#the haunting blackwood manor

[dreadheadmadi]

I’M GONNA CLAW THOSE PRETTY LITTLE EYES OUT (Prologue)

Pairing: The Prowler (Aaron Davis) x Black Cat Variant! OC

TW: murder, blood, graphic descriptions, cursing, gore, death, strong language

A/N: Please note that all my OCs are Black; of course, this doesn't mean that if you aren't Black, you can't read it. Just please be respectful. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

BLACKWOOD MANOR loomed on the outskirts of New York like a gothic monolith, its sprawling grounds shrouded in mist and mystery; its imposing design was a testament to the wealth and power of its enigmatic owner, the elusive billionaire Alexander Blackwood. The grandeur of the mansion enveloped the night like a cloak of decadence, its opulence a stark contrast to the darkness that seeped through its polished corridors.

Usually, the manor would lay dormant and dark, with no sounds or persons going in or out. However, tonight was a special night, a masquerade-themed birthday, of whom it belonged to but none other than Alexander Blackwood's spouse. She was different from her loner husband - a city girl and an active member of New York's rich folk. Such a figure would earn as many friends and connections as possible - and she invited them all. Within the manor's walls, the wealthy elite danced and revealed, their laughter echoing against the marble floors as they indulged in the spoils of their privilege.

Among them, Alexander's favorite niece, Sofia Blackwood, navigated the sea of masked faces, her steps hesitant as she struggled to mask her discomfort beneath a façade of poise and grace. That night, she mustered the courage to ask her uncle to fund her college education, considering that her parents disapproved of her choice of study and promised to cut ties if she pursued it.

The air was heavy with the scent of expensive perfumes and the sickly sweetness of excess, but beneath it, a palpable tension lurked—a sense of impending doom that clung to the shadows like a vengeful specter. As the night wore on and inhibitions faded, Sofia was drawn to a secluded balcony overlooking the sprawling gardens below. She needed a moment to think, to gather herself before locating her uncle. Taking deep breaths, Sofia closed her eyes before looking at the scenery. A small smile appeared as she reminisced about when her uncle would play tag with her in the garden - tiny Sofia would run around the hedges, past the fountain, and up the staircase leading back to the manor as Alexander chased her. As her eyes followed the path, her smile quickly dropped as a cold chill shot through her blood.

There, amidst the ivy-covered trellises and moonlit fountains, she stumbled upon a sight that would forever haunt her nightmares. A figure lay sprawled across the cold stone tiles—a man, his once-immaculate tuxedo now stained with the crimson evidence of his demise. His eyes, wide with terror, stared unseeing into the night while multiple grotesque gashes marred his throat, the blood still warm and viscous against his pallid skin.

Sofia recoiled in horror, bile rising in her throat as she struggled to comprehend the brutality of the scene before her. The metallic tang of blood filled her nostrils, and she fought to suppress the urge to hurl as the reality of the situation washed over her in sickening waves. Instead of vomit coming out of her mouth, a guttural, heart-wrenching shriek replaced it. Multiple footsteps rush towards her before halting abruptly, filling the evening atmosphere with their wails. Around her, the party descended into chaos, the revelry shattered by the specter of death that now loomed over them all. Sofia was grabbed by her mother and father and ushered into an enclosed room where she finally regurgitated her evening meal onto the pristine marble floors.

Guests screamed and fled in panic, their masks slipping in their haste to escape the scene of the carnage unfolding before their eyes. All but one remained rooted to the spot, their gaze fixed on the lifeless form before them. Taking off their mask reveals a Black man with a scowl so deep in hatred that one would have thought he was the one who committed the murder. His dark brown eyes glower down at the body before being covered by the full face mask again. Quickly, he returned to the building, stomping down the velvet-covered stairs and pushing his way to the front of the small crowd around the crime scene.

As the crowd prayed, cried, and cursed the murderer to hell, the man's eyes focused on the wound on his neck. The gashes weren't a nice clean slice as if it were with a standard knife; they were thinner, deeper, and jagged with bits of flesh dangling and sticking out on the sides. No, a knife hadn't done this, but a set of claws-

"It was the Prowler!" a voice declared, "Look at the claw marks! That fucking bastard killed Alex!"

"I heard he's working with Fisk now. That fucking mammoth hated Alexander," another voice added, "He probably put a hit out."

"But on his wife's birthday? At a big event like this when we're all here?" A third chimed in. The second shook his head while pointing to Alexander's dead body.

"You don't know those men like I do; Alex was his number one enemy. When Fisk's family died, he asked Alex to help with some investments on some secret project; the hell if I know what it is. Alex said the fucker went batshit crazy when he lost his wife and was all over the news saying it too. It was supposed to be a wake-up call, but Fisk took that as disrespect and has been an enemy to the Blackwood family ever since. Dropping sponsorships, buying out companies, blocking his political power, I know that son of a bitch got something to do with this!"

The first voice suddenly reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a gun. "Fuck," he spat, "Fuck, fuck! To fucking hell with Fisk! I was THIS close to buying off those fucking votes! All that money gone to shit - where the FUCK is that purple bastard?! I'm putting a bullet through his head and then into Fisk's next!" With the sudden uproar, the first voice stormed back into the manor, which prompted others to do the same, all looking for the Prowler. He was already gone, however - he snuck out of the manor and into the thicket surrounding the manor, climbing onto his motorcycle and speeding off towards Brooklin. As he blares down the road, he tears off his mask again - brown eyes darkened as a single thought runs through his head.

That bitch stole my fucking kill.

Aaron swore to his momma that he’d never hit a girl, but this bitch was asking for it. It wasn’t the first time Black Cat had killed someone on his list; no, it’s been months since their first encounter. But for how long will this keep happening? The year is almost over, and he’s only been responsible for the deaths of four unlucky souls. Four, while she had six. Five of which were stolen right from his grasp. To say he was upset is an understatement. Annoyed? Oh, that’s long gone. Pissed? Maybe two months ago. Enraged? Closer, but not quite.

It’s gotten to the point where his work has become sloppy - disregarding his usual planned and strategic approach for a quicker and easier route just in case she was around. One time he even took a gunshot to his shoulder because of his blatant tunnel vision - Fisk gave him shit for it and benched him for a few weeks to heal before shoving him back into work. Aaron figures he’s going to be hooked on painkillers for a long while.

Speaking of the Kingpin, Aaron wasn’t sure how to explain what happened tonight, hell he doesn’t even know what happened tonight. All he knew was that he had only been at the party for around fifteen to twenty minutes before Sophia’s screams were heard. The party had only been going on for about ten minutes before he arrived, so within that thirty-minute window, Black Cat had arrived at the party, isolated Alexander, and killed him.

