippable ad. We're 5 minutes in. Is it because I keep pausing to write?)

Wow, there are a lot of sound effects.

Where did those goat guys come from?

I wouldn't think that the princess of Hell would be this... innocent? Like, she can't seriously think that this whole hotel ordeal would be that easy, can she? She was literally singing at her balcony over the dozens of fallen demons. Is she just trying to stay happy and hopeful, or is she really just like this?

"I don't touch the gays-" So Charlie and Vaggie are open about their relationship? Or do they just do a terrible job at hiding it? I don't know why, but for the longest time, I thought that their relationship was secret. Damn, I'm just dumb.

"- I have standards." "Oh, yeah? How's that workin' out for ya...?"

Did we really have to cut to Tom in the middle of Kill Joy's rant? It takes away the focus.

Why is she threatening the princess of Hell? Charlie could break her scrawny neck with a hand and wouldn't be told off for it, or Charlie's father- fucking Lucifer- could catch wind of this and kill her himself. Does she want to die?

That quick sweep of the random characters and Vaggie behind the cameras was definitely sped up due to how short Charlie's "well" was. Or to save time. I don't know.

That one background character looks WAY too close to Blitz's design.

Damn. For how feared Alastor seems to be, he was able to walk behind those characters with no one screaming.

Was that Loona? Or that one character from Viv's Timber animation?

A lot of the scenes are way too quick. There are too many quick cuts, and some of the animations seem to be sped up?

During the song, Charlie's singing gets too high-pitched; I couldn't understand some of what she was saying. It's a nicer and shorter song than what Spindlehorse has been coming up with recently, though.

Is Kill Joy supposed to be cicada? Is that why the cicada sound effect keeps playing whenever we zoom in on her? I'm sorry... but if that's the case, she looks nothing like a cicada.

I know realistically bombs would make it hard to hear, but, realistically, being too close to bombs would also make your ears ring and would knock you off your feet. I don't know half of what Cherry Bomb or Angel are saying.

"Oh, harder, Daddy!~" "Son?!" I remember this clip being everywhere. I still like it. But, also, to the snake, have you even fucked anyone? Why would you immediately think that this is your kid? I honestly don't see this snake character enjoying the thought of sex.

The hat on the snake has teeth sometimes, and only sometimes. I can tell this character was probably HELL to animate.

Aw, Angel saving Cherry? Sweet...

So Angel can pull a Stitch and grow another pair of arms? Why? Spiders can't do that, so why should Angel?

I really enjoy Tom's design. He reminds me of a Looney Tunes character.

So... what happened to the turf war? We had like three different fights going on at the same time, and we see none of them? Do we hear more about that later?

Vaggie and Charlie's relationship here is really sweet.

You really thought anyone would want to stay there with how the place looks, Charlie? You're supposed to have the place ready before advertising.

So, wait... I thought Charlie's dad was really nice in the spoilers I saw. Did Charlie's dad say Charlie was useless, at least based on the intro?

How has Angel not heard of Alastor? Ah... for exposition purposes. Nevermind.

I'll be honest, Alastor's hair bothers me. I've never liked how it looks.

Was that an early design for Stolas in the Radio Demon exposition?

Alastor's colors were flickering a tiny bit when Vaggie and Charlie were talking about him.

Alastor clearly does not care about Charlie's dad being king of Hell or Charlie being the princess of Hell. He's just doing this for the shits and giggles.

"What can I do for you, my feminine fellow?" "Uh- I can suck your dick!" "HA- No."

"You think I'm some fuckin' clown?!" "... Maybe."

I thought HuskerDust was supposed to be canon. They're acting like they've never met.

I love the outfit change.

Alastor's reprise of Charlie's earlier song.

So, wait, when was Sir Pentious's first encounter with Alastor?

Alastor's smile when supposedlh killing the snake guy.

Episode 1

(Watched this when it was released on YouTube. After this, everything's new.)

So... new backstory. Also, new backstory for Charlie's dad?

New voices.

Alastor's little commercial is so lazy. He wanted entertainment. How will he get entertainment if the commercial doesn't sell it?

The sound effects haven't exactly been toned down.

The animation feels a little stiffer.

They noticed the fan love for Angel and decided they really wanted him to talk.

The threatening angle on Alastor is not as threatening as in the pilot.

What's up the random scene changes within scene changes? It's cutting randomly.

The first song is alright... for the most part.

I thought Charlie's thing was to not curse, at least not as frequently.

Adam's ramblings remind me way too much of Fizzarolli's boss. They're kinda the same in that aspect, and it doesn't really work for me.

Wow, the acting for the commercial.

How has Adam not been banished to Hell.

Nifty's great.

"You're doin' great, Vagina." lmfao

Exactly. Vaggie speaking facts.

The outfit changes are so nice.

Do sins not count once they die?

Adam should not be cursing, imo

If rules are black and white, you would be banished to Hell, Adam.

The second song with Adam is pretty good... for the most part.

You can't wait to murder? That says bloodlust to me.

Come on, let us see the commercial.

Tom's voice should have stayed the same.

But the body is just sitting there. How have more demons not seen the dead angel.

Damn, this outro song is sick.

Episode 2

That little cat thing is adorable. Kinda reminds me of the cat from Ruby Gloom.

Ooh, Sir Pentious is back.

"-battle, like, 20 times?" What? When? How long have you known Alastor.

I feel like Vox's voice should've been different. Like... imagine if he had Husk's VA.

How many accents does Valentino have?

Valentino x Vox?

Angel encouraging Alastor.

How many times does Sir Pentious have to die? Stop killing him :(

Vox trying to put a bad name on Alastor. He's so petty lol

"That's the tea-" Who told this old man about this generation's lingo?

Overall, the song's actually pretty good.

Face first into the sofa. Same, Charlie

Yay, more Sir Pentious! I actually kinda like him now.

Aw, poor Angel. But Charlie and Vaggie have a point.

Sir Pentious and Nifty give off Damien and Scary Girl from TDI, respectively.

Alastor burning the little piece of his coat in front of Sir Pentious, lol

Sir Pentious is so adorable.

The drug PSA with Angel and Pentious, lmao

The pig from the music video.

So Angel has self-worth issues, got it.

Well, that lasted all of five minutes. Poor Sir Pentious.

Charlie's bedhead is awesome.

His theatrics and the self-depracating comments don't really make Sir Pentious sound so serious about his apology.

This song was meh.

Episode 3

Why do you keep bringing that up, Vaggie?

