#stephanie conway

[leoleolovesdc]

Fuck it.

*Gets extremely emotional over a dumb romcom*

Okay, so let’s talk Senior Year and why I fucking hate Martha and Seth;

Yk what, Martha was being such an asshole during her fight w Steph. It’s so fucking stupid to act like she owns you maturity and responsibility when she is 17. Like, yeah, she has the body of a 37yo woman but mentally she is seven-fucking-teen. And also all that stupid ass talk abt “you had me, you had Seth”, no tf she didn’t?? Why would she even want to hang out with them? They are adults, they have their own lives, jobs, concerns and as far as Steph remembers she is just a kid, it’s obvious that she’d rather hang out w teens at a house party than keep on being besties with people twenty years older than her, besides, her relationship with Seth is REALLY icky. How tf does this man who’s pushing forty think it’s okay to date his friend who hasn’t aged mentally since they were seniors? He doesn’t have the right to get mad at her for “teenage-tricking him” when he himself is taking advantage of a woman who clearly does not have life experience of maturity to be with an adult (despite physically being one herself).

Everything that Steph says to defend herself during the fight is completely justifiable. And also, the police shouldn’t even consider this as an adult woman giving alcohol to teens when she literally has a medical bill saying “this woman is mentally a teenager and lost the last 20 years of her life”, like even legally she should barely count as an adult.

Everyone who gets mad at Steph throughout the movie tells her some variation of “you have to grow up” but how do you want her to even do that? She was in a coma for twenty years for fuck’s sake, maturity obviously won’t js pop up in her brain bc she suddenly woke up at 37.

And the way that the fight turns into “you pushed me away in highschool to b popular🥺” is SO ridiculous. Martha is telling Steph to grow up and yet she can’t get over the fact that her friend made a dick move twenty years ago. Get the fuck over yourself, woman.

The “making mistakes is different than willfully screwing over the ppl who care abt you” line is also so bad, Steph didn’t do anything to screw over anyone, she made two dumb decisions (one of which VERY dumb one, for that matter (and the other was 20 years ago, as mentioned)) but she IS NOT at the same level of maturity as her old friends and they shouldn’t expect her to.

The only people who treated Steph right through the whole movie were her father, who (despite letting her go out with Seth) still treated and cared for her like the teenager she truly is, and her high shool friends who never questioned treating her as one of them.

Conclusion: Steph should have dumped Seth’s creepy advantage taking ass and Martha’s fuck ass exigency for maturity (even when she doesn’t have any herself💀) and stayed with Janet and Yaz, they were real ones.

[camyfilms]

13 DAYS 2000

If the sun comes up tomorrow, it is only because of men of good will. And that's - that's all there is between us and the devil.

[thenewdemocratus]

Early Start With Kasie Hunt: 'You're Lying': George Conway Clashes With Republican Commentator Over Donald Trump Guilty Verdict'

Source:CNN with a George Conway vs Scott Jennings live TV debate. Source:The New Democrat “Lawyer George Conway and CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings joined “CNN This Morning” to discuss Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his criminal hush money case.” From CNN I’m not going top try to play mindreader and argue that Scott Jennings is lying here. He just might be complete idiot when it…

[hpowellsmith]

Books of 2024

Here are the books I've read this year; favourites are bolded.

Currently I'm partway through First Class Murder by Robin Stevens, A Blackened Mirror by Jo Graham, and The Grace of Sorcerers by Maria Ying.

