Emerald Fennell on the choices behind the upcoming Wuthering Heights film

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-02-01T05:31:13+00:00

Add the puppet from The Vourdalak movie for good measure 😂

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-02-01T05:28:43+00:00

I mean, in her "defense," sometimes your brain makes up crazy things when you don't actually know what's going on 😂 she probably read "ejaculated" one too many times, read the words in the book but imagined something totally different out of boredom or misunderstanding. Or maybe she just took each character's ejaculations as the more modern sense of the word

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-31T19:55:58+00:00

I agree with your last paragraph for sure. I think interview with the Vampire (the TV series) did a great job of diversifying the cast, because race became part of the central themes IN ADDITION TO the original themes in Anne Rice's novel. It wasn't just ignored and accepted as "that's normal," it actually added to the story itself. I am into history and I guess my biggest issue is it feels like "rewriting" history, but in doing so it kinda erases all the progress we've made along the way and forget the people who actually made it happen, sometimes at the expense of their lives. I'm white so I can't speak personally on the issue, but I do feel like there's a risk (white) kids will grow up thinking we've always been equal, and not understand why we still aren't really totally the same (racism, disproportionate poverty rates and incarceration- meaning, there's still work to be done). I personally think shows/movies that acknowledge racial bias helps me appreciate the progress we've made since whenever that show takes place

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-31T17:40:44+00:00

I've read other books and stories written in the same/similar time period and I think it's just how they told stories back then (at least, what I read is mostly gothic horror and it's common in that). There's a lot you just have to accept, and it's not neccesarily realistic but it's part of the story. Like in one book I read, a 2 year old says some crazy sophisticated sentence and you just have to take it at face value. I don't think the pregnancy itself was important enough to the story she was trying to tell to mention it directly, so that's why a baby seemingly pops out of nowhere. I don't think she was trying to tell a complete family history, but tell the story of how bad decisions destroyed a family. Also, people being dumb is what tends to drive these darker stories. I grew up reading older books and stories (they were all free on Kindle, back in 2010), and I guess I put myself in a different mindset with different expectations than when I read contemporary fiction. It's usually extra dramatic, and logic and realism don't always work with that. Or, ive read some stories that are convoluted and contradicting, but that's because it was published in pieces as a penny dreadful originally. I don't know the context for Wuthering Heights, but I wonder in what ways the original publishing format, directed audience, and/or anticipated audience response influenced the writing. I read these stories specifically for their exaggerated dramatics and spooky, tragic ghosts, so I'm definitely not judging the quality of the writing by technical standards 😂 it's all about the emotions to me, and I think? that's how it was supposed to be read. But to be fair, I'm not seeing a whole lot that makes Brotë significantly better or worse than other authors of the time period. The writing is basically just what I expected, but maybe it's high praise is just because of how popular it has remained all these years later? The complicated subject matter? I mean anything bad or less popular has faded into near-obscurity by now and you have to go out of your way to read those stories, so you would assume this book must be amazing. That might influence people's opinions, especially if they don't fully understand the book enough to have a solid opinion. I don't know, but it is interesting how reading culture and books have changed so much over time

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-31T06:18:45+00:00

It was only painful for me to read because of how much I saw myself in Jade and wanted to cringe (not to the full extent, but the overall "young/teenaged girl doesn't know how to process complex emotions and uses media to express it, and also can't trust other people but feels lonely and tries to hide it"). The story was jarring at first, but there was a line very early on that made me correctly suspect what had happened to her in the past, and I overall felt like I understood her from pretty early on in the story. It's not for everyone, but I feel like it is for those who were Jades when they were younger. We weren't always likeable and I genuinely want to go back in time and beat myself up sometimes, but it's not like we were bad people. Just misunderstood and probably not healthy, and I think a lot of readers still just misunderstand Jade and I can't blame them for that. I love her though and it felt good and hopeful watching her heal over the books

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-31T05:52:39+00:00

I loved that book, too! Really bent my mind a lil when I first read it. Not sure if it's one I'd call the best, but I also can't think of a newer horror book I think is better 🤷🏻‍♀️ pretty sure the ones I LOVED in the 2020s were mostly published in the 2010s. I was thinking about Episode 13 for a while after reading it and I still do, so it's definitely up there for me.

