#justice for kj

[kj-yikes]

not me over here writing a jack/lena fic WHO AM I?

[hussyknee]

I really like the political conversations in Will Darling. In Slippery Creatures, the bad guy has some powerful truths and valid arguments to put down that any leftist would agree with, until the logic inexplicably runs into a wall that only fanaticism can punch through.

“So Zodiac pits itself against the corruption of wealth, and the structures of entrenched power.” Libra’s eyes lit as he spoke. “We want to bring it down, Mr. Darling, all of it. The palaces, whether Westminster or Buckingham. Whitehall and the White House, the Champs-Elysées and Wall Street. The whole sordid structure of capital and empire, built on lies and designed to oppress the common man. Men like you, sent to war as cannon fodder for a squabble between royal cousins, then brought back and flung on the scrapheap because the country that demanded you should bleed won’t pay for your bandages. We want to sweep it all away, destroy the systems and begin again, this time with all men equal.”

“Sounds good,” Will said. “And that starts with spreading plague?”

“It starts with destruction. There’s no choice. When the French Revolution beheaded a king, they merely created the space for an emperor. The Germans made themselves a republic and cried out for socialism, yet their new national assembly is still filled with the upper classes, the same faces as before. If Mr. MacDonald’s Labour Party should be elected, how long do you think it will take before Labour members of parliament emerge from the ranks of the titled and wealthy? Power clings to power: that is the universal truth, and tinkering at the edges of the great structures of power will not change anything. We must raze them to the ground.”

Will nodded slowly. The light in Libra’s eyes was a flame now, the sort of flame that lit bonfires under people. He unquestionably believed what he said, and he had a good point, at that. “All right. But how many ordinary people will suffer when you raze everything to the ground?”

“How many suffer now?” Libra demanded. “How many millions died in the war? How many are dying down mines and in factories and on the streets because they can’t afford the rent of a room? Why do we count the cost of change, but not the cost of the world staying the same?”

Will opened his mouth, stopped, considered. “Fair. Powerful, even. One question, though: When we sweep away all the structures of power and start off with a blank slate, what’s to stop the same thing happening again? People want a leader. Say you knock everything down. What I’d expect next is a strong man to come out on top, pull an army together, give himself a nice big house and a fancy hat, and off we go, just like before. Well, just take Russia. Who’s going to prevent that?”

“And that is why we need Zodiac!” Libra said, as if Will was agreeing with him. “This isn’t destruction for its own sake, the childishness of the mere anarchist. Zodiac will bring a new order into being, guided by principles of justice and equality.”

“There’s my answer. The people setting the principles and enforcing them will be the ones on top, won’t they? So who's going to be the first-among-equals of your new paradise?” Kim had mentioned one of them. Will searched his memory. “Your mate Capricorn?”

In Sugared Game, Kim himself recounts his disenchantment with the Bolshevik groups he had used to believe in so fervently.

“Fanatic, idealist.” Kim waved a hand. “I thought there was a better way for everyone. I believed—still do—that the war was nothing but empires squabbling for resources, with the blood of millions used to keep the engine running. I refused to be involved in mass murder, and tried my hardest to be gaoled as a conscientious objector, though my father put paid to that. I sincerely cheered the Revolution in 1917 and looked forward to the British equivalent. And then reports started coming in of the bloodbath.”

“You thought it would be a bloodless revolution? Because you don’t get many of them.”

“I know. But the fact of children lined up and shot—I told myself the aristocracy had brought it on themselves, that they had sowed the wind and were reaping the whirlwind, but by 1919 and the atrocities of the civil war, I couldn’t hide behind that any more. I couldn’t persuade myself mass slaughter was the beginning of a fairer society; I could only think of how the French had guillotined their king and created a vacancy for an emperor.”

Well, yes, Will thought. Obviously whoever came out on top of any society would be a power-hungry arsehole: that was how the world worked. “You really were an idealist,” he said aloud. “Is that so surprising?”

It was, considering his grimy goings-on these days. Or maybe it wasn’t; maybe spoiled innocence tarnished faster than healthy cynicism. The thought gave Will the same uncomfortable feeling as Kim’s scars.

“I was sickened,” Kim went on. “Whereas my comrades, the ones with whom I’d planned a British revolution, were positively thrilled. They talked with enthusiasm about setting up a British Cheka. They wanted a secret police and summary killing of class traitors. Most of them were Oxford and Cambridge men of birth, I should observe.”

“Of course they were.”

“They revelled in the idea of mass execution, bodies in the streets. I can’t convey what it was like to watch civilised people go through the intellectual gymnastics necessary to persuade themselves that state murder was first a regrettable necessity, and then a high treat.”

“I suppose you’d need to,” Will said. “If what you believe in goes wrong, either you let go the belief, or you believe even harder.”

