#I'll Be Waiting

[caleohateclub]

whatever you do, DON'T listen to "The Underworld" from epic the musical and think of Leo Valdez finding out about Jason's death right as Odysseus sings "...I took too long."

[thedarkrebeldesires]

Me waiting for the new trailer to take new Stobotnik notes/predictions:

[burninblood]

marvel comics should have done more with buckynat, just sayin'

[nouearth]

May you get dicked down by an entire harem of buff sweaty oiled up men cuz you deserve it with the way you are feeding us

💌 : actually the KINDEST thing anyone has ever wished on my behalf... thank you so much.

[margotrobie]

cillian you know what you need to do

[absolutebl]

The promo teasers for Red Peafowl kinda made it look like Max Nattapol might be paired with Earth Katsamonnat, and after Tul Pakorn I dunno how I feel about that. It's not so much the MaxTul ship running aground (though I will miss them together), but rather – if EarthMax were actually to be a pairing – well, it's an unsettlingly new dynamic as Earth's more delicate energy is so different from Tul's. Of course nothing's confirmed till it's confirmed, but... with echoes of the macho-macho feels that MaxTul brought to the screen still sounding, do you think Max and Earth might work, or is my sense of dread not unfounded?

I'm thinking it'd be MaxEarth but

go on

you interest me strangely.

I think MaxEarth might be tons of fun.

They both seasoned and solid actors. They fit the classic yaoi dynamic nicely. Perhaps they will get handed a yaoi adaptation?

You know me, (or maybe you don't, but) I absolutely love seeing a ship busted, if only because it reminds everyone that these are branding choices, not actual relationships.

Can't you just see Earth running after Max peeping Phi with those big big eyes, all pathetic and ready to cry as soon as Max's character is mean to him. And you know he'd be hard gangster mean for some dumb arbitrary reason.

Frankly it's not that far off from KaoEarth and they were lovely together.

[waldensblog]

Reading Wrapped: My top ten books/series of 2024!

More about each below the cut

The Familiar This one was my absolute favourite reads of the year. I loved the historical setting, the fantasy elements, and the romance. The ending had me on the verge of tears, and it's a read I will treasure. Leigh really took her time to make sure to respect the characters and their setting well, which I appreciate as historical fiction is a very big hit-or-miss for me. In this case, big hit!

The Poppy War I've only read the first so far, as I'm eagerly awaiting my turn at the library for the second book in this series. I'd long been recommended this one as a darker toned adult fantasy novel, and at first, it definitely felt more YA because of the academy setting, but once it kicked into gear, there was absolutely no question who the target audience was, and it was ME. I'm very eager for the next.

One Dark Window I've only read the first of the duology as I am once again waiting my turn for the second in the series at the library, but I am eager. I loved the vibes of this book, with the tarot card like magic, the haunted forest and how the environment itself is almost a character. The romance was cute, and I liked the larger cast of characters dynamics with each other.

Vampyria I've read the Vampyria trilogy and I really enjoy it. Vampires at Versailles? I mean you had me there but throw in the morally grey protagonist and the little romance and I was sold. This series is originally in French, and that's the language I read it in, but for Anglophones, you may find it as "The Court of Shadows" by Victor Dixen.

A Fire Born of Exile So interestingly, I added this one to my list as a Fantasy Romance, and it turned out to not be fantasy at all. Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed this Sci-Fi Space Opera Sapphic Romance based on The Count of Monte Cristo. Set in the Xuya Universe, I was a bit lost as I was thrown into the deep end of world-building (honestly I'm still not fully sure I understand what mindships are) with no help. I just kind of accepted that though and kept going, and I'm glad I did - I loved the characters, the themes of revenge, grief, familial piety, etc. I'm definitely going to read more by this author!

Firefly Lane I often see posts about how friendship is underrated by storytellers and to everyone who wants a story focused on friendship: This is for you. I swear. We follow the lifelong friendship of two women, through ups and downs, trials and tribulations, through moving across the country, through marriage, through childbirth, through career, etc. There's also a netflix show, which is how I ended up stumbling onto the book - both are great imo.

I'll be Waiting I loved this horror stand-alone for its exploration of grief, the past haunting us, etc. I also really appreciated that the protagonist has a chronic illness, because it's not the type of thing I see in many novels, and while I'm not an expert in CF to know how well the representation was done, I liked that it was something integral to the character - not something to 'overcome' but to live with.

Those Across The River This one came highly recommended to my by my husband as soon as he finished with it. He said that as a fan of gothics, I had to read it, and I'm glad I did! This historical fiction is a southern gothic and explores the concept of sins-of-the-father with a particular horror monster I love but is rarely seen in gothic novels. So finding a gothic novel that actually has that monster? Hell.Yes. Now excuse me while I go put a hold on every book this author wrote in my library.

