#but i think kj charles did a convincing job

[libraryleopard]

Dual POV adult historical romance set in 1810s England

When a Gareth, London clerk, unexpectedly inherits his estranged father's baronetcy in Kent, he moves to the Romney marshes and realizes that Joss, the man who runs the local smuggling clan, is the same one who he had several clandestine assignations with–before they abruptly things ended on bad terms

The two end tangled in conflicts between rival smuggling clans and the local authorities even as they find themselves drawn back to each other

Very grounded in historical politics, setting, and language

Gay main character; biracial Black/white, gay main character; M/M romance

[mediaevalmusereads]

A Lady for a Duke. By Alexis Hall. Forever Books, 2022.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance, queer romance

Part of a Series? No

Summary: When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.

Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: drug use, suicidal ideation, violence, ableism, PTSD, graphic sexual content, abduction

Overview: I was trying to find more queer historical romances outside of those written KJ Charles, Olivia Waite, and CAT Sebastian when I stumbled upon Alexis Hall. The premise of this particular book sounded intriguing, so I picked it up from my local library and dove right in. Overall, there were some things I really enjoyed about this story and things I wish were done a little differently. The trans representation was very much appreciated, and I liked the angst between our two protagonists. The things I wish were different (pace, plot, etc.) didn't ruin the reading experience for me, so if you're interested in queer historical romance, I'd definitely recommend giving this a try.

Writing: Hall's prose is somewhat more "elevated" than your typical romance novel, but I don't think I'd venture so far as to call it capital-L Literary. There are quite a few creative descriptions and metaphors, and Hall is clearly interested in devoting a lot of time to the characters' inner thoughts and feelings; but the prose never becomes difficult to follow, weighed down by description, or abstract in a way that pushes the book out of the romance genre. That's not to say romance prose is bad; rather, this book feels like it's pushing the possibility of new styles.

However, I do think the overall pace of this book is rather slow. While Hall did a good job balancing showing and telling, a lot of time is spent in the characters' heads. This means that a lot of time is spent explaining and interpreting things for the reader, which could make the book feel repetitive. Sometimes, we would see a conversation happen and then a whole chunk of a chapter is devoted to the character dwelling on that conversation and Hall explaining how it affected them. While some of that was good, it happened way too often and made the pace drag in multiple places.

Plot: The non-romance plot of this book follows Viola Carroll as she attempts to live as her true self following the Battle of Waterloo. Viola is a transwoman who uses Waterloo as an opportunity to fake her death and return to Emgland as her true self. The problem is that in doing so, she devastated her lifelong best friend, the Duke of Gracewood, who believes her to be dead. For two years, Viola lives as a companion to her sister in law, Louise, but when Gracewood's sister, Miranda, writes to Louise of her loneliness and Gracewood's despair, Louise convinces Viola that she is the best person to help them.

Most of the plot of this book involved lengthy, heart-to-heart conversations between Viola and Gracewood. Most of them involved Gracewood being insecure about something and Viola would reassure him, or Viola would voice her struggle with her identity and Gracewood would reassure her. While these conversations weren't necessarily bad in principle, the fact that the entire plot revolved around them made the narrative feel repetitive. Viola and Gracewood would have the same or similar conversations over and over again, so it didn't feel like anything was actually happening or that the conversations built on one another. I would have much rather seen Hall use these conversations to accentuate events of actions; for example, Viola could discuss her struggle with performing womanhood after helping (or watching?) Miranda learn certain skills she needs for her coming out. Maybe Gracewood talks about his feelings of inadequacy after his PTSD is triggered at Vauxhall. Because not much "exterior stuff" actually happened in the book, there wasn't an aura of suspense, and the plot didn't feel like it was building towards something.

