#dr. john montague

[multifru196]

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

[rosie-the-demon]

Once again not the prompt :'(

But hey! Renfield doodles!

[potato-lord-but-not]

read the haunting of hill house and tbh it was kinnnda spookyyyy

[muzaktomyears]

Two of Us play notes/thoughts/Easter eggs I noticed

they played solo Beatles tracks as waiting music before the play began so I sat there listening to ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ with a theatreful of people which was great 

before Paul turns up John is baking(/burning) bread

John is wearing underwear under his dressing gown which obvs had to be but also my suspension of disbelief was CHALLENGED

when Paul rings up to be let in John does a little rhyme to make him prove he is who he says he is. this is not the exact wording but it went something like: "Five little boys in Hamburg did play/All through the night and all through the day/Ingrid the stripper would do anything/But who got the clap? Was it sexy Stu Sutcliffe - or the lead singer in Wings?" and then Paul has to admit it was him who got the clap

when Paul takes his shoes off he also takes his socks off - idk if this is an intentional barefoot Paul thing but it is hilarious later when they're fighting and Paul is about to leave and angrily putting his socks back on

John and Paul have Get Back era hair/beards, which is weird - presumably because they assume people going to see this will also have seen Get Back but might not know their 1976 looks as well?? idk

some of the dialogue and references have been made a bit more British - the skit they do at the piano is now set in a British greasy spoon instead (still with the American accents)

instead of fighting "like the Hatfields and McCoys" they're now fighting like "the Montagues and the Capulets" (👀)

'Sh-Boom' is played on the record player while they smoke weed (Paul uses the album cover to roll the joint)

George and Ringo both get more of a mention! Paul says that George is happy now (John replies that he's not happy, he's reincarnated). John tells Paul a story Ringo told him about going on a bus in NYC and being recognised.

"I'm the best fuck you ever had" is said by John during the fight (Paul replies "If that's your way of saying you were the real brains behind the Beatles-" etc. etc.)

"You should have married me when you had the chance" is said by John during the Yoko/losing my friend bit

"It's only me" as John's way to get Paul not to leave after the fight

when John goes out to get disguises for them Paul sits at the piano and starts playing some notes he finds there (he'd asked about them earlier and John had said they're nothing). we get a few notes of 'Now and Then' before John returns (ghjshgkhgkdshgksd who did this I HATE YOU)

the appearance of the I Love Paul badge!! John wears it on his disguise jacket and Paul asks what it says. John tells him and then Paul replies "Lucky Paul".......

they never go outside in this version - John says he'll go but then thinks better of it. this means that John comes across as even more locked away than he does in the film.

the police bit is sort of done when Paul puts on a leather hat from the disguises and pretends to be a policeman come to question John, who John then talks back at. he also yells out of the window at some police below at one point.

Paul realises they're never actually going to Luigi's, so John lays the table for him as if they're at a restaurant together (including calling him "Lady McCartney" and "my love")

the bit with the fan is sort of recreated but instead it's John asking Paul whether he truly thinks Wings at the Speed of Sound is the number 1 record in America (which obvs changes it quite a lot)

Julian is brought up - they're toasting to various people/things (ending with "Dr. Winston O'Boogie and Paul Ramon") and Paul says "to Julian" and sort of confronts John about him and how he treated him

during the toasting Paul also mentions "putting hair on a seagull's chest" which John questions and then Paul says it's something his dad used to say

I thought the lift scene/roof scene wouldn't be happening... BUT THEN a lift descended from the ceiling ❤️ the magic of theatre

the kiss still happens and idk but I thought the vibe was a bit different from the film version - less jokey (and no lines after about brushing his teeth/is my name Brian)

Paul: I bought into it that you and me didn't get along well (paraphrasing the Stephen Colbert interview)

they hug at the end of the roof conversation (I was sat very close to this since the actors come in front of the stage to do it and they were both crying and it WAS ALL TOO MUCH 😭😭)

John gets them two guitars to practice with before they go out and they sit opposite each other in chairs and Paul says “I know which one to begin with” and John says “What?” and they lean forward and then the phone rings

when Paul leaves John he’s crying and it’s like okay rip out my heart I guess

the play ends with Paul on the phone to Linda and John on the phone to Yoko, at opposite sides of the stage, and they say “I love you” to their wives but also to each other and it’s ridiculous????

yeah then ‘Give Peace a Chance’ plays which is such a bizarre choice idek

anyway who knows if it's a good play or what the actual people there thought about it because obvs I can have no rational reaction to it but I'm so glad I went to see it because someone on the writing team is one of us I SEE YOU

[silly-tma-headcanons]

I have complicated opinions on the colors of Jon and Jonah's Extra Eyes(TM). I love having Jon's Eyes(TM) be green but since that color choice comes from the logo of the podcast, which is called The Magnus Archives, named after, y'know, Jonah Magnus and his Archives, part of me thinks that Jonah should be the one with green Eyes(TM). but I don't think both Jon and Jonah should have the same color extra Eyes(TM), and I really can't imagine Jon rocking anything other than green. I've read/seen fanworks where Jonah has red Eyes(TM) and while that makes for a good contrast I think "evil = red eyes" is a little overdone. Jonah's eyes are canonically gray so maybe he should have silver Eyes(TM)? that's kind of Athena-esque and pretty fitting, and if it's a black pupil on silver iris on black sclera that's a good contrast.

I dunno, Tl;DR get creative with the colors y'all are so talented and keep up the good work

I love the idea of jon having red eyes. i personally dont see the beholding as red or green but i do imagine jon having red eyes and jonah having either silver or green eyes. i love the reversal of the usual "green eyes = good character" and "red eyes = evil character" !!!!! i think jon having red eyes is completely against his will and he hates it, but jonah's eyes are an aesthetic choice. he swaps between green and silver and it's always depending on what goes better with his outfit of the day.

also you said get creative with colours and i have very strong opinions about asigning colours for the entities so here we go. i also think that these sort of ideas

beholding -> magenta. jonah hates it and gertrude decided on it because he hates it

buried -> brown. i think its one of the only ones i agree with most of the fandom on. karolina is a dark academia girly so its a good shade <3

corruption -> that visceral dark colour between yellow and green. cant describe it any better than that. john amherst likes it bc hes freaky like that, jordan cant stand it

dark -> black :3 callum always says it's neon highlighter coloured, but he is ignored

desolation -> pastel pink, as decided by a young agnes montague

end -> navy blue. originally, oliver liked a dark purple, but georgie has since decided he was wrong

extinction -> green

flesh -> yellow. jared fucking hates it and he has no clue why it's caught on

hunt -> purple!!! like a lavender, pastel purple. i think the decision was a group effort between daisy, melanie and tim

lonely -> grey. peter lukas is the most uncreative fucker and jonah thinks hes basic as shit

slaughter -> purple. melanie says so.

spiral -> orange !!! a mix between yellow and magenta, both chosen by michael and helen :)

stranger -> gold. nikola says red, but danny liked gold and that's how tim chooses to remember him sometimes

vast -> opal!!! like white with loads of reflective rainbow colours mixed in :3!!!!! simon thinks its cool as shit and, reluctantly, mike agrees

web -> green!!! i know we love green beholding here, but the webs on the podcast logo is green!!!!! the webs are green!!!!!!!! rip annabelle cane you wldve HATED purple web!!!!!!!!!!!!

