another odd question (altenative lifestyles)

[ShaLeah]

So what you are saying, ShaLeah, is it would be fine to have a character rape other characters, for the other people would just see that as normal and acceptable?  And that character wouldn't go to jail?  If that is the case on Zalanthas I'd make a character that would rape every person coming out of a tavern right there in the street.

Warning: I am not advocating rape.

As far as I know, every city board has a post on it about the laws of that city. Not one of them mentions rape as a crime.
Go ahead and make that character, I challenge you. Make a low rinthi elf that's a rapist, then make a noble's aide, then a house merchant, then a noble and finally a templar. Each one of them rapists, each one, I guarantee you, will be dealt with differently.

I think what she's saying is that if you get raped by somebody higher up on the social ladder, it isn't great but there isn't much you can do about it.

It's nice to know someone got my point.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Actually, before Tuluk was liberated, the Allanaki forces occupying it stated that rape was illegal.

I can only imagine that rape is also illegal in Allanak by extension.  It -is- the same as assault, so whether or not you get away with it all depends on how good your contacts are, how discreet you are, and whether or not you are above the law.

[jhunter]

I think it was illegal at the time because the nakkis didn't really want to risk more mingling between northern and southern blood.
Just a possibility.
*shrugs*

[Bestatte]

It doesn't mention that manually removing a noble's toenails and peeling their skin off with a dull blade is illegal either - but that doesn't mean it isn't viewed as a "bad thing" in the citystates.

Just because something isn't specified as being illegal doesn't mean the general public is going to consider it as acceptable behavior.

[Impska]

I know I'm only adding to an off-topic line of discussion, but as far as rape goes:

It doesn't matter if rape is illegal or not in terms of a noble/templar doing it. Nobles and templars are above the law, anyway. But don't for a minute think that if a group of Lord Saths kidnap Lady Borsail and gangbang her in the basement of the Oash estate while the Oash family takes bets on which one fathers her kid, that Borsail isn't going to rain hell on those people for raping their family member. Ditto if they do it to a Lord Borsail.

If they do it to some 13 year old kid from the slums? Once again, nobles are above the law. It's doubtful that anyone much would want to push the issue. And many people likely wouldn't see it as rape.

If Joe Commoner walks into Jane Commoner's house and rapes her, then there's probably not a doubt that it's illegal. Selling sex is a legal business, so as stated above, even if Zalanthans have no concept of rape, they know all about theft. And stealing sex from a free woman (who owns her own body, even if she owns nothing else) would be illegal. Likewise with free men - we all know it can go both ways.

However, I don't think that Zalanthas would necessarily have no concept of rape. And I also suspect it would be formally illegal in civilized areas of the world. I don't think "Zalanthas isn't the real world, so rape might be ok" is really a convincing argument here. Like most crimes in Zalanthas, the victim's rights would fall almost entirely to the victim/perpetrator's relative social status, power and wealth. These things, on an individual basis would decide whether or not it's a crime, and if it is, they will weigh on whether or not the law enforcers react.

[jhunter]

In the eyes of the law, people have rights on Zalanthas? That's a new one to me.

[flurry]

If you can't even subdue someone else in public without having half a dozen guards jump on you, I think it's pretty safe to say that rape would get you arrested too.    For commoners, of course, since the law really only exists for them.

[Impska]

In the eyes of the law, people have rights on Zalanthas? That's a new one to me.

Like most crimes in Zalanthas, the victim's rights would fall almost entirely to the victim/perpetrator's relative social status, power and wealth. These things, on an individual basis would decide whether or not it's a crime, and if it is, they will weigh on whether or not the law enforcers react.

I think I was clear on that in the original post.

[Stroker]

Yes .... they do have rights as long as their pockets are filled with clanking obsidian.

[Stroker]

Just like in real life.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Just like in real life.

You forgot to add "In Communist Russia" at the end of that sentence.

[Stroker]

Actually, corruption is prevalent everywhere.

[EvilRoeSlade]

*puts his hands over his ears and sings the national anthem loudly, like any REAL Patriot would do*

[Cenghiz]

emote launches a few Scuds for EvilRoeSlade's patriots.

