200 books: october 2019

So as disappointed as I am that we only read 13 books for the month, the irony of this taking place in the month of October is not lost on me. This is the time of year where very little reading gets done. There is too much going on between Halloween. Little Legs' birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Everything will wind down until January, when reading rates spike again. Also, Lone Wolf is reading harder books so it takes him longer to finish them. And Vampire Kitten is in the middle of tackling a few harder books himself. So even though this number isnt high, it is a good number.

October books:

1. Prometheus - Vampire Kitten
2. Dar and the Spear-Thrower - Vampire Kitten
3. The 5th Wave - Lone Wolf
4. Dar and the Spear-Thrower - Lone Wolf
5. Scooby-Doo and the Carnival Creeper - Little Legs
6. Scooby-Doo and the Farmyard Fright - Little Legs
7. Scooby-Doo and the Toy Store Terror - Little Legs
8. Scooby-Doo and the Karate Caper - Little Legs
9. Scooby-Doo and the Seashore Slimer - Little Legs
10. Reindeer Moon - Wandering Falcon
11. Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret - Wandering Falcon
12. Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night -Wandering Falcon
13. The Sisters Grimm: The Council of Mirrors - Family

The breakdown:

Vampire Kitten: 2

Lone Wolf: 2

Little Legs: 5

Wandering Falcon: 3

Family: 1

Total:

Vampire Kitten: 97/50

Lone Wolf: 44/25

Little Legs: 47/13

Wandering Falcon: 111/100

Family: 14/12

buffy the vampire slayer: part seventeen

Season 4 is almost done!

I don't actually have much to say, beyond talking about Faith. Faith comes back for two episodes - "This Year's Girl" and "Who Are You?" While in a coma Faith and Buffy dream. Faith again mentions that Buffy's sister is on the way. When she wakes from her coma she is determined to take her revenge on Buffy for almost killing her over some guy (Angel) - some guy who she isn't even with anymore. She refuses to acknowledge her own part in the situation (you know, the part where she poisoned Angel) and places all of the blame solely on Buffy. This leads to her swapping bodies with Buffy. Buffy is arrested by the cops and eventually abducted by the Watcher's Council while Faith goes around pretending to be Buffy - offending Tara and sleeping with Riley. All while she is pretending to be Buffy she has a hard time with Buffy's life. When Joyce hugs her it upsets her. When Willow tells her that a girl is about to be attacked by a vampire a begrudging Faith goes to save her. When she saves the girl from the vampire the girl's profuse gratitude makes her uncomfortable. When Riley tells her he loves her she freaks out and demands to know what Riley's intentions are with Buffy.

Everywhere she looks she is confronted with Buffy's perfect life and just how not perfect her own is. Yet, at the same time, she is protective of Buffy which is shown when she confronted Riley. And in the midst of skipping town when Faith hears about a church taken over by vampires she does the right thing and races there - so too does Buffy. After the vampires are gone Buffy and Faith get into a huge fight and Faith gets the upper hand on Buffy, punching her over and over while unleashing all her pent up hurt and rage at herself. Buffy switches bodies back and Faith runs. When Riley comments that Faith had her fun and left town Buffy is not so sure. She begins to realize that Faith might not actually hate her, just herself. Faith's actions do put a damper on Buffy and Riley's relationship, but with Jonathan's (of all people) help they are able to move past Faith.

Faith really is a dark reflection of Buffy and I think both girls realize this. Faith is a path that Buffy could have gone down if she didn't have people firmly determined to keep her in the light - a bit like the Buffy of Cordelia's alternate universe. Instead Buffy is the type to seek out the good in people, or, alternately, not kick them for the sake of kicking them (like how she treats Spike). Faith, on the other hand, sees only the bad in people and truly believes that everyone will betray her in the end.

Favorite episode? "Superstar" - an entire episode dedicated to how awesome Jonathan is? Giles owning the swimsuit calendar? Jonathan staring in The Matrix? Xander collecting Jonathan cards? The whole episode is AWESOME.