Characters: Viola, our heroine, was both sympathetic and frustrating. I really enjoyed that her arc involved acting in her own best interest and being utterly unapologetic about it. I was utterly frustrated, however, by how indecisive she was and how she didn't seem to have anything to strive for. Viola spends a large portion of the book insisting that she and Gracewood can't be together; since she's not cis, she can't marry him or give his heirs, and she doesn't want to be reduced to being his mistress. While her reasons were understandable, it was frustrating to see all her protestations magically disappear after one dance with Gracewood. All of a sudden, Viola seems to realize that society's rules don't matter, and while that's great, the change of heart felt rather abrupt. I was also somewhat frustrated by the fact that Viola doesn't really have any goals or any struggle that sustains her arc for the entirety of the book. I guess you could say that she struggles with her feelings for Gracewood, and while I liked the idea of her trying to renegotiate their relationship in light of her change in identity, it didn't quite feel like a coherent arc. I wish Hall had given Viola a more concrete goal, even if that goal was just to learn to be comfortable with herself or learn to live the life she wants.

Gracewood, our hero, is also sympathetic and frustrating, but his arc feels a little more complete because his struggles are more defined. Gracewood struggles with self-acceptance following his physical and mental trauma from war, but he also struggles with being a good brother to his sister after a lifetime of being told that men should act a certain way. Compared to Viola's arc, Gracewood's is a little easier to see, and it ties a little more into the actual events of the book (for example, Gracewood's PTSD is triggered by fireworks at Vauxhall, his role as a good brother is challenged when suitors start trying to arrange a marriage with Miranda without her consent). I do wish his character arc involved scenes building on one another and showing a clearer evolution, but as it stands, his arc is clearly the more defined of the two.

Supporting characters were similarly charming and frustrating, depending on the scene. Louise, Viola's sister in law, had a tendency to meddle in everyone's affairs, which was actually fun and good-natured. She did, however, have a sense of humor that was a little too self-aware for my tastes. Miranda, Gracewood's sister, was admirable in that she cared deeply for her brother and her desire for companionship made her sympathetic. There was also something about her sense of humor that didn't gel with me; she was awkward and somewhat naive, which could be endearing but mostly ended up feeling contrived.

The two main antagonists, I felt, were somewhat underutilized, though one was better done than the other. The first, Viscount Stirling, was an interesting combination of desperation and pride; Stirling wants to marry Miranda for her money, and though he does things that are not great, he isn't a Rake or a libertine. I thought he was a good character to use to explore Gracewood's relationship with his sister; because Stirling asks for Gracewood's permission to marry Miranda without consulting Miranda first, Gracewood had to reexamine his belief that he knew what was best for her and what his role as Miranda's guardian really looked like.

The second antagonist, the Duke of Amberglass, was, in my opinion, way underutilized. Amberglass is your typical Rake and poses a threat to both Miranda and Gracewood. Without spoiling anything, I will say that I thought he just kind of popped in and then ducked out, and because his presence wasn't more sustained, his reasons for doing bad things felt sudden and unnatural. He could have been an interesting challenge to Gracewood's idea of manhood, but the way Hall went about it felt manufactured for drama without much substance.

Romance: The romance between Viola and Gracewood was intriguing yet also lacking. I really liked that a big part of their growth as a couple involved renegotiating their relationship after Viola's transition and Gracewood's trauma. Viola makes very clear that the person Gracewood knew before her transition was, in some ways, a lie. Gracewood, to his credit, communicates that while he misses his friend from his youth, he cares more about knowing Viola's true self than getting his friend back. It was satisfying to see them draw on the past while also recognizing that it wasn't something they wanted to recover or go back to.

I also really appreciated that the physically intimate scene didn't shy away from portraying the encounter as queer. Hall neither shrouds the scene in euphemism nor fetishizes the trans body. Hall honest about portraying Viola as a transwoman with a transwoman's body, but doesn't highlight things that might cause some readers to view Viola as anything other than a woman.

However, I was also somewhat frustrated by the cyclical nature of their relationship and the sudden shift to being a couple late in the book. The main obstacle to their union seemed to be Viola's own fears and insecurities, particularly her insistence that she cannot legally become Gracewood's wife and cannot physically give him children. While I understood that these issues are real things to consider, I ultimately didn't feel like Viola overcame them in a satisfying way. It didn't feel like Viola and Gracewood evolved so much as Viola suddenly decided she didn't really care anymore, and I wish there had been a clearer progression.

