#two collages for one song? it’s more likely than you think

[amaliatheartist]

So let's fade away together one dream at a time

#amalia's art #art #artists on tumblr #fall out boy #save rock and roll #where did the party go #fob #fob lyrics #srar #fob fanart #fall out boy fanart #fob art #fall out boy art #fobcreators #collage #collage art #analog collage #fanart #two collages for one song? it’s more likely than you think #sometimes there are lyrics in songs that give me such a vivid image it stays in my head for long periods of time #thinking about ‘talking cinema life’ got me thinking about the evolution of cinema and how far it has come #this was kinda inspired by old movie posters #gertie is the white dinosaur in the back and felix is the cat with the question mark tail #finding good screenshots and photos took the longest I’d say #buster keaton #charlie chaplin #felix the cat #gertie the dinosaur

[mziroe]

national gf day! 

ft. monster trio (separate)

National gf day was like 3 days ago… this is for us delulus with no one to post us :( it’s modern au sorta

Luffy

was probably reminded by Nami or Robin about it

honestly, i don’t think he’d even know, you’d be his very first girlfriend

but once he does know, he’ll do all sorts of things for you! Including dinner for the two of you (nowhere super fancy, but still special nonetheless ‘cause it’d be where you guys had your first date or something)

at first, he wouldn’t really understand why he would post you on his social media (honestly i don't think he uses social media often, probably has an acc w many followers but never posts)

maybe Nami had to explain to him why it’d make you feel special and happy, and he does so without question

probably a simple story post of you (probably a bad photo in your opinion, but he thought you looked cute) and he just tagged you with something like ‘happy gf day to my gf!’ and like some goofy emoji that doesn't even correlate like meat or something

Zoro

another absolutely clueless one, angry reminder from Sanji ‘YOU BETTER TREAT HER RIGHT TODAY IS NATIONAL GF DAY! YOU DO SOMETHING YOU STUPID MOSSHEAD!’ (u cannot convince me they aren't bffs.)

will take you on a date to your favourite place but will be very nonchalant about it, he will even bring you your favourite flowers as well. (you mentioned it a really long time ago and didn’t think he remembered ‘cause you thought he was sleeping but he actually remembered every single word you said)

afterwards, he will take you back home, cuddle up with you and take a long ass nap

will post at the end of the day, a picture of you from the date. It’s very ‘soft launch’ vibes tho, probably a mirror pic with you holding his hand or his arm around your shoulder

he’ll just have a heart emoji and you tagged

also i honestly think modern!zoro is an avid gym goer, the only posts he has is probably you and his gym pictures

Sanji

the only one out of the trio that knows about national gf day, has notification for every single important date regarding you (anniversaries, birthday and every miniscule day he can celebrate with you, is there.)

from the moment you wake up, he will be doting on you, even more so than usual, breakfast in bed, all your favourite little things lined up for you for that day, imagine the both of you cooking together at home as a date :(

every wish is his command, he will treat you like this every single important date as well, be prepared to literally be pampered like a princess

avid social media updater; will post you throughout the day. starting with a picture of you from when you wake up with your little breakfast in bed

people looking at his story will see so many stories of you on that day that they will scroll to the next person’s story once they see the 5th one of the day.

but right at the end of the day he will make a little collage of all the pictures of you he took for the day, as well as his favourite photos of you.

has the cutest love song on that story (probably in French hehe) along with the sweetest paragraph of how much he loves you

#one piece x reader #zoro x reader #zoro fluff #i had no one to post me ok #i was feeling sad and lonely #so silly and goofy #cutie patooties #one piece #vinsmoke sanji #sanji x reader #one piece luffy #luffy x reader #one piece fluff #one piece headcanons #headcanon #sanji fluff #luffy fluff

[jxckchxmpi0n]

Valentines' Day W/ Jack Champion

Jack Champion x Reader | m.list

Midterms are still kicking my ass, but I have been thinking about these things all week.

might make one for Ethan as well.

if you like feel free to send Valentines' themed requests

did not proofread

He'd definitely be one to say he can't make it back home in time to celebrate with you because of filming but then would show up in the middle of the night.

Because you're a heavy sleeper he could always sneak back into your place. He then went all out; he had some balloons for your and a few of your favorite flowers. He then would have a small gift for you, a simple necklace but it would mean so much more than that.

He would bring you breakfast in bed just for you to flip out and hug him. Spilling all the food everywhere, "Oh my god baby what- what are you doing here?" he wouldn't answer you because he'd be showering you in kisses and saying how much he missed you.

Okay not only would he post his favorite photos of you, and the ones with both of you, he would make a collage of all your photos and then put a love song over it saying he loves you.

he loves writing love letters for you when he is away, he would send one or two but when he gets back, he would give you all of them at once and sit and watch you as you read them.

If you were ever excited to give him his gift, he would quickly yet lovingly open it so he could see you open his.

Anytime this love season started he would notice you being needy for his attention, even if he was busy with something you'd be satisfied sitting next to him or on his lap.

You go crazy with baking new things, always having him try them. His favorite thing was to pick a treat take the first bite then tease you with not answering how it tastes. "Well, Jack? How is it, baby? Is it good? do I need to make different ones?"

He then would give you a soft grin and lightly shake his head 'no' which confused you with the number of questions you asked. Turning the cookie, he tipped your head up and slid the cookie into your mouth to try. "I think it tastes amazing my love" he then kissed your forehead.

After all your baking he then stays in the kitchen cleaning it all up. "No, no, I'll clean go lay down pretty girl."

The night would then be filled with treats takeout food, and all types of movies. he would play with your hair while it was in his lap. Your hands tracing his as it laid around your body.

You then would convince him to do face masks with you.

The day couldn't be any better.

#jack champion #ethan landry #scream vi #jack champion x reader #ethan landry imagine #ethan landry x reader #spider avatar #jack champion imagine #ethan landry smut #ghost face x reader #jack champion is all i think about #jack champion fluff #jack champion fanfic #ethan landry fluff #ethan landry x you #spiderman ethan landry #spider socorro #avatar spider #avatar way of water

[starsandhughes]

Penalty Box— Sissy’s Birthday Edition

SERIES MASTERLIST

i thought sissy and jack having the same birthday would be cute lmk if you agree <3

ps i had to make collages for all the posts to work so that’s why it looks weird!

THIS ISN’T PROOFREAD AT ALL SORRY

THIS IS NOT THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS NOT SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! THIS IS A NEW BIRTHDAY!!

yourusername

liked by trevorzegras, _alexturcotte, and 10,644 others

yourusername sissy popped off for her taylor swift birthday🎂🎉 thank ya boys for an amazing birthday party!! even though i had to share it with jacky boy, it was still the best one yet <3

and to the z-liebers, your lovely posts and stories made my day! love ya lots xxx

tagged trevorzegras, jackhughes, _quinnhughes, colecaufield, lhughes_06, _alexturcotte, jamie.drysdale, edwards.73, and dylanduke25

view all 122 comments

trevorzegras you really did pop off tonight😍🥵

jackhughes go home, you’re drunk

trevorzegras i’m staying the night?

jackhughes drive safe

yourusername @/jackhughes stfu i’ll steal your presents! @/trevorzegras S I M P

user33 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISSY!

user48 delete that! we aren’t supposed to call her that!

yourusername i’ll let it slide to say thank you!

trevorzegras @/yourusername wtf???

user33 I GOT A Y/N NOTICE😭

_quinnhughes you deserve a medal for not puking. (happy birthday!)

yourusername my drinking games to ducks games has boosted my tollerance (thank ya, quintin<3)

jamie.drysdale that is a fact

_quinnhughes @/jamie.drysdale a scary one! stop letting her play!

yourusername @_quinnhughes he would never betray me like that

jamie.drysdale @_quinnhughes i stand with my ex wife

edwards.73 happy birthday mom! i hope you enjoyed my birthday hug! i love you!

yourusername it was my favorite gift and i’m cherishing the picture forever! i love you, too!

user21 happy birthday! you’re my favorite! don’t tell z!

dylanduke25 mama was poppin, the party was poppin, my knee was poppin from dancing, what a night! happy birthday, y/n, i love you! glad i could make it!

yourusername me too, baby boop! i love you!

lhughes_06 never call her mama again

yourusername @/lhughes_06 stfu i love it

dylanduke25 @/lhughes_06 stfu she loves it

tterry19 happy birthday, y/n! we miss you!

yourusername thank you, dad😭 i miss you, too! i can’t wait to meet grey!

user45 THAT CAKE OMFG😭 happy birthday!!

colemcward happy birthday, mom! i’ll ft you tomorrow!

yourusername thank you, favorite child! and you better! <3

_eliaspettersson happy birthday! i love and miss you!

yourusername thank you!! i love and miss you more than anyone else in this world! loving your travel pics too!!!

trevorzegras

liked by jamie.drysdale, tterry19, and 96,707 others

trevorzegras happy birthday to the love of my life, and soon to be wife, y/n “sissy” soon to be zegras! no other person has ever made me feel the way that you do, and i wake up every day amazed that i get to call you mine.

our song lately has been “what my world spins around” by jordan davis, which is funny because when i first met you, you had a boyfriend. his song “singles you up” was popular back then, and all i could think about was how much i wanted you. he did single you up, and now you’re mine, and you’re what my world spins around.

i love you more and more each day, y/n. you taught me what love is. i thought i knew before, but you give a whole new definition to the word. i’m forever grateful that the hughes family took you in, because they brought you to me.

happy birthday, my sweet (derranged) girl🧡 i love you, forever!

tagged yourusername

view all 317 comments

yourusername fuck i’m crying! i love you, always🧡

trevorzegras you better!

yourusername soon it’ll be legally binding! i pinky promise to keep you until then <3

user55 i’m crying over how cute you two are omg! happy birthday, y/n!

_quinnhughes i’m always thrown off when you two are openly simping for each other

yourusername i’m always thrown off when you’re nice sooo

_quinnhughes @/yourusername i’m always nice you!

yourusername i meant to z

_quinnhughes @/yourusername that’s fair

trevorzegras love you, too, quintin!

_quinnhughes @/trevorzegras careful. we’re sleeping in the same house.

anaheimducks happy birthday @/yourusername 🎉

yourusername thank you admin bestie!!

jackhughes

liked by lhughes_06, yourusername, and 112,983 others

jackhughes happy our birthday to the worst person i’ve ever met❤️ i will never let the fact that i’m 4 hours and 36 minutes older than you go, and will continue to torment you with it.

as sissy says, i’m about to get sappy (because huggy bear made me) you’re actually one of my favorite people and it is an honor to share a birthday with you. you are forever my soulmate, and forever my sissy. i love you!

tagged yourusername

view all 544 comments

yourusername awww, jacky boy! you do know how to be nice! i love you, too❤️ happy our birthday!

jackhughes psa to everyone: i’m flipping her off rn

dylanduke25 psa to everyone: y/n tackled him

nicohischier happy birthday @/yourusername ! and you jack!

jackhughes i’m a little offended i wasn’t first but thank you!

yourusername @/jackhughes i’m the most important

yourusername THANK YOU NICO I LOVE YOU SFM

nicohischier i love you too! @/yourusername

user6 happy birthday jack!!

njdevils happy birthday lil jizzy and lil sissy! (?)

yourusername thank you admin bestie! (sure)

trevorzegras @/yourusername this is getting ridiculous i think it’s just to spite me at this point

yourusername @/trevorzegras sorry my phone died

dawson1417 happy birthday you two! @.yourusername i’ve loved having you around!

yourusername thank you, favorite person in the world!

jackhughes @/yourusername i was a sap in my post and this is the thanks i get?

yourusername @/dawson1417 it’s his birthday, would you mind being my second favorite?

dawson1417 @/yourusername i’m okay with that

john.marino97 happy birthday jack and my favorite hughes!

yourusername THANK YOU JOHNNY M❤️

jackhughes thank you, but i’m offended

lhughes_06 me too

john.marino97 @/jackhughes @/lhughes_06 you two are tied for second!

_quinnhughes does that make me third?

yourusername @_quinnhughes no that’s mom

john.marino97 @/yourusername are you making my ranking for me?

jackhughes @/john.marino97 it’s like you don’t know her at all

_quinnhughes

liked by jackhughes, yourusername, and 41,388 others

_quinnhughes happy birthday to my best friend, my little sister, and my favorite nap buddy for sixteen years. sissy, i love you more than words. i’m so proud of you for making it to twenty-two. i’m so proud that you’re going to school and becoming who you want to be, and i’m so glad i got to see you grow up to become the person you are now.

i’ll always be protective of you, and that’s never going to change, but ever since that day you packed everything up to move across the country with z, i knew you’d be okay. i knew that it would change you for the better, and i was half right. it didn’t change you at all. instead, it gave you the opportunity to grow into who you are. who i see you as.

you’re wonder woman. you’re there when anyone needs you, and you often go out of your way to be there. you are everything your middle school self said you wanted to be, and i know she’s happy that you made it here.

i love you, sissy❤️ happy birthday

edit: i’ve been told i failed to mention our child, @.colemcward , and how good of a mother she is! you’re doing amazing, sweaty!

tagged @/yourusername

view all 166 comments

yourusername quinny you’re gonna make me cry! fuck i love you so much it’s not even funny❤️ thank you bubba

_quinnhughes always

trevorzegras update: she’s crying and under quinner’s shirt

kuzya_096 happy birthday y/n!🎉🎂

yourusername thank you, kuzy! i miss and love you!

kuzya_096 i miss and love you too!

canucks happy birthday to our favorite hughes!

yourusername i’m in tears! i really needed that. thank you admin bestie!💙

user27 quinn is gonna make me cry with middle school stories i-😭 happy birthday y/n!!

bboeser happy birthday girly huggy! i better see you against the glass next year!

yourusername thank you!!! if i get my way, i’ll be near the bench in warm ups!

bboeser i’ll see what i can do to help that ;)

jamie.drysdale

liked by yourusername, trevorzegras, and 12,664 others

jamie.drysdale happy birthday to one of my best friends, my ex wife, and overall a top notch (and deranged) human being, y/n (soon-to-be) rowden (soon-to-be) zegras! i have loved living with you the last couple of years, i have loved all of our living room sleepovers, and i somehow love how often you force us to watch the hunger games series.

before i met you, trevor told me “it’s y/n’s world and we’re all just living in it” and i could not tell if he was joking or not. he was definitely not joking, but i have loved living in your world and i hope you’ll let me stay in it forever!

i love you more than words ex wifey❤️ happy birthday!

tagged yourusername and trevorzegras

view all 239 comments

yourusername you’re my favorite ex husband❤️ thank you jamie baby! i love you! i hope you enjoy the hunger games movies tonight!

jamie.drysdale i enjoyed the first two! not ready for you to cry!

yourusername lame

jackhughes @/yourusername b i t c h

yourusername @_quinnhughes rip his teeth out! oh wait…

jamie.drysdale update: they’re fighting on the floor again. trevor has stopped y/n’s head from hitting the table twice

_quinnhughes update: jack lost

shattdeuces happy birthday, kid! @/yourusername

yourusername AHH THANK YOU MOM!!

trevorzegras i’m glad you accepted that it’s y/n’s world

jamie.drysdale i’m still not convinced i had a choice

yourusername @/jamie.drysdale you didn’t🧡

user50 i want what y/n and jamie have awe! happy birthday!!

masonmctavish23 happy birthday @.yourusername ! miss you!! (stromer told me to tell you happy birthday too)

yourusername MAC- T!!!! thank you! AND STROMER! MY HERO! also thank you <3 mwah!

jamie.drysdale @/yourusername why is stromer your hero?

yourusername @/jamie.drysdale why is he not yours?

jamie.drysdale @/yourusername because you’re my hero

yourusername @/masonmctavish23 tell stromer to suck it <3

colecaufield

liked by jackhughes, yourusername, and 73,408 others

colecaufield happy birthday, best friend number two! my life changed for the better when you came into it, and i’m very happy that you’re legally obligated to stay in it!

you’re the biggest supporter around. i remember how proud you were when you made your own ntdp hoodie to wear at games that had mine, jack’s, trevor’s, and alex’s name and number on the back because you refused to just support one of us. you’ve caught endless planes to watch any of us play, especially when it’s against each other. you got on a plane to be there after my surgery this year. you make sure no one is ever alone, which is something truly rare.

i love you, sissy! (using my free pass) happy birthday!

tagged yourusername

view all 766 comments

yourusername i still have that hoodie! i love you with my whole butt, best friend number two❤️ thank you!

colecaufield WHIP IT OUT BUTTERCUP

trevorzegras @/colecaufield take a lap. think about what you just said. and then never say it again

colecaufield @/trevorzegras no <3

yourusername @/trevorzegras @/colecaufield get your own phrases????

trevorzegras @/yourusername no <3

_quinnhughes i get to say sissy all i want so ha!

yourusername ooo you got him!!

_quinnhughes @/yourusername i can physically feel your sarcasm

colecaufield @_quinnhughes gross

_alexturcotte I REMEMBER THAT HOODIE! SHE WAS SO PROUD!!

colecaufield she was so shy about it at first it was precious

jackhughes until her good big brother came along and hyped her up!!

yourusername @/jackhughes FOUR HOURS

jackhughes @/yourusername and 36 minutes!!

lhughes_06

liked yourusername, _quinnhughes, and 26,544 others

lhughes_06 happy birthday, sissy! growing up with you was a ride, and i wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. realizing you actually weren’t legally and by blood my sister was the biggest shock of my life. but when i grew up, i realized you are my actual sister, and these last five years have proved that even more.

everybody deserves a sissy. you flying out to florida to watch frozen four was amazing, but you staying after i left to be with the team and support them just because eddy asked you to was even more amazing. you didn’t have to be there for them, hell you didn’t have to be there for me, but you were anyways. don’t tackle duker for telling me about the sleepover party, because i just want to thank you for it. you met my friends and immediately decided that you were going to be their “mom,” and you have more than done that. you didn’t have to do the sleepovers like you do for me, but you did, and then made your way to jersey to watch me sign my contract. like quinny said, you’re wonder woman.

i love you with my whole butt! happy birthday!🩷

tagged yourusername

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yourusername lukey moosey, i am in TEARS! i love you with my whole butt, thank you <3

lhughes_06 you’re so welcome

jackhughes hey remember when sissy tripped in the snow and was so overly dramatic about it she made you carry her up the hill inside and she just had a bruise?

yourusername and i’ll do it again

lhughes_06 @/yourusername you have!

yourusername @/lhughes_06 i’m true to my word

user77 i’m so luke omfg😭 happy birthday!!

adamfantilli HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N! I MISS YOU!

yourusername thank you!! i miss you too! i’ll see you at the draft🧡

anaheimducks 👀

dylanduke25 ty for not murdering me <3 @.yourusername

yourusername jokes on you, i wanted to be praised

user51 this is so pure🥹

seamuscasey26 that group sleepover was the best thing ever! happy birthday, team mom! @.yourusername

yourusername thank you! you give top notch cuddles!

trevorzegras did you all just take turns cuddling her???

seamuscasey @/trevorzegras yes

adamfantilli @/trevorzegras yes

edwards.73 @/trevorzegras yes

trevorzegras I GET THE PICTURE

mackie.same @/trevorzegras yes

_alexturcotte

liked by yourusername, colecaufield, and 12,566 others

_alexturcotte happy birthday to my favorite person(?) in the entire world! you’re the most loving, caring, inspiring, supportive person i’ve ever met.

like lukey said, everyone deserves a sissy (y/n to me🙄). she’ll drop everything if you need to talk, or cuddle, or come over. and she gives you star stickers when you do something good! and she gets you a trophy for your first goals of the season!

congratulations on making it to 22, girly hughes! i’m so proud of you. i love you loads!

tagged yourusername

view all 138 comments

yourusername i enjoy that we’re bringing back girly hughes! thank you, turcs! i love you more!

