Contract Marriage Appendix
A hidden post
This post is both ‘hidden’ and in progress. I will be altering it as the book is written. Even the format may change from time to time. Feel free to suggest additions or changes.
Glossary
Abstinate: Someone not available for sex, possibly permanently. Not legal on Libertas and several other planets.
Advanced Classes: I dislike listing ages in my books, especially science fiction, where every planet has different length year, etc. And for my younger characters, I like the readers to get an idea of their ‘age’ from the way they behave.
Jellia is in ‘Advanced Classes’, which includes calculus, engineering, and opportunities for interning with companies.
Air Grill: Thick grill top pierced with thousands of holes, out of which hot air shoots. Has hood which recirculates air. Produces an effect like stir frying.
Archaic: Someone slightly or strongly rejecting technology in an area. Thus to be ‘archaic’ in art class would be to use a pencil and paper instead some form of computer input.
Beauty room: A private room for females with mirrors and sinks. No toilet, although some can include showers.
Blue Line: On Ephemera a ‘blue line’ is a literally blue line, typically painted on the floor, beyond which females cannot go, especially younger females. It is used to fence off male dressing rooms, the part of the pharmacy with male products, areas where young males play, etc. Older females will often ignore these lines without penalty.
Bow: On Ephemera a ‘bow’ is a head movement (of a variety of types, ranging from what we would call a ‘full bow to a mere nod) and a hand movement (again, of various types) that are used during a greeting or as a response to a command, etc. Thus you might have ‘attention-to-duty’ which a student or employee would use when leaving after being given a task.
Very formalised. Indicates some expression of intention, ranging from simple greeting, to thanks, to sexual interest, etc. Usually in a context of relationship. Thus ‘scholar to scholar’ is either, “I am a scholar and you are a scholar and I am greeting you’ or the same for parting. Thus ‘lover to lover’ can be expressed more fully as ‘one lover taking leave of the other, with an expression of gratitude and pleasure in our mutual lovemaking’.
Cit: Citizen: Term used instead of ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Miss’ on Ephemera. Not used on Libertas.
Code: Official Laws.
Code and Custom: or Code, Custom, Command, and Contract: Libertas: The basic rules of their society. Code is official law. Custom is how that law is carried out. Command means something your are required to do by someone in authority over you. Contract is a committment you enter into willingly. All are very strongly enforced, even with death.
Combination Room: Name for room that includes both toilet and fresher
Comp: A wrist computer with holographic screen projections.
Contract: On Libertas a contract is accompanied by a ‘pre-contract’. Contracts are extremely important on Libertas.
Cousine: On Libertas, the name for a female cousin.
Custom: On Libertas, the body of traditions that surround the official code, illustrating how it is to be carried out.
Date/Heavy Date: On Ephemera, a ‘date’ is an arranged sexual encounter, usually but not always between those who would be getting or giving some advantage or business relationship. Almost never leads to a permanent relationship.
Dating: On Ephemera, the normal fashion of male/female relationships. Includes sex as a matter of course. Can be for one night, or a longer period of time. Discouraged for shorter periods of time, but can be done in the case of difficult schedules. Illegal on Libertas.
Dating Cyclopedia: A site where men or women can research the dating history of anyone they might wish to date (have sex with). It includes basic facts such as job and height, and subjective comments about experiences dating. There are two, one for women to research men, and one for me to research women. One important aspect of the cyclopedia would be the ‘payback’ aspect… did a male who had a date with a woman adequately ‘pay back’ the woman, by being open to job opportunities with or for her, etc.
Two insults that would be common and damaging would be ‘Cold Fish’ for a woman, and ‘Wet noodle’ for a man. The first refers to a woman who is too picky in accepting dates; the second a man who is too slow to initiate them.
Daughter: One way of referring to a girl or woman on Ephemera.
En-drek Contract: Mostly on Libertas, although also present in a different form on most planets, a contractual or committed sexual relationship between a man and a woman.
En-drek: Current male contracted sexual partner.
En-drek-a: Current female contracted sexual partner
En-e-ska: On Libertas, The first official meeting of an en-e-kesh and her en-drek.
Exo: Off-planet. Adjective or Noun. Thus, “I’m going exo,” means “I’m going to another planet.” And “An exo opportunity” would mean an opportunity off planet.
Fresher: A shower, usually with whole body drying facility and often UV light for use on planets where the local sun does not give adequate UV light. On Ephemera the water use is highly regulated. Water usually comes from ceiling.
Handsy: Means either a boy who uses his hands for light petting when officially on a ‘kissing’ date or one who does less talking and more work with his hands than a girl would like… even when the date is meant to include petting or groping.
Hard: Alchoholic drink of any sort.
Heavy Petting/Groping: Like ‘kissing’ and ‘Light petting’. Clothes are removed but no intercourse.
Hold: An appointment.
Ice: Ice cream or other frozen dessert
Intimate Kiss: A kiss that involves more than just closed lips.
Kesh:
1) Person. Generic word for person when nothing specific is needed.
2) Child: Generic word for child, including male/female. Implies not yet allowed to marry (form en-drek contract).
3) Male child.
4) Used deliberately to say someone is acting childishly
Kesh-u: Plural of Kesh
Kesh-i: Specifically female child
Kesh-u-i: plural of Kesh-i
En-Kesh: Female child within two years from being allowed to form an en-drek contract.
En-e-Kesh: Female child who is in an en-drek contract, but the two are not allowed intercourse.
Li-kesh: A young male two years from when required to apply for en-drek contract. May apply for contract at this age.
Lo-Kesh: A young male at the age where he must apply for an en-drek contract. Often used for one who has applied, but has not yet been accepted.
Kissing: On Ephemera: Like a date for those not ready for sex, the lightest form.
Last Minute: On Ephemera the process of getting a date typically involves a few exchanges between the male and the female; but the male must make the actual offer. Thus the male might ask, “What are you doing tonight?” and everyone would know that meant ‘I would like to date you tonight’. Then the female might respond, “Well, I was free,” which would be agreeing to the date. But the male must officially ask and the woman answer, or it is not considered ‘consent’.
Sometimes a male will let the situation go up to a certain point, and reserve the actual question ‘Would you like to date tonight (this weekend, this week, etc.)’ until they are already together. This is called ‘last minute’. He may not do anything sexual until that question is asked and answered, however.
Light Petting/Groping: Like ‘kissing’ only more serious, no clothes are removed.
Li-ska: Libertas: A male who has been in an en-drek contract, but not many
Lo-ska: Libertas: An older male.
Meditation: On Ephemera: A time out to think about something before a major decision. Think ‘waiting period’ in several US laws except much more widely used. Also used for one day in seven, where most people do not work, and they are encouraged to perform quiet, relaxing, activities.
Nomination: Approval by various supervisors to allow an employee to begin training for a job. Assuming the training is completed successfully, the nominated employee then has the job.
Physical Chastisement (Implement): Both Ephemera and Libertas use physical punishment rather than isolation, time outs, or imprisonment. On Ephemera this consists of a ‘punishment bracelet’ and on Libertas a ‘physical chastisement implement’: A rod which is applied to the backside by the authority.
Both planets also have capital punishment, although it is both more easily implemented and public on Libertas. Attendance is mandatory for certain groups at certain times.
Pink Line: On Ephemera a ‘pink line’ is a literally pink like, typically painted on the floor, beyond which males cannot go. It is used to fence off female dressing rooms, the part of the pharmacy with feminine products, the beauty room, etc.
Port Lounge: On Libertas a sprawling comlex which includes the shuttle ports, restaraunts, hotels, etc. Visitors to Libertas cannot leave the port lounge without, among other things, going through immigration counseling and having a valid en-drek contract with their en-drek (or en-drek-a) present.
Pre-contract: Libertas: A document like a preamble. Extremely important. In it each party lays out their entire context to signing the contract. Lying on a pre-contract may be punished with death.
Progenitor: Used to distinguish biological father. On Ephemera this person is typically (especially in the upper class) picked deliberately and informed. It is considered very bad form to discontinue birth control without telling the male involved.
On Ephemera the pregenitor is expected to have very limited contact with their child before they reach the age of majority (where they begin dating) at which point the child themselves determines their future relationship.
On Libertas the progenitor is the en-drek that sired the child. They have special relationship with the child for the rest of their life, including certain legal priveledges.
Pro-up: To form a strong relationship with the progenitor or, in some cases, one of the mother’s dates; perhaps one that was over frequently. Always done after age of majority.
Punishment Bracelet: Both Ephemera and Libertas use physical punishment rather than isolation, time outs, or imprisonment. On Ephemera this consists of a ‘punishment bracelet’ and on Libertas a ‘physical chastisement implement’: A bright red bracelet on the wrist of someone being punished. It shocks its user at random but regular times (ie perhaps ‘approximately once an hour’ would mean that sometime during each hour) and the person being punished is required to repeat certain words (“I’m sorry for hitting my fellow scholar”) into the bracelet within a certain time to avoid being shocked again.
Red Line: On Ephemera a ‘pink line’ is a literally red line, typically painted on the floor, beyond which children cannot go. It is used to fence off the pharmacy, areas where alcohol is served, etc.