Based on his wounds, Aaron deduced that they weren’t deep enough to make a swift and easy kill. As he studied the evidence photos of Alexander after he hacked into the BPD police files, he zoomed in closely on the gashes. While it did look like claw marks, they were uneven and choppy. It wasn’t a clean strike either - it was slanted and angled more vertically than anything. A clear indication of a height difference, Aaron noted.

Alexander was six feet tall exactly; if Black Cat had struggled to get to his neck, she’d be closer to five feet in height, five feet and five inches at max. Aaron paused and wondered if she were wearing heels or platforms that night - it would make sense, considering she’d have to blend into a masquerade-styled party. That would put her shorter than five feet and five inches, the average height for women in Brooklyn. He wrote that down on a notepad and kept examining the photos.

The pieces of flesh that stuck out kept drawing his attention. It looked like the results of his prototype claw gauntlets. They were made of random and uncut metals that weren't accurately measured or maintained. The metal would often be too sharp or dull and get stuck underneath the victim’s skin due to the curvature of the claws. Once he drew back his hand, he would quite literally rip out the area of flesh he had made contact with. While it got the job done, it was a messy and loud kill, prompting him to update his weapon.

It was evident to Aaron that Black Cat’s weapon was similar to his prototype; however, one thing still bothered him - it was a silent kill. The initial contact had been on the side of his neck, still leaving enough airway to scream out for help or in pain. No one heard anything, and according to the witness statements, no one had noticed that Alexander was not present at the party. Aaron frowned at that detail - Alexander Blackwood wasn’t stupid. Someone, be it a guard or even his wife, had to have known he was separating himself from the partygoers. A man who has many enemies wouldn’t dare leave without alerting someone.

Another thing that bothered him was that Alexander wasn’t some snobby old rich guy. Blackwood was a black belt in his youth; he competed in and eventually founded various boxing matches and fight clubs across the United States. He was highly trained in artillery and probably would have been a military commander by now if he wasn’t in control of New York’s corrupt legal system. Simply put, Alexander Blackwood was a force to be reckoned with, just to be cut down by some female in a black leather jumpsuit. It just didn’t make sense.

All of Black Cat’s six kills before Alexander Blackwood had been young men and women of minor importance—quick money, as Aaron called it. The targets Fisk had assigned to the Prowler were gang leaders, drug dealers, and old henchmen whom Fisk no longer needed. This jump from stepping on an ant to straight-up maiming a lion was highly unusual for some uptown thief in a bodysuit. A whole year with little to no gains was starting to get to the mercenary; he needed to get to the bottom of this shit and quickly.

Aaron rubbed his hand across his face and turned towards another monitor, clicking on Google and searching up “Black Cat Brooklin.” He was hoping something new would pop up, but all he found were a few articles and stories he’d already researched.

There was a video that had gone viral a month ago; it was the CCTV footage of a jewelry store that the villainess had broken into. She wore her classic attire, mask, and a white straightened angled bob. Strolling around the store, she opened the displays and bagged all the merchandise, even trying on some and posing in a mirror hanging on the wall. Afterward, she shouldered the duffel bag, blew a kiss at the camera, and left out of the vent system she had used to get into the building. The uproar on memes and parodies of the event were all over Aaron’s feed for days. Women were gushing over her bad bitch aura, creating fan pages, and even going out and buying white wigs, dyes, and bundles just to look like her. And, of course, the men were practically fapping their dicks, saying how she was too delicate to go to prison, how they too would steal some shit in this economy; they were lowkey gassing her up more than the women did.

Aaron didn’t care enough to have an opinion; at that time, she was just some thief. But it’s different now, he thought, she’s more than a thief, she’s a killer. This year was the first year of her dipping her toes into homicide, and from Aaron’s knowledge, she hadn’t even been caught yet. Aaron wondered if those men and women would still support her after it’s exposed that she killed six people in over a year, but he figured they probably still would - the world is fucking crazy nowadays.

Right now at the moment, he was just mindlessly scrolling, clicking on the fan pages and profiles for any information he could gain on her. And then, after refreshing for the tenth time, a new video popped up titled “BLACK CAT HAS A NEW WEAPON (and it reminds me of someone 🤔) | New Look, New Tactics.” Aaron immediately clicked on the video and recognized the person in the commentary as an influencer who was one of the ones who made the robbing video famous by creating a whole trend based on it. The video started with random filler topics, which Aaron graciously skipped through before getting down to the central part of the video.

“Okay, guys, so let’s get to the tea; last night, Black Cat was seen scaling buildings and rooftops downtown with a new look, baby! Let’s look at what Miss Cat got going on for us,” the influencer starts, clicking on a Twitter thread showing a few off-guard pictures and videos of the thief.

“Oh, my God, you guys! Look at that fur, okay, hold on, I’m getting ahead of myself,” she laughed before viewing the first picture and zooming in. “Okay, first thing’s first, that hair, baby! Miss Cat said new hair, new me, and rocking this new do! Gone is her angled bob, replaced with these cute goddess passion twists; I love this! Of course, it’s colored in her signature platinum. Is it platinum? Platinum feels more yellow to me, maybe just plain white? Or maybe more like a frosty white, you know? Yeah, let’s go with that, haha! Edges are laid to perfection, makeup always looking fresh, ugh I’m telling all of you Miss Cat needs to open up shop cause I would pay-“

Aaron skipped ahead a little more; it’s nothing new that Black Cat constantly changed up her hairstyle and makeup looks. It's a smart move, considering how easy it is to track someone nowadays. Her indecisiveness is the sole reason no one has found out who she is; by the time they get comfortable with one look, it’s on to the next.

“Alright, so let’s talk about this new suit. So, I do get why most people say this isn’t a new suit. I mean, it is just the same suit with more fur, probably to keep warm since we are in winter, but I like to call it a new suit solely for these!” The influencer moves to the following picture, a close-up of Black Cat’s arms - which had two slender gauntlets with claw-like attachments. Aaron sat up and leaned towards the screen. Those looked familiar - real fucking familiar.

“That’s right, guys, Black Cat has a new weapon! This kitty has claws, and she is not afraid to use them! Many people say they love it; it’s on brand with the whole cat thing and a way better choice than the staff she used. I love the claws; they bring her a new, dangerous vibe. Like, before, she was just this common thief we all made jokes about, but now it’s like, damn, she's pretty serious about this. Miss Cat said to put some respect on her name; she isn’t any weak runt of the litter; she is THE Black Cat. Quit playing with her; this is serious business! Now, next, we have a quick little video of this new weapon in action, but before that, a quick word from our sponsor-“

Yeah, no, fuck that. Aaron skips again to where the video starts, and his leg bounces. There’s no way, there’s no fucking way, right? Right?

