So quite a bit happened in chapters ten to thirteen.
Firepaw resumes trainign and he, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw are assessed as apprentices and Tigerclaw does the assessing. He sends the three of them on a task to catch as much prey as possible for the clan. He sends the three of them off with Ravenpaw towards snakerocks, mocking him saying in such easy territory he should have no problem catching prey. He sends Firepaw towards the Twolegs homes and Graypaw in the other direction. He warns all three that he will be watching them. Firepaw and Graypaw are confused by Tigerclaw's comments to Ravenpaw. Snakerocks is a dangerous place to hunt as it is full of quick, poisonous snakes. While out Firepaw meets his old friend Smudge (who was in the first couple of chapters). At first he attacks him as an enemy cat in his territory, but once he realizes who he is he is friendly towards him. He tells Smudge that he is happy in his new home and they affectionately part ways.
Back at the camp Tigerclaw makes his report to Bluestar who summons Firepaw. She is angry with him for being affectionate with Smudge and questions his loyalty to the clan. Firepaw insists that Smudge is a part of his old life and that the clan is his true home - and that seeing Smudge drove this home to him. Bluestar accepts his answers but seems worried. She tells Firepaw that Tigerclaw was very impressed with all three apprentices hunting skills and reported that they all did good. Then she tells him that all three will accompany the clan to the next meeting with all the clans called The Gathering.
At The Gathering things do not go as planned. ShadowClan's young apprentices appear to be too young - noted by Lionheart. Ravenpaw tells the story of taking back Sunning Rocks to other apprentices but in his version Redtail kills Oakheart. WindClan never shows. ShadowClan demands hunting rights in everyone's territories and admits to driving WindClan away because they would not share. RiverClan's leader, Crookedstar, admits to giving hunting rights to ShadowClan to keep the peace - much to the fury of his clan. Lastly, ShadowClan's leader, Brokenstar, speaks of a cat of theirs gone rouge - a cat who kills kits. Realizing what he means, Firepaw races from The Gathering to go warn Yellowfang, who he has begun to grow affectionate towards and who is also beginning to grow affectionate to him in return, before his clan comes home.
He beats everyone home but Yellowfang refuses to leave. She feels Bluestar is a fair leader and insists she will accept her judgement, no matter what it is. The cats return in a frenzy to check on the kits and attack Yellowfang in the hopes that Bluestar will pass a death sentence on her. Bluestar is shocked by their behavior and points out that Yellowfang has done no wrong, but Brokenstar has done plenty wrong and is the true enemy. She also says she will go to Moonstone to ask StarClan for guidance. Firepaw sees Tigerclaw with Ravenpaw and worries for his friend because Tigerclaw is clearly angry with him. Lionheart tells Firepaw that he, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw will travel to Moonstone with Bluestar so they need their rest.
MUCH happened in these four chapters. First of all is Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw. Tigerclaw sending Ravenpaw to the most dangerous territory to hunt, while mocking Ravenpaw and claiming to send him to the easiest place makes no sense. But when Ravenpaw tells a different story about Sunning Rocks then Tigerclaw, things start to fall into place. Clearly Tigerclaw is lying about something - Redtail's death if nothing else. Redtail killed Oakheart, not the other way around. Tigerclaw clearly didn't avenge Redtail's death. And just how did Redtail die if not by Oakheart? Claiming a victory that was not his - killing Oakheart - because the true victor is not alive to contradict you is one thing. But this is more then that since Oakheart supposedly killed Redtail yet clearly didn't. No matter what, this starts to explain Ravenpaw's fear and Tigerclaw's hatred. Ravenpaw clearly knows a secret that Tigerclaw does not want exposed.
However, despite what is going on between them Tigerclaw clearly seems to care about the clan and even the apprentices. He goes back and forth between mocking them and praising them. He might have gotten Firepaw in trouble with Bluestar but it could have been a genuine question of Firepaw's loyalties. After all, he fed and brought an enemy cat to their camp instead of killing her and let the kittypet Smudge live. Yet despite this he admitted to Bluestar that Firepaw - along with his two friends - did very good on their hunt.
A final three points.
Spottedleaf is clearly developing feelings for Firepaw as well. She was very affectionate to him when he went to her for herbs to bring to bring on their trip to the Moonstone. And about the Moonstone, Graypaw said it is where the clan leaders go to receive dream visions, change their name to star, and receive their nine lives when they are named clan leader. Finally, the cats feel they are descended from the great cat clans from long ago. LeopardClan gave them their swiftness and hunting skills, TigerClan gave them the ability to hunt at night, and LionClan gave them their love for the sun. And while some cats mourn the passing of these cats because they would teach the Twolegs a lesson, Spottedleaf points out that if they ruled the woods there would be no home for their small clans.
More chapters later!
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018
into the wild: part two
Firepaw's adventures continue for another five chapters.
