A great sunscreen, a sing-out-loud playlist, and Natasha Lyonne's wild red waves
It's time for the June REPORT!
Le sigh. I cannot believe the month of June is over! Because it’s my birthday and wedding anniversary month, it’s naturally my favorite month on this here Gregorian calendar. I would argue with the Bard that it is not, in fact, August but, rather, June that slips away like a bottle of wine.
What a wonderful month it has been, a month that brought to me the biggest, most unexpected surprise of my work life. What began as a hopeful-but-unsure idea in May fully blossomed in the month of June as I realized that doing intuitive readings in a one-on-one context for people finds me in my right place doing work that I love. I’ll always look back on June 2025 with such fondness and affection for that reason. Thank you, Jupiter return; thank you, Higher Self; thank you, Gems Collective; thank you Universe.
As is our tradition here at Gemini Wrongs, we’ll bring the month to a close with a R.E.P.O.R.T.!
READING
I’ll no longer apologize or feel bad for it. I read a LOT of fanfic in June. Like, I read severalllll novels worth of fanfic, and I want credit for all of those words read! If that’s not for you, you can skip ahead, but I’ll quickly also note that AJ (17 yo) and I are also reading The Mastery of Love together in a sort of informal mother-daughter book club. It’s so good.
FIC ROUND-UP (as always, mind the tags and rating)
What He Holds in His Hand, BlueSkyeReign, 202,126 words on Ao3
Summary:
Draco doesn't want to identify Harry Potter when he's dragged into his home. He wants nothing to do with this mess. And when Bellatrix needs someone to torture, maybe he gives her a nudge toward Harry Potter instead of Granger, who's certain to break. It's not Draco's fault Aunt Bella leaves Harry with a curse that has him leaking Dark magic. It's certainly not his fault Dobby kidnapped Draco from Malfoy Manor along with the others when Draco whispered a few words into a broken mirror shard. And for Merlin's sake, it's not his fault he's the only one practiced in fighting Dark magic. Why should he be punished? And punished. And punished...
This is a debut offering from BlueSkyeReign, and in the ten years that I’ve been reading Drarry fics, I’ve never read anything quite like it. It’s an alt-Deathly Hallows from Draco’s POV, and if you are into Wizarding War fics where Draco changes sides, you’ll love this. (If Ron Weaslely is a near-and-dear character for you, skip it. He’s awful in this one) (Also, this is my very favorite Luna Lovegood that I’ve ever read in a fic!) Though at 200K+ words, this one needs some careful pruning from an editor, I do have to commend this new author on the incredible world-building that riffs on JKR’s universe but digs so deep into the physics (??) and philosophy of Dark Magic. The chapter called “The Reason Why” is so touching, and I made the unfortunate decision to read it on a plane and cried so much that my seatmate was a little concerned. Also, in this alt-Deathly Hallows, both Dobby and Fred Weasley LIVE! Glorious take, in and of itself.
Licurici, louisfake, 133,092 words on Ao3
Summary:
Charlie wanted Harry, but he’d never planned on having him. He’d never planned on Draco Malfoy, either. He hadn’t planned on anything but living out his days in Romania, with his friends and his dragons and his safe, peaceful distance.
Apparently, it wasn’t a very popular plan.
This is a story about crumbs and flickers and roots, running away and coming home; about falling in love without meaning to (twice), and having truly good friends, and the mutually revealing recognition between two people in love with the same man.
Well, might as well lay all of my secrets bare, right? I read this as a palate-cleanser after What He Holds In His Hand, and it was my very first triad fic. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so happily surprised by the storytelling in this one! Charlie Weasley is barely mentioned in canon, so he’s a fun character for authors to play around with. The concept that drives this fic is that Charlie is a magical empath, and so you get all of these layers of emotional labor and insight through his perception of the many emotions of people all around him, at all times. The triad thing is, as it turns out, really hot. Like really really. But it’s the emotional experience of this fic that will have me sighing happily over it for a long time.
Grounds for Divorce, Tepre, 122,217 words on Ao3 (only viewable to registered Ao3 users, but search it on there and you’ll find it!)
