#v: memoirs of a call girl

[intergalacticstarlight]

(@ofyorkshire continued from here.)

Rose's gaze flickers down to her drink- a subtle thing in a sugar rimmed glass that seems unassuming enough, should someone approach -but it's the only indication BJ's words have landed.

Whisky browns lock onto him the moment he enters her periphery, though- the sight of the jacket broadening the smile on her lips until it creases the corners of her eyes. A giggle escapes, and she hides it behind her drink as it lifts to her lips and leaves sugary crystals behind afterward. It chills her as it goes down, fruity and unnecessary.

She's been high for hours.

Her thumbpads twirl the rings adorning every finger for the same reason BJ adorned that jacket. Golden chains of various sizes cascading down her front, earrings far too dangly for her taste that fell like water against her skin- each and every piece carefully curated for someone else.

Her eyes flicker to the commandeered cherry as it dangles by the stem, helpless and spinning, before looking back up to the man who'd stolen it as he speaks. The question is short, but sweet. She appreciates that.

"Yeah, sunshine," she grins, the tip of her tongue appearing at the corner of her mouth. Then the expression settles into a more conspiratorial one as she leans in just a bit, the undulating lights casting brilliant shadows and shades of color along her pale skin and golden hair. "Bright, hot, dangerous…"

A chuckle and a wink, and she leans back into a more natural sitting position. Her face, likewise, settles into a neutral expression.

"No but, really, though, it's-- it's like the sun doesn't know how important it is, mm?" A hand reached into a pocket, withdrawing a silver cigarette case and a lighter.

"Floatin' up there in space, givin' us light and warmth and nourishment, but you 'ave to wonder.. Does it know?" The ignition of a lighter, the spark of a flame, the burning end of a cigarette glowing softly as she takes a drag and exhales it upward.

"-D'you?" a raised eyebrow and a glance in his direction follows the inquiry.

[starry-night-rose]

“I’ll have you know, I’m tougher than I look!”

Character Playlist / Character Inspirations

Full Name: Molly Adelaide Primrose

Nicknames: Mol (Family), Mademoiselle Curieuse (Rook), Boxfish (Floyd)

V/A: Tiffany Tatreau (EN) Maekawa Ryoko (JP)

!Twisted from Wendy Darling from Peter Pan!

Age: 17

Birthday: August 31st

Horoscope: Virgo

Species: Human

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Height: 157 cm (or 5’2)

Hair Color: Light Brown

Eye Color: Dark Blue

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

Homeland: Queendom of Roses

Family: Unnamed Father, Unnamed Mother (deceased), Two Unnamed Younger Brothers

Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous

Dormitory: Heartslabyul

School Year: 2nd Year

Class: 2-C (No. 2)

Best Class(es): Magical History, Animal Languages, Astronomy

Worst Class(es): None! Or so she says...

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

Favorite Food(s): Wild Berries, Pastries, Roast Beef

Least Favorite Food: Turnips

Hobbies: Needlepoint, Reading, Taking Care of Others,

Dislike(s): Dust, Being Sick, Stubbornness

Talent(s): Swimming, Storytelling, Babysitting

Sexuality: Bisexual (Male Preference)

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

Personality: Molly is known around her dorm and the rest of NRC for being a responsible and dutiful young lady who would do anything to help others! Molly is also quite intelligent but does have a habit of being what is called a “know it all.” On the inside, Molly can also be very feisty and strives to be the best in all she can be! This can be seen as her being a perfectionist when it comes to grades and other subjects. Besides all of this, Molly is just a sweet girl who would do anything for those she loves!

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

Tw for Parental Death and Depression

Backstory: Molly was born in the Queendom of Roses to two loving parents. Later, she became an older sister to two younger brothers. However, this happiness was short lived as when Molly was seven, her mother passed away. This left Molly’s father in a deep depression that left him distant from his family. Molly decided to step up and take care of the family in place of her mother. This left Molly wanting to grow up much faster and to be more mature in order to take care of her family. Later, Molly was accepted into NRC and was sorted into Heartslabyul.

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

Trivia!

Molly has been swimming since she was little and has won many medals for it!

Molly absolutely loves bows and always tries to wear one in all of her outfits

Her favorite type of books are fantasy and memoirs!

Molly trained herself to write with both of her hands

Often is found scolding or patching up Porter Pierce (belongs to @rosietrace )

Molly claims to speak a multitude of animal languages such as porpoise and even dodo!

[jaynedolluk]

BOOKS OF 2022

Yes, you read correctly. I'm a ninny and forgot to post this last year so I'm posting it now so I can get all caught up. (2023's list is coming soon)

I got books on Inside No. 9 and Blake’s 7 (two of my favourite TV shows) plus a book about Alice in Wonderland (inspired by the V & A exhibition) and one about how Disney was inspired by rococo art (based on the exhibition that I think was held at the Wellcome but I could be wrong).

Also read Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s book, More More More which examined the art of maximalist interiors and Runway Bird by Irina Lazareanu which was sort of a style guide to being a rockstar’s girlfriend. I read Growing Up. Sex in the Sixties which looked at sex in society/popular culture at this time and Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall. I read Zoe Howe’s guide to witchcraft, Witchful Thinking plus Lisa Kroger + Melanie R. Anderson’s 2nd book, Toil and Trouble, which looks at notable women in the occult in America. Plus Dress Code by Veronique Hyland

Also managed to bag a copy of the book of Velour (the drag magazine) when I went to see Sasha Velour perform. I read And the Category Is by Ricky Tucker which examines the ballroom drag culture + voguing plus How You Get Famous by Nicole Pasulka which looked at the rise of some of the drag queens from the Brooklyn scene + the impact of Drag Race.

Read The Queer Bible which has various LGBT+ celebrities talking about the different people who inspired them and a couple of books which looked at the rise of lesbian popular culture in the early 2000s – The 2000s Made Me Gay by Grace Perry and Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gujowitz.

I don’t tend to read that many novels but I did read some really good ones this year – My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Yinka Where’s Your Husband? How to Kill Your Family and The Albion Initiative (the final part of the Newbury & Hobbes series of steampunk detective novels with an occult twist). And I finally managed to get round to reading Shuggie Bain (which I loved) as well as tracking down copies of The Elementals (Southern Gothic horror novel) and Interfictions (which contains the story about Nancy Spungen called Rats).

I read memoirs by Joan Collins + Esme Young (from Great British Sewing Bee) as well as an excellent biography on Jayne Mansfield called The Girl Couldn’t Help It and an oral history about Antony Bourdain called Bourdain.

I do tend to read a lot of music books. I read memoirs by Kid Congo Powers and Miki Berenyi plus Bodies by Ian Winwood (which looked at how the music industry affects mental health mixed in with his own story) and Exit Stage Left by Nick Duerden (which looked at what happened to a variety of stars after their fame dwindled). Also read Southend on Zine by Graham Burnett which was a history of fanzines in the Southend area which included interviews with a lot of the zine makers + touched on the history of alternative music/culture in the area.

One of my favourite books this year was Millenium Gothic by Dorian Bridges (known as of herbs and altars on YouTube) which deals with her growing up as a goth in the 00s but also deals with her mental health issues including anorexia and self harm. Another couple of favourite authors returned with second memoirs, Emma Forrest with Busy Being Free and Amy Liptrot with The Instant. Also Ione Gamble (who does the Polyester website + zine) wrote a brilliant book of essays called Poor Little Sick Girls which I highly recommend.

[hummingbirdsaltimolockia]

read more for breeze-by reviews of the books films and shows I read/watched in 2022

books

a tree grows in brooklyn (reread) - 5/5 cemented as one of my favorite books. reading it at 25 was very different from reading it at 18

lord of the flies - oof 5/5 v chilling

the neverending story - 2/5 the whole movie is in the first seven chapters and it just drags on from there and bastian was annoying

an absolutely remarkable thing - 3/5 interesting story that I wouldn’t usually read and it ended kinda ambiguously. the main character was a little annoying but it was good for the story

the curious incident of the dog in the night time - 2/5 kinda overrated in my opinion and was kinda a bummer overall

their eyes were watching god - 4/5 kinda a bummer too but v beautiful

walk two moons - 3/5 a little overly Solemn in my opinion

shadow of a bull - 2/5 a little boring and anti climatic

hooked - 5/5 sutton foster has been one of my favorite performers for years and I really enjoyed getting a closer look at her life

the women in the castle - 5/5 a very chewy read. not a book you can dismiss easily

the hearts of horses - 4/5 v unfortunately titled and covered, but v enjoyable slice of life read. actually related to the main character, and the horses were written realistically.

