This spooky ghost story has a central pairing that I feel like I may have requested as an original work: Widow/Female Fake Psychic/Ghost of a Female Bog Body.

My Darling Dreadful Thing is set in the Netherlands in the 1950s, which is a selling point all by itself as I love unusual settings. Roos is a young woman whose abusive fake psychic mother forces her to participate in her fake seances. But though Roos does not communicate with the spirits sought by the desperate, grieving customers, she actually does have a spirit companion, a bog body whom Roos has bound to her and named Ruth.

Roos is delighted when Agnes, a biracial (Indonesian/Dutch) widow, takes her as a companion and spirits her away to her neglected Gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere. The mansion is otherwise occupied only by Agnes's sister-in-law, Willamine, who is dying of tuberculosis, and has a marvellously bizarre Gothic history. Roos falls hard in love with Agnes, with whom she has a surprising amount in common.

But this whole story is being told in retrospect, as a series of interviews Roos is having with a psychiatrist who is trying to determine whether she's mentally fit to stand trial for murder. Something very bad happened at the mansion...

( Read more... )

Very enjoyable, very gothic, very atmospheric. I'm excited to read van Veen's other two books. I looked her up to see if she's actually from the Netherlands (yes) and learned that she's one of a set of non-identical triplet sisters! I don't think I've ever read a book by a triplet before.

qweermonkey

dear fang frenzy writer,

i'm crazy about vampires and so excited to see what you write for me! treats of any medium are very welcome :3

i expand on my likes and DNWs in my master letter, which also contains details on all fandoms that i've requested from other exchanges — that's there if you're curious, but only the beginning section is important if not! below the cut are prompts for my requests for this exchange! i've also listed some headcanons for each character — these are ideas i like but don't except you to adhere to!

( )

autobotscoutriella

Words are happening again! I've finally figured out the timeline issue between broken beaten damned and Forsaken Road, so now working on them is a little bit easier (because I know what the characters do/don't know at each stage, as opposed to trying to keep it vague enough to avoid issues). So this time, how about a little snippet from Forsaken Road?

( 150 words of what's going to be an excellent cliffhanger )

maevedarcy

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dannye_chase

Want to write a story about an urban legend?

Read about some creepy folklore on my blog, and get writing prompts!

Spring-Heeled Jack: Dastardly Victorian Cryptid

Room for One More: a Deadly Invitation

The Vanishing Hitchhiker

Mirrors (Including Bloody Mary)

The Mysterious Ouija Board

A writing prompt:

Call in the spirits. The Ouija board was built for necromancy: divination (seeking supernatural knowledge) from the dead. Of course, the practice of begging data from the dearly departed began long before the board came about. But the Ouija makes it easy. So let’s dial up the deceased. (Pro-tip: You can DIY a Ouija board by drawing numbers and letters on a flat surface and using an upside down glass as a planchette.) Possibilities for benign contact include loving family members who pass on reassurances about the afterlife, ghosts with info on random stuff like lottery numbers, ghosts of murder victims who wish to name their killers, or creative types who want to help you write novels (looking at you, Patience Worth).

But of course, you can also phone up the fiendish: convicted killers, undiscovered killers, relatives you thought were kind who were actually killers, ghosts who like mean pranks, ghosts who just plain hate the living, and the biggest danger: dead dudes who would like to live a second life. Possession by spirits is a favorite Ouija trope, and you often get there by breaking a rule while playing the “game,” which can be anything you decide: don’t play alone, don’t try to contact the very recently dead, don’t play without a piece of iron in your pocket, etc.

mxcatmoon

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Current Mood: sad

ruric

Apparently having been supremely indifferent to men's fashion for my entire life I now have a burning interest in it?

I may have been glued to Threads for a while watching the pictures come through from the Oscars and pre- post- parties on Sunday and into the wee small hours of Monday morning.

I'm blaming these fools...

Click to embiggen.

