tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post6066941844477111989..comments2024-03-28T10:48:15.246-04:00Comments on alien romances: Civilized BehaviorRowena Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11839386556697211986noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-25861941066104385992007-11-03T17:56:00.000-04:002007-11-03T17:56:00.000-04:00After posting this entry, I remembered a silly lit...After posting this entry, I remembered a silly little short-short SF story I read somewhere, about Earth's first contact with a hermaphroditic species. The Terran ambassadors tried everything to communicate with the aliens, who ignored them. Eventually, one of the Terrans got fed up and told an alien to go f-- himself. Delighted at finally being greeted in the most minimally courteous terms (according to his-her-its culture), the alien responded cordially. :)Margaret Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293021955480708191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-53210876773729179472007-11-01T23:26:00.000-04:002007-11-01T23:26:00.000-04:00Oh, yes, this is a major part of world-building. ...Oh, yes, this is a major part of world-building. One of my favorite things about anything Sci-Fi is the alien cultures. Just like in real life, the humans in the story might try to accomadate an alien's sense of manners only to get it horribly wrong. I love playing with that.Kimber Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03982239712083114488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-52665529487898233142007-11-01T16:36:00.000-04:002007-11-01T16:36:00.000-04:00This is one of the most intriguing topics for an S...This is one of the most intriguing topics for an SF writer! <BR/><BR/>In some scenes, your protag may deliberately want to be rude, as an aggressive act designed to win a point. <BR/><BR/>You don't always want to know the rules in order to follow them! <BR/><BR/>But we often assume that customs of politeness are arbitrary, and its only a matter of learning the code of the people you're among. What if that's not true?<BR/><BR/>Or what if it's not true for everyone else in the galaxy except Earth? <BR/><BR/>What if there exists an objective, external "politeness imperative?" <BR/><BR/>What if some customs are in fact superior to others? <BR/><BR/>Jacqueline Lichtenberg<BR/>http://www.simegen.com/jl/Jacqueline Lichtenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613040740264804278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-16763053206169949122007-11-01T13:47:00.000-04:002007-11-01T13:47:00.000-04:00I'm reminded here of Anne McCaffrey's Acorna serie...I'm reminded here of Anne McCaffrey's Acorna series, wherein that character's vegetarian race perceived a smile that showed one's teeth to be a hostile gesture because it was associated with meat-eating predators.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com