Blackwood Farm: Chapter 14

[a_sporking_rat]

Here's Dorian
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Amethyst
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Darcy
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Dodger
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1 month old mice babies: Lydia (the most black), Priscilla (the most white), Junia (white belt)
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Lydia
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MAC THE EVIL ONE
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CHAPTER 14

The cops don't believe Quinn, probably because he includes the whole "experiences a vision in which he is Rebecca having these horrible things happening to her." I get that Quinn is sheltered, but I find this unbelievably stupid of him. He should have just told them "there's someone squatting on my land, please investigate" and they'd find the human remains on their own. They also laugh at his report of the mysterious figure dumping the bodies in the river. Well, I did say last spork it sounded laughable to me too, right? And I know it objectively happened! Patsy is also there and snickers because she's evil.

And then Quinn still thinks it's a good idea to tell them about Goblin leading him out the swamp too.

This dumbass.

"I ignored all this with first-rate patience" pat yourself on the back harder Quinn.

Also it's specified that he's eating pancakes made by Big Ramona for him with Cracker Barrel pancake mix. I swear Cracker Barrel got mentioned earlier...oh, right, he ate pecan pancakes there after somebody, Little Ida or Lynelle, died. Anne Rice has a tendency to drop brand names in her books (The Wolf Gift is one big advertisement in some parts) and her choice for Cracker Barrel is...odd. I enjoy eating there myself, but it doesn't seem like the Classy Rich People choice she'd want associated with the Blackwoods?

Quinn tells Aunt Queen that he knows Rebecca was murdered out there and all he wants is for them to do DNA testing. Aunt Queen responds with, "Oh, Quinn, my precious darling."

retch

Pops is up and it's "way past his bedtime" and he "looked like he'd been rode hard and put away wet." I know this is a horse metaphor but I snickered. "I knew what a worry I was to him." MY POOR BABY GRANDSON, HE STAYED OUTSIDE TILL 9 PM!

"THEN the snapshots came back from the drugstore! THE SNAPSHOTS!"

Yes, this is typed in all caps.

He passes them around, but he makes the sheriff laugh again when he points out that some of the furniture or something in them is pure gold. That's...not really important next to the chains with moldering bones, Quinn.

Aunt Queen sticks up for him, saying that now we know this island is out there and so are these remains, and Quinn can take them there.

Sheriff: "Now, Miss Queen, you know how much I admire you, as does everyone in these parts..."
Aunt Queen: "Thank you Sheriff. On New Year's Eve I shall expect a tribute of seven youths and seven maidens, hand-picked, of course."

The Sheriff is baffled because he has no idea what she's talking about, and Quinn laughs because he knows she's making a reference to the Minotaur myth and "I was just stupid enough at eighteen to feel superior to him."

Quinn admitting he was being a douche, and in a way that's very common for teens and relatable for me as having been one of those teens myself, actually makes me a-ok with him here. If he hadn't said this, I'd think of him as a jerk now, but since he admits he was the one being smug and stupid here, I'm not bothered at all. I am bothered by Aunt Queen. Firstly, she knows damn well, I am pretty sure, that the Sheriff will not get the reference, and the only reason anyone deliberately makes references when they know others won't get them is to make a point of how smart they are and how dumb that other person is. Aunt Queen, I thought better of you. Secondly, the reference doesn't even make sense, because the youths and maidens weren't sent to the Minotaur out of respect but as payback for the death of King Minos's son, not because they admired him. If you're going to make pretentious random references just to make someone look dumb out of spite, at least get them right!

Aunt Queen goes on to say she'll personally pay for the collecting and testing of all the DNA out at the Hermitage, and will give them DNA from Rebecca's hairbrush in the attic for comparison. The Sheriff makes a crack about whether they should deputize Goblin. Pops gets mad at this and tells him there's a body out there, possibly the killer squatting there, and if they don't get out there to investigate then he'll call the FBI. The Sherriff seems afraid of this and agreed to the terms, though this does not stop Quinn from following the Sheriff all the way to his car demanding he has to investigate the bodies Quinn says he saw dumped too. Pops tells him one thing at a time.

