Hush, Hush: Chapter 24
ZeldaQueen: In which we get more angel mythology, and it still makes little sense
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 24
ZeldaQueen: So, after... *glances at last recap* the events of the previous chapter, Nora once again dives into Patch's memories. And of course, seeing as this entire plot is so contrived, there's certainly no chance that she just catches him having a quiet afternoon, sitting on a park bench and telling strangers how life is like a box of chocolates.
No, instead she wakes up (still in her camisole, as Fitzpatrick feels the need to remind us) next to a skeleton. Of course she does. I'm not entirely sure where, exactly, this is supposed to be taking place at. I'm going to have to assume it's a cemetery outside of a town or something, although I'm confused as to why a skeleton would be lying exposed and above ground in relatively modern times.
And yes, this is relatively modern times, because Patch is there and he's wearing Levis and a navy T-shirt. He's crawling around on top of some gravestones, doing...something. I really don't know what. I think the only reason Fitzpatrick chose this location was because she wanted it to be creepy.
Anyway, Rixon shows up and makes an unfunny joke about Patch hanging around dead people. We get an infodump from him to Patch about how it's going to be Cheshvan starting at midnight, and they need to find Chauncey and some dude named Barnabas by then. Ah yes, Chauncey! Remember him? If you don't (and I don't blame you, if that's the case), he was the guy Patch mind raped in the prologue and forced an oath of fealty and a favor from. That's right. We're twenty-four chapters into a thirty-chapter story and the prologue is only being explained now. Good lord.
Patch isn't as excited as Rixon at the prospect of hijacking an unwilling victim's body, but it's not because he feels bad about it or anything, oh no. Empathy is for idiots who aren't Patch. No, you see much like Gaston, he's evolving a plan. Rixon is worried about this, and continues to try to talk Patch into possessing Chauncey like a good chap, while going on about his plans to use Barnabas (the dude he possesses) to get funky with a girl who was eying him up earlier. That ought to take some explaining on his part given the body swap and all, unless the girl had actually been eyeing up Barnabas and Rixon also fancied her. If that's the case, that's just nasty.
But no, Patch won't let up on his plan. Instead of leaving the graveyard, he asks Rixon what he knows about the Book of Enoch. Rixon replies "About as much as any fallen angel: slim to none" and I must pause to ask WHY?
This really is one of the things that confuses me to no end. The way they talk about the Book of Enoch, it's like it's neigh impossible to read it. I ignored Dabria being all freaked about Patch reading it, because it was implied that he read it before falling and that what was forbidden. Here though, they're both on Earth, they both can go wherever they please, and clearly the other angels can't be bothered to interfere with anything they do. The exact date isn't given and modern Levis jeans were first produced in 1920, so I could buy that the internet isn't available. But c'mon, surely they could find it in a library! The way they talk about it, it's like Milo finding the Shepherd's Diary. Is this supposed to be some secret version of the Book of Enoch that we don't know about or something?
*rubs head* Anyway, Patch finally spills the beans on why he's so interested in the Book of Enoch. Apparently there's a story in there about a fallen angel who becomes human, and that's exactly what Patch wants - a human body.
*pauses*
*raises eyebrow*
Right, let's look at the two parts of that.
First of all, from what I've gathered, Fitzpatrick completely made up that story about the fallen angel who becomes human. Now I've never read the Book of Enoch so if I'm wrong, please correct me. I've poked around though, and I've found scant information on angels turning into humans from actual religious roots (that is, not made up for a movie or show). Of the few things I found, they are (A) of very dubious authenticity and (B) in no way related to the Book of Enoch.
In other words, Fitzpatrick took an actual religious text, one which is considered canon by some sects such as the Ethiopian and Etriean Orthodox Churches and which anybody can look up and which is widely available, and made up a story and put it in. There's no handwave for it, not even something like "Well, the story was removed very long ago and most people have never heard of it". Nope, she just made it up.
