Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 80

Hell House, by Richard Matheson

A dying rich man pays four people to go to investigate a haunted house.

"It's the Mount Everest of haunted houses, you might say. There were two attempts to investigate it, one in 1931, the other in 1940. Both were disasters. Eight people involved in those attempts were killed, committed suicide, or went insane. Only one survived, and I have no idea how sound he is."

The one survivor, the young psychic Fischer, is one of the four. The others are Florence, a medium who believes in ghosts, Barrett, a psychic investigator who believes that there are no ghosts and all psychic phenomena are caused by human psychic energy, and Barrett's wife Edith, who has severe anxiety and comes along because Hell House scares her less than being alone for the weekend. The characters were a lot more interesting and sympathetic than I expected, given that they're dealing with sixteen quadrillion different supernatural manifestations around the clock.

Richard Matheson is best known for rather restrained, deadpan scary stories. Apparently that just pent up his desire to really cut loose. I feel a bit odd calling a book with this much rape "charming," but it's so enthusiastically batshit that I picture him hurling the metaphoric kitchen sink at his characters every thirty seconds, with great glee, and this charmed me. This is not a book which lacks for incident.

Here is a list of all psychic phenomena which have occurred at Hell House:

Apparitions; Apports; Asports; Automatic drawing; Automatic painting; Automatic speaking; Automatic writing; Autoscopy; Bilocation; Biological phenomena; Book tests; Breezes; Catalepsy; Chemical phenomena; Chemicographs; Clairaudience; Clairsentience; Clairvoyance; Communication; Control; Crystal gazing; Dematerialization; Direct drawing; Direct painting; Direct voice; Direct writing; Divination; Dreams; Dream communications; Dream prophecies; Ectoplasm; Eidolons; Electrical phenomena; Elongation; Emanations; Exteriorization of motricity; Exteriorization of sensation; Extras; Extratemporal perception; Eyeless sight; Facsimile writing; Flower clairsentience; Ghosts; Glossolalia; Hyperamnesia; Hyperesthesia; Ideomorphs; Ideoplasm; Impersonation; Imprints; Independent voice; Interpenetration of matter; Knot tying; Levitation; Luminous phenomena; Magnetic phenomena; Materialization; Matter through matter; Metagraphology; Monition; Motor automatism; Newspaper tests; Obsession; Paraffin molds; Parakinesis; Paramnesia; Paresthesia; Percussion; Pantasmata; Poltergeist; Psychic rods; Psychic sounds; Psychic touches; Psychic phenomena; Psychokinesis; Psychometry; Radiesthesia; Radiographs; Raps; Retrocognition; Scriptograph; Sensory automatism; Skin writing; Skotography; Slate writing; Smells; Somnambulism; Stigmata; Telekinesis; Teleplasm; Telescopic vision; Telesthesia; Transfiguration; Transportation

There needs to be a bingo card for these, where you need feature one of these phenomena in a story ala hurt/comfort bingo. It would be good for Halloween. Also educational, since I don't know what half of these are and even Matheson couldn't jam them all in. I still don't know what flower clairsentience is and regret that I don't think it appears in the book. Such a tragic oversight. If you put flower clairsentience on the wall in Act I, someone needs to telepathically commune with a rosebush by Act III.

Early on, they get the history of Hell House's original owner, the subtly named Belasco, who had a perma-orgy going on which ended when the servants all fled and no one did the laundry. I am totally serious. The ultimate downfall of Satanic orgy cultists is the same as with any commune: no one wants to do the dishes.

This book is trashy fun if you're in the mood for one bazillion psychic phenomena, ghosts vs psychic energy arguments, tragic damaged psychics, and the hot medium getting felt up by everyone from repressed lesbian Edith strip-searching her before a seance to ensure that there's no cheating to ghosts to floating severed hands. It was too gonzo to be truly scary for me, though it did have some good scary moments, but it was a lot of fun.

There are a pair of shocking reveals at the end, both of which fell completely flat for me, one because it depends on what I suspect was a topic of great interest at the time of writing which is just not a thing at all anymore, and one because it's completely ludicrous.

