Harliquin YAABI's

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

They've started a YABBI list on the LKH boards for The Harliquin.

Time slips, the Sylvie fiasco (although it is said that has been addressed by admin), and the love of Willie's life being "Candy" instead of Hannah. (if he did happen to get a new girlfriend, LKH made her Hannah's twin - her description of Candy is exactly the same as Hannah).

Some of the comments are pretty funny. I'm surprised this thread hasn't been deleted and some of the posters banned.

http://forum.laurellkhamilton.org/showthread.php?t=19067

Comments

[oui-je-danse.livejournal.com]

Correct me if I'm wrong, because I could be very wrong. It's been a few years since I've read all of the books.

Isn't it frustrating that LKH made a strong and interesting female character who was a lesbian and then immediately had her raped? Once again showing that instead of being progressive, LKH only cares about holding up social norms and worshiping her Mary Sue Anita. I hate shows and books that only include lesbians only to punish them for that choice.

[vmisery.livejournal.com]

The character you're thinking of is Sylvie. And yeah, it's pretty messed up.

[thekiwiwhoflew.livejournal.com]

I was reading in Tolkien today that editors really messed with the spellings in his books like changing elven to elfen....perhaps this happened here to *giving the author the benefit of the doubt here*....I mean on the MG thread we went from Abloec to Abeloec.....natch we fans left if Abloec.

Now they're blaming the editor. Okay.

[oui-je-danse.livejournal.com]

LKH has an editor to blame? I thought LKH has been covering for her editor while they traveled Europe. You know, pretending to meet with them so their paychecks keep coming.

[shriekitty.livejournal.com]

Here I was under the impression that her husband was her editor.
Hahaha.

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

There are... ooooh... DAMMIT! That pisses me off SO MUCH. Does she think it's easy and pleasurable running behind her and mopping up her crap??!! It is one of the most FRUSTRATING... dangit. I'm calm. [/ copyeditor rantings]

[kyalesyin.livejournal.com]

I really am surprised that nobody has been banned yet. Wow...

[talymil.livejournal.com]

Apparently Anita and Sylvie are the only women in the room the rest is guys and since Anita isn't into women...only guys would be available or something and Sylvie doesn't like that.

But I like your theory better.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Woah, wait a second -- according to Darla (http://forum.laurellkhamilton.org/showpost.php?p=835722&postcount=2), it was meant to be, "YOU don't do women," which...sorta makes sense but at the same time totally not because Anita's had forays into the girl side of things, first making out with Thea in DM and then there was a full-on scene with Belle Morte in this book.

But maybe it's a good thing that Sylvie leaves the room. Anita might get girl gay germs.

[tehuti.livejournal.com]

I KNEW IT! Teh gay IS contagious, even in fiction!!

[amamelina.livejournal.com]

Page five had a reply from an admin. I'm guessing Darla. And this made it all better for the writers of the board.

Jon didn't do it. I did it. And yes we have it. And the Hannah/Candy I have a note on the manuscript that it was to be changed.

Same with the Sylvie comment.

For some reason, they did not get changed.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the book coming out tomorrow? I thought I heard that today. Shouldn't these things be fixed by then? I always thought that you get a kind of "this is what it will look like before publication, make changes now or forever hold your piece" thing. I think it's called a Writer's Gallery copy. And you can do any final editing in that. So, the oppsi of Sylvie and Hannah/Candy should have been fixed.

[michael-b-lee.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's no way to make corrections to the first print run at this point. They can go into the text and fix it for subsequent print runs, but it would be pretty expensive to do so.

And yeah, she would have gotten copyedits back when the book had gone through layout and was ready to go to the printer. That's the last chance the writer gets to make corrections to the text. Clearly no one bothered to give it much scrutiny, which isn't all that surprising.

[saucyirishlass.livejournal.com]

The woman didn't even start doing gun research until the penultimate copy was sent into the publisher. And considering all the other WTFs recently revealed, I'm just no longer surprised by anything that happens. (Just wait, she'll think of new and improved ways to hurt my brain by the next book.)

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

But the thing is...

WHY are these even happening in the first place? If she would keep a file or a notebook of her information instead of effing POST-IT NOTES, these would not be issues.

And yes, the book is out to day.

*sigh*

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

It was always my understanding that once Laurell sends off a book for editing, she doesn't re-read it again. I think this came up when Incubus Dreams was released. It was so full of typos and grammatical errors that it wasn't funny.

And to think that I stood in line for her to sign it...*headdesk*

And don't forget the infamous "insert here" from the second Merry-ho book. :D

[daphne-gateau.livejournal.com]

Thing is the conversation doesn't make sense even with that word changed. The rest of what Sylvie is saying clearly implied she doesn't want to have Red Shirt Sex with Anita (which we can't blame her for!) for Sylvie's own personal reasons.

