#Bluebelle and her theater home and her dancing and her

[murdleandmarot]

1 and 4 for bluebelle for the headcanon prompts? :3

hi hello charlie :3!!!!!

1. How do they feel about people taller/shorter than them?

Plato is a tall, lanky dude, and bluebelle loves him lots, so in general she’s pretty neutral about those taller than her.

Short people, on the other hand, she feels vaguely ambivalent about. bluebelle is pretty averagely tall, (which is to say, same height as Vicci), so people/cats shorter than her are consistently kittens.

bellebelle isn’t uncomfortable around them per say, but they’re always looking up at her with big ole eyes, and she doesn’t ever really know how to react or converse with them. Even still, her feelings are never negative, just nervous, which is typical of my darling girl

4. Preferred weather?

The obvious answer is blue hour, which, while funny, is not accurate. Bluebelle likes winter a lot, (she adores snow), but she also loves soft lighting, dawn, dusk, snow light, etc.

Stuff like this. She likes being cosy <3333

[frcnkiesainz]

Did you know that FRANCISCO “FRANKIE” SAINZ has called Bluebell home for ONE YEAR? It’s hard to believe that the THIRTY EIGHT year old CIS MALE looks so much like OSCAR ISAAC. Word around town is that HE is RESENTFUL and DISORGANIZED but I think they are HUMBLE and INSIGHTFUL. Last I heard, they were working as a LIBRARIAN.

* ･. ∘  statistics  .  ◞

name  ›  francisco everett sainz .

nickname  ›  frankie .

age  ›  thirty eight years old .

date of birth  ›  september 13th , 1982 .

zodiac sign  ›  virgo .

current residence  ›  bluebell , alabama

hometown  ›  manhattan , new york .

nationality  ›  american .

occupation  ›  librarian .

gender & pronouns  ›  cis-male  &  he  /  him .

orientation  ›  bisexual .

labels  ›  the black sheep , the isolato , the reticent .

* ･. ∘  background  .  ◞ [ tw : suicide. ] 

frankie was born as the son of a well-known folk singer, a man who crafted songs about forgotten days and loves from long ago. growing up, their house was always filled with the somber strumming of a guitar, often followed by a lot of banging and shouting when the song didn’t come out quite right. his mother had passed away when he was young, a freak accident no one could have foreseen and the pain had left his father broken and unable to write.

from a young age, frankie was thrown into the spotlight by his father. he was in various commercials and small theater productions, he too was musically talented and considering his dad was no longer able to make a living through his music, he was going to squeeze every last dollar he could out from his son.

for the most part, frankie didn’t mind the attention. it felt good to feel wanted and needed by his father, even if it all came with heaps of pressure and responsibility. however, the older he got and the more fame he got, the more his father resented him and wanted more of the money and more of the credit.

when he turned eighteen and was at the height of his popularity, frankie moved out from the apartment he’d lived in his whole life and left the city all together. he was tired of his father’s growing intolerance and greed, he didn’t want to be looked at like a cash machine anymore and frankly, he had never fancied being in the limelight.

he moved in with a few friends and for the first time in his life, frankie attempted an average life. he went to college, went to parties, got a job at the local bookstore. things felt like they were supposed to for the first time in his life, away from the weight his father had placed on his shoulders. however, it was only good for a few years before things inevitably crashed down.

around his twenty fourth birthday, after not seeing him for years, frankie got the news that his father had hung himself. despite not having many positive memories of him, the loss affected him deeply and would continue to do so throughout his life. the only thing his father wanted from him was to be successful and there he was, living an average life he would undoubtedly have nothing to show for when he was old.

still with no desire to be the one in the spotlight, frankie started to write songs and screenplays, selling them to local theaters or musicians. he was able to escape his father’s name however, often was he brought up into conversation or frankie’s past childhood fame be reminded.

eventually, he once again grew tired of city life and the slow inclining of fame he was receiving and frankie decided he needed to hit the road for a while, find out what it was he really wanted from his life. he settled in bluebell a few months after setting out on his impromptu road trip and hasn’t left since, enjoying the peace and chance to be someone new. 

* ･. ∘  personality  .  ◞

favorable  ›  humble , compassionate , insightful , perceptive , respectful .

unfavorable  ›  impulsive , forgetful , resentful , disorganized , neglectful . 

* ･. ∘  headcanons  .  ◞

obv i was inspired a lot by oscar’s character in the film “inside llewyn davis” (which is a personal favourite of mine, please go watch it) so i had to work out a way to include the cat.  also inspired by a book i read as a kid but there’s a lil stray ginger kitty that the few librarians look after and put food out for but no one technically owns it; she’s taken a particular liking to frankie and often jumps up onto his lap if he’s sat reading at his desk .

disaster bisexual ........ he’s fancied more women in his life but he v easily admires men . sometimes it feels more so because they have what he is lacking and he yearns for that confidence and charisma , but also cause he wants to be on top of them dafsgdhf

his house is a fucking wreck , it’s a total mess with junk and clutter just thrown about everywhere cause his brain is too hectic to actually settle and sort things out . it’s a mess that sometimes makes sense to him but to anyone else ? it’s wild .

will just walk away from you if you ask him to sing you a song , just cause the man owns a guitar and has a nice voice doesn’t mean he wants to be put on show like a dancing monkey . in fact , he doesn’t even do it as a hobby anymore . his guitar lays unused among the mess , along with songs he had previously scribbled down on paper .

the only memory he has of his mother is her laying on the floor of their apartment beside him , pulling funny faces while some song played on the record player in the background . her face has blurred with age but he still recalls her dark curls splayed out around her face and her rounded cheeks , he has no photos of her but part of him thinks that is for the best . 

* ･. ∘  wanted connections  .  ◞

maybe someone who was a fan of his dad’s music & recognizes him?? that could be pretty angsty cause frankie does not like talking bout his dad or his past in general .

one night stand .

someone who frequents the library often and whom frankie has warmed to .

friends from home .

maybe an ex who he got too close to too fast and ended up cutting things off .

opposites attract . 