[teamthunderdome]

TEAM THUNDERDOME.

TWO TEAMS ENTER. TUMBLR VOTES. ONE TEAM LEAVES. TRIAL BY COMBAT. TO THE DEATH. VICTORY OR SOVNGARDE.

The Rules:

Fights will occur over the course of ONE WEEK, quarter 1 begins JUNE 1ST, 2024 at 12:00 AM MIDNIGHT EDT (UTC-04:00).

Multiple fights happen across one week.

ONLY 3 to 4 team members per team. 2 is too few, 5 is almost cheating. If a team has more than 4 members, some will have to wait in the stands (looking at you, Scooby-Doo and Tally Hall).

Tumblr poll will determine the winner of an individual fight via emotional support and gracious cookie donations.

Majority Wins. Whether or not a team would canonically win or lose the fight does not matter, only the number of votes.

Single Elimination.

Outside of the rules listed above, anything goes. Reblog a fight to get your friends on your side.

Propaganda is fair game. If you know perhaps a little too much about one of the teams and want to explain why your team should win, please submit an in-depth propaganda post to the blog homepage.

Spread the word! Your favorite might win! (Or not! I just run this thing!)

Lasko Wind Machine

All 64 Teams Competing (In random order - will NOT reflect the final bracket):

Team WINCHESTER (Sam, Dean, Castiel, Crowley)

Team FORTRESS (Heavy, Medic, Engineer, Soldier)

Team AIONIOS (Noah, Lanz, Eunie, Riku)

Team GONDOR (Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf)

Team TWILIGHT (Jacob, Edward, Bella)

Team STAR WARS (Han, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca)

Team NARUTO (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura)

Team SHREK (Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss In Boots) (As portrayed at the end of Shrek 2)

Team OF LIGHT (Jonathan Harker, Jack Seward, Quincey Morris, Abraham Van Helsing)

Team PERSONA (Makoto Yuki, Kotone Shiomi, Yu Narukami, Ren Mamamiya)

Team HOMESTUCK (John, Jade, Rose, Dave)

Team MUSKETEERS (Athos, Porthos, Aramis, D'Artagnan)

Team HERCULES (Hercules, Iolaus, Salmoneus, Autolycus) (The Legendary Journeys, Hercules as portrayed by Kevin Sorbo)

Team PUYO PUYO (Ringo, Arle, Amitie, Lemres)

Team BAKUGO (Bakugo, Mina, Denki, Eijirou)

Team WIGGLES (Jeff, Anthony, Murray, Greg) (as originally formed)

Team GRYFFINDOR (Harry, Ron, Hermione)

Team COOL RUNNINGS (Derice Bannock, Junior Bevil, Sanka Coffie, Yul Brenner)

Team AEGIS (Rex, Pyra, Mythra) (all other party members excluded due to Blades and their pesky "friendships" binding them to their users)

Team RHYTHM THIEF (Raphael, Fondue, Marie, Charlie) (what a cute doggy :3)

Team MYSTERY INC (Fred, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne) (sorry no pets allowed)

Team DEKU (Izuku, Tsuyu, Ochako, Shouto)

Team KRISPIES (Snap, Crackle, Pop)

Team ELITE BEAT (Agent Spin, Agent J, Agent Chieftain, Agent Starr)

Team JIGSAW (Kramer, Young, Hoffman, Gordon)

Team UMIZOOMI (Milli, Geo, Bot)

Team TRIFORCE (Link, Zelda, Groose) (Skyward Sword variants)

Team LAYTON (Layton, Luke, Emmy) (Pre-Azran Legacy)

Team SONIC (Sonic, Knuckles, Tails)

Team ASKR (Alfonse, Anna, Sharena)

Team TARDIS (The Doctor, Amy, Rory, River)

Team WOOHP (Sam, Alex, Clover)

Team KEYBLADE (Sora, Donald, Goofy)

Team 1908 THOMAS FLYER (Montague Roberts, George Schuster, Hans Hendrik Hansen, George MacAdam)

Team BIONIS (Shulk, Reyn, Dunban, Sharla)

Team DARK (Shadow, Rouge, Omega) (Ultimate Life Form status tenuous)

Team OOO (Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, BMO)

Team TALLY HALL (Rob, Zubin, Andrew, Joe) (Ross excluded - he's just a drummer)

Team DOODLEBOPS (Deedee, Rooney, Moe)

Team SCIENCE (Gordon, Tommy, Bubby, Dr. Coomer)

Team POWERPUFF (Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles)

Team INCONCEIVABLE (Inigo, Fezzik, Vizzini)

Team METROCITY (Megamind, Metro Man, Roxanne, Minion)

Team WONDER PETS (Linny, Tuck, Ming Ming)

Team REGULAR (Mordecai, Rigby, Muscle Man, Skips)

Team PILLAR MEN (Santana, Wham, ACDC, Kars) (Ultimate Life Form status tenuous)

Team BEATLES (John, Paul, George, Ringo)

Team SMILING FRIENDS (Pim, Charlie, Glep, Alan)

Team ROTTEN (Robbie, Tobby, Bobby, Flobby) (Ultimate Life Form status confirmed)

Team KRUSTY KRAB (SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs)

Team VOCALOID (Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Len, Kagamine Rin)

Team GARFIELD (Garfield, Jon, Odie, Liz)

Team POOH (Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin)

Team AVALANCHE (Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret)

Team LOONEY (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Michael Jordan)

Team GHOSTS (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde) (freshly dead)

Team ROCKMAN (Rock, Roll, Blues, Bass)

Team MARIO (Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi)

Team WRIGHT (Phoenix, Apollo, Athena, Trucy) (as seen in Dual Destinies)

Team SHERLOCK (Sherlock, John, Mycroft) (Brigandorf Crimplesnart's depiction of Sherlock)

Team MASH (Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, BJ Hunnicutt, Charles Emerson Winchester III)

Team RWBY (Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake)

Team CHANNEL 5 (Ulala, Space Michael, Jaguar, Pudding)

Team FANBOY (Fanboy, Chum Chum, Kyle)

GOOD LUCK!!!