Lastly, as I mentioned above, Viola and Gracewood seem to have the same or similar conversations over and over, which felt repetitive after a while. While I don't mind some deep, emotionally vulnerable interactions, it felt like most of the book was comprised of them, and as a result, they didn't have the same punch as they would if they were paired with action.

TL;DR: A Lady for a Duke contains some much-needed trans representation in historical romance, but ultimately suffers from a lack of suspense and plot. While the relationship between the protagonists was deftly handled and brought up a lot of complex emotions, too much of the story relies on internal monologue and deep conversation, which makes the pace and shape of the narrative feel somewhat stagnant.

[reggieandveronica]

EW: Riverdale's Charles Melton discusses that Reggie and Veronica shocker

Isn’t it romantic?

On Wednesday night’s midseason premiere of Riverdale, a new relationship bloomed in the final moments of the episode. After singing the Kander and Ebb classic “Maybe This Time” to the crowd at La Bonne Nuit in what was apparently a bit of foreshadowing (“Maybe this time he’ll stay”), Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Reggie (Charles Melton) shared a steamy first kiss in the deserted club after hours.

Veronica and Archie (KJ Apa) are technically broken up, and Reggie has been her right-hand man at La Bonne Nuit, helping her with everything from breaking Archie out of prison to making secret beer runs through the woods to fill the club’s stores (the legal drinking age in Riverdale remains a mystery to us all). So, it’s fair to say that much of season 3 has been building to this moment by playing up Veronica and Reggie’s palpable chemistry (aided no doubt by Mendes and Melton’s Instagram-official offscreen relationship).

Melton, who has played Riverdale’s resident jock since season 2, tells EW he thinks this moment was something Reggie has wanted for awhile. “I think Reggie secretly has a thing for every girl on the show,” the actor jokes. “But I think this has been something that’s been a long time coming.

“It was something [I] anticipated through doing my research and reading the comics, and seeing there was a lot of back-and-forth and a lot of different relationships between the core four and Reggie,” Melton adds. “I kind of anticipated it, even in season 2. I found out before we started filming season 3 that there was going to be some sort of relationship between Reggie and Veronica.”

For those wondering if that kiss was just a heat-of-the-moment thing after they successfully turned the tables on Veronica’s father, Melton says it’s not — and that there’s still more to come. “You’ll definitely see this relationship grow,” he teases. “Not only will you see this relationship grow, but you’ll see their working relationship and how that all ties into everything.… I think fans are going to be excited to see the evolution of this new relationship.”

Riverdale fans can be quite vocal about their shipping, sometimes taking things to the extreme. But Melton says he’s not too worried about the wrath of Varchie lovers. For one, he largely stays off social media, and for another, he hopes the storyline will convince some to come around. “Hopefully we can turn some Varchie fans into Veggie fans after they see the kiss and really see how much Reggie cares about Veronica,” he says. Yes, this ship name is really Veggie. Just accept it now.

That said, Melton does hint that Archie might not be happy if he survives to learn about this new development.“When you’re in a relationship and it’s endgame, and then something happens, I wouldn’t suspect anybody would be happy about that,” he says.

Mostly, Melton is excited for fans to get to see a softer, gentler Reggie they haven’t fully encountered yet. “I knew [the storyline] was going to allow me to show a different layer of Reggie, a different side of Reggie that people hadn’t seen,” he says. “This sensitivity, this vulnerability that we have yet to see.”

For those who question Reggie’s motives — he did, after all, once sell Jingle Jangle and help Archie start a gang war with the Serpents — Melton says that’s all in the past. “Reggie’s support for Veronica will not waver. Reggie is very honest, and maybe he might be a little bit more reactionary than most,” he says. “But, yes, we can definitely trust Reggie.”

That’s good because things are about to get even more intense in Riverdale. While this week found Reggie sporting a black eye and bruises at the hands of the Gargoyle gang and later helping the Serpents rough up some Gargoyles, Melton says there’s plenty more action in store. “With the crime rate rising in Riverdale and all these moving pieces that are happening, I think we can definitely expect more of that,” he hints.

