#and i’ve heard about that book. and i don’t think that’s quite accurate??

[edenfenixblogs]

Hey, I came from your post about Night. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while now, but I’ve heard that the English version is very watered down and stripped of the original emotions that are in the Yiddish version. Do you know if there are any more accurate English translations, or if the Hebrew one is more like the original? Sorry if you’re not the right person to ask about this, you just seem quite knowledgeable

(also coming from my vent account so I don’t get any hate on main for being a Jew lol)

No worries at all, @nonbinary-vents:

I want to be clear about something: My post was aimed at goyim.

You are a Jewish person, and reading this book (especially if you haven't read any other accounts of experiences in concentration camps) may be an important thing for you to do. And I'd cautiously encourage you to do so if you feel emotionally stable. But you do not need to worry about the experience of this book feeling watered down.

If you are Jewish and not in a very stable emotional state, do not read this book. Do not cause yourself harm.

(If you are goyiscshe, you should challenge yourself and force yourself to read this book. Obviously if you are in an actual emotional/psychological crisis or dealing with the death or illness of a loved one, then you are the only goyim who has an excuse not to read this book. No matter who you are, do not read this book if it will cause you actual mental harm or drive you to somehow cause yourself physical harm. But if it will make you upset, depressed, panicked at your own failings, or other extremely unpleasant but ultimately human discomfort, then you should read this book. Jews don't get a choice about knowing this shit, because knowing this shit is how we survive. And you NOT knowing this shit is what makes it so easy for you to dismiss and target us over and over and over again. You should be uncomfortable. You should feel guilty. Because unless you're actively learning how to disentangle yourself from the antisemitism that led to The Holocaust, then you are actively participating in thee fomentation of another. And that should horrify you.)

Sure, I bet this book is even more haunting and visceral in the original Yiddish. I've spoken recently about how hard Jewish language is to translate to English.

But there is no world in which this book will feel watered down to you.

@nonbinary-vents This book will haunt you. This book will change you. This book will challenge your faith and your ability to trust people.

Remember going in that Judaism asks us not to separate ourselves from our community--not just our Jewish community, but any community in which we find ourselves. Resist the urge this book may stir within you to become insular and fearful of goyim. That is not our way. We are a part of the communities and cultures and nations in which we find ourselves. And we must do good for those communities, because that is what we are called to do. The lesson of this book for Jews is different than the lesson of this book for goyim.

The lesson of this book for Jews -- in fact, the lesson of "Never Again" for Jews -- is that we cannot ever allow this to happen to ourselves again. No, of course, I am not blaming Jews for the Holocaust and if anyone thinks that's what I'm arguing here, then they can fuck off.

The lesson of this book for Jews is that we must never again let fear hold us back from fighting for ourselves. If he world calls upon us to die, we must refuse. Refuse to put ourselves on a list. Refuse to follow our oppressors' directions to the ghetto. Refusal to get on the train or to enter the gas chamber. And we must refuse to be silent for other people's comfort. While it is a Jewish imperative to believe that every human being is capable of kindness and has inherent goodness within them, we can never again trust that the kindness and goodness they possess will ever be directed at us. There was the very understandable thought back when this all started that if we just complied--if we were just willing to suffer a little bit by moving to the ghettos or registering on the lists of Jews the Nazis demanded or carried our papers with us at all time and wore our stars just as they said --then they would eventually realize we were good citizens. They would eventually realize we were just people like them doing their best to live quiet lives and follow the rules. People believed that, if we just complied, they'd remember their humanity and our own. If we just complied and let ourselves suffer, hen maybe our friends and loved one would be safe.

But that was a lie we told ourselves.

No amount of compliance or agree-ability or self-sacrifice will ever make someone who sees Jews as evil and subhuman realize that Jews are actually just human beings like everyone else. Compliance will never ensure our safety; it will just make us easier to kill. Compliance won't make antisemites see us as human; it will only ever make them see us -- at best -- as agreeable livestock.

(although I doubt any farmer would treat their animals as cruelly as Nazis and their supporters treated us).

I am not advocating for violence. But I advocating for discomfort and defense. That is why I am on here every day writing the things I write. I will not shut up for the comfort of people who don't care about my life or my safety. And neither should you. Neither should any of us. I will not allow antisemites to co-opt our own tragedies to demonize us further while casting themselves as warriors for justice.

No, we should not take to the streets and start harming goyim. But if the day comes that they once again start to round us up, I for one will tear those Nazis a-fucking-part with my bare hands. And if they live to have children and grandchildren of their own, they will have to explain to their children and grandchildren that they got the scars on their face and the missing eyeball because the Jew they were trying to murder wouldn't submit quietly.

And if this seems like a hyperbolic and absurd hypothetical to anyone reading this? Well, yeah. It seemed like one back then, too.

(And if any goyim chose to read "Night" by Elie Wiesel because of my post, please tell me. Please engage. I cannot be emphatic enough about this. If you are willing to read night in the way I asked of you in my post, then please do reach out to me with your experience and thoughts. Because that's the whole point. Jews need you to listen and engage with us about our own suffering. We need you to consider your impact on us and to not run away from that guilt or from us. If any of you are willing to read this book in the way that I have asked of you, please please please don't keep your experience to yourself. A lot of Jews desperately need to see goysiche growth in understanding antisemitism and its affects. I don't think you can even imagine how scared and lonely we are right now)

[nofearageplay]

A free sample of Diaper Discipline at the ABDL Academy Book 2: Sadie's Spanking

Read the full story now on Kindle, free with your Kindle Unlimited Subscription!

“Lay still, Sadie,” Nanny Penelope said, giggling as she lubricated a thermometer with the supplies she had in her apron. “I just want to check your bottom real quick, while I’ve got you tied down.”

I whined through the gag as I felt her part my bottom cheeks to find my back door, and easily slid the thermometer inside of me. I felt my face burn with embarrassment as I felt the thermometer spin from side to side, sliding deeper and deeper.

“I know that feels funny, doesn’t it sweetie?” Nanny Penelope said. “But it’s the most accurate way for me to make sure you’re healthy, because babies just can’t handle it any other way…”

I took several deep breaths through my nose as I looked up at her. I don’t even think she even believed I was sick, she just wanted to do this to me because she could.

Of course… it wasn’t all terrible, if my exposed privates had anything to say about it.

“Huh, what’s this I see, Sadie?” Nanny Penelope cooed. “It looks like you are a little wet down there, but not with tinkles!”

I kept breathing, and tried to keep my composure as Nanny Penelope touched my princess parts, noticing that I wasn’t just embarrassed by having my temperature taken rectally… I was turned on…

“Does baby Sadie like it when I do this?” Nanny Penelope said, twisting the thermometer, and gently pushing it in and out of my backdoor. “That’s quite the big girl feeling I see for such a little baby, is this what was bothering you, sweetie?”

NO! Well, kind of, but no! Not that this time!

I wanted to escape and curl up into a ball, but I was trapped in Nanny Penelope’s delightfully devious trap, and there was no hiding my shame.

“It’s such a pretty little kitty too,” Nanny Penelope. “Such a shame that it has to be in diapers because you’re just a little – I know lots of big girls that would love to play with this little toy of yours.”

            That’s it – they must know something! They can’t just keep teasing me like this.

            Somehow, the tears stopped. Nanny Penelope stopped my tantrum, and only her voice could be heard in the nursery as the other littles began to fall back asleep, while I was given her full attention.

            “And little girls can’t touch themselves either, that would be naughty behavior,” Nanny Penelope said. “So what should I do about this, Sadie? Should I take care of this little problem you’re having?”             There’s no way… there’s no way she actually will, right?

            Having gone over a month without a real orgasm, it wasn’t going to take much to make me cum. I never thought it would happen in a crib, with my diaper wide open and my nanny in full control, but I was this close to getting the college experience most girls dreamed of.

            Please, nanny… don’t stop.

            I closed my eyes, clenched my fists, and earnestly hoped that she’d give me a release. Maybe that would be all I needed to get through this afternoon.

            And maybe I could finally get some sleep too…

            Gently, Nanny Penelope maneuvered the thermometer to just barely touch the spots that drew my breath away. My heart raced, my blood boiled, my ears…

            BEEP BEEP BEEP!

            BEEP BEEP BEEP!

            BEEP BEEP BEEP!

            “All done!” Nanny Penelope said as she removed the thermometer. “Your temperature’s normal, so maybe you are just constipated…”

            …No… NO NO NO!

            Nanny Penelope wiped the thermometer clean with a baby wipe before putting it back into its container to be used in another little later.

            “I think that’s enough fun for you now, Sadie girl,” Nanny Penelope said. “But I can at least freshen up your baby powder to make sure that leaky little thing doesn’t cause any issues later.”

            I couldn’t believe it, she took it right out of my grasp. I was so close to maybe getting the relief I had wanted for so long…

            I couldn’t even call what I did next crying. I wailed through my pacifier as I smelled a fresh dusting of baby powder puff up towards my nose as Nanny Penelope sealed my diaper shut again.

            “Awwww, are you still a fussy girl?” Nanny Penelope teased. “I think someone is just overtired because they didn’t take their nap today, or any day really.”

            I’m not tired! I’m not a baby!!!

