#barrow legacy

[citrinedecades]

1314 - A Shocking Loss

As the year begins and springtime returns, Sir Amis arranges for his son Tobias to be engaged to a rich heiress from Willow Creek, Marie Moreau. She visits the Verviers manor with her mother to meet Tobias, but neither of them are impressed with the other, and the betrothal is off to a rocky start.

To complicate matters, Lucan discovers that his father has cut him out of his will and only plans to leave the bare minimum to Gemma to allow her to survive with her two sons after his death. Lucan suspects that this means his father is on to them or may even already know of their affair, and so he pressures Gemma to speak to Tobias and convince him to break off his engagement to Marie.

Lucan believes that if Tobias is married and their father passes away, Tobias will claim the land and manor to raise his family there, and Gemma and Lucan will be left penniless. If he remains unmarried, however, he might yet allow Gemma and Lucan to stay at the manor with him after his father's passing.

Gemma, knowing that Tobias is her best chance at being taken care of as long as he is in love with her, seduces him and convinces him to speak to his father about the engagement. Tobias, completely in love with Gemma, gets into an argument with his father over the betrothal. Before they can speak to Marie and her mother to officially break things off, however, several people in the household fall ill and are bedridden for days.

Lucan and Tobias both pull through, but Gemma passes away, leaving everyone shocked and her sons inconsolable. Heartbroken, Tobias ultimately consents to marrying Marie and moves to Willow Creek, while Lucan remains at his father's side, secretly unsure whether Gemma's sons might be his.

Amis, who had begun to doubt Gemma's loyalty, regrets not trusting her and has difficulty accepting that his much younger wife has passed away before he did. He resolves to care and provide for their two sons as well as he can, but given his advancing age, he begins to worry about who their guardian will be once he is gone, unsure he can trust Lucan with the task. With Gemma's death having given him a new perspective on things, he attempts to reconcile with Lucan, with whom he has always had a rocky relationship.

In Windenburg, the Barrow family celebrates Stefanie and Adrianna's birthdays and the birth of another child, Alyson. Frederik and Rosemary agree that this will be their last child, and thank the Watcher for a home full of healthy children. News of Gemma's death reaches them, and Frederik mourns the passing of his little sister with Cecilia.

As the year ends, Frederik sits with Rosemary and admits that he is worried about the state of the farm. After the torrential rains and cold weather of the past year, barely anything has grown, and from what he has heard from their neighbours, they have been struggling as well. With a home full of children to feed, Rosemary and Frederik cannot help worrying about what the future holds.

Births: Alyson Barrow

Deaths: Gemma Barrow aka Emma Verviers • 1284-1314 (30 years old) • Influenza

[cinderbrushdraws]

Simple.

Ref: theposearchieves

[justiceforthomasbarrow]

Others: "Enough with Thomas, you're obsessed!"

Me playing Hogwarts Legacy:

[moon-simmers]

Winterfest Ball, Redwood Manor Brindleton Bay 1842.

The Redwood family's Grand Ball finally arrived, all the guests were dancing and partying in the great hall while Jacques and Violet played waltzes in a beautiful musical duet.

Evangeline and August arrived a little late compared to the rest of the guests, Evie was worried about returning to the holidays with her family and especially with the presence of Percival and Thaddeus.

Both Edgar and George greeted Evie with great affection, after all they hadn't seen their sister for a couple of months and were glad she was able to attend with August.

[solis-legacy]

Spare Update:

Jesse: "Good morning"

Rayne: "Good morning" *kisses* "Wait, you're still here. You didn't leave me."

Jesse: "I'm not going anywhere."

Previous l Beginning l Gen. 18 l Next

Credits: @simmireen

[ball-of-butter]

toxic mareven yuri toxic mareven yuri toxic marev— *gets shot*

Mareven Boyfriend Excerpt

Tagging @ball-of-butter bc she said she was excited for it

“Maven.”  Elara’s face brightened.  “You sound lovely.”

A girl popped out from behind the door, soft and serene.  I can’t help but wonder if she’s seen my pictures.  If her heart raced as mine in the dim moonlight.

She cocked her head.  “Really.”  Her smile was shy, a lullaby.  “I could be better, you know.”

