#they’re killing them while we watch football

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

While Americans are distracted watching the Super Bowl, Israel has chosen to begin bombing over a million Palestinians.

It’s timed too conveniently to be a coincidence.

There’s nothing we can do to stop this but please don’t be silent. Even if you’re watching the game, please use your voice to condemn genocide in this moment and afterwards.

#they’re killing them while we watch football #to my fellow swifties please please please speak out when you can #taylor swift #super bowl #taylorswift #ts #rafahunderattack #superbowl #swifties #travis kelce #free palestine #palestinian genocide #genocide #israel #rafah #refugees #save palestine #palestine #gaza #free gaza #gaza strip #activism #current events #super bowel 2024 #49ers #kansas city chiefs #kc chiefs #half time show #usher #justin bieber

[axelsagewrites]

Could you do a Roy or Jamie fic where the reader gets hurt? Even something silly like getting hit in the head with a ball at practice or something! They’re super concerned and want to take care of them! I also love angst…sorry if it’s a stupid idea. No worries if you don’t want to write it 💜✨

Jamie Tartt*Practise Mishap

Pairing: Jamie x f!reader

Word count: 1291

Warnings: reader getting hit by a football (which hurts a lot btw from experience), Jamie feeling guilty, fluff

A/n: i love this idea btw ive been wanting to write something like this for a while but i made this more fluff than angst

Masterlist here

You’d never actually seen Jamie at practise. There was the occasional time where you dropped him off or picked him up after, but you never lingered since he needed to concentrate. However today Jamie in all his genius managed to forget his phone this morning.

“Wouldn’t have forgotten it if you hadn’t have distracted me love,” he teased, a smirk toying on his lips that made you smack his chest.

“Can you not?” you said, nodding to where the coaches stood only a couple feet away.

Of course, Roy heard. A loud groan came from him before he barked at Jamie, “Back on the field Tartt,”

“You staying to watch Jamie in action?” Ted asked, far more politely than Roy who was sulking at the suggestion.

You looked between him and Jamie who seemed to perk up at the idea, “Is that allowed?”

“I don’t see why not,”

“Maybe he’ll actually put some effort in,” Roy mumbled.

Jamie just rolled his eyes at Roy before giving you a quick kiss, “Get ready to see the king in action,” he said before running back on the field as you laughed.

“How do you stand him?” Roy grunted.

Truthfully you found Jamie’s cockiness annoyingly attractive, but you didn’t think Roy needed to hear that. “What can I say? I’m a saint,” you joked.

Even though the practise was interesting at first it was just boys kicking balls around a field and the illusion quickly worn off. That plus you were supposed to get a bunch of things done at home since it was a rare day off. You turned to Ted to tell him, “I’ll probably shoot off in a minute or two,” you said at the same time as someone yelled “Watch out!”

Roy tried to grab your arm, pulling you out the way, but not fast enough and a ball planted right in the middle of your chest, knocking you off your feet. You hit the ground with a thud and all the air was knocked out your lungs.

You heard Jamie shout your name, but you were too busy coughing up a storm and trying not to be sick. Roy and Ted had crouched down beside you, Beard shouting for Nate to run for the first aider. “Are you alright love?” Jamie asked, dropping to his knees beside you.

“I think- “your attempts to speak was interrupted by more coughing and the urge to be sick, “Ow,” you winced.

“What the fuck were you doing Colin?” you heard the footballers begin to argue as they all rushed to your side.

“I was trying to pass to Isaac! I didn’t know he didn’t see me,”

“When I said improve your kick, I didn’t mean kill Jamie’s bird,” Roy yelled at him, standing up.

Ted tried to calm him, but it was Jamie who spoke first, “Oi! The lot of you move it. you’re crowding her now piss off,” his anger washed off his face when he turned back to you, “C’mon love let’s get you some help,”

“I’m fine,” you winced as Jamie pulled you to your feet.

“No, you’re not now be quiet and let me help you,” he said as he helped you over to sit on a bench at the side. The first aider came and gave you a once over and said it was all good but to be careful. So, Jamie naturally made them triple check. Colin also came over, apologising a million and one times to which you assured him it was okay, and Jamie tried not to death glare him.

Some water and painkillers did help but you still weren’t feeling amazing. Ted walked over with a guilty smile on his face, “How we are doing over here folks?”

“Better now,” you smiled, hiding your wincing as best you could.

“I’m gonna kill Colin,” Jamie muttered.

You rolled your eyes, placing a hand over his, “It was an accident babe. Let’s just let it go, okay?” Jamie didn’t say anything, but you knew he wouldn’t. “But I should defiantly go now,”

“Well Rebecca gave me a call saying to tell Jamie to take the afternoon off and take care of you,” Ted said and before you could protest, he cut you off, “Its doctors orders, okay? Now scamp you too. And try take it easy, okay?”

You felt bad making Jamie miss the end of practise but right now football was the last thing on his mind. after dropping you off at his place and surrounding you with pillows and blankets Jamie went on a Tesco run for snacks.

When he got back you laughed when you saw the almost overflowing bag. “We’ve got enough to survive the winter,” you joked as he sat it down. “You’re spoiling me,”

“Never,” Jamie said with a bashful smile as he pulled out the flowers from behind his back, “Got ye these as well,”

“Aw Jamie,” you gushed, standing up to take them from him but you winced slightly as you did.

Instantly concern washed over his face as he grabbed your arm to steady you despite you not actually falling, “You alright love? I knew that women missed something. What hurts- “

“Jamie,” you interrupted him, cupping his face with your hands making him pause in his tracks, “I’m fine baby I swear. Are you?”

“Yeah, course I am,” he said, wrapping his arms around you, “I just don’t want you getting hurt and that. I just feel bad’s all,” he said, mumbling as he hugged you tighter.

You moved your head to rest on his shoulder, hugging him back, “But why?”

“You were there to see me and then you got hurt. I know how hard those balls can hit,” he said before sighing, “Its all my fault,” he mumbled making your heart break.

You pulled back only to pull him to sit on the couch next to you, placing the flowers on the coffee table, “It was an accident. It was no one’s fault,”

“It was colin’s fault,”

“It was no one’s fault,” you repeated, rolling your eyes with a small smile, “Now are you gonna sit and mope all day or are you gonna take care of me?”

Finally, a smile cracked onto his lips, “Thought it didn’t hurt anymore?”

“I lied,” you said, sinking back into the couch in a dramatic display, “I am wounded beyond belief. You’ll need to do everything I need,” you joked with a hand splayed across your head.

Jamie leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your forehead, “Don’t I always?” he smiled. “Want me to put those in some water?”

“Yes please,” you grinned as Jamie got up to sort out the flowers, but you called out before he could leave the room, “Can we have a movie night?”

“If that’s what the lady wants, that’s what the lady gets,” he grinned, “Just try not pick a total chick flick,” he added with a smirk that made you roll your eyes.

By the time he’d returned with drinks and a takeaway menu you already had 27 dresses queued up, “Oh c’mon,” Jamie protested as he dropped onto the couch beside you.

“Please, I’m injured,” you teased making him roll his eyes but finally agree. Despite his protests Jamie was more into the movie than you were and made you pinkie promise to pause it when he went to get the food when it arrived.

Four chick flicks and an unholy amount of food later you and Jamie were curled up on the couch under a pile of blankets. “Feeling better?” he murmured in your ear though you could hear from his voice he was already half asleep.

“Feeling perfect baby, thank you,”

“Anything for you,”

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#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fluff #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt x y/n #ted lasso #ted lasso x reader #ted lasso imagine #ted lasso fic #jamie tartt oneshot

[foreveraweirdoneslife]

A couple of thoughts after re-watching TGM

What I think is actually canon

Amelia is Mav’s daughter (Penny hints at that when she’s talking to Mav about her) but Amelia doesn't know

Mav considers himself to be Bradley’s dad (Mav answers when Bradley asks his dad what to do) 

Bradley considers both Goose and Mav to be his dad (after Mav says that Bradley saved his life, Bradley says that his dad would've done the same - considering the fact that Mav has already saved Bradley's life you could see that as Bradley seeing Mav as his dad, too) 

Bradley has lived with Mav for a considerable period of time (Mav says to Penny he tried his best to be a father for Bradley) 

Thoughts concerning TG3 / Predictions 

I think they gonna set up Phoenix as Bradley's love interest because they seem very close in the movie (but for me they’re more like besties) 

I hope they gonna keep the character's of Warlock and Cyclone (with Cyclone basically hating Mav and Warlock secretly supporting the shit Mav does all the time) and also they need to keep at least Warlock because somebody needs to prevent that Mav is thrown out of the Navy

I hope there still will be references to Ice (I just love him and he needs to be mentioned) 

Other thoughts 

I actually paid attention to the hangster dynamics for the first time

Jake’s and Bradley’s first hook up is right after dogfight football

Bradley is Ice-coded while Jake is Mav-coded 

I ship bobnix now (I think Nat and Bob are very sweet together in the movie - need to find some fluffy fics about them)

The lifelong friendship between Ice and Mav just kills me (solely sticking to the movie here because otherwise icemav is endgame imo), like Ice basically knows everything about Mav (every shit he has done at work, everything around him pulling Bradley's papers, private problems he’s had etc.) and also the other way round (Mav supporting him during his battle with cancer and a whole lot of other things which we don't know because sadly Ice is only a minor character in both movies) 

I love that Mav refers to Ice in the whole movie only by his nickname

I had to keep myself very hard from crying during the funeral scene (if I had watched it alone, I probably would’ve cried) 

#top gun #top gun maverick #pete maverick mitchell #icemav #tom iceman kazansky #bradley rooster bradshaw #natasha phoenix trace #rooster #phoenix #robert bob floyd #bob #iceman #maverick #heacanon #hangster #jake hangman seresin #hangman #top gun maverick re-watch

[scienceandstorytelling]

I can’t stop thinking about Will Branner’s performance as Max Jägerman and how it leads to my favorite usage of the Nightmare Time leitmotif in all the Hatchetfield musicals (and why I voted for NPMD as having my favorite title number in the poll I made a while back).

Max is a well-written character who already gives me hints of a tragic villain vibe, and then Will’s performance just fleshes that out tenfold. It features the duality Starkid has been playing a lot with in this series, where you’re sympathetic towards a character while also acknowledging the terrible things they do. Max is horrible and abusive towards his classmates and has given them years of trauma. But a teenage boy does not become a Literal Monster in a vacuum.

Alongside his role as a bully, the script gives us images of Max as someone who is struggling academically and would have probably fallen through the cracks if adults didn’t idolize him for his football prowess so they can live vicariously through him as he beats the rival town in the big game. We find out that he has a shitty dad who verbally abuses him for not being macho enough. That he probably doesn’t have all the sex people say he does. That the people he bullies hate-pranking him in revenge is “the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for [him].” And then Will’s acting keeps showing us glimpses of this goofier side of Max, glimpses of the person he might have been if he wasn’t such a bully.

And for those few moments in the aftermath of the prank, you think maybe he’s going to change now that someone has shown him what he perceives to be kindness. And then he falls through the floor and that opportunity is lost. But unlike what Mayor Lauter implies, I would argue that his fate isn’t fully sealed when he dies in the Waylon House. I think the moment of no return is when he kills Richie while the leitmotif plays.

Lots of people ship Max and Richie and have headcanons that they used to be friends, and I think it’s because of the parallels between them in this song. Here we have two 18 year old boys who have both been failed by the adults around them. Both are harmed by being stereotyped. Both are in the liminal social role of being in the process of stepping out of childhood and into living their adult lives after high school. And both of them are denied those adult lives. And then they fucking sing about it. The “will you pray for me” duet is such a powerful part of the song for many reasons, and I think it’s the moment that shows us that Max is still in the process of committing to being nothing more than a vengeful spirit, or at the very least is in the last stage of that process. The thing that strikes me the most is that Max is simultaneously trying to make Richie feel insignificant and alone while also projecting his own feelings onto him. “Is this the eternal dark without a dawn?” he asks, reaching up to the sky and not looking at Richie at all.

And what fucks me up is that Max fails in this moment. Richie is not alone. He never was, and now he’s even less alone. Not only will Pete and Ruth mourn him, so will Max’s former friends. Its so notable to me that this takes place immediately after Go Go Nighthawks, where we’ve just seen everyone, including, again, Max’s “friends,” sing about how great it is that he’s gone. It’s a real Ebeneezer Scrooge moment that makes me wonder if Max has been silently haunting the school these weeks since his death and it’s only now, having watched that, that he tips over into full villain mode. Max is the one with no one to pray for him, not Richie. And Richie basically says as much, and Max kills him anyway. Richie was doomed from the start in the sense that the show literally opens with a flashforward to his death, but I think Max is doomed too. “Don’t need no one to tell me high school will be my peak,” he says in his own introductory song. I said before how they’re both on the cusp of living their whole adult lives, but I wonder if Max had trouble seeing himself that way. He already didn’t think he would amount to anything after high school. A lot of these “peaked in high school” football star characters spend their adult lives being metaphorically stuck in high school, in their teenage years, because they can’t let themselves move on from their glory days. And here Max is, literally stuck in his teenage years forever as a ghost - but not literally stuck in high school, as we see when he follows them all to the Witchwood. When he makes he grand ghostly return he says to Richie, “I’m free!” (Free from what, Max?) He certainly has the freedom of a ghost to go anywhere and do anything. And yet he traps himself in high school. He prevents himself from moving forward. And all of that is why it makes me emotional every time when he casts aside any last chance of not being the villain and strikes the first blow on Richie, these two teenagers failed by the adults and the structures around them, their fates locked together, while the leitmotif plays and takes us back to that original line from Alice’s corpse singing to Bill about how he should have been a better father: Look what happens, nightmare time.

#npmd #starkid #hatchetfield #hatchetfield series #nerdy prudes must die #max jagerman

[slicznymartwy]

and all at once i knew

part i (request)

read it all on ao3

billy lenz x gn!reader - billy watches you kill. he could have hurt you but he doesn't because he loves you. warning: includes minor character death(s), brief suicide/self harm mention, obsessive behavior

Billy’s a stray. He’s a kicked dog. He’s going to bite and hump anything that moves. He’s been abandoned at the park, or maybe he just ran away and forgot how to get home. But you own him now. He caught your scent, and he loves you. He’s your good doggy and he’s so terrible he should be put down for what he’s done. 

He’s so loyal to you. You’re so nice to him. You rub his scalp and give him food and water. You don’t beat him. You only make him feel so so so good. He loves you so much. He could bite you. He has, but you forgive him. He loves you. He doesn’t mean it when he draws blood. He’s so lonely and cold, and you let him sleep at the foot of your bed.

You plan in the dark. Sometimes, you face each other; other times, you hold him from behind, arms wrapped around his waist. You hold hands and let your legs touch under the covers. You fix his hair when it gets messy, and he brushes an eyelash off your cheek with the pad of his thumb. 

“We’ll do it one by one, while they’re asleep,” you tell him one night, tracing the line of his nose. His eyes are closed, relishing in your touch. 

“Tie them up so they can’t fight. Stupid sluts,” he whispers a week later. He entwines your fingers together, staring at them. You think he likes seeing how close he can get to you. He watches how your body wraps around his with reverence and worship.

“We could set the house on fire. They’ll never know it was us,” you giggle, laying on top of him. His hands are on your hips, and his touch is so warm that it makes you want to take your sweater off. 

“I’ll cut off their heads if they talk to you again. I’ll saw them off and kick them like footballs,” he says darkly, drying your tears with his palm. He’s so angry you think he might kill them right then. 

