#arkady/lana

[queen-scribbles]

They're just shameless

Bonus:

[uncny-ba]

❝ Cheerleader? Well, cheers are important to warriors. Battle well-fought requires glory in form of cheers, ❞ Arkady smirked, raising an almost empty glass to Max...and barely keeping it in the air without spilling it all over himself. ❝ I was great warrior, ❞ he drew out another unnecessarily long sigh, as he haphazardly finished his glass, splashing some of the drink all over his mouth and chin. ❝ I fought very well out there, in fight clubs, in battles for territory, dominated my fellow warriors like great, invincible bull, ❞ he grinned, turning to the devil bartender with a devilish grin of his own, as he reminisced about his glory days long gone. ❝ I still am, and now I get paid very well, but there also more younger warriors with brain for tactics and strategy that mine is too old to understand, ❞ Arkady scowled at the flashing of a memory during the ash storm when a younger woman beat the living shit out of him around the crucible. She had better accent, too, that сука!

max has been called a great deal many things over the years, devil the least of his worries. only now, he's lost a bit of that. his charm, so to speak. the statement only reminds him of that. thankfully, he's better at disguising his discomfort than he is at dealing with it—much, much better. arkady is only drunk, anyway. if he couldn't handle the odd drunken misstep, he would have no business in the career he's in. "no, i'm just a cheerleader," he says, shrugging a shoulder. "i wouldn't want to break a nail." or anything else, for that matter. setting another drink down, he continues, "so what, are you any good? don't tell me you're one of those guys who gets in there just to be wailed on."

[ninja-muse]

As you can tell, my plan to acquire only two books this month went perfectly. No notes. 😰 On the upside, four of these I did not pay for and only one of them was full price, so it’s like I saved money.

I really do need to get better at reading off my physical TBR though. I’ve started a Storygraph challenge for myself, so we’ll see how that goes.

July started with a bookish bang: there was the planned bookstore visit (three books bought, not two, but I unhauled ten and used my credit), and then my dad came down so we could marathon the local Shakespeare festival, which was great! And somehow not the Shakespeare overdose I was worried about, and they nailed the play we were worried they weren’t going to.

After that, it’s been business as usual. I feel like I’m behind in my reading because Malady of the Mind took so long to get through, but honestly, I suspect I’m not because I’ve been blowing through lighter fiction on the side. The library’s finally getting April releases into circulation though, so I’ve had physical reads from them again. (Which will totally help my physical TBR goals, I know.) Very much looking forward to The Library Thief, which I picked up this week.

The only other noteworthy thing of the month is I discovered my library has an ebook of Rose/House by Arkady Martine! Except it’s in French, so it’s been taking me a bit to get through. I might not even get it done before it’s due back, but if so I’ll just check it out again because it is good, just … in French.

Click through to see everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

Malady of the Mind - Jeffery A. Lieberman

A history of schizophrenia, with a hopeful ending.

10/10

warning: detailed descriptions of the symptoms of schizophrenia and past and present medical and societal treatments of the mentally ill

reading copy

The Reappearance of Rachel Price - Holly Jackson

Bel’s participating in a documentary about the disappearance of her mother sixteen years ago when her mom walks back in the door. Now nothing is okay.

8.5/10

Black British secondary character

warning: kidnapping, gaslighting, psychological abuse

library ebook

The Pairing - Casey McQuiston

Theo is over Kit. Four years over, which means there’s enough distance to take their dream European food tour solo and close the book. Except Kit had the same idea. Out in August.

8/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonists (bi man, bi enby), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary and incidental characters (sapphic, achillean), 🏳️‍🌈 author

reading copy

Dear Wendy - Ann Zhao

Two aroace teens start competing college advice columns. Professionally they’re rivals. Unknowingly, they’re becoming friends.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonists (aroace), Chinese-American protagonist, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, bi, demisexual), Indian-American secondary character, Black secondary character, Latin secondary character, Chinese-American author, 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: aceophobia

library book

Goodnight Tokyo - Atsuhiro Yoshida

Interwoven stories about nighttime life in Tokyo. A prop procurer seeks the perfect items, a crack detective seeks his father’s films, a diner owner seeks a past customer, and more.

7/10

Japanese cast, Japanese author

reading copy

Peking Duck and Cover - Vivien Chien

Lana’s helping run the Chinese New Year celebrations at Asia Village and everything’s going great—until someone kills a lion dancer.

