#based on the m r james story

[marisashorror]

Number 13

2021

[meraki-yao]

Hi correct me if I’m wrong but I thought I saw you mention that the same intimacy coordinator who worked on rwrb also worked on m&g, if that’s so, why was the intimacy approached differently, it seems rwrb was really toned down and alex and henry are a very passionate couple in the books and nich and taylor can definitely deliver passion and intimacy and it was rated-r so why do you think rwrb was approached differently and rather toned down, I mean what we got was great I’m still so attached to this movie 3 months later and that doesn’t happen often unless I absolutely love the movie or show but I feel like they were holding back and it becomes the question of why, was it n&t choice or matthew and intimacy coordinator or everything was done in how they wanted to tell the story, idk to me you can’t help but notice after the release of the trailer/teaser for m&g, I know it’s a different story and it’s more a drama based on a true story but very different in how they approached intimacy and affection

Okay so this turned into an essay.

I’m gonna dissect your ask into two parts, feel free to send me another ask if I missed something

Q1: Why was the intimacy in RWRB approached differently and less intense than M&G

Q2: Why was the intimacy in RWRB toned down from the book even with an R rating and with Taylor & Nick clearly capable of delivering passion and intimacy, and who was responsible for that

Firstly, yes, Robbie Taylor Hunt was the intimacy coordinator for both RWRB and M&G

Secondly, a little bit of background for M&G to aid my explanation later: While M&G isn’t out yet, I did read George Villiers’ Wikipedia page (Thanks Henry), listen to Nick talk a bit about him from a podcast episode, and watch the trailer. To summarize quickly, King James I has a list of male lovers, Mary Villiers realized her son had potential, so she more or less moulded him into a figure that the King would immensely like. Sex with the King was all for political power: George has sex with the King, and the King enjoys the pleasure he brings and lavishes him with treasures and political power in return. Historical records seem to indicate that the King really did love George as a partner, as odd (and in our modern times, toxic and maybe even “grooming”, George was 21 and the King was 48 when they met) as their relationship was. But the truth is George gained a lot from the King: he ended up one of the highest-ranking members of the court, and the only duke who wasn’t from the royal family.

So to answer your questions:

A1:

It’s mainly because since these are two different stories, the meaning of intimacy is different in each context.

RWRB is a love story. It is about the growth of the romantic relationship between Alex and Henry. Granted, they started with a friends-with-benefits arrangement but from the moment Henry kissed Alex on New Year's they both held mutual, genuine affection towards each other which later grew into love and devotion. This affection doesn’t have an underlying hidden purpose. Their intimacy is a reflection of their genuine feelings towards each other, which is why Paris is so gentle, quiet and soft. That’s the slow comfort of falling in love. Note that in the Paris scene, while it is clear what they’re physically doing, the focus is on their faces. You don’t see much below their waist. Matthew made that choice deliberately: this was an emotional experience for them as much as it was a physical experience. The sex in RWRB shows growing love.

Sex means something entirely different in M&G. To put it in a crude way, George Villiers, under his mother’s order/guidance/manipulation, fucked his way to power. Is there real affection and love between him and any or all of his partners, the King included? We honestly can’t know, because history only records what Geroge wanted to show, but it is incredibly unlikely that he did. Remember how I said there isn't an underlying hidden purpose in Alex and Henry’s affection? That’s not true for George: the hidden purpose is that he wants political power. Sex isn’t love in M&G, it’s entirely power play. And power play is violent and rough and messy, so the sex, as a reflection of that, is portrayed as such as well. Note that in the trailer, we see a lot of the body, but if you look at their faces, which isn’t the focus, he… kinda looks in pain?

A way I see it is in RWRB, Alex and Henry are both giving each other pleasure, as well as their heart. It’s slow, it’s gentle, and it’s respectful: Henry guides Alex in, Alex pays attention to each change on Henry’s face, and only moves when Henry consents, and even then, he moves slowly and the speed later builds up

Now look at the M&G trailer, it’s more like George’s partners are taking pleasure from him. It, at the very least, looks far less mutual than what Alex and Henry have. Geroge gives others pleasure, and in return, he gets political power.

TLDR: RWRB’s intimacy was less intense than that of M&G because intimacy has a different meaning/ symbolism in each story.

A2:

Part of this is because of the limitations of movie storytelling.

A book doesn’t have time limits, a movie does.

If you look at the book, at the beginning of Alex and Henry’s relationship, a lot of the sex was kind of repetitive in a way. Paris and MET for Alex’s birthday were covered in three pages. And both of those Alex compartmentalized as “friendship with benefits”. Aside from the internal monologue of him observing Henry sleeping which can’t be delivered on screen effectively, it’s mostly reiterating the same sentiment from the polo match: they use their international events as escapades to have sex with each other. But put that in the movie and it would take up the limited movie time, time that needs to be used for effective storytelling. The time used for Alex and Henry’s walk in the Paris garden could be used for a montage of all of their kinky sexual shenanigans instead, but if the polo hook-up can establish the intensity of their hooks up in the same way, then that time is better used exploring Henry’s baggage. TLDR: not enough time in regard to the number of times they have sex compared to the book.

The other part is by Matthew’s design.

I don’t remember where I saw/heard it from, either a podcast or an article, where Matthew half-jokingly said people will get bored if it’s just smut all the time. Yes, Alex and Henry are a very passionate couple, as shown by their first hook-up in the movie and the polo scene, but because gay sex in media is mostly portrayed as this wild, sexy frenzy, Matthew also wanted to show that gay sex can be emotionally vulnerable, which is why Paris was so focused on their faces, ergo, their emotions. Matthew wanted it to be something gentle and emotion-focused, so that was his priority in designing the scene.

Also there’s the fact that they’re older in the movie, thus more mature and a little less… hormonal. I think they get to the emotional connection a little earlier than their book counterparts.

A thing to note is that the movie wasn’t aiming for an R rating. In a really good podcast episode with Matthew and Tommy Didario, he even expressed disappointment in MAP for rating the movie R, saying that if it was a straight couple, it most likely wouldn’t have gotten an R rating, and even if we ignore latent homophobia, there’s are films much more violent than RWRB is sexually explicit, yet those films are PG 13.

I agree that if needed, Nick and Taylor can deliver something more intense. They’re clearly comfortable with each other, as seen from the bloopers of Paris morning and the fact that Robbie wasn’t there when they shot the lake scene, yet they were comfortable enough with touching each other and gentle kisses. They’ve also both done more explicit things: Taylor with Minx, Nick with M&G (granted that came later).

But the thing is, the RWRB movie doesn’t exactly… need more, from the storytelling perspective. I might say putting a sexy montage in between Polo and Paris might clarify the timeline a little, but that would still just be little clips of what we’ve already seen in the previous two scenes. And just from what I’ve seen, people who have read the book (myself included) would think it’s toned down, but some YouTube reaction videos from people who haven’t read the book find it really spicy. We book readers just have a comparison.

TLDR: In the movie's story, we didn't really need more sex scenes

Wow, I didn’t intend this to be so long, but I haven’t written a RWRB essay in a hot minute. This was a lot of fun, so thank you for the ask, and I hope I could answer you!

[callsignspark]

Mar[r]y Me - part 8.5

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, discussions of body image, conversations on what it’s like to be a fat woman trying to date in today’s society, extreme fluff, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 2.3k

previous part | series masterlist | main masterlist

note: happy Friday! this is a short but sweet one! see here for my soft-tober announcement and here for a quick update on what's happening in the month of October! have a great weekend!

part 8.5 - McDonald's apple pie

“Don’t get any ideas.”

“I’d never dream of it!”

