#{{ threads ;; reuben s. }}

[slashcrz]

open starter - capped at THREE replies! (still accepting replies currently)

@francehq

setting -> the library. dust bunnies clinging to old, gilded books- sunlight filtering through stained glass, illuminating windows && reading nooks- the odd sneeze, the stray sniffle, a muffled cough. mid-day.

curled up in an over-stuffed chair, hazy eyes blinked blearily down at the faded page, cheek && chin propped up on a curled fist, supported by elbow on armrest, and a leg flung casually over the opposite side of the lounge. the prince had stared at the page for nearly ten minutes now, trying to comit it's word to memory, to rattle off later && appease the new, growing pressure to perform in court. he didn't see why it mattered really; what was he to be, especially in Scotland, but the pretty face on Joanna's arm at the parties? She was far more versed in the needs of a country than he; and far better at being a royal than he, which was... not saying much, for either of them. And yet, he sat, temples throbbing, staring down with obvious dismay at the scrawling script in the philosophy book. " they are just making shit up now. what in the lord's good, holy name does it mean to be... " glancing down, reuben double-checked the paragraph, quoting machiavelli himself. " strong as a lion and shrewd as a fox? " it was a question thrown into the silent, sullen room, his breath alone a shattering to the silence, and blue eyes followed as they raised to land on the other figure sharing in the studious silence; which he'd ruined with ease. " just say strong and smart. right? "

[slashcrz]

There it was. " Best not to lie, but I do admire the sportsmanship. I cannot say I have been as humble, the bit I've done well, anyhow. " When it came to bragging, well, Reuben tended to be a bit on the boastful side - but he knew when to reign in, learning more daily. Nodding at the question, he gave another smile. " Indeed I have. " He did not mention that most of his fun was had with her sister. " It is always nice to get out of the palace, let loose some pent up energy. And as a plus side, I meet many lovely competitors while I am at it. Politics are so boring. This is much preferred to a stuffy meeting room, would you not say? "

Evelyn was very proud of where she came from, she was proud of her country and her roots and she had no problem letting others know that. If people gave her the chance to speak about Scotland, she could go on and on for hours. Although, that would require a certain level of intimacy, that she didn't really have with that many people here. "Well, I would say I feel bad but I would be lying." A chuckle escaped her lips, glad that she was able to prove her point. Not only did she show how strong Scotland is, she also proved that a woman could easily beat any man. "I appreciate the words, Prince Reuben. I hope you are enjoying yourself too?"

[girlactionfigure]

Druze and Judaism, a thread 🧵(remastered)

🟥The Druze venerate many Jewish figures as sages, including Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Reuben, Benjamin, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel... Solomon and Jethro are highlighted as manifestations of the Universal Mind.

🟥 The Hexagram or six pointed star is very significant to Druze as well, and is often portrayed in books of Exegesis. It is understood as the Seal of Solomon, but also for its pre-Judaic ancient symbolism, as a symbol of the Union of Opposites.

🟥Druze shrines in Carmel and Galilee echo the ancient Jewish shrine tradition, i.e. natural stone mound. Some are architecturally Jewish tombs, with descending staircases into caves.  A Sheikh's striped cloak and the multicolored flag are said to resemble the coat of Joseph.

🟥Esoteric Judaism, or Kabballah, is most similar to Druze esotericism. Especially in its Neoplatonism, Gematria, Belief in Reincarnation(gilgul), Ein Sof. The Hasidic sect also stresses on Ascetism. Their highest soul Yechidah is akin to Tawheed. Batin Al Batin, their Chassidut.

🟥Druze and Jews have lived relatively harmoniously with circumstantial conflicts like the Safed Rebellion being exceptions.  Jews in Druze areas were among the nobles in Prince Fakhreddin's entourage. Their Synagogues thrived in Bhamdoun and Aleyh without persecution.

🟥 Jewish communities in Deir al Qamar and Barouk were also rich land owners.  The "blood bond" between Jews and Druze of Israel is one of the strongest the Druze have done with any another sect. Has been strong for 80 years. Agreed to regardless if one is Zionist or not.

🟥 Druze Sheikh Daoud Bessis who was imprisoned with the British Army while fighting the Nazis and sent to Germany, would smuggle food to Jewish prisoners during the Holocaust with his fellow Druze Prisoners.

🟥 During the recent Anti-Jewish pogroms in Amsterdam. A Druze man tried his best to save the Jews and conceal them from their pursuers. Highlighting the willingness of both communities to protect each other.

🟥 Druze have no occupied territory in Israel, or any encroached on Holy Land or Site. Therefore enmity to the Jews is not justified except on Islamist grounds or leftist brainwashing. Israeli Druze are much better off socially and economically than their peers in Arab countries

🟥 Druze ultimately derive their idea of the Messiah from the Jews and also the Messianic Era. Psalm 37's "The meek will inherit the Earth". Therefore they've avoided belief in Heaven and Hell and Rapture, and taken a reward/punishment in this realm approach, similar to Jews.

🟥 Druze Founder Imam Hamza Ibn Ali, had written in the Epistle to the Israelites, that 2 and a half of the 12 Jewish tribes(Asbat Al Haq) had accepted the Druze faith. This explains the genetic similarity, as Druze tend to cluster next to Ashkenazi and Persian/Kurdish Jews.

🟥 The Return of the Jews is foretold in Druze Scripture as one of the first signs of the end times. Druze 15th century scholar Al Amir Al Sayyed Al Tanukhi expounds that ownership would return to the children of Israel. Thus the creation of Israel lies within Druze Prophecy.

🟥 In the Druze description of Judgment Day in the Epistles of Wisdom, it is said the Druze Five Bound Army will be joined by the lost tribes of Israel. The named tribes are the "Pure of Al Benjamin and Al Naphtali". 

