Marco Is a Bad Boy

The Blind to infidelity between his girlfriend and best friend Side.

Holy shit, we're going to do this. we might actually do this. Don't get me wrong, I believe in my team: those are my guys. Plus, we have a genuinely talented squad this year. But up 14 on Avalon? We're killing it, man, these guys are legit. As long as we can keep their offense and that prettyboy quarterback of theirs from heating up, we got this. I'm confident though, we've had him shook ever since we starting shifting the entire defensive front pre-snap. What's that? We punted? Oh shit better strap up.

Okay let's see what we got here. Hmm, their huddle looks a little weird, maybe they put something new in at halftime. Maybe they're going gun, or pistol? No. I know everyone calls this kid that chosen one, but no high school quarterback is cycling through formations like that. Oh, shit, they're getting to the line. Okay, let's see here, receiver out left, weak side, one split right on the strong side, two backs split in the backfield with the QB, four linemen. Wait a minute! One, two, three... HOLY SHIT FOUR LINEMEN. They're missing a guard, but where is he. Is that him? On the sideline talking to a cheerleader? Hey, there's a game going on, bud. You might be interested in it.

"DOWN, READY READY. BLUE, 42, RAZOR, RAZOR SET....HUT"

Holy shit they really aren't gonna block me. There he is, the QB. You ain't gonna be so pretty after this, boy.

"UHG. WHOOO! YEAH BABY! EXCALIBUR THAT, PUSSY! SAY HI TO THE GROUND FOR ME, BITCH!"

Oh shit, he's down. I really got him. Hell yeah. Serves them right for not having control enough over their players to have the right amount of people on the field. Oh shit, he's up. That was quick. Oh, damn, they're already lining up. Here's their guard, a play too late.

"Nice of you to show up, bud."

"READY READY! BLUE 90, BLUE 90 SET HUT SET HUTHUT."

Ow! Shit, oh my god, did I get hit by a truck? What the hell happened? 21-13. What? How did that happen. They, what? Who are these people? Why are they running towards me? No, I'm fine, I'll get up off the ground in a little bit. Concussion? What? I've never even been to Europe. Oh man. Well, I think we'll be okay. They got one lucky score, but we'll get the win.

Ummmmm, what?

Ellie is having the sport of football being explained to her by Liz and all I can think of is the positions going through her head, and the rules, and how many points are earned for certain plays, etc probably looked like this.

The Modern Arthur

Considering that Meg Cabot set King Arthur's court in high school, it works fairly well. All of the drama makes more sense, except Marco's supposed murder attempt. Arthur's ideals make more sense today than they would have when the legend was started. I think that Arthur's ideals fit in today's settings because more people have a voice and issues are being acknowledged and talked about.

I feel that Will and Ellie's characters portray King Arthur's ideals and high school well because that is what we have come to expect from fictional high school settings. Drama, the geeky girl and perfect jock guy, that perfect jock guy who also defends the little guy. King Arthur's legendary court fits in with high school because they act like high schoolers, running off to do dumb shit without a care in the world of what might happen. Not to mention the love triangle that is oh so common in modern fiction.

I just don’t *want* to be king

“‘I don’t know,’ Will said. ‘My dad says Wagner men have always been in the military’— he raised his hands and made quotation marks in the air as he added sarcastically— ‘’making a difference in the world.’”(67). 

This version of Arthur poses an interesting question, that other versions have not addressed— did Arthur want to be king? Arthur’s reluctance to attend the Academy makes me wonder if other versions of Arthur also did not want to fulfill their destiny. The other legends, so far, have depicted Arthur easily accepting his fate after getting Excalibur. 

Happiness Comes When Everything Numbs

While I was reading Avalon High, Will's stepbrother Marco reminded me of Jason Dean (aka J.D.) from Heathers. Maybe what Ellie's friends say about Marco is true, or maybe it's all empty rumor—maybe he didn't actually attempt to kill Mr. Morton—but there's still something off about him. In "Freeze Your Brain" (from the Heathers musical), there's clearly something off about J.D. (Y'all know he's also a creepy, good-looking, murderous teen in a high school story, right?) Oh, and he's lost a parent, too, just like Marco.

Avalon High School Musical

I picked this song because as I was reading the first part of the book, the first thing that came to my mind was "Man, this reads exactly like one of those Disney Channel tween movies." I still stand by that thought.