#true crime: streets of l.a.

[playstationgamemania]

[kurhl]

Manobras criminosas dentro e fora de carros.

[kanerallels]

A little late, but the first few chapters of my first-ish Chenford fic are up! They're also prompt fulfillment for @monthly-challenge's Februfluff, day 27: stuck together. First chapter under the cut, the second is up on AO3!

Some people had a hard time believing in the impossible. Lucy Chen had never been one of those people. Sure, it probably helped that she was a vigilante who could manipulate light energy with her bare hands, but that hadn’t always been the case. There had been a time she was just like everyone else.

But that had been a long time ago. Now, when night fell, she was Lyra, one of many vigilantes that patrolled the streets of L.A., looking for people in need and crime to fight. 

Usually, her version of crime fighting saw her out on the streets in her disguise, fighting muggers. But there were the occasional circumstances that required a slightly more delicate approach. And today was one of those circumstances— a restaurant that one of her fellow vigilantes suspected was running drugs out of the back room.

Hence why she was sitting at a table in a nice dress, eating dinner across from the last person in the world she would have expected to be sitting across from about two months ago.

Lucy had met Tim Bradford approximately three months into her work as Lyra. Ex-cop turned woodworking shop owner, he’d been serious and a little grim, but respectful. Lucy had been curious about him when Jackson, her roommate, mentioned him, and had slowly gotten to know him better as time went by— his shop was a few storefronts down from the coffee shop where Lucy was currently employed.

Around the same time, she’d met Orion— the stern, incredibly boss vigilante who was known as the Huntsman by local gangs. He was notorious for his intense attitude, vicious but generally nonlethal attacks, and strict adherence to police procedure when necessary.

Lucy had mostly just found him annoying. Especially since he had a habit of showing up in the middle of her work and lecturing her on what she was doing wrong. And he called her “boot” a lot— which, thanks to being roommates with a cop, she knew what meant. This did not make it any less obnoxious.

They’d gotten off to a rough start, but it wasn’t long before Lucy found herself working with Orion more and more often. He was smart, and they made a good team. And he’d saved her life more times than she could count at this point— although it was definitely true the other way around as well. Which Lucy never let him forget.

All things considered, she shouldn’t have been surprised to find out Orion was Tim. The attitude, some of the jokes, the rookie cop nickname and the stickler for procedure attitude? It made perfect sense.

Somehow, it had still surprised her when she found out. Although her reaction had definitely surprised Tim, and Lucy snorted in amusement at the memory.

Glancing up from his steak, Tim lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing,” Lucy said, waving a hand. “Just— do you remember when I found out who you were?”

“You mean when I found out who you were?” Tim corrected her. “I basically handed it to you on a platter.”

Rolling her eyes, Lucy said, “As if I didn’t do the same thing for you. Anyways, I was just thinking about it, how I reacted.”

“Oh, I remember that part pretty well,” Tim said with a dramatic wince, and Lucy scoffed.

“If you didn’t want to get slapped, you shouldn’t have called me boot so many times.”

“You’re sounding a little too pleased with yourself there, Chen.”

“Uh-huh.” Holding back a grin, Lucy glanced around the restaurant again. It was a nice place, with a bar at the back and instrumental music playing in the background, overlaid with people’s conversation. You wouldn’t think a place like this would be a front of some kind.

“Hey.” Tim’s voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked back at him. His expression serious, he said, “Stay sharp. Just because it’s got a pretty cover doesn’t mean the Ghost’s intel is off. Generally, she knows what she’s talking about.”

Nodding, Lucy said, “Right, got it. But— how exactly do we find what we’re looking for, here? I mean, we’re probably not going to just stumble across a cash exchange— and even if we did, we’re civilians right now.”

“Which is why tonight is about surveillance and keeping a low profile,” Tim told her. “We watch the waiters and the rest of the staff, and if we can, we’ll get a look inside the kitchens. Anything we can get pictures or proof of, we bring to Lopez, and she gets a search warrant.”

“Got it.” Tapping her fingers against the tabletop, Lucy resisted the urge to look around the restaurant again. No matter how much she wanted to catch these people, she couldn’t make herself conspicuous. It was better to focus on what was in front of her instead.

Namely, Tim, who looked just as impatient as she felt— if the people around them were supposed to think this was a date, they weren’t giving much of an impressive performance. Time to change things up a little.

Leaning forward, Lucy said, “Okay. Tell me about work.”

“What?”

Lucy couldn’t hold back a grin at Tim’s baffled expression. “Come on— we’re supposed to be on a date. If we just sit here in impatient silence, that’s not really going to sell it.”

Nodding, Tim said, “Good point. Uh… work was good. Celina’s finally learning how to use the woodstain without getting it everywhere, which is an upside. She’s a good kid, though. Nolan was right to hire her— don’t tell them I said that, though.”

“What, do you think they’ll figure out that you have a heart?” Lucy said, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly. I can’t be seen as the good guy here, you know.” Tim quipped back, and she laughed.

“I’m pretty sure that ship has long since sailed.”

“That’s not what you said when we first met.”

Rolling her eyes, Lucy said, “Okay, that barely counts. You were intentionally mean then— wait. Which time are we talking about?”

“Which time are you talking about?” Tim countered.

“The second first time,” Lucy said. “You showed up and immediately started telling me everything I was doing wrong—”

“To be fair, you could have been killed if I hadn’t—”

“—and you wouldn’t stop calling me boot. The first first time you were a lot nicer. Or… less mean, at least.”

“Because you were a customer,” Tim said, taking a drink from his glass of water, “not a rookie vigilante who was about to let a two bit criminal stab her because she hadn’t secured him properly.”

Pointing at him, Lucy said, “See, if this was a real date, this is the part where I’d throw a glass of water in your face and stomp off dramatically.”

Holding up his hands, Tim said, “Hey, you’ve improved a lot since then.”

“Improved?”

“Well, what do you want me to say?”

Tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully, Lucy said, “Hmm. How about… “Lucy, you’re the best rookie I’ve ever trained”?”

“First of all, I already said that you were one of the best,” Tim pointed out. “Second of all, you’re not a cop, so it barely even counts.”

“It counts!”

Tim opened his mouth to argue, but something caught Lucy’s eye— a man moving towards the kitchen. In one hand, he held a briefcase, and Lucy could make out the clear outlines of a gun under his suit coat.

“Tim,” she said quietly. His gaze snapped to her immediately, and she nodded to the man disappearing into the kitchen. 

Understanding flashed across his face, and she saw his hand twitch, the way it did when he wanted to reach for a gun he no longer wore at his side. “Let’s go,” he said, getting to his feet.

Lucy rose and followed him across the wide main room. None of the other customers so much as glanced at them, and Lucy silently thanked her lucky stars for that.

The main room was partitioned off by low wooden walls framing, but not completely obscuring the dining area. To their left, a walkway led to the entrance. To the right there were two doorways— one leading to the bathrooms. The other at the end of the hall, a swinging door, opened into the kitchen.

As they moved around the corner, Lucy glanced at Tim. “Hey— let me take the first look,” she said, keeping her voice low. “It might look less suspicious if I’m spotted then if you are.”

He gave a brief nod, hanging back a little. As Lucy headed towards the kitchen door, she couldn’t hold back a flicker of pleasure. It couldn’t have been that long ago that Tim wouldn’t have trusted her with this role. Things had changed a lot between them.

Coming to a stop next to the door, Lucy peered over the low swinging door. There was the usual bustle of a restaurant kitchen— cooks weaving their way around each other, the clatter of pans and sounds of voices.

And then Lucy spotted the man with the briefcase. He was talking to another man, with short blond hair and a scar cutting across his brow. The two of them spoke in voices low enough that Lucy couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. 

The briefcase sat open on the counter in between them, the contents obscured by the blond man. If I can just get a better angle… Quietly, Lucy stepped closer, her hand coming to rest on the top of the door as she peered into the kitchen.

She caught a brief glimpse of what could only be cash— stacks of it, lining the inside of the briefcase— before the door under her hand moved slightly, letting out what felt like a shatteringly loud creak.

Both men turned at the sound. Lucy’s heart nearly stopped, and she ducked away, turning her face so they wouldn’t catch sight of her. She couldn’t hear what they were saying over the noise in the kitchen, but she knew criminals. They were paranoid, and with good reason. Which meant there would be someone out here to check in a few seconds.

She sensed rather than saw Tim moving up behind her. “They saw you?”

“Only barely,” Lucy said. Her heart had regained momentum, and was pounding against her collarbone now. “But someone’s going to be out here soon.”

It wouldn’t be long— and they wouldn’t be able to make it back to their table without being spotted. Better to stay here and come up with an excuse, and there was only one that Lucy could think of.

Spinning to face him, she said, “Kiss me.”

His jaw dropped, just slightly. “What?”

Lucy caught what sounded like a creak behind them. Abandoning any pretense of explaining the situation to Tim, she caught hold of his face, and kissed him.

He didn’t freeze, which shouldn’t have surprised her. Tim was a natural at adapting, and they’d been working together long enough that it wouldn’t be too hard for him to pick up on what was going on.

What did surprise her was the kiss. It was supposed to be awkward, embarrassing even, to kiss Tim. It was supposed to be something she wanted to get over with quickly, and not linger on.

It was none of those things. It was the opposite, and so much more. Her heart was pounding and she knew there was something she was supposed to remember, but all she could really register was Tim— his lips against hers, his hand at her waist, tangling in the fabric of her dress.

And then someone cleared their throat, loud enough that it broke through the trance she was in and reminded Lucy where she was, and why. Pulling back, she made eye contact with the man who’d been carrying the briefcase.

