#kate spade for less

[mainfaggot]

Dressing like a girly girl is like doing drag to me and also. A bit chest dysphoria inducing

[umbra-papilio]

The proxies' relationships with the other killers

Despite being recruited last, the only one to meet Jeff in person is Kate. Human, proxy, monster, whatever they may be, Jeff will attack it, but seeing that Kate looked similar to himself, he was extra aggressive to "assert his dominance" or something stupid. Now proxies have incredibly high strength, speed and endurance in comparison to normal humans, but Kate is far less experienced than Jeff and ended up getting heavily injured. The proxies made it a priority to avoid the infamous smiling killer after that.

Brian and Tim both have had accidental run-ins with EJ on more than one occasion. Each instance was just one staring at the other in silence before someone eventually continued with what they were doing. Both of the proxies are deeply unsettled with the cannibal's presence, and have no intention of ever getting too close.

No one has ever met Jane, fortunately enough, given her job as an assassin, but all of them with the exception of Toby hold great respect for her. If they were to die, they wouldn't complain if it were by her hands.

Tim met Liu by chance during one of his few moments of clarity. Tim had no idea who he even was, but Liu recognized him almost instantly despite not having his mask on. They want out for drinks together to reminisce about the past or just sit in silence before parting ways. Neither have seen the other since.

Toby and the Puppeteer are well known among killers for their bad blood. Like the Operator, Puppeteer feeds off of negativity, and Toby has that in spades. There's not much one can do against a powerful poltergeist if they're not keen in exorcism, so all Toby can really do in these instances is endure the mental assault for as long as possible before the ghost gets bored, tired or both and then leaves. Needless to say, Toby's not too fond of him.

One time, Brian had to camp out in an abandoned amusement park during a thunderstorm and ran into LJ. Even in proxy mode, LJ scared the living shit out of him and he ran out of the park like a bat out of hell. He got a cold from walking in the rain for 2 hours, but that's better than getting your corpse stuffed with candy. He's not eager to meet him again.

[gossipgirlxninjago]

Like every good juicy story It starts at a party…

It was Friday night and Kai Smith was hosting a wild party like usual.

Kai was the king of throwing wild crazy parties that sometimes went on till 3:00 in the morning.

Kai the king of the well-named St Valentine Academy For Boys was holding court on his vintage European couch with his best friends Cole Brookstone, Zane Julian and Jay Walke.

“I watched Nickelodeon all morning in my room so I wouldn‘t have to eat breakfast with them. He’s so unbearable,” Jay Walker complained about his mother's new boyfriend to his best friends Kai Smith, Cole Brookstone and Zane Julian.

“Damn,” Kai replied drinking from his glass of wine.

“My mother cooked him an omelet. I didn‘t even know she knew how to use

the stove!”Jay said sipping his beer.

“If he's really that bad you can just stay with me my mother and father won't mind,”Zane offered.

“Thanks,” Jay replied.

“That's what friends are for!”Zane replied.

Friends. This group of five were more than friends they were like brothers ever since they met before they could walk or talk. They had been there for Jay when his mother and father divorced when his father Cliff Gordon was caught having an affair.

There was a sixth but no one talked about him. He was in the past he was long gone.

So they thought…

“Hey boys,” Skylor Chen said with her clique from St Elizabeth sitting beside Kai her boyfriend.

Skylor had foxy red hair In a long ponytail on her shoulders, red lipstick, a red Chanel, the ring Kai got for her dress and Kate Spade sandals. 

The other girls part of Skylor’s clique were Nya Smith Kai’s sister and Jay's girlfriend, Pixel Borg girlfriend of Zane, Vania Yún Cole’s girlfriend and Akita Yuki Lloyd’s girlfriend before he left for boarding school.

 Like the boys, they were the most attractive and popular clique in their school.

The two groups drank and talked although they were underage all of them came from came from the kind of families for whom drinking was as

commonplace as blowing your nose. Their parents believed in the quasi-European idea that the more access kids have to alcohol, the less likely they are to abuse it. So they could drink whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, as long as they maintained their grades and their looks and didn‘t embarrass themselves or the family by puking in public, pissing their pants, or ranting in the streets. The same thing went for everything else, like sex or drugs don't make yourself and your family look bad.

Suddenly everything went quiet.The music stopped and everyone turns to face someone.

 It was the one and only Lloyd Hajime the it boy.The guy that every dude wanted to be every girl wanted to date. 

Lloyd looked Just like he did when he left for boarding school with the same household blonde hair which was longer,emerald green eyes,muscular body and charming smile.

“No way,”Kai said almost dropping his wine glass.

“Guys!”Lloyd said noticing Kai and the others.

Lloyd Hugs each of the guys in the same classy and cool way he always did things.

“Milady,”Lloyd said  flirtatious  to Akita kissing her hand as Akita giggled.

Unbelievable,he sent her the same generic shit postcards as the rest of us and she's fine with that?Kai thought.

“So what have I missed?”Lloyd said sitting beside Kai  like he used to.

“Not a lot,”Kai lied.

Lloyd couldn't waltz in here and just act like nothing had happened and that he totally ignored all his friends Instead sent them the same generic postcards with no thought.

And besides Kai didn't want to give up his throne. 

[tiktaalic]

see if you lived in the midwest that list it would be respectable. destiel probably, voltron maybe. dan and phil for goodness sake .that cassandra clare book series, maybe something tongue in cheek from my little pony or steven universe. hannibal. god maybe even something marvel. to be clear im not saying these are good ships but at least theyre not made up like naruto and whoever that woman is. unfortunately u live in buttfuck, salish coast. kate and william transcend region i think regrettably.

See this list is shockibn to me BECAUSE I live in the woke capital of the world. Nurses plural have blue hair and pronouns here. I’ve seen no less than 3 sets of pride figs scrubs around the lab. The break room is awash with water bottles covered in pride stickers. I thought we were gonna get REALLY weird with it really fast. I thought we were gonna pull at least ONE person who has definitely reblogged a post with the words proshippers and antis in it. Not. 90% heterosexual anime pairings? Mostly I’m agog at the intersect between people who know what shipping is / people who ship those things / people who have the lack of shame required to announce that. All intersecting in the exact same way. I would be less shocked if bridgerton was on there. I did not think a single one of these things had real shooters that existed in enough frequency to be represented in SPADES. Certainly not in. Blue hair pronouns world

[janiemcpants]

2024 Reading Roundup, Part 1

Another year, another bunch of books!

I read A LOT of mysteries (all 30-something Patricia Wentworths, some Georgette Heyers, some Dorothy L. Sayers, plus caught up on a few current series). I also read more fantasy than usual, and I definitely want to keep doing that. More nonfiction than last year, too, including some great books about movies. 

