u/ilygoldenblue222

I absolutely love Gillian Flynn's work. I read Gone Girl and Sharp Objects as a teenager, and ever since then, most thrillers I've read have just felt like "thrillers." They're enjoyable but none of them have really scratched the same itch (this could also be a nostalgia thing honestly lol)

I don't know if this makes sense, but a lot of books feel like they're trying so hard to manufacture suspense or pull off shocking plot twists, and they rarely land for me.

I also think she’s so good at writing psychological trauma without reducing her characters to it. They don't react in the ways you'd expect, but it never feels like she's subverting expectations just for the sake of it. Even the characters who are technically "victims" don't fit into that stereotypical victim role, which makes the story even more compelling (I love you Amy Dunne)

+ I love love her cynical and satirical narration. It’s so nice to see a character’s insights and commentary on modern day politics/life, even if just in passing. She does a good job in “showing and not telling,” especially when it comes to the character’s history through subtext and internal monologues.

One horror novel that gave me a similar feeling was The Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno. It didn't feel like it was trying too hard to scare me. The horror just grew naturally out of the narrator's grief and loneliness, and I found that way more unsettling than books that constantly chase bigger twists.

Share your thoughts and book recommendations please! 😊

Hi fellow Indonesian IR students (and graduates)!

Lately I’ve been rethinking my decision to study IR (I just finished my fourth semester), especially with how terrible the job market is.

From what I’ve seen, most people around me seem to be aiming for careers in government institutions, NGOs, or international organizations. Nothing particularly wrong with them… but I honestly don’t think I see myself in those environments.

So, the skills I’ve always been strongest at are writing, editing, and research. Those skills and the likes don’t seem to be that lucrative lol.

So I’m wondering…what are some other skills I could build that would complement my writing and research background while opening up different career options? I’m also pretty terrible at maths, so if there are fields that involve some quantitative work but aren’t heavily math-intensive (??), I’d love to hear about those too.

And if you’re an IR graduate, I’d really appreciate hearing about your career journey. What do you do now? How did you end up there? What’s your day-to-day like, and if you’re comfortable sharing, how’s the pay?

It’s been difficult trying to balance being idealistic with the reality of today’s job market, so I’d really appreciate any insights or advice. Thanks!😊

a few days ago my boyfriend and i were messing around. we both agreed to not do p in v because we both have horrible anxiety. we were just both having a good time at the moment and in a moment of weakness decided to put it in. he put his tip in my entrance for not even two seconds and pulled it out immediately. he hasn’t ejaculated before, and he cleaned up his tip right before putting it in. of course my anxiety got the better off me so i took plan b 40 minutes after that. what are the chances here realistically? thank you