Drunk December Report: Some Holiday Scares and Spooks

December is finally about to bow out of the game. Have you all survived yet or just barely? I don’t know about you, but Christmas Eve in my tiny pocket of this world was tiring. It’s taking me days to recover. Heck, I am still recovering as I type this down. Introvert problems, yeah? But on to some holiday ~~cheer~~ scares. You read that right: scares. Because what would this blog be without something horror, right?

This week’s highlight: A really good scary story from a podcast I recently listened to, but my memory is foggy. Please don’t hate me.

Scariest shit I have heard this week is about a pair of newlyweds who moved in to a cabin in a pretty remote area. One night, husband goes out to buy some food his pregnant wife is craving. It was about an hour’s drive. Wife is left alone, sitting on the couch and watching TV. And then she heard a voice by their front door. It was her husband’s voice, but also not her husband’s voice. I forgot what the voice said but I think it was to let “him” in. The wife is terrified because now she is convinced that that voice definitely doesn’t belong to her husband. Then she hears the sound of something scraping along the walls of their front porch. She gets even more terrified. And then she remembers she forgot to close the curtains. So she just throws her blanket over herself, terrified and crying as the creature outside alternates between mimicking her husband’s voice and snarling like the terrifying and unearthly creature it was. Wife doesn’t know how long this went on but then suddenly she hears the front door open and then her husband asking her what’s wrong. Wife throws away the blanket, relieved her husband is now with her. Still crying, she tells him what just happened. They call the cops but of course the cops found nothing.

Fast forward four or five years later: Same cabin, same husband and wife. Except this time, they now have two kids. This time, the wife leaves her husband and kids for work. It was already dark when her husband calls her and asks her where she is. Wife laughs at him, telling him she was at work. Of course. Then she realizes something is wrong. Right on cue, her husband says someone was outside their home and he swears it was her, telling them to let her come inside. The husband, being the smart man he is, didn’t open the door. But then the creature came after their kids, asking them to let “mommy” in. Once the kids caught on that it wasn’t their mommy, they began crying. So now the husband and kids are huddled together, talking to the wife over the phone in hushed voices. Wife gets scared but then goes full-on mommy bear mode. It was one thing to mess with her all those years ago. It was another thing to mess with her family. So she hightailed out of her office and then put the pedal to the metal as she drove back home.

This is where it gets fuzzy and I’m sorry. (I was already drifting off to sleep by the time it got to this part.) The wife is in her car, by the gate of their home. She could see the creature and neither of them was backing down. I think the creature started going for her but the wife wouldn’t budge. In the end, the creature was gone and the wife and her family escaped from that awful house. If I come across that podcast episode again, I will let you know.

Just read: a haunted house story that has one great but grim past

“The Haunting of Rookward House” by Darcy Coates started out so well. A guy named Guy inherits a house from his mom. He is still healing from his past, where something unspeakable happened, thanks to his quick temper. Guy was elated when he found out about Rookward House, thinking this was it. This was the start of his new beginning. All set and determined, he begins to fix the huge house. All alone. An old, crumbling house that would take hours on foot to get to the nearest area where there is at least one single soul. A soul that isn’t you. If that doesn’t scream red flag, I don’t know what does. But Guy. Guy is the hero here, so he’s set and he’d put on his big boy pants. He proceeds to fixing the house. Sure, there are phantom voices, odd dreams, those weird photos hanging on the wall by the stairs, clothes that have questionable brownish stains on them, and more. But who cares? Guy doesn’t. He has bigger demons to demolish. But the house gets the best of him and he suddenly can’t ignore Rookward and its grim history anymore.

This book was good because of its pacing, its taut and tense scenes, and the imagery it gave off. I loved how the story just seemed to come alive. It’s a good haunted house story. Creepy, eerie, with things going bump in the night. What I don’t like is Guy and his questionable choices. But eh, this is a horror fiction so I might as well just jump in and enjoy the ride, right? I mean, Guy is just a human set in an isolated place where literal ghosts haunt the house. Top that off with a past he is trying to overcome and you’ve got a horror story that’s good for easy reading.

I’m watching: creepy immortals, blood-thirsty monsters, and awful human beings in one great show

“Bulgasal: Immortal Souls” was something I started watching without any expectations. Truth be told, I was in it for the actor playing the male lead AND the supernatural elements of the plot. But then two episodes in and it has my heart (and possible soul) already. Where to start? The pilot episode was action-packed and intense. Also gory. I squirmed and grimaced, even fast-forwarded those scenes. I am a fragile flower (haha!) but I loved this kdrama so much that I powered through, teeth gritted and armed with nothing but my love for the supernatural. And this show did not disappoint. There were past lives, reincarnation, scary monsters, even scarier immortals, and humans just being plain being awful. (There were a few who were okay, though. That’s both a consolation and a relief. Whew!)

The story centers on Dan Hwal, an immortal out for revenge on the creature who took his soul. For hundreds of years, Hwal searched high and low for the reincarnation of the creature responsible for the misfortune and heartbreaks in his life. When he finally found the reincarnated creature, this time in the human form of Min Sang-un, he finds himself entangled with her fate. And this just wasn’t between the two of them. As it turns out, there are other beings who want Min Sang-un and there is no way he is giving up his revenge. Hwal wants her for himself.

“Bulgasal: Immortal Souls” has just started, so there are only four episodes out right now. It has 16 episodes total and is slated to end on February 6th. If you’re into supernatural stories that’s action-packed and wow intense! Then this kdrama might just be your cup of tea.

P.S. Plus points for the OST.

I’m listening

Unexplained Encounters is a horror podcast and it is A GEM. If I’m not mistaken, this is where I heard the story I told at the beginning of this post. I have been binge-listening on it ever since I discovered it about a month ago. Each episode is worth it listening to. Some of the best minutes of my life. I highly recommend this podcast if you’re a horror fan, too.

I’m consuming

Starbucks’ chocolate cloud cake is just utter perfection. It isn’t too sweet. It’s fluffy and chocolatey. Definitely one of my favorite cakes ever. I may or may not have gone to Starbucks more times that I’d care to admit because of this cake.

I recommend:

Seth Pool’s newsletter because there is something addicting about his writing. Descend into Insanity with Seth is funny and he talks about mundane, everyday things but always, always with wit and humor. Also rawness. I appreciate that and I love it. I wish I could convey snippets of my life experiences with as much wit and humor. I really enjoyed “i hate people who type in all lowercase.” You may want to start with that one and then subscribe as well.

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Did you know?

I have a newsletter, too! Oh yes, I do! I mostly write about kdramas and life. I swear, kdramas are one of the few things helping me keep my shit together. It’s my daily dose of escapism, right along with books. Here are some of my personal favorites, if you want to check them out: