#he ONLY had cori and as soon as he could he went to her but he was so scared her love would end like everyone elses

[knight-says-nanana]

An analysis on Ed’s comic childhood, how that impacted his OCD*, and how that translated to the Gotham TV show

Alternatively: GTV Ed’s Biography

*(and also how it very clearly gave him cptsd but they don’t explicitly Say that bc DC is full of cowards)

Normally I’d say comics don’t impact tv continuity, especially for a show like Gotham where so many things are changed, but the thing is? Cory Michael Smith specifically went out of his way to read the riddler comics when he accepted the role of Ed Nygma. He acted accordingly and did an amazing job trying to salvage the show’s poor writing. There are many tiny moments where he does things that reference Ed’s typical backstory despite the show, in all its 5 seasons, never bringing it up

Childhood wise there are typically two widely accepted routes

1 - his mom was around but neglectful and off her head with drugs n alcohol

2 - his mom left when he was a toddler due to not being able to handle his father anymore, which kinda kickstarted the abuse being focused onto Ed instead

I will be continuing this analysis with #2 because it is the most popular and explains his abandonment issues

Comic Based Childhood

So this guy basically grew up with Only his father. His father who is a dumbass, an alcoholic, blames Ed for his mother leaving, incredibly abusive physically, and couldn’t accept that 1) his kid is smarter than him or that 2) a kid so Weird cough traumatized and neurodivergent cough is anything but an idiot

A major sticking point was that he always thought Ed was lying, constantly, about everything. This will be important later.

And when Ed finally started going to school and getting A’s?? Yeah no Obviously he had to have been cheating so Mr Nashton just got More angry with him. Could Ed have dropped his grades on purpose to avoid this? Yeah. Did he? Absolutely not. Academic success was the one thing he could be proud of and the only thing that gave him any sort of praise or validation. He was clinging to it for dear life.

No matter the universe, this is a guy who craves attention.

There is difference between academic success and school life itself, because Ed is awkward n dorky n, especially at this point in time, anxious n quiet. So he didn’t have friends. In fact it’s usually written as either him having been bullied or being ignored entirely

The boy was not doing ok at all. So understandably he ran away as soon as possible and changed his name.

Now, this is the first point where Gotham’s canon ties into this in a Very interesting way

We know Ed’s official birth year from the ID card in the show. It’s canon. In season one he is 26. We know this. And it’s is insane for a few reasons!!

He is So Much Younger than his coworkers holy shit

Bullock is old enough to be his dad and he’s not nice, no wonder Ed doesn’t like him

He works in forensics. At 26. And he’s implied to have been working there a year or two before Jim joined the precinct.

Now, I had GENUINELY assumed that he was in his 30s like Jim. BECAUSE HE WORKS IN FORENSICS. But no he’s just actually a botched Spencer Reid because he’s 26 in season one.

A degree in forensic science takes 4 years.

If you want a masters it’s an extra 2 years.

Factoring in the time he would’ve needed to spend interning and working just to QUALIFY for a job at the GCPD???

If we assume he ran away n got into college at age 17 and got his bachelor's he’d be 21 by the time he graduated, 23 if he got his masters which of course he would, and then that leaves us only 3 or 1 year/s for internships and stuff before he joins the GCPD. What. What.

No wonder his apartment is so shitty!!! This is a man with hella student loans

But yeah! Hes only 26 and his 40 year old coworkers are bulling him for being weird. I’d hate my job too.

Bullock is 48 and I’m fully convinced he, like me, thinks Ed is at least 32 (Jim’s age) because. What.

So yeah that’s his general backstory, NOW the ways that plays into his mental state and how his actor managed to fit it into the show

So, you can reasonably assume he’s traumatized.

And!? There are so many subtle moments in the show where Cory acts his character accordingly for this. He flinches when people raise their voice, he’s visibly spooked when men in the GCPD get huffy (usually it’s Mr James Anger Issues Gordon). He’s skittish as a mouse. In the watermelon scene, when Gordon busts into the room, Ed immediately falls over himself to explain what he’s doing in there. The guy was terrified. Of James. Who’s never done a thing to him.

Beyond that? CPTSD -beyond the regular symptoms of flashbacks, triggers, and hyper awareness- also includes difficulty regulating emotions, feelings of shame/guilt, and trouble staying in relationships.

Ed Nygma is a damn textbook case. He has meltdowns, he falls into substances, he does ANYTHING but cope when he’s overwhelmed. He is constantly trying to prove he’s smart, there’s a gut deep shame when he doesn’t hold up to genius standards. And you’ve seen his relationships.

Basic info ab OCD: it’s an anxiety disorder and the two main things are obsessive compulsions and intrusive thoughts, both of which are present in Gotham but not handled nearly as well as they are in the comics

Compulsions first!

These tend to stem from subconscious thoughts and people won’t always know Why they have a compulsion but they’re generally a way of preventing a vague yet all consuming Bad Thing.

Now, with Ed one of his major sticking points in comics AND the show is he cannot tell blatant lies, especially not with yes/no answers.

This is part of why he compulsively leaves clues for absolutely everything and tries to be so vague when he is lying. He also jumps through hoops so that he won’t need to lie.

Lying = incredible all consuming dread and anxiety, so he just Doesn’t and uses his little hints and clues as a loophole. Very obviously from his father’s influence.

In the show this is shown multiple times but just for a few:

Lucious asking if Jim is at Ed’s house and when Ed tries to say no he seems almost forced to correct himself

The compulsive clue in “Tom’s” note, even when no one had asked him if he knew anything he still couldn’t keep it entirely to himself. The note is a loophole. Technically he told on himself. They just didn’t figure it out. (Well. Kristen kinda did but denying it aka lying sent him into an anxiety attack the moment she left. So.)

When Sofia Falcone was torturing him to find out where Oswald was, he told her. He just told her via a riddler he knew she didn’t understand! No need to lie!

In the car ride to the docks Oswald also calls him out directly by saying he’s so predictable because he’s driven by obsessive compulsion. This is the most the show acknowledges it.

Beyond his compulsions he’s got explicit intrusive thoughts regarding a few big things. (Should be noted that these tend to drive compulsions but not always.)

being viewed as stupid

Ergo his criminal history just being a big show to prove how smart he is. Again, his fathers influence.

being actually stupid

Not knowing things stresses him out So Bad and he takes it So Personally. He NEEDS to know everything. The world is a puzzle and he is Going to solve it.

Side note: That’s why I do LOVE that Gotham made him a forensics specialist!! He’s always had, to quote a DC podcast where he’s talking to Batgirl “-and you have that terrible all consuming pathology which comples you to find answers” “AnD i HaVe tHaT tErRiBlE aLL cOnsUmiNG PaThOLoGy wHiCh coMpELs mE tO FiNd AnSwErS- Yes.”

Biggest for last: being like his dad

This one is specifically fun because it was almost represented so well. ALMOST. His entire relationship with Kristen was downright molded by it, as shown in the file room anxiety attack. Yes that’s what I’m going to call it.

He is constantly fretting over being like Tom, even when he clearly isn’t because he is disgusted by Tom. No mysoginist is going to see someone with the same thoughts as gross. No guy who thinks women should be “put in their place” is going to have such a physical reaction to hearing that be said. No abusive pos is going to have that reaction at all. At least, not in the way that situation went down or in the way Ed’s afraid of being. We aren’t discussing emotional harm or Nygmobblepot today. But he frets anyway. And if we chose to interpret his riddler hallucination as a Really poor way of representing intrusive thoughts? Yeah. Yeah. His brain is making him panic about doing exactly what he hates so much.

*it should be noted that compulsions are often reinforced by intrusive thoughts. specific example: if he lies he will be saying something wrong, he can not be wrong, everyone is going to think he’s an idiot if he’s wrong. You can see how the two things connect. This applies to the majority of compilations in some way.

Now, a moment where I deviate from discussing what Did happened because I’ll forever mourn this particular writing fuck up:

His thing with Kristen could’ve been perfect. It could’ve been the best live action riddler origin to date. Because this is a guy with OCD who’s very traumatized and would have a strong personal reaction to finding out a friend is facing domestic abuse. That would make his relationships complicated too because of the thought loop it would create off the risk of “turning out to be the type of person he hates” or “what if I hurt her like I was hurt.” That would have been so compelling? AND? AND YKNOW WHAT? MY BIGGEST GRIPE? HIS FIRST PUSH INTO VIOLENT CRIME BEING STABBING AN ABUSER WOULD BE PERFECT. It would be on point. Exceptional foray into crime and murder. BUT THEY DIDNT PLAY IT LIKE THAT. No instead it’s highly tainted by “who gets the girl” and I just. N o. Ugh. They fumbled it!! They fumbled it So Hard. THEY MAKE HIM CREEPY AS FUCK TOWARDS KRISTEN. Like- physically blocking her into small spaces and imposing on her and talking over her when, if they HAD actually leaned into the OCD on purpose, he would probably be hyper aware of not doing.

[prismatica-the-strange]

I'm not crying at Blaine and Cori's wedding vows You Are

[m0chaminx]

Coriolanus Snow | “What about you?” “She's the star.” “Luckily I Like Roses.”

