#till Michael and Duncan are back

[thegriddleharkmusicblog]

List of songs on my Spotify playlist

Some people have requested to see the songs on my playlist so(this took longer than I thought it would) also not all of these necessarily “fit” some of them I just like to imagine griddlehark AUs to, I’m going to sort these some other time and probably take some out but it’s 10 pm here

I Hate Everything About You, Three Days Grace

Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne

Best of You, Foo Fighters

THE LONELIEST, Măneskin

Savior, Rise Against

Sugar, We're Goin Down, Fall Out Boy

Dear Maria, Count Me In, All Time Low

Atlantis, Seafret

Sweater Weather, The Neighbourhood

Line Without a Hook, Ricky Montgomery

Let Me Down Slowly, Alec Benjamin

There You Are, ZAYN

Stitches, Shawn Mendes

Only Love Can Hurt Like This, Paloma Faith

die first, Nessa Barrett

They Don't Know About Us, One Direction

Ghost Of You, 5 Seconds of Summer

Unconditionally, Katy Perry

Walk Me Home, P!nk

NAVE

Don't Give Up On Me,Andy Grammer

All of Me, John Legend

In the Name of Love, Martin Garrix, Bebe Rexha

better off without me, Matt Hansen

Clarity, Vance Joy

Hold My Girl, George Ezra

Don't Blame Me, Taylor Swift

Take Me to Church, Hozier

Another Love, Tom Odell

Soldier, Before You Exit

So Far Away, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Jamie Scott

Find My Way Back, Eric Arjes

Him & I (with Halsey), E G-Eazy, Halsey

Work Song, Hozier

Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis

I Won't Say (I'm In Love), Susan Egan(the one from Hercules)

Fire On Fire, Sam Smith

Grenade, Bruno Mars

The Drug In Me Is You, Falling In Reverse

Mercy, Shawn Mendes

All I Want, Kodaline

Haunted (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift

Control, Zoe Wees

What A Time, Julia Michaels, Niall Horan

Too Good At Goodbyes, Sam Smith

lovely (with Khalid), Billie Eilish, Khalid

If I Would Have Known, Kyle Hume

Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush

Love Is Gone - Acoustic, SLANDER, Dylan Matthew

idfc, blackbear

Nothing Breaks Like a Heart, Mark Ronson, Miley Cyrus

Half A Man, Dean Lewis

Make Up Your Mind, Florence + The Machine

What Is This Feeling?, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo

If We Have Each Other, Alec Benjamin

Meet you at the Graveyard, Cleffy

The One That Got Away, Katy Perry

I Think I'm In Love, Kat Dahlia

Happiest Year, Jaymes Young

I Don't Wanna Live Forever, ZAYN, Taylor Swift

Dusk Till Dawn (feat. Sia) - Radio Edit, ZAYN, Sia

Back To You, Selena Gomez

Happier, Marshmello, Bastille

The Story Of Us (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift

Dress, Taylor Swift

Allies or Enemies, The Crane Wives

A Match Into Water, Pierce The Veil

Disease, Lady Gaga

Red (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift

Skyfall, Adele

In The Stars, Benson Boone

Before You Go, Lewis Capaldi

Say You Won't Let Go, James Arthur

Built To Be Bad, Grace Gachot, Alex Sampson

Rewrite The Stars, Zac Efron, Zendaya

All | Wanted, Paramore

Breathe In, Breathe Out, David Kushner

Daylight, David Kushner

Sweet Oblivion, David Kushner

Treat You Better, Shawn Mendes

Hold Me While You Wait, Lewis Capaldi

Arcade, Duncan Laurence

Wait for lt, Leslie Odom Jr.

We Hug Now, Sydney Rose

Love In The Dark, Adele

The Moon Will Sing, The Crane Wives

You're Somebody Else, flora cash

Indigo, Sam Barber, Avery Anna

Only If For A Night, Florence + The Machine

Separate, PVRIS

I miss you, I'm sorry, Gracie Abrams

Let Her Go, Passenger

Fight or Flight, Conan Gray

Go Tonight, Krystina Alabado, Emma Hunton

This Is Love, Air Traffic Controller

Not Dead Yet, Lord Huron

I'm Your Man, Mitski

Kiss With A Fist, Florence + The Machine

Francesca, Hozier

Going to Marrakesh, The Extra Glenns

River, Bishop Briggs

Here’s a cookie if you made it all the way down here 🍪

[writerchickmarie]

John Lloyd Young's Broadway At The Carmichael - Childhood Dreams Do Come True

It all starts with a dream.

John Lloyd Young wove that thread throughout the evening on Saturday in Carmel, Indiana - as he shared stories of his Broadway dreams growing up, and performed the songs that inspired them, at the fabulous Feinstein's at Hotel Carmichael.

He also shared a little info about how the hotel got its name...a combination of the name of the lovely city it is situated in, and Michael Feinstein's first name. This is only one of the fascinating bits of knowledge that he shared during the show - a treasure trove of musical theatre, movie, and songwriting facts and insights that, along with his personal stories, made each song and every moment more meaningful.

He opened with "So You Wanted To Meet The Wizard" from The Wiz, taking the room by storm from the first word. He mentioned that this show opened during the year of his birth, so it's definitely fitting for it to have so much meaning for him. He then moved into classic romantic territory with "I Have Dreamed" from The King And I, making every member of the audience feel the emotion with every note.

JLY was accompanied by David Duncan on piano, who is an Indiana local, but who also performed with him in St. Louis earlier this week. They work so well together, and I look forward to future collaborations at the Carmichael, and possibly other locations as well.

The next song is a favorite that has just been added back into the Broadway set - "All I Care About" from Chicago. I was thrilled to experience this performance again, and still want to see JLY cast in this role on Broadway...he would be the perfect Billy Flynn. Producers - are you listening?

He told some wonderful stories about his mom and grandmother getting to see the original Broadway cast in several productions, that he later got to know because they were also in the movie versions. I won't share all of his stories from the evening...I'm sure he will be sharing many of them at future shows, so you can come and experience them for yourself in person or possibly get to hear them on a livestream for those who need that option. But suffice it to say, that OBC/movie combination fueled many of his dreams, which came true with Jersey Boys. It's incredible where your childhood dreams can take you!

He also combined his love of 60s music with those Broadway dreams to perform a beautiful "Till There Was You" from The Music Man, based on the Beatles' arrangement. He followed that up with some intriguing and compassionate stories about Lorenz Hart, and also mentioned how if Mr. Hart were alive in the present, he might not have been such a tortured soul in having to hide his sexual orientation. JLY performed a stunning version of "My Heart Stood Still", just one of the many songs that this prolific lyricist brought into the world.

Another dream that JLY had in his early teens came from listening to the Les Miserables cast album. He was so moved by the character of Marius that he constantly thought about how much he wanted to play that role. He wound up getting his chance a few months after Jersey Boys on Broadway, when he played Marius to 17,000 people a night at the Hollywood Bowl. How I wish that we could have all seen that performance at the time...but we had the next best thing on this evening, hearing him perform a powerful, haunting "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables" - and suddenly we were all transported to the Hollywood Bowl in 2008, while getting to witness this special moment in the intimate cabaret setting of the Carmichael.

Next up was a lesson in "vamping", Kander and Ebb style. it was fun for us in the audience to get to participate in a "name that tune"/ musical theatre trivia segment featuring the music of this iconic duo. At Friday's show, JLY performed "Sometimes A Day Goes By" from Woman Of The Year, but it was not part of the set on Saturday. I'm really hoping to get to hear this one in NYC. I remember well the beautiful duet JLY did with Michael Feinstein as a guest of his cabaret shows a few years ago, and I'm eager to hear the solo version. So hopefully it makes the cut!

We then moved into the Jerson Boys portion of the show, with "Big Girls Don't Cry", "My Eyes Adored You", and Can't Take My Eyes Off You", along with some special Clint Eastwood and Frankie Valli stories. After JLY finished "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", he went back and performed a portion of the song in Italian - completely taking our breath away. I hope he also records it in this way. You will definitely want to listen to it on repeat.

His tribute to Nell Carter, the thoughtful and emotional "Mean To Me" from Ain't Misbehavin', truly honors her while he makes it his own. It showcases his full vocal range - and everyone in the audience was blown away.

JLY then came around the room for "One Last Kiss" (from Bye Bye Birdie), delighting both new fans and longtime friends. There is no one who can work his way around a room like JLY, and it always amazes me watching him in his element.

We finished the night up on our feet for "Sherry" - but with a twist. Three musical theatre students from a local college got to join JLY on stage as the "Three Seasons" to back him up. Abby, Jess, and Ryan were all incredible...and Ryan nailed the Nick Massi bass part. Not only was it a lot of fun, but JLY was paying it forward by helping another generation fuel their own Broadway dreams. It was the perfect finish to a phenomenal evening.

John Lloyd Young has truly come into his own as a cabaret star, performer, and entertainer, all while being his genuine and authentic self. It is a pleasure and a joy to witness, and I can't wait to see where those Broadway aspirations take him next...with all of us supporting him on this magical ride. It all started with a dream...and even the sky is not the limit!

[michael-langdon-appreciation]

Lowly feel like tumblr eats all my asks about Jimxreader running off without the other two. @FBI agent in my phone why

They haven’t been eaten my love! At least I don’t think so, I’ve got a lot of them coming through right now.

I will definitely write a drabble/blurb about Jim and the reader running away and punishing the boys, I love it! 😘

[ranpos-autism]

Different Song Lyrics that Remind Me of Newtmas

hi I just watched The Death Cure for the first time two days ago and now im in the feels so I made this through crying

enjoy me passing my pain off to y’all

- “Just let me go, we’l meet again soon. Now wait, wait, wait, for me. Just hang around, I’ll see you when I fall asleep.”  Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

- “And I’ll use you as a warning sign, that if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind.”  I Found - Amber Run

- “But it was not your fault but mine. And it was your heart on the line. I really f*cked it up this time, didn’ I my dear?” Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

- “Though the truth may vary this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.” Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

- “You’re gone, gone, gone away, I watched you disappear, all that’s left is a ghost of you.” Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

- “You said forever now I drive alone past your street.” Drivers License, Olivia Rodrigo 

- “Thought we had the time, had our lives, now you’ll never get older, older. Didn’t say goodbye now I’m frozen in time getting colder, colder. One last word, one last moment, to ask you why you left me here behind.” You said You’d Grow Old With Me - Michael Shulte

- “I will see you again, this is not where it ends, I will carry you with me, till I see you again.” See You Again - Carrie Underwood

- “You’ve got your peace now, but what about me?” You said You’d Grow Old With Me - Michael Shulte

- “I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met.” The Night We Met - Lord Huron

- “In case you don’t live forever let me tell you now, I love you more than you’ll ever wrap your head around.” In Case You Don’t Live Forever - Ben Platt

- “You kept me breathing under the water when everyone else left me to drown. You were the light that shown through the darkness, now I’m blind ‘cause you’re not around.” Breathe Underwater - Bullet for my Valentine

- “And something is certain, I miss you around. And all that I want is to be with you.” Breathe Underwater - Bullet for my Valentine

- “Like a shooting star flying ‘cross the room, so fast so far, you were gone too soon. You’re a part of me and I’ll never be the same here without you, you were gone too soon.” Gone Too Soon - Simple Plan

- “This could be the end of everything so why don’t we go somewhere only we know.” Somewhere Only We Know - Glee Cast

- “When I close my eyes, I see you. No matter where I am.” Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band

- “Hold on I still want you. Come back I still need you.” Hold On - Chord Overstreet

- “When you said your last goodbye, I died a little bit inside. I lay in tears in bed all night, alone without you by my side.” All I Want - Kodaline

- “But if you loved me, why’d you leave me?” All I Want - Kodaline

- “For you, I'd risk it all, I'd rather crash, I'd rather crawl than never have your love at all, with only bricks to break my fall. For you, I'd risk it all” Risk It All - The Vamps

- “If I could do it all over, maybe I’d do it different, maybe I wouldn’t be here in this position. I found you then I lost you, looking back is torture, and it hurts to know I let you go.” True Love - Jordan Fisher

- “I will never forget you, you will always be by my side. From the day that I met you, I knew that I would love you ‘till the day I die.” Never Forget You - The Chainsmokers

