“
That’s the truth of the world, Jessica,” he says, casually full-naming me to let me know something big is coming. “Nobody waves—but everybody waves back."
I hear his mic drop all the way from Chicago.
”
”
Jessica Pan (Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: An Introvert's Year of Living Dangerously)
“
My last performance Some old lady drops the mic And kills everyone I
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2))
“
She's not mine, you sick fuck. She's not some piece of fucking property you only respect because she belongs to another man. You respect her because she's a fucking woman who deserves to take a train home without being harassed by assholes like you.
”
”
Alexa Martin (Intercepted (Playbook, #1))
“
Notice that the story [of technical progress accelerating indefinitely] is not testable; we just have to wait around and see. If the predicted year of true AI's coming is false, too, another one can be forecast, a few decades into the future. AI in this sense is unfalsifiable and thus--according to the accepted rules of the scientific method--unscientific.
”
”
Erik J. Larson (The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can’t Think the Way We Do)
“
If I were you, I'd go stretch myself over her grave and die like a faithful dog.
”
”
Emily Brontë (Wuthering Heights)
“
You thought standing in his shadow was cold while he was alive, but standing in the shadow of his martyrdom is colder, isn't it?
”
”
Nicki Pau Preto (Bonesmith (House of the Dead, #1))
“
Mike and Sarge were taking the straps off the buggies while Doc and Ted kept watch. Sarge was dropping the last strap into the trailer when his radio cracked, “Draco Three, Stump Knocker.” Sarge turned from the buggy to look out across the dried-up pond, keying his mic. “Go for Stump Knocker.” “Looks like you’ve got some fast movers heading your way from the east. They aren’t
”
”
A. American (Surviving Home (The Survivalist, #2))
“
A boat was a place where no one could reach you, a place where some boy couldn't slide into your path to make you a prop in his joke. Even when the boys rowed past us, all we'd do was holler or chant; we didn't have to drop everything to watch them, which was the usual expectation. (Do you remember, for instance, the fake Woodstock that Marco Washington and Mike Stiles set up on the quad? They hauled couches from the dorms, used extension cords for guitars and stand mics. I joined the audience to listen to their terrible playing because it was the thing to do. Just as Open Dorm nights were for girls to feign interest in boys playing video games. Just as the only sporting events with full stands were for boys' teams. At the time, what rankled was the idea that we were supposed to see these boys as the stars, to fall at their sweaty feet. What bothers me now is those boys internalizing girls as audience, there only to act as mirrors, to make their accomplishments realer.)
”
”
Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You)
“
Trace,” she prompted. “Would you like to tell our friends our exciting news?” Her expression indicated that she’d barely been able to not call him a dumbass for gaping at her like an idiot. “Of course I would.” He turned and flashed his panty-dropping grin at the audience. “Our exciting news is that Kylie and I are expecting.” The response was almost deafening. A hand smacked him hard in the chest. “We’re expecting y’all to come see us on the road. Because tonight we’re kicking off our The Other Side of Me tour,” she clarified, practically shouting into the mic over the bedlam. He winked when she glared at him.
”
”
Caisey Quinn (Girl in Love (Kylie Ryans, #3))
“
When Ursula was offered a “promotion” from the children’s to the adult’s department, she turned it down with the eloquent but mic-dropping statement, “I couldn’t possibly be interested in books for dead dull finished adults, and thank you very much but I have to get back to my desk to publish some more good books for bad children.
”
”
Mackenzi Lee (Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World)
“
Actually, Richard, what’s interesting is that you have a totally loveless marriage, and so you assume that everyone else must, too. But guess what? I love Sebastian.”
“And Paul.” I turn to my ex’s dad. “What’s also interesting is that your son had a totally loving relationship that he abandoned to chase someone who could further his career. And so you must assume that the next man I fall for would be a self-serving narcissist, too. But Sebastian’s nothing like Adam.” I smile. “Thank the Lord. So, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and Screw You Very Much.