Mary snuggles deeper into the couch as Pierce Brosnan - her favorite James Bond - races through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on a motorcycle with Michelle Yeoh handcuffed to his wrist. Her chest hurts; tight from an overwhelming urge to cry and a tiredness she can’t quite shake no matter how much she’s been sleeping lately.

The day had been spent with Danielle and the kids, and it had been fun. They had gone to the beach and gotten Thai food for dinner, the adults devouring pad thai while Annabeth watched Frozen again. It was nice; she loved her family, but she missed Bradley.

More than she thought she would.

They didn’t get a chance to properly say goodbye. He had received a hug and the same “be safe, see you in two months” as everyone else. There wasn’t a spare second to sneak away and kiss him goodbye; there was always someone near them the entire time.

All she could do was slip a good luck note into the palm of his hand and hug him for an extra second longer than anyone else. It was hardly anything, but he still gave her a big smile and a sneaky forehead kiss, whispering that his peanut butter bites were safely stored at the bottom of his pack.

For the millionth time since she sat with Mav in her office and they watched the carrier steam away, Mary wonders where Bradley is. Thanks to her security clearance, she knows he's floating somewhere in the Pacific, but nothing more.

Maybe he’ll come back with an even deeper tan.

Somehow, Bradley is always sort of tan, even in January. Yes, they live in California, where it’s beach weather year-round, but it’s like he was born with a built-in base layer of golden skin.

Bond is just about to magically escape from another precarious situation he’s gotten himself into when the doorbell rings. Mary peeks over the top of the couch, trying to figure out who could be at her front door. Her family is in New York, Slider went back to Pensacola last week, and the majority of people she knows in California are also in the middle of the ocean with Bradley.

The bell rings again, whoever it is knocking this time. She sighs - they’re not going away - and frees herself from her perfectly crafted blanket burrito, a poor substitution for the pair of strong arms she’s missing.

Carefully peeking through the side window, she’s surprised to find Flora standing there and quickly opens the door, a blur of red and pink taking over her vision.

“Happy birthday!” Flora yells, shoving an enormous floral arrangement in her face.

“Than- thank you?”

Mary tentatively grabs the vase, taken off guard, as Flora walks in and slips her clogs off. Dropping her huge L.L. Bean tote bag on the dining room table, Flora laughs at how Mary is frozen at the front door, flowers hiding her torso but not her confused face.

“Here, give me those, and you open this.” Flora pulls a box out of her Mary Poppins-sized bag and takes the vase back. She carefully places the arrangement on the island, fiddling with the stems so they look perfect.

“What is happening?”

“Well, your boyfriend came into my shop about three weeks ago and asked me if I would do him a favor. He was so sweet and pathetic; I couldn’t help but say yes.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Funny.” Flora hums, eyebrow arching in disbelief. “I didn’t say a name, but you knew who I was talking about.”

Mary flushes, the tips of her ears on fire as she tries to stutter out an excuse.

“It’s okay, Mary.” Flora takes pity on her. “I know it’s complicated, but let’s face it, that man would do anything for you. Which is why I’m here, on a Sunday night, with gifts.”

“Gifts?” Mary echoes. “Plural?”

“Mmhm. First up, a floral arrangement full of warm tones because “red is her favorite color, but all red would probably be overbearing” - which is a direct quote.”

“They’re beautiful, Flora.”

“He did a good job, and he deserves a reward for understanding that flowers are expensive and you can’t cheap out if you want a nice, big bouquet. Next is the box.” She slides the brown box across the table, fluffing the ribbon curls on top. “I have no idea what’s in that one.”

Mary carefully opens the ribbons tied around the box, her throat tightening when she takes the lid off. At the top is a notecard with Bradley’s handwriting.

She pulls the sweater out of the box, and her eyes start to water as she holds it up for Flora to see. It’s a light yellow, almost the same shade as the stick of butter softening on her counter, practically identical to the one sitting in her closet, a red stain still covering the front. The material is so soft she can’t help but press her face into it, tears escaping as Bradley’s cologne washes over her.

Fuck. I miss him so much.

This was anticipated; she knows how sad Dani can get during Reuben’s deployments. Knows how sad she would get when her best friend was gone for months. It’s only been two weeks, but it’s the longest they’ve gone without seeing each other. Even during the rough patch in January, they still got glimpses of each other at work. The worst part is not knowing how he’s doing. If he’s okay. She assumes he is; Mav hadn’t mentioned anything, and she’s pretty sure he would tell her.

It would be the only way she would find out. Mary isn’t naïve enough to believe that she would be a first-tier point of contact if he got hurt. They haven’t even gone on a date yet, and the only time they kissed was that day in her office.

She’s pulled out of the impending spiral by a gentle hand rubbing her shoulders, which she didn’t realize were shaking. She lets herself be comforted by Flora, the older woman pulling her into a hug, uncaring about the tears staining her shirt.

“Sorry.” Mary sniffles, pulling back after a minute to wipe her eyes. “I just really miss him, more than I thought I would.”

“It’s okay, I get it.”

“That’s right. I forgot about Jake.”

She realizes she said something wrong by the way Flora’s hand goes stiff on her back.

“Jake and I are not together.”

“Oh. He just- when we were talking, he kinda implied that the two of you were sort of seeing each other.”

“We’ve fucked a few times, we're not together.”

Mary blinks at her. Jake had never said anything about sex; he was lamenting that Flora didn’t want to see a movie he was excited about. Sad that the florist wouldn’t join him.

“Jake, I mean, I don’t know Flora very well, but I gotta say she doesn’t really seem like a zombie apocalypse kinda girl.” Mary gently soothed, trying to give equal attention to her email inbox and the mopey Texan. “Why don’t you find a movie you’ll both like?”

“I tried! She doesn’t want to go to the movies at all. I know she’s busy - like she runs a whole ass business all by herself - but it’s like she doesn’t even care that we’re gonna be gone for two months!”

“Did you tell her that you want to spend time together before you leave?”

“No. We’re just- that’s not-” Jake sighs, cut off by Mary’s phone.

They had never finished their conversation; Jake had a hop and Mary a meeting, and a few days later, he was shipping out alongside Bradley.

“Okay. I’m sorry, he didn’t mention that, so I must have misunderstood.”

“You probably didn’t.” Flora rolls her eyes. “Jake likes to talk like we’re together, but I’ve told him several times a relationship is not what I’m looking for from him.”

“Can I ask why?” She quickly backtracks when the other woman’s face scrunches up. “Oh my god, you absolutely don’t have to say anything. I wasn’t trying to push.”

“No, you’re fine. Jake is a great guy. He’s smart and funny and handsome, but we want different things in life. Things that can’t be compromised on and that I won’t ever change my mind about. So there’s really no reason for us to try anything serious. I told him that before they deployed, but I’m officially breaking it off when they’re back because I’m not sure he got the hint.”

“That makes sense; that’s probably the best way to go about it.” She nods, impressed by how strong Flora is in her conviction and a bit sad at the same time. Those two would be great.

“Sucks, though. He’s incredible in bed.”

Mary lets out a bark of laughter at the complete 180 in conversation. “That surprises me and doesn’t surprise me all at the same time.”

“It’s that atrocious arrogance of his, isn’t it?”

“Yes! An ego like that means a man is either totally overcompensating, or he knows he’s good, and he’s got the moves to prove it.”

“Oh, he’s got the moves. Believe me.” They laugh at the eyebrow wiggle that accompanies Flora’s words.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta know. That ridiculous Texas accent he pulls out when he’s trying to charm someone-”

“-does he use it in bed? More frequently than you would imagine.”

“Okay… but, like, does it do it for you?”

“I plead the Fifth,” Flora says as she furiously nods.

“Stop! Wait! And the cowboy hat?”

