#& its fine. it won’t be forever. etc. but like god. haven’t i waited long enough

[ahotknife]

somehow getting myself through another day while knowing nobody’s in love with me

[ayearofpike]

Spooksville #10: The Wicked Cat

Pocket Books, 1996 128 pages, 12 chapters ISBN 0-671-55069-1 LOC: CPB Box no. 507 vol. 3 OCLC: 34952508 Released July 1, 1996 (per B&N)

When the Spook Squad finds a mysterious black cat, beautiful and well-cared-for, in the woods, they obviously suspect the worst. Except Sally, who's always wanted a cat. Except she hasn't, we find out later, and she probably wants it even less when she turns into a cat herself.

Questions that haven't been addressed up to this book:

What's the deal with Watch's family?

How long is this summer that these kids can keep having adventures?

Who the fuck is Bryce Poole?

What does Lemuria have to do with the weird shit that keeps happening?

Is Ann Templeton really evil, or just living down to her reputation?

We start to get some answers to that last one here, thanks to a centuries-long curse that makes itself apparent. The cat actually isn't too far from town — our buddies have finally decided not to stray so far from incorporated areas after the second alien abduction. Sally is instantly smitten, and indeed the cat is a gorgeous and sleek animal, if larger than they expect a cat to be, with big green eyes and no collar and no apparent owner. Still, the rest of the kids think that a cat that looks so nice must belong to someone, and so they convince Sally to put it down. But when it follows them back to town, she sees it as a sign that the cat wants to be hers. (The other kids really start dragging Sally here, suggesting that this cat must be blind or stupid or otherwise unattuned to Sally's negative qualities. But then again, it's often her sense of adventure and poor judgement that gets them into the scrapes they've been in.)

So they go to the ice-cream shop for a couple scoops, and the cat jumps up on the table. Cindy pushes it off, because animals don't belong on dining tables, and it immediately claws her in the leg. She gets mad at Sally for defending the cat and takes off for home, and the other three kids go to Sally's house, where they leave the cat in the yard and end up playing chess. The dog next door isn't sure about the new animal, so it's barking — up until the kids hear an enormous crash and a yelp. When they go outside, the neighbor's pine tree has fallen down and hit the dog. Adam and Watch climb the fence to check on it, and the dog is going to be fine, but the tree looks like it's been scorched with a lightning bolt. Obviously there have been no storms in the area, so like ... what happened?

The four meet up again later and go to Cindy's house, but she won't let the cat in because her mom's allergic. While they're making sandwiches, they smell smoke — and OH MY GOD the porch is on fire. The kids manage to put it out, and Watch notices four parallel lines of darker burning in the middle of the scorch mark, like someone dragged a laser across the porch to get the fire started. Now Cindy blames the cat, and wants Sally to get rid of it. So Sally tells Cindy to take a long walk off a short pier and goes home with her cat.

It's coming up on bedtime, so Sally climbs in and the cat jumps up and joins her. She has a very vivid dream of a young woman with thick black hair meeting up with her friend Madeline and staring into her eyes, and then suddenly wakes up to see the cat staring into her eyes. The cat tells her, psychically maybe, that it has power and Sally can share this power if she only wants to be a cat hard enough. And Sally can't look away, and she can't get up, and she can't resist.

The next day, the other three friends are having breakfast in the diner when a beautiful young woman with thick black hair and glowing green eyes asks to join them. She introduces herself as Jessie, someone who used to live in town a long time ago. She also tells them that she ran into Sally, who says that she's still mad and won't be hanging out with them for a while. She doesn't want to eat breakfast food, though — she wants a fish sandwich, or maybe a bowl of milk. After they eat, they go outside, where Jessie's brown cat is waiting — and she instantly kicks it. The other kids are appalled, obviously. But Jessie just sniffs and says they're less fun than she thought they would be, leaving them — and the cat — alone.

