#this book is not good for you

[thattripleabattery]

I love books that are written from the 2nd person where the author just pauses the story to trauma dump on the reader

#the secret series #the name of this book is secret #this book is not good for you #this isn’t what it looks like #you have to stop this #if you are readin this it’s too late #pseudonymous bosch #max-Ernest #book talk #book tag

[thecharliechip]

this part of the book is fucking hilarious

also when Yo-Yoji decided to become the snake or whatever

#terces society #pseudonymous bosch #the secret series #this book is not good for you

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Secret

Author: Pseudonymous Bosch

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2007

Genres: fiction, mystery, fantasy, adventure

Blurb: Warning: this description has not been authorised by Pseudonymous Bosch. As much as he’d love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn’t want you to hear about his brave 11-year-old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest, or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. He certainly wouldn’t want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret - the story inside is, too, for it concerns a secret...a big secret.

#secret #the name of this book is secret #if you're reading this it's too late #this book is not good for you #this isn't what it looks like #you have to stop this #pseudonymous bosch #series #2007 #fiction #mystery #fantasy #adventure

[library-child]

The Midnight Sun's Cycle of Abuse

One thing about Pseudonymous Bosch’s “The Secret Series” and “The Bad Books” blows my mind: the chilling and all too real way the Midnight Sun recruits generation after generation of loyal followers. While never directly explained, their tactics are shown all across the books, and once you put the pieces together, you see a nightmare far worse than the characters who are caught in it seem to comprehend.

So how exactly does their system of abuse work? What are the victims’ chances of escaping, and why does the Midnight Sun need to rely on an abuse cycle in the first place?

The Need for Followers

‘All of you here – all of you brave souls – you are all testimony to our success. Every year our elixirs grow stronger, and our lives grow longer. And yet—’ Ms Mauvais’ tone turned sombre. ‘And yet – we must face it – the ultimate triumph has eluded us. We call ourselves the Masters of the Midnight Sun – but still we chase the sun!’ 

(The Name of This Book Is Secret)

Promising longevity, power, and possibly immortality, the Midnight Sun probably never had challenges attracting new members. The problem they must have faced was binding their members to the organization for life. Under the glamorous facade, Midnight Sun members live on the edge of existence. Once they've reached a certain age, it's a constant struggle to make it yet another year and another, never knowing how much longer the elixirs will keep them alive. The servants just seem to slave away without benefitting from the luxury. The Masters seem to enjoy a pretty relaxed life unless the leader sends them on a mission. As for the leader, they are apparently responsible for everything: Supplying everyone with elixirs, bringing in money, bringing in new recruits, and chasing the secret of immortality. They literally carry the weight of the entire society on their shoulders, keeping everyone alive.

So how exactly do you convince people to dedicate their lives to your cause, all in the hope of uncovering a secret of which existence they can't even be certain? You make your organization a cult. You create a group identity of brave adventurers who push the boundaries of humanity. And you focus on recruits you can easily mold into your faithful followers: vulnerable children.

Attracting Children

‘Are you...a queen?’ Amber asked, trembling.

‘Ha! No, not...at the moment.’ Ms Mauvais made a chilly, tinkling sound that might have been a laugh. ‘But you are very shrewd – something tells me you’ll go far.’

She stepped forward and stroked Amber’s bowed head as if she were rewarding a little lap-dog.

(If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late)

We see the Midnight Sun directly targeting children who have a certain quality they want and/or are in a vulnerable position.

Ms. Mauvais had been orphaned by the time she was ten years old and left with her horse as her only emotional connection. Itamar perceived her as “heartless,” by which he, given the context, probably meant emotionally numb. This implies she was traumatized and dissociating, her brain protecting itself from the pain. She must have felt utterly lost and helpless in a world that could collapse at anytime.

Young Luciano was in a precarious situation as well. Pietro and he had to leave behind their home and their family. Alone in a foreign country, they were forced to fend for themselves while constantly fearing for their parents’ safety. They were at the mercy of a callous ringmaster who viewed them as mere assets for profit.

