BLACKWOOD FARM CHAPTER 43
Mar. 15th, 2018 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
a_sporking_ratHello friends! Look what I found! Anita Blake drinking game!
https://ashlightgrayson.tumblr.com/post/171476833210/the-anita-blake-drinking-game
Also, the rodents are all doing well! One mouse has gotten fatter than the others so not only can I distinguish her from the herd now, but she sits on top of her sisters like a fat queen! Blaze continues to be all healthy and chubby and cuddly himself <3 IDK if I have mentioned it, but he's a super sweet rat and I could hold him for hours, he's so calm.
Alright, on to...
BLACKWOOD FARM CHAPTER 43
"Now you have my story. You know my greatest shame, that I killed the innocent bride. You know how Goblin began his attacks me."
Right, so, we can get back to stuff actually happening, right?
Nope! Quinn must now spend SIX PAGES telling Lestat how everybody in the Blackwood household is doing AS IF LESTAT CARES.
If for some reason you do, here is my MUCH MORE CONCISE summary
- Quinn apologizes for his absence, but of course can't explain it. He throws himself back into normal life with a vengeance, and now hates Petronia for what she did to him. He becomes a "night creature" and "secretive bachelor" who spends the daylight hours on the Sugar Devil Island mausoleum. Everyone just says "Quinn is going through a phase"
- Aunt Queen's doing good
- Jasmine is tired of running the B&B, and with new people occupying the rooms--Tommy, Brittany, Nash--she's able to quit it altogether. They still do holiday banquets and celebrations.
- A soprano at Christmas sang "O Holy Night" twice just for Quinn, how thrilling. Quinn is also working on some charity stuff.
- "Tommy astonished us all" by asking to go to boarding school in Eaton. Quinn sees him like a son.
- Terry Sue and her kids are doing good. Brittany has a lot of dolls because she's Aunt Queen's pet now. Charlie, Terry Sue's abusive boyfriend, conveniently shot himself in the head after holding the entire family and the sheriff at gunpoint. Oh okay then.
- Jerome is a bright boy, and after a "knock-down drag-out fight" Jasmine allows Quinn to give him his name and have him call Quinn "Dad". I am worried by this phrasing. I don't think Quinn actually hit Jasmine, because a Ricean protagonist would never, but it does make it SOUND like it. Nash tutors Jerome, Jerome likes to make up radio broadcasts using a little tape recorder.
- Nash and Quinn have read lots of Dickens and Shakespeare together. Quinn lists specifically which stuff. Nash also watches films with the ladies of the house. Now Nash has gone back to California, after having literally no impact on the story whatsoever. Well okay then, that was pointless.
- Patsy is doing well on her drug cocktail. Seymour's case was settled out of court for a huge sum of money, but he died soon after. Two more lawsuits are now being brought against Patsy by former members of her band. Patsy swears she doesn't infect people, but Quinn knows better.
See, "Every night I can read her mind without wanting to, and I know she has negligently run the risk of infecting numerous people with AIDS, and even now she would do it except that everyone is wise to her." Because of this, Quinn has the "overpowering urge to kill her"
Literally right after he claims he is reading her mind only by accident, without meaning to, he tells us and Lestat that he has been learning to increase his skills and powers, that "I control my telepathy around my family" and everyone except his victims because it feels "obscene" otherwise.
...I would just suppose he doesn't count Patsy as family---which, fair enough, she doesn't count him as such--but then he says he controls it around EVERYONE. Soooooo...why's it so uncontrollable around Patsy, huh? Interesting, that.
He also claims to have much better control of taking the Little Drink now, and "There have been no moral blunders on my part until tonight when I almost killed Stirling Oliver."
Oh. Did that happen at the beginning? I have literally forgotten that Stirling was even there, but yeah, he was. Don't remember Quinn attacking him but I don't really care enough to check.
But Goblin's attacks have grown more "virulent" and he won't communicate with Quinn anymore. No affection or conversation, just taking the blood. He seldom appears, only coming to feed. Quinn suspects he may feel betrayed by the trip to Europe.