jack and jill - 3/5 very slice of life w Moral Lessons, and I didn’t really agree with the moral lesson

the boy who harnessed the wind -4/5 more memoir-y then I thought it would be but I liked it like that

wink: - 3/5 finished on 1/1/23 but I’m counting it. definitely worth the read but could’ve been better

films

red riding hood - 2/5 pretty silly plot but gary oldman was acting his pants off

the prestige - 3/5 v captivating but left me feeling ick

a monster calls - 4/5 almost as good as the book

atonement - 2/5 v pretty but. betrayled

gladiator - 5/5 v refreshing to see this type of movie, 2000s style

encanto - 3/5 not enough recovery time

moulin rouge - 3/5 wild but it could be deep

the caddy - 3/5 jerry lewis is the basis of my sense of humor

logan - 5/5 really liked seeing such a grounded superhero film

hanna - 3/5 underdeveloped as whole. woulda worked better as a mini series

last christmas - 3/5 liked the characters, well acted and written, didn’t like the twist

school of rock - 5/5 there is nothing wrong with this movie

to all the boys p.s i still love you - 3/5 silly conflict. girl just go to school

if I stay - 4/5 much deeper than I thought it was gonna be

sing - 3/5 loved the littel chameleon creature

the fantastic mr fox - 4/5 v strange but a little long

the exception - 1/5 left me feeling v ick

winter’s bone - 4/5 different from what I expected. v grounded and unsensational

beastly - 2/5 lol v v 2011 black cover ya book feeling. v silly

the giver - 3/5 better than I thought it would be. rushed through in favor of a more dramatic ending

the addams family - 5/5 enjoyed everything about this

the addams family values - 4/5 not as sharp as the first one but joan cusack is in it

nope - 5/5 sooo good. loved the concept of an animal like alien and everything was set up so well. does rely on the “don’t look a horse in the eye or it will go berserk” thing which is just. not true. (literally just be chill and the horse will be chill. it’s more about approaching them from the side than directly in front). but on the whole the horse portrayal was pretty good

vengeance - 3/5 got v tense after the twist. went some places. left me feeling hmm

good will hunting - 4/5 literally heard of this movie my whole life. it’s good

rampage - 2/5 I love big scary animal monsters but this got too big and silly

potc: on stranger tides - 3/5 the story was better than I thought it would be, but overall it wasn’t made with the same care as the og trilogy

potc: dead men tell no tales - 2/5 almost just stupid

spiderman: no way home - 4/5 everyone was acting their pants off and it was great

black panther: wakanda forever - 4/5 ran a little long but loved all the choices and visuals

weird - 3/5 what it says on the can. bizarre and funny

the princess switch 2 - 2/5

the princess switch 3 - 3/5 unexpected pathos???

hildago - 3/5 honestly think I would’ve liked it better if he shot the horse at the end :/ which is a horrible thing to say but

falling for christmas - 2/5 I did it for you miss lohan

disenchanted - 2/5 and one of those is solely for idina menzel singing

jojo rabbit - 5/5 tonally brilliant and surprisingly full despite being under two hours

glass onion - 5/5 v fun and v engaging from beginning to end

tv shows

attack on titan s4 pt 2 - 3/5 not enough levi. also can we just finish this dam story

stranger things s4 - 4/5 a lot of crunchy plot stuff happened, v curious to see how it will end

only murders in the building s2 - 4/5 not as strong as s1 but still v enjoyable

derry girls s3 - 5/5 no notes

kenobi - 3/5 not bad but also pretty unnecessary

this is us s6 - 3/5 pretty likely end to the series but the more I thought about it the more I didn’t like it

abbott elementary - 5/5 no notes. most enjoyable mockumentary I’ve seen

rutherford falls - haven’t finished the first season yet so reserving final judgement but so far so good

[lyndsyslnmrrsn]

Books I Read in 2022.

The Appalachian Trail: A Biography by Philip D’Anieri

Hiking Shenandoah National Park by Bert and Jane Gildart

Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans with Jeff Chu

One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin M. Kruse (audiobook)

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (audiobook)

Bible Gender Sexuality: Reframing the Church’s Debate on Same-Sex Relationships by James V. Brownson

The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry selected by Paul Kingsnorth

Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence by Diana Butler Bass

Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer (audiobook)

Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles (audiobook)

She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh (audiobook)

Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver

Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper

Like Streams to the Ocean: Notes on Ego, Love, and the Things That Make Us Who We Are by Jedidiah Jenkins

The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff (audiobook)

God is Here: Reimagining the Divine by Toba Spitzer

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain (audiobook)

Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green (audiobook)

The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why by Phyllis Tickle (audiobook)

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (audiobook)

Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery (audiobook)

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

Columbine by Dave Cullen (audiobook)

Material Methods: Researching and Thinking with Things by Sophie Woodward

The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg (audiobook)

[grumpygirlblog]

I Am Malala - A World-changing Autobiography

Period: End of sentence.

To me, that is not the end of something. That is a bandaid placed over an uncomfortable conversation that wished not to be had. There can always be more said. Rather than marking the end of something, it marks the beginning of a new series of ideas and questions. This phrase also represents menstruation in terms of women's rights activism and can be seen as not the end but the beginning of the destigmatization of menstruation. This opens up a broader picture that dives into more female taboos often not discussed. Period: End of sentence is the start of something new, something that will be talked about. It is the end of being made to feel less than for being a woman.

I Am Malala, written by Malala Yousafzai, is a memoir that highlights essential concepts regarding education for girls. This is not just an autobiography. It is a global call to action. If I could describe this book in one word, it would be:

World-changing.

Malala presents an accurate view of Islam, emphasizing that the faith itself contradicts education for all, accompanied by the misuse of religious principles by extremists. Her story highlights the struggles women and girls face in parts of the world where access to education is restricted by spiritual or religious influence. We see the message clear: education is a fundamental right. When these rights are accessible to women, we see higher success in economic and other societal factors. On top of that, we see EQUALITY!

Chance:

Malala was extremely lucky to have survived her assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012. What are the chances? We could ask another question: What are the chances someone has to to fight as hard as they do for education, then ends up shot?

Malala's circumstances seem unreal:

The timing and place where she was shot, the quick response from the medical team, the vast, global response to this attempt, and the traction her movement gained from this instance - this "chance." Not only was Malala traumatically assaulted and then saved by these chances, but her voice was amplified for the world to hear.

A world where every girl had access to an education would be a world of possibility; reduced poverty, better health circumstances, and better economic growth. We are excusing millions of extraordinary, potential minds by not providing them tools and resources. Women are more inclined to nurture and care, something this world needs. The result of equally available education would extend to families, societies, and nations, fostering a more equitable and prosperous world.

Unesco estimates over 160 million girls worldwide are not educated due to refugee status, war relocation, poverty and gender preference. 

Imagine what the world would look like if those were smaller numbers?

“One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.”

This is my favorite quote from the memoir. This is the perfect metaphor for who Malala is and her message. It shows we can start small. It shows that we do start small. This quote shows chance and how one must leap into the great unknown in hopes of change.

These messages are relevant today. We consistently witness ongoing struggles for women's rights and education in places like Iran and Afghanistan, even within specific contexts in the United States. We are currently facing one of the most significant women's rights controversies right here in the United States: Will Roe v. Wade be overturned?

The book’s relevance lies in its perpetual reminder that education is a universal right and a critical tool for empowerment and societal progress. Malala’s story reminds us that change is possible, and it often starts with one brave voice.

[hoodoverhollywood]

JAY-Z Warned Eve Female Rappers ‘Don’t Do That Well’ After Debut

Eve is about to release her memoir Who’s That Girl? so she’s been looking backwards in interviews — including to a long-ago conversation with JAY-Z. In an interview with the London newspaper The Times, E-V-E recalled that on the very day her 1999 debut album Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady dropped, she received a congratulatory phone call from Hov. AD LOADING… However, she told the…

[mediamonarchy]

https://mediamonarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240717_MorningMonarchy.mp3 Download MP3 Living robot skin, Houston linemen and Chicom-funded weed farms in New Hexico + this day in history w/dead end drive-thru and our song of the day by Sara Gonzales on your #MorningMonarchy for July 17, 2024. Notes/Links: Lab-grown, self-healing human skin designed to cover robot faces; ‘We managed to replicate human appearance to some extent…’ https://www.popsci.com/science/human-skin-robots/ Video: Japanese scientists create living robot skin with human cells | Latest News | WION (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0GTYl2sreQ Renaud – “Marche A L’Ombre” (Vinyl // Audio) https://www.discogs.com/release/9691364-Renaud-75-85 // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaud // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marche_%C3%A0_l’ombre_(album) // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHU6A3aG7iQ Trump endorses vaccine conspiracy theory in leaked call with RFK Jr. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/business/money-report/trump-endorses-vaccine-conspiracy-theory-in-leaked-call-with-rfk-jr/3363184/ Bobby Kennedy III, the son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Emily Black, is married to Amaryllis Fox. She is a writer, TV presenter, and public speaker. Prior to her marriage, Fox worked for the CIA, resigning from her duty post in 2010. She wrote a memoir called “Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA”, detailing her experiences at the agency. https://search.brave.com/search?q=Bobby+Kennedy+III+wife Video: Video shows Robert Kennedy Jr. on the phone with Trump one day after rally shooting (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jHLTgQ0VlQ Have you ever been somewhere that is basically indescribable and even a photo doesn’t fully show it? That was the burned down and rotting Portland Asian market I explored with @kevinvdahlgren and some scavengers yesterday https://x.com/cocainemichelle/status/1811799297299779876 Search: Portland Asian market burned down https://search.brave.com/search?q=Portland+Asian+market+burned+down Video: SHOCKING – A lineman who went to Houston after the hurricane to restore power lines says he will never return to Texas. (Audio) https://x.com/immeme0/status/1813075190445699466 Houston https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston Video: Officials call for end to violence, threats against linemen working to restore power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCGdv71jJ58 Georges Brassens – “La Mauvaise Réputation” (Vinyl // Audio) https://www.discogs.com/release/12245178-Georges-Brassens-Georges-Brassens-Studio-Harcourt // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Brassens // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRI9FEzfKDc #WeedWorldOrder: Bipartisan bill in Michigan would simplify marijuana business licensing | Just The News https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/bipartisan-bill-would-simplify-marijuana-business-licensing #WeedWorldOrder: Brazil’s Supreme Court decriminalizes marijuana possession https://www.dw.com/en/brazils-supreme-court-decriminalizes-marijuana-possession/a-69475215 #WeedWorldOrder: Inside the Chinese-funded and staffed marijuana farms springing up in New Mexico https://www.npr.org/2024/06/24/1238497863/chinese-marijuana-farms-new-mexico #WeedWorldOrder/Video: Inside the Chinese-funded and staffed marijuana farms springing up across the U.S. (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkA0O2Ie7hM Mano Negra – “Pas Assez” (Vinyl // Audio) https://www.discogs.com/release/16176282-Mano-Negra-Best-Of // https://genius.com/Mano-negra-pas-assez-de-toi-lyrics // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RiUrJnus34 #MorningMonarchy: July 17, 2017 – Friday Night Smackdown: Taiwanese Parliament Erupts Into Brawl https://mediamonarchy.com/20170717morningmonarchy/ #PumpUpThaVolume: July 17, 2017 ♬ DJ Shadow & BDAY GIRL Diahann Carroll https://mediamonarchy.com/20170717pumpupthavolume/ #MorningMonarchy: July 17, 2018 – Jeff Bezos plans to charge at least $200,000 for space rides https://mediamonarchy.com/20180717morningmonarchy/ #PumpUpThaVolume: July 17, 2018 ♬ Chromatics & Bombino ...