*•.¸♡Request: omg can you write a coryo x reader, i don’t mind what, just pls don’t make him go batshit crazy at the end😩😩

*•.¸♡Prompts: none

*•.¸♡Warnings: Coriolanus, I completely forgot the other Covey peoples names :I, reader is shorter than Snow, Cori isn't insane (ish), Snow is slight ooc, and yes he's a terrible person but you’re here too

*•.¸♡Paring: Coriolauns Snow x F!reader

*•.¸♡Summary: On Coriolanus’s trip down to the lake with the star Lucy Gray, he found the most beautiful rose ever seen

Or

Coriolanus pervs on you while swimming (romantic)

*•.¸♡Words: 1.1k

Part 2

Growing up in the Covey had been a stroke of luck, simple as it gets, when Lucy Gray Baird and her family had been forced into District 12 Seeing the talent you had with a guitar one night as you played to the darkness, they took you to their next show where you played alongside Lucy Gray. She was still the star, she had the smile, the voice, the charisma. You could sing when you needed to, and you played the guitar just as well, but she always took the spotlight. And when she strolled into town after winning the Hunger Games, that star power only grew. She was the star, until one sunny morning.

Mockingjay's sang into the wind, the warm sun beating against your skin and the gentle breeze made your sundress flow in the wind. Meeting Lucy and the others on the walk to the lake you came face to face with Coriolanus Snow. Buzzed blonde hair, sharp jawline and the bluest eyes you had ever seen. His smile was bright, and his laugh was as sweet as Lucy’s singing. And it should be, he was laughing at her jokes. Smiling at her. Before he could catch you staring your eyes had shifted quickly, focussing on Lucy as you walked to her side.

She beamed as she saw you, wrapping her arms tightly around you.

“Coriolanus, I want you to meet only the bestest person in the world,” Lucy went on, kissing you quickly on the cheek.

The same smile returned as he turned to shake your hand, his skin soft on your calloused palms. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He spoke your name softly, the syllables dripping from his tongue like honey. Your hand slipped from his, the tips of his fingers running along your palm.

Lucy quickly ushered you and the rest of the group on, starting the long hike down the green hills. Lucy walked ahead with Aurora, talking wistfully into the wind. You walked in silence, one hand gripping the strap of your satchel as you watched the critters race up the branches of the trees.

“Lucy said you played the guitar,” Coriolanus spoke up, swatting away another mosquito. He walked beside you, his tall figure blocking the sun from your face. He looked down at you, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Why didn’t I see you performing last night?”

You simply shrugged. The answer was the crowds didn’t cheer for you, Lucy was the star, and she could play for hours without backup. But it sounded sad. You looked over the trees, the Mockingjay's flying higher into the trees. “Nothing special, you probably just missed me when I left.”

Coriolanus shook his head softly, “I feel like I’d remember you.” You couldn’t place what Coriolanus meant, your eyebrows furrowing as you thought over his words. You didn't say anything more after that, keeping your eyes ahead on the track leading to the lake.

As soon as the dock was close enough Aurora and Tip had stripped their clothes off and thrown themselves in the water. You tossed your bag down, the hot sun that had beat against your skin had made you more than happy to rush into the water. Tossing your sundress aside with your satchel you ran down the dock and dove under the crystal blue water. The cool lake chilled your skin enough to relieve the sun but not enough to raise goosebumps.

You swam up to the surface, pushed the hair back for your face and fixed the straps of your handmade bra that slid down your shoulder. Lucy jumped in after you, and with a yell, Coriolanus jumped in, the splash of water hitting your face. You laughed, using your arms to keep you afloat. Coriolanus muttered an apology through a smile, but you barely noticed as your eyes fell over his light skin, his collar bones and muscular shoulders.

The lake was sweet, a nice relief from the constant smell of coal and sweat, the rowdy crowds and the smell of liquor on everyone's breath. Some time later Lucy had swam to shore, helping Aaroa and Tip fish and dig up Katniss' roots.

You floated on your back, the gentle waves lapping at your skin as the sun warmed your face. Coriolanus sat on the edge of the dock, toying with his fingers as he watched you. The wind blew the waves softly, the sun reflecting on your skin like liquid gold. He pushed himself off the dock, slipping below the cold water once again. “Can I hear you sing?” His voice made you turn your head to look at him.

“I don’t sing,” You muttered, turning your head to face the sun again.

“Lucy said you sing.”

You turned to swim properly, treading water. “If you wanna hear someone sing you should ask Lucy,” You insisted. You pushed yourself closer, slipping your fingers under the slim metal chain of his dog tags, untangling the knot. You moved it to hang properly from his neck, your nails dragging ever so slightly across his soft skin.

His icy blue eye moved from your hand on his skin and looked up at your face, droplets of water falling from your hair, and slipping down your skin and when they hit your lips, you swiped them away with your tongue. “I wanna hear you sing.” His eyes snapped up to meet yours as you lifted her gaze from the metal chain.

You chuckled softly and he swore it sounded like the sweetest melody, a honeydew sound that he couldn't help but smile at. “You’re funny Coriolanus Snow,” you said softly. “Turning down the winner of the Hunger Games. A true victor.”

Coriolanus wiped a hand down his face, wiping away the water running over his eyes. “What about you?” He asked.

You shook your head softly. “She’s the star, the songbird,” You insisted, unsure you were convincing him or yourself. His smile made your stomach flip, his gaze made your cheeks burn, but his words… his honey words.

His hand slowly reached out, his fingers slipping beneath the strap of your bra and sliding it back up your shoulder. His hand lingered there for a moment before falling back into the water. “Luckily I like roses.”

ﾟ°☆Page navigation

[rebtard420]

Fanfic i wrote #dylric #head

Dylan searched for his hair ties his mother had just bought him. His dresser was littered with cans and random receipts.

‘Finally!’ Dylan said to himself as he found them under a stack of folders he’d left up there while cleaning out his backpack. He went to sit down on his equally messy bed to wait for his date to arrive. He couldn’t wait. A girl finally wanted him, he knew for a while Robyn had liked him but not enough to ask HIM to prom.

The door was pushed open, expecting it to be his mother Sue, Dylan keeps his eyes closed and speaks calmly. 

“Hey mom, yeah I’ll clean my room.” Dylan states coolly playing with the buttons on the ironed white button up he borrowed from Byron. It went with the perfect grey suit that matched Robyn’s dress. Sue helped him pick it out. He was never good with matching colors, colorblind.

“It’s Eric,man. You still going to this queer dance? You know Robyn is just using you? She just broke up with Sean and wants some rebound.” Eric says as he sits on the edge of the bed. He can’t help but think of what his marine father would think of this mess. Wayne would surely lose his shit. Eric could never be this messy.

“She’s not using me! Stop saying that! Why can’t a girl like me?” Dylan exclaimed as he swiftly sat up and pushed Eric a bit to allow him to sit close to him. “Her and Sean broke up months ago! That shit is old news and you know it!”

“Whatever, you know she’s not gonna put out, even though she’s a slut. Did you hear she slept with Cory on the wrestling team? Fucking whore.” Eric rolled his eyes and stares at Dylan’s alcohol poster on his wall instead of Dylan’s face.

“You know what, youre jealous. You’re upset your suicide prank ruined your chance of touching tits and I have a chance tonight. Whatever, faggot. Plus she will be here soon.” Dylan states as he bends down to tie his new black shiny dress shoes. As soon as hes about to rise to his feet and grab his dress coat he feels a pull on his hair.

“What’d you say? I’m the faggot? Fuck off, man, who gave brooks head?” Eric reaches for Dylan’s hair. He didn’t care he had gelled it down and stuck it in a pony tail. Eric knew what he wanted. And he always got his way.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Dylan says as he tries to swat Eric’s hands away. Eric only grips harder and thrusts his head into the crotch of his jean shorts. Dylan’s eyes open wide and stare up at him.

Dylan has had these thoughts before, even jerked off to them, but there’s no way Eric is gay! No way he’s reading this situation right! He didn’t want head or anything, he just wants control over me. 

Eric looks down at him with his stupid smirk. He lets up his grip to a degree and bends a bit to grab Dylan’s warm hand. He places it on the crotch of his pants to palm himself with his hand.

They both are staring in eachothers eyes and not blinking. They both want this. Dylan makes a move to unzip his shorts and touch him through his underwear. He looks up to Eric for permission, Eric nods.

He pulls down Eric’s underwear and shorts in one pull. Leaving his dick exposed to the air in Dylan’s room. Dylan just stares for a moment, the thing with brooks was just one of brooks rumors. He lied all the time.

This was the first time Dylan had touched someone else. He’s tried to rent gay porn but lost courage when he would have to face the people at the counter, leading to barley any knowledge.

“Don’t worry I haven’t done this either,man.” Eric says never breaking eye contact.

This comforts Dylan as he puts his hand around the base and places Eric in his mouth. The taste is unfamiliar, nothing he would’ve imagined. Eric tasted clean, he knew he had a strict schedule on showering and brushing his teeth. Eric lets out a whimper sound. Dylan places his hand on Eric’s hip to tell him to quiet down, Sue and Tom can’t hear this.

Despite this he continues to work. He swallows around him and licks the tip, leaving the head full of pre cum. He takes him down again and swallows harder around him. Eric’s hips shudder and pushes his junk deeper into Dylan’s throat causing him to gag. 

He works past this and continues to suck him. Eric’s eyes roll back and he cums. Filling Dylan’s mouth with a bitter tasting liquid, another thing he isn’t used to.

“Fuck man, Robyn is gonna be upset that you’re late.” Eric says as he pulles Dylan up to kiss him. He didn’t care that he just swallowed his load. He loved him.

