#escape from halloweentown

[michelle-is-writing]

Halloween Decorating, Spencer Reid

I wanted to try and write something different, so this is my first piece using the second person point of view.

Skip if you don't celebrate or like Halloween, but if you're a Halloween lover like me, then I hope you enjoy 😊

Word count: 800~

So far, living with Spencer has felt like a dream for you. You and Spencer hardly got into disagreements when moving in, and when it came to combining each other's things, Spencer had no problem moving his things around to make room for yours. For someone who had never really lived with anyone else, this was a massive step for Spencer, but it wasn't hard for him to make that step for you.

Your combined furniture gave the place a unique look; now two couches in place of one, and two side tables next to them differing in height and shape. More than half of his closet was filled with your clothing, and most of his bathroom countertop was now covered in your various makeup and beauty products. The sight of this actually made him happy as it was a stark contrast to the lonely toothbrush and hairbrush usually adorning his counter.

However, that happiness only grew upon opening an unlabeled box filled with what looked to be pumpkins and other various decorations. Upon opening the other unmarked totes, Spencer found himself excited as if he were a child on Christmas. Five totes full of nothing but Halloween decorations, and Spencer couldn’t help but practically gush over everything.

When you are done with putting away all your kitchen stuff and other dishes, you walk in and find him already setting out the decorations as if they were year-round. Although, you can't help the smile on your face as you see all the other boxes open and ready to be emptied. Only then does he notice you, a grin taking over his face. "I know it's only the first of September," He explains, beginning to walk over to you. "but as long as you don't mind, maybe we can start putting up the decorations now?"

A few seconds pass before you chuckle and nod excitedly, happy to decorate for something you love so early.

After emptying every tote and decorating every surface, you two are left with a home that looks like it came straight out of Halloweentown. Skulls and ravens adorn every surface in the house, candy-corn-themed lights are strung along the walls, and the couches are filled with fall themed throw pillows and blankets. Even the kitchen didn't go untouched with various spooky hand-towels and oven mitts decorating the cabinets.

Finished, you two step back and gaze at everything with smiles stuck on your faces. Finding Spencer's hand, you give it a little squeeze to gain his attention which works. Looking at you, he swears he feels his heart skip a beat as the orange light surrounding you two frames your face in a soft glow. Meanwhile, you're busy thinking about the fact that you actually found someone who loves Halloween like you do.

Yes, you owned all of the decorations before you even met Spencer, but you never really put everything up at once like this. When you lived by yourself, it didn't seem worth it to decorate like that when no one else would be able to enjoy it besides you. Plus, you would have never thought to decorate certain things the way that Spencer did as his height gave him a bigger advantage with the leaf foliage and fake cobwebs.

"I love everything so mu-" you go to say a compliment, but Spencer cuts you off with a kiss. Granted, it wasn’t on purpose. It just happened to flow that way as Spencer felt himself leaning closer to you the more he thought of how far along you two had grown together.

Pulling away from each other's lips after a few seconds, a giggle escaped your lips at Spencer's sudden boldness, his arms now beginning to wrap themselves around your waist and hold you tight. You found yourself doing the same as you rested your head against his sweater-covered chest. As you held each other close, you could practically feel the both of you physically relax in your holds before leaning your head up at Spencer.

"Thank you for being my Halloween buddy," you gently murmur to him, careful not to dig your chin any further into his chest. At the same time, you could begin to feel Spencer’s heart beating faster in response. He had always loved Halloween, but to find someone who loved it just as much, if not more than him? He couldn’t have been happier.

"Thank you for being mine too," he replied, leaning down to connect your lips once more. For the rest of the night, the scary movie you had put on your laptop played in the background abandoned while your focus kept being diverted to one another rather than the TV. You and Spencer both loved Halloween, but as the night grew longer and the more you stayed in each other’s holds, you both realized you loved each other even more.

[1dcommunityficrecs]

Rec List: Hidden Gems!

Y'all SHOWED UP for this category and I am LOVING IT. You submitted 27 fics that deserve more love to highlight, and I am honoured to hold them up before you and say LOOKIT THESE TASTY MORSELS. They may have under 1,000 hits now, but I'm sure they won't for long!

I think this is one of the most varied lists so far -- we've got a handful of rarepairs including Zouis, Gryles, and OT5, as well as genfic, and there are half a dozen girl direction fics as well. And of course there are fics of all kinds of lengths, from under a thousand words to tens of thousands of words.

As always, please enjoy, read, kudos, comment, reblog, etc! New rec category coming soon :)

The Full English by albatross1013 (2985, Explicit, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson)

HSLOT has ended. FITFUS is wrapping up in NYC. Louis is waiting for his boy.

Reccer says: I had fun writing it.

HALLOWEENTOWN by justahappycloud (28700, General, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry gets stuck in a town full of monsters, and Louis helps him escape. they run all over town while encountering the rest of the boys and different monsters

Reccer says: The way harry charms the entire town, and how the other boys are introduced is so fun!

i'll follow you til there's no tomorrow by liberty_barnes (12000, General, none) – fic post Warnings: depression and anxiety

the story of how a stray puppy saved Niall's life

Reccer says: Niall and the fans being inspired by each other for their own mental health journeys

(not) driving home for christmas by BeautifulWisdom (3461, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry hits a dog while driving in a blizzard. Colour him surprised and woefully unprepared when said dog turns into a very bloody and very naked man.

Treat me like a queen, now you got me feelin' thrown, oh by LouisThiccSexyGlitteryAss (1765, Explicit, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson)

After a photography project leads her to the supposedly empty house of a beautiful woman, Harry learns that vampires are real... And devilishly good with their tongues.

Reccer says: Lesbians! Vampires!

Only for the Brave by Huggieshalo (990, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post Warnings: feelings of imposter syndrome/ internalized homophobia

Louis dealing with big feelings through the process of writing OTB

You Can Let It Go by Huggieshalo (8600, Mature, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post Warnings: There are multiple scenes and implications of an unhealthy/toxic family dynamic.

Harry as matilda if she followed her family and never stayed with Ms Honey

I'll knock on your door, it will save me from calling by hl-obsessed (RozaDhampir) (5790, Not Rated, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Louis hears "Good Years" for the first time. Harry is there to pick up the pieces.

Reccer says: Love all the emotions in this fic. Very well written!

Remember Me As A Time Of Day by justanothershadeofblue (zjofierose) (67393, Explicit, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson)

It's the 20th anniversary of the One Direction hiatus, and the powers that be have decided that it's time for a reunion tour. 5 middle aged lads have to face each other and reconnect

Reccer says: Fabulous look at regrets, angst, smut and love

Peculiar Ugly Duckling by LadyLondonderry (3789, General, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Loowee is a fish born to a family of FOUS fish. You’ve heard of FOUS fish, haven’t you, reader? Yes, of course you have. Fish Of Unusual Size Fish, of course.