The Serpents are now in Veronica’s, and by extension Reggie’s, employ as protection at her nightclub. At this point, there are only a few members of the original Riverdale crew who haven’t been officially inducted as Serpents, and Reggie has already been in on one of their jobs, so can a Serpent tattoo be far away? “Oh my gosh, wouldn’t that be a dream?!” Melton muses. “You’re just going to have wait and see.”

One thing he can guarantee: Fans will have the chance to connect with Reggie in new ways in upcoming episodes. “You’re going to really see a vulnerable side of Reggie,” Melton concludes. “I think people are really going to empathize with what he’s going through.”

EW.com

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2019 | Pt. II

Reminder:

Normal font - Indifferent/Neutral Italicized font - Enjoyed bold font - Loved with an asterisk* - All time favorite (bracketed titles) - Re-watches/Re-reads strikethough - Disliked

Goals are: read one hundred books this year (on track, currently at 76), finish five video games (FIN), write something novel-length (not so much) and write something original (technically done? don’t know if I want to count a snippet that didn’t even hit 1k). These last two goals CAN be combined (I might try NaNo this year, so we will see).

Part I: January-July. 

MOVIES

August

American Graffiti

Toy Story 4

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Aquaman

(Spirited Away)

The Grinch

Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus

John Wick

Alita: Battle Angel

(Jaws)

Jaws 2

The Dark Tower

September

(Avengers Endgame)

IT: Chapter 2

(Kull: The Conquerer)

(Lord of the Rings: Return of the King)

October

Lego Movie 2

Us

Roman Holiday

(Monster’s Inc)

(13 Ghosts)

Addams Family

November

The King

BOOKS

August

Red, White, and Royal Blue | Casey Mcquiston [Fin]

Nevernight | Jay Kristoff [Fin]

David Mogo, Godhunter | Suyi Davies Okungbowa [Fin]

League of Dragons | Naomi Novak [Fin]

The Magpie Lord | KJ Charles [Fin]

Witches of Lychford | Paul Cornell [Fin]

The Gunslinger | Stephen King

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter | Alexis Hall [Fin]

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman [Fin]

The Way of Kings | Brandon Sanderson

September

The Way of Kings | Brandon Sanderson [Fin]

The Gunslinger | Stephen King [Fin]

Educated | Tara Westover [Fin]

Middlegame | Seanan Mcguire [Fin]

Eye of the World | Robert Jordan

Harrow County Vol. 1 | Cullen Bunn [Fin]

Harrow County Vol. 2 | Cullen Bunn [Fin]

Harrow County Vol. 3 | Cullen Bunn [Fin]

Harrow County Vol. 4 | Cullen Bunn [Fin]

Harrow County Vol. 5 | Cullen Bunn [Fin]

Exhalation | Ted Chiang [Fin]

The Ten Thousand Doors of January | Alix Harrow** [Fin]

Through the Woods | Emily Carroll [Fin]

To Be Taught, If Fortunate | Becky Chambers** [Fin]

The Eye of the World | Robert Jordan [Fin]

Chilling Effect | Valerie Valdes [Fin]

October

We Are Where the Nightmares Go | C. Robert Cargill [Fin]

Horrorstor | Grady Hendrix [Fin]

Feedback | Mira Grant [Fin]

Ninth House | Leigh Bardugo [Fin] 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid [Fin]

Monster of Elendhaven | Jennifer Giesbrecht [Fin]

Mirrormask | Neil Gaiman [Fin]

The Darkest Part of the Forest | Holly Black [Fin]

We Set the Dark on Fire | Tehlor Kay Mejia [Fin]

November

The Gilded Wolves | Roshani Chokshi [Fin]