While Amber does have a very sheltered life, by comparison, she is tormented by her insecurities. She’s always anxious about being popular and pretty. When she’s not surrounded by people who admire her, she feels lost and insignificant. We see her struggling with her social status and the physical changes of growing up. By the time of “You Have to Stop This,” she’s most likely terrified of going to high school and having to prove herself from scratch.

This is where Itamar/Ms. Mauvais step in. They appear as stunning, charismatic saviors who promise to fulfill these kids’ needs: to be accepted, safe, cared for, and loved. They provide them with a community and a role model, offering them a sense of control over their lives and a new identity. They make them feel special and worthy of being chosen for a superhuman life.

Once they’ve wrapped the children around their fingers, they isolate them from their surroundings and keep them around at all times. Now they got them right where they want them: depending on them alone.

Systematic Abuse

Itamar pointed his cane at Ms Mauvais. ‘I hope you’re not getting sentimental, Antoinette. We chose you long ago for your heartlessness. That is what the Midnight Sun needs. Not maudlin concerns about my health.’

(This Book Isn’t Good For You)

The goal of the Midnight Sun is to break these kids, molding them into efficient, unfeeling machines who will stop at nothing to advance the organization’s goals. The “mentors” use their power over their “students” to control their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They punish them emotionally and physically abusing them when they don’t fully meet their expectations.

What we see is mostly a combination of invalidation and shaming. Itamar dismisses Ms. Mauvais’s fear of losing him, making her feel guilty and worthless for having natural human emotions. Later, Ms. Mauvais does the same to Amber when she’s panicking because of the fire. She also publicly humiliates her for failing to capture the dragon and infantilizes her by calling her “girl” even when she’s an adult. 

Both Itamar and Ms. Mauvais make a point of never fully appreciating their wards’ accomplishments. No matter how hard they try, they’re never good enough. Itamar’s last words to Ms. Mauvais are literally him telling her to do better recruiting new members.

The victims are made to feel small and worthless, losing any self-esteem and sense of agency. They’re no longer valued as people. Instead, their only worth and the chance of achieving anything come from behaving exactly like the abusers want them to. The abusers put themselves on a pedestal, always pretending to know best. Ms. Mauvais still displays that attitude toward Luciano by snapping at him whenever he questions her decisions.

The abusers make themselves the center of their victims’ lives, whose only goal is to please them and to win their affection. Ultimately, this results in destroying the victims’ sense of personhood. Instead, they absorb their role as a Midnight Sun agent as the only thing that defines them and gives them a purpose.

Internalizing Abuse

The French were cruelly snobbish, very strict about their manners and customs, none more so than the grande madame Antoinette Mauvais; and there had been many times over the last ten years when Amber had regretted making herself Antoinette’s ward. She knew she could never fully please the ancient French woman.

(Bad Luck)

As they grow up, the victims deny and justify the abuse as a coping mechanism. They buy into the lies their abusers feed them to protect themselves from the horrible truth: That the one person they’ve latched onto is a violent monster who has never viewed them as anything but a tool to further their agenda, and there is nothing they can do about it.

We see them glorifying their abusers, blaming themselves when they are being hit or humiliated. This thinking is hinted at when Ms. Mauvais calls Mr. Cabbage Face a “miserable and ungrateful creature” for killing Lord Pharao. She’s probably unable to comprehend why he would rise against his creator, who tortured him. She seems to have internalized the idea that your master is your savior, your master knows best, and if they mistreat you, you deserve it. Instead of complaining or rebelling, you should embrace the role they have chosen for you.

There is even some logic to this: The Midnight Sun “saved” the children from a short life span and dire circumstances, so they should be grateful. They are offered money, power, beauty, long life, and perhaps even immortality. Once they’ve tasted this, they quickly become corrupted, wanting more. It’s so seductive, for instance, to forget you’re just one step away from being crushed when you get to control an entire cruise ship and bring a millionaire to his knees with your charms. Or when you run a school full of brain-washed children or command servants with a snap of your fingers.

