Ok, this one is very late. It turns out I am sick, so that's my excuse.
Idrisah's religious attitude is a bit eccentric. Some of her extended family is more secular than her, some are more orthodox, and all of them don't really get why she's so steadfastly adhering to some of the tenants of Islam while wildly disregarding others. Idrisah's a woman in conflict between her desire for the stability and connection of tradition; and her magnetic draw towards the strange, challenging, and subversive.
Next week: Chapter 6 begins!
Transcript
Anonymous asked: Idrisah, what was the first time you heard Tiiliitian, and what made you want to study the language since you can’t speak it?
Idrisah: Well, I've always been a language nerd. In high school I took most of the classes they offered. Those were human languages, though... Portuguese, Mandarin, French, etc. I had definitely HEARD Tiiliitian spoken before, but it never stuck in my mind as anything more than "strange." My first real life encounter with it was during a cultural exchange program our band did with an avian musical school. They learned to perform some of our human music, and we learned to perform some of theirs. But for the pieces with a vocal section, we couldn't sing their bitonal lyrics. So they had me and another clarinetist duet those parts. Harmonizing with the Tiiliitian instructor as they sang our part with us was enthralling. In those moments, I felt like I was on the precipice of a well of history as deep as humanity's, that I simply hadn't even considered before. How could I not want to learn more?
Anonymous asked: Idrisah, what do you mean when you say you're agnostic? I thought you were Muslim?
Idrisah: I'm both! In majority atheist cultures like Jovia, people expect that if you question god’s existence, well, obviously you’re not religious, right? But that’s just because they think the only logical conclusion of doubting god is renouncing god. They’re making cultural and spiritual decisions, but they don’t even realize it. They're presupposing atheism onto a mindset that is defined by a lack of presupposition! Personally, I don’t think there is
a way to empirically prove the existence of the divine. It will never be a certainty. But I choose to follow the traditions I come from, to pray, and to believe. In doing so, I connect myself to my family, my history, humanity, and the eternal in a way I don’t think can be defined by empiricism. To me, that connection is divinity. But that’s harder to explain to my orthodox relatives than “well of COURSE god is real”...
Anonymous asked: Idrisah and Gillie, would you consider Talita a colleague or a friend?
Idrisah: (ASL) A friend, of course!
Gillie: (ASL) Yeah, she's like the only person here we hang out with. Since she UNDERSTANDS sign...
49 thoughts on “RttS Reader Questions 24”
MyUniverseinaBox
Also the avian singing stuff sounds so interesting!! AughhhH
MyUniverseinaBox
Idrisah’s head covering here is so cool raghh
Vinemaple
One thing I’m certain on about doubt (heh): a moral code, religious or otherwise, is useless if you always believe you’re in the right. If you can’t question your assumptions, if you can’t accommodate the possibility that you may be wrong, that you may be doing harm or acting unethically, then a moral code simply becomes a means to justify your actions and vilify any opposition you may encounter. Doubting oneself, and one’s understanding of the moral or ethical code one believes in, is CRUCIAL for maintaining that moral or ethical code.
Consequently, suppressing, ignoring, or shouting down any criticism of one’s moral or ethical code is counterproductive, and can lead to self-righteousness and hypocrisy. Listening to and understanding the criticisms of one’s moral or religious code can even help one see one’s own hypocrisy or confusion, with the end result of being better at understanding and following it!
Joysweeper
Avians seem to be the aliens humans get on with the best, between this and Ohwitiil being born in a city that also had a human population. Are humans the aliens avians get on with the best? Avian diplomats who deal with bug ferrets would have to be very tolerant of touch, and maybe use prosthetic fingers to make appropriate signs. They might be oddballs in avian society. Centaurs… man I don’t know what they’d think of each other.
I wonder if it was a bit of a relief for avians to contact aliens who might be scary-looking and have split themselves into a bunch of subspecies, but primarily speak verbally and think physical contact between people who’ve just met is minimal and formalized.