”
”
Katie Bailey (Season's Schemings (Cyclones Christmas, #1))
“
All of this ‘offering up something personal’ made me feel the old clammy twinge of fear of rejection.
Then Nick reminds me that social life is governed by reciprocity.
‘A few years ago, I was driving through a remote part of Ethiopia and I kept passing all these mothers and children outside their mud huts. Everybody I passed stared at me like I was dead: totally blank facial expression. It was the most uncomfortable I’d ever felt in my life.
‘But then it occurred to me, while I was sitting there, I was looking at them in exactly the same way they’re looking at me. So I started smiling and waving as I went by – and it was like I flipped a switch. As soon as I started smiling, waving and looking friendly, they started waving from their windows, grinning at me and running out of their houses to give me high fives.
‘That’s the truth of the world, Jessica,’ he says, casually full-naming me to let me know something big is coming.
‘Nobody waves – but everybody waves back.’
I hear his mic drop all the way from Chicago.
”
”
Jessica Pan (Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: An Introvert's Year of Living Dangerously)
“
She clicks on the last slide, and that’s when it happens. “Me So Horny” blasts out of the speakers and my video, mine and Peter’s, flashes on the projector screen. Someone has taken the video from Anonybitch’s Instagram and put their own soundtrack to it. They’ve edited it too, so I bop up and down on Peter’s lap at triple speed to the beat.
Oh no no no no. Please, no.
Everything happens at once. People are shrieking and laughing and pointing and going “Oooh!” Mr. Vasquez is jumping up to unplug the projector, and then Peter’s running onstage, grabbing the microphone out of a stunned Reena’s hand.
“Whoever did that is a piece of garbage. And not that it’s anybody’s fucking business, but Lara Jean and I did not have sex in the hot tub.”
My ears are ringing, and people are twisting around in their seats to look at me and then shifting back around to look at Peter.
“All we did was kiss, so fuck off!” Mr. Vasquez, the junior class advisor, is trying to grab the mic back from Peter, but Peter manages to maintain control of it. He holds the mic up high and yells out, “I’m gonna find whoever did this and kick their ass!” In the scuffle, he drops the mic. People are cheering and laughing. Peter’s being frog-marched off the stage, and he frantically looks out into the audience. He’s looking for me.
The assembly breaks up then, and everyone starts filing out the doors, but I stay low in my seat. Chris comes and finds me, face alight. She grabs me by the shoulders. “Ummm, that was crazy! He freaking dropped the F bomb twice!”
I am still in a state of shock, maybe. A video of me and Peter hot and heavy was just on the projector screen, and everyone saw Mr. Vasquez, seventy-year-old Mr. Glebe who doesn’t even know what Instagram is. The only passionate kiss of my life and everybody saw.
Chris shakes my shoulders. “Lara Jean! Are you okay?” I nod mutely, and she releases me. “He’s kicking whoever did it’s ass? I’d love to see that!” She snorts and throws her head back like a wild pony. “I mean, the boy’s an idiot if he thinks for one second it wasn’t Gen who posted that video. Like, wow, those are some serious blinders, y’know?” Chris stops short and examines my face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Everybody saw us.”
“Yeah…that sucked. I’m sure that was Gen’s handiwork. She must’ve gotten one of her little minions to sneak it onto Reena’s PowerPoint.” Chris shakes her head in disgust. “She’s such a bitch. I’m glad Peter set the record straight, though. Like, I hate to give him credit, but that was an act of chivalry. No guy has ever set the record straight for me.