There's also a hilarious video that goes with pic 2 on JR's instagram - last slide in that post - which makes me snort/giggle every time I watch it because of the awkwardness of it all.

I would like to flop tonight but I need to tick off some tasks from my endless "Do ALL The Things" list for sorting out my flat/life. Alas it is already 9:15pm. Wonder how much I can achieve in an hour/90 minutes?

What can I possibly bribe myself with as a reward if I'm a good girl and get shit done?

dannye_chase

Four Reasons Your Really Great Story was Rejected

It takes a lot of courage to send a story to a publication, and it takes a lot of faith in yourself to deal with hearing no. Obviously, you want to submit stories that are well-written and carefully edited, but there are many reasons a story can get rejected, and sometimes, it’s not about how “good” the story is.

Let’s take the case of a magazine editor trying to decide between 20 great stories for only 10 spots.

Two things you can’t change

Your story doesn’t fit with the others chosen for the publication. Let’s say this month the editor received a couple of great cozy mysteries. Editors often want to publish magazine issues with cohesive content, and unfortunately, your awesome tale of Mothman’s wild weekend in New York is not going to fit. Some editors will ask to hang onto your story for a future issue (especially if they’ve got other great cryptid tales), and some will reject it.
Your story fits too well with the others chosen for the publication. On the other hand, sometimes an editor gets a couple of great stories that are too alike to publish side-by-side. So if you and someone else both happen to send in cozy mysteries where the cat accidentally poisons the vicar who moonlights as a jewel thief, the editor’s got to pick one. And it’s probably going to be down to her subjective personal preference.

Sometimes story rejections are just luck: you need to have the right story in front of the right editor at the right time. Which is frustrating, but don’t let it shake your faith in a story you think has potential.

Two things you can change

Your story is not what the readers are looking for. The editor might honestly love your sword-and-sandals epic with zebras on Jupiter. And maybe most of her readership would even like it. But that’s not what they expect to find in a magazine of haunted house horror.

Note this is only advice for stories that blatantly don’t fit. If you’ve got a story about a haunted bus, for example, you probably do want to send that to the haunted house magazine. If you’re familiar with the publication and honestly think your story might fit, don’t self-reject. Send it.

You didn’t follow the submission guidelines. You know those stupid rules about font, and attaching a story to an email rather than pasting it in, and having a story between 2000-5000 words? Yeah. You actually want to follow those.

Submission guidelines are not arbitrary. The magazine’s readers do not want 500-word flash, and the editor who asked for an attachment does not want to have to paste your story into a document and/or change the font to something legible.

In speaking with editors, I’ve learned a surprising amount of people actually don’t follow submission guidelines. And their stories were usually rejected, not least because an editor doesn’t really want to work with someone who starts off by ignoring the rules.

Here’s how to understand and follow submission guidelines

The most important thing about rejection letters is what happens after you get one. It’s normal to be sad and it’s good to take time to grieve. But then send your story back out. That’s the only way to eventually get that yes.

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

mxcatmoon

Title: Redemption by Grace

Fandom: Miami Vice

Author: Cat Moon

Rating: PG-13

Words: 1729

Characters/Pairing: Sonny/Rico (friendship or more, open to interpretation)

Summary: Sonny returns from his fishing trip with his son to discover that in his absence, his partner had been kidnapped, traumatized, and nearly killed by an ex-con turned vigilante that Rico had put behind bars. He now has to come to terms with it and hopefully help Rico do the same.

Notes: There, fixed it…. It being the episode “The Cell Within,” where Rico is kidnapped by an ex-con who’s decided to play judge, jury, and executioner for other criminals. The thing that needed fixing was an OOC Sonny Crockett who showed almost zero concern that his partner was going to the house of a man Rico had put into prison and who’d threatened to kill him. This was not our overprotective Sonny and needed explaining.

Song: All That Matters, by Richie Sambora

( Redemption by Grace )

Current Mood: pleased

autobotscoutriella

It's been a while since I shared any, so who wants some cat pictures?