_alexturcotte some devil said it and i got war flashback

trevorzegras @_alextrucotte war???

_alexturcotte @/trevorzegras you remember hs right? she was more unhinged than she is now

yourusername sell me out, why don’t you?

jackhughes @/yourusername if i knew selling you was an option i would’ve done it years ago

yourusername @/jackhughes have you heard of idioms?

user14 we never see the relationship between you two aww i love it! happy birthday!!!

_quinnhughes not pictured: sissy dropping turc shortly after that picture

yourusername that bruise was gnarly

_alexturcotte @/yourusername why are you like this

yourusername @/jackhughes

jackhughes @_alexturcotte it’s our birthday and only we can be mean to each other

_alexturcotte @/jackhughes ah shit my bad g

jackhughes @_alexturcotte say that to sissy

_alexturcotte @/yourusername ah shit my bad g

user20 my new favorite duo!!

trevorzegras that twister night was a mess

_alexturcotte i like to call it “an experience”

yourusername i like to call it “drunken hell”

_quinnhughes i like to call it a migraine

#penalty box series #penalty box series: bonus editions #trevor zegras #trevor zegras imagine #trevor zegras x reader #quinn hughes #quinn hughes imagine #jack hughes #jack hughes imagine #luke hughes #luke hughes imagine #jamie drysdale #jamie drysdale imagine #ethan edwards #dylan duke #cole caufield #cole caufield imagine #alex turcotte #alex turcotte imagine #anaheim ducks #vancover canucks #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #trevor zegras insta edit #trevor zegras x hughes reader

[sweetyluvs]

“Bring ya' baby down, down, go cheerleader” & “it’s enough to make you feel crazy crazy crazy” with basketball! abby x fem! cheerleader! reader where they have been eyeing eachother for months and after abby wins a game, the cheerleaders and the basketball players go out for dinner and they officially meet and hit it off and exchange numbers and abby shyly asks her out on a date after a few weeks of texting and r agrees and abby takes her out to dinner and she’s all nervous!! tysm!

𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐥𝐲

𝐩𝐭. 𝟏, 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐

basketball player! abby anderson x fem! cheerleader! reader

hello, thank you for requesting! I haven’t written for basketball! abby before, but i think that the creator of the bb! abby au was @elsweetheart , so credits to her♡ (i also don’t know much about basketball..or cheerleading..) and since i didn’t wanna make this too long i’ve decided to make it two parts! sorry:(. not proof read!

tags - fluff, nervous! abby, shy! abby, sweet! reader, nervous! reader, mentions of GoT, shows, kinda j nervous teens idk lol remind me if i forgot any! (readers nickname nickname for dina is “D” and her nickname for Yara is “yaryar”)

abby would be a liar if she claimed she hadn’t noticed you since the beginning of her freshman year of collage.

you were always at her practice games as well as her final ones— not because you were there to see her, but because you were a cheerleader cheering her team on.

something about you was alluring, pulling in and attracting her like a moth to a flame, an itching in her skin to try and speak with you.

although she was big and strong, she had a soft interior— and was a nervous girl at heart. that’s the main reason why she couldn’t find the strength to speak with you, let alone ask you out. she’d watch you laugh with the other girls apart of your squad, smile tracing every beautiful feature on your face. the way you moved your body to the song and how you never seemed to mess up put abby in a mesmerized set of mind— not to mention when you do a flip and she catches sight of under your little blue and white skirt.

abby always found herself looking for you in crowds, hoping to steal a glance before a class assembly, before a game or even before school ends. You stick out like a sore thumb to her, your beauty unmatched.

you also kept an eye out for the muscular blonde, but she didn’t know that. Abby Anderson, a big name at your school— one of the best, if not the best, basketball players at your school. She was tall and blonde, her smile was wide and welcoming. she peaked your curiosity, wondering who this big blonde girl really was.

you haven’t ever really spoken to abby— you’ve never spoken to her, period. Only seeing her at her practices, or during class assemblies, or maybe as school is ending, but rarely any other time.

something inside you twisted in an unfamiliar way when you catch her looking at you, her piercing light ocean blue eyes staring straight at you from either the basketball court or from across a crowd, her eyes were on you more often than you’d admit to. The first few times you noticed, you’d blamed it on your silly imagination.

the best player eyeing you down, please. that’s what you’d told yourself— but now, after catching her shamelessly staring more times than you can count to even the point where your friends had noticed— you believe you aren’t imagining it.

but, who knows. maybe she thinks your skirt is too short, your hair isn’t tied up enough, you weren’t thin enough to cheer for her team— maybe abby didn’t like you. You didn’t know, and you were too afraid to find out.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

you huffed, jumping up and down on your heels lightly. Your friends and squad chattered around the locker room, fixing their makeup and readjusting their uniforms for the upcoming match.

Your schools basketball team was going up against a known enemy school, it was a big match they’ve been training for. You yourself had also been mentally preparing, making sure all the stunts were properly coordinated to the music and the reasonable timing of the matches.

“calm down, Y/n. its gonna be okay!” your friend, Dina, comforted, taking a sip of her gatorade. “i know, i know but.. what if we mess up? i mean, we hate wyoming high. they’re so.. mean.” you worried, face losing color upon the thought of falling.

dina scoffed, bumping her shoulder against yours. “really? mess up? you? n/n, when have you ever messed up? you are the reason we’re all so good at doing this thing. you’re a natural.” Her words comforted you to a limit, easing the discomfort in your shoulders.

“thanks, D, but.. i dunno.” you whispered, sweat dripping down your back. The buzzer for your cheers squad to enter the court rang loudly, causing everyone in the room to speed up their actions and quickly run out of the room.

You followed after, walking beside your two chatting friends. You knew, deep down, at you weren’t scared of failing. fuck, even you’d admit you were good, but something about abby being on the court (maybe) watching you.. it made you nervous. your squad walked out of the building, smiling wildly and holding their arms up to the crowd. You did the same, momentarily forgetting about the certain blonde and remembering how much you loved cheer.

“okay girls, ready?” your captain asked, hee smile wide. You all agreed, rushing onto the field and beginning your first work.

abby bounced her knee nervously, fiddling with the hem of her shorts. She’d usually be hyped for a game— but with this team, she was beyond nervous. they were, to her defeat, great. Your school hated Wyoming high because they are a bunch of two-faced suck ups, bratty sorority girls and stupid frat boys lacing the schools halls with their expensive cologne and perfume— the worst part was, with their reputation, they had the reason to be so stuck up.

and that’s why abby wanted to crush them.

yet, the swarming of nervous butterflies were being caused by a certain someone. You. what if she lost and you thought she was lame? that she couldn’t do anything? what if you, like, leave the schools cheer team because the basketball team is so lame?

her unreasonable thoughts were drown out by the bell, the second ring meant it was time for her team to flood into the court.

Abby stood up. quickly flexing her fingers nervously before smiling at her teammates, earning light punches on the shoulder accompanied by reassuring words. she bounced on her heels, shaking her arms and her head, turning to the door and proceeding outwards.

the song that she’d seen you rehearse to many times was playing on the loud speaker, cheers from the crowd encouraging you and your squad to keep it up.

Even though abby’s team wasn’t heading in your direction, couldn’t help but want to steal a glance at you for good luck before the game.

you were being held up by the other girls, a nervous yet confident look on your face as they prepared to throw you up— abby watched in awe as she saw you do a twist in the air before being caught by your teen and quickly moving to the next positions.

she was amazed by how you could do stuff mid air, how you could carry your body weight and others body weight so effortlessly.

“anderson!” her coach shouted, snapping her from her daze and soothing her back to the reality. She jogged over, braid swinging with her movements.

“You ready?” abby nodded at the question, cracking her neck side to side. The other players were huddled up on the other side of the court, narcissistic smirks playing on their lips while they talked to eachother, occasionally glancing up towards abby’s team.

the way they wore those smirks made her want to crush them even more than she already wanted to, clenching her jaw harshly.

her teammates began to flood her vison as the huddled up as well, two of her friends hands on either of her shoulders to form a circle.

she had hoped the bitter sweet taste of victory on her tongue was foreshadowing.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

you sat at the edge of your seat, your lip being gnawed on viciously.

the game was 20 to 19. your schools team had 20, and wyoming high had 19. you needed 21 points to win a game which meant it was so close to the end you could crap your underwear. if they missed the shot two times and the second game got them… it’s over.

dina had her eyes dead focused on the players, and you could see her phone exploding with notifications from her girlfriend, ellie, about what the fuck she was doing and why she wasn’t sitting with her somewhere in the crowd, which dina was deliberately ignoring.

your heart did an unfamiliar flip when abby caught the ball, dodging players from Wyoming High and dribbling it down. You and dina quickly shared a glance, hands coming together to tightly hold each other for the suspense of the game.

she squeezed your hand, both your eyes locked to the buff blonde when she did her familiar big footed leap— large hands launching the ball.

it was almost as if it was in slow motion— dina’s gasp, abby’s arms throwing themselves up, the ball circling the hoop for an excruciating five seconds— before falling directly through. Abby’s feet slammed down to the court, the buzzer ringing loudly signifying the winning team.

it was silent for a moment before the crown went wild. you and dina jumped up and threw each other around, screaming and smiling at the much overdue victory.

Abby was smiling, too. her teammates surrounded her with wide grins, hugs and excited pats on the back.

your squad members were also freaking out, calling loudly to abby— catching her attention. they were congratulating her, and when you looked over to her you were surprised to see her eyes locked on you.

You smiled wildly, excitement obvious on your face. She sent a big grin back, a small cloud of pink flush dusting her cheeks before she turned back to the people crowding her.

“dinners on me!” you heard her coach yell, “and you girls join us!” she looked to your squad, earning the girls to only get louder with excitement.

“holy shit, y/n! we beat wyoming highs team and we get free dinner with the basketball girls? it’s heaven!!” Dina exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down with your hands intertwined with hers.

You nodded vigorously, smiling so widely you could barley speak words.

you looked back over to abby, the smile on her face wider than you’ve ever seen it, eyes looking between all the people surrounding her before fighting their way through the crowd to once again find you.

you were surprised she continued to look at you after victory, but, no matter such, it sent your heart into a fit of childish feelings; tummy doing flips.

she sent you a nervous smile at being caught, quickly looking away with the same blush. you smiled softly, turning back to dina.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“is this okay?” you asked, standing in front of your rooms big mirror, smoothing out the top of your burgundy dress.

Dina and Your other close friend, Yara, we’re currently sitting beside eachother on your bed, waiting for you to finish getting ready so you three could head out to the planned dinner from coach Marlene.

“y/n, for the tenth time, it looks stunning. why are you freaking out, anyways? its just—” dina cut herself off, eyes widening for a split moment before the biggest smirk you’ve ever seen placed itself on her lips.

“ahh.. I get it.” Dina said smugly. Yara turned to her, a confused look on her face. “get what?”

dina sent you a squinted eye look, leaning over to yara’s ear to whisper. You saw her eyes widen, a small smile playing on her own lips. “what is it, guys? do i look like a grandma? what?” you asked, frowning worriedly.

Dina rolled her eyes. “No, Y/n, you don’t look like a grandma. we’re talking about your..” she dragged out the sentence, going silent and looking to yara before deciding to slickly continue.

“absolutely massive crush on abby anderson.” you gaped, face shooting into the red shade of a tomato.

“what?! I dont like her. she’s just.. shes not my.. type.”

“oh, please! she is exactly your type. we aren’t stupid, y/n. right, yara?”

“yeah. we see the way you two look at eachother.”

your eyes shot to yara, widening. “huh?”

“abby is always looking at you. like, so often i’m surprised she isn’t cross eyed from it.” she says softly, smiling up at you. Dina nodded with her eyes closed; humming.

“mhm. truth on that.”

you were silent, looking into the mirror. no way.

“whatver, guys, haha. just shut up and let’s go.” you huffed, rolling your eyes as dina groaned out a “ugh, finally!” before jumping off your bed alongside yara.

Dina was wearing a cute but simple orange dress, her hair up in a nicely done ponytail. Yara went with a nice shirt and some jeans, her hair in its usual pinned up braids. you had, grudgingly, decided on a simple but sweet burgundy dress. deciding to leave your hair down, with the exception of the two small braids Yara had insisted on doing for you.

“i’ll drive.” you said, pulling out your keys before dina snatched them suddenly. “nuh-uh. no love fools behind the wheel tonight.” she announced, sending yara a proud smile.

“ugh! dina, i’m not— whatever.”

you three took the elevator down, going to the parking lot and standing outside of your car. “hurry up.” dina demanded, opening the car door and preparing to sit down in the drivers seat before you interjected. “wait! yaryar should drive.”

“why?” yara spoke up. “because you, my dear, are the only not “love fool” in the car today.” you hit back, knowing she intact was having an underline, silent argument currently going on with her girlfriend.

dina glared at you, handing yara the keys. You all got in the car, smoothly (and much more safely) driving off.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

the restaurant was packed, you and your friends tried to squeeze through the line to get to your already reserved seating.

“why the fuck is everybody here on a wednesday night?” dina complained, furrowing her brows as you three pushed through people. “Because it’s a nicer restaurant and rich old people don’t usually have jobs.” yara replied casually, looking between you and dina.

“let’s just focus on trying to get through the rich people,” you sigh, finally seeing the table with familiar faces.

Coach Marlene was sitting down, glasses on her face as she swiped on her phone. Abby and Nora, along with other basketball team members, sat down at the table chatting.

a sudden drop in your tummy caused your throat to dry up. If you weren’t nervous before, you sure are now. “gosh, are we late?” yara whispered, eyes widening. “nah, we aren’t. The invitation said 5:30, and its 5:35 so we’re on time. everyone else is early.” she replied, cocking her head.

“fuck. i wanted to be early. why does everyone on the basketball team have such good time management?” you grumbled, tucking your hair behind your ears and glancing back to your friends. “ready?”

you three made the final push through the crowd and revealed yourself, catching the eye of the players at the table.

Coach marlene snapped her head up, eyes landing you instantly.

“ah! Y/n, dina, yara. no surprise it’s you three who came separately.” She teased, smiling. Your face flushed, trying to ignore the eyes of abby and her friends on you.

“yeah. nice to see people already here.” you glanced down, catching abby’s lurking eyes before she snapped them away and moved her head.

“Yeah. these girls all arrived at exactly 5:30. surprised me.” marlene replied, motioning her hands to the seats. “come sit down.”

you obeyed, dina and yara close behind as you three took the open chairs. the two snagged the ones closest by the end of the table, leaving you to claim the one directly beside Abby Anderson.

you sat down, sliding your hand from your lower back to under your knees to keep your dress down.

you felt abby’s eyes lingering on you as you did so, swallowing so loudly you could hear it.

you shuffled a little uncomfortably, glancing to Yara and Dina who were snacking viciously on the bread on the table. you inhaled, slowly turing towards the large blonde beside you.

“Hi, I’m y/n. I dunno if you know who i am but— uh, i know you.” fuck. what was that? you internally beat yourself up, watching nervously as abby stiffened, sweat building rapidly on her forehead as she turned to look at you.

she nodded quickly, “i- erm— know who you are. You’re.. really talented at cheerleading.” she complimented, her voice cracking up. Your cheeks flushed dramatically, darting your eyes away.

“pfft— says you. you are like, the god at basketball. i’ve never seen someone play better than you.” she bashfully looked away, her own cheeks blossoming with the cherry shade of blush.

“thanks.” you pursed your lips nervously, turning towards your friends.

dina had a while breadstick down her throat as yara watched, eye wide.

“what the hell.” you whispered, embarrassed.

dina turned to you, a smug look on her face beside the bread halfway down her throat, she spoke. “hittin’ it up over there, hm?” your face blew into thousands of shades of red, catching onto her teasing and praying Abby hadn’t hurt her.

“dina!” yara gasped, hiding her laugh. you rolled your eyes, trying to play it off and shifting away to stare ahead of you.

abby kept moving beside you, seemingly not quite knowing where to place her hands; her things, her knees, the table— you kept glancing in her direction each time she’d uncomfortably shift. your eyes eventually trailed up to her shirt— it was a silly one. a massive star wars meme on the black background.

“i like your shirt. I love star wars.” you said, catching her attention when she whipped her head to you. “you do?”

“yeah. I like the clone wars, so your shirt is funny.”

it was meme of darth maul and obi wan, how he came back and obi wan was sloppy. You could feel her eyes on you, staring into your skull as if processing your words. “really?”

“yup.” silence followed, awkwardness flooding the air. “uh.. what other shoes do you watch?”

“er-- i like arcane and uh.. i dunno just, animated shows, mostly. But shameless and game of thrones are good..”

you instantly turned to her. “game of thrones and shameless? I love those two.” you exclaimed, smiling. Abby’s eyes widened as you shifted in your chair to fully face her.

“have you finished both of them.”

“y-yeah.”

“who’s your favorite character in game of thrones?” you asked urgently, watching closely at the sweat that fell from her head.

“i like Daenerys and jon mostly—”

“no shit! me too.” you interrupted, quickly covering your mouth. “oh! i’m sorry for interrupting. i just.. i’m a big fan.” you sheepishly said. you missed the way her blue eyes softened.

