#and whenever jekyll is called harry

[marmeow]

i love when characters who are predominantly referenced/called by their last name gets called by their first name <3

[dross-the-fish]

"Harry, you're going to get yourself expelled!"

I resisted the urge to laugh. Gabriel was so unaccustomed to raising his voice that it always cracked whenever he got riled up enough to shout. The flimsy mustache he was trying to grow bristled as he prepared to lay into me for my latest indiscretion.

Ever the good school boy and stickler for obeying the rules, I'd anticipated that Gabriel Utterson would give me a good and proper finger wagging once he saw the state of my nose. It was easy enough to talk him down. I flashed him a winning smile "Come off it, Gabe. Are you going to rat me out?"

"I ought to! I really ought to! You're going to be a doctor, Henry! This brawling at pubs is beneath you!"

Ah yes, brawling at the pub. Let him think that. I shrugged amiably and managed to conjure up a look of contrition for him, "It's not what you think! I ran into that Lawson bloke on my way to have a drink and the man was completely blind drunk. He took a swing at me! Don't glare at me so, I only hit him a little. I had to defend myself, didn't I?" It was a half truth. Lawson hadn't been at the pub, I'd followed him home.

And I'd hit him first.

But who was going to believe him over me?

I confess I felt a little ashamed of myself at the look of relief that came over Gabriel's face. He was so eager to believe that I was as much of a saint as he was that he ate up every lie I fed him. Maybe it was better that way. Was it so bad to keep him blissfully ignorant?

"I-I suppose that's fair. Maybe you ought to stay away from the pub, at least until we finish school. Less drinking and more studying, eh? It's about time we grow up, right?" there was an almost pleading quality to his voice that made me hate him and want to comfort him all at once.

I forced a smile, "You're right of course, Gabe, it wouldn't do to have Dr. Jekyll get a reputation as a violent thug, would it?"

The words were barely out of my lips before I felt the weight of a door slam shut. Utterson was clapping me on the back and calling me "Good man!" as far as he was concerned that was the matter settled. Dr Henry Jekyll was a man of good standing who would never stoop to violent indiscretions.

The image had it's appeal. I certainly wanted to be the kind of man Utterson thought I was.

So why did I feel as though I was split in two?

......

Had some thoughts about a young Henry Jekyll and wanted to play around with the idea that he's always been Hyde and Utterson just never picked up on it, or maybe even willingly blinded himself to it. this may or may not be canon in my AU but it was interesting to explore.

[being-of-rain]

Some thoughts from my Classic Who watch, season 13. It’s all terribly gothic. This season has a good reputation, and I’d say it’s earned it! It’s very enjoyable.

Terror of the Zygons is a strong start to the gothic season, because it really has some thrills and chills. Some of the editing is tight as hell on this, especially on some of the Zygons’ first appearances. The end of episode 1 must be one of the best ‘monster reveal’ cliffhangers, because of how snappy it is- you know it’s coming but it almost counts as a jump scare because it happens so fast. Also creepy are Harry’s freaky nurse and the copy of Harry in the barn (jesus christ, that would’ve traumatised some children surely). The story itself isn’t quite as good as the aesthetic. Broton monologues his entire plans to anyone who’ll listen, and also are we really supposed to believe that these Zygons have been chilling on Earth for centuries? What have they been doing for all that time? Why have they been waiting to take over? Need to meet up with Broton so he’ll answer all my questions. Anyway, it’s a little underwhelming end to the Brigadier and Harry’s time as regulars, but I guess fitting since the Brig was always going to say goodbye to the Doctor for the last time at Some point, since the Doctor’s always been eager to get back out into the universe, and Harry was only really there for a day trip. I’ll get back to Sarah and her subtle but interesting arc later in the post. Anything else? The gang sharing around the Doctor’s accessories at the start is the cutest shit ever, if Tardis teams don’t do this then what’s the point. Whenever anyone hits someone else with a rock in Doctor Who (in this case the creepy nurse) I react like the Four Guys Cheering At TV meme. And finally, when the Oil official walks in on the Brig and his men knocked out in episode two, he says “What the-” and he sounded SO close to saying “fuck,” my brother and I both thought he was going to say it. I think it would be very funny if one random guy got to say Fuck in the show and no one else.

Planet of Evil has a pretty simple plot, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look really pretty doing it. One of the Doctor’s monologues about the other universe sounded so cool to me. “You call it nothing, a word to cover ignorance, then centuries ago scientists invented another word for it. Antimatter, they called it.” I knew that several stories from Who’s gothic era came from classic stories and tropes, and I correctly guessed near the end that this one was inspired by Jekyll and Hyde. It’s a weird adaptation though, with the good & evil character only really being relevant in the last episode. That dichotomy being extended to the universe was cool, although even cooler is that it wasn’t really good & evil; the Doctor was able to communicate and bargain with the antimatter being (being slash world? Was that a guardian of The Nothing or a manifestation of its will? Or a little bit of both 🤔

Pyramids of Mars is fun. It’s definitely one of the most notable and well-known examples of the Doctor coming face to face with a villain that he cannot hope to overcome, and that oppressive atmosphere can really be felt throughout most of the story. It’s a small but interesting moment when the Doctor explains that the Osirians didn’t kill Sutekh because “it’s against their code. To have killed him would have meant that they were no better than he.” The Doctor’s moral compass has always been flexible (and justifiably so, tbh I don’t think the fandom gives him enough credit sometimes) but he’s definitely used that anti-killing stance before, so it’s interesting how he clearly sets himself apart from those morals here, through context and his actions. It sort of ties into the darker side of him sometimes drawn out by the darker stories of this era. Also, where did Sarah learn to use a gun like that?! Damn. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if it was before her time with the Doctor, given her very gung-ho investigating style. The location filming (or archive footage) at the start of the story was pretty. My astrophysicist brother is always quick to jump on scientific inaccuracies in shows, so I was pretty satisfied to do that sort of thing with the same level of certainty when Scarman enters the tomb set and says “this tomb must date back to the First Dynasty of the Pharaohs!” and I said “No it fucking doesn’t” jsdlkfjdsfj

The Android Invasion was a neat little premise. I do have pretty vivid memories of Sarah turning out to be a robot in this one, and I take it that I’m not the only one. Looks like Terry Nation still had his knack for writing the iconic. Also, I thought the UNIT folk in this one only appeared as androids, so it was nice to see Harry and Benton get one final appearance in part four! The first episode’s structure is one I really like in Doctor Who: the Tardis team landing in a very strange scenario, collecting clues and making clever deductions, and suggesting theories that several times get proven wrong. Makes it feel very grounded and believable, while at the same time giving us a fascinating setting slash mystery, and giving us a glimpse of how the characters’ minds work. Other fun examples that come to mind as starting like this are The Space Museum and The Chimes of Midnight. It’s also fun to hear a little bit more of Sarah’s career pre-Tardis travel, and have her knowledge from that time become relevant.