[spongebobsquarepiss]

all the botanical asks

Bless u, i love you jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?Unicorns lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?Vinyls primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?The Snow Child lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?Y e s bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?hmm. i went to see the testosterone dr person ladygardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?ill be a better bf than i have been lately lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?Ooh forests or oceanwhirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?Yes def marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?Sometimes apricot drift; how do you feel right now?anxious and sadeverlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?Ummmm. we were all trying to watch infinity war but i couldn’t get to the theater at all and i was disappointing my friends so i started crying queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?Love and affection and cheeze its lavender dream; turn ons/offs?On: discreet flirting, being sexy without meaning to beOff: being called anything femme tbh, put into the stereotype that i like what girls like in certain more sexualized situationswater lilly; when was the last time you cried? why?right now cause i feel bad for not being a great bf sometimes and im not a great friend, i just rely and take from others and don’t give a lot. lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?Not really winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?Bite?? maybe lick???honey perfume; favorite movie ever?God idk man. atm it’s Brothers Bloomdesert rose; do you like yourself?Nosnapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?Yeah.night owl; how many countries have you visited? None. until we go to France none besides the US lmao heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?God no but i wishcreams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?came out as translantana; what’s on your mind right now?i wish i was a better person pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?Taurus tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.im trans, i play the tuba, im musically talented, i love all of my friends, i love my dogdaphne; do you believe in karma?Sure?queen of the meadow; ever been in love?Yeahwisteria; whom do you admire and why?My gf cause she’s brave and loving and caring angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?i didn’t get bedtime stories. at least not that i remember remember me; did you make someone laugh today?maybe?? i think in AP music i did. iris; do you believe in ghosts?Nahlilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?idk man the past kinda sucked unless ur a straight white male with lots of moneycaramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?No. Life is sad primula; what makes you sad?Legit. almost anything if there’s enough emotion put into itrain lily; was today typical? why/why not?Def not typical. ive been an anxious wreck all dayqueen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?My gflady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?a barforget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?A to lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe? Honestly. Marvel violet; favorite tv show?The Flash atmsunflower; share a favorite quote.Time is the only resource you can never get back and get more of snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?sleeping in a little bit. reading. practicing. cuddling with my gf. texting my friends tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?Yeah i like reading and i love playing my instruments tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?Audition for things, make more friends, be more outgoing especially at danceshoneysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger? My agesweet pea; who means the world to you? why?My gf she’s amazing and tbh i wouldn’t be alive without her she’s a dork love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?the Snow Child foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?Aomine Daikimagnolia; coffee or tea?Tea crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?Lovedsnowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?Dog bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?Sleeping cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?All the timemoonflower; what’s your favorite color?Navy bluefreesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?Yeah. my parents are understanding and open minded and just want me to be happy sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?Nightpoppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?Uh yes clover; how would your friends describe you?gay, musical, a dorkdandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?Introvertlilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do? Hmm. Sports anime and gay manga anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.Sad, musical, trying lotus; best memory as a child?fishing on the little su and it’s sunny out and i caught a super huge fish and my dad’s proud angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?Hazel eyes, brown hair dahlia; do you like crystals?Yes buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?everyone would be open minded and caring baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?Slytherin calendula; biggest pet peeve?Out of tune instruments blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?Read a bookblazing star; share a secret.i have a fear that everything i do is fake and no one actually likes me, they just tolerate me and don’t care. im really scared that ill mess up again and ruin this relationship and/or ruin my mental again carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?Happierpetunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?i have no idea man. Everyone is learning and trying their best and honestly small stories make me the happiest and most inspired bluebell; do you wear glasses?Sometimes nymphea; forest or river?River orchid; do you like exercise?Yeahpansy; do you like poetry?Yes morning glory; any special talent that you have?i can play sixteenth notes on a tuba at 200 bpm and i intend to go faster someday

[queerbenji]

Below is a lovingly compiled list of books about girls who love girls that have happy or hopeful endings! The list currently has 106 entries and spans multiple genres. It’s alphabetized by author, and links go to the books’ Goodreads pages. Recommendations are welcome! 

Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams

A wonderfully refreshing, quirky, and genuinely funny tale of coming-out to your best friend–and long-time secret love.  Three chases, three declarations of love, two heartbreaks, a break-in, and one unforgettable quest.

Taijiku by Elizabeth Andre

Angela’s juvenile detention sentence on an alien underwater ship doesn’t seem very exciting until she encounters the fearsome Taijiku or meeting her crew mate Stella, leaving Angela unable to say which is the greater challenge: giant sea monsters or falling in love.

Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton

Poppy is the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales.  She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief, but as the only gay girl in the village, the chance of romance is rarer than a barking sheep. That is, until her ex-BFF roars back into her life…

The Music Box by Elaine Atwell

Berlin, 1942. Caroline Reed is a newly minted American spy, eager to prove herself on her first mission: to recover vital information from behind enemy lines. But she’s not the only one. Iris and Caroline come to trust each other, or perhaps it’s something more. But what does love matter when the fate of the world is at stake?

Valhalla by Ari Bach

In the year 2330 in Northern Scotland, war is obsolete and only brilliant minds are valued, Violet emerges into adulthood with more brawn than brains, branded from childhood as a useless barbarian. With the help of a group of outcasts just like her, Violet is about to learn the world needs her exactly as she is.  

Bluebell Hall by Kayla Bashe

Headstrong, impetuous Tansy Trilby can barely sit still, let alone read–but what she lacks in academic achievement, she makes up for in magical talent, and so she is accepted to be a boarder at Bluebell Hall. Tansy’s adventures lead her to discover: is love truly the greatest magic of all?

Screaming Down Splitsville by Kayla Bashe

In an alternate 1950s, two groups of people with magical powers fight for dominance. Flip thinks her healing powers are useless, while Emma has magic but is unable to speak. The two band together to escape a torturous lab.  As the women seek to evade their pursuers, their friendship rekindles, and they are forced to confront both enemies and insecurities.

Kaleidoscope Song by Fox Benwell

Fifteen year old Neo loves music. it punctuates her life in South Africa. A life in radio is all she’s ever wanted. When Umzi Radio broadcasts live in a nearby bar Neo can’t resist. She sneaks out to see them, and she falls in love, with music, and the night, but also with a girl: Tale has a voice like coffee poured into a bright steel mug, and she commands the stage.

Dissention by Stacey Berg

For 400 years, the remnants of humanity have struggled for survival in the last inhabited city. Echo Hunter 367 is exactly what the Church created her to be: loyal, obedient, lethal. But when Echo’s mission leads her to Lia, a rebel leader who has a secret of her own, Echo must choose between the woman she loves and the purpose she was born to fulfill.

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Drum Roll, Please is a contemporary middle grade novel about a drummer named Melly, whose parents announce they’re getting a divorce the day before she leaves for rock camp. She has a life-changing summer at camp as she navigates confusing feelings, changing friendships, and her first crush on a girl, and learns to find her own beat.

Starting From Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Colby’s heart has been broken too many times. Her mother has been dead for almost two years, her truck driver father is always away, her almost girlfriend just dumped her, and now she’s failing chemistry. But when a stray dog lands literally at her feet, bleeding and broken on a busy road, it knocks a chink in the walls she’s built around her heart.