[topreviewin]

It was finally Rachel McAdams that gained the a part of Allie alongside Ryan Gosling’s Noah within the hit 2004 movie The Pocket book—however it may have been a slew of different ladies, together with Britney Spears, multiple outlets report.(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)And now, over 20 years later, Spears’ audition tape has been launched, a two-and-a-half-minute clip the place she turns into teary eyed whereas in character as she breaks the information to Gosling’s Noah that she is marrying Lon, performed by James Marsden. “I’m not staying,” Spears stated in a part of the monologue, per E! News. “I tried to call you to tell you that I wasn’t going to stay—but nobody answered the phone. Noah, you can’t marry two people. And I’m marrying Lon, so I should go, okay?”The movie’s casting director Michael Barry stated of Spears that “Britney wasn’t just good—she was phenomenal. It was a tough decision. Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day.”(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)Although the film didn’t come out till 2004, Spears auditioned in 2002, the identical 12 months her movie Crossroads hit theaters. In her memoir, The Girl in Me (launched at present), Spears expressed her reduction over not having to step back in entrance of the digital camera so quickly after Crossroads—as an alternative attending to concentrate on her music.(Picture credit score: Getty Photos) "The Girl in Me" by Britney Spears “The Notebook casting came down to me and Rachel McAdams, and even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club, I’m glad I didn’t do it,” she writes. “If I had, instead of working on my album In the Zone, I’d have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night.”On taking part in Lucy Wagner in Crossroads, Spears writes “I hope I never get close to that occupational hazard again. Living that way, being half yourself and half a fictional character, is messed up. After a while you don’t know what’s real anymore.” (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)Spears and McAdams weren’t the one two ladies up for the half—a star-studded listing, together with Claire Danes, Scarlett Johannsson, Amy Adams, Kate Bosworth, Jamie King, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Biel (who finally ended up marrying Spears’ ex, Justin Timberlake), had been additionally contenders for the function, The Daily Mail stories. (“Everybody who was anybody that year wanted this part,” Barry stated.)(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)Gosling went on thus far costar McAdams; he later instructed GQ “I mean, God bless The Notebook—it introduced me to one of the great loves of my life,” he stated. “People do Rachel and me a disservice by assuming we were anything like the people in that movie. Rachel and my love story is a hell of a lot more romantic than that.” window.reliableConsentGiven.then(function() !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function() n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments) ;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script',' fbq('init', '756449714459937'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); ) #Superstars #Auditioned #Rachel #McAdams #Half #Notebookand #RunnerUp #Britney #Spears

[octaviasdread]

any girls! dark academia movie recs? i really struggle to find anything not about a group of boys (as much as I love them)

SO MANY!!! This is probably a far more detailed answer than you were expecting but this is a popular question and I want to keep a list for myself and others.

Feel free to add to it/give opinions. I've tried to give a tw for anything I can remember

Girls! Dark Academia Movies/TV Shows

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

1950s Women’s college

Art professor! Julia Roberts

She’s legit the female Mr Keating of the art & college world

Feminism vs. Tradition

Maggie Gyllenhall x Ginnifer Goodwin; their characters were more than friends. Fight me.

Does not end how you expect

Strike!/All I Wanna Do/The Hairy Bird (1998)

MY FAVOURITE!!!

Free on YouTube under one of its various names

Comedy

1960s all girls boarding school

Young Kirsten Dunst

Group of girls plot to sabotage a merger with a boys school less prestigious than their own

Secret attic clubhouse meetings of the D.A.R aka Daughters of the American Ravioli (eaten cold, ew)

girls get political & advocate for their rights using ANY elaborate and chaotic scheme

TW: eating disorder, vomiting & creepy male teacher but the girls plot against him too

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

based on a short book I read for uni by Muriel Spark

1930s girls school in Edinburgh

Scottish teacher! Maggie Smith, controversial with a focus on romantic ideals

Spoiler alert, the liberal teacher is actually a fascist

Her group of fave students has cult- vibes and it’s fascinating

Picnic at Hanging Rock

1970s movie or 2018 mini series

Never watched either but I plan to

Wild Child (2008)

00s romcom every UK teen girl loves

Emma Roberts as the spoiled rich American teenager sent to a strict English boarding school

Plots to get herself expelled but oh no she’s making friends with the girls who help her

And the headmistress has a hot son, and he’s nice??? Double oh no

ICONIC SCENES

Everything! Goes! Wrong!

omg she burns the school down

Feel good, comfort, nostalgia

St Trinians (2007)

English girls boarding school

The kids are all criminals, no joke

So are the teachers

CHAOTIC

gay awakening for british girls

Art heist pulled off by school girls

Government tries to shut them down but oh no, the education minister & the headmistress are ex-lovers

Colin Firth x Rupert Everett in drag

Superior cast: Jodie Whittaker, Gemma Arterton, Juno Temple, Stephen Fry, Colin Firth, etc...

embodies the phrase 'problematic fave'

St Trinians 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (2009)

Mystery, pirate ancestors, hidden treasure

omg Shakespeare was a woman

girls disguised as boys to infiltrate and rob the posh boys school

Villain! David Tennant in that ICONIC boat scene

Teen girls vs. ancient misogynist brotherhood

like the first film but MORE chaotic and BETTER!???

The Falling (2014)

1960s all girls school

best friends! but its unrequited love

Agoraphobic + distant mother aka mommy issues

Sudden death and the school suppresses/ignores the students grief, sparking mass hysteria & a fainting epidemic in the girls

Cast: Maisie Williams (GoT) & Florence Pugh (Little Women) & Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders)

TW: teen pregnancy, death, vomiting, underage s*x, sibling inc*st, past s*xual assault

READ THE PLOT SUMMARY FIRST

The Book Thief (2013)

Based on an amazing book by Markus Zusak

set in 1940s Nazi Germany

Daughter of a communist whose family were taken by the Nazis/died is fostered by an older couple who teach her to read & she paints a dictionary on the basement walls

Coming of age story about a compulsive book thief. No joke, this kid steals books from banned book burnings and breaks into the mayor's library through the window

Family hides the Jewish son of an old friend in their basement and he helps her to start writing about her experiences in the war

TW: death, bombings, WW2 anti-semitism

Mary Shelley (2017)

Overall good & roughly biographical

Pretty costumes and aesthetic

Modern feminist take on Mary Shelly in her own time period

So many INACCURACIES for the drama so don’t take it as truth

Percy Shelley slander and not all of it is justified

Cast: Elle Fanning, Douglas Booth, and Maisie Williams

The Secret Garden (1993)

Based on a fave childhood book

1901 colonial India & Yorkshire, England

Orphaned, spoilt & neglected girl sent to live with her reclusive Uncle in the English countryside

Gothic elements, mysteries, secret doors/passages/locked gardens

local boy with a flock of animals, magic, kids chanting around a fire and all around immaculate vibes

Happy ending!!!

Hidden Figures (2016)

African-American women as mathematicians for NASA

1960s space project

Women balancing a career and family obligations

Deals with racial & gender discrimination

Loosely based on the lives of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan who worked for NASA as engineers & mathematicians

Anne of Green Gables (1985) & sequel (1987)

Adaptation L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ books

Canada (late 1890s/early 1900s)

Highly imaginative & bookworm orphan is adopted by a reclusive elderly brother and sister duo

Small town & school years comedic drama

Unrequited Enemies -> Friends -> lovers

Inspiring new woman teacher

Girls re-enact Tennyson’s poem and nearly drown for the aesthetic™

Dramatic poetry reading with INTENSE 👀eye contact👀

Writer! Anne & English teacher! Anne dealing with unruly girls school antics

Collette (2018)

biographical drama on french writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette

Victorian & Edwardian era France

More talented than her husband so she ghostwrites for him

Fight for creative ownership of her wildly successful novels

Affairs with a woman called Georgie and also with Missy, born female but masculine presenting

Cast: Keira Knightly, Dominic West, Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark)

Enola Holmes (2020)

Netflix book adaptation

Younger sister of Sherlock Holmes

Victorian era! feminism/suffragettes

Mother-daughter focus

Mystery, adventure, secret codes, teens running away & escaping from (and eventually fighting) assassins

Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Fiona Shaw, Millie Bobby Brown

Ginger & Rosa (2012)

1960s England

best friends since literal birth navigating troubled teen years

poet & anti-nuclear activist! Ginger

off the rails but also catholic! Rosa

Shout out to Mark & Mark the gay godfathers we all want

family troubles 

TW: older man has an affair with a 17 yr old

Testament of Youth (2014)

based on WW1 memoir by Vera Brittain

young woman (writer & poetry lover) escapes traditional family & goes to study at Oxford University

abandons to become a war nurse

romance, tragedy and war trauma

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington (GoT), Taron Edgerton (Rocketman), Colin Morgan (Merlin)

Little Women (2019)

Writer! Jo & Artist! Amy

Mother/daughter focus and sister dynamics

the March sisters’ theatre club is *chefs kiss*

champagne problems edits of Jo x Laurie are a mood

Ambivalent ending perfectly captures Louisa May Alcott’s dilemma with the book the movie is based on

set in 1860s America

ALL STAR CAST and a Greta Gerwig masterpeice

Lady Bird (2017)

coming of age in early 2002/2003 Sacramento, California

all girls catholic school

writer! Christine aka Lady Bird wants to get outta town and start her life again at college 'in a city with culture'

Mother/daughter dynamics - so realistic!