The kids try to find Sally to ask why she told this weirdo all about them, but she's not home. So now shit's gotten weird enough that the kids want to go seek out Bum. He doesn't know any kid who matches Jessie's description, and he remembers everyone who has lived in Spooksville for 60 years. But he has a suspicion: cats are often witch's familiars, and there's a high-profile witch around. Maybe this familiar got fed up with working for a witch and used its own power to trade species status with Sally. Sure enough, when he puts the brown cat down in the sand and tells it to write something, it scratches out Sally's name with its paws. So now they realize: Jessie is the black cat, Sally is the brown cat, and they've got a chore ahead of them to get 'em switched back.

They ask Ann Templeton, but she can't do it: it wasn't her spell in the first place and so she can't undo it. They have to convince Jessie to want to be a cat again. So Adam tracks her down and starts running down all the hassles of being a human kid in the 20th century: not eating fish, algebra, swimming in gym class, all the crap. Only maybe he pushes too far when he makes Jessie jump off the diving board at the pool and she almost drowns. Still, she acts nice to him and says she wants to show him a cool cave just outside town. Adam's had enough caves, but she's got a grip on his hand and won't take no for an answer.

Inside the cave is a skeleton, and Jessie tells him a story about a young man named Jack, who Madeline Templeton chained inside the cave and then bricked over the entrance 200 years ago because he didn't and wouldn't love her, and how the bricks fell only recently. She also mentions Jack's actual love, a beautiful raven-haired girl named Jessica, who Madeline punished as well. By turning her into a cat. Yeah, Jessie has caught on to the fact that they're on to her, and she's going to have to chain Adam up here next to her old love's bones. She lasers the old rusted metal together with beams from her eyes, and promises to come back with bricks and mortar later.

Meanwhile, Watch has gone to ask Ann Templeton for any more information. It turns out that she's been perusing Madeline's diary, and she wrote an entry about chaining up Jack and turning Jessica into a cat out of jealousy for a love she couldn't have. Ann Templeton (I just can't seem to use only one name for her) thinks that her great-etc.-grandmother must have offered Jessica some power, which is what got her into the cat body in the first place, and now Jessica has found a sucker to swap. But this might mean that Adam is in danger, and the witch kind of likes him, so she wants to scope out this cave where Jack was chained up all those years ago. She might also feel guilty about the crap her ancestor pulled, even though that doesn’t seem like something she’s capable of expressing. Still, maybe our witch is a good witch after all, at least when it suits her.

Inside the cave, the sun is going down, and Adam is crying about being stuck in here forever when he hears a voice telling him that he'll get used to it. Guess who it is? Hells YES the skeleton is talking! It tells him about the Madeline Templeton situation, but that somehow he hasn't died even though he's been blocked up in this cave for 200 years and all his flesh has rotted away. Magic, I guess. It's not too long after this that Jessie comes back — and she has with her the Sally-cat, Cindy, and a bag of cement, to trap everyone inside so they won't stop her from staying human. Adam scolds her for such evil, suggesting that Jack would be ashamed ... and indeed the skeleton speaks up and wants to know what happened to Jessica's good heart. I guess 200 years as a cat would fuck anybody up, though.

Only just then Ann Templeton shows up, and she wants to make amends and offer an apology on behalf of her ancestor. Jessica won't accept until she gives Jack back his body, and Ann Templeton is sad that she doesn't have the power to do that. BUT: what she CAN do is make Jack into a familiar immortal cat, just like Jessica was. Then he and Jessica could live forever together and start a new chapter, one where they're not separated by a brick wall that a cat isn't strong enough to knock down but a magical cat returned to human form is. After some hemming and hawing, and some persuasion from the skeleton hanging on the wall (who would, after all, probably really enjoy being able to stretch some legs in the sun, even if he has four of them now), Jessica accepts, and the last thing we hear as Ann Templeton activates her magic is Sally whining about how Cindy fed her when she was taking care of Sally-cat.

I liked this one too! It gives us a little bit more world-building, and touches on Ann Templeton's bad memories or thoughts about her daughter's father. But the story itself is relatively self-contained, and for that it works well. Maybe  I should have read these books back when they came out in the first place.