“I don’t care. I want to continue.” Dylan states as he pushes Eric down on the bed and kisses him deeply. 

[the-west-meadow]

Calm Your Racing Heart

Cory Ellison x Original Female Character

word count: 1k

She was already there waiting for him when he arrived to his office. She stood up at soon as she saw him. There she was, his second in command, looking at him as though she feared for his sanity. He smiled as he shut the door behind him. 

“Hi,” he said, an easy smile on his face, as he began to pull down the blinds. His assistant, Kyle, seated at his desk right outside, glanced up curiously as he did so. Kyle's face was quickly obscured behind the blinds. 

“Cory,” she said, “What’s going on?”

“I just met with the board,” he said, moving on to the next set of windows. “The deal is set to go through.”

“And?”

He shut the last blind then turned to her, his smiling falling. 

“They’re going to fire me.”

She quickly stepped over to him, her gaze landing on his hand.

“Jesus, Cory, you’re bleeding.”

He glanced down at his hand as if he had forgotten it was there. His knuckles were red and inflamed, dried blood staining the back of his hand. 

“I punched a wall.”

She gave him an inscrutable glance then took a handkerchief and bottled water from his desk, wet the cloth and began to dab gently at the dried blood on his hand.

“You punched a wall?”

“Guess I lost control.”

“I’ve never seen you do that.”

Cory shrugged. “It happens once in a while.”

“I could never do what you do,” she murmured. “I’d go insane.”

“Luckily I’m already insane. That’s why I can do this job.”

He cracked a smile. She set aside the handkerchief and looked at him. He always felt weak when she looked at him like that.

“Is this really happening?” she said, voice faint. 

“If the deal goes through. Yeah. It’s going to be Stella.”

“So you’re leaving.”

Something in him cracked. He nodded, unable to speak. He couldn’t read her expression. She looked as though she wanted to say something, and it was taking everything she had to hold it in.

Instead she guided him to the sofa by the wall of windows overlooking the city. He had grown accustomed to this view. Now he would have to let it go. When he looked back at her, he realized he would have to do the same with her and his heart clenched.

She sat down beside him.

“You always land on your feet, Cory. I’ve never seen someone as capable of surviving as you.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think there’s any surviving this. This is the big one.”

When he did glance up at the windows, he saw that it was starting to rain. The silent drops splattered the tall windows. He had often thought about how, up here in his office, set apart from the rest of the world, he was among the first to see the rain. How would it feel to be back on the ground with the rest, feeling the rain at the same time as everyone else?

He looked back at her and saw that she, too, was gazing out the window. 

“You have to fight it,” she said in a strained voice. 

“I don’t know if I have it in me anymore,” he said wearily. 

Then she turned and looked at him and he was shocked to see the shine of tears in her eyes.

“I don’t want to be here if you’re not around,” she said. 

His first instinct was to reach for her, to comfort her. What was this? Before he could do anything, she stood up and walked to the window, furtively wiping her eyes. 

“Hey…” he said, quickly standing and going to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “This is probably the worst possible time for something like this.”

“Like what?” Cory said warily, his heart racing. After all they had been through together, he had never seen her like this. She seemed off balance, fragile, as if the wrong word would knock her down.

Suddenly she took his injured hand in hers. She brought the hand to her lips and brushed them across his bruised knuckles. A shudder went through his entire body as he melted into the touch. 

“God dammit, Cory,” she whispered. “There’s no one else like you.”

His body had gone weak. He watched her lips trace his hand as she continued to speak in low tones. 

“You’re the only thing that makes this job worthwhile. How can I come to work every day knowing I won’t see your crazy smile?”

“I thought my constant optimism drove you crazy,” he said, finally finding his voice.

“That’s not optimism,” she said. “It’s mania. And I’m addicted to it. You’re completely intoxicating, Cory. I don’t know how you don’t realize that.”

“Well,” he said with a soft smile, “No one ever told me.”

She gazed down at his hand, still held loosely in hers. 

“You’re shaking.”

He laughed. “You should feel my heart.”

He took her hand and held it against his chest, where his heart was pounding beneath his pristine white dress shirt.

“Jesus, Cory. You’re going to have a heart attack.”

“I’m okay,” he said, smiling. “You’re the only thing that calms me down.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

He glanced out the window, feeling his lip tremble, unable to look at her. He was still squeezing her hand, the skin of his knuckles throbbing. 

“I mean it,” he said. “You make this place feel like home. But that’s all going to fall apart now.”

He glanced at her, eyes tracing her profile as she gazed out at the rain-drenched city. There were tears streaming down her cheek.

“Hey now,” he said, his voice wavering. “You’re not the one getting fired.”

He started to reach for her when there was a knock at the door. 

“Yeah?” Cory called.

Kyle stuck his head in. 

“Paul Marks just got here. The board is getting ready to vote.”

“Thank you, Kyle.”

Cory adjusted his tie, glancing down at his hand, where the blood had been wiped away. Kyle eyed him worriedly. 

“Do you need a minute?” Kyle asked. 

Cory looked over at her one last time. Her face was somber and she gave a small nod. He started to step away, then he turned back and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. He felt her burrow her wet face into his shoulder.

“Is it too late?” he whispered. “Does it all fall apart once I leave here?”

“You’ll still have a home in me,” she mumbled into his neck.

His breathing deepened as his heart began to return to an even pace. He stepped back, smiling down at her and brushing her tears away with his thumb. 

Then he turned to face Kyle, a serene smile on his face. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m calm now.”

[scionshtola]

3, 18, 19, 22 for the DT questions? 💚

ty dani!!

3. What was their initial impression of the four claimants? How did this change over the course of the story?

wuk lamat: cori thought she was very sweet, and appreciated that she could find the bright side or the fun in everything they did, but they also thought she was a bit misguided and naive. they weren't particularly interested in helping her at the start, but after meeting the others it was clear that wuk lamat was something of the best option. but after everything, cori is really proud of the way wuk lamat has grown into a good leader, and they were really proud watching her interact with the people she leads and learn about what they need. i think they're pretty good friends now--i wouldn't say family quite yet, but they care a lot about each other.

koana: i think cori was excited to meet another mch outside of ishgard at first, but was wary of all the changes he wanted to bring to Tural without any kind of consideration for the wants/needs of the people there. and their excitement was quickly tempered by the way he seemed a bit closed off at the start. as he let his guard down and cori saw how much he really cared about his sister and the people of Tural, he started to grow on them.

(the rest under a cut bc it got long lol)

bakool ja ja: they thought he was a bully who had to be stopped, and then they thought he was worse than a bully but genuinely terrible for letting valigarmanda loose. they didn't forgive him immediately upon learning of his situation, although they understood his reasoning, but he proved himself by helping out in the later attack on Tulliyolal, so cori isn't holding his previous actions against him. but he owes them tacos.

zoraal ja: based on krile's bad vibes vision, cori knew that he was a terrible choice to lead, and it was only made worse by hearing him speak of the plan himself. this is the main reason she decided to help wuk lamat, because he couldn't be allowed to put his plan into action (cori wondered why he was even allowed to compete! since he made no secret of his plans!). her opinion of him didn't get any better as things went on, though she did feel a little bad for him in the end.

18. What important relationships changed or developed throughout Dawntrail?

aside from now considering wuk lamat and koana friends, cori and erenville are a lot closer! they already had bonded some, since cori spent a lot of time in labyrinthos while she was in old sharlayan. but the trip to shaaloani really solidified their friendship, and they were able to bond about leaving home (and talk about how the circumstances of this, including their mothers' involvement, were very opposite!). cori is excited to hopefully learn more about from and see more of shaloani with him soon!

19. What was their favorite location in Tural?

tbh i think cori loved Tuliyollal the best! They really love a port city, even with all the people there, but there was just so much to see and do. and the food is really good! outside of the city though, i think they liked xak tural best--near the water on one side, the blue forest on the other, just very pretty and feeling like two different sides of the homes she's come from!

22. What are they doing now?

Cori did not hang around long in Tuliyollal after arriving back, despite how much they like it there! They're helping Y'shtola in her preparations for studying the gateway, and in their downtime they've taken to completing gathering requests for people who need things but aren't equipped (or don't want to lol) to go out and do it themself. It's a nice, lower pressure way for them to get to see all of Tural, and still gives them a reason to come back to Tuliyollal to pick up more! I also think this is when they help Shunye and Uvlo out as well

[richmondsims]

Melissa had just put the kids to bed when Cory and Rose came back. She changed into long trousers and a few layers of tops, and went for a walk as darkness fell.

She liked the beach at this time of day - it was somehow both peaceful, and mysterious, all at the same time.

It was also warm, far more warm than it was supposed to be after dark. Most of the layers were gone before she even got as far as the beach.

When she got back to the campsite, Cory was sitting by the firepit. 

"Rose is having a shower," he said, gesturing to the washrooms behind him. "There's no lock on the outside door, and its safer after dark if I sit out here."  

Melissa dropped into a chair. "I'm so tired," she said. "The kids are fun but they're a lot."

Cory laughed. "They are a lot," he said. "Thanks for spending the day with them. It was good to just have some time out with Rose. We don't do that often enough."

"You know, if I stayed at your place instead of living in the dorm, I could watch the kids all the time. You and Rose could go out every evening if you wanted..."

"Ok, enough." he said. "That's about the 10th time you've come up with an excuse to not move to the dorm, and - "

"It's not an excuse, it's a reason."

"Maybe, but it's not a good reason. None of them are. You want to tell me what's really going on?"

