#ghost!charles Blackwood

[the-iceni-bitch]

𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕰𝖞𝖊𝖘 𝕲𝖔 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖉

𝙶𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍

𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜 𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎.

𝙰𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚡𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊 ~ 𝙰 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢.

𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚘𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚌𝚒𝚊 ~ 𝙰 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎.

Relationship: Charles Blackwood x female!reader

Words: ~1.4k

Warnings: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT!! explicit language, explicit sexual content (non-con, public sex, unprotected vaginal sex, marking), horror elements, SMUT!!! 18+ ONLY!!

A/N: my muse is awake and thriving?! Anyway, enjoy the creepy ghost sex, y’all. More monsters to come

You smiled as your maid of honor helped you do up the last of the buttons on your grandmother’s wedding gown, turning when she was finished and basking in the “oohs” and “ahs” of your bridal party. Everything was so perfect. The manor was beautiful and it really was the vintage wedding of your dreams.

But something still felt off. An occasional shiver would travel up your spine and you felt as though you were being watched. No matter how much you told yourself it was nothing, the feeling wouldn’t go away, causing you to look over your shoulder and your smile to falter. You thought you saw something out of the corner of your eye and tried to move your head quickly to get a better look, but whatever it was was gone.

Charles was enjoying setting you so on edge. Ever since you first came to his manor, his home, trying to decide if this was where you wanted to celebrate your love for your nothing of a fiancé, he had wanted you. You looked exactly like her, especially now that you were wearing her dress, and since he couldn’t have her when he was alive, maybe now he could have you while he was dead. In fact, there were quite a few things he could do whilst dead that he never would have dreamed of while he was alive.

Emboldened by the fact that neither you nor any of your bridesmaids could see him, Charles glided forward, ignoring the other women and focusing all his attention on you. When you shivered at his proximity he grinned wickedly, eager to see what other reactions he might be able to elicit from you.

The feeling of an ice cold finger dragging down the side of your neck made you gasp, your bridesmaids asking you what was wrong and only shrugging when you said it was nothing. You must have been going crazy, that was the only explanation for this. All of a sudden the finger turned into a hand that was gripping and massaging your breast, making you gasp again but only able to offer your bridesmaids a shake of your head when they inquired about your wellbeing. A second hand joined the first in fondling your breasts and you whimpered under your breath, swearing that you heard a lascivious groan in your ear and the chilly breath of some eerie presence on the back of your neck.

You suddenly realized that whatever was happening to you, it was making you wet, so wet you were worried about it soaking through your panties and staining your dress. Fortunately it was time for the procession, so you stood up to make your way to the hall where your ceremony would be taking place. Your hope that perhaps these odd sensations would cease once you left the bridal suite was quickly dashed, one of the freezing hands moving from groping your breasts to squeezing your ass. It was all you could do not to start crying, confusion and arousal making your head feel fuzzy as you stumbled after your bridal party and tried to keep your smile on your face.

Charles had never felt so elated in either life or death. He knew he was torturing you, but he didn’t care, groaning again when he smelled your pussy getting wetter and wetter. You were so soft and warm under his dead hands, your body more responsive than he could have ever dreamed. When he felt your nipple hardening under his fingers he gave it a pinch, tugging on it gently and chuckling again when you whined and squirmed for him.

It took everything in him not to grow even more bold before you had reached the hall. For everything he wanted to do to you, he also wanted an audience. The doors opened and he waited alongside you, his cock throbbing when he smelled your neck as your bridesmaids made their way down the aisle.

When you spotted your fiancé you finally forgot about all the strange things that had been happening to you for just a moment, smiling at how handsome he looked and beginning to make your way towards him so you could be joined as man and wife. Then you heard a tearing sound, and all the beautiful antique buttons that had decorated the back of your grandmother’s wedding dress scattered around you while everyone in attendance gasped. Suddenly you were on the floor and screaming, trying to bat away invisible hands as they tore at your ruined gown and delicate lingerie until your breasts were exposed to everyone in attendance.

They were all frozen, horror gripping them and keeping them from helping you as you pleaded and begged for whatever was happening to you to stop. Something was between your legs and your screams became even more frantic, your body thrashing wildly even as you were pinned down by some invisible force. It was pushing your skirt up your legs and you wailed, choking on your tongue when your cry was suddenly muffled by what felt like a freezing cold pair of lips. The utter shock allowed for your panties to be ripped off and discarded, and then your ghostly assailant was inside you.

Your cunt was so tight and warm Charles almost came on the spot. Instead he just roared with pleasure, a sound that every living being in attendance heard and was made to cower. He didn’t care about them, though, except for the fact that he wanted them to watch him fuck you into oblivion. Bruises were already raising on your breasts and the insides of your thighs from the brutality of his assault on you, and that just made him fuck into you even harder, ramming his cock as deep as it would go and grinding against your clit so you knew that he was giving you pleasure that you had never thought existed.

He reveled in the knowledge that your fiancé had a perfect view of your pussy stretched wide open around his invisible cock, loving that the poor man could see every ripple and flutter of your internal muscles when his violent movements wrenched an orgasm from your tormented body without warning. You even squirted everywhere, making a mess that Charles would have licked up if he still had the ability. For now he just settled for kissing you again as he continued to fuck you, swallowing your sobs and whimpers as your body quivered underneath him.

You had never felt more miserable or humiliated in your entire life. Every member of your family and all of your friends were witnessing you being assaulted by some spectral being and still your body betrayed you again and again. When your second orgasm took you you had to shut your eyes, silently praying that this was a nightmare and that soon you would wake up. But you knew it was futile. This was impossible, but it was real.

How could you ever look your fiancé in the eyes again? Knowing that he had seen you so utterly debased and used. And the man did nothing to stop it, just stood there and watched as pleasure was wrung out of your helpless body. It made you almost hate him even though all you wanted was for him to hold you and tell you everything was going to be alright. You knew it never would, though, not when every important person in your life had to watch you be completely and utterly degraded for the amusement of some spirit.

