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strangermerrick · 1 year

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backseat [billy h.] 18+

♥ A/N: Another fictional creation that has been hiding in my archives. Posting the Jonathan fic brought me serotonin. Now beware, this Billy piece was written quite some time ago and I tried to touch it up as best as I could. There may be some mistakes, but hopefully nothing too drastic!

♥ Warnings: smut, unprotected sex (pull-out method used however), Billy is sort of maybe a jerk but our sweet Reader adheres to the chaos... Um, a little bit of degradation? Backseat make outs, backseat sex... I believe that's it!

♥ Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader

“you can’t be serious,” you look over at Billy who is grinning smugly, cigarette held between his index and middle finger.

“of course i am, doll face.” Billy’s staggering look sends chills down your spine.

the parking lot was completely empty. it was way past your curfew, but when you were dating the Billy Hargrove, danger called and you answered. the radio hummed with a familiar rock band song.

“well?” Billy passes you the cigarette. “is daddy’s little girl gonna come out of that tight shell?”

gasping, you rolled your eyes. “i am not in a tight shell, Hargrove.” you flounce before reaching out and taking the cigarette from him.

“atta girl…” Billy hums approvingly. sighing, you bring the cigarette to your lips and take a long drag, causing your boyfriend’s blue eyes to widen. “she can be bad?” he mocks you.

rolling your eyes at him, you give him the middle finger before blowing the smoke from your ruby red lips. Billy’s teeth are exposed, a hand reaching up to push through his dirty blonde curls as he witnesses the sight before him. daddy’s little girl is all nice and bad for him.

the space was cramped in the back of his camaro, but you paid no mind. you were just glad you snuck out of your home and hopped in before your parents realized you weren’t upstairs studying for tomorrow’s upcoming chemistry test.

“well, you got me outta the house, Billy. whatcha gonna do now?” you tempt him with hooded eyes, a sultry look filling your face. Billy bites down on his lip as he soaks up the sight of you. he glances to the front seat and pulls himself forward. you can’t help but grab a handful of his tight ass. his jeans fit him so well.

he swatted your hand as he turned up the radio, Billy Idol’s rebel yell playing through the car’s radio.

Billy returns to the back seat of the camaro where he settles into the middle seat before pulling you over. he lifts that sweet little dress you opted to wear tonight over your hips before planting you snugly on top of his hips. the metal of his belt collided with your warm thighs, causing a shiver to roll down your spine.

“thought the good girl could be bad?” Billy asked, pulling at the straps of the dress to reveal a dusty blue bra. he leans forward and captures your lips for a searing kiss, earning you to moan loudly against his mouth as you fight against yourself to not grind with neediness into his crotch.

“she can be,” you hiss as he bites on your bottom lip, dragging it forward. he tasted just like the cigarette he had already put out. nicotine-infused breath mingled with yours as you tasted his tongue, groaning softly against him as you cup his cheeks. you kiss him with such fierceness, it has Billy purposefully grabbing onto your hips and forcing you to move.

“i didn’t bring you out here to just look pretty in the passenger seat.” Billy hums, a throaty groan expelling as he hurriedly drives his ring-clad fingers right where you wanted him most. your sex was growing slick with want for him and you knew that if you kept it up, you’d be getting your world rocked in the backseat of this camaro while Billy Idol talked about rebel yelling.

“you think i’m pretty?” You whimper, kissing his sharp jawline. your eyes which had begun to darken with lust gazed into the blue ones dancing through yours. he looked down at your breasts that were pushed together and almost spilling out before him. with one simple finger trick, he had your bra undone and falling into his lap.

“think you’re pretty annoying,” Billy grunts.

you gasp, pulling at his hair which makes his eyes wide. he clutches his fingertips around your wrists and stares at you. “i wouldn’t do that, doll.”

“really?” you tilt your head to the side. “really?”

Billy and you continue to stare at one another as the song continues to hum from the radio. something shifted in the air between you two, and you suddenly found yourself grinding into his hips. Billy grunts against your throat as he kisses bruises into your collarbone.

“Billy!” you gasp his name as your digits intertwine through his curls.

he’s digging his digits into your hips as he rakes the dress over your body.

“undo my belt,” he commands you as he rips his t-shirt over his head, leaving his necklace on. your eyes widen with pure adoration for him as his toned exterior is revealed to you. of course you had seen your boyfriend naked countless times before, but it never failed to snatch the breath out of your lungs.

you’re hurriedly undoing his belt and ripping it from the loops, a loud whistling sound emerging. Billy throws it to the side and you’re using the headrests of the front and passenger seats to push yourself up so Billy can push his jeans down his legs. thick thighs present themselves to you like a fine delicacy, and you could only imagine sucking against his thighs as you left pretty marks on his skin.

but neither of you had time for that. Billy’s cock was hard and angry, needy to be sheathed inside of you.

“hips in the air, c’mon. hurry it up.” he takes on a commanding nature. everyone told you Billy shouldn’t talk to you the way that he did sometimes, but they didn’t understand him like you did. you saw the sweet and passionate sides of him when he eventually let them loose around you.

“okay, okay, gimmie a sec!” You grunt as you peel your underwear off. Billy’s mind runs rampant with the picture of you drunk off his cock, and he’s a needy mess to have you on it. he had to feel something. anything.

Barely giving you enough time, he’s collecting your hips into his palms and slamming you down on top of his cock, sheathing himself inside of you. both of you groan loudly at the connection, your eyes blissfully wide as Billy wrecks your innocence.

“c-condom-” you hiss. “you forgot.”

Billy shakes his head, putting his fingers into his mouth and warming them up before he places them on your clit. he listens to the pitiful hitching of your breath and the drastic moan that slips free when his wet fingertips make contact with your pulsing clit. “haven’t got you pregnant yet. don’t intend to now.” he growls, feeling as you introduce the perfect tempo. as he guides your hips with both hands again, slamming you on top of him, you start to bounce wildly as your fingertips dig into his shoulders.

“you’ll regret it one day, Hargrove.” you moan. “oh, Billy! Just like that, oh fuuuuuuuc-” you bury your face into the crook of his neck as he thrusts upwards into you.

“such a tight little thing for me,” he grunts. “being a good little slut for me.”

whimpering, your teeth gnaw into the tip of his shoulder as the windows fog up in his car.

growling and mewling like some starved animal, you and Billy find yourselves soon chasing a high. With the neglect of the condom, Billy times it rather perfectly as he pulls out and spills his cum into the wadded up t-shirt he was wearing once before.

you gasped for air as you fall limp against him, the song has since changed to another hit of today.

the moon hung high and the stars were running wild in the sky as you peeked through the small back window of the camaro. Billy’s fingertips dug tiny circles into the small of your back as he worked to catch his breath, his eyes closing and head hitting the holstering of the back seat.

“sometimes i think you sneak me out of my house just so we can screw like bunnies,” you sigh.

Billy catches your gaze. “that’s not the only thing,” he shrugs his shoulders, reaching for the pack of cigarettes that were on his center console.

“yeah? what’s the other reason?” you daringly ask him.

Billy grows silent, instead you inhale the smoke he pushes from between his lips.

“i don’t know. maybe i like you or somethin’.” he shrugs his shoulders, not stopping the smile that twitched on his face.

you smile at him.

“i think you do too,” you wink, caressing his face, feeling as grabbed your hand and shook his head.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove smut #billy hargrove x female!reader #billy hargrove imagine #stranger things imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader

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vibratingskull · 6 months

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"Only if you are bored/have time...

How about a thrawn x reader where he's been captured (or is it all part of his plan?) by a small Rebel cell and she's interrogating him and his authority kink is in overdrive at this sexy, smart, badass woman who is totally unimpressed with him? He is getting hornier and hornier....like uh-oh she's hot kinda way...what was my mission again? how to strategize in this situation?!? hahah bonus points for Thrawn POV!" -@myevilmouse

Bonus point for one Thrawn pov? Here bitch! Take the whole fic!

Thrawn x f!reader

Thrawn has masochist tendencies and maybe a degradation kink, you can't convince me otherwise.

Thrawn wakes up with a pulsating head… He blinks a bit before being able to assess the situation.

That’s right!

He left the Chimaera under a false identity and a disguise to spy on a rebel cell, he followed a promising woman with two goons and received a treacherous hit behind his skull and blacked out. He cracks his neck, they hitted hard, but in a critical point, whoever knocked him out was maybe a coward but by all evidence knows how to spare and how to hide their presence. And now he’s tied up to a chair in a dark room that looks like a cell. Great…

-You’re finally awake, a feminine voice calls him on the other side of the room.

-Indeed I am, he grunts, his head still pulsing.

If he woke up in this cell it meant that the officers accompanying him in this mission were defeated too. It is not everyday that he ends up in a dire situation, but it is nothing he can't get out of. Depending on how long he was knocked out cold Faro would have noticed he did not send the planned message at the planned hours and already sent a rescue mission, the only thing he needed was a radio signal to send his position. And if he has to break one or two necks in the process… Well, this is what war is, even if he would rather not do it.

-Traitor… She calls

-I do not know who you are but you simply can’t call an innocent civilian a traitor, I’ve done nothing wrong! He pretends, maybe the jailer doesn’t know enough and will fall for the comedy.

- “Innocent civilian”... She laughs, a high pitched sound, crystalline and cold, we both know you are none of the sort, “Grand Admiral '', she mocks.

So they know this much, interesting to note. He finally distinguishes a silhouette in the distance but too far away, even for him, to see her traits. She’s sitting on a chair, cross-legged and slouching against a table. It means she can’t see behind his back, perfect! He discreetly rolls his wrists in the handcuffs, trying to access the little lazer file hidden in the lining of his sleeve.

