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#this book was a very cliche haunted house story and that’s just what I wanted
phxntomsdusk · 1 month
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Past life - Klepto!Wilbur x GN!Reader
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note: it’s pre-death klepto!wilbur !! this is gonna def make someone sad so i apologize in advance- i can’t let my bursonas live in peace, they always gotta be traumatized. Also relationship between Wilbur and the reader could be platonic or romantic, whichever you want :)
summary: you finally figure out what had turned the poor boy into a soul snatcher.
warnings: hella angst, mentions of death, swearing, self hurting thoughts/actions, comfort at some parts, parents fighting, divorce, alcoholic father, details of death, you probably will cry if you love this character
tags: @ax-y10 , @joviepog , @pheliiaa , @idontreallyexistyet , @rqvii , @haunted-headset , @ivvees-blog , @average-vibe , @lillylvjy , @toastyliltoasts41 (ask to be added!)
word count: 3K
You never expected to get close to the very man who was meant to take your soul, but here you were, comforting him as he cried to you about everything that led up to his very passing. He never told you any of this before, let alone trusted you knowing any of it.
You had found out so much. About his sister, his parents, his death, his first love. It was so heartbreaking.
Him and Wilma barely got along. The two were polar opposites, with her having many friends and constantly at other people’s houses, and him only talking to one person and spending most time in his room. He had tried his best to get on her side, but they just never saw eye to eye.
His best friend was Ryan, also his first love. He always thought something was wrong with him for loving a boy, but couldn’t help it. He was beautiful, perfect, everything you would want in a partner.
His parents got divorced when he was young, his mother taking custody of Wilma while he got stuck with his dad. Him and his father had a rocky relationship, while his mom completely stopped visiting after so many weeks.
During the summer Wilbur always found himself sitting atop the hill behind his house, sitting under the old oak tree and reading books his mother had gifted him. He always loved dark themed stories, ones that left readers confused and disturbed. His sister never understood his liking for these books, always finding herself reading romance and cliche teen girl stories. She would sometimes join him under the tree, but their calm and peaceful moments never lasted long.
He could hear the crunching of branches behind him, glancing around the trunk to see Wilma approaching in her sundress. She awkwardly sat down next to him, leaning her head back against the tree and sighed. “They’re fighting again.” She mumbled quietly, moving her head against his shoulder. He quickly nodded and began to read his book aloud to her, making sure she could also follow along, he tilted the pages in her direction.
It was moments like these that made him grateful for his sister, a smile always stuck on his face as she embraced him, even if it was just for a source of comfort.
“I loved her for her silence. Or maybe I just understood it.” He read the words out loud, before being interrupted by Wilma. “Do you ever feel that way?” She raised a brow, sitting up straight and brought her knees up to her chest. “Feel like what?” He placed his bookmark on the page, putting the book down in his lap. “Silent.. just wanting to be quiet. Maybe it’ll fix whatever the hell is wrong with them.” She gestured towards the house, where you could see two arguing and yelling figures in the kitchen window, to which she frowned.
“I get what you mean. Don’t worry, they’ll stop.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, watching as she hesitantly nodded and sighed. “Hopefully. I honestly can’t wait for the day they divorce and send us off to Aunt Tiff’s.” She chuckled lightly, earning a laugh from Wilbur. “Doesn’t sound too bad, actually. Then we can visit the sea each morning and stare out at the horizon.” He smiled at the idea, to which she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You and your bloody daydreams.” She laughed and nudged his arm, before their mother shouted for her to come back inside. “I’m, uh, gonna go. Bye, Wil.” She quickly stood up, dusting off her skirt and rushed down the small hill.
If only they had more time, Wilbur thought. More time to actually treat one another like a person. More time for him to finally feel loved by someone in that dreadful house.
He sighed and opened his book again, picking up where he had stopped with a sorrowful expression, trying to ignore the tears that welled up in his eyes the second she had walked away.
That following spring, just as Wilma predicted their parents filed for a divorce. But instead of being sent away to their aunt’s home, Wilbur was dragged away by their father and taken to a small shitty apartment downtown. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to say goodbye to Wilma before he was on his way to a new home.
Of course he had her number, but he doubted she would even answer while with their mother. He simply stared out the window with a hurt expression, sniffling quietly but was told to shut up by his father.
Arriving at the apartment wasn’t any better. It had one bedroom, leaving him to sleep on the small futon placed in the living room that merged into the kitchen. His father didn’t seem to care and walked past him, heading into the bedroom with his bag and slammed the door shut.
“God damnit.” He groaned and grabbed the bag his dad packed for him off the ground, making his way to the futon and tossed it atop, before sitting down and frowned. He could feel each and every spring poking against his legs, causing him to quickly stand up and look for a blanket or pillow to lay down over it.
He knew his dad was a loser, but this was a new all time low. Leaving his only son with nothing but a small duffle bag with a few shirts and pants, no self care or anything. How would he manage to survive this?
“Wil! Get me a drink!” The shout from his dad made him internally cringe, clenching his jaw as he obeyed his words and walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, of course only filled with beer and water. He figured which one his dad wanted, grabbing the coldest one he could find before walking towards the bedroom.
He didn’t bother to question how his dad already had this place, stocked the fridge with only two types of drinks, and didn’t even bother to get proper furniture. He simply entered the room with a blank expression, putting the can on the bedside table before walking out, sighing quietly to himself.
“When will this shit get better?” He ran a hand over his face, before checking the time on his watch and saw he should at least try to sleep. Of course the futon was extremely uncomfortable, leaving him to use his bag as a pillow and he just slept in the clothes he wore all day.
As before he had mentioned Ryan, the very boy he had fallen in love with, the boy he hoped to confess to on this dreadful day. It was the first time in months that Wilbur had been back at his original home, mostly visiting his mom and Wilma, but when talk of Ryan coming over came up he couldn’t resist.
He was waiting at the hill, reading his book, but had himself facing the residence so he could see when his love would arrive. When the sudden sight of blonde hair and a red shirt appeared, he knew it had to be him.
“Ryan!” Wilbur shouted happily, rushing to stand up, leaving his book to sit wide open in the dirt. He rushed down the hill, stumbling slightly off the sidewalk and into the road, looking up to meet Ryan’s gaze. “Wow, Wilbur, be careful.” He chuckled lightly, glancing back and forth before he was about to cross.
But that’s when everything had changed.
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Within only a few seconds a car horn could be heard, causing Wilbur’s gaze to divert to his right, seeing a white light nearing him. It was as if in the blink of an eye he was there, and then he was gone.
“Holy fuck! Wilbur!” Ryan quickly rushed over to him, holding up his head and placed a hand on the back of his neck, inspecting the wide gash he had just gained. The rushing footsteps of Wilma and his mother could be heard, a terrified shriek escaping his sister’s mouth as she knelt down next to him.
He could barely comprehend anything happening, he just felt so lightheaded and groggy, barely able to keep his eyes open as the taste of metal filled his mouth. He stared up at Ryan, tears filling his eyes as he weakly lifted a hand, only to be turned down and handed off to his mom, while he heard the tapping of a phone and soon the dialing of a call.
He didn’t understand what was happening. Was he dying? Was this really how his life was going to end? On the side of the road at 15 years old, just days before he was meant to turn 16. Just days before he could spend the day with his family again. Why did this have to happen to him?
Of course, that’s the last moment Wilbur remembered being alive. The next thing he knew he woke up in the hospital, his family crying around him as he stared in confusion, only to glance back and see his own lifeless body in the bed. A large gash across his neck, nearing his face.
The emotions he felt were difficult to explain, he was glad he didn’t have to deal with his father anymore, but seeing the pain he caused everyone hurt. Seeing his sister slowly spiral into a moment of depression and pain, his mother sobbing her eyes out to the point she couldn’t stand, and his father.. nowhere to be seen.
It was all so overwhelming, with him quickly leaving the hospital and rushed down the street. Though he didn’t notice the locket that somehow appeared around his neck, not until a sudden shadow seemed to be following him, reaching out for it and trying to drag him back to where his body lay.
All he could do was try his best to ignore this feeling, instead tearing the locket off himself and throwing it behind him. His biggest mistake ever.
He furrowed his brows as he slowly stopped in his tracks, watching as his surroundings only became darker and more grim, colder and more dull. “What the hell..” he mumbled under his breath, turning around and trying to walk, only to bump into something.
He didn’t even know what he was getting himself into, not until he felt the sudden paint returning to his neck, his surroundings becoming visible again, except there were so many more people. So many people he knew had passed in that town. He recognized an old shopkeeper who had lost his life during a fire, the burn marks still on his face and hands. He quickly walked over to the man, hoping he would have an answer.
“Mr. Williams?” He spoke in a quiet tone, watching the man turn to face him with a warm smile. “Wilbur? Is that you? My, you’ve gotten big.” His tone was welcoming, until he had taken notice of how young Wilbur was. “Aren't you quite young still? You shouldn’t be here.” He frowned and walked closer, taking note of the large gash on the side of Wilbur’s neck. “My, my. Such a shame.” Without another word he was gone, leaving Wil more confused than before.
Of course it didn’t stop here, how could it? He had become the Grim Reaper’s assistant after all.
It all started when he was simply walking past the hospital again, taking notice of a young boy outside the building, a locket around his neck as he stood there, always like he was waiting for someone.
“Hey, kid.” Wilbur approached him, raising a brow as he slightly bent down to meet his height. “Who are you waiting for?” His voice got quiet, watching the boy shrug and fiddle with the necklace around his neck. “I don’t know. I’m just here.” He pursed his lips, looking away from Wil.
He felt bad for the kid, he was dead and didn’t even know it. He quickly looked around the area, before crouching down and gestured towards the locket. “Let me see the locket.” He reached a hand out, watching as the boy hesitantly took it off and placed it in Wilbur’s hands. Engraved in the small emerald gem was an ‘H’. “What’s your name?” Wilbur looked back up at the kid, before standing up straight. “Henry.”
Before Wilbur could even speak again he was gone, causing him to state in confusion and disbelief. Where had the kid gone? He couldn’t easily disappear like that, could he? It was like Mr. Williams all over again.
He didn’t know what to do with the locket, and simply pocketed it, saying to himself mentally that he’d find a proper grave for it at some point.
But of course he didn’t. And he kept helping those lost souls finally rest in peace. It started with random people he found who looked lost, simply suggesting they give him their locket, to which they did. But once they got stubborn he took it upon himself to find their bodies and lead them to it, showing that they needed to hand over the locket so they could properly cross over.
He didn’t know he was truly helping someone this entire time, he simply thought he was doing the right thing. But with each locket he collected, he felt more power hungry for more. He wanted to fill his coat pockets, his drawers in the small house he claimed, the walls that had so many puncture holes from pins being pushed in and out.
Throughout this whole period of time, these months upon months, turned years of waiting for a change. He got one.
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You watched as he got choked up on his words, causing you to hold his face in your hands and hold him close. “Wilbur, take your time. What changed?” You spoke softly, furrowing your brows at him.
