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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 6 hours

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Have you ever read Borrasca?

Yes Anon, I read it.

I don't even know how to start this. My instinct is "Content warning" but like...where to even begin in terms of listing the content I would warn people about with Borrasca. I'll just say, that if you've already read it, you know what I'm about to discuss. If you haven't read it, do not go under the cut. Because it's better to experience this story yourself.

But only if you have the strongest of stomachs. You are not prepared and neither was I.

Still here? Okay. Content warning: Child sexual abuse, kidnapping/trafficking, (gruesome) murder, discussion of remains, infertility, incest, parental abuse, horror....did I cover everything?

I don't normally like creepypastas. I am not a horror fan. Never have been. It's easier to consume horror via reading because it ensures a lack of jumpscares but I still don't like it. The content all too often makes me queasy and just don't fit me. So it was fortunate that when I picked up this story, I had no idea it was horror. Because that genre just has telltale signs and, at least to me, those signs weren't initially there. It wasn't until the characters first visited the Treehouse that I began to feel uneasy, (especially the first instance of the Shiny Gentleman's "song of death") and not until Whitney disappeared that I knew the story would be dark. But then it throws you for a loop by doing that time-skip without any notification, no "Seven years later" etc. They just leave it to you to figure it out, House of The Dragon style, so it took me a bit to figure out what happened and that kind of wrapped up my attention. (Speaking of, as a major fan of the Thrones universe, a lot of this was stuff you'd think I'd be able to handle no problem, but that didn't make it any easier.)

Unfortunately, the story had fish-hooked me by this point and I wasn't going anywhere. One moment that properly stood out to me was Phil Saunders talking about all the missing people going in the ground, or, as he put it, "grounder." In hindsight, that is downright cruel foreshadowing, or maybe it was purely coincidental (but I doubt it) and it stuck out to me the first time. That whole sequence did, of him basically saying that when he got high, he would figure out that all these people going missing was no accident, and that everyone in town either knew, or chose not to know. For some reason, the "grounder" line stuck out to me, and the next time we heard the Shiny Gentleman, the description of it being metallic and everything just made me pause. I remembered the "grounder" line and...a truly horrifying thought crossed my mind about the place where bad things happen. And when I make obscure predictions about stories, I often wind up being exactly right. (It's a strange gift, I'd rather something useful like Sign Language or Tax Lax, but I digress.) What kept sticking in my mind was "Why?" I couldn't place who or why people were taken there to be put in the "grounder" or what they were wanted for.

Side note, a lot of my thoughts were wasted on trying to figure out the "skinned men." A masterful red herring with an actual explanation that works. I didn't think of the answer as a cop out, I just went "Ohhh...." The whole concept leads you on a wild goose chase to assume there is some sort of supernatural element to this story when there isn't, because reality is so much more frightening than fantasy. It all feeds into the Borrasca folktale, which helps build a mythos for the place and acts as a gateway for people in the town learning about it as they grow up without questioning it too strongly. Which is useful for things like the "song of death" which will be heard periodically but mustn't be something anyone overthinks. They ignore it, because they assume it's just a logging company up the mountain, or because they fear the whispers and legends about the "skinned men" and want nothing to do with it...or because they know. Or, even worse...they don't want to know. Like Tom Prescott said, the townspeople probably don't know everything, most of the time...but some of that is willful ignorance and complacency with a system that they must sense is rotten to the core. Even the more sympathetic characters like Anne and Meera, they aren't innocent in all this. Anne says it herself - everyone is guilty. Meera's refusal to participate in Borrasca to get a baby until she eventually wilts...that's not her "falling to the dark side." She was already there. Because clearly, she knew. She knew, and she did nothing. Then again...what can she do? What can any of them do? This is how evil institutions rise and remain in power. Complacency and hopelessness.

