#alma linked profiles

[almalinked]

Profiles - AlmaLinked OCs - Pt.1

Raymundo Ortiz - ♥️🐇 Reluctant(?) Protagonist

"If you hit a bat with a broom, it's obvious it'll turn into your classmate in a poof of smoke. Dead in your living room. Yup. I've finally gone insane!"

A university art student who left home to study under a scholarship. As he works day shifts at a café, most of his classes are during the night: his classmates are…unique.  Turns out most humans aren’t supposed to see—or even be drawn to—the night class offers, yet he remains oblivious of this fact for months. Perhaps, this started from the moment he got that scholarship... Raymundo’s passionate and emotionally driven, owner of a fiery temperament and an intimidating glare that often keeps people away. Old habits die hard and he’s too used to being on the defensive to save himself pain, but even so his heart constantly peeks out his sleeve (literally, if you count the birthmark on his wrist).  If you talk to him for more than a couple minutes, you’d find a friendly guy who’s just too worried and overly conscious about being judged by others. His closest friends, Marina and Niko, are all the way back home and while Ray tells himself he can well survive as a loner, he longs to connect to others. Now, if his classmate Angelo would stop being a jerk, they might even become friends…?

Age: 20/21 years old Pronouns: he/him Languages: Spanish (native), English (second) Occupation: art college student, cafe barista/waiter Family: -Dad (died in an accident) -Mom, Stepmom -Grandma -Younger sister, Rosario (17 y/o) -Two older siblings -Back home, they have a rabbit (Canela), a couple fishes, a dog (Batata) Likes: art (drawing, painting, sculpting he manages different mediums); rock/metal music, pop occasionally; bunnies, cute things in general; running, exercise Dislikes: pineapple on pizza; horror movies; feeling lonely; pointless violence; awkward silences/completely silent rooms Appearance: -Short brown hair, longer bangs at the sides which he usually braids (the tips are dyed orange); when drawing or working, he pushes it back with a bandana so it's not in the way -1,65 cm tall, strong torso and arms, balanced build -Has freckles across his cheeks, shoulders and back; dark green eyes; hands often have smudges (pencil, oil, paint), skin is a bit rough, faint scarring around knuckles and one more notable starting between his index and middle finger and ending before his wrist -Has a 'birthmark' on his right wrist curiously shaped like a heart ♥ -Wears earrings and piercings on both ears -Day to day he wears comfortable shirts and jeans or overalls; has a set of overalls specifically for when he paints that have accumulated plenty of oil, watercolor, carbon etc smudges. Back in high school, he used to dress mostly in black, and while these days he's incorporated color, he still enjoys a bit of goth/emo fashion (he'll usually wear those clothes for band concerts). Misc: -Bi, demisexual; has limited romantic experience. -Wears socks with cute patterns (paws, animals, etc) -Doesn't handle horror well--back home, Marina would make him and Niko watch horror movies all the time but he never warmed up to them. He prefers to watch comedy or tear jerkers. Despite how he tries to appear, he's a big sentimental guy. -Focuses better with music in the background -He's a scrappy fighter, with a bit of technique he picked up for self defense. He WILL fight back if provoked.

Angelo Valentini - ♠️🃏 Self Proclaimed Cryptid

"I'm not dead, you fool. Now, could you take me out of this closet? It's quite cramped..."

(Do vampires count as cryptids? Angelo would say that yes). He's Ray's classmate in some of his classes, and assistant to the head of university; one of the few people who gets to see them in person. His main interest lies in fashion but he enjoys studying a large range of subjects to make up for lost time (and now he has immortality worth of it). No one knows where he goes during the day, or where he lives, or really—much about him.  He’s a man with past regrets, and a future he doesn’t knows what to do with. Upon a first impression, Angelo appears as someone of few words, serious and distant; he’s blunt and to the point and this often causes him to come off as rude (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not, but he doesn’t usually care). Logical and calculating, he leaves little room for emotion. It all betrays a secret playful side, and a softer, caring personality reserved for a select few. At first, he and Ray don’t see eye to eye and clash often. But with time, some snacks, close encounters with vampires—and one Christmas where Ray hit him with a broom, they start to become friends. He's also Danielle's ex. But that is a far longer story.

Age: 22/23 at time of turning; as a vampire, ? Pronouns: he/him Languages: Italian (Native), English (Second), some Spanish and a little French Occupation: student; assistant in university (bookkeeper, helps manage the library, various duties). Family (as human): -Mother (died of sickness when he was 14; she was a nurse) -Biological Father (unknown status, didn’t meet him→someone his mother had an affair with) -Step Father (in name only, never liked Angelo) -Younger sister, Luchia (the person he did everything for while alive) Likes: fashion, fashion history, making clothes; languages; fruits, pineapple on pizza; mystery and suspense, undiscovered things, cryptids, legends and myths Dislikes: pushy/meddling people; romcoms; asking for help Appearance: -Long, pale hair, often loose or braid or ponytail. -Long lashes, slender hands; naturally slender body but a little too thin at times due to lack of eating; in the past, his hands would have scattered bandages or bandaids from manual work/lack of care and resources for it. Having become a vampire, his complexion actually got better in some aspects (wounds heal faster) but if you take a close look, his body retains the memory of his habits as a human (and he still sucks at taking care of himself). -Tallish, around 1,70cm, long legs -Day to day, he usually wears dress pants, shirt and vest (no tie, but sometimes a cravat), which makes him stand out amidst more casually dressed students (Ray joked once he dressed LIKE a vampire). He enjoys a wide range of fashion, though, particularly long elegant dresses (one of his favorite pieces to make, as well). -As a human (disguise or past self),aquamarine/emerald green eyes, otherwise red; large bat ears/fangs/etc. -In bat mode, he’s an albino fruit bat. Misc: -Gay, demiromantic; he's slept with multiple people across his mortal and immortal life, but only loved one (so far). If not for him, he may not have become a vampire... -Back in the day, he learned to sew and often crafted clothes for himself or his sister due to lack of money. However he quite enjoys it. -Knowledgeable in Gambling/Cardgames: he learned many games and gambling techniques to make money. -Cryptid hunter: the truth is out there...

[deerspherestudios]

Ok, now i'm interested what Alma's MBTI type is 👉🏻👈🏻.