When Susan left, no one thought to ask you where she went. They knew how she treated you. They all watched her mock you, and they laughed along like it didn’t make them complicit. They cried and wrung their hands while the police questioned them, and you tell Billy about it at night.

“Tonight,” he hisses, holding you down on the bed. He pins your wrists down against the mattress and he sits on top of you. Sometimes, you realize what he is. Rabid, feral, untamed. He can be mollified with fresh food and pets along his back, but he’s wild, even when he manages to speak clearly. “I’m going to kill them tonight. They’re all going to die.”

“Wait, please. One more day,” you say, trying not to look afraid. “Just hold me. Please.”

He does, but you wonder if you let him go too far. You gave him too much lead, and now you won’t get him to heel again.

Like Billy entering your bedroom in the dead of night, some changes happen so quietly you don’t realize what’s happened until it’s too late. You wake up one ordinary day, and your sisters are nice.

Maybe you’re just easier to be around, with how happy Billy makes you. Maybe they felt guilty and wanted to make amends. Maybe Susan had your sisters under an evil spell that made them act like complete cunts to you and, by killing her, you freed your housemates from her mind control. 

They laugh with you, they invite you to eat lunch with them. They still get teary eyed when they think about your missing sister, but they don’t say anything when you don’t cry. They know, and they’re sorry, and it feels good to hold that over them. 

“Billy,” you murmur at night. He moans low and quiet at the back of his throat, and the sound vibrates against your chest. You brush you hand through his hair gently. “I don’t think we should hurt them anymore.”

Billy doesn’t respond. He’s so still, you wonder if he’s asleep. 

“They’re not so mean anymore. It’s better now,” you explain. “I think they’re sorry.”

Still, Billy doesn’t respond. You pick your head up to look at him, but he’s already staring at you. His eyes are hauntingly empty of emotion. You try to smile, as placating as you can. 

“I’m sorry, Billy,” you whisper.

He turns his face towards your chest, pressing his nose against your bare sternum. He groans, but it sounds like a growl. 

“So stupid,” he mutters, sounding far away. “Stupid Bambi. Stupid slut.”

“That’s not nice,” you whisper quietly. You can feel his lips against the swell of your breast, and he kisses you like a lover. 

“Stupid. Can’t see what Billy sees. Stupid disgusting lying whores,” he says against your chest.

“I’m not stupid,” you defend yourself meekly. “Stop being mean.”

“Billy can help. Billy will help his Bambi,” he promises.

“I don’t want your help anymore, Billy,” you say, pushing at him. He doesn’t budge.

“Need Billy. Bambi needs Billy,” he mutters. You wonder if he’s even listening to you, if he’s ever listened at all.

“No, I don’t,” you say, trying instead to stand up. Billy effortlessly keeps you down. “Stop it.”

“Stop it,” he says, matching your tone. “Stop it, Billy.”

You sob out of frustration, trying to squirm out of his hold. He doesn’t let you go.

“I hate you,” you say, looking into his dark eyes. “I wish I didn’t know you.”

Billy freezes at your words. The room falls quiet. He stares at you like you’re food. 

“Something’s wrong with you,” you say, voice shaking. 

“I love you,” he finally manages to whisper.

“Leave me alone. I don’t need you,” you say, turning your face from him. You can still feel his eyes on you, they burn through you like the sun through a magnifying glass.

When you don’t say anything else, Billy stands. He stares at you from the side of the bed, and you pull your sheets up to hide your bare chest. It feels strange, hiding from someone that you’ve already shown everything. 

Billy leaves without shutting your door.

The next night, you lock it. You can hear him on the other side, twisting the knob. He rattles the door, wanting it open. Your pillow is so wet you have to turn it over to go to sleep. Your bed is so cold without him.

In the morning, the house is quiet. No one’s in the kitchen. There’s no line for the bathroom. No sounds are coming from any bedroom. There’s nobody in the house. You find some eventually, a pile of five girls in the bathtub. The tile is wet with their dark blood, so are their pajamas. You scream when you see them. Clare is on top, staring at you accusingly.

Sobbing, you fall onto your ass and kick your legs to get away. You feel like a kid again, throwing a tantrum when faced with consequences. You did this, you tell yourself, you asked for this. 

When he appears by your side, you hug him without a second thought. He cradles you in his arms on the bathroom floor and he lets you weep.

“I love you,” he whispers against the crown of your head. “I love you. I love you.”

You sob. You keep your eyes screwed shut. You can’t look at them, laying like logs for a fire. You fist your hand in Billy’s sweater, remembering what it was like to hold the knife for Susan. 

“Billy won’t leave Bambi,” he promises. It feels like a death sentence and a wedding. You’re the only two living souls in the house, and maybe the entire world. You love him because of it, but you wish you didn't.

“I need to clean before it stains,” you say, sniffling as you pull away from his chest. There’s so much blood. You wonder if there’s more in their beds, but you don’t want to know. Maybe it’ll be easier to burn it all to the ground with you and him still inside.

You find the bucket and gloves under the sink and turn on the faucet. Through the mirror, you see Billy rise and walk towards the tub. The water burns your hand and fogs the glass until you can’t see him anymore.

© slicznymartwy 2023, please do not repost or copy.

a/n: reblogs and replies are really appreciated

#billy lenz #black christmas (1974) #billy lenz x reader #slasher x reader #billy lenz x gn!reader #billy lenz x y/n #billy lenz x you #₊*. ⋆༘ — uli writes

[yourlegacysnotyourstosee]

I took notes on my thoughts while watching Nerdy Prudes Must Die because I did the same for Black Friday

DAMN Jon said “I am a TENOR”

I literally can’t get over how good he sounds

AHHHHHH LAUREN!!!!!

Bro these songs SLAP

Damn Mariahs hair is so long

Pete is such a mood

I’m literally terrified of being pantsed so bad

BRUH NOT MICRO-PETER

Omg hey Kim

When Cory enthusiastically agrees I’m dying

Omg Max likes Grace???????

Wait that’s so cute

Wait why’s he kinda fine

“His name is Jesus Christ” HELP 💀💀💀💀💀

It’s giving Apex Predator (from Mean Girls)

Damn these HARMONIES THO

My jaw is on the floor the way Cory is talking to her

“How am I supposed to study without listening to Spotify?” ME LMFAO

I KNOW HE DID NOT JUST MAKE AN ISSAC NEWTON JOKE

The way hes like “this is about thermodynamics” me me me. I hate when people make jokes about the things we’re not even talking about.

“NANI” NO WAY HE SAID THAT HELP💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀I LITERALLY CANNOT BREATHE 💀💀💀💀💀💀

Study date????????

Joey Richter my beloved ❤️❤️❤️

When Max enters and the crowd cheers

“Rondevuch”

Max literally has a God complex

Why is Kim everyones mom?

“Walen place”?????

“Mom will you pass the butt stuff????” HELP SHES BEEN CORRUPTED

NO WAY SHES FANTASIZING ABOUT MAX JAGERMAN

LITERALLY WHAT

Awwww Grace is experiencing Catholic Guilt™ ❤️❤️❤️

Girl wdym “he’s gotta go”???

Laurens character is bisexual???????

“WAIFU MATERIAL”?????? I literally can’t get over Jons character

Wait Grace is a little fucked up actually

Wait since the Waylons built hatchetfield high and the starlight theater, could they have cursed the town somehow? Like I know about the evil brothers or whatever, but I’m not super familiar with the lore

Wait I kind of love Grace now

Mariah slays

“Am I reading as Ghost, or Lin Manuel Miranda?” AWWWWWW❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

“Your fucking useless Pete.” Tgwdlm???? In MY npmd???? It’s more likely than you think

I’m very suspicious about how fast they seemed to put the plan together…

I know the plan wont work and Im so nervous I’m getting secondhand embarrassment so bad rn

“Skele-ens”

I need Max Jagerman actually

Awwww Max is a Theater Kid ❤️❤️❤️

AW FUCK HE DIED

HOLY FUCK HE DIED

GIRL WTF IS WRONG WITH GRACE

I love how upbeat this song is

WHYD SHE CUT HIS NIPPLES OFF WTF

Omg Dan and Donna!

Slay Mayor Lauter

His reaction to being asked to the game is giving- “she asked me for the time” “no way” “way :D”

THE NIGHTHAWKS MASCOT 💀💀💀💀

FUCK CLIVESDALE

DAMN THEYRE IN THE SPLITS GOOD FOR THEM

I like that the football team has only 2 players

I love when actors walk through the audience, but ESPECIALLY here when hes stalking Richie bro looks so good

Listen I know he’s about to kill Richie but HES SO FINE HELP

Im literally so Gay bro

THE SMOKE CLUB!!!!!!

THE NIGHTMARE TIME THEME

When she says hes not hot anymore girl speak for yoursef

Please let Grace swear

Oh fuck they’re giving themselves away

Grace Chastity said “acab”

Cory needs more songs

MAN IN A HURRY RETURNS!!!!!

Damn who is this girl in a trenchcoat 😍😍😍

GERALD OH MY GOD

Random side note but what happened to Robert? I was just thinking about how I wish we could see Hidgens again but is Robert still a part of Starkid anymore? Is he on to Bigger and Better things? Does anyone know what those are? I’d love to continue to support him.

Edit: NVM NVM I TAKE IT BACK I DO NOT WANT TO SUPPORT ROBERT MANION NO NO NO SIR

The invisible bird. Literally high school theater

“Heahs the thang about ah bahbecue”

“Ah wawna remember who ah ayum”

Ruth is so real for not know when to do the lights bc the cue lines were wrong

Ugh Laurens voice is so good and I know ive said that about pretty much everyone but it’s true

I know shes about to die rn

The red lighting gave it away

THE WAY HE LOOKS INTO CAMERA AFTER HE KILLS HER I NEED HIM SO BAD

Why did Kim scream like that

Awww Grace has religious trauma now ❤️❤️❤️

THE COPS THEME

OH MY GOD PAUL AND EMMA!!!!!!!!!

He gave her his number❤️❤️❤️

Hot chocolate boy!!!!!!!! I knew Peter was the hot chocolate boy but still

This duet is EVERYTHING

Obsessed with the fact he called MARIAH ROSE FAITH a MEAN GIRL

“Axe wielding maniacs?”

The Waylons did not dig that shit very deep…

OH FUCK THEY HAVE TO SUMMIN THE LORDS IN BLACK

I KNEW THE WAYLONS BUILT LAKESIDE MALL

im so sorry Zombie Max is So Fine

WIGGLY

THEY HAVE HUMAN FORMS??????

“Let me check my Christmas list”

“What do you want steph?” MORE tgwdlm? In MY npmd?

I feel bad for not knowing all their names

Max says bitch a lot

Damn this show is long

Omg this is so sad im tearing up a lil

Max is so fucking funny

Damn Grace is seducing Max this is hilarious

Fuck Grace Chastity or kill some nerds? One of the many difficult decisions in life

He decides to fuck Grace Chastity

OH MY GOD THATS SO SMART

Thats some fuckin Macbeth level shit

Kims teacher character is so cute awwwww

Paul and Bill dance Chaperones??????

Oh nvm that’s Jason

I don’t think I ever mentioned it but the dancing is really good

It’s very clean and crisp

In the last 2 hours I very quickly developed a massive crush on Will Branner

OH FUCK

WHATS GOING ON

WHAT

#also idk how to spell most of their names #so forgive me #nerdy prudes must die #peter spankoffski #starkid #max jagerman #npmd spoilers #nerdy prudes spoilers

[jaxteller87]

something new part 1

Teenage Years

The football game had just ended, and normally, I wouldn’t bother with these events, but Jax asked me to go, so how could I say no? Donna was a regular at every game, cheering for Opie, who was on the team also. Tara was there, too; she had been on the cheerleading squad the past two years, and while I may not be her biggest fan, she was really good at it.

“I know this may sound like a dumb question, but do they huddle up like that after every play?” I was relying on Donna to help me understand the game.

“Yep, pretty much. That’s when the players go over the plays and stuff like that. Sometimes, if they’re in a hurry, they do what’s called a ‘no-huddle’ offense; in that case, they just run to the line and wait for some sort of secret hand signal from the quarterback to get their assignment for the play.”

“Oh,” I pretended like I knew what she was saying.

As we waited by the tunnel, Opie finally made his way out, covered in sweat and smeared eyepaint. I felt a little awkward as they exchanged a quick kiss while I was stuck watching Jax talk with a few of the players by the cheer squad.

“Do they really gush over him like that every time?” I said softly, intending for it to be inaudible to Ope and Donna, but they both heard me.

“Yup, they do, and Jax hates every second of it,” Opie laughed.

“Really?” I asked, keeping my eyes on him. For someone who hated it, he sure seemed to like it. Smiling from ear to ear, being everyone’s friend, not that I cared per se, but it did have me feeling a little…envious, perhaps?

“Amber, seriously, don’t sweat it. I promise you, this is killing him a lot more than it’s killing you.” Opie gently nudged my shoulder.

“It’s not killing me; I just feel like maybe I’m holding him back sometimes. I mean, look at him; he looks so happy.”

Opie shook his head, “Looking happy and being happy are two totally different things.”

Before I knew it, Jax managed to sneak away from the crowd somehow, and he sought me out like a heat-seeking missile. “Amber, hey!” he beamed, noticing me with a smile.

Okay, maybe Ope was right. He seemed different with me like he was genuinely happy to see me. “Great game,” I said.

“Yeah, it was close at half-time, but we managed to pull it out at the end.”

“You were amazing out there. Have you ever thought about going pro?” I joked.

“Nah, not really. Football is just a way to pass the time in Charming and take out some frustration by legally being able to hit a few guys.”

“Aren’t you worried about getting hurt?” I could feel my face getting red. He looked hot with his jersey and shoulder pads off, standing there glistening in sweat with his long, slicked-back blonde hair.

 We became so engrossed in conversation that we forgot about Donna and Opie, who stood silently beside us while we ogled over each other.

“What?” Jax and I said in unison like two kids being caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

“Oh, nothing,” they both laughed.

The next day, Saturday, Jax invited me to a party he and Opie were throwing. Typically, I’d decline, but Donna convinced me to make an appearance.

“Jax, Tara! A picture for the local sports section?” a young reporter asked.

Jax had that uncomfortable look on his face, “Uh, sure, I guess.”

“Tara?” the reported gestured for her to stand next to him.

“Oh, okay,” she smiled, doing what she was told.

“Perfect! Now, smile!”

The flash lit up the room.

“This will be in tomorrow’s paper. Thanks for the picture, guys! The town loves to see the Prince and Princess of Charming after a strong home win! Great game again, Jax! Four more touchdowns, and you’re looking at the school record…”

Seated at a table in the corner, I leaned over to Donna, “What did he just call them?”

“The princess and prince of Charming. Jax lowkey hates it,” Donna laughed, watching Tara and Jax in the crowd. Donna excused herself, and I sat quietly, watching Jax mingle with the partygoers. He seemed out of place but in place at the same time. Then, Opie came by and sat beside me.

“So, out two nights in a row, aye?” he asked.

“I know, but I’ll have to head out soon. I don’t want to turn into a pumpkin,” I laughed.

“He likes you, you know.”

I sat quietly for a moment. I felt the spark between us, but for some reason, it felt forbidden. “I know, and I’m not sure why.” We watched as Jax moved through the crowd with Tara, occasionally locking eyes with me.

“You’ll make a good old lady one day,” Opie smiled.