Without a mentor of his own, Firepaw is jointly trained by both Lionheart and Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw can't seem to make up his mind when it comes down to Firepaw. Sometimes he seems to approve but other times he seems to mock the young cat. Lionheart is stern with Firepaw, but fair and very approving (and sometimes shocked) when Firepaw does something right. The two warriors show Firepaw (and Graypaw since Lionheart is his mentor) the boundaries of their land. They also train the two young cats, along with Ravenpaw once his wound heals enough to resume his training. However, Ravenpaw does not seem to enjoy his training and is in fear of Tigerclaw - though this could just be because Tigerclaw is a harsh mentor.
Time passes and Firepaw grows into his role as an apprentice. One day, while out gathering food for the clan, he finds an enemy cat in their territory and attacks it. At the end of the fight the cat surrenders her life but Firepaw does not take it. Instead he realizes that the cat is sick and so hungry she won't last long without food. Instead he breaks warrior code and catches her some food and shares it with her. As they talk the warrior patrol comes across them and Firepaw is found out - both for helping an enemy cat since she is Yellowfang, formerly of ShadowClan and now a loner, but also for eating before feeding the clan first.
The warriors, led by Bluestar herself, lead the prisoner back to camp. One there Bluestar informs everyone that WindClan is missing and their territory smells of ShadowClan alone. She also tells them that Yellowfang is now their prisoner. In private, Tigerclaw is unhappy with this because he feels that Yellowfang will betray them to ShadowClan but Bluestar admits that she hopes instead Yellowfang will betray ShadowClan. She also announces that she will take Firepaw on as her apprentice. This is a huge honor as Bluestar normally does not take apprentices. As punishment for breaking the warrior code Firepaw must tend to Yellowfang while she is healing.
Lastly of note, everyone is sticking close to the camp or patrolling in larger groups then normal. This is both because of the mystery of WindClan but also because a fox is in the area. They worry that the fox might get into the den where the kits live and that ShadowClan will try to drive them out of their own land.
It seems Yellowfang is somewhat of a legend. Not a big one, but she was a warrior who chose to become a medicine cat which is unheard of. Females are queens, warriors, queen/warrior, or medicine cat. There are no other options - and it is even revealed by Yellowfang that medicine cats do not have kits so there is no option for a medicine cat to also be a queen. Yellowfang also freaks out on a kit who comes to close to her and yells at Firepaw to keep them away. Firepaw asks her if she had kits and this is when she reveals to him that medicine cats do not do that. He points out that she was once a warrior, but she sadly remarks that accidents happen to kits around her. So perhaps she does not have a hatred of kits, but rather a sorrow of the tragic loss of either her own or ones she was in charge of.
While taking care of her Firepaw finds himself spending time with Spottedleaf to get the necessary medicines to heal Yellowfang seems to start to develop feelings for her. Whether anything will come of this is unknown since Spottedleaf is a medicine cat, not a queen. However, it seems that the feelings might be mutual.
As for Ravenpaw, he is constantly in fear though from what is unknown. He seems to fear ShadowClan and attacks coming from anywhere. He is also in fear of his mentor, but, like I said before, Tigerclaw is harsh. However, as harsh as Tigerclaw is he does give praise where praise is due, and even praises Ravenpaw for catching a crow - though I imagine it was grudgingly.
Without a mentor of his own, Firepaw is jointly trained by both Lionheart and Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw can't seem to make up his mind when it comes down to Firepaw. Sometimes he seems to approve but other times he seems to mock the young cat. Lionheart is stern with Firepaw, but fair and very approving (and sometimes shocked) when Firepaw does something right. The two warriors show Firepaw (and Graypaw since Lionheart is his mentor) the boundaries of their land. They also train the two young cats, along with Ravenpaw once his wound heals enough to resume his training. However, Ravenpaw does not seem to enjoy his training and is in fear of Tigerclaw - though this could just be because Tigerclaw is a harsh mentor.
Time passes and Firepaw grows into his role as an apprentice. One day, while out gathering food for the clan, he finds an enemy cat in their territory and attacks it. At the end of the fight the cat surrenders her life but Firepaw does not take it. Instead he realizes that the cat is sick and so hungry she won't last long without food. Instead he breaks warrior code and catches her some food and shares it with her. As they talk the warrior patrol comes across them and Firepaw is found out - both for helping an enemy cat since she is Yellowfang, formerly of ShadowClan and now a loner, but also for eating before feeding the clan first.
The warriors, led by Bluestar herself, lead the prisoner back to camp. One there Bluestar informs everyone that WindClan is missing and their territory smells of ShadowClan alone. She also tells them that Yellowfang is now their prisoner. In private, Tigerclaw is unhappy with this because he feels that Yellowfang will betray them to ShadowClan but Bluestar admits that she hopes instead Yellowfang will betray ShadowClan. She also announces that she will take Firepaw on as her apprentice. This is a huge honor as Bluestar normally does not take apprentices. As punishment for breaking the warrior code Firepaw must tend to Yellowfang while she is healing.
