Raksura Question
This is a Raksura question and bit of discussion on consort sexual politics over on tumblr
notahyper-specific asked:
It hadn't occurred to me until I read your last post, but now I have a question about queens and consorts. Consorts are almost as physically powerful as queens, but their role in the court is almost completely passive. Is that an attitude queens deliberately encourage to keep their consorts "docile", a consequence of how important they are to the survival of the court, or a combination of the two?
marthawells answered:
Originally, it was probably mostly the second reason, that they are important to the court’s survival, with a bit of the first mixed in. It’s definitely a cultural construct, but also figures into the way Raksura manage their bloodlines. Queens wouldn’t want other courts to steal consorts and get access to their court’s royal bloodline without permission. Consorts are also a status symbol. Allowing the consort out to fight for the court, or to do anything that a queen or a warrior would normally do, would also lessen the court’s status, since if you have to resort to using your consorts that way, your court must be up shit creek. Having consorts who don’t have to do anything except make and raise babies is a sign that the court is rich, well-defended, and comfortable.
Though for small courts like Indigo Cloud that tried to establish colonies outside the Reaches, there probably were quite a few consorts that ended up fighting for the court or going on more exploring and trading visits than would have been seen as acceptable in the Reaches. (I think Jade tells Moon at one point that consorts have fought for Indigo Cloud in the past. (Though Indigo Cloud had pretty much been living on shit creek for most of Jade’s life.) They have the ideal of how consorts are supposed to be passive and protected, but don’t always have the resources to live up to it.
1houreveryday said
I think my favorite thing about the Raksura books is Moon coming into this and being like “you may be physically stronger than me and faster than me and look down on me for not fitting you ideals but I’ve been kicking ass for a long time and I’m not gonna just stop now, obviously”.
notahyper-specific said
One of the things I =love= in the Raksura books is Indigo Cloud interacting with courts that are used to consorts who won’t even go to the bathroom unless they check with their queens first, and then they end up having to deal with Moon and Stone taking the Look at all the Fucks I Don’t Give revue on tour.
notahyper-specific asked:
It hadn't occurred to me until I read your last post, but now I have a question about queens and consorts. Consorts are almost as physically powerful as queens, but their role in the court is almost completely passive. Is that an attitude queens deliberately encourage to keep their consorts "docile", a consequence of how important they are to the survival of the court, or a combination of the two?
marthawells answered:
Originally, it was probably mostly the second reason, that they are important to the court’s survival, with a bit of the first mixed in. It’s definitely a cultural construct, but also figures into the way Raksura manage their bloodlines. Queens wouldn’t want other courts to steal consorts and get access to their court’s royal bloodline without permission. Consorts are also a status symbol. Allowing the consort out to fight for the court, or to do anything that a queen or a warrior would normally do, would also lessen the court’s status, since if you have to resort to using your consorts that way, your court must be up shit creek. Having consorts who don’t have to do anything except make and raise babies is a sign that the court is rich, well-defended, and comfortable.
Though for small courts like Indigo Cloud that tried to establish colonies outside the Reaches, there probably were quite a few consorts that ended up fighting for the court or going on more exploring and trading visits than would have been seen as acceptable in the Reaches. (I think Jade tells Moon at one point that consorts have fought for Indigo Cloud in the past. (Though Indigo Cloud had pretty much been living on shit creek for most of Jade’s life.) They have the ideal of how consorts are supposed to be passive and protected, but don’t always have the resources to live up to it.
1houreveryday said
I think my favorite thing about the Raksura books is Moon coming into this and being like “you may be physically stronger than me and faster than me and look down on me for not fitting you ideals but I’ve been kicking ass for a long time and I’m not gonna just stop now, obviously”.
notahyper-specific said
One of the things I =love= in the Raksura books is Indigo Cloud interacting with courts that are used to consorts who won’t even go to the bathroom unless they check with their queens first, and then they end up having to deal with Moon and Stone taking the Look at all the Fucks I Don’t Give revue on tour.
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