Today is Valentine’s Day’s and my question is does Chocolate exist in your world and if so. What is the ways that people of the great kingdoms and other cultures prepare it and enjoy it.
I'm sorry my answer is so late!
Cocoa beans are cultivated in the Midland Jungle of Serkel, so chocolate products are cheapest and most abundant in Matuzu Kingdom. However, many northern cultures like Zareen Empire, Folkvar Kingdom, and Evangeline Kingdom love chocolate precisely because it's rarer and more exotic to them. In these lands, chocolate has more value and is seen as something special, so it's a must for all special occasions. In Matuzu Kingdom, it's more of a cheap peasant food.
Zareen Empire has cheap, mass-produced chocolates like the SnipSnap bar, which contain very little real chocolate and are eaten casually by regular people. The Zareenites have developed technologies to simulate chocolate flavors synthetically. If you want the real Matuzan stuff, you will pay much more.
Evangelites use chocolate in many ways, but most famously for making chocolate chip cookies. These are practically a staple in the Evangelite diet. Chocolate can be expensive here, but since such a small amount is used in these cookies, even poor Evangelites can still afford to enjoy them pretty often.
The Uekorans use it to make bonanchi, a sweet biscuit with banana slices and chocolate spread. Uekoro is a Matuzan territory, so chocolate is very cheap here. It's so abundant that Uekorans are actually kinda sick of it and only use it in small amounts.
Back to Zareen Empire for a moment, we have the stone cake. Actually stone cake can be any flavor, but chocolate and peanut butter are the classics. Chocolate in particular gives it that incredibly rich flavor that many consider overpowering.
I don't think anyone loves chocolate more than the Folkvarans. It's considered exotic, top-tier cuisine in this kingdom, so when they decide to eat chocolate, they go hard with it. Folkvaran fudge is famous around the world. They are also known for their pudding, and chocolate is the most popular flavor locally. They'll work chocolate into anything: chocolate sprinkles on icecream, chocolate syrup on pancakes, chocolate spread on toast, chocolate milk, chocolate bars, chocolate bread...they're crazy about it up here in the far north.
Then there's the Seelie Court. The Seelie people really enjoy chocolate drinks, especially coffee. This is said to be Queen Titania's favorite "food". Individual chocolate candies are popular in both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, particularly during holidays. They're a popular gift, often used to signal romantic interest in someone.
There is one more thing I will say about chocolate: cocoa beans also grow naturally in the Jungle of Scales on the continent Wokina. However, they are not farmed here because the local dragons are too fierce, driving peoples to live underground where it is too dark and cramped to grow cocoa trees.
The Jungle of Scales is occupied by the Lamaish people. Most Lamaish are gorgons, and gorgons don't like the taste of chocolate that much. It tastes weird to their unique palates.
I’m quite curious about the Skadgrik trolls and their walrus hunting?
What are their traditional walrus hunts like? What kinda weapons aside from trollish strength do they use to kill these giant, blubbery aquatic tanks? (Serious people underestimate just how BIG walruses can get!)
What kinda relationship do they have with the walruses they hunt and do they have culture significance outside just food and material? I’d imagine they would be experts on walrus biology & ecology just like Great Plains people with bison or indigenous Russians tribes with reindeer.
How do they preserve all the meat they harvest from these walrus hunts? And aside from meat and tusk what other materials and uses do these trolls have for the walrus parts?
Good questions! I haven't fully developed the Skadgrik lore yet, but I do have some basic ideas.
I think they utilize basic rafts made out of driftwood, bone, skins, and flesh (using flesh as inflatables) to drift from iceberg to iceberg, where they find the walruses. They probably spear-fish other marine life like fish and penguins while they're on the water.
The average troll weighs about 600 pounds, but Skadgrik trolls do lean on the heavier side. The average adult Skadgrik male is probably closer to 700-800lbs. That's still not as heavy as a walrus, but it does give them a much better chance of surviving a fight with one than smaller peoples, especially when you consider their ultra-thick skin, blubber, and natural weapons like fangs and claws. They use spears, clubs, and sharpened projectiles like stones to injure the walruses and then chase them down. The Skadgrik (and trolls in general) don't traditionally utilize traps or anything like that, they have a more straightforward way of dealing with their prey.
I do think the Skadgrik have a healthy respect for the walruses. They understand that without the walruses sacrifice, their tribes would not be able to survive. So, there are likely walrus-themed rituals or perhaps funerals to honor those sacrifices. A troll who dies hunting a walrus is honored as a hero for trying to feed his tribe, but the walrus itself is also honored for providing that meal.