After your fourth orgasm Charles couldn’t hold back any longer, looking over his shoulder and laughing at the look of horror on your fiancé’s face as he started to pump his cum inside you. He knew how strange it must feel, so cold and thick as it coated your inner walls. And it would always stay with you, that small piece of him like a piece of ice that was piercing your heart and sticking to the most intimate part of you. As soon as he was finished he withdrew, sighing as he floated towards the ceiling and ignoring the sounds of your wretched cries as everyone suddenly broke from their terrified spell and rushed to your aid. He had finally gotten everything that he wanted, and he knew that you would never forget him.

[georgiapeach30513]

Misguided Ghosts Masterlist

Charles wants you, but Jake saw you first. Now the ghost of the house you bought has to compete with your best friend, and he’s very jealous of the hold that Jake has on you. Maybe if they could live with you in harmony, but neither men want to share your time. And both of the perfect idea of what’s right for you…and themselves.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

A/N:  This is just a fun little loving ghost story.  Do not take this seriously.  There will be smut, and ghost smut, don’t come at me.  I love the angry Charles playing off the dynamic of Jake.  There is themes of obsession, mutual pining, somnophilia, ghost sex, and the cutest nerd you ever did see!

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics​

[buckrecs]

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙

masterlist | s.s characters masterlist

ONESHOT

Deflowering in the Garden by @sableseb

Charles has a taste for the finer things in life. But, the finest wines, the finest art, and the finest suits have nothing on the pretty little thing he spots from across the lawn. She’s in a floral dress that falls just above the knee. Hair down and messed around her soft features from the wind that seems to have picked up from the moment he laid his eyes on her. 

Boys in Bed with Books 3 by @jobean12-blog

You try on something new and want to show Charles. 

plastic smile by @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog

Charles comes to town and you both fall for each other quickly.

acting like that by @/sweetkingdomstarlight-blog

You see Charles at a party flirting with another woman.

figured you out by @/sweetkingdomstarlight-blog

Charles comes home to find you in the hands of your bodyguard Chris.

Easily Repaired by @navybrat817

Convinced that Charles is cheating on you, you damage his precious car. When you realize your mistake, he decides to teach you a lesson.

the girl in the diner by @starbuckie

Dust To Dust by @boxofbonesfic

Your dream job turns out to be more of a nightmare.

SERIES

Like a Dream by @/jobean12-blog

Charles takes you to Italy.

[ladyswartzrot]

“My niece Mary Katherine has been a long time dead, young man. She did not survive the loss of her family; I supposed you knew that.”

- Uncle Julian

We have always lived in the castle - Shirley Jackson

This would explain everything honestly...

[abbatoirablaze]

Ghost Of You, Charles Blackwood

Word Count:  974

Warnings:  slight angst, mentions of ghosts/spirits, mentions of character death, implied smut, dark Charles Blackwood.

“Just one more dance,” he begged, his cold hands gripping your waist tightly.  You tried to shrug him off of you, but it was no use.  He was far too strong, “come on.  Don’t be like that, sweetheart.  I just want one more dance before we retire for the night.  Before I take my beautiful wife to our marital bed.”

“Charles, please.”

“I love it when you beg me,” he purred seductively against the shell of your ear.  You whimpered at how his chilly breath sent yet another shiver down your spine, “beg me for it, angel.”

“Charles…”

“Just like that!” he cooed, growling against your ear while his erection grinded against your thigh.  You tried pulling away and got as far as turning around before he whipped you back to him, your body colliding harshly with his own, “you’re mine, angel.  You belong to me.  And we’re finishing this dance.”

You shot up in your bed, a cold sweat making a shiver run down your spine.  You were alone in your quiet, dark bedroom, but the normally stale air of the old home that you’d bought off of a sisterly pair just a few weeks ago was ice cold. 

“He-hello?”

Just as usual, no one had answered. 

And no one would. 

Before Constance and Merricat had moved they warned you that something not so nice was in the air of the house, but you hadn’t believed them.  They told you that despite their best efforts to get the spirits to evacuate the house, one pesky soul remained. 

That of their distant cousin, Charles, who had died in a raid and fire that the townspeople were responsible for nearly ten years ago. 

When you had bought the house, the townspeople warned you, not of the fire, but that of the wicked sisters.  But when you met the pair, they were just two women that wanted to get away from the pain that they had endured living in the house their entire lives.

They had managed to avoid the townspeople for a long time, but after the fire, it became harder.  They had to use parts of their family fortune to restore the house, which included inviting some of the very same looters back to them.    

Charles death had made it unbearable. 

His ghost, according to the sisters, haunted them at every turn.  At first you didn’t believe them, even hiding your giggles as they told you about their cousin and his odd habits.  But as the weeks grew, and spring turned into summertime, you were starting to see why they had sold it to you for such a reasonable price, despite how they had fixed it up to its former glory.

“I just need to go back to sleep,” you whispered to yourself, “ghosts don’t exist.  Spirits don’t exist…it’s just me here.”

“Oh, I exist very much,” a warm voice responded into the darkness of your room.  Your eyes snapped in the direction of the mirror that was near the closet.  And in its reflection, you could see a man, standing shirtless at the edge of the bed behind you.  His dark hair was dripping, the beads of water gliding down his bare, toned chest only to be caught by the towel wrapped loosely around his waist.  Your heart raced as his steely eyes pierced your soul.  You shuddered and felt the weight of the bed dipping behind you, but you were far too scared to turn around, “Look at me princess.  I know you like what you see…I can practically smell your arousal.”

You clung to the sheets and turned slowly.  But when you arrived at the point in the bed where he should have been, he was gone.  You released a breath you hadn’t realized that you were holding in, until you saw the firm handprint on the end of the bed. 

You looked back to the mirror, but there was nothing.

“I-I must have done it,” you tried to reason, “i-I’m going crazy…I need a dog or something.  I-“

“Sweetheart, you’re not crazy,” the man’s voice growled.  You whipped around once more, but nothing.  With a few shaky breaths you tried to convince yourself to lay back.  And with another heavy breath you closed your eyes.  But something felt off.  A pressure on either side of you.  Your eyes opened, and not even six inches in front of you were a pair of dark, steely eyes boring into your very soul once more.  You opened your mouth in a silent scream.  But nothing came out aside from a gaspy breath.  He gave you a devious smile, one hand moving as he balanced himself on an elbow, while the free hand reached down, pulling the covers from your body.  He licked his thin bottom lip in hunger as he eyed your nightie, “you know, it looks way better on you than in your drawers…”

“Y-you’re not real,” you whimpered softly, not wanting to believe that the apparition had appeared in your dreams and was now in front of you, “y-you’re not real.”

