Those Who Take Tofyofs [15 Nivvem 4385]

[sythyry]

Mirrored from Sythyry.

Phaniet

Phaniet will take both Este and Mellilot as tofyofs. It is hardly surprising that she is taking Este as a tofyof. The two of them have wanted to have a more formal and legal marriage for years. This is the closest version that they have come up with. Since Phaniet is distinctly higher-status than Este, it even fits the official scheme of tofitude.

It is surprising that Phaniet is taking Mellilot as well. The rest of us had been under the impressions that (a) Phaniet and Este were amusing themselves with Mellilot more or less equally, and (b) it was simply a matter of amusement, nothing more. (a) may still be true — while it is, technically, illegal for Este and Mellilot to indulge themselves carnally with each other (or rather, it will be after the tofitude), I suspect that the enforcement of such laws is rather scanty. I suspect, in fact, that the authorities will not learn about violations of the law, unless someone considers themselves to be forced into it.

(b) certainly surprised us. By “us” I mean Arfaen, who was Mellilot’s girlfriend for years, and, me, who is Phaniet’s boss and frequent co-conspirator. I was not involved in this conspiracy! I am not, ultimately, all that worried about the details. Arfaen is quite distraught, and I have spent two natural and twenty-eight constructed hours in the last few days trying to reconcile her to her fate — Arfaen to Mellilot’s fate, of course. Mellilot is already reconciled. Mellilot, in fact, seems eager.

Yerenthax and Jyondre

Yerenthax will take Jyondre as a tofyof.

In some ways, this is not nearly as surprising. The two of them are thoroughly devoted to each other.

In other ways, the details are quite surprising. Since this was a domestic dispute, they settled it in the traditional heterosexual way. (That’s heterosexual Gormoror way.)

Part 1: Neither one of them really wants to be the tofyof of the other. Both of them volunteered, because such is the depth and perfection of their love that they were both willing to.

Part 2: They agreed that the proper way to resolve the issue of who was to be whose tofyof was to fight a duel with natural weapons in the great and traditional Gormoror tradition of greatness.

Part 3: They had a huge argument about whether knives were suitable dueling weapons, or whether the only proper duel was claws and teeth. Jyondre, as befits the Gormoror man which he is not, argued that claws and teeth were the only dignified weapon for domestic disputes. Yerenthax, whose grasp of tactics and battle-wisdom is far greater than Jyondre’s, noted that Jyondre’s claws and teeth were relatively tiny things, even compared to hers, and both should use knives. Jyondre, in the great Gormoror tradition, lovingly broke a stoneware plate over Yerenthax’s head. So they agreed that it would be claws and teeth.

Part 4: Jyondre snuck into my bedroom and stole a Cloak of Another God cloak. At the actual duel, Jyondre was a brown and brawny Gormoror boy — even calling himself Jyonderex. Yerenthax was giggling so hard that Jyonderex nearly took off her ear in a mighty smash.

Then, of course, she demolished him with brutal skills and vicious clawsomeness, and became the keeper-to-be.

*-Eyes and Dorze

And now, finally, we have official confirmation that Dorze and Temple-Eyes are involved! Temple-Eyes is taking Dorze as a tofyof. This is, as far as I understand, the utterly traditional and correct use of the institution: a same-species married person picking up a bit on the side in a legal way.

Except of course Lithia, Temple-Eyes’s wife, is not really an Orren; she’s a shifter hybrid. And, from all I hear (which is very little), she’s involved with Dorze as well.

If anyone gives them any difficulty, I shall respond with undue and surprising violence.

Arkathia and Frippin

On the whole our students are not particularly taking advantages of the tofyof concept. They are mostly arranged in convenient groupings already. Or, if they are like students when I was that age, they are arranged in groupings they consider convenient today, but will mostly change them around within a few months.

Still, Arkathia is taking Frippin as a tofyof. I do not particularly know them, and they are the same species, but I will congratulate them and generally wish them well at the big tofyoffing party we’re going to have.

Molazasrie and Arkathia

And, in our Important Task of the Infliction of Perversion upon the Innocent Students of Barency, Molazasrie (Rassimel) is going to take Arkathia (Orren) as a tofyof.

Inconnu: “I have converted Molazasrie! I have introduced her to the utter delight that is an eager Orren lover, and she must have one all of her own!”

Prince Rastomil: “While I would not dispute the delights of your brown-furred squirmy embraces, I fear that I must dispute the conversion. Molazasrie was, after all, sent out from Tauvane in disgrace. A topic that we have discussed at great length.”

Hrone: “If my nose does not deceive me, the “great length” you have discussed it at was probably about six inches or so, and you didn’t wash off afterwards.”

Prince Rastomil: “Well, the “great length” started off at about fifteen inches — vertical — of vodka in the bottle. That diminished to zero, and, somehow, further events occurred that might not decrease anyone’s disgrace.”

Inconnu: “Oh, you princer, you! You needed to get her drunk to get her in bed. Not so the Orren! She was more than happy to revel with me, quite sober.”

Hrone: “Inconnu, I do wish you wouldn’t be so careless spouting your stories around. Molazasrie might be in trouble already, but I know for a fact two of your other lovers need to keep your games very secret.”

Inconnu: “I am the very serpent of discretion where it counts!”

Not Hops and Tingula

Hops will not take Tingula as a tofyof, nor vice-versa.