Lastly of note, everyone is sticking close to the camp or patrolling in larger groups then normal. This is both because of the mystery of WindClan but also because a fox is in the area. They worry that the fox might get into the den where the kits live and that ShadowClan will try to drive them out of their own land.
It seems Yellowfang is somewhat of a legend. Not a big one, but she was a warrior who chose to become a medicine cat which is unheard of. Females are queens, warriors, queen/warrior, or medicine cat. There are no other options - and it is even revealed by Yellowfang that medicine cats do not have kits so there is no option for a medicine cat to also be a queen. Yellowfang also freaks out on a kit who comes to close to her and yells at Firepaw to keep them away. Firepaw asks her if she had kits and this is when she reveals to him that medicine cats do not do that. He points out that she was once a warrior, but she sadly remarks that accidents happen to kits around her. So perhaps she does not have a hatred of kits, but rather a sorrow of the tragic loss of either her own or ones she was in charge of.
While taking care of her Firepaw finds himself spending time with Spottedleaf to get the necessary medicines to heal Yellowfang seems to start to develop feelings for her. Whether anything will come of this is unknown since Spottedleaf is a medicine cat, not a queen. However, it seems that the feelings might be mutual.
As for Ravenpaw, he is constantly in fear though from what is unknown. He seems to fear ShadowClan and attacks coming from anywhere. He is also in fear of his mentor, but, like I said before, Tigerclaw is harsh. However, as harsh as Tigerclaw is he does give praise where praise is due, and even praises Ravenpaw for catching a crow - though I imagine it was grudgingly.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
100 books: june 2018
This post is late because I've been so busy and it's not 100% accurate either. I didn't record books for the last two weeks of June - or the first week of July - so it was a wild guess which were read in June and which in July. So June's is a little light but July's is already much heavier.
June's books:
June's books:
- Dog Man and Cat Kid - Lone Wolf
- Pants vs. Zombies: Petal to the Metal - Little Legs & Wandering Falcon
- Nancy Clancy: Secret Admirer - Wandering Falcon
- Nancy Clancy: Sees the Future - Wandering Falcon
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #11 - Vampire Kitten
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #8 - Vampire Kitten
- Life is a Circus Charlie Brown - Little Legs & Wandering Falcon
- Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon - Little Legs & Wandering Falcon
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #6 - Vampire Kitten
- My Little Pony: The Cutie Map #9 - Vampire Kitten
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #13 - Vampire Kitten
- My Little Pony: Friends Forever #5 - Vampire Kitten
- My Little Pony: Friends Forever #5 - Little Legs & Wandering Falcon
The breakdown:
Lone Wolf: 1
Little Legs: 2
Wandering Falcon: 4
Vampire Kitten: 6
Total stats:
Total books read: 163
Little Legs: 7.50
Wandering Falcon: 30.50
Lone Wolf: 52.50
Vampire Kitten: 72.50
Saturday, July 7, 2018
into the wild: part one
I bought a new book by Erin Hunter, book one in a new series that takes place on the plains of Africa. I didn't realize that only book one was out. While I like starting new series I don't like starting them when there is only one book out. There needs to be at least three. If I get drawn in I like to move on to the next book, not wait an entire year before the next adventure. Usually, by then, I've forgotten what is going on. With three books firmly established in my mind I don't mind walking away for a bit because everything is more deeply ingrained. But I did really want to read my new book so I decided to revisit the world of Warriors. I only ever read the first series and a few graphic novels. I never ventured beyond that. And this was more then ten years ago so I all really remember is- well, that would be spoilers. (But I'll confess it by the end of the series. I will give you two names as hints: Firepaw and Tigerclaw.)
While this book follows Rusty/Firepaw it doesn't start with him. It starts with a clan fight.
RiverClan, in search of food, has invaded ThunderClan territory. A fight ensues led by Oakheart of RiverClan and Redtail of ThunderClan (both a deputy of their respective clans). In the end ThunderClan calls a retreat, a part of their territory lost. Back at their camp Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, searches for answers. A meteor streaks across the sky and Spottedleaf, their medicine cat, tells her it is a message from StarClan: Fire alone can save our clan.
Meanwhile a young cat named Rusty awakens from a dream in which he was hunting a mouse. He is a kittypet who lives with the Twolegs. He is both happy with his life and upset with with. Both content and discontent. He likes his life but his heart yearns for the woods outside of his home and the fresh taste kill of mouse. He finally braves the woods only to be attacked by another cat. That cat is Graypaw, warrior in training for ThunderClan. After their fight they strike up a sudden friendship and are discovered by Bluestar and Lionheart (a warrior who is Graypaw's mentor). Bluestar decides to extend an invitation to join their clan to Rusty. There have not been many kits, their territory is being overtaken, their clan is failing. They need more warriors and Bluestar was impressed by the kittypet's courage and skills.
The next day Rusty leaves his home behind, escorted to the clan home by Lionheart and Whitestorm (another warrior). He receives a mixed welcome, even needing to fight another warrior to prove his worth, but ultimately he is accepted and given the name Firepaw.
But then Ravenpaw (another apprentice) arrives with the news that Redtail is dead. He passes out from his wounds and Tigerclaw arrives dragging Redtail's body. He brings the news that Redtail was slain by Oakheart, and he himself slew Oakheart in return. And the Riverclan cats have fled their part of the forest. While everyone mourns Redtail's passing, Graypaw shows Firepaw around and instructs him on clan life - including that there is a StarClan that all clans are a part of. That is where clan cats go when they die, to the white band (called Silverpelt) in the sky to look down on clan cats below. Bluestar names a new deputy (Lionheart) and gives young Dustpaw a new mentor (since Redtail was his) in Darkstripe. Firepaw and Graypaw turn in for the night.
Now, thoughts. This was a good introduction. The story has been well set up on both ends.
In the case of Rusty/Firepaw we see him both at his home and in the woods. We see him make the choice between kittypet and warrior. And he is well aware that either choice is final. If he picks kittypet the offer will never be extended again. If he picks warrior he must prove he is worthy of it or forever be scorned and hated. The laws, ways, and traditions were laid down for Firepaw, who has officially walked away from his life as a kittypet. He has made some friends and earned the respect of many cats, but he also has had a few run ins with those who feel they should not have a kittypet among their ranks.
On the other hand we see a failing clan that is desperate. Their numbers are not growing at the rate they should, they are losing territory, and food is scarce. A prophecy has been delivered and, of course, Bluestar clearly feels that Rusty is the "fire" that will save their clan. And things only get worse with the death of their deputy. Just how much sorrow must this clan face? Will things ever get better? And how, exactly, will "fire" save them? I doubt it's by knocking up every female cat in the clan and/or forcing the mice to have more children so that implies that their problems are more then they seem.
I really do not remember what the main story arc is fully, just the one spoiler I don't want to reveal so I am eager to read on and discover more.
While this book follows Rusty/Firepaw it doesn't start with him. It starts with a clan fight.
RiverClan, in search of food, has invaded ThunderClan territory. A fight ensues led by Oakheart of RiverClan and Redtail of ThunderClan (both a deputy of their respective clans). In the end ThunderClan calls a retreat, a part of their territory lost. Back at their camp Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, searches for answers. A meteor streaks across the sky and Spottedleaf, their medicine cat, tells her it is a message from StarClan: Fire alone can save our clan.
Meanwhile a young cat named Rusty awakens from a dream in which he was hunting a mouse. He is a kittypet who lives with the Twolegs. He is both happy with his life and upset with with. Both content and discontent. He likes his life but his heart yearns for the woods outside of his home and the fresh taste kill of mouse. He finally braves the woods only to be attacked by another cat. That cat is Graypaw, warrior in training for ThunderClan. After their fight they strike up a sudden friendship and are discovered by Bluestar and Lionheart (a warrior who is Graypaw's mentor). Bluestar decides to extend an invitation to join their clan to Rusty. There have not been many kits, their territory is being overtaken, their clan is failing. They need more warriors and Bluestar was impressed by the kittypet's courage and skills.
The next day Rusty leaves his home behind, escorted to the clan home by Lionheart and Whitestorm (another warrior). He receives a mixed welcome, even needing to fight another warrior to prove his worth, but ultimately he is accepted and given the name Firepaw.
But then Ravenpaw (another apprentice) arrives with the news that Redtail is dead. He passes out from his wounds and Tigerclaw arrives dragging Redtail's body. He brings the news that Redtail was slain by Oakheart, and he himself slew Oakheart in return. And the Riverclan cats have fled their part of the forest. While everyone mourns Redtail's passing, Graypaw shows Firepaw around and instructs him on clan life - including that there is a StarClan that all clans are a part of. That is where clan cats go when they die, to the white band (called Silverpelt) in the sky to look down on clan cats below. Bluestar names a new deputy (Lionheart) and gives young Dustpaw a new mentor (since Redtail was his) in Darkstripe. Firepaw and Graypaw turn in for the night.
Now, thoughts. This was a good introduction. The story has been well set up on both ends.
In the case of Rusty/Firepaw we see him both at his home and in the woods. We see him make the choice between kittypet and warrior. And he is well aware that either choice is final. If he picks kittypet the offer will never be extended again. If he picks warrior he must prove he is worthy of it or forever be scorned and hated. The laws, ways, and traditions were laid down for Firepaw, who has officially walked away from his life as a kittypet. He has made some friends and earned the respect of many cats, but he also has had a few run ins with those who feel they should not have a kittypet among their ranks.