“I’ll prove just how real I am,” he growled sensually as he ripped he covers from your body and lifted your negligee until you were exposed to him.  His frigid hands touched your bare core and you shuddered, “god, it’s been so long…but don’t worry, angel.  I’ll be gentle.  Fill you up nice and slow all night.  I mean, you are my little wife after all.   You signed the deed which means you belong to the house…you belong to me…”

“N-no…”

“Oh yes, princess,” he cooed.  His erection bounced against your thigh and you shuddered at the coolness from his skin, “like I said though, I’ll break you in nice and slow tonight…after all, we’ve got the rest of time for me to explore that pretty little body of yours…”

[barnbridges]

the real castle/tsh discourse in my head is always, is it camilla or marion who is a stand in for constance

[werezolft]

The Dead Boy Detectives (and crew), have been occupying my thoughts the past few weeks. I’ve watched the show on repeat, rewatched Sandman, actually started reading the Sandman graphic novels (currently on Seasons of Mist, the introduction of the Dead Boys), and I’ve started drawing the episodes in the style of old teen detective novels.

I started these before getting super into behind the scenes details. I went down a bit of a rabbit-hole last night, and was delighted to learn that show-runner Steve Yockey wanted the show to be reminiscent of The Hardy Boys, one of the main influences of these covers.

The accuracy of their depictions varies, I don’t think they always really look like themselves. But I had a lot of fun.

I hope to continue designing these for a bit while the obsession holds, and maybe I can properly bring in purples, Crystal’s hero color.

[Alt Text:

Image 1: A series of covers on a white background. From left to right, "The Case Of The Dandelion Shrine", "The Case Of Devlin House", "The Case Of The Dandelion Shrine" (alt cover), "The Case Of The Hungry Snake", and "The Case Of The Lighthouse Leapers".

Image 2: Three teenagers, Charles, Crystal and Edwin explore a blue green cave with a skull covered in dandelions on a center shrine. Charles holds a flashlight, Crystal is climbing in while her eyes have gone white during a psychic episode, and Edwin is playing lookout. At the top of the page in yellow italics is the text “Dead Boy Detectives” and below in off-white bold caps “THE CASE OF THE DANDELION SHRINE”.

Image 3: Edwin, Charles and Crystal peering around the corner of a yellow-green wooden hallway, looking at the silhouette of a man swinging an axe. They have varying worried expressions. At the top, in yellow italics is “Dead Boy Detectives” and in off-white bold caps “THE CASE OF DEVLIN HOUSE”.

Image 4: Crystal and Niko stare at each other across a green hallway. Niko has her left hand raised and is surrounded by glowing images, stars, hearts, moons, butterflies, rainbows, and sparkles. The cast a faint pink light. At the top in yellow italics is “Dead Boy Detectives”, and in off-white bold caps “THE CASE OF THE DANDELION SHRINE”.

Image 5: Charles and Edwin tied to chairs in a golden yellow room. Charles has an iron collar chained to his neck, and his wrists are bound. Edwin is in a white tank top, and his mouth is gagged with a clothe. On the wall is the shadow of the witch Esther, with her cane. In the corner is a large cabinet, Niko peers out of. On top of the cabinet is perched a crow, Monty. At the top, in yellow italics “Dead Boy Detectives” and in off-white bold caps “THE CASE OF THE HUNGRY SNAKE”.

Image 6: Edwin, Charles and Crystal stand on stairs overlooking the gray sea and red sky. A giant angler fish, Angie, is staring at them. In the corner, on top of the hill is a classic red and white striped lighthouse. At the top, in yellow italics “Dead Boy Detectives” and in off-white bold caps “THE CASE OF THE LIGHTHOUSE LEAPERS”.

Image 7: A series of book covers on a white background: “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in The Secret of Skeleton Island”, “Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, The Ghost of Blackwood Hall”, “Nancy Drew, The Mystery at Lilac Inn”, “The Hardy Boys, While the Clock Ticked”, and “The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon”.

[strangestcase]

I’m trying to start reading gothic literature, but I don’t really know where to start. What books in the genre would you recommend?

Cracks knuckles.

Start off with a selection of Edgar Allan Poe short stories. There's a reason he's considered the best Gothic writer. Most if not all of his fiction falls squarely into the gothic genre, even his non-horror production. The more you read the better, but The Fall of the House of Usher is one of the best representatives of the Gothic you can find. Also check out his poetry and scientific essays, if you can, the guy was a real Renaissance man. He also wrote one novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, which, along with Lovecraft's In the Mountains of Madness and Cambell's Who goes there? aka The Thing From Another World constitutes some sort of "trilogy" (since each story was based on the one prior).

Then you can move on to other short story selections. Short stories are easier to read and digest, I think, and plenty of fun. I recommend the following authors:

J. Sheridan Le Fanu- Irish writer that took a page from Irish folklore and legends. Madam Crowl's Ghost is a favorite of mine.

R. Louis Stevenson- usually a children's author, Stevenson liked to merge genres and used pretty interesting concepts for his horror production.

Guy de Maupassant- he was commisioned to write, so he often recycled entire concepts and plots, leaving us with many different versions of the same story (and a lot of heavy-handed morals. god bless).

Charles Dickens- predictably enough, he specialized in ghost stories

M. R. James- James' short horror stories have some of the most interesting monster concepts I've ever read, from a haunted dollhouse that recreates the events of a real-life haunting, to a possessed pattern print.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer- little man puts the "Dark Romanticism" in, well, Dark Romanticism. If you know Spanish, do yourself a favor and read his short stories untranslated.

Elizabeth Gaskell- wrote plenty of good horror stories, and often from a female perspective, which is always a treat.

Bram Stoker- his stuff is very hit or miss, but when he hits, he hits hard. Read The Judge's House for a very nasty ghost story and then toss Stoker into the garbage because everything else he wrote is either comically racist or just dumb.

And now as for specific must-read short stories:

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman- maybe the true monster was medical misogyny all along! (Obvious content warning for graphic medical abuse, misogyny, and domestic abuse.)