“Nonsense.”  Elara waved a hand.  “You’re perfect, darling.”

Cal took his sister’s hands with a sad smile.  “You’re too hard on yourself.”

I can’t disagree.  I’ve never been good at smiling, but I’m sure a stanger’s word is worth as much as any other’s.  “You’re quite talented.”

Her eyes met mine for the first time, hand brushing a curl behind her ear.  “Thanks.”

Cal gripped my shoulder, jolting me to attention.  “Maven, this is Mare.”  The words were soft, measured.  “My girlfriend.”

Her eyes darkened, so brief I might’ve imagined it.  She extended a hand.  “Charmed.”

[internet-goblin]

Do you ever think about the fact that each member of the Fellowship has the perfect weapon for them? I am mixing up both films and books, just to falsely inflate my point here.

Gandalf - Glamdring and Staff of Power

The wise and old and whimsical wizard sets out with his ancient elven sword and his staff. When he departs from Rivendell as Gandalf the Grey, his staff is weathered and gnarly, but also shows signs of use. This is a staff of someone who loves to wander across the world, to meet and talk with different peoples. And precisely this staff gets lost when Gandalf dies.

When he returns as Gandalf the White, he's different. He barely remembers his name, his cheery old self is replaced by a more grim and serious demigod and his staff is different too. White and straight, symmetrical, perfect. But also cold, without the whimsy. Gandalf barely laughs after his ressurection, he doesn't wear his signature hat, he's more beautiful than before, but also less human.

And yet, there is still a trace of him in Glamdring, the only item he brings from his old life. The sword that was always there since the start of his journey, the same sword he wore during the travels with Bilbo. It's both a reminder of old Gandalf and of his amazing power, when he strikes a balrog with it

Aragorn - Andúril

Yeah this one is simple. Both the movies and the books hit you over the head with the symbolism. A sword of kings, wielded by the mightiest kings of Realms in Exile, broken just like the line of kings of Gondor, reforged only when Gondor is about to have its king restored. It shows that even when broken, both sword and legacy, it is not forgotten and it can be restored to its former and even greater glory.

Gimli - Balin's Axe

Gimli, at least in the movies (oh they've done you dirty my boy), is a fighter. Close and direct, smashing foes with great strength. What better weapon to represent his warrior's prowess than an axe? Brutal, effective, not subtle and terrifying.

But there's more to it. In the movies (at least, I don't remember reading this in the books, it's been a while) Gimli picks up the axe of Balin, who by the way is his uncle once removes. He grabs it in Moria and carries it through the rest of the journey. And there are some interesting paralels with Gimli and Balin. Mainly their part after the stories of the books they feature in comes to a close. After the end of Hobbit, Balin gather a group of dwarven colonists in search of a new home in Moria, trying to restore it to its former glory. They ultimately fail, but where Balin's colony was doomed, Gimli's thrives. After the events of LotR, Gimli sets up a new dwarven city in the Glittering caves near Helm's Deep. And unlike Balin, he's much more succesful, bringing in a new era of the dwarves.

Legolas - His freaking semi-automatic bow

Among the many medieval weapons, bow is one of the hardest to master. It takes years of intense training to get really good with a bow from the olden times. So it makes sense that it's Legolas, the second oldest member of the Fellowship, is so skilled with it. He had the time and drive to master it.

At the same time, it's quite an elegant weapon. And, if you will, it even might resemble a harp in a way, a musical instrument. Which is fitting for a race as musical as elves. It is music that dooms Legolas after all, making him long for the sea once he hears its call.

Hobbits - Sting and Barrow-Blades

The swords taken from the Barrows are at a first glance nothing special. Old, forgotten, small daggers who would not be looked at twice by a great warrior. Just like the hobbits. And yet, once you take a good look at the hobbits, once you grasp the blades, you realize just how much good they can do. How they go unnoticed by the world, underestimated by their enemies... up until the point a Barrow blade severs your Achilles' tendon, up until the point a certain piece of jewelry gets melted and sold.

Even the rocks Merry and Pippin throw have their meaning. They are rascals, almost kids, not warriors. Of course they would, in desperation, toss rocks at their enemies, since that's the only semi-weapon they've been using since their childhood.

