#J. D. Barker

[theboyatthebustop]

I was on the fence about making this poll, but I realized i wanted to hear what people who don’t keep up with drama in the book community (or those aren't even in it) have to say about it.

I do want to say that this is not a complete list of book drama because it’d be way longer, so I didn’t include things like Soapgate, the A Deadly Education fiasco or the multiple controversies Cassandra Clare/Colleen Hoover were in.

also, I found out there’s a bit of character/option limit when it comes to poll choices, so I had narrow it down.

*by that, he meant if you are a woman in your 20s who wears makeup, does book tags/hauls, make high quality videos, and/or rave about YA, you’re not a “real reader™️”

**in a later interview she then tried to rectify this by saying it was actually her upbringing and mental illnesses that caused her to reviewbomb other debuts Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the Reylos got involved in this.

[fanolandia]

-Los monos sabios aparecen representados en una talla sobre la puerta del templo To-sho-gu de Nikko, en Japón. Los hizo Hidari Jingoro en el siglo XVII, y se cree que representan el ciclo de la vida humana...., bueno, todos los paneles representan el ciclo de la vida, los monos sabios figuran sólo en el segundo. El ciclo de la vida se basa en las enseñanzas de Confucio.

-Pero no el de las galletitas de la fortuna: el verdadero Confucio -solté de sopetón-. El de verdad era un maestro chino, editor, político y filósofo. Vivió más o menos entre los años 551 y 479 antes de Cristo.

-¡Muy bien, hijo! -dijo padre, sonriente-. Escribió algunos de los textos chinos más influyentes, y algunos códigos de conducta que aún se utilizan, y no sólo en China, también en gran parte del mundo moderno.

Fue un hombre verdaderamente sabio. Hay quien dice que la idea de los monos llegó a Japón procedente de una leyenda budista de los sendai. Si quieres saber mi opinión, nadie lo sabe con certeza. Un proverbio con tanta fuerza perdura, sin más. Tampoco me sorprendería que algún día nos enterásemos de que tanto Japón como China obtuvieron su sabiduría de una fuente más antigua aún, y quizá esa fuente la obtuviese de algo más ancestral todavía. Los monos sabios podrían remontarse a los orígenes del hombre.

La mirada de la señora Carter seguía clavada en padre mientras él continuaba.

-La talla del ciclo de la vida del templo de Tosho-gu está formada por ocho paneles en total. Los monos aparecen en el segundo,

¿Puede alguien decirme sus nombres?

Yo, por supuesto, tenía la respuesta, y levanté la mano con entusiasmo. Si la señora Carter también lo sabía, decidió no parti-

cipar.

Padre me miró a mí, después a la señora

Carter, y de nuevo a mí.

-Bueno, tú has levantado la mano primero.

¿Por qué no nos dices sus nombres?

-Mizaru, Kikazaru e Iwazaru.

-¡Correcto! Que le den a este muchacho su merecido premio -sonrió padre-. Puntos extra si te sabes el significado de sus nombres...

Seguro que a padre le constaba que los sabía, pero le encantaba jugar, asi que le seguí el juego.

-Mizaru significa «no veas el mal», Kika-zaru significa «no escuches el mal», e Iwaza ru significa «no pronuncies el mal».

Padre asintió muy despacio con la cabeza y le dio unos golpecitos en la rodilla a la señora Carter.

-Seguramente habrás visto la representación. El primer mono se tapa los ojos, el segundo los oídos, y el tercero tiene une pata peluda que le tapa la boca.

-Así que, cuando la señora Carter ha dicho una palabrota, ha violado la regla de Iwazaru -dije con confianza.

Padre hizo un gesto negazavo con la cabeza.

-No, hijo. Aunque esté mal ser un malhablado y sea un sintoma de poca inteligencia, tendría que decir algo mala de otra persona para violar la regla de Iwazaru.

-Ah -asentí.

La señora Carter gruñó y tire de las esposas.

-Vale, vale, Lisa. Ya te tocará a ti, pero tienes que ser más rápida al levantar la mano

-le dijo padre.

La mujer pegó otro tirón de las esposas.

-¿El pie, entonces?

-Hay un cuarto mono, pero nadie sabe realmente de su existencia -le expliqué.

Padre asintió.

-Los tres primeros monos definen las reglas según las cuales todos deberíamos vivir, pero es el cuarto el que tiene mayor importancia.

-Shizaru -dije-. Se llama Shizaru.

-Y significa «no hagas el mal» -dijo padre-. Y ésa, por supuesto, es la cuestión.

Si uno ve o escucha el mal, es poco lo que puede hacer. Cuando alguien pronuncia el mal, se le puede atribuir una culpa, pero cuando hace el mal..., bueno, cuando alguien hace el mal, no ha lugar el perdón.

-Esas personas no son puras, ¿verdad que no, padre?

-No, hijo, con absoluta certeza te digo que no lo son. -Se volvió hacia la señora Carter. Por desgracia, tu marido entró a formar parte de este último grupo, y es que no hay necesidad de tener gente como él en este grandioso planeta, así de sencillo. Yo hubiera preferido librar al mundo de su inmundicia con un poco más de discreción de lo que mi encantadora esposa estimó oportuno, pero lo hecho hecho está, y de

nada nos sirve preocuparnos por lo que no podemos controlar. Hubiera preferido , también, que no hubieses rescubierto anoche nuestras travesuras, pero, ay, tienes unos dotes excepcionales para la investigación, y lo descubriste. Y de ahi nuestro actual dilema: ¿qué hacer contigo?

………..

~J. D. Barker~

[jennbookie-thv]

#BOOKS 📖

📖; El cuarto mono.

🖊️; J.D Barker.

🗓️; 06-04-2024 ➡️ 10-04-2024

[ ⭐⭐⭐⭐,5 ]

[vintagelasvegas]

Little White Chapel, 1301 Las Vegas Blvd - est. 1954

Photo c. '62. Unknown photographer, Roger-Viollet collection.

The chapel was built by Arvid and Neva Barnhart in 1954 and operated by Neva’s mother Lorene King in its early years. Charolette Richards bought the chapel from the Barnharts in ‘81, expanded in the 90s, and operated the chapel until selling to Vegas Weddings in 2022.

The original chapel built in 1954 still exists with several additions on the property in the Richards years: The flower shop next door was demolished in the late 80s and replaced in ‘91 with a small office building and the “Tunnel of Love” drive-through. In the mid 90s they acquired the neighboring property at 1299 LVBS and replaced it in ‘99 with a new chapel, flower shop, and office building.

Charolette Richards proved to be a master promoter. Her drive-through earned the chapel its fame. Other efforts included “A Little Chapel in the Sky” a hot-air balloon chapel, and weddings in a hospital, on a roller coaster, at the finish line of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and in a helicopter (“Too noisy, not a bit romantic,” she said). She was dubbed “Wedding Queen of the West” by Las Vegas Woman magazine in ‘92. Richards owned the chapel until 2022, and died in 2023.

Photos of Little White Chapel

About the opening date.

The chapel has used the tagline “since ‘51” in recent years. Barnhart family states the chapel was built in 1954, a date supported by all of the earliest public records of the chapel. Whether the chapel was built from an existing house is unclear. Clark County’s Assessor record dates the chapel even later at ‘55.

Charolette Richards was ex-wife of Merle Richards who owned Little Church of the West until the 80s. Mr. and Mrs. Richards also opened Algiers’ Little Church. Mrs. Richards many interviews often blurred the details of her long history in the chapel business. Some of the reports have erroneously stated that Richards opened the chapel. In an interview with Vintage Las Vegas in 2021, she could not recall the date she bought the chapel. The Barnhart family stated the chapel was sold to Richards in ‘81.

Postcard c. 1954

c. 1950s

Kodachrome slide Jun. '62

10-inch record of Harvey and Loretta Davenport's wedding on 12/7/63. The record was mailed to the couple a month after the ceremony.

Postcard, '70s

Review-Journal, 3/30/84. Photo by Scott Henry.

Charolette Richards in her office in the Little White Wedding Chapel, 7/19/94. (Photo by Massimo Borchi/Atlantide Phototravel)

Little White's cameo in Anora (2024).

Sources: “Mary Helen Bogut, Married to Ernest Harsany Sunday.” Review Journal, 7/25/54; Clark County Assessor; interview with Hollis Thompson Barnhart and Gerri Barnhart Barker; D. Sorrentino. “Valentine’s Day very busy.” Review-Journal, 2/14/81; J. Allen. “You Bet Your Life: Vegas-Style.” Sun-Sentinel, 1/24/99; P. Arrillaga, Associated Press. “A Vegas Valentine: What’s love got to do with it?” Cape Cod Times, 2/14/2006; D. Phenix. “A whole lot of love.” 8News Now, 8/3/22.

Published 12/14/2017, Updated Mar. 3, 2025.

[caitchercatlady]

GUEST ROOM TROUBLE! Mika's Lines w/Others

(Inspired by a post I saw someone do about Guest Room Trouble lines for their OC. I can't remember what the blog is called or where the post is. I've tried looking everywhere for it, and if someone knows what I'm talking about, please tell me, so I can properly credit this person!)

Heartslabyul

Riddle

M: Whatever Grim did, why must you take it out on me?

R: You are the leader of your own House. Keep it in order!

Ace

M: One of these days, I'll slap you into next week!

A: (Scoff) If you can even reach me, Prefect.

Deuce

M: Your delinquent is showing again. Calm down!

D: Oh geez! I'm sorry! I didn't break anything, did I?

Tristano (OC)

M: Your bite isn't even that bad, you barker.

T: Watch your tongue, Mik. I might rip it out.

Cater

M: I told you to delete it and delete it now!

C: Aw, but this is too cute! Do I have to?

Trey

M: I didn't think that you were the biting type.

T: Um...Let's not speak of this again, okay?

Savanaclaw

Leona

M: I don't invite you over for you to complain, you overgrown housecat!

L: Hmm! Like a herbivore is worth wasting energy on.

Jack

M: Hey, if you're gonna exercise with me, tone it down, Jack?

J: I'm so sorry. I got a little carried away.

Ruggie

M: Drop it, Ruggie! Drop it!

R: Come on, Prefect. Throw me a bone, why doncha?

Octavinelle

Azul

M: For the last time, Azul, no!

A: Throwing away the peak opportunity. You break my heart, Mika.

Jade

M: You're pushing it, Leech!

