#Brooke Bolander

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group F Round 1

[image ID: the first image is of the Protagonist of Melatonin. he's a young man wearing a pink hoodie, black sweatpants, and pink slippers, sleeping on a couch in a dark living room, illuminated only by a TV and a small lamp. on his chest is an open laptop. the living room is populated with items like books, gaming equipment, empty cups, glasses, and paper coffee cups, and an empty pizza box. the second image is the book cover of The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brook Bolander. the cover is light green and blue, with a lined drawing of an elephant's head layered under a transparent, yellow radiation symbol. end ID]

Protagonist

Literally super relatable dude. Bestie has sleep problems and dreams about stuff that we usually worry or stress about. Things like money or the future or whatever. Despite the dreams feeling challenging sometimes he still manages to persevere and sleep through the night though! Not me trying to explain the plot of a rhythm game- that’s the best I can do LMAO he’s just a silly guy with a good sense of rhythm and a poor sleep schedule (omg it’s me)

Topsy

After US Radium is forced to stop using human workers on account of all the cancer it's been giving them, it switches to larger animals who won't be affected as easily. Enter Topsy the elephant, whose Mothers were killed when she was still too young to reach the mangos on the high branch and was paraded in the circus until she plucked a spectator who teased her like the ripe red fruit, and who is now being taught how to use poison to paint numbers on dials by a dead girl with rotting bones. Years later, Disney will make a movie in which Topsy realises that revenge is never the answer and continues to help the war effort but that is not the story from the history books and it is especially not the Story that the Many Mothers tell to teach their calves why they glow.

[goosemixtapes]

max's favorite short stories & articles!

to be updated as i read new things! "articles" could be anything from political points to philosophical musings to fascinating stories. obligatory statement that i don't necessarily agree with everything in every one of these stories/articles, but i think about them a lot and want to share :)

short stories

Avi Cantor Has Six Months To Live by Sacha Lamb (@kuttithevangu) (novella) (so says the writing on the bathroom mirror. of gender & judaism & magic and t4t trans guys. cw for suicidal ideation and bullying)

Epistolary by Sascha Lamb ("The [stuffed] frog you are selling on your blog is MINE and he is NOT HAUNTED and his name is MOSHE not BILLY HOPPER.")

Chokechain by Andrew Joseph White (a trans man discovers his parents have replaced him with a robot version of his pretransition self. cw for transphobia and violence)

Sandrine by Alexandra Munck (the tagline for this one is "I dated a sun god in college" but that doesn't do justice to the sheer concept here please read this)

The Traveler Wife by yves. @yvesdot (an astronaut writes to the wife she left back home)

You Wouldn't Have Known About Me by Calvin Gimpelevich (set in a hospital ward where patients are recovering from gender-confirming surgery)

No Flight Without the Shatter by Brooke Bolander (novella) ("After the world’s end, the last young human learns a final lesson from Earth’s remaining animals." cw for climate change/extinction)

And You Shall Know Her By The Trail Of Dead by Brooke Bolander (what if you had to death-match-fight a virtual version of yourself at your meanest made by your boyfriend whose life you're trying to save would that be fucked up or what. cws for guns and violence)

Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang (stories that clock you in the fucking teeth in the religious trauma.)

A Serpent for Each Year by Tamara Jerée (microfiction) ("Our relationship is almost a year old when I ask Nal why she is covered in snakes." cw for animal death)

The Front Line by W.C. Dunlap (microfiction) (cited as one of the world's finest attention-grabber openings. cws for police brutality, racism, and SA)

Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience by Rebecca Roanhorse (step into the simulation and gain an authentic experience! cws for anti-Native racism and alcohol)

articles & essays

Lockhart's Lament (on how math is taught in schools. that is, badly. one of the most cathartic essays i've ever read on education)

Against Cop Shit by Jeffrey Moro (on adversarial education)

I Am A Transwoman. I Am In The Closet. I Am Not Coming Out. by Jennifer Coates (do you have to be out to be a woman? cw for transphobia, homophobia, and eating disorders)

Debunking "Trans Women Are Not Women" Arguments by Julia Serano (comprehensive, well-written, good to have as a reference point)

On Liking Women by Andrea Long Chu (and on the politics of desire)

Turning a Unicorn Into a Bat by Josh and Lolly Weed (on Mormonism, love, and whether a gay man and a straight woman can marry happily. cw for homophobia)

Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price (musings on motivation from a social psychologist and professor)

How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Peterson (how come everything happens so much?)

White Women Drive Me Crazy by Aisha Mirza (on the harm caused by white women. cw for racism)

Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong by Michael Hobbes (should be required reading for everyone at this point. cw for fatphobia and eating disorders)

Becoming Anne Frank by Dara Horn (on the cultural fascination with Anne Frank. cw for antisemitism)

The Ecstasy of Influence by Jonathan Lethem ([on/a] plagiarism)

On the Ethics of Boinking Animal People by Patricia Taxxon (video essay) (ostensibly what the title says, but actually a detailed musing on the essential properties of furry media and the freedom of dehumanization; changed my life a bit)

[wulfhalls]

any good book recs, queen?

imma just throw out everything I've read this year so far it hasn't been that much but there were some all time favs in there. wait no not everything fuck the name of the rose fuck that book so hard don't read it EVER i was engaged in a prolonged fight to the death with it and the victory was not worth the price i paid. anyways. WOLF HALL TRILOGY!!!!!!!!! LIFE CHANGING READING EXPERIENCE!!!!!!! BEST BOOK(S) IVE EVER READ NO JOKE NO EXAGGERATION NO HYPERBOLE!!!!! william faulkner - absalom absalom, as I lay dying, light in august, alice hoffman - the dovekeepers, john steinbeck- east of eden, jane austen - persuasion, john williams - butcher's crossing, brooke bolander - the only harmless great thing, ernest hemingway - the old man and the sea, virginia woolf - to the lighthouse, mrs dalloway, kazuo ishiguro - when we were orphans, a pale view of hills, gabriel garcia marquez- a chronicle of a death foretold, kurt vonnegut - slapstick or lonesome no more. also DUNE because everyone should read DUNE and I never let an opportunity pass me by to recommend DUNE

[taleswritten]

Under the cut is a list of muses I have for those who can’t open the google doc. Note: the google doc has detailed information about them so if you can, please open it up.