On the other hand we see a failing clan that is desperate. Their numbers are not growing at the rate they should, they are losing territory, and food is scarce. A prophecy has been delivered and, of course, Bluestar clearly feels that Rusty is the "fire" that will save their clan. And things only get worse with the death of their deputy. Just how much sorrow must this clan face? Will things ever get better? And how, exactly, will "fire" save them? I doubt it's by knocking up every female cat in the clan and/or forcing the mice to have more children so that implies that their problems are more then they seem.
I really do not remember what the main story arc is fully, just the one spoiler I don't want to reveal so I am eager to read on and discover more.
Thursday, July 5, 2018
athena the brain: part one
So, I decided over whether or not to do a post (or, rather, two posts) on this book. First of all, it's very short. It's only 160 pages with fairly large print. Second of all, even when I picked it up it seemed kind of fluffy. I mean, there is nothing wrong with reading fluff, but do I really need to write about it. Third of all, I'm very swamped right now. Which is why I still don't have June's list of books up yet. Lastly, I wasn't sure how I felt about a book series where the main character jumps around from book to book. But I decided if I liked the book halfway through I would give it a post. Well, I'm halfway through so here is my post.
Now two things. Number one, this book follows Athena. Athena is a girl on Earth who knows that she is different and feels that she doesn't fit in but doesn't understand why. Then, one day (in the opening chapter, actually), she gets a letter from Zeus and discovers that not only is he her father but that he is principal of a school for gods and goddesses and she is invited to attend. So, some belief needs to be suspended here. I know with mythology belief needs to be suspended in general, but they are really pushing it here.
Number two, there is no real chronology here. Zeus is grown up but Poseidon - who is Zeus's older brother in mythology - is just a teenager who also attends this school. Aphrodite, who is a titan who far predates Zeus and Poseidon, is also a teenager who attends this school. Hermes, Zeus's son and Athena's half sibling, meanwhile, is all grown up and seems to be the delivery boy for the school. But so far there has been no mention of him being Athena's sibling. Or of Poseidon being Zeus's brother, for that matter.
Now on that note so far the story is actually pretty good so far. Like I said, Athena finds out she is Zeus's daughter and is invited to this school.
*** Mythology Point #1 *** Athena is an orphan who lives with her friend Pallas, and Pallas's parents. She decides to ask Zeus when she gets a chance if Pallas can attend the school with her.
She decides to attend and her childhood friend Pallas helps her pack.
*** Mythology Point #2 *** While Athena and Pallas are packing, Athena's childhood toy - a wooden horse on wheels that has a compartment in it - gets packed with her stuff.
Hermes picks her up and she finds herself at the school. Being a brainiac she decides to take five classes - which is apparently considered a lot according to Ms. Hydra who helps Athena get set up.
*** Mythology Point #3 *** Okay, for crying out loud, this one is really obvious. But for the record, Ms. Hydra does have nine heads.
Athena meets Medusa and her sisters (though she doesn't know their names yet) who are pretty cold towards her, Pandora (who doesn't stop talking), followed by Aphrodite.
*** Mythology Point #4 *** Aphrodite informs Athena that Medusa is human unlike her sisters and that Pandora is a very special human to the gods.
Athena and Aphrodite go to their first class together, called Hero-ology. Their there teacher, Mr. Cyclops, gives them an assignment. They have to pull a statue of a hero from a helmet. That hero is their assignment for the semester. They have to guide the hero on a quest. Athena asks how they are supposed to do this and is mocked by Medusa for not knowing the basics. Mr. Cyclops informs Athena that she will have to do some catching up since she is new.
*** Mythology Point #5 *** Yes, Mr. Cyclops only has one eye. Athena pulls Odysseus and Aphrodite pulls Paris. Aphrodite muses that maybe for Paris's quest she will have him fall in love.
Medusa makes fun of Aphrodite for picking love as a quest and calls her "Bubbles." Athena asks why and Aphrodite admits that it is because of how she was born.
*** Mythology Point #6 *** Aphrodite was born of sea foam.
After assuring Aphrodite that sea foam is beautiful, Athena is called to the office - and the announcement makes it clear that she is Zeus's (favorite) daughter. Athena drops her bag, spilling her toy wooden horse much to her mortification, and goes and meet Zeus for the first time. While there she finds out that her mother Metis is also in the room - as a fly in Zeus's head.
*** Mythology Point #7 *** Zeus swallowed Metis which is why Athena was born from his forehead.
After talking for a bit, Pheme shows up to bring Athena back to class. She admits to overhearing Zeus say that Metis is a fly in his head, but assures Athena her secret is safe with her. But when they get back to class she immediately runs over to Medusa.