7/10

Taiwanese-American protagonist, largely Chinese-American cast, Taiwanese-American author

warning: gun violence

borrowed from work

The Tomb of the Mili Mongga - Samuel Turvey

A conservationist seeking fossils in Indonesia is sidetracked by a local legend of a giant wild man, and along the way muses on extinction, human cultures, folklore, and our place in the world.

7.5/10

Indonesian secondary characters

library book

My Love in Stitches, Vol. 1 - Emily Gossmann

Frankie’s trying to get her life together when she meets Momo, but dating her is going to be hard. First, she needs a job, and also their friends are dead set on keeping them apart….

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonists (sapphic), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), 🏳️‍🌈 author, 🇨🇦

kickstarted/off my TBR

The Dishonest Miss Take - Faye Murphy

Desperate to clear her name after a murder she didn't commit, a superpowered former villain stumbles onto a mystery—and a curious assassin. Out in September.

5.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (sapphic), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic)

digital reading copy/won

Picture Books

It’s Raining Bats & Frogs - Rebecca Colby

The witch parade is in danger of being rained out but one young witch has the solution. Or does she?

Scorch, Hedgehog of Doom - Cate Berry

Scorch is going to be the biggest, baddest hedgehog ever, no matter what.

Into the Goblin Market - Vikki VanSickle

Two sisters live near the goblin market. When one seeks out its temptations, the other follows to save her.

Reread

Timeline - Michael Crichton

In the late 1990s, a tech company finds a way to send people to the Hundred Years’ War. Immediately, things go wrong.

7/10

warning: misogyny, attempted sexual violence

library ebook

Currently reading

A Gentleman from Japan - Thomas Lockley

The true story of a Japanese man who found himself at the court of Elizabeth I.

warning: slavery, orientalism

library book

Rose/House - Arkady Martine

There is a body within Rose House—two, if you count its architect, who ordered the house shuttered with his passing and left to its AI. Only one person is allowed to enter now, and she’s accounted for. And yet there is a body within Rose House….

library ebook

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories.

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 9 + 1 + 3 Yearly total: 68 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 3 Books by women: 5 Authors outside the binary: 1 Canadian authors: 1 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 1 Books hauled: 11 ARCs acquired: 4 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 0

January February March April May June

[graysonclarke96]

Marvel: Young Avengers Protocol to Origins of Grayson Clarke.

Character to Actor:

The Clarke Family:

Grayson Clarke- Chris Wood

Zoey Clarke- Lily Collins

Sally Clarke- Kim Rhodes

Thomas Clarke- Christopher Cousins

The Stacy Family:

Gwen Stacy- Madison Iseman

Simon Stacy- Jacob Tremblay

Phillip and Howard Stacy- Freddie Highmore

Helen Stacy- Susanna Thompson

George Stacy- Mark Harmon

Jill Stacy- Emma Watson

Arthur Stacy- Sean Bean

Paul Stacy- Paul Walker

Miles Warren- Dave Annable

The Parker Family:

Ben Parker- Tom Cavanaugh

Richard Parker- Daniel Gillies

Mary Parker- Rachel Leigh Cook

The Morales Family:

Miles Morales- Jordan Fisher

Rio Morales- Danielle Nicolet

Jefferson Davis- Russell Richardson

Aaron Davis- Donald Glover

Young Avengers:

Rayshaun Lucas- Trevor Jackson

Kate Bishop- Hailee Steinfeld

Daisy Johnson- Shan Dodd

Bobbi Morse- Olivia Holt

The Fantastic Four:

Reed Richards- John Krasinksi

Susan Storm- Hilarie Burton

Johnny Storm- Zach Roerig

Ben Grimm- Conan Stevens

Defenders:

Luke Cage- Michael Jai White

Jessica Jones- Jessica De Gouw

Matt Murdock- Colin Donnell

Danny Rand- Josh Segarra

Marc Spector- Stephen Amell

Elektra Natchios- Julia Voth

X-Men:

Charles Xavier- Patrick Stewart

Logan- Hugh Jackman

Hank McCoy- Ewan McGregor

Ororo Munroe- Sonequa Martin-Green

Scott Summers- Sam Claflin

Jean Grey- Jane Levy

Kurt Wagner- Thomas Doherty

Bobby Drake- Brandon Flynn

Emma Frost- Josephine Langford

Piotr Rasputin- Daniel Cudmore

Warren Worthington- Alex Pettyfer

Alex Summers- Lucas Till

Sean Cassidy- Cameron Monaghan

Kitty Pryde- Danielle Rose Russell

Anna Marie- Elizabeth Gillies

Elizabeth Braddock- Michelle Keegan

Danielle Moonstar- Blu Hunt

Megan Gwynn- Natalie Dormer

Roberto De Costa- Froy Gutierrez

Illyana Rasputin- Anya Taylor-Joy

Tyrone Johnson- Roshon Fegan

Tandy Bowen- Virginia Gardner

Rahne Sinclair- Rose Leslie

Sam Guthrie- Charlie Heaton

(Various other students)