Bold is primary, italic is secondary, regular is by request.

TVD/TO/LEGACIES:

ELENA GILBERT

KATHERINE PEIRCE

DAMON SALVATORE

ALARIC SALTZMAN

LIZZIE SALTZMAN

josie saltzman

caroline forbes

bonnie bennett

Klaus Mikaelson

FINAL FANTASY:

CLOUD STRIFE (ff7r)

aeirth (ff7 remake)

tifa (ff7 remake)

Jill Warrick (ff16)

Clive Rosfield (ff16)

snow villiers

THIRTEEN REASON’S WHY:

Justin Foley

Bryce Walker

Jessica Davis

Clay Jenson

911/911 LONE STAR:

ATHENA GRANT

MADDIE BUCKLEY

OWEN STRAND

TK STRAND

GRACE RYDER

AHS:

Brooke Thompson

Montanna Duke

donovan

BBC SHERLOCK:

SHERLOCK HOLMES

BRIDGERTON:

Simon Bassett

Daphne Bridgerton

kate sharma/bridgerton

BTVS/ATS

Buffy Summers

CORDELIA CHASE

CAOS:

SABRINA SPELLMAN

ONE CHICAGO:

natalie manning

JAY HALSTEAD

ADAM RUZEK

KIM BURGESS

Hank Voight

CRIMINAL MINDS:

Spencer Reid

Emily Prentiss

DAREDEVIL:

MATT MURDOCK

DEXTER:

DEXTER MORGAN

DCTV:

SARA LANCE

JOHN CONSTANTINE

SPOONER

EUPHORIA:

JULES VAUGHN

RUE BENNETT

FROM DUSK TIL DAWN:

Seth Gecko

Kate Fuller

GOOD GIRLS:

BETH BOLAND

Greys’ Anatomy:

meredith grey

JO WILSON

CARINA DELUCA

Ameila Shepard

GAME OF THRONES:

DANY

Jon Snow

Sansa Stark

NCB HANNIBAL:

WILL GRAHAM

HAUNTING OF BLY MANNER:

DANI CLAYTON

PETER QUINT

HEMLOCK GROVE

PETER RUMANCEK

HTGAWM:

CONNOR WALSH

LAW AND ORDER SVU:

OLIVIA BENSON

Elliot Stabler

kathleen stabler

alex cabot

casey novak

LOST GIRL:

BO DENNIS

LUCIFER:

CHLOE DECKER

lucifer morningstar

mazikeen

MINDHUNTER:

Holden Ford

POSE:

ANGEL EVANGALISTA

BLANCA EVANGALISTA

PRODIGAL SON:

MALCOLM BRIGHT

RIVERDALE:

ARCHIE ANDREWS

BETTY COOPER

TONI TOPAZ

CHERYL BLOSSOM

FP Jones

JUGHEAD JONES

ROSWELL NEW MEXICO:

MAX EVANS

LIZ ORTECHO

STRANGER THINGS:

NANCY WHEELER

BILLY HARGROVE (BILLY’S TATTOOS POST SEASON THREE HERE )

STATION 19:

Vic Hughes

SUPERNATURAL:

Dean Winchester

THE MAGICIANS:

ELIOT WAUGH

MARGO HANSON

THE WITCHER (GAME, TV SHOW, AND BOOK MIXED MEDIA):

GERALT (please note, geralt has cat-eyes. not the eyes we see in the show. if you need a visual, think game geralt)

CIRI

TRUE BLOOD:

SOOKIE STACKHOUSE

TARA THORTON

jessica hamby

JASON STACKHOUSE

SAM MERLOTTE

WYNONNA EARP:

WYNONNA EARP

WAVERLY EARP

NICOLE HAUGHT

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY:

KLAUS HARGREEVES

ALLISON HARGREEVES

VAN HELSING:

Vanessa Van Helsing

YOU:

BECK

JOE GOLDBERG

LOVE QUINN

THEO

FORTY QUINN

DCU:

WONDER WOMAN/DIANA PRINCE

HARLEY QUINN (au verse 1 here)

DESCENDANTS:

HARRY HOOK

MAL BERTHA

EVIE GRIMHILDE

MCU:

DEADPOOL/WADE WILSON

EDDIE BROCK/VENOM

STEVE ROGERS/CAPTAIN AMERICA

WANDA MAXIMOFF

BUCKY BARNES

NATASHA ROMANOFF

YELENA BELOVA

THOR

LOKI

MICHAEL MORBIUS

Peter Parker (the amazing spiderman)

POTC:

CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW

ASSASSIN’S CREED SERIES:

JACOB FRYE

EVIE FRYE

EIVOR

KASSANDRA

DETRIOT BECOME HUMAN:

Connor

DRAGON AGE:

MORRIGAN

FENRIS

GARRETT HAWKE

MARIAN HAWKE

CYBERPUNK:

V (both male and v, both streetkid and corpo)

JOHNNY SILVERHAND

JUDY ALVAREZ

LAST OF US:

joel miller

ELLIE

LEGEND OF ZELDA:

LINK

RESIDENT EVIL:

ADA WONG

LEON KENNEDY (previously traumamade)

ETHAN WINTERS

LADY DIMITRESCU

Claire Redfield

dimitrescu daughters

TOMB RAIDER:

LARA CROFT

UNCHARTED:

NATHAN DRAKE

BLEACH:

ichigo kurosaki

GRIMMJOW JAEGERJAQUEZ

VAMPYR:

JOHNATHAN REID

BLACK BUTLER:

SEBASTIAN MICHAELIS

BLUE EXORCIST

RIN OKAMARU

HELLSING:

SERAS VICTORIA

INTEGRA HELLSING

NARUTO:

NARUTO UZUMAKI

TSUNADE

SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

BAN

VAMPIRE KNIGHT:

yuuki cross/kuran

ZERO KIYRUU

OUAT:

Regina Mills

Emma Swan

SOA:

JAX TELLER

VENUS

GEMMA TELLER

WHITE COLLAR:

Neal Caffrey

FAR CRY:

FAITH SEED

NEW AMSTERDAM:

MAX GOODWIN

CRUELLA:

CRUELLA DE VILLE

MASS EFFECT:

JOHN SHEPARD

JANE SHEPARD

KAIDAN

SAMARA

KASUMI

MIRANDA

DOCTOR WHO:

rose tyler

GOSSIP GIRL REBOOT:

ZOYA LOTT

MAX WOLFE

DOOM PATROL:

JANE

LARRY TRAINOR

A WAY OUT:

LEO CARUSO

CASTLE:

RICHARD CASTLE

BITTEN:

ELENA MICHAELS

TEEN WOLF:

CHRIS ARGENT

ALLISON ARGENT

SCOTT MCCALL

LYDIA MARTIN

STILES STILINSKI

THE FLASH:

BARRY ALLEN

NORA WEST ALLEN

BART WEST ALLEN

IRIS WEST

CAITLYN SNOW

KILLER FROST

SUCKERPUNCH

BABY DOLL

SHADOW HUNTERS

ISABELLE

ALEC

HOUSE OF ASHES

JASON

THE MEDIUM

MARIANNE

THE LAST KINGDOM

UHTRED RAGNARSON

Iseult

MOON KNIGHT

STEVEN GRANT/MARC

FIRST KILL

Calliope Burns

Juliette Fairmont.

THE QUARRY

Kaityln Ka

Dylan Lenivy

Laura Kearny

THE SANDMAN

Dream/Morpheus

INTEVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

Louis De Pointe

Claudia

HORIZON SERIES

Aloy

THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY (TV SERIES)

Rose Hathaway

NETFLIX’S WEDNESDAY

Wednesday Addams

Morticia Addams

Enid Sincliar

DAYS GONE

Deacon St. John

QUEEN CHARLOTTE - A BRIDGERTON STORY

Queen Charlotte

MAYFAIR WITCHES

Rowan Fielding

Critical Role (currently caught up to episode 97 and both seasons of the animated show)

Vax

Vex

Keylith

THE EVIL WITHIN

Sebastian 

Baldur's Gate 3:

Astarion

Karlach

Orin

Hazbin Hotel:

Angel Dust

Charlie Morningstar

Niffty

Alastor

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Neutralised (1994) [3/?]: My Version of The Shared Universe

For those of you unfamiliar with 'Chicago Hope', it was actually set in a shared universe. Also, 'Suspiciously Similar' characters will be involved (Due to actors playing multiple roles). This is my take on that:

Shows:

Chicago Hope

Homicide: Life on the Street

Law & Order

Neutralised

Oz

Picket Fences

characters (I'm not listing anyone who was in 20 episodes or less) under the cut. Also technically these are not all the characters as I'm still writing stuff.

Chicago Hope - Characters (& Actors):

Doctor Aaron Shutt (Adam Arkin)

Doctor Phillip Watters (Hector Elizondo)

Doctor William 'Billy' Kronk (Peter Berg)

Doctor Dennis Hancock (Vlondie Curtis-Hall)

Doctor Diane Grad (Jayne Brook)

Doctor Keith Wilkes (Rocky Carroll)

Doctor Jack McNeil (Mark Harmon)

Doctor Daniel Nyland (Thomas Gibson)

Doctor Jeffrey Geiger (Mandy Patinkin)

Nurse Camille Shutt (Roxanne Hart)

Doctor Lisa Catera (Stacy Edwards)

Alan Birch (Peter MacNicol)

Doctor Joseph Cacaci (Bob Bancroft)

Doctor Robert Yeats (Eric Stoltz)

Doctor Gina Simon (Carla Gugino)

Doctor Jeremy Hanlon (Lauren Holly)

Doctor Francesca Alberghetti (Barbara Hershey)

Homicide: Life on the Street - Characters (& Actors)

Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer)

Detective Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson)

Lieutenant Alphonse Giardello (Yaphet Kotto)

Detective Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor)

Detective Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher)

Detective / Sergeant Kay Howard (Melissa Leo)

Detective Mike Kellerman (Reed Diamond)

Officer/Detective/Lieutenant Stuart Gharty (Peter Gerety)

Detective Paul Falsone (Jon Seda)

Lieutenant/Captain/Detective Megan Russert (Isabella Hofman)

Detective Laura Ballard (Callie Thorne)

Detective Terri Stivers (Toni Lewis)