The four episodes:

This Year's Girl - Season 4, Episode 15

Synopsis - Faith wakes up from her coma determined to exact revenge on Buffy.

Who Are You? - Season 4, Episode 16

Synopsis - Faith swaps bodies with Buffy.

Superstar - Season 4, Episode 17

Synopsis - Everyone lives in a world dominated by how incredible Jonathan is.

Where the Wild Things Are - Season 4, Episode 18

Synopsis - Buffy and Riley accidentally unleash poltergeist activity at Riley's dorm.

buffy the vampire slayer: part sixteen

Finally, some serious Buffy/Riley growth. Riley is NOT my favorite, and I am sure I am going to complain about him EXTENSIVELY during season 5, but here, in the beginning, I will cut him some major slack. He joins The Initiative. He believes in their goals. He sees them as a necessary (totally not evil) organization to protect the public. He lets them turn him into a super soldier so he can fight the supernatural forces of the world - which before now have been largely unexplored by any government.  All of this I completely get. Then Buffy comes along. Buffy, who he falls in love with. Buffy, who is unsure she can find happiness with Captain America's younger, less impressive brother. Buffy, with her super human strength that completely surpasses him and his friends. Buffy, who is unsure she can handle another boyfriend in her line of work. But she gives it a go. Then professor Walsh tries to kill Buffy, turning Riley's world even further upside down. Riley is a mess this season. He keeps getting hit with something new. Every time he thinks he is on top of things a new upset comes his way. Yet he goes through it all because he loves Buffy and wants to share in her life. So, here and now, I have to give Riley some serious props. Buffy and her friends flip his world upside down so many times he no longer knows what is up or down. Yet he stands by her through it all, even when he makes the wrong choices.

Meanwhile, Willow and Tara are coming closer. Willow even turned to Tara for help with a demon finding spell (only for Tara to sabotage it for reasons that won't come out until next season). Yet despite their budding romance, the group seems to be fraying at the edges. Giles and Xander are still floundering. Willow feels unwanted by Buffy. Buffy is wrapped up in Riley and the Initiative. The only person who seems to be doing fine is Spike - and by fine I mean he is still his evil, selfish self. He is bummed he can no longer attack humans, and he refuses to leave town until he can figure out a way to get cured, but he has discovered he can fight demons, which he embraces fully. Things further fray when Riley finds out that Buffy personally knows Spike (aka Hostile 17) and has been lying to him about it.

My favorite episode is "The I in Team." I never really liked Walsh and it was nice to see her lose Riley and get murdered my Adam in the same episode. Plus, the Initiative always struck me as shady so it was nice to be proven right.

The episodes:

Doomed - Season 4, Episode 11

Synopsis - Buffy and Riley try to figure out their relationship while Buffy tries to stop an apocalypse. Spike discovers he isn't as helpless as he previously thought.

A New Man - Season 4, Episode 12

Synopsis - Ethan Rayne returns to town to find information on The Initiative. While there he curses Giles, turning him into a demon, and Spike is the only one who realizes the truth.

The I in Team - Season 4, Episode 13

Synopsis - Professor Walsh decides Buffy is a threat and tries to kill her - only the plan doesn't work and turns Riley against her. She takes solace in 314, who finally wakes up.

Goodbye Iowa - Season 4, Episode 14

Synopsis - Reeling from Walsh's betrayal and death, Riley doesn't know who or what to believe. Meanwhile Buffy is trying to figure out how to find what she believes is an Initiative demon on the loose. Their paths converge and the truth of Walsh and 314 comes out.

a character exits: parker

I debated giving Parker a post, then decided he actually was pretty important to the story line.

Parker is a student at UC Sunnydale, like Buffy. The two keep running into each other and flirting, which results in them going to a frat party together. After the party they have sex in Parker's dorm room and Buffy spends the night. When she wakes up the next morning Parker isn't there, causing Buffy to panic (most likely remembering how Angel wasn't there either). But then Parker arrives with coffee - and an excuse (his mom is in town) as to why he can't spend the day with Buffy. He promises to contact her later.

