----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Schwartz" <zaphod at charter.net> To: "SKZB List" <dragaera at dragaera.info>; "magical truthsaying bastard roney!" <rone at ennui.org> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 7:57 PM Subject: Re: The *real* thing? > I was actually mostly dissapointed in Vlad in that story. Cawti had > undergone a pretty radical change, but seemed to have a clear understanding > of who she was, and what she was doing with her life. Vlad was still Vlad.. > reacting, surviving, but not really *contributing*. Granted the changes > taking place in Vlad's life were painful, and he dealt with them the only > way he understood how. "Not really *contributing*" Yeeesh. No, he was too busy PAYING THE RENT and other non-contributing things like that. I think this whole Cawti came up once before (which is fine, membership changes, subjects slip and slide and are never really done with) but my opinion on Cawti's social activism hasn't really changed. You do realize, of course, that aside from the odd contract for Vlad, Cawti wasn't doing a bloody thing? I don't have the books in front of me yet I don't seem to recall her cooking or cleaning or doing anything to contribute to the household or bring money into it (and yes, there were examples of Vlad doing both). Now being idle all the time, it's quite easy to 'undergo radical changes'. Vlad, working (and 'working') everyday, is submerged in empire and the Jhereg, of course he isn't going to sympathise with Cawti or the new ideals that she brought home from the market one day. > I care enough about the characters to want them to rebuild a loving > relationship, but I simply can't see how that would happen after some of the > revelations in Issola. How would the new Cawti react to the idea of the > whole world being controlled by the gods? How would she feel about the > harvesting of souls that are useful for the gods purposes? What have the > gods done to manipulate her husband through his life/lives? That mess is not > going to help them reconcile. > Heh, no it isn't. I'm looking forward to reading about it, however! -Scott