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ashprince-of-bel-air · 5 months ago

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One More Drink.

A/N: I've been thinking about an older Eddie Munson a lot lately, so much so that I wrote this as I got wine drunk the other night.

Notes: Eddie is in his 40s, reader in their mid 20s. You meet Eddie at a dive bar in town after your date stood you up out of nowhere, you spend the night in Eddie's company until you end up nearly passed out drunk.

"Fucking arsehole" You muttered under your breath as you walked into the bar, your date failed to show, and you were pissed off. The bar was a dive, its clientele was mostly middle-aged men who lived nearby and had drank there for years. You did not care though, as long as you could get drunk you were satisfied. Signalling the bartender, you ordered a whiskey and a very large glass of wine. You downed the glass of whiskey in one gulp and cradled the glass of wine, stroking the rim of the glass with your finger, contemplating why you had been stood up.

Eddie watched you as you stormed in, he came here every Friday night and had never seen you before. You were young and you were alluring, the alternative style you had reminded him of his own youth, 20 years ago you would have been his type. Eddie shook his head softly trying not to look at you, he was twice your age, you obviously would not be interested in him, he could not help himself from speaking to you though.

Eddie chuckled as he saw you down the whiskey. "it's his loss sweetheart" You lifted your head up to see who made that comment, your eyes settling on the middle-aged rocker. You smirked at him and chuckled under your breath, you were flattered by the comment, he was an attractive man.

"Oh, are you offering?" you retorted playfully admiring his rugged face, as you looked at him you could not help but imagine feeling his rough stubble against your thighs. Mentally you shook those thoughts from your mind for now, you did not want a rebound from your missing date.

"Thanks.." you chuckle softly and return to looking at your drink, you did not think that you were overly beautiful but it did sting that you were stood up by your date for no reason. You gave the bartender a nod and ordered another shot of whisky, you would welcome anything that would drown the night away at this point. Downing your second glass of whisky made you shudder; you heard a comment from the aging rocker a few seats away. "You might want to calm down sweetheart unless you want someone to carry you home".

Eddie chuckled at your response; he was loving your flirty nature. "I just don't want to see a beautiful woman such as yourself be caught alone" He swigged his beer and called the bartender for another one. You were curious about this man, he was exactly your type, covered in tattoos with long hair, plus you definitely had a weakness for older men. How could you resist him? You smirked and stood up, moving to sit at the chair next to him, you could feel his eyes on you as you sat down, it aroused you somewhat, spurring you on to speak to him.

"Nice to meet you chief, I'm Y/N" You gave your best smile to him, wanting to impress him, you decided that you at least wanted the attention of someone tonight after your date ghosted you.

"I'm Eddie, darling" he smiled and lifted his drink in a playful cheer, he was happy that you were speaking to him, he was 20 years your senior but wanted you nonetheless, he hoped that he would not come across as a pervert as he stared at you, even though he felt like one. You were just perfection to him, you reminded him of his days as a rocker, dressed in all black and angry at the world. "Y/N. A pretty name for a pretty lady" His voice was deep and charming; you could not help but roll your eyes and smile at him.

You could hear his chuckle vibrate from his throat. "Same as you sweetheart, drowning my sorrows." Eddie smiled as he downed the rest of his beer, signalling the bartender once again to pour another one. A chuckle emanated from your throat, you looked him up and down whilst he ordered his drink, you were definitely starting to feel better about being stood up tonight.

Eddie? You thought the name suited him, he was at least twice your age, but you loved it, you did not want to admit that you had daddy issues as you continued to flirt with him. You sipped your wine as you stared at him from the corner of your eye, his stubble was speckled with white hair and his face was creased with lines showing that he had lived an interesting life, you almost groaned as you noticed them. Keeping your composure as you refrained from downing the entire glass, you wanted the alcohol to keep you calm and flirty with him.

"So, what are you doing here tonight?" You gauge Eddie's response, hoping that it would not be an offensive question.

The night drew on and you hadn't noticed the time, you were both so enthralled in each other's company, exchanging flirty comments and soft strokes of your hands upon Eddie's body, each 'accidental' touch sent sparks flying through your fingers, further igniting the arousal within you. Eddie's eyes flitted to your plump lips, enjoying the way you tried not to bite your lips whenever he made a suggestive comment, he wanted nothing more than to feel his rough hands on your delicate skin and to mark you as his, silently thankful that whatever asshole you were supposed to see, had ghosted you, making you come to this bar and drink the night away. Drink you did, you did not keep track of how much you had actually drunk but you were definitely starting to feel the effects of it, the wine you kept ordering was causing a soft blush to form on your face as you could feel the buzz of alcohol.

Eddie felt your eyes rake over him, catching your wanting stare from the corner of his eye. His lips twitched as he tried not to smile at the thought of you wanting him as much as he wanted you. It had been a while since he properly flirted with a woman, especially one that was so much younger than him, he pushed any negative thoughts out of his mind, telling himself that he still had some good moves in him and that he could do this. He hooked his foot beneath the bar of your chair and pulled you closer to him, smirking at your surprise as you giggled softly and tried not to spill your drink. Your giggle was like music to his ears, the sight of you giggling definitely contrasted with your outward appearance but that only spurred him on further.

A bell rang loudly throughout the bar causing you to look at the clock, the barman was signalling that it was time to close. Holy shit was it that late? You wondered to yourself, shocked that it was almost 3 am, you had been here all night talking and flirting with Eddie. You did not want to go and leave his company, and at the same time you were scared to ask for his number or if he wanted to meet you again, maybe you were just a distraction for the night, unaware that Eddie felt the exact same way as you watched him finish the remainder of his beer.

"Well sweetheart, it's been a lovely evening" He smiled and stood up from the stool, placing his empty bottle on the bar. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously; he couldn't believe he was going to ask this. "I'd like to see you again…. If you're interested obviously" He watched you, anxious and wanting to gauge your reaction, mentally cursing himself for even asking in the first place, why would you be interested in seeing him again, he was twice your age.

The nervous way he rubbed his neck and looked down as he asked you made you blush and smile widely, you absolutely wanted to see him again, you began to hop off your chair and reply "I'd love to see you ag - " You stumble as you stand up, catching you off guard, you had definitely had more alcohol than you thought. You place your hand on the bar to stead your uneasy legs, gripping it for dear like to keep you upright. Eddie's arms went out instinctively to try and catch you before you steadied yourself, chuckling slightly at your wobbly demeanour.

"When I said someone might have to carry you home I didn't mean it literally" His deep playful chuckle caused you to blush, desperately trying not to imagine your body in his arms, holding you close against his chest.

"No, I'm fine…" your speech was slightly slurred as you tried to focus on staying stood up, feeling your body sway back and forth, blinking rapidly to keep yourself awake and alert. You had no idea how you would get home; you weren't even sure that you would be able to open the door to your apartment at this point.

Eddie's smile was soft as he watched you sway gently against the bar; he took your free hand in his and pulled you softly towards him. "C'mon sweetheart, I don't live far from here and I don't reckon you are in any fit state to be left alone" You nod softly at his comment, you knew he was right, there was no way you could navigate yourself anywhere in this state. You stumbled towards him and felt his calloused hand hook your arm around his neck, you almost wanted to moan when he snaked his other arm around your waist, gripping you softly making sure that you would not fall.

The walk to his trailer was quiet, you were attempting to concentrate on moving your feet in a straight line and trying not to fall over, not understanding that the only reason you were even standing up at all was because Eddie was holding you upright. Eddie shook his head softly at you trying to walk, he remembered when he was your age and had gotten himself into many a drunken state, you made him feel young again tonight which made him smile, he could not remember the last time he had felt this alive.

He lifted you up in his strong arms, carrying you bridal style to his bedroom, you were now fully asleep after finally giving in to the alcohol in your body. Your breathing was soft as Eddie gently placed you upon his unmade bed, he smiled watching you seem so at peace, it was a nice contrast to the anger he saw on your face when you entered the bar all those hours ago. He removed your shoes and placed them on the floor, he had fallen asleep in his boots many times when he was drunk and each time he would wake with sores on his feet, you would likely be embarrassed anyway come the morning, so he did not want to add to your discomfort. As he left you there sleeping he made sure to leave a glass of water on the bedside table, he knew full well that you would want it in the morning. Taking one last look at your sleeping figure to make sure you were alright he made his way to the sofa down the hall. He let his body fall onto it with a sigh, sure he wanted you to come back to his trailer with him, this was just a bit different from what he had in mind. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him, his last thoughts were him hoping that you would want to see him again after you had sobered up, he knew that he would not be able to get you off of his mind for a long time.

It wasn't long until you reached the door to his trailer, you would have both gotten there sooner but trying to keep you from tumbling over was slightly time-consuming. As you both walked through the door Eddie removed your arm from around his neck, his hand was still gripping your waist as he did not want you to fall into his trailer. You dropped your bag on a nearby table as soon as you were helped inside, wanting desperately to be unencumbered by it. The trailer wasn't pristine, but it wasn't filthy, it definitely showed signs of a man living by himself in it for years, the soft smell of whisky and cigarette smoke was strangely comforting to you in your drunken state, it made your eyelids feel even heavier as you tried to stay awake, slumping against Eddie's body. The feeling of your body against his caused his heart to flutter slightly, he could feel you leaning against him, knowing that you were fighting a losing battle to stay awake at this point.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie fanfic #older eddie munson #eddie stranger things #older!eddie munson #older!eddie x reader #older!eddie

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thatsrightice · 6 months ago

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THE GREAT ‘GATOR COUP

aka that one time the navigators of the 100th BG “got rid” of Crosby’s intended replacement as Group Navigator because they thought he was actually insane, as told by Harry Crosby in his memoir, A Wing and a Prayer

“As I saw it after my study at Oxford, Bennett and Jeffrey had changed the 100th from its original hot fly-boy individuals to 20th-century work-together warfare. From Romanticism to neo-Classicist. History in the making.

I was tired of being part of history. I wanted to go home. Let the new guy take over.

The replacement on tap for me was a captain named Leafy Hill. That is really not his name because I have resolved never to reveal the true names of officers and enlisted men whom I did not admire. War does bad things even to good people. Many of the misfits, the incompetent, the exploitive, and the cowardly whom I met at Thorpe Abbotts have gone on to put together good lives, have had good jobs and good families. I choose not to reopen old wounds.

Leafy thought he was the Group Navigator from the day he walked onto the base. He immediately scheduled himself as the command navigator on the next mission. I hit the sky and stormed into Jeff's office.

"Even command pilots fly high squadron lead on their first missions. I want to know what Leafy Hill can do before I put him up in front."

This was my first encounter with Jeff. He smiled, and talked with me the same way Charlie Via did, Virginia talk.

"Okay, don't pull the hoose down. The 100th is flying low in the wing. In the nose with a good lead crew navigator, he can't foul up too much."

When the planes came back, the crew with whom Leafy had flown were wild.

"The guy is off his rocker. He yelled over intercom all during the mission. From takeoff to landing." The crew navigator was shaken.

"That screwball actually wanted us to abort when we were on the bomb run. I think he wanted to make the run alone so he could get some kind of medal. I won't fly with him again."

I checked Leafy's log. His ETA's and routes were a tangle of misinformation. He claimed to have seen fighters and flak not reported by any other navigators.

I read the lead crew pilot's official report: "A five-hour trip. Major Rosenthal was command pilot and Captain Hill went along as second navigator. The mission was good as far as the leading went, but Captain Hill screwed up our bomb run. Our navigator gave me a 68-degree heading from the Initial Point to the target which would have been swell, but Leafy said the target was at one o'clock and the bombardier swung over as he ordered. Then he saw the target back at ten o'clock. By the time he got his course correction killed his rate was over and we messed up the run. So that's what one man can do to mess up the works."

In no time every navigator at Thorpe Abbotts was sure that Captain Leafy Hill was nuts.

But I could go home if he became the Group Navigator.

I did not have to solve the problem myself.

I was long overdue for a pass, and I decided that a London trip to see Landra Wingate might clear my head.

When I returned to the base, I heard quite a story.

One of the really great command navigators, Stewart Gillison, decided after he finished his tour that he wanted to stay in England. I welcomed him into Group Headquarters as my chief assistant. I could trust him with briefings.

Stew was not your normal guy. Under the circumstances of war, none of us were exactly level on course, but Stew was really something. At night, when he went to bed, instead of turning out the light, he shot it out with his 45 revolver. The ceiling of his room looked like a sieve, and the batman had to put in a new bulb every day.

When I got back from London, Leafy Hill was gone.

Stew had assigned Leafy Hill to fly as fill-in navigator with a crew Stew himself had flown with before he became lead. The crew flew out on the mission and came back.

Except that Leafy Hill was not with them.

When I asked Stew Gillison what happened to Leafy Hill, he said with deference unusual for him, "Major Crosby, I suggest that you don't ask."

I did ask. The pilot wouldn't tell me. The bombardier wouldn't tell me. But the copilot did.

