zelda_queen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zelda_queen) wrote2011-04-26 06:53 pm
zelda_queen) wrote2011-04-26 06:53 pm
Entry tags:
Betrayed: Chapter 3
ZeldaQueen: ...You all remember my warnings about how this book gets worse?
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 3
ZeldaQueen: Like I said in the last sporking, the first thing we get here is Stevie Rae insisting that it‘s ridiculous to feel sorry for someone who is emotionally abused. Now I might understand this coming from Stevie Rae, considering the refrigerator thing, except for two things. First of all, everyone acts like pitying Aphrodite even the slightest is unthinkable and second of all, we hardly got anything on Stevie Rae being used as a refrigerator. I think the concept only comes up once or twice in this book, and there‘s really no sign that it‘s on Stevie Rae‘s mind when she goes on like this.
Anyway, the girls are running for class and are nearly late because…Zoey had a second bowl of Count Chocula. Does she add her milk with an eyedropper or something? Because…it‘s cold cereal. You pour it into a bowl, you pour on the milk, you eat it. It‘s hardly a five-course meal. I strongly suspect that this was the Cast ladies attempting to be funny by reminding us that yes, Count Chocula is one of Zoey‘s Trademark Favorite Foods. It‘s just annoying. Although not quite as annoying as the running gag they force about her liking brown pop.
Zoey runs into her Vamp Sociology class and as soon as Neferet comes into the room, we get this
“Okay, I know it's bordering on weird (or maybe queer is the better word choice) to continually notice how gorgeous a woman is when you're a woman, too, but Neferet is so damn beautiful that it's like she has the ability to focus all the light in the room on herself”
ZeldaQueen: Do the Cast ladies get out of the house very much? Because I‘m definitely a woman and I notice how gorgeous other women are. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.
So we get an info dump on how hot Neferet is, complete with a random mention of how Zoey totally saw the vampire goddess Nyx in the last book, because clearly that‘s not important and going to show up later. We‘re told about how they have a lecture on the Gorgon, which of course turns out that she was not a monster but instead had the affinity of Earth and they‘re supposed to write an essay on human myth and the fictionalization of Medusa.
I’m bringing this up because on its own? That‘s an interesting idea. The whole “myths are actually explained in another supernatural way” is a staple of these sorts of books, yes, but if done well can be a nice spin on things. That being said, there’s a few things that I want to mention, which tie into the series’ writing itself
First, this is just one of a good many times where traditional Greek myth aspects are explained as tying into the vampiric world. Like I said, that’s valid enough, but there’s one thing - every one of those lessons just comes across as hand waving things. “Oh, that wasn’t really a monster, that was a grand and glorious vampire High Priestess, and the stupid humans just got it mixed up!” Maybe it’s just because of how it’s delivered, but it really is annoying.
Second, we’re supposed to believe that Medusa is a vampire with the power to control earth. Okay…where does the blood-drinking come in? I’m serious here. There is literally one thing that must be included to make something a vampire in my book - it must drink blood or something analogous to blood (life energy, fat, spinal fluid, etc). I have yet to have heard of a myth where Medusa does anything like that. Instead, all of the focus is on her Magic Priestess Power. That coupled with what I said before about PC viewing the blood drinking as a “nod” towards traditional vampire stories gives the impression that the vampires are more defined by their fucking X-men powers instead of the blood drinking which is the entire point of a vampire! Jesus, what is it with people trying to make vampires that don’t drink blood? That’s like making a werewolf that doesn’t actually transform into a wolf! Now, that problem could be hand waved with the explanation that the myths just left out the blood drinking thing, or that the people who wrote the myths didn’t know about it. But that and my first issue both tie into the next issue…
Why the fuck did the myth of Medusa form that way in the first place? From what we see, vampires are hardly hidden. They interact with humans pretty regularly, the world knows about them, and apparently they’re recognized enough to get employed and have their own schools and whatnot. We also see that the vampires are apparently rather pissed about being mis-represented in media and mythology. So…how did that happen? Were they conveniently in hiding until the twentieth century or something? Even if that is the case though, why don’t they correct people? Zoey acts like this stuff is a surprise to her, which implies that humans still are under the impression that Medusa wasn’t a vampire and so on. And it’s not like the vampires can’t tell humans about it all. We’re told that there’s a ton of vampires who are in the media and are famous! Really, all I can conclude is that for all the vampires bitch about how humans just don’t geeeeeet them, they are too lazy to actually bother addressing the misconceptions about them.
*glances up* Wow, that really got ranty. Sorry. Anyway, Zoey’s mind is not on the essay, and instead she is worrying about getting something together for the upcoming Dark Daughter ritual. You know, the one she had a month to prepare for.