There weren't quite as many 5-star books as there usually are, but the ones that were were REALLY good. Not sure if this was because of my own mind, or because my picker was less lucky, but there were still more fives than ones, so I'll take it! 

Stats:

Total books: 218 Total pages: 69,786 Average length: 320 pages Shortest book: The House on Abigail Lane by Kealan Patrick Burke (68 pgs) Longest book: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (1,088 pgs)

Three favorite books I read this year: 1. Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher 2. The September House by Carissa Orlando 3. Hot Earl Summer by Erica Ridley

Three least favorite books I read this year: 1. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera 2. A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant 3. The Summer Bride by Anne Gracie

Full list (with ratings!) below the cut.

Five stars: The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (1923) [reread] Very Good, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (1930) [reread] Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (2020) Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher (2021) Paladin’s Hope by T. Kingfisher (2021) Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher (2023) What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (2024) Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (2022) Starter Villain by John Scalzi (2023) The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen (2023) Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris (2014) Death of an American Beauty by Mariah Fredericks (2020) His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (2006) [reread] My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley (2023) Hot Earl Summer by Erica Ridley (2024) Moving Pictures: Memories of a Hollywood Prince by Budd Schulberg (1981) The September House by Carissa Orlando (2023 Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman (2023) The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (2024) Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis (2024) Lone Women by Victor LaValle (2023) Mrs. Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce (2023) The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (2024) The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (1926) [reread] Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum (2024) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (1820) The Phantom Patrol by James R. Benn (2024)

Four stars: The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie (2005) The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie (2014) Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher (2017) Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (2023) Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher (2013) The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles (2023) A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles (2023) A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times by Grace Burrowes (2023) A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation by Grace Burrowes (2023) A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances by Grace Burrowes (2023) A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth by Grace Burrowes (2024) A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor by Grace Burrowes (2024) A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe by Grace Burrowes (2024) Lady Violet Investigates by Grace Burrowes (2021) Lady Violet Attends a Wedding by Grace Burrowes (2021) The Refusal Camp by James R. Benn (2023) Proud Sorrows by James R. Benn (2023) Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson (2021) Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons by Quenby Olson (2022) Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2021) In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2022) Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2023) The Marquis Who Mustn’t by Courtney Milan (2023) The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley (2019) What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (2024) An Infamous Betrayal by Lynn Messina (2018) How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann (2022) Street of the Five Moons by Elizabeth Peters (1978) [reread] Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters (1973) [reread] Superfluous Women by Carola Dunn (2015) The Corpse at the Crystal Palace by Carola Dunn (2019) The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (2023) Circles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites edited by Katy Soar (2023) A Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey (2023) An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey (2024) Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items by J.W. Ocker (2020) The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian (2017) The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian (2017) A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian (2019) The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (2023) The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older (2023) The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham (1952) Forgotten Murder by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2018) The Chapel in the Woods by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2022) I Do, I Do, I Do by Maggie Osborne (2000) The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste (2018) Holy Ghosts: Classic Tales of the Ecclesiastical Uncanny edited by Fiona Snailham (2023) A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (2016) A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas (2017) The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas (2018) The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas (2019) Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (2020) Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas (2021) A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas (2023) A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas (2024) Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit (2020) The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager (2019) Death of a Showman by Mariah Fredericks (2021) The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (2024) Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (2006) [reread] A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper (2023) Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart (1997) The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (2020) The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh (1997) The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham (2020) The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham (2024) The Witches: Suspicion, Betrayal, and Hysteria in 1692 Salem by Stacy Schiff (2015) Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk (2023) Girl A by Abigail Dean (2021) Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse (1923) [reread] Twice as Wicked by Elizabeth Bright (2017) Wicked With the Scoundrel by Elizabeth Bright (2019) The Duke’s Wicked Wife by Elizabeth Bright (2020) Mystique by Amanda Quick (1995) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (2010) Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (2014) Snuff by Terry Pratchett (2011) Vermilion: The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp by Molly Tanzer (2015)

[apleasurableillusion]

The great news is that Kate Spade just dropped three new silk scarves and I like all of them less than the three I’ve bought

[roseband]

im sauuuuur sad cause i found nearly the entire kate spade juniper line items in my size in various lot less stores in the city EXCEPT the jackets and i want completion (and suits) but to buy either jacket on poshmark/ebay it'll run me like 2 hundo and i cannot justify that on a jacket, especially when the other pieces i got for under 25 :/

discount stores only having bits and pieces of sets, why do you torture me so ;~; iun wanna have two dresses and the skirt w/o the matching JACKET!!!!!!

(also damn i def don't have a spending problem when it comes to clothing, but gosh, i think i have a shopping/storage problem that's enabled by my walk in closet =_=)

[financeprincess]

inexpensive jewelry you recommend?

I love Kate Spade jewelry. Swarovski has great sales as well and their pieces look absolutely stunning. There are some nice smaller pieces from Mejuri that aren’t super pricey either but are beautiful, timeless, and will hold up. Some Etsy sellers have beautiful handmade jewelry for a fraction of luxury brand costs. Otherwise I have gotten lucky and found some really beautiful pieces on massive sales from places like Riddles or the like. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve either gotten as handmedowns from my mom, I bought at craft fairs, or have been given to me as gifts. I always have my eye out for secondhand vintage designer pieces, either online or at auctions or at certain authenticated resellers. I have some small pieces from Tiffany that I really love that were less than $300 each. I love my Fossil watch too. it’s stainless steel, crystal embossed, engraved, and will hold up probably forever.

[allie-campbell-bradshaw]

Chapter 11: Serenade

A/N: Good God I am in LOVE with these two! It’s here folks. Brallie is HERE!!!! There are two songs that Bradley sings during this chapter. For the best effect, please play these songs as you are reading that part of the chapter. You will know when they come! I have also added a “Brallie Playlist” in the master list. Check it out whenever you want! I mention this in my notes for every chapter, but just in case you missed it– I do not give permission for my work to be re-posted without credibility. If you do want to post this story to your page, please be sure that you tag my account or at least mention its original source in your post. 

Also: This story is sequential…please go back and read my other chapters, in order, for the best results!

Again, thank you for being here and I hope you enjoy :)

Warnings: Swearing (it is the navy after all)

Jerry Lee Lewis - Would You Take Another Chance On Me (1971) - YouTube

8675309 Jenny Jenny - YouTube

Chapter 11: Serenade

ALLIE’S POV

Friday evening was here before I knew it. I looked at myself through my full-length white mirror that was sitting on the wooden floor in the corner of my bedroom. The outline of the mirror was white wood, matching the headboard of my twin-sized bed. I hadn’t gotten around to doing laundry yet, so the floor was quite messy. Not “dirty” messy, just a few piles here and there. Not to mention all of the science books that were scattered around everywhere. The messiest area of my room was my dresser, which had piles of stuff all over it. Makeup, hair essentials, jewelry, and my music box.