Oh, good question! Using the same website I did for Mychael, Alma would be an INTJ-T! The link sends you to the full profile so it's there if you'd like to read more! :-D

[raintailed]

redrew my cattails blorbos :]] I haven't drawn them since early 2021

in order, they are:

Adelaide (he/him), a member of the Mystic Colony

Alma (she/her), a member of the Mountain Domain

Collector (they/them, xe/xem), a member of the Forest Colony

the links lead to their toyhouse profiles, which include the old art of them

[saintmeghanmarkle]

𝑨𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 Harry and Meghan were 𝑵𝑶𝑻 amongst the lineup of celebrity commencement speakers this year by u/SeptiemeSens

🎓𝑨𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, Harry and Meghan were *𝑵𝑶𝑻* amongst the lineup of celebrity commencement speakers this year 🎓 Dear Sinners,Another graduation season has come and gone 🎓 And once again, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were missing from the lineup of notable 2024 commencement speakers. If I remember correctly, the only so-called "graduation speech" Meghan has given was this bizarre unsolicited "graduation speech" she released to the media in 2020 👀Here's a list of some of H&M's "famous friends" who have given commencement speeches over the years. These are individuals who have participated in ARO, Archetypes, and/or 40x40:📌ARO:John Legend (singer, songwriter, producer, EGOT winner) - Loyola Marymount University, 2024. John has given many commencement speeches over the years and is also the recipient of three (3) honorary doctorate degrees as well. His wife and ARO jam recipient, Chrissy Teigen however, has not given any commencement speeches nor received any honorary degreesMindy Kaling (actress & comedian) - Dartmouth University, 2018Tracee Ellis Ross (actress, daughter of Diana Ross) - Spelman College, 2023source 1 // source 2📌Archetypes podcast guests:Mindy Kaling (actress & comedian) - Dartmouth University, 2018Mellody Hobson (President and co-CEO of $14.9B Ariel Investments, Chairwoman of Starbucks Corporation, wife of George Lucas) - University of Southern California, 2015Serena Williams 🏆- Graduating Class of 2020Trevor Noah (S. African comedian) - Princeton University, 2021source)📌 40x40 Participants:Deepak Chopra (author and alternative medicine advocate) - University of Southern California, 2017Hillary Clinton (politician, wife of former US President Bill Clinton) - At age 21, Hillary famous delivered her Wellesley 1969 commencement speech. She returned to her alma mater in 2017 to deliver another commencement speechKatie Couric (journalist) - UMass Medical School, 2017 most recently. Katie has given many commencement speeches over the yearsKerry Washington (actress) - George Washington University, 2013. Kerry also received an honorary Doctorate degreesource 1 // source 2 // source 3📌 Friends:Ellen DeGeneres - Tulane University, 2009Gayle King - University of Maryland, 2023Gloria Steinem - M's bestie "Glo" has given many commencement speeches over the decades. Perhaps her most famous was at Tufts University, 1987Oprah Winfrey - Oprah has given dozens of commencement speeches and has also received numerous honorary degrees over the decades📌 Bonus:Actress Kathryn Hahn - As an interesting comparison to Meghan: Kathryn is an respected and accomplished actress, you may recognize her from Parks & Recreation, WandaVision, and Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse (IMDb). TIL that like Meghan, Kathryn is a Northwestern alumni. This year, Kathryn gave the commencement speech at Northwestern University. Northwestern also gave Kathryn, along with three other accomplished alumni [*not* named Meghan Markle], honorary Doctor of Arts degrees👉 Why hasn't Northwestern invited Meghan Markle to give a commencement speech?👉 Why hasn't Northwestern given Meghan Markle an honorary degree? 📌 Notes:In 2020, H&M signed with the esteemed NY-based Harry Walker Agency. Here is Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex's profile page. (I could not find a profile page for Harry.) This is the same high powered agency that also represents the Clintons, the Obamas, John Legend, and many others for speaking engagements. At the time, it was widely reported that H&M could charge up to $1M per speech!🤑 Where did all of H&M's dream$ of making million$ of dollar$ by giving word $alad $peeche$ go? 🤑 post link: https://ift.tt/PytGmjV author: SeptiemeSens submitted: July 03, 2024 at 02:35PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[meimeiherokitten]

First lines game

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

Well, there's Good Omens and OFMD. Thats it. Sorry folks!

I don't know how to embed links in posts so I'm just linking my entire AO3 profile at the end. It's all there!

Thanks to @nadsdraws for the game!

1. "Izzy never believed in soulmates." From Shatter Me, a Soulmate AU

2. "Stede glanced at his phone. 8:15pm. Fifteen minutes late wasn't bad. Traffic could account for that, right?" From Wishing Only Wounds The Heart- Stede gets stood up for a date and meets Izzy.

3. "Izzy suspected a stowaway for days. Food missing, things out of place, creaking boards that weren't the ship's usual noise. He'd caught more than one stowaway in his time. Killed one or two as well..." from Stowaway- Izzy catches a very familiar looking stowaway aboard the ship...

4. "Stede hit the couch with a grunt, which turned into a groan as Izzy landed on top of him." From Proven Wrong- Ed gives Stede advice on dating Izzy. Too bad it's all wrong.

5. "'I never thought I would miss Edward so much but now I fucking do and it's your fucking fault!'" From First Time For Everything- Stede drags Izzy to Alma's birthday party.

6. "'Don't even tell me, there's only one bed.'" From Lots of New Things- TROPE FEST! Izzy and Stede stay at an inn. There's only one bed. Of course.

7. "It's become a bit of a joke now. If Bonnet chooses a ship to raid, it's either deserted, cursed (or haunted), or plague-ridden." From Successful Raid- Stede finally chooses a good raid... and a boyfriend.

8. "There had been nowhere to go. So Crowley literally drove until he ran out of road. Then he turned around and did it again. And again. And again." From Making Up- Crowley and Aziraphale make up and wreck the bookshop (and each other) while doing so.

9. "'He's not dead.'" From Save Him- What Izzy hears in the darkness as he lays on deck after being shot. Dialog only experimental fix.

10. "Aziraphale turned away from the slamming door, the phrase 'i forgive you' hanging bitter and heavy in the back of his throat, contrasting the sweet memory of pressure on his lips." from Flight and Fight- Aziraphale has a panic attack as he prepares to leave for heaven.

Ok, admittedly they weren't all my MOST recent fics, but a lot of my most recent ones have really boring beginning lines!

Read them all here!

Edit: Forgot to tag people! @izzypositive @goayda @izzymarksthespot @deskgirl @yaz113 @thetimetravellercat (thats everyone I know essentially lol)

[azurefishnets]

Without Form and Void

Hellooo, @dieanywhereelseart! I was honored to be assigned your prompts for @fyeahghosttrick's Ghost Swap this year! I loved them all; I hope you like the one I chose! Eldritch Sissel is too much fun as a prompt :3 I suspect I'll want to revisit this idea another day.

Happy Ghost Swap!

The story can be found at the link above, or you can read below!

AO3 Profile

Fandom: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Words: 2874

Summary: Jowd, Sissel, & Missile spend a day together; as ghostly experimentation ensues, they each get a little more than they bargained for.

Sissel sat at the top of the stairs and flattened his ears a little sardonically as the front door closed on a babble of voices; Lynne, Alma, and Kamila were going out together for an afternoon and Sissel was left to watch the house, Lynne’s dog, and Jowd, in approximately that order (although Alma had phrased it rather a different way around when telling Jowd the plans for the day.)