“That’s okay! I- I really like game of thrones too. if you wanna talk about it..” your eyes practically glistened at her words.

“are you sure? i don’t wanna, like, geek out on you and kinda.. chase you away.” you said, eyebrow raising. Abby shook her head, “no! i would like to talk about it. none of my friends have seen it so.. it’d be a nice conversation.”

“i agree! Dina and Yara haven’t seen it, either. they say it’s too dark, and how i have a weird taste in shows but i keep telling them it’s really not that bad.”

abby smiled down at you, cheeks creasing. “right? they think it’s way worse than it actually is. I think maybe because it’s been on the internet and people label it more dark of a show then it is.”

“yes! gosh, you get it.”

you and abby had conversed over the whole dinner about shows and books you both like; she said she was a big fan of “they both die at the end.” which, to her surprise, you’ve also read.

you two ended up sharing food off each others plates while you and the others around you ate, dina and yara continuously sending you mischievous glances and smug looks— of to which you ignored.

time flew by so fast you hadn’t realized it was 8 on until your nighttime alarm went off, catching your attention.

“its already 8? it feels like it’s still 5.” you laughed, causing abby to smile.

“Yeah, it does.” You hadn’t realized that a few of your squad members and Abby’s team members had left until you looked across the table.

“well, i should, um, probably start to head out. I have to get up at like 5 tomorrow.” you frowned, folding up your napkin and showing dina and yara your phone— which urged them to rapidly wipe their messy faces and stand up.

“thanks for talking with me, abigail, i really appreciate it. i had a total blast.” you admitted, cheeks rosy. “you’re really fun to talk to.”

“thanks, you too..” her face was red, eyes much more blue than you recall as she stare into yours. “a-and you can call me abby. Just abby is fine.” She said suddenly, earning a grin from you.

“okay, Abby. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” you asked, she nodded.

you bid farewell to the coach and the others girls at the table, rushing off when dina and yara grabbed each side of your arms to pull you away.

Abby’s eyes trailed after you, only looking away when Nora punched her shoulder.

“ow! what was that for?”

“you idiot! go get her number!” Nora exclaimed, jerking her head in your direction. “what?”

“Go get her number! she was literally geeking out to you all dinner. You two were so annoying and clicked perfectly. if you don’t chase after her, I’m going to purposely start losing games.” Nora’s words made abby’s heart beat fast, besides the losing part.

“no! we just were taking about an underrated show.”

“yeah, for three hours! Go! go!” nora pushed abby off her chair, the girl gripping the table before subconsciously obeying her bossy friend and tracking you down through the restaurant.

you’d just walked through the doors— abby close on your trail.

“shut up, D. i swear, i’m gonna—”

“Y/n!” abby’s voice caught you and your friends by surprise, all three of your whipping your heads to the flushed blonde.

she timidly approached you, her eyes shooting nervously between Yara and dina who hung on your left and right arms.

“let’s scram, yara.” dina quickly said, letting you go and taking yaras hand before running to your car, leaving you to glare after her before turning back to abby.

“yeah?” you smiled shyly, eyes watching as she fiddled with her ohoen.

“um— i was wondering if i could get your.. uh.. your number? its okay if not, i just thought since—”

“sure!” you chirped, quickly stretching out your hand to retrieve her phone. She looked at your for a few moment before her un familiar phone case landed in your palm.

You went to messages and put in your number, editing the contact to ‘y/n 🐉’ and handing it back to her.

You heard dina yell dramatically, making you aware she was ready to go. “sorry about her— uh— text me!” you quickly said, patting her bicep and speed walking back to the whining dina.

“get your fingers off my windshield!” abby heard you shout, watching as you pushed dina off the car, Yara laughing.

heat flooded her face upon realizing she had your number.

After three years of her admiration, your contact was in her phone.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

3:49pm. thursday, September 6.

(1)-206-3449

hey. this is abby from the basketball team.

you smiled upon reading the text. You’d been waiting like a silly highschool girl for Abby to text you, turing on your ringer full volume and constantly checking your phone for messages from an unknown number.

when you didn’t receive one within the first three hours after the dinner, you’d though you’d accidentally miss typed it— but, now you know you didn’t.

you

heyy. hru?

after you sent the message you went to her new contact, placing her name as “abby!:)”

abby!:)

good thanks. wbu?

you

same! ty. r u at practice?

abby!:)

nah, todays no practice because coach marlene slept in because she’s in a massive food coma from last night.

you laughed, covering your mouth and placing some hair behind your ear.

you

haha! really? i mean she did gobble all that food down.

abby!:)

yeah. i’ve never seen her eat so much lol

you

i mean, the food was REALLY good so she has a good reason 🤷‍♀️

abby!:)

ur totally right

you

your spaghettini and meatballs were so good

abby!:)

pff ur steak was the best

she was typing before the bubbles went away and came back, you rose a brow.

abby!:)

shit, sorry i gotta go. My dads here and we’re heading to bowling. talk to u later?

you

of course, have fun:)

abby!:)

thanks

you basically threw your phone across the room and huffed into your pillow.

were you too expressive? too excited? did you seem desperate??? You snapped your eyes shut. Heart racing a thousand miles per hour.

maybe dina was right, maybe you did like abby anderson. fuck.

#tlou 2 abby #abby fluff #abby anderson #tlou abby #abby tlou #abby doesnt shut up #abby x fem!reader #abby x you #abby x reader #lev and abby #abby and lev #abby angst #abby the last of us #yara tlou #yara the last of us #dina tlou #dina the last of us #tlou 2 #nora tlou #abby anderson x y/n #abby anderson x f!reader #abby anderson x female reader #abby anderson x you #abby anderson tlou2 #abby anderson the last of us 2 #abby anderson x reader #lesbian #girls like girls #queer girls #wlw

[averagewriter-inthedark]

It’s A Long Way To The Top 🎸 | Pete Maverick Mitchell / Top Gun Maverick Imagine

Takes place after the events of TGM

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell x 80s Rockstar!reader (romantic), Bradley Bradshaw x reader (mother/son-type relationship), Dagger Squad (platonic) Hondo (platonic)

Content warnings: Fluff, slight profanity, flirtatious banter, light suggestive content, mentions of past drug use. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 13.5k

Social Media matching HC

Premise: The Dagger Squad didn’t know much about their former instructor turned friend, Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. Only Rooster had insight on all there was when it came to the famous pilot, and his love life certainly fell into that. When the squad shows up unannounced to Maverick’s San Diego home for his birthday weekend, they are greeted with the shock of the lifetime when it’s revealed Maverick’s lady once ruled the radio of the decade they were born in. And what better way for them to properly meet one of the greatest rockstars to ever exist than by attending the bands reunion concert that night.

Note: So TC was born in 1962 and that what it also says for Maverick (although with his rank I doubt it lines up but Imma just go with it), so for this imagine you were born in 1964 and were the front woman of a famous 80s rock band who Mav meets after the events of Top Gun. I love rock music and have been listening to it nonstop the past week and this inspired me. At first I was gonna do this with Rooster or Phoenix with a modern day rockstar, but then I thought Mav was better suited for what I had planned.

Also in my research I found that the Staples Center (which is going to mentioned a lot) opened in 1999 and is now called Crypto.com Arena, but for this just imagine it opened in the 80s and is still called the Staples Center. Personally I will always refer to it as that even though it got a new name. Last thing, my favorite band is AC/DC and i use two of their songs as ‘your’ songs verbally said. The album/era names are ones I thought of off the bat, and feel free to imagine your friends as your bandmates, I just gave them names to make it easier when writing. And the photo on the collage is to show the outfit reference—I don’t write with any indication of race/ethnicity/etc unless it’s for an OC. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

————————————

“Are you guys sure about not warning Rooster we’re coming?” Bob voiced from the passenger side of Nat’s car. In the backseat were Mickey and Payback while Hondo drove the car behind them containing Hangman and Coyote.

“Bradshaw will spoil the surprise,” Fanboy reminds him, “And the whole point of this is to surprise Mav. We haven’t seen him in months and this is the first time we’re all together again.”

“I know,” Bob sighs, leaning back into his seat before glancing at Nat, “How did you even get his address, Nat?”

She doesn’t stray her eyes from the road as she responds, “I may have convinced Admiral Simpson to give it to me, saying we all wanted to send Mav a birthday gift but didn’t have his permanent residence. I know he’s often in the Mojave desert during his vacation, but Cyclone gave me his San Diego home address.”

“Hondo didn’t even have Mav’s address?” Mickey says more to himself, surprised the man did not. He was Mav’s closest friend and had been with him since the Darkstar project.

“Hondo only had his Mojave camp—which isn’t really an address when you think about it. It’s quite literally on an old airstrip that’s not even used by the Navy anymore,” Nat tells him, “Mav lived there during their assignment so it makes sense why he only had that one.”

“So what I’m hearing is you deceived Admiral Simpson so we can show up on Mav’s doorstep like ‘surprise! We’re here!’ And Cyclone just gave it to you with no questions asked?” Payback raises a brow, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror.

“Not entirely,” she defends, “I mean we are sending him a birthday gift…..it’s just we are the birthday gift.” At the laughs from the men Nat rolls her eyes, “Y’all are in this too, so I don’t know why you’re laughing. We’re almost there. GPS says ten minutes.”

The Pacific Ocean was to their right, the sun high in the sky as the time reached one o’clock. They noticed as they traveled down the road that the houses were becoming more distant and eye-catching. “Damn,” Fanboy whistled under his breath at one point.

When they got to the turn to enter the neighborhood, they were greeted with a closed gate and security. Nat mentally cursed, not anticipating Mav lived in a gated community.

Now the jig was up and they were gonna have to call Rooster.

While Nat spoke with one of the security guards Bob was already dialing Bradley, who answered with a confused, “Hey, Bob. What’s up?”

“Rooster, hey, I’m sorry to bother you but the squad and I were planning to surprise Maverick for his birthday tonight and well….we’re kinda at the entrance to his neighborhood. We didn’t think it would be gated and needed confirmation from the resident to get in.”

“Ah damn,” Bradley said with a laugh and Bob could hear him fiddling with his keys. “I wish y’all would’ve told me, but then again I know I probably would’ve ruined it.” It was the truth, Rooster could not keep a secret if his life depended on it. Last year he unintentionally spoiled Nat’s surprise party when she got promoted. Soon it became a running joke amongst the group. “Just hang tight, I’ll be right there.”

“Wait, are you at Mav’s house?” All eyes in the car turned to Bob, the WSO catching the sound of Rooster’s Bronco starting up.

“Yeah, I’m on the list and can get y’all in. Hang on, imma tell him I’m running out to get beers.” There was a pause on the receiver before a car door shuts and Rooster says, “I’ll be there in two minutes.” Bob stayed on the line before hanging up when they caught sight of the bright blue vehicle approaching from the other side of the gate. Rooster pulled off to the side, exited the car and approached the security hut where another officer met him in the middle. The team watched as they exchanged words before the guard Nat spoke with was called over.

When he returned seconds later he said, “we’re gonna open the gate and if you could please pull off to where my buddy directs you and step out. We have to check the cars.”

“Sure thing,” Nat says with a wave as he goes to relay the same to Hondo. Passing the gate, she parks the car where the guard instructs and all four step out from the vehicle. Hondo pulls up seconds later with Hangman and Coyote coming over to stand with the group as Rooster approaches.

“Well this sure is some special treatment,” Hangman jokes when an officer comes up with a metal detector to begin scanning the squad while the two search their cars. He notices one of the officers writing down the car information, including the license plate number. “Never seen this before when I’ve been to a gated neighborhood.”

“It’s just precaution since it’s your first time” Rooster says, dabbing up the guys when they are finished being scanned. “It’s good to see you guys.”

“It’s good to see you too, Bradshaw,” Nat gives him a hug and appears apologetic. “Sorry we didn’t let you know in advance.”

“Ah it’s all good. Like I told Bob I probably would’ve ruined it.” They all laugh, some muttering sounds of agreement. It was all in good heart though, Bradley wasn’t offended. He was just happy to see his friends again and celebrate Mav’s 60th with them.

The only thing….they were in for their own surprise when they got to the house.

“Does the governor of California live here or something?” Javy jokes, but judging by the way Rooster reacts he’s certain there is some truth to it.

“All clear!” The main guard shouts, nodding to Rooster. “Y’all are free to go, just make sure to call in if you leave the area and return later on.”

“Will do,” Rooster salutes, shaking his hand afterwards. “Thanks again, Frank.” Telling his friends to follow behind him, they all got into their respective vehicles and headed down the road leading to the neighborhood.

“Sheeeesh,” Mickey says in awe at some of the houses they passed. They looked to be a million bucks. Literally. They were distanced quite a bit like something you see in Calabasas and had long entrances. “Mav should be on MTV’s cribs. How the hell does a naval Captain get something like this?”

“Probably by saving for that perfect retirement home,” Nat comments, eyes lingering on one house that caught her eyes.

“Nah,” Payback shakes his head, “I’ve seen Admirals with places not even to this extent. No offense to Mav, but I don’t see how an O-6 could afford a place like this.” About a minute passed before they were turning into a long driveway, all four jaws dropping at the sight of the home.

Yeah they needed to know Pete’s secret.

It was a gorgeous two-story mediterranean style home with an iron gate surrounding the perimeter. The exterior was beautiful, with flowers and various plants on the grounds. A front enclosed patio was the first thing they could see connecting to a foyer where the front door was located. Only one word could describe the home: marvelous.

The driveway was crescent shaped and could fit at least four cars with a side entrance leading to the garage. Rooster pulled up to the furthest spot allowing Nat and Hondo to pull up behind him. “Holy shit,” Fanboy says in awe, hopping out of the car and shutting the door behind him.

Shutting his own door, Hangman whistles, “If this is what retirement looks like, I can’t wait.”

“C’mon,” Rooster chuckles, nodding his head to the entrance. “Mav’s in the garage working on his bike.” The squad all rushes to get the gifts, beer, and food they had brought for the pilot, following behind Rooster while trying to not make it look like they were gawking at the home. They hadn’t even seen the inside yet but could already tell it was going to be as incredible as the outside.

Putting a finger to his lips, the group remains quiet at Rooster’s command as they ease their way into the garage. It was very similar to the one at his camp hangar in the desert. Pictures hung on a wall with several plaques. Motorcycles lined up and sitting in the corner was a gorgeous 1966 Dodge Charger. Coyote had to put a hand to his mouth to keep from making a sound when he saw it.

“That you, Bradley?” Mav said with his back to the group, unaware his practically surrogate son was not alone. He was dressed in a greased up white tee with some old light washed jeans and boots. Playing on the radio was the 80s on 8 channel from SiriusXM.

“Yeah it’s me,” Rooster places a case of beers the squad brought on the counter near the fridge. “I brought some strays too while I was at it.”

“Strays? What—?” Mav laughs, moving to turn around which resulted in his mouth dropping and wrench clinking to the floor.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouted, grinning widely at their former instructor who was completely speechless. “Happy Birthday, Mav!”

“Wha-oh my gosh!” The pilot's feet moved before he could stop them, embracing Phoenix first since she was closest before doing the same to the others. As he pulls away from Hondo, patting his back Mav goes, “What’re you doing here?”

“Surprising you for your birthday, old man,” Hangman lightly punches his shoulder. “You’re turning the big six-zero, there was no way we were missing it.”

“Aww thanks guys,” the man blushes, grinning when they bombard him with gifts. “It’s so good to see you all—I-I wish I would’ve known you were coming.”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, Cap,” Fanboy points to him with a knowing look.

“True,” Mav laughs, directing the crew to put the bags and all on the counter in the garage where the sink was located. “Thank you all so much, you really didn’t have to do all this.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen ya, Mav,” Phoenix tells him, accepting the beer Rooster offers her that was already in the fridge. He passes them out to the crew, except Bob and Mav who kindly decline. Phoenix waves a hand, “Quite the place you got. Rooster had to come save us at the gate.”

Mav raises a brow at Rooster, “You didn’t know about this?”

“Nope,” he pops the ‘p’, “I’m sure you can guess why.” It takes Mav a moment, but then he chuckles, thinking back to the many times Bradley did ruin a surprise. Nat’s promotion party, Hondo’s birthday dinner, and the tickets the group got Mickey to attend SDCC’s Star Wars reunion panel.

“We hope we didn’t catch you at a bad time,” Bob says. “Dropping in unannounced. We weren’t sure if you had anything planned this weekend, but we all took a few days off—got rooms in TLF back at Fightertown, so we would love to take you out for dinner or something this weekend.”

Mav glances at Rooster, who gives a knowing look to the pilot while sipping his beer. The two share a silent exchange of words before he scratches the back of his neck….a few catch the reflective metal of a gold on his left ring finger. Phoenix and Bob’s eyes widen, looking around to see if anyone else spotted what they did.

“Um, well we did have plans tonight—but I can make a call and figure something out. Tomorrow for sure I’m free all day so whatever you guys want to do I’m game.”

“What kind of plans?” Coyote asks before Payback and Hondo nudges him for being nosy. “Owwww.”

Hesitant to reply, Mav gives Rooster another look before nodding his head to the door, “why don’t you guys come inside. Make yourself comfortable while I make a quick call.”

“Are you not going to—,” Mav is quick to cut Bradley off with a wink. Confused, the entire squad look at each other with the same expression before following behind Mav while Rooster is the last to enter and shut the garage door.

Pete doesn’t have to turn around to know they were all gawking at the interior of the home. The first rooms closest to the garage were the laundry room, open kitchen and dining room. Sounds of approaching steps alerted the group and several audibly reacted to the adult Dalmatian, white husky, and golden retriever puppy racing after them.

“Oh my gosh,” Javy kneeled down to pet the Goldie pawing at his legs. “Your dogs are adorable.” The husky was licking at Jake’s face while Phoenix and Bob were occupied with the Dalmatian before each dog inspected each of the guests. “What are their names?”

“That’s Ice,” he pointed to the husky first then the Dalmatian, “Bella.” Lastly he pointed at the puppy, who was kissing up on Mickey, “and Goose.” They spend a good three minutes right there in the kitchen allowing the dogs to receive attention from the squad before Mav directs them to the living room.

And that’s when they pass the cabinet.

A cabinet that was just one of many.

“Uh, Mav,” Payback stops, causing those behind him to do the same, gaze locked on the floor to ceiling glass cabinet—if you could call it that, it was more like a shrine.

Dedicated to one of the world's most renowned rock bands.

“Yeah?” Mav already knew what they were looking at. And that was only scratching the surface compared to the others in the house.