“It.. it was Wilma. I found her.”
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Just like he said. He found her. Wandering around the streets with a confused look on her face, her body hidden away in a baggy hoodie and sweatpants, her tear soaked cheeks shining in the dim moonlight.
“Wilma?” His voice called out, rushing over to her with a confused look. His eyes locked in on the locket she wore, trying to ignore the intense urge to snatch it from her. “How are you here?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, watching her look up and get choked up on speaking.
“I wanted to see my brother again, Wil. It’s been years.” She quickly pulled him into a hug, crying heavily into his shoulder, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso. He instantly hugged her back, a hand on the back of her head as he held her close. “How old are you, Wilm?” He spoke quietly, listening as she struggled to answer. “20. It’s been 5 years since you passed.”
He knew she couldn’t have passed from natural causes, suspecting one thing that he didn’t want to assume. “Did it hurt?” He spoke quietly, feeling her shake her head against him, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. “Thankfully no. I just.. it’s hard without you, y’know.” She pulled away from their hug, frowning slightly as she placed her hands on his face, smiling at the sight of him.
“Still young as ever. I’m jealous.” She chuckled softly, watching as he smiled at her words, nodding and nervously looked down. “Listen.. Wilma.” He sighed and gestured towards the locket she wore, biting the corner of his lip. “If you wanna fully pass over, you’re gonna need to hand over the locket.”
Her face somewhat dropped, clutching the green gem in her hands as she shook her head frantically. “What? No! I just got to see you again after 5 years, how could I leave so quickly?”
“Wilma, you have to. It’s not smart to stick around for so long without crossing over.” His tone became much more demanding, staring her down as he tried to get her to just agree with his words. “Do you do this to everyone you see? What the fuck has gotten into you?” She took a step back, glancing down at his coat pockets, seeing a shine through them. She was quick with her actions, reaching forward and snatching a few, before running off in the other direction. “Wilma! What the fuck?!” He quickly rushed after her, trying his best to catch her before she did the worst thing she could think of.
She had found her way to a graveyard, letting out a shaky breath as she thought quickly. She picked one of the lockets and dug a small hole in a grave, shoving the locket inside before packing the dirt down, watching as the green gem glowed through the brown muck. “Holy shit..” She muttered under her breath, before crawling towards another grave, doing the same thing as before, hearing as Wilbur’s footsteps got closer.
“Wilma, what are you doing?” He panicked as he saw the glows through the dirt, staring at her with a look of betrayal and hurt. “How.. how could you!” He rushed over to try and unbury one of them, but before he could, it was gone. “Wilma, what did you do?” He stared at her with confusion, watching as the glow of the other’s died down.
This was the moment he knew the two of them would probably never see eye to eye again. He had spent years collecting lost souls, and now all of sudden Wilma is back and somehow managed to return souls to earth. He didn’t understand, simply staring down at the empty dirt mound, feeling his stomach drop.
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“So, that’s why you and her don’t talk anymore?” You quirked a brow up, watching him note and fiddle with the small locket he had in his pocket. “Yeah. Ever since then I haven't seen her again.” He sighed and looked over at you, leaning his head on your shoulder.
“It’s harder for lost souls to cross over now. She’s constantly searching for them.. burying the lockets in the graveyard. Before I can ever get them they’re back to earth.” He spoke quietly, an annoyed look forming on his face. “It doesn’t always work out sometimes..”
You looked down at him with a confused look, lightly wrapping an arm around him. “What do you mean?” You spoke quietly, leaning your head on his.
“Staying silent.”
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I’ve been wanting to get into reading more ghost stories, so send me all your recs please!!
ok ok!! i fucking love ghost stories
(sorry i didn't italicize titles, i'm probably gonna add it in later -- tumblr mobile is just really shitty about that for some reason)
so if you're into kids books at all, the all time ghost story master is mary downing hahn. she's got several middle grade ghost stories (and some witch stuff too), and they're all excellent. legitimately scared me as a kid and hold their own now. there's one with a haunted lake, one about pranks turning into real hauntings, one set in victorian london, one set during the Spanish flu pandemic, lots of spooky dolls, several involving some lite time travel... highly recommend, and not just bc of nostalgia. other middle grade ghost story favorites: the dollhouse murders (a betty ren wright classic) and the ghost of fossil glen
if we're talking young adult, katie alender is a particular standout. she has several good ones, but my personal favorite is bad girls don't die, a story about sisters and ghost stories and spooky dolls.
if we're talking adult books...
stephen king is kind of a horror cliche but i legitimately love some of his stuff... his ghost stories are the shining, and pet sematary (what, shut up, it totally counts), and these are both special favorites of mine. frequent rereads (especially now that i have better copies!).
thirteen storeys by jonathan sims (writer/narrator on the magnus archives!) is a tremendous ghost story -- or more like thirteen ghost storeys fit into one (lol). i haven't actually read his newest, family business, but i actually just downloaded the audio book and plan to listen on my impending 7 hour drive friday. fairly sure it's a ghost story and i'm sure it's excellent
the deep by alma katsu is one i remember enjoying a lot. it's a ghostly spin on the titanic and brittanic and features real historical figures as well as fictional characters. (it's not a ghost story, but i loved her other novel the hunger, which is a horror take on the donner party, so maybe check that out if you enjoy the deep! she's got another historical horror novel out that i need to read.)
shamefully, i haven't finished this one -- but heart shaped box by joe hill is also a very good ghost story. i don't actually know why i didn't finish it. it's legitimately spooky and awesome. the premise is an aging rock star who collects spooky shit buys a haunted suit.
one of my favorite ghost story novels is the drowning kind by jennifer mcmahon. it's about a haunted swimming pool, and is set in the 1920s and present day. super spooky and a poignant family story. i also enjoyed the invited by mcmahon, a story about the construction of a haunted house. mcmahon has several other ghost stories that i haven't read yet, but plan to soon!
not exactly ghost stories -- although one, cackle, does contain ghosts -- but i have been love love loving the work of rachel harrison lately. like reread her books about five times since october crazy. she has three books: the return, probably closest structurally to a ghost story, but it isn't exactly one -- about a friend group who reunites after one comes back after two years of being missing; cackle is a story about a woman who moves to a new town after a break up and befriends a witch; such sharp teeth is about a woman being turned into a werewolf while staying in her hometown with her pregnant twin sister. all are tremendous both as spooky reads and as moving character driven stories about female relationships. also, rachel harrison has some short stories out there: an anthology of four spooky short stories called bad dolls (one of the four is definitely a ghost story); an audible original short story that's also a ghost story called the veil (in the process of listening [edit: i actually finished listening while making this post and can confirm it is excellent); and a short story here.
old country by query and query is one that i bought and read recently... it's actually based off of a no sleep story on reddit. its about a couple who move to the country in idaho and learn from their neighbors that there is a spirit who will haunt the land differently each season. i found it to be unique and fun, and legitimately unsettling. (mixed feelings on the ending but otherwise a fun ghostie read.)
a head full of ghosts by paul tremblay is sort of a ghost story and sort of a demon story? a young woman recounts the supposed demonic possession of her older sister that occurred when she was a child. there was a reality TV series made about the possession and exorcism; years later, the main character is grappling with that legacy.
if you're looking for more vintage ghost stories, i remember legitimately enjoying the haunting of hill house, despite finding it a little hard to read. (thats just me, i have a hard time with older-sounding texts. i would like to reread it soon.) it's nothing like the 2018 TV show (although that show draws heavily from it in certain ways), but it's an excellent novel in its own right, and a big inspiration to the horror genre.
the only good indians by stephen graham jones is sort of a ghost/folklore/slasher story, but it is excellent all the same. it reads like a movie, which i love. i remember loving it when i read it. four native american men are forced to reckon with a hunting accident from their youth when a supernatural force comes back for revenge. very spooky, but also a slasher in its own right, if that is at all your thing.
for a festive ghost story: a christmas carol is great on so SO many levels (listen to the podcast jacob marley is dead!!) but also excellent as a ghost story, and there is an excellent audio book version on spotify that i love
the broken girls by simone james is a ghost story i remember enjoying. it's got a haunted boarding school and operates on two different timeliness. simone st. james has some other ghostie stories i haven't read but that i intend to.
beloved by toni morrison is a book that i've only read once, and that i need to read again, but that i remember really liking. it's an excellent read. sethe, a former slave struggles to escape her past, particularly the death of her beloved young daughter many years before. her life is upended by the arrival of a mysterious young girl called beloved.
when the reckoning comes by latanya mcqueen is one i really enjoyed. a woman travels to her white friend's wedding at a former plantation, where she is one of only two Black guests, and the ghosts of the slaves who lived and died there linger.
nothing but blackened teeth by cassandra khaw is a novella that i thought was really fun. a group of friends attend a small wedding at a haunted house in japan. the house is said to be the site of a bride who was sacrificed and buried under the house.
hex is an honest to god unique ghost story. a town is haunted, and essentially held captive, by the ghost of an executed witch. eventually yknow. horrible hijinks ensue.
some popular books will make you think they're ghost stories but there really was never a ghost all along!?!! this annoys me DEEPLY.
honestly check back in a couple months and i'll probably have more. i have a whole stack of ghost story books in my reading queue ❤️
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lostinthestacks · 3 years
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JOMP BPC June 19: Full of clichés
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borgeslabyrinth · 2 years
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favorite horror books read in 2021?
thanks for asking!
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The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie: the first book I read in 2021, and one of my top favorite books to the year. Chilling! Horrifying! Poignant! Not just an incredible horror novel: an incredible novel in general. It's about the mysterious (and bloody) disappearance of a cult, and the five children left behind.
The Hunger by Alma Katsu: I literally held off on reading this book for years, because I thought the premise was stupid. The premise is a little stupid, but so engaging that you honestly forget that. Not super scary, but I raced through it in one sitting. Something evil stalks the Donner party.
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas: yes, I'm probably the last person on the planet to read this novel, but holy christ. Showstopping. I loved all of the characters and I loved that you also get insights into their novels. Four writers are locked in a haunted house on Halloween: they walk out unscathed, but the house hasn't let them go.
Bloodline by Jess Lourey: the only reason this isn't higher up the list is because I listened to it on audiobook and despised the narrator. The story is great, though. After getting robbed in the city, the MC agrees to move back to her partner's hometown, but the community just isn't... right.
Brother by Ania Ahlborn: this one was just good, not great. I threw it on the list because I wanted a nice round five. About a boy, his crush, and his family's terrible secret. Engaging but very cliche.
**edit** I'm at work and can't change the graphic, but read Near the Bone by Christina Henry instead of Brother- it's Better
Bonus round!
Two horror novels that I bought in 2021 and am so excited to read:
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, about a Black woman who goes along with her white friends marriage at an old plantation despite how uncomfortable it makes her, but the ghosts are aroused and are not amused.
Reprieve by James Han Mattson: a group of strangers walk into a full-contact haunted house, but not all of them are going to walk out.
Again, thank you for asking! If you read any of these, please tell me what you think!