            “That’s right, sweetie,” Nanny Penelope continued, stroking my hair as she loomed over me. “We know that you’ve been having trouble sleeping, and we hoped that you would learn sooner why. But I guess some little girls just need to figure it out the hard way, don’t they?”

            The hard way… discipline.

            Nanny Penelope pulled out her walkie-talkie and proclaimed that I was more than ready to be taken away for a bottom busting.

            “Penelope to Natalie, your demonstration subject is nice and fussy like you asked for,” she said. “Come on over when you’re ready.”

            Straining against my restraints, I was powerless to do anything but wait for the Nanny who organized this whole situation to come and retrieve me. Nanny Penelope locked the crib bars into place and teased me once more before exiting the nursery.

            “See you later, Sadie,” she said softly. “I can’t wait to powder that little bottom once it’s nice and red this evening!”

----

Are you ready for more? Check out Diaper Discipline at the ABDL Academy Book 2: Sadie's Spanking on Amazon, available with Kindle Unlimited.

[cwritesforfun]

Finnick Odair x Fem!Reader: love as sweet as sugarcubes

You're a Victor from District 5 (Power/Electricity) and you won the 67th Hunger Games, two years after Finnick won his games. He was impressed by your knife work and immediately befriended you the next year. You both have been Mentors for 8 years together and have been each other’s best friend in the Capitol. This year is the 75th Hunger Games/the Quarter Quell.

Y/N = Your Name

** I do not own the Hunger Games plot. The scenes are in italics and from Catching Fire and all rights go to them.

this is a LONG one and it is not fully accurate to the books teehee

Y/N’s POV

I’ve been standing with the other tribute from District 5 and he has glared at me for hours. I have no idea what I did wrong. I walk away and lean against the wall away from people.

Finnick walks up twirling a sugar cube asking, "Do you want a sugar cube? I mean it's supposed to be for the horses, but I mean, who cares about them, right? They got years to eat sugar whereas, you and I, well if we see something sweet, we better grab it." I answer, “Don’t sugarcoat the truth. It’s bad for your teeth.” He smirks, reaches out to hug me, and says, “Oh how I’ve missed you.” I hug him back and say, “I’ve missed you too, Finnick. I will take a sugar cube though.” He tosses one and I catch it in my mouth prompting us to high-five each other. Finnick asks, “Hey, why does the other tribute from District 5 hate me? I asked where you were and he gave me the worst glare I’ve ever seen.” I answer, “He hates everyone. I don’t know why he’s in such a pissy mood. He was fine on the train here.” He replies, “So we hate him, good to know. By the way, you look really hot and I don’t think it’s the heat radiating off of your dress.” I smirk and reply, “Thanks. You’re hot too. It’s making me feel wet and I don’t think it’s because you're from the fishing district.” He blushes a little and says, “Hey…” My stylist runs up right then and pulls me away. It’s apparently time to be shown off to the Capitol. Damn, and I was just getting my flirt on... :(

Two Nights Later...

Finnick caught me as we walked to the elevator following our weaponry practice and told me to meet him on the roof in an hour. I don’t particularly like breaking the rules and being out late, but I’m going to die soon in the games anyway.

I walk out to the roof and see Finnick leaning on it. I lean next to him and say, “It’s quite pretty up here.” He replies, “It makes you think that the city is actually a decent place to live and somewhere you want to have a future.” I reply, “Yeah… people loved you during the opening parade. Caesar Flickerman complimented you and his praise will do wonders in influencing the people here. You have a real shot at winning this game.” He replies, “Yeah. Everyone loves you too. I mean, what’s there not to like? You won with kindness during the interviews and by showing your power with knives and sweet talk in the games. After the games, you’ve held your end of the bargain by appearing on TV with Caesar Flickerman and being the Capitol’s friend. And not only that, but every tribute here is practically in love with you.” I laugh and say, “Very funny. But, actually, everyone is in love with you, not me. I've heard many people say they'd choose you over me.” He replies, “Districts 1 & 2 think you would be a perfect addition to their team, but they know you won’t join them because I won’t. They think you’ll only go where I go, which is crazy because we're not that dependent on each other. Beetee and Wiress are in love with your brains. Your District 5 friend is mad at the Capitol for loving you more than him, even though he thinks he’s put more effort and work into it. Yet, he still wants you on his team and with him. Katniss let slip she wanted you on her team and she barely likes anyone here. I am. I could go on, but I won’t.” I ask, “Why did you just say you are? You didn’t even elaborate. What did you mean?” He faces me and I face him. He then exclaims, “I love you Y/N. I know we have less than a week left of our lives and I should’ve told you earlier so we had a chance to be happy. I'm such an idiot for not telling you and now I'm realizing that if you don't like me back, you will kill me first in the arena. I'm just regretting this. I should really learn to think with my head not my heart." I ask, "Wait, are you being dead serious?" He answers, "Yeah I am. Ugh, um let me just take it back. We can pretend I never said anything and we never met up tonight. Let's stay friends for the games." I answer, "You can't just take it back. Especially, not when I feel the same towards you! I love you, Finnick Odair!" He smiles and says, "You're lying now." I reply, "Pretty sure, I know my own feelings. In fact, I've always loved you. I thought I just liked having you in my life and around, but the longer we spent time together, I learned my feelings for you could only be one thing, love." He cups my face and asks, "May I kiss you?" I answer, "Yes."

SKIP to the Interviews ...

I'm watching Finnick's interview right now and I'm about to walk out. Caesar Flickerman says, "And Finnick, I hear you have something special to tell the Capitol about a special someone in your life." Who could they be talking about!? Finnick looks right into the camera and exclaims "My love, you have my heart. For all eternity. And if I die in that arena, my last thought will be of your lips." I gasp and start coughing as he walks off.

I quickly stop coughing and put on a smile. I walk out waving and hug Caesar Flickerman. He exclaims, "My oh my, Miss Y/N. You've grown so much and you've always been the Capitol's best friend. Right, everyone?" There are cheers and I exclaim, "And you're my best friend, Caesar." He laughs and the crowd cheers again. God, they're so easy to please. Caesar asks, "We'll miss you so much. Truly. Is there anything or anyone you will miss?" I answer, "Yes, I will miss so many people. Starting with, my family. I love you, mom and dad. I'll miss you, the people of the Capitol, and all of your excitement. I will miss the person with whom I shared my last kiss because if we had more time, I would've kissed you so much more and shown you so much love." He replies, "Oh, do tell us more." I reply, "All I can tell you, Caesar, is that this man that I kissed is someone who I've liked for years and I love him so much. He's got the kindest soul and he's one of the most loving men I've ever met." He replies, "Ah young love. I'm sure he will be cheering for you this year. Miss Y/N everyone!" I bow then walk up to my spot in the lineup.

Finnick glances over at me, makes a kissy face, and smiles. I smile back. God, I'm so in love. Why do we have to go in these Games?!

SKIP to the GAMES ...

Protecting Katniss is my new line of duty. Finnick, Beetee, Peeta, Johanna, and I are the main ones set to protect Katniss. Mags and Wiress are both on team Katniss as well. I know we don't need a team name, but it makes me avoid thinking about the games. Team Katniss for the win! Even though, we've only been in the arena for a day.

I'm with Johanna, Beetee, Wiress, and Blight right now. I love Johanna to be honest, she can come off as rude, but deep down, I know she cares about people. She just doesn't want to show weakness of any kind.

Before the games started, Finnick begged me to find him first and I told him that Katniss had to be our first priority to survive. He was pissed and said that our relationship should be number one over Katniss' survival. However, to survive and get out, we have to save Katniss. I can only hope that Finnick and I find each other alive. Honestly, we were both not explaining ourselves clearly enough during that last night. We both were just filled with so many emotions and we needed to let them out.

We just ran through the blood rain and made it onto the beach. Johanna starts screaming at Wiress and Beetee. I hear my name being screamed and I see Finnick. I keep washing the blood out of my hair because there is no way I want to hug him covered in blood.

Finnick starts running his hands through my hair washing it out and I exclaim, "Careful, Finnick. We'll all know who you were talking about during your interview." He says, "Let them," as he spins me around and brings his lips to mine.

Finnick pulls away and says, "Look, I need to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so rash and rude the night before the games started. I didn't even let you explain your side and that's not a healthy way to start a relationship." I reply, "It's not. I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have blown things out of proportion when you said we should prioritize each other. I love you so much and wanted you to be okay. I do want to prioritize us and be in a relationship with you, before the end." He smiles and says, "I love you so much too. Now let's get this blood off of you!"

... SKIP to the end of the games...

... The plan is hatched!!!

Katniss insists I go with her and Johanna if Peeta cannot come. Finnick pleads with her to not take me and I agree that I should be with Katniss causing Finnick to shake his head. He walks forward, puts his hand on either side of my head, and says, “You do know what this means, right?” I answer, “It means we’ll survive. We signed up for this, Finnick. I’ll be okay. I’ll come back to you, I promise.” He replies, “I love you.” I reply, “I love you too."

I split off with Johanna and Katniss. As if on cue as we walk, Johanna pins Katniss down. I grab Katniss' legs trying to keep her down to the ground and we yank her tracker out. I whisper, "Careers, we need to move." Johanna nods.

Johanna and I lead the final Careers, Brutus and Enobaria, away from Katniss. It's all for Katniss.