“Say, uh—,” Payback tilts his head, pointing to the cabinet, “Are you like, obsessed with ‘Y/n & the Romantics’,” several eyes trailed along the various shelves lined with actual Grammy awards for ‘Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group’, ‘Best Rock Album’, ‘Best Rock Song’, ‘Record of the Year,’ & ‘Album of the Year,’ going back as 1980 to 2021 as the most recent. Other awards included almost a dozen in MTV Moonmen, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and an Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’. Framed photographs of the band hung on the walls and perched on the shelves. Some included them with famed music legends like Cher, Prince, Micheal Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Def Leppard, and Duran Duran….those of which the squad could make out the signature on the photograph itself. An eye catcher was the USA for Africa signed photograph of every artist, including the Romantics, featured in Michael Jackson’s “We Are The World.”

One shelf pretty much was reserved for all the times they were the musical guests on SNL. Four times to be exact. Another shelf, that had their eyes boggling, was dedicated to their 1999 Super Bowl Halftime performance with a football signed by the band and head coaches of the teams that played that year.

Fanboy nearly shit his pants when he saw the guitars mounted on the wall. Not only were they signed by absolute icons, including Elvis fucking Preseley, but one of which was the iconic checkered neon pink Fender Stratocaster frontwoman Y/n L/n played in the 80s.

Y/n L/n. Dubbed the ‘daughter of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ with a voice that had people say she was what an angel would sound like if they rebelled from God to become a rockstar. Together with some of her best friends from high school, formed the group ‘Y/n & the Romantics,’ signing with a small label in Atlanta, Georgia in 1978 at aged 14 after being discovered on the corner of a street playing covers of Elvis, The Beatles, and Billie Holiday. What had the producer write up a contract right there was when he heard Y/n’s rendition of ‘Crybaby,’ by Janis Joplin. It was as though Janis had been reincarnated. Her voice was unlike anything he’d ever heard.

They released their first single on New Year’s Day of 1979. That first single that had RCA Records knocking on their door and shot them into becoming one of the best selling rock bands of all time. When MTV launched on August 1, 1981, their music video for their Grammy Award winning single was the third to be played after ‘Video Killed The Radio Star,’ by the Buggles, and ‘You Better Run’ by Pat Benatar. Y/n & the Romantics became teen sensations, dominating the 1980s and 90s before going on hiatus in the early 2000s. Y/n was not only known for her recognizable, unique voice but also her split dye hair, leather outfits, stage presence, and signature pink guitar she named, ‘Dirty Shirley.’

And it was in Maverick’s house.

“Holy shit,” Phoenix breathed out, patting Payback to look to the left. That’s when he noticed the wedding picture hung on the wall not too far from where they were standing. The bride, kissing Maverick in the photo, was the same woman holding a Grammy with her bandmates.

Eyes bulging out, Payback whistled and asked what they were all thinking, “Or…. you got something to tell us?”

August 15, 1989. Los Angeles, California. Club Electic Idol

“Tell me, Pete—or do you prefer Maverick?” The blue light shining above her in the bar had the glitter on her face reflect. She was dazzling. Unlike any woman he’d ever met. And Pete met a lot in his career, though they never captivated him like she was now. He wanted to dance with her forever

Arms around his neck, their bodies pressed together as they swayed to the beat of ‘When Doves Cry,’ by Prince. The leather adorning her body was smooth against his fingertips. Completely ignorant of the flashing of cameras from the side and envious gazes of both men and women around them. Never did the pilot think when he, Ice, and Slider agreed on coming to that bar after the concert that he would end up with the frontwoman in his arms. They were just looking for a place to grab a quick drink, maybe dance with a girl or two, and chill before heading back to their hotel.

Guess Y/n & the Romantics were looking to do the same. Fate seemed to bring them together.

“Either is fine, sweetheart.” She smirked at the nickname, finding it amusing. God, even her smirk was sexy. Everything about her was.

“You do that little show of yours each time you see a pretty lady? Or am I just special?”

Damn she caught him.

Truth be told it scared the shit out of him to even think about doing it. Had it not been for the light buzz from drinking a couple beers and encouragement from Ice saying, “You’re the only bloke in this bar who could probably get her into bed if you tried, Mitchell. I saw her eyeing you when you went to pick a song on the jukebox.”

At first he refused. It was Y/n fucking L/n of all people. And there were plenty of people, men and women, who were taking a shot at swooning the rockstar. Left and right they were offering her drinks and asking her to dance. Mav would only go up to her if Ice and Slider sang with him. There was no way in hell he would embarrass just himself. Especially if it didn’t turn out the way he wanted.

The fact it actually did work had the pilot thank his guardian angel, who no doubt had to have been Goose.

“I���ve only done it a few times. The first crashed and burned. Second time actually got me a date,” his lips curled up, “Now I’m hoping the third time’s a charm.”

“I see,” she hummed, never taking her eyes off him. The silence that indicated she was deep in thought. “What are you hoping to get out of it?”

“Honestly, maybe a kiss when the night comes to an end if you’d allow me the honor. But if not I would want you to never forget me. Just like I won’t ever forget you.”

“After a performance like that, Lieutenant, I’ll remember you till the end of time. And about that kiss….” She brings her mouth closer to his, but still enough distance to keep them apart. Pete felt his heart skip at the proximity, the perfume she wore filling his nostrils. “Keep impressing me and it just might come true.”

Present Day

“Wait-wait-wait,” Phoenix laughed with the guys as Maverick finished telling the story of when he went with Slider and Iceman to see Y/n & the Romantics perform at the Staples center in 1989. They were all seated in the living room—which had more framed photos of not just Y/n and her band but also of her and Maverick over the years and Rooster as a child.

Jake took photos of that on his phone to hold for blackmail. Now it made sense why Rooster was always singing their songs on the piano when they would go out.

After giving a quick tour of the first floor of the home, they all settled in the living room with his dogs as Mav sent a text to his lady to call him after soundcheck. Beers were brought out and some snacks, the crew still processing the news as they took it all in. Eventually after a quick explanation, Pete answered the many questions they had, including just how the hell he managed to pull one of the greatest rockstars to ever exist.

Whose band literally had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in just a few months.

“So from what I’m gathering,” Nat points to her forehead, as though she were deep in thought, “If my brain is right on track here….you were, to put it lightly…a groupie?”

“Now hold on—.” Mav tried to say but was cut off by the obnoxious laughter that was Javy, Mickey, and Jake while Bob and Hondo just shook their heads, although they were grinning wide at the insinuation. Rooster was smirking like, ‘told you so.’ Mav sighed, but he was smiling as the laughter died down. “I was not a groupie. Okay—yeah I had the hope I would meet her after the show, but I didn’t go out of my way to make that happen. They just happened to come to the same bar that night—I swear!”

“That literally sounds like what a groupie is, Mav,” Hondo pats his back. “You just got lucky it went in your favor.”

Blushing, Mav coughed lightly as he laughed with the group before adding, “I’d like to point out that nothing … you know, happened, alright? We simply had some drinks, danced…I may have tried serenading her with my rendition of ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,’” the laughter got louder, making his blush deepen, “and then we exchanged addresses to send each other letters—because that’s what you did back in the day or call on the landline. It was history from there.”

“Don’t forget, Mav,” Rooster points at him. “You guys made out and then you exchanged addresses before leaving.” Mav has to cover his face to hide his blush when the group hollar and cheer.

“So how long y’all been together?” Rueben asks, finishing off his beer.

“Since 1990. But we didn’t get married until 2002 after the band went on hiatus.”

“How come?” Phoenix tilted her head curiously.

Though Phoenix and most of the guys were not die hard fans of Y/n & the Romantics, they were familiar with their music of course. As one of the most influential rock bands of all time everyone had heard of them in some way, shape, or form. Their parents often played their records, or they’d hear them on the radio and in movies. The squad were all born in the 1980s & early 90s so by the time they got into their teenage years the band had already stopped releasing music. It wasn’t until late 2020 they announced a reunion with the release of their latest album and were currently on tour across North America. During the hiatus however, Y/n still wrote songs for other artists and even released a few solo records. Some of the Grammy’s in the case belonged to only her and not just with the band.

Personal lives of the band members were not something they knew too well. The only people in the group who had knowledge of some details were Mickey, who was a big fan growing up, and Hondo. Bob was also a fan, having played the drums as a teenager and cited them to be a big influence. On google information showed that the group consisted of Y/n, the lead vocalist who also played guitar, Maya the bass player, Evan the lead guitarist, Danny the drummer, and Ronnie on keys. All of them provided backup vocals on tracks.

Maya and Evan ended up falling in love, confirming long time rumors they were together in 1987 and had three kids over the course of the 90s. Danny married a famous actress in 2000 with whom he had a son. Lastly Ronnie was once married to the lead singer of another rock group before divorcing and finding love with a movie producer from when she landed a role in a tv drama, the two adopted a son and daughter in the early 2000s.

Y/n’s information did actually include the fact she and Maverick met in 1989 when they played at the Staples center, that he was a Captain in the Navy being the only man to shoot down five enemy planes in the last 40 years, and were together for over a decade before finally getting married. They did not have kids and the text read how they liked to keep their personal lives private.

Rooster of course knew everything. The first time he met Y/n was in 1991 when he was 7 years old and looked at her like a second mother growing up. She taught him piano and guitar, let him attend shows when the group were on tour in Virginia, and was always a phone call away even after he and Maverick were at odds. Since she didn’t have kids, Bradley was the closest to what it was like having a son. There was no way she was going to let them drift apart after vowing to Carole she would take care of him. They spoke almost weekly with Rooster updating Y/n on his career and asking when she was getting the band back together, knowing she missed going on the road and performing.

“Soon,” she would tell him with a laugh, “I’m working on some songs in the meantime. We all agreed once the kids are older that we’ll come back.” That was in 2012. Now it was 2022 and finally Y/n & the Romantics were on stage performing for a sold out crowd full of people from all ages. They were all in their late 50s but still knew how to rock n’ roll like the good ole days. Y/n never lost her stage presence, the audience thrived on it. Over the years she took care of her voice so she would sound exactly like she did in the 80s. It was her staple after all.

Answering Nat’s question, Mav gave a light shrug, “It just sorta happened that way honestly. We were happy with how things were—marriage was not for us until then. I should say legally married actually, because here in California the relationship was viewed as common law marriage since we had been together for so many years,” Mav explained before taking a sip of water, “Around the time they disbanded the others had young or were starting to have children so they decided to take a break until the kids were grown up.”

“I think that was the first time I saw my mother cry,” Bob chuckled, fixing his glasses as all eyes turned to him. “My mom was—is a huge fan. Anytime we went on road trips she’d play one of their albums. I think she even saw them live when she was in college—said it was one of the best nights of her life. She had a crush on Danny if I’m not mistaken.” Mav smiles, not surprised it was Danny. In the 80s the man was quite the heartthrob.

“How come you never told us?” Mickey cut in. It was a question all were curious to know. Hondo knew Mav was married, but not to whom. He and Penny had history and were friendly at the Hard Deck so they assumed they were together or possibly going to. Finding out he’s been in a long time relationship with Y/n L/n was the shock of their life.

“We like our privacy. It’s why we waited to get married also, because of how big they were in the 80s and 90s. I got followed by paparazzi in the beginning—which was causing problems with my job. We actually pretended to break up in the late 90s to get them off my back,” Mav shrugs again, “I also don’t like the idea of bragging that my wife is Y/n L/n. I love and respect her so much. Yeah I was a fan of her music, but what made me fall in love with her was getting to know her for who she was. Not Y/n the rockstar, but Y/n the girl who replays her favorite songs if someone talks during it. Who can quote every single line from ‘Dirty Dancing’. Who will scold me for leaving seven half filled water bottles on my nightstand.” Laughs rang out at that. “We personally enjoy letting people discover it on their own, rather than telling them upfront.”

“I still can’t wrap it around my head,” Jake waves a hand to emphasize his point. “That you pulled pretty much the woman all our dads, maybe even moms, had a crush on. Your game is on another level. Like please tell me your secrets, pops.” Phoenix playfully slaps Hangman on the shoulder.

Before he could answer the pilot, Maverick’s phone rings causing him to jolt from the couch. “Give me a moment guys,” excusing himself he goes around the corner into the hallway before answering, “Hey, honey.”

“Hey, is everything good? Your message sounded urgent.”

Mav heard sounds in the background, possibly the crew setting up the stage for the night’s show. “Everything is great….uhh-say is tonight’s show sold out?”

“Yessss,” he could hear the confusion laced in her tone. “At least that was what I was told by Hank. Why? Did Bradley want to bring a friend? I’m sure I can get a pass.” Mav let out a sigh, scratching his chin.

“If it’s too much to ask then don’t worry about it, I know you gotta get back to soundcheck and have a few hours until the concert starts. But my former students from a few years ago surprised me today to celebrate my birthday. They’re here at the house—Bradley didn’t even know they were coming, honey.”

Y/n laughed, “I wouldn’t have bet money on him to know,” they laughed together, Y/n following with, “But that’s so sweet of them! I know how much you’ve missed them since you retired last year. How long are they in town?”

“Just for the weekend. They all got rooms on base and were hoping to take me out either tonight or possibly tomorrow. I told them I had plans tonight….”

“But you didn’t tell them what plans, huh?” Mav could picture the smirk on her face. “Do they know?”

“About us? I just finished telling them why I never mentioned anything. They seem to understand and were apologetic for dropping in unannounced. But…..I have not told them that the last stop in your tour is tonight at the Staples Center and Bradley and I were going to be leaving in a few hours.”

“Who all is it?”

“My buddy Hondo from when I did the Darkstar project—I think I’ve told you about him, the two foxtrot teams I did the uranium mission with and two of my reserves. So seven total.”

“I see,” Y/n humed, finding her husband’s situation amusing. He let out a groan, apologizing but she just laughed and said, “Well since it is your birthday and I’ve been wanting to meet your little dagger ducklings forever now,” he smiled at the nickname Y/n had given the pilots. They really were his ducklings. “Let me talk with Hank and the venue manager. Show doesn’t start till seven so there’s plenty of time. Just hang tight and I’ll call you back, okay? I know you're probably losing your mind because you don’t want to miss tonight’s show knowing it’s the last of the tour, but you also want to spend time with them while they're in town. Imma make sure you get both, pretty boy…..and maybe a little something more when the night comes to a close.”

Fuck that got Mav blushing, knowing exactly what she was implying. “Y/n…”

“Love you, Pete. Wait for my call.” Telling her the same, Mav hangs up the phone and reenters the living room. Rooster immediately meets his eye, lifting a thumbs up to which Mav returns with a gesture to signify he was working on it. For the next thirty minutes the squad makes small talk until his phone rings again. “Hey.”

“Would it be okay if you put me on speaker?”

A smile forms on his lips, “Sure thing,” he looks at the group to catch their attention, “Someone wants to say hi,” they all, minus Rooster who’s smirking, watch with confused expressions as Mav hits the speaker button and places the phone on the table. “What have you got for us, honey?” The second the pet name leaves his lips, Mav sees Fanboy drop his now empty cup of water, Phoenix slap a hand over her mouth, Javy pushing Jake and vice versa muttering ‘holy shit.’ Everyone else pretty much does something similar when Y/n’s voice echoes through the receiver, “Hello hello, aviators.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yo this ain’t happening right now.”

“Guys, guys, shut up—holy shit.”

Y/n laughed at the reactions. “It’s so nice to finally—even if it’s over the phone at the moment—meet you guys! Pete talks about you all everyday.”

“I-I wish we could say the same about you, ma’am,” Payback nervously laughs. “We didn’t even know the man was hitched until an hour ago. Also we apologize for the fanboying-fangirling, it’s an honor to speak to such a legend. You’re an icon.”

“Oh you’re too kind,” she awes, “thank you so much. I hope you guys can forgive him for not saying anything—he meant well.”

“We understand,” Phoenix says on their behalf. “We’d also like to say sorry for showing up to your house uninvited—your home is beautiful by the way. We-we just wanted to surprise Captain Mitchell since it’s been so long since we were all together and he’s done so much for us.”

“I think that’s so amazing you guys did that! I wish I could’ve been home to greet you guys and see the look on his face. Did he cry by any chance?”

“Honey please…” Mav pleaded, causing everyone to laugh.

“I’m sorry, babe. Anyways, Pete tells me you guys are in town for the weekend and well……tonight the Romantics and I are playing our last show in L.A at seven. Bradley and Pete were set to leave San Diego around four to make it on time and if y’all are up for the short drive…..I have seven passes reserved with your names on them.”

The reaction of the dagger squad could only be described with a singular word: chaos.

First it was more of denial, but then they saw Maverick and Rooster’s face and realized Y/n was in fact serious. She was inviting them to her concert. The final show in her band’s reunion tour. The soon to be Rock n Roll Hall of Famers.

Yeah, they about lost their minds.

“I gotta call my mom—she’s gonna flip!”

“How the hell am I supposed to continue living life after this?”

“This is your birthday Mav!” Phoenix pointed at him while Bob had his hands in his face, expression unreadable. “You’re not supposed to be giving us anything, it's the other way around!”

“Nat, I would love nothing more than to spend my birthday with you guys at the concert tonight.” That just about made her tear up.

“Yo so this is legit?” Coyote held up a hand, trying to calm his excitement. “We’re actually going?”

“Hell yeah!” Jake said, Rooster and Payback agreeing with a high-five. “What the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets.”

“Y/n, thank you so much,” Hondo said on their behalf. “I’m sorry if you can’t hear over these clowns in the background, but I’ll speak for everyone when I say that we are so grateful for you to invite us to experience your show together and celebrate Mav’s birthday. I don’t think we’ll stop thanking you so be warned.”

After a few more minutes of mainly the squad bombarding the rockstar with words of gratitude and thanks, Y/n informs Pete of where to go when they get to the venue and she’ll meet them backstage to give them the passes. When they say their goodbyes and hang up, Coyote goes, “Okay so I don’t know about y’all…but I cannot walk into a rock concert dressed like this,” he gestures to his gray Navy t-shirt and torn jeans, “How much time we got, Cap?” The question has Pete check his watch.

“If we wanna get there before the doors open, I’d say we should leave in about two hours. It’s gonna take at least two hours to get to L.A, and we gotta consider traffic.” Mav thinks for a moment before saying, “I may have something that can help. Follow me.”

In one of the many closets used as a storage place, Pete removed a box from the self and opened it to reveal a bunch of vintage t-shirts of Y/n & the Romantics.