The trolls harvest many useful things from the walruses besides meat. They carve all kinds of tools from the tusks, the blubber can be eaten or turned into fuel, and the skins are used for water-repellent clothes, furniture, and insulation. They even use the sinew for thread. The Halostiran tundra is too harsh to let any part go to waste, so there is nothing left of the walrus' corpse by the time the tribe parts it out. The one who made the kill gets the biggest cut of the spoils.
Saw your post about the Gaia species version of Ericka and so my question is what factors do the species parents use to determine the proper name for their little ones for an example. Humans use name meaning and how well it fit with the middle and last names.
Generally, naming conventions are based way more on culture than species. But because of how LG species have tended to group together throughout history, some names have become very common among them in some areas.
Red elves, for instance, almost always have the -os (surname), -io (male), and -een (female) naming convention because most red elves are from one geographic area (Damijana).
Similarly, many roshava have -eesha names because their species descends from one motherland (Koeshan) and that's just how people are named there. But a roshava who was born and raised elsewhere, like Evangeline Kingdom, might have an Evangelite sounding name instead.
Names are also determined by the shape of the species' mouth. Minotaurs are the most obvious example. They struggle to make the sounds that other peoples make because they have bovine mouths, but they can make other sounds that are unique to them. Because of this, minotaur names are often hard or impossible for other peoples to pronounce, and they are sometimes given nicknames instead.
All goblins have a three-part name that they know from birth, and it's the first words they speak. These parts are simple enough that even a baby can pronounce them as a result, each part only 1 to 2 syllables.
There are many other examples, but the point is, all species may have "traditional/stereotypical" names or "cultural" names, it's not really set in stone.
Idk if you've answered this elsewhere or not but I was curious... In traditional cecaelia societies, if a female is infertile for whatever reason, what happens to her? Does she get to stay in the nursery? Is she treated as 'male' for all intents and purposes, since she can't reproduce?
In traditional cecaelian societies, females are valued 100% by their fertility. If they aren't fertile at all, then theoretically they would be kicked out of the nursery, right? Well, what actually happens is they remain in the nursery, but they become nannies rather than breeders.
These nannies will take over the nest for a few hours to give the mother a break and keep her stress levels down (stress decreases fertility in cecaelia). Most cecaelian nannies are older, as fertility loss does occur naturally over time, but I think there are a few young ones as well. They are considered a valuable asset to the nursery.
The reason these females aren't just released from the nursery is because...well, frankly, the males in their society just can't behave themselves. With a female:male ration of 1:10, most of them don't see females very often, if ever, so when they do see one, it's like their brains just fall out of their heads. They go nuts and harass her, some may even try to kidnap her in a desperate attempt to gain status.
When cecaelia tribes raid each other, the most valuable loot is not food or gold, it's actually fertile females. Regardless, infertile females serve an important role in their societies as well, as tradition dictates that males are not fit for raising infants and toddlers (they only take over child-rearing when the offspring are old enough to leave the nest).
2How autistic poeple from each territory of each great kingdom and independent territory of each class (fae,gaian commoner) are treated? What challenges they face? How they are perceived,treated and did laws help them in any way? And how common is autism in each people species? Did each species manifest it diffrent? If yes,how?
(This is a continuation of this other post) <---
I couldn't tell you how autistic people are treated in every individual territory, because that would be dozens of separate answers (and a lot of the answers would be the same anyway). I don't have that much mental energy for one post, but I can give you a general overview from each Great Kingdom...
(This is very long, so I'm putting it behind a cut)
Folkvar Kingdom: This kingdom has always been notoriously harsh to all peoples with disabilities, because Folkvaran culture places all of a person's worth into what they can do for others. Those who can work the hardest and provide the most for the tribe are glorified, and those who can't accomplish as much are shamed. How an autistic Folkvaran is treated depends on how much they can give back to everyone around them.
Autism is a wide spectrum and not everyone is a savant, so I imagine those with special talents are treated normally and those who struggle are considered a drain on society. Folkvaran culture is very harsh this way. There is no welfare system in place to take care of the needy in any capacity. This is a very bad place to be for most people with autism.
However, I will say that if an autistic person has a special interest in heavy weapons engineering (catapults, siege weapons, etc.) or anything military related, there are many job opportunities for them in this highly military-focused kingdom. A lot of autistic people do well in the military IRL because of the rigid structure it provides, and this is also the case in Folkvar Kingdom, as long as they can do all the tasks required of them.
