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[sythyry]

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]

Comments

Hello and strange ideas from somone from another world!

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

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)

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

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

(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