”
”
Jenny Han (P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2))
“
He took the trophy and the mic and said, ‘Uhm,’ and then laughed, almost as if he were at a loss for words. When the presenters insisted though, he looked to the audience and thanked his crew again, Danny Boyle especially, the people of Mumbai and the optimism that he believed was the essence of the film. ‘All my life,’ he said, finally looking like he was starting to choke up, ‘I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love. And I’m here. God bless.’ Truer words he could not have spoken. At every point in his life he had faced this crucial choice. When his father died. When he had to start working before he was even a teenager. When he had to drop out of school. When he had to grow up faster than any child could have reasonably been expected to; when he had to become the man of the house at eleven, had to take care of his family. When he felt creatively stifled during his days as a sessions player and wondered if this was all his life was going to be about. When he felt his music wasn’t being appreciated widely or truly enough before Roja. When it seemed he was all alone, with no one to turn to. When he became famous. He could have chosen to be bitter, prideful or sad at every stage. But he didn’t. If not for his music, then simply for his capacity to choose light over dark, A.R. Rahman deserves every bit of adulation he got that day and ever since. His speech done, AR lowered his mic, as if not trusting himself to keep his composure for much longer, and walked off the stage.
”
”
Krishna Trilok (Notes of a Dream: The Authorized Biography of A.R. Rahman)
“
Forgive me, but," he begins, and I know this can be going nowhere good, "what about the men who watch our channel? Do we really want to look so biased? We can't alienate half our viewership."
I see Katherine open her mouth to respond, but then I must enter some kind of alternate reality in which I think I'm the best one to take these questions, as I open my big mouth and beat her to the punch. "Who's to say they'll be alienated, though? Men watch plenty of TV shows and movies led by women. Or if they don't, they certainly should. We've been put through five million Fast and the Furious and James Bond movies, for goodness' sake. And if they're opposed to watching and learning from women, because they think we're boring or don't get our perspectives, well, I reckon they're part of the problem."
I fold my arms over my chest defiantly, then lose my remaining nerve and avert my eyes from those of the CEO. When I look at the other women instead, they're all staring at me with some measure of shock, some looking amused and impressed on top of that.
Katherine is the first one to shake herself out of it and narrows her gaze on Geoffrey Block, CEO, once more. "It may also be of interest to you that if this series doesn't happen at Friends of Flavor, I plan on hosting it on my personal site, the Kat's Muse. I have advertisers who have long expressed interest in helping me launch my own videos, but I've been reluctant to take any of FoF's thunder. I would feel obligated to make it clear, though, that I was only hosting the series because this channel had rejected the proposal."
My jaw drops along with Katherine's figurative mic. She kept that little contingency plan from us yesterday, but damn. Of course she had a secret weapon in her back pocket.
Lily pipes up, "And if you all didn't know, men do not make up half of Friends of Flavor viewers. More like thirty percent. Meaning women are seventy percent. Maybe worth looking at who's really getting alienated."
Well okay, Lily. For someone who spends so much of the time off in her own mental universe, she sure knows how to pop back down to earth and spit facts when needed.
”
”
Kaitlyn Hill (Love from Scratch)
“
Come on, Val. When are you going to stop playing hard to get?”
I smiled at him. “The second you stop playing impossible to want.
”
”
Ruby Vincent (Marked (Evergreen Academy #1))
“
No, it’s a tip. One I’m giving you for free, not because I think you deserve it, but because Audrey loves you and what you’re doing is hurting her.” She sputters, face fully red now. I keep going before she can find words. “The more you try to control her into being who you want her to be, the more you lose the chance to get to know who she really is. And you’re missing out, because that person is seriously worth knowing. Maybe think about that the next time you’re tempted to treat her like some voiceless doll you can dress and manipulate.” Because there’s really nothing else that needs to be said, I let that be my mic drop.
”
”
Elle Maxwell (Go Fake Yourself)
“
Since it appears that you'll have your hands full thinking, I really must get to work.
”
”
Kerri Maniscalco (Throne of the Fallen (Prince of Sin, #1))
“
Your group is decades out of compliance with IRS requirements for nonprofits. Everything I've seen from you suggests your nonprofit is a sham. And Butyl and Dowidge doesn't represent sham organizations." I paused, letting this sink in. "Even if you hadn't been trying to kill Reggie from the moment you first contacted my firm, you're still the worst client I've ever had."
As I spoke, Richardson simply stood there, processing everything. "How much trouble are we in with the IRS, exactly?"