She laughs harder, tears in her eyes as she gasps, “Both of us!”

“You’ve both worn it?!”

Flora’s confirmation makes them both howl with laughter, Mary bending over and holding onto the table for support. It takes a few minutes for them to calm down, wiping tears away as they catch their breath.

“Well, that’s got to be the least shocking thing I’ve learned about Jake.”

It makes them both start giggling again; the blonde man’s affinity for his home state is well-known, frequently coming up in conversation.

“I should get going. I have to be up early to set up for a funeral. But I have one more thing for you, well, two things.” Flora dips back into her bag, pulling out a brown paper bag and a square envelope. “From Bradley.”

“McDonald’s?”

“Well, he requested I get you an apple pie - it had to be an apple pie - from Sift, but by the time I got there this afternoon, all their pies were gone. So I improvised, and thankfully, Mickey D’s had just done a fresh batch.”

“Apple pie is my favorite.” Mary quietly says, peeking into the bag and seeing five pie boxes. “Thank you for doing this, Flora.”

“It’s no problem. Bradley was so cute when he came in; I couldn’t help but agree. It’s sweet how much he cares about you.”

“I’m starting to understand how much he really does.” A content feeling settles in her chest, warming her up from the cold sadness that was taking over earlier.

Only 60 more days until Bradley is home.

“You’ll probably want to warm those up before you eat them,” Flora says, slipping her shoes back on, getting ready to leave.

“Hey, we're having a girls' night and putting together care packages for the Daggers next week. You should come, you can help with Nat’s box. Plus, it’s great to have extra hands to help put them together.”

“That sounds fun; I’d love to join you guys.” She opens the door and hesitates for a second, turning back to Mary. “No one knows about me and Jake hooking up. I didn’t tell Nat because she wouldn’t understand, and I don’t think he’s told anyone either. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“No problem. I’m always here to talk if you want some fairly neutral input.”

“Fairly neutral?”

She shrugs. “I know he can be an idiot, but Jake is a good guy, and he’s also my friend, so I can’t be completely unbiased about him. Fairly neutral is the best I can offer.”

“Fair enough.” Flora smiles at her, yelling back as she walks down the steps. “We should grab dinner sometime! Have a good night!”

“Night!” Mary waves, happier than she’s been since the beginning of the month.

She locks the door after making sure Flora gets into her car safely, promising herself that she’ll reach out to friends more. No more moping around, being sad that Bradley is gone.

I’ve got to learn how to deal with this if we’re going to date. It’s not like he’s going to leave the Navy; he’s going to be gone.

Snapping photos of her presents, she starts mentally composing the thank you email she’s going to send to Bradley. The Lincoln is on a communications blackout for the first three weeks of the cruise, but she’s been sending him little updates. Letting him know when she’s thinking of him, hoping she isn’t filling up his inbox too much.

She plops back into her favorite corner of the couch, stretching out on the chaise that makes her get a little hot under the collar every time she sits on it.

“Let’s read this card.” She mumbles to herself around a bite of pie as Bond saves the world and gets the girl.

A photo flutters out of the envelope as she pulls the card out, and she loses her breath when she flips it over. It’s the two of them on Valentine’s Day. When she made him pancakes, the photo he said he was going to tape up in his bunk.

A promise he followed through on, his last text showing off his rack. Corners of the blue blanket neatly tucked in, and the photo of the two of them taped on the wall right next to his pillow. Mary looks at the photo he printed for her, smiling at the happiness radiating from both of them. The corners of their eyes crinkled, and her dimple popping out; she still can’t quite believe that Bradley Bradshaw wants her, of all people.

Then she reads the card, and her insecurities quiet down for the night.

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fic tag | credit for dividers here

[strangestcase]

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

Cracks knuckles.

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

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

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

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

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

Charles Dickens- predictably enough, he specialized in ghost stories

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

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

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

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

And now as for specific must-read short stories:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And those would be it!

[beaft]

recommend some horror?

aha!! i am glad you asked (no really, i am, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be loud about my favourite genre). here is a non-exhaustive list of some of my personal favourites:

books

-the ballad of black tom by victor lavalle (retelling of lovecraft's "the horror at red hook" by a black author, i could talk about this one for hours suffice to say it's Very Good)

-pet semetary by stephen king (i have a love/hate relationship with mr king but i think this is one of his better books)

-the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson (actually, just about anything by shirley jackson, my personal favourite book by her is "we have always lived in the castle")

-beloved by toni morrison (it's not exactly horror, but i have to put it here anyway because it's too good not to)

-things we say in the dark by kirsty logan

-tell me i’m worthless by alison rumfitt

-house of leaves by mark z. danielewski (i detest this book. yes it's still one of my top favourites and no i will not be taking questions at this time.)

-my heart is a chainsaw by stephen graham jones

-literally anything by robert aickman

movies

-pan’s labyrinth (historical fantasy-horror, visually stunning, one of my favourite movies of all time)

-lake mungo (australian found footage horror about ghosts and grief)

-the texas chain saw massacre (not as gory as the title might suggest)

-the wicker man (the original version, unless you’re in the mood to see nicolas cage at his nicolas cagiest)

-jacob’s ladder (beautiful, eerie, hallucinogenic, you will not know what’s going on for most of it and that’s honestly kind of the point)

-carrie (the sissy spacek version NOT the one with chloe moretz)

-the ritual (it's not a perfect movie but the creature design is WONDERFUL)

-alien (grr! i'm gonna getcha! i'm the alien! and so on)

-nosferatu (both versions are excellent, but i am particularly partial to the 1979 one with klaus kinski as the vampire)

-whistle and i’ll come to you (unsettling short film based on an m. r. james story)

-hereditary (this one's best if you go in blind, but i realise that’s probably difficult since a lot of it has been memed to hell and back)

-the thing (sci-fi thriller/body horror movie set on an isolated arctic research base)

-don't look now (based on a daphne du maurier short story; light on the horror but heavy on the uncanny)

-cabin in the woods (comedy-horror) okay this one is kind of a guilty pleasure for me but it does have some clever moments and it’s genuinely very fun to watch

-silent hill 2006 (another guilty pleasure, it is very much not a good movie but also i've seen it like 7 times, so.)

-ginger snaps (the close relationship between a pair of misfit sisters is tested when one of them starts going through puberty, and also incidentally becomes a werewolf. similar vibes to jennifer's body although i personally prefer this one)

-penda’s fen (startlingly ahead of its time – it’s basically a coming-of-age story about a gay teenager in rural england with a tasty slice of religious/folk horror)

-crimson peak (love letter to the "gothic melodrama" genre)

-us (i personally preferred it to get out, but they’re both amazing; i haven’t seen NOPE yet but i hope to soon!)

tv shows

-castlevania (based on the video game, vampires + religious horror, gorgeously animated, unexpectedly funny)

-the terror (true-ish story of a doomed voyage to the north-west passage) (the demon bear may or may not be historically factual) (we just don't know)

-twin peaks (idk if it counts as horror but i’m putting it here anyway. it’s not for everyone but it occupies a special place in my heart)

-in the flesh (again, not quite horror, but there are horror elements, and i am putting it here because it’s both a pleasingly original take on the zombie-apocalypse genre and a beautiful queer love story. it got cancelled halfway through its run and i will never stop being salty about it.)

-the enfield haunting (three-part tv drama) (much better than the james wan movie) (not that that’s hard)

podcasts

-the magnus archives (do not ask me about this show unless you're prepared to hear me yell about it for Ever and Ever and Ever)

-alice isn't dead (lesbian trucker searches for her missing wife amidst various spooky happenings)

-a scottish podcast (washed-up radio DJ decides to become a phony paranormal investigator to make some extra cash, but his scheme goes awry when he stumbles on a genuine paranormal event)

-i am in eskew (man attempts to leave city, is unsuccessful)

message me if you want trigger warnings or a more detailed description for any of these!