What was it? by Fritz O'Brien- short story in the vein of "hey wouldnt it be fucked up if this happened?" Don't read if you have sleep paralysis.

The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant- a missing child, a mysterious door, and forces beyond human comprehension.

The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood- would you spend a full night in a haunted house? (Very paranoia inducing, it's such a treat.)

The Ghostly Rental by Henry James- in which the "ghosts" aren't actually ghosts, but something far, far weirder and cooler.

The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs- this tear-wrenching and suspenseful little tale will forever remind you to be careful what you wish for...

The gothic literature "classics", as in, full lenght novels and short novellas, can be a bit difficult to read due to length. My personal recommendations are:

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley- a foundational text of science fiction with a nestled narrative frame and themes of personal and social responsability, bodily autonomy, and freedom. Young alchemist Victor Frankenstein attempts to blur the line between life and death, and unwittlingly sets off his downfall in the process by creating a humanoid creature he can't control and won't respond to. CW child death, death by axphysiation, incest, description of unsanitary environments.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R. Louis Stevenson- it is considered the first modern psychological horror story, and, while it's a mere sixty pages long, each and every one of them is packed with a dark revelation about tight-laced Victorian society. When his lifelong friend writes up a suspicious will leaving everything to a stranger, a lawyer decides to look into it, leading him down a spiral of discoveries all related to a disturbing experiment. CW suicide, graphic descriptions of violence, drug abuse.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan le Fanu- very much a classic vampire tale, with an interesting sapphic spin, in which the predatory lesbian trope bleeds, pun intended, into a twisted love story. Laura is a young girl who considers herself prim and proper, until the day the charming Carmilla stops by the family manor claiming to be her soulmate, sparking off a romance marked by a series of strange events. CW implied sexual assault, gore.

The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- I consider it an early attempt at daylight horror, and while the plot is mostly romantic drama (canonically bisexual romantic drama!), the descriptions make everything else worthwhile. Beautiful model Dorian Gray's life is changed when he befriends a cunning aristocrat, which prompts him to wish to remain young forever while his portrait ages in his place... and his wish is granted. CW extreme antisemitism, suicide, graphic descriptions of gore and violence.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James- a ghostly classic which is marked by its ambiguity and the opacity of its plot, all which make it all the more disturbing, if a little hard to follow at times. Bly Manor has appointed a new nanny to take care of a pair of twins, but soon enough, she finds out not all is well in the house, and a dark force might be preying on the children. CW implied incest, implied child abuse.

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen- technically an example of very early cosmic horror, sitting at the intersection between Poe and Lovecraft, and clearly influenced by late Victorian scientific advancements. Some particularly gruesome deaths lead a group of men to slowly uncover the past of a one Helen Vaughan, and nature of a procedure performed on her mother before her conception. CW implied child abuse, suicide, sexual harrassment, human experimentation, extreme intersexism.

And those would be it!

[ervotica]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

crossed out = not currently writing, bold = favs

the marauders; regulus black, barty crouch jr, evan rosier, james potter, remus lupin, sirius black (poly combinations always preferred; wolfstar x reader, jegulus x reader, moonwater x reader, rosekiller x reader, poly!marauders, poly!slytherins)

fourth wing; xaden riorson, liam mairi, bodhi durran, garrick tavis, brennan sorrengail, aaric (cam) greycastle, ridoc gamlyn

greys anatomy; mark sloan, alex karev

criminal minds; aaron hotchner, derek morgan, spencer reid

acotar; azriel, rhysand, cassian, eris vanserra, nesta archeron, elain archeron, lucien vanserra, tamlin (+ my special polycule; elucien x tamlin x reader)

challengers; art donaldson, patrick zweig, tashi duncan

call of duty; simon “ghost” riley, könig, johnny “soap” mactavish, captain john price

house of the dragon; daemon targaryen, aegon ii targaryen, ser harwin strong

outer banks; rafe cameron, jj maybank, john b routledge, pope heyward

the maze runner; gally, thomas, minho

twilight; jasper hale, edward cullen, rosalie hale, emmett cullen, paul lahote, sam uley, seth clearwater (plus poly combinations)

the hunger games; finnick odair, peeta mellark, cato hadley, young coriolanus snow, sejanus plinth

stranger things; eddie munson, steve harrington, jim hopper

harry potter; fred weasley, mattheo riddle, theo nott, lorenzo berkshire, draco malfoy

mcu; loki laufeyson, bucky barnes, steve rogers, miguel o’hara, wanda maximoff, pietro maximoff, kate bishop

chris evans/seb stan and co; lloyd hansen, andy barber, jake jensen, ransom drysdale, ari levinson, lee bodecker, charles blackwood, nick fowler, carter baizen

writing flings; felix catton, oliver quick

[deadguydeathmatch]

The Dead Guy Death Match Bracket Is Here!

Round 1 will be split into 4 waves of 16 24 hour polls and each wave will be posted 24 hours after the previous. The first wave will start on Tuesday the 18th of April at 3pm BST

The matchups are listed under the readmore and will be hyperlinked to the polls when they go up.

The matchups were all randomised although I did make minor adjustments if I thought one was much too unfair.

Also tagging @tournamentdirectory as I haven't already

Wave 1:

Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane) Vs Gavroche Thenardier (Les Miserables)

Leif (Bug Fables) Vs Queen Serenity (Sailor Moon)

L (Death Note) Vs Jonny D'Ville (The Mechanisms)

Noah Czerny (The Raven Cycle) Vs Lee Everett (The Walking Dead)

Pat Butcher (BBC Ghosts) Vs Xerxes Break (Pandora Hearts)

Captain Orimar Vale (Skyjacks Campaign Podcast) Vs Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Diallos Hoslow (Elden Ring) Vs Rachel Amber (Life Is Strange)

Andrei Grandier (Rose Of Versailles) Vs Constance Blackwood (Ride The Cyclone)

Spock (Star Trek) Vs Maria Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Kravitz (The Adventure Zone) Vs Sal Fisher (Sally Face)

Mari (Omori) Vs Ianto Jones (Torchwood)

Nate (Leverage) Vs Max (Sam and Max)