Only Parker never does. Instead Buffy finds him with another woman, using all the same lines that he used on her. Buffy comes to the realization that she has been played and she struggles with this, ultimately leading to Tara confronting Parker. Only Parker then tries the exact same lines on Willow, who sees through him. After Buffy saves Parker's life he does apologize to her but Buffy is under the spell of cursed beer and knocks him out. Later on Parker has a run in with Riley and his friends. Forrest is trying to get Riley to admit that he has feelings for Buffy so they seek out Parker. Forrest knows Parker will be crude when talking about Buffy, and he does not disappoint. This causes Riley to punch him and gives Forrest the satisfaction of proving to Riley that he does have feelings for Buffy.

Parker was Buffy's attempt to move on after Angel. Have a fresh start with a regular human. Only it backfired big time and she found herself in the exact same heartbreak as when Angel lost his soul. Granted, Parker was not terrorizing Buffy's family and friends with the ultimate goal of killing her. But Parker was cold and distant like Angel was. He did act soulless after a night of happiness. He got what he wanted, which was to seduce Buffy, and moved on. Angel did behave in a similar way. The boy who gets sex from the girl then dumps her so he can move on to his next conquest. At least Parker got punched by Riley.

the brightest night: part six

Burn is furious with the dragonets for disrupting her plans, and mocks them when they say the battle is over. However, Blister and Blaze arrive and she figures she can salvage the situation by killing her sisters. Blister and Burn exchange words while Blaze stays off to the side with Glaicer. The dragonets insist on a peaceful resolution or everyone will choose the new queen but Burn and Blister are uninterested. Blister makes a comment about sending a peace offering already. A box had arrived that Smolder kept in the tower with Sunny and Scarlet. Burn sends for the box, telling Blister that she already figured out it contained a dragonbite viper. She opens it, catching the dragonbite before it can bite her. That is when Blister points out that there are two snakes in the box. The second one strikes Burn, killing her. In a panic, everyone takes to the sky. Sunny and Fatespeaker try to help Starflight up but they don't make it in time. Sunny realizes one of them is going to die. Then Clay slams into them, saving them from the viper by getting bit himself.

The dragonets race to Clay, who is dying. Thorn comforts Sunny. Peril arrives and burns out the infected skin, barely saving Clay's life. She then kills the viper before it can hurt anyone else. Blister is disappointed that more of her enemies didn't die but she figures she can at least kill Blaze.

Blaze asks Glaicer to fight for her, but the IceWing queen realizes she can't. As Blister and Blaze fight the dragonets wonder how to fix the situation. Smolder joins them with Flower, and the dragonets question him about other possible heirs. The idea gets put forward that maybe someone else should be queen like how Glory is of the NightWings. Everyone wishes there was something that could name a queen. Flower gets Sunny's attention and brings her to the memorial for queen Oasis and starts digging. Glory and Tsunami come over to help and they find the missing treasure - along with the Eye of Onyx.

Tsunami and Glory tell Sunny that she could be queen. She considers it but decides she wouldn't be a very good one. Blister and Blaze stop fighting and watch to see what Sunny will do. She gives the Eye of Onyx to her mother and names her the new queen of the SandWings. As she passes it over she sees lighting and feels a jolt. Blister is furious. She admits that she stole the treasure, that she lied about waking up Burn so her mother would die, that she arranged the war so that her sisters would die so she wouldn't have to fight them for the throne. She feels the Eye - and throne - belong to her. Thorn tells her she will fight her for the throne but Blister says she doesn't have to. She takes the Eye so she can be queen but its magic turns against her, killing her. The SandWings, led by Blaze, approach Thorn and bow to her, accepting her as their new queen. The queens from the other tribes are relieved the war is over.

A month has passed, the war is over, and the dragonets are still together. They are at the Jade Mountain, along with Fatespeaker, making plans to open a school for dragonets of any tribe. Sunny has told Starflight the truth about her feelings for him and he and Fatespeaker are together now. So are Glory and Deathbringer. Sunny wonders if they will have children and if a half RainWing/half NightWing will sit on the throne. They wonder at Scarlet and Peril's locations. They know they are no longer together and wonder when Scarlet will show up for revenge. They also wonder about telling everyone the truth about the prophecy. In the end they decide to tell everyone that the NightWings lost their powers when they lost their island and that there are no more prophecies.

