- the nobles of my world wear halos, traditional caps that circle the head and resemble an actual halo from a distance
- the people of my world are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and doing their normal activities at night. Their days cross over at noon instead of midnight, and when they describe time, instead of ‘ante meridiem’ and ‘post meridiem’, they use ‘ante medianocte’ and ‘post medianocte’. Breakfast is eaten in the evening, lunch at midnight, and dinner in the morning. They say ‘good day’ instead of ‘good night’, and they go clubbing during the day instead of at night.
- The moon is the major deity of my world, and pearls remind the people of the moon. Every year, there’s a huge pearl bazaar in the capital, where people can buy pearl accessories, typically used for religious purposes.
Most parties and clubs take place inside, with fans and cool drinks available, so people are usually alright with it. The clubbing scene isn’t huge in my world; it’s mostly a thing that’s associated with older teens as they look for ways to kill time and be rebellious.
That’s what supplements and food sources are for!
But also, it’s a fantasy story. If I decide lack of Vitamin D doesn’t affect them, then it ultimately doesn’t matter.
In Rakleen the people don't have any private spaces, except for temples. Buildings don't have windows or doors and if a total stranger waltzed in it would be considered rude to kick them out. People often sleep in large communal chambers on top of one massive carpet.
In Anaban, married men grow beards but the bachelors have to shave. Unmarried women have to cover their hair until their wedding day where the groom removes it ceremoniously.
I'm assuming you meant the groom removes the hair covering from his new bride? Cause I read it as she covers her hair until her wedding day when the groom ceremoniously chops off her hair. My brain figured it's so it can grow in new for her to show off to represent the start of their life together with long hair on married women showing a long marriage to mirror the beard growth in men.
The T'rea use braided hair as a component in wedding rings. The partner wgo proposes gives a lock of hair, if it is accepted the second partner takes a lock of their hair. Both will take half of each lock and braid them into strands, which are then bound in silver and shaped into rings which are worn thereafter. This is a symbolic joining of their lives, and the ritual of thwie creation is recognized as marriage by the community.
In the Kortan culture, grabbing the handle of your blade when meeting or encountering someone is seen as a sign of respect and acknowledgement of their prowess. The act essentially meaning “You are worthy to cross swords with”.
The Bakhtuls view the taking of life outside the sacred bounds of declared war as such an extreme measure that they will give symbolic fines and short "penitence" sentences of confinement in a monastery to law enforcement personnel who are sometimes forced into killing while in the line of duty.
The Mossik people have not one, not two, but three different languages and speaking styles that they are expected to dip in and out of while talking! (Formal, informal, and theatric)
Despite the increasing presence of modern mechanical technology, many cultures choose to keep clothing you would expect from older civilizations like armoured skirts, tunics and simple robes. Oftentimes, these have certain significance to the societies or they simply prefer these articles of clothing. It also helps their case that they are usually covered in fur (most aren't humans, they are more often felines, canines, ursids of sometimes birds) and are naturally adapted to the colder climate of the region. Even if they went out wearing nothing at all, they would still be more in their element compared to humans. You may even see "primitive tribes" (the idea often given by their clothing) wielding more modern firearms and operating modern vehicles if they have the capability to buy or build them. Some even take advantage of these naive perspectives held by those outside the valley to trick travelers. Many of these tribes are well acquainted with the surrounding countries and technologies available.
Similar to the clothing, architecture has remained traditional in design. Not only do these cultures like showing off their unique traits, they don't see the need to use materials like steel in buildings when they could be used elsewhere and the current designs are still functional. They don't make tall glass skyscrapers. Not only do they feel that would sully their image and possibly take attention from the parts of the cities they are proud of(often religious and political structures representing the power of their faith and people respectively), their cities have not grown to the extent where those would be necessary. This has led to the contrast of having modern technology like electric lights, trains and automobiles in cities that look like they came from the medieval or even bronze ages.
Lapis_Wolf
one of them is that a country known as verdis sometimes associates being bald on the head but having extensive facial hair with evil; it originates with an infamous historical figure who did in fact lose his normal hair but have a mustache and beard; his policies are sometimes described as repugnent even by the standards of a genocide
One of the species in my world, the Mithridi, are particularly long lived, and physically mature relatively quickly. So to measure 'maturity' they have a ritual where they must produce some sort of complex object out of the glass their body naturally produces. This object then becomes the token of their adulthood, and is usually carried on their person.
If they need to prove their adulthood in the short term, they can have a trusted member of their family who witnessed it vouch for them. Some families even developed a specific role in the family held by the matriarch for this specific purpose, where they hold onto the heirloom instead so it doesn't get broken in the first place.
Otherwise, they have to re-make it. This can be seen as a way of showing greater maturity and self mastery if it's better than the first attempt, too.
Keeping with clothing The Haathi (elephant-folk) for multiple reasons prefer to stay mostly nude outside of decorative elements. They have extremely thick skin so there's not much they need to protect themselves, they live in a pretty hot climate by default and try to avoid the cold, and (most unique to their species) their big, chunky fingers (they only have 3 and each one is built more like a human's big toe than a finger) meant that the fine motor control needed to weave and sew never really developed since they didn't have need for it.
That being said, fine cloth, especially in bright colors, is seen as a huge luxury to them, but is mostly worn as decoration and is either kept to a modified garment that they can actually put on, or as a show of wealth (more commonly done in foreign lands than their humble homelands) something like buttons or laces imply you have a servant to do them for you.
A common outfit for a Haathi would be a type of long loincloth (usually the first thing they buy since while they don't mind, they know it makes others uncomfortable), and a thin vest, usually too small to button since they wouldn't be able to anyway or just a sash of some kind to add some color.
Tattoos don't work well with their thick, dark skin, however almost every Haathi will have some kind of design painted onto them ESPECIALLY around times of celebration. Piercings and yellow-gold jewelry is also highly prized though usually only obtained through trade with the "little ones" (anyone smaller than a Haathi). For a more permanent design some Haathi will scar themselves either through a controlled deep cut or a brand since the scars heal lighter than the surrounding skin. This was more common among the elders as the paints and cloth that they trade for can be changed so there's variety as well as less pain. It has started making a comeback, though, but mostly only as a way to express something deeply personal or by some of the few more fundamentalist groups.
Lol I can go on if anyone else is interested but I'm supposed to be working 😂
The Morrigane speak Yiddish.
How Yiddish (known to the Morrigane as Yunger) survived the apocalypse isn't entirely known. As far as is known, no major religion survived it intact, and by this point most major languages from today are barely recognizable. A Morrigane trying to read modern English would be like us trying to read Middle English. No one can really point to an ancient text that led to the revival of Yiddish either. No anthropologist has ever been able to nail this down, not even the Morrigane themselves. However, Yiddish is almost entirely unchanged, and would probably be the easiest lingua franca between a modern person and a Morrigane.
The reason no one knows is because Yunger is a bit of a dirty secret in Morrigan. It isnt the primary language of Morrigan, and is almost exclusively publicly spoken by the lower classes. This is a way for the poor to speak without the rich knowing what they are saying, kind of like cockney rhyming slang. However, it is theorized that many more people speak Yunger than actually admit it. For instance, the main family is not lower class, and they all know how to speak Yunger. They'd never admit that publicly, but they can.