Captain/Colonel George Barnfather (Clayton LeBouef)

ASA Ed Danvers (Željko Ivanek)

J.H.Brodie (Max Perlich)

Detective Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin)

Detective Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty)

Dr Julianna Cox (Michelle Forbes)

FBT Agent/Officer Mike Giardello (Giancario Esposito)

Detective Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele)

Dr. Alyssa Dyer (Harlee McBride)

Detective/Captain Roger Gaffney (Walt MacPherson)

Law & Order - Characters (& Actors)

Sergeant Maxwell Greevey (George Dzundza)

Junior Detective Michael Logan (Chris Noth)

Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek)

Exex ADA Benjamin Stone (Michael Moriarty)

ADA Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks)

DA Adam Schiff (Steven Hill)

Sergeant Philip Cerreta (Paul Sorvino)

Dr Elizabeth Olivet (Carolyn McCormic)

Senior Detective Leonard W Briscoe (Jerry Orbach)

Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson)

ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy)

Exec ADA/DA John McCoy (Sam Waterston)

Junior Detective Reynaldo Curtis (Benjamin Bratt)

ADA Jamie Ross (Carey Lowell)

ADA Abigail Carmichael (Angie Harmon)

Junior/Senior Detective Edward Green (Jesse L. Martin)

Interim DA Nora Lewin (Dianne Wiest)

ADA Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Röhm)

DA Arthur Branch (Fred Thompson)

Neutralised - Characters (& Actors)

Abraham Machado (Alfred Molina)

Andreina Neri (Robin Wright)

Caleb Willow (Cary Elwes)

Dove Lewis (Alfre Woodard)

Esmé Verity (Janaeane Garofalo)

Faustus Sanchez (Hank Azaria)

Grayson Bryant (Harold Perrineau)

Hunter Kingsley (Chris Farley)

Ichabod Mortimer (Danny DeVito)

Jared Foster (Kirk Acevedo)

Kane Carter (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

Lance Carter (John Goodman)

Monday Duke (Patricia Arquette)

Noam Gold (Oliver Platt)

Omega Finch (Willem Dafoe)

Peyton Blythe (Regina King)

Russel Warszawski (Adam Sandler)

Sullivan Landon (Christopher Lloyd)

Tuesday Duke (Reese Witherspoon)

Victor Jamison (Mike Myers)

Winslow Warszawski (Brad Garrett)

Xavier Solomon (David Spade)

Yancy Haggard (Kiefer Sutherland)

Zoey Knight (Geena Davis)

OZ - Characters (& Actors)

Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau)

Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen)

Ryan O'Reily (Dean Winters)

Kareem Saïd / Goodson Truman (Eamonn Walker)

Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo)

Vernon Schillinger (J.K. Simmons)

Simon Adebisi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)

Christopher Keller (Christopher Meloni)

Zahir Arif (Granville Adams)

Hamid Khan (Ernie Hudson Jr.)

Nacim Bismilla (Re Hanna)

Huseni Mershah / James Monroe Madison (Roger Guenvuer Smith)

Leroy Tidd / Salah Udeen (Jacues Smith)

Jefferson Keane (Leon)

Kenny Wangler (J.D. Williams)

Arnold 'Poet' Jackson (muMs the Schemer)

Paul Markstrom (O.L. Duke)

Junior Pierce (Malé-Lexington Alexander)

Malcolm 'Snake' Coyle (Treach)

Johnny Post (Tim McAdams)

James Robson (R.E. Rodgers)

Mark Mack (Leif Riddell)

Jaz Hoyt (Evan Seinfeld)

Scott Ross (Stephen Gevedon)

Andrew Schillinger (Frederick Koehler)

Nino Schibetta (Tony Schibetta)

Peter Schibetta (Eddie Malavarca)

Antonio Nappa (Mark Margolis)

Chucky Pancamo (Chuck Zito)

Dino Ortolani (Jon Seda)

Don Zanghi (John Palumbo)

Joey D'Angelo (Goodfella Mike G)

Mario Seggio (Todd Etelson)

Salvatore DeSanto (Phil Campanella)

Raoul 'El Cid' Hernandez (Luis Guzman)

Carmen 'Chico' Guerra (Otto Sanchez)

Carlos Martinez (Carlos Leon)

Carlo Ricardo (Juan Carlos Hernandez)

Cyril O'Reily (Scott William Winters)

Rev. Jeremiah Cloutier (Luke Perry)

Timmy Kirk (Sean Dugan)

Alonzo Torquemada (Bobby Cannavale)

Richie Hanlon (Jordan Lage)

Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe)

Bob Rebadow (George Morfogen)

Agamemnin Busmalis (Tom Mardirosian)

Donald Groves (Sean Whitesell)

Jackson Vahue (Rick Fox)

Desmond Mobay / John Basil (Lance Reddick)

Richard L'Italien (Eric Roberts)

Nikolai Stanislofsky (Phillip Casnoff)

William Giles (Austin Pendleton)

Henry Stanton (Thomas G. Waites)

Colonel Edward Galson (John Doman)

Eli Zabitz (David Johansen)

Kipekemie Jara (Zakes Mokae)

Dean Alvah Case (Charles S. Dutton)

Sean Murphy (Robert Clohessy)

Claire Howell (Kristin Rohde)

Diane Wittlesey (Edie Falco)

Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam)

Karl Metzger (Bill Fagerbakke)

Eddie Hunt (Murphy Guyer)

Lenny Burrano (Skipp Sudduth)

Father Ray Mukada (B.D Wong)

Doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Veldez)

Governor James Devlin (Željko Ivanek)