I think a writer came on to the team and didn't look at the previous scripts very thoroughly.

Charlie, why do you look so uncomfortable with Pentious crying? You should've known that you would've gotten a lot of that.

Is Alastor trying to keep the egg minions safe? If so, cute.

"We have names?" Lol

Damn, they don't give a shit about Alastor. He got too comfortable with everyone knowing him.

The Velvet song reminds me of a different song. Pretty catchy, though.

Their definitions of trust are so different. Awesome.

Poor Nifty lol

Vaggie's army voice doesn't really work imo

Why are Carmine's earrings hanging off her hair?

The second song isn't really my thing, but I can understand why someone may like it... except for the green guy's echoing voice in the song.

Vaggie's singing voice is way too different from her speaking voice.

Pentious redemption. I like that Angel is warming up to him. The snake's precious.

Episode 4

Here's the episode on SA. Guess I'll finally be able to form my own opinion on this.

Poor Charlie and Pentious.

Aw, Husk being a people reader.

Goddamn, what did Nifty do?

So after ignoring Val's calls for days, he's suddenly answering? Maybe he realized it had been too long, and it would be worse if he continued to ignore him?

Charlie, you should've known that this would be difficult?

So Val knows to "respect" Charlie to her face, but

Angel's real name is Anthony?

Angel's VA is selling the performance here. It's gut wrenching.

Angel's song is okay.

I think the writing has been pretty solid since the song. I like Husk and Angel's dynamic.

I like the HuskerDust song and the visuals going with the song.

Goddamn the song's cut off, lmao

I dunno, besides the abuse part, I think the episode was solid. I can't speak on how well it handled SA, so I won't.

Episode 5

Why is this episode so much quieter than the rest?

Why is clown music Lucifer's ringtone for Charlie?

I like Lucifer's design, and his voice matches him, but I don't think he works as Lucifer, y'know?

Where was Alastor for that little meeting?

Alastor's eye twitching just the tiniest.

So Lucifer hasn't heard of Alastor? I thought he was the most threatening demon? Also, why is Alastor testing Charlie's dad?

Lmao, Pentious meeting the king of Hell.

Do people ship Lucifer and Alastor?

Nifty being in the song.

Alastor trying to insert himself as Charlie's father figure.

Oh, yay. Mimzy.

I like the song, besides when Mimzy came in from nowhere.

Lucifer's face in the background when Alastor's pushing Charlie away.

How does Mimzy know everyone? Did she meet Husk and Nifty because of Alastor?

New Alastor lore. I thought people would call him the Radio Demon, not that Alastor named himself that.

Alastor being owned by someone else makes sense.

Poor Husk.

Why does Hell even use money?

Aw, Pentious saving Nifty.

Angel and Husk enjoying the father-daughter drama.

So, does Alastor actually want to keep the hotel safe, or is it because of a deal?

The song reminded me of a Greatest Showman song. It's okay.

Vaggie, you're acting sus.

Episode 6

Yo, Cherry Bomb is back, and she's Aussie.

Pentious lol you're so nervous for nothing.

I love Sera and Emily's designs.

Heaven's song should've been church choir-esque y'know?

Adam has already talked about the exorsists with angels around. There's no way that more people haven't heard about them by now.

Adam named Vaggie? Wth

Damn, they ripped Vaggie's eye clean out with no struggle or hesitation.

Sarah's voice did not hold much confidence for Adam.

Why is Pentious trying to hit on Cherry?

Adam, you fucked multiple times. What the hell are you talking about, you hypocritical asshole.

Aw, poor Nifty. I like Angel and Nifty's dynamic.

Aw, man, poor Pentious.

Why did the music stop when Angel and Val argued? Let him argue without causing a scene.

I don't like that the song has to do with the plot so much, but I like the song.

Please banish Adam to Hell.

I love Sera and Emily.

Episode 7

Aww, Pentious petting the kitty thing.

Alastor is pushing Charlie a little too much.

Alastor kicking his feet while laying on Charlie's bed.

Charlie is going to push Alastor to beating her shit.

"I know something you don't know~" Love this guy.

Charlie's demon horns coming out when making the deal.

With how much they made out Vaggie's past angelhood, I would think that Charlie would be more offensive?

Ah, there it is.

"I know you're an ace in the hole-" "A what now?" Lmao

I love Rosie.

Rosie and Alastor's dynamic is lovely.

They have a month to prepare. What are they gonna do to keep their defenses up within a MONTH. That's like no time.

Who voices Carmine? She sounds mildly familiar.

Why did they have to introduce Susan?

Carmine basically calling Charlie a dumbass.

Vaggie getting her wings back is kind of bullshit. Or am I missing something?

Carmine's song is alright, but give it a little. The UnderTale fandom will get to it. There'll be a parody.

Rosie and Charlie's talk is so nice.

Alastor and Rosie kinda being the parents that Charlie needs is mad deIicious. Love me parental figures.

Despite the name, Cannibal Town is amazing.

I love the song here in Cannibal Town.

I love this episode.

Episode 8

Vox is here. Again. Yay.

Wrong Angel, Nifty lmao

I still love Sir Pentious. He has reserved a place in my heart.

Love this small peaceful scene.

Aw, Alastor and Nifty interacting.

Angel admiring Husk.

Pentious and Cherry? Kinda nice, actually.

Vaggie's song to Charlie is pretty sweet.

I can't... who's righting the relationships in this episode? They're all so lovely.

Adam's rocking "ATTACK!"

The 3 V's watching from the TV.

The outfits the main guys are wearing.

Vox getting turned on by Alastor's impending doom.

Beat his ass, Alastor!

Alastor's staff breaking and him mildly panicking.

Husk enjoying the sex jokes.

Alastor fake out death.

Angel saving the egg.

Cherry and Pentious kissing in front of explosion.

No, not Pentious!

Loved the animation where Charlie and her goats transformed.

Damn, Vaggie fighting even with a hole in her hand.

The angel bitch Vaggie was fighting ripping her arm off was a bit much for me.

Lucifer appearing and fucking Adam's shit up.

Adam's mask falling off.

Nifty getting the last hit on Adam. Awesome.

'Shitting and cumming' being in the headline during the news is fucking hilarious.

Lucifer is fucking fruity.

Lucifer and everyone cheering Charlie up.

Velvet recording Vox and Val dancing.

Sir Pentious's memorial.

Alastor showing up for the last bit of the sing.