Before he could have a chance to speak, she did. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Lucy said, letting an embarrassed half-smile cross her face. She was pretty sure she was a little flushed, which definitely couldn’t hurt the illusion. “We, ah, we didn’t realize anyone was back here, did we?”

For a minute, she didn’t know if Tim would chime in— he was completely still. Lucy could feel his heart beating against her palm resting on his chest. But then he said, “Nope. Is this area off limits?”

“No,” the man said after a brief pause. “But the kitchen is. Why don’t you two go back to your seats?”

Lucy shrugged, flicking a nonchalant look at Tim. “I guess this can wait until later. Come on, babe.”

Catching hold of his hand, Lucy gently tugged Tim after her, forcing herself to move casually and not look back. When they reached their table, she sank into her chair and looked down at her half empty plate. As Tim sat across from her, she asked quietly, “Is he still watching us?”

“He just turned and went back into the kitchen,” Tim told her, and Lucy let out a long breath.

Finally, she looked up at him. His expression was set in the Tim Bradford Cop Expression, which was… understandable, honestly. “Hey— I’m sorry about springing that on you,” Lucy told him, feeling herself flush a little. “It just seemed like the best move at the time.”

“It was,” Tim said, shrugging. “It kept us from getting caught, so, you know. Good work on that.”

“Yeah, you too,” Lucy said, and nearly groaned at her own words. Things were awkward now— and why wouldn’t they be? It made a lot more sense for things to feel awkward than for them to feel… the way they had earlier.

She shoved the thought aside as Tim said, “I don’t think we’re going to get anything else here tonight. Should we—”

“Call a night, yeah,” Lucy finished for him. “Great idea. We can debrief and regroup tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.” Tim turned and waved for a waiter, and Lucy sat back in her chair, holding back a wince.

They paid for their dinner and left the restaurant. Tim had driven them there, so he drove her back to her place first, and walked her up to her apartment. When they reached the door, Lucy hesitated before she went in.

“We’re okay, right?” she asked. The rest of the thoughts that had been boiling in her head came rushing out as she continued. “I— I know it was out of nowhere and— and weird, right? Obviously it was weird, I just know that PDA makes people uncomfortable, so the guy wouldn’t have questioned it as much, and… yeah.”

Tim had waited patiently through her whole rant. When she finally trailed off, he said, “Lucy. It’s fine. I was a cop, remember? I wasn’t a UC, but I still get it. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh— of course, right,” Lucy said, a little twinge going through her. Of course he’d get it. And of course it wouldn’t affect him. She should never have thought otherwise, even for a second. “Okay, glad we got that settled. Um— talk to you tomorrow?”

“Talk to you tomorrow, Chen.”

And then Lucy was stepping into her apartment, the door was closing behind her, and she was pretty sure she had a headache.

So she did the logical thing and went to bed before Jackson or Tamara could show up and interrogate her about her date or who she’d been with, internally swearing to not think about the whole thing until tomorrow.

Her dreams had other plans. It was like her traitorous brain insisted on reminding her of the kiss— replaying parts of it over and over again until it was hard not to think about it.

Which was stupid. She didn’t have any reason to think about this so much, Lucy reminded herself as she got up to have breakfast before work. It was just one kiss. Didn’t mean anything, especially not from Tim of all people.

Right, her mind said. Tim. Who you used to be interested in. And WHY did she have to remember that right at this moment?

So she’d been interested in him when they first met. She’d been curious about the admittedly handsome, stern stranger who only softened on very rare occasions. But it hadn’t been long before it had been clear to Lucy that Tim wasn’t looking for romance, with her or anyone else. So she’d stuck with just friends, especially after finding out he was Orion. Romance with Orion was unthinkable on a level she couldn’t begin to comprehend.

Or it had been, anyways.

Okay, enough of that. Lucy pushed the thought out of her mind. And continued to do so as she got ready and went into work.

Lucy had worked at Wellington’s Coffee for almost a year now. It was a nice shop— the decor practical and sturdy, matching the personality of the owner, and the wide windows at the front filled the blue walled shop with light. And, luckily for Lucy, she clocked in today right when the lunch rush started. So she had plenty of time to take her mind off of the fiasco that was last night.

Not that that stopped her co-workers from bombarding her with questions. And they weren’t the only ones.

“So, did I hear you went on a date last night?”

As Lucy passed Aaron his coffee, she frowned at him. “Where did you hear that?”

“If I tell you, will you answer the question?” he countered. The younger man was a usual at their shop, and a good friend. He was also a little too invested in Lucy’s love life ever since she’d asked for his advice on how to break up with her last boyfriend. 

Sighing, Lucy said, “Yes. To both, but it wasn’t a big deal— I don’t think we’re going to go out again.”

Aaron’s eyebrows went up. “Really? Cause that’s not what I heard.”

Lucy frowned. “Okay, where exactly are you getting this information?”

“Uh—”

“Lucy!”

Both she and Aaron looked up at the voice calling her name. Tim was striding across the coffeeshop towards her, his expression serious. Which was pretty on brand for him, but Lucy had gotten good at reading the different types of seriousness. There was definitely something wrong right now.

Giving Aaron a brief nod, he turned to her. “Hey. We need to talk.”

“Okay,” Lucy said. “I don’t think anyone’s using the break room right now— follow me.”

She moved out from behind the counter and towards the door marked “employees only” at the back of the shop, Tim on her heels. As she moved, she saw her co-worker, Dark, moving out of the back room, and waved to get his attention. “Hey— I’m taking my break. Can you watch the register?”

“...sure,” Dark said slowly, his voice making it clear he had some questions. Most likely about Tim being there— but honestly, Lucy had neither the time nor energy to handle that.

The break room was, as predicted, empty. Lucy didn’t bother taking a seat, but turned to face Tim. “Okay— what’s up?”

He hesitated, which was definitely rare for him. “Ah… okay. We were seen last night?”

Frowning, Lucy said, “Wait. What do you mean— we weren’t even there as Lyra and Orion, how could we be seen?”

“Not… that kind of seen,” Tim said. “My former watch commander was there having dinner. With his wife.”

What does— and then it clicked, and Lucy’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, no— did they see—”

“If he and Luna’s visit to the shop this morning, and her comments about the lovely young woman I had with me are anything to judge by… yeah.”

“Crap,” Lucy whispered, with as much emphasis as she could muster up. Starting to pace back and forth, she rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Okay. This is fine— we can figure this out. I mean, we can’t tell them we were undercover, but we can figure this out. What did you tell them?”

Grimacing, Tim said, “That it was a one time thing, and they were reading too much into it. I don’t think they bought it— and they’re not the only ones who know. Luna told their daughter, who’s friends with Nolan’s kid, who told him, who told Celina—”

“Who told Aaron,” Lucy finished, the realization hitting her like a bus. “That explains a lot. Ugh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to blow up this way.”

“Hey,” Tim said, his voice stern but with just a hint of gentleness that definitely didn’t make Lucy’s heart flutter. Because that would be absurd. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have predicted this.”

“Couldn’t have predicted our friends being incredibly nosy?” Lucy said, lifting an eyebrow.

“Well, that’s pretty much a given at this point,” Tim said wryly. “But it’s still not your fault. They’ll forget about this after a week or two— let’s not worry about it right now.”

“Right,” Lucy said, nodding. “Focus on the job instead. Um… oh! I saw what was in the briefcase last night.”

She gave Tim a quick recap of what she’d seen, from the cash to the man with the scar who’d received it. He listened with a deep, thoughtful frown, not speaking until she finished her description. “I’ll have to check with Lopez— but that does sound like a felon she’s been watching for a while now— Valen Rudor, I think. Guy’s got a long list of charges, and a warrant out for his arrest. But if we can’t get proof he’s there—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lucy said, nodding slowly. “Okay— any ideas how?”

“Actually, yeah,” Tim said. “It involves going back to that restaurant again tonight, and you doing some light sneaking while I start a fight. You game?”

Oh, this was a bad idea. After the first time, putting herself in a situation where she had to pretend to be Tim’s date again? There was potential for this to end very badly.

But there was a dangerous felon out there who needed to be stopped, and Lucy didn’t back down from a fight. “Count me in,” she said.After all, she thought as she headed back to work, what’s the worst that could happen?

[perfectdreamlandzombie]

Using Active Imagination to Evoke a Waking Dream.

Our basic action plan here is to watch Dario Argento’s “Inferno” with the subtitles on, while listening to a book about famed Hollywood Fixer, Fred “Freddie” Otash, who was the inspiration for “The Encounters” and “Widespread Panic” by James Ellroy, both of which I am quite familiar with.

I addition to using active imagination to run this directly through the eccentric and twisted mind of “Infamous Hollywood Bad Boy turned Street Therapist, Shamanic Trickster, and Satirist for the Masses,” John Michael O’Neal, we will also use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to see what would happen if James Ellroy, Dario Argento, Fred “Freddie” Otash, and John Michael O’Neal were to compete with one another to find the true identity of the murderer in Dario Argento’s film, “Inferno,” before becoming victims themselves. Sadly, one of them is the masked killer, and only one will survive, but not before the identity of the killer is unmasked amongst the four men.

The Plotline for the film, “Inferno,” is as follows:

The plot follows a young man's investigation into the disappearance of his sister, who had been living in a New York City apartment building that also served as a home for a powerful, centuries-old witch.

Basic Information about Freddy Otash includes the following:

Fred Otash (January 7, 1922 – October 5, 1992) was a Los Angeles police officer, private investigator, author, and a WWII Marine veteran, who became known as a Hollywood fixer, while operating as its "most infamous" private detective; he is most remembered as "the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character Jake Gittes in the film, Chinatown.[1]

Basic Information about James Ellroy concerns the following:

"James" Ellroy (born March 4, 1948) is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences,[2] and in particular for the novels The Black Dahlia (1987) and L.A. Confidential (1990).

