#event: spooky season 2022.

[sambuckyhalloweenbingo]

The SamBucky Halloween Bingo 2024

Hey! It's almost the spooky season, and as such, it's time for the SamBucky Halloween Bingo! From October 1st to November 7th, we will be reblogging and sharing the work you guys create here on our blog.

You can post fanfiction, art, fic rec lists, comments, moodboards, podfics, edits, etc. It’ll be a low-stakes event. No need to sign up. Just remember to tag @sambuckyhalloweenbingo in your post for each fill, and we will be tracking #sbhalloween2024 for reblogs.

If you are posting on AO3, please add it to the SamBucky Halloween Bingo 2024 Collection.

The Bingo Card:

FAQ

What is this?

It’s a SamBucky bingo event.

Is there any pressure?

No pressure at all. Fill one prompt. Fill all the prompts on every bingo card. Do however many you please.

Can I fill more than one prompt with one piece of art/one fic?

Yes! You can fill one prompt with one piece of art or fic. You can try to fill all nine prompts on the card at once with one piece of art or fic. If you can fill every single prompt from every single bingo card in one fill, that’d be wild but it’s okay by the rules. You can do any number in between.

Are there any prizes for making anything for this event?

Just the satisfaction that you made something cool.

Is it just SamBucky?

Yes please, just SamBucky. There can be side ships, but the main ship should be SamBucky.

How long will this event run?

It will run from October 1st and run until November 7th.

I heard there are badges I can use for each fill?

There are! Here they are:

RULES AND GUIDELINES

What are the guidelines for the bingo?

I will be borrowing some of this from the MYSU Valentine’s Day Bingo 2022 Guidelines, since they were fantastic.

For Everyone:

1. Remember to tag @sambuckyhalloweenbingo in the post as well as #sbhalloween2024.

2. Please also tag the prompt you’re filling (for instance, if the square is “Costume”, use “#costume” as one of your tags when posting about it on Tumblr).

3. If you’re uploading to AO3, please:

a ) Say somewhere which prompt you’re filling.

b ) Add it to the SamBucky Halloween Bingo 2024 Collection (SamBucky_Halloween_Bingo_2024).

For Artists:

1. Create at least one piece of new art that can’t have been posted anywhere else before this.

2. All visual art forms are welcome:

a ) Gifsets or photosets, at least 3 gifs or photos.

b ) Aesthetic boards or moodboards, at least 4 images each.

c ) Drawing/painting, that is not a sketch.

d) Fan video.

e) Graphics edit.

For Authors:

1. At least 500 words.

2. Posted on Tumblr or AO3.

3. Can be part of a series, but should work as a standalone.

For Podficcers:

1. The podfic should at least be 5 minutes long.

2. It should be posted on either Tumblr or AO3.

3. The podfic can be of a fic made for the event, a fic not made for the event while still adhering to the prompt, or a notfic.

For Fic Rec Lists:

1. You must have at least three fics or podfics on the rec list.

2. Make sure to give brief descriptions of the fics or podfics as well as their rating and wordcount.

For Commenters:

1. Any amount of comment counts, from a heart emoji (“❤️”) to an essay.

2. We would rather this be about what makes you happy and joyful about reading than any scathing critiques.

Things to be mindful of when creating:

For Sam

Avoid framing Sam only as a caretaker or emotional support for Bucky. Be mindful of Sam acting angry or aggressive in an out-of-character way and falling into the angry/sassy Black man trope (check out the MCU source material to help with character traits).

Avoid decentering Sam as a main character and refrain from focusing entirely on Bucky.

In art: avoid whitewashing Sam’s skin and research drawing Black characters.

General disclaimer: Race affects every aspect of his life, including interacting with police/government and the white structures of the world when it comes to performing his duties as Cap and simply being a Black man that lives in the U.S.

For Bucky

Avoid phrasing “flesh/normal/human hand” to refer to the contrast between his prosthetic arm and his right arm. The phrasing is ableist. You can simply refer to his prosthesis when relevant, otherwise use “right/left arm/hand”.

For more information, please check out this document suggested by @ninesdb on how to write Bucky as an amputee. @ninesdb is also open to questions if you have any queries not answered by the google doc.

Specific Tags:

Avoid tags in AO3 like “Sam Wilson is a Gift”, “Sam Wilson is a Saint”, and “Bucky Needs a Hug”.

Have fun and we look forward to your Halloween Bingo fics!

[tanthamore-events]

Tanthamore Week May 2023 Info (updated)

What is Tanthamore Week?

Tanthamore Week 2023 is a week-long fanwork creation celebration for the pairing Jade Claymore/Kit Tanthalos from the TV show Willow (2022), running from May 22-28, 2023. The theme is “Season 2”!

How does it work?

You create fan content aligning with one of the prompts and post it during the week! You can use the tags and AO3 collection to organise, and we will reblog/post some of the creations.

There are seven prompts, one for each day – they are general and then we have provided specific ideas for each of them. You don’t have to use any of the specific ones.

You don’t have to create something for every day! You don’t have to adhere strictly to the prompts! This is meant to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. There are no word minimums or maximums, no requirements for art size or approach, etc. You can write a long fic that hits each of the prompts, or a drabble for only one prompt – anything is welcome.

All types of fan content are welcome: art, fic, vids, fan mixes, rec lists, etc. If it’s transformative, it’s welcome!

You can add your work to the collection on AO3 here if you would like (use the "Post to Collection" button).

All content should be in some way related to Tanthamore, and to the overall theme of “Season 2”, but other than that, feel free to interpret the prompts and guidelines however you like. We are not going to police your work!

All ratings and content warnings are welcome, but please tag it appropriately (on AO3, using the Archive warnings and rating system as you please, and on Tumblr, with tags that communicate the content in a manner similar to the archive warnings.

Any questions can be asked using our ask box or emailed to us at tanthamoreweek@gmail.com.

Prompts

Day 1: A World of Fantasy

Everything Bavmorda

Tanthalos family history/family tree

Crone backstory

Who is Lili?

Blood of the Six

The history of Kael and/or the Bone Reavers

Who are the Mothers?

Fairies, mermaids, minotaurs, fantasy creatures of all kinds

The Wyrm / the Wyrmworld

Day 2: The Darkness Within

Character goes to the dark side / is evil

Jade gets corrupted by the Crone

Graydon emerges from the Immemorial City

Kit gets taken instead of Airk

Bavmorda corrupts the twins

Madmartigan comes back evil

Day 3: The Journey Home

Return to the Wildwood

Scorpia’s successful mission to free the slaves from Skellin

Vale of Boobs

Revisiting Ballantine's grave

How do they get back up the waterfall at the end of the world?

Return to Nockmaar

Rescuing Graydon

Sneaky kisses

Public kisses

Getting teased

Day 4: Preparing for the Long War

Drawing lines in the sand

Gathering allies

Training Arcs

Galladoorn and the Shining Legion become enemies of Tir Asleen

New allies

Day 5: Haunted

Haunted by decisions made in the past

Nightmares/bad dreams or memories

Supernatural spookiness

Characters are forced to face their fears

Madmartigan returns, and how Kit, Airk, and Sorsha respond

Finally talking about past events

Angst

Day 6: Countdown

Racing against time

Flashbacks

Time jumps

Characters have to be somewhere by a certain time/date

Day 7: Lessons learned

What was gained/what was lost

The Cuirass

Rediscoveries

Processing past events

Consequences of past actions

Understanding past mistakes

Training together

Really excited to see what everyone creates! Please spread the word to your Tanthamore-loving friends <3.

[hyperfixation-dumpster]

Sci-Fi Horror Films for the Spooky Season

The Blob (1958)

Steve and Jane are two teenagers who encounter a creature from space that begins attacking and eating people from their town. Best scene: In the doctor's office where he's looking in a mirror and sees something moving under a sheet. Still freaks me out to this day. 100% recommend!

The Thing (1982)

It's a classic for a reason. A group of men are trapped in an Antarctic research base with a shape-shifting alien. The practical effects and atmospheric paranoia make this one of my favorite movies. Best scene: The blood testing scene.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

What the title says. There's a 50s version of this film which is good too, but the 70s one leans farther into the horror aspects of its premise. Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, what more could you ask for? Definitely one that'll be keeping you up at night. Best scene: The mud bath house.

Alien (1979)

Just watch it, seriously. I don't need to explain this one, just trust me. Starts out slow, but is worth it. A must-see. End then once you finish it watch Aliens (1986). Best scene: Entire third act.

