#the formidable miss cassidy

[nzbookwyrm]

In 1890s Singapore, the formidable Miss Leda Cassidy arrives as paid companion to Sarah Jane Bendemeer, whose family suffers under the thrall of Southeast Asia's most terrifying hantu. But there's more to Miss Cassidy than meets the eye, and she's faced down worse in her life than a pontianak.

However, she may have met her match in the indefatigable businessman, Mr Kay Wing Tong, whose large and constantly-growing family clearly requires female supervision—especially of the particular kind Miss Cassidy can provide. Ill omens and strange happenings surround Mr Kay and his colourful family, and Miss Cassidy must find a way to defend the ones she has learned to love.

--Winner of Singapore Book Awards 2022 (Best Literary Work)--

--Co-Winner of the 2021 Epigram Books Fiction Prize--

[fahye]

book recs: june 2024

it's been a weird few months of swinging wildly between mood reading of new things and needing to reread old favourites. all of these were new-to-me, and * means I read an ARC so they're not out yet BUT keep your eyes peeled/preorder if you like the sound of them.

SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN by john wiswell - sapphic monster romance but make it asexual rep (woo!) between a protagonist who is usually a ball of shapeshifting goo, and a woman whose awful family is trying to hunt down the shapeshifting monster. it's both delightfully gruesome and a sweet, angry story about two hurt people finding and saving one another. this book deserves to become tumblr-famous.

LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by loretta chase - an absolute platinum-level classic in regency romance history, and for good reason. jessica trent: best heroine to ever appear on the page. wild hijinks, superb feelings, jessica can we please be best friends so you can teach me all about your antiques dealership.

THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS by vajra chandrasekera - everyone describes this as 'impossible to describe' and they're right. truly original urban-ish fantasy about the oppression of underclasses, magic, identity, the inconvenience of being prophesied to kill your father, and a support group for failed messiahs. it's splendid and will stretch your mind like a muscle.

ALL THE SINNERS BLEED - by s.a. cosby - a contemporary crime thriller about a black sheriff in the american south trying to catch a serial killer in the face of systemic racism and obstruction. dark themes, wonderfully written, extremely gripping: I read it in a day.

THE UNDERHISTORY by kaaron warren - an elderly woman running tours of her infamously 'haunted' family home is confronted with a group of dangerous escaped killers looking for somewhere to hide. half slowburn crime horror and half a fantastic, meandering exploration of one person's history. you all know I love a vaguely fucked-up house, and this one comes with an older protagonist hiding secrets of her own.

THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI by akwaeke emezi - there's a new emezi book coming out soon so I finally let myself read this one! a brief, bittersweet slap of a novel about gender and sexuality and family and longing, told in emezi's uniquely electrifying prose style. I wish I could write like this.

THE FRIEND ZONE EXPERIMENT* by zen cho - zen's first contemporary romance! inspired by kdrama tropes! a hardworking singaporean entrepreneur heroine in london! I enjoyed the romance itself but even more I enjoyed watching renee fight to prove herself in the face of various terrible men.

THE FORMIDABLE MISS CASSIDY* by meihan boey - if susan sto helit is your favourite discworld character, you will love the hell out of this. no-nonsense magical governess deals with folklore monsters and social drama in 19th century singapore. lively and heaps of fun. I wish it was an episodic buffy-esque tv show.

THE PAIRING* by casey mcquiston - two exes accidentally reunite on a food & wine tour of europe for the sluttiest and most self-indulgent bisexual summer ever. food porn, drinks porn, european scenery porn, feelings porn, porn-porn: this is a book that is 95% Various Vibes and Porn and if that sounds like your kind of thing, you'll love it. warning: will make you very hungry.

[nedlittle]

it's that time of the year again! i read a whopping 135 books in 2024 and have collected the worst of the worst for your entertainment ft. homophobia, taylor swift, girlboss baba yaga, and mary shelley's nipples. i hope you enjoy these reviews to make up for the suffering i endured to write them.

a lethal lady by nekesa afia ⭐

A Lethal Lady exists in a series of nondescript beige rooms because there is no effort put into making them anything else. Your reader should not have to imagine scenery themselves because you cannot be bothered to craft any description apart from vague adjectives, which do nothing if they exist without context!

the good women of fudi by liu hong ⭐

It's like Liu Hong sat down and Googled "gay books" and read the first one that came up, then Googled "lesbian books" and did the exact same thing. And then she thought, What if I did that but worse?

the witch and the tsar by oleysa salnikova gilmore ⭐

We can't even have hags anymore. Because of woke. At least Marya Morevna is bisexual.

mary and the birth of frankenstein by anne eekhout (tr. laura watkinson) ⭐

If I were sent back to 1816, I could identify Mary Shelley by her nipples alone. I could pick her nipples out of a police lineup. Her nipples are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Her nipples are more myself than my own.

a fatal crossing by tom hindle ⭐.25

The timeline spans five days but feels like five years. The chapters are relatively short, but the action is so repetitive that it becomes cyclical, dragging on like Hector's corpse around the walls of Troy.

five wives by joan thomas ⭐.25

The Governor General's Award is not a serious award, lmao. We have approximately five recognizable Canadian writers, so much of our publishing is just slop, so we have to reward everyone who can string two sentences together.

dear sylvia, love jane by erin hall ⭐.5

It's like oh wow queer found family! community! a spunky underdog protagonist! And then a woman is murdered off-page by her husband who is then iced on-page by the mob. And then we go back to found family.

late bloomer by mazey eddings ⭐.75

You could scroll gay Twitter for 30 minutes and have the same experience as reading this book.

the formidable miss cassidy by meihan boey ⭐⭐

The characters and dialogue were too twee for my tastes, and Miss Cassidy herself is Mary Poppins if she were a whimsigoth Tumblr witch.

maude horton's glorious revenge by lizzie pook ⭐⭐

The whole book lends itself to being read with only half of one's brain engaged; neither engaging nor forgettable, it's the sort of thing that vanishes entirely from your psyche the moment after you mark it as read.

[themattress]

Pokeani Villainy Ranking

1. Gen I (The Beginning)

The Kanto series featured Team Rocket at their freshest, which included the Boss himself, Giovanni, as the Big Bad who took an active villainous role in the Mewtwo arc. While it took until Gen II and Johto for the arc to properly conclude, the OVA special itself is a sequel to the Kanto-based movie and is predominantly filled with Kanto Pokemon so I am including it here. We also had a number of memorable human side villains such as Damian, Nastina, Dario, Jessebelle, Keith, and of course Sabrina. Even some Pokemon aside from Meowth and Mewtwo got in on the villainy like the bizarre talking Gastly of Maiden’s Peak and the ancient demonic Gengar. And even the Orange Islands gave us some highlights beyond the TRio’s continuing antics, namely Butch and Cassidy with an even nastier scheme than before, the despicable Mayor of Trovitopolis, and the amoral yet charismatic collector Lawrence III.

2. Gen V (Black and White)

Giovanni gets to be the Big Bad and take direct action yet again, and even when he isn’t present Dr. Zager and a uniquely serious and competent incarnation of the TRio are pursuing his agenda to conquer Unova. Team Plasma, especially Dr. Colress, is a formidable threat when they show up as well. There’s also Dirk from the OVA, the Genesect Army from the third movie, and side antagonists such as Leon the Dream Thief, Dr. Ferrara / Cryoganl Man and Team Vanilite, Seamus the sociopathic trainer, and the evil Chandelure and Litwick.