The Brain of Morbius oozes with gothic atmosphere (maybe more than any other story in the season, which is saying something). It does seem to lose a bit in plot tightness as payment though- it feels like every character is running in circles around the serial’s locations, always leaving behind something half done. One of the most egregious examples for me was the Doctor leaving Solon alone, trusting him to dismantle Morbius, which is the exact opposite of what he wanted to do the entire time. But in any case, the characters in this story really are wonderful. I never would’ve recognised Solon as the same actor as The War Lord, but it makes sense with them both being so well-acted. The Time Lord lore is fun to hear about, and I 100% believe that the Sisterhood were fair to distrust them- I just bet the CIA sent the Doctor on this mission like “He can restart the eternal flame for us... and if not we wouldn’t complain if he took the last of the elixir for us.” The best character award has to go to (once again) Sarah Jane. Liz Sladen is having so much fun with her line deliveries, poking fun at the Doctor’s sulky mood in particular. She pulls off a genius infiltrate & escape plan to save the Doctor when he’s going to be sacrificed by the Sisterhood, and the way she jokes as a way to deal with her panic is so relatable and understandable. Love her, please take her somewhere nice Doctor.

The Seeds of Doom is just great. The best of a good season, honestly. You know it’s well-made when the Doctor barely turns up in the first ten minutes and you’re still totally hooked. When the Doctor does turn up, it’s hilarious that he’s standing around in Antarctica in his normal clothes while everyone around him is rugged up in coats. The power of an iconic look I guess. I don’t have much else to say about this one apart from how good it was.

Now I wanted to talk about Sarah... except after typing for a while, I think my thoughts on Sarah should be a separate post, because they’re getting too long to be a final paragraph here. Suffice to say I think she’s wonderful and Liz Sladen really brings her to life.

[starlene]

All beauty must die

The aftermath of Edward Hyde’s last date with Lucy Harris.

Content warnings for heaven knows what... including violence against women, sadism, murder, blood, and masturbation next to a dead body to top it all off! (I hesitate to call it necrophilia because personally, I don’t think it’s about that per se – but if you do interpret it that way, I can’t really blame you.)

Enjoy :)

~

It was nothing short of magical.

How, in a matter of seconds, a living, breathing, alive human being could be turned into a carcass. How, in a twisted imitation of transubstantiation, a living creature could be changed into a pile of lifeless matter.

How, in a couple of decisive movements, one could put an end to another person's existence.

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, they said. But in these exhilarating moments, it was not God who did the taking. It was Edward Hyde and Edward Hyde alone, and he didn’t have to ask God for permission.

(Embarking upon their first anatomical dissections in medical school, some of Henry's fellow students had admitted that though they knew the bodies lying before them were stone-dead, they still somehow felt nervous about dissecting them, inexplicably feeling like their scalpels were hurting the dead men. Henry didn't understand their concern. From day one, his cuts were sure and deep.)

Hyde pressed his hands against the deep cut running across the girl's throat, feeling the warm blood that was still pouring out, running over his fingers and soaking his shirtsleeves. The surge of divine power still radiating through his body had to find its release somewhere. He slid a bloodied hand into his trousers.

For a moment, both occupants of Edward Hyde’s body were lost in a wordless, thoughtless sense of bliss.

~

(For Henry, Hyde taking the lead was like falling asleep. He kept slipping in and out of consciousness, his thoughts wandering around aimlessly. Sometimes, he could remember his dreams afterwards. Other times they blended into an intangible blur, to be forgotten as soon as he woke up.)

At first, Hyde had been eager to do Jekyll's bidding, gladly getting rid of the people Jekyll wanted to get rid of.

Lately, however, their opinions had started to differ.

Jekyll's solution to this particular problem had been to bribe the girl, to send her away and to make her feel indebted to him so she wouldn't rat him out. Hyde knew better than that. He knew that she knew. He knew that letting her live was too dangerous, and that knowledge left him with only one way to deal with her.

Besides, it was not as if she loved him. No. It was Jekyll that she loved, and Hyde that she despised. She was a terrible liar, unable to hide her disappointment whenever she saw Hyde entering her room… even though nine times out of ten, it was him and not Jekyll.

In her eyes, Jekyll was a vision of the man Hyde could be. The man Hyde would be, eventually, if she only stayed patient and loyal and obedient for long enough.

In Hyde's eyes, she was faithless and Jekyll was becoming a hindrance.

~

Hyde never worried about getting caught. For all the trouble he gave him, Jekyll was his perfect front, his impeccable hiding place. Visiting the Doctor’s house in the good part of town, listening to him discuss the latest scientific discoveries over dinner, no one could ever guess the secret he was hiding.

Recently, though, cracks had started appearing in the facade.

John knew everything. Hyde couldn’t understand what had possessed him to do it, but Jekyll had forced him to reveal their secret to him. Thus far, John’s loyalty towards Jekyll had taken the upper hand over his respect for the law, but Hyde knew even the strongest allegiance could shift. Emma also suspected something. The afternoon they had found her in Jekyll’s laboratory, reading Jekyll’s diary, Hyde had wanted to finish her off where she stood.

That time, Jekyll had held him back.

Despite his wealth and his smarts, Henry Jekyll didn't have too many people in the world that truly cared about him, cared enough to notice something was amiss... but the ones he had, Hyde feared, would go into great lengths in their attempts to save their beloved Henry. Thus, they would have to be dealt with. Like Hyde had dealt with the girl lying on the blood-soaked sheets before him.

(Henry hadn't been in love with her, not quite yet, but he had been falling fast. If he was being honest with himself, nearly every action he took was motivated by some selfish ambition – but sending her the money had been a rare selfless act. He had only wanted to keep her safe from his own worst impulses.)

So two to go, and then, no one would care what Henry Jekyll was up to anymore.

~

Hyde’s hand was still resting on the girl’s throat, his fingers radiating warmth onto her cooling skin.

(Henry felt his thoughts slowing down, settling into their habitual patterns after a long confused drift. He smelled the familiar metallic scent of blood, but something felt out of place. He wasn’t supposed to be doing this. Not anymore. He had already taken his revenge. He had sworn he wouldn’t ever again indulge this part of himself.)

He knew he should take his leave, make sure no one saw him, but the sight of the girl mesmerized him. He stalled. It was almost a shame it had to end like this. Sure, she hadn’t liked him, but they had certainly fit together in other ways.

(No. Please, no. Please. Not her.)

He tried to rise from the bed to leave the room, but something held him in place. 

Jekyll.

How long had he been watching?

And how come Hyde hadn’t noticed him there?

Hyde had wanted to hurt Jekyll, that much was certain, but he had also wanted to get out before Jekyll took control. The man couldn’t be trusted with their secret anymore. He might end up making a scene, and then, both of them would be as good as dead.