- “I can’t help but love you, even though I try not to.” War of Hearts - Ruelle

- “Why would you ever kiss me? I’m not even half as pretty.” Heather - Conan Gray

- “All I know, all I know, loving you is a losing game.” Arcade - Duncan Lawrence

- “So, before you go, was there something I could’ve said to make it all stop hurtin’, it kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless.” Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi

- “Tell me where the good men go before I wash away, walk me down the old brick road so I can die where I met you. Hold me like we’re going home, turn your tears to rain. Bury me beautiful, heaven knows how I loved you.” Heaven Knows - Five for Fighting

- “So I drown it out, like I always do, dancing through our house with the ghost of you.” Ghost of You - 5 Seconds of Summer

- “I want you to know that it doesn’t matter where we take this road, someone’s gotta go.” Already Gone - Sleeping at Last

- “I’d give anything to hear, to see you one more time.” Saturn - Sleeping at Last

- “You’re gone and I gotta stay high all the time to keep you off my mind. High, all the time to forget I’m missing you.” Habits - Tobe Low

- “Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard. Oh, take me back to the start.” The Scientist - Coldplay

- “I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now.” Airplanes - BOB

- “If you’d ask me how I’m doing, I would say I’m doing just fine. I would lie and say that you’re not on my mind.” Not Over You - Gavin Degraw

- “I don’t know you, I don’t know me, but I know you mean everything, you can set me free.” Nothing - Faith Marie

- “If you love me let me go.” This is Gospel - Panic! At the Disco

- “Friends don’t call you in the middle of the night, couldn’t even tell you why, they just felt like saying hi. Friends don’t stand around playing with their keys, finding reasons not to leave, trying to hide the chemistry. Drive a little too slow, take the long way home, get a little too close, like we do, but friends don’t.” Friends Don’t - Maddie and Tae

- “I think about you every moment when I open my eyes. I think about you, every evening when I turn out the lights. I think about you, every moment every day of my life. You’re on my mind all the time, it’s true. I think about you you you you you.” I Think About You - Ross Lynch

- “When my world is falling apart, when there’s no light to bring in the dark, that’s when I look at you.” When I Look At You - Miley Cyrus

Reblog and add more song lyrics that remind you of Newtmas

[7-wonders]

I love your Vanpire! Michael stuff but you convinced that I need Werewolf! Duncan in my life. I didn’t know I need that in my life till I read your Werewolf! Duncan stuff and I’m in love

Did someone say werewolf Duncan?

//

Due to only having been dating Duncan for five months, and only knowing that he’s a werewolf (and that werewolves exist) for three, you’re still learning new things about him. Some of these are the normal quirks that you find in any romantic partner, such as Duncan not being a morning person or never wearing mismatched socks. Others fall more in the supernatural category, like how he has to have his apartment barely freezing due to his increased body temperature or the deep breathing he does when he’s angry to avoid shifting.

Honestly, dating a werewolf was not nearly as dramatic as Twilight and other teen paranormal romance novels claimed it would be. Sure, there’s definitely wolfy parts of this relationship that make your head spin, but it’s also much more low-key than a number of relationships with regular humans. That also could be because you’re pretty sure you’re in love with Duncan, something that you’ve never experienced with any other relationship, but the verdict is still out on that.

But man, you’d be willing to overlook anything for Duncan. Even if he was a murderer, you’re pretty sure you’d help him cover up the crime. That’s how deeply you feel for him. And when he smiles at you...it’s like the Earth stops spinning for a moment, leaving you breathless and flushed. You don’t care that he’s a werewolf. You just care that he’s your Duncan.

Even werewolves, you’ve learned, need self-care. Duncan had had a long day of work (you wonder what the President would say if she knew that one of the most influential man in D.C. turned into a huge wolf), so you treated him tonight to dinner and his favorite show--Mad Men, predictably. He had visibly relaxed almost immediately after walking through the door, shoulders slumping and everything. Now, he sits with you on the couch, his head in your lap as he watches the TV and you scroll through your phone.

Idly, almost without even realizing it, your hand snakes down and begins to play with Duncan’s hair, carding through the soft brown locks. Duncan stiffens slightly below you, but you think nothing of it, assuming that he had been dozing. Then, you hear it.

Rather, you feel it first. An odd rumbling on the couch, almost like your phone is buzzing. But that couldn’t be the case, since you’re holding your phone in your hand. You look down to Duncan to see if it’s his phone that’s going off, when you realize that you can hear a rumbling coming from him. After a moment, it clicks. It sounds exactly like a cat, and it’s Duncan that’s making the sound!

“Dunc,” you say softly, stifling a laugh, “are you...purring?”

“...no.” To catch him in his lie, you use your nails to scratch at his hair, making a mix between a purr and a growl escape from his chest.

“You are!”

Duncan looks up at you, eyes pleading with you to not give up his tough guy persona.

“It’s so cute,” you coo, putting your head against his chest to hear and feel him even more.

“It’s not cute, it’s embarrassing!” Duncan whines.

“To you maybe, but not me.”

“You’re going to exploit the hell out of this, aren’t you.” It’s not a question; he knows you are.

“Don’t act like you don’t like it.” He glares, trying to fire back, but resigns himself to silently agreeing when he lays his head back down. Smugly, you resume combing your fingers through his hair, relishing in the sounds that come from him. “That’s what I thought.”

[rubykgrant]

I made a slightly condensed version of my Spooky Ref list; it still has a heck ton of movies and books, but now I combined certain categories, eliminated a few, and removed some of the titles that don’t quite fit. If you are looking for things to watch or read so you can get into the Halloween mood (or of you just like some creepy content), here you go!

Movies and Books for October

These range from children’s media to adult content, so be sure to check the ratings/reviews, this way you’ll find ones that are suitable for the right viewers. The dates of movies and names of authors for books are included to make searches easier

(a * symbol is for when a title is in both sections, a book that got made into a movie, ect)

Halloween and Ghosts

Movies- Hocus Pocus (1993), *the Halloween Tree (1993), the Nightmare before Christmas (1993), Trick r Treat (2007), Monster House (2006), Halloweentown (1998), the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949), Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular (2003), Poltergeist (1982), the Haunting (1999), Casper (1995), Ghostbusters (1984), the Haunted Mansion (2003), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), the Others (2001)

Books- How to Drive Your Family Crazy on Halloween by Dean Marney,*the Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, the Haunted Mask (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge, Stonewords a Ghost Story by Pam Conrad, Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, Ghost Beach (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, the Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein, Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

 Witch/ESP/Mental Powers

Movies- *Practical Magic (1998), *the Wizard of Oz (1939), *the Witches (1990), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (1999) *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), the Craft (1996), the Witches of Eastwick (1987), *Carrie (1976), *Firstarter (1984), *Matilda (1996), the Last Mimzy (2007)

Books- *Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, *the Witches by Roald Dahl, Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, *the Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, T*Witches by HB Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld, the Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, *Carrie by Stephen King, *Firestarter by Stephen King, *Matilda by Roald Dahl, Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) by Neal Shusterman, the Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber

 Vampire and Werewolf

Movies- Blade (1998), the Little Vampire (2000), Hellboy Blood and Iron (2007), *Hotel Transylvania (2012), Fright Night (2011), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Alvin and the Chipmunks meet The Wolfman (2000), Ginger Snaps (2000), Van Helsing (2004) Wolf Children (2012), the Wolfman (1941)

Books- Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe, Dracula by Bram Stoker, ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, Red Rider’s Hood by Neal Shusterman, the Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, Werewolves Don't Go to Summer Camp (Bailey School Kids) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones, Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, Night of the Werepoodle by Constance Hiser

 Zombies and Slasher/Gore

Movies- Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), ParaNorman (2012), Night of the Living Dead (1968), *Pet Sematary (1989), Zombieland (2009), Resident Evil (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004) Scream (1996), a Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), *I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Kill Bill (2003), Happy Death Day (2017), the Hills Have Eyes (2006), US (2019), Friday the 13th (1980), the Thing (1982), *the Girl with all the Gifts (2016)

Books- *Pet Sematary by Stephen King, the Haunting of Derek Stone by Tony Abott, Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, *I know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, the Dark Half by Stephen King, The Dead Girlfriend (Point Horror) by RL Stine, Another by Yukito Ayatsuji, the Prom Queen (Fear Street) by RL Stine, *the Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey

 Demons/Possession/Afterlife

Movies- the Omen (1976), Insidious (2010), the Exorcist (1973), *Christine (1983), City of Angels (1998), All Dogs go to Heaven (1989), Fallen (1998), *Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Bedazzled (2000), What Dreams May Come (1998), the Book of Life (2014), Flatliners (2017), *the Lovely Bones (2009), Coco (2017), Jennifer’s Body (2009), the Mummy (1999)

Books- *Christine by Stephen King, Needful Things by Stephen King, HECK where the bad kids go by Dale E Bayse,* Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Paradise Lost by John Milton, Inferno by Dante Alighieri, *the Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

 Monsters/Mythology/Dangerous Animals

Movies- Monsters Inc (2001), Godzilla (1998), *a Monster Calls (2016), *Jurassic Park (1993), King Kong (1933), Doug’s 1st Movie (1999), Darkness Falls (2003), Atlantis the lost empire (2001), Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), *the Last Unicorn (1982), Urban Legend (1998), *How to Train Your Dragon (2010), the Flight of Dragons (1982), Shrek (2001), *the Hobbit (1977), Quest for Camelot (1998), Ferngully the last rainforest (1992), Lake Placid (1999), Jaws (1975), *Cujo (1983), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Anaconda (1997)

Books- *a Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, *Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Sasquatch by Roland Smith, *the Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle, the Moorchild by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan, the Boggart by Susan Cooper, *How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville, *the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, *Cujo by Stephen King, Cat in the Crypt (Animal Ark Hauntings) by Ben M Baglio, Congo by Michael Crichton, Watership Down by Richard Adams, the Dark Pond by Joseph Bruchac

 Dolls and Toys, Circus/Carnival/Clowns, Comedy Horror

Movies- *Coraline (2009), the Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Child’s Play (1988), Toy Story (1995), 9 (2009), We’re Back a dinosaur’s story (1993), the Care Bears Movie (1985), Little Nemo adventures in Slumberland (1989), *Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), *Big Top Scooby-Doo (2012), Killer Klowns from Outer Space, *IT (2017), *Beetlejuice (1988), Army of Darkness (1992), Gremlins (1984), Arachnophobia (1990), Jawbreaker (1999), Tremors (1990), the Frighteners (1996), Twilight Zone the Movie (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), the Goonies (1985)

Books- Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell, *Coraline by Neil Gaiman, No Flying in the House by Betty Brock, Doll Bones by Holly Black, Joyland by Stephen King, *Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, *IT by Stephen King, the Cuckoo Clock of Doom (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, a Dirty Job by Christopher Moore jr, Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Treasury) by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell, JTHM (Director’s Cut) by Jhonen Vasquez

 Gothic/Dark Fantasy, Curse/Transformation

Movies- *the Addams Family (1991), Rebecca (1940), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mama (2013), the Phantom of the Opera (2004), Crimson Peak (2010), Legend (1985), the Dark Crystal (1982), Labyrinth (1986), *the Neverending Story (1984), *the Secret of NIMH (1982), Anastasia (1997), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Willow (1988), *the Last Unicorn (1982), the Princess Bride (1987), *Legend of the Guardians the Owls of Ga'Hoole, Beauty and the Beast (1991), the Princess and the Frog (2009), the Swan Princess (1994), the Thing (1982), the Mask (1994), Freaky Friday (2003), Song of the Sea (2014), Pirates of the Caribbean the Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Books- the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, the Shining by Stephen King, Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark, a Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, Well Witched (Verdigris Deep) by Frances Hardinge, Poison by Chris Wooding, *the Neverending Story by Michael Ende, *Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien, a Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, the Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis, Zel by Donna Jo Napoli, *the Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle, *Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky, Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl

 Mystery/Thriller/Psychological/Suspense

Movies- Clue (1985), *Holes (2003), Get Out (2017), Hot Fuzz (2007), Minority Report (2002), Kidnap (2017), Saw (2004), Wind River (2017), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the Great Mouse Detective (1986), Eve’s Bayou (1997), Breaking In (2018), Cube (1997), *Secret Window (2004), Silent Hill (2006), the Sixth Sense (1999), the Good Son (1993), Psycho (1960), Donnie Darko (2001), Fargo (1996), the Game (1997), the Invisible Man (2020), Breaking In (2018)