Stew, their former navigator, instructed the crew what to do.

After the target when the group was at the R.P, a gunner called out, "We've been hit!"

That part of it was true, but that was standard. To some degree, we were almost always hit by flak over the target. Sometimes it hit the crew, and we died or we got Purple Hearts, but usually the flak only jarred the plane.

"We really weren't hit at all. The pilot only waggled the wings." The copilot continued the story.

This is what he said happened.

"Okay, pilot to crew, prepare to bail out. See you in Stalag."

"Roger, pilot." This was a chorus from the entire crew.

The pilot rang the alarm bell.

Whoosh! Out went, not all ten of the crew, but just Leafy Hill. He wasn't in on the joke.

When I heard the story I thought it was funny.

Leafy spent the rest of the Air War in Europe in a prison camp, wondering what happened to the rest of the crew.

And I spent the rest of the Air War in Europe as Group Navigator of the Bloody 100th.”

#I’m just picturing all the navigators on base holding a secret meeting w/o Croz and Stew is like ‘I’ll take care of it’#the great ‘gator coup #real mota #masters of the air #mota #a wing and a prayer #leafy hill #harry crosby #quotes #mota musings #the great gator coup #Navigator #precious little ‘gators #‘gators #do you like when I highlight the important or funny bits in a different color?#I do it because then if something catches my eye I’ll go back and read the whole thing #stew is amazing and I already quoted his fun little paragraph in a prior post #the ‘I suggest that you don’t ask.’ to ‘I did ask.’ had me rofl #I wish I could go back and reread this for the first time

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sunnystrollblog · 9 months ago

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I have a great what if idea for the borrower au.

Trolls one does not happen.

In trolls 2 barb does not find pop village she finds burgen town.

She and her rockers get captured (maybe one gets eaten to see if these trolls give happiness).

Eventually the borrowers (BTW what do they call themselves? I'm thinking the forgotten trolls?) find and rescue them.

And the story could be about barb meating chief branch and learning about their history.

It sounds good but the first movie would need to happen for things in borrowers au to make sense because by the second movie poppy and creek would know branch is alive and the rockapocalypse still happens in my au. But I could see this happening if after barb and her crew escape Bergen town (and if branch declines to leave with them) they still continue on with their plans but decide to spare the borrower trolls music which btw has evolved from only pop to pop folk

Also the name forgotten trolls sounds good!

#dreamworks trolls #borrowers au #trolls fandom #trolls branch #trolls barb #trolls #dreamwork trolls #trolls band together #trolls au #branch trolls #floyd trolls #john dory trolls

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ihni · 6 months ago

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Versions

For the @harringrove-flip-reverse-it day 3, prompt: "spa day" (very loosely interpreted/incorporated)