I was wearing my seersucker 1960’s designed sleeveless shirtwaist dress as well as my deep red sweater. My hair was pinned up in victory rolls and I had a red flower in at the side that matched the color of my sweater. I was a sucker for the 1940’s-60’s and dressed in that style whenever I could, which was hardly ever!

I walked over to my dresser and grabbed my white kate spade cross shoulder bag before making my way downstairs and grabbing my car keys off the table. “By mom, by daddy!” I yelled politely, letting them know that I was leaving.

“Hold it young lady!” My dad said as he kicked down the recliner of his big brown chair and made his way over to me, he was still in his navy service khakis. I rarely ever see him in anything else. This man was always in full-military-mode, ready to pounce at any second. I turned to him, ready to answer the shower of questions I knew I was going to get. “Where are you going?" he interrogated.

“Out.” I responded shortly. The look on his face told me that that was not enough for him. It never was, “To Acton Cove with Kiera and Holly”. I gave more details, with a slightly annoyed tone in my voice. I was 21…I didn’t need to be vetted every day. 

“Are you going to be joined by any boys”? Daddy asked with a suspicious tone in his voice.

“Daddy,” I said softly. He knew full well how uninterested I was in boys at the moment. In fact, I always had been uninterested, definitely less than average for a woman my age. In high school, I had casual flings that would lead to a date or two, but no serious boyfriend. Ever.

“Okay,” He said, giving me permission for departure, “Be back by 11”. He added, still giving me ridiculous curfews.

“Okay, daddy.” I agreed as I grabbed my car keys, rolling my eyes slightly, wanting nothing more than to just avoid conflict at the moment. I swear, he still sees me as a little girl in pigtails.

I made my way out the door and towards my red Audi RS 3, looking over at the sun that was setting on the horizon. There was only about an hour of sunlight left. I rolled my eyes, knowing that I would spend a majority of the remaining sunlight in the car on my way to get the girls. I lived on the outskirts of Annapolis, closer to Parole than the Naval Academy, which was right on Chesapeake Bay. Acton Cove was right next to the bay, and a common bar for midshipmen and women to go to on the weekends.

As I drove to Kiera and Holly’s my mind continued to shift in multiple directions. From the song on the radio, to surgical terminology, to my parents, to THE patient. Bradley Bradshaw was by far the standout this week. His charm, his sarcasm, his wit, his muscles, his-SHUT THE FUCK UP ALLIE. I yelled to myself in my head, he wasn’t even that cute. That’s a lie, my mind called out to my dishonesty. 

I was trailing back to his face when my left hand landed on my horn, not to signal to Holly and Kiera that I was there, but more so to yell at my distracted brain. What the hell was that about? I thought to myself as I snapped back into my reality.

Holly and Kiera ran out of their condo and into my car, Kiera taking the front seat and Holly taking the backseat directly behind me.

“Jesus, Jesus, we’re here!” Kiera commented as she got into her seat.

“Sorry,” I apologized sincerely, “I was distracted”.

“By what,” Kiera said sarcastically, “All the cars in front of you”...She gestured to their garage that was illuminated by my headlights. There was nothing in the driveway but me.

“No,” Holly interjected flirtatiously, “By her loverboy”.

As I put the car in reverse, I looked over at Kiera and saw a huge illuminating smile on her face. I looked over at Holly to find the same as I made my way out into the street and on route to the bar. “What?!” I asked.

Both of them let out a giggle. “Nothing” Kiera answered smoothly, looking out the window and at the now black sky that was littered with stars.

I rolled my eyes and let out a soft sigh, “Oh,” I started, realizing who they were talking about, “I literally have no idea what ideas you guys have, but there is NOTHING going on between me and Bradley”.

“Who?” They both asked simultaneously. 

I let out a deep breath, not realizing that they didn’t know his name, “The bet guy”. I answered them.

“Oh,” Holly said in the back. “Houston, we have a name.”

“You two are so annoying” I clapped back, as I kept my eye on the road.

“Oh, we know!” Kiera said before changing the subject, “Thank you for coming out with us tonight”.

I smirked as I turned left, halfway to my destination.

“You look good!” Holly complimented.

“Thanks” I responded.

“Like a cute little 1960’s pin-up doll”. 

Kiera and I both gasped at her comment “Holly Nickleson!” I yelled, letting out loud spurts of laughter. I wasn’t actually upset. I appreciated Holly’s commentary–most of the time.

“Bradley is one lucky man,” she shot back, which a large smirk on her face as she looked out her window.

“Would you stop it!” I said, leaving my amused tone in my voice so she knew I wasn’t actually mad, but I was getting a little annoyed at her not dropping the subject.

“Oh, come on Allie. He’s cute!” She exclaimed.

“No he’s not,” I contradicted her, stealing a glance at her in my rearview mirror. She had an ‘all too knowing’ look on her face, like she knew something I didn’t. The only problem was, there was nothing more to know.

“And why do you say that?” Kiera questioned genuinely. Looking over at me as we kept driving.

“Because,” I said, pausing what I was saying as I searched for the right words. I was speechless. I couldn’t give her an adequate reasoning, “He’s not my type”.

“Allie honey,” Holly said from the back, “You have to date to have a type”.

“For real,” Kiera interjected, “you’re not gonna find anyone if you don’t look”.

“That’s the whole idea” I pointed out, “I’m not going to date until after medical school”.

“Oh that’s right” Holly said sarcastically, “medical students can’t date”.

“Oh yeah, I forgot” Kiera interjected comedically.

“It’s not that I can’t date,” I answered, “it’s that I don’t want to. Especially to guys like that!”

“Like what?” Kiera asked.

“You know…” I said, trying to find words to describe him.

“Exactly” Kiera fired back, “There’s nothing wrong with him”.

“He’s so much better than that Simon guy” Holly said, rolling her eyes as she remembered all about Simon Powell.

“Don’t remind me!” I shot back in disgust. 

“Oh Allie, I’ll write to you every day” Holly mocked the sound of his voice.

Kiera joined in; “It’ll be like I never left”.

All three of us at the same time shot up and finished Simon’s statement; “You’re the girl for me”.

“Shit,” Kiera said, looking over at the lights of the bar as we pulled in, “Some men deserve hell”.

