#pick the least spooky book on the list

[pricesprincess]

#14 Kyle picking up reader from her job at the library on a dark stormy night...perhaps it's Halloween and she has to get off later. Maybe he wears that Ghostface costume you wanted him to so he can chase you around inside and maybe fuck you on a chair or table?

smut mdni | fear/blood kink | cnc | prompt list

rain came down in heavy sheets, forcing everyone to stay later for the yearly halloween party the library hosted for the entire town.

no one wanted to take their kids outside and ruin their makeup.

there weren't many people but enough to fill the place with shrill laughter and excited chatter along with parents getting pictures.

it was mostly for the children who came dressed as superheroes and princesses, amongst other characters.

they enjoyed it, going around the areas like a maze which was marked off by the crepe paper streamers you and your coworkers put up earlier before opening up.

you took pictures for the newspaper when your phone dinged, an attachment with a text from kyle. making sure no one was looking, you opened it feeling your jaw go slack.

he stood in front of a mirror wearing a dark shimmery hooded robe with a ghostface mask on his head, his eyes trained on the mirror.

it felt like he was staring back at you through the phone, making you feel warm all over as you smiled and exited the message with a permanent grin as you continued to watch everyone.

however, all you could think about was kyle.

you had mentioned once or twice that you wanted him to chase you wearing that after watching a few horror flicks for movie night.

"are you paying attention?" an elbow was suddenly digging in your ribs causing you to jerk away from them with a frown.

your coworker and friend amelia looked back at you. "don't be such a witch and do your job." she hummed referring to the outfit you wore and the hat you wore with a fake spider hanging from the tip.

tucking your phone away you rolled your eyes and laughed flatly. "original. it's almost over anyway." you murmured and headed over to where they were handing out the goodie bags at the end of the line.

fifteen minutes of helping the rest of the ladies and making sure everyone made it safely to their cars you stayed back to clean it all up.

it was the least you could do for taking a week off for vacation, which consisted of lazing on the couch and rotting away after being so busy.

work kept you on your toes with the actives that kept everyone close together, a tight-knit community that always helped each other.

sometimes it was nice to decompress after all of that so you made mental plans for that when you got home, the witch dress became itchy anyway and the heat being blasted didn't help.

placing your hat on your desk, you turned on some music and began cleaning up the rest.

a few books were out of place from the patrons who wanted to check something out and forgot where they pulled it from, in turn placing it wrong.

thunder and lightning tore through the dark sky lighting up the big window where the kids corner is, the thunderous crack rattling the glass panes making you shiver in slight fear.

being by yourself in a storm in the library on halloween isn't how you envisioned to spend the holiday but it paid good money.

turning away from the window, you focused your attention on the back area when the music changed and the bright lights were dimmed.

blood rushed to your ears in a sudden flood of panic and fear as you twirled around, your eyes darting left and right as you grabbed a heavy book knowing it could do some damage.

the upbeat music you had playing was now taken over by spooky sounds. whoever knew your password could only change it. kyle.

you stepped forward and turned the corner only to see him standing there fully dressed as ghostface at the end of the aisle with a knife.

"you scared me! why did you change the music?" you asked, placing the book down.

kyle didn't say anything as he came closer, causing you to step back. It was getting weird now, and all your hair stood on end.

"i'm serious. what are you doing?" another clap of thunder made the lights flicker, giving you the opportunity to turn around and run away.

he was giving into your fantasy and already told you the safe word is always book since you both love to read, and since kyle loves you, he loves making it all about you plus it's your job too.

heavy footsteps followed after you sending a chill down your spine as you followed the taken-down maze you set up earlier feeling the fear.

there weren't many places to hide since the building wasn't big and he's been here enough to know all the spots anyway but it was still fun and thrilling at the same time.

adrenaline pumped hard, your chest heaving with ragged breaths when you heard him close by knowing there was a room where you could hide, and he'd never find you.

how foolish to think so.

just as your fingers grazed the knob you felt kyle snake his arm around your waist from behind tugging you into his chest.

thankfully, there weren't any cameras to capture this. "you caught me mr. ghostface, what are you going to do?" you whispered.

kyle chuckled under the mask, which was muffled as he pressed his hand against the middle of your back as he opened the door.

he pushed you inside shutting and blocking the door, rough hands tugged at your dress showing off your ass as kyle bent you over the desk kicking your ankles apart while retrieving his knife.

"if you're a good girl, you can keep your life." his accent and voice were muffled by the modulator he wore under the mask.

you nodded feeling your eyes widen when he showed you the gleaming knife, the silver tip glistening as another clap of lightning zig-zagged through the sky bathing the small room in a quick light.

a soft second heartbeat drummed between your legs as kyle slid the knife under the band of your panties cutting them with a quick precision that made you turn to look at him with a soft pout.

a hand shot out and pressed your head against the table while his other fingers busied themselves with rubbing your cunt working you up until his palm was slick with your arousal making you whine.

your fingers gripped the edge of the table as you pressed against kyle in a silent attempt for something other than him teasing you, a squeal ripped through the room when he slid two fingers inside your cunt.

kyle finger fucked you while his thumb circled around your clit adding to the sweet pleasure that racked your body, he knew how to make you crumble and make a mess for him. "cum for me." he deamaned.

that's all it took for your pussy to squelch as your orgasm washed over you like a warm wave of bliss, you sighed and ground your ass against kyle. "please fuck me." you begged him with a small cry.

"does your boyfriend know what you're doing letting another man fuck his cunt?" his question made you feel hot all over as you furrowed your eyebrows listening to the rustling fabric.

before letting you give him an answer, he slapped the head of his cock against your clit while moving his hands down to thumb your pussy apart to watch himself slide inside your wet and tight heat.

kyle hung his head back as he bottomed out, his sack slapping against you when he found a fast pace with short shallow thrusts that kept you on edge as he pinned your arms behind your back.

each rut of his hips had the table legs scratching the floor feeling the hot rush of pleasure that saturated your spine giving your body a hazy feeling as you met each one of kyle's thrusts with eagerness.

you both were lost in each other, him feeling your cunt squeeze him and his cock hitting all the right spots. "pretty little toy you are."

his words caused a chain reaction, first, you came again then kyle was next making sure to bury himself as deep as he could inside before emptying his sack inside you. "a treat for my good girl."

as you lay there kyle rubbed your back as he pulled his softened cock out and helped you stand while pulling your dress down as you clung to him with glassy eyes and small giggles. "happy halloween, i love you."

"i love you too doll." kyle murmured taking his mask off to properly kiss you with his hand holding your jaw.

comments and relogs with tags are really appreciated <3

[thetempleofhades]

hello my pookie wookie spookie dookie kitten bear i hope you are doing splendidly. i have a request of you my little pookie wokieie spookiie dookie 🥺🥺🥺 what would you think of making a part 2 of the wratg writing 🥺?? (on a serious note its so fuckinf fire and i want to devour it but theres not enough to eat)

my name is pookie wookie spookie dookie kitten bear now. i had to dig out my laptop for this so fast so yes, i can give you a part two my beloved muah muah <333

It had been a month since the day you disappeared from the three archons' view but the storms persisted. Relentless winds that knocked over stalls and people alike. Rain that turned into thunderstorms, that then turned into hail. It was clear your rage was still ever-present and Teyvat was responding to your rage as the creation most connected to you.

You'd spent most of your time holed inside a cave as you slwoly cooked things you had picked during the slow times, just to be sure you'd never run into anyone but you knew it was only a matter of time before someone found you.

Of course, having to see Venti again was on the bottom of you list of things you wanted to see. Seeing him kneel before you, tears in his eyes only made the rain turn into hail as you stared coldly.

"Your grace, please forgive me. I.... committed a grave injustice against you." He sounded as tearful as he looked but you could only concentrate on your rage.

"You consider hunting someone down like an animal for the slaughter an injustice? I consider that inhumane, unforgivable, a crime is the least I consider it. At most, I consider it a testament of the hate you hold for me." Your words are angry but you face remains neutral as you stare at him coldly.

Books, Ancient texts and tales all recounted about your kindness, about how you would create things in order to bring happiness to your creations. But you had been so hurt, so betrayed, so.... so exhausted that all you could feel was your own rage.

"NO!" Venti protested in a panicked tone, scrambling up from his kneeling position to somehow convince you. "I could never-! Your grace, I would never hate you... I was... I was misguided, I was wrong. I could never hate you."

"Whether you do or don't matters little to me. You hunted me for months in order to kill me. How many times did I plead with you in tears to listen to me, to not kill me? Dozens. I pleaded until I coughed up blood. I ran until my legs gave out. I bled gold once in front of you and suddenly, you're sorry?" Your rage was quiet even as the storm raged on outside.

"Barbatos...." Your voice was quiet, tinged with disappointment. "I don't recognize you anymore. You are no follower of mine. Nor are you my creation." Your words severed the connection that existed all throughout Teyvat, the one that connected you to all your creations and them to you.

You turned and walked away, ignoring his sobs of anguish.

[astra-dark]

Trigun fanfic recommendations!

I made a list of Trigun fic recommendations over on Twitter so I thought I’d share them here too! Some of these are spicy so mind the ratings and tags!

Echoes between stars by @faindri | Vashmeryl | Rated M

This fic is so amazing! You’ve got cat boy Vash, Meryl being a badass, action, plot twists that already have my jaw on the floor. Go read this immediately!

Sea foam by @noaafishfieldguide | Vashmeryl, Millywood | Rated T

Absolutely love this fic! If you like mermaids, small towns with big secrets, and the occasional spooky vibe, this fic is for you!

Thirty pieces of silver by @hashtagcaneven | Mashwood | Rated M

One thing y’all need to know about me is that I’m an absolute sucker for fantasy AUs and this one ticks all my boxes! It’s romantic, action packed, and beautifully written, GO READ IT!