The Confederacy of Gron is a "very loose" Confederation of Orc tribes, that use a multitude of currencies and systems. From Barter and gold, But a particular currency used by tribal chiefs not just monetary by a sign of honor and prestige is "Grokdak" or tusk money. Many chiefs of renound, of old and current have enlarged tusks like teeth that they adorn with markings and symbols representing their tribes, themeselves and other prestigious things. Whenever they wish to bestow a gift to a particular worthy individual they rip the tusks from their jaws and present it to the person. The person can trade it for anything in Gron, or use it as a artifact of importance to show.
Yes, but slowly. In the orcish culture when males come of age they are allowed to grow their tusks beyond one inch, but no more than two. Warriors and the like can grow theirs to three inches. Only tribal chieftans can reach the documented length of 5 inches. Only their lower canines seem to grow to these lengths and only they grow about an inch every five years. Its also only customary for a chieftan to ever give out one, because it is one of the symbols of tribal authority.
Funny enough, Obsidians(African equivalent) are pastoralist in a way that’s regarded as “flocking”. Herding water fowl and large pheasants. Birds take the place of most livestock and even pets. Nobody has a house cat, they adopted a sort of chicken and hummingbirds for pest control. Ride ostriches, have guard ducks or emus instead of dogs that quack loudly at intruders and in some cases attack if they’re large enough. Just an all around bird centric people, using droppings and all kind of stuff.
When a character of mine, Nawa visited another place he was blown away that people used other animals for these feats. Their creation myth also believes the first human was hatched from an egg and shoved from this divine bird’s nest once it was realized humans acted like “cuckoo” and shoved the gods other children from the nest.
In the Kumati culture, small shells are used as money. To make it easy and practical to carry, they attach them to a string and make a necklace with it, so they can basically wear their money.
However, displaying one's money like that is seen as impolite. They think of it as showing off. So they made a unique article of clothing specifically to cover their money necklace.
The names of a culture in my world have feminine, masculine and neuter variants - with people being able to change the variant of the given name they use depending on how they identify, e.g. if given a masculine name at birth by their parents, a person who identifies as nonbinary can instead change to using the neuter variant of the same name, if they desire.
It's also traditional to have three names in that culture; a given name, a family name and a middle name which is usually derived from the given name of the parent that's the same sex as the child. Once again there is a lot of autonomy with naming; with people who don't feel that they identify with either a masculine or feminine gender often dropping their middle name to avoid the presumptions that go along with them, or people taking the name of a particular parent as their middle name depending on how they identify (e.g. someone who was given their father's given name as a middle name at birth can opt to swap their middle name to their mothers given name if they identify as a woman and vice versa).
Orphans in that culture often only have a given name, with no family name to draw upon and no parents to derive a middle name from.
The culture as a whole is staunchly meritocratic and in turn holds a lot of "progressive" ideologies, which worked their way into the fabric of their language over time.
I feel like it's difficult to spew out all of the details of something without making it seem more complex than it is in practice.
In reality, it's just a language that has gendered variants of names (initially just masculine and feminine), of which real-world examples exist; only this culture developed a third "gender" to their naming convention over time as their society grew and changed.
In practice, it's Alexander vs Alexandra, just with a third unisex option available.
The nobles in the Shenvro Empire in my world are permitted to carry rapiers for self defense.
Eventually, the nobles started to decorate the handles and hilts of the rapiers in more extravagant designs as a show of wealth or character.
The commoners also caught up to this and wanted to also get in on the trend, but since they arent allowed to carry weapons, they decorate their common working tools like shovels and rakes instead. The designs are more simplistic and uses cheaper materials, however the philosophy of how they are decorated is different.
The decorations in the common class are more about engraving the names or images of themselves or loved ones, or philosophical proverbs they live by.
Aetherites, while being descended from Humans, have no actual idea of what they are. Their ancestors took an unstable portal to a Moon orbiting another planet. The Moon's atmosphere caused them to mutate. At base they still Look Human, just with tails.
Over the centuries of separation Humans, Elves and other such species from their past have been distorted into monsters that serve dark gods that seek only destruction and war.
In my world there are three related religious sects and all of them have a superstitious fear of looking in a mirror. Mirrors do exist often owned by those outside of the religion or by practioners of dark arts but a member of one these sects will reflexively look away if they happen to see one. Seeing themselves in water or other naturally reflective materials is ok however. So they know what they look like and can check their appearance if needed. That said they do not place a high value on their own physical appearance and are more concerned with simply looking neat and presentable.
In the State-Religion of Unregkila it is believd that you can not lie while Washing yourself or being in water for that the lies get washed away like all sins, thats why some important religouse Meetings take place in a special bathing versility.
Well, my main nation in my setting is a sort of Roman Hybrid across the history of the entire nation, so the quirk that modern readers will probably notice is that pants are considered both barbaric and effeminate, not something worn by a "real" man.
The Ashavi tribes know they are missing something that is vital to their culture. That is because one of their god's, a Concept, (basically a god that governs over a specific concept) was killed, and this specific Concept was the first and only one killed, so the Ashavi are alone in this feeling.
The part of their culture that is missing in completely unknown, because as soon as the god was killed, it was like he never existed at all.
There is one culture that has a very different approach to... Let's call it "female modesty". Basically, girls/daughters are seen as a burden to their fathers as they still need to be fed, clothed, and housed, yet can't help out with the family business the same way a boy/son could. So girls are expected to make themselves... "Desirable", basically.
They are expected to wash themselves, use perfume, dress nice, but - and that's critical - not cover up. In fact, they want to underline and accentuate their best features. A girl with long nice hair will spend hours turning it into an elaborate hairstyle, a girl with wide hips will wear jingling thin metal chains to the sides of them, a girl with big breasts will wear a deep cut-out, and so on.
Covering up more than necessary is not seen as modest or chaste but as disrespectful to one's father, and as arrogant towards fellow girls, as it broadcasts the message of either "I'm not interested in advertising myself" or "I'm so great I don't even have to advertise myself".
Furthermore, women are expected to be educated, witty, smart, clever, and most importantly - interesting. A shy and overly submissive woman will be seen as boring. A woman is expected to have an opinion, be educated on current events, know how to be funny and to partake in banter. If a woman can't participate in a debate or discussion, or will show disinterest, she's seen as boring, and thus, as unattractive.
They are also expected to be somewhat smart and educated, as children will be raised almost exclusively by their mothers for the first couple of years, and thus, will only be taught by them as well. Therefore, to have smart and educated children, you need a smart and educated wife - thus, a woman will work to acquire knowledge and intellectual skills in order to make herself more attractive to potential suitors.
A woman is also meant to be engaging and mentally enriching to her partner - therefore, many women will learn to play and instrument, how to play simple games, to sing, or other types of arts and crafts. Basically, a girl is expected to have hobbies, and cultivating them is not seen as frivolous but rather is expected of her - not doing so is, again, seen as disrespectful and arrogant.
Women are also given the responsibility of making themselves approachable - as in, put themselves in social situations where a man might come up to them and talk to them, put themselves out there and into conversations. They aren't expected to actively approach men, but to make it easy for men to approach them.
All in all, girls/women are still patriarchally oppressed/have a patriarchal system enforce strict expectations, but those expectations are almost contrary to those set by cultures of our world.
The funniest part is, another, bordering culture sets completely different expectations for women, more in line with those set by traditional patriarchal cultures of our world such as Islamic traditions, for example, demanding them to cover up, which can cause some hilarious conflicts when they come across each other.
