Crescendo: Chapter 5
Mar. 28th, 2012 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zelda_queenZeldaQueen: I hope you guys have plenty of booze on hand, because this chapter is just bad.
Also, a happy birthday to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
arpeggio513!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 5
ZeldaQueen: While Nora has her breakdown, Scott waits in the doorway of the girl's bathroom and makes the usual joke about how it's a lot cleaner than the men's room. Nora tells him to piss off, and he says that he will not until she explains why she was stalking him, because "I know I’m a fascinating guy, but this is starting to feel like an unhealthy obsession". Dude, sing it. He also wants to know who the mysterious person allegedly in the bathroom was supposed to be. If I'm supposed to think badly of Scott for this, I don't. It's high time someone calls Nora out on her despicable behavior, in a way that doesn't make me want to phone the police.
Nora continues to be pissy with Scott, which would come across as more understandable if she wasn't such a little shit for most of this story. She snaps at him that she thought she saw her father, and tries to storm off. Scott actually tries to be decent and comfort her, saying "Once they find the guy who did it and send him away for life, you’ll feel better". He also makes a joke about how he feels like a creeper, hanging around the girl's bathroom like he is.
Clearly Scott, being the Jacob rip-off that he is, is a far better love interest already than Patch. He's probably going to go downhill soon, but I'm just enjoying a non-psychotic guy while he's here.
Nora continues to be a rude berker to Scott. For whatever reason, Scott continues to try to be nice to her and offers to take her playing pool that night. Is that the only recreational activity that guys in this series do? Oh, no, it's just a cheap way to get Nora back to angsting about Patch
"I remembered that very first night when I chased him down to finish a bio assignment and found him playing pool in the basement of Bo’s. I remembered when he taught me to play pool. I remembered the way he stood behind me, so close I felt electricity"
ZeldaQueen: That's nice, Nora. Do you also remember how you had to go there - a place which you very much felt unsafe at - because Patch was a jerk who refused to cooperate with your homework assignment? And how he was a smartass the entire time, making lewd comments at you? Or how you went on that date later because he forced you to go? Good times, good times. If I had memories like that, I'd want to kick the guy in the balls.
Oh, and she angsts because "I remembered the way he had always shown up when I needed him". *rubs bridge of nose*
HE "SHOWED UP WHEN YOU NEEDED HIM" AND EVERY OTHER TIME BECAUSE HE WAS STALKING YOU, YOU DIPSHIT! STALKING YOU TO MURDER YOU, I MIGHT ADD! WHY DON'T YOU REMEMBER THAT LITTLE DETAIL?
I've seen driveway gravel more intelligent than Nora, I swear to God.
We abruptly jump from there to Nora entering her house, all wet and cold. There's a very awkward "How We Got Here" exposition, where Nora explains that she met up with Vee, only for Vee to force her to give advice on what sort of scarves Rixon would like. Clearly, Vee is a great friend who supports Nora. That's why she apparently didn't care how Nora's stalking expedition ended, or that she had a breakdown. I also guess that Scott just let Nora go without any explanation as to why she was stalking him around town. Consequences are for characters who aren't Nora Grey.
Anyway, long story short, by the time Vee is done, a storm has rolled in and both girls get drenched on their way to the car. Nora is now heading inside, with a night alone in a house in the middle of nowhere, during a thunderstorm, to look forward to. Apparently Vee was supposed to sleep over that night, but canceled to hang out with Rixon. How lovely. First Vee bails on her promise to accompany Nora while spying on Scott, because she wants to buy stuff to look attractive for Rixon. Now, she's leaving her best and only friend in all the world alone and scared, so she can cuddle with Rixon. Fitzpatrick? This is the sort of thing people are referring to when they say that Vee is an idiot, and that your books promote shallow relationships over friendships.
I might also add that given how Vee's boy obsession nearly got herself and Nora killed in the last book, if I were Nora, I'd be a lot more pissed about being abandoned like that.
At this point, the lights go out in Nora's house. She calls Vee (on her cell phone I presume, or else there's a rather gaping plot hole there). Vee says that the lights on her street have gone out as well. Nora asks if Vee wants to come over and keep her company, and Vee replies "Let’s see. Not especially". I'm supposed to find that snarky and funny, instead of incredibly bitchy, right, Fitzpatrick? Just checking.
My already-low opinion of Vee sinks even more, because even though Nora is alone in a farmhouse and has no electricity and is clearly upset, Vee more or less tells her "I value this date I planned with Rixon more than your wellbeing, so you sit in the dark for a few hours while we go to Taco Bell. Then, I'll stop over and visit you."
Once again, Vee is a BITCH.
Also, how does the electricity lines in Coldwater work? I was under the impression that Vee lived in the main part of town, while Nora was way on the outer limits. I know that depending on where lightning strikes the entire town could go out, but if something that severe happened, wouldn't the Taco Bell likely be blacked out as well?
Well, Nora doesn't give any of that any thought. Instead, we get some pointless filler of her looking for candles and matches. Even though it's pitch black outside, she sees something running around the field. She tries to convince herself that it's a coyote. A coyote. Yes. Um...I know that there are coyote in Maine, but would that really be the first animal a person would think of? Not a wild dog or a deer or something?
Oh well, at this point we're told how the kitchen phone "shrilled" (why do you keep using that word, Fitzpatrick?) and Nora quickly answers it. Considering that the electricity is out, you'd think that the kitchen phone ringing would be more alarming to her. The idea never occurs to her though, probably because if she actually thought about anything, her head might explode from overuse. Instead, she answers the phone and there's just a lot of static. Oh joy, we get another horror movie cliche that Fitzpatrick plundered. What fun!
All of this leads to Nora wangsting about Patch. Specifically, she wangsts about two very large Dead Herrings. Here is what they boil down to.
"IT IS A GREAT THING THAT PATCH IS MY GUARDIAN ANGEL, FOR NOTHING CAN HARM ME WHILE HE IS ON THE JOB! YES, HE WILL CERTAINLY ALWAYS BE PROTECTING ME, AND THERE IS NO WAY DANGER COULD SLIP PAST HIM!"
"WAAAAAH, PATCH DOES NOT LOVE ME ANYMORE! AFTER ALL, IT'S NOT LIKE HE HAS TO CONVINCE THE OTHER ANGELS NOT TO SEND HIM TO HELL! NO, THERE IS NO REASON HE IS NOT CALLING, OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT HE HATES ME!"
My head hurts.