J: Testy, testy. We can't get ourselves in a twist now, can we?

Floyd

M: Floyd, I said let go!

F: Aww! But I wanna squeeze ya!

Caio (OC)

M: You are the worst, you know that?

C: (Feins sobs) Your heart is a stone wall, my dear. Don't lock me out.

Scarabia

Kalim

M: I love you, Kalim, but you really test my patience sometimes.

K: Aw! I love you, too!...But testing what?

Jamil

M: Leave me out of it, you sneaky serpant!

J: You leave from mine, and we shall be even.

Raul (OC)

M: No! We're not fighting. We're rehearsing a scene!

R: Did it look that real? (Gasp) Mika, I didn't hurt you, did I?

Pomefiore

Vil

M: Let me at 'im! Let me at 'im!

V: (Smirk) You barely even touched me.

Rook

M: Stop touching my hair! I just had it done!

R: Ah, but beauty should be reveled in the eyes of admirers!

Epel

M: You need to learn how to not step on a lady's toes, sir!

E: She's the one that started it, not me!

Ignihyde

Idia

M: That's not fair. You cheated!

I: Fwee hee! Don't blame the master of the virtual gaming world for your incompetence.

Ortho

M: Man, Ortho, you do not hold back.

O: I didn't mean to hurt Big Sis. It was a mistake.

Andrej (OC)

M: Yeah, yeah, your red eyes don't scare me, sir.

A: Ha! Your attitude doesn't shake me either, Prefect.

Diasomnia

Malleus

M: Hornton must hate me after all of that.

M: Child of Man is getting bolder by the day. She has the strength, that girl.

Lilia

M: You make it very hard to not snap at you, old man.

L: (Giggle) Perhaps you should show less restraint, Mika.

Silver

M: Whoa! Where did that come from?

S: I beg your pardon. My behavior was improper.

Sebek

M: You have some nerve to treat me that way!

S: You are lucky that Lord Malleus has taken a liking to you.

Ramshackle

Grim

M: Remember your place, cat!

G: Ramshackle is not just your dorm, you know!

[bitterkarella]

JK Rowling: hello children Rowling: i want you to sssay hello to Rowling: graham lineham Lineham: [wearing foil hat] free masons run the country Rowling: he'sss got sssome great ideasss you should hear

Poe: joanne you don't need to bring him here Poe: like, you really don't Rowling: he hass thingsss to sssay and you're ALL going to hear them Poe: this is really kind of off topic for us here Rowling: EVERYONE will hear them

Rowling: ssssee, yearsss ago i disssmisssed graham lineham'ssss babble as the bad opticsss ravingsss of a lunatic Rowling: but now that the overton window hass sshifted Rowling: i'm proud to sssay thessse bad opticsss ravingsss are quite good actually!

Rowling: go ahead, graham, tell them what you told me Lineham: trans people produce no great films, no music, no art Lineham: they're incapable of doing this basic human thing because they're subhuman Lineham: untermensch, if you will Rowling: isssn't he great?

Lineham: trans books are always universally panned because of their incoherence Billy Martin: Hailey Piper: Eve Harms: Gretchen Felker-Martin: Joe Koch: M. Lopes da Silva: Arden Powell: Lor Gislason: Julya Oui: LC von Hessen: GE Woods: Michelle Belanger: Rain Corbyn: SA Chant:

FT Catulla: Viktor Athelstan: Meagan Hotz: Ziggy Schutz: Rose Sable: WN Derring-Judith: Charles Maria Tor: Devaki Devay: Dayna Ingram: Ori Jay: Ai Burton: Gabriel Valentine: Cosmin-Mihai Birsan: Jei D Marcade: Rhiannon Rasmussen: Max Turner: Taylor J Pitts: Vincent Endwell:

Bri Crozier: Theo Hendrie: Derek des Anges: Briar Ripley Page: Winter Holmes: gaast: Maya Deane: Charles-Elizabeth Boyles: Layne van Rensburg: Amanda M Blake: May Leitz: Alison Rumfitt: Rivers Solomon: Lillian Boyd: Torrey Peters: Taliesin Neith: Daniel M. Lavery: Joss Lake: Aubrey Wood: Jonah Wu:

Daphne du Maurier: Patricia Highsmith: Franz Kafka: Kafka: wait Kafka: why did the camera pan to me

Barker: oh you know why haha Poe: clive Kafka: why Kafka: [hugging blåhaj] i don't know what you mean

[book--brackets]

Author Stats for BFB

When putting together the Best Fantasy Book polls, I noticed that a lot of authors were popular choices, so I thought I'd do a little post about our most popular authors from ones that are in the list only twice to the most common author we have!

The preliminary round for BFB starts tomorrow!