[dangermousie]

So, airing days etc for my Turkish shows (or ones I only sort of follow :P)

MONDAY

Cukur - God, I love everything about this show, that is all. It’s the only one where I am actually excited they are renewed!

Siyah Beyaz Ask - 26 eps out, haven’t watched the latest even because I am so irritated. I want me a dark mob love story between a surgeon and a killer, not some sort of weird rich family soap about whose baby is whose.

Soz - just started, so only on ep 7 even though 40+ are out. So far so good! Wish me luck!

Yasak Elma - my fluffy baby! I adore it though I am a little wary since only five eps aired and shows can go off the rails awfully quickly (5 eps in, I thought SBA had stellar writing too.) Still, I haunt the subbers’ places as soon as I can because I have no patience needing this. I think it’s doing decent enough in the ratings to not be closed soon so that’s good. (I don’t really care if they close it after a dozen eps - better than dragging it out forever, but I am glad that however many eps it runs, at least it won’t be one of those ‘ooops we cancel with two eps aired only who knows what the ending is’ shows.) 

It’s insane but all of my Top 4 airing shows air on Monday! I can get subs for all of them except Cukur the next day so that is fun (Cukur, sometimes yes, but sometimes I have to wait until Wednesday, not that I am complaining.)  

TUESDAY

Nothing. Just as well as I need to catch up with the Monday shows.

WEDNESDAY

Mehmed Bir Cihan Fatihi - oh God, I wanted to go to sleep with that one. I think most Sultanate shows are not for me.I do keep it in the back of my mind to maybe go back one day and watch clips of all the gorgeous outfits, but that’s it.

Sen Anlat Karadeniz - I make sure to watch the ep as soon as the subs are out unless I am feeling down, in which case I wait because ooooh boy is this a heavy show. Haven’t watched the latest ep yet because it’s so sunny and spring-like, I want a little lightness. With its ratings, I am pretty sure this can run as long as it wants so no idea if it’s gonna take a summer break or not.

THURSDAY

Bizim Hikaye - I think I am two eps behind - I am on ep 28. Only keep up with it in batches and sporadically, so I will probably won’t go back to it until there are ten more eps out. I think it’s renewed for another season but frankly I am fine either way. 

Servet - aka the less crazy Bir Mucize Olsun. Only one ep is out with subs and two aired, and I haven’t been in love with it though I sort of watched it in the background. Just as well, as I am pretty sure its ratings are getting it cancelled.

Vatanim Sensin - Fifty plus eps in with this one, OMG. Love the period setting, and the secondary OTP is my reason for obsession but I’ve heard it’s winding down relatively soon (May? June?) and no third season is likely to happen and I am fine with that, provided they give my secondary OTP a happy ending. I think they’ve pretty much said everything I wanted them to say by now.  

FRIDAY

Catch up day - aka I pretend to have other interests and do weird things like read and sleep.

SATURDAY

Fazilet Hanim ve Kizlari - I am 43 episodes in, God help me. I am reaching my limits with the negative aspects of this show so we will see how long the sheer awesomeness of YagHaz will prevail over that. I know it’s scheduled to go on hiatus some time in early summer - I am assuming June AND that we are getting a third season, God help us. Frankly, not sure I will be back for that one - I am getting more shipping from a war show like Soz or a spy show like Vatanim Sensin, for goodness’ sake! 

Insanlik Sucu - I only watched one ep and frankly didn’t love it (I’ve read it’s a loose take on American Tragedy, which might explain it - I always found Dreiser borderline unreadable) but I am keeping it on the backburner in case I have time later and it gets more to my tastes (I mean, first ep of Soz made me forswear it, and now I am in love with it.) I think 3 (?) eps are out. I know 2 are out with Russian subs but I am not super paying attention tbh. 

SUNDAY 

And the Lord rested on the 7th day aka no shows I watch air here.

[survivorcordillerablanca]

Episode 1 Confessionals

This is an interesting tribe. I feel at a bit of an advantage being that I am already in games and at the same tribe as some of the people on my tribe right now, I just hope this doesn't turn into a total fuck fest.

