Marked: Chapter 3
ZeldaQueen: Sorry about the delay, everyone. Let's get going!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 3
ZeldaQueen: So we are finally introduced to the Evil Stepfather, who is named, and I swear this is true, Mr. John Heifer. Really? They couldn't be bothered to just call him Mr. Smith? And it really is stupid because Zoey starts off by saying how he comes off as normal and okay at first. That's kind of like saying "Oh yeah, Mr. McEvilBabyKiller seems like a nice, ordinary dude at first!" It...just doesn't work.
Anyway, apparently Zoey always knew he was a snake-in-the-grass, I'll tell you guys, he may look dumb but that's just a disguise...erm, sorry about that. Anyway, she tells us how she knew from the start he was a fake, even though her mother thought he was "handsome" and "charming". Also, we're told what John looks like
"He has dark hair, skinny chicken legs, and is getting a gut. His eyes are like his soul, a washed-out, cold, brownish color"
ZeldaQueen: Yet again, I'm getting contradictions here. Because that right there doesn't sound remotely handsome. Now, I suppose it could be that Zoey is deliberately using unpleasant descriptors or that John let his appearance go after he got married, but in either case it would be kind of a nice indicator. All I can tell from this is that Zoey's mom apparently has terrible taste in looks to date a guy with the surname of "heifer" and that description and think he's handsome.
So she goes into the living room, and finds John and her mother on the sofa. Her mom is all crumpled up and sobbing and acting all victimized and John shouts "Get thee behind me, Satan!" the instant she enters the room. Erm...okay then. He goes on to tell Zoey "I told you that your bad behavior and your attitude problem would catch up with you. I'm not even surprised it happened this soon". It might just be me, but he honestly just sounds mildly annoyed here. Like, "I warned you that if you didn't do your homework you'd wind up being Marked as a vampire! Let this be a lesson to you, young lady. No internet access for a week"
We then find out about how vampirism works in this wold, and apparently it's something like a virus. No one knows exactly how it works. That's actually pretty interesting. Zoey tells her stepfather that she wasn't the cause of this and he replies, and I still am making none of this up, "Scientists are not all-knowing. They are not men of God".
*rubs face* Oh boy, it looks like we've got some lovely straw religious fanatics here. How charming!
So yeah, we're told that he's "Elder of the People of Faith", which was one of the reasons Zoey's mom wanted to marry him - having a position like that would mean he's successful, has a good job, a nice house, and "do the right things and believe the right way". And, of course, he's actually a crazy fanatic. Of course.
Zoey tries to explain vampirism as taught in her AP Biology class, and I shall share it with you
"'It's a physiological reaction that takes place in some teenagers' bodies as their hormone levels rise.' I paused, thinking really hard and totally proud of myself for remembering something I learned last semester. 'In certain people the hormones trigger something-or-other in a…a…' I thought harder and remembered: 'a Junk DNA strand, which starts the whole Change.'"
ZeldaQueen: Okay everyone, I'm not very smart about stuff like this so I honestly can't say if it's bunk or not. At least we're not getting "crystallized cells" that act like mirrors.
Anyway, John shoots back that "God's knowledge surpasses science, and it's blasphemous for you to say otherwise, young lady". You know, I don't think I've read such a ridiculous strawman like this since The Rapture of Canaan. Zoey shouts that she wasn't saying that, but just trying to explain things to him, and he basically says he doesn't need to be educated by a teenager and to shut up.
*raises hand* Question! If this guy hates teachers and scientists and such learning things so much, why is he keeping his kids in a public school that teaches them that sort of thing? And no, don't tell me that it's because the mom insisted, because we're told how he dictates her looks, reading material, and friends, so why would schools be any different?
Zoey takes a moment to reflect on how her stepdad does need a teenager to teach him some things, given what a terrible wardrobe he has, and her mother starts crying and asking what ever will the neighbors say? John says that they'll "are going to give this to God" and bring in the other Elders for prayer to...exorcise her or something I guess, and also says that they'll call for one Dr. Asher, who Zoey refers to as "Incredibly Expressionless Man". At this point, Zoey jumps up and reminds them all that if she doesn't get to the House of Night, she'll drop dead. John makes it clear that she's staying with them, and Zoey notes that it's an issue of control with him not wanting to send her away. *rubs head* Okay, I know that there are actually parents who do stuff like this, but this is just coming across as ridiculous.
