Oakland REPRESENT

Tumblr of the Oakland FYA Book Group: Grown-ass ladies. Young Adult books. Reppin' the Town.

[oakfya]

This year Forever Young Adult - Oakland organized a donation of ten bags for Project Night Night in San Francisco. PNN aims to put a book, stuffed animal, and blanket in the hands of every child living in a shelter over the holidays. As you can see we had some pretty great books going out to these kids

[oakfya]

“If there is gossip to be garnered, garner it. If there are new dress styles to be imitated, imitate them. If there are hearts to be broken, break them. That's my girls.” 

+5 Gamemaker Bonus -CG

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Annnnnnnd SCENE

Posting fingers down, everyone! Book 3 is officially CLOSED FOR SHOWDOWN BUSINESS.

Look for the Puzzle 3 Solution here on the Hub, Mandy’s Book 3 recap over at FYA, and Alexis’ final captains’ email earlyish on Monday—there may be a surprise waiting for you!

[oakfya]

Victoria Schwab's A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC has SO many incredible characters, including the many parallel Londons that our characters find themselves in throughout the story: Grey London: "our" London during the Victorian era,a London where magic is all but forgotten, and home to Delilah Bard: orphan, thief, fashion icon.-Earl Grey ice cream, whipped cream, lavender syrup, dark chocolate covered almonds, plus a palace guard and The Tower of London White London: a London where magic rules and those with the most magic rule over everyone. Currently on the throne: Astrid and Athos Dane. They make Cersei and Jaime Lannister look like KITTENS.-vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, vanilla bean paste, and Swedish fish as an homage to the Scandinavian-influenced White London Red London: another London where magic flourishes, but in a much more controlled fashion. Kells is an Antari, a rare magician that can slip between Londons, and Red London is where he calls home.-strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, dark chocolate espresso beans, red licorice nibs. The espresso beans are for Kell, who does much of his work for the king at odd hours and in a very clandestine fashion. Black London: a London so obsessed with magic that it was literally consumed by it...or was it?-We added pools of hot fudge on either side of the sundae because the stories of how Black London fell are always present as is the subsequent fear of what could happen to the other Londons.

[oakfya]

Dear Olivia-of-May-2003, Hey there! So, don't freak out, but it's me. I mean, it's you. Like, I am you, just a few years older than you. Like, almost thirty but who's counting. I know you have questions. Will we become famous Broadway stars? Will all the people who bullied us and teased us and made us cry die in a freak tornado the minute we leave Indiana? Will we *ever* be able to pull off yellow? I cannot answer these things. These are questions which, if you had the answers to them, might create a rift in the space-time continuum and end up causing an endless war with the Klingons. (Ok, fine, you got one answer: we are still a huge geek. But you're not surprised are you?) I know you're busy. In a month you and Mom will pack up everything you own and move from Indiana to New York City, Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of. (Yes, I know it's grammatically incorrect; believe me if I could change it I would. You'll see what I mean.) A lot is going to be different there. It won't be the fantasy you've conjured in your mind. But it will make you a stronger person, and it will get you where you need to go, even if I can't tell you where that is because of the whole Klingon-war-Armageddon thing. It's also going to be frightening there. There will be a lot of sex, drugs, alcohol, and Starbucks going on around you. There will be times when you are frightened. There will be times when you are elated. There are times you will be despondent. I'm sending you one thing from the future: a book. It's called Exit, Pursued By A Bear and yes, that is a Shakespeare reference. Good for you, you theater nerd. You've been really lucky: you've never felt unsafe in Indiana, not really. That will change in NYC, and you'll realize that there is a side to humanity that you didn't know existed. You'll realize that being a woman in the world can be a terrifying thing. You'll learn to not make eye contact with men on the street, to walk in groups, and to always pour your own drinks. I am not sending you this book to make you scared. The world is a scary place and it can do that just fine on its own. I'm sending you this for a few reasons. One is to show you that it's so, so important to listen to and support other women, especially when they are victimized by violence or vitriol. Another is to show you that even in times of your greatest struggles, good friends will stick by you and help you get back on your feet. Surround yourself with people you can count on. Don't let the pressures of your peer group force you to accept anything less than respect and love from your friends. Be kind and generous, like you always have been, but make sure to find friends who reciprocate. Kick the Leontes of your life to the curb and find your own Paulina. Finally, read this book and realize that 1 in 3 women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. These are your friends, neighbors, and classmates. You may never know who they are, but they are there. Be their ally, even if you don't know who they are. Do not let sexist language go by unchallenged. Shut down slut shaming and police your own speech. Cultivate a culture of consent and accountability. I know I've gotten real serious here. Just remember that at the end of the day, your female friends are the best resource you have. You're about to embark on an amazing journey, full of highs and lows, good coffee and bad fashion choices. Your friends will be the ones who will be by your side, and they'll be the ones who call you at 3AM when something terrible has happened. You'll do goofy, gutsy, garish things with them that will make up the fabric of your life story. I'm just passing back a book to help you start out right. Good luck! Olivia-of-the-future P.S. For the love of GOD do not buy that magenta off-the-shoulder sweater. It belongs in the 80's and should stay there. You will regret that thing and its appearance in FAR too many pictures circa 2003-4 for the rest of your life. Trust me.