"A lot," I said. "Though it's hard to say exactly how much. Best-case scenario, they'll dissolve your nonprofit." I shrugged. "When that happens, you'll be getting a bill for back taxes you won't be able to pay, given your nonprofit's annual budget. And the worst-case scenario..."
John Richardson leaned forward, hanging on my every word. Excellent. "What is the worst-case scenario?"
I waited a beat before answering so my next words would have maximum impact. "Worst-case scenario is the IRS finds that you intentionally withheld taxes you owed. You could face time in jail." There. The closest thing to a mic drop any accountant ever got. I leaned in closer, readying myself for the kill. "Unless, of course, you do exactly what I tell you to do."
Richardson narrowed his eyes at me. "And what might that be?"
Bingo. This was the part I'd been looking forward to the most. The part I'd practiced in a mirror the night before until I'd gotten the ferocity of my expression just right.
"What happens next is you are going to leave Reginald Cleaves alone, forever. If you do that, we will pretend we've never heard of you if the IRS ever comes knocking." I trailed off, letting my words hang in the air for dramatic effect. In the entirety of my time as an accountant, I had never once had the opportunity to do anything for dramatic effect. I could all but feel Reggie looking on, beaming with pride. "If you continue to harass Reggie, however, I tell the IRS everything I know.
”
”
Jenna Levine (My Vampire Plus-One (My Vampires, #2))
“
Shit Can Happen"
Bitch
Yeah...
[1] - Shit can happen [8X]
[Kon Artis]
Yo, yo, huh, yo, yo, yo
That's right motherfuckers we back
Same slanging, orangatangin, wilding out on hoodrats
They say I act like I'm too famous to say hi
And tell 'em what my name is but really I'm still nameless...
You niggas don't get it yet do you
Dealing out platinum or flop I still put it through you
Wit a luger that'll spit fire
And hit higher than a pitch by a bitch like Mariah
You think for one second since we got a deal
That we won't deal wit you in front of St Andrew's still?
You gay rappers better learn that
I won't stop until I see 'em turn back
If you don't slow that roll you got
You gonna see these Runyan Ave. niggas that really need some Prozac
For' sure' that, ask the others
But gator lay you down next to your mother's mother's grandmother
[Kuniva]
You know I'm feeling real rowdy tonight
Ready to fight and half the niggas I give dap to I don't even like
The same cat who never gave a damn about your name
I gives a fuck about it like the next selling Clippers' game
I kill you in ways you couldn't even fathom
You and your madame, it's really unexplainable how I have 'em
Who call theyself screaming about a challenge
Nigga we got a gift while you barely making it off mere talent
My skills are deeply embedded even your hoe said it
She was knock kneed I fucked her now she's bow legged
In the middle of rappin I drop the mic
And have a stare down and jump in the crowd and start scrappin
Kuniva and Kon Artis my nigga we get it cracking
While the paramedics pick you up we on the side laughing
[HOOK: 1- in background]
[Kon Artis]
Now this aint funny so don't you dare laugh
Shit can happen in him and yo' ass
You can be touched don't think you can't
Cause niggas aint fucking around no more man [repeat]
[Swifty McVay]
”
”
Reginald Sanjay Pal
“
I’m sure,” Nina continues, “you never got food like this in prison, did you, Millie?” Mic drop.
”
”
Freida McFadden (The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1))
“
Anyway, a few months ago I met this really great guy, and we had this thing. It was amazing. Best... everything I’ve ever had, but I pushed him away because I was terrified. I was terrified he’d break my heart, hurt me, control me, take my dreams and ambition away from me. Don’t get me started on why I thought that. You’d need several sessions and a psychology degree to get to the bottom of that. But I need to let go of that. I’ve been teaching all these women to be brave while I’ve been hiding from my own feelings. Enough of that.” She hands the mic to Emma, standing tall at her side, and pulls something out of the bag she brought out with her. The purple fabric unfurls from her fingertips, and she drops it over her head. Need, want, love. All the feelings swell up in my chest at the sight of my name and number emblazoned across her back. The jersey’s so big it falls almost to her knees, covering her hands, but it looks better on her than the sexiest lingerie.
