#zoe and francisco

[fundielicious-simblr]

(Narrator)

It's christmas card season in this fundielicious sims world, and in an effort to include more side characters and go back to my roots, I decided to pose a few families for christmas cards. I also did the cliche thing of using said christmas cards to announce a few pregnancies. This will have the 3rd person narration of the families, the actual captions that they'll use on their simstagram post will come later with said simstagram post after this.

Maggie and Shane are not ones to miss putting out a yearly christmas card, ever since they got married almost 10 years ago it's been a tradition. Their first christmas card together was also Maggie's debut in pants on recorded media, hows that for a fun fact. They're enjoying life with their toddlers, both are working and have them in a christian daycare during the day. They're not going on their yearly ski trip with Reece and Stacie this year, so they'll be celebrating the holiday season with Shane's relatives so that they can get a city break. There's no pregnancy announcement from these guys, and honestly we can't be sure when the next one will be, though they do have one final child to add to the family before they'll consider it complete. Maybe once the kids start officially going to school and have more independence.

Our favourite political family are announcing a pregnancy this holiday season! Colton working as the districts conservative representative means that their lives are a lot more central to Windenburg, Brittany is homeschooling Nicole and apparently they thought now was the best time to have another child. Secretly (but no so secretly) almost everyone wants this baby to be a boy, it's always tied into talk about carrying on the family name and generational blessings and all that. Whilst Brittany just wants a healthy baby (and might want a boy a bit more than another girl), she can't forget the example of her cousin Adalynn. She and her husband Mason had 8 boys in a row before having a little baby girl, and Brittany is definitely not having that many children, so she's not letting herself get too hung up on what this baby will be.

Our resident reproducers are back at it again, this time with kid number 12. The pregnancy announcement isn't new to the family, but they decided to throw it in to announce it to the friends and family that live far away and. Their house is just controlled chaos at this point, and with each kid they just slot right in. So far their prayer point for the quarter is expanding their house (and i keep forgetting to plan out what those posts will look like) This new baby will make their appearance by Harvestfest, so Kyleigh is about to be pregnant through yet another summer - poor her. Not that it's ever bothered her enough to stop getting pregnant.

Zoe and her latin lover are steadily pumping out these children, they're going on four years of marriage and by their 4th anniversary will be on their way to 3 kids under 5. They've been enjoying Windenburg life, being able to see Zoe's sister Amira and her husband quite often as they live close by so they've created their own little routine. Along with seeing family when they visit WIndenburg or when they take small trips, they've really been enjoying life. For Christmas they're staying in Windenburg for their last winter there and Francisco's family will come visit.

Now we go back to our regularly scheduled programming!

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Richard Attenborough, Ingrid Bergman, my cousin-in-law Janice Brenneman, Kyle Cook (Matchbox 20), Chris Copping (Procol Harum), Reuben Councill, Charles Finney, Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Diamanda Galás, Elliott Gould, Carla Gugino, Dick Halligan, Fred Holland, Michael Jackson, Nathan Ernie Lashlee, David Lim, John Locke, Tony MacAlpine, Bennie Maupin, John McCain, Sterling Morrison, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Oasis 1994 DEFINITELY MAYBE album, Mao Oz, Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel, Charlie Parker, Liam Payne (One Direction), Pebbles, Iggy Pop’s 1977 LUST FOR LIFE album, Cliff Richard’s 1958 “Move It!” single, Vivien Thomas, Consuelo Velázquez, Vishal, Dinah Washington, and my friend and early career mentor, composer-keyboardist-trombonist-vocalist Bob Hogins. He made his mark in the 1970s San Francisco music scene, most visibly with Harvey Mandel, Buddy Miles, and Santana. I met Bob after he’d turned his life over to God and devoted himself to classical and contemporary Christian music projects. He compelled me to up my game in musical discipline and expand myself as a bassist and singer.

From 1981-87 I played with Bob almost weekly in an eclectic church worship group. We fanned out into recording, pop-rock musicals, and playing in gospel vocal groups that shared bills with Zoe, a Grateful Dead spin-off w/Donna Godchaux and David MacKay (Ark, Michael Nesmith). As I worked with Bob in various projects, he introduced me to Buddy Miles, Pat Craig (Tazmanian Devils), Frank Souza, Marcus Uzilevsky, and other talents who’d affect my career in varying degrees. I feel indebted to Bob as a talented, warm-hearted musician, and great teacher.

Regrettably I do not have at hand any recordings of work Bob and I did, but here’s one of my favorite tracks that Bob played some sizzling organ on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_tgfWBHdig ...Meanwhile, HB BH and thank you for your amazing contributions to all of us.

#bobhogins #roberthogins #trombone #keyboard #gospel #Christian #SanFrancisco #johnnyjblair #birthday #carlossantana #buddymiles

[newslink7com]

🎬 OSCARS 2025 SHOCKER! 🎬

Indie film Anora defies all odds, crushing Hollywood blockbusters like Dune: Part Two and Wicked to win Best Picture! 🏆 Plus, Adrien Brody makes history, Zoe Saldaña’s emotional speech, and a huge animated film upset—see the full winners list!

👉 Read the full story at NewsLink7.com

[eggsplorethepossibilities]

✨ What's in a name? Well, when it comes to our Eggcognitos, everything! ✨

At Eggsplore the Possibilities, we ditched the cold, impersonal donor numbers and gave our donors the chance to pick their own fun, incognito-style names—and just like that, Eggcognitos were born! 🎭💖

In this video, I’m cracking open (see what I did there?) just one of our eight major Eggcognito categories: Eggtresses & Icons! 🎬👑 From Meggryl Streep to Robert Downegg Jr., our donors are serving up star power and personality!

🌟 Which Eggcognito is your favorite? Drop it in the comments! And keep an egg out for more names from other categgories in future videos! 🥚✨ #Eggcognitos #EggDonation #EggsploreThePossibilities

[marleneoftheopera]

Phantom & LND Gifts!🎁

Another holiday season, another round of gifts! Wishing you all a gentle and restful holiday and New Year. Here's hoping for a good next year, or at least an uneventful one. Included are some new recordings, some older, and some that have already been shared but are current favorites of mine. All audios are to be traded as normal, the videos can be either traded or gifted at the request of the master.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xVsYDH_tmMNR6fJxEgssH93TdD6v5Ux6?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Y0Wd5RicQyy3CwEBV6Wu2TqQjMOp0aKx?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_anh8dlNcFG-kgZTllARNWckAX97_mKj?usp=sharing

The Phantom of the Opera

Glyn Kerslake, Jill Washington, Chris Harley, Anthony Raffell, Leo Andrews, Jasna Ivir, Heather Jackson, David Hillman, Amanda Light March 6, 1999; London

Marcus Lovett (Phantom), Anna O'Byrne (Christine), Antony Hansen (Raoul), Lara Martins (Carlotta Giudicelli), Barry James (Monsieur Firmin), Gareth Snook (Monsieur André), Louisa Lydell (Madame Giry), Jeremy Secomb (Ubaldo Piangi), Layla Harrison (Meg Giry) October 26, 2012; London

Jeremy Secomb (Phantom), Ashleigh Fleming (Christine), Sean Palmer (Raoul), Lara Martins (Carlotta Giudicelli), Andy Hockley (Monsieur Firmin), Martin Ball (Monsieur André), Shena Sanders (Madame Giry), Marc Vastenavondt (Ubaldo Piangi), Cat Lane (Meg Gir July 31, 2014; London

Leonardo Neiva (alt. The Phantom), Giulia Nadruz (alt. Christine), Fred Silveira (Raoul), Sandro Christopher (Firmin), Marcos Lanza (André), Bete Diva (Carlotta), Cleyton Pulzi (Piangi), Taís Viera (Madame Giry), Fernanda Muniz (Meg) July 28, 2018; Brazil

David Thaxton, Kelly Mathieson, Danny Whitehead (u/s) January 26, 2019; London

Tim Howar, Amy Manford (alt.), Danny Whitehead (u/s), Kimberly Blake, Paul Ettore Tabone, Ross Dawes, Alan Vicary, Rachel Spurrell (u/s0, Georgia Ware, Tim Morgan, Kris Manuel, Adrian Delacey, Matt Bateman, Paul Erbs September 3, 2019; London 4 days before cast change. Really great quality and this is one of my favorite Wishing’s. A must have!

John Martin Bengtsson, Hanna Ulvan, Jonathan Boiers, Anna Hammarqvist, Filip Barna, Sebastian Lamberth, Anton Salvin, Hanna La Fleur, Johanna Westholm March 4, 2023; Kristianstad Evening

James Gant (u/s), Paige Blankson (alt), Matt Blaker, Kelly Glyptis, Greg Castiglioni, Matt Harrop, Tim Southgate (u/s), Emma Harris (u/s), Ellie Young May 17, 2023; London

Jon Robyns (Phantom), Eve-Shanu Wilson (u/s Christine), Joe Griffiths Brown (Raoul), Kelly Glyptys (Carlotta), David Kristopher Brown (Piangi), Leonard Cook (u/s Firmin), Adam Listead (Andrè), Francesca Ellis (Madame Giry), Maiya Hikasa (Meg), James Gant (Auctioneer), Samuel Haughton (Reyer), Hywell Dowsell (Don Attilio), Andrew York (u/s Lefevre), Connor Ewing (u/s Buquet-Marksman), Simon Whitaker (Passarino), Michael Colbourne (Hairdresser), Zoe Vallee (Confidante) September 27, 2023; London

Geronimo Rauch (Phantom), Tal​ia del Val (Christine), Ruben Lopez (u/s Raoul), Omar Calicchio (Firmin), Enrique del Portal (Andrè), Marta Pineda (Carlotta), Francisco Ortiz (Piangi), Silvia Luchetti (Madame Giry), Laura Martin (Meg), Alejandro Rull (Buquet), Sergi Albert (Auctioneer/Lefevre), Ezequiel Salamann (Passarino), Alberto Sanchez (Attilio) October 27, 2023; Madrid Matinee

Jon Robyns, Chumisa Dornford-May (alt), Joe Griffiths-Brown, Kelly Glyptis, Adam Linstead, Matt Harrop, Francesca Ellis, David Kristopher-Brown, Maiya Hikasa March 15, 2024; London Chumisa's debut!

Nadim Naaman (Phantom), Georgia Wilkinson (Christine), Dougie Carter (Raoul), Lara Martins (Carlotta), Rhidian Marc (Piangi), Nicholas Garrett (Firmin), Arvid Larsen (André), Valerie Cutko (Madame Giry), Nikki Skinner (Meg Giry), Aaron Price-Lewis (Buquet), Paul Erbs (Monsieur Reyer), Daniel Jasuz Holley (Auctioneer/Fop 1 (Il Muto)), Kyle Nolan (Fop 2 (Il Muto)), Grace Chapman and Iris Toula-Gourgiotou (Confidente 1 and 2 (Il Muto)), Michael Franks (Don Attilio), Josh Hankey (Passarino), Michael Kirby and Joseph Birstow (Stagehand 1 and 2), Stavros Volkos (Monsieur LeFèvre / Firechief) April 19, 2024; Bulgaria (Middle East Tour) (When I got sent these either the files and/or I might've messed up whether this is the matinee or evening show lol.)

Anton Zetterholm, Lillian Maandag (u/s) Roy Goldman, Milica Jovanovic, Greg Castiglioni, Thomas Sigwald, Rob Pelzer, Eva Maria Bender (u/s), Laura May Croucher May 19, 2024; Vienna Matinee

Dean Chisnall, Lily Kerhoas, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Joanna Ampil, Adam Linstead, Martin Ball, Helen Hobson, David Kristopher Brown, Millie Lyons September 30, 2024; London

Greg Castiglioni (u/s), Lisanne Clémence Veeneman (Christine Daaé), Roy Goldman, Milica Jovanovic, Thomas Sigwald, Rob Pelzer, Patricia Nessy, Robert Meyer (u/s), Laura May Croucher October 23, 2024; Vienna

Love Never Dies

Bronson Norris Murphy, Meghan Picerno, Sean Thompson, Jake Heston Miller, Karen Mason, Mary Michael Patterson, Katrina Kemp, Richard Koons, Stephen Petrovich October 2, 2018; Philadelphia Evening show, opening night. marleneoftheopera's master. Note: This was my first time recording an audio. The quality is pretty nice though in my humble opinion, you can hear everything well. Cast is brilliant.

