Blogflogs: Two for the Price of LOL

[drho.livejournal.com]

SOURCE: Casual Sex?

"I've been listening to the musical HAIRSPRAY for the last few days. ...(You're) Timeless to Me is a song about real love. ... I've always been more into relationships once I really know a person... The fact that I don't understand casual dating, and feel that sex is very emotional and a commitment of sorts, is probably why Merry and Anita have collected so many men. If I could understand casual sex then they could, too. But I don't, understand it."

Right. Because Laurell clearly only writes about nuanced, long-term relationships involving mutually consensual and caring sex. She would never, ever, ever write about being supernaturally forced to have sex, because that would be wrong. And she wuvs her characters so very, very much. Right?

"Your body and your mind are who you are. So, why would you share your body with someone who doesn't want your mind, too? If you can't talk to someone, and enjoy each other's company, then why have sex? Good sex, no, great sex, is about communication ..."

Yes. Because nothing says sexy like long-winded dialogues about hypocrisy 'vampire politics' and mandatory sex with Anita.

"Can you be yourself with someone you don't know? The answer for me has always been, no. But then, as more than one man over the years has said, "You're serious as a heart attack about everything." Damn straight."

They mean as painful as a heart attack, dear.

SOURCE: Happy Presidents Day


"It's taken me all day to get four pages. I listened to HAIRSPRAY, then switched to 1776."

Won't somebody open up the window? Too many flies. Too many flies. ... Um, yes. I can see how 1776 would remind her of Anita.

"It meant that Trinity was off school, and though I had help to take her to a movie, and other things, no one could help with the guilt. I'd hoped to finish my pages in the morning and then Jon and I could have taken her to the movie ourselves, but the morning was totally unproductive. Totally."

Sigh. For someone that constantly talks about being in charge, needing a break, and working so hard, you'd think she'd want to go to a movie with her family. Or that her guilt would be about people, rather than pages.

"My job is so hard to plan around. Some glorious days I get my pages done in two hours or less. Some days it takes six to eight hours to get the same number of pages."

OMG! Two to eight whole hours of work! In her own house! With a staff! However does she manage? What a tortured artiste! Call Amnesty International, RIGHT NOW!

"How do I plan around something that can vary that much?"

Set stable working hours? Create a plot outline and character information sheets, so you know what's happening next? Not write?

"Answer, you don't, you can't."

No. YOU can't.

"God, this was a slog of a day, like walking through thigh deep mud, but I did it. I have my pages, I have my progress, now I am out of here."

Such a martyr... from whom we can learn ever so much...

Comments

[dreamstrifer.livejournal.com]

You know... LKH makes me want to hit her so hard. Seriously. For so many reasons. Sometimes, taking a break HELPS writing. Of course, she has to be OMG SO TORTURED though so we all feel sorry for her. Breaks are for the weak who hate sex!

[darkese.livejournal.com]

What pisses me off is that LKH is pulling a magic trick here. She's distracting us with her rampant darkity darkness/torturedness (?) and hoping no one notices that she works somewhere between 2 to 6 hours a day ..sometimes 8. She moans so loud that she can never take a break from her hectic work schedule and then slips in that some of her days are only 2 hours long. She's crying about 'slogging' thru her day and her blog is posted at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Cry me a river but this woman rarely puts in a full day. It's just an insult to all the people who do work hard for way less money and no fame.

[dreamstrifer.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I have to have a smaller goal each day for my writing due to school and work and music obligations, and I can reach it within two hours (two thousand words). I'm already half done with my novel and I started in January. I don't have any sympathy for her. If I can do it, she can. And she does this FULL TIME. I have to make time for writing in between homework, a 20 hour work week, practicing piano every day... It's not that difficult. Other authors do it all the time. Sheesh.

[kerame.livejournal.com]

She sure didn't worry about "making her pages" before she had her spa-day with the fan-boi.

And just in case her daughter didn't notice, she makes sure to post a blog telling the whole world how she's willing to spend the entire afternoon with her husband doing something she hates so they can be together, but a couple of hours with her daughter is an avoidable chore which gets dumped on the help.