I liked most of the song.

YO Sir Pentious showing up in Heaven?!

What was Lilith's agreement?

Overall, I enjoyed watching this show. The pacing and writing could use some work, but yeah. Mimzy was kind of annoying, but she was only in the show for a few minutes in one episode, so it was easy to ignore her... unless you're listening to the song that she so rudely interrupted at the very end of. The constant need to bring in new characters is kind of annoying, but I enjoyed at least half of them.

If I were to draw fanart of any of these characters, it would probably be Husk, Nifty, or Sir Pentious. I'll be patiently waiting for a second season. If there ever is one.

[walkingstackofbooks]

TNG 6x10 and 6x11 Chain of Command, Part 1 & 2 thoughts (rewatching, so possible future spoilers for DS9 too)

I’ve temporarily paused my DS9 re-watch after 2x20 Maquis Part 1 to go through all the Cardassian episodes in TNG to get a better picture of the build up: 4x12, 5x03, 6x10, 6x11, 6x20 and 7x15.

6x10 Part One

Watching Jellico on 1.5x speed makes him even more aggressively brusque

I can't remember if Jellico's genuinely good at his job or if he's very, very bad

The trouble is, he wants people to work for him. Picard has people work with him.

Once again, I had kind of forgotten till I re-watched just how much I liked Picard

(I just looked up what the Ferengi was called to make my next comment, and genuinely hadn't caught on that he was Solok, who they were looking for! I was wondering why he was so dedicated to calling Solok extraordinary XD)

(Huh, another fun fact - Solok was supposed to be Quark, but DS9 was a few weeks too late in airing for there to be a crossover!)

Daimon Solok kind of looks like Pel?

I don't mind woman using their charm, and that ear stroke wasn't egregious as some... but still, I hate ear stroking ferengi to get your way with them

I cannot tell if Jellicoe is an idiot or very clever

"If the Cardassian Union truly wishes to discuss peace, they can send someone who can negotiate in a civilised manner." Fuck OFF, you're hardly being civilised!!!

Ok, so there was some strategy...

"Well, I'll say this for him. He's sure of himself." "No, he's not." Oh fuck, that's concerning

IT'S A TRAP

That gul looks far too pleased with himself

Action scenes are VERY silly on 1.5x speed XD

Ohhh the next one will be the torture episode right? 😬😬😬

6x11 Part Two

Oh gosh, I was not expecting him to divulge information like Beverly's involvement straight away!

Any action Picard took should be said to be his own, not on behalf of the Federation - Isn't that the defence you should be using?

Yes, it's nice Will's worried about his captain, but tbf the Federation shouldn't withdraw from the sector for Picard. He knew the risks.

Data in red is so damn weird

Madred's child just casually being there is so chilling. Jesus.

Cardassian history is interesting, once being a peaceful people with a rich spiritual life before the military took over

They've discovered the plan!

I don't trust this "you can go" routine

Ohhhh

Oh no

That is the way to torture him. Mention Beverly

Picard walking back to the chair is so similar to Sisko walking back the box in Paradise

Jeeez, the breaking of the egg next to Picard bald head sure is kind of visceral

"Ah! You called me Picard."... "You are six years old. Weak and helpless. You cannot hurt me." What a king!

Crew sticking up for crew :) Geordie pushing for Riker to pilot the mission. :3

This exchange though - go go go Riker!

>>Jellico: "Let's drop the ranks for a moment. I don't like you. I think you're insubordinate, arrogant, wilful, and I don't think you're a particularly good first officer. But you are also the best pilot on the ship.

>>Riker: "Well, now that the ranks are dropped, Captain, I don't like you, either. You are arrogant and closed-minded. You need to control everything and everyone. You don't provide an atmosphere of trust, and you don't inspire these people to go out of their way for you. You've get everybody wound up so tight there's no joy in anything. I don't think you're a particularly good Captain."

"Do I wanna know how close that was?" "No." XD

Ohhhhhh. Oh Picard. Oh, you poor poor thing. He's going to say five isn't he?

JUST IN TIME gosh it's weird being grateful for Cardassians

"There are four lights!". You hero.

"Welcome home, Jean-Luc... Just the way you left it, maybe a little better." Oh, fuck off already Jellico. Though thank you for being involved in Picard's rescue, I guess.

Immediately meeting with Troi, yes, good idea, you definitely need counselling

Oh, Picard <3

These are good episodes. Jellico is infuriating and it's harrowing to watch Picard, but it's a damn good story.

[untimelytales]

[ jon bernthal, cis man, he/him. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ snap wexley ] who just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ forty-six ] year old originally hailing from [ star wars ]. if they had to choose a side they would consider themself [ good ]. i’ve also heard that they’re [ reliable ] but [ pessimistic ] and have [ one ] child. i could almost swear i heard [ farewell - john williams ] playing when they appeared. tw: death, kidnapping.

pretty much as soon as his life began, snap’s life was thrown into turmoil. his father was taken by the empire and his mother left and joined the rebel alliance. this left him with his aunt and her wife to look after him. however, he decided to leave them and create his own life as a junk dealer. still a teen, snap’s mother came back and mended the gap between them – convincing snap to join the cause. he was trained to be a star fighter pilot and went on many missions for the rebel cause. one of these missions was to rescue han solo from the wookiee planet of kashyyyk.

during this mission, snap and his mother were reunited with his father. however, his father had been turned into an imperial assassin and was used to attack many of the rebel leaders. he was left behind and over time, snap continued to work with the rebel alliance. he participated in the battle of jakku, became a member of black squadron, and even became the captain of blue squadron.

two of snap’s friends perished at the hand of the first order, their child left without his parents. arin was only little and snap could see himself in the young boy – a child who lost family to the enemy and was left without anyone to care for him. wanting to shield arin from a childhood too similar to his own, snap took him in under his late friends’ request. he swore he was going to be a father that arin deserved and that the boy’s biological parents would be proud of.

however, despite showering the boy with all the love in the galaxy, snap still doubted his ability to be the best father for arin. he knew his faults and knew that being a pilot for the resistance had its risks – something that caused snap to never get involved with anyone until now. still, snap taught arin about flying and building things, staying with him as much as he could. he would do his work as quickly and safely as possible to ensure he would always return to the boy. he loved arin as if he were his own biological son, finding joy in seeing him grow.

unfortunately, with the battle of exegol, snap was shot down by the enemy and met his end. this left arin to be looked after by rose tico at the age of thirteen, rose being the only one other than poe dameron he would trust to watch over him. however, considering how reckless poe is, he very much preferred rose.

snap can be rather sarcastic and pessimistic at the same time, but he likes to say he’s realistic.he will always fight through strife for the people and things he loves. he’s a willing sacrifice, really. in town he doesn’t remember taking in arin, and he obviously doesn’t remember dying.

memory trigger: seeing arin’s face smeared in grease.