We get a lot more of the same bitching from Nora - that Patch should call her (because calling him is too much effort, apparently), that Patch is taking her breaking up with him too easily (how do you know that, you idiot?), that Patch might be taking his responsibilities as her guardian angel less-than-seriously (no, really?), and it's all Patch's fault that he won't say why he was spying on Marcie (OH JESUS CHRIST, NOT THIS AGAIN!) This leads to her going on a very stupid and disgusting train of thought, which also is ripped off from New Moon.
You guys remember how, after Edward broke up with Bella, she decided to get back at him by engaging in reckless and life-threatening activities? And how it was sickeningly pitched as some bizarre form of empowerment that she was endangering herself because That Would Show Him?
Yeah. Just take that entire line of reasoning. Now, replace "I'm going to do incredibly stupid and dangerous things" with "I'm going to date another guy, simply to spite Patch" and you see Nora's thought process.
And just like with New Moon, there is a convenient runner-up love interest to be dragged into this zany, insane plot and used as a sucker. Yes, that's right, Nora has decided to take Scott up on his offer to play pool!
Nora sins her ass off over this, openly admitting that she's doing a bad thing, but of course justifies it. She's showing Patch, you see. She's proving that she's gotten over him, and baiting him. Isn't that a great idea?
*calmly steeples fingers* No, Nora. You listen here. Fitzpatrick, you listen to. You wrote this garbage, after all. Both of you, pay attention. There are many ways to prove that Patch no longer runs Nora's life. She could take up stamp-collecting. She could work on her schooling, looking for scholarships and potential colleges. She could write a story. She could start dying her hair blonde.
Dating Scott simply to piss Patch off does not prove that Nora has gotten over him. It is an incredibly petty act which is probably a few levels below her pissing on his lawn and thumbing her nose at him in public. It is blindingly obvious that it will not prove to Patch that Nora is over him, because guess what?
THE DATING OF A DIFFERENT GUY AFTER A BREAK-UP ONLY PROVES THAT ONE HAS MOVED ON IF ONE HAS ACTUALLY MOVED ON!!!
It would go double for a guy like Patch, because given how he has proven himself to not be above emotional manipulation? I refuse to believe he hasn't pulled a similar stunt at least once at some point in his life. So really, it just sets up for yet another scenario where Nora comes across as a silly wimmins who of course can't get the best of Patch, but that's okay because he's a man and Better Than Her.
And if this scenario hasn't ripped off New Moon enough yet, the element of self-harm is shoved in as well
"And while I was at it, I was going to test Patch’s ability to keep me safe. Maybe Scott really was Nephilim. Maybe he was even trouble. Maybe he was exactly the kind of guy I should stay away from. I felt a hard smile cross my face as I realized it didn’t matter what I did, or what Scott might do; Patch had to protect me"
ZeldaQueen: (Nora) "I'm deliberately going to go out with someone who I think will hurt me, even though I just was pondering the reliability of Patch as a guardian angel. Self-preservation instincts are for losers who aren't me!"
That's really nice, Nora. That's fantastic. While you're at it, why don't you find a sleezy bar and ride off with some bikers, in the hopes thatEdward Patch will swoop in and rescue you like the last time? In the meantime, why don't you take this broomstick and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASSHOLE, YOU FUCKING STUPID MORON, GOD 'EFFING DAMMIT!!!
*breathes heavily for several minutes*
Of course, there's the other side to this issue, namely Scott himself. Scott, who has thus far been one of very few decent people in this book. Scott, who has genuinely tried to be nice to Nora and cheer her up. Scott, who Nora essentially plans on using, just to get back at her asshole boyfriend. That is not cool. That is not cool in the slightest. It is an incredibly bitchy and unhealthy thing to do, and makes me want to slap Nora upside her empty head.
And on a personal petty note, I'm going to say that if Nora really wanted to use that plan to shock Patch, she should have decided to hook up with Marcie. Hell, that relationship has already been halfway written.
*shakes head* Moving on.
Nora calls Scott and says that she'll take him up on his offer. He promises to swing by and pick her up. As she hangs up, she reflects that "I’d promised my mom I’d keep my distance from Scott, but I wasn’t worried. If Scott messed with me, Patch would have to step in".
*tiredly* By this point, I'm hoping she gets killed. Someone that stupid doesn't deserve to live.
We jump to the small seaside town of Springvale. Scott pulls up outside of a place called the Z Pool Hall. Of course, it's located in a shit area of town
"Trash and weeds decorated the exterior. Two men with shaved heads and goatees were smoking on the sidewalk just outside the doors; they ground out their cigarettes and disappeared inside"
You know, given that the village of Springvale is a real place (and a rather small and nice-looking one at that), it doesn't seem very nice to do nothing but talk about how filthy it is. Fitzpatrick apparently isn't satisfied with stopping there though, because Nora finds the name of the pool hall vaguely familiar and asks Scott where she might have heard of it before. He replies that someone died in a bar brawl there a few weeks back, and it was in all of the news.
Jesus H. Christ, what is with this universe? Are all pool halls just hotbeds of filth and decay? Again, pool hall at my college! For three bucks, you can rent a table for an hour or so, and I guarantee that no one died there!
Of course, there's also the question of WHY THE FUCK GUYS KEEP TAKING NORA ON DATES TO THESE SORTS OF PLACES? I mean, what the hell? Is there some sort of prestiege in going on a date to places where people died? I mean okay, Patch is a psycho who gets off on scaring Nora, so I can buy him doing it. But why would Scott, who we've only ever seen as a nice guy, take Nora on a date to a place where a violent fight and murder took place a few weeks back? Or is this just more of Fitzpatrick fapping over the idea of her avatar being taken to a dangerous place by a hot bad boy, because she finds that sort of thing hot?
(It's that last one)
Scott says that he needs to slip off to find an ATM, and asks Nora to wait for him. Even though it's clearly a bad part of town and HE JUST SAID SOMEONE DIED THERE A FEW WEEKS AGO, he doesn't let Nora lock herself in the car or anything sensible like that. No, he just leaves her standing alone, outside of the bar. Where anyone could grab or attack her. Or she could wander off, like the dumbass she is.
And oh, what do you know? Nora sees Scott slip down an alleyway and decides that she wants to follow him. Because that worked out so very well the last time she did that! But she doesn't head right on after him, because she's in an unfamiliar part of town, and there are some very unsavory men who are eyeing her up, and she has already established herself as weak and unable to properly defend herself if there is trouble.