[plum-arden.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. Is Trinity old enough to say she would like to go live with her father? I know in North Carolina when a kid his 12, regardless of what the court originally decided the child can then say they want to go live with the other parent. Gah, I couldn't imagine saying that about my children. OMG, I'm going to be late to work tomorrow because I have to take my daughter to a doctor's appointment, and I'm looking forward to the fact I'm getting extra time with both my kids in the morning before I take them to daycare. And I'm looking into classes at My Gym so that I can have an activity with my kids. I guess I'm just not as spechul as LKH.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I swear to God, I have never rooted so hard for someone to kill their mother and wear her skin as a suit as I have for Trinity.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

NO JURY IN THE WORLD WOULD CONVICT HER!

[kerame.livejournal.com]

"Does she just never have fun unless it's with adults?"


If by adults, you mean men she's having sex with, or women who make her look good just by standing next to them, then Bingo!

[missamii.livejournal.com]

Is she for real? Seriously, is she even understanding the words that she writes? She doesn't understand casual sex so her Sue-avatars don't? Yeah, that's a lot of mental connection Anita and Merry have with all those random guys they bang who only manage to introduce themselves half way through the perfunctory foreplay. It's totally a great thing that Anita is so totally not an emotionally stunted, manipulative, and vindictive person. She would never grunt and sigh dismissively when someone wanted to spill their heart out to her and act if togetherness and tenderness was some kind of imposition. And that the men who screw are totally in love with her mind and not just her magic vajayjay. Oh, wait...

[entropyastaroth.livejournal.com]

I get casual sex, even thought I don't do it. It's not exactly quantum physics. LKH is such a crap author and she even admits it.

[guardians-song.livejournal.com]

"Collected"
*SNERK* She ADMITS it's a game of "Penismon: Gotta Catch 'Em All!"

*RUNS*

[sharkbytes.livejournal.com]

*sigh* it's impossible to argue with someone as delusional as LKH can be. She figures that calling all the men Anita sleeps with her "boyfriends" means that they all have a close, personal and fulfilling relationship.

I'm not even going to get into the reasons why this is ridiculous (and that's not a swipe at polyamory at ALL, I'm saying in the case of Anita, those relationships don't really qualify) but really, she just slapped the word "boyfriends" on the situation and figured that would settle any question of promiscuity.

[kerame.livejournal.com]

"really, she just slapped the word "boyfriends" on the situation and figured that would settle any question of promiscuity."

She also insists that her ardeur is about love not mere lust. Therefore, it's metaphysically impossible for her to be a slut!

[frabjously.livejournal.com]

But I don't, understand it.

WHO PUTS A COMMA ANYWHERE NEAR THERE????

*ahem* I lol'ed at your macro.

[cheeky-duckie.livejournal.com]

But I don't, understand it.

WHO PUTS A COMMA ANYWHERE NEAR THERE????

It makes me think of Ace Ventura: "There's... something on the wing. Some...thing!" Maybe commas are her dramatic pause?

[fangedsekhmet.livejournal.com]

Y'know, when I read her stuff the song '1985' by Bowling for soup just pops into my head. She's totally hating the fact that she's not 26 any more, hence Anita trapped there for as long as she can manage.

[moonbeamdancer.livejournal.com]

I agree, LKH in general just screams that she's not ready to admit that she's what, in her forties now... As for the way she treats her daughter on line, I feel sorry for the kid, and I'd be looking into being able to live with dad if at all possible. And maybe not talking to mom for a bit... That's if she knows about any of this at all.

[othellia.livejournal.com]

The fact that I don't understand casual dating, and feel that sex is very emotional and a commitment of sorts, is probably why Merry and Anita have collected so many men. If I could understand casual sex then they could, too. But I don't, understand it."

... what? So she's... wait, what?! LKH is breaking my brain AGAIN. But we do have one thing in common; I don't, understand it either.

However, this may be part of the reason that we have so many sex scenes and little actual character development. Apparently to LKH, dating and really getting to know your significant other is "casual" while sex is "very emotional." So, the more men Anita sleeps with that she claims she "loves" the more emotional and caring LKH thinks she is in the eyes of the fans. Or at least that's what I have inferred after reading that just... ghastly paragraph.

[missamii.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think that LKH is at war with her self. She's really an prude at heart, but she desperately wants to be a rebel. Its not so much what the fans think of Anita, but what she thinks of Anita. Considering that everyone woman in the series that has sex just for the hell of it is castigated as a skanky whore of Babylon, I think she's getting at that sex is kind of like a contract. Only sluts would break the contract. So therefore, Anita has to keep the men around not to be a slut. Since she is Anita, if Anita was a slut that would be too much for her.

