#Wendy Lamb Books

[expired-box-of-chocolates]

☣ hallo !! im nawt the best at making intros so.. here's the best one i could put together... (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)

💊 namehoard: toxin, sayori, yakui (main name), cyanide, lithium, radium, xenon, cyber, marigold, bonnie, keta/ketamine, aol, hazard, strawb, nyacifier, chlorine, zombeh, poptart, hani, kona, ++ any fictionkin names are fine!!

💊 boyflux/nonbinaryflux intersex boygirl, aroaceflux and pomoromantic ++ xenogenders

💊 pronouns: it/xe/lean/purp/glitch/nuke/🍪/☣️/💜 (use any other and i will give 1 warning, and if u continue it will become a block. (¬`‸´¬)

💊 all of my aesthetics/subcultures (very passionate about them,,): larpercore, slasher summer, juggalo, cultcore, doomer, slimepunk, necrotrap, bastardcore, terrorwave, incelcore, sigmacore, grunge, gopnik, slavic, jumpstylecore, oddcore, toxiccore, glowwave, icepunk, breakcore, acidwave, drugcore, kinderwhore, trashcore, urbling, scemo, shinora, gurokawa, rokku gyaru, hadeko, clowncore, yamanba gyaru, maidcore

💊 i have some disorders,, iwc always ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა (i swear im nice)

💊 some of my main fandoms: american psycho, stephen king (any of his movies/books), fnaf, yandere simulator, class of 09, final destination, pulp fiction, ddlc, genshin impact, saw, scream, lucky star, creepypasta, eddsworld, south park, monster high, twilight, heathers, tyler the creator lore, mlp, breaking bad, strawberry shortcake, athf, edd ed and eddy, homestuck, vocaloid, gorillaz, the office, american horror story, goosebumps, nijura maids (i dont support the creator 😕) ++ more

💊 my otherkins/conceptkins;; vampire kin, robot kin, glitch kin, angel kin,, zombie kin,, doll kin,, whether kin (tornado!!),, nightmare kin,, plush kin,, tech kin,, toy kin,, scarecrow kin, shadow kin, sea monster kin,, christmas kin, valentines day kin, hypnosis kin, chatbot kin, wizard kin, fallen angel/demon kin,, song kin,, death angel kin,, whats app kin (yes i kin whats app),, elf kin,, microwave kin,, halloween kin

💊 theriotypes;; jackalope,, koi fish,, calico cat,, vampire cat,, angel cat,, ant,, glow worm,, lamb,, kitsune,, bunny,, hamster,, jumping spider,, red fox,, white bat,, rosy maple moth,, groundhog,, raccoon,, polyphemus moth,, goat,, borzoi dog,, dirt worm,, persian cat (brown fur) ++ questioning others

💊 food kins: sour patch kid candy (specifically orange), jack-o-lantern (idk if that counts as a food), peeps marshmallow (specifically the yellow chick one), cotton candy (pink and blue)

💊 top fictionkins;; ticci toby (crp), yakui-san (nijura maids), billy lenz, nicole (class of 09), kyle broflovski, casey (scream), wendy torrence, carrie white, hatsune miku (vocaloid!!!!), sayori (ddlc), midori gurin (yansim), karkat vantas (homestuck), bonnie (fnaf), tord (eddsworld), derpy hooves (mlp), tavros nitram (homestuck), applejack (mlp), toko fukawa (danganronpa) konakona018 (oc), biscuit tan, patrick batemen (american psycho), billy loomis (scream), lulu (crp), judge angel (crp), natsuki (ddlc), sierra (tdi), karen (class of 09), meatwad (athf), junko (danganronpa), beta!kokichi (danganronpa v3), sayaka maizono (danganronpa v1), hamtaro, stanley mitchell, jade harley (homestuck), john egbert (homestuck), yowane haku (vocaloid), wolf haley, chihiro (danganronpa), dorei san, shitai san ++ wayy more.. (pfp is probably who im kinshifted as) also im fine with doubles & mediamates!!

💊 factkins: courtney love, rob canter, lisa left eye, george harrison, allison harvard

💊 some of my favorite music artists;; smashing pumpkins, jazmin bean, sharkdrug, yabujin, korn, icp, limp bizket, kmfdm, nirvana, 2pac, 4lung (i dont support the creator), bloodhound gang, cannibal corpse, foo fighters ☹️, weezer, gorillaz, kendrick lamar, lagoyo, red hot chili peppers, tyler the creator, basement jaxx, pierce the veil, deftones, ayesha erotica, slipknot, 1 800 pain, msi, hole, 2pac, slipknot

💊 selfshipper!!!! f/os: cody (tdi), edd (eddsworld), eyeless jack (crp), gamzee (homestuck), 2D (gorillaz), morty (r&m), mastershake (athf), liu woods (crp), x virus (crp), wallace wells (scott pilgrim) ૮꒰ ྀི >⸝⸝⸝< ྀི꒱ა

💊 adoptive father of jank boteko and an0rex1c sour patch kid meme (WHO IS PRO-YAKUI FAMILY 💜♥️😈)/satire

💊 i know japanese & russian ^______^ (english isn't my main but im ok with it)

💊 moodboard account: @noapologiesbynirvana

💊 webkinz, beanie babies, furbies, shopkins & squishmallows collector!!!!