Patrick Stanke, Martina Lechner, Sebastian Seitz, Sarah Gadinger, Manja Stein, Sophia Gorgi, Thomas Wissman, Maike Katrin Merkel, Dani Spampinato June 19, 2024; Magdeburg First open air production of the show, non-replica.

POTO Videos

Ted Keegan (u/s The Phantom of the Opera), Julia Udine (alt Christine Daaé), John Riddle (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny), Raquel Suarez Groen (Carlotta Giudicelli), Craig Bennett (Monsieur Firmin), Nehal Joshi (Monsieur André), Maree Johnson (Madame Giry), Carlton Moe (Ubaldo Piangi), Sara Esty (Meg Giry), Carrington Vilmont (Auctioneer), Tug Watson (s/w Monsieur Reyer/Hairdresser), Scott Mikita (s/w Jeweler), Richard Poole (Monsieur Lefèvre/Firechief), David Michael Garry (Joseph Buquet/Don Attilio), Jeremy Stolle (Passarino), Kfir (Solo Dancer ("Hannibal")), Justin Peck (Solo Dancer ("Il Muto")), Kanisha Marie Feliciano (Page), Chris Georgetti (Porter/Fireman), Satomi Hoffmann (Wardrobe Mistress/Confidante), Elizabeth Welch (Princess ("Hannibal")), Kelly Jeanne Grant (Madame Firmin), Paul A. Schaefer (Marksman) April 3, 2023; Broadway Heavily obstructed, most of it is audio. Major songs included, WFMtrades' master.

Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom of the Opera), Amelia Milo (Christine Daaé), Bradley Jaden (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny), Anna Corvino (Carlotta Giudicelli), Ian Mowat (Monsieur Firmin), Earl Carpenter (Monsieur André), Alice Mistroni (Madame Giry), Gian Luca Pasolini (Ubaldo Piangi), Jeremy Rose (Monsieur Lefevre/Don Attilio), Matt Bond (Joseph Buquet), Mark Biocca (Capo Balletto), Nicola Ciulla (Gioielliere), Chiara Vergassola (Confidante), Luca Gaudiano (Parrucchiere), Antonio Orler (Passarino), Marianna Bonansone, Martina Cenere, Robert Ediogu, Stefania Fratepietro, Jessica Lorusso, Marta Melchiorre, Margarita Toso July 15, 2023; Italy Heavily obstructed, most of it is audio. Major songs included, WFMtrades' master.

Dean Chisnall, Lily Kerhoas, Joe Griffiths-Brown October 9, 2024; Broadway Heavily obstructed, runs from the Prologue through MOTN. London's 38th anniversary! WFMtrades' master.

[fundielicious-simblr]

(Narrator)

One summer night Zoe woke up with pretty bad cramps, cramps that didn't feel like braxton hicks. She was meant to be headed to Newcrest to see her family & have baby before her family moves to Henford-on-Bagley. She had Macie and Ashton with her at home, and thankfully Francisco was also home, so she was sped to the military hospital.

At the hospital she was assessed and it was decided that a c-section was needed. After administering the anaesthetic, she was rushed into the operating room where she was joined by her husband.

The doctor worked quickly and soon enough little Sofia Moreno was born, thankfully Zoe was only 2/3 weeks from her due date so little Sofia didn't need a nicu stay after being born early. After a 2 day stay in the hospital while she recovered from surgery, the family were able to go home and introduce her to her older siblings and aunties waiting at home.

[alldancersaretalented]

Studio Switch List 2024/25

(also includes late season switches)

Link to "How many studio switches so far?"

??

-> Elite Studio of Dance

Jordyn Hay

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

B. Bernard C. Butler M. Caryl L. Caver E. Defoe K. Heath I. Lewis C. Nielson A. Peterson S. Peterson A. White

-> Kinetic Dance

Mary Anne Serpas

-> Mather Dance Company

Sally Schulz

-> N10 Dance Studios

Juliette Birchard Jonah Guzman

-> Renner Dance Company

Connell Gocke

-> The Merge (new studio!)

Leila Pitcovich

-> The Moxie Movement (new studio!)

Beeta Barkhordar Harper Fish Bailee Hill Sky White

-> The Union (new studio!)

Veda and little sister Mia Weisz-Marin

-> Tribe Seven

Cate Block

3'N Motion Studio

-> BLA Dance Academy

Molly Weber Margaux Struble Chloe Todman

4th Street Dance Centre

-> Northern Force Dance Company

Hazel Brown Olena Brown

Adage Dance Center

-> K2 Studios

Dylan Kubo Aspen Walton

Adrenaline Dance Company

-> Prodigy Dance Studio

Bellarose Ramos

AE Dance Productions

-> The Company Space

Hazel Kinnick

All American Dance Factor

-> Evolve Dance Complex

Madison Virostek

Allegro Performing Arts Academy

-> Pave School of the Arts

Lily McFarland

AM Dance

-> Studio X

Brooklyn Abrams Alana Cato Asyah Lewis Baileigh McJimson Leiyah Nova

-> The K Project Dance Company

Aubrey Davis Jaden Gonzalez Rosalyn Gutierrez

Amirian Ballet Academy

-> Royal Danish Ballet School

Emma Crawford

Apples Dance Lab

-> Evolve Dance Complex

Payten Butler Sara Wren

Artistic Motion Dance

-> Abstraction Dance Company

Giselle Pilorin

-> Devotion The Movement

Sydney Duke Sunnie Pelant

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Zoe Baker GG Mier Katie Rosa Piper Ryder Tatum Ryder

Art Of Technique

-> The Washington School Of Ballet

Kaitlyn Brandely

Augusta West Dance Studio

-> CCJ Conservatory

Zoe Lewis

Avanti Dance Company

-> CAP The Company

Natalie Jahn

-> Mather Dance Company

Hayden Goren Reese Goren

-> N10 Dance Studios

Saige Hibbard

-> West Coast School of the Arts

Eva Graziano

Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre

-> Boston Ballet II

Sophia Jones

Bayer Ballet Academy

-> John Cranko Schule

Amelia Chen

Big City Dance Center

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Alex Cyncewicz

Brava Dance

-> Westchester Dance

Emily Pierog

Burbank Dance Academy

-> ABT Junior Co

Manuela De Souza

Cache Valley Civic Ballet

-> Creative Dance Academy

Kate Baldwin Sophia Baldwin

Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts

-> Bobbie's School of Performing Arts

Peyton Root Ryan Root

Canadian Dance Unit

-> Vlad's Dance Company

Quinn Powers

CanDance Studios

-> Club Dance Studio

Preslie Ball

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Colette Stutzman

-> The Union (new studio!)

Crystalyn Chesko

Carlsbad Dance Centre

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Ansel Mullick Camille Mullick Evelyn Mullick

Cary Dance Prudctions

-> Renner Dance Company

Marlee Thomas

CC & Co Dance Complex

-> Renner Dance Company

Connell Gocke Olivia Roberson

Centerstage Dance Academy

-> West Florida Dance Company

Ava Starr Rodriguez

Center Stage Dance Company

-> JBP Entertainment

Bianca Lewis

Center Stage Dance Gymnastics

-> The Fenyx Project

Arielle Miles

Center Stage Performing Arts Studio

-> The Moxie Movement (new studio!)

Halston Fisher Oakley Fisher Tatum Fisher

Charliz Balicao Dance Company

-> Larkin Dance Studio

Payton Mueller

Cincinnati Ballet Professional Training

-> Alabama Ballet

Caroline Love Jenna Renfield

City Ballet San Francisco

-> Boston Ballet II

Maddie Austin

CityDance Conservatory

-> Boston Ballet School II

Lucian DeBellis

CJ Dance Crew

-> Club Dance Studio

Madi Cole MaKinley Cole

Club Dance

-> ??

Ashton Wullbrandt

-> Dance Studio C

Gwyneth Woods

-> Elite Dance Pro

Madisyn Rose Amos Kennedy Cicerelli Abby Honstad Jaida Morin Payton Stowe

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Tilly Allen Brinley Bennett Brynlee Bulbulian Lainey Bulbulian Makena Cameron Pallas Chiste Olivia Clouse Kensley Colman Charlotte Cook Sophia Dasalla Avery Dunwell Lena Funk Mia Funk Jaycee Grant Kalista Greer Kanon Greer Kaylan Greer Oakley Hill Goldie Hill Birdie Hill Alaina Igleski Kaydence Lawton Arianna Mendez Callie Mendez Harper O'Malley Dannika Ren'ee Quiroz Tatem Robinson Leslie Soto Nicole Soto Tatum Strauss Kate Valentine Aubrey Williams

-> Illusion Dance Company

Madyson Barney

-> Prodigy Dance PAC

Taeya Stosich Tinley Stosich

Complexity Dance Center

-> Vision Dance Alliance

Ava Dowling London Dowling

Concept Pavielle

-> Larkin Dance Studio

Siena Paradeau

Conservatory of Dance Arts

-> The Merge (new studio!)

Ella Andrews Sarah Blady Charlotte Dean Sophie Dean Calli Hollenbeck Lilly May Hartley Murla

Cypress Dance Project (closing!)

-> The Fenyx Project

Ahmya Tovar Jasleen Tovar

-> Tribe Seven

Avery Farris Gracelyn Harris Kyndle McCormick Frankie Miranda Mia Narvaez Tana Nickerson Evelin Peterson Lily Savarese Paislynn Schroeder Gabriella Slay Dalilah Soto Frankie Soto Kayla Tanea Abigail Wade Melody Thiel Rianna Weck Rosalie Wickman

Cypress Elite Dance Studio

-> The Fenyx Project

Charlie Mae

Dance Academy of State College

-> Evolve Dance Complex

Emma Girdany

Dance Arts Centre ATL

-> Dance Lab (new studio!)

Ryn Andersen Tarin Belizaire Izzy Bensinger Nina Kitchen Daniella Lerman Samantha Wilson

Dance Arts Centre

-> Summit Dance Shoppe

Beckett Eberhard Britta Eberhard

Dance Connection 2

-> Club Dance Studio

Claire Pistor

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Jaxon Adamson Juliette Ridenour Scarlett Ridenour

Dance Connection Scottsdale

-> The Collective PHX

Madee Richardson

Dance Deluxe

-> Club Dance Studio

Dana Homes

-> Dance Connection 2

Kamryn Arnold

-> Elektro Dance Academy

Sunday Smith

Dance Dimensions PAC

-> The House Dance Complex

Sophia Hasson Victoria Safahi

Dance Enthusiasm

-> Murrieta Dance Project

Liciana Vun

-> Phunk Phenomenon Dance Studio

Landon Indeglia

Dance Exposure 2

-> The Vision Dance Alliance

Morgan Wendt

Dance FX

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Aryanna Lafontaine Cooper

Dance Inc Company

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Lauren Allan

Dance Lab OC

-> Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy

Maggie Till

Dancemark Studio

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Katie Bishop

Dance Republic

-> Club Dance

Annabelle Greenamyer Scottie Greenamyer Abigail Patton

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Kaia Roseland

Dance Studio C

-> Elite Dance Pro -> Dance Connection 2

Charlotte Rathjen

-> Impact Dance

Maizey Miller Savannah Miller

Dance University

-> Impact Dance Academy (new studio!)

