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“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” goes the United States Postal Service motto. And why? Well, because mail carriers are badasses, that’s why—and people have noticed. Mail carriers of all shapes, species, and skill levels litter the halls of pop culture. Today, we celebrate eight famous fictional postal workers, regardless of if you trust they would correctly deliver your mail or not.

For most women, having a tried and true girl squad is pretty much a way of survival in this sometimes (lots of times) terrifying world. You need a group of ladies who care about, support, and love you. You need ladies who will have your back no matter what. Girl squads have been around since well, women have been around, and thanks to this rich, storied history the Girl Squad Phenomenon has, there are so many lessons we can learn from those who’ve squad-ed before us—lessons to help our girl squads be the best girl squad it can be. Here are five of our favorites.

Lest you begin to think Taylor Swift invented the notion of girl squads, you should know that girl squads have been around since the beginning of time. I’m no paleontologist, but I bet even girl dinosaurs would band together with other girl dinosaurs because even they knew the importance of female friendship. Groups of girlfriends taking on the world is nothing new, but it does feel like they had a big resurgence in pop culture during the 1980s and 1990s. Here are a few of our favorites from that time. By the time you get through this list, you’ll be calling your best girls up for an impromptu hang. Girl Power, always and forever. But especially in the '80s and '90s.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia recently premiered its 13th season (yes, 13!), and we may be a little biased, but it’s one of our long time favorites. Sure, we love how despicable and hilarious Charlie, Dennis, Dee, Mac, and Frank are (and bless them for the gift that is Kitten Mittens), but we’re also fans because of the love it bestows on our oft forgotten city of Philadelphia (and, let’s be honest, Chase Utley). Many television shows are set in the same cities: New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago—so it’s nice when the love is spread around to some other fine cities in this country. In honor of that, we wanted to celebrate some television shows that have taken it upon themselves to tell stories in the underrepresented cities of the television landscape. Let’s take a look!

What do you do when you’ve got a book crush? When you read a book and find a character in it so extremely swoony that you can’t stop thinking about him or her? When that character takes up all the room in your head? When you’re supposed to be writing a very important email to your boss but instead find yourself wondering out loud if maybe one day Mr. Darcy will march across a field for you? Book crushes are real, people and they should not be taken lightly.

So, how do we combat these all encompassing feelings? Perhaps we should take a, um, page out of Jenny Han’s best-selling YA novel To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (which gets the Netflix movie adaptation treatment on August 17th): Heroine and hopeless romantic Lara Jean Song Covey has an effective way of getting over her biggest crushes—she writes them love letters. Lara Jean’s letters aren’t meant to woo, instead they are meant to help her get a boy (there are five in total) out of her system once and for all. She writes them, tucks them away in her hatbox, and then moves on. Of course, those letters eventually get out and angsty teen romance ensues, but still, the idea of writing letters to get over an obsession is one we can get behind. And so, we did. We selected five literary hunks we just can’t seem to quit, attempted to figure out why exactly we’re crushing so hard, and imagined what a love letter sent to each of them (sealed with a kiss, naturally), would look like.

Letter One

The Recipient: Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen)

Why Him?: Um, he’s only the most romantic leading man in all of literature. Also, he’s very rich but nice to all the people who work for him. See above RE his prowess in walking across fields. If that’s not enough, he always keeps his pond well-stocked which is really something that’s underappreciated these days. Plus, Darcy has proven himself adept at letter-writing—his letter to Elizabeth explaining his past with Wickham is one of the most famous in literature—so he’d probably appreciate a well-written letter.

Contents of the Love Letter: In Darcy’s declaration of love to Elizabeth, he basically gives her a pros and cons list about her character, so this letter would be similar: Dear Darcy, A well-mannered man is hard to find these days—especially one as tall and as brooding as you! I’ll overlook the fact that you refuse to dance (why do you hate fun?) and think literally every person is too loud, because you have said the sentence “My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on the subject forever,” out loud and that is so hot it hurts.

