OOC for New Mytilini (Lesbian Science-Fiction)

[EmpressJosephine]

300 years ago, a group of interstellar colonists crash-landed on a lush planet far from our own solar system. Only a handful of scientists — all women — survived. What did they do to preserve their colony for later generations, and what were the ramifications of those choices?

Out of Character Thread


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This thread primarily serves as a resource for the writers at New Mytilini. It will provide the indexed and cross-referenced geographical, technological, cultural, and social background for this lost, all female, interstellar colony. Secondarily, it serves as a forum for the story’s writers and readers to comment upon and discuss the issues, events, and relationships that arise as we role-play.

If, after reading the particulars of New Mytilini, you think you might want to join in its role-play, please contact EmpressJosephine here.

INDEX
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This is not an exhaustive index, but rather a place to ger started on your exploration of New Mytilini, the planet and the story. Numbers indicate the posts below containing information on the subject. If you see an omission or error in this index, please contact its editor here.

Biographies —

Emma Jane Wilmut: 14​

Calendar: 13

Castes —

Breeders: 2, 6, 7, 11
Doctors: 2, 6, 7, 8, 11
​

Festivals: 13

Geography —

Generally: 3

Locales –

Camp Delta:
Continent (The): 3
Government House: 15
Gulf of Kaloni: 3
New Aegean: 3
New Mytilini (capital city): 3
Outback (The):
Sea (The): 3
Tricentennial Plaza:
​

Government (Theocracy): 4, 7, 14, 15

History: 2, 5, 14, 15, 19

Honorifics: 7

Language: 7, 8, 13

Military —

Branches –

Hippolyte Guard (“Hippos”) -

Generally: 2
Gendarme: 20
Hetairoi: 2
Rank: 6, 7​

Navy: 5​

Weaponry: 5, 20
​

Money: 8

Piercings: 11

Rebels (The Cause): 2

Religion —

Heretical –

Generally: 19

Theology - 19​

Fertility Cults: 19
Marians: 19
Uterines: 19
​

Orthodox –

Generally: 4, 7
High Priestess: 14
Holy-Days: 13
Raiment: 18
Tithes: 13​

Reproduction: 2, 5, 9

Slavery: 2, 5, 9

Tattoos: 9, 11

Technology —

Agriculture: 5
Biotechnology: 5
Communications: 5
Construction: 5, 15
Entertainment: 5
Manufacturing: 5
Transportation: 5, 20
Weaponry: 5, 20
​

Time: 17






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[EmpressJosephine]

NEW MYTILINI: The Setting for Our Story

NEW MYTILINI: The Setting for Our Story​

300 years ago, a group of interstellar colonists crash-landed on a lush planet far from our own solar system. Only a handful of scientists — all women — survived.

Nevertheless, they managed to create a thriving and continuing colony. Because no men survived their arrival, it became an ALL female society. Reproduction is by parthenogenesis and cloning. Because of this, all offspring are women, as there were no Y chromosomes involved.

They named their colony “New Mytilini.”

It was hard going at first, and those original scientists had to enforce harsh discipline on the colony just to survive. As a result, the society quickly evolved into a strict oligarchy of only two social castes: “Doctors” and “Breeders.” The distinction is a bit of a misnomer, because by the time of the story, few of the “Doctors” are actually medical people or scientists, and all woman would have the opportunity to reproduce, not just “Breeders.” These are just the terms for the two recognized social classes.

“Doctors” are the ruling class, descendants of the scientists who “saved” the colony by developing the reproductive techniques that allowed for subsequent generations. Now, only a small percentage of them are actually scientists or medical specialists. The rest hold positions of political or economic power, or, as is becoming increasingly common, simply lead hedonistic lives maintaining themselves with the wealth accumulated by their mothers and grandmothers before them.

“Breeders” are the servile class, mostly industrial workers, agrarian serfs, and domestic servants. If a Breeder commits a crime, or defaults on a debt to a Doctor, then she may be adjudicated into “indentured servitude,” becoming a slave for all practical purposes. Violent criminals become slaves in state-run prison factories. Nonviolent criminals and debtors are “sold” at auction, the proceeds going to compensate their victims.

Theoretically, Breeders can own property, but harsh taxes and social policy keep them from ever accumulating much wealth or power. And there is one privileged class of Breeders, the “Hippolyte Guard,” a planetary military police force, whose role it is to keep order in society, by repressing the rights of their Breeder sisters. The loyalty of the “Hippos” to the Doctoral Class has never been known to waiver, this is especially true among the elite palace guard, called the “Hetairoi.”

It took almost three centuries for this neatly ordered society to fully evolve. Now, having reached what the Doctors, at least, view as its Golden Age, the societal fabric is starting to fray at the edges. A small but vocal “Underground” has developed, advocating “Breeders’ Rights,” despite the Government’s harsh attempts to suppress it. And there is a rumor that the “Underground” is working to alter the very nature of the colony itself....

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the social structure of New Mytilini may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

The GEOGRAPHY of New Mytilini

The GEOGRAPHY of New Mytilini


The planet is smaller than Earth, but bigger than Mars.

It is almost all water, covered by a single ocean, named by the early colonists as the “New Aegean.” While it is still labeled that way on maps, everyone simply calls it The Sea.

The planet has a single continent, about the size of Australia, but shaped like a crescent. The northern tip of that crescent reaches almost to the planet’s small northern polar ice cap. The southern end of the crescent actually extends a few degrees south of the equator.

The area enclosed by the horns of the crescent is called the Gulf of Kaloni. The planetary capital, also called New Mytilini, sits on a beautiful beach on that gulf.

Besides this single Continent, the planet has countless islands, large and small, scattered all over The Sea.