(turning a fluff prompt into angst, which incidentally is my specialty)

~~~

Jim was tired.

It had been a long night, following a long day, following a couple of equally long days actually, and unfortunately the only thing that hadn’t been long lately had been Jim’s sleep. Which so far was nonexistent. After everything – after monster dogs invading town and El coming back looking like a little punk rocker and her then proceeding to close a gate to another dimension with her mind – they’d gotten back to Joyce’s house to make sure everyone was okay. But ‘everyone’ – meaning El’s little friends and the Harrington boy – hadn’t even been there. Because they’d been doing the exact opposite of what Jim had told them to do, which was to stay put and out of danger.

In all fairness, they had set the hub on fire, which probably helped in the end, but still. Did no one respect authority anymore? Jim was the Chief of Police, he was the highest authority there was in town. Except for the Mayor maybe, but the Mayor was a big bag of dicks, so he didn’t count.

Point was, that all Jim had wanted to do was to go home and sleep for a week, but instead he had to wait until everyone got back – Joyce and her boys (with Will thankfully Mindflayer-free, or so it seemed) as well as the Wheeler girl, and Harrington and the kids – and then spend the next couple of hours trying to bring everyone down from the high they were on, as well as coming up with some kind of story that would sound plausible if anyone asked where they’d all been.

And people would ask. Given, this was Hawkins, but when a group of kids stay out all night without letting their parents know, said parents were surely going to be worried about them. And like previously stated, Jim was the Chief of Police, and he would be the one they would turn to. So he might as well nip it in the bud.

So, despite his exhaustion, he left El with Joyce and her boys, and herded the kids into his car to drive them home. Well, the younger kids, at least. Harrington insisted that he didn’t have to go to the hospital, and while Jim wasn’t convinced – because the kid looked beat to hell – Wheeler said that she’d drive him home and keep an eye on him until the morning. Check for a concussion, wake him up during the night and all that. And while Jim would normally not let that fly, he’d had a long day and it still wasn’t over. So he nodded, told himself he would check on the kid in the morning, and then got in his car – which was full of loud, high-strung children.

Jim started the car, silently wishing he’d made a different career choice years ago.

He dropped the kids off one by one, and followed each and every one of them to the door to explain their absence to their worried parents. He tried to keep it short, for the most part:

It had all been a misunderstanding. The kids had been playing at young Will’s house, and yes of course his mother had been home. But Will had gotten sick, suddenly, and she’d had to drive him to the hospital. Her phone broke a while ago and she hadn’t had time to get a new one, so there hadn’t been a way for them to reach anyone. On the way to the hospital, she’d spotted Steve Harrington and asked him to watch the kids until she got back. She’d called Jim from the hospital once she knew that her son was going to be okay, asking him to drive the kids home. Yes, Will was going to be okay. No, no one was hurt. It had all been just a case of miscommunication and bad circumstances, and maybe the details could wait until it wasn’t the middle of the night – or rather, early morning? Perfect. You’re welcome. Get some sleep now. All right, bye bye.

For every house he visited, it became harder and harder to keep the smile on his face. His headache got worse, and by the time it was only him and Max Mayfield left in the car, he was driving one-handedly and massaging his temple with the other hand, hoping for some relief. Thankfully, she was the least loud out of all of them and didn’t seem inclined to strike up a conversation when it was just the two of them.

But that wasn’t the only reason why he’d saved her for last. No, the real reason why he’d dropped off all the other kids first was because he knew he needed to deal with her brother, too. Or step-brother, as she insisted on calling him. Because it had become apparent that William Hargrove – Billy – was the reason why the Harrington kid had looked the way he did. Jim hadn’t ironed out all the details yet, but from what Harrington and the kids enthusiastically told him, Hargrove had shown up to pick Max up and then proceeded to start a fight, and had beat Harrington unconscious before Max had stabbed him with a syringe in order to knock him out.

Which. On the one hand, Jim wanted to congratulate her on her quick thinking, but on the other hand, it had been incredibly dangerous and someone could have died. But in the end no one did die – Hargrove had been gone when the rest of them got back to the house – and since Jim was already exhausted, he decided to simply … not comment on the girl’s actions. For now.

But he still had to deal with Hargrove. Because while giving his step-sister a ride home was okay, barging in and starting a fight with the only semi-adult person there and beat him half to death was not, and Jim needed to make that clear. To Hargrove himself, and also to the boy’s parents. And while he could simply … pick the kid up from school or from home tomorrow, drive him down to the station, threaten to press charges to put the fear of God in him … Jim would rather do it now. Get it over with. Besides, he needed to drop Max off anyway, he might as well kill two birds with one stone.

And then finally go home and get a few hours of rest.

It was more morning than night when he pulled up in front of the house that Max had directed him to, but unsurprisingly the lights were still on in the house. There was only one car in the driveway, and since Billy Hargrove’s car was still at the Byers’ house, Jim figured it must belong to the father. Neil Hargrove, if his memory served him right.

He didn’t even have time to knock on the door before it flew open, and a tall red-haired woman pulled Max into her arms without so much as a look Jim’s way.

“Max!” she gasped. “Where have you been, we’ve been so worried about you!” Without waiting for a reply, she backed up to get a good look at her daughter again. “Are you okay?” At a nod from Max, she pulled the girl into her arms again with something akin to a sob of relief.

Jim looked away from the emotional scene and instead he locked eyes with the man he just noticed standing there.

“You must be Mr. Hargrove,” Jim said and held out his hand. The man eyed his uniform for a moment, before reaching out for a surprisingly firm handshake. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Jim Hopper, Chief of Police.”

“Oh, has something happened?” the woman, Max’s mother, asked from where she’s standing, her arms around Max’s shoulders. Jim launched into the same story that he told the other parents, but kept it more professional since he hadn’t actually met these people before. They didn’t know him. And besides, he needed to make it clear that he was here in an official capacity, for the next part.

“Say, Mr. Hargrove,” Jim said after the woman has thanked him and taken her daughter into the house, “your son, William … Is he home?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” Jim said, “apparently he got into a fight with a classmate tonight.” Keeping his words intentionally neutral, he tried to gauge the man’s reactions. Was he the kind of man who would listen, or the kind of man who would jump to his kid’s defense without listening to facts?

Thankfully, it seemed to be the first one. Hargrove Senior took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. “What happened?” He sounded like a man who has gone through the same thing several times already, and Jim felt a sting of sympathy. Being a parent wasn’t always an easy job, that’s for sure.

“Well, I wasn’t there for it myself, but from what they’ve told me, William got aggressive and when he was told to leave, he forced his way into the house. Attacked one of the kids first –“ He shook his head and held up a hand in a calming gesture as Mr. Hargrove opened his mouth to speak, “– the boy wasn’t hurt, don’t worry, just frightened. But your son’s classmate – who was there to babysit them while Mrs. Byers took her son to the hospital – intervened, and … Well. William beat him. Badly.”

He made sure not to mention the syringe, and didn’t mention the drugging. Hoping against hope that the kid hadn’t already told his family about that part.

“The other boy,” Mr. Hargrove said. “How is he?”

“Steve Harrington. Well, he didn’t want to go to the hospital, but he probably should have. They tell me he was actually unconscious for some time.”

“Harrington?” The man frowned, and Jim could understand his concern. Even someone new in town would have heard about the Harringtons.

“Listen,” Jim said. “I don’t know if Steve will want to press charges, but I would like to talk to your son for a bit. Is he awake?”

Mr. Hargrove worked his jaw, but gave a sharp nod. He didn’t invite Jim in, but left the door open while he went back into the house and opened the first door on the right. Jim heard low voices and some scuffling, before Mr. Hargrove emerged, holding a young man by the scruff of his neck. With the boy’s head downturned and his face hidden behind tousled hair, and the way his clothes were rumpled, Jim guessed that he’d been yanked out of bed. Mr. Hargrove brought his son before him and gave his shoulder a little shake.

“William Hargrove?” Jim said, just for confirmation, and prepared to launch into a stern but shortened lecture when the boy looked up at him with wide eyes and gave a single nod.

Or, well. One eye was wide open, at least. The other one was almost entirely swollen shut, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. Out of the things Jim could see, the kid had – besides the damaged eye – a split in his very swollen lower lip, bruises on his jaw and cheekbone, and a split in one of his eyebrows, which still looked fresh. Must have re-opened when his dad pulled him out of bed.

In short; the kid looked like shit. Equally as messed-up as Harrington, if not more. Jim felt a stab of irritation; he wished someone would have mentioned that fact before he showed up at the Hargrove house, instead of making it sound as if the kid had whaled on Harrington without Harrington getting a single hit in. That had obviously not been the case; Harrington had given as good as he got. Jim just wished he’d been better prepared for it.

But he was nothing if not adaptable, so he gave a grim little smile. “Looks like you’ve had an eventful night too, kid.”

(Read the rest on AO3)

#jim hopper #billy hargrove #steve harrington #harringrove flip reverse it #stranger things #flip reverse it 2024 #ihni writes #versions

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anteroom-of-death · 2 months ago

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Spin in the City, a prolog.

Summary: What happens when the Queen of PR meets the (former) King of Spin?

a/n: I live for me and my brain only. Welcome to it. Yay. Idk. Multipart series. Yay.

Samantha Jones never found herself afraid of rebranding. Of course not. She’d done it at least a few dozen times over the years, companies and celebrities constantly needed a good reworking. Times and tastes changed constantly. To think you couldn’t update your looks and manifestos and statements? Insane.

Although, never for herself.

Alas, here she stood in her new flat in Mayfair, her mother’s home neighborhood, sixty-fucking-three, and fabulous.

And utterly alone.

Carrie shafted her and the rest of her so-called friends followed suit. Even sweet Charlotte had no chance but to fall in line. No amount of calls from Rock begging her on how to come out or apologetic emails from Charlotte could mend the wounds in her heart.

Decades, damn near most of her life, was spent being loyal and holding these women’s best interests against her better judgment. And this is how they all betrayed her? She was their “yes” man and constantly their shoulder to cry on and place to fall after they’d mangled themselves up over another man or some other poor choice.

She thanked whatever deity was out there that an old friend from her master’s program at the University of Westminster reaching out for a nostalgia-fueled chat on Instagram. After a few months, they decided to merge their firms and she would relocate to London.

Her heart felt as cavernous and echoing as the space she had to call her home now.

Well, fuck them!

She had to restart. Rebrand. A new Samantha Jones in the old world…

****

She knew spin better than anyone. Or she thought she did. She also didn’t know if this was some joke.

She’d posted the advertisement for a press secretary only an hour ago.

The email from the recruitment service let off a ping in her inbox.

Some man named Malcolm Tucker was simply falling over that a an opportunity. Why did that name sound hauntingly familiar?

Famous even…

She googled.

Instant regret, yet instant curiosity.

Why would a man branded by every news organization as violent and heinous to the point of jail time for his practices of leaking and corruption be so eagerly awaiting a simple press secretary job? Especially someone at his age?

She looked over his CV. Such a jolt from journalist to low-ranking civil servant to the Director of Communications for the entire fucking British government….

The address was a cute little cottage near the waters in rural Scotland.

What was his plan? And why was she suddenly very keen to hear them? Or at least see him with her own to eyes…

Was the Chief Medical Officer of Spin doing some scheme?

What was he spinning?

She had to have him in her office as soon as possible.

It was sexy, if she thought about it. Someone as high-ranking once as he, scrounging around for the first little job in his field. Disgraced and having to start as far as he was willing to go in dignity to restart. Very sexy. No one, no allies in government, especially these days, no use to use anyone in the journalism world either. All he had left was to crawl into corporate PR and hope for some power to come to him once more.

And here he was, practically on bended knee lapping up the chance to contact to her.

Poor little man.

She almost felt pity for him as she scrolled through the Wikipedia page for the Goolding Inquiry and the subsequent trial of one Mr. Tucker.

She clicked the link to his meager Wikipedia page. It seemed he was a punk rocker in his teens too. The band had only one other famous (or infamous in Malcolm’s case…) was that one late-night talk show host. She’d sent a few clients she represented onto his show a few times in the past. Smith even went on twice!

One sentence caught her eye, ‘after his release, Tucker slipped out of the public eye and his whereabouts remain unknown.’

Unknown until now.

Perhaps, he was just spinning out of control…

Sufficiently intrigued, she arranged the interview.

#personal #i wrote this #ttoi #satc #malcolm tucker #samantha jones #samantha jones x malcolm tucker #malcolm tucker x samantha jones #kim cattrall #peter capaldi #cross over #yipeee #idk man #i just write

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year ago

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

SEP 22, 2023

The Senate has confirmed three top defense leaders. Last night it confirmed Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr. to replace Army General Mark A. Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he retires at the end of the month. Today, it confirmed General Randy A. George as Army chief of staff and General Eric M. Smith as Marine Corps commandant.

The Senate filled the positions at the top of our military by working around the hold extremist senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has put on more than 300 military promotions, allegedly because he objects to the government’s policy of providing leave and travel allowance for service members who have to travel to obtain abortions.

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post focused on the House Republicans today, though, when she wrote: “The GOP completely gone off its rocker—incapable of passing House spending, ranting and raving at AG, cooking up ludicrous and baseless impeachment, unable to greet Zelensky with joint session. This is not normal. This is egregious. You'd think the reporting would reflect it.”