How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

All Grace wants is her own life.  Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend. When Grace meets Eva, who has her own share of ghosts to outrun, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies. As nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game that will end up killing every hostage—unless she can find a way to break all the rules.

The Swan Riders by Erin Bow

Sequel to The Scorpion Rules.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Evie has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to her Uncle Will on the bustling streets of 1926 New York City. Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island’s other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition. Their story is told from many points of view, multiples of which are LGBT women.

First Position by Melissa Brayden

Anastasia Mikhelson is the rising star of the New York City Ballet. She’s sacrificed creature comforts, a social life, as well as her own physical well-being for perfection in dance. Even her reputation as The Ice Queen doesn’t faze her. Though Ana’s at the peak of her career, competition from a new and noteworthy dancer puts all she’s worked for in jeopardy.

How Sweet It Is by Melissa Brayden

After losing the love of her life four years prior in a plane crash, Molly thinks she’s ready to navigate the dicey dating waters once again. However, you can’t always pick who your heart latches on to. When Jordan, the beautiful younger sister of her lost love, returns to town, Molly finds her interest piqued in a manner she wasn’t prepared for.

Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden

Jenna has spent her whole life training for the stage. At graduation, she’s stunned when a chance audition lands her a prime supporting role in the hottest Broadway touring production in the country. The one thing she didn’t prepare for, however, was her new costar Adrienne. Is Jenna ready to sacrifice what she’s worked so hard for in exchange for a shot at love?

 Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

Joanna has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: to lie low for the rest of her senior year. Jo reluctantly agrees, but things get infinitely more complicated when she meets Mary.

Style by Chelsea M. Cameron

Kyle Blake likes plans. So far, they’re pretty simple: Finish her senior year of high school, head off to a good college, find a cute boyfriend, graduate, get a good job, get married, the whole heterosexual shebang. Nothing is going to stand in the way of that plan. Not even Stella Lewis.

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

Debuting on the New York stage, Zara is unprepared—for Eli, the girl who makes the world glow; for Leopold, the director who wants perfection; and for death in the theater.  In heart-achingly beautiful prose, Capetta has spun a mystery and a love story into an impossible, inevitable whole —and cast light on two girls, finding each other on a stage set for tragedy. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Somewhere within our crowded sky, a crew of wormhole builders hops from planet to planet, on their way to the job of a lifetime. To the galaxy at large, humanity is a minor species, and one patched-up construction vessel is a mere speck on the starchart.  But all voyages leave their mark, and even the most ordinary of people have stories worth telling.

Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Angie is broken—by her can’t-be-bothered mother, by her high-school tormenters, and by being the only one who thinks her varsity-athlete-turned-war-hero sister is still alive. She’s just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC Romance This darkly comic anti-romantic romance is a work of entertaining and meaningful fiction.

Debris Dreams by David Colby

Drusilla lives in the Hub, a space station used by the Chinese-American Alliance as a base to exploit Luna’s resources. When a terrorist group destroys the space elevator, space’s highway to Earth, suddenly Dru’s parents are dead and she is cut off from her girlfriend Sarah on Earth. Can Dru survive lunar terrorist attacks and find her way home to Sarah?

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden. Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic.

Clancy of the Undertow by Christopher Currie

In a dead-end town like Barwen a girl has only got to be a little different to feel like a freak. And Clancy, a typical sixteen-year-old misfit with a moderately dysfunctional family, a genuine interest in Nature Club and a major crush on the local hot girl, is packing a capital F.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power, but it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air. The only way to get her family back is to travel to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. This book is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

The Caphenon by Fletcher DeLancey

On a summer night like any other, an emergency call sounds in the quarters of Andira Tal: not only is there other intelligent life in the universe, but it’s landing on the planet right now. Tal leads the first responding team and ends up rescuing aliens who have a frightening story to tell. They protected Alsea from a terrible fate—but the reprieve is only temporary.

The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer

Persephone has everything a daughter of Zeus could want–except for freedom. When Persephone meets the enigmatic Hades, goddess of the underworld, she experiences something new: choice. Hades offers Persephone sanctuary in her land of the dead. But Persephone finds more than freedom in the underworld. She finds love, and herself.    

Twixt by Sarah Diemer

The people of Abeo City have forgotten their pasts, and they can trade locks of their hair to sinister women for an addictive drug. Nox will give you back a single memory–for a price. But when Lottie takes Nox, her memories remain a mystery, and the monsters who fill the sky at night refuse to snatch her. Soon, a dark truth begins to surface…

Big Big Sky by Kristyn Dunnion

Rustle is a young scout in a tight-knit female warrior group of five. They’re trained to be aggressive, quick thinking, and obedient.  But somehow the group is falling apart now. So when their StarPod is transported to the Living Lab, they all know that it’s time to make a run for it, or else they’ll be deplugged - finished, dead. 

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

Amara is never alone. Not when she’s protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when she’s punished, ordered around, or neglected. She can’t be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes. They’ll have to work together to survive–and discover the truth about their connection.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Louisa longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor’s daughter. But then Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall, labeled a lunatic and even deprived of her real name. As she unravels the betrayals behind her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself and others in order to be free. And love may be the key.

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember

Having long-wondered what lives beyond the ice shelf, nineteen-year-old mermaid Ersel learns of the life she wants when she rescues and befriends Ragna, a shield-maiden stranded on the mermen’s glacier. But when Ersel’s childhood friend and suitor catches them together, he gives Ersel a choice: say goodbye to Ragna or face justice at the hands of the glacier’s brutal king.

Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember

Mnemba has found a place in her cousins successful safari business, where she quickly excels as a guide. When she’s employed to guide Mr. Harving and his daughter, Kara, as they study unicorns, the young women are drawn to each other. During their research, they discover a conspiracy by a group of poachers to capture the Unicorns and use their supernatural strength to build a railway. Together, they must find a way to save the creatures Kara adores.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sarah Farizan

Leila’s Persian heritage already makes her different from her classmates; if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when a sophisticated, beautiful new girl, Saskia, shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would.  Gradually, Leila begins to see that almost all her classmates are more complicated than they first appear to be.

The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine

Sequel to The Impostor Queen, which stars a bi woman. Cursed by an enemy queen, Ansa must fight against an invisible foe—the dark magic that has embedded itself deep in her bones. The more she seeks to hide it, the more dangerous it becomes. Ansa is torn between her loyalty to her people, her love for the cheiftain’s daughter, and her own survival instincts.

Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman

The year is 1972. Fifteen-year-old Haunani “Nani” Grace Nuuhiwa is transplanted from her home to California after her father’s fatal heart attack. Now the proverbial fish-out-of-water, Nani struggles to adjust to her new life with her alcoholic white (haole) mother and the lineup of mean girls who rule State Beach. But Nani is keeping several secrets that could ruin everything.