*** Mythology Point #8 *** Pheme is the goddess of rumors and gossip - and Aphrodite tells Athena this.
Aphrodite has a different class (Beast-ology) to go to then Athena, so Poseidon offers to take her there. Poseidon is the hottest boy at Mount Olympus Academy. Even Medusa seems to be in love with him. They arrive at their next class and Mr. Landon is their teacher.
*** Mythology Point #9 *** Landon is the dragon that guards the tree of golden apples. Poseidon jokes that Mr. Landon has "the worst dragon breath."
Next is lunch where Medusa and her (now named) sisters mock Athena over her mother. After leaving Athena decides to spend some time knitting.
*** Mythology Point #10 *** Athena is known for her weaving skills.
She also attempts to eat a cookie, without realizing it is a "oracle-o" cookie. The cookie informs her that she will be famous. Unable to eat a talking cookie Athena leaves. On her way out she sees a poster for an invention competition. The poster has the same tag line as what her cookie told her so she decides to sign up. Poseidon sees her there and after making a comment about how he heard Athena was smart, tells her she can be his assistant on his project. Athena, upset at his sudden change in attitude, turns him down. Poseidon leaves annoyed. She then runs into Aphrodite with her friends Artemis and Persephone. Aphrodite urges Athena to join the Goddess Girl Squad - the equivalent of a cheerleader squad. Athena is already feeling so overwhelmed between her five classes, being behind in those classes, and signing up for the invention fair - but she also wants to be friends with Aphrodite and make her dad proud so she agrees.
So, like I said, this book is a bit of fluff. But I'm already halfway through it and I really don't see how these story lines are going to all get resolved in the next five chapters. If Athena was the protagonist of the next book I wouldn't mind, but it's about Persephone. However, with that said, I do like the story so far and I love all the mythology references. And, while Athena did help take down Medusa I always see her foe as Arachne...
Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Now two things. Number one, this book follows Athena. Athena is a girl on Earth who knows that she is different and feels that she doesn't fit in but doesn't understand why. Then, one day (in the opening chapter, actually), she gets a letter from Zeus and discovers that not only is he her father but that he is principal of a school for gods and goddesses and she is invited to attend. So, some belief needs to be suspended here. I know with mythology belief needs to be suspended in general, but they are really pushing it here.
Number two, there is no real chronology here. Zeus is grown up but Poseidon - who is Zeus's older brother in mythology - is just a teenager who also attends this school. Aphrodite, who is a titan who far predates Zeus and Poseidon, is also a teenager who attends this school. Hermes, Zeus's son and Athena's half sibling, meanwhile, is all grown up and seems to be the delivery boy for the school. But so far there has been no mention of him being Athena's sibling. Or of Poseidon being Zeus's brother, for that matter.
Now on that note so far the story is actually pretty good so far. Like I said, Athena finds out she is Zeus's daughter and is invited to this school.
*** Mythology Point #1 *** Athena is an orphan who lives with her friend Pallas, and Pallas's parents. She decides to ask Zeus when she gets a chance if Pallas can attend the school with her.
She decides to attend and her childhood friend Pallas helps her pack.
*** Mythology Point #2 *** While Athena and Pallas are packing, Athena's childhood toy - a wooden horse on wheels that has a compartment in it - gets packed with her stuff.
Hermes picks her up and she finds herself at the school. Being a brainiac she decides to take five classes - which is apparently considered a lot according to Ms. Hydra who helps Athena get set up.
*** Mythology Point #3 *** Okay, for crying out loud, this one is really obvious. But for the record, Ms. Hydra does have nine heads.
Athena meets Medusa and her sisters (though she doesn't know their names yet) who are pretty cold towards her, Pandora (who doesn't stop talking), followed by Aphrodite.
*** Mythology Point #4 *** Aphrodite informs Athena that Medusa is human unlike her sisters and that Pandora is a very special human to the gods.
Athena and Aphrodite go to their first class together, called Hero-ology. Their there teacher, Mr. Cyclops, gives them an assignment. They have to pull a statue of a hero from a helmet. That hero is their assignment for the semester. They have to guide the hero on a quest. Athena asks how they are supposed to do this and is mocked by Medusa for not knowing the basics. Mr. Cyclops informs Athena that she will have to do some catching up since she is new.
*** Mythology Point #5 *** Yes, Mr. Cyclops only has one eye. Athena pulls Odysseus and Aphrodite pulls Paris. Aphrodite muses that maybe for Paris's quest she will have him fall in love.
Medusa makes fun of Aphrodite for picking love as a quest and calls her "Bubbles." Athena asks why and Aphrodite admits that it is because of how she was born.