2 Times

J. R. R. Tolkien

Erin Morgenstern

Cassandra Clare

Eoin Colfer

Terry Pratchett

Laini Taylor

Jim Butcher

Robin Hobb

R. F. Kuang

Samantha Shannon

Shannon Hale

Jonathan Stroud

Seanan McGuire

Enid Blyton

Clive Barker

Alix E. Harrow

Scott Westerfeld

Raymond E. Feist

Wayne Thomas Batson

Xiran Jay Zhao

Lloyd Alexander

Meagan Spooner

Katherine Addison

Christina Henry

Gene Wolfe

N. D. Wilson

Emily Rodda

Jude Watson

Ellen Kushner

Cliff McNish

C. J. Cherryh

Garry Kilworth

3 Times

Rick Riordan

Roald Dahl

Brandon Sanderson

Cornelia Funke

Gail Carson Levine

Garth Nix

T. Kingfisher

Patricia C. Wrede

Robin McKinley

Kieron Gillen

Francis Hardinge

4 Times

Holly Black

V. E. Schwab

Naomi Novik

5 Times

Diana Wynne Jones

6 Times

Tamora Pierce

9 Times

Neil Gaiman

Mercedes Lackey

[thislovintime]

Photographed in 1979 for the Los Angeles Times.

“After I left the Monkees, I went through an identity crisis right away. I called up Dick Clark and said, ‘Put me on the road.’ He said, ‘Get a hit record; nobody will recognize you.’ I went, ‘What?’ That was so staggering to me that it completely stopped me cold. I thought 37 promoters would be dying to have me perform.” - Peter Tork, The Los Angeles Times, January 21, 1979 “The Great American Food and Beverage Company is an institution […]. The drunken UCLA fraternity jocks at the next table were throwing their ribs at each other as a waiter in his 30s, older than the others, made his way to the podium, banjo in hand. He seemed strangely familiar in an unusual outfit whose suspenders gave him a whimsical air. He was very thin, with an angular, almost bony face and straight, mid-ear length dirty blond hair that was parted in the middle. But he also had a mustache and bags under his eyes that didn’t seem quite right. As he began to sing, the boys from UCLA continued to throw their bones. The waiter muttered something obscene and stepped down, making way for a raucous busboy act more suitable to the prevailing mood. […] In the meantime […] his showbusiness career still consists of The Great American Food and Beverage Company, where he has worked since last summer. ‘It’s something to do with my hands while I’m waiting,’ he said. ‘It’s a place where you’re allowed to sing, and everybody uses it to keep their chin up while waiting for their big break — like ‘The Gong Show’ or something.’ A touch of bitterness there, again. ‘It’s just that the people don’t shut up (at the restaurants). I wish they would. You basically have to drown them out. But… it is a chance.’ With that, Peter Tork picked himself up to go to work. It was his turn to wash dishes.” - article by Steve Sonsky, The Miami Herald February 18, 1979 “[While working at the Great American Food and Beverage Company in 1979, Peter and Danny Carey] played one of Michael Nesmith’s songs [together], called ‘The Girl That I Knew Somewhere.’ [Peter] played piano, I knew the guitar parts, and he and I sang it together, and we were really rocked it down, we knocked it out of the park. It was a lot of fun. I worked with him just before I joined [a band]. And he was very happy for me that I got a record deal. (laughs)” - Danny Carey, Tales of the Road Warriors, 2019 “I worked with Peter in the mid seventies. A kinder, gentler, gracious and giving human being you could never find. His sense of humor and positivity was a gift to all of those lucky enough to be around him.” - D J Barker, Facebook, February 13, 2023

[paperbacksandpetticoats]

Reading List - 2024

Let's Do It, Already!, Vol. 1 - Aki Kusaka

House of Hunger - Alexis Henderson

A Fragile Enchantment - Allison Saft

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 1-5 - Amu Meguro

In the Roses of Pieria - Anna Burke

The Toymaker's Son - Ariana Nash

Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto

Hardboiled & Hard Luck - Banana Yoshimoto

Your Utopia - Bora Chung

Don't Beat Your Children or They'll Turn Out Like Me - Brad "BLUE" Bathgate

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery - Brom

St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid - C.L. Polk

Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare

One Saved to the Sea - Catt Kingsgrave

She Came From the Swamp - Darva Green

Vertigo Peaks - Dion Anja

O Caledonia - Elspeth Barker

Cair - Eryn Hawk

Teighan - Eryn Hawk

All That's Left to You - Ghassan Kanafani

The Hanging Game - Helen Marshall

Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 1 [Dramatized Adaption] - Hideyuki Kikuchi

The Queen of Nothing - Holly Black

The Stolen Heir - Holly Black

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-Reum

Honeybloods - I.S. Belle

Love Bullet, Vol. 1 - Inee

Vampires of El Norte - Isabel Canas

A Cup of Salt Tears - Isabel Yap

Paradise Rot - Jenny Hval

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 4-7 - Julietta Suzuki

The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 1 - Jun Mochizuki

Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! - Kamako Inuki

God Save the Queen - Kate Locke

The Queen is Dead - Kate Locke

Long Live the Queen - Kate Locke

The Demon's Bargain - Katee Robert

The Gargoyle's Captive - Katee Robert

The Sucubus' Bride - Katee Robert

Her Frankenstein - Kawashima Norikazu

A Bone in His Teeth - Kellen Graves

Prince of the Sorrows - Kellen Graves

Lord of Silver Ashes - Kellen Graves

Herald of the Witch's Mark - Kellen Graves

The Fox and the Dryad - Kellen Graves

A Human Stain - Kelly Robson

Triquetra - Kirstyn McDermott

Soul Eater - Lily Mayne

Edin - Lily Mayne

The Rycke - Lily Mayne

Gloam - Lily Mayne

Wyn - Lily Mayne

Moth - Lily Mayne

Seraph - Lily Mayne

Lor - Lily Mayne

A Collection of Monstrous Stories - Lily Mayne

A Monstrous Christmas in the Camp - Lily Mayne

Mortal Skin - Lily Mayne

Forgotten Vows - Lily Mayne

King of Death - Lily Mayne

Born of Blood and Magic - M.C. Hutson

All Systems Red - Martha Wells

Artificial Condition - Martha Wells

Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells

Exit Strategy - Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry - Martha Wells