- I repeat, I don’t know what you’re talking about, you must mistake me for someone else… He plead as pathetically as he can to gain some time.

She tuts.

-I don’t think so Grand Admiral Thrawn, you are… rather unique in this part of the galaxy.

Useless to play the comedy anymore, now to know the extent of their intel.

-You’re searching for this? She calmly asks, throwing something on the ground with a jingling.

The file.

-We also found your two comlinks, your ship command and your two hidden weapons… She enumerates almost uninterested, and your colleagues are taking care of in other rooms.

His gaze lazily passes from the file to her, hidden in the shadows, a single eyebrow raised. Freeing himself is just becoming more difficult suddenly. He can still brute force his way through it and break his cuffs with sheer force, but it will be even less discreet. Might as well make her talk while she’s here.

-Can I see the visage of my captor? He straightens his back as a Grand Admiral should be, recovering his haughtiness.

She remains silent for a moment and sighs. She stands up and walks up to him, her heels clacking on the ground, and she slowly reveals herself to him. The woman he was following. She towers over him from all her height and looks at him with… pity? Contempt? Judgement? Whatever it is, her gaze pierces him and stabs him. She forces him to look up at her, the light behind her illuminating her with a white halo only accentuating the sharpness of her shiny eyes. She only exults confidence and disdain but also a tad of prudence. As she eyeballs him he doesn’t deprive himself from observing her from head to stilettos, taking as much info as he can. Tall and muscular, her eyes shine with intelligence and an unbridled rage, her tensed muscles jaw and throat indicate that she’s containing herself. He can use that to his advantage. He notes the folded whip at her hips, a blade and a taser that he would rather not touch. Navigating this situation will be perilous, but a warrior never backs down. His stare goes back on her face and he ponders for a second, why does she seem familiar? He never forgets a face but he never saw her before. Maybe something in her attitude or how she conducts herself… But apparently she knows him very well because she accepted to take care of him while not being the warrior type, with the tight fitted dress and the heels.

-Satisfied? She snarls

-I am, thank you, he nods. Now can you please tell me why you are referring to me as a “traitor”? He asks politely.

For sole answer he receives a fantastic punch in the face. It almost makes the chair flip over. He sees stars and his skin tingles where the sharp bite of her knuckles meet his jaw. He blinks and shakes his head before his chin is grasped and she puts her face a mere centimeters from his.

-Now listen, you are not on your ISD. You are on my territory, under my roof, away from your little friends, because I wanted it that way, not the other way around. Starting now I am the one asking the questions, she placidly announces.

He was sure she would unleash her rage, indulging in her anger but instead and be malleable but instead he met with someone perfectly calm, under control. He searches her eyes but only see resolution and a dark void, like her blood was replaced by icy cold water. He starts wondering if he didn’t end up in the claws of a psychopath, a type he rarely engages with and tends to avoid. He never appreciated those psychic profiles even though they are surprisingly easy to understand for him, their lack of empathy and disregard for life always stirred him the wrong way. For a split second he wonders if he’s not a bit scared.

And maybe a bit excited.

Those rebels are numerous and capable but never pose a real challenge, he comes, he sees and he vanquishes. His important job became stale and boring to him, nothing to break up the routine, nothing intellectually or physically stimulating. Everything is too easy for him. Victory no longer tastes sweet and gratifying, losing all its meaning.

But here…

Here his life might be threatened in ways out of his control. He may really lose it all…

The adrenaline spike he feels wakes up his survival instincts, sleeping for a long time.

And it is terribly exciting.

Finally some action.

But it is not a reason to throw away his dignity and give her what she wants. The imperturbable mask is back on as quick as it slipped off.

-Understood? She flashes her pearly white teeth.

He slowly blinks to indicate that he understood. She releases her grip and moves away.

- Now why are you here?

-Because you wanted me here, Thrawn dryly respounds

She grins, taking her blade and grazing it on his blue skin just under his eye.

-What else, doc?

-Formal mission of counterespionage, gang regulation and arms trafficking.

Which is not a lie.

She simply straddles his laps, and cuts his skin across his cheek. He winces at the sharp bite of the blade and the warm sensation of his blood flowing freely. She grabs a fist of his hair, yanking his head back and exposing his throat.

-Now, now. You’re pretty cute. I would hate to have to bruise this pretty face. So you either get to the juicy parts or you’re coming back eyeless, she lets a blade wander around his throat.

He breathes through his nose and gulps under the cold metal sensation around his artery. Despite his best efforts his mind starts to wander other places, it is surprisingly difficult to think straight when you’re between the tights of a woman. He mentally shakes himself.

-I am here because your group is suspected of robbing the Empire of riffle’s cannon, grenade’s module and non-assembled hyperdrives on behalf of the resistance.

-Who sold us?

The rebel who accepted to cooperate has been granted the status of protected witness in exchange of the intel, he cannot reveal their name. He deducted the place and the proportion of the group himself.

-Nobody, I found out myself.

-You lie well, but I’m not an idiot. The method we used was perfect, unless one of us decided to deceive us. And I wanna know who! She presses the sharp tip of the blade on his vein.

- I do not know their real name, they used the nickname “Udor” during our interrogations.

She squints at him. It is half a lie, he doesn’t know their name but her organization is too vast for her to know each and every nicknames of her agents, it will buy him some time. She looks a bit disappointed.

-And no method is truly perfect. You are only as efficient as the least competent of your agent, he adds.

She bares her teeth, cutting deeper into the flesh. Doing so she also presses herself more against his groin, and it’s getting really difficult to concentrate with a fiery woman rubbing herself against his crotch.

-And you’re as mortal as each of us. Do not patronize me, imperial traitor, she hisses.

He raises an eyebrow.

-Here we are again. Why the traitor? He asks calmly.

- Because this is what you are. An imperial trash and a traitor.

- I never betrayed anyone I pledged my loyalty to, I wonder where you got this idea.

Her eyes widens and for a split second he’s convinced she’s gonna stab him. But she deeply breathes and when she opens back her eyes the black void and resolution are back. Icy cold water instead of blood.

-Because you killed my brother, she lets out between her teeth.

He refrain a snarl, does she know how little it narrows it down?

- Your brother? I claimed the life of many, rarely by choice, frequently by necessity. You will need to be more precise.

- Oh no. Put this encephalon you’re so proud of to use.

He observes her face intently, his mind racing at full speed. Who…?

Then it flashes. The methods…

-You are Cygni’s sister.

-Indeed.

-He always striked me as the type of person protecting something, but I did not know a little sister was part of it, Thrawn says, fully interested.

Nightswan, his great opponent… Back when his work was interesting and stimulating.

Could her sister live up to his standard? Offers him great battles and interesting fresh new tactics?

It would be undreamt for…

-Oh he did it for me. To ensure I would not have to live under the empire's rule any more. He talked to me about this great strategist that he came to respect and admire despite their differences.

He feels a pinch of guilt. He respected and admired Nightswan too, and this conversation is taking a turn a bit too personal to his liking, he’s more and more sympathetic to her situation and empathy towards someone threatening you with a blade is rarely a sane and healthy move.

- He wondered how it would have been if you were both on the same side, working for the greater good, but you shot him in the back. Literally.

She grasps his throat and presses it. He’s quickly getting light headed by the lack of blood, accounting that the rest is flowing to his groin where she deliciously rubs herself against, even though unwillingly.

This is a really curious situation he got himself into.

- I deeply respected your brother. He was a man of honor and principles, the galaxy would be greater for it having more people like him.

- It still didn’t prevent you from killing him.

- I have duties and responsibilities that he was going against, we both knew what it meant.

-Is it what you’re telling yourself to wash yourself from guilt and sleep at night without nightmares? So the voices of your victims don’t haunt you?

- I knew full well what I was engaging myself into when I accepted to work for the Empire.

-Excuses! It won’t give me my brother back!

-Neither will killing me, he says lazily, a thin smile appearing on his lips, but here we are.

Hypoxia, when the brain lacks oxygen an euphoric sentiment spreads and right now he feels very, very light and happy. And her sexual stimulation isn’t spoiling anything, quite the opposite. A flash of lucidity strikes him when he asks himself if he should really indulge into those sensations in such dire situation, but they are so… powerful. All his muscles slowly relax and the pain of the cuffs subsides as his head gets lighter and lighter.

He’s feeling very good right now. He almost wants to laugh as she rides him so pleasantly like that. She’s beautiful and feisty, all he likes in a woman. That would make for an interesting story he could tell Ar’alani if they ever cross paths again. The more he thinks about the sillier it gets.

The woman seems to hesitate at his words, loosening her grip.

- It doesn’t matter anymore, she shakes her head, I have you where I wanted. It is only a matter of time now…

-What? He giggles.

He’s seeing stars again, little fireworks behind his eyes. Damn, if she continues squeezing her thighs like that he will have an erection, and it will go straight to the top of the most humiliating interrogation he had to face. But strangely it doesn’t displease him. He thinks he might like that… Maybe she would degrade him more and use him to her advantage. He always liked women who initiate action.

-Your demise, she spits, tightening her grip.

He moans in a breath. If only she would squeeze harder. If only she would cut him deeper. If only she would ride him properly…

-You seem to enjoy yourself, traitor, she snarls.

-Am I? He grins.

-Simply abject… Are all the imperials deviant like you?

Good question! He theorized they all have their fantasies, it is just a coincidence that one of his is unfolding right now.

Before he could respond, her comlink rings. She releases him and stands up from his lap.

-I have to go, she heads towards the door, but I’m not done with you, she points at him with her blade.

