(no subject)

[krait]

I have been rereading Brust's Paarfi Romances; currently I'm about halfway through The Paths of the Dead and am having a great time noticing how Paarfi sets up the big romantic shock twist to come.


Lewchin & Shant, introduced in the first chapter, seem like a contrivance to point readers toward the proper romantic prospect for Piro; instead, they're foreshadowing for the improper one.

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

Oh neat! I hadn't thought of that, but it does work like that :)

[krait]

It's one of those things that's easier to spot on a re-read, definitely. On first encounter, it comes across as "Friendly Reminder: Cross-House Marriages Are Forbidden!" to clue in new readers who might not know that Piro needs a Tiassa love interest before one is introduced, and remind those who read The Phoenix Guards of Khaavren's ill-fated cross-House crush > successful intra-House marriage romantic arc.

But it's a lie! :D The real clue is that Piro, too, will end up in a cross-House relationship with a Dzurlord. (We get a later clue that Piro has eyes only for the House of Dzur when he meets Tazendra, and his brain is fried by conflicting signals of "Dad's old friend! -- Oh no she's hot.")

Love the Morrolan Pie Chart icon! :D

[hamsterwoman]

when he meets Tazendra, and his brain is fried by conflicting signals of "Dad's old friend! -- Oh no she's hot.")

Ahaha, I love the "oh no, Dad's old friend is hot" moment -- it's one of my favorite scenes in PotD.

You know, I'd never connected it to Piro's thing for Dzur ladies, though you're right that it serves as a great setup for that, I had just kind of assumed that this is standard reaction to Tazendra XD

Love the Morrolan Pie Chart icon! :D

Thank you! :D (I had a lot of fun at one point coming up with the relative "weights" for the slices...)

[krait]

It does work well as a hint! But we also know that Tazendra is hot so that's a reasonable reaction. (I'm particularly remembering Captain G'aereth giving Tazendra the long up-and-down look when discussing something a Count-or-Duke said to her.)

On the other hand, I have a theory that the Dzur are basically the House of Hotness, by Dragaeran standards, so they all pretty much get that reaction, and it's why so many of them seem to end up in cross-House affairs. :D We meet a lot of Dzurlords and almost everyone seems to find them stunning, so my hypothesis is that Dzur features are the ideal standard of beauty for Dragaerans (in a general/abstract way, somewhat like supermodels or movies stars for us - they're recognisably "very beautiful" even if your personal preferences don't quite match up. Dragaerans would find Tazendra worth a double-take even if they ultimately find members of their own House more attractive to them personally.)

If I keep up this rereading, I really need a Dragaera icon...