Safety: On Ephemera a ‘Safety’ is a male or female who is responsible for enforcing laws and watching out for dangerous situations.
Sim: (Simulation, Simming) A full body simulation, which is able to put the user in a different environment. Usually used for training purposes.
Ska: Someone already in an en-drek contract, usually only used when their status is important, otherwise ‘kesh’ is used.
Ska-drek: Current or, in some cases, past, male in an en-drek relationship with one’s ska-drek-a (biological or adopted mother).
Skimmer: vehicle that floats above the ground when moving. Don’t ask me how it works :)
Snip: Replaces email, text, post, etc.
Snip up (Have to…): To be stopped by the safety of a building from going up to a female’s apartment until she can be contacted (via snip).
Soft: Non-alchoholic drink of any sort. Often made from some fruit.
Son: One way of referring to a boy or man on Ephemera.
Stars and Comets (and every little sparkly bit): Expression of surprise.
Status Box: A large or small box that regulates the temperature and humidity of what is inside it, keeps it in an all nitrogen atmosphere, and filters the atmosphere vs backteria.
Twad: Idiot.
Wrist Comp: see (comp)
Benth: Unit of Volume. Aprox 2.15 gallons.
Calendar
Neither the planets Libertas nor Ephemeras share the same length of day, month, or year with Earth. Thus all dates and things need to be taken in their planet context, and not compared to either other planet.
The Libertas day is relatively close to the Earth day, being just under what we would called twenty-five hours. However the year is longer, and the ‘month’ is not often used. It has a meaning, referring to the alignment of the planets moons, which occurs fifteen times in the plantary year, but is not considered a very useful division of time. Thus things are counted in days. A year is 520 days long
On Libertas the star Justicia plays an enormous role in their time sense. As the ‘winter’ approaches the nights gets brighter and brighter (or, more accurately, they spend more and more time in the light of Justicia). The winter solstice and the night of maximum brightness occur a couple of days apart. Progenitor’s day occurs on the second of these days, but both days are considered rather holidays.
Both the day and the year are shorter on Ephemera, with the month being much longer. The day is just under twenty-hours… which tends to confuse people from off-planet, and the year only three hundred days.
Neither planet has a week, but Ephemera observes a rather strict ‘meditation day’ once out of every seven… which coordinates with nothing else. It is a time for reading (not screenies), sleeping, pygmas, long walks, and basically being alone.
Cultural Issues
Ephemera:
Dating: Dating (sexual congress between a male and a female) is expected to be frequent and rather open. Complaining about how attractive or unattractive the date is is considered rather gauche, outside of polite compliments. Information can be exchanged about what kind of date a person is, but it is not expected to be overly negative. Thus ‘nice but boring’ would be allowed, ‘a real jerk’ would be extremely impolite.
Initiative: Women on Ephemera are never to initiate dating. They often get around this by hinting and putting themselves in situations, but anything more than a hint is severely frowned upon. Men are expected to initiate, and even to do so where they do not actually wish to be taken up.
Nudity Taboo: The Ephemera nudity taboo is different both from modern America and Libertas. Both sexes are allowed to be naked when swimming or in their own house especially after dinner or at the house of a heavy date. Women in particular are encouraged to signal sexually by their dress; thus as either available or unavailable. Abstinates are especially encouraged to dress as sexually non-available.
Women are allowed to be shirtless (part of the dress pulled back or down) when nursing, and women and men when in ‘private’ (such as their own home or yard), or on the beach, park, etc. might wear just a wrap (for females) or shorts (for males). Being shirtless in the wrong environment is not considered ‘naked’ for either sex, but ‘underdressed’… such as wearing a swimsuit to a formal party.
Parenting: The mother is the only recognised parental figure on Ephemera. The progenitor is expected to see their child at least once a year, and to provide some financial assistance and the occasional present but hey are strongly discouraged from assuming any responsibility and/or forming any other relationship until after the child reaches their majority.
Libertas:
Dating: Sexual contact between non-contracted parties is absolutely forbidden. Within a contract either party may initiate sexual contact, although it is more typical for the male to do so. A failure to initiate when sex is desired is a violation of the contract.
For the less sexual meaning of ‘dating’, it is considered good form (custom) but not required by law (code) or contract for both parties, but especially the male, to initiate and accomplish activities to help bind the contracted parties together, such as a night out at a restaurant or a vacation.
Initiative: Suggestion of sexual contact between non-contracted parties is absolutely forbidden. Within a contact either party may initiate sexual contact, although it is more typical for the male to do so. A failure to initiate when sex is desired is a violation of the contract.