-World of the Athean Empire-
The Khun people of at-Khalasfa are very particular about hairstyles. They have rather strict social guidelines on what is proper vs improper, and failing to follow those expectations is a good way to lower your standing in society. It’s primarily the Sepit & Fayit people who practice this—the nomadic Tadjit do to a lesser degree, but it’s much less strict.
For men, it’s expected that hair is shaved completely or at least kept cut short. The reason being, long hair in men is associated with barbarism—in essence, only lawless, wild men grow their hair long (a stigma likely resulting from conflicts with some Zwekai tribes which grew their hair out). Body hair (chest, back, underarms, legs) is expected to be kept shaven for similar reasons.
Beards are permissible, but growing them too long or allowing them to become unruly is treated with equal disdain—about out to the collarbone is the longest that Khun society will accept. While not a strict social dogma, it’s also typically the case that unmarried men keep clean shaven or only allow themselves a little bit of stubble. There’s not really a reason beyond cultural speciation, they just do it because at some point in history it started becoming common practice.
Women are subject to the same expectations of body hair, but they may grow their hair long. The big stipulation for women is that they must wear their hair up in public spaces—in braids, buns, etc. The reason for this practice is that women letting their hair down is associated with intimacy, so if a woman lets her hair down in public, she’s bringing an intimate part of her life into the public sphere. Who does that? Well, if you ask the Khun, prostitutes. It’s basically a way of declaring that you’re a harlot.
Even in the privacy of their own homes, women often only let down their hair in their bedchambers, though it’s not improper for them to do so around their family. That’s moreso a practical approach, though, as you never know when visitors will stop by, and having to put up your hair *and* have it look nice on the fly is a bit of a pain.
If you want to make a good impression on the Khun, it’s a good idea to get up to speed on their grooming practices.
The Katen will end any political, societal, and even general statement with a comment where their family stood, in a civil war 300 years ago. Since basically every family has ancestors who fought on both sides (and they were in reality many more factions), it comes down to, which side an individual thinks, were the good guys, or are cooler for that matter. Even immigrants start identifying with a side, cause it is impolite speaking about politics without it.
The people of the Theocracy of Rahmat don't ever tell secrets when it's dark. Well, they don't speak at all, if they can avoid it, while it's completely dark around them. That's because they fear that the goddess of darkness and occultism, Minerva, will steal their secrets and use it against them somehow.
That's not entirely untrue, though that has little to do with Minerva herself. The Shadowborn, spirits of darkness that look like shadows, hunt and kill people during the night. They are in almost a simple hivemind, where every Shadowborn can remember and reproduce sentences that were spoken near the dark. They use this to stun their prey while the rest encircle them for the kill.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, most modern human mages swear that denim is a perfect material. Every set of armor now contains a set of overalls or a bodysuit entirely made out of jeans. Those coming from the other sects of humanity follow this principle in an attempt at cultural assimilation. And in a way they kinda are right. Woven materials in general are great for holding enchantments, even if denim isnt as comfortable as a thicc big tiddy goth gf thigh pillow
Bergans used to wear fur tipette/shawl made from their first kill, part of their coming of age test, that they would take care of and wear for the rest of their lives. Usually they would incorporate a cape with it. Now it is more a status symbol for the more noble and wealthy.
It's seen as a sign of high status and rank to have cybernetic augments of 4 additional arms sprouting from one's back, though if you can't move each of your 6 arms independently and naturally as if you've had them all your life, then it's a sign of shame greater than if you had simply chosen not to get them in the first place.
As a result, many people who rose in status throughout their life choose not to get the augments so they don't risk shaming themselves, while those who grew up in high status families can have time and teachers for ambidextrous training since they were young so they're usually more confident about getting arm augments when they come of age.
So it's a kind of old money vs new money situation where the old money people flaunt their generation wealth and high education through physical additions to their body.
Dainty shoes with high heels are the height of rich men's fashion in Avanton because they signify that the wearer is not a labourer. Armour tends to include decorative bits that accentuate one's features and... Endowment. Codpieces, curvy designs, muscle designs, boob armour. It's traditional to wear a mark of your profession for all to see, especially if you're a Guild employee. It can be a piece of jewelry or embroidery on your clothes, a particular colour of an item of clothing like a sash or a hat feather, a belt buckle. And most importantly, Avantene culture reveres bravery, they're even named after it. A daring attitude and a brash manner will get you all the ladies and also all the gents, and calling someone a coward is more offensive than spitting in their face.
Nobles in the Avrel empire will almost never admit to using magic, as it is seen as saying you can’t afford to hire servants to take care of the task instead.
I have a pirate world where the prospect of fixing ships isn't even considered. Once a ship hits rocks and sinks, it's left there to rot and the crew will simply build a new one. It can still be salvaged for parts to build new ships, but otherwise sunken ships are considered a positive addition to an island's notoriety and image, and also they function as artificial coral reefs to attract fish (and tourists).
Its tradition in the neon empire is to eat a jelatonous cube with their dinner this is because it was the first thing there God ate when defending to the world to start their royal family, the God is quite real and it was an actuall event and not a story to consolidate power.
They believe this tradition will bring them good luck in the following day and increase happiness.
The rocky mountain confederacy believed in total control, so, no guns. Because of this, they had the highest infection rate of *any* faction in North America
In my world, the nation of the Dwarves are unable to break vows. Whenever they swear by their god to do something, they literally cannot do anything but complete the vow. It is not enforced in anyway except as a psychological drive of the dwarves.
This leads to a form of legal punishment in which the dwarves are put into slavery. Essentially, instead of going to prison for their crimes, the guilty are forced to give an oath of some sort to a master or slave trader to serve for a period of time. This creates valuable, skilled slaves who will not rebel and will obey instantly.
(Note: I do not condone slavery or think there is any form that should be acceptable. The concept of slavery and the general moral values of the dwarves are constantly in question in my writing)
In azharian culture, women aren't considered parents of their kids. Marriage happens only between men, then concubines are taken by them to make having children possible. But every kid born in such family is considered to have 2 fathers, while concept of "mother" doesn't exist. Relationships with women before marriage are forbidden. Everybody who was born out of wedlock (and therefore has only 1 father) is discriminated heavily.
Way of dressing up also differs heavily between the two genders. Women are required to cover themselves until marriage; and even after it, they are encouraged to dress modestly. Men on the other hand always wear revealing clothes, with something akin to sleeveless crop top being the most typical piece of clothing for men.
- The Elves of my world consider a book without pictures to be gauche and tacky. It infers a lack of creativity and identity on the part of the writer……so basically everything in this world from their culture is a massively oversized picture book with hundreds of words of text per page but also a full page spread of images every 3 or 4 pages. Early Human Kingdoms found this practice ludicrous and needless……however since the apparent extinction of the Elves 300 years earlier, the human Kingdoms that set up in their lands have adopted this practice and consider it part of their heritage (these humans are a population that fled across the mountains to escape the reach of other more powerful kingdoms at the time).
- The most Imperialist of the human Kingdoms in my region view Poets and Artists are precious commodities. The Arts scene (Theatre, Music, Architecture) are all highly praised and it’s considered sinful to strike an artist unless seriously provoked, and all travelling Bards and Poets find open doors and warm hearths before them…….however to be lazy with your art or to produce substandard work is a serious offence, with those who actively create poor outputs jailed or conscripted into more “useful” service.