(you're gonna need it)

[evaludate]

Evaludate Episode 99: The Devil Is Real (Tyril I Lister of even if Tempest, Part 1)

Summary:

On today's TWO HOUR EVALUDATE SPECIAL, we're getting into the real-world history of witch hunting and witch trials around Europe and North America, Madelyn insists that everyone else insisting that she would like Tyril is still wrong, and being a murder suspect is boring now--it's time to get deputized.

Content Warnings:

Discussion of antisemitism and islamophobia: 13:23 - 14:45, 54:28 - 54:55

Sexual Assault: 25:17 - 25:59

Emetophobia: 1:06:08 - 1:07:31

CSA: 1:16:50 - 1:17:20

Suicide: 1:16:50 - 1:17:20

Incest: 1:30:43 - 1:31:05, 1:34:04 - 1:34:16

Corrections, Notes, and Sources:

Air misspoke when saying Pope John XXII’s declaration of witchcraft as heresy in 1320 took the form of a papal bull. Though the pope eventually described witchcraft and announced that anyone who engaged with it would be excommunicated in his 1336 papal bull Super illius specula, his initial 1320 judgment was outlined in Cardinal William of Santa Sabina’s “Letter of 22 August 1320, to Inquisitors of Carcassone and Toulouse”

In the episode, Air stated that Matthew Hopkins charged around £20 per town, in reference to how much he was reported to have charged the town of Stowmarket in A.G. Hollingsworth’s History of Stowmarket (1844). According to the records, he charged £23 plus traveling expenses. Hopkins himself, however,  stated that he only took “twenty shillings a town” (A History of Witchcraft In England from 1558 to 1718)

Please note that some of Air’s sources are primary documents, and tread carefully. There are a lot of hot stoves in this source list. 

Cautio Criminalis, or a Book on Witch Trials by Friedrich Spee, Translation and Foreword by Marcus Hellyer

The Cheese and The Worms by Carlo Ginzburg, translated by John and Anne C. Tedeschi Daemonologie by King James I 

The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins

The Disenchantment of Magic: Spells, Charms, and Superstition in Early European Witchcraft Literature by Michael D. Bailey 

Esoterica Witchcraft Lecture Series by Dr Justin Sledge

The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century by Joel F. Harrington

A Guide to Grand-Jurymen by Richard Bernard

The History Of Witchcraft And Demonology by Montague Summers

A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718 by Wallace Notestein

Joan of Arc: By Herself and Her Witnesses by Régine Pernoud

Male Witches in Early Modern Europe by Lara Apps and Andrew Gow

Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, translation by Montague Summers

“Which Witch(craft Act) is Which?” by Nicole Hartland

[tortellini-tankini-art]

1717. The Golden Age of Piracy. Wealthy UnderRealm Grifter William (Montague) Widemouth set out to find adventure and renown on the high seas. Things did not go as planned... Our Flag Means Pasta: An OFMD x Pastamonsters/Creepypasta Crossover AU

v Characters and Lore Below v

Or, check out everything I have stored on this AU in the Miro Board I've created for it! I update it with time as I create more artwork, characters, and add to the storyline, and even make episode timelines!

Characters in this AU:

The 'Retribution' Crew

Mr. Widemouth (William Montague Widemouth) as Stede Bonnet / Ben Drowned (Benjamin Lawman) as Lucius Spriggs / Jeff the Killer (Jeffrey Sepulveda-Ramirez) as Black Pete / Homicidal Liu (Liu Sepulveda-Ramirez) as Jim Jimenez / Eyeless Jack as Oluwande Boodhari / Ticci Toby (Tobias 'Toby' Eren Rogers) as Frenchie / Seedeater (Eedie) as Wee John / Kagekao as the Swede / Dr. Smiley as Roach / The Rake as Buttons

The 'Queen Lucia' Crew

Grinny (Oscar Delgado-Reyes)* as Edward Teach / Shadowlurker as Izzy Hands / Masky** as Fang / Hoodie* as Ivan

*Grinny is an OC of @oakmovies , however, for this AU, he is essentially a nearly different character, as his lore and background are vastly different.

**Masky and Hoodie in this AU are NOT the same people as their versions in Marble Hornets, and are instead entirely different people with different backstories.

Other Characters

Smile Dog (Smilin' Sam Dogham) as Calico Jack / Nurse Ann as Spanish Jackie / Splendorman as Nigel Badminton / Slenderman as Chauncey Badminton / Ms. (Priscilla) Pencilneck (another OC of @oakmovies) as Mary Allamby / Nina the Killer (Nina Rodriguez-Hopkins) as Archie / Jane the Killer as Mary Read (Jane Tod Richardson) / Clockwork (Natalie Ouellette) as Anne Bonney / Pinkamena (Bi Qi/碧琪) as Zheng Yi Sao

Character Backgrounds:

In this AU, and in this given time frame, the UnderRealm aristocracy is made up entirely of either monsters or spirits who were born and raised in the UnderRealm. Anyone who comes to the UnderRealm from the Surface world (killers, cursed, undead, etc.) is considered other, an outsider, and of lesser status, and this gap created upholds the aristocratic monster class. People who are born half-human are also considered lesser, and unless they were born to a monster of already aristocratic standing, they have very limited options in life in the UR.

UnderRealm: Widemouth, Ben (see also Spirit), Seedeater, The Rake, Shadowlurker, Slenderman, Splendorman

Spirits: Ben (Human from UK, died, then UR as corporeal spirit), Kagekao (Demon; Japan)

Half-Human:

Grinny (Mother - Mixed Taino/Spanish / Father - (Lower-class) Monster)

Smile (Father - UK / Mother - Cave Hound)

Ms. P (Father - UK / Mother - (Upper-class) Monster)

'Killer' Humans: Jeff, Liu, Toby, Dr. Smiley, Masky, Hoodie, Nina, Jane, Clockwork

Cursed/Possessed/Undead/Cannibal 'Humans': EJ (possessed/cursed/cannibal), Nurse Ann (Undead), Pinkamena (Cursed/Cannibal)

Lore (What's Different from PM/OFMD?)