Reccer says: I adore this fic so much. It's a very creative, humorous, and genuine story set in Eroda..

molecular by sarcangel (3862, Teen, Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson)

OT5 try to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Reccer says: This fic is intense from the start and tells an entire novel of an epic story in under 4000 words.

last call by neptune rising (thelesserneptune) (666, Not Rated, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) Warnings: Implied/Referenced Character Death

Harry is a cheeky ground operator at NASA with a slight crush on astronaut Louis Tomlinson. On one late, calm night, they share their most personal conversation yet.

Reccer says: This ficlet pulled me in and then broke my heart (in the best way). The end packs an angsty punch that I didn't see coming.

The In-Between by LadyAJ_13 (2422, General, None) – fic post

“You wake up in a desert with an angel, a demon and a grim reaper-” “-and the accounts manager!” “-yes, alright Liam, and the accounts manager - and you haven’t realised you’re dead?”

Reccer says: I love the banter between the boys as they try to figure out the mystery of why Louis is stuck in The In-Between. The way they all argue and joke around with each other is great.

Chase by wabadabadaba (1900, Explicit, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson)

Louis and Harry play a game of chase during the full moon. A girl direction omegaverse fic.

Reccer says: There are not enough femslash omegaverse fics out there, and this is proof of how incredible they could be.

Remember Me (When I'm With You) by liberty_barnes (1441, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post Warnings: Depression, suicidal thoughts, body dysmorphic disorder

Fallen angel Louis was cast out and angel Harry just wants him to be happy.

Reccer says: It's incredible the amount of emotion and hurt (and world building) come through in such a short fic. But there is hope and comfort to be had from angel Harry even if Louis doesn't always remember him.

The Sweet Yoke by little_obelia/littleobelia (1700, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry is a nun who looks after her convent's chickens and Louis is the new vet who comes to help care for them.

Reccer says: It's so quirky and funny and completely charming!

close enough to touch, but I never cared for love by femstyles (759, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson)

Harry and Louis are best friends with benefits and Harry wants more but Louis (thinks) he's not interested in love. A tiny slice of a soft morning.

Reccer says: A perfect, tiny peek - soft and sweet

Stay by Maelstrom_Roots (5000, Mature, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson)

In the months before Louis shows up at the rink, Harry has been considering giving skating up altogether. Then, Louis comes to IceSheffield, his heart so obviously full of love for the sport, for simply being on the ice, that Harry can’t help but fall in love with it too. | Harry and Louis are competitive ice skaters who grow up together at the same rink.

Reccer says: Somehow it feels like 100k fic when it's only 5 - there's so much emotion and story packed in. Absolutely beautifully written, too.

The Doppel Effect by yeah_alright/uhohmorshedios (6500, Teen, Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Future Dystopia AU where rich people use lifelike android doppelgangers to be able to do more and get even richer and criminals have stolen the technology to create a sub-class of doppelgangers called Forgeries.Harry lives what he believes to be a simple life, until a mysterious stranger shows up and turns it upside down.

Reccer says: Fascinating story with great tension and well executed surprises. Great worldbuilding! This was probably my favorite fic from 2023. I love love love sci-fi, and this was brilliant and mysterious and creepy and I am absolutely holding out hope that the author will write a longer au of this world.

like sun on the rise by disgruntledkittenface (9000, Mature, Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles) – fic post

Harry shows up at the coffee shop Nick works at and insists they've known each other in previous lives. Nick doesn't know what to make of her, but luckily, she goes with it.

Reccer says: Characterizations are flawless, the relationship dynamic is wonderful - sweet and funny and flirty and comfortable - and the smut is SO SO HOT

Eyes so blue, Shorts so red by nonsensedarling/absoloutenonsense (2600, General, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry isn’t like any roommate Louis has had before. For one, he doesn’t know what a poem is (or skee-ball, for that matter), but luckily for him, Louis doesn’t mind answering any and all of his questions.

Reccer says: Could not be more charming! Sweet and funny and clever. This Alien!Harry is so earnest and adorable I love him so much.

Hold Steady by abrighteryellow/a-brighter-yellow (3000, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry can never get his winged eyeliner right so he finally goes to Sephora where Louis helps him.

Reccer says: Wonderful writing! I love this Harry so much and everything about his interactions with Louis are just perfect. Such a sweet, funny, engaging story.

Behind Nowhere by 4ureyesonly28/evilovesyou (3500, General, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

It's the September of 1967 and Harry is curious to find out what the Summer of Love brought to San Francisco.

Reccer says: It's a sweet, tender exploration and the writer captures the atmosphere and Harry's thoughts wonderfully.

{the hs1 collection} 5 fics. 5 songs. 5 decades. by zita17/louisandtheaquarian (28263, Explicit, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Five unrelated fics, each set in a different decade, from the 1950s through the 1990s, and inspired by a different unreleased HS1 song.

Reccer says: historical fiction, musician and famous/not famous au's, inspired by music + films. This whole series is INCREDIBLE, but the 1978 one is my favorite—the vulnerability, the pining, the musings on self vs. performance are impeccable. Plus, Harry as a mermaid/alien/glam-rock god and Louis as a leather-pants-and-platform-boots punk are genius!

Secrets I Have Held by QuickedWeen (4000, Mature, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson ) – fic post Warnings: Mentions of violence and guns

Peaky Blinders AU with gangster Louis

Reccer says: It's very atmospheric in the time period and world

I See You Shiver With Antici— (SAY IT, SAY IT) by homosociallyyours (666, General, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry has elaborate costumes planned for each night of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Reccer says: The author packed SO MUCH into 666 words! Gender exploration + euphoria, flirting, and RHPS!

My Kind of Trouble by Homosociallyyours (1800, General, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Harry is a waitress at Waffle House, Louis stops by for a visit

Reccer says: I love the slow, small town sweetness of these two meeting again after years apart.

[explorer-of-art]

my speculation for twst x nightmare before christmas

My thoughts based on what I've observed based on summaries. I am bad at connecting my words to my thoughts and can only hope to telepathy-osmosis the thoughts to you after this. Everything is under the cut or else you'll have to do a ton of scrolling.

Part 1 from what I'm seeing in tweets before full translations and more story parts come out: The gang gets isekai'd because plot says they must and lose their shit over getting isekai'd (this isn't Yuu's first time getting isekai'd lmao). They meet Skully J Graves who might be really physically affectionate and is the odd one out in his town. They meet Jack Skellington, Zero, and Sally. Skully fanboys over Jack. Halloween is in 3 days, Jack has a problem where he wants to celebrate Halloween in a new way, Skully opts to help (ominous great Halloween sentence and all), Sally has a bad feeling, a town meeting is called.

Skully J Graves

Skully idolizes Jack Skellington and wants to show others Halloween by celebrating (possibly in his way) like how Jack wanted to show others Christmas by hijacking it. In Nightmare Before Christmas, the town also looks up to Jack but are oblivious to his feelings about Halloween (Jack's Lament), but Sally isn't.