The video in the thread plays, and it shows Black Cat using the claws to climb up a brick wall, leaving significant scratch marks and puncture holes etched into the concrete. Then, once on top of the roof, she raises her hand and flexes it, which seems to trigger some mechanism as the claw part of the gauntlet shoots out and attaches itself to the edge of another roof two buildings across. Black Cat then runs and jumps off the roof she was currently on and uses the rope-like connection lodged between the claw part and the rest of the gauntlet. She swings towards the building, and on the video, the connection shortens, creating a grappling hook. The video shows her safely landing and repeating the action for another building before it ends.

The video cuts back to the influencer as she comments, “So, as we can see, it’s like a grappling hook, kind of? That’s cool; I wish I had a grappling hook. Then I could properly get to work on time when there’s traffic-“

Aaron exits the video before finding the Twitter thread and checking the comments. There are screenshots of the gauntlet from different angles and a few claims that it had sometimes glowed purple. After reading more and more comments about the description of the gauntlet, Aaron leans back in his chair and blinks.

That’s my gauntlet, he thinks; that’s my prototype.

Immediately, he calls Fisk - the one person Aaron trusted enough to leave the prototype with due to his high-security level warehouses and marked a sign of mutual trust between the two business partners. After quickly catching Fisk up to date, Fisk left to check the warehouse himself before confirming that the prototype was indeed missing - stating that they had numerous techs slowly disappear since the end of the previous year but couldn’t pin who it was or how they broke in.

The whole reason he wanted Alexander dead was because he was the only other person who knew where Fisk’s warehouses were, so the Kingpin thought he was the one who did it. Regardless, Fisk seemed intrigued that Aaron had made the connection to Black Cat, but Aaron was too busy breathing fire to even tune in on what the Kingpin was saying, causing him to drop the line altogether.

Aaron could feel the uncomfortable heat of anger creeping up his spine and seeping into his brain, as he returned to the thread and checked the new comments.

It didn't take long before the public started to bring up the Prowler’s weapon and their similarities. After rewatching the video five more times, Aaron noticed the prototype was tampered with. Every major flaw Aaron had trouble with had been fixed to a degree. Aaron closed his eyes and leaned back, his leg bouncing rapidly before suddenly stopping.

“It’s my prototype, he mumbles, “And she fixed it. She took my shit and made it better.” He slowly opens his eyes; green envy returns to his dark brown eyes. “First, she steals my kills, and now she steals my tech,” he chuckles before laughing and slamming his palm down onto his desk. “I am,” he laughs, “I am going to fucking end this bitch.”

Next

Tag list: @mordeiswrld @arielpanda1 @young-dc @fossilizedbeetle @super-nova-2006 @chelsea-xxx2003 @fandom-multiamory @leahnicole1219

[ashes-in-a-jar]

In my head, you’re a Magnus Archives blog. I mean, I know you obviously listen to other things, but In my mind it’s things like Welcome to Nightvale, Malevolent, Hello from the Hallowoods, The Sheridan Tapes, things like that, horror and supernatural.

So I had to do a double-take when I saw a Dungeons and Daddies post from you, I really didn’t know you listened to it. Then I see you reblog a Fawx and Stallion post, and now I’m just wondering how many podcasts you’ve listened to that I’ve also listened to.

Hahaha yes this blog has been mainly for tma stuff for years now, I still feel like I'm new to the fandom but honestly I've been here through a lot of it since the beginning of season 5

Buuuuut in the past few months I've stopped going into the tma tag regularly and been feeling a little detached from it, at least as opposed to before. My listen to tmagp has been way less interactive and I hardly reblog content anymore (which is something I like doing but because of various bad experiences on the internet recently I have yet to recover from I feel safer posting my own original posts rather than reblogging)

And that freed up a space in my mind to realize I've actually been listening to a lot of podcasts besides tma and it's honestly a shame not to talk about them more with others

I do listen to a lot of horror fantasy supernatural and science fiction podcasts! I also love a lot of dnd and ttrpg podcasts, I also love everything dropout and wish I could get into critical role but it's so big I don't think I'll manage it

I put under the cut a (quite long) list of the podcasts I have listened to and/or have notifications turned on

Anyone following me, you're welcome to send me an ask about one of them if you like them as well or want to hear about them!

I also put a list of podcasts on my to listen to list. Feel free to drop a recommendation for which them to listen to first!

-------------

Podcasts I'm caught up on (the lists are long so it's alphabetical without "the")

Ongoing podcasts

The Amelia project

Ask your father

A voice from darkness

Black box

Brimstone valley mall

Camlann

The cellar letters

Death by dying

Derelict

Eeler's choice

Ethics town

Fawx and stallion

Hello from the Hallowoods

The hundred handed

Levian

Lost terminal

The Magnus protocol

Malevolent

Midnight burger

The mistholme museum of mystery morbidity and mortality

Neon inkwell

New years day

Not quite dead

Old gods of Appalachia

The penumbra podcast

The program

Red valley

The Sheridan Tapes

The silt verses

The sound museum

Super suits

Tell no tales

Tiny terrors

Traveling light

Unseen

The vesta clinic

Victoriocity

The white vault

Completed podcasts

Absolutely no adventures

Archive 81

Borrasca

The bright sessions

Camp here and there

Descendants

Give me away

I am in eskew

Monstrous agonies

Parkdale haunt

The Magnus archives

Re: dracula

The secret of st kilda

Spirit box radio

Steal the stars

Time:bombs

We know none

Wolf 359

Wooden overcoats

Ttrpgs

The adventure zone

Campaign skyjacks

Chapter and multiverse

Dark dice

Dice shame

Dimension 20 (not a podcast but I listen to it like one)

Dungeons and daddies

Not another d&d podcast

Rusty Quill gaming

Worlds beyond number

Podcast on my listen next list:

The Alexandria archives

Alice isn't dead

Ars paradoxica

Believer

The Black tapes

Blackwood

The box

The bridge

Carrier

Counterbalance

The cryptid keeper

Darkest night

The darkroom

The dark tome

The deca tapes

The deep vault

Dreamboy (this one is nsfw so it makes me nervous lol)

Duggan Hill

The earth collective

Either

The far meridian

The fountain road files

The glass canon

Jar of rebuke

Kings fall am (I started but heard not great things about it)

Knifepoint horror

Kollok 1991

Less is morgue

The leviathan chronicles

Liberty

Limetown

The lost cat

Mabel

Maeltopia

Marscorp

Mirrors

Mockery manor

Next stop

The no sleep podcast

The orphans

The Orpheus protocol

Out of place

Paired

Palimpsest

The phone booth

Point mystic

Pseudopod

Rabbits

The right left game

Shadows at the door

Spines

Stellar firma

The storage papers

Stories from among the stars

Super ordinary

Superstition

Tanis

Tides

Unwell

Vast horizon

Victoria's lift

Video palace

Welcome to night Vale (I listen to this one very sporadically lol)

We're alive

Within the wires

Woe begone (I started but got stuck on episode 20ish but want to continue)

Wrong station

Ttrpgs

BomBARDded

Critical role (it's sooo long tho)

Dames and dragons

Dragon friends

Join the party

The lucky die

Queens of adventure

Realms of pearl and glory

Rude tales of magic

Skyjacks courier call

Three black halflings

[lelebsims]

🦇✨ Meet Lady Evelina Blackwood ✨🦇

#SpookyCasChallenge Day 2 - Victorian Vampire

Step into the shadowy elegance of my Halloween series! 🌙🖤 I’m excited to introduce the second character in this haunting journey: Lady Evelina Blackwood.