”
”
Nikki Jewell (The Red Line (Lakeview Lightning #2))
“
Anyway, to me he’s just Sunny. Come on up, Jacks, don’t be shy.”
His eyes are wide, and he’s mouthing, “What the fuck?” At me while his friends shove him.
“Sunny.”
“What’s going on, Starlight?” His words are too quiet for the mic to pick up clearly.
“You know I love you. I wouldn’t be here in this amazing city with this fantastic group of ladies if you hadn’t come crashing into my life. Literally.” His laugh has a nervous edge to it. “We might not seem like a perfect match from the outside, but somehow, we work. You make every single day a little lighter, a little more fun, and you drive me freaking insane sometimes.” He smirks. “But I love how you challenge me to be a better person. You make me whole. And so....” I scrabble in the waist pouch Jo passed to me after the bout. “Will you drive me crazy for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me, Jackson?”
He leans into the mic. “Are you kidding me, Starlight? Way to steal my thunder.”
“What?” I pull back.
He reaches into the pocket of his jeans. “I was going to propose to you. I’ve been carrying this around for weeks. It was all planned out.” He pulls out a small grey velvet box.
My chest shudders with laughter. “You always were too slow to keep up with me. Better get your skate coach to work on your speed.”
“You like it when I take my time.”
“Wait. So, is that a yes?” I shove at him to get a little distance. It’s entirely possible I could self combust if he doesn’t give me a bit of space.
“No.” I gasp as he drops to one knee. “Starlight. You’re my world. That day I knocked you over at that shitty roller rink was the best day of my life. I say was, because every day I’ve gotten to have you in my life has been a little better, and the day I get to slide my ring on your finger to make it permanent. I can’t wait for that. So, Tasha Scar, will you marry me?”
My smile spreads all the way up my face, his eyes falling to the dimple I’ve grown to appreciate. “Fine. But just remember. I asked first.
”
”
Nikki Jewell (The Red Line (Lakeview Lightning #2))
“
Seriously? I wouldn't need to be rescued. I would find out which way was downhill and locate the nearest water source to follow or I'd climb high and look for gaps in tree lines due to roads, power cables, or train tracks. At night, I'd look for artificial light sources..." I paused when I noticed the smirk had been totally wiped off Jack's face. "Do you want me to tell you how I'd read the night sky? I can do that, too. Oh, and I also know how to make a fire out of sticks and build a rudimentary shelter. I joined an orienteering club when I was a kid to learn outdoor survival skills, and every Christmas I asked Santa for survival gear."
Silence.
"Boom." I opened my hand and closed it again, giving Jack my most satisfied smile. "Mic drop.
”
”
Sara Desai ('Til Heist Do Us Part (Simi Chopra #2))
“
I wouldn't want this to turn into a generic Asian hodgepodge, for example. Or a brand where the Korean part is no longer core to the business. Or the branding is offensive. Remember when Abercrombie and Fitch had all those offensive Asian T-shirts a few years back? I wouldn't want that to happen."
Wyatt slurped his straw. "Jessie, sometimes you really overthink it all. For a company your size, the offer is more than fair. You'll have so much money, you can go invest it somewhere and retire on a secluded beach. These guys, Rich and Tommy, they have vision! They make magic happen with any business they acquire. Their Persian Eats cookbook based on their Netflix series has held the number one spot on the bestseller list for three months. The author is this fancy Culinary Institute of the Arts instructor. Dudley something; I forget his name, some English dude. Tommy, didn't you tell me he was chomping at the bit to do a splashy Seoul Sistas cookbook?"
My whole body tensed. "We already have one coming out. And did you just say a White dude would be writing a Korean Seoul Sistas cookbook?"
He backtracked in the most Wyatt-like way. "I never said that exactly. And I didn't say he was White."
"With a name like Dudley, he's not exactly a sista."
The silence in the room was palpable. Wyatt asked, "So no deal? Any smart business leader would jump at this opportunity."
My God. Was he serious?