The last thing I remember about the Arena was the loud boom and it sounded like electricity breaking everywhere.

... PART TWO??!?! ...

I'm already writing it hehehehe

[yunessa]

Owlcatober 26: Records

“Pathfinder Hilor?” The tall athletic human Yunessa found was lean, with grey hair stood out in the crowd he was speaking to.The monocle he wore gleamed coldly in the torchlight. “I’m Yunessa. I’m glad I could find you.” Hilor studied the hand Yunessa extended before he shook it. 

“Greetings, I am Hilor, Venture-Captain of the pathfinder Society. Commander Tirabade said you were looking for the Pathfinder Society but I’m the superior Officer for Pathfinders in this Region of Mendev and the only Pathfinder in Mendev.” 

“There’s no other Pathfinders here?” The society was so large that Yunessa found it hard to believe there was only one. “Does this area have no support?”

“The Pathfinder Society is running no operations here. I’m only stuck here because of an old feud with a demon worshipper called the Spinner of Nightmares.” Hilor reached up to rub one of his shoulders. “I’m not doing this with the society’s help so I’m working alone.”

“I see.” Yunessa said slowly.  

“If you need help however, I am well acquainted with the local mercenaries and fighters. If any of them are alive and you need them for a good and honest cause I can get you in touch.” Hilor tapped a heavy book at his hip. "There's always a mercenary looking for work if the pay is right."

“Oh, no. I don’t remember meeting a Pathfinder before you and Finnean here. That was all. I’m also not familiar with the Spinner of Nightmares.”  Yunessa admitted. “I tend to earn enough to go to the next town and head off- the life of a bard.”

“That sounds accurate for a travelling bard however, Finnean?” Hilor questioned. "I didn't know more of the society had come here."

“Finnean Dismar. I found him in a merchant’s shop about a half hour walk from here.” Yunessa explained as Hilor’s brow furrowed. 

“Dismar… dismar. I’ve heard the name before- he’s on the lists of the fallen. He went missing in the wound at the end of the Second Crusade. He’s been on the lists of the Fallen for quite a while.” Hilor’s gaze sharpened as he focused on Yunessa. “You said he was here however?  Where is he now?” His eyes moved from Yunessa to glance around them.

“One moment.”  Yunessa reached for Finnean at their belt where he had remained after returning to the form of a sword. He had periods of what seemed to be inertia and the purple eye on the scabbard seemed to be as it appeared. As Yunessa held FInnean however, the purple eye blinked, stirring to life. ”This is Finnean. Finnean Dismar, this is Venture-Captain Hilor.”

Hilor’s eyebrows rose up.  When Finnean spoke, however, he simply blinked once in surprise. “Hello! So you’re the Chief in these lands now? Where did lady Auery go? When I left for the Wound she’d just taken the position.”

To Hilor’s credit, the Venture-Captain simply blinked before examining Finnean. A sad chuckle escaped him when he finished and turned his head away. “I’m afraid Lady Auery perished during the Third Crusade and Finnean Dismar was recorded on the lists of the Fallen at the end of the second crusade.”

“Well, here I am, alive and well! Write in your lists that I’m back and soon i’ll write a detailed report on what happened to me.” Finnean’s voice was full of joy. “I was gone for a while so it’s just a misunderstanding. But now everything will return to normal. I should write to my folks. They probably think I’m dead too.”

Hilor gave Yunessa a sad smile. “Poor Lad….” He trailed off as Finnean excitedly mentioned several people and things he needed to write and go to do now that the Society knew he was ‘alive’. “Such is the fate of a pathfinder. We face the unknown but sometimes the unknown wins and our minds cannot take it. " A heavy sigh escaped Hilor. "Or we don't return as we left. Such is our fate."

“Is there nothing you can do?” It bothered Yunessa to see Finnean so excited. “Someone in the society that might have any experience with this? I know you’re the only one for Mendev but I have gold-I can pay for society's troubles. Surely the Pathfinder Society would take care of their own.”

“I’m sorry, I truly am. But I’m the only one here with no support. None of the local fighters are proficient in the kind of subjects you’d need to start helping.” Hilor’s eyes moved to Finnean. “If you leave here I’d say go to Absalom. But he might be considered an artifact more than a person.”

“He is a person Hilor.” Yunessa gripped Finnean tighter and Finnean’s chatter cut off as the sword exuded a sudden wariness. “Finnean isn’t  just a weapon, he’s still a human.” Yunessa didn’t recall many of their interactions with other elves, but they had generally been pleasant. They always treated me as if I was still an elf, still one of their own. Not once was I ignored if I needed aide.

“Be that as it may, not everyone would see it that way.” Hilor sighed. “It would probably be best if you kept him with you. Maybe a way to help him will appear.” - "I still think you're human Finnean." Yunessa promised once they had returned to the Courtyard. "There has to be one long-lived human who keeps track of time." "Yeah." Finnean said slowly. "Maybe, maybe I was just asleep for to long and people forgot about me. Crossed me off on the lists on accident." His attempt at cheer sounded forced. But there was a despondency to it. "I guess even elves do it to sometimes?" No. Not even a little. There were just to few elves to cruelly ignore the rest. When Yunessa had been hungry, needed a place to rest- it might not have been the best bread or the finest inn to rest in. But their kin had helped. As much as they remembered anyway. "Yeah." Yunessa lied. "Happens more often to us than you'd think Finnean." It was a simple lie. A easy one. One even Ember counter counter if she was there. But it made the eye on Finnean's hilt widen before it changed. "Yeah. Yeah!" The cheer was real now. "if it happens with elves well then, it could happen with anyone! So it's just a mistake. I might need to just... I dunno. Prove myself or something. Have a big fun dramatic story to prove them wrong." "I can't imagine they'd leave the records wrong for to long." Another lie. But this one seemed to brighten Finnean's evening the most. "Who could ignore you when you're standing right there Finnean?"

[reluctantjoe]

“people have secrets they want to hide...”

Emma Myers and Zain Iqbal tell Inside TV about a new adaptation of Holly Jackson’s hit mystery thriller…

Murder most horrible: Mathew Baynton also stars

This new six-part adaptation of Holly Jackson’s hit novel stars Emma Myers – Wednesday’s teen werewolf Enid – as straight-A student Pip Fitz-Amobi. It’s the end of summer term in the quaint town of Little Kilton, and Pip’s preparing her final school project… a murder case.

Five years earlier, schoolgirl Andie Bell vanished. Presumed dead – although her body was never found – her boyfriend Sal Singh had sent a text confessing to her murder before having apparently taken his own life. But Pip thinks something’s afoot – and she’s determined to prove it by roping in Sal’s younger brother Ravi Singh (newcomer Zain Iqbal). Inside TV had a chat with Emma and Zain to find out more…

Hi, both! Tell us a little bit about your characters…

Emma: I think Pip has a very big sense of justice and wants to do right. She wants to help Ravi and his family, and bring justice to whoever did it. She’s got a fiery spirit and doesn’t let anything deter her.

Zain: Ravi’s quite a closed book to the outside world, I guess as people in the town have made it that way because of the accusations. He starts to open up because of Pip and you see his true colours.

When this case resurfaces, the locals seem to want to keep it a closed chapter…

Emma: I think people are kind of hesitant to bring it up. Bringing it back to the surface is tough for people – they don’t actually want to acknowledge what’s happened. And there are also people who have secrets they want to hide…

Zain: It’s not taken well by anyone at all, really. But for Pip to say she believes it wasn’t Sal, and being the first person outside the family to say that when the community is against them, is huge for Ravi.

“Pip has a big sense of justice – and a fiery spirit!”

Crime busters: Ravi and Pip join forces to crack the case

Family values: Anna Maxwell Martin and Gary Beadle play Pip’s parents, Leanne and Victor

Your English accent is brilliant, Emma…

Oh, thank you! I did have a dialect coach – it’s not something I could have done by myself! And it helped to have an English cast. Everyone would tell me if something that I was saying was a bit off.

Had you read the book prior to filming the series?

Emma: No, I’d never read it, although I have a lot of friends who are obsessed with it. After I signed on, I bought all the books and binged them. I’ve read them multiple times now!

Zain: I’d heard of it, but I only read the book when I got the job. I found out just how big it was later on down the line!

School’s out: Pip with three of her best buds, Connor, Zach and Cara

How close is this new adaptation to the book?

Emma: It stays as true as possible, but of course there are some things that have to be changed because it doesn’t translate as well on screen…

Zain: I think it’s pretty accurate. It’s a lot snappier – the editing makes it quite to-the-point, whereas the book goes back and forth between third person and Pip’s diary…

Emma: Yeah, even if a scene is different, the feel is the same.

Emma, how was it working with some of Britain’s best-loved TV stars?

Anna [Maxwell Martin] and Gary [Beadle] are hilarious. We had such a fun time in our family scenes together. I loved every single scene with them.

Did you have any action scenes as Pip gets into more dangerous situations?

Nothing too crazy, but there’s a lot of sprinting! And the car I had was super-old, so that was tricky. My biggest stunt really was learning to drive on the opposite side of the road!

