ᴘʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʟʟ

SCOTT BAKULA as Capt. Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise “Broken Bow”

RED DEAD REDEMPTION II ᨖ

jack daniels tag drop.

     for years now, shooting a gun has been as simple as breathing. like his weapons were apart of him - taking them away akin to amputation. his reflexive response of ' just shoot ' DIES on his tongue when arthur glances sideways to hope. notes how her eyes, turning almost purple under the setting sun, stay glued on the weapon she's holding. barely daring to breathe for fear of doing it wrong.

     arthur's hand releases the barrel of the revolver, a fingertip tapping the sights just above the hammer. ❝ line these up with your target, ❞ he instructs. ❝ both ends. at this distance, you don't gotta worry about the bullet goin' low. just make sure you're shootin' straight. ❞

     a few silent heartbeats stretch as he allows hope to make adjustments. he doesn't chime in. doesn't attempt to CORRECT her. knows she won't learn unless she makes a mistake & understands why. but it's damn tempting - especially since his hand still covers her. the hard line of his chest pressing against her shoulder. feeling like he needs an excuse to stay so close to her.

                 he doesn't have one, so he pulls away.

     ❝ & always fire on empty lungs, ❞ arthur finishes, his voice deep & only slightly above a whisper. not wanting to speak louder & break her focus. brows pulled together, muscles taut as he waits for the loud clap of hope pulling the trigger.

     while arthur did pull away, he keeps a hand hovering over the spot between her shoulder blades. ready to connect & keep her from stumbling if need be. firing a shot during the HEAT of the moment was very different from a calm, quiet moment in the forest. arthur has to make sure to keep his focus on the lesson, however - the heat he feels radiating from her spine is almost enough to break it.

hands  drop  to  her  sides  in  anxious  preparation  ,  ready  to  follow  his  instruction  -  they  open  &  close  a  few  times  ,  simply  because  it  feels  like  something  one  ought  to  do  before  handling  such  a  weapon  .  she  is  so  focused  on  being  appropriately  𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓  ,  that  she  doesn't  really  consider  how  arthur  intends  to  go  about  teaching  her  until  she  feels  his  warm  calloused  touch  .

as  much  as  hope  tries  to  hide  it  ,  she  stiffens  in  response  ,  like  a  prey  animal  deciding  whether  it  is  safer  to  bolt  or  remain  frozen  in  place  .  she  holds  her  breath  ,  listening  diligently  ,  delicate  fingers  closing  carefully  around  the  handle  &  adjusting  to  his  instruction  .  despite  her  nerves  &  the  𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕  rising  to  her  cheeks  due  to  their  proximity  ,  she  can't  help  but  feel  a  bit  more  at  ease  with  his  rumbling  low  voice  at  her  back  &  the  even-keeled  steadiness  of  his  movements  .

then  he  mentions  killing  &  her  heart  picks  up  its  pace  once  more  .  while  the  idea  of  taking  another's  life  is  instinctively  abhorrent  to  her  ,  she  also  realizes  that  it  is  a  𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑮𝑬  she's  never  had  to  cross  that  threshold  of  irreversible  moral  compromise  .

she  still  knows  very  little  about  mr.  morgan  ,  but  has  picked  up  enough  about  him  to  know  he  entered  the  life  of  an  outlaw  at  an  extremely  formative  age  .  from  what  she  understands  ,  it's  all  he's  ever  known  .  she  has  no  room  to  judge  him  for  doing  what  is  necessary  to  𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆  ,  so  she  doesn't  .

his  grasp  completely  encompassing  her  own  ,  she  is  similarly  struck  by  their  difference  in  size  .  he  truly  towers  over  her  ,  her  slight  frame  fitting  against  his  broad  one  in  a  way  that  makes  her  weak  in  the  knees  .  grappling  with  herself  to  𝑭𝑶𝑪𝑼𝑺  on  the  task  at  hand  ,  the  squeeze  he  gives  recaptures  her  attention  &  she  copies  the  gesture  attentively  .

❝  woah  ,  ❞  brows  rise  into  her  fringe  as  he  demonstrates  how  secure  her  grip  has  become  ,  a  small  𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅  smile  tugging  at  the  corner  of  her  lips  . it makes her feel . . . strong . ❝  okay  ,  i  think  i  got  it  .  what  next  ?  ❞

What’s the worst decision you made while you were drunk?

Don’t mean to brag but I️ don’t even need alcohol to make really bad decisions.

♡ for a starter / memes from arthur morgan

                         arthur spots her instantly.

     he doesn't move to intercept her. not yet. with an indigo sky bleeding into a WANING deep orange & gold lights that twinkle around & around, arthur takes just a moment to watch hope. he so rarely gets to see her - only a handful of days out of the year. even then, it's maybe just a couple hours where she isn't running around or laughing or cheering. seeing hope stroll casually about, with nothing to do but wait for him, was a nice change of pace.

     but soon, as always, arthur finds himself moving to be in her vicinity. pushing off the metal barrier & stalking through the crowd towards her. making sure her back stays facing him. arthur can't help himself - a smile tugs on his lips. anticipation of seeing her up close, mixed with a TWISTED amusement, nearly gives him away because he almost wants to laugh.

     she stops. he stops. her head turns slightly to the left & then the right - looking for him, arthur realizes. it makes him take two long strides closer to her, coming within arms reach of hope. by now, he's grinning. bounces on his toes once. LEANS closer to her. from anyone else's point of view, arthur might seem like some sort of creep.

     the fun is quickly overridden by his desire. he takes another step closer, right behind her shoulder. leans in close to her ear. the sweet smell of her threatens to strangle him but arthur doesn't need to speak so loudly where he stands so he's CONTENT to let it.

