"Everything I know, everything I put in my fiction, will hurt someone somewhere as surely as it will comfort and enlighten someone else. What then is my responsibility? What am I to restrain? What am I to fear and alter—my own nakedness or the grief of the reader? I want my stories to be so good they are unforgettable; to make my ideas live and my own terrors real for people I will never meet. It is a completely amoral writer’s lust. If we begin to agree that some ideas are too dangerous, too bad to invite inside our heads, then we stop the storyteller completely. We silence everyone who would tell us something that might be painful in our vulnerable moments."

— Dorothy Allison

sourcedumal:

heroesaresupposedtofight:

Meet the Forty Elephants.

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This is the name of a gang based out of London. With bedecked knuckles of diamond rings, the leader “Diamond Annie” (real name Alice Diamond) led this fierce all-female force of shoplifters that terrorized high quality stores in the West End of London and in other cities. 

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Also, here are two members of the Forty Elephants:

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Florrie Holmes

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Maggie Hughes

From about 1873 - 1950 (though, there are some indications of reports as early as the late 1700’s), these women - with their specially tailored suits and their fast cars (when the 20th century rolled around) were virtually unstoppable and went nearly undetected from police.

They were ruthless and pitiless when it came to their “turf”. If anyone was caught stealing from one of their stores, they would arrange beatings and even kidnappings until the money was paid. 

They were rebellious, decadent, and knew how to have a good time. They loved to throw lavish parties and even more they loved to live it up at the finest pubs and restaurants. 

They were incredibly smart and maintained avoiding police detection by using fake names and rarely wearing what they stole. They usually bought high fashion clothes for themselves and sold what they stole. 

Sometimes, they went into partnership with the all-male “Elephant and Castle Mob.

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Which in turn, made it even more difficult for police to apprehend them. These women ran one of the largest operations of organized shoplifting their country had ever known. And yet, some of us are *just barely* hearing about them. 

My God, when will there be a movie, dangit.

But a female protagonist of GTA is unrealistic doe?

(via yabigtit)

elkacloke:

diversityinya:

10 Young Adult Books About LGBTQ People by LGBTQ Authors

Vintage by Steve Berman (Lethe Press)

One in Every Crowd by Ivan E. Coyote (Arsenal Pulp)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (Balzer + Bray)

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole (Bella Books edition)

With or Without You by Brian Farrey (Simon Pulse)

Double Feature by Brent Hartinger (Buddha Kitty Books edition)

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (Knopf)

Adaptation by Malinda Lo (Little, Brown)

October Mourning by Lesléa Newman (Candlewick Press)

The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan (Viking)

VINTAGE!

(via sarahreesbrennan)

queerbookclub:

This post and its outgoing links probably contain some spoilers for: Divergent/Insurgent, Across the Universe/A Million Suns, Hunger Games/Catching Fire, Legend/Prodigy, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and more. Some of you may have already guessed the theme of this rant!

This post…

Anonymous asked: I went over and saw hairspray on closing night and wow!! Your girlfriend did fanfreakingtastic!!! (:

AHHH thank you! :) I’m so glad you thought so!!! She’s extremely talented. :)

olive-a-sudden asked: of course it's the patsy cline version!! My ears reject every other.

Oh good. :D

More photos from Heritage’s production of Hairspray! that I took this past weekend. I think they came out pretty well!

My incredibly talented girlfriend performing “Velma’s Revenge” as Velma VonTussle in her school’s production of Hairspray!

And post-show when she was done crying

And post-show when she was done crying

Stuck

Excerpt from a short story I’m working on under the cut. I don’t know if or when I’ll finish it.

Read More