Lynne threw him one last odd look as the door closed, and Sissel squeezed his eyes at her as the door slid home. He knew she was still trying to understand her rapid assimilation into Jowd’s family; Alma had wasted no time ensuring that Lynne was part of Kamila’s life as soon as she got the real story of Jowd’s sudden silences and secrets surrounding Sissel, but Lynne still knew nothing of that time, only that Detective-now-Captain Jowd’s cat was a friendly little weirdo who seemed to enjoy having her and her dog around.

Missile scrabbled at the door a little for form’s sake, whining as Lynne’s laughter and Kamila’s chatter faded away, and then turned to the stairs and threw himself up them to crash against Jowd’s legs. From there, he immediately turned to Sissel and attempted to bowl them both over in a quick tussle that ended with Missile sprawled on his back, Sissel sitting primly as he straightened his fur, and Jowd chuckling as he leaned the long way down to scratch the dog’s ears and rub the eagerly-presented tummy. Sissel squeezed his eyes again. Even though it was on him to facilitate, he enjoyed the days when they could get together to talk. He supposed eventually Yomiel would be a part of their chats too, on the day hopefully not-too-far-off when he had acclimated to life once again with his human Sissel.

For now, feline Sissel dismissed thoughts of Yomiel as he turned and led the way, tail now waving high with interest and excitement, toward the large arts-and-crafts area Jowd had built onto the back of house approximately six years previous. Jowd still enjoyed painting and it now also served as an excellent catch-all room for Kamila’s tinkering, Alma’s rapid assimilation of hobbies from yarncraft to leatherwork, and even a small stage from which Cabanela could and often did serenade them all of an evening with his guitar and a flashy dance step or a hundred.

Jowd took the drop-cloth off his most recent painting, which featured Missile and Lynne. Lynne had already allowed herself, rather bashfully, to be painted, and now he was finishing the final details on Missile, who was, predictably, harder to pose. In truth, Jowd didn’t need either of them there, but it had become a good pretext to talk to the pets together in ways the humans in Jowd’s life couldn’t really understand.

Sissel yawned and tucked his body into a nice compact loaf on the table next to Jowd’s easel, then hopped out and sent his spirit flame toward Missile’s waiting fire. As always, the little dog greeted him with explosive joy.

“Finally! Welcome!! But Sissel, you took so long! I’ve been waiting and waiting for you to connect me to Mr. Jowd!”

“Oh, am I just your telephone operator?” Sissel said a little drily, reaching his other ghostly paw towards the flame of Jowd’s soul. “You know I’m the one that’s supposed to be traveling via telephone.”

“Well…” Missile looked briefly nonplussed. “I guess you are kind of like that black hello now that you have that body of yours back…but still! I have so much to say to Mr. Jowd!”

“Oh?” Jowd’s spirit-voice joined their conversation, his usual sardonic tones a little preoccupied as he continued painting. “And what do you have to say to me?”

“Er…” Missile’s tail—both his spirit and regular versions—began waving ever-faster. “Welcome back Mister Jowd! I missed you!”

“Did you? I’ve been here all this time.” It was Jowd’s turn to sound mildly nonplussed, as he always did when someone expressed how much they loved seeing him. “And was that all you wanted to say?”

“No! I really, really missed you and Mister Cabanela and Miss Kamila and Miss Alma! It’s been days since I saw you all!” Missile said, wriggling. “I even asked Miss Lynne to bring me over here yesterday and the day before and…”

“Asked Lynne?” Jowd sounded amused now. “And how did you do that?”

“I barked and barked and barked! Until she chased me with a broom!” Missile said proudly. “And then I got her to throw my ball for me and take me on a walk and I thought we were coming here but we just walked to that place that smells SO good and then we came home and Miss Lynne ate her whole dinner and she didn’t give me any. Two days in a row!” He flopped to the ground, indignantly flicking his ears back to show his brief displeasure.

Jowd was laughing in earnest now. “You must have gone to the Chicken Kitchen. Two days in a row? Alma would have something to say about that. But we won’t mention it.”

“Well, she didn’t give me any chicken,” Missile said, then sat up. “But you will, won’t you Mister Jowd! You smell like it so you must have some!”

“Uh…” Jowd’s voice was unrepentant. “We’re out of chicken right now. Someone ate it all. With ketchup.”

“A criminal offense,” Sissel interjected, voice dry.

“A criminal!” Missile jumped and growled. “We have to catch him! That chicken thief!”

“Okay, okay,” Jowd said, still laughing. “We’ll go on a walk in a little while and see if you can sniff him out. For now, I’m done with your portrait. Do you want to see?”

Missile looked up at it. “Oh. It’s very nice, Mister Jowd,” he said politely. “It’s so square! And flat! And it has nice shapes on it! They sort of look like my Miss Lynne!” He sniffed, his little nose quivering. “It smells like my ball a little bit? I like that part!” He sniffed again. “And it smells like chicken too! Maybe the criminal came by here!” His tail waved. “It’s a Clue!”

Jowd snorted. “Thanks. Your nose, as always, is impeccable. We’ll be hiring you as a police dog soon.” He took the painting off the easel and set it on a tarp to dry. “All right, Sissel. Your turn.”

“Me?” Sissel’s spirit flickered in brief confusion. “You’ve painted me before.”

“Well, I painted Yomiel. And yes, you as a cat,” Jowd agreed. “But I was thinking about painting you in your ghost form this time.”

“But my ghost form doesn’t have a real shape,” Sissel objected.

“Exactly,” Jowd said, satisfied. “That’s why it’s a challenge. You turn into whatever you can think of, and I’ll paint it.”

“Cabanela put you up to this, didn’t he,” Sissel said.

“Well, he and Alma, yes.” Jowd shrugged, his brush already moving to capture the Temsik waves radiating from Sissel’s body. “And what did you expect? With the three of you ganging up on me to tell them everything, of course they want to know the real you.”

“Huh?” Missile interjected. “But Sissel is Sissel. He looks like who he is! All the time!”

“And how better to show that to humans than a painting?” Jowd finished smoothly.

“Err…fine.” Sissel’s spirit wavered, then firmed into a red desk lamp, which swiveled back and forth on its base. “How’s this?”

“Hmm,” said Jowd, inspecting him critically. “That one doesn’t really seem like you.”

“Yeah!” Missile said. “But I like it though! A lot!”

“You would,” said Sissel, flickering out of it and into a fuzzy approximation of an exceedingly old Pomeranian. “This you did too. Or, well, he didn’t like it exactly, I guess. But he sure made it sound like he did.”

“Hey, but that’s not what I looked like!” Missile objected. “He was more like this! I remember… I think...” His own spirit flickered through a few fuzzy shapes before settling back into looking, once again, like Missile. “Oh… but I can see him, I mean, me, so clearly. Why can’t I change?”