Silence.

"Melissa, come on. We need to talk about this. I'm not letting it go this time."

"Ok, ok then... I don't want to leave, ok?" 

"I kind of got that," he said. "But why? You were so excited about getting out on your own, living in the city, living in the dorm with your friends... Now you're not. What happened?"

 "I - I still want to do that, just not yet. It's too soon, I'm not ready. I mean, I get that you want me out of your house now I'm old enough, but I kind of - I just got used to living with you guys, and now I have to go."

"It's your house too," Cory said, " and I don't want you out of it. You know that the whole time you were growing up I wanted to be a part of your life. You're here now and I'd love it if that didn't have to change"

"Well they why - "

"Because it does have to change. You're not a child anymore and I don't think staying like a child in our home is the best thing for you. There's a kind of growing up that you can only do when you're out on your own and whether you believe it or not, you are ready. There's a whole world out there for you to discover. It wouldn't be right for me to hold you back." 

"It won't hold me back," she said. "I'm still going to college. Heaps of people commute to the city from Richmond. I've got my whole life to do other stuff, but I'll never be able to live with you guys again."

"Commuting isn't the same as living on campus. You need to at least try the dorm. Look, if you give it a reasonable length of time and really hate it, then of course you can move back in, but - "

"But... I won't have a bedroom any more."

"Why do you say that?"

"When Sam went to college you gave her bedroom to Noah. Then he had to move in with Corinne when Emily needed a nursery. Corinne and Noah are getting too old to share a room now, so you need my bedroom back."

"We gave Sam's room to Noah because she told us to. She thought at the time that she'd stay next door with Matthew when she came home. Your bedroom is yours for as long as you want it. It's got nothing to do with how old you are or whether you have another place to live."

"But the kids - "

"We've already worked it out. Emily is almost old enough to share a room with Corrine now, and Noah can have Sam's old room again. It's your bedroom, its your home."

"But - "

"Look, if you really want to stay living with us, then of course you can, but I want you to think really hard about it.... you can come home between semesters, and I hope you do. Hell, you can come home every weekend if you want...  although I hope you won't do that every weekend, because there's usually a lot going on in the city and - " He stopped and laughed.

"What?"

"Just... when I think about how much you used to want to go into the city at night... climbing out the window, getting yourself and Sam into trouble with fake IDs... "

"I don't think I really knew what I wanted then."

They sat in silence until Rose called out softly to Cory, as she made her way back to their tent. 

He got up to leave. "Do you really know what you want now?" he asked.

He had already gone when she answered.

She stayed by the firepit for a long time, watching the flames die down.

From "Melissa"

[0sincerelyella]

Back for more - cormac hyde corrin

Summary: heart stopper finally released season two, and y/n is feeling down because she hadn’t face to face seen Cormac for a year because she lives in america and he lives in England for film school and the show. So Cormac decides he needs to do something for his girl.

Notes: the new season came out and i’m obsessed with harry’s redemption arc just as i was when i read the comics. i’ll release all the people i write and want to write about soon !!

“I don’t know Cory. i absolutely hate harry, but you looked,” she paused for a moment and cleared her throat. here comes the horrible British accent “Absotivley ravishing,” Cormac spit his water out on the other side of the phone call “in that orange shirt”

“Babe, please do not ever do that again!” he laughed as he put his feet up on his desk. he had his phone propped up on books, leaning back in his rolling chair. “don’t even get me started on that redemption arc! standing up for imogen? that’s my boy. i taught you well” she smirked. “it was in the slip y/n”

“mac i miss you” y/n was laying on her bed, her phone on her nightstand leaning on the picture of y/n and cormac at the drive in. that was a year ago

currently in England it was 4:30 am, he’d went to sleep at like 6pm so that he could be up early, telling y/n that he had to be up for an audition, to help him get better at directing and such. They couple hadn’t seen each other in a year, and the time difference made it so much harder.

“i know baby, but now that the shows over i’ll have alot more time to see you” Cormac was committed to film school, and of course he was committed to his girlfriend

but his education was important to him, his education was what was going to make him successful and in turn that would give a good future for not only him but both of them. “when will i get to see you?” y/n was holding a bear he had gotten her at a carnival. it reminded her of him.

“i’m going to come to see you for your birthday love” y/n flopped across her bed in a dramatic fit “your kidding me that’s not for another 3 months” she kicked her feet in fake sad rage, as she began to fake cry. “y/n it’s already been a year, i promise you it isn’t that long, we’ve done this for so long already we’ve got this” he laughed at her.

Cormac looked at his bedside clock and his breath hitched, “hey love, it’s really late there isn’t it? i have my audition in 15 minutes” it was now 5:45 in the morning in England and almost 1 am in ohio where y/n lived. “i don’t understand why you have to have an audition so early” she complained, crawling under her covers and turning off her light. “yeah i know, goodnight sweet girl, i’ll talk to you tomorrow, i assume you won’t wake up till noon so i’ll talk to you then, i love you” he blew a kiss and hung up the phone.

y/n turned over on her side, plugging her phone in and shutting it off. she sighed as a tear fell down her face. she severely missed cormac. everyday of her life she missed him, he was absolutely everything to her and he lived in another country. she knew if she and he didn’t focus on themselves that this relationship would tumble so she wasn’t phased by it much, but when she sat alone in her room and the sound of his soft breathing wasn’t there she got scared.

cormac usually woke up early for school, and stayed on the phone while y/n slept so he could periodically check in on her, and she’s so the same while he slept, moving about her day as he slept so she could make sure he was sleeping and wasn’t thinking about things he shouldn’t.

it was nights like these y/n hated. nights that were more important to cormac than making sure she was sleeping. which was also important to y/n. of course she wants him to crush the audition, she just wishes she was there in england to support him. she hated being alone

on the other side of the country, cormac threw his bags into the back of his moms car and hopped in the passenger seat. he lived pretty close to the airport so there was no need to rush as fast as he wanted too. “knowing my sweet y/n,” cormacs mom started. “she will sleep the entirety of your flight, and won’t wake up till you get there” she said, starting the car and driving towards the airport. “currently, she’s probably so worried because i’m not there that she can’t sleep so she won’t go to sleep for an hour or two. maybe i should tell her?” his mom shook her head. “no no, this will make the reunion all the sweeter love” she promised him, assuring her son that his girlfriend is going to love her surprise

so when cormac boarded the plane, now for sure his girlfriend was asleep, because she texted him a “okay, good luck and goodnight” with a kissy emoji, which she wouldn’t do unless she was reassuring him she was acctually sleeping, he quickly typed “see you soon❤️” and shut off his phone.

9 hours later, cormac was more nervous than he’d ever been. it was 10 o’clock in america, and from the airport he had an hour drive to y/ns house. which her mom was more than happy to pick him up. when he arrived and practically ran off the plane to see y/m (your mom lol) he dropped his bags for a hug. “hello cormac!” she smiled, hugging the boy. “hi y/m! it’s so good to see you” he was so happy. “y/n took a sleeping pill last night to calm her anxiety, she had been feeling anxious, so she won’t wake up till you get there to wake her up.” she reassured as they walked to the car

cormac nodded. “i saw the show, you did amazing sweetie” besides his own mom, and y/n, y/ns mom was cormacs biggest supporter, watching all his home made movies, and the ones he acts in the second the come out to tell the boy what an amazing job he’s doing.

that was apart of the reason he loved y/n so much, her supportiveness and the relationship with her mother. just her whole family in general. he loved everything about y/n. she was the most perfect person, his whole world. she could wait to see her.

when cormac arrived to y/ns house, he placed his bags in the guest room and stood awkwardly infront of y/ns door. he took a deep breath before opening the door. she was sound asleep in her bed, cuddled close to her dog. her dog looked towards cormac, and hopped off the bed to attack him with hugs and kisses. y/n didn’t move an inch.

cormacs plan had stopped here, he had no idea what to do. did he wake her? lay down with her? sit in the living room till she woke up? he was lost. all he wanted was to grab her and hug her and never let go

but then again she looked so peaceful, he didn’t want to disturb how happy she looked in that space. He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently. he moved her hair from her eyes and kissed her cheek. as he sat back her eyes fluttered open with gentleness like a butterfly. “we’ll good morning ning angel” he said, holding her cheek. “morning cor” she yawned, sitting up.

as the realization hit, she jumped up as fast as she could, a shocked expression on her face. she tackled him into the bed, no words had left her mouth, only suppressed sobs of joy.

cormac laughed with his girl as he held her close. “i’m here beautiful” he whispered, petting her hair as he held her to his chest. “it’s been so long i missed you so much” he had just sat the two up, but at those words y/n pushed them onto the pillows and held him in a tight hug as they cuddled in her messy bed.

“you said..” she took a breath. “i wouldn’t see you for another three months” she wiped her tears of joy and looked into his beautiful eyes. “we’ll instead, i’m staying here for a month” y/n hugged him so tight

as if letting go of him would make him never come back. as if she didn’t hold him close she’d never hold him again. she didn’t know he was coming and this was the absolute best surprise a girl could ever ask for. happiness was bubbling inside of her chest and she didn’t know how to express it

“so the audition was fake?” she asked. “yes ma’am” he said, holding her tighter “your such a liar” “but i’m here with you now, would you rather me in london for an audition?” he giggled. “no i’m okay, stay here forever”

oh how he wishes he could

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Can't remember if you've made a post about this before, but I realized that given that Juliano's from a circus, his old crew all would have also been part of the circus and had circus-type roles and acts. Any word on who did what?

