It's not just Japan. There's an old joke here that goes how do you know you're from Nova Scotia? When you find myself waiting for the light to change and there's no traffic in sight. At 3 am. On Sunday night. In the rain.

Disclaimer: I am from Nova Scotia. I have actually done this.

That's different, Japanese people don't do it because rule. The newfie does it because dumb.

Pls don't kill me!

Where does Newfoundland come from? Capers throwin' rocks at the shithawks.

So where do the Newfies come from? The ones who was too dumb to let go.

I'm a bad person.

Nothing wrong with being honest

Has their height difference increased/been more exaggerated in the recent chapters or was I not paying enough attention before?

So, long story short, Ran being blonde, while possible, is extremely unlikely.

That's pretty much exactly what I said in my 2nd post on page 100 but thanks for the genetics lesson I guess!

Yeah but if I had just let what you said slide I wouldn't have gotten a chance to be a smartass now would I?
Also, I felt it necessary to explain just how damn unlikely Ran's hair color is. But mostly being a smartass.

last edited at May 13, 2015 4:20PM

i don't know what ATLITS is but I might need to throw things at you for suggesting most cynics are anything other than whiny, annoying cowards.

ATLITS is an amazing amazing album by the musical geniuses of Area 11.

And us Cynics are PROUD of our whiny annoying cowardice!

*Genius enough to make Naruto sound awesome.

I also don't know what or who Area 11 is but I would assume it is completely different from Area 51.

And good for you. At least you have something to be proud of. Better than what nihilists got.
Which is nothing. Cause their nihilists, see?
I'll show me self out.

HAIL SATAAAAAAAN!!!

He is our dark and shining light.

Also, feel pride that you can say "My 100th post was hail Satan." It is truly a great thing.

Indeed it is. My pride feelz are at maximum.

Optimism is evil, only the cynical know joy.

*Just because everyone needs to know how much more awesome I am than them, just got an ATLITS physical copy.

i don't know what ATLITS is but I might need to throw things at you for suggesting most cynics are anything other than whiny, annoying cowards.

Eww, science. Satan is the only knowledge we need, HE made Ran's hair the way it is.

HAIL SATAAAAAAAN!!!

Commandershepard13

snip

No I am not. Sidonias least problem are the harem elements. It's not even a generic harem. Winner girl dies early and still has relevance throughout the series

I dropped not long after that. Just got kinda... meh for me.

Well could you fill me in on what you didn't like about it cause I've been looking at the series for awhile now and wondering if I should try it out, however, the potential presence of harem elements has so far kept me away.

The story, art, and what not didn't really bother me at all to be honest. I just got bored. It wasn't bad nor was it necessarily good. Also, the harem thing is hardly a factor. Sure the main guy has a few moments like that but they're hardly distracting as far as I can remember. Give it a go and see if you like it.

Thanks mate

Cause genetics totally work like that.

Not likely but they can.

No, not unless there is a mutation.

She needs blond on both sides of her family in order to get it to work, just like how red requires it as well, and blue eyes. Bruce Lee could have a son who was blond at birth precisely because he was quarter German.

EDIT: Not that I mind Shou stretching the reality of the situation, but I find it interesting he adds in that the blond hair is silkier and softer, which in my experience is true.

Genetic mutation isn't "genetics"? :P
Hair, eye colour etc are polygenic traits so you can't just go and apply Mendelian rules to them. Recent European intermingling isn't necessary for blonde hair traits to surface either, there are/were Asiatic ethnicities with light hair and eyes. Basically "life finds a way"...

Polygenic just mean that the genes in question work in an additive way, rather than a dominant and recessive way. Which, if anything, should make Ran's light hair even more unlikely.

Your (actually you probably already know this but I'm going to say it anyway) hair colour is determined by melanin or more specifically, by a type melanin called eumelanin. As we established above, eumelanin (or more specifically the genes which control its production) operates on additive principles, rather than Mendelian ones. Now lets say there are six genes which determine hair color, that Ran gets her Finnish ancestry from her mothers side of the family and that these genes are represented as Cc, with C representing high levels of eumelanin production-and thus dark hair-and c representing lower levels, which should obviously lead to lighter hair.

So her grandfather is presumably a light haired Finn with the genes CCcccc or Cccccc, while her grandmother was a dark haired Asian woman, who should have the genes CCCCCC.

Now Ran's mother would receive half of each of these sets. Most likely she would get something like CCCccc or CCCCcc, giving her intermediate brown hair. As you have probably already figured out, this means that if Ran's mom married a Japanese man (as she presumably did, as Ran is supposed to be 1/4 Finnish) then the best possible combination Ran could have is CCCccc like her mother, giving the same intermediate brown hair.