Zoey finally has had enough and says she's going to go to her room for a rest. As she heads up to her room, we get this
"I'm going to remember this, I told myself sternly. I'm going to remember how awful they made me feel today. So when I'm scared and alone and whatever else is going to happen to me starts to happen, I'm going to remember that nothing could be as bad as being stuck here. Nothing"
ZeldaQueen: So much for any attempts to preserve good memories of her family, I see
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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: So we are finally introduced to the Evil Stepfather, who is named, and I swear this is true, Mr. John Heifer. Really? They couldn't be bothered to just call him Mr. Smith? And it really is stupid because Zoey starts off by saying how he comes off as normal and okay at first. That's kind of like saying "Oh yeah, Mr. McEvilBabyKiller seems like a nice, ordinary dude at first!" It...just doesn't work.
Anyway, apparently Zoey always knew he was a snake-in-the-grass, I'll tell you guys, he may look dumb but that's just a disguise...erm, sorry about that. Anyway, she tells us how she knew from the start he was a fake, even though her mother thought he was "handsome" and "charming". Also, we're told what John looks like
"He has dark hair, skinny chicken legs, and is getting a gut. His eyes are like his soul, a washed-out, cold, brownish color"
ZeldaQueen: Yet again, I'm getting contradictions here. Because that right there doesn't sound remotely handsome. Now, I suppose it could be that Zoey is deliberately using unpleasant descriptors or that John let his appearance go after he got married, but in either case it would be kind of a nice indicator. All I can tell from this is that Zoey's mom apparently has terrible taste in looks to date a guy with the surname of "heifer" and that description and think he's handsome.
So she goes into the living room, and finds John and her mother on the sofa. Her mom is all crumpled up and sobbing and acting all victimized and John shouts "Get thee behind me, Satan!" the instant she enters the room. Erm...okay then. He goes on to tell Zoey "I told you that your bad behavior and your attitude problem would catch up with you. I'm not even surprised it happened this soon". It might just be me, but he honestly just sounds mildly annoyed here. Like, "I warned you that if you didn't do your homework you'd wind up being Marked as a vampire! Let this be a lesson to you, young lady. No internet access for a week"
We then find out about how vampirism works in this wold, and apparently it's something like a virus. No one knows exactly how it works. That's actually pretty interesting. Zoey tells her stepfather that she wasn't the cause of this and he replies, and I still am making none of this up, "Scientists are not all-knowing. They are not men of God".
*rubs face* Oh boy, it looks like we've got some lovely straw religious fanatics here. How charming!
So yeah, we're told that he's "Elder of the People of Faith", which was one of the reasons Zoey's mom wanted to marry him - having a position like that would mean he's successful, has a good job, a nice house, and "do the right things and believe the right way". And, of course, he's actually a crazy fanatic. Of course.
Zoey tries to explain vampirism as taught in her AP Biology class, and I shall share it with you
"'It's a physiological reaction that takes place in some teenagers' bodies as their hormone levels rise.' I paused, thinking really hard and totally proud of myself for remembering something I learned last semester. 'In certain people the hormones trigger something-or-other in a…a…' I thought harder and remembered: 'a Junk DNA strand, which starts the whole Change.'"
ZeldaQueen: Okay everyone, I'm not very smart about stuff like this so I honestly can't say if it's bunk or not. At least we're not getting "crystallized cells" that act like mirrors.
Anyway, John shoots back that "God's knowledge surpasses science, and it's blasphemous for you to say otherwise, young lady". You know, I don't think I've read such a ridiculous strawman like this since The Rapture of Canaan. Zoey shouts that she wasn't saying that, but just trying to explain things to him, and he basically says he doesn't need to be educated by a teenager and to shut up.
*raises hand* Question! If this guy hates teachers and scientists and such learning things so much, why is he keeping his kids in a public school that teaches them that sort of thing? And no, don't tell me that it's because the mom insisted, because we're told how he dictates her looks, reading material, and friends, so why would schools be any different?
Zoey takes a moment to reflect on how her stepdad does need a teenager to teach him some things, given what a terrible wardrobe he has, and her mother starts crying and asking what ever will the neighbors say? John says that they'll "are going to give this to God" and bring in the other Elders for prayer to...exorcise her or something I guess, and also says that they'll call for one Dr. Asher, who Zoey refers to as "Incredibly Expressionless Man". At this point, Zoey jumps up and reminds them all that if she doesn't get to the House of Night, she'll drop dead. John makes it clear that she's staying with them, and Zoey notes that it's an issue of control with him not wanting to send her away. *rubs head* Okay, I know that there are actually parents who do stuff like this, but this is just coming across as ridiculous.
Zoey finally has had enough and says she's going to go to her room for a rest. As she heads up to her room, we get this
"I'm going to remember this, I told myself sternly. I'm going to remember how awful they made me feel today. So when I'm scared and alone and whatever else is going to happen to me starts to happen, I'm going to remember that nothing could be as bad as being stuck here. Nothing"
ZeldaQueen: So much for any attempts to preserve good memories of her family, I see
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Onward to: Chapter 4
Back to: Chapter 2
Back to: Table of Contents