BATTLE LINES BEING DRAWN

Sunday, September 14. 2008

BATTLE LINES BEING DRAWN

Here at Beige University, the main topic of conversation is the football team’s offense, or rather, lack of same. I mean, winning a game by the score of 3-2??????
There’s more offense going on back home, where Kell’s Cousin Sheila breezed in and began making antagonistic comments about Kell’s life choices. Kell, of course, responded in kind and Dad and Elanor could only look on. Rudy texted details to me as if they were reports from a warfront.
I Googled Sheila, and saw that she’s single, childless, never married, the same age as Kell and a geologist who travels all over the world. Her rootlessness contrasts with Kell, who has always resided in this metro area except when she went to Beige for college. Sheila is also an absolute dead ringer for Kell, and at first I wondered if she was really Kell’s human counterpart. But no, I recalled that Danielle said that the human Kell is still on her side of the portal, married to the human version of Dad. (Danielle still refuses to say how that marriage breaks a social taboo, but she says it’s a significant one.)
Responding to some of the issues that were raised on the blog during the past week after I logged off, we also have a Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which just went online in Europe. It’s a particle accelerator, the largest of its kind, and as a scientist I’d like to reassure everyone on both sides of the portal that it won’t create any black holes that will swallow the world. Just relax; we have far more likely dangers to worry about such as threats to our environment.
On the matter of slightly less importance, I’m afraid I wasn’t explicit enough about Rudy and Fiona. They haven’t done anything untoward. I have this from two sources: Fiona, who told me just that, and Rudy, by reading his non-verbal cues. (Canines are like an open book.)

Posted by Lindesfarne at 11:55 | Comments (33) | Trackbacks (0)

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Humans only really have two or three big taboos about marriage: either they're both the same gender, one of them isn't human, or they're related in some way.

That last one lead into another question I had, and I hope you don't find this offensive. In most places with non-sentient animals (and some with sentient ones), animals will occasionally pick another animal that is related to them as a mate. Not litter mates, or even siblings from a different litter, but cousins, nieces, nephew, etc. My question is this: Is that a taboo in you world like it is for most humans, or is it socially acceptable?

#1 Nifar on 2008-09-14 12:43 (Reply)

Regarding the taboo parallel, Danielle says that none of those three cases apply to the human versions of Dad and Kell. Again, she refuses to say what the taboo is; just that humans can be depressingly creative in finding things that separate them.
Here, mating with someone closer than a second cousin is regarded as dangerous and foolhardy simply from a generic standpoint.

#2 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-09-14 12:53 (Reply)

It's true that those are the three great taboos but there are others . one of which revolves around appearances, the other religion. if you have ever been to to humancon (i may never go again) then you've seen some of the verified appearances from eye wear to facial hair to color of hair and skin. any of these could be be the source or more depending on where they live. With most of these ruled out i would bee hard pressed to find a reason for her marriage to be problematic.

but in the long run i and grateful that you aunt and i are form different worlds as well as i have and enough problems understanding and dealing with the difficulties that emerge in my own world.

#2.1 e_voyager on 2008-09-14 22:37 (Reply)

Hey, a few of us enjoy loud parties! Then again, I've earned my nickname.

#2.2 Beast on 2008-09-15 12:00 (Reply)

Beast my friend, while it's true you've earned your reputation, I think you replied to the wrong thing. I believe the post you meant to rely to is a few posts down.

#2.2.1 Nifar on 2008-09-17 11:36 (Reply)

Yeah, my hometown football team actually lost their first game. Hope things work out between Kell and Sheila. I don't recall if I saw the human Kevin and Kell (it has been about 5000 strips), but one possibility is that one is Caucasian (pale skin, straight hair, narrow lips and nose) and the other is Negro (dark skin, kinky hair, wide lips and nose). These descriptions are ideals, there has been some intermingling. Caucasians held Negroes as slaves here until Lincoln's Presidency and the Civil War to free them, and there is still a lot of prejudice between the two. A less significant mixed marriage is between different religions...it is more common but can cause problems, especially if children are involved. BTW, did you have a Lincoln? He is on the penny here and the five dollar bill. If you do, was there slavery and a Civil War? And what species was Lincoln?