Quinn has now lived a year (well, "lived") like this, "proving" that he can hang on to his family and make it in the human world. I'd call this young hubris; pretty easy to do that for just a year, especially when you have the resources and already-vampire-conducive that Quinn did (no job, secret place to sleep, etc). But I think we might well be intended to take it as indeed exactly that, so I'm not critical of Quinn's small success here. He also says he doesn't want to go back to Petronia and the others, and he doesn't think they can help him with Goblin, but he believes Lestat can.
Back to Goblin, Quinn says that he is attached to Quinn in some new way, that the Blood (with a capital B, meaning being a vampire) has strengthened the link between them, and he can travel further with Quinn than before. But Quinn says he can't leave Blackwood Farm and his family, so he is going to battle Goblin "for my home, and for my life, if I'm to live it."
...that'd probably be too active and INTERESTING for this book.
He's seen Petronia one time since. She showed up at the Hermitage and gave him the Vampire Chronicles, which, as I've noted, do exist in-universe but written by Lestat rather than Anne Rice. She says he needs to read them, know them, and not hunt in New Orleans. It shocks me why she should still give a shit.
Quinn says "Get out of here, I loathe and detest you" and hits her across the face so hard she bleeds on to her white suit. In return, she slaps him, he goes down, she kicks him and says "What a charming greeting. You are the epitome of the grateful child."
Quinn gets up, grabs her hair, curses her, says he'll make her pay for all these blows one day. They struggle and scrap some more, then she sits at his desk and starts to sob. Quinn gathers up her scattered hair ornaments, gives them back, and says he's sorry. She takes out her handkerchief, wipes her face and hands, then looks up at him "prettily" and asks "Why should you be sorry? It's only natural for you to hate a creature like me. Why shouldn't you?"
PETRONIA, NO!
Quinn replies "How so?" and expects for her to attack again at any moment, but she instead says "Who should be made into creatures like us? The wounded, the slave, the destitute, the dying. But you were a prince, a mortal prince. And I didn't think twice about it."
UGGGH GHGHGHGHGH
I mean yes, Quinn is the epitome of a spoiled little rich boy, but something about this I just...hate...even so? It just seems more ways to asskiss Quinn, even if this isn't actually praising HIM in any way.
Quinn agrees with her. She asks if he "fool the fools" and lives with mortals "lovingly around you" and tells him not to be tempted to "bring them over". Quinn says he'd rather go straight to Hell.
Petronia lets him comb her hair. She gets up, embraces him, kisses him, and warns him again not to run afoul of Lestat, who she says would not think twice of burning Quinn to a cinder. YEAH, IF ONLY. She says if Quinn stays here though, Lestat wouldn't come here to hurt him, that there would be something "ignoble" about picking on one so young.
...idk I don't recall Lestat caring much about "ignoble" but I guess that's the good old days.
She goes to leave, he says there's blood on her suit, she jokes about how he can't resist white clothes, and then asks him why he left.
....gee Petronia, you want a LIST? Just because I hate Quinn and love Petronia doesn't mean that him RUNNING FROM AN ABUSIVE RAPIST wasn't totally justified. But Quinn says it's because he wanted to be with his aunt. Petronia asks "But weren't we interesting to you?" which I find a very interesting thing in itself for her to be concerned about. She adds that Quinn could have just asked her now and then to take him home, that her powers are great.
Of course, the fact that Quinn would have to ask her presents the issue with it in the first place, he'd be beholden to her, and she sees no issue with that, she pretty clearly doesn't get it. And I like this. Petronia is so entrenched in these archaic vampire power dynamics that they're not creepy-sounding at all to her, and her main concern is just isn't she interesting? I really dig the mess that is Petronia, she's easily the most fascinating and complicated character in this book.
Quinn shakes his head, Petronia says she understands leaving her but turning his back on someone as wise as Arion was a bit rash. I say Arion was bad news, man, he was shady.
Quinn says perhaps "but for now I have to be here" and she says she leaves him the Hermitage "my boy" and leaves.
"And so my story is at an end."
Ok, so he's done recounting everything to Lestat! And it only took 569 pages! Leaving us...53 pages til the end.
