#I should probably worldbuild marriage 🤔

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

👰 - what are your character's views on marriage? - for eilis o.o

Thank you for the ask! From this ask game.

Sadly, I am not in the mood to answer in character, so you don't get thrown out a third time (yet).

Surprisingly, her feelings are rather neutral. Mostly, she considers marriage a purposeful message to the world. Some people marry out of love and want to show it to everyone, some people marry to combine assets or whatever, and some think it gives them ownership over a person.

She doesn't understand that kind of love, there would be no practical reasons for her to marry, and she doesn't think someone who treats people like property would be stopped by not being married.

For now, she wouldn't want to think about it, but in the future, if Finnian wanted to get married, she would consider it. He probably won't, getting more secure in what their relationship is as time passes.

[chacusha]

One of my favorite things is when I loop my partner into whatever Star Trek-related thought I happen to be having in my mind and my partner just casually drops all his detailed worldbuilding headcanons on the subject in a long spiel and then gets upset at how I have managed to completely derail whatever he was doing/thinking about before. The most recent example of this:

Partner: (doing stuff on his computer)

Me: (thinking about my fic) I really think someone should write a detailed treatment of what Ferengi attitudes toward romantic love are.

Partner: (not realizing "someone" = him) What do you mean?

Me: Well, I mean there's obviously something kind of cold and transactional about the whole marriage contract thing and they don't seem to really value romantic relationships. But is that how ALL of society is or do you think that's just how some marriages are, but love marriages are more common in other parts of society?

Partner: No, I don't think they really have a notion of romantic love.

Me: What? Really? You don't think that some Ferengi value romantic relationships?

Partner: Well, I mean Rom and Quark obviously do, but they're deeply not doing the typical Ferengi thing, right? I think the widespread notion of romantic relationships among Ferengi is more, like, mutually beneficial exchange. For example, for a marriage, the wife gets financial stability and the husband gets children and a house servant, basically. It's very much a status symbol to be able to have a wife.

Me: Oh yeah, random, but Ferengi totally have dowries, right?

Partner: Oh yeah, definitely.

Me: But anyway, that's just marriages. What about outside of marriage?

Partner: I mean, I still think the same thing applies. Take Ishka and Zek, for example -- I think they are a very typical Ferengi relationship. Zek gets something out of that relationship which is that he gets to hang onto power longer. And what Ishka gets out of it is the ear of and being able to influence one of the most powerful people in the Ferengi Alliance. Mutually beneficial exchange.

Me: But I mean… Ishka did seem really heartbroken when Quark broke her and Zek up. Hm… but I suppose that DID hurt her bottom line… 🤔

Partner: Yeah, exactly. Like yeah, she was "heartbroken" -- over losing all that money!

Me: (remembering that bit in "The Emperor's New Cloak" where Quark suggests Zek is probably gallivanting on Risa and Rom is offended by the idea that he would do that to Moogie) Oh yeah, one thing I was wondering about is, do you think cheating is tolerated in Ferengi marriages?

Partner: For women, women cheating? Obviously no. Very bad.

Me: What about men, though?

Partner: I think it's just whatever. They might sleep with other women, but more than that, I mean, they travel on ships consisting entirely of horny men -- they are all having sex with each other all the time. But even then, it's very hierarchical. Like in ancient Greece, it matters a lot WHICH role you take in the sex.

Me:

Me: Oh yeah, absolutely.

Partner: (realizing he has somehow gotten into the topic of Ferengi gay sex headcanons) Oh my GOD, I was actually doing something! Good DAY.

This works so often and it is so funny.