Oh, no, wait that's what a sensible person's reasoning would be. Nora doesn't chase Scott down the alleyway because she can't think of a way to stalk him without being caught. The idea that it's an incredibly stupid idea that would be almost certainly putting herself in danger? Doesn't occur to her once
ZeldaQueen: I have nothing to say to that. NOTHING. That level of stupidity deserves no comment.
So Nora decides to go through the pool hall, alone, to find a window to spy on Scott through.
Nora? Honey?
ZeldaQueen: YOU ARE THE STUPIDEST CUNTWAFFLE I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF READING ABOUT!
Really, Fitzpatrick, having your little Mary Sue run off like this doesn't make me think she's the next Nancy Drew. Nancy might have gone into dangerous situations, but she was smart enough to know it was dangerous and plan accordingly. Nora the Witless Wonder here shows no signs of so much as realizing the danger she's skipping into, let alone actually taking steps to protect herself from it! She never brings any weapons or even mace or a rape whistle, she never tells anyone where she's going so no one will be able to find her if she's kidnapped or detained, and if she does bring back-up, it's in the form of unreliable or useless people like Vee! None of this makes me think Nora is a budding detective! It makes me think she's STUPID!
*sighs* Nora goes into the bar, and of course it's all dark and full of smoke. We're not told if there's any people in there or not, so it feels like it's an abandoned building. Either that, or Fitzpatrick's descriptions suck. Nora finds no windows, but she does see a door that leads into the alley. She decides to stick her head out there, using the excuse that she was going for some air. As soon as she opens the door however, "Hands grabbed the collar of my jean jacket, yanked me out, and backed me against the brick exterior". *blinks* Okay then. Business as usual.
Why, who should be lurking in a dark alleyway than Patch, here to swing his Lady Love around like a sack of oats and yell at her? And while I am not opposed to smacking some sense into Nora, this is coming from Patch, the textbook abusive boyfriend. Combine that with the fact that while we, the readers, know Nora's motives, Patch does not, and this opens up one huge can of Do Not Want.
Patch continues to be an asshole and demands to know what Nora is doing there. She tells him that she's there with Scott, who she has the audacity to refer to as a friend. Yes, you were such friends before, when you drudged up embarrassing childhood memories and generally was a rude little shit to him. While I'm pissed off at this, Nora decides to kick me again
"I was angry—at the archangels, at fate, at consequences. I was angry for being here with Scott, not Patch. And I was angry at Patch for not pulling me into his arms and telling me he wanted to put everything that had happened to us in the past twenty-four hours behind him. Everything dividing us was washed away, and it was just me and him from now on"
ZeldaQueen: See what I meant before, when I said that her breaking up with him in no way indicated an increase in common sense? None of that is her angry with Patch, the guy who grabbed her and bodily swung her out of a doorway and against a wall. None of it is her angry at Patch, the guy who nearly got her killed multiple times. The guy who tried to kill her. The guy who HELD HER ON THE BED AND KISSED HER WHILE SHE SCREAMED! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GIRL? WHAT IS WRONG WITH FITZPATRICK?
*slaps self* FOCUS!
Now. I am going to summarize the next bit and then rant.
Patch continues to pull his angry bad boy routine, and tells Nora that Scott is, in fact, a first generation Nephilim, just like Jules/Chauncy was. Nora is not particularly afraid of this information, and Patch makes it clear that he thinks that she ought to fear and hate Scott, by virtue of him being a Nephilim. Nora argues that not all Nephilim are evil, and Patch continues to try to make Scott and Nephilim in general look as terrible as possible
"He belongs to a Nephilim blood society that has been growing in power. The society wants to free Nephilim from bondage to fallen angels during Cheshvan. They’re recruiting members like crazy to fight back against fallen angels, and a turf war is brewing between the two sides. If the society becomes powerful enough, fallen angels will back off … and start relying on humans as their vassals instead"
ZeldaQueen: Patch elaborates that this is a Terrible Thing, because unlike Nephilim, humans tend to die after possession. Nora, in a rare fit of logic, points out that "That’s a sad story, but it’s hard to blame Scott or any Nephilim, for that matter. I wouldn’t want a fallen angel taking control of my body two weeks out of every year either. This doesn’t sound like a Nephilim problem. It sounds like a fallen angel problem". Because Nora has made a sensible argument that points out the holes in what Patch said, Patch promptly ignores it and instead starts telling Nora that the pool hall she's at is unsafe and that he outright is ordering her to go home.
Right. Where to start with this?
How about the fact that Fitzpatrick has completely and utterly failed at making the Nephilim unlikable?
Oh yeah, get used to that, folks. Fitzpatrick continues to do everything to make the Nephilim look like some sort of terrorist organization. They brand themselves. They are a secret society with the word "blood" in their name". They are so violent, ohes teh noes!
Except it completely falls flat. Because the guys their fighting, the fallen angels (including precious Patch here) are just as violent and dangerous, probably even moreso. And unlike the Nephilim, the fallen angels attack people more or less for shits and giggles. They torture and enslave the Nephilim because they want to get laid for two weeks out of the year. The Nephilim fight the fallen angels because they want to save themselves from an eternity of servitude and being raped in multiple ways. Which side do you think sounds more sympathetic, Ms Fitzpatrick? Because to me, it sure ain't the fallen angels.
And speaking of rape, that leads to the next bit. Fitzpatrick, your ultimate bad-boy boyfriend there? He's a miserable little victim-blaming piece of shit. Seriously, you read that quote of his and just try to tell me that it's not victim-blaming in the worst possible way! He just said that the Nephilim are horrifically evil and selfish for daring to want to escape mind rape and possession and that humans will die if they succeed, so they'd better just stay where they're at and continue to be abused. Otherwise, people will be dead and it'll be all their fault.
Of course, Patch kind of kills (hur) that argument, because he also tells us another reason why fallen angels don't possess humans, besides the high mortality rate
"Fallen angels can’t force humans to swear fealty, they have to convince them to turn over their bodies. That takes time and persuasion. Human bodies also deteriorate faster. Not many fallen angels want to go to the trouble of possessing a human body if it could be dead in a week"
ZeldaQueen: So apparently it's wrong that the people who are forced into such a horrific situation are doing so at the cost of people who can't be forced into it. Lovely logic there, Patch. Doubly so when one considers that it's the twentieth century. How many humans could one get, in all seriousness, to agree to give up their bodies?
Now, I'm sure Fitzpatrick would handwave this by saying that the fallen angels would trick the humans, or hold them at gunpoint or something. Okay, I get that. Next question, though - what the fuck would the regular angels be doing for all of this? Yeah, anyone remember those guys existing? We learn later that they just hate the Nephilim, for whatever reason, so I can buy them turning a blind eye to the fallen angels torturing them. I don't like it, but fine. But are we really supposed to believe that they're just going to sit there and let the fallen angels commit mass possession and murder on a bunch of humans? You know, the species that, by word of the Bible (which this series is going off the idea is true), is the rightful inhabitants of the place? The ones who God created and loves best? It's not like the angels have no way to combat the fallen angels. We're repeatedly told that they can send the bastards to Hell! God (who apparently doesn't exist, and yes, that still bugs me) alone knows why they aren't doing that anyway, but we later see that it apparently isn't that difficult to do, and the fallen angels are anything but subtle.
Long story short? I really fail to see any reason why, if these characters were the least bit moral or competent, this should be a problem. Of course, the key words there are "moral" and "competent", so I guess there's our issue. Fitzpatrick? Your characters are horrible and your plot sucks. Learn to write a better story, you hack.
Finally, I would like to point out how very telling it is that Patch seems so dead set on getting Nora to hate the Nephilim, when it's his fault to begin with that she had any bad run-ins with them at all. The only reason Jules/Chauncey found her at all was because Patch got all interested in stalking her. The only reason Jules/Chauncey was inclined at all to hurt her was because Patch spent the past several centuries possessing him and using him for sex. And yet, Patch sees none of this. Nora only halfway sees it, and doesn't bring it up nearly as much as she should. And I'd wager that the fans of this series and Fitzpatrick herself see very little of it.
Okay, rant is over. Sorry. Where did we leave off?
Ah, right. With Patch being a controlling asshat, trying to order Nora to go home. Nora gets pissily self-righteous at this, and while I'd ordinarily applaud her calling him out on his despicable behavior, we all know that it will all be forgotten and/or forgiven by the story's end. Not to mention that yet again, her idea of telling Patch off involves hanging around in a place that is clearly unsafe. Patch actually points this out, saying "You’re putting
yourself in danger to get back at me?" and reminding her that she dumped him. Nora continues to ignore him, save for telling him "I’m not really in the mood to hang out at home all night feeling sorry for myself".
You know, Nora, going out all night and feeling sorry for yourself is hardly better than staying at home and feeling sorry for yourself. And don't try and tell me you aren't. If you were actually making an effort to move on, you wouldn't be devoting yourself to this ridiculous revenge scheme.
And then, Patch goes into full-on creeper mode
"Patch dug in his pocket for his keys. 'I’m taking you home.' His tone told me I was a huge inconvenience, and that if he saw any way around it, he’d gladly opt out.
'I don’t want a ride. I don’t need your help.'
He laughed, but the sound lacked humor. 'You’re getting in the Jeep, even if I have to drag you inside, because you’re not
staying here. It’s too dangerous.'
'You can’t order me around.'
He merely looked at me. 'And while you’re at it, you’re going to stop hanging out with Scott.'
I felt my anger bubbling up. How dare he assume I was weak and helpless. How dare he try to control me by telling me where I could and couldn’t go, and who I could spend time with. How dare he act like I’d meant nothing to him?"
ZeldaQueen: Well.
- "Stop being obstinent,Bella Nora, or I'll be forced to drag you into my car against your will. It doesn't matter if you want it or not, I know what's better for you than you do. You'll thank me for this, some day."
- "Even though I'm forcing you to go somewhere against your will, I'm doing it for love. Even though I'm making it more than obvious that kidnapping you is inconvenient for me. I'm so selfless and caring for dragging you away against your will, aren't I?"
- "I forbid you to hang around with Scott. That's an order. He - the boy who has done absolutely nothing wrong to you - is clearly far too dangerous for you to hang around. Now, come with me, the guy who stalked, tricked, mind raped, possessed, scared, and attempted to rape and murder you. I'm obviously the one you should trust!"
- On that note, Fitzpatrick? After writing your bad boy love interest as a rapist psychopath, having him tell his girlfriend "You're getting in the car with me, whether you like it or not," is fucking creepy.
- From Nora, "I'm not angry that he's ordering me around and being a flaming hypocrite! I'm angry that he's doing those things because it looks like he's denying that we ever had anything special!"
- All of these assholes can die in the most painful way possible. I mean it.
You know, I'm so tired right now that I can't even get a good scream out over that. I just can't. It's too infuriating, especially Nora's reaction. Because out of nowhere, Nora declares that she wants to break it off with Patch entirely, including not wanting him as her guardian angel. Well, so much for her previous insistences that he'd always save her from danger. In any case, this is all well and good, except that this is portrayed as an epic love sacrifice. No, really! After he just right there was a textbook controlling boyfriend and a jackhole to boot, she insists she doesn't love him, all while mentally yammering about how it pains her inside, but how she must give him up to save him from the persecution of those meanie archangels. And I can't rant on this. It's just. Too. Much.
*hugs self* Nearly over, nearly over.
Patch tries to get Nora to take it all back, and she refuses. He finally slips some money into her back pocket and...erm, there's the implication that he used the opportunity to grope her ass. In the middle of what's supposed to be a heartwrenching and dramatic scene. Stay classy, Patch. Nora tries to refuse the money, and we get an extremely ridiculous reason for him giving it to her
"Half the guys in there are carrying some form of weapon. If anything happens, throw the money on the table and head for
the doors. Nobody’s going to follow you with a pile of cash up for grabs"
ZeldaQueen: Again, I say what the hell? What next, are we going to find out that the people in the bar literally smell fear and devour the flesh of the weakest ones in there?
Oh, no, the point of that over-the-top warning is for a lovely Dead Herring from Nora
"I remembered Marcie. Was he suggesting that someone might try to knife me? I nearly laughed. Did he honestly think that would scare me? Whether I wanted him as my guardian angel was irrelevant. The fact of the matter was, nothing I said or did would change his duty. He had to keep me safe. The fact that he was here right now proved it"
ZeldaQueen: You all got that? Patch is most certainly going to stay her guardian angel and always keep her safe. Never mind that he all but shat himself when she told him she didn't want him as her guardian anymore. Nope, she'll always, always be safe. This most certainly won't lead to a later scene, where Nora is in danger because Patch isn't her guardian angel and can't protect her.
Seriously, Fitzpatrick, if I wanted to smell like dead fish, I'd read the works of Stephenie Meyer.
And with that, we're done. Nora goes back into the pool hall, Patch fucks off somewhere, and I go to eat chocolate. Good night!
YOU FUCKING WHORE: 19
Onward to: Chapter 6
Return to: Chapter 4
Back to: Table of Contents
Also, a happy birthday to
arpeggio513!Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 5
ZeldaQueen: While Nora has her breakdown, Scott waits in the doorway of the girl's bathroom and makes the usual joke about how it's a lot cleaner than the men's room. Nora tells him to piss off, and he says that he will not until she explains why she was stalking him, because "I know I’m a fascinating guy, but this is starting to feel like an unhealthy obsession". Dude, sing it. He also wants to know who the mysterious person allegedly in the bathroom was supposed to be. If I'm supposed to think badly of Scott for this, I don't. It's high time someone calls Nora out on her despicable behavior, in a way that doesn't make me want to phone the police.
Nora continues to be pissy with Scott, which would come across as more understandable if she wasn't such a little shit for most of this story. She snaps at him that she thought she saw her father, and tries to storm off. Scott actually tries to be decent and comfort her, saying "Once they find the guy who did it and send him away for life, you’ll feel better". He also makes a joke about how he feels like a creeper, hanging around the girl's bathroom like he is.
Clearly Scott, being the Jacob rip-off that he is, is a far better love interest already than Patch. He's probably going to go downhill soon, but I'm just enjoying a non-psychotic guy while he's here.
Nora continues to be a rude berker to Scott. For whatever reason, Scott continues to try to be nice to her and offers to take her playing pool that night. Is that the only recreational activity that guys in this series do? Oh, no, it's just a cheap way to get Nora back to angsting about Patch
"I remembered that very first night when I chased him down to finish a bio assignment and found him playing pool in the basement of Bo’s. I remembered when he taught me to play pool. I remembered the way he stood behind me, so close I felt electricity"
ZeldaQueen: That's nice, Nora. Do you also remember how you had to go there - a place which you very much felt unsafe at - because Patch was a jerk who refused to cooperate with your homework assignment? And how he was a smartass the entire time, making lewd comments at you? Or how you went on that date later because he forced you to go? Good times, good times. If I had memories like that, I'd want to kick the guy in the balls.
Oh, and she angsts because "I remembered the way he had always shown up when I needed him". *rubs bridge of nose*
HE "SHOWED UP WHEN YOU NEEDED HIM" AND EVERY OTHER TIME BECAUSE HE WAS STALKING YOU, YOU DIPSHIT! STALKING YOU TO MURDER YOU, I MIGHT ADD! WHY DON'T YOU REMEMBER THAT LITTLE DETAIL?
I've seen driveway gravel more intelligent than Nora, I swear to God.
We abruptly jump from there to Nora entering her house, all wet and cold. There's a very awkward "How We Got Here" exposition, where Nora explains that she met up with Vee, only for Vee to force her to give advice on what sort of scarves Rixon would like. Clearly, Vee is a great friend who supports Nora. That's why she apparently didn't care how Nora's stalking expedition ended, or that she had a breakdown. I also guess that Scott just let Nora go without any explanation as to why she was stalking him around town. Consequences are for characters who aren't Nora Grey.
Anyway, long story short, by the time Vee is done, a storm has rolled in and both girls get drenched on their way to the car. Nora is now heading inside, with a night alone in a house in the middle of nowhere, during a thunderstorm, to look forward to. Apparently Vee was supposed to sleep over that night, but canceled to hang out with Rixon. How lovely. First Vee bails on her promise to accompany Nora while spying on Scott, because she wants to buy stuff to look attractive for Rixon. Now, she's leaving her best and only friend in all the world alone and scared, so she can cuddle with Rixon. Fitzpatrick? This is the sort of thing people are referring to when they say that Vee is an idiot, and that your books promote shallow relationships over friendships.
I might also add that given how Vee's boy obsession nearly got herself and Nora killed in the last book, if I were Nora, I'd be a lot more pissed about being abandoned like that.
At this point, the lights go out in Nora's house. She calls Vee (on her cell phone I presume, or else there's a rather gaping plot hole there). Vee says that the lights on her street have gone out as well. Nora asks if Vee wants to come over and keep her company, and Vee replies "Let’s see. Not especially". I'm supposed to find that snarky and funny, instead of incredibly bitchy, right, Fitzpatrick? Just checking.
My already-low opinion of Vee sinks even more, because even though Nora is alone in a farmhouse and has no electricity and is clearly upset, Vee more or less tells her "I value this date I planned with Rixon more than your wellbeing, so you sit in the dark for a few hours while we go to Taco Bell. Then, I'll stop over and visit you."
Once again, Vee is a BITCH.
Also, how does the electricity lines in Coldwater work? I was under the impression that Vee lived in the main part of town, while Nora was way on the outer limits. I know that depending on where lightning strikes the entire town could go out, but if something that severe happened, wouldn't the Taco Bell likely be blacked out as well?
Well, Nora doesn't give any of that any thought. Instead, we get some pointless filler of her looking for candles and matches. Even though it's pitch black outside, she sees something running around the field. She tries to convince herself that it's a coyote. A coyote. Yes. Um...I know that there are coyote in Maine, but would that really be the first animal a person would think of? Not a wild dog or a deer or something?
Oh well, at this point we're told how the kitchen phone "shrilled" (why do you keep using that word, Fitzpatrick?) and Nora quickly answers it. Considering that the electricity is out, you'd think that the kitchen phone ringing would be more alarming to her. The idea never occurs to her though, probably because if she actually thought about anything, her head might explode from overuse. Instead, she answers the phone and there's just a lot of static. Oh joy, we get another horror movie cliche that Fitzpatrick plundered. What fun!
All of this leads to Nora wangsting about Patch. Specifically, she wangsts about two very large Dead Herrings. Here is what they boil down to.
"IT IS A GREAT THING THAT PATCH IS MY GUARDIAN ANGEL, FOR NOTHING CAN HARM ME WHILE HE IS ON THE JOB! YES, HE WILL CERTAINLY ALWAYS BE PROTECTING ME, AND THERE IS NO WAY DANGER COULD SLIP PAST HIM!"
"WAAAAAH, PATCH DOES NOT LOVE ME ANYMORE! AFTER ALL, IT'S NOT LIKE HE HAS TO CONVINCE THE OTHER ANGELS NOT TO SEND HIM TO HELL! NO, THERE IS NO REASON HE IS NOT CALLING, OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT HE HATES ME!"
My head hurts.
We get a lot more of the same bitching from Nora - that Patch should call her (because calling him is too much effort, apparently), that Patch is taking her breaking up with him too easily (how do you know that, you idiot?), that Patch might be taking his responsibilities as her guardian angel less-than-seriously (no, really?), and it's all Patch's fault that he won't say why he was spying on Marcie (OH JESUS CHRIST, NOT THIS AGAIN!) This leads to her going on a very stupid and disgusting train of thought, which also is ripped off from New Moon.
You guys remember how, after Edward broke up with Bella, she decided to get back at him by engaging in reckless and life-threatening activities? And how it was sickeningly pitched as some bizarre form of empowerment that she was endangering herself because That Would Show Him?
Yeah. Just take that entire line of reasoning. Now, replace "I'm going to do incredibly stupid and dangerous things" with "I'm going to date another guy, simply to spite Patch" and you see Nora's thought process.
And just like with New Moon, there is a convenient runner-up love interest to be dragged into this zany, insane plot and used as a sucker. Yes, that's right, Nora has decided to take Scott up on his offer to play pool!
Nora sins her ass off over this, openly admitting that she's doing a bad thing, but of course justifies it. She's showing Patch, you see. She's proving that she's gotten over him, and baiting him. Isn't that a great idea?
*calmly steeples fingers* No, Nora. You listen here. Fitzpatrick, you listen to. You wrote this garbage, after all. Both of you, pay attention. There are many ways to prove that Patch no longer runs Nora's life. She could take up stamp-collecting. She could work on her schooling, looking for scholarships and potential colleges. She could write a story. She could start dying her hair blonde.
Dating Scott simply to piss Patch off does not prove that Nora has gotten over him. It is an incredibly petty act which is probably a few levels below her pissing on his lawn and thumbing her nose at him in public. It is blindingly obvious that it will not prove to Patch that Nora is over him, because guess what?
THE DATING OF A DIFFERENT GUY AFTER A BREAK-UP ONLY PROVES THAT ONE HAS MOVED ON IF ONE HAS ACTUALLY MOVED ON!!!
It would go double for a guy like Patch, because given how he has proven himself to not be above emotional manipulation? I refuse to believe he hasn't pulled a similar stunt at least once at some point in his life. So really, it just sets up for yet another scenario where Nora comes across as a silly wimmins who of course can't get the best of Patch, but that's okay because he's a man and Better Than Her.
And if this scenario hasn't ripped off New Moon enough yet, the element of self-harm is shoved in as well
"And while I was at it, I was going to test Patch’s ability to keep me safe. Maybe Scott really was Nephilim. Maybe he was even trouble. Maybe he was exactly the kind of guy I should stay away from. I felt a hard smile cross my face as I realized it didn’t matter what I did, or what Scott might do; Patch had to protect me"
ZeldaQueen: (Nora) "I'm deliberately going to go out with someone who I think will hurt me, even though I just was pondering the reliability of Patch as a guardian angel. Self-preservation instincts are for losers who aren't me!"
That's really nice, Nora. That's fantastic. While you're at it, why don't you find a sleezy bar and ride off with some bikers, in the hopes that
*breathes heavily for several minutes*
Of course, there's the other side to this issue, namely Scott himself. Scott, who has thus far been one of very few decent people in this book. Scott, who has genuinely tried to be nice to Nora and cheer her up. Scott, who Nora essentially plans on using, just to get back at her asshole boyfriend. That is not cool. That is not cool in the slightest. It is an incredibly bitchy and unhealthy thing to do, and makes me want to slap Nora upside her empty head.
And on a personal petty note, I'm going to say that if Nora really wanted to use that plan to shock Patch, she should have decided to hook up with Marcie. Hell, that relationship has already been halfway written.
*shakes head* Moving on.
Nora calls Scott and says that she'll take him up on his offer. He promises to swing by and pick her up. As she hangs up, she reflects that "I’d promised my mom I’d keep my distance from Scott, but I wasn’t worried. If Scott messed with me, Patch would have to step in".
*tiredly* By this point, I'm hoping she gets killed. Someone that stupid doesn't deserve to live.
We jump to the small seaside town of Springvale. Scott pulls up outside of a place called the Z Pool Hall. Of course, it's located in a shit area of town
"Trash and weeds decorated the exterior. Two men with shaved heads and goatees were smoking on the sidewalk just outside the doors; they ground out their cigarettes and disappeared inside"
You know, given that the village of Springvale is a real place (and a rather small and nice-looking one at that), it doesn't seem very nice to do nothing but talk about how filthy it is. Fitzpatrick apparently isn't satisfied with stopping there though, because Nora finds the name of the pool hall vaguely familiar and asks Scott where she might have heard of it before. He replies that someone died in a bar brawl there a few weeks back, and it was in all of the news.
Jesus H. Christ, what is with this universe? Are all pool halls just hotbeds of filth and decay? Again, pool hall at my college! For three bucks, you can rent a table for an hour or so, and I guarantee that no one died there!
Of course, there's also the question of WHY THE FUCK GUYS KEEP TAKING NORA ON DATES TO THESE SORTS OF PLACES? I mean, what the hell? Is there some sort of prestiege in going on a date to places where people died? I mean okay, Patch is a psycho who gets off on scaring Nora, so I can buy him doing it. But why would Scott, who we've only ever seen as a nice guy, take Nora on a date to a place where a violent fight and murder took place a few weeks back? Or is this just more of Fitzpatrick fapping over the idea of her avatar being taken to a dangerous place by a hot bad boy, because she finds that sort of thing hot?
(It's that last one)
Scott says that he needs to slip off to find an ATM, and asks Nora to wait for him. Even though it's clearly a bad part of town and HE JUST SAID SOMEONE DIED THERE A FEW WEEKS AGO, he doesn't let Nora lock herself in the car or anything sensible like that. No, he just leaves her standing alone, outside of the bar. Where anyone could grab or attack her. Or she could wander off, like the dumbass she is.
And oh, what do you know? Nora sees Scott slip down an alleyway and decides that she wants to follow him. Because that worked out so very well the last time she did that! But she doesn't head right on after him, because she's in an unfamiliar part of town, and there are some very unsavory men who are eyeing her up, and she has already established herself as weak and unable to properly defend herself if there is trouble.
Oh, no, wait that's what a sensible person's reasoning would be. Nora doesn't chase Scott down the alleyway because she can't think of a way to stalk him without being caught. The idea that it's an incredibly stupid idea that would be almost certainly putting herself in danger? Doesn't occur to her once
ZeldaQueen: I have nothing to say to that. NOTHING. That level of stupidity deserves no comment.
So Nora decides to go through the pool hall, alone, to find a window to spy on Scott through.
Nora? Honey?
ZeldaQueen: YOU ARE THE STUPIDEST CUNTWAFFLE I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF READING ABOUT!
Really, Fitzpatrick, having your little Mary Sue run off like this doesn't make me think she's the next Nancy Drew. Nancy might have gone into dangerous situations, but she was smart enough to know it was dangerous and plan accordingly. Nora the Witless Wonder here shows no signs of so much as realizing the danger she's skipping into, let alone actually taking steps to protect herself from it! She never brings any weapons or even mace or a rape whistle, she never tells anyone where she's going so no one will be able to find her if she's kidnapped or detained, and if she does bring back-up, it's in the form of unreliable or useless people like Vee! None of this makes me think Nora is a budding detective! It makes me think she's STUPID!
*sighs* Nora goes into the bar, and of course it's all dark and full of smoke. We're not told if there's any people in there or not, so it feels like it's an abandoned building. Either that, or Fitzpatrick's descriptions suck. Nora finds no windows, but she does see a door that leads into the alley. She decides to stick her head out there, using the excuse that she was going for some air. As soon as she opens the door however, "Hands grabbed the collar of my jean jacket, yanked me out, and backed me against the brick exterior". *blinks* Okay then. Business as usual.
Why, who should be lurking in a dark alleyway than Patch, here to swing his Lady Love around like a sack of oats and yell at her? And while I am not opposed to smacking some sense into Nora, this is coming from Patch, the textbook abusive boyfriend. Combine that with the fact that while we, the readers, know Nora's motives, Patch does not, and this opens up one huge can of Do Not Want.
Patch continues to be an asshole and demands to know what Nora is doing there. She tells him that she's there with Scott, who she has the audacity to refer to as a friend. Yes, you were such friends before, when you drudged up embarrassing childhood memories and generally was a rude little shit to him. While I'm pissed off at this, Nora decides to kick me again
"I was angry—at the archangels, at fate, at consequences. I was angry for being here with Scott, not Patch. And I was angry at Patch for not pulling me into his arms and telling me he wanted to put everything that had happened to us in the past twenty-four hours behind him. Everything dividing us was washed away, and it was just me and him from now on"
ZeldaQueen: See what I meant before, when I said that her breaking up with him in no way indicated an increase in common sense? None of that is her angry with Patch, the guy who grabbed her and bodily swung her out of a doorway and against a wall. None of it is her angry at Patch, the guy who nearly got her killed multiple times. The guy who tried to kill her. The guy who HELD HER ON THE BED AND KISSED HER WHILE SHE SCREAMED! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GIRL? WHAT IS WRONG WITH FITZPATRICK?
*slaps self* FOCUS!
Now. I am going to summarize the next bit and then rant.
Patch continues to pull his angry bad boy routine, and tells Nora that Scott is, in fact, a first generation Nephilim, just like Jules/Chauncy was. Nora is not particularly afraid of this information, and Patch makes it clear that he thinks that she ought to fear and hate Scott, by virtue of him being a Nephilim. Nora argues that not all Nephilim are evil, and Patch continues to try to make Scott and Nephilim in general look as terrible as possible
"He belongs to a Nephilim blood society that has been growing in power. The society wants to free Nephilim from bondage to fallen angels during Cheshvan. They’re recruiting members like crazy to fight back against fallen angels, and a turf war is brewing between the two sides. If the society becomes powerful enough, fallen angels will back off … and start relying on humans as their vassals instead"
ZeldaQueen: Patch elaborates that this is a Terrible Thing, because unlike Nephilim, humans tend to die after possession. Nora, in a rare fit of logic, points out that "That’s a sad story, but it’s hard to blame Scott or any Nephilim, for that matter. I wouldn’t want a fallen angel taking control of my body two weeks out of every year either. This doesn’t sound like a Nephilim problem. It sounds like a fallen angel problem". Because Nora has made a sensible argument that points out the holes in what Patch said, Patch promptly ignores it and instead starts telling Nora that the pool hall she's at is unsafe and that he outright is ordering her to go home.
Right. Where to start with this?
How about the fact that Fitzpatrick has completely and utterly failed at making the Nephilim unlikable?
Oh yeah, get used to that, folks. Fitzpatrick continues to do everything to make the Nephilim look like some sort of terrorist organization. They brand themselves. They are a secret society with the word "blood" in their name". They are so violent, ohes teh noes!
Except it completely falls flat. Because the guys their fighting, the fallen angels (including precious Patch here) are just as violent and dangerous, probably even moreso. And unlike the Nephilim, the fallen angels attack people more or less for shits and giggles. They torture and enslave the Nephilim because they want to get laid for two weeks out of the year. The Nephilim fight the fallen angels because they want to save themselves from an eternity of servitude and being raped in multiple ways. Which side do you think sounds more sympathetic, Ms Fitzpatrick? Because to me, it sure ain't the fallen angels.
And speaking of rape, that leads to the next bit. Fitzpatrick, your ultimate bad-boy boyfriend there? He's a miserable little victim-blaming piece of shit. Seriously, you read that quote of his and just try to tell me that it's not victim-blaming in the worst possible way! He just said that the Nephilim are horrifically evil and selfish for daring to want to escape mind rape and possession and that humans will die if they succeed, so they'd better just stay where they're at and continue to be abused. Otherwise, people will be dead and it'll be all their fault.
Of course, Patch kind of kills (hur) that argument, because he also tells us another reason why fallen angels don't possess humans, besides the high mortality rate
"Fallen angels can’t force humans to swear fealty, they have to convince them to turn over their bodies. That takes time and persuasion. Human bodies also deteriorate faster. Not many fallen angels want to go to the trouble of possessing a human body if it could be dead in a week"
ZeldaQueen: So apparently it's wrong that the people who are forced into such a horrific situation are doing so at the cost of people who can't be forced into it. Lovely logic there, Patch. Doubly so when one considers that it's the twentieth century. How many humans could one get, in all seriousness, to agree to give up their bodies?
Now, I'm sure Fitzpatrick would handwave this by saying that the fallen angels would trick the humans, or hold them at gunpoint or something. Okay, I get that. Next question, though - what the fuck would the regular angels be doing for all of this? Yeah, anyone remember those guys existing? We learn later that they just hate the Nephilim, for whatever reason, so I can buy them turning a blind eye to the fallen angels torturing them. I don't like it, but fine. But are we really supposed to believe that they're just going to sit there and let the fallen angels commit mass possession and murder on a bunch of humans? You know, the species that, by word of the Bible (which this series is going off the idea is true), is the rightful inhabitants of the place? The ones who God created and loves best? It's not like the angels have no way to combat the fallen angels. We're repeatedly told that they can send the bastards to Hell! God (who apparently doesn't exist, and yes, that still bugs me) alone knows why they aren't doing that anyway, but we later see that it apparently isn't that difficult to do, and the fallen angels are anything but subtle.
Long story short? I really fail to see any reason why, if these characters were the least bit moral or competent, this should be a problem. Of course, the key words there are "moral" and "competent", so I guess there's our issue. Fitzpatrick? Your characters are horrible and your plot sucks. Learn to write a better story, you hack.
Finally, I would like to point out how very telling it is that Patch seems so dead set on getting Nora to hate the Nephilim, when it's his fault to begin with that she had any bad run-ins with them at all. The only reason Jules/Chauncey found her at all was because Patch got all interested in stalking her. The only reason Jules/Chauncey was inclined at all to hurt her was because Patch spent the past several centuries possessing him and using him for sex. And yet, Patch sees none of this. Nora only halfway sees it, and doesn't bring it up nearly as much as she should. And I'd wager that the fans of this series and Fitzpatrick herself see very little of it.
Okay, rant is over. Sorry. Where did we leave off?
Ah, right. With Patch being a controlling asshat, trying to order Nora to go home. Nora gets pissily self-righteous at this, and while I'd ordinarily applaud her calling him out on his despicable behavior, we all know that it will all be forgotten and/or forgiven by the story's end. Not to mention that yet again, her idea of telling Patch off involves hanging around in a place that is clearly unsafe. Patch actually points this out, saying "You’re putting
yourself in danger to get back at me?" and reminding her that she dumped him. Nora continues to ignore him, save for telling him "I’m not really in the mood to hang out at home all night feeling sorry for myself".
You know, Nora, going out all night and feeling sorry for yourself is hardly better than staying at home and feeling sorry for yourself. And don't try and tell me you aren't. If you were actually making an effort to move on, you wouldn't be devoting yourself to this ridiculous revenge scheme.
And then, Patch goes into full-on creeper mode
"Patch dug in his pocket for his keys. 'I’m taking you home.' His tone told me I was a huge inconvenience, and that if he saw any way around it, he’d gladly opt out.
'I don’t want a ride. I don’t need your help.'
He laughed, but the sound lacked humor. 'You’re getting in the Jeep, even if I have to drag you inside, because you’re not
staying here. It’s too dangerous.'
'You can’t order me around.'
He merely looked at me. 'And while you’re at it, you’re going to stop hanging out with Scott.'
I felt my anger bubbling up. How dare he assume I was weak and helpless. How dare he try to control me by telling me where I could and couldn’t go, and who I could spend time with. How dare he act like I’d meant nothing to him?"
ZeldaQueen: Well.
- "Stop being obstinent,
- "Even though I'm forcing you to go somewhere against your will, I'm doing it for love. Even though I'm making it more than obvious that kidnapping you is inconvenient for me. I'm so selfless and caring for dragging you away against your will, aren't I?"
- "I forbid you to hang around with Scott. That's an order. He - the boy who has done absolutely nothing wrong to you - is clearly far too dangerous for you to hang around. Now, come with me, the guy who stalked, tricked, mind raped, possessed, scared, and attempted to rape and murder you. I'm obviously the one you should trust!"
- On that note, Fitzpatrick? After writing your bad boy love interest as a rapist psychopath, having him tell his girlfriend "You're getting in the car with me, whether you like it or not," is fucking creepy.
- From Nora, "I'm not angry that he's ordering me around and being a flaming hypocrite! I'm angry that he's doing those things because it looks like he's denying that we ever had anything special!"
- All of these assholes can die in the most painful way possible. I mean it.
You know, I'm so tired right now that I can't even get a good scream out over that. I just can't. It's too infuriating, especially Nora's reaction. Because out of nowhere, Nora declares that she wants to break it off with Patch entirely, including not wanting him as her guardian angel. Well, so much for her previous insistences that he'd always save her from danger. In any case, this is all well and good, except that this is portrayed as an epic love sacrifice. No, really! After he just right there was a textbook controlling boyfriend and a jackhole to boot, she insists she doesn't love him, all while mentally yammering about how it pains her inside, but how she must give him up to save him from the persecution of those meanie archangels. And I can't rant on this. It's just. Too. Much.
*hugs self* Nearly over, nearly over.
Patch tries to get Nora to take it all back, and she refuses. He finally slips some money into her back pocket and...erm, there's the implication that he used the opportunity to grope her ass. In the middle of what's supposed to be a heartwrenching and dramatic scene. Stay classy, Patch. Nora tries to refuse the money, and we get an extremely ridiculous reason for him giving it to her
"Half the guys in there are carrying some form of weapon. If anything happens, throw the money on the table and head for
the doors. Nobody’s going to follow you with a pile of cash up for grabs"
ZeldaQueen: Again, I say what the hell? What next, are we going to find out that the people in the bar literally smell fear and devour the flesh of the weakest ones in there?
Oh, no, the point of that over-the-top warning is for a lovely Dead Herring from Nora
"I remembered Marcie. Was he suggesting that someone might try to knife me? I nearly laughed. Did he honestly think that would scare me? Whether I wanted him as my guardian angel was irrelevant. The fact of the matter was, nothing I said or did would change his duty. He had to keep me safe. The fact that he was here right now proved it"
ZeldaQueen: You all got that? Patch is most certainly going to stay her guardian angel and always keep her safe. Never mind that he all but shat himself when she told him she didn't want him as her guardian anymore. Nope, she'll always, always be safe. This most certainly won't lead to a later scene, where Nora is in danger because Patch isn't her guardian angel and can't protect her.
Seriously, Fitzpatrick, if I wanted to smell like dead fish, I'd read the works of Stephenie Meyer.
And with that, we're done. Nora goes back into the pool hall, Patch fucks off somewhere, and I go to eat chocolate. Good night!
YOU FUCKING WHORE: 19
Onward to: Chapter 6
Return to: Chapter 4
Back to: Table of Contents