“Oh my gosh this is so cool,” Fanboy awed. Some of the shirts were literally from the 80s and 90s but looked to be in new condition, meaning they must have been extras Y/n kept for safekeeping. Nowadays it was hard for someone to get their hands on anything with the classic logo of Y/n & the Romantics unless it was from Etsy or a private seller. Stores like Hot Topic, Spencers, and those dedicated to the 80s or retro-like were the only places to buy the new style of merchandise. But these in the box, they were classic.

“Look through and see if you can find anything. There’s several sizes and styles—most of these were from their ‘Heartbreaker’ era but you may find some from ‘Love is the Eighth Deadly Sin,’ or ‘Rock ‘n’ Rolling to Heaven.’ We have some leather jackets I’d be happy to lend you guys—and Nat, Y/n wanted me to tell you that you’re more than welcome to borrow anything you’d like.” Her eyes go wide.

“Oh I couldn’t possibly—.”

Rooster claps his hands excitedly, cutting Nat off much to her annoyance, “Time to turn you guys into rockstars. Fuck yeah! This is gonna be the best night ever!”

So that’s how the famed naval aviators ended up in their vehicles on a two hour journey to Los Angeles. It was far from what they expected when they set out to surprise Pete Mitchell, but in Maverick fashion things take a different turn when one least expects it. The couple’s dog sitter was called to tend to their animals since it was likely they would not be coming home till the next day. Just after 3:30pm the squad, now dressed like they were straight from the 80s by cutting holes in their jeans and wearing leather jackets and chains Maverick provided, gathered in the cars and hit the road. Maverick and Rooster ended up driving, with Hondo, Coyote, Hangman and Payback in Mav’s SUV and Fanboy, Bob, and Phoenix with Rooster in the Bronco.

Upon instance from Y/n after chatting briefly with her on the phone to make sure it was okay, Nat relented on wearing the red leather Prada two piece set the rockstar wore at the 1994 MTV video awards. It fit like a glove on the pilot, jaw dropping when she looked at herself in the mirror, “Damn.” While in the car she applied some black eye pencil and smudged it out to give her that 80s grunge appearance, to which she made Fanboy and Bob do the same, “Bradshaw, I expect you to rock this too.” At a red light he applied it like a pro, like he’d done it many times before not even needing to fix it.

The entire way both vehicles played Y/n & the Romantics decades worth of music. It surprised a lot of the crew when they recognized some songs from movies and tv shows they had no idea were by them. “This was in Stranger Things!” Coyote shouted over the sound, head banging his head along to the beat. Another song had Bob go, “Wasn’t this in the Guardians of The Galaxy?”

By the time they got to L.A the city life was at its prime. Traffic was insane as usual but thankfully they made it to the Staples Center just before six o’clock. The sign outside the venue glowed bright with ‘Y/n & The Romantics—Rockin’ Down Memory Lane Reunion Tour. TONIGHT ONLY—SOLD OUT.’ Pete pulled in front of Rooster to speak to the guard when they got to the back gate. After speaking through a radio for confirmation they allowed the two cars to enter and directed them on where to go.

When they get in the building it’s buzzing all around them. Crew members of both the band and the venue run past and speak into radios. They could barely make out the words combined with the faint rumble of the crowd inside. Before a security guard could ask why they were there, Y/n’s managers, Hank and Tasha Robinson noticed them and rushed over. “Pete! Great to see ya!” The pilot exchanged hugs with the couple. They then greet Bradley, who they’ve known since he was a child, and the squad, “You guys must be the pilots! It’s nice to meet you all—are you excited for the show?”

“Absolutely.” “Can’t wait!” “We’re so excited.” “Thank you for allowing us to come on such short notice.”

“You all look great!” Tasha grinned, gasping when she saw Nat’s outfit, “Oh my goodness. Hank, look! You recognize this?” Blushing immensely, Nat didn’t know how to react besides laughing nervously as they complimented her. “You look fabulous, darling.”

“Thank you. It’s an honor to wear it—I-I hope I did it justice.”

At that moment Y/n came around the corner, a slight skip in her step until she was lifted into Pete’s arms causing her to break into giggles. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two weeks while she was touring the west coast cities. It filled the squad with warmth seeing their mentor/friend so happy. Nerves filled them, they were about to meet one the greatest voices of rock music.

Mav spun Y/n around before setting her back down, the two sharing a sweet kiss. “Missed you, baby.”

“I missed you too,” he says against her lips, kissing them once more before guiding her to the group. Bradley is the first to hug Y/n, who squeals in delight since it had been months since they last saw each other.

“Hey sugar, look at you! It seems like every time I see you, you got a new look going on,” she fluffs his hair which was now lighter in tone after he got some highlights. “You look good, Roo. Is this a new shirt?” she gestures to the Hawaiian shirt beneath the leather jacket Bradley was wearing.

“Had to pull it out for the special occasion,” he gives her a sweet kiss to the cheek while handing her the bouquet of flowers he and Mav got. Thanking him, Y/n grins at the sight of the group standing behind him.

“And you fellas must be the famous dagger squad I’ve heard all about!” They were literally speechless as they stared back at the singer. She literally was what one would envision when they thought of a rockstar. Smudged eyeliner with sparkly eyeshadow framed her eyes, dark red lipstick and her outfit was black leather that showed a bit of skin due to some cutouts, but was still modest. Where the skin showed they could make out intricate tattoos and both her arms had half sleeves of ink. She had on a harness with silver chains, thigh high boots with studs along the sides.

She was THE rockstar.

Though in her late 50s, Y/n was still breathtakingly beautiful. Yeah there was some grayness to her otherwise shiny, healthy hair, and some age lines around her eyes and mouth that poked through the makeup, but Y/n could literally pass for mid to late 40s. Same with Pete who just turned 60 and looked amazing for his age. Standing next to each other, they were one hot ass couple.

“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you guys—in person now! Ah I’ve been buzzing with excitement since we got off the phone earlier,” she clapped her hands, moving to Fanboy who was internally losing it like his namesake.

“I-I hi, w-wow. I’m Mickey Garcia—or talk about irony, you may call me Fanboy. It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. L/n—Mitchell uh-I’m sorry. I’m a big fan.”

Y/n giggled, shaking his outstretched hand before bringing him into a friendly hug. “Oh honey, I don’t even know what to call myself sometimes. But, please call me Y/n. You guys are family now.” She goes down the line to meet each pilot, shaking their hand and hugging while saying their name back to instill it in her memory. Of course she knew their names and faces from photos, but meeting them in person was completely different and Y/n wanted to make sure she would remember who was who. When she gets to Natasha’s she can’t help but shriek, “Yay you wore it! You look amazing-oh my gosh!”

“Thank you so much,” Nat blushes again, this time because the owner of said outfit she wore was gushing over her. “Thank you for letting me wear it—I will do my best to not let anything happen to it.” Y/n assures her to not worry about it and the two have the band photographer take a couple photos of them. The guys video the whole thing causing Phoenix to flip them off at times which has the married couple laugh. Soon the band comes out, causing Fanboy, Bob, and Coyote to almost lose it and before they know it everyone is conversing like it was an ordinary Friday night. Hondo, Mav, Y/n, Phoenix and Payback are off to the side with Maya, Evan, and their kids while the others are chatting with other members and their families who came to the show.

“It’s unreal to think this year marks forty-four years,” Evan said, sitting on one of the chairs with his hand on Maya’s lower back who stood beside him.

“Yeah,” she agreed with a smile, “just a group of kids we were then. With a dream only the effects of good ole weed could give us the confidence to have our asses out at that park and hope someone would hear us.”

Y/n drops her head laughing, aware of the somewhat surprised looks of the aviators and Hondo. “Wait-really?” Y/n was known for her exhilarating stage presence. She was like Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Micheal Jackson, always captivating the crowd and keeping them hype. When watching the performances it was like Y/n was in her own little world and thrived on the energy.

“It was the 70s,” she shrugged, still smiling which made her eyes crinkle. “Believe it or not we all used to have stage fright—especially in the beginning when we first started performing. We were….gosh fourteen when we signed, fifteen when we performed on Johnny Carson. Good Lord I was shaking in my boots in the dressing room,” she gave a mock shake of the shoulders, reliving the memory, “The only way I could get up there and sing was if I had smoked. Took the edge off.” Maya and Evan nodded in agreement, Y/n leaning into Maverick’s arms as he stood behind her chair. “I think it was after we toured in ‘85 for ‘Love Is The Eighth Deadly Sin,’ that I could perform without anything. Though I still did it at times,” her smile fell into more of a sad expression, adding, “and unfortunately being in the industry at that time, and being so young, we were exposed to other things.”

She didn't have to explain to the aviators, for it was public knowledge when they read up on the band during their drive that Y/n, Ronnie and Danny had admitted to experimenting in the 80s with cocaine. It was common in that era, with many artists and actors in Hollywood able to get their hands on it easily. For Y/n, it was the frontman of another rock group she’d been romantically linked to who introduced her to the drug. Thankfully nothing ever happened that caused a big scandal or had the members needing professional help. They had their family, the support of their crew and each other so they never let anyone fall too deep to where they couldn’t get back up.

“But we survived,” Maya emphasizes, beaming at her husband, “and it sure has been one hell of a ride since. I can’t wait for November—I think I’m more excited for the induction ceremony than I was for the Super Bowl.” Evan goes on to playfully reject the claim, insisting his wife was way more excited about getting that call over 20 years ago than the news just last month about the Hall of Fame.

Y/n just shakes her head with fondness, leaning more into Maverick, who kisses the top of her head.

“Brings back memories, huh? Here at the Staples Center again after so many years.”

“Yeah,” he says softly, his friends chatting with the guitarist and bassist. “I just wish Ice and Slider were here. Then it would really be a blast from the past.”

“I saw Slider when we played in Florida. He brought the whole family—it was amazing.”

“Yeah he called me afterwards. Said you guys put on the best show of the year,” his lips curled up, leaning more towards her ear, “he also told me you threw in a song in the set I was going to get a kick out of.”

Y/n mirrored his smile, eyes full of mischief, “Oh you will, but I ain’t saying nothing, hot stuff. You’ll have to wait for when it comes up.”

“Can’t wait,” he chuckles, kissing her cheek lovingly.

Roughly ten minutes later the stage manager was rushing over, “We’re down to t-minus twenty till showtime people—we gotta start clearing!” Immediately the band are hurrying to say their goodbyes. Y/n practically runs to find the person needed to take the group to their seats. When she does, they hand out the passes to each person, “Julius is going to take you all up to the room. It’s gonna be one of the VIP boxes, the closest to the stage I believe, and it should have sodas, water, alcohol, and food. But if you need anything then just run it by him.”

They all spit out words of gratitude, blown away by the special treatment they were receiving. Y/n takes her time to hug each one of the pilots, who wish her good luck and thank her again for everything. Rooster lets his hug linger a bit longer, as does Maverick who brings the woman into a passionate kiss. “Thank you for doing this, baby. I owe you.”

“It’s your birthday, Pete. You know I would do anything to make you happy,” she lowers her voice into his ear, kissing the area just below, “Sorry it couldn’t be like the good ole days when I would sneak you into my dressing for some fun.” His hands squeeze her hips, sighing at the memories as she giggled.

“There’s still the after party,” he warns her, tone thick with something she knew all too well.

“I’m well aware, hot stuff.”

They share another kiss. And another. And another before Y/n pushes him away at the teasing shouts of everyone around them, Pete bidding good luck to her and the band before he sets off with the group. Rooster nudges him, smirking at the retired pilot, “well that kiss sure would motivate anyone about to go on stage.”

“Don’t start, Bradley.”

By the time they reached the room, they could literally feel the rumble of the crowd when the lights in the arena shut off. “Holy shit,” Mickey said, the first to open the balcony door of the room where they would view the show. Inside were couches, chairs, tvs, and refreshments. Coyote had his phone out, videoing the scene for his instagram story as they all grabbed beers and water before taking spots on the balcony.

The sight was surreal. The stage was to their left and extended out, splitting the floor in half. Approximately 20,000 people could fit in the Staples Center, and from the looks of it 20,000 people were in attendance. It was a sold out show after all. People from all age groups were there. Hell Bob swore he saw some young kids on the shoulders of their parents. The most were obviously the older crowd who likely grew up in the 80s, but there were definitely college kids and Millennials.

It got louder and louder when the two minute countdown appeared on the Jumbotron, along with a video montage of the band. Some clips showed them when they were first starting out up to them preparing for the reunion tour. As it drew closer to zero, the video showed a pre-taped montage of each member taking their place on stage. Maya wrapping the strap of her bass around her shoulder, Evan with his guitar. Ronnie taking place in front of the keyboard and Danny sitting at his drums. Lastly Y/n strutted up to the microphone, the clock hitting zero the moment her hand raises in the air and the arena goes black.

Not even a second passes before Evan’s opening guitar riff sends the crowd roaring. It was the opening to, ‘Thunderstruck,’ a song that literally was in almost every modern day action movie known to man. It was hilarious to see the guys and Phoenix lose their shit, recognizing the iconic song. There was a black curtain keeping the actual stage hidden from everyone's view, but chills came onto everyone’s arms when Y/n’s voice filled their ears

“I was caught in the middle of a railroad track.” The crowd echoed the ‘Thunder,’ with the band. “I looked ‘round and I knew there was no turning back.”

“THUNDER!” The squad shouted, fist pumping and beginning to dance. Already they knew it was going to be the best night of their lives.

When the curtain gave way as Y/n hit the chorus of the song, the audience literally exploded, increasing in volume when she shouted into the mic, “Los Angeles let me hear you!!!!” The camera’s were glued to her as she strutted down the middle of the stage where it split the floor. Her voice carried with each lyric, living up to the hype and sounding as though it was still 1985.

Nat—scratch that all of the guys, especially Maverick, were in awe. Jaws dropped, except Rooster who was living his best life having experienced a Y/n & the Romantics show as a teenager. Now as an adult man the aviator was overjoyed seeing his second mom performing on stage again with her best friends.

“Cap, your wife is the coolest person on earth!” Hangman shouted against the loud music. Maverick simply beamed, eyes never leaving his wife, “I know.”

When the song came to an end, Y/n sighed lovingly, “Ahhh it’s good to be back. We’ve missed you all dearly. Did you miss us?” She paused, screams igniting before adding, “That’s what I’m talking about, baby. It’s been twenty years since we last performed here at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and we’d like to thank you all immensely for welcoming us back. We’ve worked hard the past two years putting this show together for you, the fans. For all of you regardless if you’re just discovering us, or have been rockin since 1979.”

The energy was off the charts the entire concert. Y/n was feeding off of it on stage, and in turn her presence was feeding the crowd. In between sets she interacted with her friends/bandmates, often coming close to those on the floor to ask how they were.

“You having fun tonight?” Everyone nodded frantically, a woman close to the stage shouting, “So much fun! We love you!”

“We love you too, doll. Don’t worry the night is just getting started.” After the first couple songs Y/n informs the crowd, “I hope you all don’t mind, but as you know this is the ‘Rockin’ Down Memory Lane’ tour,” cheers erupted from every angle, “so as a treat for you fine folks this evening, we won’t just be rockin down our own memory lane. We wanna give some shoutouts to some of the greats rock music has ever seen, and some of the friends we made being a part of this world thanks to all of you. And what better way to start than by kicking it off with the song that got us discovered in the first place.”

The audience was going crazy, die hard fans knowing damn well what song the rockstar was referring to. “Whoooo!!!” Coyote felt the chills when Y/n belted out the opening of ‘Cry Baby’ by Janis Joplin. “Damn girl, sing it!” One of the hardest songs to sing, Y/n had so much emotion it nearly brought a tear to some of their eyes. Rooster brought his finger to his mouth to whistle when the song finished.

The band would do three more of their songs or a medley before covering another artist/group. “Y’all may have heard the rumor…..of the special club we’re being invited to join this fall,” Y/n smirked, hand on her hip next to Maya. Cheering indicated the crowd were aware of the news. “We’re not the only ones. Some friends of ours were also invited. You may have heard of them….Duran Duran?” She pauses to let them scream, the woman chuckling before bringing the mic back to her lips. “They just played recently at the Garden and gave a special rendition of our ‘Highway To Hell,’….so we thought to return the favor,” pausing again, Y/n nods to her band where they begin their cover of ‘Hungry Like The Wolf,’ sending the audience into a frenzy.

“I fucking love this song!!” Nat screams excitedly, passing her beer to Rooster so she could freely dance without worrying about spilling it. The outfit she wore likely cost more than her college tuition. She’d be damned if she let anything happen to it.

“Darken the city, night is a wire,” The smile never left Y/n’s face, “Steam in the subway, earth is afire.” Chills happened along her arms when the entire stadium echoed, “do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.”

She couldn’t wait to see how the guys of Duran Duran, who she and the Romantics were lucky to call friends, react to them singing their song. On Twitter she hinted at wanting to do another collaboration after seeing the video of the band perform their ‘Highway To Hell’. In 1988 the two groups released a single together, topping the Billboard charts for nearly 30 weeks. Plus both were being inducted in November to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Surely it would the collab of the century if they did.

Halfway through the show they took an intermission. During that time everyone had a bathroom break, ate some of the food provided and grabbed more drinks. Thankfully Mav did inform them Y/n’s managers got them hotel rooms not too far from the venue so they didn’t have to worry about driving back to San Diego late. When the band returned on stage for the second half of the show it appeared they had changed outfits. Y/n now sported black leather shorts that ended midthigh with fishnets tucked into her leather knee-high boots and a cropped Def Leppard shirt. The sides were cut out showing off her lace bodysuit beneath it. They went straight into songs from their ‘Love & Thunder’ era that took place in the early 90s.

Not too long after she was flagged down by the stage manager, Rick, who was in front of the floor barricade. “What do we have here?” She hummed curiously, taking the two evelopes from him. Rick shouted that it was from the couple directly behind him, who were waving frantically at the singer. The envelop on top said ‘read first.’ Confirming she could read it aloud, Y/n brought the audience to a low tone so everyone could hear.

“Dear Y/n, Maya, Evan, Ronnie, and Danny,” she read off into the mic, glancing to her friends who appeared just as curious as her. “Our names are Damien and Alana Michaels, we’re both 31 years old and met six years ago because of our shared love for your music,” Y/n awed, beaming at the couple then laughed when the letter followed, “We met at a record store and practically fought over the last copy of your limited edition vinyl of ‘Rock n Rollin to Heaven’. We were over the moon when you announced the reunion tour and feel we’ve come full circle tonight seeing as that we fell in love because your music has been an influencial part of our lives. Alana is five months pregnant with our first child,” cheering erupted, causing Y/n to speak louder into the microphone with a giant grin, “Would you do us the honor in revealing the gender of our baby?”

