#the 'generic book' is what ever gothic horror he's interested in at the time

[diapereddarling]

What's in Dorian's Diaper bag? Quite a few things!

[three--rings]

You Should Watch The Spirealm/致命游戏

What is it?

A 2024 cdrama based on the danmei webnovel Kaleidoscope of Death. It's a censored version of a BL novel, with thriller, mystery, and horror aspects, 38 45-minute episodes.

What's it about?

A young man accidentally gets drawn into a virtual reality video game that involves passing tests in a series of doors. Once you start playing, you cannot stop and if you die in the game, you die in real life. He meets a frustratingly mysterious, competent, and attractive man in the doors who recruits him to be part of his game solving team. Well, specifically to be his partner. Lots of gay subtext ensues as they fight through door after door seeking to get to the final door in order to end the evils of the game. (The book is a little different, as it's more supernatural.)

So basically it's a infinite flow deadly game situation, with m/m romance.

Main Characters:

Lin Quishi/Ling Juishi (novel/drama versions of his name)- Our protagonist. A smart graduate in computer science, good at games. Well meaning but a little naive to start out.

Ruan Nanzhu/Ruan Lanzhu - Our love interest. In the novel he crossdresses often and he presents as a woman for the whole first arc. Super intelligent, expert at the game, extremely flirty but reserved at the same time. Got one look at Lin Quishi and said That One.

Other Characters, aka the Found Family:

Ruan Nanzhu's team consists of a pair of twin brothers (one young and dumb and one uptight), a hot doctor vet, a woman whose main job seems to be cooking dinner, and a not-so-stable dude.

Then there's Li Dong Yuan, a rival player who becomes reluctantly-tolerated friend, and his cute female assistant. And Tan Zao Zao, an actress who hires the team to help her in the games and also sticks around persistently.

They're pretty much all delightful and some may start off silly/annoying and end up breaking the hell out of your heart.

Okay, but what's the VIBE?

Big Guardian vibes. The team of lovable scamps investigating weird supernatural (?) type mysteries? While the boss and the guy he fell for have a situationship? Totally. This definitely has more of a horror feel than Guardian, though, even though they tone things down from the novel.

Each door is its own setting, and some are more scary than others. So one is a mental hospital, one is a traditional village, one is a gothic manor, etc. Lots of tragic female ghosts who have been wronged and are getting revenge. The one that really creeped me out was the one with the children with the eggs. It does a lot of creepy rather than really horror. It's not truly gory at all, as it was made to air on Chinese TV and they have strict limits to violence.

The camerawork and set decor is really nice, actually. It looks great most of the time and a lot of the effects seem to be practical. It looks a lot better than Guardian is what I'm saying, if not quite to a film level.

How Gay is It?

Oh MY GOD. Okay look, this show was NOT supposed to be released, but thank whoever put it up for that two hours. It's really incredibly blatant, like really as much as Word of Honor was, although because the plot is focused elsewhere it's maybe not quite as in your face. But the actors UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT and there's so much longing and SO much implication. After a while, everyone basically just treats the main couple as a couple even thought it's never talked about.

I mean episode one there's Only One Bed and at the end of their first meeting Ruan Nanzhu gives Lin Quishi a RING. I mean, the flirting is also BLATANT. I also just find this a really romantic show, despite the Not Talking About It thing.

Is it a Happy Ending?

So, It's Complicated. I'm trying not to spoil anything and this show is pretty easy to have spoiled for you. There's definitely a good bit of tragedy in this show in general. Characters die and it's really sad. Like, this is a plot with stakes and if no one we liked ever died, it wouldn't be the same.

I will say I consider this show to have a happy ending, but you do go through some pain first. Essentially the main couple does have a separation, but there is a reunion before the end. There's also a scene that will give Guardian fans fucking PTSD, but the show does a fix-it on its own, okay? I do feel that I have to warn for that, though.

Where can I watch it?

The show is legally available on Viki with a subscription. Obviously there are other ways to find it as well, and links went around before it was picked up by Viki so check tags if you need those.

I really hope this encourages some people to watch this show, as it's really well made and a great time. It's one of a very small number of danmei adaptations we've gotten, but a lot less people have watched it since it's modern and had a weird release. Honestly, it's well written and acted and filmed and you should give it a shot.

(All gifs by @ruanbaijie, thank you very much for allowing me to use them. Check out their blog, there's such gorgeous stuff there!)

[mad-bird-writes]

Introduction and Current WIPs

Hiya! My name is Echo (@tousled-birdmad-girl is my main for those who care about such things) and I'm a writer. I've been writing in some form or another since I was about ten years old, but only recently plucked up the gumption and drive to attempt anything original, much less put it out for the world to see. Time will tell how this goes...

I love horror, tho I wouldn't consider myself a "genre" author, as I think horror, surrealism, fantasy and magic can be found everywhere if you know where to look, and the presence of fantasy elements does not necessarily mean you're writing a "fantasy" book. So, we'll call what I do "fiction" and leave it at that for now :D

Inspiration-wise, I draw from the works of Stephen King, everything Mike Flanagan ever put to Netflix and beyond, Paul Shapera and his ever-growing Shaperaverse, Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Palahniuk, and the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole (with a particular liking for taking the worlds, entities and themes first created by Lovecraft and using them to create something that'd make him spin in his grave.)

Below the cut: a list of my current WIPs and some general housekeeping information. If you see something that sparks your interest, please come sit by my hearth and pour yourself a drink <3

Original Works:

The Lost Souls' Revival: After a series of personal crises, struggling creative Amari Walker stumbles across a flyer advertising a strange carnival, offering "a total restoration of spirit" for the cryptic asking price of "3Y". With nothing left to lose, she attends, quickly becoming enthralled by the Revival and its colourful cast of performers, in particular its eccentric, nameless ringmaster. When her night of fun and escapism is over, she finds herself wanting more, and embarks on a one-woman quest to follow the ever-moving carnival wherever it goes, a quest that will drive her to the edge of sanity, and possibly beyond the reach of reality itself. (vibes: steampunk, dark carnival, mythology/folklore mishmash, fantasy horror, the Fair Folk, whatever the goblins were selling in Rosetti's Goblin Market)

Better To Reign In Hell: It's 1897. The world is changing too fast. Pastor Nathaniel Lawrence is dying, for all that he's trying to hide it. His daughter, Susannah, too old for rebellion and too young for spinsterhood, is content to follow in her mother's footsteps as the town's herbalist, but a bombshell marriage proposal seems set to destroy those plans. A chance encounter with a badly wounded man may offer her the escape she seeks, but at a price: Merritt Caine is not all he appears to be, and his dark past has an unbreakable grip. (vibes: southern gothic HEAVY on the gothic, small town horror, witchcraft (fictitious and real), Satanism (fictitious and real), corruption but in a good way, religious horror, the cycle of abuse, eventual murder (of the good kind) )

The Order of The Pallid Mask: In the corpse of a city at the centre of a dying world, a benevolent cult is working to restore their world to its fabled former glory by appealing to its retreated god, The King in Yellow. Sariann, the cult's High Priestess, is willing to sacrifice whatever she must to ensure a brighter future for the city's refugees; her body, her soul, her mind. Virgil, a lower-ranking member of the Order, her confidant, attendant and trusted friend, is willing to defy the Order and his faith to keep her alive. And the Yellow King has plans and desires of his own... (vibes: Cosmic horror, Lovecraftian but make it romantic, the beauty of the unknown, rituals, creating a religion from the ashes of an old world, post-apocalypse, ancient civilization (not of Earth), Eldritch love triangle) ***

Fan Works/Other:

As far as fanfics go, I don't have any long-form WIPs on the stove, more like a series of short (well, short-ish) form drabbles, headcanons and other assorted bits, which I might as well post here when I have them as proof that I do have a creative output that extends beyond Spotify playlists and Pinterest boards.