[summersdream.livejournal.com]

I think you've nailed it. She wants to be write the fiery, tempestuous femme fatale rebel type who has a ton of guys, but she can't get over the fact that it might stain her heroine's snow white perfection.

A psychologist would have a field day reading either series at this point. I just don't understand why she would create the Merry series with the faery morality of multiple partners and casual sex being a norm when LKH herself "[doesn't], understand it"?
IF you can't bring yourself to write it, then don't create it as canon, right? Don't retcon in that "oh, noes, Merry wuuuuuvs them all!"

Furthermore, you would think Anita would get some sex that was about actually having a connection with at least one partner and not saving the world. Sometime. Maybe.

[alondra-del-sol.livejournal.com]

As a psychology major I find it very interesting.

[reticentric.livejournal.com]

"Your body and your mind are who you are. So, why would you share your body with someone who doesn't want your mind, too? If you can't talk to someone, and enjoy each other's company, then why have sex? Good sex, no, great sex, is about communication ..."

Then why are most of her sex scenes about feeding the ardeur or saving someone's life? I think LKH is all kinds of confused when it comes to sex and love. It's like she thinks just because she fills a scene with endless dialogue of angst and drama that that is the communication, and so having sex with some random man totally means they are in love.

Or more importantly that the MAN loves Anita so it's okay for them to do it. It doesn't matter that Anita doesn't love anyone as long as they all worship her. If that is her thinking then no wonder she doesn't see it as casual sex.

[estllechauvelin.livejournal.com]

For the love of God and all that is holy, get that woman away from 1776.

[dreamstrifer.livejournal.com]

Salt Peter, Jooooooooohn!

[easol.livejournal.com]

"Homiciiiiiiiide... homiciiiiiiiiide..."

[estllechauvelin.livejournal.com]

We may see murder yet!

LKH is not allowed to write while listening to music that I've loved before I really understood why John Adams was being so awkward about asking Martha Jefferson "Did you sleep well last night," let alone what's probably going into the next Maurita book.

[manekikoneko.livejournal.com]

That macro is possibly the best laugh I've had all day, and I've been watching comedies.

[assplund.livejournal.com]

I am stunned by the irony of LKH blogging about a song that is sung by a truly committed, loving couple. Also, how dare she taint Hairspray!

The fact that I don't understand casual dating, and feel that sex is very emotional and a commitment of sorts, is probably why Merry and Anita have collected so many men.

WHAT. WHAT. That sentence hurts my brain. No casual sex = lots of sexual partners? Brain does not compute.

Thanks for that motivational poster. It made my day.

[ex-naomi-ja.livejournal.com]

The fact that I don't understand casual dating, and feel that sex is very emotional and a commitment of sorts, is probably why Merry and Anita have collected so many men.

So... it's not because of her many, many issues with her ex-husband? It's not because she can't stand the thought of someone not loving her Merry or Anita? It's not because it's implausible to her that people have sex for fun, rather than to plug the gaping hole that is Anita's vagina save the universe?

I call foul on that.

[jeza-red.livejournal.com]

So... It's not because of the Pokemon games? Damn-__-

[moonsinger.livejournal.com]

Yes, writers can plan their hours. Sometimes they write crap during those hours, but everyone knows how to edit (well perhaps LKH needs some practice) and/or press the delete key.

[ladymuttly1.livejournal.com]

In Merry's case I think that she's writing about political prostitution. How many men in her harem are there because the queen of the fey, the queen of the demi fey or the king of the goblins require it?

[novadivine.livejournal.com]

Re Casual Sex: She's really just making up her own rules as she goes along, isn't she? Have nice, normal pain-and-blood-free sex with one comitted partner? Prude. Prefer to date and sometimes have sex before making the leap into a committed relationship? Slut. In Laurell's universe, if you're not her, Anita, or Merry, you suck.

The best love making often ends in shared laughter.
Agreed! SO WHY DO WE NEVER, EVER SEE THIS?

Can you share laughter with a stranger? Can you be yourself with someone you don't know.

In my experience, yes you can. Not all of us are so uptight and tetchy about meeting new people. Loosen up, babe.

