Crocagators

mark millman · 25 Apr 2001, 17:30 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: mark millman <millman at us.ncipher.com>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Crocagators
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 17:30:19
Message-ID: <whorl-v0012-0729 at digest.urth.net>
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At 12:58 PM 25-04-01 -0700, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote:

> The Kitchen Staff Wombat wrote:
>
>> My understanding is that the=20
>> number of human attacks from
>> crocodilians is very low. They're=20
>> much like wolves that way--
>> feared as human predators all=20
>> out of proportion to the actual=20
>> danger they present. Which isn't=20
>> to say that they can't sometimes=20
>> be very dangerous, indeed.=20
>
> Which was pretty much my point. Assuming per argu-
> mentam the "Golden Rule" theory of the Secret, _and_=20
> that the human colonists somehow manage to imple-
> ment it, then the inhumi become "something we can live=20
> with," either as benevolent sentients or as dangerous but=20
> mindless giant leeches.
>
> In fact, there's some doubt in my mind as to how many=20
> people are actually killed by the inhumi in the situation=20
> which actually holds on Blue at the time of Horn's jour-
> ney -- I don't recall many examples of someone actually=20
> dying from inhumi attacks [excepting the attack on the=20
> wedding, as a very special special case]. Do the inhumi,=20
> like wolves, bears, sharks, snakes, crocodilians... suffer=20
> from exaggerated human fears as to the extent of the=20
> danger they pose?
>
> I somewhat doubt it, on the grounds that the inhumi (at
> least in the form we know) are far smarter than wolves,=20
> bears, etc., and able to "pass" as humans: a combination=20
> that makes one inhumu potentially far more dangerous in=20
> the long term than a good-sized pack of wolves. But the
> Bluvian scenes in SHORT simply don't seem to reflect a
> people in imminent danger of being wiped out by=20
> predators.
>
> I dunno. There's _something_ weird missing here, what=20
> it is ain't exactly clear...
>
> --Blattid

At the risk of being obvious, allow me to point out that, unlike the=20
inhumi, wolves, bears, sharks, snakes, crocodilians, and the like do=20
not preferentially target humans as their prey. =20

Also, as I recall (and I'm afraid that I don't have the book here for=20
reference, so we'll have to depend on my recollection), Fava had to=20
be very careful not to kill Salica when she fed from the old woman. =20
If Fava hadn't been living with the family at the time, she very likely=20
would have been less careful.  (If anyone is likely to die from the=20
inhumi's depredations, it would be the old, the very young, and the=20
sick; curiously, though, even the baby Sinew was not killed when he=20
was attacked.  I wonder whether this may be a clue; thank you for=20
bringing it up, Dan'l.)  I do have to agree with Dan'l, though; the=20
inhumi aren't going to kill off Blue's human population any time=20
soon.

Nacre

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