Network Effect - Martha Wells

System Collapse - Martha Wells

This is How You Lose the Time War - Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohar

The Dragon's Betrothed, Vol. 1-2 - Meguru Hinohara

The Girl That Can't Get A Girlfriend - Mieri Hiranishi

My Special One, Vol. 1 - Momoko Koda

Crypt of the Moon Spider - Nathan Ballingrud

Lights Out - Navessa Allen

Binti - Nnedi Okorafor

Softening - Olivia Braley

The Angel of Khan el-Khalili - P. Djeli Clark

Glamour - Penelope Fletcher

Coil of Boughs - Penny Moss

House of Glass - Rojana Krait

Kappa - Ryunosuko Akutagawa

Carmilla and Laura - S.D. Simper

Burning Roses - S.L. Huang

Old Fashioned Cupcake - Sagan Sagan

Old Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino - Sagan Sagan

A Court of Thorns and Roses (2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaption] - Sarah J Mass

A Court of Silver Flames (1 of 2) [Dramatized Adaption] - Sarah J Mass

A Court of Silver Flames (2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaption] - Sarah J Mass

Pink Heart Jam, Vol. 1-2 - Shikke

Certain Dark Things - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Rot - Siri Pettersen

An Education in Malice - S.T. Gibson

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All, Vol. 1-2 - Rumiko Arai

Stuffed - Sylvia Morrow

Thornhedge - T. Kingfisher

A Wolf Steps in Blood - Tamara Jeree

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir (x2)

The Necromancer's Light - Tavia Lark

The Paladin's Shadow

The Sword-Witch's Heart

Wolfsong - T.J. Klune

Heartsong - T.J. Klune

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 1 - Tomu Ohmi

Unhinged - Vera Valentine

The Healing Season of Pottery - Yeon Somin

Mr. Villain's Day Off, Vol. 1-3 - You Morikawa

Alice 19th, Vol. 3 - Yuu Watase

[firsttarotreader]

As someone who grew up in the era of the 80s and fucking love horror films let me tell you I've seen nearly every horror related from the big budget to the D ones so I have so many movies to recommend but my mind is going 1000 miles per hour. I'd give out a few titles of some that come into mind that maybe you guys can check out and I'm not including anything that we all know Jason, Chucky, michael, Freddy or any newer ones.

-High tension (French film but it's dubbed)

-the frighteners (dark comedy with Michael j Fox)

-Ghost ship

-Alice sweet Alice (70s slasher with a baby brooke shields)

-Demons

-Night of the demons (all 3 are good campy fun)

-Dead alive (think it's called something else in Europe)

-toxic avenger ( it's pretty gory, it's also very low budget but if you like that kind of films you'd enjoy it, plus we're getting a remake soon with that Peter guy from GOT)

-lords of illusion ( a Clive Barker film about cults)

-body bag ( I believe that's what it's called, it's a kinda like a crypt tales style 3 short stories, it's also a john carpenter film)

-dead silence

Sorry my minds drawing a blank but if I remember anything else and people are interested I'd send more especially with spooky season around the corner!

Thank you for the horror movies recommendations, anon! 😁

[identity-library]

Diverse Sexuality (Podcasts)

A:

Alice Isn't Dead

Alice (Unspecified WLW)

Keisha Taylor (Unspecified WLW)

Archive 81

Alexa Pendras (Unspecified WLW)

Melody Pendras (Lesbian)

B:

C:

Camp Here and There

Jedidiah Martin (Unlabeled MLM)

Juniper Sloan (Gay)

Rowan Chow (Bisexual)

Sydney October Sargent (Gay)

D:

E:

F:

G:

H:

I:

J:

K:

L:

M:

N:

O:

P:

Q:

R:

S:

T:

The Adventure Zone

Aubrey Little (Bisexual)

Carey Fangbattle (Lesbian)

Dani (Lesbian)

Hurley (Lesbian)

Killian Fangbattle (Lesbian)

Kravitz (Unspecified MLM)

Fitzroy Maplecourt (Asexual)

Sloane (Lesbian)

Taako (Gay)

The Bright Sessions

Adam Hayes (Gay)

Byron "Mark" Bryant (Bisexual)

Caleb Michaels (Unspecified MLM)

Chloe Turner (Asexual, Panromantic)

Emily Rodriguez (Unspecified WLW)

Melanie Trent (Lesbian)

Rose Atkinson (Lesbian)

The Magnus Archives

Georgie Barker (Bisexual)

Jonathan "Jon" Simms (Asexual, Unspecified MLM)

Martin Blackwood (Unspecified MLM)

Melanie King (Unspecified WLW)

Tim Stoker (Bisexual)

The Penumbra Podcast

Juno Steel (Bisexual)

U:

V:

W:

Where The Stars Fell

Edison "Ed" Tucker (Bisexual)

Lucille "Lucy" Kensington (Unspecified WLW)

Welcome to Nightvale

Basimah Bishara (Unspecified WLW)

Carlos (Gay)

Cecil Palmer (Unspecified MLM)

Charles (Unspecified MLM)

Joanna Rey (Unspecified WLW)

John Crayton (Bisexual)

Kevin (Unspecified MLM)

Maureen Johnson (Unspecified WLW)

Michelle Nguyen (Unspecified WLW)

X:

Y:

Z:

[john-bracket]

Significant Jother Prelims!