ZeldaQueen: I’m just saying…
So yeah, Zoey goes to Neferet for permission to go to the media center to look up some stuff for the ritual. We get an info dump about how the last time a kid left class early, it was Elliot dying. This isn’t too bad, except that she describes said death as “totally gross”. Such a sympathetic girl.
Nefert is all smiles and lets her go and she scampers off. Along the way, she mentions how she knows most of the inside rules to the House of Night (which we hear nothing about, I kid you not) and mocks her old high school, and how the vice principle had nothing better to do than make sure kids weren’t skipping class and loitering in the halls, the nerve of him.
Zoey enters the library and Nala shows up. You know, Nala serves zero purpose to the story, but I find myself strangely fond of her. Perhaps it’s because she’s one of the few characters who isn’t completely unpleasant. The librarian shows up and bashes dogs for a bit (OH NO YOU DID NOT!!!)
So she settles down at a computer and starts searching for old schools or…something. Honestly, this is like her first performing the Summoning ritual in the last book. It’s built up like it’s serving some grave purpose, but I honestly have no idea what the significance is. From what I can gather, she is searching for ideas for new, sweeping reforms for the Dark Daughters. I’m not sure why. From what we’ve seen of them, you have your members, the High-Priestess-in-training dances, she talks to everyone, they go home. The only corrupt things Aphrodite did were mix blood in the wine, burn pot, and invite bitchy girls. Zoey just has to leave the blood and pot out and evaluate the members and she’s golden.
Anyway, she says how she only wants old, upper-crust schools, “none of those stupid ‘alternative Academies’ that were really just holding pens for future criminals—ugh”, on the grounds that their rules have stood the test of time. But not Chatham, because any school Aphrodite’s parents want her to attend is Bad, long history be damned. She also pulls up Kent and is familiar with it because it’s where Shaunee had been attending when she was Marked (yes, this is the first time we hear about this). So yeah, it’s a school that one of Zoey’s friends went to and thus it is Good, so she starts researching it.
Some time passes and Nala hisses at someone. Zoey jumps and sees that it’s Loren Blake. You know, that guy who was mentioned exactly once in the last book, mostly because he was twenty-five and hot? It probably would have been a good idea to introduce him a bit more, because he strikes up a conversation with Zoey and the book acts like we’re already very familiar with him. I guess it doesn’t matter. After all, he’s Hot and does poetry so he’s Deep and he’s kind of close to Zoey in age…fuck. I think I know where this is going.
“I grasped his forearm in the traditional vampyre greeting, trying not to think about how warm his arm was, how strong he felt, and how alone we were in the empty media center.
‘I know,’ I said. Then I wanted to slit my throat. What an idiotic thing to say! ‘What I mean is I know who you are. You're the first male Poet Laureate they've named in two hundred years.’ I realized I was still grasping his arm and let go of him. ‘I'm Zoey Redbird.’
His smile made my heart flop around inside my chest. ‘I know who you are, too.’ His gorgeous eyes, so dark they looked black and bottomless, sparkled mischievously. ‘You're the first fledgling to have a colored-in, expanded Mark, as well as the only vamp, fledgling or adult, to have an affinity for all five of the elements. It's nice to finally meet you face-to-face. Neferet's told me a lot
about you.’
‘She has?’ I was mortified that my voice squeaked.
‘Of course she has. She's incredibly proud of you.’ He nodded at the empty seat beside me. ‘I don't want to interrupt your work, but do you mind if I sit with you a little while?’”
ZeldaQueen: Cast ladies. No. Please. Please tell me you aren’t doing this. After every Mary Sue cliché you’ve trotted out thus far, please tell me you aren’t going for the teacher-student forbidden affair one.
My sanity is waning rapidly.
And it just. Keeps. Going. On. I’m really sorry for the quotes, but you have to see this
“Okay, I needed to think and talk. Be normal. Forget that he was easily the most heart-stoppingly beautiful man I'd ever been near in my entire life. He's a professor at the school. Just another teacher. That's all. Yeah, right. Just another teacher who looked like every woman's dream of The Perfect Man. And I did mean Man. Erik was hot and handsome and very cool. Loren Blake was a whole other universe. A totally off-limits, impossibly sexy universe I was not allowed access to. As if he saw me as anything but a kid anyway. Please. I'm sixteen. Okay, almost seventeen, but still. He's probably at least twenty-one or something. He was just being nice”
ZeldaQueen: Good God, this is just the “I can’t believe a guy like him would want a plain little girl like me” routine! She’s not even considering the fact that he’s not interested in her because she’s a student and teacher-student relationships are BIG NO-NOS!!!