                               basics:                                   full name:  temmin wexley                                   nicknames:  snap                                   gender:  cis man                                   pronouns:  he / him                                   sexuality:  bisexual                                   age:  46                                   occupation:  pilot                                   species:  human

                               appearance:                                   faceclaim:  jon bernthal                                   height:  5′11'’                                   eyes:  brown                                   hair:  brown                                   piercings:  n/a                                   tattoos:  n/a                                   other distinguishing features:  beard/stubble situation                                   style:  casual

                               personality:                                   traits:  reliable, pessimistic, loving, open minded                                   likes:  a nice bed, the sound of nighttime insects, moonrises                                   dislikes:  arid planets, stormtroopers                                   fears:  oceans                                   phobias:  n/a                                   hobbies:  holochess, whittling                                   skills:  engineering, piloting, combat                                   quirks:  n/a                                   pet peeves:  pushy people

                               family:                                   mother:  norra                                   father:  brentin                                   siblings:  n/a                                   birth order:  only                                   spouse / lover:  n/a                                   children:  arin                                   pets:  n/a                                   notable close relatives:  aunts esmelle and shirene

[ourlastpage]

[ jon bernthal, cis man, he/him. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ snap wexley ] who just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ forty-six ] year old originally hailing from [ star wars ]. if they had to choose a side they would consider themself [ good ]. i’ve also heard that they’re [ reliable ] but [ pessimistic ] and have [ one ] child. i could almost swear i heard [ farewell - john williams ] playing when they appeared.

pretty much as soon as his life began, snap’s life was thrown into turmoil. his father was taken by the empire and his mother left and joined the rebel alliance. this left him with his aunt and her wife to look after him. however, he decided to leave them and create his own life as a junk dealer. still a teen, snap’s mother came back and mended the gap between them – convincing snap to join the cause. he was trained to be a star fighter pilot and went on many missions for the rebel cause. one of these missions was to rescue han solo from the wookiee planet of kashyyyk.

during this mission, snap and his mother were reunited with his father. however, his father had been turned into an imperial assassin and was used to attack many of the rebel leaders. he was left behind and over time, snap continued to work with the rebel alliance. he participated in the battle of jakku, became a member of black squadron, and even became the captain of blue squadron.

two of snap’s friends perished at the hand of the first order, their child left without his parents. arin was only little and snap could see himself in the young boy – a child who lost family to the enemy and was left without anyone to care for him. wanting to shield arin from a childhood too similar to his own, snap took him in under his late friends’ request. he swore he was going to be a father that arin deserved and that the boy’s biological parents would be proud of.

however, despite showering the boy with all the love in the galaxy, snap still doubted his ability to be the best father for arin. he knew his faults and knew that being a pilot for the resistance had its risks – something that caused snap to never get involved with anyone until now. still, snap taught arin about flying and building things, staying with him as much as he could. he would do his work as quickly and safely as possible to ensure he would always return to the boy. he loved arin as if he were his own biological son, finding joy in seeing him grow.

unfortunately, with the battle of exegol, snap was shot down by the enemy and met his end. this left arin to be looked after by rose tico at the age of thirteen, rose being the only one other than poe dameron he would trust to watch over him. however, considering how reckless poe is, he very much preferred rose.

snap can be rather sarcastic and pessimistic at the same time, but he likes to say he’s realistic.he will always fight through strife for the people and things he loves. he’s a willing sacrifice, really. in town he doesn’t remember taking in arin, and he obviously doesn’t remember dying.

memory trigger: seeing arin’s face smeared in grease.

                               basics:                                   full name:  temmin wexley                                   nicknames:  snap                                   gender:  cis man                                   pronouns:  he / him                                   sexuality:  bisexual                                   age:  46                                   occupation:  pilot                                   species:  human

                               appearance:                                   faceclaim:  jon bernthal                                   height:  5′11'’                                   eyes:  brown                                   hair:  brown                                   piercings:  n/a                                   tattoos:  n/a                                   other distinguishing features:  beard/stubble situation                                   style:  casual

                               personality:                                   traits:  reliable, pessimistic, loving, open minded                                   likes:  a nice bed, the sound of nighttime insects, moonrises                                   dislikes:  arid planets, stormtroopers                                   fears:  oceans                                   phobias:  n/a                                   hobbies:  holochess, whittling                                   skills:  engineering, piloting, combat                                   quirks:  n/a                                   pet peeves:  pushy people

                               family:                                   mother:  norra                                   father:  brentin                                   siblings:  n/a                                   birth order:  only                                   spouse / lover:  n/a                                   children:  arin                                   pets:  n/a                                   notable close relatives:  aunts esmelle and shirene

[skyeet-the-writer]

backwoods to beaches (rooster x female!reader)

1 — Piano-Playing Pilots

ever since i watched top gun 2 i've been obsessed with miles teller. like obsessed like it's embarrassing. so, to deal with my problem, ive written and entire ass essay as seen below you. and there will be more. much more coming towards yall

bradley "rooster" bradshaw x female!reader

summary: as a girl from georgia, california is a big change. but working at a bar gives you a perfectly good reason to oogle at piano-playing pilots on a late night

word count: ~5.8k

warnings: some swearing, alcohol (obv), suggestive mentions, hardcore flirting around the end

notes: if you couldn’t tell by the title or the summary, reader is from georgia and down south so there will be a lot of mentions/references to this. i myself am from western ky, but if i’ve gotten anything wrong or aren’t portraying it correctly, lmk how to fix it! other than that, enjoy y’all. x.

insp by @heartsofminds fic “blooming”

playlist:

That first summer as a bartender was rough. California was a lot hotter than you thought it would be, and by the time the night was over and the rush of military men and women had thinned, you were covered in sweat.

California was also not as pretty as you had made it up to be in your head. There were a lot fewer trees than you would have preferred. But there were beaches.

