sythyry | (no subject)

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Revelations to Yylhauntra [11 Lage 4261]

Yylhauntra:"So, tell me about your child of a count of Daukrhame."

Me:"He's a ..."

Yylhauntra:"He?"

Me:"He."

[Translation note: Sythyry used the Orren-specific gender-ambivalent pronoun, but, since Zi Ri are never male, "he" would have done as well. -bb]

Yylhauntra:"That's what everyone was hinting at?"

Me:"Yes, it is. He's the sixth ..."

Yylhauntra:"You do know the traditional penalty for loving an Orren, don't you?"

Me:"Um ... "

And zie gave me quite a long lecture on it. It's obvious. Orren are flickery-minded, flickery-hearted, quick-living, quick-changing mammals. We are fairly slow-changing lizards: not as tightly focussed as a Rassimel, but fairly invariable. It's not really a good hope for good long-term stability. Indeed, it is begging for heartbreak.

Me:"Well, isn't that like just about every other relationship involving at least one mortal? Or even only Zi Ri, but Zi Ri who might change their opinions or tastes over time?"

Yylhauntra:"I have two stable relationships. Or, at least, they've been stable so far. Verehinga and I spend every twelfth year together. Myrihaaveinen and I spend a month together every three years, arranged never to fall during Verehinga's years."

Me:"So you're alone most of the time?"

Yylhauntra:"Not alone, certainly, but celibate. More or less. I have the occasional other liaison with another Zi Ri."

Me:"And you've had no other lovers?"

Yylhauntra:"Hardly no others! Dozens, at least."

Me:"So ... all but two of your other lovers have brought you heartbreak?"

Yylhauntra:"Not quite that bad! Quite often we agree to a certain amount of physical intimacy, and that is that."

Me:"But most do, even Zi Ri?"

Yylhauntra:"Well, yes"

Me:"So it's not that much different than with Orren?"

Yylhauntra:"Your puny logic may twist my poor neck in knots, but the truth of my words remains true, and, even, truly true!"

Me:"I was afraid of that."

Yylhauntra:"For which many apologies. Now tell me about your Orrenfriend?"

So I did. Zie didn't laugh too much.

* * *

Zie had taught me well.

Me:"O my honored grandparent, you have asked me deep questions about myself. But now you must pay the price. I shall ask you deep questions about yourself!"

Zie laughed for a good two-thirds of a minute at that.

Me:"What would you advise me to do about Ilottat?"

Yylhauntra:"Well, I think you're pretty much stuck with him for now. After he departs and leaves you all covered in misery, perhaps make some better plans for your next lover."

Me:"Have you ever been interested in any non-Zi Ri?"

Yylhauntra:"Not voluntarily."

Me:"Not ... voluntarily? What do you mean?"

Yylhauntra:"Do you really want to know?"

Me:"... I'm not sure ... "

Yylhauntra:"Then you probably don't want to know the details. Ask me later if you like. I have a very good reason for my opinion of nendrai, though."

A complexity-40 Mutoc Mentador spell could turn your native language into lust for the nendrai. Another one could turn your anger at being controlled into lust for the nendrai. For two thoroughly disgusting examples.

[OOC: sorry this is taking so long to write. Reality is kicking my ass extensively and thoroughly. -bb]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Heh... you're being nice to your relative. If zie's going to lecture you so about non-Zi Ri, why not call zir bluff, and ask zir to show you some tips for finding/keeping/snuggling with Zi Ri? ;)

Unfortunately, the answer of "Live in a city that has more than one other Zi Ri, and that one a rather haughty and distinctly half-siblingly Hezimikainnen" is a bit too obvious.

Heh. You're very innocently sweet; it's part of your charm, I suspect.

(Yes, Bard, I'm stopping Right Here. ;)

Nothin' wrong with kissin' half-siblings! . . . or is there? Does the World Tree have a view on that? Is it founded on medical realities or not?

Well, for most people it's discouraged. For us ... well ... I don't really know. We're not on kissing terms, to be sure!

Well, that does sort of answer my question about nendrai and their "getting stuff from primes" type. Would that be considered doorwaying? It seems like even the hint that you might possibly consider a monster attractive is punishable by just-in-case death. I suppose it would depend if other primes could determine if the attraction was inflicted or natural.

Bizarre magical crimes would make a disturbing and entertaining sort of book.

Doorwaying is the act of letting a monster into a city. I doubt that Yylhauntra is a doorwayer. Even so, I daresay that zie'd be executed once or twice for doing it under magical coercion, but then set free. Most heavy Mentador spells would leave obvious traces, though I do not know the details of this one.

I think there's a class in magical crimes next term.

For two thoroughly disgusting examples.

Yes. That's completely... um.... disgusting. It's... (mmmm.) a horrible, vile... delicious... idea.

*squirm*

absolutey disgusting.

I wonder if there's a World Tree subculture of Mentador, uh, afficionados.

They're probably secretive, and afraid of discovery.

And prone to playing little games on each other in public. Just simple, subtle, twisted little ones.

I've been tempted to make some World Tree stories of my own, a subplot of underground Mentador fetishists could be quite interesting. Hmmmm.

I imagine there is. There has to be someone for us traffs to look down on, after all.

Nice to see some things are universal. Multiversal.