[allandoflimbo]

I C E     P R I N C E S S  ∙ 3

Pairings: Popular Girl!Reader x Outkast!Bucky

Explicit Content - Smut - NO MINORS

Summary:

Bucky Barnes is the quiet boy who gets picked on.

The Reader and her friends run with the popular crowd at Stark High.

As the Winter Ball approaches, she is partnered with Bucky Barnes for a class project. They grow close in an inadvertently secret friendship, which later turns into love.

Only catch is…she’s Steve Roger’s ex girlfriend, and before she was partnered up with Bucky, her friends had planned to use and turn Bucky into Stark High’s new it boy to try and get back at Steve; a disgusting bet.

Another catch: She’s a figure skater at the town’s arena every Tuesday and Thursday nights. Bucky works part time at the rink resurfacing the ice. The other doesn’t know.

Modern AU High School fic - later goes into adulthood.

M A S T E R P A G E - FULL SERIES

Warnings: This story will have a lot of angst, a lot of fluff, a lot of cursing, and a lot of sex. Oral, praise kink, body worship, overstimulation, etc. you know me. There will also be loss of virginity in this.

Please support your content creators and writers and leave a review.

P R E V I O U S   C H A P T E R

The chatter in the room is loud.

It mixed with the sounds of chairs and desks grinding over the floor. Everyone was moving their own to their appropriate spots.

Mrs. Ortiz' voice was even louder. She was lucky if anyone was even really listening to her in the first place.

"Now, this assignment is focused on Psychology analyzing. If you look down, you'll see it's based off a book called Rules by John Will-Brooks. You and your partner will each read every other chapter, taking turns. Each chapter will focus on a type of psychological analysis, and at the end, you will write the information you gather about the person using the questionnaire provided at the end. You'll use that to answer what you gather about the other person. Of course, you're not real Psychologists, so you'll be given a certain answer and script for each one. These are based on real dialogue, real cases. This assignment will last about two months."

You moved anxiously in your seat, crossing your legs at the ankles.

"Hannah, you are with Sasha. Eloise, you are with Daniella. Cameron, you're with Ethan. Eric, you are with Michaela," next she said your name, "you are with James, Jasmin, you're with Chris..." Mrs. Ortiz' voice faded out as your eyes went to James.

It was expected just as much as it wasn't. Irony, they call it.

He sat there in his seat, focused at looking through the new textbook on his desk. He showed no distinctive reaction to Mrs. Ortiz' words and you wondered if he had even heard her.

You still felt terrible about what happened yesterday, but nonetheless, this would be a great opportunity to make amends.

Daniella, that sat next to James, got up to move next to her partner.

You tried to read his body language as he barely lifted his eyes from the pages.

He kept his eyes straight down at his book, gaze completely focused.

He moved onto writing something in his notebook.

It was obvious he wasn't going to be making the first move to sit next to you, and that's what you realize he's doing.

He hated this.

You don't blame him at all for being upset with you.

With a deep breath, you gather your book and notebook in your arms and make your way over to him.

You paused as soon as you arrive by his side. He doesn't look up from his notebook, knowing very well that you were standing there.

His jaw was tense. You hadn't noticed that from afar.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

Even if you wanted to make amends, he clearly did not like you. Especially so soon after you destroyed his Nikes.

Then, he surprises you.

He stops for a second, finally looks at you, and then looks down at the empty chair next to him.

An invitation.

You take that as your cue and you sit.

You swear you can smell lemons and a subtle, but very nice, waft of cologne the moment you sit down.

Despite him looking naturally kind and approachable, you felt uncomfortable.

You timidly set everything down in front of you. You even begin tp tilt your items on the desk into perfect ninety degree angles; not because of your OCD, but because it gave you something to do for about three seconds.

When that's painfully over, you look over at him again.

He didn't even bother glancing up this time. Unsurprisingly.

Should you put yours desks together?

Was he going to be silent the whole time?

You both sit there for a few minutes, wondering if he's thinking the same thing as you:

Who will be the first to speak?

He continues to take his notes and you open your book to review the first lesson.

You take a deep breath and go for it, shifting once more in your seat for good measure. You even scoot up a bit.

"Did you want to do the even numbered chapters and I do the odds?" You ask after a deep breath.

He stops writing and finally sits back in his seat, letting his pen drop.

His movement makes him look taller and you look away bashfully.

You never were so close to him before. You can't help but notice how similarly built he is to Steve. Sometimes it felt like Steve towered over you.

They were definitely the same height; six feet or so.

James was just a little more lean and toned where Steve was bulky. It was obvious how attractive James was. Where Steve had lighter hair, James' was a deep brown, almost black. Where Steve's eyes were blue with specs of green, James' were only blue. Almost grey. Like the sky before a bad blizzard on a cold evening.

Like that night.

The way he sits back like that, now looking at you and waiting, has you on edge.

You don't realize you're staring until you meet eyes and you quickly look away.

He hands you the blue folder with the name "Phycologist #2" written on it.

You take it, reading it over.

He was okay with you doing the odds.

A lump crawls up your throat as you remember what happened yesterday. You grow this deep need to console him, to apologize profusely.

"So, we need to answer these questions first together. And then we'll read each chapter assigned to us, and do the quiz questions after each read to make sure we understood what we read. Is that good for you?" You ask.

He's not looking at you anymore.

He gives you a short nod, almost disinterested.

He's back to fidgeting with his black pen in his right hand.

You tried to ignore that glare in his eyes, the one that said he clearly did not want to be here next to you right now.

As if you already didn't know.

"Uhm. Okay, first question. A long-standing debate in the field of psychology has been whether moving to a new location makes people happier. Do you think this can apply to people who are looking just for change so it's a change in psych or do you think it happens for everyone? Personally I think it happens for everyone."

He doesn't answer you right away. In fact, he takes so long to reply that you start writing down your own answer quietly.

"I think so, too. Especially if it's a stark difference of culture."

It's the first time you've heard him, and at this close proximity, it made the hair on the back of your neck prickle.

His voice.

Like deep and thick honey being poured over a damn Lindt chocolate.

Your movements falter just slightly against your paper, and you blink slowly.

You couldn't help the small smile that grows at the side of your lips.

"Exactly." You say, "it's about the impact and also picking up on the different kinds of life. Like I mean for you, you just came from Europe, right? So this must be so different for you here. This kind of life." It's interesting the way you watch his face go from interested to pure utter confusion.

"Europe?" His voice is a low rumble as he says it. You can't sense his tone. It was a mix between scorn and sincerity.

You raise a brow at him and then look down at his book.

"Yeah, aren't you—?"

He looks at you for a second longer, to the point where you debate if he's trying to have an eye contest with you, and then he looks away with an almost roll of his eyes.

He can't help the scoff that leaves his lips.

"Jeez." He runs a hand through his hair, nearly pulling at the strands.

You watch as his arm flexes through the dark fabric of his shirt.

You shake your head and place your own arm down on the paper in front of you.

"I don't understand?"

You hope he can see how sincere you were.

"Yeah, maybe don't try then." He snaps back. His eyes finally flicker back to you, the disdain in his eyes so visible it makes you recoil, "Please.

Your mouth opens and closes, unsure of what to respond with.

Judging by his tone and energy behind it, he was holding most of his negative feelings in. It catches you off guard for just a bit.

You hated this. You hated that he assumed something that isn't true about the kind of person you are. You hated that everything that kept happening was proving the exact opposite. You hated that he had been bullied and you didn't even know.

