Recognition Sickness Symptoms

Do we have a list of recognition sickness symptoms?

Loss of appetite seems to be one, if we're talking physical symptoms.

The most common symptom is flatulence, which is why you're supposed to answer the call for the tribe's sake

Haha, vv funny. But nausea and constipation could tie in with a lack of appetite.

Lethargy. Some seem to demonstrate fever, which make sense, sort of? I dunno, I get little fevers when I have pms. But the main thing seems to be them wasting away. Stormlight was permanently traumatized(which is great for baby raising), whjch was put down to her Recognizing at too young an age.

Some seem to weather it better than others. Leetah seems to have become famous for being able to resist recognition for a few weeks, and Ember and Teir were able to keep upright and moving for a while. Otoh, after about two, or three, days, Dewshine was at the point of collapse.

I'm actually, to be perfectly honest, of the opinion that recognition is the worst form of fictional reproduction ever. It makes no sense to kill the people you're trying to make have babies. The only thing I can think is that it would have come from the time when the cone heads were extremely populous, to the point where this kind of DNA imprinting would have made sense.

Honestly, I don't think the Go Backs have it wrong. They didn't stop using recognition, they evolved out of it.

Evolution isn't perfect. The High Ones had a problematic system of reproduction... even if elves don't get a period.

I wonder if Skywise and Cutter experienced any symptoms when they recognized-- and if they did anything about it.

In the novel Journey to Sorrow's End, Cutter's moodiness and bad temper is put down to Recognition, as is his loss of appetite.

But with some elves, how would you know the difference?

Really bad moods?

I think it'd be a matter of a character's temprament. The not-eating, being distracted (which was noticed by Cutter in The Discovery, IIRC), etc. Physical weakness has been mentioned. I consider them all to be "get this over with, idiots!" inspiration.

Like elfin PMS with a vengeance


I actually think it's symptoms of repressed sexual frustration, but again my theory is that elves are only able to experience orgasms through recognition. That's what gets them 'ovulating' or gets the testosterone flowing or whatever.

It's when recognition is denied though that they feel sick. Otherwise they seem fine, they just go with it and bonk their brains out

kathleen3.0 wrote:

Some seem to weather it better than others. Leetah seems to have become famous for being able to resist recognition for a few weeks, and Ember and Teir were able to keep upright and moving for a while. Otoh, after about two, or three, days, Dewshine was at the point of collapse.

Well... it was only a couple of days at the most, and Ember would've thrown up right after she got captured. If she'd had anything in her stomach.

Zadzi wrote:

I actually think it's symptoms of repressed sexual frustration, but again my theory is that elves are only able to experience orgasms through recognition. That's what gets them 'ovulating' or gets the testosterone flowing or whatever.

I think Khavi and the other Go-Backs would dispute this idea. And Rayek and Skywise, both non-Go-backs, have procreated outside of Recognition so clearly it doesn't take the "big O" to make babies, at least for the guys. (Wouldn't be the first time females got the shaft, procreation-wise, though.)

So has Windkin. And Pike, maybe.

manga wrote:

 (Wouldn't be the first time females got the shaft, procreation-wise, though.)

I don't think they have: Nightfall in JtSE remembers "exquisite joinings." Somehow I don't think that applies just to what Redlance got from them.

Pon-Farr for elves. But so far, nobody has died and there is no record of aggression, so it's not the worst reproduction strategy in fiction. It seems to have gotten less severe over the timeline. Currently, a good healer can just send it on it's way..

Maybe it gets worse the less the two elves involved want to do with each other? Cutter probably fell for Leetah right off the bat; Dewshine and Tyldak were repulsed by each other; Ember and Teir wanted to consummate, but couldn't.

Elwing wrote:

Pon-Farr for elves. But so far, nobody has died and there is no record of aggression, so it's not the worst reproduction strategy in fiction. It seems to have gotten less severe over the timeline. Currently, a good healer can just send it on it's way..

