Hierarchy And Social Structures

Fantasy Guide to Building A Culture

Culture is defined by a collection of morals, ethics, traditions, customs and behaviours shared by a group of people.

Hierarchy and Social Structures

Within every culture, there is a hierarchy. Hierarchies are an important part of any culture, usually do ingrained that one within the culture wouldn't even question it. Hierarchy can be established either by age, gender or wealth and could even determine roles within their society. Sometimes hierarchy can may be oppressive and rigid whilst other times, ranks can intermingle without trouble. You should consider how these different ranks interact with one another and whether there are any special gestures or acts of deference one must pay to those higher than them. For example, the Khasi people of Meghalaya (Northern India), are strictly matriarchal. Women run the households, inheritance runs through the female line, and the men of the culture typically defer to their mothers and wives. Here are a few questions to consider:

How is a leader determined within the culture as a whole and the family unit?

Is the culture matriarchal? Patriarchal? Or does gender even matter?

How would one recognise the different ranks?

How would one act around somebody higher ranking? How would somebody he expected to act around somebody lower ranking?

Can one move socially? If not, why? If so, how?

Traditions and Customs

Traditions are a staple in any culture. These can be gestures or living life a certain way or to the way a certain person should look. Traditions are a personal detail to culture, they are what make it important. Tradition can dictate how one should keep their home, run their family, take care of their appearance, act in public and even determine relationship. Tradition can also be a double edged sword. Traditions can also be restrictive and allow a culture to push away a former member if they do not adhere to them, eg Traditional expectations of chastity led to thousands of Irish women being imprisoned at the Magdelene Laundries. Customs could be anything from how one treats another, to how they greet someone.

How important is tradition?

What are some rituals your culture undertakes?

What are some traditional values in your world? Does it effect daily life?

Are there any traditions that determine one's status?

Values and Opinions

Values and Opinions are the bread and butter of any culture. This is the way your culture sees the world and how they approach different life hurdles. These may differ with other cultures and be considered odd to outsiders, what one culture may value another may not and what opinion another holds, one may not. There will be historical and traditional reasons to why these values and opinions are held. Cultures usually have a paragon to which they hold their members to, a list of characteristics that they expect one to if not adhere to then aspire to. The Yoruba people value honesty, hard work, courage and integrity. Here are some questions to consider?

How important are these ethics and core values? Could somebody be ostracised for not living up to them?

What are some morals that clash with other cultures?

What does your culture precieved to be right? Or wrong?

What are some opinions that are considered to be taboo in your culture? Why?

Dress Code

For many cultures, the way somebody dresses can be important. History and ethics can effect how one is meant to be dressed such as an expectation of chastity, can impose strict modesty. While other cultures, put more importance on details, the different sorts of clothes worn and when or what colour one might wear. The Palestinian people (من النهر إلى البحر ، قد يكونون أحرارا) denoted different family ties, marriage status and wealth by the embroidery and detailing on their thoub.

Are there traditional clothes for your world? Are they something somebody wears on a daily basis or just on occasion?

Are there any rules around what people can wear?

What would be considered formal dress? Casual dress?

What would happen if somebody wore the wrong clothes to an event?

Language

Language can also be ingrained as part of a Culture. It can be a specific way one speaks or a an entirely different language. For example, in the Southern States of America, one can engage in a sort of double talk, saying something that sounds sweet whilst delivering something pointed. Bless their heart. I have a post on creating your own language here.

Arts, Music and Craft

Many cultures are known for different styles of dance, their artwork and crafts. Art is a great part of culture, a way for people to express themselves and their culture in art form. Dance can be an integral part of culture, such as céilí dance in Ireland or the Polka in the Czech Republic. Handicrafts could also be important in culture, such as knitting in Scottish culture and Hebron glass in Palestine. Music is also close to culture, from traditional kinds of singing such as the White Voice in Ukraine and the playing of certain instruments such as the mvet.

Food and Diet

The way a culture prepares or intakes or treats certain foods are important to a culture. In some cultures, there is a diet yo adhere to, certain foods are completely banned. With Jewish culture, pork is prohibited along with fish such as sturgeon, along with shellfish and certain fowl. Meat must also be prepared in a certain way and animal byproducts such as dairy, must never be created or even eaten around this meat. This is known as kosher. The way one consumes food is also important to culture. In some cultures, only certain people may eat together. Some cultures place important on how food is eaten. In Nigerian culture, the oldest guests are served first usually the men before the women. In Japanese culture, one must say 'itadakimasu' (I recieve) before eating. Culture may also include fasting, periods of time one doesn't intake food for a specific reason.

What are some traditional dishes in your world?

What would be a basic diet for the common man?

What's considered a delicacy?

Is there a societal difference in diet? What are the factors that effect diet between classes?

Is there any influence from other cuisines? If not, why not? If so, to what extent?

What would a typical breakfast contain?

