Poem: "Exist Without Permission"
Mar. 12th, 2020 07:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the March 3, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from Anonymous, kengr, shadowdreamer, and dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Clarify" square in my 3-1-20 card for the Food Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Broken Angels thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Exist Without Permission"
[Sunday, November 29, 2015]
"I thought you meant pigeons!"
Boss Blaster exclaimed, waving
his hands at Rosalyn, who was
confused by his sudden agitation.
"What about pigeons, dear?" she said.
"You teased me about feeding
'the flying rats' and I thought you
meant nuisance birds, not actual rats
with feathered wings," said Boss Blaster.
"Oh right, you moved in from out of town,"
Rosalyn said. "Lincoln has sky rats,
and they've been around for years."
"Whyyyyy?" said Boss Blaster.
"Nobody knows," Rosalyn said.
"They just showed up suddenly.
The first ones to appear were
white, like lab rats, but now most
of them are more grayish, like pigeons."
"I guess that makes sense," said Boss Blaster.
"Hawks would eat up all the white ones."
"Hawks don't hunt in the air, and we don't
have many falcons here," said Rosalyn.
"Then what happened to the white ones?"
Boss Blaster wondered. "It's weird."
"Possibly cats, possibly something else,"
Rosalyn said. "The hooded ones seem to do
okay, though. We even have crayon rats."
"Crayon ... rats," Boss Blaster said slowly.
Rosalyn nodded. "Most of them have genes
from pigeons, but a few have parrot wings,
so we think the bright colors came from there."
"If you don't know where they came from,
how do you know what genes they
have?" Boss Blaster wondered.
"Somebody captured a few sky rats
for testing," Rosalyn explained. "I think
they hoped to find the culprit who had
created them, but so far no luck with that."
"It sounds like some mad science gig,"
Boss Blaster said, shaking his head.
"That's the leading theory on how
we got flying rats," Rosalyn said.
"So just to clarify, this city has
rats with wings?" Boss Blaster said.
"And you don't know exactly where
they came from, but everyone just
acts like this is somehow normal?"
"Yes," Rosalyn said. "You get used to them."
"Oh for Pete's sake," Boss Blaster said,
throwing up his hands and walking away.
But he didn't stop feeding the pigeons in
the park, and sometimes sky rats came too.
Once he stopped feeling so freaked out,
he had to admit they were kind of cute,
the way they would hop into the air when
startled and then glide back down.
As he watched, he saw that they
had quite similar coloring to pigeons,
mostly shades of bluish or pinkish gray,
occasionally black, some mottled with white.
What he didn't see was anything close to
the dark brownish-black of sewer rats,
which was interesting. He didn't know
whether they refused to breed together,
or if the sky genes were just that dominant.
And then Boss Blaster spotted the crayon rat.
It was beautiful, with soft lavender fur and
wings of brighter purple and teal tipped
with black. He called it Jewel.
From then on, he went to the park
regularly to feed the pigeons and
the sky rats if they were there.
Sometimes the other Broken Angels
joined him, especially Cas and Hali,
who liked walking around the park.
Jewel got to know all of them,
and Boss Blaster enjoyed seeing
the bright colors of the underwings
whenever it startled into the air.
[Sunday, December 13, 2015]
Then one day a garbage truck
went by and Jewel didn't flutter up.
"What's wrong with Jewel?"
Boss Blaster said, frowning.
"Well, sometimes they get
too fat to fly," Cas said with
a shrug. "It happens fairly often."
Boss Blaster looked at Jewel.
The rat was getting fatter, but he
wasn't satisfied with that explanation.
Looking around for inspiration, he saw
that someone had left a reusable cloth bag
hanging on the park's bulletin board.
Catching a wild rat was a dicey trick, but
Boss Blaster had super-speed on his side.
He scooped up the sky rat and then
quickly fastened the bag before Jewel
even knew what was happening.
"Let's go home," said Boss Blaster.
"We'll ask Heron when he comes over."
When they got back to the lair,
Boss Blaster found an old fish tank
and put Jewel in there with a towel.
The winged rat sniffed around, then
curled up in a corner and went to sleep.
Boss Blaster draped another towel
over the top, and then called Heron.
"I know that you weren't planning
to come over until supper time, but
I've got a sick pet," said Boss Blaster.
"Would you mind taking a look?"
"No problem," Heron said. "I've been
practicing on animals. If I can't fix
whatever's wrong, I can at least
give you some details for the vet."
Boss Blaster didn't exactly have
a vet for a brand-new pet, but he
did know a veterinarian, and
Dr. Brown was familiar with
the gang, so that was all right.