(Remembering his own excitement and ecstasy over the girl’s soul leaving her body, Henry felt a sense of regret blended with disgust, desire and horror unlike anything he had ever felt before. He wanted to slip back into the background, to keep sleeping. Maybe he could only wake up after Hyde had killed everyone he had ever loved, and everyone else had forgotten all about him, and he wouldn’t have to feel this nauseous mix of thrill and terror any longer.

But he was wide awake now, unable to push himself back into oblivion.)

Hyde could not stay in the present anymore. His mind was slipping away from him. It was his turn to drift away and fall asleep.

~

Henry put his hand on Lucy’s cheek. It was cool to the touch already, and his attempt at a gentle gesture stained her face with her own blood. Her vacant eyes stared deep into nothing, but he didn't try to close them, not wanting to leave another mark on her face.

How could it be that, even now, she looked so enchantingly beautiful?

Eventually, someone would find her here. Maybe one of the other girls would come to her room to look for her before the midnight performance, only to find her pale and empty-eyed, lying on her bed, blood still slowly dripping onto the floor and her killer's handprint pressed onto her cheek.

His mind reeling and his vision pulsing in time with his heartbeat, Henry knew he had no other option than to leave, and leave fast.

If only he could also leave behind the feeling.

The sickening, rousing feeling of excitement rising in his stomach, each time he remembered how euphoric it had been to take the life of a woman who had loved him.

[contrabandhothead]

band of brothers as types of drunks

- [ DICK WINTERS ]

Doesn’t really get drunk, so you best believe this bitch is a lightweight. He takes like 3 shots in an hour and it’s all downhill from there. He’s pretty quiet when he’s drunk, and both @noneofurbusinez and i agree that he acts like Sobel but worse. Was once convinced by Luz that he couldn’t hear, and began shouting out orders.

- [ LEWIS NIXON ]

He’s literally an alcoholic, so it’s very hard to get him drunk at this point. He’s an absolute man-child when he’s drunk. All he does is whine and try to snuggle with you. Dick is his designated driver, hence why Dick usually doesn’t get drunk it’s because he’s a Quaker. When he gets drunk, he’s the blackout type of drunk. Don’t even bother mentioning what he did to him the night before, all he cares about is nursing his hangover.

- [ RONALD SPEIRS ]

LITERAL INFANT. However, can definitely hold his liquor, so it’s takes a while to get him tipsy. He becomes so much more extroverted and fun when he’s drunk, so Luz tries to get him drunk at every single opportunity he has. Generally pretty sentimental, always hanging on to Lip and pressing sloppy pecks to his forehead when he’s drunk.

- [ CARWOOD LIPTON ]

Sometimes Momma needs a little drink to wind down. Lip is pretty much the same when drunk, except he will swear at you in his Christian household.

- [ HARRY WELSH ]

Blackout, messy bitch drunk. Enough said.

- [ GEORGE LUZ ]

Literally the same except even more goofy??? SUPER CLINGY. Will not let go of Toye. Toye is his bodyguard when George gets drunk. Only person allowed to call Joe “Joey” when drunk. KING OF BODY SHOTS. Has to be carried home bridal style by Joe. Clumsy bitch.

- [ JOE TOYE ]

Doesn’t usually get drunk, is generally more preoccupied with making sure George doesn’t slip and die. Loosens up a lot more when drunk, and shows wayyyyy more PDA than normal. You can tell if he’s drunk by what he calls Luz. If he calls him Georgie, he’s not gonna remember tomorrow. Probably does something stupid with Gonnorhea that gets him kicked out of the bar, like breaking a pool table by jumping on it. Is the person George is doing body shots off of.

- [ BILL GUARNERE ]

Dumbass drunk. Snores like a freight train after passing out. Is the person that gets penises drawn all over his face when he falls asleep. Can be an angry drunk if you piss him off. Usually gets in bar fights. Has probably peed himself before. Has eaten spaghetti in a plastic bag and cried while drunk before.

- [ JOE LIEBGOTT ]

Bipolar drunk. The Jekyll and Hyde of the drunks, if you will. Is either clinging to Web and spilling all of his emotions out while crying, or is getting into a bar fight. There’s no in between. Thinks everyone is hitting on Web, which just makes him more mad. Is actually pretty ok at holding his liquor, depending on the day. Will remember everything that happened the next day and just pretend like he never got drunk in the first place. Gets one of his taxi friends to drive him and Web home.

- [ DAVID WEBSTER ]

Pretty & flirty drunk. 2nd king of dancing but can only grind. CANNOT THROW IT BACK. Flirts with anything that breathes, also has a bunch of new contacts by the end of the night. Clings onto Joe’s arms, definitely wants to snuggle. Has done a full face of makeup while drunk. It actually looked good, so i’m bitter. Is the reason why Joe gets into so many fights.

- [ BUCK COMPTON ]

Fun drunk. Still plays darts but with infinitely worse aim. Has probably almost killed someone with that shitty aim. Most likely to make a bet with some random man at the bar and lose all of his money in one night. Generally the dumbest when drunk.

- [ EUGENE ROE ]

Loosens up even more than Speirs when drunk. Always somehow has like 20 new contacts when he wakes up in the morning??? Everyone loves him. Is known to throw it back on the dance floor. Can grind. King of drunk dancing and doing it w e l l.

- [ BABE HEFFRON ]

Sad, dumb drunk. Is sad that everyone likes Gene because he wants his attention all to himself. Cries over how pretty Gene is. Won’t shut the fuck up about Gene. Tries to play darts with Buck to get over his sadness. Actually ends up having better aim when drunk. Most likely to wake up with more money in his wallet than he originally brought. Is easily influenced by Bill, so he’s probably gotten into several bar fights.

- [ SKIP MUCK ]

FUN DRUNK TIMES 10. Never stops drinking. Thinks everything is funny. Has peed himself laughing. Bffs with Luz when drunk so goodbye Penkala. Does any dare you give him, regardless of drunk or sober, but it’s more funny to have him do them when he’s drunk. Stumbles every three seconds.

- [ DONALD MALARKEY ]

Depressed bitch drunk. Actually thinks about his life choices and regrets everything. Has tried to change his college major several times to Minecraft while drunk. Was stopped by Penkala and Winters. Cries on Winters’ shoulder while drunk. Regrets everything in the morning. Has penises on his face in sharpie in the morning.

- [ ALEX PENKALA ]

Same as skip but more reasonable and actually takes care of Don. Is bitter that Luz replaced him.

- [ FRANK PERCONTE ]

Dumb bitch drunk. Tries to fight anything that moves, no matter how tall the opponent is. Was convinced that all his teeth fell out by George once. Has yet to recover. Tries to fight Johnny, lost within the first punch because he got knocked out.

- [ JOHNNY MARTIN ]

Takes so much liquor to get him drunk. Periodically takes shots whenever someone does something stupid or he gets annoyed. Facepalms the entire time Bull is doing anything. Generally super chill when drunk.

- [ BULL RANDLEMAN ]

Fun drunk. Accent gets infinitely thicker when he’s drunk, so barely anyone understands what he’s saying. Rode a bull while drunk once, it was the best thing anyone’s ever seen. Acts like a cowboy for fun and to piss of Johnny.

[bindi-the-skunk]

Son of Frankenstein

CHAPTER NINE: WHO AM I

"What did you all do!?" Robert called as he ran into the room and attempted to calm the other doctor down, who screamed as if he was being murdered.

"We did not do anything! He just started pitching a fit!" Miss Flowers defended, scowling a bit at the accusation.

Robert wanted to scream himself, with no doubt in his head that they dashed in here and shoved yet another blunt explanation bomb in his lap to deal with, and it was the final straw that broke the camels back into a fit of hysterics.

He had half a mind to deck every single one of them!

Henry felt as though there was a ringing in his ears that refused to stop...spots danced before his eyes, everything hurt as he thrashed, bones screaming as loudly as he was for it all to-just-stop, desperate to run but legs refusing to listen, just as broken as their owner's mind, his head pounding as if Hyde was tap dancing on it despite the fact the blond-haired hellion had gone scarily quiet.

Suddenly he was pressed against something sturdy and felt a soft pressure against his back, strong hands rubbing his back soothingly, hands that were obviously trying to be careful as to not cause the injured man any more pain as the smell of cinnamon and apples hit his nose.

"Do something useful and look in the cabinet for a mild sedative, I don't want to give it to him yet, just in case he calms down on his own, but I want it out just in case" Robert barely kept from snarling at the lodgers and was grateful when they slinked away to do as asked, looking properly guilty.

The chemist went limp in the other's hold like a puppet with the strings pulled clean out and left forgotten on the floor, and Robert checked a bit frantic for a pulse and calmed when there was a rapid but steady one under his fingertips.

Frankenstein watched the two, mild jealousy stirring in her gut at how easily her son relaxed in the grip of that little chipmunk and recoiled from her as if she bore fangs and a rattling tail, she knew it would be a bit of a chore getting him to see reason, but this was-

Then again, she had not exactly reacted well to things when she had been young either, Harry's skilled hand at caretaking and tending to her sickly body's whims had been part of what she loved about him, she had never, to him, been the one to inherit her family's title, she had just been a woman he loved, Victoria, now she was beloved by dozens of people breaking into the unknown and the one person who she should have been striving to get and give love to had been hurt by her actions.

Yet another whose personality had been soured because their life-giver chose to not consider the consequences...

Had she been too harsh? He was a grown man who did not need babying, he had given up far too much dignity in his circus for the 'normal' people, but he took pride in his work in alchemy.

What had she truly offered at this point besides being the one who spit him out? He got her tendency for melancholy and foul temper when pushed far enough, him hitting a nerve with her about Elizabeth had been a low blow, but she had not exactly had tact with him either and made several low blows herself.

Slut had been a harsh word...slave to the public might have been a bit more suited a phrase, in all honesty, she should not be surprised if the moment Henry became lucid again he threw the S-word at her since she and Harry had not been married before his conception.

Everything else was her Harry, gangly limbs that they magically never tripped over, the soft brown hair that was just slightly wavy, the eyes of passionate fire and smell of peppermint, perhaps that was another reason Victoria had been cruel on her arrival, angered that someone not only dared to try and sanitize mad science, but also who dared to look like someone she had loved and lost, like a specter trying to haunt her, striking out at his face the same way someone might attempt to destroy a bug on their window, buzzing in their ears and not allowing peace.

What did she hope to even get out of reaching out? Telling him, all of them, of her past?

A normal mother and son relationship? Ha! Victoria Frankenstein was far from a mother and she knew it! She did not do warm hugs and kisses, saying I love you's, and possessed no ability to cook, clean, or sew and her nose curled up at the idea of doing.

Ugh, but what possible harm could it do? Kill her faster? Climbing out a window and being grabbed by Creature had done her no lasting damage, cooking her own damn son something or giving him a peck on the head would not be the end of the world.

Now, where was the kitchen in this stupid building? --- Robert once again got the lodgers to leave the room as Henry started to become more aware, the freckle-faced man had no plans of telling him of his breakdown, if he remembered it, that was what happened, but he was not going to shove it back in his lovers face to re-live it.

Whining near the edge of the bed drew both their attention

Henry smiled tiredly at hearing the familiar sound "Zosi.."

Zosimos spun in circles beside the bed, whimpering till Robert scooped him up and settled him next to his master who hugged the pup close with his good arm and giggled when the grim licked at his face.

"I'm going to change the bandages again alright? Seems a few have..come loose" Robert said and was glad when he got a nod of consent and got to work replacing the bloodied or loose wrappings, trying his best to be gentle and feeling bad whenever he saw the other biting back a wince.

But it was the quick glances to the door that worried him the most.

"Don't worry about them, they won't bother you anymore" Robert tried to comfort but could tell that is not what the other wanted to hear.

"Robert, tell me honestly, does what...who...I am ....change how you feel about me? That I am a Frankenstein? The lodgers are all ...acting so...I don't want you to-"

A kiss cut him off

"I do not care if you are a Jekyll or a Frankenstein, all that matters is that you are my Henry, that is who you are, the others will see that too, they just have to get over the hero worship is all..." Robert chuckled cupping his lover's face, noting the still soaked cheeks.

"Like a child with a new toy..." Henry chuckled himself "I don't even know who I am anymore, the past few hours have just been...a blur of emotions I did not know I could feel"

"You are who you make yourself, it's your choice, not theirs," Robert said, feeling very much like those fortune cookies his mother used to bribe him with in order to get him to do his schoolwork, but also knowing that it was true, nothing he said would fix what happened, but, perhaps he could keep it from completely falling apart.

"Can I stay with you a few days? I know it is asking a lot, but I need to get out of ...here...for a while" Henry asked, perhaps stepping away from the society and all its madness would be able to bring a little clarity to his mind.

"Of course, just rest a while now, and I will make the arrangements,"

Had a bloody nose the past few days because of the change in seasons and just tonight I bought a new humidifier (the old one got ick all in it and would not register it had water in it) so hopefully it works ... Not sure if I should take my misery out on Henry or not...maybe save it for my serial!killer au I have planned...

[hydelovessparkles]

Thanks to @electricpentacle for tagging me!

Nickname: Leggy Eggy or Sparky depending on who you ask.

Zodiac: Capricorn

Height: 5′ 8.5″

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Last Thing I Googled: Klingon insult

Song Stuck in my Head: Out Out Damn Spot by Anthony Rapp

Following: 189

Followers: 52

Amount I sleep: Varies from 3 hours to 13 hours depending on how much work I have to whether or not I can sleep in.

Lucky Numbers:  1, 7, 11, 13

Dream Job: Either a comedian or an elasmobranchologist depending on whether or not I want to impress the person I’m speaking to. 

Currently Wearing: A long sleeved blue shirt and my brown dress pants with my star wars socks on.

Favorite Authors: I don’t really have a favorite author, but I guess the one author who I bought other books from because they were the one who wrote it is Becky Albertalli.

Favorite Instrument: Piano? I don’t play any as I prefer singing and have always been terrible at instruments, but piano does sound very nice.

Favorite Songs: Vienna by Billy Joel, Facade from the Jekyll and Hyde soundtrack, and Lights Up by Harry Styles

Random Fact About Me: I once won a horseshoe competition in 2013 despite never really playing or practicing before

Favorite Animal Noises: Cats purring. I don’t own a cat, but whenever I video call one of my friends who does, her cat is always purring and it’s always so calming.

Aesthetic: I am unsure of my aesthetic other than I just exist, but after questioning some pals they told me to just put disaster.

Tagging @ensignro @inconsistentfangirl46 @boldlynyooming @a-stitch-in-time-and-space @expectedbehavior and anyone else who wishes to do this as well.

[narcisnight]

journal 02/15/2022:

"when sally, our dachshund, attacked our new dog harry and my mother tried to break them up. i was only 14 or 15 at the time. the ordeal was only about 30 seconds or so but it was extremely terrifying because a) harry was a puppy b) they were making angry sounds i'd never heard either of them make before c) they were fighting and d) my mom was getting in between them. her hand was cut by sally's teeth and ended up bleeding badly, we had to go to the hospital to get it fixed up. the only dialogue i remember from that whole ordeal is me crying and screaming "stop it" because i didn't know what else to do in the moment and the way she had casually mocked the way i yelled sometime later that day when we were talking. i remember the exact way she said it, i can hear it in my head as i'm writing this. sToP iT. like the meme with spongebob mocking speech. thinking back now, a friend had gotten upset with me for not standing up for him while his gf and him were arguing. while it wasn't my place to step in, is this why i didn't think of speaking up? is it because my previous experience with seeing a loved one in an altercation and doing something about it got me mocked for the way i sounded when i spoke up? for some reason this memory has popped into my head off and on over the years, and the way i can vividly remember her "lighthearted" mockery but no other dialogue must surely mean that left a scar? i feel as though remembering something that subtle almost 21 years later when it wasn't something i even contemplated at the time she had said it is a good example of how insidious her mental illness could be. was it why i didn't stand up for dad during the jamboree in 2005 when a rando dude told him not to lean on some memorial? i feel like i took some of my resentment towards my mother out on dad and i feel guilty for it. i hate that i said the things i had said about his mom to try to provoke a reaction out of him, i didn't even realize at the time but i think i was subconsciously resentful towards him when he never reacted to the things that my mother said or did to us. but i didn't recognize that until much later in life. i mirrored her in my projection of the way she made me feel onto him without even realizing, like how she projected the way she felt onto us/him. but he enabled her because he love[d|s] her. it's impossible for me to view my dad in a negative light, i was always much closer to him than i was to her because he was the "nice" one. my mother was "nice" too but it was very jekyll and hyde, her anger still scares me with how cold she can be. even in my dad's angriest moments, he never made me feel worthless like my mother did and i think i picked up on that difference so i ended up being closer to him. in my mother's worst moments, it's like looking into the eyes of someone you've known your entire life and not recognizing them but recognizing only the contempt they have for you. like the last video call we had a few weeks ago that i'm still fucked up about. i'm afraid of her, the only person in the world that i'm afraid of because she can cut me down whenever she wants to, effortlessly and concisely. the fear comes from how she can do it so subtly and casually even if we're not arguing. and there's nothing i can do about it, even if i play it off like her words didn't affect me in the moment. and this is why i never reach out to her anymore, because even a good conversation with her can go sour at a moment's notice. and it's someone that i'm supposed to fundamentally be able to confide in. how do i trust anyone completely?"

[[[one year annotation:]]]

Wow. Lots to unpack here. I was obviously still emotionally attached and seeking her approval here with how I described how easily it was for her words to affect me. I've grown a decent amount since this, I no longer let people's opinions of me affect how I feel about me--the core of codependency. Proud of myself for this. I was beginning to realize that her negs were just reflections of how she felt about herself, because since I was doing poorly that reflected poorly upon her. What did I see when we looked into each other's eyes? How she felt about herself--contempt. Disgust. It had nothing to do with me. I have learned to recognize people that are emotionally safe and people that are emotionally unavailable. I have been open and vulnerable even when I was in conflict with someone very close to me recently--the true test. Speaking my truth is empowering, even when it's to someone that doesn't want to hear me. I still have work to do, though. From that recent conflict, I made mistakes:

1) Reacting instead of responding. This one I've gotten much better with, however I let my feelings get the best of me twice when faced with invalidating behavior/silent treatment. I regressed to old methods of responding to this behavior and while I got a response, it didn't achieve the goal of reconnecting. Nobody felt heard or seen as a result. However, I didn't know what to do to open dialogue. Being open didn't work. Placing boundaries for them against me didn't work. I should have just let it go and let my actions do the talking because talking things out was not going to fix anything. I will do better .

2) Reacting to character attacks with insults: it only happened a few times on my end but in this scenario it was purely egos talking without our selves connecting. I was very tested because I felt misunderstood, insulted and hurt. Counterproductive. I will do better.

I need to learn to let people have their space and let my actions do the talking, despite how badly I want them to understand me or reconnect with them. I've made big steps out of the parts of me that were emotionally immature, but still lots work to do.

[jam2289]

An Email About Writing, and a Reply

A friend sent me an email recently asking some pertinent questions about writing.

Here is part of the email from Sharon.

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Have you ever coached a fantasy writer? How silly do you consider this genre?

I have this dream to finish my story before I die and that’s not looking as good as it used to! Years go by really fast as it turns out.

What’s a good first step for this process? Or, do you have a series of essays on how to get off your butt and just write?

- - - - - - -

Those are good questions, and hard to answer questions. Here is my response.

- - - - - - -

I quite like fantasy.

My writing coaching has just been on the skill rather than on projects, so I've mostly played with tiny little stories that we make up at the time.

There is no correct process for writing, and no correct writing time frames. Patrick Rothfuss worked on his first book for 14 years before it came out. Stephen King took 30 years to finish the Dark Tower series. J. K. Rowling had all seven books planned in detail before she began the first. Her planning took 5 years by itself. C. S. Lewis just did it one book at a time. George R. R. Martin has a general idea of where he's going, but no detail.

Writing only requires writing. So it's whatever works for you. I only really make progress when I'm doing articles for the blog where I'm going to publicly post them soon. I just happen to like that. If you can block out a certain time to write, do that. If you can set a goal of writing a certain number of words a day, do that. None of that works for me, my conscientiousness scores are just too low to handle it. But, writing in little bursts of inspiration has worked for many people as well.