3. Gen VI (XY)

This series gets as high as it is primarily due to Team Flare. Lysandre, Alain, Xerosic, Aliana, Bryony, Celosia and Mable, along with all the Team Flare grunts and Lysandre Lab scientists are such wonderful villains in the anime. The TRio are pretty hit-or-miss, sometimes credible and other times not, but this is alleviated due to the presence of other enjoyable evildoers across the series such as the evil Malamar, Dolan the smuggler, the haughy Princess Allie of Parfum Palace, Ninja Riot and Merilyn Flame, father/daughter crime duo Argus and Millis Steel, and the young Prince Raleigh of Azoth Kingdom who is manipulated by the cruel Prime Minister Alva. Gens V and VI, back to back, was really a good time for villains in the anime.

4. Gen VIII (Journeys)

The TRio may have had the least screentime in this series and ran out of fresh material by the end, but for the most part they were solid as efficient but comical criminals. We also got Matori Matrix, as well as an alternate reality version of the TRio who were still under their serious Gen V characterizations. Team Galactic was far more efficient and interesting under Saturn than it was under Cyrus, the Macro Cosmos corporation headed by Chairman Rose made a solid arc villain, Ash’s Gengar had a delightfully villainous start, and Dr. Zed from the movie released in this series’ timeframe is one of the most horrifying and loathsome villains in any Pokemon media. Points off for that weaksauce, no-name Pokemon Hunter guy, though.

5. Gen VII (Sun and Moon)

While the TRio ended up being far more like good guys than bad guys by the final year of this series, they had a great villainous run beforehand, with the creepy and hate-filled Mimikyu being a standout Pokemon for them. And Matori Matrix, under direct orders from Giovanni, were great human antagonists to close out the Poipole arc. The rest or more hit-and-miss, with Team Skull being great but not appearing nearly as often as they should have, Viren appearing too much and not really amounting to anything beyond broad comedy, Faba becoming more well known as a mainstay hero than as the arc villain he started out as, and Nihilego, Guzzlord and Necrozma being frightening, monstrous adversaries but not truly evil.

6. Gen II (Gold and Silver)

The longer this series went on, the goofier and more harmless the TRio became, which was the start of their already dubious villain cred becoming a long-running joke. The worst part about this is that we get a lot of cool new Team Rocket members, plus Butch and Cassidy again, but seldom anything impactful is done with them, and they feel severely undercooked as a result. This is especially true in the case of Professor Sebastian and the silver-uniformed Team Rocket agents under his command. It feels like a story arc was begging to be told with these guys, yet it never is. Honestly, discounting the aforementioned Mewtwo arc sequel OVA that got packaged as three episodes of this series, the villainy in Johto peaked early with the triad of Molly Hale, Entei, and the Unown, none of whom are strictly even “villains” at all!

7. Gen IV (Diamond and Pearl)

Team Rocket sucks in this series, and what’s worse is most of the other villains suck as well, including Team Galactic whose membership and motivations are so flat and uninteresting compared to their game counterpart and whose arc ends on a huge anti-climax. The best villains here are the loathsome Pokemon Hunter J and Grings Kodai (although some ironic enjoyment can be had with Zero and the evil Togepi), but Hunter J gets wasted by only appearing five times in a four-year series and dying in a situation unrelated to the main heroes, and Kodai ends up taking his monstrosity way too far to the point of discomfort.

8. Gen III (Ruby and Sapphire)

Similar to Gen IV, Team Rocket sucks and so does everyone else. Teams Aqua and Magma are the most boring villainous team the anime has ever had; with the series’ movies being book-ended by associates of theirs who are honestly slightly better than them. And then who else, um....Rico the poacher? Colonel Hansen? That “Crimson Lightning” brat? Ugh, I guess that the Mirage Master or Mr. Mirage or whatever is the best villain we had this whole series.

[throughconflict]

five things you find interesting about Doom? Go!

Rubs grubby hands together...........

☆ I absolutely adore the fact he has a good relationship with his family and that they understand/support his point of view. It's so refreshing to have a villain with a pretty good upbringing. The interaction between him and Ashe really speaks to me because of two reasons:

One-- the fact that Ashe speaks to him first. To me it reads as her trying to gain some kind of explanation for his destructive actions. After all, she has a shitty family and likely reckons most those in Talon have similar paths/backstories. It's like she's asking as if to just make sense of him and categorize him as another tragically lead ~villain~. And that's immediately shot down when he answers pretty flat-out that they're supportive of him.

Two-- The TONES. I may be reading way too much into this but the way they speak to each other speaks volumes about what they were feeling in that conversation. The lighter tone Akande uses shows how fond he is of his family, and indicates a level of care he holds for his parents. Meanwhile Ashe's initial tone is jabbing and almost sarcastic, like she knows the answer already. Then it immediately swaps to jealousy in her second line. It's so good and speaks so much about their family dynamics.

☆ The respect he holds for a good handful of the others regardless of their alignment. Apart from Baptiste, he doesn't show malice to most Overwatch heroes. He speaks to 76 and Cassidy like they were having small talk or a business proposal. And while he is technically their enemy, he acknowledges their strengths and for some characters he offers a job position.

☆ AKANDE'S SPORTSMANSHIP LEAKS INTO HIS PERSONALITY. Not a lot of people play Doom so the dialogue is often missed, but he is a pretty good sport when it comes to losing!! If he's wiped out by a Talon member, he commends them as he responds! The tone Akande uses is formidable; he's no sore loser. Man takes L's as lessons and improves himself with them. He's also respectful and somewhat guiding with heroes like Brig and Dva-- admiring their strength and offering his perspective on life... Whether or not they care to hear his opinions is not important. XD

I ALSO WANT TO SAY I LOVE THAT HE TAKES BEING DEFEATED BY KIRIKO WITHOUT ANY BITTERNESS TOO-- He loses like a CHAMP.

☆ Hear me out-- He's a fucking goober. Not in a comic-relief type of way, either. Doom's just got a hint of playfulness in his personality that I think really rounds his character. Some of his lines are so unnecessary when he fights (ie. "Selsmic Slam! Rocket Punch!") that while may be used for gameplay ...... I'd argue that it does something else; it shows him being a bit of a silly nerd because he sometimes acts like a comic book character. Especially with the line "Face my burning fist!" Like..... That's so silly.

☆ The way he dismisses anger as a motivator for so many of the characters is incredibly interesting. It can be assumed that when he killed his mentor the thing that fueled him was rage and such... But if you hear him talk to other characters he condemns characters for using anger as a motivator. Well, correction-- Akande seems to have issue with people who have anger as their only driving force to fight. He doesn't hold back from anyone, chastising Winston the same way he does Reaper when eliminating them.

But yes........ OwO he is fascinating and 100% a fan of Hatsune Miku (trust me I asked him myself)

[whisperingofthepages]

The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey

Pages: 248 Hours: 7hr 25m Narrator: Paula Masterton Publisher: Bolinda Audio Released: 1st of December 2024 In 1890s Singapore, the formidable Miss Leda Cassidy arrives as paid companion to Sarah Jane Bendemeer, whose family suffers under the thrall of Southeast Asia’s most terrifying hantu. But there’s more to Miss Cassidy than meets the eye, and she’s faced down worse in her life than a…

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

✯✯✯ FREEBIE ALERT ✯✯✯

Shadow Caster by Debbie Cassidy

Murdering humans is a huge no-no and comes with an off-with-your-head sentence. Doesn’t matter if you don’t remember doing the crime.

I killed a human, and no, it wasn’t on purpose, but that shit doesn’t matter to the council. I’m facing death. So, when I’m offered a deal to avoid execution, I’d be a fool not to take it, even if it means leaving the human world and urban life behind to enroll in the Nightwatch Academy – a gothic monstrosity hidden from human eyes, located way too close to the largest tear in the fabric of our reality.