Noble Falling by Sara Gaines

When her convoy is attacked, Duchess Aleana Melora of Eniva, future queen of Halvaria is saved by her guard, only to discover her people have turned against her and joined forces with the kingdom of Dakmor, Halvaria’s greatest enemy. After a rescue by a woman marked as a criminal, Aleana struggles to survive long enough to crowned, though her heart has other priorities.

Annie On My Mind By Nancy Garden

This groundbreaking book, published in 1992, is the story of two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings. The book has been banned from many school libraries and publicly burned in Kansas City.

Good Moon Rising by Nancy Garden

Lambda Literary Award winner “Good Moon Rising” is about two young women who fall in love while rehearsing a school play, realize they’re gay, and resist a homophobic campaign against them. 

Nora and Liz by Nancy Garden

When her rental car has a flat tire, Liz Hardy stops at the Tillot farm for a car jack. Nora Tillot walks Liz out to the barn and, as they search for the jack, the two women begin a journey neither anticipated. As their friendship turns passionate, will their happiness be shattered by rumors?

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts shows disrespect. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see that to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up.

The Second Mango by Shira Glassman

Queen Shulamit never expected to inherit the throne of tropical Perach so young. At twenty, grief-stricken and fatherless, she’s also coping with being the only lesbian she knows after her sweetheart ran off for an unknown reason. Her search for a royal girlfriend quickly becomes a rescue mission after finding a temple full of women turned to stone by an evil sorcerer.

The Flywheel by Erin Gough

Seventeen-year-old Del drops out of high school when her romance with another girl goes horribly wrong. Preferring chaos to bullying, Del makes it her mission to save her dad’s crumbling café, the Flywheel, while he ‘finds himself’ overseas. This book is a heart-warming debut novel about queer romance, crap parents & finding your feet when life gets messy.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

When Cass’s best friend Julia is killed in a sudden car accident, and while Cass is still reeling from her death, Julia’s boyfriend and her other drama friends make it their mission to bring to fruition Julia’s nearly-completed secret project: a musical about an orphaned ninja princess entitled Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad.

Eat Your Heart Out by Dayna Ingram

A breakneck tale of kick-ass, wise-ass, sexy-ass lesbians — and zombies.  The strip-mall calm of Nowhere, Ohio, is shattered by the sudden, simultaneous appearance of Renni Ramirez, hyper-competent star of the beloved Rising Evil B-movie franchise, and actual zombies, leaving Ashbee’s hapless staff and Renni trapped behind an automatic door they can’t lock.

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

Set in a near-future world where the British Empire never fell and the United States never rose, That Inevitable Victorian Thing is a novel of love, duty, and the small moments that can change people and the world.

The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz

Mercedes is an artist. At least, she thinks she could be, but she hasn’t been able to paint anything worthwhile since her award-winning piece Food Poisoning #1 last year. Her lack of inspiration might be because her abuela is comatose in faraway Puerto Rico after a stroke. Or the fact that Mercedes is in love with her best friend, but is too afraid to admit her true feelings.

The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz

Clara is a highly-skilled technician specializing in the popular ‘Raise’ AI companions. She sticks around just long enough to replenish her funds before she moves on Sal is a fully autonomous robot, at best out of place in society and at worst hated. When Clara stops by Sal’s shop for lunch, she doesn’t expect to find a real robot there, let alone one who might need her help.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Astrid desperately wants to confide in someone, but her feel like the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn’t know the passengers inside, but they’re the only ones who won’t judge her when she asks them her most personal questions–like what it means that she’s falling in love with a girl.

Radical by E.M. Kokie

Preppers. Survivalists. Bex prefers to think of herself as a realist who plans to survive, but regardless of labels, they’re all sure of the same thing: a crisis is coming. And when it does, Bex will be ready. But Bex isn’t prepared for Lucy, who is soft and beautiful and hates guns. This gripping new novel questions our assumptions about family, trust, and what it really takes to survive.

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met, and she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

You Know Me Well by Nina Lacour and David Levithan

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but their paths have never crossed. That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from finally meeting the girl she’s been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane

Actress Caidence Harris is living her dreams after landing a leading role in a hot new police drama shot on location in glitzy LA. Her sometimes-costar Robyn Ward is magnetic, glamorous, and devastatingly beautiful, the quintessential A-List celebrity. Soon Caid sees that all is not as it appears, but can she take a chance and risk her heart when the outcome is so uncertain?

An Unstill Life by Kate Larkindale

Livvie feels like she’s losing everything: her two best friends have abandoned her for their boyfriends, her mother continues to ignore her, while her sister, Jules, is sick again and getting worse by the day. Her only escape is in the art room, where she discovers not only a refuge from her life, but also a kindred soul in Bianca, the school “freak”.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers when she stumbles upon the perfect internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own.  

A&B by J.C. Lillis

Barrie dreams of a career in music. When her rival Ava ropes her into a secret collaboration, it sparks feelings neither girl expected.  Can love and ambition live side by side? Is happiness an art-killer? They’ll figure it out with the help of a blue guitar named Fernando, a keyboard named Rosalinda, and a few new friends who feel like home.

Ash by Malinda Lo

In this enchanting retelling of Cinderella, Ash must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Kaede and Taisin, two seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. The exciting adventure prequel to Malinda Lo’s highly acclaimed novel Ash is overflowing with lush Chinese influences and details inspired by the I Ching, and is filled with action and romance.

Complementary and Acute by Ella Lyons

Annabell is captain of the Number Ninjas, her senior year schedule is perfect, and her best friend Jacqueline is going to be right by her side for all of it. But on the first day back, Jac throws a wrench in Anabelle’s tidy plans. Not only has she rearranged her classes and dropped Number Ninjas, she’s joined the Girls who Like Girls Program, leaving Anabelle’s entire world in upheaval.

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac

This is the poignant and uplifting story of Maeve, who is dealing with anxiety while falling in love with a girl who is not afraid of anything. Will she be able to navigate through all the chaos to be there for the people she loves?

Colorblind by Siera Maley

Harper has a secret, and it’s not that she likes girls. She has a gift: she can see how old other people will be when they pass away. Nothing she does changes this number, which becomes especially clear when her mother dies in a car crash. Then she falls for Chloe, whose number is 16, who’ll be dead by the end of summer. An uplifting book reminiscent of The Fault in Our Stars.

Dating Sarah Cooper by Siera Maley

When a misunderstanding leads to best friends Katie and Sarah being mistaken for a couple and Sarah uses the situation to her advantage, Katie finds herself on a roller coaster ride of ambiguous sexuality and confusing feelings. How far will Sarah go to keep up the charade, and why does kissing her make Katie feel more alive than kissing her ex-boyfriend ever did?