Fandoms include:

Fallout (mainly New Vegas and the Prime series so far, but encompassing this universe as a whole)

Red Dead Redemption (particularly the second game as I haven't played the first one yet, £35 for a port of a PS2 game my *ass*)

the Flanaverse (Hill House, Bly Manor, TFOTHOU, Midnight Mass... basically everything bar The Midnight Club, which I have not watched)

the Cthulhu Mythos (if you can call that a fandom :D I was working on a queer retelling of Dreams in the Witch-House at one point, if I can *find* the notes I wrote I might bring that one out of retirement...)

plus one or two fandoms the content crucibles of which I would not subject myself to if you held me at gunpoint (iykyk)

I've also amassed a small collection of OCs from various TTRPGs I've been part of, a couple of whom still haunt my mind and may or may not be written about from time to time... (no DnD tho, I think it's safe to say we've reached saturation point with DnD-centric/derivative works) ;)

***

General housekeeping + other info: I am an adult and this is an adult writing blog by default. I will be writing smut/other sexual content and dealing with mature and dark themes throughout these listed works (and anything else I may write to post here.) I will tag for "main" triggers and give general content warnings where applicable, but I cannot guarantee to cover every single trigger a person may have, therefore, you read and interact here at your own risk. If requested, I will add more trigger warnings, but again, I can't fully guarantee to get everything.

I kindly ask that you refrain from reposting anything from this blog: excerpts, character profiles, moodboards (if I make them) etc. I also ask that you do not take anything for your personal use under any circumstances.

My inbox is open, so send me an ask if you have any questions or simply want to chat! But for now, I've rambled for quite long enough, so I'm gonna wrap this post here. See you! <3

(tagging @coffeexafterxmidnight and @dominaarts )

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, March 31, 2024

My posts

Easter is a big day in my family because I have a young nephew and my mom has always loved putting together Easter baskets. She asked him if he thought he’d been good enough for the Easter Bunny to visit him. “I don’t have to be good, Grandma!” he said patiently. “He’s not Santa.” Me, I’m hoping to get a visit from the Easter Wolf. At any rate, this week on my end was mostly Hot Lady reblogs while I was out at the garden shop (fresh pictures next week). 

Reblogs of interest

All the Hot Vintage Lady Round 2 polls are up! I have gone in hard for Ava Gardner, and the people-pleaser in me hates upsetting Jean Seberg fans, but I can’t put on the jersey and then not fight when the numbers are this close. 

Round 3 starts Saturday, April 6th! It won’t get any easier!!

“dual propaganda: Dolores del Río and Marlene Dietrich being pals (who are gals) masterpost”

The voters’ ages are breaking down about the way I expected.

Unrelated to the bracket: 

These are the climate grannies: “They have the generational wisdom, environmental activism experience, free time — and they're not afraid of getting arrested.”

An Alabama state house seat flipping blue is a great lesson about voting in general, but AL conservatives wrought this “BUT WAIT WHAT ABOUT IVF” splinter issue themselves and I’m cackling that it’s bitten them this hard. 

Meanwhile, my tiny AL liberal-arts alma mater is closing and I’m furious.

Mike Flanagan: “If Netflix had released a blu-ray set for Midnight Mass, this is the blurb I’d want on the cover”

Gothic book cover heroines (I have a whole pinboard of these around here somewhere)

I will make a cheesy glittery Neocities page the hot second I can think of something to put on it.

Put Baby In Mimic Mouth. no problems ever in mimmic mouth because good Shape and Support for baby neck weak of big baby head.

A pun so perfectly calibrated that I had to go lie down for a moment 

SPOSHA (space OSHA)

Several species just vibing on branches

Please accept this bunny’s wink @ u. 

Video

1) I did not realize that Bette Davis was still alive when “Bette Davis Eyes” hit it big, and that she hung the gold and platinum records on her wall! 2) I was last week years old when I realized that the line was “Her hair is Harlow gold” and not “hollow gold.” 

This is a video featuring shrimp on a carousel, and you have to turn the music on

This cat has a water dance

This is what happens when a bubble freezes

The sacred texts

with faith and perseverance, one day we will sauté the horrors

Personal tag of the week

Honestly, I don’t have anything this week that isn’t vintage movie stars in some form.

[rruhlreviews]

Book Review - The Shining by Stephen King

This is the first Stephen King novel I’ve read, and fittingly, I read it during the largest snowstorm I’ve seen in a few years—though not nearly as severe as the blizzards that entrap the Torrance family in the Overlook. It was an excellent introduction to his body of work. Since I write gothic horror, reading The Shining has helped me to learn more about the broader canon of the subgenre, especially since my experience thus far has primarily been the foundational stories of the nineteenth century, such as Carmilla and the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The Shining, written and set in 1977, enhanced my horror experience as I had a closer cultural connection to the fears explored in the story. Small details down to the sad song Seasons in the Sun on the radio made the threats feel close to home. I believe this is why it had such mass appeal, as a reinvigorated take on a classic subgenre. Divorce, generational trauma, economic depression, and the undercurrent of racial relations are easy for the contemporary reader to connect with, and this is still true almost fifty years later in 2024.

Regardless of the year of setting, The Shining contains the hallmark elements of gothic horror: an isolated location, missed opportunities for escape, loss of sanity, and haunting. The characters not only physically trapped in the Overlook, but emotionally trapped with each other, and it’s the latter that makes the story captivating. Jack fears becoming his father, Wendy fears becoming her mother, and both fear upsetting their son with a divorce, which keep them entangled in their failing marriage. Through the narrative, their resentment for each other is as palpable as the steam building up in the boiler, a ticking time bomb. This is what I consider to be the most masterful element of the novel and the reason it remains so popular: a sense of subtle, creeping dread and psychological tension.

The first 250 pages were difficult for me to remain interested in, if I’ll be honest, but I kept reading because of the little hints. I could not put the book down for the last 200 pages. My own gothic novel has a slower pace, and something I had been recently struggling with was feeling like I needed more glamour and action to convey dread, but The Shining is titillatingly creepy with a thousand little threads that weave together in a web to ensnare the reader’s curiosity. The introduction of the story teases a climax that is paid off in full at the end. In addition to the main suspense around “redrum,” the recurring symbol of the wasps stood out to me. The first major supernatural occurrence at the Overlook was the resurrection of the hive, Jack connects the wasp nest with his abusive father and the cycle of trauma, and the entity dying at the end is compared to a swarm. The novel is neatly bookended, starting with Wendy and Danny together in a normal day, and ending with Wendy and Danny together in a new type of normal. I do personally prefer horror stories with hope at the end.

After gaining experience with formulaic mysteries and thrillers—which I do enjoy, don’t get me wrong—I love a suspenseful novel that is not predictable. Despite knowing nothing was going to allow the family to leave the Overlook, there were times I had hope Jack would snap out of it, and I really thought it wouldn’t be possible—but then he did at the very end to complete his goal of saving his family. I could not predict if Dick was going to make it to Colorado and survive to the end of the novel, and that perilous journey up the Rockies in a blizzard may be one of the most harrowing things I’ve ever read—and he fought not only the winter, but racial profiling. Another touch of realism to bring the fear home. I was convinced Wendy and Jack were going to kill each other, but Jack was the only one not to escape the Overlook. The novel kept me guessing and I felt real fear and disgust, especially when the dead woman in the tub was first revealed and when Jack was hunting Wendy in the scene made famous by the movie. A successful horror story indeed. My hope for my own writing is to make a reader feel such raw emotion and concern for a character.