January

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed (reread)

Dancing on Eggshells: Kitchen, Ballroom, & The Messy Inbetween - John Whaite

Maw - Jude Ellison S. Doyle

The Easternmost Sky - Juliet Blaxland

The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones (reread)

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Legend of the Wildcat - Dermot O'Leary

Untamed Shore - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

February

Regeneration - Pat Barker (reread)

Jojo: Finally Home - Johannes Radebe

The Neighbors - Jude Doyle

Chewing the Fat: Tasting Notes from a Greedy Life - Jay Rayner

Spear - Nicola Griffith

March

Brute (ed. Steve Berman)

Love Kills Twice - Rien Gray

The Salt Path - Raynor Winn

The Eye in the Door - Pat Barker (reread)

Love Bleeds Deep - Rien Gray

Love Burns Bright - Rien Gray

A Love So Dark - Rien Gray

Valerin the Fair - Rien Gray

April

The Wild Silence - Raynor Winn

A Strip of Velvet - Rien Gray

Martis the Brazen - Rien Gray

Seure the Tempered - Rien Gray

May

The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo

Hild - Nicola Griffith

June

Manhunt - Gretchen Felker-Martin

Perfumes: the A-Z Guide - Luca Turin, Tania Sanchez

A Guest in the House - Emily Carroll

July

Saturnalia - Stephanie Feldman

Nothing But Blackened Teeth - Cassandra Khaw

Vivi Conway and the Haunted Quest - Lizzie Huxley-Jones

Nevada - Imogen Binnie

Gender Failure - Ivan E Coyote and Rae Spoon

Boys Weekend - Mattie Lubchansky

Small Beauty - jia qing wilson-yang

Cuckoo - Gretchen Felker-Martin

Darryl - Jackie Ess

August

Henry Henry - Allen Bratton

Landlines - Raynor Winn

October

The Scales of Seduction - Rien Gray

November

The Devil Thinks I'm Pretty - Charlene Elsby

Murder Most Unladylike - Robin Stevens (reread)

December

Arsenic for Tea - Robin Stevens (reread)

From the Belly - Emmett Nahil

Mouth to Mouth to Mouth - wilt

[wasted-women]

ROUND 3B, MATCH 4 OUT OF 4

Causes of Death & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Gwen Stacy

Cause of Death: Unclear; Either died from shock when thrown off a bridge or the whiplash of being saved snapped her neck

Propaganda:

Her story is very well known for how gruesome her death was at the time (70's) and being a staple for "woman dies, pushes man to be better" shtick. I also think the reason why she died is very sad "Gerry Conway, who wrote "The Night Gwen Stacy Died", was very vocal that he thought the character was annoying and uninteresting compared to Mary Jane. John Romita Sr. suggested killing off a long-term supporting character (he pitched Aunt May first), but Conway chose Gwen as it would allow him to move things along to get Peter with the girl he wanted him to be with all along..."

Stephanie Brown

Cause of Death: Tortured for several days before succumbing to her injuries

Propaganda:

Steph was a wildly popular character who was made Robin for a couple month specifically in preparation to kill her off in the War Games cross over event. During her time as robin comics fans responded so well that one of the writers asked if they should keep her alive and let her have a real run but an editor refused. Instead she was horrifically punished by the narrative for... doing exactly what every robin has done always. Not listening to batman, rescuing him, trying to earn his approval. Unlike the other robins she was murdered in a way that implied some kind of sexual assault while none of her friends or mentors looked for her. Did i mention she was 15?

[grantmentis]

PWHL player eligibility for the draft.

“All 268 eligible players officially declared for the draft prior to the Sept. 3 deadline. The group consists of 146 forwards, 78 defenders, and 44 goaltenders representing a total of 17 different countries. 237 of the players competed during the 2022-23 season including 98 players in the PHF, 63 players with the PWHPA, and 49 players at the NCAA and U SPORTS level.”

