11+ mon, 2+ week ago (209+ words) [A stack of books chained up] After a disagreement with a local review committee, an Anoka County Minnesota school district decided to allow a national conservative group, BookLooks, to determine which books are permitted in its schools. Conservatives have abused their power in places like Montgomery County, where they put together a "Citizens Review Committee" to bar educators and librarians from the process of reviewing challenged books. However, even a local review committee didn't give conservatives the desired power in Anoka County, so they moved on to BookLooks. That is a true story of his time in Jewish prisoner camps. It has the exact same rating as some of the books that are being reviewed currently, with the same description of "inexplicit sexual conversation.' Not pornography. " If we go with BookLooks, that book is taken away. That's telling us that…...

8+ mon, 1+ week ago (233+ words) El (she/her) is The Mary Sue's U.K. and weekend editor and has been working as a freelance entertainment journalist for over two years, ever since she completed her Ph.D. in Creative Writing. El's primary focus is television and movie coverage for The Mary Sue, including British TV (she's seen every episode of Midsomer Murders ever made) and franchises like Marvel and Pok'mon. As much as she enjoys analyzing other people's stories, her biggest dream is to one day publish an original fantasy novel of her own. [Cover art for The Deal by Elle Kennedy]The exponential explosion of the romance genre in publishing over the last few years is finally making its way to Hollywood, as yet another best-selling romance series is set to be adapted for the small screen Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus hockey romance novels will be adapted into…...

10+ mon, 1+ week ago (419+ words) Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews. Wildfires have…...

5+ mon, 1+ week ago (121+ words) The Nexus of Pop Culture and the Uncharted Universe [Roll Initiative featured image 1920 by 1080 pixels]We're thrilled to announce the launch of Roll Initiative, a brand-new corner of the internet dedicated to all things tabletop gaming Roll Initiative is a space built for the people who get it " the ones who see a stack of rulebooks and feel a weird sense of excitement instead of dread The ones who know the joy of lovingly painting a miniature, only to roll a one and watch that same miniature get absolutely obliterated in its first turn It's for the strategists, the storytellers, the dice hoarders, and the players who know that every game night is a chance to create something memorable....

8+ mon, 2+ week ago (414+ words) Karla Sofia Gasc'n has spoken out about her uncovered hate tweets and the bruising aftermath of them. The trans community celebrated when Gasc'n became the first ever trans woman nominated for a Best Actress award, thanks to her performance in the controversial Emilia P'rez. But celebrations were short-lived. Journalist Sarah Hagi went back through Gasc'n's X/Twitter account and discovered some shockingly racist remarks the actress had made about Islam, diversity, and Black Lives Matter. Everything fell apart for Gasc'n then. She apologized, but people continued to call her a racist, as they had every right to. I personally found her comments disgusting and was so disappointed that she blew her chance to be a trans trailblazer. But now she's spoken out about how the blowback affected her, and it's pretty sobering stuff. Gasc'n contemplated suicide. Speaking to the Hollywood…...

2+ mon, 1+ week ago (489+ words) A woman explained her reasoning as to why she takes a new route every time she walks her dog'even if she has nice neighbors. In a video with over 49,000 views on TikTok, Alexa Abney (@alexaabney69) discussed her safety precautions while walking her pet. "I take my dog for a walk every single night for 45 minutes to an hour," Abney said. "I walk from a different route every single night because I don't want someone to learn my route and follow me." "There's this old man in my neighborhood that's so sweet, and he always has treats, and he always gives all the dogs walking a treat," she said. "In my mind, he's a nice man that's giving my dog a treat." However, Abney said she also realizes in her mind that this man is "befriending" her dog, which can be a…...

9+ mon, 3+ week ago (235+ words) Football fans have been counting down the days for the single biggest sporting event in U.S. history, and now it's finally here. So grab your pizza and Football fans have been counting down the days for the single biggest sporting event in U.S. history, and now it's finally here. So grab your pizza and your buffalo chicken dip because the party is about to start this Sunday, February 9. Continue reading to see everything you need to know about where to watch the big event, who will be playing, and who will be performing for the halftime show. If you don't have cable for the big game day this weekend, don't worry because there are a few options for where you can watch it! Two weeks ago, the Chiefs went head-to-head with the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, for…...

9+ mon, 2+ week ago (248+ words) Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local caf's in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends. [ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 15: Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc and X (formerly Twitter) Ceo speaks at the Atreju political convention…...

8+ mon, 3+ week ago (249+ words) Rachel Ulatowski is a Staff Writer for The Mary Sue, who frequently covers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, literature, and celebrity news. She has over three years of experience in the digital media and entertainment industry, and her works can also be found on Screen Rant, JustWatch, and Tell-Tale TV. She enjoys running, reading, snarking on YouTube personalities, and working on her future novel when she's not writing professionally. You can find more of her writing on Twitter at @RachelUlatowski. [Donald Trump and Moms for Liberty]While the Department of Education has refused to confirm if Moms for Liberty was involved in its DEI "snitch line," Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice claims it's the "culmination" of her work It's hardly surprising Moms for Liberty would be ecstatic about the new snitch line, considering much of its "work" has revolved around…...

3+ mon, 3+ week ago (408+ words) Most servers agree that certain customer behaviors irk them, such as ordering water that goes untouched or being dog-whistled at to get their attention. One server reveals why customers who snatch a drink off a server's tray without their permission grind her gears. "Never take a drink off of a server's tray unless you hear the words, "please take this from off of this tray' come out of the server's mouth," TikTok creator @housecatchronicles begins the video. Regardless of whether your drink is the first one on the tray, her position still stands. "When a server is standing in front of your table, holding a tray brimming with drinks, and your drink happens to be right there in front of your face, that is not an invitation for you to then take your drink off of that tray," she explains....