Date Posted:12:57:46 10/04/10 Mon Author: debikm Subject: Ooohhh... more cool ideas In reply to:
Fi
's message, "Random thoughts about twinning>>>>" on 10:15:56 10/04/10 Mon
>In our world, some species have twins or multiple
>births are the norm, so it's only a bit of a stretch
>to have a world where humans are one of those species.
>
>Also, in our world, a lot more twins are conceived
>than are born i.e. one twin dies in utero. Maybe in
>your world, a singleton is seen as someone with a
>"lost twin", only half a person.
I'm thinking this is going to be a major idea in my story. I'm thinking of calling it "A Single Self". It struck me a long time ago as a good name for a story like this.
>
>How does the incidence of twinning and telepathy
>affect romantic relationships? If a singleton falls
>for a twin, does that become complicated because the
>singleton doesn't understand the twin bond and resents
>the twins' closeness?
I can where it could be an issue. I am an only child, so I don't even know what it's like to have a sibling, let alone a twin.
>
>If one twin is gay, what are the chances that the
>other twin is also gay (I think it's about 50% for
>identical twins in our world)?
Good point. I wonder if this will be seen as more acceptable in this world, with being a single the bigger 'handicap'. Letting the thoughts stew...
>
>How common are conjoined twins in your world? How are
>they viewed?
Something I hadn't considered, but thanks for reminding me! Conjoined twins would be a strong possibility with such a prevalence of identical twins.
>
>What about friendship? If the twin bond is so close,
>does that mean that close platonic friendships outside
>the twin bond are rare? Are singletons more likely to
>seek friendships outside the family, and are these
>non-twin friendships seen as second rate?
In addition, I see pairs of twins intermarrying (not in an open marriage, though I can see that being possible) so wouldn't that decrease the genetic diversity? IT's are genetically identical, as far as I know, so if a majority of marriages are among sets of twins, that might force the singletons to help diversify the gene pool... wow, this is wandering into eugenics territory... maybe I'll give a push in another direction... I don't want to get too Brave New World here.