I live for that Jesus car stunt & the nun's reaction

school theatre program

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein

Another Greta Gerwig gem

Beguiled (2017)

Virginia, civil war era

Girls school with only five students and two teachers left

Find an injured Union army soldier & bring him inside

Women & teenagers want his attention (v. problematic) before uniting against him

(tbh you'll either love it, hate it, or watch once & forget it)

Sofia Coppola film so its very feminine gaze

TW: violence, death, underage

Legally Blonde (2001)

No questions will be taken

Elle Woods was the blue print

TV series:

House of Anubis (2011-2013)

I know it’s a kids/young teen show but I still unironically love it

ANCIENT EGYPT!!!!

Modern day with Victorian era links to treasure hunters & Egyptian research expeditions (stealing from tombs)

Chosen one plot lines, curses, kidnapping, mysteries, secret tunnels under the school, elixir of life

Teens have investigate & protect themselves cus oh no the TEACHERS are involved in some shady stuff

new American kid at British boarding school is the actual premise not just a fanfic au

Nostalgic, light-hearted, funny, and kinda cheesy but I will accept no criticism

The Alienist (2018 -now)

Mid 1890s, New York

Woman’s private detective agency (Season 2)

Serial killer mystery

Woman secretary turns detective and teams up with a criminal psychiatrist and a newspaper editor to solve crime

TW: violence, child pr*stit*tion

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans, Daniel Bruhl

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

Woman chess prodigy

1950s & 1960s

TW: drug & alcohol abuse

Gentleman Jack (2019 - now)

Based on the diaries of Anne Lister

Victorian Yorkshire, England

Upper-class lesbians

Confident, suit wearing! Anne Lister x shy! Ann Walker

Business woman! Anne running the family mines

Cast: Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) & Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders)

TW: violence

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

bubbly/ambitious single mom + intelligent daughter

bookworm! Rory Gilmore gets into a prestigious private school and then an Ivy League college

Small town drama is comedic gold

Fast dialogue packed with pop culture and literary references

Comforting & nostalgic

TEAM JESS

Anne with an E (2017-2019)

Loose adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ books

they completely change the plot lines but it’s still very good content!

Orphan girl with trauma and a love of books/poetry is adopted by an elderly brother & sister duo, bringing light and fresh ideas to a rural community

Feminism, girls writing club, lgbtq safe spaces, girls eduction, black/indigenous representation

Miss Stacy as THAT inspiring teacher

Aunt Josephine’s lavish gay parties have my heart

TW: creepy male teacher tries to marry a student, racial discrimination, indigenous assimilation school

Victoria (2016-2019)

Adaption of Queen Victoria’s life

Victoria navigating her political, royal, and personal life

Albert’s involvement with The Great Exhibition, 1851 (on cultural + industrial innovations)

Alfred Paget x Edward Drummond is exquisite

Gorgeous costumes and aesthetics

TW: bury your gays trope

Derry Girls (2018-now)

1990s Northern Ireland during the troubles

Comedy, episodes 20-25 mins long

English boy sent to an all girls Catholic school with his cousin

✨Dead Poets Society parody episode ✨with a free-spirited female teacher

Sister Michael, the sarcastic nun who hates her job & reads the exorcist for giggles

Wee anxious lesbian! Clare Devlin (plus her friends wearing rainbow pins)

Badass with bad ideas! Michelle Mallon

Main Character! Erin Quinn

Lovable weirdo who would fight a polar bear! Orla McCool

Wee English fella & honorary Derry girl! James Maguire

Dickinson (2019-now)

Loose adaption of the poet Emily Dickinson’s life

Set in 19th century Massachusetts, US

Historical drama with modern dialogue & music that works SEAMLESSLY

gives a great understanding of Emily Dickinson’s poems

💕Vintage gays! Emily x Sue💕

Theatre club, writing, poetry, dressing as men to sneak into lectures, love letters, teen drama, feminism, and an underground abolitionist journal as a brief side plot in season 2

Wiz Khalifa plays death in a horse drawn carriage

TW: opium use

A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)

Based on great childhood books

Bookworm! brother, Inventor! sister, and baby sister with sharp teeth

Mystery, secret organisations, orphaned siblings figuring things out & fending for themselves against the villain after their fortune

Adults either cartoon evil, comedically incompetent, or SPIES

Boarding school, library owner, scientific researcher, and theatre episodes

Ambiguous time period which is really fun to try and pin point

Killing Eve (2018-now)

Classic detective who has homoerotic tension with the assassin she is tracking down

British Detective! Eve Polastri figures out the notorious assassin MI5 are investigating is a woman, is fired & then put on a secret MI6 case with a small team

Assassin! Villanelle, a psychopath with a tragic past and a mastery of both accents & fashion

Woman MI6 boss! Carolyn Martens, head of Russian section

Travel Europe following Villanelle’s killings and escaping the assassins sent by Villanelle’s organisation

‘You’re supposed to be my enemy and moral opposite but omg you’re the only one smart enough to get me and why am I obsessed with you????'

🚨 GO IN FOR A KISS AND THEN STAB YOUR ENEMY 🚨

Cable Girls/Las chicas del cable (2017-2020)

Spanish drama set in 1920s Madrid

Four young women at a telecommunications company form a group of friends and help navigate the difficult situations they are all in

Secret identities, dangerous pasts, murder, crime, lgbtq couple & throuple, trans man character, feminism/suffragists

girls commit crimes for humanitarian reasons and cover! it! up!

UNDERRATED SHOW!!!!

Gorgeous costumes and set

Haven’t finished it yet and I’m catching up

TW: abuse, violence, death

Outlander (2014 - now)

haven’t watched yet but plan to

Woman time travels to Scotland, 1743

Rebel highlanders, pirates, British colonies, American revolutionary war

Time jumps between 18th & 20th century

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

Kickstart My Heart Pt.1 (Racer! Yeosang)

Next>>

Pairing: Racer! Kang Yeosang × Waitress/Fuckgirl! Reader (Female)

Genre: Fluff, Angst, 80s AU.

Summary: During an era known for its vibrant colors, eccentric fashion styles and rise of new yet unconventional genres of music, the young generation of that time was infamously known for their need to rebel and live their lives rather scandalously and Y/N is no exception. So when a new and attractive man moves into her town, she has her eyes set on making him her next boy toy.

Word Count: 4K+

Warnings: Dumb attempts at crackhead humor, reader is a cold hearted bitch, guy gets dumped in public, reader's friend is lowkey creepy.

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Throwing on the last article of clothing that had been discarded the night before, the young woman shook out her hair, still damp from the quick shower she just took. Picking up her bag, she looked over at the figure still sleeping soundly, the subtle hint of a smile on his face. With a pitied pout on her lips, she walked over to the edge where his face was. Taking out the lipstick tube from her bag, she applied it all over her lips, painting them in the dark burgundy color that she fancied so much and had practically become her signature hue. Bending over, she pressed her lips against the corners of his mouth, giving him the faintest whisper of a kiss before pulling away. A satisfied smirk was plastered on her pretty features as she stared at the lipstick mark on his face, the only memoir she'd leave him with as she had done with countless others.

Closing the front door behind her, she pulled her denim jacket tighter on her body, shivering slightly from the early dawn's breeze that blew across. It was always like that even though summer had just begun, the early morning hours still feeling obnoxiously cool and then transpiring into slightly uncomfortably warm afternoons that had more than one soul in that quaint town grumbling and fussing about the weather. But oh did the evenings feel absolutely refreshing, and that's when everything would start bustling to life.

Having finally made it out of that small residential area and finding one of the main roads that helped her locate where to go, she started heading south towards the all too familiar diner where she had been working in ever since her school days, first starting part time and eventually transpiring to full time when it came time for her to spread her wings and fly out on her own, a feat she had been most anxious to do to get away from the overly controlling nature of her parents. She knew they cared about her, but she herself cared very little about the morals and principles they had raised her with, a common trait all the young people in that town shared: their rebellious and headstrong nature to not conform and go against everything they had been taught thus far. Live their own lives as freely as they chose to do.

And she definitely lived as she wanted to, even if it ended up with a rather bad reputation and ugly labels that rather than infuriate her, she openly embraced, as others had come to as well.

The light twinkle of the bells above the glass door let the person at the register know someone came in and they immediately plastered on their business smile, which quickly faded when they saw who it was.

"You're late Y/N." The minuscule raven haired waitress informed her, eyes never leaving her coworker's figure that came behind the counter and started punching in her number.

"Only by like 7 minutes." She waved her slip at the nonchalant looking girl before placing it back in its respective slot.

"One day it wouldn't surprise me if you just didn't show up because you got too caught up in.... something else."

Chuckling softly, Y/N walked up behind her coworker, hands coming up to ruffle the cheekbone level bob cut hair framing her unusually small face.