“And it hurts to let go. God, it hurts.”

The whole thing is like a rundown of how you get Tankies. Wanting radical change isn't a bad thing, but radicalism untempered by ethics and humanity horseshoes back to fascism.

[dashflashy-arts]

Tbh I thought you would freak out upon waking up as Bf

Like "Ahhhhhh! What's Bap penning to Beep?!"

*Clamps mouth shut, then throat*

"... Did that just come out of Beep?"

On an unrelated note how exactly would you react to waking up as Bf- besides joy and happiness of course

Dude I'm pretty sure I would only be speaking in beep boops 💀💀💀💀 I talk to myself a lot so it'd only be natural 💀💀💀

Also idk man. Although the idea of being a favorite character of mine sounds nice, I don't rly want any of that to happen

To meet a fictional character, sure. That'd be fun. But waking up as one is a different thing

[obscure-skirmish]

Kaitou Joker is an anime focusing around the titular phantom thief Joker, who travels around the world stealing treasure! He's an enemy of the state and I love him <3 also he's an orphan, same with 90% of the cast :)

Captain Rainbow from the video game of the same name is a tokusatsu styled tv hero whose ratings have been going down, and travels to Mimin Island to wish back his popularity, while also helping obscure Nintendo characters!

Since the nature of this tournament is characters you don't know about, please vote for the character you'd want to learn more about!

[msmargaretmurry]

hello tumblr! i read a lot this year and i want to talk about the epic highs and lows of my 2024 reading list!!

i went through all the books i read and divided them into four-ish categories — fiction, nonfiction not for school, nonfiction for school, and rereads, plus two poetry collections that didn't fit in any of those categories, and now i am going to talk a little bit about my favs and least favs, because i like doing a little end-of-year reflection. i was going to do top five in each category but instead i am doing my top however many i think meaningfully represents my favorites in that category. also these are new TO ME, not necessarily new in 2024. i have never in my life been caught up on reading the lastest book releases and i am not going to start now.

top five six fiction reads of 2024

In Memoriam by Alice Winn — a beautiful, achy, tragic, devastating, horrifying, hopeful romance between two english boys who get caught up in wwi and each other. my favorite non-reread book of the read.

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter — a deliciously detailed historical fiction set in the early twentieth century labor movement in the pacific northwest. great characters; i appreciated that the author tried to Do Things with his novel structure even if i didn't that they all 100% worked as well as he wanted them to.

Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles — i loved the entire will darling trilogy but this first installment was definitely my favorite of the three because it has the best of the plot twists and complicated romance.

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (trans. Elisabeth Jaquette) — this novella was one of the first things i read in 2024 and it stuck with me all year. told in two equally harrowing parts, it tells the story of the murder of a palestinian girl in 1949 and then the story of a modern-day palestinian woman trying to navigate through occupied palestine to investigate the incident.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert — i have to be honest, i was surprised by how much i enjoyed this book, since all i knew about gilbert going into it was eat pray love memes. but i loved the cast of characters and the historical details and the exploration of female sexuality and autonomy.

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark — i read this book and was immediately like "wow i bet some people REALLY hated this lmao." the narrator is DEEPLY unlikeable and unsympathetic, and most of the people around her aren't much better. but she's like that on purpose, and while it's not for everyone, i relished reading her go on this self-destructive spiral, like a trainwreck that keeps getting worse. equal parts funny and disturbing. the excerpts from her best friend's tumblr had me howling.

top five six nonfiction reads of 2024

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Adburraqib — the thing is, if hanif writes a book it's gonna be in my top reads of the year. that's just the rule. loved what he did with the structure of this book, love how he uses language, love how thoughtfully and poignantly he writes about everything from sports to social justice.

The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government by Brody Mullins and Luke Mullins — one of those books that did make be feel even more deeply depressed than usual about the united states and the us government specifically, but deeply researches and very readable, put so much into context for me about various horrible men whose backstories i was not totally aware of.

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein — this book is excellent all the way through, but what really surprised me was that even in sections on topics where i felt like it probably wouldn't have much new to offer me (like, i am already SO aware of how the people who think vaccines cause autism work) it still did give me some new perspective or context.

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa — a gorgeous and haunting and unique book that is so hard to describe. it is autofiction about womanhood and motherhood but it's also about history and poetry and translation and the silences of the archive.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado — i read so much of this in a single sitting because i was like girl i can't put this book down until you get out of there!!!!!!!!!!! oof. OOF.

Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux — i find crypto so hard to read about because it is deliberately convoluted but this book was not only well-written and readable but VERY funny. faux feels so aware of how so much of the crypto enterprise is built on speculation and wild greed and he treats it accordingly.

Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait by Bathsheba Demuth — obviously this book made me depressed about what capitalism and human industry and greed had done to the land and wildlife in this region but also it's so beautifully written and imo super interesting.

top five nonfiction for school reads of 2024

(i have these in a separate section because i am so aware that academic texts are not written for a popular audience but sometimes they are still really good and i rec them to people anyway.)

Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom by Kathryn Olivarius — reading this book, centered in antebellum new orleans, about the politics and economy of public health and widespread disease in the wake of so much public/policy failure around covid was uhhhhh harrowing. but it's VERY good and imo very readable.

Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven Beckert — reading this book added important new dimensions to the way that i understand global capitalism.

Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World by Mike Davis — reading this book added important new dimensions to the way that i understand imperialism and colonialism.

Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin — this is the most ~for a popular audience~ of my favorite school books this year. whomst among us doesn't like reading about a very nasty very rich man barging confidently into a huge new venture and failing miserably. unfortunately you will also leave feeling furious about the environmental and human impacts of said venture.

other stuff!

i read two poetry collections this year and loved them both:

What You Want: Poems by Maureen N. McLane

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi

my rereads this year were all part of my ongoing goal of revisiting all the fantasy books i loved as a teen/young adult that have been sitting on my bookshelf for years, which has been such a cozy and enriching endeavor for me, especially revisiting robin hobb's books. soon i will get to the point in her realm of the elderlings series where the rereading ends and the new reading begins (i dropped off after the tawny man trilogy in my youth due to reasons) and i am so excited for me.

also, these were not rereads, but i read tamora pierce's alanna quartet for the first time this year and had such a fun time. obviously they're written for a much younger audience than me, but that's fine! i read a few of pierce's books as a kid but was never super into them like some of my friends, so it was really nice to explore these books that are so meaningful and were so formative to people i love. i would love to do more of that next year.

fourth wing — it was so hyped and i truly thought it would at least be bad in a fun way if it wasn't good but instead i found it to be so bad the only reason i finished it is because i read it in my downtime at a work conference when my brain was only half-functioning anyway. bad inconsistent worldbuilding; bad inconsistent characterization; transparent boring plot and relationships. good for the people who inexplicably love it because i'm sure they're having a great time but MAN i hated it.

least favorite reads of 2024

i don't love spending tons of time harping on media that i think sucks in public, but i do love picking apart books that don't work for me in private with my friends, so i am putting these here in case friends want to pick them apart with me 😂

mister hockey by lia riley — i joked that i read this whole book just to see if gordie howe showed up but honestly i was pretty unimpressed that he actually didn't show up even once. your typical bad hockey romance problems (this author doesn't seem to know much about hockey, etc) plus deeply cringey writing plus weird breaches of journalistic ethics that the author does not seem to realize are weird and bad = not a book for beckys.

my next two least favorite books this year were very very small indie books so i am not putting them on blast here, lmao.

accountable: the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed by dashka slater — this book was so frustrating and upsetting not only because the subject matter is frustrating and upsetting, but none of the non-victim teens and parents seemed to learn a damn thing and the author did not interrogate that at all. ugh.

reading goals in 2025

my reading goal each year is just a flat 50 books of any kind, so we're doing that again! i want to do a better job reading books i own but haven't read before buying more books but we will see how that goes for me. i might make a spreadsheet about it, which will actually help me 😂 but broadly, i want to read more genre fiction, especially fantasy and sci-fi. i am being very easy on myself on the reading front and not setting any super lofty goals about what or how much to read because grad school brain means i will read what my brain will accept, but i am very much looking forward to another year of reading! and always accepting book recs!

[mywingsareonwheels]

The stratification (in marketing at least) between "grimdark" crime fiction (inc books) and "cosy" crime fiction grates on me sometimes, because I like nothing that's at either extreme. I don't want relentless pain (and I find both organised crime and serial killer plots pretty boring unless they're really well-handled), and I don't want cheerfully callous "ooh, the bodies are piling up! how inconvenient! have another slice of Victoria sponge!".

I want humanity and compassion and humour and treating deaths like they do actually matter even when they're of awful people, thank-you-so-very-much. I want the satisfaction of a puzzle solved. I want an awareness by the author that yes the human fascination with murder mysteries (going right right back to Oedipus Tyrannus etc.) is kind of odd, while also not apologising for it. I want characters I warm to and care about, even if I sometimes want to throw things at them. I want a predictable structure to some extent, because it helps my autistic brain when I'm having a rough time (see also romances!). If at all possible I like at least some awareness that there is structural oppression in the world and that capital punishment is Not Great even if by the very nature of the genre (especially in police procedurals) I never expect murder mysteries to have the same politics or morality as me[1].