[oakfya]

It’s like Amanda stole the print of this dress right off the cover of And I Darken!

[oakfya]

Visit Original Link

Just your average day in Anytown, USA, home of the Cardinals and Vampyres.

(Written by FYAOAK member and genius, Hannah, and performed by former radio talk show host, Amanda, and the town gossip, Christy. Special shout out to FYA husband, Stephen, who assisted with the production and Jared cameo) 

Gamemaker Bonus: +5 FD

[oakfya]

Miss Maude Lynne and her twin live across the country from each other and frequently go through the cycle of I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister

. Both of them are in low key cosplay representing the characters on the cover!

[oakfya]

Nancy and Christy loved Outrun the Moon so much that they took a historic tour of San Francisco, which was curated by Stacey Lee, and recreated the story of the Unsinkable Mercy Wong.

[oakfya]

FYAOakland Bookends: Brains and Brawn💪🏽🙌🏽

Christiana sewed these bookends out of contrasting fabric and filled them with rice to give them some heft. She purchased the two figures (Wonder Women and Bumblebee) and made the little books in the hands out of cardstock:)

Gamemaker bonus: +5 JD

[oakfya]

“Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it shouldn’t be this big awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I’m just saying.”

Gamemaker Bonus:

+5 AG (leggings and sunnies on POINT)

[oakfya]

For the full Ready Player One experience, you’ll need to level up with the following props and line participation. Please dress in your punny-est 8 bit referenced tshirt.

Audience Participation Lines and Prop Execution

-First timers are N00Bz

Ongoing Participation

-Every time Wade complains about how much his life sucks, audience says, “Totally!” 

-Any time there’s a GAME OVER, make a descending beep melody. 

-When “Ready Player One” is mentioned, make it rain with your plastic coins and yell, PRESS START.

-Toss plastic eggs any time the “egg” at the end of the game is mentioned 

Chapter 1

-Hold up your pet rock when Wade says, “People who live in glass houses should shut the fuck up” 

-Put on the mask when Wade says he was named Wade Watts because it sounded like a superhero. 

Chapter 3

-Toss the paper airplane to the front when the “Shirley”/Airplane joke is made 

Chapter 4

-Any mention of Firefly or Serenity, say, “Let’s go be bad guys!” 

Chapter 6

-When Wade says, “I watched a lot of YouTube videos of cute geeky girls playing '80s cover tunes on ukuleles” yell, LIVIN ON A PRAYER 

-First mention of the Simpsons, take a bite out of your donut and yell DOH.

Chapter 8

-When challenged to a game of Joust, throw the feathers in the air. 

