I’m entirely certain that the person who set out to ‘expose’ the individual who went by the handle MIna Violet, is the same person who has been stalking and harassing me for nine years. Let me just say, she is no one to be criticizing anyone, I’ve never encountered any one on the internet that is a bigger lair and fraud then she is. I’ve come to know this person and her mode of operation very well (she probably intended for it happen the other way around lmao) and I can recognize her behavior and her sock puppets anywhere. If Mina is perhaps seeking some info on this person. I’d be more then happy to give to her.
If there is anyone left on tumblr who is friends with or otherwise still in contact with the individual who ran the blog @mvcreates, whom used the pseudonym Mina Violet, please PM me any contact information you might have for her. I wasn’t involved in any of the conflict, but I do believe she has the right to know a few things about the people who ousted her from tumblr.
I’m entirely certain that the person who set out to ‘expose’ the individual who went by the handle MIna Violet, is the same person who has been stalking and harassing me for nine years. Let me just say, she is no one to be criticizing anyone, I’ve never encountered any one on the internet that is a bigger lair and fraud then she is. I’ve come to know this person and her mode of operation very well (she probably intended for it happen the other way around lmao) and I can recognize her behavior and her sock puppets anywhere. If Mina is perhaps seeking some info on this person, I’d be more then happy to give to her.
Recently I started revisiting some books I loved when I was a teenager to see what I thought of them now, for nostalgia and for fun. I’ve been writing since I was ~13 but my skills and style have evolved since I read a lot of these books, and so has my way of reading since I’ve started reading as a writer. So I decided to make these ramble/review posts because why not? Whee~
(I picked this image bc it’s the closest to my versions of the books, but the font on mine is much less extra.)
So, yeah. More LJ Smith. You may have heard of the TV series based on these books, which I haven’t watched nor do I plan to, even if Phoebe Tonkin is hot. The Secret Circle actually has more than 3 books - I think the current total is 6 - but the other 3 were written much later (and possibly not by the original author, but that’s another story). The original 3 books read like a complete trilogy and story, so I’ll be talking about them like they’re the only books.
See me ramble below the cut! Is it a mess? Signs point to yes.
Basically I’m gay. Let me explain~
When I first read these books, I was obsessed with the ensemble cast. I had so many drawings of the characters - mostly of the girls. Reading it back now, I realise that I may have unconsciously had a crush on basically all of them except for Cassie because she’s the protagonist and a bit Wonderbread. The boys of the circle are just not on the same level of the girls, and that’s that. This time round the crushes were all very conscious.
Also, I got a lot of sapphic vibes from Cassie on this read. Sure, she thinks Adam is handsome but she sure spends a lot of time describing how gorgeous her fellow women are. I’m just saying. Especially Diana. Honestly, I could see Cassie/Adam/Diana being a throuple, and I want it. What a wasted opportunity.
If I’m honest though Adam can go in the bin because he’s quite boring. I mean, he’s a nice person, and I guess I like his ethics, but I don’t think he’s that special. There have been worse love interests, but also better ones. At least he’s not Arya. And he’s not a dick in any way which is nice.
I mentioned the show in my intro, and though I haven’t watched it, I did look it up. What is this nonsense? The show has no Henderson twins, no Deborah the beautiful lesbian, no Laurel, no Melanie. No Suzan? No Sean? It only has Cassie, Diana, Adam, Nick, Faye and some chick named Melissa who I guess might be Melanie but I don’t know. If so, why her but not the others? Then there’s other characters that aren’t even in the original books?? I’m mad and I don’t get it. At least they cast Phoebe Tonkin as Faye. That’s god-tier casting. They cast some Diana lookalike to play Cassie, which was dumb. I’m done talking about it.
Okay I’m almost done but I just think it’s a wasted opportunity to take a fun cast of 12 characters who, while they have recognisable traits, are still simple and could easily be expanded on in adaptation, only to dump half of them and create some other randos? I don’t want it. Take it away.
The original trilogy is actually so short. It’s good on one hand because there’s no time to have a dull moment or a lot of filler, but at the same time, I think these characters are fun and I wish I had a bit more time with them.
Faye is a morally grey queen. I love her, I’d die for her. Her and Deborah are my ladies. And Suzan. Suzan gets 5 stars from me on this re-read.