*** Mythology Point #6 *** Aphrodite was born of sea foam.
After assuring Aphrodite that sea foam is beautiful, Athena is called to the office - and the announcement makes it clear that she is Zeus's (favorite) daughter. Athena drops her bag, spilling her toy wooden horse much to her mortification, and goes and meet Zeus for the first time. While there she finds out that her mother Metis is also in the room - as a fly in Zeus's head.
*** Mythology Point #7 *** Zeus swallowed Metis which is why Athena was born from his forehead.
After talking for a bit, Pheme shows up to bring Athena back to class. She admits to overhearing Zeus say that Metis is a fly in his head, but assures Athena her secret is safe with her. But when they get back to class she immediately runs over to Medusa.
*** Mythology Point #8 *** Pheme is the goddess of rumors and gossip - and Aphrodite tells Athena this.
Aphrodite has a different class (Beast-ology) to go to then Athena, so Poseidon offers to take her there. Poseidon is the hottest boy at Mount Olympus Academy. Even Medusa seems to be in love with him. They arrive at their next class and Mr. Landon is their teacher.
*** Mythology Point #9 *** Landon is the dragon that guards the tree of golden apples. Poseidon jokes that Mr. Landon has "the worst dragon breath."
Next is lunch where Medusa and her (now named) sisters mock Athena over her mother. After leaving Athena decides to spend some time knitting.
*** Mythology Point #10 *** Athena is known for her weaving skills.
She also attempts to eat a cookie, without realizing it is a "oracle-o" cookie. The cookie informs her that she will be famous. Unable to eat a talking cookie Athena leaves. On her way out she sees a poster for an invention competition. The poster has the same tag line as what her cookie told her so she decides to sign up. Poseidon sees her there and after making a comment about how he heard Athena was smart, tells her she can be his assistant on his project. Athena, upset at his sudden change in attitude, turns him down. Poseidon leaves annoyed. She then runs into Aphrodite with her friends Artemis and Persephone. Aphrodite urges Athena to join the Goddess Girl Squad - the equivalent of a cheerleader squad. Athena is already feeling so overwhelmed between her five classes, being behind in those classes, and signing up for the invention fair - but she also wants to be friends with Aphrodite and make her dad proud so she agrees.
So, like I said, this book is a bit of fluff. But I'm already halfway through it and I really don't see how these story lines are going to all get resolved in the next five chapters. If Athena was the protagonist of the next book I wouldn't mind, but it's about Persephone. However, with that said, I do like the story so far and I love all the mythology references. And, while Athena did help take down Medusa I always see her foe as Arachne...
Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
darkness walks: part four
My final post. I finished the book almost a week ago but have just been so busy I haven't had time for this.
The book moves on to possible explanations. First it looks at things like Ouija boards and seances. It offers the theory that when you open yourself and your home up to things from the other side anything can come in - including Shadow People. People offer stories of never seeing Shadow People until an Ouija board was used. Some people attributed their Shadow People to their attempts to try and use magic. Either way, it seemed that for some people Shadow People never existed until they dabbled in the occult.
Some people offer up other explanations for their visitors. One woman believes that hers protects her, saying that it only shows up in turbulent and stressful times in her life as a way to let her know that it's okay because she isn't alone. Yet others claim they show up then so they can feed on our fears. And then someone else actually offered up the idea that they are not just extraterrestrials, but reptilian extraterrestrials - who breed with humans so they can incite war, famine, poverty, etc so they can feed off of humanity. Others believe that they are the Nephilim from the bible and evil.
The story of a girl named Kaci was shared as well. Kaci claims that she and her friends have special powers and are on the lookout for others like themselves. She also claims that the Shadow People are out to hurt - and kill - herself and her friends.
Lastly, getting rid of Shadow People was discussed. Prayer, religion, visualization, spells, physically attacking it, saliva, confronting it, ignoring it, or countering it's fear and hate with love were all offered as ideas.
But so was the thought that there is nothing one can do. This, after all, is the world of the paranormal. And we are just humans. While most people seem to feel that they are overwhelmingly bad news, some think they are good. And no one can seem to agree on what they are or how to get rid of them. And yet, others feel that the answer is because they are many different things so there is no one answer.
The book moves on to possible explanations. First it looks at things like Ouija boards and seances. It offers the theory that when you open yourself and your home up to things from the other side anything can come in - including Shadow People. People offer stories of never seeing Shadow People until an Ouija board was used. Some people attributed their Shadow People to their attempts to try and use magic. Either way, it seemed that for some people Shadow People never existed until they dabbled in the occult.
Some people offer up other explanations for their visitors. One woman believes that hers protects her, saying that it only shows up in turbulent and stressful times in her life as a way to let her know that it's okay because she isn't alone. Yet others claim they show up then so they can feed on our fears. And then someone else actually offered up the idea that they are not just extraterrestrials, but reptilian extraterrestrials - who breed with humans so they can incite war, famine, poverty, etc so they can feed off of humanity. Others believe that they are the Nephilim from the bible and evil.
