The Almean Human Psyche

[VeganGrinder]

Since the Humans on Almea are somewhat different then Humans inhabiting Earth, I ws wondering; Do Almean Humans have a different psychology? I mean are there any intresting quirks in the A.Human psyche that you know of? Or haven't you been that involved with them.

[zompist]

There's two I'm aware of.

1. For evolutionary reasons, Almean humans have a thing for water. If at all possible, they live near the water and bathe every day. They don't tolerate very dry climates well (these areas are therefore either empty, or inhabited by elcari).

2. They're a little nicer than terrestrial humans. They can be plenty nasty, but they don't have quite the depths of vicious cruelty that our species does.

[Pthagnar]

2. They're a little nicer than terrestrial humans. They can be plenty nasty, but they don't have quite the depths of vicious cruelty that our species does.

Hmm, so what sort of things that have happened on Earth would be impossible to think of on Almea? The Holocaust? That experiment with the teacher and the "pupil", showing what even ordinary people can do if they're allowed to?

-Pthag of Sandelfon

[DF]

I *think* I remember something about Zomp saying that Almean humans only had, like, *maybe* three toes? Or something like that...or maybe that was Flaids...

[zompist]

Yeah, the Holocaust is a good example. The reason is more or less literary: I'd consider it a little creepy to make up something as evil as genocide in order to excite the reader's indignation.

Almean hominids have four toes, though I don't know how that would affect their psychology.

[NakedCelt]

Yeah, the Holocaust is a good example. The reason is more or less literary: I'd consider it a little creepy to make up something as evil as genocide in order to excite the reader's indignation.

I'm not sure the difference between genocide and ordinary thuggishness is in the psychology of the perpetrators, though — more their degree of organization.

Almean hominids have four toes, though I don't know how that would affect their psychology.

I've always wondered about that. Do they have narrower feet than we do? Or wider toes? Or bigger gaps in between?

[zompist]

Almean hominids have four toes, though I don't know how that would affect their psychology.

I've always wondered about that. Do they have narrower feet than we do? Or wider toes? Or bigger gaps in between?

I'm not sure, mostly because I don't know to what extent the width of our feet is accident, and how much it's needed for balance. Assuming it's a little of both, I'd say the toes are wider but the foot is a bit narrower.

[NakedCelt]

Almean hominids have four toes, though I don't know how that would affect their psychology.

I've always wondered about that. Do they have narrower feet than we do? Or wider toes? Or bigger gaps in between?

I'm not sure, mostly because I don't know to what extent the width of our feet is accident, and how much it's needed for balance. Assuming it's a little of both, I'd say the toes are wider but the foot is a bit narrower.

Hmmm... that doesn't seem to fit in with their aquatic origin, though...

[zompist]

Ah, good point. OK, cancel that order for narrower feet.

[Iscun]

Ah, good point. OK, cancel that order for narrower feet.

...and immediately every human on Almea experiences sudden, excruciating growing pains

[Shm Jay]

Ah, good point. OK, cancel that order for narrower feet.

With all this foot discussion, I feel like I?m blundered into George DuMaurier?s novel Trilby!
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwa ... rilby.html

One of the reasons why Trilby was such an exciting person is that she walked around in bare feet, or she was once bare-footed, or something like that. It?s been years since I read the novel.

So, what are the attitudes towards bare feet in the Almean cultures?

[zompist]

With all this foot discussion, I feel like I?m blundered into George DuMaurier?s novel Trilby!
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwa ... rilby.html

Huh! I just never knew that Svengali was a fictional character. Educational, this board is.

One of the reasons why Trilby was such an exciting person is that she walked around in bare feet, or she was once bare-footed, or something like that. It?s been years since I read the novel.

So, what are the attitudes towards bare feet in the Almean cultures?

Hmm. I doubt that Almea would be all that gratifying for a foot fetishist. In a pre-modern world, going barefoot would largely mean having really filthy feet. (Think for a moment about the implications of the principal form of transportation being the horse.) It would be common enough, but mostly associated with being poor (or a child-- you don't have to be dirt poor to be unhappy about keeping a large family of growing children in shoes).

The ilii, ic?lani, and ktuvoks almost never wear anything on the feet (and are fairly careless about any other form of clothing).

[Warmaster]

The ilii, ic?lani, and ktuvoks almost never wear anything on the feet (and are fairly careless about any other form of clothing).

i'd always imagined them {especially the illi and Ktuvoki} only waring clothes to protect against the weather. after all, if you live underwater a lot, its probobly going to be a bit of a shock to the system getting out. though i wouldn't think they'd just ware clothes to "cover up"

At least, thats what i think

[zompist]

i'd always imagined them {especially the illi and Ktuvoki} only waring clothes to protect against the weather. after all, if you live underwater a lot, its probobly going to be a bit of a shock to the system getting out. though i wouldn't think they'd just ware clothes to "cover up"

The ilii do use clothing for any really arduous cross-country travel. They (like the ktuvoks) can easily stand air temperatures down to freezing, but of course on land it can get much lower than that.