💊 dni: basic dni, anti fictionkin/otherkin/etc, anti furry, anti therian, transphobes, homophones, TRUE CR*ME COMMUNITY/COLUMB*NERS (im recovering), people who support trump (YOU'RE HORRIBLE!!!!), nsfw blogs, toxic stans (any community), shedblr or cvtblr (im recovering), people who i had drama with in the past 😕😕

💊 gonna leave it at that for now,, might add more later !! ^_______^ 🌀🌀

[transmutationisms]

i think you do a really impressive job balancing comprehensive/concise while referencing a lot of complex frameworks(contexts? schools of thought? lol idk what to call that. big brain ideas) but if you have any readings specifically on the institution of psychiatry topic that you would recommend/think are relevant, I'd be interested. it's absolutely not a conversation that's being had enough and I want to be able to articulate myself around it

yes i have readings >:)

first of all, the anti-psychiatry bibliography and resource guide is a great place to start getting oriented in this literature. it's split by sub-topic, and there are paragraphs interspersed throughout that give summaries of major thinkers' positions and short intros to key texts.

it's from 1979, though, so here are some recs from the last 4 decades:

overview critiques

mind fixers: psychiatry's troubled search for the biology of mental illness, by anne harrington

psychiatric hegemony: a marxist theory of mental illness, by bruce m z cohen

desperate remedies: psychiatry's turbulent quest to cure mental illness, by andrew scull

psychiatry and its discontents, by andrew scull

madness is civilization: when the diagnosis was social, 1948–1980, by michael e staub

contesting psychiatry: social movements in mental health, by nick crossley

the dsm & pharmacy

dsm: a history of psychiatry's bible, by allan v horwitz

the dsm-5 in perspective: philosophical reflections on the psychiatric babel, by steeves demazeux & patrick singy

pharmageddon, by david healy

pillaged: psychiatric medications and suicide risk, by ronald w maris

the making of dsm-iii: a diagnostic manual's conquest of american psychiatry, by hannah s decker

the myth of the chemical cure: a critique of psychiatric drug treatment, by joanna moncrieff

the book of woe: the dsm and the unmaking of psychiatry, by gary greenberg

prozac on the couch: prescribing gender in the era of wonder drugs, by jonathan metzl

the creation of psychopharmacology, by david healy

the bitterest pills: the troubling story of antipsychotic drugs, by joanna moncrieff

psychiatry & race

the protest psychosis: how schizophrenia became a black disease, by jonathan metzl

administrations of lunacy: racism and the haunting of american psychiatry at the milledgeville asylum, by mab segrest

the peculiar institution and the making of modern psychiatry, 1840–1880, by wendy gonaver

what's wrong with the poor? psychiatry, race, and the war on poverty, by mical raz

national and cross-national contexts

mad by the millions: mental disorders and the early years of the world health organization, by harry yi-jui wu

psychiatry and empire, by sloan mahone & megan vaughan

ʿaṣfūriyyeh: a history of madness, modernity, and war in the middle east, by joelle m abi-rached

surfacing up: psychiatry and social order in colonial zimbabwe, 1908–1968, by lynette jackson

the british anti-psychiatrists: from institutional psychiatry to the counter-culture, 1960–1971, by oisín wall

crime, madness, and politics in modern france: the medical concept of national decline, by robert a nye

reasoning against madness: psychiatry and the state in rio de janeiro, 1830–1944, by manuella meyer

colonial madness: psychiatry in french north africa, by richard keller

madhouse: psychiatry and politics in cuban history, by jennifer lynn lambe

depression in japan: psychiatric cures for a society in distress, by junko kitanaka

inheriting madness: professionalization and psychiatric knowledge in 19th century france, by ian r dowbiggin

mad in america: bad science, bad medicine, and the enduring mistreatment of the mentally ill, by robert whitaker

[starrydaycare]

Self indulgent Age regressor!Dipper Pines and CG!Mabel Pines Moodboard + Headcanons!

🌲Age regressor Dipper Pines (+ Mabel) headcanons:

(Only photo that belongs to me is the lamb stuffie to the bottom right of Dipper, his name is Gabriel :)))

🌠 Dipper is a trauma regressor, but started regressing years before him and Mabel went to Gravity Falls. He used to regress during bedtime after getting cozy in bed, and would sometimes regress when getting scolded or hurt, or sometimes even when he was just outside adventuring.

🌲He knew about age regression as his sister, Mabel, regresses, but had been in denial about himself regressing. Mabel regresses to cope with growing up, and well, he was that big brother for her when she regressed and he didn't struggle with a fear of aging, sooo there's no way he regressed! At least, that's what he thought.

🌠(⚠️TW! Paranoia and Possible Hallucination mention!) One day in Piedmont, California, about 2 weeks post Gravity Falls it all hit him. Beforehand, he had been kinda ignoring his trauma, keeping it down without even realizing it. And so one night his parents went out, leaving him and Mabel home alone. Usually he liked being home alone, but then oh no, oh no nonono is that Bill?! He could've sworn he saw Bill and– why is his mind so fuzzy now?? He didn't understand-

🌲Mabel, being a great sister who loved her brother a whole bunch, found him on the floor having a panic attack. She helped him through it, through his tears and childlike, slurred words. And afterwards Dipper still felt fuzzy! He couldn't say his words right, and his mind felt cloudy... Mabel was able to tell that he was regressing, and promised to be the bestest best big sister to his regressing bro-bro!

🌠So she got him some goldfish and an apple juice box, then let him color in one of her coloring books. He colored Hello Kitty, not his personal choice but she didn't really have any coloring books he'd like. He still enjoyed the calming act of coloring, even if his coloring was a littttle sloppy and out of the lines. He gave it to her, and she still has it to this day :))

🌲When they go back to Gravity Falls (a summer tradition for the twins now), Dipper likes to run around in the forest, showing Mabel all of the cool things he saw! He likes to draw them, too. His age regression range is usually between 2-7, so his writing isn't really the best. So he prefers to draw the things he sees! He shows his sister and Soos and, once he gathered the confidence to tell her about his regression, Wendy.

🌠Wendy and Soos babysit Dipper! Really fun babysitters, though Soos is more of a fun uncle than anything. Soos takes him to the arcade when he's feeling like a bigger kid, and Wendy reads to him when he's feeling smaller. Also, Wendy is really really strong, and can easily pick Dipper up. She'll carry him around, doing daily tasks around the Mystery Shack with him. They're best buddys when he's regressed, she's actually really good with kids.

🌲🌠🧮

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in October 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. List below! ]

❤️ Back in the Hunt - K. Sterling 🧡 The Connoisseur's Christmas Courtship - L.M. Bennett 💛 Shoestring Theory - Mariana Costa 💚 The Black Hunger - Nicholas Pullen 💙 Wild Fire - Radclyffe 💜 Because Fat Girl - Lauren Marie Fleming ❤️ The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide - Cody Daigle-Orians 🧡 Soul Survivors - River Kai 💛 Stolen Hearts - Michele Castleman 💙 Reverence - Milena McKay 💜 Love Immortal - Kit Vincent

❤️ Take a Sad Song - Ona Gritz 🧡 Showmance - Chad Beguelin 💛 Redundancies & Potentials - Dominique Dickey 💚 Alexander - Karla Nikole 💙 Rest in Peaches - Alex Brown 💜 Rise of the Wrecking Crew - Kalynn Bayron ❤️ Language Lessons - Sage Donnell 🧡 Legend of the White Snake - Sher Lee 💛 Sorcery and Small Magis - Maiga Doocy 💙 Cried Out - Kate Hawthorne 💜 Skysong - C.A. Wright 🌈 No Rules Tonight - Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada

❤️ My Mother's Ridiculous Rules for Dating - Philip William Stover 🧡 I Shall Never Fall in Love - Hari Conner 💛 Castle Swimmer - Wendy Martin 🧡 The Hollow and the Haunted - Camilla Raines 💙 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? - Anna Montague 💜 The Arizona Triangle - Sydney Graves ❤️ Every Rule Undone - Nancy S.M. Waldman 🧡 Mister Nice - Jamie Jennings 💛 Under the Mistletoe with You - Lizzie Huxley-Jones 💙 How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster - Muriel Leung 💜 The Snowball Effect - Haley Cass 🌈 This Will Be Fun - E.B. Asher

❤️ Our Evenings - Alan Hollinghurst 🧡 Don't Let the Forest In - C.G. Drews 💛 Finding Delaware - Bree Wiley 💚 The Reeds - Arjun Basu 💙 The Bloodless Princes - Charlotte Bond 💜 Women's Hotel - Daniel M. Lavery ❤️ Alex McKenna and the Academy of Souls - Vicki-Ann Bush 🧡 A Vile Season - David Ferraro 💛 Synchronicity - J.J. Hale 💙 Writ of Love - Cassidy Crane 💜 Di-Curious - Erin Branch 🌈 Swordcrossed - Freya Marske

❤️ Stand Up! - Tori Sharp 🧡 Haunt Me, Baby - Rose Santoriello 💚 Planet Drag: Uncover the Global Herstory - Various 💙 Until We Shatter - Kate Dylan 💜 Metal from Heaven - August Clarke ❤️ Vicious Fates and Vast Futures - Tilly Bramley 🧡 The Daughter of Danray - Natalia Hernandez 💛 If I Stopped Haunting You - Colby Wilkens 💙 The Darkness Behind The Door - Mira Gonzalez 💜 Hunt Monsters, Do Magic, and Fall in Love - A.M. Weald 🌈 Jasmine Is Haunted - Mark Oshiro

❤️ Model Home - Rivers Solomon 🧡 Haunting Melody - Chloe Spencer 💛 The Door in Lake Mallion - S.M. Beiko 💚 The City in Glass - Nghi Vo 💙 Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London 💜 The Merriest Misters - Timothy Janovsky ❤️ Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 🧡 My Kind of Trouble - L.A. Schwartz 💛 To Become A Flower - CEON 💙 What Was Lost - Melissa Connelly 💜 The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb 🌈 This Dark Paradise - Erin Luken

❤️ The Sound of Storms - Anya Keeler 🧡 Country Queers - Rae Garringer 💛 A Spell for Heartsickness - Alistair Reeves 💚 The Stars Inside Us - Kristy Gardner 💙 October's Ocean - Delaine Coppock 💜 Haunt Your Heart Out - Amber Roberts ❤️ The Dark Becomes Her - Judy I. Lin 🧡 Power Pose - Emily Silver 💛 The Magic You Make - Jason June 💙 House of Elephants - Claribel A. Ortega 💜 Tegan and Sara: Crush - Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, Tillie Walden 🌈 The Brightness Between Us - Eliot Schrefer

❤️ The Spring before Obergefell - Benjamin S. Grossberg 🧡 Pray For Him - Tyler Battaglia 💛 Coup de Grâce - Sofia Ajram 💚 Coal Gets In Your Veins - Cat Rector 💙 He Who Bleeds - Dorian Valentine 💜 The Revenge of Captain Vessia - Leslie Allen ❤️ Camelot's Tower - Brooke Matthews 🧡 The Manor - Tiffany E. Taylor 💛 Arcanum - Ashlyn Drewek 💙 Strange Beasts - Susan J. Morris 💜 On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs 🌈 Death Song - B. Ripley

❤️ Best Hex Ever - Nadia El-Fassi 🧡 I'll Be Gone for Christmas - Georgia K. Boone 💛 Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick 💚 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💙 Troth - E.H. Lupton 💜 Solis - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ❤️ Lucy, Uncensored - Mel Hammond, Teghan Hammond 🧡 Mama - Nikkya Hargrove 💛 Under All the Lights - Maya Ameyaw 💙 Reclaimed - Seth Haddon 💜 The Devil's Dilemma - Alex J. Adams 🌈 The Jovian Madrigals - Janneke de Beer

❤️ Blood Price - Nicole Evans 🧡 Worship Me - K.C. Blume 💛 All the Hearts You Eat - Hailey Piper 💚 The Nightmare Before Kissmas - Sara Raasch 💙 Rogue Community College - David R. Slayton 💜 Mistress of Hours - Emma Elizabeth ❤️ The Dog Trainer's Secret - Sav Uong 🧡 Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark 💛 Antenora - Dori Lumpkin 💙 House of Frank - Kay Synclaire 💜 Sir Callie and the Witch's War - Esme Symes-Smith 🌈 Prince of Fortune - Lisa Tirreno

[read-alert]

Queer books for every color!

Full titles under the cut!

Red

I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Aquicorn Cove by K O'Neill

Orange

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Ma and Me by Putsata Reang

Yellow

Home by Danez Smith

The Unbroken by CL Clark

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

The Lesbianas Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Green

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Finna by Nino Cipri

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

In the Dreamhouse by Carmen Maria Machado

Blue

How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Our Bloody Pearl by DN Bryn

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

Purple

Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time edited by Hope Nicholson

Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K Jarobe

The Witch King by HE Edgmon

We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre'vell Anderson

[onethousandwords]

Self-Sacrifice, Forgiveness, and Other Christian Elements in Gravity Falls

I'm a Christian who enjoys various books, cartoons, anime, and video games. Although, I believe the Bible is the best source for really understanding and appreciating God, I think God also speaks through nature, people, and various sources of media that people create. Maybe not in whole but in part. I'd like to disclaimer this by saying that I'm aware Alex Hirsch is Jewish (and seems to have a secular worldview which doesn't exclude him from being charitable). I pray that he opens his heart to Jesus, but I'm aware that there is a trend in modern Christianity that involves Christians or people claiming to be Christians to behave in ways that are distinctly not Christ-like. I have been guilty of not behaving in a very Christ-like manner myself (in different ways - I have my struggles), but it pains me to see people in the LGBTQ+ community turned away and unwelcomed in the faith, to see people with means being uncharitable, to hear hateful rhetoric.

But I'm hopeful that he could be open to the idea as he did create at least one character (a side character) that he seems to enjoy (and fans also enjoy) that is strongly hinted as having a Christian (possibly Catholic) background. This is a side character, though. The Pines family (the main characters of the show) are Jewish. Also, the show at times can be irreverent (Stanley Pines is a criminal and at one point prays to Paul Bunyan for help) and leans a little too heavily on the occult (though, it does showcase an element of danger to that, so I don't feel like it actually encourages it that much - regardless of how Alex jokes about it). But it is a well-written and enjoyable show.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let's get into finding God in Gravity Falls! In Gravity Falls, self-sacrifice seems to be a common theme in the show. It is also an extolled virtue in Christianity and in general. But Christians are often called to "take up our cross" (Matthew 16:24-26) - basically putting to death the self (self-sacrifice) for the sake of others. If the characters aren't self-sacrificing something for each other, they're learning to be more self-sacrificial. This is first seen in the episode Legend of the Gobblewonker where Dipper and Mabel initially brush off their great uncle (grunkle) Stan's attempt to bond with them via fishing in favor of going monster hunting with Soos (another prominent character in the show that is practically Stan's honorary son). However, later in the episode, they feel bad about leaving their Grunkle Stan all alone (because despite his criminal behaviors (he's seen in a flashback teaching the children how to counterfeit money), he genuinely wanted to spend time with them in a legitimately good and caring way. They return to their grunkle, and despite having felt rejected and abandoned, Stan welcomes them back. They all have a good time.

As a side note, this episode is good on a first watch but even BETTER on subsequent rewatches after watching the whole show. Stan's moments seem all the more sad and painful, and the ending of the episode seems all the more joyful and triumphant. Anyway, the children learn a little more about self-sacrifice, and Stan is shown to be forgiving.

The self-sacrifice theme is continued in many other episodes, too. In The Inconveniencing, Dipper risks his "cool" reputation with his new teenaged friends by performing the Lamby-Lamby Dance (which involves being dressed as a lamb - which could be Alex in a way referencing his Jewish roots here - a literal sacrificial lamb - but also Jesus himself is referred to as the lamb of God) to get their ghost tormenters to spare everyone. In the Time Traveler's Pig, Dipper eventually learns he needs to let go of his crush, Wendy (sacrificing his own wants) in order for his twin sister Mabel to be happy with her pet pig, Waddles. In Little Dipper, Dipper eventually decides to let Mabel remain taller especially on learning that she feels like he's better than her at everything. In The Deep End, Dipper sacrifices his job (and therefore his chance to spend more time with his impossible crush, Wendy) in order to help Mabel save Mermando (a Merman).

In Land Before Swine, Stan eventually comes to the conclusion that he needs to self-sacrifice after causing a rift between himself and his great niece, Mabel, with his selfish and lying behaviors. And he does by risking getting eaten by a dinosaur in order to save Waddles. Mabel, then, forgives him. Interestingly, this episode also includes an abandoned and dilapidated church and the aforementioned Christian character, Fiddleford McGucket (more on him later), who interrupts the other characters who started arguing when their lantern broke (he fixed the lantern - and I find that to be interesting symbolism - Christians are called to be a light before others- Matthew 5:14-16). He also tries to help later but ends up failing in that endeavor (which is okay because Stan needed to have his big moment). In Sock Opera, despite having worked very hard on her sock puppet show (which also involved a musical number and was very cool), Mabel risks the destruction (and it does get very destroyed) of her show in order to save Journal 3 which is very important to Dipper. The main villain of the show even asks, "Who would sacrifice everything they have worked for for their dumb sibling?" And Mabel, acknowledging how much her brother has done for her, responds, "Dipper would" before following his example.

In Society of the Blind Eye, Fiddleford readily takes a shot from a memory-erasing gun to save the kids from being shot with it (though, he also readily acknowledges that this won't hurt him due to how "broken" his mind already is). In Northwest Mansion Mystery, Pacifica (another side character - known for being rich, snobby, and selfish) risks the wrath of her parents and possible danger and apologizes to a ghost her family wronged in life. She also repents allowing townsfolk (considered rabble by her parents) to attend a fancy party that the ghost and his folk were promised many years ago. The ghost is accepting and forgiving - it's even later stated in additional media after the show that the ghost and others like him still watch over her.

And now, we get to Not What He Seems. One of the most iconic moments in the show is when the portal is revved up, the shut-down button is within reach, and Mabel is forced to make a choice. Her and her twin brother have discovered that their great uncle has been lying to them all summer and not just the relatively harmless, goofy con-man lies he's known for - no. He has multiple forged IDs in his possession, there is an old newspaper he owns that says Stan Pines is Dead, he's been engaging in very suspicious behavior, two government agents have told the children that they suspect Stan is building a doomsday device.

Grunkle Stan pleads with her not to shut the portal (this suspected doomsday device) down. Dipper, full of worry and fear, tells Mabel to use her head. And Mabel, full of tears, replies to Stan that she's not even sure if he is her grunkle which causes all parties present to pause their fighting at seeing the usually happy-go-lucky girl in tears. Stan tells her that everything he's done and worked for has been for his family and to look into his eyes and "Is he really a bad guy?" Mabel takes a moment before surrendering completely, letting go of the bar that hosts the big red shut-down button and ascending into the air due to a gravitational anomaly.

"Grunkle Stan," she says, "I trust you." Trust is another theme in Gravity Falls, but I think Mabel is saying a lot more than just "I trust you" here when she says that. She is also saying, "I love you, and even though you've lied to us all summer, I forgive you."

Although, Stan has certainly proven that he cares (he fought a pterodactyl for Mabel's pig, he protected Dipper and Mabel from zombies, etc), it can't really be said in that moment that Stan had earned any trust or forgiveness after everything they'd seen. And yet, Mabel gives it freely, anyway. In that moment, Mabel is displaying Christ-like behavior. It's also appropriate symbolism that she is shown to surrender and ascend in this moment.

I'm going to skip a Tale of Two Stans for a moment, but come back to it because I also think it's important.

More self-sacrificing happens when in the Stanchurian Candidate, Stan gives up the possibility of his getting elected in order to save his family (this actually helps him get elected but hilariously, he's later disqualified due to his many crimes).

At the end of Weirdmageddon, Stan ultimately sacrifices himself (he has his entire identity erased) in order to save his family (and the whole town). Although, he does not technically "die" - he has, in a sense, given up his entire life. John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this: that he would lay down his life for the sake of his friends. Fortunately, this show has a happy ending, Stan gets his memories back. Although, there is no mention of Christ, it does feel like a metaphor for what happens when someone hears and accepts the Gospel - the Good News - that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was raised again after three days, and if we ask him for forgiveness and trust in Him to save us, we will be saved.

Basically, what happens is you die (to sin), you lose your "sin" identity. Then, you are "born again" - in a sense, you gain a new identity in Christ - one of righteousness. Stan does this by gaining a new identity - one of a hero instead of a crook. This is what Jesus does for us - He saves us and gives us a new identity. Even if we aren't engaging in criminal behavior, we all have something we need to be forgiven for. None of us are perfect. We've all lied, we've hurt people's feelings, by inaction - we have contributed to bad things in the world... Some of us may have even smuggled Pugs.

Since this is getting very long, I'll save the rest for a part two.

[queereads-bracket]

Hiya! Love this as a thing, thanks for making it! I was wondering whether you had a complete list of submitted books anywhere, or if you'd be willing to make one? I would love to be able to add them all to my TBR and scrolling through the polls takes a bit of a while 😅 Thank you!

yes absolutely! helping people find fun new things to read is my Secret Nefarious True Purpose of this blog 😈

Below is a full list of all 68 entries to the Queer Fantasy Books bracket:

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley The Captive Prince series by C. S. Pacat Squad, written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Lisa Sterle Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas The Tamir Triad series by Lynn Flewelling The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson Princess Princess Ever After by K. O’Neill The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater The Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske The Witch Boy series by Molly Knox Ostertag Nimona by ND Stevenson The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez The Seraphina Duology (Seraphina, Shadow Scale) by Rachel Hartman The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw The Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Crier's War duology (Crier's War, Iron Heart) by Nina Varela The Burning Kingdoms series by Tasha Suri The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan Crimson Sails series (Hunt on Dark Waters, Blood on the Tide) by Katee Robert House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland The Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (The Endsong series) Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee The Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare Salt Slow by Julia Armfield Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag The Masquerade Series by Seth Dickinson Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky Monstrous Regiment (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender (Infinity Alchemist series) Mooncakes, written by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu Malice duology (Malice, Misrule) by Heather Walter The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow Snapdragon by Kat Leyh The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare The Knight and the Necromancer series by A.H. Lee When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill The Left-Handed Booksellers of London series by Garth Nix The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost by Keezy Young The Radiant Emperor series by Shelley Parker-Chan Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare The Marble Queen, written by Anna Kopp, illustrated by Gabrielle Kari Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo The Cursed Heart by Derin Edala One Stormy Day in New Providence by E. Jade Lomax and K. Sundberg Godfell: The Complete Series by Christopher Sebela, Ben Hennessy (Illustrator)

[eva-knits12]

Going to Hobby Lobby with Chris Evans characters

Steve Rogers

You need to go to Hobby Lobby.

Steve goes with you.

He's never been to Hobby Lobby.

When he walks through the doors, he's overwhelmed.

He's never been to a craft store.

You go to the yarn department, and get the yarn you need to make a baby blanket for your cousin's baby shower.

You also get some yarn to make a baby sweater and some booties.

Steve goes to the art department.

He sees colored pencils, drawing pencils, paints, watercolors, sketchbooks, canvases, even really cool paint markers.

He buys gets a few sketch books, and some colored pencils, and some drawing pencils.

You go to the checkout, and you even get a moon pie and a caramel pecan cluster.

Steve wants to come back to Hobby Lobby, but you have no plans to go anytime soon.

You go back to get some yarn to make a sweater for yourself.

Steve comes with you to buy even MORE sketchbooks, and even some more drawing pencils and colored pencils.

Checking out gives Steve that sense of nostalgia.

No scanners, no electronic stuff, except for the credit card reader.

He remembered everyone having to key in prices and discounts by hand when he was growing up in the 1920's and 1930's.

He chats with the cashier and tells her that you don't see that kind of thing anymore.

Steve LOVES going to Hobby Lobby.

Ransom Drysdale

Ransom has been to Hobby Lobby, but not with you.

He wants to get some things for his man cave and for your craft room.

He goes, and takes you.

It's the annual yarn clearance sale, and you get enough to make a blanket, a sweater, and some other things, too.

You and Ransom get some things for your upcoming wedding.

The center pieces that you find aren't too tacky, in fact they're perfect glass vases.

You also get a set of coffee mugs.

Ransom also gets a few blank mugs, and decides to try painting them.

He also gets some woodworking supplies.

He loved pushing you in your wheelchair while you went shopping.

You both love this store, and it's great.

Ransom and you are both agnostics, so Ransom felt iffy about going to a store that is Christian based.

Ransom and you find more stuff for your upcoming wedding, your house, and some really nice decor items.

Colin Shea

Colin and you love going to Hobby Lobby.

They have plain onesies that you can paint, embroider, tie dye, etc.

You and Colin get several, because you're hosting your best friends baby shower.

Harper sits in the cart, and gives her input.

Getting Harper to sit in the cart was a struggle, but you put Lamb Lamb in the cart, and now she's snuggling Lamb Lamb.

"Ya", when you show her the pink ones.

"Ya," when you show her some white ones.

Colin gets some stuff for his man cave.

He gets some stuff for your home office/craft room.

You get some yarn, and Harper helps by giving her input again.

When she feels some soft yarn, she wants to also snuggle it.

When it comes time to check out, Colin and you unload the cart.

You then get dinner at the Wendy's because the trip took longer than expected.

Harper loves the frosty, along with her chicken nuggets and fries, and her milk.

You and Colin get bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and lemonade.

You get home, and unload your haul.

Andy Barber

Andy and you go to Hobby Lobby to get a few things for Joy's nursery.

They have pics of flowers, which you get.

You even get some yarn named after flowers in order to knit Joy a blanket and a matching sweater and matching booties.

You also plan on crocheting a blanket with a matching sweater and matching booties, so you buy some more flower themed yarn.

Joy's nursery will be a nice spring garden theme,

Andy also finds things for his workshop, and his home office.

You also get some throw pillows for the living room, and some spring themed items for the living room.

For Joy's baby shower, you stock up on onesies and acrylic paint.

Andy won't let you lift ANYTHING!

"Sweetheart, let me get that. You shouldn't be lifting anything."

You and Andy checkout, and it takes longer because the cashier has to put everything in by hand.

When you guys get home, Andy helps you into the house, and helps you to the couch.

He puts your feet up.

He goes back to the Audi and gets all the bags, since Andy won't let you carry anything.

Joy's baby shower is next week.

Andy orders Chinese for dinner since you're craving it right now.

Andy and you eat, and after you eat, Andy gives you foot rub, and a back rub.

You start to fall asleep, and Andy helps you to bed.

Jake Jensen

Jake and you go to Hobby Lobby to make a scrap book that will be dedicated to the twins.

You also get some yarn to make some booties and matching sweaters for the twins.

You also get yarn to make blankets for the twins.

You also find some stuff for the twins nursery.

Jake finds some really cool video game themed stuff for his home office/game room/man cave.

Jake calls it his dad cave.

You can't help but laugh.

Every day, you fall more in love with this sweet goofball.

You go back to get some stuff for the baby shower with the twins.

You also find some really cool soccer themed stuff for your niece and your nephew.

When you checkout, Jake thinks that it's time consuming that the cashiers have to put in the prices by hand.

The cashier explains that it's the CEO that did this, because the CEO wanted to put "people over computers."

Jake thinks that's BS.

You also find that puzzle mat for your mom.

You also find some stuff for the wedding.

You get Jake a mug that says "MR." and a mug that says "Caution: Will tell dad jokes" and a beer mug that says "Dad Juice."

Jake gets you a mug that says "MRS." and a mug that says "Caution: Will do mom things" and wine glass that says "Mom Juice".

You and Jake get pizza for dinner.

Frank Adler

You and Frank go to Hobby Lobby to look for wedding items.

Your mom, dad, cousins and sister-in-law insist on throwing you a bridal shower, but right now, you and Frank are just taking things one day at a time.

Mary has fun because she found some puzzles.

You find some stuff for the house.

You even find some yarn, and want to knit a lapgan for the retirement home.

You also find some stuff for your nephew, who loves drawing.

You get your nephew some colored pencils, drawing pencils, and a sketchbook.

You also get Frank a woodworking kit.

A few people ask for your autograph, and you oblige.

You're an actress, and moved back to your hometown because LA was too shallow and just not for you.

You and Frank steal kisses in between walking the aisles.

You also get some decor for the house that you and Frank will be moving into after the wedding.

You pay for your purchase.

You and Frank watch a movie with Mary.

This is heaven.

Johnny Storm

Johnny and you go to Hobby Lobby to get scrapbooking stuff.

You both want to create a scrapbook for Jake's first year.

You also want to create a scrapbook for your wedding.

You also want to create a scrapbook of all of your couple moments.

You also get some yarn to make a sweater and booties for Jake.

Johnny gets some stuff to help decorate his mancave.

Along with a "Caution: Will tell dad jokes" mug.

You get some knitting supplies.

You check out, and Jake is sound asleep in the cart.

You place everything in the car, and then you place Jake in the car.

When you get home, Jake unloads the haul, and you put Jake in his crib, after you've changed his diaper.

You and Johnny unload everything in the morning.

You and Johnny eat dinner and fall asleep.

[most-screwed-by-writers-tourney]

Tentative list for best horror and thriller girls:

1. Maria from Mad Father

2. Reiko Mikami from Another

3. Bridget, from the webtoon Nonesuch,

4. Ha-Im, from webtoon Never-ending Darling.

5. Riot Maidstone (from Hello From The Hallowoods),

6. Martha from Ravenous 1999

7. Grace, from Ready or Not (2019).

8. Regan Abbott (A Quiet Place)

9. Ava (Ex Machina)

10. Beatrice (Over the Garden Wall)

11. Jennifer from Jennifer’s Body

12. Rozy from the guy upstairs

13. Rachel (Rachel Rising comic book series)

14. Amanda Young, SAW,

15. Wendy Torrance, “The Shining” movie

16. Pannochka - Viy

17. Blind Mag (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

18. Sasha from the magnus archives

19. Mina Harker (Dracula

20. Lex Foster from Black Friday.

21. Charlotte from Hello Charlotte!

22. Carrie White, Carrie

23. Scarlet, I’m the Grim Reaper

24. So Jung-hwa, Strangers from Hell

25. Dana Scully, The X Files

26. Akane Tsunemori, Psycho Pass

27. Mima Kirigoe, Perfect Blue

28. Nina Fortner, Monster

29. Eva Heinemann, Monster

30. Edith Cushing, Crimson Peak

31. Lucille Sharpe, Crimson Peak

32. Ellen Ripley, Alien

33. Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs

34. Lisa Reisert, Red Eye

35. Laurie Strode, Halloween

36. Kayo Hinazuki, Erased

37. Hondomachi, ID Invaded

38. Yonaka Kurai, Mogeko Castle

39. Ib, IB

40. Re-L Mayer, Ergo Proxy

41. Kyun Yoon, Bastard

42. Jisu, Sweet Home

43. Lauren Sinclair, Purple Hyacinth

44. Nita, Market of Monsters series

45. Rose the Hat from Doctor Sleep (2019 movie and Stephen King book)

46. Sidney Prescott from the original Scream movies,

47. Jade Daniels, Indian Lake Trilogy/My Heart is a chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

48. Villanelle, killing eve

49. Harrow from gideon the ninth/Locked Tomb

50. Maggie, Everything is Fine

51. Chaerin Eun, Surviving Romance

52. Finn, I’m Dating a Psychopath

53. Rayne Liebert, Homesick

54. Ha-im Yun, Never Ending Darling

55. Ashlyn Banner, School Bus Graveyard

56. Chae-ah Han, Trapped

57. Jeongmin Choi, Dreaming Freedom

58. Frankie, Stagtown

59. India Stoker, Stoker

60. Nam-ra, All of Us Are Dead

61. Ji-woo, My Name

62. Nanno, Girl From Nowhere

63. Emerald, Nope

64. Jessica Jones

65. Susy, Wait Until Dark

66. Margot, The Menu

67. Vera, Just Like Home

68. Rosemary, Rosemary’s Baby

69. Gertrude Robinson, The Magnus Archives

70. Alex, Oxenfree

71. Margaret Lanternman/The Log Lady, Twin Peaks,

72. Audrey Horne, Twin Peaks,

73. Su-an, Train to Busan

74. Ji-a, Tale of the Nine Tailed

75. Cha Ji-won, Flower of Evil

76. Coraline

77. Helen Lyle, Candyman

78. Nancy, Nightmare on Elm Street

79. Mrs. De Winter, Rebecca

80. Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca

81. Shiki Ryougi, Garden of Sinners

82. Kirsty Cotton, Hellraiser

83. Pearl, Pearl

84. Take-ju, Thirst

85. Suzy Bannion, Suspiria

86. Lain, Serial Experiments Lain

87. Asami Yamazaki, Audition

88. Naru, Prey

89. Eli, Let the Right One In

90. The Girl, A Girl walks home alone at night

91. Cecilia, Immaculate

92. Evie Alexander, The Invitation

93. Maren, Bones and All

94. Michelle, 10 Cloverfield Lane

95. Thomasin, The VVitch

96. Emma, None Shall Sleep

97. Contestanta, A Dowry of Blood

98. Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Maltese Falcon

99. Sandra Voyter, Anatomy of a Fall

100. Lisa, Rear Window

[princesssarisa]

Who are your favorite female characters from your childhood?

Oh boy, where to start? It's a long list, which will obviously date me as a '90s kid.

*Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

*Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz)

*Wendy Darling (Peter Pan)

*Little Red Riding Hood

*Goldilocks

*Snow White

*Cinderella

*Aurora, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty)

*Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

*Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

*Nala (The Lion King)

*Pocahontas

*Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

*Megara (Hercules)

*Mulan

*Thumbelina

*Odette (The Swan Princess)

*Gerda, the Robber Girl (The Snow Queen)

*Madeline (the Madeline books and cartoons)

*Pippi Longstocking

*Ramona Quimby (the Ramona books)

*Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden)

*Heidi (Heidi)

*Charlotte the spider, Fern Arable (Charlotte's Web)

*Lucy Pevensie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)

*Matilda Wormwood (Matilda)

*Amelia Bedelia (the Amelia Bedelia books)

*Mama Bear, Sister Bear (The Berenstain Bears)

*Lamb Chop (Lamb Chop's Play-Along)

*Miss Piggy (The Muppets and Muppet Babies)

*Holly Higgins, Gloria Gopher (Under the Umbrella Tree)

*Annie (the musical Annie)

*Maria von Trapp (The Sound of Music)

*The Narrator (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)

*Dot Warner, Slappy Squirrel (Animaniacs)

*Angelica Pickles, Susie Carmichael (Rugrats) – Angelica in a "love to hate her" way

*Lucy van Pelt, Sally Brown (Peanuts) – especially because I got to play Lucy in a children's theatre production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

*Helga Pataki (Hey Arnold!)

*Ms. Frizzle (The Magic School Bus)

*Ashley Spinelli, Gretchen Grundler (Recess)

*Clarissa Darling (Clarissa Explains It All)

*Sabrina Spellman (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

*Felicity Merriman, Josefina Montoya, Kirsten Larson, Addy Walker, Samantha Parkington, Molly McIntyre (the American Girls Collection) – these are the American Girls I chiefly remember, since I was just starting to outgrow them when Kit and Kaya were added.

[youngerfrankenstein]

Sooooooooo I may have been watching Hannibal again. And making notes. (Okay I only started actually making notes around Entrée.)

Episodes 1-3

Definitely the episodes I’m most familiar with. Think I’ve seen them the most.

They struck gold getting Hugh Dancy for that role quite frankly

GOD Hannibal comforting the mother of the girl HE MURDERED

Just HOW much Hannibal’s interactions with Abigail are like, carefully affectionate blackmail

In all honesty I’m still not sure whether I think he ever grew to care for her. Perhaps but, in the same way as a prize pig. It’s still a pig

And part of me wonders how much of Abigail was actually left when he killed her. How much was consumed by two men who claimed to love her

Abigail in general is a fascinating tragedy to me

Will is, I think, a person who both desperately wants to and is terrified of being a father

Oeuf

This episode is actually so fucking good

Something about how one of the first things Abigail does in Hannibal’s house is break a teacup

Jack in his Morpheus getup lol

The obvious parallels this episode are Hannibal pulling a very similar thing with Abigail as “Wendy” is with the boys and I think it’s well done

Also “found” family as horror :)

No Will! Don’t let the dogs become comfortable with him!!! Also the frame-up begins

Coquilles

Man the Jack and Bella storyline is heartbreaking. And really well done

The scene where the lady is talking about how her husband was pulling away and he’s figuring it all out…

The bit of lighting that makes it look like Will has a halo chef’s kiss

Due to the weird “preternatural or not?” tendency of the show… I wonder if the angel maker did become an angel. If he was really there to help/warn Will

“I can give you the majesty of your becoming” vibrates

Note to self: Look more into Scapegoat practice

But really there probably is something to be said for Will semi-literally taking on the sins of humanity to save lives

Also note to self: Read “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” because I think Blake’s weird musings may have inspired more of the whole franchise than the obvious

Entrée

Abel Gideon :) He’s an addition to the cast I really enjoy

“Don’t worry I won’t leave you here” Making promises you can’t keep Jack?

I actually kinda love Chilton. He fucking sucks

I should watch/read Silence of the Lambs again…

Even if the case here is based off the pre-canon Red Dragon one

The series has so much love for and so many references to the source material while adding and tweaking so much and I appreciate it to hell and back

God he’s so fucking despicable… just to see what happens…

Sorbet

Did not need to see a glottis up close

AUNT VIVIAN!!! :D (Well, Ellen Greene)

Franklin is supposed to be like, reminiscent of the guy who’s head gets found in a jar in SotL right? I remember that being my takeaway when I first watched the show and I still think that. Even if the book is far less fresh in my mind

First Bedelia appearance

The fact it’s confirmed later he was putting human organs in the beer. What the fuck

Alanna makes me sad… in a lot of ways another example of Hannibal corrupting everything he touches

“And I sincerely hope he does” The wild thing is I think that may be the truth. Yeah he’ll kill Will if he figures it out but he does want to watch Will do just that

Oh Jack… yes. You will kill him

Hannibal’s “grocery shopping” montage will never not be funny

As will “ugh, stop, you’re just my patient” vs. the epic mope when Will doesn’t show up

Will starting to put the pieces together but his brain is too on fire to make them fit

Cannibal puns <3

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Woods Runner | Author: Gary Paulsen | Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (2010)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: A girl discovers a connection between her home in the Philippines and her new home in the U.S. through a special garden in this middle grade novel that celebrates nourishment and growth.

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It’s the first time in many years that she’ll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom.  

In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respicio explores how growth can take many forms, offering both the challenges and joy of new beginnings.

Review:

The heartfelt journey told in verse of a girl who moves from her home in the Philippines to the U.S. and her attempts of fitting in and finding her own place, through the nourishment and growth of a special garden. Isabel has lived her whole life in the Philippines but when her mother gets a job in the US and moves her there with her, her entire world is changed as she is forced to try and understand a culture she knows nothing about and try and fit in. From learning to make new friends to finding her own space where she can be herself and find connection, this is a wonderful book. I really felt for Isabel and her journey of trying to assimilate and find her own space in a whole new culture was really interesting to read. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a really heartwarming story! The novel-in-verse format of this book was really interesting and it brings you a little closer to Isobel's thoughts and feelings. Overall, a really great read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Wendy Lamb Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[alexusonfire]

ask game - get to know me!

Tagged by: @booitsrue

relationship status: single ☺️

favorite color: Green, but like a forest green

favorite food: Taco salad, or a good burger

song stuck in my head: CUFF IT - Beyonce

last thing i googled: ... bing bong inside out

current time: 10:58pm

dream trip: Italy

comfort movie: The Ritual or CWACOM 2

comfort food: Chicken burger from Wendy's

comfort clothes: sweatpants and my harvard tee from @storiesofsvu

comfort song: Boundaries - Celine Dion

comfort book: She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb

comfort game: ACNH or Minecraft

3 ships: Mary Wardwell x Lilith, Farah Dowling x Rosalind, Hermione Granger x Minerva McGonagall

1st ever ship: Minerva McGonagall x Rita Skeeter

last song: Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush

currently reading: Mostly Gwendoline Fanfiction lol

currently consuming: Naan crisps

currently watching: Planet Earth

currently craving: Affection

Unsure who to tag, so if you feel like doing it consider yourself tagged!! 🧡

[onlineproblems]

I was tagged by @2oppositesidesof1coin :)

1. Dana Scully from The X-Files

2. Norma Bates from Bates Motel

3. Wendy Byrd from Ozark

4. Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs (books or movie)

5. Ellen Ripley from Alien

6. Carmela Soprano from The Sopranos

7. Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks (Fire Walk With Me specifically)

8. Elaine Benes from Seinfeld

9. The Lady from The Black Company Chronicles

I'm tagging @wikipedie and @jjohnnyutah and @lisbonsteresa and anybody else who wants to :)

[winningthesweepstakes]

Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio

Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio. Wendy Lamb Books, Random House Children’s Books, 2024. 9780593302712 Rating:  1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover Genre: Realistic fiction What did you like about the book? It is 1999, and 12-year-old Isabel has always lived with her loving grandparents in the Philippines; her mother moved to the United States when Isa was just 7,…