Once the cops are gone, Aunt Queen clears everyone out of the kitchen so she and Quinn can talk alone. "Patsy was pretty ticked off that she couldn't stay" but she eventually goes back "in a sulk, to her apartment in the shed." She's got a whole damn mansion she could live in, but either they make her live in the shed or she PREFERS to because the rest of her family are such shits.

Pops scolds Quinn about going out there and "my having 'stolen' his pistol" Ok I don't remember and I'm not gonna go back to check but...I think he *did* steal it? Why the quotes, Quinn? Because you just own everything?

"And how I was in real danger from myself now, and it was time for me to leave Blackwood Farm and go out into the world."

HELL YES

GO POPS

Quinn argues back that he wants to find out what's in that gold tomb, and he wants to fix up the Hermitage and get electricity running there and "I can't do that until I've done right by Rebecca, even if truth be told Rebecca doesn't always do right by me."

Aside from the Rebecca bit...I agree with both of them. Whether it's Quinn going out into the world or fixing up the Hermitage, it's at least Quinn finally doing something instead of just sitting around the manor being coddled. True, if he makes the Hermitage habitable again, he's liable to just hole up there and be a swamp hermit, but you know what, if that's what he wants with his life, he should go on and pursue it if he can. At least the things that go on in that swamp seem like they'd be more interesting to read about then what he currently does...then again, given how incredibly interesting Blackwood Manor and Blackwood Farms are as a setting, and how little use Rice makes of them with Quinn, a change of scenery might not do much. It's the same problem as Anita Blake--interesting setting, dull protagonist (when they're not horrid)

Still, I do think either option will be an improvement, or at least has the potential to be, and we also now have conflict in the form of what Pops wants for Quinn versus what Quinn wants, and I'm hoping Pops won't become a bad guy for this because it's a totally understandable thing for him to want for Quinn. I mean, I expect Quinn will see him as a bad guy, that's the realistic and in-character reaction for Quinn, I mean I hope that Rice and the narrative don't see him as a bad guy. He should be a bad guy for how he treats Patsy, but not for finally saying Quinn needs to get out of the womb already.

Speaking of Patsy, Quinn says that Pops now becomes angry with him "the way I'd seen him with Patsy."

Ok, I'd like to remind everyone of how terribly Pops speaks to Patsy.

Now here's what Pops says to Quinn. Not even shouts, just says. He tells Quinn he's getting "titched in the head" and needs to "get clear of here. You can enroll at LSU in Baton Rouge if you want to stay close to home, but I'm for you going up East to Harvard. Aunt Queen's looked over all the material given to her by Lynelle on your schooling and your examinations, and you could easily get into an Ivy League school right now. You're going out of here."

Wow, so mean. Truly cruel. Definitely exactly how he acts with Patsy. Also, I find these claims about Quinn's qualifications to be patently ridiculous; recall please that Lynelle didn't teach him anything about math and science the like, because Quinn wasn't interested in them and found them useless. Remember, actual quote: "There are gaps in my education which no one could ever get me to fill. But they don't matter to me. I don't need to know science or algebra or geometry. Literature and history, painting and music, these are my passions."

Fun fact, you cannot get into ANY college if you don't know algebra. Let alone Ivy League. Now, I think it's stupid that I had to take a math course as part of the requirements for graduating with an English Literature degree, but that's how it works, and Quinn is not Speshul enough to get around it no matter how rich his family is.

Aunt Queen agrees with Pops, saying that Quinn has to think of his future and that the house will still be here when he gets back. She tells him to go to bed and she doesn't doubt he found something out in the Hermitage since he has proof, but it can wait till morning.

So Quinn goes up stairs, and Big Ramona is there waiting, and they sleep together spooning.