"Thanks," he said. "See you soon."
When Heron arrived, Boss Blaster
explained the situation as he lifted
the towel off the top of the fish tank.
Jewel squeaked and fluttered.
Heron jumped back a pace.
"You didn't say it was a rat!"
he exclaimed. "Wait, why is
your pet rat purple with wings?"
"Apparently Lincoln has flying rats,"
said Boss Blaster. "This one is special,
so when she looked sick, I picked her up."
"I ... see," Heron said, not coming
any closer to the fish tank.
Boss Blaster sighed.
"You don't have to help."
"No, no, I already said I would
and I'm here," Heron muttered,
reluctantly approaching the tank.
Even more reluctantly, he reached in.
Curious, Jewel sniffed his hand
and even let him take hold.
Poor Heron looked queasy.
Boss Blaster silently resolved
to find something generous
as a thank-you gift for him.
Heron grimaced and let go of
Jewel, who went back to the corner
and began digging at the towel.
"Good news for me," Heron declared,
dumping a tablespoon of hand sanitizer
into his palm. "It's not injured or sick."
He raised an eyebrow as he faced
Boss Blaster. "Bad news for you,
though. She's pregnant."
"How is this bad news?"
Boss Blaster asked, baffled.
"She's beautiful, I like her,
and you just told me that
there's nothing wrong with her."
"What on Earth are you going to do
with ten parrot-winged rat pups?"
Heron said as he backed away.
Boss Blaster could feel
a ridiculous goofy grin
spreading over his face.
"Start building a Rat Park
in the unfinished part of
the basement?" he said.
He would need a bigger cage
for the meantime, though -- maybe
something like people used
for cockatiels or ferrets.
With enough room for
Jewel to fly and preen,
she could be a role model
for Hali later on, too.
"Better you than me,"
Heron muttered. "I really
do not like rodents."
"That's okay, I don't
mind," said Boss Blaster.
"I mean, I know some people
keep them as pets, I've had
friends who did," said Heron.
"I just ... don't get the appeal."
"Rats exist without permission,"
Boss Blaster said quietly. "They are
hated, hunted, and persecuted. They live
in quiet desperation amongst the filth.
And yet they are capable of bringing
entire civilizations to their knees. If you
are dirty, insignificant, and unloved
then rats are the ultimate role model."
"Oh," Heron said quietly. "I guess
that makes a bit more sense.
May I be excused now?"
"Of course," said Boss Blaster.
"Cas can throw in some of
that new focaccia bread
with all the toppings."
"Focaccia bread?"
Heron perked right up.
"Yeah, I think Dante
taught him that recipe,"
said Boss Blaster. "It's good."
"I love focaccia," said Heron.
"Do you think Cas would mind
an extra pair of hands in the kitchen?"
"Cas loves extra help," Boss Blaster said
as he ushered Heron up the stairs.
Besides, if they made enough that
they actually had leftovers, maybe
he could sneak a crust to Jewel.
* * *
Notes:
"On Painting Rats, and the Glorification of Them. They exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet desperation amongst the filth. And yet they are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees. If you are dirty, insignificant, and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model."
-- Banksy
"Flying rats" and similar terms are slang for pigeons.
Some people enjoy feeding pigeons.
Lincoln is the kind of place where it's easy to hide things you don't want to get caught doing. Years ago, somebody made flying rats, and they got loose. The original ones were albino lab rats with white pigeon wings, which remains the most common form. Since then, people have caught them for pets and bred them with fancy rats to produce several variations. Interestingly, they don't show the same colors as wild Norway rats -- either the wild rats won't mate with the winged ones, or the winged genes are so dominant that the wild traits don't show. The flying rats have become part of the city, like some towns have white squirrels. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't get rid of 'em, because in the end they're rats with pigeon genes.
Rats come in many colors of fur and eyes.
This is similar to the original white version. The avian feet are uncommon but do appear occasionally.
This rat is dark except for a white belly, a style that works very well in the wild because it doesn't show up as much as the albino ones do.
The cinnamon color appears in dark-eyed rats, and here you can see the mottled pigeon wings that are becoming more common.
This is a hooded rat, and they come in various colors. It has gray-brown wings that are probably too small to fly well, but it could glide.
And then there are the crayon rats. Nobody knows where they came from, but there have been several over the years. This one is lavender with parrot wings that are mostly purple and turquoise edged with black.
Rats typically have 6 to 12 pups per litter.