🟥 Druze grievances with the State of Israel are bureaucratic, such as the Kaminitz law in civil development, or the nation state law which lacks a Druze exception. Which we hope are settled. Unlike with other central states, like Lebanon & Syria where grievances are existential.

🟥 The current violent tapestry of the Middle East presents Druze and Jews as natural allies. With Political Armed Islam being the common enemy of both. To come out of manufactured Arabist identity, is to embrace the tribal nature of the Middle East. And the need to save oneself

Druze Founder Baha'ldeen Al Muqtana** 

Link

[slashcrz]

closed for @bloodycrxwn {evelyn}.

Displaced in his own home, feeling a bit unwelcome a little everywhere, Reuben had become a fixture at Joanna’s side - finding himself, in the mind numbing chaos, coming to appreciate her father’s rash decision. How much worse this would be, should he && Joanna be kept apart through it all. Somehow, the Stuart apartment’s brought a refreshing zing to his circumstances, full of vigor and rage and emotion and ferocity, and was enough to jolt life back into him, and reanimate the shocked spectator. He couldn’t imagine how Evelyn must feel, after what had happened… nor of what he could possibly say, but the urge to at least try to DO something spurred action. A light rap to her door as things settled for the evening, and Reuben offered a tentative smile, and an offering. “ I’m sorry to disturb you, but I thought you may benefit from some tea to wind down. “ It sounded stupid now, but he blundered on, heart skipping a beat as a lost boy who always longed a real family peeked through, china clinking as the cup was set down. “ It’s German, so, you may hate it, but I wanted to- to at least come by. If you need anything at all… don’t hesitate to ask. I think I may stay around here for a bit, so... are you alright? “

[probablydinosaurs]

this was originally a twitter thread but mehhhh. the audience of one-two here get my insane venting instead. its 3am. I've had a rough day and I just want to list it out from worst to least worst. sorry if this is venting. again 3am. 1: my sister showed up completely unannounced, and waltzed in a fight with my other sister and her husband at their place. she had good reason to be here (she's homeless and is a fuckin ice age here. that's not a problem. we are glad she went to us for help.)-sadly she's an entitled fuck who begged my dad for cigs when we have NOTHING BUT A ROOF to give. its SCARY how poor we are. She was also VERY TRANSPHOBIC, which was not on my sister's bingo card this year. mainly about trans woman and their "complaining". my already shit sister saying terf shit was not smth i thought id hear. i was very upset about that. i haven't talked to her bc ik if i do, il cry but I've been giving her the silent treatment unless it's akward. 2: i have covid. had symptoms since like the 13th (i joked that i got it for my birthday) and its been a nightmare. i can't sleep. Eating sucks. my nose hurts. i think i blew a blood vessel in my eye. its just been the worst. 3: due to being unable to sleep, im wildly manic at 3am. i have nothing to do and no one to talk to. and im unreasonably upset that people on tiktok think Spongebob is a kid. like boi your face screams "post movie" pleaaasseee educate yourself on cartoon history. he is an adult! 4: after ALLL of this like 7 mins ago, the fire alarm randomly beeped a few times. luckily not a lot but still. stressed me the FUCK OUT. nothing is on. i think bc its the FUCKIN ICE AGE OUTSIDE, the apartment is a TAD too warm (witch its not. my feet are frozen)

5: found out today that scientists didn't start using real menstrual blood on pads/tampons till AUGUST OF LAST YEAR??? WTF WERE U USING BEFORE? That's why pads are always off SOMEHOW. SOMEHOW there's an issue. and tampons never fit right. they have been fuckin guessin for decades 6: my new cat is a needy hoe. I'm used to it but with covid and barely being able to walk/exist, her sweving between my legs is a nightmare. I always have to throw a bottle cap down the hallway just so she doesn't get in my room. 7: been on upsetting media tiktok. why the fuck is there a fandom forming around a vent cartoon about S/A???? like I won't say its bad but that's not a FANDOM THING! yall are fucked up (also it parodies the peewee's playhouse op and that bugs me. i love peewee.)

interlude: my needy hoe of a cat is named peewee (well to my mom, it's now Princess Pipsqueak but thats not a good name to say in frustration as I'm trying to exist down the hallway. also, we thought she was a boi at first and she has a face that looks like paul Reubens's. I still see it. 8: I have used up all the TP and tissues in the house and have been using paper towels to blow my nose, which is roughing up my already red sore nose. I put gold bond on my nose and it BURNED but now it feels smoother. 9: i feel like i annoy people with my Hannibal hyperfixation. i have yet to truly let it spread here but it's EVERYWHERE ELSE. (and il probs reblog this onto my hannibal blog so hiiiii) and yet it feels like no one cares. ik it's a bit niche, upsetting not everyones thing but Ive NEVER loved smth more and it hurts when i don't talk about it I just. want to get someone into it. someone else got me into it and it means a lot. I hope they are doing ok. I'm grateful they gave me my favorite hyperfixation ever. I've littrally never loved anything more. and I've been into a LOT of stuff. i was called annoying by an ex friend because i got into things too much. and to them, "too much" was anything that wasn't "i like this thing. i think this thing is good and cool. lets rp weird incest about it." (i hate my teen years) but like. that ex friend would HAAAAATE by hyperfixatiing now. i have friends to ENABLE ME NOW. 10: just added this one. kinda put two and two together that corp vtubers birthdays most likely aren't their real birthdays. everyone is celebrating a graduated corps bday and yet they moved to another company and like. no birthday in sight. and it feels weird to latch onto their old persona's bday when they are right there with probs a new (and more real maybe) birthday. you can actually go celebrate with them whenever their "new" birthday is and yet you are clinging to the past. especially since they are THRIVING where they are rn and were not happy as a bigger corp.

thats a bout it. thanks if u saw this and read. its ok if you didnt. i just had a LOT go on lately.

