Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Meet 5 hungry vampires who sure know how to show their school spirit...and the wacky crew of monster hunters out to get them!

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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Post by tau neutrino »

MrJustice4 wrote:
tau neutrino wrote:
This is more of a fantasy poll, although plans might change. If "Vampire Cheerleaders Camp It Up!" ever gets made (even with script pages), it would be before the finale and I hope it explains how they learn to live openly with humanity, which would require the realization Heather had. Even if Leonard let Heather off the hook for her treatment of him (probably due to guilt on his part), he could call her out on her sociopathic treatment of her parents and others. So in your ideal world, who would you pick?
I, too, would like to see Heather and Leonard work things out. I'll be the first to admit that, since the beginning, I wanted to like Heather, but, with what she's done, it was very hard to like her. The "Must Die!" story would've been the perfect time for her to redeem herself, but she didn't. I'm not mad that she had a choice(if it's true), I'm mad that she chose to do terrible things to the people that cared for her the most. She never even apologized for what she did to Leonard until 10 years after he left and that was more like a side-note. Like they were saying, "By the way, she's good now. So... Yay." I'd prefer that Leonard tell Heather what she did wrong and that she needs to change. Of course she wouldn't think to much of it at first, but she'll constantly think about what he said and try to change(after Leonard left). I would love to see that happen.
Heather and Suki appear to have come to an arrangement with the PETM where they can openly attend school after being outed, and Heather seems to have developed a conscience about enslaving people when she scolds Suki for using glamour on their teachers. So she appears to have changed her ways much earlier than Leonard's departure, probably at the beginning of the school year. She seemed closest to humanity out of the VC and had some regret at witnessing the homecoming game, so that makes sense.

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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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What's up with terms like Mommy Suki and My Vampire Niece? Lori only referred to herself as a maker. The only vampire called a mother was Maria Delacroix, another species entirely. It's even worse with the niece part. Katie didn't contribute any blood, she just slit Suki's wrist. My dad once delivered a baby, but I don't consider him to be a sibling. A better analogy might be a technician at an artificial insemination clinic. Necessary for the conception, but not the father. Stephanie seems to take it more seriously than Katie does anyway. My guess is that everyone's trying not to think that Suki murdered Lorna in an animalistic frenzy, and Lorna wouldn't have been much better when she woke up starving with no maker to restrain her.


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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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Micro machines are returning for The Force Awakens.

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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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Adam initially regarded Leonard as a supporting character, so he was surprised at the vehemence over his mistreatment. (I suppose bringing out strong feelings like that is a success for a writer.) So why did it happen? Lori and the other VC might be the stars, like Lauren Hutton was in Once Bitten, but Leonard and Heather are gender-swapped versions of the Karen Kopins and Jim Carrey protagonists. Leonard especially is the one the audience identifies with. He's male in a mostly female cast and a geek, which probably still describes a majority of comics and manga readers, like Sandy in Aoi House. A lot of them probably were friendzoned by a hot girl in high school, or had a childhood friend who started hanging out with a more popular crowd. Him being an uncool guy who can do cool things is an aspiration for most of them. In the first book, he's smart enough to figure out the VS's secret, being right despite the mockery he gets. He's brave enough to face the entire coven to try to save his friend and unrequited crush, and his intelligence lets him get the advantage of the snooty head cheerleader. He doesn't save Heather, but he does get Plan BC with her and her hot friends, almost a perfect movie ending. Unfortunately, it turns a nightmare in the second book, where Leonard becomes a literal thrall to the popular clique. He's gone to the most wretched area of the friendzone: the fan club, defined by Cerebus creator Dave Sim as serving someone who doesn't sleep with you. It's being pussy whipped without the sex. This strikes a nerve in anyone who identifies with Leonard. It's a high school fear that you'll let yourself be used and even abused for the chance to hang out with a cool crowd, although never as an equal (even worse if it includes a former friend who's become popular). The quarterback will let you tutor him, but don't even think of sitting at the same table with him and the team. Some people have stated this outright, that a geek like Leonard should be glad to ride in a trunk if it meant hanging out with hot cheerleaders. Screw that.

Leonard's treatment is kind of a mixed bag in the last two books. He finally gets freed from thralldom, but geeks out and releases the Zuni fetish. He takes part in the attack on the VC and confronts heather, but instead of giving her "The Reason You Suck" speech lets her off the hook. Later he beats up a bar full of cryptids and helps rescue the VC, . In the last book, he's effective, but lets Katie abuse him. I miss J.C. Sumerfield standing up for himself. In the finale, he gets the girl, but the smart nerd has become a hikkikomori while the shallow cheerleaders have become CFOs, CEOs, Viper pilots, and Admirals.