Some notable names not on the list who have not signed elsewhere this year: Rebecca Johnston, Amanda Kessel, Laura Fortino, Kacey Bellamy, Brigette Lacquette, Meghan Mikkelson, Jennifer Wakefield, Amanda Conway, Cassidy MacPherson, Anjelica Diffendal, Whitney Dove, Michaela Boyle, Katie Burt, Sarah Forster, Emilie Harley, Jenna Rheault (stated retirement), Lovisa Selander, Lauren Kelly, Kayla Friesen, Christina Putigna, Abbie Ives, Melissa Samoskevich, Hannah Bates (CORRECTION: she is playing in Germany), Mallory Souliotis, Emma Vlasic, Janine Weber, Sydney Baldwin, Emma Stauber, Maddie Rowe, Stephanie Anderson, Kristina Shanahan, Emily Fluke, Audra Richards, Reagan Rust (stated retirement), Lindsay Eastwood (stated retirement), Breanne Wilson-Bennett

Draft will be Monday the 18th at 1EST, steaming on CBC’s official app or webpage in Canada for free or for on CBC’s YouTube for international viewers. More information on the draft itself here

[celaenaeiln]

The Batfam creation stories are so interesting and the timelines are mindboggling

Bruce Wayne (25 yrs old): February 1939 by artist Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman was created as an antithesis to Superman. After Superman’s smashing success with the audience DC wanted to create a darker “villain” hero. He got a little side kick in his 2-3rd year of being Batman

Dick Grayson (8 yrs old): April 1940 by artist Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Here’s the cool thing. Dick was created by the two because Batman had no one to talk to during his cases so it led to pages of him talking to himself. So Finger wanted a character that would ask the same questions as the reader so Robin was created to embody the younger readers’ views. Interesting fact: people took to Dick Grayson instantly despite being new because they loved the humorous, intelligent, young and charming character type. He was a massive success because he was the ideal of how a young man should be in the 1940s

Jason Todd (13 yrs old): March 1983 by Gerry Conway and Don Newton

By the time Len Wein took over as DC editor in 1982, Dick had been the starring as the leader in Team Titans comics. Because Robin no longer appeared in Batman comics, there was no character that would ask questions to make Batman make sense so Jason Todd was created. Interesting fact: In 1988 Dennis O’Neil held a telephone poll asking if Jason Todd should be killed and the majority responded yes. So that’s his death story

Tim Drake (13 yrs old): 1989 by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick

Although Tim Drake was created to quickly replace Jason Todd, his creation story is the most unique because it has the most forethought. At the time the contrast in Dick and Jason’s personality led to the death of Jason Todd by the audience. Jason's rebellious attitude was the reason why readers didn't really warm up to him. According to Marv Wolfman, Batman writer and Tim's co-creator, this may have been because fans in that time period didn't appreciate a "snotty, possibly criminal Robin" tagging along with Batman. Tim Drake had neither Dick’s acrobatic prowess nor Jason’s rough demeanor which cemented his success and made him so popular with the fans. Arguably, he is a creator’s greatest revival story.

Stephanie Brown (18yrs old): June 1992 by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle

She was originally created as a plot device to “spoil” her father Cluemaster’s plans. She was well-loved by the audience. Horrifically, Stephanie became Robin because she was set to die. After Tim Drake quit, Batman gave the position to his former robin’s girlfriend - Stephanie. Interesting fact: Leslie Thompkins intentionally let Stephanie die from her wounds to teach Batman a lesson about recruiting children, but it was later retconned that Thompkins instead faked Stephanie's death to get her away from Batman

Damian Wayne (10 yrs old): Created by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert

Like Stephanie, Damian was created to die. Morrison had planned out his death at the creation of the character. Damian Wayne is important because he was meant to show a character that can age and evolve beyond the usual accepted status quo of superhero comics. Interesting fact: In a interview, when the interviewer said Damian is a character that takes people a little time to warm up to, Morris replied, “Well, people didn’t like him. And obviously, he was created to be kind of unlikable, although I always liked the character…It’s an obvious story to tell of this little bad, aristocratic, stuck-up, arrogant, snot of a kid suddenly realize that, “Wait a minute, part of my genetic heritage is Batman!” and then living up to that.”