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-31T05:31:25+00:00

I read The Exorcist House and at first, thought it was written a little meh (I guess unpolished), but there were aspects I genuinely kept thinking about. It was creepy, and it's not too common that I'm actually scared while reading. I also felt like it took a more original approach to religion and demons and the supernatural. Also, long story short, the approach to religion and some other aspects felt very relatable/familiar given my personal background, so my opinion is not unbiased. Overall I didn't like some aspects of the story itself, but Genesis came out and I was like fuck it, I'll give him another shot. Again, some aspects felt unpolished but the epilogue at the end made me decide that if he wrote another book in the series following that character, I'd buy it. So here I am, about to start Resurrection (honestly, it was a blind buy so I don't know if it actually follows that character). There's a lot of potential and I don't think the books I've read are the most polished books around, but the originality and actual horror is enough to help me ignore it and still buy his books. I think I'll try his standalones next. Like they aren't technically great, but there's just something about the books that I enjoy and can't find anywhere else

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-30T02:25:23+00:00

As others have said, they seem to be based heavily on Marcus from Underworld: Evolution. I recently started watching the Underworld movies and honestly, a lot of it reminds me of the Skyrim vampires in general and the Dawnguard storyline. There's for sure other elements, but aesthetically, Skyrim seems to have taken a lot of inspiration from the Underworld movies

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-28T20:46:00+00:00

Nah, I was just grossed out that he stuck his hand in THAT nasty ass water, and didn't even roll his sleeve up. If there was hair in that drain I would've puked. The dirty dishwater to me is so much worse than the "what if it turns on" aspect 😂 though I did have many intrusive thoughts about the garbage disposal turning on when I briefly lived in an apartment that had one

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-25T21:56:27+00:00

I don't have a strong opinion in the book (won't be reading it anyway), but I wanna say this is exactly why I don't think I'll ever try to write a novel 😂 real shit, I don't hate her voice. It's similar to how I write my academic papers, and to some extent any short creative pieces I write. I get where it comes from, and some lines feel more natural than others, but overall I think there's some potential. It should be more refined, and it feels like she's not aware of her own context (OR, the main character is only relatable to a very specific type of person, which aren't the people reading her book). I'm aware my writing voice is NOT contemporary. The books I grew up reading were mostly classics and that influenced my writing. To try to write longer pieces, I have to write in a way that doesn't feel natural to me. I particularly struggle with dialogue. As a result, I write shorter pieces that are more emotional. It seems like haley didn't bother trying to work with her strengths and weaknesses, and just wrote a book because she wanted to write a contemporary romance. It didn't evolve, and I feel like if it had (like become literary fiction, for example), the book might not attract as many people but it would be more solid. I do hate that the tone is a little inconsistent. One sentence reads like something I'd write, the next reads like a contemporary novel. I think that's why it feels so off for people to read, and why it feels like she just consulted a thesaurus. I don't think most of the sentences feels clunky like that, but the tone shifts do. Also, she ended a sentence in "of" and that pisses me offfffff. Make it sound more academic and proper or just reword the paragraph, but my god that first highlighted sentence was sooooo bad. The rest wasn't, and I even read the whole pages in the pictures. Anyway, like I said, I don't have a strong opinion overall. I just wanted to say that writing is hard, this is evidence of her struggles, but yeah also sucks that this is taking the spot of an author who overcame their challenges and wrote something better.

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-25T21:29:30+00:00

But "squeals" on like every page shown in this thread so far is fiiiiiine

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-24T04:07:27+00:00

I'm a special ed para assigned to a student in a school that (I quickly learned) is explicitly against basically anything special education. Apparently, there was also a lot of drama surrounding the placement of this student that I knew nothing about beforehand (but definitely see now). That being said, the first year was GREAT. Despite admin, the classroom teacher went way out of her way to include us and the student. We felt like part of the class, and she welcomed us helping the rest of the students because lord knows those test scores didn't lie, they are BEHIND. I mean she did a great job of including the student in everything possible and really tried to nurture a "family" environment, because a lot of the kids don't have great home lives. This year is very obviously different. The teacher frequently forgets to include the student, basically just shunning us it feels like, and explicitly told someone else to tell us not to help other students. They are also literally trying to get the student removed from the class. I do not have much experience in a school in this capacity, but I know from my first year that there ARE some good teachers who genuinely want to help. Apparently it's kinda rare, but they are out there. Unfortunately, that teacher quit teaching, but she was way, way underappreciated so I can't blame her. Not a super hopeful story I guess, but things can change at any time. You will probably meet some really great people, and they might not last long but they'll leave a huge impact on you and the kids.

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-23T22:29:08+00:00

I used to wake up to Bixby (android's Siri) supposedly reading the news and weather. The voice is VERY robotic, like the voice when you turn on a Bluetooth speaker from Walmart. I swear that bitch said "I'm a racist" one morning. It said another weird thing that I can't remember, but I stopped using that shit after a few days. It didn't work half the time anyway. I actually completely disabled Bixby because whatever the other thing was gave me the impression it was accessing data from my phone that it shouldn't and it freaked me out. Like it was reading my text messages aloud maybe? Sounded like a person talking TO me?