It would be fun if I had any inclination of becoming a member of the Watch or supporting the shadow knights at keeping the Formorian threat at bay. But heck, the monsters beyond the mist aren’t my problem. I have personal demons to deal with.

Once I’m out, the Watch can shove it.

But one sip from the ceremonial goblet and my plans to coast are out of the window as my powers spark to life.

I’m an anomaly, one the Watch won’t be letting walk any time soon.

My only comfort is a man who prides himself on his ability to harness pain. Battle scarred and formidable, he’s my tutor, my mentor, and the object of some super saucy dreams. He’s completely off limits and my only hope of surviving my first test.

I’ll need to harness my powers fast.

There can be no distractions.

But when my fellow cadets start going missing then returning with no memory of who they used to be and my best friend is taken, turning a blind eye is no longer an option.

Allies are limited when you’re a freak. Luckily, I don’t need a cheer squad to get shit done. Whoever is responsible better watch out. I’m coming for them, and I’ll be bringing the pain.

The Vampire Academy meets Game of Thrones in this kick-ass, supernatural academy, Urban Fantasy romance with no choosing required.

@DebbieCassidyAuthor

Hosted by @LadyAmbersReviewsPR

[joyffree]

The Vampire Academy meets Game of Thrones in this kick-ass, supernatural academy, Urban Fantasy romance with no choosing required.

Shadow Caster (The Nightwatch Academy) an Urban Fantasy/PNR by Debbie Cassidy

I killed a human, and no, it wasn’t on purpose, but that shit doesn’t matter to the council. I’m facing death. So, when I’m offered a deal to avoid execution, I’d be a fool not to take it, even if it means leaving the human world and urban life behind to enroll in the Nightwatch Academy – a gothic monstrosity hidden from human eyes, located way too close to the largest tear in the fabric of our reality.

It would be fun if I had any inclination of becoming a member of the Watch or supporting the shadow knights at keeping the Formorian threat at bay. But heck, the monsters beyond the mist aren’t my problem. I have personal demons to deal with.

Once I’m out, the Watch can shove it.

But one sip from the ceremonial goblet and my plans to coast are out of the window as my powers spark to life.

I’m an anomaly, one the Watch won’t be letting walk any time soon.

My only comfort is a man who prides himself on his ability to harness pain. Battle scarred and formidable, he’s my tutor, my mentor, and the object of some super saucy dreams. He’s completely off limits and my only hope of surviving my first test.

I’ll need to harness my powers fast.

There can be no distractions.

But when my fellow cadets start going missing then returning with no memory of who they used to be and my best friend is taken, turning a blind eye is no longer an option.

Allies are limited when you’re a freak. Luckily, I don’t need a cheer squad to get shit done. Whoever is responsible better watch out. I’m coming for them, and I’ll be bringing the pain.

[cvssidys]

GENERAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Cassidy Eleanor Whitfield Nicknames: Cass, Cassie  Age: 23 years old Birthdate: October 15, 1998 Birthplace: Charlottesville, Virginia Current Residence: Pine River, Virginia Gender + Pronouns: Cis Female | She/Her/Hers Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  Relationship Status: Taken  Occupation: Receptionist/Instructor, Miss Jen’s School of Dance Spoken Languages: English (primary language) + Spanish (intermediate fluency)

RELATIONSHIPS

Mother: Josephine Whitfield (nee Blanchard)  Father: Thomas Whitfield  Brother: Alexander Whitfield Sister: Gage Whitfield  Significant Other: Weston Brooks  Best Friends: TBD! Pets: TBD Other Important Relationships: TBD! Wanted Connections: HERE! 

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: Virginia Gardner Hair: Blonde, with hints of honey caramel highlights. Eyes: Sapphire; bright, wide + penetrating. Height: 5′3″ Weight: 113 pounds Complexion: Fair; neutral tones, smooth and blemish-free skin. Build: Petite, with natural curves and athletic tone.

PERSONALITY:

Positive Traits: Benevolent | Dutiful | Captivating  Negative Traits: Ambivalent | Inhibited | Phlegmatic  MBTI: TBD Moral Alignment: TBD Temperament: TBD Enneagram: TBD Zodiac: Libra Sun, Virgo Moon, Aries Rising

HISTORY

[tw: cheating, divorce + financial instability mentions]  It was a bright October morning, a soft wind passing through the trees as the prismatic sunlight started to peek over the autumn horizon, when Cassidy Whitfield came into the world. The youngest of the family, her conception had come as a complete surprise to both her parents and older siblings. Her parents believed themselves to have been long past the window of child-bearing years, an opinion that had been more or less confirmed by the family doctor. This consensus and the events that followed fostered a sentiment of dumbfounded delight, a trend that has followed the youngest Whitfield into both her adolescence and adult years. From the earliest points of her recollection, there had been no shortage of love within the Whitfield household, though had been about the only resource available in abundance. In order to meet the needs of their three growing children, this necessitated a two-income household, which fell on the shoulders of Cassidy’s parents, and eventually her siblings. Though this was done with the most honorable and well-meaning of intentions, her parents spent the majority of their time at work, and the impact of their limited presence was profound. Their parents had explored every possible avenue, and there was simply no alternative. Not if there was to be food on the table, clothes on their backs and a roof over their heads. This led to a great deal of contention between the two, ones that resulting in infidelity, separation and eventually divorce. In the absence of their parents, this left Gage and Alex with no choice but to become independent and self-sufficient from very early on. While overwhelming at times, particularly for two who were barely teenagers themselves, this fate was one they wanted their younger sister to avoid, adamantly so, for as long as either of them could help it. In the absence of their parents, Gage and Alex played the roles of both parent and sibling to Cassidy, a fact of which she still remains very aware and infinitely grateful. There are those who get lost in the fire, and those who are forged by it, and Cassidy has always belonged to the latter category. Much of what she has faced in her life has been ideal, but she has always refused to let those barriers stand in her way, or her siblings. The collective circumstances of their lives served as a tough but entirely formidable teacher in many ways, but perhaps nothing has been quite as valuable to her than the lesson of resilience — to adapt, to recover, and to ultimately persevere, particularly when all the odds seemed stacked against you, in an impossibly insurmountable way. The challenges she has faced has made her all the more determined, if for no other reason do right by her siblings and her parents. She has made it a point to make the most of the opportunities in front of her, which included graduating as valedictorian at Riverview, receiving admission to LSU, and becoming a member of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics National Team, all before the age of 18. Like many others who grew up in Pine River, Cassidy left for a time to pursue greener pastures. Prior to her departure, she had been incredibly reluctant to leave; for a time, she was absolutely insistent on remaining in her hometown, fearing what she would find when leaving the familiarity of all she had ever known. But Gage and Alex would have none of it, and the youngest Whitfield knew these were not idle threats on the part of her older siblings. Resolute in her thinking, Cassidy was certain she would return back home after a semester or two, just as their parents had done when they were young adults. But she was not her parents, both in ways she knew and others she didn’t, and Cassidy was quick to find that she thrived outside of the environments she was so accustomed to. Yet, as much as she had come to cherish the independence and discovery of college years, there had never been any question that Cassidy would return to Virginia after she graduated. A woman of her word, she was settled back into life in Pine River not even a week following graduation. It did her a world of good, being able to experience all that life has to offer, on her own terms. But there truly is no place like home.