#3 Thomas Mazanec (Link) on 2008-09-14 12:56 (Reply)

Yes, our histories parallel exactly in that regard. We had an American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865, followed by Lincoln's assassination. Slavery existed until Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
As for which class of species was enslaved, I won't say here in order to buttress the point that science has conclusively confirmed that we are all equal.

#4 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-09-14 13:11 (Reply)

Lindesfarne, I'm fairly certain that the marriage taboo the human version of Kevin + Kell is probably 'racial': Caucasian ('white') and Negro ('black'). With Danielle denying the other three 'biggies' (same sex, one non-human and close family relationship), it's really the only one that applies. Not being of the same religion doesn't usually cause much concern in people other than religious officials. Also, what constitutes 'incest' (our word for too-close genetic relationships) varies by country and time. In ancient Egypt, the Ptolemys were expected to marry their siblings to keep the line pure. At other times and places, a man could not marry his brother's widow, even though that was no more genetically dangerous than the first marriage. We are not always logical about who can marry. (One other possibility would be plural marriage: a situation in which one man has multiple wives or a woman has multiple husbands at the same time. We criminalize this behavior under the term 'bigamy.' I doubt that the human K+K are in this situation: your parents love each other too much.)

The LHC situation was not a real problem here, either. It was hyped as the possible end of the world by news organizations who had little understanding of its intent. The most dramatic thing that happened was that the scientist announcing the countdown almost messed up counting backwards from five.

I didn't believe that Rudy and Fiona had done anything 'untoward.' If nothing else, her reaction to changing Francis' diaper would bring the reality of having a child home to her. It's almost inevitable that she and Rudy will marry each other, if they marry anyone at all. Why? Fiona is still one of the richest people in your world, and Rudy was interested in her before she became rich. Any other suitor will have to prove he's more interested in her than in her money.

Anyway, we know that Washington was a fox in your world, because of quarters brought over by Danielle. What species was Lincoln?

#5 CharlieG on 2008-09-14 16:15 (Reply)

On a completely different note, time being of the essence, it seems Anime Weekend Atlanta will be next weekend. If you're attending, I have one simple suggestion, though you've probably done it: AMV Contest!

AMV (Anime Music Video) contests are my favorite part of the anime conventions I've attended, and I've heard AWA has one of the best-run in the country. presuming Domain's AWA is not that different from ours, and presuming you'll be attending, consider it a humble suggestion.

#6 ReFlex76 (Link) on 2008-09-14 16:28 (Reply)

I won't be at AWA next week, although one of my favorite webcartoonists, Jennie Breeding, will be.
As for CharlieG's speculation, I can't confirm or deny. I'm with Danielle on this, feeling that from our perspective all human differences are inherently silly when put in contrast will they have in common. (Danielle also definitely rules out bigamy in regard to the human versions of my parents.)
Lincoln, tall and slender, was an elk.
I enjoy browsing YouTube for AMVs. Here's an excellent one that I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcjFN0YR0xQ

#7 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-09-14 16:45 (Reply)

Lindesfarne, I did not expect your aunt Danielle to confirm or deny. I wouldn't want her to do so. I put the word racial in quotes because I agree that differences in skin color are irrelevant. What's important is how you look at the world, not how the world looks at you. Most of the other marriage forms that Danielle has ruled out are illegal here. Difference in skin color is not a legal bar to marriage. As for the eliminated possibility of a same sex Kevin and Kell on this side... We don't have a statistically significant sample to examine, but we don't know of a sex change occurring when a person goes through the portal. Thus far, everyone we know of who has gone through (you, Fenton, Ms. Aura and Nigel, Uncle Ralph and Martha among others) has remained the same sex. That would make a 'same sex' Kevin + Kell marriage on this side unlikely.

Please notice that I ruled out bigamy in my post as well. I only included it as a possibility of another illegal form of marriage.

#7.1 CharlieG on 2008-09-14 17:34 (Reply)

Mmm... I'm suddenly curious about one thing and have to ask this for later... You said "AWA".. even though Domain is the city on your side.. and "Dragon Con" there is "Enormous Reptile Con". Does Atlanta exist as an actual city there? Also, if the city itself exists - here's a random thought that is admittedly off topic.. dimensions overlap (in theory, that's one thing that the LHC might prove..also: Note they expect the first results circa 2012, or four years from now). Think it'd be possible for two individuals that know about eachother in different dimensions to stand in the exact same spot and communicate?