Books- *Holes by Louis Sachar, the Lost (the Outer Limits) by John Peel, We’ll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark, When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman, *Secret Window Secret Garden (Four Past Midnight) by Stephen King, House of Stairs by William Sleator, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Girl who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

 Sci-Fi/Space Aliens, Robots and Technology

Movies- I Robot (2004), the Iron Giant (1999), the Terminator (1984), AI artificial intelligence (2001), the Stepford Wives (2004), Wall-E (2008), *Screamers (1995), *Sphere (1998), *Blade Runner (1982), *2001 a Space Odyssey (1968), MIB (1997), Mission to Mars (2000), Galaxy Quest (1999), Alien (1979), ET the extra terrestrial (1982), Independence Day (1996), Spaced Invaders (1990), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command the Adventure Begins (2000), Chicken Little (2005), *War of the Worlds (1953), *Contact (1997), Signs (2002), Treasure Planet (2002), Frequency (2000), Back to the Future (1985), the Time Machine (1960), Planet of the Apes (1968), Lost in Space (1998)

Books- the Terminal Man by Michael Crichton, Feed by Matthew Tobin Anderson, *Second Variety (Screamers) by Phillip K Dick, *I Robot by Isaac Asimov, Cell by Stephen King, *Sphere by Michael Crichton, *Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) by Philip K Dick , *2001 a Space Odyssey by  Arthur C Clarke, a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman, *War of the Worlds by HG Wells, *Contact by Carl Sagan, Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke, Aliens Don’t Wear Braces (the Baily School Kids) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones, the Invasion (Animorphs) by KA Applegate

 Dystopia/Disaster, Other Worlds

Movies- Waterworld (1995), the Matrix (1999), Escape from New York (1981), *Demolition Man (1993), the Day After Tomorrow (2004), Volcano (1997), the Fifth Element (1997), Titan AE (2000), Armageddon (1998), Twister (1996), the Birds (1963), the Book of Eli, (2010) Spirited Away (2001), *Alice in Wonderland (1951), Pleasantville (1998), *the Phantom Tollbooth (1970), *the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), *Hook (1991), the Pagemaster (1994), *James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Books- Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, the Road by Cormac McCarthy, the House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, 1984 by George Orwell, Armageddon Summer by Bruce Coville and Jane Yolen, the Giver by Lois Lowry, the City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, *Brave New World (Demolition Man) by Aldous Huxley, Malice by Chris Wooding, * the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman, *The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (the Chronicles of Narnia) by CS Lewis, *James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

 Anime/Manga and J-Horror

Movies- Akira (1988), Perfect Blue (1997), Ring (1998), Dark Water (2002), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Cat Soup (2001), *Cowboy Bebop the Movie (2001), Blood the Last Vampire (2000), Pokemon the First Movie (1998), Sailor Moon R Promise of the Rose (1993), DBZ the World’s Strongest (1990), Digimon the Movie (2000), Ju-On (2000)

Manga- Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, *Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi, *Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, *Blue Exorcist by Kazue Katō, *Soul Eater by Atsushi Ōkubo, *Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi,

Anime- *Yu Yu Hakusho, *Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, *Soul Eater, *Blue Exorcist, *Inuyasha, *Cowboy Bebop, Mob Psycho 100, .hack//SIGN , the Promised Neverland, Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Ghoul, Hellsing Ultimate

 Super Hero

Movies- Hellboy (2004), Ghost Rider (2007), the Incredibles (2004), Batman Beyond return of the Joker (2000), TMNT (2007), Logan (2017), Black Panther (2018), Sky High (2005), Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse (2018), Justice League Crisis on Two Earths (2010), Batman Under the Red Hood (2010)

Comics- Animal Man (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, Swamp Thing (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, BPRD Dark Waters (2012) Dark Horse Comics, Nextwave (Agents of HATE, 2006) Marvel Comics

Animated Series- Batman the Animated Series, X-Men Evolution, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), Darkwing Duck, the Powerpuff Girls, Teen Titans (2005), Static Shock, Green Lantern the Animated Series

 Cartoons and TV shows

Over the Garden Wall, The Simpsons (Treehouse of Horrors), Regular Show (Terror Tales of the Park), Adventure Time (Stakes), Scooby-Doo Where Are You/What’s New Scooby-Doo,  El Tigre the Adventures of Manny Rivera, Phineas and Ferb (Night of the Living Pharmacists), Gravity Falls, Good Omens, Miracle Workers, Grimm, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, What We Do In the Shadows, Hotel Transylvania the series, Wolf’s Rain, Danny Phantom, Aaahh Real Monsters, the Munsters, So Weird, Tutenstein, Gargoyles, Xena Warrior Princess, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Tales from the Crypt, Goosebumps, Samurai Jack, Metalocalypse, Super Jail, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Futurama, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, *Beetlejuice (animated series), Sabrina the Animated Series, the Owl House, Bewitched, Growing Up Creepy, the Addams Family (animated series), a Series of Unfortunate Events, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Star VS the Forces of Evil, Amphibia, Infinity Train, Penn Zero Part-Time Hero, Murder She Wrote, the Venture Bros, Avatar the Last Airbender, Invader ZIM, People of Earth, Star Trek Next Gen, Rick and Morty, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

[revengeoftheantichrist]

What Kind of Man

Warnings: Period-typical Sexism, Nightmares, injury by fire

AO3  <<<Previous

Chapter 5: Sleepless nights

You were startled awake at 3 am by what you thought was a scream. You shot up in a daze, looking to your side and began to panic, Michael wasn’t there. Just as you were about to get out of bed, Michael entered the room again, dressed in his robe, with his hair tied back. “What’s the matter my love? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” You steadied you breathing, trying to focus on him. “I heard a scream.” Michael looked at you, utterly confused. He climbed into bed beside you and pulled you into his arms. “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming? The wind has significantly picked up outside, it must have startled you awake,” he assured. Where had Michael just been? Why had he left the bed? Too tired to ask, you laid down and went back to sleep. It must have been the wind. //// You slept undisturbed till 10, missing breakfast. You woke up feeling incredibly sore everywhere. You weren’t expecting it to be this bad. Medina came in to help you get ready for the day, having already drawn a bath for you. You stumbled into the bathroom. Getting a look at yourself in the mirror. Your whole body was covered in little bruises, some on your neck and breasts painfully purple. Your ribs had bruised from the tight corset. Had he really been that rough with you? You couldn’t remember. “My lady? Did you have trouble sleeping last night? You look a little gaunt,” asked Medina. You furrowed your brows, “no, I slept like a baby last night.” You shook your head and got into the bath, scrubbing away some dried fluid from last nights ‘activities’. //// Medina had made your bed when you got out. The thought of someone knowing what you were up to last night making you turn red. Instead of the usual rose, this time Michael had left a whole bouquet of roses on the nightstand, making you smile. The dress you wore today had a high neck, enough to cover your bruising. You left your hair down to cover up the remaining purple and red peeking out. You were feeling a little bolder today, so you decided not to wear your gloves, hoping to feel Michaels bare hands again. //// You made your way to the conservatory for afternoon tea. The room let in just the right amount of sun, illuminating the green foliage inside it. You husband and brother already at the table, you were surprised however, to see Mr. Shepherd at the table too. “Good afternoon my love, did you sleep well?” asked Michael, pulling out your chair beside him. You smiled at him, “yes I did thank you for asking.” He gave you cheek a quick peck before seating himself; your cheeks dusted in a light blush. You brother made a face in mock disgust, “this is so gross, I do not need to see you getting cosy with my sister Langdon,” he laughed. You kicked him under the table, making him yelp out. “I’m telling mother you still have a temper,” he whined. Mrs Mead interrupted you with your meal. Serving all those seated. You looked up to Duncan a little confused. “Will Miss. Vanderbilt not be joining us?” you asked. Duncan smiled at you, “she left after the party last night, she has business to attend to in the States so needed to get Liverpool port in time for morning.” “Oh, are you staying a little longer?” “My business is expanding to Europe, who better to partner with that Mr. Langdon over here. Businessmen like him are rare to find these days,” he finished. Sensing that you wanted to know more, Michael gripped your rib under the table. It still hurt from last night and you almost cried out. It was a warning. You decided not to press any further. “So,” Gabriel started, “have you taken her ‘riding’ yet?”. The boys started to snicker. You looked around confused, what was so funny about horse-riding? “I didn’t know you were a horse rider Michael,” you said. The men continued to laugh. There was clearly some innuendo in your brother’s statement; not a fan of being picked on, you kicked him again. “Oh, dear little sister how I miss picking on you.” Well I don’t miss being picked on, especially in front of company,” you seethed. “expect a strongly worded letter from mother soon, I can’t wait to tell her about you being violent towards me,” he teased. “talking about mother, when do you leave? I have a letter for her.” “In an hour,” he replied. The conversation moved to business matters that you did not care for. After you finished your lunch, you excused yourself to get you letter for your mother. You hoped your brother wouldn’t read it; you’d never hear the end of it. //// As you came downstairs, you noticed the Michael had changed into his travelling attire. Where was he going? “Are you going somewhere?” you asked. Michael took you off to the side and held both your hands in his ringed ones. “My dear, as Mr. Shepherd has mentioned before, they are expanding to Europe. I must go to London with him, as assurance for the investors. So, we will be travelling down with your brother.” You looked at him, shocked. “B-but that’s so quick, we’ve only been married a week. Can I at least come with you?” He sighed and brought your chin up to make eye contact, “I know my love, I don’t want to leave so soon either, but unfortunately business does not wait for anyone. I cannot take you with me, there is not enough time to pack and I won’t have enough time for you when we get there. You’re in more than capable hands here, I’ll be back on Wednesday I promise,” he said. He gently took the letter from your hands, “I’ll make sure this get to its destination,” he assured. “LANGDON HURRY UP!” Duncan was heard shouting form outside. Michael kissed your hands, “I have to take my leave now, please take care of yourself.” You nodded, “I’ll miss you.” “and I you,” he replied. He took your right hand in his, removing the large obsidian ring on his finger, placing it on your thumb. “I leave a part of me with you.” He gave you a quick kiss on the lips, before turning and leaving through the door. You moved to the doorway to wave them off and watch them leave. With your husband gone, the house had fallen silent. //// Your nightmares had returned that night, seeming to get worse. You dreamt of the garden. It lay barren, the flowers and leaves all dead, leaving twisted branches instead. The water features of the garden spurted blood, you could smell it as you walked through. The worst of all were the statues. They were no longer stone. Instead, the corpses of the people you loved, twisted to look like the statues they replaced. You were sure this was hell. //// You woke with a pounding headache, worse than the day before. Medina looked at you concerned. “My lady? Is everything alright? You look sick.” “I don’t know Medina; I don’t feel well. Could you please bring my meals up to my room?” you asked. She nodded and left to get your breakfast. You spent the rest of the day in bed, in and out of sleep. It seemed that sleeping during the day did not give you nightmares, or any dreams at all. But it was all you could ask for right now. Mrs Mead brought your evening meal to you, a nice hearty soup. She put her hand on your forehead, checking your temperature, “You seem to have a little bit of a fever, some rest and this soup should help.” All you could do was nod, far too exhausted to talk. The soup warmed you up, but halfway through drinking it, you began to cry. It remined you of your mother, how you missed her so. You wished she was with you, to hold you and nurse you back to health like she had done for years before. All you could do now was sob into Mrs Meads shoulder, who seemed hesitant to offer any comfort. Your night terrors visited you again that night. //// On Monday, you attempted to take your mind off things. At first you tried to read, but the words on the pages just bled together. The kitchen staff wouldn’t let you bake that day either. You tried to visit the garden, but every corner remined you of your dreams. You ran back inside. You decided you weren’t going to sleep that night. You couldn’t. You’d rather wake a thousand nights than have one more nightmare. To stop yourself from nodding off, you elected to wander around the castle halls. You placed a fresh candle in the chamberstick, lighting it just before you left. The halls were cold, and you wished you wore a robe and some shoes. All you had was your nightgown, trailing behind you. The neckline was far too low for your liking, but you weren’t the one that had commissioned the dress. Thunder boomed in the sky, brining with it heavy rain. You tried to make your way back to your chambers but must have taken a wrong turn. You had no idea where you were, you had never ventured into this part of the castle before. Panic set in and you attempted to retrace your steps. Instead you ended at a dead end. Your candle didn’t do much to cut through the darkness. You noticed a glimmer of gold in front of you. You brought your head up to take a closer look, it was a picture frame. You craned your neck up further, it was an oil painting, a portrait. The man in the painting looked like Michael, but older. This must have been his father, Lucien. The face of the woman next to him was messily painted over in red. Was this Michael’s mother? You felt that Lucien’s eyes were staring at you, looking into the depths of your soul. Lightening cracked in the sky, and for a moment, you saw the visage on the portrait flash into a grotesque image; like the faces you saw in your dreams. You screamed and dropped your candle, the flame catching onto your nightgown, setting it alight. You tried to put it out, but exhaustion finally took over and you collapsed. You could hear muffled voices but couldn’t decipher anything they said. As you eyes closed, you swore the man in the portrait grinned at you, with sharp teeth and a bloody mouth.