And then there's Sting. It's not a legendary blade in universe, even though it probably should be. And yet it has hidden potential. It glows when orcs are around, it never dulls, it scares off orcs. Just like Frodo, it is resistant to evil in ways few would expect.

Bill

Bill has his hooves and he uses those hooves to kick the shit out of the guy who was kicking the shit out of him.

Boromir - Shield

I saved my favorite character for last. Boromir case is different because his signature weapon is not exactly a weapon. It's a shield. And that tells you so much about Boromir. He's a protector, first and foremost. All his actions are centered around protecting people, be it Merry and Pippin. Faramir or his men at Osgilliath. His protective nature is the only reason the Ring got to him, promising him safety of his people. Because the only way to hit someone who knows how to use a shield is from behind.

[queenmelancholy]

Just want to share about something that made me feel a bit strange today.

So there is this one Thomas Barrow fanfic that I love very much, like on a completely different level than any other fics. It’s very poignant and mostly about his SA. Today, I suddenly felt like searching for the author’s tumblr account, and I found it. They had been quite active in the past (they posted almost every day), but the most recent post was dated April last year. They have also written dozens of DA fics on AO3, but the last update and reply to comments were coincidentally made around that time last year too. Connecting all the dots, I had a terrible feeling about what might have happened to this person. And I felt really really sad about it. What if…

Then when I almost succumbed to this horrible thought, I read one reply on AO3 dated May last year saying that they were simply too occupied with their work and obligations in real life, and most of all, they had lost interest in the fandom. They were still alive. At that moment, this was a big relief.

But then I felt sad again, for I found out that there was no fundamental difference (to the fandom itself) whether this person was physically gone or simply lost their interest. Of course, their traces of having played a contributive part in the fandom are still here, and their legacy will be witnessed by many who come afterwards. But all their updates just suddenly stopped at one point in time, as if they had a terrible accident one day and hadn’t got the chance to say goodbye properly.

I haven’t been in any fandom social media before to conclude if this is a common thing. But I just think what if someone I know here disappeared one day without saying a word, I wouldn’t even know if they were still alive out there doing things that they enjoyed more. What if something more unpleasant actually happened to them instead? I still wouldn’t know. And I thought, one day will it be me too?

[geekcavepodcast]

"Summer of Superman" Details Released

DC Comics has dropped more info in its "Summer of Superman" publishing initiative for 2025, celebrating Superman's legacy.

The key titles for the "Summer of Superman" are Action Comics, Superman, and Superman Unlimited. Other titles in the "Summer of Superman" include Summer of Superman Special #1, Superman: The World, and Superman's Good Guy Gang. Also, April 18, 2025, marks Superman Day, with it's own list of curated titles.

Summer of Superman Special #1 from Dan Slott, Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, and Jorge Jiménez is an oversized issue that will tell a story in three acts. "The wedding of Lana Lang and John Henry Irons (a.k.a. Steel) serves as the backdrop for an outpouring of love and support from family and friends. However, their big day will also be big trouble, as threats from the past, present and future will spawn major new conflicts for the Superman family." (DC Comics)

Summer of Superman Special #1 goes on sale on April 16, 2025, and features a main cover by Jorge Jiménez and variant covers by Alexander Lozano, John Giang, Mahmud Asrar, Dan Jurgens, and Chrissie Zullo-Uminga.

Action Comics #1085, from G. Willow Wilson and Gavin Guidry, has Lois Lane sending Superman "to a scientific outpost in the Arctic to investigate a new technology that promises to halt global warming. But when Superman arrives, he quickly finds out that the outpost has been plagued by a villain who plans to melt humanity’s hopes for survival.

Action Comics #1085, featuring a main cover by Brad Walker and variant covers by Davide Paratore, Cully Hamner, and Danny Earls, goes on sale on April 9, 2025.

Superman #25 is an oversized issue from writer Joshua Williamson and artists Dan Mora, Eddy Barrows, and Eber Ferreira that celebrates the last two years of Superman. The issue will connect to Summer of Superman Special #1 and will set up a new storyline. Superman and Superwoman are recovering from their encounters with Time Trapper and Doomsday when Lex Luthor returns ready to fight for control of Supercorp and Metropolis.

