Stones of Farspeech, early May

[heroondecku]

Hello. I, uh, I have a question for the...nonhumans? Is that an okay word?

And the humans, too, I guess, it's really for anyone who has an answer, I'm not going to only listen to one group or anything and-- um. Yeah.

Anyway, I was just...I was wondering how someone could tell if a person isn't human other than just asking? Since that seems kind of rude. O-or I could be wrong, asking could be fine, that's a perfectly okay answer!

...appearance isn't, though. Isn't a good answer, I mean. It's...it's kind of the problem. For me.

[That Feel When EVERYONE looks like a valid instance of your world's version of humans and you really don't want to accidentally be speciesist or rude.]

Comments

[eudaimonikos]

The souls are usually different.

[Which isn't exactly an appearance thing, even if it's sort of...also not not that? It's hard to class when he's talking to people without that sense.]

But you probably can't see those, huh?

[heroondecku]

No, I'm afraid I can't.

[Said as though "seeing souls" is a perfectly ordinary, natural thing a person could do. Ah, Quirks. This child's sense of normal is so skewed, I cannot even.]

Is that...your Quirk? Or is it a normal sense in your world?

[eudaimonikos]

It's normal for my species. Probably angels, too, but I've never asked one.

[heroondecku]

I-I see...

[...okay you know what, he’s just gonna. Choose to assume that’s a coincidence with no metaphysical implications whatsoever and move right along. Congrats, Michael, you scored the first mental speed bump!]

...I know is this probably a weird question — and you’re totally free to say no! But...is it okay if I ask how it works?

[eudaimonikos]

I don't know how well I can explain it. Can you see in more than just the three dimensions?

[heroondecku]

Well, no...but I think I get the idea? Like seeing an additional level of spatial information, right?

[eudaimonikos]

Sure, sure. Up into the ninth dimension. Souls sort of...extend...

[He gestures a few different ways, apparently unable to describe it with his hands in a way that satisfies him.]

...through the fifth and sixth. And the fourth, obviously, when you're around in it.

[atailoftwoworlds]

Appearance? I guess it's a little complicated in your world?

I don't think there's much harm in asking though. As long as you're not a jerk about it and you don't make someone who doesn't wanna answer answer. I mean, there are a lot of different races here. [And he goes quiet, thoughtful] Even artificial ones.

[heroondecku]

Yeah, I don't think I've run into anybody here who doesn't look like a human to me. Everybody would fit in at home pretty easily.

[Probably even better than here, if some of his experiences are anything to go by. His world is much better at having accommodating door sizes.]

I definitely don't want to force anybody to answer. I just...don't want to offend anybody.

...I don't think I've ever met an artificial person before. [His voice goes quiet, thoughtful. The closest he's probably gotten might be the school's robots and results of Quirk effects like Ectoplasm's, and he doesn't really think those count. His teacher's clones aren't really independent people, and the robots are...mostly just machines? He thinks? He's never actually tried talking to the security or infirmary robots, now that he thinks about it.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

Heh. My world is a little like that. I mean, not everyone there is human but maybe people's definitions of human might be different in different worlds. [People with pointy ears are are considered human in his world, as are anthropomorphic bat-like people. The Burmecians and Cleyrans aren't and they are basically anthropomorphic rats.]

I mean, if you're that worried, I guess you could just not ask and let them say what they are on their own. But seriously, unless you're a smug asshole about it, I don't think you're gonna upset too many people here.

[fireindreams]

It certainly has been a problem I have faced myself. [Human beings came in all shapes and sizes and while Grimm found that uniqueness both wonderful and amusing, it made it hard to track the difference between 'human' and 'not human'.] That being said, I believe there are many people here who would not mind being asked, provided you are polite.

[Which is likely obvious but worth saying. Some do not like playing twenty questions. Grimm did not mind being asked about himself but there were...somethings he did not.]

May I ask why appearance is not acceptable for you, my friend?

[heroondecku]

[It probably shouldn't make him feel better to know that someone else has the same problem, but it does. He's never had a good time being different in some way. Not being the only one is...reassuring.]

That's good to know. I'll keep it in mind! [He might live for information and ramble at the drop of a hat, but he does know there's a line between being curious and being invasive, at the very least.]