Nope (2022)

A brother and sister investigate the strange happening on their horse farm. This movie blew me away and made me obsessed with Jordan Peele. Best scene: Too many to list. Watch it.

Annihilation (2018)

A group of women enter a zone that has been cut off from the world, and inside the zone DNA does some weird things. The tension is crazy high in this movie and it really makes you think while you watch, trying to understand and put pieces together. Best scene: The one in the gif, I mean come on.

The Fly (1986)

Body horror to the max when a scientist tests out his teleportation device and things go horribly awry. Not for those with a weak stomach, this film is straight up disgusting, but in the best way. Best scene: can't say without big spoilers.

The Blob (1988)

That's right, another blob movie on here! You'll never guess the plot. Practical effects, creative deaths, and a distinct 80s feel that you just can't replicate. Best scene: at the hospital.

Event Horizon (1997)

A space crew goes to investigate when a long-missing ship, the Event Horizon, shows back up after being missing for seven years. This movie did not do well upon its initial release, but found a cult following later and I'm a part of that cult, babyyy. Join us! Best scene: not really a scene, but any part where we see the recordings from the ship or they're mention because it freaks me out.

Attack the Block (2011)

Neighbors must team up when killer aliens start to invade their building. This is just a really fun movie with immaculate vibes. John Boyega stars in this and he does such a great job as an unlikely hero. Best scene: When Moses makes a run for it.

The Faculty (1998)

A school's staff are taken over by aliens intent on turning everyone in the school into one of them; a group of students fight back. This is one of my favorite comfort movies because the characters are great and the premise is tried but true. If you're having a movie night with friends or want to cuddle up with something spooky, this is your movie. Best scene: can't pick one tbh, it's all so good.

Re-Animator (1985)

Imagine Victor Frankenstein but even shittier at his job? You'll have Herbert West. Goofy B-horror from the 80s is sometimes the height of the genre. Jeffrey Combs is in this movie which is reason enough on its own to watch. Best scene: The first reanimation scene in the morgue.

[safarigirlsp]

Halloween Requests Open

✨🍁🐈‍⬛🎃💛✨

✨🍁🐈‍⬛🎃💛✨

REQUESTS ARE NOW OPEN for anything related to AUTUMN and HALLOWEEN! Please read this entire post for complete information, and if you're new, please take a look at my Masterlist.

This is my general theme and what I expect to cover this season, however, feel free to send in absolutely anything! I will definitely deviate from the regularly scheduled program if I like an idea. More info and prompt lists below.

Monster Monday - Zombies, Cryptids, Mummies, Dragons, Beasties, and any Monsters not covered by another category ☠️🎃🧟‍♂️

Transfusion Tuesday - Vampires 🌙🧛🏻🌙

Werewolf Wednesday - Werewolves 🌕🐺🌕

†hursday - Demons, Devils, Exorcists, Possession, and any related themes 🔥😈🔥

Phantasm Friday - Ghosts, Ghouls, Specters, and everything else that goes bump in the night 👻🪦☠️

I Put A Spell On You Saturday - Witches, Magicians, Spells, Rituals, Occultism, and anything similar ✨🐈‍⬛✨

Sunday, Bloody Sunday - Murder, Mayhem, Slashers, Cannibals, and Serial Killers 🪓☣️🔪

I’m only writing for Mills, Flip, Jacques, and Kylo for big oneshots. I will do HC’s for anyone I have ever written for. I am open to shorter ideas for Clyde and Henry, although full disclosure, they interest me a lot less these days, so any idea would have to really pique my interest. I have a strong preference for horror, adventure, and AU's.

This is an Adults Only event. My content is not for minors, or people who are easily triggered or offended. I write mature content intended for a mature audience only.

My Official Lineup will be announced October 1.

Here are Halloween fics from previous years.

Halloween Fic Recap 2022

Halloween Fic Recap 2021

Halloween Fic Recap 2020

This is my favorite time of the year! As far as I’m concerned, Halloween runs from September 1 - November 15, if not longer! I currently have a big fic to finish up that should be done soon, but nothing else slated fic wise. After that, it’s full steam ahead for anything and everything related to Autumn and Halloween. I generally put aside other non-fic writing projects during this time to focus on Halloween content.

For the week of Halloween, October 25 - October 31, I intend to post a big daily oneshot. My stories generally range in size from 5k to 25k, and some are even more! Look for a mix of horror, humor, romance, and adventure! Everything will contain adult themes and mature content. There may be other writing throughout this time too. The quantity of stories I post depends on the length of them. In the past, I have posted a lot of shorter things, but I’ve gotten more into writing longer stories now. The last few years, I have averaged over 100k words for Halloween and Autumn content!

Please send me requests, ideas, thoughts, HCs, anything you like! I’ll pick my favorites or, very likely, a combination of a few different ideas, and I’ll write a oneshot that includes everything I can fit in. Feel free to send in multiple ideas or requests! The more ideas to choose from, the better! All AU concepts, time periods, etc are welcome. Anything is fair game. This is generally the only time of year I open requests anymore, so get them in if you ever want to. Requests will be open from now until Halloween. However, because I tend to write longer stories, the sooner an idea comes it, the more likely I am to use it.

Below the cut are some of my favorite prompt lists, but do not feel bound by them. If you do include a prompt in your request, copy and paste the prompt itself because I hate chasing them down on lists.

Edgar Allen Poe Prompts

Ballroom Prompts

Eerie Prompts

Halloween Themed Prompts

Things to do in October

Autumn Aesthetic Starters

Terrible First Meeting Starters

Magic Starters

Spooky Aesthetic Ideas

Spooky Alphabet

Sexual Tension Prompts

Spicy Prompts

XXX Prompts

Pirate Prompts

Battle Prompts

Bad Reputation Prompts

Fighting Prompts

Attacked Starters

Witch trial Prompts

Horror Movie Starters

Stupid Things to do in a Horror Movie

Horrorland Prompts

Tarot Prompts

October Writing Challenge

General Prompt Masterlist

✨🍁🐈‍⬛🎃💛✨

Tagging some witches who may interested!

@babbushka @in-silks-and-flesh-and-leather @mrs-gucci @mrs-zimmerman @iamburdened @gabesprincess @reborn-rekall @maybe-your-left @rynwritesstuff @caillea @cas-backwards-tie @candycanes19 @queeniebee @lumberjack00fantasies @mythrielofsolitude @icarusinthesea @ghoulian13 @darkhairedmenrule @reyloaddict55 @fizzywoohoo @heartlight-starlight @richbrittstein @clydesfavoritegirl @bensolodyad @thepalaceofmelanie @celiholland @durangoninetyfive @reveluving @fax4life27 @vedavan @queen-of-elves @srorgana1 @reylokisses @kyloremus @vixenofcourse @loveofaddy @kylofrk @dyaddu

All edits by the amazing @kyloremus

[thefirecesquad]

Happy Halloween Wizards!

Join The Fierce Squad and friends for a spooky seasonal celebration, hosted by @nightside101!

The Darkmoor Raveyard features a dueling circle and a mini corn maze, as well as some loot from the house head's sarcophagus. Will it be snacks, apparel, furniture, or seeds?

In our Discord Community, you can participate in uncensored text chat*, hang out in voice chat, and boogie with the boogeymen to our petrifying playlist. Suggest or add your fall favorites to the queue!

As the party goes on, guests may decide to group up for one-shot duels or boss rematches, or even take a field trip to some key boss rooms. It should be noted that duels or rematches taking place in the raveyard will not happen simultaneously, as the castle owner is required on the sigil to start the instance.

Sunday, October 22nd '23 @ 12pm noon EST!

Guild Membership not required. Visit our Discord Community and check "interested" on the event.

*be respectful; server rules apply

[ettawritesnstudies]

HALLOWEEN STORIES!

As much as I love spooky season for the ~vibes~ All Hallows Eve means a lot to me as a Catholic writer as a feast day for remembering the dead and praying for their souls. Every year I try to write a short story with these themes (usually in line with the @inklings-challenge), so I thought I'd compile them all here! If you're interested in supporting me or my work, it would mean the world if you took the time to give them a read and comment!

Happy All Saints and All Souls Day!

[omarandjohnny]

hi! I hope this is ok to ask and please of course feel free to not answer if it's too personal. I look up to your perpetual halloween lifestyle, and i'm also immunocompromised now because of covid. I was wondering if you had any tips or plans for how to celebrate spooky season safely at home, since.. well... it just doesn't seem like going out to a halloween show or something is worth dying, you know? :\ I thought if anyone would know how to halloween party it up at home it would be you.

