Nonmen Society

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Francis Buck

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« Reply #105 on: November 14, 2014, 08:25:09 pm »
What would make it impossible for them to see paintings? Can they read writing, then? I can't think of any reason why anything with sight wouldn't be able to "see" paintings.
As far as I remember, percieving a flat illusion of a volume is a trainable skill, it's not inherent even to the people. Where most of current human population get this through early childhood (along with zero language, walking and other base stuff for a tiny drunk adult), there were tribes of primitive people found only in 20th century who lived with a very scarce material culture. That certain circumstance prevent them from both creating such illusions and training in recognising them. It seems a window of opportunity here is quite wide, because even adults developed that skill with a help of a pictures brought with explorers.

And we know cunuroi & halaroi have some deep diffirence in perception. Like, cunuroi look exact the same to halaroi, but manage to differentiate between themselves with no problem. I hope that wasn't a "all europeans look the same to asian et vice versa"-joke thrown in by Bakker. Though it would make a damn good dark humour in context of nonmen memory difficulties.

It's funny, I actually remember hearing that thing about the real-world tribesmen when I was relatively young. Some kid told me about it at school, and then the teacher told me it wasn't true lol. It stuck in my mind regardless though because it was the first thing that came to mind when I read that line about Nonmen not being able to see paintings though, and it made me check up on the topic later.

As for that second point, I actually did interpret it as "people of the same race looking similar to the untrained eye" type of deal, although extended to species. In the same that, for example, my two dogs of the same breed look very different to me, but to someone who is unfamiliar with them, they have trouble telling them apart. It kinda makes sense that to most people, Nonmen would look pretty similar, particularly with the lack of hair.


Wilshire

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« Reply #106 on: November 14, 2014, 08:34:43 pm »
I've heard that used to describe plenty races of people, black, white, hispanic, asian, and indian are one's that I have personally heard people say "they all look the same". And we're all the same species.
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Alia

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« Reply #107 on: November 16, 2014, 01:18:41 pm »
There was this anecdote about one of film versions of "Madame Butterfly" - that when it was shown in Japan, at one point viewers suddenly started laughing, which was suprising, as the film is rather said. As it turns out, the role of the protagonists' son was played by two Japanese children. Which to white audiences looked exactly the same, but not to the Japanese.
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Wilshire

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« Reply #108 on: November 16, 2014, 04:15:29 pm »
Haha that is awesome.
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mrganondorf

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« Reply #109 on: November 16, 2014, 07:46:34 pm »
There was this anecdote about one of film versions of "Madame Butterfly" - that when it was shown in Japan, at one point viewers suddenly started laughing, which was suprising, as the film is rather said. As it turns out, the role of the protagonists' son was played by two Japanese children. Which to white audiences looked exactly the same, but not to the Japanese.

wow! have to use this in class!

Simas Polchias

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« Reply #110 on: November 20, 2014, 03:19:22 pm »
It kinda makes sense that to most people, Nonmen would look pretty similar, particularly with the lack of hair.
Actually I've supposed their lack of hair, perfect skin, awesome build and lifespan to be byproducts of grafting made by Ihcnoroi. Like, they are all the same perfect Nonman now, all have the most powerful combination of genes possible for their specie, so there literally is no more place for diversity in their personal biology.

Blame these dudes mostly, lol.

Wilshire

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« Reply #111 on: November 20, 2014, 03:50:41 pm »
I immediately thought "nonman" when those things first showed up on screen.

Lifespan, yes, not sure about the rest though.
The Sranc were fashioned after the Nonmen, and have many similar features. Noteworthy, perhaps, that the sranc have hair to scalp, while the nonmen do not.
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Garet Jax

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« Reply #112 on: November 20, 2014, 04:15:08 pm »
I could be mistaken, but I thought they were literally taking scalps instead of hair when "scalping"?


No books at the office to check...

Somnambulist

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« Reply #113 on: November 20, 2014, 06:30:23 pm »
Agreed with GJ, one of the books state that sranc scalps are distinct simply because they have no hair, and thus could never be confused with human scalps.
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Wilshire

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« Reply #114 on: November 20, 2014, 07:24:19 pm »
I thought the did the scalp because it was the only thing with hair they could bring back, so separating them from other animals.

I also recall that the Stonehags hunted men as well because human scalps were indistinguishable from sranc.
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dragharrow

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« Reply #115 on: November 20, 2014, 07:32:55 pm »
I could be totally wrong but I think the stonehags hunted other scalpoi to steal the scalps that they had already collected

Somnambulist

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« Reply #116 on: November 20, 2014, 08:02:46 pm »
I could be totally wrong but I think the stonehags hunted other scalpoi to steal the scalps that they had already collected

this
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Wilshire

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« Reply #117 on: November 20, 2014, 10:02:28 pm »
Huh. Then I totally misread all of that. I feel like I need to reevaluate my life.
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Francis Buck

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« Reply #118 on: November 22, 2014, 03:13:21 am »
I interpreted the Nonman's morphology as being a product of their subterranean lifestyle. Pale skin, hairless, black eyes, etc.

As to why they're all so beautiful and statuesque and all, I just think it's kind of a necessary literary affectation in order to make them more like Tolkien's elves.

Simas Polchias

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« Reply #119 on: November 28, 2014, 09:20:10 pm »
to make them more like Tolkien's elves
... and now I can't help but compare dunyain & mangaecca with numenorians.