It's whatever gets you going. If you feel like writing detailed plans and that will get you putting things on paper or screen, then do that. If there's a scene you're excited about, then write that. Gabaldon writes her books completely out of order just based on what she feels like doing at the time, and then arranges the scenes later. Robert Louis Stevenson made a list of chapters and then wrote Treasure Island chapter by chapter, and read each to his family by the fire that same night. When he wrote Jekyll and Hyde his wife awoke him in the middle of an inspiring nightmare and he wrote it in three days. When she didn't like it he burnt it and rewrote the entire thing again, all while being on doctor prescribed bedrest.

As for fantasy being silly, it is no more silly than any other genre. A western can be silly or serious. Fantasies are communicating personal and collective archetypes, patterns of interpreting and acting within the world, just as all narratives are. The Emperor Has No Clothes is an important work detailing deception, self-deception, authority, social structures, the value of innocence, fraud, and more. The Chronicles of Narnia is a Protestant religious work, and The Lord of the Rings a Catholic one. Harry Potter has an almost unlimited number of important subjects, not the least of which is the exploration of the good and evil that divides us all within ourselves, how the evil within being incorporated into us protects us from the evil without, and how by dying unto self we may be reborn. So, fantasy is not so silly. It allows us to have fun while confronting subjects of the utmost importance, and maintaining enough distance to allow us a less reactive perspective on emotionally engaging topics.

Finally, writing does require a leap of faith. That's why it's an adventure in itself.

- - - - - - -

Letter writing is a lost art. But I like it. I'm reading the letters exchanged between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson right now, along with the letters between John Adams and Abigail Adams. They offer some of the best insights into history, and into people, that I know of. And, fictional letter writing as in Johan Wolfgang von Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther" and Ovid's "Heroides" give you a different feel than that of other literary works. (Technically that's its own field of study called epistolary writing.)

Emails are not letters. But sometimes they start to feel like that, and it feels good. Here is a slightly edited reply from Sharon.

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Wow Jeff this is such a great email, you should post this to your blog as is!  It’s very motivating just reading about how other authors work. I usually imagine them as tirelessly holed up in book laden studies writing away for endless days.

I know it took Tolkien about 20 years to finish LOTR etc. and I often think maybe that is why it is so good.

The thing that has gotten me writing finally is that I just tell myself no one will ever see this...

Constructive criticism I take VERY well but someone saying “wow this is just a piece of garbage” I’d have a hard time with.

And everyone knows that “no filter” is sort of the new norm.

Thanks social media.

I guess I will just jump in and do whatever and see where it goes.

How are you enjoying isolation?

Feels pretty normal to me, I kind of live in a pumpkin anyway!

Have you written a book yet? Or mostly essays?

- - - - - - -

She has a lot of good points in this email. I've had the same concerns.

I wrote an article about other writer's writing processes a couple of years ago called "The Write Process", and it did help give me a well-rounded perspective on the reality of writing. There are many interesting ones that could be added to the list, like Michael Crichton writing scenes on 3x5 cards until he had a shoebox full, but just knowing that a dozen famous writers all disagree on almost every aspect of writing is quite helpful mentally and emotionally. Here's that article: http://www.jeffreyalexandermartin.com/2018/01/the-write-process.html

Then there's the whole can of worms on being on both ends of creating and criticizing. One important realization is that critics and creators aren't writing to each other or for each other, they are writing for a public, otherwise it would be in private correspondence. I wrote about that idea more in "Critics and Creators": http://www.jeffreyalexandermartin.com/2019/02/critics-and-creators.html

My last response reflects some of those ideas.

- - - - - - -

Lol. I was thinking the same thing about making that an article.

I agree that it's very motivating to see how other authors do it, and to realize that they all completely disagree. For instance, Shonda Rhimes is a prolific television writer known for Grey's Anatomy. She says that if you write every day you're a writer, if you don't you're not. Her favorite writer is Aaron Sorkin. He wrote The West Wing and various movies. He says that 90 percent of a writer's time is not writing. When he's writing a movie he usually thinks about it for about 18 months and then writes it in 6. So, by her definition Shonda Rhimes' favorite writer isn't a writer.

If keeping your writing close to the chest works for you, do that. Social media is crazy. I've even gotten some death threats for my political article on Antifa. I've had a number of insults for my writings on grief, where I'm developing an original theory. But, I've also had a lot of good compliments and people sharing my work. I'm certain that by this time my article on suicide has saved a few lives because of the circles that it's been shared in.

Isolation isn't too big of a deal for me. I teach English online and spend most of the rest of my time reading, writing, watching, and meditating.

I've written over 300 articles. Which would come to over 2,000 pages in a book, but no book yet. I'll probably make some article collections this year.

- - - - - - -

In addition to the over 300 articles I also have notes for more than 200 additional articles. I'll never run out of things to write, I'm guessing that the more I write the more I'll fall behind in comparison to the ideas that I have yet to write. I've been urged to write books about my adventure traveling out west mountain climbing, and my couple month road trip, and my near-death misadventure in Africa. Those would all be interesting, but I lived them, so it's not that adventurous for me to write about them. I do have some major works that I want to tackle in this lifetime though.

Out of all of the projects that I have started and have in mind there are two that would compromise major life works. One is a philosophical work creating a new structure connecting epistemology, ethics and morality, and political economics in a better way. The other is a literary work to compliment "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus. I do not know if I can accomplish either of those in this lifetime, they both still feel a little out of my reach in terms of mental insight and writing skill. But, there are other projects that have been growing which are unique and could contribute quite a lot to society, such as my original theory of grief, a new literary analysis method, work showing the emergent nature of morality in art, the historical pattern of abolition, my unique experiences and insights into meditation, and some of my current work in applied politics. So, my work has just begun.

Whenever we set out on a new venture doubts and concerns spring to the fore. Those are the things that make us stronger in overcoming them. And throughout history, letters have contributed to the overcoming of many such obstacles. Just maybe, it's helped in this case too.

________________________________________________

To read more from Jeff go to JeffThinks.com or JeffreyAlexanderMartin.com

[emmagreen1220-blog]

New Post has been published on Literary Techniques

New Post has been published on https://literarytechniques.org/foreshadowing-in-literature/

Foreshadowing in Literature

Foreshadowing in literature is used to create suspense or mood, to hint at upcoming events or plot twists, or to reveal important character traits. Foreshadowing can be created by the narrator or the characters themselves, through descriptions and dialogue. Foreshadowing can also be created by shifting the plot structure of a narrative and using flashbacks or flash-forwards to relay important information about past or future events to the audience.