[kwebtv]

Flashing Spikes - ABC - October 4, 1962

A presentation of "Alcoa Premiere" Season 2 Episode 1

Drama

Rumming Time: 60 minutes

Directed by John Ford

Hosted by Fred Astaire

Stars:

James Stewart as Slim Conway

Jack Warden as Baseball Commissioner

Patrick Wayne as Bill Riley

Tige Andrews as Gaby Lasalle

Stephanie Hill as Mary Riley

Carleton Young as Rex Short

Don Drysdale as Gomer

Harry Carey, Jr. as Baseball player in dugout

Vin Scully as Announcer

Edgar Buchanan as Crab Holman

John Wayne as Marine Sgt. Umpire (billed as Michael Morrison)

[smashpages]

Marvel’s ‘What If?’ returns this summer

Walt Simonson, Gerry Conway, Stephanie Phillips, Scott Eaton and more create new stories set in alternate universes.

[bardicbramley]

Bramley's Book Of The Week - Master Thread

I've been adding to a thread over on my twitter (bardicbramley) every week-ish with a new Children's or YA book that I have read recently and would recommend! With everything happening on twitter, I'm going to make a master list of all my recommendation so far here, and then continue adding them to a tag on this blog as well, just in case!

So, without further ado... #bramleysbotw so far!

31/10/22 - Home by Tonya Lippert and Andrea Stegmaier

A gentle story of homelessness giving so much space for understaning & discussion. A great tool for deeper talking ab houseless people, different types of homes and unstable living situations with gorgeous, simple yet detailed art.

7/11/22 - How To Be More Hedgehog by Anne-Maire Conway

So much deep and true emotion, a relatable MC and great messages of self advocacy, confidence and activism. As someone with selective mutism and tics, I enjoyed every second of Lily's proudly stammer-filled journey.

14/11/22 - Lifesize by Sophy Henn

Over to my library kids for this #bramleybotw A new addition that they've not stopped talking about...Even my most energetic readers are sitting on the floor, reading the animal facts to their friends and comparing their hands to that of a polar bear!

21/11/22 - Me and My Dysphoria Monster by Laura Kate Dale and Ang Hui Qing

In honour of #transawarenessweek2022 and as a personal thank you from a trans educator. An amazing addition to trans children's literature (& kidlit in general) that I would highly recommend to other educators!

28/11/22 - Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders and Carol Rossetti

A beautiful and uplifting non fiction to support girls in loving and appreciating their body for all the amazing things it can do, and all the incredible ways it can look.

I needed more words to also talk about the incredible art in this week's choice. The colour pallet just so comforting and the style is a new favourite of mine!

5/12/22 - Paws by Kate Foster

My younger self would have loved this book and even now I adore it. It has authentic #actuallyautistic representation (without negativity!) and is all round a lovely story.

6/1/23 - When I See Blue by Lily Bailey

An emotional and gritty real world adventure with Ben, as he navigates making friends, protecting his alcoholic mother, and battling the bully in his head, his OCD. A tough but beautiful read.

30/1/23 - Star Knights by Kay Davault

A Graphic Novel filled with self acceptance, incredible worldbuilding and animals that turn into magical adventurers?! I mean come on, how could I not rec this one 💖 bonus points for queer rep too.

9/2/23 - All To Play For by Eve Ainsworth

It's recommended by Empathy Lab UK this year and I couldn't agree more. It has Barrington Stoke's signature dyslexia friendly pages and font - but so much more than that. A story of family, class and determination.

20/2/23 - Birdsong by Katya Balen

I'm a bit late to the party with this one. I've seen so many people sing it's praises! A gorgeously honest, emotional and raw story that any child will love, but will strike a chord with certain ones especially.

27/2/23 - Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess

A graphic novel about a secret teen pop star with a wonderful autistic main and genderqueer side character representation? Of course it was amazing!