( Read more... )

I listened to this on audio, with narration by Ray Porter. Audio version recommended if you plan to listen in your car, or live in an isolated area, or don't care if anyone hears a great booming voice coming from your home, saying, "Let his God cock sink into my mouth," she said. "Let me drink his holy, burning jism."


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Tom Corbett: Space Cadet: Stand by for Mars, Space Pirates, & Revolt on Venus: Carey Rockwell

I only recently learned that Tom Corbett is not Tom Swift. They are different early boys' space adventure, but both charmingly retro. I read these in the hope of writing a Yuletide treat for a long-unfilled request, and ended up enjoying them on their own merits. They're all available for free on Project Gutenberg.

"Carey Rockwell" was a house name, like Carolyn Keen or Franklin W. Dixon. The actual authors are unknown. Willy Ley was attached as a science advisor, so I'm guessing some of the science (probably the physics) is correct; however it was written in 1954 so there are jungles full of dinosaurs on Venus and breathable air and canals on Mars.

Stand by for Mars

"Cool your jets, space creep!"

The first half is a boys' boarding school story, complete with sports and tests and rivalries and bonding, only it's an academy of prospective space cadets so the sports are mercuryball and space chess. Which brings me to one of the most delightful things about the book: everything is space. They dress in space suits made out of space cloth, eat space burgers (no I'm not kidding) and say things like "Cut the rocket wash, you space-brained idiot!"

Even more delightfully, later in the book they discover the spaceship's emergency supplies include gallons of "Martian water."

The first half of the book introduces our heroes, Tom Corbett from Earth (natural leader), Astro from Venus (big lunk who's great with mechanics), and Roger (snarky, fight-picking genius asshole with secret angst). They're stuck on a team together and Roger doesn't get along, but Tom realizes that he can't be that bad when he catches him secretly crying over an exhibit in a space museum.

The second half is even better. That's when they have an epic survival, hurt-comfort, and bonding experience when they crash on Mars and have to slog through the desert with barely any water.

Leaning into premise rating: A+. It's exactly what it sounds like, only more so.

The illustrations are half rockets and planets, and half pictures of the characters focusing on their butts like a G-rated Tom of Finland.

If this sounds like the sort of thing you like, you will certainly like it.

On the Trail of the Space Pirates

"Well, blast me for a Martian mouse."

Tom, Roger, and Astro, now good friends though Roger remains snarky, solve a well-constructed space mystery, visit a space prison, and get in a space battle. In the course of this, Roger gets knocked unconscious and dangled over a pit, and Tom faces torture and, in a surprisingly moving scene, death by hypoxia when he's stranded in space and running out of oxygen.

The Revolt on Venus

"I'm getting to be as suspicious as an old space hen."

Tom, Roger, and Astro visit Astro's home planet of Venus for a vacation hunting Tyrannosaurus rex, only to run headlong into a space conspiracy. Roger once again plays the damsel in distress and chosen wobble. There's some great descriptions of the Venusian landscape, and a couple neatly constructed plot twists.

I ran out of time and did not write that Yuletide treat, but scioscribe stepped in with a wonderful 8000 word story, full of hurt-comfort and camaraderie and retro charm and gentle shippiness and space everything, Spaceman's Luck.

All the books for free download on Project Gutenberg.

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Dear Chocolate Boxer...

Dear Chocolatier,

Thank you for writing for me! If you have any questions, please check with the mods. I am a very easy recipient and will be delighted with whatever you write for me. I have no special requirements beyond what's specifically stated in my DNWs. I'm fine with all POVs (i.e., first, second, third), tenses, ratings, etc.

I would enjoy any art treats if any of my prompts inspire you visually.

My AO3 name is Edonohana.

I like hurt-comfort, action/adventure, domestic life, worldbuilding, evocative descriptions, camaraderie, loyalty, trauma recovery, learning to love again or trust again or enjoy life again, miniature things, and animals.

I have requested a bunch of these canons before. All prompts in previous exchanges are still valid and welcomed. You can find them by clicking on the "fic exchange letter" tag.