Lyre
I’ve been wondering about those sorts of things as well! Though, to be fair, we’re starting in a setting housing primarily humans and avians, and we have a relatively high number of fleshed-out avian characters so far… and our main centaur and (in the future) bug ferret characters aren’t very representative of their species when it comes to socialisation. We could have a skewed impression of how common and smooth avian-human cohabitation is compared to other combinations as a result.
Still, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if the intensity of bug ferret social interaction (and the way their graphic design looks…) could make bug ferret + other species cohabitation situations kind of… overstimulating? For other species? It wouldn’t be as bad as actually marrying into a bug ferret family or something- iirc Jay’s talked about *that* only being feasible for a human who’s extremely extroverted- but still. I think diplomacy would be alright, though? I figure bug ferret diplomat groups that deal with aliens regularly would be used to accommodating touch aversion, and avian diplomats would be able to communicate with them verbally. Maybe bug ferrets communicating *back* would be more finicky, since they’d have even more obstacles than Idrisah to speaking most avian languages. Relatively-touch-tolerant avians as interpreters (maybe also using prosthetic digits or other workarounds to interpret both ways)? Visual, no-touch versions of bug ferret sign languages only, since those already exist? Artificial speech synthesis?
For centaurs, maybe I’d need to know more about how much their clan structure affects how they interact with people outside of a clan. A primarily centaur-avian space could end up with fascinating building design (both architecturally and wrt indoor layouts) to accommodate their extreme size difference as well. Scuds could be interesting too; there would be annoying technology requirements for them to socialise with any other species, and their wetness, weird ideas about property, etc could be annoying to deal with, but if those can be dealt with/worked around they seem like they could integrate socially with most other sophonts well? And they’re not huge compared to avians for once. Maybe long-term cohabitation with other species would be a challenge, though… they can handle being on land if they keep their gills moist but I’m not sure they’d want to live like that constantly, and any other sophont living in an underwater settlement sounds like a logistical nightmare, so designing infrastructure that would keep everyone comfortable could be tricky. At worst you could end up with deaths or terranaut situations if things went badly wrong.
Sorry for the essay, I just find this neat!
Hostuu
Idrisah is so real, mahn! Cultural exchanges like this just give me a feeling I can’t describe
Hostuu
And her explanation of her connection to religion? That’s what I’ve been looking for my whole life!
Hostuu
Mein gott, I want this to be real, mahn
Hunter
I actually take inspiration from Mass Effect for my own religious feelings along with some math:
How can you look at everything in the universe, everything that was made against LITERALLY astronomical odds, and NOT believe in a higher power.
But d’aw, I’m glad Idrisah and Gillie think of Talita as a friend. I hope there’s more to Gillie’s feelings than JUST the fact that Talita can understand her.
ae
I mean, doesn’t it also follow that it was made *with* astronomical odds as well? How many planets, how many stars, how many galaxies – for me it stands to reason you’ll get beauty and complexity (and life) emerging from a simple soup of rules, there are such uncountable chances for it.
It doesn’t disprove anything, but for me it doesn’t suggest any higher order either.
40
Aren’t the odds a little less astronomical with 5 sophont having evolved?
Septemberdale
If anything that would make it stronger I’d think. 5 sophonts not managing to wipe eachother out or be wiped out by natural disaster in the full course of a galactic history? 5 hands reaching to the stars together? That’s remarkable.
Rad Internet Stranger
Oh my god I’m literally the same when it comes to my stance on religion only with Christianity rather than Muslim (Islam?? Apologies, I get confused with the terminology)
Arcstone
islam is the religion, muslim is what you are if you believe in it.
Rad Internet Stranger
Thank you so much!!
Sen
Those are some really fun questions! Must be amazing to listen to Tiiliitian music.
Tambabolyn
I also struggle with everyone assuming that questioning God’s existence means the questioner isn’t religious, so, thank you for properly articulating it. I _am_ an active member of my faith, and I believe in an all good and all present deity most of the time, but the times I struggle to believe don’t make me any less a part of the community.