[atinyrabbit]

love/hate songs

Since 8tracks is messed up and playmoss is gonna disappear and Spotify doesn't have many songs, I’m posting some of my playlists here. This is a list of songs about love/hate relationships for pairings. Enemies to lovers, tsundere personalities, hero/villain couplings, opposites attract, loving someone you know you shouldn't. This list is several years old so the songs are older and kinda ‘scene.’

Major trigger warnings for the lyrics of these songs. Some songs have violent lyrics. This playlist romanticizes conflict.

Song list under read more:

Love to Hate You - Erasure Nicotine - Panic! at the Disco Don't Let It Go To Your Head - Fefe Dobson Your Love Will Kill Me - Daniel Lavoie Bruises and Bitemarks (Remix) - Good With Grenades October & April - The Rasmus feat. Anette Olzon Violator - Son of Rust Sick Amore - El Creepo Disgusting - Ke$ha Dangerous - Depeche Mode Oleander - Mother Mother Fear & Delight - The Correspondents Love is a Suicide - Natalia Kills Sex as a Weapon - Pat Benatar I'd Love To Kill You - Katie Melua Before I Ever Met You - Banks Rent - Pet Shop Boys Helpless When She Smiles - Backstreet Boys Holy - Zolita Strangelove - Depeche Mode I Won't Say (I'm In Love) - Susan Egan Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd Only You - Ellie Goulding Devil Devil - Milck Livin' In A World Without You - The Rasmus  

Hate Love - Adelitas Way Suddenly - Peter Heppner Sick and Twisted Affair - My Darkest Days Radioactive Mirrors - Amazinglyjon Dangerous - Cascada Violence (Club Mix) - Grimes & i_o This Is Love - Air Traffic Controller Make Hate To Me - Citizen Soldier Gently Break It - Beck Pete Portrait of a Female - Cruel Youth This Could Be Love - Alkaline Trio Lie, Lie, Lie - Myra You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi I Only Wanna Be With You - Volbeat Maybe You're Not the Worst Thing Ever - Cast of Galavant I've Got You Under My Skin - Seether Human - Oh Land Le Bien Qui Fait Mal - Mozart, L'Opera Rock Can't Help Falling In Love [Light x Dark Remix] - feat. Brooke Tommee Profitt Fell For You - Green Day Stupid Grin - Dragonette Broken - Lauren Hoffman Take Me to Church - Hozier Super Psycho Love - Simon Curtis Whip - Mr.Kitty   Get You Off - Fefe Dobson Crazy Girl - Ke$ha Vice - POP ETC Cannibal - Silversun Pickups Rest in Peace - Original Cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Hem of Your Garment - Cake Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge Truth Or Dare - Marianas Trench We Sink - CHVRCHES Gingerbread Man - Melanie Martinez You Stupid Girl - Framing Hanley   Die For You - Red F*cking Boyfriend - The Bird & The Bee Mean - Nicole Dollanganger Must Be Crazy for Me - Melissa Etheridge That Girl - Alexz Johnson FMLYHM - Seether Bad Romance - Halestorm Aquarius - Within Temptation Flirt (With Me) - Zeromancer I'm With Stupid - Pet Shop Boys Stop This Song (Love Sick Melody) - Paramore Trying Not To Love You - Nickelback Kill for You - Zolita A Love Like War - All Time Low You Need Me - SWANS Hatef--k - The Bravery Bottled Affection - Cold War Kids True Love - ThouShaltNot Terrible Thing - Ag I Can't Decide - Scissor Sisters Exit Wounds - The Romanovs Gun - Chvrches Every Breath You Take - Chase Holfelder Whole Lotta Love - Smash Mouth Bloodsport - Sneaker Pimps XXX - Imran-C Bitter Rivals - Sleigh Bells Destruction Of Us - Mr.Kitty Teeth - 5 Seconds of Summer Love Me Dead - Ludo Paralyzed - The Used River - Bishop Briggs Neon - VERSA Sucker For Pain - Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons I'm Your Villain - Franz Ferdinand Beautiful Monster - Ne-Yo I Own You - Birgit Let Me Be Your Armor - ASSEMBLAGE 23 Perfect Enemy - t.A.T.u. Straight for the Knife - Sia One More Night - Maroon 5 I Hate You (Don't Leave Me) - Ke$ha The Moth - Aimee Mann Mad Love - The Veronicas Toxic (Acoustic Britney Spears Cover) - Johnny Goth Bad Intentions - Digital Daggers Shut Up - Nick Lachey Soldier - Bitter Ruin First Bad Habit - Vanessa Hudgens In The Darkness - Dead By Sunrise Tearin' Up My Heart - *NSYNC You'll Be Back - Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton & Jonathan Groff Crazy In A Good Way - VERIDIA Combat Baby - Metric In Bluebeard's Castle - Unwoman When Doves Cry - Prince State of Seduction - Digital Daggers Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert Broken Inside - Broken Iris Murder (feat. Minx, Chilled) - Boyinaband Why Do You Love Me - Charlotte Lawrence Follow You Home - Nickelback Love To See You Cry - Enrique Iglesias Impressed - Natalie Imbruglia Die For You - Megan McCauley Your Kind (Speak to Me) - Danger Radio Tyrant - The Bravery Violent Games - Polica Toxicated Love - NEO Nemeses (feat. John Roderick) - Jonathan Coulton Miserable - Lit Running From My Shadow - The Velvet Teaparty Barricade - Stars Trouble (Stripped) - Halsey Brutal Hearts - Bedouin Soundclash Desire - Meg Myers Sticks And Stones - The Pierces Just the Girl - The Click Five Himerus and Eros - The Spill Canvas Blood - In This Moment I'm Insane - Myah Marie Fiction (Dreams In Digital) - Orgy Whore - In This Moment Monster - Ryan Adames Foundations - Kate Nash Only When I Lose Myself - Depeche Mode Hatchet - Archive The Beginning of the Twist - The Futureheads Change - Deftones Trust Me - Marc Senter Love Me Hate Kiss Me Kill Me (Scndl Remix) - Fukkk Offf Big Bad Handsome Man - Imelda May The Mighty Fall - Fall Out Boy My Obsession - Cinema Bizarre Stitches - Orgy Miss Kiss Kiss Bang - Alex Swings Oscar Sings! Sweet Dreams - Beyonce Fuel To The Fire - The Maine Closer (Nine Inch Nails Cover) - Niki Barr Band Clueless - Orla Gartland Devil Woman - Cliff Richard Hatefuck - Motionless In White I Love You But I Don’t Like You - Molly Moore Overpower Thee - AUF dER MAUR Get Down On Your Knees And Tell Me You Love Me - All Time Low Post Blue - Placebo Genghis Khan - Miike Snow Poison - Alice Cooper I Know I'm A Wolf - Young Heretics Little Toy Gun - honeyhoney I Miss the Misery - Halestorm Dirty Sticky Floors (radio mix) - Dave Gahan Clarity - Zedd I Get A Kick Out Of You - Frank Sinatra I Hate Myself for Loving You - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Die for You - Otherwise Labyrinth - Oomph! Black Black Heart - David Usher I Want to Destroy Something Beautiful - Josh Woodward I'm a Priest - Daniel Lavoie You Need Me - SWANS Afraid of the Dark - Phildel Virus - Ryan Adames I Wanna Be Your Dog (remix) - Emilie Simon Hello Goodbye - The Beatles Sarcasm (Album Version) - Get Scared Use Me - Hinder Poison & Wine - The Civil Wars Pretty When You Cry - VAST Tainted Love - Soft Cell Scream - Avenged Sevenfold Think About It - Danger Radio Gallery Piece - Of Montreal Bang Bang Bang Bang - Sohodolls Little Girls - Say Anything I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace Love Runs Out - OneRepublic Disarm - Smashing Pumpkins Hit Me Like a Man - The Pretty Reckless Bang Bang (feat. Adam Levine) - K'naan Hurts So Good - John Mellencamp Addicted - Kelly Clarkson Whiplash - FEMM Paralyzer - Finger Eleven Crime - Temposhark Misery Loves Company - Emilie Autumn It Was Good for You Too - Marian Call Price Of Company - The White Tie Affair Burn! - Kobra And The Lotus I Love My Lawyer - Ofelia K I Want Blood - empires (I Always Kill) The Things I Love (ft. The Real Tuesday Weld) - Claudia Brucken Misery (Cutmore Radio) - Maroon 5 Fire and Ice - Pat Benatar I Lust You - Neon Neon Pistol Whipped - Marilyn Manson Bitches Brew - Crosses A Formidable Marinade - Mikelangelo And The Black Sea Gentlemen Control - Puddle of Mudd Scary Love - Skye Sweetnam Loveyouhateyou - Sad Robot Untangle Me - Snow Ghosts A Little Taste - Skyler Stonestreet E.V.O.L - Marina and the Diamonds   (You're the) Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley Shut Up & Kiss - Me Orianthi Cool for Chaos - Nostalghia Oyeme - Enrique Iglesias I Hate You - Sick Puppies GirlShapedLoveDrug - Gomez You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk - Pet Shop Boys Need You Like A Drug - Zeromancer Werewolf - Cat Power Bathwater - No Doubt Bad Dog - Neon Hitch Guns And Horses - Ellie Goulding Rev 22-20 - Puscifer Won't You Please Be Nice - Nellie McKay The Perfect Drug - Nine Inch Nails Until The Day I Die - Story of the Year Womanizer - Britney Spears Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations I Think I Love You David Cassidy Stalkers - Mindless Self Indulgence   Kill Me Every Time - Blue Stahli Preface - FKA twigs Every You Every Me - Placebo Want - Disturbed Spit It Out - IAMX Destroy Me - Mr Kitty My Sweet Prince - Placebo Psycho - Imelda May Monster - Meg Myers Figured You Out - Nickelback Suffocated Love - Tricky Satisfy Me One More Time - Frank Sinatra This Love - Maroon 5 Miss Jackson (feat. Lolo) - Panic! At The Disco Fire and Ice - Pat Benatar Every Other Time Lyte - Funky Ones How Do You Love Someone - Ashley Tisdale Poison - Gin Wigmore Bitter and Sick - One Two The Outsider - Marina & the Diamonds True Love (feat Lily Rose Cooper) - Pink Bad Boy - Cascada Irresistible - Temposhark Painkiller - The Queenstons Born to Die / Russian Roulette - Amazinglyjon Like Sugar - Matchbox Twenty Mad About You - Hooverphonic Stupify - Disturbed Problems - Mother Mother What Is Love - Haddaway Animal - The Cab Marionette - Antonia I Hate You But I Love You - Russian Red Carve A Name - Mother Mother Criminal - Britney Spears Danger - Hilary Duff Fell in Love w/an Android - Simon Curtis Demon Lover - Róisín Murphy Always - Saliva Too Close - Alex Clare Little of Your Time - Maroon 5 Sex and Violence - Scissor Sisters Electric Storm - Delta Goodrem Black widow - Susanne Sundfør Dangerous Kind - Rasmus You've Really Got a Hold on Me - The Miracles Over and Over - Three Days Grace Devour - Marilyn Manson Nature of Inviting - IAMX The Odd Couple - Weezer Hurt Me Harder - Zolita Terrible Love - The National Mad Love - Jojo Boomerang - Reliant K Bad News - Sleeper Agent I Was An Island (EP Version) - Allison Weiss Rock Bottom - Hailee Steinfeld You’re the One That I Want - Lo Fang Poison - Rita Ora Kill For You - Skylar Grey ft Eminem Wouldn't Be Love - Ritual Hate Me - Nico Collins Irresistible - Fall Out Boy I Love You... I'll Kill You - Enigma