Also, I really want to stress that I’m not bashing fantasies or whatnot. I’ve had plenty of good-looking teachers. But I’m wondering, does Zoey only have one speed she goes at? Because that endless prose about how ultra-hot and forbidden and sexy and whatnot? That’s exactly how she starts talking when she’s going on about Erik or Heath! You know, her boyfriends! Different adjectives, but…I mean, am I just really old-fashioned? It seems to me that it’s one thing to think “Wow, that’s one hot teacher” and quite another to think “They’re so sexy, how depressing he’ll only ever see me as a kid”.
And this pretty much keeps up for the rest of the chapter. While Zoey does actually get around to explaining her ideas (to replicate Kent‘s Senior Council and Prefect system), in between explanations we get endless descriptions of how hot her face is getting and how gorgeous Blake is and how he makes her feel so bold. He starts tracing her Mark and she goes on about how trembly she feels and he starts reciting poetry to her. And then Aphrodite shows up and Zoey realizes how things look and ruh-oh, this means trouble!
You know, I wonder if any actual plot will be showing up any time soon
----------------------------------------
Onward to: Chapter 4
Back to: Chapter 2
Back to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3
ZeldaQueen: Like I said in the last sporking, the first thing we get here is Stevie Rae insisting that it‘s ridiculous to feel sorry for someone who is emotionally abused. Now I might understand this coming from Stevie Rae, considering the refrigerator thing, except for two things. First of all, everyone acts like pitying Aphrodite even the slightest is unthinkable and second of all, we hardly got anything on Stevie Rae being used as a refrigerator. I think the concept only comes up once or twice in this book, and there‘s really no sign that it‘s on Stevie Rae‘s mind when she goes on like this.
Anyway, the girls are running for class and are nearly late because…Zoey had a second bowl of Count Chocula. Does she add her milk with an eyedropper or something? Because…it‘s cold cereal. You pour it into a bowl, you pour on the milk, you eat it. It‘s hardly a five-course meal. I strongly suspect that this was the Cast ladies attempting to be funny by reminding us that yes, Count Chocula is one of Zoey‘s Trademark Favorite Foods. It‘s just annoying. Although not quite as annoying as the running gag they force about her liking brown pop.
Zoey runs into her Vamp Sociology class and as soon as Neferet comes into the room, we get this
“Okay, I know it's bordering on weird (or maybe queer is the better word choice) to continually notice how gorgeous a woman is when you're a woman, too, but Neferet is so damn beautiful that it's like she has the ability to focus all the light in the room on herself”
ZeldaQueen: Do the Cast ladies get out of the house very much? Because I‘m definitely a woman and I notice how gorgeous other women are. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.
So we get an info dump on how hot Neferet is, complete with a random mention of how Zoey totally saw the vampire goddess Nyx in the last book, because clearly that‘s not important and going to show up later. We‘re told about how they have a lecture on the Gorgon, which of course turns out that she was not a monster but instead had the affinity of Earth and they‘re supposed to write an essay on human myth and the fictionalization of Medusa.
I’m bringing this up because on its own? That‘s an interesting idea. The whole “myths are actually explained in another supernatural way” is a staple of these sorts of books, yes, but if done well can be a nice spin on things. That being said, there’s a few things that I want to mention, which tie into the series’ writing itself
First, this is just one of a good many times where traditional Greek myth aspects are explained as tying into the vampiric world. Like I said, that’s valid enough, but there’s one thing - every one of those lessons just comes across as hand waving things. “Oh, that wasn’t really a monster, that was a grand and glorious vampire High Priestess, and the stupid humans just got it mixed up!” Maybe it’s just because of how it’s delivered, but it really is annoying.
Second, we’re supposed to believe that Medusa is a vampire with the power to control earth. Okay…where does the blood-drinking come in? I’m serious here. There is literally one thing that must be included to make something a vampire in my book - it must drink blood or something analogous to blood (life energy, fat, spinal fluid, etc). I have yet to have heard of a myth where Medusa does anything like that. Instead, all of the focus is on her Magic Priestess Power. That coupled with what I said before about PC viewing the blood drinking as a “nod” towards traditional vampire stories gives the impression that the vampires are more defined by their fucking X-men powers instead of the blood drinking which is the entire point of a vampire! Jesus, what is it with people trying to make vampires that don’t drink blood? That’s like making a werewolf that doesn’t actually transform into a wolf! Now, that problem could be hand waved with the explanation that the myths just left out the blood drinking thing, or that the people who wrote the myths didn’t know about it. But that and my first issue both tie into the next issue…
Why the fuck did the myth of Medusa form that way in the first place? From what we see, vampires are hardly hidden. They interact with humans pretty regularly, the world knows about them, and apparently they’re recognized enough to get employed and have their own schools and whatnot. We also see that the vampires are apparently rather pissed about being mis-represented in media and mythology. So…how did that happen? Were they conveniently in hiding until the twentieth century or something? Even if that is the case though, why don’t they correct people? Zoey acts like this stuff is a surprise to her, which implies that humans still are under the impression that Medusa wasn’t a vampire and so on. And it’s not like the vampires can’t tell humans about it all. We’re told that there’s a ton of vampires who are in the media and are famous! Really, all I can conclude is that for all the vampires bitch about how humans just don’t geeeeeet them, they are too lazy to actually bother addressing the misconceptions about them.