Rat Park was a famous experiment about addiction, which demonstrated that it's far less about drugs and far more about misery. Rat colonies in a large, luxurious enclosure had little to no interest in drugs whereas isolated rats in tiny cages took as much as they could.
Consider cage sizes for birds, rats, and sugar gliders. Bigger is definitely better. A sky rat needs space for both flying and climbing. A good approach is to provide platforms, branches, ropes, and other fixtures along one or two sides sides of the cage while leaving the middle open. Cages for large pets are often modular so you can remove unwanted dividers inside them to give more airspace.
Enjoy a focaccia recipe with many topping ideas.
kengr, shadowdreamer, and dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Clarify" square in my 3-1-20 card for the Food Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Broken Angels thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Exist Without Permission"
[Sunday, November 29, 2015]
"I thought you meant pigeons!"
Boss Blaster exclaimed, waving
his hands at Rosalyn, who was
confused by his sudden agitation.
"What about pigeons, dear?" she said.
"You teased me about feeding
'the flying rats' and I thought you
meant nuisance birds, not actual rats
with feathered wings," said Boss Blaster.
"Oh right, you moved in from out of town,"
Rosalyn said. "Lincoln has sky rats,
and they've been around for years."
"Whyyyyy?" said Boss Blaster.
"Nobody knows," Rosalyn said.
"They just showed up suddenly.
The first ones to appear were
white, like lab rats, but now most
of them are more grayish, like pigeons."
"I guess that makes sense," said Boss Blaster.
"Hawks would eat up all the white ones."
"Hawks don't hunt in the air, and we don't
have many falcons here," said Rosalyn.
"Then what happened to the white ones?"
Boss Blaster wondered. "It's weird."
"Possibly cats, possibly something else,"
Rosalyn said. "The hooded ones seem to do
okay, though. We even have crayon rats."
"Crayon ... rats," Boss Blaster said slowly.
Rosalyn nodded. "Most of them have genes
from pigeons, but a few have parrot wings,
so we think the bright colors came from there."
"If you don't know where they came from,
how do you know what genes they
have?" Boss Blaster wondered.
"Somebody captured a few sky rats
for testing," Rosalyn explained. "I think
they hoped to find the culprit who had
created them, but so far no luck with that."
"It sounds like some mad science gig,"
Boss Blaster said, shaking his head.
"That's the leading theory on how
we got flying rats," Rosalyn said.
"So just to clarify, this city has
rats with wings?" Boss Blaster said.
"And you don't know exactly where
they came from, but everyone just
acts like this is somehow normal?"
"Yes," Rosalyn said. "You get used to them."
"Oh for Pete's sake," Boss Blaster said,
throwing up his hands and walking away.
But he didn't stop feeding the pigeons in
the park, and sometimes sky rats came too.
Once he stopped feeling so freaked out,
he had to admit they were kind of cute,
the way they would hop into the air when
startled and then glide back down.
As he watched, he saw that they
had quite similar coloring to pigeons,
mostly shades of bluish or pinkish gray,
occasionally black, some mottled with white.
What he didn't see was anything close to
the dark brownish-black of sewer rats,
which was interesting. He didn't know
whether they refused to breed together,
or if the sky genes were just that dominant.
And then Boss Blaster spotted the crayon rat.
It was beautiful, with soft lavender fur and
wings of brighter purple and teal tipped
with black. He called it Jewel.
From then on, he went to the park
regularly to feed the pigeons and
the sky rats if they were there.
Sometimes the other Broken Angels
joined him, especially Cas and Hali,
who liked walking around the park.
Jewel got to know all of them,
and Boss Blaster enjoyed seeing
the bright colors of the underwings
whenever it startled into the air.
[Sunday, December 13, 2015]
Then one day a garbage truck
went by and Jewel didn't flutter up.
"What's wrong with Jewel?"
Boss Blaster said, frowning.
"Well, sometimes they get
too fat to fly," Cas said with
a shrug. "It happens fairly often."
Boss Blaster looked at Jewel.
The rat was getting fatter, but he
wasn't satisfied with that explanation.
Looking around for inspiration, he saw
that someone had left a reusable cloth bag
hanging on the park's bulletin board.
Catching a wild rat was a dicey trick, but
Boss Blaster had super-speed on his side.
He scooped up the sky rat and then
quickly fastened the bag before Jewel
even knew what was happening.
"Let's go home," said Boss Blaster.
"We'll ask Heron when he comes over."
When they got back to the lair,
Boss Blaster found an old fish tank
and put Jewel in there with a towel.
The winged rat sniffed around, then
curled up in a corner and went to sleep.