To be honest...everyone I've met so far looks human to me.

[suspecteverything]

If you know most of the races in the area, yeah. Where I'm from each of the races have rather distinct characteristics that you can see when you interact with that. Makes it pretty easy to identify one from the other. Here, probably not so easy with that alone. Never bothered anyone in the United Systems to ask. It was more a problem when you assumed and were wrong.

The fact that you actually recognize not everyone here is human says lot for you though.

[heroondecku]

It does?

[He really hopes whatever it says about him is good. He only started thinking about it because his roommate isn't human. Naturally that means there's probably other nonhumans here too.]

Assuming and being wrong is what I'm trying to avoid. My world only has humans, so all of this is...not something I have a lot of experience with. But I can learn!

[suspecteverything]

Yeah. It does. I don't think there's many here who take the time to figure out how to recognize a non-human.

[He looks close enough to human on first glance that people would just consider him one, though a really big one.]

You're on the right path to learning thing. Just ask politely. We'll tell you what we're comfortable with. Asking alone won't piss most beings off.

[heroondecku]

I'll remember that. Thank you.

[He's quiet for a moment, only letting out a soft, thoughtful hum.]

...is it alright if I ask a couple more questions? You sound like you have a lot of experience with this.

[suspecteverything]

Have at it. I come from a universe where there's a huge variety of different species spread throughout a lot of different planets. I know non-humans.

[triggerhappytraitor]

Why does it matter if they are or not?

[heroondecku]

It doesn't exactly matter, it's just...I don't want to upset someone. Just assuming everyone who looks human is human feels...wrong, I guess.

[triggerhappytraitor]

[[a bit of a pause. After years of defending the humanity of someone who wasn't human, but wanted to be, after a year of doing the exact opposite with the same individual this seems. Odd. to him.]]

You'd be treating them the same no matter what they were, right?

[heroondecku]

Of course. I mean, a person’s a person.

[Which is why he’s gotten himself so wound up about this, funnily enough. Most people would stop at that particular line of thought; Izuku pulls past it into “and people deserve to have their identities respected.” And then panics over doing it right.]

[triggerhappytraitor]

Then it doesn't really matter, does it?

[[Tachibana... keeps it simple. Unless he's acting as someone's doctor or doing research on someone's physiology, half the time he doesn't even notice anymore after the first 10 minutes. if he even notices at all. He's not an observant sort of person, when it comes to people...]]

[heroondecku]

[Izuku's normally a very observant person. Unfortunately, when Quirks are a perfectly valid explanation for everything, everything kind of starts to look like a Quirk...]

I mean...I don't know? My world only has humans in it, so I...don't really know what to do. What if I do something that seems normal to me and it ends up being the wrong thing to do?

[He's got first hand experience that unwitting miscommunications are easy to stumble into even with fellow humans, and can be surprisingly difficult to fix. The fact that having it happen with a nonhuman could end up being hurtful to them as well just makes it something he'd like to avoid even more than usual.]

[triggerhappytraitor]

Then you take responsibility, make amends, and know what not to do going forward. Same as you would for any other mistake.

[[He's not especially good at communicating. Hell, most of his friends back home used fighting as a way to communicate feeling, when they weren't yelling declarations of emotion and belief at each other. But that does mean he has a lot of experience with screwing up and then attempting to fix things. Easier not to be afraid of making mistakes when your entire life has been one long series of them.]]

[devilstongue]

Why does it matter? Most people here aren't human.

[heroondecku]

I just don't want to upset anyone. And assuming what people are based on how they look doesn't feel right to me.

[devilstongue]

Do you particularly have to know? It's their business. Just ask for a name.

[heroondecku]

I don't want to make anybody do anything they don't want to, I just-- [He sighs, though it sounds more confused than anything else.] I don't want to end up doing or saying something wrong and not even know it. I just don't want to hurt anybody, that's all.

[He knows he could just be overthinking all of this. It certainly wouldn't been the first time. But what if he's not...?]

[devilstongue]

Why would they have to do anything? Did 'hi, what's your name' suddenly become offensive?

[ He's confused. ]

You're most likely overthinking this a lot, so hi, I'm Molly.

It's that easy. You don't need to know what makes me tick to have a conversation.