Next>>>

[haveyourselfacodychristmas]

Have Yourself a Cody Christmas - Christmas Day

THE FINALÉ OF HAVE ‘YOURSELF A CODY CHRISTMAS’ INTERACTIVE STORY

Michael Langdon X Jim Mason X Duncan Shepherd X Xavier Plympton X Y/N 

Warnings: Fluffy, a little non-sensical maybe, good Christmas fun, SMUT! Swearing! 

DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T COLLECTED ALL FOUR PRESENTS IN THE INTERACTIVE STORY. 

The smell of eggnog wafts over to you from your bedroom. You resolved to spend Christmas Day in your own bed, alone as did the rest of your family, so while there is no warmth you feel like you have an even playing field today. No jealousies, no bickering...that is if everyone kept to the same vow. Even though you aren’t the biggest eggnog fan, you know that it’s a tradition for Jim and sure enough when you tip toe downstairs you see him putting on the finishing touches of grated nutmeg.

’I swear this is how Washington himself did it.’ He boasts, sliding you a cup. 

‘It’s eight am, Jim.’ You laugh, watching him take a sip. ‘And you’re already on the alcohol.’ 

‘Eggnog can be drunk at any time.’

Duncan slopes into the kitchen, ignores the eggnog and switches on the coffee machine. ‘Even I can’t do that this early.’ He says, eying Jim’s foamy moustache. 

‘Why don’t you just get an IV?’ Jim quips, ‘Addiction will kill you, ya know.’ 

Duncan makes a face behind Jim’s back. You catch Jim on his way to the living room, wipe off his foam and give him a quick kiss. ‘Merry Christmas, bye the way.’ Jim calls to you both, sweeping his eggnog into his hands on the way. 

‘Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.’ Duncan calls to Jim, pulling you into his arms as the smell of freshly brewed coffee sings in the air. ‘And to you,’ He smiles, giving you a kiss on the tip of your nose. 

‘Home alone?’ You question, wrapping your arms around Duncan’s waist.

‘My favourite.’ He nods, letting you cling to him as he pours out the coffee into two cups, ‘Want one?’

‘Yes, I can’t do eggnog right now.’

He chuckles, ‘He never changes.’ 

You take note of the fondness in Duncan’s voice and rest your head against his chest. 

‘Urgh, get a room.’ You expect to see Xavier in the doorway, but Xavier never rises before 10am. Instead, your favourite Travelling Salesman stands in the doorway. You squeal, running over and throwing your arms around him. Jerome hugs you back, ‘Hey princess, couldn’t miss a Christmas with my favourite people.’

‘Your favourites, really?’ Duncan smirks, immediately getting a third cup out for Jerome. 

‘I’m still getting used to the new one.’ Jerome admits, ‘And I need to drop off my presents for my most favourite ones.’

‘Miriam and Jeffrey will be awake soon.’ You promise, ‘They always wake around eight thirty.’ 

‘I don’t mind assisting with the morning.’ Jerome volunteers and you want to hug him all over again.

‘That would be great.’

‘And where is our blessed Antichrist?’ The Salesman accepts his cup from Duncan and takes a long drink, hip leaning against the countertop as Jim re-appears.

‘I thought I recognised your voice.’ Jim grins, giving Jerome a fist-bump. ’Sup, man?’

‘Enjoying being a father, Jim?’

He nods, melting. ‘It’s…it’s so good.’ 

Duncan slips his arm around Jim, ‘He wouldn’t work for me, but I heard someone’s due a promotion soon?’

Jim blushes, ‘Wha…me?’

‘So I hear.’

‘Only because I read your bosses’ mind.’ Michael’s deep voice travels over to you all. He’s leaning against the doorframe, signature silk black pyjamas on. ‘Hello Jerome.’

‘Still creeping on people’s thoughts?’ You give Michael a look, but knowing what the two of you got up to yesterday, you’re not too mad.

‘Only when they have something interesting going on.’ Michael sidles into the room, ‘Which is not that often.’ 

‘Now everyone is here but Xavier,’ Jim glances around each of you, ‘Can we do presents?’

‘Why don’t you wanna wait?’ Duncan asks.

‘Cause he takes forever to rise.’

‘We’re going to wait.’ You decide, but you lead the way back into the living space and drop onto the couch. Michael joins you and you rest your back against him immediately right as the baby monitor picks up Jeffrey’s morning cries. 

Jim makes a face, ‘Like clockwork.’

‘I’ll go,’ Jerome volunteers. ‘I wanna spend some time with my God children before you all ruin them more.’

‘Heyyy.’ Jim gives chase and you can hear the bickering all the way upstairs. 

You turn to Michael and press a kiss to his chest, ‘Merry Festive Day.’

‘Merry Festive Day.’ He echoes, fingers running through your hair.

‘Did Miriam like her card?’ 

‘She did’ He murmurs, ‘I got the usual six am text from her.’

‘Six am on Christmas!’

‘Rises at 6, has six presents under the three and six candles always lit.’ 

‘I get it’ You smile as Duncan drops into his favourite armchair, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen Duncan sleep in beyond six am any day but Christmas.’

‘Hey, I sleep in on vacation.’ He protests, crossing one leg over the other. ‘I’m not a total freak.’ 

‘When we were in the Bahamas,’ Michael points a lazy finger at Duncan, ‘You were up at 6am to reserve the sunbeds on the beach.’

‘Only because the Obama’s tried to steal that spot and it was perfectly facing the pool and the beach for easy access.’ 

‘Never change, Duncan.’ You laugh, watching the Media Mogul get flustered behind his coffee right as Jim and Jerome enter with the babies, closely followed by Xavier. 

‘Present time.’ Xavier trills, ‘Now we are all present, Jim says Medina is coming for dinner, so we can get started.’ 

Jerome deposits little Miriam in Michael’s arms, not daring to ignore the Antichrist making grabby arms. Now one year old, both Miriam and Jeffrey are interested in everything. Miriam latches onto Michael’s hair, tugging it out of his bun and watching the golden curls cascade. She bubbles a near laugh as Michael suppress rolling his eyes, ‘Again?’ He asks the baby who is nearly speaking small sentences.

‘Hair pretty.’ Miri insists, dropping into your lap and clapping her hands together.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey like his father is full of energy. The little boy is crawling everywhere, keeping both Jim and Jerome busy on the couch opposite. 

‘Well, I gave my gifts upstairs.’ Jerome announces, ‘You can see them later but lets just say-‘

‘Elsa!’ Miri beams. The entire room watches as an Elsa doll floats into the living space and into Miri’s arms. She hugs it tight, ‘Jerome!’

You can’t help a snigger as Jerome tries not to look too unsettled, ‘That’s very nice, baby.’ Duncan praises, far too used to Miri and her magic by now.

Jeffrey, not yet as advanced as his twin tucks himself into Jim’s side. ‘Well, that spoiled it.’ Jerome mutters, ruffling Jeffrey’s hair. ‘Maybe I do got a favourite one.’

‘Careful, Jerome.’ Michael smirks, ’I and my Miri can hear you.’

‘Presents.’ You decide, sinking to your knees and heading for the pile under the tree. You fish out Xavier’s first and pass it to him. Jim is kind enough to join you in handing out presents. 

You’re pretty sure you did well with your presents. Xavier’s already got an AirPod in one ear, Eurythmics coming faintly from his phone. Duncan’s engrossed in his planner, already writing with his Montblanc fountain pen from Michael. The two babies have joined you on the floor and found amusement in the pink tissue paper that contained bath and body products from Xavier to you. 

‘Here Michael,’ You hand him your present. ‘This is from me.’

‘Thank you my love,’ He murmurs, fingers running over the silver bow. You meet Jim’s eyes, the two of you watching the Antichrist. Michael, so unused to presents treasures every single one he gets. You watch him unwrap the present so delicately, smoothing down the wrapping paper and folding it to put aside for later. He reads your gift tag and gives you a smile that betrays his love of fashion upon reading Balenciaga. 

‘Hey, big spender.’ Duncan shoots you a wink, watching as Michael’s eyes rove greedily over the jacket. 

‘It’s perfect.’ His eyes shine with love, ‘But you didn’t have to.’

‘I did.’ You insist, unwrapping some brand-new underwear from Victoria’s Secret from Duncan. 

‘There’s something else in there you should…uh…maybe wait till the kids are in bed.’ Duncan coughs. You can’t resist a peek, spying a sleek black toy in the bottom of the box. 

You slip it back under the tree, ‘Yes, not a family-friendly present.’

‘Not a family-friendly man.’ He counters, now on his second cup of coffee.

‘Sure Dunc,’ Xavier gives him a nudge, ‘Married with two step-kids.’

You hand Jim his present as he hands his own over to Xavier, ‘Don’t go wild with it, okay? Jim says. 

‘Is it weed?’

‘Xaiver.’ You scold, side-eying Jeffrey.

He rolls his eyes, ‘They don’t know what weed is.’ 

‘WEED!’ Miri echoes, point to Xavier, ‘WEED.’

‘I’m no weed.’ Xavier counters back, ‘You’re the weedy one.’

‘Weed.’ She decides, settles beside her brother. 

‘It’s not weed.’ Jim bites out, ‘Just open it.’

‘You’re not gonna live that down now, Xav.’ You smirk.

‘Ayyy,’ Xavier laughs, taking out the skateboard and choosing to ignore you. ‘This is so rad, thanks bro.’ 

‘You’re welcome, weed.’ Jim shoots back, his grin playful as he opens your gift. ‘Is this…woah! Beach Boys, Y/N!’

‘Where did you get that?’ Duncan’s head snaps to the present, ‘I couldn’t find anything when I was searching.’

‘Secret auction.’ You reveal, gratification swirling through you as Jim looks deeply impressed. 

‘This is going in a frame on my wall where I can stare and never touch it.’ 

‘What the heck is the point of that?’ Xavier frowns, ‘You wanna be able to interact with stuff. Use it.’

‘It’s a poster though, babe.’ You laugh.

‘Collections show who a person really is.’ Jerome offers, ‘Be it Miri and her growing Elsa dolls or Duncan and his coffee cups.’ 

‘Hey.’

‘You’re on your third, Dunc.’ You point out, ‘You should slow down darling.’

Jim pulls you in for a soft kiss before taking over Duncan’s armchair. Finished with your present duties, you inspect your pile of presents. Along with the underwear and bath products, you have a new Chanel bag from Duncan, some surprisingly comfy slippers from Jerome, make-up and red nail polish from Michael, chocolates and an iPad from Jim. But it isn’t the presents that has you so content, it’s seeing you favourite people together and happy. You wouldn’t trade any of them for anything in the world. It’s times like these that you are truly thankful for Christmas.

‘Used my discount,’ Jim winks, clearly proud of himself. ‘Didn’t use the bank of Duncan once.’

Michael has enough new designer clothes to kit out his wardrobe, but he’s most intrigued by a spell book gifted by Jerome. He’s been pouring over it with Miri for the past half hour, his lips mouthing incantations. You’ve had to stop the Christmas tree from levitating twice now. 

‘Where did you get a spell book from?’ Duncan asks, taking a peek over Michael’s shoulder. 

The Antichrist, leans back and presses a kiss to Duncan’s cheek, ‘It’s very interesting. Both dark and light magic.’

‘Egypt.’ Is Jerome’s simple answer, 

‘Egypt?’ Jim echoes.

‘Or was it Persia?’

‘Persia doesn’t exist anymore.’

‘Or Rome.’

‘I give up.’ Jim sulks, ‘I’m gonna check where Dina is.’ He leaves the room, already making the call. 