[slashcrz]

closed for @hcrexcellency

responsibility had been the fire under reuben's ass since he was first born, and with an affair born of secrets && lust, he owed nothing to joanna but his silence. there was little to fail at when it came to their meetings when it first began; joanna needed what he could provide, and it was a place of comfort that his life had existed of. it was easy, it was effortless, it was pleasurable - all the things reuben considered his motivation to rise each morning. running away had been the other side of that coin; he ran from one sibling when he misstepped, and now ran the other way from the brother he'd turned to then. there were only so many directions one could run; and in versailles, reuben had exhausted them all. even when he'd tried to run from joanna, from the responsibility of their affair, from the emotion that surged like a tidal wave when he saw the moon reflect from tear-stained eyes; the way he felt at fault. it was the worst sort of sensation, that one of remorseful and regret, and he rejected it.

when they found each other in stolen, secret moments, he owned joanna nothing more than that moment. now that he was set to be hers in a legal way for eternity, reuben was all too aware of the amount he owed her; and all the new ways he would fail to measure up. if there was anything ruby didn't do, was fail... his trick was to never even try. but what does a man do when he turned to run, set ablaze yet another bridge, only to realize there was no path remaining behind him? there was no other choice but to turn back the way he'd came; and face her. it would be necessary, eventually; how a moment can change a lifetime... once, he'd look for her everywhere, hoping to see her passing by down the hall, reading in the library when he strolled through, appearing like a ghost he welcomed with fervor. now he felt sick, nervous, unworthy for that fated first meet; betrothed, this time. reuben wasn't sure what to say, but he hadn't wanted it to come by surprised, when he was least prepared. so he had made himself presentable enough, having slept a straight twelve hours to be rid of the affects of his massive hangover. how many days had it been since they'd last kissed? two, maybe three? time had blurred; was it longer? despite knowing not the day, he at least could know the hour, and was waiting in the stables when joanna returned from her ride, loitering by the stalls, and having already shooed the stablehands away to give them privacy. for once... he needed not offer a lie. " joanna... it's me. " reuben spoke, making his presence known, but his eyes didn't quite meet hers.

[slashcrz]

closed -> @hcrexcellency {joanna.}

For a Prince still getting situated in his role, his dance card filled quickly, and his feet were aching hardly an hour into the festivities. There was an invigoration in the walls that evening, and everyone was dressed their best, including Reuben in a subtle navy blue shade, his coattails a peacock’s plume of finery now he could afford to dress like the other royals. It was new, pressed && crisp, and extremely uncomfortable as he tried to move smoothly with his dance partner of the hour. Hardly anyone remained on the sidelines, the ballroom full of couples && flirts, a twirl between lovers, a kiss shared behind a fan followed by giggles. Love was the theme of the evening, after all; and as he made his whooshing turns && careful footfalls, seablue eyes kept returning to another bright pair, wrapped in the arms of her own partner. Intentionally, he would travel in an arch so they’d cross by one another, and he’d give a ghost of smile- then they’d be gone again, whirling opposite directions. Reuben was careful to find himself in her circle, feet by magic finding the position to fall into when, for only a moment as the tune changed, partners swapped one down to the left. His hand found hers, the other to her waist, and he flashed a grin - soon, the violin would slow again, and they’d both be returned to their respective partners.

[insidemyfavoritemanuscript]

Episode 6: Emily Friedman on Fiction, Fan Fiction, and Writing for a Community

Title page for Reuben Rattle, from NYPL

In Episode 6 of Inside My Favorite Manuscript, Dot sits down with 18th century literary scholar Emily Friedman to talk about manuscript novels in the long 18th century. We talk about several different books, many written as gifts, and most written by women. You shouldn’t be shocked to hear that our conversation veers into discussions of fan fiction more than once. Our podcast’s first non-medieval manuscript, we hope you enjoy!

Listen here, or wherever you find your podcasts.

Join our mailing list to receive weekly updates about the IMFM pod!

Below the cut are links to the books discussed in the episode, and further reading.

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Life of Frederick Harley (a few photos on the site, which contains a lot of other interesting things) http://manuscriptfiction.org/

Navy Officer (fully digitized) - https://auburn.box.com/s/5qsmcvghq7k2a7xpgwllmqp4d9o9fsxx

Corinne - https://franklin.library.upenn.edu/catalog/FRANKLIN_9949825343503681 - the volumes aren’t fully digitized, but I took some photos to include here.

Link to Twitter thread about George McDonald’s roll of The Light Princess (1864), including a video of the roll unfurled.

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Reuben Rattle the younger son" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 4, 2022. (fully digitized) https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/26e71df0-c6d7-0134-bcfe-00505686a51c

Megan Rosenbloom. Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 2020)

***

Emily Friedman’s Main website: https://www.ecfriedman.com/

Selected relevant publications:

“Austen Among the Amateurs” Austen After 200. Eds. Kerry Sinanan, Daniel Cook, and Annika Bautz. (Palgrave 2022)

“Must Anonymous Be a Woman? Gender and Anonymity in the Archives” Special Issue on “Women in Archives” (Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature Winter/Spring 2021).

“Eluding Print: Manuscript Fiction and the Survival of Scribal Practices in the Age of Print” Special issue of Huntington Library Quarterly by the Women in Book History Research Group (Summer 2021)

“Novel Knowledge, or Cleaning Dirty Data: Towards Open-Source Histories of the Novel,” Data Visualization in Enlightenment Literature and Culture. (Palgrave 2021)

"Ownership, Copyright, Ethics of the Unpublished" in Access, Control, and Dissemination in Digital Humanities (Routledge 2021)

"Amateur Manuscript Fiction in the Archive: An Introduction." For After Print, (Ed. Rachael King). University of Virginia Press 2020.

