Marked: Chapter Seven
ZeldaQueen: Howdy-do, ladies and germs! In this chapter, either the Casts or I fail Sex Ed forever.
Warnings for this chapter! A girl tries to force a blowjob on a guy while he makes it clear he doesn't consent, and the protagonist gives it no thought! Please proceed with caution!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter Seven
ZeldaQueen: Alrighty, so Grandma Redbird is gone and Neferet is leading Zoey to meet her new roommate. To the book's credit, we do get a nice description of the hallway, and how dark it is, with gentle lighting from black iron sconces. Although, as was the case with Bree Tanner, I find it hard to believe that someone like Zoey would casually drop the word "sconces".
Anyway, she asks Neferet what time it is, and Neferet says that it's four o'clock. She further explains that for vampires, classes start at eight at night and go until three in the morning. Teachers are available for extra help until three-thirty and most everything else is open until dawn, which fully mature vampires apparently will automatically sense. There's also a temple devoted to Nyx, where they have rituals twice a week. *rolls eyes* Okay, I haven't read ahead to any of the services, but by the sound of this all, they'll include lighting candles, drawing pictures on the floor, and perhaps sacrificing a baby goat.
That aside, I do have to admit that at least there is a reason for the vampires to be nocternal besides "it's traditional and cool". As we saw before, vampires really are irritated by sunlight. That does not, however, explain why they got a campus with a lot of open space instead of getting something self contained, or building something to suit their needs.
This is all interrupted as a huge, fluffy, orange cat comes running up and hurtles itself into Neferet's arms. The cat's name is Crookshanks Skylar, and from what I can tell, there is no mythological or super-speshul naming scheme there. That's actually kind of refreshing. Anyway, Skylar is Neferet's pet and immediately takes a shine to Zoey, even though he usually hates other people, because she's just so Mary Sue likable. Zoey tells how she used to have a cat but her stepfather forced her to put it up for adoption. I have to again scratch my head and wonder why he was perfectly willing to let his other stepchildren act like apparent hooligans, but keeping a cat was just out of the question.
So yeah, Neferet says that cats and vampires are closely allied, and Zoey remembers learning in World History about how cats were often killed because it was believed that they could turn people into vampires. Okay, there actually was a belief about that (if I recall, it was that if a cat jumped over your newly-dead body, you turned into a vampire), but isn't it usually witch-hunts that cat-slaughters are associated with? In any case, Zoey sees this as "More evidence of the stupidity of humans" and excuse me for a moment please, ladies and gentlemen.
YOU STUPID BINT, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? WHY ARE VAMPIRES IN THESE STUPID STORIES UNABLE TO REMEMBER THAT THEY THEMSELVES USED TO BE HUMAN? SHE'S BEEN A VAMPIRE FOR ONE DAY AND SHE ALREADY THINKS OF HUMANS LIKE THIS???
Oh, and she spares half a moment to consider how odd it is that she's thinking of humans like that. And she immediately forgets it. You know, if I was changed into a vampire, I'd like to think that I would show more concern that I was randomly developing fantastic racism.
Instead, Zoey wonders if she'll have a cat of her own. Neferet says that she might, if one chooses her. We also find out that High Priestesses get "affinities" from Nyx, which is basically a fancy way of saying "they get extra X-men powers". Neferet has two affinities, one that gives her a close bond to cats, and another that gives her healing powers. Great, I guess.
Neferet tells Zoey that dinner will be in one hour, because vampires always know what time it is...for some reason. Zoey says "Oh God" and then starts to have a bit of a crisis over whether or not it would be offensive to say "God" or "hell" while at the House of Night, given the whole worshiping of Nyx thing. Now, normally this would be pretty interesting, given the whole change in lifestyle and all. Instead, it's just annoying because for no reason at all, she goes off on what narrow-minded bigots the people of her stepfather's church all are, and how "vampyres worshiped a false goddess and that they were mostly selfish, dark creatures who cared about nothing except money and luxury and drinking blood". Really, all it comes across as is prodding readers with a stick, to make sure it's hammered into our heads that this group is evvvvillll and intolerant, like how the wolves in New Moon and Eclipse are considered ignorant and horrible for daring to dislike the vampires.
Let's just move on from that, shall we? Neferet gets a call on her cell phone about how a fledgling vampire has a broken leg. She tells Zoey that she has to go check in on that, and tells her to just go down the hall to a door that's "large and made of very old wood". How descriptive.