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I finished Gideon the Ninth today, and it was five hours ago, but I still haven’t stopped thinking about it!
Gonna do my very best to avoid spoilers, but I’m not going to bother trying to avoid some rambling.
~ This book utterly defies genre categorization, and I LOVE IT for that! SciFi, fantasy, horror, comedy? Murder mystery, even?! I love books that offer something new, crossing boundaries, shattering expectations, not being a cookie-cutter copy of something else that already exists, but wholly being itself. It’s unique, and it’s seamless. Masterful.
~ So Gideon’s a smartass. Love that. I don’t really latch onto goofy jokester characters, certainly couldn’t relate to it, but I’ll admit it was a nice change of pace.
~ Necromancy has never been something I looked into. Not even on a mystical level; I consider myself an eclectic witch and I’ve researched a great many forms of magic that I’ll never practice, but I usually save the death stuff for Samhain. (Sometimes a place is haunted and you just can’t avoid it...) But my point is, it’s not something I go looking for.
This book made it AWESOME. Powerful, multi-faceted, built into a system with rules (which I always respect when magic’s involved). It’s, again, totally unique: everything that happens on The First House (Earth, I think?) adds a new element to the system, and I was as eager to unlock its secrets as the adepts.
~ It WAS who I thought it was in the animation! Not in the way I thought it was, but it WAS her. Her body, anyways.
~ Harrow and Gideon’s relationship was intriguing. Very layered, very dynamic. Looking back on it, I love how it started from a place of disdain and how convincingly the author shifted it over time. Very well developed relationship. Not to sudden, not too sappy, but still profoundly changed over time.
I kind of dread searching for fan content because I just KNOW people are going to be shipping them, and I can see why, but it doesn’t read as romance at all to me? I mean, I’m cool with the lesbian thing (hi I’m pan), but I’m going to pull a cliche here and say “they read like sisters to me”. The whole growing up together thing. Their conversations at the end, to me, read as loyalty and chivalry and the kind of powerful platonic love that most people never find. Intimate, but emotionally. I dunno, I can’t tell which way the author intended it, but my aroace ass definitely didn’t read it as romantic.
~ Harrowhark’s backstory? Wow? Great payoff to several mysteries of the book. This book EXCELLED at making you curious. It’s a Whole New World to me, so I didn’t have ANY idea how any of it was going to work out, but it laid the pieces out enough to make me wonder. And when the mysteries were revealed? SO satisfying! Or terrifying. There were a lot of terrifying things too.
~ There was a sense of both stakes and scale escalating with each battle too, and I’m furiously taking notes on that because escalation is something I know I need to work on in my own writings.
~ Speaking of stakes! This was a BRILLIANT, painful, shining example of how a tragedy SHOULD happen. Make It MATTER!
No, seriously, it actually really truly impressed me how much it MATTERED. It HAD to happen. It had benefits. It left an impact on both a personal level, on the characters, AND an impact on the world around them. It was vast in scope, massively heroic, and most importantly, it paid off.
I read the back of the book so of course I found out who the sequel follows, but I guess now I know why.
And because it mattered so much, it doesn’t feel cheap. It shocked me, but it was bittersweet shock, triumphant alongside the tragedy.
That’s how a tragedy SHOULD be. I don’t want to read something terrible happening just because the author saw fit to randomly twist fate. I don’t enjoy that. I don’t like stories that hurt you just to hurt you.
The escalation, the foreshadowing, the character growth, the worldbuilding, the science, the relationships-- everything in the story culminated in what happened in the climax, and as a writer I have SO MUCH RESPECT for how hugely, greatly, significantly that all paid off! Again, I say: MASTERFUL.
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petri808 · 3 years
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Hauntober prompt Vampires
Nalu requested by @mccnfairy
“You guys are leaving already?” Natsu questions the group of girls as they get ready to leave his Halloween house party.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back later.” Lucy pats the man on the cheek. “There’s just one more place we wanted to check out tonight.”
“Oh, okay cool! Just be safe out there, lots of creeps out tonight.”
“We will,” this time it’s Levy who responds with a giggle. “Besides, we have an Erza. Pity the fool who dares to harass us.”
It had really been a silly idea, but why not have a little spooky adventure this All Hallows’ Eve. The friends, Lucy Heartfilia, Levy McGarden, Erza Scarlet, and Cana Alberona had heard about this abandoned old mansion at the edge of town that was supposedly haunted. According to Levy’s research, the structure dated back to the days of the Civil War and may have been owned by a plantation owner killed by his slaves in revolt. Of course, there was no way to confirm it because town records seemed sparse or missing from those years and most of it became folk tales passed down through the generations.
At one point a haunted house attraction was actually run inside the building, but as of the last six years or so, it had been left vacant with only a fading ‘For Sale’ sign outside its massive iron gates. Until recently, that is. Someone has actually bought the property and according to the large sign out front it would be demolished in three weeks to make way for a new apartment complex. Hence the girl’s temptation to check it out before that happens.
“Be careful,” Erza warns the group. “We don’t know how structurally sound this place is.”
The four girls armed with flashlights slowly make their way into the creepy building. Every hair on the back of Lucy’s neck stands up as soon as she enters; she shivers. This was such a bad idea...
Wham!
The front door slams shut behind them causing everyone to jump and scream.
“I-It’s just the wind,” Erza reasons. “Just stay close everyone.”
All the nervous energy made the sounds around them seem heightened. Every creek of a floor board or scuttling of creatures through the debris. Broken windows allowed wind to funnel through creating eerie drafts to tickle their skin and the groans of the building were like fodder for a horror movie. But they pressed on, determined to explore.
‘There’s no such thing as ghosts,’ Lucy reminds herself. It’s all just made up stories to keep kids in line. She had no reason to believe that supernatural creatures existed.
“Look at all this stuff left behind,” Cana remarks as they pass through what used to be a kitchen. “It’s all the haunted house props.”
Even in the dark they could see fake blood splattered or holes cut in the walls for actors to pop their heads through. Rubber body parts, broken skeletons, old looking medical equipment, basically every cliche thing you could think of. Different props for different themes.
One by one they make their way through the first floor of the house. It was such a huge place. Sitting rooms, pantry’s, a game room, bathrooms, dining hall, a living room, and that’s just the first floor! A grand staircase took you to the second floor which had one long hall way leading to all the bedrooms, then further to a second staircase that took you to the third floor servants quarters and attic.
By the time the girls had made it to the second floor, their guards had been somewhat lowered. Despite the creepiness of the old building, there was nothing really paranormal to scare them. Lucy began to trail behind out of curiosity, stopping at each bedroom to take a better look inside. Some of the rooms still held old furnishings from a bygone era. Large postered beds and ornate dressers or armoires, oil lamps, and old ripped paintings on walls. She could imagine how grand this home must have looked in its hay day.
But when Lucy steps out of the room she was in, the sudden realization that she was alone fuels a wave of goosebumps to ripple along her arms. “G-Guys?!” She couldn’t even hear any of her friends voices. Oh no! Where’d they go? Upstairs? Back down stairs?! The house was as still as death, no more creeks and groans, just the empty darkness beyond the beam of her flashlight or moon glow filtering through the windows.
She books it back downstairs to the front door as the safest alternative. Eventually her friends had to leave, so she’ll just wait there patiently for them. While she waits, Lucy turns on her phone to distract herself from the silence. It was Halloween after all, and social media was flooded with photos of parties and trick or treaters.
A soft shuttling sound causes Lucy to stiffen up. ‘It’s just a mouse, it’s just a mouse, it’s just a—’
Measured thuds, boots over wooden floors in her direction! Wait! None of them were wearing boots! Lucy spins around with her flashlight gripped tightly in her hand. “W-Who’s there!” She gasps as the beam hits a human chest not three feet from her. “Natsu?! What are you doing here?!” But he was dressed differently. His hair was slicked down, wearing an old style black suit and shoulder cape like the dapper dons of the 1800s.
“Why, I live here, that’s why,” he grins wide, his pearly fangs catching the beam of her flashlight.
Was his fangs longer than she remembered? “What are you talking about?! We just came from your house.”
“Oh, that’s just one of my other homes. This,” he motions with his arms, “is where I lived centuries ago. You see I have to maintain a sense of normalcy to blend in.”
“Haha,” Lucy’s hands fall to her hips. “Very funny mister class clown. You’re just messing with me.”
He strides over without hesitation and grips her chin between two fingers, lifting it to meet her eyes. “Am I now?” His eyes grow hooded, amorous as his lips hover centimeters above her own. “It was I who started the rumors to peak humans curiosity. An easy way to lure victims for me to feed on.”
Lucy’s breathing slows and falters at the seriousness of his tone. This was nothing like the silly jokester they’d come to know and love! “Oh my god,” she breathes out. Her fear response screaming in her head but her body was frozen in place.
“There’s no god here tonight,” Natsu utters, then quick as a flash bites Lucy’s neck.
She screams with bloody intent as her heart pounds and pulse drowns out all sound, mind latching on the pain... that wasn’t there?! What the?!
Just as quickly as he’d bitten her, Natsu pulls away from the stunned woman, holding his stomach from laughter as she frantically checks her neck. “I so got you good!”
“What?!” Lucy screams and launches herself at him, pounding her fists against his chest. “You scared me on purpose?!”
He only laughs harder from her weaker strikes. “One of the guys overheard your plans and it was too tempting not to. I-I didn’t know which would end up the victim, but you came out first.”
“Omg so mean Natsu! You really scared me!”
When he focuses away from the amusement and realizes the true panic still left in the girls clouded eyes, Natsu felt a prick in his heart. Crap, maybe he’d gone a little too far this time. “Shit, I’m sorry Lucy, it was just a joke.”
She crossed her arms with a frown. “Well it wasn’t funny!”
At that point, more thuds coming streaming down the staircase. “What’s going on?!” They hear Erzas voice asking as the rest of the girls make it the first floor. “We heard a scream from the third floor and came rushing down.”
“Just a stupid joker,” Lucy points at Natsu. “He even fake bit me!”
“Wait, what?” Erza steps forward as Cana and Levy hold their breaths. “Natsu, you did what?!”
He pulls the fake vampire teeth out of his mouth and holds it up, “it was just, I was only teasing. Come on, it’s a Halloween prank.” When he sees Erzas eye brow raise, he holds up his hands. “Truce? I’m sorry!”
“Tch, you better be,” Lucy spits back. “Better make it up to me somehow.”
“I’ll do anything.”
“Take her out on a date!” Cana blurts out.
“Dinner and a movie!” Adds Levy.
Lucy squeaks in blushing embarrassment. “W-Wait! Hold up, that’s not what...”
“Pfft, I’ve been dying to do that since freshman year!” Natsu laughs and clasps his hands together in hope. “Whatdya say Lucy? I promise I won’t bite this time.”
With the other woman applying pressure through looks and hand gestures. Lucy groans and rolls her eyes. “Why do I feel like this was all a set up?!”
He pouts and gives her a puppy dog expression. “Is that a yes, or no?”