Nudity Taboo: The Libertas nudity taboo is different from both Ephemera and Modern America. Both sexes are normally naked in private, sleeping, before and during breakfast, and when swimming or in an area where swimming is going on.
Women are allowed to be topless in all settings except where an employer or owner of an establishment forbids it. Men are very rarely topless when dressed.
Women are required to dress as their en-drek requires.
No public dress on Libertas is to be sexual in nature. No one is allowed to treat someone who is shirtless or naked as if that dress is meant to be sexual. Even between En-drek and En-drek-a, a request or command to take off clothes is not meant to be sexual in nature except for the practicality of the thing. Sexual relations are almost always engaged in while both are naked.
Parenting: On Libertas the male (en-drek/ska-drek) has the parenting authority; with the female (en-drek-a/ska-drek-a) required to act under his authority. The child follows their female progenitor (or adopted progenitor) from contract to contract, not the male, however.
The male who actually sired the child (kesh) has a very special relationship with them the rest of their life. Especially once the kesh is out of the house, their progenitor is the one they turn to to ask key questions, even questions that would, in other cases, violate code and custom.
Money
Libertas
Hex: 12 bits
Bit: can be copper, silver, gold, or platinum. Each bit of the higher value is worth 12 hexes of the lower.
Bows and Kisses
Bows
Decision-reached
Daughter-Greets-Mother
Child-to-adult
Lover-to-Lover
Great-thanks
Fun-together
Fellow-Laborer
To a Woman in Difficulty
Relating a story
Much Congratulation
Greeting honored company
Kisses
Stranger-to-stranger:
Use:
Description:
Scholar-to-instructor
Use:
Description:
Instructor to Scholar
Use:
Description:
Scholar to scholar
Use:
Description:
Mother-to-daughter
Use:
Description:
Daughter to Mother
Use:
Description:
Daughter to ska-drek
Use: When a daughter greets a former or current ska-drek or (rare) biological or legal progenitor who was never a ska-drek
Description: hand to cheek, normal kiss
Father-to-daughter
Use: When a ska-drek greets his daughter or adopted daughter
Description: hand to cheek, normal kiss
Ska-to-Kesh
Use: When a ska greets a kesh who are in no particular other relationship
Description: Hand to kesh’s head, normal kiss
Kesh to Ska
Use: When a kesh greets a ska who are in no particualr other relationship
Description: hand to side, normal kiss
Brother-to-Sister
Use:
Description:
Sister to Brother
Use:
Description:
Sister to Sister
Use:
Description:
Authority-to-under-authority
Use:
Description:
Insgtructee to Authority
Use:
Description:
Former Lover-to-Former Lover
Use: Used equally between former ska-dreku and en-drek [name]u
Description: left hand to chest, intimate kiss. (Jellia is surprised this is allowed!)
American Cultural Issues Explored in this book
Me Too
The ‘Me Too’ movement brought forward several issues of sexual relationship, among them the idea that one person was exchanging their sexual favors for some sort of profit… a job, for example. On Ephemera this is the norm. There is no marriage, so sex is exchanged either for procreation, or for advantage. Mutual pleasure is ideal, but especially for the woman, they are expected to look to their eventual business or social advantage.
Incel: Involuntary Celibacy
In the current year of 2023 huge numbers of males are not getting the sex that they would like to get. Both Ephemera and Libertas have systems that deal with that issue in different ways. On Ephemera there is social pressure to make sure that everyone has sex on a routine basis. On Libertas everyone is a contracted sexual relationship.
Inchel: Involuntary Childlessness
In the current west of 2023 huge numbers of females who wish, or wished, to have a child are not having them. Both Ephemera and Libertas have systems that deal with that issue in different ways. On Ephemera the women arrange with a man to get her with child; the rich women typically only once. On Libertas everyone is required to be in a fruitful contracted sexual relationship.
Delrep: Delayed reproduction
Neither of these cultures have delayed reproduction. The rich and well-educated on Ephemera don’t have many children, but they have their first child early. I wonder how ‘settle your child before your career’ would go over with modern women?
Sex in marriage
Sabbath
Sexual harrassment et al
Issues of authority
School
Libertarian and Laws
Links
Contract Marriage Chapters, Newest to Oldest
I would like to give credit for the genesis of many of these ideas to the Liaden series by Mr. and Mrs. Steve Miller, which is available for free on the web. They do a great deal of cultural exploration, although they rather dramatically skip the moral exploration. (And their math doesn’t work.)
Other concepts were taken, in one form and another, from the book Freehold by Michael A Williamson.