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the geography or natural wonders of New Mytilini, or about the location of specific cities or other settlements, they may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

The RELIGION of New Mytilini

The RELIGION of New Mytilini​

THE ONLY RELIGION

Officially, there is only one religion on New Mytilini. It has no name itself. When a Mytilinian speaks of "religion," she can mean only the official beliefs. When she speaks of "theology," she can mean only the study of those official beliefs. When she speaks of "church," she can mean only the attendance, observance and participation in the ritual expressions of those official beliefs.

The study and practice of this Religion is conducted by various Orders, the smallest yet completely dominant of which is the Order of Demeter and Astarte. By law and tradition, the High Priestess of this Order must also be directly descended from the first leader of the New Mytilini colony, Jane D. Wilmut. Because this person has also always acted as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Mytilini, the hereditary ruler of the colony, the control of the Order of Demeter and Astarte over New Mytilinian religion is backed by the full might of the government and its military police force.

There is no tithing on New Mytilini, and because all priestesses of all of the Orders must take a vow of poverty, it is forbidden for them to accept donations. The Orders are fully funded by tax dollars, dispensed by the Legislative Assembly, which sets each Order's budget. The High Priestess of the Order of Demeter and Astarte (who must be, as explained above, also Speaker of the Legislative Assembly) personally selects who serves as the High Priestess of each of the other Orders. Thus, each successive descendant clone of Jane D. Wilmut not only rules the colony, but maintains complete financial and political control over its Religion as well.

If any Order dared to resist the Speaker's utter supremacy, then it would be immediately labeled heretical and mercilessly exterminated by a special regiment of the Hetairoi assigned to defend the Order of Demeter and Astarte. Likewise, anyone suggesting any theology, cosmology or philosophy other than the official Religion will be prosecuted and probably executed, with all her publications, preachings and pronouncements purged from public records.


THE OFFICIAL THEOLOGY

The Religion is pantheistic — i.e., it believes that all of creation is a physical manifestation of some aspect of the spirit of the Creatrix — and teaches that the universe is feminine in its fundamental essence. Before Creation, the cosmos was smooth, homogenous and gray. The Creatrix decided that the cosmos required variation to have any significance. So She parted the Gray, taking the Light onto Herself, and forming the Other from the Dark.

The Creatrix, as the Light, became femininity in its purest form, leaving the Dark, also called the Other, to assume masculinity. The Creatrix invited the Other to mate, but when they did, the Other lost control of his passions, his lusts, and of himself. Love became rape, the violence of which shattered the Light and, necessarily, scattered the Dark along with it.

Thus was the Universe born.

All matter and energy in the universe is a mixture of the remnants of the Light and the Dark, in different proportions. The more of the Light in something, the more fundamentally Good it is. Conversely, the more of the Dark in something, the more fundamentally Evil it is. This can be readily seen in the night sky: The stars, the ultimate source and sustenance of all life, are pure Light, set against the cold and deadly Dark of interstellar space.

This is also represented in people, both as a species, and in individuals. By definition, men, being more masculine, generally have more of the evil Dark within them. Women generally have more of the Light.

This same dichotomy is present within our individual beings. The Light is found in all that is spiritual, philosophical and intellectual. The Dark is found in everything physical, carnal and sexual in our bodies. Thus, being so filled with the Dark, male genitalia must protrude grossly from the body, while women can contain theirs sublimely hidden.

From this, the idea has arisen that pregnancy is predominantly Dark, as it is the ultimate act of sexuality. It is, however, a necessary Evil, mitigated on New Mytilini by the fact that it always results in the birth of girls, thus adding to the feminine Light of the Universe. Nonetheless, no respectable member of the Doctor caste would ever lower herself to becoming pregnant, and hire surrogate Breeders to carry their progeny. Those few Doctors who choose to experience pregnancy are seen as eccentric at best, perverts at worst, and will for ever after be suspect in both social and official circles. No member of any religious Order can ever have been or become pregnant.

Ultimately, the Doctor caste would like to develop fully technological, artificial uteruses in which to bring their daughters to term. Until or unless such a device is invented, they remain dependant on the Breeders to have their babies if they want to avoid "soiling" themselves with pregnancy.

Put simply, the official New Mytilinian theology boils down to this:

Feminine = Light = Mind = Good

Masculine = Dark = Body = Evil​

All scholarship, art and even science must conform to this view of the universe.

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the official or heretical religions of New Mytilini may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

The TECHNOLOGY of New Mytilini

The TECHNOLOGY of New Mytilini​

Our story takes place about one millennium into the future, but technologically, New Mytilini is only a century or two more advanced than us.

The colony is comprised of the descendants of a handful of survivors from a cataclysmic crash landing. Not surprisingly, it has taken them some time to build a technological civilization that comes anywhere close to the advanced culture they left behind on Earth.

The ship that carried them to their new planet was launched from Earth in the early Twenty-Fourth Century. It then took several hundred years to cross interstellar space, with the entire crew frozen in some form of suspended animation. When it arrived at the target planet, a few dozens scientists were automatically awoken to revive the rest of the crew

There was some sort of disaster — apparently a problem with the ship upon entering the atmosphere — and when it was over, only a handful of scientists and crew remained, coincidentally all female. Exactly what went wrong is unclear. In those first few desperate decades, trying just to survive on a new world with most of their equipment destroyed, and then to establish the biotechnological infrastructure necessary to enable reproduction through cloning or parthenogenesis, it seems no one had time to write down what caused the initial tragedy.

Once their reproductive technology was secure, the early colonists could turn to the surviving computer records and start applying advanced technological knowledge brought from Earth to the other aspects of society: construction, transportation, agriculture, communications, manufacturing, etc. After thee hundred years, the result is a technological civilization less advanced than the Twenty-Fourth Century their ancestresses left behind, but more advanced than the Twenty-First Century in which we writers of their story now live.