Matuzu Kingdom: Matuzu has disability rights written into its High Kingdom Code. I would say this is the best place on Looming Gaia to have any kind of disability and/or neurodivergence, including autism. Many people on the spectrum are creatives with fresh ways of thinking, and there is nothing Matuzan culture loves more than the arts. Music, theatre, etc. are big business here and innovation is encouraged.
Autism often comes bundled with executive function difficulties which make it hard for many autistic people to earn a stable living, but for that, Matuzu Kingdom has a welfare system to help. This kingdom also prioritizes education, so the average citizen here isn't that ignorant about conditions like autism. Autism is pretty well accommodated for in big city centers, but less so in rural areas.
Lamai Nation: Lamai's attitude towards autism is very similar to Folkvar, except Lamai does not have a robust military. Their focus is more on religion (Serpentism). Lamaish culture stresses working hard and carrying your own weight, but it also stresses social cohesion and family togetherness. I think Lamaish people, in general, love their autistic kin and try their best to care for them, but they may act insensitive towards them by mistaking executive dysfunction for "laziness" or "lack of drive".
Autistic Lamaish citizens will either excel here (if their special interest aligns with Serpentism or crafting something specific like tools or drugs. In fact, a lot of Drogazama happen to be autistic because their unique ways of thinking are valued in this position!) or they will do very poorly, I don't think there is a middle ground. The lowest-functioning people are likely to be sacrificed to dragons if they run out of loved ones to advocate for them, because the concept of government welfare does not really exist in Lamai Nation.
I should mention that in cases like these, the sacrifice is not to shame or punish the disabled person for having a disability. It's considered an honorable religious ceremony to bless their soul and heal their affliction. The Serpentists believe that innocents who are eaten by dragons will be reborn as dragons, and dragons are a sacred beast in this culture. It sounds completely messed up to sacrifice a struggling person to a beast, but as far as the Lamaish are concerned, it is the honorable thing to do for them.
Yerim-Mor Kingdom: Life is brutal in this kingdom. It is the poorest, most dangerous, and most destitute of all the Great Kingdoms, so those who can't care for themselves are most often abandoned by their families at a young age. Since autism is such a wide spectrum, some are abandoned and others are not, and even those who are abandoned may go on to survive as street urchins. Unfortunately, many of those street urchins end up in the clutches of the Crescent Cult.
There is no room for error in Yerim-Mor. The slightest bit of sensory issues or executive dysfunction can easily cost a person their life. Even many people with no disabilities struggle to survive into middle age here. There is no welfare, no disability rights, and no social tolerance for weakness of any kind. The culture has been forced into an every-man-for-himself position.
Those with autism will have a very, very bad time here no matter which end of the spectrum they're on.
Zareen Empire: This empire has its own disability rights, but they are not as expansive as Matuzu's. Its welfare system is not as good as Matuzu's either, and those who rely on it are likely to struggle with homelessness. Zareenites know what autism is, and there are various therapies for autistic people available--some good and some bad, just like real life.
Culturally, the Zareenites turn to technology to solve all their problems. This goes for autistic Zareenites as well, who take advantage of this high tech to deal with sensory issues, physical problems, and even social problems (robots are valid companions here!). Zareen Empire has a reputation for being loud and crowded, and Zareenites themselves can be quite abrasive. Autistic people don't do well in environments like this usually, but I think the tech helps them cope well enough. You can see autistic Zareenites walking around wearing industrial headphones and dark glasses to dampen sensory, and no one really bats an eye at this.
In fact, Zareen's tech appeals to many autistic individuals looking to get into the engineering, robotics, and logistics fields. Autistic foreigners move here specifically to snatch up these high-paying jobs where they can use their talents to their full potential.
Evangeline Kingdom: Evangelites don't know what autism is. In this kingdom, a disability is just a disability, and there is little differentiation between the nature of each one. If someone struggles to take care of themselves, their family will do their best to support them, because Evangelites really value family togetherness. But they will not make much effort to understand this disability, because the Lindist House of Humanity keeps Evangelites ignorant to these things on purpose. Knowledge is power, after all. And if disability is understood, then disability rights will be demanded next.
But Evangeline Kingdom doesn't have disability rights, and the government wants to keep it that way. High-functioning autistics are viewed as quirky individuals in this culture, and their struggles are written off as laziness or personal failure. Lower-functioning autistics are written off completely as disabled if they can't care for themselves, and the burden of their care usually falls on female relatives instead of the government. However, there are private institutions that families can pay to take care of disabled loves ones. But since autism is not understood, autistic residents of these facilities will not receive the unique care they need, they will just be treated in a standardized fashion.