"No deal." I looked at Daniel, pleading for any lifeline he could throw me to get me out of there.
He stood from his chair. "Rich, Tommy, as always, it's been a pleasure working with you these last few weeks, but my contract ends now, at five P.M. And Wyatt, I'm respectfully declining your offer of full-time employment."
Wyatt's mouth formed a perfect O. "But... why?"
"I have a new client to counsel. Jessie Kim. And effective immediately, we'll be declining your offer and evaluating all of our options for selling or retaining her business."
I stood and pushed the chair back with my leg. "Thank you so much for finding time to meet with me, and it was great meeting you, Rich and Tommy." Shooting a death stare at Wyatt, I continued, "As a smart business leader in a new and growing category, it's best for me now to consider my options and explore alternatives.
”
”
Suzanne Park (So We Meet Again)
“
Whatever you like. Mikki has us on a pretty strict diet, but Mikki isn’t here right now.”
“What’s the diet for?” she asked absently, picking up the room phone.
“The muscles you’re always drooling over
”
”
Jane Washington (Tourner (Ironside Academy, #2))
“
That’s the truth of the world, Jessica,” he says, casually full-naming me to let me know something big is coming. “Nobody waves—but everybody waves back.” I hear his mic drop all the way from Chicago.
”
”
Jessica Pan (Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes)
“
I’m sort of nervous you’ll find out
Even though I want you to
I’m sort of nervous you’ll be angry
Even though I know that’s not you
We’ve been through this all before
And you never made me feel unsure
But still
A hush had fallen over the crowd as soon as she began to sing and Julie marveled at how different this atmosphere was from the raucous one the boys had described to her from their visit to the club. She wondered if Caleb would be satisfied with her slow and emotional song choice but if he was dissatisfied with her he didn’t show it on his face. He merely glanced around at the rapt expressions of the lifers and smirked. Julie allowed her eyes to slide over to her friends who were both watching her with knowing looks. She knew that the sadness in her lyrics was reflected in their eyes, that they felt sorry for her and that they ached for Luke too. She forced her gaze away from them, needing to focus on getting through the song and finding it almost impossible in the face of their pity.
I’m sort of hopeful you’ll find out
Even though that’s not fair
I’m sort of hopeful you'll guess
Even though I’m so scared
I don’t know what the right choice is
And part of me wants you to insist
But still
Despite all of the circumstances that made singing this particular song in this particular venue absolutely loaded down with baggage she found herself slipping into the zone she always occupied when performing. She could feel the heady rush of doing what she was meant to do in front of people hanging on her every word. She wished Luke was there to sing with her but she had also never been so glad that he wasn’t. She gripped the mic stand and raised her voice to new heights as she began the chorus.
How do I tell you this isn’t where I belong?
How do I tell you this was a tragedy all along?
That we never had a chance
At a happy ending at all
Just a few brief stolen moments
Between your heart and mine
How do I tell you?
How do I tell you?
Goodbye
She could hear emotion breaking through into her voice but she didn’t care. The ghost band once again seemed to sense what she had heard in her head and the music built and built before suddenly dropping to next to nothing. A few chords on the piano were all that accompanied the final verse as she gave it her all.
I’m sort of happy we happened
Even though I know the memories
Will hurt
I’m sort of happy we met here
Even if it took a curse
I know that I’ve made mistakes
And some of them are hard to shake
But still
Julie allowed herself to truly see the audience for the first time. They were still watching her with awed expressions but something about the lighting in the club seemed different. There was a soft golden glow settling over the whole room. Julie blinked and the glow was gone. She barely had time to wonder if she had imagined it before the band came back in full force for the final chorus.
How do I tell you this isn’t where I belong?
How do I tell you this was a tragedy all along?
That we never had a chance
At a happy ending at all
Just a few brief stolen moments
Between your heart and mine
How do I tell you?
How do I tell you?
Goodbye
The band fell away again and Julie’s voice echoed through the ballroom alone on the final lines.
How do I tell you?