Chapter 9

-When Wade says, “Overall, she seemed to be going for a sort of mid-’80s postapocalyptic cyberpunk girl-next-door look. And it was working for me, in a big way” say, “but is she hot?” (he answers, “In one word: hot”) 

Chapter 17

-When Wade talks about cereal box toys, throw your toys at the front. 

Chapter 27

-When Wade says “Going outside is highly overrated” put on your shades and say, “The future’s so bright I gotta wear shades.” 

Chapter 30

-When Wade says, “Lights”, turn on your flashlight and point it at the ceiling. 

Props & Quotes

-Sunglasses (”Going outside is highly overrated.”)

-Pet Rock (”People who live in glass houses should shut the fuck up.”)

-Small plastic toy (”I was watching a collection of vintage '80s cereal commercials when I paused to wonder why cereal manufacturers no longer included toy prizes inside every box. It was a tragedy, in my opinion. Another sign that civilization was going straight down the tubes.”) 

-Feathers (“Very well!” he said. “You shall prove your worth by facing me in a joust!” I’d never heard of an undead lich king challenging someone to a joust. Especially not in a subterranean burial chamber. “All right,” I said uncertainly. “But won’t we be needing horses for that?” “Not horses,” he replied, stepping away from his throne. “Birds.”)

-Flashlight (“Lights," I said softly. This had become my favorite word over the past week. In my mind, it had become synonymous with freedom.”) 

-Plastic Easter Eggs (”The Hunt for Halliday's egg pretty much has the same cultural impact that John F. Kennedy's assassination did in the 1960s.”) 

-Plastic coins (“These three words were always the last thing an OASIS user saw before leaving the real world and entering the virtual one: READY PLAYER ONE”) 

-A donut (“What about The Simpsons, you ask? I knew more about Springfield than I knew about my own city.”) 

-Paper Airplane (“Surely, you must be joking,” Aech said. “No, I am not joking. And don’t call me Shirley.”) 

-Mask (“My mom once told me that my dad had given me an alliterative name, Wade Watts, because he thought it sounded like the secret identity of a superhero. Like Peter Parker or Clark Kent.”)

[oakfya]

“I think that we can all agree that on this trip, the sword was a solid emergency supply.” - Lady Renegades 

[oakfya]

Christy has been deemed guilty of crimes against the guild and has therefore been branded FLAWED. 

[oakfya]

Riannon caught a Poliwag trying to interfere with her summer reading. RUDE.

[fyasummershowdown]

Photo Bonus #3: Low-Key Cover Cosplay

Have you heard of Disneybounding? Well, read up on it, because for this final Photo Hunt bonus we are giving you a chance to do (almost) just that! Our twist? We want you do low-key cosplay as the YA covers you’ve chosen for your Book 3 Photo Hunt submissions. Natch!

Guidelines:

- Each Photo Hunt submission featuring one of your team’s members cosplaying the cover scheme will earn +4 bonus points.

- The cosplay cannot be the *only* element of the cover interpretation; set up the photos how you would have without any bonus points on offer, so that anyone unaware of the cosplay scheme would still get the pun/tableau/joke if they saw the photo without context.

- That said, include context! Specifically, the cover image of whatever edition of your book you chose (foreign editions absolutely welcome).

Need a boost of inspiration? Check out the genius Twitter account, Harry as Books:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) pic.twitter.com/hiJkpR0ZmL

Or go even fancier with something like The NOVL’s Re(a)d Carpet:

Tag all your bonus-eligible submissions with #2016 photo bonus 3.

Deadline for cosplay bonuses is midnight PT, July 31. 

[fyasummershowdown]

2016 Puzzle #3: The Old School One

Email your guesses to [email protected]. As the letter states, you can make up to three guesses this time and still be eligible for points. Deadline is midnight PT, July 31.

NB: There’s still only +10 points on offer for this puzzle, so if mental decryption aerobics aren’t your thing, go ahead and apply your energies instead to slaying the final set of Artifact Hunt items!