...pacing problems, this book has them.
https://ashlightgrayson.tumblr.com/post/171476833210/the-anita-blake-drinking-game
Also, the rodents are all doing well! One mouse has gotten fatter than the others so not only can I distinguish her from the herd now, but she sits on top of her sisters like a fat queen! Blaze continues to be all healthy and chubby and cuddly himself <3 IDK if I have mentioned it, but he's a super sweet rat and I could hold him for hours, he's so calm.
Alright, on to...
BLACKWOOD FARM CHAPTER 43
"Now you have my story. You know my greatest shame, that I killed the innocent bride. You know how Goblin began his attacks me."
Right, so, we can get back to stuff actually happening, right?
Nope! Quinn must now spend SIX PAGES telling Lestat how everybody in the Blackwood household is doing AS IF LESTAT CARES.
If for some reason you do, here is my MUCH MORE CONCISE summary
- Quinn apologizes for his absence, but of course can't explain it. He throws himself back into normal life with a vengeance, and now hates Petronia for what she did to him. He becomes a "night creature" and "secretive bachelor" who spends the daylight hours on the Sugar Devil Island mausoleum. Everyone just says "Quinn is going through a phase"
- Aunt Queen's doing good
- Jasmine is tired of running the B&B, and with new people occupying the rooms--Tommy, Brittany, Nash--she's able to quit it altogether. They still do holiday banquets and celebrations.
- A soprano at Christmas sang "O Holy Night" twice just for Quinn, how thrilling. Quinn is also working on some charity stuff.
- "Tommy astonished us all" by asking to go to boarding school in Eaton. Quinn sees him like a son.
- Terry Sue and her kids are doing good. Brittany has a lot of dolls because she's Aunt Queen's pet now. Charlie, Terry Sue's abusive boyfriend, conveniently shot himself in the head after holding the entire family and the sheriff at gunpoint. Oh okay then.
- Jerome is a bright boy, and after a "knock-down drag-out fight" Jasmine allows Quinn to give him his name and have him call Quinn "Dad". I am worried by this phrasing. I don't think Quinn actually hit Jasmine, because a Ricean protagonist would never, but it does make it SOUND like it. Nash tutors Jerome, Jerome likes to make up radio broadcasts using a little tape recorder.
- Nash and Quinn have read lots of Dickens and Shakespeare together. Quinn lists specifically which stuff. Nash also watches films with the ladies of the house. Now Nash has gone back to California, after having literally no impact on the story whatsoever. Well okay then, that was pointless.
- Patsy is doing well on her drug cocktail. Seymour's case was settled out of court for a huge sum of money, but he died soon after. Two more lawsuits are now being brought against Patsy by former members of her band. Patsy swears she doesn't infect people, but Quinn knows better.
See, "Every night I can read her mind without wanting to, and I know she has negligently run the risk of infecting numerous people with AIDS, and even now she would do it except that everyone is wise to her." Because of this, Quinn has the "overpowering urge to kill her"
Literally right after he claims he is reading her mind only by accident, without meaning to, he tells us and Lestat that he has been learning to increase his skills and powers, that "I control my telepathy around my family" and everyone except his victims because it feels "obscene" otherwise.
...I would just suppose he doesn't count Patsy as family---which, fair enough, she doesn't count him as such--but then he says he controls it around EVERYONE. Soooooo...why's it so uncontrollable around Patsy, huh? Interesting, that.
He also claims to have much better control of taking the Little Drink now, and "There have been no moral blunders on my part until tonight when I almost killed Stirling Oliver."
Oh. Did that happen at the beginning? I have literally forgotten that Stirling was even there, but yeah, he was. Don't remember Quinn attacking him but I don't really care enough to check.
But Goblin's attacks have grown more "virulent" and he won't communicate with Quinn anymore. No affection or conversation, just taking the blood. He seldom appears, only coming to feed. Quinn suspects he may feel betrayed by the trip to Europe.