That's all kinds of fail there, Fitzpatrick. Really, I don't have much to say about that. Well, actually I kind of do. That right there is on par with Meyer and her appropriation of the Quileute folklore and mythology. Taking real-world stuff like that and twisting it to suit your story is not very nice, you know. Not to mention, nonsensical. This isn't some AU where the Book of Enoch is more difficult to find or has different contents. Why should we buy it? This is our world. Anyone reading this sporking could pull it up online in ten seconds and see this is all baloney. What was Fitzpatrick thinking when she just threw that out without any further development?
Now, let us look at the second part of that. The bit about Patch wanting to be human.
Right. The story about the vampire or werewolf or angel or demon or spirit or what-have-you wanting to be human is a tried and true formula. Almost always, it involves the idea that humans have some trait that is admirable to the whatever-it-is. Free will. The ability to love. Loyalty. Comradery. The fact that the nonhuman wants to be human endears him to the audience, because of course we're all human.
That being said, I do not buy for a minute that Patch wants to be human. Oh, he says he does, but guess what? He doesn't show any signs of wanting to be human. He hardly interacts with anyone at all, outside of Nora and the people he hustles at pool. He has, in no way at all, shown any admiration for humanity. Honestly, him saying "I want to be human" makes me just scratch my head and ask why. What does he plan on doing if he does become human? If anything, he'd wind up arrested within a week because he has no family, no friends, constantly skips school, doesn't participate in class when he does attend, and spends all of his free time playing paintball, gambling, and hanging around a bar. I think it's safe to say that the only reason he hasn't been arrested yet is because he can mindrape people into not being able to see him (that, and Fitzpatrick has lobotomized everyone in this world to turn a blind eye to his constant harrasment and inappropriate behavior towards Nora). He shows no desire in connecting to people. He shows no desire to be a contributing member of society. In short, I can't believe he wants to be human BECAUSE HE IN NO WAY SHOWS HE WANTS TO BE A MEMBER OF THE HUMAN RACE!
Quick example, and a shameless plug to a favorite fanfiction of mine. In The Weekly Hyrule News, there is a character named Dark. Dark is not human. He is a shadow who was yoinked from his dimension to kill the hero, Link. Dark decides he doesn't want to though, and takes human form to dodge being forced into the mission. Dark is a prominent character throughout the story. He gets a part-time job at an ice cream shop, where he enjoys singing for customers. He gives Link dating advice. He tells one of the protagonists that she looks pretty, because he thinks she does and likes complimenting people. He saves another one of the protagonists from a monster by having her hide in a Denny's. He saves Link by beating a monster's head in with a board with nails in it, which he lovingly dubbed "Excaliboard". He loves hanging out with goths, tells stupid jokes, devours lots of pancakes, and considers Link to be his brother and the other protagonists to be his surrogate family. Thus, with all of that, it is believable that Dark enjoys being human.
That, Fitzpatrick, is the difference. And now I'm sorely tempted to go off and read that fanfiction again, instead of finishing this sporking. Still, I shall fight onward.
Rixon laughs at Patch for that bit of idiocy, but not because he's apparently spouting off made-up stories from real-life texts. No, it's because "The Book of Enoch is a bedtime story". Of course, it isn't possibly real! Don't even think it is! Just ignore the smell of all those dead herrings, everyone.
Patch continues to whine about how he wants a human body, and Rixon continues to yammer on about how it's impossible and the best Patch can do is possess Chauncey, and Christ, this is all so boring. I suppose I should be grateful. The boredom is dulling the anger I'm feeling that Our Heroic Male Lead is treating the guy he mindraped and essentially enslaved like a complete nonentity. Patch seems quite determined to respond to that though, because the next thing out of his mouth is how he intends to kill Chauncey to get a human body.
Bluh. What?
Yes, according to this book's angelic canon, if a fallen angel kills his Nephilim vassal, he gets a human body. Apparently this was all written in the Book of Enoch. I guess it's on those invisible pages that everyone tends to overlook. And yes, that's all the explanation we get for it. It makes no sense. None. One would think that something significant like getting a human body would require some sort of interference from God, given that humans are the favorites and all. Not to mention that, from what I understand, fallen angels really aren't given a chance for any sort of redemption like humans are, given that angels knew firsthand the magnificence of God and still turned from it (which would also put a damper on that bit about regaining angelic status by just saving a person's life). From this, I can honestly only conclude that there are angels but not God. Really. We never hear about Him in this book or the sequel, so unless He's saving Himself for a big appearance in the third book, this is one messed-up world.