[rosesradio]

So…I’ve not been a fan of Solangelo since BoO was first released. Is the TSATS crit, something new about the relationship that people don’t like? Bc I’ve always kinda thought it was forced shallow and it doesn’t seem TSATS has fixed that. Is that how you understand it (I haven’t read ToA Or TSATS ) but my understanding is their relationship hasn’t changed or really gotten any deeper have you read them? Is that an accurate assessment?

i think a lot of the crit has been about the writing, how mark oshiro’s writing isn’t quite fit for the pjo-verse (nothing against them though—i haven’t read their other works but i’m sure they’re a great writer). some of the other crit has been about their relationship, pointing out things like how they seemed to bicker a lot more than normal, will was too busy passing out every other chapter to have a fleshed-out character, and that part about when he asked “how to love” someone of the underworld was particularly bad to lots of people. i’ve even seen takes that it seemed like the writing came from an anti-solangelo fic, even following some of the same tropes from them. overall, how they got together and stayed together has been weird and forced.

i think a lot of the die-hard, likes-no-ship-but-solangelo shippers liked the book and their relationship simply because it was new content and some good things can be taken out of it (nothing against any shippers idc what you ship as long as you’re nice about it)

overall i think solangelo was written worse in this book, or at least there was a more glaring focus on their lacking relationship & its issues as you spend over 400 pages with them. i think they were forced from the start, but some of the cameos with them were pretty cute—their ‘significant annoyance’ bit towards the start of toa made me really happy as a 14 year old kid wanting to see some rep. i’ve also heard they were written better in toa, but i haven’t read past the first or second book of the series (yet) so i can’t back that take up

[frostyreturns]

Frosty Ruins Where Is Anne Frank

I have to admit going into this one I have my biases against it. First of all it was made in 2022 and nothing produced in the last 5-6 years has been good. Also because it's about nazis and jewish people I can't imagine it's going to be a faithful or accurate movie in the slightest because nobody in hollywood understands even the first thing about what a nazi is. Other than that I'm going into this movie totally blind, never heard of it before, never saw a trailer and am not even aware of the premise beyond the title.

The movie opens with text on a black screen and starts with a typo saying "the diary is one of the famous books ever written" I think you might be missing a word or two there pal. This is the opening sequence...you didn't bother to proof read the first ten seconds of your movie? It's two sentences and you fucked it up.

I don't know who made this but the art style is like if studio ghibli was tumblrized. It's like a weird combo of cheap netflix cartoon character designs but done in the style of an expensive japanese anime. It looks weird and I don't like it but it's not as cancerous to look at, the art itself is not off putting enough to discard it based on look alone.

What is off putting is the premise, the imaginary girl that Anne Frank is writing to comes to life and goes looking for Anne. The words of the diary magically swirl into life...there's just something that feels off ethically with this one. Like that it's exploitive in some way but I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

Our first look at the nazis is as I feared...absurd. The nazis march down the street in all black cloaks like they're the fucking nazgul, and they don't look human, their eyes are totally black and their faces are ghostly  white and expressionless. It's actually a perfect representation of what demonizing something is. Now I'm not saying they weren't bad guys...but they were human. That should be the primary lesson people take away from nazi Germany...the horrors and retarded nonsense that thinking people were convinced to do. That's the horror of the story of the holocaust, that people who were once friends and neighbours are now hunting each other like animals, stripping them of their basic rights and dignity and doing so in the full belief that they were doing the right thing. When you turn a nazi into this snarling inhuman demon you unlearn that lesson.

Now I've never read Anne Franks diary but I am aware of the backstory and that there are multiple versions. There are multiple versions because when they realized they would be submitting the diary for publication there were a number of things Anne had written that the father edited it out because it made them look bad. The movie claims that never happened but they say a lot of stuff that's lies. Remember this is a child stuck in a room with people in a terrible situation so not everything she wrote would have been very nice, I understand there was some nasty things said about some of the people they were hiding with or something like that. And maybe that's what bothers me about the movie, it's not reality...it's taking a traumatic experience a child had...cleaning it up to fit a narrative and packaging it for entertainment purposes.

There's also a point in her description of the persecution of the jews that annoyed me, she claims the reason they were targetted was because societies always find a minority group to blame. But that's not what happened and again this is another major history lesson we should all have taken from nazi germany that everybody has forgotten. It wasn't because they were a minority, nobody just says I'm going to hate this minority group for no reason Germany was a society built on minority groups, there were many different minority groups. The reason they chose the jews and the reason many societies have always chosen the jews...and the reason they so effectively villified the jews was because they were seen as a privileged class of people. Because so many of the societies doctors, lawyers, bankers, were jewish. Jews are an insular community that looks out for each, because of their strong sense of family nationality and faith coupled with a desire to do well and to train their kids to do well, they tend to be overrepresented in many powerful and profitable industries. This was why they were targetted, this is why they were scapegoated...it's the same rhetoric that goes into any generic 1%er or eat the rich diatribe. It was the socialist part of national socialism, only the capitalists hoarding all the wealth were jews rather than just "the rich"

The reason this rationale is forgotten about, glossed over and rebranded is because it describes the behaviour and worldview of modern progressive politics perfectly. They ignore that part of it because they themselves are guilty of it. Hitlers speeches and writings about the jews were rewritten to be about white people or about men and have been published in progressive university journals. So they have to pretend it's just because they were minorities because to understand the reality would mean cognitive dissonance.

All that aside the movie also has this boring artsy movie vibe to it I'm not interested in. I don't need to sit here and watch a little girl play cats cradle in a police station while a soft mandolin plays in the background, or listen to melancholic indie vocals over images of an imaginary girl ice skating before dissolving into inky wisps.

There's also a fairly blasphemous part I don't think a lot of jews or any religious people would appreciate where they both imply that God's existence is ridiculous while also implying that Anne Frank is like God because she's everywhere...because a lot of things are named after her. There's a lot of moments like that which scream "non practicing jew." They really go out of their way to literally deify her and at one point call her diary a sacred object.

The whole premise of the movie is bizarre and it only gets more bizarre. The idea is you see flashbacks to Anne Franks life and they are mixed in with parts of the movie that take place in the modern world...where this imaginary friend is looking for her long gone friend. The movie is incomprehensible because parts of it play like a fever dream and the rest of it is people behaving strangely and saying things that are so out of left field and are not believable.

The most disgusting part of the movie is the ending, where they use the emotional manipulation of the holocaust stories and try to tie it to other political agendas that have nothing to do with the holocaust. At the end she threatens to burn Annes diary if the country doesn't let in all the refugees and let them all stay for as long as they want. The movie is just one long attempt to use jewish people as props to advance a political agenda and the whole movie reeks of it. I hated this movie a lot but I feel like I'd have a much more visceral hatred of it if I was jewish.

The movie ends with this white text that makes the completely baseless assertion that antisemitism, violent racism and persecution of minorities is on the rise.

boring, ugly, tragedy porn, incomprehensible propaganda.

f-

[granhairdo]

A Comprehensive Review of A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher

Disclaimer: Everyone can interpret the original book however they want, this is just me comparing how I viewed the original book to this. You and the author of this novel might have interpreted Éponine quite differently than I did :)

Ever since I heard there was a novel from Éponine’s perspective, I’ve been very curious to read it. It took me a few months, but I eventually bought myself an eBook copy and read it. But to be quite honest, I didn’t really like it.

My problem with this novel isn’t necessarily an issue with the content, and more of an issue about what was promised from it, which led me to have issues with the content.

The Amazon description states that it stays true to Victor Hugo’s novel, which I find a lie. This could have just been the author’s interpretation of the character, but to me if feels more like fanfiction of the musical with some added novel characters than a full fledged published book based off the original novel.

Now, I can see why bits of the content was toned down a little bit. This was a novel intended for a young teenage audience (12-15) so some of the more adult themes needed to be cut, which is understandable as it’s for a younger age group. But it seemed like cutting wasn’t a problem with this, it really just got rid of mentions of sex or suicide, and that was about it. It even elaborated on the harsh realities of street life, which I did find enjoyable. 

I didn’t completely hate this novel, I did enjoy a bit of it. I really enjoyed the writing style, it felt as if Susan Fletcher was really experienced in writing these sorts of period novels (I’m not familiar with her so maybe she does focus on period pieces like this). I also really enjoyed how she took scenes that weren’t really shown in the novel and made them big moments in Éponine’s life. 

Now onto my issues. My biggest issue with this novel is how Éponine is portrayed. To me, in this she feels far too innocent and righteous. Don’t get me wrong, Éponine in the original book has a righteous and protective side to her, but it isn’t her entire personality.

At first, as this is in first person POV, I thought that that her righteous way of describing herself was just an act she was putting on in her own head, portraying herself as the hero in her own mind. Which that is a very interesting thought on its own, but that’s not what the deal was in this. She carries her righteous thoughts into her actions as well, not doing anything wrong, which to me turns her into more of a Mary Sue than a corrupt street girl.

They cut out the whole “Éponine leading Marius to the barricade” thing from the book, and turned it more into a “Im gonna follow Marius to the barricade to protect him” which is basically how it went in the musical, but the musical doesn’t promise to be brick-accurate.

I also just find the whole puberty side plot at the beginning of it kind of annoying. It just feels like super forced relatability. I mean maybe if I had this book as an angsty hormonal 13 year old, I might have found that nice and relatable. 

If you want to write a book about relatable teenhood… please write about Cosette. (It might be my ‘I love Cosette’ brain telling me this, though). But in the original novel, Cosette had such a relatable teenhood that can be applied in the modern era. Just give her her first period and some new boobs and throw that into a 300+ page book, now I’d read that.