Some of the murder mysteries/crime fiction I do really love: the Cadfael books, Endeavour, the Lord Peter Wimsey books, the Ruth Galloway mysteries, the Discworld Watch books, the Ian Rutledge mysteries, and every time KJ Charles or T Kingfisher get a bit murder mystery on us. And so on and so forth. There are a good number! And a fair variety in tone in all of these they just... still all operate in that blessed middle space between grimdark and cosy, and involve Caring About People, and I just wish there were even more. <3

(Do recommend your own favourites if you wish!) [1] In real life, I am very much of the opinion that ACAB, that prison is a horror, that capital punishment is one of the greatest evils there is, and that retributive justice in general is wrong and unhelpful; those views affect which murder mysteries I like and how I read/watch/listen to them to some extent but, well, fiction is not reality. And being aware of that gap helps me to keep true to my views while still enjoying stories that go very much the other way!

[batjokesbrainrot]

I can't get over the fact Rosenberg technically made Joker say: I need Batman. The way he dressed Bruce in KJ Joker's outfit and address Joker's dependency on Batman, the way Joker kept dead Batman in the closet in his home (metaphor for missing the Batman in his heart), and the fact that Joker roamed in Gotham delivering justice to fill the gap of Batman's role was?!?!? Besides all that, silly batjokes moments throughout the comics made the cherry on top.

Matthew Rosenberg's love for Joker was shown by his deep understanding of Joker's character and his core needs, which is very rare from the comic writers today. I recommend reading his other works if you liked his Joker's interpretation! Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox is just him goofing around and the story is hilarious and features cameos of under-appreciated villains. His other work called House of Gotham is told from the 3rd POV who believes is a victim of Joker/Batman's collaboration, and you can see Bruce's attempt to rationalize, uh saving the clown who is not planning on stop causing lots of agony and mayhem across Gotham. What I love about these both works is that they both hint that Joker and Batman are somewhat the same person! (you'll get it when you read it).

Anyway Knight Terrors: The Joker had a fantastic character study and I had to let that out somewhere (here).

[raonwashere]

Authors note : I wrote this at like 1AM , when I was suppose to be sleeping. I hope I served this fanfic justice. Im hungry now though.

I apologize if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes , and if it seems very OOC. I wanted to give some food for the KJ fandom and I wanted to write about joker again

Enjoy ❤️❤️❤️

A very tired phantom thief.

You were staying at the Air Joker , due to being injured and Joker insisting you stay back.

You managed to entertain yourself. But it was boring. You'd check the clock every hour or so , trying to hear out for any footsteps of the two.

Your hours alone soon died off when the duo came back home , exhausted as ever but still joyful that the heist was a mission success. Hachi retrieved to his room. Joker looks at you , placing a hand on his hip.

“ Why aren't you asleep huh? Didn't I tell you to go to bed early?" Of course , you didn't want to listen. You only smiled and giggling at him. Joker just signed and went to retrieve to his own room.

After a few minutes , he walks out again in his pajamas and takes your hand and dragging you to his room. He closes the door and instantly traps you in between his arms from behind. He places his head on your shoulder , feeling clingy and tired.

“ Joker -?! What are yo—”

He only pulls you closer in response. Burying his head more into your shoulder and inhaling your scent.

He'd soon pull away before gently pushing you onto his own bed. He lies down next to you , hugging you tightly. He was hella tired and just wanted to be with you.

Slowly , the two of you would fall asleep.

——★

The last thing Hachi expected to see in the morning was Joker sleeping on top of you. Hachi could only sigh , readjusting the blanket that was covering the two of you ❤️.

[hussyknee]

Queer historical romance among the ton but make the rage of oppression and injustice howling across the centuries.

Sir Gareth tries to convince himself that his father's mysterious profits could not have come from smuggling and attempts to tell his erstwhile lover Joss Doomsday, grandson of a escaped American slave and the Crown Prince of Romney Marsh's Smugglers, why trading with the French during the Napoleonic war is Wrong™.

“Yes, but—Look, it can’t be that. He was in his fifties, a gentleman, a baronet. He can’t have been a smuggler.”

“Course not.”

“He can’t! He wasn’t making trips to France.”

“Not on his own legs, maybe,” Joss said. “Do you know how the trade works?”

“I have no idea.”

“Sometimes it’s barter—we bring over wool to France and exchange it direct-like. Sometimes an innkeeper needs his cellar filled, or a London merchant wants to stock his shop with French gloves, or pepper, or fine soap, so they place the order with us. And sometimes it’s speculation. Which is to say, a rich man invests his money with a free trader, who buys and sells as he thinks fit. A while later our gentleman gets his money back and more, and never gets his hands dirty touching the goods.”

That last was so exactly what Gareth had feared that he couldn’t face it, couldn’t hear it. The sheer, shameless crime of it all. “You are aware we’re at war with France?” he said furiously. “I mean, you do know you’re trading with the enemy?”