“Oh ya damn goof, I’ll go out with you, but yes! If you bite me this time I’ll return the favor!”
“Promise?”
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haniawritesfiction · 3 years
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Recent Reads-July/August 2021
The Psychology of Time Travel By Kate Mascarenhas
In a world where time travel was invented in the 1960s, two women become caught up in a murder that hasn't yet happened. For a book about time travel, The Psychology of Time Travel feels closer to realistic fiction than a sci-fi novel, honestly, if we ever invent time travel I could see this easily happening. For all that it technically a mystery, this book is more interested in the relationships, dysfunctions, and institutions that create these circumstances than the actual mystery. Don't go into this book expecting a murder mystery and you won't be disappointed. Mascarenhas masterfully uses pov's of minor characters to make this world feel truly immersive while never losing sight of her main characters, both of whom are flawed, fascinating, and very human. A great take on the time travel genre. -9/10
Devil's Ballast By Meg Caddy
A swashbuckling adventure focusing on the famed female pirate Anne Bonny. Devil's Ballast was.... a weird one. For a book that's meant to be a pirate adventure the pace is way too slow at times and then when it finally reaches the action, it rushes through it. The book also had a completely unnecessary pov of a pirate hunter that added absolutely nothing to the plot. I feel like I would've enjoyed the whole book way more if Anne herself had been more memorable, I'd just finished watching Black Sails, so Devil's Ballast's Anne Bonny and Jack Rackham are pretty boring in comparison to their Black Sails counterparts. But the part of the book that irked me the most was the romance. Anne spends the whole book seeming not that interested in Jack until the last second when he's her great love again. The strongest relationship in this book is the friendship between her and Mark Read, which was pretty cute and my favorite part of the whole book. -4/10
The Strangers Child By Alan Hollinghurst
In Edwardian England, while staying at a friend's house, a man writes a love poem that becomes famous. In the decades following, his family and friends are forced to live with his, and the poem's legacy. The Stranger's Child is an incredibly atmospheric book, with beautiful prose, but it felt like a bit of a letdown. Instead of an exploration of what if a famous love poem is actually gay, it's more of a meandering look at various moments in English history and the people living through it. There were chapters that just felt entirely pointless and there were only three sections that actually felt thematically linked. This book had so much potential, but it felt like the author's vision and the supposed premise were constantly at odds.-6/10
Crooked Kingdom By Leigh Bardugo
The sequel to Six Of Crows; political intrigue, gang wars, and magic all meet in the seedy underworld of Ketterdam. I read Six Of Crows about four months ago and mostly enjoyed it, though to be honest, I didn't quite get the hype. With this book, I get it. Crooked Kingdom weaves a complex and engaging plot to match it's superb worldbuilding and characters and I read it in one sitting. The fantasy elements were never too overwhelming nor predictable and the ending was the perfect amount of bittersweet. If you struggled through Six Of Crows, give this one a try, you'll find it hard to put down.-8/10
Circe By Madeline Miller
A re-imagining of an often maligned figure in ancient Greek mythology: the sorceress Circe. I had a massive greek mythology phase as a kid and so reading this was a blast. Miller's writing has an appropriately mythical feel, weaving multiple myths together to explore Circe's psyche. Circe herself manages to be incredibly likable despite her flaws and Miller expands her beyond her common depiction as a vindictive, promiscuous woman. Because of the nature of the plot, I feel like having basic knowledge of greek mythology enhances the reading experience, especially knowledge of the odyssey. To understand this Circe, it's important to understand the Circe of the odyssey and the way the common tropes of greek mythology are being deconstructed.-10/10
Honey Girl By Morgan Rogers
A young woman feels lost after getting her doctorate and runs off to spend the summer with a woman she got married to while drunk in Vegas. Honey Girl is not a romance novel or really your traditional romcom, instead, it is an exploration of family and coming of age in your twenties with a well-written love story at its center. From the prose and general atmosphere, this book has an almost magical feel, yet manages to feel incredibly raw and real. If you're burnt out on romcoms and want something that isn't too saccharine yet leaves you with that warm fuzzy feeling, this book is for you.-10/10
Bolla By Pajtim Statovci
In 1990s Kosovo, two men, a Serbian and an Albanian fall in love. Years later, the two men both struggle with the after-effects of the war and their circumstances. Bolla is not the sort of book that you can say you like, though I certainly didn't dislike it. The writing is fantastic and has a very unique quality (possibly due to the novel having been translated from Finish) yet Bolla is incredibly bleak. The romance presumably at the center of the novel is less of the focus and instead what anchors the two men's stories. Their relationship is over by chapter three and at first, I was honestly a little peeved that it got that little attention or description, however by the end of the book I honestly felt it worked. A haunting story of war and the human condition.-7/10
The Kingdoms By Natasha Pulley
When a man gets off a train in London, he can remember barely anything about himself or his life, except the sense that the reality he is faced with is wrong; Britain has been under occupation by the French since they won the Napoleonic wars 85 years ago. Determined to find out who he really is, he follows a century-old letter to an abandoned Scottish lighthouse and finds himself the key to winning a war that could change everything. The Kingdoms is a book that keeps on giving, just the premise of a Britain occupied by France is fascinating, but Pulley goes a step further weaving a complex plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Her writing is fantastic and like the premise, it felt like entire books could be written about every single setting. The characters are also engaging, from Joe, our main character, who is just so immediately likeable, to Kit, a character who is the definition of morally grey. My only quibble is the female characters, who feel fairly underdeveloped and only really there to flesh out the male ones. -9/10
Cinderella is Dead By Kalynn Bayron
300 years after Cinderella found her happy ending her legacy has been twisted to create a dystopian life for the girls living in her kingdom. Four to five years ago, I think I would've really liked Cinderella is Dead; I mean it's a sapphic fairytale retelling! But my taste in books has changed a lot and this book just felt far too YA for me. The writing felt young, the characters underdeveloped and the plot cliched.-2/10
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readreadbookblog · 2 years
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Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
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https://www.amazon.com/Horrorstor-Novel-Grady-Hendrix/dp/1594745269
The best way to describe the premise of this book is ‘haunted IKEA’. Orsk is furniture store in the middle of a highway in Ohio. Amy is a student with money problems. It is that reason that she is employed with Orsk as a sales person, a job that she hates with it’s corporate culture, lead by her store loyal manger Basil, and annoying coworkers such as Ruth-Ann, an overly energetic and dedicated to her job employee.
At night Basil decides to take Amy and Ruth-Ann on an overnight stake out to figure who is vandalism on the store’s furniture and bathroom walls. But soon after a series of fake scares and people appearing in unexpected places unrelated to the vandalism, the group decides to summon what they think are ghosts haunting the store. Bad idea.
Despite my writing of the story above, the book isn’t that scary, creepy, or haunting. The daytime portion of the book is very much like reading an existential person’s dread of their dead end job, something that I (and I bet tons of readers) can totally relate to. Really feels like it is part of a different book. When they go exploring into the store at night, it feels a bit more adventurous with cliches of haunted houses/places tropes occurring. The actual haunting of the store is not horror, in my opinion. It reads and feels more like an adventure in a theme park. Theme park ride is the phrase I would best use to describe the haunted store. Amy slips and falls and goes several feet/stories down places and touches weird/nasty stuff. The blood and sweat author Grady Hendrix describes on the characters sounds more like water that splashes on one’s face when they are on a roller coaster such as Universal Studio’s Jurassic Park Ride.
There are a very few small parts where you read it and get disturbed, such as when the author describes the state of someone’s fingers. *shutter*. But such small parts of gold are not really worth the whole reading of the book. Like I said, it feels more adventure than horror and to be honest, a haunted Walmart sounds terrible. Hendrix didn’t even take advantage of the fact that Orsk is not just a furniture store but an IKEA one, the ones where you have to built the furniture yourself. Various ways of disturbing or haunted builds could have occurred but Hendrix fails to take advantage of the environment and at the end of the day, the story fails like it could have taken place anywhere basically. I do want to read a bit more of Hendrix to see it she improved her stories in future books.
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wordsnstuff · 4 years
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10 Mistakes to Avoid in Horror
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Valuing Shock Over Imagination
I’m only going to say this once: readers will always choose an imaginative story over a shocking one. Shock horror, gore, cliché, and easy solutions that the characters overlook for the sake of plot progression is shitty writing. Of course, shock, gore, and tropes all have their place in most horror stories but they are not the foundation, they’re the décor.
Not Doing Your Research
Just because a horror story isn’t a medical drama or a science fiction series doesn’t mean you don’t need to do your due diligence. The toughest part of horror is toeing the line that is the reader’s suspension of disbelief, and the most obvious mistake a writer can make that destroys this KEY part of the reader’s experience is to screw up the details. Research the way torture looks, feels, and how it affects the victim’s mental and physical state. If you’re going to reference or retell an urban legend, do some research on the lore rather than rely on the bits and pieces you remember from a 3rd grade camping trip. 
It doesn’t have to be textbook level accuracy. It’s fiction. But all readers have their own patchwork collection of knowledge on the facts used in fiction, so you want to avoid pulling them out of the story by getting something wrong due to a lack of research.
Cliche
Unethical experiment, bas phone service, playing with demons, Car breaks down in a forest, family trip to a haunted house, ghost hunters, etc. are all clichés that most can agree have been beaten to death. The problem is not a “lack of originality”, it’s a lack of effort. When a writer scribbles a bunch of tropes on little pieces of paper and then picks 3 randomly out of a hat, it’s easy to tell. 
Remember that it’s perfectly fine to use things that have been seen before, even over and over again, simply because they’re staples of the genre, but unless you make it your own, the reader will lose interest in not only your story, but your entire body of work. Horror is one of the most harshly judged genres in the literary sphere, and when a reader pegs you as a lazy horror writer, it sticks and it spreads.
Boring Main Character
Everyone on the planet has complained about the presence of boring main characters in horror. It’s not just about making the story more interesting or complicated, it’s about giving the reader someone worthy to root for. Humans are naturally desensitized to pain and fear that isn’t relevant to them. If the character is another faceless, nameless victim, there’s no reason for the reader to care whether they survive and recover or not. There’s no thrill in following their perspective because boring main character do not allow the reader to insert themselves. That’s not the goal of a horror story. 
You don’t want the reader to feel like they’re running from the killer directly, because their first instinct when faced with fear is to run (disengage from the story). You want the reader to feel like they’re watching someone else run from a killer and that there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it. They should be invested in the survival of this character, and feel helpless and scared FOR them. 
Boring Antagonist
Yes, most people are scared of death and pain and helplessness, but those should be products of a really strong antagonist. It’s hard to be afraid of an antagonist in any story because, deep down, we know that the hero (almost) always wins. Horror is the beautiful exception to that rule. It’s a coin toss as to whether the protagonist will survive and recover from the conflict of the plot, so take advantage of this uncertainty and make the villain truly and complicatedly terrifying. Make them human, deconstruct their motivations, and show the reader the parts of the antagonist’s point of view that most everyone can empathize with. There’s nothing scarier to an audience than their reflection in a black mirror. 