SO, My BFFL Ryan is on my tribe and im so excited. I know i can trust him with everything. I'm literally meeting him in 3 weeks irl so yeah lol. DO NOT EVER SEPARATE US. Anyways, I know jordan pines from India survivor and he's ok. I don;t think i'd ever trust him, but i have nothing against him. I know he pretty pushy in games. I know Jay because he's host me like 2 or 3 times in tumblr and that's scary because he saw how i play and how dangerous my connections and social game can be. Hopefully he takes it as well she's trustworthy so i'll work with her. Who knows. I know Jay and Jordan knows Ryan and I are friends too so that is dangerous. Ryan said he knows emma and can get her with us so that be baller. I'm going to try to make some more friends.

AAAAAAAAAAAAA. It started. Right away I felt a connection with Eric, Carson, and Zachary. I'm hoping I can be more strategic in this season than in Azores. Hoping to find myself in a majority alliance soon. Also all the returning players on my tribe are so good like 1st, 2nd, and 4th. Go them! Hope that they can teach me some tricks at how to play better.

I love my tribe! Jay n Luke n Emma n Jordan are my faves so far also

Okay so i'm back as one of the eight returnees, and i'm excited. I placed second in Bahamas, and i'm planning on making it to day 39 again but this time... actually winning. HOW ICONIC. WIG! Regarding like game-related talk, i'll just go through a first impressions type thing and just ramble I guess. So first, we have Bryce. He's someone I didn't know prior to this game, but he is a returnee. I kind of clicked with him at the start... and I do kind of want to have this unspoken truce between the returnees for the most part so that the newbies don't gather together and pick us off one by one. I don't have much to say about him to be honest. Carson, another returnee. I REALLY love Carson, and i'm glad we're reunited. We have only ever played one game together, and we weren't on the same side (he voted me out at final five rip). However, as he's one of the few that I know, i'm really excited to actually work with him. In addition, he's really social with me and I feel like our conversations aren't at all fake, but more genuine, and I like that. Charlotte. We are in two games together, this and Kuang Si (TS season). Although I don't think we're super close right now, I do want to work with her for various reasons. I trust her to an extent, and she is a returnee as well. However, i'm a little threatened cause she is a winner and she seems to do really good in various survivor orgs, so that's something to watch out for. Chris. I talked to him not once. I think i'll worry more though when it's appropriate, but he's definitely on the outs for me. Perhaps he talks to others more though. Next is Eric. I knew of him before this game started, but not really. We are, like Charlotte, in two games together, but we're not working together in either. However, I do like him and maybe him and I will forge a bond, but i'm not expecting much. I'll probably just try to make him a puppet of mine (it won't work likely hehe) Katie. Katie is my favourite newbie. Like, entirely I don't know her AT ALL, but she's really social and I like that. She's also competing hard and putting in effort in the immunity, which is respectable. I feel like she's someone that will go really deep in the game, so I would like to work with her but i'll probably try to get her out early jury. Lastly, but not at all least, is Willow. Her and I have a little history. She flipped and betrayed me in a game, but then again I never spoke to her so aJSFDKGFl. I know all my friends LOVE LOVE LOVE her so I am wanting to work with her all the way. I will die for her tbh. She's a sweetheart and I think her and I connect. Overall, I think im well situated with the cast, but you never know! Whew