Unlike Jack who is beloved in Halloweentown, Skully is alienated from his peers back in his town. His schoolmates don't share his interests so he brushes them off. Idia was already an SSR in Glorious Masquerade but if he were SSR here, he'd end up calling himself out for going "us vs them" (Idia vs normies) when it comes to "if we don't have the same interests, we have zero common ground and will never see eye to eye" during the climax. Malleus shares his interest in gargoyles with Yuu who unconditionally accepts and befriends him, and he was alienated because top 5 most powerful mages, status, and *insert book 7*. Jade likes mushrooms, Azul likes networking and going "helping you will be helpful for me", Riddle is a voice of reason (kind of), Trey handles Riddle's temper (Labwear vignette) and has a dentist thing, Epel and his dislike for being called cute, Vil takes feedback from Rook and can impose on others, Jamil has to put up with Kalim who was oblivious to his plight, Leona and Book 2. All that is just me connecting the NRC boys with either Skully or the plot and characters of Nightmare Before Christmas. Skully is a type of separate from the NRC boys, not being in NRC while everyone else is, greeting the gang via kiss, being very full of whimsy (let's hold hands and walk in the woods!), being the youngest (just turned 16 so he's baby), and looks up to Jack while the others don't know him at all. Yuu is alienated by being magicless in a magic school and being from another world but they grow less alienated as they make friends and accustom to being a student (part of your worlddddd). Too bad Rook isn't here. I want to see how Rook and Skully would interact. Rook, Cater, Kalim, and Lilia can't be in the event to make Skully even more alienated in the group.

Isekai and Escapism

The NRC gang get isekai'd and until the rest of the story comes out to confirm or deny, Skully may have been isekai'd too. One thing that came to mind is that there's a lot of isekai stories in anime/manga. There's a lot of escapism in anime and isekai is one of them. The protagonist could have a miserable life or a dream they want to achieve before they get yeeted into another world. What direction the isekai goes varies but they can go into wish-fulfillment, power fantasy, playing around with the concept of people getting thrown into another world, anything. The author/protagonist might project onto the setting. I don't want to make the paragraphs longer than necessary so I'll leave it at that.

There's western isekai (portal fantasy) like The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, Peter Pan, Infinity Train, The Owl House, or Amphibia. I haven't seen Infinity Train, Owl House, or Amphibia, but I know Infinity Train is the "you need therapy" isekai where even though they get to go home for a specific reason, time still passed and everything that happened still happened. No memory wipe, no dream, that person was missing for who-knows-how-long. From what I've picked up about Owl House, Luz is on a completely different wavelength from everyone, peers and adults. And something about wanting to be understood if I recall correctly? I know she comes off as neurodivergent to viewers (idk if she's confirmed to be ND) which is why this tangent about western isekai is here. In my head, there's a connection with Skully's character because alienation from others and having interests that others don't.

Anyway, escapism. Remember Skully's idolization for Jack and Halloween? Now throw in Jack's problem being an opening for Skully to indulge in his interest. Eliza from Ghost Marriage had a goal to marry a Prince Charming which is unrealistic while being inconsiderate of others (kicking out everyone on campus for her wedding, kidnapping Idia), Skully will likely do something selfish while carrying out his fantasy. How far that goes, we'll find out eventually. Will this event story have something to say about escapism in isekai? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Based on Nightmare Before Christmas

Film summary: Jack, a beloved figure of the town, is bored of the repetition in Halloween (Jack's Lament) so when he sees Christmas (What's This?), he is interested and wants to share that with others. He tries to explain it to the town and recreate/celebrate it despite not understanding the meaning behind the holiday (Town Meeting). Halloweentown is about harmless but fun frights ("that's our job but we're not mean, in our town of Halloween"), Christmas has to do with presents and wintry cheer. Sally tries to warn Jack that it won't work out but he disregards it. Jack hijacks Christmas by kidnapping and impersonating Santa, sends presents that bring scares instead of cheer which warrants him getting shot down. Jack reflects that he messed up (Poor Jack) but had one heck of a time ("And for a minute, why, I even touched the sky! And at least I left some stories they can tell") and sheds the Santa costume, returning to being himself ("That's right! I AM THE PUMPKIN KING!"). Jack saves Santa and Sally, Santa calls him out for his actions, Santa restores Christmas, Jack and Sally reach the romance stage. Jack is the anti-villain of the story and Oogie Boogie is there because Santa has to be held somewhere and having a worse villain would make Jack look less bad in comparison. Jack wanted to have fun, do something new! He was just oblivious and inconsiderate of others! (looks at Kalim) What is the moral of the story? What did Jack learn? Listen to others instead of getting overconfident, hear what they have to say, be open to feedback.

If the event story is going to be a rehash of the film's plot like the Stitch event recreating Stitch vs Gantu or how the Books recreate the films' plot beats, Skully will probably hijack the holiday into his image that doesn't see eye-to-eye with Halloweentown's version or comes at the cost of others. You've heard of "never meet your heroes" because their true self is not the exact same as their public persona, this case could go in the direction of "PARASOCIALLLL PARASOCIALLL YOU NEED TO LOG OFF" or some kind of compromise. The ending might have a "that was sick but NEVER do that again" moment.

I want Yuu to be active in this event, even as the "Sally" who tries to reach out to Skully and voice their concerns, but I know the SSRs will be given more focus so I'm half-expecting Yuu to get sidelined. Glorious Masquerade had an opportunity for Yuu, the immune one and foil to Rollo's hatred for magic, to be proactive and directly confront Rollo but got nerfed or else the story would be cut short. Also, Yuu is not an SSR (yeah the SSR gang can confront Rollo BUT LET YUU DO THAT TOO, THERE WAS A VERY INTERESTING DICHOTOMY BETWEEN THEM)

[fridaynightaus]

New AU jumpscare! This one is known as "Lucid Evening Lullabies" (or just "Lucid Lullabies" for short). Inspired by games like Nightmare Ned, American Mcgee's Alice, Among the Sleep, and Yume Nikki (among other things).

This AU begins with Jacob (aka "Boyfriend") coming down with a bad case of insomnia, he doesn't know why or how it happened, but he's been getting less sleep than usual, affecting his performance. His girlfriend Amber (aka "Girlfriend") decides to give him a music box to help him sleep. And sure enough, it works! Just a short tune or two and he's out like a light.

However using the music box had some unintended side effects. As when Jacob falls asleep, he falls into to surreal, vivid, and life-like dreams. But there's nothing bad about that...right?

Well, when there are dreams, there are also nightmares...And opening his eyes will not be enough for him to escape them. He must conquer them, one way or another. For if he doesn't wake up safe and sound...He may never wake up at all...

Anyways. Similar to Alice Madness Returns, Jacob and Amber's outfits change for each night (night's being the AU's version of "Weeks"). Each one of them themed after the dreams, which are in turn are based around the familiar faces and experiences BF has encountered in the past.

Outfit and night descriptions below!

Pajamas

Jacob's default outfit, and the one he always has in the beginning of the dreams.

He wears a blue long sleeved top with white accent lines and buttons, as well as a pocket with a white crescent moon on it. He also wears a pair of long, slightly baggy, blue plaid pants that are tucked into red slippers.

Night 1 ("Sleepy Hollows")

The first night is based on Week 2. It takes place on Halloween night in a suburban town bursting at the seams in Halloween decor and aesthetics, with the trees raining leaves of orange and yellow (think Halloweentown and the town in Hocus Pocus. That is until Jacob, Amber, and the spooky kids come across a decrepit mansion, where inside there are no treats...only a sour trick...