No Stakes.. At All.
Yes, dying is very bad and very much something to avoid, but it shouldn’t be the only outcome of the conflict resolution that the reader is afraid of. Let me put it this way: there should be at least one or two moments where the main character is in a situation that prompts them to come to terms with their fate. This is where you show the true stakes of a horror story. “My kids will be without a mother”, “My dad will be stuck without a son to look after him”, “my daughter in the other room depended on me and there’s nothing I can do to save her and it’s all my fault”. These are people’s WORST real-life fears and (hopefully) a book is the closest they will ever come to experiencing them. Be aware of that. 
Excluding Humor
Horror stories can have jokes in them. The best way to hit a reader really hard with suspense and dread is to lead in with a joke. Have a dad and his son reminiscing and joking about the son’s childhood in the midst of the situation. It humanizes characters to give them a sense of humor, so throw in a joke here and there to show the reader exactly what’s at stake. Protagonists are meant to be the light that the antagonist is trying to snuff out, so try to let the light in a little bit. 
Shying Away From Real-Life Horror
Gore, ghosts, and surprises are staples of the horror genre, but an integral piece of the genre that’s often overlooked when one is analyzing horror is the real-life implications of the story. For example, Misery by Stephen King is scary because it’s got an obsessed fan+kidnapping+a hammer, but it’s also scary because it shows the worst case scenario of things like idolization, parasocial interaction, and the fine line between idolizing an artist and feeling like they owe you something because you support their creation. Horror stories should always have two edges: the surface-level fear and the deeper meaning.
Telling Instead of Showing
This one’s pretty simple, but worth mentioning. Don’t say that Annie Wilkins “hobbled” Paul Sheldon. Make Annie Wilkins grimace at Paul Sheldon before bringing a hammer down upon the round of his ankle, with a resounding crack and an agonized shout following immediately before she continues to the next.
(Sorry about all of the Misery references, I just watched the movie again.)
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itsreigns · 4 years
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Blurred Lines - Part 5
Henry Cavill x Reader
Henry especifically told (Y/N) that he didn’t do relationships. But lines get blurred. And crossed.
Warnings: Slight AU. Angst. Mentions of sex. Mentions of death.
Words: 1,378
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
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Cavill Tags: 
@heelsamizayn | @tryingtofindaplaceinthisworld | @shadow-of-wonder​ | @moxleysbaby | @bull-moose-penguin | @xxsirensong | @tinychemicals​ | @agniavateira​ | @aaescritora​ | @aphrodites-punch​ | @elinalfrida​ | @thiccgeralt​ | @magdelen69​ | @littlefreya​ | @isharemydeathdaywithfeanor​ | @the-freak-cassie-131​ | @softchocomilk​ | @the-other-ramsey​ | @omgkatinka​ | @meinetassetee​ | @winchwm​ |
I sit there dumbfounded by his admission. I had no clue he had a fiancee, much less that she had somehow passed away. He must have sensed that I was lost in thought, because he reached out to cup my hand with his. 
“How did she… you know.” I trail off not sure of how I should ask him that, especially when I just helped him through a meltdown over it, knowing how much it still hurt. 
“Car accident.” He says blankly, as he continues staring at the stone, and running his thumb on the delicate skin of my hand. 
I open my mouth to reply, but decide against it. Truth is I didn’t know what to say. It doesn’t happen to me many times, but now I truly didn’t know what I could possibly say to him. And to be honest, I think he needs more my support than any supportive cliche shit I’d end up saying, even though I’d truly mean it. So I just keep holding his hand too, silent. 
After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence, he speaks up again. “I was supposed to be with her, you know?”
I look at him intently as he stares down, studying my reaction. Once again, I decide against speaking. He clearly wants to vent, and I definitely don’t want to push him. Sometimes all we have to do is listen. Just be there and listen.
“We had agreed to go to her parents’ house for dinner. But I had to cancel last minute because this meeting got delayed and my agent… I needed to be there…” He trails off, getting slightly emotional again. “I was supposed to be with her. I was supposed to be driving that car. Not her.”
I squeeze his hand in reassurance and support. He hangs his head, breathing slowly, as he takes his time before continuing. 
“A drunk driver crossed a red light and drove into her car. She was killed instantly.” He mumbles, anger and hurt evident in his tone. “I was heading back home when I passed by the crash. The firefighters were taking her off the car. I tried to help but they pushed me aside. I understand why but… I saw her lifeless body on that stretcher. And I… I couldn’t do anything.“ He chokes out, as he recalls the events from two years ago. “They didn’t even let me get close to her. I promised her I’d always be there for her. That I would never fail her. But I did. I failed her when she needed me the most. I will never forgive myself. It should’ve been me.”
“Don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. You can’t blame yourself for something you didn’t do or had no control over.” I say softly, staring at him, but he doesn’t match my gaze, he keeps his down, as if ashamed to face me. “Henry, look at me.” I plead, but he doesn’t comply. So I hook a finger under his chin, turning his head to me. “You are not at fault in this. She knows that you would do, and did, everything you could for her. And wherever she is, she is looking down at you and she is so proud.”
A couple of tears roll down his cheeks silently. He opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn’t say anything. I know he’s trying to gather his thoughts, so I don’t push it, I give him time.
“You know… after seeing what I saw, I started having these nightmares. They’re so fucking real, and I just… wake up, nauseated, wanting to throw up. It just never goes away.” He admits, shyly. Finally, he’s being fully honest with me, now I can understand and help him. “I barely remember what her laugh sounded like, what she smelled like. All I can remember, all that’s stuck in my mind is the image of her bloodied face, her lifeless body, the smell of gasoline sprawled on the road. It haunts me.”
Who could tell how much pain those beautiful blue eyes held behind them? I want to hug him until all the pain goes away. He has suffered enough. And he’s punishing himself for something he had no control over. He couldn’t have done anything. 
“After her… I just, I couldn’t do relationships, couldn’t even think about it. She was supposed to be my wife. We were supposed to be together forever, until we were very, very old. But God took her away before we could do that.” He trails off once again. I’m listening to him intently, never letting go of his hand. “But then you came along. And you turned my world upside down. Everything I was so sure of, turned into doubt.” He lets out a sad chuckle before continuing. “You know, you were the first, and the only woman I’ve been with after Kath passed.”
Well that caught me by surprise. I think I just assumed he had been sleeping with other women, having casual sex when he wanted to. But now, knowing the full story, I can see that that’s all it was… assumptions. I misjudged him. Never judge a book by its cover, they say, and it’s so true. But his admission reminds me of something else too. I recall the day he took me to that spot on the hill, and told me I was the only person he had ever taken there. Hadn’t he taken Kath there? 
As if reading my thoughts, that’s exactly what he brings up next. 
“Remember that place up in the hill?” He asks, looking at me and I nod. “The day I found it... We had just buried her, so I just grabbed my helmet and my jacket and took my motorcycle for a ride, with no destination. That’s where I ended up. Staring at the most beautiful night sky I had ever seen. It was completely full of shining stars that day.”
“It really is a beautiful spot.” I agree with him, smiling at him. “Thank you for sharing it with me. It truly means a lot.”
“Thank you for coming here. You didn’t have to. I was fucking awful to you.” He admits, shame written in his features. “Thank you for giving me time to deal with my struggles. Thank you for dealing with my struggles yourself. After what I did, I didn’t deserve it.”
“You deserve the best this life can give you, Henry. You deserve the world, and you so deserve to be happy.” I say, confidently. “Don’t deny any of those things to yourself.”
“You really are a breath of fresh air. My guiding light. I was drowning in darkness, but you pulled me out.” He admits, his blue eyes locked on mine, holding nothing but pure adoration. “I still have a long way to go, but…”
I cut him, knowing exactly what he was going to say. “I’ll be here. If you want me to, I’ll be right by your side. Supporting you and holding your hand, every step of the way.”
A tear escapes his eye, but he wipes it off, pulling me into a tight hug. Suddenly, some water drops start falling from the sky. 
“It’s starting to rain. We should probably get home.” I advise gently as we pull back, and he nods in agreement. “We can go to my house. You’ll get some rest, maybe take a shower, as I cook us some dinner, ok?”
“You don’t mind?” He asks, unsurely. I have the feeling he thinks he’s just bothering me, or that I’m doing it out of pity.
“Henry, I am here, and I’m not going anywhere.” I reassure him, getting up and extending my hand to him. “We’ll stop by your house so you can grab some clean clothes, first.”
He takes my hand without much thought, and that relieves me. So I help him up and we walk out of the cemetery hand in hand. 
I don’t know what this means for us. But I do know that we need to do this slowly and carefully. It won’t be easy. I just hope he doesn’t wake up tomorrow regretting letting his walls down and opening up to me.
Give me feedback??? 
Part 6???
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Note
I love your posts and taste in books 😃
Still doing the book recommendations thing? I’ve read normal people by Sally Rooney, Sputnik sweetheart by Haruki Murakami and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt this month (the goldfinch is perhaps my favorite book of all time, the pay off at the end felt so good). I’m well into the vampire chronicles by Anne Rice too. I basically like any genre tbh.
I’m a psychology student who likes to play volleyball, DnD, and drink cheap whine while singing along to songs with good lyrics. Also I’ve started testing myself as a short story writer so if you have any good short stories (or collection of short stories) I’m all ears 😊
some short stories I’ve read recently that I enjoyed:
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh (warning her stories are seriously weird and literally have no point but I find them so odd and entertaining but I would think some people would just find them plain weird lol so read at your own discretion)
The Birds and other stories by Daphne du Maurier. everything by maurier is amazing imo I’ve read like 6 of her novels and liked them all so also check out her books (Rebbeca is my favorite and My Cousins Rachel is close behind)
Edgar Allan Poe is always a good idea, so any of the collections of his stories I’d recommend
Of the novels you mention I’ve only read the Goldfinch, but if you really liked that I think you’d enjoy:
Ordinary People by Judith Guest (ngl whenever I see people talking about Normal People, which I know nothing about I think of Ordinary people just bc the titles are so similar.) it’s about a family dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy, so similar to the goldfinch in that regard
The Chosen by Chaim Potok. Legit one of my favorite books. Its about two jewish orthodox boys living in williamsburg. and if you liked theo and boris, than you’ll really like the boys relationship in this story i think. its so sweet and moving and I love to see books about jews written by jews!
I’m hesitant to recommend A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara bc its really more pain than anything else, but it does center around close relationships and tragedy which makes me think of the goldfinch. but look into this book before you read and maybe check if someones made a list of trigger warnings bc its seriously a painful book
A Separate Peace by John Knowles also about a close relationship between two boys, its a really great portrayal i think of how confusing relationships between people can be. I’ve read it more than once I find it so interesting.
you said you like all genres so I want to recommend a few things that are kind of just because I like them and not really based on anything you said lol:
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card I’m so invested in this series I own almost all the books (I have 11 but there are more) this is the one I’d say to read first though there are prequels that were written after. It’s a sci fi series about alien invasion and genius kids are selected to go to battle school to train for the next battle lmao sounds very cliche but i really love it
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. gothic horror novel about a spooky house but also so much more lol
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. sci fi/fantasy its so funny that I’ve read all of the books (the first one is the guide but there are more and I rec them all) like 3 times and still laugh out loud when reading
tell me a few things about yourself/what you like in a book and I’ll recommend you some books!