*glances up* Wow, that really got ranty. Sorry. Anyway, Zoey’s mind is not on the essay, and instead she is worrying about getting something together for the upcoming Dark Daughter ritual. You know, the one she had a month to prepare for.
ZeldaQueen: I’m just saying…
So yeah, Zoey goes to Neferet for permission to go to the media center to look up some stuff for the ritual. We get an info dump about how the last time a kid left class early, it was Elliot dying. This isn’t too bad, except that she describes said death as “totally gross”. Such a sympathetic girl.
Nefert is all smiles and lets her go and she scampers off. Along the way, she mentions how she knows most of the inside rules to the House of Night (which we hear nothing about, I kid you not) and mocks her old high school, and how the vice principle had nothing better to do than make sure kids weren’t skipping class and loitering in the halls, the nerve of him.
Zoey enters the library and Nala shows up. You know, Nala serves zero purpose to the story, but I find myself strangely fond of her. Perhaps it’s because she’s one of the few characters who isn’t completely unpleasant. The librarian shows up and bashes dogs for a bit (OH NO YOU DID NOT!!!)
So she settles down at a computer and starts searching for old schools or…something. Honestly, this is like her first performing the Summoning ritual in the last book. It’s built up like it’s serving some grave purpose, but I honestly have no idea what the significance is. From what I can gather, she is searching for ideas for new, sweeping reforms for the Dark Daughters. I’m not sure why. From what we’ve seen of them, you have your members, the High-Priestess-in-training dances, she talks to everyone, they go home. The only corrupt things Aphrodite did were mix blood in the wine, burn pot, and invite bitchy girls. Zoey just has to leave the blood and pot out and evaluate the members and she’s golden.
Anyway, she says how she only wants old, upper-crust schools, “none of those stupid ‘alternative Academies’ that were really just holding pens for future criminals—ugh”, on the grounds that their rules have stood the test of time. But not Chatham, because any school Aphrodite’s parents want her to attend is Bad, long history be damned. She also pulls up Kent and is familiar with it because it’s where Shaunee had been attending when she was Marked (yes, this is the first time we hear about this). So yeah, it’s a school that one of Zoey’s friends went to and thus it is Good, so she starts researching it.
Some time passes and Nala hisses at someone. Zoey jumps and sees that it’s Loren Blake. You know, that guy who was mentioned exactly once in the last book, mostly because he was twenty-five and hot? It probably would have been a good idea to introduce him a bit more, because he strikes up a conversation with Zoey and the book acts like we’re already very familiar with him. I guess it doesn’t matter. After all, he’s Hot and does poetry so he’s Deep and he’s kind of close to Zoey in age…fuck. I think I know where this is going.
“I grasped his forearm in the traditional vampyre greeting, trying not to think about how warm his arm was, how strong he felt, and how alone we were in the empty media center.
‘I know,’ I said. Then I wanted to slit my throat. What an idiotic thing to say! ‘What I mean is I know who you are. You're the first male Poet Laureate they've named in two hundred years.’ I realized I was still grasping his arm and let go of him. ‘I'm Zoey Redbird.’
His smile made my heart flop around inside my chest. ‘I know who you are, too.’ His gorgeous eyes, so dark they looked black and bottomless, sparkled mischievously. ‘You're the first fledgling to have a colored-in, expanded Mark, as well as the only vamp, fledgling or adult, to have an affinity for all five of the elements. It's nice to finally meet you face-to-face. Neferet's told me a lot
about you.’
‘She has?’ I was mortified that my voice squeaked.
‘Of course she has. She's incredibly proud of you.’ He nodded at the empty seat beside me. ‘I don't want to interrupt your work, but do you mind if I sit with you a little while?’”
ZeldaQueen: Cast ladies. No. Please. Please tell me you aren’t doing this. After every Mary Sue cliché you’ve trotted out thus far, please tell me you aren’t going for the teacher-student forbidden affair one.