Here, Jacob wears a Jason Voorhees Costume (to match Amber's costume, which is a bit more thematically appropriate given the context. But can also be seen as a reference to Spooksides as his counterpart got his first name after the hockey masked killer). He has the hockey mask on the side of his hide, attached to a black strap. He is wearing a dark green shirt, a dark brown belt, a pair dark blue jeans, black gloves, and black boots which his pants are tucked into. His shirt and pants have (fake) blood stains on them. He is also wielding a fake machete, which has the blade stained with fake blood.

He does actually get to use it at some point, just not in the way one would think when it comes to using a machete...

Night 2 ("Final 'Xamination")

The second night is based on the events Pico's School, and a bit of Week 3. Just from that alone, you can tell this dream's quite closer to home for the little rapper. As a vile invader stalks the building, out of sight...waiting...watching. And a all-too familiar face has noticed that as well, but he's no sweet dream himself...

Jacob's uniform consists of a white, short-sleeved buttoned shirt, a blue tie, a blueish-gray sleeveless sweater. blue pants, and black loafers.

Night 3 ("Rose Fields Forever")

The third night is based on Week 6. With Jacob and Amber finding themselves in a "garden" (It's actually less of a garden and more of a jungle, just replacing the palm trees with cherry blossoms, rafflasia with roses, etc), the denizens welcoming them with open arms. Inviting them to become "hosts" for the upcoming festival to honor their handsome, flowery, idol.But soon they will learn that every rose has it's thorns...and a festival might not be the only thing they'll be hosting...

Jacob's outfit is a ancient Greek-based outfit. With a white tunic with gold accents. a gold belt, a blue toga fastened with reddish-pink gem with a gold base, and a pair of golden sandals. He also has a forget-me-not flower in his hair.

I also have a fourth night planned that centers around Inferno (BF's encounter with Blaze) but I just wanted to do the first three for now while I still try to figure that one out.

[merrock]

event: Hallo-Week

location: all around Merrock

date & time: October 25 - November 3

ooc duration: same dates

It's time… to get your spook on! We know how much this town loves Halloween, so we've rounded up as many Merrockites as possible to get fun things happening in town, whether it be movies, spooky fun activities, party nights, or anything that your haunted little hearts desire.

Please note: for the kids, trick-or-treat will still be happening on Halloween (October 31st), so make sure that you have candy ready to go, to treat them right! Or else… you might find yourself getting a trick. You can go door to door, do the trunk-or-treat, or head to the nursing home to get candy!

Dive under the cut for a complete list of things happening in and around Merrock from October 25th until November 3rd, and have fun!

DOWNTOWN

bookends -- book sale on all horror novels

brownstone inne -- ghost stories in the hotel lobby (& refreshments)

cityview park -- pumpkin carving & painting contests, various craft stations set up (for adults and kids)

cobblestone cafe -- pumpkin spice everything

the holiday shoppe -- 50-75% off all Halloween decor

mack's -- special seasonal pumpkin menu

merrock railway -- haunted train ride

the mirage -- spooky karaoke in the speakeasy (come in costume!)

mods -- flash tattoos & face painting for kids

stubs -- nightly Halloween movies (see below!)

touchback -- spooky cocktails & drinks

town hall -- Halloween safety demonstrations

vibrations -- monster mash party night all week-long (come in costume!)

STUBS:

All movies will be available on the Stubs app, as well, for you to watch at home! There is a small charge for each film, but the money goes straight to the theater. Early films will play at 6PM, late at 9PM.

October 25 -- Casper, Friday the 13th.

October 26 -- Beetlejuice, Pet Sematary.

October 27 -- Addams Family, Nightmare on Elm Street.

October 28 -- Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, Psycho.

October 29 -- Nightmare Before Christmas, Scream.

October 30 -- It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Carrie.

October 31 -- Hocus Pocus, Halloween.

November 1 -- Coraline, Child's Play.

November 2 -- The Haunted Mansion, The Exorcist.

November 3 -- Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Craft.

ALSO AVAILABLE: Monster House, Halloweentown, Goosebumps, Practical Magic, Sleepy Hollow, What We Do in the Shadows, Ernest Scared Stupid, Scared Shrekless, The Witches, Death Becomes Her, Poltergeist, Happy Death Day, Jennifer's Body, The Crow, The Lost Boys, Rosemary's Baby, The Conjuring, The Invisible Man, Trick 'r Treat, Totally Killer + more.

COASTAL AREA

anchors away -- seasonal drinks and pumpkin beer

breathe in -- yoga & pilates with the Sanderson Sisters (come in costume!)

cassidy's candies -- mega discount on all Halloween candy

from brush to canvas -- autumn/Halloween paintings exhibited

the lighthouse -- ghost stories at the top of the lighthouse

the marina -- haunted boat rides (murder mystery style)

mawk tales -- seasonal spooky mocktails all week

sea breeze -- special Halloween flavors available

SUBURBS

aster playground -- pumpkin painting, various kids games set up

benny's -- massive Halloween decor & costume sale

children's museum -- various halloween-themed activities

community center -- costume closet open for takers

the creamery -- black & blue milks available, halloween ice creams

cul-de-sac diner -- halloween-themed meals (& specials for kids)

flour co. -- decorate your own pumpkin cookies

the fun spot -- horror skate nights (come in costume!)

the great escape -- horror escape rooms

memorial library -- spooky story reads, horror book displays

pinecrest cemetery -- cemetery tours (not haunted; respectful)

treasure chest -- 50% off all fall and Halloween decor

COUNTRYSIDE

the barn at lake malory -- haunted houses; family friendly (for kids & easily scared adults who want to take it easy), supernatural/fantasy (medium), slasher (scary).

handpick'd -- specials on seasonal wines

harmony ranch -- haunted hay ride & corn maze

hideaway market -- trunk or treat sponsored by takato's (come in costume!)

lavender lane -- pumpkin, mums & fall favorites on deep discount

little chapel -- ghost stories (with surprise haunting)

north shore -- trick-or-treating with senior citizens (come in costume!)

paradise gardens -- seasonal fall/halloween displays

pet haven -- free treat to all pets that show up in costumes

pine grove gardens -- true merrock horror / scary stories

state park -- spooky walks along the trails (very kid friendly)

the wheel -- 50% off all halloween related items

ADMIN NOTES: have at it! If you want to post costumes, they can be done any time through the week, whether you're partying at Evolution, dressing up to work at your business, or just want to get spiffed up for actual Halloween. Please tag them with #merrockfashion. Socials can be tagged with #merrocksocial, as well. Please do remember to tag anything with trigger warnings if it veers into triggering things, such as excessive blood! You can do other things for Hallo-Week, like having a slumber party and watching movies at home with your bestie, roasting pumpkin seeds, going out to toilet paper someone's house (please have permission), this is the perfect time to just have fun with anything that has to do with Halloween! <3

[franki-lew-yo]

You know, I had a mutual who mentioned to me that Coraline was a disappointment and I actually understand that -- you get hyped up as an adult horror fan ready to see some horror for kids and it's like "well it IS THERE, but it's not Poltergeist-level of 'this is a horror film for kids'-level scare meter. This is a scary movie for kids about kids but I don't know if I'd call it horror in the way I'm used to horror" (their definition of horror being Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers and David Lynch). This isn't someone who was really uptight abt what is and isn't horror btw like I am, they simply were expecting to be really scared and Coraline didn't scare them.

