Go Ask Malice, Week 2: January 29th - February 4th

[Taake]

Book Club: Go Ask Malice
Second week (week 40): October 2nd - October 9th​

The book is in diary format and this week we will be reading the book dates
January 29th - Feburary 4th (pages 37-66)

Discuss these dates here.

🙂

 

[Bluebird]

There's not much story wise going on in these entries, but I'm not sure if there really is gonna be that much of a intricate story to tell here. I really liked it though. The scenes with the wee vamp boy were very effective - I thought that was an interesting idea that we've not explored much in the Buffyverse. It's dark. I like.

 

[Lyri]

I really liked it though. The scenes with the wee vamp boy were very effective - I thought that was an interesting idea that we've not explored much in the Buffyverse. It's dark. I like.

I thought the same thing. The only two I can think of is Holtz's daughter and the little girl Angelus comes across in AtS S4. Unless you count teenagers, BtVS, especially, seems to shy away from something so controversial as child vampires. I remember the vampire 'laws' in the Anita Blake series has a no-go on turning anyone under the age of 18, I think. There are two characters who were turned in the 1700's when they were under 10. It's something weird to see, this woman, for all intents and purposes, in the body of a child. Her mind kept growing but her body didn't and it sends her - and her brother - mad and she's not stable. They both have to have minders and babysitters because they can't control their impulse control. It's something that would be interesting to explore in a teen show like BtVS.

As for the chapters, I agree that it was a little dry, but I'm still irrationally angry that this is Faith's life, that there really are people out there who take in foster children to use as free labor and don't care if they run off because they'll just get another one. Fostering is something that I'm very interested in looking into in the future, when I've got a handle on my issues and feel ready to take care of someone other than myself, and to think that I could be passed over to care for a vulnerable child in favor of someone who just wants am extra couple quid every month and someone to do the vacuuming so that they don't have to honestly disgusts me.

And, I don't know if this is just me, or if it has something to do with the diary structure of the novel, but, to me, this character doesn't really resemble the Faith I met in the show. Unless she has a more drastic change towards the end of the book, I don't feel like this is 'my' Faith.

 

[Taake]

Yeah, these pages were a bit 'more of the same' as the first couple of pages. I did feel though that he "lost" Faith's voice here, I felt it more in the beginning, but it was at one specific point where I was like... yeah this sounds like an adult writing in a teen. Can't remember what it was right now but I'll look it up later when I have the book. But maybe I just feel like you Lyri that this isn't 'my' Faith.

I rolled my eyes a little at her having been thrown out of her place. Just another "this kid's life REALLY sucks, unless you weren't paying attention", it's just piling on. Maybe it's going somewhere but I was looking forward to Faith being able to re-group and chill for a little while in her own home, so it disappointed me a little that she didn't even get that respite.

I did like the vamp-boy bit, if written well that could have been the whole story actually. Like a creepy gothic novel. And it's nice that Faith assumed zombie and didn't jump to a vampire conclusion.

As for the chapters, I agree that it was a little dry, but I'm still irrationally angry that this is Faith's life, that there really are people out there who take in foster children to use as free labor and don't care if they run off because they'll just get another one. Fostering is something that I'm very interested in looking into in the future, when I've got a handle on my issues and feel ready to take care of someone other than myself, and to think that I could be passed over to care for a vulnerable child in favor of someone who just wants am extra couple quid every month and someone to do the vacuuming so that they don't have to honestly disgusts me.

Agreed, but then I've been a foster kid so naturally I feel strongly about it 🙂

 

[Athena]

The whole child vampire thing reminds me of Claudia from Interview with the vampire.

I thought these were good chapters. I liked the bits with Robert, but surely if the foster mother was feeding foster kids to her dead vampire son, authorities would be aware of all these kids that go missing whilst in her care?