Through the deep dark forest long by @dingusttmax | Mashwood | Rated M

Princess mononoke AU! This fic is absolutely fantastic and I love it so much that I’m currently working on binding it into a physical book

Reporter’s notes by @museqmeg | Vashmeryl | Rated M

Reporter’s notes was the first Trigun I ever read and I still love it to pieces! It’s sequels, Sheets and Snapshots, are also fantastic! Definitely a must read 💕

Separate the head and heart by Inkpot_gods | Mashwood | rated T

Did I mention I love fantasy AUs yet? this fic is absolutely fantastic and hits the fairytale vibes just right, I reread it at least once a week

Sometimes it’s heaven sent by @dingusttmax | Mashwood | Rated E

Have I ever watched pushing up daisies before? No, but I read this AU anyway and I’m so glad I did because it’s incredible and I think about this fic all the time

Fire on the mountain by Yuka_laylee | Mashwood | Rated M

This fic is SO good! I’ve never seen a Jurassic park themed AU before but it work so well and I can’t wait to see where the plot goes!

Get your hopes up by Shinzouing |Stryfewood / Mashwood | Rated E

I love me some post July Mashwood flavored Stryfewood and this is definitely my favorite one! I’ve reread this fic 4 or 5 times now and still find new things to love about it!

Heart on ripped sleeves by inkpot_gods | Mashwood | Rated E

This fic y’all, this FIC! It’s made me laugh at points and it also made sobbed so hard I had to take walk because of it, it’s so good. I haven’t got to read it’s sequels yet but I can’t wait to!

Runaway roots by starcrxssed | Mashwood | Rated E

This fic a bit heavier than my other recs so please mind the tags if you decide to read it but it’s still fantastic! I’m not usually one for strangers to lovers but this one is just 👌

The Lighthouse by EloFromMars | Vashwood | Rated E

I love me some spooky creature/ crypid Vash and this fic delivers just that and then some! I love all the Millywood friendship moments we get in here, it’s so nice to see how much they care about each other!

Hold me like a grudge by Lenipez | Mashwood | Rated T

I absolutely love fairies in fiction so this fic was already right up my alley! I love the how each side of the relationship has a different dynamic so far, I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. My favorite part of the fic tho? Meryl calls Wolfwood kitten

Till forever falls apart by @chaoticbuka | Vashwood | Rated E

Or the alternate title “Buka hits me specifically right in the heartstrings” the fic lol but seriously I love this fic, the way that Wolfwood’s Vash haunts the narrative like the ghost that Nick originally should be is so good! As a side note, Vash has freckles here and I need more of that in my life 💕

A multitude of sins by DespiteWhatShouldBeOtherwise | Vashwood | Rated M

I’m only half way through this fic rn but it’s already so amazing! The romance might be slow burn but the plot is so engaging that you’re never bored and wondering when the romance will pick up. As a Meryl lover, I absolutely love that she’s so important to not only both Vash and Wolfwood but also the story itself.

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #338: Taisui Xingjun

if I can say one nice thing about taisui xingjun, it’s that lasengle went out of their way to make him feel very cursed. sometimes waiting for a servant to pop up in their event gives you cool new abilities to work with that aren’t part of their in-game kit, and sometimes they show up at the last second, throw out a vague party buff on for the last fight, and then fall asleep immediately. this time’s the second one.

thankfully, taisui’s not all that difficult a build, at least on the surface. he’s a Divine Soul Sorcerer, and that’s it! though to be fair, that class alone is really kind of mashing together two classes as-is, so he’s still not that simple.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: make sure to like, comment, subscribe, and turn on notifications to see this build first!

Ancestry & Background

if we were being more objective taisui’d probably be a custom lineage, but it’s our build and I want him to be able to turn into his big form at will, so he’s a Changeling. with that, he gets proficiency in performance and persuasion, and his plastic presentation makes him a Shapechanger as well, so he can turn into any small or medium race as long as they have the same number of limbs, and you can’t turn into anyone specific without having seen them first. on top of all that, you get bonuses of +2 Charisma and +1 Dexterity.

finally, your background. you literally just sit there the whole event until like three deus ex machinas pile on top of each other to summon you into a vaguely human body, so that sounds like the Book of Many Things’ new background, the Rewarded, to me. that nets you proficiency in Insight and Animal Handling, as well as the Lucky feat for literally free. why anyone would ever pick a different background ever again, I don’t know, but now you get three luck points a day, and you can spend them forcing a reroll on any d20 roll directly affecting you and pick the better option of the two. whomst’d’ve the fuck thought putting that on a background was balanced.

Ability Scores

your highest score is your Charisma, because you’re basically skating by on your good looks and hoping that’s enough to make people farm the ungodly number of Cons needed for all your ascensions and NP levels. it is, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. second highest is your CON. yep, there’s a buncha them in there. third is Dexterity, because you don’t wear armor. like, at all. honestly this should probably be lower considering how easily you get eaten, but I’m trying to make a build that’ll survive level 1. after that comes your Intelligence, because the Con are quick studies at least when it comes to construction and video games, so they’re at least a little above average. that means your Strength is nothing to write home about- you’re a god, but you’re a kid, and your arms are kind of noodly. finally, we’re dumping Wisdom. as the Con you’re easily swayed, and as a god your tired ass isn’t helping anyone on watch duty.

Class Levels

1. as mentioned before, you’re a Divine Soul Sorcerer, which gives you Spells you cast using your Charisma. before we go into those, you also get Divine Magic, letting you pick spells from the cleric spell list as well as the sorcerer’s. you also get Inflict Wounds for free for your spooky shadow hands. I know taisui is technically true neutral, but his god form’s a god of curses and retribution, so I’m saying at the very least his powers are evil-leaning. speaking of, you’re Favored by the Gods, so if you fail a save or attack, you can add 2d4 to it once a short rest. whether being favored by this god is a good thing or not is anyone’s guess.

so then, spells! for cantrips, Blade Ward will keep your body in once piece for now, Morgan worked hard on that, while Chill Touch is another kind of spooky hand that prevents people from healing, which is pretty cursed in my book. you can also whip out your bell and Toll the Dead, dealing extra damage to injured targets, your you can curse someone with an Infestation, forcing them to move in a random direction if they fail a constitution save.

for leveled spells, Bane is a light cursing for a first level spell, forcing up to three creatures to make a charisma save. if they fail, every attack or save made for up to a minute gets a d4 taken away from it. we’re also giving you Mage Armor for +3 AC because we’re not that sadistic. even if taisui is.

oh, speaking of saves, you have proficiency in Constitution and Charisma saves, as well as Arcana and Religion. you kind of are a god, after all.

2. second level sorcerers become a font of magic! rn that just means u can cast another first level spell every day, like your new one, earth tremor! most of you is still down there, after all, just twitch a lil.

3. congrats! you survived long enough to get second level spells! now you can feed your party parts of yourself to aid them, giving them a bigger hp bar for the day! you also learn metamagic this level, so now your font of magic actually does stuff that’s important! you can spend your sorcery points to make a spell heightened, giving your target disadvantage to their save, or careful, automatically making the save for some of your friends! taisui’s got kind of a yin-yang thing going on between his feeding and his cursing, so this is the best of both worlds!

4. since ur kind of a nega-jupiter, you’re now a scion of the outer planes! yaaaay! since your god’s evil, you get resistance to necrotic damage, and you get chill touch again!

you can also cast mold earth to cover yourself up again, and you can cast wither and bloom! with this spell, every creature you choose takes necrotic damage, and one creature you choose can roll a hit die and gain hp back! it’s literally everything you do in a single spell!

5. fifth level, you have magical guidance, spend sorcery points to reroll checks, whatever! the important thing is now you can bestow curses! the phb gives some suggestions, but really you can do anything your dm lets you get away with!

6. sixth level divine souls have empowered healing, so whenever you or someone next to you heals someone, you can spend a sorcery point to reroll some of those dice, once a turn! i’m not sure if that works for life transference or not, but either way this spell makes feeding yourself to someone a lot more visceral. you take damage, and then someone else gets healed for twice the amount of damage you took!

7. you can now give urself an aura of purity, making friendly creatures in it immune to disease, resistant to poison damage, and they get advantage on saves against a buncha common status effects too!

8. at eighth level you get another ASI, so now you’re a Baleful Scion. that rounds up your Charisma and lets you pull people into the Grasp of Avarice- once a turn, you can add some necrotic damage to the damage you deal, which also heals you for that amount. your best healing spell so far uses your HP, so you need to fill that back up somehow.

you can also summon a Spirit of Death for an hour, making a floaty medium boy you can ride around on! you don’t even need to spend any actions commanding it or nothin’. it can only attack one creature at a time, but it’ll lock on to them and let you know where they are the whole time!

9. you can now make an insect plague! don’t misspell that, trust me. now you can make a 20’ radius sphere of locusts that obscure the whole place, and everything inside it has to make a constitution save or get piercing damage!

10. tenth level sorcerers have another kind of metamagic like extended, doubling the length of a spell you cast, up to an hour. you can also cast resistance to protect someone from a saving throw-related dangers.

speaking of saves, you can cast the most messed-up spell in the game, Contagion! if you hit your target, they have to make a constitution save at the end of each turn, working like death saves. after three successes, the spell ends. after three failures, you can curse them with a terrible disease for seven days.

11. at eleventh level, you can cast sixth level spells like Heroes’ Feast! after casting this, you can feed yourself to up to twelve creatures, curing them of all diseases and poisons, immunity to poison and being frightened, and they had advantage on all wisdom saves! on top of that, they gain extra HP, and all for a full day! just… maybe don’t tell them what the feast’s made of.

12. twelfth level, another ASI! bump up that Con for more Cons! it’s health, you’ll get more health. this is retroactive, remember, so you get an extra 12 HP this level.

13. thirteenth level sorcerers get seventh level spells, and its time to get real curses! with Divine Word you can hit any number of creatures within 30’ of you, forcing a charisma save on all of them. depending on how many HP they have, they’ll become deafened, blinded, stunned, or even straight up dead if they fail a charisma save. this also banishes any celestial, fey, or fiend if they’re not from around here, so that would make Dagon a real cakewalk. also, on the “instantly killing people” front, this gives you more than enough room to take out some poor bastard’s whole extended family.