Taking Flight by Siera Maley

Lauren is a city girl at heart. When a judge deems her father unfit to be her guardian, she’s shipped to the rural mountains of northern Georgia, where David, a personal friend of the judge, lives. Lauren’s plan is simple: to have her best friend pick her up on the day she turns eighteen, and to be as difficult as possible until then.  But her plan doesn’t account for David’s daughter.

The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse by Mabel Maney

Follow Cherry, Jackie, and girl detective Nancy Clue on their gay adventures.  Mabel Maney’s camp classic The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse has been beloved by readers since it was first published in 1993. This sparkling parody of 1950s girl adventure stories will make you laugh out loud.

The Case of the Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend by Mabel Maney

Mabel Maney’s playful parody of 1950s girl adventure books continues in The Case of the Good-for-Nothing Girlfriend. This raucous sequel also stands on its own as a swell introduction to Cherry and her pals, and a food and fashion guide to the glamorous Eisenhower years.

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

The first in an LGBT fantasy series that follows a talented necromancer who must face down a deadly nemesis who has learned how to turn her magic into a weapon. A lavish fantasy with a surprising and breathtaking romance at its core, Reign of the Fallen is a gutsy, unpredictable read that will grab readers by the throat and never let go.

Wherever the Dandelion Falls by Lily R. Mason

Riley Montgomery is a bartender, a lab assistant, and a sex worker – all in different lives. A seemingly innocuous conversation with a graduate school professor unravels Riley’s life into three separate strands. The three versions of Riley’s life are as separate as can be, yet have one common thread: falling in love with a beautiful and brave woman named Faye Nguyen. 

Parties in Congress by Colette Moody

Elated to secure her first paid political staff position, Bijal Rao is eager to focus her efforts on the election of her candidate to U.S. Congress. However, Bijal’s first unforeseen obstacle is her profound and unexpected attraction to their opponent—incumbent Congresswoman Colleen O'Bannon—who is outspoken, charismatic, and openly lesbian.

The Sublime and Spirited Voyage of Original Sin by Colette Moody

The Gulf of Mexico, 1702: When Gayle and the pirates of the square-rigger Original Sin steal ashore to abduct a doctor to tend to their wounded, they end up settling for the doctor’s attractive fiancée Celia, the town seamstress. The two forge a partnership born of necessity that Gayle soon hopes will veer away from insurmountable danger and instead detour directly to her bed.

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

Everywhere Etta turns, someone feels she’s too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group.

Meg & Linus by Hanna Nowinski

Meg and Linus are best friends bound by a shared love of school, a coffee obsession, and being queer. It’s not always easy to be the nerdy lesbian or gay kid in a suburban town. But they have each other. And a few Star Trek boxed sets. They’re pretty happy. Meg & Linus is a fun story about two quirky teens who must learn to get out of their comfort zones and take risks.

A Story of Now by Emily O’Beirne

Claire knows she needs a life. And some new friends.  But brittle, beautiful, and just a little bit too sassy for her own good sometimes, she no longer makes friends easily. When Robbie and Mia walk into Claire’s work they seem the least likely people to help her find a life. But despite Claire’s initial attempts to alienate them, an unexpected new friendship develops.

Future Leaders of Nowhere by Emily O’Beirne

Finn and Willa have been picked as team leaders in the future leader camp game. Fierce, competitive Willa has shaken the usually confident Finn. Soon they both realize that the hardest thing of all is balancing their clashing ideals with their unexpected connection. And finding a way to win, of course.

Here’s the Thing by Emily O’Beirne

It’s only for a year. That’s what sixteen-year-old Zel keeps telling herself after moving to Sydney for her dad’s work. But Zel soon finds life in Sydney won’t let her hide. There’s her art teacher, who keeps forcing her to dig deeper. There’s the band of sweet, strange misfits her cousin has forced her to join for a Drama project. And then there’s the curiosity that is the always-late Stella.

Points of Departure by Emily O’Beirne

Best friends Kit and Liza have been looking forward to this trip forever. Five girls, five tickets overseas. It’s exactly what they all need after the final slog of high school. But when Kit’s suddenly forced to drop out, Liza’s left with three girls she barely knows, and they’re all learning that travel isn’t just about the places you go, but who you’re with at the time.

Because of Her by K.E. Payne

Forced to move to London thanks to her father’s new job, Seventeen-year-old Tabitha has to leave her friends, school, and, most importantly, her girlfriend Amy, far behind. To make matters worse, Tabby’s parents enroll her in the exclusive Queen Victoria Independent School for Girls, hoping that it will finally make a lady of her. But Tabby has other ideas.

Axiom by Rachel Marie Pearcy

The Assembly controls every citizen of Axiom. Everything is assigned, from their career and living quarters, to their spouse and reproduction. Ella never thought twice about it, until now. After meeting Carly, Ella realizes things aren’t as perfect as she thought. The two girls’ friendship slowly blossoms into something more, and as their love grows, so does the threat of punishment.

Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

With a steady boyfriend, the position of Student Council President, and a chance to go to an Ivy League college, high school life is just fine for Holland. At least it seems to be. But when Cece Goddard comes to school, everything changes. Cece and Holland have undeniable feelings for each other, but how will others react to their developing relationship?

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters

When Alix’s girlfriend, Swanee, dies from sudden cardiac arrest, Alix is overcome with despair. Then she finds Swanee’s phone, pinging with texts from Liana, Swanee’s secret girlfriend. Brought together by Swanee’s lies, Alix and Liana become closer than they’d thought possible. But Alix is still hiding the truth from Liana. Will coming clean to Liana mean losing her, too?

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter’s marriage. Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds.

Like Water by Rebecca Podos

In Savannah Espinoza’s small New Mexico hometown, kids either flee after graduation or they’re trapped there forever. Vanni never planned to get stuck—but that was before her father was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Then she meets Leigh, who’s utterly unique. But caring about another person threatens to bring to the surface the questions she’s held under for so long.

Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen

Hannah wants to spend her senior year of high school going to football games and Mardi Gras parties with her tight-knit group of friends. The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a girl–especially when that girl is her best friend, Baker. And Baker might want to be with Hannah, too–if both girls can embrace that world-shaking, yet wondrous, possibility.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Jordan’s low voice gets her shut out of the school musical, but a spot has opened up in the elite a cappella octet. Worshipped…revered…all male. Jordan dresses as a guy and  wins the audition. With her secret growing heavier every day, Jordan confronts what it means to be a girl (and a guy) in a male-dominated society, and—most importantly—what it means to be herself.

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed

Three misfits come together to avenge the rape of a fellow classmate and in the process trigger a change in the misogynist culture at their high school, transforming the lives of everyone around them in this story that will work its way into a special place in your heart. Told in alternating perspectives, one of whom is gay and Latina, another is autistic, and all are remarkable.