“If every man I ever dated was in hell-” Holly started

“Then they’d be over capacity!” I interrupted her as I put my car in park and made my way out.

“Why you little-!” Holly said as she and Kiera both made their way out as well. All three of us were laughing as we looked up at the sign of the bar, Missing in Acton, which was a clever name considering a majority of their patrons are affiliated with the military. The parking lot was fuller than usual, with a lot of men and women in various uniforms, and some without, that were walking around the lot. The bar is made of tan cedar shingles, which look a lot like wood. The roof was flat, with a lighter shade of tan covering the shingles. The main entrance of the bar had no windows, but the walls on the side and back of the bar were practically covered with glass from top to bottom. It was truly breathtaking, and all three of us were taking that in.

All three of us were taken aback at a wolf whistle that came from a military man as he and two other men made their way into the bar. “You look fine today ladies!”

I rolled my eyes and looked over at Kiera, who also didn’t look amused.

“Sorry boys!” Holly yelled back, “The girl in red is taken!”

I gave Holly a friendly punch as an airy giggle left my body.

“What?” She asked innocently, “You are!”

We all exchanged laughs as we made our way into the bar sitting down in a dark green covered booth that was directly to the right of the door. It was a round 8-seater booth. I loved this spot, because men that came in would look directly forward to find their next target, and not waste time looking over their shoulder.

I smirked at them and slid into the dark green covered booth, finally noticing what the girls were wearing: Holly was in a purple dress and sweater, of the same style as mine. That was my favorite thing that we had in common. Kiera was in a lime green knit sweater and jeans. No matter what the temperature was outside, this woman was always cold. She had dangly gold earrings on.

Holly got up, offering to buy the first round, which for us, was always the same–Kiera was gin in tonic with a lime, I was a rum sour, Holly was a vodka cran.

I rested my hands on the table, looking over my right shoulder at Kiera who was beaming, obviously too excited that I was here. “So,” she began, and then froze. She was not used to the fact that I was here. We were both stuck in continuing the conversation.

“I’m surprised it’s ‘open campus’,” I yelled over the music that was blaring from the jukebox, looking around at all of the naval students that were filling in the bar. Actually, I was not surprised that it was an open campus weekend. Most weekends during the school year were, but I was just surprised to see this many of them here. 

Kiera looked at me, smirked and then brought her finger up to her mouth as if to choke herself. I laughed hard at her response. Kiera was as tired of the men as I was. She had her fair share of men that hit on her, but it was far less than me.

Holly came back with the drinks in her hand. “Hey, do you two mind if I invite those men over here?” She asked, signaling over to three guys at the bar, the same guys that were whistling at us outside.

I looked at them and then at Holly, making it clear that I was not interested myself. I leaned over the table so I was in earshot of her, who was anxiously waiting for my response. “Knock yourself out”, I whispered to her. She beamed at my blessing and did a sort of gallop back over to them, looking way too excited for what I could tell they had to offer.

Within a few seconds, they were coming over to our booth. The one that wolf whistled had a buzz cut, his hair seeming to be a deep shade of blonde. He had blue eyes and was very built, his muscles toned in his service khakis. Holly was all over him like a bad rash. What made me the most upset, was that his eyes were directly on me, I shrunk slightly at the uncomfortable gaze I got from him.

Holly turned her attention from the guy to the table, “This is Kiera and Allie” Holly said, pointing to us as she introduced our names. Kiera gave a polite acknowledgement and a wave. I, on the other hand, only gave them a slight smirk, making my disinterest the most clear.

“Kiera is a nurse here at the Academy. She’s from Manhattan.” Holly said, in an impressive tone although Kiera’s accomplishments were the bare minimum of what one would expect from someone. 

“And Allie here is in a complicated situation,” Holly began with a twinkle in her eye, “she’s in love!”

“Wait, really?” The buzz cut man asked, a look of concern that matched what one would look like if their vet told them that they had to put their dog down.

“Hardly” I said, as I brought my straw to my lips, taking a sip of my drink.

“Well then,” another man said, a brunette with a side swoop of hair. Less muscular, but taller than the buzz cut man. Obviously way more friendly, “Until I see a ring on that finger, I’m not gonna quit”. He said as he slid into the booth, sitting next to me on my left side.

I tensed up at his approach and he looked at me with concern, scooting back a little bit. His care for consent was incredibly refreshing. 

The other man that was with them was also a brunette. His hair was fuller than the other, and unlike the green eyes that that guy had, he had brown. He slid in to the spot on my right. Holly followed him and the buzz cut guy same in after her. Kiera opted to sit next to the polite guy to my left.

Holly then introduced them as Ben, Oliver, and Patrick. Ben was the nice one, Oliver the quiet one, and Patrick the one I already hated.

We were now all settled and participating in small talk to get to know everyone. They now all knew that we were nurses and we found out that they were all fresh out of the academy, stationed here in Annapolis at the Undersea Warfare Center. Ben was very apologetic about making me feel uncomfortable, and kept asking how he could make it up to me.

We had just started to talk about me going to medical school, thanks to Holly’s interjection of the fact, when Kiera interrupted us, “Ho-Ly-Crap” she said, emphasizing every syllable. She was looking ahead and all 5 of us followed her gaze.

No.

Absolutely not.

Please don’t have this be true.

Holly’s mouth was wide open, and she looked over at me first, my eyes were still locked on his, but I could now see all 6 eyes on me, the men already figuring out that this was the guy Holly claimed I was in love with.

He was slowly walking over to us. He was in a blue hawaiian shirt with the leaves printed in white, the shirt was open and he had a white wife beater on underneath, khaki shorts, and aviators over his eyes. The only qualities that gave him away at being Bradley was the ace wrap around his right hand and the fact that he had the audacity to approach me.

I looked over my shoulder at Ben and crossed my arms that were resting on the table. I brought my head down and muttered “save me” under my breath, but I’m not sure he did, because he just sat there as observant as the rest.

I first felt the shadow of Bradley over me, before looking to find him at the edge of the table, which was only a few feet away from me. He slowly took off his sunglasses and put them on the nape of the wife beater. “Allie” he said, greeting me with no expression on his face. However, he did have an amused tone in his voice.

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows so as to show him that he had my attention. He looked down and noticed my empty drink, I looked over at his hands and noticed a bottle of beer was in his left hand. I brought my gaze back to his face and a second later, he returned his. “Can I buy you a beer?”

“No,” I said, in a slightly rude tone, but I was just so over this man at this point.

He looked down defeated before Ben chimed in, “Allie, do you want to finish the rest of my beer”?

I looked at him, still holding onto my poker face, but very much impressed with how well he can read a room.

