Fannish 50: 2024: Everything is Murder edition: #41: Ghost Stories of MR James

I really enjoy MR James' ghost stories. They are of a time and place and quality, but for me, they are always spooky, always eerie, always entertaining, no matter how many times I read them (or listen to them). James was a Cambridge medieval scholar and his stories have to do with scholars finding relics, old books, on their travels or having weird things happen to them.

I have had an audiobook version of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary narrated by Stephen Crichow and David Timson on repeat for most of the month, and there is a Youtube channel who does a very good job of them too. That's Classic Ghost Stories Podcast with Tony Walker. And the MR James playlist is here.

I really tried to channel his subtle style in my Spook Me offerings even though they are not in those fandoms. I have written a story in a MR James fandom, specifically, "Casting the Runes."



I just posted a MR James triple drabble which mentions one of James' most famous stories, "The Mezzotint."

Title: An indifferent mezzotint
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Rating: Gen
Length: 300
Prompt: fatuous
Notes: references to MR James story "The Mezzotint"
Summary: Sherlock gets some unusual anonymous gifts on Hallowe'en night.

( Read more... )

And turns no more his head (900 words) by okapi
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Casting the Runes - M. R. James
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Edward Dunning/Henry Harrington
Characters: Edward Dunning, Henry Harrington
Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hand Jobs, Oral Sex, Kinktober 2019, Intercrural Sex
Summary:

Three scenes between Edward Dunning & Henry Harrington of M. R. James' short story "Casting the Runes."

( The list )

Views & News: Kokomo edition

1. The family is leaving for Aruba in less than 12 hours!! I need to finish packing.

2. I did another long run today. This one in 1:37:11 so I am still under the 2-hour limit. They call it the SAG wagon that picks you up if you are too slow. My only goal is to cross the finish line alive and ahead of the sag wagon.

3. I got my race packet. I was worried it would arrive while I was gone or be lost but, no, it arrived (parking pass, shirt, and bib). I am #90172. So the race is 9 am on 10 Nov. It is a 10 km race across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I hope I don't fly off.

I have to do a State of the Ficcery today, too, so I will leave the rest for that. I will not be back until Tuesday 5 Nov.

25 OCT: Global Champagne Day: Champagne. Yay or nay?

I love champagne and the cheaper sparkling wine derivatives and the mixed drinks with it. Bring on the brunch Mimosas!

26 OCT: Howl at the Moon Night: Do you like werewolves?

Yes. Watson is a werewolf in one of my Sherlock Holmes AUs and given the adjacent werewolf-ness of Omegaverse, I spend a lot of time in that kind of world.

27 OCT: Visit a Cemetery: When’s the last time you visited a cemetery? I went to see the one my great aunt was buried in a long time ago. I was in my 20's. It was in Mobile, Alabama. I haven't been to the one my mother is buried in since the funeral which was 31 years ago. There isn't a reason for me to go back there.

28 OCT: Saint Jude’s Day: What do you consider a lost cause? People who like and vote for Trump. He is a hateful idiot. And you think it's a good idea to give him control of nuclear weapons.

29 OCT: Hermit Day: Does the hermit lifestyle appeal to you, why or why not? Yes. With independent wealth and lots of art and crafting supplies, sign me up!

30 OCT: Candy Corn Day: Candy Corn. Yay or nay? Yay! I bought my 3rd bag today. Nom, nom.

Video: Yoga for Blood Flow (Yoga with Adriene)

I am still trying to do Yoga with Adriene at least every other day. She has some Halloween-inspired ones. I like this one better than Yoga for Zombies. I have not tried Bride of Plankenstein yet. :)

Watch on YouTube

The State of the Ficcery: November 2024

Word Count for November: 31,466

Word Count Year to Date: 283,875

Reading: I finished 3 books this month: Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie; the BTS book; and IT by Stephen King. The last was a 45-hour audiobook. I am taking the latest English translation of Seishi Yokomizo's series The Little Sparrow Murders with me on my trip as well as the Aruba guidebook, and I have a few pages left of my Nero Wolfe. I am hoping to pick up a book about Aruba, too, while I'm there, either a nonfiction historical book or some kind of popular fiction by an author from there.

I did a review of Five Decembers by James Kestrel for booknook's October Review-a-thon. It is here: https://booknook.dreamwidth.org/26429.html

Writing: 2 fills for emotion100 and 10 fills for sweetandshort and 1 for holmes_minor. I updated my soap opera, including special updates for Jimin's birthday and Halloween. I am to the last chapter of the second arc and there will be one more arc before next March when it ends. I have another BTS WIP pending.

I did two entries for Spook Me in Sherlock Holmes (ACD) and Venom. And really tried to channel the MR James vibe.

A Recipe for Roasted Squash (1200 words) by okapi
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson
Additional Tags: Spook Me Multi-Fandom Halloween Ficathon, Storytelling, Supernatural Elements, Squash Being the Root (Vegetable) of All Evil
Series: Part 19 of Spooky & Kooky (the Halloween fics)
Summary:

Holmes tells Watson about a cookery book he inherited from a great aunt.

For Spook Me. Supernatural elements. For this prompt: Evil Book/Grimoire.

The Sincerest Form of Flattery (1606 words) by okapi
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Venom (Marvel Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote
Characters: Eddie Brock, Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Spook Me Multi-Fandom Halloween Ficathon, POV Alternating, Hitchhiking
Summary:

A hitchhiker named Eddie gets something off (and in) his chest.

For 2024 Spook Me Challenge.

Crafting: My Super Secret Craft Projects are done! And they are on their way to their final destinations. I was worried I would die in Aruba or the apartment would blow up while we were gone and all my work would be for nothing so I finished them and mailed them off. 10 Halloween cards and 1 spread.

Personal: Dealing with the boys' father being gone and being back. Dealing with the boys' practices, meets, games, and forms. Training for the race. Planning for the trip. Eating too much candy corn!

Have a Happy Halloween!!

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