Superman #25 goes on sale on April 23, 2025. The issue sports a wraparound cover by Dan Mora, variant covers from Guillem March, Jeff Dekal, Rafael Grassetti, Dave Johnson, Laura Braga, and Fico Ossio, and an April Fools' Day variant cover from Dan Hipp.

Superman Unlimited is a new comic book series from Dan Slott, Rafael Albuquerque, and Marcelo Maiolo. An asteroid showers the globe with Kryptonite. "Intergang, under new leadership, is on the rise, with practically all their foot soldiers carrying at least one clip of Kryptonite bullets on them. The asteroid left massive Kryptonite deposits to be mined, and it houses unlimited horrors yet to be unpacked. To survive, Superman will need to forge new alliances, new tech and new tactics if he hopes to carry on his quest for truth, justice and a better tomorrow!" (DC Comics)

Superman Unlimited #1, featuring a main cover by Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo, goes on sale on May 21, 2025.

Superman: The World follows in the same vein as Batman: The World and Joker: The World as creators from across the globe highlight the Man of Steel. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks will be joined by 15 international creators.

Superman: The World goes on sale on June 24, 2025.

Superman's Good Guy Gang is a multivolume graphic novel series for early readers ages 5-7 from Rob Justus. Eight-year-old Clark Kent and his friends Hawkgirl and Green Lantern Guy Gardner become friends, start a club, "test their abilities, grow together and maybe even earn some good guy points along the way." (DC Comics)

Superman's Good Guy Gang #1 goes on sale on July 1, 2025.

In addition to the above comics, April 18, 2025, marks Superman Day and DC has curated a list of titles showcasing the hero for sale that day.

For sale at participating bookstores and online are All-Star Superman Deluxe Superman Day Edition hardcover featuring a new dust jacket by Frank Quitely and Superman Unchained Deluxe Superman Day Edition hardcover featuring a new dust jacket by Jim Lee.

For sale exclusively at participating comic book shops are All Star Superman #1 Special Edition by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Superman For All Seasons Book One Special Edition by Jeph Loeb and Time Sale, an excerpt from Jimmy Olsen's Supercyclopedia by Gabe Soria and Sandy Jarrell, and Action Comics #1 Golden Age - Size Facsimile Edition featuring an homage cover by Dan Mora.

(Images via DC Comics - Jorge Jiménez's Cover of Summer of Superman Special #1, Brad Walker's Cover of Action Comics #1085, Dan Mora's Wraparound Cover of Superman #25, Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo's cover of Superman Unlimited #1, Cover of Superman: The World, and Cover of Superman's Good Guy Gang #1)

[its-been-rose]

Just thinking about the Campbell-Barrow Training Arc

And like what if Marie is like “there’s a pretty good chance some of your targets are going to fight back so you need to learn how to fight properly, not like one of your schoolyard squabbles.” And she like ties her hair up and puts her fists up like

“Go on. Hit me.”

And of course Henry is like “🥺 well I couldn’t hit my ma” and Marie is like “don’t give me that shit. If you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna have to face parents. Mothers. Fathers. grandparents, even. Do not give them any hint of mercy. They didn’t have any problem destroying your father’s legacy.”

And he throws a really weak punch that she blocks and she just looks at him like “what was that?” And he’s like “well I don’t wanna hurt you. I’m bigger than you.” And she looks up like

“Oh, my sweet, sweet boy. So considerate. NOW HIT ME.”

[citrinedecades]

1320 Decade Summary

As of the end of 1329, the main Barrow family counts 6 sims:

Brayden Barrow • 27 years old • Head of the family

Fatima Barrow • 27 years old • Head spouse

Romarin Barrow • 7 years old • Heir

Khalil Barrow • ?? years old • Evil child granted by the well

Celeste Barrow • 3 months

Edward Barrow • 3 months

The old Barrow farm houses 5 sims:

Rosemary Barrow • 45 years old • Family matriarch

Hubert Howe • 49 years old • Matriarch's spouse (not part of the legacy)

Cailan Barrow • 23 years old

Becca Barrow • 20 years old

Tristan Howe • 5 years old • Matriarch's son of 2nd marriage (not part of the legacy)

Three of the Gen 2 Barrow siblings remain unmarried:

Esther Barrow • 17 years old

Alexander Barrow • 16 years old

Alyson Barrow • 15 years old

The Townsend household counts 5 sims:

Brandan Townsend • 29 years old

Stefanie Townsend • 28 years old

Nicolette Townsend • 9 years old

Terra Townsend • 7 years old

Regina Townsend • Newborn (aged up to toddler for the picture!)