This book feels like it’s targeted at a strangely specific audience. But the problem is that audience is 14 year old ‘Eppi-boppers’ from 2013, and honestly as a former Eppi-bopper, I would have loved this book. But the problem is that this was published far after the “Eppi-bopper era” from like 2012-2015, so it kind of missed its time. If this book were published like 4 years earlier it would have been a HUGE success.

Also, I nearly peed my pants in laughter at the end because the last line was “love never dies” and all my stupid brain could think of was the shitty phantom sequel.

But long story short, I wasn’t a big fan of this book, and I don’t really recommend it for someone who has a less romanticized view of Éponine. But, if you’ve never cared for the book and only like the musical, I think you may enjoy it! Go for it! 

If you’ve read this novel before, I’m curious to see if you liked it or not.

[persnicketypomelo]

Do you have any recommendations for cinematographic adaptations of the Phantom of the Opera ? I bought the Gerald Butler version and from what I’ve seen, it is not at all the same as in the book…(crying in wasted money)

Ahhh I know that feeling…to be honest there is no adaptation that is fully accurate to the book. Each of them took liberties due to time limit or creative vision.

The movie is just a cheap version of the musical, which is a good adaptation in its own right. I’d say it’s more of a romance/drama than the book. I’d classify the book as a mystery/horror/thriller. The musical also has very good singing (obviously depends on preference and actor but they’re not just going to cast anyone like they did with the movie). If a good musical spinoff is what you’re interested in, I would recommend the 2011 London 25th Anniversary Phantom of the Opera. However, if you didn’t like the plot of the film, you might not like this either.

If you’re looking for accuracy with the book, I think your best bet is the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera. It is a silent film, so if you don’t like having to read dialogue or the type of acting associated with silent films it may not be your cup of tea. But, I really have to give it to this film for its accuracy to the book—it’s the only adaptation I’m aware of that actually includes The Persian and Cmte. Philippe. The sfx are very impressive given the time as well, so props to Lon Chaney. I heard he was pretty involved in the film somewhere, but not sure if it’s true. Another thing to note is that it’s a black-and-white film, so again, may not be of interest to everyone. I would categorize it as more horror and drama focused. We might not find it scary today, but it was quite something for its time.

Another adaption is the 1990 mini series The Phantom of the Opera starring Charles Dance. It’s not accurate to the story, but it’s decent in it’s own right. Charles Dance is very sassy and brings a humour to the show that most adaptations don’t really have. I will say it’s also more of a drama and romance. However, I do think the singing and the music is more of a highlight of the series. The musical version has good music, but the genre is still very much a musical and with some rock inspiration. If you’re looking for more classical renditions of songs, this does a pretty good job, but that’s just from memory, so I can’t say for sure. I think another highlight of this series that sets it apart from some other adaptations is that it really humanizes and brings a more sympathetic interpretation to the phantom.

I’ve heard good things about The Phantom of Paradise, but I’ve never watched it myself. It’s a very loose interpretation though.

In my opinion one of the best interpretations is actually a game, but for cinematographic adaptions, these are some of my opinions—hope you enjoy at least one of them!!

[signalwatch]

20 Years of Blogging, Part 2 - Together, We're a League of Something!

Editor's note:  This is Part 2 of a series.  You can view the first part with just the click of a button.  

also, this is a cross-post with the OG blog, League of Melbotis

So, yeah.  

By April of 2003, we were blogging.  For a look at the initial form of League of Melbotis on Blogspot/ Blogger, click on over to The Wayback Machine.  

As mentioned in the first post, soon I was emailing and managing comments from friends and strangers.  But, also, some of those pals already had their own blogs or quickly started one.  It was easy, often free, and gave folks a chance to speak their mind.  People were religious about their choice of platform.  Livejournal people developed quite the mythologizing about themselves that arguably continues to this day. WordPress users constantly complained about what they were using but refused to change.  

JimD started his first blog of many.  RHPT joined in.  Soon I was aware of Maxwell (she of the podcast) starting up Cowboy Funk, which detailed her life as a Texas ex-pat in NYC.  I knew her husband before we met via his own web-presence and mentions on the blog.  

Even folks like MikeS who recently did The Raid PodCast here at The Signal Watch kept a blog, along with a number of other people I still keep in touch with one way or another.  We sometimes wound up meeting in person (Natalie showed up to have BBQ with me for my birthday circa 2007!), and sometimes I never knew who folks were on the other end of a handle.  There's still folks I talk to occasionally here in 2023 I've never met.  Meanwhile, some commenters have stayed at my house.  I've been drinking twice with Randy.

Here's a list of then-active links from the blog from 2007.  

and sometimes Randy is in the Phantom Zone

There were a whole bunch of you!  I don't even remember who was behind some of these.  And, yes, there was briefly a store at Zazzle, I think.  My pal Denby recently sent me a pic of the official mug of the League of Melbotis, making me about spit out my coffee.

And, similarly, by 2007, we were comics-linking.

There's a mix of comic sites and blogs, including my brief dalliance with writing for another site, the now defunct and gone Comic Fodder.  But there's Bully.  Weird I wasn't linking to Progressive Ruin at the time.  I know I followed Mike.  Ah, the folly of youth.

The first year or so was kind of strange.  I was just doing my thing, but much like when I selected bands to listen to or what books to read or movies to watch, I didn't consult with my folks.  Nor did I tell them "I started a blog".  

I don't recall when I told my brother.  And because I wasn't using my real name, I don't really remember how folks found out about it.  But the internet was a small place in the Naughty Oughties.  But, yeah, soon enough my brother was a regular reader and started his own blog.

Somehow my cousin found the blog, who asked my parents about it, so then they knew.  And... man, one of the weirdest interactions I've ever had with my parents was explaining to them that they didn't get to tell me what I put on the internet.  Especially not at age 29 or so.  I don't even really recall what the topic was, but something rubbed them the wrong way, and I heard about it.  And I welcomed them to not read the blog, and that didn't go well.  But it was a learning moment for all of us.  

It's also worth noting, the first generation of bloggers had grown up with a basic education that included literacy re: journalism.  We understood that your job when going to print was to not lie or bullshit except for comedic effect.  You really did research and worked to get your facts as close to accurate as possible given limited resources, if you were going to tell a true story.  *And* unless you were a classless dick, if someone presented you with contrary evidence, you adjusted.  Sure, there were nasty debates in comments, but if you wanted some integrity, you generally tried.

The monetization of the blogs and news-sites was not yet in place.  The model back in the 00's was not to crank through 10 "stories" per day for pop culture sites.  If you wanted your blog to have any credibility, you kind of needed to adhere to *something* of a journalistic standard.  Unlike most comics and pop sites today, one did not glance at Wikipedia or try to remember what someone told you over beers and then rank starfleet captains from best to worst after lunch before moving on to five more short and badly thought-out articles.

I'm not pretending League of Melbotis was a bastion of journalistic integrity, but I did genuinely grind my teeth when it came to accepting items for review, any contact with creatives lest it impact my opinion of the work, and other things that impact your life less when you're writing about movies from 1945 as my current blogging has slowly morphed into.  

Arguably, I wasn't wrong on the comics-front.  Once CBR and Newsarama decided access to DC and Marvel's talent pool was super important (and they were clearly being played for chumps by the pros), it was the start of the end for either site being worth a look.

But comics weren't the only topic we covered, of course.  We talked TV and movies to a degree, especially if they were about comics.  

We also had some regular features.

Ask Melbotis was a column where folks could write in and ask my dog anything under the sun.  

We had regular interaction events where we'd put out a question to readers and print their response.  Folks would write in about their best Halloween costumes or tell their favorite spooky story.  We did this for Christmas, too, and maybe some other events.  Mostly, I was always delighted at the time and effort folks put in.  I can't imagine any readers doing this now.  Heck, no one comments anymore.

There was a controversial feature named "Dames In the Media the League Once Dug" which was more or less me writing about attractive women from TV and films, and what it lacked in taste, it somehow bottomed-out with being woefully uninteresting.  We *did* give Jamie equal time and a chance to write up on Dudes, but she rarely took me up on it.

There were posts on living a Super Lifestyle that went modestly viral.  The funniest thing to me about this post now is that it's such a 20-something or 30-year-old's take on what it means to have a collection.  Friends, this was but the beginning, and now a fraction of the collection as it currently exists.  Maybe I need to re-do this post for the next Superman film.

And, we also went semi-viral with with a post I wrote about working at Chuck E. Cheese.  The only reason this post exists is that I flew to Minneapolis a day before a conference and forgot to bring my coat and was trapped in the hotel.  And yet, people really took a shine to my no-holds-barred take on my first job.

There were, also, of course, the taste tests.  

I'm not sure "regret" is how I feel about the taste tests, but then people start writing in telling you to eat things you really don't *want* to eat.  And you realize you've become the carnival geek on some level.  I'm not saying they weren't usually kind of fun, but...

Look, one thing that was kind of true was that people started making requests for content.  And that's both very sweet and a slippery slope.  Some ideas you want to do, but most you do not.  And while there's clickable reasons to follow the whims of your readership, I wasn't getting paid for this, so I wasn't really beholden to do anything I didn't feel like doing.  But if you're just writing or doing tricks for readers...  well, that's why YouTubers tend to come off like shrieking morons.