Martin Querns (Reg E. Cathey)

Doctor Frederick Garvey (Milo O'Shea)

Warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson)

Tim McManus (Terry Kinney)

Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (Rita Moreno)

Picket Fences - Characters (& Actors)

Sheriff James 'Jimmy' Brock (Tom Skerritt)

Doctor Jill Brock (Kathy Baker)

Kimberly Brock (Holly Marie Combs)

Matthew Brock (Justin Shenkarow)

Zachary 'Zach' Brock (Adam Wylie)

Deputy Kenny Lacos (Costas Mandylor)

Deputy Maxine 'Max' Stewart (Lauren Holly)

Carter Pike (Kelly Connell)

Ginny Weedon (Zelda Rubinstein)

Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel)

Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston)

DA John Littleton (Don Cheadle)

DA Barnaby Wood (Peter Frechette)

ADA Petrovic (Jason Beghe)

Father Gary Barrett (Roy Dotrice)

Laurie Bey (Marlee Matlin)

Howard Buss (Robert Cornthwaite)

Doctor Joanna 'Joey' Diamond (Amy Aquino)

Lisa Fenn (Alexandra Lee)

Frank (David Proval)

Rachel Harris (Leigh Taylor-Young)

Ed Lawson (Richard Masur)

Peter Lebeck (Michael Jeter)

Milton Lebeck (Chris Owen)

Reverend Henry Novotny (Dabbs Greer)

Principal Michael Oslo (Roy Brocksmith)

Cynthia Parks (Elisabeth Moss)

Bill Pugen (Michael Keenan)

Lydia Brock (Cristine Rose)

Aiesha Campbell (Bruklin Harris)

Brian Latham (Gregory Vignolle)

Agent Donald Morrell (Sam Anderson)

[eroticfriendfictions]

1, 3 and 4 four the book asks!

1. How many books did you read this year?

I'm hoping to still fit in some more before the year ends, but so far I've read 62 books.

3. What were your top five books of the year?

Not necessarily in any order:

The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series by Jessica Radloff

Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It by Kaitlyn Tiffany

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

This kind of matches with the previous answer, but I hadn't read anything by Grady Hendrix or Taylor Jenkins Reid before this year and I really enjoyed their work. Looking forward to reading more by them in the future.

Thanks!

Send me some end-of-year book asks!

[starsbbl]

Melbourne Stars BBL13 Season Preview

The 13th edition of the KFC Big Bash League is now just only one month away. 12 seasons have gone by and the competitions 'glamour' side the Melbourne Stars have been one of the dominant home and away teams across the first decade yet have failed to win any silverware thus far. After two bottom placed finishes over the last two seasons, the Stars are ready to bounce back and launch themselves back into the top half of the ladder.

The stars kick off their BBL 13 campaign on 7th December against the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba. There has been months of hard work behind the scenes and the squad is coming along nicely. Captain Glenn Maxwell missed the entire season last year with a broken leg and he's leadership and explosive batting will be a massive boost to the side this season. Marcus Stoinis had an interrupted campaign last season also and he's all round batting and bowling will again be sure to trouble opposition sides. The rest of the squad is looking really well balanced and are ready to take big strides. Sam Harper has returned to green after a stint with cross town rivals the Renegades. He will take the gloves and form a young opening partnership with the newly re-signed Tom Rogers. Maxwell, Stoinis and the big hitting Hilton Cartwright will be a formidable force in the middle order and the trio will be well supported by a younger brigade of up and coming stars.

One of the big issues over the last couple of seasons has been the bowling performances and there has been some significant changes. The clubs all time leading wicket taker Adam Zampa has moved on to cross town rivals the Renegades, however, the fast bowling stocks have received a big boost with Aussie hero Scott Boland returning, Joel Paris and Mark Steketee coming across and experienced veteran Nathan Coulter Nile signing on again. The overseas player draft was completed and with pick 1 the club took explosive Englishmen Harry Brook who will join what already is an exciting middle order of batsmen, rapid fast Bowler and fan favourite Haris Rauf from Pakistan will be returning and young leg spinner Usama Mir also from Pakistan will be pulling on the green. The squad has had some significant changes over the last 12 months and Stars fans should be excited about what is to come this season.

Predictions: Finish - 4th, leading run scorer - Glenn Maxwell, leading wicket taker - Haris Rauf.

[buzzdixonwriter]

Turn-On! Turned Off (coda)

A brief recap on the talent involved in Turn-On!:

In addition to Schlatter, Friendly, and Wolfe, and guest hosts Conway, Culp, and Nuyen, the show included some well established talent, some up and coming talent, some soon to vanish talent, and some really…odd talent.

Chuck McCann was doubtless the most famous person in the regular, a constantly working comedy actor who delivered the goods even with the most unpromising material.  He died in 2018.

Teresa Graves guest starred in a few TV shows and movies, then landed the eponymous roles in Get Christie Love, a popular female cop show in 1974.  Graves felt a spiritual calling, however, and abandoned show biz to become an evangelist.  She died tragically in a house fire in 2002.

Hamilton Camp is either the second or third most famous acting alumni from Turn-On! after McCann and Graves.  Another perennially working actor with scores of credits, he died in 2005.

Maura McGiveney played “The Body Politic” on the show and was arguably the most acclaimed performer in the group, having received a Golden Globe nomination in 1966.  Best known as a Broadway actress, she was also an established TV guest star by the time she joined Turn-On!.  Her last onscreen appearance was in 1987, she died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1990.

Mel Stwart is another old familiar face to TV fans, appearing in scores of films and TV shows.  Died of Alzheimer’s in 2002.