[nzbookwyrm]

Awesome New Authors I Discovered in 2024

Trying to decide on my favourite books of 2024 is too hard, so I'm listing the great new authors I discovered this year instead!

Christina Baehr - with her cozy Victorian fantasy series The Secrets of Ormdale. The series is complete at 5 books, and she's starting on a new series in the same world, set a little bit later.

Mel Harding-Shaw (also Melanie Harding-Shaw) - a New Zealand writer of New Zealand set fantasy, urban fantasy novella Against the Grain and post-apocalyptic fantasy series Soul Court Ascension. So strange (in a good way!) to read books set in places where I've visited/lived.

Linzi Day - her Midlife Recorder series was highly recommended by a number of people, prompting me to give it a try. Very interesting world building.

Jo Segura - Raiders of the Lost Heart was a fun rom-com adventure with an own-voices Latina archeologist with a great cover. I'm looking forward to her next book (out in mid Jan).

Kass O'Shire - starting with a scientifically minded heroine in a fantasy world, her Shades of Sanctuary series is smart fantasy romance with footnotes.

Mary Kingswood - in each book of her Strangers series, a stranger comes to town, hiding mysteries. I read the entire series in a row, I just couldn't stop myself from starting the next book, and then the next... Closed door regency-set romance mysteries, more realistic than most regency-set romances and mysteries.

Matt Dinniman - completely surprised me by finding some of the best books of the year in the game-lit genre (seriously, there are great books in every genre, never dismiss an entire genre out of hand!). The premise of Dungeon Crawler Carl is ridiculous, aliens have turned Earth into a reality show dungeon, where you play or you die. But Carl and his ex girlfriends prize winning cat, Donut, form a great team, and half-way through the first book, I realized this was no longer just frothy (violent) fun, but heart-wrenching (violent) social commentary, with trauma, character growth and a really interesting series arc. Highly recommended.

Li Chen - another New Zealand author, Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat is an adorable middle grade graphic novel. Li Chen is also the author of web comic Exocomics.

Meihan Boey - The Formidable Miss Cassidy seems to start as a standard 'white woman goes to early 20th century Singapore' book, but it's not that type of book at all. Miss Cassidy is more than she seems.

Beth Revis - Full Speed to a Crash Landing is the first of three space opera heist novellas. Apparently, she was initially motivated to write these by spite! These novellas are fun, action packed, with commentary that's getting more pointed in each installment. Can't wait to see how it all ends in April.

Em X Liu - If Found, Return to Hell was a really good urban fantasy novella. A wizard call centre employee goes out of their way to help a caller who has been possessed. Found family.

Itaru Kinoshita - Dinosaur Sanctuary is a realistic manga about dinosaur zoo keepers. One of the dinosaurs had gout!

Have you read any of these authors? What did you think? What awesome new authors did you discover in 2024?

I can't wait to find out what new authors I find in 2025!

[shouldiwritetoday]

Nanowrimo Week 1

Days 1-8

Words: 6668/50000 | 6668/13336

So, I’m like four days behind. Whatever. I’ll get over it. The point is that I’ve written at least like a hundred words each day. Which is a win. For me. I wrote the most today (2656). I’m just finding it really hard to find the motivation to write.

Anyway, I’m writing a story about a soap opera actress whose character is going to be killed off, but before that can happen, she suddenly wakes up in the world of the show and everyone is calling her by her character’s name, so now she has to figure out a way to not die.

Snippet:

The studio was like a second home. When Bee had first been cast, on her first day at work, she couldn’t imagine ever feeling comfortable in such a formidable building with hundreds of people coming in and out, doing heaven knows what at all odd hours of the day. Hell, she couldn’t have even imagined that she would have ever made it this far in her career.

