Annotated 47-31
FB: Many years ago, when Syr’Nj’s father was young and no less fervent, he said, “One day, I promise you, the humans’ most seasoned warriors will be before us on their knees!”
Syr’Nj and Byron map to me and Flo in a way. This moment was a complete surprise to me and something Flo had planned since “The Last Axemas Story.” She’d wanted to include it in that tale, and Byron mentioned getting a ring for Syr’Nj when scouting for gifts. But the confrontation between Best and Byron became so much the heart of that story that there wasn’t really room left for a proposal scene. Or, if you prefer, Byron decided to put off proposing for just a bit to make sure he and Syr’Nj didn’t overshadow the holiday. There are gifts wrapped for everyone when Byron holds court later, so he must’ve found something else for Syr’Nj in the meantime. Maybe some documents from those poor dead mountaineers that otherwise would’ve been lost to history.
“But aren’t they married already?” some of you asked. Yes and no. She proposed to him in the manner of her people and they were recognized by B’ial Vezk’s ruling authority. Most everyone treated them as married after that. But now he’s proposing to her, in the manner of his people. It may not change much between them really, it’s more like renewing the vows, but it’s still one heck of a valentine. Man, I need to raise my game for Janice’s birthday.
Alt-text didn’t make it.
Thanks, fixed!
Well, wasn’t it “till death do us part”? Time to re-up.
Ha!
“Land of Confusion” certainly sounds very different to my ears than it did back when…
»there’s too many men, too many people
making too many problems
and not much love to go round«
…so, is this the song of a (male, somewhat sexist, of course) racist getting up to finally get rid of the too many people that he doesn’t find the will to sympathize with?
Anyway, I don’t think that would be the song Best is thinking of. I wonder if Flo (I assume Flo wrote this bit?) was thinking of a particular real-life song there. Nothing comes to my mind, although I think there should be a song describing the sensation when you’ve finally come to terms with yourself and people around you, learned to see their perspective, value their views and contributions, while accepting your own role as one valuable individual among their peers and letting old grudges slide.
…it feels great, seriously :o)
That is…not an interpretation I would assign to “Land of Confusion,” originally a protest song for a time when fears of nuclear war were sharp. Sure, there are Klansmen who think “Make this a world worth living in” applies to their beliefs, but they’re wrong, and I don’t feel like indulging their point of view. The song speaks to my present-day anxieties and tempered optimism, and that’s all I can say without going on another political rant.
I do agree that the song doesn’t quite sync up with what Best’s composing in his head. It’s too anxious to have come from him in his current reflective mood, and it’s more about internal protest than this external rebellion.
We know what song Best is thinking of because the next few pages will show him singing it. Still, I do hear the influence of “Land of Confusion”‘s first line in Best’s “dreamt a million dreams,” and its overall revolutionary energy in the mobilization to which we’re transitioning.
(To your last paragraph, I can think of many songs of self-acceptance, though finding one that contains ALL the elements you mention might be a tall order. One self-acceptance song is found under the following page.)
I didn’t think you would interpret it that way, and neither do I. At the time, nuclear war was (still) a serious concern, and everyone was worried how responsible those in power were in that regard. The “too many men” line might well be a reference to overpopulation, which was a serious concern for many people.
Regarding Best’s song, I thought he was referring to the feeling of being among friends, and for the first time feeling accepted and accepting, not to the confrontation that lies ahead — which is what the song is about that he eventually sings. Also, his monologue makes it sound a bit like the text was referring to an actual RL song.
I mean, I only ever hear the Disturbed cover of that song in my head when it’s brought up, and I’m pretty sure they’re not interested in ethnic cleansing.
In that version at least, I feel it’s pretty clear that “too many men” is supposed to be an antecedent to “making too many problems.” The issue is that “there are too many men making too many problems as well as too many people making too many problems,” doesn’t really fit in a stanza