Basic Information about Dario Argento is as follows:

Dario Argento (Italian: [ˈdaːrjo arˈdʒɛnto]; born 7 September 1940[2]) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the Thrill"[3] and the "Master of Horror".[4]

John Michael O’Neal is as follows:

John Michael O’Neal is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and New Mexico, and a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has pursued his passion of working with severely mentally ill individuals from the literal streets of Los Angeles to the biggest jail in New Mexico. John is also a former Staff Story Analyst at Warner Brothers for many years and an accomplished former stage actor.

And know for your consideration for an Academy Award as follows:

Title: Shadows of the Inferno

Chapter 1: The Gathering

The dim light of the flickering television cast eerie shadows across the room, where four men sat, each embodying a different facet of the dark and twisted world of Hollywood. The opening credits of Dario Argento’s “Inferno” rolled, the haunting score echoing through the air, while the subtitles danced across the screen.

Fred “Freddie” Otash, the infamous fixer, leaned back in his chair, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His eyes, sharp and calculating, flicked between the screen and his companions. “You know, the real horror isn’t in the film,” he said, his voice gravelly, “it’s in the secrets we keep.”

James Ellroy, the crime fiction maestro, nodded, his mind racing with the possibilities. “Secrets, yes. But what about the truth? The truth is a knife that cuts deep. Just like the killer in this film.” He scribbled notes furiously, his staccato prose reflecting the urgency of his thoughts.

Dario Argento, the master of horror himself, watched with a glint of amusement in his eyes. “You think you can unravel my story? It’s not just about the witch; it’s about the darkness within us all.” He leaned forward, intrigued by the challenge.

John Michael O’Neal, the street therapist and shamanic trickster, chuckled softly. “You’re all missing the point. The killer is a reflection of our own fears. We’re all capable of darkness.” He glanced at each man, gauging their reactions, his mind weaving through the complexities of their psyches.

Chapter 2: The Investigation Begins

As the film progressed, the tension in the room thickened. The plot unfolded—a young man searching for his sister, who had vanished into the depths of a sinister apartment building. The four men began to dissect the narrative, each bringing their unique perspective to the table.

“Look at the symbolism,” Argento pointed out, his passion igniting. “The building itself is a character, a labyrinth of secrets. It’s a metaphor for the mind.”

Ellroy interjected, “And the sister? She represents innocence lost. The killer is a predator, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.” He scribbled furiously, his mind racing with ideas for a new novel.

Freddie, ever the pragmatist, leaned in. “But who is the killer? We need to think like a detective. What’s the motive? The killer is someone who knows the victim, someone who has access to her life.”

O’Neal, with a knowing smile, added, “Or perhaps the killer is someone who embodies the very essence of the witch—the manipulator, the one who pulls the strings. We must look beyond the obvious.”

Chapter 3: The Unmasking

As the film reached its climax, the tension in the room reached a fever pitch. The masked killer was revealed, and gasps filled the air. But the real twist was yet to come.

“Wait,” Ellroy said, his voice low and intense. “What if the killer is one of us? What if we’re all part of this twisted narrative?”

Freddie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re suggesting one of us is the murderer? That’s absurd.”

O’Neal’s expression turned serious. “Is it? We’ve all danced with darkness. We’ve all kept secrets. The killer could be anyone.”

Argento, intrigued, leaned back. “Let’s play a game then. Let’s reveal our truths, our darkest secrets. Perhaps in doing so, we’ll uncover the killer among us.”

Chapter 4: The Revelation

One by one, they began to share their secrets, the air thick with tension and vulnerability. Freddie spoke of his past as a fixer, the lives he had ruined in the name of power. Ellroy revealed the demons that haunted his writing, the darkness that fueled his creativity. Argento shared the fears that inspired his films, the nightmares that plagued his mind.

Finally, O’Neal, the shamanic trickster, revealed his truth. “I’ve seen the darkness in all of you. But I’ve also seen the light. The killer isn’t just one of us; it’s the darkness we all carry.”

As the final scene of “Inferno” played out, the four men sat in silence, the weight of their revelations hanging in the air. The killer had been unmasked, not as a single individual, but as a collective shadow that loomed over them all.

Epilogue: The Aftermath

In the aftermath of their revelations, the four men found themselves forever changed. The lines between fiction and reality blurred, and the darkness they had confronted became a part of their narrative.

As they left the room, the haunting score of Argento’s film echoed in their minds, a reminder that the true horror lies not in the monsters we create, but in the monsters we harbor within ourselves.

And somewhere in the shadows, the masked killer watched, waiting for the next story to unfold.

[lboogie1906]

Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (December 25, 1952) is an actress. She appeared in numerous plays, films, television shows, and miniseries.

She starred in ER, The Shield, she was nominated for an Emmy and NAACP Award, Warehouse 13, Sons of Anarchy, and NCIS: New Orleans. She is the voice of Amanda Waller in Justice League Unlimited.

She matriculated at Hastings College of Arts and Technology, studied painting, and she graduated from Ithaca College. She married Boubacar Kone (1991-2016), and they have 3 children.

She appeared in All That Jazz, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Prizzi’s Honor, Bagdad Cafe, Postcards from the Edge, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Benny & Joon, Demon Knight, Face/Off, End of Days, Orphan, Avatar, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Rustin.

She made her acting debut in All That Jazz. She appeared in The Mighty Gents and Open Admissions on Broadway. She starred in Bagdad Café and has made smaller appearances in many other successful films.

She first appeared in guest roles on Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, L.A. Law, The X-Files, Living Single, and Quantum Leap. She had guest appearances on The Practice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Millennium, The West Wing, and Women in Prison.

She has lent her voice to several video games and animated projects, including Aladdin and the King of Thieves, True Crime: Streets of LA, Gargoyles, as well as the video game Batman: Arkham Origins, its sequel Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, Batman: Assault on Arkham.

She was one of the readers for Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narrative. She was one of the stars of Brothers. She was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her appearance in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. She had a recurring role in the Sons of Anarchy. She co-starred in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. In The Lion Guard, she voices Kongwe. She made an appearance in the London production of Wicked. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[scentedchildnacho]

David asked me if I thought downloading media was a problem so i asked him if he ever read Richard wright

He was an author that saw all this racial violence before he became a communist activist in Chicago and he as quoted found normalcy one of the worst things you can do to someone

So I hear in the statement you asking me if electronic work inherently causes cancer...so I would say you can't inherently know that about everything people do

I think he found behaviour control to be about good n wording people

I think that's maybe true religion has a judeo African basis to ritual behaviour control

I make it because I don't ask people for unreasonable things my family was veterans and public services so truly poverty doesn't bother me that much I was given and so I should obviously then help serve the nation in some way....I have found that I have a reasonable sensibility about what I request from others

After seven years of street poverty and attacks from police I find that a misery and cruelty now though and I find it difficult to keep forgiving......and kind of just don't want people to touch me in anyway anymore ever again...

It's started to make me feel severe pain don't touch my food don't touch my water don't touch my product don't touch me

David thought there is a large United States homeless population so I said no David that's not true at all there has to be an actual emergentcy to keep shelter labor crime

There was maybe only 20 women in Las Cruces I saw victimized by terrorist claims of forced street hostaging....and no one of that downtown cult would finally lay on them like a priest in a l.a. riot and pray for their creepy Nike lives to stop murdering people

The men are not homeless David their homosexuals and cops abused them and blamed them for disease.....

The sports at nmsu was exposed I guess for pretty heinous rapes....police violence David not homelessness

Yea uhm I pray that something that keeps forcing women and children to that pool finally stops to them.....and Andrea said it's watching the kids play together Kathryn.....so I said I know Andrea but people tell me they are from places like Washington and Texas....so they have wealth communities and private home friend pools is just something boring what would force them all here together that's not wanted....

What tells them to stop believing they have people who do complete their rent and energy credits and would prefer to treat them to more dignity and privacy

Phoenix is a huge heat bomb so I believe them people attacked them to make them crowd here that way...

I pray all the time they realize they can go home...

Andrea was trying to direct me to a shelter for a shower so I said.....uhm actually I am being sainted to put all those kids here first.....and if they can't finally realize their liberation I have to keep being stalked out of accomodations for kids

He is a worst pimp a very violent keg if I ask for anything common or humane he tells me he will hurt kids Andrea

I was like the heat wave has to end Andrea and all these people feel capable of leaving and then I may finally be alone to experience resources as beneath a winning people

That's the cars right they won the life choices game but these resources aren't beneath them?

Why aren't they snobbier about who can pool their kid?....

Something about the kids guardians is too bad also they hover over everything the kids do....if I had to go to the pool I was dropped off and people were like trust worthy why do all those adults keep going into the pool with the kids?

I mean how do your people's expect lenience in courtrooms if in poverties time of need you kept dumping emissions on us....none of you would find my selfishness correct and reduce traffick...

I mean that one lady with squeaky brakes was like 80 years old....and she had like relevant issues to not have her car fixed I don't see that in a lot of these people's cruelty on me

Andrea said she can't live in fear she leaves her car keys in her car and doesn't lock doors so I told her my world is undocumented so people around you here do steal a lot of stuff very compulsive fit in clepto theft people around here cannot afford that....

Their very compulsively popular there is very severe alcoholism sex work and clepto problems around you here.....

The peace I have for you is criminals do go neurotic and psychotic and you have to keep your car locked or they will just take it and blame you when the cops beat them up....so keep your car locked or a criminal could get very very injured...

Their criminals and you have to manage your property at all times....

Like maybe the perp felt like they were dying and just took it to finally not feel that and a cop killed them....a lot of criminals are physically handicapped...