Boss Blaster draped another towel
over the top, and then called Heron.
"I know that you weren't planning
to come over until supper time, but
I've got a sick pet," said Boss Blaster.
"Would you mind taking a look?"
"No problem," Heron said. "I've been
practicing on animals. If I can't fix
whatever's wrong, I can at least
give you some details for the vet."
Boss Blaster didn't exactly have
a vet for a brand-new pet, but he
did know a veterinarian, and
Dr. Brown was familiar with
the gang, so that was all right.
"Thanks," he said. "See you soon."
When Heron arrived, Boss Blaster
explained the situation as he lifted
the towel off the top of the fish tank.
Jewel squeaked and fluttered.
Heron jumped back a pace.
"You didn't say it was a rat!"
he exclaimed. "Wait, why is
your pet rat purple with wings?"
"Apparently Lincoln has flying rats,"
said Boss Blaster. "This one is special,
so when she looked sick, I picked her up."
"I ... see," Heron said, not coming
any closer to the fish tank.
Boss Blaster sighed.
"You don't have to help."
"No, no, I already said I would
and I'm here," Heron muttered,
reluctantly approaching the tank.
Even more reluctantly, he reached in.
Curious, Jewel sniffed his hand
and even let him take hold.
Poor Heron looked queasy.
Boss Blaster silently resolved
to find something generous
as a thank-you gift for him.
Heron grimaced and let go of
Jewel, who went back to the corner
and began digging at the towel.
"Good news for me," Heron declared,
dumping a tablespoon of hand sanitizer
into his palm. "It's not injured or sick."
He raised an eyebrow as he faced
Boss Blaster. "Bad news for you,
though. She's pregnant."
"How is this bad news?"
Boss Blaster asked, baffled.
"She's beautiful, I like her,
and you just told me that
there's nothing wrong with her."
"What on Earth are you going to do
with ten parrot-winged rat pups?"
Heron said as he backed away.
Boss Blaster could feel
a ridiculous goofy grin
spreading over his face.
"Start building a Rat Park
in the unfinished part of
the basement?" he said.
He would need a bigger cage
for the meantime, though -- maybe
something like people used
for cockatiels or ferrets.
With enough room for
Jewel to fly and preen,
she could be a role model
for Hali later on, too.
"Better you than me,"
Heron muttered. "I really
do not like rodents."
"That's okay, I don't
mind," said Boss Blaster.
"I mean, I know some people
keep them as pets, I've had
friends who did," said Heron.
"I just ... don't get the appeal."
"Rats exist without permission,"
Boss Blaster said quietly. "They are
hated, hunted, and persecuted. They live
in quiet desperation amongst the filth.
And yet they are capable of bringing
entire civilizations to their knees. If you
are dirty, insignificant, and unloved
then rats are the ultimate role model."
"Oh," Heron said quietly. "I guess
that makes a bit more sense.
May I be excused now?"
"Of course," said Boss Blaster.
"Cas can throw in some of
that new focaccia bread
with all the toppings."
"Focaccia bread?"
Heron perked right up.
"Yeah, I think Dante
taught him that recipe,"
said Boss Blaster. "It's good."
"I love focaccia," said Heron.
"Do you think Cas would mind
an extra pair of hands in the kitchen?"
"Cas loves extra help," Boss Blaster said
as he ushered Heron up the stairs.
Besides, if they made enough that
they actually had leftovers, maybe
he could sneak a crust to Jewel.
* * *
Notes:
"On Painting Rats, and the Glorification of Them. They exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet desperation amongst the filth. And yet they are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees. If you are dirty, insignificant, and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model."
-- Banksy
"Flying rats" and similar terms are slang for pigeons.
Some people enjoy feeding pigeons.
Lincoln is the kind of place where it's easy to hide things you don't want to get caught doing. Years ago, somebody made flying rats, and they got loose. The original ones were albino lab rats with white pigeon wings, which remains the most common form. Since then, people have caught them for pets and bred them with fancy rats to produce several variations. Interestingly, they don't show the same colors as wild Norway rats -- either the wild rats won't mate with the winged ones, or the winged genes are so dominant that the wild traits don't show. The flying rats have become part of the city, like some towns have white squirrels. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't get rid of 'em, because in the end they're rats with pigeon genes.
Rats come in many colors of fur and eyes.
This is similar to the original white version. The avian feet are uncommon but do appear occasionally.
This rat is dark except for a white belly, a style that works very well in the wild because it doesn't show up as much as the albino ones do.
The cinnamon color appears in dark-eyed rats, and here you can see the mottled pigeon wings that are becoming more common.
