(no subject)

[sythyry]

[6 Lage 4261]

Dustweed accepted zir apology. Not very graciously, really: I was subjected to a two-thirds-of-an-hour whiny lecture about:

1. Zie's plenty unhappy at being excluded from interpersonal relationships within zir own species;
2. Zie is, in effect, very hungry and buying muffins at the bakery that zie's near.
3. Zie does not like having a libertine (and, specifically, unfaithful (and, more specifically, incapable of faithfulness (or, more precisely, theoretically capable of it but absolutely refusing to do it))) lover.
4. Zie doesn't like being stuck with a transaffectionate relationship as zir only option.
5. Zie recognizes that I, too, am stuck with transaffectionate relationships as my only option, and is rather distressed that I seem to be enjoying it -- and -- what is probably worse -- starting to glory in it.

I knew all of those but the last. I hope that I am enjoying having a lover! I'm not sure about glorying in it, though. Am I bragging too much to my friends? Impossible to tell, I guess. I should get some of them drunk and see what they tell me.

But that's not what I meant to complain about. I meant to complain about the Battle of Pelcour. This is not particularly current news, since the Battle of Pelcour was part of the Holocaust Wars, not quite two thousand years ago, and everyone but one who participated in it is now dead.

(Aside: It was an amazingly stupid battle, from beginning to end. The Outer Hrreptites snuck up on Pelcour, a city rather inward of their usual territory, and planted some exceedingly dangerous tubers inside the city walls. When most of the mammals in Pelcour were dead, the general of the Inner Hrreptites visited the Outer Hrreptite camp, and they boasted ... and it was revealed that the viceroy of Pelcour had (a) survived the Hrreptite attack, (b) lost his entire family (and his entire capital city) to the Hrreptite attack, and (c) survived the Hrreptite attack because he was off in Calanchia arguing in favor of the Hrreptite cause in front of the Emperor, and very nearly losing his head in the process. Not surprisingly, the viceroy stopped supporting the Hrreptites in short order.)

(Aside, cont: You don't hear much about the Hrreptites these days, do you?)

Anyways, that was the topic last week in Leap into this Pool of Boiling Acid. Which is fine too ...

... except ...

... The one survivor is Yylhauntra, whose grandchild I have the honor to be. By means too complicated to explain (consisting of one of my regular letters), Dzeriaunet became aware of my studies of the Battle of Pelcour, and told zir ~father~ about it ...

... And Yylhauntra has decided to visit me "for a little while".

I am very much not sure of the etiquette of having a 4257-year-old grandparent visit one "for a little while".

While one is in the throes of glorying in one's first lover and newfound transaffectionality.

For the purpose of explaining a very stupid battle taught in Leap into this Pool of Boiling Acid class.

And just how long is "for a little while" for a 4257-year-old Zi Ri, anyways? Longer or shorter than my lifespan to date, say?

Comments

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

Dude! Introduce her to all your charming friends, especially trying to continue to be pregnant ones. Don't mentioning anything, really. Just get them at the same dinner or something.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

I am very much not sure of the etiquette of having a 4257-year-old grandparent visit one "for a little while".

While one is in the throes of glorying in one's first lover and newfound transaffectionality.

I would suggest you ask zir how to be properly traff. Either zie'll tell you, or zie'll be (mildly?) offended and leave early. This what I would call a win-win situation.

[redbird]

I'm wondering what etiquette your illustrious grandparent, and your instructor, will need, when zie comes into the classroom and explain that, as the only surviving veteran of the Battle of Pelcour, zie wants to clarify a few points.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

Oh, and whatever you do, get zir to take you and your friends out for a really good meal. Thta's definitely part of what relatives do for students in any universe.

[brennabat.livejournal.com]

I suppose at worst zie will be quite offended and mention it to your ~mother~, who may also be quite offended to the point of arranging various dooms. On the other hand you may find Yylhauntra is quite the opposite of offended, and zie may impart zie's 42** year old wisdom, complete with 42** year old adventures in transaffection, 42** year old traff customs, 42** years of lovers, and 4257+ means to have fun about it and 42** traff events in the Battle of Pelcour.

Actually, both seem bad to me. I would hope for a boring middle result of mild yet unmotivating offence combined with mild but not motivating interest in your affairs.

[collie13.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! Especially since I doubt you have much laundry when you visit home during break. ;)

[collie13.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think I wouldn't worry at all, were I you, regarding traffiness. Didn't you say both that most of the mammals died, and the viceroy's entire family died, in Pelcour? Doesn't that mean the viceroy included mammals in what zie defined as family? And aren't Zi Ri definitely not mammals?

Ask for traffy tips! ;)

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

I suspect after 4257 years, there's very little that would shock Yylhauntra. I imagine the response might go something like this:

"Kid, after a few hundred years of the Everlasting Siege, interestingly shaped branches started looking good. Nothing wrong with an Orren or two. Got to admit they are kind of cute. Definitely bouncy, heh heh heh."

[redbird]

I think the viceroy was a mammal, and survived by not being there.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

I wonder whether there is a xrossi pride festival in your city...

[collie13.livejournal.com]

It is a little confusing, in the journal. I took the following:

When most of the mammals in Pelcour were dead, ... and it was revealed that the viceroy of Pelcour had (a) survived ..., (b) lost his entire family..., and (c) survived the Hrreptite attack because he was off in Calanchia...

and also this:

... except ... The one survivor is Yylhauntra, whose grandchild I have the honor to be.

and then assumed that "one survivor" and "viceroy of Pelcour had survived" referred to the same person.

Hmm... reading again, the viceroy is referred to as a male (i.e. "his family"), and that's not a typo Sythyry usually makes about zie's species -- which could be a good clue the viceroy was indeed a mammal, and by "one survivor" Sythyry means only "the sole person who is still alive today." Sythyry, could you clarify, please?

Wouldn't it be funny if Sythyry didn't know either, and spent several discussions with zie's grandparent, delicately trying to get zir to clarify who was where in Pelcour, in order to know if a request for more information on being xossie were appropriate or no? ;)

[redbird]

It's also possible that Sythyry's ancestor was on the other side in that battle.

[collie13.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I'm not sure how we'd get that from the journal. However, it's possible Sythyry zirself doesn't know that, in which case of course zie wouldn't be able to note that in the journal. Interesting thought, though -- to have a very famous ancestor on the "stupid" side (to use Sythyry's words) of an historic battle. ;)

[collie13.livejournal.com]

LOL! ;)

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Lots of people survived the battle. Many of those survived the rest of the Holocaust Wars. Many of those survived the next century. A few of those survived the century after that, I suppose. Beyond that, it's pretty much only Zi Ri and wizards, and the City Wizard of Pelcour died ... I'm not sure when.

[collie13.livejournal.com]

Aha, clarification. All right, from this I'm going to deduce the following:

1) redbird is correct: the viceroy was a mammal, and was not Yylhauntra;

2) By "The one survivor is Yylhauntra" Sythyry meant the last remaining survivor of the battle who is also still living today; and

3) Sythyry either doesn't know, or doesn't wish to say, what side of the conflict Yylhauntra was on! ;)

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Now that is a clever idea. Zie's not the powerful one though.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Um, no.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the purpose is 'doting on zir grandchild' more than explaining the very stupid battle...

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

They're a how old feathery person. They might now be the right kind of powerful, but they ARE powerful.