I told David I never went into sex work because I had friends who tried and it made them cry and they tried to tell me men I kind of needed or depended on were worse people then being men or situations just kind of factless were in some way intentionally damaging to them.....so I prefer facts not sex work

So after having to experience confusion over who people are or what happened I do prefer when sex does just get away from me to not being my business

I do pray for myself that I believe lgbt there are lots of jobs and there isn't someone that wants to hate beat and rape me into something I'm not about some cruel food coffee job that life is not that incriminating and people want to afford me for what I actually do....

That's me about selfish what I actually am as a hospitality is way more hygienic then a food job

I'm actually too injured to tolerate turning a table and people at my job place could come for dinner and I wouldn't monitor if they didn't leave till morning or got drunk in a spare bed they didn't pay for....

Women don't do that to their family or communities so why tolerate a job where things are gross and usurped in bleach

Because the Africans tell me to believe it's all a cult to claim I can't just do stuff I want.....and I believe every theory ever that you have to fight or people sex offend

[timelesstimesgoneby]

EPISODE Season 1 DISC 1 S01E01 Pilot 1980 S01E02 Hard Contract 1980 S01E03 The Hot Grounder 1980 S01E04 A Long Way from L.A. 1980 DISC 2 S01E05 Legacy 1980 S01E06 Flight on a Dead Pigeon 1980 S01E07 Pen Pals 1980 S01E08 Dead or Alive 1980 S01E09 High Bleacher Man 1980 DISC 3 S01E10 The Shooter 1980 S01E11 The Garbage Man 1980 S01E12 The Avenging Angel 1980 S01E13 The Snow Queen (1) 1980 S01E14 The Snow Queen (2) 1980 DISC 4 S01E15 The Beach Boy 1980 S01E16 Guilty 1980 S01E17 The Last Kill 1980 S01E18 Fire Man 1980 S01E19 Sniper 1980 Season 2 DISC 1 S02E01 Case X 1980 S02E02 Night of the Dragons 1980 S02E03 The Biggest Man in Town 1980 S02E04 Rich Girl 1980 S02E05 Killer in a Halloween Mask 1980 DISC 2 S02E06 Rape and Revenge (1) 1980 S02E07 Rape and Revenge (2) 1980 S02E08 Million Dollar Misunderstanding 1980 S02E09 The Big Fall 1980 S02E10 Waiting for Mr. Wrong 1980 S02E11 Think Blue 1980 DISC 3 S02E12 Blow-up 1980 S02E13 War Zone 1980 S02E14 Burned 1980 S02E15 Scrap Metal 1980 S02E16 Fagin 1986 1980 S02E17 62 Hrs. of Terror 1980 DISC 4 S02E18 Death Machine 1980 S02E19 The Setup 1980 S02E20 The Beautiful & the Dead (1) 1980 S02E21 The Beautiful & the Dead (2) 1980 S02E22 The Return of Typhoon Thompson 1980 S02E23 Saturday Night Special 1980 Season 3 DISC 1 S03E01 Overnight Sensation 1980 S03E02 Change Partners and Dance 1980 S03E03 Crime of Passion 1980 S03E04 The Castro Connection 1980 S03E05 High Noon in L.A. 1980 DISC 2 S03E06 From San Francisco with Love 1980 S03E07 True Confessions 1980 S03E08 Love, Hate and Sporty James 1980 S03E09 Contract 1980 S03E10 The Cradle Will Rock 1980 DISC 3 S03E11 Bad Company 1980 S03E12 Down and Under 1980 S03E13 Straight to the Heart 1980 S03E14 Requiem for Sergeant McCall 1980 S03E15 Double Exposure 1980 S03E16 The Girl Next Door 1980 DISC 4 S03E17 Any Second Now 1980 S03E18 A Child Is Born 1980 S03E19 Crossfire 1980 S03E20 Hot Pursuit (1) 1980 S03E21 Hot Pursuit (2) 1980 S03E22 Shades 1980 Season 4 DISC 1 S04E01 Not Just Another John Doe 1980 S04E02 Playing God 1980 S04E03 The Jade Woman 1980 S04E04 Flash Point 1980 S04E05 Night on Bald Mountain 1980 DISC 2 S04E06 City of Passion (1) 1980 S04E07 City of Passion (2) 1980 S04E08 City of Passion (3) 1980 S04E09 Turning Point 1980 S04E10 Hot Prowl 1980 DISC 3 S04E11 Allegra 1980 S04E12 Renegade 1980 S04E13 Black Dahlia 1980 S04E14 Naked Justice (1) 1980 S04E15 Naked Justice (2) 1980 S04E16 Girl on the Beach 1980 DISC 4 S04E17 Bogota's Million 1980 S04E18 Death Signs 1980 S04E19 Boomerang 1980 S04E20 Fourth Man 1980 S04E21 Murder He Wrote 1980 S04E22 Silver Bullet 1980 Season 5 DISC 1 S05E01 Heir of Neglect 1980 S05E02 The Baby Game 1980 S05E03 Dead on Target (1) 1980 S05E04 Dead on Target (2) 1980 S05E05 Presumed Guilty 1980 DISC 2 S05E06 No Good Deed Ever Goes Unpunished 1980 S05E07 Honorable Profession 1980 S05E08 Payback 1980 S05E09 Partners 1980 S05E10 The Pit 1980 DISC 3 S05E11 City Under Siege (1) 1980 S05E12 City Under Siege (2) 1980 S05E13 City Under Siege (3) 1980 S05E14 Me, Myself & Die 1980 S05E15 Informant 1980 S05E16 Blood Line 1980 DISC 4 S05E17 Shoot to Kill 1980 S05E18 Code 3 1980 S05E19 Ring of Honor 1980 S05E20 Teen Dreams 1980 S05E21 Last Run 1980 S05E22 Return of White Cloud 1980 Season 6 DISC 1 S06E01 On Air 1980 S06E02 Shallalagh 1980 S06E03 Investment in Death 1980 S06E04 A Girl Named Hunter 1980 S06E05 The Legion (1) 1980 S06E06 The Legion (2) 1980 DISC 2 S06E07 Yesterday's Child 1980 S06E08 Shield of Honor 1980 S06E09 Fifth Victim 1980 S06E10 Brotherly Love 1990 S06E11 The Nightmare 1990 S06E12 Broken Dreams 1990 DISC 3 S06E13 Son and Heir 1990 S06E14 Unacceptable Loss 1990 S06E15 Unfinished Business 1990 S06E16 Lullaby 1990 S06E17 Final Confession 1990 DISC 4 S06E18 Blind Ambition 1990 S06E19 Sudden Withdrawal 1990 S06E20 Second Sight 1990 S06E21 Street Wise (1) 1990 S06E22 Street Wise (2) 1990 Season 7 DISC 1 S07E01 Deadly Encounters (1) 1990 S07E02 Deadly Encounters (2) 1990 S07E03 Where Echoes End 1990 S07E04 Kill Zone 1990 S07E05 The Incident 1990 S07E06 A Snitch'll Break Your Heart 1990 DISC 2 S07E07 Oh, the Shark Bites! 1990 S07E08 The Usual Suspects 1990 S07E09 This Is My Gun 1990 S07E10 La Familia 1990 S07E11 Acapulco Holiday 1990 S07E12 Fatal Obsession (1) 1990 DISC 3 S07E13 Fatal Obsession (2) 1990 S07E14 Under Suspicion 1990 S07E15 The Reporter 1990 S07E16 Room Service 1990 S07E17 Shadows of the Past 1990 S07E18 The Grab 1990 DISC 4 S07E19 All That Glitters 1990 S07E20 Cries of Silence 1990 S07E21 Ex Marks the Spot 1990 S07E22 Little Man with a Big Reputation 1990

[fandomcitymayor]

Would? - Alice In Chains True Crime: Streets of L.A.

[playstationgamemania]

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Lost Boys: Lunar New Year

Marko x Reader

Word Count: 1,460

Summary: Happy lunar new year for those that celebrate! Year of the tiger, let’s go!

Marko flew through the front door, drumming impatiently on the walls. “Yo! Are you ready or what?”

Your brows furrowed in confusion from the couch that you were sprawled out on. “Um. Ready for what, exactly?”

There was an outraged gasp. The vampire bounded over to shake you, dislodging the cozy blanket that had formerly been draped across you. “Y/N, tell me you are serious babe. Tell me this it isn’t true! Cause if it is, this is grounds for a breakup.” He dramatically wiped an invisible tear off of his cheek.

“I think it’s true because I’m still confused?” you trailed off.

“Bro... It’s New Year.”

You pursed your lips. “Pretty sure it isn’t. We literally went to that big show down at the boardwalk a few weeks ago to celebrate.”

“First New Year, yes, but what about second New Year?” He waited for you to speak. When you didn’t, he continued on, “It’s Lunar New Year, babe.”

Right. Now you felt a little stupid. Normally, Lunar New Year wasn’t your thing but many of the Asian stores and businesses had been advertising holiday specials for the past few weeks. So you had known that it was coming up but you hadn’t known.

Marko, however, was very in tune to most of the ethnic communities around the Santa Carla area having spent a lot of time in the city during his long life. Asian cuisine was favorite of his, ergo he was pretty educated about holidays that didn’t circulate in the mainstream.

“Alright then,” you groaned, kicking him off so that you could stand up. “What do you have in mind?” He opened his mouth excitedly and you cut him off instantly. “And, no, we can’t fly to L.A. It’s a week night and I have work in the morning.”

“Fine.” His eye narrowed. “But I still get to choose the restaurant.”

It was an easy concession—Marko may be a little asshole in most circumstances but he was a bit of a foodie, so the chances of him intentionally choosing something bad was low. Low, but not zero. You gagged just remembering the time the he took you to that dingy place on Main Street.

Needless to say, it certainly lived up to it’s one-star reputation and you came down with an impressive case of food poisoning.

