Curious about this for awhile...

[saucyirishlass.livejournal.com]

It's been said in many places by different people that LKH's portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle is off. I know a bit more than just the basics - ah, the joys of reading - and can sort of inherently pick up that something isn't right with her depiction, but I can't really articulate it. I was just curious to hear from those who participate in the lifestyle, what they personally find offensive, frustrating, or just headdesk-worthy about LKH's portrayal. Perhaps they can help make it clearer to me why it feels amiss.

Comments

[arclights.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that Laurell's portrayal of BDSM is about as accurate as a twelve-year old girl's unresearched depiction of gay sex. =/ There's a lot that you can't understand from it just looking at a few pornos/calendars.

Actually, Laurell's portrayal of gay sex is about on the same level.

[frabjously.livejournal.com]

Actually, Laurell's portrayal of gay sex is about on the same level.

What gay sex? Anita's always getting in between JC and Asher's sexxings. (I pretend that they are at it all the time offstage, but I don't think it's canon.)

[arclights.livejournal.com]

Near the beginning of the last disaster she published there was actual JC/Asher bit, with minimal Anita interference ... or maybe it was a hallucination. I actually bought the damn thing when it was first out (it was my way of giving LKH a 'last chance' before throwing my hands up and just going for library copies. As much as it pains me, I have to see it through to the end, because dammit, I invested a lot of time and love in the characters before she started replacing them with mindless pod-people. D:), and I definitely remember something awful.

Was I really imagining the straight up mansex? I'd go back to check, but I traded it in the day after I bought it. Perhaps my brain has learned the lessons I have obviously not, and to save me from more damaging mental scarring diverts what it can to greener pastures. >.> If so, I stand corrected on the gay sex. The BDSM line stands, though.

Srsly, though, augh. I lolled so hard when I read her anti-anti blogbit. Edgy my ass, woman -- I was writing man sandwiches in High School when you were still fretting over whether or not you/Anita liked werewolf cock kthnx.

[slayra.livejournal.com]

There was a bit of *cough*gay sex*cough* but I think it was between JC and this other Master Vampire called Augustine. No Asher. And it was traumatic (so horrible! Unfortunately is was as disastrous as you probably remember). I mean, I am not a guy so I can't be 100% certain, but I do read and watch gay porn and that is so NOT it. LKH ruined it all. Research is a wonderful thing. Too bad the author is way too squeamish and homophobic to actually have the guts to read gay erotica, watch gay movies or even read yaoi.

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD, do NOT let LHK near the yaoi!!!!! ^___^ Just... no... what she would take away from that experience, I don't want to imagine! Spontaneous lubings! Cones of light!

(I say this as a proud yaoi supporter...)

[slayra.livejournal.com]

Ah ah, I hadn't thought of that. *grins* You're quite right. Only yaoi wouldn't do much good. Still, my point was: when you want to write about something you're not familiar with, just research. It's the best thing to do. It would actually be interesting to see how comic (manga) artists approach the subject. After all, she did write a bunch of gay bisexual characters.

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

Oh, your point stands just fine. I totally did, and do, agree. Sorry I didn't clarify.

It's just that the idea of LKH browsing yaoi doujinshi with a look of enlightenment on her face cracked me up. And will probably continue to do so. I may attempt to force someone to write a crossover...

(You have to understand, I've been beating my head against walls dealing with some of those yaoi tropes -- and carrying my "boys are not girls with penises dammit!" sign -- for... well, for a while now. Reflex reaction!)

[slayra.livejournal.com]

Lol, now that you're mentioning it, it is kind of funny... lol, poor Laurell. She might not understand that yaoi 'doesn't stand alone' as a research source. Not in terms of attitudes or gay sex. Might not be accurate but it sure is fun to read. *grins*

[silent-sybil.livejournal.com]

She might not understand that yaoi 'doesn't stand alone' as a research source.

*Beavis-n-Butthead-esque snigger* "Stand alone"... ;P

[arclights.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, oh yeah. *facepalm* Oops.

Haha, waaaaay back in the day when I started writing graphic scenes, I found a fabulous place called Minotaur's sex tips for slash writers, written by a gay man for the express purpose of helping out the slashers who aren't exactly able to duplicate what they're writing.

Honestly, though, I was kind of under the impression that LKH got her idea of homoerotic relationships from (bad) erotica and porn, or at least small snatches of watching it. Like, when she does get around to coming near it, it's really got nothing to do with emotional relationships or anything like that. As for the yaoi ... I had this theory that somewhere LKH has a fanfiction.net account where she got her start writing pretty-boy anime slash -- the kind where they kind of act like girls. Her characters seemed very anime/manga-inspired for a while (and still kind of do now that I think about it), especially once she started dragging all the weres into the story. I mean, lavender eyes are a staple of Helpless Weak Bishounen in anime. Her attitude is kind of 'omg shut up I got 456 reviews for my story so it has to be good'-slash-'500 reviews before I write another chappie NO FLAMES PLZ ^______^ lolol'

[saucyirishlass.livejournal.com]

Haha, waaaaay back in the day when I started writing graphic scenes, I found a fabulous place called Minotaur's sex tips for slash writers, written by a gay man for the express purpose of helping out the slashers who aren't exactly able to duplicate what they're writing.

I remember that site. I never wrote slash - and can admit now that I wrote bad hetero smut, too - but I visited that site on a fairly regular basis for some reason. It might have had something to do with the pictures. ^_^

[arclights.livejournal.com]

I actually started writing slash v. shortly after being inspired by some fantastic authors to start writing fanfic at all. Strangely, I've never written het smut. >.>

It might have had something to do with the pictures. ^_^

HAHA! They're still up there, and the site hasn't been updated since like 2001, which now that I think about it is a really long time.

[slayra.livejournal.com]

I actually just thought she... you know, had a general idea of how men have sex. It's not really that dificult to figure out even if you are a raging homophobic (which I don't believe she is... she is a little though). I mean, a woman who thinks that a few women kissing in the movie '300' is 'deviant sex' won't bear to see a gay movie or read gay erotica. Still, she could have seen bad gay movies and porn, I guess. But there are good gay movies around. Actually I think there is a comm just for gay film suggestions (slashyfilm, I think) and it would be perfect for her, lol. ^___^

Oh noes, the horror! I've read some great yaoi where the males were... males and one of them wasn't Nathaniel a girl with a penis, lol but there is a lot of yaoi like that. It annoys me to see that one of the males is like, 6 feet tall, all manly and the other one is 5 one and looks like a girl. I mean, it's a gay story... supposedly there are two males... :p
*giggles* LOL, LKH writing anime fanfiction... I reckon she would actually write it like that... a girly boy and a manly one. After all, many of her AB blokes are a bit feminine. Nathaniel is the ultimate bishounen, JC and his shirts (*snorts*). Asher is the only manly one (even if he is described as being 'pretty'). Oh, oh my!