#community ref

[anarcho-syndicalist-commune]

Reference blog of dubious organization.

Currently using the following tags:

Media ref

Community ref

Art ref

Anti/med ref

Craft ref

[all-animals-arent-equal]

20/4/21

1. (What would you want to tell Julian Barnes?) Your work is almost too conceptual to follow, but I like it.

2. (What would you want to tell people when you’re gone?) Writing a to-do list before you go to sleep is NOT a good idea. Do it in the morning. That way you’ll sleep well and won’t get anxious.

[all-animals-arent-equal]

11/3/21

Me: You talk like you’ve either been or never been to Thailand.

X: What do you think?

Me (to W): What do you think? 

W: I think you’re (X) very racist.

X: How can I be racist? I’ve just made an Asian friend!

Me: Ever asked your Asian friend where she comes from?

X: You’re Chinese.

Me: I’m Thai. And we don’t ride elephants. We have cars. I seriously can’t talk to you right now. It’s not my burden to educate someone like you. If you don’t learn that by yourself, then I have nothing to say. Lates! (short for later)

[starlightmango]

hOurS world-building that Christine and I did a couple nights ago. She wanted me to write it all down and post it, so here it is. Sorry to any mobile users who have to scroll through this.

The Community, which at the moment lacks a name (partly due to the lack of a need for one in-universe), is located in the desert between the southern Eurian and Gaiaen cities. The desert, while often dangerous to cross, is nevertheless commonly traveled by traders and merchants between the two cities. The alternate route between the two cities is significantly longer, and if the traveler’s knowledge of the locations of oases is adequate the shortcut through the desert can prove to be a significant trading advantage. As a result, the area is home to bandits that often attempt to raid the traveling merchants, though this rarely results in deaths if the merchants do not provide significant resistance, and generally the bandits do not take more than a certain portion of goods, in order to not discourage merchants from taking the route. The desert is plagued with many sandstorms, as a result of the number of Gaiaens in the area.

The Community itself is a small group numbering just over 100 that has taken up residence in the area. The majority of the people are Gaiaen, though some Eurians are present, and they are mostly social rejects or have been marginalized in some way. The Community has a rule that they will take in anyone who has been neglected by society, and a large proportion of the children are those that have been orphaned or abandoned by their parents, while the elderly are often those without living family members to take care of them. The middle aged and young adults are typically those that were raised in the village, and it is very rare for someone to come across the village itself. A perpetual sandstorm exists around the village, protecting it but not entering it, and as such only Gaiaens or those lead by Gaiaens can travel into and out of the village safely. The sandstorm provides an overcast over the town so it rarely seems like midday, and many travelers are aware of the sandstorm but not of the village within it, so there is little threat of invasion.

As a whole the Community has a high emphasis on caring for the wellbeing of the whole. The food and general living supplies are considered the property of the entire village, and the villagers take turns cooking large meals for the entire village. Villagers are not allowed to take food from the village’s stockpile except on days of celebration, where the townspeople will hold large feasts. Any food or supplies collected is stored in the town’s stockpiles, and is considered property of the community as a whole. Nobody is allowed to eat if someone is starving, as a general rule, and everyone is given enough food to live comfortably, but not in excess. Access to certain things are considered fair game, however, such as supplies that are used to produce goods. Pottery wheels, yarn, or other similar crafting tools can be used by the townspeople at any time, as well as objects used for entertainment such as books. These things are generally taken care of very well, as it would be considered damaging community property to damage them (ripping out a page of a book, for example). 

It is difficult to maintain such a community in a desert in reality. In order for the community so sustain itself, there are a few groups of bandits that travel out into the desert in order to raid traveling merchants. As stated above, they rarely if ever kill the merchants, and do not take more than fraction of the goods the merchants have. They refuse to raid travelers who are in danger of not living through the desert. If they came across a small company without the resources to travel across the desert successfully, they might instead point the company in the direction of a nearby oasis. Vagabonds and pariahs may instead be invited to join the community, if they seem to be of the proper character, though even this is rare. One group of bandits, referred to as the Bloody Hawks by many traders, tends to only raid those they see as particularly wealthy, with guards or some other form of protection.

The bandits themselves tend to wear masks, partly to conceal their identity and partly to protect themselves from sand. It is not uncommon for the bandits to hide in sand mounds on typical paths through the desert, and as a result goggles are often built into the masks. The Community in general wears darker browns, while the bandits may pick a tan that better matches that of the desert, for camouflage. Jewelry is not common, as it is often seen as overly materialistic, but respected members of the community will often have some sort of extravagance added to their clothing, such as a trim or bracelet. Children often look up to the bandits, and practice thieving amongst one another (a common game is to have a coin in a particular child’s pocket, and to spend the day stealing it back and forth, with the goal being to conceal that you have stolen the coin or to steal it back). However, it is very frowned upon to steal anything from the village itself, or from members of the village. Anyone caught risks expulsion, and there is little tolerance for actions considered a crime. Anything the kids steal is always returned quickly to their owner, and nothing of immense value is ever lifted.