But what if Ran's grandmother had unusually light hair for a Japanese women, something like CCCCcc and her daughter, Ran's mother, inherited Cccccc? Well then Ran's mom likely did have blonde hair but its still unlikely Ran would have blonde hair also as Ran's father was still Japanese meaning Ran would once again end up with, at best, CCCccc, as its unlikely he too would have such light hair, as any hair colour other than "pitch black" is pretty rare amongst East Asians, especially amongst men (men of any ethnicity typically have darker skin and hair colours than their female counterparts). However, if he did have light hair color, it is possible that Ran could end up with something like dirty blonde or at the very least very light brown hair.

So, long story short, Ran being blonde, while possible, is extremely unlikely.

As for your statement of some Asian ethnicities having blonde hair, you are correct but said ethnicities are located in the Middle East/West Asia and central Asia, not East Asia like Japan. There are Melanesian cultures who have blonde hair as well but said blondness comes from entirely different genetics, more specifically, from an amino acid change in a specific gene which does not exist in any other ethnic group on the planet.

last edited at May 12, 2015 3:39PM

No, not unless there is a mutation.

She needs blond on both sides of her family in order to get it to work, just like how red requires it as well, and blue eyes. Bruce Lee could have a son who was blond at birth precisely because he was quarter German.

EDIT: Not that I mind Shou stretching the reality of the situation, but I find it interesting he adds in that the blond hair is silkier and softer, which in my experience is true.

So basically confirmed that Ran is at very least 3/8 Caucasian?

Anyway not entirely related. But read a post before pointing out how in Japanese media, there is still this trend considering how if a character with Japanese father/ grandfather, he/she is a Japanese with mixed foreign blood. But if a character has mother/ grandmother as Japanese, he/she's portrayed as a foreigner with some Japanese heritage. Sounded a bit sexist, but seemed to be true for my experiences with anime/manga characters. And seemed a bit true for Ran too

Well Japan is still very chauvinistic, especially in comparison to most western nations, so such discrimination would likely be fairly common.

Actually, not half Finnish. A quarter. One Finnish grand-mother. Hence, blond hair.

Cause genetics totally work like that.

last edited at May 11, 2015 4:50AM

It's a fight we'll win, but you've got to accept it's a long fight. A very long one, measured in terms of generations. That's been going on for longer than the almost half century since the current movement started. Yes, we're making progress, but we're not even halfway there yet.

There're a bunch of European countries that made same-sex marriage legal, on par with het marriage, with the same rights and benefits, and even possible adoption. On top of my head, UK, Spain and the biggest one yet, France. Probably because at the time it came up, the governement of these countries pushed in that direction, despite the vocal opposition of a minority.

I think most "civilized" societies are ready for it, but the average het people won't cast their vote because of that issue, but rather because of economic concerns. For it to happen, there need to be a political will, or nothing will happen.

So, a Japanese lesbian couple could perfectly marry in France for example and adopt children there (though their marriage would not be recognized in Japan, yet).

States that allow same-sex marriage for further reference:

In Europe: Finland, Sweden, Norway, France, Netherlands, Spain, England, Wales, and Scotland but not Northern Ireland, Belgium, Iceland, Portugal, Denmark

The Americas: Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Some states of the US and Mexico, Argentina

Everywhere else: South Africa, New Zealand.

Hopefully Ireland by the end of the month.

Hopefully. Germany and Switzerland within the year.

Its amusing how you mention France like their legalizing of same sex marriage is somehow a permanent thing. Currently there is still heavy opposition to the idea from the far right and the Muslim communities and former President Sarkozy plans to take advantage of this to get reelected in 2017 by promising to nullify all existing gay marriages, something that seems more and more likely as people, even long time left wing supporters, abandon current President Hollande due to several controversial policies. Amusingly, polls show that most people in France do support equal rights for same sex couples but it seems people are more concerned with getting rid of Hollande and replacing him with any else at this point, even if same sex marriage has to be sacrificed to do so. Let's just hope they elect someone other than Sarkozy.

I saw that last bit pre-edit! I know it's not the best place to say this but I don't think voting for XYZ for a single social issue is the best thing. I view it as an extremely poor decision, governance is so much more impactful than that.

You are right, I admit, there is more to governance than one issue. I was being too...judgmental, I shouldn't have made such a broad statement. I admit Sarkozy probably has other qualities and he is probably superior to many other candidates but on this particular issue, I think he is a dickhead. Plain and simple.

Anyway, as I mentioned in a another conversation, its unlikely Sarkozy could actually nullify same sex marriages any way. I just find it concerning that he would even consider doing so, even if it was him just trying to secure a few cheap votes.
Now we should probably drop this conversation. Nothing good has ever come out of politics and the internet.

Its amusing how you mention France like their legalizing of same sex marriage is somehow a permanent thing. Currently there is still heavy opposition to the idea from the far right and the Muslim communities and former President Sarkozy plans to take advantage of this to get reelected in 2017 by promising to nullify all existing gay marriages

It's very unlikely they nullify anything. You can't "unmarry" people that aren't willing to do so. That man is just paying lip service to some of the most conservatives, but it would be extremely difficult to reverse same-sex marriage. Worst thing that could happen I think is they make a law forbidding same sex couples to raises children. And even that is unlikely and impossible to enforce. France is still a democracy, with a constitution.

You can very much "unmarry" people whether they want to or not. Marriage is kind of like a legally binding contract. If the government decides said contract is unlawful, they can nullify it. Thus all same sex marriage certificates would become void and same sex couples are no longer eligible for marriage benefits.
You are correct in stating that it wouldn't be quite that easy. This is a democracy after all and as I said before, most French people support same sex marriage, meaning he is unlikely to get his passed but its concerning that he can even run on such a platform and still receive the support he does.

It's a fight we'll win, but you've got to accept it's a long fight. A very long one, measured in terms of generations. That's been going on for longer than the almost half century since the current movement started. Yes, we're making progress, but we're not even halfway there yet.

There're a bunch of European countries that made same-sex marriage legal, on par with het marriage, with the same rights and benefits, and even possible adoption. On top of my head, UK, Spain and the biggest one yet, France. Probably because at the time it came up, the governement of these countries pushed in that direction, despite the vocal opposition of a minority.

I think most "civilized" societies are ready for it, but the average het people won't cast their vote because of that issue, but rather because of economic concerns. For it to happen, there need to be a political will, or nothing will happen.

So, a Japanese lesbian couple could perfectly marry in France for example and adopt children there (though their marriage would not be recognized in Japan, yet).

States that allow same-sex marriage for further reference:

In Europe: Finland, Sweden, Norway, France, Netherlands, Spain, England, Wales, and Scotland but not Northern Ireland, Belgium, Iceland, Portugal, Denmark

The Americas: Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Some states of the US and Mexico, Argentina

Everywhere else: South Africa, New Zealand.

According to census, the three most accepting countries the LGBT people are the Netherlands, Canada and Iceland.

Its amusing how you mention France like their legalizing of same sex marriage is somehow a permanent thing. Currently there is still heavy opposition to the idea from the far right and the Muslim communities and former President Sarkozy plans to take advantage of this to get reelected in 2017 by promising to nullify all existing gay marriages, something that seems more and more likely as people, even long time left wing supporters, abandon current President Hollande due to several controversial policies. Amusingly, polls show that most people in France do support equal rights for same sex couples but it seems people are more concerned with getting rid of Hollande and replacing him with any else at this point, even if same sex marriage has to be sacrificed to do so. Let's just hope they elect someone other than Sarkozy.

last edited at May 10, 2015 3:15PM

Yeah, I was prepped for incest tag.

10/10 would fap again.

420/10 would blaze again

this might need the "what the fuck am I reading" tag

"Might" isn't strong enough. Try "demands".

Sidona basically just mecha version of DBZ.

Uhm, no?

Hey Maus, you're reading Sidonia? is it harem or not?

No I am not. Sidonias least problem are the harem elements. It's not even a generic harem. Winner girl dies early and still has relevance throughout the series

I dropped not long after that. Just got kinda... meh for me.

Well could you fill me in on what you didn't like about it cause I've been looking at the series for awhile now and wondering if I should try it out, however, the potential presence of harem elements has so far kept me away.

yknow this could be a cute game to do irl...too bad im all alone

Wanna be alone together?

I don't think that's how this works...

The title reminded me of an incident that happened to me when I was a teen. My parents were out and it was this beautiful spring day, so I decided to have lunch in our garden with my bestie. We were sitting there at the table, chatting and eating when suddenly, this fat pigeon landed on our table, took a dump on it and then just left. ._.

That was friggin glorious.

i think the most amazing thing is that Keiko took it all in stride at the end and totally played along. She never would have done that earlier in the series.

Yeah, I was expecting her to attack someone or yell "FUCK YOU" or something like that but no.

I think Alucard said it best when he said, 'The fuck was that?'

Also, comment section, I hated biology, please stop sending me back there.

And what do I get in return?

Nothing ever goes right for this girl

Yeah I know what proteins are. I went back and realised I misread your post, my apologies.

No problem. At least you can explain what you did wrong. I still don't know what I was thinking.

Proteins exist in all cells, including plants.
Unless "I mixed up my proteins" is some kind of phrase?

Proteins are not all identical and come in a great many varieties based on there form and function. For example, collagen is an extracellular matrix protein that exists within the connective tissue of animals, like tendons, ligaments ad skin. 35% of all protein in your body is collagen, in fact. The differences between proteins is determined by their sequences of amino acids. This sequence is determined by the nucleotide sequence in their genes and is what causes proteins to fold into 3-D shapes that determine their function. The gluten mentioned above is a storage protein that exists in grains. How I thought it existed only in animals is beyond me.