Indeed, the House Republicans remain unable even to agree to talk about funding the government, let alone actually passing the appropriations bills Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) agreed to four months ago. Today, right-wing extremists in the House blocked a procedural vote over a Pentagon funding bill, keeping what is normally an easily passed bipartisan bill from even reaching the floor for debate. McCarthy acknowledged to reporters that he is frustrated. “This is a whole new concept of individuals who just want to burn the whole place down. It doesn’t work.”

The extremists do indeed appear unconcerned about the effects of their refusal to fund the government, and since they have the five or six votes they need to sink the measures McCarthy wants to pass with only Republican votes, this handful of representatives are the ones deciding whether the government will shut down.

McCarthy could pass clean funding bills through the House whenever he wishes, but he refuses. To do so would mean working with Democrats, and that would spark a vote to throw him out of the speakership. And so, rather than keep the members in Washington, D.C., to work on the appropriations bills over the weekend, McCarthy recognized he did not have the votes he needs and sent them home.

The extremists are bolstered by former president Donald Trump, who posted on his social media platform today that the Republicans in Congress “can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Government…. This is also the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots. They failed on the debt limit, but they must not fail now. Use the power of the purse and defend the Country!”

Experts say shutting down the government would not, in fact, end the former president’s legal troubles, but he is actually doing more than that here: he is trying to assert dominance over the country. As Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) said: “Let’s be clear about what the former president is saying here. House Republicans should shut down the government unless the prosecutions against him are shut down. He would deny paychecks to millions of working families & devastate the US economy, all in the service of himself.”

Extremist leader Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) responded to Trump’s statement with his own: “Trump Opposes the Continuing Resolution” to fund the government,” he wrote. “Hold the line.” Ron Filipkowski of MeidasTouch noted: “House Republicans refuse to fund the government to protect Donald Trump.”

Trump’s accusation that President Biden is weaponizing the Justice Department against him and others who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election is the opposite of what has really happened. Not only has Biden stayed scrupulously out of the Justice Department’s business—leaving in place the Trump-appointed leader of the investigation into Biden’s son Hunter, for example—but also we received more proof yesterday that it was Trump, not Biden, who weaponized the Justice Department against his enemies.

Nora Dennehy, who abruptly resigned from former special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, explained in her confirmation hearing to Connecticut’s state supreme court yesterday that she quit because Trump’s Department of Justice was tainted by politics. Before joining the probe, she said, “I had been taught and spent my entire career at [the] Department of Justice conducting any investigation in an objective and apolitical manner.”

But Trump and his loyalists expected Durham’s investigation to prove that there was a “deep state” conspiracy against him, and then–attorney general William Barr seemed to be working to support that fantasy, even though there was no evidence of it (as shown by the fact the investigation ultimately fizzled). Barr was, she thought, violating DOJ guidelines in his public comments about the investigation and in his consideration of releasing an interim report before the 2020 election.

“I simply couldn’t be part of it,” Dannehy said. “So I resigned.”

The resistance of the extremists to McCarthy’s leadership is spilling over into foreign affairs as well. Today, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington, D.C., where he met with President Biden at the White House and with leaders at the Pentagon, and spoke to a closed-door session for the Senate. But he did not speak to the House of Representatives. While McCarthy met with him privately, the speaker maintained that “we just didn’t have time” for him to address the House.

As part of their demands, House extremists want to cut funding for Ukraine’s defense. This would, of course, work to strengthen Russian president Vladimir Putin’s hand in his war against Ukraine. Earlier this month, former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan told MSNBC that it is “absolutely essential” to Putin that Trump win back the White House in 2024. “I think it is Putin's main lifeline in order to find some way to salvage what has been a debacle in Ukraine for him," Brennan said. "If Trump is able to return to the White House...Putin could have a like-minded individual that he can work with, detrimental to U.S. interests certainly and detrimental to Western interests overall.” The intelligence community assesses that Putin worked to help Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, and is pushing pro-Russia and anti-Ukraine propaganda now.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III assured Zelensky that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine and work with allies and partners to make sure it has the weapons it needs. Lara Seligman of Politico reported today that the Pentagon will continue to fund Ukraine operations even if there is a government shutdown. Military activities deemed crucial to national security can be exempted from being shuttered during a government shutdown.

And finally, 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch announced today that he will be stepping down as chair of his media empire, including both Fox Corporation, which includes the Fox News Channel (FNC), and News Corporation, which owns the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, among other newspapers. In 1996 the Australian-born mogul launched the Fox News Channel with media specialist Roger Ailes, who had packaged Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon in 1968 by presenting him to audiences in highly scripted television appearances.

The Fox News Channel initially presented news from a conservative viewpoint, but over time its opinion shows, delivered as if they were news, came to dominate the channel. Those shows presented a simple narrative in which Americans—overwhelmingly white and rural—wanted the government to leave them alone but “socialists” who wanted social welfare programs demanded their tax dollars. Isolated in the fantasy world of FNC, its viewers became such fanatic adherents to right-wing politics that FNC wholeheartedly trumpeted Trump’s Big Lie after he lost the 2020 presidential election because viewers turned away from FNC when some of its personalities acknowledged that Biden had won..

Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, said today that “Murdoch created a uniquely destructive force in American democracy and public life, one that ushered in an era of division where racist and post-truth politics thrive.” Margaret Sullivan, formerly the Washington Post’s media critic, wrote in The Guardian that FNC was “a shameless propaganda outfit, reaping massive profits even as it attacked core democratic values such as tolerance, truth and fair elections.” Murdoch, she wrote, wreaked “untold havoc on American democracy.”

Murdoch sees it differently. In his resignation letter, he attacked “bureaucracies” who wanted to “silence those who would question their provenance and purpose” and “elites” who “have open contempt for those who are not members of their rarefied class.” “Most of the media is in cahoots with those elites, peddling political narratives rather than pursuing the truth,” he wrote.

Forbes estimates that their media empire has enabled Murdoch and his family to amass a fortune of more than $17 billion.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #political #Media Matters #corrupt GOP #anti-democratic GOP #Big Lie #government shutdown

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sunburnacoustic · 7 days ago

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Muse wow Wembley

18 June 2007 - Emily Wood for BBC Devon

Teignmouth indie band Muse played to a sell-out audience at the new Wembley Stadium on 16 June 2007 - and as our reviewer Emily Wood reports, they put on a spectacular show.

Muse put on a spectacular show

Arms aloft, listening to rocking guitars, with ticker tape falling and a statue of Bobby Moore outside, you can only be in one place - watching Devon band Muse in Wembley Stadium.

With the hype leading up to the occasion - Muse being the first band to sell out the new Wembley - I was a bit worried about being let down by the show, but both the band and the venue easily exceeded all expectations.

Entering the stadium by appearing on a podium in the middle of the crowd to fireworks, glitter, smoke and classical music, the Teignmouth trio left you with no doubt that they were there to put on a show of immense proportions. And they did.

With giant screens behind and to the side of the stage, showing pre-recorded videos and shots of the band; lights fitted in see-through satellites dishes; balls that changed colour in the seats behind the stage; sometimes you didn't know where to look.

But above all that was the music. The performance was spectacular but also had substance, thanks to the impressive back catalogue of songs that Muse have to choose from.

Starting off with the epic Knights of Cydonia, the last track from their latest album, they then played other recent hits including Supermassive Black Hole, before going back to the first song from their first album, Sunburn.

Other huge tracks followed, such as Plug In Baby and Newborn, proving that Muse aren't just a show band, they write high-quality songs as well.

Storm clouds over Wembley for the Muse gig

That being said, lead singer Matt Bellamy is undoubtedly a showman, ably supported by bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard.

Together they put on a performance that not only confirmed their title of one of the best live British bands of the moment, but it will also have to be one of my top three gigs of all time!

-------------------------------------

Muse kick off at new Wembley

By Laura Joint, BBC Devon

Devon trio Muse are to play the most prestigious shows of their careers, when they appear at the new Wembley Stadium in the summer of 2007.

Muse at Wembley (Action Images Ltd)

Devon rockers Muse have been booked to play two concerts at the new Wembley Stadium in June 2007.

Muse were initially penciled in for one show on at Wembley on Saturday, 16 June, but it sold out so quickly that they are to play a second gig on Sunday 17 June.

They will play in front of around 70,000 fans.

The Teignmouth indie band are widely acclaimed as the most exciting live act around at the moment - they were named Best Live Act at the 2006 Vodaphone Live Music Awards.

They have also been a big hit at major festivals, including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds.

And, amid their hectic schedule, they also made time to play for their South West fans, at a sell-out gig at the Eden Sessions in Cornwall in August.

The announcement caps a hugely successful year for the trio - Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard.

Their album, Black Holes and Revelations, went straight to number one when it was released in July 2006.

Robbie Williams and the Rolling Stones were each due to stage a series of concerts at the new Wembley, but the gigs had to be cancelled because the stadium wasn't ready.

The venue is costing some £757 million to build, but has been dogged with problems and delays.

Wembley Stadium's chief executive, Michael Cunnah, said: "Wembley Stadium is a world class music and sporting venue and we are thrilled that top British rock band Muse is going to be one of the first music acts to play here next June."

George Michael is set to be the first musical act to perform at Wembley - he has two shows on 9 and 10 June.

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nikkeisimmer · 7 months ago

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Retirement in Hidden Springs

Admiral Toshio "Animal" Nakamura has retired to Hidden Springs.

It was hard for Animal to not be jolted up at 0500hrs. Donning a pair of shorts, he put on his jogging shoes and headed out.

Jogging past the town center, he proceeded down Main Street and headed up towards the military base intending to do a loop around the area in front of the main gate. While he was in the military, he wasn't a big fan of jogging, but now that he was out, the much maligned exercise took on greater meaning and it was his connection with staying in shape as he was when he was in the Navy.

As he rounded the road in front of the military base's main gate, he noted the flag he'd served under for forty years. He came to a stop, a wave of emotion filling him. Squaring his shoulders he came to the position of attention and gave the flag a salute, just barely recognizing that he was uncovered - he hadn't worn a hat on his morning jog.

Holding the salute for a long moment in deference to the Stars and Bars; the grand old flag, he thought to himself,

Hopefully the military can forgive an old admiral for not having a cover while paying his respects.

Bringing his right hand crisply down to his side, he executed a military about-face striding away from the flag as he caught the eyes of the sentries standing guard by the main gate.

“Good morning, sir!” the lead one called out to him.

“Good morning, Sergeant.” Animal said crisply as he noted the man’s three stripes on the front of his ACUs. There was no rocker so he wasn’t a Staff Sergeant.

“Morning run, sir?”

“That’s affirmative, Sergeant.”

“Well, you have a good one, sir…”

As Animal headed away back down the road, he heard the Sergeant say to his sentry-mate. “That...Private, was the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the Defense Department.” Animal smiled to himself as his feet kept pounding pavement.

#sims 3 #ts3 #sims 3 gameplay #sims 3 storytelling #Admiral Toshio “Animal” Nakamura #JAGSims #Sims 3 - JAG

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shannondiazs · 2 months ago

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#starting a conspiracy theory that the chiefs are losing because lou hasn't posted a new rocker picture

this made me laugh so hard omg

i'm not laughing, i'm about to kill myself or someone else fjakxjjajxjzncmn lou, post something so my team can win lmao

#//hayden #//asks #//football

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lgbtqmanga · 2 hours ago

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New Releases Dec. 10, 2024

At 25:00 in Akasaka (manga) vol. 2 by Hiroko Natsuno

The hit homosexual drama Hiru no Yume is back, and this time on the big screen. Asami Hayama and Yuki Shirasaki are, of course, returning to their leading roles. Their on-screen love affair was the talk of the season last winter. However, most people don’t know Hayama and Shirasaki are following their characters’ example off-screen. This is a problem on set when a new cast member, Yamase, gives Shirasaki attention that stirs Hayama’s jealousy.

Be My Worst Nightmare! (manga) vol. 1 by Michelle

Sayo Hoshikawa, a high schooler who’s insecure about his height, witnesses his unrequited crush getting rejected by a tall and handsome boy named Mashiba. Sayo challenges Mashiba to contest after contest, but he can’t win a single time. Nothing gets under his skin more than when Mashiba calls him cute! But then, he starts having strange dreams about a certain someone embracing him—and soon enough, the dreams devolve into something even deeper…!

The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish: Canji Baojun De Zhangxin Yu Chong (novel) vol. 3 by Xue Shan Fei Hu