The prelims for Jacket 4 will come in two waves after the winner’s bonus poll ends on Sunday, so get your votes in there.

First, there will be the prelims to decide between love interests for Johns/Jacks/Variants who had multiple submitted. There are eight of those matches, and they will be released throughout the day on Monday, July 10.

Then, there will be the prelims to decide which single nomination significant jothers will make the bracket. If a nomination was submitted multiple times as the only love interest, they are already in. There are 11 polls of four significant jothers, and the winner of each will make the bracket. Prelims were seeded by submission order, and those polls will be released throughout the day on Wednesday, July 12.

Match-ups below the cut!

Monday Match-ups: Who shall win the jand?

Prelim #1: Martin Blackwood (11) vs Georgie Barker (1) for Jonathan “Jon” Sims (The Magnus Archives)

Prelim #2: Jason Mendoza (5) vs Derek (1) for Janet (The Good Place)

Prelim #3: Mercymorn (2) vs Alecto (1) vs Augustine (1) vs Mercymorn + Augustine (0 but throuple rights) for John Gaius (The Locked Tomb)

Prelim #4: Zatanna Zatara (2) vs King Shark (2) for John Constantine (DC)

Prelim #5: Nisha Kadam (2) vs Moxxi (1) for Handsome Jack (Borderlands)

Prelim #6: Brad Majors (2) vs Frank-N-Furter (1) for Janet Weiss (Rocky Horror Picture Show)

Prelim #7: Shayera Hol (1) vs Mari McCabe (1) for John Stewart (DC)

Prelim #8: Rafael Solano (1) vs Michael Cordero (1) for Jane Villanueva (Jane the Virgin)

Wednesday Match-ups: I don’t have a funny name

Prelim A: Phryne Fisher for Jack Robinson (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) vs Kitty for Johnny Thirteen (Danny Phantom) vs Marguerite Baker for Jack Baker (Resident Evil) vs James “Jamey” Emerson Fletcher for Mary “Jacky” “Bloody Jack” Faber (Bloody Jack)

Prelim B: Naomi Herne for Evan Lukas (The Magnus Archives) vs Pete Tyler for Jackie Tyler (Doctor Who) vs Agnes Montague for Jack Barnabas (The Magnus Archives) vs Eric Bittle for Jack Zimmermann (Check, Please!)

Prelim C: Anna Bates for John Bates (Downton Abbey) vs Rose DeWitt for Jack Dawson (Titanic) vs Wendy Torrance for Jack Torrance (The Shining) vs Samatha Carter for Jack O’Neill (Stargate SG-1)

Prelim D: Joan of Arc for JFK (Clone High) vs JFK for Joan of Arc (Clone High) vs Elvira for Don Juan (Moliere) vs Pocahontas for John Smith (Pocahontas)

Prelim E: Penta Roujeat for Jack Wright (Namesake) vs Jethro Bodine for Jane Hathaway (Beverly Hillbillies) vs George Jetson for Jane Jetson (The Jetsons) vs Peter Parker for Mary-Jane Watson Parker (Marvel)

Prelim F: Thor for Jane Foster (Marvel) vs David Read for Jane Read (Arthur) vs Marla Singer for Jack/The Narrator (Fight Club) vs Sophie Aubrey for Jack Aubrey (Master and Commander)

Prelim G: Jay Nakamura for Jon Kent (DC) vs Satinder Hall for Ivo Keys (Shaderunners) vs Edward Rochester for Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre) vs Co Bao for John Rambo (Rambo)

Prelim H: Rosemary for Jack/Raider (Metal Gear Solid) vs Vriska Sekret for John Egbert (Homestuck) vs Maddie Fenton for Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom) vs Minnina for Jonathan Ratker (Dracula Starring Mickey Mouse)

Prelim I: Clary Fairchild for Jonathan Christopher “Jace” Herondale (The Mortal Instruments) vs Marisol Garza for Jonathan “Jon” Cartwright (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) vs Jo Lupo for Zane Donovan (Eureka) vs Robert Martin for Janet van de Graff (The Drowsy Chaperone)

Prelim J: Rebecca St. Claire for Jack Secord (Warehouse 13) vs David for Giovanni (Giovanni’s Room) vs Lucy Moderatz for Jack Pullman (While You Were Sleeping) vs Petra Solano for Jane “JR” Ramos (Jane the Virgin)

Prelim K: Scott Summers for Jean Gray (Marvel) vs Hessa for John the Baptist (The Wife of John the Baptist) vs Helen Wick for John Wick (John Wick) vs Patrick Bateman for Jean (American Psycho: The Musical)

[elenaferrante]

In 2022 I managed to read 52 books, one per week, so in 2023 I got ambitious and gave myself a goal of 53 books, just slightly more than one book a week.