Brotherhood of Mutants:

Eric Lehnsherr- Dacre Montgomery

Raven Darkholme- Pauley Perrette

Cain Marko- Nathan Jones

Victor Creed- Liev Schrieber

Todd Tolenksy- Aramis Knight

Fred Dukes- William Berry

Dominic Petrakis- Toby Kebbell

Karl Lykos- Luke Evans

Jeanne-Marie Beaubier- Kaya Scodelario

Arkady Rossovich- Dolph Lundgren

Laynia Krylova- Tracy Spiridakos

(Various other Mutants)

Villains:

Otto Octavius- Mark Sheppard

Sergei Kravinoff- Manu Bennett

Flint Marko- Dominic Purcell

Max Dillon- Aaron Paul

Curt Connors- Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Morgan Le Fay- Katie McGrath

Martin Li- Stephen Oyoung

Lana Baumgartner- Emily Wickersham

Victor Von Doom- Viggo Mortensen

Carl Creel- Brian Patrick Wade

Wendigo King

Aleksei Sytsevich- Andrey Ivchenko

Tony Masters- Jason Statham

Edward Whelan- Julian Bleach

Zebediah Killgrave- David Tennant

Benjamin Pointdexter- Edgar Ramirez

Melissa Gold- Maika Monroe

Morrie Bench- Ben Foster

Thundra- Rebecca Quin

Sinthea Schmidt- Phoebe Tonkin

Other Characters:

Tim Elwood- Drew Roy

Grace Elwood- Lauren Roy

Ava Ayala- Tristan Mays

Felicia Hardy- Marie Avgeropoulos

Morgan Tyler- Hartley Sawyer

Flash Thompson- Michael Provost

Elena Gold- Nicola Peltz

Riri Williams- Candice Patton

Kamala Khan- Iman Vellani

Dante Pertuz- Jake T. Austin

MJ Watson- Sophie Skelton

Harry Osborn- Liam Hall

Norman Osborn- James Redford

Mendel Stromm- David Dayan Fisher

Cletus Kasady- Jackie Earle Haley

Eddie Brock- Alan Ritchson

J. Jonah Jameson- J.K. Simmons

Jean De Wolfe- Sandra Bullock

Jennifer Walters- Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Yuri Watanabe- Tara Platt

Richard Rider- Liam McIntyre

Sam Alexander- Dylan O'Brien

Eileen Harsaw- Camilla Belle

Mikhail Uriokovitch Ursus- Olivier Richters

Rachel Van Helsing- Katheryn Winnick

Jacob Russoff- Kristofer Hivju

Eric Brooks- Duane Henry

Robbie Reyes- Tyler Posey

Kari Lyngley- Katherine McNamara

Jared Lyngley- Ross Lynch

Bruce Banner- Eric Bana (Re-cast)

[thisiswhymomworries]

Bisexual / Pansexual Book Reccs

links to Asexual / Aromantic, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender / Non-Binary sheets

TCCL stands for Tulsa City-County Library, in Oklahoma. These reference sheets list the books physically available (not including ebooks only) at the 24 library locations in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For folks outside of this range, I suggest double-checking your local libraries, as well as the apps OverDrive, Hoopla, and YourCloudLibrary!

An online version of this list can be found at https://bit.ly/2kqkA0E. This goodreads shelf includes ebooks, new releases, and books not available at the library! It also features a notes section that specifies which character is bisexual or pansexual, their exact identity if stated in the text, and whether they are a main or side character.

In the shelf list along the left side of the page, you can also find shelves for other LGBT+ identities, as well as books featuring characters that are disabled, fat, mentally ill, neurodivergent, and people of color. All the books are cross-tagged, so a book featuring a black disabled trans woman would appear in the shelves named disabled, POC, and transgender.

transcription below the cut!

