#YA Gothic

[veguinsky]

Grandma knows best ᡣ • . • 𐭩 ♡

WebToon: "Walpurgis Night ☾"

#myart #oc #webtoon #walpurgis night #digital art #witch #webcomic #goth aesthetic #gothic #goth fashion #goth girl #witchcore #witchcraft #witchy vibes #meme #yas bitch slay

[fuckmeyer]

the choice between Edward & Jacob is not a question of which relationship is healthier or which partner is best suitable for Bella. neither is correct. neither is best. neither produces a happy ending for Bella. at the end of the day this is still a vampire novel. any choice Bella could make would yield, at best, a bittersweet happily ever after.

if she chooses Edward, she gets the terrifying Breaking Dawn ending: a girl who rejected her call to grow up has hung her love & her eternity on an emotionally stunted partner who hates himself marginally less than he loves her. she's a teen mom with a kid she never wanted who perpetuates the generational trauma passed down from her parents. by keeping this child, the Cullens have set the stage for an uprising/cold war against the Volturi who are likely to take revenge in order to maintain power. Bella is living in a tenuous "dream come true" wrapped in a nightmare & doesn't realize it.

choosing Jacob is the true coming-of-age ending that rips the stitches out of a wound that never fully healed. even if we ignore the fact that she ends up with a man who sexually assaulted her (we must bear in mind Jacob's character is influenced by smeyer's racism, but it did happen), they can't have a secure romantic relationship. based on the high imprinting rate of the pack, Jacob will likely find his imprint in his lifetime & will lose himself to the imprintee. he will no longer be her Jacob. he will inevitably abandon her (whether he wants to or not), & she must reconcile with the reality that she will always be inadequate to Jacob's imprint. & say he never manages to escape the vampires? he will presumably not age for a long time, meaning the relationship Bella always feared with Edward (her being an old grandmother while he stays forever young) remains a possibility. this is the story of a girl who slaps a Band Aid on an open wound & calls herself healed while flinching every time she sees the shadow of the knife that cut her.

if she chooses neither (team therapy), her healing requires her to lose or be at least partially disconnected from everyone she cares about. Bella must spend the rest of her life shut out from one world while never fully existing in her human world ever again. she must always keep secrets. she can never go back home. even in the unlikely event that she manages to escape the Volturi, the threat of being hunted by vampires will never leave her. in addition, she must face her worst fears (aging, losing Edward) while always keeping in mind the immortal life that could have been hers, if only.

even the "healthiest" option produces scars that will never quite heal.

Twilight is a horror. Twilight is a vampire novel. Twilight is gothic. Twilight is fiction. neither Edward nor Jacob is a "bad" choice because neither will give Bella her happily ever after. the choice between Edward & Jacob is simply a matter of which horror story you prefer to read.

#twilight #twilight renaissance #bella swan #the twilight saga #edward cullen #twilight saga #twilight meta #not to be a downer but the edward/jacob feud is silly #i understand this feud will continue in perpetuity because controversy & drama will always garner attention in online spaces etc #but the idea that either of these men will provide the happy story some people in this fandom want is an illusion #because no matter what happens The Twilight Saga still operates in the context of the vampire/gothic genre which by design can't produce #a 100% happy ending. the vampire itself reflects the inner anxieties of a society - & isolation & change & death - etc. #these are anxieties that can be alleviated thru vamp media. they can be escaped but never solved. which is part of the horror of the genre #The Horror Will Not Go Away #& in this respect Twilight is NOT the exception to the rule. #'oh but it's a YA romance so-' yeah so the black walls get wallpapered. they're still black underneath & nothing changes that #i wish we were able to debate the choice between Edward & Jacob while still bearing in mind neither choice is wrong #i think this fandom would be a lot less toxic & mean to each other for no fuckin reason but oh well

[pstelwitchcraft]

You wanna know what's crazy? Now knowing that Laura and Marisha didn't plan to be romantic this campaign at all, it is INSANE that everything went so perfectly, thematically, exactly the way it did.

The series of events from the rock breaking, Dusk showing up RIGHT as it was happening, to them making up just so Otohan could show up and kill Laudna not a DAY later literally because she wanted to get on Imogen's nerves ("Is she your favorite?"). And then Imogen obliterating Delilah with her own fucking hands for Laudna. Getting the circlet. Laudna holding Imogen on the ship they were about to crash having that Tether Talk^tm just before they were separated ONCE AGAIN.

Just the entire escalation that led to them meeting in Jrusar that day and Imogen blurting out "Can I kiss you?" in the mfing BREAD ISLE because she couldn't hold back her feelings is BONKERS.

Even down to Imogen saying she "thought dates were supposed to have sparks" after their date with pretty and telling Laudna she "has the biggest spark she's ever seen" a long ass time later in Bassuras.

The evolution of their feelings for each other, the tension that was building on that table every time they talked to each other. The fact that it all happened serendipitously with absolutely no previous plan and it went just the way it did? Immaculate. Showstopping. Absolutely astounding. If Marisha, Matt and Laura had sat down and planned this whole thing from the beginning it still couldn't have gone more perfectly.