Goodbye
”
”
ICanSpellConfusionWithAK (We Found Wonderland)
“
Why do I feel like I just got a huge target on my back?” “Because you kind of did,” Daniella replied honestly. “Demigods don’t take it too kindly when you insult their godly parents like that.” “She started it,” I argued as I stuffed a fork into the middle of my pile of food. “Doesn’t matter,” Daniella concluded. “You continued it.” “She basically dropped the mic, and then you picked it up and threw it at her head when you should have just left the mic on the ground and walked offstage,” the other girl said with an astonished shake of her head. “It was kind of awesome, actually.
”
”
Simon Archer (Forge of the Gods (Forge of the Gods, #1))
“
If your answer to fate’s twists was anger, violence and revenge, then you would disappear down a dangerous rabbit hole. This morning, staring into the mirror at a stranger, then the crazy idea of attending this event (correction, stalking at this event) had brought him to this what-the-hell wake-up moment. The tent had grown increasingly more stifling as if he sat in the center of a hot furnace which piped the air about him. On his forehead, drops of sweat beaded. Even his palms felt sticky and moist. William undid the top button of his shirt but that had nil effect. He looked to his left and right, but nobody else appeared to match his discomfort. They all continued to stare, mouths agape, at Morris like a pack of hypnotized zombies. Lights barely on and only the animals left at home. “And that’s why… should put… odds in your… favor.” Morris’ voice crackled in and out as if his microphone was faulty. The fault wasn’t in the mic, it lay in William’s head. The wires in his brain had crossed and tangled. The
”
”
Susan May (Best Seller)
“
The love of God, Paul said, is demonstrated beyond a doubt by the once-for-all sacrificial death of Christ. The crucifixion is the last word on love. The mic drop. The end-all, be-all. The irrefutable proof. It would be extremely rare for anyone to offer to die for another person, even a righteous or good one. But someone did die for love. And so that we're not confused about whether we might have deserved that kind of love, Paul is brutally blunt: we did not. We were powerless, ungodly sinners when God poured out his love on us. He loved us out of the perfection of his heart, in spite of the obvious flaws of our own.
Why is this such good news? Because it means God's love for me rests on God's character, not mine. On God's goodness, not my own. On God's strong, pursuing love, not my weak, wavering imitation of it. If I didn't earn his love by my good behavior, I won't lose it when I behave badly - and sometimes I do. When I place my faith in the finished work of Christ's death and resurrection, I am on solid ground with God. His love for me is not iffy.
”
”
Laura Story
“
You're a liar, and worse-- you broke my heart. You're not a mother. You're a villain."
Gothel's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened and hung there as though even she was a little curious as to what she would say, what words would come and bring the situation back under her control.
"I would rather take my chances with an honest villain like Bathory!" Rapunzel hissed. "Get out of my sight and never let me see you again!"
"Or what?" Gothel asked, a knowing, nasty tone in her voice: her real voice. "What could you do to me, Rapunzel? I am your mother, and besides that I control all of these sword-playing idiots."
"Did you forget that I'm a crown princess? And a powerful witch who can control her hair now. Or did you think the castle just fell on its own today?
"Either way, your time with me is over, if you know what is good for you."
The two women glared at each other.
And after a minute, Rapunzel realized that's what they were: two women. Despite being younger and shorter than Gothel, she wasn't a girl anymore. She had power and will and a stubborn disposition.
"Go. Now," she ordered. "Never approach me again."
Her mother started to growl something--
"What's that? I can't hear you. All that mumbling," Rapunzel said airily, and walked away, turning her back on the woman forever.
”
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Liz Braswell (What Once Was Mine)
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Paul was committed to Denny having a showcase on the album, though, so he found a way around Denny’s vocal shortcomings: sharing a mic with Laine, Paul joined him in the chorus, taking the spotlight as Denny dropped back. With ‘Spirits of Ancient Egypt’ now complete, Paul and O’Duffy set
”
”
Allan Kozinn (The McCartney Legacy: Volume 2: 1974 – 80: A comprehensive look at Paul McCartney's life and work post-Beatles.)