Suederwind wrote:Are there different forms of matchmaking for each Loroi culture and what kind of differences are there?
I don't imagine too much variation because the core problems will be essentially the same, and because everyone will have to conform to some basic standards set by the central government. Some subcultures might ritualize the matchmaking process more than others. Some might be more lax in easing restrictions, such as in colonial areas where population growth was encouraged even in peacetime. Some might make a lottery out of it. If there was anywhere that a female could actually go and buy sex, it would probably be on Maia/Donei.
Pre-recontact Perrein also had a wrinkle in the sense that some males had a comparatively high status (being priests of the local religion), but were often sent to remote foreign communities "on loan" as a sort of exchange of hostages to prevent conflicts.
Seuderwind wrote:If the males are not part of these female "families", do they have some kind of similar "family" connection between them? Like father, son and grandson?
Parent-child relationships are often not very strong in Loroi of either gender, because the parent usually takes very little direct role in raising the child, and so your mother is not very distinct from the numerous aunts and cousins and other adult women you grew up around. Parents who take a particular interest in their children may develop strong friendships with them, but there is usually not that automatic bond between mother and child that we are accustomed to. This relationship is probably even less common between fathers and sons, as fathers will rarely meet any of their offspring, unless perhaps the son joins the same local caste/order and they become acquainted that way.
Given the low male birth rates, brothers will be very rare. Most Loroi brothers are probably twins, who would have a special relationship above and beyond family. But again, this would be rare.
Mr Bojangles wrote:What are the Loroi concepts of love? For a species in which pair bonding is likely nonexistent, I can't see them having a concept of romantic love. That could change, though, depending on Loroi attitudes towards homosexuality. As the Loroi do have family units and warrior crèches, I can see them having concepts of familial and platonic love.
Love is permitted and even encouraged, but attachment is not. Loroi females enjoy the mating encounters, and not just the physical aspect of them, and can develop strong affection for the male mating partner and remember the interaction fondly for many years thereafter, during the long periods in which she will be expected to go without having sex. However, because the males must be shared with other females, there are taboos against infatuation and jealousy. While healthy rivalry is encouraged between warrior females in nearly all matters, jealously over a male is considered a repugnant trait on par with dishonesty. Even just requesting a second encounter with the same male would be seen as a warning sign of potential attachment.
However, rules are made to be broken, and a female with sufficient power and privilege can, if she wishes, see a particular male more than once, or even have him allocated exclusively to herself. There are cases where male and female form permanent emotional attachments, but these are subjects of the kinds of tales that don't end well, resulting in high body counts and fallen kingdoms. When a female becomes obsessed with and refuses to share a male, this is viewed as a signal to her friends (and to her enemies) that she's about to go off the rails. So, if the female is still sensible, such things must be handled quietly, behind closed doors.
For their part, Loroi males are very emotional and feel very intensely, but they are often fickle and changeable, with short attention spans. Which I suppose is not that different from many human males. I'm reminded of a sequence from
Finnian's Rainbow in which a Leprechaun is gradually becoming human: "Oh Sharon, you're the only one! Wait, you're not Sharon at all; you're Susan. Yet I feel the same frenzy for you! Is this what it's like to be mortal? Is every girl the only girl? I'm beginning to like it!"
Because attachment to a male is discouraged, the most important emotional attachments for a female Loroi are to her female friends and relatives. Sisterly affection can be very intense (as it is among humans), and this intimacy is increased by telepathic contact, especially when physically touching. This kind of contact is how most females satisfy their need for intimacy and emotional fulfillment. It is this telepathic stimulation (not sex) that is the primary glue that binds Loroi social groups together. This can be difficult for humans to appreciate, because of our tendency to think of intimacy exclusively in sexual terms.
Because of the intimacy of telepathic contact, homosexual activity is relatively rare, though in any biological system there will always be deviation. The idea of a "homosexual relationship" wouldn't make much sense to the Loroi, since they don't really have heterosexual "relationships" and they are not inherently monogamous. Instead, females might have a "normal" intimate friendship with one or more females, to which a sexual element was added.
A homosexual male Loroi would be in a very difficult position, as he would have very little opportunity for intimacy with other males.
Koori wrote:If two loroi girls decide to have sex, it will cause a condemnation of society?
I think the view of society will vary depending on subculture. On the one hand, Loroi traditions can be very rigid. On the other hand, such activity would be viewed by the Loroi as just a private behavior, whereas in our culture it is usually viewed as choosing a completely alternate lifestyle. And for the Loroi, sex is almost exclusively a private subject; public displays of sexuality (of any kind) would be very unusual and unwelcome. I think that in warrior culture, homosexuality might be considered a problem, not necessarily because there is anything "wrong" with such activity, but because in the military it's important to feel that the warrior next to you has your back, and is not going to either a) give preferential treatment to her sexual partners, or b) confront you at inopportune moments with unwanted sexual advances. And because the nature of telepathy makes it difficult to keep such things secret.
fredgiblet wrote:Suederwind wrote:Will Alex encounter a Loroi male sometime in the future?
His name is A Welcome Rain, he'll be coming on-board eventually to replace Tempest's Farseer, and yes he's a male on a warship, it's a thing they're trying.
There will probably be at least two, the other being the Emperor's nephew (Ashrain's grandfather).
Koori wrote:About industry: 1.Sex is an excellent means of removing nervous tension (for humans) and it is important for the war, with frequent extreme events. 2.Anyway a lot of things can be considered part of this industry - and the innocent candy in the form of hearts, and red-light districts. I mean, does they have the means of expressing sympathy and special favors? About relationships of girls again.
Because humans are monogamous, sex does a lot of things for us biochemically that help keep a pair together and happy. Organisms that are not monogamous will probably enjoy sex very much, but it won't necessarily have the same soothing effects that it has on us. Rutting stags don't seem very calmed by the act of sex; they have a lot of other females to impregnate in a short period of time.
There will certainly be an industry around the "red light districts" in which the encounters happen. Though I think the emphasis will usually be on an upscale experience, since everything is very official and sanctioned. I imagine something like the Japanese
hanamachi districts in which the courtesans were quartered: very ornate and surrounded with much ceremony.
It's possible that some mating rituals might involve the females bringing ritual gifts, but since neither party chooses his or her partner, I doubt such gifting has reached the levels it has in Western society. And no, I don't think the Loroi females buy each other Valentine's Day cards.
Koori wrote:About react to human girls: Whether such contact cause conflict because of jealousy?
Jealousy between Loroi females is greatly frowned upon. A human female would have very little chance of being allowed to have sex with a Loroi male, so there wouldn't be much for a Loroi female to be jealous of.