“My hair isn’t big enough,” I smirked. Opie looked at me with a raised eyebrow; I don’t think he got the joke. “Haven’t you heard? That’s where Gemma keeps all her secrets.”

Opie laughed pretty hard once he got it. I didn’t think it was that funny, but maybe he was just trying to be nice.

“They’re not going to last. It’s just a label the whole town put on them because he’s Jax Teller, and Tara’s on the cheer squad,” Opie explained, still watching them. “If I was close to breaking a record and Donna was on the cheer squad, we’d have some cheesy nicknames like the Lord and Lady of Charming or something like that.”

“What about Gemma? She for them, too?” I asked, curious.

“Hard to tell, but I think so. You have to be outgoing for that one. If you’re not attacking life like a starving puma, you’re not trying hard enough in Gemma’s eyes.” Opie chuckled. “She’ll come around, though, especially once you guys make it more obvious. You just fit in better. Tara grew up with us.”

“I’m not going to make him choose. Is that what you’re getting at?” I said.

Opie didn’t say anything, just nodded.

“I don’t want to do that,” I added.

“The club, that’s where he’s headed. Anyone with eyes can see that,” Opie elaborated.

“I don’t think the club life is for me. Tara is more cut out for it,” I responded.

“If you’re letting the chair define who you are, Amber, stop.” Opie looked deep into my eyes, my soul even. “If you don’t get over your ‘I can’t be good enough’ attitude, then you’ll simply never be good enough. You’re a smart girl, but I feel like everybody sees how perfect you two are for each other, but you.”

He was right.

“What were you two laughing at a few minutes ago?” Jax literally appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh, nothing,” Opie laughed as Jax cracked open his beer. “Happy to see you here,” Jax smiled at me.

“Yeah, like I told Opie, I need to go soon before I turn into a pumpkin,” I said, and Jax chuckled at my joke.

“Tell him the one about Gemma’s hair,” Opie started laughing again; I think he honestly found that funny.

“What about Gemma’s hair?” Jax asked curiously.

“Oh, nothing,” I smiled. Tara joined us, so I spent time with the three of them, and it was nice – just us. Jax seemed more himself at that moment, and I felt like I knew what I had to do.

#jax teller imagine #jax teller x disabled reader #jax teller x oc #jax teller fluff

[hangmans-darling]

Bright Eyes--Jake “Hangman” Seresin Oneshot

a/n; Hi! So, this is my first time writing/posting for Top Gun. I’ve become obsessed with it and with Hangman. I have many more ideas for pieces and I’m so excited to share this one! It’s a long one and you’ll soon see writing short pieces isn’t exactly in my repertoire. 

word count: 12.4k

warnings: enemies to lovers, pining, loose based knowledge of flag football, mention of OC death but not a major character, an altercation, smut involving female receiving oral and protected sex and also very loosely edited.

I hope you enjoy! Reblogs mean the world and I’m so excited to contribute to the writing world of TopGun

***

“Have you heard we got a new one coming in tonight?” Payback asks while he racks up the balls on the billiard table. 

“Yeah? Who?” Hangman asks, rubbing his chalk on his cue stick. 

“Heard her name’s y/n y/l/n, call sign Bright Eyes,” Bob says. 

“I heard she’s had three combat kills,” Phoenix grins looking at Hangman, “that’s one more than you, Bagman.”

The door opened of the bar and the group all looked to see if it was the new pilot and sure enough in walked someone they’ve never seen before. The first thing he notices is how young she looks and how big her eyes are. She’s in her uniform like the rest of them and Hangman notices how crisp and clean her uniform is, not a hair out of place. 

“Anyone talked to her yet?” Hangman asks, leaning on his stick. He watches her side step between people until she meets someone at the bar, another pilot he doesn’t recognize.

“Nope, but I don’t think you should be the first one to,” Bob says, scooping bar pretzels into his hand. 

“I think I should be, Bobby,” Hangman smiles and hands his cue to Phoenix.

“Don’t be an asshole, Seresin,” Phoenix warns. “She’s here for a reason, just like us.”

“I want to find out the reason. I’ll be back lady and gents,” he salutes them all and feels a pretzel ricochet off his back that Bob tossed at him. 

When he approaches her at the bar he leans on it by his forearms and plucks up a toothpick that Penny keeps stocked and sticks it between his teeth. He stares at the girl trying to guess how old she is, what her secrets are that got her here and also waiting for her to notice him. She turns her body towards him and he likes how she lifts her eyebrows as if to question, Yes? Can I help you?

“Hey there,” he greets with his signature Seresin grin that has been known to get him anything he wants in the past.

“Hi,” her response is icy. 

“Name’s Jake Seresin, call sign is Hangman. What brings you to Top Gun?”

“Same as you; to learn from the best of the best.”

He waits for her to tell him her name but she doesn’t and that entices him. Is this all an act to look tough in front of the other pilots or is she really this icy?

“I’m already the best there is,” he touches his chest and twists his body so his back is leaning against the bar. “If you’re here, then you oughta be pretty damn good.”

“I do the best I can, but I don’t like to brag. There’s always room to grow and learn which I hear is something you need to work on.”

It’s his turn to raise his eyebrows.

“Bright Eyes has a bit of a bite, huh?”

“Your reputation precedes you as being hot headed,” her friend says and Hangman finally pays him attention. He’s the same height as Hangman with blond hair. 

“And you are?”

“JJ Pankow, call sign is Caveman.”

JJ and Hangman have a bit of a staredown, both of them sizing each other up. Hangman wonders if they’re an item and in the same thread of thought wonders why it matters to him so much if they are.

y/n sighs and peers her eyes at Hangman until he meets her gaze. “Did you need something or can I continue my free night before training tomorrow?”

“I just wanted to welcome you, that’s all,” he smiles. “And to wish you the best on flying with the big boys.”

It’s her turn to stare him down, he feels it’s a test so he makes sure not to blink. He stares right back encouraging the challenge, he lifts a brow to signify he can go as long as she wants to. She’s the first to turn but it’s directed at JJ.

“Do you want to sit somewhere else?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit crowded here with ego.”

y/n turns back to Hangman as she slips off the stool, he has to lower his head because she’s so short compared to him. 

“I don’t fly with boys, I fly with men. Do they have those in Top Gun?”

She stalks off and Hangman chuckles watching her go and he returns to his friends.

“Well, she didn’t throw her drink in your face,” Phoenix smirks and hands him back his cue. 

“Nah, she’s too innocent for that,” he shakes his head. As he lines up for his shot, he makes eye contact with y/n and he’s pleased to see she’s looking at him too. Her face is solemn and he takes the shot, eyes still on her, and the ball goes into the pocket. 

***

The next morning, Jake finds her in the hangar before they’re supposed to sit and hear what their training is going to be to help prepare for the mission. She’s checking out her jet, her fingers running over her name.

“It’s you and me today, Bright Eyes,” he says announcing his presence. She turns and eyes him up. “Let’s see what you can do, wanna head out right now?”

“And risk my career? No thanks.”

“Aw, come on,” he drawls. “Look at all the stunts Mav has done and he’s still got a job.”

She hops down from her wing and stands toe to toe with him.

“How about you go first and I’ll see if you’re still here tomorrow before I go up against protocol,” she smiles sweetly with her hands on her hips. 

“See, now that’s where I’m stuck on how you got a spot in Top Gun if you don’t take risks.”

“Why take risks when I have skill? See you in the air, Hangman,” she pats his shoulder and hops back onto her plane.

***

“Show me what you’ve got Bright Eyes,” Hangman says once they’re up in the air. He hears her sigh over the radio and at first he thinks it’s a sigh of annoyance but when he looks over, her eyes are closed. “How did you get the call sign ‘Bright Eyes’ if you fly with your eyes closed?”

“Shut up, Bagman,” Bob says and Phoenix laughs. 

y/n sighs again and opens her eyes directly at Hangman.

“Are you always this annoying?”

“Just until I get my questions answered. So tell me, how’d you get the name?”

“Why does it matter?”

“I’m a curious guy.”

“Mhmm,” y/n sighs.

“Ignore him, Bright Eyes. he likes to talk shit,” Phoenix says.

“I’ve noticed. Are you all talk and no action, Seresin?” She smiles at him again then accelerates her plane. He’s quick to follow.

“If you two are done flirting,” Rooster’s voice cuts through, “Can we finish this mock mission please?”

Hangman continues to badger her on her name as they fly the course.

“Was it what your mother calls you? But what I don’t get is why it’s Bright Eyes when your eyes are a darker shade of (your eye color).”

“Wow, that’s a nice observation. You like looking at my eyes, huh?”

“Maybe. Let’s see…I would say Shirley Temple would have been better, or Baby Face. Even ‘Baby.’ Is it a Swayze thing? Do you even know these movies I’m referencing?”

“I sure do and you’re wrong on all guesses.”

“Hmm…I bet it was an old flame you’re still not over.”

There’s silence except for the hum of their engines. 

“Is that it? Oh man! I knew I’d figure it out, how–woah, where’d she go?”

y/n fell back from their formation in a spiral and zoomed down, down, down before pulling back up abruptly straight towards him. 

“What the–”

She set her laser on him and he heard the signal that he’s dead from her shot just as she skidded by him which caused him to arc sideways to avoid a collision. 

“What was that shit? You can’t kill me, we’re flying as a team!” Hangman roars at her while the others laugh at the altercation. 

“Yeah well, you’re dead,” she says drily. “See you back at base.”

“All of you return back to base immediately,” Maverick orders loudly in their ears. 

Once back in the hangar, Maverick and Hondo are standing with their arms crossed not looking happy. Hangman is already berating y/n for killing him when that wasn’t the objective.

“You’re right, it wasn’t but quite honestly I would have done the same thing but a lot sooner,” Maverick says. “You were baiting and badgering your teammate, Seresin. You keep an eye on each other and you watch each other’s six, not worry about what their call sign means. You do not harass them when all of your lives are on the line, do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” Hangman nods and stands a little straighter. 

“And as for you Bright Eyes,” Hondo moves in front of her and she straightens her back. “That was superb flying and an incredible kill shot but save it for the enemy, not your wingman. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir, it will never happen again,” she says.

“You’re dismissed. And as punishment, you will both be relieved tomorrow,” Maverick says, “I recommend you two sort out your differences.”

“Sir?” y/n asks.

“I don’t care how you do it, but you need to be tolerable with each other, at least when you’re flying. On the ground, I don’t care. But up in the sky,” Maverick points, “you have your whole team to protect and make sure you get home.”

“Yes sir,” they both respond. 

Maverick and Hondo wave them off. As soon as they’re out of ear shot, Hangman rounds on her.

“I can’t believe you killed me!” he hisses.

“It was the only way to get you to shut up,” she snaps back. 

“All I wanted to know was how you got your call sign.”

“Why does it matter to you so much?”

He clenches his jaw, a vein in his forehead is throbbing and y/n sees a bead of sweat roll down his cheek. 

“I was just trying to be friendly.”

“Interrogating someone is not friendly.”

“Neither is killing them, that’s called friendly fire.”

She glares at him and he glares back.

“You really are a pain in the ass,” she grumbles.

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

She lets out a grunt, turns on her heel and makes her way to the showers. He stalks to the showers as well but since they’re in the same direction, he’s following her. They glare at each other once more before disappearing into the shower rooms. 

His mind is trying to make sense of what the hell just happened. He’s not sure what he’s more pissed off about; the fact that she just killed him while also flying recklessly, how she won’t tell him the meaning of her call sign or that he got in trouble and is now out from training tomorrow.

Either way, he’s got her on his mind.

***

The next morning after he spends some time in the gym working off his frustrations from the day before, he goes to find y/n. He heads into the hangar and sure enough, she’s there with her jet wiping down the cockpit. That’s when he notices she’s only in jean shorts that fit her just perfectly and a white t-shirt with some holes in it. Through one of them he can see a peek of black lace. 

He clears his throat and averts his eyes (from her ass and her bra). She turns at the sound of his throat clearing. 

“Let’s get this over with.”

“Get what over with?” she turns her back on him again.

“You heard Mav, we need to ‘sort out our differences.’”

“I don’t think so,” she snorts. She’s wiping vigorously at her canopy glass and the motions cause her ass to wiggle. 

“Jesus–” Hangman curses under his breath trying desperately not to look, “would you mind facing me when we’re talking? It’s rude.”

It’s rude and distracting and it pisses him off. y/n sighs, drops the towel in her seat and steps down from the wing. Seeing her head on, he notices her hair isn’t up in a bun but is loose and frames her face with light curls. 

“All right. What do you suggest we do?”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I came here to learn and to do this mission I can’t be killing a member of my team. Even if it isn’t real.” 

“I’m touched,” he touches his chest to emphasize his mock sincerity and she rolls her eyes. “Let’s meet in two hours.”

“What’s wrong with right now?”

“I need to change.”

“Your personality? That will take longer than two hours.”

“I meant my clothes,” he rolls his eyes.

Her eyes travel over his black t-shirt and workout shorts.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Women like a man in uniform,” he grins. 

“I should tell them it’s false advertising.”

“You wear the same uniform, sweetheart,” he drawls cocking his head to the side. “Two hours and I’ll come by your room.”

“Fine.”

When he walks away, much to her dismay, she notices how broad his shoulders and back are. When he walks she can see his muscles flexing underneath the cotton of his shirt. She shakes her head and climbs back on her jet. 

Why was she just checking him out?

***

At two hours precisely, there’s a knock on her door. y/n was actually thankful for the two hour delay because she got a little sweaty from cleaning her jet and had some grease on her hands and cheek. So she took a shower but couldn’t decide on what to wear or what she was getting into so she dressed casually in jean shorts and a flowy top and clipped her hair away from her face. When she opens the door, Hangman is dressed in his service khakis.

She rolls her eyes. 

“What?” he smirks.

“I hope you aren’t expecting me to be your wingman because they’re supposed to hype you up and I can’t do that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Are you ready?”

“Nope. Let’s go.”

They take his truck and drive past The Hard Deck, she can’t help her curiosity of where they’re going. After fifteen minutes of silent driving he parks at what looks like a block party in the middle of a shopping center. Live music is heard through the windows and there’s a bunch of people around.

“What’s this?”

“I found it on Facebook. It’s a beer and cider tap yard. I thought alcohol would be essential for this particular mission.”

“That’s something we can agree on. What’s wrong with the Hard Deck?”

“Change of scenery,” he shrugs. “Come on, toots.”

y/n follows him onto the wood chipped area and chuckles when almost all the women (and a few men) try to catch Hangman’s eye as they walk by. He buys the first round then head upstairs to the seating area.

“To settling our qualms,” he raises his plastic cup.

“God help us,” she bumps her cup to his in cheers. 

They sit in a bit of an awkward silence after that so she watches the crowd down below. While she’s watching them, Hangman is watching her wondering how someone can irritate him and intrigue him at the same time. Her pushback on him is also enticing, he hides a smirk as he takes a drink thinking how much he does like pushing her buttons. 

Halfway through their drink, a woman approaches them and hands a drink to Hangman.

“Thank you for your service,” she says with a suggestive look in her eye. 

“Thank you ma’am, much obliged,” he nods then turns his attention to y/n. y/n snorted and downs the rest of her drink and the woman who brought him a new drink walked away disappointed that Hangman didn’t ask cart her away or something.

“Now I see why you wanted to wear your uniform,” she pretends to pluck off a piece of lint from his shirt. “You like to be ogled at.”

“What? I do not.”