Of course, during war, both ilii and ktuvoks will wear some sort of armor.

Ilii do wear things for adornment (though more in the way of jewelry and belts and crowns than actual clothes). Visiting human cities, some of them sometimes remember to wear something so as not to offend their hosts.

Ktuvoks may wear robes or armor during rituals-- it's all part of impressing the slaves.

[Glenn]

Ah, good point. OK, cancel that order for narrower feet.

With all this foot discussion, I feel like I?m blundered into George DuMaurier?s novel Trilby!
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwa ... rilby.html

One of the reasons why Trilby was such an exciting person is that she walked around in bare feet, or she was once bare-footed, or something like that. It?s been years since I read the novel.

To veer off the topic for a moment: I haven't read Trilby myself, but in an article on it that I saw a few years ago, it noted that Trilby was indeed described as going barefoot in the novel (and the stage play based on it), and that the artist hero, Little Billee, who loves her, paints pictures of her bare feet. However, it also noted that this was not meant as a foot fetish: the "barefoot" reference was a sidelong Victorian hint that Trilby was willing to pose for the artists in the nude, and as a shorthand for her wild, "scandalous" nature more generally.

Back to Almea: the elcari have not been mentioned, but I suspect that (a) they generally go about in shoes or boots--and often sturdy ones at that--but (b) when they do go barefoot, their feet are probably fairly tough to match the mountainous terrain where they live (Z mentioned that elcari feet are good for climbing), and much the same probably applies to the murtani.

p@,
Glenn

[Das J]

That experiment with the teacher and the "pupil", showing what even ordinary people can do if they're allowed to?

I beg your pardon? I've never heard of this.

[Sander]

Almean hominids have four toes

Do they also have 4 fingers? and in that case, do they use an octal (instead of decimal) system?

[Mecislau]

Almean hominids have four toes

Do they also have 4 fingers? and in that case, do they use an octal (instead of decimal) system?

No, I think they have 5 fingers.

[Sander]

oh, pity, woulda been cool

[Mecislau]

oh, pity, woulda been cool

You don't need to have a different number of fingers to have a different base system. For example, still using fingers (for Earth), you could have a base-5 (one hand), base-10 (two hands), base-12 (two hands plus the two feet), or base-20 (all fingers and toes).

And that's just assuming you use fingers and toes for the base of the number system. The system could actually be based on anything.

[zompist]

Just to confirm, Almean hominids have 10 fingers and 8 toes.

In the languages I've created so far, we have base 10 (the Easterners), base 6 (Wede:i), base 18 (Methaiun), and base 12 (Elkar?l).

[Mecislau]

Just to confirm, Almean hominids have 10 fingers and 8 toes.

In the languages I've created so far, we have base 10 (the Easterners), base 6 (Wede:i), base 18 (Methaiun), and base 12 (Elkar?l).

I just curious, what are the stories behind these other bases?

[zompist]

In the languages I've created so far, we have base 10 (the Easterners), base 6 (Wede:i), base 18 (Methaiun), and base 12 (Elkar?l).

I just curious, what are the stories behind these other bases?

All pretty simple:

The elcari consider 12 to be the most useful base for calculations: it's divisible into 2 (twice) and 3, which will be needed more often than division by 5.

The Wede:i had a different system of finger-counting: the fist alone = 1, then each of the fingers are extended in turn.

The Easterners generalized from the number of fingers; the Methaiun from the number of fingers plus toes.

[Aidan]

The elcari consider 12 to be the most useful base for calculations: it's divisible into 2 (twice) and 3, which will be needed more often than division by 5.

I'm inclined to agree with them, as are my gnomes. Though I've done some comparative work on arithmetic patterns in different number bases, and there are a number of nice, more or less useful, patterns that exist in 10, but not 12 (or 8 or 16).

Though, there's somewhat of a sampling error there. I already know some pretyt non-obvious patterns in 10, which I can then see don't exist in, say 12. But patterns in 12, but not 10, of similar non-obviousness, I have not necessarily discovered.

Additionally, I'd point out that there is a way to derive base 12 from finger counting (and I think it's done, in India perhaps?). Count by touching your thumb to each joint of the fingers of one hand, and you get to 12 on one hand. Three on each of four fingers.

But it's sort of an assumption that all non-humans will use a number-system based on the number of fingers (or whatever) they have. Most, perhaps (perhaps not), but it shouldn't be esteemed as absolutely as it often is by conworlders. (Not intended to refer to Almea, just a theoretical aside)

[Drydic]

That experiment with the teacher and the "pupil", showing what even ordinary people can do if they're allowed to?

I beg your pardon? I've never heard of this.

I beg pardons also; this rings a bell, but it's about an inch wide, and just fell in half.