ReadingThe Vor Game, Suikoden III, Candidate for Goddess
Watching Veronica Mars, House, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, Corner Gas, Aishiteruze Baby, Prince of Tennis, Hikaru no Go
Playing Suikoden IV, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Okage: Shadow King, Katamari Damacy, Curse of Monkey Island, Final Fantasy VI, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Pretty Barbie Dressup Party Final Fantasy X-2(group gaming)
Back-burner Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Star Ocean: The Second Story, Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Planescape: Torment, Final Fantasy VII
Obsessing Erik and Ray, Impulse/Bart Allen, Bruno and Boots, Gilmore Girls (Doyle and Paris and Logan).
Upcoming Things of Importance May 16 Summer Classes Start
layout
Meimi has apparently decided to make herself my awesome layout fairy. Behold my twenty-first birthday present: A layout of pants!Logan, from Gilmore Girls (and, you know, that girl who's always hanging around him, what's her name . . .).
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Fictional issues are the best kind of issues
5/10/2005 11:50:00 PM
"Ah, yes, human beings had come in two sexes, once upon a time. One smelled much better than the other. Much." - The Vor Game, Lois McMaster Bujold.
I always say that one of the reasons I like rereading Bujold books, aside from the bit where I'm madly, crazily in love with them, is the bit where I notice things. Generally really little things.
Like the fact that when Mad Metzov is talking to Miles near the end of the Camp Permafros stuff he says "A court-martial for the Admiral's little boy -- that might bring down that holier-than-thou buggerer, eh?"
Buggerer, not bugger, as I've always read it before. Metzov is making a reference to Aral's bisexuality, or possibly the great "Secret Scandal" that was Aral and Ges Vorrutyer's relationship. Or any rumours that could have been going around about Aral during or after his time with Vorrutyer. And not only did I -not- pick up on this . . . but I can't tell if Miles does.
I know Miles has figured out the truth about Prince Serg by this point in time - The Warrior's Apprentice pretty much cinched that - but . . . does he know about Aral? Not even Vorrutyer specifically, but, well, -anything-? I know Cordelia makes a great point of explaining things to Mark in Mirror Dance due to Galen's . . . discipline techniques and anti-Vorkosigan propaganda, and I think she alludes to the fact that she's never thought it necessary to discuss that part of Aral's past with Miles . . . but has Miles pieced it together on his own?
Doesn't seem likely, especially not at this point. Or if he does, he's noted it on some suboncious level - notice the reference to Aral's new secretary, Jole, being "jaw-dropping gorgeous" (which was one of the other things I noticed while reading last night, that had be going "Wait, wait, back up, -what-?" Because . . . huh. I suppose it's just a bonus that a brilliant and brave young officer that Aral picks as his secretary is mighty fine eye-candy . . .).
Just . . . wondering if Miles is being kept in the dark just like Gregor, but on a smaller scale, I guess. Miles seems almost patronizing when he's hanging out with Gregor and thinks about the two Sergs - the hero of Escobar that Gregor's been told about, and the crazy sodomite that he, uh, hasn't been. And a major point of The Vor Game is Gregor beign stupid and irresponsible and discovering the truth about his father and . . . the next time you really -see- Gregor is in Mirror Dance and holy crap, he's a well-adjusted, smart man who bears very little resemblance to the broody young man who's half way between suicide and simply abandoning his Empire. Yes, finding out about Prince Serg is shattering an illusion for him of a heroic father and replacing it with one of a crazy fucker . . . but Gregor already knows he has Mad Emperor Yuri's blood running through his veins. He -already- had that fear there. Finding out about Serg . . . really doesn't change anything. At least, nothing like that. What -does- happen is that Gregor suddenly loses the feeling that this great war hero of a father is weighing him down. With that fake but burdensome father removed, he grows into a reflective, overly-serious, but very smart man who's a tremendously good Emperor.
For all that Miles grumbles about people wanting to know that The Vorkosigan is like . . . I don't think Miles ever really sees very far beyond that Great Man aura himself. I wonder if he'd be a better adjusted person if he knew the less-admirable things Aral did in his past like Gregor knows about Serg.
Like Shakespeare, it's all about fathers, Almighty Ingrid, Signing Off