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gins-potter · 3 years
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Shadow and Bone 1x01 First Watch Thoughts
Under the cut cause this got long
Yo I am actually so scared though - like it’s been so hyped what if it’s bad?
Only one way to find out I guess
Oh my god Netflix is stuck loading at ten percent what is life?
Okay slight (7 minute) delay where I had to turn netflix on and off a few times but here we go
Wow so they don’t really have a title sequence
Alina making a map will always be funny for me because I swear they mentioned like two times in the books
Okay so they really are addressing show!Alina’s Shu mother head on
Ohhhhhhh so Alina’s parents died in the Fold??
Ahhhhhh the special effects are so good
HER SMILE WHEN THEY MENTION MAL
I FUCKING LOVE IT
OHMY GOD YOUNG MAL HAS CURLY HAIR AMAZING
This.... is not what I pictured the Duke’s house to look like but alright
Ooooof the cinematography is so nice already
The cut from young Mal’s face and hands to older Mal’s face and hands, very nice
I don’t think Mal fought in the books but honestly this tracks
Ooooooh Mal vs a Grisha
Or not
Foreshadowing for season 2??
HER SMILE!! SO PRECIOUS!!
Zoya!!
I like how quickly they’re setting up the dynamics between Grisha and non-Grisha
“he talks about you all the time” excuse me while i scream
Jesper’s smile!
Oh my god the DeKappel
I looooove that they’re actually having Kaz use his cane, idk why I thought they wouldn’t but it’s good to see
The pan away from the gloves to his face, so good
Oooooof I love the composition of this scene, him looking to the window, Inej appearing behind him, “hello inej”
Inej’s voice is not how I imagined it but I love Amita so who cares?
Inej’s dialogue feels a little off but that’s not a big deal
Pekka mention
Investment (affectionate)
So is Per Haskell not in this at all?  I need confirmation.
Wow they are really not letting us forget that Alina is half Shu.  Idk if that’s a good thing or a little over the top.  At the very least I do think it adds to Alina’s feelings of not being able to belong which was a big theme in the first book particularly.
Is Mal stealing food for Alina??
Zoya (pt.2)!!
Mal stop flirting you lil hoe
Well that’s mighty forward of you Zoya - I love it
So he doesn’t hook up with her? Intresting.
God the vibes of this show are unreal.  I love it.
“I could shoot you in the foot” get you a bestie like that
I do like they somewhat establish how Alina and Mal’s parents died, because it’s kind of unclear in the books?
“I’ll find my way back to you” scream pt.2
he’ll write her a letter? excuse me that foreshadowing is cruel.
CROWS!
Her lil smirk at her knife, i’m in love
Wait wait wait, I just realised, they’re not crossing the fold to get Alina?  They’re crossing to get something else and Alina comes into play later?  Okay this makes a lot more sense for Inej particularly.  Jesper not so much, since why would he go to Ravka but honestly that never made that much sense to me either.
Well hello Pekka
Oooh I love his accent
Is the Orchid supposed so be the White Rose? Maybe not.
I always pictured Pekka a little craftier than that, less brute force, but okay
Malina are fucking killing me and it’s only ep1
Omfg Alexei she’s not interested
THE FLASHBACK I’M CRYING
I love this suspense they’re building with the Darkling
Alina, girl, what you doing?
Whyyyyyyy is she burning the maps??
Ohhhhh so they’ll have to send a cartographer?
Alina you crafty devil
But now you’re gonna get all the other cartographers killed
“I COULD SHOOT YOU IN THE FOOT”
“Get off this boat or I’ll carry you off” now there’s an image
I’m sorry I’m a shameless Malina stan
These Grisha hand movements are so extra I love it
This is like the worst haunted house ride ever
I fucking loooooooove this suspense they’re building with the Darkling
I feel like it’s just to kill the fangirls when they finally show his face
Fuck I know what’s gonna happen and I’m still getting nervous for them
I love how they’ve done the Fold
These looks between Malina are killing me
Well shit
Idk who this inferni chick is but I love her
Bro Alexei what?!?!
MAL!!!!
This is so dramatic
I love it.
“I’LL MEET YOU AT THE MEADOW” I’m crying
Idk how I feel about these little title cards
Holy crap Alexie ran all the way to West Ravka?  That’s shouldn’t be funny but it is.
Bro you were planning on meeting with Pekka Rollins, he ain’t exactly an upstanding citizen
You know what, Freddy Carter really sells this role
Omfg Jesper
I love seeing these little moments of comedy, they feel very Six of Crows
Oh wait this timeline is fucked
So they are going after Alina?
He’s going to want Alina so he can make crossings easier
I do like how they’re tying the Crows and Alina’s stories together
These effects are pretty good
Inej’s little gasp - I die
Yeah Alexei you are definitely not going free after this
Wow totally didn’t see that coming /s
Kinda harsh for a merch though
I feel like Inej is going to have a problem going after a Sun Summoner?
Final Thoughts:
This first episode had a lot to set up and I think it did a pretty good job of it
There was a little narration from Alina which is pretty cliche YA but on the whole managed to avoid big info dumps which I loved
The aesthetic and costuming are freaking excellent
The dialogue is really good, the only time it felt a little off was for Inej at times but in general I think the crows dynamic is hard to get exactly right and they did a really good job of it
Amita, Freddy, and Kit all do a really excellent job
I wasn’t expecting the crows to be in so much of it early on but I really like the way they’re tying the two stories together already - I know some people were really adamant that the two stay separate but I actually don’t mind them coming together
Malina are amazing already
Literally nothing else to say except they’re amazing and in love and I love them
We didn’t really get to see the Darkling much except for a few shots of him from behind, which is surprising but also I think a really good idea because it’s really building the suspense of his character for the non-reader audience which I think will be helpful to establish him later as a villain
I expected them to be a bit further in the plot at the end of this first episode, like I was expecting the Darkling and Alina to have already met but now, but I think they traded that in order to set up some of the dynamics (namely Malina, the crows, and Grisha vs non-Grisha) and tbh it might have been a smart thing to do
In short, I am very much in love already, and this definitely hasn’t disappointed (for me at least)
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gaypanic97 · 4 years
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If anyone is looking for a new book to lose yourself completely in, allow me to recommend The Haunting of Hill House. Shirley Jackson has been one of my favorite authors since I read “The Lottery” the first time I believe in elementary or middle school. In college, I read “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” for a Modern Lit course, and that book is fantastically chilling. However, I’d never read this book all the way through. I’ve seen the Netflix series twice, and if you’re hesitant to read the book because you’ve already watched the show, don’t be! The only similarities between the series and the book are some character names and the setting. There are some Easter eggs placed throughout the series in reference to the book, but the plot lines are totally different.
I’ve read a lot of books in my life, but none quite like this one. It isn’t gory or violent like Stephen King. It isn’t—and I’m aware I’m about to make a very controversial statement, don’t crucify me, please—insufferable and droll like Edgar Allan Poe. For the majority of the story, it reads more as an observational journal of a creepy but decidedly not haunted house. Shirley Jackson spends that time of nothing, though, creating an atmosphere that makes the reader more and more anxious without even realizing it. My neck got stiffer. My jaw clenched. My hands even shook occasionally. It builds and builds, and just when you think the tension is finally going to snap the plot in half—it dies off again. Only to end in a heart stopping gut-punch. I haven’t reacted this viscerally to a book in a long time. I’ve sat through the Titanic and the Notebook with dry eyes, but this ending definitely brought on some tears.
The book is written to make you feel a certain way. Shirley Jackson holds your hand through the majority of it, guiding you through a disturbing world hidden beneath pleasant nostalgia and normalcy, before throwing you off a cliff abruptly. Every horror cliche, trope, and expectation is not only defied but deflected. Your reading experience is turned so much on its head that you have no idea what the next moment is going to hold—just like the characters.
And that is what compels me most about this story. More than the plot, more than the characters. It’s the fact that Shirley Jackson knew how she wanted readers to feel when she wrote this. She knew exactly what words to use, what scenes to describe, what visuals to create to make her readers feel the way she wanted them to. She crafted an atmosphere so perplexing, so horrifying, so indescribably odd that you never quite catch your footing. Many times, I had to stop reading just to wonder and obsess over a particular choice of wording, a pointed way in which characters interacted, an off-kilter line of dialogue. It’s so apparent that every seemingly out-of-place detail is intentional on the author’s part, but you can never quite understand what that intention is. You never shake this feeling of not belonging. Until suddenly, the pieces pull together, and the pace is ratcheted up so immediately that you have to catch your breath when the last page is finished. Just like its titular subject, the story manipulates you into feeling exactly the way it wants you to.
That’s what is so awe-inspiring for me. As the author, Shirley Jackson plays the role she created for Hill House, and that makes it the most complex, beautifully-written horror story I’ve ever read.
This is a long winded book-review-craft-talk combo that absolutely no one asked for, but as a writer I am geeking out over this book. If you want something uncomfortably scary to read in preparation for Halloween, seriously consider this one! It made Shirley Jackson go from one of my favorite authors to my absolute favorite.
“Journeys end in lovers meeting; I have spent an all but sleepless night, I have told lies and made a fool of myself, and the very air tastes like wine. I have been frightened half out of my foolish wits, but I have somehow earned this joy; I have been waiting for it for so long.”
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netflix shows i think everyone should watch (in no particular order) that are not Stranger Things
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Stranger Things, I just think that some other Netflix Originals are just as good as ST is and don’t get enough love.
Dark (2017-2020) (Crime Drama, Sci-Fi, Mystery): The official summary of the show is “A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations”. If you’ve seen The OA, I HIGHLY recommend this show. It had the same kind of mind-bending twists and turns, as well as a likable cast. It has an incredibly intricate plot and the characters are shown as real people with very human desires. I would suggest watching this in the original German with subtitles, by the way, the English voice actors aren’t very good. It’s not the kind of show you can watch while scrolling through Instagram; you have to be committed, but it’s completely worth it.
The Umbrella Academy (2019-Present) (Superhero): Okay, this one is a bit more popular than the others on this list, but I had to include it. The official summary is “A dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes reunite to solve the mystery of their father's death and the threat of an impending apocalypse.” The chemistry between the actors is good, and the way they interact with each other made it feel like they really were siblings, albeit with some serious issues.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018- Present) (Horror): This is a horror show based on a (very good) book written by Shirley Jackson, the author of the short story ‘The Lottery’ (you know, that story you probably read in English class as your teacher insisted that it wasn’t anything like the Hunger Games?). The official summary on Netflix is “Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.” While this is a horror show, the main focus is on the family and their relationships with one another, a lot like ‘The Umbrella Academy’.