As for criticism, I’m unsure how I felt about the third person omniscient point of view. I believe we needed all the viewpoints offered to get a full picture of the story told, but at times, the perspective seemed to shift midsentence and the style wasn’t the most readable. From a gender lens, something I could’ve gone without was how the novel paused to mention what every woman’s chest felt or looked like. It’s not unexpected for a male author in the seventies but it did take me out of the narrative. If I had a shot every time the word “nipple” appeared, I probably would have about five shots, which is, in my humble opinion, too many for a story without a romantic focus.

If The Shining was written by an unknown author in 2024, I feel like it wouldn’t have been allowed to have such a slow start or have a length of 500 pages. The market has changed since 1977 for an audience with a much shorter attention span. The first page is Jack’s dislike for his new boss. It doesn’t have the hook demanded by modern readers. Yet the first chapter foreshadows the rest of the novel, and right away, we know Jack will try to kill his family like the former caretaker. The narrative may meander at times like a mountain road, but it delivers. King keeps his promises to the audience in The Shining, which is what makes the book and him as an author so successful.

[oosahwtf]

After a 6 month hiatus from reading I have finally returned with the novel Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid. My friend @zxromance and I recently started doing a book club to help me get back into reading and writing more and Juniper and Thorn was the first book I chose. That being said, many of the thoughts and opinions I share in this report are taken from the notes and discussion between @zxromance and I so I would like to credit him for his contribution to my overall take away from this novel. Before I get into it I would also like to state THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS in this report and if you read the description of this novel and think it’s something you might be interested in reading please read the novel and come back to this. 

Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid is a gothic horror fantasy novel that is a retelling of The Juniper Tree from Grimm’s Fairy Tales. I would like to mention there are trigger warnings on this book for child S.A., S.A., cannibalism, self mutilation, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, child abuse, abuse, and general body horror. I will say, when I saw those trigger warnings I was nearly scared off from reading this book all together but I believe the author handled these topics gracefully and it was a pretty easy read all things considered. I did struggle a bit in the beginning with not understanding what a lot of the words meant, as to be expected in a fantasy novel, but with a little bit of googling it was a much smoother read after the first couple of chapters. 

I think one of my favorite aspects of this book that I kept coming back to is how perfectly it captures the cycle of abuse and how it affects people's behaviors and decisions. One example of this is how Marlinchen keeps returning to her father instead of just leaving. I know as a survivor of abuse that this is so common to return to these situations out of comfort and fear of the unknown, especially if this is all you’ve ever known. Marlinchen is also so scared of her abuser that she believes he has a lot more power over her than he actually does. You see this when she believes that he can make these potions that he isn’t actually capable of creating and he threatens her with a lot of things he never actually does. It is common once you escape abuse that you realize how small your abuser actually is. Another example of how well this novel shows  abuse is the relationship between Sevastyan and Derukach. Not only is there sexual abuse but also financial abuse. Their relationship also shows how abusers put up the facade of kindness when met with the possibility of their victim leaving the situation. This is also shown of course between Marlinchen and her father when she returns after running away. I think another very accurate and important way that this novel depicts abuse is through Marlinchen’s sisters. Both Undine and Rosenrot were insufferable yet their characters showed perfectly the effects that the cycle of abuse has on people. They were both doing what they could do to survive and their negative behaviors were learned behaviors from their abuser, which is how the cycle of abuse is so often continued. Overall, I love how well written and accurate this part of the book is. It seems to be most of my book report but it is a consistent and constant theme in this novel. 

Now since I got through the darker topics I’m going to get into my lighter hearted thoughts about the novel. Why is Marlinchen falling in love with this man immediately when all he’s done is look pretty and be an alcoholic? Because it’s a fairy tale of course. Honestly as someone who got married after knowing someone for a month when I was 18, super relatable content. It’s definitely accurate behavior for someone who is just now going out and experiencing the world and love for the first time. I would also like to add that against my will for this entire novel I could only picture Marlinchen as Taissa Farmiga in American Horror Story season one and Sevastyan as early 20s Tom Felton. A couple things that irked me through this whole novel were how often Marlinchen calls herself ugly and how annoying Sevastyan’s flirting was. I will say Marlinchen’s body image issues were very accurate to how someone’s brain would work when being abused this heavily but I got very tired of her being like “but I’m ugly” all the time. Sevastyan’s behavior was honestly just time period appropriate but still annoying. Their sex scene on broken glass was kinky enough that I’ll let all of that slide. 

Overall, an amazing novel and so much more than I was expecting out of a fantasy novel honestly. 

[finniestoncrane]

since you said it was okay for us to send in multiple ones i worked up the nerve to send one in for a blind date I’ll try to be as concise as I can with describing myself so apologies if this is a little long im not super great at describing myself in generalities. i trust your judgement completely. anyways!

I’m 30, bisexual, usually get mistaken for someone younger due to my size and sound of my voice, I have a couple of different chronic pain conditions but not so bad I can’t function normally, I’m friendly and kind to most people I meet but I also don’t take people’s shit you’ll definitely know if I don’t like someone i don’t really hide it that well —I’m pretty emotionally reactive is what I’m saying. I enjoy reading, some of my favorite authors and books include Edgar Allan Poe, Dracula and Alice in Wonderland (my favorite book) just to name a few, I also really enjoy audio horror dramas despite being bad with horror visually, i really enjoy engaging my brain so I kinda also really enjoy riddles and puzzle games even though my track record isn’t that great at solving them 100% of the time, I also enjoy victorian things and the period very much and my favorite holiday is Halloween! I also tend to show someone I like them no matter if it’s platonic or romantic through physical touch as long as I know they are okay with it

please don’t feel obligated to do this if you don’t feel up to it I just wanted to send in another one since your framing device is extremely adorable and fascinating to me! plus i am very curious who you’d choose for me in this situation. congratulations again finnie you deserve this so much 💚!!

💜 blind date 💜 the kitchen is now closed! 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie1500 (to follow or to block) a/n: you stop being so sweet or i'll have to serve you on the dessert menu ;-; 💚

"Hello, welcome to the Vill-Inn! We'll uh... take your order from over here when you're ready. Just shout! There's a weird aura over there... bit of a strange vibe. It's giving us the heebiest of jeebies."

It's not as if there's a rain cloud above him or bats circling the table, but you get what they mean when you sit down across from your date.

"Jonathan Crane, my dear. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He's charming, completely so. But there's something under that exterior layer, something dark and brooding. Something poetic, almost.

There are several points at the beginning of your conversation with him where you can see him wincing, but trying to hide the expression of pain on his face. It turns out to be an excellent way to open up to each other, as he divulges his chronic pain issues, most of which are the result of injuries from a certain Dark Knight.

"The suffering adds to my will for destruction, though. But I admire others who can admit to needing help, as they should. If you ever need someone to... discuss this with... I can offer some psychological comfort."

The more you reveal of yourself, the more interested he is. You can see him, teasing apart sections of your brain, of your psyche, and lapping them up with intrigue. A kind person who can react emotionally and keep people's cruelty at a distance?