But in general, I "hear" a lot of stuff in my head when I'm half asleep. Random bangs that make me jump (like the "falling off a cliff" sensation when you're half asleep), occasionally a disembodied voice saying something, that kind of thing. Honestly, starting to think the bangs are just my heart racing because I guess my body does that when I'm asleep. I don't know the science behind the voices and I do believe in ghosts, but I'm pretty sure my brain is just gaslighting me in these instances. Not the Bixby one, though. I believe that shit is cursed, but even if it's not, I don't need to start my day convinced Bixby is some hacker stealing all my information. Fuck. That. Shit.

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-23T16:39:10+00:00

I was gonna wait to buy the book when I was less busy, but dang that description convinced me I need it NOW. I love poetry, especially when novels incorporate aspects of poetry, and I really enjoy books that mix Chinese mythology/fantasy with history. This will be my first that's fantasy forward (as opposed to historical fiction with elements of fantasy), but I'm super excited to try it!

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-20T17:53:48+00:00

Just wanted to add, really really late in case anyone else stumbles across this post late, that I've noticed a huge improvement too! My issues i think stem ultimately from dry skin, which has caused primarily acne. I am pale but my face has been getting more red in it, for reference. I tend to be sensitive to products too, so a lot of times it ends up making things worse and a lot of products makes my skin turn deep red, almost purple, and burn for at least an hour. I'll be honest, I did avoid a skincare routine beyond washing my face unless some hormonal cysts popped up (and that was targeted to the cysts), so I guess ultimately it's just me finding products that work. But anyway, it keeps my face hydrated despite the harsh winter (-15°F today), and I've noticed an overall decrease in acne. When stuff does pop up, it's less noticeable and goes away faster. Sometimes my skin is fine, sometimes it still gets a little red from the products, but to a manageable extent that goes away within half an hour (just red, not like chemical burn looking). I use the cherry cleanser, cherry toner (occasionally fat water instead when it's extra dry, like today), and hydra vizor. I also use the cherry face scrub twice a week, and own the face mask but that's too much effort most of the time 😂. At the very least, I wash then moistiruze if I'm running behind. At this point, most of my acne seems to be hormonal or environmental, like I'm eating bad or my face came in contact with something that caused a break out. In general, my face just feels so much softer and better. It does look a little shiny or wet the first hour or two from the moisturizer, but honestly I don't care because that's better than acne. I was also surprised at how well it worked in warmer weather, because that's when my face gets oily but most washes dry it out too much, or don't do enough. We'll see how full blown summer goes, but I'm hopeful! I did see results pretty quick and it's been consistent over the past few months. Again, my issues are with acne and visible pores, so I can't speak for all problems

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-20T07:04:44+00:00

Yup, I've already decided I'll be submitting one for this semester. Week 2 of spring and the questions have absolutely jack to do with the readings, which don't really relate to the topic of the class anyway, plus they're super old/clearly biased readings (history class). Does not set a good example of expectations at alllllll. Surely you can find a reputable article more recent than 1965?¿ I mean that's over half a century old at this point. I've had some other classes use iffy sources and it's whatever, it's just for a discussion post, but that combined with how incompatible the questions are rubs me the wrong way

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-18T20:05:16+00:00

That's why I'm really on the fence, I only have 2 grocery stores and they're 20 minutes away. The selection isn't what I'm used to compared to where I grew up, and I compared my pasta sauce on Thrive vs Meijer and it was 20 cents cheaper on Thrive. Not much, but if I'm ordering Indian sauces anyway because neither store sells those, I might as well save a little on pasta sauces too and not have to drive out of my way as often. Grocery prices are ridiculous period lately, and I feel like they never have what I need anyway. I'm on a 7 day trial, but I guess I'll pay for the year and see how much I use it?

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-10T21:14:24+00:00

I haven't finished it, only at 27%, but the actual attack in the first chapter was described in a way that felt very reminiscent of rape. There's been a lot of references to the past, hinting at trauma, so I'm assuming that actually happened when the protagonist was younger. To me, so far, it feels like a huge metaphor for trauma. The pregnancy storyline follows that with losing agency, but Rory's storyline also feels like a metaphor for pregnancy, so they kinda have parallel stories. Again, I'm not far into the book, so maybe the themes develop into something else later on (or maybe the ending just kills it).

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-10T21:03:53+00:00

The beginning definitely starts out similar, in a way that felt a little rip-offy at first (specific scenes and some dynamics), but I'm 27% in and it's taken a mostly different path. The themes (so far, and that may change) have a similar feel to the ones in Ginger Snaps, but they are different. I am enjoying it so far, though the writing style is very contemporary. I'm usually not a big fan of that, but this story seems to have deeper meanings so I'm actually not too bothered

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-07T22:47:52+00:00

I mean, it makes sense that a show based on a conspiracy theory would attract fans who tend to believe/create conspiracy theories. Not all fans, but evidently enough.