Rubicon Art
As far as I understand it, it’s a very common Jewish mindset, too! It isn’t an all powerfull diety to be Obeyed, it’s a big and important thing to Question, to Discuss What The Holy Books Mean, to Redefine, so on so forth.
Hunter
Well, IIRC Jacob is a Jewish figure…whose name means “To struggle with God.”
So yeah, the Jews having a LOT of debating about God’s existence and the interpretations of his laws XD
Hunter
Oh, my mistake; “Israel” means “to struggle with God”.
eden
I get it. I’m a hardcore atheist, but I consider my atheism very spiritual– I’m connected to everyone as I am to each ecosystem layered onto one-another
Solidago
I imagine a bird singing words with their forked syrinx and it would be so beautiful..
bryn
ogh i hope you feel better soon jay!! that sucks 🙁
i am a huge fan of idrisah’s headwear in this ama, so cute and beautiful <3 ohp gillie i see you and your frustration 😬 i feel bad for both her and for talita who are both experiencing some difficult emotions. I could totally see how this particular hiccup has so much baggage for the both of them: talita and her discordant body image surrounding her hand shape and crippling her confidence, and a strong fear of messing up keeping her from acting, i wonder just how often she has been teased or felt insufficient as she is.. and gillie's sense of friendship getting damaged, who knows how many people wouldn't even try and learn sign for her, and talita was doing so well it really felt like she cared (and of course she does!! its just Rough for em both right now…)
Kai
Gods, as hard and complicated it would no doubt be, it is my dream to have my descendants one day be given the opportunity to study at a school with other sophonts. To live in a world where the differences between individuals, cultures, peoples and species is celebrated and cherished for the gifts that they are. It’s why I get up in the morning despite the horrors the world has to offer. I owe it to my descendants to keep fighting for their future, for a better world for all intelligent life. Ave Hominid. Gloria Terra.
Kage
oh I’m so happy to see an agnostic theist! most people assume that atheist and agnosticism are the same thing, but nope! I am also happy to see religion being depicted in a more complex and nuanced way than either a full bigot or a “I believe god is love and so it can’t be right to be a bigot”
40
I am so desperate to hear what Tiiliitian sounds like. If any of y’all can like produce tones can you like speak some words, one tone at a time, and then like combine those two tracks into full speech?
40
I poked around for some Tiiliitian and got it to IPA. / / doesn’t account for allophonic variation b/c I couldn’t find anything about that / maybe no concrete info exists on it.
[si˥˩ɹɶ˦˨˦wi˩˥t] /i˧ti˩˥su˥˩/ /ti˧i˩˥ɭi˥˩i˧twa˩˥u˥˩ vɹi˧ li˨˦˨u˩˥ʁ twa˥˩e˩˥zi˦˨˦t/
[si˩˥ɹɶ˧wi˥˩t] /i˧ti˩˥su˥˩/ /ti˧i˧ɭi˧i˧twa˧u˥˩ vɹi˧ li˥˩u˩˥ʁ twa˥˩e˧zi˦˨˦t/
Take a crack at it.
astrobun
oh i KNEW idrisah had clarinet kid vibes. we can spot each other from miles away
Vinemaple
Yeah, I didn’t, but I also barely noticed because it just… seemed right. Obvious, even.
Eux
this is such a fun look at things. idrisahhhhh <3 (also really love her hijab with the ripples and pin accents!)
Vinemaple
This is one of her coolest head coverings ever. I’ve never seen anything like it IRL.
Description: Present-day Idrisah wears a loose head covering that sits and shapes itself like a large hood, like on a hooded sweatshirt, but it’s a separate garment, with a little chain or cord half-closing it at the neckline. Below the neckline, the ends fall into a few loose flounces before tapering to points. It’s also pinned in place above her ears, but loose enough around the ears to show her large dangly rectangular earrings.