"Very interesting. Tell me more."

Everything he says is accompanied by a wide and curved grin that feels mischievous more than conniving or malevolent, and the only time it really falls to one of warmth and surprise is when you reveal more about yourself, things that he finds a lot in common with.

Your choice of literature is certainly on par with his. When he delves into fiction as opposed to his psychology textbooks and research works, he would definitely opt for a gothic, melancholic terror. In fact, he has his copy of Sleepy Hollow with him.

"If you haven't read it, I can lend it to you. Returning it would be a good reason for us to meet again, no?"

He's intellectual, and enjoys problem solving. And while you admit you might not be much help on the difficult ones he can't quite get as quickly as certain, green-donning colleagues, havinng some emotional support would be just as effective. A love of horror is yet again more common ground, and his sly smile widens, his eyes lighting up, when you mention your love of Halloween. And when you notice the excitement, you reach out to place your hand on top of his. It's cold, but you warm him up, and he is grateful for the connection.

You might have read Sleepy Hollow before, but you'll take it anyway. Anything to meet up with Jonathan again.

[familyabolisher]

re: annihilation im glad im not the only one who disliked it lol! ive struggled thru the second book as well bc people keep telling me the third is the best but. we'll see. id be curious abt ur thoughts & if you have similar critiques (lack of interiority for the mc for one, a lack of clarity on Whats Going On but not in a fun way imo but in a way that makes me really unsure what the Point of it all is, & (book 2) just. the most tedious mommy issues ive ever had to read thru) or if its something else entirely. no pressure tho! i just like hearing ur opinions on things.

tbh my immensely pedestrian answer is that i just couldn’t get on with the style at all—it felt very clumsy and, like, amateurish. i got the sense that vandermeer wanted to narrate The Horrors in a quotidian, somewhat clinical tone that established a discordance around an effort to record and empirically tackle something that resisted the boundaries of human language and communication, and i think a more skilled writer could have pulled that off to great effect; however, as it was, he neither leant far enough into that voice that the discordance could fully emerge & exert a significant enough narrative force to make the piece compelling, nor relaxed it enough to allow his language to play around with the lurid, macabre, paranatural setting. 

like, for example, i’ve just gone to a random page to give you some sense of what i mean.

This was really the only thing I discovered in him after his return: a deep and unending solitude, as if he had been granted a gift that he didn’t know what to do with. A gift that was poison to him and eventually killed him. But would it have killed me? That was the question that crept into my mind even as I stared into his eyes those last few times, willing myself to know his thoughts and failing. As I labored at my increasingly repetitive job, in a sterile lab, I kept thinking about Area X, and how I would never know what it was like without going there. No one could really tell me, and no account could possibly be a substitute. So several months after my husband died, I volunteered for an Area X expedition. A spouse of a former expedition member had never signed up before. I think they accepted me in part because they wanted to see if that connection might make a difference. I think they accepted me as an experiment. But then again, maybe from the start they expected me to sign up.

this is like … the first time we get a real, direct account of the biologist’s backstory. it’s like a speedrun of heterosexual our wives under the sea (also a bad book btw lol) and is supposed to pack a pretty hefty emotional punch, but it’s just … well, i mean. “a gift that was poison to him and eventually killed him.” like, the extract falls back on cliches; the prose lands in a very ‘safe’ register and feels a little afraid to push anywhere significantly outside of that. this is pretty representative of (what i read of) the whole book, tbh—and it stings especially when you have things like a mysterious tunnel-tower seemingly made of flesh that only the narrator can see that’s spawning fungi spelling out sentences as other characters in the novel start to die … like, that’s good, and that’s just really not being communicated on the page in any compelling manner. 

it felt as though vandermeer had established this fascinating world and then just failed to communicate any of it to any memorable standard. also, the pacing was all over the place, lol—like, take your time with it a little more, spend some time on setting and description! or if you want to lean into that clipped, clinical account, maybe experiment a little more with the texture that that could lend; like, journals, reports, the kind of temporal weirdness that those can generate (as is common in the gothic novel, for instance) … like, there were just a lot of ins where vandermeer could have negotiated a more interesting piece of work than what i was reading.

it just felt very, like—the word coming to mind for me is ‘timid.’ like the text found its own concepts a little too unwieldy and pared itself down into a very meek prose rather than rising to the challenge that its scaffolding presented. and as a result, i was just, like, bored and irritated trying to read it. i’m told that the film is very different so i might give that a go at some point, but i really couldn’t push through to the end of the book, lmao. maybe it’s worth reading for like the last 70 pages, but i’ll never know. sad! well there’s other genre fiction

[crazykuroneko]

Tbh I think a lot casual viewers / non book fans are probably going to not continue the show after s2 unless it diverges quite drastically on louis's storyline? iwtv is very bleak and I genuinely think they underestimated how much show viewers ended up hating lestat after s1 (and they may end up in a similar situation with armand in s2) and then you're asking the audience to watch an entire season of this guy's whole backstory. plus you're killing off one of the two likable characters by the end of s2 and shifting louis into more a side character.

a big red flag to me was the lady who hosts the podcast who doesn't have a book background saying a lot of the same stuff as show-only people. like she clearly does not like lestat or loustat at all lmao and its literally her job to promote the show.

First, I want to address the "shifting louis into more a side character" because no I don't agree with that. Contrary to fans believe, Hollywood-standard wise (from the number of episodes they are in, how integral their characters are to the story), both Jacob and Sam have been considered as lead actors/cast of IWTV. You can see industry news outlets calling them both as such. But because IWTV is about Louis' past specifically and AMC knew IWTV still has some hope in Emmys even though it's small, they put them in different categories to not split the votes between them (they even only submit one actor in each category for it). So, look at what we have now, Louis is the narrator yet we still get Lestat in all episodes, and he's leading the NOLA narrative forward together with Louis despite not existing in the Dubai narrative. I bet we'll still get Lestat in most, if not all episodes, in S2, because Rolin has said many many times, the show is about both of them. And I expect they'll do the same in TVL season(s); Lestat is telling the story while Louis is leading whatever will be going on in the modern time. (No, i don't believe they'll make Louis stuck on a couch the whole season to listen to Lestat's story even though it sounds tasty. He'd definitely have a way to know what Lestat's saying, but I don't see anything good writing-wise from sticking your well-developed character in one place for such a long time)

About whether the audience will be willing to listen to Lestat's past, I'll see how S2 goes first before judging that. A lot of people don't like him, but there are a lot of them who are like, "I will miss him if he dies, he's an interesting character".

And IWTV is a niche show, its genre is gothic horror/romance. Who the hell is doing gothic romance for a series in this decade? (Hannibal doesn't count, it's not gothic and still about will/won't they). Like, what AMC is doing with IWTV now is extremely daring. And with a niche show, it's always the same: you can't please everyone. There will always be part of the general audience who will leave because either it's simply not their cup of tea or they can't stomach it. Especially now when there's this purity sentiment going so strongly in general (apparently now we shouldn't ship fictional characters, every sex scene has to have a grand purpose, and you shouldn't watch any portrayal of abuse even though it's produced by the victim herself). God forbid IWTV would ever want to please those people yikes. So, IWTV won't ever get as "mainstream" as what, Succession, Ted Lasso, Better Call Saul. But IWTV would still appeal to people who appreciate good writing, people who are "idc how bad the characters are as long as they're exciting!", and people who really love horror (not that "comfort horror" BS) - there's this review of IWTV from an horror website who is like "I wish they gave us more gore and horror of vampires", oh these people would love S2.