You know you've been oblivious in the past, but you never once saw anyone being rude to him before. This week was the first time.

"I didn't mean to drop that paint on you," you say, your voice lowering, "I'm truly sorry about that." He scoffs again, "I am! I was actually on my way here to apologize for what you overheard on Monday. I'm very sorry."

He doesn't say anything but his eyes do stay on his paper, unshifting.

You know why he's upset. You do.

You're not dense.

The last few months opened your eyes. It was a sharp wake up call to realizing who you were and who the people around you were. You hope you can convey that with the next few words you're about to say.

"Look, Matt Murdock is an asshole. But I'm not like that."

The roll of his eyes and the snarl on his lips is palpable.

You feel your teeth clench at his reaction, and this time, your eyes are the ones that go hard and cold.

This boy, just like everyone, knew nothing. But the truth was, you didn't know him either.

This was a game of tug-o-war, and in the middle was a big metaphorical puddle of shame waiting for one of you to fall in.

The silence that follows after his comment settles between the both of you like a heavy blanket.

"We're done here." He says, closing his notebook.

You're surprised at his quick departure. There was no possible way he would just leave. Right? You still had two months of this.

"We still have to go over this chapter—"

He's already standing up, grabbing his backpack and his things off his desk.

"I'm leaving early." He says, eyes darting to the door. It's then that you see another teacher there waiting for him. He eventually sighs and gives you another glance as he shoves his book into his backpack, "I can't fail this assignment. We can continue this tomorrow." You raise a brow at him as he stops and looks at you for another hard second. Then, his eyes look away for a bit, as if he's realizing something. You're wondering what he's thinking, but you don't have to wonder much longer, "I actually won't be here tomorrow."

"Oh," your eyes drop as you think, "Maybe we can meet up somewhere after school? Maybe you can come over? Or I'll go to your place. That's all I can think of. That or we can wait until Thursday."

You weren't tone deaf, but damn were you insistent of making right.

You can see on his face how much he hates this. If this were some kind of mystical novel and the author was describing this exact moment, right here and now, they'd say his dislike for all of this was as palpable as a lonesome revengeful Viking holding a box of venomous cobras over his enemies' body.

Bucky bit the inside of his cheek.

He really needed this A. Was this worth it? If he wanted to keep his GPA at the high percentile, he needed this bad. He didn't know if he trusted you enough to wait until two days from now, when the second lesson was due by then.

He hated everything about this.

Your place or his?

He never thought he'd even have to ask such a question when it came to you and him.

He almost laughs.

He looked at the teacher that was waiting for him at the door and his eyes drift back down to you in your seat.

You and your friends already took all his dignity at this school. He wasn't going to let you do it in his own home.

"I'll come over." He says.

As soon as Bucky parks his car, he turns to his mom.

"How are you feeling? Nervous?" He asks kindly.

She smiles at him.

"A bit. But I'm also a little excited."

Bucky looks away and nods.

"You're high up."

"I might finally get that lung transplant." She says, running her thumb over her son's cheek. She holds her nebulizer bag closer to her lap, "We should be excited, honey."

He smiles sweetly at her.

He was anxious to see how her appointment would go. Based off his own personal research, she was a perfect candidate for a lung transplant, but he was afraid this was too good to be true.

"I am." He pats the middle console, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

He gets out and walks over to the passenger side. He helps her step out his car, closing the door behind her.

He makes sure to keep his one arm stilling linked with hers.

She uses him for support as she stands, her right hand going into the crook of his elbow, holding him there.

"I'm going to need you to run to the store for me tonight. I wanted to make some lasagna for dinner. What do you think?" She asks as they walk to the entrance of the medical facility.

He opens the door for her as they walk into the chilly air.

"I think it sounds great," his face falls, "Shoot."

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot I'm supposed to study at someone's house." He shakes his head. Family always came first, "I can still go. I'll make arrangements."

"Oh, that's alright. I'll have your dad stop by."

Bucky felt his heart shatter, knowing his dad already had too much to worry about tonight. He was also getting older.

"It's fine, I'll let her know I can't make it. You're more important."

He didn't even have your number, so he's not sure how that plan would even work out.

"Absolutely not. You're going to go." Bucky opens his mouth to retaliate but she stops him, "You're going. End of discussion." He closes his mouth and nods, continue to walk her to the reception desk.

They walk a little more and he waits for the inevitable question.

"So it's a girl study partner?"

He could feel a tingle up his back at the thought of seeing you that way. Revolt and hate. That's the kind of feelings a person like you deserved.

"Trust me, mom. She's not a nice person. I just want this A. Only reason I'm doing this."

A warm chuckle leaves her lips.

"Oh, she can't be that bad."

"She is. She's bad company and so are her friends. I'm going there just for the lesson and then I'm going straight home."

You're drying your hands with a paper towel near the sink when you hear a knock at the front door.

You curse to yourself as you grab your phone and quickly look at the clock.

You completely lost track of time trying to help prepare dinner for your parents.

They were both physicians in two different ERs, so they usually weren't home on Wednesdays until after seven PM. Morning shift.

That meant that tonight you had to help with dinner for when they came home. Usually when they had the graveyard shifts, they'd have something ready on the stove before they left. Out of kindness of their hearts.

Even though you didn't think it was necessary for them to do that every time, especially when you had more than the reason to help them out, you clung onto it. Mainly because it was one of the last remaining things that happened here at home that made it feel like it was still that; home.

You go through your foyer and open the door.

James stood there in a black jacket and dark jeans. He held his book in one arm and his other hand was running through his hair. He looked like he didn't want to be here at all.

He still wasn't even trying to hide it.

You don't let that discourage you.

"Hey," you give him a small smile, "Come on in." You step aside for him to walk in.

The second he steps foot into your house the awkward tension is already there.

You close the door quietly behind him.

You watch as he looks around. The last thing you wanted was for him to be uncomfortable.

You home was dimly lit, the only light on was a lamp in the living room and a soft light over the island in the kitchen.

He notices how homey it feels in here. He also notices all the family photos, especially the ones near the stairs at the front.

"My parents won't be home for another hour or so." You tell him, "Can I take your jacket?"

His eyes flicker over to you immediately.

"No, it's okay." He mumbles, stuffing his left hand into its pocket.

You nod and look away.

You tell him he can leave his shoes at the door and then you point to the dark wooden stairs.

His shoes he actually does remove, leaving him in black socks.

"We can actually go up to my room. Just be careful with these steps. They can get slippy."

He trails behind you and follows you into your room.

You sense his hesitancy to come in all the way as he takes a quick scan.

Your room was nice, he wouldn't deny that.

He notices a few books on your desk and some on a book shelf; mostly fiction. Against your wall on the floor was a pair of white ice skates.

You walk over to your desk and grab your book and notebook.

On your desk was a picture of you and another guy hugging, maybe a few years older than you.

He was placing a kiss on the top of your head.

"You can take a seat." You motion blindly towards your bed nonchalantly, looking for something in your desk drawer.

James makes his way to your bed. It's white and fluffy and still made; pristine.

You finally turn around to face him, and he looks down at your hand. You had been looking for a highlighter.

Classic Yellow.

He doesn't know why his nerves are on high end right now. He doesn't know why he's so nervous about being in a Stark High's princess' bedroom. What he does know is how annoyed he is by your complete oblivion to how incredibly cruel and mean you are and don't realize it. He can't even put into words how much it pisses him off to see you treating him like you or your friends never did the things you did.

You really did all live in your little world with your little perfect lives.

He's seen it for years and he saw it looking at the photos downstairs and now your room. Happy photos everywhere, trophies and metals. For what, he doesn't care.