“Guess you have to be actually dead to control your ghost form,” Sissel said, preening his ghostly whiskers with a paw. “We already knew you couldn’t use your ghost powers anymore, so it only makes sense.”

“Well! I don’t want to be lolling around dead any time soon! Miss Lynne and Miss Kamila need me here!” Missile said. “You’ll just have to do a better job of looking like me, Sissel.”

“I’m not the artist here, you know,” Sissel said, and flattened his ears. “Also, wasn’t I supposed to look like me all the time?”

“Well… yes, but…” Missile barked at him. “Hey! Stop being confusing!”

“He’s just being a cat,” Jowd told him, and bent down to give him another ear scritch. “Sorry that you’re the only dog in the world, probably, who has to hear a cat being a cat on a regular basis. But if it makes you feel better, I get the same feeling from talking to Cabanela.”

“Oh, Mister Cabanela is also Mister Cabanela all the time,” Missile agreed. “He can’t be anything but himself, even if he smells like someone else. He sure is good at being confusing!”

“Ha! Well, that’s Sissel too.” Jowd said, laughing. “But I guarantee you if Cabanela had the power to shapeshift he would have too much fun with it. I’m surprised Sissel hasn’t tried before.” He turned back to Sissel. “Anyway, is that all you’ve got? Come on. Give me something with feeling. Some oomph.”

“Something with feeling, huh…” Sissel said. In rapid succession, he turned into a crossing gate, a guitar with bullet holes in it, and finally a familiar shape to both Jowd and Missile, a man in a red suit with tall and pointed yellow hair and dark sunglasses, who lay on the floor with his face on the ground. “Well, I guess I can definitely turn into anything or anyone I’ve ever possessed. That’s a pretty neat trick.”

“Yes,” Jowd said, already busily sketching shapes. “But just any old inanimate objects? Not very clever to repeat stuff, is it?”

“Well, maybe you should try it,” Sissel shot back. “Fine! How about this!”

For a moment, a huge ovoid form, much larger than Jowd, stood in the room, hollow eyes staring out at the world with haunted, empty white holes painted on its chalky face. Long facial hair streamed to the floor and puddled around their feet as the object toppled forward toward them on its unsteadily rounded base.

Missile crouched and barked at it, but Jowd didn’t flinch, only kept sketching. “Mino, huh? Better. Still inanimate, although I like the extra touches you put on there. Getting a little creepy, I suppose.”

“Hmph.” Sissel’s spirit flame flicked in annoyance and Mino turned into a rugby ball and then was gone. “OK, how about…hmm.” He flickered into the form of a monster from one of the late-night movies Jowd liked to watch when he couldn’t sleep and meow/roared, fire flickering from his mouth and smoke leaking from his nostrils. “How’s that!”

One corner of Jowd’s mouth flicked into a smile. “Quite a sight! Too bad it’s probably trademarked. Come on, Sissel. Give me an original creation. How about you give me an actual scare?”

Sissel’s spirit wavered, flickering between an old-fashioned gun and a music box as he thought. Jowd stopped painting, eyes fixed on his ghostly form. “That’s a pretty good try,” he remarked, voice even, “but for scary, you’d do better with the B-movie monsters.”

Sissel’s form resolidified into a cat’s and he favored Jowd with a slow double blink of apology, before flattening his ears in annoyed concentration. “All right,” he said after a moment. “You want scary? Try this.” The blackness of his fur leeched into the shadows of the floor, spreading out across the floor in darkness growing ever deeper as his eyes grew larger, then larger still, until they were enormous twin orbs of golden glowing light with thin black slits bisecting them. The eyes regarded Missile and Jowd for a moment before they shut. Man and dog stood in utter blackness and silence for a moment until Missile’s tiny start of a whimper cut off as a chill developed around them and time seemed to stop dead, then swirl around them in eddies like a whirlpool drawing them both to an inevitable final event horizon. Stars appeared, one by one, and were drawn in and strung into long strips of glowing dust until nothing remained but Jowd, Missile, and howling hydrogen atoms blazing blue through an empty cosmos in beautiful, incomprehensible patterns that, at last, burned away into the kismet that comes at the end of all things.

After a time that might have been an instant and might have been an eternity, the void resolved itself into the form of a tiny black cat with golden eyes, who yawned and stretched, then hopped off a pedestal next to an easel in a house on a street in a strange country on a planet that orbited through crowded, lively space. Sissel stropped himself against Jowd’s leg, meowing one sharp questioning note that made Jowd jump and Missile begin barking as loudly as possible.

After a second, Jowd cleared his throat. “Yeah, that was…pretty good,” he croaked, his voice almost inaudible under the barking, and abruptly sat on the floor. Missile stopped barking, crept into his lap, and sat there for a moment panting, tail almost but not completely still. A beat of silence, and Jowd said in a voice that was almost normal, “I don’t think I can paint that, though, Sissel. It was a little… high concept. I don’t think I’ve ever been a black hole before.”

“Oh, come on,” said Sissel, and narrowed his eyes at Jowd. “Everyone’s a critic.”

“Oh, but, but, I didn’t like it either,” Missile said, his voice unusually timid as he tentatively stood up and his tail began to swish again. “It was like when I was dead but before I was reborn, and even lonelier than I was until Miss Lynne found me again. I didn’t know you could do that. I didn’t know I remembered that! And I didn’t like remembering!”

“Um, well… sorry.” Sissel offered. “I didn’t know I could do that either.” They sat in silence for a moment before Jowd broke it with a snort of laughter.

“Imagine how Cabanela would react, though,” Jowd said, his voice dreamy. “Wish he could have seen.”

“And Miss Alma too?” Missile asked.

“No.” Jowd swallowed hard. “No, probably not. She… doesn’t need to remember that. And not Cabanela either, really.”

“Actually…” Sissel said, the words coming slow as he thought out loud, “I think I could show them, though. Or something like it.”

“What do you mean?” Jowd asked, his attention sharpening.

“Been thinking about it lately,” Sissel said. “I think maybe my powers are starting to change, like Ray said his did. They’ve had a more…visual feel to them from the beginning—”

“What does that mean?” Jowd cut in.

“Uh…” Sissel looked to Missile. “You know what I mean, right? Like instead of just moving through space on the phone wires it’s almost like you’re watching it on a screen?”

“Sissel,” Missile said very seriously, and sat back down with his tongue hanging out and his nose quivering, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Well, whatever. Anyway, it feels like, lately, moving in phone calls has been a little more constrained? Or something. So I’ve been wanting to experiment a little bit with pictures. On the TV, maybe.”

“You’re taking too much after Kamila,” Jowd said, voice indulgent. “Or she is after you, I don’t know which.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re great influences on each other,” Sissel said. “Anyway, I bet if I were to try possessing the TV, I’d be able to use the pictures it makes.”