"Becoming Catherine Morland: A Cautionary Tale of Manuscripts in the Archive" Persuasions 39 (2018). [preprint available here]

[slashcrz]

Allowing hand wrist to pulled to her lips, eyebrows rose slightly, and there was a definite shift in the intensity held in crystal blue hues as she bit into his stolen fruit. Reuben was well accustomed to being flirted with; both brashly, coyly, and all in-between. What he had not encountered yet, until encountering her, was such interest from a princess. If he were any more of a man, Ruby's heart would have skipped a beat. Instead, he gave a little sound of recognition, smiling in return && adapting to a flirtier tone. " If angering the French is what pleases you, then there is plenty more where that came from, when it comes to me. Seems to be a talent of mine. " It was true enough, but it was not reserved only for the Bourbon's; Reuben did not discriminate. He aimed to be a nuisance to all. Arms snaked around her, chin finding it's way down on her shoulder, breath just a hair away from hitting her ear. Her hair smelled of floral, of breakfast, of stables (in the best way, like hay && warmth, smoked wood). " Well, well... lucky me, " the Lord smirked, adjusting against her and settling down into the sway of the ride. The sound of hooves clumping down would make conversation difficult, so instead Reuben enjoyed their closeness until it would be time to dismount, as they neared their destination. " It is true then, what they say - you do appear to be quite skilled upon a horse. What other talents do you possess, Princess? "

Might as well dangle salmon in front of a bear, the way Joanna looked at the opportune apple in his hand just before her. One could regularly guarantee that the Scottish Princess would always do exactly the undignified thing should the right people look away in the other direction, if only for the most brief moment. What she offers in an innocent and grateful smile, she returns by delicately wrapping her fingers around his wrist to bring the apple forth to her mouth, taking one delectably slow bite whilst the fruit remained in his grasp, her eyes fluttering closed once her lips had touched together to consume the fruit. Once she'd finished, she released him, using her thumb to wipe off the juice from her top lip. "I don't know what's more pleasing," she begins in her sultry gentle voice, "the sinful flavor of this fruit..." her voice quickly changes to a mischievously teasing sharpness, "or the fact that stealing it angered the French." For it was difficult to find something more satisfying than angry Frenchmen, though it was early in the day. Once astride her horse, she brushes off any stray hay from Montgomery's hair. "Thank you!" she gracefully sighed, "As it turns out, when it comes to stallions, size actually matters." Admittedly so, her heart does skip just a quick beat, which only made her adrenaline pump more. Living. Doing things one ought not to do and asking forgiveness for it later. "You are welcome to hold me as tightly as you please," she looks gently over her shoulder, only half of her lips slightly curving, "Why yes, I am often told I am a very skilled rider... of horses." She only guides Montgomery slowly out of the stables before developing an only slightly fast walk towards the woods.

[botrusanimarum]

Scars on my body so I can take you wherever

⧗

                 “If you only knew the bad things I like, sweetheart...”. He is not a good person, has never been. Egotistical would be a better fit of a word to describe him. The sort mother told you to stay far and safe from. Blackest sheep, ruthless and far seductive, an instigator for troubled thoughts and wrong doings... but he is an allure others cannot, won’t ever deny. He seeks thrill... subjugation, lives and breaths for chaos... and to have the other wrapped around his pinky has proven to be the most fun he has had in quite some time. 

Steve has her kneeling on a mattress that is austerely placed in the middle of his loft, dim lights, and discarded clothing. And whereas he is fully and impeccably attired,  there is not a single piece of clothing on her. “— Look at me... don’t look away... you are mine, and not ashamed of it... remember... now, now, sweetheart, don’t be frightened... I won’t harm you, much... if you behave, I will give you a prize...”. There it is, the incentive for his submissive to do as he pleases. “— I want you to give me something worth watching... touch yourself, as you want me to, give me an spectacle... just for me, love”. 

[slashcrz]

closed -> @regxlty {rafael.}

there is a certain privledge that comes with being somewhere less than royal, and the youngest of a large family - reuben could climb, he could sneak, and when desired, he could be entirely unseen. a surprising niche of a skill for the con artist to have on exterior; and outside of his forgery scams && the affiliated activities, rarely did reuben find himself slinking through the dark - especially not the castle itself, and especially not the room of the spanish prince. up a tree, use a butter knife to shimmy the lock of the window, and there, reuebn was in. it was late, far into the night, and not a candle was lit in the room. hands shuffled through papers, through drawers, under the bed's pillow, anything - something to take, to use, to keep as means of leverage, should rafael get ideas of speaking up. unfortunately, he found nothing, and was only just begining to consider his defeat when the latch clinked - and reuben whirled around to face the other just now entering the dark room. the engagement party was still in full swing... why was rafael back so early?" i know what you are trying to do. " he spoke first, figuring he'd get the shock of it out of the way quickly, and try and turn things around; he didn't want the other to know he'd been snooping... that he was afraid. " but i don't know your end game. "

[slashcrz]

A pause extended. He had no interest to put aside his opinion of the other Prince for the sake of maturity; rarely did he ever choose that route, but the true message that Rafael was delivering, within its insults and quips, resonated more than Ruby would let on. He did fear the Scottish King, and it was a worthwhile reminder. " Sound advice. I will pass the message along, should I find myself able. " Still sticking with his denail, Reuben gave a forced, thin smile. They both knew it was pointless, but he didn't know what else to do but keep faking it. " Is there anything else, your highness? "

"No, I remember faces rather well," he said with narrowed eyes, not backing down even in the slightest. Rolling his eyes, he let out a sigh, "I'm not going to go in this back and forth with you, we both know what you have done even if you don't admit it but you might want to come forth with your affair before her father finds out"

[pietersetm]

BILL SKARSGARD, 24, CIS-MALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, SILAS PIETERSE! according to their records, they’re a THIRD year, specializing in “MACGYVER” SURVIVAL SKILLS & NAVIGATION; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (the sound of motorcycles passing, grease stained hands, veins made prominent, a scar under his right eyebrow, lipstick on his collar). when it’s the (libra)’s birthday on 10/22/1995, they always request their REUBEN SANDWICH from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ kara, 26, she/her, est 