I am very proud that I ended up reading even more than that 🥰

✨ 2023 books list ✨

1. Spatriati, M. Desiati

2. Olga dies dreaming, X. Gonzalez

3. My year of rest and relaxation, O. Moshfegh

4. Really good actually, M. Heisey

5. Our country friends, G. Shteyngart

6. Homebody, R. Kaur

7. Three women, L. Taddeo

8. Animal, L. Taddeo

9. Ghost lover, L. Taddeo

10. You think it, I’ll say it, C. Sittenfeld

11. The man of my dreams, C. Sittenfeld

12. I have some questions for you, R. Makkai

13. Best served hot, A. Elliott

14. Table for two, B. Graham

15. The Paris apartment, L. Foley

16. In the kitchen, various authors

17. Romantic comedy, C. Sittenfeld

18. Pineapple street, J. Jackson

19. Cook, eat, repeat, N. Lawson

20. Do I know you?, E. Wibberley

21. The ballad of songbirds and snakes, S. Collins

22. Supper club, L. Williams

23. The golden couple, G. Hendricks and S. Pekkanen

24. Daisy darker, A. Feeney

25. Sister mother husband dog (etc.), D. Ephron

26. Notes on heartbreak, A. Lord

27. The women of Troy, P. Barker

28. Euphoria, L. King

29. The Rachel incident, C. O’Donoghue

30. Second self, C. Ashby

31. The list, Y. Adegoke

32. Bad fruit, E. King

33. Before we were innocent, E. Berman

34. The girls of summer, K. Bishop

35. The daydreams, L. Hankin

36. Women are the fiercest creatures, A. Dunlop

37. People like her, E. Lloyd

38. When we were bright and beautiful, J. Medoff

39. The writing retreat, J. Bartz

40. The wife upstairs, R. Hawkins

41. The golden spoon, J. Maxwell

42. American wife, C. Sittenfeld

43. Father of the rain, L. King

44. Darling, I. Knight

45. Yellowface, R. F. Kuang

46. Weirdo, S. Pascoe

47. Piranesi, S. Clarke

48. Heat wave, P. Lively

49. Good material, D. Alderton

50. High fidelity, N. Hornby

51. A Paris all your own, various authors

52. Menodramma, M. Castellitto

53. The raptures, J. Carson

54. One last stop, C. McQuiston

55. Young Jane young, G. Zevin

56. Hamnet, M. O’Farrell

57. The invisible life of Addie Larue, V. E. Schwab

58. Hot milk, D. Levy

Bonus (audiobooks):

1. Wintering, K. May

[cocktailsfairytales]

#CurrentlyReading

For a haunted house to be born, somebody has to die.

In the sleepy coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire, seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler’s life is about to take a terrifying turn. When his best friend David Spivey inherits a mysterious house on a nearby island, it seems like the perfect place to spend their final summer before heading off to college. No parents. No police. No responsibilities.

As they dig into the island’s dark past, they awaken an ancient evil that has influenced generations. What begins as an innocent summer adventure quickly descends into a nightmare.

“Something I Keep Upstairs” is a haunting exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and the darkness lurking just beyond our understanding. It will keep you on edge until the final, chilling page.

https://www.bookbub.com/books/something-i-keep-upstairs-by-j-d-barker

[nursingwriter]

Topic: The Mental Health Impacts of Homelessness within Urban Communities Introduction: This paper shall discuss the social issue of homelessness and its impact on mental health in urban areas. It is chosen based on the focus of community psychology, which focuses on enhancing the functioning of individuals within communities and the broader society. Statement of the Problem: Housing also means homelessness, not just a dwelling that is not a 'house,' but a multifactorial health illness that profoundly affects the psychology and physical of societies globally—the problem of sexual violence increases in multicultural urban settlements due to host density and high socio-economic rates. Objectives: To reconsider the impact of homelessness on the mental health of people in urban contexts. To assess the outcomes of current interventions for homeless people that are delivered in community settings. We provide recommendations for the future to advance community psychology interventions that might alleviate these mental health concerns. Preliminary Literature Review: Source 1: Mental health problems amongst homeless people: The situation in major cities. Source 2: Looks at community-related support systems and plights with the efficacy of supporting homeless people. Source 3: Examines the effect of different aspects of urban environment stressors on homeless people's psychological health. Source 4: Summarizes contemporary policies and effects on providing mental health services to people experiencing homelessness. Source 5: Discusses the new interventions for mentally ill homeless people in the context of community mental health care services. Methodology Proposal: This research shall employ the case study research design and involve assessing data generated from other research studies conducted in urban regions. To achieve this, the author will search both journal publications and non—reference literature, such as reports compiled by specialist mental health bodies and research on urban growth. Bibliography: Hossain, M. M., Sultana, A., Tasnim, S., Fan, Q., Ma, P., McKyer, E. L. J., & Purohit, N. (2020). Prevalence of mental disorders among people who are homeless: An umbrella review. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 66(6), 528-541. Barker, S. L., Maguire, N., Bishop, F. L., & Stopa, L. (2018). Peer support critical elements and experiences in supporting people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 28(4), 213-229. Ingram, K. M., Corning, A. F., & Schmidt, L. D. (1996). The relationship of victimization experiences to psychological well-being among homeless women and low-income housed women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(2), 218. Hwang, S. W., & Burns, T. (2014). Health interventions for people who are homeless. The Lancet, 384(9953), 1541-1547. Martin, M. A. (1990). People experiencing homelessness mentally ill and community-based care: Changing a mindset. Community Mental Health Journal, 26, 435-447. Execution of the Proposal and Paper: The subsequent actions after this proposal will be to intensify the literature review, develop better designs to analyze the interventions and write about other proposed future interventions. The final paper will, however, focus on the psychological outcomes of scholars and clients, their needs, and potential community psychology interventions to address the challenges. In targeting the mental health effects of homeless people in urban neighborhoods, this paper will be of value in enhancing understanding and may lead to more tailored and perhaps more useful community-sensitive frameworks operating in tandem with community psychology principles. References Hossain, M. M., Sultana, A., Tasnim, S., Fan, Q., Ma, P., McKyer, E. L. J., & Purohit, N. (2020). Prevalence of mental disorders among people who are homeless: An umbrella review. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 66(6), 528-541. Barker, S. L., Maguire, N., Bishop, F. L., & Stopa, L. (2018). Peer support critical elements and experiences in supporting people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 28(4), 213-229. Ingram, K. M., Corning, A. F., & Schmidt, L. D. (1996). The relationship of victimization experiences to psychological well-being among homeless women and low-income housed women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(2), 218. Hwang, S. W., & Burns, T. (2014). Health interventions for people who are homeless. The Lancet, 384(9953), 1541-1547. Martin, M. A. (1990). People experiencing homelessness mentally ill and community-based care: Changing a mindset. Community Mental Health Journal, 26, 435-447.  https://www.paperdue.com/customer/paper/training-communication-sterilization-2181932#:~:text=Logout-,TrainingCommunicationSterilization,-Length2pages   Read the full article