Grinny/Oscar - The child of a feline-monster from the UnderRealm, and a half Taino woman from Puerto Rico. His mother was dragged to the UnderRealm by his father when she was a young lady, and lived in an abusive situation with him, until Oscar kills his father when he's 12. He runs away from home after this, and joins the crew of Captain Doyle (Hornigold for this AU - I have yet to draw another version of him for this AU, so here's @oakmovies rendition of him on IG). There, he meets Sam and Shadowlurker, and after they mutiny Doyle, he goes on to make a reputation for himself as the feared monster pirate Captain Grinny.

Jeff and Liu - Since Black Pete and Jim Jimenez in OFMD are not at all blood siblings the way Jeff and Liu are, but I was already set on them being these characters, I've created this backstory for them:

Jeff and Liu grow up with their family on a blood orange farm in St. Augustine, when one Christmas night, a gang known as the Siete Búhos attacks and kills their entire family. Instead of killing the siblings as well, they mutilate them, and set Jeff, and the rest of the farm, on fire.The two siblings manage to run away from the burning farm, and are taken in by a Satanic Nun.

The Nun raises them to master the art of killing, but only for the purpose of revenge. Jeff, however, has a different idea, and uses his new skills to rob and kill people for money. The nun acts to kick Jeff out of the convent, but Liu refuses to be separated from their brother, and leaves with him. Eventually, they meet Eyeless Jack, who gets them a job with Spanish Ann.

However, they find out that one of her husbands is the leader of the Siete Búhos, so one night, they get him drunk enough to restrain, torture, and kill him. After Ann finds out about this, she puts a price on Liu's head, and Jack has to escape with the two siblings, where they then join Widemouth's crew among The Retribution.

[littleoddwriter]

Rules, Guidelines, etc.:

[Used to be: ronaldrx]

I'm a hobby writer and mostly write (x Reader) FanFictions and Headcanons. But I am also working on my original story whenever I can, so that I’ll hopefully publish it as an actual book someday. My Ao3.

Here’s a link to my Ko-Fi, in case you want to support me financially. It would mean a lot to me! (Obviously no obligation whatsoever! You never have to pay for anything on my blog, it’s merely an option for donations.)

Also, here are my sideblogs if you’re interested:

Dead Poets Society

Horror

Raúl Esparza

The Simpsons

Only ask for the characters I’ve got listed, please. I’ve written down all of the ones I actually write for, and the list is being updated regularly, as I often find new (actors, whose) characters I write for! (And yes, I always write for every character, so don’t ever worry if you wanna ask for one I haven’t written for in a long time, or ever, it’s fine!) Please always be patient with me. If I haven’t outright declined your request, it’s definitely in the works; even if it has been weeks or months since you’ve sent it in! And only send your requests via ASKs. No DMs or comments, please.

If you have a request, send an Ask to my inbox.

NO sexual NSFW requests, please (more details further down).

Requests = CLOSED (Max. Limit: 10)

Current number of requests: 10

Last updated: October 29, 2023

Masterlists are linked with fandoms/actors/characters below. I WRITE FOR:

ALFRED MOLINA characters:

Doctor Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus

DAVID DASTMALCHIAN characters:

Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man

Bob Taylor

Denham

James Lewis

Johnson

Kurt Goreshter

Lonny Crane

Murdoc

Philippe/Abra Kadabra

Simon Lynch

Thomas Schiff

ETHAN HAWKE characters:

Arthur Harrow

Ellison Oswalt

Goodnight Robicheaux

James Sandin

EWAN MCGREGOR characters:

Alex Law

Catcher Block

Christopher Robin

Curt Wild

Dan Torrance

John Bishop

Mark Renton

Obi-Wan Kenobi 

Roman Sionis/Black Mask* (Birds of Prey - Masc!Reader only) [Any other version of Roman Sionis/Black Mask can be with a Gender Neutral/Female!Reader.]

HUGH DANCY characters:

Adam Raki

Cal Roberts

Luke Brandon

Executive ADA Nolan Price

Will Graham

KARL URBAN characters:

Billy Butcher

Black Hat

John Kennex

Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Markiplier EGOS:

Darkiplier

Illinois

Wilford Warfstache

Yancy

PAUL DANO characters:

Alex Jones/Barry Milland [Platonic only!]

Dwayne Hoover [Platonic only!]

Edward Nashton/The Riddler

Eli Sunday

Jay (Okja)

Joby Taylor

Klitz

PEDRO PASCAL characters:

Agent Whiskey

Dave York

Dio Morrissey

Eddie

Ezra

Francisco “Catfish” Morales

Marcus Moreno

Marcus Pike

Max Phillips

Maxwell Lord

Oberyn Martell

Ricky Hauk

RAÚL ESPARZA characters:

Bobby

Dr. Frederick Chilton*

Jackson Neill

Jonas Nightingale

Rafael Barba

Characters from 9-1-1 (Lone Star):

Carlos Reyes*

Eddie Diaz

Evan “Buck” Buckley

Howard “Chimney” Han

Josh Russo*

Mateo Chavez

Paul Strickland

Bobby Nash

Tim Rosewater

TK Strand*

Characters from Law and Order(: Special Victims Unit):

Detective/ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.

Sergeant Mike Dodds

Detective Nick Amaro

Executive ADA Nolan Price

ADA Peter Stone

ADA Rafael Barba

Deputy Chief William Dodds

Little Miss Sunshine:

Dwayne Hoover [Platonic only!]

Frank*

Our Flag Means Death:

Edward Teach/Blackbeard*

Frenchie

Izzy Hands

Stede Bonnet*

Prisoners (2013):

Alex Jones/Barry Milland [Platonic only!]

Bob Taylor

Detective David Loki

Renfield (2023):

Count Dracula

Robert Montague Renfield

Tedward “Teddy” Lobo

SLASHERS/Horror Film Characters:

Asa Emory/The Collector

Ash J. Williams [I will usually default to Ash from the TV show, unless requested otherwise!]