The other moment...I could call it prophetic, but like, I don't want to pat myself on the back. The story is just very well told. But I remember the moment, distinctly, that Graham Walker told Sam and Kyle that he would "never let Whitney go." And the wording...I noticed the wording. And I thought to myself in that moment, "You have her. I don't know how, but you have her." And it made sense. When children go missing, sometimes it's the parents who are behind it. I mean, we've all seen SVU, right? Up to that point I genuinely hadn't suspected Walker at all, because I just thought - if there is some deep conspiracy in this town, how could Walker be a part of it? He moved here, only a few years ago. But it's quite possible that he was involved with Drisking even before moving his family there because he did something "bad" that caused them to reassign him. Honestly, that entire act is filled to the brim with amazing foreshadowing. Like, the adults really shouldn't be talking about any of this or even hinting it around the kids - that's just a writing tool, right? Well, yes, but, all of the adults know and are either involved or they turn a blind eye, so it's the kind of thing they would want to introduce to the teenagers gradually - Owen and Meera's cryptic conversation about the "only other option." comes to mind. Especially Sam, as Walker undoubtedly wants to recruit Sam to the "business" even at this point, and so they have to start grooming him early.

Kimber. Probably my favorite character, though both her and Kyle are compelling. Kyle's fate may be the saddest part of the story, actually. But the entire journey of Anne's death, about the mysterious suicide note and the lengths Kimber had to get to in order to read it. The way her father slipped and mentioned it within earshot, and then all anyone could do was try to gaslight the kids into believing he never said that and there was no note. The way Kimber knew Prescott was involved but also just knew it wasn't an affair. Like, sure, she probably didn't want to believe Anne would do that, but it was much more than that too. The clues just didn't point in that direction - oh, and don't get me started on Tom Prescott's ravings, by the way...why did they put him in a home outside of Drisking if he's going to be ranting about Borrasca to anyone who talks their way into a visit? But I digress. Nothing made my heart pound more than Kimber's final texts. How she was so unresponsive for so long before just sending back "I found it." Like. She definitely had already read it, and was processing what she had been told. Of course, after being told that the police were coming to find her (complete with her father "objecting" to something with them) all she texts back is "They're here." And that's the last thing she sends, and jesus cartwheeling christ, that is basically proof that the cops kidnapped her but of course, Walker pretends he does not see it.

The foreshadowing is everywhere. There's a scene where Kyle says "She's my...my..." And Sam notes that he "still can't say it." Which, in hindsight...yikes. Like, the story itself stops short of saying what Kimber and Kyle are to each other. Obviously, Kyle meant "girlfriend" and that's what Sam understood. But rereading that moment is another punch in the gut. And so many of the most twisted reveals aren't actually reveals. A lot is left implied. You have to read between the lines and put the puzzle pieces together to figure some of it out. Like how the last baby born in the story is called "William" and then the Shiny Gentleman sings his song one more time. They don't explain what that means. But if you pay attention to the naming rule, then you know who William's father is. Whitney was putting out "shit babies" and Walker said he would "never let her go." He had to be the one behind her being sold to Borrasca, but he was seemingly the only one "visiting" her. I don't know how he arranged it that way but I know he did. They don't even directly confirm what the "Shiny Gentleman" is, if I recall. Oh, and Kyle and Kimber are an incestuous couple but honestly, that is the least of the town's problems and it's probably not a unique situation. They're all unknowingly unrelated, and it's not as though Kimber will be having Kyle's babies, right? Not in this town.

Like. Once you read it over again (or listen to one of the many live readings/podcasts) things become clearer. Jimmy Prescott is initially the worst human being in the story (and don't get me wrong, he's still a monster of immeasurable proportions, I cottoned onto that as soon as Kimber said he was checking her out when she was in fifth grade) but on a second consumption of the story...Graham Walker is the one I want to throw into The Shiny Gentleman, and he's never outwardly wicked the way Prescott and Clery are. He hides his darkness very well until his last scene and even then, he admits to nothing. Based on the scene where he tells Sam that he'll be taking the blame for what happened to Kyle, it reads in two ways. You think to yourself, he's definitely in on it, but on the other hand, maybe he just chugged the koolaid and is believing this town's bullshit over his own son. Until little William is born, and Anne's clue about the naming smacks you in the face. No, he's not just ignorant to the point of being part of the problem, he is so emphatically the problem.