Also, I'd like to remind you all that Nora is still around. I thought I'd bring that up, because once again we've lapsed into her just watching what's going on, while giving absolutely no feedback or input of her own thoughts. I can only hope that this is sloppy writing, because otherwise she just learned that her boyfriend wants to kill someone to get a human body and isn't reacting at all.
Rixon gets impatient and makes it clear that he has Manly Urges that girl in town needs to tend to. Patch brings up that he has two choices. Either kill Chauncey and become human, or save a human and become a guardian angel. He explains to Rixon that Dabria told him about the latter option. Rixon starts going on about how Dabria is Patch's "psychotic ex", which is fucking rich when we see how Nora acts in Crescendo.
Anyway, Rixon starts urging Patch to take the offer guardian angel offer, because "Spending your days keeping mortals out of danger ... could be fun, depending on the mortal you're assigned".
*stares* Yes, I can only conclude that whatever system the angels have set up is severely screwy. Because seriously? What the heck? WHAT THE HECK? These are the angels that are going to be taking care of us? The ones that view guardian angelship as a means to an end and possibly entertainment, without giving a single thought to the fact that people's lives are depending on them? I wouldn't mind if the angels in this universe were supposed to be unbelievably arrogant and self-centered, but these are supposed to be the heroes! The guys we root for!
Also, I have to once again scratch my head and wonder if Fitzpatrick has a different set of definitions for words than the ones most people use. Because Rixon comments that "I'm half considering the deal myself. Too bad I don't know any humans on the brink of death" and generally acts like finding a person in danger of death is an extremely difficult thing to do. Normally I'd guess that there's some specifications except...we see later that there really isn't. It's just what it sounds like. Find someone about to die and save them. That's it.
Right. I've got to keep going. Focus, girl.
Rixon randomly starts fighting with Patch, only to abruptly halt out of fear of geting a busted lip and looking bad for the ladies as a result. Um, wasn't he on his way to possess somebody? Why would a bloody lip matter if he's not going to be in his own?
Ah well, it doesn't matter. The memory ends at that point, and Nora finds herself back in the motel room. Thank Father Christmas, Patch does not attack her this time. She confirms that he's a fallen angel, coming to the conclusion that every single one of us has come to on page one. She then starts trying to figure out Patch's motives, which sounds uncannily like Bella asking if Edward is Superman. Patch even asks her "You think I'm a bad guy?" which, besides sounding rather similar to "What if I'm the bad guy?" makes me bristle because what do you think, you asshole? Yes, if someone attacked me like you attacked Nora in the last chapter, I'd think they were a bad guy. I'd think the same of anyone who also stalked me, belittled me, and generally forced his will upon me which, look at that, is what you also did to Nora.
But then again, I guess I'm an unromantic jerk because Nora certainly doesn't think of any of that. Instead, she brings up how he possesses people's bodies. Please note that this is pretty much the only time she shows negative emotions towards him body-jacking innocent people. She asks if he wants to possess her body as well, and he replies "I want to do a lot of things to your body, but that's not one of them"
...Fitzpatrick. After the events of last chapter, DON'T. Just...DON'T.