Jowd raised an eyebrow at Sissel and stood, holding Missile in one arm and picking up the cat’s inert body with the other so he could maintain their three-way contact as he stepped away from the easel. “Well, I don’t feel like painting anymore after that anyway. Want to go try? I’ve got an idea for something I want you to show Cabanela—it’ll scare the scarf right off him.”

“Uh, I guess. You two are as weird as ever,” Sissel said, hopping to a spirit core on Missile’s collar. “I don’t think what I did before is going to come through as well on a TV though.”

“That’s all right,” Jowd said, a little too quickly. “Let’s start…a little smaller. Maybe instead of a black hole…a doughnut.”

“I want a doughnut!” Missile said, and began to wriggle fiercely, swimming through the air in his eagerness. “Let’s go Sissel! I want to see your best doughnut!”

“Oh boy,” Sissel said. “I guess this is going to open up all sorts of strange new tricks, huh?”

“I can hardly wait,” Jowd said, and carried both of them down the stairs to begin practicing.

[invader-777]

Hello my dear❤️

I'm Rasmi from Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two girls, Hanaa, 5 years old, and Alma, 11 months old.

We are all exposed to a genocide in which we lost our home, our work, our car, and 11 members of my family.

My children suffer from malnutrition and intestinal infections from living in the squalid tent😭

I’m not a beggar 💔 I had the most beautiful life, a wonderful, big home, and a respectable job. I hope that you will donate a little, 40$ or 50$ from each person. It will make a difference with me so that we can start a new life outside of the stricken Gaza.💔

Please donate or reblog the pinned post on my profile to save the lives of my two girls before it is too late 🥺

‼️‼️ I'm verified by beesandwaterlemon / dlxxv_donations and 90-ghost‼️‼️

❤️‍🩹 https://gofund.me/a2ccf744 ❤️‍🩹

This link is vetted and is currently at $5,261/50,000

[gamerbearmira]

Hey…um hi. Not to sound rude or anything but I'd like to see what you have down for our Werewolf AU. My emails on my AO3 profile. I saw your doodles, they look great. -Werewolf Alma and Mirabel anon

HOLY CRAP I AM. SO SORRY. I FORGOT TO SEND THE EMAIL 😭😭 THANK YOU FOR THIS YOU ARENT BEING RUDE

I'm literally send the link rn so. It should appear in your inbox in a couple minutes, but if it doesn't, check spam, and if its not there lemme know and ya girl will send it again.

Again I am so sorry. I don't know why, but I thought I sent it.

[candiedcatnip]

Hello my dear❤️

I'm Rasmi from Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two girls, Hanaa, 5 years old, and Alma, 11 months old.

We are all exposed to a genocide in which we lost our home, our work, our car, and 11 members of my family.

My children suffer from malnutrition and intestinal infections from living in the squalid tent😭

I’m not a beggar 💔 I had the most beautiful life, a wonderful, big home, and a respectable job. I hope that you will donate a little, 40$ or 50$ from each person. It will make a difference with me so that we can start a new life outside of the stricken Gaza.💔

Please donate or reblog the pinned post on my profile to save the lives of my two girls before it is too late 🥺

‼️‼️ I'm verified by beesandwaterlemon / dlxxv_donations and 90-ghost‼️‼️

❤️‍🩹 https://gofund.me/a2ccf744 ❤️‍🩹

Verified fundraiser, linked here

[hiyaitssans]

Hello my dear❤️

I'm Rasmi from Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two girls, Hanaa, 5 years old, and Alma, 11 months old.

We are all exposed to a genocide in which we lost our home, our work, our car, and 11 members of my family.

My children suffer from malnutrition and intestinal infections from living in the squalid tent😭

I’m not a beggar 💔 I had the most beautiful life, a wonderful, big home, and a respectable job. I hope that you will donate a little, 40$ or 50$ from each person. It will make a difference with me so that we can start a new life outside of the stricken Gaza.💔

Please donate or reblog the pinned post on my profile to save the lives of my two girls before it is too late 🥺

‼️‼️ I'm verified by beesandwaterlemon / dlxxv_donations and 90-ghost‼️‼️

❤️‍🩹 https://gofund.me/a2ccf744 ❤️‍🩹

link

[unethicalexperiments]

Hello dear❤️

I'm Rasmi from Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two girls, Hanaa, 5 years old, and Alma, 11 months old.

We are all exposed to a genocide in which we lost our home, our work, our car, and 11 members of my family.

My children suffer from malnutrition and intestinal infections from living in the squalid tent😭

I’m not a beggar 💔 I had the most beautiful life, a wonderful, big home, and a respectable job. I hope that you will donate a little, 40$ or 50$ from each person. It will make a difference with me so that we can start a new life outside of the stricken Gaza.💔

Please donate or reblog the pinned post on my profile to save the lives of my two girls before it is too late 🥺

‼️‼️ I'm verified by beesandwaterlemon / dlxxv_donations and 90-ghost‼️‼️

❤️‍🩹 https://gofund.me/a2ccf744 ❤️‍🩹

https://gofund.me/a2ccf744

go fund me link above, please donate and share!!

[ineedcreativity666]

Hello my friends !

I'm Rasmi frome Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two daughters, Hanaa 5 years old, and Alma, 10 months old.🍉 🇵🇸

Asking for help is not easy.

I am asking for a small donation of $20 or $25 from each person..

I need your help if you can

Please help my ❤️‍🩹 children ❤️‍🩹 and save their lives from this war even if you donate a small amount and send it to your friends who can donate your help to me increases the chance of survival of my children 🙏🙏

Please donate to save my life and my family or can you share the pinned post on my personal page? I will be very grateful to you ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

My donation link is in my bio.

Every donation, even if it is small, will

make a big difference in my life.

Help me and my family ❤️‍🩹 🇵🇸 🍉

https://gofund.me/a2ccf744

My Hello dear❤️

I'm Rasmi from Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two girls, Hanaa, 5 years old, and Alma, 11 months old.

We are all exposed to a genocide in which we lost our home, our work, our car, and 11 members of my family.