This is a hooded rat, and they come in various colors. It has gray-brown wings that are probably too small to fly well, but it could glide.
And then there are the crayon rats. Nobody knows where they came from, but there have been several over the years. This one is lavender with parrot wings that are mostly purple and turquoise edged with black.
Rats typically have 6 to 12 pups per litter.
Rat Park was a famous experiment about addiction, which demonstrated that it's far less about drugs and far more about misery. Rat colonies in a large, luxurious enclosure had little to no interest in drugs whereas isolated rats in tiny cages took as much as they could.
Consider cage sizes for birds, rats, and sugar gliders. Bigger is definitely better. A sky rat needs space for both flying and climbing. A good approach is to provide platforms, branches, ropes, and other fixtures along one or two sides sides of the cage while leaving the middle open. Cages for large pets are often modular so you can remove unwanted dividers inside them to give more airspace.
Enjoy a focaccia recipe with many topping ideas.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 01:49 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2020-03-13 01:52 am (UTC)Yay!
>> Poor Heron, though.<<
Oh, just wait until you see what
LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 02:31 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 02:39 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 02:49 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 03:20 am (UTC)If it's socialization you want, though, rats are best kept in groups of two or more. They do get lonely without their own kind, even if you play with them.
That means someone should probably go out looking for more sky rats, to avoid inbreeding. You wouldn't want to hand out male/female pairs from the same litter.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 03:33 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:09 am (UTC)That definitely makes sense.
>> He ends up crossbreeding for intelligence AND the crayon coloring, with Boss Blaster selling the pets.<<
It leads directly to some ethical dilemmas, though. With parrot genes and superpowers in play, it won't take much to push them into sentient range -- some parrot species are only a stone's throw away already.
* Is uplift considered ethical in Terramagne? My guess is yes, because they love diversity, are less speciesist than here, and expanding on sentience is generally a good thing.
* But then how do you determine which of them are pets and which are people?
* How do you deal with the very likely case of a litter where some are sentient and others are not?
* And what do you do about a five-year-old raising babies, at least as a foster parent in the case of a nonsentient parent?
Edison: "I take the foster parent program, duh. I've already read all the books 'cause people were mean to Hugo."
I think I feel sorry for the professor who has to deal with "I need to take your classes because some of my flying rats might be people."
On the bright side, in a high-trust society, small fliers with handlike paws have a number of useful jobs they could do. Almost all of the current fliers are birds, and birds don't have as much dexterity as rats. There's one squirrel but Rad flies an airplane, so that's different. Aerial reconnaissance, newscasting, courier work, wildlife science, emergency rescue -- there are lots of options.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:11 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:35 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 05:38 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 06:00 am (UTC)If they're sentient, I expect the problem could be solved with self-control (if voluntary) or padded garments (if involuntary).
Pet rats can be bred to remove problems, as well as to improve looks or other goals. Since some rats dribble a lot more than others, continence could be selected.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 06:15 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 06:32 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:45 am (UTC)A certain now-disgraced author once came up with the idea of shipscats, uplifted cats with opposable thumbs and sentience and every once in a while, telepathy. A flying rat with the same capabilities? BONUS. Better able to get places, the wings will help in large spaces (zero gee or no) that have atmosphere, AND they're herbivores, easier to feed.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:49 am (UTC)Do you really want to start that war? 0_o
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:58 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:57 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 05:10 am (UTC)In normal circumstances, not all will breed or survive, but it still doesn't take much to produce a LOT of rats.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 05:17 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-14 12:46 am (UTC)*ponder* I'm not sure there would be absolute color-linked traits. However, I would expect a majority of the super-intellects to be crayon rats due to parrots being smarter than pigeons and rats.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-14 12:54 am (UTC)The IQ test makes a lot more sense than just "Certifed by J. Q. Veterinarian as non-sentient." Too easily faked.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-17 09:40 pm (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-17 09:53 pm (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 08:39 pm (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 10:44 pm (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-17 02:54 am (UTC)Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 06:20 am (UTC)If the Undertaker fathers a person-foal, is he the legal parent if record, or is the mother's owner?
Would Macavity, Reynard, or the Undertaker be expected to pay child suppourt?
Do people have hissy fits about animal soups getting abortions?
Do animal soups get birth certificates when born? When they manifest?
That dog soup who is raising the feral child shapeshifter - is she a legally a kidnapper, enabling the delinquency of a minor, foster parent, no relation, what?
What happens with interspecies adoption? The dog parent and dog-human shapeshifter are a good pair most if the time, but what happens when a purely human problem (like street harassment) comes up?