(aka I may or may not have realized that by the nature of Rising Star Circus's role in Project Thunder those characters are going to be showing up in the digital flesh very soon and need to be more than just a collection of names but they're not my characters so I know nothing about them and thus can't write for them yet)

*claps hands* Gladly!

Juliano was an acrobat and the (of course) the ringleader.

Mandy was his assistant, and once Juliano went to being the ringleader, she became the acrobat. She was Juliano's impulse control even before he became an Avatar, usually stopping him from making purchases she knew would put him in debt.

Dusty was the animal trainer, though obviously he didn't use any of the methods that circuses use IRL. He was a very and loving person to animals, and they loved him back. Once he may have sicced a tiger onto someone. Just maybe.

Anna was the trapeze artist for the group. She was a huge adrenaline junkie and would sometimes go off script to act like she was going to 'fall'. But she never pushed anyoj3s limits regarding it and gave others shit for trying to actually scare Juliano.

Cory was too young to do any of the circus acts, so he mostly just helped put where he could by handing out tickets and helping Juliano with lights and such. He was often seen running around with his labrador retriever, Midnight.

As for things like daredevils and circus clowns, Juliano would often employ outside help or from people that weren't really a huge part of his life. The only notable exception was Danielle, a woman who did daredevil tricks for him on the regular. She was sort of like a mentor to him in the sense, taking him under her wing to help him grow his circus.

Aside from Mandy and Juliano, I don't really have designs for them yet. I'll try and think up some later.

[glitch-in-the-code]

Peter was the sole owner of the brand after the Missing Kids’ trial in ‘85 (William was kicked out and Henry left) and he went ahead and opened the location with Toy animatronics because Henry swore that they were safe. After three of his employees go missing and the bite of ‘87, the location is shut down

Michael went missing in December 1987 and was declared legally dead on January 3rd, 1988. The reason he was declared dead so soon after his disappearance was because William left town not long after Mike disappeared. Clay would tell Peter in private that if Mike wasn’t dead he just ran away. (Peter would only stop looking for Michael because he was killed)

The company would go back to Henry after Peter’s disappearance/death in 1993. Henry wouldn’t do anything with the company until 2019 when Amelia, Russell, and Cory asked if they could create Fazbear Frights

Fazbear Frights was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic but the three were still working behind the scenes for things, it wasn’t until 2023 that the place was set to open. There was an electrical fire the night before opening that almost killed everyone inside (Amelia, Russell, Cory, Sammy, and Mike)

Henry, having seen that there was some interest in the Fazbear brand coming back, made and executed his plan for fnaf6 a month later (killing/setting free himself, Mike, William, Charlie, and Elizabeth)

After Henry’s death, the company went to Sammy, who wanted nothing to do with running it. He wanted to let the company fade away again but Amelia convinced him that they could use this and find more evidence

Sammy hired someone to do his role while he and the rest of the Fazbear Fright’s group went through all the files Fazbear Entertainment still had, it was during this time that the VR game was being developed

When Sammy learns about the mishaps with the VR game (Jeremy and Tape Girl dying) he gives the Company to Amelia to run, the Pizzaplex is a year away from completion at this point

After the Pizzaplex opened, Russell became a technician while Cory decided to stay with the paperwork. Sammy no longer has an active role in the company.

The murders and mysterious deaths started up a year after the Pizzaplex opened and Sammy, who was always an investigative Journalist, finds himself drawn back into the fray

It all came to a halt in 2030, after Russell’s daughter, Cassie, disappeared. Amelia (related to two of the original missing kids) basically told him that she’s sorry but there’s nothing she could do which lead to a major fight between her, Russell, and Cory that ended in Russell and Cory cutting ties with Amelia

[taylors-karma]

Night one rankings! Read if you dare:

STAN STAN STAN

1. Blue (prev 1)- I knew I was right about her. She’s so cute and cool and I get the vibe that she’s gonna be good this season. I love her so much

2. Felicia (prev 4)- I am choosing to stan now because I think she’s gonna come in for the kill and I am so ready for it. Also good for her for not caring about her age! I’m a bit scared for her rn since she’s on the block but if she can get herself off of it I will be very happy :).

Good Vibes

3. Mecole (prev 6) - I’m binging her up because I think she’s gonna be a good player. She seems like a strategic queen and I could see her making it pretty far. She has good potential, maybe she’ll even be stan worthy if she keeps it up. 

4. Jag (prev 2)- Not much has changed tbh. He only got booted down because others showed me more than he did, but I still have faith in him. May he continue to not disappoint me!

Give me a little more

5. Kirsten (prev 7)- She goes up a little bit after mentioning an all girls alliance, but the term girls girl gives me war flashbacks and she was being a little braggy. She’s giving me slightly off vibes but I think I could like her if she did a little more. Maybe we’ll get something since she’s on the block now. 

6. Bowie (prev 3)- I just felt like she could have done more with her intro? I still think she’ll be fine as of now, but I didn’t get much other than she’s a lawyer who’s also a DJ. 

Not as bad as I thought

7. Hisam (prev 11) - I actually really liked his intro a lot. He seems like a nicer version of Michael and kinda killed it in this competition, so maybe he’ll turn out to be lit. Sorry for misjudging you man. 

8. Jared (prev 10)- He seems pretty chill and normal as of now. I know I was super wary of him before, but I will say that it’s super interesting to have him and his mom on the season together. Good luck to him moving forward. Hopefully he doesn’t stay on the block this week. 

9. America (prev 14)- I actually don’t hate her.....yet. She seems a little boing and I didn’t get much from her, but she wasn’t horribly annoying or problematic like I thought she would be. Maybe she’ll totally surprise me. 

10. Luke (prev 15)- I still don’t fucking trust this man, but I don’t hate him as much as I thought I would. His art is cool. I don’t think he’s going to do much though. Follower in a big alliance at most. 

Boring

11. Reilly (prev13)- She moves up a little bit because she’s not as bitchy as I expected, but I just don’t see her being interesting at all. Maybe a little quirky, but all of that seemed super forced like she’s trying to be funny and different. I don’t think she realizes how basic she is. 

12. Matt (prev 8)- He didn’t do anything wrong; he only moved down because others moved up. He just doesn’t seem interesting and I can’t bring myself to care about him. All I know is that he’s a deaf swimmer. Hopefully he does well though because the disability representation is super cool. 

Please shut up

13. Izzy (prev 5)- I can’t explain how she went down other than she’s just fucking annoying. Just so incredibly cringe. Trying way too hard to be cool and liked, thinks she’s the shit for some reason, loud and obnoxious. She almost had me with the Tiffany and Da’Vonne stanning but then had to throw Kaycee’s name in there and ruin it. I want to like her so bad bc she’s a queer musician but goddamn she’s making it hard. 

14. Cameron (prev 9)- He’s just annoying, sorry. I hate his hair, I hate his voice. He just bores me idk. Like.....they could have gotten anyone else. Why him. 

15. Red (prev 12)- He went down because others went up and he somehow got even more annoying. I was ready for him to shut up as soon as he opened his mouth. I’m sick of the hillbillies!!!!

I hate you

16. Cory (prev 16)- He’s the only one other than Blue to not move, and that’s for a reason. The more he fucking talks the more I hate him. Smug ass 5′7 21 yo who thinks he has a really good chance at winning the game because ooooh......he’s so smart and athletic and is the most persuasive person ever! Literally stfu. I hope they torture him in the nether region (still laughing about that name). I literally screamed for joy when he got dragged. 

[yelans-dice]

The Easter Bunny

  ( not proofread so there are probably gonna be errors ) and Yes it was inspired by one of cory's videos

Cast: Lisa, Mona, Rick, janitor mike, tommy, mom, corpse cory, dad.

Story: Lisa’s pov: Me, Mona, Rick, and Mom Were at the mall to our supplies before tomorrow because it’s halloween. I’m gonna be a zombie, Rick is going to be Pennywise from the movie “it” and Mona is going to be a princess. Me and Rick already got our costumes and Mona just got hers. So, right now we are gonna get candy for the trick or treaters. It's gonna be hard to find candy since it’s gonna be halloween. Mom is planning on getting us halloween buckets but we told her we are going to the movies ( which is in the mall ) to see the new horror movie “it’s easter time.”

But, she says she is gonna get it anyway because the tickets might sell out. That’s why we are at the mall..1 hour later. Lisa’s pov: “we are finally done and now it’s time to go home” I said while getting in the car. No one said anything and I guess they ignored me. It was silent the rest of the car ride and getting ready for bed. The next day… Lisa’s pov: yes, today is the day today is halloween! Ok, I have to see if i have everything: costume check candy check phone check purse check keys check portable charger check and money check. Ok, all ready to go *runs down  stairs* hi mom hi dad mom and dad : hi sw-/hi ho- lisa: bye mom bye dad * opens the front door and closes/slams the door.*

Mona’s pov: me and Rick are waiting for Lisa at the entrance of the movie theater. She better be lucky the ads are still on when she gets here. I see Lisa running towards us. We opened the door from both doors and Lisa ran inside and stopped. We hurried to get our snacks, popcorn, and drinks then, we gave the person our tickets and went to the theater. Luckily, the ads/trailers were still on and the whole theater seats were packed with people front and back. As soon as we sat in our seats the movie started ( 1 hour later ). Lisa and Rick were asleep. My eyes started to get heavy then I fell asleep.