+ south jersey had its charms. or rather, it didn’t. but it had silas. and silas had charm. learned charm. so as far as south jersey was concerned, it had that going for it. + his upbringing felt more like that of a tv characters’ than a real life person’s. on the tv it’s interesting and fascinating and fun and cool and different. in real life it’s just outlandish and provocative  and unsafe and questionable. + si’s dad picked up ladies around him since the time he was an infant. he’d been around many scenes he probably shouldn’t have been involving the use of, trade of, and sales of sex and drugs. + growing up poor means not having tools like therapy to identify your trauma. + even if he or his family could afford therapy, it wasn’t something that would be prioritized. things like that were frowned upon in silas’ world. men were told to toughen up and tough it out. so he did. + on the bright side, though also unconventional, silas grew up around motorcycles. he’s pretty sure that common thread between he and his dad saved both their lives. they didn’t talk much unless it was about business or roughriders. + the complete opposite of his everyday world is his mother’s everyday world. she married up, moved to a nicer part of jersey, lived in a nice home, one with stairs. yeah, one level homes are nice, but stairs meant another level, it meant the house was bigger and the bigger the house the better your finances look to the outside world and therefore your status went up with it. + she tried to get silas to go stay with her, go to school in her district, but he politely declined, knowing that the roughhouse riders would have something to say about it if he did. + pride came with biker gangs. they were proud to wear their leather jackets with the fancy jackets on the back. it was the one thing they would splurge on. everyone pitched in. + when you’re family, you’re family, which meant that silas was allowed to join the biker gang young. obviously he couldn’t spend all of his time with them being a kid and having school and whatnot, but he would go with his dad every sunday. he looked forward to it every single week. + initiation took a toll on silas’ mental health and stability, made him question his morals and also left him with a black eye to match his jacket. if you look closely, there’s a scar below his right eyebrow from the ring of the fist that hit him. + stella, head of the roughhouse™, took an interest in silas. he was fulfilling all the duties that came with being the newest initiated member of the roughhouse™, sure, but he didn’t remember hearing about anyone else going to stella’s. especially not inside of stella’s. the two talked like he hadn’t with the others, hadn’t with... anyone. he considered her as more than just a leader, but maybe even his best friend, his family. + inside of stella’s is where silas met addison nudge ritter. at first, silas thought she was just “stella’s grand daughter,” but he was wrong. nudge became his best friend. his soft spot. they quickly begin sharing every single one of their days together. he takes her to his mother’s and they make fun of the fancy people in the area while going home to heating in the winter and home cooked meals at a fancy set dining room table. it took a long time for him to open up to nudge about that part of his life and he trusts her to keep it a secret from the rest of the gang. except for with momma stella because whether nudge knew or not, stella was bound to. she was omnipotent that way. + refusing help from his mother, silas fell into the same routine as his father, doing all of the same things that he did, but this time not in front of a little kid. he manipulated others, he satiated his needs by sleeping around but never spending the night, he took every opportunity to make money, illegal or not, and get this: it was always illegal. + the kinds of jobs people need to turn to the roughhouse for are not the kinds you can hire just anyone for. so the roughhouse slummed it with certain jobs and upped the keeps in others. they had a reputation in south jersey and it was as tough as the brooding look silas was taught to wear at a young age. + these jobs ranged from distributing drugs, transporting them, beating people up, leaving them unconscious in certain areas to frame people, and eventually when there were living, breathing people left half dead at silas’ hands, he ended up in blackthorne, which he found to be more of a new age government prison sentence than a university experience. + silas does as he’s told when he’s told to do it and next thing he knows he’s being rewarded kinda by going to gallagher. + the real reward is running into nudge again. they pick up right where they left off. only this time, there’s a boyfriend on her end and a secret on his. did he need the boyfriend’s approval to get in with nudge or did the boyfriend need silas’ approval to stay with her ? he hoped neither were true because while he wasn’t a good judge of character, a good judge of character probably wouldn’t keep silas around, especially not a spy that could look into silas’ past and find out all of the things he’s done, including what landed him in blackthorne. + what happened pre-blackthorne remains in a metaphorical vault, locked up to keep himself safe, others safe and because if he admits it happened, it’ll fuck him up for good. + silas is hanging on by a thread as is. he’s having sex and punching things just to feel things. now he has to pick a major and redefine his biggest life regret as a win, but as good of a liar as he might be to others, he’s not sure he can keep up the charade with himself but what would happen if it all fell apart and he came unraveling at the seams ? + at the very least, silas knows his alibi is rock solid. + he’d always enjoyed movies growing up, but seeing movies was a luxury that his father’s lifestyle didn’t offer them, so movies in theaters were few and far between until his mother married again and into a richer situation. + whenever he couldn’t hang out with nudge, he’d always say he was seeing a movie. to make up for it, he would take her to the movies with him at least once a month or every couple months, proof of his being a movie buff. + even when he was in a job rather than a movie theater, he would pick a movie, buy a ticket and read a synopsis to give nudge later. it felt worthwhile, having something solid to bring to court should he ever need it. plus, his jobs always paid enough to cover that ticket and then some.  + in this fashion, silas began becoming a collector of sorts. a collector of movie knowledge and a collector of tickets. he kept every stub. every single one. because you never know how far down the line things will get brought back up. he needed proof of where he was and when. his tickets provided him that security. + so he took it a step further and kept every ticket. the ones that were not cover ups, too. the ones for concerts. the ones for carnivals. ok, to be fair it was pretty small for a “collection” and some of them were not bought by him, but maybe by females attempting to buy his attention with experience.  + silas always found it a bit ironic that the word “admit” was on some types of tickets as if trying to heed a confession out of him. “admit one.” he’d consider the deed done, having admitted just one thing, if he were to ever come clean to nudge about what happened, or rather, to anyone.

