Badges are great at making you look official. Seriously, you flash a badge at someone, half the time they won't even check, you get the attitude right. Fall over themselves to help you 'cause you had a bit of plastic wrapped card. Marvelous! *sudden thought* Do you even have police? You know, to protect and serve, maintain order, enforce the law, prevent and detect crime, all that?
They certainly seem like useful things to have. I'll have to see one sometime.
*shakes her head* No, nothing like that. Each Queen and her court sees to the maintaining of order in her district or territory. Those who have broken the law are either dealt with by those they wronged, or brought before the Queen if those wronged aren't able to take care of it themselves.
Quasi-fuedal. Like the Shi'ar. Well, except the Shi'ar kinda have police. Except they're more military enforcers than part of a judicial branch; more army than police force, but with elements of both. And all the local... um. They report to local... um, there's no equivalent title, really. Sort of like a General, but also Judge. And keeper of their domains. Who in turn report to the high, uh... council? And the council reports to the Majestor or Majestrix, the Imperial Leader of the Empire. Which is a hereditory position occupied by members of the Neramani family. ...aaand you really didn't need to be told any of that, sorry.
I suppose a Queens guards would serve as something like police, though Queens in Kaeleer don't seem to have them the same way Dorothea does. So, that would be like your Shi'ar's military enforcers, yes?
There aren't really laws, per se. Not like you seem to have them. A Queen may do as she pleases until someone stronger than her stops her. If Queens come into conflict, then the one stronger, or the one with the higher status would generally win.
Of course, Dorothea's not a Queen, but she has Queens who bow to her due to her strength. None of them have a dark enough Jewel to stand against her save Jaenelle and Karla in Kaeleer.
Rule of power. The Kree have a similar system except they all have this weird thing where if the Supreme Intelligence tells them to do anything, they ALL just do it, not just the little weak guys. Even though it's pretty much just a talking brain and they have all the massive weapons. Doesn't seem to bother them that it's set them up to die a couple of thousand times. Weird. And there's that whole thing where if you're Kree, you're in the Kree military whether you know it or not. ...do you have, like. I dunno what to-- Like, chivalry laws? I mean, social, not legal laws. Like rules of conduct? Like on Titan, even the worst of enemies wouldn't enter each other's rooms without permission. I mean, there's no law against it, they just... don't.
We have Protocol, yes. Social laws designed to keep the balance of power in check. To protect the weaker among us. To care for the land and the landen--those who are not Blood. Who have no Craft. No magic. Not everyone follows it and it's been twisted into something to oppress, but that's not what it's supposed to be.
*nods* The Skrull's edicts against mutants started as an attempt to stop a disease, sort of like an accelerated cancer, in which their natural shape-shifting abilities went into overdrive, each cell attempting to transform repeatedly and independently... These days it's used as an excuse to weed out anyone that might a threat to their genetic 'purity'. Good intentions always seem to get usurped.
This is why democracy never works; it's not the politics of the people, it's the politics of high media and special interests. I like collectives but they only work properly on small scales and they have a tendency towards being insular so extra-collection interaction doesn't work. And tyranny's no good because even when your tyrant is actual benevolent it's also inevitable that they'll get old or die or replaced or fail to change to adapt to changing circumstances. But total anarchy never works either because the triumph of individualism is always followed by the break down of everything else 'cause, you know, people suck, so. Shit happens.
The mere idea of democracy is a terrifying one. People are sheep and have no idea what's best for them. But yes, I've seen tyranny on the negative side and... *considers* Jaenelle is not a tyrant. But she is a Queen. One who looks after her people. But there is little to say that when we are gone, things won't change again.
Disgustingly disagreeable. There's some suggestion the slang term originates from early Jazz tradition in the 1920s when musicians said players who had a good sound when playing horns could really blow; hence 'he doesn't blow, he sucks' to be bad and thence into common usage. Although that's possible apocryphal to allow it into dictionaries and the like without having to make references to fellatio, although I've never really understood why 'cocksucker' is considered an insult. Maybe because it's incorrectly seen as a submissive act and our culture rates power and dominance as features of a successful person.
...on occasion I talk too much, you should feel free to stop me at any time.
Well, I'm not saying it can't be, I mean, it often is, especially if consent is dubious, coerced or non-extant, but-- Inherently submissive? No way! For one thing, we have teeth, you know?
But in a coercive enviroment any performed act is an act of submission because of the coercion, not the act itself. And, and, and if you're, I dunno, okay, if you blow a guy so he won't kill you, that's actually an act of control, isn't it? I mean, choice, compromise as a form of, or, or, or at least an attempt to-towards self-determination. Just 'cause all your choices are crappy doesn't mean you don't have a choice. Not submissive. ...or if you're using it as a bargaining tool! Not submissive. And if you're doing it right, I mean, you can slow down, you can speed up, you can make them beg you to finish them, you, uh, you, um. *slight blush* Okay, suddenly I'm really uncomfortable talking about this with my Dad's girlfriend.
We can change the subject then. I hadn't expected to get into a discussion of the....finer points of the act, myself. You're right about the control aspect, I suppose, and bargaining tools.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-04-12 08:49 pm (UTC)You're no fun.
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Date: 2006-04-12 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:54 pm (UTC)I heard that rumored somewhere.
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Date: 2006-04-12 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:58 pm (UTC)The badge is clearly the most important thing if you're making such a claim.
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Date: 2006-04-12 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 09:09 pm (UTC)*shakes her head* No, nothing like that. Each Queen and her court sees to the maintaining of order in her district or territory. Those who have broken the law are either dealt with by those they wronged, or brought before the Queen if those wronged aren't able to take care of it themselves.
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Date: 2006-04-13 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 08:49 pm (UTC)I suppose a Queens guards would serve as something like police, though Queens in Kaeleer don't seem to have them the same way Dorothea does. So, that would be like your Shi'ar's military enforcers, yes?
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Date: 2006-04-13 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 08:57 pm (UTC)Of course, Dorothea's not a Queen, but she has Queens who bow to her due to her strength. None of them have a dark enough Jewel to stand against her save Jaenelle and Karla in Kaeleer.
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Date: 2006-04-13 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 09:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 09:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 10:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 10:11 pm (UTC)The mere idea of democracy is a terrifying one. People are sheep and have no idea what's best for them. But yes, I've seen tyranny on the negative side and... *considers* Jaenelle is not a tyrant. But she is a Queen. One who looks after her people. But there is little to say that when we are gone, things won't change again.
People...suck?
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Date: 2006-04-13 10:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 10:17 pm (UTC)The good way I understand. I haven't heard it used in this other fashion.
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Date: 2006-04-13 10:26 pm (UTC)...on occasion I talk too much, you should feel free to stop me at any time.
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Date: 2006-04-13 10:35 pm (UTC)We rate power and dominance as features of success in a way, too, I suppose.
You don't see it as a submissive act?
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Date: 2006-04-13 10:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 10:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 11:01 pm (UTC)We can change the subject then. I hadn't expected to get into a discussion of the....finer points of the act, myself. You're right about the control aspect, I suppose, and bargaining tools.
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