Xavier sighs, ‘Well since I pulled the short straw I’d better get going on Christmas dinner. Jerome, you wanna help do potatoes?’

‘Sure.’ Jerome follows Xavier out into the kitchen, ‘Besides, I haven’t had a chance to properly grill you yet.’

‘Grill me?’ 

Michael beckons you over, nudging Duncan aside to make room for you. The Media Mogul has been lazily letting Michael run his fingers through his hair completely absorbed in Michael’s spell-book. 

‘I have one more present for you, the usual trinkets aside.’ 

‘You’ve already got me things.’ You say, dropping between the two men and sitting Miri on your lap. Her head falls against your breast as you press a kiss to the top of your head. 

‘I know, but I couldn’t resist making this for you.’ Michael murmurs. Duncan meets his eye and then collects Miri in his arms.

‘Come on trouble, you can help Daddy Duncan make some Christmas Bellinis.’

‘No alcohol!’ You and Michael both chorus before catching each other’s eyes. You laugh it off, snuggling a little closer to the Antichrist. 

‘You made something for me?’

Michael produces a long, thin black box. ‘I…’ He clears his throat, ‘I wanted to make it perfect and…we’ve known each other for so long that I…I wanted to stand out if you will. Ever since Duncan became your official husband I’ve…I can’t help but admit that I’ve felt the overwhelming need to give you something that is entirely mine.’ He plunges on before you can interrupt, ‘I’m not jealous. I’m not bitter or upset.’ He insist, eyes shining with the truth. ‘I love our family, everyone equally. But, we have Miri and we so much history I…well…here you go. Merry Festive Day, Y/N.’ 

He opens the box, revealing a blood red rose. Dew drops linger on the rose, frozen in time as you take it out of the velvet lining. ‘Oh Michael,’ You whisper, inspecting the de-thorned perfection. ‘It’s beautiful.’

‘It will remain in full bloom.’ He says, voice full of pride and eagerness. ‘So long as I love you, this rose will thrive. So in that instance, it is everlasting.’ 

You can feel tears coming as you kiss him deeply. ‘I love you so much,’ You whisper, ‘It’s the most perfect gift.’ 

‘Just that extra something.’ He smiles, ‘Display it however you like. It was this or…well I did mention to the boys whether I should round up your worst enemy and present them to you bound and gagged to do as you like. But Jim didn’t think you’d like it as much as this.’

You snigger, patting his thigh gently. ’No I much prefer this.’ 

‘Dinner help please!’ Xavier’s voice rings from the kitchen, ‘Jim’s burning down the apartment.’

You smirk and place the rose back in it’s box, ‘Will you keep it safe for me? While I put out the fires?’

‘What would Christmas be without a little fire?’ Michael tucks the box under his arm.

‘A perfectly ordinary and boring Christmas.’ You say, walking into the kitchen only to find the Ham half burned. Jim is downing a Bellini, while Xavier is caught up arguing with Jerome about the mashed potato. Duncan seems to be safeguarding the coffee machine, while the twins sit in their highchairs, two pictures of innocence. Miri turns to Michael and beams at her daddy, ‘Weed.’

‘And we’re nothing like normal.’ 

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and gone on this adventure with me. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This took a lot of time for me to write, put together and work on without a beta all on my own. A like or a reblog would mean the world so if you enjoyed, please do share this! 

Merry Festive Christmas!

[morganas-pendragons]

A List Of Song Recs You Didn’t Ask For

Most of you know my fics are often inspired by songs and so I’ve decided to pull together my favorites both for fics and in general - I hope you enjoy them! 

Amber Run 

- worship

- I found love 

ANGST :) 

- god knows i tried, lana del rey

- promise me, bad flower

- forest fire, brighton

- and so my heart became a void / lovers death / many are the stars i see: ursine, vulpine, annaca

- arcade, duncan laurence

- persphone, tamino

- what a time, julia michaels + niall horan

- dog days are over, florence + the machine

- I gave you all, mumford and sons

- I don’t mind, joseph

- moral of the story, ashe

- achilles come down, gang of youth *

- as the world caves in, matt maltese *

- no choir, florence and the machine *

- goodbye, avril lavigne

- please don’t go, barcelona *

- from the grave, james arthur

- train wreck, james arthur

- running up that hill, track and field *

- broken, isak danielson

- unsteady, x ambassadors

- let me down slowly, alec benjamin

- forest fire, brighton

- i’ll follow you into the dark, death cab for cutie

- one man town, elmore

- like a funeral, Eric jonasson

- i’m coming home, skylar grey

- heal, tom odell

- lo vas a olvidar, billie eilish and rosalía

- see you later, Jenna Raine

- easier, mansionair

Daughter

- medicine 

- smother

Exitmusic 

- the night

- white noise

Halsey 

- gasoline 

- castle 

- finally/beautiful stranger

- control

- clementine 

Imagine Dragons 

- believer

- thirty lives

Lewis Capaldi 

- before you go

- somebody to love

- bruises

Noah Kahan

- you’re gonna go far

- no complaints

- call your mom

- the view between villages (extended)

- false confidence

Olivia Rodrigo

- favorite crime

- traitor

- happier

Ruelle 

- game of survival 

- carry you, fleurie ft ruelle

- genesis

- war of hearts

Sleeping At Last 

- saturn

- already gone

- light

- today has been okay *

- where does the good go

- hearing 

Slowed Versions 

- slowed: to be human, marina and the diamonds

- slowed: the night we met, lord huron

- slowed: six feet under, billie eilish

- slowed: when the party’s over, billie eilish 

- slowed: little talks

- slowed: Rasputin, Boney M

- slowed: hostage, billie eilish 

- slowed: castle, Halsey

Taylor Swift 

- epiphany

- exile

- haunted

- don’t blame me 

- betty

- peace  *

- anti hero

- you’re on your own, kid

- would’ve, could’ve, should’ve

- the Great War

- losing me

- castles crumbling

Those Songs That Just Make You Go.. Wow 

- literally the entire gloria regali album by tommee profitt * this is a fave

- jenny of oldstones, florence and the machine * also a favorite

- hurt, johnny cash *

- kingdom fall, claire wyndham

- take us back, alela diane

- hello my old heart, the oh hellos

- billie jean, the civil wars

- soldiers daughter, jhameel

- to build a home, the cinematic orchestra

- at the birds foot, city and colour

- as it was, hozier

- knocking on heavens door, raign

Songs That SLAP 

- I've had enough, Melina KB 

- our word, 36 questions

- boho days, tick tick boom

- dangerous, everlove

- eleanor rigby, cody fry

- fourth of july, sufjan stevens

- horns, bryce fox

- blood in the water, grandson 

- slow farewell, dark country 5 

Melancholic Songs... I Guess? 

- things we lost in the fire, bastille 

- behind blue eyes, limp bizkit 

- fools in love, inara george 

- i was here, beyonce 

- the scientist, coldplay 

- breathe, grey’s anatomy cast

- till i fall asleep, jayme dee 

- you, keaton henson 

- you are a memory, message to bears  

- time of our lives, tyrone wells 

[hecohansen31]

hey! if you’re requests are still open, could you do a small piece with the foursome! maybe the reader finally talks about her own trauma (daddy issues?) and opens up for once.

(A/N): Hello there, lovely!

So I hope you won’t mind that I changed your request: I previously had an idea, and I thought this request was perfect to develop it (also because I am costantly scared to write badly any mental health issues, even ‘daddy issues’!).

Still, as always, if you feel uncomfortable or you didn’t like this, you just have to send me an ask and I’ll rewrite this again!

WARNINGS: Talk About Mental Health/Trust Issues/Problematic Relation With Therapists/Light Stalking/Poly-Relationship.

You had started seeing a therapist, before you had started your relationship with Duncan, Michael and Jim.

Although you weren’t ashamed of such thing, you hadn’t told them about it, more out of the constant habit of dealing things on your own than because you felt uncomfortable talking about such a thing.

And it hadn’t been a problem for you, you could juggle up perfectly your business and most of the time you could count on a perfect excuse to justify the hour you spent with your therapist, each Friday.

You therapist actually knew about your relationship and hadn’t pressured you into revealing them your problematics or the fact that you visited her weekly, but she had highly suggested that you talked with them about it.

‘There is nothing to be ashamed, (Y/N)’ she had told you, meanwhile you fidgeted with your hands ‘You know well that they aren’t the judging type and that, what you do here, is absolutely nothing illegal or wrong’.

You had nodded, but every time, right when you wanted to talk with them about it, the words died on your tongue and you quickly changed the theme of your chats and shifted their focus away from you.

But soon your small absences were noticed by your lovers: Duncan sometimes would call you to check on you, just to find your phone switched off, which was strange not only because nobody switched off their phones anymore, but also you were pretty active with it.

Jim and Michael had tried to propose some interesting activities to do on Friday afternoon, so that you could spend some time together, but you would always shake your head, and suggest either another time or another date, coming up with new excuses each time.

But they noticed that you would always keep each Friday at 4:30 p.m. free, and one day, they had chosen to follow you, although Michael had insisted that it was extremely stalkerish.

‘It isn’t stalkerish if done with love’ had muttered Jim, and Michael had just shot him a look before muttering about how ‘he shouldn’t have let him watch ‘You’ on Netflix’.

They had followed you, ‘discreetly’, although they were lucky that you hadn’t noticed them because you were too much on cloud nine, since they did nothing more than tripping onto things and running into people, but they had made it to a small building, which looked pretty normal.

Were you meeting with a friend?

Both Jim and Michael were surprised about you meeting with a friend, without telling them.

But they weren’t one of those ‘always together couple’, but they didn’t understand why you would hide them an outing with friends.

… but maybe it wasn’t simply an outing with a friend.

Were you cheating on them?

That would explain the secrecy and the fact that you were entering that building.

They also managed to enter it although clumsily, asking one of its resident to open the door, faking to be the friends of one of the other tenants, but once they were inside they weren’t able to actually look where you had gone and ended up exploring rather clumsy.

But their eyes were immediately caught by what looked like a private studio and they wandered inside, mostly because everything was better than the thought of you cheating on them: maybe you simply were having some problems you were too ashamed to talk with them.

They knew lately you had been writing some stories, maybe you had chosen to publish them and this was a talent scout or a publishing house…

Once they were inside, they realized it wasn’t a simple studio, but it was a therapist one, the secretary looking at them confused before she dared to ask them whether they had an appointment or needed to book one.

“Ahem we are…actually… in need to book one” lied Jim, and Michael was half thankful that the secretary didn’t seem to care enough about them to avoid noticing the fakeness in Jim’s tone, who continued on setting a fake appointment, giving the woman the same date of (Y/N)’s strange absence.

“I am sorry, but that spot is already busy” she mumbled and Michael managed to catch a glimpse of the timetable discovering that your name was signed down for that spot, showing that you were seeing a therapist.

That for  all that time you had been seeing one, without telling them anything.

Were you ashamed?

Had they given you the idea of not being able to take care of you?

Had they given you the idea that they would make fun of you, if you told them that you were seeing a therapist?

They hadn’t certainly been truly angelic with you, but they were open-minded enough not to judge you about feeling the need of seeing somebody that might help you.

Michael couldn’t help but be both slightly disappointed and both a bit self-conscious of his behavior towards you.

As Jim finished settling the appointment, he grabbed him by the shirt, to let him know they had to leave, before you finished your session, saluting the secretary as she reminded one last time to them the date of the appointment.

“Please don’t tell me I just signed up for nothing” mumbled Jim, once they were outside.

“(Y/N) was here” mumbled Michael was they were inside of the car, gaining a skeptical look from Jim “… she is… she is seeing a therapist, I saw her spot on the timetable, meanwhile you were booking the appointment”.

“Why is (Y/N) seeing a therapist?” asked Jim, much more naively than Michael, meanwhile he rode off quickly making sure not to attract any attention on them “… do you think that it is because we make her crazy”.

“Jim, why do you have to make this funny whereas it isn’t in the slightest!” Michael’s outburst of rage made Jim tremble lightly and the blond man tightened the grip onto the steering wheel, coming to an abrupt stop “… I am sorry, it just… baffles me… that she…”.

“…that she doesn’t trust us?” completed Jimmy, before he softly pushed an hand onto Michael’s white knuckles “… Michael we hated her till a month ago… she has every right to keep us out of some things she thinks are personal”.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to stalk her?” shot back Michael.