Or, perhaps, sideways upon! As you comfort yourself with "At least I don't have a Mentador fetish", imagine those with a Mentador fetish comforting themself with "At least I'm not transaffectionate." Transaffectionates with a Mentador fetish, however, may have a more difficult time of things. I'd wonder where they'd take their comfort from, but I'm not entirely sure that trying to figure that out is a path I want to go down. Do you have a parable of any form similar to our song, "The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly?" [Bard, you may need to explain that one...]

Anyway, I'd say Yylhauntra took things fairly well- it's the answer I'd expect, to be honest, but I'd still say "here's a natural consequence" is fairly reasonable. It's far better a response than I'd get from any of my relatives finding me with any sort of romantic entanglement to someone male or non-Christian! Of course, the first is non-impossible and the latter is quite probable, so I shall simply have to refine my skill at being secretive with regard to my parents.

I would, in general, be inclined to vaguely disagree with Yylhauntra. In an infinite lifespan, infinite quantities of inevitable heartbreak can be accepted when you accept that they also mean infinite quantities of good relationships. Having a finite lifespan and extraordinarily rotten luck at never getting relationships started in the first place is, I suspect, more frustrating, but that may be a bias on my part. (He's not interested, she's taken, she smokes, he's decided to become a Catholic priest, she's convinced I've got to fix my errant religious ways, and then several more convinced I'm a total nutcase... I can't win.) Regardless, you have an indefinite amount of time to make your own decisions...

It's far better a response than I'd get from any of my relatives finding me with any sort of romantic entanglement to someone male or non-Christian! Of course, the first is non-impossible and the latter is quite probable, so I shall simply have to refine my skill at being secretive with regard to my parents.

Either at being secretive, or at being matter-of-fact and refusing to let them shout you out of your happiness. The latter may be easier in the short term.

Well, they also have full control of my bank account and are paying my college tuition. It's a trade-off I've decided to make. It's a short-term inconvenience for a long-term benefit.

My situation exactly!

Hello Sythyry!

I am an offworlder, and I have recently finished reading the entirety of your journal, and many of the replies therein. I would like to write some messages to you that may not be relevant to the most recent entry in your journal, but may be interesting for you to hear. As near as I can tell, most of the people who have replied to your journal seem to have come from my world. As such, you are probably one of the few Primes -- or even sentients -- with a reliable connection to otherworld information.

Have you ever thought how much this might benefit you? Do you know anyone, other than the gods of your world, who has a reliable means of communication with otherworlders?

Consider the people who wrote the Water Tree stories. They show how popular fiction about other, outlandish worlds is to Primes... now, imagine if you were to take up writing, creating stories of things of universal interest to Primes (stories of love, loss, death, birth, and the interactions amongst people and other people, as well as the world around them) set in a world not unlike the one we represent. Imagine if you could combine that with some of our knowledge on aspects of commerce that seem to have not been developed on your world -- knowledge of distribution, of marketing, of efficient ways to set up an organization, ways of making and investing money. Now, think of how much money you could make doing this! And as an immortal, think of the possible social and political changes you could make by introducing the possibility of different types of societies to your culture. From what I have read of your journal and of other resources I have found on the nature of your world, it seems that many ideas that could improve the standard of living of primes on the World Tree that have been developed here have not been developed in your world yet. You have enough time to learn about us, to come up with well-reasoned opinions on aspects of our culture, and decide for yourself whether this or that particular cultural or governmental concept would be beneficial to release on the World Tree.

For example, you have probably noticed that many of us have rather strange opinions on nobility and on treating many who your culture considers inferior as equals. We have these opinions because one of the particular nations on our world, the "American" nation, holds these ideals... and these ideals, amongst others, has led us to be the most powerful nation currently on our world, and thus the one whose citizens are most likely to have the advanced tools to interact with your world in this sort of journal.

(continued in the reply to this one)

(continued from the previous post)

One of the things we have learned is that, especially when transportation, cultural crossover, and trade from area to area is relatively fast, reliable, and cheap, that certain systems of government and commerce become more effective than others. One such example is that hereditary nobility, as well as the structured layers of power that come with the existance of a noble class, is relatively inefficient. Now, the World Tree might not have fast means of travel or communications or commerce from area to area, but as these systems develop, --and they will, and you'll probably be there to see it-- your world will probably come to see that small, fractured city-states bickering amongst each other with noble families ruling them isn't the best way to do things. Now imagine if you could influence some of the changes that might change the face of your world? How do you feel about that?

Or, for something more harmless, what of all the culinary arts that knowledge from another world could bring! You could start your own restaurant making items completely unique to your world! You could start major trends! You could get foods named after you! Wouldn't that be fun? Or, since we have literature that gives at least a basic idea on what the current ability of magic is in your world, you might want to ask us for new and creative (but not necessarily complex or difficult) ideas on how to use magic!

Or, if you don't want to change anything just yet, knowing about it can't hurt! Knowing about a world that doesn't have (visible) bickering gods, and whose reality is not governed by fickle elementals, but by natural laws that can be uncovered by forms of natural science mostly unknown on your world can't be detrimental to learn! It also seems that, based on some of the past history of the replies to this journal, you have at least rudimentary access to our largest compilation of knowledge and lore on our world -- the Internet. Think about what that might mean to you, should you decide to use it!

Why don't you ask us to elaborate on these topics, or about this world? It will be fascinating, at least!

Giving you some food for thought,

Gavin

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Revelations to Yylhauntra [11 Lage 4261]

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Hello and strange ideas from somone from another world!

Re: Hello and strange ideas from somone from another world!