Last week it was warm enough to open the windows and the cats were Intrigued:
a gray tabby cat and brown tabby cat looking out a window. The gray tabby is leaning over real far

a gray tabby cat and brown tabby cat looking out a window. The gray tabby is leaning over real far

Mirage Needs Her Scritches. This is not optional.
a brown and white tabby cat sleeping on a shark blanket, being petted by a hand

Springs' favorite sleeping spot, where she can stick her leggy out real far:
a gray tabby cat laying on top of a cat tree, with her leg stretched out

dannye_chase

ALT

My newsletter just came out with another Vampire Haven sneak peak! (NSFW) The Vampire Haven is a 6-novella M/M erotic romance series of vampires falling in love.

Read it in my free newsletter (NSFW)

No Secrets Left

In 1915, an anxious, psychic human and a heartbroken vampire find forbidden love aboard a doomed ocean liner.

❤️ Psychic/Man with secrets

🧡 WWI era ocean liner romance

💛 Trying to save the day with your annoying crush

💚 Hidden vampire/human relationship

💙 Family drama

💜 Sexy mind-reading

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

Photo credit: cottonbro studios on Pexels

autobotscoutriella

Will I manage to get out of this bed and go cook dinner at a reasonable hour? All signs point to no.

(I came home sick from work, took a nap, and I've been playing video games ever since. Being sick does not make me better at Super Mario Galaxy but it does make me slightly more patient because I can blame errors on "don't feel good" and not "bad at game".)

Current Mood: sleepy

mxcatmoon

I have a confession:

I am very fond of Tumblr.

Hear me out. It's not quite like other social media platforms. It's got its own vibe and personality, a quirky one. It's like the home of the misfits.

Case on point: Tumblr is experiencing some issues currently. When AO3 is done, everyone flocks to Tumblr to cry about it. There's even a blog dedicated to the issue. Where do they go when Tumblr is down? Downdetector! Yes, they're using it as a social media site and flooding it with comments. People will hang out there until Tumblr is back up.

I'm not saying it's perfect. You must curate your dashboard carefully to avoid wank and drama. I'm not on any of the other sites so I can't tell you what X is like except what I've heard (and that's very bad). I can tell you I used to be on Facebook but couldn't take it anymore and left. For me, Tumblr is different. And from what I understand, it's not making a ton of money for anyone, so it's kinda forgotten these days and isn't considered one of the Big, Important Sites. That's a good thing, because the more popular something is these days, the worse it is. I think a lot of people there are the type who avoid sites like X

But don't tell anybody. Because we like that everyone has forgotten Tumblr exists.

😉

Current Mood: amused

autobotscoutriella

False spring got me :( A 40-degree drop in seven hours is brutal, even for Midwest False Spring, and between that and the thunderstorms winding up the cats, I did not sleep.

I was optimistically hoping to make it through a full day at work anyway, but it's been four hours and I'm already wilting. Come on, brain, just hang on for a couple more hours...

meridian_rose

Round 2 of

seasons_of_fandom is opening soon! Multifandom challenge community with original fic and stock icons welcome. Challenges include graphics, writing, and puzzle games.

Please check it out, and if you join tell them I sent you :)
Some no pressure pre-round challenges are already posted but the community and challenges open fully in April.

sign up post

$artemisdart: (fractal)$

artemisdart

It took all weekend and nothing else got done, writing-wise, but I finally managed to finish Chapter 12 of Live Wire. I posted it just now. So all four people who are reading this fic have something new to chew on; hooray!

In other exciting news, a new chapter of The Black Chrysalis just dropped! The previous chapter was posted on May 20, 2025, so that's almost ten whole months. It's good stuff. The big reveal STILL HASN'T HAPPENED despite LITERALLY EVERY INDICATION THAT IT MUST HAPPEN SOON. The edging is getting extreme! I can't wait for stuff to happen -- finally, fi-n-a-l-l-y -- yet I'm dreading the results when it does finally happen. That's great writing!

