Ficlets and stuff

[lls_mutant]

I know I just posted the remainder of Not Where I Belong last night, but I've been busy. Plus, twelvecolonies, which, go team Galactica!

Okay, so who on twelvecolonies didn't guess which EP was mine? (EP being extended play) I think it was pretty easy, but just in case...









The Songs of Angry Men Playlist

1.) Angry Young Man- Billy Joel (lyrics, video)

I really think this one describes both Zarek and Gaeta so well, the whole idea of an Angry Young Man determined to change the world, and not managing.

There's a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
And he's always at home with his back to the wall
And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost
And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on his cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man

That verse is TOTALLY Zarek, and a few verses down is completely Gaeta:

And there's always a place for the angry young man,
With his fist in the air and his head in the sand.
And he's never been able to learn from mistakes,
He can't understand why his heart always breaks.
His honor is pure and his courage as well,
He's fair and he's true and he's boring as hell!
And he'll go to the grave as an angry old man.



2.) State of Mind- Fish (lyrics, video)

One of the few things I am grateful to a certain ex of mine for is that he introduced me to a band called Marillion, with a former lead singer who goes by Fish. This one is SO Gaeta and Zarek- it's all about being frustrated with those in power.

We the people have our backs to the wall
Do we the people now assume control?
When it's too late to stop our own execution
When we're faced with the final solution
You can not connect a dream revolution
With a bullet in the back of your mind

3.) Do You Hear the People Sing?- Enjolras, Les Miserasbles (lyrics)

A song of rebellion. Does it really need explaining? I figured this was them rallying people to their cause.

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the songs of angry men
It is a music of a people who will not be slaves again


4.) First We Take Manhattan- Leonard Cohen (lyrics, video.

I LOVE this song- I think I like the REM cover even better though. But this is definitely the mutiny, and it would actually be a great song to do a mutiny vid to. Again, it really captures both of them.

They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First, we'll take Manhattan, then we'll take Berlin

You loved me as a loser, now you're worried that I just might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline

Damn, Leonard Cohen = GENIUS.

5.) The Mercy Seat- Nick Cave (lyrics, video)

This is totally due to falafel_musings, and her Felix vid, but it fits SO perfectly, being tired of the struggling and not being afraid to die. I really think both of them felt that, that they were ready to die when they did this. I think Tom Zarek had been ready to die for a long, long time.

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning
To be done with all this measuring of truth.
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die.

6.) Do You Hear the People Sing? (Finale Version)- Les Miserables soundtrack (lyrics and video)

This is my afterlife epilogue, and the idea that after this struggle, they both found peace.

They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord
They will walk behind the plowshare, they will put away the sword
The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward


So, yeah. TOTALLY obvious it was me.



Also, ficlets! The first one is from twelvecolonies, the others are from the meme I posted the other day. And they're actually SHORT. Go me (which is good, because hi, REMIX.)

Meme ficlets

For twelvecolonies, prompt of "rain". Goes right into "Softly Tread the Sand Below Your Feet", although I just liked the idea.


Brendan had never lived on New Caprica, so it had been years since he'd heard thunder. He felt the urge to stick his head out of the shelter and see the lightning streaking across the sky, and maybe even to step out into the open and feel the rain on his face.

Deeper in the shelter, Louis shifted. Brendan glanced back over his shoulder. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just… restless."

Brendan didn't answer. The look on Louis's face told him exactly who he was thinking about, and he didn't have the first idea of what to say. But Louis crawled out of his makeshift bed, over Nicky, over Brendan's bed, and joined Brendan at the entrance.

"It smells good," Louis said, peering out.

"Smells good?" Brendan laughed, but he knew exactly what his friend meant. The scent of rain on the earth- Earth- brought back memories of days that were long gone, but with hope in their future, those memories didn’t hurt so badly.

A flash of lightning lit the interior for a moment; rough walls and woven branches. A clap of thunder followed, and Nicky woke up crying.