10 Examples of Foreshadowing in Literature

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“The weather was unusually warm for the last day of October. We didn’t even need jackets. The wind was growing stronger, and Jem said it might be raining before we got home. There was no moon. The street light on the corner cast sharp shadows on the Radley house… We turned off the road and entered the schoolyard. It was pitch black.”

Scout’s description of her and Jem’s journey to the school for the Halloween pageant creates a mood of suspense and fear, foreshadowing the fateful events that will come later. The night is very dark with no moon; the only shadows come from streetlights which cause shadows on Boo Radley’s house, the source of the neighborhood children’s legends and fears. Scout and Jem are having a difficult time walking to the school because it is so dark, and Jem didn’t bring a flashlight because he didn’t realize it would be so dark. When they leave the pageant, they are the last ones out of the school, and the night is even darker. Footsteps follow the children, and eventually they are attacked by Bob Ewell who finally makes good on his threats to get back at Atticus for embarrassing him in court.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

“A great event in my life, the turning point of my life, now opens on my view. But, before I proceed to narrate it, and before I pass on to all the changes it involved, I must give one chapter to Estella. It is not much to give to the theme that so long filled my heart.”

Pip narrates his tale from the present so most of the novel is told in a flashback format. Here, Pip is relating the turning point of his life, foreshadowing that there are many changes that are upcoming soon, right after he gets through discussing Estella again. The tone which Pip uses here to tell the reader about the upcoming events foreshadows that Pip’s relationship with Estella does not work out, and that the changes he undergoes aren’t necessarily pleasant ones.

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely settled–but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.”

This chilling opening by the narrator, Montressor, to the audience reveals a terrifying foreshadowing of vengeance and murder for Fortunato. Montressor reveals that Fortunato has insulted him in a way that can never be forgiven, and he has decided to make sure that Fortunato will never insult him– or anyone else– again. He lays out in cryptic detail that he has managed to keep Fortunato from suspecting his true intentions, but that he has waited for the moment to get his revenge. This scene sets the mood of the story, and foreshadows Fortunato’s unfortunate untimely demise.

The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

“At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty.”

James Hurst explores the psyche of brothers in this short story, which features the unnamed narrator and his younger, disabled brother named Doodle. Doodle was born with a weak heart, and was predicted to not survive, let alone be able to walk, run, go to school, or do anything else little boys are supposed to be able to do. The narrator makes it his mission to help Doodle overcome these obstacles, partly because of his own shame at having a brother who isn’t “normal.” Throughout the story, the color red is used as a motif to mirror Doodle’s own red appearance as a baby, and whenever he strains with physical exertion. The scarlet ibis itself symbolizes and foreshadows Doodle’s death. It is a bird that has traveled an unlikely journey far from its home in the tropics, much farther than it should have gone, and in death, it is still beautiful and graceful, with a curved neck and bent legs. This death scene of the ibis, coupled with Doodle’s fascination with the bird, foreshadow Doodle’s own death later on.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

“‘Poor Harry Jekyll,’ he thought, ‘my mind misgives me he is in deep waters! He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God, there is no statute of limitations. Ay, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace: punishment coming, pede claudo, years after memory has forgotten and self-loved condoned the fault.'”

In the second chapter of Stevenson’s cryptic novella, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer, is becoming increasingly worried about his client’s well-being. His friend Richard Enfield had already imparted a story to him about a man named Edward Hyde trampling a young child in the streets and paying £100 to avoid a scandal. The check he provided for the £100 was signed by Dr. Henry Jekyll. In these lines, Utterson is worried that Dr. Jekyll is being blackmailed by Mr. Hyde for some sin he committed many years ago; however, these words also serve as foreshadowing because Dr. Jekyll is in trouble because he has fallen in love with the darker side of himself that he repressed many years ago. This darker side is allowed to come out with a special potion as Mr. Hyde, which is slowly taking over Dr. Jekyll completely.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

“‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. ‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?'”

Simon has an imaginary conversation with a pig’s head, which the other boys have erected on a stick. It is covered with flies, and Simon begins to call the head “The Lord of the Flies.” The head’s conversation with Simon reveals that Simon is starting to understand the truth about what is happening to the young boys stranded on the island: there is no real beast that is chasing them. Instead, they are battling against each other. The true beast is inside them all, and it will destroy them. Simon’s conversation with the head foreshadows his own death, Piggy’s death, and Jack’s savage behavior which turns the rest of the boys against Ralph.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

“Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of his group members and friends. But there were a few exceptions: Jonas himself, and a female Five who he had noticed had the different, lighter eyes. No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals.”

Jonas and Lily have just met Gabe, the newchild their father has just brought home to take care of until he is able to thrive better. Jonas and his sister Lily both notice Gabe’s eyes, and how rare they are in the community. These eyes foreshadow something very special about Gabe and Jonas. In fact, the Receiver of Memory of the community also has the same pale eyes, and Jonas is later chosen to become the new Receiver of Memory. Their eyes connect the three in a way that is special and different from the community, especially as Jonas discovers that he can give memories to Gabe. This leads Jonas to form a strong connection to Gabe, and to save him from the community before they can “release” him, or send him to Elsewhere.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

“‘I want you to take me to your cinema,’ Mariam said now. ‘I want to see the cartoon. I want to see the puppet boy.’

With this, Mariam sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Her parents stirred in their seats. Mariam could feel them exchanging looks.”

Up to this moment in the novel, Jalil, Mariam’s father, and Nana, Mariam’s mother have been portrayed in black and white, good and evil. Jalil’s visits to Mariam are a saving grace from her mother, who treats Mariam with utter disdain. However, when Mariam finally makes a request from her father– and especially one to be seen in public with him– the atmosphere shifts and foreshadows that something has irrevocably changed in their relationship from this request. The next day, Jalil does not come to get Mariam, and she walks down to Herat. She soon discovers that her father is ashamed of her, and by leaving her mother’s kolba, she sends her into such a depression that Nana hangs herself.

The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs

“‘It had a spell put on it by an old Fakir,’ said the Sergeant Major, ‘ a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.'”

This section from Jacobs’ short story reveals both foreshadowing and theme for the story. The monkey’s paw is bewitched, and is intended to grant three wishes to three men. While Sergeant Major Morris is obviously perplexed by the paw and tries to warn Mr. White against using it, he also tells the White family that the intentions of the old fakir who put a spell on it was to show that people can’t interfere with fate. Mr. White wishes for £200, and while he receives it, it is because his son Herbert is killed in a machine accident at work. His next wish, to have Herbert back, results in a strange knocking at the door and Mr. White wishing for his son to be dead again. They know that the real Herbert would not have been at the door; they could not change their own fate.

The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton

“The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.”

In this excerpt from Stockton’s cliffhanger short story, he uses foreshadowing to hint at what the princess’ choice will be. She comes from a line of semi-barbaric people, and her father, the King, is especially barbaric in his tournaments of judgment. The fact that the narrator continues to focus more time on these elements that are mixed in the princess’ bloodline gives a clear indication that she likely chose the door with the tiger and watched her lover being ripped to shreds rather than allow him to be happy with any other woman but herself.