The Society (2019-Present) (Drama, Mystery): Another ’teenagers are suddenly alone for one reason or another, with no way to contact an adult or the outside world’ cliche, but hear me out. I feel like this show was more or less realistic about what might actually happen if teenagers were suddenly left to their own devices– e.g. they wouldn’t break down into total anarchy á la ‘Lord of the Flies’ right away, but instead would try to set up a functional society. Of course, because it would be boring if they were successful, it does begin to break down, but the entire time, you’re hoping desperately that maybe it won’t.
The OA (2016-2019) (Mystery, Sci-Fi/Fantasy): Another mind-bending series, this series is about a woman who has been missing for seven years and returns under mysterious circumstances, completely changed from how she used to be. Like Dark, this show has a tendency of making you think you know what’s happening, only to pull the rug out from under your feet at the last second. Again, the cast has great chemistry, and shows realistic depictions of PTSD and trauma. Tragically, this show only has two seasons, but if I’m being honest, it ended on a good twist, leaving one final mystery for the audience to ponder.
Jessica Jones (2015-2019) (Superhero): If I’m being honest, I didn’t particularly like the second or third seasons of this show (I feel like they leaned too hard into the ‘girls rule, boys drool’ narrative, and cringily so), but I LOVED the first season, enough so that it makes it on this list. A Marvel superhero show with a serious dark side, this show follows a traumatized PI with super strength, Jessica Jones. After an attempt to be a traditional superhero á la Spiderman goes horribly wrong, this show explores the ramifications of PTSD through a superhero lens. The plot kicks off, however, when Jessica’s past comes back to haunt her. (TW: Rape and the aftermath of rape do feature prominently in the first season)
I Am Not Okay with This (2020-Present) (Superhero, LGBT+): The official summary of this show is “A teenager navigates the complexities of high school, family and her sexuality while dealing with new superpowers”, and, well, that just about sums up everything I can say about this show. Two of the main actors were also in IT (Wyatt Oleff and Sophia Lillis), and they did a great job. The script was both funny and heart-wrenching.
The End of the F***ing World (2017-2019) (Dark Comedy): For a show about literal murder, this series is unexpectedly hilarious. You can’t help but root for the wayward main characters (one of them a self-identified psychopath, the other “the embodiment of existential angst”) as they embark on a road trip that leads them on a series of increasingly violent events. A great show if you only have twenty minutes or less of free time, better if you can binge it all in one sitting. Genuinely gripping and hilarious, and the main actors have wonderful chemistry that had me, your resident asexual, wanting them to get together by the series’ end.
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Ok so guys i finally got part of it done(like three or four days later buuuut
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I drew two sets of the families for my anxceit au!
Please meet virgil's family the Ravenwoods!
And as curtesy some info about them
Daneil Ravenwood
Hes been raising Virgil and Andy on his own since virge was about 8 and a half and andy was 6 months old
Hes a english and literature professor at the local college(that logan's parents also work at)
Hes in his late 50s early 60s current time( where virgil is 21 and andy is 13)
Hes also a published and well established fiction writer, but he writes under an alias
Hes a super supportive dad and teacher, even if he doesnt understand it he'll 100% support the decisions his kids make (ex: "oh your wiccan now? Cool virgy! Im glad you found a religion that makes you happy, though...can you explain it to me again?" "Oh andy you want to be switched to the art program? No problem! I'll call your counsellors tomorrow ok?" "Oh boyfriend huh? Thats great buddy, when do i get to meet him??")
Hes got a deep hearty laugh that makes you smile
Dad jokes to virgils mortification
Hes a skeptic but loves listening to and talking to virgil about his beliefs
had the philosophy of "the punishment should fit the crime, but you should be allowed to stumble and learn with it" raising the boys and wasnt too strict with them. Also never threatened punishments, only threatened playful embarrassment
The boys got their sass from somewhere, but he does remind them to mind their manners and watch their timing
Gentle giant as he is 6'3
Black hair peppered with grey and white and usually forgets tonshave his stubble
Passionate about his jobs, can get lost in his work
Andy Ravenwood
Virgil's baby brother, and he fucking adores his brother( even sometimes babbles about him to his friends at school and proudly talks about his "youtuber big brother"
This does not stop him from poking fun at virgil of course
Art boi!! Hes the top of his art classes!!
He is the one art kid that always has like three sketchbooks on him at all times
Loves the color purple
Look ok he knows he KNOWS his hair looks like his brothers it wasnt supposed to ok the original plan baCKFIRED AND HE COULDNT TURN BACK
Unlike virgil he doesnt cover his freckles
He has the same color eyes as their dad(grey-blue)
Andy loves animals! Especially raccoons!! Those are his favorite.( he happily took on the responsiblility of taking care of virgils cat when he moved out)
Hes a pretty cheerful kid if hes comfortable around you, but shy if he doesnt know you
Hes got an anxiety disorder but hes still living his best life
Virgil Ravenwood
Our main Cryptid goth( he dialed it down for the family photo)
Hes twenty one and lives on his own in an apartment complex close to downtown, which is a good 15 to 20 minutes from his childhood home so he visits regularly( like three times every other week)
Boi loves his family to bits, and has so SOOOO many good stories he’ll happily talk about 
Has both his own paranormal youtube channel and a joint youtube channel with his boyfriend Ethen where they explore and investigate haunted places(both well known and stumbled across)
He has the same eye color as their mother, blue violet, which stands out a little more than his dad’s or brother’s
He covers his freckles with foundation because hes insecure about them
Did a year of junior college before deciding school wasnt exactly for him anymore, but still goes to events for his best friend Logan
Works at a cafe downtown that stays open pretty late( they do dinner its almost a diner but not) part time, and the other half does youtube for a living
Has a cat that had to stay in his childhood home named Sally that Andy takes care of for him
Has been considering getting another cat for his apartment
Big firm believer in the unknown and the paranormal/supernatural
Hes wiccan and has an alter in his bedroom thats apart of his facecam background
He has a tarot deck but doesnt really do readings other than little ones for himself, as divination isnt his strong suit
Has a big crystal collection hes been adding to since high school
He can sing but doesnt have alot of confidence in his voice so he just doesnt
And also introducing~
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The picani-sanders family! Aka ethen's big ol family
From left to right
Patton Picani
Ethen's older brother(by two years)
Him and ethen are emile's foster kids, but he adopted him when they were like nine and seven.
Patton is 23 and happily works at the library downtown as a librarian and a reader to the kids
He loves music and musicals and all things disney (partially thanks to his boyfriend roman)
He and Ethen come off as complete opposites and they have a very playful relationship, always teasing each other 
He loves his family alot and loves babysitting his little brother Thomas whenever his schedule allows it, especially during times of year Emile and Remy get swamped with work
He loves to knit and sew and make things!!! He makes sweaters and jackets and dresses and customizes clothes!! He could make a living on it if he really wanted!! (but he just does it for friends and loved ones instead- Andy has a hoodie that Patton sew wool on the inside to keep him warm and Andy adores it)
Hes really outgoing and friendly and seems to make friends wherever he goes! 
He’s known Roman since they were kids and was crushing on him all through school until they got together senior year 
He loves to bake and cook and help his dad make dinner whenever hes at home
Hes a sappy romantic and loves cliches
He has a huge collection of stuffed animals that hes been slowly transferring to his and roman’s apartment since he moved out(theres ALOT)
Emile Picani
The dad!! Hes in his mid 50s 
He works as a singular and couples therapist  and can have a bit of a wacky schedule
Hes been raising Patton and Ethen since they were little and loves his kids so damn much
So goddamn supportive of what they do, sometimes to the point its embarrassing(for Ethen)
Hes engaged to Remy Sanders and once their married their just going to combine their last names
He loves cartoons and gardening! And has his own collection of stuffed animals and toys(which hes been sharing with Thomas) 
He loves making dad jokes and him and Patton make them all the time at Ethen
Hes a damn great cook and has been teaching his boys to cook for years now, and loves making big meals 
Not really a strict parent, more of a sit down and talk it out kinda parent
Is part of the PTA of Thomas’s school
Actually used to be a punk in school
Thomas Sanders-Picani
The youngest! Hes 8 years old!
Our boy loves to read and write! He writes tons and tons of stories!
Hes got a huge imagination and likes to daydream
Hes bubbly even though he isnt the most social he still has a good group of friends!
Our lil boi is an actor of course! He loves getting parts in the school plays and in class assignments.
Hes in his schools choir  and gets vocal lessons from Roman’s mama
 His room is filled with toys and books and notebooks and pencils, and even though he tries his best to keep it clean it gets messy every week.(cleaning it is his weekly chore)
He has two best friends named Joan and Talyn that hes been friends with now since kindergarden and theyve been nearly inseperable ever since, its not uncommon for one of both of them to be at each others house on any given weekend
Hes Remy’s kid but has started calling himself by Emile’s last name too since they moved in with the Picani’s
Doesnt have too many memories of his mother but the ones he does have are all happy and pleasant(thankfully)
Calls Emile baba and Remy dada to distinguish them better
Loves his older brothers especially when they play with him, He also loves watching the old videos of Ethen’s theater performances and sometimes pesters him to reenact scenes from them( his favorite is the middle school production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’)
Ethen Picani
Our other main boy, hes also twenty one
He lives with his best and childhood friend Remus Prince in two bedroom apartment across town near the college
Does youtube full time for a living
the “black sheep” of the family as he and Remus call him 
He majored in theater in his two years of college
Loves reptiles but doesnt have any because their apartment complex doesnt allow pets and he doesnt want to get him and remus kicked out since their apartment is close to Remus’s work
Has a car he loving refers to as his “hand me down junk heap” Because he got Patton’s first car when patton got a new one
He loves the old thing though 
Has a good relationship with his parents. He loves his dad Emile and he likes Remy well enough
Him and remy have a very casual, relaxed relationship.( Ex: “ Dad you need to stop letting sleepless bums into the house” “ He’ll stop doing that when he stops letting punk wannabes into his kitchen, now get over here kid.” ) 
Loves his boyfriend Virgil to death and likes to spoil him when he can(even though virgil tells him to save his money for rent)
Hes more of a open skeptic but he’ll happily debate things with Virgil, and enjoys making videos for their joint youtube channel and being proven otherwise
He also has his own solo youtube channel where he does abandon urban exploration( sometimes with Remus tagging along for the thrill)
Remus has been calling him by the nickname “Dee” since middle school when they played Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Remus called him Dee so often he made it stick as a nickname years and years later. He refuses to let it die and Ethen has just accepted his fate
Remy Sanders
Hes around Emile’s age( mid 50′s) and looks the tallest in the family at 6′3
He came into the family later, when the boys were about 20 and 18( when thomas was about 5 or so)
Hes pretty laid back but surprising good at being strict, so he balances out Emile’s parenting style
Hes a divorcee and got guardianship of Thomas, though hes on a friendly and civil relationship with thomas’s mother and takes him to visit her three times a month( theyre currently working out more visitations and possibly thomas staying with his mother a couple weeks every months but thats still in the works)
Hes an insomiac and (usually) works night shifts as a security guard for a security renting business so his working hours can be a little unpredicitble, but he almost always works at least two night shifts and graveyard shifts a week. Hes paid both a salary plus an additional commissions by employers so its well worth it
He spends as much time with his kid and the boys as he can regardless of his wonky sleep schedule
Hes a bit of a tough love kinda person, and hes snarky and mouthy and doesnt hesitate to speak his mind
Loves Emile soooo goddamn much he talks about him alot at work to his fellow security guards. Theyre the ones who helped him pick a ring when he proposed actually
Oh yeah the two are engaged did I mention that?