My sanity is waning rapidly.
And it just. Keeps. Going. On. I’m really sorry for the quotes, but you have to see this
“Okay, I needed to think and talk. Be normal. Forget that he was easily the most heart-stoppingly beautiful man I'd ever been near in my entire life. He's a professor at the school. Just another teacher. That's all. Yeah, right. Just another teacher who looked like every woman's dream of The Perfect Man. And I did mean Man. Erik was hot and handsome and very cool. Loren Blake was a whole other universe. A totally off-limits, impossibly sexy universe I was not allowed access to. As if he saw me as anything but a kid anyway. Please. I'm sixteen. Okay, almost seventeen, but still. He's probably at least twenty-one or something. He was just being nice”
ZeldaQueen: Good God, this is just the “I can’t believe a guy like him would want a plain little girl like me” routine! She’s not even considering the fact that he’s not interested in her because she’s a student and teacher-student relationships are BIG NO-NOS!!!
Also, I really want to stress that I’m not bashing fantasies or whatnot. I’ve had plenty of good-looking teachers. But I’m wondering, does Zoey only have one speed she goes at? Because that endless prose about how ultra-hot and forbidden and sexy and whatnot? That’s exactly how she starts talking when she’s going on about Erik or Heath! You know, her boyfriends! Different adjectives, but…I mean, am I just really old-fashioned? It seems to me that it’s one thing to think “Wow, that’s one hot teacher” and quite another to think “They’re so sexy, how depressing he’ll only ever see me as a kid”.
And this pretty much keeps up for the rest of the chapter. While Zoey does actually get around to explaining her ideas (to replicate Kent‘s Senior Council and Prefect system), in between explanations we get endless descriptions of how hot her face is getting and how gorgeous Blake is and how he makes her feel so bold. He starts tracing her Mark and she goes on about how trembly she feels and he starts reciting poetry to her. And then Aphrodite shows up and Zoey realizes how things look and ruh-oh, this means trouble!
You know, I wonder if any actual plot will be showing up any time soon
----------------------------------------
Onward to: Chapter 4
Back to: Chapter 2
Back to: Table of Contents
no subject
Again, I am going to ask if anyone wants to write a round robin spit fic for the House of Night series?
http://robin-round.livejournal.com/2183.html
Because good greif, this reminds me of a good deal of the fanfics I've read where a girl who happens to have the nicest personality is turned by the Suethor into the mean girl despite not being that way and the true mean girls are the canon characters/OCs that they Mary Sue and favoritize.
I actually have an example that I sporked for LotR here. http://yemi-hikari.livejournal.com/39206.html
no subject
...
Zoey such a snob. Also, I bet the students from there would totally know better than to actually consider Zoey their equal. Mwahahaha
And one more thing. No, I don't remember the guy only mentioned once, but I also don't remember if this series is placed two hundred years in the future.
"You're the first male Poet Laureate they've named in two hundred years."
Who, the vampire poet laureate? Because the only reason he'd be the only poet laureate in 200 years, considering apparently every significant figure in human history is, in fact, a vampire, must be strictly because all the vampires are misandrists. Well, obviously they are, but still.
This sounds uncomfortably like the Damien + Art = Gay! thing they had earlier. And given the elder Cast is supposed to be a teacher...oh boy what a lesson for all your male poets in class, right.
*explodes* (^^see how controlled that was? It just killed me dead, just soes you know)
no subject
She is. And she actually has the balls to say that Chatham looks "way stuck up".
"No, I don't remember the guy only mentioned once, but I also don't remember if this series is placed two hundred years in the future."
The only time he was brought up in Marked was during the school's ritual summoning of the five elements. He read "She Walks in Beauty" while Neferet danced and Shaunee and Erin told who he was and openly admitted they only took his class to drool over him. Classy.
"Who, the vampire poet laureate? Because the only reason he'd be the only poet laureate in 200 years, considering apparently every significant figure in human history is, in fact, a vampire, must be strictly because all the vampires are misandrists. Well, obviously they are, but still."
That's pretty much it. I ranted about it before, but in this world's vampire society, men are seen as "consorts and protectors". So no one bats an eye that a man is the fencing teacher, but a poetry teacher is weeeeird, yo? I suspect that this is also why Erik is treated as a trophy for his success in the theater.
"*explodes* (^^see how controlled that was? It just killed me dead, just soes you know)"
Aw! *hugs ashes* Are you feeling better?
no subject
Thank you! Just a little ('cause the stupid thing still exists, but you need love too for that (((hugs))))
So the dude is just the "vampire" poet laureate then? Because the thing is, the text sounds like it's discounting human cultures too. Human cultures which have lots and lots of male poet laureates! Too many, in some people's opinion.