He breathes through his nose as she exit the room. Faro and the Chimaera would be here before the end of the night, but he catches himself praying for them to be a bit late…

@bluechiss @thrawnalani @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @elise2174 @debonaire-princess @twilekchiss@pencil-urchin @ineedazeezee @mssbridgerton

#thrawn x reader #thrawn x f!reader #thrawn x you #thrawn #grand admiral thrawn #mitth’raw’nuruodo #fanfic #vibratingskull

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callsigndragon · 2 years

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A Rebel In My Soul | Chapter 3: Dog Fight

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Fem!Mitchell!Reader

Word count: 3,3k (they keep getting longer omg)

Warnings: swearing, brief mentions of death, Hangman being a decent human being for once (needs a warning), mentions of alcohol, bit of angst, fluff, enemies to lovers, slow burn. HANGMAN'S POV (this needs a big warning)

Summary: Y/N "Rebel" Mitchell is one of the best aviators of her generation. She grew up hearing the adventures and stories of Maverick, her father, that he used as bedtime stories. She became an aviator with her best friend Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw and now both of them have to come back to the Top Gun Academy for an important mission. Only the best of the best is called for this mission, including the southern idiot called Jake "Hangman" Seresin. Both of you had hated each other since day one. Now, having to work together once more, you count the days for this mission to be over, not only to never see Hangman again, but to also cut all connections again with your father.

Taglist: @theprettytragic @thatoneweirdhorsegirl913 @shrimping-for-all @inky-sun @popcrone818 @blue-aconite

(If you want to be added to the taglist comment or send me a message!)

A/N: Okay this is crazy. Thank you so much to all of you who are reading this series. To all the new followers, the ones that like and comment, and the ones that just read. Thank you. You don't now how important this is for me. My mental health issues ended my willing to write, and I began to write this series mostly to myself, but I see a lot of you enjoying it, and y'all.... it's a wonderful feeling. Just thank you. This chapter has Hangman's pov at the end, revealing a little of his feelings and thoughts. It was really special for me so... i hope you like it!

Series Masterlist

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Rooster ends up being one of the firsts to do the exercise. You stay with Phoenix, Bob, Hangman and the rest, listening to the radio, hearing how things are going up there.

��Good morning, aviators. This is your captain speaking. Welcome to basic fighting maneuvers. As briefed, today’s exercise is dog fighting. Guns only, no missiles. We do not go below the hard deck of 5000 feet”

You take a sit next to Hangman, cause it’s the only available sit left in the sofa. “Yeah, sure, like he’s not down there already”

“Howdy, Rebel. How do you know so much about him?” says Hangman turning around an f-18 model that he found in the table.

“He’s a legend. Everybody knows about him”

“You think I’ll be as famous as him someday?”

“Keep dreaming, Hangman”

“If I shoot either one of you down,” Maverick keeps explaining the rules of the exercise “you both lose”

“This guy needs an ego check”

“You’re one to talk, Hangman. But actually, and I can’t believe I'm gonna say this, you’re right”

“One of us will get him. We’re the best”

One thing about Hangman is that if you’re a good pilot, he’s not gonna mess with that. He respects it. He messes with Rooster because he’s cautious, and in a way, you think he’s trying to puss his buttons to make him react. Rooster has always been too careful when flying. Maverick once said that he wasn’t ready to leave the book behind and start doing things his own way. You hate to admit it, but he was right. Rooster is an excellent pilot, but he follows every single rule in the book. You’ve grown to believe that this is a result of Goose’s accident. It has turned into a trauma for Rooster. He’s always trying to keep control of the aircraft. He’s too cautious and you’re too reckless. If you were paired together, probably you would be the best team.

He is too slow and Payback and Fanboy are almost smoked, but Rooster gets in the middle to save them. Rooster always makes sure to bring the whole team back home.

One after one, all your team goes up there, none of them are able to get Maverick. Not even you, he tried to make conversation with you several times and you weren’t having it. Phoenix and Bob were surprised to hear how Maverick was talking to you. As if the two of you were close. He kept talking and ended up frustrating you so much that it was impossible for him to get him. You had to do the 200 push-ups.

The second time you’re up there, you have Hangman as your wingman. Great, he’s going to leave you alone in a matter of seconds.

“So, Rebel, mind if I ask you a personal question?”

“You’re gonna ask it anyway” you say while looking around, trying to find Maverick. He’s not on the radar, he has to be close.

“What’s the story with you, Rooster and Maverick? It seems like it has you both a little rattled”

“That’s none of your business, Hangman. Where the hell is he?”

“Been here the whole time” says Maverick, appearing from below your aircraft, and moving to be above you, face down.

“Holy shit” exclaims Hangman. You’re not actually surprised. He’s that type of person.

“You see me know, kid? Come on, let’s get it over with” he tells you, looking directly into your eyes.

He thinks that he can just pull out of nowhere, after what he did to you and Rooster, and solve everything with a dog fight? Just old Maverick behavior. If he wants fight, you’ll give him war.

“Fight’s on, old man!” you howl, turning your aircraft.

“What is with these two?” Hangman questions. But you’re too busy to answer.

You both go down, spiraling around each other, sky and earth spinning around you. You keep falling. None of you is going to pull up soon. This is dangerous, to say the least, and once you set foot on the ground, Rooster is going to scold you because of your actions. You said that you wouldn’t let Maverick get to you. But he has a talent to make people angry.

“All right, you put us here. How you’re gonna get yourself out?” he asks you. Always the teacher tone. Maverick should know by now that there are only a few things left that he can teach you. He raised you.

You are just like him when it comes to flying.

“Already wanting to leave, old man? You can bail out anytime”

“How long you want to go, Rebel?”

“I can go as low as you sir! And that’s saying something”

“What’s past is past. For the three of us”

“Wouldn’t you like to believe that” you sneer. He really is something else. He's trying to make you and Rooster forget everything that happened. He really believes he was doing the right thing. And he’s not even going to explain himself to try to gain your forgiveness.

“Hard deck is 5000 feet, fellas. You are running out of room” says Hangman through the radio.

Altitude. Altitude. Altitude.

The automated voice is warning you. You’ve broken the hard deck. You’re still going down, approaching the ground faster by the second, but you cannot look away from Maverick. The first one that pulls up, loses. He knows it. You know it.

And a Mitchell never loses.

“Your strategy is about to run us into the ground. What’s your move, Rebel?”

Altitude. Altitude. Altitude.

You look at the numbers on your screen. They're going down really fast. You want to pull up. You need to pull up. But you can’t lose. You can’t let Maverick win. Not again.

Not this time.

Pull up. Pull up. Pull up.

“Rebel, pull up!” shouts Hangman.

Maverick pulls up before you. You smirk and pull up, knowing that you have him. He’s going down. He’s flying low, as if that could scare you.

“Come on, Rebel. You got him!” says Hangman. Why is he being nice?

You drop down flying right behind Maverick and try to mark him.

“Come on, come on, come on”

Tone. You get tone. You got him.

“Whooo! Attagirl, get your ass up here before you crush” Hangman is being too nice. Is he trying to be in your good side to end up in the dagger team?

You move your aircraft to be next to Maverick’s.

“Remember, old man. 200 push-ups” you turn to leave, Hangman following you.

When you get off your aircraft, Hangman is waiting for you.

“Breaking the hard deck, insubordination… You really live up to your call sign” jokes Hangman. Seriously, what’s wrong with him?

“Want something, Bag man?”

“C’mon, Reb. What’s going on?” he sounds sincere. Like he really wants to know.

“Why do you care so much?”

“Cause I’ve seen you fly before. You’ve always been reckless. But this? This is something else”

You stop walking and turn to look at him. He’s usual cocky smile is gone. He’s looking at you, eyes full of concern. He really is worried about you. You look away, not being able to keep watching those beautiful green eyes that take your breath away.

Wait what?

“I’ll see you on the Hard Deck. Buy me a drink and maybe I’ll tell you”

Hangman smiles a little. A different smile from the ones that you have seen before. Did he hit his head with something?

“I’ll see you there, then” he says softly before leaving. You remain there, speechless, trying to understand what’s going on in Hangman’s head.

You enter the Hard Deck, seeing Hangman waiting for you at the bar top, beer in hand. He looks good out of his uniform, wearing some old jeans, a white t-shirt and his aviator jacket. His hair is loose, giving him a more juvenile aspect. You wouldn’t mind seeing more of this Hangman.

He takes a sip of his beer, eyes scanning the door to see the incomers. When he sees you, he raises his beer as a greeting. You smile a little, walking towards him.

“Hangman”

“Rebel” he welcomes you, looking at Penny “Can you get me two more? Thanks, dear”

“So, you’re really gonna get me a drink”

“I keep my promises. You get your beer; I get to know what is happening here”

“I never thought Hangman was an old gossiping lady”

Penny puts down the beers in front of you, smiling before leaving to get more drinks to other clients. The place is relatively quiet, but it won’t be like this for too long.

“Honey, I was born and raised in the south. Of course, I gossip” he admits, raising his beer. “Cheers”

You do the same, drinking the cool liquid. If someone told you three days ago that you’ll end up drinking beers with Hangman, you would have laughed.

“He tried to pull my papers at the Naval Academy” you admit after swallowing the drink.

Hangman chokes on his beer. You grab a napkin to clean the drops of golden liquid that have fallen on his jacket. He looks at you, eyes completely widened in shock.

“Maverick?”

“Yeah. The man, the legend”

“But why would he do something like that?”

“I used to think that he was trying to protect me” you admit, your eyes focusing in the beer in your hands. You twirl it around slowly, not being really interested in drinking it. Hangman takes off his jacket and moves his stool to be closer to you. His hand brushes yours innocently, but it makes your skin burn and your heart to beat faster.