Lyla Blake was her breakout role into stardom. Lyla was a friend Bee could never shake off by now. More soft spoken, less abrasive than she really was. She had unintentionally adopted some of Lyla’s mannerisms after practicing them for hours on end. For example, Bee had never twirled her hair before it became Lyla’s signature way of thinking. Lyla was always more simple minded, a little too eager to please, a little too willing to forgive. She had a near perfect life — a nice home with a nice husband with a nice family supporting her. Well, except for her brother-in-law, but that was another dramatic story all together. The only thing Lyla was missing was children and Bee desperately hoped that this new story arc Lowry was announcing included them.

She greeted those she knew, politely acknowledged those she didn’t but who had welcomed her in. As she made her way over to the offices, she wondered about the fates of other characters in the show. While she liked to believe Lyla was the one and only really important character, soap operas were ensembles and even just one scene could throw off an entire character arc with developmental issues that needed seasons to fix.

Jackson Blake was Lyla’s husband. He was played by, of course, Will Fairfax. He had been struggling with the fall out of his brother Elijah (Ryan Kelsey) abandoning him and the rest of the family upon marrying Lyla. The relationship never recovered and they had yet to figure out the reason why Elijah despised Lyla so. 

Meanwhile, Emma Caroll (played by the amazing and Emmy-award winning actress Scarlett Agapov) was recovering from a particularly bad case of pneumonia after she had been locked out of her house in the middle of a storm with a dead phone and her husband, Ian (Phillip Nicolaides), hadn’t realized she was missing as he had fallen asleep watching movies on the couch with their two children Hannah and Travis. Ian was currently in therapy for almost inadvertently causing her wife’s death. If Brandon Tran (Daniel Ho) hadn’t been coming home from his late night affair with the older and married Mrs. Theresa Martines (Vera de la Cruz), then Emma very well could have died. 

And there was that business to consider. Brandon and Elijah were best friends. Both of them schemed behind Jackson and Lyla’s back. Mrs. Martines was, after all, the wife of Jackson’s boss. However, to further complicate things, Mr. Ricardo Martines (Julio Montoya) had had a past relationship with Lyla’s father in their school days which was coming back to haunt him after the reintroduction of the Michaels family after the wedding. Mr. Martines was right back at it again with questioning his sexuality, thereby leading his wife to have an affair as they were childless. That is to say, whatever plots Brandon and Elijah cook up to pass onto Theresa to then enact on Jackson and inevitably foiled by Ricardo who wishes to do right by the husband of the daughter of his first love. Because there was a missed opportunity or something.

Not to mention, Bee also knew that with this new story arc a new character would be added. Arabella Jones. Bee didn’t know who the actress for her was yet. Some unknown, to be sure. She was also eager to learn her purpose. Most importantly, she hoped that they would get along because nothing was worse than having a coworker she couldn’t stand. The only real friends she had on set were Will and Cassidy Carmichael, who played Olivia O'Malley, the physical therapist who had an on again/off again relationship with Elijah.

Cassidy greeted Bee over by the coffee maker. Skylar went off to talk to a producer, remarking that they would chat again later.

Cassidy Carmichael was a tall woman of thirty. Her straight blonde hair came to her cleft chin in a sweet bob, extenuating the faint roundness of her cheeks. Hazel eyes sparkled at Bee like the day had grown infinitely more interesting. “So,” she said, “d’you think I’ll break up with Eli over five times, or less?”

“Hmm…” Bee pretended to think. “You’re going to break up with him twice, he’s going to call it off three times, and for extra shit, giggles, and drama, when getting back together the last time, he’s going to skip straight to proposing and you two will elope.”

“No way,” Cassidy said. “I’m going to propose.”

Bee laughed. “Right. Because Olivia loves to walk straight into fires unprotected.”

“Nah. It’s ‘cause she’s a right bitch who tries so hard to make her own life difficult.”

They shared a smile. It was one of their favorite pastimes to think up possible plot lines that the writers were thinking of and why they deemed them suitable. Guessing relationship statuses were almost too easy. Cassidy had called the exact season, episode, and page of the script where Jackson proposed to Lyla like she was some sort of soap opera prophet. Those participating in that particular bet had been thoroughly impressed.

Later, Cassidy had told Bee that she had slept with Andrew and dug through his files while he was asleep. Bee laughed for days afterwards.

“So,” Cassidy continued, a sly smirk on her face. Bee prepared herself for whatever provocation was about to be unleashed. “It’s been three months since you-know-who broke up with his girlfriend.”

Clearing her throat, Bee maintained a neutral expression. “So?”

Cassidy nudged her, grinning. “Make your move, Bee. Before some other young filly snatches him up or Catherine comes back to stake her claim.”

Bee rolled her eyes and shrugged, her gaze shifting to her shoes. “I don’t know, Cass,” she sighed. “They were together for three years. You don’t exactly get over a three year relationship in three months.”

“You might, if the next girl to come along has been one of your best friends for the past five years and is super hot.” Cassidy paused to consider her next words. “And, you know, if you’ve already had steamy make out sessions with her.”

“Those were for work!” Bee cried, which only gained her a shrug in reply. “I don’t exactly have a way of knowing if he’s interested in me, nor do I know how to make it clear to him that I am.” This earned her a short laugh, to which she glared at. “Seriously, Cass. I can’t just walk up to Will and say—”

“Ooh,” a low, baritone voice that rang like a heavenly choir cut in. “What kind of gossip can you not just walk up and tell Will?”

[bambigoose]

Doing Just Fine

An: This has been edited after posting. Thank you to those that reached out to help me correct the ranking changes throughout the story.

Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts 2013

Staff Sergeant Jessica Ham exited the executive office of Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks located on base completely unsure how to tell her airmen deployment was inevitable. The 66th Air Force Group would be oversees shortly after the New Year. Locking eyes with her fellow Staff Sergeant, Andrews, before placing her head into her hands with a sigh, “Give them the next few hours. If we tell them before this visit it’ll hang over everything and ruin everyone’s time.”

Sergeant Andrews nodded along with Jessica’s call, “I’m going to send out word about a meeting before we all head out for the day. You want me to schedule the other room for you and your boys?”

“Yeah.” Jessica nodded at him before they went their separate ways. Three years ago, at eighteen, Jessica graduated high school. With no idea what to do with the rest of her life, and a lack of financial means to go to college while attempting to figure it out, Jessie as her friends call her attended a military interest conference at her school.  The Air Force was never something she had previously considered, but after a discussion with an intelligence officer her interest was piqued. The rest as one might say was history. In the course of the past four years she’d busted her ass to prove she could handle it and the rank recognition followed. Clearly her superiors trusted her; Jessica was in charge of one of the largest groups of airmen of any Sergeant. Trust among her men however was a little harder to earn, but once she had it Jessica quickly came to the realization there were plenty of men she was now stuck with for the rest of her life.

Moving quickly through the base, nodding quickly but politely at those who acknowledged her, Jessica rushed to the base entrance. Generals didn’t care what news you were given, you showed up when expected or your ass is reamed. After the previous news of the day so far, that would officially send her into a tailspin pulled by currents. Approaching the group and falling into line Jessica took a moment to observe their guests.

The 2012-2013 Boston Bruins were a formidable team, growing up in Southie rooting for the black and gold was a fact of life. Jessica was pretty sure she knew how to explain the offsides rule before she could do simple addition. An electric energy surged through the base when knowledge of their visit began to spread. The veterans, Patrice Bergeron, Andrew Ference, Shawn Thornton, and Milan Lucic would thrill the long term fans. Young guns Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin would flirt through half of the medical division before the day was out she was sure and rookie Dougie Hamilton was making quite a name for himself at nineteen as a solid defenseman.