“No? You’re telling me  you didn’t like how everyone looked at you when we arrived? You said so yourself that women like men in a uniform.”

“Or I wanted to look my best for you m’dear,” he smirks. “And how do you know they weren’t looking at you when we walked in?”

“Please,” she rolls her eyes and rises from her seat. “I’m getting myself another drink.”

“What about me?”

“You got one already, flyboy,” she nods to the drink that was handed to him by that woman and descends the stairs to the bar. 

The line was a few people deep so by the time she got back up by their table, Hangman was speaking with an older gentleman who’s wearing a Naval Aviation hat.

“Oh, is this her?”

“Yup, that’s Bright Eyes,” Hangman smiles up at her.

“It’s a pleasure young lady,” the old man holds out his hand.

“Hello sir,” y/n smiles shaking his hand. 

“Your boyfriend here was telling me of all your accomplishments in naval aviation. Two kills…mighty impressive.”

“Thank you sir. I’m just doing my duty,” she nods but the word ‘boyfriend’ is ringing in her ears. 

They discover his name is Roger and he tells his own stories about the academy and Top Gun. He explains how he met his sweetheart while he got injured on a mission and she was a nurse that worked on his floor. Hangman noticed y/n drank more and was shifting in her seat as if she were nervous about something while Roger talked.

“You’ve got yourself a good one here, darlin,” Roger says then turns to Hangman, “and you make sure you watch her six, son. Good luck to you both.”

Hangman stands and shakes his hand one last time.

“Thank you for sharing your time with us, sir,” Hangman says.

When he’s safely on the ground and Hangman is still standing with his hands in his pockets, y/n rounds on him.

“You told him you were my boyfriend?”

“He just assumed and I didn’t want to correct him.”

“Why not?”

“Why didn’t you?” He turns to her and her response is to take the last large gulps of her cider. He smirks. “You want another one?”

After a couple more drinks, he brings out a deck of cards from his pocket.

“I’m not playing strip poker with you,” y/n shakes her head violently.

“As much as I–and everyone else here–would love that, that’s not what we’ll play.” He shuffles the cards expertly.

“Do you always carry a pack of cards with you?” She watches his hands as he breaks the deck in half and lets the cards collapse on top of each other. 

“Yeah,” he shrugs. “It’s a good conversation starter. What would you like to play, m’dear?” His green eyes glint at her.

“The only thing my brain can process right now from the alcohol is Go Fish or War.”

“War it is, Bright Eyes,” he laughs and starts dealing out the cards. His movements are quick but his eyes are on her.

They’re quick with the game and a few times when they throw down the same card and have to slap more down to see who won the set of cards their fingers fumble together. At some points the cards go flying off the table and she’s giggling trying to scramble and pick them up. 

Around 8:00 is when they quit playing because they’re both hungry. 

“Are you okay to drive?” she asks as she stumbles into him walking down the steps. 

“Yes, I’m not even buzzed,” he steadies her by resting his arm around her shoulders. 

“How? You drank as much as me,” she gives him a puzzled look and he thinks it’s adorable.

“I drank them slowly while you downed yours. Plus, you’re a lightweight,” he teases opening the door to his truck for her. He helps her get in and she grumbles something incoherently. “What was that?”

She responds by sticking her tongue out and he laughs all the way around the front of the truck until he’s seated and buckled. He drives to a diner not too far from the tap yard and she comments how they have the best grilled cheese and shakes. He orders a cheeseburger with a strawberry shake and she gets a grilled cheese with a chocolate shake, they share a basket of fries. 

She dunks her french fry in her shake and does a little happy dance when she eats it and he smiles at her mannerisms. 

“That is criminal.”

“What?”

“What you just did, dipping your fry in your shake.”

“You’ve never dipped a fry in a shake? Are you even human?”

“I am and I eat food like other normal humans.”

“Try it, right now,” she points to a fry.

“I don’t think so.”

“I think so.” She grabs a fry and dunks it in her own shake then extends it out to him but he’s shaking his head in defiance. “You have to try it! It will change your life.”

He resists and some of her shake falls on top of his burger bun and he exclaims in shock while she’s doubled over and laughing.

“Aw come on! Now it’s ruined! You did that on purpose,” he laughs.

“I did not!” She gasps then her face changes and her eyes squint. “I think you got something in your teeth, open up.”

To both of their surprise, he does and that’s when she pops her chocolate shake covered french fry in his mouth. He groans in theatrics but eats the food she snuck in his mouth and she smiles proudly.

“That I did plan,” she states proudly. “So, what do you think?”

“Not bad,” he allows swallowing the food and his eyes shift to a point beyond her. “Is that Roger coming in?”

She turns around to look and it gives him enough time to dip his finger in his strawberry shake so when she turns back around to face him, he plops it on her nose and her eyes widen with her mouth agape. 

“That’s for getting shake on my burger,” he smiles in delight then slurps through his straw. 

“Well played, Seresin,” she laughs and wipes the strawberry pink liquid from her nose with a napkin. 

“So,” he asks a while later resting his arms on the back of the booth. Two steaming cups of coffee sit on the table between them. “How old are you exactly?”

“Twenty-seven. How old are you?”

“I’ll be thirty-four in October.”

“Are you a Halloween baby?”

“Not quite.”

“Darn. That would have made me like you a little more.”

“Yeah?” he laughs. “What got you into flying?”

“My grandpa,” she says cupping her mug with her hands. She takes a gentle sip. “He’d tell me stories and show me his uniform and pictures. I thought it was so cool.”

“Did he call you Bright Eyes?”

She stares at him for a long time then finishes her coffee without another word. Again to both of their surprise, he doesn’t question it further and she asks for more coffee. He watches her the whole time trying to figure her out.

“For the first three months of flight school I threw up every time I was in the air.”

“What?”

“I’ve been badgering you so I’ll share some personal things.”

“You don’t–”

He holds up his hand to silence her and taps his finger on the rim of the porcelain mug. 

“I’ve been an asshole to you and my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes and I come on too strong.”

“Am I drunk hallucinating or are you actually being nice?”

“Not hallucinating. I was also terrified of planes growing up but when I was the one flying it, it all went away. I’m always trying to improve my skills in aviation and I’m my own worst enemy.”

“Wow, Hangman–”

“Call me Jake.”

“I’m so confused by this 180 from you Jake,” she enunciates his name with a smile. 

“How long has it been?”

“Has what been?”

“Since your grandpa died.”

“Um, he didn’t die. He’s very happy I’m at Top Gun.”

“Then why did you get quiet when I asked if he called you Bright Eyes?”

y/n sighs. “Because he does call me Bright Eyes but he’s not the reason for my call sign. Henry did.”

“Who’s Henry?”

“A ghost,” she whispers, then bites her lip and wipes at her eye. “I want to go back to base.”

Before he can say another word she slides out of the booth and rushes out the door. Jake slaps down some twenties to cover the bill and tip then runs after her. She’s leaning against the passenger door with her arms crossed. He unlocks the door and helps her in.

The drive back to base is silent except for the loudness of their own thoughts. Jake feels there’s much more depth to her grandpa, her call sign, and whoever Henry is. He glances at her at each stoplight, her eyes are wide and bright but also sad. He wonders what she’s thinking about.

y/n’s mind is racing like always but now that her buzz is almost gone her thoughts are weighing her down. She’s thinking of Henry and her grandpa and Hang–Jake. It’s giving her a headache and a heartache all at once. She cradles her forehead in her hands and closes her eyes hoping that will help soothe the racing thoughts.

“Are you all right?” Jake asks concerned. 

“Head hurts,” she mumbles.

“We’re almost back.”

He helps her out of the truck once they’re back at base and lets her lean on him as they walk inside, her arm held onto his waist. Her room is the sixth one from the main door and she silently hands him her key. When he unlocks the door he gets a warm and inviting smell as if she had a candle burning. The layout is the same as his so he knows where the light switch is and she groans at the sudden brightness.

“Sorry. Can I get you anything?”

“Water. I have a bottle in the fridge.”

She releases her hold on his waist and shuffles his way to her couch. He finds her bottle easily enough then crouches in front of her on the floor. 

“Anything else you need?”

Her eyes are surprisingly alert and focused on him while she drinks her water. The food and coffee must have really helped sober her up but the look she’s giving him is something he hasn’t seen before. 

“I think I want to kiss you Jake Seresin.”

“You do?” he leans back in surprise and clears his throat. 

“But I also still want to punch you in the face.”

“I’d prefer the kiss over the punch or kill, Bright Eyes. But when I kiss you,” he fixes a strand of hair that fell over her clip, his eyes flicker down to hers and she licks her lips. “I want you to really want it, not just think you do.”

They stare each other down and her perfume is invading all of his senses by being this close to her. He can see a freckle near the corner of her eye.

“You’re probably right,” she sighs heavily. “I should get to bed.”

“Me too,” he mutters then rises from the floor. His head feels a little clearer now that he’s not smelling her perfume. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bright Eyes.”

He heads to her door but when he opens it, she calls out his name softly. When he turns around she’s standing in front of her bedroom door and he thinks she’s going to invite him to stay. 

“You can call me y/n, if you want.”

“Goodnight y/n,” he nods and shuts the door behind him before he can’t get himself to leave. Because if she would have asked him to stay, he would.

***

Before they’re all about to go fly more drills Jake has been trying to find y/n. She wasn’t in the common room or the kitchen so his next stop was the hangar. He’s noticed she likes to spend her time there but instead he finds JJ.

“Have you seen y/n?” Jake asks him. 

“She’s in the showers, why?” JJ narrows his eyes at him.

“Just wondering,” Jake shrugs, “Um…do you know anything about a guy named Henry?”

JJ’s eyes widen and he glances around their surroundings as if to make sure no one else is in earshot. 

“She told you about Henry?”

“Sort of.”

JJ’s expression changes and he steps closer to Jake, his voice low. “Listen, I’m not saying a word. That’s her business and if she told you all of it, you wouldn’t be asking me. Talk to y/n.”

JJ walks away and Jake curses under his breath. 

In the hangar, y/n doesn’t look at Jake which is surprising because he’s staring her down. Was last night just a glitch in the matrix and they aren’t on common ground? She’s the one who brought up kissing him, not him. Maverick and Hondo walk in and he forces himself to look at them. 

“Hangman, Bright Eyes,” Maverick calls their attention. “How’s reconciling your differences going?”

Jake looks at y/n but her expression is solemn and straight forward, she makes no move to respond. 

“Working on it, Sir,” Jake answers.

“Good. You two are up first.”

They’re communicating well enough but when Jake tries to tease with her, she doesn’t respond and it’s making him frustrated. It’s irritating how she gets under his skin and last night seems like an illusion. When they’re done with the drill and land they’re told they did a great job. y/n accepts it diplomatically while Jake soaks it all up. JJ and Phoenix are up next and Jake tries to speak with y/n again but she’s so invested in listening to how the others are doing he gives up.

When the exercise is over, Mav says y/n and Jake tied for first and they were all dismissed.

“A game of war and diner food was a real bonding experience, huh?” she smiles and Jake nearly gets whiplash from her turn of attitude. 

“You’re talking to me now?”

“The exercise is over,” she shrugs. “We need to concentrate. Want to go to the Hard Deck after dinner?”

“Uh, yeah sure.”

“Great, come by my room at seven.”

Later, when he shows up at her door he’s smiling but her eyes are icy. 

“What’s–”

“You asked JJ about Henry? Why can’t you let things go and respect people’s privacy?”

“I’m only trying to understand!”

“Why?! Do you see anyone else bugging me about my past or my name? Is it because I’m younger than you that you think you can pick on me? Butt out!”

“I guess we’re not hanging out anymore tonight?”

“Not tonight or ever. Learn to respect people’s boundaries, Hangman.”

She slams her door in his face. He winced when she used his call sign name, how was he so close and yet still so far?

***

It’s been a week without them talking except for when they’re flying and y/n makes sure to keep a wide berth of Jake. It isn’t until Friday night that he attempts to talk to her again at the Hard Deck. He comes up to her with a bottle of her favorite cider and he pushes it in front of her so she angles her body. 

“Hi,” he says brightly. “My name’s Jake Seresin, call sign is Hangman.” He holds out his hand in front of her. 

“What are you doing?”

“Introducing myself the way I should have in the first place. What’s your name?”

“y/n y/l/n,” she smiles and takes his hand. “My call sign is Bright Eyes.”

“I can see why, you’ve got the brightest eyes I’ve ever seen,” his southern accent peeks out to add to his charming remark. 

“Oh no! That was so cheesy!” she laughs.

“I mean it,” he squeezes her hand. He makes no move to let go and neither does she.

“You’re not wearing your service khakis,” she observes his normal clothes of a dark blue t-shirt and dark washed jeans. 

“I only want one pair of eyes on me.”

“Back to back with the charm, huh?” She releases his hand and lifts up the bottle to press it to her lips as she takes a swallow. 

“I wanted to ease my way into an apology. I know I cross lines but my intention is never to harm but I did anyway. I’m sorry I pushed and I can’t make any promises about not doing it again but I know you’ll call me out on it.”

“I definitely will. Thank you for the apology.”

“How about a game of pool?”

“I’m not that good,” she grimaces.

“I’ll go easy on you,” he smiles. 

They’re playing pool but they’re not even hitting the proper balls, they’re basically doing practice shots. At one point, Jake even moves behind her with one hand on her waist and the other positioning her fingers just right on the tip of the cue stick. She could feel his body heat and smell his aftershave and it gave her butterflies in her stomach.

He helped her size up her shot. 

“Now you want to glide it nice and easy over your fingers,” his voice is husky in her ear, his lips brush against her cheek. 

As she moves the stick like a pendulum, his hand on her waist tightens the slightest amount. It causes her to hit the cue ball and it smacks into a green solid, they both fall into the pocket. 

“That was good, but lighten up on the release,” he compliments and removes himself from her. 

She stands up feeling the coolness from the absence of his body against hers, their eyes locked as he strutted around the table. His gaze was intense and her stomach flipped. While they play they find out more about each other with some very heavy flirting. 

He excuses himself to use the bathroom but when he comes back some guy is standing too close to y/n against the window and Jake can see the discomfort in her face.

“Hey man, how’s it going?” Jake asks with a dazzling smile. The guy looks at him with dark beady eyes, he’s clearly drunk off his ass. 

“Talkin’ to this chick. ‘Scuse me,” the guy slurs and turns back to y/n. “Whadday say baby? Wanna show me a good time?”

“No thanks,” y/n tries to back away but then he grabs her wrist.

“Aand you’re done,” Jake says. He pries the guys fingers from her wrist and shoves him away so hard that he knocks over the other cue sticks in the stand. It brings attention to the rest of the bar and Jake locks eyes with Penny, he gives her a nod and she rings the bell hard. 

Rooster and Coyote appear assessing the situation.

“What happened?” Rooster asks looking at y/n who’s staring wide eyed and unblinking at what she just witnessed. 

“He grabbed her,” Jake says, the muscle in his jaw ticking. 

Rooster purses his lips, nods to Coyote and the two of them lift the drunken asshole by his shoulders. The rest of the bar cheers as he’s carried out and tossed onto the sand. Jake turns to y/n and she’s absentmindedly rubbing at her wrist.

“Are you okay?” he asks, hovering his hands over hers. He doesn’t want to touch her unless she says it’s all right. 

“Yeah,” she sniffs, then looks down at her wrist. “I think I’m going to bruise, his grip was surprisingly tight for being as drunk as he is.”

“Do you want to get outta here?”