Olivia Cherpak Stella Cherpak Chiara Siragusa Mila Steven

Dance Unlimited Miami

-> Stars Dance Studio

Mila Talab

The Dance Zone

Katelyn Miranda

-> The Living Dolls Dance Factory

Olivia Martinez

Dance Unlimited Colorado

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Fiona McDonald

Dance Vision

-> Becky Nalevanko's Dance Studio

Aria Telander

DanceDynamicsLV

-> Academy of Nevada Ballet

Naya Fowler

-> The Rock

Brielle Bonas Parker June

Danceology

-> Club Dance

Kelsey Jackman Makayla Jackman

-> DC Dance Factory

Kendall Kolodge

-> Evoke Dance Movement

Vida Lemos

-> Hyphen Conservatory

Haley Bertino

-> North County Academy of Dance

Ella Nani Knight

-> Pave San Diego

Paisley Publico Polly Jo Publico

Dancers Edge

-> Club Dance

Emerson Van Houten

Dancers World Production

-> K2 Studios

Claire Zhang

Dance Vision

-> The Academy

Cece Nguyen

Dansations Competition Team

-> The Vision Dance Alliance

Brady Horne

DC Dance Factory

-> The Vision Dance Alliance

Harper Bowen

Dellos Dance Academy

-> The Academy

Kendall Krajewski

Diverse Elements

-> Dance Connection Scottsdale

Kenna Bonhote

-> Dance Connection 2

Peyton Whited

Divine Dance Center

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Kallie Niday

DMdance Company

-> The Merge (new studio!)

Kinsley Gainer Taylor Jenkins Tyler Jenkins

Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy

-> ABT Junior Co

Clara Riggs

-> Boston Ballet II

Pavel Kulev

-> Elite Classical Coaching

Summer Lily

-> European School of Ballet

Annabel Kohn

-> San Francisco Ballet School

June Freeman

-> Westside Dance Project

Fiona Poth

DNA Dance Creatives

-> Prodigy Dance PAC

Jackson Ruekert

Drapers Center for Dance Education

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Rhauri Samuels

-> The Rock School For Ballet

Samuel Gauss

Dynamic Dance Company

-> Stars Dance Studio

Victoria Crupi

Dynamic Dance Refinery

-> New Level Dance Company

Sophia Hernandez-Gonzalez

Elektro Dance Academy

-> Dance Deluxe

Alexis Gizzo

-> Eternal Dance Company

Madyson Koch

-> LA Dance

Kinsey Joan

-> The Collective PHX

Julianna Aispuro Tenley Anthony

Elevate Dance Academy

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Sidney Sullivan

Elite Classical Coaching

-> Academie Princess Grace

Morgan Ligon

-> Royal Ballet School

Izzy Keesee

Elite Dance PAC

-> Hyphen Conservatory

Lillie Lanier

Elite Dance Pro

-> Club Dance

Peyton De La Cerda Mila Michael Lucia Piedrahita Sophia Schiano River Segerman

-> Rhythm Dance Complex

Gavin Schwarze

-> The Collective PHX

Alexa Schwarze

Elite Feet Artists Company

-> Stars Dance Studio

Norah Hurley

Elise Flagg Academy Of Dance

-> Central PA Youth Ballet

Ella Wilke

Ellison Ballet

-> ABT Junior Co

Victoria Papakalodouka

Encore Dance Arts

-> The Collective PHX

Laila Faith

Eternal Dance Company

-> CanDance Studios

Alaina Martinez

-> Gateway Dance Center

Juniper Wakefield

Evoke Dance Movement

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Eleanor Bullock Lucia Jade Frazier Emmy Claire Khaiden Tayah Klimuck Dylan Schaffer Maya Steinman

Evolve 26

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Blayklee Balthazar

Evolve Dance Complex

-> CCJ Conservatory

Cami Vorhees

-> Power Dance Company

Maya Rogers

Evolution Dance Center

-> North County Academy Of Dance

Presley McGraw

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Casey Archibald Liv Barrelli Karisma Colyan Kirrana Colyan Ava Cucker Elyse Dueler Alli Esposito Avery Fumillari Sofia Galati Joya Garner Sofia Gorman Kendall Hensley Kaylie Koehnen Brianna Lee Isla Marshall Emma MacKay Everly McGraw Ellie Miles Avril Overlock Drew Overlock Danielle Smart Kirra Stradwiser Vivienne Tolentino Lyla Yuceit Brooke Zamoff Shayne Zell

Expressions Dance & Music

-> Tribe Seven

Francesca Casaretto Gabi Woods

Fearless Dance Company

-> K2 Studios

Marilyn Castaneda

Flashdance Studio

-> Houston Ballet Academy

Patricio Lopez

FLEX Dance and Fitness

-> The Southern Strutt

Grace Marvella

Freckled Frog Dance Studio

-> K2 Studios

Vallerina Athena

Fusion Dance Force

-> Blueprint Dance Project

Emily Deal Abigail Monahan Abby Rodriguez

Fusion Studios

-> Mather Dance Company

Brooke Kim Mariana Simoes

Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

-> Dance Deluxe

Bradley Kawa Breckyn Kawa

Gotta Dance Company AZ

-> The Collective PHX

Avah Gonzalez Gabriella Gonzalez Valencia Gonzalez

Gotta Dance Company CA

-> Stars Dance Studio

Tristan Jones

Greenwich Conservatory of Classical Ballet

-> Dance Town

Cassie Coughlin

-> Mather Dance Company

Lydon Thach

-> The Academy

Lia Turrieta

Hart Academy of Dance

-> The Academy

Lia Turrieta

Hathaway Academy of Ballet

-> somewhere in the Netherlands

Kennedy Kahler

Heart & Sole Performing Arts

-> Gotta Dance Company

Leigha Jessee

Hollywood Ballet School

-> United Ballet Academy

Isobel Lehman

Houston Ballet Academy

-> Boston Ballet

Sam Stampleman

-> Boston Ballet II

Michael Dadlez Layla Porter

Hudson Dance Academy

-> Avanti Dance Company

Melody Garcia

Hyphen Conservatory

-> Mather Dance Company

Makaela McCosar

iBallet Studio

-> Elite Classical Coaching

Aviva Brock

Impact Dance

-> Club Dance Studio

Bostyn Thomas Holland Thomas Presley Thomas

In Motion Dance Project (closing)

-> ??

Mila Bonilla Anniston Clarke Adrienne Diaz Bella Flores Mia Flores Lily Holbrook Isabella Luciano Mali Photnetrakhom Madeline Terry Joey Webber

-> Dance Universe

Ellie ?

-> Marshall Ellis Dance School

Renee Forseth

-> New Dimensions Dance

Annalee Ramb

-> Starz Dance Company

Elissa Loryn Sadie Moore Isabella Peixoto

-> Orlando Ballet School

Sylvie Rock

-> Underground Movement

Lila Blood Kristyeliz Laureano Valerie Santana Izzy Warren

-> Xplosive Dance Academy

Levi Caicco Valeria Luciano Isabella Quartaro Olivia Rock Abigail Torres Adeline Vozza

Innovate Dance Studios

-> Avanti Dance Company

Pressly Loomis

Inspire Dance Complex

-> K2 Studios

Eliana Guzmán Isabela Guzmán Cali Rucker Arrow Yarbrough

Inspired Movement Dance

-> Innovate Dance Studios

Brooke Toro

Intensity Dance Academy

-> Evolve Dance Complex

Lydia Onder Bryn Onder

Intensity Dancer's Studio

-> Dance Town

Nicole Losada

In The Spotlight Dance Studio

-> Summit Dance Shoppe

Quinn Caroline

JBP Entertainment

-> BLA Dance Academy

Ashton Kinsleigh

JDI Dance Company

-> 4PM Dance

Addelyn Muesso

Jean Leigh Academy of Dance

-> Tari's School of Dance

Stella Vince

Joffrey Ballet School Texas

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Ella Waitz

Jump Dance Company

-> Impact Dance Academy (new studio!)

Natalie Boone Reese Gilman Chloe Mullins Claire Sorensen Addison Weimann

Jun Lu Performing Arts

-> Bayer Ballet Academy

Athena Hu

Just off Broadway

-> Club Dance Studio

Kaia Erby

-> Elite Classical Coaching

Sadie Daniels

-> Stars Dance Studio

Zoe Swope

K2 Studios

-> ??

(Jessica Sutton) (Rebecca Sutton)

-> Studio X

Jeanne Garcia Zoey Garcia

-> The Academy

Kynzli Reece

Kaos Dance Elite

-> The Company Space

Taylor Smith

Kat & Co

-> Evolve Dance Complex

Anthony Labritz

Katies Dance Connection

-> Elite Danceworx

Taya Osso

Kick Dance Studio

-> The Vision Dance Alliance

Violet Kolb

Kinetic Dance

-> The Merge (new studio!)

Catherine Owen

Kozmic Edge

-> Q3 Dance Company

Angelina Mendez

LA Dance AZ

-> Dance Connection Scottsdale

Syvon Stokes

Larkin Dance Studio

-> Studio 4

Lola Boisen

-> Concept Pavielle

Grace Sullivan

-> Elite Classical Coaching

Savannah Manzel

Legacy Dance Productions

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Mckenna Gerrits

Legacy Productions Miami

-> Stars Dance Studio

Emily Pina

Lovett Dance Center

-> Hyphen Conservatory

Logan Macy

Major Productions Studio of Dance

-> Impact Dance Academy (new studio!)

Hailey Schneider

Master Ballet Academy

-> Ballet West

Melanie McIntire

-> Club Dance Studio

Hazel Silverman (also continues training at MBA)

-> John Cranko Schule

Gracie Kirkwood Lillian Rossman

-> The Rock School For Ballet

Keagan Pickett

Mather Dance Company

-> OCPAA

Mia Santiago Savy Witeck

-> The Academy

Eliana Weiss

Mekka Dance Project

-> Tribe Seven

Ainsley Scott

Meta Fair Burns Dance

-> Kinetic Dance (new studio!)

Kylie Dalrymple

Miami City Ballet Pre-Pro

-> Boston Ballet II

Olivia Santos

Miami Dancity Studios

-> Stars Dance Studio

Sabrina Lorente

Michelle's Dance Xplosion

-> Nor Cal Dance Arts

Jaxon Albano

Michigan Dance Alliance

-> Artflux Dance Lab

Mattie Mair Millie Morante

Milele Academy, LLC

-> DC Dance Factory

Eisley Beer

MJ's House of Dance

-> Blueprint Dance Project

Kiley Holgerson Ava Azzaretto Caiden Boltz Cassidy Boltz

Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre

-> Bayer Ballet Academy

Harper Palmer

Move By Morrelli

-> Artistic Fusion Dance

Lilianna Hales

Murrieta Dance Project

-> K2 Studios

Jaedon Diaz Kloey Diaz

MVP Elite

-> 3'Motion Dance Studio

Mackenzie Mucha Madison Mucha

N10 Dance Studios

-> ??

Ariella Truong

-> 4PM

Jordan Eskenazi

-> Dance Star Academy of Performing Arts

Avery Margarita

-> Premier Youth Dance Academy

Clara Han

-> Project 21

Annie Hu Madison Ng

New Level

-> Stars

Kenny Braga Reese Braga

NJ Center of Dance

-> The Vision Dance Complex

Bella Baldino

No Limits Dance Company

-> CCJ Conservatory

Rylie Sickles

Northern Force Dance Company

-> Larkin Dance Studio

Aria Johnson Sloane Johnson

North Shore Dance Academy

-> Dance Enthusiasm

Juliana Desilets Ellie Fanning Sophie MacKenzie Callie Wilkins Molly Wilkins

OCPAA

-> ??

Sarah Kuy

-> K2 Studios

Amelia Faizi Ella Montano

-> Mather Dance Company

Mila Malone Sierra Yen

-> Nebraska Dance

Sophia SantaMaria

-> Project 21

Reese Arkin Valeria Ochoa

-> Studio X

Jordyn Rockett

On Pointe Dance Studio

-> K2 Studios

Giuliana Bressler

Orlando International School of Dance

-> Starz Dance Company

Layla Jordan

Palm Beach Academy of Dance Arts

-> Dance Universe

Hattie Selene

Panama City Dance Academy

-> Kinetic Dance (new studio!)