He's brought back to now when the bed dips down with your weight.

You open your book.

"Alright, do you want to read the first lesson? And then I'll do the questionnaire at the end and we can go from there? Same for lesson two?"

He clears his throat and pulls out his notebook and book.

"Sure."

The behavior is mechanical for the next twenty minutes.

He talks, you respond. He asks, you respond. You ask, he answers.

He watches you as you read everything correctly and answer everything correctly. You were clearly very smart and seemed to take your academics seriously. The fact that you were both able to set your tension aside to focus on your school said a lot about the both of you.

Yeah, he knew what it said.

It said that you were both trying goddamn hard to avoid the huge elephant in the room.

"So that was the last question." You say, writing down your notes in your notebook, "We're covered for tomorrow and Friday." You look up when he doesn't respond, but you see him writing, too.

When he finishes he slides his pen into the spine of his notebook and closes his text book. He starts to pack, getting ready to leave.

You clear your throat.

"Bucky," the second you say his nickname his head snaps up, confused, "I saw it on your notebook." You don't know what look he's giving you but whatever that look is, it makes you feel not too great. He stares at you for a second longer before taking a deep breath and moving off from your bed. His jaw is tense.

He huffs from his nose and looks at you once more. You stand up until you're standing in front of him. You had to tilt your head a bit up.

Definitely Steve's height.

He gives you a cold stare that nearly chills you.

"I should go." He whispers out, eyes on your floor.

You tug on the sleeves of your shirt, debating on how you should stop him, but your words get stuck in your mouth.

You're at lost for what to say as he leaves your room abruptly, leaving you standing there, open text book still on the bed.

N E X T   C H A P T E R

Tag list: @dinoswierdmom @sebsgirl71479 @wintasssoldier @melimelbean​ @steadygoopangelhairdo​ @prettywhenicry4​ @bonkybarnes106​ @undeadhoneydew​ @midnightvitality​ @ene-rene​ @ccmarvelxx​ @hanahkatexo @gr33nleo​ 

[themculibrary]

Classic Marvel Fandom Tropes Masterlist

5 Times Peter Parker Was Sick 1 Time It Was The Avengers (ao3) - authornotes N/R, 3k

Summary: Basically Peter gets coddled, and then takes his revenge.

A Day In The Past (ao3) - CumberRachel steve/bucky E, 13k

Summary: Lounging on the couch with his boyfriend is usually how Steve loves to spend an evening, only he doesn't feel right. his head hurts, his muscles ache and its hard to breathe. Probably just exhaustion after a mission right?

A Drop In The Ocean (ao3) - veterani steve/tony T, 3k

Summary: Peter Parker never wanted to reveal to anyone that he was Spiderman.

Unfortunately, a guy called Darken decided to change that.

Aye Oh- Let's Go! (ao3) - FrozenHearts wanda/vision T, 12k

Summary: Flash knows something is up with Peter.

He sets about to prove it to the Decathalon Team.

Breathless (ao3) - thelittlestpurplecat steve/bucky E, 24k

Summary: Steve's Serum is failing. He's suffering again from asthma, colorblindness, dizziness and heart trouble, problems he thought he'd left behind in the 40's. Tony and Bruce can see the problem, but not how to fix it, and Bucky is determined through all of this to do what's best for Steve, even if he's not always sure what that is.

Carry on Wayward Son (ao3) - TinyButFierce G, 9k

Summary: Five times the Avengers didn’t meet Tony’s kid and the one time they did.

Dad Level: 3000 (ao3) - whumphoarder G, 5k

Summary: Peter comes down with the flu while visiting the Stark family (and Happy) at the lake house during his spring break from MIT. Thankfully, Tony has been spending the last five years honing his Dad Skills™. He's got this.

Don't touch him (ao3) - awesome_goddess_of_mischief phil/tony M, 3k

Summary: After Phil's death, the team moves into Stark tower to keep bonding. Tony is wearing himself thin trying to honour his husband's last wish, for the team to be together.

But it's slowly starting to become too much.

The team bullies continuely. Until one day the genius breaks. Luckily there's an unexpected guest ready to put the pieces back together again.

Give Up The Ghost. (ao3) - Chaneladdict bucky/peggy/steve E, 340k

Summary: Post WW2 leaves Peggy Carter picking up the pieces of her world after the loss of Steve Rogers, left behind dealing with the same loss and longing, Bucky Barnes attempts, albeit halfheartedly, to pick up the pieces of the same war, the same loss.

With more in common than they at first care to admit, we see what happens to those Steve loved and had to leave behind... And what happens when he comes back and finds the two people he loved most in the world, in love with each other and still VERY much in love with him.

A story of finding love in the most unconventional of places.

How To Hook A Superhero (ao3) - daynight steve/bucky M, 4k

Summary: Bucky is a college student who just got the internship of a lifetime, assisting a photographer whose latest assignment is to profile Captain America. The Captain couldn't possibly be interested…right?

It's Above My Clearance Level (ao3) - tsk G, 5k

Summary: In which Peter's class goes on a field trip to Stark Tower, and no one knows why this kid has such high clearance.

James Barnes, Agent of SHIELD (ao3) - Kala_Sathinee steve/bucky E, 75k

Summary: Bucky never fell from the train. When they storm the final HYDRA base, he’s there at Steve’s side. But Steve still goes into the ice, and Bucky is left to deal with a world without him. A world in which he tries to find a purpose.

Kissin’ Dynamite (ao3) - crime_fighting_spiderling mj/peter, pepper/tony G, 27k

Summary: “Maybe I shouldn’t go.” Peter spoke. MJ shoved a permission slip into his hand at his comment.

“You’re going.” She simply stated.

Where Peter and his class go on a field trip to Stark Tower.

Lights To Guide You Home (ao3) - JolinarJackson T, 185k

Summary: Tony becomes Peter's guardian after May dies unexpectedly and over the course of a year, they learn to become a family.

Louder Than Words (ao3) - ARGHHHHHH steve/tony G, 858

Summary: Domestic Avengers movie night, post 2012 Avengers.

Ned Leed's field trip to Stark Industries (ao3) - Drake_DiAngelo G, 15k

Summary: Your generic Field Trip trope, but slightly different because it's Ned centric and hopefully everyone stays in character.

Also, Peter is absolutely everywhere they go but they never quite manage to actually see him. (Or realize its him) They did see Spiderman though, so that's nice.

Our Lingering Frost (ao3) - eyres steve/bucky G, 7k

Summary: When S.H.I.E.L.D. finally locates the plane Captain America drove into the ocean, Colonel James Barnes drops everything to go bring Steve's body home at long last. He finds more than he was expecting.

Raise Me Up (ao3) - LBIGreyhound13 T, 124k

Summary: Takes place 10 months after Spider-Man: Homecoming. After Aunt May suddenly dies, Peter has nowhere to go. Luckily, there’s a certain mentor of his, who comes in to save him...in more ways than one.

Take Me Home (ao3) - dabblingwithwords steve/bucky, pepper/tony M, 78k

Summary: “I’m so sorry, I’m gonna help you I promise, just don’t move, fuck, I ran over Captain America–” the man apologized, over and over, and all Steve managed to say was, “You’re really attractive,” before passing out on the guy’s lap in the middle of the road.

Wingman (ao3) - sahiya G, 4k

Summary: Holy shit, Rhodey thought. Tony’s a dad.

[thursdayplaid]

And another random ask- if someone gave you a billion pounds to translate any book into a TV show, which book would you choose?