Y/n let the crowd scream for a moment before calming them down again, settling her gaze on the couple, “This envelope right here,” she holds up the unopened document, “has the gender of your baby?”

“Yes!” Alana shouts in glee while Damien nods, mirroring his wife’s expression.

“Give me one moment, honey—don’t go anywhere.” The stadium watches the rockstar rush to her friends, calling them over away from the mics to have a quick chat. Opening the envelope, the camera catches their reaction for the screen and they all talk for a moment before taking back their respective places.Y/n runs over to the couple again, a little out of breath, “Alright! Alana, Damien, congratulations are in store. You are bringing a new life into the world, and the Romantics and I think the best way for you to welcome them is by singing this song when they arrive,” she then looks to the crows, “To anyone who knows the words, feel free to sing along. On three guys,” she points to her friends and counts off, “One…two…three!”

“Isn’t she lovely?” Alana visibly broke into tears while Damien jumps up and down in joy. The band where harmonizing with the frontwoman, the stadium so loud it was hard to hear at times, but thankfully the speakers were at full amp to hear them sing. The couple embraced each other, consumed with happiness at the news. “Isn’t she wonderful?”

“Isn’t she precious?” Staples Center practically echoed with 20,000 people singing Stevie Wonder’s song. Y/n grinned, loving ever second of the coordinated tune. “Less than one minute old.”

“I never thought,” Y/n belted out, “through love we’d be.”

“Making one as lovely as she.”

“But isn’t she lovely, made from love,” Drawing out the ‘love’ Y/n finished the verse by shouting against the screams, “IT’S A GIRL!” Handing back the envelope with the gender to Rick, Y/n asked if she could keep the letter to which the couple agreed. Pocketing it in her shorts, Y/n says, “Congratulations Alana and Damien! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this exiting moment. On behalf of the Romantics and everyone in attendance, we wish you the absolute best on bringing your daughter into the world and may she be blessed with joy all her life….and maybe unleash her inner rockstar from time to time,” laughter erupted, “give it up for Alana, Damien, and Baby girl Michaels!!”

Fifteen more minutes pass of the band performing their songs before taking a five minute break to set up for their next cover.

“Alright,” Y/n takes a breath, walking down the end of the extended stage. “This next trip down memory lane, has me want to ask you all a question. Ready to hear it?” When they respond with an echo, ‘yes!!’ Y/n allows the smirk to appear, “Do you guys have that one song…that you would call, your stripper song?” A laugh escapes her by the increase in volume from the sold out arena. She could just picture what looks her husband received from his former students. “You know that one song that has you thinking, ‘Gosh give me a pole and I will work it better than anyone has before,’ that kind of song?” Y/n stops halfway through the long stretch of platform, glancing around to the various sections of people.

“I would like to sing for you my stripper song—o-oh okaaaay that’s a nice reaction,” she chuckled, winking at a few spectators on the floor who were like, ‘Hell yeah!’ Pointing a finger out to a random direction, she says with a knowing look, “Now if this happens to be your stripper song too, don’t you get naked—this ain’t that kind of show,” laughter fills her ears, “Plus there's children here tonight, so technically this is a family show. So I would like to apologize now to the parents, but then again, this is a fucking rock show,” the cheers escalated, agreeing with the woman on what she was about to say, “So if you didn’t want them to see us in our element, you should’ve left them at home. But please, for the love of God, keep your clothes on if this song happens to get you in the same mood it gets me. Ready guys!”

“We're ready, babe!” Maya shouts with Evan, Danny and Ronnie giving a thumbs up.

“Step inside!” Y/n yells into the mic.

“Walk this way!” They shout into their own.

“You and me babe!”

“Hey! Hey!”

unworldly, was the way best to describe the Staples Center when the opening chords of Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me,’ sounded through the speakers. No wonder she wore the band’s shirt, hinting they were going to cover one of their songs at some point. Fans went crazy when Y/n did some of her iconic moves like crawling on the floor, flipping her hair back and forth and even usuing the mic stand as though it was a pole. She was in her element, the stage was truly where she shined.

Some of the guys were hollaring, patting Maverick on the back with knowing looks. The older man was blushing mad when they realized something was on his mind with the way he was staring at his wife. It didn’t help Y/n was biting her lip, running her hands along her body during the ‘Sugar me sweet,’ line. The camera was glued to her the entire performance.

“I know that look!” Hangman pointed out the Captain’s expression.

“Yeah, Mav, if you plan to sneak off to the dressing room after the show, don’t worry we won’t say anything.”

The band went straight into ‘Hollywood Nights,’ by Bob Seger as way to pay homage to the fact they were performing in Los Angeles, Hollywood not too far away. Jake was a big fan of the song and Rooster videoed the pilot dancing his heart out, spinning Nat around at times as they belted the lyrics.

Coming down to the final 30 minutes of the show, Y/n called the crowds attention, “This next song….is dedicated to someone very special in the audience. He’s turning 60 tomorrow and I’m celebrating twenty years of marriage with him in October.” Her smile became wider at the cheers, walking to the side of the stage closest to where Pete and the gang were.

“That’s you, my man!” Rooster playfully shakes Mav, the squad cheering when the camera pans to him. Giving a little wave, Pete blows a kiss to Y/n, who pretends to catch it.

“Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell everyone,” she pauses lightly, “With him tonight is someone who is practically our son—Lord knows I treat him like one,” Rooster does a little dance, the camera zooming out from Mav to capture the aviator next to him. “And some of his former students, the Navy’s finest fighter pilots, who I like to call his, ‘Dagger ducklings.’” The squad awed at the nickname, Fanboy and Coyote hugging up on the man.

“Does this mean you’re our papa duck, Mav?”

“Imma let y’all in on a little secret,” Y/n leans into the mic with a whisper, “That whole thing about us breaking up in the 90s? Yeah, it didn’t happen.” Laughing, Y/n stands back straight, “Right now I’m feeling a little sentimental. Pete and I actually met at a bar about two blocks away after we played here in 1989. It was there he….to put it lightly, swooned me like nobody had ever done before.” Dropping his head onto the railing, Pete’s shoulders shook as he laughed, the memory of that night replaying in his mind. “Maya knows what I’m talking about.”

“Sure do,” the bassist replied. “I think he put on better show than we did.”

“Oh God,” Maverick put a hand to his mouth to cover his grin. So many emotions were flooding him. Mostly warmth, but a tad of embarrassment.

If only Ice and Goose were here to see this.

“He sure did. And tonight I wanna take him and I down memory lane. So ladies and gentlemen, this is for anyone who’s lost that lovin’ feeling.”

Words couldn’t describe what Pete felt listening to Y/n sing, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.’ Maya and Ronnie provided the back up vocals, harmonizing with Y/n during the chorus. The entire time she sang Y/n was swaying and keeping her body faced to the section Pete was at. The two connected eyes at times, lost in each other’s gaze causing the two to feel the love radiate one another.

She sounded so beautiful. Of course it was well known Y/n was very versatile with her music and voice. She could take it high and low, mellowing out for a slow tune. There was a lot of soul in her and the band, which is not surprising since they starting in Atlanta. They grew up on blues, jazz, and classic rock. Inspired by the greats like Billie Holiday, B.B King, Janis Joplin, Elvis, Little Richard, and the Mama’s & Papas.

Pete cheered the loudest in their group when the song came to end, whistling along with Rooster. Y/n blew him a kiss, “Never lose that lovin’ feeling with me, honey.”

Not too long after it came time for the final number. “Imma need ‘Dirty Diana’ for this one,” Y/n announced, moving to the middle of the stage where the mic stand was. A crew member appeared from the side, handing over a neon green Fender Stratocaster. She pulled the strap over her shoulder, “Los Angeles, as we come to tonight’s closing I want you to know you all have, without a doubt, been the best crowd ever. L.A, you know how to bring the energy and we can’t thank you enough for what a blast it’s been playing for you all. What a way to end our tour—can’t believe it’s already over, but fear not…we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Evan, Maya, Ronnie, and Danny all say a few words, then they all thank their managers, crew, friends, and family for allowing them to put on a great show. Lastly they thank the fans in an tearfelt speach, finishing it off telling everyone to have a safe journey back home and to keep rockin n rolling. Y/n closes it out with, “Los Angeles sing this last one with us. It’s been a long way to the top,” the screams got louder, “but worth every damn second.”

Staples Center erupted, Y/n letting her hands work magic on the guitar as she played the opening riff of ‘It’s A Long Way To The To (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) .’ Then Evan came in his riffs followed by Danny’s drums. Maya and Y/n banged their head together, leaning toward one as they feed off each other’s energy.

“Oh shit!” Payback whistled, shaking his shoulder along to the beat. This was a song he used to dance to in college with his buddies. It brought back memories for the pilot, nostalgia filling him just like it was to many in the crowd.

“Ridin’ down the highway. Goin’ to a show. Stop in all the byways. Playin’ rock ‘n’ roll.”

“Gettin’ robber, gettin’ stoned, gettin’ beat up. Broken-boned. Gettin’ had, gettin’ took. I’ll tell you, folks, it’s harder than it looks.”

Pretty much everyone shouted the lyrics in the chorus, one of the most recognizable ones in music history.

“It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll!”

“It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll!”

It went crazy during Y/n’s solo that had all the pilot’s, minus Mav & Rooster, jaws drop. The entire show she hadn’t played the guitar much save for maybe two songs, but it was not to the absolute greatness she was displaying now. Evan guitar solos were off the chain, as were Danny’s drums. Then they had Ronnie tearing it up on the keys with Maya crowning herself the queen of the bass. The voice of the band, Y/n showed she was as talented with the instrument as she was putting lyrics to paper and belting them out for her heart’s desire.

They truly were one of the greatest rock bands to exist.

Even after the song ended they were going hard on the instruments, finishing the show with a literally bang. Lights were flashing, every single person on their feet, Danny and Evan hitting one last solo and instilling the moment as one for the history books.

“Thank you, Los Angeles!! We’ll see you next time! Good night and keep on rockin’!!”

11:58 pm, two blocks away at Melvin’s Planet Enterprise Bar

“Feels like deja vu,” Y/n laughed, dancing with Pete to the tune of ‘When Doves Cry’ in the familiar bar. Though it had a new name and owner, it still gave the same effect as it did in 1989. This time, however, there were posters of Y/n & the Romantics, one of which was signed and framed just above the jukebox playing classic hits and even some of theirs.

Y/n had changed out of her clothes again, wearing black jeans and tank top with a blue leather jacket that had studs and chains attached to the sides. Her makeup had been touched up, hair pulled in a ponytail. It was almost comical how the scene was just like that night in ‘89 with blue strobe lights shining down on them, making her look illuminated.

The dagger squad were in their own little world, dancing and drinking with each other and the band’s crew members. Jake was getting along quite well with someone from Y/n’s glam team, Nat chatting with a member of the security. Then there was Coyote dancing with the oldest daughter of Maya and Evan. They had rented out the place after the show, everyone hauling ass to celebrate the end of the tour. All grown up, the children of the Romantics could enjoy the night as well, not having to worry about being underage now that the youngest of the bunch had turned 21 the previous month.

When they arrived the party was in full blast, Rooster pulling Y/n to the dance floor to share a dance. Then they duetted ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ with him on the piano. Everyone sang at the top of their lungs. Pete held Y/n, head banging with her at the ‘Mine! Mine! Mine!’ bit and sneaking kisses during, ‘kiss me, baby!’

When her feet started to hurt from standing, Y/n sat in Pete’s lap and nursed a cocktail while they chatted with Hondo and Ronnie’s wife. Over in a corner Bob was on the phone with his family after his sister saw Phoenix’s instagram story, “You saw Y/n & the Romantics tonight!?! How the hell did you manage to get tickets—they were sold out!”

“Uhh….you remember my instructor from that mission awhile back? Turns out he’s marrried to Y/n L/n.”

“WHAT!?! Pete Mitchell was your instructor!?” Bob swore his mother about went into cardiac arrest, screaming when Y/n appeared on screeen after he politely asked if she would mind saying hello to his mother. The rockstar of course said yes, she loved interacting and meeting supporters. They were the reason she got to live her dream. Bob nearly cried seeing his mother in tears, overcome with emotion at the fact she was meeting her favorite singer of all time. After the call ended Y/n gave the WSO a tour program she had all the members sign, “give this to your momma for me. Tell her I hope to see her on the next tour.”

The dagger squad were literally becoming Y/n’s adoptive children by the second. Mickey couldn’t believe he got her to do a tiktok with him, then she had a shot of tequila with Reuben. As Nat danced the woman hyped her up with Maya and she had a semi dance off with Javy. Throughout the night stories were told about meeting Princess Diana in 1995, playing in New York on New Year’s Eve of 1999, the Super Bowl, and their iconic performance at the first MTV video music awards in 1984. They were like children gathered by the Christmas tree listening to her read a book. All they could think was how cool she was and the fact the band had truly changed the world of music over their spand of 40 years.

Prince’s iconic ‘When Doves Cry’ started to play just before midnight and it was like slow motion for the rockstar, moving to her husband who was already staring at her with the same expression. Now they really were back in 1989.

“It does,” Mav beamed at his wife, the song hitting it’s second verse. “Only thing missing are the cameras flashing, Ice and Slider sending me a thumbs up, and jealous looks from patrons.” His words make her giggle, throwing her head back slightly.

“Ice is definitely giving you a thumbs up with Goose,” her voice turns soft, stroking the side of his neck, “Bradley’s got his phone out. No doubt videoing us as I speak. He knows how significant this song is.”

“Remind me to have him send me it,” he tells her, dipping her suddenly causing her to squeal. Lips press to her cheek when he pulls her back up.

“Wanna know something though, hot stuff?”

“What?”

The light hitting her eyes shows off the mischief matching her smirk, “This time ‘round, you won’t just be getting a kiss goodnight. You actually get to take me home.” Thank god the lighting hid the color of his face, otherwise she would get a good look at how red it was.

It didn’t stop her from seeing the smile however, Mav shaking his head playfully. He didn’t have to reply for her to know what he was thinking. Just his laugh was enough.

As the clock stuck midnight, Y/n brought him into a sweet kiss, “Happy Birthday, Pete. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby. Thank you.”

The rest of the night was filled with celebration, not just for the epic end of the tour and impending induction as Rock ‘N’ Roll hall of famers, but also the life of the Navy’s most famous pilot. Until it came time to leave, not a single minute was wasted in having the best night of their lives.

All of which happened because two souls decided to go to the same bar after a concert. One a spectator, the other the performer. Both who made names of themselves in their own right, embedding their legacy forever for generations to come. It took a hell of a time to do it, but as one knows….it’s a long way to the top you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.

……………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan, @caitsymichelle13, @poppyalice2001, @cutelittlepotatofry

#Spotify #pete mitchell imagine #pete mitchell x reader #captain pete maverick mitchell #maverick x reader #maverick imagine #top gun maverick #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick fanfiction #Bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #natasha trace imagine #captain pete mitchell #pete mitchell x y/n #rockstar!reader #fluff #pete mitchell fluff #dagger squad x reader #dagger squad imagine #dagger squad #singer!reader #top gun maverick headcanon #rooster imagine #rooster x reader

[tomatoland]

something i have noticed about mew is that although he dressed similarly to ray since episode 7, the designs or the patterns of his outer layer have slightly changed. he used to wear a lot of bold or edgy design/prints but i think when his moms visited him episode 9, he started to wear a lot more floral/plant designs? it may be a redundant observation or I’m observing too much, but mew mostly wear them around top or his moms? I’m curious to know if you have any thoughts about it.

+ since you have been putting down songs for topmew, i have one for them: again - eden, sophiya (i personally feel the lyrics fit them so well, since how many characters and viewers are so against them together🫢). Thanks for reading!

This song is absolutely beautiful and you're right, the lyrics fit them amazingly. I've been listening to it nonstop. Thank you so much for recommending it to me! <3

Observing too much? No such thing!

Yes, I do have thoughts. I'm actually really glad you asked about Mew's clothing because it gives me a reason to make some collages of my favorite characters.

The super deep-dive into Mew's clothing choices I'm sure you were not expecting.

Clothing can be considered armor we wear when we interact with the world. It's what others first perceive when they meet us. It tells people about who we are or who we want to be. Clothing can also give you confidence. And for Mew, it is exactly this. He even says as much to Cheum here.

In the first half of the show, Mew did wear some short sleeved button down shirts, quite a few actually. He usually wore lighter colors with more neutral patterns and ALWAYS with a t-shirt as the base layer.

The catalyst for the change in Mew’s clothes I would say is this moment in Episode 7, part 3, when Mew is the bathtub. This is quite literally Mew's re-birth as Mew 2.0.

The show also pointedly shows us this by contrasting the book shop scene with Ray in episode 8 with a flashback with Top from the first episode. Mew's shirts are the exact opposites. Instead of predominantly white with black graphics like with Top, it's predominantly black with white with Ray.

Mew in his revenge era as Jojo called it wears short sleeved button downs with louder prints with a black undershirt.

The patterns of some of Mew's shirt are closer to Ray's palette than his own. The Outkast one he wore with Gap and the Vegas one he worse when he went to Boston’s house are the most similar to something Ray would wear.

But Ray actually doesn't always wear a black undershirt. He seen just as often, if not more, wearing white undershirts. Ray's also worn long sleeve button down completely buttoned up with no undershirt or altogether different types of shirt. I was going to make a Ray clothing collage to prove this point, but there's already enough Ray content on this site, you're just going to have to trust me lol.

So before his moms visit, the patterns of Mew 2.0’s shirts are darker and more in your face. This is Mew with his battle armor on, trying to fake it until he makes it. But once his moms come, the patterns immediately change.

I think him coming from a warm, loving home with two caring parents is important for him as a character. His moms notice things like the pack of cigarettes on his coffee table. They immediately know something is up with him but they don't know what because he doesn't tell them. But they know this is not the Mew they raised or the one they last saw.

His moms have always been his strength. Their love for him is why he didn't think he needed romantic love, which is a strong stance to have. So when his moms visit, they are able to help ground him a little and he is able to reconnect to who he is. And as result, he softens his armor.

He still wears a a short sleeve button down, but now with more feminine details, softer colors and more whimsical patterns like the aquarium and the ships. These shirts are more Mew.

Now, let's talk about how Top plays into Mew's clothing choices because I actually have a lot I want to discuss.