Maisie-Rose Burkey

Paula Carr Dance Academy

-> Elektro Dance Academy

Eliza Gee

Pave School of the Arts

-> Evoke Dance Movement

Addyson Paul

-> Innovate Dance Studios

Quinn Briscoe

-> Mather Dance Company

Alexa Rauth Ava Rauth

-> OCPAA

Kennedy Bush

-> Project 21

Stella Fisk Liv Matson

-> The Moxie Movement (new studio!)

Kenzie Arrendondo Talia Ayumi Gemma DeSola Kinsley Dunn Kassidy Dunn Ellie Iwamoto James Iwamoto Harper Fisk Marlowe Fisk Tatum Fisk Kirsten Jeslyn Kailey Longshore Kassidy Luong Sophia Monje Alexa Paul Goli Ranekouhi Rylee Stabeck Isaiah Wang Hadley York

-> South County Dance

Hayden Calder

Perception Dance

-> Premier Dance

Madison Smith

Perfect Pointe Dance

-> Studio X

Danya Chang

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School

-> Ballet West Academy

Carina Fulop

Platform Dance

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Arielle Michalak

Precision Dance Conservatory

-> Dance Universe

Teagan Sanchez

Premier Youth Dance Company

-> Elite Classical Coaching

Greysen Fowler-Allen

Prestige Dance Institute

-> Renner Dance Company

Kensley Phillips

Profusion Talent

-> Studio X Dance Complex

Dallas Soffel

Project 21

-> ??

Ally Choi Airi Dela Cruz

-> CAP The Company

Dillon Barron

-> CA School of Classical Ballet

Aliya Yen

-> Stars Dance Studio

Leilani Lawlor

-> Westside Dance Project

Makeila Bartlett

Project Performer

-> Pave San Diego

Nora Aminlari

Renner Dance Company

-> Club Dance Studio

Ania Siri Olivia Siri

Republic Edge Dance Company

-> Tribe Seven

Adalynn Delaney Alayna Jeneva Cali Lynch Aubrey Warren

Revolution Dance

-> Dance Zone

Kaylin Gabosch

Rize All

-> Elite Studio of Dance

Carissa Chueng Roxanna Chueng

-> Natiomas Dance Method

Ayla Polendav

-> University Cheer Force

Addelyn Skube

Rockly Mountains Ballet Academy

-> San Francisco Ballet School

Shylee Sagle

Russian Masters Ballet

-> Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy

Sheridan Stone

San Clemente Dance

-> Variant Movement

Alana Ting

SFLA Dance Complex

-> Dance Enthusiasm

Addison Parker

Skyra Studios

-> Mather

Sienna Morris

Sol Studio SSD (closing!)

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Phoebe Fatula Hayden Goebel Makenna McGrath Lily Parraga Riley Platenberg Gabby Reiss Tiffany Robinson Keira Segal

Soul Studio Dance

-> West Florida Dance Company

Callie Ludtke

South County Dance

-> K2 Studios

Paige Garrett Reese Garrett

-> Mather Dance Company

Gabby Campos

Southland Ballet Academy

-> ABT Junior Co

Alisa Xu

-> Pacific Dance

Natalie Chiang

South Tulsa Dance Co

-> Next Step Dance

Allyn Green

Stage One Dance Studio

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Katie Kim

Starstruck Performing Arts Center

-> Perception Dance

Jacey Erwin Kinley Winn

Steps N Motion Dance

-> K2 Studios

Aspen Roberts

Studio 1 Dance Academy

-> Club Dance

Hadley Taylor

-> The House Dance Complex

Lyla Martin

Studio 4

-> Larkin

Elle Boudewyns Reese Ottney Leah Pribyl Vera Souvannavong

Studio 19 Dance Complex

-> Elite Dance By Damian

Alexis Crystal

-> Evolve Dance Complex

Carina Simone

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Kaitlyn Allen

Studio 702

-> The Rock

Peyton Nowacki Addison Price Hailey Stuck Taylor Stuck

Studio Bleu Dance Center (closing!)

-> ??

Kristin Mitchell

-> Art of Technique

Abigail Daisy Olivia Rosiek Chloé Le Pettigrew Victoria Zhang

-> Cerdafied Dance Studios

Nick Shalin

-> CityDance Conservatory

Kennedy Thompson

-> Dance Academy of Loudoun

Madelyn Cuttin Addie She

-> Enchanted Stage

Lily Mendoza Ellie Myers Mina Oemler

-> Ignite The Light Performing Arts

Zion Landis

-> LM Premier Dance

Grace Wright

-> Mission Dance Project (new studio!)

Lily Carmello Ava Doell Aubrey Franklin Kayleigh Jo Ellie Myers Brianna Norgrove Emily Parinello Brooklyn Smith Stella Tullio Jessica Zhang

-> NOVA Elite Dance Alliance

Nicole Ocean

-> Rise Dance Center

Kennedy Mirabella Maddy Mirabella

-> TDC Dance

Ja Pelle Nayeli Wilder

-> The Dance Lab VA (new studio!)

Leilah Bell Lily Rae Bolno Audrina Brudner Bellatrix Castillo Isabella Plotczyk Ashlan Scheide Mina Terry Gina Zhang

Studio G Dance Company

-> Art In Motion Conservatory of Dance

Madilyn Rexrode

-> Artistic Edge

Devin Dalmolin

Summer's Danceworks

-> The Union (new studio!)

Cienna Fernow Ellah Perry

Summit Dance Shoppe

-> Concept Pavielle

Gabriella Maggitt Carrigan Paylor

-> Larkin Dance Studio

Lucy Mae Dunn

Synergy Academy Utah

-> Center Stage Performing Arts Studio

Corra Blake

Tapio School of Dance and Gymnastics

-> CCJ Conservatory

Landry Leon

TDA Prep

-> Exhibit 3 Dance

Avery Maycunich

Temecula Dance Company

-> K2 Studios

Bailey Dalton

Texas Academy of Dance Arts

-> Tribe Seven

Gatsby Lasala Quinlyn Lasala

The Academy

-> Evoke Dance Movement

Ella Carlson

-> K2 Studios

Laci Stoico

-> Mather Dance Company

Bella Puskar

-> The Next Big Thing Academy

Peyton Barron

-> The Platform Dance Studio

Malia Williams

-> YYC Dance

Kinsley Oykhman

The Art of Classical Ballet

-> Hollywood Ballet School

Kya Massimino

Theatre Arts

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Hallee Francisco

The Ballet Clinic

-> Russian Ballet Academy

Sarina Rosenblum

The Center Stage Dance Studio

-> YLAB

Blakelyn Scifres

The Collective PHX

-> CanDance Studios

Sasha Landreaux

-> Club Dance Studio

Ellie Laird Zoie Laird

-> Elite Dance Pro

Alivya Alfonso

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Breckyn Kawa -> Dance Deluxe Bradley Kawa -> Dance Deluxe

-> Russian Ballet Academy

Mila Hiatt

-> The Union (new studio!)

Addy Gaffney

TheCREW

-> Studio X

Kinley Cunningham

The Dance Academy of Puyallup

-> The Company Space

Isabella Scandale

The Dance Centre NJ

-> The Vision Dance Alliance

Savanna Grae

The Dance Complex

-> Larkin Dance Studio

Maddyn Bauermeister Henley Raak

The Dance Institute

-> Stars Dance Studio

Maribel Weishaar

The Dance Scene

-> Studio X

Desi Alcala

The Dance Space

-> Tribe Seven

Penelope Church

The Dance Spot

-> Danceology

Alessandra Escobar-Moeller

-> Mather Dance Company

Kennedy Molino

The Element Dance Center

-> The Academy

Sunnie Stanley

The Living Dolls Factory

-> Legacy Dance Studio

Lilliana Gonzalez

The Movement Complex

-> Stars Dance Studio

Victoria Reich

The NINE Dance Academy

-> Canadian Dance Company

Shaunaughsey Meagher

-> Vlad's Dance Company

Evelyn Rego Ivy Mae Rego

The Platform Dance Studio

-> CCJ Conservatory

Kaydence Mardis

-> Dance Connection 2

Jordyn Castle

-> Gateway Dance Center (new studio!)

Clara Lawless Lily Lawless Stella Lawless Arielle Michalak Charlotte Reese

The Rage Dance Complex

-> Studio 1 Dance Academy

Tennasyn Faith Giselle Miranda

The Rock Center For Dance

-> ABT Junior Co

Crystal Huang

The Southern Strutt

-> CCJ Consevatory

Annsley Huff

The Talent Factory

-> K2 Studios

Ileana Cruz Sienna Legitt Natalie Pan Quinn Pan

The Vision Dance Alliance

-> New Jersey Ballet Company

Kennedy Anderson

The Why Movement

-> Tribe Seven

Grace Gerszewski

Titanium Arts Lab

-> MDC Bridge Into The Industry

Julliana Gould

Trademark Dance Academy

-> The Vision Dance Alliance

Braelynn McKenna

Variant Movement

-> New Level Dance Company

Gabby Terschluse

Way 2 Move - Dance & Movement

-> Dance Town

Alexa Oviedo

West Coast Dance Complex

-> Pave San Diego (new studio!)

Emily Bach

West Coast School of the Arts

-> Hyphen Conservatory

Rebeca Gomez Garza

West Florida Dance Company

-> Stars Dance Studio

Ella Dobler

-> The Southern Strutt

Macey Strickland

WestMet Classical Training

-> Sarasota Ballet School

Madelyn Murphy

Westside Dance Project

-> ??

Diana Kouznetsova Isabella Kouznetsova

-> European School of Ballet

Annabel Kohn

-> Hyphen Conservatory

Esme Chou Olivia Marquez

-> San Francisco Ballet School

Izzy Howard

Woodbury Dance Center

-> Larkin Dance Studio

Kylie Roach

Xtreme Dance Studio

-> The Rock School

Blake Metcalf

YLAB

-> Project 21

Emma Walters (also continuing training at YLAB)

Your Haven Dance Company

-> West Florida Dance Co

Kylee Kay

Youth American Ballet Company

-> Boston Ballet II

Natalie Cardona

[toa-archive]

Back to Wizards again with this one. Who the heck is this mystery troll you might be wondering? Well it's the Gumm-Gumm General Gnasha!

During Wizards development alongside AARRGGHH there was going to be Gnasha who would have either died during Killahead or have been sucked into the Darklands with the rest. Due to budget (Having to make a brand new model) and story reasons (A brand new character needs time to be developed) this was scrapped and they went with Bular instead. This does not mean what happened to Bular is exactly what would have happened to Gnasha. With character changes and already limited episodes/time in general writing would have been juggled and things scrapped much like what happened with Zoe.

(One day the vindication will come)

One of Francisco Ruiz Velasco's uploads has included an earlier versions of them. Understandably any design process goes through multiple iterations so it's always nice to see where they come from.

Source. May request an account first.

Gnasha had appeared prior to this via his artstation account with the note: Early design for Troll General. not used.

Source

Funnily enough the above was not the first time we saw them! Gnasha was first spotted in this height comparison from the Art of Wizards panel.

If you're wondering about the Arthur, Green Knight and Merlin on there, uh yeah same actually. Merlin is possibly Headless though Arthur won't be... The Green Knight looks like another Fruiz but no confirmation yet. Is a smidge earlier Bellroc not seen otherwise on there though.

[devilsrecreation]

The Hunger Games: Misunderstood Animals Edition

Welcome to The Hunger Games: The Misunderstood Animal Edition! In this rendition, the government (*cough*Professor Marmalade*cough*) has organized a competition consisting of animals deemed “misunderstood” by media from various cartoons. The Districts are as follows:

We got Sir Hiss and the Sheriff of Nottingham from Disney’s Robin Hood, The Bad (now Good) Guys + Diane, The Diabolical Order of Mayhem (districts 5 and 6) as well as The Chameleon and Bird Brain from TUFF Puppy, the main gang from Back to the Outback, and of course, some of the Outlanders from TLG

The good guys, bad guys, and bad guys turned good guys, have all fought well! So here are some highlights from all 3 rounds

(Some of this is OOC so brace yourselves)

Round 1:

Right off the bat, Janja kills Larry (oof)

Mr. Snake and the Sheriff of Nottingham fight for a bag but Snake gives up

Frank breaks Francisco’s nose for a basket of bread (idk how cuz Frank is a spider but damn-)

Jasiri steals from Zoe (rude)

Diane, Bird Brain, Snaptrap, and Francisco are all pricked by thorns while picking berries (I wonder if they all did it at the same time, that’d be funny)

Snaptrap spears the Sheriff in the abdomen

Diane falls on Bird Brain cuz she tried to climb a tree and they both die. Same with Mr. Snake and Ollie

Sir Hiss stabs Mr. Wolf to death with sais

Kiburi running away from Frank (he also does this in round 3 and it’s actually kinda funny)

Mr. Piranha, Janja, The Chameleon, and Zoe raid Maddie's camp while she is hunting

Miss Tarantula fends Reirei, Janja, and Jasiri away from her fire (I’m impressed!)

Sir Hiss tends to Frank's wounds.

Mr. Piranha crying himself to sleep cuz he and Shark are the only ones left now :( (Miss T fell into a pit)

Reirei sprains her ankle while running away from Nigel. Same with Snaptrap and Francisco

An arena event:

Honestly, I can see Kiburi doing that! No way in hell he’s dying without taking someone with him!

Also Snaptrap probably lives cuz he followed the survivors lol

Maddie convinces Nigel to snuggle with her cuz Zoe and Frank both died :(

During the feast: Snaptrap kills Mzingo, Nigel stabs Sir Hiss with sais, and Maddie fell into a frozen lake :(

Janja taints Snaptrap's food, killing him and then shoots an arrow into Nigel’s head

Janja wins Round 1

Round 2:

Bird Brain is unable to convince Maddie to not kill him (OKAY IN HER DEFENSE SHE PROBABLY DIDN’T REALIZE BIRD BRAIN WAS A TRIBUTE AND NOT FOOD)

The Chameleon rips a mace out of Francisco's hands (lmao he probably WAS the mace)

Mr. Wolf and Kiburi work together for the day…interesting combo

Snaptrap surprisingly keeping the Chameleon alive

Mr. Piranha convinces Frank to not kill him, only to kill him instead (lmao he would. Pretty easy since Frank is a spider)

Francisco defeats Ollie in a fight, but spares his life. (Ofc ya’ll are besties)

Zoe letting Mr. Piranha into her shelter (after he killed your friend?)

Jasiri and Mr. Snake bonding while Reirei bonds with reptiles (Maddie, The Chameleon, and Kiburi)

The Chameleon and Mr. Wolf fight Larry and Nigel. Larry and Nigel survive

Ollie attacks Mzingo, but Sheriff of Nottingham protects him, killing Ollie

Both of these happened in Night 2 btw

It says Maddie sprains her ankle while running (slithering) from Kiburi but she doesn’t have feet so….maybe she sprains her tail?

Larry, Zoe, Sir Hiss, and Mr. Snake track down and kill Diane

Mr. Shark's trap kills Francisco.

Zoe poisons Miss Tarantula's drink, but mistakes it for her own and dies.

Mzingo and Nigel track down and kill Reirei while everybody else is sleeping

Mr. Shark runs away from Sheriff of Nottingham

“YOU’LL NEVER TAKE MY MONEY!!!”

Snaptrap attempts to climb a tree, but falls on Miss Tarantula, killing them both

Mr. Snake convinces Nigel to not kill him, only to kill him instead

Janja steals from Sir Hiss while he isn't looking

Kiburi tends to Maddie's wounds (aww) and Jasiri stabs Larry with a tree branch (oof)

Maddie catches Janja off guard and kills him

The Feast

JESUS CHRIST

How do you like that? A fish kills a snake and a snake kills a fish

Mr. Shark and Jasiri bond while Hiss and Maddie bond

While Maddie lets Hiss into her shelter, Jasiri kills Mr. Shark (Ya’ were friends a day ago what happened?!)

Day 10: Maddie dies from hypothermia, Hiss dies trying to escape, and Kiburi stabs Jasiri

Kiburi wins!

Round 3:

Mwoga throws a knife into Sir Hiss's chest.

Jasiri and Snaptrap are going fishing ig??

Francisco tends to Diane's wounds (sweet gator boy :3)

Mwoga, Francisco, and Mr. Snake unsuccessfully ambush Maddie, Sheriff of Nottingham, and Mr. Shark, who kill them instead (WHAT IS WITH SNAKE AND SHARK HAVING BEEF?!)

Frank bashes Diane's head in with a mace (HOW???)

Snaptrap overpowers The Chameleon, killing him (okay THAT I believe)

Instead of a volcano, it’s a tsunami this time!

Holy shit 😭

Kiburi throws a knife into Frank's chest.

Mr. Shark forces Sheriff of Nottingham to kill Mr. Piranha or Janja. He decides to kill Janja

Reirei overpowers Sheriff of Nottingham, killing him while Jasiri throws a knife into Mzingo’s head

Reirei sets an explosive off, killing Jasiri, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha.

Reirei wins!

Congratulations to the Misfit Musketeers!

[caleohateclub]

My fav random details from TTC:

Chiron wears curlers in his tail

Artemis doesn't like when her hunters "Grow up" or "get too silly"

Grover got a black eye trying to help the hunters into their cabin.

The Hunters have a silver flag for CTF!

The Hunters have won CTF 56 times in a row

Grover camped outside the Hunters' cabin at night "Just to be near them."

All the Hunters' skin glow like they've been "taking showers in liquid moonlight"

Bianca's eyes vaguely remind Percy of someone famous but he couldn't think of who

Percy was gonna give Poseidon a seashell patterned tie for fathers day

Percy was planning on using riptide to write Christmas cards

Anytime Percy is near a beach, hippocampi will ask him to help them with their problems

Percy can see the heat of living forms and the cold of the currents when he's deep underwater

Camp sells orange thermal underwear at the store

Luke's hair was pretty grey and his scar was an ugly red as if it had recently been re-opened

Percy has always been a pretty good pitcher (but he's not really a baseball guy)

"Many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid"

Grover played "race car driver" when sitting in a Lamborghini

Percy had a "The White Stripes" CD that sally loved because they reminded her of Led Zeppelin

Apollo's fake name of choice is "Fred"

Percy got freaked out talking to Bianca when the thought of her looking 12 for years after he died came into his brain.

Bianca only felt comfortable leaving Nico at camp because she figured he would be safe if there were people like Percy there

Percy really liked talking to Bianca

Bianca, after finding out how long she'd been trapped in the Lotus Casino, checked her hands to make sure they weren't wrinkled

Bianca wanted to take a hair clip shaped like a moon that turned into a Hunter's bow she found

Percy found an electric guitar shaped like Apollo's lyre

Bianca's last words were "Get it to raise its foot!"

Zoe has ancient beef with naiads

Rachel's hair is "Reddish-Brownish"

Zoe got bored and started shooting arrows at billboards and Target store signs as she was flying

Zoe dressed Percy up in a ragged flannel shirt, jeans three sizes too big, bright red sneakers, and a floppy rainbow hat

As Percy was fighting Nereus, he waved to a crowd of tourists "Yeah, we do this every day here in San Francisco".

Percy wanted to ask Nereus about Annabeth because "that's what he cared about most"

The Ophiotaurus is 500 pounds

Dionysus's blessing cause the sun to be tinted with purple, and the air to smell like wine

A guard bit his gun like it was a sword and ran around on all fours like a dog

Percy was basically about to confess that he liked Annabeth on Olympus

[the-penguin-of-baskervilles]

Summary: Princess conducts interviews with witnesses in Fredericksburg to learn more about the disappearance of Li Wei and Zoe Chapman. Meanwhile, Lloyd confronts Tate Corbin about what he saw the night Julia went missing, but the answers only lead to more questions.

Word Count: 5,064

Masterlist

Author’s Note: I’d like to dedicate this chapter to @nomadstucky. Without her, I never would’ve been able to dig my way out of this latest writing slump. Her feedback was critical to getting this chapter moving in the right direction when I was going off the rails creatively. Thank you so much!

Warnings: Allusions to domestic violence, discussion of murder and other criminal behavior. Minor use of foul language. Only appropriate for 18+ readers. No minors.

Chapter XXIII

The cabins were in good repair. Seeing them in person disrupted the mental image you’d formed of the Chapman Bible Camp. It wasn’t the neglected place of crumbling disrepair you’d imagined it to be. Words like charming and neat came to mind, rather than decrepit and gloomy. The cottages were arranged around an ellipse shaped quad in uniform fashion, like spokes on a wheel. Their vibrant colors were reminiscent of the famous bathing boxes at Brighton Beach. Each one was painted a different shade of the rainbow and trimmed in a contrasting hue. The yellow cabin had purple trim, the green cabin fuchsia pink, and so on.

Instead of the Adirondack style commonly found in rural Virginia, the cabins boasted steep, angled roofs and front-facing gables adorned with whimsical gingerbread bargeboards. The whole aesthetic was so unabashedly Queen Anne that the cabins could’ve blended in with the homes on San Francisco’s famous Postcard Row. They seemed both too sophisticated and too cute for these primitive woods.

After her husband passed away, Mrs. Chapman had sold the bible camp. It was now in the hands of a musician who’d turned the tabernacle into a concert hall and rented out the cabins on Airbnb. Zach was fetching the keys from the owner while you waited on the porch of the converted tabernacle.

Standing here, you wondered if this visit was a fool’s errand. This morning Lloyd had called to tell you he’d be leaving the search party this afternoon to cover Roth’s interview with Tate Corbin. After hanging up, you’d itched for something productive to do. The abduction had injected a fresh sense of urgency into the investigation, but you’d agreed to keep your distance from Harmony because Lloyd was worried that Shun Nguyen would return to familiar surroundings. It was a reasonable assumption, one you didn’t have a counter argument for.

Still, you’d itched with a need to do something, so you’d turned to the mystery surrounding Li Wei and Zoe Chapman. Now that you were actually here you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d drifted off course. The place to look for fresh leads was forty miles north of here, yet this was where you’d come.

What breakthroughs did you expect to generate digging into a case that was almost twenty-five years old? You were about as far from a lead as Pluto was from the sun.

Gravel crunched as Zach came up the walk behind you.

“I got the keys,” he said.

“The place looks better than I expected. More charm, less gloom.”

“Like a fucking rainbow in the woods,” Zach said, inserting the key in the lock.

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s creepy, though.”

“Creepy?” you asked.

“The place feels off. Too pretty for its history, like Gettysburg without a war memorial.”

- - - - -

Zach went to explore the camp and forest while you waited in the concert hall for your witnesses. Twenty minutes later, the first of two former employees arrived.

Mrs. Koep was a petite fair-skinned woman with thin lips and a broad face. She wore a white button down with a silk scarf draped around her neck and carried a pink Michael Kors purse. Her handshake was firm when she introduced herself as the camp’s former groundskeeper. Right behind her, the other ex-employee Mrs. Brittenridge entered the hall. Mrs. Brittenridge was the opposite of Mrs. Koep. The former administrative assistant and camp nurse was tall and thin. In contrast to Mrs. Koep’s carefully coiffed appearance, Mrs. Brittenridge wore a plaid button down with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, straight leg jeans, and scuffed suede boots. Her dark brown hair, worn in a shaggy bob, gleamed with red highlights that complimented her olive complexion.