The de l'Orme household counts 2 active sims:

Adelaide de l'Orme • 36 years old

Frederik Jr. de l'Orme • 27 years old

The Pasquier household counts 6 sims:

Daisy Pasquier • 27 years old

Noah Pasquier • 25 years old

Hannah Pasquier • 7 years old

Christopher Pasquier • 6 years old

Dale Pasquier • 4 years old

Tiffani Pasquier • 2 years old

The Graves household counts 4 sims:

Harlan Graves • 31 years old

Adrianna Barrow • 20 years old

Cara Townsend • 9 years old • Illegitimate daughter of Harlan Graves & Sheila Townsend (mother of Brandan Townsend), not part of our legacy

Lavender Graves • 33 years old • Lover of Adrianna (not part of our legacy)

The Atwood household counts 4 sims:

Gabriella Atwood • 24 years old • Last surviving Barrow sibling of Gen 1

Corey Atwood • 24 years old

Shanna Atwood • 5 years old

Basil Atwood • 2 years old

The Baker household counts 6 sims:

Vasco Baker • 24 years old • Heir to Cecelia's line

Mariana Baker • 23 years old

Lino Baker • 4 years old

Dina Baker • 2 years old

Angela Baker • 1 year old

Zayne Baker • 22 years old

The Rochefort household (formerly the runaway Baker orphans) counts 2 sims:

Lucia Rochefort • 20 years old

Endrio Rochefort • 19 years old

The Verviers family counts 5 sims:

Lucan Verviers • 46 years old

Auguste Verviers • 19 years old • Heir to Gemma's line

Rosa Verviers • 25 years old

Ghyslain Verviers • 11 years old

Kristine Verviers • 2 years old • Possibly the child of Cailan Barrow

During this decade, there were 29 births, of which 17 are still alive.

Our average age at death is 10, but if we omit spouses from the statistics, it drops to 5.1.

We had a total of 12 deaths:

Joslyn Barrow (1320-1320)

Margaery Barrow (1320-1320)

Eva Pasquier (1322-1323)

Felix Barrow (1325-1325)

Elisha Pasquier (1325-1325)

Brian Townsend (1326-1326)

Violet Atwood (1326-1326)

Fred Barrow (1326-1326)

Rex Graves (1328-1328)

Mary Barrow (1327-1328)

Ennio Rochefort (1328-1329)

Benson Abeu (1329-1329)

44% of playable sims have made it past the age of 5 years old, compared to 61% in the previous decade.

The sim having gotten married the most often is still Gemma Barrow who was married 3 times (Hale, Verviers, Verviers).

The couple who has had the most children is still Frederik & Rosemary Barrow with 11 children (9 singles and 1 set of twins)

The sim who has died and been resurrected the most often is still Brayden Barrow with three deaths (cardiac explosion, murdered, cardiac explosion)

The average number of pregnancies per woman is 4, down from the average of 9 of the previous decade, which is explained by having more women included in the statistics now that Gen 2 has made it to adulthood.

The deadliest year so far was 1316 with 5 deaths. The years with the most births are 1327 and 1329, which are tied with 5 births each.

See you in 1330!

[richincolor]

New Releases

All of these books look interesting to me. I don't even know which book I want to add to my TBR reading list first. 

Gita Desai Is Not Here to Shut Up by Sonia Patel Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books

It’s eighteen-year-old Gita Desai’s first year at Stanford University, and it’s a miracle she’s here and not already married off by her traditional Gujarati parents. She’s determined to death-grip her good-girl, model-student rep all the way to medical school, which means no social life or standing out in any way. Should be easy: If there’s one thing she’s learned from her family it’s how to chup-re—to “shut up,” fade into the background.

But when childhood memories of her aunt’s desertion and her then-uncle’s best friend resurface, Gita ditches the books night after night in favor of partying and hooking up with strangers. Still, nothing can stop the nagging voice in her head that’s growing louder and louder, insisting something’s wrong… and the only way she can burst forward is to stop shutting-up about the past.

