Ages of the characters

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

So, in the books we never actually get the exact ages of any of the characters. cyberskiver's comment in the post below this got me thinking about it, and wondering exactly how old everyone on this community thinks the characters are.

Eugenides is supposed to be young. How young is he? How old is the Magus? Exactly how far apart in age are Gen and Irene? Sophos and Eddis?

I doubt that everyone is going to comment and say, "Oh, easy, Eugenides is thirteen!" I don't actually think he's thirteen, chill out. ;) What I mean is, not everyone's going to be in agreement, obviously. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say...

Eugenides: 20
Irene: 24 or 25

My mum seemed to think that Eugenides was younger, but she wasn't sure, because I seem to remember her comment being, "Eighteen... nineteen... twenty?" She also thought that Irene had been Queen for maybe four years, but I thought it was more like eight, because I got the impression that she was very young when she became Queen, like sixteen, maybe.

So what does everyone else think?

Comments

Yes, I am smiling

[(Anonymous)]

and I about fell off my chair and died when I read the speculations page.

~MWT

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

:D Does this mean there won't actually be a dancing bear in the next book?

I was so sure...

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[empmai.livejournal.com]

I was thinking it meant that 'King of King's' was indeed a four way marriage. Though maybe it's a five way marriage with a dancing bear.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

:D

Perhaps we got it right on that. As cool as it would be to see one of our theories come true, it would be much funnier if every single one of them turned out to be wrong. The book opens on the line 'Gen was attending Sophos' funeral'.

Perhaps Megan meant that Gen really does go to chase after the Mede with Costis (who gets sent somewhere to collaborate with Sophos) and Irene finds out she's pregnant whilst he's gone, by someone else in their four - sorry, five way marriage?

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

*shudders at both Sophos dead and four/five way marriage*

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

*shudders at both Sophos dead and four/five way marriage*

It takes all sorts to make a fandom complete, but there is something very very squicky about the idea of a four/five way marriage. Particularly with a poor dancing bear involved. :)

Though I think I could accept Sophos' death, nice as he is. *hides*

Is there anything that could happen that could ultimately stop any of us from reading the books?

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[(Anonymous)]

"Is there anything that could happen that could ultimately stop any of us from reading the books?"

Yes.

I could dannybailey's slash scene and the next book would never be published. these are
children's books, you reprobates.

~Megan

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

:D

That would, indeed, stop us from reading it.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

*feels thoroughly chided*

Though the children's books which I read at the age of ten didn't usually contain the word 'bastard'. :)

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[empmai.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

that was back in the day when you had to make a jaunt over to the adult section to get the third book in Tamora's Alanna series do to its flaunting of nighttime action with someone not destined to be your future spouse.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

*grins*

Are you implying that I'm old? Or just sheltered? ;)

But yes, in my local bookshop, the last few Alanna books were placed in the 'young adults' section, though I think the writing was more suited to 9-12 year olds.

I was just thinking of Neil Gaiman's 'Stardust', where in the author's note, he mentions managing to sneak one very small swear word into the book in the middle. :)

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[dannybailey.livejournal.com]

Ooh, this is what I get for combing the archives. How did I not notice this before? *is so red right now*

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

The book opens on the line 'Gen was attending Sophos' funeral'.

How about, "Gen was attending Sophos's funeral, the Mede Empire had decided it wasn't worth the trouble to invade and had channelled their funds into inventing the fountain pen instead, oh, and Irene was celebrating her sixtieth birthday, and Gen his sixteenth."?

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, now THAT I think I'd still read.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

*grins*

Yes, I think I would too.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[empmai.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a best seller to me :D

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, yes. And in spite of being sixty, she is still able to produce six lovely precocious perfect children all of them with violet eyes, except for the one who feels bad because she doesn't have violet eyes, but is in fact divinely beautiful.

and every child has a *special* gift from the gods.

*goes away to write it RIGHT NOW*

~MWT

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! And magical talking animal companions! Do they get those as well? Would you base one of the precocious perfect children on me? Alison is a really Greek-sounding name! I could take out the whole Mede Empire with my elite fighting skills, even though I've never been trained to use a sword, it's natural talent! And then the gods would make me immortal, because I'm just that cool. What am I missing? Oh right, I ought to be getting married to a dashing young man in there somewhere.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

*goes away to write it RIGHT NOW*

pleasenooooooo!

Although I admit I have a weakness for magical talking animals.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[empmai.livejournal.com]

Can I be married to the dashing young man? But he has to be a prince - specifically the heir prince. Some older siblings can meet sad, untimely deaths so that we unexpected gain the throne.

And can my parental unit have had an affair with an immortal - the one that yelled at Gen.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Well, since we get to pick our own cliche then I want to be the Magus' new apprentice. We're always at odds and there's all this tension because he's strangely attracted to me but it's so wrong. Then it turns out it's ok because I'm a girl who had to dress like a guy for some really good reason.

And I'd like a six-legged empathic treecat like David Weber's Honor Harrington has. It would ride on my shoulder, throw a frisbee with deadly accuracy and beat the crap out of anyone who messed with me.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[empmai.livejournal.com]

And I'd like a six-legged empathic treecat

Can I have an animal too? It must be cute, cuddly, adorable but also a trickster that's always getting into trouble.

Re: Yes, I am smiling

[rowana.livejournal.com]

Can I have an animal too? It must be cute, cuddly, adorable but also a trickster that's always getting into trouble.

All Mary Sue's have to have animals. :) I'm thinking strangely of a crow. Not so much the cute, cuddly and adorable.

I'm thinking of dedicating a whole thread to writing our own cliches...

[rowana.livejournal.com]

Could I be a princess abandoned as a baby on a street somewhere, who grows up with some sort of magical ability, an excellent hair-eye colour combination, and a talent for throwing daggers, as well as impeccable taste in clothes? Several minor friends can die off in my quest to find my parents and I eventually become the greatest queen ever(!!). I should really have a name more interesting than Rowana too.

On the animal side, I can't compete with the six-legged emphatic treecat, and will not even try. :)

Re: I'm thinking of dedicating a whole thread to writing our own cliches...

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Yes, a Mary Sue/cliche thread might be fun!

Isn't it funny that cliche creatures often seem to be cats?