Here is a general outline of some areas of technology on New Mytilini:

BIOTECHNOLOGY: For obvious reasons, this is the most advanced field on the planet. Cloning and parthenogenesis are as routine there and then as artificial insemination is here and now. Parthenogenesis is almost always done combining two ova from different mothers to avoid problems with recessive traits, although recent advances in genetic engineering have made single ovum parthenogenesis more viable as well.

AGRICULTURE: The vast majority of the colony's food is grown on large plantations, some government owned, but most owned by members of the Doctoral Caste. While slightly more advanced than today's standards, the primary improvements have come through genetic engineering of various grains, vegetables and livestock to thrive in New Mytilini's slightly alien environment. The farms remain essentially as labor intensive as they are now in our world.

MANUFACTURING: Like farms, factories are only a little more advanced than today. Lots of industrial robots (like today's most modern assembly lines), but still lots of factory workers, too. Most factories are owned by members of the Doctoral Caste, but there are also government run prison factories where violent criminals are enslaved and work.

CONSTRUCTION: Slightly more advanced than today. The architecture of New Mytilini tends to be efficient, with a lot of emphasis on steel, glass, plastic, concrete and polished stone.

TRANSPORTATION: With the crash of their ship, the colonists lost the ability of space flight. They have nothing radical as far as transportation; there is NO teleportation or anything like that. There are few roads, just those linking major cities around the Gulf of Kaloni, and a few spurring off into the continental countryside. Available transportation ranges from ground vehicles to jet planes. Helicopters, hovercraft and fast dirigibles are also common. All these are very advanced.

COMMUNICATIONS: Communications around the Gulf of Kaloni are excellent, combining cellular technology and a purely fibreoptic internet, over which all communications, news and entertainment programing are transmitted. Once you move into the less settled areas of the Continent, communications get patchy. Direct communication off the Continent, and even to the more remote corners of the Continent, is by radio, with all its limitations.

WEAPONRY: New Mytilini is an effective police state, in which a combined civil and military police force maintain order and enforce the Caste System. Military technology is very advanced, ranging from the sort of "smart" bombs and artillery recently used by the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq, up through laser pistols for the infantry and larger particle beam weapons mounted on armored cars and aircraft. Like civil transportation, military aircraft include jets, helicopters, hovercraft and fast dirigibles. Only recently has there been much perceived need for a navy, and it is still in its early development.

ENTERTAINMENT: Over the past century or so, the Doctoral Caste has become increasing hedonistic, bordering upon decadence. Almost all "Doctors" are wealthy, hold positions of political or economic power, or, as is becoming increasingly common, simply lead lives of leisure and pleasure, maintaining themselves with the wealth accumulated by their mothers and grandmothers before them. The market and economic demand drives innovation, and so just about any sort of entertainment technology you can imagine — for any kind of pleasure you might seek — is available, for the right price.

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Any additional details anyone wants to add about the technology or industry of New Mytilini may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Military Ranks on New Mytilini

Military Ranks on New Mytilini​

Despite the fact that the "Hippolyte Guard" offers many opportunities and privileges to Breeders, the Caste System remains quite evident in the military. All commissioned officers are Doctors. The ranks are filled with Breeders.

None of the scientist who survived the crash 300 years ago knew much about the military. They loosely based their system, albeit simplifying it, on an old record of 21st Century US Army ranks:

ENLISTED RANKS (all Breeders):

Private
Corporal
Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Master Sergeant
Sergeant Major

​

WARRANT OFFICERS (Breeders who have shown exception talent and loyalty):

Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer

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COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (all Doctors):

Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Colonel
Brigadier
Lieutenant General
General

​

If you decide to play a character in the "Hippolyte Guard" generally, or among its elite corps, the "Hetairoi," you should chose a rank that is appropriate to her caste, and appropriate to the sort of character development you want to explore in your story.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

HONORIFICS on New Mytilini

HONORIFICS on New Mytilini​

Honorifics are a class of grammatical forms used to denote a person’s social status. In current English-speaking culture, for example, they range from “Mr.” “Ms.” and “Mrs.” to denote an ordinary adult, up to “Dr.” “Rev” and “Hon.” to denote certain distinguished professions. A culture as hierarchical and status conscious as New Mytilini would have a strict and rather complex system of honorifics, with the honorific employed depending as much on who was doing the addressing as who was being addressed.

A guide to New Mytiliniain honorifics is offered below. Note that they are listed in order of social status.

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HONORIFICS FOR "DOCTOR CASTE" WOMEN

Rev. - "Reverend": A Priestess, when being addressed by a member of either caste.

Military Ranks - "Gen."; "Lt. Gen."; "Brig."; "Col."; "Maj."; "Capt."; "Lt."

Hon. - "Honorable": Applies to judges, legislators, magistrates or anyone else in an upper level governmental position, not entitled to a higher or military title, when being addressed by a member of either caste.

Prof. - "Professor": Ph.D.'s, many medical professionals, and anyone else who would be called "doctor" in current, English speaking society, when being addressed by a member of either caste.

Deac. - "Deaconess": Any "Doctor Caste" adult in religious orders not entitled to a higher or military title, when being addressed by a member of either caste.

Dr. - "Doctor": A "Doctor Caste" adult not entitled to a higher or military title, when being addressed by a member of either caste; also, a "Doctor Caste" child, when being addressed by a "Breeder."

Ms. - "Mizz": A "Doctor Caste" child, when being addressed by a "Doctor Caste" adult.

Mistress - Any "Doctor Caste" person, adult or child, when being addressed by a slave.
​

HONORIFICS FOR "BREEDER CASTE" WOMEN

Military Ranks - "CWO"; "WO"; "M. Sgt."; "S. Sgt."; "Sgt."; "Cpl."; "Pvt."