What are you, some kind of teenager? Having a crush because someone touched your hand?

A crush?

“So, you two knew each other from before”

“I thought I did” you admit, taking a big sip of your beer.

Hangman looks at you. There’s a shadow, a feeling in his eyes that you cannot identify. At first, you think it’s pity. But you’ve seen the pity in the eyes of the rest of the world every time they knew who your father was. That’s not pity. He blinks a few times and that shadow disappears.

“Are you late because Rooster reprimanded you?” mocks Hangman, a small devilish smile adorning his features.

You let your head fall to the bar top with a groan, making Hangman laugh. Of course, he did. He lectured you during thirty minutes, trying to remind you that it was your life what you were risking when doing “bullshit like that”. His words, not yours.

“You know, I always say that he’s like my big brother but he took that personally” you mutter, your voice muffled by the wood.

“Oh, he did. When we met at the academy, everyone thought you two were dating. And then one day, we were here playing pool and you went to the bathroom and he said and I quote” he clears his throat before speaking in the most ridiculous sound-alike Rooster voice you’ve ever heard. “If one of you idiots tries to get in my little sister’s pants, I will kill you with my own bare hands”

“Please tell me it’s a lie” you beg him, not wanting to believe his words.

He leans closer. You can feel his warm breath against your cheekbone. His cologne filling your nostrils and making your heart skip a beat by the sudden proximity.

“He even said that to Phoenix” he declares, a laugh following soon after he sees the mortification in your eyes.

“Oh my God. I’ll kill him” you put your hands on your face to shield you from Hangman’s stare.

“Honestly, it was for the better. There were a few guys interested in proving if you were as good in bed as you were in the sky. Assholes” he finishes his beer and turns in his stool. “Pool?”

“Sure” you say, getting up and taking your beer with you.

You play for a while, opting for small talk rather than important conversations as before. There’s something inside your brain, a tiny little voice screaming that you should leave. It’s true that you don’t understand why he is being nice to you all of a sudden… but you know that he means no harm. He’s egotistical, arrogant, and a complete idiot when he wants to. But you’ve seen him be a good teammate when the occasion required to. What is behind this change of behavior, you don’t know. But there’s nothing wrong in hanging around long enough to find out.

You have to admit that every time he leans over to aim, you look at his hands. There’s something about them that drives you mad. Strong, calloused hands that make your imagination go wild. You need to stop those thoughts before they go too far.

“Hangman”

“Yes?”

“Why did you call me up there?”

“Did I?” he tilts his head, feigning ignorance. As if you couldn’t see past him.

“Yes, you told me to pull up”

“Oh yeah. If you burn in, the mission will be over. And I really want to know what this is all about” he says, his cocky smile present again. Yeah, that’s the Hangman you know.

“And here I thought you were being friendly”

Hangman’s smile drops instantly, as if he has just realized that he’s done something wrong. He is about to say something when you feel an arm on your shoulders.

“Rebel? You didn’t tell me you were gonna be here” Rooster says appearing behind you and almost giving you a heart attack.

“Jesus, Rooster. Don’t scare me like that”

“C’mon I want you to meet some people”

You give the stick to Hangman. “Thanks for the beer”

He nods and remains silent while you leave. You don’t notice but he watches you leave with a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. Hangman pays for the drinks and leaves the Hard Deck without a goodbye.

Jake leaves the Hard Deck, trying to identify the feelings that cloud his mind. Why is he feeling bitter? Is it because Rebel chose Rooster? Of course, she will always choose him. He and Rebel are not friends. How is he even going to be an option? He gets on his car, but doesn’t turn the engine. He remains there, looking inside the bar. She is smiling to something that Rooster is saying, her big, shiny eyes full of adoration for the taller man.

Jake has never been jealous of anyone. He got the looks, he got the skills, he is better than the majority of the pilots in the base. But yet, he’s not enough for her. And he feels jealous of Rooster because it doesn’t matter how much he fucks it up, Rebel will always be there for him.

Why are these feelings and thoughts materializing right now?

Maybe it is because she almost killed herself.

That dog fight with Maverick was dangerous. When he saw Rebel breaking the hard deck without caring about her own security, he felt the need to go after her. But he didn’t. How could he? It was impossible to stop her when she was flying. He knew, though, that if someone could beat the old timer, it was Rebel. That girl was made to be an aviator. But she needed someone to stop her from pulling out these stunts.

Recently, everybody had been talking about the “Mitchell’s”. Not around Rebel or Rooster, of course. But they’ve been talking. The way they talk to each other is really suspicious. Fanboy said that maybe Rebel was his wife, hence the name. Phoenix smacked him in the back of the head. Obviously, Rebel wasn’t married. Maverick was her father. Everybody knew, but no one said anything out of respect for the pilot.

He was ready to say something at the exercise. Being just the two of them up there, maybe he could ask. But then he saw the turn of the events and he knew that if she wanted to talk about it, it wouldn’t be with him.

He had been a dick with her since the first day. How could he expect that Rebel told him something so personal? He was out of his mind.

But what he really wanted to know was why the heck was he caring about a nepotism baby. Her father is one of the most famous legends at Top Gun and she’s here. Did Daddy’s name open the doors of the academy for her?

No. Jake knew that was bullshit. If there was someone in the team who really deserved to be here, was Rebel. She’s a hell of a pilot. Jake remembers the first day that he saw her at Top Gun. He couldn’t understand how someone like Rebel made it into this world. Shy, quiet, always hidden behind Rooster. Maybe that was one of the reasons why he was always a dick with her. He wanted to get her out of her shell. He wanted to break her walls, to see the real Rebel. If she was there, she was good. She was part of the 1%. Then she proved to be better than everyone at the academy and nobody could believe that the shy girl was a menace in the air. She became confident, brave and a force to reckon. She found her voice and she stopped being the quiet girl in the back of the room. That's when the trouble maker appeared. And she gained her call sign.

Jake gave it to her.

He remembers the exact words that gave the inspiration to the team. “You’re a rebel in disguise, Mitchell. And someday your actions will have consequences”

That was the day Rebel was born.

Jake has to admit that she is one of a kind. Good pilot, better friend, she had been team leader in some exercises back in the academy days and she seemed to be born for it. Always caring about the rest, willing to sacrifice herself to secure the rest of the team. She didn’t break rules to be cool, to be the best or to gain recognition. Rebel broke rules to save people. Sometimes a good leader needs to break some rules to save the rest. That’s why Jake knows that he will never be team leader. He wasn’t as good as her.

Lately, every time he closes his eyes, he can see her. He’s been watching her too much these last two days. Jake doesn’t know why. There’s something in her… in her eyes looking at the sky to see Rooster flying away, in the way she moves when dancing at the Hard Deck, in how she smiles whenever Phoenix makes a joke. Everyone gets a special part of Rebel. Eyes, smiles… he wants something too. But why?

Does Jake Seresin want Rebel to be his friend? Yeah, that’s probably it. He knows now that he’s always been envious of Rooster and Rebel’s friendship. It was… pure. Pure and unadulterated love. Not that type of love. But a type of love that Jake had never felt before.

He wants someone who will be waiting for him whenever he comes back from an exercise, ready to tell him how good he did, or if he has to do something differently to be better. He wants someone to play pool with at the Hard Deck. Someone that stays with him when everybody leaves. Someone he can share secrets, stories, memories with. Or just talk about everything and anything until the night turns into morning. Someone that is not afraid of his stupid jokes because deep down she knows that he is a good guy, but he probably doesn’t know how to talk to people. He wants to open up to someone and maybe, that someone is Rebel. Someone who is as good as him in the sky, but better than him in every single aspect on the ground. Someone he can learn from, and someone he can teach to.

Jake turns the engine of his car, ready to leave.

Yeah. He just wants a friend.

#top gun x reader #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman x fem!reader #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #hangman x reader #top gun maverick fanfic #jake seresin x reader #hangman seresin #hangman imagine #jake hangman fic #a rebel in my soul

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dailyjermasparkle · 2 months

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if i ever hit 100k followers on tumblr I'll have my radio rebel moment and reveal all 16 of my sideblogs (i'm saying this bc it is a goal I will likely never achieve)

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positivelybeastly · 2 days

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"Morning, Hank."

Tess plops down beside him at the breakfast table, taking a sip of hot coffee from her Rebel Minotaur mug. (The 'Bad Dragon' of the past!) "Thanks for the cup."

"Indubitably! Good morning, Tess."

Without even looking up from his newspaper (splayed open to the arts coverage, naturally, with a small article about up and coming artist Carly Crocker being the current focus of Hank's interest), the blue furred Beast clinks matching mugs with Tess and smiles. Oasis' Stand By Me strums along on the radio.

(Morph looks like they want to say something about the mugs, but. Do they dare revealing they know? What if Hank and Tess don't realise what Rebel Minotaur is all about? What if they just found the mugs and they don't know? Best not to risk it.)

"Oh, and don't forget, you need to pick up Jubilation's birthday gift today. You did ask me to remind you, after all."

#themckaytriarchy #verse: hated and feared

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kleyamarki · 1 month

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HI so i wrote the implied meeting between salman paak and kleya. it's part of my magnum opus eat your young andor concept fic. this is ultimately going to be bix-centered, focused on "throw enough rope till the legs have swung" (pretty on the nose for ya, sorry paak)

anyway, it's below the cut. maybe let me know what you think? idk i'm bored.