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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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Here's something that would apply to Mrs. Hartley, especially #11: 12 ways to be the meanest mom in the world. Actually, she seems to be more lenient than this article suggests.

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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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Netflix recently released its series Jessica Jones, based on the Marvel Comics series Alias by Brian Bendis. The hook for VC is David (the Tenth Doctor) Tennant's Kilgrave. He's a villain with mind control powers who shows just how horrifying they can be in the hands of someone with the childish desire for instant gratification, especially if they're used to enslave someone for months. The VC aren't that different when you think about Suki bragging about never paying for anything. Kilgrave even enslaved his parents like Heather did. There's also a genderswapped version of this scene. It would be interesting if the VC ever encountered an offspring of Lori's who went over the top with her glamour, to show them how far they could sink.


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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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A week and a half ago, the Dr. Ken tv comedy had the title character lamenting that his teenage daughter didn't want to hang out with him anymore and was embarrassed to be seen with him in front of her friends. Meeting a group of similar mothers of teenager girls at a concert, one explained that their daughters saw them now as just chauffeurs, maids and human ATMs. Basically what Heather did to her parents. Intentionally or not, Adam did a good display of teenage (vampire) girl psychology.

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tau neutrino
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Post by tau neutrino »

Moved from the Eerie Cuties discussion topic.
Gotoh wrote:
tau neutrino wrote:Suki wasn't really ditzy until the last book.
She was a ditz throughout all four volumes: exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C, etc., etc. All of those were from volumes 1-3 and there's more I could've linked to.
She exhibits a continuum, going from the bad seed with no filter in vol. 1 to the lovable ditz in vol. 4. The last two examples are definitely ditzy, but the others can be argued. Exhibit A is more her being short-sighted as well as extremely ruthless. Exhibit B is her mishearing something and being "crass as usual" to quote Lori. In exhibit C she screws up not because she's stupid and can't help it, but because she doesn't give a damn about getting it right. That's why she gets slapped, which almost never happens to a ditz.

There are counterexamples where she's pretty aware, such as Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, Exhibit 3, Exhibit 4, Exhibit 5, and especially in vol 1, Exhibit 6, Exhibit 7, and Exhibit 8.

supremz
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Post by supremz »

How in Gaia's bloody lifespan did you deduce that Leonard is looked down upon or bullied at all? That's a heavy assumption to make, especially when, in some scenes, it is very heavily alluded (if not thrown in your face) that they're having sex with him, and they poke fun at him in a loving way (similar to the way siblings tease each other).

Not to mention, when you take into account how much everyone fights among each other (especially Suki), the fact that they're not afraid to be rough with the only guy in the group shows they accept him as an equal. It's only because he cares about them that he puts up with it, and they know that, which is why they support and protect him in times of need. And since they're vampires, that means they have years and years of wisdom and maturity on him. Surely he would have to be strong or otherwise possess something special deep within for them not to overlook him as a mere mortal.

The scene where he goes out of his way to get them blood-filled melons and they tease him about being pussy whipped really shows off their relationship, and while it may seem like he's being used as a blood fountain, ultimately it saves Lori's life. The same is true with the fanservice scene with Katie in the time and space series. Why wouldn't she just claw his eyes out if she had no affection for him?

Also, if they didn't care about Leonard, then why did they spare him from being turned into a vampire? It's quite clear that they do, and they know he cares deeply about them too, or they wouldn't have taken him in.

...And even though he feels like his best friend changed before his eyes, he understands it's what she wanted and supports her knowing she enjoys her new life, and all the new adventures that come with it is something they both wanted all along. Can you really ask for a guy to care more than that? In the ending, it's even more clear that they're perfectly happy with his nerdy ways and only intervene when they see he's been away from them for too long, the message being that they missed him and care about having him around, otherwise why bother? Also, I interpreted that scene being more of a parallel universe gag with all the time travel involved, like it was made to seem like it was all in his head all along, when it was not.

I'm sick of people looking at these types of characters (Leonard, Gary, Ikari Shinji, Urashima Keitarou) as weak and passive just because they have big hearts. That men can't be vulnerable and submissive to their lovers is highly sexist and I think it's wrong to discourage people from acting that way. It's also incorrect to assume that, just because a guy has feelings, he must be weak.

And I also take issue with the view that all Cheerleaders are the "alpha bitch prom queen" types who look down on everyone else and aspire to power-hungry social roles to take advantage of others. That stereotype is highly misogynistic and gives a horrible impression that it's the only way for someone to have a voice in the world. Some of my best friends in high school were cheerleaders and remind me a lot of Lori and her coven, and they were some of the coolest, most open-minded people I could ever know.