Well, a good healer with access to the Palace, though Ember was able to somehow tap into her mother's ability and mute it (or something).

kathleen3.0 wrote:

I'm actually, to be perfectly  honest, of the opinion that recognition is the worst form of fictional reproduction ever. It makes no sense to kill the people you're trying to make have babies. The only thing I can think is that it would have come from the time when the cone heads were extremely populous, to the point where this kind of DNA imprinting would have made sense.

Honestly, I don't think the Go Backs have it wrong. They didn't stop using recognition, they evolved out of it.

THANK. YOU.

kathleen3.0 wrote:

I'm actually, to be perfectly honest, of the opinion that recognition is the worst form of fictional reproduction ever. It makes no sense to kill the people you're trying to make have babies. The only thing I can think is that it would have come from the time when the cone heads were extremely populous, to the point where this kind of DNA imprinting would have made sense.

It's been pointed out several times that unanswered Recognition does not in fact kill you. If both parties are alive the best way to deal with it is simply to get on with it - even if you supposed can wait 10 years like Zarhan and whoever did - but if one of the people involved died before the call had been answered it would be kinda bad if the other then instantly dropped dead; if for example Teir actually had drowned and Ember then just... died. Pretty sure she wasn't being literal with the whole "If he dies, I dies!" bit.

Redhead Ember wrote:

[...]but if one of the people involved died before the call had been answered it would be kinda bad if the other then instantly dropped dead; if for example Teir actually had drowned and Ember then just... died. Pretty sure she wasn't being literal with the whole "If he dies, I dies!" bit.

I feel like they've always meant that it's not a literal death, but more like your soul suffers deeply at the loss of a lifemate. Answered or otherwise, they obviously had a bond before Recognition got involved, so I can definitely accept that Ember and Teir felt like they were in lifemate mode immediately.

As for the original topic, I feel like Recognition sickness is mainly a sickness of the heart and soul, which leads to poor effects on the body--it's hard to take proper care of yourself when you're constantly distracted or depressed! The longer it goes unanswered, the longer you have to kind of fall apart, but I think that the distraction, lack of appetite, and general weakness we've seen is mainly based on a failure to react to your own needs.

Redhead Ember wrote:

It's been pointed out several times that unanswered Recognition does not in fact kill you. If both parties are alive the best way to deal with it is simply to get on with it - even if you supposed can wait 10 years like Zarhan and whoever did

but if that was the case, why all this fuss during Cut/tah's and Dew/dak's (sorry, couldn't resist) recognitions? Why not simply sit it out? Or why resisting any way, since most elves are hyper-horny and offspring-fixated anyway? I mean, unless an elf is really disgusted by an other elf or hates him/her, s/he could simply go through the sexual procedures and live on his/her life. Guess there's a reason, why there aren't many unanswered calls

Redhead Ember wrote:

but if one of the people involved died before the call had been answered it would be kinda bad if the other then instantly dropped dead; if for example Teir actually had drowned and Ember then just... died.

But it's also kind of bad, if a chief can't lead because s/he suffers from recognition sickness, or a healer is weakened etc.

Miss Gillespie wrote:

Redhead Ember wrote:

It's been pointed out several times that unanswered Recognition does not in fact kill you. If both parties are alive the best way to deal with it is simply to get on with it - even if you supposed can wait 10 years like Zarhan and whoever did

but if that was the case, why all this fuss during Cut/tah's and Dew/dak's (sorry, couldn't resist) recognitions? Why not simply sit it out? Or why resisting any way, since most elves are hyper-horny and offspring-fixated anyway? I mean, unless an elf is really disgusted by an other elf or hates him/her, s/he could simply go through the sexual procedures and live on his/her life. Guess there's a reason, why there aren't many unanswered calls

Because for as long as both the involved parties (is that the right term?) remain alive the symptoms remain. Besides; the elves involved think they're gonna die, so they aren't going to think "I'll just sit this one out until the stops!" Or - on the slightly extreme scale of things - simply kill their Recognized mate.