Wow hi this confessional is long overdue but I've been super busy but I have some time let's GO!  I'm just gonna do a tribe analysis because why not: Adam: I've probably talked to him the least out of everybody but what conversation we have had has been nice. Nothing much else to say. Emily: Jordan says that he thinks he could potentially get her to work with us which is cool. I talked to her a little bit and idk she seems kind of difficult to talk to? Like the conversation all felt very weird to me but I guess we'll see how that goes. Jay: So Jay is a winner like me which is great because I was super nervous about being the only returning winner on my tribe so it's comforting that he's here but I think out of the two of us that I'm the winner that's more likely to be targeted. I think an alliance between me, him and Jordan is in the works so that's fun. Jordan: Okay so Jordan seemed super stoked to see me on this tribe since we haven't played together since Westeros happened. He immediately proposed an alliance of me, him and Jay with Willa on the side which I am fine with because we would have the numbers to at least tie a vote if it ends up being returnees vs. newbies but we'll see. Jordan also asked for a final 2 but I'm not going to the final 2 with Jordan, no way. He thinks he can trust me but I'm going to be the one holding the knife behind his back waiting to strike. Lexi: Lexi seems lovely! We talked the first day and the conversation flowed really well and she seems awesome. Jay says that he thinks Lexi could be the key we need to avoid a tie vote at tribal council because he hosted her in India. Since she is also a winner of an ORG I think we could rope her in since the newbies might see her as a threat so we'll see. Ryan: I haven't talked to him much, he seems nice and our first conversation was about food which is my greatest interest so that was iconic. I think I'd be interested in working with him down the line but we'll see how that goes! Willa: WILLA! I think Willa is awesome, I just hosted him in Forbidden Forest and whilst he didn't do well, I know how he plays because I hosted him. I also think that my connection with his boyfriend Kai will be enough for him to trust me. He already said he wants a new Kai that can be social for him and I offered up since I'm British and about as close to Kai as you can get since I was accused of catfishing as him lmfao. I think I can use Willa as a number more than anything. PS: this confessional made me realise how much i say "we'll see how it goes" 

I have nothing interesting to report yet. Everyone seems nice so it won't be fun if we have to vote someone out this week. Hard pass.

I WANT AN ALLIANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was picked a lot for the draft- nice.

I wasn't picked at all for the draft- sad.

Being that I want an alliance and I really don't care if I do bad because it's just a game, I am going to be straightforward and completely different from how I played previous seasons. Hopefully it works out for me, but I want someone who I can trust as much as they can trust me.

