I Love You, I Love You Not | babblings' report #010 FEBRUARY 2026: smutty book recs, movie club, going back to school
Hi my lovely babblers!!! Happy February!! Happy Black History Month!! I hope everyone has been staying warm through the craziest snow/ice storm many of us have seen in a while. (I will ignore this opportunity to remind you about climate change, oops I just did I guess) If you are a new babbler welcome! I put out the babblings’ report on the first Friday of the month with the movie of the month, a tarot read, and more 🙂
So what’s going on with me? Well I’ve been finding the balance between school, babblings, living life, and looking for a new part time gig. Yeah doordash is not fun in the winter, especially when you get stuck in two different people’s driveways and shovel yourself out. But I’m going on a trip next week, so I’m thinking once I get back I will go full force applying for server positions. I’m incredibly blessed to not have to work full time and be able to focus so much on school and it has definitely been a transition. I didn’t realize until the week before classes started how emotional it would be to go back to school and the anxiety it would induce. I think my dropouts will understand me when I say I was so nervous to mess this up again. I was nervous I would fall into bad habits, and not actually try as hard as I can or immerse myself in learning like I really want to. And in a way that would make all of this worth it. I am wishing still that I was in person, but I’m happy to be online and have the ability to crank out the rest of my bachelors and then potentially do a masters in person in Anthropology. TBD on how this will all work out, I’ve learned now that you can only keep moving forward and the world will unfold in front of you the way it’s meant to.
I know we are all experiencing some rather weird times and so I hope you know you are loved! Talk to me in the comments!
🌟 Blog Post Recs for February🌟
Next week we’ll have a new podcast episode about the literacy crisis. So instead of putting a podcast episode I thought I’d recommend some previous posts about love and romance for February. Most of these were originally posted on substack before I transferred here:
🔮 February Tarot Reading 🔮
OVERALL ENERGY: The Shadow – Read the card description from the guidebook below, I will talk more about the tie in at the end.
TO RELEASE: Two Of Swords – What are you avoiding???? We’re being asked to release emotional and mental blockages. You may have a decision to make that you’re avoiding. A truth you don’t want to recognize is real so you’d rather be blind. Or an a conversation you’re procrastinating having. This is keeping you trapped. With Shadow as the overall energy, it’s reinforcing this need to stop denying your emotions or thoughts, and to not let fear hold you back.
TO EMBRACE: Page Of Swords – Instead of letting denial keep you blind, you’re encouraged to be truthful, honest, and act with integrity. Face the conversations you are avoiding, be honest with others, but mainly be honest with yourself and honor your personal truth. Embrace the shadow and hidden desires, move forward standing in your truth. #bereal
TO LOOK FORWARD TO: Knight of Swords – This can tend to be a harsh energy, though usually honest. When you step into your truth you can look forward to moving through life with clear direction, facing your shadow head on with a clear head and heart. What you thought was too big to face will actually illuminate a better path.
SPIRIT GUIDE: Kratom – Kratom is a plant found in South Eastern Asian. It’s been used culturally for community building and for clarity of the mind. Know that this energy is supporting you. Who can you lean on to help find clarity? Who can you be truly authentic with? Lean on these people as you navigate your shadow.
CHARM: The Bald Eagle – I have been seeing so many eagles because I live just down the road from a nest. Seeing them in person you realize there is no picture that can capture their size and the power they radiate. Know you are able at any time to exercise your free will, change directions, or find the bravery to face your fear.
SUMMARY: Wow there is so much sword energy here! I intended this to be a love reading, which I typically do not. So take everything I mentioned above and apply it to romantic relationships as it fits. It might not, and what some of us may need to focus on is ourselves. Shadow as the overall energy takes these themes deeper than surface level. Ask yourself what truths have you been running from? What do you actually want?
~ Romance Book Recs!!! ~
Something everyone may not know about me is that I started a smutty book club with my bff Becca in 2024! We birthed it together but really Becca raised this baby into a full blown, super active, and engaged smut book club! <3 We do virtual meetings and have virtual members, if you’re interested here’s our instagram, discord link in bio: https://www.instagram.com/dmvsmuttybuddies/
While I haven’t read as much smut or romance in the last year, a dirty, sexy, little book does wonders for the mind and spirit! Whenever I’m in a reading slump I know I can turn to a good ol romance or fanfic to light those neurons back up again. I have been known previously to advocate for porn, audio porn, sex toys, etc; and I highly recommend adding dirty literature to your toolbox for pleasure 😉
First let me highlight some black bookish content creators for you to follow and black romance books, some I’ve read, some not, some are coming out this year!
My Smut Recs
My 2025 black author TBR from last year, you will Seven Days In June again because it’s one of my fav books 🙂
🌛 Movie(s) of the Month 🌛
Wuthering Heights (2011) & Frankenstein (2025)
For February my initial thoughts went to love and romance. But when I looked at the astrologic energy of Aquarius and Pisces that overlaps in February I started thinking about the dark side of desire, how obsession easily descends to destruction, and the psychological effects of being on the fringes of society. I’m also ADAMANTLY refusing to go see the new Wuthering Heights directed by Emerald Fennel in theaters, so offering an alternative was a huge bonus point!
Aquarius is all about individuality, innovation, thinking out side of the box, and rejecting norms. Pisces has a dream like quality, asking us reflect on our desires, tap into our creativity and intuition. But what happens when being on the edges of society means being othered, what happens when you’re punished for being different? What happens when your obsession with innovation births something beyond your control? When desire drives you mad? All of these themes are in Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein. I chose the 2011 version of WH because it’s my favorite adaptation and it’s the only one of my knowledge that casted Heathcliff as non white, which is integral to the story. Wuthering Heights may be romantic, but it’s a story of the abused becoming the abuser, the oppressed becoming the oppressor, and how the desire to be accepted or loved drives someone mad. Similarly, at the heart of Frankenstein is a story of creation without foresight, what happens when something is created just for the sake of it. When I finished reading Frankenstein the last time I wrote “To be deprived of love, rots ones soul.” This encapsulates perfectly the themes of these movies and the dark side of February! I’m excited to rewatch Wuthering Heights and I haven’t watched the 2025 Frankenstein yet so might as well! My thoughts will be in the comments 😉
*these are also my two favorite gothic novels and nothing is more February, dead of winter then gothic novels* BONUS MOVIE: Paris Is Burning (1990), we will get to this as an official movie of the month eventually!