Click below to read about all of this week's new releases.

Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Before she became a warrior, Ida B. Wells was an incomparable flirt with a quick wit and a dream of becoming a renowned writer. The first child of newly freed parents who thrived in a community that pulsated with hope and possibility after the Civil War, Ida had a big heart, big ambitions, and even bigger questions: How to be a good big sister when her beloved parents perish in a yellow fever epidemic? How to launch her career as a teacher? How to make and keep friends in a society that seems to have no place for a woman who speaks her own mind? And – always top of mind for Ida – how to find a love that will let her be the woman she dreams of becoming?

Ahead of her time by decades, Ida B. Wells pioneered the field of investigative journalism with her powerful reporting on violence against African Americans. Her name became synonymous with courage and an unflinching demand for racial and gender equality. But there were so many facets to Ida Bell and critically acclaimed writer Veronica Chamber unspools her full and colorful life as Ida comes of age in the rapidly changing South, filled with lavish society dances and parties, swoon-worthy gentleman callers, and a world ripe for the taking.

Till the Last Beat of My Heart by Louangie Bou-Montes HarperCollins

When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down.

There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it’s almost out.

As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.

The Rez Doctor written by Gitz Crazyboy & illustrated by Veronika Barinova HighWater Press

Young Ryan Fox gets good grades, but he’s not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. It isn’t until he meets a Blackfoot doctor during a school assembly that he starts to dream big.

However, becoming a doctor isn’t easy. University takes Ryan away from his family and the Siksikaitsitapi community, and without their support, he begins to struggle. Faced with more stress than he’s ever experienced, he turns to partying. Distracted from his responsibilities, his grades start to slip. His bills pile up. Getting into med school feels impossible. And now his beloved uncle is in jail. Can Ryan regain his footing to walk the path he saw so clearly as a boy?

Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian HarperCollins

From Abdi Nazemian, the award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment, comes a suspenseful contemporary YA novel about loss and love.

Fifteen-year-old Kam is head over heels for Ash, the boy who swept him off his feet. But his family and best friend, Bodie, are worried. Something seems off about Ash. He also has a habit of disappearing, at times for days. When Ash asks Kam to join him on a trip to Joshua Tree, the two of them walk off into the sunset . . . but only Kam returns.

Two years later, Kam is still left with a hole in his heart and too many unanswered questions. So it feels like fate when a school trip takes him back to Joshua Tree. On the trip, Kam wants to find closure about what happened to Ash but instead finds himself in danger of facing a similar fate. In the desert, Kam must reckon with the truth of his past relationship—and the possibility of opening himself up to love once again.

Desert Echoes is a propulsive, moving story about human resilience and connection.

Between the Pipes Story by Albert McLeod with Elaine Mordoch and Sonya Ballantyne (Contributor) & illustrated by Alice RL HighWater Press

Thirteen-year-old Chase’s life and identity should be simple. He’s the goalie for his hockey team, the Eagles. He’s a friend to Kevin and Jade. He’s Kookum’s youngest grandchild. He’s a boy. He should like girls.

But it’s not that simple. Chase doesn’t like girls the way that the other boys do. It’s scary being so different from his peers. Scarier still is the feeling that his teammates can tell who he is—and that they hate him for it. If he pretends hard enough, maybe he can hide the truth.

Real strength and change can’t come from a place of shame. Chase’s dreams are troubled by visions of a bear spirit, and the more he tries to hide, the more everything falls apart. With the help of an Elder, and a Two-Spirit mentor, can Chase find the strength to be proud of who he is?

“Between the Pipes” explores toxic masculinity in hockey through the experiences of an Indigenous teen.

They Thought They Buried Us by NoNieqa Ramos Carolrhoda Lab

Horror fan and aspiring film director Yuiza gets a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

As one of the few students of color at Our Lady of Perpetual Mercy, Yuiza immediately feels out of place. A brutal work-study schedule makes it impossible to keep up with the actual classes. Every expense, from textbooks to laundry, puts Yuiza into debt. And the behavior of students and faculty is… unsettling.

Yuiza starts having disturbing dreams about the school’s past and discovers clues about the fate of other scholarship students. It’ll take all Yuiza’s knowledge of the horror genre to escape from Our Lady’s grasp.