( General DNWs )

( Crossover Fandom )

( Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin )

( Marvel (comics) )

( Original Works )

( The Stand - Stephen King )

( Star Trek - Various Authors  )

( True Detective )

( Torchwood )

( Us (movie 2019 )

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Yuletide Reveals: My Stories

This Yuletide I wrote six stories! I had a wonderful time writing them. Every single one of them just flowed, which I don't think has ever happened before - usually I struggle with at least one of them.

I've placed any spoilery notes for them under the cuts. Ideally, read the story before reading any notes below cuts. This goes quadruple for "You're Wrong About Misericorde," which I think is most fun if you read it completely unspoiled.

Don't Need to Know Canon Beyond Osmosis

The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. The Golden Apple, for nitpickyabouttrains. The Endless offer a dreamer a choice.

All you need to know to read the story is that the Endless are godlike beings who rule and represent qualities such as death (and life), dreams (and imagination), etc.

( Spoilery notes on The Golden Apple )

"You're Wrong About" Podcast. You're Wrong About Misericorde, for NaomiK. Sarah tells Mike about the lost horror movie that became an urban legend.

All you need to know to read the story is that "You're Wrong About" is a podcast exploring what we're wrong about. They've had episodes debunking Koko the gorilla, exploring the social context behind Princess Diana, etc.

My notes on the story are spoilery. Very, very spoilery. Once again, I think this will be a lot more fun if you read the story first and my notes second.

scioscribe was an enormous help in brainstorming this story, and she actually wrote a section of it. Which part is spoilery.

( Spoilery notes on You're Wrong About Misericorde )

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The Space Garden, for fresne . 9360 words.

When Meri La Nix was sent from the Mars colony to live with her aunt at Missiles Wait Manor, nobody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. But some of them thought it.

This was a late pinch hit. fresne prompted for a complete re-imagining of the story, and had "IN SPACE" as a possibility, so I jumped at it. The next thing I knew, I was madly attempting to retell the entire book in 48 hours. IN SPACE.

So yes, I wrote 9300 words in 48 hours. It was possible largely because the entire plot was already written for me, and also due to help from sholio and scioscribe , who suggested "York Station" and "Missiles Wait Manor." The worldbuilding was informed by my recent discovery of The Expanse TV series.

Should Know Canon

Iron Fist: Fluffy, for sholio . 4802 words. Ward gets turned into a kitten.

I'd been idly wanting to write her Iron Fist for a while, but her "Ward gets turned into a kitten" prompt that inspired me. I thought it would be the most obvious thing I'd ever written, but surprisingly, it was not.

Ward has a lot of cat-like attributes, which was fun to play with in this story. I also appreciated Iron Fist's commitment to random ninjas showing up at any opportunity, which spared me from having to do more than hand wave the actual plot and just focus on kitten!Ward.



The New Mutants (comics).

I was delighted to see so many requests for this beloved fandom of my teenage years, and originally intended to treat all of them. I ended up running out of time, but I did at least get to treat two of them. There were a lot of prompts I loved, but I ended up going with my two favorites, which were "Write from Catseye's POV" and "What's it like for Illyana to meet our Ororo after she knew Limbo's Ororo?"

Funplace, for sheliak . 2032 words. Catseye/Rahne. Catseye and Rahne sneak away from a fight to visit a county fair.

Catseye is one of my favorite characters and her barely-subtext with Rahne is off the charts. Their canon dynamic is sneaking off together to have fun while their teams are fighting or otherwise engaged, so I just needed a suitable location.

She canonically has a very odd way of speaking, grew up believing that she was a cat who could turn into a girl, and is genius-level intelligent. She was an extremely fun character to write from her own perspective because she's so quirky and so utterly without angst. It was my first time writing the Hellions, whom I really like.

Seeds, for genarti . 1168 words. Ororo has a garden. There’s not much I can be sure of, but I’m sure of this. It’s true in both the worlds I know. Maybe it’s true in all worlds, all timelines, all dimensions where there’s an Ororo.