Words of Radiance | Brandon Sanderson 

PODCASTS

August

The Magnus Archive Eps 11-63

Alice Isn’t Dead Ep 5

September

The Magnus Archive Eps 64-94

The Adventure Zone | Episode 5

October

The Magnus Archive Eps 95-159**

Welcome to Night Vale

Alice Isn’t Dead Eps 6-10 + bonus episodes

TANIS Ep 1

The Penumbra Podcast

Zero Hours**

November

The Penumbra Podcast

The Magnus Archive Eps 160

TV SHOWS

August

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural

Another Life

She-Ra s3

Steven Universe s5

Glow s1

(Gravity Falls s2)

September

Carnival Row

Sherlock s4

Fruit’s Basket

October

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural s6

Leverage s1

Fruit’s Basket

November

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural s6

VIDEO GAMES

August

Witcher 3 DLC: Blood and Wine (40 hrs)

September

Control (20 hrs)

Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter World: Icebourne

Link’s Awakening (23 hrs)

October

Monster Hunter World: Icebourne

Link’s Awakening (30 hrs) [Fin]

Assassin’s Creed: Origins (10 hours)

November

Assassin’s Creed: Origins (10 hours)

DELIGHTFUL FIC

August

In These Frozen and Silent Nights by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | “You know me,” Shane says, “I love a good cabin. I’m a cabinhead.”“I’ll show you cabin head,” Ryan rebuts without thinking, and then he turns his face into the pillow to stifle a nervous snicker. “Oh shit, wait, that’s—”

Warm My Bones by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 12k | Shane isn't meant to go into heat, but he does.

and only then we'll know if it was worth to become a ghost by Spooks | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 8k | It has never been easy, convincing Shane of the existence of the supernatural. It doesn't become incredibly much easier once Ryan becomes a ghost himself.

#blessed by thehoyden | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 9k | Of course Shane would rather not work; he’d like it to be like the good old days, and who wouldn’t? But a demon’s gotta eat, and he can’t even get a discount on his rent because it turns out it’s a lot harder to influence faceless companies with ominous dreams. Ergo: gainful employment at Buzzfeed.

i think i'm still turning out by the_tenerife_sea | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 6k |  Shane is starting to think Ryan is using him for his baby, considering how much he’s already talked her up to all of their coworkers and friends.

never tell me the odds by Wildehack (tyleet) | Wolf 359 | Doug/Hera | 9k | “I tried Star Wars," he says, adjusting the phone under his neck, "and it was way underwhelming.”

Alien Reacharound by Edgelord (lostlikeme) | Invader Zim | Zadr | 3k | “You’re telling me the only way I can get back into my body is some kind of…” Dib gesticulates while he searches for the right words. “Alien reacharound?”

Find Me Somebody by raiining | Good Omens | Adam/Warlock | 11k | “You left me,” he said. “You both left me, for him. And I can’t even blame you, because I’d have left me for him too.”

flirting with fire by brawlite | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 6k | WIP | Steve's a cop, Billy's a firefighter. It's not a grudge, it's just a regular old small town rivalry.

and you're trying not to tell him by lymricks | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 4k | Whatever. They don’t talk, is the point, and Billy doesn’t need to finish all these big, deep, tragic sentences in his head. He needs to know if Harrington can’t swim.For lifeguard reasons. It’s his job, all right?

See Your Colors by lj_todd | The Dark Tower | Roland/Walter | 2k | The first time Roland laid eyes on Walter was the first time he saw color.

Straight Martinis by dreamfleet, mezmerize | Kingdom Hearts | Axel/Roxas | 5k | The obvious choice. (Or, cocktail parties are boring and hot waiters are fantastic distractions.)

September

gold, when you find me by mmtion | The Flash | Iris/Barry | 53k | It's not that Iris hates The Flash, per say - more that she hates writing about The Streak in a weekly, pun-heavy comic based on The Flash.

From friends to this by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) | Star Wars | Reylo | 3.6k | Ben has never been good with words; Rey, it seems, doesn’t mind learning his language.

wear it well by sarcasticfishes | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Sara, Shane/Sara | 5k | “Are Ryan and I dating? Or— something?”Shane looks up from his paperback, an eyebrow raised. “Babe I think you’re asking the wrong person.”

never gets old by brawls (brawlite), ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 31k | WIP | Falling in love with a cam boy named KingSteve isn't the smartest thing Billy Hargrove has ever done, nor is it the most healthy -- but the good choice is rarely ever the fun choice, and Billy is all about living life fast and loose.