Okay, well clearly there will be another prophecy now! You can't say there are no more then expect that to happen. Hopefully this time it will be a real prophecy, though.

Well, they did it. They found their peaceful solution that involved none of the queens. And, two of them are now dead so they don't have to worry about then popping back up to make trouble! I hope Thorn goes easy on Smolder. I wonder if Flower can understand the dragons? How else would she know Sunny was looking for the treasure and then lead her to the very thing she needed?

I am curious about the Eye of Onyx. I wonder if that will ever be touched upon again? And about Scarlet's location. And, about the new prophecy...

the brightest night: part five

Sunny recounts her adventures. Everyone is a but upset they weren't there to protect her, but they are proud of her. Sunny us determined that they will end the war. Everyone else is unsure, since the prophecy is a fake, but Sunny feels that all the other dragons don't realize they can end the war because they are too busy waiting for the dragonets to do it for them. Sunny tries to tell them her plan but they all start talking over her, debating who to pick and how to kill the other two. Frustrated, Sunny finally gets their attention and tells them she wants a vote done by the SandWings. She waits for everyone to discount her idea but instead (after a but if discussion) they are actually receptive to it.

The reach out to the Talons first to ask them to contact Blister. Ochre leads them to the Talons and Sunny finds Ochre to be the most disagreeable MudWing ever. They immediately get into an argument with the Talons over the location of the alternate dragonets - who Sunny points out don't want to return to them. Then they realize Flame was following them. Flame is reunited with his mother and the angry Talons are told about Viper's death. Angry at the way things have turned out they demand to see Morrowseer only to discover that he is dead too. They ask to Talons to reach out to Blister and leave. Tsunami says goodbye to Riptide, who was there. She admits to Sunny that she is upset about him lying about being with the Talons but she does still have feelings for him. They leave Ochre and Flame behind.

Jambu and Mangrove are sent to disguise themselves as IceWings and talk to Blaze. Sunny and Clay leave to get a message to Burn. Along the way they see something huge in the sky, like an extra moon. As they follow it they come upon a MudWing camp. They seek out Clay's siblings and find out about the massive attack that queen Moorhen is planning. They will attack the IceWings until only one group survives. Clay and Sunny are upset and determined not to let that happen. Sunny uses a dreamvisitor to enter Moorhen's dreams and speak with her. Moorhen is dreaming about the carnage that is about to befall her dragons. Sunny talks to her and tries to convince her to instead attend the talk they are planning.

Sunny also visits the dreams of Moorhen's siblings. Then she and Clay take turns visiting the dreams of other dragons chosen at random. They return to the rainforest where they find out Blaze won't come because Glaicer won't allow it. Sunny can feel her plan falling apart. They decide to have Sunny use the dreamvisitor to speak with Blaze. Blaze misunderstands Sunny and thinks she has been chosen to be queen, but she agrees to arrive.

The dragonets head towards the meeting place, Sunny and Fatespeaker helping Starflight, who is still blind. Fatespeaker asks him about the extra moon in the sky. Even though he is unable to see it he suspects it might be a comet. They reach Burn's stronghold and find dragons from all the tribes waiting to see what will happen. Sunny wonders where the sisters are when Burn reveals herself.