Hailing from the opulent halls of Victorian society, Lady Evelina is a vampire of timeless beauty and dark allure. Her piercing gaze and graceful demeanor conceal centuries of secrets and a thirst for the unknown. 🕯️

Evelina’s nights are spent wandering moonlit streets and ancient manors, her presence both captivating and chilling. She possesses an air of mystery, drawing in those who dare to uncover the enigma behind her immortal existence. Her story is one of eternal elegance, forbidden romance, and the haunting allure of the night.

Stay tuned for more characters and tales as we delve deeper into this spellbinding series. 🦇✨

Here's the link to a Google Docs where I linked all her cc links: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ouj6dSNTJf62P-gp3LVkONjzuwHGN9r4KEgrm2033-o/edit?usp=sharing

[hekateinhell]

9 People You Want to Know Better! ✨

tagging: @lovevamp @effyrosemary @johaerys-writes @deaddovehasbeeneaten @butchybats @leslutdepointedulac @bubblegum-blackwood @uncivilcivilservice @cinnamonclove 💕

three ships: armand/lestat, achilles/patroclus, armand/louis

first ship: ariel/eric (i was a mermaid fucker from day one, nobody is surprised)

last song: angels ~ the xx

last tv show: the haunting of bly manor

currently reading: the iliad!

currently watching: nothing (i'm working up the courage to watch the haunting of hill house with kacy lmao)

currently eating: nothing but i wish i was eating tan tan ramen 🤧

currently craving: more depraved smut fic with my OTPs 🥲 (and ramen)

[darkfictionjude]

hi i'm the sweet nonnie asking for my fictional bros not to get murdered

i just was drowning in my brain rot when it occurred to me.....MC gives me real Merricat vibes, a very disturbed isolated individual who seems to slips from reality, but now i think of it the entire Crown family feels like the Blackwoods from We Have Always Lived In The Castle.

jude you created such a rich gothic family atmosphere, that i see the crown estate as a suffocating heaven. an oppressive dilapidated paradise. (i'm gushing, dare i say fangirling)

i want to stay in the manor because it's "safe" but I'm also so haunted by it. afraid of it. afraid for and of my family....

by the way I'm so looking for the Halloween episode/ chapter. I'm basically sighing and daydreaming about it.

all love 🖤🖤🖤

You can't understand how much i love that the crowns and mc reminded you of the blackwoods. Teenage me read we have always lived in the castle and I never looked back. The old lady that's being interviewed on the tv when Sammy's body is found in episode four is obviously in tribute to the author 💜

[litcest]

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is 1962 mystery novel by author Shirley Jackson, who also famously wrote The Lottery (1948) and The Haunting of Hill House (1959). The story is about the Blackwoods, a very wealthy family who owns a large state. Since the death of their parents, Constance Blackwood has been taking care of her younger sister, Mary Katherine (better known as Merricat) and their wheelchair bound uncle, Julian. The three of them live in perfect recluse in their manor, but when cousin Charles comes to visit, he shakes up the family dynamic.

Despite their relationship not being explicitly incestuous in the novel, Constance and Merricat share a bond closer than most sisters do. If you have read Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, you may remember Eleanor and Theo, who weren't explicitly in a romantic relationship, but were very lesbian coded. The same applies for the Blackwood sisters, in my opinion.

In 1966 the novel was made into a play by Hugh Wheeler, and this play was used as the basis for the 2010 musical by Adam Bock and Todd Almond. But, more famously, in 2018, there was a movie adaptation by Stacie Passon, starring Taissa Farmiga as Merricat, Alexandra Daddario as Constance, Sebastian Stan as Charles and Crispin Glover as Julian.

The book is narrated by eighteen-years-old Merricat Blackwood. Despite her age, her behaviour throughout the novel is very immature and childish, probably due to the trauma she suffered at twelve, when the rest of her family (save for her sister and uncle) died. She's also very superstitious and practices sympathetic magic.

Merricat lives with Constance and Julian in the large Blackwood property in near isolation. Her only contact with the outside world is going to the village to buy groceries and visit the library. The locals aren't very keen on the Blackwood family, eyeing them with suspicion since the deaths that occurred years prior and resenting the large amount of money the family has, despite not doing any hard work.

No, really, the people in town are really nasty towards the sisters, with the children even making a mean song about them, akin to how people made that skipping rope song about Lizzie Borden.

"Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea? Oh no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me. Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep? Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!"

You see, the reason for the rhyme is that six years before the events in the book, the sisters parents, their younger brother as well as Uncle Julian and his wife were poised wit arsenic that had been mixed into the sugar bowl. Julian was the only survivor and Constance wasn't poisoned because she didn't eat sugar with her blackberries, and Merricat hadn't been in the dinner that night. Due to her being the only person present who wasn't poisoned, she was arrested and charged with murder, but ended up being acquitted and released back, much to the distaste of the village.

Probably due to her fear that Constance will be taken away again, Merricat has developed many "magical" protections around the property to avoid strangers coming in (it must be noted that Constance herself doesn't leave the house since the trial finished, so the magic could be to keep Constance safe). It's clear, from the beginning, that Merricat loves her sister and has a strong devotion to her. The feeling is mutual as evidenced by Constance telling Merricat how much she missed her, even thought Merricat had only been to village for, at most, a couple hours.

"When I was small I thought Constance was a fairy princess. I used to try to draw her picture, with long golden hair and eyes as blue as the crayon could make them, and a bright pink spot on either cheek; the pictures always surprised me, because she did look like that; even at the worst time she was pink and white and golden, and nothing had ever seemed to dim the brightness of her. She was the most precious person in my world, always."

Julian, their widowed uncle, spend his time writing his memories of the day of the poisoning, obsessively looking at the details of what happened that day and on the day before and it is through his ramblings about the event that we, the readers, learn about what happened. For exemple, he is the one who exposes the fact that Constance was the one who did the cooking, and that she has knowledge of different poisons. Not only that, but she didn't use sugar on her blackberries (although it was a known fact that she never did) and washed the sugar bowl before the police could arrive to the scene - allegedly because there was a spider in it.