God, this is so creepy. That poor woman.

The computer turns on on its own and Goblin types to Quinn that there is danger everywhere and he's afraid, and advises Quinn to "go away". Quinn is amazed that Goblin is typing without using Quinn's hand. Goblin types that he is "strong in the electricity" which I find more interesting than anything else in the chapter so far.

Quinn asks Goblin who the stranger was and about the bodies. Goblin doesn't know. Quinn promises to Goblin that he loves him. Goblin just switches the computer off, Quinn wonders what that means and feels guilty for how he's treated Goblin. Well, good.

Quinn goes to sleep and dreams about Rebecca, then is awoken by a snore from Big Ramona. Ugh if he was dreaming about Rebecca I bet he had a boner. This poor, poor old lady.

Anyway, he sees a figure in the room and he can tell the outline is the same as the figure he saw in the swamp. Again, I think it's silly he can tell this, given how far off he claims the figure was in the swamp. The figure leaves a note on the mantelpiece and laughs. God, so dumb.

The figure vanishes and Quinn gets up and examines the letter. The note is signed by "The Resident of the Hermitage" and claims that they own the "unwritten title" to it as given to them by Manfred Blackwood, and do not wish for any further intrusions. I am forced to snort at "If I had not set eyes on you tonight and not recognized you for the sensitive and serious young man which you are, I might take even greater umbrage than I do."

FUCKING *EVERYONE* HAS TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT HOW GREAT QUINN IS

EVEN PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T EVEN MET HIM

JUST *SEEN* HIM

FROM A GODDAMN *DISTANCE*

I'd like to think he's just flattering Quinn to get him to keep out like he wants, but...I have a hunch otherwise. And given that I think the figure is a vampire and they're like psychic and shit I bet he ~magically saw into Quinn's soul~ from across the swamp so he knows for an objective fact Quinn is sensitive and serious.

Which he's not. Unless you mean as in an oversensitive touchy brat and a drama queen.

Quinn goes to Aunt Queen's bedroom.

"Aunt Queen was on her chaise lounge, swaddled in diamonds and satin covers, eating a pint of pink ice cream."

OH MY GOD I LOVE AUNT QUEEN SO MUCH

and then it turns creepy again because Jasmine is "bunking" with Aunt Queen and asleep in the bed. Normally I'd cry lesbians, but it just seems instead like this family has a fucking TRADITION of making their staff sleep with them. The fact it's platonic sleeping somehow just makes it WEIRDER.

also AQ says he looks like he's seen Banquo's ghost wow two pretentious references in one night I GET IT THEY'RE FANCY CLASSY WORLDLY PEOPLE ANNE RICE

Quinn tells Aunt Queen that "he" was here and gives her the letter. We find out they don't lock the doors at the manor.

AQ suggests that this is some kind of romantic secret society that meets out there. I have no idea where the fuck she's getting that from. Quinn says there's nothing romantic about dumping bodies, AQ says maybe it was something else, he assures her it was and he knows because Goblin knows. AQ is clearly looking at Goblin, and she tells Quinn she'll have this investigated "in every conceivable way" but that she's going to get him out of it.

SO DOES THAT MEAN THE STORY GETS TO BE ABOUT AUNT QUEEN NOW?

Comments

[alondra-del-sol.livejournal.com]

If only. She has more character than most of the characters in this book.

[lliira (from livejournal.com)]

Yay, rodents! That is a lot of evil packed into Mac's tiny body.

The enforced staff co-sleeping. Why. Does this crop up in other Anne Rice books? It's so gross.

[alondra-del-sol.livejournal.com]

Hmm... you know I think she does place a strange emphasis on sleeping arrangements. We always find out what their bedrooms are like in the VC, but I think it's a decadence thing. This is the only instance I can think of where it's staff co-sleeping. Otherwise it's Marius and Armand or like Pandora and Marius, Lestat and whoever. I can't speak for her other books though.