Illyana gets so much first-person narration that I ended it writing it that way - it really made the story flow for me. I wrote this last-minute for Madness so I couldn't do much plot:

This one got the delightful comment from genarti , "This is note-perfect Illyana narration voice, and packs an impressive amount of characterization into "Character A gives Character B a houseplant."" Did you guess I wrote it?

Plants, of course, have unusual significance for both of them.



I hope those of you who wrote stories will do reveal posts talking a bit about them. I always enjoy reading them.

Comments open to discuss any of the stories and their canons. Spoilers for both stories and canons are fine in comments - no need to do rot13 or otherwise encode them. Just be aware of that if you read the comments.

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Yuletide Recs, Part III

Don't Need to Know Canon

Young Woman with Unicorn, a painting by Raphael.  

The Unbroken Wheel. 2200 words. This strange, bewitching story really does capture the atmosphere of the painting. 

Just Osmosis Knowledge is Fine

Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton. All you need to know is that Malory Towers is a girls' boarding school by the sea, and Bill (butch, brash) and Clarissa (femme, shy) are two horse-mad students who love each other and Bill's horse Thunder, and want to start a riding school together after they graduate. However, if you don't know canon, read these stories in the listed order; the second depends more on having an idea of the characters. 

Both these stories are best unspoiled though for different reasons, so I will just say that they are GREAT and involve elements of fantasy. 

Thunder. 1200 words. Bill/Clarissa. Thunder gallops through a fairy ring... or is it just happenstance and driftwood?

Where the Lovelight Gleams. 3800 words. Bill/Clarissa. Post-canon, Bill and Clarissa return to Malory Towers.

Should Know Canon

Terminator - Dark Fate

What We Make. Grace Harper/Dani Ramos. 1055 words. I can't believe this story is so short, given how satisfying and meaty it is. 

Devuelvete. 11,500 words. Grace Harper/Dani Ramos. A time-travel fix-it with plenty of action and pining. 

Ladyhawke 

A House for the Mouse. 900 words. Philippe comes home. A warm, sweet, cozy story, very much in the tone of the movie.

What have you enjoyed this Yuletide? How has your Yuletide experience been?

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Listening to Audible Audio in Car

Technical help please! I can't find anything that addresses this specific problem.

I want to listen to Audible audiobooks in my car. When I use a usb cable to plug my phone into the car and then hit "aux" on the car audio system, the car panel says "unsupported" and the audiobook plays from my phone, not through the car audio system.

Is there any way to fix this?

ETA: I got it! I needed a different cable.

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Yuletide Recs, Part II

Don't Need to Know Canon

17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future - Jon Bois. Afterlife.

I actually don't know anything about this canon other than that it's set in a future where everyone is immortal. The story is all original characters in that setting, following a group of people saved by the organ donation of a young man who died right before everyone became immortal. It's a lovely look at mortality and immortality, full of hope and human feeling and cats.

Katmai National Park Bear Cams. A Day at the River

Interactive fiction in which you get to spend a day as a bear, with little bear videos of you-the-bear playing and catching salmon and so forth. Very very soothing.

The Sea Witch - Adrien Amilhat. Invocation to the Weaver of Waters

Make webs of water, O wave woman
Knot nets of nacre that gnaw like knives

Absolutely gorgeous 100-word alliterative poem based on a painting which is shown at the top of the link.

Just Osmosis Knowledge Might Be Okay?

His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman. Of No Mean Endeavour, and Not a Little Altered

Mary Malone, scientist and former nun, gets to know her daemon, remembers her time in the world of the mulefa, and carries on with life on Earth; Atal, the being she loved in the world of the mulefa, remembers her time with Mary Malone and carries on with life on her own world.

This story is SO GOOD. It's excellent HDM post-series fanfic catching up with the characters that's also very solid anthropological science fiction about two intelligent beings who fall in love and make it work, and then have to continue to make their lives work after they're separated. It's very humane and touching, with a terrific structure.