Sis. - "Sister": Any "Breeder Caste" adult in religious orders not entitled to a military title, when being addressed by a member of either caste or a slave.

Mrs. - "Missis": A "Breeder Caste" adult not entitled to a religious or military title, when being addressed by a member of either caste or a slave.

Miss - A "Breeder Caste" child not entitled to a religious title, when being addressed by a member of either caste or a slave.​

 

[EmpressJosephine]

MONEY on New Mytilini

MONEY on New Mytilini​

The basic monetary unit on New Mytilini is the "dollar." The Colonists speak English, after all, and, with all due respect to our British writers and readers, the dollar is the monetary unit most commonly used in the English speaking world. While the vast majority of transactions on New Mytilini are performed electronically, there are many reasons why the Doctor Caste aristocracy would want the option of the untraceable anonymity of cash transactions, so there is also a paper and coin currency on the colony. The most common slang term for the New Mytilinian dollar is "saffo." This is because the one dollar bill has always born a portrait of the ancient poetess, Sappho of Mytilene.

Whether by coincidence or design, the symbol for the New Mytilinian dollar is "$"; said, of course, to stand for "Sappho."

The buying power of the New Mytilinian dollar is roughly equivelant to the U.S. Dollar.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

SLAVES on New Mytilini

SLAVES on New Mytilini​

There are several types of slave on New Mytilini. What follows is not an exhaustive list, but represents the most common categories defined or recognized by law.


THERE ARE ONLY TWO SLAVE CLASSES

Colonial statutes allow only two classes of slaves, for each of which the law defines a specific set of duties and rights. Thus, it is keenly important to a new slave that she be categorized correctly.

"Doulas" — Violent criminal Breeders become slaves in state-run, high security prison factories and mines, all but the oldest facilities being set on isolated islands scattered around The Sea. Doulas are slaves for life and can only be freed through Executive Pardon by the Speaker.

"Hektimoras" — Nonviolent criminals and debtors are "sold" by the Courts at auction, the proceeds going to compensate their victims. The government buys large numbers of hektimoras, as do big industries and plantations. Many, however, become personal slaves to private individuals or families.​

THERE ARE MYRIAD SLAVE ROLES

The classification of slaves by skills and occupation is much less rigid, except in areas where the Regime maintains a monopoly, such as prostitution (see "Malakas," below). Some of the more common legal terms, customary appellations, and street slang is set forth below.

"Manitaras" — Slaves without any education or practical skills, just brute labor.

"Drepanas" — Slaves with agricultural skills.

"Amonas" — Slaves with industrial skills.

"Grafas" — Slaves with administrative and office skills.

"Oiketas" — Personal household hektimoras.

"Zoas" — Although the statutes do not address breeding slaves, case law has adopted this word to mean a pregnant slave. From that, it became handler's slang for hektimoras purchased or kept primarily for making babies. Breeding slaves is a limited specialty. With a good supply of debtors and petty criminals, it is generally much cheaper to buy an adult slave than raise one from birth. Those who do breed them, do so for particular physical traits.

"Koutabakas" — Children born into slavery. Historically, this happened when an already pregnant Breeder was enslaved. More and more commonly of late, these are children of zoas. By law, a koutabaka becomes the property of the person who owned its mother at the moment of its birth. Regardless of their mothers' slave class, all koutabakas are hektimoras. This allows moral justification for enslaving innocent children because, theoretically, any hektimora can eventually buy her own freedom (see below). Almost all koutabakas are raised to as oiketas (see above), hetairas, or pallakas (see below). Those who can't master the necessary skills for one of those three roles, usually end up as dicteriadas (see below).

"Malakas" — A general terms for sex slaves. In order to preserve a monopoly, the Government under Gina Wilmut outlawed private prostitution, and set up the Malakas Academy. While owners can demand sexual favors from any slave, only the Government's Malakas Academy may legally train or market women as sex slaves. Upon graduation from the Academy, the malaka is tattooed with one of three symbols showing her type, and a transmitter chip is implanted in her skeleton with her Government ID number. There are three officially recognized types of malakas:

1. "Hetairas" — Courtesans and concubines, trained not only in the most sublime techniques of Sapphic lovemaking, but also in music, literature, dance, games, and such other aptitudes as to make them perfect company for their Doctor owners. Typically, such a slave is granted much personal freedom and a generous allowance for clothing, makeup, and other things to make her more enjoyable companions for their owner.

2. "Pallakas" — Personal pleasure slaves, primarily trained in every imaginable aspect of sensual satisfaction and erotic ecstacy, and expected to devote themselves to discovering and exploiting their owner's most potent desires. Although typically not allowed as much independence as hetairas, many pallakas have a small stipend to spend on clothing, makeup, and other items, of both a sexual and nonsexual nature, for their own and their owner's enjoyment.

3. "Dicteriadas" — Simple harlots, generally warehoused in government or private brothels (called "dicteriadia") for short term use, generally by Breeders.​

RIGHTS

Under Colonial law, slaves hold an odd status as part people and part property. In regard to injuries to slaves, those inflicted intentionally, are considered a crime against a person. Thus, intentionally killing a slave is treated as murder. It is also a criminal offense to intentionally maim, steal from, or defraud a slave. These crimes apply even to its owners.

It is also a crime for anyone to intentionally assault or batter another person's slave. As is shown in the next section, owners have broad discretion to discipline by corporal punishment, so long as it doesn't cause permanent physical disability.

Unlike intentional crimes, if someone negligently or accidentally kills, maims, or injures another person's slave, it is treated as damaging property, dealt with through a civil lawsuit. Likewise, making unauthorized use of another person's slave is treated as civil trespass or conversion. On the other hand, actually stealing a slave, with the intent to permanently deprive her from her rightful owner, is treated as criminal theft.

