#ajf jack

[winterscaptain]

a joyful future costume plates.

jack brooks hotchner b. 2005

isaac spencer hotchner b. 2016

caroline emily hotchner b. 2018

sophia haley hotchner b. 2018

elliot david hotchner b. 2022

[ssaic-jareau]

buffer.

movie posters for a joyful future series: 3/?

@winterscaptain

(open for better quality, bc tumblr).

[winterscaptain]

Why does our sweet baby angel Jack need a sweet baby angel service dog?? Will we get to find out?

absolutely! i am, of course planning a few fics to cover this, but Jack has a couple of needs that could be well-met by a service dog

Jack has PTSD. this is central to this whole thing. he experienced a huge trauma at a young age, regardless of his recollection of the event itself. speaking from experience, that shit sneaks up on you in strange little ways later in life. there is a high co-morbidity rate between anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorder, as ptsd re-wires the way your brain processes experiences and possible threats.

ace can help him with his ptsd in a few ways. these are all things that dogs can actually do, which is amazing! here are some of her specific tasks and functions:

she’s able to sense and respond to a dissociative state. her training would allow her to practice grounding techniques for Jack to pull himself out of these episodes and come back to the present.

a dog of her size would be able to provide deep pressure therapy to alleviate symptoms of panic attacks, anxiety attacks, and nightmares. this is her primary task, and she’s always ready to alert him if she senses chemical changes that could signal an episode.

food/beverage/object retrieval

she can find help if Jack needs it, retrieving a human being who can assist with any situation that may be necessary, especially if Jack doesn’t have access to a phone or can’t clearly communicate during an episode

ace is super useful! and you don’t have to be severely/debilitatingly impacted by your disability for a service dog to have a positive impact on your life :)

[winterscaptain]

omg a golden retriever (service dog) for our golden retriever (jack)?

nope! goldens are great but i thought it would be nice to have a failed federal service dog for jack. thus -

ace, our sweet german shepard/tibetan mastiff mix, is a failed K-9 unit from the CARD search dog program at the fbi! she may suck at being a police dog, but she’s a super easy mark for Jack’s task training. she’s HUGE (approx 2’6” at the shoulder, 160 lbs) and LOVES kids.

ace is a gift to jack from uncle derek after jack has to take a semester off his freshman year of college. we will absolutely go into that a little more.

[winterscaptain]

idk if you’ve answered this, but do the hotchners ever get a dog?

the family never has a dog, but both jack and isaac get service dogs when they leave the house!

jack’s first dog, ace, is a tibetan mastiff/GSD mix who failed out of CARD training. his second dog, scout, is a black GSD who couldn’t hack it as a cadaver dog.

isaac’s first dog is a border collie named juniper. she’s perfect and very smart. his second dog is another border collie, currently nameless.

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okay i’m so sorry my brain can’t stop thinking of questions i have, but what do you think each of the kids decided to do after highschool, career wise?

i have these for ya! see below the cut :) i also went a little ham (and updated their business cards they get when all their degrees are finished!!)

as of 2042, this is where we’re at! this is in the author’s note for the 2042 fic - rings.

Jonathan “Jack” Brooks Hotchner, 37, Department of Defense Civilian Contractor, holds a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. Married to Isabella, and has a son, Grayson, aged 4. 

Isaac Spencer Hotchner, 26, PhD (3rd year) in Applied Behavioral Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, holds a BA in Cognitive Science and an MS in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Caroline Emily Hotchner, 24, DPhil in Law (2nd year) at Trinity College Oxford, holds a BA in English from Brown University and an MSc in Conflict Studies at the London School of Economics.

Sophia Haley Hotchner, 24, MS in Sports Management (1st year) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Southern California.

Elliot David Hotchner, 20, BA in Linguistics (Junior/3rd Year) and D1 Pitcher for the University of California, Los Angeles

[winterscaptain]

okay just for fun

ajf kids as star wars original trilogy score pieces

aka watch tali geek out about music for however many words this is

jack | throne room and end titles (a new hope)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0KOYV2jgRZWLcLI94kiscs?si=0ef95a600bb84012

let’s be real. this piece makes your chest feel too small for your feelings, it makes you feel like a superhero, it makes you smile. 

the brass in the very beginning has big jack energy for me. we know how much punch ajf!jack has - he’s straightforward and observant, cheeky and kind. this march ticks all those boxes. this opener is unapologetic, percussion and strings underscoring the high brass carrying our melody, just like jack. he’s got that kind of gentleness to him that his father does, but it’s under this brave, quippy exterior that’s just perfect for this march. 

while being generally noble as hell, the strings we go into the softer melodic section that guides us into the main theme - which is just a banger, objectively. jack has huge main character energy. this piece gives us that and so much more with that melody we all know and love. 

the low brass is so consistent!! it’s so loyal!! ahh!! 

the march kind of gives way as the piece moves along, delivering something softer and less rigid, something lighter. as type-a as jack is (he’s his father’s son, after all), he’s really able have some fun. 