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

Juliet just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff. 

Cherry by Lindsey Rosin

In this honest, frank, and funny debut novel, four best friends make a pact during their senior year of high school to lose their virginities—and end up finding friendship, love, and self-discovery along the way. Will everything go according to plan? Probably not. But at least the girls have each other every hilarious, heart-warming, cringe-inducing step of the way.

Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

Megan doesn’t speak. She hasn’t spoken in months. Pushing away the people she cares about is just a small price to pay. Because there are things locked inside Megan’s head - things that she cannot, must not, let out. Then Jasmine starts at school: bubbly, beautiful, talkative Jasmine. And for reasons Megan can’t quite understand, life starts to look a bit brighter.

Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon

The shocking assassination of her brother causes Princess Shasta’s father to appoint Shasta’s new savior as the Princess’s bodyguard. But what Shasta doesn’t know is that her new guardian has a very well-kept secret: he is actually a she. The two grow closer than anyone, especially her father, could have predicted. Will the truth change their relationship forever?

The Light of the World by Ellen Simpson

After her grandmother’s death, Eva finds diaries detailing the magical life of a girl in the Roaring Twenties. She cannot reconcile the young girl in these diaries with the miserable old woman she loved. Eva starts to investigate the puzzle  with the help of a local historian and his assistant Olivia, they find a forgotten labyrinth under the city. But they’re not the only ones down there…  

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrustkie

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. Cas has fought pirates her entire life. But can she survive living among them?

The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

Sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us.

Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton

Kitty’s keeping secrets. Like how she’s struggling to cope with her mum’s illness. And how she’s falling for the girl with the purpley-red hair… A fun film competition with her friends Sunny and Hannah seems like the perfect distraction. But then Dylan wants to be more than Kitty’s secret. Is Kitty ready to let her two worlds meet, or will she risk losing Dylan forever?

Forgive Me If I’ve Told You This Before by Karelia Stetz-Waters

Shy, intellectual, and living in rural Oregon, Triinu just doesn’t fit in. She tries to hide behind her dyed hair and black wardrobe, but it’s hard to ignore the bullying, and it’s even harder to ignore the allure of other girls. As Triinu tumbles headlong into first love and teenage independence, she realizes that the differences that make her a target are also what can set her free.

Prom and Other Hazards by Jamie Sullivan

Frankly, prom is a ridiculous concept, and Sam wants nothing to do with it. Except for the tiny fact that she’s been in love with her best friend Tash since they were ten years old, and Tash dreams of a perfect, romantic prom. Sam had given up hope, until she spotted The Suit in a shop window. Surely the perfect suit is all she needs to finally admit to Tash how she feels.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever. Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another. This book is about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Fifteen-year-old Aki has a theory. And it’s mostly about sex. No, it isn’t that kind of theory. Aki already knows she’s bisexual. So far, Aki has dated only guys, and her best friend is the only person who knows she likes girls, too.  Actually, Aki’s theory is that she’s got only one shot at living an interesting life—and that means it’s time for her to actually do something. Or at least try.

The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi

Lexi has a secret. She never meant for her mom to find out. And now she’s afraid that what’s left of her family is going to fall apart for good.  Lexi knows she can fix everything. She can change. She can learn to like boys. New Horizons summer camp has promised to transform her life, and all she wants is to start over. But sometimes love has its own path.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Darcy Patel is afraid to believe all the hype. But it’s really happening - her teen novel is getting published. Instead of heading to college, she’s living in New York City, where she’s welcomed into the dazzling world of YA publishing. Told in alternating chapters is Darcy’s novel, the thrilling story of Lizzie, who wills her way into the afterworld to survive a deadly terrorist attack.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.  When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie has a chance to confront her long-time crush . And in the magic of SupaCon, Taylor starts to rethink playing it safe when it comes to her secret crush on Jamie.

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

Rumor fears two things: hellhounds too strong for him to kill, and failure. Jude has two dreams: for humans to stop killing monsters, and for his strange abilities to vanish. But in no reality should a boy raised to love monsters fall for a boy raised to kill them. Nyx keeps two secrets: the moon speaks to her, and she’s in love with Dahlia, her best friend. This is the story of one 27-hour night.

Dirty London by Kelley York

All London wanted out of her senior year of high school was anonymity.  Then she discovers that Wade, one of the most popular guys in school, is gay like her, and their new-found closeness has half the student body convinced they’re hooking up. Rumors start flying, and London is pretty sure she’s developing a crush on the one girl who sees through it all.

The Gravity Between Us by Kristen Zimmer

At just 19, Kendall is Hollywood’s hottest young starlet—but behind the glamour is a girl who longs for normal. Payton is Kendall’s best friend, and the one person who reminds her of who she really is. But Payton has a secret that could make everything ten times worse. Because to her, Kendall is more than a best friend—she is the only girl that she has ever loved. 

[hottytoddynews]

Paris – Paris, City of Lights, Amour, Museums, and grand architecture is also the City of Spectacular Cabaret and home to the can-can, which thrives to this very day. It began in the 1860s with the music hall that gave birth to the Folies-Bergere, 32 rue Richer, famed for Art Nouveau posters, jaw dropping costumes by Ertè, ballet pantomimes, and lavish tableaux and frequented by Zola, Manet, and Toulouse-Lautrec. It maintains a lavish theatre, but in 2006 reverted to concert programming and musicals, including Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret and Gipsy Kings, John Cameron, and Stephen Clark’s Zorro. Another fabled cabaret, the Casino de Paree, 16 Rue de Clichy, has gone the concert and special attractions route of the Folies.

But spectacle lives on at the Moulin Rouge, Lido de Paris, and Pardis Latin.

Moulin Rouge

Established in 1889, as “The palace of the dance and women,” the cabaret in the heart of [now] seedy Montmartre, at 82 Rue de Clichy, claimed to be “more luxurious, bigger, and more elegant” than those that existed, and with  its huge windmill, it became a beacon for locals for romantic rendezvous and a must for tourists. It’s the mecca where Toulouse-Lautrec immortalized the French cancan. It still is performed by the Doriss Girls, which have included Jane Avril, muse of Toulouse-Lautrec, in the long-running revue Fèerie.

The show features a cast of 100 global artists, which includes singers, variety acts, and 60 women, performing twice every evening in the grand tradition of the French music-hall. Showgirls wear elaborate headdresses and hundreds of costumes of every imaginable kind of feathers, Swarovski crystals, and sequins [created in their own shops with a staff of 30].

Féerie, which will celebrate 18 years in December, was two years and millions in the making – nine million euros on costumes alone. 