6/3/23 - Tyger by SF Said

Much like Phoenix, the dedication to world building, the layered, lovable characters, and the beautifully descriptive language had me gripped from the very start. Dave McKean's incredibly detailed and emotive illustrations surely helped!

13/3/23 - Needle by Patrice Lawrence

An incredible heartfelt read for UKS2/MG/KS3 - exploring often avoided topics of fostering, UK police and court systems, racial profiling, when to be honest (or fake it), whose voices matter most and questionable justice.

20/3/23 - Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm and Jamie Green

Sometimes you really just need a queer, unapologetically corny modern Shakespeare smash retelling of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and that's 100% okay! I got you covered!

In all seriousness, with all the hatred filling queer spaces atm, it was great to just float in a fun, sweet, dramatic world full of lovable ✨fairies✨The illustrations caught me instantly - the pining faces, the dramatic lighting! A teen romcom Will'd be proud of.

28/3/23 - Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

A beautiful UKS2+ novel in verse following Jude's journey across oceans, growing up, making friends and finding her voice. Rich and realistic, not shying away from subjects often avoided, and with poetic Arabic intertwined.

3/4/23 - Frizzy by Claribel A. Oretga and Rose Bousamra

Whilst not my own cultural story, it resonated deeply still 💖 an incredibly honest, beautiful and joyous graphic novel with gorgeous colours and rebellious questioning of generational trauma!

12/4/23 - Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes Smith

I put it off for so long bc I was a little scared it might not live up to my hopes, but it was so much more than I imagined. The love I have for these kiddos (and Callie's dads 😭) is intense. Kidlits often shy away from big, scary or rebellious topics. Neither Callie nor Esme are afraid to speak up ab what trans kids (and so many others) need/deserve to hear, and I am so proud of them for that. This is the book I needed as a kid - I am so glad it exists now 💖⚔️

24/4/23 - Jamie by LD Lapinski

A powerful story of never backing down and demanding your full self to be acknowledged. I'm so excited to see a story encouraging children to stand up for themselves and recognise that adults can be (& often are) wrong.

5/5/23 - Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma

Great for those who haven't played and incredible for those who have - the use of D&D stat blocks and dual narrative (irl and in game) 🙌🏻 simply amazing! Can't wait for the next!

15/5/23 - Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester

Being autistic, sometimes partially or non-speaking, and having struggled with confidence all my life - I just loved this little joyful tale. Realistic but hopeful, with easily likeable, well rounded mcs!

22/5/23 - My Brother is Away by Sara Greenwood and Luisa Uribe

A /beautifully/ illustrated and gently poignant picturebook of a child whose brother is incarcerated. I've seen this kind of book before, but this is it done right, well, and to a v. high quality.

19/6/23 - Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Been meaning to read this for so long, finally have, and of course its been added to my all time favourites list! What an incredible, reflective and honest piece of art for children. I don't do mandatory reading, but if I did: top of the list.

26/6/23 - The Golden Hour by Niki Smith

A gorgeous graphic novel, upper KS2-3 cusp/YA. It takes a beautifully artistic and honest look into managing childhood PTSD from gun violence, with help from an eye for photography, a cute calf, and a first queer crush 💖

3/7/23 - My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee

A sweet and exciting story of adventurers, curses and mysteries with a healthy dash of queer and disabled representation, all whilst learning to see past first impressions.

[ulkaralakbarova]