leia’s theme sneaks in around the 3:20 mark, which exemplifies (to me) the connection he has to the rest of his family. but it dives right back into the main theme again - all strong brass that would be harsh if it wasn’t so well-adjusted. it’s exciting!!

isaac | luke and leia (return of the jedi)

https://open.spotify.com/track/4MKEo7fV2xIBbeIrbYj7vV?si=502fe798be43461b

there are so many layers to this piece. it travels so far and brings us back to somewhere we recognize. 

the almost mournful, clear french horn that stands on its own after the woodwinds lull us into this place of understanding and peace. this melody always makes me weep, for some reason. not so much because it’s sad, but it’s so full of connection. isaac’s spirit is so wound into that beautiful clarity of a well-played french horn for me - there’s something so deeply special about it. 

and it’s different from the other brass instruments! it’s harder to play and it looks different. i don’t think we have to stretch too far to see how that applies to isaac. metaphorically, he’s still a brass instrument, but he operates in a way that is fundamentally different than people around him. 

and then we get the strings and the woodwinds taking over that same melody, building on it and making it rounder and fuller. it’s hopeful, it’s complex, it’s so gentle. 

because this is luke and leia’s suite, there’s a conversation in the music - one that turns into a conflict. we can hear that in the strings around the two minute mark. isaac struggles. he sometimes has a hard time, but just like that high brass, he pushes through in a way that just makes your heart swell. 

the final bit carries us out the way we came in - a little bit of magic with that motif, leaving us with something that almost feels like the answer to a question. yeah, i’m crying. why do you ask?

caroline | princess leia’s theme (a new hope)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0mFyq7zeU21fW5VE9028lN?si=61caca109a3847a1

alright alright i know. but stay with me. 

not only is caroline aaron’s little princess, there’s a connection to the piece i chose for isaac - their motifs complement each other, just like they do as siblings. we have some french horn in here too, delivering a melody that is delicate, feminine, but not weak. it’s so clear!! such a bright tone. 

there’s a little bit of uncertainty that sneaks in there in the beginning, but the flute comes in at about the 1:30 mark to remind us of that light, that something that is difficult to articulate or understand. it’s taking us somewhere - the melody line feels meandering and lilting, like a breeze. i always think of caroline as a breath of fresh air in many ways. 

and then you get those STRINGS oh yeah okay i’m crying. we have this melody again - this motif that is so recognizable - building in, layering with the entire orchestra until it just tips over the edge in a way that’s absolutely breathtaking. caroline is both predictable and unexpected in this way - we know it’s coming, we know that the music is going to hit that precipice and blossom, but when it does whooooooo boy is it powerful. 

sophia | rebels at bay (the empire strikes back)

https://open.spotify.com/track/2NWNkDoePT1QOKx8wUnf7d?si=4a4cc22379814337

this is an.....unorthodox choice. i’ll admit it. 

but i didn’t want to pick a theme or a suite for sophia - i needed a piece that makes you want to move. this one underscores a battle in the film, and i think it’s just perfect for our soph. it’s got these lilting strings and woodwind sections and then it dives into something intense, maybe even a little masculine. 

but it’s hurried!! you gotta go!! where??? i don’t know! and then there are these little breathers built in. just like sophia, it moves and watches and moves and watches. these little breaks always take us somewhere surprising. it could get darker, maybe even a little scary, but it’s always moving. this reminds me of sophia’s bravery. she pushes through - often with grit and raw energy. 

around the 3:40 mark we get the main theme motif back - this reminded me of her connection with jack. this rushed, intense piece becomes something that sounds hopeful and heroic with bars we’ve heard before. 

this piece also travels, like luke and leia, but there’s a sense of urgency. there are always stakes for sophia because she bets big or not at all. she throws herself into everything she does with zeal and enthusiasm. 

even when the imperial march makes an appearance, it’s faster than the original, still upbeat and exciting to experience. i love this piece because no matter how many times i hear it, it has me on the edge of my seat. 

elliot | parade of the ewoks (return of the jedi)

https://open.spotify.com/track/5T0aZmjk3KNrLayQu7VBgP?si=902a5770241c4728

i can’t get over the whimsy in this one. it’s unexpected and a little magical in all the right ways. 

we start with the woodwinds and a kind of plucking underscore - elements that remind me of elliot’s go with the flow kind of attitude. he just plots along, adding something curious and youthful to those around him. 

the range on this piece is super wide - we go very low and very high. we’ve got low brass creeping in with these trills just to keep it a little spicy, just like our favorite youngest sibling.

and then of course the french horn shows up. both john williams and i love a french horn and a repeating melodic motif. 

this song is so confident!! and so triumphant. like i get big self-satisfied vibes from this song and that just...is elliot to a T.

[winterscaptain]

y’all can thank my roommate for this. ajf jack is getting a service dog when he goes to college :)