When Prince Jing is sent to quell the disturbance at the western border, there’s no question that Li Yu will accompany him—as his boyfriend and as his pet fish! Li Yu’s mission is to help Prince Jing secure his position as heir to the throne. However, the new couple is in for a surprise when Li Yu makes a much bigger splash in the imperial line of succession: even male fish can lay eggs now! With four bouncing baby fish in tow, Li Yu and Prince Jing must work extra hard to dam the trouble brewing at the border. Despite the challenges, Prince Jing is determined to make Li Yu his official consort. Will the emperor approve of this unusual union? And how will Li Yu and Prince Jing protect their new family from the treacherous machinations of the imperial court?

I Can't Say No to the Lonely Girl (manga) vol. 5 by Kashikaze

Ayaka is the ideal overachieving student, but nerves threaten to derail her academic dreams. Sora offers hands-on guidance to manage performance anxiety and proposes a drastic punishment for failing the upcoming exams. “You won’t be allowed to touch me for a month.” Can Ayaka handle the pressure? Self-restraint is going to be a struggle, but it’ll make the reward all the sweeter.

Killing Stalking: Deluxe Edition (manhwa) vol. 8 by Koogi

Seungbae has hit rock bottom—but things get a lot worse when he receives a phone call informing him of Chief Kwak’s suicide. Seungbae isn’t convinced that Kwak killed himself, though. In fact, he’s pretty sure he knows who did kill Kwak. Fueled by anger and grief, Seungbae sets out to put Sangwoo behind bars once and for all.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (manga) vol. 6 by Piero Karasu with art by Yuri Kisaragi

Algard Von Palettia, the prince of the kingdom of Palettia, is Anisphia’s brother and the sole inheritor to the throne. But in a kingdom where royalty and nobility is determined by one’s aptitude with magic, Algard has grown disillusioned—with his sister, with magic, and with the world. The two siblings shall finally clash in a battle over their hope and despair for the future!

The Metalhead Next Door (manga) by Mamita

Impoverished graduate student Kento nearly freezes to death outside his new cheap (unheated) apartment during a blizzard. Luckily, he’s saved by neighbor Soushi, a quiet and somewhat frightening young man who dresses in all black. Although he exudes an aura that screams “keep away,” his eyes, hidden behind long rocker hair, plead for something else. Over the following year, the two share meals together, but as the time passes, the closeted Kento finds it increasingly difficult to ignore his growing feelings. Will he choose to maintain the peaceful, happy times he’s grown to love or risk it all for the possibility of something more?

Minato’s Laundromat (manga) vol. 4 by Yuzu Tsubaki with art by Sawa Kanzume

Akira Minato has maintained a friendship with high schooler Shin, avoiding reciprocating the boy’s passionate advances toward him. But one day, Akira unintentionally breaks a promise he made to Shin, hurting him deeply. Shin then stops visiting the laundromat, upsetting Akira. How will their relationship ever recover!?

My First Love’s Kiss (novel) vol. 2 by Hitoma Iruma

Ever since Umi Mizuike suddenly became her roommate, Takasora Hoshi can’t get her out of her head. Umi is quiet, beautiful, and probably Takasora’s first love. Unfortunately, Umi is already in a relationship of sorts, with an adult woman who pays her—and before Takasora can even process this, the woman invites her out to a hotel for a “girls’ night,” too. Could this get any worse?

No Love Zone (manhwa) vol. 2 by Danbi

After giving Jihyuk an earful, Eunkyum is hopeful things will start going his way. Unfortunately, it’s not long before his hopes are dashed. First, Manager Park tries to blame Eunkyum for a mistake that definitely wasn’t his fault. Then, he’s forced to take a very drunk Jihyuk home after a company dinner. Will things finally go his way once he gets Jihyuk in bed, or are they about to go wrong in the worst (best) possible way?

The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga) vol. 5 by Yatsuki Wakatsu with art by Kazuki Irodori and Kikka Ohashi

Tasked with investigating the church, this intrepid bean counter must somehow survive not just the potential political intrigue going on behind the scenes, but also the very air around him! Since magic itself is toxic to Kondou, stepping into a place so inundated could be considered a death sentence…! What’s worse, his dashing knight captain, Aresh, gets called away to deal with a dangerous magical beast…

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn (manga) vol. 19 by Masamune Shirow with art by Rikudou Koushi

It’s an all-out war across the island of Cenancle. Takumi’s been unknowingly infected with the Bydo virus, Labrys—Poseidon’s senior executive—has joined the fight herself, and Robert Altman is back in action! And amongst all the flying bullets and exploding gertsecommas is a freelance reporter desperately trying to get three very important girls to safety.

Play Me Softly (manga) by Kakeru Tsukino

Aihara, a straitlaced office worker who plays in a concert band on the side, is having a hard time moving on from his first love. But one day, Hayama, the very classmate who’d first stolen Aihara’s heart in high school, joins the band. Reunited with an old flame, Aihara’s feelings are sure to be rekindled, especially when they share a passionate kiss. After Hayama pins him to the ground, Aihara won’t be able to resist the aches of his heart—and his body! Two men share a sweet refrain from their youth in this dramatic reunion romance!

Rainbows After Storms (manga) vol. 1 by Ruka Kobachi

Nanoha and Chidori are best friends who attend the same all-girls high school—and also share a heart-pounding secret: they’re lovers. Through sunny days and tumultuous storms, they’re always ready for new adventures together. For Nanoha and Chidori, best friends turned lovers, normal situations for close friends turn into electrifying moments through the lens of love. Between sharing furtive looks and promise bracelets, the pair spend their hectic school days flirting in secret and hiding their relationship from their friends.

Revenge Agent Hizumi-san (manga) by Miyako

Masaichi Hizumi is a revenge agent, professionally dishing out just deserts to anyone who may have incurred the wrath of his clients. His latest target? Mikoto Kuga, an elite salaryman, narcissist, and way-more-than-two-timing cheater. Hizumi’s task is to teach this piece of trash a lesson—by thoroughly humiliating him, body and spirit! Whether he’s ready for it, Kuga is about to get his comeuppance, served with a smile by Hizumi!

Sweet Room Escape (manga) vol. 1 by Owarl

Globetrotting businessman Haruto has achieved the optimal formula for work-life balance—work hard and party harder off-hours. With a hookup in each city, Haruto thinks he has it made. But en route to France, the hotshot meets his match in the genteel, winsome Albrecht. From an invitation to drinks to the best sex ever in a luxury suite, it’s as if fate itself brought them together! But now Haruto can’t seem to escape that heavenly night and resume his carefully crafted no-strings-attached game plan…especially when Albrecht seems to be plotting to capture Haruto’s heart!

Worst Soulmate Ever (manga) by Haruta

Impatient 29-year old omega Shishikura has watched all his friends get married while his own romances keep fizzling out. Determined to find someone compatible, he turns to a matchmaking service. But while waiting for his perfect soulmate to be found, he goes into heat at the worst possible moment—alone with Kotani, a new coworker who is nursing a longtime grudge against Shishikura! After spending a desperate steamy night together, there’s no doubt that the two are physically compatible, but do they even like each other?

#new releases #lgbt manga #queer manga #manhwa #manga #novels

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tarohonii · 2 years ago

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꒰Eleceed Characters At A House Party‧₊˚✧

↷Base: Fruit Tea ↷Flavor: Sucheon, Jisuk, Jiwoo, Curtin, Kayden, Wooin, Vator, Dark, Gangseok, Duke, Asher ↷Allergies (Warnings): drug usage, alcohol, overdrinking/blacking out

┊Jisuk:

Hosting the party. The one who initiates all the drinking games and gets the overall vibe going. Screams along to chief keef songs and nothing else. Probably has fought somebody by the end of the night and trashes the house more than anybody else even though...he's hosting it.

Takes care of a few select people throughout the night with the upmost care even though he's off his rocker. Fetches them water, doordashes them food, gets them home safe or offers to let them sleepover. But everyone else can go fuck themselves, to be honest. Not his problem if they live or die.

┊Subin

Probably the center of the party, whether it be games or dancing. Her specialty is drinking competitions with Jisuk, which is essentially the highlight of the night. Emotionally connecting with every person in the party by ugly sobbing with them about their destructive families and then also instantly dancing with them seconds after.

┊Gangseok:

hotboxing one of the bedrooms. a very calm smoker, so probably started a "talk about our feelings circle" honestly very quiet and peaceful down there.

┊Wooin

in the smoking circle and the only one who brings snacks to the party (and edibles lol). Gets the munchies and makes the most vilest snack combinations and claims they test amazing. Starts crying once they start playing frank ocean at the end of the party.

┊Sucheon

Was hiding in the basement but Gangseok turned it into a hotbox so he just decided to smoke with them and ended up getting absolutely greened tf out. Laying on his back in the basement and can't move or speak the entire night.

If he's drinking, he's passed out in the bathroom because he was coerced into playing a drinking game and lost

┊Jiwoo:

Nervously follows Jisuk and Subin around and tries to make sure they're staying hydrated. Tries to take care of Sucheon and Wooin too but he can barely breathe down in the basement. Eventually ends up getting drunk by accident because someone (Asher) spiked the minute maid

┊Gahin:

One of those destructive high maintenance lightweights. Keeps tripping over his own feet and has to have someone personally escort him to the bathroom to hold his hair while he throws up. Either ends up fighting someone or sobbing his eyes out on the couch.

┊Asher:

Brought half of the alchohol and extremely questionable substances. High out of his fucking mind and ALSO drank (WHICH IS A TERRIBLE IDEA) Makes the most vilest, black-out inducing concoctions known to man and then pays people to drink it.

One of those loud, annoying people when they get high. Wandered off halfway through and ends up in a bush somewhere and doesn't wake up until like two days later.

┊Duke:

Drinking bottles of smirnoffs like it's water and somehow not blacked out at all. Sitting in a chair in the living room with a thousand yard stare and completely unresponsive the entire night. Everybody's too scared to ask him if he's okay.

┊Ian:

Flirts with everybody shamelessly, manages to coerce the police to leave (while drunk) mostly mingles, but gets absolutely thrashed once the party hits it's peak.

┊Lia:

Completely out of her element. Standing in the corner and nursing what she's pretty sure is a cup of water. Plays with the pet or observes the paintings on the walls because literally has nothing better to do. Somewhere in the night does end up getting drunk by the help of Subin or Jisuk or something and does loosen up a little

┊Boyoung:

One of those really peppy, outgoing drunks so she's living it up. Giggling and gossiping with literally anyone and dancing with Subin. Also sleeps over but helps clean the next day!

┊Jaehyuk:

Brought the speakers so ends up being the DJ. Doesn't take requests, which would usually be annoying, but it's fine since he actually knows how to put music to a vibe

#eleceed #kang sucheon #yoo jisuk #lee subin #wooin #seo jiwoo #duke grane #gahin loutrain #asher brian #choi gangseok #to be honest

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starleska · 2 years ago

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okay i know some Mad Mod fans are divided on his ‘Blue Meanie’ look but i just want to talk about it for a sec because i think it’s so interesting for his character!!! so here, Mad Mod is his real, physical self, de-aged using youth stolen from Robin. he’s either capable of projecting imagery onto himself in the form of hologrammatic clothing, or this was a very quick costume change. either way, Mad Mod has consciously chosen to emulate the form of Venuz B. Meanie, the ‘Chief’ Blue Meanie and antagonist of Yellow Submarine, a fictional musical about The Beatles. the Blue Meanies are the bad guys because they hate all music and are just generally hateful people. now, isn’t it fascinating that Mad Mod, a clear Anglophile, aligns himself not with The Beatles - one of the most successful English bands of all time - but with the enemies of The Beatles? i wonder if this has anything to do with Mad Mod’s clear association with Mod culture, and the fact that The Beatles fell into neither the Mod or Rocker category despite being inspired by both; as Paul McCartney said, “Mockers, I like. I think they’re the best. No real preferences.”

of course this decision is externally made by the writers/artists paying a great homage to various facets of British culture, but i love the idea of trying to reconcile this within Mad Mod’s deeply weird relationship with British culture as a whole. consider Mad Mod as exactly that: an actual member of the ‘60s Mod subculture who has refused to let his identity go, and despises the blending and homogenisation of this subculture that came with the rise of The Beatles. perhaps Mad Mod - so obsessed with the ‘proper’ behaviour and etiquette and with a hatred of the American stylings common with Rockers - came to intensely dislike this facet of British culture, while struggling to reconcile it with his love for his country and everything from its music to its style. for a man like him, it must’ve been extraordinarily strange to see a band using parts of his subculture whilst not identifying with it wholly, and for them to become internationally famous. perhaps he enjoys The Beatles’ music, and their slick, Mod-styled fashion, but hates that they become a worldwide success and gave any credence to Rockers or any other subculture he deems ‘inappropriate’. i just find the idea of old man Mad Mod being so furious about this decades later that he either digitally creates his own Blue Meanie outfit just for his hologrammatic takeover of Jump City, or sews his own damn costume and practices a quick-change sequence despite his aching bones purely to make a point, hysterical. either way he’s deranged and i love it 🙈💖 [EDIT] as the lovely @exquisitebat has helpfully pointed out, this interpretation doesn’t align with the way Mad Mod presents himself throughout the whole show!! there’s a great moment during a chase sequence where he remodels Mount Rushmore to resemble both himself and The Beatles. with a character like Mad Mod, it’s a give-and-take of how far you want to take a character’s apparent ideals...i hardly think a man who appears to be wearing a reference to Angus Young’s school uniform in Revolution has wholly barred himself from non-Mod music and culture! this post is just fun speculation and headcanon, nothing more 😉

#curious to know what others think about this one 👀#mad mod #neil richards #teen titans #dc #dc animated universe #dcau #the beatles #yellow submarine #blue meanies #venuz b. meanie #chief blue meanie #starleskatalks #long post

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timotey · 1 year ago

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Holy smokes, Charn really has a screw loose, doesn't he? As in, when I say that he's unhinged, I mean that he's literally unhinged, not tickin' right, he's off his gosh darn rocker 👀 His mother's death, his own injury, the villagers' - or at least the chief's - betrayal destroyed his sanity, didn't it?

And Tinn realizes it, doesn't he? I mean, Tinn sat there, listening to Charn telling him about what happened to him and how he helped burn down the chief's office and actually murder people and he did that with a big grin on his face and that manic expression he gets and when he finished, Tinn just reached out and touched Charn so gently and spoke to him so softly whereas before, he would've raved about justice and whatnot. But I think that it really clicked that Charn is not totally sane. That Charn's kind and loving and he can be sweet and funny - but also cruel and merciless and vindictive and vicious and... he simply isn't sane. And Tinn still loves him.

