(no subject)

[sythyry]

What We Have Here is a Failure to Escape[8 Thory 4262]

I can't really report on the rest of the traff meeting. Part of that is because the Rassimel (and the Sleeth) got to neeping about some rather intimate details of Cani anatomy in ways which (1) are actually entirely reasonable for a Traff Student Association, but (2) I wasn't really able to participate in or even appreciate without wanting to hide under a table. If you want to know more, you can find a book of anatomy or pornography, as appropriate.

That took a few minutes. Then they got distracted by discussing spices. (The segue: "I made Anoof flavor himself with ginger syrup, but it started stinging so we had to stop!" (I don't think that's my housemate Anoof.) --- "Oh, was that Vortney's syrup?" --- "No, homemade ginger syrup, with some very nice Ulmarnian ginger.") And then they discussed spices for most of an hour. That wasn't so bad, nobody was very embarrassed and lots of people had things to say. Not very traff, but not very uncomforting, either.

But that doesn't need to be in my journal either. If you want to know more, you can find a book of cooking or horticulture, as appropriate.

And after that, the brandy and cookies were gone, and the people started to drift out. Except for Rhedwy, who more prowled out as soon as Jrakh excused herself. I don't think that Jrakh got away.

I didn't get away either.

Mynthë lurked around the edge of the room as people were leaving, and helped me sweep up the cookie crumbs. Zie looked rather nervous, so I asked zir if zie was all right, or if the meeting had been uncomfortable or some such.

Zie said something along the lines of, "No ... A little, but it's OK ... it's not exactly ... I mean, it is, but not really ... I mean ... would you like to go to Cafe du Fronde?

Well, why not? Even if zie is a very jumpy Herethroy instead of a very slinky Orren. I'm traff, I'm supposed to like this.

Comments

[zhaleskra.livejournal.com]

It's just dinner, it's not like you're guaranteed to play with zir physically. Who knows, you may find that you like bugs, or at the very least get something yummy to eat. Scale and chitin might be easier than scale and fur if you do get intimate.

Why not experiment? I know of no "law" that transaffectionate people have to like all other Prime species, but no harm in giving it a chance, right?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I'm not done writing up today!

I dunno how you use the word, but here "transaffectionate" really means "capable of love with all other prime species but not zir own."

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

You need some more words to describe these things. With the proper linguistic roots, what would some terms that apply more of the possible varieties be like?

For example, some might like a single particular prime species, or one other and their own, or only two prime species that are not their own, or only a specific gender of a particular prime species, etc. Heck, how about "attraction to all sentients based on personality aspects, with the caveat that they have to be not specifically designed to be a problem for primes, like most of the non-prime sentients in this area are." The attraction of sentients to other sentients is a VERY broad concept!

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

That sounds unnecessarily complicated. Cisaffectionate, transaffectionate, and libertine pretty much cover it, I believe.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[Sythyry is wrong. -bb]

[zhaleskra.livejournal.com]

So then it's a cultural thing or my translator mistranslated?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Sounds likely.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well, presumably you end up picking one specific person to stay with, or at least to stay with at a time, so the difference seems fairly academic.

Then again, it is a *student* organization.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I don't see why just one person. That's kind of a Rassimel thing, I guess, or maybe a Gormoror one too.

And I'd need to pick some very specific wizards, or be an extraordinarily specific and generous wizard myself, to keep them indefinitely.

No, that's too optimistic. I shouldn't really plan on surviving 'til next year, should I?

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well, I knew orren and cani sometimes did mass marriages, but I thought the typical number for zi-ri was 'one or zero'. And for traff engagements, one, since all the pairings you've been mentioning are, well, pairings.

One of each, then? That seems a bit optimistic... or pessimistic, depending on whether you ever find a tolerable khytsoyis or sleeth.

And you should always plan on surviving. Or if possible, bet on it.

[brynndragon.livejournal.com]

Huh. Is there a different word for primes who like a specific species of prime other than their own, but not all prime species other than their own? Or does that just not occur?

[calamitous-cani.livejournal.com]

I would think that you should focus on 'plan how to survive until next year'...
You should perhaps set some sort of pattern. One mate each year, to be shipped away to live in comfort in the far reaches of Craitheia on the first dawn of Surprise, following a week long shared time and meetings with the newest member of your sequential harem to discuss and practice technique, tastes, and the like, perhaps. Or some other equally absurd thing of the sort, I do not claim to be an expert in Zi Ri habits, though I am taken to understand by vague stories and anecdotes that such rigorously yet curiously scheduled matters are common.

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

How about things like...

orrenaffectionate
or caniaffectionate
or caniorrenrassimelaffectionate?

be more specific in what one likes and is attracted to?

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

Like I said above, I would just choose to say "caniaffectionate" or "ziriaffectionate" for the specific prime species, and start adding the names of the prime species before "affectionate" if it goes above one.

[brynndragon.livejournal.com]

Man, I'm glad there's not enough known sentient species around here to create such a lingual mess - we have enough problems just describing attraction to genders. . . hell, we sometimes have problems describing our genders too.

[tracerj.livejournal.com]

[In so many ways... *grin* —jt]

[redbird]

Is there a rule, not only that you must be attracted to some members of every Prime species, but that you must be attracted to all members of every Prime species? Maybe a less jumpy Herethroy would be more appealing.

As you may recall, there are few sentient species on our world (there is, in fact, disagreement among my species about whether any other species on our world qualifies), but we often classify people by what genders they are attracted to. Someone who is identified as "heterosexual," meaning they like only people not of their gender, rarely if ever is attracted to everyone not of their gender--they may be looking for sleekness, or a tendency to mad dashes, or conversely for someone serene and settled. Some even discriminate based on fur color (!).

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well Mynthe *is* blue...

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Well, not every member of every species, I hope! An attraction to Agrimony would be most awkward. Mynthe ... well, let me finish telling about today, in order.

I don't imagine I would have much luck finding lovers on your world then! I hope Vae doesn't plop me there.

No, that only makes sense if she turned me into one, doesn't it?

Picking by fur color makes sense. Especially if you want to match as you stroll down the street, or something. Actually the mad dashes works better for me, personally. And certainly lots of primes prefer the other gender(s). They fit together nicely, or so I hear. There are all sorts of reasons. Some people even prefer poets, here.

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

That seems oddly limiting. Surely there are those who only like members of certain other species? (Or perhaps some monsters?)

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

[. . . I need to stop opening these windows at the start of the day and filling them in at the end]

[rowyn]

Bwahahahahaha!

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

They're presumably traff but haven't figured the details out yet.

(I haven't, 'specially about Khtsoyis, but I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.)

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

Some people even prefer poets, here.

Oh, the horror! ;-)

[calamitous-cani.livejournal.com]

You should practice the language here more in case you ever decide to visit! There are not so many Zi Ri your age that you should discount the possibility, i'm sure.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Zie's got a perfectly good Sleeth all of zir very own. I daresay that should hold zir 'til zie's old enough that age doesn't matter very much.

[calamitous-cani.livejournal.com]

Hmph. An -adventurer- Sleeth. With a life expectancy currently expected to be close to your own 'expected' lifespan as a result!