What if the child is the first person to manifest in the family? (Ie Ironsides has a super-mega-intellect baby tortiose that learns to write.) Are they removed from the animal parent, given an aditional foster parent, given a soup mentor, what?
Does T-America have a a sapience test or talk-and-build-a-fire rule?
Do animal soups automatically become citizens at birth/manifestation (is Hercules a citizen of whatever country he lives in)?
If yes, how do they deal with the fact that not everyone has birth certificates (Steel, Hercules, the giant squid in San Fransisco, and the redwoods don't have birth certificates, and except for Hercules, predate the concept)?
For that matter what about cross-dimesional travellers like the kidnappy elves. Do racist jerks insist they aren't people because they arent human? Does ICE arrest them and then have to figure out how to fill out non-existant 'deport to alternate dimension' forms before figuring out how to actually shove them back into their original dimension?
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 10:18 am (UTC)Have I mentioned recently that you give awesome ideas? :D By all means save these for Tuesday.
>> If the Undertaker fathers a person-foal, is he the legal parent if record, or is the mother's owner?<<
I think that's negotiable. Ziggy's foal is meant to be a police horse. But Alicia is also trying to find other superhorses to make a herd for Judd to live with.
>>Would Macavity, Reynard, or the Undertaker be expected to pay child suppourt?<<
Almost certainly not. Few animal soups have any money or interest in it. The ones who do, I'm not sure if their fluency is up to human standards. They're not humans and don't think exactly the same way. Reynard can use an ATM. Steel has some sense of money as a thing you trade to humans to get something you want, but I doubt he has much more detail than that.
>> Do people have hissy fits about animal soups getting abortions? <<
Probably less in Terramagne than would happen here. There's more respect for body autonomy and privacy. Most people don't even know much about animal soups other than they exist. Most of the people who protest abortion are fundie jerks, and most of those wouldn't want animal soups to exist. But someone's probably trying to figure out how to make a protest sign that would even make sense to animal soups.
However, I doubt most animal soups would want an abortion for other than medical reasons. They just don't feel the same about pregnancy as humans do. It's a thing that happens, it doesn't upturn their whole life.
With primal soups -- human-ish people with animal traits -- the issue is much more fraught.
>> Do animal soups get birth certificates when born? When they manifest? <<
Mostly not. Few countries have extended any kind of recognition to nonhumans. However, the Maldives has broken ground by offering citizenship and thus paperwork to cetaceans, and they'll do the same for animal soups.
One form of protection they do get: it's illegal to hunt any animal with crayon coloration or other signs that it might be a soup, just in case it also happens to be sentient. There are people who break the rules, but it can be charged as murder or attempted murder. Terramagne tends to err on the side of caution.
I know that Kite was granted American citizenship, because she was born to an American-owned horse on an American military base. So that was from birth.
>>That dog soup who is raising the feral child shapeshifter - is she a legally a kidnapper, enabling the delinquency of a minor, foster parent, no relation, what?<<
I doubt that there's any official acknowledgement of the relationship. A psychiatrist could identify a family bond, of course. But she can't be a kidnapper, because the child was neglected and abandoned by human parents.
>>What happens with interspecies adoption? The dog parent and dog-human shapeshifter are a good pair most if the time, but what happens when a purely human problem (like street harassment) comes up?<<
People do the best they can, but as far as I know, there aren't any official policies yet. That probably leaves gaps.
Even the Maldives hasn't seen it often enough to have a policy about it. When they had an orphaned whale calf, the humans were prepared to take care of him, but they didn't argue with Steel when he announced that he was keeping the calf. My bet is that same-species adoption would be preferred, interspecies permitted, and hopefully they'll respect relationships that form spontaneously.
>>What if the child is the first person to manifest in the family? (Ie Ironsides has a super-mega-intellect baby tortiose that learns to write.) Are they removed from the animal parent, given an aditional foster parent, given a soup mentor, what?<<
That's not a rare situation, but having both the parent and the baby together is a lot less common -- the soups are often noticed after they've separated. In the case of young soups with an animal parent, they're usually given a foster parent and/or soup mentor, because separating babies from parents is risky.
>>Does T-America have a a sapience test or talk-and-build-a-fire rule?<<
They have a variety of tests that can be applied -- intelligence tests, the Turing Test, the mark test, and so on. Talking and building a fire are things that can be cited as evidence. But they don't seem to have a single rule, probably because animal soups interacting with humans are uncommon enough that official stances haven't developed yet.