Zoey heads off on her own, and goes down the hall until she comes to a bend in the corridor. She hears two people up ahead and hides in the shadows so she can't be seen. There's a boy and a girl and...she's blowing him. Really. He's standing in an alcove, breathing hard, and she's on her knees in front of him, rubbing his thighs. Zoey is freaked out, and I'll admit that that's a rather awkward thing to walk in on. She turns to leave but hears the guy yelling out for someone to "Stop!"
Turns out that he's talking to the girl who's blowing him, and she immediately starts acting like a stereotypical seductive teenage slut, going on about how he knows he likes it and how he knows he still wants her, and to top it all off, we're told that there's a hint of whining in her "sexy" voice.
She pulls her fingers down his thigh and cuts his legs so that they start to bleed. Yeah, I bet that'll convince him to stick around. Zoey notices the blood and begins to freak out even more, because the sight of the stuff is literally making her mouth water. Because she's so distracted by the blood, she forgets to run away. Meanwhile, the guy starts snapping about how no, he does not want this, and tries to push her away. She says of course he does, and starts to undo his pants.
Okay, hold on a minute. A few things.
First of all, it's pretty clear that she's trying to seduce him to stay with her. So why go immediately for a blow job? Why not try, you know, kissing? It's pretty easy seeing as how the lips are right there and don't require two people to get into various positions, and it would make you come across as slightly less of a slut.
Second of all, if he's so adamant that they not go through with this, how did they get as far as they were at? I'm going to confess that I'm not the most....wordly of people when it comes to stuff like this, but it seems to me that such an act would require a certain amount of, erm, cooperation. I mean, it was pretty clear that they were in the process of doing something when Zoey walked in, yet he starts acting like he won't let her near him with a pole and decided it long before.
Third of all, she hadn't taken his pants off yet? Really? What, exactly, where they doing when Zoey walked in? The text specifically says that he was breathing hard, with his head tilted back, which I would assume meant he was all excited. Am I missing something here? Is there some sort of blowjob foreplay that I'm unaware of? Or are some people just so sensitive that just having a girl get on her knees in front of them gets them hot and sweaty?
*shakes head* So the guy finally notices Zoey and starts to shout "No", this time at her. Zoey finally decides to get the fuck out of there and runs to the old wooden door.
We are then treated to the Suethors getting on a soapbox and ranting about how it's wrong and not "cool" for girls to constantly give guys head. This is all well and good, except for two things. First of all, you expect me to honestly buy that Zoey, a girl who has all but been a total stereotype of an airheaded teenager, would deliver a rant about how annoying it is that the adult public think that girls blow guys like there's no tomorrow? Second of all, why is Zoey bitching about Aphrodite's choice of sex and not the fact that she was forcing it onto someone clearly unwilling and thus was, you know, ATTEMPTING RAPE?!?
We also get a brief mention of how she's freaked out that the blood looked desirable. I guess it's more concern than Bella Swan ever showed.
Neferet shows up again at this point, and takes Zoey out to the courtyard, where a whole bunch of other students are wandering around. We get another description of the area, which is also pretty nice. Towers, moat, creepy atmosphere. Basically, picture it as a gothic version of Hogwarts.
Wait a minute...
ZeldaQueen: Aaaaand this sporking just got a lot more amusing.
It's explained that the school was originally built with stones from Europe, and was a prep school for rich kids. The vampires bought it five years ago, and there's the implication that they threatened the previous owners into agreeing to sell it to them. How very nice.
Zoey turns her attention from that to the fact that all of the kids are incredibly attractive. We're told that apparently most actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, authors, and singers are vampires, because of this, which is also why the vampire community is apparently very wealthy. I have to ask, how does good looks help one be a successful author, musician, or singer? I could understand acting, and if vampires are super-strong or something then dancing I could also see, but the others? The only way I could buy it is if it's supposed to be that their super-attractiveness gets them good publicity. Even then though, that wouldn't affect their ability to write good music or literature or sing well. And yes, I know that a lot of musicians and singers get other people to do their music, but how does that explain authors?
Oh, and we get more bashing off that People of Faith Church, about how they're hypocrites who buy the art of vampires, but condemn them. Zoey also randomly comes to the conclusion that the church members are jealous of how hot the vampires are. Because every single person in that group is ugly, y'know? And if it seems like this bit came right the fuck out of nowhere, it did.
Back to the hot vampires, everyone is staring at Zoey's filled-in Mark and she bemoans how she's such a freak, whatever shall she do? Dear lord, is she annoying.