What meals are served during the day?

What's considered a comfort food or drink?

Are there any restrictions on who can eat what or when?

Are there any banned foods?

What stance does your world take on alcohol? Is it legal? Can anybody consume it?

Are there any dining customs? Are traditions?

Is there a difference in formal meals or casual meals? If so, what's involved?

Are there any gestures or actions unacceptable at the dinner table?

How are guests treated at meals? If they are given deference, how so?

More Posts from Gildedgrimoires and Others

gildedgrimoires

1 year ago

DEMO (TBA)

Embark On A Captivating Journey As You Assume The Identity Of Birbal, A Brilliant Prodigy, And Immerse

Play as male or female and choose your real name and sexuality.

Customize your appearance and personality.

Choose one of three different backgrounds that will impact your reputation and relationships:

A noble possessing a remarkable talent, invited to join the court by Emperor Humayun himself; a child of a maid serving a powerful military commander, hired on the recommendation of the commander or a street urchin caught stealing from the royal palace, rewarded with a place in the elite circle owing to the incredible feat.

Romance any of the five different love interests or not. Friendship is always an option.

Be a part of an elite group of courtiers serving none other than Emperor Akbar.

Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (he/him) 💕 : The newly crowned young emperor. Friendly and affable, the ruler has a tendency to be a bit impulsive at times. Despite his age he has been preparing for this role for years and doesn't seem at all nervous to be the new monarch. Akbar can be a powerful friend and an equally dangerous foe. How he perceives you vary depending on your background. A year younger than Birbal.

...........

Bairam Khan (he/him): A military commander and the most trusted ally of the throne until the death of Emperor Humayun. Since then he has been promoted to commander-in-chief, if that wasn't all he also happens to be Akbar's foster father. Bairam knows his way around the empire but can you actually trust this man?

...........

Ruqaiya Sultan Begum (she/her) 💕: An aloof but fiercely loyal woman and Akbar's first wife. Being cousins, neither of them ever saw each other as anything but friends. But Ruqaiya also hides a big secret, one that has her loathing herself. Will you able to form a deep enough connection to assist her in embracing her true self and breaking free from her constraints? A year younger than Birbal.

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Salima Sultan Begum (she/her): A strong and intelligible woman and Akbar's second wife. She feels heavily undervalued and undermined by the court which causes her to constantly rebel, though she sees Akbar as a friend, anything more than that with anyone is unfathomable to her. Two years younger than Birbal.

...........

Mahira Khan Mughal (she/her) 💕: A softspoken and timid young woman sold as a political pawn by her own father to become Akbar's third wife. Mahira longs for companionship and understanding which she can't find in the palace but you can fill that void in her life by secretly courting her or by providing the friendship she desperately craves. Two years younger than Birbal.

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Arslan Khan (he/him)💕: The son of Bairam Khan and another young prodigy, seemingly possessing supernatural powers and later becoming known as the legendary Mulla Do-Pyaza. With a mixture of rivalry and occasional bullying, he views Birbal as a formidable adversary. Arslan, driven by an insatiable desire for his father's approval, harbors a volatile temper that ignites at the mere mention of insults hurled towards his family. Peering beyond the myth, can you uncover the man within? A year older than Birbal.

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Nadeem/Nadia Mirza (opposite gender of Birbal) 💕: Birbal's betrothed and distant cousin of Akbar. A noble with a secret lover, N only accepted the marriage offer because it was arranged by commander-in-chief Bairam Khan himself and it was made obvious that refusal would not bear good consequences for their family. Can you form a connection with your betrothed despite the rocky start? Two years older than Birbal.

More to come! RO appearances and FAQ will be added soon. Feel free to ask anything in the meantime but I won't answer nsfw asks until the demo is out.

350 notes View Post

gildedgrimoires

5 months ago

↳ YOU ARE A SCAVENGER; a lone wanderer of the galaxies barely scraping by on your derelict secondhand ship. You hunt down abandoned ships and settlements, stripping them of what useful parts you can find and selling those to whoever will pay your prices. It's a dangerous, solitary life, but you don't have much choice in the matter. You have too much of a past to trust a crew or to settle down planetside.

But everything will change when you discover the salvage of a lifetime. Among the ruins of a planet older than you thought possible, you discover an ancient prison, containing something that you thought existed only in myth.

You don't remember what happens next; but when you wake, you're a prisoner on a Consortium ship — and you are no longer alone in your own mind.

↳ YOU ARE NOW A VESSEL; the last vessel of the lost god.

Or is is the lost vessel of the last god? Either way, life as you know it is over. The Consortium — the conglomeration of various companies and governments that rule known space — want your head. The rebels want your power. But what do you want?

Escaped the Consortium with the aid of a fellow prisoner and a disgraced officer. Find a new ship, gather a crew of your own, and forge your place in a universe in which you are now something other than human.