>> Do animal soups automatically become citizens at birth/manifestation (is Hercules a citizen of whatever country he lives in)? <<
The only example of that is the Maldives with cetaceans, which is new and was probably an afterthought. Other places have largely ignored the issue, with the exception of a few cases like Kite where it really needed to be settled promptly. It tends to get addressed on a case-by-case basis.
>>If yes, how do they deal with the fact that not everyone has birth certificates (Steel, Hercules, the giant squid in San Fransisco, and the redwoods don't have birth certificates, and except for Hercules, predate the concept)? <<
That's actually easier: governments with birth certificates have policies for handling people without them. You can either estimate the age and make a birth certificate after the fact, or just skip that part and issue some other ID with a notation that they didn't have an official record of birth. It happens a lot with refugee kids, nobody's issuing paperwork when your capital has been carpet-bombed. :/
>>For that matter what about cross-dimesional travellers like the kidnappy elves. Do racist jerks insist they aren't people because they arent human? <<
There's always someone who pulls that shit, but it is less tolerated in T-America than here. Most folks in Terramagne will recognize that the elves are people, even if they're pissing off everyone.
>> Does ICE arrest them and then have to figure out how to fill out non-existant 'deport to alternate dimension' forms before figuring out how to actually shove them back into their original dimension?<<
T-America doesn't have ICE the same way that L-America does, they handle immigration and refugees differently and better. (See Rutledge.) But they also don't need paperwork to punt someone. People from other dimensions don't have a right to be there at all. In practice, incursions usually get thrown off by whomever SPOON can send to get rid of them.
However, the elves are a very good example because some of them have been fleeing their dimension for decades -- which makes them refugees, which means people can make a case for letting them stay under refugee laws. That will become relevant when someone notices how many of them are actually here.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 01:47 pm (UTC)I'd suggest that they encourage a same-species auntie, uncle, grandparent, mentor etc to co.liment the different-species parent's skills and knowledge when possible. Two questions: 'Is a suitable person availible?' And 'Will a same-species alloparent be traumatic in some way?'
Ie if Turq's foster family gets a litter of super-intellect puppies, he could fill that role. He shouldn't fill that role if the puppes are traumatized by bigger dogs or something like that.
>>...governments with birth certificates have policies for handling people without them. <<
I'm not sure how good these are. In China, some children are denied paperwork for being 'extra children.' Someone mentioned that Burma has similar problems for children of single mothers, which is complicated by the war/ethnic cleansing/refugee stuff. In America, someone my age (adult) with no parerwork can get new copies of their existing paperwork...if they prove their identity...by providing paperwork. (I think you also need paperwork to fet into the country as a refugee.) I also once had a phone call where I was helping someone sign up for classes, but the lady on the phone had no clue what to tell me when I said the educational proof she needed had been destroyed in a bombing and fire. "Um, I don know what to tell you..."
>>In practice, incursions usually get thrown off by whomever SPOON can send to get rid of them.<<
To quote the Simpsons: "Stop throwing your trash into our dimension!" (Disclamer: referring to jackasses, not the refugees.) Incidentally, I'd love to see how T-America handles an interdimensional epic quest. Leaving in the language barrier would be awesome - you /never/ see that in this sort of story! (I can think of SSSS and a few fanfics, but even Tolkien didn't use too many language barriers with his stories.)
>>...some of them have been fleeing their dimension for decades -- which makes them refugees, which means people can make a case for letting them stay under refugee laws.<< Maybe some of them can go on the Epic Quest and act as translators. ("You will learn how to say this correctly in Elvish, because I am not mediating the next time you accidentally proposition someone!") Yes, unintentional innuendos seem to happen oftener than you think.
Re: LOVE IT
Date: 2020-03-13 04:24 pm (UTC)Occasionally, yes. :)
I appreciate haveing someplace where people like me testing ideas to detruction. (I'm like a cat: play with it until it breaks, then be briefly sad before finding something else to do.)
Prompt idea saved.
Other questions that make normals go ?huh?:
- How do you invent a nonspoken, nonhuman or starfish language?
- What would a sillicone-based* life form be like? *or methane, or radiation-eating, etc
- If you can invent languages, why not mathematical systems? Could you invent a new math system thet does tricks that don't work with the atandard system?
- How do you determine personhoood, if you are not going by species?
- Do they have conversion kits for pneumatic bikes? If not, why not?
- Why do teenage boys like to draw rude graffiti on stuff? You don't see women drawing rude 'lady' graffiti on stuff. Then again, that might be a good way to discourage donkeybutts from barging in where they aren't wanted...