“No,” she shakes her head and finally looks into his eyes. “He’s gone now. Thanks for pulling him off me.”

“My pleasure.”

***

Later in the evening, he walks her back to her room and he asks how her wrist is once they’re at her door. She holds it up for him to inspect, he holds her wrist delicately and rubs his thumb over the already light shade of blue bruise forming. He leans in and kisses the mark, her skin smells like some type of flower he can’t think of.

With his face still close to her wrist, he meets her eyes with his thumb still caressing her skin. 

“Do you think you still want to kiss me?”

“It’s changing from ‘thinking’ to ‘knowing.’”

“How much? Scale of 1-10?”

She smiles and hums thinking it over. “Ummm…it went from a three to a seven.”

“Wow, four points. How’d I get that?” he cocks his head resulting in their faces becoming closer. He’s so close he can see that freckle near her eye. 

“By not asking about my call sign again, shoving that guy off me and the two points are for doing this,” she nods to him still stroking her wrist.

“Okay. Once you’re at ten will you let me know?”

“Sure. Where am I on your scale?”

“It’s always been a ten, y/n,” he gives her a crooked smile.

The sound of her name in context like that makes her heart flutter and when his eyes flicker down to her lips her breath catches. 

“Even when you hated me?”

“Even then.”

They stand there staring at each other, his hand still holding her wrist and it’s as if some magnetic pull or electric charge is pushing them together. He carefully brings his other hand up to cup her cheek, he rubs the apple of her cheek with his thumb. 

“You’re inching to an eight,” she whispers. 

His heart leaps and he shifts his face closer, tilting his head a slight bit more and he can feel her breath tickle his lips. 

“Nine…”

He smiles then rubs his nose against hers.

“Nine and a half.”

“That only gets me a half a point?” he chuckles then brings the hand he’s using to rub her wrist to rest on his shoulder. Her palm flattens on his neck and she uses the slightest bit of pressure to bring his face closer to hers.

“It’s like G-LOC, you have to go slow before the impact.”

He’s about to ask her something else when the main entrance door opens and the incoming  laughter from Rooster and Coyote approaching forces them apart. The spell they were both under left them dizzy and flustered.

“Oh hey,” Rooster greets them. “Are you okay after what happened with that guy, Bright Eyes?”

“I’m good, thanks for tossing him out.”

“No one messes with our own,” Coyote responds. “See you guys tomorrow for the football game.” He turns into his room which is right next to y/n’s.

“C’mon Hangman, we need a good night’s sleep if we’re gonna be at the beach all day,” Rooster claps his hands on Jake’s shoulders pushing him down the hall.

“I wasn’t done saying good night–”

“Hangman says good night, Bright Eyes. You get some sleep too!” Rooster calls over his shoulder.

y/n laughs as the two men shove each other playfully down the hall. Jake looks back at y/n in disappointment and she waves him off with a shrug. When she goes into her apartment and closes the door, she leans against it and takes deep breaths. 

She and Jake almost kissed and now she’s going to have to endure seeing him shirtless and sweaty as they play football tomorrow. She’s not sure how long she can hold off.

***

y/n walks with Phoenix to the beach and she questions her about Hangman.

“We’re getting along,” y/n responds innocently with a shrug. 

“Oh please. I saw you two playing pool together last night. You were one step away from having sex.”

“What?!” y/n shrieks as they step onto the sand. “That is not true!”

“Rooster and Coyote thought so too. Even Bob.”

y/n raises her brows at that. Bob is the least involved in the drama that arises with everyone but he is more on the silent side so maybe he sees more than he lets on. 

“Caveman seems pretty pissed about it too,” Phoenix adds. 

“Yeah…that doesn’t surprise me. JJ’s protective because of…something else that happened.”

“Look, I’m glad you and Hangman are getting along. Deep down I think he could be decent. But we also call him Hangman for a reason. He’s improved on his flying by not leaving you high and dry but I don’t know about his ground level.”

“I know. Thanks for being concerned, Nat.”

Their conversation is cut short because they’ve joined the rest of their group. Maverick and Hondo are holding bags and the guys are just standing around talking. She finds Jake immediately and he gives a wink over Payback’s shoulder.

“y/n we should talk–” JJ starts suddenly next to her but then Hondo blows his whistle and he steps away. 

“All right, we’re gonna have some fun today so we’re playing flag football,” Maverick begins. “When I call your name, come and grab your blue flags. When Hondo calls you, you get a red flag.”

y/n and Jake are on opposite teams, she’s blue and he’s red. JJ is on Jake’s team and y/n notices him looking between Jake and y/n. Thankfully Jake still has his t-shirt on so she won’t be distracted.

“I won’t hold back on football,” Jake tells her as she’s putting on her flag belt. “I was quarterback in high school and a wide receiver at the Naval Academy.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” she asks airily. “I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve though, Seresin.”

“Oh really? Then this shall be mighty interesting,” he gives her a lopsided grin making his dimple appear. “I’ve got some tricks, too darlin’.”

Then he yanks off his t-shirt in one fluid motion and tosses it into the sand. She rolls her eyes when he stretches his arms across his chest then shakes them at his sides to loosen up. He looks at her expectantly and she knows he’s waiting for her eyes to slide over his well defined chest and happy trail that disappears beneath his basketball shorts but she resists. 

It’s taking all of her willpower to keep her eyes on his. 

“You’re back to an eight.”

“What? How?”

“For being cocky.”

“Oh come on!” He laughs and she turns to join her team that consists of Rooster, Phoenix and Fanboy. JJ gives her a look from across the way that she pointedly ignores.

The game is well and fun and soon they’re all sweating under the sun. It’s not long until y/n removes her own t-shirt while they take a water break. She’s very aware of Jake’s eyes on her as she adjusts the cups and strings of her swimsuit top.

He tries not to look, or at least make it so obvious, but when he catches a peek of the underside of her breast his mind goes wild. He notices a bird tattoo on the back of her left shoulder and that makes him even crazier. She smiles sweetly at him as they set up for the next play and he grins because he knows she’s checking him out now by the way her eyes rake over his sweat-and-sand covered torso.

Or when he and Coyote celebrated a touchdown by doing a little dance, he saw her looking his way and he smirked at her. 

It’s time for another play and they’re across from each other. Her eyes slide over his glistening muscles until landing on his eyes that are a lighter shade due to the bright blue sky and sun.

“You’re drooling, Bright Eyes,” he reaches over to try and wipe at her lip but she smacks his hand away.

“In your dreams, Seresin.”

“How’d you know I dream about you?” he smirks.

She rolls her eyes.

The ball is hiked and she runs past him to get the handoff of the ball from Phoenix. He whips around making a beeline for her. Everyone is shouting for her to keep running and his team is yelling for him to get her flags. He has longer legs than her so he catches up to her easily.

When he reaches for her flags and yanks, he doesn’t pay attention to their feet that somehow become entangled and they fall.

He twists his body and grips her hips so when they make impact, she lands on top of him and he gets the brunt of the fall. He grunts from the hardness of the sand and her knee that digs into his thigh. They’re both groaning and she lifts herself slightly off him, her hands are flat on his chest.

“This isn’t tackle,” she huffs, shifting to get off him completely. 

“Hold on,” he groans and she freezes.

“Are you hurt?” she asks in concern because his eyes are still closed.

“No,” he shakes his head then peeks at her through his eyes. “Wanna enjoy you on top of me for a bit longer.”

“Oh my God!”

“You’ve said that in my dreams, too,” he smirks and he rubs the skin of her back with his thumbs. 

“You’re unbelievable,” she shakes her head then scrambles off him. 

“You’ve said that, too,” he repeats, pushing himself up from the sand.

“Give me my flags back, Hangman.”

“Are you two done flirting yet?” Phoenix asks with her hand over her eyes to shield from the sun. 

“Yeah, let’s get back to it,” Rooster says, picking up the football.

Jake hands her back her flags and the game resumes play.

“I think saving you from that fall deserves two points,” he tells her when they’re situated across from each other again.

“That would put you at a ten, Sersin.”

“I know,” he wiggles his eyebrows. “I’m all for a victory kiss.”

Hondo blows the whistle and the ball is hiked once more. This time, Jake ends up with the ball with y/n following behind.

“Ow! Ow my ankle!” she screeches.

He turns around immediately, ready to carry her to the hospital if he has to.

“What happened?” He bends down to examine her ankle.

y/n snatches the ball from his hands then darts away from him shouting, “Gotcha!” and runs to the end zone resulting in her team winning. They all jump on her in their victory and Jake stares on with his hands on his hips in disbelief. She looks over at him with a shit eating grin and a twinkle in her eye. Then she does something unexpected and blows him a kiss.

He catches it then presses his fist with her kiss right over his heart as if it will heal the loss he’s experiencing. When she’s done celebrating with her team she skips over to him.

“That was some tactic,” he stares down at her.

“Told you I had some tricks.”

“You forgot one minor detail.”

“What’s that?”

“I always retaliate.”

Before she can ask what he means, he lifts her over his shoulders and runs into the water. She’s screaming and laughing behind his back and he drops her into the water. When she resurfaces she barrels into him and because he knows she wants to make him fall in the water, he lets himself get knocked down. 

Pretty soon, the rest of them come running in the water as well and a splash fight ensues. 

***

After the day at the beach and dinner at the Hard Deck with some piano singing done by Rooster, y/n and Phoenix head back to base to shower. 

“So,” Rooster sidles up to Jake by the dartboard. “What’s going on with you and Bright Eyes?”

“I don’t know,” Jake grins, spinning the dart between his fingers. “But it’s something.”

“Yeah we can all see that,” Rooster snorts. “Can barely stand being around you two.”

“Aw, you’ll find someone Rooster,” Jake pats his cheek affectionately. 

Payback, Fanboy and Bob join them with drinks and to watch them play darts and talk. From the corner of his eye, Jake notices JJ is glaring at him from across the bar.

When the night is over they all head back to base and Jake’s on a mission to find y/n. His first stop is in the common area and he finds her asleep on one of the couches. She’s tucked into herself with a pillow clutched against her chest, her lips are pursed and look so damn kissable it pains him.

He checks his watch, it’s only eleven o’clock and she’s already asleep? Was she waiting up for him or did she fall asleep watching a movie with Phoenix and  Phoenix just left her to sleep? He kneels down in front of her, hesitating before pressing his hand to her head and rubs at her hair. 

“y/n,” he murmurs gently and her nose scrunches in her sleep. “Jesus, how adorable are you? Hey, y/n…wake up.”

He speaks a little louder and strokes his thumb over her forehead and she’s gasping awake. Her eyes fly open and she shoots up from her perch against the couch.

“Jake? ‘At time izzit? Am I late for drills?” she rushes out.

“No, no, it’s still nighttime. You fell asleep in the common area.”

She blinks at him a few times then looks around him assessing her surroundings. She sinks back on the couch realizing she didn’t oversleep.

“Oh. So what time is it?”

“A little after eleven,” he cocks his head to the side in endearment. He’s still rubbing her hair and she makes no move to stop him.

“Want me to walk you to your apartment?”

“Mhm,” she nods tiredly, removing the pillow from her chest. 

He takes it from her tossing it to the other end of the couch and holds out his hands for her.

“Up you get Sleeping Beauty.”

“Shut up,” she grumbles but takes his hands anyway. 

“What made you so tired?”

“Being outside all day,” she yawns and shivers from her sleepiness.

“Good thing we have Sundays off. You should rest up tomorrow.” 

“That’s the plan. Big day on Monday, it’s the last exercise before Maverick chooses his team.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Yeah, but it’s also thrilling,” she smiles.

When they arrive at her door he leans against the door jamb watching her unlock and open it. 

“Thrilling is an excellent word,” he says but he thinks it pairs along with their relationship. 

Once she’s inside she keeps it open and moves to her couch. When she sits down she looks over at him expectantly. 

“You can come in,” she says.

“Really?” He stands up straight from the door jamb.

“Yeah.”

He looks up and down the hall waiting for someone to pop out and say ‘just kidding!’ but when no one does, he steps inside and shuts the door. y/n folds her legs underneath her.

“Are you going to stand there the whole time?” she snickers, grabbing the remote and turns on her tv. She places a blanket over her lap.

“I–what’s happening exactly?” he motions between them.

“You told me to rest up and I do that by watching movies and sleeping. I thought you could join me if you wanted.”

“Oh! Well, all right then. But um…I’m still sandy and sweaty from earlier. Can I go shower, change, and come back?”

She gives him a cute smile.

“Is Hangman nervous to spend a night with a girl?” she teases.

“You’re not just a girl, y/n,” he says seriously. “I don’t want the offer to go away if I leave.”

“Jake, when you come back you’ll be at a 9.5.”

“Really?” his face brightens. “How?”

“Come back and I’ll tell you,” she smiles.

“I’ll be right back.”

He runs as fast as he can to his apartment, rushes through a shower and changes into sweats and an old NAVY shirt. He usually sleeps in just his boxers but he knows better to push his luck right now. He makes sure he has his phone then grabs his pillow and a blanket. He tries to hide his heavy breathing from rushing when he’s back at her place. 

“Hi,” she smiles.

“Hi,” he glances at the tv. “The Goonies?”

“One of my favorites.”

“Mine too.”

She pats the space next to her and he settles on the couch adjusting his pillow and blanket.

“So,” he says once he’s situated, “how’d I go from an eight this afternoon to a 9.5?”

“Because I wanted to.”

They watched movies all night, commenting on the plot and actors. y/n falls asleep first at around three and Jake makes sure to turn the volume down so it doesn’t disturb her. 

When he woke up they somehow managed to be laying even closer together, she was draped over his chest with her left hand resting over his heart. Her face was so close that if he leaned in a couple inches he would have been able to kiss her forehead. 

He can’t believe they spent the night together and he also can’t believe how much he loves to watch her sleep. While he waits for her to wake up he selects some show to watch that he barely pays attention to. When she wakes up they make breakfast and watch more movies. 

The more time they’re alone, the more vulnerable he feels and it’s a very thrilling sensation. 

“How’s your wrist?” he asks while they’re lounging on the couch again. She’s laying across his chest again but twists her body so she’s facing him, her back to the tv.

She holds it up to his face. He touches the two small bruises with the pads of his fingers.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

He runs his fingers over them once more then intertwines their fingers together so they’re holding hands. Their arms are twisted together and he rests their conjoined hands on his chest, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

“I like this side of you.”

“What side?” He smiles leaning his head back on the couch. 

“This nice and soft side.”

“This is Jake. Hangman can’t be nice and soft.”

“I’ve seen it in both.”

“Guess you’re the only exception.”

He likes how she blushes at that.

Before they both know it, he’s got to head back to his apartment before anyone sees. They both need to take an early night because of the last drill tomorrow. 

“Thanks for having me over.”

“Thanks for the company. See you tomorrow,” she rises on her toes to give him a hug.

He’s a little delayed in hugging her back because he wasn’t expecting it. He holds her close and breathes her in.

“9.6 now,” she whispers and kisses his cheek.

He feels her kiss all night.

***

After the last drill they’re all standing in wait for Maverick to announce who’s joining him on this mission. y/n’s nerves are settling in, it’s a mixture of excitement to go and fear that she won’t. Thinking of Jake makes it even harder because her feelings are definitely growing. Maverick enters the room and they all stand to attention.

“You’ve all done exceptionally well. Your skills have become even more perfect but because of the dynamics of this mission, I had to pick those I thought would be daring and quick. It’s instinctual, intuitive. All of you are incredible pilots and I’m honored to fly with you.