A slave's legal rights are not unlike those of a corporation, something else the law treats as a composite of person and property. The law recognizes three such basic legal rights for slaves: a slave can buy and own property, even other slaves; a slave can lend, borrow, and be party to other sorts of contracts; and a slave has rights to legal process, and thus can report a crime, even against herself, and can sue (and be sued).

No slave is ever entitled to compensation for any work performed on behalf of its owner. An owner may have its slave work for others, and it is the owner who receives the wages, NOT the slave. The slave, however, does get to keep any tips, incentive bonuses, etc., subject to the regulations described next.

By law, slaves get to keep a portion of certain money they receive, such as tips, gifts, prizes, rewards, found money, and the like. Twenty percent of such money goes to the slave's owner, 30% goes to the Government as "windfall income tax," and the slave keeps the remaining 50%. If the slave receives something other than money as a gift, jewelry being typical, the slave must still pay 20% of its "fair market value" to her owner, and the 30% tax. If the slave does not have sufficient money to pay these amounts, then she must sell the gift to raise it, often for much less than its supposed "fair market value." She can, of course, sell other items instead of the gift, or along with it, to reach the needed sum. (If a slave cannot pay an owed tax, then her owner may do so, such amount becoming the slave's debt [at 10% statutory annual interest] to her owner. If the owner does not want to pay the slave's overdue taxes, then the slave escheats to the Government, with the owner receiving any balance between the tax owed and the slave's "fair market value.")

If the slave owns an item of which her owner does not approve, then the owner may order the slave to sell the item and allow sufficient opportunity to do so. The slave keeps the entire sale price as her own property. To discourage owners from depriving slaves of prized possessions capriciously, in such circumstances the owner, not the slave, pays to the Government a tax of 1% of the item's sale price.

As mentioned above, even owners cannot steal from their own slaves. If an owner wants to use something her slave owns, then she must pay the slave just compensation, which all goes to the slave, except for the 30% "windfall income tax" which goes to the Government.

A slave may be party to a contract, including sales contracts, leases, and loan agreements. The assets from which the contract may be satisfied can vary to one of three legally recognized categories. An "unsecured contract" is one to which a slave is a party without her owner's knowledge or permission; in such case only the slave's own money and property are available to satisfy the terms of the contract or damages arising from it. A "secured contract"is one to which a slave is a party with her owner's knowledge, but without her explicit permission; in such case, if the slave's own money and property are inadequate to satisfy the terms of the contract or damages arising from it, then the other party can seize the slave herself, but has no further recourse against the slave's original owner. A "guaranteed contract" is one to which a slave is a party with her owner's explicit written permission; in such case, if the slave's own money and property are inadequate to satisfy the terms of the contract or damages arising from it, then her owner is liable for the unsatisfied balance.

A slave can sue in its own name, although it must name its owner as an Involuntary Plaintiff, so the owner can assert any claims she might have to some or all of the money. (For example, if the slave sues to recover a prize or reward to which she was entitled, then the owner would receive 20% [and the Government its 30%] of any recovery upon a judgment.) A slave can also be sued, with notice going to both the slave and her owner. Whether just the slave, or both the slave and her owner will be liable for any judgment taken as a result of such suit varies from case to case, depending on such factors as: on whose behalf the slave was acting when involved in the transaction or occurrence giving rise to the suit; if the slave had her owner's permission to do the activity giving rise to the suit; whether the owner had knowledge of what the slave was doing at the time, etc.

A slave's reproductive capabilities are considered a natural resource belonging to the slave's owner. The owner can require a slave to undergo fertilization by any of the typical methods, i.e., parthenogenesis, cloning, surrogate motherhood, etc. Any physical harm, including death or permanent disability, caused by such pregnancies is treated as accidental, so the owner can have no criminal liability. On the other hand, if an owner requires a slave to go through any experimental procedure, then any bad result is treated as intentional under the law, rendering an owner criminally culpable for any death or permanent disability. As mentioned above, a koutabaka becomes the property of the person who owned its mother at the moment of its birth.


DISCIPLINE

The Government, specifically the Criminal and Debtor Courts, has exclusive power to enslave Breeders. At the time sentence is executed, a transmitter chip is implanted in the new slave's skeleton with her Government ID number. Although having lost spaceflight, the Colony has no GPS, but much of the Continent has cell towers that can track slaves. So can all military radios, including those in all vehicles. So long-term escape is nearly impossible. As a result, many slaves are as "free" to come and go about their and their owners' business as are any Breeder Caste citizens, although the extent to which owners confine their slaves varies widely with owners' tastes and slaves' jobs.

Other than the strictures against intentional killing and maiming, described above, the law does not regulate how owners may discipline their slaves. In fact, the law exempting owners from criminal liability for assault and battery provides tacit approval for corporal punishment. Case law has excluded "mere surface or cosmetic scars" from the definition of "maiming," although scar tissue which causes a permanent physical disability is maiming. Thus an owner can beat or whip a slave to the point of leaving scars, or other physical abuse like starvation or extremes of confinement, so long as they are not ultimately permanently disabling.


MANUMISSION

As mentioned above, Doulas are slaves for life and can only be freed by Executive Pardon from the Speaker.

The law allows the owner of any hektimora to free her at any time, but this rarely happens because the Governments charges a high fee to process the manumission, and the last owner of a freed slave remains financially responsible for her for ten years thereafter.

Theoretically, any hektimora can buy her own freedom. This opportunity comes only once every five years, of the Fast of Persephone (a leap day inserted at the end of every fifth year — years ending in zero or five — to keep the first day of the calendar on the winter solstice). The law requires owners to allow all hektimoras sufficient time and liberty on that day to begin the process of self-manumission.