Owen Carvour (Spies Are Forever) Vs Vylad Ro'Meave (Minecraft Diaries)

Neil Perry (Dead Poet's Society) Vs Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magica)

Flapjack (The Owl House) Vs Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Loki (Marvel) Vs Adam Faulkner Stanheight (Saw)

Wave 2:

Obi Wan Kenobi (Star Wars) Vs Diggory Graves (Hello From The Hallowoods)

Hugo Oak (Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts) Vs Leonardo Hamato (Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie)

Chara (Undertale) Vs Magnus Chase (Magnus Chase)

River Song (Doctor Who) Vs Micheal Afton (Five Nights At Freddy's)

Catherine Earnshaw (Wurthering Heights) Vs Tara Maclay (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Laudna (Critical Role) Vs Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy)

Mia Fey (Ace Attorney) Vs Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)

Meiko 'Menma' Honma (The Flower We Saw That Day) Vs Claire Foley (Professor Layton)

Grelle Sutcliff (Black Butler) Vs Skelly (Hades)

Ethan Winters (Resident Evil) Vs Portgas D Ace (One Piece)

Polly Geist (Monster Prom) Vs Hua Cheng (Heaven's Official Blessing)

Avatar Kyoshi (Avatar The Last Airbender) Vs Galivar Kholin (Stormlight Archive)

Pink/Orchid (Animation Vs Animator/Minecraft) Vs Lewis Pepper (Mystery Skulls Animated)

Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb) Vs Stoick The Vast (How To Train Your Dragon)

Evelyn Hooper (Less is Morgue) Vs Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango)

Kokichi Oma (Danganronpa) Vs Silco (Arcane)

Wave 3:

Eurydice (Greek Mythology) Vs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead)

Jack Twist (Brokeback Mountain) Vs Charles Vane (Black Sails)

Howard Hamlin (Better Call Saul) Vs Jason Grace (Riordanverse)

Nora Hildegard (The Vampire Diaries) Vs Gerard Keay (The Magnus Archives)

Manny (Swiss Army Man) Vs Matoro (Bionicle)

Wen Ning (Mo Dao Zu Shi) Vs Kikyo (Inuyasha)

Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats) Vs Simon Kain (Pathologic)

Deep Throat (The X Files) Vs La Signora (Genshin Impact)

Esmeralda (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Novel) Vs Ursula Zandt/Silhouette (Watchmen Comics)

Nageki Fujishiro (Hatoful Boyfriend) Vs Tuba (Infinity Train)

Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice) Vs Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption)

Oda Sakunoske (Bungou Stray Dogs) Vs Rose Quartz (Steven Universe)

Duncan (Dragon Age) Vs Junpei Yoshino (Jujitsu Kaisen)

Quincey Morris (Dracula) Vs Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen)

Deadman (DC Comics) Vs Breakdown (Transformers)

Draal The Deadly (Troll Hunters) Vs Castiel (Supernatural)

Wave 4:

Matsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer) Vs Midori (Your Turn To Die)

Kelsier (Mistborn) Vs Peter 'Parker' Yang (Malevolent Podcast)

Tadashi Hamada (Big Hero 6) Vs Noriaki Kakyoin (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Erik (The Phantom Of The Opera) Vs Matthias Helvar (Six Of Crows)

Tigerstar (Warrior Cats) Vs Boromir (The Lord Of The Rings)

Joel Miller (The Last Of Us) Vs Pedro Madrigal (Encanto)

Rufus Emeterio (They Both Die At The End) Vs King Arthur (King Arthur)

Bunny Corcoran (The Secret History) Vs Lenore (Nevermore Webtoon)

Sliver Of Straw (Rain World) Vs Bow (Inanimate Insanity)

Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place) Vs Nicholas D Wolfwood (Trigun)

Tiso (Hollow Knight) Vs Okudera (Yakuza 5)

Koki Kariya (The World Ends With You) Vs Horst Cabal (Johannes Cabal)

Mr Boddy (Clue) Vs Garret Jacob Hobbs (Hannibal)

Eddie Kaspbrak (IT) Vs Emily (Corpse Bride)

Ash Lynx (Banana Fish) Vs Ophelia (Hamlet)

Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) Vs Kili (The Hobbit)

[the-iceni-bitch]

𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕰𝖞𝖊𝖘 𝕲𝖔 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖉

𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟺 - 𝙶𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍

𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜 𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎.

𝙰𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚡𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊 ~ 𝙰 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢.

𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚘𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚌𝚒𝚊 ~ 𝙰 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎.

[georgiapeach30513]

Misguided Ghosts, Part 2

Summary:  Jake comes to help out in your new house

Pairings:  Jake Jensen X Reader

Rating:  explicit

Warnings:  explicit language, explicit sexual content, somnophilia, fingering, air humping, pissy Charles, mutual pining, 18+ ONLY

Word Count:  2K

Previous

Series Masterlist

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics

Letting out a soft sigh, you peek your eyes open in the gray room. You felt wrecked. Your body used in an almost unholy way. Flipping towards your side, you know that your late night masturbation, and dreaming of the man over your fireplace had you feeling off. “What did you do to me?” You ask, closing your eyes. Charles nods his head while staring at your spent body. You were going to be perfect for him, and all alone.

You loved it. Every time his body would slither in between your legs, you would open your thighs wide, ready to take him. Lucky for him you felt it was just an erotic dream. What luck he had. He couldn’t wait for every time your eyes started to drift close. He would have his way again and again, until it took. If it could. He wasn’t sure.

He was sure that he came in you. Watched his almost translucent spunk ooze out of your body. But would it be enough?

You groan as a geeky little diddy lights up your phone. The theme song to Game of Thrones only meant one thing. Reaching over onto the bedside table, you just answer, not saying a word, “Giggles!”

“Shh, not so loud, Jakey.”

“Okay, listen. Like, I’m thinking I’m almost there, but…okay, there’s this Addams Family house up on the hill.”

“That’s the one,” a soft smile prints on your face, realizing your ridiculously handsome and sexy best friend was just down the hill. Throwing your covers off you, you search for some shoes to put on. Not caring about your appearance, Jake has seen you at your worst.

“So, I just drive up to the house on Haunted Hill? And then, I get to see your gorgeous face?”