The answer changes back and forth depending on what's in the front of my mind, but right now probably The Gods of Pegana. Part of me wants to do shadow puppets, because shadow puppets hits the sweet spot in symbology and ancient craft. There's a lot in the book, but not a lot on the page, if that makes sense, so it would be difficult to adapt. That being said, a historical epic traveling from when Fate and Chance rolled the dice to see who would get to commission Creation to the establishment of the different peoples to Mung fighting the Hound, Time as the gods escaped on their golden ships would be splendid.

My second answer is to make a series based on the ghost stories of M R James and combine them into one world as a sort of Office of the Antiquary adventures. I love his gay academics and the way he uses all the senses to give a sense of horror. His stories aren't technically a connected series directly, but the office of the antiquary comes up a lot and the narrator for most of the stories could be argued to be the same person. It's also great because there's potential room for dark academia hijinks in between stories, and the series could be extended with other similar stories. Parkins and his boyfriend could show up again to do ghost hunting, we can two part a lot of the stories, and there can never be enough horror series.

[mellometal]

Dhar Mann put out a video of a child with Down Syndrome being abused and eventually abandoned by their adoptive parents for clicks and money, which was apparently based on a true story. (That true story was probably the story of Huxley Stauffer, a child that was adopted by Myka and James Stauffer for the same reasons.) We haven't had much Dhar Mann slander in a while, and this video was released on the first day of Pride Month. Could you post about it?

That's fucking whack, and sadly more common than you think. People think that having a kid is great, until they're disabled, LGBT, have medical problems, etc.

The Dh*r M*nn slander hasn't been around for a while, and I apologize. His videos are very mentally draining.

I do have a post in the works about disabilities in general (specifically about Parkinson's) in the works. I'm familiar with Down's Syndrome, but I don't know everything about it. I need to word things carefully there if I do a post about it because it's not a disability I know a whole lot about. I might get to it at some point. The Down's Syndrome videos royally piss me off because he's exploiting Down's children...and to me, it sounds like the parents make their kids' disabilities about them. (Please don't yell at me about the terminology. I hear a lot of different opinions about whether we should use person-first language or identity-first language. I personally believe that person-first language treats disabilities like they're accessories of some sort, so I don't particularly care for person-first language and just use identity-first language instead. Obviously if you use person-first language for yourself, you're very valid.)

Anyways...thank you for sending this in.

[natehoodreviews]

2023 Year End Compilation

Alphabetical Africa, Walter Abish

I’m not sure how or why, but when I picture the events of this book in my head, I imagine them illustrated by Mœbius. Alva certainly flitters back and forth through its pages like one of Mœbius’ dragon-riding heroines forever skirting distant horizons. Reading this book for more than half an hour at a time made me dizzy, but not in an unsatisfying way. I already can’t wait to read it again.

River Writing: An Eno Journal, James Applewhite

Definitely smacks of my beloved shady, overgrown East Coast rivers. Still, though, a bit too esoteric for my tastes.

Sleep Donation, Karen Russell

Once again, Russell’s talent for worldbuilding exceeds her talent for storytelling. Her inevitable anticlimaxes undercut all the mystery and intrigue she so successfully sets up in the first two-thirds of her books. This one is no exception.

The Chronicles of Amber: 1-3, Roger Zelazny

This may not be where George R. R. Martin got the idea for a fantasy series based on families fighting for a throne, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is where he gained his nonchalance for said characters being arrogant bastards who use and abuse non-royals as cannon fodder. Ultimately, it’s the story of an amoral man growing a conscience. I love the line from the second book: “I sometime fancy myself an evil which exists to oppose other evils.” The problem, however, is that the cast is too big with not enough personality to go around. I was bored stupid by the third book whenever a new family member would show up and spend an entire chapter narrating their lives up until that point. There may be two more novels in the cycle, but you’d have to pay me to read them.

The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara

“And I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine/And I'd march to hell and back again

For Colonel Joshua Chamberlain/And we're all goin' down to Dixieland!”

The Women Around Jesus, Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel

Come for the feminist theology, stay for the cornucopia of fascinating, rarely heard Christian legends like Martha Slaying the Dragon.

The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection, Robert Farrar Capon

Equal measures prayerful and playful; makes the act of cutting an onion an act of discovery and worship. It reads like something M. F. K. Fisher would’ve written if she’d had a sense of humor and playfulness instead of an occasionally amusing detached snobbishness.

The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen

It’s been a while since I’ve had to grit my teeth and force myself to finish such a long book. When I finally did, I could practically hear Schubert’s “Ave Maria” blasting in the background like I was some survivor of a cave-in witnessing daylight for the first time in days. Suffice to say I did not like this novel. It was an unpleasant chore to spend so much time with such unpleasant people doing such unpleasant things to each other. It didn’t help that so much of it was so damned boring!

Mort, Terry Pratchett

Easily one of the best Discworld novels I’ve read yet. I would happily read an entire spinoff just about Death working as a restaurant short-order cook in Ankh-Morpork.

Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett

Not as good as Mort, but it had its moments. I feel like the sentient, parasitic shopping mall and the Bill Door plots deserved their own separate novels, though.

The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis

I can’t believe this is one of the books we recommend to young people looking to learn more about Christianity. I have a Master’s Degree in Divinity and I feel like I only followed about 65% of what Lewis was talking about here.

The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

I was led to believe that these two novels which kicked off the Discworld franchise were somehow embarrassing and terrible when compared to the books that came after them. But I don’t know, I enjoyed them!

The Iliad, Homer

The scene where Hector’s son Astyanax recoils in fear from his father’s monstrous battle armor only for Hector to chuckle and take his helmet off to soothe him is one of my new favorite moments in ancient literature. It’s this heartbreaking admission of humanity in the midst of a truly gruesome, truly horrific war. It helps bring this fantastical story of divine warriors and capricious gods down to earth, where it perhaps belongs if the myths and legends are true and the Trojan War truly did happen.

Equal Rites, Terry Pratchett

After the madcap antics of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, this book felt like Pratchett tried to tone the humor down in favor of more focused storytelling. My favorite part of this book were the Zoons, a people incapable of lying who elect specially trained Tribal Liars to enact trade agreements on their behalf. I want a book just about this ethnic group!

Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo

A sometimes literally breathtaking work of prophetic fury—a fire sermon that's lost none of its flame or relevance in the decades since its publication. The Jesus Christ in Tucson hallucination might be one of the finest, most heartbreaking things I've ever read. And I've read a LOT. The schemers behind the Red Scare were right to fear Trumbo. 

Point Omega, Don DeLillo

I dunno, gang, I still don't think late DeLillo is for me. Feels like he was trying too hard to channel Cormac McCarthy in certain places. Elsewhere his collage of images and ideas fails to coalesce into anything meaningful or compelling.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Judy Bloom

Genuinely amazing to me that evangelicals were so pissed off at a book for honestly examining puberty and menstruation that they missed that it’s also a book about a young woman demanding her right to know God despite living in a secular household.

Dimiter, William Peter Blatty 

Forgive the cliche that the story isn’t what you’re here for, but seriously, the story isn’t what you’re here for. Instead, it’s to sink oneself into Blatty’s febrile imagination.

Screwjack, Hunter S. Thompson

The pages detailing Thompson's first mescaline trip are funny, gripping, terrifying. Everything else just...isn't very good. A reminder that just because you CAN posthumously publish a famous writer's assorted scribblings doesn't mean you SHOULD.

Suttree, Cormac McCarthy 

Incredibly, sometimes hilariously over-written. But a version of this book that isn’t over-written wouldn’t be worth reading. Some of the most astonishing English prose the world has seen since Joyce. Harrogate might be my favorite McCarthy character ever—he’s basically Huckleberry Finn by way of Harmony Korine.

[boxcarwild]

The Stalls of Barchester is the first of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas strand, first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11.00pm on 24 December 1971. Based on the story "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" from the 1911 collection More Ghost Stories by M. R. James, it was adapted, produced and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.