Letter Two

The Recipient: Nicholas Young (Crazy Rich Asians series by Kevin Kwan)

Why Him?: He’s the Asian Prince Harry! Not only is he extremely handsome, basically royalty, and a true romantic—but the guy knows how to have a good time. He had me at Singaporean street food. Okay, he also had me with his access to several chateaus.

Contents of the Love Letter: Nick has lots of admirers, and has heard it all before, but he’s a man who appreciates sincerity: I know your family’s crazy—I love you anyway. I know people will always want things from you and sometimes you’ll have to give it to them—I love you anyway. I know your mom is, well—I love you anyway. I know some of your homes you share with family—I guess I’ll learn to live with that.

Letter Three

The Recipient: Laurie (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

Why Him?: He’s charming as hell and he gets done dirty by the March sisters. I mean, Amy? He ends up with Amy? Hasn’t the poor guy suffered enough?

Contents of the Love Letter: When writing to Laurie, one should keep in mind that the guy’s first love was a writer. I know you’ve had your heart broken before, that you’ve suffered many losses in your life, and I wish I could take that pain away. But we could be happy together, Laurie! Traveling all over the European continent taking in the wonders of the world or just staying home and keeping warm during the Massachusetts winters, all of it would be a great adventure because we would be together. You have been worthy, Laurie, and so perhaps your worthy love has come.

Letter Four

The Recipient: Captain Hook (Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie)

Why Him?: HE LIVES ON THE OPEN SEAS AND HE HAS LONG LUSCIOUS HAIR WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

Contents of the Love Letter: Dearest James, Your passion, drive, power, and sailing skills are all very appealing. If only you would stop being obsessed with a gaggle of children who won’t grow up, maybe we’d have a chance. Think of it! We could sail the seas together, wind in our long, wavy hair, avoiding crocodiles and never using clocks. There’d be no bad form about it. What an adventure!

Letter Five

The Recipient: Sirius Black (the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)

Why Him?: Although Harry Potter is littered with crush-worthy characters, there’s just something about Sirius Black that sets him apart from the rest. Maybe it’s the whole “I’ve been wrongly imprisoned for the death of my friends and muggles most of my adult-life” thing. Or that he loves Harry so much and is our boy’s first real chance at having the family he’s always dreamed of. But probably, mostly, it’s the fact that he can turn into a dog. A boyfriend and a dog all in one? That is something we could get used to.

Contents of the Love Letter: The letter would need to be bright and cheery since Sirius spent 12 years in a cold, dark cell in Azkaban, and it would most definitely include something like: I don’t care that you have fleas or that your family is the Actual Worst—we all come with baggage. I love you for your bravery, your fiery soul, and your gloriously tousled hair (never cut it). I love you for your loyalty to your friends and the children of your friends. I love you for your interior decorating skills—I mean, it’s a little dark but all the wallpaper at 12 Grimmauld Place is top-notch. Oh, and no big deal, but when you have to go to the Ministry of Magic to save Harry please, please, please, keep your eyes on Bellatrix Lestrange. Okay, byeeeeee.

How about you? Who’s your biggest literary crush and what would you say to him or her in your love letter?

[source: Sony Pictures Television]

Like the very best comfort food, a good love triangle can make you forget all your troubles; they just make you feel good! Okay, they actually make you feel angst-ridden, angry, swoony, like you’re on the wings of love, and both satisfied and unsatisfied—sometimes all at once. Love triangles can be terrible! But isn’t this push-and-pull what makes a good love triangle so fun? And as much as literature and pop culture is riddled with these complicated relationships, not all of them are created equal. To make a love triangle truly great, both suitors need to be viable options. A reader needs to understand why a character might choose either person—and the best love triangles of all inspire vehement disagreement amongst fans (but, like, in a nice, fun way, okay?). To celebrate true love and the uncertainty and angst that goes with it, let’s take a closer look at six powerful love triangles found in literature both classic and contemporary.