thoughts from rereading Warrior's Apprentice

[jmtorres]

"I blame your mother, you know. Always pushing that egalitarian tripe..."

"Oh, come on," Miles was stirred to object. "Mother’s as apolitical as you can get and still be conscious and walking around."

"Thank God, or she’d be running Barrayar today."

(Oh Piotr. Yeah, I think that was Piotr going "apolitical, my wrinkled vor ass.")

me: oh MILES. Right, he was 17 when he declared his mother was apolitical [this is a statement we quote and laugh at FREQUENTLY]
niq: 17 and dumb? very vor?
me: huh no actually I wonder if he assumed that because she didn't politick like a woman: he's known Lady Alys his whole life
niq: how fucking apolitical did he think killing the pretender was of her? She politics like a betan. she educates.
me: I knowwwwww. Also she sees how much she can poke Aral to support--so Miles probably thinks his father is VERY LIBERAL for putting various bills up to the council, not having quite figured out that his mother practically wrote them, because he is DUMB
niq: But, no, seriously, I mean. it's not like Miles would be unaware of his mother's role in ending the pretendership. That was not very apolitical of her, honestly. I mean, even for going in to rescue her kid, still?
me: Tish. that's not politics, that's WAR! Seriously he's wee.
niq: er. right. because those are so very different.


Oh here's another good quote. Aral, WHAT was that turn of phrase?

"You must excuse me. Duty calls. I have to go feel up that rampant creeper Vordrozda, for the greater glory of the Empire."

me: Hmm, I wonder when/how Miles swore oath to Gregor. He didn't make it into the academy, so he didn't swear as a soldier, but he has sworn directly to Gregor (it comes up when he was taking Mayhew's oath). Oh god. I bet they were like, five and ten respectively and playing Vorthalia the Bold, and Bothari was like, "..........................." and Aral sort of facepalmed when told.
niq: heh
me: and when told what a REAL and SERIOUS and LEGALLY BINDING oath he had taken, Miles was like YAY I AM JUST LIKE VORTHALIA
niq: snort.
me: tell me I'm wrong
niq: it'd be adorable and facepalmy

Comments

[azurelunatic]

... thank you. I have now mixed the XKCD "Duty Calls" with feeling up of Vordrozda. I CAN'T COME TO BED. SOMEONE IS WRONG ON BARRAYAR.

[jmtorres]

Hahahahah the man never sleeps. Trufax.

[azurelunatic]

And Cordelia calls him to bed yet again. (And while Barrayaran propriety would forbid it actually happening, I can also possibly see Cordelia asking him if they needed a couple strapping young men to haul him away from the comconsole and to bed...)

[jmtorres]

*snort* They could import them! Then who could talk.

[azurelunatic]

Somehow, I think imported strapping young men would be worse PR on Barrayar than local strapping young men. Imperium first, never mind one's private sexual practices. (Countess Vorkosigan is an honorable POLITICAL REFUGEE, don't you know.)

[branchandroot]

Actually, I think the apolitical remark may (internal story logic) have been an expression of a kid not really recognizing as "political" anything that doesn't partake of the Vor party alliances he's aware of. Cordelia is nonpartisan is what she is, and I don't get the impression that's something that was really done in Barrayaran politics.

[jmtorres]

On the one hand we get that? And on the other hand we are like "Miles how were you EVER that much of a moron."

[grey_bard]

Miles is (or at least was) also under the mistaken impression that his father is straight. And that Bothari was just eccentric and troubled. And that Elena was a sparkly fairy princess. (NOPE, merc in the making, sorry, thanks for playing.) I think he tends to have a blind spot when it comes to his nearest and dearest, even, to a degree, into middle age.

[jmtorres]

At least by Brothers in Arms he corrects Galeni's perception of Cordelia as the most invisible of political wives with "yeah, invisible like air. If it disappeared you'd hardly miss it. Till the next time you came to inhale."

[grey_bard]

Yep. I don't think he ever doubted his mother was important. I just don't think he originally figured out that this signficance translated out into political power however non-Barrayaran and oblique.

[lizfu]

Dammit, I need to read this series. Like NOW. >.

[jmtorres]

Heeeey, I can help with that. What's your email?

[lizfu]

Why, thank you :D

teadrunklizard[at]gmail.com

[pineapplechild]

YAY I AM JUST LIKE VORTHALIA

Oh cripes. He'd totally do that.

[jmtorres]

Wee Miles with his frog legs is a vassal of the emperor!

[grey_bard]

Oh yes. On one hand "Oh, crap Miles, what did you do?", but on the other hand, he's a Vorkosigan, he was going to swear to the Emperor anyhow, he just... got a little ahead of himself.

[jmtorres]

I suppose alternate explanation: when he was confirmed as his father's heir, he had to swear fealty. Still, I think I will cherish the image of wee Miles putting his hands between Gregor's and both of them getting into a small amount of trouble over THAT WAS SERIOUS and Miles is thrilled that it was real and Gregor... like, it's not a big deal to him whether or not it was real, but it was a lot more FUN than all the other times he's had to do it, and the only time he's gotten to without it being scary old people.

[grey_bard]

Yes. That's far more fun, and frankly, a lot more Miles.

[azurelunatic]

... oh god, I just had a sudden and RATHER FUCKING WEIRD mental flash of some particularly Barrayaran accessibility-fail: so the hands-between-hands thing is how oaths are done, yes?

I bet there was some EPIC political snafuishness the first time someone with only one hand was in a position of oathtaking.

...Also, I bet they (used to) cut off people's hands for the sort of oathbreaking that doesn't result in death.

[jmtorres]

Barrayar is such a huge accessibility fail zone (infanticide of suspected mutants! still going on in the back country!) that I wonder how often it's come up.

[azurelunatic]

Well, I don't imagine it would have come up much for people born without two hands in the Time of Isolation, because they would likely not have survived to an age where they could take oath.

People who had lost a hand through accident/injury/etc. (say, in battle) would probably have been the most affected. Anyone who knew they'd lost the hand honorably would probably not have any trouble giving them oath. War veteran who has ridden at my side for a decade? NO PROBLEM, take oath right here now that I am emperor, we shall ignore the one-handedness except maybe we'll put another layer of cannon fodder strapping young men between us and danger, you shall be my most trusted adviser.

It's the random person who wanders in and has no hand who's got a problem. No history except that which he gives, and no hand to take ~*PROPER*~ oath. HMM.

(Women, of course, not so much with the taking oath. Though I do wonder how the women's system of oath and loyalties from the ToI went.)