- Why does our economy measure health by how much money is moving around? What are some other ways (with a really different system) to measure economic health?
- How do you hack-understand a starfish language? (Dolphins, elephand, diablos rojos, etc)
- Is it possible to make an efficient, yet biodegradable battery (to power an ebike) that doesn't use acids/heavy metals/edibles? Bonus points for being makable and reparable in a Walking Dead-like situation.
- Same as above, but replace battery with 'non-muscle power source.'
- Out of all the 'aliens keep humans as pets' stories, why dont we ever see the aliens trying to get cute tiny lap-humans with rare hair colors? We never hear abou designer-baby-alien-pets, its all "kidnap humans, stuff with cybernetics, and toss into gladiator fights."
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 04:49 am (UTC)We are FURIOUS!
You're welcome!
Date: 2020-03-13 04:55 am (UTC)Also we're kindred spirits. ;)
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2020-03-13 04:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 01:59 pm (UTC)And given Boss Blaster's reactions, it's only going to get better.
One thing *I* would ask the vet is what sort of foods she can be fed. Yeah, there's "rat chow" but she'd probably like more variety in her diet.
I'd not be surprised if she could eat some of the vegetable trimmings from the kitchen. Likely meat scraps too. It's the amounts and mix that you'd probably have to be careful about.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 02:55 pm (UTC)Hmm..
. I wonder if Jewel has empath or precog abilities?
Unrelated life hack: Sticking allergy lists or dietary restrictions on the fridge is very efficient, especially with a large group. (True story: "You may not bring a guinea pig in here; we have someone who is allergic.")
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 08:04 pm (UTC)He was *so* disappointed at having to eat steak and fish and the like (heavy sarcasm)
Well, with Jewel I was thinking of the things folks have said about rabbits. That things like carrots are like candy for them and should be given only occasionally. That's why I mentioned the "mix" being something to consider.
A new thought just occurred to me. Wonder if she'd like birdseed or nuts? Those are the sort of things parrots go for, and rats will cheerfully eat them too I believe.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 08:52 pm (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2020-03-14 01:27 am (UTC)She's been following people for food all along, so she seems to like them.
>>And given Boss Blaster's reactions, it's only going to get better.<<
LOL yes.
>> One thing *I* would ask the vet is what sort of foods she can be fed. Yeah, there's "rat chow" but she'd probably like more variety in her diet.<<
She's been eating in the wild, and probably eating a lot of junk in the park. Abruptly switching to rat chow would be bad.
>> I'd not be surprised if she could eat some of the vegetable trimmings from the kitchen. Likely meat scraps too. It's the amounts and mix that you'd probably have to be careful about.<<
Rats can eat damn near anything that will fit in their face. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat scraps, bread, candy bars, you name it. In the wilderness, rats mostly eat seeds and plant shoots, but will also forage for insects, earthworms, gnaw bark off trees in winter, etc.
For a healthy diet, I would offer a bowl of mixed grains-seeds-nuts, a bowl of fruit/vegetable scraps, and a bowl of rat chow. Meat scraps should be occasional tidbits. Let Jewel choose what she wants.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-03-14 08:17 am (UTC)I know it's a bad idea on *many* levels, but I just pictured Jewel and the kids happily gnawing away of a beef thigh bone like a friend used to get for her Labrador retreivers.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-03-14 08:41 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-03-17 03:13 am (UTC)Yes, carrots contain too much natural sugar to be good for rabbit digestion. Some people give them pieces of stale bread, but that's even worse. Leafy vegetables are better for them, and also plenty of hay (alfalfa is preferred). They also like stems, and similarly stringy things, which is why people who have house rabbits have to be careful about electrical cords and computer cables, phone wires, speaker wires, and similar things. If it resembles a stem, Bun-Bun will chew it. I once let one of my bunnies walk around on the lawn, on a leash. There were violets growing in the lawn - they're a common "weed" in the Northeast. She was much more interested in the stems than the flowers, so I got to pick more violets and candy them to use for cake decoration.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-13 08:57 pm (UTC)http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/07/07/digger-131/
(From Digger by Ursula Vernon)
As I recall, the flying rats in Digger are librarians and couriers at a temple.
--Laura G
*laugh*
Date: 2020-03-13 10:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-16 12:07 am (UTC)okay no because i would be very outnumbered but
three?
Well ...
Date: 2020-03-16 12:22 am (UTC)Rats are social animals. They are happier kept in groups. :D Three is a feasible number for many ratkeepers. The good cages are typically optimized for 2-4 rats. Of course, with sky rats, you need a lot more room so they can fly.