I totally get all of that.

The thing that makes Coraline and Monster House horror as much as they are very much for kids, is that these aren't just 'creepy' or 'horror adjacent' stories like Scooby Doo, TNBC, Corpse Bride, Halloweentown or Hocus Pocus. They aren't just 'kid-friendly version of horror'-films like ParaNorman and Frankenweenie are. Those movies are 'spooky' and have horror elements to them. They may have scary moments in them, but unless you are a little kid I don't think you're ever really scared by them and that's the point. They are built around horror archetypes but they aren't built on scaring you AS MOVIES. Meanwhile, stuff made for adults about children -It, Five Nights, Babadook- those things creep our adult senses out and that is in turn engaging and 'cool' to especially older kids who the movie's not made for but who absolutely are in their 'I can handle it'-phase and like testing their scare-levels.

Poltergeist, Coraline and Monster House aren't horror movies because 'it a thing that scary; kids b skared'. They aren't NOT horror movies because the main characters survive and there's no blood*, as if sad endings and gore is what makes horror 'horror. It's because they are built around the suspense, thrill and genuine feel of dread and fear of you being in the way of something dangerous (Poltergeist), you coming across something dangerous (Monster House), or something dangerous actively trying to get you (Coraline). Fear, suspense and escape is part of the story.

And really, that's what you ought to know in the case of Coraline specifically: if you were a kid, even an older kid like I was, used to the scariest thing you've seen being Oogie's death in Nightmare Before Christmas or Emily first rising and chasing Victor in Corpse Bride; if the scariest thing you were used to was being uncanny and 'creepy looking' but otherwise harmless like Jim Henson or James and the Giant Peach...you were NOT prepared for Coraline. You just weren't. You thought you were cuz you were all 'eugh I saw Corpse Bride when I was 8 in the theater' and 'I watch Goosebumps reruns I can take it-' and then suddenly this happens

and it all gets worse (BETTER) from there? That was a shock. A good shock.

Baby's first legit horror film is so important, provided they're at that age where they're ready.

*yes I know there's the scene with the guy tearing his face off in Poltergeist; you know what I mean.

[billyjoelmutt]

United Universes Special Concert! Thriller!!

It was time for the special concert start! In an area unknown at first but then out of nowhere it is revealed to be Halloween Town With a figured dressed as Michael Jackson!!

One by one the band revealed themselves as Dodger was on the piano wearing his Jackolantern bandanna!! And everyone started cheering as THRILLER started to play!!! :3

Snoopy- It's close to midnight And something evil's lurking in the dark Under the moonlight You see a sight that almost stops your heart You try to scream But terror takes the sound before you make it You start to freeze As horror looks you right between the eyes You're paralyzed!!!!! :3

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike You know it's thriller, thriller night You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight, yeah

Ooh, ooh You hear the door slam And realize there's nowhere left to run You feel the cold hand And wonder if you'll ever see the sun

You close your eyes And hope that this is just imagination Girl, but all the while You hear a creature creepin' up behind You're out of time!! Snoopy had yellow eyes then!!

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl Thriller, thriller night You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight!!

Night creatures call And the dead start to walk in their masquerade There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time (they're open wide) This is the end of your life, ooh

They're out to get you There's demons closin' in on every side

They will possess you Unless you change that number on your dial!!

Now is the time For you and I to cuddle close together, yeah All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen I'll make you see!!!

That this is thriller, thriller night 'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try Thriller, thriller night So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller Chiller, thriller here tonight

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try Thriller, thriller night So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow

Just then Q appeared with a smirk :3. As he was going to do the speaking part :3

Q- I'm gonna thrill you tonight Darkness falls across the land The midnight hour is close at hand Creatures crawl in search of blood To terrorize y'all's neighborhood (I'm gonna thrill you tonight) And whosoever shall be found Without the soul for getting down Must stand and face the hounds of hell And rot inside a corpse's shell

Snoopy-I'm gonna thrill you tonight Thriller, ooh baby (thriller) I'm gonna thrill you tonight (thriller night) Thriller, all night, oh baby I'm gonna thrill you tonight Thriller, thriller night (oh baby) I'm gonna thrill you tonight Thriller, all night (oh baby) Thriller night, babe (thriller night, babe), ooh

Q- The foulest stench is in the air The funk of forty thousand years And grizzly ghouls from every tomb Are closing in to seal your doom And though you fight to stay alive Your body starts to shiver For no mere mortal can resist The evil of the thriller!!! :3

AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! :3

The crowd was on its feet!!! With Snoopy dressed up as Michael Jackson!!! And Q!!!! And the band!! It was going to be spooky time!!!!!!! :3

@thelittlemermaidfan1989

@mellowwpopper

@teen-lyoko-fan7777

@goldmudder

@andy-squirrel-and-friends

@askdj-timelord2

@keirastarlightdraconequus

(Credits to Peanuts, Star Trek TNG, Disney, Michael Jackson, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Supernatural, Halloweentown, and Scooby Doo!)

[thistleandthorn-events]

It's that time of year again, ghouls and goblins, for your favorite institute to put on your favorite event - THE HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE! So come join us on October 31st for a night of food, fun, and mystery! (Everything below the cut is IC knowledge unless otherwise directed).

RULES

Attendance is mandatory for all students. Townspeople are optional.

All attendees must wear a costume complete with mask.

YOU CANNOT TELL ANYONE WHAT YOUR COSTUME IS.

Marks are on hold for the party, however, the headmaster and guards will be around so don’t be ridiculous about it.

ACTIVITIES

Dancing - Great Hall

Escape Room - First floor classrooms (4 rooms designated for different themed escape rooms)

Photo Booth - Great Hall

Snacks and Punch - Great Hall

Halloween themed Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (8-10am, 12-2pm, 5-7pm respectively) - Cafeteria

Movie Viewings - Auditorium (10am - Halloweentown 1pm - Haunted Mansion, 4pm - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, 7pm - Poltergeist, 10pm - Scream)

Pumpkin Carving, Pumpkin seed spitting, Pumpkin Painting, Halloween Crafts - Art Room

Thriller Dance Instruction and performance - Dance Studio

Punkin’ Chunkin’ - Court yard

Haunted Maze - Hedge Maze (like a haunted corn maze with characters, spooky music and guards dressed in costume chasing people. They cannot touch or harm students)

Mad Science Lab - Cafeteria (snacks themes as science and laboratory - eyeballs that are grapes in jello, intestines that are spaghetti noddles, etc)

Potion making - Cafeteria (alcoholic and non alcoholic choices)

Bobbing for Apples - Court Yard

‘Ghost in the Graveyard’ Game - Court Yard

Horror Movie Trivia - Ipads in Great Hall

COSTUME CONTEST

There will be a costume contest BUT it is slightly different from what you’d expect. The object of this contest is to try to be as convincing as your costume character as you can. Everyone will vote for the top 3 costumes - again, the voting criteria being that you had NO IDEA WHO THEY WERE. We’re looking for the best actors here and the top 3 winners will win 200 points each!

