u/snookythicc

A STAGE SET FOR VILLAINS BY SHANNON J. SPANN

i cant say certain stuff bc of spoilers but it will scratch your itch so well

T R U S T M E

it is a standalone so no major commitment. as you go scene by scene, you will follow the story like a river follows its course. YOU WILL BEG FOR MORE

SO PUH LEASE READ THIS BOOKKKKKKK

let me know!

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‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ 🕯️ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ new escape me ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ 🕯️

‎ 🕯️‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ content‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎🕯️

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ 🕯️ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎please ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ 🕯️

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I hope the title ragebaited you.

Welcome to the maze of my brain. Today I will be talking about why I think James is NOT James and is being controlled by the Ark. 

“It’s simple logic: if we believe our choices are our own—if we do not know we are being bent into obeisance—we will not be tempted to revolt. The ultimate goal of synthetic intelligence, then, is the obliteration of organic intelligence.”
— Rosabelle Wolff, Watch Me (Chapter 8).

85 days ago I had made a post on Reddit saying it would be nice if the basic attractions of Rosabelle and James were amplified artificially by the Ark to make their ends meet (I will discuss this later). Then a couple of days ago, bestie May (from Tiktok) pointed out how hijacked Peeta and Katniss and Jamesabelle parallel could work. And it just made sense. 

Let me remind you all, we only know James AFTER the cradle. We never knew him before that. And Rosabelle too, in a way. James was put in the cradle right before the book started and Rosabelle in Chapter 6, essentially right before she leaves for The New Republic. So keep this in mind. 

Chapter 1 showed how easy it was for Soledad to mind control two kids into doing what he wanted. That alone should tell us how a person in the position of power can just about do anything. And we still don't know the full workings of the Nexus network and who all controls it. 

“Klaus has predicted his every move,” Damani says, her voice warm with satisfaction. “It’s the first time we’ve been able to properly test the program on an unknown subject.” She stills, her eyes unfocusing a moment as she receives an incoming message. She returns to herself, then consults another screen. “It’s been thrilling to watch this play out in perfect order. A true triumph.” – Mona Damani, Watch Me (Chapter 8)

This is where we get to know James was indeed studied upon arrival to the island. Furthermore, James also mentions about a mist released in his cell which makes him lose hours in Chapter 3. This information is made ironbound after Rosabelle tells how he was submerged in the cradle MULTIPLE time and that he probably thinks of his memory lapses as just passing out. So, this solidifies that James was studied thoroughly. Bro was an open book without even opening his mouth. 

We also see several things happening in Chapter 8-9 alone. We see Damani losing her shit when James says one word out of script. Damani keeps reiterating how important control is to them. Rosabelle also says this - “The program is still imperfect, unfinished—and yet they were able to design a limited plan of action and reaction. As a result, they were able to steer James directly toward the outcome they desired most, all while allowing him to believe his decisions were his own.”

You may ask, “but Faye, they say they did this only for 24 hours. What about the rest of the time?” I think they are lying bro. The Ark did not even let Rosa know what she was walking into. It is not far off to think they are lying in this one. 

Then they tell Rosabelle she got a mission and yada yada yada. It is important to remember that the Ark decided to weaponize Rosabelle by putting her repeatedly in frail situations so James underestimates her as an enemy and rather forms pity and protectiveness over her. 

“You evinced a convincing, pitiable frailty that diminished his opinion of you as a rival, and by sparing your life he’s established a subconscious emotional precedent as your protector, a development we hope to—” — Mona Damani, Watch Me (Chapter 8).

Then by the middle of the book, we see James witnessing Rosabelle being abused by Sebastian. Clara being dragged away. Rosabelle tries to fight but is unable to. Then James fights them for her and flees. This is not a coincidence in any way. This was them programming James. We see James be interrogative in the chopper but it was in a way that elicited Rosabelle’s emotions. Leading him to pity her. Both seem to be under influence. 

Then comes the rest of the book. Adjectives other characters and readers have used to describe James: Impulsive. Irrational. Emotional. Idiotic. Stupid. 
The attraction both have to each is INSTANTANEOUS as hell. Instantaneous to the point of absurdity. 

“You’re not thinking straight. I shouldn’t have indulged your fantasies and if anyone else were acting this way you’d be the first to call them out for disloyalty to the Republic. The fact that you’re questioning a decision to restrain a violent, known assassin of The Reestablishment is genuinely concerning.” – Nazeera, Release Me (Chapter 17). 

So yea. There is probably more evidence in plain sight. I don't think it was normal for either James or Rosabelle to have a non-makeout makeout session in the diner. And the way he didn't probe further into the whole vial thing even after Rosabelle said about it, nuh uh. He just went back to thinking about how he wants to protect her, marry her even. It just seems so bizarre. 

Then at the end we have Sebastian staring tf into James’s eyes after their scuffle. I presume he was checking the condition of their subject. KLAUS was checking the subject. Giving him an once over. I mean, why is Sebastian even in The New Republic, huh? Like after all this time. Right after James returns with Rosabelle is the time he shows up? No, I don't think it is because of Rosabelle only. James is the Ark’s subject. Rosabelle is the assigned operative for James. Rosabelle reports to Sebastian. 

To add on, we have an Escape Me snippet reiterating what synthetic intelligence is. And how they strip a person of their autonomy. She also used the song ‘The Cure’ by Olivia Rodrigo. ‘My head is full of poison’ It is James. James's head is full of poison. 

So my predictions: 
Yes, Chapter 55 will happen. It will be sexy, hot, and what not. 
But it will follow with dire and awful consequences. Have you watched the movie Obsession? James is stripped of his autonomy the same way Nikki is. I've slight doubts over Rosabelle being controlled but James I am atleast 93% sure it is the case. This is this series' massive plot twist. Release Me wasn't a filler book. It was for us to build opinion on not-so-James James. 

‘But Faye, why is the Ark doing this?’ i will come up another post for this 😭

Anyway, thank you for reading. I did not proofread this. Might have missed points.
Feel free to comment your thoughts. 

Now imma go back and write what i think about hugo and the vaccine the Ark uses 🫶🏻

I HAVE BEEN AT THIS FOR OVER 100 DAYS JAMES IS NOT HIMSELF WE NEVER KNEW JAMES ARGHHH

ONE NIGHT STAND IN THE HEAT OF THE
MOMENT AND AWKWARDNESS LATER PLS

i interpreted warner shooting james as he needed james to let go of rosabelle and get on w what he has to do. not because james insulted warner 😭😭

i (31m) got into a huge argument with my neighbor (30m) and now everyone in our friend group is acting like i’m the idiot, so i’m here for an outside opinion.

for context, i’ve had a lemon tree for years. i loved this tree. it sat near the property line between our houses, and i always thought it looked great and I was really attached to it . a few months ago it started looking a little rough, but i figured it was just going through something. trees are outside. weather happens. nature does its thing.

anyway, after a recent storm, i noticed the tree was gone.

G O N E.

so naturally i confronted my neighbor and demanded to know why he cut down my tree.

he claimed he didn’t cut it down. according to him, the tree had already died, then fallen over onto his property during the storm, and he just removed it afterward.

i told him that wasn’t the point and that he had no right to touch my tree.

this is where things got weird.

My neighbor (who I only like because of his wife) got frustrated and asked why i was acting upset now when he was apparently 'the only one who ever watered it.'
i genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.

turns out this man has been watering my lemon tree for YEARS.

WITHOUT TELLING ME. (Which rude btw)

apparently he stopped a few months ago, which is why it started getting sick. he says the tree died because i never took care of it and that the storm only knocked it over after it was already dead.

i told him that trees just kind of grow on their own.
he looked at me like i’d confessed to eating drywall.

now everyone is making fun of me because, according to them, i somehow owned a tree for years without understanding that someone needed to water it.

my defense is that lots of trees exist in nature without people walking around with watering cans. also, if he’d been secretly maintaining the thing this entire time, how was i supposed to know?

so am i the asshole for accusing my neighbor of cutting down my lemon tree with no feelings when i thought he got rid of it just cause he is an ass?

edit : don't comment “who did you think was watering it?” i don’t know, okay? rain? the earth? tree magic? i didn’t think this through. And please be nice I’m sensitive
Edit 2: I am actually a really nice person irl plus y’all say it like I actually don’t have a great point and that I am dumb (which I promise you I’m not) plus I’ve been stressing over stuff for YEARS and now I have to deal with my neighbor’s younger brother (which is like a brother to me) doing some idiotic decisions over some girl who is literally so so so psychopathic. PLUS what do y’all know about working for the government so give me some grace

i really like adam x lena. the idea of it

my most favorite book series is getting a movie adaptation and ninachaley nenjellam valikudhu 😞