14. your Angelic Form is a lot different than most people would expect, but you can still use your bonus action to fly around on your curse lump, with no limit on flight time!

15. eighth level spells! you can now Regenerate your allies by forcefeeding them a whole Con, giving them a healthy amount of HP immediately, with a trailing 1 HP per turn for an hour afterwards. two minutes into the spell any missing limbs grow back, though they can also instantly be reattached by just slappin ‘em back on if you got ‘em.

16. another ASI, another Con for more HP.

17. you can now use twinned metamagic, turning a single-target spell into one that hits two creatures!

speaking of single target spells, Power Word Kill’s a hell of one, ain’t it? if the chosen target has 100 HP or less, they die instantly! no saves, no nothin’.

18. you spent so much time putting Cons into other people, we almost forgot to get some Cons into you! with Unearthly Recovery, letting you spend a bonus action to regain half your HP once a day! big heal energy.

19. one last ASI before the build finishes! with the Tough feat, it’s like you ate two Cons at once, giving you an extra 38 HP now, plus another two next level.

20. at level twenty you get the sorcerer’s capstone, Sorcerous Restoration! every short rest, you get four extra sorcery point!

…yeah there’s a reason we usually multiclass.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

you have an amazing Con-stitution for a caster, giving you way more HP than most would expect of you. having a healer that doesn’t die easy is super helpful. this also means you have great con-centration. your more powerful spells don’t need it, but dropping a spell always hurts.

not only are you a great healer, you’re great at making other people heal too! you also have access to some strong defensive buffs like heroes’ feast, aura of purity, and resistance. also, being able to grow back limbs can be pretty useful!

you also dish out devastating debuffs, destroying enemy defenses with divine words, curses, and disease.

Cons:

yep, there’s a lotta them in there.

(but seriously, a lack of direct attacks drags fights out, the sorcerer capstone sucks)

[mysticsparklewings]

Obscutober 2024 Day 10: Rampike 🥀

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Rampike (n.)

a broken or dead tree, especially the bleached skeleton or splintered trunk of a tree killed by fire.

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Maybe the most October-appropriate word on the list so far! 🎃

This one came out more simple kind of by accident, but it works because I’m still pleased with it & have some IRL things to work around today.

Click the "Keep Reading" and we'll talk more about my thoughts/process for this piece—Simple or not, I still have plenty to say! ✨

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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After a brief break from the nouns yesterday, we're back with what I would say is one of the more "useful" words that made the prompt list. In nothing else, this is almost certainly the most "October-appropriate" word so far.

Also, Fun Fact: There actually two trees in my yard that if they're not "rampikes" already, they probably will be in the future. It was a dark and stormy night (literally!) back in July, and around 3 or 4 in the morning, there was a massive CRACK of thunder—easily the loudest I've heard in my life—and I legitimately thought at the time that it felt like the lightning had struck our property specifically. Sure enough, the next day when we went outside, there were very visible scars scorched into the upper halves of two dizzyingly tall pine trees that stand together, like twins, in the backyard.

And believe it or not, that didn't really cross my mind when I picked this word out for the list. I did have the passing thought, "Oh hey I guess we kinda have one of those," and that was it! My main motivation for putting it on the list when I was going back through the word candidates I'd picked and making cuts was actually the spooky/October connections.

But hey, it made for a fun story! 🤗

As for the art: I kept things simple for today, but that was actually mostly unintentional for a change. But it does work out because (as I believe I mentioned yesterday) I have some other IRL things I'm having to balance today's Obscutober around. And I do kind of prefer having more simple results but feeling like I covered everything I wanted to vs. having a super detailed mandala where I'm still not sure I accomplished everything I wanted to.

I started with, of course, the split trees, because it was kind of essential they be included and be very prominent (at least in my book). The rest of the mandala was built around them; squiggles to represent the roots, a bit of grass-like representation near the base of the trees, then the larger triangles can either be more vegetation or maybe distant mountains—you decide!

I did pause for a moment after that, unsure of what to do with the empty space that was left and definitely did need something for filler.

Fortunately, the definition helped me out—I opted to do some swirls that are meant to be either wind or a representation of the storm clouds wind strong enough to break big, old trees would come with.

After that, the color scheme was easy. I went for mostly stormy blues, but also I tried to get kind of a lightning effect—but intentionally still abstract/loose—to highlight the splits in the trees, and I did let the tree trunks and the "grass" have touches of color just to help sell the imagery a bit better. It was at this stage that I decided I'd previously added too much hatching to the trees and the dotted triangle borders. Since I have a lot of thinner (white) lines here and was going for a stormy look, the extra white was just competing too hard for visual attention and made the whole thing look way more crowded than it actually is. You can see I left a little hatching on the trees for texture, but that's alk the hatching that survived.

...And that was it! And I don't feel like I really left anything out or missed anything! Unfortunately this is one of the words that I think maybe would have benefitted more from my usual mini-magnet shenanigans more than this mandala one. That's not to say I'm unhappy with how this art turned out—I like it a lot, actually! I just think the concept of broken trees brings out more of the poet in me than the artist, so I'm left wondering what I could've come up with in that other format that might have been deeper/had more substance to it.

Maybe that's something that could be properly explored at another time, but you Sparklers know how I am with hypothetical future projects like that. 😅 I'm going to focus on finishing what I've already started here first!

And I do think that finishes up what I wanted to tell you Sparklers about this piece today. Simple and more to-the point, which is kind of a nice change. They don't all need to be super complex!

So you Sparklers enjoy, and now I get to see how much trouble I have trying to do the cross-posting between those IRL things I mentioned working around. Somehow, I doubt that process will be as simple as the mandala itself was...🙃

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See the Prompt List

Artwork  © me, MysticSparklewings

Obscutober Concept Inspired by nikolas_tower

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⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

[veliseraptor]

April Reading Recap

so apparently I read a fuckton in April. I put that on the week off for Passover and also a number of very fast reads last month. here goes

The Spite House by Johnny Compton. Might be the best horror book I'd read in a while, and I did not see the twist coming for a long while. Good and very spooky on the whole, but the "creepy kids as ghosts" thing took some of the luster off it. Still, some good and original ideas here and I'll be watching for more books by this author.

The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madeleine Roux. Not very good writing and a good third of the book was rehashing the events of the end of Campaign 2, which I just watched. It was fine, I guess? But I didn't find it added much.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I've had this one on my list for literal years - it's a retelling of the Biblical story of Dinah, Jacob's one daughter. I kind of wish I'd read it sooner, when (a) I was less burned out on retellings/reinterpretations of familiar stories, and (b) when I would've been less bothered by the flavor of gender essentialism of the text and could have appreciated other things about it without getting stuck in feeling iffy about that. I am trying to work out why it bothers me so much that Diamant chose to change the reading of the text from (an implied) rape to a consensual love affair, and I'm not quite sure I can explain that.

It's an interesting book and I'm glad I read it but I don't think I'd recommend it without disclaimers; I think in some ways it's more interesting as an artifact of the cultural movement it comes out of than anything else. Would analyze in a class about Jewish feminist responses to stories in Tanakh (or Talmud, tbh).

Six Myths of Our Time: Little Angels, Little Monsters, Beautiful Beasts and More by Marina Warner. Fascinating collection of short essays originally given as lectures on the BBC, apparently - the one essay about the way the West conceptualizes the simultaneous purity/monstrosity of children was particularly interesting to me. Interesting piece of work I picked up totally by happenstance because it was short and looked interesting and it lived up to both qualities.

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates. Good spooky horror recommended by @cigaretteburnslikefairylights and actually legit scared me in places, which doesn't happen all that often to me anymore when I'm reading horror. (I'm still a weenie watching it.) I actually...liked this one start to resolution and am going to be looking up more of Darcy Coates' writing, because if it's not, you know, doing something super ~innovative~ it is good spooky reading and that's really what I've been craving.

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester. Reading this book was a weird experience. I went into it just thinking "ooh, book about an interesting natural disaster, I love volcanoes" and came out of it going "whoa, surprise Islamophobia," checked the publication date, and learned it was 2003, whereupon I was miserably unsurprised. I don't know why the author felt like he needed to make colonial apologetics and blame the post-eruption upheaval on Islamic fundamentalists manipulating the natives into uprising against their Dutch masters but apparently he did. (I'm exaggerating. But not that much.)

The geology stuff was interesting. Mr. Winchester should've stuck with that and the reportage of the eruption itself and left politics out of it.

Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation ed. by Kavita Bhanot & Jeremy Tiang. This might be my favorite book I read in April, honestly. It's a really good collection of essays about the concept of decolonizing translation, and what that means, and whether it's possible, and the uneasy and uncomfortable relationship between translation and imperialism. I didn't agree with all the essays in here, and they didn't necessarily all agree with each other, but all of them at least had something interesting to say. I would recommend this one to people who can find it - it's by a small press - who are interested in translation or who frequently read in translation. The writers have a lot to say that I think is worth thinking about.

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thahn Tran. I think I just need to give up reading YA books with the realization they're generally not for me, though this one almost had me. It's something about the...I know there's a range of styles, I can't generalize style across the genre, but there is a texture to YA writing that doesn't quite work for me.

I love the concept - diaspora horror, colonialist horror, some really fucked up body horror stuff that got surprisingly gruesome - and would love to read a slightly different book about it, but alas, that book wasn't this one.

American Midnight: Democracy's Forgotten Crisis, 1917-1921 by Adam Hochschild. Another contender for favorite book I read this month though I think this one loses out to Violent Phenomena and possibly Gallows Hill, though comparing horror fiction to historical nonfiction feels kind of unfair. Anyway, I knew some of what this book was digging into - the Sedition Act and the intensely violent repression that was going on in the United States during World War I - but I learned a lot more here.

The depressing thing about reading this, though, was watching (so to speak) the brutal crushing of a once fairly robust American Socialist Party such that it never recovered. Not to mention the grinding down of the labor movement, which I think was at its most powerful during this period of time and hasn't been as strong since.

Just looking at that and wondering what might've been if Woodrow Wilson wasn't such a fucking dick.