So yeah, at this point we get what is pretty much the only downside there is to being an angel - Patch has no feeling. Or, as he describes it
"My body is a lot like glass. Real, but outward, reflecting the world around me. You see and hear me, and I see and hear you. When you touch me, you feel it. I don't experience you in the same way. I can't feel you. I experience everything through a sheet of glass, and the only way I can cut through that sheet is by possessing a human body"
ZeldaQueen: I suspect that Fitzpatrick was going for something like the Black Pearl's cursed crew in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Too long we've been starving without dying and all of that. Like I said above though, it still doesn't work. Honestly, I never got the impression that Patch was suffering for being unable to feel things. Maybe Fitzpatrick intended for there to be, but we never see it. Really, it feels like Fitzpatrick just wanted a token bit of suffering for Patch, to make him sympathetic and get us to overlook his behavior. Oh, that poor boy! He's so tormented, unable to feel things! I simply must forgive the stalking and abuse! *emo tear*
(And yes, I have seen idiot fans who do think that his "I want to be human so I can feel" schtick forgives him of his treatment of Nora. REALLY)
I'd also like to add that being unable to feel things is a real disease. gehayi commented on beautifully here, and I highly recommend reading it. For those who don't or can't though, the upshot is that being unable to feel things in reality causes a ton of health-related issues. You don't know if you've sliced your finger open with a knife, or if you're cutting off the circulation in your leg the way you're sitting, or if your skin is being burnt. And because you can't feel it, you don't know those things are happening, so you don't see medical treatment. You constantly need to check yourself over. In the typical Mary Sue fashion though, Patch isn't given any of those drawbacks. That he can't feel if he needs to go to the bathroom or not? Never brought up. That he could be shanked and not notice that he's bleeding to death? Apparently can't happen, seeing as he doesn't have a human body. Fitzpatrick had a fine set-up for a genuine reason for Patch to hate having no sense of feeling, and it's almost completely ignored.
*shakes head* I just can't keep on track, can I?
Nora pretty much repeats everything we already know about Nephilim, and Patch finds out what memory she saw. She asks why he kissed her if he has no sense of feeling, because of course that is something important right now. He replies that he still feels emotions, and I can just hear the idiot fangirls sighing over how dreamy that is. The last chapter? What's that?
Nora gets all flustered at that, and asks why he fell. He says it was because of lust, which Nora for some reason thinks means "Money lust". Nora, have you been paying attention to the book you're in at all? He specifies that got all hot for a human girl, and deliberately fell because he thought that it would make him human. We get something here which is actually kind of interesting - Patch says that when the original angels Fell for *sigh* tempting Eve, the entire thing was done quietly and thus none of the other angels knew what being a fallen angel entailed. That brief bit over, we go back to the boring stuff we already know or probably already figured out.
This leads to Nora asking about him being a guardian angel and why he's so set against it. Personally, I'd say it's because he's a little bastard who wants to do whatever he wants, and hates the idea of actually being held to a job and shouldering responsibility. His answer is that "It's not for [him]". That's the answer he gives. What a fantastic response to justify killing someone who you've been dragging around and using as a slave/glove for a couple of centuries!
Of course Nora ignores that bit, because who cares that her Darling Dearest wants to kill someone? She wants to ask about Dabria, and ask questions which are obviously her fishing to find out if she's competition or not. Patch is confused at this, because he had no idea that Dabria was still on Earth. Nora gets a Sinking Feeling and tells him that Dabria warned her to stay away from him, coming to the conclusion that "Something about this is off, isn't it?" No, Nora. A therapist telling you to stay away from a guy like Patch is completely normal. But don't worry, folks. I have a rant about that all ready. I'm just holding onto it for a chapter or so.
Patch and Nora both start panicking and making plans on how to deal with this development because never mind that Elliot tried to throttle Nora. Never mind that it was only in the last damned chapter that Patch attacked her and frightened her nearly to tears. Never mind that Ms Greene has done absolutely nothing in this book to warrant fear or the thought that she might try to get Nora offed. No, clearly Dabria is the one they should be worrying about!
So Patch runs off to get the Jeep, and Nora conveniently doesn't reflect on how he lied about it being broken to trap her in the motel room, or why he took her to the motel room at all, if the Jeep worked fine and he didn't have unhonorable intentions. Instead, she drudges up her memories of the ski mask person (yeah, remember that person?) and figures that it could have been Dabria. Nora thinks how "At this point, I wouldn't put it past Dabria to deceive us both", because clearly the fact that she urged Nora to avoid her stalker and tried to convince Patch not to kill someone makes her a horrible bitch.