Gift Trapped by andavs | Teen Wolf | Sterek | 19k | There was a massive box, wrapped up prettily with red paper and a green bow, totally eclipsing the small Christmas tree Laura set up on his coffee table. The thudding heartbeat was coming from inside.

To the Sun by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 17k | Life is weird. Ten years after Unsolved ends, Shane’s married with a kid and Ryan accidentally bumps into him at a gas station in Illinois.

Tag Team by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 14k | Ryan participates in a charity date auction, much to his chagrin. Sara and Shane try to help.

October

only then i am human, only then i am clean by Macremae | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 4k | There had never seemed to be a reason why everyone on station wanted to bang the living daylights out of Ryan. It was just... a thing. Space is black, stars are bright, and Ryan Dalias is attractive to literally everyone. The universe continues as normal.Except now it's laughing it's ass off, because turns out there was a reason after all.

(Almost Cool by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 30k | While filming the Yuma Territorial Prison episode, Shane gets bitten by what he thinks is a bat. Spoiler alert: it's not.)

low lays the devil by Spooks (agonizer) | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 19k | Keeping Ryan Bergara alive and safe is a full-time job, and Shane Madej has his work cut out for him.

Scratch by L1av | DBH | Hankcon | 71k | There's a virus killing androids. Hank and Connor are tasked with finding out what it is and why it's being made. When the virus is unwillingly uploaded into Connor's system, he learns there may be a desperate reason why androids want it. He can feel pain. And he likes it.

Ask a Compelling Question by TeamHPForever | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jon Sims | 2k | “What are you thinking about?” Jon asks, his voice edged into a snap.Martin’s mouth opens and, entirely without his permission, words spill out. “I was thinking about what it would be like to kiss you.”

a clean break by Wildehack (tyleet) | The Magnus Archives | Georgie/Melanie | 1k | Georgie’s phone rings at work, and she almost doesn’t answer it.

ways to save the world by Wildehack (tyleet) | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jonathan | 19k | “I left you,” Martin says softly.

Where Airy Voices Lead by Harvey_King (Delphi) | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jon | 4k |  Five unsubstantiated encounters between Martin Blackwood and Jonathan Sims, and one that was captured on audio cassette.

the shape of your comfort, molded with care by ivelostmyspectacles | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jon | 6k | “You didn’t like the sex, did you?”

Out Of His System by platoapproved | Raven Cycle | Noah/Ronan, Kavinsky/Ronan | 2k | Noah gives Ronan a quick and nasty handjob while dirty talking to him about Kavinsky, because that's what friends are for.

i'd bury diamonds just for you by desastrista | The Bright Sessions | Sam/Damien/Mark | 9k | Mark is photographing a band on tour, Sam is working at the AM, and Damien is still struggling to adjust to life without his abilities

strange bedfellows by spookykingdomstarlight | Star Wars | Finn/Kylo Ren | 4k | “Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to creep under his gaberdine. There is no other shelter hereabouts. Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of the storm be past.” - The Tempest, Act II, Scene II

The Denial Twist by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 35k | Or, the one where Shane and Ryan have some really weird dreams and perhaps, eventually, some sex.

November

The Sun Dog by ambiguously | Star Wars | Finn/Ren/Rey | 5k | Finn and Rey, with their semi-prisoner Kylo Ren, attempt to meet up with the Resistance on a planet that has been taken over by monsters.

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

August

billy hargrove | fairly local.

(Marvel) MCU || In The End

battle royale [iw + endgame]

Multifandom || Can i keep you?

roman godfrey | bad guy.