I'm back!!! yeah. basically, everyone i know is on the other tribe which is really ugly but its fine i guess i can make new friends/relationships/etc. i used jessy to bond with katie, so we have each other's backs, also i know zach from other games so i obv asked to work with him so we can work together and take over!! [8/30/2017 5:07:00 PM] zachary rae: is this the carson [8/30/2017 5:07:07 PM] zachary rae: like the carson that voted me out in las vegas and RUINED my dreams [8/30/2017 5:07:17 PM] carson: god... [8/30/2017 5:07:18 PM] carson: SDKJSDJK [8/30/2017 5:07:23 PM] zachary rae: ASJFKDGF [8/30/2017 5:07:26 PM] zachary rae: a tragic memory [8/30/2017 5:07:29 PM] zachary rae: how’re you long time No seeeeEe [8/30/2017 5:07:30 PM] carson: don't bring up las vegas that's ugly [8/31/2017 4:19:38 PM] carson: DSKJSDKJSD I KNOW [8/31/2017 4:19:39 PM] carson: i guessed [8/31/2017 4:19:41 PM] carson: ichinca?? [8/31/2017 4:19:44 PM] carson: i think its called [8/31/2017 4:19:47 PM] carson: we have to like... [8/31/2017 4:19:55 PM] carson: separate which ones are valid and which ones aren't god [8/31/2017 4:20:10 PM] zachary rae: so i just pick a random town or campsite [8/31/2017 4:20:12 PM] zachary rae: and "search" [8/31/2017 4:20:37 PM] carson: yeah [8/31/2017 4:20:40 PM] carson: and its once per round [8/31/2017 4:21:19 PM] carson: also idk if this is too quick but i know u and trust u so do u wanna work together kdssjk [8/31/2017 4:21:38 PM] zachary rae: oh god this idol gonna TAKE FOREVER [8/31/2017 4:21:42 PM] zachary rae: and AJSFDGK yes [8/31/2017 4:21:52 PM] zachary rae: i dont know like anyone really either and im aware of u so like [8/31/2017 4:21:55 PM] carson: god YES skjska [8/31/2017 4:21:55 PM] zachary rae: obviously im ont going to vote u out [8/31/2017 4:22:01 PM] carson: i wont vote u out either <3 [8/31/2017 4:22:03 PM] carson: I'm worried about [8/31/2017 4:22:08 PM] carson: half returnees half newbies [8/31/2017 4:22:19 PM] carson: like i feel like they could just team up?? but i don't rlly know the otherreturnees dskjsdkjs [8/31/2017 4:23:06 PM] zachary rae: AKFSDLG [8/31/2017 4:23:11 PM] zachary rae: yeah i like the returnees for the most part [8/31/2017 4:23:15 PM] zachary rae: like charlotte [8/31/2017 4:23:22 PM] zachary rae: but im also worried that the newbies will team up too and [8/31/2017 4:23:23 PM] zachary rae: yikes [8/31/2017 4:24:29 PM] carson: yeah I like charlotte/Bryce but sKJSDKJ [8/31/2017 4:24:36 PM] carson: i feel like I'm too into it i don't wanna eb hyper strateigc [8/31/2017 4:24:53 PM] zachary rae: yes yes i talked to bryce too [8/31/2017 4:24:56 PM] zachary rae: they seem nice! [8/31/2017 4:24:57 PM] zachary rae: and ASJFKDG [8/31/2017 4:25:04 PM] zachary rae: dont worry i literally am here ot have fun so like [8/31/2017 4:25:10 PM] zachary rae: if u wanna strategize im all ears [8/31/2017 4:25:14 PM] carson: I KNOW i just wanted a fun experience bc when i played [8/31/2017 4:25:17 PM] carson: challengers vs champions the main ssn [8/31/2017 4:25:19 PM] carson: i got way too into it [8/31/2017 4:25:24 PM] carson: and didn't rlly have fun?? [8/31/2017 4:25:41 PM] carson: but we gotta make up for las vegas so lets do this bitch sdjsdjk woo. those are the core 2 im planning on working with, but i definitely like bryce and wanna work with him. i want a returnees alliance just so we dont ge tpicked off, so that forces me to work with charlotte who i dont.. hate?? idk im still getting a feel for her. so, that leaves eric/willow/chris. willow sends like.. super long responses which i kinda wanna vote her out just so i dont have to send paragraphs to reply to someone, but she at least talks and is fun to talk to. chris talks the least out of those 3.. we've barely talked but i just used me knowing jenna/adam/jenn to bond with him bc he played egypt. hes ok?? i should talk to him mroe i guess. and eric.. idk i dont really like talking to eric. it sounds mean but its just the truth hes not that fun to talk to and ehes just rlly naive i guess. but i do know him from other places so i feel like he WOULD trust me. so, between those 3, my order of voting them out would probably be.. chris > eric > willow which is fine i guess?? i kinda like this tribe. also willow said compared to others i talk a lot even though we've had like 5 conversations, and i forgot that side seasons arent supposed to be as serious, so i gotta tone it down!! but.. still in this seaosn i wanna try controlling/doing good/etc in stuff and not be a wishy washy bitch. as well, in this scavenger hunt... im not as much as use with these items so im hoping our tribe does better. eric isnt rlly helping that much so if we lose, i think i would go after him over chris PURELY bc it would be easiest to rally other people against, so im hoping we win so i dont have to do that! also, i dont wanna get hte most or the least, so im gonna try and use my social game to keep me in a good place as of now, and form bonds with the returnees+ katie.

At least I'm not first boot like robbed Zoe.

So, we won by a landslide. I mean, I would consider it a landslide. It kind of sucks that they had two people not submit for them though .. it puts them at a huge disadvantage. Thankfully, Ulta was here to Play. So far everyone seems nice enough, which I've said before, so I don't really have any thoughts or anything Problematic to say. Stay Tuned. PS: Earning 193 points on my own might put a target on my head... but I'm hoping time will show that I am a flop and this was simply a fluke. 

Ugh I'm doing so bad socially. I only click with carson I need to step it up. But i send messages and they give such disinterested response but ill be persistent

whats a Cordillera