If they hadn’t introduced themselves, you’d have figured Mrs. Brittenridge for the groundskeeper and Mrs. Koep for the nurse. You sat down together in the pews. The two women took the second row while you sat in the first, angling yourself to face them.

“Thank you for coming,” you said.

“Of course,” Mrs. Brittenridge replied.

“Why did you want to meet us here?” Mrs. Koep asked.

“My colleague, Zach, is exploring the grounds, and I thought the familiar setting might help jog your memories.”

Mrs. Koep’s chin lifted. “My memory is just fine.”

Mrs. Brittenridge shot the blonde woman a tired side-eye, but didn’t comment.

“Rolling Stone magazine said your law firm is investigating the murders in Harmony,” Mrs. Koep said. “Is that true?”

“I’m afraid I can’t comment about ongoing cases.”

She scowled.

“We’re glad someone’s looking into Li Wei and Zoe’s disappearance again, and we’re happy to help anyway we can,” Mrs. Brittenridge said.

“I was hoping you could fill in some blanks surrounding Li Wei’s disappearance. What was she doing just before she disappeared?”

Mrs. Koep answered first. “She was supposed to take the campers on a nature hike before lunch, but never showed up. I learned she was missing when Mr. Chapman came to the potting shed and asked if I’d seen her.”

“The last time I saw her was that morning,” Mrs. Brittenridge said. “She came into the office to fill up her water bottle.”

“What time was that?” you asked.

“Eight-thirty,” Mrs. Brittenridge said.

You turned to the other woman. “And you, Mrs. Koep?”

“I caught a glimpse of her around nine. She was heading into the woods.”

“And Zoe?”

They debated whether Zoe had been with Li Wei that morning or not, but neither one could say for sure. With some more questioning the women decided their last official sighting of the little girl had been on Friday afternoon.

“What about Li Wei’s personal life?” you asked.

Mrs. Koep scoffed. “Non-existent. Her social life fell off a cliff after Zoe was born - some people even compared her to Boo Radley.”

By the icy glare she shot at Mrs. Brittenridge, you could guess who ‘some people’ had been.

“Betty, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You were right, though! She was a recluse! She was bored and lonely. All of her friends had gone off to college and left her behind.”

“She had Zoe, and her parents. You were there for her, too,” Mrs. Brittenridge said.

“It wasn’t enough,” Mrs. Koep said, wringing her hands. “Her mother should’ve pushed her to date, to get out and socialize. She practically was Boo Radley in the end.”

Mrs. Brittenridge sighed. An uncomfortable silence settled, and you waited to see if they’d continue. When they didn’t you pivoted to the main line of questioning you hoped this visit would shed light on.

“Who was Zoe’s father?”

Mrs. Brittenridge stiffened. Beside her, Mrs. Koep’s expression transformed from distraught to frosty. Neither of them answered. You retreated to a less aggressive position, realizing the delicacy of the subject called for coaxing, not pushing.

“Mrs. Koep, you worked here the longest. Since 1982, if the records are correct. Were you close with Li Wei?”

“Yes. She used to follow me around everywhere, always wanting to play in the dirt when I was planting flowers. I had kids who were a few years older than her, so I didn’t mind.”

“Did she ever confide in you about Zoe’s father?”

“Li Wei was a quiet girl,” Mrs. Koep said.

“She was quieter after she had Zoe,” Mrs. Brittenridge interjected.

You weren’t getting any useful information from the direct approach. Despite their obvious dislike of one another, the women were working in concert to dodge your questions.

A strategic retreat was in order.

“Do you have any theories about what happened to Li Wei and Zoe?”

Mrs. Brittenridge lowered her gaze, but Mrs. Koep offered a theory immediately. “I always assumed it was an accident of some kind. There’s a lot of abandoned mining shafts in the area.”

Mrs. Brittenridge’s lips compressed into a flat line.

You smiled at the former groundskeeper. “Mrs. Koep, would you mind taking my colleague, Zack, around? It would be nice to get the perspective of someone who knows the area.”

“Of course.”

“Mrs. Brittenridge, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to see where the administrative building was.”

“There’s not much to see. The new owners tore it down.”

“Any familiar spots would be great,” you said.

You led them out of the tabernacle and Mrs. Koep headed east to where Zach was inspecting the tree line, while Mrs. Brittenridge turned west. She walked to a picnic table hidden behind a grove of trees and sat down on one side. You took the place opposite her.

“This is where I used to take my breaks.”

“It’s a pleasant spot.”

“It’s private. You wanted to get me alone, so go ahead. Ask,” Mrs. Brittenridge invited.

“Do you know who Zoe’s father was?”

“No. Li Wei and I were friendly, but we didn’t have a relationship where she’d be comfortable sharing such personal information.”

“Would Mrs. Koep know?”

“Maybe. Betty was like an aunt to her. I always assumed she’d confided in her, but I’m not sure.”

“How long did you and Betty work together?”

“Seven years.”

“Were you full or part time at the camp?”

“Full time, May through August. I was a school nurse at Monroe High.”

“Li Wei graduated from Monroe, didn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“What was she like as a student?”

Mrs. Brittenridge considered the question before answering. “She was very smart, especially in English and exceptional in art. She wasn’t the most outgoing person, but always had friends.”

“You’d say she was well liked?”

“Absolutely,” Mrs. Brittenridge said. “She wasn't exactly shy, just reserved. The kind who thought before speaking.”

“Was she much of a partier?”

“Not in high school.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And after?”

“Sometimes when you’ve led a sheltered life, a little freedom goes to your head.”

“Got it. One more question. Why don’t you and Betty get along?”

“I had a cell phone in 1992.”

“Mmmhhh.”

“You’re too young to understand, aren’t you?”

“Probably.”

“Back in the early nineties, only drug dealers had cell phones, or at least that’s what people thought. I had one, which immediately roused her suspicions. To add insult to injury, I set up a website for the camp in 1996, then persuaded the Chapmans to put in a computer station so the kids could email their parents instead of writing letters. You’d have thought I suggested we convert to Satanism.”

You ran through your follow up questions and then walked Mrs. Brittenridge to her car, thanking her again for coming.

Then you headed down the curving path, around the oval lawn, past the cabins, to the garden shed. Zach was waiting outside.

“How’d the tour go?” you asked.

“I don’t think she likes me,” he said.

“Welcome to the club.”

Zach smirked. “Oh? Your charm met its kryptonite?”

You sneered at him, ignored his silent laughter, and stepped over the threshold into the plywood floored shed. The only source of light was a rectangular skylight on the roof.

Mrs. Koep was standing on the far side of the shed with her back to you. Her hands rested on a high table constructed from two-by-fours and MDF board. She stared at the garden tools that hung from the pegboard behind the table. Despite her chic clothing, she looked far more at home in this spartan surrounding with its crude furnishings than she had in the concert hall.

“I missed this place,” Mrs. Koep said, breaking the silence. “It’s weird to miss somewhere that smells like manure and gasoline, but I did.”

Mrs. Koep turned around and leaned against the table, crossing her arms over her chest. It was time for the confrontation.

“You knew Li Wei better than anyone,” you said.

“I like to think so.”

“Do you really believe she and Zoe fell into an abandoned mining shaft?”

“No, I don’t. But that’s what I want to believe, so I do.”

“Is it easier that way?” you asked.

“Being in denial for twenty years isn’t easy, it’s a survival mechanism.”

“What exactly were you in denial about, Mrs. Koep?”

It was stuffy and warm in the shed, but she rubbed her arms as if trying to generate heat.

“At first, you let yourself believe something irrational. Then… when reality breaks through the facade… you make yourself believe it because you can’t accept the truth.”

“You know something about Li Wei’s disappearance that you’re not telling me.”

“You’re very blunt for someone so young.”

“Thank you.”

“I wish I’d been that way when I was twenty-five. It would’ve spared me a divorce.”

This time you didn’t respond, just nodded.

“Li Wei didn’t give me the name of Zoe’s father. She said he was from up North - I think she meant D.C. - and that he’d been in a fraternity. They weren’t in a relationship or anything like that. Zoe was the product of a one night stand.”

“Did he know about Zoe?”

“I’m not sure but I think she would’ve told him. Whatever the case was, he wasn't in the picture. Li Wei was dating someone else.”

Excitement surged in your blood. That hadn’t been in the file. “Really? When did she start seeing him?”

Mrs. Koep squeezed her arms, gripping them until her knuckles turned white.

“Some time in March.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police?”

“Because I was afraid her parents wouldn’t approve. I didn’t want to start any trouble for her.”

You nodded. “And you’re sure the relationship began in March?”

“Pretty sure. I always came up early to start on the flower beds. He drove a motorcycle - not a Harley, it was a sporty thing, like the one Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun. I saw it parked in front of her cottage a few times.”

“Did you ever see her boyfriend?”

“A couple times, from a distance,” Mrs. Koep said.

“Can you describe him?”

“Caucasian, early twenties, with dark blond hair. I guess he was about six feet tall, give or take. He looked a bit like David Beckham.”

“You spoke to her about him?”

Mrs. Koep nodded. “I warned her that if I’d seen her sneaking around with him it was only a matter of time before one of her parents caught on.”

“What did she say?”

“She told me it hadn’t been serious and that they’d broken up.”

You swiped open your phone and pulled up an image of Julia Xiarong.

“Have you seen this woman before?”

She studied the photo carefully. “I don’t think so. Who is she?”

“She was related to Li Wei. A friend of hers said she’d been looking into her family history in 2002 and uncovered records of an adopted cousin.”

“How did she know they were cousins?”

“There was a family mystery about her uncle. He fought in the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan in the 1940s. No one ever heard from him again. She found his death certificate and learned that he’d had a daughter who died in childbirth, which led her to Li Wei’s adoption records.”

“Was there proof Li Wei was related to her?” Mrs. Koep asked.

“If you mean a DNA test, I don’t believe so. Her friend said she came to Fredericksburg in March 2002 and tried to get in touch with Mrs. Chapman. I don’t know if they connected or not.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if they did,” Mrs. Koep said. “Mrs. Chapman had Alzheimers. She’d lost everything but her long-term memories by the end of 2001. Her sister came up from Arizona to take care of her. She stayed on for a year until it was time to move Mrs. Chapman into a memory care unit, then sold the camp.”

“Is it possible she met with Mrs. Chapman’s sister?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you have a number for the sister?” you asked.

“In my address book. I’ll send it to you.”

“Thank you.”

Mrs. Koep squinted at Julia’s picture. “She’s dead isn’t she?”

You cringed internally, realizing your mistake. Detective Roth was going to have your head.

“I do recognize her. She was in the Rolling Stone article.” Mrs. Koep’s eyes narrowed. “You found Li Wei and Zoe’s bodies, didn’t you?”

“I can’t share any information about the investigation.”

You braced yourself for her to unsheathe her claws, but instead of lashing out, she opened her tiny pink purse and handed you a card. It was an old-fashioned calling card with her name, phone numbers and email address.

“When you can release their bodies, please call me. They deserve a proper funeral.”

“That’s very thoughtful. Especially after all this time.”

“It’s the only thing left. I can’t do anything else for them now.”

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I’m sure talking about this wasn’t easy.”

“I wish I could’ve been more helpful,” she said.

“On the contrary. You were very helpful.”

Mrs. Koep looked confused. When you didn’t elaborate, she sighed. “Alright then. Is that everything?”

“Yes. Zach can walk you to your car.”

You watched from the doorway of the shed as the pair walked down the ellipse shaped path towards the tabernacle and the parking lot beyond it. When they were far enough away, you took out your phone and dialed Annabeth Greene.

She answered on the fourth ring.

“Hey, how’s it going? Have you made any progress on your case? The one with the cousins?”

“That’s why I’m calling. Do you remember running Li Wei and Julia’s DNA samples?”

“Of course I do. It’s the most interesting thing I’ve cracked in months.”

“What about Zoe’s?”

“The little girl?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah.”