First off, ALL THE HUGS <33333333333333333333333333

The Plaguetimes have certainly thrown a wrench in the spoopy season for us, that's for sure.

2020 was obviously the most difficult, but my brother and I celebrated by resurrecting an old favorite October activity: Every Saturday is Halloween! We dressed up in themed costumes every Saturday of the month, got together (safely), took pics, and then watched that week's film.

2021 we only dressed up on the day, but still kept the celebration here at home- made a big dinner so it felt like A Real Holiday, and then watched a movie.

2022 we ventured out on a day trip on the 30th, but kept it safe by visiting outdoor locations (we hit up Delavan, WI to take some pics with circus themed statues, we walked through a quiet park to get some autumnal vibes, we did our usual slow drive through a graveyard, and then ate dinner in the car outside a building that looks like a castle)

2023 is going to be more of the same- if it's not raining on the 31st, we're going to get our costumes on and go take some pics outside our local courthouse (they've got decorated pumpkins on the front lawn from a recent fall festival) and then we're gonna try to hit up an location about an hour away to take a few more outdoor shots. If there's too many folks around we'll stay in the car, but if there's little to no foot traffic then I'm gonna try to get my pic taken next to one of these fellas:

As for celebrations entirely at home, having a themed movie night really does make it feel like An Event- we dressed up as aliens for Spaced Invaders night, as Adam and Delia for Beetlejuice night, as Tangina and Kane for Poltergeist night, Fester and Pugsley for Addams Family night.

Even when I've celebrated solo (back when Joelie was younger and more out and about) I've done a themed night. Costume, snacks, some cheap decorations that all fit with the movie- it's simple but it really does bring out the Forever Halloween Kid in me 🎃🖤

If you do end up having a Themed Halloween, I wanna hear all about it! <333333333333

[spookyserenades]

Can I just say that it makes me really happy whenever I realize the date is nearing 7th I hv a feeling you'd go all out for the spooky season I'm kinda curious abt something hope u don't mind my qs I'm like weirdly obsessed with this piece of art so yeah my mind is filled with qs hehehe the thing is I realized like u r very on par with the real timelines like Jk's birthday party was literally on September and stuff like that I'm aware that much time hasn't passed in this universe since the first chapter but it was really cool how the timeline here and the timeline irl kind of overlap... may be I'm jst reading too much into it cuz my love for Trouvaille doesn't know any limits :) anyways luv ya 🖤 cheers for a lovely chapter 🖤 and can I request we kick the ass of that audacious old hag? tc :D

AHHH hi love!! 💜🥺 I too get super excited for the 7th, its the day we all get to chat and go nuts together! I've been working really hard on this chapter (still am!!!) and I hope I can deliver some of the spookiness that goes with October. This next update will feature a few time jumps to include several events, so I hope it isn't too cluttered, but mostly exciting!

I don't mind questions at all, in fact, I love them!! And thank you for being so so sweet. So for the timelines, it happened completely by accident (which is cool and kind of witchy!!) I started writing Trouvaille in June of 2022. It just so happens that now, as I've caught up and have been posting each new chapter as I write it, the timing is lining up with the seasons! Which has of course, been a blast-- I mean some Halloween/Samhain themes in the next update will go perfectly with October. I will say, Trouvaille does take place starting in August 2022, if anyone is curious about the exact timeline.

Love you love you so much! 🥰 Thank you for sending in some kindness and your thoughts, I'm really happy you loved the previous chapter. I think that between Y/N, Jeongguk, and Namjoon, they'll be able to kick that old hag ghost's ass out and into Fenway Park LMAO!!

[lady-of-glass-and-bone]

Duck's Halloween Movie Picks!

I love Halloween and spooky season in general. So here's my list of many, many (but not all) horror movies to watch this October!

🧠 Zombies 🧠

Sometimes dead is better.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) & (1990)

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Diary of the Dead (2007)

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Overlord (2018)

Pet Semetary (1989)

Dead Snow (2009)

Dead Alive (1992)

#alive (2020)

Train to Busan (2016)

Little Monsters (2019)

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

Zombie (1979)

Wonderfully Witchy

It isn't Halloween without a witch.

The Witch (2015)

The Craft (1996)

Practical Magic (not a horror movie but I don't care, I love it) (1998)

Hocus Pocus (a true classic) (1993)

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Don't Knock Twice (2016)

Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Ghastly Ghouls

Ghosts, Demons, and Poltergeists oh my!

Includes but is not limited to: haunted houses and/or people, demons, cursed objects, beings from other dimensions, etc.

The Exorcist (1973)

Insidious (2010)

The Conjuring (2013)

The Nun (2018)

Poltergeist (1982)

Verónica (2017)

Hellraiser (1987) & (2022)

Candyman (1992) & (2021)

Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

The Shining (1980)

Evil Dead (1981)

The Fog (1980)

Paranormal Activity (2007)

House on Haunted Hill (1959) & (1999)

The Frighteners (1996)

House (1985)

Hell House LLC (2015)

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Gonjian: Haunted Asylum (2018)

Possession (1981)

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Ringu (1998)

The Entity (1982)

Vicious Vampires

Because they're bloody sexy.

Nosferatu (1922)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1999) plus all the other million dracula movies

Interview with a Vampire (1994)

30 Days of Night (2007)

Boys From County Hell (2020)

Underworld (2003)

Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)

Near Dark (1988)

Salems Lot (1979)

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Fright Night (1985) & (2011)

Stakeland (2010)

The Black Water Vampire (2014)

Werewolves

Fluffy and vicious, the perfect combo.

Dog Soldiers (2002)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Night of the Wolf: Late Phases (2014)

Ginger Snaps (2001)

The Wolf Man (1941) & (2010)

The Company of Wolves (1984)

Cursed (2005)

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

Howl (2015)

The Howling (1981)

Silver Bullet (1985)

Wer (2014)

Bad Moon (1996)

The Beast Must Die (1974)

Miscellaneous Monsters

All monsters need love, not just the classics.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

The Mummy (1999)

Frankenstein

Wishmaster (1997)

Eight Legged Freaks (2002)

Feast (2007)

IT (1990) & (2017)

The Descent (2005)

Jaws (1975)

Jeepers Creepers 1 + 2 (2001) & (2003)

Horror Express (1972)

Cold Ground (2017)

Devil's Pass (2013)

The Ruins (2008)

Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Monster Squad (1987)

Under Wraps (1997)

The Babadook (2014)

Slashers

Because people are scary too.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Friday the 13th (1980)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Halloween (1978)

The Collector (2009)

House of Wax (2005)

The Strangers (2008)

The Crazies (1973) & (2010)

SAW (2004)

Scream (1996)

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) & (2006)

The Burning (1981)

The People Under The Stairs (1991)

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Terror Train (1980)

Stage Fright (2014)

You Might Be The Killer (2018)

The Toolbox Murders (1978)

Hell Fest (2018)

Revenge (2018)

The Invitation (2016)

Audition (1999)

It Came From Space!

As if space isn't scary enough on it's own.

Includes: anything sci-fi related, not just space stuff.

The Thing (1982)

Alien (1979)

Predator (1987)

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Event Horizon (1997)

DOOM (2005)

Monsters (2010)

Re-Animator (1985)

Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

Pandorum (2009)

Chopping Mall (1986)

The McPherson Tape (1989)

Extraterrestrial (2014)

Always Anthology

The more the scarier!

Creepshow (1982)

Creepshow 2 (1987)

Tales from the Hood (1995)

V/H/S (2012)

V/H/S: 2 (2013)

V/H/S: 94 (2021)

V/H/S: 99 (2022)

Body Bags (1993)

Asylum (1972)

Trick 'r Treat (2015)

All Hallows' Eve (2019)

Holiday Specials

We can't leave out these holidays during spooky season!

My Bloody Valentine (1981) & (2009)

Prom Night (1980)

April Fool's Day (1986)

Black Christmas (1974)

[raccooncourt]

The Magnus Archives is just Gossip Girl but Spooky (A Raccoon Court Case)

I wrote this essay as my argument for my podcast (which you can listen to here!), but I feel like the TMA tumblr community will get a kick out of it. Enjoy!

OPENING ARGUMENT

Hi, my name is Mel, and today I will be defending myself against the claim that “I believe The Magnus Archives is just Gossip Girl but horror.”