My children suffer from malnutrition and intestinal infections from living in the squalid tent😭

I’m not a beggar 💔 I had the most beautiful life, a wonderful, big home, and a respectable job. I hope that you will donate a little, 40$ or 50$ from each person. It will make a difference with me so that we can start a new life outside of the stricken Gaza.💔

Please donate or reblog the pinned post on my profile to save the lives of my two girls before it is too late 🥺

‼️‼️ I'm verified by beesandwaterlemon / dlxxv_donations and 90-ghost‼️‼️

❤️‍🩹 https://gofund.me/a2ccf744 ❤️‍🩹

.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

🎓𝑨𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, Harry and Meghan were *𝑵𝑶𝑻* amongst the lineup of celebrity commencement speakers this year 🎓

Dear Sinners,

Another graduation season has come and gone 🎓 And once again, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were missing from the lineup of notable 2024 commencement speakers. If I remember correctly, the only so-called "graduation speech" Meghan has given was this bizarre unsolicited "graduation speech" she released to the media in 2020 👀

Here's a list of some of H&M's "famous friends" who have given commencement speeches over the years. These are individuals who have participated in ARO, Archetypes, and/or 40x40:

📌ARO:

John Legend (singer, songwriter, producer, EGOT winner) - Loyola Marymount University, 2024. John has given many commencement speeches over the years and is also the recipient of three (3) honorary doctorate degrees as well. His wife and ARO jam recipient, Chrissy Teigen however, has not given any commencement speeches nor received any honorary degrees

Mindy Kaling (actress & comedian) - Dartmouth University, 2018

Tracee Ellis Ross (actress, daughter of Diana Ross) - Spelman College, 2023

source 1 // source 2

📌Archetypes podcast guests:

Mindy Kaling (actress & comedian) - Dartmouth University, 2018

Mellody Hobson (President and co-CEO of $14.9B Ariel Investments, Chairwoman of Starbucks Corporation, wife of George Lucas) - University of Southern California, 2015

Serena Williams 🏆- Graduating Class of 2020

Trevor Noah (S. African comedian) - Princeton University, 2021

source

📌 40x40 Participants:

Deepak Chopra (author and alternative medicine advocate) - University of Southern California, 2017

Hillary Clinton (politician, wife of former US President Bill Clinton) - At age 21, Hillary famous delivered her Wellesley 1969 commencement speech. She returned to her alma mater in 2017 to deliver another commencement speech

Katie Couric (journalist) - UMass Medical School, 2017 most recently. Katie has given many commencement speeches over the years

Kerry Washington (actress) - George Washington University, 2013. Kerry also received an honorary Doctorate degree

source 1 // source 2 // source 3

📌 Friends:

Ellen DeGeneres - Tulane University, 2009

Gayle King - University of Maryland, 2023

Gloria Steinem - M's bestie "Glo" has given many commencement speeches over the decades. Perhaps her most famous was at Tufts University, 1987

Oprah Winfrey - Oprah has given dozens of commencement speeches and has also received numerous honorary degrees over the decades

📌 Bonus:

Actress Kathryn Hahn - As an interesting comparison to Meghan: Kathryn is an respected and accomplished actress, you may recognize her from Parks & Recreation, WandaVision, and Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse (IMDb). TIL that like Meghan, Kathryn is a Northwestern alumni. This year, Kathryn gave the commencement speech at Northwestern University. Northwestern also gave Kathryn, along with three other accomplished alumni [*not* named Meghan Markle], honorary Doctor of Arts degrees

👉 Why hasn't Northwestern invited Meghan Markle to give a commencement speech?

👉 Why hasn't Northwestern given Meghan Markle an honorary degree?

📌 Notes:

In 2020, H&M signed with the esteemed NY-based Harry Walker Agency. Here is Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex's profile page. (I could not find a profile page for Harry.) This is the same high powered agency that also represents the Clintons, the Obamas, John Legend, and many others for speaking engagements. At the time, it was widely reported that H&M could charge up to $1M per speech!

🤑 Where did all of H&M's dream$ of making million$ of dollar$ by giving word $alad $peeche$ go? 🤑

post link

author: SeptiemeSens

submitted: July 03, 2024 at 02:36PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[m6lotov]

can we honestly e date? you’re so beautiful. You always make me laugh, you always make me smile. You literally make me want to become a better person... I really enjoy every moment we spend together. My time has no value unless its spent with you. I tell everyone of my irls how awesome you are. Thank you for being you. Whenever you need someone to be there for you, know that i’ll always be right there by your side. I love you so much. I don’t think you ever realize how amazing you are sometimes. Life isn’t as fun when you’re not around. You are truly stunning. I want you to be my soulmate. I love the way you smile, your eyes are absolutely gorgeous. If I had a star for everytime you crossed my mind i could make the entire galaxy. Your personality is as pretty as you are and thats saying something. I love you, please date me. I am not even calling it e dating anymore because I know we will meet soon enough heart OK I ADMIT IT I LOVE YOU OK i hecking love you and it breaks my heart when i see you play with someone else or anyone commenting in your profile i just want to be your girlfriend and put a heart in my profile linking to your profile and have a walltext of you commenting cute things i want to play video games talk in discord all night and watch a movie together but you just seem so uninsterested in me it hecking kills me and i cant take it anymore i want to remove you but i care too much about you so please i’m begging you to eaither love me back or remove me and never contact me again it hurts so much to say this because i need you by my side but if you dont love me then i want you to leave because seeing your icon in my friendlist would kill me everyday of my pathetic life.

Honestamente, podemos e datear? Eres muy hermosa. Siempre me haces reír, siempre me haces sonreír. Tu literalmente me haces querer hacerme una mejor persona… Amo cada momento que compartimos juntos. My tiempo no tiene precio almenos de que sea contigo. Le digo a todos mis irls que tan genial eres. Gracias por ser tu. Siempre que necesites que alguien esté ahí para ti, debes saber que siempre estaré a tu lado. Te amo tanto. No creo que a veces te des cuenta de lo increíble que eres. La vida no es tan divertida cuando no estás cerca. Eres realmente impresionante. Quiero que seas mi alma gemela. Amo la forma en que sonríes, tus ojos son absolutamente hermosos. Si tuviera una estrella por cada vez que cruzaste por mi mente, podría hacer la galaxia entera. Tu personalidad es tan hermosa como tú y eso es decir algo. Te amo, por favor sal conmigo. Ya ni siquiera lo llamo citas electrónicas porque sé que nos encontraremos pronto, corazón. OK, LO ADMITO, TE AMO. OK, maldita sea, te amo y me rompe el corazón cuando te veo jugar con alguien más o con cualquiera que comente en tu perfil. Solo quiero ser tu novia y poner un corazón en mi perfil que enlace a tu perfil y tener un walltext tuyo comentando cosas lindas. Quiero jugar videojuegos, hablar en Discord toda la noche y ver una película juntos, pero pareces...

[azurefishnets]

Maelstrom

As always, I adore our looovely mod, dearest @laughingmango, not only for coordinating and running Ghost Swap for TEN YEARS over at @fyeahghosttrick (Can't wait for many more in its new format! Ghost Swap is dead, long live Ghost Swap!!) but also for being a delightful co-conspirator & friend. A request for hurt/comfort mixed with cosmic pessimism power couple? Let me just...slip this in here....

You can read the fic at the link above, or the full text is below!

AO3 Profile Fandom: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Words: 2522

Summary: In the weeks after the Temsik incident, Cabanela is pressed into service as mediator and somewhat reluctant liaison between his two old friends. The maelstrom of their misunderstanding and regret is beginning to spiral too deeply for even one seasoned navigator to deal with; thank goodness he has someone to keep him informed even when he doesn't know it.