[vagabone]

I wouldn't worry about who's what too much, kid, everyone here is pretty easygoing. Human or not.

[heroondecku]

Thanks. I just...it's hard to not worry about it. Assuming someone isn't human just because they don't look like the base human body plan is really bigoted and horrible, so assuming everyone is human just because they look human feels like...doing that in reverse?

[Does this even make sense to anyone other than him? Has he just fallen into an overthinking spiral again?]

[vagabone]

[Is that a question or...]

I wouldn't say it's bigoted unless you're going to be a bigot to anyone who's not human. Like I said, people here are nice.

[heroondecku]

[It's kind of a question? This whole thing is very new to him, he has no idea what he's doing someone please send help.]

I don't ever want to hurt somebody like that! [Not visible: the panicked and vehement 'no' head-shaking that the mere idea of being bigoted to anyone gets.] Being treated awful just for being different...it hurts, even when it's on accident. I don't want to make anyone feel that way.

[vagabone]

Then why are you wondering who's human and who's not?

[He's not being harsh, exactly. Just asking. Making a point.]

[solperierat]

How different are humans where you're from that someone looking like an animal or something wouldn't be proof enough?

[At least, that's what Ed is guessing the implication is here.]

[heroondecku]

I...don't know?

[His idea of "normal human" has been his world's default, or close to it, for generations at this point. He has no idea what other levels of "normal" even look like, and no idea how to answer this question.

Okay, he has one idea. Hope you were asking for an Intro to Quirk Theory lecture, Ed, because you're getting one!]

I mean, the base Homo sapiens body plan and anatomy are still technically the default from a genetic standpoint but the sheer variety of heteromorphic Quirks and their high rate of inheritability means that it's impossible to definitively state what is and is not valid human anatomical structure. Plus relatively minor heteromorphic traits with exceptionally high chance of variance and convergent development spread through the population so rapidly and thoroughly that some of them aren't even tied to the development of a Quirk Factor anymore.

Like my hair. It's, um, green. Runs in my mom's side of the family.

[solperierat]

[Lucky for Deku, he's speaking to an actual literal scientist! Technically an alchemist with a specialty in biochem, but he can follow the fancy words which is what we're really after here.]

Quirks--like inherited mutations? That...makes sense, actually. Weird, but makes sense. [Or he's at least able to follow.] I guess my suggestion would be to assume that anyone outside the 'base plan'--one head, two arms and legs, no tail, stands upright and all that jazz--is not from your world and not human until they indicate otherwise. Hair and eye color is probably safe to ignore, but I don't remember anyone with say, neon skin saying they were human.

Though, honestly it's probably relatively easy to avoid bringing up species in casual conversation. I'd assume it's not really commonplace to grill people about their...Quirks? Just out of the blue, right?

[technicallytechnically]

Oh! Look no further, I can give you the answers you seek!! I am an expert. Because I'm not human.

[She also sounds like she is just absolutely thrilled to suddenly be an expert on this.]

Anyway, you can totally ask, I would not be offended! Most humans I know aren't blue, but if humans are blue where you're from, then you can just say that! If you can't tell by looking there's nothing to do but to ask them!

[heroondecku]

[Well, at least he made somebody's day with this. With how stressed out he'd made himself over it, someone being so enthusiastic about answering helps a lot.]

Thanks. Humans can be a lot of colors and shapes back home, so it really is hard to tell. But...I guess you have a point about telling people that if I ask.

So, if you're not human, then...is it okay if I ask what you are? Um, if it's not, I totally understand!

[technicallytechnically]

Where I come from, humans are mostly, like... brown or lighter brown. I'm a tiefling, and it's super rare to be a blue tiefling, but we can come in all kinds of colors. My mom is red like a ruby, and I've met purple ones, and dark grey ones, and you know, lots of colors. Firbolgs I guess can be colorful sometimes too, but not as bright, except sometimes for their hair I guess? Most people who are green are either goblins or orcs. Or part orc.

And then... people who look human, but have pointy ears, are mostly either elves or part elf. And if someone looks kind of like an elf but is super short, they're probably either a halfling or a dwarf! Unless they're a child. Then they might still be a half-elf.

Are you taking notes?

[Jester this is not what he asked for. Jester.]