To do so, the slave can go to any of the Colony's government owned slave markets, and deposit a sum of money, called a "proika," in trust, plus a non-refundable processing fee equal to 10% of the proika. The slave is then "on the market" for nine days. During this period, anyone except the slave's owner may bid on the slave, but such offer must be at least 110% of the proika. If no one bids, the slave is free, and the entire proika goes to her former owner. If only one person bids, then she becomes that bidder's property, the entire purchase price goes to the slave's former owner, and the proika is returned to the slave.

If more than one person bids, then that slave is included in a special auction held on the tenth day (always a Melainead, the 10th day of Calliopos) of every year ending in a one or a six. The slave may not bid at this auction, but the slave's owner can, with the opening bid being that of the highest bidder during the previous nine days. If anyone other than the slave's current owner prevails in this auction, then the slave becomes that bidder's property, the entire purchase price goes to the slave's former owner, and the proika is returned to the slave. If the slave's current owner prevails in this auction, then she remain's her current owner's slave, the proika is returned to the slave, and her owner must pay the slave one half the amount by which her winning bid exceeded the proika.

With all these obstacles, clearly manumission is exceedingly rare.

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the laws and customs of New Mytilinian slavery may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[JawnKarTurr]

Some Tools I've Found Useful for My Sci-Fi Thread

http://donjon.bin.sh/

http://fantasynamegenerators.com/

http://random-name-generator.info/

 

[EmpressJosephine]

TATTOOING & PIERCING on New Mytilini

TATTOOING & PIERCING on New Mytilini​

All women of the Doctor Caste are created as perfect allegories of the Creatrix. Thus, all Doctor bodies are sacred, and the Church considers any permanent significant alteration of a Doctor's body as iconoclastic desecration. It treats tattoos and anything beyond simple piercings of soft tissues by a Doctor as sacrilege penalized by a significant fine and mandatory reconstructive surgery.

The same standard does not apply to Breeder Caste citizens. As flawed reflections of the Creatrix, they have more leeway in decorating their bodies through alteration. Tatoos, more significant piercings, ear spools, tongue splits, etc., are permitted if, and only if, the Breeder's employer and a special committee of the Church, the Church Council on Bodily Glorification, both approve. Few breeders, however, have more than simple piercings of soft tissues, because they want to emulate the Doctor Class. More extreme body alterations suggest a lower class than even the Breeders themselves.

The only limit on the body alteration of Slaves is that a slave may not be permanently disabled by the alteration. A slave's body alterations are decided by her owner. The slave has no standing to object. Traditionally, a body modification of a slave requested by her owner will receive automatic approval by the Church Council on Bodily Glorification, unless it involves dismemberment, significant mutilation, or debilitating nerve damage.

Furthermore, the law mandates tattooing all slaves to signify their status. Every slave bears a tattoo, at least four centimeters wide, somewhere on her body that looks like this:

In addition, most slaves bear at least one additional tattoo.

"Doulas" — violent criminal Breeders serving life sentences as slaves in state-run, high security prison factories and mines — have their criminal and penal records tattooed in a shorthand code right on their bodies. "Hektimoras" — nonviolent Breeder criminals and debtors "sold" by the Courts at auction — have the conditions of manumission tattooed somewhere on their bodies. Of this latter group, "Koutabakas" — children born into slavery — are the one exception.

Lastly, one group of slaves have a very specific set of three tattoos. "Malakas" — sex slaves trained at the Government's Malakas Academy — have the general slave mark, above, tattooed on the soles of their right feet. Upon graduation, this other mark is added on the soles of their left feet:

Upon entry into the Malakas Academy, a slave's pubes are rendered fully and permanently bald by application of a lifelong depilatory. Then, also upon graduation, a tattoo is rendered upon her mons veneris, defining to which of the three classes of slaves she belongs:

1. "Hetairas" — Courtesans and concubines, trained not only in the most sublime techniques of Sapphic lovemaking, but also in music, literature, dance, games, and such other aptitudes as to make them perfect company for their Doctor owners:

2. "Pallakas" — Personal pleasure slaves, primarily trained in every imaginable aspect of sensual satisfaction and erotic ecstacy, and expected to devote themselves to discovering and exploiting their owner's most potent desires:

3. "Dicteriadas" — Simple harlots, generally warehoused in government or private brothels (called "dicteriadia") for short term use, generally by Breeders:

Some members of the Doctor Caste, for a variety of reasons ranging from frolic to fashion to fetish, will sometimes depilatory their pubes and apply temporary tattoos to their mons veneris. These might replicate actual slave tattoos, or they may be some lighthearted play upon the theme. A small fraction of a percent of Doctors, typically submissive members of exacting BDSM relationships, may even perfectly duplicate slaves' tattooing not just on the mons, but on their feet as well. Although not technically illegal if temporary tattoos are used, such impersonation of a slave is considered extremely distasteful, even perverted, by "proper" New Mytilini society, so very few will admit to engaging in such practices.

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the laws and customs of New Mytilinian slavery or body modification may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

http://donjon.bin.sh/

http://fantasynamegenerators.com/

http://random-name-generator.info/

Thank you!

 

[EmpressJosephine]

New Mytilini's CALENDAR

New Mytilini's CALENDAR​

The planet New Mytilini rotates exactly 507.2 times during one complete revolution around its sun.