Bonnie Boland appeared on TV later in Love, American Style, a comedy anthology that used Turn-On!’s style for their interstitial skits and bumpers.  She also appeared in A Day at the White House which Imdb describes as “A woman sent by the President of the United States to infiltrate and bring down the Los Angeles porn industry instead falls in love with the well-endowed founder of the city's only rental house for animal sex performers.”  Whereabouts unknown.

Ken Greenwald is an actor / director nominated for an Oscar in 1971 for his short film, Good Morning. There is nothing on Imdb regarding him after that until 2009 when he made another short film, Dark Readings.  He appeared once on The Carol Burnett Show.  Whereabouts unknown.

Maxine Greene has appeared in a handful of independent productions since Turn-On!, the most recent in 2019.  Whereabouts unknown.

Carlos Manteca played every Hispanic stereotype imaginable on the show.  Past that, there are no known references.  Whereabouts unknown.

Cecile Ozorio’s acting career spans 1968-1970.  Whereabouts unknown.

Debbie Macomber also appeared in 1966’s Step Out Of Your Mind a now lost rock & roll exploitation film by legendary pornmeister Joe Sarno.  Whereabouts unknown.

Robert Staats played the only named character on the show, “E. Eddie Edwards,” a fast-talking sleazeball.  It’s a character he played again in movies like Night Call Nurses and Auditions.  He appeared in a couple of legendary early underground features, Putney Swope and The Projectionist with Chuck McCann.  Despite similarities with a similar character in Monty Python, Staats created his first.  Seeing him on Turn-On! makes one wonder if Dan Ackroyd’s sleazy salesman “Irwin Mainway” on Saturday Night Live derived inspiration from him.  Whereabouts unknown.

Among the writing staff:

Bob Arbogast is primarily known today as a voice actor.  Died 2009.

Albert Brooks is the best known member of the show’s writing team, though he admitted her never got what the show was supposed to be about.  He went on to become a stand-up comic and a film maker.

George Burditt wrote and produced numerous sit-coms.  Died 2013.

Ed Hider’s last known credit was in 1979 on The Soupy Sales Show.  Whereabouts unknown.

Norman Hudis’s writing career covered a whopping 52 years in both the UK and the US.  Died 2016.

Bryan Joseph wrote / story edited / produced TV sitcoms up to 1991.  Died 2008.

Jack Kaplan wrote for kid-vid and sitcoms.  His last known credit is in 1976 for an episode of Snip, a Lesley Ann-Warren sit-com that was cancelled before it premiered when NBC got cold feet over an openly gay character in it.  Whereabouts unknown.

Lester Pine started his career in stand up, then began writing for the screen in 1945.  At 52 he was the old man in the writers’ room.  Died of prostate cancer in 2001.

Steven Pritzker atoned for Turn-On! by writing for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and others. Whereabouts unknown.

 © Buzz Dixon

[ardentfan-45]

THE ASHES, 2023: DAY 1, 1st Test Match

After Australia's victory at the Oval in 1882, which was Australia's first test win in England, a notice was published in the British Newspaper called The Sporting Times. This notice was an obituary but not about any person rather it was about the death of English Cricket. The highlight of this notice was the infamous line "the body will be cremated and the ashes will be taken to Australia." England's first loss in their home conditions was a shocker for all the followers of English cricket and this notice published by The Sporting Times was the result of frustration, anger and immense disappointment towards English cricket as a whole.

However, this notice had large scale repercussions as the then English captain Ivo Bligh vowed to regain those ashes in the subsequent 1882-83 test series against Australia in Australia. Since the captain made such a statement before the away series in Australia, the media termed this series as a quest to regain the ashes. Consequently, each test series being played between England and Australia was called 'THE ASHES'

My honest opinion is that the context behind The Ashes and the subsequent quest to regain the ashes is the testament to the fact that cricketers are not bigger than the game of cricket and that all of them are liable to the ultimate stakeholders of the game i.e. the fans.

Back to 2023, this year's Ashes is termed as the ultimate test of England's new approach to Test cricket: Bazball. England under their new captain Ben Stokes have been largely successful with this new approach with 11 wins in 13 matches. Bazball essentially means to play aggressively and put the pressure back on the opposition irrespective of the situation. On being asked whether England would change their approach for The Ashes, Ben Stokes said that they would stick to their approach as they have built this approach over the past year or so & instilled confidence in this team to play freely without any unnecessary pressure.

Australia on the other hand are the reigning World Test Champions brimming with confidence & self belief with all their best players in roaring form. Australia throughout the last World Test Championship cycle have not been challenged though, except for India wherein they lost the series against India at home & had no answer to India's relentless onslaught. Hence dealing with England's Bazball approach would be very challenging for Australia & Australian Captain Pat Cummins said that they are raring to go out & give their best against England.

Day 1:-

1st session:

England opener Zak Crawley smashed the first ball bowled by Australian Captain Pat Cummins for a boundary through extra covers with the England Captain smiling heartily from the dugout. However Crawley's opening partner Duckett departed soon after with the scoreboard showing 22 runs. Ollie Pope came in at No. 3 & kept the scoreboard ticking along with Crawley. Both the right handers played the ball on merit & hit some exquisite boundaries in their 70 run partnership. Nathan Lyon got the wicket of the Pope just at the right time & England were 92-2 when their best batsman at the moment - Joe Root joined Crawley at the middle. Crawley completed his half century soon after with Root racing to 20 off just 33 balls. England were looking good with 30-32 run partnership between Root and Crawley when just at the stroke of lunch Scott Boland got the prized wicket of Crawley with an absolute snorter. England were 124-3 at lunch in just 27 overs. The genesis of Bazball is that batsmen should play aggressively irrespective of whether wickets are falling at the other end.