“Free trading’s what we do. I’m not one for politics.”

“Politics? This is more than politics. It’s more than crime, even. The Continent is supposed to be blockaded, and you’re helping the enemy by buying their goods! It’s all but treason, and you don’t appear to give a damn!”

“Hold on there,” Joss said. “Yes, there’s a blockade. The government set it up, and everyone who lives by the wool trade found themselves sitting on a lot of fleeces they couldn’t sell while the French spinners and weavers had empty looms. We’ve got a dunnamany sheep here and not a lot else, you’ll have noticed. How are people meant to live if you cut off their living?”

“It’s a war! People have to make sacrifices.”

“That right? What sacrifices have you made? The lordships and gentlemen in London, are they running short of food? You think the King’s husbanding his coals? Why’s all the sacrifice on us?”

“That’s entirely specious.”

“Talk English,” Joss suggested sardonically.

Gareth discovered he couldn’t instantly define specious. “The argument doesn’t hold up. If the nation is at war, trading with the enemy undermines us all. And it’s all very well to talk about livelihoods, but whose livelihoods are supported when you import brandy and tobacco and silk? How are those things necessary?”

“They are for the French who make them,” Joss said. “People over there are trying to feed their families, just like people over here. And as for whether they’re needful here, well, you tell me.”

“Me?”

“You’re gentry, and it’s the gentry who wants those things, need or not. I sell to London clubs and London drapers and who do you think they sell to? The men who make the laws and set the taxes still want their brandy and tobacco, the silks and lace for their ladies, and they buy it knowing where it came from.”

“Well…they shouldn’t,” Gareth said, uncomfortably aware of the lavender soap at home. “And you’re still ignoring the fact that we’re at war!”

“I don’t care.”

He sounded like he meant it. Gareth stared at him. “What? How can you not?”

“Lords and kings and emperors fighting about crowns? They aren’t my people. George means no more to me than Boney. German or Frenchman on the throne, who cares? We had a dunnamany French kings before.”

“When did we—You can’t be talking about the Norman Conquest,” Gareth protested.

“Got invaded by the French and the world didn’t end. What’s it to me which rich man runs the country? What difference does it make to Romney Marsh who wears the crown? Or no, I’ll tell you what difference: there’s no laws against sharing your bed with another fellow in France now. If you gave me a vote, I’d vote for that.”

So would Gareth. He struck out for safer waters. “This is all very well, but we’re talking about being defeated and invaded! Have you not considered what an enemy army entering this country might mean?”

Joss laughed, but not in a way that suggested humour. “Couldn’t miss it, with Martello towers up and down the coast. The invasion will come through here just like last time. That’s why they built the Royal Military Canal, to slow down Boney’s men.”

Gareth knew the Canal, an ugly, wide, straight gash that ran all the way from north of Rye and across the top of the Romney Marsh, just before the land began to rise. “Yes, so—”

“So when these terrible Frog monsters come over here breathing fire and seeking blood, they’ll be kept on the Marsh for as long as possible,” Joss said. “That’s what they built the Canal for: so the Marsh takes the brunt of an invasion. Am I supposed to be pleased about that?”

“Well, no, but… You must see they’ve got to defend the country.”

“Oh, they’re going to. You know the other plan? They’re going to breach the Wall.”

“To what?” Gareth felt a spasm of shock. He might be outmarsh, but he knew the Wall was sacred.

“When the French ships land, the soldiers are to set charges, blow up the Wall, and drown the Marsh.” Joss’s voice was harsh now, almost frightening. “Our land, our home, all gone just to slow the French down for a day or two. Oh, but there’s a plan to get the sheep off. Lot of important men own fine sheep here, so they aim to drive them out first. Got to save the sheep.” He spat that out.

Gareth stared at him. “Um. I don’t… Why is it so bad they want to save the sheep?” Joss didn’t say anything. He just waited. Gareth looked at his face, turned over his words. “There’s a plan to get the people out as well, yes?”

“Course not. The old, the crippled, the children, everyone with their worldly goods on their backs, we’ll all have to fend for ourselves when our own soldiers flood the Marsh, but sheep are valuable. Look, nobody gives a damn for the Marsh except Marshmen. The government and the King don’t care if we starve. They put on the blockade but charge their rents and taxes same as ever, and they’ll let the sea or the French take us if that preserves their skins for another day. So we look after ourselves. And that means trading, and selling wool—some of it wool off the sheep that are going to be saved when old women and children will be left behind, acause if you think those landowners have given up their income for the sake of the war, you’re joking. They want their wool sold, just like the Quality in London want to wear silk and drink brandy, and the merchants want their shelves stocked. We run goods for them, and when they catch us doing it, they hang us for the look of the thing.”