"Awww come on Lynn, you know I'd never leave you hanging here to attend customers by yourself. You're my bestie." Y/N assured her, playfully poking her lips out as she tried to place a kiss on her friend, the poor girl craning her neck away as she tended to dislike physical affection.

"I will squirt ketchup on you." Lynn threatened as she picked up the cherry red bottle as a last resort to get her attacker to back away. A rather noisy struggle ensued between both girls, catching the attention of the owner and cook behind the two doors, prompting her to come out and see what was the cause of such ruckus.

"Well I'll be darned. I don't remember paying you youngsters to simply slack off and behave like the hooligans you are." The middle aged woman spoke up, her thick accent becoming more prominent. Although she had a stern look and hands placed at her hips, the girls knew she was not in reality angry at them.

Looking over at the recently arrived girl, the owner closed her eyes and sighed deeply when she took in the attire she was wearing: low cut white tank, ripped denim shorts that left little to the imagination if she bent down, fishnet tights with a few holes in them, and her beloved denim jacket that was almost always on Y/N's body.

"I swear to god, Y/N , everytime I see you wear them rags you call clothes, I feel like my body is about to collapse. Why must you insist on dressing like a common street worker?"

Y/N wasn't at all offended by her words, having grown used to and becoming fond of her boss's abrupt, direct and honest manner of speaking.

"Gotta start looking the part if I'm going to dedicate my life to the occupation." She giggled at her own joke, resulting in the older woman taking the rag off her apron and smacking her with it.

"This little runt, talking nonsense like that- get your ass back in there and change into your uniform. Can't have you prancing around here in those skimpy clothes and have all these men that come here say disrespectful things about you. Nuh uh, not to my girls." She shook her head.

"Yes Miss Audrey." Complying with the woman's wishes, she pushed open the swing doors leading to the back and quickly made her way to the corner where all the employee's cubicles were located. Grabbing the necessary items, she turned and went inside the bathroom to change into her uniform, consisting of a knee length crimson red dress, which she had actually altered so it would be shorter and display her thighs more, the cap sleeves slightly puffed up and the torso part had a trail of white buttons going all the way up to the modest v-neckline, usually most buttons were left undone so her cleavage would shamelessly peak out. Exchanging her black Doc Martens in favor of her white Nike sneakers, Y/N tied her apron around her waist, making sure it was as tight as possible so it would accentuate her curves and give her body a more flattering appearance. As she made her way out, she quickly piled her hair up before securing it with one of the many elastics she kept around her wrists, leaving out a few tendrils to fall on her temples.

Coming back out to start her daily work, she stood in front of Lynn, who merely spared her an unamused glance.

"How do I look?" Y/N asked.

"Like a total slut." Her friend answered in her usually rude way.

Rolling her eyes, Y/N grabbed a spray bottle and a rag. Making her way over to the table that had just finished being used, she quickly picked up the plates and glass, bringing them back over to where Lynn was, who took them so she could wash them in the sink. Spraying the top of the marble piece, she had began her task of wiping down the table when the ringing of the bell signaled new customers had arrived, and rowdy ones at that too.

"Damn! Is today's special fluffy sponge cake? Cause I would sure love a piece of that ass."

Y/N recognized that annoying voice even from miles away, belonging to none other than one of her old classmates, Jung Wooyoung, whom she considered a friend, if he didn't manage to irk her too much. Turning around, she of course wasn't surprised to see him surrounded by his crew of equally idiotic and adrenaline junkie friends, whom she had to admit were pleasant and fun to hang out with.

"Sit your asses down already, I'll be over in a minute to take your order." She told them before resuming her previous task, earning a scoff from the most dramatic of the group.

"Fine customer service! Don't think you'll be getting a tip from me." His words made her nearly burst into a fit of giggles.

"Wooyoung please, you never ever tip whenever you come. None of you, except Yunho." It kinda saddened her that said male unfortunately wasn't there with them at the moment.

"He doesn't tip you, he tips short stack over there." His friend with cat like eyes pointed towards Lynn, who upon overhearing him held up a rather explicit finger in his direction.

"I'll poison your food San." She threatened with a sing song tone.

"Like I wouldn't know that you already spit on it." San spat back, sticking his tongue out in his immature and infantile fashion.

"Can you guys hurry up and order already? I'm starving and we gotta head to the tracks as early as possible." The fiery red haired male known as Song Mingi blurted out, fingers tapping impatiently against the top of the table.

"If little miss g-string would care to hop her luscious ass over here, maybe we could."

Strutting over to where they sat, Y/N harshly threw the dirty rag on Wooyoung's face, causing a faint grunt to come out of his mouth.

"No matter how many times you mention my ass, I'm still not letting you tap it." She firmly stated, making Wooyoung slightly purse his lips outwards in a disappointed grimace.

"So anygays-" Mingi began.

"Umm I think you mean anyways." San corrected him.

Leaning in towards him, Mingi locked eyes on the shorter male and stared him down with an intimidating glare.

"Did I stutter Choi?"

San immediately shook his head rapidly. With a victory smile, Mingi reclined back in his seat.

"I'm just going to get the breakfast platter with some orange juice."

Y/N couldn't stifle her snort when he said his choice of drink, the other two men looking away in embarrassment.

"You've been drinking orange juice since you were in grade school Mingles, don't you think you outta start taking something more grown up? Like coffee?" San suggested and Mingi did not appreciate it.

"Coming from the one who still brings a plushie to sleep with him, your suggestion holds no value or power." He retorted.

"OK SHIBER IS NOT A PLUSHIE, HE'S FAMILY YOU JACKASS!" San sprinted up from his seat, nearly leaning across to grab Mingi by the color, but he was held back by Wooyoung.

Lynn, who had thus far stayed quiet, promptly came up with a spray bottle and consequently doused the untamed boy on his face.

"Bad kitty, bad kitty." She reprimanded him, unable to resist the opportunity to attack her long time frenemy.

"Lynn!" Y/N looked at her with surprise.

"You're welcome." Lynn replied rather monotone before going back to her place behind the counter like she didn't just spray San with disinfecting water.

"There's too many germs going around anyways..." She muttered under her breath.

Without any further interruptions, aside from the rumbling coming out of the boys' stomachs, they finished ordering what they wanted and Y/N sent it over so they could be prepared. Not wanting to be near their loud asses, Y/N went back over to where Lynn was, peeking over to see what she was currently reading in the magazine she held.

"What you reading?" She casually inquired.

"Horoscope section." Y/N wasn't surprised, her friend tended to be into more mystical, eccentric and rather.....extreme with her taste in fashion and music. If Y/N was the one who turned heads for her scandalous attire, Lynn was the one people turned away from in fear when they saw how she dressed. It was a sight that truly made both of them laugh at people's foolishness, well at least made Y/N laugh. Her friend rarely had any other expression plastered on that wasn't utter disdain for society and life.

Unexpectedly, another customer came in. Both girls looked at each other in confusion when neither of them recognized him. Their town was rather small with few people living there, so they deduced that he must be a traveler who probably got lost on his route. He himself looked around nervously, eyes barely lifting up. Y/N couldn't help herself as she took in his perfect face. Big, round eyes with crystal clear orbs, small face with a V-line jaw, perfectly sculpted nose with no sign of defects, skin smooth and blemish free, he looked like a prince out of a fairytale. He was incredibly pretty, yet stood there so awkwardly that it was almost comical.

"Hey Yeosang! You made it! Sit down! I ordered for you in advanced!" Wooyoung surprised both girls when it seemed he knew the stranger and even waved him over to where they sat. The other two boys also seem familiarized with him and welcomed him to sit with them, chatting up a storm already with him.

"Who's that?" Lynn was the one to finally ask out loud.

"Beats me.....but he sure is adorable."

Noticing the way her lips curled upwards, Lynn could already see the wheels inside Y/N's head turning.

"And I bet you're going to go over there and find out- aaand there you go." She ended up answering her own deduction as she watched Y/N happily walked over with a more bright expression on her face, that soon soured when her boss came out of the kitchen and beat her over to the table, laying down several plates of food.

"I knew as soon as I saw the orders that it had to be the lot of you." She scoffed softly as she looked at the boys' grinning faces.

"You know us Miss Audrey, we wouldn't ever think of eating anywhere else but here. You're the best cook in all of town." Wooyoung praised her with a sparkling charm that could have fooled anyone else but not the robust woman in front of him.

"Boy stop trying to tickle my ears, I've known you since you were in your soiled diapers being carried around by your mama, running around and creating chaos anywhere you went. Flattery may work on them poor girls you play with but me? I can see right through ruffians like you."

Turning her head to finally notice the new addition to the group, she looked him up and down.

"Boy who might you be?" She questioned him, earning the ears of the girls nearby to listen in for any valuable information.

"I'm..... Yeosang Kang, nice to meet you." He introduced himself, tilting his head slightly down when he said that.

"He just moved into town this week! He's the new guy who is going to work with us down at the car shop and help on the race track!" San enthusiastically shouted, making the older woman cringe.

"I may be old, but I still haven't gone deaf for you to yell in such a way boy. So...." She crossed her arms and looked at Yeosang again.

"You a racer too?"

Now the girls, particularly Y/N, were more interested in what his response would be.

"I- yes. So it seems." The poor boy looked so flustered, obviously being more of a soft spoken individual, contrasting starkly to the other 3 boys.

Miss Audrey let out a seemingly displeased hum at his answer.

"As if we needed anymore hooligans running wild. We already got enough with the 3 Stooges over here."

The girls couldn't help but snicker at their boss's words, always having a blast whenever she put the boys back in their place. They however looked displeased, glaring at them intensely.

"Shouldn't you both be off somewhere cleaning dishes or making sandwiches?"

