JoJo Siwa got a boyfriend for pride month
+ A smuggled North Korean phone takes screenshots every five minutes that are ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO THE GOVERNMENT, and FINNEAS and Ashe’s new band is giving Fleetwood Mac
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Hi darlings!!! Just recovering from the most blissful long weekend where we hosted my brother and his girlfriend, and then I had the privilege of having the WHOLE HOUSE to myself for a few nights (very rare when you live with 7 people.)
But what it did mean is that I GOT TO START AND FINISH OUR BOOK CLUB BOOK IN TWO DAYS!!! It’s so fucking good and if you aren’t in our book club, scroll down to find out how to be a part of my fave place on the internet xxxx
This section is written by
, SYSCAs designer and leader of the cutest book club on the internet!!! Each week she pops in here to let you know what we’re up to, and to remind you to become a paying subscriber to join the book club xxHiiiiii everyone!!
This morning I woke up to my Co-Star widget telling me to “Do: book clubs” so hey, here I am promoting the cutest book club on the internet!!
Here’s some book club updates in case you missed them:
I wrote this “how to join the book club” newsy that tells you everything you need to know about the club and how to navigate Fable, the book club app:
Luce and I wrote our full, unhinged review on Babel, our May book pick:
We announced the June book pick, Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (which btw, Luce and I demolished in three days…):
AND we may or may not have a super fun surprise for this months book review… have a guess & stay tuned for mooooreeee!!
Happy reading, Book Club Abby xxx
Jojo Siwa is smiling through the pain - girl same
JoJo Siwa has been famous for more than half her life. At 22, she’s done the whole child star to CEO pipeline. She’s sold 90 million hair bows. She’s toured the world. She’s come out on TikTok to Lady Gaga. She’s had Elton John call her personally. And now, apparently, she’s found love in the Celebrity Big Brother house - with Love Island’s Chris Hughes. Who is notably a boy.
Their storyline certainly looked like one built for the camera. A distressing moment with Mickey Rourke (who made vile and explicitly homophobic comments to JoJo on day two of filming), a knight-in-shining-Primark moment from Chris, and then: a friendship, a bond, and eventually... love? Or something like it.
Now, JoJo is calling it a “beautiful development” and saying she’s “in pain from smiling so much.” But what started as a post-show friendship turned relationship, conveniently timed after a very public breakup with Australian actor Kath Ebbs - has left a lot of people squinting.
It’s not just the timing. It’s the optics. The shift from JoJo speaking openly about being a lesbian (and then queer) to suddenly being paired with a straight man on national TV. The back-to-back headlines. The joint interviews. The carefully vague labels. None of this necessarily means the relationship isn’t real - but it also wouldn’t be the first time a public romance followed a messy press cycle.
To be fair, JoJo’s not pretending this is easy. She’s been clear she’s still figuring things out. She’s also not interested in clarifying things for the internet: “I’ve read 50 articles in the last week about me that are not true,” she said, “and I can’t be bothered to fill anybody in.”
I’m so sorry but it all just kinda gives me the ick.
FINNEAS and ASHE’s new band is giving Fleetwood Mac
Longtime friend of SYSCA - Finneas - and his bestie Ashe have teamed up - not just for a song, but for a whole band. If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know Finneas has backed us since day one, and Ashe? I saw her open for Gracie Abrams with Abby, and we fully fell in love with her vibe.
Anwyay, meet The Favors, their new duo project, announced Monday with the kind of soft-focus, Rumours-coded flair that tells you exactly what you’re in for: drama, harmony, and just the right amount of ache.
Can’t wait!!!
A smuggled North Korean phone takes screenshots every five minutes that are only accessible to the government
In a rare and chilling glimpse into North Korean tech, the BBC has managed to get its hands on one of the country’s state-issued smartphones - and it’s as tightly controlled as you’d imagine, with a few truly dystopian twists.
The phone, designed to limit foreign influence and tighten state surveillance, reflects just how far the regime is going to keep its grip on information. According to BBC correspondent Jean Mackenzie, the device includes built-in propaganda, blocked language, and an automatic screenshot feature that quietly captures the screen every five minutes. The images are stored in a locked folder that only the government can access.
Let me just reiterate that: the phone takes screenshots every five minutes, and they go into a locked folder that only the GOVERNMENT CAN ACCESS.
Other features include:
Censorship via autocorrect. Type “Oppa” (a South Korean slang term for boyfriend) and the phone changes it to “Comrade.” Type “South Korea” and it becomes “Puppet State.”
No internet access. No Google, no Instagram, no Netflix. All content is state-made, state-approved, and monitored.
Propaganda pop-ups. Write something “inappropriate,” and a warning will appear, reminding users how the word should be used.
Constant surveillance. The five-minute screenshots aren’t optional or deletable, and users can’t see what’s being collected.
This insight comes as North Korea clamps down even harder on cultural materials smuggled in from South Korea - including films, music, and even K-dramas that challenge the state’s narrative.
It’s a reminder of just how tightly information is controlled in North Korea, and how technology - often sold to us as a tool for freedom - can also be weaponised for surveillance.
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Have we nothing better to with our time than discuss someone’s partner wither that’s a woman or man. If you have followed JoJo for a long time it’s nothing new she has been with boys/men before. Let her live her life
As a queer person myself, I personally understand Jojo's struggle with going against previous labels. It seems necessary to attach a label to yourself, and feels as though nobody will take you seriously if you can't even figure it out for yourself. My mum, too, now identifies as lesbian and she had three children with and married my dad ! (most insane lore to drop for funsies). For this reason i have a more personal insight into her decision, and so i don't think she should be so criticised by the public. Though, when in the public this is to be expected I suppose.