- Griffinmoon
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- Registered: 5/03/2020
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Re: Unanswered question speculation thread (spoilery)
M'thinks that each of those human kids of Cajiri's acquaintance would have been parked in as one paidhi for each of the ship/station, the island and the atevi.
- Surtac
- Antipodean Assassin
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- From: Ngunnawal Ngambri country CBR
- Registered: 4/29/2020
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Re: Unanswered question speculation thread (spoilery)
Yes. A 'fortunate three', perhaps.
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- Eupathic Impulse
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Re: Unanswered question speculation thread (spoilery)
I think a truly man'chi-less ateva (one who can neither offer or receive man'chi) would probably be on the insane side. Humans don't merely lack man'chi, they merely have a related bonding emotion that is differently structured allowing for a function of social cohesion. Experienced humans or atevi can even learn to predict the way the other works. (Ilisidi for example predicts that Bren has a well-intentioned "man'chi" to the refugees since she knows Bren almost like an extra son by that point.)
A man'chi-less ateva would be something like a human psychopath or sociopath.
Speaking of which, CJC was also hinting that Ilisidi was really truly in failing health and not just complaining about it as she's done from the beginning. (I guess maybe a bit of Mary Sue in hindsight...) I really think Bren would be visibly devastated by her passing, possibly in ways that atevi would find hard to understand.
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Thread Starter- nadiani
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- Registered: 5/04/2026
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Re: Unanswered question speculation thread (spoilery)
The text is pretty specific on the nature of man’chi-less atevi. They’re either a sociopath or an aiji. Much like, to be fair, a sociopathic human: they’re either a wildly unpredictable and potentially dangerous, or a politician ;)
As for Bren’s reaction to Ilisidi’s (inevitable) death - I wonder if atevi might not read it as him struggling with a man’chi being broken that was very central to his identity? Possibly he’d need to have some long talks with Tabini as a means of “confirming” his existing man’chi to Tabini and “transferring” his man’chi from Ilisidi to him. Algini, I believe, discusses the process with Bren after Jase-ji’s semi-lie about a dead father.
Trade and common interest have proven, in the end, more powerful in human affairs than all the warships ever launched.
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