     ❝ lookin' for someone ? ❞

𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 ( accepting ! )

@quastari said : meet me at our spot tonight . ( from modern arthur )

❝  i'll  be  right  there  ,  mama  -  just  gotta  𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑪𝑲  on  somethin'  real  fast  .  .  .  ❞

prepping  for  the  annual  brightside  county  fair  is  quite  an  event  in  the  baxter  household  ,  akin  to  holidays  like  christmas  or  thanksgiving  .  everyone  wakes  up  early  ,  everyone  pitches  in  .  even  little  sister  faith  ,  who  is  begrudgingly  back  home  from  college  for  the  summer  ,  is  involved  -  albeit  her  help  is  accompanied  with  several  complaints  &  an  above-it-all  roll  of  her  eyes  .  hope's  father  is  packing  up  the  stand  they  use  every  year  ,  loading  its  aged  &  well-loved  wooden  components  into  the  back  of  the  family's  red  pickup  truck  for  the  short  journey  to  their  small  town's  fairgrounds  .  ardella  is  transporting  boxes  upon  boxes  of  sweet  treats  ,  breads  ,  preserves  ,  wildflower  honey  ,  fresh  produce  ,  chicken  eggs  ,  flowers  from  the  garden  .  .  .  a  𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍  spread  of  the  rich  bounties  their  farm  has  to  offer  ,  lovingly  cultivated  to  be  shared  with  their  community  .  this  tradition  is  one  of  hope's  very  favorite  times  of  year  ,  a  time  of  togetherness  &  nostalgia  under  the  hot  tennessee  sun  .

so  much  has  changed  over  the  past  few  years  .  she  has  finally  opened  up  her  own  bakery  ,  in  brooklyn  no  less  .  a  few  years  ago  she  wouldn't  have  even  thought  it  possible  .  she'd  been  burnt  out  ,  drowning  between  waitressing  gigs  ,  her  shitty  ex  boyfriend  ,  &  culinary  school  .  but  every  obstacle  has  been  𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬  ,  now  hope  &  christina  are  left  to  reap  the  profits  from  what  they  have  laboriously  sowed  .  at  last  ,  hope  baxter  has  found  some  breathing  room  ,  &  her  chosen  reward  for  all  of  that  hard  work  is  a  trip  back  home  just  in  time  to  soak  up  the  southern  farming  town  charm  she's  been  missing  in  the  big  city  .  things  are  simpler  here  ,  quieter  .  it's  nice  to  know  that  even  when  everything  else  in  her  life  is  nothing  like  what  it  used  to  be  .  .  .

.  .  .  there  are  𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆  things  that  never  change  .

hope  slips  away  from  the  kitchen  ,  just  for  a  moment  -  as  promised  .  she  has  been  keeping  an  eye  on  her  phone  all  day  for  this  very  reason  .  &  finally  seeing  arthur's  name  pop  up  on  the  screen  fills  her  with  𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑻𝑯  .  like  any  other  part  of  these  yearly  festivities  ,  she  can  always  count  on  their  little  rendezvous  ,  &  he's  never  once  let  her  down  .  unlike  so  many  others  .  .  .

[  text  :  arthur  🐴❤️  ]  i'll  be  there  ;  )

she  replies  quickly  with  a  giddy  grin  ,  stuffing  the  phone  into  her  back  pocket  &  getting  right  back  to  business  .  it's  clear  to  the  whole  family  as  she  strides  across  the  front  lawn  with  more  crates  in  her  arms  ,  that  something  has  𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅  a  newfound  skip  in  her  step  ,  although  none  of  them  knows  why  .  a  girl  has  to  have  her  secrets  ,  after  all  .

before  she  knows  it  ,  the  sun  is  setting  on  the  first  of  the  three  days  during  which  the  fair  is  held  .  everything  goes  as  successfully  as  ever  .  in  high  demand  ,  the  baxter's  goods  sell  out  in  record  time  .  thankfully  there  is  always  plenty  more  .  ardella  is  a  smart  woman  &  well-seasoned  at  this  by  now  .  they  have  the  routine  all  down  to  a  𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬  , &  with  damien  taking  charge  to  keep  everything  on  track  ,  things  couldn't  go  smoother  .  the  height  of  their  sales  typically  peak  on  the  very  first  day  ,  so hope  is  given  the  go  ahead  to  drift  off  &  explore  on  her  own  .  the  remaining  two  days  are  hers  to  do  as  she  pleases  .

she  makes  a  beeline  toward  the  carousel  -  their spot - only  pausing  briefly  to  make  sure  she  looks  presentable  in  one  of  the  funhouse  mirrors  along  the  way  .  sunshine  yellow  blouse  ,  blue  jean  shorts  ,  &  her  dark  curls  pulled  up  high  into  a  ponytail tied with a ribbon .  .  .  all  slightly  𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅  to  make  her  look  all  stretched  out  ,  but  it  gives  her  a  good  enough  idea  .  quietly  she  wishes  she'd  worn  something  a  bit  more  adventurous  ,  maybe  that  sundress  she'd  packed  specifically  to  drive  him  crazy  .

she'll  just  have  to  save  𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻  for  when  she's  cheering  him  on  at  the  rodeo  tomorrow  .

pleased  with  her  appearance  ,  hope  makes  her  way  over  to  the  ride  -  the  spinning  lights  reflecting  like  𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕  in  her  eyes  as she approaches .  the  sky  is just  beginning  to  darken  ,  still  streaked  with  the  shades  of  sunset  blue  ,  pink  ,  &  orange  .  it's  only  a  matter  of  time  now  ,  but  she  tries  not  to  look  around  too  much  .  she  doesn't  want  to  seem  overly  excited  ,  even  if  her  heart  is  already  fluttering  in  her  chest  with  anticipation  .