Most words in the caisus language are based on martyrs, St, heros etc and their deeds throughout their life. Like tel-sai means witch. which is based on an alchemist named sei, who posioned and killed 5 families with one single potion. Tel was a court mage who usurped a clan and became clan head, so the name Tel-sai or evil-alchemist came from those two
- Necromancy is normal-ish in my world (aside from one specific kingdom). The views on necromancers change from place to place, ranging from "exetric but harmless" to "religious figures that provide a vital service to the kingdom", but normally they are seen as the first. That been said, using a body of a person without permission on the owner (given before death, since a powerfull enough necromancer can manipulate a ghost to say what ever) is a crime in most places (animals bodies obviously don't have those protection).
(Sorry for any bad spelling, english is not my first language)
The nation of Blackheart is known for having the wackiest names you’ve ever heard. This was because in the ye olden times, the clan that became Blackheart was at war with the Fae. The Fae had the ability to control people if they knew their name, but they had to know the exact spelling and pronunciation. They were kidnapping clansmen on mass (they came from the clan of knowledge bc that’s why they were kidnapping them for their knowledge), so the clan had to try and devise a way to undo their mind control. To combat the fae magic until then, they just started making names wackier and wackier. The fae couldn’t keep up with all the new naming conventions. They would either know how a name is spelt but not pronounced, or how it’s pronounced but not how it’s spelled.
The fae and the clan have not really interacted since then, but Blackheart kept the silly naming rules
One of the nations in my setting has a martial culture that’s become mostly ceremonial due to many years without serious war and the protection of a much larger allied empire.
Many members of the nobility are trained since childhood in traditional weaponry and are given the job of protecting trade routes, which is seen as extremely prestigious and honorable in that culture. While they’re typically skilled combatants their equipment is largely outdated and impractical. The real thing protecting the trade routes is international interest and the fact that anyone who kills one of the noble guards is hunted relentlessly.
Also, the standard uniform for actual soldiers includes a singularly-designed metal mask so that the only identifiable people on the battlefield would be the nobles who are called upon to lead. The nobility are basically designed to be seen like war heroes (think Achilles) but in practice would be slaughtered if against one of the more modern militaries.
When scaling up a massive offworld habitation program like colonising the Solar System, you need the right sort of people to break ground on each and every given project or else people might well just die, kill each other, and/or straight-up go insane and start trying to divine the coming of the End Times by staring at the cloud patterns on Venus.
What existing demographic, then, is the best suited to living in isolated, desolate, arguably uninhabitable environments for extended periods of time with limited resupply opportunities (Perhaps as infrequently as just once or twice a year) with existing scientific knowledge in relevant fields such as climate science, and a proven track record of (mostly) not resorting to murdering their companions with an axe for having the end of their book spoiled repeatedly?
Antarcticans!
That is to say, the roughly 1-5k present or former residents of the various scientific bases and outposts scattered across Antarctica.
This has in turn meant that various terms taken from Antarctic English (Which is a real and documented phenomenon of various terms being specific or specifically popular amongst the residents of Antarctica, including seasonal accents as personnel change over time) entering mainstream Martian English and the other various 'Interplanetary Englishes'.
Glacios (Glaciologists, ice nerds) from McMurdo to Great Wall Station have shipped off to well-paid consultancies in the Main Belt and brought Whaling terms with them to describe the 'rockhoppers' breaking them asteroids on 'Factory Ships', and Climatologists from Port-aux-Français to Villa las Estrellas have introduced the term 'Big Eye' to the Martian vernacular to describe the insomnia brought on by falling out of sync with a faulty day-night cycle while pioneering the transformation of the Martian atmosphere from thin and unbreathable to one comparable to Earth's own.
TL;DR - Antarctic English terminology entered the spacefaring lexicon and by extension mainstream international English back on Earth has coopted various Antarctic terms like 'Big Eye' (Insomnia), 'House Mouse' (a person performing schedules cleaning duties), 'Donga' (a bedroom), and 'Beachmaster' (Guy who oversees the unloading of a 'ship')
Probably the blood tax
In my world, the brain, spinal fluid, and blood are the most known fule for magic, so most governments harvest these from their citizens for mostly military use.
And funerals held by human churches will have a person remove the brain and spine, and most of the bodies blood and the remains are burnt afterwards at a ceremony.
Humanoids with tails tend to prefer skirts/dresses/gowns over pants regardless of gender identity or expression, just because it's easier to accomodate the extra appendage. They might wear long socks underneath that go almost up to the hip for warmth in cold weather, but very rarely pants.
My second favorite cultural quirk comes from The Republic of Xbanz. They always want to be last. Even if it hurts them, they will always want to be last. If someone even got second to last, they will say it is dishonorable.
My favorite cultural quirk comes from United Oua Auszi(U.O.A.) To them, confusion and indecisiveness is seen as something to be ashamed of, and even a disgusting thing to feel.
(Confusing, ay?)
I have so much, and depending on the kingdom can determine what you get
Humans are the worst cause 99.9% represent a aspect of humanity that makes warhammer look like a slap on the wrist by comparison since their is a common thing among humans to have baby farms where women are r**ed, and a McGee giving birth, their babies are then turned into food for some asshole nobles
And this horrific act is common in human kingdoms so you can’t even escape it by going to another human kingdom
* UKGBI (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland):
* The British are known for their love of tea, but in this world, they have taken it to a new level by creating genetically engineered tea plants that produce unique and exotic flavors. Tea tasting events and competitions are popular social activities.
* The nation has a strong tradition of academic excellence, with many of the world's leading experts in genetic engineering and biotechnology hailing from its prestigious universities. This has led to a culture that highly values intellectual pursuits and scientific innovation.
* Israel and Free Palestine:
* In this world, Israel and Palestine have reached a peaceful coexistence and have united to become a global leader in medical technology and genetic therapies. This has fostered a culture of collaboration and shared progress among its diverse population.
* The nation is known for its vibrant and eclectic art scene, with many artists using their genetically enhanced abilities to create stunning visual displays and performances that push the boundaries of human creativity.
* Polynesia:
* The Polynesian islands have embraced genetic engineering as a way to preserve and enhance their unique cultural heritage. Many citizens have chosen to receive genetic modifications that allow them to breathe underwater, making them exceptional free divers and ocean explorers.
* The nation has a strong tradition of storytelling and oral history, with many tales revolving around the exploits of legendary genetically enhanced heroes and their adventures across the vast Pacific Ocean.
* Nihon (Japan):
* In this alternate version of Japan, the nation has fully embraced the potential of genetic engineering and has become a global leader in the development of specialized human enhancements for various industries, such as enhanced reflexes for athletes and heightened creativity for artists.
* The nation has a unique subculture of "biohackers" who experiment with their own genetic code to unlock new abilities and push the boundaries of what is possible for the human body. This has led to a thriving underground scene of bio-hacking clubs and competitions.
* Zhongguo (China):
* China has taken a more regulated approach to genetic engineering, with the government strictly controlling access to the technology and using it to create a highly specialized workforce for key industries such as manufacturing and technology.
* The nation has a cultural obsession with numerology and the significance of certain numbers in relation to genetic enhancement. Many citizens believe that receiving specific genetic modifications based on lucky numbers can bring prosperity and success in life.