Hey Upper East Siders - Today, I would like to open with an honest admittance - I simply do not know what our audience is into. Usually, I just get put on trial for things I enjoy and hope that someone out there can relate. I’m not sure if the trash collectors are fans of both Gossip Girl and The Magnus Archives, but I am and so is Jess, and thats enough for me. If you are familiar with both of these franchises, I imagine that you are yelling into the void right now, screaming and crying and throwing up over how I could make such a controversial yet brave statement. That’s exactly how I felt when my best friend and co-historian of Gay Britain, Jessica Harkness, posited, “isn’t Gossip Girl just the Eye?” over zoom one night in January of 2022. This revelation truly rocked my world, and after further consideration, I have decided to explore all of the ways in which The Magnus Archives is just Spooky Gossip Girl.

In this case, I will identify the similarities between the omnipresent life ruining forces that are Gossip Girl and The Eye, the ways in which money and prestige are powerful enough to destroy anyone’s life, and the impulse of general public to snitch on everyone at all times.

Is London just a spooky version of Manhattan? Are rich white people the root of most evils? Did anyone actually have control over their future or was it all decided for them by forces unknown? These questions and more will all be answered in my analysis so stay tuned.

Defense case-in-chief

Members of the jury, I believe that The Magnus Archives is just Spooky Gossip Girl for a variety of reasons, but before we begin, I will provide a summary of both Gossip Girl and The Magnus Archives in case any members of the jury are unfamiliar.

Running from 2007 to 2012 on the CW, Gossip Girl was a targeted critique and celebration of the exorbitant wealth guarded by the upper east side elite of New York City. In the show, we follow a group of teenagers who go to private school together, some wealthy and some on scholarship, as they navigate the intense pressures of NYC high society. This would be a normal rich teen drama if not for the existence of Gossip Girl, a blog/messaging service that collects and distributes tea about the students. The messages are basically just 2007’s version of getting twitter notifications for a gossip account. Over time, Gossip Girl bullies teens, causes infighting, endorses taking advantage of others, and exposes a number of social and literal crimes. Over the course of 6 seasons, we explore the impact that gossip, money, constant surveillance, and the internet has on the livelihoods of the Upper East Siders, from the snotty teenagers to their prestigious families.

Now, The Magnus Archives is a podcast distributed by rusty quill, licensed under a creative commons non-attribution sharealike 4.0 international license, written and performed by Jonathan Sims, and directed by Alexander J Newall. This short form audio drama, produced from 2015 to 2021, follows Jonathan Sims, the newly appointed head archivist of The Magnus Institute in London. Jon’s primary task is to organize and digitize the statements given to the institute with the help of three assistants, most of which which we hear throughout the podcast. While the statements are originally written off as the ramblings of lunatics, it soon becomes clear that the paranormal stories given in the statements hold some truth to them. Eventually, the paranormal aspects of the statements are revealed to be the manifestation of the world’s worst fears. In an unfortunate turn of events, Jon becomes an avatar of The Eye, which is the fear of being watched and surveilled and known, and unwillingly brings about the end of the world. The show focuses mainly on the ways in which we are shaped and guided by our fears as well as the issues of predetermination and fate when it comes to our decisions. While Jon and his coworkers/lover try to save the world, we get to explore guilt, responsibility, and determining the fate of others without their consent.

Both of these shows obviously rely on group efforts to source information and power for the entity that rules (Gossip Girl and the Eye respectively), but neither Gossip Girl nor the Eye actually does the heavy lifting in their operations. Through a variety of tactics, these two entities collect information constantly without doing much work themselves. This is the key to their success as harmful information spreading powers. In this section, I will catalog how these powers surveilled their targets before we dive into how that information was used against others.

Gossip Girl starts out small, with Lonely Boy Dan Humphrey at the helm. In the first season, Dan reports on drama happening at the small private school that the main cast attends. Members of the school are encouraged to report on any suspicious behavior that they see their classmates partaking in. Their reward is not monetary - instead, they ride the high of being credited as an informant in a Gossip Girl post. Teenagers are cruel and short-sited, so it makes sense that they would chase the high of this notoriety without considering the impacts that the drama had on their fellow classmates. This demographic of informants was insatiable - they demanded to know everything that was going on in the lives of their classmates and they were going to help expose them in any way possible. However, while the early Gossip Girl posts merely reported on what students saw other students getting up to, it wasn’t long before Gossip Girl began weaponizing the drama (real or otherwise) to ruin lives. Throughout the show, we watch Dan and Georgina collect any information from the now sycophantic following that Gossip Girl had amassed. This information was not fact checked or considered. Anything went. Something as innocent as spotting Serena Van Der Woodsen outside of an apartment building could be spun to insinuate that she’s back into drugs. Regardless of whether it is true or not, Gossip Girl specialized in character assassination, and even when they didn't have proof, it didn’t matter. The damage done by Gossip Girl in some cases was irreparable - Jenny has to pack her bags and move away to escape constant harassment, Nate nearly goes to jail for drug possession instead of his dad, and Chuck and Blair get in a car accident that causes Blair to lose her baby. Real people were getting hurt, and in the end that was the high that Dan was chasing. He wanted to ruin lives, and his following was willing to help him do so even if it could hurt them just as easily. Dan never needed to rely on hacking security cameras or following people himself - the members of the Upper East Side community and those adjacent to them observed and reported back without any real incentive. It’s fun to speculate about people’s lives, especially when you can distance yourself from the fact that those people are real people, not just social objects for us to gawk over and pick apart. Gossip Girl shows us just how eager even the nice, good people are to publicly scrutinize others without turning that scrutiny on themselves.

Dan finds people to run surveillance for him, but he still partakes in the evil of celebrity shaming. The important part to remember about wielding power gained through surveillance is detaching yourself from those you hold power over, and Dan succeeds at doing so. Gossip Girl becomes a money making venture for Dan, one where he no longer cares about whether his only friends are hurt in the process of his successes. He truly becomes Gossip Girl rather than a real human being. Not only that, but Dan fully commits his life to Gossip Girl’s cause, which is the celebrity gossip economy. While Dan may believe that he is doing something revolutionary by exposing the Upper East Side, he is really just feeding into the mass market we have created for celebrity monitoring and surveilance. It doesn’t matter if it is paparazzi, TMZ, or Gossip Girl, they all serve this bigger purpose. In this way, the show Gossip Girl is identical in framework to The Magnus Archives. In the world of The Magnus Archives, The Eye acts as spooky Gossip Girl, collecting as much information as it can on the fears and secrets of everyone. In The Magnus Archives, one of the 14 majors fears is manifested as The Eye or the fear of being watched and known, the fear of having no secrets. The more information and secrets that The Eye knows, the more fear it sees and the more power it can wield over the general population. It can specialize the way it attacks it's victims the more it knows about them, so the major goal of The Eye is to know as much as possible. Like Gossip Girl, The Eye can’t do this on it’s own, and instead relies on a variety of mechanisms to gain it’s information. Primarily (as far as is discussed in the podcast), The Eye is fed through statements given to The Magnus Institute by people who have been touched by other fears. People who have been haunted by their fears come into the institute, desperate for someone to listen to them, to validate their insane experience, and to make it stop. While the Gossip Girl informants also just wanted to be heard and to be a part of something, those informants weren’t all being tormented by the thing they were reporting back to. The Eye also collects information through the physical eyes of it’s avatars and employees (and maybe any eyes in paintings too?). At the Magnus Institute, once employees are hired to the archive, they are forever tied to The Eye. While all of them work for The Eye, it is the Archivist that becomes the most important worker and acts as the avatar of this fear. Whether knowingly or not, the archival employees purpose in life quickly becomes to collect information and report back. Their service can only be ended through blinding themselves or dying or maybe killing the Archivist, inherently ruining all of their lives in the name of knowledge. The avatars that serve The Eye vary in their willingness to serve. Throughout the series, we see the ways in which Elias Bouchard (DILF)/Jonah Magnus (Not a DILF) have no boundaries when it comes to collecting information for their master. They don’t care if any of their employees die in the greater search for knowledge and actually they will actively put them in harms way if it means getting closer to completing the Watcher’s Crown. That is contrasted by employees like Melanie King, who gouges her eyes out in order to break her terms of service. Here is a key aspect in which TMA ratchets up the horror aspect of the Gossip Girl playbook. While Gossip Girl gains information through willing participants snitching on unwilling participants, The Eye commands unwilling participants to snitch on unwilling participants. The added layer of nonconsensual abuse that The Eye relies on makes it much spookier. Both shows expose our desire to be heard, whether it is airing our worst nightmares or talking about someone you saw cheating on their boyfriend - we need to share these thoughts with others regardless of the impacts, and both Gossip Girl and The Eye relied on this human need to ruin lives.