[WhiteRanger(logged out)]

Well I actually think rape would be commonly accepted in Zalanthas. If you are half starving to death, you know that almost everyone on the street is willing to put a dagger in your back for five coins, and it happens all of the time, I think rape would just be another passing thing. Sure some people might hold grudges against it personally, but as a society, I dont think anyone would really care if someone held down a whore in the sleeping commons and got a good poke at her, they would probably just say its none of thier business and walk on by. Rape happens all of the time, thats how most half-elves exist, and its sold and practiced as a way of life with the houses that sell slaves. Nobles of Allanak probably get thier fix all of the time by slamming it hard to this or that pretty faced commoner waif/stud. And commoners get the urge to do a little this and that, when they actually have had a meal recently and arent worried about starving, so sure, a little forced pedaphilia would be a nice thing on their leasure time away from worrying about staying alive. If you ask me rape is just a passing thing that happens when the strong, decided to oppress the weak,,,that is Armageddon after all,,,the strong taking from the weak.

[flurry]

In the long run, however, there is no sexual practice in Zalanthas that is frowned upon universally on the same level that homosexualality and pedophilia are in our own, modern day world.

Playing devil's advocate somewhat here...

As far as pedophilia goes - yeah, I agree, that is basically universally taboo and rightly so, and you're probably right that Zalanthas may lack those kinds of universal taboos.

Homosexuality I think is a whole different category, and I don't think in our current world it's anywhere close to universally frowned upon.  In Western culture it might be 50/50.   In Zalanthas I think there are definitely things like that where many people would look down on it, but many would not.   Sex between certain races for example - some people would shrug it off, and some would find it offensive.   Of course it has hard to make the comparison between the two worlds, because in Zalanthas you don't generally have the (good or bad) influences of religion on various issues like this.

[Carnage]

As far as pedophilia goes - yeah, I agree, that is basically universally taboo and rightly so, and you're probably right that Zalanthas may lack those kinds of universal taboos.

Greeks and a few other early cultures didn't feel the same way.

Ninja edit:

http://www.123student.com/law/2502.shtml[/url]"]Sexual abuse of children is not new, and has not always been socially
taboo.  The ancient Greeks and Romans used children for sexual
gratification(Langevin, 1983).  In Greece, it was commonplace for adolescent
males to be forced into sexual relationships with mature males.  This behavior
was normal and not objected to by the child's parents nor the Greek
government(Langevin, 1983).  The Romans encouraged adolescent boys and girls not
to protest being sold into prostitution.  The Roman government even went so far
as to declare a public holiday honoring young prostitutes(Kahr, 1991).

[flurry]

You're right - and in retrospect, there -are- universal taboos in Zalanthas (like the universal aversion among elves to riding), but perhaps not sexual ones.

[Trenidor]

Hey, anyone else hear about Rickie Martin's new mission to get rid of under 18 prostitution? (like it will ever happen world wide, but I'm sure it'll help somehwerE)

[Carnage]

You're right - and in retrospect, there -are- universal taboos in Zalanthas (like the universal aversion among elves to riding), but perhaps not sexual ones.

The basic rule of thumb when it comes to things like this is that if it comes to genders or sex, there's no discrimination. But racism is a-okay.

[John]

Hey, anyone else hear about Rickie Martin's new mission to get rid of under 18 prostitution?

What would he do if he was successful? Well actually, he'd have a whole new bunch of free lady friends. Ooh. That guy is smart   (kidding, please don't kill me)

The basic rule of thumb when it comes to things like this is that if it comes to genders or sex, there's no discrimination. But racism is a-okay.

The day we are racist to races that are as intelligent as our own is the day that will be a valid argument. The day people are encouraged to hate people of a certain colour in the game is the day that will be a valid argument. Until then, saying that just muddies the situation because of how the term race is used in real life.

Earth Race = Humans that are of a particular colour
Zalanthan Race = Different types of species.

We aren't racist in zalanthas. We're specist.

[Agent_137]

semantics.

[Morrolan]

Except elves and humans can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.  That makes them the same species, I believe.

And as for dwarves?  No clue.  What is the species-relationship between donkeys and horses?

Half-giants would be a separate species as they cannot interbreed and produce offspring...which has to do with fertility, not the fact that trying it would be like mating a St. Bernard to a Chihuahua.   :shock:

Morrolan

--EDIT for typos.  Maybe I should have waited until -after- the smoke-break.

[sacac]

I have seen a HG give birth from having sex with another HG.
Mul are dwarves and humans.
elves+humans= Half-breed

[Lazloth]

Except elves and humans can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.  That makes them the same species, I believe.

Biologically speaking, the sterile/fertile halfbreed/hybrid offspring is not a given, contrary to how specie may have been defined when you were in school.  There are conditions where the female (yak-cow) is fertile, while the male is sterile; there are conditions where all offspring (beefalo, wolphin) are interfertile.