Back from where you came from, everything was pretty to you. Rolling hills, fields full of wildflowers. Beautiful sunrises and even more stunning sunsets. Acres upon acres of forests, with dirt trails dusty and worn from generations of four-wheeling and ATVing. Miles of farmland that were always ready when harvest comes around. Creeks clear as glass and ponds full of almost every kind of fish one could think of. Everything you had grown up with and around was absolutely gorgeous to you.

California had her fair shares of beauty. But not as many as back home.

When you and your best friend graduated college, you two wanted a change of scenery. And so, when her uncle called her and invited her to live with her, she accepted and took you with her. It was hard, watching that small town you had lived in all your life fade in the rearview mirror, but at the time, it was what you wanted.

Your friend's uncle was in the navy and he lived in Miramar. Also called "Fightertown, USA". You quickly figured out why when a jet flew over your head as you two exited the car upon your arrival at your new home.

You and your friend smiled at each other, excited to have a fresh start.

To complete the absolute teenage dream, the two of you got a job at the same bar, the Hard Deck. It was just a few minutes away, a perfect fit for your friend, who always happened to be late to everything. Not to mention that it paid pretty well, had tips, and was also run by a woman.

But on your second week, you realized how much of a nightmare it could be. The naval men and women always came in, talking loudly, and began to laugh louder after a few drinks. But somehow, it reminded you of home. That's why you lasted longer than your friend did.

You found joy in your stressful job. The owner, Penny, often called you into work during the weekend, the busiest time. You began to recognize people's faces and remember their names, even remembered a few orders as the weeks went by.

When the summer came to an end, you had become some of the patron's favorites. Some were familiar with your accent and you found friendships in those ones, asking what part of Georgia, Louisana, or Carolina they were from and smiling at stories you could relate to.

Another year passed and the next summer, you became even better at your job. When you first started, you were a nervous, shy little girl from Georgia who had trouble remembering things but was still so sweet. Suddenly, you became this young lady with a thick accent and an even thicker skull. The girl who used to blush and twirl her hair at any man who flirted with her to a woman who would simply shake her head at another young boy just vying for attention.

Tonight, the bar is hopping. Penny, who, despite being your boss, is one of your closest friends/motherly figures, is busy chatting it up with some older guy who doesn't look over the age of thirty. You didn't catch his name, far too busy with the customers Penny should be dealing with. But you don't mind. You don't know a whole lot about Miss Penny's personal life, but something tells you that there was once something between her and the older man.

"Could I get another beer, Miss L/N?" asks Cooper, a regular from last year.

"Of course, Coop," you tell the man, taking his glass from him. "What was it, Bud Light?"

He nods. "You got it. Say, how come you always rememberin' all these orders. I couldn't ever do that."

With a smile, you refill his glass and place it back to him with a new napkin under it. "Ain't you a flight operator?" you tease with a raised brow.

Cooper smiles and laughs. "Yeah, that's true." He lifts his glass to his lips.

You tap the bar in front of him and move to another patron next to him. "Besides, you come in here often enough for me to remember." You turn to the woman in front of you. "You had a whiskey on the rocks, right, darling?"

The lady nods and suddenly there's a loud ringing of a bell from nearby. The bar erupts into cheers and you spot Penny's date with his head in his hands and Penny with a triumphant smirk.

"Looks like this one's on the house," you tell the woman, topping her glass off before sliding it back towards her.

Humming to yourself, you mentally prepare for the next round of drinks on the man. It was bar rules that if anyone insulted a woman, they had to buy the entire bar a round. It sure was fun to watch their smirk vanish from their face. You've rung that bell a few times yourself and watched the color drain from the man flirting with you fade from his face almost as quick as the smug smirk.

"Hey, pretty lady!" comes a familiar voice that makes you smile. Jake Seresin, A.K.A. "Hangman", approaches the bar, grinning. "Can I get four beers on the old man?"

With a simple nod and a smile, you reach to the fridge below the bar and pull out four beers, two in each hand before handing them to Hangman.

"How's your evenin' been, Jake?" you ask him, taking just a moment to have a small conversation.

The man grins and says, "Pretty good. You?"

"Had three guys ask for my number," you reply, grinning. "Threatened to ring the bell on 'em if they didn't cut it out."

Jake groans. "You shoulda done it anyway! Would've saved me a lot of money." With a laugh, he walks off, likely to his friends. You've been watching them play pool all evening and you can hear their banter even from over here.

As the night wears on, you quickly begin to wear out. Bartending is an exhausting practice, mixing drink after drink and refilling or restocking. Thankfully, most people only get beers. Those are your favorite kinds of people, the ones where you can just hand them something and have them be on their way.

Eventually, your best friend, Dixie, comes in, instantly claiming her usual seat at the bar close to the door. You smile when she walks in and she races to steal one of the few open barstools before someone else can claim it.

Dixie doesn't drink, which is odd considering how often she comes in to bother you. You place a bowl of chips in front of her and sparkling water and wipe your hands down.

"Y'all are busy, huh?" she asks, crunching on one of the bar's chips. "Look at all these hunks, Y/N."

With a roll of your eyes, you remember why she comes in so often. She loves to oogle at the military boys that filled the majority of the bar. She always had a thing for military men. That was one of the few things you didn't have in common: despite living in a military town, none of the men seemed to do it for you. Most of them were too cocky, too bold, their egos too big. You never preferred those kinds of boys.

Dixie on the other hand? They were her favorite. You remembered her bringing a couple of them back home your first few months. Those were the nights you sat out in the back screened-in porch watching some movie or show with your earbuds at max volume.

"Dixie, you know I can't stand them," you tell her with a smile and a shake of your head. "Their egos are way too big."

"Wanna know what else is big?" asks Dixie, wiggling her eyebrows. You give her a look of disgust and she laughs.

"I'm telling your momma next time we head home," you threaten, pointing at her.

She laughs again. "We both know you won't, Y/N."

With another roll of your eyes, you head towards another patron waving you down. "What can I help you with, darlin'?"

"Can I get a few shots of tequila, please?" asks the man.

You nod. "Sure thing. Three okay?"

"Yeah, that works."

With a bright smile, you say, "Alrighty!" and get to work. Picking three shot glasses out, you fill them to the brim with tequila. You also put some salt on a plate with a few wedges of lime and pass it to the man. "You got it all?"

He nods, carrying the shots in one hand and the plate with the rest of the fixings in the other. He thanks you before walking off back towards a table.

With a glance to the door, your heart almost stops. You know he's a fighter pilot. He's not wearing a flight suit or a uniform or anything. No, he's just in a white beater with a faded Hawaiian shirt and aviator glasses. But there's something about him that you just know is the epitome of a fighter pilot. You've met enough of them in the year that you've lived in Fightertown, you're confident you can spot one from a mile away.