I need a rest
Onward to: Chapter 25
Back to: Chapter 23 (Part 2)
Return to to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 24
ZeldaQueen: So, after... *glances at last recap* the events of the previous chapter, Nora once again dives into Patch's memories. And of course, seeing as this entire plot is so contrived, there's certainly no chance that she just catches him having a quiet afternoon, sitting on a park bench and telling strangers how life is like a box of chocolates.
No, instead she wakes up (still in her camisole, as Fitzpatrick feels the need to remind us) next to a skeleton. Of course she does. I'm not entirely sure where, exactly, this is supposed to be taking place at. I'm going to have to assume it's a cemetery outside of a town or something, although I'm confused as to why a skeleton would be lying exposed and above ground in relatively modern times.
And yes, this is relatively modern times, because Patch is there and he's wearing Levis and a navy T-shirt. He's crawling around on top of some gravestones, doing...something. I really don't know what. I think the only reason Fitzpatrick chose this location was because she wanted it to be creepy.
Anyway, Rixon shows up and makes an unfunny joke about Patch hanging around dead people. We get an infodump from him to Patch about how it's going to be Cheshvan starting at midnight, and they need to find Chauncey and some dude named Barnabas by then. Ah yes, Chauncey! Remember him? If you don't (and I don't blame you, if that's the case), he was the guy Patch mind raped in the prologue and forced an oath of fealty and a favor from. That's right. We're twenty-four chapters into a thirty-chapter story and the prologue is only being explained now. Good lord.
Patch isn't as excited as Rixon at the prospect of hijacking an unwilling victim's body, but it's not because he feels bad about it or anything, oh no. Empathy is for idiots who aren't Patch. No, you see much like Gaston, he's evolving a plan. Rixon is worried about this, and continues to try to talk Patch into possessing Chauncey like a good chap, while going on about his plans to use Barnabas (the dude he possesses) to get funky with a girl who was eying him up earlier. That ought to take some explaining on his part given the body swap and all, unless the girl had actually been eyeing up Barnabas and Rixon also fancied her. If that's the case, that's just nasty.
But no, Patch won't let up on his plan. Instead of leaving the graveyard, he asks Rixon what he knows about the Book of Enoch. Rixon replies "About as much as any fallen angel: slim to none" and I must pause to ask WHY?
This really is one of the things that confuses me to no end. The way they talk about the Book of Enoch, it's like it's neigh impossible to read it. I ignored Dabria being all freaked about Patch reading it, because it was implied that he read it before falling and that what was forbidden. Here though, they're both on Earth, they both can go wherever they please, and clearly the other angels can't be bothered to interfere with anything they do. The exact date isn't given and modern Levis jeans were first produced in 1920, so I could buy that the internet isn't available. But c'mon, surely they could find it in a library! The way they talk about it, it's like Milo finding the Shepherd's Diary. Is this supposed to be some secret version of the Book of Enoch that we don't know about or something?
*rubs head* Anyway, Patch finally spills the beans on why he's so interested in the Book of Enoch. Apparently there's a story in there about a fallen angel who becomes human, and that's exactly what Patch wants - a human body.
*pauses*
*raises eyebrow*
Right, let's look at the two parts of that.
First of all, from what I've gathered, Fitzpatrick completely made up that story about the fallen angel who becomes human. Now I've never read the Book of Enoch so if I'm wrong, please correct me. I've poked around though, and I've found scant information on angels turning into humans from actual religious roots (that is, not made up for a movie or show). Of the few things I found, they are (A) of very dubious authenticity and (B) in no way related to the Book of Enoch.
In other words, Fitzpatrick took an actual religious text, one which is considered canon by some sects such as the Ethiopian and Etriean Orthodox Churches and which anybody can look up and which is widely available, and made up a story and put it in. There's no handwave for it, not even something like "Well, the story was removed very long ago and most people have never heard of it". Nope, she just made it up.