“I thought I already sent you an analysis of her DNA.”

“You did, but I was wondering if there would be any way to identify her father?”

Annabeth sucked in a long breath. “Ugh. Look, I can try, but I’m not optimistic. A lot of genetic libraries have closed the loop holes that allowed us to use ancestry DNA to identify suspects for law enforcement.”

“I’m not law enforcement.”

“You’re as bad as Lloyd.”

“Can you do it?”

“If I loosen my definition of ethics,” Annabeth said.

“You’re the best. I owe you.”

“Uh-uh. Lloyd owes me. It’s going to be something good, too. Expensive. You tell him that.”

“Will do.”

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

In a semi-private alcove within the vast common room of Fairfax Fields Assisted Living facility, Lloyd faced down his prime suspect. Tate Corbin didn’t look eighty-three. His face was wrinkled but his posture was impeccable. Also, he seemed to be made of Teflon, because nothing stuck to him. It wasn’t charm that formed the protective coating that resisted Lloyd’s best interrogation tactics. Just the opposite - the Teflon shield surrounding Corbin was constructed of impertinence.

None of his usual tricks were working, and that pissed Lloyd off. He was good at two things in the interrogation room: getting a rise out of someone and building a sense of despair that made them unravel. Corbin was immune to both tactics.

First, there was no getting a rise out of Corbin. The man existed in a perpetual state of annoyance; the only dependent variable was the subject of his ire. Second, Lloyd didn’t have any actual evidence and therefore wasn’t equipped to build a sense of despair.

He wished he’d brought you along. If he had, he probably wouldn’t be sitting here listening to Corbin monologue about his various hatreds. Mr. Corbin hated scarlet macaws, because his neighbor had one and it wouldn’t shut up. He hated New Jersey and their subpar roads that were always under construction.

Trying to forge a connection, Lloyd empathized with that sentiment and inadvertently triggered a cascade of grievances.

The architecture of FedEx Field was hideous and the Washington Commanders had been on the downhill slide ever since they’d let Kirk Cousins sign with the Vikings. Tate claimed to despise Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones, and the entire NFL organization. And he loathed the football commentators on TV, too. They didn’t know shit about football. He preferred to watch the games on mute these days. Lloyd really, really didn’t want to agree with Tate Corbin… but he was right about a lot of things, especially the Commanders letting Kirk Cousins go. However, he wisely kept his agreement to himself and sat back, waiting for Corbin to run out of steam.

There was a rant against the commissioner of baseball, which didn’t have enough context for Lloyd to figure out whether Corbin hated the office or the individual who currently occupied it. Without a segue, the topic shifted to how social media addictions were the younger generation’s smoking. As much as he hated social media, Tate also had plenty to say about the mass media, and he didn’t hesitate to bend Lloyd’s ear about it.

Tate had been talking for almost ten minutes straight before Lloyd found an opening to put the conversation back on track.

“I hate dogwood trees,” Corbin said.

“You had a disagreement with Shun Nguyen about a dogwood tree, didn’t you?”

“Eh?”

“Dogwood trees,” Lloyd repeated, louder.

Corbin turned up the volume on his hearing aides. “Yeah, I did. That damn tree was growing over the fence and he wouldn’t trim it! Claimed he didn’t have the time!”

“We need to talk about his girlfriend’s death.”

Tate turned his head. His eyes shifted to the window. Uncharacteristically, he didn’t offer a comment.

“I’m here to talk about Julia’s death and the missing women,” Lloyd said.

“Always back to that, huh?”

“The investigation has been re-opened.”

“It’s old news. What’s there to talk about?” Corbin asked.

“You were convinced that Shun Nguyen killed Julia, is that right?”

“Damn right. They were always scrapping. I told her straight out that he’d kill her someday, but she didn’t listen.”

“Were you familiar with any of Dr. Nguyen’s other victims?”

Tate’s initial chattiness had waned. He shrugged. “The whole town heard about them. Heck, most of the country did.”

“Tell me about it.”

Mr. Corbin ran his tongue around his teeth. An expression of disgust, like he’d just bitten into something rotten, flashed across his features. The silence lengthened between them and Lloyd decided to prod.

“Did you know Stacey Moore?”

“Her grandfather and I golfed at the same course. We never played together or anything, but we’d see each other at the bar sometimes. I suppose you already know Maya Sutton interned for my accountant.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’ve done your homework. Everything I’ve told you was in the files, so you tell me - what’s the point of this? What are you getting at?”

Lloyd uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

“In 2002 you claimed you saw a man walking across Nguyen's lawn on the night Julia went missing. I think you were lying.”

Tate straightened, his scowl darkening. “Lying about what?”

“You didn’t see a man. You made it up.”

“Why would I do that?”

“To throw the police off your scent.”

Realization dawned, and then Tate chuckled. “You think I’m the killer?”

“You hated Shun and Julia.”

“And the others?”

“You’re not much of a people person, Mr. Corbin. That can be very frustrating. You couldn’t join them, you couldn’t beat them, so what does that leave? You kill them.”

“That’s pretty twisted logic,” Tate said.

“Six women are still missing and we have the bodies of three others, so yeah. The whole thing is pretty twisted.”

“I’m not much of a people person, Mr. Hansen, but I’m not a killer.”

“Can you prove that?”

Tate snorted. “Actually, I can. You see, you’re not the first person to accuse me.”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“Peter Shaw, a reporter out of D.C. - obnoxious bastard.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“He tried to accuse me of being the killer in a story for some hipster magazine ten years ago. The editor called before they ran the story, trying to verify the facts.”

“What facts?”

“About my whereabouts during the times those other women went missing. Stacey Moore was the first, in June of ‘99. A few months later Maya Sutton disappeared. The next summer it happened again. Two more victims.”

“Do you remember their names?” Lloyd asked.

“Peyton Quirk and Kayla Ballesta.”

“They disappeared in the summer, too?”

Lloyd knew the answers to the questions he was asking, but he wanted to see if Tate did.

“Peyton disappeared in July and Kayla went missing during the first week of September.”

Lloyd pretended to make a note on his pad.

Tate continued down the list. “He took Lucy Lund in May 2001. Stephanie Young went missing in September.”

“You’re very familiar with the case, Mr. Corbin.”

“Of course I am. I was at Nguyen’s trial every single day, both times. Which is why I was able to track down the tickets and photos from my summer vacations in 1999 and 2001. There are three ex-merchant marines, guys I served with in the sixties, who can vouch for me. We’ve done a biennial fishing trip in Maine for the last thirty years.”

“Their names?” Lloyd asked.

He took them down, along with the phone numbers the old man rattled off from memory.

“You’re grasping at straws if you think I’m your guy,” Corbin said.

Lloyd had a sinking feeling he’d just grasped at said straws and they’d slid through his fingers. He clicked his pen and sat back, studying Tate carefully.

His body language was open and relaxed. He didn’t seem rattled by Lloyd’s prodding, which made him think the man was being honest. Of course he would check with the merchant marines to be certain but Lloyd suspected his alibi would check out. It was a shame Peter Shaw didn’t share information from his unpublished articles, because it would’ve saved Lloyd a trip.

“I didn’t lie, you know. I saw someone walking across Nguyen’s yard that night,” Tate said.

Lloyd noticed the way Tate’s left hand shifted to cover his right wrist when he said ‘someone.’

It was a subtle gesture of self-protection, the kind of thing you or Zach would be able to discern the meaning of. He couldn’t read the emotions on Tate’s face. Discomfort? Fear? Or was he gloating over some withheld piece of information? Being caught out of his depth was irritating. Lloyd switched tactics, dropping the confrontational strategy.

Corbin had a propensity to interject whenever he felt something was being misconstrued, so Lloyd phrased his next words as a statement instead of a question.

“You saw someone that night and recognized them.”

“No, I didn’t. I mean, I didn’t recognize them for sure. Not at the time.”

“But later, you figured out who it was,” Lloyd said.

“It was just a guess.”

“A name?”

Mr. Corbin adjusted the leg of his trousers, smoothing out a crease. “Guess isn’t really the appropriate word. Maybe you’d call it a… hypothesis?”

Lloyd wanted to grab Tate by the collar of his polo shirt and shake the answer out of him. Instead, he smiled, trying to school his features into a neutral expression.

“About a month afterwards, I had an epiphany, of sorts and the puzzle pieces just snapped together. There was a neighbor boy. He was college age but still lived with his parents. A big, strapping kid, just like the figure I saw.”

“Why do you think it was him?” Lloyd asked.

“I woke up that night because their dog was barking. I got up to see what was going on, but by the time I reached the window the dog had shut up.”

“Which house did these neighbors live in?”

“The one adjacent to Nguyen’s property.”

“Left or right?”

“Right,” Tate said.

Lloyd jotted down a note. “Anything else?”

“Like I said, I wasn’t sure if it was the kid or not. But he fit the general description of the person I’d seen, and that dog didn’t bark much. I figure that’s why the dog started barking - he’d smelled his owner.”

“Was he coming or going from the house?”

“Assuming it was him, he would’ve been returning to his house.”

“By cutting through Nguyen’s yard?”

“His parents had a security camera pointed at the front door,” Tate said. “I asked his father about their setup after things went down. I was thinking of getting myself a security system and he told me they only had the one camera for the front door.”

“And?” Lloyd prompted.

“Given the camera at the front door, he would’ve had to sneak in through the back. Nguyen’s yard wasn’t fenced. The easiest path would have been to cut through Nguyen’s front yard, go around the back of their house, and jump the fence into the next yard.”

“You never mentioned this to the police,” Lloyd said.

“Dealing with ‘em left a bad taste in my mouth. They’re idiots, the whole lot. Look at who they’ve got locked up now! One of their own evidence clerks! While I happen to think they’ve got the wrong man, I'm sure glad that fellow is off the streets.”

“Yeah?”

Corbin’s face scrunched. “With Leo McKenzie in the slammer Harmony’s DUI rate is about to go into free fall, if you catch my drift.”

“You didn’t think it mattered if you said anything or not.”

Tate grunted in acknowledgement.

“You seem to have this whole case figured out,” Lloyd said.

That earned him a smile. The old man leaned in, lowering his voice. “Want to know what else I think?”

Lloyd mimicked the posture, inclining his head.

“I’ve got a theory about why they never found any remains.”

“Really?”

“Copper Ridge Quarry.”

“I’m not familiar,” Lloyd said.

“It’s an abandoned mine, closed down in the 60s. Toxic waste. Acidic runoff. That’s where the bodies went.”

This interview was burning up more leads than it was generating. Perhaps he didn’t need to check out Corbin’s alibi after all, Lloyd realized. Tate definitely wasn’t their guy. The coroner’s findings on Julia and Li Wei pointed towards the other end of the pH spectrum, away from acid.

Even so, he played along, raising an eyebrow. “Acid.”

“It’s so strong it’s off the pH scale, into the negative numbers.”

“Interesting.”

“It’s more than interesting. Acid dissolves everything. No bodies, no evidence. Take my word for it - look into Copper Ridge Quarry and you’ll find your killer.”

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

Next - Chapter XXIV

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Masterlist

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Tag List:

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[yasperapologist]

Turn Back Time: Chapter 15 (The Afterparty timeloop fic)

Yasper and Aniq get kicked out of the reunion, and Yasper decides it's time for a little treat.

Whew, it's been a while since I posted a chapter. I think this is a fun one.

Walt/Yasper crumbs? I like sprinkling in little Walt/Yasper crumbs. There is a bit in Zoe's episode where Yasper and Aniq are desperately searching for an iPhone charger, then this exchange happens:

Yasper gets to ham it up for a crowd! I think this is the first time since Two Shots/Yeah Sure, Whatever/Three Dots that Yasper has had a creative outlet... Unless you count the increasingly elaborate ways he attempted to destroy Xavier's belongings (the good old, Aniq-is-mad-at-me Property Damage Era.)