OOC INFO

Alright, so here’s how it’s going to work - create a side blog for each of your characters’ costumes. THE URL SHOULD HAVE NOTHING IN IT about your actual character. Remember, you don’t want people to know who your character is. This goes for IC and OOC. PLEASE, don’t break the game. It’s not fun if you break the game.

On your sideblog for your character’s costume, post a photo of your costume including the mask. Once the blog is built and photo is posted, add the URL and costume to THIS GOOGLE DOC. Also, posting throughout the party will be done all F2F. There will be no online or tumblr based starters.

Ok, this part gets a little confusing. IC - this event only happens on Saturday, November 2nd. BUT, OOC we’ll be ‘freezing time’ to allow this event to be played out for a weekish (November 1st - November 9). Again, it’s all happening IC on Saturday. Please keep the dash strictly Masquerade during the whole event.

The other part of the “don’t think about it” part of this is we need to kinda fake things about our characters to avoid being discovered. For example, since this takes place AFTER locktober, no one's locked for this. Or, Austin won't show his accent to avoid knowing who he is, etc. So just kinda suspend your disbelief, please. This goes for physical attributes, accents, etc.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER when making your blog:

Take off auto-tags if you have a way you tag things regularly, or just tag differently

Don't post photos or manips displaying your face claim in your costume, EVEN IF YOU'RE TRYING TO HIDE THEIR FACE. We know, I assure you.

Don't talk OOC about what costume your characters are wearing

If while playing, you miss something please utilize tumblr's asks/messages and message from your sideblog, not your main.

Don't reuse former Masquerade side blogs (not everyone deletes people)

Look out for OOC traits/behaviors which might identify you

Any triggering plots or plots involving a lot of people need to be approved.

If your student character participates they will receive 50 points. Participation will include at least some decent activity (just a post or one/two replies will not count.) Gimme at least one thread and I’ll count it.

VOTING - once we get closer to the event we’ll let you know how this will go but it will be dependent on NOT LETTING ANYONE KNOW (Ic or OOC) WHAT COSTUME YOUR CHARACTER HAS. Please, again, Don’t Break the Game. These things are only fun when the rules are followed. Vote per character, however, even if your character doesn’t interact with them. So, you can use some OOC knowledge for voting ONLY.

We allow costumes to double. Make sure you're paying attention to the URL name when you're voting.

If you have questions please feel free to ask but make sure it’s not already answered in this post please and thank you.

[hollywoodheathq]

HALLOWEEN BASH

Saturday October 26th from 6pm-midnight

ACTIVITIES

A haunted maze where scare actors jump out and sometimes follow you through the twisting path. There is also a second haunted maze set up for kids or anyone who prefers a tamer experience.

There are three haunted houses scattered around the grounds. Each house has scare actors who will do their best to scare you. Some houses may have flashing lights or fog machines.

Dare to enter the dark, gothic halls of The Vampire’s Lair, an ancient Victorian mansion teeming with creatures of the night. Once inside, you’ll find yourself surrounded by eerie candlelight and the haunting presence of vampires who hunger for fresh blood. Can you navigate the mansion’s corridors, escape the vampires’ gaze, and flee before they claim you as their next victim? Or will you become a permanent resident of their blood-soaked lair? The Doll Maker's Workshop? In the shadows of this eerie, forgotten toy shop, lifeless dolls watch your every move. But don’t be fooled—these dolls aren’t just for show. As the clock strikes midnight, they awaken, and their only desire is to play… with you! Will you escape or will you become another one of his creations? Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse—will you survive the outbreak?The streets are overrun with decaying, relentless zombies creeping ever closer, their only goal: to infect you. As chaos reigns, scattered survivors fight desperately to fend off the horde and protect anyone still standing. Will you join the survivors and outsmart the zombies, or will you fall victim to the infection?

Anyone wearing a costume can trick or treat around various spots on the grounds. Food vendors, ride attendants, and other workers will be handing out candy.

There are two outdoor screens set up for Halloween movies. One will be playing movies such as Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and Casper. The other will be showing Scream, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Checkout the Haunted Photo Booth if you and your party want to snap some photos with different backgrounds or props.

There will be various booths set up for different Halloween crafts for both kids and adults. These crafts include making Halloween decorations, pumpkin carving or painting, masking masks, crafting trick or treat bags, or building mini haunted houses.

Spooky storytelling by the fire is a favorite for all ages as storytellers touch base on urban myths, ghost stories, and spooky legends.

FOOD & VENDORS

Food trucks will be scattered around and selling a variety of items such as burgers, hot dogs, tacos, and other street foods.

Vendors will be around selling everything from costumes, crystals, crafts, and all of your other favorite Halloween or spooky themed items.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY

Sunday October 27th from 7pm-midnight

Get dressed up in your best costume and have the time of your life at the costume party! There will be a DJ playing all of the best hits (and also takes requests) as well as an open bar with a few different Halloween themed drink specials.

When you post your costumes to the dash, don't forget to tag the post with #hhhqwardrobe and famefiles will repost it as apart of the fashion column.

[kingyo-konbini]

all I think about are au’s I’ve got a dragon au idea worked out and a summer camp au worked out and I’ve got the modern au from espresso shots and now I’m thinking about doing a halloweentown-esque au thing for october lord I worry I think too much to escape canon

[halloweentown-the-next-gen]

🔸️Halloween Fandom & RP Group

This is a group created by a passionate lover of Halloween, Autumn, and all things spooky, for all those who love the same.

Inspired by the Halloweentown movie series of the 1990's and 2000s, this is all meant to be simple and sometimes nostalgic fun, and a place for childlike enjoyment of the holiday and all the quirky things we love, a place for spooky escapism.

Join us in sharing our Halloween fandom, from shopping, crafts, decorating, news, movies, events, group activities, and everything spooky, even to our own open roleplay and short story series, come play in Halloweentown!

Join the fun!

🟣 Facebook

🟣 Discord

🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔶️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️

🟣🟠🟢 Homepage

` ⬇️ MORE INFO BELOW THE CUT ⬇️

Have fun with other fans of everything spooky! share art, show off our Halloween displays, share spooky news, chat about movies, etc!

Very casual and laid back, and you are welcome to join to check things out before getting involved. We also have no length requirements for RP responses, should you choose to RP.

If you choose to RP, you can use your own OC or any canon character of any media that isn't already taken! There is no limit on number of characters, and we have Tupperbox and Pluralkit in the discord server for anyone to use.

We are horror-friendly but not horror-centered, with individual categories for both in the server, hoping to cater to those who enjoy horror as well as those who simply love a playful style of Halloween!

We have an ongoing short story series in the works!

