a stray Imperial Radch though

[enemyofperfect]

Many people have speculated -- and this includes Breq herself, I think, not that she cares -- that Anaander Mianaai predicted and planned for the way things went between Breq and Tisarwat.

And maybe this has been said too, but with that theory in mind, I find myself wondering if the creation of Tisarwat as we know her wasn't a purely strategic consideration, but also a reflection of the fact that Omaugh Anaander, at least, has accepted her own mortality, and has responded to that acceptance in a pretty traditional way.

I mean, it's an unusual and characteristically unethical means of reproductive recombination, to imprint your memories and personality over those of a person who already exists. But at least she's chosen someone pretty awesome to raise her daughter?

(Not that I actually consider that last a mitigating factor, of course -- more an OH ANAANDER factor: how so horrible, how so blatant with your braincrush? But I guess these things happen when you're the Lord of the Radch and it's terribly refreshing to have anyone try to tell you no.)

Comments

[staranise]

OH. That's a brilliant thought. It never even occurred to me.

[enemyofperfect]

I am so happy that this makes sense outside my head! I could go around in circles about it for ages -- even apart from the skin-crawling awfulness of overwriting someone's identity for a vanity project, there's the fact that it will probably do absolutely nothing for Anaander's genetic legacy, which for some tyrants would probably be a dealbreaker. But I can imagine that Anaander Mianaai, whose empire was built on the annexation of the uncivilized, would consider the propagation of her genes neither necessary nor sufficient -- and whereas Citizen Fosyf was dreadfully disappointed by her clone daughter, Anaander is reproducing not the building blocks she started from, but as much of the entirety of where she's ended up as can be contained within a single body.

And of course then she takes the very un-Fosyf-like step of putting said body in the care of her favorite rival and letting the omens fall where they may. But without some sort of letting go, Tisarwat wouldn't be her child, just another instance of herself, and although I don't think any Anaander is interested in giving up the ghost anytime soon, I feel like it's possible that this one can recognize -- limitations. And perhaps see value in contributing to something genuinely new.

[staranise]

Okay but also all those things and Tisarwat knowing it. Knowing that every move she makes towards independence and her own self are, in fact, what the Anaander who created her wanted, so whether she hews to Anaander's decisions and plans or diverges from them, Anaander wins.

[enemyofperfect]

I THINK I'VE BEEN TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT THAT. I mean, she did spend a lot of time unconscious once the hook-ups were made, and Anaander's had a lot of practice keeping secrets from herself, right?

But also... there's that thing with her ongoing self-loathing. And at the very least, she's got all the pieces she'd need to figure it out. And... yeah.

MUCH LOVING, SUCH PARENTHOOD. VERY ANAANDER. WOW. /o\