A band of soldiers is dispatched to war games deep in the woods. When they stumble across a rival team slaughtered in camp, they realize they’re not alone. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Sgt. Harry G. Wells: Sean Pertwee Pvt. Cooper: Kevin McKidd Megan: Emma Cleasby Capt. Ryan: Liam Cunningham Cpl. Bruce Campbell: Thomas Lockyer ‘Spoon’ Witherspoon: Darren Morfitt Pvt. Joe Kirkley: Chris Robson Pvt. Terry Milburn: Leslie Simpson Camper: Tina Landini Camper: Craig Conway Sam the Dog: Villrikke’s Acer Werewolf: Bryn Walters Werewolf: Ben Wright Werewolf: Brian Claxton Payne Film Crew: Casting: Jeremy Zimmermann Director of Photography: Sam McCurdy Director: Neil Marshall Producer: Tom Reeve Executive Producer: Romain Schroeder Original Music Composer: Mark Thomas Producer: David E. Allen Executive Producer: Vic Bateman Executive Producer: Harmon Kaslow Production Design: Simon Bowles Art Direction: Christina Schaffer Producer: Christopher Figg Set Decoration: Sonja Klaus Assistant Art Director: Stephanie Rass Steadicam Operator: Paul Alexander Costume Design: Uli Simon Stunt Coordinator: Harry Wiesenhaan Gaffer: Mick Durlacher Script Supervisor: Sheila McNaught Makeup Effects: Justin Pitkethly Location Manager: Pascal Charlier Makeup Effects: Lisa Crawley Visual Effects Supervisor: Bob Keen Production Manager: Laurent Dumas Sound Editor: James Boyle Makeup Artist: René Jordan Still Photographer: Etienne Braun Makeup Effects: Peter Hawkins Camera Operator: Carlo Thiel Casting: Andrea Clark Assistant Art Director: Claudio Campana Dolby Consultant: James Seddon Foley: Peter Burgis Supervising Sound Editor: Paul Conway Sound Editor: James Harrison Foley: Andie Derrick Special Effects Makeup Artist: Matthew O’Toole Movie Reviews: flabob257: Come on you guys. This is great. Werewolf,drama, comedy, etc. CinemaSerf: I will admit to being somewhat sceptical when I sat down to watch this, but within about twenty minutes the auditorium was chuckling to the witty banter of Sean Pertwee and his squad of soldiers who find themselves stuck on an exercise in a remote Scottish forest when they’d sooner be in the wardroom sinking a few beers while watching Germany beat England at football. When their fireside banter is ruined by a missile shaped like a dead cow; things start to liven up and what ensues is a race against time for their very survival – there are more dangerous creatures in the forest than red squirrels! Kevin McKidd keeps the troop focussed at they face their foes with grim determination and their black humour prevails pretty much throughout their ordeal. The special effects are a little bit “Dr. Who” but Neil Marshall ensures the lighting and sound folks do their level best to keep the suspense going for a long as possible and at no stage does it hang about: it’s end to end action with a tinge – a soupçon – of horror as the story builds to an enjoyable denouement! On the big screen again now in late 2020 – not sure why – but if you get chance, and you like your horror unsophisticated and funny, then this is definitely for you.

[midnightpsychos]

Original characters

Chrissy Prescott-Macher

Hollie Kensington

Archie Hawkins

Vincent Jacobs

Hunter Kensington

Kaylee Jacobs

Stephanie Gomez

Alexa Willis

Summer Novák

Charlotte Conway

Cole Conway

Amara Novák

Callie Jacobs

Alex Jacobs

Daisy-Mae Lancaster

Spencer Goodall

Madeline Rider

Mercy White

Kimberlee Atlantica

Florence Davies

Melanie Diaz

Evelyn Parker

Rosie Costello

Isabella James

Katie James

Valerie Tyson

Autumn Emerson

Emery Catton

Dexter Howard

Matthew Kensington

Willow Dawson

Kyle White

Millie Lockwood

Arrow Lockwood

Paisley Brennan

Robert Carlington

Delilah Rose

Violet Andrews

Stella Cameron

Blossom Grey

Elsie Rodriguez

April Stewart

Shelby Dyer

Eliza Cunningham

India Buckland

Penelope Brennan

Nova Oates

Jordan Fisher

Jayden Hall

Marcus Baker

Dallas Quinn

Imogen Howard

Zara Novák-Kincaid

Richard Novák-Kincaid

Emmy Prescott

Ollie Catton

Kai Cortez

Shiloh Woods

Sage Woods

Kennedy Routledge

Logan Justine

Margot Anderson

Lana Byrne

Crystal Byrne

Ebony Byrne

Avery Byrne

Elle McConnell

Paige Morgan

Alastair Morgan

Hazel McAdam

Sapphire Matins

Alexandra Kovalenko

Anya Kovalenko

Jocelyn Weaver

[qudachuk]

The investigation surrounds the deaths of Kevin Conway, 41, Stephanie Alderson, 35, and Kathleen Broomfield, 43, in South Bank, near Middlesbrough.