That's all kinds of fail there, Fitzpatrick. Really, I don't have much to say about that. Well, actually I kind of do. That right there is on par with Meyer and her appropriation of the Quileute folklore and mythology. Taking real-world stuff like that and twisting it to suit your story is not very nice, you know. Not to mention, nonsensical. This isn't some AU where the Book of Enoch is more difficult to find or has different contents. Why should we buy it? This is our world. Anyone reading this sporking could pull it up online in ten seconds and see this is all baloney. What was Fitzpatrick thinking when she just threw that out without any further development?
Now, let us look at the second part of that. The bit about Patch wanting to be human.
Right. The story about the vampire or werewolf or angel or demon or spirit or what-have-you wanting to be human is a tried and true formula. Almost always, it involves the idea that humans have some trait that is admirable to the whatever-it-is. Free will. The ability to love. Loyalty. Comradery. The fact that the nonhuman wants to be human endears him to the audience, because of course we're all human.
That being said, I do not buy for a minute that Patch wants to be human. Oh, he says he does, but guess what? He doesn't show any signs of wanting to be human. He hardly interacts with anyone at all, outside of Nora and the people he hustles at pool. He has, in no way at all, shown any admiration for humanity. Honestly, him saying "I want to be human" makes me just scratch my head and ask why. What does he plan on doing if he does become human? If anything, he'd wind up arrested within a week because he has no family, no friends, constantly skips school, doesn't participate in class when he does attend, and spends all of his free time playing paintball, gambling, and hanging around a bar. I think it's safe to say that the only reason he hasn't been arrested yet is because he can mindrape people into not being able to see him (that, and Fitzpatrick has lobotomized everyone in this world to turn a blind eye to his constant harrasment and inappropriate behavior towards Nora). He shows no desire in connecting to people. He shows no desire to be a contributing member of society. In short, I can't believe he wants to be human BECAUSE HE IN NO WAY SHOWS HE WANTS TO BE A MEMBER OF THE HUMAN RACE!
Quick example, and a shameless plug to a favorite fanfiction of mine. In The Weekly Hyrule News, there is a character named Dark. Dark is not human. He is a shadow who was yoinked from his dimension to kill the hero, Link. Dark decides he doesn't want to though, and takes human form to dodge being forced into the mission. Dark is a prominent character throughout the story. He gets a part-time job at an ice cream shop, where he enjoys singing for customers. He gives Link dating advice. He tells one of the protagonists that she looks pretty, because he thinks she does and likes complimenting people. He saves another one of the protagonists from a monster by having her hide in a Denny's. He saves Link by beating a monster's head in with a board with nails in it, which he lovingly dubbed "Excaliboard". He loves hanging out with goths, tells stupid jokes, devours lots of pancakes, and considers Link to be his brother and the other protagonists to be his surrogate family. Thus, with all of that, it is believable that Dark enjoys being human.
That, Fitzpatrick, is the difference. And now I'm sorely tempted to go off and read that fanfiction again, instead of finishing this sporking. Still, I shall fight onward.
Rixon laughs at Patch for that bit of idiocy, but not because he's apparently spouting off made-up stories from real-life texts. No, it's because "The Book of Enoch is a bedtime story". Of course, it isn't possibly real! Don't even think it is! Just ignore the smell of all those dead herrings, everyone.
Patch continues to whine about how he wants a human body, and Rixon continues to yammer on about how it's impossible and the best Patch can do is possess Chauncey, and Christ, this is all so boring. I suppose I should be grateful. The boredom is dulling the anger I'm feeling that Our Heroic Male Lead is treating the guy he mindraped and essentially enslaved like a complete nonentity. Patch seems quite determined to respond to that though, because the next thing out of his mouth is how he intends to kill Chauncey to get a human body.
Bluh. What?
Yes, according to this book's angelic canon, if a fallen angel kills his Nephilim vassal, he gets a human body. Apparently this was all written in the Book of Enoch. I guess it's on those invisible pages that everyone tends to overlook. And yes, that's all the explanation we get for it. It makes no sense. None. One would think that something significant like getting a human body would require some sort of interference from God, given that humans are the favorites and all. Not to mention that, from what I understand, fallen angels really aren't given a chance for any sort of redemption like humans are, given that angels knew firsthand the magnificence of God and still turned from it (which would also put a damper on that bit about regaining angelic status by just saving a person's life). From this, I can honestly only conclude that there are angels but not God. Really. We never hear about Him in this book or the sequel, so unless He's saving Himself for a big appearance in the third book, this is one messed-up world.