IT Oh, IT. This one I have mixed feelings about, but it was definitely one of the books that occupied a lot of my brain space during the year, and I enjoyed it quite a bit for the most part, so it earns it's spot in my top 10. For much of the book, I felt it was Stephen King at his prime, weaving a tale of slow horror with a large cast, a whole town to wreak havoc in, and multiple time periods. I really did like this book and the characters a lot… but I really didn't like the ending. Still, for the first ~90+%, I was super there for it.

From Blood and Ash/Fire in the Flash Is is cheating to put two interconnected series set in the same universe as one? It doesn't matter because this is my list and I make the rules! This one I also have a complicated relationship with but is one of those series I definitely enjoyed/thought about a lot. I really like the romance with Poppy/Casteel and Sera/Nyktos, and a lot of the world-building, honestly, I do think it's a really good series overall, but sometimes the writing/writing style isn't necessarily my jam. I like the rest enough to power through the parts I don't like, and what I do like is enough to live in my brain for a bit after reading it. I'm eager for the final (Poppy and Cas) FBAA book coming out this year to see where the story will end!

[hooked-on-elvis]

This song is amazing. Just amazing. I'm listening to it for the 8th time in a row by now and no intention in stopping.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb:

From New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a spellbinding new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood... Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car crash, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press—the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body....

In this atmospheric, thrilling new ghost story, Kelley Armstrong's full talents are on display to thrill, chill and leave the reader guessing how Nicola escapes with her life--if she can.

Review:

A woman gets into a car accident with her husband who dies... and now seven months later she's determined to contact his spirit, even if it means facing the horrible ghosts of her own pasts and the literal entities out to get her. Nicola and Anton didn't get along in highschool but years later they meet again and get married, they are so happy together... but then they get into a fatal car crash that takes Anton and now Nicola is determined to talk to him once more and contact his spirit. Yet the moment their story went public many spiritualists contact her and none have proved to be real until a professor of parapsychology takes on her case and now at Anton's family beach house things begin to get spooky. Nicola and Anton have a dark past, a past that is filled with death and a terrible incident... and the more Nicola begins to get into the seance and the house, the more she begins to hear and see things, and the more the ghosts of her pasts begin to contact her... other angrier spirits... and it'll be up to her to figure out what is really happening and who is behind it. This was a spooky atmospheric mystery with tons of drama and one that I think would be a good spooky season read. Nicola is an unreliable narrator as she tries to figure out what is real and not and what her memories actually remember and with her dark past, it gives the story a ton of twists and turns as to what is actually happening. The mystery was okay and the ending just kind of came out of left field, but the start of the book was interesting!

Release Date: October 1,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[funnyfoxsimp]

I'm gonna draw something out of it

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Draven from I'll Be Waiting is demisexual!

[done-with-the-shit]

[chefblackychan]

If you ever want one more night

If you ever wanna make things right

If you ever wanna change your mind

Ill be waiting

[vulgarmaw]

When you get to the end of existence and ask whatevers left what the meaning of everything was you'll just be shown a picture of me failing to light a joint while sitting on a 55 gallon drum of mac and cheese.

[nia1sworld]

I wanted to do comics for the ink chronicles, and I'm like out of ideas...so challenge, I want you to give me a comic idea for the ink chronicles!

You can either reply or reblog, I don't mind

Bonus/Note: If you don't know their names..here

Careen Jewel

Barbara Wilton

Cardi Porco

Gaudy Bogo

Ewe Sata

Ramee Delaram

Viola Ayden

Bozo Boom Boom

DJ “Marina” Beastmode

Jim Millers

Bruice Ambrose

Wyatt Collymore

Nih Ajal

Celaine Abenanka

Riedairth Cadhe

Shadow Clark

Indiana Everette

Cappella Fife

Alicla Blasster

Kail Cooper

Ova Crawdford

Ie Pikari

Maisy Austin

[howyoustudythestars]

Okay, hear me out...

From the creators of Flames Pond comes the movie no one asked for but now we all want to see... The Adventures of Birdman! Starring Adam Young as a down-on-his-luck Superhero named Birdman while struggling to save the world by night. During the day, he tours as a musician named Max Power. But when an old friend accidentally reveals his true identity to the world, he must go undercover to save his band and loved ones, while learning that a true, prosperous family shows no sign of Discord.

Also starring Abbey Olmsted, Billy Olmsted, Andy Johnson, and Breanne Duren, and introducing Casey Connor as the supervillain Dr. Frozen Tornado. Coming to theaters on July 5, 2046!