[maier-files]

New Post has been published on The Maier Files

New Post has been published on http://the.maier-files.com/the-puppetmasters-of-debt/

The puppetmasters of debt

The business of banking in Europe in the fourteenth century function was to evaluate, exchange, and safeguard people’s coins. In the beginning, there were notable examples of totally honest banks which operated with remarkable efficiency considering the vast variety of coinage they handled. They also issued paper receipts which were so dependable they freely circulated as money and cheated no one in the process. But it didn’t last long. The last two honest banks ever occured were the bank of Amsterdam and the bank of Hamburg. For over 2 centuries the bank of Hamburg faithfully adhered to the principle of safe deposit. So scrupulous was its administration that, when Napoleon took possession of the bank in 1813, he found 7,506,956 marks in silver held against liabilities of 7,489,343.

In 1941 Marriner Eccles was the Governor of the Federal Reserve System. On september 30 1941, Eccles was asked to give testimony before the House Committtee on Banking Currency, in order to obtain information regarding the role of the Federal Reserve is creating the conditions that led to the depression of the 1930’s. Congressman Wright Patman, who was chairman of that committee, asked how the Fed got the money to purchase 2 billion dollars worth of government bonds in 1933. This is the exchange that followed.

Eccles: We created it. Patman: Out of what? Eccles: Out of the right to issue credit money. Patman: And there is nothing behind it, is there, except our government’s credit? Eccles: That is what our money system is. If there were no debts in our money system, there wouldn’t be any money.

[vc_separator type=’transparent’ position=’center’ color=” thickness=” up=” down=”] Our money now-a-days is a classic example of fiat money with no limit to the quantity that can be produced. It has no intristic value. Its primary value lies in the willingness of people to accept it and, to that end, legal tender laws require them to do so. It is true that our money is created out of nothing, but it more accurate to say that it is based upon debt. In one sense, therefore, our money is created out of LESS than nothing. The entire money supply would vanish into bank vaults and computer chips if all debts were repaid. Under the present System, therefore, our political leaders cannot allow a serious reduction in either the national or consumer debt. Charging interest on pretended loans is usury, and that has become institutionalized under the Central Bank system. Now this Mandrake mechanism (called after that comic strip character; a magician who creates things out of nothing and let them disappear again at will) by which the Central Bank converts debt into money may seem complicated at first, but it is simple if one remembers that the process is not intended to be logical but to confuse and deceive. The end product of the Mechanism is artificial expansion of the money supply, which is the root cause of the hidden tax collection called inflation. This expansion then leads to contraction and, together, they produce the destructive boom-bust cycle that has plagued mankind throughout history whenever fiat money has existed. So our modern money is a grand illusion conjured by the magicians of finance and politics. We are living in an age of fiat money, and it is sobering to realize that every previous nation in history that has adopted such money eventually was economically destroyed by it.

A good readinglist and in depth explanations are the works of Griffin, “the creature from Jekyll Island” – “A hidden history – the secret origins of the first world war �� by Docherty & Macgregor, “Tragedy and Hope” by Quigley.  Prof. Quigley wrote accurately how an international network of financiers has created a system of financial control able to dominate the political systems of all countries through their central banks, and of course the eye opening books of Alexander Del Mar.

Who are the original puppeteers, orchestrating the wars, famine and welfare? It was until the 18th century that this bankster cabal finally got a jump start …

[vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]Cecil Rhodes made one of the world’s greatest fortunes of the 18th century. Financed by Nathan Rothschild and the Bank of England, he established a monopoly over the diamond output of South Africa and most of the gold as well. He was one of the initiators of the horrible Boer war and laid the foundation and the planning for the first world war. He formed a secret society which included many of the top leaders of British government. Their elitist goal was nothing less than world domination and the establishment of modern feudalist society controlled by themselves through the world’s central banks. In America, the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) was an outgrowth of that group.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]August Belmont, he came to New York in 1837 as the financial agent of the Rothschilds. He funneled vast amounts of capital into American investments, often without anyone knowing whose money he was spending. The purpose of concealment was to blunt the growing anti-Rothschild resentment that was then prevalent in Europe as well as America. When his affiliation became commonly known his usefulness came to an end and he was replaced by J.P. Morgan.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]J.P Morgan Sr. was brought into banking by his father, Junius Morgan in England. The Morgans were friendly competitors with the Rothschilds and became socially close to them. Morgan’s London based firm was saved from financial ruin in 1857 by the bank of England over which the Rothschilds held a great influence. Thereafter, Morgan appears to have serve as a Rothschild financial agent and went to great length to appear totally American.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]John D. Rockefeller made his initial fortune in oil but soon gravitated into banking and finance. His entry into the field was not welcomed by Morgan, and they became fierce competitors. Eventually, they decided to minimize their competition by entering into joint ventures. In the end, they worked together to create a national banking cartel called the Federal Reserve System.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′] Jacob Schiff was head of the New York investment firm, Kuhn, Loeb & Co. He was one of the principal backers of the Bolshevik revolution and personally financed Trotsky’s trip from New York to Russia. He was a major contributor to Woodrow Wilson’s presidential campaign and an advocate for passage of the Federal Reserve Act.[/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]Harry Dexter White (left) and John Maynard Keynes the theoreticians who guided the 1944 Bretton Woods Monetary Conference at which the IMF/World Bank was created. White was a member of the communist Party. Keynes was member of the Fabian Society.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]Edward Mandell House was the man who secured Woodrow Wilson’s nomination for President and who, thereafter, became the hidden power at the White House. He negotiated a secret agreement to draw the U.S. into World War I at the very time Wilson was campaigning on the promise to keep America out of the war. On behalf of Wall Street, House lobbied Congress to pass the Federal Reserve Act.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]Raymond Robins became head of the American Red Cross Mission in Russia after the Bolshevik revolution. Although he represented Wall Street interests, he was a disciple of Cecil Rhodes and was “anti-capitalist” in his beliefs. He held great influence over Lenin.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]Winston Churchill was the First Lord of the Admiralty in World War I.  As the Lusitania entered into an area where a German U-boat was known to be operating, he called off the destroyer escort that had been assigned to protect her. He calculated that the destruction of a British ship with U.S. passengers aboard would inflame American passions against Germany and help create a political climate for coming into war.[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  [vc_row][vc_column width=’1/3′][/vc_column][vc_column width=’2/3′]Lord Mersey was put in charge of an official inquiry into the sinking of the Lusitania. It was not an investigation but a coverup. He was instructed by the Admiralty to place the entire blame on the Captain of the ship. Mersey obeyed his orders but refused payment for his services and declined to accept further judicial assignments. In later years, he said the affair “Was a damn dirty business.”[/vc_column][/vc_row]

  Read: Building a New World Order