You know who Charn reminds me of? WoH's Wen Ke Xing! The scene where Charn broke down, crying, and hugged Tinn from behind and Tinn stroke his face so gently reminded me of that scene where Wen Ke Xing passed out in Zhou Zi Shu's arms, saying "Sorry." Wow. And Film's acting is breathtaking. Wow, just wow!

#laws of attraction #film thanapat #thdrama #mé

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theriveroflight · 2 years ago

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hoping for a last-minute miracle

This year, I participated in @fyeahghosttrick's Ghost Swap! I wrote for @laughingmango, and used the following prompt: "Any sort of what-if with the detectives". Technically also sort of falls into the prompt with Cabanela/Jowd h/c, but this is (mostly) gen with hints of subtext.

Rating: T (very light cursing; death/violence)

Word Count: 8504 (whoa!)

Summary:

The evidence is getting filed away tomorrow. After tonight...no more second chances. The force is giving up on Alma, and they'll have to give up too.

(AU: Alma's death has been a cold case for the last five years. Cabanela and Jowd, in charge of the Special Investigations Unit together, have one more night to solve the case before the evidence is filed away and it sinks to the bottom of priorities along with every other cold case...)

Read on AO3

Tonight is the last night they have to get any more information on Alma’s case. Cabanela thumbs open the file again. A locked-room murder. There had been a gun hanging on the wall that had gone off, somehow. There were no fingerprints on the gun. The ballistics matched the gun perfectly.

Jowd said that it wasn’t usually loaded. If Alma needed to use it, she could load it herself.

“Cabanela?” Jowd asks, voice rumbling. “Do you think it’s hopeless?”

“I don’t know,” he answers. “It’s not that simple, baby. These cases…they might not even be connected.”

“When the first case happened with the rocker…I thought…” Jowd sighs. “I thought there might have been hope. That we could find some answers.”

“There’s still something I want to investigate,” Cabanela says. “There’s a meeting going down tonight with a man that we both thought was dead.” He grabs a different file and slides it over to Jowd. “I’ve already dispatched some of the force to keep an eye on it.”

“...the Chicken Kitchen?” Jowd asks, looking over the file. “Who’d you send?”

“Detective Memry was planted undercover. Rindge is supposed to keep an eye on things from the outside. Iiiiiiiii like to think it’ll go well.”

“Lynne said she couldn’t be here tonight.” Jowd frowns. “She took the night off. Said she was meeting someone.”

“And just wheeeeere did that meeting happen to be?”

“She never said.” Jowd looks back up. “I’m worried about her, Cabanela. You know she’s never been the best at controlling her impulses. I could blame that one on you.”

“Oh, come on, baby, you were the one that was gonna turn himself in for a murder he didn’t commit.” Cabanela leans back in his chair. “Youuuuu just might be the impulsive one.”

“Well, I never,” Jowd answers, a smile on his face. Cabanela smiles in return — at least he’s managed to get a smile on his partner’s face. They’ve been few and far between since the events of five years ago — Jowd’s dedicated himself to investigating Alma’s death with the rigor of a swordsman.

“Inspector Cabanela?”

It’s the chief on the radio. What could he want with them?

“Chief, what’s wrong?”

“Case at the junkyard,” he answers. “Want you to supervise them.”

“Who’s on the team?” Jowd asks.

“I’ll go, baby,” Cabanela says. He shuts off the radio. “Keep an eye on things at Point X for me, yeah?”

“I will.” Jowd looks at him in a softly familiar way.

Yomiel. The body is undoubtedly his, just as much as the coroner is undoubtedly a fake. Cabanela can tell just by looking. The way people act portrays just who they are — he mostly applies that to himself, but that applies to other people too.

“Inspector!” Both detectives salute him when he gets downstairs. The coroner just keeps working. Yet another sign that something is amiss.

“Evening, boooys,” he says, shooting them a disarming smile. “Hoooow’s it hangin’?”

The two look at each other, mildly disconcerted.

“Allow me to report, sir!” McCaw’s partner says. “We’ve brought a suspect into custody. She’s being held upstairs in the super’s office!”

“Good, gooooood,” Cabanela responds. “I’ll be right there. And just where is there?”

“Upstairs, sir,” McCaw answers. “Just past where you put your bike.”

“Thaaaaank you,” he answers. “I’ll just be heading on up there for an interview now. See you later, baby!” He prances back up the stairs and over towards the office. He’s been here before. Many a time, actually. Prof’s been a real help over these last few years. But nobody really knows about that.

But the person he sees when he gets up there surprises him.

“Lynne.” He looks at the patrolman keeping an eye on her. “Do me a soliiiiid, would you?”

The patrolman salutes. “Yessir!”

“Inspector Cabanela! I thought…I thought tonight was important.”

“Still got time to see you, baby,” he says. “Jowd’s on it. And you’re more important right now in this crisis.”

Lynne looks down. It pains him to see her distraught. She straightens up. “Wait. You said…crisis? Does that mean…I never even met that guy before tonight! I didn’t kill him!”

Hmm. So it sounds like Lynne doesn’t remember what Yomiel looks like, at least — it happened when she was young, at least, and the memory is probably hazy from how traumatic it must have been for her.

“Never? Then how’d you end up here, baby?”

“Well, uh, before tonight, that is…” Lynne raises a hand to the back of her neck sheepishly. “He reached out to me first, actually. He said that he had some important information about a case I’ve been working on.”

“Hmm…” Cabanela strokes his goatee. “Iiiii don’t believe your precinct assigned you to any big cases. Funny, isn’t it?”

“Huh?!” Lynne asks.

If he had to guess…she’s probably doing the same thing he and Jowd are. Trying to close a case that’s been open for far too long. Trying to heal Kamila’s heart.

Tonight is the last night. It only stands to reason that she’d be desperate.

“Don’t worry, baby. I don’t think you did it. I’m just tryna clear things up a little.” He smiles. It’s not as effective on her, since she knows him better, but it still works. “You’re not the type to shoot like that. And if anything ever happened to you…”

“Yeah,” Lynne says. “Yeah.” She swallows. “Inspector Cabanela…I have one question for you.”

“Go ahead, baby,” he says.

“Tonight is the night, right? That it…”

“I have noooo idea what you— Get down!” He shoves her out of the way as a bullet crashes through the window.

“Ngh.” What’s going on? Where is he? What…happened? “Lynne!”

“You’re awake,” a voice he doesn’t recognize says. “Great.”

“What’s…who am I?”

“You’re in the land of the dead,” the voice answers.

Cabanela — so that’s his name — opens his eyes.

“The…land of the dead?” he asks, right before he takes in who the voice belongs to. “You!”

“Huh?” the man who looks like Yomiel asks. Land of the dead…it would make sense. Yomiel is dead, after all. “I’m Sissel. And you’re Inspector Cabanela, I believe.”

“Thaaaaat’s right,” Cabanela answers. Sissel. That’s a name that pings some kind of recognition in him, but…he doesn’t know exactly where he’s heard it before. “So…I take it that I died, then?”

“You’re in the Ghost World,” ‘Sissel’ explains.

“I can’t be dead. Not tonight.”

“Someone told me that something very important was happening tonight,” Sissel continues. “If I had to guess, I’d say you were an important part of it. But…I can bring you back. Learn what happened to you.”

“Iiiiiii’m not sure who you think you are, but I don’t think anyone has that power,” Cabanela says.

“Let me show you, then,” Sissel says.

Cabanela’s death plays out in front of him — from the walk up the stairs to his conversation with Lynne.

“So that’s it, then?” Cabanela asks. “How are you gonna stop it?”

“That’s up to me,” Sissel answers. “I’ll do my best to stop whoever’s shooting you. I’ve already saved other lives before.”

“It’s in your hands now, baby. Nothin’ much I can do to stop it.” Cabanela leans back.

Sissel hums and gets to work. What that work is, Cabanela doesn’t quite understand at first. But then Sissel does…something to the van door and it opens.

A trick. Something that could happen in a locked room. Something that could happen…without a person there to witness it or to explain just what had happened.

Could this have happened to Alma?

Sissel drops some crates on top of the would-be assassin’s head. “And there we go.”

“Thank you,” Cabanela says. “You’ve helped more than you know.”

“Of course,” Sissel says. “Do you…know anything? About me?”

“Whyyyyyy do you ask?”

Sissel sighs. “Figured it was worth a shot, at least. It looks like you don’t have the answers I’m looking for, though. Let’s get back to the present now, shall we?”

Cabanela nods.

“It’s the night that her case gets filed away. Forever.” Lynne grips her arm and looks away. “Inspector Cabanela, I know you know what I’m talking about.”

“Well, Iiiiiii’m certainly not at liberty to tell you about it, baby,” Cabanela says. He needs to talk to Jowd as soon as possible — he needs to tell Jowd what he’s just learned. What the key is. “I gotta go now, baby. Get some sleep, would you?”

Lynne rolls her eyes. “You worry too much, Inspector.”

“I thiiiiiink in our line of work, it’s justified.” Cabanela turns towards the door. “I’ll just be going now. I’ll be sending that patrolman riiiiiiight back in, so don’t try to escape now, would you?”

“I won’t!” Lynne says.

Back to the precinct.

“Heeeyyyyy, Jowd,” Cabanela says. “Heard anything from Rindge?”

“I checked in with him,” Jowd responds. “He just arrived at the park. He’s keeping a lookout on things now.” His face twists. “At first when I called, someone else responded. He called himself…the guardian of the park?”

“Iiiiiiiinteresting,” Cabanela says. “They’ve got Lynne held up in the super’s office. They think she did it, baby.”

“Lynne?” Jowd asks. “Who…what was going on?”

“I don’t know,” Cabanela answers quietly. “The body…it was Yomiel.”

“Yomiel?” Jowd says suddenly. “No…there’s no way.”

“That’s what I thought,” Cabanela says. “Buuuuuut I have no idea who else it could be. It was…he was wearing the same suit still. Same hair. It’s like the past ten years never happened. Lynne didn’t remember him, though.”

Jowd frowns. “I can see why she doesn’t. It must have been difficult for her. But I could never forget what his face looked like.”

“Me neither.” Cabanela places a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “Iiiiii’m not sure what to do, but we’ll figure this out. I know it.” He smiles. “You and me, baby. Together we’re unstoppable.”

Jowd nods. “Indeed.”

“Iiiiiii’m gonna head down to the chief’s office now,” Cabanela says. “I think heeeee might know something about Lynne’s case.”

“Alright. If it’s really Yomiel, then…”

Cabanela nods. “Lotta things going down in this town tonight, baby. It’s up to us to unravel this.”

“And Alma…” Jowd sighs. “I hope we can put her to rest tonight.”

Cabanela takes a deep breath. “I hope so too.”

“This…with Yomiel…it can’t be a coincidence with what happened ten years ago. There’s just something we’re missing.” Jowd sighs. “I don’t know what the connection could be…or if there even is one. Maybe we’re just chasing ghosts.”

Ghosts. The man that had called himself Sissel.

Would Jowd even believe him?

“Speaking of, actually,” Cabanela says, “there’s juuuuuust one more thing I have to tell you. There’s another player out there tonight. He saved my life. And he looked just like Yomiel.”

“...how?” Jowd asks.

“Took out an assassin. Called himself…Sissel. Strangest thing was, I think he miiiiiight be a ghost.”

“A ghost.” Jowd crosses his arms. “I don’t want to say you’ve lost your touch, but…”

“I’m not quite sure either,” Cabanela admits. “Buuuuuuut I’m keeping it in mind. For when I find out.”

Jowd nods. “Alright.”

Cabanela wonders if Jowd picked up what he was trying to say. That it could have been…that it could have been what happened to Alma.

“The super sent us the security footage,” Chief says. Cabanela can hear the almost imperceptible sound of him rubbing his feet together under the desk and fights the urge not to wrinkle his nose in disgust. “I hate to say it, Inspector, but it looks like your protégé is in real trouble.”

“Just show it to me, would you?” Cabanela winks and takes a position to watch as the projector springs downwards. It shows the edge of the junkyard near the fence. He watches Yomiel as he stands in front of Lynne. Yomiel? Maybe it is Sissel. Maybe Yomiel got himself a copycat, ten years later.

The man in the red suit flops back against the fencepost as Lynne takes out her pistol. She fires two shots, looking for all the world like she’s struggling. The first hits the man’s box. The second hits the man. The man flops forwards to the ground as Lynne puts her gun back.

“That’s not where the body was found,” Cabanela points out. He grabs the remote and fast-forwards the footage.

Huh. A black cat in the box knocked down the body. Odd.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Inspector, but…this looks like a case for the Special Investigations Unit.” The chief frowns. “He looks an awful lot like that suspect from all those years ago.”

“You’re right.” Cabanela frowns. “Yomiel…I didn’t think I’d ever see that face again. But to think that maybe…”

“What are you thinking, Inspector?” the chief asks.

“Oh, don’t worry, Chief,” Cabanela says. “I’m sure it’ll be alright, as long as I’m on the case.”

“Still keeping an eye on Point X?”

“Of cooooooourse,” he answers. “I’ve got some officers I trust keeping a lookout on the scene. And Jowd’s got an eye on them, too.” He’d trust Jowd with his life.

“I always wondered…” The chief trails off, and then straightens himself back up a little bit. “I always wondered how you were always so sure that Jowd didn’t do it.”

“I trust him,” Cabanela answers. “If he says he didn’t do it, he didn’t do it. Plain and simple, baby. Just the way he’s always liked it.”

“I suppose that’s true.” The chief sighs. “Still, I have to wonder after all these years…he could’ve been letting the case grow cold for his own sake.”

Well, Cabanela knows that’s…true. At least a little bit true. Jowd’s not doing it for himself, though. He’s got his little girl at home to look after. Kamila…Cabanela hopes she’s safe at home, and not doing anything else besides reading her book and listening to her music.

“Jowd’s not like that. Trust me,” Cabanela says. “I wouldn’t have kept him so long as my partner if I didn’t.”

They have to stop this. It’s simple enough.

“Chief,” he continues, “I’m heading back to the scene of the murder. Lynne should still be there. I’ll take her back to the precinct. Didn’t get the chance earlier.”

The chief nods. “Alright, Inspector.”

Cabanela heads out and bikes back to the junkyard.

But when he gets back to the office, it’s…empty. Or at least the person he’s looking for isn’t here.

“Where’d Lynne go?” Cabanela asks the nearest patrolman.

“I don’t know!” he answers, putting his hands up. “You left, called me back in, and she was already gone!”

Ah.

Cabanela sits down at the super’s desk. “Heeeeeey, chief. I need a favor. Put out an APB on Lynne for me, wouldya?”

“Got a runner on our hands?”

“Indeeeeeed. Now, I don’t like what’s happened, but that doesn’t change that she’s pretty heavily involved in what’s gone down here. And since she ran, it means she has something she wants to hide from me.”

“I’ll do that right away, then,” the chief answers. “Thank you, Inspector.”

“Don’t thank me yet, baby. I’ve stiiiiiiiill got work to do.” Cabanela sets down the phone. And then it starts ringing again.

“Chief told me you were here,” Jowd says, his low timbre vibrating over the line. “I just thought I should inform you that they’ve found Lynne. She’s at Point X.”

“What? Why is she at Point X?” Cabanela demands.

“Dunno. Detective Rindge just informed me.” Jowd sighs. “Do you think that maybe she got in over her head? That she was the one who scheduled the meeting because she was looking for answers?”

“Could be anything,” Cabanela answers. “I’m not sure exactly what she’s been up to tonight. But she told me something iiiiiiiinteresting earlier.”

“What’d she say?”

“She said that tonight was the night that her case was being filed. And she asked me to tell her about Alma.”

“I…” Jowd trails off. “That’s concerning. But I don’t think Lynne has the resources to arrange that sort of meeting.”