I think you could read this just based on a vague knowledge of who the characters are and what happens in the books; I actually dipped into a wiki before reading it because I didn't recall the last book very well. It has some explicit xeno sex that's essential to the plot and themes, and some discussion of religion. (Mary is an atheist but isn't preachy about it).

Should Know Canon

Earth's Children - Jean Auel. The Woods of Change.

DURC AND AYLA REUNION.

Finisterre: The Nighthorses - C. J. Cherryh. Raindrops on Roses.

A lovely look at Jennie and Rain, doing their job in the ambient.

Hell House - Richard Matheson. Until we Meet Again.

Undoing the happy ending. HEED THE TAGS. Extremely well-written and horrifying in all sorts of ways.

Lord Peter Wimsey. Village Perspective. A charming drabble featuring Miss Climpson.

The Princess Bride. Fit as a Fiddle and Ready for Love. A delightful Valerie/Miracle Max drabble.

The Shawshank Redemption. Out on the Water. A post-movie drabble, peaceful and lovely.

The Stand - Stephen King. Christening.

Flagg/Lloyd, right after Flagg takes him from his cell. HEED THE TAGS. Extremely well-written, with a great King voice and everyone very much in-character.

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Yuletide Recs, Part I

I am having an absolutely wonderful Yuletide, and I hope you are too. At last, there is a 2020 landmark I will remember with fondness and delight.

Here are a few stories I've enjoyed so far:

Don't need to know canon:

The Repair Shop (UK TV) & The Chronicles of Narnia & The Portrait of Dorian Gray & Harry Potter. This week on the Repair Shop: a Time Turner, a Victorian Portrait, and an antique wardrobe.

Lucia turns her talents to a lost Victorian masterpiece. Will’s abilities will be tested by a special wardrobe, and Steve has an extremely unusual timepiece.

If you have even a vague familiarity with the crossover canons, all you need to know to enjoy this delightful story is that The Repair Shop is a show about repairing people's battered but prized possessions.

The Christmas Cottage, by Thomas Kinkade. The Only Place That's Real.

Every so often someone would come through the village, looking for the cottage. This time it was a man in a fine silk suit and a faraway look in his eyes.

This story is based on a pair of paintings which are linked at the beginning, and that's all you need to know. It's a chilling piece of old-school horror: no gore or violence, just finely crafted eeriness.

Should know canon:

And Then There Were None - 2015 TV adaptation of Agatha Christie novel. Never Be Drowned.

Vera Claythorne is trapped in a time loop.

The adaptation was extremely faithful so if you've only read the book, this story will still work perfectly. It's a chilling, chilly, beautifully written portrait of Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, and Judge Wargrave.

Crossroad (a Star Trek novel), by Barbara Hambly. Name and Nest.

It is no small thing to no longer be alone.

One of my two gifts, and it's ambitious and amazing, with a beautifully executed alien POV and packing a whole lot of plot and worldbuilding into a short length. The year's most heartwarming story about eldritch space horrors.

Dragaera, by Steven Brust & Gashlycrumb Tinies, by Edward Gorey. Gashleycrumb Dragaerans.

A is for Aliera, soul mislaid by mistake
B is for Baritt who crossed the wrong snake

Yuletide was made for this.

Terminator: Dark Fate. Respite.

After a couple of months, Grace wakes up.

One of my two gifts, this is the fix-it fic we all need, a sweet, funny, cozy, and comforting story of three tough women getting a bit of much-needed rest and hope and comfort.

The Tillerman Cycle, by Cynthia Voigt. Cherry Stone.

Four people Maybeth Tillerman learned from (and one she taught).

I always wished Voigt had written a book about Maybeth, who was one of my favorite characters. This story is beautifully written and heartfelt, with so many perfectly characterized and illuminating cameos by the rest of the cast that it really feels like that missing book, even though it's only 4500 words.

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Countdown to Yuletide!

Anyone else taking the day to write or finish last-minute treats?

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Yuletide Poll

The Yuletide Main Collection.

The Yuletide Madness Collection.

Presents can be shaken by clicking on the fandom, then clicking on the tags to the right.

View Poll: #25017

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