Snatching one of the knifes, Lynn held it up and was about to jump over, but Y/N came up in front of her.

"Lynn, no. Just calm down ok? You know they're just being idiots." Y/N reminded her.

Grumbling something in a foreign language no one knew for sure if it was real or not, Lynn put the knife back, squinting her eyes at them before turning around to not look at them again. Y/N giggled softly, finding it absolutely cute whenever her friend lost her cool and collected form cause it reminded her of a chihuahua, barking and yelping at anything larger than itself trying to establish dominance.

Noticing that in her display of aggression, Lynn had inadvertently knocked over a few of the brochures that were on display for people to take, Y/N stooped down and proceeded to pick them up in a casual manner. Standing up, she neatly arranged them properly, making sure they all faced the same direction and the sides weren't poking out anywhere. Feeling as though someone had been watching her all along, she looked at the table of boys, half expecting Wooyoung's smug grin to greet her, but she was completely wrong as it was none other than the new guy who seemed unable to keep his eyes off her figure, staring intently at the length of her skirt. When he realized she noticed, his eyes went wide, cheeks burning up with utter embarrassment. Y/N however seemed unbothered by this. Wanting to test something, she pretended to accidentally drop one of the pamphlets. Bending over, she made sure he could get a perfect glimpse of her cleavage, if he payed enough attention, he'd be able to see that she was in fact, not wearing any bra. Coming back up, Y/N looked over to see the results, smirking when the agape mouth of Yeosang confirmed to her that he had indeed noticed everything.

"Oh sweetheart, you're gonna be too easy..." She had already made up in her mind that Yeosang would be her next target, and she had to put her plan in action. Placing the brochures down, she was about to go over and start flirting with him, until a familiar voice called for her.

"Y/N! There you are!"

She internally groaned when she heard him, wondering why on earth did he not get the hint of ditching him like that, especially when he very well knew about the reputation she had. She tried ignoring him, but of course, he had had to be the persistent type, no doubt thinking he was going to have a different ending than the rest before him.

"I thought you'd be here. You could have told me you were going to be gone early. I would have made you breakfast."

Knowing she had to say something, Y/N grabbed her pad and gave him the fakest smile she was capable of donning.

"Hi, what can we get started for you today? Waffles? Eggs and bacon? Coffee to start off with?"

The trio of friends, having no choice but to witness the interaction due to it happening right in front of them, snickered amongst themselves.

"Oh shit. He's in for it." San whispered lowly.

The boy obviously looked extremely confused, his smile lightly falling off, but then returning to its hopeful state.

"Why are you acting like this candy bear? Pretending like you don't know me?" When he tried to reach a hand to pull her close, the girl simply pushed him away with one of her fingers.

"Look, clearly you're too stupid to understand so let me spell it out in a language you can understand." Letting out a tired sigh, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, a sour look displaying on her pretty face.

"We had a nice time together, and last night was... average to put it nicely."

"Oh man. That was a total burn." Mingi couldn't help but snort, some of the orange juice being spit back into his glass.

"But that was all it was and all it's ever going to be. So why don't you do yourself a favor and just go back home to your Star Trek figurines and watch the latest episode of Thunder Cats?"

The not so discreet snickering coming from the table behind them only made the humiliation for the man multiply significantly. Turning red with utter despair and rage, he quickly brushed past Y/N rather brusquely.

"Fucking bitch." She heard him mutter under his breath, a phrase she had grown accustomed to hearing among many others.

"Oh god. Homegirl struck again." Wooyoung laughed, swirling his milkshake in his hand.

"Ayo why you gotta do Thunder Cats like that? It's actually pretty entertaining." San commented.

Looking over at the time, the guys quickly stood up, dropping their share of bills onto the table.

"You guys get paid today too right? Come meet up with us at the track." Wooyoung suggested.

"Why on earth would we want to go see your greasy, oil smelling ass after dealing for nearly an hour with you already?" Lynn questioned him, eyes never peering up from her magazine.

"Because Yunho would be there?"

Still she didn't respond, the only movement made was her finger turning the page.

"Bro we been knew she don't give two shits about him." Mingi reminded them.

"Because we're going to the drive in theater after work, they're playing a horror movie."

Lifting her gaze, Lynn closed the magazine, although still stone faced, her eyes seemed to brighten up.

"My interest has been greatly piqued." Her lips showed the faintest whisper of a smile that gave a rather eerie and chilling feel down the people's spines.

"Maybe we should rethink inviting Satan's offspring." San leaned in towards Mingi, shivering significantly.

"Great! So we'll catch you gals later."

The boys quickly dispersed themselves, save Yeosang who still sat quietly, keeping mostly to himself. His fingers fidgeted with the half drunk cup he was holding, gaze fixed on the table in front of him. Looking up, he was attempting to work up the courage to talk to Y/N, but before he could even get the chance to gather strength, the owner came out from the back, whispering a few orders to her and gesturing for her to go tend to a situation in the kitchen. With a defeated sigh, he got up to go join the rest of the gang outside who were waiting for him. Slumping his hands in the pockets of his pants, he moved out of the booth with a solemn gaze.

"Hey."

His steps came to a screeching halt when he heard Y/N call out to him. Looking over, she smiled sweetly in his direction.

"Hope I see you later." With a flirtatious wink, she bid him goodbye as she disappeared into the back.

Yeosang stood there stunned momentarily, replaying her words over and over again in his mind, pondering endlessly at their meaning.

"Little pussy cat sure got you brain dead, didn't she?"

Startled by the unexpected voice next to him, he jumped when the face of the kind yet stern old lady studied him carefully. With a disapproving shake of her head, she decided it'd be best to warn him before he started getting ideas in his head.

"Listen, you seem like a sweet and sensible young man, so it's best for you to listen to me and stay away from that darn girl. Don't let them sugar coated lips of hers sweet talk themselves into your heart. You'll just end up heart broken like all the lovers she's had."

Picking up some of the plates, she gave him one last look, pointing an accusatory finger at him to get her point across.

"She's dangerous." Finally saying what she needed to say, Miss Audrey headed back with plates in her arms, slapping away Lynn's hands when they attempted to pry them off her, barking instructions at her to watch the counter and leave her be.

"Dangerous....." Yeosang thought to himself, the warning the good intended woman gave him sinking deep in his mind. Although he took her words to heart, something about the way she glanced at him pulled at the strings in his chest, taking his breath away when he remembered the risque position she was in that purposely allowed him to view more than he should have. That memory tinted his cheeks pink, lips unable to suppress a small smile. He knew that he should heed the old woman's advice.

But he had to admit that he loved danger and the thrill it came with.........

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Taglist: @little-precious-baby @yunhofingers @brie02 @galaxteez @multidreams-and-desires @deja-vux @hanatiny @couchpotatoaniki @daniblogs164 @a-soft-hornytiny @yunsangoveryonder @minhyukmyluv @nanamarkie @ateezbabysitters @mingismoon @rainteez02

[rockislandadultreads]

A Variety of Women’s History Titles: Essential Picks

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox

The history books have cast Katherine of Aragon, the first queen of King Henry VIII of England, as the ultimate symbol of the Betrayed Woman, cruelly tossed aside in favor of her husband’s seductive mistress, Anne Boleyn. Katherine’s sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, is portrayed as “Juana the Mad,” whose erratic behavior included keeping her beloved late husband’s coffin beside her for years. But historian Julia Fox, whose previous work painted an unprecedented portrait of Jane Boleyn, Anne’s sister, offers deeper insight in this first dual biography of Katherine and Juana, the daughters of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella, whose family ties remained strong despite their separation. Looking through the lens of their Spanish origins, Fox reveals these queens as flesh-and-blood women—equipped with character, intelligence, and conviction—who are worthy historical figures in their own right. When they were young, Juana’s and Katherine’s futures appeared promising. They had secured politically advantageous marriages, but their dreams of love and power quickly dissolved, and the unions for which they’d spent their whole lives preparing were fraught with duplicity and betrayal. Juana, the elder sister, unexpectedly became Spain’s sovereign, but her authority was continually usurped, first by her husband and later by her son. Katherine, a young widow after the death of Prince Arthur of Wales, soon remarried his doting brother Henry and later became a key figure in a drama that altered England’s religious landscape. Ousted from the positions of power and influence they had been groomed for and separated from their children, Katherine and Juana each turned to their rich and abiding faith and deep personal belief in their family’s dynastic legacy to cope with their enduring hardships.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi's living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.

Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

From spoken word poet Jasmine Mans comes an unforgettable poetry collection about race, feminism, and queer identity. With echoes of Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez, Mans writes to call herself—and us—home. Each poem explores what it means to be a daughter of Newark, and America--and the painful, joyous path to adulthood as a young, queer Black woman. Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering Black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing.

The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live by Danielle Dreilinger

The term “home economics” may conjure traumatic memories of lopsided hand-sewn pillows or sunken muffins. But common conception obscures the story of the revolutionary science of better living. The field exploded opportunities for women in the twentieth century by reducing domestic work and providing jobs as professors, engineers, chemists, and businesspeople. And it has something to teach us today. In the surprising, often fiercely feminist and always fascinating The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger traces the field’s history from Black colleges to Eleanor Roosevelt to Okinawa, from a Betty Crocker brigade to DIY techies. These women—and they were mostly women—became chemists and marketers, studied nutrition, health, and exercise, tested parachutes, created astronaut food, and took bold steps in childhood development and education. Home economics followed the currents of American culture even as it shaped them. Dreilinger brings forward the racism within the movement along with the strides taken by women of color who were influential leaders and innovators. She also looks at the personal lives of home economics’ women, as they chose to be single, share lives with other women, or try for egalitarian marriages. This groundbreaking and engaging history restores a denigrated subject to its rightful importance, as it reminds us that everyone should learn how to cook a meal, balance their account, and fight for a better world.

