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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Narcissus in Chains Chapter Forty Three

Dottie's post here



Lo, oh sweet innocents, what horrors shall Anita Blake inflict upon you today?

Zane turns up to inform Nate, Anita, and Micah that somehow every shifter group has sent a representative, despite the home invasion happening like an hour ago and Anita living out in the middle of nowhere.


Everyone rubs their faces because that's how aliens communicate on LKH's planet.

Anita is baffled that Micah was crying too, probably because he is a silly, silly manbeast and therefore does not understand emotion, let alone express it. I find it weird that Anita keeps equating her sociopathic inability to feel to masculinity. Something very telling in that, I think.

Donovan, the swanking, wants to talk to Anita but won't tell Anita's "flunkies" why. She tries to force this issue for some godforsaken reason but even she realizes that's a dumb thing to fight about. Micah offers to accompany her.

"What I wanted to say was, "I'd love the company." What came out was, "sure."

Which is in essence the same fucking thing. It's not like what she wanted to say was, why of course my dearest love that I cannot live without, please do accompany me for I cannot feel joy without your rare and precious presence at my side, and what she actually said was, eh whatever. Though we haven't had an appearance of Ren Faire Anita in awhile, so I wouldn't be surprised if she started talking like that.

Micah kisses her knuckles--is it possible to actually kiss m'lady's hand without being a horrible fedora wearing neckbeard?--and it reminds her of Jean-Claude. Even now we must fret and worry over the slightest relationship ripple, despite walking out in to a highly political, tense situation. We've seen how the various groups of shaepshifters interact with each other and it's not good, yet they're all standing around on Anita's front porch together. But no! In case you think this is an invitation for the plot to show up, we will disabuse you thoroughly of any such idiotic notions by mewling about how J.C. and Micah will act around Anita because they are teh stupid mabeasts who must fight over everything with a pussy.


Micah pulls Anita against him and Anita puts her hand on his chest. She can "feel the thud of his body." 


There are serious consequences to using body as a way of saying dick!

Micah says he knew coming in to whatever the hell he has with Anita (I hesitate to call it a relationship) that he would have to share her. I have to give Micah points for this because there's nothing more irritating than a guy who gets involved with someone engaged in an alternative lifestyle or, say, sex work then gets all possessive and shitty as soon as they get together. I'm looking at you, Moulin Rouge. If you don't want to be with a sex worker (or in this case a polyamorous person), then don't get involved with them in the first fucking place.


Micah and Anita have a sweet moment where they start to show their emotions a little more. I like it. Donovan comes in to interrupt them because just maybe the entirety of the state's shifters showing up one's doorstep is a bit more pressing than make outs. Oh and the kiss is "wet."


Argh don't describe kissing to me urgh send help.

Donovan is rightly annoyed and informs them that everything that's happened has put them in a delicate position with the weresnakes. The leader of the werecobras is pissed that her mate is missing, presumed dead. Plus, alpha shapeshifters are going missing.


So LKH thinks now is the time to introduce this major plot point? According to my Kindle we are now 77% done with this book! This is information we could have used way back at 20% or 30%. This could have interspersed with the relationship stuff to keep it from being stultifying boring. But no. After this rickety mess of a first draft we're going to have the plot waltz in late, makeup smeared, one heeled shoe broken, with gin on its breath.

Anita says something about how Marianne keeps telling her that the universe--and therefore god--loves her and wants to be happy, so why do these things keep happening to her? God does not promise, in Christian theology or in any theology I can think of for that matter, that the universe is in any way obligated to protect believers. Or does Anita not know what being martyred consists of? This is such a little kid divine vending machine take on spirituality that it's embarrassing to watch a mid thirties supposedly wordly 'tough' woman indulge in it.

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