“Flying with me will be Payback and Fanboy. The second team will be Bright Eyes and Hangman as team leader. We leave at 6:00 am for the carrier. Phoenix and Bob you will be on standby. Get some rest and we’ll see you in the morning.”

y/n’s stomach plummets. Has she actually earned this? She’s thrilled to go, she’s worked so hard but now with Jake flying too…will she be able to concentrate? Will she have flashbacks? She doesn’t have time to dwell on her thoughts for long because she’s being congratulated by everybody else. 

Except JJ who she watches stalk towards Jake and punches him in the face. 

There’s a rush of people breaking them apart as JJ tries to swing again and Jake tries to retaliate back but y/n is too stunned to speak or move. 

“What the hell?” Jake thunders still trying to get at JJ.

“I saw you leave y/n’s last night. You screwed her and you’re going to screw her over on this mission!”

“What are you talking about?” y/n snapped at him when she heard that. “Nothing happened, but it’s not your business anyway, Caveman.”

“You aren’t ready for this, y/n,” JJ approaches her and holds onto her shoulders. “I know you’re not. It’s too soon.”

“You’re out of line,” Jake says.

“y/n has earned this, her flying is impeccable,” Phoenix cuts in. “She’s tactical and anticipates everything.”

“JJ–” y/n starts.

“I already lost Henry, I can’t lose you, too,” JJ begs and y/n breathes in deeply. “And Hangman? Really y/n?”

“What exactly is your problem with me, Caveman?” Jake thunders.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Caveman,” y/n responds slowly and exits the room. She’s filled with all sorts of doubt now.

She’s not surprised when Jake is calling for her and he grabs onto her wrist turning her to face him. His cheek is red from where JJ hit him.

“Is there something going on between you and Caveman?” he heaves and she can see the hurt in his eyes even though he tries to hide it.

“No, of course not,” she shakes her head and he relaxes a little. “But he’s right. I’m not ready for this.”

“No, you are ready for this. You’ve been the best flier this whole time we’ve been training. You’re quick to react.”

“No, it’s too soon…I need to talk to Maverick–”

“Hey, hey,” he grabs her hand when she turns away. “Talk to me, what is this all about?”

Tears well in her eyes and that damn near breaks his heart.

“I can’t tell you here.”

“Then let’s go somewhere else.”

“No, I–I need to be alone for a while. I need to think. Come by my apartment in two hours, okay?”

She runs off before he can get another word in and he’s left in confusion. He touches the space below his eye and winces, Caveman packs a solid punch.

*** 

Two hours later Jake knocks on her door. She opens it then gasps when she sees the red swollen bruise on his face. 

“I’ve got quite the shiner,” he smirks but it’s strained because of the bruise. 

“Come in, have you put ice on it?” she asks moving to her fridge. She takes out an icepak.

“No, I’ve been worrying about you.”

Her motions still as she’s wrapping a towel around the pak. 

“Let’s sit down,” she motions to the couch. She places the ice pak on his eye once they are on the couch and he hisses at the impact. 

He replaces her hand with his to hold it to his face, his green eyes are full of questions. She takes a deep breath.

“JJ doesn’t think I’m ready because of Henry. Henry was his best friend since elementary school and they decided to join the Navy together. Then I met them at the Academy. His call sign was Condor. We became friends and then feelings formed. He’s the one who gave me the call sign of Bright Eyes because he said that when I looked at him, my eyes were always so bright.

“And I thought it was special because that’s what my Grandpa called me and he didn’t even know that. We were crazy about each other. Then we were doing an exercise that would result in one of us going on our very first mission. I ended up beating him but it was by pure luck. I didn’t feel ready but he kept telling me I deserved it.

“I didn’t feel right about it so I went to Captain Salvatore to set it straight. So, I told him what happened and that Henry should be the one to go, not me. He admired my honesty and complimented me on my flying and that I do deserve it. But I was adamant that I shouldn’t be on a mission I didn’t earn. Before Henry left, he told me he wanted to marry me. And then,” she takes in a deep breath, her eyes falling to her hands in her lap. 

“He went and I was on standby to help if needed. Things were going well and then three more enemies came out of nowhere. He tried to handle them all but couldn’t and the other team that was flying with him were all out of ammunition. His engines were hit and he still kept fighting. When he couldn’t eject, the levers wouldn’t pull. I think it was too much damage that the wires got burned. The last thing I heard was him saying my name and then…nothing.”

She covers her face as she cries and Jake hugs her to his chest, he drops the pak behind her on the couch. She cries on his shoulder and focuses on his breathing until she calms down. When she pulls back he wipes her tears.

“JJ and I were devastated. He tells me it’s not my fault but it is. It should have been me but I forced him to go and I told JJ I won’t date another pilot. I can’t go through that again and I can’t put someone else through that either.”

Jake cradles her face between his hands so she’s forced to look at him, his eyes are soft. 

“y/n, it is not your fault what happened to Henry. He was outnumbered and I bet he fought as hard as he could to get back to you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’d fight my damndest to come back to you. And I will make damn sure you and I both come home tomorrow. You’ve earned this spot, y/n. I know it, Maverick knows it and Caveman knows it but he doesn’t want to lose you. He only wants you safe.”

“But Jake…I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happens to you.”

“Nothing will happen to me, sweetheart,” he smiles. “I’m a damn good pilot, remember?”

She lets out a watery laugh and wipes away more tears that have fallen. She stares at him then brings her hand to his bruised cheek. 

“I’m sorry JJ punched you.”

“I get why he did it now. I’d probably do the same if I was in his shoes.”

“Jake?”

“Hm?” he hums closing his eyes and rests his cheek against her palm. 

“You’re at a ten.”

His eyes flash open and it takes him a second for what she said to sink in. When it does, he wastes no time in pressing his lips to hers. A jolt goes through the both of them, their kiss is desperate and full of wanting and longing. His fingers shift into her hair, his tongue traces her bottom lip before she opens her mouth. 

She moans when their tongues meet, her hands are rubbing at his neck and shoulders then rises on her knees so she can get more of him. He removes his hands from her hair, dropping them to the backs of her thighs so he can swing her onto his lap. She molds perfectly against him, her hips shifting over his.

He groans and breaks their kiss.

“My willpower is hanging by a very thin thread,” he pants sliding his hands to her ass. Her fingers are caressing all over his face and into his hair, being mindful of the cheek that is bruised. “But if you tell me you don’t want to go further…I’ll leave right now.”

“No, I don’t want you to leave,” she knocks her forehead on his.

“What do you want?” He tilts his head forward so he can peck her lips. 

“I want you,” her nails scratch at his unbruised cheek and she rolls her hips on him again.

“God, I want you too,” he huffs and kisses her again. 

They’re panting heavily in each other’s mouths, hands exploring and hips meeting hips before he rises from the couch. She squeals and squeezes his biceps so she doesn’t fall backwards.

“I got you baby,” he murmurs, moving them towards her bedroom.

The setting sun is glowing through the blinds so he can see where he’s going and doesn’t risk tripping. With their lips still connected, he sets her down on her bed gently. She scoots to the center of it pulling him with her by the collar of his shirt. He crawls over her, straddling her between his legs and her hands are frantic as she scurries to get his shirt off. 

Their lips smack apart so he can remove it, he tosses it somewhere behind him. When he goes in to kiss her again, he pauses because her bottom lip is caught between her teeth as her eyes–and hands–rake over his chest. Her touch is light on his muscles, her thumb circles around his belly button then dips below the waistband of his shorts. He sucks in a breath when her nails tickle his skin, she’s so close to touching him where he’s only dreamed about. 

“You’re so…” she shakes her head and groans when she drags her hands up his stomach again. Her eyes follow her motions until her fingers interlock behind his neck and she sees the hungry desperation in his eyes that she’s sure is mirroring hers.

“What?”

“Perfect,” she whispers. 

And then he’s kissing her again, his arm pulling her to him by her back, his grip is hot and tight and she needs to be closer. She sits up a little forcing him back so she can remove her own shirt. He watches silently and her heart is hammering in her chest when his eyes rake over her naked chest. 

Jake cups her left breast in his hand, gives her a look and then attaches his lip to her nipple. She sighs at the feeling and falls back against her pillows. His tongue swirls and flicks in perfect precision but when his teeth nip at the bud, that’s when she whimpers. Her fingers fly into his hair and he shifts to the next breast, she opens her eyes to watch as his mouth suctions on her breast. She moans again and he groans at the sound. 

He moves his lips down her stomach, his tongue licking along the waistline of her cotton shorts and his eyes glance up at her. His fingers slip beneath the waistline and her hips lift off the bed so he can remove them and her underwear. He tosses those somewhere behind him as well and slides down the bed so he’s at her center. 

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted a taste of you,” he exhales spreading her legs up and open so he’s in the middle of them. He looks up at her. “May I?”

“Mhm, yes,” she nods frantically and he smiles. 

His arms wrap around her thighs, his fingers holding a firm grip as he hovers his lips over the inside of her thighs in a teasing manner. His nose nudges at her pussy lips and he spreads her open with a wide swipe of his tongue. She sighs at the warm sensation and he smiles. He uses his nose again then attaches his whole mouth to her, his tongue skilled and precise as he licks through her folds. 

The sounds he’s making are sinful and pleasing to her ears and when he gets to a certain spot, her fingers fly to his hair to keep him there.

“Right there,” she whimpers. He removes one hand from her thigh so he can slip in a finger, he’s slow and tactical as he works his finger into his knuckle. “Shit!.” 

His mouth and finger work in tandem, gliding in and out so effortlessly. It’s when he hooks his finger deep inside her and rubs is when she loses it. She’s moaning and whimpering as he continues to work her over. He hums and the vibrations roll up her body and into her stomach where she feels her release approaching. His tongue and lips work furiously to get her to her peak.

“Come for me baby, I know you’re almost there,” he huffs. “C’mon.”

She’s breathing heavily, one hand fisting the sheet while the other holds onto his hair. She yanks and pulls as her body folds over and her sweet orgasm warms her whole body. She’s moaning his name and other incoherent words but she doesn’t care, she chases the feeling he’s giving her. 

When her stomach recoils and she falls back against her pillows, he slows his ministrations and slowly pulls his finger out. He gives her pussy one last lick then lifts his head. y/n looks at him through bleary eyes, his hair is mussed and his chin is glistening with her orgasm. His green eyes are dark as he holds her gaze and licks her off his finger. 

“How was that?” he asks.

“So good,” she pants, “so, so good.” 

He smiles and crawls his way back over her, she welcomes him on top with her legs around him and his tongue swiping inside her mouth. She can taste the tanginess of her in his mouth and it makes her hips buck. She works on pushing his shorts down and he kicks them off, his cock is warm and hard against her thigh. 

“Ohh,” she moans feeling him press against her. 

“Want me to fill you up, darlin’?” he peppers kisses along her jaw and below her ear and she holds him close.

“Please, yes, Jake,” she says and nips at his ear lobe. 

“D’you have a condom?” he gives a hard suck to her neck.

“Drawer. Bedside table.”

He stretches his body over to open the drawer. While he’s ruffling inside to find a box or a condom by itself, y/n is biting at his shoulder and strokes his cock in her hand. He flinches at the contact and finally finds the condom. He tears it open with his teeth then leans back so he can roll it on. 

They fall back to her pillows together, his arms caging her in. she touches his bruised cheek gently and he situates himself between her legs. Her hand slips between their bodies until she grabs his shaft and guides him in. When his tip nudges between her folds and adds the slightest pressure of pushing inside, she gasps. 

“Okay?” he asks stilling his hips.

“Mhm, just takes a minute, that’s all,” she smiles.

They work together until he’s fully sheathed inside, her pussy lips quiver and clench around him in adjustment and he begins to rock. Her hands find his hair, her breathing is ragged as he fucks in and out of her slowly. It builds the climax even more by going slow, their gazes never leaving each other because this could very well be their one and only time together before the mission. 

y/n places her hands on the lower part of his back.

“Faster,” she sighs. 

He shifts his body so the back of her thighs are on top of his, it gives him more leverage to thrust in a quicker pace. Her mouth opens at the new position and the quick snap of his hips against hers. He’s hitting in the right space, faster and faster until she’s clenching him again and she feels her body heat up. Her stomach coils and when she comes again, she drags his mouth over hers to hide the loud moan she exudes. Their bodies rock and knock together until he’s coming as well, he buries his face in her neck and she laughs lightly in his ear. 

“Wow,” she breathes, fingers playing in his hair and exploring the muscles in his back. 

They lay there for a while, letting their pulses slow to a regular beat again. Once they do, they curl up in each other’s arms and watch as the sun disappears on the wall. 

“Thanks for telling me about Henry,” he kisses her head. 

“Thanks for waiting.”

***

They're silent as they get ready in the morning to go on the carrier. To save time, they shower together and it’s intimate as they wash each other off. 

“I’ve got you up there, no matter what, all right?” he tells her before they leave her door. 

“I know. I do too,” she says. 

He bends down and gives her one final kiss before they have to act professional in front of everybody else. 

Once at the carrier, they’re debriefed on the mission once more, reiterating how dogfighting is going to be imminent upon takeoff. Maverick is good at letting them know where the next ones are coming in on, and y/n notices two are tailing Hangman. She flies near him and sets her missiles on them accordingly, one of them lets smoke in the air fly but she won’t give up.

Maverick circles back in assistance and they both shoot the enemy down. It’s a long and hard fight, with all of them rescuing each other at least twice. 

“Bright Eyes, there’s one coming right at you, I’m on my way,” Hangman says. 

y/n tries to find it but she’s blocked by the sun, then Hangman is next to her and motions her to pull back. She does and he zooms in front of her with Maverick on her left and they both shoot the Mig down. They’re all cheering over the radio and Cyclone orders them to fly back to the carrier. 

Once they’re all landed, Jake runs towards her jet and helps her down so he can remove her helmet and give her a long, hard kiss. There’s some whistles and catcalls from their team but they don’t care. 

“I almost thought I was a goner at one point,” he tells her.

“Me too,” she says. “I’ve always got your six, Hangman.”

“And I’ll be your wingman anytime, Bright Eyes,” he grins. “I’ll do anything to see those shining eyes.”

Taglist: @coolbabyjacket​

#hangman fic #hangman x reader #hangman angst #hangman seresin x reader #hangman smut #jake seresin writing #top gun writing #top gun maverick #hangman oneshot #jake seresin one shot #hangman fluff

[multifandom-lesbian09]

Hey so I watched all of “My Life With the Walter Boys” today and wrote down my commentary.

“What a way to tell someone her parents are dead.”

“Ginger woman! Ginger woman!”

“You guys have nine boys, at least one of them’s gotta be gay.”

“Oh I’m so sorry, continue being upset about your… situation.”

“I would actually kill myself before I had to stay in a house with nine boys.”

“That one’s gay. I’m calling it; he has a gay haircut. If it’s not the 90’s and you have a Shawn Hunter Haircut, there is no way you’re not fruity.”

“Y’all just ran outta good names, didn’t you? Benny.”

“FARKLE? WHY IS HE WEARING FLANNEL AND PLAYING A GUITAR?”

“I’m afraid of actually liking this show. Like, that is the most Wattpad name. My Life With the Walter Boys, like… no.”

“A stable family life? You keep an emo Farkle upstairs, what about that is stable?”

“What is that shirt? Oh my god, how many of you are gay?”

“That title makes me want to do things to myself that I don’t normally want to do. Bad things.”