Quinn has now lived a year (well, "lived") like this, "proving" that he can hang on to his family and make it in the human world. I'd call this young hubris; pretty easy to do that for just a year, especially when you have the resources and already-vampire-conducive that Quinn did (no job, secret place to sleep, etc). But I think we might well be intended to take it as indeed exactly that, so I'm not critical of Quinn's small success here. He also says he doesn't want to go back to Petronia and the others, and he doesn't think they can help him with Goblin, but he believes Lestat can.
Back to Goblin, Quinn says that he is attached to Quinn in some new way, that the Blood (with a capital B, meaning being a vampire) has strengthened the link between them, and he can travel further with Quinn than before. But Quinn says he can't leave Blackwood Farm and his family, so he is going to battle Goblin "for my home, and for my life, if I'm to live it."
...that'd probably be too active and INTERESTING for this book.
He's seen Petronia one time since. She showed up at the Hermitage and gave him the Vampire Chronicles, which, as I've noted, do exist in-universe but written by Lestat rather than Anne Rice. She says he needs to read them, know them, and not hunt in New Orleans. It shocks me why she should still give a shit.
Quinn says "Get out of here, I loathe and detest you" and hits her across the face so hard she bleeds on to her white suit. In return, she slaps him, he goes down, she kicks him and says "What a charming greeting. You are the epitome of the grateful child."
Quinn gets up, grabs her hair, curses her, says he'll make her pay for all these blows one day. They struggle and scrap some more, then she sits at his desk and starts to sob. Quinn gathers up her scattered hair ornaments, gives them back, and says he's sorry. She takes out her handkerchief, wipes her face and hands, then looks up at him "prettily" and asks "Why should you be sorry? It's only natural for you to hate a creature like me. Why shouldn't you?"
PETRONIA, NO!
Quinn replies "How so?" and expects for her to attack again at any moment, but she instead says "Who should be made into creatures like us? The wounded, the slave, the destitute, the dying. But you were a prince, a mortal prince. And I didn't think twice about it."
UGGGH GHGHGHGHGH
I mean yes, Quinn is the epitome of a spoiled little rich boy, but something about this I just...hate...even so? It just seems more ways to asskiss Quinn, even if this isn't actually praising HIM in any way.
Quinn agrees with her. She asks if he "fool the fools" and lives with mortals "lovingly around you" and tells him not to be tempted to "bring them over". Quinn says he'd rather go straight to Hell.
Petronia lets him comb her hair. She gets up, embraces him, kisses him, and warns him again not to run afoul of Lestat, who she says would not think twice of burning Quinn to a cinder. YEAH, IF ONLY. She says if Quinn stays here though, Lestat wouldn't come here to hurt him, that there would be something "ignoble" about picking on one so young.
...idk I don't recall Lestat caring much about "ignoble" but I guess that's the good old days.
She goes to leave, he says there's blood on her suit, she jokes about how he can't resist white clothes, and then asks him why he left.
....gee Petronia, you want a LIST? Just because I hate Quinn and love Petronia doesn't mean that him RUNNING FROM AN ABUSIVE RAPIST wasn't totally justified. But Quinn says it's because he wanted to be with his aunt. Petronia asks "But weren't we interesting to you?" which I find a very interesting thing in itself for her to be concerned about. She adds that Quinn could have just asked her now and then to take him home, that her powers are great.
Of course, the fact that Quinn would have to ask her presents the issue with it in the first place, he'd be beholden to her, and she sees no issue with that, she pretty clearly doesn't get it. And I like this. Petronia is so entrenched in these archaic vampire power dynamics that they're not creepy-sounding at all to her, and her main concern is just isn't she interesting? I really dig the mess that is Petronia, she's easily the most fascinating and complicated character in this book.
Quinn shakes his head, Petronia says she understands leaving her but turning his back on someone as wise as Arion was a bit rash. I say Arion was bad news, man, he was shady.
Quinn says perhaps "but for now I have to be here" and she says she leaves him the Hermitage "my boy" and leaves.
"And so my story is at an end."
Ok, so he's done recounting everything to Lestat! And it only took 569 pages! Leaving us...53 pages til the end.
...pacing problems, this book has them.