“Yes, cutie! Now, let’s go.”

Cutie? Charles’ eyes dart around the room, before he leaves his portrait. Who were you talking to? Why did your smile get bigger? And you were just sore, and now you were dancing around down the stairs.

“There’s this giant gate. Never mind,” he whispers when you go to have them open. “Am I really at the right place? Colonel Mustard isn’t going to whack me in the head with a candlestick in the library, right?”

“No, I would never be Colonel Mustard, Jakey,” his ridiculously yellow hummer pulls into the drive, and you have to calm your breathing. Even when he jumps out and those gigantic arms are right there, and ready for you to just pinch and hold. Pretending you weren’t in love with him, by saying he’s your best friend. You wanted all of Jake.

“Jake!” You scream running down the porch steps, and bouncing into his arms. “I thought you weren’t coming for another week,” he smelled amazing. His arms wrap around your chest, and hold you tight into him. He didn’t realize just how attractive he was.

Get rid of him. Charles did not like this man. You were his. He stares hard at Jake, but he never makes any romantic gestures. That was working in this stupid man’s favor. But he was holding you too tightly. And you were his!

“Yeah, well, the bimbo…”

“Jacob, I told you, you’re the bimbo in the relationship, you can’t date another one. They don’t deserve you anyways,” he sets you down onto the ground, and Charles spots it. His hand coasts down to your waist, settling at your hips. His fingers twitch around wanting to hold you closer. He wanted you pressed up against him again.

“I know. You’ve told me before. Next girl I date, I’ve got to get your approval. Ahh!” Jake screams pointing at the steps. Charles nervously waits, thinking that he had been spotted. Some humans could see ghosts without being made available to them. “A black cat! You literally bought Leatherface’s house.”

“Leatherface is modern,” you groan, pulling at his hand, and that goofy man smirks as you pull him into the house. “This is historic. It’s gorgeous. It needs work, but,” you open up the door, and Jake lets out a sound of awe. ��The space! It’s close to town, but far enough away, so when there’s children…I mean, if I have kids, it’s like they live in this castle.”

Blackwood Manor! Charles screams into Jake’s ear. Jake grimaces, rubbing into his ear. “You okay, Handsome?”

“Yeah. This place slightly gives me the creeps. Who ya gonna call, am I right?” His mouth turns up in that crooked smile, as a laugh huffs past his lips. “Look at that chair!” His voice growls out as he walks towards a sitting chair.

Do not let him sit in my chair! Charles’ hand touches your own, and you shake your head at Jake.

“No, that chair stays empty.”

“Odd request. Is there something I should know?” His hand pets over the arm, giving you his best crazed smile.

“It just feels wrong. I think it’s his,” you start to walk up the stairs, and Jake bounds after you.

“Who is he?” You don’t answer. You just giggle walking up the stairs. “Giggles! Giggly box! Who is he?”

“Wait,” your laugh was so heartwarming to Jake. He could get used to it. Could listen to it daily.

“I just have so many questions. A creepy house like this has to have such a history. It’s so retro, but then also it’s eerie, no?”

This is my home! You need to get rid of him! I don’t like him! He’s touching you and looking at your ass! He gives you no respect! Only one man in this household!

You glance back at Jake, stopping on the stairs. He was in fact looking at your ass, and not paying attention to what you were doing, and ran into your back. “Ah, why are you stopping?”

“What were you doing?”

“Counting the steps. It’s a tick of mine,” he answers quickly, looking away from your rear end. You were always going to have to walk in front of him.

How many are there?

“How many steps then?”

“There's twenty-seven. It’s an odd number. I don’t like it,” he awkwardly smiles at you when you bite your lip.

He’s lying! There’s twenty-four. He was looking at your ass!

Judging by his awkward smile, and his fidgeting hands, you had caught him. And you didn’t care, you would rather have him touching your ass. “If you say so. Now,” grabbing at his hand you pull him into the room that you decided would be your own. Opening the door wide, Jake jumps backwards at the portrait. “There he is. Charles Blackwood.”

I’m the handsome one.

“It’s looking at your bed.”

“He is,” you laugh. You can’t believe you brought him in here with your room and bed a mess.

“Did you have company last night?” His voice seemed sad, and you look at him oddly, shaking your head.

I fucked her all night last night! Had that cunt hugging my cock all night long. That’s why she was sleepy, and you ruined everything!

“Why are you asking?”

“It’s just…your bed’s a mess,” Jake’s feet shuffle around, and he looks back over towards Charles. “Maybe it’s his fault.”

It is! I had her gripping onto the sheets, crying at how good I made her feel. You could never! Now leave!

“I don’t think he likes me,” Jake stares at the portrait. The hair on his back starts to prickle up, and he scratches at his neck. “I’m gonna turn him around.”

Don’t you dare! That is mine!

“Suit yourself,” continuing to make your bed, and unaware of the tantrum that your ghost man of the house was pitching. Jake gives a nod to the portrait facing the wall now. “It looks like he’s in a timeout. What do you think he was like?”

I was handsome! I will live like that in eternity, and we will have the most beautiful hybrid babies of mine. But he needs to go! Get rid of him!

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

What?

Jake walks over to your body, grabbing your hips to pull you closer to him, “Jake?”

“I bet there’s an amazing old record player with these scratchy albums that would make the most amazing music for us to dance to, or,” he stutters out, getting a whiff of your perfume from the day before. It still smelled so perfectly sweet, and so very you. “Or y’know, just clean up this filthy place.”

It’s not filthy! It’s old. No one has lived here with me. I can’t clean.

“It has character. Let’s work on your room,” you gulp up at him.

“Or, if there’s more important things. We don’t need to worry about making you a room. I mean, the bed is big enough. We’ve slept in the same bed before. It is big enough,” he was repeating himself, and becoming more nervous with each moment. Ugh, why did you make him nervous?

No! No! This is our bed! You keep him out!

“Yeah,” you whisper, nodding your head. This was not at all how Charles had envisioned his life with you. You were to take him every night. He was exhausted trying to keep Jake away from his things. He was tainting this house. Charles saw the way you stared at him, and the need you felt to please him, it sickens Charles. You were supposed to do that with him! Only him!

He needs to go!

