Seduced by Moonlight--chapter eleven

Well. I finally did it. I've finally bitten the bullet, so to speak, and started compiling ideas for a vampire story.

I've had a back-burnered story for a really long time, mostly based on Dracula mythos, but...well, this idea is better, and most of the details came together very, very, VERY quickly. This project is still technically backburnered, but I think it's going to insist on being front-burnered very quickly.

Please note: Projects are not people. Projects do not actually insist on doing anything. My brain just tends to OBSESS THE FUCK out of certain things, and new ideas are certainly something it likes to beat into the ground.

The best part imho? The ideas, vampire mythos, characters, situations, ect, have ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING to do with LKH. I'm not going so far as to say it's totally unique and wonderful, but the idea kernal did NOT come from Anita Blake.


Speaking of which, Merry and Rhys are in bed obsessing over the fucking cup.

“No teasing, Rhys, I mean it. I am tired, it’s late, and it’s been a very weird day.” I opened the bedside table and tried to put the chalice into the drawer. It didn’t fit. The drawer was too shallow. I cursed softly under my breath. “Do you think it would be all right just sitting by the bed wrapped in the silk?”

Merry's goddess has effectively given her the Ark of the Covenant. Yes, the chalice would probably be fine on your bedside table, but for fuck's sake Merry, can you show at least a LITTLE excitement? For the amount of emotion Merry has shown the last few chapters, she might as well not exist at all. The guys are all like "WHERE WAS THIS WHEN WE NEEDED IT" and Merry's like "Well, it might match the drapes." IT IS A HOLY RELIC FROM YOUR RELIGION THAT YOU HAVE LOST FOR SEVERAL MILLENNIA. THIS SHOULD BE A BIGGER GODDAMN DEAL.

“You’re so touchy tonight,” Rhys said. “Not used to having hot lesbian sex, are you?” I glared at him. “It was a privilege to bring Maeve to her first sidhe-on-sidhe orgasm in a century, but you know I didn’t do it on purpose.”

I am going to write a consensual lesbian make-out scene in one of these books just for fucking spite.

(Speaking of which, I found this today. The second I have extra spending money I am reading this. I am reading the shit out of this)

...the forced celebacy thing is getting OOOOOOLD. Look, I get that Anadais kept them celebate for centuries, but it's also been four months of non-stop fucking. Rhys and the rest of 'em ought to be complaining about chaifing at this point.

He moved the pillow behind him so he was sitting up even higher. “Okay, since you asked nicely .” The grin crept back. “Besides, Frost isn’t really my type.” I rolled my eyes. “If you make one homosexual joke, I will kick you out of this bed tonight. I swear it.”

Weren't the Fae supposed to be LOOK IT IS ALL SEX IT IS ALL GOOD and thus better than humans? Why do they have the same taboos re:homosexuality as a very very specific subset of white, modern, Christian culture?

Also: Why don't bisexual characters get to exist? I've got one. He's a lot of fun to work with. He's serially monogamous, but when one relationship ends he gets to play both sides of the fence until he works out a new one. Why can't Merry, who was raised in modern society, like chicks and dicks? I mean, she obviously knew what to do for Maeve...

There's some inner rambling about what Frost is--apparently he hasn't always been Sidhe. Oh, god, LKH is going to make him be Jack Frost all powered up, isn't she?

Also, we're doing rapy shit again. See, Merry promised Sage he could take blood from Frost...without bothering to get Frost's consent for it. And he's Not happy about it.

“I do not fear you, little man , but I will not willingly allow any fey to use his magic upon me.” “Allowing Sage to use glamour when he takes blood is the compromise, since I won’t give him sex.”

“It is not my compromise,” Frost said...

They try to come up with a compromise.

It wasn’t a bad idea. “Frost , will you allow Sage to lick you, that and nothing more?”

Frost isn't buying.

Frost looked at me. “Don’t make me do this.”

Well, Merry is a gentle and understanding soul, I'm sure she won't--

 “Do what? Let him lick your skin, see what you taste like? It’s not a hardship, Frost . Did you fall afoul of some lesser fey’s glamour? Is that why you’re worried?” The moment I said it, I knew I’d been too bold.

HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE MOLESTED BY YOUR PET PIXIE, YOU STUPID INSENSITIVE WASTE. THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG.

 You know, there's a big, big, BIG scandal going 'round in evangelical circles. A big name pastor is being sued by a former live-in employee, who's claiming that on multiple occasions he came into her room, stripped down, and ejaculated on various parts of her body, no matter how often or how frequently she asked him to leave. She was there under circumstances that made leaving his employment difficult to the point of being impossible. I bring this up because the pastor is trying to claim this relationship was consensual. 

When you're in a position of power, you can do shit like that, and shit like this. If you want to have a sexual relationship with a subordinate, you have to be very, very, very VERY fucking careful that you do not violate the other's boundaries. It can even be argued that it is impossible for certain relationships to fit the necessary criteria for consent. For example, a sexual relationship between a parishoner and their counciling pastor in the state of Texas counts as sexual assault on the part of the pastor, irreguardless of consent.

Merry is these guys' only hope for a sane ruler. They'll put up with anything for a chance to have a safe, sane life again. There is no way in fuck for them to truely consent to anything she does, and she fucking knows it. If they say no, like Frost is here, she can order them to do it anyway and they have to obey. Consent in this relationship is nonexistant.

Even the text acknowledges this:

“I love you in my bed, I love so much about you, but I will be queen. I will be absolute ruler of our court. You seem to keep forgetting what that means. No matter who is king, I will still rule. Do you understand that, Frost?”

You know, my favorite discussion of leadership, and what it means to lead, came from The Horse and his Boy. There are MANY many many problematic issues with this book, but there's a scene near the end when Shasta discovers that he is the long lost prince of Iforgot, and is the crown prince to boot. And his new brother starts celebrating because it means he doesn't need to be king anymore. His new father gives Shasta (or Cor, as he's now called) a long speech about how being king means sacrifice and devotion, if you want to get it right, and there's a line in there about how, during times of famine, a good king takes a meal smaller than what the rest of his kingdom can afford, and acts as if it is the greatest portion imaginable. I'm mangling it badly because I can't find my copy of that book.

Merry seems to have confused being a good leader with being a god-awful tyrant. A king is obeyed, but a good king never asks his people to obey a bad order. Making sexual demands of your people? Bad fucking order.

“You would have a puppet as your king.” “No, I would have a partner who knows that unpleasant things must be done, and doesn’t argue about things that cannot be changed.”

YOU CAN CHANGE THIS RAPY SEXUAL BULLSHIT MERRY. YOU CAN CHANGE THE STRUCTURE SO YOUR PEOPLE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CONSENT. YOU CAN PUNISH PEOPLE WHO DAMAGE OTHERS RATHER THAN CATER TO THEM. THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT CAN BE CHANGED.

They keep pushing Frost, who refuses to budge, so finally Merry says "Fuck it, send in Nicca" and Frost leaves. And then this happens:

I explained what we needed , and he simply said yes . No fight, no pouting, no disagreement of any kind. It was more than refreshing. It was exactly what the night needed,

So Merry tried to bully a man into a sex act he didn't want, switched him out for someone who did want it, and is taking time out of her busy schedule to belittle the first man for not being "what the night needed".

She is a detestable waste of skin and air. End of chapter.