So, tl;dr you could say it's a natural selection (hell yes Darwinism), it's inevitable. I'd rather have that audience leave than stay and ruin fans' experience by whining about the plot that won't ever satisfy them. And I'd always applaud writers who don't give a shit to what people say and stick to what they're meant to do. They slay!

EDIT: ah I forgot about this. but don't underestimate the number of old fans who will probably check the show again when the TVL season(s) come. Because no matter how big their hatred for AMC is, it will be the first time ever for TVL to be adapted on screen. First time in 38 years (yes no one considers QotD movie ever existed). That's too big a temptation!

[cie-reads]

Pandora Hearts Vol. 1

5/5☆ Heartwarming, Horrifying, & full of heart: Lewis Carroll meets Gothic horror meets steampunk meets deep, compelling psychological storytelling.

A series very close to my heart: Pandora Hearts was the first ever manga series I read from start to finish when I was a teenager. Now, revisiting it in 2023, I am just as absorbed by Jun Mochizuki’s spellbinding writing style and captivated by her masterful artwork.

To sum up how I feel about the first entry in one of my favourite manga series of all time in a short review will be a tricky task, but I will endeavour to do so, nevertheless. (Slight spoilers for the first chapter of the book to follow).

The initial pages open this graphic novel on an intriguingly mysterious note, with cowled figures pronouncing a young boy’s very existence to be a sin (yes, his existence), foreshadowing some of the horror and drama to come, but then launches into a contrastingly jovial scene. We are suddenly and merrily introduced to our seemingly carefree protagonist Oz Vessalius bursting triumphantly from his hiding-place - a wardrobe – after he evades the attempts of various household members desperately trying to locate him for his coming-of-age ceremony.

These juxtapositions of tone are extremely common in this first volume of Pandora Hearts and the series as a whole, and they really make for an interesting time reading the manga. You never really know what’s coming in the next few pages – it could be a wholesome slice of life scene between friends or some of the most terrifying images of psychological horror, body horror, and gore possible in both art and writing.

Now, I won’t go too much more into spoiler territory in this review – because, well, that would defeat the point of writing a book recommendation - but I will summarize what kind of reader I think would benefit from reading this absolutely amazing series. I feel like anyone who is a fan of the Alice in Wonderland books by Lewis Carroll or gothic fantasy in general would appreciate Mochizuki’s retelling of some of the classic features of Wonderland with several key twists – she adds in heaps more horror, stitches in subtle and stunning steampunk elements, and so much extremely emotionally taxing character writing. This series is not for the faint-of-heart – it is chock-full of both horrific scenes and heart wrenching ones. But it is fully worth the emotional toil because it is both a beautiful manga to look at and a gem to read.

[lionsdenbooks]

the castle of otranto: the beginning of gothic horror

what is it?

The Castle of Otranto is widely thought to be the first proper Gothic horror novel. It was written by Horace Walpole (not That Walpole—his son, actually) in 1764. It tells the story of the castle and its inhabitants: the temperamental and abusive Manfred, his kindly wife Hippolita, their virtuous daughter Mildred, and their sickly son Conrad, who opens the book by dying mysteriously on his wedding day.

Walpole initially claimed in a foreword that the manuscript was printed in Naples in 1529 and speculated that the story might be as old as the Crusades. He later admitted that he had written it, but he had tried to mimic stylistic elements of medieval literature to make it more convincing. I don't know enough about medieval lit to know if he succeeded, but there's certainly a stateliness to the writing that gives it an older feel than other books written in this era. A subtler but significant Gothic touch.

observations:

In general, this book is structurally awkward. It has a strong opening, with the mystery of Conrad's death and the terror of Isabella fleeing from Manfred, but stumbles in the middle, with the Gothic elements being noticeably sidelined in favor of...royals arguing quite a lot. It ends with what amounts to a deus ex machina, but at least a fun one with the Grim Reaper, so that's nice

Otranto really pulls out all the Gothic stops early. It's got bleeding statues, living portraits, haunted castle (just one though), moonlit nights, secret passageways, you name it

Love is treated in this book as a simple switch—Theodore falls instantly, desperately, and permanently in love with Matilda, so much so that the book ends with this line: "...[Theodore] was persuaded he could know no happiness but in the society of one with whom he could for ever indulge the melancholy that had taken possession of his soul." This might be consciously in the medieval literary tradition of courtly love, love for love's sake, which generally had to end in tragedy because there was no real societal future for it?

The words "simpleton" and "blockhead" are used a lot in this book. I'm not sure what to do with this information

The stark difference in social understanding makes for a stilted horror piece. In the first chapter, Isabella flees from Manfred when he tries to force himself on her; escaping from your would-be father-in-law attempting to rape you is terrifying, but isn't the bigger horror here really the idea of divorce? The narrative certainly seems to think so, or it at least spends more time condemning Manfred's attempt to separate from Hippolita. This turns your emotional reaction from sympathetic horror for the protagonist to vague confusion and disgust with the perspective of the story in general.

final thoughts:

Otranto is honestly more historically interesting than it is enjoyable. Though written in a highly dramatic way, and with eye-catching Gothic staples throughout, to modern audiences that have seen a lifetime of spooky castles and bleeding statues, their mere presence doesn't mean much. I'd totally recommend this book to anyone who particularly enjoys Gothic horror and wants to know more about its history as a genre, but it'll be an awkward read.

phrase of the book:

"...Well! he is killed in just a critical minute—I accuse nobody. A helmet falls from the moon—so, my Lord, your father says; but Lopez and all the servants say that this young spark is a magician, and stole it from Alfonso's tomb—"

"Have done with this rhapsody of impertinence," said Matilda.

[transsexualhamlet]

16 but I want an essay on it 17 for the hannibal fic ur working on specifically and 27

hellooooo seb seb seb :)

ask game - writing wrapped

16. Who was your favorite character to write?

I think for this year it has to be between Nikolai and Party Poison? Somehow they are both the same brand and fucking opposite characters. I think it mostly comes down to their environment because at their core they have that same balance of hyperactivity, immaturity, and thrill seeking violence seeking bullshit that hides the underbelly of "this 20 something is already so fucking disillusioned with life that they are on the verge of a break with reality". You know. I think if they ever met each other they would give each other the autistic stare, shake hands, and mutually agree to kill each other in the most violent way possible. But at the same time they're so fucking different??? In no world would Nikolai manage to bond positively with a child im sorry it just. I don't think it could happen I think he would want it to happen but he would end up throwing it out the window. Poison didn't Mean to ofc but it just sorta happened. And Poison has an arc where he gets Better as much as it still ends badly and the whole thing is supposed to be at least a little heartwarming and well. Nikolai just gets worse lol

And I'm aware that my entire characterization of Party Poison is pretty much all made up past the bare bones of what danger days gives you and yknow like. Two panels in killjoys. And I guess whatever fanon I can assemble without reading fics and ruining the joy of making shit up myself. But they're literally such a fucking specimen for fucking real I am having so much fun dissecting that thang (Party Poison)

17. What songs did you listen to while writing?

For the Hannibal fic specifically?? Oh that's interesting well you see??? I can't listen to music with words while I'm writing because then I'll just end up writing the lyrics, getting distracted, never getting anything done etc. I listen to weird ass shit with no words. But for the Hannibal fic I've been listening to the song Ares on the Safe In The Steep Cliffs album by Emancipator on fucking repeat it's sooo good and it has kind of the same vibe as the piece as in. A silent calm abandoned place built in the ancient fighting grounds of gods where snow covers ruins and giant columns crumble under their own weight. You know. Normal lofi music.

27. What books, movies, etc helped instruct your storytelling this year?

I mean I generally write fanfic so I mean. The source material is obviously the inspiration for it. But I do have some original stuff and lemme tell you American Psycho really inspired one of my stories for school (does not elaborate in the slightest)

I think the book Leech by Hiron Ennes has inspired me in General. It's literally so fucking good I cannot stand it I ate that thing up like autism favorite food it's so fucking scrumptious (it's 80 percent gothic horror and medical gore 20 percent the most mindbreakingly well built sci fi lore that barely gets elaborated on) But it's. Seriously I cannot recommend it more it's not even about queer people it's about Parasites and Diseases but you can tell it's written by a queer person in the best way I want to eat Hiron's brain

[almasexya]

So you started reading Dracula

As someone who loves gothic horror, it's really been a treat watching Dracula Daily absolutely blow up my dashboard this month. The memes and comments on this century old story have really breathed new life (and blood) into a genre that has honestly been a bit overlooked.

So if you're interested in sinking your teeth into gothic horror in between emails from Jonathan and Co., here's some other books in the same vein.

Each entry includes a link to where you can buy the book in question- I've done my best to avoid Amazon and send you over to Bookshop instead, which raises money for local bookstores with every title sold. Thriftbooks is another solid option if you'd prefer to save a little and pick up used books, and chances are your local thrift store has a copy of Dracula or Frankenstein knocking around.

A general warning for any of the older works here, predominantly those from the 1800s: These stories are very much a product of their time. Bigotry against marginalized people can be commonplace, and is rarely if ever remarked upon. This kind of content is inexcusable no matter the era and deserves to be commented on in the broader context of the genre in general, but is unfortunately something that is difficult to avoid when it comes to writing from this time period. If you'd rather not be exposed to that kind of content, I'd recommend sticking to the more modern entries on this list.

Vampires: First Blood Volume 1 and Volume 2 edited by James Grant Goldin

These two collections aim to catalogue as much of the pre-Dracula vampire material as possible. Here you can find Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, the tale of the sapphic vampire and the young woman who comes to know her, as well as Polidori's The Vampyre, which all but codified a number of tropes now common to the genre, and Dracula's Guest, Stoker's lost "prologue" to Dracula. Along the way are tons of less well known vampire stories, both in prose and poem, with introductions and conclusions written by the editor that help place the tales in the larger history of vampire fiction. If you're into the older Victorian era vampire stories, these two collections can get you most of them. It's important to note these are all public domain stories, what you're really paying for is Goldin's editing and observations, which I consider worth the price.

The Virgin Vampire by Etienne de Lamoth-Langon, adapted by Brian Stableford

This one is interesting, the story of a wronged woman who came back from the dead to get vengeance on the man who cast her aside. Another quite early vampire story, this one has only recently been translated. It's a fairly quick read, though at times a bit slow on the plot. A chapter from this story is included in Volume 2 of Vampires: First Blood, so if you pick up that book, you can get a preview of this one.

Blood of the Vampire by Florence Marryat

Alright this one is really odd. It stars as far as I can tell one of the first examples of the "psychic vampire," a young woman who exhausts and kills those to whom she becomes attached. This one is intriguing in that it's written by a woman, and also just really, really racist. The warning above can't do justice to how racist this one is - so be aware of that.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Another gothic horror classic, famously written by Mary Shelley when she was just a teenager. Victor Frankenstein's quest to create life is still a great read today, with the monster's desire for love and companionship firmly placed against the good doctor's revulsion at what he's created. There's really not much to say about this one that hasn't already been said, so make sure to check it out.

A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson

This modern retelling of Dracula from the perspective of the Count's brides is a beautiful read, and a perspective that benefits from more attention. Dracula's brides are often background characters who exist mainly to be killed in whatever adaptation they end up in, so it's refreshing to see the relationship developed into what amounts to a queer polycule without any of it feeling forced. The story doesn't follow the events of Dracula, though they get a tongue-in-cheek mention - it's more the story of the brides overcoming the emotional and psychological abuse of Dracula, a man they can't help but still love.

Carmilla and Laura by SD Simper

Sad that the original Carmilla ended the way it did? Well you're in luck, because this retelling is beautifully, relentlessly sapphic. Unlike Dowry of Blood, which is basically its own story, Carmilla and Laura stays true to the majority of the original tale's story beats, tweaking things here and there. The majority of the changes come in the relationship between protagonist Laura and her new vampire guest, who quickly hit it off and start to become something more.

The Vampire Super Pack by Fantastic Stories

This collection has a ton of vampire stories in its 600+ pages, from the familiar public domain works to lots of modern stories. Not a lot of editing here, but being a short story collection there's bound to be something for everyone.

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

This is a cute comic series about a vampire and a werewolf who get into a relationship. You've likely seen this one get posted on tumblr, and since it's a webcomic you can read most of it for free! The printed version does have a few extra panels in it, however. The author (who you probably know better from her more famous webcomic, Sarah's Scribbles) is right at home pulling the pair of classic monsters into the modern age, with cute, evocative art and plenty of jokes.

Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology edited by Celine Frohn

This is another collection of modern short stories that runs the gamut of supernatural topics, from ghosts and vampires to mermaids and plenty of haunted protagonists. With around 18 stories, there's lots of different perspectives and settings at play here.

The Vampire Chronicles Collection by Anne Rice

A lot has been said about Anne Rice already (and deservedly plenty is negative), but this collection of the first three of the sprawling Vampire Chronicles series is still worth a look, considering this is the series that is largely credited with taking vampires out of the realm of horror movie monsters and planting them firmly into the "tortured sad boy" category. The writing is beautiful and the characters compelling, so if you want to see when vampires really became modernized, this is where to start.

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

Another series, though this one is an alternate history with direct ties to the original Dracula novel, where the titular count succeeds in moving to London and spreading vampirism throughout England after marrying Queen Victoria herself. With a veritable clearinghouse of public domain characters and real people plucked from the pages of history, the Anno Dracula series is a wild period piece that deserves more attention. The later entries in the series move into different historical periods, but the first book is unabashedly Victorian, though also a bit steampunk.

This is hardly an exhaustive list of gothic horror fiction, so feel free to add to it with your favorites. It should at least keep you busy between emails.

[bondsmagii]

What’s ur favorite or the horror book u would recommend? No need to be the top selection, I just would love to hear the reason behind it :D

I would recommend IT by Stephen King to anyone who likes horror and doubly so for people interested in writing/aspiring to be a writer. it's an absolute masterclass in horror, pacing, wide timelines, description, characterisation... basically everything you need to write a good book, he does it in this one. he's even generous enough to illustrate some things you should never do! (for those of you familiar, yes, I am talking about the sewer orgy scene. if I ever get to ask Mr King one question it will be "why did you feel that was necessary, sir?")

for general horror, it would be The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. it's so weird, because I rave about many other books way more than this one, yet at the same time if "favourite book" is characterised by the book you read over and over again without once getting anything less out of it, then The Little Stranger is that book for me. I reread it every year (in October, so I'm due my reread soon!) and every time I am blown away by what a perfect Gothic ghost story it is. like all true horror, there's what the book is about -- a large manor house haunted by its family's secrets -- and then there's what it's about, which is so much more than what's on the surface. a story about loss and regret and dangerous, consuming obsession, the descriptions and pacing are amazing, the suspense and danger genuinely unnerving, and it contains one of the scariest scenes I've read in a book (the nursery scene, for those familiar). like all Gothic horror, it's also immenently tragic, and every time I read it I still find myself hoping for a better outcome for everyone. it's honestly just a brilliant book.