“You, I don’t like you, you can go die.”

“Kill yourself, that’s what I think.”

“I don’t know who she is, but she’s very pretty. I hope she ends up being gay.”

After she introduces herself and says she’s from New York. “And I’m very pretty and my parents are dead.”

“She just did the Hannah Montoya Main Character smile. I bet she wants to go lay in the road while it rains.”

“Her name is Jackie Howard, and she is froM NEW YORK BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU GET TO CALL HER NEW YORK. COLE.”

“Don’t sit her next to your girlfriend. That’s dumb. You’re dumb.”

“Oh, so you're an emo and a nerd.”

“Oh no he bought her lunch, it’s the end of my life! You’ve literally known her for a day.”

“He looks like if Sam Winchester was a Chad. And a cat.”

“You can’t look that much like Jared Padalecki and be such a DICK.”

“Yeah. Me too. But also I think that I deserve ice cream after watching that performance because it was kinda cringy.”

“What are you gonna do? Stand there and watch her eat? Go away.”

“I was gonna say that this better not be a Marcus and Ginny thing, but Marcus is superior and you can go kill yourself.”

“Why are the mediocre looking ones the ones we’re worried about? Let’s look at the Shawn Hunter looking ones.”

“Oh, so he does have a tragic backstory. Because… he can’t play football. What a terrible life he has. With his… multiple girlfriends.”

“Why did you just say oh my word? You’re a teenage girl, say fuck.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works. This has the logic of a Wattpad story, too.”

“Preppy Longstocking? Is this a Disney show?”

“OH. OH. THEY’RE GAY. I LITERALLY CALLED IT FOR BOTH OF THEM. I’M SO GOOD.”

“You’re becoming friends! And that’s really good because I love your face.”

“Bro said he peaked his sophomore year…”

“NO, STOP. NATHAN NO.”

“NO. WHAT THE HELL GUYS. THIS IS YOUR FAULT, COLE, THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE YOU.”

“Your brother… and your friend… is in the HOSPITAL. So why don’t we go SEE HIM? Stop MAKING OUT.”

“OH THEY KISSED. OH MY GOD YAAaaaaAAAaY.”

“Yes, she’s holding her banana up to you. Because she’s choosing you.”

About how it shouldn’t have taken Will and Haley breaking up for him to realize she’s more important than any job… “No, it shouldn’t have.” *starts singing Just Give Me a Reason*

“Yes! Jesus Christ, I’ve been telling you people to go to the courthouse since the first episode and you didn’t LISTEN TO ME.”

After Skylar and Nathan kiss “Literally I’m so happy that they’re together. I knew he was the gay one.”

“Screw all of you guys for getting me invested in this show.”

“Who’s Morgan, and why are we ignoring her?”

Reading the note that Cole wrote Jackie “nothing is broken that can’t be fixed…” *starts singing Just Give Me a Reason: the sequel*

When Jackie and Cole are making out “STOP. STOP THAT YOU DUMB FUCKS YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T DO THAT! THIS CAN'T BE A REPEAT ARE YOU SHITTING ME?”

“No, because she’s in the wherever with Cole. Because it happened again, because Cole’s a dick. A DICK, I SAY.”

When Jackie is on the plane back to NY “Really? Really? Really? Really? Really? REALLY? You dicks.”

#my life with the walter boys #my commentary #lololol i think i’m funny

[allieebobo]

oh no! The Cargill basketball (or soccer, or jenga, or whatever you would like) team has fallen prey to an ancient curse a day before the Big Game and the only possible substitutes are our lovable band of tennis goofs! How do they do? Who faceplants the moment they have to play a non-tennis sport? Is Rayyan capable of losing at anything?

Love this ask so much that I just might code/write it - maybe just for fun if it doesn't go into the actual IF.

Tobin

Played both soccer and basketball in middle school. With their hand-eye-coordination and awareness of their body, they really could play anything they put their mind to.

Were considering playing soccer in high school, because they love the dynamics and the excitement of playing in a team, the roar of the crowd. But gave it up to concentrate on tennis.

Playing again fills them with nostalgia, reminding them what they loved about the game as a kid.

Just like on the tennis court, Tobin moves with an easy, agile grace and is a natural leader.

Attacking midfielder. Intelligent, tactical, and tireless. Orchestrates both attack and defense; equally comfortable shooting from distance or sliding an inch perfect throughball.

After the game, coach unabashedly tries to poach them. “Anytime you get fed up with tennis, you have my number.”

Rayyan

Only other sport they've done is fencing, because their father is obsessed; they've always known that tennis is their true calling.

Left back. What they lack in skill, they make up for in ferocious intensity and a never-say-die attitude. Extremely competitive, and will not give up even when trailing 0-4. "You never know?! We might just score one goal per minute!"

Willing to throw themselves at the ball (or the opponent) in last-ditch flying dives. While Tobin leads most of the attack & overall play, Rayyan is king of the back 4, rock solid in defense.

Even though tennis is a non-contact sport, they somehow immediately take to tackling/fouling opponents as though they’d been trained. Intimidation level is a solid 12/10, able to stare down rampaging attackers and singlehandedly reduce them to a floundering mess.

Coach is quite terrified of them, tbh. Gingerly asks if they’ve ever considered football. As in, American football.

Deepal

Has played a bit of soccer recreationally, when growing up in India - with friends, family etc.

Right winger. Blistering speed, creative, with improvisional flair and a knack for the unpredictable. Slippery like an eel. Very deadly down the wing. Not above cracking a joke as distraction.

Jacks

Goalie. Calm, unflappable.

Chose this position because they're happy with a slightly lower level of baseline ‘excitement’; happy to watch the action from afar, sometimes doing a little celebratory jig from the other end, when the team scores.

Emerson

Right back. Rayyan’s terrifying twin in defense. Full of bluster and hot air and physicality. Unlike Rayyan, though, they’re really hopeless in terms of skill – sometimes mistiming their sliding tackles, or tripping over themselves. Most likely to faceplant in an overly enthusiastic tackling attempt.

Sometimes, Rayyan half-feels like throttling Emerson, instead of the opponent, constantly shouting “SAFETY FIRST,” and “JUST CLEAR IT WHY DON’T YOU”.

Greatest strength = trash-talking the team until they get pissed and fumble the ball, at which point Emerson will swoop in to snatch the ball away. Fond of hacking the ball far up-field in hail-mary attempts.

Max

Center-forward/striker. Playful, ingenious, with a telepathic connection with Deepal, who feeds them incisive passes in the penalty area.

Is a little short, though, and is terrible at taking corners; Constantly tackled, causing Rayyan to be up-in-arms and ready to kill any opponent defender who so much as lays a finger on them.

Akimi

Defensive midfielder; Quiet, no-frills, gets the job done. Fluid and versatile, works well with Tobin.

Not particularly talented, but is pretty sensible (keeps their head in a scuffle, always there to separate Rayyan or Emerson when they butt up against an opposing player)

Sam (bonus)

Has absolutely brilliant moments as a center forward/false nine. Can score with every part of their body, including knee, nose, stomach, etc. with an uncanny ability to shrug off their defenders and read incoming passes.

Sam dribbling through the defense is truly a sight to behold. However, they also have their moments of complete comedic gaffes - especially when they lose concentration/start daydreaming or chatting with opposing players/spot a funny sign in the crowd.

G (bonus)

A scarily good coach/analyst.

Familiar with soccer because they grew up watching and playing a bit of soccer with their friends, and although they are actually surprisingly good with the ball, would prefer contributing off the pitch with devastatingly sharp, astute observations of strengths/weaknesses, optimal formations etc.

#asks #college tennis: origin story #ct:os #if #rayyan #sam #tobin #g #deepal #max #akimi #emerson #jacks

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 44 Review

Originally posted April 22nd, 2016

Indulgence abounds.

In my review of “Cell Service,” I mentioned that Cell got most of the best jokes in that episode. That’s certainly true, but it’s also a bit of an understatement; Cell was the funniest and most entertaining character in “Cell Service,” and “Cell Reception” takes his character a step further, still relying on him for the best jokes in the episode while expanding the appeal of his charismatic psychosis.

We get to watch as Cell devours a group of fifties-inspired football players, debates with an imaginary virgin city about his plans to devour her, and tears through that city as his destruction is paralleled by the obnoxious samples and sound effects of the local radio hosts, TJ and The Wombat.1

In each of these scenes, Takahata101 brings an infectious energy to Cell that strikes the perfect balance between disgusting and awe-inspiring, while also arguably keeping him grounded; sure, Cell is on a sociopathic quest for perfection, but he’s also petty and emotional, literally getting into a shouting match with a car horn because he doesn’t want to move out of the way of a bus driver. When combined with Cell’s friendly antagonism towards Piccolo in “Cell Service,” he becomes a genuinely affable character who, sure, indulges in petty violence and disregard for others, but is just choosing to fully indulge in his worst tendencies because, let’s face it, they’re fun to indulge in.

Like the spoiled megalomania of Freeza or the compensating egoism of Vegeta, Cell represents our worst qualities without misrepresenting how enjoyable they are to indulge in, and in this way, Team Four Star channels the spirit of Martin Scorsese, letting us indulge in our worst tendencies without shying away from how ugly they can truly be.

The theme of indulgence carries over to the rest of the scenes too: Vegeta yells at Trunks that he “is the hype” after Trunks attempts to challenge his ego, Tien willingly goads Vegeta’s anger despite his tendencies for violent outburst, and Trunks and Krillin make their own sound effects as they shoot lasers (the only innocent pleasure reveled in during this episode).

Even an unconscious Goku indulges himself in a dream sequence that places him as the protagonist in an imagined One Piece Abridged and Naruto Abridged series, which is both a clever jab at obnoxious fans who’ve demanded Team Four Star abridge those other incredibly popular anime, and a sly condemnation of Goku, who chooses to enjoy this dream despite the pleading of Piccolo Zoro2 to wake up and help them in the battle against the Androids.

The scene still revels in the fun of the dream sequence though, and the only scene that actually questions this indulgence is when Trunks brings up the morality of killing a fetal version of Cell. This question is quickly diffused by Krillin, who dismisses the idea that Cell’s potential rights are worth considering, simply because it means he’ll finally get to kill a legitimate threat.

This is probably still morally the best decision, which Krillin points out in his justification to Trunks, but it ultimately comes down to Krillin’s desire to actually exert some power. And really, given everything Krillin’s had to go through over the course of this series, I can’t blame him for that in the slightest.

Rating: 5/5

If you enjoyed this review, consider supporting me on Patreon.

Stray Observations

1I want to say that Cell’s musical motif is expanded when he calls for them to play “Video Killed the Radio Star,” too, but it seems to me that it was selected solely for the irony of Cell killing radio hosts while it plays, as there’s very little thematic relation between the song’s message and Cell’s character.

2This is itself a clever joke too, referencing the shared voice actor the dubs of One Piece and Dragonball Z had in Christopher Sabat, who played both Piccolo and Zoro. What? I know some things about original anime. By osmosis… Okay, I only know this because I overheard a friend mention it once, but still!

Cell: “So, South City is to the North, North City is to the West, and East City is… also to the North.”

Bus Driver: “I am now going to start applying the horn. I am now going to use it again. I will now continue to use the horn until you politely move!”

Tien: “What are you going to become, a mega-Saiyan? Ultra-Saiyan? Maximum Over-Saiyan!”

Krillin: “I’m dropping the pretense; we’re aborting Cell.”

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbza #dbz #dbza ep44

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Familiar Faces - Interlude Grayson and John

Summary of this AU: Elijah Gilbert has been haunted by dreams of other lives as long as he remembers, but now with the appearance of the Salvatore brother he may finally get some answers.

Not sure where this came from but thought I'd share, currently plotting out the events later on in the time line and what going on in MF vs NOLA.

If Elijah knew he'd look back at the time he was stopping Damon from killing Zach and miss it, he'd likely set everything on fire.

Anyway back to a even brighter time.

----

John and Grayson watched the kids on the lawn as the twins ran through the latest routine. Miranda was inside getting the kids a drink with Jenna likely gossiping about Jenna's love life.

John had missed the twins turning sixteen as so had arrived a month late, asking them to show him what they had leaned since he had last visited.

Cheerleading had been a natural choice for Elena, part to follow Miranda's footsteps and part to keep doing things alongside Bonnie and Caroline.

Grayson hadn’t been as happy with Elijah's choice, first to follow along and then to take an interest in gymnastics properly. Copying his sister and her friends had been fine as children but doing the same into high would have made Elijah a easy target for bullies, something he had been worried about already as he saw his son being pushed to the sidelines by the assumption that Tyler and Matt would be joining the football team. 

But his wife and Elijah had both made it clear he wasn’t joining the team, Elijah pointing out his episodes would mean he’d miss some games which would cause more trouble but being part of the cheer team meant they could just not include him for the final routines, while he still went to practice with the girls, even if it meant he was only acting as a spotter. 

He had asked Elijah why he was so interested in it.

“It’s mine” Elijah had explained, “in the way the instruments aren’t, they’re calming but like I already know them, gymnastics and the routines are new, I have to work at them.”

Elijah could’ve been a prodigy with his natural ability with all the instruments they had tried but he visibly became quickly bored or uncomfortable when he spent too long with them, the best they had got for him to enjoy them was when he started to play his siblings latest favourite on his instruments.

So Grayson and Mirandra had gotten used to listening to Elijah play ‘Linkin park’ and others on his piano to Elena’s and Jeremy’s amusement instead of the classic composers, it was all fine as long as their kids were happy.

Once he had agreed Miranda had insisted on hiring a proper instructor which he had also agreed with to Elijah’s annoyance, to make sure Elijah knew everything he needed to stop himself from accidentally hurting someone else or himself.

Elijah landed a backward somersault to Jeremy and Elena’s cheers, he smiled towards his son as Elijah looked up, as John clapped beside him.

He watched as Elena called Jeremy over and the pair started to instruct him how to act as their spotter, he felt himself tense as he always did when they started doing this.

“He’s good.” John complemented, “Healthy, you’d never have expected this after his episodes.”

Elijah looked a normal healthy teenager, only noticeably leaner when standing besides Matt and Tyler and in the last year he had managed to out grow Tyler slightly.

But he had been born worryingly smaller that Elena and while he grew, the episodes in the early years of his life and slowed him down from catching up.

“They still happen.” he sighed, even he couldn’t tell if they had lessened as Elijah had grown or his son had learnt to hide how much they affected him.

“Your research-” his brother started and he could already see where it was going.

“John.” The name came out a little too sharp but it shut his brother up, “I sat beside him in the hospital bed for nights after we tried the blood.” he reminded him “It didn't just fail to make a difference, it made it worse. Listening as he begged in his sleep, as he cried in languages he shouldn’t know.”

Jeremy helped Elena climb onto Elijah’s shoulder, his daughter raised her arms above her head with a bright smile, kept steady by Elijah’s hands on her calves. 

“His magic-” John started, but he cut him off again.

“He’s learned enough to keep control, Shelia will keep watch over him in case it becomes a problem.” Grayson explained. Elijah had about as much interest in learning more about becoming a witch as he did the classical composers. He learned enough to ensure he wasn’t a danger and nothing else.

Grayson sighed in relief as Elena returned to the ground with Elijah’s help, but he kept up a proud smile, even if it raised his heart rate it was good to see them all together, the twins had always been great with keeping Jeremy involved.

“He needs to be prepared, they do.“ John told him again, the words kept from the children by his clapping.