I looked up at Bradley as I grabbed the half-full glass from Ben. “I’d love to” I said, keeping my eyes on Bradley as I chugged the rest of the beer in the glass with ease.

BRADLEY’S POV

I watched in amazement as Bradley chugged down this random ass man’s beer. Who the fuck does he think he his? But more importantly, how is she able to drink beer that smoothly? That was not something I ever expected from anyone, regardless of if they were a woman or not.

“Are you gonna stand on your tiptoes too?” I asked Allie amused at my Titanic reference to when Rose is down at the party with Jack. The whole booth looked at me confused and I broke my gaze from her to suffer the embarrassment on my own.

I raised my injured hand, sporting the ace wrap that she gave me a day ago. “I’m feeling much better,” I reported to her, hoping to change the tone at the table.

“Hmm” she responded, growing her smirk a little more while she tilted her head, as if to acknowledge my comment. She still had her eyes off of me.

I put my bottle of beer down on the table, placed my non-injured hand over the wrap, and slowly pulled the ace bandage off. That is when she looked over, curious as to what my actions were implying.

“Look, I realize that the bet was very vile and stupid-”

“It was completely vile and stupid!” she interrupted.

“Regardless, I would like to negotiate my own bet”.

She rolled her eyes at this and crossed her arms back onto the table, slouching as she looked over at me. She was gorgeous! “Do I have to sit here and read your brain too?” she snapped.

I jolted at her comment, snapping back into focus as she pierced me with her hazel eyes. “Uh, sorry,” I apologized to her before continuing, “I would like to bet that I can make you laugh within the next 20 minutes”. She looked at me with her eyebrows furrowed, “Look, I know I’m an asshole. Hell, I deserve every insult you can throw at me. But I truly believe I can make you laugh. Like genuinely laugh…not just a sympathy giggle. I mean a full on smile and belt of laughter.”

She looked down at the table, amused at my confidence in my new negotiations. “And if I don’t?” She asked, bringing her gaze back to me.

“Then I’ll leave you alone”. 

“Deal!” She said, almost immediately, with an extreme deadpan look on her face. Holy shit, what did I just get myself into?

I could do nothing but smirk at her as I fully embraced the challenge I had just created. I found myself getting lost in her eyes as she searched into mine, looking confused as to what I was doing. “You have 19 minutes and 30 seconds left” she said, unenthused as ever. 

I snapped back into it and smiled bright at the table, “Okay then!” I exclaimed with high enthusiasm as I took a step back, clearing a space for this perfect plan that I had just concocted, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I said to Allie, pointing my finger at her as I got ready for this performance of a lifetime.

I looked over my left shoulder and found an empty chair at a table where two military service members were sitting. “Excuse me.” I said to them as I drug the chair over to my place a few feet away from my target. 

I stood up on the chair and looked around the room, clearing my voice, “Excuse me! Excuse me ladies and gentlemen,” everyone got quiet and the song on the Jukebox was shut down, “I would just like to announce to everyone that this woman and I are going to get married!” I motioned over to Allie, who immediately had a panicked look on her face. She covered her face with her hands as she grew a flaming red of embarrassment.

All of the students from the academy rolled their eyes at my exclamation, knowing full well the reputation that Allie had with rejection. All of the older military men and women looked excited, not fully getting the joke that I had intended, either way, it was fun to just go along with it!

“And what better way to celebrate this engagement,” I added, “than by serendating to my one and only Allie…” I looked at her, carrying out the last vowel of her name, making it clear that I forgot her last name for a moment.

“Campbell!” She snapped, with a look of shock that I forgot her identity.

“Campbell!” I responded, with too much confidence. Now the other military service members looked confused and slightly unenthused at what was happening, figuring out that it was all a joke. “Campbell. Campbell…chicken noodle soup” I muttered silently so only a few people around me could hear.

This caused her friends, especially the one in the purple dress, to laugh. Allie rolled her eyes at my lameness.

I pointed to one of the midshipmen that was standing by the jukebox in his service khakis, “Haniman,” I cued to him, remembering his last name from our Cyber Security class, “Please play track 5”.

There was a moment of silence as James Haniman, one of my classmates, got the correct track to play. During that time, someone in the back of the bar cleared their throat and let out a cough, while others gave into the embarrassed giggles. Allie’s mouth was part way open, with a look on her face that was a mix of being flabbergasted and confused…as though she didn’t know if she should be embarrassed or not.

Jerry Lee Lewis’s Take Another Chance on Me started playing. A perfect song given the circumstances of what Allie and I had been through these past 2 weeks. 

I made sure to sing this song as off key as I could and even stuttered over some of the lyrics, wanting to make this as bad as possible: 

“If I promise you to straightin' up and put my life in order”

 I got down from the chair and started making my way over to her. As if it wasn’t possible, Allie’s face was completely red from all sorts of embarrassment.

If I swear to you woman on bendin' knees I won't hurt you again 

At “bendin’ knees, I got down on my knees at the end of the booth, my arms up as if I was begging to Allie, whose breath was heavy.

If I become the kind of man that you want me to be

Would you take another chance on me?”

At this point, a lot of people in the bar were cheering out of sympathy and laughing at the pathetic fool that they thought I was making of myself. I knew what I was doing though. I looked over at Allie, who was smiling and laughing with wide eyes at the embarrassed moment that I had just handed to her. YES! I had done it, but I was not even close to ending this show for everyone. I stood up from the floor and started walking around the section of the bar that we were already in, singing to other people and grabbing their hands as we failed in pitch together.

“The good lord knows I've done you wrong I've asked him to forgive me

Deep inside I think he would if you could do the same” 

I jumped back onto the chair and pointed to Allie as I finished the song, who was still in a fit of laughter.

“If I could take back all the things that caused you misery

Would you take another chance on me?”

The room was filled with singing, laughter, and words of embarrassment, which had standing-room-only at this point. There were various whoops and hollers from people around the bar, but my eyes were glued on just one person, who was coming down off of her laughter and amusement.

“Miss Holly,” I said directed towards her friend, but still kept my eyes on Allie, “Could you please write your friends’ number on a piece of paper for me?”

“No!” I heard Allie object as Holly got out a marker from her purse and wrote on a white square napkin. “Holly!” Allie screamed as she reached over for the napkin, which she couldn’t grab thanks to the barrier of the table. I quickly grabbed the paper from Holly.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me forever,” I said to Allie as I put the napkin in the front pocket of my jeans. “And now, for the grand finale”! I jumped down from the chair and unplugged the jukebox that was loudly playing. I got a few “boos” from the crowd for my actions, but I didn’t give a shit. I grabbed my aviators which were still sitting on the edge of the old run-down piano in the back of the bar and looked over at Allie, who was watching me with more dread than ever.