#7.2 Teonnyn (Link) on 2008-09-15 01:42 (Reply)

"Ahhhh...then I see that you are not apart of the party that claims Lincoln was a hybrid Elk and Giraffe. Though, not directly related by parent, it was quite the common debate point back in school to claim that Honest Abe's growth spurt denounced his actual blood line."

#7.3 jup-reindeer on 2008-09-19 02:12 (Reply)

Boy you humans are very curious and inquisitive creatures! You must have a lot of scientists over there! (Either that or this blog, being run by a scientist, attracts like minded people on that side of the Portal.)

And as to the football game, don't get me started! I'm not a big sports nut (I don't think Lindesfarne is either), but I'm sure Lindy can attest to the fact that Domain as a whole is. I've heard jokes like "maybe they were playing European football" (what we call "soccer", they tend to have really low scoring matches, 3-2 would actually be quite high for them.) and the like. As I said, I'm not a sports nut, but maybe it means that both defenses are very good.

#8 Ken D. Lion on 2008-09-14 17:58 (Reply)

It's true, the scientifically-inclined do tend to congregate together; usually in a quiet corner of an otherwise loud party.

#9 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-09-14 18:39 (Reply)

I see that Rudy has a near-foolproof deterrent to keep him and Fiona on the line. However, you're in college, so unless you talk to Rudy on video, I don't know how you can read visual clues, so I'll assume you meant by what you saw in the summer.

Still, Rudy has Kell to keep an eye on him.....

However, that would explain why during that away game, when they were all quite a distance from home, it was FIONA who asked Rudy if she could sneak into his room.

It would also explain why the chaperones needed to have huge eyes.

#10 The J.A.M. on 2008-09-14 19:42 (Reply)

Actually, if I remember correctly, when I went to senior prom our chaperones had huge NOSES. Well, some of them; there were both herbivores and carnivores, so I suspect sensitive hearing played a role as well (Kevin reminds me of my old biology teacher, a huge rabbit who also served as prom chaperone).

#10.1 Terri the Tiger on 2008-09-15 22:35 (Reply)

"It's true, the scientifically-inclined do tend to congregate together; usually in a quiet corner of an otherwise loud party."

We do have our fair share over here.

With online comics repeatedly coming up, the "Freefall" one attracts a lot of techies.

I wouldn't call an interracial marriage over here taboo, at least not among most people. For instance, one of my aunts is Asian. But some still have old-fashioned attitudes about it.

A few other whites I've talked to have strong doubts about whether blacks and whites can truly get along, and give that as one reason (or the only reason) they have problems with a family member marrying one.

How human society would react to inter-*species* dating for now remains the subject of science-fiction and fantasy. Unless you count virtual reality, where someone's avatar can be other than human-looking.

#11 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2008-09-14 19:50 (Reply)

Lindesfarne, I apologize for asking this again, but since you didn't reply I thought I'd try once more. Sorry if asking again bothers you, but I'm curious to know; what are your views on libertarianism?

#12 Jim on 2008-09-14 20:39 (Reply)

My view is that I'd rather this not become a political blog.

Too much competition!

#13 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-09-14 22:01 (Reply)

Don't you mean political bog? (evil grin)

#14 CharlieG on 2008-09-14 23:09 (Reply)

Yes, bog would indeed be more applicable. And on that note, good night, everybody! See you next week!

#15 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2008-09-15 01:01 (Reply)

"the scientifically-inclined do tend to congregate together; usually in a quiet corner of an otherwise loud party."

Otherwise known as your blog, right? ;3

#16 Siraj on 2008-09-15 01:02 (Reply)

there is more to life then blogging. there is also extradimentional travel.

#16.1 e_voyager on 2008-09-15 14:12 (Reply)

I've been lurking here for some time now and now that I see you are able to respond--and well aware that I missed my chance for a quick responce, or possibly any at all, I would like to ask a question.

Here in this world canines are constieted to be more or less the missing half to the human spirit. Dogs have been our faithful and loyal companions since before recorded history. Do the canines of your world feel as though any part if their spirit is missing from the lack of humans?

Yes, I'm a curious little fox...

#17 Fox on 2008-09-15 13:44 (Reply)

I can only speak for myself, but I doubt that the canines on Lindesfarne's side of the portal feel much loss. Why? Basically, canines are creatures who live in packs with a strictly defined heirarchy.