How to Lose a Best Friend by Jordan K. Casomar MTV Books

For as long as anyone can remember, Zeke Ladoja and Imogen Parker have been best friends. Their classmates, their parents, and even the school custodian think that they’re meant to be together. And that’s exactly what Zeke wants: for Gen to be his girlfriend. Now that she’s about to be sixteen (and allowed to date), Zeke is finally going to tell her how he feels—in front of everyone at her birthday party.

Imogen loves Zeke with all her heart, but only as a friend. The pressure to be with Zeke has sometimes been overwhelming, but up to this point, she’s been able to manage it. Then she falls for the new boy, Trevor Cook, and she knows the news will devastate Zeke. The last thing she wants to do is hurt her best friend, but she also resents the fact that no one seems to care about what she wants.

The night of Gen’s party, everything goes wrong. There’s backlash, most of it directed at Gen, and Zeke feels emboldened. He isn’t about to give up on his feelings, and he’ll do whatever it takes to prove that she made the wrong choice…even if it means destroying their friendship. But Gen isn’t about to give up on fighting for herself and the freedom to love the boy she wants, not the boy she’s expected to be with.

[cinderbrushdraws]

Sketches of my MC Fae Barrow and our dear Sebastian Sallow. Will try to write her story down soon

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Till the Last Beat of My Heart by Louangie Bou-Montes

Release date: 15 October 2024

Genre: young adult contemporary fantasy with horror elements

If you like:

Cemetery Boys

Necromancy

Ex-friends to lovers

Grumpy Nerd x Himbo Jock

Synopsis

The teen son of the local mortician accidentally reanimates the dead body of the boy he had more than friendly feelings for, but can he keep him alive for good before their time runs out?

When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down.

There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it's almost out.

As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.

Content warnings

Death, parental death, animal death

Car accident, injury/injury descriptions

Blood, nose/ear-bleeds, self-harm for magic purposes

Hospital, medical content

Anxiety, panic attacks

Bullying

Descriptions of dead/decomposing bodies and animal carcasses

Review

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

This book is the perfect Halloween read!

While this book is definitely not a horror novel, there were plenty of spooky moments and horror references that feels just in time for Halloween season. I hadn't expected that based on the cover, so it was a pleasant surprise!

The characters read as realistically teenager-y to me. Jaxon is moody and anxious and stubborn (same, dude) while Christian is upbeat and cheerful but is also putting up a front to hide his fears. Also, I really appreciate that Christian is a glasses-wearing jock.

There were certain conflicts that I feel got brushed off/didn't get resolved fully, but for the most part, everything gets resolved pretty well.

I feel that the necromancy aspect isn't fully fleshed out, but as Jaxon is new to this/still figuring things out, I think that's fine.

Overall, a pretty solid YA fantasy, I will definitely be looking forward to see what the author writes next!

P. S. I love Grimalkin the cat so much 😭😭😭

[moon-simmers]

Winterfest Ball, Redwood Manor Brindleton Bay 1842.

Lord Barrow and Lord Redwood took each other by the hand and walked towards the center of the ballroom, all the dancing couples were surprised and stopped dancing to make some space for the host of the evening, Edgar and George were disconcerted by their father's attitude.

All the guests looked at Jacques and Mordecai. Being the host of the evening it was impossible to ignore, in addition to the fact that they were two men waltzing. 

Percival and Thaddeus were surprised to see another male couple dancing like them, as if it was a silent validation from Jacques. Rose watched everything from the piano, afraid of people's reaction and uncertain of how whatever was happening at that moment would end.

After several twists and turns, Mordecai tried to converse with his dance partner, who seemed unaware of the consequences of his actions.

Mordecai: Jacs, what are we doing? I don't want you to be foolish with what we're generating in the atmosphere. Everyone is watching us

Jacques: Mord, I have been a watcher for over 30 years. Even though it's late for us, I don't want to miss the opportunity to be the interpreter of my own life.

[solis-legacy]

Spare Update: As they went up the stairs, the logical side of Rayne kept telling her that this was a mistake and that she was moving too fast again. However, every other side of her just knew that this was right. That this was meant to happen.

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