I placed my hands over the keys and played a few notes to show people that I was actually musically talented with this instrument. 

I looked over at Haniman, who was standing next to the piano. He had been a regular here for a few weeks, so he knew the entertainment he was about to witness. “Wanna help me out”? I asked him, as I started to play some cords to the next song.

James went over to the corner and grabbed the electric guitar that was already plugged in. We made eye contact before we started playing the first few bars of 86753o9.

I looked over my shoulder at Allie as the song began, making sure that I was in perfect pitch and rhythm this time.“Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to? You gave me something I can hold on to”. 

I went back over to James and we played the rest of the first verse perfectly, as though we had rehearsed this bit before, but we had not.

I know you'll think I'm like the others before

Who saw your name and number on the wall

By the time of the chorus, people that were around us joined in; “86753o9”.

Jenny I've got your number

I need to make you mine

Jenny don't change your number

Eight six seven five three oh nine

Eight six seven five three oh nine

Eight six seven five three oh nine

Eight six seven five three oh nine

Before I knew it, the song was at the last chorus, and the entire bar was dancing and singing to the lyrics, including Allie:

Eight six seven five three oh nine (five three oh nine)

Eight six seven five three oh nine (five three oh nine)

Eight six seven five three oh nine (five three oh nine)

Eight six seven five three oh nine (five three oh nine)

When we were done, everyone roared in applause. I was sweating all over, panting hard as I came down from the musical high that I was on. 

I looked over at the people who were clapping and did a little gig to soak in all of the congratulatory applause that I was receiving for my showcase.

I turned around and made eye contact with Allie, who was completely amazed from what she had just witnessed. I walked over to her, smirking, as I took off my aviators and put them on the booth she was at. “Take a walk with me” I said to her, gentle and smirking into her twinkling eyes.

“Sure” she said, slightly nodding her head and smirking wide at me, returning the flirtatious gaze that I was giving her.

[themaresnest-dumblr]

OK, have now watched that ‘Max’ episode of Stranger Things, Season Four, Episode Four, and it is by far the most overrated and ludicrous of the lot. It’s not bloody bogeymen from the upside down she should be having visions of, it’s jumped sharks.

First up, the premise this hardboiled ginger nut had some secret guilt about Billy’s death.

Oh please!

The p**ck physically as well as verbally abused her every chance he got for years, and we’re supposed to believe she’s all torn up inside because he did one decent thing in his whole oxygen stealing existence?

Real people in the real world don’t behave like that. The only regrets they usually feel is never applying a sledgehammer to their tormentor’s worthless skulls when they had the chance. Eleven’s behaviour towards her tormentors: realistic. Max’s behaviour: baloney.

Besides, Max is someone who treats the people she likes as disposable pick ups and drop downs like toys as it is (especially her supposed boyfriend), and openly admits to her councillor the death of Billy had the bonus of ridding her of her equally violent and abusive stepdad. Does that sound like someone that’s gonna have a moment’s regret over Billy’s fetid carcass going to the Oldest Recycling Centre?

It’s not that she is incapable of caring, but she’s an atypical survivor of a toxic environment, ergo her own needs override just about much else - and that kind of mindset takes years (and more than a few long dark nights of the soul) to change

Finally, the whole dumb arse notion of her being into Kate f**king Bush ... again, history matters.

Skater kids haven’t changed much since the days the slim boards were replaced by the giant sawn off ironing boards more familiar to the current generations. They like fast aggressive music for a reason - when doing a highly physical hobby with some physical risks, you want to listen to stuff that gets the adrenaline pumping, not f**king ‘Clair de lune’ by Debussy!

On the other hand, skater kids wouldn’t want to be into the same stuff as the macho meatheads into heavy metal or hard rock, so ‘old school’ punk like the Buzzcocks, Dead Kennedys, Ramones, the Vandals, the Damned and others loved by the counterculture of the day was their bag - later morphing into the likes of Green Day, Offspring, Rancid, etc.

The reality is someone like Max would be more likely to find Kate Bush the antithesis of her sensibilities, a self-indulgent posh bird from England disappearing up her own lilywhite world arse. And the album ‘Hounds Of Love’ is just about the most offensive it would have been possible to get for a skater girl (had she even heard of it - both it and ‘Running Up That Hill’ only reached No.30 on the Billboard charts, and only gained any sort of traction around Ivy League university campuses. The nearest most Americans had to intellectualism in music at that time was Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ ...). It was slaughtered in the American press at the time as ‘something only English ears would like’, with Rolling Stone (at that time still considered the bible of the zeitgeist in the USA) being particularly scathing.

In 1984, after the major financial disaster for EMI caused by the flop of her ‘disappear up my own arse’ album The Dreaming (one result of which being its proposed merger with British Aerospace collapsed when Thorn EMI profits doozied), she’d been presented with much the same diktat CBS have given The Clash under similar circumstances three years earlier - ‘you’ve twelve months to present us with a commercially viable album plus a bonus track for a projected Greatest Hits album to make good on our losses - or your contract’s terminated.’

‘Hounds Of Love’ did the job in spades, even if ‘Cloudbursting’ (the latter with no less than Donald Sutherland in the video) wasn’t the monster global hit EMI was sure it would be, that long sought after next ‘Wuthering Heights’ which would always elude them until, ironically thirty six years too late later.

Bottom line: the idea of Max turning into some secretly sensitive Kate Bush fan is baloney covered in a thick WTF sauce, and a sign the shows writer’s were not merely out of ideas but by season four butt lazily lapsing into self-indulgence. The whole notion of some supernatural alien whatever supervillain killing people after feeding off their guilt is stolen wholesale off the famous Polymorph episode of Red Dwarf, for crying out loud. The whip crack sound of the tentacles that ensnare Max when in her own nightmare is the exact same sound used by the tentacles in the Apocrypha in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn!

(Come to that, much of that whole nightmare world looks suspiciously like bits of the Apocypha and the Soul Cairn ...)

The first two seasons of this show were great, the third one a curate’s egg, but this last one is starting to wear thin half way through the bingewatch, rather like one of those video games franchises like Far Cry which doesn’t know when it needs to take a break and breathe for a bit.

[lickingyellowpaint]

Neighbor's very affluent boss was getting rid of stuff so gave me a bunch. Weird, suddenly rolling with a $70 bottle of perfume in my bag when I'm accustomed to grabbing whatever five-buck bottle's cute at Five Below. 😂 She gave me a small vintage Kate Spade, too - considering I couldn't care less about designers, might sell - potential record collecting funds right there...

