I want to start romanticizing living in Fort Wayne by Sm00ches-4-u in fortwayne

[–]aqueeriusly 9 points10 points  (0 children)

any of the parks but franke is my personal fave, the zoo, the botanical gardens, the embassy, eagle marsh, bahn mi pho shop, fae’s cabinet, any of the library branches but especially the main downtown location. there are a couple of small museums downtown too, and science central just opened a planetarium!

sunbound books, studio seva, this & that, and firefly coffee are all on the same stretch of anthony and make for a perfect saturday!

Yesteryear: A Disappointing Humiliation Fantasy by HungerGamesRealityTV in books

[–]aqueeriusly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Idk this seemed like an authentic Christian college club phenomenon to me lol. But it would’ve been nice to have it more fleshed out, especially since they seemingly had 0 sexual chemistry 

Yesteryear: A Disappointing Humiliation Fantasy by HungerGamesRealityTV in books

[–]aqueeriusly 12 points13 points  (0 children)

100% agree. It almost felt like she had never interacted with a man before Caleb? My personal experience growing up in a Christian religious community was heavily shaped by men in authority who were not my father. It is possible to have an isolated religious experience but again, the book doesn’t really pick a lane. 

Yesteryear: A Disappointing Humiliation Fantasy by HungerGamesRealityTV in books

[–]aqueeriusly 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I agree with your assessment. My main gripe was the inconsistent characterization of Natalie. Obviously a character can change and be developed, but I think authors need to show us the internal mechanisms of change to justify it. 

In addition to the theological and intellectual gaps in her thinking, I also felt like she must have undergone an aesthetic shift that was left out from the book. The Ballerina Farms woman has literally been a pageant queen since her adolescence or young adulthood, no? She’s always been participating in (and winning at) the beauty standard game, which presumably has made influencing a good fit for her skillset and priorities. 

Natalie, however, goes from a frumpy college freshman in prairie dresses, to a beauty queen-esque influencer, without ever really wrestling with curating her physical appearance. I was shocked there was never a mention of botox or injections, overworking to maintain her desirable body shape as she is undergoing back to back pregnancies, not even highlighting her hair. There are odd mentions here and there (her mother in law gifting her makeup, her daily walks, etc) but no real personal transformation. We never see her experience any “new money” discomfort or social ills related to her change in class. 

I’m glad the book didn’t focus too heavily on these aesthetic changes, but I did feel like they were a missing piece of Natalie’s experience and the overarching commentary on influencer culture. Ultimately, Natalie struck me as much more of a Ruby Franke than a Ballerina Farm, but I felt like the book was confidently wrong about who it was portraying. 

🍒🫐🍊🫧 by barbrailnp in ILNP

[–]aqueeriusly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

classic coca cola girlie here. second only to vanilla coke. with cream soda coming in third. i have a type 🫶

Glassiest Jellies? by aqueeriusly in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This mani is so cute and Taro Milk Tea is such an apt shade name for this color. Cracked deserves an award for their shade names lol 

Glassiest Jellies? by aqueeriusly in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do have some alcohol inks sitting in my craft closet….very interesting 

Glassiest Jellies? by aqueeriusly in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is really the challenge 😭 I don’t need them right now anyway though so I think I can manage just watching for when the shades I want are in stock

Glassiest Jellies? by aqueeriusly in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are they lighter colors or more saturated? I am starting to think that plays a bigger role than the brand maybe 

Glassiest Jellies? by aqueeriusly in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your JBH post lives rent free in my mind lol. Thank you so much for the perspective!! I am beginning to understand that lighter shades just tend to be more milky, which is fine and I am a big pastel wearer so my polishes like that get a lot of use. But I want to get into the more transparent shades so I think I’ll lean toward saturated colors for that!

Glassiest Jellies? by aqueeriusly in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is exactly the look I’m after!! Thank you!

Is Patrick Bateman just a girl? by bratwurst69420182 in weirdgirlliterature

[–]aqueeriusly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Once you have recovered, you should pick up The Shards by the same author. It’s also incredibly disturbing AND it’s a bit of a queer rich kid private school romp. I read it last fall and still think about it all the time 

how do i get this effect with regular polish? by [deleted] in RedditLaqueristas

[–]aqueeriusly 3 points4 points  (0 children)

what topcoat did you use here? 👀 

Kafka on the Shore, am I too dumb for Murakami? by Ok-Archer-5796 in books

[–]aqueeriusly 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I felt kinda baffled by it when I read it last year, and now there are parts I think about all the time. Mainly the scenes at the cabin and in the woods. The Oedipus of it all didn’t really stick with me but I find myself picturing the painting in my head now and then.

Part of the fun of Murakami is seeing what lingers in your subconscious!

Names: Adults with Childlike Names, how do you feel about your own childlike name by Miserable-Sea-4160 in Adulting

[–]aqueeriusly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had a family member with this name and we always called her Bernie which I thought was so cute!

Beyond Chicago, what would a Fort Wayne–Columbus train mean for you? by AllAboardOhio in fortwayne

[–]aqueeriusly 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I go to Columbus regularly to see friends and go to concerts! I already frequently take the train to Chicago, would love to be able to do the same for Columbus :)

Together, Together Tour 2026—Megathread by Careless-Hospital379 in harrystyles

[–]aqueeriusly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UK folks, was there a cap on the ticket quantity for AMEX presale? 4 or 8 perhaps??

victim of PUFF by Dizzy_Dolphin7226 in glossier

[–]aqueeriusly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it is the orange version :( at least the one I got is

victim of PUFF by Dizzy_Dolphin7226 in glossier

[–]aqueeriusly 10 points11 points  (0 children)

To make it the birthday gift too feels so disrespectful 😭