“Is he always doom and glow like that?”

Jessica heard behind her. Turning she was meet with the six foot six frame of Dougie Hamilton. Years ago the hairs on the back of her neck would have been standing up, now she yelled at men twice his size half the day and knew for a fact she threw a better punch then  every member of the team. Smirking Jessica couldn’t resist the urge to chirp, she’ll forever blame it on being surrounded by guys day in and day out, “I imagine he and coach Julien would get along, I mean he screamed at you for how long after fanning on that shot last game.”

“Ouch Dougie, not impressing the pretty girl.” Seguin chirped with a smug smirk a head of them.

“I don’t know Mr. Seguin, at least Dougie here knows what an alarm clock is.” Jessica snapped back almost immediately after watching Dougie deflate as Tyler attempted to pull him down. Seguin’s eyes widened as Jessica dead stared at him; a move those under her have repeatedly said is increasingly unnerving. He turned quickly, shoulders pulled up to his ears while Jessica nudged Hamilton next to her.

He stood just a little straighter after her quip. Leaning in quietly, “I know you’re a rookie kid, but there’s a difference between being a doormat and becoming one of the guys.”

“And I suppose pretty girl is an expert?” Hamilton responded smiling, eyes crinkling, and an eyebrow raised.

“Pretty girl has name. Staff Sergeant Jessica Ham. Besides, do you really think there’s that much of a difference between military barracks and hockey locker rooms?” She responded in similar fashion.  

Laughing he responded “Probably not.”

Smiling while shoving him forward, “Go entertain my men rookie.”

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Jessica watched her men and the Bruins interact. Spirits we high and she could feel the weight of this afternoon's meeting beginning to feel like a physical pressure on her chest. Inhaling deeply but still feeling like she couldn’t breathe Jessica headed toward the doors before her panic attack could start. Never realizing there were concerned eyes following her progression across the room, before he rose to follow her.  

Briskly moving out the door and around the building, Jessica sank down against the wall. Pulling her knees up to her chest and gasping for air. Jumping as someone sank down into a squat in front of her, Jessica looked up at Dougie, concern shining in his eyes. “Hey pretty girl, breathe.” Attempting to match her breath to his, the pressure on her chest finally felt like it was loosening. Dougie smiled, rubbing up his hands up and down her upper arms. “There we go.”

Rubbing her face, Jessica visibly flinched before lowly spilling everything to a relative stranger. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell them. This excitement and good spirits you all brought to base will be erased before they all go home. We’re shipping out in February. I know we all joined the military but it never seemed like this was going to happen.”

Dougie’s eyes went wide, practically bulging out of his head. “I’m sorry.” Instinctively left his mouth, “There’s nothing I can say that’ll make this better I don’t think.”

Sighing, Jessica rose back to her feet. “No there’s not but I appreciate the attempt.” Pulling his elbow and heading back towards the rec hall, “Better get back in there while I can still pass this off has taking a phone call.”

Dougie planted his feet and pulled them to a stop right outside the door. “I can’t make it better, but I could take you out for a distraction this weekend.”

“You do remember the shipping out in a few months part of our conversation, right.” She replied, waving her finger around in a circle between them like it was going to rewind his memory.

“Well, I figure I’d be pretty stupid to let that stop me from asking out the pretty lady Sergeant.”

“I can meet you at Faneuil Hall, Friday at seven? We can go from there Rookie.” She says, throwing her hip into his like a mini check.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, taking a chance and dropping a kiss on her cheek he hoped would be well received. “Sounds like a plan, Jessica.”

Over her shoulder while walking through the door, “Friends and cute boys taking me on a date can call me Jessie.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Saddledome, Calgary Alberta Canada 2017

Sergeant Jessica Ham smiled walking through the under belly of the Saddledome. Granted a short furlough she came to surprise her boyfriend of almost three years after his game versus the Bruins. As luck would have it, she remained close with many members of the Bruins and their wives after Dougie signed with Calgary and during her deployment. When her furlough back at Hanscom came up she took it immediately, the fact that the Bruins were heading to Calgary at the same time. Coach Cassidy had graciously allowed her to tag along with the boys on the plane, though she suspected it might have something to do with Stephanie badgering Patrice to make it happen. It was nice to see some of the boys again and meeting some of the newbies.

Feeling stares on her, Jessica just continued on with a smile. The pass Zdeno presented her with before the game wrapped around her neck, clinking every step against her dog tags. Pulling up outside of the locker room she leaned against the wall anxiously waiting for Dougie to appear. She didn’t have to wait long. Dougie was the next person out of the locker room, “Jessie.” Gasped out of him in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

 Eyebrows furrowed, Jessica was surprised. That was his reaction? They hadn’t seen each other in almost a year. Writing it off as maybe just shock, she stepped forward to hug him. His arms barley wrapped back around her. “I was granted furlough for a few days, figured I’d come out for a surprise. They boys let me tag along on the team plane.”

“Babe!” A voice explained from behind Jessica. A blonde little bit of a thing, in sky high heels with make-up caked on her face brushed past Jessica before throwing herself into Dougie’s arms and laying a kiss on him. Separating the definition of puck bunny asked Dougie who this was.  

Jessica smirked at Dougie, laughing harshly. “I’m an old friend for Boston. Figured since the boys were out here I’d tag along to see mister big shoot, but it was nice to see you Douglas. I better get going so I don’t miss the bus.” Turning on her heel and all but sprinting down the hall Jessica ignored all calls of her name while losing Dougie in the after game commotion. Crashing into the Bruins newbies Sean Kuraly and Jake DeBrusk while staring at the ground, she looked out at them as they both went white. Yells left them both for Z, Bergy, and Marchy. It was the longest plane ride of the season for the bruins and to this day the only one where the unassigned assigned seats were blatantly ignored as the veterans crowded the Lieutenant in the back.  

 —————————————————————————————————————————---

2019 PNC Arena Raleigh North Carolina

Dougie Hamilton was furious, down four to nil in the third period he could feel his teams Stanley Cups hopes exiting them. Coming to the realization that there run was over it became apparent that they would do everything they could to rough up the Bruins instead. Not all that difficult of a task for him. The resentment he felt for the team grew every time they played each other. He blamed them for the disaster end of his relationship with Jessie, added on to the pitiful offer they made him to resign the anger was real. Scrumming with Sean Kuraly in front of the net was a natural progression. The refs separated them while Chris Wagner braced Kuraly to make sure he didn’t hit the ice, not that Dougie saw. He was to focused on the silver rectangles that popped out of Kuraly’s jersey before he quickly removed his glove and made sure they were secured underneath it again.

Dougie saw white, “Are you serious dude!” he exclaimed trying to puss Jordan Staal out of his way to jump Kuraly.

Kuraly’s eyes light up at the chance, “She’s doing great man!” he yelled out taking his seat on the bench.

The laughter of some of the Bruins ringing in his ears, Dougie’s eyes cut to where some of the Bruins wags were seated that he noticed earlier. His eyes were met by the infamous dead stare. Dougie gulped before she disconnected their eyes as the buzzer rang. Instead she was smiling as Stephanie Bergeron through her arms around her. Blowing a kiss out towards the ice, Dougie was forced to watch as Sean Kuraly laughed and waved back at her.

Master Sergeant Jessica Hamm, the future Mrs. Sean Kuraly if the shine the light of the arena caught coming from her left hand wasn’t just his imagination, was doing just fine.   