Now, let’s look at how surveillance and the congregation of information by one all seeing party is used to manipulate others in both of these shows in a way that is vital to the plot and messaging of the show.

I’m not going to belabor the obvious point here - both of these shows are about white men using information to control everyone in their community to everyone’s detriment, and before you say “but mel! Elias Bouchard/Jonah Magnus isn’t ever physically described. How do you know he is a white man?” Guys, he is the literal physical embodiment of capitalism and constrictive, all knowing governments. Of course, he is a white guy. Anyway, this is the basis of these shows, and they would have no story if not for this unifying theme. What ties these two shows is the need to surveil and report back to a greater power, who then uses information to ruin lives and inform fear. Gossip Girl fails to exist without the inclusion of constant surveillance. If we didn’t have the omniscient internet god that was weasel faced Dan Humphreys, Gossip Girl would’ve just been a show about vapid rich kids complaining - I have no interest in that show. Instead, we get to see how people lose their agency and their minds when other people have the ability to scrutinize their actions out of context. Throughout the show, we watch Gossip Girl utilize surveillance to ruin lives - not only the lives of those targeted by the texts and posts, but also the lives of the informants. These young teens (and sometimes adults) became completely obsessed with getting whatever information they could to send to Gossip Girl. They became addicted and were willing to endanger themselves to get the scoop for literally no reward. Even though no one was safe from Gossip Girl’s targeted shots, no one, not even the adults, could resist the rush that came from submitting a tip that Gossip Girl used. In the end, they couldn’t even help themselves by destroying the entity that ran their life. Our addiction to knowing and judging is our downfall, and that’s the message of Gossip Girl. The happy and bizarre endings we see for the main cast in Gossip Girl only occur when Gossip Girl is exposed and shut down. Dan comes clean and gives a pretty shitty apology/explanation for his actions and the group can move one with the master manipulator Gossip Girl finally retired.

The Magnus Archives is also a show that ceases to exist if you remove the powers of surveillance. If The Eye didn’t collect information, it would have no need for the archival staff and we would have literally no show. Easy as that. Instead, we get to delve into humanity’s darkest fears and the ways in which fear motivates us and ruins our lives. The difference between Gossip Girl and The Eye however comes when we discuss the motivations for collecting and using the information. The Eye’s sole purpose is to sow fear and feed off of the destruction of lives. Gossip Girl aims to destroy lives and manipulate/profit off of the Upper East Side, and the fear of being watched is a nice by product.

There is a similarity in message between these two shows that goes beyond just cautionary tales about surveillance. The message may be partially to fear everyone having access to everything about you, and I believe that is a wise moral. However, these shows deal with more than just the fear of being watched - they dive into the ethics of using that information to change the lives of others. Dan originally is trying to gain justice for the unfair ways in which his peers were acting - putting others down, cheating on their partners, and beliving that poor people were useless. However, the power corrupted him, as it usually does, and Dan became obsessed with controlling people through blackmail and their fear of being exposed from his safety in the Brooklyn Poverty Loft (TM Mike’s Mic). Years go by in this dystopian hell where Gossip Girl is in complete control over the lives of the Upper East Side. Now, in the end, Gossip Girl doesn’t win. Dan realizes how fucked up everything he did was (way too late in my opinion, but thats besides the point). In the last episode of Gossip Girl, Dan sacrifices his social life and reputation to start making up for his mistakes. He allows his best friend to break the story that he is Gossip Girl, and he personally apologizes to the main cast, knowing that he likely will be shunned for all the shit he did. This desire to fall on your sword and sacrifice yourself to save others from a future of survielence hell actually is the main message - if you fuck up this bad by abusing the excess of information at your fingertips, you can prevent it from happening in the future, or at least stop the issues you have created yourself. Obviously, Gossip Girl could come back (and she does in the new series of Gossip Girl), but Dan realized that he didn’t need to keep it going. If he quit and exposed himself, at least he could stop the madness for a little while.

Surprisingly, a nearly identical ending occurs in The Magnus Archives. Despite his best efforts, Jon (now the avatar - the Archivist) acts as an unwilling participant in the bringing of the end of the world. Not just a metaphorical end of the world - the literal end of the world. The fears take over the planet and divide it’s inhabitants into those who watch and those who are watched. The latter of the two is doomed to live through their worst nightmares for the rest of eternity. Now, you can make the argument that Dan chose to be shitty while Jon did not - and I agree. If that’s really gonna make or break this argument for you, we can use Jonah Magnus, who did make the choice to bring about the apocalypse. Jon, however, at fault or not, knows that his actions in the past ruined lives and he has a chance to potentially fix it. Over the last season of the podcast, Jon and his boyfriend Martin make their way back to London through the fear domains. Once in London, they realize that Jonah has become The Eye - he is no longer human and is just a fear. The boyfriends are informed that there are a couple of theories as to how they can reverse the end of the world - Jon can kill Jonah and become the eye himself, trying to fix the world from the highest point of power OR they can destroy the eye and banish the fears to another world. There is a ton of super interesting discourse about these options in the last few episodes, but the group agrees to banish the fears.

Jon, the love of my life, then makes a decision for the group. As a believer that it is his mistake that caused the fears and his desire not to doom another world for the sake of his own, Jon decides to become the eye and destroy the entire world - fears and people involved. He is in his Eren Jager in S4 of Attack on Titan era. This decision and commitment to Jon’s selfish line of thinking best lines up to Dan at peak Gossip Girl / Famous Author times when he goes behind the back of his team to chose his plan - becoming the fear and trying to fix it himself. This is a mistake, and in the end, Jon convinces Martin to kill him in order to banish the fears. The team knows that the fears will likely do this to another world, in the same way that someone was likely to pick up the Gossip Girl mantel - BUT they did what they would to stop the immediate suffering. Obviously, this is Spooky Gossip Girl, so Jon and Martin sacrifice themselves literally and not metaphorically like Dan does. However, it reinforces the message that when you have the power to influence and control people, you always have the opportunity to change their lives for the better and fix your mistakes. Just because you have all of the information doesn’t mean that you can’t give it all up to protect others.

These two shows are inherently examinations on agency and our ability to chose what happens to us. In both The Magnus Archives and Gossip Girl, the fate and life plan of the main characters is relatively set in stone and chosen for them from an early age. In many ways, their actions and the hell that they must live through are predetermined by the bigger powers.

In Gossip Girl, as with many shows dealing with rich and powerful families, one of the main non-Gossip Girl caused conflicts revolves around predetermined fate. The rich families set out the life plan of their children from birth - where they will go to school, where they will go to college, what they will study, what families they will marry into. The children are expected to follow this plan and join their parents in upholding the family business and the family legacy. Some of the children chose to follow these plans, like Chuck Bass who follows his father’s footsteps by purchasing and managing high scale hotels (but then does end up murdering his father so ¯\(ツ)/¯ ). Some of the children fail to follow the steps but execute the plan, like Blaire Waldorf who doesn’t get into Yale but does end up running a successful fashion line just like her mom. And then, there are the kids who just don’t follow the plan at all, like Nate Archebald who ends up running a newspaper and puts his dad in jail. This variety in how parents deciding on fate actually plays out is not a new story.

In the show, we also see some levels of fate come into play when we look at Gossip Girl himself. Dan originally uses his power as Gossip Girl to try and hold the elite accountable for their shitty behavior. He tries to break into the upper levels of society, but is told that even if he were to enter the Upper East Side, he would never really be a part of it. This ends up becoming true. As Dan recognizes his ability to manipulate public opinion in his favor, he collects information from the public with the explicit goal of character assassination. He can’t even help himself. He believes that he is in control, when in reality he is a victim to our obsession with celebrity. He becomes well known but he never becomes one of the Upper East Side because he ruined their lives. He isn't in control. In Gossip Girl, Dan acts as the collector and abuser of knowledge, organizing the statements that his followers bring him and weaponizing them, but in the end, his work serves the insane economy of celebrity judgement that ruins lives daily.

Now, in TMA, we deal much more concretely in the ideas of predestination and fate as not expectations that parents and friends put on us but as actual forces in the world. Employees of the archive collect information to serve the Eye. While they believe that they are in control of their lives and their motivations, all along the Eye is compelling them to seek knowledge. Even when anyone in the archive thinks about quitting, they just can’t bring themselves to do it.