Current Mood: bouncy

ruric

I had a whole weekend at home - for the first time in 4 weeks! Remind me never to organise/volunteer for things that mean I have to work 3 Saturday's on the trot because that is exhausting. On the plus side I have a chunk of flexi leave to take.

So quick summary:

HOME: deep cleaned kitchen and sorted out a bunch for a recycling and tip run today. Next week it's deep cleaning the bathroom, and chipping away at the chaos and decluttering/#orjenising in the bedroom and living room. I have detailed bullet point lists and daily/weekly targets!

HEALTH still a bit FUBAR'd but improving. Finally took myself off to Toni and Guy's on Friday where a very firm hairdresser chopped off a significant amount of my hair. It had almost reached my waist and had way too many split ends. I got a free treatment (whatever product they used smelled awesome and made my hair super silky) and I now have a really simple cut - still long enough that I can put it up when gardening /at the gym, but short enough to wash and go and no danger of overnight knots. Today I got my piercings back - found a great piercer locally and I was just going to get single studs in each ear but happily we discovered 5 of my old piercings were still open! She popped new studs in those - because I have no idea where my old studs are - only the tons of dangley earrings on the board in my bedroom. She redid the middle piercing on my left ear and now I have all the shiny jewellery back. Once the current ones have settled down I'm going back to get my helix piercing redone - might get one each side.

LIFE ADMIN: still planning to move from Gmail once I've decluttered it. Applied for a postal vote as I'll be working local election day (7 May) as a poll clerk in Richmond so won't be around to vote locally. Have to make time to complete training for that and it will be a long day (5am to midnight including travel to/from) polling station.

DIGITAL DECLUTTER: have kept email at mail at 11,000 but not managed to reduce it; staying on top of transferring To Keep items from tablet to dropbox, my phone images storage is a mess.

GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: nope - too cold and/or wet and lacked motivation.

COOKING/EATING: reboarded the takeaway train over the last week - there just seemed to be no time at all, long work days!

READING/LISTENING: LOL. Thank you Rachel Reid - read Game Changers, Heated Rivalry, Tough Guy, Common Goal, Role Model and The Long Game and now re-reading Heated Rivalry matching book chapters to rewatch episodes. What do you mean obsessed?

WATCHING: Heated Rivalry - 4th rewatch. Everything else is having to fit around that!

CREATING/LEARNING: several, projects on the go/nearing completion - spring wreath, Halloween blanket, granny square blanket, hexicardi, granny square bags x 2. Might get one or two done by the end of the month.

CATS: all good.

VOLUNTEERING: one new task to complete as of meeting last week.

SOCIALISING: a 3 hour call with

gingerpig consisting of two hours of Heated Rivalry squee and one of catching up. A formal "WiLlYoUCoMeToMyCotTageThisEAsTer" invitation extended to

ravurian - because, thanks to Show, I'm never going to be able to invite anyone to the cottage unless I adopt concussed-and-ever-so-slightly-high Shane's rhythm of speech.

WORK: much improvement - BRAG quarterly meeting went well, the Seed Swap was a success, the three consecutive Saturday's of work are over until 28 March which is my next weekend day of work. I've started the current round of inspections which is generating a ton of admin (which is this coming week's issue), I need to carve out some time to dealing with financial year end (how is it almost the end of March?!!!) and reprofile the capital budget.

It's going to be a long work week - think I'm going to work from home tomorrow as I should be able to plough through a chunk of admin uninterrupted. Tuesday through Friday lunchtime will be office days and site visits. Then I've got 30 bags of compost to shift from a site wide delivery down to my plot on Friday afternoon - say a prayer for my knees and back! Keeping my fingers crossed for sunshine and blue skies next week.

autobotscoutriella

*looks at the weather radar*

*giant wall of purple headed directly for my town*

Cool, I really wanted to make decisions tonight about tornado sirens. I definitely don't need a good night's sleep. It's fiiiiiiine.

ruric

LOL I am all up in everything HR so much so that it's not even funny. :o)

So the last time I posted I was 5 days in, had watched it once, bought the books and was just about to start a second rewatch - that was last Saturday.