So it's not just men as consorts thing in this situation that bugs me (as though it's not enough), it's that whathisname is the only man heterosexual and hot enough to be a good male poet. Because most guys who write poetry are what? Gay? or just worthy to be mocked (certainly not worthy enough to get the interest of girls, if that's what they want)?
I've been subbing for about a year now, though I don't have formal training in education. But even that's enough exposure to tell whether or not the elder Cast *wrote* that section or not, the fact that she let it stand bothers me. Because guys don't have enough insecurity at the high school level if they enjoy anything other than football (in the US).
no subject
Yes, I think that he's one of few poet laureates in vampire society. At least, that's the impression I got. If it was including human culture, then the Cast ladies are just idiots.
"So it's not just men as consorts thing in this situation that bugs me (as though it's not enough), it's that whathisname is the only man heterosexual and hot enough to be a good male poet. Because most guys who write poetry are what? Gay? or just worthy to be mocked (certainly not worthy enough to get the interest of girls, if that's what they want)? "
I hate that as well. I seriously think that it's appeal on the part of the authors. Seriously, we first get Erik and now Loren. Hot guys who are into the arts and geeky things? Yeeeeah...
no subject
The misandry in this series disgusts me.
I think Nala was my favorite character in the first book, probably because she didn't get in on the man hate or the stereotypes, and she could get away with being indignant at the Sue without being labeled evil by all and sundry.
And the vampire mythology in this series makes no sense. The authors really should have sat down at some point and decided when the existence of vampires became common knowledge and gone from there. They really seem to be trying to have their cake and eat it too with this one - on the one hand, vampires have been around forever and a variety of historical figures are known vampires, but on the other hand, the general misinformation about vampires and backlash from groups like the People of the Faith would seem to suggest that vampires haven't been out in the open for more than a century, if that. The whole "like our world but with vampires" thing would work a lot better if we had any idea as to when and how these vampires integrated into society. Of course, that would take planning and effort. And that's, like, hard.
no subject
The misandry in this series disgusts me."
I also have a very strong suspicion that it's some sort of author appeal going on for hot "nice guys". I mean, Erik's only defining attribute beyond his hottness is his success in the theater (well there's also his geekiness, but that seems to have been forgotten). The only male teacher described as being young, hot, single, and gets Zoey all steamy is the poetry teacher. Even Heath, as we see later, was apparently raised as a "gentleman", carrying her books and opening doors for her. Now I do appreciate a guy with a love for the arts, don't get me wrong, but all it reads like is when someone writes a trophy girlfriend and of course she's hot, but she's also the top scientist in her field and runs a daycare in her spare time. Just, you know, gender flip it.
(Incidentally, if this all was satire I'd consider congratulating the Cast ladies on pointing out the double standards of social views of the genders. But I don't, because THEY'RE PLAYING IT ALL STRAIGHT!!!)
"I think Nala was my favorite character in the first book, probably because she didn't get in on the man hate or the stereotypes, and she could get away with being indignant at the Sue without being labeled evil by all and sundry."
I know what you mean. She hardly serves any actual purpose in the story as well. I mean, at least Hedwig delivered letters. She...is just sort of there.
"Of course, that would take planning and effort. And that's, like, hard."
And doesn't involve Hawt Guys, don't forget that one. -_-
no subject
Although, the fact that they try to make her into a priestess is sort of ironic, considering that the reason why Medusa was turned into a monster in the first place was because she was sleeping with Poseidon in Athena's temple.
As for the student-teacher thing... *sighs*
I will say that it's not as bad as it could have been because Loren Blake is 25, not 35 or 45 or 55. He's older than Zoe, yes, but at least he's not old enough to be her father. But that doesn't change the fact that he's her teacher. Instead of whining that he can't date her because she's not pretty or because she's a teenager, Zoe should have whined that he can't date her because that would get him *fired.*
What about poor Erik? I thought that she was crazy about him in the last book. What happened?
*rubs forehead* Do I want to know what will happen with this? Should I wonder if Loren Blake will have an affair with Zoe, despite its moral implications and the risk to his career? Despite the fact that she'd be cheating on Erik and leaving him in the lurch?
I'm really not looking forward to this.
no subject
They used the latter explanation - she had an affinity for Earth, and thus had the ability to stone people. It was also implied that some of the myth surrounding her were the storytellers being mistaken.
"Although, the fact that they try to make her into a priestess is sort of ironic, considering that the reason why Medusa was turned into a monster in the first place was because she was sleeping with Poseidon in Athena's temple."