The story of a girl named Kaci was shared as well. Kaci claims that she and her friends have special powers and are on the lookout for others like themselves. She also claims that the Shadow People are out to hurt - and kill - herself and her friends.
Lastly, getting rid of Shadow People was discussed. Prayer, religion, visualization, spells, physically attacking it, saliva, confronting it, ignoring it, or countering it's fear and hate with love were all offered as ideas.
But so was the thought that there is nothing one can do. This, after all, is the world of the paranormal. And we are just humans. While most people seem to feel that they are overwhelmingly bad news, some think they are good. And no one can seem to agree on what they are or how to get rid of them. And yet, others feel that the answer is because they are many different things so there is no one answer.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
darkness walks: part three
Well, I guess there can't be a new post everyday! I do need to sleep sometime!
So things start off with the last negative chapter involving Shadow People, this one being about Shadow People that attack. This one was more or less the same as the preceding four chapters but there was a couple of noticeable differences. First was a woman who said she felt violated by a Shadow Person who pinned her down to her bed. That was interesting - and somewhat disturbing to read. This woman's mother holds the belief that her daughter was attacked by the spirit of a rapist. Another woman said that the Shadow Person who attacked her was a female - the first claim for this so far. Everyone else either specifically states it is a male or says they are unsure of the gender. Also, in this chapter, another new theory was put forward - namely that these are psychic vampires as opposed to spirits or demons. In the end, all of these shadow attacks were very physical.
Then children who see/saw Shadow People were looked into. This was largely the same as chapters that came before. Some people described good Shadow People, others bad ones. And the idea was tossed around that children are more open to seeing ghosts - and by extension Shadow People - then adults are and maybe that is why they see them so much. Perhaps childhood imaginary friends are a bit more then imaginary.
Shadow Cats were also discussed - however most people who claimed to have seen Shadow Cats didn't actually see them which I found odd. That is to say, they saw small, darting shadows out of the corner of their eye. Very few people actually saw the shape of a cat or even actually saw them full on. Some people saw other animals - the most exotic being giraffes and gorillas. Some thought the Shadow Cats were demons, others that it was their deceased pet back to be with them. Short of aliens and psychic vampires, pretty much every theory that existed for Shadow People existed for Shadow Cats as well.
Lastly Hat Men were discussed. Top hats were mentioned, but the most popular were fedoras and derbys. And these Shadow People were very dressed up. Some people claimed to have been attacked, others just felt fear as they watched the Shadow Man pass through the room, and even others just felt shock at seeing what they believed to be a ghost. One person even claimed his Hat Man was smoking a cigar! In the end it seemed that the Hat Men were just as varied as all the other Shadow People that have walked through peoples lives.
Only four chapters left so I might get the final post up tomorrow night!
So things start off with the last negative chapter involving Shadow People, this one being about Shadow People that attack. This one was more or less the same as the preceding four chapters but there was a couple of noticeable differences. First was a woman who said she felt violated by a Shadow Person who pinned her down to her bed. That was interesting - and somewhat disturbing to read. This woman's mother holds the belief that her daughter was attacked by the spirit of a rapist. Another woman said that the Shadow Person who attacked her was a female - the first claim for this so far. Everyone else either specifically states it is a male or says they are unsure of the gender. Also, in this chapter, another new theory was put forward - namely that these are psychic vampires as opposed to spirits or demons. In the end, all of these shadow attacks were very physical.
Then children who see/saw Shadow People were looked into. This was largely the same as chapters that came before. Some people described good Shadow People, others bad ones. And the idea was tossed around that children are more open to seeing ghosts - and by extension Shadow People - then adults are and maybe that is why they see them so much. Perhaps childhood imaginary friends are a bit more then imaginary.
Shadow Cats were also discussed - however most people who claimed to have seen Shadow Cats didn't actually see them which I found odd. That is to say, they saw small, darting shadows out of the corner of their eye. Very few people actually saw the shape of a cat or even actually saw them full on. Some people saw other animals - the most exotic being giraffes and gorillas. Some thought the Shadow Cats were demons, others that it was their deceased pet back to be with them. Short of aliens and psychic vampires, pretty much every theory that existed for Shadow People existed for Shadow Cats as well.
Lastly Hat Men were discussed. Top hats were mentioned, but the most popular were fedoras and derbys. And these Shadow People were very dressed up. Some people claimed to have been attacked, others just felt fear as they watched the Shadow Man pass through the room, and even others just felt shock at seeing what they believed to be a ghost. One person even claimed his Hat Man was smoking a cigar! In the end it seemed that the Hat Men were just as varied as all the other Shadow People that have walked through peoples lives.
Only four chapters left so I might get the final post up tomorrow night!
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