[partly-hueman]

Let’s talk about Nike…a brand that treats men like Dylan Mulvaney that pretend to be women better than it treats women.

Dylan Mulvaney is now getting paid tens of thousands 💰to be a brand ambassador/ model/ paid brand partner for these brands:

• Nike Women

• Bud Light

• Ole Henrikson

• Plaza Hotel

• Mac

• Ulta Beauty

• Tampax

• Crest

• Kate Spade

• Ok Cupid

• Svedka Vodka

• Urban Decay

• Walmart

• Mugler

• Rent the Runway

• Aritzia

• Charlotte Tilbury

Many of these brands target women and many of the products Dylan advertises like the Nike Sports Bra and Tampax are for women only. This not only makes a mockery of women, it shows Dylan’s young followers that if you mock women, you get rewarded with fame and fortune.

Giving a position that should be for a woman to a man who calls himself a "girl". That's some strong pedophile energy but that's not my point.

Allyson Felix is a natural adult human female and a beautiful Black woman.

In 2018, Nike Brand Ambassador and Model + 10 x Olympic Medalist 🥇Allyson Felix got pregnant.

Nike then offered her 70% less pay than her original contract with the brand and gave her no guarantees of paying her if her performance as a brand ambassador declined during her pregnancy and gave her no maternity protections.

Instead of being treated so unfairly, Allyson left Nike and 2 years later launched her own incredibly successful women’s brand, Athleta.

I see so many Indians here batching and moaning about Pretendians taking our spots, speaking for us, being in our spaces etc but when a man does it to a woman you want to celebrate him.

You're hypocrites. You are misogynistic and homophobic and like most bigots, don't even recognize it. Allyson Felix is a beautiful Black Adult Human Female, while Dylan Mulvaney is a mediocre White man/ Frankenstein monster on a limbo of man and something resembling a man.

[why-yes-i-am-an-adult]

One of the most exhausting and less rewarding jobs I've had was working as remote tech support for Kate Spade and Coach. I worked my butt just for my manager to treat me like shit

But it was absolutely worth it because it was there that I had to take a call from the woman with the most luscious seductive and straight up otherworldly voice I have ever heard in my life.

It's literally of of the most memorable experiences I've ever had. I was so flustered I stuttered the whole time but she was so sweet and corteous the entire time. I still get all tingly when remembering her.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season 3)

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this season. The past 2 seasons were so well crafted and had a direction that ultimately met its amazing conclusion. That same quality of storytelling continues here in a strong opening, but something was truly off. The idea of it moving away from Grogu being the Mcguffin and on to reuniting the mandalorian clans was a great strategy. The problem I felt was that there were some serious logic problems when it came to the traditions and some inconsistencies involving the tech. I don't mind when a story decides to pivot and go off on a exploratory missions because that's what Star Wars does best. It just felt cheapened this season because of a few cameos that took me out of the story and could've been given to someone less popular. What I did love is the amount of political and underground spy games that were being played while the titular character was running around. I loved the subtle and straight up references to Star Wars: Rebels that made my heart flutter with joy. The majority of the characters we love return and many of them actually take on the heavy lifting of the story this time.

Pedro Pascal returns as the voice of the titular character Din Djarin/The Mandalorian and he delivers yet another strong and emotional performance. Din this time around was on a path of redemption and it was great to see him explore the more spiritual themes of the creed. I enjoyed the continued father son dynamic between him and Grogu. Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder's physical performances as Din were amazing as Brendan delivers that trademark swagger and Lateef knocks it out of the park with the many action sequences. Honestly both of them had an equal amount of action between them. All three of them make up this character and they deliver in spades. Din takes a bit of back seat this time around as we delve deeper into the other Mandalorians. Katee Sackoff continues to deliver a stellar performance that she started way back in The Clone Wars animated series. As Bo-Katan Kryze, she takes the lead as she comes to grips with her issues with the the creed, culture and you finally get an answer on how she lost the darksaber. I loved that she was seeking to find her place again and how she handles getting back to being the leader she was born to be. The chemistry between her and Din was a fun dynamic and I also liked the buddy cop aspect of their adventures. There is a illogical moment between them that really urked me and I wish it was handled way better when dealing with the ownership of the darksaber. Emily Swallow returns as the Armorer and I loved that she has stayed consistently mysterious about her past and devoted to the creed. The scenes between her and Bo-Katan were the best moments as you see the many comparisons between them. They are different sides of the same coin and I loved how they quickly realize that. The one and only Carl Weathers returns as the magnificent Greef Karga and I loved his jovial nature as the new High Magistrate of the planet Navarro. He may be more of the governor type that’s more friendly, but he stays as the great business man and badass that you don't want to cross. Omid Abtahi and Katy M. O' Brian return as Dr. Pershing and Elia Kane and I loved their episode. It showed how each character dealt with refugee life as a former Imperial officer and doctor. I loved that they finally got a taste of what the Empire forced many civilizations to live like. Omid did an amazing job showing the immense compassion the character has toward wanting to help the New Republic instead of condemning it. Giancarlo Esposito returns as Moff Gideon and he is even more pissed off and determined than ever. You get to the bottom of his ultimate goals and how he doesn't really care about the more expansive plans that other Imperial remnants have in store for the future. I love villains that have a goal and plan that is clean cut.

Although Ludwig Goransson didn’t compose this season, the reins were left in the hands of brilliant composer Joseph Shirley and he did an excellent job creating new and haunting themes that are easily identifiable. I did miss Ludwig's touch on the series, but Joseph did a great job never the less. I loved the sound of the N64 generation inspired theme for the "Coruscant Steet Fair" that has The Resistance theme playfully mixed into it. The very ethereal and then renaissance influenced "High Magistrate" piece was awesome and I could listen to that all day. The epic and somewhat gothic tone of "The Great Forge" plays toward the last half of the season and illuminates one of the best scenes of the entire season. Like I said, the pacing of the series felt off as the focus was shifted too many times. The adventure is always the highlight of Star Wars, but the central plot and tone of the series felt second hand instead of the forefront like the past seasons. We got to the point, but it was messy. I didn't like the cameo of 2 major stars as I felt the storyline with them had no real bearing on the overarching plot. There's a Blade Runner style chase that happens in that story that introduces something that would've changed the direction of The Clone Wars if a certain droid could move like it did. Even with all the problems, it ended on a good and somewhat rushed note. Will I be here for Season 4? Absolutely. Have my expectations been lowered for the future of this series? Yeah. All the references and cameos aside, this was a season that was fun in many ways, but it was missing that polish that the first 2 seasons had. Let me know what you thought of the season or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[thiaschuessler]

2022 Roundup

Here we are again. And by "we" I mean just me, because not even my momma asked for this year-end summary.