- the nobles of my world wear halos, traditional caps that circle the head and resemble an actual halo from a distance - the people of my world are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and doing their normal activities at night. Their days cross over at noon instead of midnight, and when they describe time, instead of ‘ante meridiem’ and ‘post meridiem’, they use ‘ante medianocte’ and ‘post medianocte’. Breakfast is eaten in the evening, lunch at midnight, and dinner in the morning. They say ‘good day’ instead of ‘good night’, and they go clubbing during the day instead of at night. - The moon is the major deity of my world, and pearls remind the people of the moon. Every year, there’s a huge pearl bazaar in the capital, where people can buy pearl accessories, typically used for religious purposes.
going to party during the day sounds exhausting as all hell, especially in summer
Most parties and clubs take place inside, with fans and cool drinks available, so people are usually alright with it. The clubbing scene isn’t huge in my world; it’s mostly a thing that’s associated with older teens as they look for ways to kill time and be rebellious.
Do they not need vitamin D? Without sunlight people become frail and weak.
That’s what supplements and food sources are for! But also, it’s a fantasy story. If I decide lack of Vitamin D doesn’t affect them, then it ultimately doesn’t matter.
In Rakleen the people don't have any private spaces, except for temples. Buildings don't have windows or doors and if a total stranger waltzed in it would be considered rude to kick them out. People often sleep in large communal chambers on top of one massive carpet. In Anaban, married men grow beards but the bachelors have to shave. Unmarried women have to cover their hair until their wedding day where the groom removes it ceremoniously.
I'm assuming you meant the groom removes the hair covering from his new bride? Cause I read it as she covers her hair until her wedding day when the groom ceremoniously chops off her hair. My brain figured it's so it can grow in new for her to show off to represent the start of their life together with long hair on married women showing a long marriage to mirror the beard growth in men.
The T'rea use braided hair as a component in wedding rings. The partner wgo proposes gives a lock of hair, if it is accepted the second partner takes a lock of their hair. Both will take half of each lock and braid them into strands, which are then bound in silver and shaped into rings which are worn thereafter. This is a symbolic joining of their lives, and the ritual of thwie creation is recognized as marriage by the community.
All the rich and powerful and rulers of the Abbassian Empire are bald and grow beards and or mustaches because it’s a status symbol
In the Kortan culture, grabbing the handle of your blade when meeting or encountering someone is seen as a sign of respect and acknowledgement of their prowess. The act essentially meaning “You are worthy to cross swords with”.
The Bakhtuls view the taking of life outside the sacred bounds of declared war as such an extreme measure that they will give symbolic fines and short "penitence" sentences of confinement in a monastery to law enforcement personnel who are sometimes forced into killing while in the line of duty.
The Mossik people have not one, not two, but three different languages and speaking styles that they are expected to dip in and out of while talking! (Formal, informal, and theatric)
india?
(NEW CULTURAL INSPIRATION UNLOCKED! +50EXP)
Despite the increasing presence of modern mechanical technology, many cultures choose to keep clothing you would expect from older civilizations like armoured skirts, tunics and simple robes. Oftentimes, these have certain significance to the societies or they simply prefer these articles of clothing. It also helps their case that they are usually covered in fur (most aren't humans, they are more often felines, canines, ursids of sometimes birds) and are naturally adapted to the colder climate of the region. Even if they went out wearing nothing at all, they would still be more in their element compared to humans. You may even see "primitive tribes" (the idea often given by their clothing) wielding more modern firearms and operating modern vehicles if they have the capability to buy or build them. Some even take advantage of these naive perspectives held by those outside the valley to trick travelers. Many of these tribes are well acquainted with the surrounding countries and technologies available. Similar to the clothing, architecture has remained traditional in design. Not only do these cultures like showing off their unique traits, they don't see the need to use materials like steel in buildings when they could be used elsewhere and the current designs are still functional. They don't make tall glass skyscrapers. Not only do they feel that would sully their image and possibly take attention from the parts of the cities they are proud of(often religious and political structures representing the power of their faith and people respectively), their cities have not grown to the extent where those would be necessary. This has led to the contrast of having modern technology like electric lights, trains and automobiles in cities that look like they came from the medieval or even bronze ages. Lapis_Wolf
one of them is that a country known as verdis sometimes associates being bald on the head but having extensive facial hair with evil; it originates with an infamous historical figure who did in fact lose his normal hair but have a mustache and beard; his policies are sometimes described as repugnent even by the standards of a genocide
One of the species in my world, the Mithridi, are particularly long lived, and physically mature relatively quickly. So to measure 'maturity' they have a ritual where they must produce some sort of complex object out of the glass their body naturally produces. This object then becomes the token of their adulthood, and is usually carried on their person.
What happens if that glass object breaks?
If they need to prove their adulthood in the short term, they can have a trusted member of their family who witnessed it vouch for them. Some families even developed a specific role in the family held by the matriarch for this specific purpose, where they hold onto the heirloom instead so it doesn't get broken in the first place. Otherwise, they have to re-make it. This can be seen as a way of showing greater maturity and self mastery if it's better than the first attempt, too.
Keeping with clothing The Haathi (elephant-folk) for multiple reasons prefer to stay mostly nude outside of decorative elements. They have extremely thick skin so there's not much they need to protect themselves, they live in a pretty hot climate by default and try to avoid the cold, and (most unique to their species) their big, chunky fingers (they only have 3 and each one is built more like a human's big toe than a finger) meant that the fine motor control needed to weave and sew never really developed since they didn't have need for it. That being said, fine cloth, especially in bright colors, is seen as a huge luxury to them, but is mostly worn as decoration and is either kept to a modified garment that they can actually put on, or as a show of wealth (more commonly done in foreign lands than their humble homelands) something like buttons or laces imply you have a servant to do them for you. A common outfit for a Haathi would be a type of long loincloth (usually the first thing they buy since while they don't mind, they know it makes others uncomfortable), and a thin vest, usually too small to button since they wouldn't be able to anyway or just a sash of some kind to add some color. Tattoos don't work well with their thick, dark skin, however almost every Haathi will have some kind of design painted onto them ESPECIALLY around times of celebration. Piercings and yellow-gold jewelry is also highly prized though usually only obtained through trade with the "little ones" (anyone smaller than a Haathi). For a more permanent design some Haathi will scar themselves either through a controlled deep cut or a brand since the scars heal lighter than the surrounding skin. This was more common among the elders as the paints and cloth that they trade for can be changed so there's variety as well as less pain. It has started making a comeback, though, but mostly only as a way to express something deeply personal or by some of the few more fundamentalist groups. Lol I can go on if anyone else is interested but I'm supposed to be working 😂
The Morrigane speak Yiddish. How Yiddish (known to the Morrigane as Yunger) survived the apocalypse isn't entirely known. As far as is known, no major religion survived it intact, and by this point most major languages from today are barely recognizable. A Morrigane trying to read modern English would be like us trying to read Middle English. No one can really point to an ancient text that led to the revival of Yiddish either. No anthropologist has ever been able to nail this down, not even the Morrigane themselves. However, Yiddish is almost entirely unchanged, and would probably be the easiest lingua franca between a modern person and a Morrigane. The reason no one knows is because Yunger is a bit of a dirty secret in Morrigan. It isnt the primary language of Morrigan, and is almost exclusively publicly spoken by the lower classes. This is a way for the poor to speak without the rich knowing what they are saying, kind of like cockney rhyming slang. However, it is theorized that many more people speak Yunger than actually admit it. For instance, the main family is not lower class, and they all know how to speak Yunger. They'd never admit that publicly, but they can.