Throughout the podcast, we see this predestination of “service to the Eye” observed in a variety of ways. Jon, the Archivist, becomes an avatar of the Eye just as was planned for him (we will discuss this more later). Martin fails to follow the steps but executes the plan nonetheless. Rather than staying as a sole employee of The Eye, he is also working for the Lonely but refuses to help the Lonely hurt the Eye. In the end, he completes his work as an avatar by giving Elias/Jonah valuable information on Peter Lucas and his attempt at completing a Lonely ritual. Then, we have employees that refused their fate, like Tim who dies stopping one of the other fears or Melanie who gouges her eyes out. Even when fate is undeniable, we see it take different forms in two it controls the lives of the characters.

Let’s get back to Jon. Jon, the love of my life, is partially predestined for his future and partially responsible for it. As a kid, Jon was marked by The Web, one of the other 14 fears, when he read the Lietner “A Guest for Mr. Spider” and then watched his bully get pulled into a magical door and is never seen again. Jonah Magnus, when looking for an Archivist to make into an Avatar, knew that they would only be powerful enough to work if they were marked by all of the fears. Now, Jon wasn’t special because he was marked by one fear - plenty of people were marked by a fear. However, the show does bring up the fact that he was picked for this job even when there were other, way more qualified people who applied, like Sasha who also worked at the Institute. This implies that Jon was always going to be picked, none of the other applicants ever had a chance because he was picked despite not having any relevant experience. Throughout the show, the Eye continues to force Jon into being marked by all of the fears so he can complete The Watcher’s Crown.

TMA 160 → https://snarp.github.io/magnus_archives_transcripts/episode/160.html

Once he is the archivist, we see him fight to decipher what is him and what is the eye. We actually see this to a degree with all of the staff, because once they realize who they are working for, they realize that they have no power to leave. While Jon (the Archivist) realizes that The Eye is evil, he cannot bring himself to stop working for it. Jon tells his boss that he never chose to be an avatar, to serve a fear, to which his boss says this -

Whether Jon ever had a chance to leave and to not chose this life, we have no idea. This could just be Elias being a shithead and deflecting. However, we see Jon become unable to leave when he realizes that you can become freed by blinding yourself. Melanie was strong enough to do so, but Jon was not.

And because of this, he inadvertently ended the world. Depending on where you are in the show, you will see very different versions of Jon. Sometimes, he feels no guilt for his actions because he knows they are controlled by the eye. Other times, like when he doomed the world or Tim and Sasha die, he decides to accept those actions as his own even when they were not. It’s a very interesting look into choice and blame that I think both of these shows look into.

Obviously, this example is way too spooky for Gossip Girl, but the sentiment applies all the same. Various times throughout the show, a main character brings up how Gossip Girl is only given power by people giving her material - so, if they stopped giving her material, they could stop her power. However, not one bitch actually stops snitching to Gossip Girl, the detached entity. In ways, both shows follow characters that have issues with taking responsibility with their actions and the ways in which they themselves are ruining lives. Dan essentially says that Gossip Girl would’ve been nothing if people hadn't been obsessed with tea, so its really not his fault that lives were ruined. After all, if people hadn’t done things they were ashamed of, he would’ve had no gossip to spread. Similarly, Jon causes many people incredible pain by reading their minds and mind controlling them and haunting their dreams, writing it off as “feeding the eye.” It doesn’t matter because it wasn’t really his choice. The difference between Dan and Jon in this case is that Jon eventually realizes that it doesn’t matter what is truly his choice - he enjoyed causing fear and knowing these people without their consent and that’s wrong. This discussion of individual fault and responsibility ties nicely into my next point of comparison. In addition, regardless of morality and the desires of the main cast, those with the most money or prestige have the power to determine any aspect of the life of their community. The parents and the rich kids have the most power in Gossip Girl until Dan manages to increase his following and prestige enough that Gossip Girl is in power. In the Magnus Archives, power and prestige are linked in the institute already. The Institute seems to have endless resources and because of that they have endless power. Hiring staff to manipulate and murder is no issue when you have no limits on funds. The police are essentially ignoring all of Elias’s crimes until season 3/4. There was no chance for any opposing forces to silence Gossip Girl or The Eye - they were the ones in ultimate power.

Finally, I would like to touch on a few character comparisons that I feel exemplify how not only the messaging but also the story itself is similar in these two shows.

Let’s start by making a clear distinction between the two people portrayed by Pen Bagley in the series. Originally, we meet “Lonely Boy,” the “poor” kid from Brooklyn going to the private school on a scholarship. He is painted as a total outsider who feels deeply unloved outside of his family. His main goal, whether he admits it or not, is to break into the group of friends that run his school, so he can feel connected and normal. However, Lonely Boy dies as soon as he is accepted into this friend group. In season three, we truly start to meet Dickhead Dan, as I like to refer to him. Rather than the sweet older brother character, Dan becomes selfish, big headed, and self important as soon as he goes to college. For the rest of the show, we watch Dan take out his vendetta against his so-called friends, the only people who really tolerate him in NYC. He weaponizes Gossip Girl to manipulate the lives of his friends until he can finally profit off of it by publishing a tell all novel. Even though Dan had been Gossip Girl the whole time, his intentions originally were just to teach his classmates a lesson on gossip and how harmful it can be. As soon as Dan gained enough social power, he changed his motives and deliberately used surveillance to control every aspect of his friend’s lives before defaming them publicly. Dan sucks. Anyway, I think that this duality can be represented by a few characters in TMA. First off, “Lonely Boy” begins as a guy who has a crush on Serena Van Der Woodsen, a mysterious girl outside of his friend group. Most of Dan’s original motivations are to get Serena to notice him, and eventually, continuous pining worked. I will say that in early seasons of TMA we see this same pattern with Martin and Jon. In the first season, Jon refuses to discuss his personal life or beliefs with his coworkers, remaining a dark academia enigma until a literal worm woman enters their workplace. Martin pines after this man he knows nothing about and stays at his job that sucks in part because this cute mystery boy is there, even when the cure mystery boy accuses him of being a ghost. While I see aspects of Martin in Lonely Boy, mainly the aspect that they are fundamentally lonely despite their best efforts, Dickhead Dan is a total different beast. The secondary, power hungry, selfish version of Dan Humphrey is nearly identical to the character of Jonah Magnus, if Dan could hop between bodies and control people’s minds. I will argue that Dan’s use of information and decision to knowing spread misinformation is a form of manipulation that on the scale of Gossip Girl is a form of brainwashing, so maybe these boys aren't so different after all. Anyway, Jonah Magnus is a servant of The Eye. His whole life’s purpose is to provide the eye with as much information it can about others that it can use to become more powerful. Now, Jonah employs people unknowingly to assist in his work, but he has no care for whether they live or die, much in the same way Dan does. I mean, Dan’s work as Gossip Girl causes his sister to get into drug dealing and exposes how she lost her virginity, which forces her to move to upstate NY just to escape the drama. If you don’t care about what happens to your sister, you probably wouldn’t care if other people were hurt in the same awful ways. In this way, Omnipresent Dan and Jonah are in their basic form the same man. The way that TMA makes it is a little spookier is the fact that Jonah forces people to give him information and the only way to escape is to scoop your own eyes out.

Finally, I want to quickly talk about love interests. Gossip Girl wouldn’t be Gossip Girl if the teens didn’t all have complicated emotional and sexual relationships that breached usual friendship bro code rules. We obviously have pairings that are considered “end game” in Gossip Girl like Chuck and Blair and Dan and Serena. We also have the pairings that overlapped - Jennie and Chuck, Dan and Blair. This intermixing was purely for spectacle in Gossip Girl - most of these pairings were just to shock the audience and keep us interested. In The Magnus Archives, we see this same overlap in relationships and interesting boundaries being broken (i.e. office relationships). Daisy and Basira in my mind are lovers who also happen to be Police Officer partners. It is revealed that in college, Jon and Georgie dated. Later in the seasons, Georgie dates Melanie, who is an employee of Jon’s, and Jon dates Martin. Now, I do not want to make our jury think that I am saying the Jon/Georgie/Melanie/Martin story line is like the Chuck/Blair/Dan/Serena stories except in that there is gay overlap as the seasons go on. How are these honest, beautiful portrayals of different forms of love somehow spookier than the raunchy, debaucherous relationships of Gossip Girl? The relationships of TMA are honest and vulnerable and fragile - and isn’t that the scariest thing a relationship could be?