Elektra by Jennifer Saint. I feel so funny about this book. I read another mythology retelling even though I swore not to because a Tumblr user I respect mentioned it being good; my experience was that it wasn't bad and it didn't actively bother me like some other retellings I could name, but I don't know that I'd actually call it good. Mostly I'd say I wasn't annoyed, just uninspired.

Of the three narrators, Elektra was definitely the best, and I really did like the construction of her relationship with Clytemnestra, which really felt like the meat of the book. (Perhaps, considering the House of Atreus, that's a bad turn of phrase to use.) The Cassandra sections felt like a distraction, mostly a way to keep the reader up with what was going on across the sea and provide some action in between the familial drama. Ultimately I just felt like those sections took away from the Elektra/Clytemnestra dynamic, leaving insufficient meat.

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach. I went through a period of time where I was reading all of Mary Roach's books, and was kind of obsessed with them, so this was sort of returning to an old and familiar friend. I found I wasn't quite as enamored with this one as I remembered being of some of her others (I think I remember Stiff being my favorite), but it was an interesting look at the intersections between human and animal - which is really more what this is about than law, per se. It's about what we do when animals cause problems for humans, from monkeys to bears, and the questions that are raised about the best way to handle those issues.

Nero: Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome by Anthony Everitt & Roddy Ashworth. I'm so confused by this book. From the insistence on referring to Nero as "princeps" throughout the book, to the random dropping of French in places it really didn't need to be, to the frankly credulous approach to the sources, particularly when it comes to sex, even when the author mentioned how sex is often a proxy for politics in Roman historical writing, the weird sideways digression into "did Rome have gay marriage?", the weird "maybe she got what she deserved" aside about Messalina's death...

I learned a fair amount, I can say that, I'm not as knowledgeable about this period's Julio-Claudians. Frankly I think Agrippina (the Younger) was the real star of this book, despite Anthony Everitt's heroic efforts to make Nero the protagonist. Buddy, I see your point, but you're pushing a little too hard here.

Anyway. Weird reading experience, I'm tempted to recommend it just so someone else can either validate it or go "what are you talking about, this was a perfectly normal history book."

---

woof long post, but hey it was a lot of books. currently reading A Fever in the Heartland for more American racism in the early 20th century. I have a stack of library books that are waiting for me and I think the next one is probably going to be The Social Lives of Animals, which will either be really enjoyable or annoy the hell out of me, possibly both.

[the---hermit]

end of the year book tag 2023

I did this tag last year more or less at this time. This book tag was created by Ariel Bissett over on youtube, and I recently heard her talking about it again in her podcast, which is how I got the inspiration of doing it again this year. As I think I have also mentioned last year when doing this, I tend to be a mood reader so planning my next reads never really works, but it's fun to sit down and reflect a bit on what is coming next into my reading life before the year is over.

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

As I am writing this I have three main books I am in the middle of: Hell Followed With us by Andrew Joseph White, Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson and Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker. I have technically also started reading Walden by Thoreau a while back, but I don't have a plan to finish it quickly, it's more one of those books I read a little bit every once in a while when I feel like it, because I want to grasp as much as I can and while I am also taking classes and studying for exams I always struggle a bit with enjoying non-fic on my own.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

I am once again doing this tag in the middle of autumn, so idk how much it counts, but I don't think I have a proper autumnal book on my tbr/wishlist. I am still waiting to get the sixth volume of Something Is Killing The Children, which is an horror graphic novel so that might count as a spooky season book. But I don't really wait spooky season to read horror books.

Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

As I mentioned the sixth volume of Something Is Killing The Children has very recently came out here in Italy and I am desperately waiting to find a copy of it. I am also waiting to get Bookstores And Bonedust by Travis Baldree which is coming out at the beginning of November. There are a couple of other 2023 releases I still haven't got my hands on but I don't know yet if I'll get them before the year ends (mainly He Who Drowned The World by Shelly Parker Chan, and The Land Of Lost Things by John Connolly). I am also waiting for the release of the final book in the locked tomb series but I don't think a release date has been set yet? (and regarding that I have yet to decide what I want to do because I would like to get physical copies of the English editions, but it will be a future me problem to solve).

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

One of my goals for 2023 is the read all the books I have bought this year, or at least as many as I can. I must say I have been very good with this goal, but I do have a couple of books that have been sitting on my shelf for a while. I don't know if I'll get into the right mood to read them before the year ends but I will add a couple of those to this list. The first one is Nel Buio Della Casa by Fiore Manni and Michele Monteleone. It's an horror novel of the hauted house genre which is one of my favourites but for some reason I haven't picked it up yet. Next is a book I cannot wait to pick up The Ballad Of The Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde, I love this author and after reading De Profundis earlier this year I have been really intrigued by this poem. Finally I bought a prose edition of The Odyssey and I might end up picking it up before the year ends.

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

Not really? I expect to love a lot of the books I'd like to read before the end of the year but there's a couple of books I read this year that I doubt can be topped (Gideon The Ninth being at the top of that list alongside The Priory Of The Orange Tree).

Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

I actually have, weirdly enough. I was thinking about goals for next year and I think I will definitely keep the goal of trying to read all/ most of the books I buy during the year. I certainly need to find a way to read more of the books that have been on my shelves for years, so I will have to think of a more structured plan to reach that goal. I am also considering to create a goal to finally complete my Neil Gaiman collection since this year I have read all of the books by him I own. That could be a fun goal I think. Lastly I'd like to try and get as many books as I can second hand. It's not really super easy for me to do, because where I live there are no second hand book stores, and generally what I look for is quite difficult to find in regular shops, but there's a few exceptions, like classics for example are easier to thrift. Again these are more brain dump thoughts than an actual plan, but it's more than what I had last year at this time.

(no pressure) tags: @just-a-cup-of-anxietea, @fluencylevelfrench, @dreamofghosts, @upside-down-uni, @la-galaxie-langblr

[annegirl13]

Back to Books!

I really fell off the reading goal bandwagon after, what, January? Let’s blame the ADHD for that hyperfixation fizzling out. But! I’m back to reading now. I’ll call it a combination of long car rides, a need for background noise while cleaning and doing tasks on my own, and a desire to be a good example to my new students.

So what have I read in the past month? (I’m no particular order, and it might have been more like 6 weeks…)

I finished:

The Ramona Quimby Collection by Beverly Cleary - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Technically this was 8 books (?) I have read all the Ramona books in the past. I think my favorites are Beezus and Ramona and Ramona’s World, so the start and end of the series. It’s interesting to see Ramona and Beezus grow up through each book. These books bring back a lot of memories for me. I give them a collective four stars.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An absolute classic and a masterpiece. Picked this one specifically because I want to read it to my third graders. Absolutely beautiful. If you haven’t read this one, do it! The full cast recording was pretty good. (As a kid I think I had the tapes with E.B. White reading it himself, which was also fantastic if you can find it.)

Redwall by Brian Jacques - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An old favorite. Brian Jacques was a wonderful world builder and this is the one that started the series. Four stars, with one just for the full cast recording. Jacques was the master of those!

Mattimeo by Brian Jacques - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sequel to Redwall so I had to follow up with this one. More lovely world building, fun characters, and amazing performances.

Taggerung by Brian Jacques - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My favorite Redwall book. I love all the characters and the plot, and I get songs from this stuck in my head! Absolutely gorgeous.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A modern classic, in my opinion, but I had to stop listening to it until daytime. Something about listening to it at night on my own was too creepy! Neil Gaiman’s voice is one I could listen to no matter what he read.

The Losers Club by Andrew Clements ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A new (to me) book by a favorite author! I really connected with the main character, who is a book lover to the point he gets in trouble at school for reading when he’s not supposed to! I so relate! The story was really fun and had a great message. I might do this one as a read aloud for my kiddos. Alec (the main character) is in 6th grade, but I think my kiddos could understand. It has a list of recommended books at the back, many of which I have not read (yet!)

I’m currently reading:

High Rhulain by Brian Jacques - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another good Redwall book. I like the character and all the riddles. This one is a comfort read. It gets stars because I’ve read it before.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Just checked this one out from the library and then thought, “Oh! I haven’t done a reading update. I should do that!” I’ll let you know how it is. It looks a little spooky!

Not sure if I’ll dig out my tracking blanket project, but I at least wanted to share these. I want to teach my class to share what they’re reading and how they feel about books, so like I said, I’m setting a good example.

[madame-ellunas-moonlit-readings]

May 7 - Stranger In A Strange Land

Re Dracula/Dracula Daily

I think from now on I will continue to read Dracula Daily as I listen to Re Dracula. This time it was not a line that was skipped, but 3 paragraphs. It's an understandable thing to skip, just very specific details on the house Dracula wishes to purchase. Honestly, I'm glad they skipped it. I'd rather not listen to them prattle on about the houses walls and the streets it lies on. Reading and Listening are two very different experiences, treating them as such was a good choice. But it is good to know what was missed. Especially as I'm new to the story and would rather not accidentally skip something important.

But I'll go into the missed parts when I get to it, for now, the story.

When Jonathon woke up to find a note from Dracula excusing him from dinner, I couldn't help but wonder how many excuses the man has up his sleeves. They can only go on for so long, surely. It is interesting how the author shows things to be suspicious through absence. Whether it be the Count himself, the lack of mirrors or there being no servants at all. I guess that driver was him then.

Jonathon's finally gathered himself to exploring the place too. First his room, which was filled with precious things centuries old but extremely well-maintained. Is Dracula taking good care of his belongings, or are there some practical uses to his magic? Then out of his rooms to locked doors. And of the first unlocked room he finds is a library which immediately captures him. A man after my own heart.

It is curious how many of those books are English and clearly new. Has the Count been visiting the bookstores. There are some that are clearly new(ish) by the titles.

I'll list some of the books down below, including those mentioned later.

London Directory (now known as the white pages), a telephone system was already well established so he access to both their numbers and addresses

Red & Blue Books (government briefings, if modern terms match), so he's getting a feel for the lay of business and authority too

Whitaker's Almanac (facts, figures and statistics relating to the UK and the world), to help him understand the wider and more minute facts of the world he plans to venture into, I would guess

The Army & Navy Lists (lists of army and navy soldiers)

The Law Lists (I'm not sure, maybe the laws?)