[docholligay]

My Cousin Rachel

This book is like watching the Bachelor or the Circle or something--you know when you’re watching someone make horribly stupid mistakes right in front of you, and there’s nothing you can do but clap your hands to the side of your face and go, ‘What are you doing????” but it’s fun, because you don’t actually care about these people and their lives except in the most outside sense? That is the best non-spoilery review I can give of this book. It’s reality TV, but Victoriante though. 

And so some of you may say: Oh, so it’s not good then? No, it is FANTASTIC, and immense fun, and well-written, heavily atmospheric and touches of influence from the Gothics in the corners. But it is very much a mystery story, and you wouldn’t have to get anything deeper than that out of it if you didn’t want to. You can absolutely have a wonderful time reading this as a light entertainment. 

Spoilers under the cut!

----

I forgot how much I enjoyed du Maurier until I was about 100 pages into this book, remembering how much I like her turns of phrase and the subtle ways that she plays with character ideas. It’s a stroke of genius that she has the whole thing narrated through Phillip’s eyes. It does not allow us to really ever develop an outside idea of Rachel, drug through the twists and turns as we are by Phillip. 

I think what makes it so interesting as a reader is that, Phillip being our frame of reference and knowing how he loves Ambrose, we’re set to fight with Rachel as well. But what’s amazing is I think a lot of readers probably don’t go along with Phillip as he starts to fall in love with her. She begins to excuse her, but we do not, even given from his perspective, and I think that takes a fair amount of artfulness on Du Maurier’s behalf. She’s constantly trying to keep us on our toes. 

In some ways I wonder if this isn’t just her general idea of “guess how stupid men are, I will show you”. So much of it relies on seeing what Phillip is doing and watching in abject horror as he gives up everything to a woman because he’s taken by her aspect. The narrative even gives us another woman in the form of Louise to be astonished by all the things that Phillip ends up doing in service to Rachel. 

He actually is kind of a shit to Louise, who I think exists as the sort of balance to Rachel we’re meant to see. I don’t think Louise is out of line to imagine she might marry Phillip, given the time and place they both find themselves in, and the fact that they know each other well. But maybe that’s a part of what Du Maurier is saying: Men are not in love with women so much as they are in love with the ideas they project upon them. We see more and more of this as the book goes on, for example, when Louise is confronting Phillip about what he’s done for Rachel. He tells her that she’s wrong, that Rachel is a “woman of impulse and emotion, and hr moods are unpredictable and strange. God knows, but it is not in her nature to be otherwise.” 

He’s putting on her this mysteriousness, this idea that the things she does are a part of her but almost come from outside of her, something she can’t control, and Louise sees it for something very different: “Had you been less vulnerable,” she said, “Mrs. Ashley would not have stayed. She would have called upon my father, struck a close fair bargain, and then departed. You have misunderstood her motives from the first.” Louise sees exactly what Rachel is doing, and it’s interesting because there’s a point in the movel I can’t find right now where Rachel herself says that women see things much more clearly than men. I wish I could find the page. So is that, do we think, just more of Du Maurier saying, “Hi hello here is my thesis statement, that men can’t stop seeing what they WANT to see long enough to see what’s actually there?” This book was written in 1951, so remember that you have to take yourself outside of your current place and time and imagine her saying this back when women were considered like, the dark country that no man can know. I think that’s interesting! This idea from the author that these ~little wimmins~ are constantly outpacing and outthinking these men who control their lives and yet have no capacity to stop being blindsided. 

I’d be interested in knowing who comes down on the side of Rachel being guilty, and who comes down on the side of Rachel being innocent. Du Maurier herself is extremely intentional about avoiding answering the question--that’s part of the fun--she leaves just enough of an opening either way that you could make an argument. I think that she was guilty, and that says something interesting about me, I think. I would assume most people think she’s guilty, and I’d be fascinated to see who has a presumption of innocence here. 

Why do we think Ambrose and Phillip are so vulnerable to Rachel’s work, if we believe, as I do that it was all a trick? I think Du Maurier is saying something about what happens to men who deliberately keep themselves from women’s company. They allow women to become ideas and objects, and so have no ability to see them in the way that they would a man, to their extreme detriment. Ambrose makes a huge point of saying how he’ll never marry and woman are all a bother, and passes that idea onto Phillip, who idealizes Ambrose so highly that he literally wishes his name was Ambrose. Because they can’t see Rachel as a person, they can only see what they want her to be, and essentially romance themselves. Rachel gives them just enough rope to hang themselves. She takes the fascination of gardens, the planned wild, and manipulates it into perfection with Ambrose. And I don’t doubt that she does like gardens, but there’s something more to it than that, in the same way she sees that Phillip longs for someone who has an air of fineness about her. It doesn’t hurt that Ambrose loved her as well, given Phillip’s desire to be like Ambrose in all things. 

Who Rachel truly is, I think, is the real mystery. I come away having no idea what I think she likes or who she truly is, because I think so much of her life is about becoming that which she needs to be. She is a simple English woman for Ambrose, a particular woman of refinement for Phillip, a party girl for Sangalletti. Truthfully, I respect the hustle. I simultaneously want a story from her point of view and absolutely do not want any of the mystery of how she came to be so cunning and quick taken a way from me. Maybe I’m guilty of the same thing as Phillip, of wanting to project my desires for what she could be onto Rachel. 

Let’s say, though, that I’m wrong. And that Rachel was guilty of absolutely nothing. 

If Rachel was not guilty of the crime, than is Phillip guilty of murder by allowing her to go on her walk? Do we think that Phillip had an inkling that she would walk across the weak bridge, and that it could collapse beneath her? Because the second question must be true if we want to even bother engaging with the first. If he had no idea, he had no idea, and so there can be no sin but one of ignorance, right? We can’t be held to account for honest ignorance. But let’s say he had an idea, that Rachel would go there--she loves the gardens and the expansion of them was a major passion project for her--is allowing someone to come to harm when you could stop it the same as murder? For me, on a religious basis, it’s not the SAME, in that Judaism doesn’t do that “All sins are the same” thing, but it is most definitely prohibited and there’s even a rabbinic opinion somewhere about not overly protecting yourself, so like, you can and should risk a little danger to save someone’s life. But just standing by and letting someone die, or knowing there's a large chance of it? If she’s not guilty of the crime, I think that’s, if not murder, a cousin to it. 

 I mean even if she is, do we think, if Phillip knew, is he still culpable of something? I think he is. I don’t think we get to stop being moral when people hurt us. Especially if that hrm is because we’re fucking idiots and let ourselves be taken in by the idea of what we want someone to be. Whatever she did, it was not a capital crime. She didn’t deserve to die for taking advantage of a fool. Is it kind? No. Is it also something I would consider prohibited? Oh absolutely. But that is pretty much irrelevant to my idea of Phillip’s responsibility here. I think that if he knew, what he did was a cousin to murder, regardless of what she did. 

I guess, though, point here. If she was trying to poison him, it would have been a capital crime if she succeeded, but he in no way needed to kill her to avoid his death, he just needed to stop drinking her fucking tea, so, having had that thought and circled back, I still think that he can’t really claim self-defense or any of ther kind of reasoning for it. 