Sylvie is trying not to offend Anita, hence the 'you're cute' qualifier. Then Sylvie makes it clear to Anita she is weak and her handler (JC) is down for the count, meaning sex with a Red Shirt is imminent and Sylvie doesn't want to be in the room. (Smart woman.) Sylvie tells Anita they will take care of her. I imaginine this all happening while Sylvie pats Anita on the head like a silly puppy. Because honestly... should Sylvie need to explain this to Anita at all at this point? How long has Anita had the ardeur? Duh.

When we remember Sylvie is a lesbian the conversation should have went down more like. Sylvie: "Anita, you don't have sex with women. Remember? Or did you change your position on that since I last was here back in Burnt Offerings?"

And this is a personal peeve I have with this series that is crystalized in this whole mess... Why does everyone else have to explain this crap to Anita each and every time? Shouldn't she have a better handle on what's going on at this point? Geez.

Also, Anita is so weak. Everyone is 'taking care' of her constantly. How can she possilbly think she is so badass anymore?


I am sure I'd screw up html in LJ so I just pasted this from cactus_wren's original posty for reference. :)

---------
Jason: I am your wolf in case your beast decides to rise.

Anita: I thought Sylvie..........

Sylvie: With the ardeur raised in the room, I'm not staying. Nothing personal, Anita, I mean you're cute but (you) don't do women.

Sylvie: With you this weak, Anita and JC out of it, I don't want to take the chance of the ardeur spreading throughout the room. The wolves will do everything they can to get you all through this.

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The explaining drives me CRAZY.

At one point in the spoilers, Lillian tells Anita that they had to intubate Richard.

Anita: Intubate?

Lillian: Put a tube down his throat.

*facepalm*

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

House makes everything better :)

eta: I mean honestly - who doesn't know what intubate is? It's not like she said they had to do a hyperlyproscopicendectomylobotomy or something.

Or maybe I just watch too many medical shows :\

[daphne-gateau.livejournal.com]

lolz! Great way to make your character look like a dufus, LKH. I'm sure with all the hospital time Anita had she was actually intubated herself once or twice. It's not something a (normal) person forgets.

Poor Lillian. Do you think she's sitting there thinking: "R-ight, Raphael. He's busted on his furry butt. She's a moron. And these are the people we need to align ourselves with?" *eyeroll*

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

Maybe if they'd said they had to "dick-u-bate", she'd have gotten it.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

*uses House icon for awesome*

Seriously, the amount of monologuing that goes on every single time someone says anything makes my head hurt. Half of it is everyone explaining TO Anita the way something so basic a hyperactive three year old could figure out, the rest she's the one blah-blahing on internally about A) character N's entire life history ("Tammy was Larry's wife, she's also a cop, pregnant, and I was at the wedding. She has a mole on her left buttcheek, enjoys long strolls on the beach at sunset, is allergic to carrots, but loves puppies and purring kittens. Her parents are from New England."), B) talking her way into/out of sex/wangst, or C) throwing some hissy fit at someone who doesn't "understand" these strange, modern concepts like democracy and hygiene.

I'm sure these things were shoved in there so that people could randomly pick up the book and start reading and not feel like they've missed out on fifteen books already, but way to go with not treating the reader as entirely too stupid, LKH. *facepalm*

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

C) throwing some hissy fit at someone who doesn't "understand" these strange, modern concepts like democracy and hygiene.

For some reason this made me think of Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live as the caveman lawyer.

"I'm just a....caveman. I don't understand your....flying machines. My mind is too primitive."

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Oh man, you're giving me icon ideas. *bookmarks post*

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

I would SO love to see those :D

[daphne-gateau.livejournal.com]

I need to watch House. :)

I agree she throws some of this stuff in to make the newbie reader welcome. She's just so clumsy with it, isn't she? Gah.

I can't hang with all the crazy explanations to Anita about stuff. It's one thing for LKH to forget Sylvie's sexual orientation. It's another for Anita to forget her OWN. She should get it why she wouldn't want to have sex with without Sylvie having to spell it out. LOL I expect when they 'fix' the scene with Sylvia she'll have to explain that too.

Sylvie *sighs tiredly*: "I'm a lesbian, Anita. You're cute, but you don't do women."

Anita: "Huh?"

Sylvie *snarls*

Jason jumps in: "It means she has sex with *women*. You are het-er-o-sex-u-ALL. That means you have sex with men. Any man. She's not a man."

Anita, unreasonable and irate: "She needs to change that!! I'm SO offended. First Joseph's wife and now THIS!"

[dwg.livejournal.com]

It ruins the pace, and whenever it looks like we might be moving forward, or getting somewhere interesting, it gets stalled back with exposition.

Hee! Oh, poor Jason. He's the Obi Wan when JC is unavailable.

[pith]

Modly reminder: Please use LJ-cuts and spoiler warnings when dealing with book info. Thanks =)