Billy Lenz (1974)

Billy Loomis

Bo Sinclair

Brahms Heelshire

Bubba Sawyer/Leatherface (TCM 1974 and TCM 2)

Charles Lee Ray/Chucky

Chop Top Sawyer

Corey Cunningham

Dewey Riley

Drayton Sawyer

Herbert West*

Jesse Cromeans/Chromeskull

Lawrence Gordon

Lester Sinclair

Luigi Largo

Mark Hoffman  

Nubbins Sawyer

Pavi Largo

Stu Macher  

Vincent Sinclair

William Easton

Star Wars:

Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Qui-Gon Jinn

The Girl Next Door:

Klitz

Eli

Characters from The Simpsons:

Cecil Terwilliger*

Fat Tony

Frankie the Squealer

Grady*

Jack Lassen

Johnny Tightlips

Julio*

Legs

Louie

Moe Szyslak

Ned Flanders

Otto Mann

Seymour Skinner

Sideshow Bob

Sideshow Mel

Snake Jailbird

Timothy Lovejoy

Waylon Smithers*

What We Do in the Shadows:

Anton (Movie)

Deacon

Guillermo de la Cruz*

Laszlo Cravensworth

Nandor the Relentless

Viago

Vladislav

* Please note that an asterisk (*) means that these characters are Male/Masc/GenderNeutral!Reader only (including non-binary, of course). Platonic relationships with Female!Reader are possible, but no romantic ones.

If it’s a character that is open to all Readers, and you do not specify in your request what you want, I’ll usually opt for a Gender Neutral Reader by default.

SHIPS, such as:

BlackBonnet (OFMD)

SteddyHands (OFMD)

Black Pete x Lucius Spriggs (OFMD)

Buck x Josh Russo (9-1-1)

Dracfield (Renfield 2023)

Buddie (9-1-1)

Eli x Klitz (The Girl Next Door)

Nandermo (WWDITS)

Herbert West x Dan Cain (Re-Animator)

McKirk (Star Trek: AOS)

Oluwande x Jim Jimenez (OFMD)

Barisi (Law & Order SVU) 

Renfield x Teddy Lobo (Renfield 2023)

Sickrent (Trainspotting/T2)

Stobotnik (Sonic Movie)

Tarlos (9-1-1: Lone Star)

AnderPerry (Dead Poets Society)

ZsaszMask (Birds of Prey)

Lastly, I would like to add things I will NOT write (about):

Sexual NSFW fics/headcanons (I used to write those as you can see in my Masterlists, but I have my reasons for not writing them anymore. Any hints at sexual topics are fine).

Anything related to death as the main subject (this includes deadly diseases, anything fatal, really, etc.).

Anything that romanticizes Mental Illness (my Vent Fics about my own disorders obviously do not romanticize any of it and I do not stand for that).

(Recreational) Drug Use

Extreme Possessive Behaviour and/or Jealousy

Yandere

If you have something you would like me to write for, but you do not see it listed anywhere, please ask me before requesting it, so we can talk about it. I hope you enjoy yourself on my blog and have a good time!

My Asks and DMs are always open for any questions or simply to talk!

- Jesse

[anarcho-occultism]

Miskatonic University

Miskatonic University is a private university based in Arkham, Massachusetts. Miskatonic University was established in 1690 by Ward Phillips. The University originally was heavily modeled on neighboring schools like Harvard, but would begin to move in a different direction early on when, in 1693, Philips gained custody of a number of rare occult books from the collection of the Sanderson sisters in the aftermath of the Salem witch trials. Thus, from an early era, Miskatonic University was heavily colored by an interest in paranormal and occult phenomena. This would in early history largely remain underground–especially in the late 1600’s still dominated by a Puritan ethos. However, the university would gain a reputation for addressing unusual incidents. It was Miskatonic University scholars who were tasked with figuring out what caused the events around Rip Van Winkle’s anomalously long sleep, investigating rumors of a so-called ‘headless horseman’ in the backwoods of New York and carrying out research into reversing the effects of ‘the Alteration’ rendering the ocean treacherous to navigate. Much of this research was carried out in secret by professors ostensibly dedicated to other subjects. In the mid-19th century, the growth of Spiritualism and interest in the occult led to the founding of the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose at the school, which quickly became a much larger esoteric order. A large archive of occult tomes and supernatural artifacts were accumulated at the school and in 1871, the American Secure Containment Initiative was founded by Artemus Gordon, Brisco County, Sr., and Jonah Hex, who set up the ASCI’s headquarters underneath the campus library.

These elements largely remained underground into the early 20th century, though plenty of cracks were present. Miskatonic University professors helped analyze the origins of the so-called ‘boomfood’ that triggered a wave of gigantism in the 1900’s, recognizing that radioactive particles played a key role. Research into weapons development sponsored by the U.S. government made it a major target during the War in the Air, with German air raids heavily damaging the campus. It has been suggested that Dr. Herbert West’s later experiments occurred because of trauma experienced when West survived a bombing raid that killed an entire class of students in the room with him. A number of Miskatonic University faculty became involved in incidents involving the supernatural or paranormal-Henry Armitage, Randolph Carter, and Seneca Lapham among others-but overall most students were more focused on traditional prestige in this era. While the occasional figure in the vein of William Fitzgerald or Trevor Bruttenholm was attracted to attend by the university’s occult underground, this was the exception rather than the rule well into the 20th century.

However, the mid-20th century saw the paranormal and occult elements of Miskatonic University creep into the open. As part of the Cold War, the US government had developed a keen interest in supernatural phenomenon and developed many agencies–Delta Green, the Unusual Incidents Unit, the Federal Bureau of Control and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense–aimed at researching the supernatural, combating threats it posed and even perhaps weaponizing it. Miskatonic University’s familiarity with these anomalies was seen as a positive by the government. Furthermore, the prestige associated with paranormal and anomalous research was expanding. Columbia University Professor John Montague had helped make parapsychology a much more respectable field. These factors combined to allow for Miskatonic University to become the first university in the world to open up a Department of Paranormal Studies, containing such majors as Parapsychology, Occult Studies and Esoteric Archaeology. The existence of these departments would require unconventional hiring choices and so the likes of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, MACUSA member Gomez Addams, self-proclaimed ‘psychic doctor’ Miles Pennoyer and former news anchor Carl Kolchak would end up among the faculty of the school by 1980. Members of the Department would play a key role in providing information to the White Committee, which sought to determine the implications of the Black Prom incident in Chamberlain, Maine (though much of the opinions of Miskatonic faculty were discarded by the committee).