According to public relations manager Fanny Rabasse, “We are the long-run champion, akin to Broadway’s Chicago, Les Miserables, Cats, and Phantom of the Opera. We keep the show fresh, and, with our large backstage staff, are always making new costumes when dry-cleaning is not enough. The costumes are the most important part of the show, not the lack of them. We welcome children from age six. Some dancers are topless, but always with feathers and jewelry. So, it’s not shocking. From beginning to end, it’s the same show. Only the dancers, singers, and acts change.”

You might think that after so long a run, with no immediate plans for a new revue, Parisians don’t come. “The reverse is true,” says Mademoiselle Rabasse. “I recall when our audiences were 70% tourist. Now, it’s 50%. In 2015, which was a bad year for France, we had 60% French. Tourists were afraid, but the natives wanted to show resolve and were not afraid to go out.”

The show “pays tribute to Parisian women throughout the years,” with various music genres. Music is no longer live, but the original score and cancan music were recorded by 80 musicians and a 60-member chorus. The stage is not exceptionally deep, and because the building is almost 130 years old, the roof cannot be raised to accommodate flies.

Among centerpieces are a giant aquarium, pirate ship, a “Gorgon” [think Medusa] in her temple surrounded by pythons, and a circus that comes to life with clowns, tantalizing [human] tigresses, Siamese twins, acrobats, jugglers, and miniature horses. Then, of course, comes the most-anticipated moment: the cancan.

Shows have been created since the 60s by Doris Haug, a German woman who joined the company in 1957 and went on to become its first ballet mistress – thus, the Doriss Girls, and Ruggero Angeletti. Since 1997, ballet mistress Janet Pharaoh, now also artistic director, travels the world to recruit dancers of both sexes. Choreography is by Bill Goodson, famed for his artistry throughout Europe and who’s worked with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Gloria Estefan.

Dancer criteria includes classical ballet training, with the height requirement for women at least 5’8”, and 6’3” for the men. Weight and hair length are carefully monitored.

Except for such occasions as the 2015 visit to New York for a performance in Times Square for a Best of France fashion event, the Moulin Rouge stays in Paris. It doesn’t tour because it would be impossible to duplicate the physical plant and staging. “The Moulin Rouge is the stars,” says Mademoiselle Rabasse.

Because of tiers, there are no bad sightlines among the tables seating 900. As always, the closer and more expensive choices are best.

There are two dinner menus by executive chef David Le Quellec, a veteran of several Michelin-starred restaurants, which include vegetarian and vegan choices. The list of Champagnes, wines, and cocktails is vast. Dinner is optional. Show-only ticket holders are admitted an hour after the doors open. Attire: smart dress-casual to formal. There is dancing to a small orchestra until showtime. For more information, visit www.moulin-rouge.com.

Lido de Paris

Established on the Champs-Elysées some 70 years ago, the Lido became the chief rival to the Moulin Rouge. Now, in an elegant, state-of-the-art venue at 116 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, the heart of the boulevard, it attracts over a half million annually for nightly shows and matinees.

There has long been name-recognition for the Lido in the States because in Vegas in the pre-Cirque du Soleil days, from 1955-1992, Donna Arden duplicated the review at the Stardust.

The Lido has long featured the long-limbed Bluebell Girls, an ensemble founded by Irish native and émigré to the U.K. Margaret Kelly, who until her retirement in 1986, hand-selected each dancer. Mainly performing high precision and semi-burlesque numbers, the 45 global dancers are noted for their statuesque height, averaging 5’11”. There are only 10 Belles, who go topless.

They are hand-picked from all over the world by ballet mistress British native Jane Sansby, to headline in $40,000-$50,000 outfits created on site by a large crew to sparkle with Swarovski crystals and sequins and the requisite feathered headdresses. Among the cast are two Americans, a Belle; and a male, who’s a principle dancer.

Rigorous dancing requires specific qualities both artistic and physical, so the selection process must be very focused. Then, there a training period, sometimes up to five weeks, and rehearsals are frequent.

According to Sansby, Bluebells, Bells, and the six soloists [usually at least or close to 6’ tall] work two shows nightly, at 9 and 11. While there’s not an alternate cast, there’s an ensemble of swings to cover days off and holidays. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” she says. “It’s a machine that turns and has to turn seven days. There’s a lot of planning to make sure we have covers.”

A former Lido trademark, other than the huge finale cancan, was a tracked ceiling where all manner of props and artists sailed over the heads of thousands of audience members. That’s all gone.

In 2006, the Lido was purchased by Sodexo Sports & Loisirs (Leisure), which also owns the Bateaux boats cruising the Seine and numerous brands and services in 80 countries. In December 2014, the venue closed for three months for a 25-million Euro reinvention. 

“For three years,” says Sodexo GM and Lido president Nathalie Belton-Szabo, “I traveled the world seeing shows with only one goal in mind: the creation of one that would delight spectators and make them dream. Each time I used the word ‘Lido,’ I saw the sparkles in people’s eyes. The hard part was to create a new and unique revue.” That led to meeting Franco Dragone, the Belgian-Italian theater director who, with his company, created shows for Disneyland Paris, several editions of Cirque du Soleil, such as O at Vegas’ Bellagio, and, also in Vegas, Celine Dion’s A New Day and the Wynn’s Le Rève. “Franco shared the same love for the Lido as I do,” Mademoiselle Belton-Szabo adds. “After studying 26 editions, he invented our gem. Paris Merveilles [Wonders] has Bluebells, feathers, sequins, music, amazing dance, and a first class kitchen. Everything that makes the soul of the Lido remains, but it has been infused with a daring boldness, extravagance, and surprises.”

To take advantage of the panoramic width of the room, there are five HD LED screens, the largest of which covers the up-stage entirety, whose projections transport audiences to numerous Paris fantasies – one of the most impressive is the opening tour of Paris. And, for the first time in Lido’s history, a singer is at the heart of the revue, Manon [Trinquier], the mezzo-soprano discovered on the 2014 French The Voice, where she reached the semi-finals. Says Dragone, “To create my first show in Paris at such a legendary cabaret, was demanding. It was the sort of challenge that forces you to push and surprise yourself in order to captivate audiences. I put my dreams, heart, and soul into the seven wonders of Paris Merveilles. My goal was not only to catch the eye but also touch the soul of and bring joy to each spectator in a world that is increasingly disenchanted.” The Bluebells and Belles [choreographed by Benoit-Swan Pouffer] and a 15-strong male ensemble do 90-minute shows, no intermission. There’re 600 costumes tailor-made by Nicolas Vaudelet, former associate of Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix, some with optical effects — featuring feathers, rhinestones, rich fabrics, and top quality furs that cost thousands of euros. Trivia: over 200 pounds of ostrich feathers, dyed pink, are hand-fastened to the petticoats of the 27 cancan dancers. There are also haute-couture gowns and male and feminine tuxedos. There are 22 dressers for quick changes. Sets are by Oscar and Emmy-nominated and two-time [French] César winner Jean Rabasse.