Bradshaw's Guide (railway timetables and travel guides), he was actively reading this one

A marked Atlas open to England (an iffily marked marked, not spooky at all)

It's a bit eery, considering the genre of the story. But not as much as what comes up in their following conversations.

Dracula showed up while Jonathon was browsing and was glad to have found him there. He insists that he doesn't know English fully but would like for Jonathon talk with him more so he can learn. He goes far as to request he picks up any mistake, any off intonation, anything mismatched at all. I guess to better blend in and not get caught in his violence. He himself states that,

But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one; men know him not—and to know not is to care not for.

It contrasts well with how Jonathon was treated by Carpathian citizens on his arrival. How hard they work to send him, and failing that, protecting him.

He goes to say that even still he would be a master, or at least master to none. So he definitely isn't looking to live among them when blending in.

At this point Dracula officially allows Jonathon into any unlocked part of the castle (adventure, anyone?) and moves onto the cultural differences. Considering how he directed Jonathon to his questions of his strange experiences thus far, focussing on the treasure marker blue flames, I'd say he's decided to kick the gaslighting into gear. And even in these explanations the Count has focussed on violent histories and speaking lowly of the citizens here.

His character isn't just shown through disdain and violent interests, but also his strong focus on the house and surrounding areas. He questioned Jonathon on various aspects of the house and location fiercely and had gone into his own research as well, startling him at how much more of the place he knew. Dracula says he obviously must as both Jonathon and his boss, Peter Hawkins, would be in Exeter, miles away.

Dracula is good at saying things that aren't odd or are easily excusable. But when added up, 😬. There was no need for the 'I know where you live' comment, really.

Here's where the podcast skips. In between "So!" and "I am glad that it is old and big".

In the missed bits Dracula signed his lease and other necessary legal documents, and Jonathon got them ready for mailing. Dracula asks how him came across a place so suitable, so Jonathon reads out notes on the place he had found. And yeah, it's suitable all right.

"At Purfleet, on a by-road, I came across just such a place as seemed to be required, and where was displayed a dilapidated notice that the place was for sale. It is surrounded by a high wall, of ancient structure, built of heavy stones, and has not been repaired for a large number of years. The closed gates are of heavy old oak and iron, all eaten with rust.

"The estate is called Carfax, no doubt a corruption of the old Quatre Face, as the house is four-sided, agreeing with the cardinal points of the compass. It contains in all some twenty acres, quite surrounded by the solid stone wall above mentioned. There are many trees on it, which make it in places gloomy, and there is a deep, dark-looking pond or small lake, evidently fed by some springs, as the water is clear and flows away in a fair-sized stream. The house is very large and of all periods back, I should say, to mediæval times, for one part is of stone immensely thick, with only a few windows high up and heavily barred with iron. It looks like part of a keep, and is close to an old chapel or church. I could not enter it, as I had not the key of the door leading to it from the house, but I have taken with my kodak views of it from various points. The house has been added to, but in a very straggling way, and I can only guess at the amount of ground it covers, which must be very great. There are but few houses close at hand, one being a very large house only recently added to and formed into a private lunatic asylum. It is not, however, visible from the grounds."

I agree with Dracula. How did he come across a place so well suited to him? I'll leave a link on what a Carfax is down below.

But this is where we get back to the podcast.

Jonathon's observational skills are serving him well. Dracula goes on about how he is old and weary and likes the shadows and time to to myself, but to Jonathon his expression doesn't match at all. To him his smile seemed "malignant and saturnine", meaning malevolent and gloomy. Even worse, when Dracula left and Jonathon piled together his papers, he found an Atlas opened to a map of England. It was marked up with circles at the east side of London, on Exeter (the area where he and his boss lives, very creepy, very ominous) and on Whitby on the Yorkshire Coast.

Seriously, just run.

When Dracula comes back to chat until the rooster crowed, his instincts kicked back into gear as well. I get that you feel "under obligation to meet my host's wishes in every way", but kick that duty or social anxiety out of the way and leave. Even you thought the chill you were feeling was something reminiscent to turning of tides when one meets death. Listen to your instincts and just go already.

At least he was able to rest after after this journal entry. Probably. But we can definitely see the Count testing more and more of his bounds, slowly pushing Jonathon into a corner.

It was another good chapter.

My thanks to Re Dracula and Dracula Daily.

[dragontamer05]

Was looking around at the Demonata books online and found one store that had a box set listing as being good for '10 and up' and I'm just??

Excuse me?? Does the warning printed right on it saying Warning: Seriously Scary mean nothing? Because that is very much a genuine warning. We ain't talking Goosebumps level of kid scares here either.

I'm not saying there aren't kids that age who couldn't handle its content but I'd still be very very cautious, because it is graphic and gory, it does touch on some pretty heavier things and just look if this was made into into a visual medium of any kind it would minimum be slapped with either T for teen or Mature rating.

(I can't imagine a movie not being rate R)

Hell even the Graphic Novel version of Vampire's Assisstant series which is much tamer in its graphic novel/manga adaptation has a T rating which I do agree with.

But where as I'd gladly hand that book to any one idk 11-13 in age if they seemed interested I sure as hell wouldn't let them at Demonata at least not with out being sure they could handle the material and won't be traumatized by nightmares

All I'm saying is if someone is young enough to be given frights by the likes of Goosebumps and similar things that are aimed at kids of that age they shouldn't be touching the Demonata at all yet.

Absolute minimum I might recommend it to 13 year old at youngest if they really like horror- and properly warned in advanced about the possible content of the book.

Personally I have no idea if it would have given me nightmares or not cause I only got into it when I was in my teens so while certainly frightening I was able to handle the content.

Again this isn't me trying to say that No kid that age would be able to handle it or like idk gate keep reading books, just that it doesn't feel a great idea to market it in the same way as you'd do for Goosebumps.

And I want to make it clear that the Seriously Scary warning isn't like say being used as a tag line like Goosebumps "reader beware your in for a scare" where sure it serves as a reminder these are spooky books but come on it's also something of a hook to get someone interested while reading the back.

Nah it's a genuine warning and to my knowledge at least out of the books I've picked up is the only Novels that have ever had a warning on- which I'm not sure if it was by design and a choice by the author or if it like had to be there, legally / by request of the publisher or something.

[icarusthelunarguard]

 This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

Continuing the Spooky-Month theme, we’ve generated a random list of horror movie titles and are going to make up a new plotline for each one. If you already know these movies, just know that we’re not sorry in the least.

Aries 

In your movie titled, “Ginger Snaps”, you find yourself in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NY in the mid-1950’s. Two groups of young men with slicked back hair are approaching you; They're all redheads. Suddenly music by Leonard Bernstein sings out of a window adorned with the Puerto Rican flag. Can you sing and dance your way out of this rumble in the concrete jungle?

Taurus 

The year is 1986 and you find yourself in a musical recording studio. You’re the engineer working on the album, “Fore!” by Huey Lewis and the News. The band members are in isolated rooms when an overhead waterline breaks, spilling over the high voltage circuits for the building. Can you escape without being electrocuted? Can you get the band out too? Find out at the end of the 93-minute feature, “Jacob's Ladder”!

Gemini  

Your movie is, basically, just… “Being John Malkovich”, but set in the early 80’s with a new musical soundtrack. Can you pilot a John Malkovich bio-mech suit while listening to Ska music in the musical-thriller feature release, “In the Mouth of Madness”. Let’s watch it at the drive in and find out.

Cancer Moon-Child 

You and your friends have driven out to an old wooden shack of a house in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee. The trees surrounding you whisper in the breeze. Dead leaves keep splattering against the door and windows. There’s an old, creepy book with a face on it and a trap door to the cellar, chained and padlocked shut. Suddenly everything goes quiet! Deep footsteps can be heard on the wooden porch just before a shotgun blast tears off the lock. As the door opens, the silhouette of the most glorious chin in the world is revealed. Can you overcome… “Cabin Fever”? Opening Halloween Weekend. 

Leo 

You find yourself crouched behind a wooden crate in a blocky world with footsteps around you. You’re wearing dark military gear with a matching headband. A muted green glow on your wrist tells you what you’re needed to do: sneak into this facility, find some highly secretive intel, and bug out before you’re spotted. Will you avoid all the patrols and CCTV cameras in the world of…. “Whisper”? 

Virgo 

This is more of an Art Piece than a Horror Movie. Think “Saw”, but with the snobbiest wine taster you’ve ever known. Duct Tape them to a chair; ankles to neck to wrists, and have them watch in horror as their glass of wine sits on a table, out of reach, about to have the most vile desecration done to it. Because suspended over it, on a string, is a brick of ice - moments away from dropping into it. Welcome to…. “The Cube”!

Libra 

She’s out there. You know she is, but you can’t know where. Flitting from tree to tree, mocking you. Daring you to find her. Imitating people’s voices that almost sound like people you knew. Even making comforting sounds to distract you. Your only weapon of defense… a pocket full of corn kernels and raisins. Welcome to the terror of… “The Crow”. 

Scorpio 

A first-person view’s Coming of Age story. You’re terrified, looking back and forth wildly. You know where you are - you’ve seen all these landmarks before when your mom drove you to the bowling alley with her for league days. But now you’re on your own. Your Huffy 5-speed bike under you as you look for the right road to get there… or will you chicken out and try to find your way home? Can you find your way without a map before your classmates find you? How will you survive… “A Nightmare on Elm Street”?

Sagittarius 

It’s April. You’ve put off all the math until the last minute thinking you’ll be able to get everything done in time. But Midnight is fast-approaching and you don’t know where your tax deductions box is. You need to make it through, “Friday the 13th”! Released direct to video because no movie theatres would screen it!

Capricorn 

Poor fifth graders, trying to grow up and be the Top Dogs of the school. They thought it’d be easy. They… Thought… Wrong. They’re outnumbered Ten-to-One with littler students who intend to make their last week of classes Hell on Earth. Welcome to the next chapter in…. “The Frighteners”!