"Aww. Come on, buddy." Brendan crawled over and picked him up. Nicky clung to him, still bawling. "Come here," he said, squirming back to the opening. He sat back down next to Louis, who reached over and rubbed Nicky's back. "Watch the rain with us," Brendan told Nicky. "There's nothing to be afraid of. We'll keep you safe."

He began to sing a lullaby, one his mother had sung to him. Louis joined in, his voice rusty and hoarse, but a good match for Brendan's. Nicky began to calm down, and the two of them sat singing, watching the lightning and listening to the lullaby of rain on the earth.



For ivanolix, BSG, Danielle or Seelix, first day on the Galactica

She'd never been inside Galactica, although she'd seen it from a window on the Euripedes. It looked a lot dingier than she anticipated, and a lot older.

Of course it does, she told herself firmly. It was just about to be decommissioned. It is old.

The quartermaster was handing her a pile of clothing. Danielle stared at it, not quite able to believe that she was doing this. "And we'll have your tags for you in a few hours," the crewman said. He sounded bored.

She took the clothing. "Where do I go next?" she asked.

"Your racks. Put the clothes in there, I guess. Course, I have no idea of where your racks even are. It's been crowded ever since the Exodus."

"Who would I ask?"

"Got me." The quartermaster turned back to his records. "See who's around that has rank. You know how to tell people with rank?"

"No."

"Well, it's everyone not you."

"Thanks," Danielle said sarcastically. "You've been ever so helpful."

"That's thanks, sir," the quartermaster corrected her.

Danielle wasn’t experienced in the military, but she wasn't an idiot, either. Not long after the attacks she'd learned the ranks and the pins, and he was just a crewman. She took her clothes and turned away, ready to find someone who looked a little more helpful.

There was a woman in an orange jumpsuit like the one Danielle was carrying. She wasn't hurrying, and she was talking to a woman with bright red hair who looked vaguely familiar. She caught her eye, and the woman stopped.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"If you wouldn't mind," Danielle said. "I'm trying to find my rack, and I'm a little lost."

The woman sized her up. "You're a new recruit?"

"I am," Danielle said, lifting her chin.

The woman softened, just a little. "What did you do?"

"I'm a mechanic."

"On New Caprica?"

"And on Gemenon."

"Not a lot of internal combustion engines on a battlestar."

"No. But I know them, and if I can figure that out, I can figure out more. Besides," she said, her voice growing a little more strident, "I'm sick of having my ass saved."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. How many more people have to risk their life before I risk my own? I'm tired of sitting on my ass and being shipped from one end of a solar system to another. I want to do something."

There was something in the woman's eyes, something hard and sad, and yet there was a smile on her face. She extended her hand to Danielle. "I'm Diana Seelix," she said. "I'll show you to the racks."



For geekbynight, BSG, Gaeta and Tigh(not as a pairing) father issues.

The ambrosia burned. Saul swallowed it, savoring the burn. Soon would come the point where it didn't burn, it went down smoothly, and he wasn't ready for that. The burn was better.

Twenty billion people dead. Frak. He stumbled into the hallway where people were hanging their pictures, looking at all the faces around him. Every last one of these poor bastards was dead.

Footsteps. The hall should have been empty at this hour, and Saul froze for a second, but the intruder didn't pay any attention to him. Gaeta stood stiffly, focused on a picture he had balanced in his fingers. The way he looked at it made Saul wonder if it was disrespectful to move.

Gaeta became aware of him. Saul couldn't say how he knew that, but it was somehow evident in Gaeta's posture. He knew he was being watched, and he slipped the picture into his jacket.

"Don't stop on my account," Saul said.

Gaeta stiffened, and then turned. "Sir," he said. His voice was smooth and polite, but there was disgust on his face. Well, let the little bastard be disgusted. Twenty billion people dead merited being drunk.