And don't forget.

Gods may rise, but they also fall.

↳ Play as The Last Vessel of the Lost God, a human who's mind and body has been invaded by a symbiotic (or parasitic?) deity.

↳ Customize your character — choose your gender (female, male, non-binary), pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them), appearance (height, weight, skin color, hair color, scars, tattoos, & piercings), cybernetic enhancements, and backstory.

↳ Six potential romance options and three optional encounters.

HOLLIS GALLOWAY ↳ the grifter (they/them)

DAISUKE SAITŌ ↳ the traitor (he/him)

AMANI HAMMOUD ↳ the captain (she/her)

SEBASTIAN JĖZ ↳ the mechanic (he/him)

MARÍSOL ESPINOZA ↳ the psychiatrist (she/her)

SALEM SMITH ↳ the adherent (they/them)

& ENCOUNTERS; ↳ Felix Whitaker; the commodore (he/him) ↳ Renata Zhukova; the rebel (she/her) ↳ Esmé Delacroix; the data broker (they/them)

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gildedgrimoires

1 year ago

I think Variables are beginning to make sense, just a lil bit. Which is good, happy about that.

Description

You own a bakery at the heart of your home village, Berseras. Your older brother, Ryan, has been looking after you for the past nine years. Though in reality, he was always the one taking care of you. But at some point you’d have to move on, right? Start your own life so your brother can live out the rest of his. Well, that was always true but neither of you ever expected it to be so abrupt.

Having never left Berseras, you find yourself navigating a world that you are definitely not prepared for. With a prophecy looming over your head, an assassin on your tale, a people-appointed ‘savior’ charge, and a tyrant Monarch, you are poorly prepared for this journey.

Travel to different cities, make allies or enemies, befriend a Saint and/or an assassin, be a menace or a peacekeeper, no matter the choices, what you do will go down in history. What kind of Protector will you be?

The Edge of Yesterday is a 18+ interactive fiction game, with a main focus on plot and lore. It is intended for mature audiences and will contain scenes of violence and vulgar language. Some themes might be distressing for some, so please understand your own limits. Here’s a list of themes: murder and attempted murder, gore, blood, slight torture and mentions of past torture, enslavement and mentions of past enslavement, explicit language/profanity, instances of harassment, severe character injury, emotional abuse/manipulation, fear, domestic violence, mentions of neglected childhood and child abuse, talk of arranged/forced marriage, religious topics (I’ve created a new religion, there will be no mentions of real life religions), scars, mentions of alcohol, fire, mentions of wars and past wars, guns, hospitalization, obssession and possession, jealousy, and forced to do something against your will.

I will have an option for viewing warnings before each chapter.

Features

✮ Customize your character’s identity and appearance: pronouns, color and style of hair, skin tone, scars, height, clothing style, and nickname.

✮ Romance one of two characters, or both.

✮ Join the darkside or take the high road.

✮ Influence both ROs to join you on the darkside or on the high road.

✮ Flee from your home village.

✮ Deal with a prophecy that dictates the rest of your life.

✮ Build a relationship with a dragon!

✮ Take down the tyrant Monarch or join the Monarch in taking over Dunaria.

✮ Travel to different countries and cities!

✮ Navigate family drama as you meet different family members.

✮ Get lost in a forest.

✮Develop skills in stealth, strength, and strategy.*

✮ And more!

* This is not a stat heavy game, so please do not worry too much about your statistics. While they do contribute to the game, they’re not the main focus. This interactive fiction is mainly based on lore and plot.

Romance Options:

☀ The Savior

[ Finley Raith | He/She/They | Vi’ba | 22]

Overly cocky with a side of innuendos, Finley is the main star of a foretold prophecy dating back hundreds of years. With a big ego, sassy comebacks, and sleazy diplomacy, Finley doesn’t seem like the kind of person to ever doubt themselves or their abilities. They would rather inject poison into their own skin than admit they don’t know what they’re doing. Having grown up as the child of an extremely rich noble family, they find themselves in a whirlwind of shock as they try to navigate the world their family so desperately tried to shelter them from. Will they rise up and be the savior everyone has been dreaming about or will they be Dunaria’s worst nightmare?

“They’re all the same, but how much different am I?”

⚔ The Assassin

[ Elliot Lennox | He/She/Xey | Sho’ai | 23]

Extremely mysterious with a side of snark, Elliot is the tyrant Monarch’s right hand, eyes, and ears. With an abundance of nonchalance, coldness, and disinterest, Elliot doesn’t appear like the kind of person to stray from orders or their supposed destiny. Though perhaps a part of xem, deep, deep, very deep down, aches for something more. Having grown up without parents, taken in by an assassin training academy, xey have known nothing but violence and strength. Will xey be able to find xemself after spending so long being someone else or will xey finally break free from the chains binding xem to a dark past?

“If I’m going down, you’re coming with me.”