Why I Love Lymond

[rusty_halo]

http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2885

I got drujan to read the Lymond books. She likes them, but hates Lymond, and accused me of “only liking him because he’s hot.” I honestly cannot fathom how anyone could hate Lymond, but anyway, she got me thinking about the myriad reasons that I love him.

Here’s a list of things that I either like or relate to in Lymond. (They’re kind of mixed up because he has a lot of traits that I don’t exactly consider “likable,” but that I connect with and that make the character more meaningful to me.)

1. He's an outsider, beginning with his place in his own family. He's artistic, literary, musical--everything his brutal father despises. Oh, man, can I relate to being the only arty one in the family (with only a mom who understands, but can't change the atmosphere of dismissal and disgust).

2. He has to make his own way in the world. He's the second son--his brother has a place carved out for him from birth, but Lymond himself has no place. He has to figure out everything for himself--who he wants to be, what he wants to do, where he wants to go. He creates himself.

3. His intelligence sets him apart. He has a wider vision than most people around him--he sees the big picture, the whole world in the mid-1500s, the risks and possibilities for the long-term future--when most people are caught up in the minor details of families or clans or squabbles for personal power. But this doesn't mean Lymond breezes through life as a genius--it means immense frustration as he tries to get human beings to think bigger and do what's right in the long term. It also means immense suffering for himself as he consistently makes choices that are for the greater good, but that hurt him personally very much.

4. He feels an obligation to use his gifts to make the world a better place. This is the difference between Lymond and Gabriel--they're equally brilliant, but Gabriel believes his brilliance makes him superior and entitles him to use the rest of the world for his own pleasure and power. Lymond believes his own brilliance obligates him to do what he can to protect the rest of the world from people like Gabriel.

5. He feels so deeply. This is the criticism I just don't get--drujan thinks he's soulless and inhuman. That I can't understand. Yes, Lymond is surrounded by POV characters who think he's heartless, but every time we get a glimpse of Lymond's actual thoughts, we see that he cares profoundly. This is precisely why those around him think he's inhuman--his emotions are so strong that in order to function in the world, he has to wall them in and do everything in his power to keep them hidden, even from himself.

6. His psychology fascinates me. I've read people (er, not drujan, obviously) complaining that Lymond is "too perfect," to which I can only respond--have you seen inside this guy's head? For every brilliant and heroic act, he's got a neurosis to counter it. The guy is a mess.

It makes sense--he's a disillusioned idealist, the character archetype that I'm always drawn to. This brilliant, beautiful boy who believed he could change the world for the better, who's been smacked down again and again. Hated by his father, betrayed by his first lover, outlawed by his country, imprisoned, tortured, and forced to watch people he loves die, over and over, because of him. It's no wonder he builds walls to hide his emotions, pushes people away, veers from out-of-control debauchery to ice-cold self-containment, is debilitated by blinding headaches, and tries to kill himself on a regular basis.

7. Yes, he spends a lot of time miserable, but he also has an immense sense of fun, adventure, humor, joie de vivre. He seizes life and experiences it fully, and he's got this bright, hilarious, joyful side that shines through no matter how hard he tries to bury it. His sense of humor and ability with words makes his conversation a pleasure to read, particularly with characters whose wit matches his own.

8. He's an artist. Deep down inside, Lymond doesn't want power, he doesn't want money, he doesn't want fame. He wants music and good books and interesting conversation. That's my kind of hero.

9. Oh yeah, and he's really hot. :P

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