“That’s true,” Cabanela admits. “She told me when I asked her that Yomiel had asked her to meet. I’m not sure she was exactly…looking before now. When the opportunity strikes, you’ve got to take it.”

“Like tonight, then?” Jowd asks. “Rindge was heading in, last I heard. He should be talking to Lynne.”

“Thaaaaanks.” Cabanela sighs. “Keep me updated, will you?”

“Of course,” Jowd answers. “I wouldn’t leave my partner in the dark.”

Cabanela heads down to the basement.

“Heeeeeey, Prof,” he says as he hops down the stairs. “Get a good look at that body yet?”

“We already knew it was Yomiel,” he answers. Lovey-Dove coos atop his head. “Can’t conduct a proper autopsy, though. Could run some other tests…”

“Why nooooot?”

“Take a look for yourself,” he answers. Cabanela approaches the table. The man attempts to make an incision. The incision instantly heals. “I suspect the healing factor is the Temsik shard lodged in him.”

“Faaaaascinating.” Cabanela looks over the body.

“It’s a corpse, to put it shortly — he’s not truly alive. Somehow or another…he’s inhabiting his own body.” Lovey-Dove coos, as if to punctuate that ominous remark.

“I learned earlier tonight that ghosts are real,” Cabanela says. “That could be it. I just still don’t understand how.”

“Hmm.” He runs a scanner over the body. “Same radiation as the park, though. You’ve got eyes on that?”

“Yeah,” Cabanela answers. “Rindge was put there for the stakeout. We’re fiiiiiiiiine. Everything’s under control.”

That’s when the phone rings.

“Cabanela? Are you there?” Jowd asks, sounding more panicked now.

“What’s wrong?” he demands.

“It’s Kamila.” Cabanela could swear that his heart stops beating for a moment. “They’ve kidnapped her.”

“What?!”

“The demand is my life,” Jowd says. “They want me to surrender myself for her.”

“No,” Cabanela says.

“I have two hours to respond before they kill her,” Jowd says. “I know you can take care of her. You’ve been helping me out for years. I know you can do this, Cabanela.”

“You said two hours, right?” Cabanela says. “I’m going to figure out how she was kidnapped and rescue her before it’s too late.”

“It’d take a miracle to pull that off,” Jowd says.

“And if anyone’s in the business of miracles, it’s me, baby,” he answers. “I’ll find Kamila. Mark my words.”

“Good luck,” Jowd answers.

Cabanela puts down the receiver. “I’m afraid I have other business to attend to, Prof. Catch you later!”

He just nods in response. Lovey-Dove nods alongside him.

Cabanela walks up the stairs and hops on his bike. Time to go. Where could the kidnappers have taken them?

Maybe he’ll start by checking in on Point X. Lynne’s probably left at this point, but Memry and Rindge will still be there.

Cabanela sits down at a booth in the Chicken Kitchen and rings the bell three times.

“Memry,” he remarks. “Sit down. Did anyone come in tonight that was suspicious?”

“Besides that other detective?” Memry remarks. “And I’m not supposed to sit.”

Cabanela waves his hand. “Don’t wooooooorry about losin’ your job. It’s not like you’re gonna be here after tonight, baby.”

Memry sighs. “Don’t remind me! I loved the extra pay. Both from here and from the boss. I was making so much moolah it was worth all the crap I get being a waitress.”

Cabanela raises an eyebrow. Then again, she is on the job while she’s here, so she should be getting paid as a detective and as a waitress. Not that waitressing pays well, but depending on the tips she’s getting…he supposes he could understand why she’d want to stay longer in her position.

“Actually, there were a couple people upstairs earlier,” she says. “I tried to plant a bug on them, but Rindge told me that it didn’t work and all he was getting was the chef, for whatever reason. Could’ve sworn I put it on the chicken I was getting to them, but…I guess I’ll never find out what was in that giant suitcase they had. Seemed pretty heavy, too. The guy was having trouble carrying it. I bet that woman he was with could’ve carried it no problem, though. She was pretty strong, if you catch my drift.”

Cabanela rolls his eyes. “And where did they go after that?”

“Not sure,” Memry answers. “But whoever they were waiting for didn’t show up.”

“Iiiiiiiinteresting,” he says. “What’d they look like?”

“The guy was wearing a hat, and he was always a little hunched over. The woman was taller than him, even without her heels. She had a really wild hairstyle, though. Blonde hair, all around her in a spiral. Kinda wish my hair were long enough to do that, but then again, I don’t want to have to deal with it when it gets that long.”

“Detective,” he says, “do you have aaaaaaany idea where they went?”

“Nope! I wish I could tell ya. They left on a motorcycle, I think. Rindge might have the plate number. I heard he was lonely in that park…”

“They might come back,” Cabanela says. “Stay here until the restaurant closes, yeah? After that, you can hang out with him aaaaaaaall you want.”

“Fine, fine.” She rolls her eyes. “Wouldn’t want to get written up tonight.”

Cabanela leaves the restaurant and rides over to the park.

“Stop the park from being turned into a housing site!” a young man says, waving around leaflets. “Protect Temsik, rock of the gods!”

Cabanela grabs a leaflet just to placate him, and then jaunts on towards where Rindge is looking out over the edge, in the direction of the Chicken Kitchen.

“Inspector Cabanela!” Rindge says, straightening up suddenly. “Sir!”

“Relaaaaaaax,” Cabanela says, leaning up against the railing. “I’m just here to ask you something, baby. Did you spot a couple carrying a large suitcase? Memry in there seems to think youuuuuu might have a plate number for me.”

“I saw them leaving on a motorcycle,” Rindge answers, as impassive as ever. “I couldn’t see the plate number, though. Too small. They were heading east, though.”

“Thaaaaaank you,” Cabanela responds. “East it is, then!”

East. What was in that direction? Where would make for a good hideout for a couple criminals?

Oh.

Jowd and Kamila had moved out of their old house a few months after Alma’s death due to the fact that Jowd hadn’t wanted Kamila to stick around there so long afterwards. The house had become derelict since, and known as something that only teenagers occasionally looked through for kicks, to see if the house was haunted. It’d make the perfect place for something like this.

Cabanela gets on his bike and rides over there. There are some candles lit in the front room. He sneaks his way in instead of announcing his presence just to find that there’s a man sleeping hunched over that matches Memry’s vague descriptions…and Amelie, the Justice Minister’s daughter. What is she doing here?

(At least it’s not Kamila.)

“Hello, Inspector.”

He nearly jumps out of his skin at the sound of that somewhat familiar voice.

“Sissel,” he manages to respond, “whaaaaaat are you doing here?”

“I was listening in on their conversation,” Sissel answers, raising one arm to shrug. “Couldn’t let the little lady stay kidnapped. Though I didn’t realize she was…”

“That’s not Kamila,” Cabanela says.

“I know that,” Sissel answers. “They got the wrong girl. She’s sick, though. I feel bad for her. Managed to get her free, but…not sure how to get her out. Get her out of here before the lady comes back, okay? I should go.”

Cabanela nods. “Alright. I’ll get her back to her family. I’m sure they’re worried about her. Sissel…”

“Do you need a favor from me?” he asks. “I’m already helping Lynne, so my plate is pretty full, but…”

“Make sure she gets through this night,” Cabanela says. “But I think you’re already doin’ that. So just keep on keeping on, yeah?”

Sissel smiles, the genuine happiness looking strange with the face he wears. “That won’t be a problem, Inspector.”

Cabanela snaps back into the real world and picks Amelie up.

The man straightens up. Cabanela freezes.

“Just my imagination…” He falls back asleep.

Amelie sniffles. Cabanela takes them both outside before setting her down.

“Heeeeeey,�� he says, kneeling down to meet her at her own level. “How are you doin’?”

She sniffles again, and then sneezes. “I wanna go home. You’re a police officer, right? Can you take me home?”

“Yeah, baby, yeah,” he says. “I can get you home.”

“Okay,” Amelie answers. She wipes her nose on her sleeve. “Mommy and Daddy both said that I shouldn’t go out, since I’m sick like this, but I had to get something for Daddy.” There’s a lighter hidden up the sleeve of her nightgown. “Tonight is his birthday, but Mommy forgot, since she’s trying to finish her book tonight.”

“I’ll make sure it gets to him,” Cabanela says. He grabs his bike and places her on the seat, and then grabs the handlebars, letting her grab onto him. He wheels the bike towards her house. “And you, too.”

“Stop right there.”

Cabanela reaches into his jacket for his gun. The woman has long blonde hair, falling around her in rings. Just like Memry described. She has a riding crop, too.

He grabs his badge first. “Inspector Cabanela, Special Investigations Unit. You’re under arrest for kidnapping.” He then reaches for his handcuffs.

“Hmph.” She strikes him. He flinches, puts down the kickstand so Amelie doesn’t fall, and advances on her, cuffing her to a nearby pole.

He flips the kickstand back up and keeps walking Amelie towards the street corner.

“Heyyy, Jowd, I got some gooooood news, baby.”

“Really?” Jowd asks, voice sounding rushed. “What is it?”

“Iiiiiii found her!” Cabanela answers. “Wasn’t Kamila that was kidnapped, though.”

“It wasn’t?”

“As far as Iiiiii know, Kamila’s still at Lynne’s place,” he says. “Say hi, Amelie.” He offers the receiver over to her.

“Um. Hi?” She coughs a couple times.

“Thaaaaanks.”

“Is that the justice minister’s daughter?” Jowd asks.

“That it is,” Cabanela answers. “I’ll be getting her home now, and then I’m headin’ over to Lynne’s apartment to check on Kamila.”

“Thank you,” Jowd answers, voice rumbling. “I’m…I’m not happy that someone else was kidnapped, but I’m glad Kamila’s safe.”

“That’s juuuuuuust fine,” Cabanela answers. “Understandable, even.”

He still remembers the pang of relief that he had felt when it hadn’t been Kamila in there. When he had seen Amelie, sniffling and sneezing instead.

“Then I suppose I’ve got to focus on the case,” Jowd says.

“We can focus on the case when I get back, baby,” Cabanela answers. “I’ll see you soon.”

Jowd hangs up. He’s always been a concise man — that’s one of the things that had made them fit so well together.

“Who was that? And who’s Kamila?” Amelie asks.

“Thaaaaat was my partner in the force,” Cabanela answers. “He’s Kamila’s father. And Kamila’s who we thought got kidnapped, not you.”

“Oh! So you two are her dads?” she asks.

Cabanela very nearly stops in his tracks. “Who, me? I’m noooooot her dad. Nosiree.”

“But you said that you were partners?”

“Detective partners, not like that,” Cabanela answers. “Which way was your house?”

“Ummmmmmm.” She deliberates on that for a little bit. “I think it’s that way?” She points to the west. Fair enough.

“We’re here!” Amelie lets go and hops off the bike. “Thanks, Inspector!” She waves as she walks into the house, sneezing one more time for good measure.

He hopes she’ll be okay. Can’t be easy to get kidnapped while sick.

He hops on his bike and rides back to the precinct. Time for him to touch base with Jowd.

That’s when the car hits him.

“Seems like you and Lynne are competing to see who can die the most tonight,” Yo—Sissel says. He doesn’t sound like Yomiel, at least — but the face being the same still throws Cabanela off when he’s not anticipating it.

“Is Lynne okay?” Cabanela asks.

“She’s fine,” Sissel answers. “But you’re not.”

“Iiiiiii got hit by a car,” Cabanela says. “What can you do to prevent that?”

“You’d be surprised,” Sissel answers. “Four minutes is a long time to change things.”

Cabanela just lets Sissel do his thing. As they watch…

Ah. Yomiel was driving the car that hit him. So it was probably intentional. Dammit.

“Who…is that?” Sissel asks. “And why does he have my face?”

Cabanela just sighs. “Iiiiiii’m not sure,” he answers.

“Let’s see what I can do,” Sissel says. “We might have to…get creative.”

“Well, a little creativity never hurt anything,” Cabanela answers, flashing a smile at Sissel. “You’ve gooooot this!”

“Thanks,” Sissel says, a little sheepish.

They start on the road, in front of where he died. Sissel takes him over on a leaf that drifts over, and eventually they manage to come down on top of the car. Yomiel has been…outside Jowd and Kamila’s house. What’s he waiting for?

And then the phone rings.

“Hello?” Yomiel snaps.

“Beauty’s gone! And the kid!” the man says on the other end of the line. That’s the man Cabanela had seen inside — the one that had been napping when he took Amelie back home. “Beauty was supposed to be back a while ago, ya see…”

Yomiel sighs, clearly annoyed. “I’m keeping an eye on the kid’s house. I haven’t seen her or her father all night. I don’t have time for your wild goose chases. You can live without your partner, can’t you?”

The man visibly shrinks. “Beauty’s my everything!”

“I’ll be coming to you,” Yomiel says. “I’m on my way now. You better not screw this up.”

Sissel jumps over to the car and triggers the lock.

Yomiel jiggles the door. “I don’t remember locking this…” He pulls out the keys.

“Looks like we didn’t buy ourselves that much time,” Cabanela says.

“No, but it’s still a little more time for you to get across that road safely,” Sissel says.

Yomiel finally gets the key and unlocks the car.

“Now what can we do?” Sissel asks.

“Do you…not know how a car works?” Cabanela asks.

“I barely remember what a car is!” Sissel responds.

“What?!”

“I’ve been trying to find my identity,” Sissel says. He looks over at Yomiel. “He probably has the key to all that. I don’t know why he’s just like me, but…that’s what I’ve been trying to do tonight.”

“A noble quest indeed!” Cabanela says.

“Do…you know anything?”

“I don’t think now’s the best time to talk about this,” he answers.

“After I save you,” Sissel says. “How do I operate this?” The gear shift.

“Not while the car is moving!” Cabanela says. “Are you crazy? You’re going to get him killed!”

Sissel attempts to move it. “It’s not moving anyway.” He looks around a little more, and swivels the mirror.

The world turns blue in front of them.

“Now then,” Yomiel says, focusing directly on Sissel, “I knew there was another ghost around town tonight, but…I didn’t think it’d be me of all people that was going around and stopping things from happening the way they’re supposed to. Not sure why you’ve got my face, but…things will still go down the way they’re meant to. However you’re trying to stop me…it won’t work. I will wipe out the last traces of Temsik before this night is over — and that will include you.”

Sissel sucks in a sharp breath.

The car speeds up. Cabanela, still alive, stops just before crossing the road instead of going.

The world turns red again.

“I don’t think that was how we were supposed to pull that off,” Sissel admits.

“Hey, I’m alive, aren’t I?” Cabanela asks. “I guess he’ll make it to his destination this time, baby. What’d you say last time? Go back to the new present?”

“Yes,” Sissel answers. “But…before I return you, I have to ask: did you know that man?”

“I did,” Cabanela answers. “He was shot earlier tonight. And I suspect his involvement in some other incidents. Especially after what I witnessed just now…”

“But me?”

“His name wasn’t Sissel,” Cabanela says. “Good luck figuring it out.”

Sissel looks down, but when Cabanela’s next aware, he’s back on his bike. He looks both ways before crossing this time, and makes it across without getting hit by any surprise cars.

“Kamila?” he asks. Missile barks when he walks in and runs around his feet.

She sets down her book. “Hey!” she answers. “Missile, could you please quiet down?”

Cabanela squats down and pets Missile.

“The neighbor said she’d try to knock the wall down if she heard Missile barking too much again,” Kamila says, sounding apologetic.

“You’re okay, right?”

“Of course I am!” she answers. “Tonight’s been…good, though I am a little sad that Lynne can’t hang out with me. She said that she’d be busy tonight.”

“And why’d she say that, baby?” Cabanela knows that if Lynne had really intended to stay out the entire night she would have probably told Kamila to stay home.

“I…don’t know, actually.” Kamila frowns. “Why are you here?”

“Your dad was worried about you. Iiiiiiii told him you were fine, but he wanted me to check up on you, juuuuuuust in case something bad happened.”

“Phone’s broken,” Kamila says casually. “I accidentally dropped the receiver earlier.”