After throwing on a jacket and popping in a piece of gum, the two of you marched to the car. Since Marko had flown, you were in charge of transportation.

The boys in general were lax with ‘rules’ that protected their existence as the undead but even though they didn’t police anything, they still recognized when something was flat out stupid.

Flying to a restaurant district during prime dinner rush hour was definitely stupid.

“Where to?” You flipping on the headlights.

“Hook a right at the stop sign and keep going until I tell you to stop.”

It was a very typical response from him. Light on the details but sure to yell at when you missed the destination. “Go right. Got it,” you chuckled.

He wasn’t the chattiest person around (that title was saved for his usual partner-in-crime, Paul) but he made an effort to school you on some of the finer details of the holiday.

Evidently, many different Asian countries celebrated Lunar New Year, not just China. The date changed year to year but fell sometime between January and February. And each year featured the reign of the next zodiac in the cycle, which started with the rat and ended with the pig.

“Here, here! Turn!” Marko shouted into your ear. The whole car jerked as you swerved toward what sounded like a Vietnamese place judging on its glowing, neon sign.  

“Jesus, Marko!” you panted, heart still pounding. “You’re going to kill me one of these days.”

He smirked, canine catching on the corner of his lip. “No worries. I promise to come to the funeral.”

Then he was bolting to the small restaurant front, cackling all the way.

You followed as quick as you could but he was quicker and beat you inside by a mile. “You’ll be lucky to get an invite, asshole—”

Marko and an older lady turned to look at you simultaneously.

Awkwardly, and with a flaming face, you let the door swing shut behind you, bells chiming as it did so. “H-hi.”

The woman studied you up and down, an analytical light on her face. When she spoke, you had no idea what she said. “You were right. They are very pretty. Nice eye shape, good posture.”

Marko, the little shit, wore another mischievous smile. “I know. I’m pretty lucky. We’ll take have the special, by the way.”

She patted his shoulders and disappeared to the kitchen, barking out what seemed like orders, to the cooks most likely, but you weren’t positive.

“So…” You sidled up to him. “What were you talking about?”

“Nothing. Just ordering food is all.”

“Are you sure?” It sounded plausible though.

“Positive.” He curled his arm around you and walked to a table in the corner.

The restaurant was small and minimalistic. There was an order counter, which you’d bypassed since Marko ordered for you, and five tables that hugged the wall. However, there were flowers and fruit and beautiful calligraphy scrolls hung up everywhere.

New Year decorations, you guessed. Leading with your nose, you leaned toward a grouping of flowers and sniffed.

“They’re apricot blossoms,” Marko supplied. “If we were in the motherland, there’d be flowers like this up all over the city but since it’s the good ol’ U.S. of A., we have to settle for the restaurants.”

Your eyebrows raised. “Really? Cool. Also, why did I not know that speak Vietnamese?”

“It’s really never come up before?”

“No. I did know about the Spanish and Chinese though.”  

“I’m a renaissance man, babe. The total package,” he said absolutely dripping in smugness. “I can teach you for a price, you know.”

The kitchen door opened again, this time to reveal a younger looking guy with loaded serving trays filled with food. Banter was discarded in favor of making enough space on the table for everything to fit.

Apparently, Marko knew this worker too. “Kevin. What’s happening dude?”

“I only got back to town this morning and they’re already putting me to work” he complained. One by one, he unloaded steaming plates, hands accustomed to the heat. “Not very holiday like, if you ask me.”

“Kevin, this is Y/N,” he pointed between the two of you and back again, “Y/N, Kevin. We met his grandma on the way in. His family owns the place.”

You put on a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Kevin.”

“Likewise.” A loud shout in what you now knew was Vietnamese rang out and Kevin winced. “I better get there. Enjoy the food guys.”

On another night, you might’ve watched him leave (people watching was sort of, kind of creepy but you couldn’t help yourself) but that night there was a delicious spread in front of you that was much more interesting.

Marko recognized your expression and began putting a plate together for you, explaining what was what. “Alright, we have sticky rice, probably the most obvious. This is bánh chưng, which is sort of the Vietnamese equivalent of a tamale, the kind made with banana leaf.”

“Banana leaf?” you asked.

“Banana leaf,” he seconded. “It might sound different but I promise it gives the thing an amazing flavor.”

With how it looked, you were inclined to believe him. And the first bite confirmed it, the rice flavor and beans and pork blending together, lighting up every taste bud you had.

“Wow.” You paused to close your eyes and savor the bite. “…Just wow. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this by ordering pho every time we ordered Vietnamese.”

He laughed, spraying out some broth from the soup he was slurping. Sure, he managed to pick up a few languages over the decades, but table manners? Forget it. “Better enjoy it now. It’s popular for Lunar New Year but it’s not always on the menu.”

You managed not to eat all of the bánh chưng in one go and made sure to sample the other dishes too. Surely, a meal of this quality deserved a prayer of some sort in light of the festivities. Because your mouth was certainly blessed.

“So, so glad you dragged me out of the house,” you said between bites. “Still can’t believe I didn’t know about all this.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, tipping back in his chair. “Oh, and keep the sticky rice away from your greedy fingers. Save some for the rest of us.”

“…You’ll be lucky to get an invite to my funeral.”

_______________

This is the second Marko fic of mine featuring food, particularly Asian food. I feel in my heart like he’s a fan. And that he totally has all the older aunties wrapped around his gremlin fingers lol. 

[bluefirewrites]

not sure if u are still taking this but, celebrity/fan au for JUKEE 🤭

Okay this one's a little involved but I got you!

Rated T for mentions of sex and maybe some language

SEND ME A SHIP AND A NUMBER AND I’LL WRITE A SHORT FIC

******

Julie tugs against the rather short dress Flynn had squeezed her in, not caring for how much she looks like a glorified candy wrapper in the shimmering gold.

She feels like she's some Ferrer Roche, waiting to be devoured.

Which seems to be her intention for tonight because she's insane, and so is her bestie Flynn, because she's supposed to grab the attention of a certain someone in this club.

Her motives for tonight sound like they come straight out of a Wattpad story, but her boyfriend- or well maybe an ex boyfriend now'- forced her hand.

So a year ago, right around the time they started dating, they both disclosed their 'hall passes'. Just a list of celebrities they were both 'allowed' to cheat on their partners with. It was fun. Just to see who the other person would pick. 

It was harmless because the whole point is that these people are so famous, so far out of reach, that the odds of hooking up with them would be essentially impossible.

Nick's was the lead singer of the world famous pop group Dirty Candi. And Julie remembers drunkenly applauding the choice ("She's pretty! Wowww you like them Bubblegum Pop girls?")

They had a laugh that night and Julie doesn't really consider that hall pass conversation all that much since then-

-Until fast forward to last week when Nick disclosed to her that he ran into Carrie Wilson at an event. And then promptly disclosed to her that he invoked his 'Hall Pass' rights.

His rights?! She had exploded at him, and he claims that its no big deal. That he thought she would understand that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, a crazy set of circumstances, and that- 'Holy shit Jules, she was actually into me. Like what?'

Understandably, Julie stormed out and has been staying with Flynn for the time being. And it must have been the haze of crying and watching a lot of true crime series to cheer herself up that she and Flynn concocted this... plan.

One fueled by spite and pettiness.

Get back at Nick, make him jealous, make him feel how she did- by invoking her own 'Hall Pass' rights- 

-which so happens to be Sunset Curve frontman, Luke Patterson... 

"There he is" Flynn whispers from their corner of the club and Julie gulps.

"I don't think I can do this," Julie hisses at Flynn, when they spot him at the bar, nursing a drink with his bandmates like he usually would (they did their research). 

See, Julie’s been a fan of Luke’s for a long time. Ever since she heard ‘Now or Never’ in freshman year of high school, she’s been hooked onto their music- especially Luke and his voice and playing. 

She had their posters on her bedroom wall and had been that girl who would (when no one’s looking) press her fingers to her lips then press them against Luke’s image before going to bed. 

It was that bad. 

And Julie had probably fantasized on more than one occasion of meeting him and all the other scenarios you would picture in a typical Celeb x Reader scenario. 

And she’d like to think she grew out of it, now she’s in her mid-twenties and just casually listens to Sunset Curve, following up on their careers every now and then. 

But you can never really shake your first major celebrity crush. Hence he had been on her so called ‘Hall Pass’ list. 

(”You into rockstars, Jules?” Nick had teased her that night.)

Seeing him there, in the same place as her, is so surreal, but Flynn’s continued pinches to her arm remind her just how real this is. 

“This is ridiculous,” Julie crosses her arms, ready to bow out because what is she thinking? Why would Luke Patterson pick her up, of all people, at the bar? It’s like a supermodel runway in here, filled with girls more accomplished and famous. Her confidence is shaken a bit and she rethinks everything. 

"Nick didn't seem to have a problem when he did it," Flynn points out, “And girl, you look great. He would be blind to not want you.” 

The mention of Nick still boils her blood, which only reaffirms her plans for revenge. She’s still nervous but they both stand up from their booth and walk over to the bar. 

“You’re just saying that because you’re my best friend,” 

“No. You’re musician extraordinaire, Julie Molina! The world may not have heard about you, but they will one day. I bet that’s something you can talk to him about. Music? Lyrics?” 

Julie could use her songwriting credentials to her advantage, “I mean I guess-” 

“Quick, he’s getting up!” 

“Flynn, wait I’m not-” 

With a forceful push, Flynn sends Julie into the path of Luke Patterson, colliding into him and effectively spilling his drink all over her dress. 

“Oh my god,” Luke gapes at her, “I am so sorry-” 

Julie fans herself, shaking slightly from the fact she’s drenched and also that her freakin’ high school celebrity crush is looking at her, actually talking to her. 