“Because I thought she was hiding someone, but… Michael… how long did it take you to open up with me and Duncan about your problems with your grandma? Or for me to open up about my substance abuse” Michael didn’t answer “… it took us long, and you can’t blame her”.

“So, we have to pretend nothing happened?” Michael didn’t know if he could do it and was thankful when Jim shook her hand.

“No, we need to talk with Duncan and her, at least to apologize, and to show our support towards her and her journey” replied Jimmy, meanwhile he quickly held and gripped Michael’s hand on the steering wheel.

“Then I think we should get some cake”.

You had come home after an entire afternoon of crazy errands, although you had wished, for the entire time, nothing more than to come back home, mostly since the therapy of that day had been rather serious, and again, your therapist had explained the importance of letting your partners know of your journey, both to help you and to be sincere with them.

You had actually thought about coming clean, and in the end swore to confess it to them at least before Sunday, but when you had come home, the climate… was strange.

Michael was avoiding you, without putting into it too much effort to hide it and Jim was exceeding with his usual cuddles, even going as far as to stick at you when you got up to get the dinner ready, awakening also Michael, who came to stand into one of the stool at the kitchen island, beside Jim, as if they wanted to talk with you.

“Did something happen, guys?” you asked, wondering whether you had forgotten some anniversary or birthday “… are you mad at me?”.

“We followed you today” spoke Michael, almost spitting out the words as if they were on the tip of his tongue “… Jim has seen too many ‘You’ episode and decided to finally discover what you do each Friday at 4:30 p.m.”.

You were petrified on the spot and Jim continued, Michael’s speech, with much more sweetness to the tone:

“I didn’t mean to, but… I just… I thought you might be seeing someone else” your expression quickly changed to baffled, mildly offended “… I am sorry, you know we have abandonment issues… but this is another problem, we have discovered you are seeing a therapist”:

Well the truth was now out and you couldn’t help but be nervous at their thoughts, although you were ashamed, you knew people had mixed reaction about you seeing a therapist, you had been even wary about sharing this with some of you more distant friends.

“Why did you hide it from us?” Michael’s accusing tone was enough to made you cringe, and he saw it, immediately backing up and muttering a light ‘sorry’.

“I… I don’t know… it just never came up” you replied, hiding slightly in yourself, shrinking a bit to appear smaller.

“Don’t you trust us?” asked Jim, his tone definitely lighter than Michael, but the accusation heavy on his tone.

“It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but…” you tried to mumble “… it’s difficult for me to talk about it… it took me years to approach a therapist, and I am not ashamed of it, but I tend to deal… with things… on my own, have always been”.

“You don’t have anymore” a deep voice, surprised you and you all turned to catch Duncan staring at them, and you couldn’t help but blush further, hiding in the kitchen “…I am sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear, but I just wanted you to know that at least for me… this is a judgement free place”.

“Thank you” you stammered, meanwhile your other two lovers nodded.

“I am not going to lie I felt a bit heartbroken when I discovered this, but…” spoke Michael, and held out an hand for you to take, a true peace offering “… I understand now why you might not want to talk about it with us, but… if you need anything, you are more than welcome to let us know”.

“Yeah, exactly!” backed him up Jimmy “… is there something you want to talk about with us? Is there something we need to avoid? Or any way we can help you?”.

You appreciated Jimmy’s questions, although you couldn’t help but be slightly nervous, gently encouraged by Duncan, who came behind you and hugged you softly, letting you know his presence in this.

“I might need wine to speak up a bit” you joked, and Michael joined the laugh before he promptly mumbled.

“We have a chocolate cake to share” he mumbled, before he promptly added “I mean you have one and I have my own”.

“I think that you also need an appointment to a therapist or some doctor to check on that sugar flow”.

“You are just jealous of my perfect weight, Jimmy!”.

You couldn’t help but laugh softly at that and cuddled a bit tighter into Duncan’s arms: you might have had bad and heavy days, but you had three lovers always ready to make you feel better.

You were glad to have them in your life.

[misslisterkeepsajournal]

1826 Tuesday 6 June

7 40/60

1 50/60

Slept indifferently on account of the noise of carriages etc - dozed and dreampt that each carriage was the one that taking M- [Mariana] away - At breakfast at 9 20/60 - At 10 1/2 Mr Duffin went with me to Breary and Myers - 1 1/4 hour ordering about the finishing of the carriage - thence to Horners - Mr Horner 1/2 hour scaling my teeth - thence to the great assembly room to see a collection of pictures (arranged for private sale, belonging to Mr J. Hickman, St James’s Street London) by the old masters, especially the ‘Christ in the sepulchre’ by Michael Angel Buonarotti ‘which, from its extraordinary effect’ (says the title page of the catalogue), produce the powerful genius of that great man, has been long designated the miraculous entombment’ - Mr Hickman asks 6,000 guineas for this picture but thinks he would not sell it at any price - mentioned that Lord Carlisle has given £4000 for the 3 Marys - no! said Mr Hickman £3500 (or guineas I am not clear which he said) for I was the man who sold it him - found Mr Hickman very civil - talked to him some time - he said Soult had refused £30,000 for 5 or 6 of the choice pictures of his collection, for the British museum - he named to me ‘a valuable collection of Dutch pictures, particularly a fine composition by Rubens of a Holy family with St Elizabeth and St John’, and very civilly (not remembering the address at the moment) on going home and turning to his journal wrote me a note directing me to ‘Monsieur C. Chevalier Boursalt no. 20, rue Blanche, Chansée D’[Autrin], Paris’ -

Met Miss Duffin with Mr and Mrs Swann and their daughters just come from a Paris School seeing the pictures - Miss Duffin left them, and went with Mr Duffin and myself to the top of the mister 13 minutes going up - (I think the mad said 240 steps - and surely 8 inch steps), and 9 minutes coming down - nobody complained - I thought myself well repaid - said Mr Duffin ‘this is said to be the most extensive plain in the world that we see over’ - 20 minutes at the top looking about us - I could have staid 2 or 3 times as long, hot as it was on the leads under a full sun - Mr Duffin left us, on getting down again - Miss Duffin and I went to the Henry Belcombes’ took Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe in another room for 1/2 hour tête à tête to explain why I should not call at the Belcombes’ in Petergate, because in answer to, or rather the only remark Mrs Belcombe made on reading my message sent thro’ Mrs Milne, was we should most likely never meet again, and perhaps it was better not - on entering the Henry Belcombes’ whom should I meet in the dining room on her legs coming away, but Mrs Milne - She shook hands with me, merely added ‘we shall see you at our house’, and, calling her son Duncan, walked out, as we walked in - I fancied she coloured did she see my agitation I felt to turn pale my legs trembled under me excessively but I sat down Miss Duffin talked away to Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe and I think no one guessed what was passing within me I dreaded to meet her afterwards thought I saw her at a distance and turned quite another way to avoid her which I did but met and shook hands with Milne -

Left Miss Duffin to wait for me at the Henry Stephen Belcombes’, and called to take leave at Fisher’s, and at Mrs Best’s sat some time with Mrs Best and Rose I am in high favour with them - then went back, and took Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe and Miss Duffin to see our carriage -

Got home at 4 20/60 - Parsons waiting to cut my hair - took Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe upstairs and she sat by me till 5 - then took our leave - and I hurried down to dinner (could not dress - had no gown with me) at 5 1/4 -

Captain Fothergill of King Thorpe very vulgar, Mrs Elyfield’s brother, and Mr Atkinson the surgeon dined with us - the latter under a cloud, Mr Duffin thinks unjustly, about the death of Mrs Hutchinson the nearest relative of the late Dr Jackson dean of Christchurch - not attentive enough - should have had a physician much earlier - the poor soul might have been recovered, etc etc - Did not sit long after dinner -

Seeing Miss Yorke mount her horse went to the door and took leave of her - She expressed herself as if she had really some regard for me, and very prettily gave me to understand how glad she should be to hear of or from me - Mrs Yorke just gone out walking or I should have called to wish her goodbye - Gave no reason for Miss Yorke to expect it, but the thought crossed that perhaps I might write her one letter - I am sure it would please her - she is always ladylike - when Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe asked me to write, I threw cold water on it at once, ditto to Miss Henrietta Crompton - so Mrs Henry Stephen Belcombe said I should of course write to Steph about my aunt to say how she went on, and she would be contented to hear of me then - She really behaves very well and likes me and is flattered by my notice but she is not thoroughbred and this spoils though ditto of the Cromptons this evening and came away not fancying them much - Called and sat an hour with the Cromptons - then went to Mrs Anne and Miss Gage, and, finding them at tea, drank tea with them - both of them very kind -

Got home at 9 1/4 - the 2 gentlemen went at 10 - came up to bed at 10 25/60 - Miss Duffin sat with me till 1 1/4 - thought of Pi [Mariana] behaved quite properly - made memoranda of today - very fine day - very warm -

Reference: SH:7/ML/E/9/0107 - SH:7/ML/E/9/0108

[dyns33]

i'm sure that Duncan & Michael have a pool somewhere on their building but they never use it. Until that Reader find this place.

Ooooooh criminals without a pool are not real criminals ! I love this idea, I hope I had a pool right now, it will be nice... 

____________

           To enter the building where their apartment was, you had to be very talented. Then, to reach the top floor, without having the key to the elevator, you had to be very lucky. And finally, to open their door, you had to get up very early. Well, all these security measures had been instituted after the arrival of (Y / N), who had demonstrated that they were not protected enough if a little thief could enter their homes. It had been years since the little thief had moved in, years of crossing the hallway between the elevator and the door of their apartment, and she had never paid attention to the door between them, always closed, and that did not seem absolutely interesting. Till today. (Y / N) had just stopped in the middle of the hallway to send a text to Madison, when her eye was drawn to the door. She had always imagined that it must be a closet without any interest, but after opening the door out of curiosity, she discovered a staircase. It had to lead on the roof, and it seemed logical that this was the only access, because otherwise, if everyone could access the roof, then it would be easy to go down on their balcony. It also gave them a good way to escape, asking Kai to send a helicopter to pick them up. Everything could have stopped there, but the curiosity of (Y / N) was limitless and she decided to go up to see the view. What she discovered made her breathless. A swimming pool. A huge empty pool in the middle of the roof, with a diving board and a room where deckchairs and buoys were stored. From the beginning, there was a fucking pool on the roof and she did not know it. Quickly, she ran down the stairs, to open the door of the apartment in a hurry, startling Duncan and Michael, who put themselves in a defensive position, seeing that she was sweaty and seemed disturbed.

           "What's wrong kitten ?"

           "There is a pool, on the roof."

           "Oh, that ?" Duncan said, blowing with relief and tidying up his pistol.

           "Yes, that. Why no one thought of telling me about it ? I love swimming, we could have spent a lot of fun in this pool."

           "Mikey said it was too dangerous, so do not be mad at me, but at him."

(Y / N) turned her all her attention to the assassin, who kept his knife in his hand, in case she was really angry. Without saying anything, she folded her arms, raised an eyebrow, and stamped her foot, to make him understand that she was waiting for an explanation, a good explanation.

           "This building is not the biggest in the city/ The windows of our apartment are shielded, but up there, we are totally exposed, everyone can see us and so anyone can try to take advantage of it, like shoot us from another building. I did not want to take that risk."

           "And that's why when you want to swim, we take a private house near the ocean. It's further, but it reassures him."

The argument seemed a bit paranoid, but (Y / N) knew Michael, she knew he made that decision because he loved them and wanted to protect them, so even though she loved to bathe, and the idea of ​​not using this beautiful pool that was just above her head made her want to pout and stomp, she just sighed, indicating to the boys that she understood and agreed to respect Mikey's request. He approached her with a smile, to take her in his arms.

           "If you want, I'll privatize the municipal pool and we'll all go together." Duncan said.

           "No need, I'm going to be busy this week."

Then, hopping up to their bedroom, to make several phone calls, Duncan shrugged, even if he was a little intrigued, and Michael went back into the kitchen, convinced that this pool story was over.