The man has Ferrix written all over him. It’s in the way he leaves the seats in the room for those much older and those much younger, the way he genuinely listens to everyone in the room, and the mechanic’s oil he’s tried to wash out of the jacket he wears. Kleya selects him as her mark out of the packed room. A speaker drones on about the injustices the Empire has rought, and Kleya nods along – she agrees, obviously. But speaking to a room of people will ultimately do nothing. It’s her job to pick out people she believes will be willing to take an extra step. She has hope for the man who would come all the way from Ferrix.

[ok itty bitty time skip (because i’m impatient with my writing brain and want to share this anyway), like a matter of a few minutes, think rebel meeting but more like a lecture. kleya looks like she should be part of it, like she could be one of the leaders of this little group, even. but she stands on the outskirts of the room, like she’s the lowest rung of the leader totem pole. in reality she’s not one of them, but she’s there to see if she can get anyone for her & luthen’s purposes. she also introduces herself to paak. obviously with a different name and all that. okay onto the rest]

“You know,” Kleya says over a cup of caf, “If you’re serious about this, you could be our liaison on your homeworld.” She uses ‘our’ lightly in terms of the current surroundings. She hopes he doesn’t notice the leaders of the group aren’t fraternizing with the attendees. Her network needs this. The Separatists here might too, but there’s a reason she’s handpicked him specifically. They don’t need to know that.

Paak lets a huff of air out of his nose, a laugh, maybe, “Ferrix? They’d rather take the Empire’s money and ignore them.” Kleya’s brow furrows as the words leave his mouth. “They have each other, they can ignore the rest.”

“But you’re here.”

“But I’m here,” he sighs.

Kleya spies her opening. “I can offer more money for the Imperial toys you trade already.”

“You don’t want some uprising?” Paak raises an eyebrow, silently saying what Kleya wants him to realize – you’re not the same as them, the Separatists she’s playing. Maybe he even thinks their arrangement would be less dangerous than an overt uprising. She hopes, for his sake, he doesn’t have to learn the truth of the matter.

“We know the game you salvagers play,” Kleya says, revealing just enough to reel him in. “And we could put it to better use. A use you’d probably like more, anyway, considering you’re here.” She sips her caf, looks back at the room.

Paak is silent for a moment longer than Kleya would like. He sips his caf too, thinking. She interjects, “You’d get a radio, signal when you have something for my buyer. We’ll catch it, he’ll pay a visit. All fairly simple, if you can get your hands on equipment we need at the right time.”

At that, Paak nods. Although he still looks the slightest bit uneasy, Kleya knows she’s got him. “As long as the radio’s alive, you’ll get a stipend too.” She debates for a split second what she’ll say next, but goes ahead anyway, “All the better for your family, right?”

Paak raises an eyebrow, but there’s something in his eye that says he’s in for the guarantee of a regular income stream. “You said liaison,” he says, finally, “Could I bring someone in, put them in contact with your buyer?”

Kleya doesn’t want to say yes, but they need Ferrix. “Sure, you’re the one on the ground.” A half-truth. He doesn’t need to know that.

Paak nods, “You have a deal.”

Kleya suppresses a smile. She can still be happy about the small successes. “We’ll send you the radio in the next few weeks. Signal, and the buyer will come.”

#i literally hold my breath writing kleya and had to take multiple breaks writing this #i love it maybe you will too or maybe you'll hate it but fuck it #i do this for me and you are my hostage audience (she says putting it below a cut)#kleya marki #andor fic

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sl-vega · 2 months

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✧the slay anon saga✧

synopsis: all the posts recounting my investigation of the true identity of the SLAY anon. is it a romance? a friendship? a future rivalry? who knows

SEASON 1

01-the start of it all

02-i will find you

03-attention all suspects

04-it would be so sexy tho

05-must be good with your hands

06-slaying and slutting

07-trust issues for the win

08-they got me

09-a lead

10-denial will do you no good

11-you ain't innocent

12-a break-...for now

13-trust issues for the win: part 2

14-fanart coming in hot

15-trust issues for the win: part 3

16-trust issues for the win: part 4

17-gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss

18-trust issues for the win: part 5

19-mlb or radio rebel?

20-fanart contest

21-og slay anon returns

22-fr fr slay anon returns

23-do you love me?

24-KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE

25-w rizz

26-slay was meant to be

27-the mask falls

28-KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE: part 2

29-first place goes to....

30-the true identity of fr fr slay

31-an ode to the og slay anon

32-THE GRAND REVEAL

SEASON 2

01-the legacy continues

02-to slay or not to slay

03-challenge accepted

04-bob-y count

05-surpassing the elders

06-training montage in the works

07-redemption arc lets gooooooo

08-betrayal but not really

09-audience appreciation

10-pleasing the og

11-let me show you how to slay

12-an ode to slay anon the third

13-evidence

14-GOTTEM

15-appreciation for the poet

16-(○~○')/

17-the slowburn ain't slowburning

18-you can be the sherlock to my watson

19-an ode the the slay anons

20-the most iconic detective duo

21-the game is afoot

22-BUSTED

23-oddly wholesome

24-reunion between the poet and king

25-i hereby announce

26-it's complicated

27-a proposal

28-the palace of evil

29-fucking great vocabulary

30-accidental reveal

31-case closed

32-the sin of stupidity

SEASON 3

01-oh god there's another

02-NEW FRIEND

03-potential leads?

04-the game is afoot! (season 3 edition)

05-they're after watson

06-preparing for greatness

07-washroom anyone?

08-oh god there's another: part 2

09-swearing to the g-man

10-putting in a good word

11-the fourth of the legacy

12-shoutout to watson

13-friend or foe?

14-the honest poet

15-technical warrant

16-loopholes be loopholing

17-remembering fr fr slay

18-equal footing

19-ultimate loyalty

20-RIVALRY ARC

21-rivals to lovers anyone?

22-historians called them rivals

23-flirting?

24-sex ed era

25-potential leads?:part 2

26-flirting

27-time for an interrogation

28-historian called them rivals:part 2

29-potential side ship?

30-inevitable disappointment

#SLAY anon #i will find you #lock your doors #making this so i can look back on it #you will be unmasked #i love ya slay anon #vee x slay anon fr fr

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whump-card · 6 months

Text

This Death That I Chose: Chapter 12

1922 words

CW: implied noncon, forced to listen, gun violence, bombings

First, Previous, Masterlist, Next

~~~

Tao woke suddenly, blinking up at the underside of a bed. The only thing he could think about was the pain in his leg. The kind of pain that made his brain go holy shit holy shit holy shit are we dying?

Until he remembered how it happened.

He rolled his eyes around. He lay on the lower of a pair of bunk beds, in a tiny cinderblock room with a toilet-sink combo in the back corner. The door was metal, with a small safety-glass window.

He pushed himself up on his elbows with a grunt, and took stock of his knee. It was covered by loose orange pants – he wore a shirt that matched – but when he reached down to feel it, it seemed to be immobilized by some sort of slim-fitting cast underneath that stretched from mid-thigh to mid-shin.

Exhausted by even that small amount of movement, Tao dropped back onto the threadbare pillow with a sigh. The bunk above him shifted.

“Tao? You awake?”

Vic dropped down from the upper bunk, and crouched at Tao’s side.

“Hey,” he said when he saw Tao’s open eyes, “How’re you feeling?”

Tao took a breath and turned his face away.

“I’m glad you’re alive, Vic,” he said slowly, “But fuck you.”

“Woah, what?” Vic laughed nervously.

“I know about you and Lark,” Tao hissed.

“…Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh!’” Tao looked back at Vic, suddenly filled with rage. “Why the fuck would you do that?!”

Vic sat back on his heels, the guilt clear on his face.

“He begged me to, Josh,” he said quietly, “I didn’t understand what… I just didn’t understand.”

Tao fumed in silence for a minute.

“If it weren’t for my leg,” he said eventually, “I’d kick your ass, right now.”

“Yeah, that – that’s fair,” Vic yielded.

“And now Lark is… fuck!” Tao pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to push away the visions of Lark, lying like a broken doll on the stone stage. But it wasn’t just Lark – it was all the rebels who had died that night. Tao’s friends, his comrades. And who knew how many more had fought to the death rather than be captured. The sense of loss threatened to overwhelm Tao, clawing at the inside of his chest and stealing his breath.

“I’m so sorry, Tao,” said Vic, his voice hollow with unshed tears, “I’m so sorry.”

Tao didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what would happen to them. He didn’t know what would happen to what once was the United States, now that the Commander was dead.

Somehow, he felt that it would be bad.

~~~

Marina was inconsolable when they reached the rendezvous point and Karlo and Tao weren’t there.

Faye had revealed a rare human side, and held her tightly as she screamed and cried.

They set up camp in the penultimate level of a parking garage, the only structure left of an otherwise leveled town. It gave them good visibility of the surrounding area, and a long radio reach.

They listened to coms chatter all night. The news that the Commander was dead was met with solemn silence – as was the announcement that a group of captured rebels were being taken to the Capital prison.

Marina started looking at maps.

In the weak light of early morning, Marina approached Becca.

“Is it possible to make bombs out of car batteries?”