Okay, I got no real comments. I have no idea how they are going to solve this when all three sisters are unfit to rule and want each other dead. It's not even like they can make the three of them co-queens or something. Maybe the comet in the sky is part of the solution? But I really don't see how especially since it just appeared out of nowhere. Instead I imagine that is probably tied to the next book series.

buffy the vampire slayer: part fifteen

Okay, here we go, Willow and Oz. Everything comes to a head far to painfully and rapidly in "Wild at Heart." Oz is forced to confront the wolf that is inside of him and his animalistic attraction to Veruca. While in wolf form he sleeps with Veruca - and feels horrible about it when he finds this out the next morning. Veruca goes out of her way to try and seduce him and make him embrace the wolf sans consequences - something Oz doesn't want. But instead of turning to his friends for help he tries to solve it on his own and save Veruca by locking himself up with her for the night of the full moon - knowing that he will sleep with her again. Of course it is Willow who finds them the next morning and of course Willow's infidelity is brought up. I do feel bad for Oz here but he made the worst possible decisions and should have confided in someone - at the very least Buffy or Giles if he felt he could not speak to Willow about this. I can forgive him sleeping with Veruca the first time but he should have said something to someone instead of deliberately sleeping with her again. Just how much Oz loves Willow is shown when Veruca attacks Willow - Oz kills her. But Oz's betrayal and the death of Veruca changes things between Willow and Oz. Unable to face everything Oz leaves to find answers on his own. This devastates Willow, but she assumes Oz will return eventually. Only he doesn't. Instead he drops out of school behind the scenes and then has his bandmates pack his stuff and ship it to him - all without saying a word to Willow. He will return for one final episode, but Willow and Oz are over and Willow is left without any closure to grieve alone. And her grief causes problems in "Something Blue" as she attempts to use magic to fix her problems - the beginnings of her eventual downfall.

As for Harmony and Spike, their unlikely partnership ended as quickly as it began. Spike's awful treatment of her from moment one (he really is just using her for companionship and sex as it is convenient for him - and while I don't like Harmony as she is shallow and vapid, no one deserves to be treated like that and underneath her shallowness is a scared girl who wants to be loved and wanted) climaxes in ripping the mystical ring off of her finger. After being taken by the covert commandos and rendered unable to attack people, he returns to Harmony who finally, for once, stands up for herself and kicks him out. Good on her.

Meanwhile Buffy and Riley start to figure out a relationship of their own and Buffy comes to realize she doesn't need dark and broody, that she can have love with stability and reliability. Buffy and Riley also discover each others secret. Giles and Xander continue to flounder in their new lives, however Xander starts to grow as he develops real feelings for Anya instead of just thinking about girls in terms of sex. This is especially shown in "Hush" when he becomes terrified that Spike attacked Anya - even though it is impossible for Spike to do so. But while "Hush" has a happy ending for Xander romantically, it does not for Giles. We will never see his girlfriend (outside of a dream) after this episode, showing just how much of his life is wrapped up in being a Watcher.

My favorite episode, hands down, is "Hush." However this is a bit of a given since it is one of the most popular episodes ever (alongside "Once More With Feeling") so I feel like this is a freebie. So instead I will focus on my other favorite episode, "Something Blue." This episode is powerful, raw, and devastating. Willow's grief almost destroys everyone's lives - and gets her a standing job offer as a vengeance demon, which is kinda cool. But more importantly, this episode is chock-full of foreshadowing. The next three seasons are spelled out in this one, single episode. Giles will be blind to Willow's dark path, Spike will fall in love with Buffy, Buffy will continue to protect Spike when she shouldn't - eventually falling in love with him in return, Xander will always make the wrong choices in regards to the women in his life, and Willow will be corrupted by the ease of magic. (More on Buffy and Spike soon - I don't want to get ahead of myself.)

The episodes:

Wild at Heart - Season 4, Episode 6

Synopsis - Torn between Willow and his werewolf side, Oz makes a choice that destroys everything.

The Initiative - Season 4, Episode 7

Synopsis - Spike is taken prisoner by a secret military organization. When he breaks free he realizes he cannot attack people.

Pangs - Season 4, Episode 8

Synopsis - Buffy tries to host Thanksgiving while a vengeful Chumash warrior spirit kills people for the crimes committed against his people.

Something Blue - Season 4, Episode 9

Synopsis - Deep in her grief, Willow accidentally curses all of her friends while trying to cure her own heartache with magic.

Hush - Season 4,  Episode 10

Synopsis - The Gentlemen come to town, taking everyone's voices away so they can collect seven hearts.