Or the other version, which was that Medusa was *raped* by Poseidon and Athena didn't have the power to punish Poseidon directly. So yeah, also so much for the whole "women are the ultimate power source and always Just and Fair!" thing.
"But that doesn't change the fact that he's her teacher. Instead of whining that he can't date her because she's not pretty or because she's a teenager, Zoe should have whined that he can't date her because that would get him *fired.*"
That's one of the things that drives me INSANE. Never, not once, does it occur to Zoey or any of her friends that a teacher dating a student is UNETHICAL. They treat it like some silly social convention and wonder if Zoey could get away with it because she's High-Priestess-in-Training or whatnot. No. Hell, in Fruit's Basket, Tohru's father was just a student teacher, and he waited until her mother had actually graduated before proposing!
"What about poor Erik? I thought that she was crazy about him in the last book. What happened?"
...You'll see. I will be screaming. It's honestly disgusting. Zoey has absolutely NO RIGHT AT ALL to get on her high horse about how she's so much more moral than Aphrodite in her treatment of Erik.
"*rubs forehead* Do I want to know what will happen with this? Should I wonder if Loren Blake will have an affair with Zoe, despite its moral implications and the risk to his career? Despite the fact that she'd be cheating on Erik and leaving him in the lurch?"
It...actually is vaguely relevant to the plot, yes. Even if it weren't though, it doesn't matter if you care or not. The Cast ladies decide to count this as conflict and stretch this all throughout this book and, apparently, the next.
And as for the cheating line...just wait. (I'm sorry to keep saying that, but I really don't want to take away from the batshittery when it actually comes up ^^;; )
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See, that makes more sense. Let's say that Zoe and Mr. Blake didn't do anything. They just kept to themselves, Zoey graduated, and then she left for college. Say that they met again at a class reunion a few years later, started talking, marveled at how much they had changed, and then decided to go on a date. While this still might be a little disquieting, given their past history as teacher and student, it wouldn't be as bad or unethical. Why?
1) Loren Blake would be Zoey's *former* teacher. As in, he wouldn't have any authority over her anymore. There would be no conflict between duty and desire.
2) Zoey would legally, mentally, and physically be an adult, and thus be perfectly able to consent to such a relationship. The threat of manipulation and coercion wouldn't be there.
Due to those two reasons combined, Mr. Blake wouldn't have to worry about losing his job or abusing a minor and Zoey wouldn't have to worry about entering into an abusive, unequal relationship.
But Zoey seems to long for a relationship with this guy while she's *still in school.* While she is still under his authority and while he still has the responsibility of disciplining her and looking out for her. Zoey, I don't care how young he is, as long as he's your teacher and acts like one, things will never be equal and balanced between you two.
/...You'll see. I will be screaming. It's honestly disgusting./
Well, then I won't look forward to that bit, but I will look forward to seeing you tear it to shreds. ;)
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Now, let's say that the student is making that teacher very happy. Oh yeah, a teacher could be in a relationship with a student and still grade them fairly, but how does that look? The cliche about the student only getting a passing grade because they're blowing the teacher exists for a reason, you know. No matter how fair the teacher is, there still will be people who see the relationship as a reason that any honors the student gets aren't 100% awarded on merit. Even if no actual repercussions come from it, no one looks kindly on that sort of thing.
Yes, Blake technically isn't one of Zoey's teachers. But still, he's in a position of authority over her. It would still cause the same accusations and have the same implications. And Zoey doesn't see any of that. At all. She just treats it like it's a silly rule that of COURSE doesn't apply to her, because she's above rules (so not kidding there).
"Well, then I won't look forward to that bit, but I will look forward to seeing you tear it to shreds. ;)"
Thank you! ^^
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The fact that after she's just seen the little scene with Aphrodite and her parents and Zoey is still acting like she's the root of all evil bugs me a lot. I've got this kind of itch to sit down and properly analyse her character as a budding sociopath - or even as a personality that is completely steered by the views of those she trusts implicitly or can offer the best situation for her. Her stepfather is 'new' and his beliefs highly contradict what she's previously believed so she rejects him on principle. The vampires offer a way of life that is more appealing to her so she rejects the outside world. Her friends (particularly Stevie-Rae) are people that she has to deal with everyday and Aphrodite conflicts with Zoey's view of the social norm, so she makes decisions based on how they think and how it will improve her situation.
She doesn't have friends, she has evil puppetmaster minions!!!
All silliness aside, that's what I got out of her little think about which schools she's looking up. [/ramble]
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I have to admit, I love a good forbidden romance, but this is a really self-indulgent one. We all know the trope: teacher/student affair, but this is just the Suethor getting everything handed to her on a silver fucking platter!