A visit backstage with technical director Frederic Bacquet and service supervisor Minh Ma Van, in charge of hydraulic effects, is beyond mind-boggling. They make the ice rink for skaters, pool of dancing fountains, and 16½’ beauties-laden chandelier made up of 40,000 pearls emerge from the depths; and the monumental Art Nouveau staircase descends from the flies for the parade of Bluebells. If you are among those in premium seating, your rows descend to floor level, so you are right onstage with the dancers, singers, and acrobats.

Van is also in charge of raising and lowering the “magical” 45-instrument mechanical orchestra which provides pre-show dance music. The show score, infused with dozens of musical styles by Yvan Cassar and Belgian singer Saule, is pre-recorded.

For tickets, schedules, photos, and more information, visit wwe.lido.fr.

Paradis Latin

This celebrated Parisian variety and burlesque cabaret on the Rive Gauche, 28 rue de Cardinal Lemoine, the only one located on the Left Bank is the entertainment gem of the Latin Quarter and only two blocks to the Seine and incredible views of Notre Dame. The new review, in its second year, is as steeped in glamour and sex appeal as it is in history.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel – yes, that Eiffel – and now fully restored after a long ago closure, Paradis Latin is a landmark. It dates back to 1803 when it was authorized by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte [However, the foundation dates to 13th Century, when it was constructed over the ancient walls of Paris – built by King Philippe Auguste. In 1870, during the Franco Prussian War, the theatre and entire 5th Arrondissement were torched to the ground.

Seven years later, Eiffel did a complete restoration while he was building the Eiffel Tower. When it reopened in 1887, it was considered the most elegant hall in Paris.

The Paradis Latin has a special place, unique among the cabarets of Paris. It withstood the vagaries of French history, from the time of Napoleon to its surprising and well-deserved renaissance in the 20th Century.  

In the late 60s, it fell into disrepair, and the property was about to be transformed into apartments when Eiffel’s metal structure was uncovered along with scenery, paintings, gilt columns, and posters.

The showplace had a multi-million dollar renaissance in 1977, with its glory restored. Paradis Latin is operated with strong historic and hands-on devotion by the Israel family: father, Sidney; and son, Harold.

The authenticity of this legendary cabaret seems to infuse the welcoming personnel with a real sense of pride and belonging.   Though smaller in size than the Moulin Rouge and Lido, Paradis Latin’s show is in many ways more fun, more exciting, and more audience friendly – not to mention being a bit easier on the wallet. The stage may not be Cinerama-width, but there’s no shortage of talent: 35 dancers, singers, a juggler, aerial acrobat, contortionists, and Busby Berkeley-inspired moments. There’s a roving camp comic entertaining and teasingly provoking in the 10-minute pre-show, then 15 scenes. The troupe of 35 execute sexy burlesque sketches that range from performers as roses and gardeners to a take on Romeo and Juliet, motorcycle babes, pom-pom girls, and a lavish tribute to romance, Paradis d’Amour. The 15 numbers proceed at breakneck speed. The energetic cancan is pure French and so well-staged and executed it would please Toulouse-Lautrec.

Costuming, where there are costumes, is ultra glam and colorfully done with feathers, rhinestones, wigs, and elaborate headdresses. There’s nothing Paradis Latin can’t do on its stage – and it’s sans computers. Yes, the show goes on the old-fashioned way with stagehands as the computers.

That said, there are some jaw-dropping surprises, such as an aerialist descending from the balcony on a trapeze.

In a departure from other burlesque cabarets, there’s brief nudity from a very hunky male ensemble frolicking in a locker room; and, in a throwback to the old music hall days, the waiters appear in a walk-on.

The dapper, dressed-to-the-nines master of ceremony reels off his patter in three languages. Chanteuse Natalie’s songs are a mix of French and English.

There’s one 90 minute show per evening. Dinner service at four-tops and long tables for groups are excellent, but you can come for just drinks and the show.

For reservations, schedule, pricing or to book Paradis Latin for special events, visit www.paradislatin.com.

Ellis Nassour is an Ole Miss alum and noted arts journalist and author who recently donated an ever-growing exhibition of performing arts history to the University of Mississippi. He is the author of the best-selling Patsy Cline biography, Honky Tonk Angel, as well as the hit musical revue, Always, Patsy Cline. He can be reached at ENassour@aol.com. 

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[murdleandmarot]

15 18, 23 and 21 :0

Hi hello!!!!! Thanks for sending these in :D

15. a bunny rabbit :) one of the small super soft ones. It’s sort of a dreamy animal to have as a pet and I think it fits Bluebelle rly well 

18. Bluebelle’s biggest fear is probably being found out, or her past coming to hurt those she cares about. She does not want Bluebeard anywhere NEAR Victoria, Misto, or Plato. In terms of phobias though, claustrophobia is a big one. In my head, one of the first character details I came up with is that when she was a kitten, she got stuck in a drainage pipe, or something similar, and had to be fished out. Because of this, I can’t think that she likes confined spaces very much.

As for her biggest strength, I’m going to have to say her kindness. There was a time it was her trust, but then she trusted someone she shouldn’t have, and she closed herself off entirely. So, in the past, her weakness would have been her trustfulness, before being taught the harsh way.

Despite this, she’s a bit like me in the fact that loving things and people is one of her biggest strengths.

23. She created a home in an alleyway near an old, closed down theater, and that’s where she and Vicci practice routines, whereas in the alley, they can stretch and practice specific moves.

Another fact is she and Vicci help Misto and Plato practice their lifts :)) Vicci with Plato and Misto with Bluebelle ofc. I’ve been meaning to draw them practicing.

Others are under cut :)

(I couldn’t tell if you meant 21 or 31 because of the order, so I just did both rly quick :)

21. A pet peeve of Bluebelle’s that doesn’t come up much is having lots to say, usually in anger or other intense emotions, and being unable to articulate her feelings, let alone words. I can picture her being SUPER upset about something and just sitting there fuming because she can’t make herself say the words. As for a more materialistic one, Bluebelle gets super upset when she can’t focus on her dancing, when she really wants to do the routine or move, but she can’t make herself do it.

31. I have a couple. Worst memories are obviously the whole Bluebeard situation, (thinking about it at all makes her so sick. She does not want to see him ever again), and the drainage pipe.

But her best memory is probably realizing she was completely in love with Victoria. This could also count as her worst, but she wants to remember it as her best.