Borrasca is...devastating.

It's horror, to be sure, but it's good horror, and I don't even come out of it scared. I come out devastated. Angry. Feeling hopeless. Because the villains win. The corrupt and wicked institution isn't going anywhere, because why would it? Prescott and Clery let Sam go, because why shouldn't they? The situation is under control no matter what Sam does. The entire town is either part of Borrasca or willing to turn a blind eye to it. Except Kathryn. I honestly believe she didn't know a damn thing and bless her for being a wholesome light in this dark facade of a town. There's nothing to be done except get the hell out of Drisking and never look back. To just try and forget.

P.S: I am aware of the sequel.

I didn't really talk about it here because I have mixed feelings about it. I appreciate the happy ending and god knows Sam and Kimber have earned it, but there were several aspects of the story that I just didn't enjoy. Don't get me wrong, the prose is as well written as ever, but the plot feels like wish fulfillment and without a mystery to drive the story I just wasn't as engaged. I mean, there was kind of a mystery but the answers didn't really click for me. While it's realistic and painful, seeing the way Sam treats Kimber is hard to read. It hurts. These two were best friends, and none of this is her fault. Obviously, she was a victim of Borrasca too. Also, I do not buy that Kimber would have ever trusted Prescott, even if he dangled Kyle's name before her. No way, no how. I don't know why Sam kept using his real name after he escaped, enabling both Kimber and Walker to find him again. I also think it's rather...I don't want to use the word "convenient" but the fact that he was best friends with a hacker...also, why would Borrasca have any records to begin with? Fine, fine, business and all, but why keep them for so long? Prescott talks about destroying all of them, including the backups, and it's like....motherfucker, why don't you do that on a regular basis? Why do you even have backups?

I also feel like the sequel just takes some of the dread out of the air by removing the ambiguity and the lies. Everything that was left implied in the original story is outright confirmed. Walker is shown to be the monster that we know him to be, when he never fully revealed those true colors in the original story. Ultimately, the idea that two people could walk into a criminal empire like this one and topple it so successfully, not to mention that they both survive...it just stretches my suspension of disbelief, especially for a story that has already established itself as gritty and heartless. I'm glad there's a happy ending out there for people who wanted one, and in my own way, I obviously wanted one too, but I remember being both sad and a little relieved that Kyle's years of trauma had taken physical toll on him and that he didn't just immediately embrace Kimber and Sam. Because there needed to be at least one bittersweet aspect to all of this, especially if they were getting Kyle back at all. Something about the way Kimber "reverted to her old self" and was even more than fine with physical affection again after the climax....like, no, that's not how that works, and the original story wouldn't have tried something like that. It's hard to explain but I just couldn't get into it in the same way.

#Borrasca #Sam Walker #Kimber Destaro #Kyle Landry #Borrasca V #Graham Walker #Jimmy Prescott #Whitney Walker #Killian Clery #Anne Destaro #Tom Prescott #Kathryn Scanlon #Creepypasta #Long Post #Drisking #Phil Saunders

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 5 days

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You’re meeting the friend of a friend for the first time, who’s apparently an empath. When they shake your hand, they immediately rip their hand away from you.

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 5 days

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 5 days

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Nettie and Mia from the amazing @ladyofsapphos fic, The Nettie Chronicles! I love her and her writing, and I had to draw this adorable scene between Nettie and Mia 😍

It’s not the best, and for that I’m sorry, but I hope I did the two of them justice 🫶

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 7 days

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Its actually Tom Ato

gay guy and a lesbian who pretend to be a straight couple together in public but the lesbian is the boyfriend and the gay guy is the girlfriend

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 8 days

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happy death day to my beautiful princess hope he’s rotting in the deepest pits of hell ❤️❤️

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 8 days

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Elekids generate electricity by swinging their arms.