Evangelite culture looks down upon creativity. It looks down upon critical thinking. It looks down upon uniqueness. It looks down upon everything that autistic people are. Overall, this kingdom is stuck in the Dark Ages as far as neurodivergence is concerned.
Mogdir Kingdom: Autism is an officially recognized condition in Mogidir Kingdom. But unlike the Zareenites, the Mogdiri prefer to accommodate it with magic instead of tech. Autistic people can go to special schools to learn echomancy and illusion spells specifically to care for their own sensory needs, dampening sound, light, and sensations.
The autistic mind tends to excel at the art of spellcrafting because it's one of the most tedious crafts on Gaia, requiring superhuman focus and attention to detail. Most neurotypicals just can't hack it, so it's no surprise that the most successful spellcrafters in Mogdiri Kingdom happen to be autistic. But this is only possible because the kingdom recognizes autism as a condition and accommodates it, unlike some other kingdoms that just write off their autistic citizens as useless and don't invest in them at all.
For people with more profound autism who can't function as well, Mogdir has a welfare system to help support them, though it's not very adequate. Families are still expected to step in and support them as much as possible, otherwise things don't turn out well. The average Mogdiri citizen has a solid understanding of autism though, so they can deal with challenging behaviors better than most.
Etios Nation: This kingdom is stuck in the stone age, both technologically and socially. They don't have any fancy technology. However, what the Etiosi do have is the strongest "herd mentality" of all Great Kingdom cultures. Their herd isn't just their immediate family, but their extended family, their neighborhood, their territory, and their countrymen at large.
The Etiosi government does not have an official welfare system, but it has never really needed one because communities here so tight-knit that everyone does a decent job taking care of everyone else. In the case of autism, the Etiosi discourage critical thinking and "going against the herd" (which neurodivergent people tend to do). However, they are also very stubborn about never leaving a herd member behind.
Overall, I will say the Etiosi can be similar to the Lamaish in that they're insensitive and ignorant about autistic traits. Strangely enough, higher-functioning autistics have a harder time in Etiosi society than the lower-functioning, because low-functioning individuals are perceived as having a weakness and needing extra care. The community rallies around them to protect them. A high-functioning autistic may be seen as "acting difficult on purpose" because their disability is not as obvious.
Empire of Damijana: Quite the opposite of Etios Nation, Damijana is an extremely high-tech, lonely, and competitive society. Because of it's heavy focus on the tech industry, high-functioning autistics can (and do) excel here with their logical brains and attention to detail. Ojio Paramonimos is an example of this. Autism is a recognized health condition, but only individuals on the severe end of the spectrum will get a diagnosis. What we used to call "Aspergers Syndrome" or "Level 1 ASD" in the real world is considered a "fussy personality" in Damijana and is not recognized as a legitimate condition. These people will not be accommodated for.
Lower-functioning individuals are classified as "defectives" and are shunned by society. This was shown extensively in the story "The Forgotten Brothers". Once labeled a defective and deemed unfit to work, citizens are eligible to receive a welfare stipend. However, the amount is very small, and this leads to the disabled people being homeless or being forced to live in government-run institutions...where their blood and organs are harvested to replenish the supply for non-defectives.
Damijana is a horrible place for disabled people in general, autistic folks included. Even the highest-functioning individuals are at a high risk of burning out due to the insane work culture pushed upon them.
Seelie Court: This kingdom has a notorious habit of ignoring its dysfunction. Anything difficult to deal with (like poverty, mental illness, and disability) is swept under the rug and ignored. Autism is a recognized condition, but it's not accommodated for at all. Seelie culture views it as a problem to be "corrected" with brutal therapies and toxic positivity.
Seelie autistics are under a lot of pressure to present themselves the "proper" way to fit in. Many try, but few succeed. Those who can't mask well enough are shunned by their families (who become embarrassed by them) and usually find themselves hanging out in shady places, oftentimes with the kobolds and pixies, whose differences are not appreciated either.
Seelie culture is one of the most uptight and snotty on Gaia. Autistic people have a very hard time fitting in here, but can find some refuge in the monster districts sometimes. There is a weak welfare system, so more disabled individuals must rely mostly on family and friends for care.