[englishchinesetranslations]

The Jewish Origins of Mao’s Communist Regime in China. Mao ZeDong, Yale & Illuminati Skull & Bones

THE JEWISH ORIGINS OF MAO’S COMMUNIST REGIME IN CHINA. MAO ZEDONG, YALE & ILLUMINATI SKULL & BONES

China is also controlled/ruled by the Synagogue of Satan. Mao ZeDong was part of the Illuminati and very likely a Skull and Bonesman. (Jim Willie asserts that Mao ZeDong was Skull and Bones). The evidence are below. –

Emphasis mine:

Mao ZeDong, Yale & Illuminati Skull And Bones by Kris Millegan The story begins at Yale, where three threads of American social history — espionage, drug smuggling and secret societies … treatise on the Order of Skull and Bones, whose initiates fill the ranks of the global elite. Is Skull and Bones the American branch of the Illuminati? Are national and global events manipulated as part of a grand Hegellian equation, thesis and anti-thesis yielding a New World Order synthesis? The evidence and events surrounding the Order of Skull and Bones will shock you. …… In 1903, Yale Divinity School set up a program of schools and hospitals in China. Mao Zedong was among the staff. During the intrigues of China in the 1930s and ’40s, American intelligence called upon the resources of “Yale in China”, and George Bush’s cousin and fellow “Bonesman” Reuben Holden. –

The Jewish Origins of Mao’s Communist Regime in China by Texe Marrs, http://www.texemarrs.com/   Excerpts from: The Illuminati and Its Triad of Evil I have just finished months of grueling but exciting research into the shadowy but tremendously important spiritual and temporal (material) connectionbetween three world powers, China, the United States, and Israel. Unbeknown to the average man on the street, Satan’s human agents who comprise the Illuminati elite are actively organizing the Earth’s resources to engineer a final assault on man’s freedom and independence. These three nations are at the center of the Illuminati Plan. … The name Rothschild is legendary in all three of these Illuminist nations, China, the U.S.A. and Israel. The Rothschild Dynasty was founded in the eighteenth century by patriarch Mayer Amschel Bauer in Germany. Bauer changed his family name to “Rothschild” (Red Shield)  …… The western media, long owned and controlled by Jewish billionaires tied to the Rothschild trust, have covered up the historical truth that the Khazar European and Russian Jews who invaded Palestine in 1948 massacred many of the resident Palestinians and stole their land, businesses, homes and farms.   … The Jewish Origins of Mao’s Communist Regime in China Another revelation that U.S.A. and western journalists and historians are prohibited from writing about concerns the Jewish origins of Mao Tse Tung’s Red Chinese revolution. In fact, Mao was a stupid and inept Chinese peasant who was schooled by Skull and Bonesmen and initiated into the internationalist Masonic Lodge by socialist Jews from the United States. This was done with the tacit permission of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a 32nd degree Mason and, later, President Harry S. Truman a 33rd degree Mason. – Mao all along has been a closely-controlled puppet of Jewish revolutionaries—men like Israel Epstein and Sidney Shapiro, who lived in China and had the reins of power over two key areas of Beijing’s Communist Government—the treasury (money) and the media (propaganda). Interestingly, Zionist Jews hold sway over these same two essential instruments of government today in the United States. – Jewish Spies Give U.S.A. Military Secrets to Communist China The covert Jewish control of Mao and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) explains why convicted Jewish spy Jonathan Pollard, found guilty of stealing thousands of classified documents from the Defense Department where he worked, gave these materials to his masters, the Israeli Mossad operating in the U.S.A. The Israelis, in turn, transferred these valuable military secrets straight to Red Chinese dictators in Beijing. – Pollard, a Jew born in Galveston, Texas, sits in a federal prison today. Recently, when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu came to America, he visited Pollard in prison and assured the despicable turncoat Israeli spy that the Israeli government was working behind-the-scenes with Obama’s White House to pardon the convicted spy. Meanwhile, Pollard is a national hero in Israel—honored for stealing America’s most precious military secrets which Israel gave to Communist China! – With the election of their puppet, Barack Obama, to the presidency (see my DVD, Rothschild’s Choice) the Jews and Israel now have effective control of the vast wealth and resources of this great nation. The Jewish swindlers placed in power in Washington, D.C. by Obama—Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, Ben Bernanke, and Timothy Geithner, et al—along with their Zionist fanatic associates in Congress—are working nonstop to transfer America’s wealth to Israel and to Red China. The United States is being victimized by “Creative Destruction.” This is unparalleled stealth robbery on a scale never before seen in history.– read more.

From a Chinese article on the Jewish birthday party:

Three CPPCC [politburo] members with foreign origins celebrated their 90th birthday together at Jingfeng Hotel, one of the hotels in Beijing appointed for the NPC and CPPCC sessions, on March 8. Israel Epstein, Sidney Shapiro (Sha Boli) and Chen Bidi were born in Poland, the United States and Canada respectively, and they obtained Chinese nationality in 1957 and 1963. As experts who have long been working in the field of foreign publicity, they witnessed China’s revolution and socialist modernization drive.

Sidney Shapiro, an American Jew, was in charge of Communist Red China’s propaganda organ.

Israel Epstein, second from right in front, standing in front of Mao. He later became the minister of appropriations, an extremely powerful position in a practically cashless era. To the right of him is another Jew, also under cover as a journalist. (1944)

Israel Epstein, Mao Tse Tung’s minister of appropriations (Finance), shown here being honored for his service by current Chinese communist leader, Chairman Hu Jin Tao.

Mao in a high-level meeting with several Jews [Frank Coe, Israel Epstein, Elsie Fairfax-Cholmely, and Solomon Adler].