Mona’s Pov: ( 1 hour ) I woke up because I was being shaked so my eyes shot wide open. It was dark “who’s there?” I yelled a flash of light shot in my eyes. I closed quickly. Lisa’s pov : “Mona you're awake” she said “what happend?” Mona asked “well you see” *flashback* “me and Rick woke up after the movie. We couldn’t see so we went out of the theater and into the mall everything was closed. But, we heard something and we got scared and ran back to the movie theater. *back to the present* and yep that’s everything” mona got up “well let’s go and explore more”. *We walked out of the theater and explored a lot*. 

All the exits were closed so we went in the “employee only door”. It was a long white wall hallway with a few missing children posters “guys i gotta use it” rick said. “Right now?” Mona replied  “yeah” rick replied back “there should be a restroom here” i said. *we went to look for the restroom we found it after rick use it we explored the hallway some more and we found a door with padlock then we went to look for a note that had the code because that's what usually happens in movies or games we found a paper that had numbers on it then-*. we saw a man in a bloody-ish bunny suit with a bloody hook like the one from the movie  he was power-walking towards us. We ran for our lives then we saw the restroom from earlier i opened the door quickly and mona and rick ran in and then i did, all three of us runned in different stalls and looked under the door. 

The man in the bunny suit came in slowly, opening each stall. He stopped at mine for a second and then went to Rick and Mona’s stall. I closed my eyes. All I could hear was Rick and Mona screaming at the top of their lungs. Then, I heard the door close. I quickly got out of the stall and went through the same door the man went through. I went to the door where it had a padlock. I opened it and I heard music. I saw a man with purple hair. I went up to him and said lisa: “help!” ???(janitor mike): “woah, how did you get in here?” lisa: “There’s a man in a bunny suit. He killed my friends” ???(janitor mike): “what? stay here” *he starts walking to the hallway* lisa: “you can’t he’ll kill you too” *he didn’t hear me i saw him walk out then a few minutes later the lights went out i quickly shut the door and hide under the desk i heard the door open and i kinda peeked out then he killed me*

[talesfromasnarkylisa]

Lacey: Chapter 1

James: July 5th, 2023

God, I hate this job.

It’s not the actual work that bothers me. It’s quite a simple occupation, really. All I have to do is neatly crop and touch over images, then submit them to whichever publisher wants them. I’ve been doing this since I was 10. Only difference is that now I get paid.

And there lies the problem. My salary is basically nothing. Ever since I’ve started going to Yale University, I’ve had to juggle studying and working. The studying isn’t too bad. I’ve already memorized 90% of the material since 9th grade that the professors teach. The real troubles are the tuition fees. 

Yale is an Ivy League school, which means it’s extremely pricey. I was lucky enough to even get in. But my parents are the old-fashioned kind. The types to kick their kids out once they graduate high school. So once I neared 18 before lockdown, I was on my own. Turns out that no one in retail wants to hire a guy who blanks out at job interviews.

I now work two jobs. The photoshop one and the influencer one. The influencer one hasn’t really been working out too well, though. I got kicked out of a bunch of online publications because I got into a ton of controversy. Looks like there is such a thing as bad publicity after all.

But hey, at least I got some editor friends back. Still not in any of the teams.

Three Weeks Later

On a Friday evening, I hung out in a voice chat with my online friends Corianna and Darian.

Corianna is the team lead of a set of blogs reviewing indie and folk music. She is 18 - a couple years younger than me - and goes by Artsy Carolina online. I used to be on that team, until she booted me half a year ago for talking shit about the other writers and editors. Cori and I are cool now, but I’m not getting back on her website team anytime soon. 

She is a green eyed and long light brunette woman with ivory skin like her avatar. In addition to books and anime, Cori enjoys bluegrass and hip-hop music.

Darian is my best friend. Unlike his raven-haired avatar with a shade more like mine, he is auburn haired with light skin and hazel eyes. We first met on a Minecraft server when I was 15 and he was 14. I didn’t have many friends in school and no close ones. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of Minecraft. I was more of a casual player whenever I had time. But I had heard of the anarchy servers on the platform, where rules are few and chaos is plenty. I wanted to see if I could use my programming knowledge of JavaScript and Python to survive there. Boy, was I wrong. If Darian wasn’t in the server, I probably would have downloaded malware and fried my computer right there. 

The weird part is, we already knew each other in real life. But until we were both 17, neither of us was aware of the other’s online identities. I just knew him as D. Noir and he only knew me as Archer J. We’ve only become closer since then.

“So,” said Corianna, “how’s the photoshop gig, James?”

“Mediocre as always,” I responded.

“Well, color me surprised.”

I checked my other DMs for a moment before switching back to the call.

“How’s it going?” I asked Darian.

“Great!” he answered. “Guess what? I got into-”

Darian’s audio went out.

“I can’t hear you,” stated Corianna. “It sounds like a hungry person on your end.”

Darian adjusted his microphone.

“Can you hear me now?” he asked.

“Yes,” I responded. “That’s better.”

“Alright,” said Corianna, “go on.”

“I got a voice acting role! And it involves singing!”

“That’s great!” Corianna exclaimed. “In what show?”

“I can’t disclose which one,” Darian answered. “The producers have a contract forcing everyone working on it to keep quiet about their involvement.”

Corianna sent a smirk emoji.

“And that is why you just bragged, D.”

“Well,” Darian snarked back, “it’s not like I’m telling you which show I’m in.”

“Don’t listen to Cori,” I teased, “she’s just trying to mess with your head. I’m happy for you.”

But honestly, I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t content that Darian could get in with his mid-tier acting and Auto-tuned singing while I have attempted to get multiple contracts in vain. They say that hard work is what makes you succeed, but I’ve worked my ass off in everything and I’m still not making it that far. 

I’ve applied to several job openings - cashier, janitor, machinery, waiter, fucking babysitting. I’ve tried every online gig there is: website testing, design, marketing, amateur columnist, even video editing and those random surveys. And look where I am now.

Just a boring dude renting a hotel room and working photoshop as a summer job.

(Medium teaser: ​​https://medium.com/@SnarkyLisa/untitled-no-1-story-preview-8966ffdde73a)

(Wattpad version: https://www.wattpad.com/1478131869-lacey-chapter-1)

[starset21]

Standard disclaimer: I only own my original characters, I've done some research but there will likely be military inaccuracies, and I do not consent to the posting, translating, or publishing of my work to any 3rd party site, the only place it may be found is on tumblr and Wattpad under @.itswildflower Word Count: 1205 Looking for previous parts? A Cinderella Story Masterlist 

Chapter 2:

When they were released for lunch her phone went off. “Yes, the secret admirer beckons,” Carter teased as they walked out of their class. Bea rolled her eyes and gave him a little shove before promising to see him later. Where have you been? We haven't talked in ages. She smiled and sat down on one of the many benches placed around campus. We talked this morning. I can't stop thinking about you. What's on your mind right now? Bea bit her lip before typing out a response. You first. The little typing bubble appears before her phone dings. Well, I’m thinking that Professor Roth's dissected one too many frogs. Ribet, Ribet. Bea snorted as she reread his words sending back a quick, Laugh out loud. She set her phone down and looked around for a moment watching some kids play with a frisbee and others talking about their classes. Her phone beeped with a new message. I wanna hear your laugh. When can we finally meet? He asked. Soon! That was the last message she sent before the bell rang and had to head to her next class. How's your day so far? A message awaited her from Nomad when she logged into the school computer from her advisory class. Oh just dealt with a raging stepmom, work, and cool kids who can't get over themselves. Do you ever feel like you don't belong? She got several homework questions done before her computer pinged. Absolutely. I can be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel all alone. Then I think of you. Bea smiled before completing getting back to her homework. 

Hey, Nomad, do you think we've ever met?

I don't know. Our school has over 3500 kids.

Well, that narrows it down.

Well, at least I can eliminate the guys. You're not a guy, right? Because if you are, I'll kick your butt.

I am not a guy. Have you told your dad about wanting to join the Navy and go to the academy yet?

If only I could. I haven't even told him I wanna be a pilot.  

My father always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

Not mine. He has another plan for my life.

It's 2 a.m. We've been at this for five hours.

Well, I think we broke our record. 

We should turn in. Sweet dreams.

Wait. I can't sleep without knowing there's hope. Half the night I waste in sighs. In a wakeful doze, I sorrow. For the hand, the lips… the eyes. For the meeting of tomorrow.

Quoting Tennyson. Impressive.

Please meet me at the homecoming dance. I'll be waiting for you at 11:00 in the middle of the dance floor. Sweet dreams.

“You're finally gonna be able to meet him!” Carter exclaimed. “I don't know. He's too good to be true,” she told him, bouncing the soccer ball on her knees. “Come on. It's been, like, a month since you met him in that Navy recruits chat room, okay? You talk to him all the time. You know him,” he tries to reassure her. “I know, but he doesn't know me. What if I meet him and I'm not what he expects? Maybe this whole relationship is just better for cyberspace.” She dropped the ball and dribbled it around as Carter contemplated what to say. “Listen, okay? You have to go to that dance, okay? This Nomad guy isn't gonna be in one place for long, all right? If it helps, I'll be your escort.” She stops and looks at him. “Really?” He smiles and nods. “You rock, Carter.” Her phone rang. “Hello?” she answered. “Beatrice! Some little brat got into my salmon and ate it all. I need more salmon. And pick up my dry cleaning. And wash the Jag,” Loretta ordered before hanging up. Bea sighed and Cory raised a brow. “Loretta,” Bea sighs before lining up on the goal. “Why do you act like her slave?” he asks. “Simple. No Loretta, no access to Bailey, and no inheritance,” she tells him. “That sucks but weren’t you thinking you’d just join the military and have them pay for your college? Gets you out of here and away from the evil stepmother,” Carter asks. “I’m still not totally sure, plus I don’t wanna lose contact with Bailey and leave him all alone with those heathens. In any case, that’s if I get in. My point is that I need options,” she told him and Carter nodded. “That’s valid.” Bea took a deep breath before imagining Loretta’s face on her soccer ball and then kicking it hard over Carter’s head and into the corner of the net. 