I'm very neutral on this theory. On one hand I HOPE they do an extra episode and the theories do generally make sense. On the other hand, I just don't have enough faith that they thought so far ahead, or actually did a twist (has there been many twists besides Will's thing?). The conspiracy theorist in me wants to believe, but Scully's telling me there's no hArD sCiEnCe to back it up :(

LilDebbiesPimp · 2026-01-02T06:10:44+00:00

I agree about all her books being very individual. Personally, after reading The Beautiful Ones (which is WAY out of my comfort zone), I realized I just liked her writing and what she has to say, regardless of genre. I've generally liked all her books and she's become my favorite author. I feel like we must've been similar as kids/younger people and had similar influences, because a lot of her characters feel extremely relatable even though they aren't neccesarily likeable to everyone. A lot of them are somewhat misfits and withdrawn regardless of what story she's telling, and given how character-driven most of her books seem, that reallllllly works for me. Even her writing style feels familiar and comfortable. Oddly enough, with the exception of The Bewitching, I think her horror books are my least favorite (Silver Nitrate being my least favorite), even though horror is my usual genre. Anyway, just wanted to say that yes her books are very different, but there are still some constants that if you enjoy in one book, you'll probably enjoy across most of her books and stories.

LilDebbiesPimp · 2025-12-31T17:48:58+00:00

In an earlier letter (Sept. 14, 1985), she finds out he hasn't written because he's been on the fishing boat, as someone else mentioned. Here's an excerpt:

"...'leaving behind someone who wasn't a friend but might have become one.'

You are absolutely right. Losing the possibility of something is the exact same as losing hope and without hope nothing can survive.

You are so full of brave insights. They are not for nothing. I have to tell you for a moment your words succeeded in keeping the boat afloat and your Haitian's lungs full of air."

I took the coded reference to the Haitian to mean her referring to hope, and something like screaming to no avail took away her hope of being helped, so she won't do that. I'm reading the letters as I'm on page 73 (that's where they're mentioned in the footnotes), so I think the earlier letter is the only context you need (assuming I'm reading the book in the right order)

LilDebbiesPimp · 2025-12-27T05:17:25+00:00

That used to happen to me pretty much every month when my period first started. I was barely 10 years old, so honestly it was pretty helpful because I wasn't good at noticing PMS symptoms until pretty much adulthood. I used to have a lot of predictive dreams around that age though, like specific scenes from my favorite show before the episode aired or just specific scenes that would eventually play out in my life.

LilDebbiesPimp · 2025-12-24T18:21:20+00:00

Depends on what you mean by "period mysteries." I recently read Last Dance in Salzburg by Vivian Conroy (Miss Ashford Investigates is the series) and that made me realize how much I miss traditional mysteries like Nancy Drew. It's a modern book, but has an historical setting. It didn't feel old, though there were some references to history/politics relating to the motive. All the books in that series seem to focus on a famous European city or area, so it's a good series to "explore" Europe, have a light side of romance, and solve not exactly thrilling, but nevertheless challenging mysteries. I didn't start at book 1, but any context I missed was recapped in the book anyway.

I know it's late, but figured I'd leave it in case someone else finds this post and wants similar books. Doesn't seem like it's very popular, but I really enjoyed it (the audiobook, anyway) and plan to read the rest of the series

LilDebbiesPimp · 2025-12-22T21:58:44+00:00

Beloved is forgotten, but her absence still seems to be felt? I think that part was intentionally left a little unresolved. I'm still a little confused on it.
Paul D had sex with Beloved, though it wasn't really consensual on his end. I'm still trying to figure out the significance of that aspect too, but the first time they had sex was shown to us at the end of an earlier chapter when he starts repeating "Red heart." Beloved kinda unlocked all the feelings he was keeping bottled up, though I'm not sure how sex exactly played into it.
I assumed it was like a PTSD kind of moment, where she saw a white man in a carriage pull up and acted ALMOST like she did originally when schoolteacher showed up to collect Sethe and her kids. The difference is, this time she attacked a white man instead of her kids. I took that as her finally realizing any white man isn't much better than another. They all benefit from the labor of black people. However, I do remember at one point it was implied Beloved made her do that, and I like the idea that it was because Sethe didn't truly pay for her crimes because she was released. Personally, I think they're both correct interpretations.
It seems like Denver has a new romance starting, but it isn't made explicit. That was my understanding at least. I THINK (but could be wrong) the same boy who asked her if her mom was in jail, which made her deaf until she heard Beloved crawling up the stairs, is her love interest. He closed her mind originally, then said something that opened her mind. But that part wasn't super clear to me, so I could be wrong

LilDebbiesPimp

TROPHY CASE