Click on image to goto:

http://digital.library.yale.edu/cdm/ref/collection/yale-ydn/id/135148

“To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General (of the 33rd degree), we say this, that you may repeat it to the brethren of the 32nd , 31st and 30th degrees – The Masonic Religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine. … Yes, Lucifer is God … “ – Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in 1871 (blasphemy) –

One of the unheralded and least known facts about Freemasonry and the Masonic Lodge is its Jewish origins and nature. The religion of Judaism, based on the Babylonian Talmud, and the Jewish Cabala (or, Kabala), an alchemical system of magic and deviltry, form the basis for the Scottish Rite’s 33 ritual degree ceremonies. – Freemasonry is Jewish Magic, Texe Marrs– “Masonry is based on Judaism. Eliminate the teachings of Judaism from the Masonic Ritual and what is left?” – Jewish Tribune of New York, on October 28, 1927– “Freemasonry is a Jewish establishment, whose history, grades, official appointments, passwords, and explanations are Jewish from beginning to end.”– Rabbi Isaac Wise

[geek-patient-zero]

Prologue (Part 1)

Or: My Dinner with Reuben

Blood War: Masquerade of the Red Dead Trilogy Volume 1

I always loved the cover art. It was done by an artist called BROM. Here’s his website.

Robert Weinberg dedicates the book to Edgar Allan Poe “for obvious reasons” and Bram Stoker “who started it all”, though Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu might disagree with that. On Poe, peppered throughout the book, between the three parts and on the back cover are short quotes from his works, mostly “The Masque of the Red Death”. Obviously. It’s a little BS though. Any elements inspired by Poe are shallow, at least in this book.

Underneath the dedication is a little disclaimer:

While the locations and history of this trilogy may seem familiar, it is not our reality. The setting of Vampire: The Masquerade of the Red Death is a harsher, crueler version of our world. It is a stark, desolate landscape where nothing is what it seems. It is truly a World of Darkness.

For in the grim dark 1990′s there is only war. And vampires.

Going into the book I thought this disclaimer was a little wanky. I expected that “a harsher, crueler version of our world” would translate to “our world but with more rats, goths, and supernatural creatures.” Similarly, the book’s spine labels the genre as “Dark Fantasy” which in my experience usually translates to “regular fantasy but with more rape.” Turns out the World of Darkness setting is a little more complicated than that, but most of the time Weinberg isn’t too subtle on the whole “darker version of our world” thing.

I just want to let you know, before we get started, that I’m not the biggest expert when it comes to V:TM lore. I’ve never played the tabletops, or read their source books. My knowledge comes from Bloodlines, wiki binges, and lore dumps on Reddit and the Something Awful Bloodlines 2 thread. Please bear with my dumb ass if I get something wrong.

Alright, enough preamble, let’s get to the actual story.

We start in Rome, June 15, 1992, at an outdoor restaurant near the Coliseum. A meeting there was set up the night before through an anonymous phone call to the “heart of the Vatican.” For a suitcase full of money, they’d talk about vampires, or as the book dramatically puts it:

“We will talk,” declared the mysterious voice in somber, cold tones, “of The Kindred.”

The first to arrive is Father Naples, named so because it’s a word you’d find on a map of Italy. He’s a member of the Society of Leopold, who only get one more brief mention after this prologue so all you need to know is that they’re Catholic vampire hunters. He’s a big buff guy, described like a cross between a priest and a high ranking CIA agent. He came unarmed.

His faith served as his shield.  Along with the five other agents of the Society of Leopold in the restaurant, including two women disguised as streetwalkers.

The Society of Leopold is the “the devil was behind this” kind of religious, so it’s weird they’d jump straight to hookers when thinking of disguises for their agents, or that said agents would agree to it. But this is the World of Darkness, a harsher, crueler version of our own, and that means there’s hookers everywhere, so put on the hot pants and think of Italy.

So Father Florence here’s got his disguised agents, who “carried enough firepower on them to start a minor war.” He’s also something of a badass.

And, though he had retired years before as a field operative, Father Naples still maintained his training in the martial arts. An expert at both kendo and karate, he could kill an attacker a dozen different ways.

He’s also got some agents in a nearby hotel room with a directional microphone aimed at his table to record the conversation. Soon, the target of all this seeming overkill arrives; a blonde mid-twenties guy in a white suit. His voice was different than the one who made the phone call, implying to Naples, and us, that there’s at least two people involved on the other side of this setup. It’s a neat bit of foreshadowing. After a firm handshake and no-selling Father Naples’s patented death glare, the stranger introduces himself as Reuben, “like the sandwich.” They banter a bit about the biblical Reuben before he decides to troll the Father a bit. First by saying he’s older than he looks, then by passing on the Father’s offer of wine.

“No thank you,” said Reuben. “I do not drink wine.”

He waits a beat for a reaction, then orders a Coke and a menu. I think I like Reuben.

Since vampires can’t eat or drink (unless they have high Humanity and a good dice roll) Father Naples is thus satisfied that the guy is not a vampire trying to trick him, deciding he’s “definitely human. And not very clever.” Reuben had made an obligatory knock at airline food, so now Naples believed the agents recording the conversation could use this clue to track down his real name and where he came from through airline records.

They get to the You Got the Cash/You Got the Stuff part of negotiations, with Reuben showing off the twenty million US dollars in his briefcase (Not euro because we’re the only country whose currency matters fuck you Italy) in exchange for a monologue from Naples about the history of the Kindred, starting from the beginning. Reuben says Father Naples can summarize if need be.

“Summarize?... How does one summarize ten thousand years of absolute evil? An impossible task, but let me try.”

The rest of the prologue until the end is Naples’ exposition on vampires while he drinks a shit ton of vino. Since it’s Vampire: The Masquerade Lore 101, I’ll summarize like our pal Naples.