“Okay, guys. Come on. A little bit further. Right there. Thirty percent off for Texas ATM alumni,” Mr. Seresin called out as an employee replaced a sign. “Looks good, my friend. Make sure you get these rims,” Jake tells one of his dad's employees. “Jake,” his father calls out. “What's up?” he asks walking over to him. “What's with all those college brochures in your bedroom?” the older man asks. “What are you even doing in my room? I'm trying to keep my options open,” he tells his dad. “You don't need options. It is all taken care of. Look, son, we've been working on this program since you were 9 years old. You're gonna play ATM football, graduate… and then you'll manage this business and the ranch with me. Your future's set. So don't mess with the plan. All right?” his father tells him. “Wouldn't think of it,” Jake muttered under his breath with a sigh. “There's another customer. Go make them happy,” he orders. “Yes, sir.” 

Bea pulled into the Seresin car wash, the best car wash place in town, and cracked her knuckles, ready to get this over with. “Well, you need a wax,” he said, jotting down a few notes on his pad. “Excuse me?” Bea asks. “I meant the car,” Jake amended quickly. “Oh, fine,” she nods as he finishes writing. The obnoxious horn of her twin stepsisters' cars sounded as they pulled up to the car wash. “Jake. Hi,” Keighlee greeted, climbing out of her car at the same time as her sister. “We need our cars washed,” she tells him. “Yeah, look. Dirt,” Paislee echoed. “One second, ladies. All right. Take this inside when you're done,” Jake tells Bea and she nods. “Thank you very much,” she tells him with a kind smile before he walks away. “Oh, my God, he is an angel,” Keighlee swoons. “He's so cute,” Paislee fawns. “I know,” Keighlee giggles. “So who'd you guys pay to make your cars so dirty?” Bea asks them. “Excuse me? Like, what are you, the dirt police?” Keighlee asks, giggling. “Yeah. The dirt police. Like, excuse me, miss, do you know how fast your dirt was going?” Paislee echoed with a laugh. “You should have stopped with the dirt police,” Keighlee side-eyed her sister. “You should get going because our mom's looking for you,” she told Bea. “Well, where is she?” Bea asked them. “She's at home, baking,” they tell her and Bea rolls her eyes before heading inside to hand the receptionist the notes from Jake. 

[readingforsanity]

The Last to Vanish | Megan Miranda | Published 2022 | *SPOILERS*

New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda returns with a gripping and propulsive thriller that opens with this disappearance of a journalist who is investigating a string of vanishings in the resort town of Cutter’s Pass - will its dark secrets finally be revealed? 

Ten years ago, Abigail Lovett feel into a job she loves, managing The Passage Inn, a cozy, upscale resort nestled in the North Carolina mountain town of Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is best known for its outdoor offerings - rafting and hiking, with access to the Appalachian trail by way of a gorgeous waterfall - and its mysterious history. As the book begins, the string of unsolved disappearances that has haunted the town is once again thrust into the spotlight when journalist Landon West, who was staying at the inn to investigate the story of the vanishing trail, then disappears himself. 

Abby has sometimes felt like an outsider within the community, but she’s come to view Cutter’s Pass as her home. When Landon’s brother Trey shows up looking for answers, Abby can’t help but feel the town closing ranks. And she’s still on the outside. When she finds incriminating evidence that may bring them closer to the truth, Abby soon discovers how little she knows about her coworkers, neighbors and even those closest to her. 

Megan Miranda brings her best writing to The Last to Vanish, a riveting thriller filled with taut suspense and shocking twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. 

Abigail Lovett, commonly known as Abby, has spent the last 10 years in Cutter’s Pass, North Carolina. She relocated here after her mother passed away from cancer when she was 18 years old. Shortly after arriving, she was hired by Celeste, the owner of the Passage Inn to help. Since then, she has become the manager of the inn, and has lived on the property in one of the two staff apartments located in the basement of the inn. 

At the beginning of the novel, Abby checks in a man who is vaguely familiar to her. She realizes that he is the brother of the last man to vanish in Cutter’s Pass. For 25 years, 6 individuals have gone missing in Cutter’s Pass and nothing has ever been found of them. The latest man, Landon West, was an investigative journalist and had been staying in one of the inn’s cabins working on his latest article. It appeared he had gotten close to solving a years long mystery, but had vanished without a trace before he could reveal too much. 

Abby, along with Georgia, run the inn taking turns on shifts: Georgia typically in the morning and Abby at night. Georgia is the newest implant to Cutter’s Pass, and she isn’t trusted by man people but Abby gives her the benefit of the doubt. Everyone is aware of Trey’s presence in town. Cory, one of the town’s original occupants, helps Abby to understand that she is no longer considered an outsider and to be careful who she lets in. Everyone believes that Trey is there to cause trouble. 

After borrowing Georgia’s car, she finds a strange key on her key ring that ends up being a key to a locker inside one of the town’s stores where you can rent lockers to hold items while hiking, used mostly for tourists. Inside, Abby finds Farrah’s camera, a woman who went missing three years before, along with Landon’s phone and journal. The locker had been rented in her name, even though she hadn’t rented the locker herself. She also learned that the bag she had been using for the last 10 years found inside the inn’s lost and found had once belonged to Alice Kelley, a young woman who had gone missing 10 years before, shortly before she arrived in town. 

She took the items back to her apartment, and is found by Cory. Cory wasn’t involved in any of the disappearances, and had only been a boy when the Fraternity Four, as the first four men who went missing were came to be known. Abby realizes that there is something that could crack this case wide open: a photo of the phone of them hanging inside the Tavern that is owned by Cory’s parents. She infiltrates the tavern, and finds that the person who had taken the photo was wearing the logo of the inn where she works. She didn’t want to believe it was Celeste, and ended up snooping inside her carriage house on the property of the inn before she is caught. 

Here she learns the truth: Celeste had offered to take the photo of them. Despite it being dark and the four men had a drink or more at the tavern, they wanted to venture out into the night to begin their hike. Celeste, along with many others, told them this wasn’t a good idea but offered to take them up the trail to a place safe enough for them to camp that night. But what Celeste became aware of is that they had intended this trip to a sort of intervention for Brian, a young man in the group who had been struggling with drugs after his college baseball career failed to go any further than college. One of the men found a gun inside Brian’s pack, and it set off a series of events: the last two standing were a man named Neil and Celeste. In hopes of trying to get away, Celeste went after the gun but not before Neil was murdered after having just confessed to Brian that he had a daughter...Abigail Lovett. 

Abby knew that Neil was her father, a deathbed confession from her mother 10 years ago. She came to Cutter’s Pass, his last known location, in hopes of becoming closer to him in some way. Celeste took her under her wing because of the guilt that happened. With the help of her husband Vincent, deceased for 10 years as well as the town’s sheriff, then only a deputy, the bodies were buried somewhere on the mountain, though Celeste can not give her the locations as she was not present for this. 

Abby is unsure of how to process this information. Celeste had become her only family in the 10 years she has been residing in Cutter’s Pass, and all this time, she knew who Abby was without telling her. Though she always looked out for her. She realizes now that Harris, the man that is hired throughout the town to perform electrical work, has arrived to work on the phone lines. While he is looking at the various possibilities of why the lines could be down, Abby receives a message from Alice Kelly’s sister Quinn, and in one of the photos provided to her, Abby finds that Harris knew Alice, and they had dated. He went by James then, as his name is J. Harris. Abby knows she has to do something in order to get away from him, but he corners her in the baseball hallway, and confesses everything. 

He hadn’t meant to hurt any of them, but each time something had gone wrong: Alice tried to run away and hit her head, Farrah arrived asking too many questions about Alice and recognized Harris while he was with his family, and of course, Landon was trying to figure out what happened to them. Each of them had been buried on Harris’s property that belonged to his grandparents and where he lived with his wife and daughter. Trey, havi ng overheard everything, helps Abby bring him down and the sheriff arrives along with some locals and he is arrested. 

We learn that Abby continues to work at the inn and that Harris didn’t fight anything as he had confessed everything to Abby on that fateful night. Abby also continues to take guided tours with tourists up the trail where her father was last seen alive, pleading for his life. 

Discussion Questions 

1. Despite its appearance as a cozy resort town, Cutter’s Pass is portrayed - to the reader - as a cold, isolated and moody place. Considering the fact that Abby is the book’s sole narrator, how might you read this characterization, and what implications does it have regarding her presence within Cutter’s Pass? I’m sure Cutter’s Pass is a beautiful location, but to Abby, she sees it as non-locals see it: somewhere that sinister things have happened to people. It isn’t until she realizes her true connection to the place, and after the mysteries of the missing people has been solved, she really begins to feel at home and see the town for what it is. 