Charles’ fingers drift up your leg, settling in between your thighs as he works on your bundle of nerves. Careful to stand on the side of the bed, seeing how Jake was on the bed with you. You would see Charles Blackwood was better suited for you. His fingers drift lower and into your drenched folds.

His free hand starts to undo his shirt, and he starts panting, when your breathing turns labored. Maybe he could pull this off. Have you with Jake beside him. Maybe. Your whimpering though, wakes Jake. He sits up a bit in the bed staring at your body. Your skin glimmering with your sweat. Those pretty little sounds echoing off your lips. “What’s got cha worked up, Giggles.”

Me!

Jake bites at his lip, he knows he shouldn’t touch you. Knows he should just enjoy whatever wet dream you were having, but he needs to feel you. His hand gets closer to your core, and Charles lets out a growl.

Don’t you dare! This is mine! I made her this wet.

Jake goes into a zone, touching on your sex, and everything else disappears.

I do it better! Charles pushes his fingers deeper into you, while Jake rubs gently over your little nub. A salacious moan fills up the room, and Jake’s cock strains under his boxers. You looked so pretty like this.

Quit touching her! This is my princess!

“You’re so wet,” Jake laments as his fingers push into your warmth. “Fuck!” He can’t believe how wet you were. How tight your cunt was, and just how your body moved with his motions. “Wow.”

I did this! Get out!

Your eyes start to flutter, and Jake pulls back. “This is wrong.”

Exactly! Leave her alone! What?

Your body turns to the side, throwing a leg over Jake, and you start grinding over him, “You’re killing me, sweetheart. But I’m gonna let you,” he was rock hard watching you. Your slick coating his thigh, and unbeknownst to him, Charles stares angrily at the moment.

I hate you! But Charles doesn’t leave. He just watches how desperate you were for touch. He got you that hot, but Jake gets to feel you.

His voice mixes with yours, creating a lewd and sensual theme song to your mutual pinings. Charles is furious. Jake’s hips jut upward, matching your speed perfectly. “Right there, Giggles,” he pants, trying to envision you bouncing over top of his cock. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” his voice starting to trail off with every thrust into the air.

“Jake,” you whisper, a hard and nasty grind over him making you come undone.

“Yeah,” he whispers as he cums untouched. “Yeah, that was incredible,” he looks towards you and pouts, “And you won’t even remember it! This isn’t fair.”

I fucked her all night the first night, you pathetic weasel! She is mine! Now, I must get rid of you.

“Jake,” you whisper again. Jake wraps his arm around your back, and pulls you closer to him.

“You’re gonna be the death of me. And I will give you babies, and we can live in your creepy house.”

My house! My babies!

Next

Masterlist

Taglist:  @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @infatuatedjanes @whiskeytangofoxtrot- @peaches1958 @thedarkplume @duuhrayliegh @rebekahdawkins @johndeaconshands @seitmai​ @redbloodedgurl​ @whimsyplaty92 @sgtjaamesbaarnes @missusbarnes-rogers @km-ffluv

[scotianostra]

On the 21st June 1813 the lawyer and poet W E Aytoun was born.

Born in Edinburgh, of a family of literary tastes his father, Roger Aytoun,was writer to the Signet, a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice, the fierce Jacobitism and love of ballads of his mother, Joan Keir Aytoun, had a lasting influence upon Aytoun’s own political and literary preferences., which was to impact upon Aytoun’s own interests, and aid them in turn when he was preparing his Ballads of Scotland collection for publication.

Having tentatively followed his father into law, Aytoun was appointed Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres at Edinburgh University in 1845. It was in this post that he excelled, and details of his lectures have led to him being declared ‘the first modern professor of English literature’. Prior to this appointment, his early works as a poet were the subject of inclusion in the renowned Blackwood’s Magazine, and he would go on to become an important contributor to the magazine in a number of guises. Indeed, his literary criticism exhibited much of the keen sense of parody that was the defining feature of his acclaimed dramatic verse, 'Firmilian’.

Working in a less comic mode, Aytoun produced the Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers, which remains one of his best known works, it wasn’t just Jacobitism in, Edinburgh After Flodden , a 15 verse classic, he brings the news to the Capital of our greatest defeat to the citizens of Edinburgh, in Charles Edward At Versailles, Aytoun puts himself into Bonnie Prince Charlie’s head as he is in his room on the Anniversary of Culloden thinking of the ghosts that haunt him…

“Must those scenes and sounds of terror Haunt me still by day and night?”

I’ve chosen, an extract from the telling of a hero killed at Killiecankie, The Burial-March of Dundee.

Sound the fife, and cry the slogan—    Let the pibroch shake the air  With its wild triumphal music,    Worthy of the freight we bear.  Let the ancient hills of Scotland    Hear once more the battle-song  Swell within their glens and valleys    As the clansmen march along!  Never from the field of combat,    Never from the deadly fray,  Was a nobler trophy carried    Than we bring with us to-day;  Never, since the valiant Douglas    On his dauntless bosom bore  Good King Robert's heart—the priceless—    To our dear Redeemer's shore!  Lo! we bring with us the hero—    Lo! we bring the conquering Græme,  Crowned as best beseems a victor    From the altar of his fame;  Fresh and bleeding from the battle    Whence his spirit took its flight,  Midst the crashing charge of squadrons,    And the thunder of the fight!  Strike, I say, the notes of triumph,    As we march o'er moor and lea!  Is there any here will venture    To bewail our dead Dundee?