The front door hung open a crack, the house inside dark and quiet. Cabanela had bounded up the front steps, hand out to knock a sprightly rhythm on the door until he’d realized it was open, and put the hand on his hidden holster instead as he pushed the door open just an oonch more, just enough so he could slip in.

The living room stood empty, lights turned off. Cabanela stopped in the middle of the room, listening hard. Was that a radio playing softly, upstairs? Or a music box? Just in case he was missing something, he peeked into the kitchen and stopped, stricken. Jowd sat at the kitchen table, alone in the dark, one hand laid atop the family’s new kitten who was lay still on the table, the other equally absently stroking his miraculously-quickly healed knee. He didn’t look up, although a bitter twist of his lips acknowledged Cabanela’s entrance.

“What’s happenin’ here?” Cabanela said, leaning against the kitchen doorframe and flipping on the light, letting his frank, admiring gaze travel from Jowd’s head to feet. “You tryin’ to save on the electric bill, baby? Didn’t think things were so hard up here in the big house.”

Jowd snorted. “Appreciate the concern, thanks. Sorry your welcome’s a little lacking; the lady of the house is indisposed.”

“Hmm? Alma’s sick?” Cabanela ticked off a list on his fingers. “Babysitter, flowers, cold pack, juice. Oatmeal? Need anything eeelse from the store? I’ll run out there if you need; can’t have our baby feelin’ poorly when you just came home from the hospital.”

“She’s not sick.” Jowd turned his head away. “Just… indisposed. Kamila’s with my mother, so no babysitter needed. Flowers aren’t a bad idea, but…well. Might be better coming from you at the moment.”

“Huuuh?” Cabanela craned his neck back at the stairs. “Is she here then?”

“Upstairs.” Jowd chuckled a little, his voice bitter. “It’s my fault. She said she needed some time to herself.”

“Jowd?” Cabanela’s voice wasn’t uncertain; nothing of the sort. “Why was the front door open?”

Jowd shrugged. “Sissel must have left it open. He’ll get a good talking-to when he’s back.”

Cabanela sent the clearly-present kitten a pointed look. “Thooought he was an indoor-only kitten now? Livin’ the good life here at his new home.”

“Ha!” Jowd chuckled a little more. “There’s another problem. The good life.”

Cabanela put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re bein’ real opaque right now, even for you, m’man. What’s goin’ on?”

“I’m being the only way I know how to be.” Jowd stood and stretched, ignoring Cabanela’s hand. “I suppose I can try pretending to be Alma for a minute or five. Tea? Coffee? Wine?”

“How about you play at bein’ Jowd a bit more, but a biiit more forthcomin’?”

“Now what kind of precedent would that set? You’re a detective, you should practice your deducting skills.”

“Believe me, ooold friend, you have me workin’ overtime on that little mystery. But fine. Talkin’ to your looovely wife it is. Interviewin’ witnesses is a fine art and they tell me I’m still good at it, even if I still need practice at questionin’ my suspects.”

“Well, as long as your gun’s still by your side, your record’s back on track.”

“Ouch, baby.” Cabanela’s voice didn’t change, not by an iota, and his face stayed tranquil, but a nearly imperceptible shift of his posture betrayed the hit. “Good one.”

“I’m sorry.” Jowd’s voice was sincere, almost painfully so. He nodded at the spot on the wall where an antique gun had hung until he’d come home from the hospital the week prior. “You can see how my own track record stands. We’re standing at one and zero between the two of us. Don’t worry, you’re winning.”

Cabanela scowled at the wall, then at Jowd as Jowd sat back down and turned his stare back to the kitten, his face morose and eyes shuttered. Cabanela glared at him a moment more and whirled, taking the stairs up with a little less grace than usual, and followed the soft tinkling of the music box to the nursery, where Alma sat in the rocking chair. She glared at the wooden music box in her hands, letting the small melody it played ring out over and over.

“Oh. Hello,” she said, when she caught sight of Cabanela, and smiled. Her whole face had always seemed to light from the inside when she smiled, and Cabanela took his usual beat to let her see his admiration. But her light seemed dim and flickering, and her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Did you see Jowd downstairs?”

“Of course. And the front door was open too, baby. Little dangerous, isn’t it?”

“Apparently not!” Alma’s lips twisted. “According to him, we’re going to be just fine whether the door’s open, closed, gone… perhaps he’s right. Maybe it just doesn’t matter. After all, we have a cat now. Whatever that means.”

Cabanela dropped to his knees and gently took the music box away from her, setting it aside before taking her hand. “Baby, you’re streeetched to the breakin’ point. What’s goin’ on between you two?”

“I don’t know!” Alma burst out, and withdrew her hand from his, putting it along with her other one firmly in her lap. “You’ve seen him! He’s not the Jowd I knew anymore, somehow. Between one day and the next he’s gone somewhere I can’t seem to get to.”

“Caaan’t?” Cabanela stared at Alma.

“Can’t.” Alma said with finality. “I always could before. I always, always knew who he was and how he thought before. But now he acts… He hardly touches me, but he stares at me all the time when he thinks I’m not looking. He can barely look at Kamila. He handed me this—” she gestured to the music box, “and told me to put that gun on the wall in it so he could throw it away. But... why this? I have a shoe box, or anything other then…that.” The music box tinkled to a stop, its faltering notes dying to a final hush. “He acts like a ghost,” she said finally. “Like he’s a ghost in his own home.”

“A ghost, huh?” Cabanela sat back on his heels. “That sounds about right. He’s just been driftin’ since that day at the park. People at the precinct are startin’ to notice.”

“I must have done something,” Alma said, her words leaden in the abyssal silence between them. “It must be my fault, somehow. Maybe… maybe it’s me that’s more like a ghost. Why else would he act as though I’m not even here?”

“Baby, how on earth could it be your fault?” Cabanela took her hand again, more firmly this time, not letting it go even as she tried to tug it away. “You answer me that. You’re both so focused on takin’ the blame for somethin’ that shouldn’t have had anythin’ to do with you.”

“Well.” Alma’s stubborn gaze met his. “He won’t talk to me. At least you’ve told me what you know happened that day at the park. Whatever guilt you’re taking on, at least you’re owning it! I don’t really understand what happened with that programmer, but he’s in jail, and Jowd acts like he is too, and I’m his warden. I don’t need him to confess—”

“Wouldn’t miiind it though,” Cabanela muttered.

“I just need him to tell me what I can do to make it—us— right. I don’t mind the cat. I don’t mind taking down the gun. I don’t even care about the stupid music box. But I can’t fix anything if he doesn’t…just tell me what’s happening.”

Cabanela shrugged. “You don’t haaave to fix what’s not your problem.”