"You can still hang it," Saul pointed out. "Don't let me stop you."

"You didn't," Gaeta denied. He saluted, and then turned to leave.

"Who was it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Lover? Brother? Friend? Who was it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Sure it does. Because if you don't tell me about it, no one else is ever going to frakking remember whoever is in that picture."

Gaeta stilled. His eyes widened, and Saul suddenly remembered just how young the officer was. It was easy to forget that sometimes. He stepped closer.

"Who was it, son?"

"My father." Gaeta pulled the picture out, and a man who looked like an older version of him with wild gray hair stared back at Saul. "My mother passed a few years ago, but my father… I was going to visit him after the ceremony. I should be there right now."

There was something vulnerable in the young man's voice. Saul didn't know why, but he responded to it, holding out his flask. "Come on," he urged, when Gaeta didn't take it. "Come with me, and we'll go to the rec room and drink to your father."

"So someone will remember," Gaeta repeated, dryly.

"Of course. If you die, there's no one else left who knows him."

"All right." Gaeta softened a little, and Saul put a quick hand on the boy's back. "Just one drink, though, sir. I have duty in the morning."

"Yeah. One drink and then back to duty." He ignored what he was fairly sure was a veiled barb. "Come on, son. Let's honor your old man."



For tin_o_biscuits, Gaeta/Zarek, ideals

Colonial One had a few private rooms, and what did exist was small, but as Vice President, Tom rated one. The bed was narrower than he would have liked, but there was a real comforter, and right now, the it was warm. Especially now that Felix was pressed up against him, the covers tangled around their naked bodies. Felix turned, nestling his back against Tom's front.

"At times like this, it seems hard to remember that you ordered my death just a few months ago," Felix said.

Tom frowned. "What brought that on?" he asked.

"It's a statement of fact."

"Not really. Technically, I ordered your trial." He'd known this would come up; he'd just been able to fool himself into thinking maybe it wouldn't. It was uncomfortable to realize that, that he'd allowed himself to believe something so impossible again.

Felix yawned, and nestled back against Tom, taking his wrist and pulling Tom's arm over his waist. "Knowing they'd convict me."

"Forgive me if I don't find this the most arousing of pillow talk."

"Not meant to be."

"Then what's the point? Or do you just enjoy torturing me?"

Felix turned over. "Is it torture?" he asked.

"What?"

Felix's eyes were impossibly wide. It was an expression that made him look very vulnerable and normally made Tom's blood race, but right now, it just made him nervous. "Is it torture?" Felix repeated. "Hearing me talk about it?"

"Yes, it's torture. What do you think?" Tom shifted so he was above Felix, leaning on his elbows. Felix lay back, his hand splayed across Tom's bare back. "It kills me to know that I nearly tossed you out the airlock. Is that what you want to hear?"

Felix swallowed, and suddenly Tom realized that yes, it was what Felix wanted to hear, but not all of it. He paused, stricken, as the knowledge that he had never said the words washed over him. His eyes widened, and Felix reached up to cup his cheek.

"Say it," he ordered gently, his voice breaking. "Please."

Tom closed his eyes, bowing his head until his forehead touched Felix's. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Felix's lips met his softly. "Thank you."



For lorrainemarker, Cally/Hot Dog - how she got pregnant with his baby

Cally's head was spinning, but it was so easy to laugh like this. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed, just laughed.

"And then," Hot Dog was saying as they tripped down the corridor, "she opened the door and found a dwarf. I swear to Zeus, a real live dwarf." He laughed, and Cally leaned against him. Hot Dog smelled good, some sort of cologne and the scent of outside. He must have been down to New Caprica today. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against his neck, and Hot Dog tightened his arm around her.

"What are you looking for?" Hot Dog asked quietly in her ear.

"Something uncomplicated," Cally said. "I just want to be happy tonight."

"If you want, I can manage that."