In conclusion, Leonard doesn't judge them for being themselves anymore than they judge him, and they're all weird and quirky in their own ways. They drag him along on their adventures because they love him, and they don't force him to do anything. He loves doing it because he loves them.
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Post by Gotoh »

supremz wrote:How in Gaia's bloody lifespan did you deduce that Leonard is looked down upon or bullied at all?
Probably because of what they did to him in vol.2, which is why he sided with PMS during the "Vampire Cheerleaders Must Die!" arc. It was also the reason Heather asked Char to apologize on their behalf, for the way they treated him.
supremz wrote:It's only because he cares about them that he puts up with it.
That isn't why he did it. He said said he went along with it as long as he was still getting some on the side.
supremz wrote:And since they're vampires, that means they have years and years of wisdom and maturity on him.
Lori's the only one who's more than a century old, the other cheerleaders were turned during their junior/senior years in highschool. So they're around the same age as Leonard.

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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Post by Hyper Magi »

I honestly don't get the hate on Shinji. You CANNOT tell me anyone his age would be mentally well going through all the crap he has to endure. Maybe you'd be a little "whiny" too if most of your friends and family were dead, you were more or less forced into constant life or death battles that could mean the literal end of the world if you lost... all the while being treated like crap by your "boss". All at the age of... 14?

Keitaro hate I can somewhat understand. His relationship with Naru? Domestic abuse. It's very uncomfortable to watch at times. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Love Hina and it probably got me into the harem genre in the first place. But to me any accusations of spinelessness isn't due to him taking so long to decide which girl, it's not calling out Naru on her bullshit. Though to be fair, most harem main characters get a little hate for not banging every single girl because apparently a harem series staring Casanova would be interesting? But still, letting a woman beat up on you isn't strength. Don't let people beat you up. It's disrespectful towards yourself more than anything. There is a difference between being submissive and letting someone hurt you constantly.

Also Mutsumi is hotter and doesn't beat up on people.

But yeah it's pretty silly when it comes to Leonard because 1. Let's be real. What heterosexual man among us could so easily turn down sex with FIVE hot cheerleaders? At his age? and 2. He was later thralled. Not much he could do there in terms having a spine. He's a boy, not a hunter.

As for the cheerleaders...

Lori fits "power hungry bitch" pretty well. She does improve later in the series.

Heather? Yes, but in a different way. She took becoming a vampire a little too well. One of the first things she asked her new "family" was when they were going to kill someone, she showed no reluctance when it came to abusing her family, and she indulged in draining the entire school's football team. She couldn't have been that hungry, she did it because she could.

Zoe? Hard to say. She mostly just snaps at Suki which, to be fair, would be a hard thing to not do. She doesn't seem outright malicious unless you cross her however.

Lesley is easily the nicest of the bunch. She thinks of non violent solutions to problems and prefers to go with the flow rather than cause trouble. Though one could argue she has a bit too much nonchalance ....

And Suki. Well she can be friendly when she wants to and she's honestly too ditzy to be power hungry, but she's pretty damn quick to start a fight.

Ultimately however they used Leonard. Sometimes he got laid for his troubles but I think you're glossing over a few things. The literal mind control for instance.
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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

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Hyper Magi wrote:But yeah it's pretty silly when it comes to Leonard because 1. Let's be real. What heterosexual man among us could so easily turn down sex with FIVE hot cheerleaders? At his age?
That's glossing over the fact that they're 5 animated corpses (i.e. necrophilia). Leonard didn't care though, so it's a moot point, but still...
Hyper Magi wrote:Zoe? Hard to say. She mostly just snaps at Suki which, to be fair, would be a hard thing to not do. She doesn't seem outright malicious unless you cross her however.
Except for the parts where she (and Lori) kept using her as her as a punching bag. Regardless of Suki being able to 'take it' that's still a poor way to treat a friend.

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Re: Vampire Cheerleaders Talk

Post by supremz »

As far as Kei and Naru go, I always assumed the slapstick was kind of meant to show how she had deeper feelings for him than she let on, and was in denial about it, not outright abuse, but I guess she doesn't hold back at all, but that's more her character.

And I think it could be said the same for Leonard as with Shinji (obviously to a lesser extent). He was going along with what he thought was right in spite of all the stuff most people wouldn't know how to deal with at their age. Suki may be ditzy, but she's not dumb. I think the others had known Lori in previous high school incarnations, but I'd have to go back and read stuff again because my memories are messed up due to mako poisoning.

They all seem to have made up (but are still fighting) by the end anyway.So maybe they're all just naturally violent people, like tom and jerry. Doesn't change the fact that they could easily ditch the other if they ever weren't friends. I don't think that's a bad thing, unless it offends you personally or something. :-@
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