#ya authors would sell their soul to the devil to create a story like this #meanwhile marisha and laura just stumbled all the way down a mountain into the most amazing soulfated wonderful slowburn romance ever?? #iconic #absolutely some spectacular shit #critical role #cr spoilers #cr3 #imogen temult #laudna #critical role spoilers #imodna #bells hells #critical role c3 #southerngothic #southern gothic #imogen x laudna

[hotcinnamonsunset]

knitting but make it ✨dark academia✨

#knitting #wip #knitblr #the pattern is dark academia on ravelry🫶 #the gothic catholic cathedral vibes are off the chart here😅 #also every time I do an all over colorwork sweater I remember how much I don’t actually like doing them but the pattern is always worth it #I love the way the sleeve decreases worked out! the pattern calls it a bishops sleeve decrease so the more you know ya know?

[panthermouthh]

What could go wrong

#Victor Frankenstein #Frankenstein #the creature #frankenstein 1931 #gothic art #gothic literature #mary shelley #gothic lit #not sure if I really like this but since finishing the book again I have even More stuff I want to do #but that’ll take time and planning #so here ya go <33 #I’m gonna check out that musical people keep talking about in the tags lol #text from the original 1931 movie #my art

[eleonorpiteira]

So happy to finally share the cover illustration I did of WHAT WAKES THE BELLS by Elle Tesch for Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan - out March 11, 2025! 🔔

Design by Meg Sayre!

#cover illustration #illustration #cover reveal #cover art #what wakes the bells #elle tesch #digital painting #digital illustration #gothic #stained glass #art only tag #I'd share the full illustration without the design but you know what- fuck tumblr and their little AI deal #the gods of the algorithm are also against me today which is a wee sad but my mom likes this cover a lot so there's that #gotta focus on the important stuff ya know?

[oldsidelinghill]

BLACKFORD MANOR

Blackford Manor is a comedic dark-fantasy novel about a young maid hired to work in an eerie mansion filled with hideous secrets.

It's written by J. W. Grey, who is one of my creative heroes, and also happens to be the person I'm married to.

If you're looking for something spooky and weird and funny this season, I recommend it! It can be ordered HERE.

THE ANIMATED SHORT

Before Blackford Manor became a novel, there was an animated short (which I helped out with a little bit). You can watch that here:

You can follow J. W. Grey: HERE

#blackford manor #j. w. grey #patrick mchale #pat mchale #jiwook kim #gothic #dark fantasy #novel #books #YA #spooky #halloween #Youtube

[belle-keys]

Gothic Fantasy/Folk Horror Books: 10 Recommendations

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Not Good For Maidens by Tori Bovalino

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Tori Bovalino and others

#juniper & thorn #the wolf and the woodsman #naomi novik #ava reid #t kingfisher #tori bovalino #gothic fantasy #folk horror #folktales #dark fairytale #fairytale retelling #eastern european #folklore #russian folklore #the bear and the nightingale #books #books and literature #book blog #ya books #book recs #book recommendations #bookish #booksbooksbooks #the brothers grimm #gothic books #dark fantasy #cozy fantasy #cozy books #polish folklore #jewish folklore

[hauntingfaerie]

𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔰 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔢 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔴𝔥𝔬 𝔦 𝔞𝔪 𝔱𝔬𝔡𝔞𝔶 🕸️🖤

#goth lit #gothic lit #goth literature #gothic literature #books #young adult books #ya fiction #goth #gothic #goth aesthetic #gothcore #gothgoth #purple goth #𓆩♡𓆪

[hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmsstuff]

Asylum

Oil on canvas

36" x 36"

2023

#Trying this cool new thing where I post my art? #maybe #my art #@boynamedsueglass #if ya wanna see more art on my insta #painting #oil painting #bird #baby bird #southern gothic #barbed wire #break free #art

[placeb0king]

Yessss foggy goth queennnnn☂️😸

#apex legends #apex #queer #catalyst apex legends #catalyst #catalyst apex #tressa smith #goth #goth girl #trans #trans woman #transfem #yas #fog #gothic #rainy #dark #art #digital art #MY. ART. #ALL MINE. #I DREW.

[sketchitings]

Wedding hc ft something I started when my tablet broke: The guest gets married in black. Apparently black wedding dresses used to be the norm in Spain and were another way of saying “till death do us part.” Or so Wikipedia tells me.

@escapedaudios

#escapedaudios #matador gothic #wip #audio rp #digital art #Wedding stuff #1700’s hunting habit/military uniform hybrid #Embrace your mortality ya vampire-slaying goth(ish) couple #That sounded less ominous in my head #plz ignore the bg color #now that I think about it that tidbit was probably not from wikipedia

[desdasiwrites]

– Lee Mandelo, Summer Sons

#book quote of the day #lee mandelo #summer sons #horror books #ya #lgbtqia+ literature #southern gothic #dark academia #achillean romance #queer horror #andrew blur #sam halse #book quotes

[baconpncakes]