Summary:
Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter.
A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.
I just finished this one last night. One of my favorite tropes in any fandom I am reading is forced proximity which often manifests as “accidental bonding” in magical universe settings. This accidental bonding comes with a huge serving of angst and unresolved sexual tension. Like I almost put it down and walked away because the angst goes on for sooooooo long, but I do have to give it to the author - the payoff is worth it in the end. There’s a side-trip to Egypt that is absolutely dreamy. I have a soft spot for Draco-Malfoy-realizes-he-is-worthy-of-love stories, and this one definitely delivers on that theme!
EATING
I have been so busy between summer fun and client bookings that I haven’t done anything new or experimental or interesting in the kitchen. I’m not complaining at all!
I did make my ✨ famous chocolate cake ✨ upon Niko’s request for his birthday this month, and I would like to point you to the fact that it’s just this classic recipe from Taste of Home but I sub out that half cup of oil for a half cup of butter which means that, yes, there is a whole cup of butter in this batter!
PLAYING
We took a break from our 24 revisit (we are actually now in the later seasons that we never watched, so it’s all very fun and exciting!) to push Play on the new season of Poker Face. My husband thinks it’s way too silly this season, but I couldn’t hear him over the hearts in my eyes for Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Case:
Also been hitting Play a lot on AJ’s DONT MAKE ME SINGGG!!! playlist on Spotify because it’s a lot of belt-it-out fun!
OBSESSING
I hope this isn’t too mundane for an obsession, but I am LOVING this sunscreen from Banana Boat:
We spend a lot of time in the water, often in full Florida sun. Last summer felt like one long experiment in trial-and-error, trying to find a sunscreen that the kids could apply correctly themselves and wouldn’t have to be reapplied every five seconds. Enter Banana Boat’s Light As Air, SPF 50. I can use it on my face without breakouts, it absorbs into our skin SO FAST, it actually protects my fair-skinned family, and it’s just really super great.
RECOMMENDING
If y’all haven’t read this essay from my beloved Laura Tremaine at her Secret Stuff Substack, I insist that you go do that right neeeoww. I’ve been reading Laura’s writing since it was notes written on looseleaf notebook paper and passed in-between classes of our high school hallways, and this is up there with one of my favorite things she’s written:
TREATING
June was FILLED WITH TREATS, not the least of which being a trip to OKC to officiate my friend Grace’s GORGEOUS wedding. Birthday treats, friendship treats, family treats. June has been so good to me.
I treated myself to some time in the ocean last week on the new moon, and the waves were so silky and playful and I could have stayed there for hours:
Thank you for letting me share my June 2025 report with you! YOUR TURN! I would love to hear the notable things from YOUR reading, eating, playing, obsessing, recommending, and treating list from June!
I’m seeing new people come join our Gems Collective every day, and that is such a delight, too. I know quite a few of you are here because someone recommended this space to you! If you know someone who is also into the vibe where midlife gets raw, mystical, and real, please do share with a friend:
Wishing we were under a beach umbrella together and hoping so much that summer is treating you so well,
Meg
PS!!!! If you are reading this on June 30th, please remember that TODAY (!!) is the last day to get 10% off ANY Spiritual Discovery Package when you use the word FIRE in your booking!! One of the biggest treats of the past month was getting to do my first ever Whole Self Reading, and my client and I BOTH had chill bumps and wide eyes over some of the connections that were made and the discoveries that we found. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
If you haven't listened to Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast episode with Natasha Lyonne, get thee to your podcast app, stat! It's so so good, I had to pause in the middle and stare off into space for a while. Couple of gems for sure
Great update! Here's mine:
Reading: Most recently I read Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (5⭐️) and I'm nearly done with The Witch Elm by Tana French
Playing/obsessing: We rewatched Oscar Nominee "I'm Still Here" and I have been playing and obsessing over the soundtrack plus other 70s Brasilian music.
Recommending: "Dark Winds" from AMC+ just keeps getting better and better. And finally saw "Sinners." Great vampire storytelling.
Treating: I just got back from a work retreat to Park City, UT. That was a treat!