 

[Taake]

Maybe they just pegged them as runaways and it slipped through the cracks cause no one came looking for them, prompting the authorities to make inquiries

 

[WillowWhispers]

I have to say, it seems like the last couple entries really picked up the pace and I certainly enjoyed Robert's character, though I felt they could have developed it further. As @Athena noted, my brain went directly to a Claudia like character with Robert- an adult mind trapped in a child's body with zero impulse control. Fascinating stuff! I too, am still curious about how they've fed him all these years...the mother alludes to feeding him foster kids, but it's never really stated directly.

What did you all think of Alex, the imaginary friend that kept popping into her dreams? I know that Faith states it's part of her "good girl" psyche, but I feel like there was more to it than that. I got a First Slayer kind of flashback to "Restless"...maybe even some foreshadowing in Faith's dream sequence and the introduction of Robert's character? Seems like all the Slayers when they are in Potential Stage feel a bit off and have odd dreams/hallucinations.

 

[Taake]

Seems like all the Slayers when they are in Potential Stage feel a bit off and have odd dreams/hallucinations.

This is just a theory but I feel like their dreams increase just as they are about to be called, like the 'magic' or supernatural whatever side of them is starting to come online. 🙂

 

[Cohen]

It's interesting to parallel things happening in the novel with what was going on in the show as well. I was thinking about how around this time, Buffy was dealing with her life being turned upside down by Angel's curse at the same time Faiths life is kind of spiraling downhill.

This also got me to thinking about how the beginning of this novel was just after Buffy met Kendra for the first time, how the dreams for Faith seem to start just after Buffy and Kendra's interaction. Like fate was already preparing Faith for Kendra's inevitable death.

 

[Buffy Summers]

I still feel like if a bunch of foster kids went missing from the same house for like 50 years, someone would notice.

And I agree this doesn’t feel like Faith’s voice. Lol at one point she actually sounded more like Mal to me for some reason.

 

[Plasma]

I still feel like if a bunch of foster kids went missing from the same house for like 50 years, someone would notice.

Agree. It is a massive plot hole in the book that nobody ever finds out about the foster kids just vanishing. I guess if they cover it up enough, nobody would know, but them seem to get enough new arrivals that there would have to be some suspicion from the organization.

Like if they get a 15 year old the week before and get another one the week after, does the foster care system just ignore the fact that there’s a 15 year old unaccounted for? Also fairly certain that they do home visits to these places to make sure stuff is up to code. Did they just never notice the vampire upstairs lol?

 

[watcherless]

Alright, Faith's first kill! Just dumb luck with the curtain, but still.

Taake: And it's nice that Faith assumed zombie and didn't jump to a vampire conclusion.

Yes, I really liked this for some reason. Also either the boy vamp was supernaturally strong or Faith wasn't as strong as she was when she blacked out and beat up the locker room bullies. (Or I guess there's the possibility that Faith didn't actually beat up the locker room bullies as she explains, untrustworthy narrator and all that. But I'm ignoring that for now.)

The dream points and parallels to Buffy's canon life points y'all are making are good, I didn't think of that but it makes sense they would have more intense dreams right before they are called.

Taake: Maybe they just pegged them as runaways and it slipped through the cracks cause no one came looking for them

Yeah this tracked for me. You look at all the missing kids (especially girls) and I totally buy that no one looks too hard for them.

Plasma: Also fairly certain that they do home visits to these places to make sure stuff is up to code. Did they just never notice the vampire upstairs lol?

OK, I'll admit that I had to LOL at this comment. Fair! They just completely ignored the attic. Yeah whoever did the home visits here should be fired. LOL

I like how self aware Faith is, when she's telling V about Alex. "...the best I can do is a six year old girl. Even when I'm asleep I'm an underachiever." (In last week's reading I thought V was a friend of hers at first, even sadder that it's her social worker.)

Glad that Jess had a friend they can crash with. Faith had assumed she would always go back to her house at some point, either living on her own or with her Mom or somehow. But that clearly isn't an option anymore.