I really wish that were true, but I read Anita's progression differently. As she's grown in acceptance of her sexuality and her violent tendencies, she's become more judgmental about other women (and Hamilton has written other female characters less sympathetically), almost as if she's displacing the guilt elsewhere. Merry starts out happily poly and relatively comfortable with her occasional need to kill someone, and I think that is connected with her lack of a need to denigrate other women. But an increasing stable of guys who all keep telling Anita that she is Not Like Other Women is not going to help her get to know, much less help, actual other women.
I'm interested to hear that the Merry Gentry books aren't infected with the same thing - I haven't read any, and can't muster up the will to, but I was reading the Anita books until fairly recently. Granted, my appreciation had shifted somewhat, as the books segued from enjoyable-pulp-action-with-competent-female-hero-who-has-an-interesting-job-and-an-even-more-interesting-sideline-and-knows-her-guns-and-is-punctilious-about-keeping-in-shape-despite-being-small-and-has-a-best-mate through to PWP-parody-best-used-for-a-drinking-game. But I was still reading them up to, er, the one after 'Obsidian Butterfly', I think. Whilst feeling guilty for paying for them, as that's only encouraging her to write more
( ... )
Okay, apparently I missed this a while back? Sorry! I am with you all the way, including Obsidian Butterfly as the last readable book because of Edward. Oh, Edward.
I don't know, maybe it says something about Hamilton's commitment to the character that Anita really still does have all that guilt and shame and is displacing them, whereas her new character Merry is just starting from different premises. But commitment to Anita doesn't mean that the world in which Anita operates can't have real other women in it--that's really why she fell down the Id Vortex; an Anita who was still feeling judged etc. but encountered some women who refused to play into her preset schemas would actually be fascinating.
I don't think Anita has done anal yet, but I've been skimming the sex scenes for a while, so I might be wrong. Pretty sure it's all guys-on-girl, though. I don't even remember her letting the guys enjoy each other, which has to get frustrating when they're waiting their turns.
What this means for this journal on LJ: initially, I’m consolidating comments on DW, which I hope will help the conversations. I love comments, especially on stories! I really hope everyone comments at DW, or on the AO3!
*is confused* Are you still going to be posting here?
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Anita is broken and getting fixed (maybe). Fixing some others (i.e. Nathaniel) helps to fix her, but there's only so much to go around.
Merry is fixed and therefore can help other people/women who are broken (of whom there are a lot, thanks to Andais, Cel & company).
...just a musing.
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I don't know, maybe it says something about Hamilton's commitment to the character that Anita really still does have all that guilt and shame and is displacing them, whereas her new character Merry is just starting from different premises. But commitment to Anita doesn't mean that the world in which Anita operates can't have real other women in it--that's really why she fell down the Id Vortex; an Anita who was still feeling judged etc. but encountered some women who refused to play into her preset schemas would actually be fascinating.
I don't think Anita has done anal yet, but I've been skimming the sex scenes for a while, so I might be wrong. Pretty sure it's all guys-on-girl, though. I don't even remember her letting the guys enjoy each other, which has to get frustrating when they're waiting their turns.
I can no longer keep the harem apart.
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*is confused* Are you still going to be posting here?
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