You are in love with your best friend. You've known him your whole life. He's the new kid, you just met him this year. You were 28 and he bailed you out of jail. You're way too busy to date. You've been married three times. You met a pretty girl and you want to take her dancing. Your girlfriend died and you couldn't save her. You're a doctor. You're a student. You're a dreamer. Your dad is ruining your life. Your dad is dead. You don't talk about your parents much. You're an only child. You have a younger brother and he thinks the world of you. You have two brothers and one of them is gone and it's all your fault. Your best friend is slipping away and there's nothing you can do about it. He's right here and you promised you'd take care of him. He promised they'd never split you apart but he lied. He gave up everything for you. He gave up everything you believed in. He never gave up, even after you did. You're dying and it's not fair. You're trapped. There's nothing else you can do about it. They're going to kill you. It's going to kill you. You're going to kill you. You danced until you died. You took your final bow. You ran away together. The last thing you heard was your brother. The last thing you did was relent. The last thing you saw was your best friend. You were good. You were really good.

#ya ever write a gothic about rsl characters? #bc apparently i do #i've said it before and i'll say it again #all he knows how to do is be in gay love with his best friend and die #dead poets society #swing kids #house md #neil perry #peter müller #james wilson #dps #hate crimes md #peter muller #robert sean leonard #rsl #my post #gothics #anderperry #hilson #idk what peter and thomas' ship name is

[phaedraismyusername]

It's September and we're in a heatwave so instead of choosing violence here's some oppressive summer gothics to match the abysmal autumn vibes

The criteria - they have to be hot and humid, they have to be gothic in nature, dark in content, and they have to at least flirt with the paranormal

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

This follows Andrew as he moves to a college across the country to step into his dead best friend Eddie's old life as he desperately tries to prove that he must've been murdered. Haunted, both figuratively and literally, angry and grieving, Andrew sets off on a path that leads him to question everything he ever thought he knew about himself and their history together as he fights to accept who he is, who Eddie was, and maybe tries to learn how to live without him. Fast-paced, dark, and super gay.

Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy

After the death of her little sister, teenager Nif and her family move to rural Wales for the summer in an attempt to escape their grief. Set in the 1970s during a heatwave the isolation and oppressive weather quickly start to take their toll. With an emotionally absent mother, a father with a wandering eye and a needy younger brother, Nif becomes convinced she's stumbled across her own kind of magic, before catching the attention of the strange boy across the street. Think Shirley Jackson, definitely not YA.

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

Now, this is YA. We follow 17 year old Grey as she returns back to her tiny hometown in the Louisiana Bayou for the summer 6 months after her best friends mysterious disappearance. In a town that claims to be the 'psychic capitol of the world', someone must know something, right? Full of secrets, lies, and a boy who steps out of the forest with storm-bright eyes, this was a quick and twisty atmospheric read.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

When political upheaval gets her father executed and his family is left in shame and destitution, Beatriz decides she'll do whatever it takes to find security in her life again. When a handsome Don proposes, Beatriz jumps at the chance to accept and move out to his countryside estate with big plans for the future, but it doesn't take long before she's spending her nights terrorised by a mysterious entity inside her new home, forcing her to seek help from the strangest of places. The imagery is creepy, the tone is tense, there's a hot priest, what more do you want?

Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

Probably the darkest book on this list, and definitely the oldest. When a young girl is brutally murdered within sight of her home, it starts a chain of events that will see a family destroyed, secrets and lies exposed, and a vengeful creature that looks almost human to rise from the river as the town that surrounds it starts to crumble. The people are unlikeable, the book is old, the content is Dark - you've been warned.

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

Also YA but this time for the bisexuals. Shady Grove can call ghosts from the grave with her music, just like her daddy could, but everyone knows that only trouble comes from playing for the dead. When her brother is accused of murder, Shady decides to embrace her birthright and use any power she can to clear his name. It's sweet, it's sad, it's lyrical, and there's a little bi love triangle sprinkled in to sweeten the sorrows. It's also a debut!

#book recs #summer gothic #september heatwaves for the L #summer sons #lee mandelo #water shall refuse them #lucy mcknight hardy #dark and shallow lies #ginny myers sain #the hacienda #isabel canas #cold moon over babylon #michael mcdowell #ghost wood song #erica waters #booklr #ya #horror #gothic #southern gothic #seriously tho #if youre at all sensitive to darker themes and topics #i highly recommend googling content warnings and triggers #cos ya know #theres a lot lol

[x-heesy]

#goth #gothic #gothgirl #gothaesthetic #alternative #gothgoth #emo #gothfashion #gothicstyle #gothstyle #alternativegirl #gothmakeup #grunge #gothicgirl #alt #gothicfashion #alternativefashion #altgirl #gothboy #emogirl #gothmodel #punk #gothgirls #nugoth #dark #egirl #grungegirl @len0r @bigbonzo #gothsofinstagram #tradgoth #gothicmakeup

𝕯𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆 𝖇𝖞 𝕮𝖔𝖗𝖕𝖔-𝕸𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊 🎧

#aaaaah #goth #gothic #goth girl #doomsday #dark academia #dark aesthetic #5/2024 #lifestyle #love you to death #type o negative #girl I wanna eat ya #goth aesthetic #spirituality #occult #x-heesy #fucking favorite #now playing #editorial #fashion #music and art #contemporaryart