Gareth had no idea what to say. He wasn’t a political philosopher. He had a vague sort of idea that country, king, and law were the foundations on which the nation was built, while nevertheless acknowledging that he had no intention of taking up arms for the country, the king was a mad German, and he’d spent much of his adult life happily breaking the law. Still, they were principles, even if they weren’t his principles. He’d thought this would be an easy fight to pick.

He’d met plenty of radicals in London—men who wanted wealth redistributed, laws changed, the government made representative. Joss Doomsday, fervent patriot of a hundred square miles of marshland, was perhaps the most radical man he’d ever met.

[mediawhorefics]

hiii, hope you're fine, was wondering if you have any recommendations for murder mystery books? idealy sapphic

hiiii i've been fine (pretty atrocious actually my entire life is falling apart hence why i haven't been able to maintain this second blog) i'm always here for book recs tho !!!!

this is actually a bit of a tricky one for me because i'm a big mystery fan, but i'm not huge on murder mysteries in general. i do love a challenge tho, so i'll see what i can find for you!

the last binding trilogy (freya marske) -> not quite murder mystery but a historical fantasy series ft. some murders and some mysteries. each book focuses on a queer couple and the second one ft. sapphics trying to solve a magical murder on a cruise ship. its mainly a romance series with a great magical mystery overarching plot. 10/10

i kissed shara wheeler (casey mcquiston) -> again a general mystery rather than a murder mystery but it's a sapphic ya romance about a prom queen disappearing after kissing her academic rival and said academic rival's obsession with finding her.

bury the lede (gaby dune) -> graphic novel about an intern at a newspaper stumbling upon a gruesome crime scene. (full disclosure, i dont remember anything about this one... i read it ages ago rip)

sadie (courtney summers) -> ya mystery novel. after her sister's murder, sadie, disappointed by the official investigation, skips town in pursuit of the murderer and justice for her sibling. meanwhile a radio personality overhears sadie's story at a gas station and becomes obsessed with finding her, starting a podcast to track his progress. not sapphic particularly and tw applies. it's a pretty harrowing book, but keeps you on the edge of your seat. apparently the audiobook is amazing.

big bad wolf series (charlie adhara) -> okay it's mlm and it's technically werewolf porn, but the mysteries in this ex-fbi agent partnered with a werewolf to solve werewolf crimes series are actually good and engaging and keep you on your toes. no one was more surprised than me.

the will darling adventures trilogy (kj charles) -> again mlm and more general mysteries than murder mystery specifically, but it's so good and there is a sapphic side pairing later in the series. it's set in the 1920s... will darling is a wwi vet who just inherited his uncle's second hand's bookshop which lands him in a world of trouble when both a gang of criminal and the war office end up on his doorstep looking for the same information. which he's pretty sure he doesn't have.

hither page (cat sebastian) -> sorry this one is mlm too rip. post wwii. a gruesome murder shocks a small community with a sprinkle of romance between the village's doctor and the spy sent undercover to solve the crime.

here are some books that fit the vibe that are on my to read and i'm excited to pick up, but obvs can't vouch for yet

last night at the telegraph club (malinda lo) -> sapphic love story set in 1950s san francisco chinatown

lavender house (lev a.c. rosen) -> described as knives out with a queer historical twist. set in the 1950s.

even though i knew the end (cl polk) -> historical fantasy murder mystery ft. a sapphic detective trying to catch a notorious serial killer to ensure she can have a future with the woman she loves.

a million to one (adiba jaigirdar) -> girl gang heist on the titanic. historical ya and sapphic.

meddling kids (edgar cantero) -> paranormal/horror/mystery grown up teen detectives reunite to solve a paranormal mystery fro their past. also queer.

the dead and the dark (courtney gould) -> paranormal/horror/mystery/ya/sapphic. logan, daughter of two ghosthunters, is determined to solve the mysteries of snakebite, oregon where weather patterns are odd and teenagers keep disappearing/showing up dead.

alright, i think that's all i can think of for now ??? i'll add to the list if something pops in my head, but hopefully that covers what you were looking for, at least a little? sorry i didn't 100% follow the brief for some of these haha.

[arewordsenough]

Top 10 Celebrity Crushes

tagged by @chasing-chimeras

These are... mostly in order...

Froy Gutierrez

2. Tom Holland

3. Tyler Lawrence Gray

4. KJ Apa

5. Jay Lycurgo

6. Joshua Orpin

7. Brenton Thwaites

8. Andrew Garfield

9. Justice Smith

10. Dave Franco

Tagging @mmoosen, @wolfboy88, @thrillhoues, @sefinh, @ksbbb, @theoceanismyinkwell, @impalachick, @sterekshipper-writer, @kingofangst, and... @amatchinwater

[castlesrp]

Face Claim List

Below the cut, you will find our list of face claims featured on our canon list. Enjoy this sneak peak at what is coming your way when the canon lists start being released this week!