_______________________

             Several days passed without the subject being approached, but one day, when their kitten had told them that she had come home, they did not find her in the living room, or in the bedroom, nowhere, Duncan and Michael panicked, especially as he discovered that her belongings, her clothes, and mainly her phone, were on their bed. Had she been attacked, raped, abducted ? There was no clue, no trace of struggle, while (Y / N) knew how to defend herself and she would never let herself being attacked without reacting. Duncan called Kai to ask for reinforcements, but the henchman replied that he did not think it was necessary. Michael had the same answer from Madison, who sneered when she learned that her bosses were looking for their kitten.

           "I don't know, did you really look everywhere, everywhere ? Under the furniture, in the closets... on the roof ?"

           "On the... Little bitch !"

The two criminals rushed outside, ran up the stairs, to discover (Y / N), totally naked, swimming happily in the pool that had been cleaned and filled. But it was not the only change. Several poles had been installed at each end of the roofs, supporting a glass plate which allowed the rays of the sun to pass, and which were connected by several very thick and slightly black windows.

           "Hi guys." she said with a mischievous smile.

           "You promised..." Michael sighed.

           "I promised to not put myself in danger. But, as you can see, I am surrounded by armored glass, which protects me from rain and bullets."

           "Clever." Duncan recognized.

           "No doubt, but everyone can see us ! They can see you naked !"

Realizing this, Duncan joined Michael, opening his mouth indignantly and going to grab a towel, to cover the bad girl when she came out of the water. Their jealousy was really adorable.

           "My cute idiots. The windows are tinted, and if we want to bathe during the night, we will just have to lower the blinds and we will always be safe from prying eyes."

Really, their kitten was the smartest. She had really thought of everything and they did not see what to say to criticize her action. As soon as they left to work, workers came on the roof to set everything up, leaving when they returned, so that they do not suspect anything. The roof was now completely secure and the clear water of this pool, as well as the beautiful girl swimming in it, made them very eager to dive. (Y / N) raised a hand, seeing them undress.

           "You did not want this pool, it's mine, so you can not come without permission."

Of course, it was a joke, a little game where she wanted them to beg her to join her. She would watch them for several minutes, smiling with satisfaction, before giving in. However, Duncan simply rolled his eyes and took the direction of the stairs, under the dumbfounded gaze of his two lovers. If (Y / N) was shocked by his reaction, Michael was even more so, not knowing what he had to do to follow Duncan to see if he was angry or to stay to play with their kitten.

           "Okay..." said (Y / N), visibly disappointed and wondering if she had made a mistake. "You can join him if you want, I'm going to swim a little more."

She disappeared under the water, going to the other side of the pool. Michael still did not know what he had to do, until someone, totally naked, and whom he recognized by his ass, ran next to him, then along the pool, to dive where (Y / N) was. She came to the surface, struggling and hitting Duncan, who was holding her by the waist, laughing like a madman.

           "DONUT, you're mean !"

           "I love you too, my kitten. Mikey, you coming ?"

Michael still had not moved, even though he seemed to be dying to jump with them. He looked like a little boy or a puppy, who was afraid of being punished if he gave in to his desires when he was not allowed.

           "I'm waiting for permission from the mistress of the pool." he said.

His response made Duncan smile, who turned to (Y / N), waiting to see if she was going to make poor Mikey wait, since it was he who had deprived her of this pool all this time, or if she was going to to be lenient.

           "Come with us." she said, opening her arms to greet him.

No need to tell him twice, he took off all his clothes to dive with them. He thought he could do some fathoms, like (Y / N), but Duncan seemed to have another idea. Naturally. However, after several attempts, catching them in front, behind, and even below, holding his breath, the crime boss had to withdraw : he could not do anything because the pool was too deep and he had no support.

           "Shit..." he sighed. "Now I remember why I agreed to forget that fucking pool."

           "Wait, did you abandon it just because you could not fuck in it ?!"

           "If I could, do you really think I'd give in so easily to Mikey's anguish ? Anyways, I'll be able to tan while watching my two darlings swim, naked, it's not so bad."

Michael watered the fool before diving, quickly followed by (Y / N). After taking a deep breath, replacing his hair, Duncan hurried after them.

[michael-langdon-appreciation]

How Deep Is Your Love - A New Saga.

Jim Mason x Mermaid (AU)

Summary: All Jim Mason wants is to escape his turbulent in PV. Aurelia longs to find adventure beyond the sea. Once they collide together, their budding love becomes forbidden once Cornelius, King of the Ocean, learns his daughter is consorting with a human. 

Warnings: Open Ocean, things get dicey for Jim!

A/N: I cannot thank @codyfernmorelikedaddyfern​ enough for this brand new saga. She owns the original idea and we fangirled and came up with this legendary idea. This is an AU inspired by The Little Mermaid and will feature a cast of very familiar characters including Michael and Duncan. This is also the first time I have used a name for the ‘reader’ character. I hope you all enjoy, invest and love it as much as we do. 

Beautiful banner created by @codyfernmorelikedaddyfern​

JIM

The ocean is always calm first thing in the morning. Jim likes to be out as the sun rises, before the Bay Boys can get in the way and ruin the beauty of nature. His arms paddle Jim and his board out, a tiny wave swelling under him and lifting him as he bobs through the sea. Up ahead a dolphin’s tail arc out of the sea and a smile catches Jim’s lips. 

  Here he’s free. 

Out on the ocean, he’s home. 

He didn’t check the weather today, didn’t need to. The entire week had been a swell of sunshine and blue skies. Jim turns round on his board and lies his back against it, letting himself drift off into his dreams. The sun makes has his skin gleaming a healthy bronze as a wave laps against his board. Jim frowns, it’s bigger than the others. 

A rogue wave…it must be.

A raindrop falls on his shoulder and then another. Then another. The sky opens and rain hammers down, dark clouds circling above. The waves gather momentum, as if Poseidon himself had decided to reign down terror against him. Jim paddles and swims for shore, the waves lift and throwing Jim and his board forwards. The storm howls behind him, a wave nearly knocking him off his board.

He’s in trouble. Jim’s black wetsuit means no one can see him. 

The rain blurs his vision. He can hardly see a thing, just the momentum of the waves which to Jim’s horror are taking him further out to sea. His arms burn and then everything goes wrong. Jim’s board flips upwards, smacks him in the forehead and he’s in the water. He flails to stay above water, but wave after wave after wave crashes over him.

He can’t get enough oxygen. The leash on his surfboard is dragging Jim through the water, the current and waves are too much and his lungs are screaming along with every fibre and sinew in his body. 

He’s drowning. 

His arms work to try and free him from the leash and then pain unlike anything Jim has felt streaks through him. There’s blood in the water, blood and rain and rock and then…nothing. 

AURELIA

She’d always been adventurous. Aurelia loved nothing more than exploring an ocean that never seemed to end. There was a call to adventure around every coral reef, each fish with its own identity and ability to breeze through life. She was a saviour of the sea. Befriending those who were little and ready to go toe-to-toe with the predators who looked at her like she was a fine piece of plankton.

Today she’d swam far, disobeying her Daddy again and preferring to hitch a ride on Jigsaw’s fin. The Dolphin was as familiar to her as seaweed, Aurelia’s tail whipping behind her and cutting through the water as Jigsaw arced up and broke the water’s surface. Aurelia peeped above the ocean-line, a thrill licking her veins. Daddy always advised against their people going close to shore. 

What will they say to you? A girl out in the middle of the ocean? They will capture you. They will hurt you. We stick to our own kind. 

But the world above was ever-changing. The sea only held so much for her. Unable to swim lower than The Midnight Zone, forced to remain in the well-lit parts of the ocean or risk her lungs exploding, there was little Aurelia in her twenty-five years had not seen. 

But she would never show her tail. 

She’d kill someone before they saw her fully. 

Above her, the clouds had begun to darken. Aurelia glanced over at Jigsaw, who made a click and she nodded, diving back down with the dolphin. Better to get deep enough to avoid all bad weather till it had passed. Finding a flat rock, Aurelia stretched out, watching as her friend swept up small pieces of food, diving in and out of the coral. Her fingers swept over some of the Sea Anemones who bristled at her touch. A little further, some of the coral was stark white and bleached. 

A pang filled her heart as Aurelia’s gaze lifted upwards, towards the patter of rain hammering the top of the ocean. 

Humans will never understand. 

If it weren’t for Jigsaw, the board would have hit her. Her friend’s nose pushes hard into Aurelia’s ribs, steering her clear as the board cuts through the water above them. The water tumbles and rocks Aurelia as the storm intensifies above. A body is flung through the water, an arm smacking Jigsaw who whistles in indignation. 

A human…this far out? 

Aurelia knows the US shoreline is a good seventy miles from where they are. She can taste the current, whipped into a frenzy by the storm. Jigsaw has already swum after the human, his instincts kicking in. Aurelia is quick to follow, beating her tail and entering the current. Spurred on, she catches up easy as the board with its human slow to a stop. The human is unconscious, male. The body curls in and then expands in the water, just a couple meters above the surface. 

Aurelia halts, he could already be dead. 

Jigsaw swims under the body and pushes upwards, carrying the man to the surface. The board rises with him. Its then Aurelia realises the man’s ankle is attached. 

A surfboard.

She’s seen them often. Humans who ride the waves with little care for their lives in order to get a thrill. They know nothing about the ocean, or what lives inside it. She tugs at the leash as Jigsaw lies flat, giving the surfer some much needed oxygen. Aurelia tugs again and the leash releases, freeing the man as the board starts to drift. Catching it, the mermaid transfers the man from Jigsaw’s back to the board. He’s heavy, weighed down by water as she hoists her body onto the board. Her tail dips out of the water as she positions the surfer and begins to slide back into the water. 

He’s a beautiful boy. Eyes shut, but with full lips and skin bronzed from the sun. He’s new and exciting, even if he might be dead. Aurelia looks to Jigsaw again, who splashes the surfer with a flipper. The dolphin is quick to circle round, impatience and concern brewing as he whistles low again. 

‘We have to try.’ Aurelia murmurs. ‘We should get him to shore.’ 

The dolphin seems to share the idea. His nose pressing against the surfboard as Jigsaw pushes them through the water. It’s hard-work, his tail beating fast as Aurelia swims beside him. A protectiveness swells inside her, for the surfer and her bestest friend. 

No one else would save him with her. No one else would understand. 

The surfboard rolls up against the sand and stills, unable to move anymore. Jigsaw’s nearly beached himself as he slides back into the water. Aurelia hesitates, looking round for humans. 

There’s none. The houses overlooking the beach are motionless and quiet. 

The boy will still die if she doesn’t do something. 

Jigsaw clicks a warning as Aurelia crawls along the beach, abandoning the safety of the shallows. Her fingers brush some hair out of the surfer’s eyes, a hand running down his chest and pressing. She unzips his wetsuit down as far as she can and starts to pump, instincts carrying her as water spits out of the surfer’s lips and nose. His ankle is raw from the leash, Aurelia’s hand travelling down to run her fingers along the wound. The song leaves her lips as she works, a hummed lullaby from her childhood. The wound dissipates, flesh melding together, the redness leaving as the song blooms inside her. 

Music held so much healing, Aurelia’s head tilting up to the sun as she peers down at the surfer’s toned body. How she’d like to keep just this one. Give in to her urge to lure him back to sea and keep him with her forever. 

Her song dies as the surfer’s eyes open. Blue, crystalline and confused. 

JIM 

His head feels fogged, as if there is literal water on his brain. He squints, despite the cloudy, dull day as a balm numbs his every sense. Someone’s touching him. Someone’s got him wrapped in a blanket of beauty, soft green eyes capturing his own as he stares up at the woman bending over him. 

She’s more beautiful than heaven, looking down on him.

Her eyes crease in fear, but Jim’s already roamed down her figure, past the little sea-shell bra that covers her breasts to her…the girl darts back into the water as Jim surges upwards. His body drives him forwards on pure adrenaline. He’s coughing up more water and the world tilts and he’s crying out for her, ‘NO WAIT!’ 

Her tail, iridescent arcs up and disappears as Jim’s left coughing in the shallows. A tiny wave licks at his chest and he scrambles backward away from the water. 

He was lazing about. The clouds. The storm. The…he turns back to his surfboard, hardly scratched apart from the broken leash. 

The girl. 

She…saved him?

Jim gets to his feet, shaking. He wants to find her, but…no. 

They’re not real. 

He’s hallucinated. 

He’s probably dead after all. 

It wouldn’t surprise him. 

‘JIM.’ His head turns as a punch lands at his shoulder. Blonde hair and furious, Medina glowers at him. ‘Tell me you were not out in that storm.’ 

