The dead hand of history still grips the throat of the present. Three centuries after a meteor shower struck Earth, humanity is divided between the powered and the originals. One group changed. One did not. In the years that followed, a virus killed billions, twisted the natural world into something monstrous, and gave fear a shape to blame. The powered have carried that blame ever since. Collared, controlled, and sent beyond the city walls, they are forced to fight the mutations that roam the wilds while the originals stay safe behind the walls. Ezra, a doctor, refuses to accept the world's clean divisions. He treats anyone who needs him, believing every life has value, even in a city built on deciding otherwise. When one act of mercy toward a stranger pulls him into a hidden war, Ezra begins to uncover the truth buried beneath generations of fear. Tension between originals and powered reach a breaking point, and Ezra faces a choice that could alter the course of humanity. One where the line between saving and destroying becomes increasingly blurred.

Disgraced honor student, Nico Gray-Gomez, falls from top of the class to bottom of the food chain. He has a disastrous plan to reclaim his academic status, but just how low is he willing to go to claw his way back up? • • ● • • Nico has been demoted to the lowest class in school. In an attempt to put himself back on top, he forms a ragtag group of brilliant idiots to go against the academic elites. Soon enough, it becomes a cutthroat competition between honor students and motley misfits -- book smarts versus street smarts, brains versus bravado. It's already gearing up to be a disastrous senior year. And on top of that, Nico also begins to question his sexuality, his relationship with his best friend Mack Porter, and his feelings for the new kid Chipp Rivera. Grab a seat and mind the chaos. Disaster Class is in session. • • ● • • 𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 【↺】

LOVERS ON CAMERA. BEST FRIENDS BEHIND IT. BUT ONE THING'S CERTAIN: THE KISSING SCENES ARE DEFINITELY NOT SCRIPTED. 25-year-old actors Jaxon Lewis and Ramil Cariño are best friends, famous for their online personalities and great chemistry. When their Agents gave them the biggest opportunity of auditioning for a role in the world's most anticipated Book-to-TV Adaptation called "As Long as You're with Me," things went spiraling down because Jaxon and Ramil got casted for the roles they didn't audition for. Fictional characters Levi and Andres are your clichéd romantic-comedy trope of the nerd falling for the jock in the books -- a gay couple. But at least they're one of the leading roles, right? This is good for their careers. It's no big deal for them -- after all, it's just work. It's not like Jaxon's excited for those kissing scenes anyway -- nope! He's definitely not going to mess them up just to get more retakes. And he definitely isn't crushing on his best friend for a very long time now. Definitely not. ↠ ON-GOING FIRST DRAFT, will contain errors.

❖ Interstellar pilot and ex-adventurer Alex Gallegos must keep their team safe on an icy moon as sentient storms threaten to repeat the tragedy that ended their last career. ❖ Everyone in the United Inhabited Solar Systems (for some reason, UIS for short) knows to stay away from Mahaha. The icy moon is notorious for failed probe landings and research missions that end in tragedy: the only people to ever venture to its surface needed rescuing after just two weeks. When a prestigious research group decides they want a turn, they ask Alex Gallegos to lead the team. Perfectly qualified and haunted by their past, Alex accepts, hoping to make up for old mistakes and get just a little further from the earth they've left behind. Two months into the seven-month mission, the team is struggling with discontent, damaged equipment, and blizzards acting less and less like normal weather. As Mahaha moves out of range of help and the storms take on a more malicious character, Alex must face the one foe they could never have prepared for. Mahaha may or may not be alive. ❖❖❖ Complete. Wattys 2021 Shortlister. Standalone sequel (Rocks Can Dance) coming in 2023. Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)

With no money and no magic, bushranger Vincent Mortimer is down on his luck. After his latest robbery goes south, he takes the only thing offered to him, work for the woman who wants him behind bars, the Governor of Morgot. Of course, nothing goes to plan. There's the Governor's surly advisor to deal with, the threats and attacks that lurk around every corner, and Spencer Bowers, the one man Vincent would rather not be around. Then Vincent discovers something that can only make a new and struggling country worse. The only person he can turn to is Spencer, who appears oblivious to Vincent's blossoming feelings, and together they must discover the truth behind the Governor's actions before the entire country suffers.

Robin doesn't want to be a tutor. Tyler doesn't want to be tutored. So why are their tutoring sessions always running late? *** After an illness-stricken childhood, Robin Erie struggles to free himself from his mother's suffocating embrace. Her plan for him is clear: he's to excel in school, take over his late father's business, and marry a suitable girl of her choosing. Initially, college life offers nothing different from Robin's controlled and monotonous existence. Not until he meets Tyler Caster, a former soccer prodigy who struggles with restraints of his own after an accident took his left leg and made him crutch-bound. Tyler's sweet smile makes Robin dream of freedom and excitement. Through a string of candy-filled tutoring sessions, Robin and Tyler grow close. Very close. Perhaps they're even flirting? Robin isn't sure, but he wants to find out. But he knows he can't let his mother find out about his bond with Tyler, since Robin has started to suspect that her influence over him might be more nefarious than he previously suspected. Will Robin be able to break free from his mother's shackles to explore his budding feelings for Tyler?

He hasn't said a word in years... His voice though, is a work of art............ I was inspired to write this when I read about a chorus in Australia which is made up of stroke victims. Although most of them can speak some and singing is a way to help improve their speech, there are some individuals who can sing but not speak at all. I hope you enjoy the story.

There's this house. It's right down the street from mine. There's also this boy. He lives in the house down the street. ••• If you are reading this story on any other platform than Wattpad you are very likely to be at risk from a malware attack. If you wish to read this story in its original, safe, form, please go to @-cynicaloptimism- on Wattpad. Thank you

(TOP FOUR WINNER!) When undercover investigator Kai Ewans is sent to the Steampunk world of Gaia to hunt down a serial killer, he doesn't expect to fall for the lead detective on the case at a fancy dress party. Detective Ash Calvin is attracted to Kai, until he discovers the lies... Will Ash and Kai learn to work together to find the killer? Or will the killer find them first? TOP PICK AMBYS 2023 - Novella Science Fiction WINNER - Equal Fourth place for the ONC 2020 (Steampunk / LGBT / Romance / Crime)

Caleb Miller is a twenty-three years old fucked up boy. He's troubled, he's pained, he's scarred. He thinks he's better all on his own. He thinks he won't be able to hurt anybody, or get hurt if he just keeps his walls shuts down. If he doesn't let anybody see the mess he is. But when Eddie walks into his life, there's just no way he can just forget him. There's no way he can just keep his walls up. Eddie Wilson is a cheerfull and happy twenty-eight years old guy. He's happy by how his life is going, and even though his last relationship turned to be a mess, he couldn't care less once Caleb walks into his life. A delicate love story between two men learning how to love again. [SLIGHT D/S RELATIONSHIP] (My other story, OUT OF THE WOODS, is connected to this one and I really recommend you to read both so you enjoy them better!)