He fuels Emile’s plushie collecting, even if he knows he probably shouldnt( But oh well, it makes him smile and thats all he wants to see)
Looks punk now but he was the biggest straight laced prep in highschool that comparing him now to him in highschool gives you whiplash
Would fucking die for his family. No one messes with his fiance or his kids, he doesnt care if two of them are fully capable adults 
And its done!! Two of the four main families is finished!
And watch out because im also coloring these digitally(its just taking awhile :/) but those will be getting posted soon...I hope...Im trying
But here you go Virgil’s and Ethen’s families in two cute family photos!
Let me just add im so fucking proud of The Picani-Sanders photo because it was a struggle to fit them all in the picture and get the heights right and the entire side of my arm was grey with pencil lead by the time I was done but it turned out great!
Up next is Roman and Remus’s family the Princes and Logan’s family the Daniels!! 
Art references are credited to @the-pastel-peach​ @aimasup​ and @underdog-arts​ , especially @aimasup​ and @underdog-arts​ for getting 8 year old thomas to look like a kid because im not normally good at drawing little kids but after practicing with some of their art as my reference and inspiration he turned out really well!! 
I hope you guys enjoy!!
Taglist
@phantommoonpeople
@sweetsweetemo
@leesacrakon
@amazable01
@starbucks-remy
@jemthebookworm
@max-is-tired
@seriously-a-dragon
@sar-kasstic
@soupspam
@aimasup
@sugarglider9603
@underdog-arts
@strawberryjellystuff
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crepuscular-gloom · 4 years
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Poptropica Island Ratings
okay I saw a post on here a while ago and someone rated the Poptropica islands. I remember agreeing with a lot of them, but they only went so far so a lot of the newer islands were missed out. I came across it again recently and got hit by a wave of nostalgia so I’m gonna do my own now. Unoriginal content very good. i’ll put a keep reading link to stop it from taking up too much space
Early Poptropica - mega nostalgia but kinda boring. I like the original Poptropicans being pixely and there is a goth gf in the sewers however the giant green spider scared the shit out of me as a kid and the idea of an aircraft graveyard made me sad so 6/10
Shark Tooth Island - also nostalgic but I didn’t complete it for a long time for some reason.. very short. it has a story but its there is nasty shark and people stuck on an island so make a calming potion. the medicine man looks like he is from viva pinata so 6/10
Time Tangled Island - VERY GOOD AND FUN AND HISTORICAL FUCK THAT AZTEC THO DICKHEAD. quite lengthy for an island but this is good because that means more time periods to explore. it’s also educational but i just care about restoring time. very legendary the iconic just jumped out - 10/10
24 Carrot Island - stupid pun point taken off. introduces Dr Hare and people are THIRSTY. you can dye your hair with milkshakes. i thought it was creepy as a kid honestly. i think its mind control or something. but i like it, it still has nostalgia value 8/10
Super Power Island - very legend like. i loooove the antagonists, especially copy cat but i think i had to look up a guide to beat her because i was dumb af. you need a licence to be a superhero but you are a superhero!!! very fun i like this one a lot 10/10
Spy Island - i remember sucking at this one as well as a kid.  i think it fucks with peoples hair and i only remember because my character looks fresh 100% of the time and this island fucked it up i think. i don't really remember it tho. 5/10
Nabooti Island - it’s based on a Choose Your Own Adventure book so good premise. go around the world is also good. you have to get jewels i think. ngl i didn’t finish this one because i sucked at it so i’m just going off the wiki and how far i got into it. fuck the animal puzzle 7/10
Big Nate Island - who the fuck is Big Nate. i only remember the school climbing frame and a stink bomb. fuck you big nate we don’t have your comics in England 1/10
Astro-Knights Island - medieval knights.... IN SPACE?!?! COUNT ME IN. crazy jester bard guy antagonist. people are thirsty for him too. i’m pretty sure you end up in another dimension or something. cyborgs and shit 9/10
Counterfeit Island - bruh i loved this island. pretty sure antagonist is also making people thirsty. you have to go back to Early Poptropica Island to complete it, very cool. investigating crime is cool idea it’s l.a. noire in poptropica. the wiki says there is a glitch called anti-social clown and i have to say relatable 9/10
Reality TV Island - i think i completed this like twice and i remember jackshit. you get to see past characters tho so very good. it’s just doing challenges. 4/10
Mythology Island - VERY GOOD. LEARN ABOUT MYTHOLOGY. you can fight hydra and other creatures, you meet Zeus you meet Hades, Aphrodite is a bitch. 9/10
Skullduggery Island - pirates are always good no matter what. apparently it is one of the hardest islands which explains why i never completed it but you fight other pirates and sea monsters for doubloons or some shit sounds cool to me 8/10
Steamworks Island - steampunk is good. i remember completing this and thinking it was interesting and weird to look at. i think the atmosphere is was lonely tho. there’s a boss battle against a plant i think. otherwise i don’t fuckin remember 7/10
Great Pumpkin Island - it’s Peanuts so it’s nice. very nice and simple. it’s just about the great pumpkin except you’re there. 6/10
Cryptids Island - GOD TIER. CRYPTIDS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA. some of it is scary tho. the jersey devil just fucking staring at you from the window was a shit the bed moment for a kids game. also before the islands got rebooted, it was one of the only islands to have sound effects, i.e. when the chupacabra bursts out the box. honestly because of the balls on this kids game to scare children and also being good island 10/10
Wild West Island - the only thing better than pirates is cowboys. i don’t really remember it but you do go against an outlaw gang. i like cowboys 10/10
Wimpy Wonderland Island - Jeff I know you made doawk and poptropica but did you have to show it. ngl i liked it because i like doawk. but it’s kinda... creatively bankrupt i guess. 3/10 2 points because Rodrick is there
Red Dragon Island - i think more time travel but just to old Japan. you have to save a girl. that’s all i remember. also i think there is a nasty samurai guy. but also evil dragon. i can’t remember because for the longest time this was a premium account only island so i never got to finish it for the longest time. that was a dick move 7/10 for that alone.
Shrink Ray Island - cool premise but this island expects me to learn morse code 3/10
Mystery Train Island - detectives? on a train? very nice. basically murder on the orient express except no murder and thomas edison is there and also various other 1700/1800 nerds
Game Show Island - basically Reality TV except it’s to save the world from robots. 5/10
Ghost Story Island - wow iconic. this is the only island with voice acting and it’s to fucking jumpscare you i shat myself.  ghost hunting, very cool 10/10
S.O.S Island - it’s basically Titanic mixed with Moby Dick. it’s ok 6/10
Vampire’s Curse Island - i reaaaally like this one. i like vampires. it has a vampire daddy in it so. he kidnaps a teenage girl tho because he thinks its the love of his life who is dead. kinda weird. he does stop being insane at the end tho and says sorry and dies. the girls bf is a dickhead tho. 9/10
Twisted Thicket Island - i think you’re saving a forest from becoming housing. i really like it because it introduces various folkloric creatures like the nokken. i only remember the nokken because i went on akinator to see if he knew what it was and i don’t think he did so i added it and it’s photo to his database. or maybe it was just his photo but i remember uploading something to akinator. 8/10
Poptropolis Games Island - i don’t think i liked this one 3/10
Wimpy Boardwalk Island - Jeff. 2/10 1 point added because Rodrick is also there
Lunar Colony Island - space is good. do i remember this island tho? no. i think theres aliens tho. 5/10 because i like space and aliens.
Super Villain Island - it brings back the most memorable villains like binary bard and black widow. you find out why they are evil. pretty chill 8/10
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Island - what do you expect 5/10
Zomberry Island - the last of us except i think people are just eating nasty berries really. i like it it’s spooky 7/10
Night Watch Island - Paul Blart Mall Cop 6/10
Back Lot Island - you make a film. i can’t remeber it like at all. 6/10 because it sounds ok
Poptropolis Games Island Part 2 - fuck off 2/10
Virus Hunter Island - i don’t think i completed this one either. however it is one of those inside the human body things which is always cool if cliche. 8/10
Mocktropica Island - very satirical what if about if poptropica was run by assholes. ironic since a bunch of islands were made premium only for a while. pretty sure the bonus missions still are too which is why i’m not mentioning them. funny tho 7/10
Monster Carnival Island - spooky yes. people thirst over the ringmaster raven guy too. theres a spooky clown on the ferris wheel. i don’t remember much other than i liked it because it was about monsters in a theme park. 9/10 i remember it was surprisingly short tho
Survival Island - castaway except it’s you. i don’t remember it either lmao. i got out of touch with old poptropica real bad by this time so my next ratings might be unfair sorry. pretty sure it also becomes the most dangerous game tho and some guy wants to actually fucking kill you. ballsy. 7/10 because it sounds ok i should maybe play it.
Mission Atlantis Island - i like atlantis but i didn’t play this one either. you see deepsea creatures which are spooky so extra points 8/10
PoptropiCon Island - poptropica’s answer to comicon. now i did play this one for some reason but i don’t remember it too well either. i was 14 when it came out so. sounds like yu-gi-oh so good. 7/10
Arabian Nights Island - didn’t play it i think it’s just telling the story. it’s a cool story so 7/10
Galactic Hotdogs Island - what the fuck 1/10
Mystery of The Map Island - vikings are cool. island seems very short tho. 5/10
Timmy Failure Island - who the fuck. this would be more impactful if i read these fucking things but i don’t. who the fuck are you timmy. i guess it’s called failure for a reason. (that was mean sorry) 1/10
Escape from Pelican Rock Island - prison break, nice idea. you have like a twin in this one. seems a bit repetitive sometimes tho. theres like 7 days of doing similar things. 6/10
Monkey Wrench Island - it was created to be the new tutorial, i.e. an actual tutorial rather than Early Poptropica. very fast and boring, especially if you already know everything. 2/10
Crisis Caverns Island - i know nothing about this. even the wiki is incomplete. maybe that means its shit then. 1/10 the wiki doesn’t even care too much about this one.
Greek Sea Odyssey - more ancient greece is always good. you get to beat the shit out of zeus this time 8/10
Snagglemast Island - all you do is collect coins. another tutorial one. 1/10.
bonus: home island. legit just a hub. points added because you can do a lot of customisation here and pick up a pet that doesn’t cost credits. 4/10
DOUBLE BONUS: the little haunted house mini thing. very good because spooky costumes, spooky house fun little monster party. 10/10
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