Mr. Sandman | Multifandom

September

Iron Man & Captain America || Legends Are Made

Quentin & Eliot || There's a door somewhere

glitter & gold [bungou stray dogs amv]

(Marvel) Thor | Worthy

MARVEL || What if the Storm Ends? (collab w/ djcprod)

Marvel || I'm Only Human

DISNEY'S Motivational Video

(SW) Darth Vader | The Good In You

(Marvel) Peter Parker | Legacy

MultiFandom || Way Down We Go [200K]

Marvel || Destruction

October

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [Geralt Of Rivia] Tribute

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tribute ''Swallow Song" [HD]

►buzzfeed unsolved; GhostBusters™

👻 Buzzfeed Unsolved in Nutshell [IG edits]

👻buzzfeed unsolved; calling all the monsters

Dishonored GMV (Outsider tribute) - Dark Matter

Dishonored GMV Honor for all

Preacher ][ Play Dirty

【Assassin's Creed ｜Odyssey】Wires

👻 The Buzzfeed Unsolved Crack

👻 2 Unsolved 2 Crack

Pennywise | Toxic

2023 - Trailer (1917 Style)

Crowley Good Omens Cosplay Tik Tok Compilation

Joker

(Death Note) Yagami Light | The God of the New World

REYLO || WICKED GAME

Multi-Horror || Where is my mind?

November

MARVEL/DC - Runnin

THE WITCHER | MAIN TRAILER | NETFLIX

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

August

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now - Celine Dion

Walk Through the Fire - Ruelle

Remember When - Bad Wolves

The High Road - Broken Bells

Hey Look Ma, I Made It - Panic! At the Disco

Season of the Witch - Lana del Rey

The Void - Muse

Dancing On My Own - Robyn

Lanterns Lit - Son Lux

Fire With Fire - AlicebanD

Hungover in the City of Dust - Autoheart

Everything I Need - Skylar Grey

Liquid Smooth - Mitski

Think - Kaleida

Swan Song - Dua Lipa

September

Eleventh Dimension - Julian Casablancas

Talk | Khalid

Interstellar soundtrack

Bird Song | Juniper Vale

For the Dancing and the Dreaming | Erutan

Paradise Valley | Honey and the Sting

My Hallelujah | Autoheart

Witchcraft | Vian Izak, Juniper Vale

Furthest Star | Dirt Poor Robins

October

Lots of ghost ambient music

The Ocean | Linnea Olsson

Play Dirty | Kevin McAllister

NFWMB | Hozier

Me and the Devil | Soap&Skin

Rhiannon | Fleetwood Mac

In the Woods Somewhere | Hozier

Wet Black Leaves (playlist)

The Cruel Prince

Pas De Deux - Michael Abels

Beach Walk - Michael Abels

I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix) - Michael Abels

POSTED FIC

August

no more dreaming like a ghost | KH | Axel/Roxas | 813 words | He is in the kitchen, the stove top still warm under his thighs, and everything smells of cherries. The pie is cooling on the windowsill, the sun slanting in warm and buttery, and it is like a dream. A memory. A wish.

Cheers | DBH | Hankcon | 6,368 words | “Are you coming in or not?”Connor blinks, jerks his eyes up and away from those hands and-The bartender has blue eyes. They match the spinning LED at his temple perfectly.

September

N/A

October

bury a friend (try to wake up) | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 1,587 words | Steve digs up Billy’s body on a Tuesday.

won't be too soon 'til I say... goodnight moon | KH | Riku/Sora | 4,549 words |  The house was built in the fall of 1882.

you'll never know what hit you | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 5,379 words | "C’mon, ghost,” Shane urges. “Make all my dreams come true. Fuck me up, fam.”

make this chaos count | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 724 words | “You really should stop looking for me,” Akmazian tells him, fingers creeping across Ryan’s ribcage, mapping the architecture of his ribs.

eat you up whole | The Witcher | Geralt/Regis | 2,527 words | “How many mouthfuls do you think I could take from you before it had some effect?” Regis whispers, lips against his throat. Geralt can feel the pinprick of fangs. “Four? Six? Ten? More, even?”

forget the horror here | DBH | Hankcon | 4,390 words | “Hello,” the android says, it’s chest heaving, the gleam of its heart brighter, bluer than before.

summoning demons (and other bad first date ideas) | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 3,868 words | “If I let you out of that circle,” Ryan says, slowly. “Are you going to eat me?”