On our side of the portal, humans act as the alpha (leader) for the canines we've domesticated. On Lindesfarne's side, the parental group and then society probably take the role of pack leader.

There may be a few canines on L's side who feel like something undefined is lacking in their lives, but they probably can't define it. I'd guess that this feeling is more common among the domesticated canines than the (usually) undomesticated. That is, it's more common among 'dogs' than it is in 'wolves.'

As I said, this is only a guess.

#17.1 CharlieG on 2008-09-18 04:14 (Reply)

I was wondering. Conney has been an amazing predator since she was born. Wasn't it dangerous to bring friends around the house?

How do you introduce them so Conney will realize they are guests, not food?

#18 JoeB on 2008-09-15 20:24 (Reply)

Wow...the power of scents on clothing. Today in the webcomic, it was revealed that Sheila and Kell had traded places, with both Kevin (and Eleanor, seemingly) none the wiser despite prolonged close contact.

There was one panel last Friday which, through hindsight, suggests that Rudy was in on it. As an active predator, it makes sense that he would notice. However, that begs the potentially sensitive question (apologies in advance): is Eleanor's sense of smell going?

#19 Tuyu on 2008-09-17 12:03 (Reply)

Sadly, that's not unusual for predators. However, it's worth keeping in mind that those who are closely related also smell very much the same (I guess you're from the human side) -- close enough that if you aren't expecting the switch, you won't pick up the subtle differences. In fact, there was a TV series about it over here; I never watched it because it was before my time...something about identical cousins. Did you have it over there? Or maybe Ken D. Lion remembers it?

#19.1 Terri the Tiger on 2008-09-18 09:25 (Reply)

It was called "The Patti Duke Show" if Jazz's cultural studies is correct.

It ran in the early 1960's with Ms. Duke playing both cousins in the production.

#19.1.1 Gamma Antares (Link) on 2008-09-18 11:50 (Reply)

I've recently hear about the Piracy event in Somalia. I can't Say for sure who is responsible (This would be something the Far East Union is known for doing) But it's right on the border lines of two of the Lead smugglers, Tewodros Kwabena of Zanzibar and Mohamed Abdalrahman.

And to help clean up any confusion I will quickly explain, the Far East Union is an organization created in 1793 to Maintain Trading within the Far East, Maintain the order of Trade route. Known to few it also conducts other activities such as Smuggling (Main), Piracy (Secondary), Military enforcement, Occupation, Blockading.

The far East union is controlled by 11 Lead smuggles who control Madagascar, East Africa, the Middle East, India, The Indian Ocean, Indonesia, New Guinea Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Other then those regions they also have Breached Groups working In North America and Europe.

I wont talk about much more of it, but I will tell you I have a score to settle with Nathanial Fang, Lead Smugger of Indonesia because he ruined my life to a degree none of you can possibly imagine.

I Bring up detail on the Far East Union now because of the resent activities in waters they control. If I had a map I would post it online somewhere, but sadly due to my departure 10 years ago I don't have one on my person.

#20 Reptileus Concarna on 2008-09-18 21:53 (Reply)

I realized that in your world species vary greatly in size. All foxes are around the same hight and such but the insects in your world make no sense. Some, like Tammy, are as big as you, others are small enough to live on you. One time, you had a (giant in our sense) crash tammy's wedding. Other spiders are very small. Angelique has passed for a rat in your world but you keep mice in your bedroom who are quite small. Is this another disease in your world that you are born with? Sizeism?

#21 Gwen on 2008-09-25 13:29 (Reply)

Gwen, I think you've hit on one of the things that those of us on this side of the portal rarely think to question, unless we're children or scientifically minded. "Why is the sky blue?" "It just is!" "Why are some bugs small and some large?" "They just are!" At least, that's what I remember my mom telling me.

There's been some research into it, but it's very controversial, dealing with evolutionary biology and claims that the giant bugs aren't really bugs at all, but something else that evolved to look the same and fill a similar niche (sort of like whales -- they're really mammals, not fish. You DO have whales over there, right?). LIndesfarne could answer that better than me; I'm not a scientist, and it's been a while since I looked at the issue (college was, ahem, a while ago).

#21.1 Terri the Tiger on 2008-09-30 21:48 (Reply)

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