Asim does seem un-shippable. He's taken the Lucy's traditional role as the spiritualist who sets aside romantic relationships. Except that most writers do this with Lucy in a way that keeps her childish, as opposed to Asim's informed choices about his life (IIRC, there was some comment indicating that he had some experience with women even if it had been a long time since he sought such companionship). Yes, yes, and yes, but no. I just had to look up IIRC. There are readers who have lobbied for Asim to be involved with 1)Peter 2)Agnes 3) Ruby 4)Dark chocolate. I stuck in a few lines in the AW chapters addressing dark chocolate (last piece was in Lyon in 1940 and Richard tells him bluntly that the day Asim has a wife is the day he may criticize Richard regarding Mary. Though I've not written about it, the traditional Muslim separation of men and women makes his wandering with Mary EXTREMELY unlikely, which I get around with a magical paw wave by saying that he thinks God told him to do so, so he does. In a couple of instances (TQSiT, Moles in the Garden, Part 1 most notably), there's actually a subtext going on there regarding Polly and Mary (which Kwong Lee is actively aiding and abetting with the bedroom machinations and the bottle of vodka) and it goes right over Asim's head. He's WAY clueless regarding women or men and intimate relationships -- he's given over to war, God is his passion, and there's no room for anything else.
Re: All aboard the Susan/Director ship
Yes, yes, and yes, but no. I just had to look up IIRC. There are readers who have lobbied for Asim to be involved with 1)Peter 2)Agnes 3) Ruby 4)Dark chocolate. I stuck in a few lines in the AW chapters addressing dark chocolate (last piece was in Lyon in 1940 and Richard tells him bluntly that the day Asim has a wife is the day he may criticize Richard regarding Mary. Though I've not written about it, the traditional Muslim separation of men and women makes his wandering with Mary EXTREMELY unlikely, which I get around with a magical paw wave by saying that he thinks God told him to do so, so he does. In a couple of instances (TQSiT, Moles in the Garden, Part 1 most notably), there's actually a subtext going on there regarding Polly and Mary (which Kwong Lee is actively aiding and abetting with the bedroom machinations and the bottle of vodka) and it goes right over Asim's head. He's WAY clueless regarding women or men and intimate relationships -- he's given over to war, God is his passion, and there's no room for anything else.