The goods that the bandits pillage are added directly to the community stockpiles. Food is difficult to maintain, hence the heavy control over its consumption, while other goods can last long periods of time without needing to be maintained. The stockpiled goods are occasionally sent into the nearby cities by members of the Community, usually those that aren’t bandits (to prevent anyone recognizing them), in order to be traded for other goods. As a result, the contents of the stockpiles could change at any given moment, and objects of high value are placed separately to prevent damage. Some of the elderly members of the community, who are unable to do much work, will spend their free time making certain crafts for trade, which while not particularly valuable will at least bring some income to the village. Some of the goods stolen, such as books or tools, don’t have immense value, and are instead held in the stockpiles for the community to use. The book stockpile in particular is messy, since there is little effort to organize it and books may be removed at any given time to be sold or read, and while it could be considered a library, there is little organization to allow a series or subject to be read extensively. In general, goods are considered property of the village, and anything that a person wants for themselves must be completely handmade, and even then it is encouraged to share that product with the community.

One extension of this is the elevated position of gift-giving. Typically the action of giving a gift is seen in high regard in the village, especially gifts that are handmade (typically, it would be seen as a faux pas to give a gift that should have been added to the stockpile, so only handmade gifts are given). As a result, these gifts are held in high regard, and are typically given only between very close friends, loved family members, or significant others. There is a massive social stigma against not accepting a gift graciously, due to the high esteem of the action, but if that person has not established significant relations with you, it is acceptable for someone to decline a gift (such as in the case of unwanted romantic advances).

In general, the village itself is very traditional. One example of this is the concept of “homes” for the people of the village. Typically, each family or person has a tent that they treat as their own private domain. The tent is very much the property of the family, and it is considered very rude to enter another family’s tent, unless explicitly invited in. When children of the family reach a certain age, it is customary for them to “leave home” and set up their own tent. Each tent is made by the person or persons living in it, and generally the person will set up the tent entirely by themselves (except in the instances of those who aren’t physically well enough to do so on their own). It is an unspoken “rule” of the village that young adults and unwed couples are not to spend time alone in each other’s tents. While this seems rather controlling, it is more of a tradition regarding what is “proper” behavior than one that expects young couples to do things they “shouldn’t”. Generally, members of the village don’t spend time in their tents unless sleeping or in stances when privacy or time to oneself is wanted. During the day the members of the village tend to spend time outside their tents, so it is not seen as much of a restriction for couples to not be allowed in their tents alone. During times of celebration, people tend to invite others into their tents without the usual formality, and couples are allowed alone in each other’s tent (though it is customary to leave a flap open).

The methods of courtship in the village are unique as well. As mentioned above, gift-giving is meant to solidify the importance of a relationship, platonic or romantic. A specifically romantic gift would be that of a desert flower. These flowers grow very rarely at certain oases, and as a result of many travelers picking them they have nearly died off, making it incredibly rare to find one. Traditionally, the flowers have been used to express romantic intent, and while not necessary a marriage proposal, they signify a close romantic bond. The flowers tend to be very scarce, being delicate to transport and unable to thrive without total direct sunlight (as a result they can’t be grown in the village), so it is not uncommon for the image of a flower to be given instead, such as one woven onto a textile or one crafted from clay. Finding the actual flower itself is an incredible feat, and due to their scarcity it is more likely that a member of a couple would present to their partner the location of the flower, rather than pick the flower, to keep it from dying out. It is not up to any particular gender of a couple to present the flower, though it is typical for either member to wear it on their person on the day of receiving it. For romantic groups that are polyamorous, the flower would be presented to all members of the relationship, but may be held by any of the members over the course of the day. In the event of a marriage, those engaged would combine their tents together, and large families will tend to have large hodgepodge of tents mashed together.

Outsiders would find that the Community presents a great complexity in its traditions and manner of living. While a large mix of liberal and conservative traditions exist, its primary goal is one of cooperation and assistance for those who lack. Nobody starves in the village, and nobody lives in excess, and everyone puts forth their best effort to sustain the rest. While the village has been present for a long time, since long before any part of hOurS takes place (even in the past portions of the story), it has not grown outside its own capabilities to sustain itself. Its current standing in the world is unknown at the present, but it is likely the Community has grown in size, and perhaps become able to produce food for itself without resorting to banditry.