Books with Bisexual / Pansexual Characters Available at TCCL

(format: Title Author Genre)

Temper Fargo, Layne Mystery

Indigo Springs Dellamonica, A. M. Fantasy

Wilder Girls Power, Rory YA Horror

Sorcery of Thorns Rogerson, Margaret YA Fantasy

Final Draft Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

If It Makes You Happy Kann, Claire YA Romance

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter Hall, Alexis Fantasy

The Girl in Red Henry, Christina Fantasy / Horror

Technically, You Started It Johnson, Lana Wood YA Romance

Broken Things Oliver, Lauren YA Mystery

Mask of Shadows Miller, Linsey YA Fantasy

Ruin of Stars Miller, Linsey YA Fantasy

Six of Crows Bardugo, Leigh YA Fantasy

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue Mackenzi, Lee YA Historical Fiction

A Darker Shade of Magic Schwab, V. E. YA Fantasy

A Gathering of Shadows Schwab, V. E. YA Fantasy

A Conjuring of Light Schwab, V. E. YA Fantasy

Seven Ways We Lie Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

Missing, Presumed Dead Berquist, Emma YA Fantasy / Mystery

The Lost Coast Capetta, Amy Rose YA Fantasy

Don’t Date Rosa Santos Moreno, Nina YA Romance

These Witches Don’t Burn Sterling, Isabel YA Fantasy

Red, White, & Royal Blue McQuiston, Casey YA Romance

Furyborn Legrand, Claire YA Fantasy

Kingsbane Legarand, Claire YA Fantasy

False Hearts Lam, Laura Science Fiction

Not Your Sidekick Lee, C. B. Teen Fantasy

Seven Blades in Black Sykes, Sam Fantasy

Failure to Communicate Sønderby, Kaia Science Fiction

On the Edge of Gone Duyvis, Corinne YA Science Fiction

A Duke in Disguise Sebastian, Cat Romance

All the Wrong Places Gallagher, Ann Romance

Radio Silence Oseman, Alice YA Fiction

Our Own Private Universe Talley, Robin YA Romance

Not Otherwise Specified Moskowitz, Hanna YA Fiction

Spellbook of the Lost and Found Fowley-Doyle, Moïra YA Fantasy

Leah on the Offbeat Albertalli, Becky YA Romance

Bingo Love Franklin, Tee Graphic Novel

Autoboyography Lauren, Christina YA Romance

Carry On Rowell, Rainbow YA Fantasy / Romance

Sawkill Girls Legrand, Claire YA Horror / Fantasy

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy Mackenzi, Lee YA Historical Fiction

Noteworthy Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

Naamah Blake, Sarah Historical Fiction

Belly Up Darrows, Eva YA Fiction

How Not to Ask a Boy to Prom Goslee, S. J. YA Romance

Ace of Shades Foody, Amanda YA Fantasy

King of Fools Foody, Amanda YA Fantasy

The Devouring Gray Herman, Christine Lynn YA Fantasy

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Chambers, Becky Science Fiction

The Light Brigade Hurley, Kameron Science Fiction

After the Eclipse Dorricott, Fran Mystery

Shallow Graves Wallace, Kali YA Horror / Fantasy

A Memory Called Empire Martine, Arkady Science Fiction

Ship of Smoke and Steel Wexler, Django YA Fantasy

Wake of Vultures Bowen, Lila Western / Fantasy

The Song of Achilles Miller, Madeline Historical Fiction / Romance

Queens of Geek Wilde, Jen YA Romance

[venndaai]

Some Chocolate Box recs bc I want to get to this while the exchange is still anon for once-

My two other ABSOLUTELY AMAZING gifts, seriously I am so overwhelmed by how lucky I was this year

This is the Way The World Ends- The Expanse, Chrisjen/Bobbie Nemesis Games h/c sex, 3k words, PERFECTION

You Get What You Need- Dragon Age, Dorian/Bull, 2.5k words, a pitch perfect Chargers rescue Dorian fic that gave me everything I wanted

other recs:

(these are faaar from everything I liked, but they’re all quite niche and deserve more eyes!)

産巣日 - The Authority, Jenny Sparks/Shen Li-Min, super niche but very hot comics f/f

small comforts - Dragon Age, Leliana/Cassandra, intimate sweet slice of life with a great Leliana pov

your reward's in the sweet by and by - Dishonored, Billie/Dierdre and Billie/Delilah, so automatically I love it, but also it’s a twisted little Lotus Eater Machine story and <3<3<3

Rush - His Dark Materials, Lee/Iorek - a brave soul has taken the plunge and written explicit man/talking bear sex. Let that be either warning or enticement? The prose is very witty and delightful. 

Exploding Kittens and Other Shuos Shenanigans - Machineries of Empire, Mikodez & Zehun & cats - I really, really love that this fandom continues to produce the quality content I really care about, ie, anything involving Mikodez & Zehun & cats. 

sans peur et sans reproche - The Strange Case of Starship Iris, Arkady/Sana- really good precanon mission mishap/h/c/fake relationship/just... good stuff.