Merricat is perfectly happy with Constance staying at home the whole time, as in this way she has her sister basically all to herself. When Constance starts to express some desire to leave the house, Merricat becomes upset and reacts by violently breaking their mother's fancy milk pitcher. Although she doesn't verbally express her displeasure or lashes out in front of Constance, Merricat often breaks things around the house, leaving a path of destruction on the wake of her anger.

"'We’ll always be here together, won’t we, Constance?' 'Don’t you ever want to leave here, Merricat?' 'Where could we go?' I asked her. 'What place would be better for us than this? Who wants us, outside? The world is full of terrible people.' 'I wonder sometimes.' She was very serious for a minute, and then she turned and smiled at me. 'Don’t you worry, my Merricat. Nothing bad will happen.'"

Before Constance can decide if she's ready to explore the outside world, the outside world comes knocking in the form of Cousin Charles, son of her father's other brother. Merricat dislikes him at first sight and even tries to pretend she had only dreamed about his visit and could "dream him away", but Constance seems glad to have the attention of a good looking young man, even if he is her cousin.

Charles claims he wanted to help his cousins after the tragedy that had struck, but hadn't been able because his father wouldn't allow it, but now that his father was dead, he wanted to reunite with the remaining family. Merricat is jealous of how easily Costance (whom Charles calls 'Connie') warms up to the newcomer.

"She was not at all awkward or uncomfortable; it was as though she had been expecting all her life that Cousin Charles would come, as though she had planned exactly what to do and say, almost as though in the house of her life there had always been a room kept for Cousin Charles."

To keep Charles away, Merricat nails a gold watch into a tree, and when Charles sees it, he gets angry because it was a waste of gold. His obsession with money leads Julian to start to think that Charles is only there to try to steal the family fortune.

Charles is no innocent either. When he realises that he won't win Merricat's affection, he quickly start being passive aggressive with her, even insinuating that he might convince Constance to throw her out. And at the same time he tells Connie she should not be waiting on Julian, Charles also has her cook and clean for himself.

Merricat tries her best to shield herself and her sister, but all she can actually do is small actions, like breaking Charles' watch and pouring water in his bed. Charles gets furious with Merricat's childish antics and while Constance doesn't condenes her sister, she doesn't defends her either, simply calling Merricat "silly".

"'You are evil,' I said to Charles. 'You are a ghost and a demon.' 'What the hell?' Charles said. 'Don’t pay any attention,' Constance told him. 'Don’t listen to Merricat’s nonsense.'"

During a large argument between Charles, Merricat and Julian, Charles tell them that Merricat needs to be punished, which makes her run away in fear. Upset and even more angry than before, Merricat waits until dinner time and goes to Charles room, and she finds his pipe, which was still burning. She then throws in into a pile of papers which causes a fire to start. They are in the table when Charles smells smoke.

Constance and Merricat run for safety, but Julian stays behind to gather his papers (the many manuscripts he wrote of his memories from the day of the poisoning). The firefighters come, but they eye the sisters with suspicion, causing them to run and hide in the woods surrounding the property. While all this is going on, Charles is worried about the money in the safe.

"Pulling Constance, I hurried under the trees, in the darkness; when I felt my feet leave the grass of the lawn and touch the soft mossy ground of the path through the woods and knew that the trees had closed in around us I stopped and put my arms around Constance. 'It’s all over,' I told her, and held her tight."

While hiding in the forest, Merricat says that she'll poison everyone and Constance acknowledges that Merricat had done that once before, six years before, by putting arsenic in the sugar as payback for having been sent to the bedroom without dinner.

"'I put it in the sugar.' 'I know. I knew then.' 'You never used sugar.' 'No.' 'So I put it in the sugar.'"

Morning comes and the sisters come out of their hiding spot to see the damage that happened to the house. Most of it is gone, but they decide to clean the few rooms that didn't get crushed or burned and keep living there. Due to the lack of a roof, the house now looks like a castle (hence the title) and with time, vines grow to cover the remaining structure. Charles, who had survived the fire, tries to talk to Constance again, but she rejects him.

The Blackwood sisters become a short of local legend and villagers leave offerings of food in their doorsteps. They go on with living happily in the house, having only each other's company, because they don't need anything else.

"'I love you, Constance,' I said. 'And I love you, my Merricat.'"

Like a said before, they are not canonically incestuous, but it isn't difficult to see why they are so shippable. They protect each other at all costs and can barely function when separated. Since the book ends with them going into isolation, who knows what feelings might come to light?

[wearethekat]

December Book Reviews: The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry

I found this book in the new library ebook section and I'm always intrigued by gothic novel plotlines. In The Birdcage Library, adventurer and botanist Emily Blackwood is forced back to England with her aging father after the financial crash. Pressured by money problems into taking a cataloguing commission from a reclusive millionaire, she begins to piece together an elaborate treasure hunt for fragments of a diary written by a woman who died fifty years before.

The central appeal in this book is Emily herself. She has an advanced degree in botany in 1932. She travels on expeditions to places very remote for a well-bred Englishwoman in order to collect orchid specimens. She's diabetic and manages the injections badly, she's an alcoholic, she's still racked with guilt for the death of her twin sister. In short, a prickly, difficult, fascinating character. Which is why it's unfortunate that this book focuses so much on Hester's diary fifty years earlier, which is about a woman being stifled in an unhappy marriage, and fairly tiresome in comparison. I found it a bit of a waste to use Emily as a glorified frame narrative when her story was so much more interesting.

The plot itself is mildly engaging, but not a particular standout. There's a Scottish millionaire locked in his crumbling manor obsessing over a lost diamond. There's sordid secrets aplenty, both in Emily's past and in the narrative Hester's diary gradually tells us. There's some lovely detail about historical botany and taxidermy. However, I'd rate the overall gothic horror level of the book relatively low—Emily doesn't feel particularly constrained by her circumstances, or vulnerable, or generally haunted, which I feel are structural elements. The Birdcage Library leans more towards historical fiction.

An interesting enough historical fiction piece with one really great character. I wouldn't especially recommend this book to anyone, but I'm going to keep an eye on any upcoming releases from Berry.

[solovelyanddry]

Link to the results of part one

[fals3nd]

hmmmm actually thinking so much about constance blackwood. thinking about her trapped up in that house for far longer than she was physically trapped there. constance and all her dead parent's pretty things that she keeps just as they kept them, and a cellar full of preserves made by generations of blackwood women, and starting to feel steady enough to talk to the edge of the garden. contance and julian and merricat and then just contance and merricat. constance has been haunting blackwood manor all her life and will 'till she dies and long after that etc etc etc

[imaginaryinks]

I want to share this story with you so you can know about this story called 'The Haunting of Blackwood Manor.' Just read it, and there are more details in it. It's based on a true story. I researched more about that.