[fairy-writes]

hi fairy !! i saw ur matchups were open, and i was wondeding if i could request a male jujutsu kaisen and bungou stray dogs matchup ehe i don't rly mind whether or not they're platonic/romantic :^^

personality — i'm straight, not a minor and look like ur average nerdy girl ig? m smol tho ehe <:3 i'm v introverted- find it kinda hard to speak to ppl irl when we first meet, and maybe once or twice after that, but once we settle into a comfortable back and forth, i'm more open to chat and chill w them. it takes q a while for me to fall into that kind of pace bc i'm also kinda shy, but once we're good, i'm more outgoing than i would be at our first encounter. at that stage of friendship, i'm the type to look out for them, go out with them for a casual drink or two (at a cafe, not a bar). i don't trust easily, so that comes a lot later, but otherwise, i'm p affectionate w my friends/supposed partner after a while (my love language is physical affection and acts of service, so that pops up arnd a lot). errr if it helps, i'm also in slytherin, though i think that's largely bc of the ambition i have for chasing after the things i want to learn.

likes — classical music (becoming a concert pianist was one of my dreams until i ultimately decided to pursue science; i still play though, and i enjoy that immensely as a hobby), philosophical talks (i think deep most of the time when i'm alone), reading non-fiction (memoirs and recounts), spending time w my friends (includes all the study dates and times we spend on call going over academics) and being w my family <3

dislikes — rude/arrogant ppl, unreasonable ideals, ppl w narrow minds (and who absolutely refuse to see anything other than what they think is right; the kind of ppl who are "ure wrong, i'm right"), ppl ignorant of others' pain, slow wifi (can't watch all the anime and drama on my watchlist T_T), lack of structure (in terms of life and work)

that's it rly...? thank you so much for taking the time to look through this !! i hope u have a great day/night wherever u are in the world, and rmb to take care of urself !! 💙

Hello lovely! I labeled whether they were romantic or not :) I hope you like your matchup! 

Jujutsu Kaisen Matchup: I pair you with… Inumaki Toge!

(Platonic Matchup)

You are a sorcerer who helps out at Jujutsu Technical College and meets Inumaki after Gojo asks you to help with Inumaki’s cursed technique! You have a similar cursed technique and have much more experience than he does, so it’s a great match! Although the two of you communicate mainly through text and writing things down, you don’t have a specific way of talking like he does. You both end up super close after going on a few missions together, almost like siblings!

I see Inumaki as a Gryffindor! He’s courageous and chivalrous, which are both qualities Godric Gryffindor looks for in a person! He admires your ambition and tries to emulate it in some ways to better himself as a sorcerer.  He also enjoys listening to your piano playing and tries to track down songs and sheet music for you to surprise you with :)

Your conversations mainly occur through text or even sign language if you both want to learn that. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t deep and philosophical! For example, Inumaki has surprisingly complicated conversations when he wants to. He also asks for your help with academics! He is average at his school work and sometimes needs help with maths or science. Overall, the two of you are basically like siblings from different parents!

Bungou Stray Dogs Matchup: I pair you with… Kunikida Doppo!

(Romantic Matchup)

Atsushi actually introduces you two to each other after you need some help from the ADA. Initially, Kunikida is strictly professional and doesn’t do much in terms of pursuing a relationship. But after you become smitten by him and visit after your case is over, he actually asks you out to lunch, and the rest goes from there!

He’s definitely a Ravenclaw, and the two of you make a fearsome and ambitious couple with nothing standing in their way! He admires your ability to play piano and often makes requests if you take them. The two of you also have deep philosophical conversations all the time and often confuse anyone trying to listen in on them. 

He’s also a big nonfiction geek, and the two of you swap books all the time! He trusts you to take care of his things and knows you’ll treat his books with respect and carefulness. You also both study together a lot! He helps you with your studies. He used to be a maths professor, after all. Overall, the two of you just make such a cute match, and he loves you a whole lot!

[greenlightpaperbacks]

my 2020 books (final count)

i know there’s a week left but i’m doing it now bc idgaf 

2020 reading goal: 70 books

final count: 84 books

why be happy when you could be normal - jeanette winterson

educated - tara westover

astragal - albertine sarrazin

the importance of music to girls - lavinia greenlaw

a room of one’s own - virginia woolf

ariel - sylvia plath

find me - andre aciman

men explain things to me - rebecca solnit

pennies for hitler - jackie french

south and west: from a notebook - joan didion

girl, interrupted - susanna kaysen

junky - william s. burroughs

chelsea girls - eileen myles

lighthousekeeping - jeanette winterson

new york city in 1979 - kathy acker

the colour purple - alice walker

teaching my mother how to give birth - warsan shire 

diving into the wreck - adrienne rich

pamper me to hell and back - hera lindsay bird

the hours - michael cunningham

the road - cormac mccarthy

the vagina monologues - eve ensler

the white album - joan didion

slouching towards bethlehem - joan didion

lunch poems - frank o’hara

a thousand mornings - mary oliver

draft no. 4: on the writing process - john mcphee

peter pan - j.m. barrie

can everyone please calm down? - mae martin

mr salary - sally rooney

breakfast at tiffany’s - truman capote

to kill a mockingbird - harper lee

woolgathering - patti smith

the coral sea - patti smith

just kids - patti smith 

little women - louisa may alcott

the secret history - donna tartt

the boy who followed his father into auschwitz - jeremy dronfield

the place on dalhousie - melina marchetta

harry potter and the philosopher’s stone - j.k. rowling

the cement garden - ian mcewan

paula - isabel allende

the book of dirt - bram presser

my purple scented novel - ian mcewan

the agonist - shastra deo

the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off! - gloria steinem

art objects: essays on ecstasy and effrontery - jeanette winterson

the trauma cleaner - sarah krasnostein

mrs dalloway - virginia woolf

jacob’s room - virginia woolf

the collected short stories - virginia woolf

remarkably jane: notable quotations on jane austen - jennifer adams

the death of noah glass - gail jones

click here for what we do - pam brown

stories of perth - alice grundy

too much lip - melissa lucashenko 

the erratics - vicki laveau-harvie

on photography - susan sontag

no friend but the mountains: writing from manus prison - behrouz boochani 

harry potter and the chamber of secrets - j.k. rowling

courage calls to courage everywhere - jeanette winterson 

harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban - j.k. rowling

boy swallows universe - trent dalton 

harry potter and the goblet of fire - j.k. rowling

the waves - virginia woolf

the lost child - caryl phillips

harry potter and the order of the phoenix - j.k. rowling

howl, kaddish and other poems - allen ginsberg

harry potter and the half-blood prince - j.k. rowling

between the acts - virginia woolf

the life to come - michelle de kretser

the tales of beedle the bard - j.k. rowling

harry potter and the deathly hallows - j.k. rowling

rebecca - daphne du maurier 

books v cigarettes - george orwell

honeybee - craig silvey

an unquiet mind: a memoir of moods and madness - kay redfield jamison

the tattooist of auschwitz - heather morris

the graveyard book - neil gaiman

cilka’s journey - heather morris

the dark room - rachel seiffert

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo - taylor jenkins reid

currently reading:

sense and sensibility - jane austen

when the moon is low - nadia hashimi 

selected poems - christina rosetti 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

All the books I reviewed in 2020

I know it's a little late for Xmas shipping, but I'm FINALLY getting around to publishing a roundup of all the books I reviewed in 2019!

Part 1: FICTION FOR ADULTS

I. AGENCY by William Gibson: A sequel to The Peripheral for the Trump years, about seductive bitterness of imagined alternate timelines, filled with cyberpunk cool and action.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-01-24/agency-william-gibson

II. RIOT BABY by Tochi Onyebuchi: An incandescent Afrofuturist novella that connects the Rodney King uprising with contemporary struggle, pitting supernatural powers against dire politics.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/23/riot-baby/#Tochi-Onyebuchi

III. OR WHAT YOU WILL by Jo Walton: A metafiction about the desperate attempt of a character to pull his writer into a fictional world to save the both from human mortality.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/07/little-bro-with-snowden/#metafiction

IV. A BEAUTIFULLY FOOLISH ENDEAVOR by Hank Green: Sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - a madcap and sometimes brutal tale of social media influencers, alien invaders, disinformation, and runaway capitalism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/08/absolutely-remarkable-thing/#carls

V. FAILED STATE by Christopher Brown: A legal eco-thriller that imagines the end of capitalism without imagining the end of the world - cyberpunk meets ecotopianism, with anarchist jurisdictions, show-trials, and rewilding.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/12/failed-state/#chris-brown

VI. AFTERLAND by Lauren Beukes: Eerily well-timed road-trip novel set after a prostate-cancer plague wipes out nearly every man on Earth, except for the protagonist's teenaged son, who is now being hunted by the (all-female) US government.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/28/afterland/#XY

VII. BALLISTIC KISS by Richard Kadrey: Sandman Slim confronts the worst demons of all - his own trauma and self-doubt.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/25/anxietypunk/#bk

VIII. SQUEEZE ME by Carl Hiaasen: Hiaasen was writing comedic whodunnits about improbable Florida Man types decades before the memes, and his Mar-a-Lago gator plague novel is a hectic and hilarious tale for our times.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#disappearing-act

VIII. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: KSR says it's his last novel and I say it's the book he's been training to write all his life. If you like your climate fiction wrenching but still uplifting enough to move you to tears...