Per usual, 2022 had its ups and downs:

DOWN: The commercial agent who signed me in April 2021 left the company at the end of the year to start his own. He never got me one single commercial audition in those ~9 months.

UP: Their new commercial agent decided to renew my contract in April 2022 after a zoom meeting. She got me a handful of commercial auditions within her first few months for legit clients like Estee Lauder, Forward, NBC Universal, and Kate Spade.

DOWN: In July, the agency decided to dissolve their commercial department altogether. Womp womp.*

UP: Also in July, the short film I made with my cousin Marisa in July 2021 finally premiered at home at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, and our supportive family got to come see it on the big screen with a packed audience. Being of the horror genre, it had a surge of screenings at genre festivals around Halloween both at home where it was shot and in LA where Marisa and I live. We even won BEST FILM and BEST EXPERIMENTAL at two horror fests.

Other than that, I did lots of self-taping and had a few callbacks - both on zoom and in person (which I'm mentioning for the sake of historical reference). I was cast in a feature that was then cut down to a short film, and my character was cut with it. I did get to shoot an Amazon demo for their new palm payment technology + a music video with a lifelong musician friend.

I joined an actor training group in May that I wish I had known about during the pandemic. It's all online and covers all facets of acting: the craft, the business, and the mentality.

For the second half of the year, a lot of my energy went towards my brand new camper van rental business venture. Inspired by the newfound prospect of a "free" filming location, I spent September outlining a feature film starring my new Sprinter van. Hopefully, I'll get around to shooting something in it next year.

*Since this blog is really just for me... for the sake tracking my acting career... let me just write out my history of representation:

My 1st agency out of college repped me in exchange for free labor (internship). I was with them for 2.5 years, until they dissolved their entire agency. (March 2010-Sept 2012)

My 1st manager repped me, because I sent her a blind submission email asking to meet with her. We met, and she liked me. Very straightforward. I was with her for a little over 3 years, until she decided to focus on coaching and managing her child actor clients. (Jan 2012-March 2015)

My 2nd agency repped me, because I took acting classes from the commercial agent. My manager had suggested her class to me, so I took it for 1.5 years, and she loved me. They signed me across the board. I was with them for almost 3 years, until they decided to rep only their literary clients and dissolved their entire acting division. (June 2013-Sept 2016)

My 3rd agency added me to their commercial roster because of a blind submission (one email and one phone call). I was with them for a little less than two years, until they dissolved their commercial department. (April 2021-Dec 2022)

If the business is hard for actors, it's just as hard for their reps. If I'm not making money, they're not making money.

Apparently, I went without representation for most of the years when I was producing my own work through Shy Ruby (2013-2019). My agent/manager hiatus also perfectly aligns with the moment in Hollywood when Casting Director workshops were being shut down and exposed for the cons that they were (c. 2016). From the moment I graduated from theatre school in 2009, I was signing up for 2-3 workshops per week ($50 each), to sit through about 30minutes of Q&A before performing a quick scene for a Casting Director (or more likely, a Casting Associate or Assistant). I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I got so many compliments and words of encouragement, but maybe only a handful of actual auditions from essentially paying to audition for them. Read all about the scam here.

Anyway, it's just interesting (to me) to follow that trajectory and understand why I was jaded enough to step back from Hollywood and only work on my own stuff for the latter half of the 2010s.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Do you have recs for couples that have a dynamic like Nellie and Lockwood/where the hero realises and admits to his feelings first and is 1000% in? I love them a lot ❤️

For sure!

Historical romance:

A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman. Hero and heroine grew up together, their families were enemies, and they kind of had an uneasy friendship but not really. He goes off to the navy, and when he comes back after years of imprisonment he's resolved to marry her. She's less certain, but she promised him three kisses (anywhere he wants) if he came back alive...

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley. Kind of a twist in that the hero and heroine are married but have been separated for three years. They had a very impetuous elopement situation, where he basically met her and swept her off her feet. Now he's resolved to get her back, whereas she's much more resistant. He's ALL in.

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. I think this one is similar, it's been a while since I've read it (and it comes before Lady Isabella). Hero is super straightforward and he's on the autism spectrum. I know he just like, immediately pursues the heroine, who's about to get engaged to another man.

The Countess by Sophie Jordan (out in March, if you wanna pre-order) has a twist on this. The heroine is married and has an eighteen year old daughter, and her husband wants her daughter to marry this rich businessman. Businessman is more interested in the mom, and while she's understandably like no fucking way, he basically pretends to court the daughter with the ultimate goal of getting close to her. It's real good.

Forbidden by Elizabeth Lowell is an old school medieval that has this in spades. The hero is found by the heroine, and he actually has amnesia so he has no idea who he is, but he knows he's really into her. She's resistant, in part because she knows some things that will change everything between them--it's high drama, high angst, and I fucking adore it. (Also has a sex scene with light femdom vibes, which is never a bad thing.)

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian. This book actually kicks off with the heroine killing the hero's dad, lol--her husband. The hero was the husband's bastard son, and he and the heroine know each other because he's been trying to blackmail her. They end up on this kind of rollicking adventure together, and he's a little subby and she's a bit of a domme. Notable: both of them are bi, and she also has trauma/a dislike of penetration, so they get more creative with sex. He.... is not afraid of being penetrated, lol.

Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean. A big thing from this book is that she's a thief and excels by going unnoticed, but he has ALWAYS noticed her and is kind of obsessed with her. I think there's a moment where she's next to him when he's driving a carriage thing, and her hair comes undone and he's so distracted by it that he like, crashes. Lockwood and Calyborn are SIMPS.

A Lady for A Duke by Alexis Hall. Notable in that the heroine is trans and was friends with the hero pre-transition, and doesn't want him to like, sacrifice anything for her. Once he realizes he wants her, though, he WANTS her and pursues her.

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas. These two had an enemies to lovers deal in previous books, but in this one he's like "LET'S JUST GIVE UP THE GAME". He has a bit of a dominant streak in the bedroom, too--she's his sisters' governess. He does make her ask him to touch her pussy and specifically say it out loud.

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt. Once Winter realizes he loves Isabel, he's SUPER all in while she's in denial. Lol I'll never forget the proposal where she's like "Winter, I can't marry you" and he's very calmly like "actually you can".

Contemporary:

Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz. This is a GREAT category romance, super hot--they were kind of childhood sweethearts, he was her brother's best friend, she goes home after finding out that her boyfriend is married. The hero gives her a good time, bu he's actually in looove with her. Halloween actually isn't a huge part of the book, lol.