Frayed - SWTOR, Lana & Theron - FRIENDSHIP. warmed my heart. 

[brookston]

Holidays 1.12

Holidays

Amenzu n Yennayer (a.k.a. Aseggwas Amaziɣ, ⴰⵙⴳⴳⴰⵙ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ or Amazigh New Year; Algeria)

Batman Day

Bikini Appreciation Day

Eat Crackers and Try to Whistle Day

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men

HAL Day (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Hen Galan (Welsh New Year)

International Shape Tape Day

Kiss a Ginger Day

Lift Every Voice and Sing Day

Little League Girls Baseball Day

Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)

National Handwriting Day

National Kettlebell Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Youth Day (India)

Night of the Balloons (Austria)

Ovank’a (Elder Scrolls)

Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)

Public Museum Day

Roller Skating Day

Rubber Band Veteran Day

Stick To Your New Years' Resolutions Day

Stroke Prevention Day (UK)

Work Harder Day

Working Woman's Appreciation Day

Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Curried Chicken Day

French Onion Soup Day

National Glazed Doughnut Day

National Hot Tea Day

National Marzipan Day

2nd Thursday in January

Family Communications Day [2nd Thursday]

Healthy Weight, Healthy Look Day [2nd Thursday]

Independence Days

New Canada (a.k.a. New States of Canada; Confederated; 2012) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aelred of Rievaulx (Christian; Saint)

Allied (Christian; Saint)

Anthesteria (Festival to Dionysus, Greek God of Intoxication)

Arcadius (Christian; Saint)

Benedict Biscop (Christian; Saint)

Bernard of Corleone (Christian; Saint)

Ciwarartri (a.k.a. Siwarratriis; Night of the gof Shiva; Bali)

Compitalia (Slave festival to household gods Lares and Manes; Ancient Rome)

Festival of Sarasyati (Hindu Goddess of Wisdom)

Marguerite Bourgeoys (Christian; Saint)

Night of Hekate Suppers (Pagan)

Noble Fraggle (Muppetism)

Penne for Your Thoughts Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Sellers Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Swami Vivekananda Jayati (West Bengal, India)

Tatiana (Christian; Saint)

Tyrrius (Christian; Saint)

Ullr Festival (Mythical God of Winter)

Zoroaster (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [6 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [7 of 30]

Premieres

All in the Family (TV Series; 1971)

All Shook Up, recorded by Elvis Presley (Song; 1957)

Baby One More Time, by Britney Spears (Album; 1999)

Batman (TV Series; 1966)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway Musical; 2014)

Despacito, by Daddy Yankee (Song; 2017)

Dynasty (TV Series; 1981)

Hullabaloo! (Musical Variety TV Show; 1965)

King of the Hill (Animated TV Series; 1997)

Led Zeppelin, by Led Zeppelin (Album; 1968)

Lifeboat (Film; 1944)

Ottone, by George Frederic Handel (Opera; 1723)

Pearl, by Janis Joplin (Album; 1971)

Portnoy’s Complaint, by Philp Roth (Novel; 1969)

Shadow of a Doubt (Film; 1943)

The Shop Around the Corner (Film; 1940)

True Detective (TV Mini-Series; 2014)

The Wallflower, by Etta James (Song; 1955)

Today’s Name Days

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Austria)

Tanya, Tatyana (Bulgaria)

Bernard, Ernest, Tanja, Tatjana (Croatia)

Pravoslav (Czech Republic)

Reinhold (Denmark)

Ande, Antonia, Tooni (Estonia)

Toini (Finland)

Tatiana (France)

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Germany)

Tatiane, Tatiani (Greece)

Ernő (Hungary)

Modesto, Probo, Tatiana (Italy)

Reinholds, Reinis, Ringolds (Latvia)

Cezarija, Cezarijus, Ernestas, Lingailė, Vaigedas (Lithuania)

Reinert, Reinhard (Norway)

Antoni, Arkadiusz, Arkady, Benedykt, Czech, Czechasz, Czechoń, Czesław, Czesława, Ernest, Ernestyn, Greta, Reinhold, Tycjan (Poland)

Tatiana (Romania)

Ernest (Slovakia)

Arcadio, Nazario, Tania, Tatiana (Spain)

Frideborg, Fridolf (Sweden)

Tetiana, Tania (Ukraine)