“Huh.” Cabanela looks down at the phone. “Well then, Iiiiiii suppose we’ll have to find some other way to talk to your dad. I’ll go ask next door, yeah?”

“Okay,” Kamila says.

Cabanela hops over towards the apartment next door. “Hellooooooo,” he says when the door opens to him.

“And just what brings…a police officer to interrupt me on the holiest of nights?”

Great. It’s the Justice Minister’s wife. What was her name again…?

“My sinceeeeerest apologies, madame,” he says, bowing. “Iiiiiiii just need to borrow your phone for a moment. Could I?” He flashes his most charming smile at her.

“Well,” she says, “who am I to say no to a man like you?” She arches an eyebrow. “Phone’s over by the bed.”

“I’ll be quick, I promise,” he says. He saunters over the phone.

“Cabanela?” Jowd asks. “You were right about the ghosts.”

“That’s one hell of an opener, baby,” Cabanela says. “Buuuuuut I was going to tell you something first. Kamila’s just fine. I just checked up on her.”

“That’s good,” Jowd says. “But…you said a ghost might have caused Alma’s death. I just spoke to one earlier.”

“Greaaaaat,” Cabanela says. “You can tell me all about it later, baby. But I am currently borrowing this phone, so Iiiiiiiiii should probably be getting off.”

“That you should,” Jowd says, a tinge of warmth in his voice. “I’ll see you back at the station, Cabanela.”

He hangs up the phone.

“Thanks again,” he says, firing off a salute towards her. She’s too engrossed in her work to look up, pecking away at the keys one at a time. It strikes him as an awfully inefficient way to type, but then again, what does he know?

“You met Sissel?” Cabanela asks when he gets back to the station.

“Yes,” Jowd answers. “The only issue is…how can we prove it? How can we prove that it was a ghost?”

“I don’t know,” Cabanela answers. “I don’t have all the answers, baby. But whatever’s out there tonight is trying to get rid of everything Temsik.”

“Temsik, huh?” Jowd asks. “It’s always going to come back to that day.”

Cabanela puts a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “You’re not a bad person. I know it.”

Jowd frowns. “I could’ve killed him. I might have, even. I’m not like you.” He plucks a speck of dirt off Cabanela’s shoulder. “My coat’s not exactly clean.”

Cabanela rakes a judgemental gaze over Jowd’s coat. “Clean enough, I’d say. You’re standing beside me now, aren’t you?”

“Just because you kept insisting that I had to be here,” Jowd responds. “I’m just along for the ride.”

“I disagree,” Cabanela says. “I don’t want to be here without you.”

Jowd nods.

“Have you heard anything about Lynne?” Cabanela asks, shifting the subject away after a moment of awkward silence.

“No,” Jowd answers. “She hasn’t been seen since the Chicken Kitchen. We’re still looking, though.”

“Alright,” Cabanela says. “I think we need to prioritize Yomiel.”

“I agree,” Jowd says. “It has to be connected. Alma’s death, the meteor strike, Temsik….everything that happened tonight goes back to Temsik Park. The night’s wearing thin. Where would he go?”

“Maaaaaybe he’s trying to escape,” Cabanela says. “He’s working with the people that kidnapped Kamila.”

“And McCaw and his partner found someone crushed by the junkyard wrecking ball.” Jowd frowns. “It looks like he’s part of the same group that was at Point X earlier. Did we get any intel about them?”

“No,” Cabanela says. “I talked to Memry about them, and she said that they were the ones who kidnapped Kamila, buuuuuuuuut when she tried to plant a bug on them all she ended up with was the chef.”

“The…chef?” Jowd asks, confused. “What?”

“That’s what Rindge told me, at least,” Cabanela answers. “Iiiiiii’m not quite sure what went down.”

“I think I might have the answer to that.”

“Sissel,” Jowd says, offering him a warm smile. “It’s good to see you under better circumstances. Is someone dead?”

“Not right now,” Sissel answers. “It had to be the chef. The lady managed to figure out the bug. It caused that detective in green and Lynne to die.”

That…does not make sense at all.

“Could you please explain further?” Jowd asks.

“In the timeline where that undercover detective plants a bug on the chicken, one of them manages to figure out they’re being listened to, and when the bug got destroyed, the detective in green died,” Sissel explains, slower now. “I couldn’t save Lynne without saving him. But if it helps, I’m pretty sure they were waiting for the other man in red.”

“You saw him?” Jowd asks.

“I did,” Sissel says. “I’m…not sure what’s going on, but I have to talk to him again.”

“We’re trying to find him too,” Cabanela says. “He has answers for us relating to an incident we’re investigating.”

“Lynne told me a little about it,” Sissel admits, “but I didn’t get very much from her. A murder that happened five years ago, right?”

“Yes.” Jowd frowns.

“She said…it was something she wanted to do for you,” Sissel says, speaking directly to Jowd. “To repay you for what you did ten years ago.”

Jowd looks down. “Whatever she told you…I’m not as much of a hero as she thinks I am.”

“Sounded pretty heroic to me,” Sissel answers. “Lynne said you saved her life.”

“And I nearly killed someone else in the process.”

Cabanela frowns at that comment.

“Doesn’t matter if it didn’t happen,” Sissel says with a shrug. Cabanela flinches.

“That’s not how I see it.” Jowd’s face is impassive. He’s shut down. Cabanela’s seen that face enough to know it’s high time they shifted the subject of conversation to something else.

“Anything else you have to tell us, Sissel?” Cabanela asks.

Sissel hums. “I learned my name from some people on a submarine. They said they were looking for a man that looked like me, going by the name Sissel. And that I was supposed to give them information.”

Jowd looks over at Cabanela. “The docks?”

Cabanela nods. He could go and make his escape down there to that submarine…

“I’ll see if I can find my way down there too,” Sissel says.

“I’ll call the office there for you,” Jowd says. “That’ll make it easier.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s the least I can do for you after you saved our lives tonight.”

“Don’t thank me.” Sissel seems to relax, despite the words. “I’m just looking for answers, and you all seem to have them. As long as I still don’t know the mystery of me…I’ll keep going.” He snaps them back into the real world.

“I will neeeeever be used to that,” Cabanela admits.

“It’s easier if you can sense him,” Jowd admits. “He’s waiting in the pen holder.”

Cabanela raises an eyebrow. “And how do you know that, baby?”

“I can…sense him, in a manner of speaking,” Jowd admits. “Call it detective’s instinct.”

“Like you’d know much about instinct,” Cabanela responds, mostly on impulse.

“You were right,” Jowd says. “It never sat right with me to just trust that I was right about what happened five years ago. But you said…”

“‘...if you can’t trust your instincts, trust me,’” Cabanela fills in. “I remember.”

It had been five years ago when the payphone on the street corner of Cabanela’s usual route home rang.

He was curious enough to pick up.

“Cabanela?” Jowd had asked, sounding like he was about to cry. Cabanela hadn’t heard him sound like that since his wedding, and this hadn’t sounded like a happy occasion. “Please. I need you here.”

“Are you at home?” he had asked, swinging onto his bike.

“Yes,” Jowd had answered, and Cabanela rode off as fast as his bike could go. When he got to the house, the sight in front of him had been astonishing, to say the least.

Alma was dead. Shot in the chest. Clean. Hit the heart. Cabanela remembers thinking that at the very least she had died a quick death.

And above her, Kamila had been crying, with Jowd soothing her.

“It wasn’t supposed to do that!” Cabanela had heard.

“Report,” Cabanela had snapped, using the same tone as the chief, just to get them to snap out of it.

Jowd looked up. “Thank you.”

“What’s going on?” Cabanela grabbed a pair of gloves from his jacket. They weren’t crime scene forensic style, but they were good enough. The gun on the wall…

“It’s not loaded, but the ammo’s not hard to find if Alma ever needed it,” Jowd admitted softly. “I taught her to shoot.”

“Every gun needs someone to pull the trigger,” Cabanela had answered, and Jowd had flinched. “So who could’ve pulled this from up here?”

“It was me,” Jowd says. “I shot her. With my gun.”

His tone is too flat.

“I don’t believe that for a second, baby.” The barrel of the gun on the wall was still warm when Cabanela pressed a hand to it.

Jowd had pulled Kamila in closer. Cabanela watched as her tears soaked into his coat.

“It was her birthday, wasn’t it?” Cabanela had asked, softer now. “Hell of a way to celebrate.”

Jowd flinched. “Watch your language.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Kamila had said again.

Cabanela knelt. “What do you mean, baby?”

“It was supposed to set off the party poppers,” she sobbed. “There was no string there. I’m not supposed to touch the gun.”

“I don’t know who did it,” Jowd said, “but my little girl’s not responsible for this.”

Cabanela looked at the gun in his hand. At the wall in front of him. At the decorations on the table, preparing for a party.

“She told me about it,” Jowd continued. “The machine. The cupid here…it’s supposed to face the table.”

“Then…something must have happened,” Cabanela said.

“I…don’t know what to think,” Jowd admitted. “Kamila, go up to your room. We’ll talk more later.”

Kamila nodded eagerly and scampered away.

“I know…I don’t want to think she could have done it,” Jowd continued. “But…the only person in the house was her. What else could it be? I want to say that she didn’t do it. I want more than anything to say that. But…”

“If you can’t trust your instincts, trust me,” Cabanela had told him. “I’m your partner. If I say she didn’t do it, she didn’t do it.”

They messed with the window, made the lock look like it was tampered with. There was an outside possibility now.

Cabanela had filed the reports, and tried not to think too hard about how he made himself accomplice to a crime.

“Sounds like you learned something from me after all,” Cabanela quips half-heartedly.

“It’s been years,” Jowd answers.

The lines start to blur after that long together. Cabanela knows Jowd as well as he knows himself. Maybe better, even.

Jowd picks up the phone and calls the docks.

“Sorry, I meant to dial someone else,” he says, and then puts down the phone. “Sissel should be on his way now. He’s not here.”

“Let’s go, then,” Cabanela says. “See if we can catch him.”

They find Yomiel uncovering a motorboat.

“So you’re not dead,” Yomiel says, directing the words to Jowd, bitterness seeping into his voice. “That just means I can do it myself.”

Cabanela reaches for the handcuffs in his coat’s inside pocket, and then he feels nothing at all.

The feel of a gun in his hand…the bang…what’s happening? Why can’t he do anything? He can’t see. He can’t feel. What’s around him? What’s happening?

When he comes to, he’s flat on the ground. Someone’s on top of his back.

“What’s going on?” Cabanela barks.

“Looks like you’re yourself again,” Lynne says from behind him. The weight gets off his back. He rolls over to see her and Jowd standing above him. “I managed to find my own way here, thanks to some intel Sissel gave me.” She offers him a hand. Cabanela takes it and pulls himself up. “Will someone just tell me what’s going on? I’ve been involved in this the whole time. Are you telling me that he’s the one who took me hostage?!”

“We need Sissel for this conversation,” Jowd just says, and they all pop back into the Ghost World.

“You two have been managing to dodge explaining this whole time,” Sissel says, blankly, without accusation despite the words. “There is no hiding here. Your thoughts are projected into speech. And yet…”

“His name is Yomiel,” Jowd says. “The man who took Lynne hostage. The man we’ve been chasing all night.”

Sissel’s form flickers and glitches before ultimately settling on a blue flame — one with sunglasses, but incorporeal nonetheless.

No more incorporeal than any other ghost, Cabanela supposes.

“I guess I know who he is, at least,” Sissel says. “But I’m not him.”

“No, you’re not,” Cabanela says. “That much has been clear from the start. The real Yomiel…”

Lynne gasps. “He killed Alma?!”

“That’s what we’ve been thinking, baby,” Cabanela says.

Sissel gestures over to Jowd. “He told me that you couldn’t solve the mystery until you found out about ghost tricks.”

Lynne looks down. “I’m sorry I’ve been getting in your way. Both of your ways. I didn’t realize it was all connected. I thought…I thought you had given up on it.”

“So you conducted your own investigation,” Cabanela says, “and you would’ve presented the findings to us if you had figured it out.”

“Well,” Lynne says, “I’m still not really sure. I’ve been hiding out here because it’s one of the shadier parts of town. It’s easy to stay away from the other officers.”

“Yomiel doesn’t just possess objects like Sissel does,” Jowd says. “He can also possess people.”

“So that’s what happened to me,” Cabanela says. “Did I…”

“Everyone but me’s currently alive,” Sissel says. “Missile helped.”

“Though I suspect one of my ribs is broken,” Jowd says dryly.

“Did Yomiel get away?” Cabanela asks.

“I think it’s more important that you’re alive,” Sissel says. “I have one more method of finding him. There’s a phone line to that submarine. And then…I guess from there it’ll be up to me. But what I do know is that whoever he’s working with has something planned for Yomiel and whatever Temsik is.”

“The park?” Lynne asks. “It’s always been named that…”

“He was hit by the meteor,” Jowd says. “That could be it.”

“I don’t have much longer here,” Sissel says. “Supposedly, I’m going to be gone once the morning comes. Not sure that’s true anymore, but…I have to find out the truth, and I think he’s the only one who knows.”

“Good luck,” Lynne says. “I’m rooting for you!”

“Thanks,” Sissel says.

“I know what happened to me now,” Lynne says. “He possessed me, didn’t he? I remember not being in control of myself. I can’t remember what actually happened, though…”

“There’s video footage from the surveillance footage of you shooting him,” Jowd says. “It’s irrefutable evidence. However, we also have evidence that he survived, unharmed. It’s likely that we could get the chief to drop your case.”

She perks up. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

“If anything, it’d fall under our purview, due to the…strangeness,” Jowd says.

“And weeeeeeee know for a fact that you didn’t kill him,” Cabanela says. “He’s still alive, after all.”

“More like he’s been dead the whole time,” Jowd says, frowning. “He said that to me while you were retrieving Amelie. He blames me for killing him. Was…”

“No,” Cabanela says. “You’re not right to blame yourself for it. It wasn’t you. It was never you.”

“He was going to make you shoot me,” Jowd says. “That’s what he did when he possessed you. You had your gun pointed at me. That was when Lynne came in.”

“Well, it’s not like anyone else was going to do anything.” She seems distinctly uncomfortable in a way that Cabanela doesn’t see often. “I mean, it sucks that I shot someone I barely knew, even if he did turn out to be totally alive and also evil. It would suck even harder to have shot someone I actually care about.”

“Thaaaaanks,” Cabanela says. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem!” she responds. “So, are you guys going to take me back to the station, then? I had a good run evading the law…”

“I don’t thiiiiiiink you’ll want to say that to the chief,” Cabanela says. The three of them walk back to the police car together.

“Then I just won’t,” she answers.

“It’s been a long night,” Jowd says.

The sun’s starting to rise. Cabanela hadn’t even noticed it was nearly dawn.

“We got a lot done,” Cabanela answers. “You think we need the SIU anymore now that we’ve solved the case?”

“We still need to find Yomiel,” Jowd says. “It’s not the end. We might know what happened, but…this isn’t over yet. Not until he can’t cause any more chaos.”

“I agree,” Cabanela says. “A new adventure awaits, baby!” He yawns. “But for now…I’m headin’ back home.”

“Have a good one,” Jowd says. “And I’ll see you then, too.”

Cabanela leaves and gets on his bike, taking one last look at the sunrise before riding off.

#ghost trick #cabanela #jowd #sissel #lynne #yomiel #i guess those are the main ones for this purpose...there are some other folks here but they have the biggest role #ghost swap #fanfiction #my writing

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