Now to the serious part: I am a qualified teacher, and to read of Zoe's willingness is kinda irksome and is highly unethical as well, that and the fact that technically it is illegal for a 25 and 16 year old to sleep together! (in my country, it is!) And yet, Zoe NEVER thinks of the consequences for such actions, just her own narcissism gets in the way, whining about 'oh, woe! He'll never see me more than a mere simple student!' C'mon, you're 16, you should have some common sense by now!
And what also annoys me is the whole double standard with Aphrodite: she is 'soooo evul!' and never redeems herself in any situation and can do no right, yet no matter what Zoe does no one shall ever call her out on her behaviour and somehow gets a free pass to behave as she pleases because she's the Sue, dammit! God, not even Aphrodite has contemplated an affair with a teacher, yet it's SHE who cops the shit in the story, while Zoe can get it on with her teacher and STILL smell like sunshine and farts! :P Man, I feel bad for Aphrodite...
Actually, I don't ever remember any hot teachers during my school years, they were all so much older :P
*And don't think I missed Zoe and her snipe at 'alternative schools' or whatever. Man, that was one of the bitchiest things I ever heard her say in this story! Isn't SHE public school scum, just like ME?! :P Entitlement whore.
*Oh, so it's 'queer' to call a fellow woman gorgeous? Bullshit, I also comment on girls I think are gorgeous and I'm 100% hetero, thank you very much! :D
'Anyway, the girls are running for class and are nearly late because…Zoey had a second bowl of Count Chocula. Does she add her milk with an eyedropper or something? Because…it‘s cold cereal. You pour it into a bowl, you pour on the milk, you eat it. It‘s hardly a five-course meal. I strongly suspect that this was the Cast ladies attempting to be funny by reminding us that yes, Count Chocula is one of Zoey‘s Trademark Favorite Foods. It‘s just annoying. Although not quite as annoying as the running gag they force about her liking brown pop.'
I'm still hoping she eats her cereal with blood instead of milk :P And really, Casts, did you think you were being funny with the whole Count Chocula crap? Wow, not even their humour is subtle.
'Nefert is all smiles and lets her go and she scampers off. Along the way, she mentions how she knows most of the inside rules to the House of Night (which we hear nothing about, I kid you not) and mocks her old high school, and how the vice principle had nothing better to do than make sure kids weren’t skipping class and loitering in the halls, the nerve of him.'
Oh my God, the VP DOING HIS JOB??? How dare he have the GALL! :O But hey, Zoe thinks she's above the rules, so no wonder she feels this way.
(Deleted my comment before cos I forgot to mention something :P)
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She was. And she also went on about how her sister (the one we have never seen once thus far) was such a bitch to refer to the public buses as the school's "yellow limos"
"I have to admit, I love a good forbidden romance, but this is a really self-indulgent one."
That really gets me. I'm also pretty flexible with fictional relationships. I hate to say "I never like [blank]", because it varies. But this is pretty much unbelievable at any level. She hardly knows the guy. She starts going off like this after their FIRST meeting! I could almost (almost, mind you) buy it if they'd hung around a few times before now, giving some basis to this beyond "he's hot". But there isn't anything. And I also wouldn't mind this if it was supposed to be that Zoey was being stupid. Thing is, in a chapter or so she talks to Stevie Rae about it, and Stevie Rae is equally clappy-squee. So either we're supposed to be on board with it or assume that Zoey's friends are just as stupid as she is.
"and the fact that technically it is illegal for a 25 and 16 year old to sleep together!"
It's totally illegal in the state of Arizona as well. I looked it up for a later chapter. The age of consent is, indeed, 18. Even if they didn't have sex, shit would still fly.
"Actually, I don't ever remember any hot teachers during my school years, they were all so much older :P"
I've had a few, though mostly in college. ^_^;;
Aphrodite is way more sympathetic than Zoey, especially with what comes later. Zoey does make a few half-hearted attempts to figure out what's going on with Aphrodite, but it still is sucky.
"But hey, Zoe thinks she's above the rules, so no wonder she feels this way."
She honestly and truly does. That's no exaggeration. Just wait until that chapter I keep alluding too. You'll see her...erm logic
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I like to think it's a parody referencing My Immortal.
It's the only way to keep my sanity:)
"“none of those stupid ‘alternative Academies’ that were really just holding pens for future criminals—ugh”, "
Gee. Along with ginger hair and ugly people I think we can add working-class to the "Things Zoey Hates" list. Because god forbid someone go to an ordinary school and not be posh. Perhaps their parents might even -gasp- have a job in a factory, or they might have a common accent. good lord what is the world coming to?!