They start viewing themselves as powerful leaders who stand above common mortals. They convince themselves everything done to them was necessary to prepare them for the exceptional task of attaining immortality. Of course, they repeat this pattern, for this is how you set up a kid for greatness. They create an illusion of control: If they are only determined and ruthless enough, nothing will ever be able to harm them again.

But none of this will ever heal the wounds inflicted on them or even those that made them prone to their abusers’ influence in the first place. And at some point, they either need to admit this or sink deeper into their delusions. 

Awareness

‘Itamar made you what you are, didn’t he? Just as you made me,’ Dr L reflected. ‘I wonder what I will feel when you die...’

(This Book Isn’t Good For You)

At Itamar’s deathbed, Luciano seems to realize how wrong he has been. We have seen him struggling internally before when facing his brother. He witnesses the Midnight Sun’s failure and Ms. Mauvais’ mourning, both of which shouldn’t be possible, according to his indoctrination. He probably understands that their chances of actually achieving immortality are minimal. Ms. Mauvais never acted the way she did because she knew best but because she never knew better. They are trapped in machinery set up by people who never cared about any individual.

Though she never admits it to herself, Ms. Mauvais seems to know this too. This becomes clear when Cass confronts her about being unable to triumph because she will never be loved. She’s given her whole life to Midnight Sun, yet she’ll still be lost. Eternal life would be eternal suffering to her.

Amber doesn’t seem to realize she’s being abused at all. She’s unhappy with her situation, but she is convinced she needs to side with a strong team, so the Midnight Sun is the best option. She can’t imagine being her own person.

Escape?

'After you two saw him, my brother, he stopped taking those evil elixirs,’ explained Pietro. ‘I think he wanted to prove to me he was true - he was done with the Midnight Sun. He came for a last visit and looked very old, very old. He could hardly speak. And then this morning - he is no more.’

(You Have to Stop This)

So how can you break the cycle? It gets harder the longer you stay in, especially after you’ve reached the end of your natural lifespan. At this point, the people and the world you knew are gone forever. Besides, you’ve given your entire identity and humanity away. There truly is no place for you anywhere but in the Midnight Sun.

Luciano manages to turn his back on them because of two things: First, he has the strength of character to face the painful truth and act upon it. And second, he still has his brother Pietro, who never gave up on him. Pietro’s willingness to forgive him is likely what Luciano needs to make his final decision. He chooses to die, being reunited with the one person who has always loved him, over living for an eternity of emptiness and self-deception.

As for Ms. Mauvais, her only way of getting out is literally death. When Clay offers to take her along as a prisoner to save her from the dragons, he unknowingly builds her an easy exit. There is no way she could live with only herself, being stripped of her power and identity as the leader of the Midnight Sun. Finally, she can choose to leave it all behind without having to face any of it. Perhaps she even believes she’s dying a hero’s death, proving how great a leader she is by making the ultimate sacrifice.

It’s a real pity we never see the closure of Amber’s arc because she has the best chance to make it out alive, heal, grow, and lead a normal life again. She is still very young, still has a family, and, as far as we know, there is no blood on her hands yet.

Conclusion

The real villain of the series is the Midnight Sun as a system. It’s far more powerful and terrifying than any of the individual members. It weaponizes victims and makes them continue the cycle, causing suffering and destruction to everyone around them and themselves. 

#pseudonymous bosch #the secret series #secret series #the bad books #tercesverse #cassandra tercesverse #the midnight sun #midnight sun #ms mauvais #antoinette mauvais #dr l #luciano bergamo #pietro bergamo #amber #the name of this book is secret #if you're reading this it's too late #this book is not good for you #you have to stop this #bad luck #bad news #clay tercesverse #paul-clay #abuse #emotional abuse #physical abuse #child abuse #internalized abuse #cycle of violence #cycle of abuse #villains

[cursedgamerchild]

"internet historian's alt-right anyways" "great day to have never liked james somerton" "never even heard of illuminaughtii before this lol"

that's great buddy but don't go around thinking you're immune to this. if you're not looking for plagiarism, you likely won't notice it unless its egregiously obvious. hell, you've probably consumed plagiarized content without even realizing it. even hbomb pointed out that these people disguised what they presented pretty well as long as you didn't try and dig deeper. don't come away just thinking of this as a callout piece, take this as an important lesson about vetting your sources. if googling scripts in quotes was enough to expose the original, we should all start doing that shit!!