She thought about it. It wasn't a hard decision- not really. Being around Hot Dog was so easy. You never had to guess what he was thinking, he liked to laugh, and he was genuinely a good guy. "That sounds good," Cally agreed.

Hot Dog grinned, and Cally had to admit that although he might not be the most attractive man she'd ever seen, he had a great smile. His hand caressed her shoulder, and he guided her with new purpose.

The only problem was, when they got to the racks, the boots were already out.

"Frak," Hot Dog said.

"My racks," Cally suggested. Hot Dog nodded, and they headed back down the corridors again. Cally tightened her own arm around his waist, and was drunk enough and daring enough to let her hand slip a little lower. Hot Dog shivered against her, and suddenly Cally realized that this might be really, really fun.

If they could ever find a place to do it. When they reached the racks Cally shared with other knuckledraggers, a very large poker party was in progress. They debated joining for a moment, but the prospect of sex definitely beat out cards.

"The causeways?" Hot Dog suggested.

"That's where Chief and Boomer used to go," Cally rejected that one. "A Raptor?"

"I like my head on my shoulders and my rank. The Admiral's study?"

Cally giggled. "I don't really want the Admiral and the Colonel watching us."

"They might join in," Hot Dog said. "Definitely not the Admiral's study!"

Cally frowned for a moment, wracking her brains. "Okay," she said, catching Hot Dog's hand. "I've got an idea." She grinned evilly. "There's a place I always thought would be fun to do it."

She led him down the corridors, and then punched a code into a key pad. The hatch opened, and they entered the empty pilot's briefing room. "No one here," Cally said proudly. "And no one will be, unless there's an attack, and then we'll have enough warning to get ourselves together."

Hot Dog looked around, and for a moment Cally worried that he'd consider it near-sacrilege. But then he broke into a smile and sat down in a chair that Cally would bet any money Starbuck or Apollo generally occupied. "You," he said, pulling her to straddle his lap, "are an absolute genius." He kissed her then, and Cally couldn't help but smile.



For prophetkristy, Felix/Dee, a case of the giggles.

Earth. It was a disaster. Dee stood by the ocean, trying to comprehend it, her hands trembling as she stared down at the jacks.

She knew who was coming even before she saw him. Felix's footsteps- or lack of footsteps- were far too distinctive these days. Before the Demeterius, he would have come up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Now, his hands were far too occupied. It wasn't a thought that made things better.

"What do you have there?" he asked her. He was panting for breath, but only someone who knew him as well as Dee would notice it. She flexed her hand further, the weak sunlight glinting on the jacks.

"Oh." Felix freed a hand and touched them, and then looked at her face. "Oh, Dee…."

One crutch dropped, and he put an arm around her. Dee buried her face against his BDU jacket, inhaling the scent of the sea and the scent of him. "I can't fall apart," she whispered. "I can't…"

"Yes, you can," he said. "I'm here to catch you."

"Felix-"

"Just cry, Dee."

And she did. The ruins around her broke her heart, and she let them, because when Felix was here, she was safe. She cried against his shoulder, and she felt his tears as well, and his body shaking.

They stood there together until the waves came up around their ankles, the bitter chill of the water shocking them. Felix looked down irritably. "Great," he said. "I hope I don't rust."

For a long moment, Dee stared at him, and then she couldn't help it- she felt a smile cracking her lips. Felix saw it and smiled back, and then they began to laugh. The laughter was rusty and it hurt, but at the same time something freed up in her, and in him. They laughed until Felix had to lean against Dee, and Dee managed to get the crutch he'd dropped.

"It really wasn't that funny," she admitted when they finally began to wind down.

"I know," Felix said. "But nothing is today." He looked tired. Dee sighed.

"Come on," she said, squaring her shoulders. "Let's get back to the Raptor. We're going to have a lot to do."

"I know." He looked tired at the thought, and she felt it. But they walked over the sand together, Dee slowing her pace to match Felix's. Thank the Gods she had Felix. She didn't know what she would have done if she didn’t.