Unseelie Court: This kingdom has no official welfare system at all. However, the Unseelie are very good at creating their own mutual aid systems in their communities. There are so few laws in the Unseelie Court that foreigners believe it must be some kind of crazy free-for-all where everyone is killing eachother, and while some Unseelie territories are like that, many of them are actually pretty peaceful.
Unseelie Culture reveres freedom and being different, so those with uncommon neurotypes like autism are often respected and even idolized for their unique traits. Things that most cultures find "weird" or "offbeat" are considered very cool to the Unseelie. Whether high or low functioning, Unseelie people find autistic folks fascinating and want to understand them. Autism is a well-understood condition in this kingdom and there are therapies and accommodations available, but it highly depends on the territory.
Territories with strong community leaders tend to have better education and standard of living for all citizens, including autistics. They want to keep the peace in a kingdom that has the potential to be total anarchy. But other leaders embrace the anarchy, and this may or may not benefit certain autistic people with more chaotic personalities. Overall, Unseelie culture lacks the rigidity of most other cultures, so it can be more accommodating to autistics...but it can also be total hell for them because the lack of law enforcement means autistics can be victimized more easily. It depends on the circle of family and friends an autistic person has around them to advocate for them.
Aquarian Alliance: Mr. Ocean is a good example of how autistic people are treated under Sovereign's rule. The answer is...badly. Sovereign (High King of the Aquarian Alliance) is a eugenicist who views such conditions as flaws to be eradicated. He has banished all of his own disabled children from his kingdom because he believes they make it weaker. Autistic people struggle to follow social norms, and this irritates Sovereign a lot. He values total obedience from his people. He does not provide welfare for disabled citizens and believes it is more merciful to let them die. In his mind, he is a hero who cares about them and wants what is best. In reality, he's a selfish monster.
Sovereign will not allow "defectives" to be accommodated for, because he does not want to encourage their presence in his kingdom. Families must take on the burden of care all by themselves, which puts them under pressure to banish their own disabled relatives if they can't handle it.
Ironically, what this has done is create several communities exclusively made up of disabled people (many of which are autistic) who found refuge with each other outside Sovereign's territory. They care for each other and respect their differences. These communities are quite poor, but they do the best with what they have, and autistic members are vital in coming up with creative solutions to problems they face.
(This post took several days to put together, so please be patient while I address the next part of your question, it may take a while! Thanks!)
There is actually a language tag with lots more information about this!
Here is an overview of some of the languages.
Universa is the language that most people on Gaia speak in modern times. The World Athenaeum created a campaign to teach this language to people all over the world long ago in order to unite them, and now it is the official language of all Great Kingdoms. Older languages are still spoken as secondary and tertiary languages (Galsungi is popular in Matuzu Kingdom, for example)
1. How it's possible that faunae nymphs have souls but don't feel love or understand art?. 2. Why dating more than one person is lefal in matatzu but polyamory is illegal? This definitely destroy many relationhip and broke many hearts. How many people try to change that? How they trying to change that? Did polyomory was once legal in matatzu? If yes,then why they changed laws? 3. Did human man can't doggy or be at top on elf female until he come because elves are too fragile?
1 ) Faunae are born with a weak creative drive and low emotional attachment to others, but they CAN be taught to develop these things over time. Soulless peoples can't comprehend love or art no matter what they do, they lack all capability.
2 ) This comes down to taxes ultimately. Married couples get special tax benefits and other rights in Matuzu Kingdom, and the kingdom likes to keep this simple by allowing only couples. However, there is no financial harm to the government by married couples dating multiple people outside of their marriage, so they allow it.
There are many Matuzans who challenge this law, and I think it has been repealed and reinstated many times throughout history. Polygamy is legal and widely practiced in the neighboring kingdom of Etios, and some Etios culture bleeds into Matuzu.
3 ) Humans can totally doggy-style an elf, they just have to be gentler than they would be with another human. Elves are kind of brittle and can get injured easily, especially by sudden impacts. Restraint required!
Do trolls socialized around other peoples (e.g foster/adopted kids) still have a penchant for rotten and stinky food? Or is it an innare thing?
Yes, it's actually a biological response so it can't be "trained" out of them. Trolls naturally like smells that most other peoples find disgusting, and "pleasant" smells like flowers and fresh food are repugnant to them.
I do think that trolls who live among other peoples for long enough eventually become nose-blind to pleasant smells though. Kind of like how a smoker won't smell cigarette smoke after a few years of being surrounded by it. Likewise, urban trolls get used to the horrible stench of clean laundry and shampoo because it's always there. But even these trolls enjoy taking a big, satisfying whiff every time they pass a garbage can!