Aniq not being a fan of Ned: In Episode 8, Aniq ends up in a place that is pretty forgiving of his classmates' faults. ("You know, back in high school, I thought you were all selfish, judgmental people. But… we all have more in common than I thought. Even Brett. Even Xavier. We all need each other.") But I think after seeing those faults replayed in the exact same way, over and over again, he's starting to get a little sick of some of them. (For some reason, Aniq is hung up on people taking accountability for their actions.... Can't put my finger on why...)

Speaking of which, it's not explicitly mentioned, but there is some underlying tension in this chapter between "Yasper would rather come up with a distraction than confront his Xavier-related baggage" and "Yasper has justifiable concerns about how hard Aniq is pushing himself." (Two things can be true.)

Green Apple Books is a real store in San Francisco! It is an institution. I hope I was able to capture some of the magic of it.

I think there are few places Aniq enjoys more than a quiet bookstore he can disappear into for hours. His HP starts replenishing as soon as he sets foot in there.

The Name of the Rose is soooo fucking dense. I am Aniq in this picture. It inspired one of my favorite video games, Pentiment, and it is a great mystery, but I have not finished it. Yet.

Angels in America, by contrast, is one that just completely sucks you in. If you haven't read it yet, go read it (& if you haven't heard of Roy Cohn, look him up first). It is a revelatory experience.

I don't think it's ever explicitly stated whether Xavier had security at the afterparty. Brett imagines getting into a fight with a security guy, but I'm pretty that was just one of the caterers. I just like the image of Xavier watching Yasper and Aniq hijack his speech and being like, "Guards, stop these men!"

nooooo Aniq don't bring back Spooky Dookies you're so sexy ahahaha

“It’s like that thing from Econ class, with the graph.” / “Diminishing marginal returns?” Aniq has been friends with Yasper for fifteen years. Aniq is pretty good at translating his incoherent mouth noises.

The idea of Yasper trying to spoil Aniq with Aniq!treats like water and an early bedtime and a good book... Yasper would tuck Aniq in himself, if he thought he could get away with it. They are extremely different, but they know exactly what the other person needs, and I am so soft for them.... T.T

[mythology-void]

no bc I don't think you guys understand how SMART uncle Rick was in the titans curse. he was absolutely playing chess not checkers when it came to Percy and y'all are not paying attention.

In the final battle at Mt. Othrys, he specifically made sure that Percy was the one to hold up the sky. Why? Because any other situation would have ended in the entire Bay Area getting crushed to smithereens.

Let me explain.

We've already established that Percy Jackson is RIDICULOUSLY powerful. Like, capable-of-blowing up-mt. St. Helens-beat-the-god-of-war-in-single-combat-no-one-touches-her powerful. Uncle Rick would have had to balance that against any opponent that Percy faces WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

During the battle with Atlas, the whole gang splits off. Zoe Nightshade goes straight to Artemis, trying to fulfill HER mission of "saving the lady Artemis". If Zoe had taken the sky from Artemis, we can safely assume that Artemis would have IMMEDIATELY gone after Atlas--Artemis canonically does not f**k around when it comes to disrespect, and Atlas had crossed that line by a full mile and a half. She would have wanted to take him out immediately.

Artemis and Percy together would have turned Atlas into a pile of paper mache. The goddess of the hunt and the son of the earthshaker? Don't make me laugh--theyd beat this man into the ground without a second thought.

Without Atlas, there's no one to hold up the sky, and the bay gets flattened. So a Percy-artemis tag team is obviously not an option. I'm sorry to any Zoe fans, but she is NOT strong enough to hold her father's burden. Not for an extended period of time. Eventually, she fails, and LA gets curb stomped. Period.

Thalia goes after Luke right away. If Percy backed her up, I firmly believe that Luke would have died VERY quickly. The two forbidden kids of the most powerful gods in the Greek pantheon? Luke wouldn't stand a chance. So Luke's dead, so now Thalia, Percy AND Artemis are ganging up on Atlas. He dies immediately, Zoe has to try and hold up the sky, and bada bing bada boom-- all of a sudden Hades has a hell of a lot more customers.

Percy HAD to hold up the sky--the math doesn't work otherwise. With any situation he involves himself in, he stacks the odds for himself to a ridiculous degree.

Rick had to figure out how to get Percy OUT of the equation so he could preserve Atlas's life and keep the plot going without murdering all of san Francisco(I keep forgetting where everything is. pls don't judge just keep it pushing), so he exploits Percy's fatal flaw to get him OUT of the way. it's the perfect gimmick--with Percy out of the way, Artemis can trick Atlas back under the sky and THEN she can go after Luke with Thalia. Theoretically, it should have worked perfectly. It didn't, but that's neither here or there at this point.

Percy Jackson is so RIDICULOUSLY POWERFUL that he beat not only the minator, but all three kindly ones AND the literal god of single combat IN SINGLE COMBAT when he was TWELVE. he's literally just that OP.

[citylighten]

A-Z Challenge: List your sims in order, trying to complete the alphabet

A - Adriana Lothario plus Angela & Antonella Impellizzeri

B - Benjamin Rosenthal

C - Carlo Impellizzeri

D - Daciano Falcone & honorary oc Don Lothario

E - Eve Dubois

F - Francisco Carrieri / Fiora Impellizzeri

G - Grisha Valchitski [an oc that only @ladygangsters knows]

H -

I -

J - Jasmine Reynolds

K - Kiara Ramasamy-Impellizzeri

L - Louis/Luciano Scozzari

M - Michael Impellizzeri

N - Noah Danupolos

O - Omaira [who I forgot existed for a minute]

P - Pietro Impellizzeri

Q -

R - Rosaria Scozzari and the admirable Rohan

S - Salvatore Scozzari

T - Tatiana Valchitski [another oc only @ladygangsters knows]

U - Umberto Impellizzeri [Pietro's Dad]

V - Vittoria Impellizzeri [Pietro's Mom, she counts she's in the gallery 😂]

W -

X -

Y - Yadriel Lothario

Z - Zoe/Zaara Ramasamy

[richincolor]

Exploring Big Cities Via Novels

Exploring large cities can be a lot of fun, but my feet and knees can’t always take all of the running around. Visiting via novels (or graphic novels) makes it a lot easier. It’s clearly not the same experience, but I do enjoy a little tourism via literature. The last few young adult (or new adult) titles I’ve read take place in London, San Francisco, and New York with nods to quite a few of the local landmarks. I enjoyed each of these in different ways and appreciated seeing the cities through other eyes.

London on My Mind is a rom-com with a bit of family drama and a brush with royalty. Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies has all that you might expect with the title including a bit of romance along with a few thrilling moments. Roaming leans more coming-of-age as college freshman wander through the streets of New York.

With all three, it was nice to experience the settings along with the characters. When I saw the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco while on a walk last night it definitely made me think of a specific scene in Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies. I didn’t make it all the way there though since as often happens, my feet were done before the rest of me wanted to give up for the day. I’m thankful for these glimpses of cities from the comfort of my reading chair.

London on My Mind by Clara Alves translated by Nina Perrotta PUSH

Sixteen-year-old Dayana has always dreamed of visiting London — to walk along the Thames, take pictures outside Buckingham Palace, and maybe even get a glimpse of Arthur, Prince of Wales, whose marriage has been all over tabloids. But the trip of her dreams turns into a royal nightmare when her mother passes away. Now, Day must leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London.

As it turns out, the U.K. isn’t exactly Day’s cup of tea. She struggles to forgive her father for walking out on her and her mom all those years ago; fights with her stepsister constantly; detests her stepmother; and she can’t even see One Direction in concert because they’ve been broken up for ages. All she wants to do is trade the rainy skies of London for the sun and beaches of Rio.

That’s when she runs into the girl of her dreams — literally: The coincidentally named Diana, a witty, funny, redhead who was in the middle of . . . escaping Buckingham Palace? Something isn’t right here, but it makes Diana all the more alluring. As time passes, and the two girls grow closer, Day can’t help but wonder if there is more than a little truth to the rumors surrounding Prince Arthur — and if Diana might be involved somehow. Is it all in her head, or could Day be caught up in a real-life royal scandal?

Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies by Abigail Hing Wen Feiwel & Friends – Available August 13, 2024 (Thanks to the ALA Convention for the ARC)

Tan Lee finds himself embroiled in an unusual love triangle, all while trying to defuse a heist, unravel a conspiracy, and navigate the most complicated babysitting assignment ever in this YA novel by national bestselling author Abigail Hing Wen.

After a magical kiss at Prom, best friends Tan Lee and Winter Woo agree to cool it off, a plan that goes awry when their parents jointly head off to Hawaii and leave Tan and Winter to babysit Tan’s sister Sana together. If that isn’t complicated enough, Tan’s ex-girlfriend from Shanghai arrives on his doorstep with money stolen from her billionaire father and thugs on her heels.

Tan soon finds himself on the run, trying to out-maneuver international hackers and protect his friends, family and sister – and his own heart.

Roaming by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki Drawn & Quarterly

Spring break, 2009. High school best friends Zoe and Dani are now freshman college students, meeting in a place they’ve wanted to visit forever: New York City. Tagging along is Dani’s classmate Fiona, a mercurial art student with an opinion on everything. Together, the three cram in as much of the city as possible, gleefully falling into tourist traps, pondering so-called great works of art, sidestepping creeps, and eating lots and lots of pizza (folded in half, of course). Roaming is a ground-breaking graphic novel from the authors behind New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Honor Book This One Summer.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Tamakis' "Roaming"

Tomorrow (September 12) at 7pm, I'll be at Toronto's Another Story Bookshop with my new book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation. On September 14, I'm hosting the EFF Awards in San Francisco.

Cousins Mariko Tamaki and #JillianTamaki are a graphic storytelling powerhouse, and their latest title, Roaming (from Drawn and Quarterly) is a stunner:

https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/roaming/

Roaming is the story of three young Canadian women meeting up for a getaway to New York City. Zoe and Dani are high-school best friends who haven't seen each other since they graduated and decamped for universities in different cities. Fiona is Dani's art-school classmate, a glamorous and cantankerous artist with an affected air of sophistication.

The three young women check into a youth hostel for a hotly anticipated long weekend, which turns into a complicated and moody marathon of debauchery, bonding, feuding, flirting, resentments and wonders.

The Tamakis' specialty is capturing the charged sexuality, subtle friendship power-moves, and intense but brittle friendship between young women. They're very good at it, which is why they won a Governor General's prize for their 2014 blockbuster This One Summer:

https://memex.craphound.com/2014/05/06/review-this-one-summer/

With Roaming we get a dizzying, beautifully wrought three-body problem as the three protagonists struggle with resentments and love, sex and insecurity. The relationships between Zoe, Dani and Fiona careen wildly from scene to scene and even panel to panel, propelled by sly graphic cues and fantastically understated dialog.

Meanwhile, NYC looms large as it only could in a story about young Canadians in the City. It's hard to overstate the glamour with which New York looms in the imagination of (many) young Canadians. Hence the old joke: "How many Canadians does it take to change a lightbulb? Two: one to change the bulb and one to go to New York and make sure lightbulbs are still cool." Or: "Toronto is New York run by the Swiss; the city that never sleeps…in."

I was one of those Canadian adolescents drunk on New York, on several occasions, and even today the City can just floor me. The Tamakis nailed this, from the facial expressions to the body-language of their characters, the push-pull of wanting to go to all the tourist traps and not wanting to be the kind of rube who goes to all the tourist traps.

All my female friends have stories of growing up in intense, three-way friendships that were forever turning into two-on-one fights, with allegiances shifting from moment to moment. Roaming tells the story of one such triangle, forming and shattering and re-forming in a sorefooted, exhilarating weekend in the greatest city in the world (TM). It's a love story about friendship and the transition from adolescence to adulthood, perfectly precise in its depiction of very specific people in a very specific time and place, and yet absolutely universal in the truths it reveals.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/11/as-canadian-as/#possible-under-the-circumstances