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/03/ministry-for-the-future/#ksr

IX. SET MY HEART TO FIVE by Simon Stephenson: An absurdist robot-romp in the mold of Kurt Vonnegut about a robot who catches the disease of emotions and tries to treat it by moving to Hollywood to write screenplays about robots.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/01/cant-pay-wont-pay/#robot-rights

Part 2: NONFICTION FOR ADULTS

I. A PUBLIC SERVICE by Tim Schwartz: An incredibly practical, detailed guide for would-be whistleblowers (and journalists who work with them) to staying safe while spilling the beans.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/08/a-public-service-a-comprehensive-comprehensible-guide-to-leaking-documents-to-journalists-and-public-service-groups-without-getting-caught/

II. THE MONSTERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING by Keith Ammann: A sourcebook for RPG game-masters explaining how different kinds of monsters can use a variety of combat tactics that add depth, texture (and challenge) to your games.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/10/the-monsters-know-what-theyre-doing-an-rpg-sourcebook-for-dms-who-want-to-imbue-monsters-with-deep-smart-tactics/

III. SNOWDEN'S BOX by Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge: The incredible, true tale of how trust among friends allowed Snowden's leaks to safely transit from his home in Hawai'i to the hands of Laura Poitras and the journalists who reported the story.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/03/31/snowdens-box-the-incredible-illuminating-story-of-the-journey-of-snowdens-hard-drive/

III. ABOLISH SILICON VALLEY by Wendy Liu: A personal journey from a fully bought-in believer in Silicon Valley's meritocracy to a ferocious critic who demands tech to serve humanity, not a human race in service to the tech industry.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/14/abolish-silicon-valley-memoir-of-a-driven-startup-founder-who-became-an-anti-capitalist-activist/

IV. THE CASE FOR A JOB GUARANTEE by Pavlina Tcherneva: A fierce little book setting out an economic program to rescue the nation and the planet from a system that insists we can't even hope for a better world.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/22/jobs-guarantee/#job-guarantee

VII. SUBPRIME ATTENTION CRISIS by Tim Hwang: What's worse than having our lies destroyed by surveillance to manipulate us with ads? Having our lives destroyed by surveillance in order to fuel a fraudulent market in ad-based manipulation.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#wannamakers-ghost

VIII. MONOPOLIES SUCK by Sally Hubbard: There are plenty of *great* books about monopolies and the resurgence in antitrust, but Hubbard's is the most practical, providing the reader with excellent advice for actually *doing something* about monopolism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/27/peads-r-us/#sally-hubbard

IX. BREAK 'EM UP by Zephyr Teachout: The most lucid, readable, infuriating, energizing book on the rise of monopolies. Teachout never loses sight of the systemic nature of the problem, even as she uses individual stories to tell the tale.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/29/break-em-up/#break-em-up

X. BOUNDLESS REALM by Fox Nolte: There has never been a better book about the Haunted Mansion (indeed, this is one of the best books ever written about environmental design in general). Nolte goes *way* beyond trite wisdom about "storytelling."

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/09/boundless-realm/#fuxxfur

PART 3: GRAPHIC NOVELS

I. YEAR OF THE RABBIT by Tean Viasna: A graphic memoir of Viasna's harrowing boyhood during the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It's a tale we've rarely seen through the eyes of a child, and brilliantly realized.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/22/year-of-the-rabbit-a-graphic-novel-memoir-of-one-familys-life-under-the-khmer-rouge/

II. FEMALE FURIES by @misscecil​: Castellucci uses an obscure and anachronistic all-woman cast of DC Universe b-characters to tell an incredible, smart, pitiless story about #MeToo, comics, solidarity and betrayal.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/29/female-furies/#apokolips-now

III. LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST by Adrian Tomine: A memoir of intensely felt impostor syndrome, a forceful reminder that comparison is the thief of joy - and that the traits that keep an artist going at first go toxic over time.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/21/the-thief-of-joy/#tomine

IV. CONSTITUTION ILLUSTRATED by R Sikoryak: The Trump years were an unhappy crash-course in Constitutional law, but Sikoryak's genius adaptation of the Constitution in the style of dozens of cartoonists is a pure delight.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/27/ip/#r-sikoryak

PART 4: KIDS AND YA

I. SEND PICS by Lauren McLaughlin: A YA novel that's a thrilling revenge-play about "revenge porn," a cyber-heist novel that's also a sneaky and forceful book about teen girls' sexuality.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/21/send-pics-ripping-brutal-amazing-novel-about-teens-sextortion-revenge-and-justice/

II. IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC by Sean Williams: A YA novel about a music-obsessed kid who loses his hearing is the frame for a book about ability, adaptation, music theory, family, Deafness and what dreams are really for.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/30/deafhood/#impossible-music

III. HARD WIRED by Len Vlahos: A 15 year old discovers the truth behind bizarre dysfunction of the world around him: he's an AI in a sim, and the guy he thinks of as his long-dead father is actually the research scientists who created him.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/31/ai-rights-now/#len-vlahos

IV. ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL, by Daniel Pinkwater: Like every Pinkwater novel, it defies description, it is brilliant, and it is his best to date. Ghosts, Revolutionary War fleshbots, papaya juice, and supernatural beings from the Catskills!

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/25/dwergish-girl/#you-are-a-pickle

V. WITCH by Finbar Hawkins: A beautiful debut novel about a pair of 17th century sisters who avenge themselves against the witchfinders that murdered their mother. A superbly told historical.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/01/the-years-of-repair/#witch

FINALLY: I published *four* books in 2020!

I. POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER: My debut picture book, about a little girl who turns her toys into weapons and torments her parents by hunting monsters all night, with wonderful art by Matt Rockefeller:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627

II. LITTLE BROTHER/HOMELAND: My multibestselling YA novels were reissued last summer in a gorgeous package with a (fantastic) new introduction by Snowden.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

III. ATTACK SURFACE: A standalone, adult sequel to Little Brother and Homeland. The New York Times called it "vocal and unflinching" and "ultimately optimistic"; the Washington Post called it a "riveting techno-thriller."

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

IV. HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM: A long pamphlet/short book that makes the case that Big Tech manipulates us and spies on us because they have monopolies - not because they've developed devastating, data-driven mind-control.

https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59

[richincolor]

We've hit the jackpot this week with new releases. There are so many to choose from. Which ones are you looking forward to?

The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi Wednesday Books

They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.

Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God.

Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.

As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.

A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.  — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Smash It! by Francina Simone Inkyard Press

Olivia “Liv” James is done with letting her insecurities get the best of her. So she does what any self-respecting hot mess of a girl who wants to SMASH junior year does…

After Liv shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts–why, God, why?–she decides to set aside her wack AF ways. She makes a list–a F*ck-It list.

1. Be bold–do the thing that scares me. 2. Learn to take a compliment. 3. Stand out instead of back.

She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv’s heart is interested in three different guys–and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she’s not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?

In Liv’s own words, “F*ck it. What’s the worst that can happen?” A lot, apparently. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker Imprint

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out–and going out for their first kill–and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

Welcome to the evolution of the vampire–and a revolution on the page. Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida C rdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds Katherine Tegen Books

What if you could bring your best friend back to life–but only for a short time?

Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know that he died, and that he’s about to die . . . again. He doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save him. And that the reason they haven’t been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents.

But what if Jamal could have a second chance? A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies . . . permanently. And Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death. So how can Jamal fix everything if he can’t tell Q the truth?

Early Departures weaves together loss, grief, friendship, and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life–and beyond. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh Dutton Books for Young Readers

“Ada” means first daughter, means oldest girl, means pressure. “Ada” means you are expected to do a lot of things because the honor of this family rests on your back.

When Ada leaves home for her freshman year at a Historically Black College, it’s the first time she’s ever been so far from her family—and the first time that she’s been able to make her own choices and to seek her place in this new world. As she stumbles deeper into the world of dance and explores her sexuality, she also begins to wrestle with her past—her mother’s struggle with addiction, her Nigerian father’s attempts to make a home for her. Ultimately, Ada discovers she needs to brush off the destiny others have chosen for her and claim full ownership of her body and her future.

Every Body Looking is a luminous and inspiring novel in verse about bearing the weight of others’ expectations and finding the courage to shape a life of one’s own. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi Viking Books for Young Readers

Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy–he just didn’t think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right?

Soon, late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature… until his old life comes knocking on his door. Now, Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer, or risk losing his hard-won freedom.

At turns uplifting and devastating, How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi’s most powerful novel yet, a celebration of how life’s most painful moments can live alongside the riotous, life-changing joys of discovering who you are. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

White Fox by Sara Faring Imprint

After their world-famous actor mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Manon and Thaïs left their remote Mediterranean island home–sent away by their pharma-tech tycoon father. Opposites in every way, the sisters drifted apart in their grief. Yet their mother’s unfinished story still haunts them both, and they can’t put to rest the possibility that she is still alive.

Lured home a decade later, Manon and Thaïs discover their mother’s legendary last work, long thought lost: White Fox, a screenplay filled with enigmatic metaphors. The clues in this dark fairytale draw them deep into the island’s surreal society, into the twisted secrets hidden by their glittering family, to reveal the truth about their mother–and themselves. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore Harperteen

There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history.

But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world–and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.

So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough–they are everything. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bendele Wednesday Books

A movement that started with a hashtag–#BlackLivesMatter–on Twitter spread across the nation and then across the world.

From one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement comes a poetic memoir and reflection on humanity. Necessary and timely, Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ story asks us to remember that protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement have been called terrorists, a threat to America. But in truth, they are loving women whose life experiences have led them to seek justice for those victimized by the powerful.

In this meaningful, empowering account of survival, strength, and resilience, Cullors and asha bandele seek to change the culture that declares innocent black life expendable. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads