Marked: Chapter 27
Mar. 10th, 2011 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zelda_queenProjection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 27
ZeldaQueen: We open right up with Aphrodite being a Scary Sue, making some lame "scathing" remark about how Zoey basically stole the dress she was given at the last ritual. Yet again, we're supposed to think that Aphrodite is so scary, yet the Cast ladies have fallen to the most basic Suethor technique of making their Scary Sues into tantrumy brats. Also, Zoey is insulted because Aphrodite speaks to her like an adult talking to a child. This would be fine, except that Zoey feels the need to bring up the fact that she has boobs as proof of her maturity. I think I'm going to start a boob count in the next book.
Zoey proceeds to be equally childish and makes a very lame jab at Aphrodite's hospitality, citing her Vamp Sociology textbook on how the leader of the Dark Daughters must make new members feel welcome. Zoey then makes the charming move of saying "And I must say you look better than you did the last time I saw you". Aphrodite noticeably pales at this and Zoey apologizes, only for Aphrodite to go tell her to fuck herself and storm off. We're supposed to think better of Zoey for this, that she takes no pleasure in taunting others and is trying to extend a hand of friendship towards Aphrodite, but Aphrodite is just a bitch who is ignoring that. I would like to remind the Cast ladies that Zoey just taunted Aphrodite about what seemed to basically be a seizure mixed with horrific visions of death and destruction. That, doubled with the fact that Zoey spent the entirety of said last meeting being a smug brat, leaves me with no sympathy for Zoey.
Aphrodite proceeds to act Scary and gets all attention on herself. Zoey takes time to comment on how tight-fitting her red dress is and wonders if she shops at the "Goth ho store". Aphrodite, meanwhile, starts to deliver a eulogy of sorts for Elizabeth and Elliot, which can more or less be summed up as "Elizabeth was nice and Elliot had nummy blood, still better them than us". Zoey promptly starts taking the higher ground on this, even though she still says that no one at all liked Elliot and "The kid was annoying and unattractive (and his ghost or whatever seemed to be carrying on those traits)".
There's then a shift in mood, as Aphrodite announces that it's time for Samhain, baby! Time to honor their vampiric ancestors and shake it up, yo! There's a pointless mention of how everyone is ignoring Zoey, which I guess is supposed to show how isolated she is, except that she hardly said two words to most of those people throughout the entire book. Everyone starts chanting about how they're going to celebrate by going out and Aphrodite gives a laugh which Zoey describes as "too sexual to be appropriate". And then Zoey starts going on about how it looks like Aphrodite was touching herself. JESUS CHRIST, MS AND MS CAST, WILL YOU PUT A LID ON IT?
We then get Aphrodite making a big deal out of how they're going out and OH YEAH, THEY HAVE A NEW REFRIGERATOR, HOW ABOUT THAT? Specifically, it's a "new little refrigerator". Keep that phrase in mind, ladies and gentlemen. Zoey is all disgusted and feels sorry because THERE'S A NEW KID WHO IS A REFRIGERATOR, WHAT A SAD FATE, WHOEVER COULD IT BE? *shakes head* I'm sorry, the foreshadowing just whacked me upside the head.
Everyone starts running off to this mysterious ritual location and Zoey seriously contemplates just running back to the dorm, apologizing to her friends, and telling them about Elliot. Except that the Mysterious Sixth Sense that she has randomly acquired keeps telling her to go to the ritual. And then Erik shows up and she melts and goes with him.
They get to the wall surrounding the school and we find out that there's a secret door in the wall, which the Dark Daughters and Sons use to sneak out. It's automated, like a car door, and while the teachers know about it, they aren't official involved with it and mostly just turn a blind eye.
I would like to repeat that - the Dark Daughters and Sons apparently fixed a wall with an automated secret door and somehow did it secretly enough that almost all of the student body doesn't know about it and the teachers can pretend that they don't know about it.
I hate this book.
So yeah, Erik says that the teachers are fine with them sneaking out, just so long as they don't do anything "too stupid". Given the intelligence and subtlety of these morons, it's a wonder that line hasn't been crossed long ago. They wander into Tulsa and we are told that it's four-thirty AM. Keep that in mind as well. Anyway, we get a lot of purple prose about how creepy it is to be sneaking through yards and whatnot so late at night, and the narrative is pretty nice here. There's also some stuff about how knight-like Erik looks in the dark, which isn't as nice but I suppose is a step up from describing him as an actual Greek god.
By this point, Zoey realizes that they're breaking into the Philbrook Museum. Zoey freaks out and tells Erik that they'll be in a lot of trouble if they're caught. He says that they won't be caught, because Aphrodite drugged them all. Aphrodite slipped out of school, broke into a museum, managed to drug the same guards who would be on shift when she was coming back for the ritual, and got back to school. Without tripping any alarms, getting caught on security cameras, or causing any commotion. Apparently these guards don't have people checking in with them either.
I'd head desk, but you know, by now I'm too worn down. You'll just have to do your own.
Zoey starts privately freaking out about how calm Erik is about drugging guards, and if it were any other character, I'd chalk it up to human empathy. The way she says it though, it sounds like she's soapboxing about how she knows better! This is not helped by her immediately going on an internal rant about how this is another thing she'll be changing when she's High Priestess, before comparing the Dark Daughters to the People of Faith. Oh yay, I almost forgot about them. *rolls eyes*
They finally stop at a...gazebo? The hell? Weren't they just in the museum? Did they walk through the museum? I mean, they describe the gazebo as being "situated at the bottom of the gentle slope that led up to the museum". Are they supposed to be in the museum's backyard? Where is this?
Gawd. The ritual is all set up in this gazebo, complete with some kid in a black cloak all huddled over like Elliot was. Of course, now Zoey shows sympathy for whoever it is and actually wonders if the blood drawing thing had any effect on Elliot's early death.
Aphrodite and her buddies step up and make the circle and start calling for the spirits of their ancestors to show up. Zoey is all creeped out, but at the same time is interested and thinks that it might lead to a clue about the ghosts she's been seeing. You know, the ones she's been ignoring? And surely nothing bad will happen! After all, they've been doing this ritual for years now, so it's certainly not like something bad will happen here, no sireebob! Zoey also goes on about how Aphrodite is a total bully who is all talk under the swagger and so surely she'd never call anything tougher than her in! So yeah, it's all cool, nothing bad is going to happen!
Yes, this is all that obvious.
The ritual has started and we are once again bashed over the head with how Zoey feels all of the elements. She starts to feel positive about the future because SURELY NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN, and is annoyed that Erik is only looking at Aphrodite, because "wasn't he supposed to be sneaking looks at me, too?"
By this point, Aphrodite is burning sweet grass for the ritual. Zoey starts to panic because with her Magic Cherokee Knowledge, she knows that sweet grass can summon any kinds of spirits and thus it should only be used after one has burned sage to purify the area. Why no, I'm sure there's no reason why this is being brought up here and now! Zoey certainly doesn't. Nope, she decides that it's too late to say anything, so she just keeps quiet.
Aphrodite gives a prayer to call back the spirits of their vampire ancestors and a bunch of humanoid, smokey beings come forth. They're definitely different than what Elizabeth or Elliot looked like, so Zoey starts to relax. Aphrodite is just about to offer then a cup of blood and wine when OH LOOK, HERE'S HEATH! Apparently he decided to go visiting the museum at four-thirty in the morning, on the off chance that his ex-girlfriend was going to be there
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Onward to: Chapter 28
Back to: Chapter 26
Back to: Table of Contents
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 03:19 am (UTC)1) Why wouldn't he be looking at her? Isn't she CONDUCTING the ritual? Isn't everyone watching Aphrodite conduct the ritual?!
2) Zoey, you have shown absolutely no interest to Erik. Yes, your internal dialogue has shown otherwise, but he asked you on a date, you turned him down, then you made no effort to reschedule it even though you want to. To him, you have essentially rejected him and hinted that you would rather be friends.
3) You don't even deserve Erik! You only think of him as damaged goods because he had the gall to date Aphrodite before you waltz on scene despite the fact that it sounds like he was forced to date her, but you are so awesome you look over that little fact, don't you?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 03:22 am (UTC)She is, and everyone is. Zoey is pissed because he ought to be "sneaking glances" at her, because heaven forbid he not devote every second to her.
"Zoey, you have shown absolutely no interest to Erik. Yes, your internal dialogue has shown otherwise, but he asked you on a date, you turned him down, then you made no effort to reschedule it even though you want to. To him, you have essentially rejected him and hinted that you would rather be friends."
Technically she did reschedule, but they really have had minimal interaction thus far.
"You don't even deserve Erik! You only think of him as damaged goods because he had the gall to date Aphrodite before you waltz on scene despite the fact that it sounds like he was forced to date her, but you are so awesome you look over that little fact, don't you?"
This, a million times. Not only that, but all she does is go on about how hot he is, even though they're supposed to have the Deep and Meaningful relationship going on. -_-
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 04:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 05:43 am (UTC)"On an unrelated note, I saw your twitter post about Beastly. When I saw the trailer I was like, "What the fuck?" The way Adrian looked did not warrant that much hiding. No one is going to freak out over some bald guy with weird scars, as opposed to a hairy monster."
If they had kept it as clever as the book, I could have taken the change of appearance. I mean it's Hollywood, lord forbid the guy actually look ugly. What really got me angry was the lame ending they slapped on! And to make things worse, given some lines and scenes in the trailer that never show up in the movie, I'm pretty sure they DID do an ending similar to the book's!
Seriously, I was expecting the drug dealer's brother to be the one to kidnap Lindy at the end. "Your daughter for my brother", it would have made perfect sense.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 12:55 pm (UTC)I'm pretty sure I read somewhere about them doing Beastly re-shoots, so they might've started out with the drug-dealer ending and then jettisoned it for something sappier and safer. While I didn't love the drug dealer stuff in the book (I thought it was a really dark and abrupt tone shift from the sweet high school romance going on), you can't really work up the same level of 'oh, no, what's going to happen' with a school trip to Machu Picchu as with a crazy violent drug dealer.
My friend and I actually started giggling during the transformation-back-into-a-prince moment cause it was so cheesy. And I thought Will's reaction in his last scene was way too subdued; if that was me, I would've been running through the streets to the Hallelujah chorus. On the other hand, I thought Mary Kate Olsen was really well cast.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-12 03:52 am (UTC)Yeah, that would have made a lot of sense. I mean, they really looked like they were setting up for it and it was the ONE THING I was actually looking forward to seeing and they SKIPPED IT! >:(
I liked the ending for the same reason that I liked Disney's ending - we get to see how much the Beast has changed, saving the girl and willingly dying for it. One thing about the changed ending that REALLY cheesed me though was the forced "I thought you couldn't love someone as ugly as me" bit. Um, HELLO Kyle? Did you watch your own movie at all??? I mean, I know in the book he didn't think she could love him, but wasn't it mostly because he thought she secretly resented him?
Olsen was good, but I did wish they kept her involvement with Kyle. I liked how the two were almost friendly at some points. I did love Neil Patrick Harris as Will, especially a lot of his snarking. The bit where he implies that Kyle was building a structure for kidnapping and breeding with virginal teenagers a la a b-movie ripoff was hilarious. XD
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 02:10 pm (UTC)Ranted on my LJ about it already though, so I'll spare your ear.
Seriously, there's two chapters left of this tripe and only now is there any sort of real conflict or anything? Ugh, I'm just gonna channel the Nostalgia Critic and say "JUST BECAUSE YOU END ON A CLIFFHANGER DOESN'T GUARANTEE A SEQUEL."
And...wow, Heath just randomly shows up at the gazebo at four in the morning? I imagine he walks around the whole town all night long, going "Zo-eeeeeeey~" and hoping she'll answer.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 11:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-12 03:46 am (UTC)Lindy was plain but cleaned up nicely. One could be charitable and argue that she was the sort of person who needed a little make-up and nice clothes to show things off, which her lifestyle couldn't afford. Still, "dress like a hippy" doesn't make one seem unattractive.
And no, in the book he actually was all hairy. There was one part where he tried to make himself look more human by shaving all of the fur off of his arms, but it just grew back immediately. In another part, when he tells his blind tutor how he looks, the tutor touches his arm and thinks he's wearing a fur coat. He also had claws and growled a few times, so it was very much like Disney's version.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 04:48 am (UTC)...ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, CASTS?!
YOU USE SAMHAIN AS AN EXCUSE TO SEND YOUR SCARY-SUE BRATS OUT ON WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A DRUNKEN RAMPAGE?!! WHERE THEY COMMIT CRIMES AND DRUG GUARDS AND BASICALLY ACT LIKE A BUNCH OF HIGH SCHOOL BRATS?!
AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, YOU HAVE THEM SUMMON A FUCKING DEMON WHILE YUOR SO-CALLED PROTAGONIST FUCKING SITS THERE IGNORING SIGNALS FROM HER GODDESS AND NOT DOING A FUCKING THING TO STOP IT?!
STEREOTYPES, MOTHERFUCKER! I KNOW THEM WELL!
*Mervin and Hyde have claim on Tokyo, so hickumu is just going to go rampage around Hokkaido for a while*
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 05:44 am (UTC)Multiple ones, actually -_- The level of idiocy is quite impressive, I must say.
I'm still trying to figure out why they're using what is implied to be Cherokee ritual things in a Wiccan-based ritual. I take it that the real life Samhain doesn't involve burning sweetgrass or sage?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 05:47 am (UTC)But the point of protective components is that you do not fucking push your luck summoning multiple fucking demons on fucking purpose!
Yeah, Hokkaido is screwed.(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-12 03:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-12 05:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 10:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-11 08:30 am (UTC)That's all I can do in reaction.
*headkeyboard*
Honestly!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-12 09:16 am (UTC)That really sounds like something out of an etiquette book, not something sociological. But then again, that might require the Casts to actually do this thing called research on identity and community or whatever :D
'"The kid was annoying and unattractive (and his ghost or whatever seemed to be carrying on those traits)"'
'Ew, like Elliot was, like, soooo, ugly, he deserved to reject the change and die!' Yeah, too bad Elliot was someone's son and brother, he was sooooo ugly! >.< This is one of the nastiest things I've heard Zoey say so far!
'There's then a shift in mood, as Aphrodite announces that it's time for Samhain, baby! Time to honor their vampiric ancestors and shake it up, yo!'
Break out the tequila shots, baby! :P
And I don't mean to pimp myself out here, but I've done a post on the graphics for the upcoming Breaking Dawn movie Twifans have 'designed' (you know, pretty much crapped something out on PhotoShop and made it look all 'goffick' :D) Check it out here:
http://winki-pop.livejournal.com/10523.html?view=14363#t14363
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-13 04:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-06 04:29 am (UTC)Now, I'd recently gotten a couple volumes I missed in the .hack fandom, and I'm regretting it so badly. Just when I think I've facepalmed enough at the Sue, the bits that make me think "the author has read too many romance novels", the illogical thinking behind the main PC's existence, "realistic" deaths that haven't happened in any .hack games, the whole stupid thing that reeks of Suedom (people looking on in disgust, almost all the time, at a beautiful, skillful woman PC)... I read these recaps and cringe.
I used to have words for how awful HoN was, but they're gone. I can barely read the recaps without going insane. I'm surprised you can write them in the first place.
At least I can read the dang volumes now. Still painful, but they're not as bad as this atrocity to literature. I've probably said this before, but kudos to you for doing these sporkings.
Oi... Two chapters to go.
(Sorry for the rambling up there. The books bring out all my ranting.)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-06 04:56 pm (UTC)And these books are just pointless. I've read fanfiction with better focus. How this all got published, I have no idea. I guess "teen romance" and "vampires" gets you to the front of that line these days.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 11:34 am (UTC)At this point, I am beginning to believe that these Suethors can't be serious. All the poor writing, bad characters, presenting what could be potential conflict and then snatching away right from under our noses, only to replace it with the cliched dethroning of the Scary Sue...
The Casts got to be trolling.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-23 04:03 am (UTC)