I don't really understand sorting Cordelia anywhere but Ravenclaw. Think about her backstory - high-achieving misfit geek, manipulated out of her first chance at captaincy by her ex (which does not argue for ambition or ability to scheme on her part), "let's see what happens." She didn't come equipped with those formidable social and political skills, she built them based on her observations throughout her life, which is very Ravenclaw. Her first instinct in any situation isn't to act, it's to analyze. Then she'll act, decisively, if she decides it's best. But she'll always think first. (And during. And after.)
Gregor is also a Ravenclaw, and is more like Cordelia than Miles is, in some ways. The books mention several times how Gregor uses Cordelia's phrases, analyzes her in turn, and has the same kind of unsettlingly thoughtful gaze.
Miles is such a Gryffindor. What he wants most to give everyone in the universe is rescue. Seriously.
Aral... I like the idea above that Aral is a Gryffindor who has been forced to act against his instincts his whole life long, which is the cause of a lot of his pain and self-destructive habits. And Piotr, who is definitely a Slytherin, doesn't understand why his son can't shape up and show some cunning and ambition.
I don't get why a lot of people in fandom want to make everyone they like a Slytherin; that kind of defeats the whole idea of sorting. (Which is not that great an idea to begin with, in HP canon.) Many interesting characters are not particularly ambitious, or are cunning in the service of other priorities!
I don't think many of the main characters in the Vorkosigan saga are Slytherins. Piotr, yes. Ezar, I can see. Mark, definitely yes. (Of the family-protecting Mine Or Not Mine type, who care very intensely about a small list of people.) Maybe Elli's a Slytherin, actually. (Elena's a Gryffindor, and I think her father may have been one too, albeit terribly damaged.) I could buy Lady Alys... she did, after all, marry the best catch of her generation, which is what an ambitious young lady in her position might want. (Padma was the son of a princess, wealthy, handsome, kind, etc. Aral and Serg were higher ranked but, for different reasons, not good prospects.) And then she ended up as the Imperial Hostess and the queen of high society for decades. Not to mention a spy. Yes, I'd say Alys is Slytherin.
I think there are a ton of brave Ravenclaws and thoughtful Gryffindors floating around, partly because Bujold is at her best when she's writing ethical intellectuals. I'm not sure who's a Hufflepuff. Kou and Drou? Ooh, Kareen the younger, definitely. And that's why she balances Mark. Ivan I can't place. I want to say Hufflepuff for loyalty, but hard work? Nah. Maybe Gryffindor. (Which puts Alys in the same position as Piotr, a ruthlessly ambitious parent who doesn't understand why their child doesn't want what they want.)
Okay, stopping there. It is a really interesting exercise, even if I think the Sorting in the HP universe was incredibly toxic. It makes you think about what people's core characteristics are.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-11-06 07:17 am (UTC)I don't really understand sorting Cordelia anywhere but Ravenclaw. Think about her backstory - high-achieving misfit geek, manipulated out of her first chance at captaincy by her ex (which does not argue for ambition or ability to scheme on her part), "let's see what happens." She didn't come equipped with those formidable social and political skills, she built them based on her observations throughout her life, which is very Ravenclaw. Her first instinct in any situation isn't to act, it's to analyze. Then she'll act, decisively, if she decides it's best. But she'll always think first. (And during. And after.)
Gregor is also a Ravenclaw, and is more like Cordelia than Miles is, in some ways. The books mention several times how Gregor uses Cordelia's phrases, analyzes her in turn, and has the same kind of unsettlingly thoughtful gaze.
Miles is such a Gryffindor. What he wants most to give everyone in the universe is rescue. Seriously.
Aral... I like the idea above that Aral is a Gryffindor who has been forced to act against his instincts his whole life long, which is the cause of a lot of his pain and self-destructive habits. And Piotr, who is definitely a Slytherin, doesn't understand why his son can't shape up and show some cunning and ambition.
I don't get why a lot of people in fandom want to make everyone they like a Slytherin; that kind of defeats the whole idea of sorting. (Which is not that great an idea to begin with, in HP canon.) Many interesting characters are not particularly ambitious, or are cunning in the service of other priorities!
I don't think many of the main characters in the Vorkosigan saga are Slytherins. Piotr, yes. Ezar, I can see. Mark, definitely yes. (Of the family-protecting Mine Or Not Mine type, who care very intensely about a small list of people.) Maybe Elli's a Slytherin, actually. (Elena's a Gryffindor, and I think her father may have been one too, albeit terribly damaged.) I could buy Lady Alys... she did, after all, marry the best catch of her generation, which is what an ambitious young lady in her position might want. (Padma was the son of a princess, wealthy, handsome, kind, etc. Aral and Serg were higher ranked but, for different reasons, not good prospects.) And then she ended up as the Imperial Hostess and the queen of high society for decades. Not to mention a spy. Yes, I'd say Alys is Slytherin.
I think there are a ton of brave Ravenclaws and thoughtful Gryffindors floating around, partly because Bujold is at her best when she's writing ethical intellectuals. I'm not sure who's a Hufflepuff. Kou and Drou? Ooh, Kareen the younger, definitely. And that's why she balances Mark. Ivan I can't place. I want to say Hufflepuff for loyalty, but hard work? Nah. Maybe Gryffindor. (Which puts Alys in the same position as Piotr, a ruthlessly ambitious parent who doesn't understand why their child doesn't want what they want.)
Okay, stopping there. It is a really interesting exercise, even if I think the Sorting in the HP universe was incredibly toxic. It makes you think about what people's core characteristics are.