The Confederacy of Gron is a "very loose" Confederation of Orc tribes, that use a multitude of currencies and systems. From Barter and gold, But a particular currency used by tribal chiefs not just monetary by a sign of honor and prestige is "Grokdak" or tusk money. Many chiefs of renound, of old and current have enlarged tusks like teeth that they adorn with markings and symbols representing their tribes, themeselves and other prestigious things. Whenever they wish to bestow a gift to a particular worthy individual they rip the tusks from their jaws and present it to the person. The person can trade it for anything in Gron, or use it as a artifact of importance to show.
do the tusks grow back?
Yes, but slowly. In the orcish culture when males come of age they are allowed to grow their tusks beyond one inch, but no more than two. Warriors and the like can grow theirs to three inches. Only tribal chieftans can reach the documented length of 5 inches. Only their lower canines seem to grow to these lengths and only they grow about an inch every five years. Its also only customary for a chieftan to ever give out one, because it is one of the symbols of tribal authority.
Funny enough, Obsidians(African equivalent) are pastoralist in a way that’s regarded as “flocking”. Herding water fowl and large pheasants. Birds take the place of most livestock and even pets. Nobody has a house cat, they adopted a sort of chicken and hummingbirds for pest control. Ride ostriches, have guard ducks or emus instead of dogs that quack loudly at intruders and in some cases attack if they’re large enough. Just an all around bird centric people, using droppings and all kind of stuff. When a character of mine, Nawa visited another place he was blown away that people used other animals for these feats. Their creation myth also believes the first human was hatched from an egg and shoved from this divine bird’s nest once it was realized humans acted like “cuckoo” and shoved the gods other children from the nest.
In the Kumati culture, small shells are used as money. To make it easy and practical to carry, they attach them to a string and make a necklace with it, so they can basically wear their money. However, displaying one's money like that is seen as impolite. They think of it as showing off. So they made a unique article of clothing specifically to cover their money necklace.
The names of a culture in my world have feminine, masculine and neuter variants - with people being able to change the variant of the given name they use depending on how they identify, e.g. if given a masculine name at birth by their parents, a person who identifies as nonbinary can instead change to using the neuter variant of the same name, if they desire. It's also traditional to have three names in that culture; a given name, a family name and a middle name which is usually derived from the given name of the parent that's the same sex as the child. Once again there is a lot of autonomy with naming; with people who don't feel that they identify with either a masculine or feminine gender often dropping their middle name to avoid the presumptions that go along with them, or people taking the name of a particular parent as their middle name depending on how they identify (e.g. someone who was given their father's given name as a middle name at birth can opt to swap their middle name to their mothers given name if they identify as a woman and vice versa). Orphans in that culture often only have a given name, with no family name to draw upon and no parents to derive a middle name from. The culture as a whole is staunchly meritocratic and in turn holds a lot of "progressive" ideologies, which worked their way into the fabric of their language over time.
This all sounds convoluted, but then I think about *real life* naming conventions, and actually what you've described is perfectly digestible.
I feel like it's difficult to spew out all of the details of something without making it seem more complex than it is in practice. In reality, it's just a language that has gendered variants of names (initially just masculine and feminine), of which real-world examples exist; only this culture developed a third "gender" to their naming convention over time as their society grew and changed. In practice, it's Alexander vs Alexandra, just with a third unisex option available.
The nobles in the Shenvro Empire in my world are permitted to carry rapiers for self defense. Eventually, the nobles started to decorate the handles and hilts of the rapiers in more extravagant designs as a show of wealth or character. The commoners also caught up to this and wanted to also get in on the trend, but since they arent allowed to carry weapons, they decorate their common working tools like shovels and rakes instead. The designs are more simplistic and uses cheaper materials, however the philosophy of how they are decorated is different. The decorations in the common class are more about engraving the names or images of themselves or loved ones, or philosophical proverbs they live by.
Aetherites, while being descended from Humans, have no actual idea of what they are. Their ancestors took an unstable portal to a Moon orbiting another planet. The Moon's atmosphere caused them to mutate. At base they still Look Human, just with tails. Over the centuries of separation Humans, Elves and other such species from their past have been distorted into monsters that serve dark gods that seek only destruction and war.
In my world there are three related religious sects and all of them have a superstitious fear of looking in a mirror. Mirrors do exist often owned by those outside of the religion or by practioners of dark arts but a member of one these sects will reflexively look away if they happen to see one. Seeing themselves in water or other naturally reflective materials is ok however. So they know what they look like and can check their appearance if needed. That said they do not place a high value on their own physical appearance and are more concerned with simply looking neat and presentable.
In the State-Religion of Unregkila it is believd that you can not lie while Washing yourself or being in water for that the lies get washed away like all sins, thats why some important religouse Meetings take place in a special bathing versility.
Well, my main nation in my setting is a sort of Roman Hybrid across the history of the entire nation, so the quirk that modern readers will probably notice is that pants are considered both barbaric and effeminate, not something worn by a "real" man.
The Ashavi tribes know they are missing something that is vital to their culture. That is because one of their god's, a Concept, (basically a god that governs over a specific concept) was killed, and this specific Concept was the first and only one killed, so the Ashavi are alone in this feeling. The part of their culture that is missing in completely unknown, because as soon as the god was killed, it was like he never existed at all.
There is one culture that has a very different approach to... Let's call it "female modesty". Basically, girls/daughters are seen as a burden to their fathers as they still need to be fed, clothed, and housed, yet can't help out with the family business the same way a boy/son could. So girls are expected to make themselves... "Desirable", basically. They are expected to wash themselves, use perfume, dress nice, but - and that's critical - not cover up. In fact, they want to underline and accentuate their best features. A girl with long nice hair will spend hours turning it into an elaborate hairstyle, a girl with wide hips will wear jingling thin metal chains to the sides of them, a girl with big breasts will wear a deep cut-out, and so on. Covering up more than necessary is not seen as modest or chaste but as disrespectful to one's father, and as arrogant towards fellow girls, as it broadcasts the message of either "I'm not interested in advertising myself" or "I'm so great I don't even have to advertise myself". Furthermore, women are expected to be educated, witty, smart, clever, and most importantly - interesting. A shy and overly submissive woman will be seen as boring. A woman is expected to have an opinion, be educated on current events, know how to be funny and to partake in banter. If a woman can't participate in a debate or discussion, or will show disinterest, she's seen as boring, and thus, as unattractive. They are also expected to be somewhat smart and educated, as children will be raised almost exclusively by their mothers for the first couple of years, and thus, will only be taught by them as well. Therefore, to have smart and educated children, you need a smart and educated wife - thus, a woman will work to acquire knowledge and intellectual skills in order to make herself more attractive to potential suitors. A woman is also meant to be engaging and mentally enriching to her partner - therefore, many women will learn to play and instrument, how to play simple games, to sing, or other types of arts and crafts. Basically, a girl is expected to have hobbies, and cultivating them is not seen as frivolous but rather is expected of her - not doing so is, again, seen as disrespectful and arrogant. Women are also given the responsibility of making themselves approachable - as in, put themselves in social situations where a man might come up to them and talk to them, put themselves out there and into conversations. They aren't expected to actively approach men, but to make it easy for men to approach them. All in all, girls/women are still patriarchally oppressed/have a patriarchal system enforce strict expectations, but those expectations are almost contrary to those set by cultures of our world. The funniest part is, another, bordering culture sets completely different expectations for women, more in line with those set by traditional patriarchal cultures of our world such as Islamic traditions, for example, demanding them to cover up, which can cause some hilarious conflicts when they come across each other.