Okay. Now time to get my ass in gear and go run!!!!

Comments

[ivanolix.livejournal.com]

I loved your mix! I think I'm incapable of being moved by anything involving the words "revolution" or "resistance". :-D

Also, aww, thanks for the ficlet! And I loved the Cally/Hot Dog one, too. Those two seemed like they carried the youth of the fleet for a long time, in spirit if not in age.

[safenthecity.livejournal.com]

Ha! I love your mutiny mix. Amazing.

So I love all these ficlets. They're precious, every one of them. The Gaeta/Zarek was really unexpected but I loved it. And Felix/Dee is ♥ . Cally and Hotdog frakking in Starbuck's seat is an acceptable explanation for the baby retcon. And Gaeta and Tigh and Louis and Brendan were so melancholy and sweet at the same time.

[geekbynight.livejournal.com]

The Felix/Tom one killed me. Of all few times we've heard people say those words to anyone on BSG it still burns that no one EVER said sorry to Felix. Hell we didn't even hear Anders say sorry for shooting him(although he strikes me as the kind of guy who would most certainly apologize for that). Just...between Felix and now Amanada I really need to stop gravitating to tragic characters :P

Adored the Gaeta and Tigh one, you got that grudging respect pre-New Caprica I saw between them. And the assertion that yes, it is easy to forget just how young Felix actually is, so dead on. I think that had a lot to do with him never really being one of the Old Man's "kids". He seems like he was born grown up, which is never the case and that became so painfully clear as time went on. Love that Felix couldn't resist taking a little jab at Tigh. Then tension was always there, but there was respect as well. Oh New Caprica...

These are all awesome! Thank you for taking prompts :]

[tin-o-biscuits.livejournal.com]

Man, while not a brick, that was def. a rock being chucked. You just can't resist that, can you? LOL Thank you for the ficlet though.

[trovia.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm so in love with the Brendan ones. I'm just back from writing him, so I'm all about Hot Dog right now and your ficlets made me very happy. :) I loved Cally's impression of him, that he's just a nice and fun guy, and he also seems quite solid.

I also liked the one with Gaeta and Tigh. It reminded me of a fic I've been meaning to write, too, the one where Tigh and Gaeta are in charge of the fleet, in the universe of the fic millari and I posted some time ago on gaeta_squee.

[millari.livejournal.com]

These are all really just great, really effortless-seeming but not easy-looking either. I loved especially the one with Dee and Felix. I felt like I was right there. Same for the one with Hot Dog and Hoshi. Somehow I knew instantly what 'verse it was from even before I knew it was Hoshi there. :)

I loved the part in the Dee/Felix one where you described their laughter as rusty. What a great way to express the impact of Seasons 3 & 4 on these two characters! And loved the one with Tigh, who came across as very in character, the way he really meant it both that he wanted to honor Felix's dad with him, and that he really wanted that honoring to be with a drink in his hand. ;)

[prophetkristy.livejournal.com]

"I'm here to catch you."

Oh. oh oh oh. *runs for tissues* I LOVE that. thank you!!!!!

(how come I can't figure out who Danielle is?)

And now I'ma go watch the Mercy Seat vid again, even though I know it'll make me sob...

[lorrainemarker.livejournal.com]

Oh, my I adore your fics all of them are just wonderful. Zarek finally understanding that he had to apologize and Felix's vulnerability just made my heart sing. You captured exactly what I like about the possibility of Cally & Hot Dog: their ability to retain hope. Felix-Tigh's little ficlet showed the possibilities of Tigh as a good man. And, oh, how the laughter over 'I hope I don't rust' made me cry. Brendan, Nicky, and Louis were heartbreaking and hopeful all at once.