Aquarius 

Join us in a mild-mannered office, with a mild-mannered man, doing a mild-mannered job. Meet “Carl”, lead animator on one of the most popular childrens’ Saturday Morning Cartoon Series of 1969. But he’s trying to hide secrets from his Quality Checker. Smeared motions, missing facial features, wrong character placements from wide to close shots… Will he get paid this week, or lose his job? Follow Carl’s terror as he is… “Haunted”, by Hanna Barbera Studios.

Pisces  

You were paid last month, but something’s wrong; you’re running out of time for your monthly auto-payments. The New Year’s party time was great, but now you’re literally paying it off with your life. Welcome to March as you try to survive… “28 Days Later”!

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord and BLUESKY.

(Calling out @scoobydoomistakes specifically on this one!)

[miniaturemoonheart]

13 Things to Do On Friday the 13th

Celebrate Friday the 13th With a Friend

Friday the 13th is one of those days you either think is kind of fun or you fear in some way. There are friends who believe the day is bad luck. But I believe it’s just another day, one that you can use to celebrate a good time with friends. Plus, the cultural lore around the holiday is quirky and interesting.

Why Is Friday the 13th a Big Deal?

There is no real evidence that bad things happen on Friday the 13th more than any other day. Some folks attribute the belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky with the lore surrounding the number 13, and the superstitions that follow it, which have really only taken hold in this latest century. Some believe the bad luck of that number is associated with the betrayal of Jesus and others think it might have come from a book published in 1907. The book, Friday the Thirteenth, sold lots of copies and was made into a movie, so it seems that people were willing to belief the myth that the day would eventually represent.

There is even an official name for the fear of Friday the 13th called friggatriskaidekaphobia, which is a combination of the derivatives of the name Friday and the fear of the number thirteen. It is estimated that between 17 to 21 million people fear the day, or at least claim to.

Forget Superstitions! Celebrate Friday the 13th

This can be a day you turn into harmless fun for you and your friends. Make it a positive. First, find out when Friday the 13th falls. Some years have more than one occurence, so you could use some of the following suggestions for one of the dates and do the rest of them on the next date, or just completely change it up. No matter when this fateful day falls in any given year, it at least kicks off a weekend. You could do a theme night (horror movie marathon anyone?), or just use the day to tell a few friends you’re thinking about them. Most of all, have fun with it.

In keeping with the theme of this day, I’ve given you thirteen (13) ideas for ways to celebrate. Most of these are inexpensive and take virtually no planning or time so they’ll be easy to do.

Call up a friend and ask if you can pick up a few items for them (like maybe, thirteen or so) from the grocery store on your way home from work.

Write an “I’m grateful you’re my friend” message on their Facebook wall. Or, in keeping with the theme here, write on thirteen different friend’s walls.

Bake a batch of thirteen cookies and drop them off at a friend’s house.

Write a note to a friend and include thirteen things you love about them.

Make a friend a baker’s dozen of their favorite cupcakes.

Play some Friday the 13th games.

Meet them at the coffee shop and find out how lucky you both are.

Invite friends over for a Friday the 13th movie marathon.

Learn more about feng shui together, by taking a class or just hitting up the information available at your local bookstore. Feng shui is believed to help you attract more luck in your life.

Have a Friday the 13th theme party, complete with black cupcakes, spooky decorations, and punch. Just for fun, try to figure out whether you have Triskaidekaphobia or Paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Change up the traditional thoughts about Friday the 13th and enlist a friend to help you develop a lucky attitude. Make a list of things you could do together, like take a class on being positive or building your self-esteem.

Adopt a black cat.

Buy a friend lunch and ask them what they feel has been the luckiest moment of their life.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

This world's evil god sucks, I'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE! (Chapter 7)

A Warhammer Fantasy Isekai

Chapter List

"I'll hammer all over this land!" - Harry the Hammer, famed Chaos Warrior before he proceeded to hammer undead to death.

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Descriptions of Violence, Spooky scary skeletons, and Creatures of the Night: The Elderly.

Chapter 7 - "IT'S HAMMERING TIME!"

Noura had the others follow her upstairs for a brief moment, saying that she had a gift for Lena and Varxus. They were in her bedroom, compared to the tidiness of the rest of her home, it was a complete disaster. Clothes were scattered along the floor, copious amounts of alcohol and half eaten food stayed on her drawers, and Noura was making a somehow bigger mess, tossing things from her closet haphazardly.

“Hm, nope. Not that one. Come on, where is it…?! Oh, I needed that like a week ago!” Noura muttered to herself, tossing things behind her and almost hitting the others.

Mason sidestepped an oncoming skull, Lena had to duck before she was hit by an ominously glowing orb, and Varxus’s helmet slightly shifted when a book hit the side of it, making him grunt.

“How is it that the rest of this abode is spotless, yet your personal chambers are reminiscent of an Orc’s lair?” Varxus questioned, clearly annoyed and confused by the contrasting state of her rooms.

“Hm? Oh, well, I specifically order my minions to never come in here. Lady’s personal space and all that.” Noura waved offhandedly as she continued looking. “By the way, what’s an Orc?”

“You do not have them in this world?”

“No, that’s my first time hearing of them.”

“...Thank gods.” Varxus sighed a breath of relief. Finally, an area where he would not have to deal with the greenskin menace, he thought to himself. They were literally everywhere in his realm, this was one thing he was glad that did not carry over. “They’re annoyances, I will leave it at that.”

“W-Were you never expecting anyone to be in here, Miss Noura?” Lena asked concerningly, trying to pick up the items off the floor.

“Dear, the only men I expect in my company are skeletons and my husband’s disapproval of my room.”

“Disapproval is an understatement, Lich.”

His observation made Mason and Lena chuckle, but Varxus remained unamused, growing further irritated.

“Is this truly necessary? I sincerely doubt this Necromancer could withstand an onslaught of our combined mi-”

“It is, if you wanna actually get to cast magic!” sigh “At least there’s no bugs in here…”

“Maybe we can help look?” Mason offered politely, helping Lena by putting the tossed skull on a table.

“No, I know it’s in this clo…AHA!” Noura cheered, shifting through her closet even faster and finally pulling out two rings. “Here we go! Lena, Varxus, these are for you!”

Lena extended her palm as the ring gently fell into it while Varxus grabbed it from Noura’s hand, closely examining it. He could tell the ring itself contained magical properties, but as to what specifically, he could not tell. All he could decipher is that it was not of undead nature, considering the Chaos magics emanating from his armour were not getting dulled by it.

“Varxus, I will have to say, I’ve never seen magic like yours before. The properties are…unique, I guess is a way to put it.”

“My magics are powered by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. Of the four gods I used to worship, Slaanesh, Tzeentch, and Nurgle allowed me to tap into the winds of magic.” Varxus replied.

“Hm. So you’ve denounced them since you’re stuck here, right?”

“Correct.”

“How are you still able to use them here, then?”

Varxus moved his mouth to give an answer, but found he had none. He looked at his palm and felt the numb sensation of his magic run dry. Varxus could not use it at the moment, but he knew for a fact it was still chaos magic that he was trying to summon forth…Why could he still use them if he was cut off from home?

“...I do not know that answer.” Varxus admitted, more to himself than actually meaning to answer Noura.

“Well, it’s no matter. As long as you can use it for your own gains, right?” Noura shrugged, turning to Lena.

Varxus was troubled by this thought, but then realised Lena was getting a ring, but not Mason.

“Here you go, dear! This should help you channel your innate magic a bit! We’ll do some more training when we get the chance.”

“You could have used magic this entire time?” Varxus turned to Lena, making her flinch.

“Um…W-Well, not really,” Lena replied as she straightened her back, getting used to the intimidating glare his helmet gave. “Elves innately can use earth magic in our world. At least, according to what father told me. But we need a lot of training to do so, and he never wanted me to learn.”

“Hm, that’s right. He wished for you to remain a farmer.” Varxus recalled. The fact he did made Lena slightly happy, something he did not notice himself.

Mason noticed that Varxus now turned his gaze onto him.

“Before you ask, milord, I can’t use magic. At least not innately like the Elves can.”

Noura sensed Varxus’s frown, which she cleared her throat to give him an answer.

“Saving the history lesson for another time, humans cannot learn magic themselves unless they find an artefact or an item to channel it, these rings for example.” Noura explained, one arm resting on her waist as she shook her other hand. “Elves and Dwarves can tap into magics from the word go, usually. Though sometimes, people like Lena here just need to be trained, since it’s something to do with their innate power.”

Varxus nodded, understanding the sheer power gap of the humans in his world and this one. The Empire of Man had colleges of magics, not everyone was gifted in it, but the ones who were could tap into truly destructive powers, at the risk of blowing themselves up. The fact that no human at all in this world could use them inherently was yet another alien concept to him. Knowing better than to think further on the comparisons, he instead looked at Noura.

“And you do not have mind altering properties in these rings?”

“Hah, no I do not, Varxus. Besides, those usually work on the weak-minded. I’m pretty sure you don’t qualify for that.” Noura chuckled. 

Lena put her ring on, and her eyes widened, clenching her hand over and over. Varxus moved to put the ring on himself and realised it was far too small for his massive gauntlets. Instead, he crushed the ring and his armour absorbed the magic, a surge of energy rushing through him as he sinisterly laughed. It did not restore him to full strength, but he could feel a part of his former power restored. He ignited a small blue flame in his hands and nodded. It did not feel like it was faltering anymore, which more than likely meant he could use the Blue Flames of Tzeentch far longer now.

“Are we ready to go now, Miss Noura?” Mason asked, twiddling his fingers anxiously. “I think we’re kind of pressed for time.”

“Yup! Let’s get to the stables and rush towards the town. You guys don’t mind skeletal steeds, do you?”

…

Rhys watched as the guards rushed to form a barricade along the towns’ entrances, shouting at each other and grabbing all sorts of torches and weapons. He simply watched for a majority of the time, answering any questions his men had about their orders, watching the civilians all escorted by Varxus’s men, much to their discomfort.

He could not help but focus on them, his fingers clenching.