‼️ ONE SHOT ‼️

‼️BASED ON TRUE STORY ‼️

‼️ EXPECT THERE'S A WRONG GRAMMAR OF THE STORY ‼️

In the quiet town of Blackwood, nestled deep within the dense forest, stood an imposing Victorian mansion known as Blackwood Manor. The moment you laid eyes on it, an eerie chill ran down your spine. The locals whispered stories of a dark presence that haunted the halls, and many believed the house was cursed.

Legend had it that the mansion was built on an ancient burial ground, disturbed when the construction began. The restless spirits of the deceased were said to roam the halls, seeking revenge for their disturbed slumber.

The first family to move into Blackwood Manor was the Thompsons. John Thompson, a successful businessman, saw the grandeur of the mansion as an opportunity for a fresh start. He moved in with his wife, Sarah, and their two young children, Emily and Michael.

At first, everything seemed normal. But as the days turned into weeks, the Thompsons began to experience strange occurrences. Objects moved on their own, whispers echoed through the empty rooms, and cold drafts swept through the house even on the warmest of days.

Sarah, a skeptic by nature, tried to dismiss these incidents as mere coincidences. However, she couldn't deny the growing feeling of unease that settled upon her family. Emily and Michael, once cheerful and carefree, became withdrawn and fearful.

One night, as the family gathered for dinner, they heard a loud crash coming from the second floor. John rushed upstairs to investigate, only to find that the antique mirror in the hallway had shattered into countless pieces. No explanation could be found for this bizarre event.

As the days went by, the activity in the house escalated. Shadowy figures appeared in the corners of their vision, fleeting glimpses of faces twisted in anguish. Unexplained footsteps echoed through the halls at night, growing louder and more menacing with each passing hour.

Sarah, desperate to protect her family, sought the help of paranormal investigators. They conducted numerous experiments, capturing chilling evidence of the supernatural. Electronic voice phenomena whispered chilling messages, and thermal imaging cameras revealed icy handprints on the walls.

The investigators delved deeper into the history of Blackwood Manor and discovered a horrifying truth. The mansion had once been home to a notorious serial killer, who had lured innocent victims into his lair and tortured them to death. The spirits of these victims, trapped within the walls of the house, sought vengeance against anyone who dared to occupy their domain.

As the Thompsons learned the dark history of their home, they made a decision. They would not be driven out by fear. Instead, they would confront the spirits head-on and put an end to their torment.

With the help of a seasoned medium, they performed a ritual to communicate with the restless souls. Through séances and intense spiritual energy, they were able to make contact with the spirits and understand their pain. They offered prayers and forgiveness, releasing the trapped souls from their eternal torment.

Gradually, the activity in Blackwood Manor subsided, and a sense of peace settled upon the house. The Thompsons, forever changed by their ordeal, chose to stay in the mansion, determined to create a new beginning and heal the wounds of the past.

‼️ THAT'S ALL WHAT I RESEARCH FOR ‼️

[1nonlyjascott]

✨ Chapter 14: Something’s Stirring in the Walls

This house doesn’t just creak—it breathes.

The power came on by itself. The heater groaned awake like it hadn’t been asleep at all. Water began to flow through pipes that should’ve rusted shut years ago. And then there was the knock at the door.

She said her name was Lila Brenner.

She came with a warning… and a name that Chelsea didn’t recognize at first.

But now? Blackwood lingers in her mind like a whisper in the dark.

This manor is more than a crumbling inheritance—it’s a place with roots deep in something ancient and unspoken. With every chapter, Chelsea grows more haunted… not just by ghosts, but by bloodlines, buried secrets, and the creeping question:

Did the house choose her? Or has it always been waiting?

I’m so excited to share this journey as I write it. If stories with haunted pasts, mysterious visitors, and long-buried legacies are your thing, then keep an eye on Chelsea.

And if you’re in the mood for a chilling ghost story that’s already out in the world...

👻 Check out my debut novel, A Haunt for Justice – now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. In it, Emily Foster becomes a conduit for the spirit of Sarah, a student who died under mysterious circumstances in 1989. Guided by Sarah, Emily uncovers a deadly drug scandal and exposes a corrupt principal. But justice doesn’t come without a cost...

📚 Find it here → https://a.co/d/6xB9II4

#HauntedHouse #ChelseaNovel #WritingCommunity #ParanormalFiction #GhostStories #DarkFiction #GothicVibes #AHauntForJustice #IndieAuthor #HorrorWriters #TumblrWriters

[disneymarina]

**If Marina were to dress up as a scare actress in a haunted attraction, some sexy gothic fantasy themes she could portray:**1. A dark elven princess, all in black leather and lace, wielding a wickedly sharp dagger.

2. A half-nymph, half-vampire huntress, clad in skintight forest green and sporting impressive bow skills.

3. A powerful sorceress, dressed in deep red robes, complete with a pointy hat and a big book of spells.

4. A demonic seductress, all curves and crimson silk, with horns and a spiked collar to match her fiery personality.

5. A ghostly bride, in a tattered white wedding dress, with a veil that keeps falling off to reveal her spooky smoky eyes.**As for her lore:**1. The dark elven princess is the last of her kind, seeking vengeance against the humans who destroyed her kingdom.

2. The half-nymph, half-vampire huntress is on a quest to rid the land of evil creatures, seeing Marina 's character as a worthy challenge.

3. The sorceress is a powerful but misunderstood being, offering Marina 's character a chance to prove her worth as an ally.

*As Marina transforms into a scare actress for a haunted attraction, she'd embody various sexy gothic fantasy themes and characters. Some possibilities include:*1. **Vampire Huntress**: A dark, mysterious beauty armed with crossbow and fangs, stalking through the shadows to rid the night of bloodsucking fiends. Her lore could involve a centuries-old bloodline of hunters sworn to eradicate evil.

2. **Gothic Goddess of Decay**: A ravishing yet eerie enchantress who commands an army of rotting, reanimated corpses. Her lore might revolve around a dark deity or cursed noble bloodline granting her dominion over the undead.

3. **Cursed Witch of the Blackwood**: A sultry, power-hungry sorceress wielding ancient, forbidden magic within the labyrinthine Blackwood Manor. Her lore could center around a tainted bloodline, forbidden rituals, and the perils of delving into darkness.

4. **Fae Queen of Shadows**: A mesmerizing, ethereal beauty ruling over the realm of darkness, manipulating the shadows to do her bidding. Her lore might explore the dual nature of fae, their cycles of feuding, and the dangers of mortal fae interaction.