Onward to: Chapter 8
Back to: Chapter 6
Back to: Table of Contents
Warnings for this chapter! A girl tries to force a blowjob on a guy while he makes it clear he doesn't consent, and the protagonist gives it no thought! Please proceed with caution!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter Seven
ZeldaQueen: Alrighty, so Grandma Redbird is gone and Neferet is leading Zoey to meet her new roommate. To the book's credit, we do get a nice description of the hallway, and how dark it is, with gentle lighting from black iron sconces. Although, as was the case with Bree Tanner, I find it hard to believe that someone like Zoey would casually drop the word "sconces".
Anyway, she asks Neferet what time it is, and Neferet says that it's four o'clock. She further explains that for vampires, classes start at eight at night and go until three in the morning. Teachers are available for extra help until three-thirty and most everything else is open until dawn, which fully mature vampires apparently will automatically sense. There's also a temple devoted to Nyx, where they have rituals twice a week. *rolls eyes* Okay, I haven't read ahead to any of the services, but by the sound of this all, they'll include lighting candles, drawing pictures on the floor, and perhaps sacrificing a baby goat.
That aside, I do have to admit that at least there is a reason for the vampires to be nocternal besides "it's traditional and cool". As we saw before, vampires really are irritated by sunlight. That does not, however, explain why they got a campus with a lot of open space instead of getting something self contained, or building something to suit their needs.
This is all interrupted as a huge, fluffy, orange cat comes running up and hurtles itself into Neferet's arms. The cat's name is Crookshanks Skylar, and from what I can tell, there is no mythological or super-speshul naming scheme there. That's actually kind of refreshing. Anyway, Skylar is Neferet's pet and immediately takes a shine to Zoey, even though he usually hates other people, because she's just so Mary Sue likable. Zoey tells how she used to have a cat but her stepfather forced her to put it up for adoption. I have to again scratch my head and wonder why he was perfectly willing to let his other stepchildren act like apparent hooligans, but keeping a cat was just out of the question.
So yeah, Neferet says that cats and vampires are closely allied, and Zoey remembers learning in World History about how cats were often killed because it was believed that they could turn people into vampires. Okay, there actually was a belief about that (if I recall, it was that if a cat jumped over your newly-dead body, you turned into a vampire), but isn't it usually witch-hunts that cat-slaughters are associated with? In any case, Zoey sees this as "More evidence of the stupidity of humans" and excuse me for a moment please, ladies and gentlemen.
YOU STUPID BINT, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? WHY ARE VAMPIRES IN THESE STUPID STORIES UNABLE TO REMEMBER THAT THEY THEMSELVES USED TO BE HUMAN? SHE'S BEEN A VAMPIRE FOR ONE DAY AND SHE ALREADY THINKS OF HUMANS LIKE THIS???
Oh, and she spares half a moment to consider how odd it is that she's thinking of humans like that. And she immediately forgets it. You know, if I was changed into a vampire, I'd like to think that I would show more concern that I was randomly developing fantastic racism.
Instead, Zoey wonders if she'll have a cat of her own. Neferet says that she might, if one chooses her. We also find out that High Priestesses get "affinities" from Nyx, which is basically a fancy way of saying "they get extra X-men powers". Neferet has two affinities, one that gives her a close bond to cats, and another that gives her healing powers. Great, I guess.
Neferet tells Zoey that dinner will be in one hour, because vampires always know what time it is...for some reason. Zoey says "Oh God" and then starts to have a bit of a crisis over whether or not it would be offensive to say "God" or "hell" while at the House of Night, given the whole worshiping of Nyx thing. Now, normally this would be pretty interesting, given the whole change in lifestyle and all. Instead, it's just annoying because for no reason at all, she goes off on what narrow-minded bigots the people of her stepfather's church all are, and how "vampyres worshiped a false goddess and that they were mostly selfish, dark creatures who cared about nothing except money and luxury and drinking blood". Really, all it comes across as is prodding readers with a stick, to make sure it's hammered into our heads that this group is evvvvillll and intolerant, like how the wolves in New Moon and Eclipse are considered ignorant and horrible for daring to dislike the vampires.
Let's just move on from that, shall we? Neferet gets a call on her cell phone about how a fledgling vampire has a broken leg. She tells Zoey that she has to go check in on that, and tells her to just go down the hall to a door that's "large and made of very old wood". How descriptive.