[puyen05]

When Did Our Faces Become a Problem?

There’s actually a strange phenomenon happening in the digital age like people are looking at their own unfiltered faces and feeling like something is… off. Not necessarily unattractive, just wrong. This isn’t just about fun effects. This isn’t just about “wanting to look nice”. It’s about how technology is actively altering self-perception, reinforcing Eurocentric beauty standards, and feeding a growing crisis of digital dysmorphia.

When Beauty Standards Are Built Into the Code

Snapchat filters don’t just enhance; they reshape. They create an optimized version of beauty with porcelain skin, symmetrical features, and wide eyes. They always “enhance” faces in this specific way, as beauty standards are coded into these apps, reflecting racialized and gendered biases built into AI.

Jill Walker Rettberg (2014) calls this "filtered reality", the idea that technology doesn’t just reflect reality but actively changes how we see ourselves. Social media doesn’t just let us present ourselves; it dictates how we should look. Over time, we stop comparing ourselves to real faces and start comparing ourselves to algorithmically enhanced versions.

And it’s not just personal perception at play. It’s the technology itself that’s telling us what’s “beautiful”. Rettberg (2017) shows that even facial recognition AI is trained to favor certain features, reinforcing biased beauty ideals. These apps aren’t neutral; they actively shape our self-image.

Now, let’s take a second to process how messed up that is.

Coy-Dibley (2016) calls this "digitized dysmorphia", where people see their real selves as flawed compared to their filtered versions. Similar to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), this creates an obsession with “fixing” perfectly normal features.

This isn’t just theoretical. A 2020 study by Baker found that excessive filter use correlates with body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem, especially among young women. Think about the "Instagram Face" phenomenon, that sculpted, Kardashian-esque, hyper-feminine look that so many filters emulate. It’s not just a trend; it’s the result of an algorithm dictating what’s desirable.

That’s why plastic surgeons are now getting requests from people who want to look like their FaceTuned selfies. That’s why some people refuse to post pictures without at least a little retouching. That’s why the before picture in every glow-up trend looks like something that needs to be “fixed,” when in reality, it was just a normal human face.

When Did Natural Faces Start Feeling Like a Problem?

This all circles back to one question: when did our natural faces start feeling like something that needed an upgrade?

It’s not just that people like filters, it’s that filters have shifted our baseline for what a face is supposed to look like. The "before" picture in every glow-up trend isn't ugly, it’s just a face. But digital beauty culture has conditioned us to see anything unpolished as wrong.

And that’s the real problem.

Because when people start feeling like their raw, natural selves aren’t good enough, the issue isn’t them, it’s the system profiting off that insecurity.

It’s about recognizing that we’re not just using technology, technology is using us. The more we rely on these tools to “fix” our faces, the more we reinforce the idea that we need fixing in the first place.

So, the next time a filter subtly tweaks your features, ask yourself: Who decided this version of me was the “better” one? And more importantly, why did I believe them?

References

Barker, J. (2020). Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of snapchat. Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, 7(2), 207–221. https://doi.org/10.1386/fspc_00015_1

Coy-Dibley, I. (2016). “Digitized Dysmorphia” of the female body: the re/disfigurement of the image. Palgrave Communications, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/palcomms.2016.40

Rettberg, J. W. (2014). Filtered Reality. Seeing Ourselves through Technology, 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137476661_2

Rettberg, J. W. (2017). Biometric Citizens: Adapting Our Selfies to Machine Vision. Springer EBooks, 89–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45270-8_10