Also, I'd like to remind you all that Nora is still around. I thought I'd bring that up, because once again we've lapsed into her just watching what's going on, while giving absolutely no feedback or input of her own thoughts. I can only hope that this is sloppy writing, because otherwise she just learned that her boyfriend wants to kill someone to get a human body and isn't reacting at all.
Rixon gets impatient and makes it clear that he has Manly Urges that girl in town needs to tend to. Patch brings up that he has two choices. Either kill Chauncey and become human, or save a human and become a guardian angel. He explains to Rixon that Dabria told him about the latter option. Rixon starts going on about how Dabria is Patch's "psychotic ex", which is fucking rich when we see how Nora acts in Crescendo.
Anyway, Rixon starts urging Patch to take the offer guardian angel offer, because "Spending your days keeping mortals out of danger ... could be fun, depending on the mortal you're assigned".
*stares* Yes, I can only conclude that whatever system the angels have set up is severely screwy. Because seriously? What the heck? WHAT THE HECK? These are the angels that are going to be taking care of us? The ones that view guardian angelship as a means to an end and possibly entertainment, without giving a single thought to the fact that people's lives are depending on them? I wouldn't mind if the angels in this universe were supposed to be unbelievably arrogant and self-centered, but these are supposed to be the heroes! The guys we root for!
Also, I have to once again scratch my head and wonder if Fitzpatrick has a different set of definitions for words than the ones most people use. Because Rixon comments that "I'm half considering the deal myself. Too bad I don't know any humans on the brink of death" and generally acts like finding a person in danger of death is an extremely difficult thing to do. Normally I'd guess that there's some specifications except...we see later that there really isn't. It's just what it sounds like. Find someone about to die and save them. That's it.
Right. I've got to keep going. Focus, girl.
Rixon randomly starts fighting with Patch, only to abruptly halt out of fear of geting a busted lip and looking bad for the ladies as a result. Um, wasn't he on his way to possess somebody? Why would a bloody lip matter if he's not going to be in his own?
Ah well, it doesn't matter. The memory ends at that point, and Nora finds herself back in the motel room. Thank Father Christmas, Patch does not attack her this time. She confirms that he's a fallen angel, coming to the conclusion that every single one of us has come to on page one. She then starts trying to figure out Patch's motives, which sounds uncannily like Bella asking if Edward is Superman. Patch even asks her "You think I'm a bad guy?" which, besides sounding rather similar to "What if I'm the bad guy?" makes me bristle because what do you think, you asshole? Yes, if someone attacked me like you attacked Nora in the last chapter, I'd think they were a bad guy. I'd think the same of anyone who also stalked me, belittled me, and generally forced his will upon me which, look at that, is what you also did to Nora.
But then again, I guess I'm an unromantic jerk because Nora certainly doesn't think of any of that. Instead, she brings up how he possesses people's bodies. Please note that this is pretty much the only time she shows negative emotions towards him body-jacking innocent people. She asks if he wants to possess her body as well, and he replies "I want to do a lot of things to your body, but that's not one of them"
...Fitzpatrick. After the events of last chapter, DON'T. Just...DON'T.