Alain, Alaina, Alan, Alana, Alanna, Alayna, Allan, Allen, Allena, Lana, Lanna (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 12 of 2023; 353 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 2 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 19 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Dōngyuè), Day 21 (Geng-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 19 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 19 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 12 Aer; Fiveday [12 of 30]

Julian: 30 December 2022

Moon: 73%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 12 Moses (1st Month) [Zoroaster]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 23 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 22 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.12

Holidays

Amenzu n Yennayer (a.k.a. Aseggwas Amaziɣ, ⴰⵙⴳⴳⴰⵙ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ or Amazigh New Year; Algeria)

Batman Day

Bikini Appreciation Day

Eat Crackers and Try to Whistle Day

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men

HAL Day (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Hen Galan (Welsh New Year)

International Shape Tape Day

Kiss a Ginger Day

Lift Every Voice and Sing Day

Little League Girls Baseball Day

Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)

National Handwriting Day

National Kettlebell Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Youth Day (India)

Night of the Balloons (Austria)

Ovank’a (Elder Scrolls)

Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)

Public Museum Day

Roller Skating Day

Rubber Band Veteran Day

Stick To Your New Years' Resolutions Day

Stroke Prevention Day (UK)

Work Harder Day

Working Woman's Appreciation Day

Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Curried Chicken Day

French Onion Soup Day

National Glazed Doughnut Day

National Hot Tea Day

National Marzipan Day

2nd Thursday in January

Family Communications Day [2nd Thursday]

Healthy Weight, Healthy Look Day [2nd Thursday]

Independence Days

New Canada (a.k.a. New States of Canada; Confederated; 2012) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aelred of Rievaulx (Christian; Saint)

Allied (Christian; Saint)

Anthesteria (Festival to Dionysus, Greek God of Intoxication)

Arcadius (Christian; Saint)

Benedict Biscop (Christian; Saint)

Bernard of Corleone (Christian; Saint)

Ciwarartri (a.k.a. Siwarratriis; Night of the gof Shiva; Bali)

Compitalia (Slave festival to household gods Lares and Manes; Ancient Rome)

Festival of Sarasyati (Hindu Goddess of Wisdom)

Marguerite Bourgeoys (Christian; Saint)

Night of Hekate Suppers (Pagan)

Noble Fraggle (Muppetism)

Penne for Your Thoughts Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Sellers Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Swami Vivekananda Jayati (West Bengal, India)

Tatiana (Christian; Saint)

Tyrrius (Christian; Saint)

Ullr Festival (Mythical God of Winter)

Zoroaster (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [6 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [7 of 30]

Premieres

All in the Family (TV Series; 1971)

All Shook Up, recorded by Elvis Presley (Song; 1957)

Baby One More Time, by Britney Spears (Album; 1999)

Batman (TV Series; 1966)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway Musical; 2014)

Despacito, by Daddy Yankee (Song; 2017)

Dynasty (TV Series; 1981)

Hullabaloo! (Musical Variety TV Show; 1965)

King of the Hill (Animated TV Series; 1997)

Led Zeppelin, by Led Zeppelin (Album; 1968)

Lifeboat (Film; 1944)

Ottone, by George Frederic Handel (Opera; 1723)

Pearl, by Janis Joplin (Album; 1971)

Portnoy’s Complaint, by Philp Roth (Novel; 1969)

Shadow of a Doubt (Film; 1943)

The Shop Around the Corner (Film; 1940)

True Detective (TV Mini-Series; 2014)

The Wallflower, by Etta James (Song; 1955)

Today’s Name Days

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Austria)

Tanya, Tatyana (Bulgaria)

Bernard, Ernest, Tanja, Tatjana (Croatia)

Pravoslav (Czech Republic)

Reinhold (Denmark)

Ande, Antonia, Tooni (Estonia)

Toini (Finland)

Tatiana (France)

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Germany)

Tatiane, Tatiani (Greece)

Ernő (Hungary)

Modesto, Probo, Tatiana (Italy)

Reinholds, Reinis, Ringolds (Latvia)

Cezarija, Cezarijus, Ernestas, Lingailė, Vaigedas (Lithuania)

Reinert, Reinhard (Norway)

Antoni, Arkadiusz, Arkady, Benedykt, Czech, Czechasz, Czechoń, Czesław, Czesława, Ernest, Ernestyn, Greta, Reinhold, Tycjan (Poland)

Tatiana (Romania)

Ernest (Slovakia)

Arcadio, Nazario, Tania, Tatiana (Spain)

Frideborg, Fridolf (Sweden)

Tetiana, Tania (Ukraine)