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

The fact that I don't understand casual dating, and feel that sex is very emotional and a commitment of sorts, is probably why Merry and Anita have collected so many men. If I could understand casual sex then they could, too. But I don't, understand it.

OW OW OW MY BRAIN HURTS.

Okay. Okay. *breathes* Obviously, there, she's switched to a language I don't know, in which "casual" is a deceptive, false cognate, like "actual=real, true" in English and "actuel=current, modern" in French.

So then what does "casual" actually (actuellement) mean in Hamiltonian???

[drho.livejournal.com]

casual = meaningful?

[moonbeamdancer.livejournal.com]

Most parents didn't even have the option to take part of the day off and do something with the kids. So, really, there's nothing different between me and hundreds of other working parents except that Trinity sees me popping into the kitchen, and having to do comic stuff on the computer, and . . . it's just harder to explain that really you are working when you're working out of your home.

No, the difference between you and hundreds of other parents, is that the majority of those parents want their kids around, love spending time with and MAKE time for them. YOU treat your daughter like she's a burden and something to be tossed off onto the help. It sounds like you don't actually want your kid around at all, if that's the case, why did you have her in the first place? Why not let her father have full time custody of her, if being a mother is such a burden to you? Why not let her live in a family that more then likely actually loves her and is more then willing to put the effort into raising a child?

Oh wait, that means you'd have to give up something to complain about... I hope that when or if Trinity is old enough, she moves in with her father and step mother (if I remember correctly) and sees what a real loving family is like, because I don't think it's you.

And one other thing, lots of other parents work from home, it's not just you. Maybe if everyone knew that from "x" hour to "z" hour, mom was not to be disturbed because she is working, that would help. Except for actual emergencies of course, and I'm talking of the "We need to go to the emergency room now." kind. Though taking a break every now and then is also a good thing, you should try it.

[kerame.livejournal.com]

"No, the difference between you and hundreds of other parents, is that the majority of those parents want their kids around, love spending time with and MAKE time for them. YOU treat your daughter like she's a burden and something to be tossed off onto the help. It sounds like you don't actually want your kid around at all, if that's the case, why did you have her in the first place?"

I assume was an accident, just as in DM, and the purpose of writing that book was to reenact her pregnancy as she wished it had turned out: false.

I bet Richard and Anita's reactions paralleled those of Gary and Laurell.

Richard: loving and joyful
Anita: angry and resenful, wanting to hurt "Richard"

"Why not let her father have full time custody of her, if being a mother is such a burden to you? Why not let her live in a family that more then likely actually loves her and is more then willing to put the effort into raising a child?"

Only reasons I can think of are the fear of bad publicity, and to deny Gary what he wants most.

"Oh wait, that means you'd have to give up something to complain about... I hope that when or if Trinity is old enough, she moves in with her father and step mother (if I remember correctly) and sees what a real loving family is like, because I don't think it's you."


I really hope that happens before she gets her first boyfriend, particulatly if he has long hair.

[moonbeamdancer.livejournal.com]

Same here, I really do. I hate to say it but this girl is gonna put some psychologist's kids through college someday.

[baeraad.livejournal.com]

Maybe if everyone knew that from "x" hour to "z" hour, mom was not to be disturbed because she is working, that would help. Except for actual emergencies of course, and I'm talking of the "We need to go to the emergency room now." kind.

Yeah, but if she feels like Anita on the subject (and she has never denied that she feels like Anita on most subjects), she doesn't like having to explain things to people. If they really cared about her, they'd understand her needs without her needing to tell them, she figures.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's one reason why she isn't terribly enthusiastic about being a mother. You have to explain absolutely everything to kids, so she probably feels like Trinity doesn't love her at all. It's all very messed up and depressing, like most things LKH.

[moonbeamdancer.livejournal.com]

True, but people are not psychic, if you want them to know things, you have to tell them those things. As for the explaining things to kids, well that's true too, if you don't want to do that, then don't have kids.

[judaistic.livejournal.com]

She just makes my brain hurt a lot. Honestly, what's all this crap about not understanding/not believing in casual sex when she practically writes and sells it in stacks?

Contradiction here?

[belledewinter.livejournal.com]

Word. I don't even know what this woman is going on about anymore. Contradiction is too big. Maybe she just needs to justify herself through her blog. But to go all holier-than-thou on those of us who knows what she writes may be pushing it a bit too much.

That macros killed me dead! ♥