#we are mayhem

[ilikereadingactually]

We Are Mayhem

We Are Mayhem by Beck Rourke-Mooney

i have so much fondness for this book. it's feel-good, it's affirming, it's cheesy, it's earnest, it's queer. what a delight! plus i learned a little bit more about pro wrestling, which i only understood the basics of before.

i adored Bird, adjusting to a move to upstate NY and the loss of her hoped-for career as a gymnast (because she's "too big"), trying to find her place socially and trying to understand herself internally in the summer before her senior year. i adored Abigail Rose--feminist, disabled, ferocious wrestling supporter and promoter--fighting for her place in a family with a long wrestling legacy. i loved the side characters, each of them unique and delightful in their own ways.

but i think what i loved most was just the way this book so accurately captured the feeling of being an "outsider" teen. of being confused about yourself, of trying new things, of being torn between conformity (and popularity) and doing what feels best and most you. Bird's internal and external journey was so charming as they followed their gut into new friendships, a new look, a new approach to their body and gender expression and athleticism, and started to discover not only how complicated and unique they were, but how complicated and unique every person is, even the ones they had written off. it's definitely a book aimed very specifically at teen readers--more straightforward and repetitive in its affirmations and lessons than i personally needed, i've been out for 25 years--but for me that just added to the earnestness of it, echoing a time of life when everything is kind of new and confusing and important. (and i genuinely did not know a lot of wrestling names or vocab going in, so i appreciated the hand-holding in that regard.)

overall an uplifting read that's kept popping up in my thoughts in the couple of days since i finished it, i might reread it on vacation this summer just for the joy.

the deets

how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley! i am running a little behind on my shelf there, but this was a quick read and i'm excited to order a physical copy.

try this if you: were, are, or know an outsider teen, love good friendship and coming of age stories, dig a training montage, or like a happy ending! (or ever watched GLOW)

a bit i really liked: felt this one hard!

"Shut up! Seriously?" Kayleigh shoves her the way only friends can without consequence, and I wonder if there's a maximum capacity for loneliness, or if it's the kind of thing that can keep expanding forever until it's completely overtaken all other feelings. Like an invasive species.

pub date: March 19, 2024! it's already out! go get it!

[theelvishfiddler]

so much time has passed since we were kids,

so many things have changed,

but it's still the same. isn't it?

There is an accidental trend in my tmnt fanart. Its almost as if... many of my fondest childhood memories were spent playing games with my siblings. The rise & 03 ones have been posted before, I just wanted them all together.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

i vote that next year instead of reading Dracula we do a Jeeves & Wooster Book Club. those two never got the rabid tumblr shipping fandom they deserved (disqualified for the sheer technicality of being published a century too soon). we must correct this injustice

[aliencatart]

a summary of mochi mayhem minus the mochi mayhem

[columboscreens]

[forgetful-nerd]

The best tmnt crossover fanfictions have this interaction I swear. These fanfics are feeding my soul.

[butterflyscribbles]

Homieostasis☀️

[protagonist-art]

found family and cute family moment lovers u will love mutant mayhem ‼️‼️‼️

[tizeline]

Heuheeuhe turtlssss 🐢

[duckdodger]

MIKEY STANS WE WONN

[alabasterpickles]

So, listen I’ve had this drawing in my files since I saw Mutant Mayhem in theaters and I love it but I never got the chance to finish anything up due to starting school back up this semester

So

Here you go

[darth-sonny]

general consensus by tmnt fans towards the mutant mayhem turtle tots

[epicfirestormer]

Do you see my vision

[olekaskota]

This is the new A-TEAM vs B-TEAM and nothing will Change my mind/j EPIC RAP BATTLE GOOO!

(Please don’t take this too seriously 😳)

With out da blurrrrrrrr

[reegis]

Opinion on Marius/Tim?

underrated!!!!!!! toxic yuri

now who needs therapy 😔😔

[irestotles]

good.

more reasons not to hate on Mutant Mayhem dgjdnwsbj