Becca didn’t reply. But when Hannah said, “Oh hell yeah you can!” Becca didn’t exactly say no, either.

~~~

Being trapped in the prison cell was torture. Tao was provided no pain medication, so he sweated, and groaned, and writhed. The lights never turned off, so he slept in fits and starts, daydreams seeping into nightmares spilling into daydreams. The axe coming down. The deathmasks of his friends. A car in flames.

Food was delivered to them through a slot in the door at odd hours and in inconsistent portions, as if to keep them confused. Or perhaps, with the Commander gone, his systems were falling apart. Who knew.

It felt like days before their monotony was finally interrupted by the door flinging open with a bang, startling Tao and Vic out of their restless dozing.

General Gordon stood in the doorway, a wild smile on his face.

“Tao, right?”

Tao kept his mouth shut, watching the General warily, but Gordon shrugged.

“Don’t bother lying, Lark told us everything.”

“He’s alive?” gasped Tao, pushing himself upright.

“Of course he’s alive, why would I waste an ass like that?”

Tao gritted his teeth. “What do you want?”

Gordon’s eyes glinted above his smug grin.

“I want to make a trade.” He stepped further into the cell, and a soldier moved to take his place in the doorway. The soldier held a pair of crutches.

“You get these,” the General proposed, “As long as you listen very nicely, very politely, to this recording that I have.” He pulled a small device out of his pocket.

It would be nice to not need Vic’s help to use the toilet, Tao thought, but there was no way this was that simple.

Gordon didn’t wait for an answer, however. He continued on.

“Yes, Lark’s been a very good boy for us. After we patched him up, I decided the boys in the barracks deserved a treat. They’ve been so loyal. I stop by every once in a while, and Lark makes… just the prettiest noises.”

He hit a button on the recorder. Wordless, rhythmic, painful cries, high and plaintive, came through tinny and small from the recorder’s meager speaker.

Tao felt every muscle in his body tense. The pain in his leg pulsed as his heart rate picked up. Horror and rage flooded his system.

“What the fuck?” he hissed.

“Ah-ah-ah!” Gordon scolded him cheerfully, “You have to listen quietly if you want-”

“Fuck your crutches!” With nothing else at hand, Tao threw his pillow at the General. It hit him in the face, and when it fell harmlessly away he was no longer smiling.

“Fine.” He clicked the recording off, just as a voice was asking, “You like that, don’t you, you dirty-” “Have it your way.” Clearly pissed that his mind-games hadn’t gone according to plan, he turned on his heel to leave. But as he was passing through the doorway the whole building shook with an unholy, cacophonous crash. It sent Gordon stumbling, and reverberated through Tao’s bones.

“What the hell is that?” the General shouted over the continuing rumbles, then, seeing something off to the side exclaimed, “Oh shit!” He took off, slamming the cell door behind him.

Vic jumped down from the upper bunk and pressed his face to the little window in the door.

“Oh shit indeed!” he echoed the General, “Tao, you’re never going to believe this!” He grinned over his shoulder.

“What?” Tao demanded, his hopes rising.

“It’s the Watch, they blew the fucking wall open! And…” Vic took a step back and tried the door. It opened. “Yes!”

Tao, grunting with pain, heaved his injured leg off the bed to rest on the floor. “Come help me!”

“Hang on!” Vic ducked through the door out of sight for a moment before returning, bearing the crutches. “They left something behind!”

He helped Tao to his feet and situated the crutches under his arms. Outside their cell, the building continued to rumble and shouts echoed as orange-suited prisoners ran past their door. Tao followed Vic out of their cell into the chaos.

The prison block, Tao could now see, was a two-story structure of cells encircling an empty, open space in a U-shape. The side with no cells, to their left, was blown open, with clouds of dust yet to settle over scattered rubble. Through the hole in the wall was another chamber, but it obviously reach the exterior somewhere beyond that – the prisoners, who had all at this point realized this was their chance at freedom, were making a collective mad dash for the open wound in the building. Standing within the tide, but letting them through, was a group of Watchmen; kitted out with stolen and scavenged weapons and tactical gear, blacked out with spraypaint. One of them held two prison guards on their knees at gunpoint off the to side; looking around, Tao couldn’t see any other guards.

“Let’s go!” Vic started across the atrium towards the Watch, waving an arm, “Over here!”

“Wait!” Tao shouted, “Where did that rat-fuck General go? He knows where Lark is!”

Two of the Watchmen had spotted them and run over. It was Hannah with a rifle, and someone else with a pistol, who shouted, “Where’s Karlo!”

Tao did a double take. “Marina?!”

Indeed, it was Marina’s face peeking out from under an oversized helmet. Her angrily determined expression was a familiar comfort.

“Where’s Karlo? Is he here with you?” she demanded.

“No, but a man was just here…” Tao scanned the room, and almost dropped a crutch when he pointed, “There!” A face flashed in one of the cell door windows before ducking down. “He knows where Lark is!”

Hannah unslung an extra rifle from her shoulder and handed it to Vic. “Let’s get the bastard!”

They charged towards the cell where General Gordon was hiding, Tao taking a second to figure it out before finding he could swing himself along fairly fast on the crutches.

“How the hell’d you get here?” he asked as they moved.

“It’s fuckin’ wild out there, boss!” Hannah replied, “Everything’s falling apart now that the Commander’s dead, soldiers are abandoning the Capital or holing themselves up in barracks, Capital civilians are rioting, this prison was being run by a skeleton crew!” They reached the cell door. “Once we started blowing shit up, motherfuckers ran.”

Vic looked into the cell through the little window.

“There are more of us than there are of you!” he shouted, “Drop your weapons, now!” There was a pause, then he looked over his shoulder with a grin. “Fuckin’ cowards!” He flung open the door and lifted his rifle. Inside stood Gordon and the soldier who had been carrying the crutches, their arms raised and their pistols on the floor. Gordon’s face was a twist of fear attempting to hide behind rage.

“Kick ‘em to me!” Vic ordered, and they had no choice but to scuff their guns across the floor to the rebels. Hannah scooped them up, sticking one in her own belt and handing the other to Tao. Tao tucked it into his waistband, and stepped forward.

“You’re going to take us to Lark now,” he said, “You got that?”

Gordon was breathing hard, trying to sneer but failing as his chest heaved and his hands shook.

“Fine,” he hissed.

Vic gestured with his gun for the General to walk forward. Then he swung his weapon towards the soldier.

“Eh. We don’t need you.” He aimed down and shot the soldier in the foot.

“Vic!” someone shouted over the solder’s scream, “Geneva convention!”

Tao turned to see Becca and the rest of the Watch had joined them, along with the surviving captured rebels and what looked like a few new volunteers, in their orange prison uniforms.

Vic beamed at her. “Sue me later?”

“Quit fucking around!” Tao shouted, and turned on Gordon, “Take us to Lark, now!”

Gordon slowly walked forward, keeping his arms raised. He was doing less to hide his fear, now, and watched them all warily.

Becca stepped aside to let him through.

“Lead the way, fucker.”

~~~

First, Previous, Masterlist, Next

Taglist: @angst-after-dark, @sunshiline-writes, @flowersarefreetherapy, @pigeonwhumps, @whump-em, @morning-star-whump, @thecyrulik, @honeycollectswhump, @pumpkin-spice-whump

#whump #whump fic #whump writing #this death that i chose #cw implied noncon #cw forced to listen #cw gun violence #cw bombings

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wolfpupsblog · 1 month

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U know shits going down when he catches u doing something u shouldn't do.

U try to leave the house and he's like and where do u think ur going little lady? As he deeply says with a tence stare in ur soul.

Then u say I'm going out with my friends?.

He looks at u and says sweety it's a school night u need to be in ur room getting on homework.

Then he realizes ur wearing something revealing and he goes oh your not wearing that. Jamas then school work!

Then u go to ur room lock the door then u get a text from a friend uve known since preschool and he says wots taking so long.? And u reply I'm not going I got home work.

His answer is oh then should I save u a dance then?

U laugh then u say with a teary eyed emoji I wish I could but my dad has me on a curfew because the Empire placed one on all citecins remember?

Well then we could sneak off someplace just u and me?. Plus when has the Empire stopped us before?!

Then u try to sneack out ur window and..

Suddenly caught by ur dad's husband ur other dad.

Wot do we have here?! Trying to desert ur own fathers I see? And still in that awful skimpy outfit I see!? School night means school night! Non of this run away shinanegins shit!

And then he sees ur talking to the friend u knew in preschool. And u go daddy I have a confession u know my friend grem from school?

That boy u played with as a kid? Yeah I know him know how close u were with him. Why?

Things with him have come closer dad. And plus this girl at my school yelda she thinks she's hot shit. And stuff always gets her way gets the fame glory popularity in class and on social media and she's got this party going on to showcase her and her families new house and just to have more attention cus rampart is her dad.

And she said if I'm not there in a hour that grem was hers and shed tell everyone how.. Then u pause and he says how u flunked math? I know. He puts u in the comfort of his arms and says non of that matters and u love him truly then tell him!

I'll handle the bully situation and also ur grounded for dis obeying orders and trying to wear something that u think can one up MS popularity and cus I love u.

And something else ur super smart. So dont let that girl take that from u. And I'll help u with ur homework. Cuz we got ur report card the other day and u got a c. So try getting it up to a b and we'll see wot happens and something else I need to confiscate ur phone.

So next morning u ur dads and ur mom r at the breakfast table eating and next thing u know it's some guy walking to the door and it's someone u rarely see anymore. But with the accent u remember him all to well and a deeper voice. Your dad slick. Came by to take u to school. And as ur in the land speeder with him and the radio going he notices quite a tude to ur voice. And with how you posture urself before getting in.

And he's like tft a real rebel like ur dad and I back in the civle war. Got quite a tude to u today kid wot is it.?

As. U slump down and u see her yelda in a neon pink land speeder with grem in the passenger side. And u slump down farther so she can't see u. As ur at the trafic light she rules the window down and is like hey loser heard ur daddy grounded u. Ha ha stupid inferior clones! And u call ourselves the better soldier?! Please! And she throws her soda at ur head! Bye now and vssoom! Speeds past u and as ur crying ur heart and eyes out slick then calls u off school takes u to his apartment on the other side of galactic city back on coressant and he gets u cleand up and he says

So that's wot ur deal is. I'll get her expelled for this. As he kisses u and while a ur tears and says amphiritite u know we're here for u. As he carried u to ur new room layd u in bed turns the light off and then closed ur door

Then gus calls.. Where the hell is she?! In a fit of rage!