The establishment of the Department helped the school draw an unorthodox array of students in the years that followed. Alongside the old-money crowd of future lawyers and businessmen came the likes of Lydia Deetz, Jack and Maddie Fenton, Tommy Jarvis, Nathan Dawkins and Nancy Thompson-all figures drawn to the school by its expertise regarding supernatural and paranormal phenomenon. However, this also drew less savory individuals to the school. The likes of Nikolai Wolf (who would resort to human sacrifice to gain fame for his band Low Shoulder), Cole Turner (a half-demon lawyer who briefly became the Source of All Evil) Edgar Zambus (the creator of a strain of zombism that combines supernatural and viral methods of reanimation that he deliberately infected himself with), Roman Armitage (inventor of the infamous Coagula procedure which hijacked the bodies of numerous African-Americans) and Amy Hughe (a serial killer and worshiper of the demon Malphas) all attended or were planning to attend the school only to make use of its occult secrets for not-so-noble ends. The near-miss awakening of Cthulhu in 1983 during World War III only further caused the school to develop a sinister reputation. Senator Bob Roberts launched a quixotic bid to bar students attending the school from receiving federal financial aid in the 1990’s over these ties to black magic, though his proposal never made it in front of the President before Roberts resigned due to being implicated in the Mattiece scandal of 1993.

The more sinister reputation enjoyed by the school was particularly ironic knowing the role of faculty, alumni and current students in preventing a number of prophesied calamities surrounding Y2K. Miskatonic University Professor Iain Gladstone was the first to take notice of multiple prophecies related to the Apocalypse being fulfilled in the lead-up to the turn of the millennium. Working with his colleagues Rayna Kazuki, Leroy Brown and Dirk Pitt, Gladstone worked to recruit a team that could identify potential Antichrists and, if possible, eliminate them. Most of the team were current students at the school-Sarah Bailey, Steve Urkel, Charlie McGee, Casey Connor and Kate Libby were selected based on a combination of desired research capabilities and known or implied paranormal prowess. Beyond the current students, the quartet of professors brought in a few university alumni-the previously mentioned Lydia Deetz, ex-football star Scott Howard and on-and-off X-Men team member Katherine ‘Kitty’ Pryde. Aside from Deetz, the alumni were brought in as additional muscle. Through diligent investigation, this team was able to identify Angel Caine-the son of businessman Robert Caine-as a potential Antichrist working through his father’s business empire to bring about the End Times. Caine had additionally formed an alliance with Adrian Woodhouse, another potential Antichrist who sought to co-opt remnants of older Great Old One cults for his ends. The team brought these two to the attention of the BPRD and, alongside a military forced headed by one Colonel John McNamara, were able to prevent Armageddon.

The modern Miskatonic University has enjoyed an enormous boost to prestige following the Awakening of Magic and the widespread embrace of occult and supernatural research. The school was able to greatly expand operations as a result, pursuing ideas that were fringe even amidst the ‘new normal’ of anomalies. After the Amphibian invasion of 2020, the school became a locus of research into extradimensional phenomenon, discovering the realms of Mewni, World A, Oz, and Throne among many others. Researchers from the school helped create the EVA units used to fight the so-called ‘angel’ incursions of the 2010’s and chronicling the spread of ‘quirks’ across 90% of the human population post-Awakening of Magic. Miskatonic University has also begun tracking temporal anomalies after the Warren & Warren incident of 2021, partnering with Britain’s Anomaly Research Center in the process (the ARC has indicated interest in a ‘temporal storm’ appearing to connect 2023, 1890, 1941 and 2053 in some way). Beyond this renown, however, the highs and lows of a normal prestigious school remain. Students briefly seized control of Armitage Hall in protest of the school accepting a $30 million grant from Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, right-wing pundit Lindsey Bluth-Funke has condemned the school for pushing ‘wokeness’ and allegations that rich alumni bribe there way into the school continue to dog its reputation alongside its more fantastical dimension.

References

Cthulhu Mythos, The Lurker at the Threshold, Hocus Pocus, Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Order, SCP Foundation, The Wild Wild West, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Jonah Hex, The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth, The War in the Air, Herbert West: Re-Animator, The Lurker at the Threshold, The Diviners (Bray novel), Delta Green, Control, Hellboy, The Haunting of Hill House, The Conjuring, The Addams Family, Miles Pennoyer, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Carrie, Beetlejuice, Danny Phantom, Friday the 13th, Beyond: Two Souls, Nightmare on Elm Street, Jennifer’s Body, Charmed, Plants vs. Zombies, Get Out, Dead of Summer, A Colder War, Bob Roberts, The Pelican Brief, The Secret World, Explorer Woman Ray, Encyclopedia Brown, Dirk Pitt, The Craft, Family Matters, Firestarter, The Faculty, Hackers, Teen Wolf, X-Men, Holocaust 2000, Rosemary’s Baby, Hatchetfield Universe, Shadowrun, Amphibia, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Final Fantasy, The Land of Oz, Kill Six Billion Demons, Neon Genesis Evangelion, My Hero Academia, Old (film), Primeval, Bodies (Netflix series), The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), Arrested Development, Scooby Doo, Ghostbusters

[best-magnus-archives-character]

Closed the nomination form! I made a list with all nominations by category! I'll accept suggestions of stuff to move around (change a character from minor to one of the other lists, but not the other way around cause the minor list is long enough). The Main Character list is a bit awkward with 18 characters, but I'm not really willing to move any away from it even if people might disagree? Unless I see a very strong argument.

the only nominations that didn't get in were the artifacts, since people voted for those to have their own poll later on!

So here's the 3 lists I have under the cut!

Main Characters 

Jonathan Sims

Martin Blackwood

Timothy Stoker

Sasha James

Basira Hussain

Daisy Tanner

Melanie King

Georgie Barker

Elias Bouchard

Jane Prentiss

NotThem/NotSasha

The Distortion

Nikola Orsinov

Peter Lukas

Gertrude Robinson

Jonah Magnus

Gerry Keay

Annabelle Cane

Minor Characters with Major Impact 

Michael Shelley

Adelard Decker

Michael Crew

Oliver Banks

Jude Perry

Simon Fairchild

Robert Smirke

Mikaele Salesa

Agnes Montague

Simon Fairchild

Jurgen Leitner

Julia Montauk

Trevor Herbert

Mikaele Salesa

Breekon and Hope

Mary Keay

Minor Character

Joshua Gillespie (MAG 002)

The Admiral (Georgie’s Cat)

Major Tom (MAG 016)

Helen Richardson (MAG 047) 

Karolina Gorka  (MAG 071)

Graham Folger (MAG: 003)

Alexander Scaplehorn (MAG 054)

Jordan Kennedy (MAG 055)

Hezekiah Wakely (152)

The Piper (MAG 007)

