YAY for the deconstructionist wading pool! You do plan to go to grad school in English, yes? ;)

I kinda feel like John's inessentiality is fairly central to the fic, actually: he's on the periphery of the plot, and he's not, as a younger son, directly involved in this big dynastic struggle and all the attendant daddy issues it generates. Like, in the bit you pointed to, he's all "ZOMG NOTICE ME PLEEEEEASE" but of course he can't articulate it.