Vampires secretly control the world. There are thirteen vampire clans descended from Caine, of Cain and Abel fame only spelled with an e for some reason. Ye olde Caine killed his brother, though I once read that in this setting it wasn’t so much just committing the first murder as introducing the very concepts of murder and killing to reality and basically ruining everyone’s lives, including demons. God punished Caine by giving him vampirism, forcing him to kill to survive for inventing killing. The vampirism also gave him superpowers, so he’s like a little bloodsucking demigod. I’ve seen jokes about God punishing Caine by giving him cool superpowers, but according to Father Naples Caine needed them because everyone knew what happened and were pissed at him for inventing murder and eating them. When everyone and everything wants to kill you on sight you need to be OP to survive and then feel sad about it.

(He also didn't learn most of those powers until later, when he met Lilith.)

Caine discovered that he could make more vampires through the classic “drain their blood to the point of near death and then feeding them your own blood” method. He sired three new vampires, who weren’t as powerful as him but still quite capable of ruining your day, a trend that continues through twelve or thirteen vampiric generations, although the latest generations are puny compared to Caine and his kids.

Caine and the Second Generation founded Enoch, the First City, and were worshiped there as gods, I’m guessing because of a mixture of fear and the hope of getting some sweet vampire powers if you suck up to the first murderer. The Second Generation then sired the Third Generation, thirteen vampires that became known as the Antediluvians. They’re the ones the modern thirteen vampire clans descend from. 

Then everything goes to shit for Caine. Again. The Antediluvians, ambitious dicks, rose up and killed the Second Generation, destroying Enoch in the process. This could be thought of as Caine’s true curse: being forced to watch his childer, and their childer, and so on plot against and murder each other as he had done to his brother, and generally being a plague on mankind. See, Vampire: The Masquerade can be a bit too try-hard edgy and horny at times, but then you also get neat bits of writing and lore like that. As for Caine, he disappeared after the fall of Enoch. He’s now a cab driver in Los Angeles. Or a hermit in Greece, messing with traveling scholar vampires. Or both. Depends on who you ask. No, really. I’m being serious.

I should mention that, religious guy that he is, Father Naples likes to pepper his monologue with casual mentions of the devil. He says things like...

“It was then, in his darkest despair, that Caine learned from Satan a monsterous secret.”

“Encouraged by Satan, Caine created three such monsters.”

“And, in time, urged by Lucifer, they, too, bestowed the gift of eternal life on a select group of their victims.”

“They knew not the Lord God, but Lucifer, the Dark Angel.”

...and generally blaming the big guy below for getting the vampires to do vampire things. While most of what Father Naples says about the setting’s history is correct, the Satan stuff isn’t. Lucifer is a character in the World of Darkness, specifically Demon: The Fallen, but he has nothing to do with V:TM. This adds a neat bit of characterization and unreliability to Naples’ narrative; something Reuben will point out at the end of the prologue.

The Great Flood happened, but Father Naples doesn’t mention it. He skips to the Antediluvians founding the Second City, which didn’t get a name like Enoch because in its two thousand years of existence apparently no one could think of one. With the support of their childer, the fourth generation, they ruled over the Second City and, according to Naples, enslaved humanity. But eventually humanity rose up against the vampires, killing some of them with sunlight, fire, and beheading. The Second City fell and the surviving vampires fled. The Antediluvians disappeared. Some modern day vampires believe the Antediluvians were all dead, while others (the correct ones, turns out) believe they’re hiding, resting in torpor (a kind of vampire coma) this whole time and one day, they’d wake up and, as Father Naples says, “...the world of the Undead shall tremble.” This is our first mention in this book of Gehenna, the end of the wold according to the Kindred. He also says their return was predicted in Revelations, but I’m no biblical expert so I can’t tell you what bits of Revelations that might be referring too.

Reuben asks what happened to the fourth generation, or the Methuselahs as they’re now known because they’re old as balls but not “lived before the Biblical Flood” old. Father Naples tells him, then goes on to explain the titular Masquerade, vampire factions, and the thirteen clans.

[slashcrz]

Barely quick enough, Reuben stepped back from her, just in time - narrowly missing her vomit, and wrinkling his nose up at the sudden stench. " Verdammt! " He whispered, shaking his head. " Are you serious right now, in this moment? Jesus, Mia." Now, the Lord only stared at her, a frown deep set into his features.

" I do not know what happened, just - there is fire, and- " He looked back to the window, eyebrows knitting together. Reuben was extremely concerned for Mia's state of being; thinking of her being so unwell made his stomach flip, but... " My brother was still there. " Clearly torn, Reuben stepped over the puddle she'd made, now between her && the door. " You may need a doctor, but I do not know if there are people hurt - or worse. "

He always avoided thinking about these things, and Reuben shook his head, hard. " Do you want to come with me? I have to go see what happened. "

𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄, what Mia's mind process? Absolutely, NOTHING. She was too hungover to worry about small details, and very asleep. That she exaggerates the dose of alcohol, literally drunk to oblivion, of course, every choice there's a consequence. When he came for the second time, shaking her, and yelling at her, she woke up startled, but this time sitting on the bed, with both hands on her head. Suddenly, her brain was way too heavy to keep it up. ❛ I am awake now. ❜ Her voice was raspy, and she groans, her mind was still dizzy. She stood up from her bed, and the next thing, she did was puke all over again. She hadn't put any food on her stomach, except liquids.

She picked a handkerchief and wiped her lips, and looked at Reuben, could not help but noticed that he was so weird. She never saw him so dim. He normally has a gleam on him, a pretty smile with dimples. ❛ Hey now, what happened? Why are you so serious? ❜ She sat on the bed and looked at him with reddish eyes. Temples throbbing and unbearable thirst.

Many things from the night hours prior were nothing more than a blur, she wanted to unblock her brain to think. For having him wake up the way he did it is because something very important happened.