--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, "Edward Fox" <spambucket0@...>
wrote:
>
> Something just came to mind. At least some furries have things like
a
> heat cycle and early physical maturity to deal with. It's possible
> that some species might favor harems by instinctive inclination and
> some might find it better to have shorter marriages.
>
> So might not the culture that the girls are in have different
options
> regarding the duration of a marriage?
With the Skunkworks (and Caterwaul, etcetera) reality, all the
various species (a total of 22 sentient species, with a total of 75
subspecies) enter "heat cycles"; different species are only able to
reproduce during certain times of the year.
They can engage in sexual activity whenever they want during the
rest of the year, with whatever species they wish (including their
own). But, it is only during their cycle that they run the risk of
impregnation if they so choose to mate with another of the same
species. Mating with a dissimilar species during such a cycle will
not result in producing any offspring.
As for marriage, it is ultimately up to the couple. Many couples
live together without being legally married. The primary purpose of
marriage (in their world, anyway) is mostly a financial one. In
Val's case, if she had decided to stay married, the possibility of
her husband depleting the family's funds was all too real, even if
they split up. By getting a divorce, she severed any and all ties
with him, therefore preventing him from leeching any of her
belongings (property, vehicles, funds, savings, etcetera). A
marriage, therefore, is a legal way to share the expense and burden
of raising a family. The only difference here is that not all
families are run by a two-parent household (both parents may be
present, but one is dominant in raising the young).
--JMH
Received on Sat Feb 02 2008 - 21:11:41 CST