Much goodness from this series of little ficlets.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

I have to admit, for all that I like Gaeta and Zarek platonic, I'm always kind of tickled to write them shipped as well. It's very odd. And I agree about Cally and Hot Dog- I think I might have turned into a bit of a Cally/Hot Dog shipper. Which is weird, because has ANYONE ever been a Cally/Hot Dog shipper?

I'm so glad you enjoyed these!!!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I'm so glad you loved it- I so rarely write Dee/Felix!

You don't recognize Danielle for a reason- I made the name up. In Revelations, when they're all celebrating getting the Earth, there's a pretty blonde that grabs Figurski and kisses him. We've never seen her before that I know of, and I don't know that we ever see her again. Or if we do, she's just an extra. I ended up making her into a fairly major character in "Not Where I Belong"- she's part of a group of girls that hang out together- Cally, Dee, Racetrack, Seelix, and another OC named Caroline, who's a Marine.

So you're not crazy- I am :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

It makes me happy you knew which verse the Hoshi-Hot Dog one was in. I really love the idea of a friendship between the two of them, and I liked revisiting that one.

And Tigh is just too much fun these days. Thanks!!

[prophetkristy.livejournal.com]

That's what I get for not having read that story yet! (I'm saving it for my iPad!)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Oooh, more Hot Dog? :) Excellent.

Thanks so much- I'm really glad you enjoyed these! Writing Brendan is fun- I wrote him in Not Where I Belong, where I ended up oddly enough totally starting to ship Cally/Hot Dog. I mean, really, my objections to that were what it implied about Cally and that this too-honest woman was suddenly lying about her baby's paternity, not the idea of Cally and Hot Dog.

I remember that ficlet- you guys should write more. It's an interesting concept, and they have such an interesting dynamic.

Thanks!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I just can't come up with a way to not write Gaeta/Zarek fairly angsty. It's very odd, because I can totally un-angst them for the father-son variation.

Thanks for the prompt, and glad you enjoyed it!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I know, right? Although funnily enough, I'll give Anders a pass. Anders tried to apologize, and just couldn't because he knew that Felix wasn't in a spot to hear it and not throw him out, and he actually truly felt guilty. I like to think that if things had gone a little differently, Felix and Anders really could have been good friends.

And glad you enjoyed Gaeta and Tigh, too! I always wanted to do more with their relationship, because it is so interesting. I think what I really, really wish though is that Tigh had pinned Gaeta's picture to the wall in canon. It would have been nice to see that last tribute to their ups and downs.

Thanks!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! :)

And yeah, I like the idea of Cally and Hot Dog getting it on in Starbuck's seat. I'll bet there was much mental giggling from Hot Dog the next time Kara sat there!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I had a lot of fun with the EP and the ficlets! :)

[kappamaki33.livejournal.com]

Hee, yep, instantly knew your EP was yours. :) "Do You Hear the People Sing?" for those two was BRILLIANT.

I really, really loved the Brendan and Hoshi one at the challenge. So sweet and simple, and yet you really get inside their heads.

Gaeta/Zarek is so oddly compelling. Especially the way you write Zarek, it feels like they're really the only two who could match each other intellectually--not in terms of smartness, but in terms of them being the only ones who could identify and effectively call each other on their bullshit, *and* get the other to listen because they have real affection for each other.

Between this and "Not Where I Belong," you're totally making a Cally/Hotdog shipper out of me.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And yeah, I figured I might as well sign the damn thing, because really. Who else???

Thanks so much.

it feels like they're really the only two who could match each other intellectually--not in terms of smartness, but in terms of them being the only ones who could identify and effectively call each other on their bullshit, *and* get the other to listen because they have real affection for each other.


You know, it makes me really tempted to write more Gaeta/Zarek. I'm finding a lot of that quality in the Zarek-Hoshi relationship I keep writing in the Space Between Us universe (I've been working on that support group idea here and there), but it really intensifies when I write Gaeta/Zarek sexually. It's strange.

So glad you enjoyed!