But she recovers quickly, and she speaks, “It’s fine. Really. I guess I’m just... clumsy.” She shoots a glare at Flynn, who merely winks and retreats to their booth. 

Luke grimaces and takes her by the hand, leading her somewhere, napkins in his other hand, “Here, let’s get you cleaned up. Again, I’m sorry. Hate to ruin a pretty... dress.”

It’s the way he eyes her that catches Julie off guard. He’s... not talking about the dress, is he? 

Julie reels it back in tries her hand at a joke, “I wouldn’t call this a dress. I feel like fancy leftovers in this thing.” 

Luke stifles a laugh, “Okay, I mean I wasn’t gonna say anything but yeah. I guess it’s a bit tin foil-y.”

“Not your style?”

His gaze drifts over to her one last time, “Well, any way to take a meal back home is fine by me. I mean-” Luke scrunches his nose, wincing, “I didn’t- I didn’t mean it like that. Shit. That was too... much. Are we-” he laughs nervously, “Are we still... talking about food?”

“Unless you just called me a meal. Then no.” 

The look in his eyes say that he’s absolutely mortified, “...yeah. I think I did. I was hoping that was a nightmare.” 

“Nope, it definitely happened,” 

“Feel free to slap me,” 

Julie giggles, somewhat delirious because she hasn’t tried to flirt with him but here Luke is, flirting with her. Or trying. And failing. Like a far cry from the suave rockstar she had pictured him to be. 

“No need. Just, can you-?” she points to the napkins he’s holding hostage. 

“Oh yeah. Here,” They stop in front of the coat check, and he hands her the napkins so she could try herself off with the best she can.

Suddenly, a weight falls onto her shoulders, she looks up and sees Luke draping a jacket over her- his presumably. 

“You looked cold,”

Julie wraps the jacket tight against her, relishing in the warmth, “Wow, thanks.”

Luke smiled and stepped back, “Just so you know, if I made you feel weird in any way, I’d like to throw out my third ‘sorry’ of the night. Nothing has to happen though. So, just say the word and I’ll leave you alone.”

Whew. Um, okay. Julie stands there, faced with this decision. 

The compliments aside (she will revisit those later), Luke’s giving her an out. Any reservations she has about moving forward with this plan, this is her chance to leave. 

She could just treasure these amazing few minutes for the rest of her life. This could be a story to tell friends at a dinner party, about the time a rockstar lent her his jacket. Would be up there with the time Jack Black passed her on the street and said “Nice hat!”. 

But-

Maybe she wants to see where this goes. 

“All this talk about food is making me hungry though...” she says and Luke lights up, “I could go for a bite to eat.” 

Luke snaps his fingers, “I know just the place.” 

*******

Half an hour later, Julie and Flynn are in a smelly alleyway with the guys from Sunset Curve, in line for a street dog cart just a couple blocks away. 

“An Oldsmobile?” Julie gawked after hearing Luke and the guys describe the delicacy, “Are you trying to poison me?”

“I swear by it,” Luke insists, taking her hand and moving them up in the line. Flynn sees this and doesn’t comment, but Julie’s starting to get used to Luke doing that, “You have to try!”  

Julie doesn't know when she got over her initial starstruck, but by now its so easy to treat Luke like a regular person.

Well, celebrities are all regular people in the end, but more so now that he and his friends, have their sleeves rolled up, smiles wide, ready to dig into what may be the most disgusting hot dog she has ever seen.

Julie takes a bite out of hers and her eyes widen. Wow. It's not terrible.

"Ayy! We got another one, boys" Reggie laughs, noting her reaction.

"Told ya" Luke needles her sides and she giggles, ticklish. Her knee jerk reaction is to playfully shove him, but in the process accidentally smeared some mustard onto his face.

Luke goes to lick it off with his tongue, making funny faces as he did which amused Julie even more.

"Here," she takes a napkin and wipes at his cheek, "Now we're even."

The whole group gets to talking over by the couches, while Flynn chats up the other boys, Julie and Luke are sequestered in their own corner, and yes, eventually the topic switches to music.

"Wait, so you know Rose and the Petal Pushers?" Luke chokes out, "Like everyone I talk to hasn't heard of them!"

"Yup. Have their record actually" Julie beams proudly, censoring out the part that its her mom's band and hence she has one of the few records ever released.

Luke is floored by that and continues to poke her brain for music and Julie finds that their spiels go on naturally, that she could probably talk with Luke for hours and hours.

Which ends up happening. Flynn had already made her escape, having texted her to come home safely, the boys had gone too, leaving them in the nearly empty lot.

When the food truck closes down for the night, they end up taking a stroll down the streets of L.A, talking and getting to know each other.

Julie learns so much about Luke, things she's never heard about from the press- like his songwriting practice, that he cries at Finding Nemo, and that he can do a cartwheel only when drunk.

And in return Julie shares with him her crazy college stories, how she misses her mom sometimes, and that she is encyclopedia of commercial jingles (a fact Luke exploits by rapidly quizzing her at random moments)

Somehow they end up near the beach, with Julie pointing out the different stars she could see, but finds that Luke isn't looking at the sky.

"Hey, Julie..." He gets her attention, "I had a really good time tonight."

"Me too"

"So... would it be alright, if I kiss you?"

Julie's mouth parts, speechless. It happened. Holy shit it happened or... is happening. She has Luke exactly where she wants him.

She could only nod and Luke takes it as the sign to lean in, but just as his lips is about to brush against hers, she freaks-

"Wait" she steps back. Luke opens his mouth, "No. No more 'sorry's from you. This one's one me. I'm sorry but... this- this" She sighs, "I have to be honest with you."

Then she tells Luke everything- Nick, The Hall Pass, her plans for tonight- basically admitting to using him.

When she's done, she expects for Luke to get angry, to leave in a huff and never want to see her again.

That's not what happens.

"This Nick guy sounds like a piece of work" he says.

Julie nods slowly, "Yeah... I guess he was. So maybe that's why I did it. But I don't think I could have gone through with it. Like I don't think we're together, me and Nick but-"

"You wouldn't want to do what he did. Because you don't want to hurt people," Luke surmises, understanding, "And by doing that, that means you're a better person than he is."

"I guess"

"No Julie, you're a good person" Luke insists, "Man, I think that makes me like you even more."

Julie laughs, "God, if my high school self could see me now..."

"You were a big fan?"

"I'm not having this conversation right now with you,"

"Okay cuz now you got me curious-"

Julie swats his shoulder but it doesn't deter the guy from snickering.

On a more serious note though-

"I think..." Julie hums, "I think this means that I got some stuff to work through. Before I could start considering... this."

"I understand"

"But thank you... Luke. For tonight"

"It's been real, Julie,"Luke smiles and pulls her in for a half hug, "And you should keep the jacket. Looks better on you anyway."

****

Julie goes back to Flynn's that night and her bestie's still awake, wanting all the deets. But there's not much to tell. Nothing happened.

She shrugs off the jacket and resigns to the couch, not caring that her makeup is still on. She's about ready to pass out.

Her phone dings.

She pulls it out and sees two notifications.

luke_patterson is now following you

luke_patterson is requesting to message you.

Curious, she accepts the request.

'here if you want to talk, Tin Foil :P'

Julie rolls her eyes and collapses onto the couch, sleeping with a smile on her face.

She doesn't know it now, but the oncoming years would be filled with more messages back and forth, meetups with their friends for more shady street food, building a solid foundation of friendship and eventually, when Luke asks again if he could kiss her, Julie would eagerly prop herself on her toes to close the gap.

Yeah, Julie's high school self would definitely be screaming...

[fearsmagazine]

SWALLOWED - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Momentum Pictures

SYNOPSIS:  Benjamin and Dom have been best friends since they were kids. On their last night together, Dom plans to send Benjamin off with a pocketful of cash. All he has to do is deliver a package over the border for his cousin’s friend. What appears to be a simple plan turns into a nightmare of drugs, bugs, and horrific intimacy.

REVIEW: Dom’s friend Benjamin is an aspiring gay porn star and they are celebrating his leaving for L.A. but the night spirals out of control when they are forced at gunpoint to swallow the contraband to get it across the border. It’s a shame that violence and terrifying bugs are what it takes for these friends to get in touch with their true feelings for each other.

Carter Smith’s screenplay is more of a thriller or a crime caper, with a horror element, than it is a horror film. Right from the beginning it becomes clear that there is a lot of tension between Dom and Ben than just Ben relocating to Cali. When the duo encounter Alica, the result of a request by Dom’s cousin, both get a sense that there is something shady going on as the rules of the deal that was presented in the call begins to change quickly to the point where they are forced at gunpoint to swallow the packages. Alice is ruthless, but clearly there are other things at play as she is frequently answering her phone to give the caller updates. Smith does an excellent job of maintaining focus on Dom and Ben as he adds in other strong, colorful characters that strengthen the narrative. The concept of the bugs adds a new dimension and sense of peril to the tale, in addition to figuring nicely into the climax. It was interesting on how Smith switches gears and the narrative style. He does give a nod to the film’s climax but it’s not glaring or obtrusive. He does try to wrap things up with a sequence over the end credits that felt a bit out of place with the rest of the film’s tone.

SWALLOWED features solid production values. The film has this 80’s cinematography style, nicely framed, and an energetic editing style. The bug designs are simplistic and effective. Christopher Bear’s score delightfully underscores the action and emotion sequences. Many of the film’s locations are adequate and the cabin in the woods is especially interesting. The special effects are solid without being overly gory.

SWALLOWED features a great ensemble cast. Cooper Koch and Jose Colon feel like long time friends. Clearly they are worldly, but they both project a sense of innocence. As things become dire, Koch nicely transforms from a victim to a predator. Actress Jena Malone, recently seen in the lead role of Grace in “Consecration,” delivers another memorable performance. She creates a complex role of a gangster with a conscience. Mark Patton, who most horror fans will remember as Jesse Walsh in “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge,” creates a complex villain queen ruled by his lust and love of money. He is as creepy as he is sympathetic.