I would say this session belonged to England as they scored at a run rate of 4.5 despite of losing 3 wickets and the Australians seemed to be clueless against the English batters.

2nd session;

Hard-hitting batsman Harry Brook joined forces with Root post lunch & kept the run rate intact. Brook was dropped by Travis Head off Boland at 25 but he couldn't capitalize on the opportunity as he was dismissed in the most unfortunate manner against Nathan Lyon as the ball went up in the air with Brook having no idea where the ball is, it deflected on the stumps off his body & the Australians celebrated in unison as if they had earned this wicket. At 175-4, England's talismanic allrounder as well as their skipper - Ben Stokes marched out to the middle. However, Stokes didn't last long as he was caught behind of Josh Hazelwood trying a chase a ball on 5th stump line. Considering his form off late, Stokes could have taken time to settle in with Root batting so well at the other end but maybe Stokes wanted to walk the talk about Bazball being the skipper & hence he played that shot. Further on, England were in a spot of bother when Bairstow walked in with the score being 195-5. However both Root and Bairstow stitched a 45 run partnership as England were 240-5 at Tea, with Root scoring his 59th fifty in tests.

I would say this session was balanced out with Australia picking 2 important wickets and England scoring 116 runs.

3rd session:

The 3rd session started with an outrageous reverse scoop by Joe Root against Scott Boland for a six. Bairstow also joined the party as he played free flowing shots & raced to his fifty off just 51 balls. Both the batmen were absolutely dominating the Australian attack and a superb flick by Bairstow against Nathan Lyon ensured that their partnership crossed the 100 run mark. Further on, Bairstow was dropped on 68 by Alex Carrey off Hazelwood which was a regulation catch for a wicketkeeper. However Bairstow perished soon after as he was stumped trying to hit down the track against Lyon with England 297-6. Moen Ali who came out of retirement to play in The Ashes played some nice shots before being stumped by Lyon for 18 off 17 balls. Root played another reverse scoop against Pat Cummins in the very next over and reached 90 with Broad at the other end. England eventually reached 350 & almost immediately Broad was clean bowled by Cameron Green. Batting of the highest class by Joe Root as brought up his 30th Test hundred with England being 368-8. Just after completing his century, Root smashed Nathan Lyon for a couple of boundaries & subsequently England declared at 393-8 by giving Australians 4 overs to play.Warner & Khawaja, the Australian openers successfully negotiated Broad & Robinson with Australia being 14 for no loss at stumps on Day 1.

I would say this session was won by England as they smashed 153 runs losing just 3 wickets, the only positive for Australia in this session would be that they didn't lose a wicket in those 4 overs.

The declaration was a brave decision by England I feel because the wicket is totally flat & if Australian bowling attack can be smashed at 4.5 runs per over despite having Cummins, Hazelwood, Boland & Lyon, then England surely have their task cut out as they are heavily reliant on Anderson & Broad for picking up wickets. Moen Ali's record in Ashes is not too hopeful also as he averages 64.65 with the ball and tends to leak a lot of runs.

Looking forward to Day 2 now.

[republic-world]

ENG Vs AUS LIVE Streaming: How To Watch Ashes 2023 2nd Test In India, UK And US

Australia won the first of Test in the Ashes 2023 and will try to extend their 1-0 lead, whereas England will try to beat them to level the score in the 2nd Test.

The second Test of the Ashes 2023 series will start this Wednesday. ENG vs AUS witnessed a thrilling first Test in which Australia’s captain clutched the game in the end to seal the match by 2 wickets. The hosts, England, will try to exact revenge for their loss in the first game of the series and tie the series at one. Ben Stokes will serve as captain. Australia, the defending champions, are holding a crucial 1-0 lead and trying to extend it, as they recently won the World Test Championship 2023, beating India, and would like to continue their winning streak. 

Ben Stokes' unusual decision to declare England's first innings for 393 runs on the first day of the first Test against Australia startled everyone and contributed significantly to England's loss at the Edgbaston Test. Usman Khawaja batted superbly for Australia in both innings and kept the Australian team alive during the Test. Pat Cummins was another Australian player who distinguished himself as a hero after clutching the game on the last day. With the help of Nathan Lyon and their incredible record-breaking partnership for the ninth wicket, which shocked England as Australia was able to win the first game of the series.

Here is everything you need to know about the second Test of the Ashes 2023: 

Where is the 2nd Test of the England vs Australia, Ashes 2023 series being held?

The 2nd Test match of the ENG vs AUS, Ashes 2023 series is slated to be held at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

When will the 2nd Test of the England vs Australia, Ashes 2023 series begin?

The 2nd Test match of the ENG vs AUS, The Ashes series is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. IST on Wednesday, June 28, 2023

How to watch the 2nd Test of the ENG vs AUS Live streaming, Ashes 2023 in India?

Indian cricket lovers may watch live coverage of the first Test of the England vs. Australia, Ashes 2023 series on the Sony Sports Network. The game will be broadcasted live on the Sony Sports 5 and Sony Sports 5 HD networks. Sony LIV app and website will also offer live streaming of the game

How to watch the 2nd Test of the ENG vs AUS Live streaming, Ashes 2023 in UK and Australia?