Jim pulls his twin close, hugging her fiercely. ‘I’m sorry.’ 

‘You’re an idiot.’ She cries, head burrowing into his shoulder. ‘Please, Jim. No more stupid ideas.’

‘I know.’ He says, ‘I didn’t know there was going to be a storm.’

‘You’re lucky you’re not dead.’ 

Jim knows he is. His gaze lifts back out to the ocean, scanning the horizon to see any glimpse of her. 

There.

She’s watching him, half her body lying on a rock. She’s trying to hide from him and failing miserably. Beside her a dolphin swirls in a figure of eight. 

Jim lets Medina pull him back to the house, back to his Mom and the spending and reality. He knows he should feel terrified by the ocean, from what just happened. But as he sits on the couch, leaving a wet-patch Mom is sure to kill him for, Jim’s only thought is when he can get back out there again. How he can find her. 

Tag-List: @leatherduncan @sojournmichael @duncvns @elizabethbennett @mochitheruby @dyns33 @xavierplympton @jimmlangdon @emmyrosee @brattylovee @lizhomitz1984 @pppsssyyyccchhhiiiccc​ @rocketgirl2410 @satansfavouritesons @blakewaterxx​ @lvngdvns​ 

[jenna-ortega]

I’m not sure if you write for Duncan but could you do 90 with him. 😫🤤(if you’d rather you could do it with Michael instead!) ❤️❤️

90. I’ll just have to cum inside you then

Duncan and you had made a mess of the bathroom at the current business event you were both attending. Knocks at the door constantly only made you cum more, and duncan couldn’t get enough of it. Up against the sink, duncan’s body was pressed against yours, sucking the sensitive bundle of nerves relentlessly. Your face twisted in the most unfortunate way, he was hitting every spot with his talented tongue. Your hands grabbing ahold of his brunette hair, pulling until you felt the vibration of his moans against your center. Your head hanging back as you made ungodly sounds loud enough for the whole hallway to hear.

He came up and his wet lips met yours, tasting yourself as his tongue fought its way inside your mouth. Your tongues wrestling, you felt him push against her a little harder. Feeling his bulge through his boxers, his pants were down to his ankles already. Both of you wasted no time getting undressed. 

Your hand reached down and released his cock, stroking it agonizingly slow. His teeth gritted together and a groan fell from his mouth.

“Y/N, don’t tease me.” he didn’t enjoy you playing games with him, his hand now up against your throat, squeezing softly, just enough for you to get off. His hard dick now rubbed along your pussy, he was getting you back. Your eyes met his and you both smiled, knowing what happens next. He entered the tip into you, jumping at the new sensation, he continued sliding it inside of you until there was nothing left. You were so full, so full of him. His thrust started slow, and steady. Knowing you like it fast, he didn’t wanna give you what you wanted right away. 

“Duncan, fuck me till i’m bruised.” You whispered words of encouragement into his ears, him taking the note, started thrusting inside of you faster and harder. Taking his whole dick out, and slamming it back in. The sounds he made was music to your ears, hearing him enjoying you sent you over the edge, trembling as his hands help your legs up, you came all over his dick. That didn’t stop him from continuing to fuck into you like he’d never fuck you again. Your legs now wrapped around him fully, crossed at the back. You felt him nudge away, wanting his release. Your legs bringing him closer in so he couldn’t back up.

“Y/N, I’m gonna cum, let me cum.” Begging you for his release, you just laughed and threw your head back, squirming while he was still inside you, feeling him twitch every time you purposely squeezed yourself tighter around him.

“I’ll just have to cum inside you then.”

[icyharrington]

Tbh I'm really shy and nervous IRL and don't really know how to react to people flirting with me and my biggest fantasy right now is Michael and Duncan knowing that about me, so they just completely take control of the situation and instead of backing off when I get shy and quiet they just keep pushing me, making me tell them everything I want them to do to me. I just want those two to absolutely degrade and wreck me, one fucking my ass and one in my pussy while they call me their good whore 😩

ummmmmmmm FUCK yes. i want those bitches to get me fucking flustered as hell. making me say shit out loud. duncan’s all like “what do u want, baby? i can’t give it to u until u say it.” and he wont fuck u till u say the MOST explicit, nasty shit and ur bright fuckin red. thats the good shit right there. 

[commodorecliche]

Gimme all the book recs Please :D

yaaaaaaaaaaaas okay great. i love sharing books i love.  

1. The Thief of Always - Clive BarkerGenre: Dark FantasyBig personal favorite of mine. My father read this to me when I was a kid, and it literally has stuck with me since then. Every now and then I go back and reread it just for fun. It’s a wonderfully spooky little story, accompanied by some really lovely and somewhat off-kilter illustrations. Much like Coraline, it’s a novel that is a fable for children, and a tale of terror for adults.

After a mysterious stranger promises to end his boredom with a trip to the magical Holiday House, ten-year-old Harvey learns that his fun has a high price.

2. House of Leaves - Mark Z. DanielewskiGenre: Postmodernism, horrorHands down an absolute favorite. This is a book I literally recommend to everyone. This is a book that made me viscerally uncomfortable, at times I didn’t even sleep in the same room as it. I made it sleep in the living room. There is nothing overtly terrifying about the book, but its format and its unsettlingly immersive nature will lead you down a road unlike any other. 

In 1997, Johnny Truant has stumbled upon a chest full of scrap papers that had once belonged to a man named Zampono. The papers aren’t just scraps though, they’re a chaotic but detailed transcription of a series called the Navidson Record. The Navidson Record is a series of videos made by a family who has discovered that their new house appears to change dimensions almost daily, it has hallways that shouldn’t exist, doors that should lead outside but instead lead into nothingness. Johnny attempts to re-order and reconstruct Zampono’s papers, and along the way begins to lose himself as well. 

3. The Postmortal - Drew MagaryGenre: Science Fiction, Postmodern DystopiaReally funny, really dark, and full of a surprising amount of morality and humanity in a pre-apocalyptic world. 

Imagine a near future where a cure for aging is discovered and-after much political and moral debate-made available to people worldwide. Immortality, however, comes with its own unique problems-including evil green people, government euthanasia programs, a disturbing new religious cult, and other horrors.    

4. Horrorstor - Grady HendrixGenre: Comedy, HorrorHonestly this book is just balls to the wall fun. It’s a horror novel that’s laid out like the world’s most messed up IKEA catalog. Spooky at times, ridiculous and funny, at times moving, while also offering great social commentary on consumerism and the the current status of retail workers. 

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking. To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination. 

5. Rant - Chuck PalahniukGenre: Science Fiction, Horror, SatireThis is a book I read several years ago and that I still think about from time to time. I haven’t had time to sit down and reread it, but parts of it still resonate with me today. This is a very peculiar story and it is told in a rather peculiar fashion (it is an oral history, and as such is told in a very conversational way by a number of different characters with a wide variety of thoughts and opinions on the titular Rant. It’s hard to properly describe this book, but let’s just say it’s been in my reread list for a while now. 

Buster “Rant” Casey just may be the most efficient serial killer of our time. A high school rebel, Rant Casey escapes from his small town home for the big city where he becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather the testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life. 

6. John Dies at the End - David WongGenre: Comedy, Horror, Dark FantasyHoly god what do I even say about this book? It is just hilariously and marvelously insane. A perfect mix of cosmic fantasy, horror, comedy, and lunacy, and I loved every minute of reading it. I still have the rest of the series lined up to read, too!

The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I’m sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault. 

7. Sphere - Michael CrichtonGenre: Science Fiction, Deep Sea HorrorThis is one I actually JUST finished, and I absolutely adored it. I had a couple small complaints about it, but overall, it was a wonderful read and very engrossing. Plus, I’m always a sucker for deep sea horror. 

A group of American scientists are rushed to a huge vessel that has been discovered resting on the ocean floor in the middle of the South Pacific. What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation. It is a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently, undamaged by its fall from the sky. And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old…. 

8. I, Lucifer - Glen DuncanGenre: Religious Fantasy, Occult FictionThis book is incredibly well researched, thought out, and characterized, as well as funny and extremely thought-provoking. I’d never expected to see a story that would give me a realistic and modern look into the Devil’s side of the story. I especially never expected to see a story that would make the Devil learn what it is to be human, either. All in all just an A+, fantastical read. 

The Prince of Darkness has been given one last shot at redemption, provided he can live out a reasonably blameless life on earth. Highly sceptical, naturally, the Old Dealmaker negotiates a trial period - a summer holiday in a human body, with all the delights of the flesh. The body, however, turns out to be that of Declan Gunn, a depressed writer living in Clerkenwell, interrupted in his bath mid-suicide. Ever the opportunist, and with his main scheme bubbling in the background, Luce takes the chance to tap out a few thoughts - to straighten the biblical record, to celebrate his favourite achievements, to let us know just what it’s like being him. Neither living nor explaining turns out to be as easy as it looks. Beset by distractions, miscalculations and all the natural shocks that flesh is heir to, the Father of Lies slowly begins to learn what it’s like being us. 

9. The Wasp Factory - Iain BanksGenre: Psychological HorrorLook, I want to say this right off the bat. This book is… not for everyone. Trust me when I say this is an extremely dark book with a lot of dark content. I would say that if you have any potential triggers, you may want to message me first and I will give you a better rundown of what all this book entails. This is a true piece of horror fiction. But it’s also incredible. I ate this book up in about two days and it is one of my favorite pieces of dark fiction to date. So yeah, chat with me if you have any concerns, but if you enjoy truly dark fiction, then this is up your alley. 

Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than I’d disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That’s my score to date. Three. I haven’t killed anybody for years, and don’t intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through. 

10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (the whole series, trust me)Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Cosmic FantasyJust trust me when I say this is a series that literally everyone should read at least once in their life. They are unflabbably hilarious in a way that only Douglas Adams could be, and they are just truly unique. This series is (rightfully) a classic and shouldn’t be missed. 

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide (“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have”).

11. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks Genre: Zombie horror, Faux HistoryI beg you - do not judge this book by the very terrible movie that was made about it. It is an entirely different animal than that mess of a movie, I promise. World War Z is a masterfully crafted book that details the zombie apocalypse in ways never before done in fiction. The Battle of Yonkers scenes and the testimony of Tomonaga Ijiro still stick in my head to this day. This book is a triumph of horror, ‘history’, and humanity, all balled into a distinctly unique experience. 

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years. 

12. The Raw Shark Texts - Steven HallGenre: Fantasy/Realism, Meta-fiction, MysteryThis is a tough one to put into words. I read this many years ago, and I remember it more as a series of emotional experiences rather than just as a singular plot. Which I think really speaks to its character as a book. This is a book that deals with dissociation, memory loss, our sense of self, how easily we can lose that sense, and our struggle to hold onto or to rediscover the world we know and the people we believe ourselves to be. This book is just… an experience, much like House of Leaves. It’s immersive, and at times quite unsettling. 

Eric Sanderson wakes up in a house he doesn’t recognize, unable to remember anything of his life. All he has left are his diary entries recalling Clio, a perfect love who died under mysterious circumstances, and a house that may contain the secrets to Eric’s prior life. But there may be more to this story, or it may be a different story altogether. With the help of allies found on the fringes of society, Eric embarks on an edge-of-your-seat journey to uncover the truth about himself and to escape the predatory forces that threaten to consume him. 

I think 12 should be good for now! I certainly have more though, if you want them!! 

Bonus, Currently Reading: The Library at Mount Char - Scott HawkinsGenre: Contemporary Fantasy, Horror, Dark FantasyI don’t have a whole lot to say about this yet since I’m not very far into it, but so far it’s been extremely intriguing, and Hawkins’ writing is truly beautiful. 

A missing God. A library with the secrets to the universe. A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away. Carolyn’s not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts. After all, she was a normal American herself once. That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father. 

Bonus 2, Up Next to Read: Dark Matter: A Ghost Story - Michelle PaverGenre: Horror

January 1937. Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely, and desperate to change his life, so when he’s offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year, Gruhuken, but the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He faces a stark choice: stay or go. Soon he will see the last of the sun, as the polar night engulfs the camp in months of darkness. Soon he will reach the point of no return–when the sea will freeze, making escape impossible. Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark… 

(also if any of y’all have read these, i’d love to hear YOUR thoughts on them too)