Mew has only ever worn a black undershirt since that moment. Only ever black, which is extremely curious.

Because do you know who has only ever consistently worn a white undershirt throughout the entire show?

Top. Interesting, huh?

The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. So even when Mew was rage angry at Top, subconsciously, he wasn't actually as indifferent as he pretended to be.

Mew wanted to become the opposite of who he was before and somehow ended up taking an element of Top's style with him.

Top coming to Mew's family's home is the turning point for TopMew Take 2. And their undershirt colors when they were side-by-side reminded me of something.

Do you see it?

Maybe this will help.

The visual representation of TopMew's fresh start is a yin yang symbol. Yin, the traditional feminine energy is the dark side and Yang, the traditional masculine energy is the light side. Two connected elements in perfect balance with each other.

They are both coming into this fresh start as equals with open communication and dialogue, of their own free will.

And because I love this symbolism, this is literally the Sun hugging his Moon and his Moon embracing him back 🥺

#topmew #ofts #only friends the series #forcebook #book kasidet #force jiratchapong #top tanin #mew witsarut #tomat answers #asks

[halfrican-heat]

Famous (E. Jaeger)

A/N: Yeah, I'm high. Hello. This is inspired by Halle and DDG as well as Rapper!Eren that I have been seeing on this hellsite. Keep 'em coming cause y'all bussin' that shit down. I think I was also, more specifically, inspired by some tweet collages made by SOMEONE on this side of AOT but Make it Black™ Tumblr. PLEASE tag them if you know who I am talking 'bout-- I think Eren's tag was "EJTHEDON" in the pictures...

Chile, anyway. Read this story lmao.

Warning(s): Angst; Cursing, Descriptions of flashing lights, Inspired by real events/Fictionalization of real events; Interactive fic with links

Disclaimer: All costumes and face claims are indicative of style and aesthetic not body type. I believe anyone can wear anything they are comfortable with!

Pairing: Rapper!Eren Jaeger x Actress!Reader

The flashing of cameras and rapidly clicking shutters helped ground you to the moment. You shifted, moving your long braids to one shoulder, and flashed a dazzling smile to your left. Paparazzi called to you, begging for your gaze to land on them. Interviewers shouted questions that you could barely hear. You had already done your red carpet interviews, so many of the questions being thrown your way now were for tabloids to pick up some kind of gossip fodder. 

You shifted again, opting for an over the shoulder glance to your right with a more demure gaze. Your floor length gown was elegant and aquatic, giving the illusion that you stepped out of the ocean and brought the water along with you. Despite your calculated poses, however, the excitement radiated off you in waves. This was it for you. The culmination of years of hard-work and planning and dreaming-- it all led you to this moment. 

The world premiere of your first feature-length film. 

You truly felt like you were riding a current and a part of you never wanted the feeling to end. You took a moment, stepping away from the carpet and the cameras, so you could catch your breath. Your manager, standing calmly to the side, handed you your phone and a bottle of water. She looked pensive as you grinned widely at her, but you chalked her cautious stare up to nerves. This was a big night. 

You scrolled through your notifications, swiping them off the screen as you looked for text messages from your loved ones. Your twitter was blowing up but you assumed it was about the premiere. You responded to a message from your aunt (she wanted to know how much longer you had on the carpet) and another from your best friend before receiving two texts, back to back, from your publicist. 

From: Shae Burgess (7:46pm) Eren’s song just dropped. Handling media coverage right now.  From: Shae Burgess (7:46pm) Don’t answer any questions about the song. 

You schooled your features, being sure to maintain an easy going facade so that no one with a wayward camera could catch you slipping. Obviously, there was something going on that you weren’t privy to. Now the potential for the paps to catch an off-guard image, and use it to fuel their tabloid bullshit, was higher than ever. You casually handed your bottle back to your manager, smiling though it didn’t quite reach your eyes. 

“Angela, what the fuck is Shae talking about?” You whispered, quirking an eyebrow. 

You showed her your phone, your features looking amused and humorous. She matched your energy, putting on a casual smirk as she leaned over to whisper to you. 

“Stay focused. Don’t answer any questions about Eren,” She said simply, her voice low. “We’ll talk before the showing. I’ll meet you on the other side of the carpet”

She gently ushered you back to the carpet, stepping aside as you posed for the camera. You felt comfortable under the flashing lights, ignoring the shouting from the paparazzi. You took your time, shifting as needed, and making sure your angles were right. This time, however, you weren’t super excited to be standing on the carpet alone. On the outside you looked calm and collected but on the inside? You felt vulnerable and uncomfortable. Still, you pushed through and gave the camera a seemingly effortless performance. 

From the corner of your eye, you saw your co-star walking to the carpet. 

Relief flooded you instantly. You crossed to Armin Artlert, smiling wide as you embraced him. He was your rock during the filming process, so seeing him at that moment felt like a saving grace. He met your eyes, his own colored with a silent question as he took in the apprehension in yours. You shook your head minutely, embarrassed that he could read you so easily. After months of filming, however, that was to be expected. So, he simply took your hand and talked quietly with you as the cameras captured images of the two of you. 

The paps and interviewers went feral at the sight of your hands linked together. Questions about the nature of your relationship were thrown left and right but the two of you ignored them like pros. Armin was a godsend during the filming process and helped you navigate the ins and outs of the film industry with ease. He advocated for you when you didn’t know how to and helped you find your own voice throughout the process. There were seldom few people who would support a black woman in such a way.

Armin Artlet was a true friend and you were thankful for him. 

You gave him another hug, preparing to part ways. He gave your shoulders a reassuring squeeze and you promised to save him a seat inside. An escort met you halfway across the carpet, guiding you through the flashing lights toward your manager. As you reached her, one pap’s question reached your ears over the others.

“Is your relationship with your co-star the inspiration behind Eren’s Jaeger’s latest diss track?”

The question made your eye twitch as you resisted the urge to ask him what the fuck he meant by that. Thankfully, Angela was a quick mover and a quicker thinker. She grabbed your arm gently, ushering you off the carpet as she popped off at the reporter.

“I hope you’re enjoying your evening,” She said, with a saccharine sweet smile. 

The reporter grinned, nodding excitedly. Surely, she believed she would get some special information.

 “Very much so! First red carpet event.”

Angela nodded kindly before her smile fell entirely, her eyes sharp and piercing. 

“Consider it your last,” She said icily. 

She caught a glimpse of the reporter’s name tag. 

“Have a good night Stacey.” Angela said firmly, hustling you into the event space.

She found a secluded corner, away from prying eyes and sneaky cameramen. You took a deep breath, rubbing at your temples. 

“Angela, tell me what in the hell that was about,” You demanded, glancing over her shoulder. 

You tried to control your features because anyone could be watching you from anywhere- trying to capture you in a vulnerable position. Clearly, there was something going on that you were unaware of. It was imperative no one caught you off-guard- thus feeding the damn rumor mill. That was the last thing you needed at the moment.

But apparently your boyfriend was really showing his ass this time. 

Your relationship with Eren had been the source for tabloid and media gossip since the beginning. Many people didn’t like the two of you together, not understanding what drew you to one another. They had an idealized image of you in their heads- a princess or a primadonna that shouldn’t be around the likes of him. The people who loved you, or thought they did, felt that Eren was beneath you. They claimed he was using you for relevance. Your self-proclaimed internet aunties didn’t like the company he kept and the girls closer to your age were either quietly jealous or outright haters. 

 No matter who they were, however, they didn’t know Eren like you did. So, you went out of your way to ignore the harsh spin they put on your relationship. At the 8 month mark, you had hoped the drama would die down. But today was proving you wrong in so many ways. Hopefully, it wasn’t a repeat of that time Eren’s homegirl Sasha tried to drag the two of you into her drama with her baby daddy, Connie- another friend of Eren’s.

You didn’t even want to think about that at the moment.

But maybe…the fans were onto something if Angela’s hesitation told you anything.

She sighed, her eyes filled with concern as she handed you her phone. It was opened to Twitter and you frowned seeing Eren’s handle, recognizing his latest album cover as his profile pic.

You clicked the link, confused as to why he would be releasing a song today. He didn’t mention it on the facetime call you had that morning. He seemed normal enough, albeit a bit distracted. Why wouldn’t he mention that he was dropping a single? In fact, you hadn’t heard from Eren since that call. He usually always sent you pictures of him watching the news coverage of public appearances he couldn’t attend or sweet messages to encourage you. You frowned, biting your lip.

 The spotify app opened, the song immediately beginning to play. You lowered the volume, holding the phone to your ear. Angela shielded you with her body subtly, trying to give you some privacy. 

The lyrics reached your ears, mortification settling into your veins. 

Hardest thing I ever did was fall in love with a famous bitch

The song filtered through the speaker, his words feeling like a punch in the gut. He detailed his feelings toward you, verse after verse. He outlined all his insecurities, placing the majority of the blame on you and your career. He questioned your love for him, asking if the men you work with turn you on. He cast doubt on your fidelity and your professionalism bar after bar. 

You took a shaky breath, your eyes stinging as the last lyrics rang in your ear.

Just because they filmin’ it, it don’t mean it ain’t wrong.

You handed Angela’s phone to her, closing your eyes as you bit back tears.

“You okay, sweetheart?” She asked, her voice soft. Motherly. 

It made you flinch. You didn’t need her pity or concern but fuck all if Eren’s song didn’t strike a nerve. When that bum ass pap mentioned a diss track, you never thought it would be about you. Still, it was not the time to fall apart. Not on a day you dreamt about for years.

So, you sucked those tears up and looked at her firmly. 

“I’m fine. That weak-ass shit is irrelevant. Today is about this film, this cast and crew and months of effort,” You said, your voice strong. “Let’s get the fuck back to work.”

You straightened your spine, heels clacking as you walked into the theater with your head high. You sat with your aunt, Angela and Armin as you tried to push Eren out of your mind. The day was about you. If Eren couldn’t respect that, if your job was too much for him, then…oh well. You took another breath, pushing the thought from your mind. He didn’t deserve your time or energy at the moment. Eren Jaeger was not going to steal this moment from you.

Still, as the lights went low and the screen came to life, you couldn’t help but send a quick tweet before putting your phone away for the rest of the night. The petty bitch in you deserved a moment to breathe, did she not?

After all, you weren’t the one to be fucked with. Eren would find out soon enough.

#Eren Jaeger x Black!Reader #Rapper!Eren x Black!Reader #Rapper!Eren x Reader #Black Reader #Rapper!Eren #Eren Jaeger #Eren Jaeger fic #Black Reader Insert #AOT Eren #aot #aot eren #halle bailey #ddg #FAME #eren x black!reader #interactive fiction #eren yeager x reader #eren yeager x black reader #eren yeager #attack on titan eren #eren yeager x black!reader #eren x black reader

[sunshinesteviee]

tis the damn season — sneak peek

just posting a lil sneak peek (the first few paragraphs) of the fic i’m working on based off the song by taylor swift!! including a lil collage i made with the vibes of the fic hehe enjoy!!!!

Snow crunched underneath the tires of your mom’s car as she drove down main street, past the library, past the drug store, past the police station. Past all of the places you knew so well, but reminded you of a different lifetime. It hadn’t really been that long since you’d left for college, but everything felt so much different.

You’d left Hawkins pretty quickly, not long after defeating Vecna. Much to your surprise, you’d actually been accepted into a few of the colleges you’d applied to, and so when the time came, you were more than ready to pack up and leave Hawkins behind you. Unfortunately, that meant leaving behind everyone you knew and loved. It wasn’t the people that made you want to leave, it was the town itself, and all of the horrors it hid. It hadn’t been an easy decision — you’d agonized over it for months — but eventually, you decided it would be good to get a fresh start. And besides, you’d only be two hours away.

That fact didn’t make leaving any easier, though. Especially when one of the people you were leaving behind was your childhood best friend. The same best friend you’d been in love with for years. The same best friend who you’d gone to literal hell and back with. The same best friend who had confessed his feelings for you shortly before you were set to leave for school. In typical Steve fashion, he’d chosen the worst possible moment to lay everything out on the table.

There had always been something there. Lingering touches on your waist, stolen glances when the other wasn’t looking. Hand holding, cuddles during movie nights, chaste kisses on the cheek. It was obvious to everyone except the two of you. But of course, Steve confessed only as you were leaving.

It had broken your heart to break his, especially when you’d been waiting years for that exact moment. You’d spent hours thinking about and wishing for the moment when your best friend professed his love for you, only to have to turn him down when it finally happened.

The decision, though earth-shattering, had seemed like the right one at the time. It made sense in your head. What brand new relationship would work from two hours apart?

And despite the hurt, Steve had dropped you off at your dorm just like you’d planned. He’d helped you move in, given you the longest hug known to man, and promised to call as soon as he could. For the first week, Steve called every night to ask about your day and to make sure that you were okay.

But it had been weeks since you’d last properly talked to Steve, and it was killing you. Part of you was dreading seeing him, knowing the conversation that had to be had, but a bigger part of you felt like it was dying without him. You’d never been apart for this long, especially without talking regularly, and you missed him more than words could explain.

Your breath fogged up the glass as you stared out your frosted window and then doodled in the condensation. You weren’t sure how you were going to approach Steve, how to try to fix things. If things even could be fixed. There was a high likelihood that everything had been ruined, and if that was the case, you weren’t sure how you’d survive. How you’d live without him, especially after everything you’d been through together. You needed your best friend.

—

The fic isn’t done yet, but I can’t resist posting this & the moodboard collage I made hehe. Happy holidays!! Hoping to post this before the new year. If you want to be tagged when I post this, please let me know! 🫶🏼

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #wip #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington angst #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington blurb #sunshinesteviee #sunshinesteviee writing #loverboy

[rachelsshowerthoughts]

XY's primary argument in the custody battle be like:

Enemy Attorney: Are we to believe that a young man, barely more than a teenager, has the necessary skills to raise a child?

XY: Point, counterpoint, what makes you think these two do?

XY: "Alright, let's try this. Mr. Bourgeois. What's Chloé's favourite colour?"

André: "What?"

XY: "Chloé's favourite colour. It’s a simple question."

André: "Wha-Yellow? I'm not sure-"

XY: "It's teal, actually. How about her favourite food?"

André: "Why does-"

XY: "Favourite food, man! What is YOUR DAUGHTER'S favourite food?"

André: "Uh, Pizza?"

XY: "Incorrect, it’s sushi. White tuna and shrimp rolls specifically."

André: "I'm- I'm not sur-"

XY: "What's her favourite movie? Her favourite song? TV show? Video game? Does she prefer powder or cream based makeup? What's her favourite school subject? Which one is she struggling with? What after school clubs is she in? Does she like photography or collages more?"

André: "I-"

XY: "What's the one place she's always wanted to visit? What’s one food she hates, that she can’t even eat without throwing up? How long did her arm fracture last?"

André: "Arm- WHAT!?"

XY: "What medications can she NEVER have? What are her allergies? Her glasses prescription? Who's her best friend?"

André: "Wel-"

Audrey: "I don’t see how any of this is relevant!"

XY: "You are her PARENTS and you don't see any of this shit as relevant? All right, then, Ms. Bourgeois, I didn’t ask YOU, because I thought a few of those might be a bit hard for you to answer, but here’s a pretty simple one."

Audrey: "How DARE yo-!"

XY: "WHEN is Chloé's birthday?"

Audrey: "Why should I care?"

XY: "So, you don’t know the date you GAVE BIRTH to an ENTIRE HUMAN BEING."

Audrey: *waves hand* "It's not as though it was a memorable occasion."

lawyer: "I'm sorry, did you just say that it wasn’t memorable that you went through labour!?"

XY: *to the speechless judge* "You asked why a barely nineteen year old should have custody of a fourteen year old. Counterpoint" *points to Audrey and Andre* "why should THEY?"

[artemisandhersilverbow]

Ok, if you don't want to engage in some (queer) tin foiling... scroll away.

So first off, I think this song rules. It was one of the few that I let just vibe instead of doing what my brain usually does, which is scrutinize lyrics/marvel over the layers of meaning. It feels like it has Kill Bill energy and that was good enough for me.

My Albatross variation of the TTPD vinyl showed up yesterday — TTPD is perhaps the best her team has done btw — and was pouring over the lyrics last night and paused on I Can Fix Him (No, Really I Can) in particular.

The last line has been one that most people have chuckled at. Like she spent a whole song building up this menacing conceit: "this boy is bad news, but he can't hold a candle to me — I'll handle him." Only to be like, lol jk at the end.

But seeing that last line written out this way scratched at my brain... she really doesn't scream that line at all. Why is it in all caps? And while we're at it... I mean it's an accepted spelling, but technically the incorrect spelling of 'whoa.' It kind of felt, by putting it in caps, like she was calling attention to it. Was it an acronym? Not that I could tell.

But... just to double check... how had she spelled woah/whoa prior? The only song I could think of off the top of my head to check was Better Than Revenge. When reading her lyrics you really wont find 99% of the "whoas" in her discography written because they're more like instrumentals.

And that right there is a "whoa." Of course my eyes twitched at the matching colors of the two vids, but I'll get to that. And then I was only able to find one more written "whoa."

Ok, cool.

But back to Better Than Revenge... It struck me that something had been "fixed" about the song. The famous "she's better known for things that she's done on the mattress" line had been swapped out in the rerecording for "he was a moth to the flame she was holding the matches."

So I looked back at I Can Fix Him... could this be a joke/hint about "fixing" him. Like fixing the pronouns? "WOAH" is an intentional misspelling just by comparing it to her own body of work. But it would be rather clever if the "he" she's referring to (at least on this one layer of the song) was her use of that pronoun in her work. It would make the lines "I can fix him / No, really, I can / And only I can" make even more sense, imo. She's the author of this music and she's rerecording it/making it.

What's more is that the collaged flower in the lyric booklet and the aesthetic of the lyric video are giving me um... big Reputation vibes?

Hey kids, spelling is FUN! Am I absolutely living in delulu thinking that Reputation could also be "fixed" re: pronouns? Oh, I don't doubt it. But I needed to get this out of my brain, out into the world, and let the chips fall as they may and always do.

And at least Taylor Nation is also in on the joke...

#i can fix him (no really i can) #gaylor #the tortured poets department the anthology #TTPD #reputation tv #pronouns #hey kids spelling is fun! #WOAH! #*WHOA

[that-ari-blogger]

Chekhov's Gattling Gun, Part 1

Like a boat, lost at sea With no sails, not a breeze. I am drifting, cold waters No stars to be seen

Life isn't simple. You can't measure every moment in history on a scale of a to b. Life is like a collage, made from disparate materials stuck together, some organised, some more wild. But all of them collaborating into the great picture that is a single human being and their lived experience. This is true for everyone around you, and since no artwork is identical, no person can ever live the same way as anyone else.