For a naval pilot, though, there's something different about him. Maybe it's the way he's standing, slightly slouched and not fully upright like so many of the other ones do. Maybe it's the way he's biting the bottom of his lip like he's nervous. Or maybe it's the way he somehow exudes a vibe of...chill. An aura of calmness and relaxation that you can feel from over here.

You watch him spot a group back near the pool table and watch him walk up to them, where Jake is laughing with his fellow pilots. You watch Jake stand up and raise a brow. Does he puff his chest out?

"As I live and breathe," you hear him say with a smirk evident.

The other man, who appears to be the same height as Jake, says nothing. He just shakes his head, pushes his shades up, and leans on the table.

You wonder why he's wearing sunglasses in an already dark bar.

However, you’re quickly snapped out of your fantasy when you see someone else waving you down. With a small blush you hope is mostly invisible in the dim light, you walk over, apologizing.

All throughout the night, you can’t seem to keep your eyes off of that pilot. You have no idea what his name is and you’ve never seen him before in your life. But there’s just something about him that makes you yearn. Your eyes yearn to him while you pour another drink and you almost spill a few times, much to the amusement of Penny.

Eventually, you spot Penny's date counting his cash and cards, trying to find a way to pay off his debt. Then he smiles sheepishly, holds his hands up, and the next thing you know, Penny is yelling out, "Overboard, overboard!"

Hangman and a few other airmen who happened to be around the bar grab the man, each having a limb. You've seen this happen plenty of times, and it still makes you laugh, watching another man get thrown out of the bar because he couldn't pay his debt.

It was never anything mean, just playfulness. That's what the bar was. It was playful, it was friendly. It was a place for naval men and women alike to come after a hard day's work of...whatever they did and get a drink and play a game of pool or darts with a friend. It was one of the many things that reminded you of home.

During a short time when things calm down, you lean next to her where she’s chatting with Dixie. “Hey, Pen. Who’s that guy over there by the pool table?”

She looks in your direction and tilts her head. “Y/N, there’s no one over there.”

With a frown, you see that there isn’t anyone over there indeed. Scanning the bar, you search for him. “W…where’d he go?”

Suddenly, the music from the jukebox comes to an abrupt stop and there are cries of dismay and a few curses. But the single note on a piano has you whipping your head in that direction.

That same man is sitting there at the piano, his friends gathered around him. You tilt your head and lean your forearms on the counter, watching as he plays a few notes you almost recognize.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain. Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will. But what a thrill."

"Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!" sings nearly the entire bar, voices blending together perfectly.

You laugh as the pilot continues the song that you now recognize as a song by Jerry Lee Lewis. It's one of your favorites, you remember your grandfather playing it on the record machine he refused to give up.

"I laughed at love cause I thought it was funny. You came along and you moved me, honey. I change my mind. This love is fine."

"Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!"

A soft, manicured hand grabs your own and pulls you to the bar. Dixie is smiling, mouth open, and singing along with the rest of the bar. "Kiss me, baby!" She presses a long, exaggerated kiss to your hand and you laugh loudly.

"Mmmm, it feels good!" you sing, grabbing both of her hands as she stands. It's difficult to dance together across a bar, but you make it work. "Hold me, baby!" You bring Dixie up to the edge of the bar and give her an awkward type of hug.

"I wanna love you like a lover should!" she sings with you, cheeks pressed together. "You're fine. So kind!" she pulls away and grabs your shoulders as you wiggle them, sending the two of you side to side, grinning and laughing. "Imma tell the world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine!"

You push her away as she picks up an empty beer bottle and uses it as a microphone. That's what you've always loved about Dixie, how she was always so confident in herself.

"I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I get nervous but it sure is fun! Come on baby, you're driving me crazy!"

"Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!"

You laugh and stop singing for the piano solo. You take a second to look at the man playing said piano. He makes it look so easy. He's smiling, surrounded by his friends, and you can't see his fingers, but you're sure they making a blur across the keys. His friends howl and holler at him, Fanboy thumps a hand on the wooden instrument. You notice that his sunglasses have slid down as he slides his fingers down the piano, creating a glissando. He smiles at his friends turned fans, clearly enjoying the attention.

You bounce to the music, continuing to watch Dixie attempt to copy what the pilot is doing. She's failing, quite terribly, but she doesn't seem to care.

"Kiss me, baby! Woo, that feels good. Hold me, baby! I wanna love you like a lover should."

You yourself get lost in the music, leaning across to also sing into the empty beer bottle with Dixie, almost like a duet. Your eyes are closed and your cheeks are red, maybe from the heat, maybe from the excitement.

What you don't spot, however, is the gaze that the piano-playing pilot gives you while he sings. He spots you halfway across the bar, how can he not? Hell, he can even hear your voice from over here. There's some kind of drawl to it, one he hasn't quite heard. But your singing is good, almost as good as his. Your friend's voice, not so much, but you don't seem to care, singing along and bouncing your head, a bar towel in one hand.

He finds himself smiling before looking down at the keys, making sure his fingers are in the right spot, even though he knows that they are.

"Come on baby, you're driving me crazy!"

"Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!"

The song finishes off with a few final notes and the bar erupts in cheers and howls, quickly turning to a chant.

"Rooster, Rooster, Rooster, Rooster!"

You tilt your head, clapping as Dixie joins the chant, holding a fist up. That can't be his real name, surely. Perhaps a callsign, like Hangman. Still, you somehow think it’s fitting for a man like him.

The pilot, Rooster, stands and does a cheesy dance. He lifts his arms and moves his hips awkwardly and you laugh at how utterly stupid it looks. You're not sure if you imagine it, but you think that this Rooster character looks directly at you and winks.

But you must be imagining it because the next moment he's leaning back and throwing his arms back before standing up straighter as the chants become faster. You laugh and even begin chanting yourself as he pumps a leg up, exclaiming. He pushes his glasses up with one hand, beer bottle in the other, before looking around the bar and smiling.

The chants die down and after a few minutes, someone plugs the jukebox back in and some song by Elton John begins to play again.

Dixie sits back down, pushing her hair out of her face. "Man, I love this town."

You nod in agreement and move to hand out a couple more beers.

A little after 2 a.m., the bar begins to empty out. You stopped selling alcohol twenty minutes ago and most patrons had left an hour before that. 5 a.m. wake-up call was the next day and you couldn't imagine it being easy. Most days you didn't wake up until after 9.