So yeah, at this point we get what is pretty much the only downside there is to being an angel - Patch has no feeling. Or, as he describes it
"My body is a lot like glass. Real, but outward, reflecting the world around me. You see and hear me, and I see and hear you. When you touch me, you feel it. I don't experience you in the same way. I can't feel you. I experience everything through a sheet of glass, and the only way I can cut through that sheet is by possessing a human body"
ZeldaQueen: I suspect that Fitzpatrick was going for something like the Black Pearl's cursed crew in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Too long we've been starving without dying and all of that. Like I said above though, it still doesn't work. Honestly, I never got the impression that Patch was suffering for being unable to feel things. Maybe Fitzpatrick intended for there to be, but we never see it. Really, it feels like Fitzpatrick just wanted a token bit of suffering for Patch, to make him sympathetic and get us to overlook his behavior. Oh, that poor boy! He's so tormented, unable to feel things! I simply must forgive the stalking and abuse! *emo tear*
(And yes, I have seen idiot fans who do think that his "I want to be human so I can feel" schtick forgives him of his treatment of Nora. REALLY)
I'd also like to add that being unable to feel things is a real disease. gehayi commented on beautifully here, and I highly recommend reading it. For those who don't or can't though, the upshot is that being unable to feel things in reality causes a ton of health-related issues. You don't know if you've sliced your finger open with a knife, or if you're cutting off the circulation in your leg the way you're sitting, or if your skin is being burnt. And because you can't feel it, you don't know those things are happening, so you don't see medical treatment. You constantly need to check yourself over. In the typical Mary Sue fashion though, Patch isn't given any of those drawbacks. That he can't feel if he needs to go to the bathroom or not? Never brought up. That he could be shanked and not notice that he's bleeding to death? Apparently can't happen, seeing as he doesn't have a human body. Fitzpatrick had a fine set-up for a genuine reason for Patch to hate having no sense of feeling, and it's almost completely ignored.
*shakes head* I just can't keep on track, can I?
Nora pretty much repeats everything we already know about Nephilim, and Patch finds out what memory she saw. She asks why he kissed her if he has no sense of feeling, because of course that is something important right now. He replies that he still feels emotions, and I can just hear the idiot fangirls sighing over how dreamy that is. The last chapter? What's that?
Nora gets all flustered at that, and asks why he fell. He says it was because of lust, which Nora for some reason thinks means "Money lust". Nora, have you been paying attention to the book you're in at all? He specifies that got all hot for a human girl, and deliberately fell because he thought that it would make him human. We get something here which is actually kind of interesting - Patch says that when the original angels Fell for *sigh* tempting Eve, the entire thing was done quietly and thus none of the other angels knew what being a fallen angel entailed. That brief bit over, we go back to the boring stuff we already know or probably already figured out.
This leads to Nora asking about him being a guardian angel and why he's so set against it. Personally, I'd say it's because he's a little bastard who wants to do whatever he wants, and hates the idea of actually being held to a job and shouldering responsibility. His answer is that "It's not for [him]". That's the answer he gives. What a fantastic response to justify killing someone who you've been dragging around and using as a slave/glove for a couple of centuries!
Of course Nora ignores that bit, because who cares that her Darling Dearest wants to kill someone? She wants to ask about Dabria, and ask questions which are obviously her fishing to find out if she's competition or not. Patch is confused at this, because he had no idea that Dabria was still on Earth. Nora gets a Sinking Feeling and tells him that Dabria warned her to stay away from him, coming to the conclusion that "Something about this is off, isn't it?" No, Nora. A therapist telling you to stay away from a guy like Patch is completely normal. But don't worry, folks. I have a rant about that all ready. I'm just holding onto it for a chapter or so.
Patch and Nora both start panicking and making plans on how to deal with this development because never mind that Elliot tried to throttle Nora. Never mind that it was only in the last damned chapter that Patch attacked her and frightened her nearly to tears. Never mind that Ms Greene has done absolutely nothing in this book to warrant fear or the thought that she might try to get Nora offed. No, clearly Dabria is the one they should be worrying about!
So Patch runs off to get the Jeep, and Nora conveniently doesn't reflect on how he lied about it being broken to trap her in the motel room, or why he took her to the motel room at all, if the Jeep worked fine and he didn't have unhonorable intentions. Instead, she drudges up her memories of the ski mask person (yeah, remember that person?) and figures that it could have been Dabria. Nora thinks how "At this point, I wouldn't put it past Dabria to deceive us both", because clearly the fact that she urged Nora to avoid her stalker and tried to convince Patch not to kill someone makes her a horrible bitch.
I need a rest
Onward to: Chapter 25
Back to: Chapter 23 (Part 2)
Return to to: Table of Contents