2. Is Abby a reliable narrator? Why or why not? How do her interactions with other characters embody one of the novel’s central concerns: that is, the ability to truly know another person? I think she is a somewhat reliable character. For the entirety of the novel, we learn that she knew that her father was one of the Fraternity Four. So, she was already biased to Cutter’s Pass before her arrival, and she wanted to have some sort of connection with the father she never knew. But, I think she truly wants to be considered as one of them, and after 10 years of residence, I don’t blame her. 

3. Many different forms of reality appear in The Last to Vanish. Characters divulge rumors, talk about myths, and share practical explanations for the vanishings of past visitors. What does the novel suggest about truth and its relationship to myth? That within truth there is always going to be something behind it. The residents of Cutter’s Pass wanted to protect one another. The majority of them have lived there their entire lives, and anyone coming in is an outsider. While many aren’t aware of the sheriff’s connection to the original disappearances, everyone is willing to do whatever it takes in order to protect one another. 

4. What does the novel say about the secrets we hide? Are those secrets ultimately more real than what we’re willing to reveal to our friends, our coworkers, ourselves? Consider the truths Cory is able to tell visitors on his ghost tours and the secrets he keeps locked within his chest. Are there truths that we can’t even reveal to ourselves? A lot of the time, the lies we tell become our truths. There are people I’ve shared everything with about my life, but there are others who only know half truths about me. It’s all about perception and what I’m willing to share. 

5. How would you characterize the relationships that Abby has with other characters? Are her relationships with the town’s longtime residents different from her relationships with semi-outsiders like Georgia? What about with Trey? As an “outsider” herself, Abby feels more connected with people who aren’t truly connected to the town, like Georgia and Harris. With Cory, the sheriff, Rochelle, they all grew up in the town and are willing to do whatever it takes to protect it so their interactions with her are also stitled. 

6. What does it mean to be part of a community, and what does it mean to be an outsider? Consider the fact that Abby has lived in Cutter’s Pass for 10 years but still feels like a stranger. Do you think she’d be more accepted as a member of the community if she didn’t start seeking out the truth with Trey? Why or why not? I don’t think so. I think Abby was less accepted because she became an implant in the town. The town isn’t somewhere that many people visit and then decide to stay. It’s more of a vacation town. So when Abby stayed, people realized that she could be harmful to their town secrets. 

7. Why do you think the novel opens with a page from Landon West’s journal? How did this choice affect your interpretation of the story? It sets the tone. That Landon was on the path to finding the truth, and more than likely had found it. But his life was taken from him before he could even finish. 

8. Explore the role that outsiders play in the Last to Vanish, as well as in real life. Are they, like Landon and Trey West, able to pierce through the secrets that close-knit communities hide? Consider, in your evaluation, the role that Abby plays in this novel. What kinds of revelations is she privy to as someone who occupies this unique position? Landon may have found someone to spill the secrets, but we aren’t ever sure who that could have been. Georgia was an outsider, so she wouldn’t have been privvy to any of the information. 

9. Evaluate the theme of morality in this novel. Are you able to tell who is a good character and who is not? Explain how and why. Additionally, do you think we are biased toward Abby because she is the book’s narrator? No. I had a hard time deciphering. The fact that Harris was at all involved in the murders shook me. 

10. Even though the Last to Vanish focuses on events that occur in the past, the main story actually takes place in our COVID present. How do you think this narrative decision affects the reader’s experience of the novel? And do you see semblances of our daily life represented within the book’s pages? I didn’t actually know this took place during our COVID present at all. Nothing was ever mentioned of the pandemic, and it appeared everything was as normal. 

[xtinyslip]

"I'M WELL AWARE OF WHAT CORY WAS." cecilia was also confident that she would have known how to use him, if she hadn't been then she wouldn't have went forward with the plan to begin with. "i hear from gideon and his little friend that you shot him. a signature pederson move, hm? smart thinking." if she could have done this without killing her uncle, then the truth was that she would have but no… she couldn't say she was all that sad that it had happened either. that's not what she was angry about. "perhaps that's who you should look into next? it would appear that my father has taken someone under his wing. funding his medical training, put quite the effort in. i'm sure he did that with expectations in return." was she trying to shift his attention from gideon? yes, because she didn't like where that was heading or how it was sounding. there was absolute no need to involve gideon yet. "when have i ever been known to take the easy option?" cecilia wasn't inputting as much as she was capable of when it came to the topic of gideon right now. despite how fucking furious she was with him and how he was approaching it, she knew that snapping back was only adding gasoline to the fire. no, she was going to have a strong think about how to handle this and she couldn't do it now. especially not with the moment they were literally making. for someone who didn't like to be backed against the wall, she had never felt so eager to be in that position before. she could feel the material of his shirt between her fingers, she could smell him, she could practically taste and feel his breath on her skin. right now he was consuming her every thought and sense. "you want to believe you do and i understand but you don't. who doesn't want revenge on my father, hm? that is not reason enough for us to put this type of trust in someone." perhaps, this all came down to the fact that she was jealous that parker was spending his time with elaine and not her. it could be that, she wouldn't put it passed her for that to be the reason. however, she didn't like it. she didn't like how much this woman apparently knew. his touch only made her heart beat fire into a frenzy, biting down on her bottom lip as she kept her eyes focused on him. she couldn't have pulled them away from him if she tried. "is yours not? i'm a qualified doctor, you know? i could do something about that." smirking, her words barely a whisper but that was because this felt like their bubble. a bubble they could create anywhere but she hadn't felt like they'd been in it for a while. she had no intention of breaking free from it any time soon. the kiss was everything it should have been and more. desperate, messy and passionate. it wasn't enough to say how she was feeling through it, she wanted to show it as well. it was everything because he was everything. when he wrapped his arm around her waist, she urged the closeness between them, pressing so tightly against him that there was no space left between them. even when she was back against the wall again. hands moving from where they'd been wrapped up in his shirt, to wrap around his shoulders so she could pull him in. "say it again." that he trusted her, she needed to hear him say it at least once more. slightly breathless from the kiss but that wasn't going to stop her, she never wanted to stop again. "you know what my stomach can handle and it will. hm? you don't need her help when you have me. we can do it together." @fcdcdmcmories

"YOU DON'T NEED HIM! WE DIDN'T NEED HIM! DON'T YOU SEE? HE WAS A SNEAKY GREASY SNAKE THAT WOULD HAVE SOLD YOU OUT TO PEDERSON IF HE COULD GET A GOOD STORY OUT OF IT. HE'S BETTER OFF DEAD. NOW, HE'S PAID FOR ALL THE TIMES HE WALKED AWAY FROM YOU. I MADE SURE OF IT." he didn't know why he was so damn angry. there was a part of him that was seeing fucking red at this whole situation. at cory, at pederson, at her and especially at himself, for wanting what he did right now. what he always had. HER. RIGHT? "i don't care if he's still a kid. i don't care if there's even the slightest bit of a chance that he can change. if he's a danger to you? any danger? if there's anything that i can do to make sure one of pederson's biggest assets is gone? I'LL FUCKING DO IT! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE ANGRY AT ME FOR IT! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S WRONG! IF IT ENDS ALL THIS? I'LL DO IT!" it was always about her. it was always for her and regardless, he was still yelling, because.. how would he not be, he wondered? he didn't care about the kid. all that he cared about was HER. "i'll get to him, one way or another. you can't protect him forever and eventually? you'll have to go somewhere to do something else and then.. i'll use that time to do it. AS I SAID? EASY WAY, WHERE YOU CAN STAND ASIDE AND LET ME DO IT, OR.. THE HARD WAY. IT'S UP TO YOU." he didn't know what had taken over him. he felt.. different. in a strange way, especially as he found himself moving forward, backing her against the wall. all that he could think about right now was HER. from this close? he could feel her breath against his skin. he could smell her perfume. for a second, he let his eyes fall to her lips. god, he-- brushing some of her hair to the side, he only smiled. "i know enough. i know she wants revenge, same as i do. i know i can trust her to not keep secrets. SHE'LL HELP ME MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I KNOW IT. AND THEN? THEN, HE'LL BE GONE AND YOU'LL BE FREE. i don't care how many people i have to kill to make that happen. i'll do it." he put his hand against her cheek for a second, letting it fall down to her chest, so he could feel her heart beat. it only made him smile even more. only it wasn't a gentle smile, was it? "your heart's racing. what's the matter?" asking when he knew precisely what he was doing? yes, he did. when she kissed him? at first, he remained where he was, frozen, glancing at her. and then? he looked down at her lips, once and then twice, before moving forward again, and crashing his lips against her own. there was nothing gentle or sweet about the way that he kissed her back, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him, before pressing her again against the wall. if anything, it was a desperate and rough and messy and yet loveable kiss, that showed precisely how he felt behind all the bravado and the attitude. FUCK, HE HAD MISSED HER. SO MUCH. "i do trust you," he whispered, before bringing his lips back to hers again with a grin. it was stupid how he was so angry and frustrated and yet, so fucking madly in love with her at the same time. nothing was fine, but this? this was THEM. "but.. there are a lot of things that will need to be done that won't be pretty and that.. clearly, you don't have the stomach for. that's alright. you don't have to. THEY'LL BE UGLY, MESSY AND.. ELAINE WILL HELP ME WITH THOSE FOR NOW. IT'S WHY I HAVE TO STAY WITH HER FOR NOW."

@xtinyslip