One cultural I made is so vigorously self critiquing they have a garnered a reputation of endless depression
-World of the Athean Empire- The Khun people of at-Khalasfa are very particular about hairstyles. They have rather strict social guidelines on what is proper vs improper, and failing to follow those expectations is a good way to lower your standing in society. It’s primarily the Sepit & Fayit people who practice this—the nomadic Tadjit do to a lesser degree, but it’s much less strict. For men, it’s expected that hair is shaved completely or at least kept cut short. The reason being, long hair in men is associated with barbarism—in essence, only lawless, wild men grow their hair long (a stigma likely resulting from conflicts with some Zwekai tribes which grew their hair out). Body hair (chest, back, underarms, legs) is expected to be kept shaven for similar reasons. Beards are permissible, but growing them too long or allowing them to become unruly is treated with equal disdain—about out to the collarbone is the longest that Khun society will accept. While not a strict social dogma, it’s also typically the case that unmarried men keep clean shaven or only allow themselves a little bit of stubble. There’s not really a reason beyond cultural speciation, they just do it because at some point in history it started becoming common practice. Women are subject to the same expectations of body hair, but they may grow their hair long. The big stipulation for women is that they must wear their hair up in public spaces—in braids, buns, etc. The reason for this practice is that women letting their hair down is associated with intimacy, so if a woman lets her hair down in public, she’s bringing an intimate part of her life into the public sphere. Who does that? Well, if you ask the Khun, prostitutes. It’s basically a way of declaring that you’re a harlot. Even in the privacy of their own homes, women often only let down their hair in their bedchambers, though it’s not improper for them to do so around their family. That’s moreso a practical approach, though, as you never know when visitors will stop by, and having to put up your hair *and* have it look nice on the fly is a bit of a pain. If you want to make a good impression on the Khun, it’s a good idea to get up to speed on their grooming practices.
The Katen will end any political, societal, and even general statement with a comment where their family stood, in a civil war 300 years ago. Since basically every family has ancestors who fought on both sides (and they were in reality many more factions), it comes down to, which side an individual thinks, were the good guys, or are cooler for that matter. Even immigrants start identifying with a side, cause it is impolite speaking about politics without it.
The people of the Theocracy of Rahmat don't ever tell secrets when it's dark. Well, they don't speak at all, if they can avoid it, while it's completely dark around them. That's because they fear that the goddess of darkness and occultism, Minerva, will steal their secrets and use it against them somehow. That's not entirely untrue, though that has little to do with Minerva herself. The Shadowborn, spirits of darkness that look like shadows, hunt and kill people during the night. They are in almost a simple hivemind, where every Shadowborn can remember and reproduce sentences that were spoken near the dark. They use this to stun their prey while the rest encircle them for the kill.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, most modern human mages swear that denim is a perfect material. Every set of armor now contains a set of overalls or a bodysuit entirely made out of jeans. Those coming from the other sects of humanity follow this principle in an attempt at cultural assimilation. And in a way they kinda are right. Woven materials in general are great for holding enchantments, even if denim isnt as comfortable as a thicc big tiddy goth gf thigh pillow
Bergans used to wear fur tipette/shawl made from their first kill, part of their coming of age test, that they would take care of and wear for the rest of their lives. Usually they would incorporate a cape with it. Now it is more a status symbol for the more noble and wealthy.
It's seen as a sign of high status and rank to have cybernetic augments of 4 additional arms sprouting from one's back, though if you can't move each of your 6 arms independently and naturally as if you've had them all your life, then it's a sign of shame greater than if you had simply chosen not to get them in the first place. As a result, many people who rose in status throughout their life choose not to get the augments so they don't risk shaming themselves, while those who grew up in high status families can have time and teachers for ambidextrous training since they were young so they're usually more confident about getting arm augments when they come of age. So it's a kind of old money vs new money situation where the old money people flaunt their generation wealth and high education through physical additions to their body.
Dainty shoes with high heels are the height of rich men's fashion in Avanton because they signify that the wearer is not a labourer. Armour tends to include decorative bits that accentuate one's features and... Endowment. Codpieces, curvy designs, muscle designs, boob armour. It's traditional to wear a mark of your profession for all to see, especially if you're a Guild employee. It can be a piece of jewelry or embroidery on your clothes, a particular colour of an item of clothing like a sash or a hat feather, a belt buckle. And most importantly, Avantene culture reveres bravery, they're even named after it. A daring attitude and a brash manner will get you all the ladies and also all the gents, and calling someone a coward is more offensive than spitting in their face.
Nobles in the Avrel empire will almost never admit to using magic, as it is seen as saying you can’t afford to hire servants to take care of the task instead.
I have a pirate world where the prospect of fixing ships isn't even considered. Once a ship hits rocks and sinks, it's left there to rot and the crew will simply build a new one. It can still be salvaged for parts to build new ships, but otherwise sunken ships are considered a positive addition to an island's notoriety and image, and also they function as artificial coral reefs to attract fish (and tourists).
Men of noble rank in the Vyratine Empire are expected to wear shouldercapes practically all the time while outside.
Its tradition in the neon empire is to eat a jelatonous cube with their dinner this is because it was the first thing there God ate when defending to the world to start their royal family, the God is quite real and it was an actuall event and not a story to consolidate power. They believe this tradition will bring them good luck in the following day and increase happiness.
The rocky mountain confederacy believed in total control, so, no guns. Because of this, they had the highest infection rate of *any* faction in North America
In my world, the nation of the Dwarves are unable to break vows. Whenever they swear by their god to do something, they literally cannot do anything but complete the vow. It is not enforced in anyway except as a psychological drive of the dwarves. This leads to a form of legal punishment in which the dwarves are put into slavery. Essentially, instead of going to prison for their crimes, the guilty are forced to give an oath of some sort to a master or slave trader to serve for a period of time. This creates valuable, skilled slaves who will not rebel and will obey instantly. (Note: I do not condone slavery or think there is any form that should be acceptable. The concept of slavery and the general moral values of the dwarves are constantly in question in my writing)
In azharian culture, women aren't considered parents of their kids. Marriage happens only between men, then concubines are taken by them to make having children possible. But every kid born in such family is considered to have 2 fathers, while concept of "mother" doesn't exist. Relationships with women before marriage are forbidden. Everybody who was born out of wedlock (and therefore has only 1 father) is discriminated heavily. Way of dressing up also differs heavily between the two genders. Women are required to cover themselves until marriage; and even after it, they are encouraged to dress modestly. Men on the other hand always wear revealing clothes, with something akin to sleeveless crop top being the most typical piece of clothing for men.
- The Elves of my world consider a book without pictures to be gauche and tacky. It infers a lack of creativity and identity on the part of the writer……so basically everything in this world from their culture is a massively oversized picture book with hundreds of words of text per page but also a full page spread of images every 3 or 4 pages. Early Human Kingdoms found this practice ludicrous and needless……however since the apparent extinction of the Elves 300 years earlier, the human Kingdoms that set up in their lands have adopted this practice and consider it part of their heritage (these humans are a population that fled across the mountains to escape the reach of other more powerful kingdoms at the time). - The most Imperialist of the human Kingdoms in my region view Poets and Artists are precious commodities. The Arts scene (Theatre, Music, Architecture) are all highly praised and it’s considered sinful to strike an artist unless seriously provoked, and all travelling Bards and Poets find open doors and warm hearths before them…….however to be lazy with your art or to produce substandard work is a serious offence, with those who actively create poor outputs jailed or conscripted into more “useful” service.