You and Penny are both closing up together. Dixie had left a long time ago with some young pilot, again. You sighed and rolled your eyes, watching her be all blushy and giggly as he pulled her out of the bar, pretending like it was her first time.

"I swear," you say to Penny, sweeping. "I'm gonna be an aunt one'a these days if she keeps this up."

Penny laughs, continuing to wipe down the bar. "You think so?"

"I know so!" you exclaim, pausing at your area by the pool table. "You should hear her. At least once a week, she brings one of those boys by and they keep at it all night long. That girl has stamina!"

Penny laughs again, loud, like she always does. She covers her mouth with her hand, waving a hand to get you to stop. “I believe you, I believe you!”

With a shrug, you get back to sweeping. “I just hope that they’re done by the time I head back.”

Your boss and friend just laughs and you sense her shaking her head. Silence fills the bar again, the quiet songs on the jukebox providing the only background music. You spot a bottle cap hidden under a table and reach down to pick it up, tossing it in a nearby trash can.

Suddenly, you hear Penny curse and turn your head towards her. “What’s wrong?”

“Amelia just texted,” she answers, setting the rag down to use both hands on her phone. “Says she’s throwing up and has a headache…”

You frown. “Aw, poor girl. Hey, you go on home, take care of her. I can finish closin’ up here.”

She looks at you, head tilted and brows furrowed. “You’re sure?”

You nod, grinning at her. “Of course! I’ve closed up enough. ‘Sides, we’re almost done.”

Penny nods and quickly walks out from behind the bar, giving you a quick hug. “Thank you so much.”

You hug her back. “‘Course.” While she heads to the back to grab her things, you finish sweeping, putting all of the dirt into a dustpan and emptying it before tying up the trash, prepping it to be thrown away after you lock up.

Penny comes back through, jacket over one arm and purse in the other. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

With a nod, you add before she leaves, “Get her some ginger ale! Works better than Sprite. For me, at least.”

The woman nods and thanks you before leaving. Soon, you hear her car start up and pull out of the gravel parking lot.

You’re alone. For the first time all day, you’re alone and it feels great. With a little smile, you head toward the jukebox, wanting a particular song. Finally, you see it and clap your hands a little before selecting it.

"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene," you sing with Dolly, making your way to the bar to grab the rag and wipe down everything one more time. "I'm begging you, please don't take my man. Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. Please don't take him just because you can."

The guitar and the drums give you a nice beat to move to, and you find yourself walking in step with the music. Years of learning to dance in elementary school and dancing at weddings really paid off.

Dolly Parton has always been one of your favorite female artists. She was your first real introduction to music when your Meemaw played her while baking your cookies. It was one of your earliest memories, one you've always cherished since her passing.

"Your smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain. And I cannot compete with you, Jolene."

You wipe down the tables again. You've had a habit to wipe them down right before you leave, so you can make sure you've gotten everything. You reach the area by the pool tables and rearrange them, putting the pool sticks back in their correct spots and making a neat triangle in the center of the pool tables.

The door opens, and though you can't see who walked in, you know it's not Penny. Thinking it's someone who doesn't realize you're closed, you shout, "Sorry, y'all, we're closed! We're open at five tomorrow!"

Footsteps on the wooden floor echo through the mostly quiet bar. A voice calls out, "Yeah, sorry to bother you, but I think I lost my wallet."

You pause, hands resting on the furry green pool table. That voice. It's familiar yet not. You tilt your head and turn the corner to see whoever it is.

It's him. The piano player from hours ago. Rooster.

And I can easily understand how you can easily take my man. But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene

With a smile, you put on that bright, southern charm that comes so easily and so naturally. "Oh, for sure. I don't believe me or Penny have seen a wallet, but what's it look like?" You tilt your head. "I'll help you look."

He's not wearing his sunglasses anymore, they're hanging from the collar of his white shirt. His eyes look you up and down but from this distance, you can't quite see what color they are. Still, you can see the way his cheeks warm and how he clears his throat. "Thanks," is all that he says. His voice isn't quite deep, but something about it sends your heart thumping.

"What's it look like?" you ask again, heading to the bar to double-check the box that's been dubbed a lost-and-found. Basically, it was where you and Penny dumped things that had been found and not claimed yet. There were a few wallets, but those ones had been there for weeks. There were a few pairs of glasses, both reading and sunglasses. A couple of cards that Penny was waiting to cut up and even the random shoe. You had found that one, and you and Penny spent twenty minutes arguing about who could walk out while missing a shoe.

Rooster meets you at the bar, leaning his forearms on the surface. You take the box out and place it next to him. You definitely don't linger on how damn strong his arms look and how tanned they are.

"It's dark brown," Rooster explains, sifting through the box. "Got my initials stamped on it. It's thick as shit, I throw everything in it."

With a light smile, you ask, "What's your initials?"

"B.B.," he answers.

With a click of your tongue, you walk out from across the bar to search the booths and tables. You didn't run across it during your sweep or wipedown, but you could've missed it. "Those stand for somethin' other than Rooster?"

You hear him chuckle and it sends a jolt down your spine. "They stand for Bradley Bradshaw."

"Oh." You smile, putting up the chairs as you search. "See, that makes more sense."

He laughs this time. Suddenly it stops and he asks, "What the fuck is a shoe doing in here?"

With a snort, you turn to him from across the room. He's holding up said shoe, an old and beat-up white Nike Air Force 1. It's been there for a week, and you and Penny hadn't bothered to throw it away.

You answer him with an innocent smile and a shrug. "No idea. Penny found it last week, under a table. Asked her what we should do with it, she just threw it in the box."

Rooster chuckles and throws it back in. "It's not in here."

You lift another chair up and flip it over, placing it on the table. You give the man a look and say, "Help me find it then, princess."

He gives you a teasing smile and asks, "Princess?"

With a cheeky grin, you give him no reply and continue to look. You've always been a tease, ever since college. Your friends always told you how a classmate had gotten a crush on you just by one look. Whenever you met someone cute in a bar or at a party, you would give them a look, flirt with them for a few minutes, and then disappear. It wasn't something you really did on purpose (at least not all of the time), it was just something that happened.

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. I’m begging of you, please don’t take my man. Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. Please don’t take him even though you can. Jolene, Jolene.

For the next several minutes, you and Rooster look for his wallet. You stack all of the chairs up and he searches between the booths and around on the floor.