Hops: “I love Tingula. I am not taking her as a concubine or play-toy-girl. Taking her as a tofyof is just reinforcing the popular stereotype that traff-folk are really in it for the kinky sex. Well, I’m in it for love, real solid permanent love, and if I don’t get to marry her in a way that says that, it’s just wrong. I don’t want a teaspoon of it’s-not-right-but-it’s-what-you-get. I want to do it right!”

Phaniet: “I want what I can get. This is more than anywhere else. And I had to work a bit to even get what I wanted — unmarried Cani confuse the system beyond measure.”

Hops: “You are simply kow-towing to a corrupt system devoted to crushing you under its heel. Why the grash-hog you and Sythyry don’t go start a new city-state on a nice clean branch, I do not know.”

Phaniet: “Can you imagine what a city-state that Sythyry set up would be like? Zie’s good at some things, but zie’d run the government like zie runs this ship.”

Me: “Hypothetically, I wouldn’t have to run the goverment.”

Phaniet: “And the city would be a total doom magnet.”

Me: “Oh. Right.”

Comments

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

Wait, hold on...

"So they agreed that it would be claws and teeth. [...] Then, of course, she demolished him with brutal skills and vicious knife-work"

Doesn't that mean Yerenthax went against the agreed-upon rules of their own trial-by-combat?

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

Addendum: I imagine that Yerenthax could have won quite handily with only claws and brawling skill anyway, so it's not like she'd have needed to include a knife.

I'm aware that knives vs claws and teeth only is a constant Gormoror source of argument, one's position largely being determined by the fierceness of one's teeth, but I don't think most such bouts come to formal agreement to use one style or the other.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[Ack! I shouldn't do final edits when I'm mostly asleep. I changed that at the last minute, without much awakeness. I now change it back. -bb]

[mmsword.livejournal.com]

But think of all the lozen you'd save on enchanting the city walls yourself!

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

It'd be wonderful for the next city over. All the doom in the area would come to us.

[kensaro.livejournal.com]

You could probably charge them for that. :)

[sianmink.livejournal.com]

Isn't that technically Racketeering?

[zeeth_kyrah]

On the other tooth, if you've proven that their protection really is dependent upon their neighboring city holding back the swarms...

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

Will everyones home cities recognize the foreign domestic relation status,and enforce the terms in their own courts?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Of course not. Considering that Barency (and Vheshrame) have no clue what a tofyof is in the first place, one can hardly expect them to enforce it. We will take what we can get.

[rowyn]

Is Arkathia both taking a tofyof and becoming a tofyof? I thought keepers couldn't be tofyofs?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

This could be interesting...

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

I wonder what would happen if the tofyof-tude would become symmetric... (Arrgiwassle becomes tofyof to Arrgisawwle, and Arrgisawwle becomes tofyof to Arrgiwassle.)

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Phaniet: “And the city would be a total doom magnet.”

People would come from all over to watch the fireworks!

[foomf.livejournal.com]

Innocent/stupid bystanders are part of the Doom.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

“Can you imagine what a city-state that Sythyry set up would be like? Zie’s good at some things, but zie’d run the government like zie runs this ship.”

There are few things so valuable as an astute and honest adviser.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

The Strayway almost *is* a city state. It's as big as one anyway, and you're going to add a city wall. All you'd need to do is crash somewhere.

[sianmink.livejournal.com]

It would be like Megaton, only with more doom and better facilities.

[rowyn]

I don't think a city-state has to have a fixed location. They need more people, though. I'm pretty sure it's only village-sized now.

OTOH, they are getting more people all the time, so maybe in another twenty or forty years ....

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

They could be the next Birknazza, only for traff instead of mentador?

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

Birknazza isn't only about the Mentador. Birknazza produces many potent magics and warriors, and I wouldn't be surprised if it deals in secrets and knowledge, too. And so on. Things which need not have anything to do with Mentador beyond the people involved having minds.

The catch, of course, is that those living there have essentially no free will, so dealing with Birknazza is like dealing with the biggest slave-trader of all time. One whom you can never be sure doesn't include you among his tools thereafter... their rates appear good and reasonable, but they generally advance Birkozon's agenda, and that is something anyone should be wary of.

Still. Dealing with Birknazza doesn't need to mean anything to do with Mentador magic, on either side. Nor does living there.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

that is something anyone should be wary of

Personally, I think it's the people who aren't obviously acting in their own interest that you have to be wary of.

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

The means in which Birkozon's agenda is advanced by whatever he asks for need not be obvious. It's still worth bearing in mind that any price paid will probably be advancing Birkozon's power.

On the other hand, worrying about how he stands to gain from what he asks could make you play right into his plans. Birkozon is probably quite good at doublethink.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Eh. I doubt Birkozon exercises total control over all Birknazzans at all times -- they probably effectively have free will in most things, just not, you know, the important ones from the god's point of view. But that's kind of beside the point.

Birknazza is a place where mentador use is common. It's where you'd go if you wanted to get away from the general hatred of mentador on the rest of the tree.

Not everything that happens on the Strayway or in Castle Wrong is traff, but it's where people go who want to get away from persecution because they're traff.

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

Birknazza is a place where mentador use is common.

Do you have a source for this? Because aside from possibly Birkozon himself, the sourcebook doesn't suggest it that I can see.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Um... what? It's the city of the Mentador god set aside for running a society using Mentador, and you don't think they use Mentador there?

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

It's the city the Mentador god set aside as his personal dominion. Nothing more, nothing less.

[rowyn]

"Like Birknazza, only for traff people" is a good way for Sythyry to describe the Strayaway if zie decides it's gotten too popular.