There are ten months of fifty days each in the Colonial calendar. Each year begins on the Winter Solstice. The months are named, in order:

Calliopos

Clios

Eratos

Euterpos

Melpomenos

Polyminos

Terpsichoros

Thalios

Uranos

Sapphos​

The calendar for each month lists five weeks of ten days each. These "weekdays" are named, in order:

Helead — (days 1, 11, 21, 31, & 41 of the month)

Crinead — (days 2, 12, 22, 32, & 42 of the month)

Eleionomead — (days 3, 13, 23, 33, & 43 of the month)

Hyadead — (days 4, 14, 24, 34, & 44 of the month)

Limnatead — (days 5, 15, 25, 35, & 45 of the month)

Pegead — (days 6, 16, 26, 36, & 46 of the month)

Potamead — (days 7, 17, 27, 37, & 47 of the month)

Corycead — (days 8, 18, 28, 38, & 48 of the month)

Kleodoread — (days 9, 19, 29, 39, & 49 of the month)

Melainead — (days 10, 20, 30, 40, & 50 of the month)​

Each year then concludes with seven "Festival Days," devoted to dances, plays, concerts, feasts, parties, and general revelry in which all Castes and classes are allowed to partake. These days are named, in order:

Mayed — (First of Festival)

Electred — (Second of Festival)

Taygeted — (Third of Festival)

Alcyoned — (Midday of Festival)

Calyoned — (Fifth of Festival)

Steroped — (Penultimate of Festival)

Meroped — (Last of Festival)​

On every fifth year (every year divisible by 5), an extra day in inserted in the calendar, right after Meroped and just before the Helead, the First of Calliopos (Winter Solstice). This day is called:

The Fast of Persephone

On this day, all Doctors, Breeders and slaves are expected to tithe at least ten percent of their wealth (and much scorn, and even abuse, is meted upon those suspected of holding back) to the Temple of Demeter and Astarte. In affirmation and gratitude, the Speaker, in her capacity as High Priestess of the Order of Demeter and Astarte, holds a public ceremony in which she humbly waits upon seven esteemed members of the Doctor Caste (each personifying one of the Festival Days), ten acclaimed members of the Breeder Caste (each personifying one of the months), and ten commendable slaves (each personifying one of the weekdays), giving each a loaf of bread with a valuable jewel baked into it, and kissing each in turn, first on her forehead, then on her lips, then on her left breast, then on her mons, and finally on the top of her left foot.

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the calendar or holidays of New Mytilini may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Emma Jane Wilmut

Emma Jane Wilmut
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and
High Priestess of the Order of Demeter and Astarte

Emma J. Wilmut is known to her few friends as “Em.” To the rest of the inhabitants of the planet New Mytilini, she is known as the “Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and High Priestess of the Order of Demeter and Astarte”; the hereditary ruler of their colony.

Em is the thirteenth in a line of clones originated by the first leader of the New Mytilini colony, Jane D. Wilmut, preserving her own genome.

The first clone in the line was named Anna, the second was named Bea, the third Ceci, the fourth Dee, and so on down the alphabet. Emma’s “grandmother,” Kay, was a bit more creative, naming her daughter clone “Ella.” Ella, known to everyone as “El,” followed suit and named her offspring “Emma.”

In keeping with this newer tradition, Em was tempted to name her own clone “Enya,” after the pre-colonial musician whose centuries old recordings are still quite popular on New Mytilini. But at the Naming Rite, Emma’s conservative nature predominated, and she named her daughter Nana, going back to the precisely alphabetical system.

Unlike the earlier members of her line, Em is not a scientist. She is pure politician. She is desperately trying to maintain order on a planet facing social upheaval in the face of a tiny but growing “Underground,” which seeks to change the strict Caste System which governs class relationship on New Mytilini, and, if the rumors are true, may actually be attempting to alter the very nature of the planet’s colonists themselves.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Government House

Government House​

This is the capitol building of New Mytilini. It contains the colony’s Legislative Assembly, Supreme Court chambers, and executive offices. It also contains the official residences of certain key government officials, including the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. This is what it looks like:

It was one of the first permanent structures built by the early colonists and it has been expanded and modified countless times over the past three centuries. That is why it has such a mish-mash appearance.

Tricentennial Plaza would be below the level of this picture, and completely out of sight from this angle.

 

[cripple92996]

hold still

Once a year all members of the doctor caste, are required to prove their loyality, to the ancestors by assesing the health of a slave outside their household. Although most have scorned their orginal function, this ritual is designed to remind them of the godesses kindness in making them rich.
The celebration usually takes place over a weekend. To evaluate the slave of a friend, is a rare treat.

 

[CCorteeze]

Time on New Mytilini

The planet New Mytilini rotates exactly 507.2 times during one complete revolution around its sun.

This does not tell us, however, how long it takes the planet to make one rotation. In other words, it does not define the length of one day.

I propose a day equivalent to 27.77 Earth hours.

In my first post, I have Rosa say: "The dance started almost three kilosecs ago."

If we assume a "sec" is a bit shorter than en Earth second, then we can have exactly 100,000 secs in a New Mytilini day. One kilosec would be a little over 15 minutes, so it makes sense that Rosa would be concerned when Elena had not met her for a dance that "started almost three kilosecs {i.e., ~45 Earth minutes} ago."

What do you all think?

 

[EmpressJosephine]

A Priestess

My character here, besides being the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Mytilini, is also the colony’s High Priestess of the Order of Demeter and Astarte.

I have not yet defined that latter role with much detail. In the original inception of NEW MYTILINI, I established that as High Priestess, she delivers eight annual Sermons, and one of the things she preaches about are the Primary Virtues of the Goddess, which I hadn’t yet listed, but which included Patience. Beyond that, I haven’t done anything to establish the nature of religious beliefs on the colony.

It would be really great if someone else would like to play another priestess. You could either be a sister in the Order of Demeter and Astarte with whom Emma interacts, or you could be part of a heretical sect, perhaps one linked to the Rebels. Even if you were part of the official religion, there still might be theological disagreements that would make for interesting dramatic tension. Either way, the dynamic between our characters would help create New Mytilini’s no doubt unique religious viewpoints.

If anyone would like to play such a character, I offer the following two images. The first would be a good portrait, and could still be interjected into story posts. The second would be more to add drama to some scene.

You will note that these are consistent with what I have already established are Emma’s traditional raiment as High Priestess.