Gabriel/Worker of Clay (MAG 126)

John Amherst (Corruption Avatar)

Naomi Herne (MAG 013)

Amy Patel (MAG 003)

Werewolf/Hunt Avatar (MAG 031)

Alfred Breekon (MAG 096)

Alexia Crawley (MAG 110)

Emma Harvey (MAG 167)

Elias Bouchard (original)

Evan Lukas (MAG 013)

Laverne (MAG 136)

Callum McKenzie (MAG 125)

John Haan (MAG 072)

Tom Haan (MAG 030)

Jonathan Fanshawe (MAG 127)

Fiona Law (MAG 167)

Spider on the wall (MAG 038)

Leto (MAG 184)

Nathan Watts (MAG: 001)

Sebastian Skinner (MAG 087)

Carlita Sloane (MAG 033)

Erika Mustermann (MAG 034)

Jan Novak (MAG 034)

Piotr Petrov (MAG 034)

Pavel Petrov (MAG 034)

Fulan Al-Fulani (MAG 034)

Juan Pérez (MAG 034)

Jane/John Doe (MAG 034)

Lee Kipple (MAG 042)

Robin Lennox (MAG 100)

“John Smith” (MAG 100)

Celia/Lynne Hammond (MAG 100)

Brian Finlinson (MAG 100)

Carlos Vittery (MAG 016)

Francis (MAG 172)

Wilfred Owen (MAG 007)

Father Edwin Burroughs (MAG 019)

Maxwell Rayner (MAG 002)

Rat from the Bone Turner’s Tale (MAG 017)

Sergey Ushanka (MAG 065)

Angela (MAG 014)

The Anglerfish (MAG 001)

Jan Killbride (MAG 106)

Natalie Ennis (MAG 025)

Alfred Grifter (MAG 042)

Benoît Maçon (MAG 102)

Dr Lionel Elliot (MAG 034)

Rosie Zampano (MAG 192)

Manuela Dominguez (MAG 135)

Petite Scarabée/Little Beetle (MAG 102)

Sarah Baldwin (MAG 001)

Agape (MAG 153)

Monster Pig (MAG 103)

Callum Brodie (MAG 173)

[rosie-the-demon]

Okay.

So this isn't Renfield week prompts (sadly) but this is all my hands and brain would create

[maplereads]

The Haunting of Hill House — Shirley Jackson

I’ll admit, I hadn’t read anything from Shirley Jackson outside “The Lottery” before this, but that is changing immediately. I’d heard there were good movie/TV adaptations fo this so I thought I’d start this and maybe check those out.

I was so wrong! This immediately became one of my favorite books. The first chapters introduce us to Dr. John Montague, who brings together a few choice witnesses to help him investigate and document and other supposedly haunted house, though he’s never been able to prove paranormal activity before. Four people reply to his invitations, and we meet Luke Sanderson, future heir of Hill House and somewhat troubled and unreliable. There is also Theodora, a light-hearted clairvoyant young woman joining the group. Finally, there is Eleanor Vance, who lived in Hill House briefly as a girl and experienced unusual things. More recently, she cared for her mother until her passing.

The characters live in the sinister house under absolute reality, experiencing frightful events and delving into the crossover between the paranormal and the too normal reality of grief, dissociation, and fear while the doctor aims to learn about its haunted status.

[mariacallous]

How often our usage manages to accomplish, for a name or an expression, the precise negation of its originally intended meaning. To satirize the sycophants among his courtiers, King Canute sarcastically commanded the waves to keep their distance and allowed his own majesty to be wetted by the tides: now we give the name Canute to anyone in authority who foolishly attempts to ward off the inevitable. For the young scion of the Veronese house of Montague, only one girl in the whole world could possibly possess meaning, or be worth possessing: accordingly, we use the word Romeo to designate a tireless philanderer. In 18th-century England, John Wilkes was the leader of a radical political faction known as the Patriots. In Dr. Samuel Johnson’s Tory view, affiliation with that subversive party was “the last refuge of a scoundrel”: this now is construed as an attack on all those—most often Tories themselves—who take shelter in a too-effusive love of country.

The life and sayings of Johnson were so replete with ironies that perhaps it is no surprise to find literalness exacting its effect over the course of time.

Christopher Hitchens

[audreygcblog]

The Lady versus the Man

Pope makes love to Lady Mary Montagu, 1852. Print from oil on canvas original at Auckland City Art Gallery

Who was Lady Mary Wortley Montagu?

After reading Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Turkish Letters in class, I had to know more about this woman who traveled and published her writing despite the negative bias against women participating in what they considered a man's area of expertise. She was born in 1689 and was the daughter of the 5th Earl of Kingston and Lady Mary Fielding (a cousin of the novelist Henry Fielding). Throughout her adult life in 1700s Europe, she was known as a traveler, essayist, poet, feminist, and, by her male colleagues, an eccentric. She was a highly intelligent woman who had not only widely read literature to her name but also was known for her work in the medical field. Her fascination with smallpox derived from the unfortunate marring of her beauty by the disease. While in Turkey, she discovered the Turkish practice of inoculation and brought it back to Europe. Unfortunately, her work on inoculations was stolen by men who worked in the medical field in England. Montagu's battle with the men in her line of work was nothing new. Her ideas about women and medical knowledge made her an object of ridicule by the men who felt threatened by her. From her worst enemies to her closest friends, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's progressive ideas had her society turning against her.

The Frenemy

One of the most notable rivalries between Montagu and one of her male contemporaries is her rivalry with her friend, Alexander Pope. Pope and Montagu met while she was traveling with her husband who was a member of Parliament. Later on, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Alexander Pope, and John Gay became friends and shared their works with one another. Unsurprisingly, Pope was enthralled by Montagu's intelligence and witty personality. While traveling he wrote letters to her, hoping they could meet up. However, Montagu was not as interested in him as he was in her. It was even rumored that when Alexander Pope confessed his love to her, she laughed at the absurdity of the confession. It's clear that this rejection was a blow to the ego of Pope. Afterward, Pope went on to mock her writings on feminism and her progressive ideas in his satirical works. The piece most obviously addressed towards her is in Pope's most famous work, Dunciad, where he describes her as a prostitute that is made fun of for her feministic ideals. Although she wrote poetic responses to his criticisms, Montagu quickly abandoned their poetic warfare. Montagu saw how Pope was enjoying her responses as if they were simply a form of entertainment, and Montagu was not going to give him the satisfaction of thinking he got under her skin. Instead, she let him continue to make a fool of himself. His bitter and sexist writing would, later on, show modern audiences how petty and hurt he was when he did not get his way with Montagu.