On Sky Sports Cricket, cricket fans in the UK can watch live coverage of the first Test of the England vs. Australia, Ashes 2023 series. On the other side, Australian fans can watch the game live on Fox Sports and Channel 7

Also Read: Ashes 2023: Ollie Robinson finds some support from his vice-captain ahead of Lord's Test

What are the squads for England's Ashes match against Australia in 2023? 

Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green. Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne. Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh. Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

England: Ben Stokes (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley. Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence. Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson. Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

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[goosemixtapes]

tagged by @librarycarrd to post my favorite books of 2022 at the half point of the year! i’ve read a lot of mediocre books this year! also, luckily, some really really good ones! specifically, i’ve made an effort to read more nonfiction, which is... probably why 4/9 of these are nonfic. wild.

in rough order of preference, not counting rereads:

Gideon the Ninth & Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (lifechanging. earthshattering. showstopping. books i’d kill to have written)

Roman Shakespeare by Coppélia Kahn (“is this essays? like academic essays?” yeah. look away from me)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (only vampire media ever.)

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo (she never misses.)

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan (this is not a self-help book but i read it like one)

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon (everyone should read this)

The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (so fucking good and only ~100 pages)

The Ides by Stephen Dando-Collins (only last because i haven’t finished it yet but it is so good)

if you saw me post this without tagging people no you didn’t. um. @avi-why @lesbianedmund @suits-of-woe @princesskuragina @metaphysical-cheese @fifthlydoyoudream @plague-on-both-your-houses @narratorstragedy @werewolfsbutch if any of you should like to do this one!! absolutely no pressure of course :3

[spitonews]

Australia vs West Indies 2022 LIVE cricket scores: second Test, Day four highlights, results, latest updates; David Warner future, Ricky Ponting

Australia vs West Indies 2022 LIVE cricket scores: second Test, Day four highlights, results, latest updates; David Warner future, Ricky Ponting

TEAMS Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shamarh Brooks, Jermaine Blackwood, Devon Thomas, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Roston Chase, Alzarri Joseph, Anderson Phillip, Marquino…

[readsofawe]

Book 3: Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes

✡️✡️✡️✡️✡️/5

A new all time favorite collection! If you like Kelly Link, Brooke Bolander, and Catherine Valente’s darker stuff, this one’s for you

[imanes]

tangentially related i read the only harmless great thing by brooke bolander it' s like the radium girls but with elephants (im explaining it horribly sorry) but it's a gorgeous little novella i recommend it <3

that looks intense, i'm gonna look into it!! thanks for the rec <3

[thefolioarchives]

Reading of 2021, part II

I had higher hopes for publishing this list in January or whenever it was, but I’ve been sticking to my reading this year. Lately I’ve been trying to move away from my endless reading list on amazon. Something that sounded appealing 2 years ago, might not now. And I feel like my reading is better off for it. 

5. To Be Taught, if Fortunate by Becky Chambers Over the course of 2020, Becky Chambers quickly became one of my favourite authors. I love her sci-fi about normal people, how she writes about their day-to-day tasks (for example about astronauts on an expedition to explore 4 exoplanets) who simply go about their damn business. There exists such a joy amongst these characters, such a passion for what they’re doing. I love her way of describing alien life, how it’s important not to assume that life on other planets is the same as on Earth (WEAR A DAMN SPACE SUIT, KIRK JEEZ), and that life can exists within such different parameters. Loved this book so much. LOVED. 

6. The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander In a world where elephants are “sentient” and a whole world is impacted by the horrific death of one elephant, an event that occurred over a hundred years ago. Bolander has an interesting way of writing, intense and frenetic, and we’re constantly jumping back and forth in time. This is a novella and I think it could have benefited from being a longer piece. To let the world breathe a little more. 

7. The Queen’s Bargain by Anne Bishop When I was 17 I read Bishop’s Black Jewels trilogy and it had me hooked. It’s dark fantasy with a lot of romance and sex, and it talks about a lot important issues like consent and sexual abuse. Some of it is quite horrific and I have not read enough literature like this to be able to compare it to something else. This is the 10th Black Jewels book that has been published. It takes a while to get going and there is a lot of faffing about, and I appreciate that not everyone has the patience for that. I’m completely fine with it as I love this world that Bishop’s created and the characters and the magic system. Throughout the story, however, I’m constantly made aware of how long it’s been since the last time I read a Black Jewels book and I can’t remember some of the details. Bishop guides me through the story, taking this into consideration, sometimes a little too considerate. But what I’m left with is essentially wanting more. So much more. I want to read about the Scelties and more about their society in general. I want to read about Marian. Just more of everything please. 

8. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor The main character in this story is such a tour-de-force, such a complicated, angry, awesome and terrifying young woman. I love the comradery that develops between the different characters throughout the novel and how the they’re all trying to figure it out together. And finally a book about young people who actually! have! sex!

9. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells I’m not that familiar with androids and bots outside of Star Trek (Data is my favourite). So I’m finding this entrance into this subgenre very pleasant. This is Well’s second Murderbot novella. I love Murderbot’s interaction with the transport ship bot. There is such an interesting juxtaposition between the two and their relationship provides insight into what life is like for these mechanical life forms who serve humans, and suffer anxiety and depression as a side effect of their intelligence. The relationship between Murderbot and ART is lovely, and the scene of them watching TV shows together is precious. Because they care so deeply, as humans clearly don’t understand them. I hope these books take on creating a better dialogue between androids/bots and humans, because the humans in this universe clearly have no idea what they’ve invented. Murderbot has her governor module removed and she still ends up helping humans in the end, she’s ultimately obsessed with humans and what they create. This story fills me with such emotions and I heartily recommend. 

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

oh, the only harmless great thing is for SURE gonna fuck me up, huh