With the current blog, I don't think I've had a request for me to cover anything in the past five or ten years.  I'm watching movies.  The formula is simple.  But with the original formula League of Melbotis, I suppose it seemed like we were up for whatever.  And I am not that guy.  I'm chipper here, but I'm a bit grumpy in the flesh.  We *do* get requests for movies on the PodCast, but generally that just means I extend an invitation to come on, and people do!  It's not bad!

One reason I wanted to just do whatever I felt like was that I needed an outlet .  I haven't talked about it much so far in the prior post, but upon review I'm surprised is mentioned so much on LoM - Jamie was very ill when we lived in Phoenix.  We were in and out of the hospital a staggering amount.  And not just Jamie, it often felt like we were dealing with a variety of issues with friends and family.  I had a whole tag for "hospital".  

So, yeah, part of the pivot from League of Melbotis-style blogging to the media-discussion of The Signal Watch was that I no longer wanted to be as open of a book about our personal business.  I felt like that chapter had closed.  I'd enjoyed the LoM experience and appreciated folks reading and following and reaching out.  But I also wanted to keep our life separate from a blog anyone could stumble onto.  

But rather than end this section on a downbeat note, I'll also remind folks of the Clambake Jake's incident which certainly helped color how I wanted to proceed and shone a light on how being online had real-world impact going both ways. 

Basically, we went to a new Italian All You Care To Eat Buffet, it was bad, I wrote about it, and the owner called the house lightly threatening us.  

In the end, I did agree that I could accidentally torpedo a new business, and I embargoed the post until a couple of years after Clambake Jake's went under.  But it was absolutely a wild ride.

 https://ift.tt/cY8wIH5

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/qRHLy8P

[judesmoonbeauty]

Ghost House Report: A Requiem For You - Jude Jazza Epilogue

Time for a healing ending. Also, I will share a link to one of my favorite artist's who rendered a scene from the epilogue at the very bottom. There are no CW's, therefore, no cut will be included.

Fan translation only. Not 100% accurate. Please expect grammatical errors. Cybird owns everything. Feel free to re-blog, but please do not post my translations elsewhere. If you'd like to be added to my translations tag list, please comment below.Thank you, for you support! ☾.

When I visited the lounge, Jude was there alone.

Jude had been working, when he looked up from the documents he had spread out on the desk, and gazed at me.

(……Just as Victor said. His complexion looked worse than usual.)

Kate: Good evening, Jude.

Jude: …...It's time for the princess to sleep.

Kate: There are times when I feel like I can't sleep. Jude, would you like some tea?

Jude glanced at the tea set I had brought and lowered his eyes.

Jude: ……No need.

Kate: That’s a problem. Jude, if I drink your portion, then my stomach would get bloated.

Jude: Dunno. Let it get bloated.**

I expected it to be flatly rejected. I ignored Jude's reply and prepared tea for the two of us.

Kate: This tea is said to have a sleepiness effect. Here you are.

Jude: ……

Kate: Jude, if you don’t drink it, I'll have to throw it away.

Jude: ……Tch.

As expected, Jude clicked his tongue and accepted the teacup, as if he couldn't tell me to throw it away.

Following Jude, I took a sip from my teacup.

However……

Kate: It’s bitter!

What spread in my mouth was an eye-opening bitterness.

Jude: ……Oi, quit screwin’ around. It’s a commotion rather than a g’night’s sleep.

Kate: I-I’m sorry. It wasn’t on purpose……Was the steep time too long……?

Kate: Let me make it up to you, this is next!**

I took out a picture book that I had prepared.

Jude: Oi, no way……

Kate: Once Upon A Time, there was a placed called……

Jude: ……Wait.

Jude confinscates the picture book that I was trying to read aloud.

Jude: Watcha been doin’ all this time?

Kate: I was worried when I heard that you haven’t been sleeping Jude, so I thought I’d do something to help you sleep……

Jude: Ya expect me to fall asleep after ya give me a cup of tea and read me a story?

Kate: You never know unless you try.

Kate: Jude, I don’t know how you usually sleep.

Jude: ……Generally, it’s a case of takin’ care of others.

Jude’s fingertips trace around my eyes.

Jude: .……Ya look horrible.

(I was trying to hide it, but……he found out that I’ve got dark circles.)

Feeling awkward, I averted my gaze and saw the documents that Jude had spread out.

It contained information about the people who had been bought by the owner of the haunted mansion.

Kate: Are you perhaps, ……trying to find the trafficking route to the haunted manision?

Jude: Among the kids sold to the haunted mansion, there are a few whose endin’s ain’t clear.

Jude: Was over 50 years ago, but doesn’t hurt to look into it.

Kate: In this book, there’s something……

I opened the book that Jude had put down, and picked up the bookmark stuck inside it.

The bookmark is made of pressed clover flowers and looks too pretty for Jude to use.

Kate: These are the pressed flowers that Anne made, right?

Jude: It’s a useful marker, so I’m just usin’ it.

(Although I said I wouldn’t forget, Jude has no intention of forgetting either.)

It’s painful when I think about Anne, and I can’t sleep. Still, I don’t want to forget this incident.

I was a little happy that I could share those feelings with Jude.

Kate: Jude, let me help you too!

Jude: ……Ya here to make me sleep, aintcha?

Kate: That’s true, but when I saw the documents, I got interested.

Kate: When you can’t sleep, you can’t sleep no matter what you do, and if that’s the case, it’s better to make the most of your time!

Kate: Now Jude, where do I start?

Jude: ……Heh. You’re makin’ it harder to sleep.

We spent the rest of the night scrutinizing the documents.

The information was finally compiled as the sun rose.

Kate: Finished…..Three shady organizations that seem to be involved in the human-trafficking have come to light.

Kate: All that remains…. is to follow the history of the group’s activities and then……

Jude: ……Kate?

Even though I was in the middle of talking to Jude, I was attacked by severe drowsiness.

(It’d be no good…… to fall asleep in a place like this……)

As my eyelids became heavy, my body tilted to the side……

I ended up leaning on Jude next to me.

(I’m sure Jude will shake me off and wake me up……)

(……Then, I’ll apologize and go to sleep in my room.)

That’s what I thought, but Jude never woke me up. On the contrary......

I opened my eyes slightly as I felt the weight of something leaning on me.

(Huh, Jude is leaning on me to sleep……?!)

I rested my head on Jude’s should and he rested his head on mine, supporting each other as we slept.

Even though we don’t understand each other, we feel the same pain and pursue this case with the same anger……

……Right now, it’s strange that we’re sleeping while sharing the same warmth.

(……But, maybe I’m the strangest one to feel happy about that.)

**In this line, Jude uses the kansai-ben dialect to say: 知らんわ (shiranwan), which means, (I don't know/How should I know.) However, 勝手にちゃぷちゃぷさせとけ(katte ni cha puchapusasetoke), was a beast. From what I can tell, both he and Kate (in the line beforehand), seem to be using a form of onomatopoeia when talking about her stomach bloating. I won't go into the remaining details as to why I chose to translate it this way, but I did.

** The word revenge was swapped for: “Let me make it up to you”.

Link to an epilogue scene as rendered by the OP creator is here. And it just made my heart melt.

This was the sweetest epilogue ever!

[Master Lists] Tag List: @theimaginativelyreticent @sapphire-323 Dividers: @/brokenbard

[cloudii-reads]

artwork credit to: nellseto.mp3 on instagram !! created via their picrew <3

About The Reviewer 2023 !!

featuring Rain !!

1. What are some basics about me?:

Feel free to refer to me as either Rain, Cloud, or Cloudii! I use they/them pronouns, my birthday is December 26, and I’m interested in a variety of content/hobbies besides reading! I love writing short stories and creating OC’s in my free time, and a few of the things I’m most interested in would be Genshin Impact, Sanrio, Pokemon (both the games and card collecting,) and practically anything relating to the ocean and fish! I’m also a full time college student and aspiring to become a librarian! :)

2. What are my favorite genres?:

Nowadays, I typically find myself reading fantasy and literary fiction, however I do really enjoy cozy mysteries and magical realism! I also do love reading the odd non-fiction book here and there if it’s about a topic I find interesting, so usually fish, the ocean, or books as a general rule of thumb! I also adore reading books with solid lgbtqia+ representation!

3. What are my favorite books so far this year?:

So I’ve read quite a few books already this year that’s made it in my “all time favorites” category, but I’ll be limiting it to my top three for the sake of this question, haha.

1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

- A charming opening book to a series about old people solving murders! I had the audiobook playing in the background as I was reading a physical copy, and it really made the experience for me! I don’t normally listen to audiobooks since I can get really picky with voice acting and how it sounds, but I think that the VA for this book did a wonderful job! <3

2. Good Omens : The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

- To simply put it, the apocalypse is coming and it’s just a silly time. I absolutely ADORE this book (along with the show, in which I highly recommend watching !! Season two is breaking my heart, why Neil, WHY) and it’s pretty much absorbed my entire existence. Like The Thursday Murder Club, I listened to the full cast audiobook while reading along with the physical copy and.. holy moly. Season two may have broken my soul in two, but at least I can pretend like everything’s fine by listening to the audiobook with the actual book !!

3. Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

- When I tell you that I practically cried ugly tears over this book, let me tell you, I cried BAD. This novel, as a queer person, made me feel so seen and heard, especially as the book follows the perspective of a trans girl, Katrina, and omg. It honestly just felt like Ryka took a part of my own soul and shoved it into the pages because I related to her struggles and story so, so much. Basically this whole book is just filled with all kinds of heart breaking stuff, and I absolutely loved it for that. Highly recommend looking more into it if you’re interested in reading it, though definitely take a look at the trigger warnings before going in!

4. What are my favorite and least favorite tropes?:

My favorite tropes absolutely have to be found family (as a general rule of thumb) and slow burn for romance! As for my least favorite tropes, I cannot STAND surprise pregnancy and fake dating, both are just really big ick’s for me.

5. What are some of my bookish goals for the year?:

So far, my basic reading goal is to read 25 books this year! The number’s a bit low since I started really getting back into reading a bit late into the year, but I’ll say I’m pretty settled into completing my goal so far, having read 15 books so far. Besides that, I want to try and read a more varied set of genres besides what I normally would read. Due to that, I’ve been trying to get into more non-fiction and I’m thinking of getting into poetry eventually, oh and recommendations would be really appreciated! This isn’t limited to just non-fiction and poetry but any genre, I’m always looking to expand on what I read! :)

[booksandwords]

Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter by R. Cooper

Read time: 1 Days Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Quote: “where are they finding these men?” “I have no idea. Whatever the nosy straight lady version of Grindr is” — Cole and Scott

Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter is the story of thirty-year-old Scott "Scotty" Yun and forty-two-year-old Henry “Cole” Porter in Montgomery, CA. It is fairly simple and tropey, which leads to some predictability. But it's not about the destination as much as it is the journey. I will say the ending is perfect. Firefighter and EMT Scotty is a human and flawed character. He often sees himself as simply a body, something that those around him don't help with. Because they don't notice how he sees himself or don't realise the issue with it. Scotty uses his good humour and natural charisma to shield his hurt, there is unsurprisingly trauma in play here. His human attitude gives him a slightly flawed narration to a degree. I'm happy we got to meet Angie, Scotty's sister. She is such a positive female character. I just wish we got to see Scotty with his niece and nephew, Cole too because they love him.

Being a small town there aren't many gay men in Montgomery, one of Scotty's previous hook-ups is Cole. Librarian Cole is older than Scotty and quite happy with his life as it is despite the death of his husband, the one who wanted to move to Montgomery in the first place. He is happy with his books, his library, and his baking, the last thing he really wants is a committed lover. Cole is an on-point librarian, the tbr piles, a passion for reading and a fierce defence of the role of libraries in modern society. I appreciate the addition of baking to the mix it just makes him appear so comfortable and contrasts delightfully with his bedroom attitude. He also owns a cat (because we do love a tbh fairly accurate stereotype) and Honey is cute af. She is a freaking mercenary though, smart but a mercenary. Kathy The b***h gets what she deserves, I read book 2 is this series first I liked having the context for what this woman did to warn our wrath. And earn she did, no spoilers as to what she does.

I'm going to add quotes as per usual. But there are so, so many quotes here.

Scott shrugged, more awkwardly this time. “Among other things. Friends. We’re still friends. Although, I wouldn’t say we were, like, lovers or anything. More like roommates with occasional benefits. And if we went out anywhere, I was more of a purse.” “Purse?” Cole’s eyebrow were doing that up and down thing again, interested but unhappy. He had the line between his eyes, too. Scott took his time straightening the strap of his bag where it dug into his elbow. “There to look good on his arm.” He thought of Kathy’s book and the men on the cover, but didn’t turn to glance at it. “Purse,” Cole said again, almost in disbelief. “In my day, we said eye candy.” — I have never heard Purse for this term. Somehow it feels even more derogatory than eye candy or arm candy which is a term I've heard used. This is an example of Scott's comfort with his physical appearance and the impact it has on others but the hurt it has caused him. (Scott, Cole and Kathy)

He blamed Kathy and her friends for this, and so many of his problems. Shortly after that night at the mayor’s house, they had outed him, and while he hadn’t been hiding anything, it still should have been his choice who to tell and when to tell it. — B***h outing is never okay. And like this? Even worse. Feels like it was revenge. Ugh, there are so many reasons to dislike this woman. As is the point.

“Eric wasn’t much of a reader either. Except for airport mysteries.” Cole made a tiny, exasperated noise, then shook his head. “They drove him crazy, but I think he liked to pick them apart, like a reverse puzzle. His work was stressful. Falling into stories took more effort for him. Or maybe he felt enough in his daily life that he didn’t need the catharsis of a good book.” (Cole) & Scott imagined they had fought a little because Cole liked books so much and Eric hadn’t, but a good kind of fight, playful. Something to keep the smile in Cole’s voice at the memory. “Despite what people think of computer nerds, he was very good with feelings—and puzzles.” — These are such are perfect veiled complements. Running or working out is Scott's version of reading, his version of Eric's puzzles. They are Scott's way of processing and relaxing. We all have them they are just all individual. (Cole)

“What should we toast to?” Scott had to ask something, and that was better than everything else he could have said. “It’s been a while since I’ve done shots.” Cole considered his glass, then Scott. “Do we need a reason?” “Oh, yeah.” Scott nodded. “Otherwise you just have a drinking problem.” —(Scott and Cole)

“I’ll see what my wife has to say about that.” Tiny let him lean. “She’d probably be into it. You city folks….” “You sound pretty into it,” — I really wish we'd met Tiny's wife, Rhonda. There are lines in this and in the second book that me really like her. There are also moments that make me think Tiny is really not as straight as he would like people to believe. He sorta feels like at least bi-curious. (Tiny and Scott)

“She does this. I think she knows when I’ll be by.” He stepped over the ditch into Cole’s yard and stared directly at Cole’s stubborn cat. “Honey, you have to come down if you want me to pet you. I’m not going up there.” — Honey. You are a weird cat and I like you. Bacio (Jimmy's dog) was just as cute but in a different situation. (Scott)

Honey and Bacio made me wonder about the contrasting tropes for the books. Cole and Scotty (Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter) are an opposites attract couple. Javier and Jimmy (For Better or Worse) are grump/sunshine and friends to lovers as is only right with a demi in play. What I will say is that this book is much more overtly sexual though no less heartfelt and longing than its sequel.

I really regret not reading this before I read For Better or Worse which is Javier and Jimmy's story. They do stand alone but Scotty and Cole's story explains why Kathy and the knitting circle are so awful. We meet parts of the Fire Family and see just how far they are willing to go for their own. That scene in the bar is a whole other level of wtf straight people?? Though Scotty was right that was definitely Javi behind him. I kinda wish that moment appeared in For Better or Worse it would have been torture for Jimmy to watch. The frustration, the jealousy, the want and all to Javi's obliviousness. Because in his words in For Better or Worse “I don’t really notice things like this. Everything looks like friendly teasing if you don’t know what sexual tension is. I get confused.”

[obsessivefangirl]

Hey. I heard you were a Christian, and if you don’t mind me asking, there’s something on my mind I can’t think of anyone else to go to about this

So… Do/Did you ever have moments where you question the thought process behind the idea that queer people’s existence doesn’t go against anything stated in the Bible? Don’t get me wrong- I truly do want to believe they don’t, it’d be a real shame for so many great people to be destined to go to hell over something they can’t control, but I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that there’s something I’ve overlooked that can’t be interpreted in a way that works in their favor

It’s just that nothing I know about it feels quite right. Or maybe I’m just receiving mixed signals, more accurately. “Sexual immorality”, whenever it’s mentioned, almost feels deliberately vague in how it never specifies exactly what it means. But at the same time, everyone around me sounds so confident that it’s in there somewhere, and it leads me to think there’s some missing part of the picture I just haven’t found yet. And no matter how much I pray for me to find this hypothetical missing thing, it never shows up

If you or anyone you know has been in a situation like this, what did you, or they, do?

Don't worry, I'm happy to help! I've had those worries before when struggling with my identity.

Now other queer Christians may have different opinions, as the Bible, and most religious scriptures, is complicated! It went through thousands of years, 2,000 even for the newest books in it, and it's riddled with metaphors and similies, not to mention God didn't make it, but He told humans the story who wrote it down, but not word for word perfectly.

A lot of people point to the Leviticus verse, "Man shall not sleep with man" But, as we established, the Bible is old. This leads to translation errors. But this isn't even a "What if," we know what it originally was!

It was "Man shall not sleep with boy" condemning pedophilia. But let's ignore that. This was Leviticus, where a lot of stuff is told to His people that we do (Even cutting hair!) And it said pigs were unclean to eat, but later in the Bible, He says no animal is unclean. As the world changes, the law changes. God the Father had righteous revenge and anger, but Jesus taught us to show mercy and love. Not to mention Christianity has done this with a lot of things (including left handed people!)

But even if that was a sin, that doesn't mean they're going to hell! We sin every day, cishet or queer! Jesus brought us the gift of eternal life, gay or not.

Being a queer Christian really opened my eyes to how Christianity has two major branches: people who follow Jesus, and people who follow the warped version of the Bible. Jesus was born to illegal immigrants out of wedlock and then preached love and the Word and said people were taking some things too hard, and people hated him for that. I think if Jesus came today, most Christians would hate him.