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 8 days

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Timeless Ask: Did we ever find out why tf Flynn sided with Booth in 1x2 or why he helped the nazis in 1x4? Cause that shits not patriotic. I dont know how you could even believe you're a good guy if you do that.

It's been a while but I think you're definitely onto something. Those early missions where Flynn wasn't part of the team or even really communicating his intentions to them. We can assume that all of his missions were motivated by stopping Rittenhouse, so every action he took was one he thought would help destroy them, even if there were "casualties." But...yeah, the Lincoln one really stands out.

Apparently he wanted to help JWB and his co-conspirators to assassinate all of the people that they had planned to assassinate, even the ones who didn't die in history. And I'm sorry but....why would Flynn do that? Because that sounds like the sort of thing Rittenhouse might have done with the Mothership in S2. Is the show trying to tell me that Abraham Lincoln was a member of Rittenhouse? Because I don't believe that for a moment. (If nothing else, we know they wanted The South to win, based on The General.)

We know Flynn wanted to give Von Braun to the Soviet Union, not to the Nazis. While that's hardly any better, of course, I think his goal was to give the Soviets a leg up in the Cold War because America is and was so entrenched with Rittenhouse. What I don't understand is why they tried to sabotage the Moon Landing. What did that accomplish? Or attacking the Alamo...actually, I think he was trying to stop Texas from becoming a state. Which...not the worst idea, but Rittenhouse would still exist in all 49 other states.

So yeah, the cases that confuse me are the Moon Landing and the Lincoln assassination. If anyone else knows this show and has any speculation, please shoot it my way.

#Timeless #Timeless NBC #Timeless S1 #Garcia Flynn #Rittenhouse

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 9 days

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Play with cat

#!!!#Rowan #And #Mitten #Rowan and Mitten!#ROWAN AND MITTEN

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 9 days

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So the Fawleys were there at the founding of R? Is this their new backstory or have you reworked it?

I tried to keep it vague on what Hamish Fawley's descendants were actually called, so anyone can incorporate any part of this into their headcanons if they theoretically wanted to. If the writers ever see the light and #HireMeJamCity, (bringin' back all the old favorites tonight) to have me write The Cabal's backstory, I can make the "Hogwarts" representative be a Fawley since they're a canon family and can be Jacob's ancestors no matter what his name is - much like how Draco has ancestry in the Black family but is a Malfoy.

But that being said, yeah. The backstory for the Fawley family, at least for right now, is that they began with a muggle fowler who killed the prized swan of a higher lord or king, (this being feudal times.) The Fowler was forced to eat black flower petals as his sentence, supplied by the Court Wizard. This cursed him, and his bloodline, creating the "Mark of Despair" that most Fawleys are born with. From that point on, they were a wizarding family, with all of the Fowlers children having magic.

The Fowler is obviously the ancestor of Luca, Gail, and Jacob. But the Court Wizard who cast the spell on the black rose flowers is...drummroll please...the ancestor of the Snyde family. Yeah. It would take someone from the Court Wizard's bloodline to break the spell, since he used his own blood to invent it. Only Merula can remove the Mark of Despair. Only she can break The Fawley Curse. (This was totally inspired by the book Holes if anyone has read it.)

For an extra credit bit of fun...I like to imagine that the Lord/King who prized the swan was Tulip's ancestor. The Trouble Trio was destiny! But in all reality that might just be too much, especially since Tulip's ancestors would have been in Japan, most likely. Though I suppose race can change from generation to generation. In my mind, the Fawley kids have the "Shafiq" look. They're biracial and take after Farah. But on the Fawley side...they probably have been in the U.K. this whole time as they would have been instrumental in guarding Hogwarts, the Sunken Vault, and the British Branch of R.