FC List:

Abigail Cowen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Amita Suman Amy Adams Ana de Armas André De Shields Andrew Garfield Angela Bassett Anna Kendrick Anne Hathaway Anthony Anderson Anthony Mackie Anya Chalotra Anya Taylor Joy Aja Naomi King Avan Jogia Avantika Audra McDonald Austin Butler Beanie Feldstein Ben Barnes Beyoncé BD Wong Bette Midler Caleb McLaughlin Camila Mendes Catherine O'Hara Charles Melton Chiwetel Ejiofor Chloe Bennet Chloe Bailey Christina Hendricks Christina Nadin Chrissy Metz Cody Christian Constance Wu Courtney Eaton Dakota Johnson Danai Gurira Daniel Ezra Daniel Wu Danny Trejo David Harbour Deepika Padukone Denzel Washington Dev Patel Diana Silvers Diane Keaton Dianna Agron Dove Cameron Dylan O'Brien Eddie Redmayne Eiza González Emily Alyn Lind Eva Longoria Ewan McGregor Fan Bingbing Felix Mallard Florence Pugh Froy Gutierrez Gabrielle Union Gemma Chan George Takei Gillian Anderson Gina Rodriguez Gina Torres Hailee Steinfeld Halle Bailey Harrison Ford Harry Shum JR Harry Styles Henry Cavill Hero Fiennes Tiffin Hunter Schafer Hugh Jackman Idris Elba J. Cameron-Smith Jacob Artist Jacob Elordi Jameela Jamil James McAvoy Jamie Chung Jamie Lee Curtis Jasmin Savoy Brown Jason Momoa Jason Sudekis Jean Smart Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Wright Jenna Ortega Jensen Ackles Jesse Williams Jessica Chastain JK Simmons Joe Locke John Boyega John Cho John Krasinski Jon Hamm Jonathan Bailey Jordan Connor Jordan Peele Julianne Moore Justice Smith Kate Winslet Kathryn Hahn Kathryn Newton Keanu Reeves Keith Powers Keke Palmer Kerry Washington Kit Connor [1] Kit Connor [2] KJ Apa Kristen Bell Kumail Nanjiani Lana Condor Laura Harrier Lauren Ridloff Leonardo DiCaprio Letita Wright Lili Reinhart Liv Hewson Logan Browning Logan Lerman Loretta Devine Lupita Nyong'o Mädchen Amick Madelyn Cline Madison Bailey Mahershala Ali Manny Jacinto Manny Montana Margot Robbie Mark Consuelos Mark Hamill Mario Lopez Mason Gooding Maude Apatow Megan thee Stallion Melanie Lynskey Melissa Barrera Michael Cimino Michael Evans Behling Michael Fassbender Michael Peña Michael Shannon Michelle Yeoh Morgan Freeman Naomi Scott Natalia Dyer Natasha Liu Bordizzo Nina Dobrev Noah Centineo Normani Octavia Spencer Olivia Coleman Olivia Rodrigo Oscar Isaac Paul Rudd Pedro Pascal Phoebe Deynover Phoebe Tonkin Phylicia Rashad Priyanka Chopra Rachel Weisz Rachel Zegler Rahul Kohli Reese Witherspoon Regé-Jean Page Renee Rapp [1] Renee Rapp [2] Riz Ahmed Robert Pattinson Robert Downey JR Rome Flynn Rosamund Pike Rose Byrne Rudy Pankow Ryan Gosling Ryan Guzman Ryan Reynolds Sadie Sink Sam Claflin Samantha Logan Samara Weaving Sandra Bullock Sandra Oh Sara Ramirez Sarah Jeffrey Sarah Paulson Sebastian Stan Selena Gomez Sigourney Weaver Simu Liu Shawn Mendes Skeet Ulrich Sophia Ali Sophia Bush Sophie Turner Sonam Kapoor Sophie Thatcher Sterling K. Brown Steve Martin Steven Yeun Storm Reid Sydney Sweeney [1] Sydney Sweeney [2] Taika Waititi Tati Gabrielle Taraji P. Henson Taron Egerton Taye Diggs Taylor Zakhar Perez Ted Danson Timothée Chalamet Thomas Doherty Tom Blyth Tom Ellis Tom Hardy Tom Holland Tony Goldwyn Tyler James Williams Tyler Posey Uzo Adubo Victoria Pedretti Viola Davis Whoopi Goldberg Wolfgang Novogratz Will Smith Willem Dafoe William Jackson Harper Winona Ryder Winston Duke Yasmin Finney Zayn Malik Zendaya Zoey Deutch

[thesporkidentity]

another year, another plea from my father for book ideas for my mother's gifts. so far I have

- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka - The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

Any of you read some absolutely stellar books to recommend that you've read this year?