Alain, Alaina, Alan, Alana, Alanna, Alayna, Allan, Allen, Allena, Lana, Lanna (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 12 of 2023; 353 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 2 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 19 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Dōngyuè), Day 21 (Geng-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 19 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 19 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 12 Aer; Fiveday [12 of 30]

Julian: 30 December 2022

Moon: 73%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 12 Moses (1st Month) [Zoroaster]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 23 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 22 of 30)

[fuckyeaharkadyivanovich]

arkady ivanovich smoking  // born to die — lana del rey

[corainne]

First of all, congrats on getting a step closer to figuring out your sexuality! (It gets easier)

Unfortunately I'm only really aware of two books featuring a realisation/coming out arc, I'm not sure whether that's a gap in the market or just me being unaware of them bc I don’t read a ton of YA where that might be a bit more common:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (YA Historical Fiction set in the 1950s)

Infamous by Lex Croucher (YA-ish Historical Fiction set in the early 19th century)

But a few other wlw I've read and enjoyed are:

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth (YA contemporary)

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales (YA contemporary, this one is about bisexual female mc falling in love with a male love interest, so this might not be what you're looking for, but the book delves into bisexual identity and their place in the queer community, so I wanted to include it in case that might be something you would be interested in reading)

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (YA contemporary)

She Gets the Girl by Rachel Lippincott and Alyson Derrick (Adult Contemporary)

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake (Adult Contemporary, the sequel Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is coming out soon and might feature a coming out arc, I'm not sure)

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (Adult Contemporary with a spot of paranormal activity)

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (NA scifi)

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (Adult Scifi, the romance is a very, very minor part of the book tho)

The Jasmin Throne by Tasha Suri (Adult Fantasy)

The Unbroken by CL Clark (Adult Fantasy)

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan (Adult Fantasy, describing this as just wlw is a bit misleading, think genderqueer sapphic ace mc)

Payback's A Witch by Lana Harper (Adult Urban Fanrasy)

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (Adult cozy fantasy)

And a few others I haven't gotten around to yet but are quite well known:

The Henna Wars and Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (YA contemporary)

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Adult Fantasy)

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (YA contemporary)

Malice by Heather Walter (YA fantasy)

I hope this was helpful to you, hmu if you want any more

Hey. Hi. Hello. Well, well surprise, I have recently realized I am not, in fact, as straight as I thought. I was wondering if anyone could recommend me any w/w books about it? I would really appreciate it. Especially the realizing you are queer/coming out ones since that's the stage I am finding myself in. Thank u very much.

[queen-scribbles]

Taking advantage of a bonus day off to meta about my spy son and his relationship with his Sith gf. :D

It was really interesting with Arkady's run through SoR and RotE, watching his opinion on Lana change. When I started the prelude stuff, I wasn't sure they were going to work, considering he's... not the biggest fan of the Sith. (refresher: he grew up on Ziost and watched a Sith kill his best friend as a teen for "mouthing off". [read: not groveling enough] There was no punishment or anything bc that's The Sith's Right as Superior Beings and he's always been quietly furious about that.) And he was suspicious of Lana at first. But much as I hate the "you're not like other [X]" trope, it does sort of apply here.

Lana is far more practical, level headed, and open minded than any other Sith he's met. And, more importantly, she doesn't act like she's superior simply for being Sith. She listens to his insight, acknowledges and even compliments his skill(and others'). And not in the flattering, hope-to-distract-you way Darth Arkous does; her praise is genuine. That she trusts him with her concerns says volumes to Arkday and goes a long way towards softening his opinion, as does her willingness to work with Theron from Depths of Manaan onward. She's cunning, subtle, and patient, and all those are things he admires.

There is, admittedly, a bit of a setback in his opinion after her "let Theron get captured" stunt on Rishi; the events of the Agent story have made him really sensitive to anything that resembles betrayal from within or not being able to trust your own team. He does insist she apologize, even if he can see her logic. Trust is paramount in something like this. Still, he can appreciate her ability to assess the situation, weigh risk/cost against benefits and make a call quickly in the field, even if he emphatically disagrees with that call.

She's invaluable, and picks up spycraft so quickly he's pretty sure she would have made an amazing operative if she didn't have the Force and get claimed by the Sith. In turn, he's not shy about telling her that. He thinks she's doing an impressive job with the limitations of not knowing who to trust, the lack of resources that includes, and the immensity of what they're facing. By the time they get to the end of Yavin 4 and the aftermath of fighting Revan/the Emperor's escape, he's a a big fan of This One Sith in particular, and has no problem with Marr putting her in charge of Sith Intelligence(even if he rankles at the general concept; he's gone free agent, this doesn't affect him xD). He is, in fact, effusive in his support of this, encouraging to her before they part, and quite saddened by the thought of how long it might be before their paths cross again(if ever). He likes her quite a bit.