Closing Argument

Members of the court, today I truly put myself out there by being not only controversial but also brave. I ask that you carefully consider my argument and see that Gossip Girl and The Magnus Archives are basically the same story. The Magnus Archives just adds a little bit of horror through being in London, introducing mind control, and actually manifesting the end of the world. I urge you to see the similarities between Dan and Jonah Magnus, Gossip Girl and the Eye, and the conclusions of both stories. I think it only makes sense that I love both of these pieces of art so much given their near identical structure. Honorable Jury members, do not find me guilty of having a bad opinion today. If you do, I’ll snitch to Gossip Girl AND ask the ceaseless watcher to turn his gaze on you, and that is a threat.

[wivendev]

Events

Events are, well, events that occur during certain time periods on Wiven

They range from holidays to seasons, and can include special games or item hunts within existing ones

There are 10 total events planned for Wiven, The picture below being one of them

Here is a screenshot of one the beta version of "Spooky Neighborhood" Created May 13 2022! AKA: The Halloween Event

[emperorhyperi0n]

Details:

RWBY FNAF AU

It's the characters or RWBY, but it's the basic presence of FNAF (night guards, spooky and shady shit happening at an entertainment venue, robots) and uh. A lot of other stuff. Expect chaos.

Featuring: Schneeamatronics, Bootleg Disney, The Orb™, and a very, very angry Ozpin.

RWBY but it's Bullet Train (2022)

It's the fun idea of "everyone meets pre-Beacon", but with the added spice of a train! And everyone on the train (mostly) is trying to kill each other. Shenanigans ensue.

Featuring: an incredibly unlucky Jaune, an incredibly tired Blake, a Train (duh), and a bird.

Here To Stay Chapter 2

Many moons (about five months) ago I made a slightly cringe fanfic about Roman and Neo waking up from a 'nightmare' of the events of the S3 Finale of RWBY. You can probably find it on AO3 after scrolling through the Roman/Neo tag a bit, but I've been agonizing over making a second chapter to this.

Featuring: criminal amounts of Fluff, mild arson, a nervous man in an ill-fitting suit, and waffles.

Fortnite C1S5

One day I woke up and decided to read about Fortnite Lore for some reason... and then the ideas floated in. It's pretty much a full "novelization" of all the events, map changes, and especially loading screens of the Season wrapped into a single cohesive story. Kinda surprised nobody's done a project this yet.

Featuring: Connections, confused foxes, DriftBomber hijinks, angry Vikings, and even angrier Enforcers.

OC Stuff

Pretty much just me publishing things about my own cringe universe that's been marinating in my brain. Not really connected to any fandoms tbh.

Featuring: Lore™, a duo of Doctors, the bootleg SCP Foundation, a sentient pocket-watch girl, absurd apartment costs, and a chill bird.

[swynlake-rp]

OTMS

MUN: Z! Cursebreaking! Marriage! Baby! And more! Z’s characters have had a big month, with some long-term plots reaching their turning points. As one member wrote, Edward’s story in particular was the culmination of many connections he’s built up over the years so it was satisfying to see them all come to fruition! Shoutout to Z for making it all happen!

CHARACTER: MARTIN! We also loved to see Martin’s big moments this month with his wedding and honeymoon! As one member put it, “He’s come such a long way.” And we love to see it!

THREAD: THE HATTER SIBLINGS CRAVE VIOLENCE! We loved to see a new side of Hatter in this thread— annoyed-older-brother-Hatter! Hatfish always brings the shenanigans and this was no exception.

TASK: L’S BFFS PLAYLIST! Finn and Nemo have a long history! Newer members appreciated the backstory and longtime members enjoyed the trip down memory lane for one of BFFs’ most iconic moments. 

Honorable Mention: Karaoke Nights! (M and A) Great minds think alike! Our members also shouted out Gil’s and Marlin’s karaoke playlists

BOARD UPDATES 

PASSED: Swynlake Secondary Clean Energy Source, Rosewood Apothecary, Redo the Town Website 

SENT BACK WITH REVISIONS: New Lighting Fixtures for the Farmlands

INTRODUCING… YOUR CANDIDATES! We’re gearing up for a very exciting election season! Please find all the candidates and their applications linked below. Read the full election breakdown and timeline over on the election doc 

VIDIA WINDWHISTLER

ISAAC MOREY

MAGICA DE SPELL

… AND SKIP ROGERS! 

TASKS

DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES? Rewrite a scary (or spoopy!) movie/story/TV show starring… SWYNRP  characters! Put Phineas in “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” The Peterson-Boggs family in Hereditary? Trap Al and Tiana in a haunted Tipton hotel room? Phillip trapped in “The Tell-Tale Heart”?  (600 words) 

HALLOWEEN COSTUME PAST: Make an aesthetic of a Halloween costume that your character wore as a kid (or teen… or college-aged adult… Just pre-RP so you don’t re-use what you wore last year). Write a little description as to why you picked that!

EVENTS

OCT 2 - OCT 9: MEET THE CANDIDATES MIXER! Come to Town Hall to meet the candidates for the 2022 Swynlake Town Board election! Canonically on Oct. 3

OCT. 9 - OCT. 16: FIRST DEBATE! Come watch (and live Tweet) the first debate! And afterwards, head over to the ballroom for some refreshments and to meet and mingle with your new board candidates. Canonically on Oct. 10

OCT 16 - OCT 23: 1ST CANDIDATE EVENT! Time for your Board Candidates to show off their stuff, more information will be posted closer to the dates! Note: this one is NOT the fundraiser; that comes next month. Canonically on Oct. 17

OCT. 23 - OCT 31: HALLOWEEN FUN!

Town Hall Trick or Treat: A family-friendly Halloween bash with tables from local volunteers and businesses giving out candy. Dress up in your favorite costume and bring the family!

Pixie’s Halloween Haunt: For the nightlife crowd, Pixie’s will have its annual Halloween bash. Keep an eye out for the theme!

Edric and Phineas’s gRAVEyard SMASH!: Get ready for the most epic dorm party this side of the underworld. BYOP (bring your own potion) or try out the Spooky Flynn Surprise…

Minnie and Daisy’s Halloween Bash!: Minnie and Daisy are hosting a Halloween party at the Emerald Manor! Get dressed up and head on down to The Woods for a night of tricks and treats. Some ~special invitations~ will be sent out for a sleepover and brunch the following morning!

BIRTHDAYS

Characters:

Giulia Marcovaldo – October 1

Cassandra Hamada – October 5

Mirabel Madrigal – October 6

Agustin Madrigal – October 6

Bae "Nemo" Nam-min – October 9

Elliot Morey – October 12

Gaston D'Avenant – October 13

Rose Whitman – October 15

Thomas Harrington – October 19

Scott Richards – October 22

David Hatter – October 29

Zero Hallows – October 31

[magnus-sm-writes]

Short Story Update: End of 2023

Believe it or not, when I’m not writing novels, I’m typically working on short fiction. I know I talk a lot about my poetry—and believe me, I do write quite a few poems—, but I’ve been trying to work on my short fiction since October of last year. 

What really got me going was the realization that it had been a full year since my last (and only, as of writing this) short story was published. “The Ghost You Left Behind” was published in Coffin Bell’s October 2022 issue. I got a little panicky about that (I think I cried). I’d put off both writing and attempting to submit short stories for quite some time due to the hectic events of my 2023. In short, I needed to do something. I was getting antsy.

I realized I needed to challenge myself more. Constraints equal creativity for me. It’s about testing myself, pushing to see if I can still write to a prompt or not.

This update showcases two short stories of mine: “The Boy & the Hag Stone” and “Plastic Fangs”. 

Out of both of them, you might think that “Plastic Fangs” was written first. But I actually began “The Boy & the Hag Stone” in October, and didn’t begin writing “Plastic Fangs” until December. What can I say? I’m a spooky boy year-round, except when it’s spooky season. Then I’m just a regular boy.

For both of these stories, I was inspired by visuals. Honestly, for any story, I am inspired by visuals. I don’t think in words; I think in pictures.

For “Hag Stone”, I was thinking a lot about the stone in Coraline. That cool little guy is actually rooted in beliefs that hag stones protected you from evil, and that looking through one could reveal hidden evils. Not exactly how it’s used in the movie, but I’m willing to give it a pass because I’m a sucker for a good Laika movie. I was also inspired by how much I personally hate wearing shoes. (I work in an office, and my coworkers know that I am most focused without my shoes on.)

“Plastic Fangs” was fun because it was my Halloween piece. (Just two months late on that, as always.) I had this idea of a scene where a vampire went as himself for Halloween. Not a very original idea, I know, but I was so inspired that I drafted the story in less than two days, and wrote a second draft in just as much time. 