[bollywoodirect]

43 Years of #Shaan

Shaan," released on December 12, 1980, is a Hindi action crime movie. It was directed by Ramesh Sippy and produced by G. P. Sippy. The story was written by Salim-Javed, who were also behind the hit "Sholay." The film stars Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Raakhee Gulzar, Parveen Babi, Bindiya Goswami, Johnny Walker, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. R. D. Burman composed the music, which was well-received.

At first, "Shaan" was not a big hit, but it did better later on. It features some of the last songs sung by Mohammed Rafi. The villain, Shakaal, was based on a character from the James Bond movies. The film was shot by S. M. Anwar, edited by M. S. Shinde, and the lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi.

[ejbarnes]

My last Blaster Al Ackerman reading on Zoom for 2023 is on Sunday, 17 December at 8 PM EST. "The Curate and the Haint" is Blaster's pastiche of English ghost story author M. R. James (1862--1936). I chose this piece for December because James would read his ghost stories to his friends during the Christmas season.

We gratefully acknowledge the permission granted for this series of performances by the Estate of Will Greathouse. Banner art based on illustration provided for Haint Digest (July 1984?) by Andre Stitt.

Sign up for the Zoom link on EventBrite.

[bookthroneking]

Book Review: The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories, edited by Alan Ryan

I finished this 600+ page monstrosity in barely a week, despite reading several books parallel to it; whenever I opened my vampire anthology, I would read at least 50 pages in one go. That good.

The late Alan Ryan was an editor of impeccable taste, as I found out here. This 1987 collection traces the origins of the vampire myth throughout the English literary canon, from the very first vampire story published in England (The Vampyre by John Polidori, but Ryan also included the story fragment by Lord Byron that Polidori based his tale on, very interesting stuff) to Ryan's contemporaries in the 80's. From the classics like Le Fanu and M. R. James to more recent horror giants like Ramsey Campbell and Richard Matheson, Ryan presents the reader with a huge variety of stories exploring the vampire's existence. Here we see the creatures of the night as repulsive, as beautiful, as terrifying, parasitic, as romantic, heroic or even funny, but never as ridiculous. Some of the stories I didn't expect to see in such an anthology (like Luella Miller by Mary Eleanor W. Freeman or Shambleau by C. L. Moore), but those provide variety from the more commonplace vampire tropes and blend in perfectly with the rest of the anthology. And there's a little appendix in the back of the book of recommended vampire books and movies, which I thought was a really nice touch.

My favorites from this collection were the darkly romantic tales: The Drifting Snow by August Derleth, Cabin 33 by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Tanith Lee's Bite-Me-Not or Fleur de Feu... and of course, Carmilla, the full text of which was included in this book (to my delight). Two of the stories, though, genuinely scared me, which REALLY isn't easy to do at this point: For the Blood Is the Life by Francis Marion Crawford had one of the creepiest images I've seen in a vampire story, and The Room in the Tower by E. F. Benson was just terrifying all the way through.

I really appreciate this anthology coming my way, even if I'm not a huge fan of this reprint cover in my library (what is that color choice, or that Eyesore Gothic font?!). If you're looking for a cozy, creepy Halloween read, I can't recommend it enough.

StoryGraph rating: 5

[lowkeynando]

meet the banshee, knowing that she intends to kill John/William. At the last minute, Doug has second thoughts and unsuccessfully tries to convince John not to meet the banshee; however, John laughs off the warning and goes outside to confront her anyway. Outside the closed door can be heard the banshee's scream of triumph [2]

The television adaptation stars Charles Martin

Smith as Doug (the Bradbury character) and Peter O'Toole as John (the character based on Huston). The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R.

James is an omnibus collection of ghost stories by English author M. R. James', published in 1931, bringing together all but four of his ghost stories (which had yet to be published). "The Death of Halpin Frayser" is a Gothic ghost story by Ambrose Bierce. It was first published in the San Francisco periodical The Wave on December 19, 1891 before appearing in the 1893 collection Can Such Things Be?[1] Halpin Frayser, a 32-year-old resident of the Napa Valley, awakens from a dreamless sleep speaking the mysterious words "Catherine LaRue" into the darkness. Earlier that day, Frayser went hunting in the vicinity of Mount Saint Helena. As he wanders the darkness and chooses a "road less travelled" it is clear there is something devious about. Halpin dreams about a haunted forest dripping with blood and is stricken with fear. In his dream, Halpin grabs as CLONES

[myfeeds]

Archaea in a warming climate become less diverse more predictable

Science News from research organizations 1 2 Date: May 5, 2023 Source: University of Oklahoma Summary: Using a long-term multifactor experimental field site researchers showed that experimental warming of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem significantly altered the community structure of soil archaea and reduced their taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. Share: advertisement FULL STORY Led by Jizhong Zhou, Ph.D., the director of the Institute for Environmental Genomics at the University of Oklahoma, an international research team conducted a long term experiment that found that climate warming reduced the diversity of and significantly altered the community structure of soil archaea. Their findings are published in the journal Nature Climate Change. At the microbiological level, life can be described as belonging to one of three kingdoms — how species are described in relation to one another. Eukarya contains complex organisms like animals and plants and microorganisms such as fungi. The other two categories, bacteria and archaea, are comprised only of microorganisms. Archaea are prevalent in a range of environments, from some of the most hostile like volcanoes and permafrost. However, archaea are also common in the human microbiome and as an important part of soil ecology. “As temperature is a major driver of biological processes, climate warming will impact various ecological communities,” Zhou said. “Based on long-term time-series data, our previous studies revealed that experimental warming leads to the divergent succession of soil bacterial and fungal communities, accelerates microbial temporal scaling, reduces the biodiversity of soil bacteria, fungi and protists, but increases bacterial network complexity and stability. However, how climate warming affects the temporal succession of the archaeal community remains elusive. Archaea are ubiquitously present in soil and are vital to soil functions, e.g., nitrification and methanogenesis.” Using a long-term multifactor experimental field site at OU’s Kessler Atmospheric and Ecological Field Station, the researchers showed that experimental warming of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem significantly altered the community structure of soil archaea and reduced their taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. In contrast to the researchers’ previous observations in bacteria and fungi, their finds show that climate warming leads to convergent succession of the soil archaeal community, suggesting archaeal community structures would become more predictable in a warmer world. advertisement Story Source: Materials provided by University of Oklahoma. Original written by Chelsea Julian. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference: Ya Zhang, Daliang Ning, Linwei Wu, Mengting Maggie Yuan, Xishu Zhou, Xue Guo, Yuanliang Hu, Siyang Jian, Zhifeng Yang, Shun Han, Jiajie Feng, Jialiang Kuang, Carolyn R. Cornell, Colin T. Bates, Yupeng Fan, Jonathan P. Michael, Yang Ouyang, Jiajing Guo, Zhipeng Gao, Zheng Shi, Naijia Xiao, Ying Fu, Aifen Zhou, Liyou Wu, Xueduan Liu, Yunfeng Yang, James M. Tiedje, Jizhong Zhou. Experimental warming leads to convergent succession of grassland archaeal community. Nature Climate Change, 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41558-023-01664-x Cite This Page: University of Oklahoma. “Archaea in a warming climate become less diverse, more predictable.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2023. . University of Oklahoma. (2023, May 5). Archaea in a warming climate become less diverse, more predictable. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 5, 2023 from https://ift.tt/v9ZtBFp University of Oklahoma. “Archaea in a warming climate become less diverse, more predictable.” ScienceDaily. https://ift.tt/v9ZtBFp (accessed May 5, 2023).