I enjoyed Carter Smith’s 2008 adaptation of the horror novel “The Ruins,” so I was interested in taking in SWALLOWED. It’s a quick paced thriller that brings in many different genre styles as the last night of these two friends together goes off the rails. The focus remains on the friends and the elephant in the room as these other ideas are nicely woven into the plot. Likewise, I felt the gay themes were balanced with the other plot points. Not really a horror film, this native of Maine serves up a well executed thriller. Smith is currently finishing up his next project, “The Passenger,” with several of his team who worked on this film. Also listed as a horror, I have it on my radar to view when it becomes available.

CAST: Jena Malone, Mark Patton, Cooper Koch, Jose Colon, and Michael Shawn Curtis CREW: Director/Screenplay - Carter Smith; Producer - Noah Lang & Ross O’Connor; Cinematographer - Alex Wolf Lewis; Score - Christopher Bear; Editor/Sound Design - Eric Nagy; Costume Designer - Rob Younkers; Production Designer - Jay Carroll; Bugs Designer - Dan Martin; SFX & Creature Design - 13 FINGER FX

OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/jHRUGQx5SC4 RELEASE DATE: On VOD & Digital - February 14th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[lboogie1906]

Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She appeared in numerous plays, films, television shows, and miniseries. She starred in ER, The Shield, she was nominated for an Emmy ad NAACP Award, Warehouse 13, Sons of Anarchy, and NCIS: New Orleans. She is the voice of Amanda Waller in Justice League Unlimited. She matriculated at Hastings College of Arts and Technology, studied painting, and she graduated from Ithaca College. She married Boubacar Kone (1991-2016), and they have 3 children. She appeared in All That Jazz, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Prizzi's Honor, Bagdad Cafe, Postcards from the Edge, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Benny & Joon, Demon Knight, Face/Off, End of Days, Orphan, Avatar, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. She made her acting debut in All That Jazz. She appeared in The Mighty Gents and Open Admissions on Broadway. She starred in Bagdad Café and has made smaller appearances in many other successful films. She first appeared in guest roles on Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, L.A. Law, The X-Files, Living Single, and Quantum Leap. She had guest appearances on The Practice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Millennium, The West Wing, and Women in Prison. She has lent her voice to several video games and animated projects, including Aladdin and the King of Thieves, True Crime: Streets of LA, Gargoyles, as well as the video game Batman: Arkham Origins, its sequel Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, Batman: Assault on Arkham. She was one of the readers for Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narrative. She was one of the stars of Brothers. She was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her appearance in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. She had a recurring role in the Sons of Anarchy. She co-starred in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. In The Lion Guard, she voices Kongwe. She made an appearance in the London production of Wicked. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CmmW_6iLlRg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[laresearchette]

Friday, November 18, 2022 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: INTERRUPTING CHICKEN (Apple TV+) SPIRITED (Apple TV +) ZIWE (Crave TV) DISENCHANTED (Disney + Star) BLUE’S BIG CITY ADVENTURE (Paramount +) EMERIL COOKS (The Roku Channel) MARTHA HOLIDAYS (The Roku Channel) INVENTING THE CHRISTMAS PRINCE (W Network) 8:00pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA THE PEOPLE WE HATE AT THE WEDDING SUGAR WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

CBC GEM THE CUBAN DOCUMENTARY NOW (Season 4) (!!!!) EXPRESS GRAND DESIGNS AUSTRALIA (Season 10)

CRAVE TV CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD (Season 1, Episode 1) A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS HARMONY GIRL (2020) GREMLINS HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS HOME HOT SEAT JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS L WORD: GENERATION Q (Season 3) LEGALLY BLONDE LEGALLY BLONDE 2 THE POPE’S APOLOGY: REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK BY CREESON AGECOUTAY AND JILL MACYSHON THE SCORE TO THE ARCTIC TURBO VEGHEADZ: HOLIDAY SPECIAL ZIWE (Season 3)

DISNEY + STAR BEST IN SNOW BREAKAWAY DISENCHANTED ESPN FILMS PRESENTS: 144 JUNE 17TH, 1994 MARION JONES: PRESS PAUSE MICKEY AND THE ROADSTER RACERS: DIGGITY-DOG (Season 1 premiere) MICKEY MOUSEKERSIZE (Season 1 premiere) MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE   ONCE BROTHERS STRAIGHT OUTTA L.A. THE TWO ESCOBARS UNGUARDED WINNING TIME: REGGIE MILLER VS. THE NEW YORK KNICKS THE WONDERFUL AUTUMN OF MICKEY MOUSE YOU DON’T KNOW BO

NETFLIX CANADA THE CUPHEAD SHOW! (Part 3) ELITE (Season 6) INSIDE JOB (Part 2) REIGN SUPREME SLUMBERLAND SOMEBODY THE VIOLENCE ACTION

NBA BASKETBALL (SN NOW) 7:00pm: Heat vs. Wizards (SN/SN1) 7:30pm: Bucks vs. 76ers (TSN4/TSN5) 8:30pm: Nuggets vs. Mavericks (SN1) 10:00pm: Knicks vs. Warriors

NHL HOCKEY (SNPacific) 10:00pm: Kings vs. Canucks (TSN4) 7:00pm: Penguins vs. Leafs

REINDEER GAMES HOMECOMING (CTV Life) 7:00pm:  Sparks fly between a Vermont biology teacher and her high school crush as they compete in a holiday fundraising tradition.

MARKETPLACE (CBC) 8:00pm: The cost of living is higher than it’s been in nearly 40 years and we’re all feeling the pinch. We reveal the ways we're paying more & getting less. An inflation survival guide you can't afford to miss. Reporter: Travis Dhanraj

RODEO NATION (APTN) 8:00pm: A few wrecks make Zachery King question the future of his season.

LOONS: A CRY FROM THE MIST (Cottage Life) 8:00pm: Biologists try to figure out why North American loons are in danger.

CHRISTMAS IN LOVE (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:00pm: Ellie must decide if she should trust the big city CEO she is falling for, but more importantly, whether to take a leap of faith in making her own dreams come true.

TRAVEL MAN: 48 HOURS IN… (CBC) 8:30pm:  Richard Ayoade is joined by comedian Ellie Taylor for a 2-day meander around Madrid, following an itinerary rich in art, ham, history and histrionics.

STORIES FROM THE LAND (APTN) 8:30pm: The last two active traditional net fishermen on one of Canada's largest lakes wonder what the future holds as fishing operations dwindle to a sliver of what they used to be.

THE PASSIONATE EYE (CBC) 9:00pm: Wall Street Blues; A band of online day traders managed to completely disrupt the stock market, the global financial industry and maybe, the future of who gets to make big money and how.

TRANSPLANT (CTV) 9:00pm: Bash's life is scrutinized during his citizenship interview; when treating survivors of a building fire, Theo needs Bash's help with a scared young boy; Mags helps a recovering addict who swallowed her keys; June and Bash treat estranged brothers.

THE SCORE (Crave) 9:00pm: Two small-time crooks drive to a secluded cafe for a big score.

CANADA'S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD (Crave 2) 9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): It’s an all-star season of sorts with Canadians, as well as, foreign nations featured including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm: Glen Davis was a multi-millionaire philanthropist, well-known for his generosity; he and his wife donated millions to charities, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

[tcm]

Jean Gabin and the Allure of Pepe By Susan King

Julian Duvivier’s PÉPÉ LE MOKO is one of the most influential films of the 20th century. Not only is the 1937 French romantic crime drama starring the legendary Jean Gabin, a precursor of the Hollywood film noir, the classic inspired such filmmakers as Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, ‘42), Carol Reed (The Third Man, ‘49) and even Jean-Pierre Melville (Bob le Flambeur, ‘56). PÉPÉ was such an international hit, producer Walter Wanger quickly released a near shot-by-shot remake in 1938, Algiers, directed by John Cromwell and starring Charles Boyer as Pepe and Hedy Lamarr in her first American role. That film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Boyer and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Lockhart.

And lest we forget, the original and the remake also influenced animator Chuck Jones’ now pariah of a character, Pepe Le Pew, and a dreadful musical version Casbah (’48) with Tony Martin and Yvonne De Carlo.

PÉPÉ is also a prime example of the poetic realism style of French filmmaking popular in the late 1930s. Besides Duvivier, other directors known for this lyrical style include Jean Vigo, Marcel Carne and Jean Renoir. The male anti-hero characters who populated these films were doomed from the outset; they lived on the outskirts of society, as in Renoir’s The Lower Depths (’36); were members of the working class; or were criminals, as in the case of Pepe. These characters tragically think when they fall in love, they will break out of their cursed existence.  But women cause their emotional downfall, and romance usually ends in the death of the character.

Pépé is a powerful, charismatic master thief who is respected and feared in the Algerian district known as the Casbah. He rules over the crooked, mazelike area where he plans his latest heists. But he is also trapped there. He dreams of returning to Paris but knows that will never happen. The police are in wait at the edge of the city if he dares try to escape. Also lurking around him is the sleazy and manipulative Inspector Slimane (Lucas Gridoux). As soon as he meets a beautiful Parisienne woman Gaby (Mireille Balin), the mistress of a much older wealthy Frenchman, you know Pépé is doomed.

PÉPÉ LE MOKO wouldn’t have been the enduring masterpiece it is without Gabin, the Everyman superstar of French cinema. Film noir superstars from Humphrey Bogart to Dana Andrews to Robert Ryan owe a lot of their anti-hero personae to Gabin. The legendary film critic Andre Bazin once described him as “the tragic hero of contemporary cinema.”