🟣 RolePlay Setting (Extended)

🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔶️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️

🟣 Short Story Series

🟣 Story Characters

🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔶️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️

🟣 Blogs by HT Members

🟣 List of Blog Tags

Dividers by @djarrex and @firefly-graphics

[zdbztumble]

Yet Another Kingdom Hearts Revisit, Part V

This playthrough has been a blow to my pretensions of having a good memory. I'd completely forgotten that King Triton isn't the only good Disney character from outside Disney Castle who knows something about Keyblades and Keyholes. It makes perfect sense for the Genie to have some insight into them, but I really like that he knows less than Triton does. It's better for pacing reasons that he doesn't, but it also fits his character - I can't imagine that a magical being who spends so much time contemplating mid-20th century American pop culture while stuck in his lamp would keep his ancient legends straight.

Of all the Disney worlds in the series that try to condense their source films into the game, KH I's Agrabah is the most successful IMO. It's really the only level in the game that did so. Olympus Coliseum, Halloweentown, Monstro, and Neverland feature original stories, and Wonderland, Deep Jungle, and Atlantica use only pieces of their films (to greater and lesser degrees) in their stories. Agrabah has almost all the major elements of Aladdin in it: Aladdin's street rat origins, Jasmine's escape from the palace (albeit under entirely different circumstances) and her love affair with Aladdin, Jafar's scheming to take over Agrabah, the quest for the lamp in the Cave of Wonders, Genie's comedy, his freedom, and the three wishes. Even "Prince Ali" gets worked in. The only thing left out from the film is the finale where Aladdin and Jasmine get together.

Why it works here compared to later worlds in the series is that, despite using so much of the film, all of those elements are re-contextualized to fit the time frame that KH I had to work with and, more importantly, were modified to fit the needs of KH I's larger story. There's no room to fit the "Prince Ali" element proper into the plot, and if the attempt had been made, it would've been an abridged version lacking the comedic texture that makes it work in the movie, and it would have distracted from Sora's story and the plot of the League of Disney Villains. It was much better to make that a brief mention and have the three wishes applied to the battle with the Heartless.

And speaking of battling Heartless - Aladdin's in my Top 3 for Disney world battle partners in the entire series. The dude rocks. And Jafar makes for one of the more challenging two-part bosses in the game. Kurt Zisa is, for my money, the most difficult secret boss in the game, Sephiroth very much included. And that's (usually) a good thing! I like having to shift between physical and magical strategies, and I like that he's a boss that let you get good value out of the Summons (sadly, I wasn't able to duplicate my last playthrough, where I beat him with multiple Summons instead of just Tinkerbell and dumb luck at dodging his vertical spin after she bought me a free life).

Part of me wonders if Monstro and Agrabah shouldn't have been reversed in order. On the one hand, Riku nabbing Jasmine makes for a good shock and a sense of foreboding; the player knows how far gone he is at that point, but Sora doesn't. But why does Riku need the quest for the seven princesses explained at the end of Monstro when he's already captured one of them?

And I might as well cover Monstro in this post, as I don't have too much to say about him. This is one world where I agree with the complaints about KH I's platforming. I appreciate that the bowels of a space-whale should be a claustrophobic place, but the chambers are too small and too packed with crap to make the concept work in an enjoyably challenging way. Instead, it's just tedious.

Storywise, however, Monstro is a great turning point for Sora and Riku. Taking a cute Disney character hostage might be an easy way to sell moral decline, but it's so much more effective than three minutes of lore gibber-gabber by one-note pricks in black coats. And whichever executives at Square and Disney are responsible for giving the final OK to these games' plots should have made the staff re-watch this scene ahead of every scripting session since KH I. The first game as a whole works against later characterizations of Responsible Riku being the one to clean up after lazy, do-as-he-pleases Sora, but that scene and this world demonstrate most clearly how big a retcon that change was.

[anauthore]

UPDATE ON ESCAPE FROM HALLOWEENTOWN

Hello all! 

First things first, thank you. If you've read, liked, commented, or talked about this story in any way shape or form, you have supported me in some way, and I appreciate that more than anything. My story, which started out as an opening chapter describing an idea that was one of complete randomness, suddenly grew a following. Every day I was getting notifications about a comment, a heart, a message, a follow... all because of a measly fanfiction I didn't even take the time to properly plan out.

You all have given me a platform, even if it is small- and quickly I rushed to pump out more content, hoping to feed the crowd and make them happy. At first, I wanted to create a story- but, it had no clear path, and so I picked it with less than average enthusiasm. On the spot I had to create something that worked, which wasn't at all how I was used to writing. I thought of it as a good on-the-spot exercise, to help grow my writing style and skill, but by Chapter 4, it became draining and anxiety inducing. I started rushing the progress of our characters and their interactions, and the comments about that in particular started to stick out in my mind. I started to over criticize, spending hours writing out a chapter only to delete it all and start over. I was convinced that, no matter what I did, it wouldn't be an acceptable direction for the story to go in. 

And then I realized, I was right. But for a different reason.

I realized that my heart wasn't in it anymore. That all of my ideas sounded wrong because they were. Nothing connected back to the first, or even second, chapters because every chapter was written separately- and there was no planning beforehand, so planting seeds in the beginning had been a step I skipped in the writing process.

So...

I wanted to do you all justice. I wanted to make the chapters connect, to give it a plan and a sense of direction instead of uncertainty, to really make it a slow-burn. That's what I will do. But to do that, I need to re-write some things. In fact, I need to do a LOT of editing, reworking, deleting...

And to do that, I must go on an official hiatus with this story. I need to take some time to plan out a path for our main characters, to rework what I can, and get rid of what I can't, as well as start writing a cohesive story. That's why I'm making this announcement- to let you all as the readers know what I'm doing, and what's to come.

This story will be finished- and it will be better than ever. I just hope that you all will remain there with me.

Until the next update, AA

[justahappycloud]

hii, 3 and 13 please! for the wip ask game

hi julia!! I'm gonna answer based on both of my WIPs bc one of them is chaptered and the other one is not and that sounds fun so let's go

3. Whose your favorite character for this chapter/fic?

in star-crossed (my fantasy fic where they're both witches from enemy covens) louis has to be my most favourite character bc while both he and harry have a developed storyline independent from each other, louis' character as a whole tugs at my heartstrings like no other. he presents himself as this cool witch that has everything under control (he's the older brother, after all, knowing what to do is his thing) but underneath all that attitude there is so much fear. fear of not being enough, fear that what he can offer is not wanted, fear that he doesn't matter. both he and harry play an important part in the story of the island they live in, but the way louis' journey and arc develops is something that is so so precious for me.

as for halloweentown (my halloween fic in which human!harry is trapped in a town full of monsters and louis helps him escape) my favourite so far is zayn. this story is shorter and a sort of comedy so it doesn't leave room for deep characterisations but gosh, i love this dumb but supportive scarecrow with. my. life. in fact, i described him as a talking burlap sack once and @moonchildreads and I still find it hard to stop laughing about it.