[hpowellsmith]

July Books

I can't remember when I last did one of these but as I ended up reading a lot this month, here it is! Bolded are my favourites.

Saturnalia - Stephanie Feldman: a near-future alchemical horror? thriller? in which a former fortune-teller who was ousted from an occultist club gets dragged into her old life. I happened to spot this in the library and enjoyed it quite a bit.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth - Cassandra Khaw: a horror novella about rich young people going to a haunted manor house for a wedding, badness ensues. I liked the messy relationships in this and some of the horror elements, but there were some quippy moments that weren't so much my thing: I felt they undercut the tension in a less-fun way.

Vivi Conway and the Haunted Quest - Lizzie Huxley-Jones: second in an adorable kids' series based on Welsh mythology. I loved the first one and enjoyed this one more: it felt tighter and more driven as Vivi has embraced her magical connection to Nimue and the group of pals is a solid team. Lots of good creepy moments and lovely straightforward moments showing and discussing disability, neurodivergence, and queerness. Perfect for kids (I read it to my child for bedtime); a cute read for adults too.

Nevada - Imogen Binnie: weird that this is known as a classic trans book when it's only 11 years old, but that's a whole other thing. Maria is a trans woman in Brooklyn who's perhaps too online for her own good and struggling with her relationships and workplace. She heads out on an unwise road trip. I liked this a lot: it's very much a book about messy early-20s screwups and it felt very human.

Gender Failure - Ivan E Coyote and Rae Spoon: memoirs from two performers about growing up and transitioning. I enjoyed learning more about the authors (I wasn't familiar with them before) but the choppy style was a bit too choppy for my liking and resulted in some repetitiveness in phrasing/subject that could have been smoothed out a bit.

Boys Weekend - Mattie Lubchansky: a graphic novel about Sammie, a transfem nonbinary artist's assistant who attends a stag weekend with their techbro friends on a libertarian-paradise island on which sinister techbro cults are lurking. I enjoyed this a great deal, it was very funny in places, and pretty heartbreaking in others.

Small Beauty - jia qing wilson-yang: a Canadian trans woman is grieving her cousin, and moves into his old, remote house on the edge of a small town while learning more about their family and loved ones, as well as herself. It's an unassuming sort of book, but it packs a punch and stands up for itself. The magical realist moments were lovely. I keep thinking about it every so often: it was pretty lovely, and moving.

Cuckoo - Gretchen Felker-Martin: queer teenagers in the 90s go through the harrowing experience of a wilderness conversion camp, while also trying to escape an entity that wears their skin, returns to the outside world as "perfect" teens, and infests others. This was a really tough read thanks to the intense, ongoing abuse the characters suffer and the unflinchingly awful horror scenes. I couldn't put it down.

Darryl - Jackie Ess: this dramedy? tragicomedy? was a nice palate cleanser after the intensity of Cuckoo. Darryl's a bit of a sad sack in his forties, despite his easy trust-fund lifestyle his life has become stagnant and he's exploring being cuckolded, his own queerness, and the BDSM scene. I just loved Darryl's voice in this: he's such an anxious doofus and I couldn't help but enjoy how silly he, and a lot of the story, was while also having genuine moments of emotion and compassion.

[ecnmatic]

[apparently-artless]

Senior Year (2022) dir by Alex Hardcastle