Gus calm down please I called the school called her off brought her to my place.

Gus well the teach nor any of us here were notified of this! The hells matter with u slick Oberon?!

Chopper the overly aggressive but sensitive and understanding type he is.. Give me the phone.

Slick babe please tell me she didn't skip school.?

No hun she didn't I was on my way to take her there and kinda get her take on this whole situation and ramparts daughter showed up beside us and was with the boy our girl was falling hard for the one she new since preschool grem?. Yeah well he was with her and she threw her coak at our daughter. And mocked her! So I brought her here called her off just for the day no homework non of that. She needs to decompress.

Sigh.. Ok slick good call then.

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disneyanddisneyships · 8 months

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@gyubby99

Alastor x OC

Warnings: violence and mentions of hell. Other Other that, just fluff bc I know Julia deserves it.

Helpless

Aponi stood in front of the small closet filled with only one or two dresses fit for the party that Charlie had planned for all the residents of the hotel.

Her favorite color was purple, which sometimes worked out well, but not in this case since her only formal purple dress had been ruined in drycleaning.

Aponi knew she shouldn't have trusted the sinner who ran it. He did nothing to hide the sleazy poker room in the back which stunk of alcohol and old man.

She huffed as she sat on the carpeted floor with a huff, her cat coming up to snuggle next to her.

"Hey, Lills can I use your makeup?" Mal asked as she burst into the room through the shared bathroom that the girls had. "The hell is wrong with you?" She asked.

"I can't find a dress," Aponi replied, her head resting on her knuckles.

"This is why I only wear dresses to shit that actually matters," Mal replied, gesturing to her emerald colored suit.

Aponi rolled her eyes. "You know I like dresses better, M," Aponi huffed.

Mal pursed her lips before walking back into her own room, coming back with a box.

"Was gonna save it for christmas or somethin but... here," she stated as she handed the dress to Aponi.

With a raised eyebrow, Aponi opened the box to reveal a pretty long lavender colored dress with a slit all the way up to the upper thigh.

"Holy shit Mal. How fid you afford this?" Aponi asked as she stood up and held the dress against her frame, looking at herself in the mirror.

Mal shrugged.

"Lotta threats," she replied. "Put it on, I'll be waiting outside of my room in the hallway," she stated before turning and closing the door to give Aponi some privacy.

Mal scrolled through her phone, attempting to pass the time as she waited for her best friend.

She glanced up haphazardly when she heard the door creek open, only to do a double take as she took in her best friend in the dress she had bought for her.

"Holy fuck. You look hot," Mal stated before shutting her mouth closed.

The dress framed Aponi's hourglass figure beautifully, almost having her breasts pop out from the low cleavage of the dress.

And don't event get Mal started on how the slit in the dress came up so high that if Aponi were to sit the wrong way, a person could see the underwear underneath (that aponi decided not to wear tonight)

Aponi chuckled with a soft smile.

"Thanks girlie. Cmon, let's go. Charlie said there was free food," Aponi stated with excitement, taking Mal's hand and guiding her to the lobby of the hotel.

Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh (hey, hey, hey) I do, I do, I do, I do (hey, hey, hey) Hey (hey, hey) Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh (hey, hey, hey) I do, I do, I do, I do (hey, hey, hey, hey) Boy, you got me helpless Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit I'm helpless Down for the count, and I'm drownin' in 'em

The hotel Lobby was bustling with party goers as they all drank, ate, and had fun.

A few of the men stopped what they were doing to ogle at both Aponi and Mal who walked down the stairs, talking to each other.

Mal sighed dreamily as she looked into Aponi's yellow eyes. She was basically Drowning.

I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight We were at a revel with some rebels on a hot night Laughin' at my sister as she's dazzling the room Then you walked in, and my heart went "boom"

Aponi nodded nervously as Mal went to make small talk with a few people she said had owed her money.

Aponi stood to the side of the room, not really sure who to interact with before turning to spot Mal in hopes she'd come back.

Only to snort at the way Mal had a sinner demon in a headlock.

Aponi's eyes glanced over the crowd before landing on the now opening front door, revealing the radio demon himself.

Aponi's eyes widened and her heart stopped as she saw him.

It's not like she hasn't met him before... I mean... he had been funding the hotel for a year now. But.... damn did he clean up nice for being a resident and overlord of Hell.

Tryin' to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom Everybody's dancin' and the band's top volume Grind to the rhythm as we wine and dine Grab my sister and whisper, "Yo, this one's mine"

Aponi looked away as she noticed how his eyes briefly landed on her, but when she looked back up, he moved to talk with Charlie and vaggie.

The music was almost too loud to bear as everyone danced.

Aponi only calmed down from it when she felt a soft hand belonging to Mal touch her arm.

"Hey um... Mal.... could you talk to Alastor for me? Or... I dunno..... something," aponi pleaded as she looked at him helplessly.

Mal glanced over to the radio demon....

Lucky guy....

My sister made her way across the room to you (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) And I got nervous, thinking, "What's she gonna do" (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) She grabs you by the arm, I'm thinking "I'm through" (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) Then you look back at me, and suddenly I'm helpless

Mal took a deep breath and walked over to the Radio demon without saying a word.

Shit... aponi did not think this through.... of course he'd be more enamored by Mal than her! Mal was beautiful, violent, charming, cunning-

Her thoughts stopped being thought of when Alastor glanced at Aponi.

Shit.....

Those eyes definitely made her feel helpless.

Oh, look at those eyes, oh (look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit) I'm helpless, I know (down for the count and I'm drowning in 'em) I am so into you (Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit) I am so into you, I'm helpless (I know) I'm down for the count, and I'm drowning in 'em

Aponi walked over to the drinks, pouring herself a glass of water to cool herself off.

Was she really this whipped older a guy?

Where are you taking me? I'm about to change your life Then by all means, lead the way

"Where may I ask are you leading me?" Alastor asked as he walked next to Mal.

Mal rolled her eyes, jealous of the radio demon before speaking up.

"I'm about to change your death," she smirked as she lead him to where she saw Aponi walk to.

"Alright then! By all means, my dear, lead the way!" Alastor smiled happily.

Mal sighed as she led him right up to the woman she had been in love with since elementary school.

Elizabeth Schuyler, it's a pleasure to meet you Schuyler? My sister Thank you for all your service If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it I'll leave you to it

"Ah! The famous Aponi Wings!" Alastor exclaimed with a wide smile as he took her hand, kissing her knuckles.

"Yep. My best friend...." Mal stated, a pained expression on her face.

"Alastor! A pleasure as always, I assume?" Aponi smiled. "Thanks for helping put together the party! It looks wonderful!" Aponi stated.

"Ah yes. It was practically a war, trying to help these buffoons hang up a banner. But... if it takes fighting a war to see you again, it was worth it!" Alastor replied.

That was fucking smooth.... Mal thought to herself before speaking up.

"I'll leave you to it!" She smiled before walking away, trying not to cry.

One week later, I'm writin' a letter nightly Now my life gets better every letter that you write me Laughin' at my sister 'cause she wants to form a harem I'm just sayin', if you really loved me, you would share him (ha!)

A week after the party aponi bites her lip as she reads the letters Alastor had been sending her.

My dearest, Lilly

I cannot wait to see you next week, it has been a pleasure getting to know you better! My dear, you are the light in this darkness and I can only hope to be in your death forever.

Aponi sighed dreamily.

"Oh cmon! If he was really THAT much of a gentleman, he'd let me have a taste of you too!" Mal exclaimed.

Aponi giggled.

"Mal, cmon! Dont make those jokes I'm gonna laugh too hard!" Aponi exclaimed.

Mal's smile faded a but before before remembered to keep it up.

Two weeks later, in the living room stressin' My father's stone-faced while you ask him for his blessin' I'm dying inside as you wine and dine And I'm tryin' not to cry, 'cause there's nothing that your mind can't do (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh)

Mal sighed as she sat on the couch in front of alastor.

"What do you need?" She asked.

"Well, given that you're Lilly's closest friend and only family who has any sort of 'authority' over her.. I had a question to ask," Alastor stated with a nervous smile.

Mal raised an eyebrow.

"May I marry her?" Alastor asked.

"You're asking me, the best friend of a deat 19 year old if she can marry you, a dead 30 something?" Mal asked in return.

"yes?" Alastor stated.

My father makes his way across the room to you (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) I panic for a second, thinking we're through (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) But then he shakes your hand and says, "Be true" (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) And you turn back to me smiling

Mal's heart broke at his words when he asked....

she wanted to scream "NO. YOU CANT MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE YOU ASSHOLE!" but.. she knew it wouldn't bode well not only for herself, but for aponi.

Mal walked up to him, shaking his hand.

"Be true,"

It was all she said before walking away, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

........

Alastor knocked on the door of his Lilly's apartment.

"Oh, Hey honey," Aponi stated as she moved to the side to let her boyfriend into her apartment.

A few minutes were dedicated to Alastor ranting on and on about "fate", and "parties", and really anything that could both relate to the topic he was about to bring up, and procrastinate what he was about to ask.

"Alastor what are you saying?" Aponi asked, scared that he was about to break things off with her.

Only for him to get down on one knee.

"Marry me, Darling," Alastor stated. Ot even a question.

Not that ut had to be.

"Yes!" Aponi exclaimed as she jumped into his arms and hugged him.