edit: it got a little too doomer-y a little too fast so one quick addition

this is hbomb's curated playlist of queer creators, many of whom were victims of plagiarism

this is producer kat on reddit calling for any more plagiarism discoveries and for queer content creators to be uplifted

please take some time to uplift these creators and recommend any you know! if you can help uncover more of the original creators whose work was lifted that would be great too :)

UPDATE- From Hbomb's twitter: "We're in the process of cataloguing everyone James Somerton plagiarised and finding their contact information. Which is quite a task, so to help us out: If you see this and happen to be one of the people Somerton stole from, please email us at [email protected]"

edit 2:

#hbomberguy #james somerton #illuminaughtii #internet historian #vice #ign etc have had issues with plaigarism before #this isnt just some youtuber scandal remember #even books can fall victim to this #kaz rowe's history vids exemplify this pretty well #i'd recommend the triboulet ass slapping myth one if you want a good breakdown #and somerton absolutely had problems with the way he discussed foreign media and anyone that wasnt a cis gay man #but considering most of his ideas werent his own that doesnt dismiss the original authors' work keep in mind

[feypact]

public libraries in the usa offering free digital library cards to people not in their areas (as of october 2023):

brooklyn (13-21yo us residents)

seattle (13-26yo us residents)

boston (13-26yo us residents, EDIT: just commonly banned books)

los angeles (13-18yo california residents)

san diego (12-26yo us residents, not the whole collection just commonly banned books)

these books unbanned cards (unless otherwise stated) get you access to each library's complete libby/cloud library collection, no hoopla/kanopy/physical copies included.

ebook collections are expensive to maintain (many american libraries have annual fees for non-residents because of this) but because of an uptick in book banning (particularly brutal in mississippi last summer) larger libraries have opened their doors more, which is very kind of them!

i've used my seattle card for the last several months and their libby collection has about three times the books that my local library does, which is wonderful for accessing more niche titles or skipping a waiting list. would love to hear of similar ebook initiatives internationally!

i use library extension (firefox/chrome/edge compatible) to check all my collections (+ the internet archive) at once, works for several different countries highly recommend it.

spotify seems to be offering 15hrs/month of audiobook listening to premium subscribers and while that does seem useful if you're already paying and are after a new release with a long library waitlist, libraries are better for everything else.

#library tag #banned books week #banned books #emmybody talks #for international users... your mileage may vary! #i mean i suppose you could lie about your age/location to get some of these. i doubt theyd check i would just feel bad. personally. #post brought to u by banned book week but also being moderately annoyed at ppl mad about the spotify thing #libraries are wonderful but they have their own limitations and i think using both is good!

[pikatik]

Also quick Ace Day doodle for you!! :D

#from an ace to all of you aces :D #good omens #good omens fanart #book omens #crowley #aziraphale #asexual #ace day

[floccinaucinihilipilificationa]

#good omens #´hello friends!! how are you!! #I hope you're doing well! ( ´ ▽ ` ) #I have a big cough but otherwise I am good! It's nothign bad I am just very slimey #usually I am not a cough person I am not sure where this is coming from #most of the time I just get a stuffy nose #has my nose gotten stronger #but there are good news too I have already found a VERY good chestnut to put into my pocket this autumn!! its very small! (❁´▽`❁) #it's been a very warm autumn in Germany so far so it has not really felt like fall yet #but yesterday it was all rainy and stormy and I had two new books and it was the best day possible to have a slimey cough (: #and now I feel SO much autumn I am close to buying a set of window colors #I do not know what I would to with the window colors I just have this strong urge in me to buy a window color set #the last time I did a window color was at the birtday of a class mate I think she turned 9 and I made a deer #but for some reason we did this craft 5 minutes before we all had to leave so we had to carry our window color deer home wet #unfortunatly for the deer and me I fell down the stairs of her house and smeared the deer all over me and i screamed the entire drive home #which wasn't very long but it probably felt very long for the mother who had a screaming child covered in window color deer inside her car

[holdoncallfailed]

SPILLED.