Past Talita wears a more traditional long scarf wrapped first around her head, then around her neck. It contrasts amusingly with the butchy plaid flannel shirt she wears as a jacket.
Adrienne
Aww I’m so glad the high schoolers of the future are still wearing plaid flannels as jackets
Zuorai
Love the different outfits you put your characters in for each others’ questions
Her second answer speaks SO MUCH to me as I reconnect with Judaism. A statement of humanity an empire cannot define
Enai
I’m wondering about the Tiiliitan choir instructor here: Their garments look like they’re for duns, yet they appear to have a crest. Are they a concealist? Or adjacent? They must be a full adult, since adolescents very rarely get to be choir instructors, at least on Present!Earth, so the androgyny must either be a consequence of Idrisah’s slightly hazy memories or an intentional sartorial choice, not a matter of being sexually immature. Or maybe it’s simply an unfortunate perspective.
.
Either way, what a nice window into Idrisah’s past!
Guest
It looks like bright attire to me. No head covering.
Enai
To me it looks like a head covering that just leaves the crest free, hence my question. Ohwitiil doesn’t cover their head at all, and neither do the example brights in the Avian fashion page.
Jay Eaton
There’s no head covering, it was just drawn very hastily
Enai
Oh, okay. My comment wasn’t meant as a criticism of the comic, I was just excited to maybe meet a member of an alien subculture. I’m sorry if it came across that way.
Phasma Felis
I love the agnosticism discussion so so much.
I grew up in a Christian denomination that never taught me to hate anyone. Women, gay people, trans people, all were welcome both in the pews and at the seminary. People of other religions or none at all, well, as long as they do their best to be kind and loving and live a good life, God will accept them in the end; He cares more about love than about forms and rituals. As a weird autistic kid I found more welcome and understanding at Episcopal church camps than I ever had anywhere else, and when I later realized I was queer, it helped so much to know in my heart that God was fine with that, no matter what some of my classmates and teachers thought.
I don’t really go to church anymore, and I never preached at anyone to begin with, but I still think of myself as a Christian. And I have had so much trouble getting my atheist friends to understand why don’t formally disavow all of it. 🙁 Why should I throw away something that brings me comfort and has never harmed me or led me wrong? Just out of utter devotion to pure, objective Truth, rejecting all emotional attachments as unworthy of the enlightened, rational mind? I’m not Mr. Spock. No one is. I know many people have been harmed by religion, and I don’t begrudge them their justified bitterness, not at all. But let me have my little scraps of comfort in a cold world. Please.
Phasma Felis
Also I love the headscarf in, like, “semi-formal hoodie” mode. I’m sure that’s a real garment with a name, I’m sorry I don’t know it, but it looks great.)
Flerovium
Maybe they’re a crossdresser. Anything is possible with sophonts.
JoB
Hmmmm … I suspect that avians’ mouth parts do not make them fond of wind instruments, and also that they have more of a preference for polyphonic instruments than we do in general, to match their bitonal singing. (Those two do combine, though.) But still, it seems that they did pick humans with wind instruments to partner with their singing. Do I see a matching interest in in the yet-lesser-known there? Bellows-powered bagpipes of dooooom, anyone? 😉
Theoneandonlyvoid
In the air sled comic a whistle is blown from the nostrils so that might be how their wind instruments work.
atriflemiffed
I get the distinct impression Gillie is just a bit mad about Talita not wanting to sign
Light_In_The_Fog
Oo yippee! I had a question about Idrisah’s language teacher and this answers some of that!
Light_In_The_Fog
*language journey
Phinnsouup
Idrisah’s hijab is SO pretty here I love the flowy ruffles
Trees
All respect to ‘Another Clarinetist’ and their tremendous cloud of hair.
Lilac
Ohh gillie’s comment on the end there…. you can just tell she wants so much to be able to say that talita also speaks it……… unless I’m overanalyzing ghfhfhfdh