Of course, if you want to play a priestess, you don’t have to use these images if you have a different idea for how she should look. I just offer them in case anyone is interested.

 

[CeriseBuss]

Heresies and Abominations!


Dissident faiths, all labeled as “heretical” by the theocratic Government, have existed nearly as long, and some claim even longer, that the official Religion. Nonetheless, they have remained disadvantaged by a number of factors, including state persecution, and a lack of centralized organization, authority and study. Thus, unlike the Religion with its dogmatic and established theology and ritual, the dissident faiths remain in a continual state of flux with various sects splitting, merging and evolving with concomitant alterations in beliefs, philosophies and practices.

Almost all, and perhaps all, of these diverse faiths accept the Religion’s cosmology of a fundamentally feminine universe.

Many, perhaps most, also agree that Feminine=Light=Good, while Masculine=Dark=Evil.

One exception to this latter theological tenet are the “Uterines,” who teach that there are no moral implications to femininity and masculinity, and even turn the color scheme around by asserting the blackness of space symbolizes the darkness of the Creatrix’s womb, while the white stars manifest the Other’s life giving semen. Outside of that, their practices are similar to those of the official Religion, and they go largely unmolested.

The same, however, cannot be said of a splinter cult of the Uterines, calling itself the “Marians.” The Marians take this concept of the cosmos as a womb one step farther. The Marians believe the female Creatrix gave birth — a necessarily virgin birth — to the male God, and it was this begotten God who created the physical universe that ultimately led to the evolution of humankind. To the Marians, colonization of New Mytilini began the Redemption of Humankind, with the male crew members of the colony ship dying to redeem the sinfulness inherent in a two-sex society. Their altars always stand beneath a huge statue of Dr. Jane D. Wilmut, her arms spread straight out to encompass the universe as the Incarnation of the Creatrix, and over a statue of the broken and bloody dead body of Captain Jay Zeus Christensen, the commander of the ill-fated colony ship. (It must be noted that while several early colonial documents attest to the fact that a “Capt. Christensen” died in the ship’s crash, only the Marians seem to have any record of his first and middle name.)

Unlike the Uterines from whom they split, the Marians believe that pregnancy and birth are the bane of womanhood, and that humankind can only be fully redeemed when New Mytilini’s technological society invents fully artificial uteruses in which to bring babies to term. Because of this, the Marians have risked their lives to aggressively proselytize among Doctor Caste biotechnologists. Most Marion Missionaries have thus become Martyrs, but a few have won converts among these scientists, starting important inroads among the ruling class. Such progress remains slow, not only because of furious governmental persecution, but also because the Marion belief in strict asceticism — Marians believe all sexual pleasure is evil — appeals to very few members of the hedonistic Doctor society.

However interesting their beliefs may be, the Uterines and Marians are a very small part of the dissident faiths. The vast majority of “heretics” belong to a diverse group of sects collectively identified as the “Fertility Cults.” These groups all oppose the Religion’s efforts to develop fully technological, artificial uteruses in which to bring fetuses to term. They all believe the female body is a living temple, epitomizing the spirit of the Creatrix, and that to try to supplant its reproductive purpose with a machine ranges from misguided or sinful, depending on the sect. The more radical of these sects will decorate the skin of their priestesses, and of pregnant members, with henna or other staining agents to glorify this holy temple.

Further, unlike the Religion, Uterines, and Marians, all of which hold the intellect over the body, and thus preach modesty, restraint, and even abstention, from physical pleasures, most of the “Fertility Cults” celebrate sensualism in all its forms, from the most innocent to the most carnal, again varying from sect to sect. Fertility Cult worship involves feasting, music, dancing and, in some of the more extreme denominations, ritual sex or even orgies.

Ultimately, the primary distinction between the “Fertility Cults” and the Religion, Uterines, and Marians is that the “Fertility Cults” embrace and celebrate the reproductive potential of feminine anatomy. They consider pregnancy and childbirth an honor, in that it elevates a woman to being the vessel in which an entirely new life is created. While Uterine, Marian and State priestesses may never have been nor become pregnant, a member of any of the “Fertility Cults” cannot obtain the higher clerical orders until she has experienced pregnancy and childbirth. The “Fertility Cults” view the other sects’ desire to create fully artificial uteruses as an abomination.

Officially, the Government contends that little more than 1% of the colony’s population follow some dissident sect. The rebel Cause, on the other hand, claims that almost 10% of Doctors, and over half of Breeders, ascribe to one of the outlawed theologies. The truth, surely, is somewhere in between.

Of all the dissident faiths, the “Fertility Cults” are the fastest growing, but splintered and disorganized. The Marians are the smallest and best organized. Although quite different philosophically, these two groups cooperate as needed to resist Governmental suppression and persecution. The Uterines generally stand aloof of the others, and depend on their low-key approach to avoid persecution. Together, however, these three outlawed faiths form a vibrant and exciting protestant community that seems to attract more and more adherents each year.

 

[EmpressJosephine]

Gendarme Corps

In my post today, Emma makes reference to a "Gendarme Corps." Remember, the Hippos are described as a "planetary military police force." There is no independent civil police on New Mytilini. Order is kept by the Hippos.

Here is how I picture your basic member of the Gendarme Corps:

http://www.panhistoria.com/Stacks/Novels/Character_Homes/homedirs/1121images/hbike002.jpg

I see this as New Mytilini's idea of a traffic cop. Notice the big machine gun mounted on the front of the cycle.

http://www.panhistoria.com/Stacks/Novels/Character_Homes/homedirs/1121images/hbike001.jpg

* * *


Any additional details anyone wants to add about the Gendarme Corp or Hippos generally, may be posted below. If you are unsure if a detail you have in mind is appropriate, please first propose it to EmpressJosephine here.