She reads very widely in genre, though her favorites are science fiction and fantasy (and recently really loving urban fantasy).

She has a very tender heart and overactive empathy, so I would avoid especially dark books (e.g. doctrine of labyrinths), or books that focus a lot on the gory parts of murder (e.g. she read the detective work of dresden files, but CSI type of stuff is out. I'm trying to get her to read Rivers of London, and that one I think is riding the edge of her tolerance). She does not like horror. She watched The Walking Dead for my aunt, but only barely and NOT EVER when it was dark outside.

She will read romance, but it's not her favorite, she prefers it blended with another genre so the plot isn't just love/sex. She'd love KJ Charles if it weren't for the extremely explicit sex that I'm not comfortable asking if she's comfortable with, and I also don't know if her comfort level is different for straight vs queer sex which I'm also not asking. She's really stepped up her game in allyship recently, but supporting someone's human rights and wanting to read about them fucking are two different categories lol

[theromanceriot]

Book Release: The Unsolved Murder of Bianca Keller by KJ Sweet

New Book Release: The Unsolved Murder of Bianca Keller by KJ Sweet

Blurb: With her boyfriend murdered and her best friend being suspect number one, Bianca Keller’s life has turned upside down. But it actually hasn’t been all that bad. In fact, her life has never been better. Not only does she finally have control of her murder mystery podcast, but she’s been doing good in the world helping solve other unsolved murders and bring criminals to justice—but not…

[jaydovekj]

⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆. Introduction ⋆｡˚୨୧˚｡⋆.

1. About JayDoveKJ | 2. Side blogs | 3. Tags | 4. Fandoms | 5. Credits

1 | About JayDoveKJ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

Hello hello hello!!! Hi! You can call me just about anything. ^^ Usually, I go by JayDoveKJ / Jay / Dove / KJ / Eleanor or any combination of those. Any pronouns work, honestly—primarily he/she. I am a minor. Occasionally, I use tone tags; you do not need to use them to talk to me, though. If you don’t want to interact with me, block me. (/lh)

I post a variety of things: my art, my writing, and various other fandom things (which will be saved for later). I also text post & roleplay all the time; this blog is not for one specific type of post.

If you use any of my silly art (my art in particular will always be under the “#my art” tag, for reference), just @ me in the post/whatever it is! Credit me please and thank you. <3

You guys can DM me, by the way, even if we’re not mutuals!!! I love love love talking to people, especially about Ace Attorney.

2 | Side blogs‏ ︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

Now that that’s out of the way, time for the fun stuff!! Side blogs!!

I run three side blogs:

@thepollyjustice (Apollo Justice - Ace Attorney)

@rockgodklav (Klavier Gavin - Ace Attorney)

@fronterasknight (Javier Asrahan - TGED)

All three side blogs are ask/roleplay blogs! I enjoy roleplaying a ton; it’s really what I do all day everyday. ☀️

3 | Tags ︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

SB = sideblog tags

MB = main blog tags

”roleplay tag” - for roleplay messages, typically reblogs! [SB]

”[Character] answers” - for answering in character asks [SB]

”[Character] posts” - for in character text posts [SB]

”mod speaks” - out of character posts, answering asks or announcements [SB]

”[X Character] mention” - for any mention of a character, not necessarily that the post is about them [SB]

”my art” - for my art posts [MB]

”random rambles” - for random text posts [MB]

”doodles” - any doodles I post; not necessarily art [MB]

”[Character]posting” - a series of posts about a certain character [MB] ”SAVED” - posts I save for later [MB]

4 | Fandoms ︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

This should be pretty brief. ^^ My absolute main fandom is Ace Attorney. This majority of my posts will be Ace Attorney-centered. (Favorite AA game is AA4!!) However, my posts are not limited to Ace Attorney.

Other fandoms include: TGED (Webtoon), Hermitcraft, Chonny Jash, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley

Honestly though? Just ask if I’m in a fandom; can’t name many atm, but I probably am.

5 | Credits ︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

My profile picture is by @mujimujidaruma!

Dividers + emojis used in this intro are by @dollywons!

That’s all, folks!! I had a ton of fun writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. XOXO to you all!!! (/p)

[more-profound-bond]

Queer Books for Pride Month:

"Death in the Spires" by KJ Charles

This book is a murder mystery rather than romance.

It's still queer of course, but it focuses entirely on solving the murder of Toby Faysham.

Our narrator, Jeremy Kite, has only one thing in mind, so he begins to track down people who might've been connected with Toby's death.

This is a cleverly done dual-timeline story, told entirely in Jeremy's POV.

We start in 1905, ten years on from the murder. 

The book forces us to sit with questions of justice, forgiveness and who can truly judge people's sins.

This is definetly a more serious read, but nonetheless absolutely worth it.