Stories work in a similar fashion, with different threads getting tangled and twisted until, with one final pull, the full might of the tapestry is revealed, and the audience can marvel at the beauty, or reminisce about how they watched it come together.

Stray Gods: The Role Playing Musical is a fantastically complex and moving story, and two of the final songs, Adrift Reprise and The Trial serve as a climax in momentum, plot, and theme. These are the moments when the tapestry is revealed.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Adrift Reprise needs to be understood in the context of its namesake, the first song in the musical, and in the context of, well, it's context. This sits just before the climax of the musical, just before everything comes to a head, and we get this quiet before the storm. And this is also the moment after our conversation with Freddie (you know the one). So, you bet I'm going to talk about that.

Let me start with the imagery, the stage. This is a bit of a meta metaphor, this is a game, literally a story, and the imagery references that. But what I find interesting is the reason why.

Grace has spent the entire musical detached from reality, directionless, unable to pin down. There's a reason you can make any choice for her and it won't feel out of character. She's a blank slate, emotionally and motivationally. The only thing that can get her to do something is a threat of death.

And then we get here, Grace sits upon a stage. But now she has purpose. Now she has something to look forwards to after the trial. This is a Grace that is making up her mind. So, the story acknowledges it's superficiality at the start, when Grace is the most detached, and now, when she is feeling the most real.

This also serves to contrast her with an earlier version of herself. I keep saying that this is a story about change, and here we are presented with how much Grace has changed over the course of the musical.

And despite you not actually getting to choose anything in this song, you feel like this is the culmination of all of your choices up to this point.

Specifically, I am talking about the choice whether or not to bring Freddie back from the dead. I did, on my first playthrough, so I was met with this very quiet version of the song as Grace and I both reflected on what we had just done. There is a noticeable air of uncertainty, and the resolution isn't "I did the right thing", but "I did what I did, now I have to deal with that".

However, there is another path you can take to get to this song.

If you let Freddie go, you get backup music. And you get shown a different change between now and the beginning. Slightly.

I actually think Grace has changed more as a mortal than as a muse. If that makes sense. As a mortal, she owns up to her decisions, and resolves herself. She is alone for now, but she knows she has people to rely on. But as a muse, I think she has definitely changed, although not quite as much. Grace still feels alone, and still has to be brought from that by Calliope. I think that if Freddie stays dead, Grace regresses to the point she began the story in, and has to be given that final boost externally.

The change is different between the two, I simply prefer the former option because I, personally, find it more interesting.

"In your heart, we remain You do not sail in vain"

All preferences aside, however, this is a cool line. All of the people that Grace has changed have changed her in return. There's another musical with a similar sentiment in it.

I've heard it said That people come into our lives for a reason Bringing something we must learn And we are led To those who help us most to grow If we let them And we help them in return

This is from Wicked, and stay tuned for some analysis of that in the future. But for now, it is the meaning that is important. We grow the most if we accept the help, and we give it back when it's needed. Humans are a communal species, we stay static if left to our own devices, or we spiral.

The question then becomes this: What do you want to do now? How do you want to do this?

If you bring back Freddie, you need to keep her alive through the trial, and if you don't, well now you have to live on in her name. Either way, you need to make a decision.

There is no inertia in the ocean.

(There is a Part 2 going up at the same time as this that will discuss The Trial)

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#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #character analysis #what's so special about...? #greek mythology #stray gods #stray gods the musical #stray gods spoilers #stray gods the roleplaying musical #stray gods grace #grace #greddie #stray gods calliope #stray gods adrift #part 1 of 2

[singlesablog]

The Imperial Phase

“Left to My Own Devices” (1988) Pet Shop Boys Parlophone / EMI Records (Written by Tennant / Lowe) Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – No. 84

I was faced with a choice at a difficult age Would I write a book?  Or should I take to the stage? But in the back of my head I heard distant feet Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat

- from “Left to My Own Devices”

“We had been so disciplined at making four-minute pop singles, with the exception of "It's a Sin", which is five minutes. The idea was to have an album where every track was a single

- Pet Shop Boys on the idea behind Introspective

I used to joke with a friend that the two albums in Pet Shop Boys catalog that sat next to one another could have swapped their titles: Introspective (1988) could have been titled Behaviour (1990), and vice versa.  Introspection is from the Latin (“to look within”), and I guess this kind of works; an album titled Self Referential would not be nearly as catchy, if more accurate. Oddly, I always thought of introspection as being related to looking backwards, like nostalgia; in the case of the Pet Shop Boys it is perhaps just a case of inverse-ness (gay people were once called inverts), or even a thoughtful kind of literal thinking.  But who knows, they could have just pulled the title out of a bag.  The duo was never averse to fashion.

The album (if you are unware) consists of six extended tracks, and unlike the quote above, only 4 of them were released as singles, “Domino Dancing”, “Devices”, “Always on My Mind” (which preceded the record and was presented in a much different version), and “It’s Alright”.  “It’s Alright” and “Always on My Mind” are covers, “I Want a Dog” and “I’m Not Scared” are recycled cuts, so the album only contained two original songs, “Domino Dancing” (a huge hit all over the world) and “Devices” (an even bigger hit in the UK, but not in the US).  Like the EP Disco, an earlier collection of 6 extended cuts, it treated the form with respect, but also expanded the idea of what a proper album could be.  To my mind it is easily one of their very best, most original, and certainly most popular (internationally it is their best seller ever).  I love every track (with a small mark off for “It’s Alright”, which does grow a little tedious), but none as much as “Left to My Own Devices”, which is formally audacious and endlessly, thrillingly queer from a gay male perspective.

I was faced with a choice at a difficult age Would I write a book?  Or should I take to the stage?

Back to the idea of introspection, most young gay men have an intense inner life, and we of a certain generation (coming of age in the 1970s and 1980s) were forced to find our culture on our own.  “Left to My Own Devices” is a catalogue of the thoughts and ideas that might roam around in a bachelor’s world.  One of the slyer things about the song is that most of it is spoken word.  Here we find Neil rapping (again!) but instead of trying to create the beat the effect is more like reportage than singing.  The lyrics, as usual, are a collage of ideas carefully cut and pasted to create an atmosphere of bourgeois dandyism (“I phone up a friend who’s a party animal”, “we’ll do some shopping”)—I mean, there is a lot of tea drinking in these lyrics, and I can never be sure that this is either very gay, very British, or both.  I think the Pet Shop Boys, song to song, are generally more in search of a tone where content is concerned, and I also think that tone is always meant to elude you a bit.  As long as you are dancing I don’t think they care what you think, and one sure thing about Introspective is that this certainly is a dance record, and not well understood as one of the most purchased and successful House records ever made, and if you are ever in any doubt of that, please focus on the opening of “Left to My Own Devices”, where they employed an actual opera singer (Sally Bradshaw) to sing the word “house” over and over again as if it were an aria.

All of this can be seen as sardonic (their infamous “irony”) but I always prefer to think of it as sophistication; at the very least, Pet Shop Boys take their ideas and music seriously.  If you read my blog post on Chic’s “Good Times” you can easily understand the courage of performing this style of music in earnest in a world of the backlash that “Disco Sucks” created, which effectively took the bubbles out the late 70s, forced an entire world of music underground, and ironically exploded the genre into many different forms, some of which this record preserves.  There is a level of irony abounding in “Left to My Own Devices”; aside from the gay thing, perhaps that subversiveness is built into the genre of disco music itself.  The track did not really chart in the US outside of the clubs, but that hardly mattered: one could really enjoy Introspective as a gestalt, one long thought, or even one long track.  Whenever I find that I have an itch to listen to the album it is inevitably for the opening of “Devices”, where amidst a full symphony Neil opens with “I get out of bed at half past ten” and then proceeds to take you on a long ride describing a mundane day conducted by the best producers and mixers in the world.  It is the transformation of the mundane into the extraordinary, and also the testament of an inner life revealed.  In contrast to the general success of the album, perhaps “Left to My Own Devices” is the real innovation of the 6 tracks; it may not be the most American, or the most well-known, but being an invert myself, I must say: I rather like it that way.  Is it an irony that a disco record can make one feel seen?  Maybe not.  To some of us, hiding in plain sight just comes naturally.

---

Behaviour (1990).

Tennant later regretted the release of Introspective so soon after the previous album, Actually, feeling that it pigeon-holed them as a dance act.  The melancholy follow-up, Behaviour, generally considered to be their finest achievement, was a relative failure.

I was surprised to learn that “The imperial phase” was actually put into the vernacular by Neil Tennant. The imperial phase is the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously, and was coined to describe the group's feelings on their career circa "Domino Dancing" (1988). Critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase as "command, permission, and self-definition".

It was genius producer Trevor Horn who came up with the line “Debussy to a disco beat” tossing it off while laying down a track.  Tennant, ever the historian, collaged it into the song, and gave Horn a writing credit on the b-side “The Sound of the Atom Splitting” as compensation.

Apparently, Neil Tennant’s mother was upset at hearing him sing “I was a lonely boy, no strength, no joy, in a world of my own” but it seems that this is just a character he was play acting: he apparently had a happy childhood.

"In a secret life I was a Roundhead general" – [In British history] the "Roundheads" were the pro-Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War of the mid-1600s. The name "Roundheads" came from the fact that they generally wore their hair trimmed short, unlike their opponents, the long-haired "Cavaliers" who supported King Charles I. (And in case you're not up on your British history, Charles I was ultimately defeated, deposed, and beheaded.) Again, Neil has pointed out that, as a child, he himself would actually have been far more sympathetic to the Cavaliers (in contrast to his more anti-royalist sympathies as an adult). 

- (Directly quoted from geowayne.com)

Pet Shop Boys are still recording. Nonetheless, the Boys 15th studio album, was released April 26th, 2024 to near universal praise.

-----

This post was written using analog techniques to collate facts.  After deciding on a topic, one Wikipedia entry will naturally suggest another, and then I let those concepts create an environment of creative association rather than mere fact finding. I do cross reference sources to find what is most interesting.  While some small details may be disputable, none is used for any other reason than to open up the idea at hand, and to support the belief that most pop songs are indeed works of art, with the great ones renewing themselves endlessly.

#pet shop boys #dance music #electronic music #pop #1980s

[deedala]

🌱Macy's Tag Game Twosday🌿 (x2 actually because i have some other tag games i need to catch up on and im mashing them all togther in one post) so thank you for tagging me to play one or more of these following tag games!! @celestialmickey @crossmydna @mmmichyyy @creepkinginc @lingy910y @energievie @suzy-queued @metalheadmickey @mickeysgaymom @ardent-fox @m4ndysk4nkovich @rereadanon @mikhailoisbaby @tanktopgallavich @scurvgirl 💖💖💖 name: deanna🌱

your birthday: Nov 17

where in the world are you? O Hi O 🌽

when did you join tumblr? 2011

do you have any sideblogs? yeah not very active though

mobile or desktop? both both both

your perfect sleeping conditions: 70 degrees, flannel comforter, face mask and bonnet, cozy sweatshirt and socks. Yes i sleep in fuzzy socks dont at me.

a movie you think everyone should see at least once: hmmm... The Fall (2006)

what shoes do you wear the most often? slip on sneakers

describe your keys to me: key to my house with a pink cover, key to my parents house with no cover, my car key, my husbands spare car key, a loop wrist strap made from a piece of a limited run woven baby wrap design that was dedicated to the FB babywearing group i helped found like 8 million years ago, and my red wallet attached by TWO carabiners because listen you just never know when you'll need a second carabiner. Also i have a picture of my kids in the little wallet window where you're supposed to put your ID (ig?) 😊

find the book closest to you. turn to page 7. what’s the 7th word? "was"

what’s your favorite snack? popcorn

one of your aspirations: inner peace

and finally, tell me a random fact about yourself: ive been white water rafting a few times. as a youth...i dont think i'd ever go again though lol

rest of the tag games under the cut!

next up this picrew

(i need a fucking hair cut)

Favorites Collage: (as always my favorites change based on mood and day but these are pretty common favorites!!)

animal: house finch movie: The Fall (2006) season: autumn character: today right now its Mickey color: mint hobby: vidja gams book: The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes song: The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel drink: lemonade

and finally... this or that? ABO or Soulmates // fake dating or secret dating // fix-it or post-canon // mutual pining or friends-to-lovers // slow burn or angst // smut or romance // Reality TV au or Porn au //Enemies to lovers or Enemies to friends to lovers // Domestic Fluff or Hurt/Comfort // Coffee Shop au or College au // one-shot or multi-chapter // Crossover or canon compliant // mpreg or adoption // online romance or workplace romance // single parent au or sports au // neighbours or roommates // sci-fi au or magic au i was thinking of picking fix-it..but i think the fix-it type things i usually end up reading fall more under AU canon divergent rather than what is probably simply fix-it. also excuse me but smut IS romantic imo lolol. also also slow burn tends to be angsty so i felt like i could secretly pick both of those by picking slow burn haha.

and okay time to tag some nuggets to do any or all of these games!! 😆 Everyone up top + @harrowhark-a-vagrant @michellemisfit @too-schoolforcool @juliakayyy @heymrspatel @gallawitchxx @callivich @thepupperino @transmickey @grumble-fish @gardenerian @imikhailo @jrooc @milkmaidovich @grossmickey @sleepyfacetoughguy @themarchg1rl @sickness-health-all-that-shit @babygirlmickey @sweetbee78 @xninetiestrendx @vintagelacerosette @purplemagpie @squidyyy23 @sirrudo @alihendrjx + anyone else seeing this and wanting to play a thing 😋

#tag game tuesday #tag game #picrew

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #68: 2017

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Ed Sheeran, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar, The Chainsmokers, Migos, The Chainsmokers, Sam Hunt, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone. End description]

More information about this blog here

It's easier more than ever to see the effects of streaming on the pop charts. As electropop and club music become a distant memory, the pop music of the late 2010's works better with individual listening. As mentioned before, streaming works better for album listening, much more than the iTunes era which encouraged the purchasing of individual songs (which was great for singles artists, but not necessarily for albums). Some artists were able to hack this system. For example, Drake's Views (featured on the previous poll) was notable for having 20 songs on its tracklist -- which is a lot for a pop release. Unlike the iTunes era or even the CD era before, longer albums with shorter songs flourish more in the streaming landscape.

Streaming also helped to continue blurring the line between genres and audiences. Without going too much into it (because this is a topic I could ramble on about endlessly), genres were not handed down to us from Mount Olympus or something. Genre is a tool of marketing, and the lines drawn between them can have a variety of cultural, racial, economic, gender, religious, and other variables between them. These lines were more prominent in previous years before streaming made it easier to access just about every kind of music at once. This is when we start to see the rise of a concept known as the "monogenre". In order to cater to as wide an audience as possible, everything starts to sound like everything. A little rock, a little indie, a little trap, a little tropical house, a little festival EDM. There were also those who criticized the streaming era in how it promotes a more "passive" listening style, since playlists and algorithms could continue playing ad infinitum without the listener needing to seek out new music themselves. While I certainly see the evidence of that on the charts, I don't think this tells the complete story.

As a less cynical counter-argument, streaming has made it easier for listeners to find music that otherwise wouldn't have been marketed to them. I believe that this could be one of the factors behind reggaeton finding a growing audience among English speakers. Obviously reggaeton did not originate this year. The roots of the genre can be traced back to the 1980's in Panama where it would later grow an even larger audience in Puerto Rico. The genre would grow in popularity in the States as well, especially in the early 2000's. But if you weren't paying attention to Spanish language music (and you didn't grow up in the Southwest), it was easy for mainstream audiences to miss it. Reggaeton includes influences from dancehall and hip-hop, so it makes sense that the genre would find a mainstream English-speaking audience when those two genres were also shaping pop music. Because Despacito wasn't just big for a reggaeton song. It wasn't even big for a Latin pop song. Despacito led to Daddy Yankee becoming the sixth most listened-to artist on Spotify in 2017, and led to an influx of Latin and reggaeton artists who were able to cross over without English language remixes. Billboard magazine has an article here about the "Despacito Effect".

#billboard poll #billboard music #tumblr poll #2010s #2010s music #2017 #ed sheeran #luis fonsi #daddy yankee #justin bieber #bruno mars #kendrick lamar #the chainsmokers #coldplay #migos #lil uzi vert #halsey #sam hunt #imagine dragons #post malone #quavo

[womenofnoise]

do you have any recs for more folk-influenced women's noise projects? i really like svitlana nianio and aine o'dwyer and i'm wondering if there's more similar stuff out there

Hello there, it's a very interesting question! There's plenty of artists who mix folk with experimental/noise/contemporary. Here's a list of few I can think of right now:

There's Księżyc [x], a 90s experimental classic from Poland - it's a whole band, but fronted by two women.

Adela Mede [x] is a Czech artist creating contemporary sound collages with some folk vocals

Maryana Klochko [x] - an Ukrainian artist, her style ranges from more electroacoustic to more trip-hopy/electronic, worth checking out few of her tracks to get a range (I like the song Kvity, which kind of changes from one to another)

Tomoko Sauvage [x] - Japanese artist hugely inspired by various music folklore traditions, such as Carnatic water-bowls instrument

Julia Ulehla / dalava [x] - Czech vocalist, composer, ethnomusicologist "With her husband guitarist Aram Bajakian, she initiated a new line of performance research based on the ancestral song tradition of her father’s lineage, sourcing folk songs collected and transcribed by her great-grandfather, biologist Vladimír Úlehla".

Daina Dieva [x] - from Lithuania. Her works aren't maybe the most folklorish, but their closeness to the world of nature makes me put her in the mix

Audrey Chen [x] - Chinese-American artist mixing cello, voice and analogue synthesizers to create hauting compositions

Sainkho Namtchylak [x] - is a Tuvan experimental singer, known for using Tuvian throat singing and overtone singing named Khöömei. She mixes elements of east asian culture with genres such as avant jazz or electronica.

For more Slavic avant-folk check out this this compilation by In Crudo: [x] it's not all-women but features some inspiring women artists (Svitlana Nino and Księżyc included)

One can mix folk traditions with pretty much any genres I tried to stick to your artists of reference, but it's hard to find something *just like that* and nothing else - there are many more artists than these I've mentioned!

#ask #freak folk #avant folk #darkfolk