As for the Fawley Curse, or it's proper name, The Invigorium Curse...it has several effects. It's essentially a surplus of magical power which does sound like a benefit but it can't necessarily be harnessed and it comes with unpredictable side effects. Of course, that's when it's applied to a person with magic. In theory, you could concentrate this spell into a form where it could be passed onto a muggle, and...what then? What happens to the muggle? If all goes according to plan, they become an artificial wizard, and successfully making this happen is one of R's many goals.

#HPHM Headcanons #HPHM R #HPHM Fanfiction #Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery #HPHM Cabal #Hamish Fawley #The Fawley Curse #HPHM Spoilers #Just in case

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 9 days

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Man shut the fuck up. JKR was in her 30s when she learned about nazi crimes. She's a full on fascist either way because she spends her fortune on trying to wipe out trans people. Don't defend that ghoul.

With respect, I think you misunderstood or misread the last post. (You're...not the only one. I already have at least three anons mad at me. Just like the good old days...)

Because I never "defended" her. I urged the fandom to redirect their attention onto the harm she is causing now, rather than trying to dig up receipts from a book series she wrote in the nineties back when she was actually on the right side of history.

I never said she wasn't a fascist. I never said she wasn't racist. While it is definitely possible for a person to be bigoted in one way and progressive in another, I no longer believe she's capable of showing even a shred of human decency. When people show you who they are, believe them.

#J.K. Rowling #Harry Potter #Fuck JKR #Anti JKR #Harry Potter Books #Anti J.K. Rowling

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 9 days

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the sacred 28 is peak jkr tbh. We learn nothing about progress or how things changed for halfbloods, muggleborns, squibs, etc, but years after the series ends we get more pureblood focus, like why did this even need to exist beyond her racism huh?

Sorry anon, I don't know if you were expecting solidarity or agreement from me, but I...don't really have any to offer.

...Really? We're going to presume she's a blood purist in her real life politics because she added a bit of in-universe world-building to her cash cow like, ten years ago? (I mean...she might be, but this isn't proof.) It is not surprising that the Pureblood Directory exists. Nor is it proof of anything. I actually think it's kind of neat. I like that we don't know who wrote it. That it has inconsistencies and flaws. I am not remotely surprised that such a piece was published in this world. And I'm not going to assume anything about the author based on this update because...honestly, that's nuts.

Trying to guess a writer's real life politics based on the nuances they include in the sub-creationist fantasy world they craft is...a losing game.

I don't know why the fandom feels the need to keep doing this. Not saying this is you, anon (though you kind of give that impression) but some of the HP fans (or "former fans" if you like) are fixated on dissecting the book and trying to find traces of the person Rowling is now in a narrative she wrote twenty years ago. You guys really don't need to keep inventing new reasons to hate her when there's perfectly good transphobia already out in the open. Transphobia that she keeps doubling down on.

Gotta be honest...I don't think this is helping. Criticize her for her actual bigotry and the damage she's causing, sure. But people will choose to focus on the books "supporting slavery" through the House Elves or featuring a "trans stereotype" with Rita Skeeter...all of it feels like people are reaching. No, the series isn't homophobic just because Dumbledore's sexuality could have been handled better. It isn't racist just because Cho Chang has two last names. (This is just a side note but she's not explicitly Chinese...or even explicitly Asian. They never confirm her race in the text. I mean, it's pretty clear that she is, I'm just saying.)

We don't need to waste time on this stuff. Rowling is actually hurting people with bigotry that she actually believes in. Let's focus on that instead of trying to piece together a dossier about how she was "always" awful. I honestly don't think that's the case, but it doesn't matter anyway. When I see posts like these, it frankly just comes across as people who have been burned by Rowling trying to "ruin" Harry Potter for the allies who still feel a connection to the series...if so, that's not going to work, and there are productive things you can do. Follow Daniel Radcliffe's example, he is slaying as a human being.

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