In RotE, I was worried I was setting him up for no smooch bc he only took the flirts that seemed in character, and I know pub-side you have to take them all to get a Theron smooch. Lana is not so picky. xD Even if it wasn't Lana asking, he would have jumped to help seeing as Ziost is his home planet. (WHOOPS 😬) He didn't take the first flirt, no matter how glad he was to see her, bc it didn't feel right, under the circumstances. He gets the rundown on what's happening and her plan for dealing with it and backs her immediately. "If that's what you think we should do, we'll do it." He does think she's in over her head, but only bc the chaos unfolding on Ziost would be over anyone's head, even if they were standing on someone else's shoulders. Fortunately, since both he and Theron are here to help, that's three of them and maybe they can get one of their heads above water, so to speak.

It does, of course, only reinforce his general dislike of Sith as power-hungry tyrants(Lana and Marr being literally the only exceptions to this in his experience). He very deliberately doesn't say anything about the fact Theron had to modify the "pacification" weapon to be non-lethal(meaning it was lethal to start. :) The Sith were willing to kill their own people :) for expressing discontent. :)) Lana, do you see where he might have a problem?). There are bigger fish to fry. Like Vitiate.

Master Surro proved another ~Arkady Disapproves~ moment wrt Lana. Having had his mind played with and prodded, he's not inclined to let that happen to anyone, even if she is a Jedi. Lana, of course, thinks he and Theron are soft-hearted and irresponsible for not following what they could learn from this. Arkady doesn't think it will be worth it(who's to say there's any evidence of what Vitiate did or how he took/maintained control? You could break or kill her and gain nothing and she's been through enough.) [PS. He didn't say anything in KotFE ch 4 about Valkorion being in his head. This moment right here is why]

Even with that leaving a sour taste in his mouth, and the fact their big, last-gasp plan does not seem to have worked for more than ten seconds, he still admires her. She kept the Sith Emperor from taking over her mind, thought and acted decisively under extreme pressure(hot), worked well with other even with personal friction, and did the best she could with an impossible situation. When they fail, and Ziost is devoured (and he sure feels Some Kind of Way about that, even if he didn't have a lot of fond memories of home, it was home), Lana acknowledges the failure, figuratively dusts herself off, and thinks about what to do going forward.

It's very sexy, to him, the way she never seems daunted and presses on regardless. Of course he's not going to let her do it alone. Of course he's going to help. However she needs.

This method of helping is 100% fine with him. :3

I may do a separate post about their KotFE/ET era relationship (making it official etc) once he's further along than KotFE ch 5, but I will say: after the nightmares Arkady went through in carbonite, Lana's face being the first one he saw coming out of it was an immeasurable relief.

[joyffree]

📚 Our Book Picks for the Week 📚 Reviews and Recommendations Sept 20th 🔗 The Devil's Plaything by Dani René 🕛 Stealing Cinderella by A. Zavarelli 🏙️ Gay for Pay by T.M. Smith  ⚖️ Surrender: XXX Maxim by Lana Sky 🩺 Seduction by Z.L. Arkadie 🕵️ Clockwork Stalker by Cari Silverwood See our full reviews and recommendations https://joyffree.blogspot.com #darkromancebooks #gaslamp #fantasy #carisilverwood #seduction #romanticsuspene #newadultromance #gothicromance #zlarkadie #lanasky #MafiaRomance #lgbtq #mmromancebooks #tmsmith #fairytaleretelling #billionaireromance #romance #AZavarelli #DaniRene https://www.instagram.com/p/CFX6p4uAaMB/?igshid=1x3akeuqc5sed

[queen-scribbles]

ROMANCE: LOCKED

[queen-scribbles]

The blondes are Judging You™

[queen-scribbles]

It begins👀👀👀

And, actually, it's perfect. I was worried I might have to skip the earlier flirts bc of Ary's (unfavorable) opinions of the Sith. That it might be ooc to take them. But this feels like him putting on the seducer persona. Being who he needs to be. Wearing the mask of suave ex-Intelligence agent back for Just One More Mission™.

Except the last one. That's genuine. Arkady loves a good mystery, and the vaguer the better. Given Lana seems of like mind, this looks to be a very interesting venture, and he finds himself looking forward to it.

[queen-scribbles]

He must be stopped

bonus, with the babe