“...Former soldiers of the Dark Lord.” Rhys’s own voice played back in his head. “Your new master, Varxus, has ordered me to retrieve you…But, know that you do not speak to someone who looks down on you. You speak to a fellow man who has broken free from the Dark Lord’s shackles.”

Rhys simply closed his eyes and sighed. If only they had been found by the queen like he had, maybe then they would not have to be under such a brutal man’s command. As much as he wanted to help them, he knew that would spell their death. Not to mention the townspeople were not nearly accepting as he and the city guard were. They had all been freed from the Dark Lord, but they dared not divulge that information to the general public.

“Commander!” One of the guards approached him, a torch illuminating the concrete they stood on in a warm light.

“What is it, Corporal?”

“Large amounts of undead approaching the vicinity, and the group you had sent out are returning!”

“Just in time it seems.”

Rhys walked towards the entrance of town and stopped when he saw a group of four riding on skeletal horses, leaping over the barricade with ease and landing right in front of them.

Lena was riding with a woman he had not seen before while Varxus and Mason had their own horses. Varxus was the only one that looked odd, as the horse he rode was obviously not meant for someone his size, looking more like a donkey of war than anything. They all got off their horse as the woman approached, politely bowing.

“Noura Mors, a pleasure to meet you, sir…?” She looked up, slightly tilting her head and gesturing for his name.

“Commander Rhys,” He replied, slightly hesitating. “...Are you…?-”

“The witch? Indeed I am. Though, not the one causing your current headache, obviously.”

He frowned at that fact and turned to Varxus.

“I see you have brought my men. Good. I have a plan to lure out the Necromancer so your men do not get overrun.”

“And what would that be?”

“I will not disclose the details, but position your men away from the townspeople.”

“What?!” Rhys shouted angrily, stepping towards Varxus as his fists clenched. “No, out of the question! I am not endangering the lives of my people!”

Varxus’s stance did not move, and his voice did not waver. It was the tone of a man completely assured of himself. He then turned to Lena and Mason who stepped forward.

“We’ll make sure that they’re safe, sir.” Mason politely nodded.

“Were you able to get the queen’s aid?” Lena asked, trying to comfort Rhys.

“...No, I was not. She says they’re busy trying to reinforce Dalery’s borders after the Dark Lord’s attacks on the outskirts. We are on our own.” 

“Tch, typical. Looking out for her own kind instead of everyone in their territories.” Noura waved off dismissively.

“You would do well to not speak ill of the queen, Ma’am.” Rhys sharply replied.

“And you have no other option it seems.” Varxus added.

Rhys gave an exacerbated sigh as his shoulders sagged, turning back to Varxus.

“Do I have your word that my people will not have a single scratch?”

“You do. I will not drag them into the open, if that is what you are concerned about.”

“...Fine. But you will give us a clear signal for your counterattack.”

Varxus slammed his right fist onto the left side of his breastplate.

“Your enemies will know terror upon our arrival.” Varxus left with his group and retrieved his men. He could not hear what they were saying, but they all vanished down the street and into the darkness of the alleys.

…

The guards heard the unmistakable noise of a shambling horde of zombies, all groaning as they approached the town’s entrance. The way they had barricaded Lindrow made it where only one way was possible to enter, and that was through the front door. In the centre of town contained the hiding civilians they were protecting, and no doubt this Necromancer’s target.

“Guards of Lindrow! Our enemies approach! Formation one, with me!” Rhys shouted over his shoulder, a line of seven guards rushed forward with swords and shields, while another line of seven stood behind them with halberds. Rhys himself stepped forward and unsheathed twin swords.

He had no idea what Varxus’s plans were, but it did not seem like he was the type to go back on his word, for better and worse. Focusing on his original plan, Rhys pointed forward with his sword.

“DRIVE THESE UNDEAD BASTARDS BACK TO THE HOLE THEY CRAWLED OUT OF!” Rhys charged forward with his men as they all shouted a battle cry, throwing themselves right onto the oncoming horde.

Rhys sliced apart a group of four as they all stuck their hands out to grab him, looking more like a whirlwind of death than a man. With a singular spin, he bisected all of them as their torsos fell onto the ground. The men accompanying him quickly shoved their swords into their heads, killing them for good and bashing the ones getting too close to the entrance with their shields. The halberd line stood a fair distance away, ready to cut apart any stragglers that slipped past.

Varxus watched from a distance inside one of the alleys, his arms crossed and silently observing. Lena, Mason, and Noura on the other hand were vocalising their thoughts.

“W-Wow, Commander Rhys is so fast!” Lena admired, watching as he dashed from group to group, rapidly slicing their limbs apart before moving onto the next, his soldiers quickly finishing them off in their wake.

“It is commendable,” Varxus admitted. If it came to blows between them, Rhys was almost as fast as he was. And that was impressive, considering he has nothing magical powering him.

“The other soldiers aren’t bad either, they’re pretty disciplined.” Mason commented, watching as the group moved as one.

“Something you wish to emulate, Varxus?” Noura asked teasingly. Sensing her tone, he simply shot her a glance and nothing else.

“It is something every force should have by default, if they wish to call them “Elite”. With what I’ve taught my men about formations, they’re now on a basic level of a town guard.” Varxus grunted. 

Rhys backed off as he decapitated another zombie, noticing an arrow whiz past his head, making him look for the source. In the distance was now a group of skeletons, all armed with swords and bows, and he knew more were on the way.

“The second wave is upon us, bring out the crossbows and fall back!”

Rhys and the soldiers quickly retreated with the Halberds switching out their weapons for shields, another formation reloading their crossbows and aiming. Many of the skeletons’ arrows embedded themselves into the shields, but some managed to catch a soldier’s arm or their helmet, causing them to stagger. The skeletons moved much faster than the zombies, quickly closing the distance and entering the town. Varxus noted they moved much faster, but were still out of sync with each other. They appeared to remain extremely fragile as only a few sword clashes with the guards caused them to shatter. But their sheer number started to drive the guards back, even with Rhys tearing them apart.

“Hmph, a classic strategy. Tire down the defenders with your chaff, then send in your heavy hitters.” Varxus nodded in approval for his attacker. That meant his quarry would be no mere foe for him to crush. It would be a worthy opponent indeed.

Finally, a battle was playing out how it should have been since the moment he entered this gods forsaken world. Both sides were a dangerous foe for the other, utilising their strategies and strengths to the best of their ability. The humans outmanoeuvred the slower undead, but they had the numbers to dwindle their stamina down.

“Be ready to shatter their lines. Follow me to glory.” Varxus’s usual annoyed tone was noticeably absent. Instead it was replaced with a type of excitement. An excitement to finally show what Chosen were truly capable of.

Rhys roared as he shattered yet another skeleton’s skull, dodging the arrows as his blades parried others that tried to attack him. His breathing became uneven as he struggled to catch it, under constant attack by the unending skeletons pouring from the entrance. Arrows constantly flew by him, driving his guards further back towards the centre, and ever closer to the townspeople in the building behind them.

He knew that it was a matter of time before they got overwhelmed. A fact that a cackling voice seemed to understand, as the skeletons suddenly backed off, and made all the guards look up. It was a pale man who was floating above them, his black cloak being blown back from the wind. He slowly came down, with many of the guards pointing his weapons at them.

“You’ve proven yourself quite the formidable opponent, Commander Rhys!” The pale man applauded, his hands clapping to Rhys’s annoyance.

“Who are you?” Rhys demanded, his swords still ready to attack.

“I, am Ebrexor! I come far from the dead lands to seek an army to overthrow this kingdom, and this town will make a fine addition to my collection!”

“Over my dead body!” Rhys shouted, charging straight at him.

“As you wish…!” Ebrexor mocked, gently waving his hand forward and having his skeletal legion advance once more, slowly overwhelming them. “Now where are my new subjects?-”

As if on cue, the building behind the guards had massive skeletal hands reach upwards and bring walls down, while another one held the roof up, exposing a massive group of people, all holding each other and screaming in terror.

“What in the?!-” Rhys shouted in surprise, a sword entering his arm as he was caught off guard, making him scream and fall over.

“C-COMMANDER!” One of the guards called out for him, as they quickly became surrounded by a group of skeletons that had seemingly come out of nowhere. “I-Impossible, there was no way they could have gotten behind us!”

“HAHAHA! There are my subjects! Do not worry just yet my friends, you will get to join your families after I…” Ebrexor’s laugh stopped in his throat. 

The mortals were right. The skeletons had not broken through their lines, nor did he summon those hands. And his minions tried to break through the entrances, but they were far too weak. How did they-? Without warning, the skeletons surrounding the guards spun around and rushed their own kind, shattering them into pieces with each savage blow. One of them grabbed Rhys and threw him into the city guards, before one of the hands shifted and grabbed them, tossing them into the building like they were made of paper.

“T-The hell?!” The guards shouted. 

Before Ebrexor could get his own shout of surprise in, the hands closed in, forming an impenetrable wall of bone around the people. From the dark alleys, he heard heavy armour moving towards him, as if it was an entire formation.

“Who DARES?!-” His voice quickly died off when he saw a massive black-armoured man with horns sprouting from his helmet, stomping towards him with a two handed hammer. 

Beside him was a smaller soldier, sword and shield in hand, a small girl with a face of anger and disgust, and a well dressed woman, casually smiling as she strolled, completely dismissing the atmosphere of her companions. Behind them was a formation of the Dark Lord’s soldiers, though they did not act like the ones he’d encountered previously. These ones had their shields raised and slamming the hilts of their swords onto the front, creating an intimidating drum-like beat as they marched forward as one, shouting one word over and over that was completely unfamiliar to him.

“NORSCA!”

Ebrexor took a step back, slowly realising just how truly colossal the approaching warrior was, and he could sense magic radiating from him, something far more evil than his own, or even the Dark Lord’s magic. His eyes went wide as he swore he heard the laughter of four great and terrible beings, and the screams were beginning to intensify as the man drew closer. The aura alone was driving him to insanity, a concept he thought he had abandoned a long time ago. This stranger’s magic whispered in his head, it craved for violence to quench its insatiable lust, it hungered for his soul.