“But it is my problem. Or I am the problem. Either way,” Alma said with a wry twist of her lips, “I don’t see anyone else stepping in.”

“I came as soon as I could,” Cabanela said, stung, “Anytime you call, I’m comin’ for you. You know I’d give you my heart’s blood to make things right between you.”

One side of Alma’s mouth lifted in an odd little smile. “Would you?” She drew back a little and put a hand to his chin, tilting his head so he had to look directly into her eyes. She stared into his soul, searching for something he refused to believe she sought and dared not show her as she said again, “Would you really?”

“Of cooourse. As long as I’m kickin’. Now come on, I’m cuttin’ in to this little dance.” Cabanela stood, drawing her up, out of the chair, and with him as he danced down the stairs. He kicked the forgotten front door closed, then took her hand and danced her into the kitchen, surprising Jowd into laughter as Cabanela whirled Alma around the table until she, reluctantly at first, started to giggle. Finally, he took Jowd’s hand too and put Alma’s hand in it. “Your turn, baby.”

The kitchen went still and quiet again and they looked away from each other. Cabanela let out a huff of irritation.

“Deal me the deal, man,” he said to Jowd. “You caaalled me here, you must have wanted somethin’.”

Jowd sent him an odd look. “I didn’t… I really can’t want anything from you at this point. I can only thank you,” he said, finally. “You’ve given up a lot for me, but I can’t explain how much I owe you. Not… now.”

“Why not?” Alma said, grabbing Cabanela’s hand with her free one. “Something tells me you need Cabanela here; you need to talk to him to let this thing that’s weighing you down go. I don’t know why talking to me is so difficult now, but I’ll take any help if it brings you back to me. To us.”

Jowd said, his face betraying painful bewilderment, “But I came back. And you’ve seen, in the last couple weeks… I’m not who I was. I don’t know anymore how to be more than this.”

“Help me understand who it is you want to be, then!” Alma snapped. “No one died! You were hurt but you’ve healed so fast it’s unbelievable! That little girl is safe, and even that man who took her hostage wasn’t killed even though by all rights he should have been. Am I asking too much to want the man I love to be here, with me?” Alma said, stricken. “Or is it that I amtoo much?”

Cabanela watched them, seeing their mutual spiral into despair threatening to swallow them into its oceanic maw, and him along with it. Abruptly, he decided it was enough. He slapped a hand on the table. They both jumped and looked at him questioningly.

“You two stop actin’ just like each other for fiiive whole minutes and answer me an honest question. Can you do that?” he said.

“Probably,” said Jowd, as Alma said, “Yes?” Her eyes were oddly expectant.

“Why aren’t you two workin’ together at makin’ your old friend here more miserable? Seems to me you’d do a better job of messin’ with me instead of each other if you coordinated a bit more, maybe made some plans. As a prank this is lackin’ somethin’.”

“What?” Jowd said and frowned. “This had nothing to do with you.”

“We weren’t even expecting you,” Alma added, and sighed in some unexplained disappointment with the tack Cabanela had chosen. “Or at least, I wasn’t. I’m so sorry. If Jowd invited you, he didn’t tell me…” She paused and added, “…which is no different than usual, lately.”

“I thought you invited him,” Jowd said to her. She shook her head and shrugged.

“I got a phone call from your number,” Cabanela said, “and came straight on over because nobody was talkin’! When I found that door open, you should have heard my poor old heart goin’ pitter-pat with worry. Why take my heart’s blood when you two are the ooonly ones who could scare it into stoppin’? So if this is a prank, ‘fess up; your daughter couldn’t have done it and this little fellow snoozin’ on the table seems out for the count.”

“Oh, he’s counting on something,” Jowd said, and laughed when they looked at him with exasperation. “I’m trying,” he said, and paused. For the first time, he appeared uncomfortable. “I…need more time. There can’t be too much, ever, from either of you,” he added, and looked to Cabanela. “I promise there’s no conspiracy, no prank, no pact with Alma to mess with you,” he said, “but… I’m glad you came, even though I didn’t plan it. Perhaps Si— the gods just knew I needed—” he stopped. “Proof,” he finished, rather uncomfortably.

“Of what, baby?” Cabanela said, puzzled.

Jowd didn’t answer; he shrugged.

“If it’s loyalty, I would think you’d know you had that already,” Alma said with a tart twist of her lips. “Or were you worried about his safety?”

“Ha! The gods and I know that loyalty and your safety is the last thing I’d worry about for either of you at this point,” Jowd said without hesitation. Cabanela looked surprised, then gratified, and Alma sent him a sidelong smile and a nod.

“Thank goodness,” she said. “If you thought either of us would ever just… ghost you, just leave you without any explanation, and that was the reason you wouldn’t just talk to us, it would be a sign that it really was all over.”

“It was! And then it started again,” Jowd said, and began to laugh until the kitchen rang with it.

“Oh, well, is that all? Well, no wonder we’ve been struggling,” Alma said, and began to chuckle too. Just like that, the tension eased despite the palpable tinge of some irony not everyone in the conversation was quite getting, and they sat around the kitchen table laughing together. The conversation really didn’t feel over, but for now it had come to a stop and it seemed a better resting place than any other alternative which had presented itself.

Cabanela had to admit, if only to himself, he had no idea how to get the rest of the truth out of Jowd yet, but it was still the beginning of something he hadn’t quite dared to believe could be possible after the Temsik incident: some kind of a fresh start. He took comfort in that, and in the feel of Jowd’s warm arm around him, in the cool slide of Alma’s arm against his, and allowed himself, as he would with no other pair, to laugh himself into some kind of uncertain and temporary peace.

Almost unnoticed, the kitten sat up in the middle of all this hilarity and wandered away, its nap evidently over; presumably, Cabanela figured as he barely registered it leaving, the noise bothered it and it had other tasks for the evening which only a cat might understand. Silently, he wished it luck along with a little bit of fellow feeling; he, like the cat, had his work cut out for him handling two such as these.

[dressforvillains]

Hello my dear❤️

I'm Rasmi from Gaza supporting my wife, Eslam, and she a mother of two girls, Hanaa, 5 years old, and Alma, 11 months old.

We are all exposed to a genocide in which we lost our home, our work, our car, and 11 members of my family.

My children suffer from malnutrition and intestinal infections from living in the squalid tent😭

I’m not a beggar 💔 I had the most beautiful life, a wonderful, big home, and a respectable job. I hope that you will donate a little, 40$ or 50$ from each person. It will make a difference with me so that we can start a new life outside of the stricken Gaza.💔

Please donate or reblog the pinned post on my profile to save the lives of my two girls before it is too late 🥺

‼️‼️ I'm verified by beesandwaterlemon / dlxxv_donations and 90-ghost‼️‼️

❤️‍🩹 https://gofund.me/a2ccf744 ❤️‍🩹

Hello! I reblogged your pinned post and added your gofundme link above.