#barbie #they got you good miss greta #ive been thinking about the point in the 2nd paragraph about the semiotic value of products vs. the act of buying them #particularly in regards to booktok/the increasing number of people who call themselves book collectors but not readers cos they don't even #intend to read the books they compulsively buy and post about

[ronanlynchbf]

tshirt that says NO LIVE ORGANISM CAN CONTINUE FOR LONG TO EXIST SANELY UNDER CONDITIONS OF ABSOLUTE REALITY

#i literally JUST finished hill house a few days ago and i already want to reread. Badly. it's sooo so so soo sooooooooo good <33333!!!!! #also completely enamored by shirley jackson's writing style i NEED to read everything she has written ever like right now.. #opening lines of ALL TIME btw 👆❗❗❗ #r.txt #the haunting of hill house #ALSO i've seen commentary videos on the tv show they made of hill house but from what i remember of it it's SO different from the book??? #i think they were all siblings in the show which is??????? like why would you change that part?? i love sibling relationships as much as the #next guy but i feel like the fact that none of them knew each other was such an essential part of the story like why would u change it.... #also eleanor was like. an entirely different character who was also already dead in the show i believe??? and dr. montague doesn't exist?? #hill house could've been really good as a show idk why they changed it up like that...like was the original story not interesting enough for #you or something?? WHO decided to make that change i just wanna talk 🤨

[astrhae]

crowley used the metal tool in season 1 to start time, and we learn that he's used it first to start space. to create the stars -- he still remembers how. he still remembers all of heaven's passwords: in the book crowley is described as an optimist because he has the "utter surety... that the universe would look after him". not god, but the universe. and of course he does: he helped create it and he's looking after it, too.

think about it: aziraphale had a sword, but crowley is about to face satan who wants to destroy the world, and crowley's only weapon is a tool of creation

#more importantly it's always been noted that his imagination #is why he stands out from the other demons #it was his imaginative questions that kicked him out of heaven #but it was also his imagination that was always his weapon #and his saving grace that got him out of scrapes #that kept his bentley together #and i just. crowley and creation akkdssdkf #he also still has a goddamn book about stars #do you understand #he didn't just keep the metal tool #he also keeps with him a book #about all the nebulae #he created #my edits #i'm still not okay #once again neil gaiman was insane for this #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #good omens 2 spoilers #goodomensedit #tw: flashing gif #good omens meta #tw: flashing lights #tw: eyestrain

[may12324]

Eadaz and her queen

#eadaz uq nara #eadaz #tpotot #the priory of the orange tree #queen sabran #samantha shannon #sabran #ead #my art #i started reading this book 3 years ago and got a third into it and stopped #im now rereading it and enarly finished it and omg! #its so good! #its so slow the first third and then suddenly everything happens all at once #in a good way #anyway #if you find yourself reading the book and you get stuck #keep going!<or get the audio book! #its worth it~!

[wilwheaton]

Florida and Texas, trying to out-fascist each other again.

#read banned books #banned books are good for you

[i-seeaspaceshipinthe-sky]

Crowley really fights for his life every time he tries to read something

[insp.]

+ honorable mentions:

#that's it guys anthony 'i don't read books' j crowley just can't see shit <3 #do you think he ever borrows aziraphale's glasses bc i think he should #good omens #goodomensedit #good omens edit #crowley #david tennant

[p4nishers]

i cant get over the ball being so CLEARLY all for crowley i can't get over aziraphale trying to woo him with a WHOLE FUCKING BALL because that's what he knows that's what romance IS for him because he's been wanting to dance with crowley ever since dancing was invented and he's so stuck in time with the way he dresses and talks and he still thinks a dance is the high of romance AND HE MADE A WHOLE ENTIRE FUCKING BALL FOR CROWLEY JUST SO HE COULD DANCE WITH HIM like now it's so fucking obvious he gave away his BOOKS without a second thought and it was all for crowley he organised a whole JANE AUSTEN THEME BALL just so he could have an excuse to finally dance with the love of his life and i can't get over this i'm shaking my fists and pacing up and down he did not give a single fuck about anything other than dancing with crowley and HE BARELY TOUCHED OTHER PEOPLE'S HANDS WHILE HIS WHOLE FUCKING PALM WAS PRESSED TO CROWLEY'S AND i need to lie down

