I know that sometimes, some of you think me crazy because of my love for retro sex, vintage girls and either hippie coloring or pre-punk looks. What can I say, I'm not a girl of the present, and I'm a late bloomer indeed.
But today, at least the Spanish readers (almost all of you ;)) who are curious should take a look to this entry at Spiked Candy and download the following song: "The Girl of Ye-Ye", by Zoe & the Stormies.
Yes, it's probably what you imagine. But no, I hadn't thought there'd already be a version of it... Schade! :( I'd already made a first draft of a translation for a possible appearance of the song in a future and Very International Gaylands musical! XD
And, as the author of Spiked Candy says:
"On 'The Girl Of Ye-Ye', the lyrics stay true to the original's tale of a girl who knocks back the boy she loves because her heart belongs to rock 'n'roll, but a little more detail is added (again necessary in English to fill out the vocal melody), including a cute line about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The lyrics don't entirely make sense ("you're in love with moonlight glow"), though this only adds to the song's charm. Even the title phrase "Girl of Ye-Ye" is in slightly-off English, making the song's title a succinct summary of why the song itself is an interesting artefact from the annals of European pop: that it's a song from Greece in English referring to a Spanish term for rock borrowed from the French!"
So I got the book from Amazon and have already finished it. It was a very easy read -- I'm already accustomed to the series' own (limited) terminology, and I've always been better at reading/writing than listening/speaking in any language. :P There were some words I didn't know, but most of the nouns were at Pons, and the verbs could be deduced by the context.
Some thoughts about the book (with big SPOILERS of course).
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
Ready?
First, it was boring. Nothing new under the sun (... or the moon). I wish the author would take the characters on a trip, make them fight against new dangers, whatever... but she seems to be fixated on the "does Anton want to be a vampire?" issue, to always give the same answer (no), to Rüdiger, Anna and Lumpi's (and Elenis') disappointment. Really, it's not that I'm obsessed with that single point. How am I not going to think about it, when she makes the whole plot revolve around that?
This book was the quintaessence of this. It's the first time, however, that Anton toyed with the dark side... for real. Some parts were even scary. The transformation (Verwandlung) of Aunt Dorothee's new partner into a vampire is bloody and gorey, and it reminded me a lot of classical vampire movies. Having Anna and Rüdiger lick human blood out of a dirty sword while the other vampires sigh and cry in pleasure is shocking.
I actually found this book more "adult" than most of the others, but that doesn't leave out the fact that it's still disappointing. Yes, there was some character development (not Rüdiger, however. I feel that he's being left behind) and some things happen, but they weren't really convincing and I felt that the character's behaviour, at some points, was incoherent. And I'm a big fan of them :P
Some good points are Anton's disturbing dreams and the whole book's incredible gayness, first with Schnuppermaul and Lumpi and then with all the female/female and male/male couples at the vampire party. Wow, that's just great!
And -- and -- then, there's THIS... which I don't know what to think about:
(Dull DE>EN translation provided by Elenis)... I'm so shocked, angered, saddened, liberated and touched that I can't speak. LOOK WHAT SHE DID. SHE'S DESTROYED THE OTP OF MY CHILDHOOD. Anna/Anton. ONE OF MY VERY FEW HET PAIRINGS. THE SO-CALLED "TRUE LOVE" INTERSPECIES. Because she was more ambitious than what we thought and he's dumb enough to want to live and have children; basically, because they both realize, like very young adults, that they don't want the same things, and their wishes can't be fulfilled. WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Goodbye?", he said, taken aback. "Are you moving again?"
"No. Only me", she answered.
Anton felt his heart miss a beat. Somehow, this was a very different Anna -- not anymore Rüdiger's childish, playful little sister. Despite the small size of her body, she suddenly seemed a young woman to him.
"Elizabeth the Gluttonous has chosen me to be her successor", she said now.
"And what does that mean?"
"It's the biggest honour that could happen to me. Are you okay with this?"
"Me?"
"Yes. Your opinion is very important to me, Anton".
He frowned. "Isn't this your choice?"
"Indeed", she agreed. "But if you're against it, I'll tell Elizabeh the Gluttonous that I must think it all over again in depth".
"How can I be against it, when it's such a big honour for you", Anton replied.
"Maybe you want that I stay here with you?". Anna smiled for the first time.
"That'd be very selfish from me, don't you think?".
"Yes. But love's always selfish".
Anton blushed. He turned his head away and pretended to examinate his book.
"That you're looking away now -- does that mean that you don't like me anymore?", he heard Anna ask.
"No", he answered. "It means that I want for you exactly what you want".
Anna let out a sigh. Then she giggled; and this time, it was her old, familiar laugh.
"What I want will never be true", she said, but without a trace of sadness. "And I've come to accept it", she added. "For me, it's alright that you don't want to become a vampire. I think we don't have the right to force anyone to our desires -- as Olga's tried to do with you". (...)
"Will you come to visit me?", he said.
She laughed, insecure. "I don't know. I don't want to promise anything that I can't hold later".
(...)
"Take care!", he said to Anna, who had climbed onto the window-sill. "And... and many thanks".
"What for?", she asked.
"For everything", he answered.
She looked at him intensely. "Same to you".
I like and despise the scene at the same time. On the one hand, it's too mature for them (real-life experiences much?), too sad, too... everything! On the other hand, it's powerful, and YES, even though it saddens me to no end, I still believe that something had to be done for this two, because it couldn't go on like this -- not forever.
But still. She's taken them apart. THEM. OMG. FOREVER, unless he changes his mind. *sits and cries* Sooooo sad...