Cock Block Strikes Again!

[fembuck]

Hollows/Ravy fans, read at your own risk ...

Drama Box Question
THi Kim!!! Since its April 1, I can ask my question about WWBC, although its not really a spoiler. Anyway, when Rachel is picking up her brother that the airport, she sees a woman greeting her partner with their children. Then she is sad that her and Ivy's relationship will never be recognized like that. First, awesome scene and a nod to other families. Second, how can Rachel not want to be with Ivy after a thought like that? Seriously, people don't have those kind of thoughts about normal friends. Honestly, I think that Rachel is just so scared she would lose Ivy that she is not even letting herself consider the possibility. Look at how their auras merged to become one in ODW. Ok, I'm done stating my case for time being. I'm lovin' the book!!!~Indy

Cock-Blocks Answer
4/1/09 -- Hi, Indy. It's complicated. Rachel is smart enough to know that some things come with so many attachments, that to follow them will lead to disaster. Yes, you can try, but at some point, it's going to fall apart. Ivy is my tragic figure, and she will be happy when I'm done even if I have to kill her to do it. (just kidding) Ivy will be happy, but it won't be with Rachel. And Rachel is going to have to live with that. --Kim

My Response
That sounds pretty conclusive to me.




The nicest thing I can say is, at least she finally manned up and has stopped intentionally fucking with the hopes of Ravy fans.

So, on the one hand ... I'm free! I no longer do I have to worry about how I'm going to get through 6 more books. The answer: I don't! I'm done. I'm retiring from the stage. Adios. Sayonara. Goodbye. And, there's something in having that resolved at least. A clean break and all that.

Mostly, I'm feeling like this towards Cock Block however:

Because, while she didn't owe me a Ravy ending to the series, she made me hope for it, and for books, and books, and books was tease about the whole fucking thing and so ...




Thanks for the memories!  It was good for a while between us bb, but it got ugly real fast!  Buh-bye.


*gets ready to start programming my brain into believing, utterly and completely, that the series ended with book five*

Looks like it's strictly fanficly from now on ... my heart is sad, but I guess my wallet can rest easy.

*sigh*

So, yeah ... there's that.

Comments

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

it's like 'tragic figure - I don't think that means what you think it means'. Because 'tragic figures' don't get happy endings. 'Tragic figures' are the cause of their own downfall.

[Inigo Montoya] I don't think that word means what you think it means.[/IM]

You are SO right (as usual). It's like Ivy does not have a tragic flaw that leads to downfall, at least no one that is within her control. She is a person of noble birth, but she is not overly arrogant, ambitious, selfish, greedy, or any of the other things that normally lead the tragic hero usually posses' which leads to their downfall. As you said, Ivy was born a vampire, Piscary is the one that chose to abuse her for years Ivy simply managed to survive him, and her current self-loathing about her blood lust was a direct result of Piscary fucking with her and not something that she was likely to have felt is she hadn't been molested.

Ivy's suffering is almost always a direct result of SOMEONE ELSE making a decision (usually Rachel), not her.

If we look at Ivy, her actions are usually very thoughtful and giving. She is a character who has sacrificed for the people she loves time and time again. I mean, not only did she allow Piscary to keep toying with her to keep him away from her sister (I know people who wouldn't give up $10 for a sibling), she allows herself to be hurt for Rachel on more than one occasion as well. She gives her wish away to someone else. She gives up her job, home, and inheritance for Rachel, and offers her name to Rachel on top of that.

If Ivy has a flaw, it is being loving, and considerate and wanting to protect those that she loves at any cost, even a cost to herself which is usually the cost she has to pay. If she has a flaw, it is being selfless and compassionate.

Having Ivy suffer because of Rachel's tragic flaw (debilitating stupidity and arrogance) DOES NOT WORK! It teaches people NOTHING, except that maybe if you want to get everything that you want and never have to face any consequences for your actions then be a selfish douche who shits on your friends and is only concerned with your own pain and your own desires, don't ever help anyone, and try to overcome what has happened to you in the past. You can't, and if you try you will be punished.

Like, even Kisten's killer comes back to fucking Ivy when it should have been someone from *Rachel's* past fer cripes sake. But that's right, Rachel doesn't know bad people.

I died a little inside when I read that. And not only someone from Ivy's past, but another person who was trying to sexually assault her! It's like, what lesson are we supposed to learn from this? If Ivy had tilted her neck or spread like a good woman, that Kisten would still be alive? WTF, Cock Block????? So not only are all of the deaths Holly caused on Ivy's head (because of the wish), but Kisten's death is Ivy's fault too? And in a way, if feel like Ivy is even blamed in a roundabout way for Rachel's demon scar because Al chose her shape (to try and sexually assault someone).

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I'm making myself so mad thinking about all of this.

GAHHH! That's it. I've got one last rant in me then I'm fucking DONE with this shit!!

I need to read this. I'm sure it will only increase my rage, but I need to read this.

There is just so much wrong with what she said in that response.

[trancer21.livejournal.com]

I'm going to apologize ahead of time because I'm hungover like a motherfucker and this probably won't be as coherent as I'd like it to be.

If she has a flaw, it is being selfless and compassionate.

Honestly, I get the feeling Ivy's 'tragic figure' flaw is this - she loves someone (Rachel) who is physically incapable of loving her back. And there's an air of 'punishing the queer for her deviancy' that I'm not entirely comfortable with in Harrison's verse. Typically in vampire lore, or at least recently, vampire sexuality is presented as bisexual but Ivy's the only queer vampire (let alone queer character) in the books.

We were lead to believe that Piscary 'twisted' both Ivy and Kisten. But, when I saw Kisten - I sure as Hell didn't see 'twisted'. Where was his angst, where was his self-loathing, where was the evidence of the physical and emotional abuse that Ivy received? Because I sure as Hell didn't see it. I saw a guy who was quite happy at being both a vampire and Piscary's potential scion. And, honestly, I think a lot of that motivation was backburned the moment Harrison decided to make Kisten Rachel's lover.

Which is why I rolled my eyes at the whole 'Kisten died protecting Rachel and Ivy'. And it's like - oh really? Too bad he waited until he was dead to actually make some sort of attempt to protect Ivy. Where was this nobility when Ivy was getting blood-raped (and by God do I wish Harrison hadn't introduced this term) by Piscary (AGAIN) to save Rachel? Where was his need to protect Ivy when Piscary kicked him out of the clan, knowing the shit Ivy was going to have to go through? Oh yea, that's right, we got to see him whine and throw giant pity party for himself.

Um, yeah, back to Ivy. Vampire culture, while violent and icky, is still presented as pretty hetero-normative. Even amongst vampires, Ivy's abnormal. So when I read Harrison's 'tragic figure' statement, it just leads me to read the text as 'Ivy's tragedy is that she's queer' and her love for Rachel is her (potential) downfall. Once she gives up this pipe dream of loving another woman, she'll finally be happy. Yeah, sure, Harrison has said Ivy will find love with another woman but, at this point, I honestly don't believe her.