(This is why I thought I could easily finish 2 short stories in the month of February. Which I did not do.)

These stories flowed from me with an ease that felt almost surreal. It was truly incredible. Perhaps that was because I had just gotten my full-time job and was finally able to stick to a schedule. Writing around an hourly work schedule was difficult for me because it was so unpredictable. However, with my work hours set (and by virtue of that, my writing hours set as well), I can easily finish more writing now than I could before, when I had objectively more time to finish things.

Both of these stories were fun additions to my growing collections of stories with fantastical elements. 

“The Boy & the Hag Stone” is about Rishi, a man who’s a little directionless in life, and the strange man he meets called Banshee. Banshee is the biggest manic pixie dream boy I’ve ever written. Quite frankly, I want to write more for him, even though he’s a very difficult person to write dialogue for. 

It is a little over 5000 words, though it needs some serious revisions. Somewhere in the middle, the style completely changes. I was going for a vaguely fairytale-esque vibe, in honor of the professor who encouraged me to write fantasy once again. It didn’t exactly work the first time around. Hopefully, a second pass will allow me to salvage the idea, because I think it fits the tone quite well. Banshee is mysterious enough to be a small-town folk legend. Funnily enough, that is my ultimate goal in life. 

My quote for “Hag Stone” is from Coraline, of course: “I think most things are pretty magical, and that it’s less a matter of belief than it is one of just stopping to notice.” I think that describes Banshee’s outlook on life perfectly. It’s not only that he himself is magical: he believes the world is full of magic, and that he’s just more attuned to it than the average person. 

What I love most about “Hag Stone” is that Rishi is just as willing to go along with Banshee’s weirdness as I would be. He’s having a far more interesting early-twenties crisis than I did. Mine ended (I think) when I became an administrative assistant; Rishi’s ended when he met a man who could see the future. We are not the same. 

EXCERPTS

His mother had swallowed a hag stone when she was pregnant, they say. He blew through town for a wedding. Though his name was Ian, they called him Banshee. 

Banshee came into people’s lives just as they needed him and left like a ghost. He was wild and unkempt, save for the polished stone around his neck, and had blank, colorless eyes like asphodels. I was a fool to let him sieve through my fingers, but I know I’ll see him again.

For some reason, I thought he would taste earthy. Like a mouthful of dirt, or of sand. Rotting leaves. Or like a mouthful of sugar. Pure and sweet. Like home, turmeric and sweat and heat, or home, wood polish and vanilla perfume and fresh laundry, or home, dust and stale noodles and horse. Banshee tasted like none of that, but somehow made me think of all of it. He tasted like a new home I could slip into. 

Songs I listened to while writing “Hag Stone”:

Haunted House - Florence + the Machine

Nobody - Mitski

Almost (Sweet Music) - Hozier

I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons

The second short story, “Plastic Fangs”, is one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. Marcellus is a vampire on the hunt for a lover and a good meal all in one. He finds that in Abel. But all is not as it seems.

It’s a rather wordy short story at 5800 words. The ending is the shakiest part. That much is typical of how I write short stories. (That is: with no ending in mind, only what feels natural.) 

“Plastic Fangs” was one of those works I finished in two days at most. I actually began writing the second draft before I finished the first. Marcellus experienced such dramatic character development in the middle of the story that I just had to change the beginning because it didn’t fit anymore. Originally, he was just a run-of-the-mill, angst-filled vampire. Now he’s just a strange person that reads people’s diaries to learn their deepest secrets. For a dead guy, he’s full of life.

Abel is a good contrast for Marcellus. He’s a little angsty, pretty lost. Marcellus has had a lot of time to figure himself out; Abel hasn’t. That’s what makes their dynamic so interesting to me, I think. They have different life experiences. 

I’m certain that “Plastic Fangs” will take far less time to edit than “Hag Stone”. For one, it’s already had one round of edits. I also didn’t take any risks with the prose. It’s a pretty typical example of my style. I could see “Plastic Fangs” and “The Ghost You Left Behind” taking place in the same world. They have the same sort of vibe to them. 

The quote for this short story is from Rachelle Lefevre: “The thing I love about vampires that I find so fascinating is that, unlike other sci-fi creations, they aren't monsters from the get-go, they're human beings first... and so what kind of human you are would dictate what kind of vampire you would be.”

EXCERPTS

In October, Marcellus’ penchant for the dramatic—that which made him what he is today—gets to come center stage as he attends various costume parties, parades, festivals. He buys a set of flimsy plastic fangs that sit strangely in his mouth. Tacky in a charming way. An amateur stage adaptation of Dracula. 

Marcellus loved performing Doctor Faustus in the troupe. We understand Faustus better than nearly anyone, Julius said, because we’ve already sold our souls for profane power. He understands making selfish decisions; Faustus was only his favorite because Julius got to be affectionate as Mephistophilis. 

Abel has a small, blown-out tattoo that might have once been a smiley face right above his hip.

Songs I listened to while writing “Plastic Fangs”:

Howl - Florence + the Machine

Waltz of the Bone King - Peter Gundry

Ravenous - Autumn Orange

Haunted House - Florence + the Machine

These two stories really helped drag me out of a writing slump. Moving into my parents’ house did a number on me mentally and creatively, and I only managed to get out of that when I began working full-time and forcing myself to go out more instead of succumbing to my depression as I was. I think you can tell that I was still pretty depressed when I wrote “Hag Stone”, even if it is a story about hope. 

My husband actually suggested I try turning “Plastic Fangs” into a book. I think there’s potential with that. These characters interest me so much that I want to do way more with them than I can within the parameters of a short story. I have a few scenes written for a larger project with them, but I’m not quite sure where that will take me. 

Please ask to be added to the taglist! I'm tagging @bardicbeetle, because Larkspur is and always will be my inspiration for writing weird shit about vampires. <3

[newmusicweekly]

“Coconut Kevin” is the first release by Caswell & The Peel N’ Eats to hit the airwaves!

“Coconut Kevin” is the first release from Caswell & The Peel N’ Eats! The band is based in Westerly RI, and was formed in 2022 as a Yacht Rock cover band. A full album is in the works with original songs. Coconut Kevin is based on a real person named Kevin Martin who decided to quit the daily grind, live in his van and head to Key West each winter! “Coconut Kevin” by Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats on #hearnow https:caswellandthepeelneats.hearnow.com Coconut Kevin by Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats Official Music Video Catch the wave! Yacht Rock is one of the hottest genres of music, encompassing the smoot sounds of radio from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Think artists like Christopher Cross, Boz Skaggs, Toto and Rupert Holmes and you get the vibe. Throw in some Jimmy Buffett and that turns up the dial! Caswell and the Peel N’ Eats are a seasoned group of musicians who sing, play and dress the part for your nautical experience! Captain hats and pink flamingos are a hallmark of the shows. The performance is upbeat and interactive with audience participation. The band has played festivals and event rooms and has been gaining a following. You will hear covers of Yacht Rock favorites like “Brandy,” “Escape: The Pina Colada Song,” “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Spooky,” “Lowdown,” and “Ride Captain Ride.” Read the full article

[spinstrackingsystem]

“Coconut Kevin” is the first release by Caswell & The Peel N’ Eats to hit the airwaves!

“Coconut Kevin” is the first release from Caswell & The Peel N’ Eats! The band is based in Westerly RI, and was formed in 2022 as a Yacht Rock cover band. A full album is in the works with original songs. Coconut Kevin is based on a real person named Kevin Martin who decided to quit the daily grind, live in his van and head to Key West each winter! “Coconut Kevin” by Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats on #hearnow https:caswellandthepeelneats.hearnow.com Coconut Kevin by Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats Official Music Video Catch the wave! Yacht Rock is one of the hottest genres of music, encompassing the smoot sounds of radio from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Think artists like Christopher Cross, Boz Skaggs, Toto and Rupert Holmes and you get the vibe. Throw in some Jimmy Buffett and that turns up the dial! Caswell and the Peel N’ Eats are a seasoned group of musicians who sing, play and dress the part for your nautical experience! Captain hats and pink flamingos are a hallmark of the shows. The performance is upbeat and interactive with audience participation. The band has played festivals and event rooms and has been gaining a following. You will hear covers of Yacht Rock favorites like “Brandy,” “Escape: The Pina Colada Song,” “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Spooky,” “Lowdown,” and “Ride Captain Ride.” Read the full article