Except for the *ahem* parts about bewitching men. Those aren’t cute. Tricking one into taking you to the dance is one thing but there are some other parts that I do not like. At all. Tear those pages out please.
I like the backstories of the circle’s parents; in the big calamity/battle that took place when they were babies, it was the brave ones who went to fight, so the surviving parents are the ones who didn’t go, and the question is always there about what the outcome would have been if they had gone together as a full circle. It adds an interesting dimension to the characters and how they view their parents; how Deborah has two parents who never went to fight (one of which lost the actual love of her life in the process) or Diana, whose father stayed behind while her mother left to fight. I like it.
I like a good whodunnit story and I think this has some good elements of one. I just think some things are figured out a bit too easily. But the events are quite creepy and tense at times and it’s enjoyable to read. It’s hard to remember for certain now but I think a lot of what happened was a surprise for me when I read it for the first time.
I think Cassie discovers some twists/secrets a bit too easily. There are hints in places, but for one reveal in particular there’s no real moment of her putting the pieces together in her head. She just says the answer out loud and it’s right, and it makes sense if you look at some hints from before, but when did she figure it out? It just feels a bit convenient. And of course she gets to be uber important in a destined way because she’s the main character and that’s what main characters do, especially in YA.
That said, I don’t dislike Cassie as a character. Her own image of herself as someone evil because of her feelings for Adam is compelling. I like how she just throws herself into the chaos of it. She’s not the worst.
So overall I loved this series because I liked the mystery, I liked the witchy stuff and I liked the women. Would recommend to a sapphic teen.
If anyone else has read this series and has some thoughts I’d love to hear them! Let’s ramble together 😁
TW: please pass this by if you may be triggered by the following: strong themes of depression, death, and trauma from a car crash.
Genre: contemporary fiction written in free verse
Themes: healing, depression, nostalgia, grief, friendship, young adult
POV: first person
Characters:
Jessie - A college freshman just trying to survive in the outside world. Suffers from depression and is incredibly private. Knots friendship bracelets as a coping method, loves to take walks and explore(trespass, shhhh). Despite her quiet demeanor, there’s a magnetic streak of rebelliousness in her.
Reya - Roommate to our MC, cheerful, loves people. Works a thousand odd jobs in order to cure her shopping addiction, and alternately loves or despises them. An overwhelming welcomed addition to every gathering.
Crow - A cynic who loves to philosophize. Tends towards the nihilistic. Much more observant than Jessie is comfortable with, and kind to the last degree.
Danika - Studying design in her ideal school, she deals with anxiety that often blockades her from pursuing her dream. Jessie’s best girlfriend from home, they video chat often to rant to each other and properly unload
Alex - A sophomore in the same college, a boy who puzzles on the mysteries of the world. He’s known Jessie since she was thirteen, and between his study breaks(which are constant really), interrupts her during her solo coffee dates.
Summary: Reclusive, quiet, the weight of reality sinking on her soul, Jessica Liao enters her freshman year of college with suitcases of sweatshirts and clouds in her head. Donning a mask of lies, she somehow survives through her first semester of school of life, without him.
Depression has been eating into her soul for the last few years, and it’s only gotten worse. Because of it. Because of her. It’s a weary cycle of lonely nights, intrusive thoughts, and knots. Lots and lots of knots. Her only way of coping. Jessie has always found it hard to believe that she has a future. But despite the horrible burden set upon her shoulders, she’s still surviving, trudging through life, tugged along by a hidden thread of hope.
Cruel hope? Perhaps. As impossible as it is to believe, time can heal. There is no miracle all-cure for her grief, but day by day, she wakes to a new morning. A hole where he is that will never be filled, but she never wants it to be.
Lady Luck is on her side, as her bubbly roommate and a cynical boy philosopher tap through the walls she throws up so easily, and between their kindness and her own determination.
Through the blood and the misery, she breaks through the dull haze, and finally finds out that the lie that she has believed so long about herself, that she is worth nothing, is false, false, false.
Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!
Important info: if you want to be on the tag list, please know that I will not be posting constantly for this WIP, but I will be looking for beta readers in a few months. Many of the symptoms Jessie displays in this WIP are based off of my own personal experience, and the experiences of loved ones. PEOPLE EXPERIENCE MENTAL ILLNESS DIFFERENTLY
The posts coming out about VioletVineyard really shows how quickly a good thing can turn sour. I joined it in January of this year because of all the good things I heard about it. It was suppose to be a small community that made it easier to give and receive feedback. Unfortunately, the behavior coming from Mina and many of her mods/friends quickly made it a toxic environment that people were too afraid to talk about and/or leave.
While there’s nothing that can be done about how VV was dealt with, I want to list some red flags that were noticed. If another server begins to act in a similar manner, especially if you are a minor, please for your safety and health leave.
Focus on Experience
Mina was constantly using her age and position in life to put herself on a pedestal. She is a thirty year-old woman well into her career at an Ivy League school, and she made that clear on countless occasions. She had strict expectations on what people should do, even when those opinions were well outside her actual knowledge.
(I was going to link a post here, but unfortunately they had to delete their account. Apparently Mina and her friends are now going around threatening people, including minors, if they talk about what happened.)
Hero Worship
There was also a tendency to make the group seem more close-knit, in a way that put the members below Mina and the mods. We were the VV family. Mina was the Vodka Aunt. Mods called themselves Auntie [Name] and Mafia Mom (please note this is from memory, and I am not one hundred percent sure I am remembering the last name right). They were supposed to be looked up to, and for a server where the majority of members were minors or young adults, it was very easy for it to seem like Mina could do no wrong.
This attitude, as well as the way she acted, made it very easy for people to start defending her every action. While there are certainly better ways of describing it, there is a reason why people called VV a cult. You were not allowed to disagree with Mina, unless you wanted a dozen people to bombard you. Even when what she was doing was inappropriate.
Them/Us Attitude
This leads to the third flag. There were multiple times when Mina would complain about a person outside VV for what were usually very minor offenses. I saw her get mad at people for tagging one of her posts the “wrong” way. At times it would even extend into her personal life. She once said that a coworker who had been rude to her had to have her hand amputated. Mina and multiple of the mods claimed it was karma. It was easy for her to encourage others to attack along with her and see nothing wrong with it. It was to the point that there was at least one conversation about why people didn’t like VV that basically concluded with them deciding they were just bad people and that the server was fine.
But if someone didn’t follow her rules, they were attacked. It was either always agree with Mina, or have to deal with the gang. Gingerly and Radley gave some examples of this here. And for anyone hearing about the art tracing/transphobia that occurred recently, you can go here to see a screenshot of the post. (Unfortunately, this account was also deleted due to threats.)
It isn’t surprising why so many remained silent. There was one incident where I tried to speak out. Mina had a tendency to post longer posts, with a short paragraph at the end saying to like or interact with the post to join the tag list. It was not unusual for people to not see the notice, and then get confused about why they were being tagged. She mocked one such person’s reading comprehension for not understanding. And a few weeks later, she was mad at them again for changing their mind and wanting to be on the list after all. All of this happened without the person knowing they were being attacked on a server they weren’t even a part of.
Within a half hour of saying that wasn’t right, there were at least half a dozen mods pinging me. One just straight out starting swearing at me. I have a severe anxiety disorder so I quickly backed up after that, but was told that I was policing the chat and to message Mina if I wanted to talk more. Another server member noticed, and told me that this type of reaction was common, and that it would be a bad idea to try to continue the conversation. (I doubt that was the first warning she gave either.)
Hiding Information
Even when considering how poorly Mina and her friends would react to people speaking out about their actions, I feel like this is the strongest reason why they were able to pretend for as long as they did. Mina never would have dared to badmouth people on her Tumblr account the way she did in the server.
We were not allowed to screenshot anything, unless we were okay with being banned. The channel where most of these issues came up was regularly deleted, often after something controversial occurred. Anyone who tried to speak up was either pushed down quickly or forced to leave. And if they were no longer in the server, they were regularly belittled. They ridiculed a person named Sophia multiple times, but I still don’t know who she is or what she did.
Despite no longer having a Tumblr presence, they are still trying to threaten people into remaining silent. People shouldn’t have to be afraid of a grown woman threatening them over a post, especially when they are a minor. But if everyone has only a fraction of the information, it is easier for them to control how they are viewed.
This is the traced art/transphobia incident started by mvcreates that many people have been talking about. Unfortunately, it looked like no one else had reblogged the full version of this, so I decided to post the screenshots so people will still be able to know what happened.