[tabby-shieldmaiden]

Dear Epigram Books: please start expanding internationally more. I want to beg the people living in my puter to read The Formidable Miss Cassidy and have that be an actual feasible thing they can all do. Pretty please?

[meaningofmotorsport]

Monaco ePrix Race Review

After the incredible race we saw here last year for Formula E, it was going to be hard to live up to that this time around. It probably wasn’t quite as good, but was still great to watch, as we did see battles through the field, as well as up front.

It has been a difficult start to the year for Vandoorne, who has shown a lot of pace, without being able to translate it into good finishes. Some of that was down to issues with Mercedes race pace, some was his own doing, but luck also played its part. It all came together in Monaco however, as he gradually made his way forwards in the race, saving energy where he could, and was unstoppable at the end. Even with the Safety Car coming when he had attack mode, he was able to bring it home to win, and kickstart his title fight. De Vries continues his difficult run of races, with him once again falling back from where he started. It is still unclear where the problem is, it could just be that he isn’t aggressive enough. The fact that other teams didn’t execute well in the race, shows that Mercedes still have work to do, if they want to keep going this way.

It was a dominant qualifying for Evans, with him comfortably winning every duel he did, and doing the fastest lap of the weekend. Therefore, bearing in mind the team had incredible efficiency in Rome, there was a fear he could run away with the race. It turned out that their efficiency wasn’t as good here, and leading the first third of the race put him behind on energy, then it took the whole rest of the race for him to recover it. His race pace was probably equal to those around him, but you could see he was gutted to miss out on the win here again. After a poor qualifying, Bird got caught up in the chaos in the mid pack, and was forced to retire with damage. Jaguar still look formidable right now, as Mitch continues to close on the title lead.

Vergne finished where he started, in third, but found himself bouncing around the top 5 all race long. I am not sure if they quite had the pace of the front two, instead they used attack modes to make their way forwards. Nevertheless, he is still well in the title fight. Da Costa had a great race, making a huge amount of progress, and getting close to the podium places. Frijns does what he does best, sitting up front, maximising his results. It did look like he had better pace then the Techeetah’s , especially given he has the fastest lap of the race. He played his attack modes very well, which nearly got him ahead of Evans.

Rather surprisingly for Di Grassi, he had a quiet race, sitting in the front pack early on, before dropping back as the pace heated up at the front. This does hint that the Mercedes powertrain is not the best out there, but I am sure they will rally and come back. As Cassidy himself said, he needs to stop qualifying at the back, as he clearly has the race pace to fight for podiums too, like his teammate. If he can sort that out, the team could have a shot at the team’s championship.

Buemi was able to get a few more points for Nissan, in what is clearly their worst season ever in the sport. At least their efficiency seems to be improving, as this might be the worst track on the calendar for that. Hopefully Sebastien can soon show his skills near the front once again. Andretti looked promising in practice, yet couldn’t bring it together in qualifying, and both started outside the top 10. Askew fell back from a better starting spot, whereas the more experienced Dennis, could climb into the top 10, but his title chances are almost gone.

Sims just missed out on points, as Mahindra try to get back near the front again. Rowland, his teammate, had a promising qualifying and start to the race, but got too bold with Lotterer, and ruined both their races. He needs to calm down in wheel-to-wheel battles. Ticktum was near to yet more points for NIO, as he gets to grips with this series. Dragon Penske too couldn’t get anything from this weekend.

Porsche had an absolute disaster of a race, their pace was incredible, but it all went wrong when Wehrlein, who was leading and pulling away, suffered a complete shutdown, which ended his race. These sorts of issues will curtail any titles chances for them, as he may well have been on to win at that point. Lotterer was unlucky with what happened, as he was an innocent bystander.

With a clear gap emerging in the driver’s championship behind Frijns, the storyline for this season may be beginning to show itself. All 4 of those teams at the front have been quick at Berlin, where we go next, so it is anyone’s game, as per usual in this tight series!

-M

[pineriverhq]

Welcome!

Cassidy Whitfield

Age: 23

Birthday: October 15, 1998

Gender/Pronouns: Cis Female | She/Her

Faceclaim: Virginia Gardner

Occupation: Receptionist/Instructor at Miss Jen’s School of Dance

Neighborhood: Pleasant Breeze

Birth Place: Charlottesville, Virginia

How long have they been in Pine River: Her whole life, except for the years she attended college in Baton Rouge.  

About.

Trigger Warnings: None!

It was a bright October morning, soft winds passing through the trees as the prismatic sunlight peeked over the autumn horizon, when Cassidy Whitfield came into the world. The youngest of the family, her conception had come as a complete surprise to both her parents and older siblings. Her parents believed themselves to have been past their window of child-bearing years, an opinion that had been more or less confirmed by the family doctor. This consensus and the events that followed upon realizing a third child was on the way fostered a sentiment of dumbfounded delight, one that has followed the youngest Whitfield into both her adolescence and adult years. 

From the earliest points of her recollection, there had been no shortage of love within the Whitfield household, though that was often the only resource available in abundance. In order to meet the needs of their three growing children, this necessitated a two-income household, which fell on the shoulders of Cassidy’s parents, and eventually her siblings. Though this was done with the most honorable and well-meaning of intentions, her parents spent the majority of their time at work, and the impact of their limited presence was a profound one. Their parents had explored every possible avenue, and there was simply no alternative. Not if there was to be food on the table, clothes on their backs and a roof over their heads. In the absence of their parents, this left Gage and Alex with no choice but to become independent and self-sufficient from very early on. While overwhelming at times, particularly for two who were barely teenagers themselves, this fate was one they wanted their younger sister to avoid, adamantly so, for as long as either of them could help it. In the absence of their parents, Gage and Alex played the roles of both parent and sibling to Cassidy, a fact of which she still remains very aware and infinitely grateful. 

There are those who get lost in the fire, and those who are forged by it, and Cassidy has always belonged to the latter category. Much of what she has faced in her life has hardly been ideal, but she has refused to let those barriers stand in her way, or her siblings, for that matter. The collective circumstances of their lives served as a tough but entirely formidable teacher in many ways, but perhaps nothing has been quite as valuable to her than the lesson of resilience — to adapt, to recover, and to ultimately persevere, particularly when all the odds seemed stacked against you, in an impossibly insurmountable way. The challenges she has faced has made her all the more determined, if for no other reason do right by her siblings and her parents. She was resolute in honoring their sacrifices, making it a point to maximize on the opportunities presented to her, which included graduating as valedictorian at Riverview, receiving early admission to LSU, and becoming a three-time member of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics National Team, all before the age of 18. 

Like many others who grew up in Pine River, Cassidy left for a time to pursue greener pastures. Prior to her departure, she had been incredibly reluctant to leave; for a time, she was absolutely insistent on remaining in her hometown, fearing what she would find when leaving the familiarity of all she had ever known. But Gage and Alex would have none of it, and the youngest Whitfield knew these were not idle threats on the part of her older siblings. Resolute in her thinking, Cassidy was certain she would return back home after a semester or two, just as their parents had done when they were young adults. But she was not her parents, both in ways she knew and others she didn’t, and the youngest Whitfield was quick to find that she thrived outside of the environments she was so accustomed to. Still, as much as she had come to cherish the independence and discovery of college years, there had never been any question that Cassidy would return to Virginia after earning her college degree (or a dual major in Education and Sports Medicine, and a minor in International Business, in her case). A woman of word and deed, she was settled back into life in Pine River not even a week following graduation. It did her a world of good, being able to experience all that life has to offer, on her own terms. But there truly is no place like home.

Personality. 

+ Benevolent, Captivating & Dutiful   - Ambivalent, Inhibited & Phlegmatic