2009-12-09: Chasing Fairies

[Sareth]

I can't figure out if Misa would be ecstatic that she was no longer the baby, or pissed off that Sarine had sex after a bit of a dry spell, while she herself was still the designated 1,500 year old untouched underage jailbait for the entire elven race. "What? Even the race traitor is getting some? SOMEONE STICK IT IN ME ALREADY! I've gotten 1,500 years of hormones to work off here!"

Ah, I just love those magical moments where various forum members spontaneously channel the dark essence of Labrat...

I have learned at the feet of the master. Which is actually a really disgusting way to learn. Trust me on that.

[kaitou]

I have learned at the feet of the master. Which is actually a really disgusting way to learn. Trust me on that.

I would vote for that as a new top quote.

[davester65]

I have learned at the feet of the master. Which is actually a really disgusting way to learn. Trust me on that.

I would vote for that as a new top quote.

I second that.

[Boss Out of Town]

Am I the only one who has Fred Willard flashbacks in the last panel?

Fred Willard flashbacks? What kind of acid were you dripping in the 70s?

A Mighty Wind? "Wha happen?" . . . No? . . . Not a lot of overlap between Errant Story and Christopher Guest films, I guess.

Chief, you ain't the first one to assume that everyone else has seen the same movies as you.

It's only really irritating when the pundits and talking heads on TV do it. One of the things that caused me to give up my thirty year subscription to Newsweek were the presumptions of its cultural commentators that all its subscribers made enough money to own the latest yuppie electronic toys, all men looked down on "nerds," all women worried about balancing careers and making babies, and all Americans watch hip cable shows like The Sopranos and The Office.

[mindstalk]

I wonder whether Sarine will die or go on and probably have children at some point. It will probably be the former.

Or go on and not have children? Rather limited selection you offer there.

And it's "more" children. She had one, stillborn.

Given what we know about elven society, there's actually nothing to say that Sarine *hasn't* had elven children. It's not like they'd associate much.

Heck, Misa could be Sarine's daughter and I'm not sure we'd have been told.

[ChunLing]

I think Sarine might have mentioned that. She did specifically mention Misa's birth (though not by name) in her recounting of the Errant War, and Sarine was married (or in a committed relationship that involved taking her lover's name) to a human up to the point he got killed later in the conflict, presumably on the opposite side of the war from whoever gave birth to Misa. Given how entertainingly convoluted whatever logic would connect "someone on the other side has miraculously given birth to a pure-blooded elfchild" to "we should continue and expand our GENOCIDE!" would be, Sarine would have mentioned that, even if she declined to identify herself as the mother.

Besides, their relationship, while a little weird, is not screwy enough for a mother-daughter thing that could involve the overtones it has.

As for the thing with humans and dogs, I was under the distinct impression that it was almost considered weird for humans who like dogs not to sleep with them. Though I guess the idea is that the dog is supposed to jump into the human's bed rather than the other way round, if that makes any difference. Then again, I'm in the "recoil in disgust" camp when it comes to dogs. If I could figure out some way to make them not like me so much, I'd definitely make use of it. They are even ickier than human babies, if such a thing is possible.

[Boss Out of Town]

As for the thing with humans and dogs, I was under the distinct impression that it was almost considered weird for humans who like dogs not to sleep with them.

Depends on how much of a dog lover you are. A dog jumping into bed to say hello is one thing, taking a nap at your feet is another, but a dog trying to sleep in the bed with you every night could collect a lead sleeping pill in my old neighborhood.

[Forrest]

In case ChunLing wasn't just being clever, I was using the phrase "jump into bed with" as a euphemism for "have sex with".

[ChunLing]

Well, I was comparing culturally commensurate behaviors. That is to say, among elves, having sex with humans appears to be considered no more unusual than humans sleeping (in the non-'euphemistic' sense ) with dogs. Sarine explicitly mentions that those refusing to have any sexual contact outside of the elven race constituted a definite minority by the time of the Errant War. Of course, she could be lying.

If you are aware of a socially equivalent number of dog "lovers" who would make the other comparison appropriate, I would consider it a personal favor if you leave me ignorant of the details, including how you came by such information.

Anyway, in a technical sense, elves and humans are the same species, since they can successfully interbreed to produce fertile (if occasionally defective) offspring who remain genetically compatible with both parent strains. I think we can assert that the difference is larger than that between, say, Koreans and Japanese, but it is technically inappropriate to refer to sexual intercourse between elves and humans as 'bestiality' even in scare quotes. From a more story canonical perspective, Misa generally approves of and wishes to emulate Sarine's attitudes and behavior towards half-elves, and is clearly aware that those attitudes and behaviors included a very sincere effort to give birth to one. We have not seen her exhibit any clear indications of her sexual preferences, though, so there is an unresolved question implicit in that.

Given that she clearly wanted Sara to "comfort" her on one occasion (nice epic fail on that), I take it that Misa is not particular about the "stick". She might just want a hug, after all. Other interpretations are certainly possible, but hardly irrefutable.