Itch | The Magnus Archives | Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims | 1,440 words | The boneturner takes from him two ribs - one for him and one for Jon. 

the salt water sting | Dishonored | Corvo/Outsider | 2,163 words |  The ship wrecks several hundred miles off of the coast of Karnaca.

a skeleton of something more | SGA | Rodney/John | 3,072 words | “John?” he murmurs, still coasting on the pain. His head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton, if cotton were also made of glass.

in the woods somewhere | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 4,570 words | Stiles buys a house in Virginia.

Wake Up | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jon | 550 words | “If you wake up,” Martin tells him, experimentally. “I won’t go through with it. You can tell me what a stupid idea it was, and we can laugh about it, and everything will be normal.”

Pas de Deux | KH | Axel/Roxas | 506 words | Roxas doesn’t remember what the sky looks like anymore.

try to wake up | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 1,226 words | They do not, in fact, bone down and praise Satan.

too late to come on home | LoZ | Gen | 1,391 words | “You look familiar,” the boy says in his strange, haunting voice. “Are you lost?”

patron saint of the lost causes | Harry Potter | Draco/Harry | 4,203 words | “Can’t you just, y’know,” he waves a hand and makes an obscene gesture, his cheeks flaring red. “Shag it out?”

wouldn't you like to see something strange? | Teen Wolf | Sterek | 1,571 words | “I’d say you make my heart pound, but well…” Stiles nods meaningfully to his chest, where if you look hard enough between the slots of his ribs, you can see the lump of muscle that once was his heart, pointedly not beating. “You know.”

the night is softly, sweetly calling | Teen Wolf | Sterek | 2,938 words | Here’s the thing that Stiles never tells the Hales: his mother was strange too.

Haunt | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 1,486 words |  Ryan couldn’t remember a time when the world didn’t believe in ghosts.

bite my tongue, bide my time | PJO | Nico/Percy(/Annabeth) | 1,376 words | “What’s wrong with you?” Nico asks, cowering when Percy places a gentle kiss on his collarbone.

Bird Song | Raven Cycle | Ronan/Adam, Gen | 1,445 words | On a dreary Sunday in early January, Ronan dreams himself a pair of wings.

kiss me hard until you're done | Star Wars | Reylo | 3,082 words | He looks up at her from under heavy lids, dark hair sweeping forward to frame his face. “May I have this dance?”

beauty in the dissonance | Marvel | Tony/Loki | 1,411 words |  When Tony dies, it isn’t for forever.

like real people do | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 2,808 words |  “I’ve got the sight, man,” he says with a small shrug. “And look, I feel for you. You’re dead and I’m not, and that sucks, but unless you’re planning on doing something about it, I’d really appreciate it if you could stop feeling me up and let me get back to sleep.”

i'd rather drown in your ocean | Naruto | Itachi/Shisui | 1,630 words |  The Uchihas are an odd sort. Everyone says so.

catch your breath | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien/Sam | 2,588 words | Mark had never assumed in a million years that he would ever see Damien again. He hadn’t factored in zombies.

Nightmare | The Magnus Archives | Martin/Jonathan | 1,424 words | “All right,” he says, taking Jon’s still outstretched hand. “Let’s give the dream what it wants.”

dreaming of the crash | Gravity Falls | Mabel & Dipper | 484 words | When the end of the world comes, they’re under the bed.

don't we love it now? | Kingdom Hearts | Sora/Riku/Kairi | 1,784 words |  When Kairi is eleven years old, she gets lost in the woods.

all this, and love too, will ruin us | Star Wars | Reylo | 1,102 words |  Rey is awake to watch the sunrise

November

WIPS | UNPUBLISHED | ORIGINAL

August

N/A

September

N/A

October

Not October 8 | Wolf 359 | Hera & Jacobi | 652 words |  When they land on Earth, Hera spends a week in a box.

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

August

N/A

September