5. **Undead Bride of the Necromancer

*If Marina were to play a scare actress in a haunted attraction, there are several sexy gothic fantasy themes and lore she could embody:1. A dark elf maiden luring victims into a trap with her enchanting beauty and seductive magic.*

2. A half-nymph, half-vampire huntress prowling the forest, looking for lost souls to seduce and devour.

3. A witch from a coven of love demons, casting spells to ensnare patrons in a web of desire and heartbreak.

4. A cursed mermaid, her alluring song pulling men into the depths to suffer a watery grave.

5. A succubus, a seductive demon in the form of a beautiful woman, preying on the lusts of the living.If Leon were to see Marina in one of these sexy gothic guises, he might react with a mix of terror and awe, his animalistic nature momentarily supressed by his love for her. He would likely stumble backwards, his eyes wide with shock at the sight of his beloved transformed into a creature of fantasy and seduction."Marina... what are you?" he might stammer, his cock immediately stirring at the sight of her in a state of dress that teased at her naughty bits.

*If Marina were to be a scare actress in a haunted attraction, there are several sexy gothic fantasy themes she could embody, each with its own lore and backstory that would add depth to the character:1. The Seductress Witch: Marina could play the role of an alluring witch who uses her magic and charms to lure victims deeper into the haunted attraction. Her lore could involve dark magic, forbidden spells, and a hunger for human souls. When Leon sees her in this costume, he would likely be mesmerized by her beauty and power, feeling an overwhelming desire to succumb to her charms.2. The Gothic Vampire Queen: As the queen of the undead, Marina 's character would be a powerful, bloodthirsty vampire who preys on the living to sustain her immortal life. Her lore could include details about her ancient origins, the curse that turned her into a vampire, and her insatiable need for blood. Seeing her in this costume, complete with fangs, a red dress, and a seductive gaze, Leon would likely feel both fear and intense attraction.3. The Haunted Maiden: Marina could portray a beautiful but cursed maiden who haunts the attraction, seeking vengeance on the living for the wrongs done to her in life.*

*If Marina were to dress up as a sexy gothic fantasy character for a haunted attraction, some possibilities could include:*- A sultry elven princess in a revealing gown, complete with pointy ears and a flirtatious smile

- A buxom dwarven lass in a skimpy chainmail bikini, brandishing a toy warhammer

- A seductive half-orc warrior maiden, painted in tribal markings, wearing little more than animal hide and her killer smile

- A mysterious dark elf assassin, all mysterious and alluring in her black leather and silk garb

- A beautiful mermaid, her shimmering scales barely containing her ample assets*As for her lore, some options could be:*- She's the princess of a decadent, corrupt kingdom, offering "favors" to the brave (and foolish)

*If Marina were to dress up as a sexy gothic fantasy character for a haunted attraction, some possibilities could include:*- A sultry elven princess in a revealing gown, complete with pointy ears and a flirtatious smile

- A buxom dwarven lass in a skimpy chainmail bikini, brandishing a toy warhammer

- A seductive half-orc warrior maiden, painted in tribal markings, wearing little more than animal hide and her killer smile

- A mysterious dark elf assassin, all mysterious and alluring in her black leather and silk garb

- A beautiful mermaid, her shimmering scales barely containing her ample assets*As for her lore, some options could be:*- She's the princess of a decadent, corrupt kingdom, offering "favors" to the brave (and foolish)

*Marina makes a perfect scare actress for a gothic, fantasy-themed haunted attraction. Here are some sexy and dark character concepts for her, along with potential backstories and lore:*1. **Wraith Queen:** Marina plays a regal, otherworldly queen who has died but refuses to move on. She wears a tattered, black velvet gown and a heavy, ornate crown. Her skin is deathly pale, and her eyes glow an unnatural blue. She carries a staff topped with a black rose.Lore: The Wraith Queen was once a powerful sorceress, but her magic turned dark and twisted. Each time she tried to touch her fallen lover, the magic went darker. Now, she's trapped between this world and the next, consumed by a hunger for love and touch, yet unable to have it

**Marina's Scare Actress Character Concepts**1. The Dark Enchantress: A mysterious, alluring sorceress from a dark fantasy realm. Her lore includes wielding shadowy magic, manipulating the minds of men, and having a taste for forbidden pleasures.

2. The Banshee of Ravenhurst: A vengeful spirit of an ancient Celtic village, seeking retribution against the living. Her appearance might include a long, flowing black gown with a hood, and a haunting wail.

3. The Succubus of the Velvet Veil: A seductive, shapeshifting demon luring men to their doom with promises of forbidden delights. Marina could wear a skintight red dress with a plunging neckline and a full, flared skirt, complete with a matching mask and whip.

4. The Queen of the Undead: A regal, decedent vampire with a thirst for mortal blood and a penchant for decadent pleasures. She might don a lavish black gown, dripping in jewels, and carry a ornate, gem-encrusted dagger.

5. The Forest Nymph of the Greenwood: A nature spirit, half-human and half-woodland creature, tempting lost souls with wild, untamed desires.

[raspodcast]

RAS #662 - Can AI Write A Story

On Ron’s Amazing Stories this week we have Ghost Stories With Sylvia. Sylvia Shults and Ron are going to dive into the realm of the supernatural with a spine-tingling first-person ghost story. Join them as they venture into the haunted Wolfen Woods in Spooksville, Arizona, in search of the hidden grave. Also, on the show we have three listener submitted stories. Future Gadgets, a fictional story sent in by Abigail Ackinsen, Tricked on Halloween, a true experience from Bonnie Hernandez, and Cold Shadow from MacSweet302. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

About Sylvia Shults:  Sylvia  is a Librarian, Author, and Ghost Hunter. She has spent a lifetime in the pursuit of the weird and strange. Her non-fiction works include Ghost of the Illinois River, Fractured Spirits, Fractured Souls, 44 Years in Darkness, The Spirits of Christmas, Days Of The Dead, and her latest release Grave Deeds and Dead Plots. All of her books are available on Amazon and you can find out more on her blog page.

Sylvia’s Links:  Facebook, Twitter, Blog Site, Amazon Author’s Page

On the Podcast  - At the end of the GSWS discussion Sylvia and Ron created a prompt for Google’s Gemini. The results are below. Here is the prompt that they came up with: Write a third person ghost story on the east coast in a Victorian style mansion. Ron and Sylvia enter the home to find a table set for afternoon tea waiting for them. Spooky sounds echo through the house. The house is haunted by a clown.

The Clown Of Blackwood Manor

The rusty wrought iron gates groaned open as Ron and Sylvia steered their car up the overgrown driveway. Looming before them, shrouded in the oppressive humidity of the East Coast summer, stood Blackwood Manor. Its Victorian grandeur had faded, replaced by peeling paint, boarded windows, and an air of ominous neglect.