If you're a Christian or questioning, I would suggest reading the Gospel and trying to connect to Him!

[zalrb]

I mean, I think the show was kind of trying to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to Daemon and Rhaenyra. The show seems to be afraid to either fully depict the harsh reality of grooming, or to just lean into a dark, romanticized incest fantasy, so for me it feels like a clumsy amalgamation of both that doesn’t quite work. Also, the show seems to have weird ideas about how grooming works, according to some csa survivors I’ve heard talk about this. Grooming is a whole process and the show depicts it as happening in a matter of hours, because we don’t really see Daemon cross lines until the brothel scene. In the books, he is there for months, spending time with her and earning her trust (she is also much younger, 15 rather than 19). The idea that victims of grooming are forever devoid of agency and remain under the thrall of their abusers when they’re nearly thirty and have spent ten years away from them, is also one that some survivors have taken issue with. Idk, I guess my point is that the show is a lazy mess, and they rely way too much on commentary to get their messages across to the audience, which isn’t new.

Yeah, I wasn't going to get into how it's not an accurate depiction of grooming because they hardly spend any time together and how that entire dynamic was rushed because it speaks to a larger issue with the show and the writing of all of the dynamics and all of the characters and all of the plots not just specifically these two characters and I have a lot of posts on that and I also didn't bring it up because it did nothing to add to my original point which is that two people can have chemistry and still portray a problematic relationship so I didn't think the show intended for a young Rhaenyra and Daemon not to have chemistry as some sort of commentary and then wound up with actors who had chemistry, I just think they didn't do their jobs well.

[sleepdeprivedsimp234]

AUGHHHH MY HEART <3 /pos

Silly:

I’ve never heard of combining ice cream and soy sauce, but strangely I can see NY liking it lmao. He probably uses it to freak out all the other states tbh. He stares into their souls as he eats it, enjoying the fear and confusion in their eyes. And with a smile, he’ll do it again :)

Honestly him stealing other state’s clothes (hoodies, shirts, tank tops, sometimes sweatpants) has always been a headcanon for me and it holds a special place in my heart. I imagine that the bigger clothes make him feel safe and protected 🥺😭 Though one time he stole one of Alaska’s hoodies and it ended up being the equivalent to a weighted blanket. Poor thing was stuck. He also likes to think that the others don’t notice, but they do. And they think it’s cute and wholesome.

Him having a friendship with Loui will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart and I can 100% see them reading picture books together 😭🧡. They’ve probably both made a picture book together at some point tbh. Also- NY seeing a book he thinks Loui would like and bringing it to him for their next We-Can’t-F*ckin-Sleep session? YES PLEASE-

FKSGDKSHDKSHDKSHDKSHDKS HIM PAINTING PARTS OF THE STATES DEPENDING ON WHO HE’S MAD AT IS GREAT 😭😭

Tell me why I read this and instantly thought of those acting TikTok’s where the boys wear towels on their heads to represent women/girls 😭💀 NY is the type to throw his jacket over his head and just randomly run at people to hear them scream and run away. He is quite the silly lil fella.

He probably hides a lot of stuff in his beanie and candy is 100% one of those things 😭 he probably also has a rat chilling up there ratatouille style lmao

Angst:

He is the literal definition of sleep deprived 😭 He can fall asleep standing, hanging upside down, all that. Yet when it comes to him actually having to go to bed and go to sleep, he can’t. He just- can’t. Especially not with the nightmares about the war and abuse, the sh*t load of work, and the fact that he feels as though he doesn’t deserve to take a break. Till eventually, he gets sick and passes out. I can also see him using makeup to hide the fact that he’s tired.

NY literally cannot handle loud noise and if he doesn’t disappear, he’ll have a panic attack in front of everyone. Which would be embarrassing. And he’d be seen as weak. Which he does NOT want

I mean- it’s canon that he’s always stressed, he said it himself. "Ya can’t feel somethin’ that’s always there." Like- AUGH. So when things get too much he goes on a never-ending working spree and locks himself up for a while, barely sleeping, eating or drinking anything that’s not coffee. Also- I hc that he picks at his skin and scratches himself, so he’ll often times have scratches and cuts on his hands as well as bleeding and peeling on his fingertips/nailbeds/sides of his fingers.

HIM BEING ABLE TO COMFORT OTHERS BUT NOT HIMSELF??? ABSOLUTELY- he also probably rejects an help that is offered to him cuz he hates feeling like a burden to his loved ones. Then that’s when the others sic the Midwest, OG13, or probably Loui on him 😭. They make sure that some food is put in his system, but they don’t force-feed him or anything. Instead, they’ll calmly sit with him until he’s finished eating and just talk to him and remind him that they’re there for him if he needs a shoulder to cry on.

NY vanishing to somewhere where he won’t be found is fully accurate lmao. He probably goes to Wyoming the most cuz Wyoming understands him to an extent and understands if he wants to be left alone. Iowa would probably try to take him in like one would a lost a child. All the OG13 and Main 6 keep a VERY close eye on NY, making sure that he’s not hurting himself and helping him if they notice he’s stressed and/or overwhelmed. If it’s during a meeting, they’ll cover his ears and teleport him out of the meeting.

He’s definitely attempted before. Just saying. He still sometimes hopes that maybe the immortality wore off.

This man is definitely a wall puncher and has broken his hand or bruised his hand from doing so (he’s the definition of glass bones and paper skin-). NY seems to be on that line between being afraid of fire and loving fire. Like-"Oooo pretty- but danger- but pretty- but danger- I’m gonna lick it-"

Do you have any silly hc’s and ansgty hc’s for NY?

**it’s fine if not lol**

Hii! Ooo thank you for the ask, and I may have a few of both kinds of hc's for him :D

New York's silly hc's:

-He has tried ice cream and soy sauce together because he read about it in a book and surprisingly, he doesn't hate the combination. (the book is King of Wrath by Ana Huang, which is set in New York)

-I like to think that he tries on the shoes of the bigger states in the statehouse because he finds fun in doing so. New York was wearing Texas's huge dress shoes and tripped on them, and Alaska so happened to be nearby and helped him up, which got Alaska to be the one to first notice this habit of his.

-He and Louisiana read picture books together on nights when they can't go to sleep. Sometimes they're picture books that New York himself wrote, other times they're picture books that New York finds in his local bookstore that he thinks Loui would like.

-Whenever he's angry at a certain state, he paints a portrait of them that portrays them in the ugliest way possible. It could be a painting of the state's face with the ugliest color combos and/or purposefully messed up proportions or he may paint a part of the state that the state considere to be ugly or unattractive (ie. if here were madam at Texas, he'd paint Austin bc TX thinks that Austin is ugly, California w/ Bakersfield, Michigan w/ the border shared between him and Ohio, etc)

-He sometimes likes to wear his coats on his head like a wig and walks around the statehouse as he's doing so. And he likes to style it too: sometimes the coat looks like a whole ass muffin on his head (think of how people with long hair wrap a towel around their hair after a shower). Everyone else thinks he looks insane, but he's happy doing it for some reason.

-He hides candy in his beanie and nobody knows.

New York's angsty hc's:

-He has a terrible relationship with sleep. He can't sleep because of flashbacks of his past, he can't sleep because of his workload, and sometimes he doesn't sleep on purpose just to punish himself.

-He likes to lock himself in his room when the statehouse gets too loud. It reminds him of his past again (with all the wars and stuff) and he prefers not to interact with anyone at all for a few days to deal with it.

-[TW: self-harm] Whenever he does something that doesn't reach his own standards, he hurts himself in many ways. He indulges in his never ending workload, he stays up all night, he doesn't eat, and he can't talk to anyone without screaming at them (which hurts NY bc he doesn't like hurting his loved ones).

-He likes to cook for others but rarely finds the will to cook for himself sometimes, much less eat. It's the same way with comforting others: he always is the first to try and uplift somebody yet he can never uplift himself when he needs to.

-He likes to disappear whenever he gets too overwhelmed. The fellas in the Northeast always try and look for him whenever he does so, but New York always finds a spot where he knows he can't be found (usually in Wyoming and Iowa since they're usually forgotten, and both states seem peaceful to me), so they just wait for him to return home hoping he's okay. There was an occasion where he came back with cuts and bruises all over his body to the point he was hospitalized, and though the northeast states thought it was bc of a fight, it turned out to be self-inflicted injuries. The northeast now keep an eye out for any sign that NY's stressed out/overwhelmed so they can go talk to him before he decides to disappear again.

-[TW: suicidal thoughts] He likes to think about not being immortal & what life would be like if only he were to be able to die like normal humans. Sometimes he doesn't have the will to live and finds it so hard to accept that he can't just die. This fic by @xechoecho88x is a great story that ties along with this specific headcanon if you're interested in reading something like this :D

-He has a severely damaged wall designed for when he needs to let out some anger. To go along the lines of this, he likes fire and burns random things to keep himself at ease. The only thing that he regrets burning is an old necklace given to him by a friendly old lady he met & befriended in upstate. Her death took a toll on him and he burned the only thing that reminded him of her so he wouldn't mourn as much, but all he feels now is regret.

That's all I have, I hope you like it :D Thank you sm again for your ask, I appreciate it so much <3