Eliza, I don't have a dollar to my name An acre of land, a troop to command, a dollop of fame All I have is my honor, a tolerance for pain A couple of college credits and my top-notch brain Insane, your family brings out a different side of me Peggy confides in me Angelica tried to take a bite of me No stress, my love for you was never in doubt We'll get a little place in Harlem and we'll figure it outI've been livin' without a family since I was a child My father left, my mother died, I grew up buckwild But I'll never forget my mother's face, that was real As long as I'm alive, Eliza, swear to god you'll never feel so

"Darling, down here I barely have anything as wonderful as this.. as us... all I have is my honor, a love and tolerance for pain, and a wonderful mind!" He boated.

Aponi rolled her eyes as he put the ring onto her finger before taking her hands and looking into her eyes.

"You and your friends bring out a different side of me... Angel confides in me.. although I'm fairly sure Mal is in love with you... but don't stress about that. My love for you will never be I doubt! I have a little place where we can go and figure things out!" He exclaimed.

Aponi chuckled.

."I've been living without a family since I died.. my father abused my mother and I and left.. NY mother died just a few years after that. But I'll never forget my mother's face, it was real. As long as you have faith in my Lilly, I promise I will never make you feel so helpless," Alastor finished his speech before kissing Aponi.

I do, I do, I do, I do Eliza, I do, I do, I do, I do (helpless) I never felt so (helpless) Yeah, yeah Down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em (I'm down for a count and I'm...) Yo, my live is gon' be fine 'cause Eliza's in it (helpless) I look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit, I'm (helpless) Down for the count, and I'm drownin' in 'em In New York, you can be a new man In New York, you can be a new man In New York, you can be a new man (helpless)

"I do," Aponi smiled as she stood at the makeshift altar at the hotel.

"I do," alastor stated in return.

"I now pronounce you Husband and wife! You may kiss!" Charlie's father, lucifer himself spoke out as he closed the book.

Aponi looked into alastor's eyes before pulling him into a deep, joyful, innocent kiss, filled with love.

#Spotify

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servants-hall · 10 months

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Radio Times:

Two new midwives are set to join the new series of beloved BBC drama, Call the Midwife.

While we can expect to return to Poplar in the upcoming Christmas special this December, the new 13th series will air next year – with some brand new faces joining the cast.

As revealed in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, the series will welcome student midwives and roommates, Joyce and Rosalind.

Renee Bailey plays Joyce Highland, a Trinidadian pupil midwife described as “hardworking, fiercely bright and deeply kind”. But as is often the case with any new arrival at Nonnatus House, Joyce is hiding a secret traumatic past of her own.

Bailey has previously appeared in BBC Three's Mood as Paris, Netflix's Rebel Cheer Squad as Leila and is set to also star in Channel 4's upcoming detective series, Get Millie Black.

Natalie Quarry, who has appeared in Atlanta and BBC long-running medical soap Doctors, will star as fellow pupil Rosalind Clifford in Call the Midwife.

Rosalind is described as “naive at times, but with an inner steeliness”. Her demeanour could very well come in handy as season 13 will pick up in 1969 when the midwives have to face maternity bed pressures, deadly diseases and further personal turmoil.

Speaking to Radio Times magazine, series creator and writer Heidi Thomas said: “Newcomers Joyce and Rosalind arrive with much to learn. As 1969 unfolds, we’ll see change and challenge rock the world of our beloved nuns, nurses, medics and midwives.

“Even as man prepares to walk on the Moon, we see them grappling with life’s eternal questions. Who are we?What is love? And where do we belong?”

“They’re a wonderful addition to the show,” adds executive producer Dame Pippa Harris. “I can’t wait for the audience to meet Joyce and Rosalind and to follow their journeys, by bicycle, through the streets and lives of Poplar’s residents.”

#call the midwife #ctm spoilers #ctm interviews #ctm s13 #joyce highland #rosalind clifford

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bollywoodirect · 3 months

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Remembering #JuthikaRoy on her 10th death anniversary (05/02/14), the iconic bhajan vocalist celebrated as the modern-day #Meera during the pre-independence era. Renowned for her soul-stirring Meerabai bhajans such as "Ghunghat ke pat khol" and "Pag Ghunghru Baandh Meera Naachi Re," Juthika Roy carved a niche for herself in the hearts of many.

Her melodious renditions won the hearts of Hindi and Bengali cinema audiences alike, making her a celebrated figure in her time. Her voice captivated notable personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were avid admirers of her work.

On the historic day of August 15, 1947, as Nehru journeyed from Teen Murti Bhavan to the Red Fort to mark India's independence, Roy's bhajans filled the air, broadcast live by All India Radio. After her performance, at Nehru's request, she continued to sing until the national flag was hoisted, adding a memorable soundtrack to a pivotal moment in India's history.

In her reflections, Roy shared an anecdote about Sarojini Naidu revealing how Gandhi found solace in her bhajans during his incarceration in Pune, making her music an integral part of his daily prayer meetings. She even had the honor of performing privately for Gandhi at his residence.

Embarking on her musical journey at just 12 years old with her first album, Roy was mentored by the renowned rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Her collaborations with the esteemed Bengali music director Kamal Dasgupta, especially the revered Narayan stuti "Narayan Shriman Narayan," continue to resonate with listeners.

Roy's versatile talent extended beyond Hindi and Bengali, as she lent her voice to songs in various languages, including Urdu and Tamil.

On February 5, 2014, the music world lost this luminary in Kolkata after a long illness. As we commemorate her legacy, we hope for her soul to find everlasting peace.

#Juthika Roy #bollywoodirect #singer

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maskedghostmicha · 1 year

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ifquackity does reveal himself in quackblr I think we should pull a radio rebel and say we re all quackity...

#ok fine. i admit it im quackity...

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smalltownfae · 8 months

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Books Read in 2023: Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

Rating: 5/5 ⭐

When everyone you follow gives a book 5 stars in spite of having slightly different tastes, it is a sign that you will most likely love it. I did. I really loved this book.

I almost teared up right from the start just with the dedication page on which it is written "To Laurent, my home" and then in the acknowledgements it appears "Lastly, I want to thank my best friend and husband for all these years of support, and for his beautifully discerning eye, ear and heart: Laurent, je t'aime". I just like to read something that reminds me that this kind of love really exists. It makes me really happy.

Anyway, the book. This is a coming of age story set in Poland during the 80s. It is told in first person by the main character, Ludwik, as he addresses Janusz, his first love. The two start talking during a mandatory agricultural camp in order to finish their studies and through a copy of "Giovanni's Room" both find out about each other and start a romantic relationship. Conflict happens due to different views about how to live their lives: Janusz believes in the government and plays according to the rules and Ludwik wants to leave the country and is angry about the censorship and corruption of the Party.

I loved the writing style. I connected very easily with the characters and there were so many beautiful passages. I really liked that the female characters were presented with respect, which seems to be rare in books like these. I had some issues with how the women were portrayed in "Giovanni's Room" and "Maurice", but here they are complex and likeable.

Very early on Ludwik has a crush on a jewish boy and it is shown the prejudice in Poland and the main character's views on religion:

"Granny said there were families that only went [to church] for the holidays, or never, and I was jealous of the children who didn't have to go as often as me."

After Ludwik finds out about "Giovanni's Room" by James Baldwin, he manages to obtain a copy even though that book had never been translated in Polish due to the content. Ludwik hides the book inside the cover of another book and he feels seen for the first time after reading it. There are some references to that work in this story and some spoilers so I am really glad I read that book last year. I don't think it is necessary to have read "Giovanni's Room" in order to read "Swimming in the Dark", but I do think it is a richer experience if one has done so. Through this book, the reader also gets the first hints about how Ludwik and Janusz behave. When Ludwik reveals to the other boy the forbidden book he is reading Janusz comments that he never suspected that Ludwik was such a rebel. Ludwik comments on how he expected Janusz to have been one.

When Ludwik is a bit older he starts to get an interest in politics after learning the lies about history that were told to him in school (sounds familiar). He gets his news from a radio that his mother and grandmother keep hidden at home and he starts getting angrier about the state of the country. Ludwik and Janusz have different approaches even though both acknowledge the truth about the censorship and corruption of the government. Ludwik wants to leave for America, but Janusz wants to stay and claims that a capitalist society isn't any better than what they have in Poland. The book intertwines a love story with politics and the idea of freedom in simple effective words.

The main character starts to get even more desperate when he realizes that he cannot succeed in the job world without connections. Janusz' rich friends contrast with Karolina's life, Ludwik's friend, and it provides commentary about class. What I found interesting is that Janusz came from a poor family and as a result of that he uses others in order to get what he considers a position of prestige in the eyes of society. Ludwik tries his best to resist this. When a character connected with Ludwik dies there is the following passage:

"But I think it was despair that killed her. Having done only things she didn't believe in, she must have been dead inside for years before her body finally gave up too."

Janusz calls Ludwik a dreamer and with reason because his ideas about America aren't exactly right, but Ludwik still wants to have the freedom to express himself. The book succeeds at presenting enough information to understand when the main character is being idealistic. Karolina even comments on how much Ludwik has changed and is becoming an optimist.

The book could have been more in depth when it comes to the political commentary, but this is a personal story above all and it is perfect at being that. I was expecting it to be really sad, but it ended up being a little hopeful. There is a bittersweet feeling about this story that is exactly my preference when it comes to fiction. I am sure I will reread this one in the future and I am glad I found this book.

"No matter what happens in the world, however brutal or dystopian a thing, not all is lost if there are people out there risking themselves to document it. Little sparks cause fires too."

#swimming in the dark #tomasz jedrowski #2023 reads

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