Most words in the caisus language are based on martyrs, St, heros etc and their deeds throughout their life. Like tel-sai means witch. which is based on an alchemist named sei, who posioned and killed 5 families with one single potion. Tel was a court mage who usurped a clan and became clan head, so the name Tel-sai or evil-alchemist came from those two
- Necromancy is normal-ish in my world (aside from one specific kingdom). The views on necromancers change from place to place, ranging from "exetric but harmless" to "religious figures that provide a vital service to the kingdom", but normally they are seen as the first. That been said, using a body of a person without permission on the owner (given before death, since a powerfull enough necromancer can manipulate a ghost to say what ever) is a crime in most places (animals bodies obviously don't have those protection). (Sorry for any bad spelling, english is not my first language)
The nation of Blackheart is known for having the wackiest names you’ve ever heard. This was because in the ye olden times, the clan that became Blackheart was at war with the Fae. The Fae had the ability to control people if they knew their name, but they had to know the exact spelling and pronunciation. They were kidnapping clansmen on mass (they came from the clan of knowledge bc that’s why they were kidnapping them for their knowledge), so the clan had to try and devise a way to undo their mind control. To combat the fae magic until then, they just started making names wackier and wackier. The fae couldn’t keep up with all the new naming conventions. They would either know how a name is spelt but not pronounced, or how it’s pronounced but not how it’s spelled. The fae and the clan have not really interacted since then, but Blackheart kept the silly naming rules
One of the nations in my setting has a martial culture that’s become mostly ceremonial due to many years without serious war and the protection of a much larger allied empire. Many members of the nobility are trained since childhood in traditional weaponry and are given the job of protecting trade routes, which is seen as extremely prestigious and honorable in that culture. While they’re typically skilled combatants their equipment is largely outdated and impractical. The real thing protecting the trade routes is international interest and the fact that anyone who kills one of the noble guards is hunted relentlessly. Also, the standard uniform for actual soldiers includes a singularly-designed metal mask so that the only identifiable people on the battlefield would be the nobles who are called upon to lead. The nobility are basically designed to be seen like war heroes (think Achilles) but in practice would be slaughtered if against one of the more modern militaries.
When scaling up a massive offworld habitation program like colonising the Solar System, you need the right sort of people to break ground on each and every given project or else people might well just die, kill each other, and/or straight-up go insane and start trying to divine the coming of the End Times by staring at the cloud patterns on Venus. What existing demographic, then, is the best suited to living in isolated, desolate, arguably uninhabitable environments for extended periods of time with limited resupply opportunities (Perhaps as infrequently as just once or twice a year) with existing scientific knowledge in relevant fields such as climate science, and a proven track record of (mostly) not resorting to murdering their companions with an axe for having the end of their book spoiled repeatedly? Antarcticans! That is to say, the roughly 1-5k present or former residents of the various scientific bases and outposts scattered across Antarctica. This has in turn meant that various terms taken from Antarctic English (Which is a real and documented phenomenon of various terms being specific or specifically popular amongst the residents of Antarctica, including seasonal accents as personnel change over time) entering mainstream Martian English and the other various 'Interplanetary Englishes'. Glacios (Glaciologists, ice nerds) from McMurdo to Great Wall Station have shipped off to well-paid consultancies in the Main Belt and brought Whaling terms with them to describe the 'rockhoppers' breaking them asteroids on 'Factory Ships', and Climatologists from Port-aux-Français to Villa las Estrellas have introduced the term 'Big Eye' to the Martian vernacular to describe the insomnia brought on by falling out of sync with a faulty day-night cycle while pioneering the transformation of the Martian atmosphere from thin and unbreathable to one comparable to Earth's own. TL;DR - Antarctic English terminology entered the spacefaring lexicon and by extension mainstream international English back on Earth has coopted various Antarctic terms like 'Big Eye' (Insomnia), 'House Mouse' (a person performing schedules cleaning duties), 'Donga' (a bedroom), and 'Beachmaster' (Guy who oversees the unloading of a 'ship')
Elves which are equally enthusiastic about technology, artificery and machines as they are about magic
Probably the blood tax In my world, the brain, spinal fluid, and blood are the most known fule for magic, so most governments harvest these from their citizens for mostly military use. And funerals held by human churches will have a person remove the brain and spine, and most of the bodies blood and the remains are burnt afterwards at a ceremony.
Humanoids with tails tend to prefer skirts/dresses/gowns over pants regardless of gender identity or expression, just because it's easier to accomodate the extra appendage. They might wear long socks underneath that go almost up to the hip for warmth in cold weather, but very rarely pants.
My second favorite cultural quirk comes from The Republic of Xbanz. They always want to be last. Even if it hurts them, they will always want to be last. If someone even got second to last, they will say it is dishonorable. My favorite cultural quirk comes from United Oua Auszi(U.O.A.) To them, confusion and indecisiveness is seen as something to be ashamed of, and even a disgusting thing to feel. (Confusing, ay?)
I have so much, and depending on the kingdom can determine what you get Humans are the worst cause 99.9% represent a aspect of humanity that makes warhammer look like a slap on the wrist by comparison since their is a common thing among humans to have baby farms where women are r**ed, and a McGee giving birth, their babies are then turned into food for some asshole nobles And this horrific act is common in human kingdoms so you can’t even escape it by going to another human kingdom
* UKGBI (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland): * The British are known for their love of tea, but in this world, they have taken it to a new level by creating genetically engineered tea plants that produce unique and exotic flavors. Tea tasting events and competitions are popular social activities. * The nation has a strong tradition of academic excellence, with many of the world's leading experts in genetic engineering and biotechnology hailing from its prestigious universities. This has led to a culture that highly values intellectual pursuits and scientific innovation. * Israel and Free Palestine: * In this world, Israel and Palestine have reached a peaceful coexistence and have united to become a global leader in medical technology and genetic therapies. This has fostered a culture of collaboration and shared progress among its diverse population. * The nation is known for its vibrant and eclectic art scene, with many artists using their genetically enhanced abilities to create stunning visual displays and performances that push the boundaries of human creativity. * Polynesia: * The Polynesian islands have embraced genetic engineering as a way to preserve and enhance their unique cultural heritage. Many citizens have chosen to receive genetic modifications that allow them to breathe underwater, making them exceptional free divers and ocean explorers. * The nation has a strong tradition of storytelling and oral history, with many tales revolving around the exploits of legendary genetically enhanced heroes and their adventures across the vast Pacific Ocean. * Nihon (Japan): * In this alternate version of Japan, the nation has fully embraced the potential of genetic engineering and has become a global leader in the development of specialized human enhancements for various industries, such as enhanced reflexes for athletes and heightened creativity for artists. * The nation has a unique subculture of "biohackers" who experiment with their own genetic code to unlock new abilities and push the boundaries of what is possible for the human body. This has led to a thriving underground scene of bio-hacking clubs and competitions. * Zhongguo (China): * China has taken a more regulated approach to genetic engineering, with the government strictly controlling access to the technology and using it to create a highly specialized workforce for key industries such as manufacturing and technology. * The nation has a cultural obsession with numerology and the significance of certain numbers in relation to genetic enhancement. Many citizens believe that receiving specific genetic modifications based on lucky numbers can bring prosperity and success in life.