Grayson hated the reminder, he didn’t want any of his children facing the supernatural, he wanted to them stay innocent of the monsters of the world. 

Elena and Elijah both wanted to help people and they could by following him in becoming a doctor, but he didn’t want them to follow his other path, Elijah had enough nightmares already and the idea of an episode striking when he was facing one of them would be a death sentence.

“Elijah doesn’t need the added burden when we don’t know what is causing his episodes.” he shook his head as he confessed.

Grayson had no intention of showing either of the twins the Gilbert journals and he had made sure the Augustine Society knew to leave Elijah alone, he wouldn’t trust some of those at the society not to experiment on Elijah's adverse reaction to the blood.

Grayson did his brother a favour and ignored the fact John visibly relaxed once he knew the twins would be spared their family traditions, instead he swallowed his own guilt at only planning to place that weight on his youngest’s shoulders.

—--

When John to Mystic falls after his brother’s death he’s not expecting for the founder’s council to know about Elijah’s magic and to inform him that his nephew-son was standing in their way to remove the vampires.

He blames the Salvatore brothers, for endangering the twins and breaking his brother’s wish to spare them from knowing everything.

#tvd #fic #Elijah Mikaelson #Grayson Gilbert #john gilbert #tvd fanfiction #au- Familiar faces #the vampire dairies au #fanfiction #the vampire diaries

[angelasscribbles]

Monday Night Football

Original Work. Flash Fiction. Micro Fiction. Short Fiction.

Word Count: 835

This was from a writing prompt that was just: Monday Night Football. But of course, my mind had to bring magic into it. Because magic that's why.

Find more of my flash-fiction here.

The ball was up! She watched as it spiraled perfectly across the field and fell into the hands of the waiting running back. The catch was good, he took off down the field as a player from the opposing team threw himself on him for the sack.

Gretchen leaned forward in her seat on the 50-yard line, barely breathing. No one else would have noticed the slight shimmer in the air around them as the running back twisted his body and practically flew out of his opponent’s grasp. The other man hit the ground hard and rolled harmlessly away as the man with the ball leapt out of his grasp and sprinted toward the goal.

Leaning back in her seat she breathed out a sigh of relief. At long last, she had found him. He would not escape her this time.

She shook her head as she marveled at the audacity of using magic in front of the whole world. That was the type of thing that would get them all outed, start another witch hunt, and get them all killed.

That’s exactly why it was illegal. The council of Witches, Warlocks, and Other Magical Beings (WWOMB) had expressly outlawed using magic in the presence of humans.

She left her seat and slipped quietly into an empty corner in the stadium hallway. Opening her compact, she waved her hand over the mirror and the WWOMB chairwoman appeared.

“Yes, Gretchen?”

“I found him!” She practically squealed.

“We are dispatching a team to your location now.” The chairwoman nodded curtly then disappeared as the compact turned back into a regular mirror.

Turning, she bumped into someone. Annoyed, she glanced up as she murmured an unfelt apology. When the person she had collided with neither responded nor moved, she looked up ready to give him a piece of her mind.

The words died on her lips as she gazed up at him! Oh no, no, no, no! This was not good! If she messed up another case, she was definitely getting kicked off the council’s investigative team. This could be the end of her career in magical law enforcement.

“Azazel! How….I mean……”

“How did I know you were here?” He smiled down at her with a brilliance that she was sure melted women’s hearts all the time. But she couldn’t get distracted by that right now.

“Uh..yeah, how did you know?”

“You just used a mirror communication spell in a public place. And you want to arrest me for doing the same? The council is full of hypocrites.”

“No, it’s not the same, I found a private place—“

“You call this private?” He asked gesturing to the people milling all around, “Anyone could walk up on you while you were using magic. I just did.”

She felt confusion sweep over her. He was right. She used magic in public all the time; she was just good at disguising it. Like he had disguised his use, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. No, it wasn’t the same, he was on national television for Pete’s sake!

She opened her mouth to tell him that when suddenly he grabbed her and kissed her. For a moment the floor fell out from under her. The building full of people disappeared, the council, her worry about her career, all of it just vanished.

When she came back down to earth, she stared up at him like he had lost his mind, “What the hell was that for?”

“Shhhh!” He said, grabbing her hand as he looked past her. She followed his gaze to see the team of magic users the council had dispatched.

“They’re heading toward the locker room, of course.” He breathed as he pulled her in the other direction.

“Wait! What are you doing? I’m on their side!” She protested, pulling her hand away from him.

“Are you sure about that?” He asked, “Your sister wasn’t. I know where she is. Come with me, I can explain everything.”

Her sister? How did he know about Lila?

“You know my sister? Where is she?” Gretchen demanded

 “I can take you to her. The council is wrong about everything. Come with me, I can prove it. Please!”

She hesitated for a moment. Glancing back toward the backs of the extraction team, she felt her resolve waver. Her sister! Lila had disappeared when Gretchen was still in high school, no one, not even her parents would tell her where Lila had gone or why. Could she really be a part of the resistance? The very thing that Gretchen had pledged her life to fight against? How could she go with him?

How could she not? She had to know.

What the hell was wrong with her? In a move she knew would be not only career suicide but possibly land her on the exact wrong side of the council, she nodded and took his hand. They ran down the hall together, away from the extraction team and toward her future.

#writeblr #prose #flash fiction friday #magic #witches

[ziracona]

Could we have some highlight moments/episodes of Welcome to Hell with Meg Thomas?

Well, obviously the OG was a beloved classic. The first time she did an episode at the campfire/tried to do a ‘real’ episode, she basically just turned on her camera and started walking up to people while narrating like an interviewer kinda mockumentary-style, and the weird assortment of ‘I don’t know how to react (Nea)’ to ‘playing along at a 100 (Ace)’ to ‘I’m remarkably awkward on camera and get weird and stunted (Dwight)’ to ‘then—are you fucking FILMING right now?!? (Jake)’ and beyond were pretty great.

I’m sure personal favorites varied a lot, but usually the bit consisted of about what you see in Welcome to Hell with Meg Thomas; Meg posing a random question/discussion topic, and people getting goofy about answering. Ace was the funniest regularly, because he always gave 100% and had fun with it. Some of the funniest topics to be given were ‘hope do you cope with the stress of eternal dying?’ (The answers were bonkers and ran the gambit from ‘sincere helpful advice (Claudette)’ to (‘insane absolute lies that lead to wild shenanigans (Ace and Meg, included chucking a rock at Michael over the border to see what would happen and frantic scream laughing running away)’ to ‘I don’t *downs an entire bottle of vinegar* (Jake)’.

Some other favorites were ‘two truths and a lie, Q&A style (they can try to press hard for details—lead to wild ass stories)’, ‘who would win in a fight?’ (Fights broke out and got out of control), ‘who has the most game? (Insane breakdowns for how this was calculated. The episode that took Claudette out for a month [she was unanimously voted ‘most game’])’ ‘how long can we gaslight Jake into thinking he must have left tools where he actually didn’t before he kills us?’ (Mini segments stitched together—four days of intense tactical work. He went ballistic and threw Meg bodily into a bush at the end of it.). ‘How ‘dad’ is Dwight really?’ (A favorite of everyone’s but Dwight. Claudette thinks of this one when she mentions Meg said he’d become too powerful if they got him to do the ‘hey I’m hungry’ ‘hey hungry, I’m Dwight’ dad joke thing). ‘The compliment game’ (say something praiseful and more extreme than the person before you without breaking 100% sincere performance. Person you’re praising picks the topic. Last person standing gets whatever everyone else ponied up as a bet). ‘Theories about-?’ (repeated segment. Basically pick a survivor who hadn’t said much or previous survivor whose name you found on something, or a killer /not/ known to the group [IE not Freddy], and guess who they were. Story voted best gets a prize, but whether ‘funniest’ ‘most interesting’ ‘most believable’ or ‘most fucked up’ won varied from episode to episode.) ‘Explain [BLANK] to me?’ (Survivor chosen to explain something they’re considered an ‘expert’ in — IE Jake explains crows, Ace explains cheating, Claudette explains plants. Either the asked ‘expert’ would give answers as ridiculously as possible, usually slightly inventing a character for themself as the resident expert, or if they took it seriously, the others would ask increasingly ridiculous questions/offer ridiculous commentary. Nevertheless, usually some useful info gained. Jake enjoyed being chosen and tricking someone into trying something and then watching them fail miserably, and somehow like Lucy Van Pelt with a football, it always seemed to work).

And many more!

#ask #anonymous #welcome to hell with Meg Thomas #dead by daylight #in living memory (fic) #in living memory

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Why someone would make a sequel to 1976’s Carrie 23 years after the original, I don't know. Even if this had been released at the right time (if such a thing as a right time existed) this is a lazily-conceived, badly made film. The climax is more likely to leave you in hysterics than shivering in terror.

In 1999, outcast Rachel (Emily Bergl) hates life at home thanks to her unloving foster parents. After her best friend Lisa (Mena Suvari) commits suicide, Rachel learns a popular football jock, Eric (Zachery Ty Bryan), feigned love for the dead girl so he could sleep with and then dump her to impress his friends. All the football players are partaking in this game, even the seemingly sweet Jesse (Jason London), on whom Rachel has a crush.

I've omitted two details about this plot to show you how much of a sequel to Carrie it isn’t. The entire film could easily play out without these, leading me to believe (though I can’t prove it) it was written as some other movie and then reworked to tie into the 1976 Brian De Palma film. Technically, The Rage is a follow-up. Amy Irving returns as Sue Snell, now an adult guidance counsellor for Rachel's school. That’s a detail. The real reason this is “a sequel”? Rachel. The young woman has the the same telekinetic powers as Carrie did. With that said, I bet you can predict the entire movie now. The film’s villains are essentially the Spur Posse. Rachel’s going to fall in love with one of them, they’ll have sex, his buddies will ruin everything by telling Rachel it was all a facade, unleashing her titular rage upon them. Cue the blood bath until TRAGEDY! Turns out the love was real. Too bad loads of people are now dead. Too bad for Rachel, I mean. We couldn’t care less about the teens who bit the dust.

While it would’ve left you feeling like you just took a bath in a bucket of grease, this picture might’ve sucessfully told its revenge plot if it had played things smartly. You instantly hate the bad guys so you’re somewhat endeared to Rachel. Unfortunately, writer Rafael Moreau and director Katt Shea fumble this project. Over and over, we're shown clips of the 1976 film. What do they mean? Rachel wasn’t there. These aren’t her memories. Sue wasn’t there either - she left the deadly party before the carnage began. They're included to assure us that there will be blood later and because this film knows otherwise, everyone would leave. While we wait, the picture goes into needless details about Rachel’s powers, explaining their origin in a way that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Picture this. Rachel is going to the jock’s post-graduation party. They’re getting ready to dump this film’s equivalent of a bucket of blood on her when they broadcast the secret footage of her and Jesse having sex for everyone to see. Counsellor Sue has been picking away at this nagging feeling that something’s not right with the teenager. She’s found the girl’s insane mother, broken her out of Arkham Asylum and is bringing her to the party so Rachel can understand why she has mutant powers. As they approach the door, Rachel hurls a fire poker at a schoolmate, impaling him through the head. In the process, she kills Sue. The woman’s death is accidental so it doesn’t tell us anything about how intensely Rachel’s rage burns. Left to her own devices, mom barges into the chaotic house to explain to her daughter what’s happening. Too bad the characters haven’t spoken in 13 years. They're lucky they knew who was who! The exchange that follows means NOTHING because their connection isn't emotional, it's technical.

No fan of the original Carrie could watch The Rage and be satisfied with it. No one who hasn’t seen the original should watch this movie instead. The Rage: Carrie 2 is a picture without an audience. It’s got some unintentionally funny moments towards the end when the gore and violence are supposed to appall us but you’ll have checked out long before then. (On VHS, March 5, 2020)

#The Rage: Carrie 2 #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #carrie #Katt Shea #Rafael Moreu #Emily Bergl #Jason London #Dylan Bruno #J. Smith-Cameron #Amy Irving #1999 movies #1999 films #horror movies #horror films

[drustvar]

Changes / Additions to Muriel's route 11/22

These are more notes for myself more than anything but I thought I might as well share. This is also besides the obvious stuff like he knows what a market is and of COURSE has been in the shop before. (seriously wtf???) Putting under a cut bc there's A LOT. like. A LOT !

Rosie picks up on Muriel's dislike of crowds / general fear of red street and suggests they duck into a garden to wait out the crowds. Unfortunately up until this point she'd been stopping to chat like every 5 minutes which he understandably got frustrated with. This is also when she asks about the chains he wears, and its mentioned that he and Asra have tried everything to break them. (Hinting that they're in someway connected to the Devil / whatever Lucio's been dealing with.) She doesn't ask about them again. ||

Muriel in general in the early chapters is way more prickly / mean because 1, I think that's hot and 2, he doesn't want to fucking be there. ||

His magic and rune casting becomes way more of a plot point, especially in how they navigate through the Steppes / Keep up w Morga. Lots of classic fantasy druidism TM vibes. ||

Khamgalai does die, but she's not getting killed of literally within the same day. Muriel + Rosie get to spend like at least a week with her , meaning 1. more info / worldbuilding about his culture and 2. When she does die it actually has some impact instead of just being shock value. ||

Speaking of Khamgalai, I'm also moving the first kiss between Rosie/Muriel to when they're staying with her. Personally do not like in the canon story how it happens while he's literally having a panic attack. He deserves to have that when he feels safe and content. Thinking something along the lines of just a quiet moment shared on the porch at sunrise. ||

Instead of being given a bow Rosie is given a pair of knives (given how Morga has already seen that she has some familiarity with them) with the runes carved in them she can make them sort of boomerang in and out of her hand. ||

Morga's crimes / lack of action are also addressed and taken far more seriously. Muriel had every right to be mad and he should have been allowed to be. ||

Might add in a chapter or two where they stop at the inn again as sort of a thematic "back to where we started from" type thing except they're worn out and scarred from the journey. Things start to get a little hot and heavy between them but Muriel puts a stop to it bc so far only bad things happen to the people he cares about / they get taken away from him, and he doesn’t want that to happen to Rosie. ||

Muriel is initially very wary of the townsfolk sheltering in the forest, especially the wealthy. Not too long ago these were the same people who were watching him fight for his life for their entertainment. Rosie backs him up on this. (it helps that she doesn't like the nobility to start with either lmfao) ||

I might have them meet his parents when they're in the spirit world??? It truly felt like that's what it was leading up to but idk. The Hermit himself is also more serious and not played off as a gag. ||

Muriel suggests that instead of a siege, they invade the palace via the way-stones and passageways . Right before they can begin phase one, they’re invited to speak to Lucio at the Lazaret. He proposes a series of games / feats of strength, for “old times sake”. They initially refuse, but Lucio implores them to reconsider, implying that he’s somehow gotten wind of their plans of invasion. After some discussion they begrudgingly agree, but on one condition. Only they get to choose the games, he has no say in them and is only a contestant. ||

Football to save the world is funny but also incredibly jarring giving the tone of the previous chapters. After the evening banquet Lucio enters the arena and states something along the lines that he’s let them have their fun, but they simply haven’t played fair. Using devil magic:™: he warps the landscape and the Coliseum begins to close in like a giant bear trap. One more big fight before everything is said and done.

#mine #ramblings #im writing this after being up since like 11 last night LMFAO so sorry if none of it is coherent but these are the main beats so far i gue #*guess #muriel #still need a good title for this project #uh. absolutely open to suggestions on title + any of this