The Opponent

Alexander Pope was not the only well-known writer that had beef with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Johnathan Swift, the satirist best known for Gulliver's Travels and "A Modest Proposal", wrote his poem "The Lady's Dressing Room" in 1732. "The Lady's Dressing Room" follows a man entering a woman's dressing room without permission. He then proceeds to discover all of her hygiene and grooming products, along with her dirty laundry and area for relieving herself. At the end of the poem, he concludes that women are disgusting and are simply lying to men when they dress themselves up and put on make-up. Montagu took to the pen and called Swift out for his sexism and misogyny in her poem "The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem Call'd the Lady's Dressing Room". The poem describes the protagonist called the Doctor, referring to Swift, and his attempts to woo a prostitute named Betty. When he fails to enamor her, he angrily blames her for his sexual failures and vows to write "The Lady's Dressing Room" about her. To which she wittily replies, "I'm glad you'll write. / You'll furnish paper when I shite," referring to the male speaker's disgusted reaction to discovering the lady in the dressing room defecated like a human being. Montagu's poem addresses the ridiculousness of Swift's misogyny and observes why he reacts with such an absurd attack on the female gender.

Fragile Masculinity

Both Pope Alexander Pope's and Johnathan Swift's misogynistic writings stemmed from one thing in common: rejection. It is a common consensus that Pope's sudden switch from being close friends with Montagu to being one of her biggest critics is due to his bruised ego after being rejected by her.

For Johnathan Swift, Montagu straight-up calls him out for attacking women because of feeling emasculated after being rejected. Montagu is open about the Doctor in "The Reasons that Induced Dr. S. to Write a Poem Call'd the Lady's Dressing Room" being Swift. After the Doctor can't perform in bed, he tries to blame his failures in his sexual life on Betty. After vowing to write "The Lady's Dressing Room", it is clear to the audience that this is Montagu's way of accusing Swift's misogynistic writing of being a response to rejection from a woman.

Although Alexander Pope and Johnathan Swift continued on to be celebrated writers, Montagu's critiques on their sexist ideas and writings would become important works of literature that helped further the feminist movement. Without her observations on the toxic masculine ideas that flourished in her society, other women may not have been able to deduce the roots of the sexism in their societies.

Conclusion

In both instances, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was able to point out the direct cause of Alexander Pope's and Johnathan Swift's fits of rage against the female gender. It makes me wonder how many male writers and artists included sexist and misogynistic rhetoric without being corrected by anyone. Without women like Montagu, perhaps we would not have come as far as we have in addressing such issues as misogyny and sexism in literature and other writings today.

[linus-wickworth]

October 2022 Reading Wrap-Up!

1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. ⭐⭐⭐1/2

A governess at a country house claims that Miles and Flora, two orphaned children in her care, are being controlled by spirits for some evil purpose. No one else can see the ghosts, and the children themselves are silent. Are they being dominated by spectral forces, or are they hiding something? Is the governess simply paranoid, or is something else going on?

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill--an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

3. The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aaron Rowe walks in his sleep. He has dreams he can't explain, and memories he can't recover. Death doesn't scare him - his new job with a funeral director may even be his salvation. But if he doesn't discover the truth about his hidden past soon, he may fall asleep one night and never wake up.

4. The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls - a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place - Jake spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns twelve, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the 'Saturday Night Ghost Club.' But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly light-hearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.

5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and self-closing doors, but Hill House is gathering its powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own.

6. The Leaving by Tara Altebrando. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Six kindergartners were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been. No one remembers the sixth victim, Max. Avery, Max's sister, needs to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.”

7. That Was Then, This Is Now by S. E. Hinton. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.

8. Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seventeen-year-old Austin, aware that life is short, asks his best friend and secret love, Kaylee, to take him to visit people and places in and around Tacoma, Washington, so that he can try to make a difference in the time he has left.

9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Winning a golden ticket allows Charlie to fulfil his dearest wish, to have a specially conducted tour of Mr Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory. But each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket takes advantage of the situation in his own way.

10. Under The Dome by Stephen King. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The small town of Chester's Mill, Maine, is faced with a big dilemma when it is mysteriously sealed off by an invisible and completely impenetrable force field. With cars and airplanes exploding on contact, the force field has completely isolated the townspeople from the outside world.

11. Highly Illogical Behavior by John Whaley. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Agoraphobic sixteen-year-old Solomon has not left his house in three years, but Lisa is determined to change that--and to write a scholarship-winning essay based on the results.

12. Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Up until his diagnosis, Lane lived a fairly predictable life. Now he is at a tuberculosis sanatorium called Latham House, where he discovers an insular world with paradoxical rules, med sensors, and an eccentric yet utterly compelling confidante named Sadie-- and life as Lane knows it will never be the same. As Lane and Sadie fall in love-- and as their groups begins to fall sicker-- their world threatens to come crashing down.

13. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.

14. The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sixteen-year-old Linus, a street person since leaving his wealthy father's home, is kidnapped and taken to an underground bunker where he is soon joined by five others, ranging in age from nine to seventy, who are alternately cared for and tortured by their unseen captor.

15. Mayday! Mayday! by Hilary Milton. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After their airplane crashes, two young people must find their way down a mountain in order to bring help to the survivors.

16. Paul and Etta by Richard Parker. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paul, an orphan, and Etta, an only child, have problems getting along when Etta's parents decide to adopt Paul.

17. Light by Michael Grant. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

All eyes are on Perdido Beach. The barrier wall is now as clear as glass and life in the FAYZ is visible for the entire outside world to see. Life inside the dome remains a constant battle and the Darkness, away from watchful eyes, grows and grows.

18. See Ya, Simon by David Hill. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Teenagers Simon and Nathan share many of the same interests which include girls, computers and collecting sensationalist tabloid headlines, but the sharp tongued, quick witted Simon also has muscular dystrophy and is likely to die in the next few years.

19. You Can't Take Micky! by Sonia Craddock. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What's wrong with Micky? Claire and Adam's little cousin never smiles or laughs, or even talks. And now his mother wants to put him in an institution. Soon Claire and Adam are on the run - carrying Micky with them to an isolated cottage on Galiano Island.

20. Dodgem by Bernard Ashley. ⭐⭐⭐

A young English boy takes matters into his own hands in order to remain with his troubled father who is consumed with guilt after the accidental death of his wife.