He was also one of the best dressed – no rumbled fedoras or ill-fitting suits. Just check out those well-tailored suits, snappy shoes and ties Pépé wears. In his 2002 New York Times critical essay on the film, critic Elvis Mitchell wrote Gabin’s “expressive and sorrowful pudding of a face immediately gave a picture a soul. Gabin was the tropical opposite to the waxy screen idols whose sleek good looks often suggested the hood ornament of a Hispano-Suiza.” And in the case of PÉPÉ, “Gabin’s wary cool is the heart of this movie.”

Because Wanger didn’t want any competition with his remake, PÉPÉ LE MOKO wasn’t shown in the U.S until 1941. The New York Times’ Bosley Crowther described the film as an “incomparable advantage over the Hollywood-made imitation: it is raw edged, realistic and utterly frank exposition of a basically evil story …” Adding that Gabin’s “tough, unsentimental performance of the title role is much more credible and revealing than Charles Boyer’s sad-eyed mooning as Pepe in Algiers.”

Gabin, who was a song and dance man before he made films, was probably the biggest star in France when he made PÉPÉ LE MOKO and Renoir’s Grand Illusion, which was also released in 1937. He was sexy, tough and tender. He didn’t need dialogue to express his emotions, he literally wore his heart on his face. There’s an incredible scene near the end of PÉPÉ where he is determined to stop Gaby from leaving on a ship. He’s like a madman making his wave through the maze of the Casbah, and Duvivier’s herky-jerky back projection of the streets reflects his tormented emotional state.

“Director Jean Renoir used to say that the range of feelings Jean Gabin can show and express are limitless,” said Charles Zigman, author of the Gabin biography, Coolest Movie Star, in a 2008 L.A. Times interview. “The difference with other actors is he feels the feelings of his character. … He is the consummate Everyman. When you start watching his movies what you notice immediately is that he’s likeable. You feel like you have known him for a long time. He’s very real. He’s not putting on airs.”

Wanger initially wanted Gabin to reprise his Pépé for Algiers, but the notoriously difficult actor turned him down. Gabin did come to Hollywood in the early 1940s, making two disappointing films, Moontide (1942) and The Imposter (1944), and more headlines for his high-profile romance with Marlene Dietrich. He returned to France and joined Charles De Gaulle’s Free French Forces as a tank commander, winning medals for his bravery in Europe and North Africa.

But his absence from the screen didn’t make the moviegoers hearts grow fonder for Gabin. In fact, when he returned to acting grayer and more corpulent, he discovered he had been forgotten. He made several expensive films, including the dreadful Martin Roumagnac (‘46) with Dietrich and the Oscar-winning The Walls of Malapaga (’49), but even the latter film didn’t get him out of his slump.

But luck changed when he turned 50, starring as an aging gangster in Jacques Becker’s terrific noir, Touchez pas au grisbi (’54), for which he won the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival. And the following year, he reunited with Renoir for the delightful Technicolor hit French Cancan. And he never stopped working. In fact, his last film, Holy Year (‘76), was released the year he died. Beloved by his legions of fans, Gabin had a true hero’s funeral with full military honors. And his ashes were scattered into the sea from a naval ship.

[estellaelysian]

Light Under Water (OPH AU)

Prologue - The Athens of America 

She would never know how her life spun so out of control that night. It wasn’t anything she had said or done. It wasn’t even her, if you considered all things. All she remembered was driving down, free and alone at eighty miles per hour as the city hummed around her, throbbing with life. The car flew down the Devonshire street, blowing through red lights as the poles flicked past in a rush. The air was alive on her skin. She didn’t give a damn about the honking horns that were lost in the lonely race she had with herself. She did not even slow once, even though her eyes watered and left streaks of mascara down her cheeks, blurring her vision.

Maybe that was the mistake. But who would’ve known at that time?

The patrol officer had been adamant about knowing where she had spent her time before the accident. By the look on his face, she could tell he knew what she had been doing: getting wasted with filthy people. If that’s what you called partying with a few friends at the Tunnel, why yes, she was getting waste. She had spent an hour avoiding an aging creep who kept following her around as the bass throbbed through her body and neon lights pulsed around her. The dance floor was thronged, and she marveled at how people still managed to jump and sway in the crowd as she stayed behind with her friends (A-list young multitude – real estate agents, models who flew down from New York and L.A., growing musicians – people she had no problem naming for the suspicious cop) as they posed with rainbow colored, glittering cocktails.

This obviously raised the question of whether she’d been drinking. She hadn’t been, and the copper scoffed when she said it so, but the breathalyzer confirmed her version of the story.

She liked to be one of those people who stayed true to their new year’s resolutions.

Then she had been alone again. All the rest hours of the night.

Leaving the club, she got back on the freeway, flying down the long endless road as her hair whipped and lashed. The scents of rosemary shifted along with the sounds of crickets and windmills that were lost in the busy streets. Five blocks later, she stopped in the middle of the road, enjoying the cashmere breeze which came from a deep groove of trees, cool and balmy, rustling the leaves in a soulful melody. The stillness of the city at this hour was breathtaking.

Then she was back on the road, driving away to god knew where. Her route changed almost every night. She would ride out no matter how late it was, because the rush made her feel more alive than she had felt all day. It was her element. It was her thing, because there was nothing which would make more sense to her.

The tires screeched as she avoided hitting the car right in front of her, which she had somehow missed in the prism of her tears. Slowing inevitably, her fingers tightened around the wheel as she laughed before speeding down again, who said what about her.

The city itself whispered, with expectation and anticipation. You are not the first. Go on, set yourself free.

She smiled at the thought and slowed more as streets narrowed and cars appeared.

Wasn’t that absolutely fascinating?

Probably not. Who cared anyway?

Her name was Alishka Roy. She was twenty eight years old. She lived in a loft downtown in an area which featured the grey part of Boston. But it didn’t matter; she had a great sea view. Her family owned the building.

Her speed had only increased when she had to slow again as she flew over the tangle of one way downtown streets. She tried to weave through, but had to slow nonetheless  to make the right turn. She was in no mood to go all the way back and turn right around.

As everything rippled and blurred, she turned onto her street, telling herself it was only the dry night wind and her lashing hair. But it was always the same, no matter the wind, no matter how she did her hair. It was always this way when her lonely race finished. But in those few moments, she could escape the real world in earnest to be with herself. That mattered more than anything.

She, after all, wanted nothing more than to light the fire for herself.

Her loft was only blocks away when she drove into a red Mercedes car. The air bag exploded as her car spun sideways to a stop. White haze hung in the air, shards of glass sprayed over her shoulders and arms. The other car had been an illusion only, no more real than a shadow of a bird flying overhead, a gleaming stroke of movement no one would’ve seen coming.

She took a few deep breaths before opening the door and stumbling out of the car. The Mercedes was on the sidewalk, and she walked to it and slapped the passenger’s side window. Two men were in the car, in their late fifties. The drivers face was bleeding, and the passenger stared at her, dumfounded, before breaking from his haze.

‘Are you alright? Do you need help?’

The passenger said nothing, looking at her blankly before truly seeing her. His looked down at his wrist immediately.

‘Oh god, I am sorry, I am really sorry. I’ll get an ambulance. Just give me a sec,’ she said, trying to keep her cool.

The passenger opened his door and spilled out the car. He was dressed impeccably and had a natural tan. She saw his eyes clearly in the fractured light from her car. There was a certain chillness about their pale blue color.

‘We’re okay,’ he croaked out. ‘It’s nothing.’

‘Hold on, I’ll get help. I’ll call an ambulance,’ Alishka said, realizing her phone was still in her car. He took a step toward her before stumbling back down.

She helped him up before rushing back to her car. The phone was under the dash.

She had only dialed 911 when she heard the car pull away, its rear fender dragging down the street. The passenger was running behind the car towards the narrow alleyway.

She had to remember the license plate number.

She couldn't not remember it.

The city was no more shining, shimmering or splendid. Everything seemed to close on in her. Those people drove away. She was in the middle of the street and she no more knew what was going on.

A deep voice cut through her confusion. ‘Emergency operator, hello?’

‘I had a wreck, an auto accident–’

‘Was anyone injured?’

‘They drove away, these two men, I don’t know–’

She recited the license plate number, scared she would forget it, so she pulled out her notepad and wrote it down.

‘Ma’am, do you need an ambulance dispatched? Do you need help?’

She felt wobbly and sick, so she sat own, her back pressed against the car’s cold metal.

‘Ma’am, where are you? Ma’am–’

She lay back on the cool street, closing her eyes as everything collapsed around her.

‘Tell me where are you, ma’am? Ma’am?’

She tried to answer, but nothing came out, dark buildings huddling over her.

That was the beginning of it all. The beginning of hr nightmare.

She would be questioned over and over about the accident. She would learn that the accident was nothing ordinary, nothing that didn’t always happen.

In seven days, the first attempt would be made on her life.

In eleven days, she would meet a man named Ethan Ramsey.

Everything was about to change about her life, and it started then.

**********

Thank you for reading if you made it this far

So yeah, this is an AU where Ethan is a detective and not a doctor.

But he will be introduced in the next chapter 🙈

This is unplanned, impulsive, but it wont leave my head so I had to write it.

This is basically inspired/based/ a revamp of my favorite crime fiction novel - The Watchman by Robert Crais, but the plot will be varied (I will definitely make a variation.)

So uh ... @tenaciouslandvoidgiant @choicesaddict5 @schnitzelbutterfingers @starrystarrytrouble @jooous @dakotasteach @lilypills @vishhhi @sophxwithers @genevievemd @mercury84choices @caseyvalentineramsey @ethansramsey @stygianflood - are y'all with me on this ship that may or may not sink? 

Any one else want to get aboard?