You search near the piano, running a finger along the keys. This piano is incredibly out of tune and old as dirt, but when he played, it sounded brand new.

“Where’d you learn to play?” you ask, turning to see him by the dart board.

He meets your gaze and something in his eyes change. There’s a flash of sadness behind those hazels. You can see his eye color now, and it reminds you of acorns in early October mornings.

“My mom taught me,” he answers.

The jukebox clicks and the song changes. A Johnny Lee song plays, his voice nostalgic and comforting.

Well, I spent a lifetime lookin' for you. Single bars and good time lovers were never true. Playing a fool's game, hopin' to win. And tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again.

You smile, sweetly. “That’s sweet.”

He nods, glancing at the floor. “Yeah. Apparently my dad knew how to play and she wanted to teach me.”

“We’re y’all close?” you ask, wiping a stripe of dirt off of the instrument. It’s thinner than you thought it would’ve been.

Something in the atmosphere shifts and you look up at Rooster. He’s staring at the green dart in his hands, turning it between his fingers. His brows are furrowed and are his shoulders shaking?

“Bradley?” you ask softly, tenderly.

His head snaps up to you and he quickly says, “Call me Rooster.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause everyone else does.”

Biting your lip, you tell him, “I ain’t everyone.”

I'll bless the day I discover another heart, lookin' for love.

Finally, his face breaks into a grin, his mustache making his smile look ever better. “You know, you’ve got a pretty way of speaking.”

“Yeah?” You walk towards him, hands clasped behind your back. “What about it do ya like?”

He throws the dart at the board and it lands in the inner circle. Then he turns to face you, walking towards you. “I like the way you hold your vowels out. And how you shorten words that don’t need to be shortened.”

You smile. Many people on this side of the states have complimented your accent. It wasn’t anything you hadn’t heard before. But something about it coming from him, Bradley, made it feel different. He was a pilot. An attractive one at that. Tall, blonde, dark and lean. That pornstash your mother always found sexy on Tom Selleck you now found sexy on him. The way he’d lick his lips, always getting the bottom of it wet. Your mind went to the gutter and you wondered how scratchy it would feel somewhere else.

"Where are you from?" he asks, walking closer.

"Georgia," you answer. "Small town named Pearson, it's right by Savannah."

He nods, finally stopping in front of you. He's tall and he looks down at you with a small smile. You're not so close that you're practically touching, but you're close enough to smell him. And you note that he smells like the ocean and sweat and beer. Somehow, all of those scents at once make you weak in the knees.

"How long have you been in Fightertown?"

"Little over a year."

"Have you, uh, met anyone in that year?"

With a smirk, you say, "Nah," and lift up the wallet you found under the piano bench. "Fighter pilots just don't do it for me."

Bradley's face twists into a smile of sorts and he takes the initialed wallet from your head. "What makes you think I'm a pilot?"

Walking away from him, you say over your shoulder, "Call it a hunch."

Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of, hoping to find a friend and a lover. I'll bless the day I discover another heart lookin' for love.

Your nerves are on fire and you can barely feel your legs. But you still keep walking even though you know his eyes are on you. You're nearly done closing up. You just need to take the trash out and turn the lights off before locking the doors.

Part of you is excited you're closing up. It's past two in the morning, you woke up before eight and you're absolutely exhausted. You smell like beer and other various alcoholic beverages. You want to take a shower and pass out for the next nine hours.

But another part of you is upset because you know your conversation with Bradley is coming to a close.

"Do you live here?" asks Bradley, eyes following you as you take the trash up and tie it at the top. "Or are you just visiting?" He goes to the jukebox and turns it off, sensing that you're nearly done.

"I live here," you answer with a nod. "Come on, I want to go home." There's a pile of mostly empty trash bags by the door that Penny was kind enough to put there for you to grab on the way out and you move to them after grabbing your purse and your phone charger that was in the back. "Hey, don't you got early wake-up call?" You make your way towards the door, sure you look awkward carrying four garbage bags over your shoulder. Still, Bradley says nothing while you shut the lights off in descending order before walking out the door.

"Yeah," Bradley admits, holding the door open for you. He even takes the keys from your hands and locks up the doors to the bar for you.

"Thank ya," you say, breathing a sigh of relief at the warm ocean breeze that greets your face. The air smells salty and slightly fishy, but you've never wanted to smell anything more. "Well, what are you doing here still, then?"

He slowly follows you towards the dumpster at the far corner of the parking lot. Normally, you'd be nervous outside at night, but tonight, you're not by yourself. You've got a big, strong navy man to protect you. Not like you'd need it.

"I needed my wallet," he says, honestly. Then he adds, the grin in his voice audible, "Plus I'd never pass the chance to talk to a pretty lady."

"Oh, you're quite charming!" you call, tossing the bags in the dumpster, thankful trash day is tomorrow. Wiping your hands on your shorts, you make your way back to your car, noticing that he parked next to you. "You must make all the ladies swoon."

He scoffs and throws the keys across his car back to you. You catch them in your fist and dangle them around your middle finger. "Maybe. Not enough to keep them, that is."

You tilt your head, heart thumping fast and face flushed from all of this flirting. "Shame. You seem like a catch." Throwing him a grin, you open the door of your old, beat-up truck your father gifted to you the moment you turned fifteen. "Go to sleep, Bradley!" you call, starting the vehicle up.

He smiles, watching you. "Yes, ma'am."

With a small shake of your head, you turn the volume of your radio up just a bit. Some random Miranda Lambert song is playing and you back your truck up, throwing an arm over the seat to watch where you're going. When you're far enough back to clear Bradley's tailgate, you crank the wheel to the right, gravel crunching under the tires.

Bradley is in his car, but you still smile at where he was and tear out of the empty parking lot into the even emptier streets. Taking a left, you head home, exhaustion finally catching up. Your eyelids grow heavy and you yawn. Still, you don't miss the bright red taillights of Bradley's car taking off in the opposite direction of you.

With a satisfied and triumphant whoop, you beat your hands on the top of the steering wheel. Your heart is racing and suddenly your exhaustion vanishes as you recall the last twenty minutes.

Bradley Bradshaw. Rooster. What a character. Piano player, singer, flirt, yet still kind and charming. Chivalrous, almost. You have no idea how long he'll even be in Fightertown. Most people stay for a few weeks until eventually being deployed elsewhere.

You hope that he'll stop at the bar every night and lose his wallet again.