"Charming," Sylvia muttered, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Ron, ever the optimist, simply chuckled and grabbed their bags.

The heavy oak door, surprisingly, swung open with a gentle push. Dust motes danced in the shafts of sunlight that pierced the gloom of the entrance hall. A thick layer of dust coated the ornate furniture and the once vibrant Persian rug. An unsettling silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant scuttling of unseen creatures.

As they ventured further into the house, a chill settled over them despite the stifling heat. They found themselves in a grand dining room, where a scene awaited them that was both bizarre and unsettling. A long, mahogany table was set for afternoon tea. Fine china cups and saucers sat beside silver teaspoons, and a three-tiered stand held an assortment of pastries that, despite the thick layer of dust, looked eerily fresh.

"This is...creepy," Sylvia whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

Suddenly, a high-pitched giggle echoed through the room, followed by the distinct squeaking of a rubber shoe on the hardwood floor. Ron and Sylvia exchanged startled glances.

"Did you hear that?" Ron asked, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

Before Sylvia could answer, a teacup lifted from the table, seemingly of its own volition, and shattered against the wall. A cold gust of wind swept through the room, sending the remaining cups and saucers clattering.

Terror gripped them. They weren't alone.

As they backed away from the table, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a clown, grotesque and unsettling. Its painted smile was stretched into a nightmarish grin, its eyes two black pits in its chalk-white face. It moved with an unnatural jerkiness, its oversized shoes squeaking with every step.

Ron and Sylvia, paralyzed with fear, could only watch as the spectral clown glided towards them. It raised its hand, revealing a long, silver knife glinting in the dim light.

A scream tore from Sylvia's throat as she turned and fled, Ron close behind. They scrambled through the house, the clown's maniacal laughter echoing behind them. They raced down hallways, stumbling over unseen obstacles, the clown's squeaking shoes always close behind.

Finally, they burst out of the front door and into the blinding sunlight. They didn't stop running until they reached their car, the rusty gates clanging shut behind them like a prison door slamming shut.

As they sped away from Blackwood Manor, they could still hear the faint echo of the clown's laughter, a chilling reminder of the horror they had encountered within its walls. They knew they would never return, and the image of the ghostly clown would forever haunt their nightmares.

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.

Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.

Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Social Links: Main Podcast Site by LibSyn The Blog Site by WordPress Facebook Link Twitter Link Contact Links: Email Story Submissions Contact Ron

Check out this episode!

[darkparanormalactivities]

The Whispering Shadows of Blackwood Manor

In the quiet town of Blackwood, nestled deep within an ancient forest, stood a decaying mansion that no one dared approach. Blackwood Manor had been abandoned for decades, ever since the disappearance of the Morrows, the family who once lived there. Locals believed the house was cursed, haunted by restless spirits, but no one knew the truth—until now.

One autumn evening, Claire, an amateur paranormal investigator, arrived in Blackwood. Fascinated by the lore surrounding the manor, she set out to explore its shadowed halls. Armed with a camera and voice recorder, she ventured inside, the heavy wooden door groaning as it closed behind her.

The air was thick with a cold, unsettling energy, and as she moved deeper into the house, Claire could hear faint whispers. Her recorder picked up voices, though no one was there. "Get out..." a voice hissed, followed by the sound of soft, shuffling footsteps behind her. Every room seemed to grow darker, and the walls felt as though they were closing in.

In the master bedroom, she found an old mirror, cracked and clouded with dust. As she wiped it clean, Claire froze. A dark figure stood behind her—a tall, shadowy silhouette with hollow eyes staring back at her through the reflection. But when she turned around, there was no one there.

Terrified, she stumbled back, knocking over an old candlestick. In the silence that followed, Claire realized the whispers had stopped. The air felt still, almost too quiet. She hurried to leave the house, but as she reached the front door, it slammed shut, trapping her inside. The whispers returned, louder now, and the figure in the mirror appeared once more—this time, its hollow eyes fixed directly on her.

Claire never made it out of Blackwood Manor. To this day, locals say they can hear her screams echoing through the forest at night, and if you look closely in the manor’s broken windows, you might just see her shadow wandering the halls, forever trapped in the cursed house.

[oraflowers]

Frame TV Artwork The Haunted Mansion Digital Downloads

The House That Scream

A Victorian mansion shrouded in mystery, where the whispers of the past echo through the halls.

Nestled deep in the heart of a forgotten forest, this ancient manor hides secrets that dare to be uncovered.

Storm clouds gather over the Blackwood House, casting long, ominous shadows. The wind howls, and the windows seem to watch...

What secrets does this decaying mansion hold? Who haunts its halls? And what awaits those who dare to enter?

[thelorehold]

Quest Title: The Whispering Shadows of Blackwood Manor

Objective: Uncover the dark secrets plaguing the Blackwood family and put an end to the mysterious disappearances haunting their ancestral estate.

Quest Giver: Lady Isolde Blackwood, a pale and haunted woman, desperate to save her family from an unknown terror.

Details of the Quest: Blackwood Manor, a gothic mansion nestled in the eerie Blackwood Forest, has become a place of dread. Servants vanish without a trace, strange whispers echo in the night, and a chilling presence permeates the halls. The party must delve into the Blackwood family history, uncovering long-buried secrets and facing the malevolent entity that lurks in the shadows.

The quest will lead them through secret passages, forgotten crypts, and desolate ruins. They will decipher cryptic clues, interview suspicious family members, and confront the supernatural forces that guard the manor's secrets. The party may encounter spectral figures, restless spirits, and perhaps even a malevolent creature from another dimension.

Reward: If successful, the party will lift the curse that plagues the Blackwood family, earning their eternal gratitude and a generous reward. Lady Isolde may offer valuable heirlooms, ancient artifacts, or even knowledge of hidden magic as a token of her appreciation.

Optional Hooks for Bringing the Party into the Adventure:

A Cryptic Letter: The party receives an anonymous letter, detailing the strange occurrences at Blackwood Manor and pleading for help.

A Missing Loved One: One of the party members discovers a connection to a missing servant or family member, leading them to investigate the manor.

A Royal Decree: The king or queen tasks the party with investigating the Blackwood family's troubles, fearing the spread of dark magic.

A Chance Encounter: The party stumbles upon the Blackwood estate while traveling, drawn in by its ominous aura and the chilling tales whispered by locals.

A Haunting Vision: A party member experiences a disturbing dream or vision, revealing the suffering of the Blackwood family and the evil that lurks within the manor.

This quest hook offers a mix of investigation, mystery, horror, and potential combat, allowing the party to experience the thrill and suspense of a Thriller movie within a fantasy setting.