The full poem can be read here...https://allpoetry.com/The-Burial-March-Of-Dundee

And more about him...https://allpoetry.com/William-Edmondstoune-Aytoun

[xxdrowninglessonsxx]

Book Review - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

I will preface this by saying that this is a masterpiece of a book. Personally what I picked up on at first was the foreshadowing because the reader is essentially told from the beginning that Merricat “did it” with the famous opening paragraph. It’s up to the reader to accept that Merricat is the murderer and an unreliable narrator. It’s evident she’s stuck in the headspace of when she committed the crime because she spends a lot of her time daydreaming and thinking about killing the villagers and walking over their dead bodies. The way Shirley Jackson writes the foreshadowing is, dare I say, perfect because it leaves the reader guessing as to what is going to happen next and what has already happened in the past. Not to mention, Uncle Julian’s dialogue is framed in a way that gives the reader just enough information to stay curious and keep reading. Personally, I guessed it was Merricat from the beginning but I truly knew she killed her family when Uncle Julian said the Merricat had died in the orphanage when Constance was on trial. Merricat and Uncle Julian never actually interact with each other once throughout the book if you go back and look, whether Julian believes her to be truly dead, or whether Merricat forbids herself, or even a mixture of fear from both parties. I suspected as well when Merricat would say things along the lines of how she isn’t allowed to prepare the food or do certain things, as if giving herself rules. The dialogue toys with the readers mind, as if interacting as the story plays out. I’ve seen other people on the reviews say that the story drones on, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The story, in fact, refuses to drone on; it gets straight to the fact of the matter. Every word, line, and paragraph have meaning. Shirley Jackson wrote a story so great within 200 pages what other authors couldn’t achieve in 500. The climax is phenomenal - the symbolism of the house burning shows the cruelty of the townspeople and how they see the Blackwoods as “other.” They destroy their house more after the fire is put out, breaking windows, destroying the property, forcing Merricat and Constance to flee with only strengthens what is best described as a trauma bond because they feel so ostracized. Then, once in the woods, Merricat states she wants to poison the villagers food, and Constance replies with “The way you did before?” And Merricat replies back and says, “Yes, the way I did before.” The long asked question is finally answered.

As I was saying before, every interaction and the behavior between characters has a meaning, and it is so crystal clear. Take a look at the OCD rituals both sisters exhibit. How Merricat feel “guilty” and wants to make a point to be kinder to Uncle Julian. I say “guilty” because I don’t believe she truly feels guilt. It should be noted that her goal is to be isolated with Constance. After the climax (the fire and the reveal of the murderer), despite what Merricat has done, Constance reprises her role and continues to choose Merricat, choosing to be complicit once more. Think of how Constance washed the sugar dish because “there was a spider in it.” Ultimately, Merricat gets exactly what she wanted because to my knowledge, Merricat allows Constance to believe that Charles was the one who burned the house down even though Merricat was the one who threw the pipe in the trash can. Because of this as well, the reader realizes Merricat doesn’t feel guilty because she met her end goal. She even tells Constance that she knew she would like “living on the moon.”

However let’s not forget about Charles. By no means is he a good person. Merricat equates him to a ghost and a demon after he arrives, comparing him to their father. He sleeps in John Blackwood’s room, wears his clothes and jewelry, and even eats at the same spot at the dinner table, and it’s implied that he has similar behaviors as John Blackwood. He’s a trigger for Merricat because he disrupts their isolation and he’s after their money. In Merricat’s mind, he intends to steal Constance away, and Merricat refuses to allow that to happen.

I could go on for longer, but whoever reads this review will understand the point. Shirley Jackson has a way with words, and I would be lucky to write a story with just an inkling of the power that this story holds. She deserves to be more appreciated. I’m going to read The Haunting of Hill House next.

[the-writing-pigeon]

Here is everything that I write for. When requests open, please remember that I have the right to decline a request if I feel uncomfortable.

Bucky Barnes (All Buckies included!)

Baron Helmut Zemo (All Zemos included!)

Peter Parker (College era)

Loki

Steve Rogers 

Tony Stark

Wanda Maximoff 

Natasha Romanoff 

Carol Danvers

Rocket (platonic)

Groot (platonic)

Sebastian Stan:

Charles Blackwood

Nick Fowler

Steve Kemp

Lee Bodecker

Jefferson (Once Upon A Time)

Chase Collins

Max (Sharper)

"God" (Ghosted)

Micky Henry

Chris Beck

Chris Evans:

Ransom Drysdale

Lloyd Hansen

Other:

Ghost (COD)

König (COD)

Heath Ledger!Joker

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Lucian Vanserra (My favorite character 😍)

Feyre Archeron

Rhysand

Azriel

Cassian

Mor

Amarantha

King Hybern

Tamlin (even though he’s a bitch)

Amren

Eris Vanserra

Female!Reader (All of my f!readers are AFAB)

Age Regression

(Both of above and below are completely separate and I know the difference)

DD/LG & MD/LG

Dark Stories + Dark Characters

Smut

Most kinks (I will specify what I do not write)

Fluff

Angst

Tropes

Non-Con/Dub-Con

Gore

Whump

Pedophillia of any kind

Degradation (unless in a darker fic)

Bimbofication

Bathroom stuff

Beastiality (Hybrids are ok!)

Sexual face slapping

Bathroom stuff (scat, pee drinking, ect.)

Bimboification

Any weird fetishes (Feet, race, sexuality, etc.)

Step-cest

Incest

Top!Reader

Male!Reader (I do sincerely apologize, I just can not get in that headspace)

RPF (Real people fiction)

[vase-of-lilies]

𝙍𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚

Wanda Maximoff 

Natasha Romanoff 

Carol Danvers

Peggy Carter

Bucky Barnes (40’s, Winter Soldier, Civil War Bucky, Recovery/Wakanda Bucky, TFATWS series)

Baron Helmut Zemo (Civil war, TFATWS Series)

(18+) Peter Parker

Loki

Steve Rogers 

Tony Stark

Rocket (platonic)

Groot (platonic)

Charles Blackwood

Steve Kemp

Nick Fowler

Lee Bodecker

Chase Collins

Micky Henry

Chris Beck

Ransom Drysdale

Lloyd Hansen

Ghost (COD)

König (COD)

John Price (COD)

(I know nothing about the COD guys, but they’re a mix of big, burley, masked, deep ass voiced, men:))

Female!Reader

DD/LG & MD/LG

Dark

Smut

Fluff

Angst

Tropes

Non-Con/Dub-Con

Most Kinks

Body Worship

Gore

Whump

Pedophilia

Beastiality (besides occasional hybrid AU’s)

Harsh Degradation (slut, whore, cumbucket, etc.)

Sexual face slapping

Whipping

Bathroom stuff (scat, pee drinking, ect.)

Bimboification

Feet

Step-cest

Incest

Top!Reader (So sorry, I just can’t get in that mindset)

Male!Reader (So sorry, I just can’t get in that mindset)