Let’s talk about the opening and ending! It’s going to go in the books as a top ten ending line for me, it just hit me like a ton of bricks and brought all of it home. “They used to hang men at Four Turnings in the old days. Not anymore, though.” I think I liked that the most of all, because at the beginning I had no idea where it was going with that, and the end implies that Phillip DOES see himself as a murderer. And when we think about the beginning in context with the end, where Phillip is talking about what the man’s wife might have done to push him to kill her, we can imagine Phillip telling himself all of these things and trying to square why he let her die, and THAT final line is why I think he must have known that she was going to go out on that extremely tempting bridge over the sunken garden, and he knew she was going to get hurt, and he let it happen. He let it happen because it was the only way for the property to revert back to him, and he’ll have to live with this because no one is going to hang him for the crime. 

I often say, and believe, that whether I liked something or not is the most boring thing I can say about anything, but I think at least part of these is people wanting to know if I liked the book: I did! I think it was an immensely fun book and I would recommend it to just about anyone who enjoys screaming at a fictional character about how stupid they are over and over again. I thought I was going to like this, based on how I liked Rebecca, but its always a delight not to be wrong on that.

[being-of-rain]

Some thoughts from my Classic Who watch, season 16: The Key To Time!

There’s some Doctor Who stories I have a nostalgic fondness for because they were one of the first of the large group of DVDs that stared my Dr Who DVD collection. And one of those was the box set of all the Key to Time stories!

Romana is immediately iconic. As a character, she’s got such a strong premise. A typical by-the-book Gallifreyan homebody, who approaches everything from a theoretical perspective that infuriates the Doctor because her approach often works and she looks good doing it, but she still has lots to learn from him in return. Honestly, it’s such a shame when Romana is written as a generic companion (eg. only standing around asking plot-relevant questions and getting scared), which she has her fair share of, because it is immediately obvious. Seeing Romana out of her element with all the adventuring is a good thing, but there’s a line between that and being helpless and without agency that a lot of writers and directors obviously couldn’t see back in the day. Still, Mary Tamm does a fantastic job of working with what she’s got, and making the good bits shine glamorously. (A lot of the same could be said for Lalla Ward in the next season, whose incarnation I think works best as a Romana who has very quickly come to grips with the practical side of Tardis travel rather than just the theoretical side, and is almost a second Doctor- but with less ego and slightly more competency.)

Anyway, one thing I appreciate about season 16 is that it often does some interesting things with each segment of the Key to Time, at least narratively. Immediately the first segment, in The Ribos Operation, is an important part of a con that Romana and the Doctor need to navigate and figure out as they go in order to retrieve it. It’s a really solid story I think- good characters, setting, aesthetics, worldbuilding, plot, and writing. The fact that it starts off with the incredibly engaging scenes of the Doctor getting pulled over by a god (very Star Trek) then having a rocky start with the companion he’s forced to work with is icing on the (icy) cake. With the neat setting I’m actually quite interested in the sequel Big Finish published recently (The Ribos Inheritance), even if it is low on my to-buy list.

I watched The Pirate Planet with my brother, who rates it as maybe his favourite Classic Who serial, and I’d say that’s fair! You can tell it’s written by Douglas Adams from not only all the fantastic and sometimes hilariously understated jokes, but also the amount of extraordinary sci-fi concepts jam-packed into one story. I feel like each time I watch the story I understand some part of it a little more. The Captain must be one of the best villains in the show’s history (a cyborg tyrant who acts like the most entertainingly over-the-top pantomime pirate captain, but who is revealed to have more going on under his violently vibrant exterior than you’d think at first glance), and he’s only enhanced by his little posse of his nurse, his robot parrot, and the ever loyal Mr Fibuli. If I went on listing all the things I like about the story, I’d be here all day, but shout out to the iconic scene near the end where the Doctor rattles off some of the most impressive technobabble in Dr Who, which naturally Romana follows effortlessly, then says his plan to deal with the rest of their problems is to “blow them up. ... It’s a bit crude, but immensely satisfying.” OH, and from part one; “where did you get those jelly babies?” “The same place you get them.” “Where?” “Your pocket.”

The Stones of Blood is interesting because it starts off feeling very season 13/14, very gothic horror, and then halfway through the setting turns into a spaceship in hyperspace putting the Doctor on trial. But also like... it wasn’t interesting in too many other ways. All the villains feel like ideas that could’ve been better with a bit more focus and depth. Same for the segment of the key to time having special powers that are knowingly used by the villain, which is relevant to one cliffhanger and that’s it. Oh well, at least Romana’s outfits are, as always, fantastic.

I’m such a sucker for The Androids of Tara. Camp medieval court political mistaken identity runaround with androids... comedy, romance, an amazingly watchable villain, the Doctor desperately trying not to do any of his set quests, and even some fun worldbuilding (I just love the little tidbit that building and maintaining androids is considered peasants’ skills). I have a fun memory of the first time I watched it too: I was visiting England, in our spare time working through the Dr Who DVDs that my brother and I bought, and when we watched The Androids of Tara I recognised one of the castle courtyard filming locations as a castle we had visited the day before! If I had one complaint for the story, it would be how Romana successfully escapes Count Grendel in part three and reunites with the Doctor and his party, only to be immediately captured again in the very next scene, after sharing less than half a dozen lines with her friends. Very rarely is the capture/escape/capture pattern in Classic Who (or the damsel in distress trope) been used so obviously. Have her stay free, stay captured, or at least survive five minutes between the two! Oh well, apart from that, it’s a very fun story. I could spend a paragraph listing things I love about it, but the first that comes to mind is Grendel’s dramatic final announcement before diving into his castle moat, “Next time, I shall not be so lenient!”

I think The Power of Kroll has a pretty accurate depiction of how racist parasitic corporations can be, and how insidious and heartless their tactics can be when trying to get rid of native people who live on land the corporation wants to profit from. But like... did we need the green bodypaint. And the writing for the natives is still so cliche and lifeless. I think points for the concept if not all of the execution. The story is pretty drawn out and could’ve used less episodes, but Kroll being a massive squid creature who grew thanks to swallowing the segment of the Key to Time is a pretty cool plot point that gets revealed at a good gradual pace throughout, until it makes total sense for the Doctor to defeat the monstrous being armed only with his tracer at the end.

The Armageddon Factor is apparently the last 6-parter of the classic series, and boy does it make a good argument for it. Easily the most fun and memorable thing about the story is Drax, so this watchthrough I was surprised when he didn’t turn up until episode 5! Most of the other actors and characters aren’t bad, it’s just... nothing much really happens. But the villain is bad; an agent of The Black Guardian called The Shadow is such a cool concept, but he’s so flat and boring and ineffectual. It’s not a good look for the only competition the Black Guardian has offered all season, and in a season full of fantastic villains too. Astra being a segment of the Key is another neat concept that isn’t super capitalised on. And the concluding scene of the arc where the Doctor announces that the White Guardian would never sacrifice a single human life for the sake of the universe doesn’t quite track, considering that literally the only thing we’ve seen the White Guardian actually do, in the arc’s first scene, is threaten the Doctor if he doesn’t go on the quest to assemble the Key in the first place. Oh well. A lacklustre conclusion to one of Classic Who’s only strong story arcs, and overall I think it was a story arc that could’ve been done a lot worse. At least the final story gave us Drax, which led to the amazing audio The Trouble With Drax. And another episode coming up, Here Lies Drax by the same author! I’m excited for that one all over again now.