#im actually not okay im never getting over this #this was actually the most romantic thing to ever happen on television prove me wrong you can't #no because he spent CENTURIES reading about and witnessing and orchestring romances and he's been wanting to living in them WITH CROWLEY al #this fucking time and crowley rescuing his books was the most romantic thing that ever happened to him and in return HE GAVE AWAY THE BOOKS #HE LOVES SO FUCKING MUCH FOR CROWLEY AND OH GOD OH JESUS #how am i still not normal about this show im literally box breathing and my heart is fucking POUNDING from a SHOW i cant i just cant #i need psychiatric help #good omens #good omens s2 #azicrow #crowley #aziraphale #aziracrow #ineffable spouses #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #go s2

[burins]

I know this is the Take Personal Responsibility for Systemic Issues website, but I keep seeing weirdly guilt trippy posts about libraries and ebook licenses, which are a labyrinth from hell and not actually something you personally need to feel guilty about. here are a few facts about ebook licenses you may not know:

in Libby/Overdrive, which currently operates in most US public libraries, ebook licenses vary widely in how much they cost and what their terms are. some ebooks get charged per use, some have a set number of uses before the license runs out, and others have a period of time they're good for (usually 1-2 years) with unlimited checkouts during that period before they expire. these terms are set by the publisher and can also vary from book to book (for instance, a publisher might offer two types of licenses for a book, and we might buy one copy of a book with a set number of uses we want to have but know won't move as much, and another copy with a one year unlimited license for a new bestseller we know will be really moving this year.)

you as a patron have NO way of knowing which is which.

ebook licenses are very expensive compared to physical books! on average they run about 60 bucks a pop, where the same physical book would cost us $10-15 and last us five to ten years (or much longer, if it's a hardcover that doesn't get read a lot.)

if your library uses Hoopla instead, those are all pay per use, which is why many libraries cap checkouts at anywhere between 2-10 per month.

however.

this doesn't mean you shouldn't use ebooks. this doesn't mean you should feel guilty about checking things out! we buy ebook licenses for people to use them, because we know that ebook formats are easier for a lot of people (more accessible, more convenient, easier for people with schedules that don't let them get into the library.) these are resources the library buys for you. this is why we exist. you don't need to feel guilty about using them!

things that are responsible for libraries being underfunded and having to stretch their resources:

government priorities and systemic underfunding of social services that don't turn a profit and aren't easily quantified

our society's failure to value learning and pleasure reading for their own sake

predatory ebook licensing models

things that are not responsible for libraries being underfunded:

individual patron behavior

I promise promise promise that your personal library use is not making or breaking your library's budget. your local politicians are doing that. capitalism is doing that. you are fine.

(if you want to help your local library, the number one thing you can do is to advocate for us! talk to your city or county government about how much you like the library. or call or write emails or letters. advocate for us locally. make sure your state reps know how important the library is to you. there are local advocacy groups in pretty much every state pushing for library priorities. or just ask your local librarian. we like to answer questions!

also, if you're in Massachusetts, bill h3239 would make a huge difference in letting us negotiate ebook prices more fairly. tell your rep to vote for it!)

#like. the nypl budget is getting cut bc Adams doesnt think the library matters! #your checking out a book a few times bc you didn't get to it in time is not actually affecting Mr. Cops Not Books #library haint #if you like the library and you like free stuff come use the library. you might be surprised about what we have! #but it's not a moral act either way. #libraries are a public good! i love the library! but so is the post office. we don't moralize about the post office. #ANYWAY. #local librarian with tendencies towards scrupulosity gets frustrated online more news at 10