Zoey heads off on her own, and goes down the hall until she comes to a bend in the corridor. She hears two people up ahead and hides in the shadows so she can't be seen. There's a boy and a girl and...she's blowing him. Really. He's standing in an alcove, breathing hard, and she's on her knees in front of him, rubbing his thighs. Zoey is freaked out, and I'll admit that that's a rather awkward thing to walk in on. She turns to leave but hears the guy yelling out for someone to "Stop!"
Turns out that he's talking to the girl who's blowing him, and she immediately starts acting like a stereotypical seductive teenage slut, going on about how he knows he likes it and how he knows he still wants her, and to top it all off, we're told that there's a hint of whining in her "sexy" voice.
She pulls her fingers down his thigh and cuts his legs so that they start to bleed. Yeah, I bet that'll convince him to stick around. Zoey notices the blood and begins to freak out even more, because the sight of the stuff is literally making her mouth water. Because she's so distracted by the blood, she forgets to run away. Meanwhile, the guy starts snapping about how no, he does not want this, and tries to push her away. She says of course he does, and starts to undo his pants.
Okay, hold on a minute. A few things.
First of all, it's pretty clear that she's trying to seduce him to stay with her. So why go immediately for a blow job? Why not try, you know, kissing? It's pretty easy seeing as how the lips are right there and don't require two people to get into various positions, and it would make you come across as slightly less of a slut.
Second of all, if he's so adamant that they not go through with this, how did they get as far as they were at? I'm going to confess that I'm not the most....wordly of people when it comes to stuff like this, but it seems to me that such an act would require a certain amount of, erm, cooperation. I mean, it was pretty clear that they were in the process of doing something when Zoey walked in, yet he starts acting like he won't let her near him with a pole and decided it long before.
Third of all, she hadn't taken his pants off yet? Really? What, exactly, where they doing when Zoey walked in? The text specifically says that he was breathing hard, with his head tilted back, which I would assume meant he was all excited. Am I missing something here? Is there some sort of blowjob foreplay that I'm unaware of? Or are some people just so sensitive that just having a girl get on her knees in front of them gets them hot and sweaty?
*shakes head* So the guy finally notices Zoey and starts to shout "No", this time at her. Zoey finally decides to get the fuck out of there and runs to the old wooden door.
We are then treated to the Suethors getting on a soapbox and ranting about how it's wrong and not "cool" for girls to constantly give guys head. This is all well and good, except for two things. First of all, you expect me to honestly buy that Zoey, a girl who has all but been a total stereotype of an airheaded teenager, would deliver a rant about how annoying it is that the adult public think that girls blow guys like there's no tomorrow? Second of all, why is Zoey bitching about Aphrodite's choice of sex and not the fact that she was forcing it onto someone clearly unwilling and thus was, you know, ATTEMPTING RAPE?!?
We also get a brief mention of how she's freaked out that the blood looked desirable. I guess it's more concern than Bella Swan ever showed.
Neferet shows up again at this point, and takes Zoey out to the courtyard, where a whole bunch of other students are wandering around. We get another description of the area, which is also pretty nice. Towers, moat, creepy atmosphere. Basically, picture it as a gothic version of Hogwarts.
Wait a minute...
ZeldaQueen: Aaaaand this sporking just got a lot more amusing.
It's explained that the school was originally built with stones from Europe, and was a prep school for rich kids. The vampires bought it five years ago, and there's the implication that they threatened the previous owners into agreeing to sell it to them. How very nice.
Zoey turns her attention from that to the fact that all of the kids are incredibly attractive. We're told that apparently most actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, authors, and singers are vampires, because of this, which is also why the vampire community is apparently very wealthy. I have to ask, how does good looks help one be a successful author, musician, or singer? I could understand acting, and if vampires are super-strong or something then dancing I could also see, but the others? The only way I could buy it is if it's supposed to be that their super-attractiveness gets them good publicity. Even then though, that wouldn't affect their ability to write good music or literature or sing well. And yes, I know that a lot of musicians and singers get other people to do their music, but how does that explain authors?
Oh, and we get more bashing off that People of Faith Church, about how they're hypocrites who buy the art of vampires, but condemn them. Zoey also randomly comes to the conclusion that the church members are jealous of how hot the vampires are. Because every single person in that group is ugly, y'know? And if it seems like this bit came right the fuck out of nowhere, it did.
Back to the hot vampires, everyone is staring at Zoey's filled-in Mark and she bemoans how she's such a freak, whatever shall she do? Dear lord, is she annoying.
Onward to: Chapter 8
Back to: Chapter 6
Back to: Table of Contents