The man suddenly began to cackle maniacally, adjusting the grip on his massive hammer and looking straight at Ebrexor.

“SLAVES TO DARKNESS! BREAK THEIR BACKS, TEAR THEIR HEADS OFF, AND LINE THE STONES WITH THEIR BLOOD! WE SHALL EARN GLORY TODAY!” 

He broke out into a full tilt sprint, a speed that no man with that size and that armour should be able to achieve, slowly accompanied by the three with him. The elf and human raised their shields to deflect incoming arrow fire, while the woman simply yawned, flicking her hand up lazily as a wall of bones erupted and caught the arrows aimed at her head before it vanished again.

The soldiers all rushed in, screaming a mighty war cry as they clashed with the advancing skeletons, managing to hold their own as their adrenaline took over their instincts and began to savagely beat the skeletons to death. They looked more like a savage band of barbarians than the discipline they had portrayed a second earlier. Though something was off about them. They seemed inexperienced, frightened even. Not at all what their leader was currently portraying.

The leader took one swing with his hammer and blew apart eight skeletons' upper halves into tiny pieces, his speed still startlingly fast. The human and elf were striking with precision at their heads, dodging attacks and arrows while making sure not to get caught off guard. Notably, they were fighting together, blocking an attack that would hit the other. The woman made no gesture, but her eyes glowed a dark purple as her own skeletal minions dealt with the grunts, both of them tearing each other apart as she looked on the skirmish with a kind of apathetic expression. Only when she looked at her comrades did she begin to smile. The leader quickly raised his hand at Ebrexor, spewing out a searing blue flame that scorched the concrete in front, Ebrexor barely managing to raise a magical shield in time that redirected the flame. It incinerated the skeletons trying to reinforce their allies, turning them into a pile of dust, with the leader still cackling.

“Show me what pathetic sorceries you will use in vain to save your miserable existence! BECAUSE TODAY, YOU FIGHT CHOSEN!”

To be continued in Chapter 8

[bereft-of-frogs]

starting the weekend list early:

- ok yea I still have 5 hours left of work boo

- I have three outstanding tag things that are not so far back that it’s weird to still do them, so I’ll catch up on those guys (2/3 at least right away, I need to fix something for the third one first might take a bit longer…maybe I’ll do that instead of working tho 🤔)

- 30 minute cleaning timer

- part 2; chapter 2 second draft let’s gooooo

- new wwdits episode?

- maybe a little video game

Saturday—

- drive to parents house to celebrate my moms retirement and also pick up the remaining books

- organize books

- watch movie/ knit

Sunday—

- beach in the morning (probably just to appreciate the waves and read, it has just not been getting warm enough for me to swim this year)

- grocery store

- serious business, no multitasking, using a pomodoro timer rewrite time

Next week is my last big second drafting push (I mean…all these deadlines are self imposed so does it really matter that much, no, but also yes), then the week after that is for last edits and formatting and gathering things like banner images, links, etc, and then my summer project will done! And it will be time for spooky season!

[hellsvestibule]

I feel like that dni list that’s been going around is a troll. I mean maybe it doesn’t entirely matter bc it’s a parody of a real phenomenon . But there are specific parts of it to me indicating it’s someone closer to my age making fun of the type of late teen or early 20 something person who writes DNIs like that and not a real person idk. The first too specific thing for me being 80s He Man, which like, it’s a cartoon largely intended to promote toys in the 80s why would you care? Idek if it has a “fandom” proper and if it does they’d mostly be in their late 30s probably, older than me, and no one in their 30s thinks like this or interacts w people who write DNI lists like this.

But also bc even when peoples DNI lists have a lot of stupid additions that mostly amount to “enjoying a cartoon for babies that made a few missteps” and “classic lit my meanie high school teacher made me read but I don’t wanna” there’s at least the occasional bone to throw where the show the creators or the fandom are openly and purposefully problematic enough to deserve being on there like, idk, Family Guy or something. And while you could argue that things like paw patrol are copaganda it’s sort of fucking ridiculous to put a show for literal toddlers under the age of 5 who can’t type on there. You’re going to put phantom of the Opera, one would presumably guess bc it’s about an older man preying on a young girl, but not like, Faust, or Lolita, the latter which is more infamously understood to be About That without the spooky paranormal trappings

My thing is like even a 14 year old minimally exposed to problematic content through high school and other terminally online peoples YFIP lists knows what South Park is. And if they take contention w things like the antisemitism in Dracula to the point of putting it on a DNI they’d likely put that if not also things like hetalia and attack on titan there as well.

Basically it seems like everything on the list is basically, picked to be the least severe example of whatever criticism you could potentially launch at it, when there are equally well known things which are objectively worse about whatever makes these things “problematic” so to me it’s too naive to take seriously it smells of troll. Even people whose media critique starts and ends with “it has a bad thing I don’t like it” tend to have a few points where it’s like well ok, I get why you might be uncomfortable with that. This one made sure not to mention anything overtly problematic enough you could rationalize why they’d go out of their way to avoid anyone who interacts with it. But the books mentioned implies high school reading level and rattling off a list of titles middle schoolers wouldn’t know. Let alone “80s he man” but like you’re gonna tell me a high school or college age person wouldn’t mention any anime or adult animated cartoon yeah mmm….

[treesap-blogs]

Happy Saturday, everyone! Here’s a review of “The Witchery” by S. Isabelle!

Hello, Tumblrians! I just realized I never did a review of this book on my actual account, only tying it to the confines of my Instagram Close Friends List! So I’ll be getting this out to the best of my ability, in a manner still respecting the weekly schedule because so far that’s been working out well! Maybe I’ll integrate a weekly schedule for posting art, too, because truthfully I’d love to scream about my blorbos and maybe some OCs(..no guarantee about that second thing though I find it a struggle to write ones not for venting) into the areas of Tumblr where people would be interested in hearing about it!

That got unrelated pretty fast! Sorry! What I’d like to add on before the actual review itself kicks off though is that I wanted to add some more spooky stuff to my reading queue, and when I saw this book on a display inside a library I read the summary and just decided to go for it! Magic witch schools? Horror elements? Shit, I’m in, just off of that alone. I didn’t have much knowledge prior to that lmao.

This book was a pretty interesting read overall! The first 50 or so pages were kind of rough, though, because I figured out very quickly just how many POVs we were dealing with here. The thing was though, because they were told in third-person omniscient, they didn’t have very different voices; I found the change in POV was mainly for convenience of a location, not for that specific person’s thoughts/feelings. (Basically: plot/premise carried, characters were moreso a vessel for it.) That’s not to say that there was a complete absence of character voices, though, because I had read enough of them to be sufficiently annoyed at Logan every time it was one of her chapters! She had the least interesting of the backgrounds for the characters, and she frequently whined about not being special or not wanting to be called a “baby witch”. Seriously, take a shot every time you read “baby witch” in her chapters specifically and you’d die of alcohol poisoning. I hated how she fell in love with Theodore immediately and literally betrayed the group’s plan just for him (which..fine I get there’s a reason for that later on that’s spoiler-y, still annoying though), and how she had such a “so pick me!! choose me!! love me!!” vibe to her😐. (Theodore and Logan also just didn’t work as a romance. I couldn’t see the chemistry, it was just so annoying and felt like a pointless romance subplot added just for an internal conflict.) I saw Ms Woc Reader on Goodreads and her blog comment that the book would’ve worked better if Thalia and Iris were the only two POVs, since they were the most rounded-out and had the most to expand on, and I agree with that! They kicked off basically all of the plot elements, had the most interesting backstories, and then we wouldn’t have to deal with the other main issue of having all the POVs, which is that the white characters were centered too frequently for a book with a mainly black cast. Hopefully this is something fixed in the second book, as S. Isabelle will have many chances to grow from this being her debut book.

The pacing also felt a bit wonky, like there were too many events for just this book alone. I saw many reviewers talk about this being packed for a standalone, and although there’s a sequel that was announced to be out in September of this year, I wonder if it was just meant to be a standalone at first? It definitely explains why it was paced the way it was. And if a second book just for this specific plot wouldn’t work, maybe The Witchery should’ve been longer, but I could also see how that could be a lot to get a publisher to send out. My knowledge of the actual business is little, but the longer a book is, the more expensive the publishing price is, and there’s probably some business reasons to do with the final product’s results as well.

To S. Isabelle’s credit, though, this was something that worked in her favor for the climax, because it meant that chapters went by quick enough to have fast-paced action. That was something I did enjoy during my read! (And Logan did finally step up when she got her shit kicked in with about 50 pages left, not to say I like her but it was the only time she legitimately contributed to the group.)

The friend group also didn’t have as much of the dynamic their characters probably should with their closeness to each other, presumably due to the POV problem. 

I did like Vero and Jailah’s history! I’m a sucker for drama, their moderate toxicity was very interesting to read and I wish we actually got to see Vero in the ending rather than just have her be mentioned in passing. How does she process being helped after all of that time? Does she forgive Jailah? Will she understandably never be able to? She just appeared for the truth serum acquiring, was mentioned in passing and never appeared again. A lot of the parts of the plot were wrapped up suddenly, actually. 

Another thing I liked was the horror elements present! But although things got a little bloody and spookier towards the end, I do wish the story felt a little more twisted? It felt very tame by horror standards, despite the genre. But then again this is a YA, I don’t know how much someone can breach the boundaries until they have to rebrand their book. The witch school also felt generic, there weren't many identifying factors about it other than it being sort of creepy? That was basically all lmao.

Overall verdict!: Plot was interesting(albeit the twists could be easily predicted by a frequent YA reader), characters not as much but they could’ve had potential if the chapters weren’t structured how they were and this story was long enough to give the plot a chance to breathe. 

Book rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.

Paz, signing off!

(Book trigger/content warnings: Most are mentioned inside, but include frequent self-harm(typically involving pricking a thumb, although there’s one instance of slicing a hand with a knife, all instances are just for sacrificial and spell purposes), blood and gore, body horror and mentions of religious trauma.)