I read all 6 books in 2.5 days, completed a second rewatch, randomly watched eps 3-6 across 4 nights (because why not?) and then decided it would be fun to match reading the relevant chapters of HR and then watch the relevant episodes. I got as far as ep 3 and then got distracted by more cast interviews and HR insta and threads.

Yeserday I disappeared down the YouTube rabbit hole of fan vids - so now I have 193 open tabs across 2 browser windows, there's music playing, I have no idea where it's coming from and I'm in the middle of curating playlists on my YouTube. I need to remember how to DL from YouTube because I want a good chunk of those vids accessible to me at all times and never worry about them being pulled.

I may be curating playlists on Spotify for my gym workouts because HR bvidders use great music for their vids. And...um...I have a bunch of meta posts bookmarked to go back and read properly after the current rewatch.

Still noticing new things - all the subtle little whispered remarks that weren't obvious on first or second viewing. I need to see the whole series on a screen bigger than my tablet.

I'm catching up on the cast interviews which I'm finding delightful and astonishing. I mean the 3 minute social media sound bites, wild humour and meeting fans where they live was an absolute gift - but the long form interviews with their openness, vulnerability and in depth discussions are just blowing my mind.

Still steering clear of fanfic - because there are only 24 hours in a day - and I'm not sure I have time for an "Inception" level fandom event in my life - though I suspect I'm fighting a failed rearguard action there. Inception inhabited my brain for 2.5 years and with S2 of Heated Rivalry not airing until '27 and (please god) a potential further season - it's quite possible I'll be fully consumed by this until 2028.

Around all of that it's been super busy at work and I've been making a bunch of appointments/ running errands which come under the heading of "Get Your Shit Together" but for the first time in months I feel like I'm fully firing on all cylinders.

Not sure how much of that is down to the Little Canadian Hockey Romance That Could or whether it's due to the fact that we've had more than a few days of sunshine, warmth and blue skies (and not the dreary grey, wet and miserable days we've had since before Christmas) - whatever! I'm running with it.

goddess47

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Hurt/Comfort Exchange

February 2026

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Page Summary

rachelmanija - My Darling Dreadful Thing, by Johanna van Veen
qweermonkey - fang frenzy '26
autobotscoutriella - WIP...Thursday? yeah let's go with that
maevedarcy - vampiremedia's April Drabblethon!
dannye_chase - Writing prompts for Urban Legends
mxcatmoon - All good things must... (and spicy under the cut!)
ruric - HR - Oscars and parties
dannye_chase - Four Reasons Your Really Great Story was Rejected
mxcatmoon - Miami Vice fic: Redemption by Grace
autobotscoutriella - there might be snow on the ground but at least I have kittens
dannye_chase - New Vampire Haven sneak peak
autobotscoutriella - (no subject)
mxcatmoon - Down Detector -- the hot new social media site! ;)
autobotscoutriella - (no subject)
meridian_rose - Seasons of Fandom landcomm promotion
artemisdart - Chapter 12 of Live Wire; and new Black Chrysalis
ruric - Weeks 9-11 - this year is zooming by!
autobotscoutriella - (no subject)
ruric - Heated Rivalry update
goddess47 - Feeding the Masses - Stargate Atlantis (PG)

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Hurt/Comfort Exchange

Member Posts

My Darling Dreadful Thing, by Johanna van Veen

fang frenzy '26

WIP...Thursday? yeah let's go with that

vampiremedia's April Drabblethon!

Writing prompts for Urban Legends

Want to write a story about an urban legend?

Spring-Heeled Jack: Dastardly Victorian Cryptid

Room for One More: a Deadly Invitation

The Vanishing Hitchhiker

Mirrors (Including Bloody Mary)

The Mysterious Ouija Board

All good things must... (and spicy under the cut!)

HR - Oscars and parties