13. What common trope(s) do you feel are used in this chapter/fic?

in the chapter of star-crossed i'm writing now, the tropes i used so far are miscommunication, mutual pining, emotional moonlit scenes (stole this one from a tumblr list lol) and "character A looking at character B while B isn't looking"

and as for halloweentown in general we have the sweet combination of strangers to lovers, "there was only one bed", found family and the use of one (1) closet joke.

thanks so much for the ask!

★ ask me questions about my WIPs ★

[catarinaibarra]

〈 TESSA THOMPSON / CIS WOMAN / SHE/HER / 35 (1025) 〉is that CATARINA IBARRA i see coming through the portal? not surprised, i’ve been seeing the REAPER around these parts for TWO HUNDRED YEARS. i don’t know much about them but the great pumpkin says that they have a habit of being GRUMPY but their PROTECTIVE ways makes up for it. i’ve seen them working as a OCCULT RESEARCHER at OCCULT SOCIETY but everyone says they like to hang out at THE FLOUR GARDEN. alas, i guess we’ll find out more about them as time goes on but they already give me the vibes of STRINGS OF FATE, INK STAINED HANDS, LASTING MEMORIES OF LONG GONE SOULS, COMFORT IN LONELINESS, ANCIENT SILVER BRACELETS.

Penned by Mands, she/her, 26, GMT-3

THE BASICS

NAME: catarina ibarra

FC: tessa thompson

AGE (APPEARANCE): 35

AGE (CHRONOLOGICAL): 1025

YEAR OF BIRTH: 998

BIRTHPLACE: unknown

SPECIES: reaper

GENDER: cis woman

PRONOUNS: she/her

SEXUALITY: bisexual

OCCUPATION: occult researcher at occult society

PERSONALITY

POSITIVE TRAITS: protective, resilient, loyal, prudent

NEGATIVE TRAITS: grumpy, wary, fatalist, reserved

INTERESTS: history, storytelling, sweets, storms, dogs, cats

DISLIKES: surprises, loud noises, living in apartments, geese

BIOGRAPHY

( tw: death )

Catarina's memories of human life are blurry and few. She knows she was born in the year 998, and she remembers a community of people around her. The Ibarra family had five children, with Catarina being the middle daughter. The names of her parents, siblings and extended family escape her now, but their faces are still clear. They were close and caring, and she stills has love for them.

She vaguely remembers the day of her wedding, and a house built with her spouse near her childhood home. She remembers being happy. And then, she remembers getting sick. She doesn't remember dying, only what happened next.

When she woke up as a Reaper, Catarina was confused. She tried to find her way home, but soon found out what her duty now was. She took it seriously, though not without grief, and did her best to accept and understand her new role in life.

For centuries, she had no ties to any place or person. Catarina appreciated the snippets of life she got to see even while bringing death, and all of her free time went to knowing more about humans and their creations, though it was difficult to be permanently apart from them. Her time was now limitless, and she dedicated it to knowledge.

About two hundred years ago, Catarina decided to move to Halloweentown. She had heard of it for decades, and the possibility of establishing connections with other supernatural beings and building a home was too tempting. Being around for over a thousand years, felt that everything was temporary, but Halloweentown offered some sense stability.

She built a home in the town and soon started working as an occult researcher at Occult Society. She still visits the human world often, as her role as a Reaper requires, but she is in Halloweentown most of the time.

BELIEFS

( tw: death )

Catarina sees death as an essencial part of existence, though sometimes the task to end a life can be taxing for her. In over a millennium, she has rarely intervened in any way. To her, her personal feelings are also a natural part of the job, and they should never tangle the lines of fate.

Her actions as a Reaper remain neutral, even when devastating or contrary to her wishes. She accepts tragedy as a painful but unavoidable part of life. The same can't be said about her opinion on cruelty, but she carries that weight on her own, separate from the job.

Every life, human or otherwise, is precious. She remembers the faces of each soul she took, though their names might be long forgotten.

Catarina enjoys learning about cultures and the stories of people. It keeps her connected to humanity through time.

She is passionate about the preservation and remembrance of history, as something invaluable on itself and also necessary to guarantee a better future.

She has seen and experienced plenty of suffering over her extended existence. She mostly keeps that to herself, believing that she shouldn't burden others with what haunts her.

[wahlpaper]

Every Heart a Doorway Review

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

CW: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Child Abandonment, Parent Death Mentioned, Mutilation/Blood, Death, Child Death, Skinning, Reanimation, Animal Cruelty, Swearing, Bullying, Medical Content, Disordered Eating

5/5

While I'm normally the person in my friend group to suggest books, occasionally a friend recommends one to me. This was the case for Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. And they were absolutely right to do so! I took a while to get around to reading it, but I fell in love with it as soon as I did. It's an imaginative world of worlds with ace rep and neurodivergent coding. I'm relieved that it's the start of a series, as I didn't want to be done with it. If you're intrigued so far but not looking for a series, this novella definitely works as a stand-alone.

Every Heart a Doorway starts when Nancy is sent to a boarding school for Wayward Children. She has been through a doorway to a land of the dead, a land she felt at home in. Now she must learn alongside others like her, children who have been cast out of their world and are desperate to go back. Unfortunately, as soon as she starts making friends, people start being killed. Who will be next? Who is doing it? What's their motive? Will Nancy and the school survive long enough to benefit from what the Home for Wayward Children has to offer?

The premise of this story is a beautiful and exciting one. I love the idea that there are worlds out there perfectly suited for each person who isn't suited for Earth. This is where I sense the neurodivergent coding, aided by the author being autistic. All of the children we met felt at home in the world that they found. When they returned to the real world, they had spent so long unmasked that they couldn't stand the world they came back to. Their parents had a hard time with the returns as well. As an autistic person, it left me wondering what world would make me feel right. Perhaps one from scratch would do best, but I can't help thinking of Halloweentown from the Disney Channel Original Movie. 

Another aspect that made me love Every Heart a Doorway was the queer rep. McGuire included ace and trans rep in her novella. Nancy has a squish (platonic crush) on her classmate, Kade, who is trans. He was thrown out of his other world for it and disowned by his parents when he returned. The Home for Wayward Children took him in, though. He's not the most extroverted person, but he does immediately take to Nancy in return. Nancy is asexual and potentially on the aromantic spectrum. Her doorway world was affirming of this. Knowing that McGuire is demisexual made this representation all the more satisfying to me. I have read that the other books in the series have queer rep too. If it's anything like this, I'm looking forward to it! 

Every Heart a Doorway should be a horror novella, given the murder, mutilation, and description of some of the worlds, but it didn't come across that way to me. It's possible that my inability to imagine the gory scenes kept it from being as scary as it could be, but I don't think so. This school is for the children who want to go back to their worlds or at least want to remember them. Many of the worlds were dark, scary, or focused on the dead. The characters are comfortable with dead bodies, so it's easier for the reader to be as well. I appreciated this approach. It's not disrespectful to the dead, it honors them without turning them into a spectacle. The people at this school have a very different viewpoint than most humans, and that matters.

Seanan McGuire created a fantastical and dangerous world that offers hope and acceptance. If the idea of escaping into another realm or a boarding school for kids who have done so appeals to you, Every Heart a Doorway is the book for you. Treat the book as a doorway of its own!