Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Substantial postings about constructed languages and constructed worlds in general. Good place to mention your own or evaluate someone else's. Put quick questions in C&C Quickies instead.
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Foolster41
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Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Foolster41 »

Based on the cultural tests on the zompist website, I did one.
What are some tests for your cultures?

You're a Salthan if:
[*]You very likely to believe in the God Santh, though you may or may not participate in the rituals.
[*]You have a patron divine as well you pray to, but you revere all of them, and may pray to any of them for help in their area of expertise. A patron is chosen by your parents, but you may choose a new one when you come of age.
[*]You see the right amount of clothes as being the least possible (Saltha is hot!), while still staying modest and in the right "mood" of respect to your responsibilities. Children often play completely naked, and only wear a light loin cloth when doing chores or going to school. Adults wear a little more with a loin cloth and most of the time a sort of shirt and long robe.
[*]Month comes first, then date: 8/9/0 KG, and you know what happened on that date. You still proudly use the revised Salthan calendar system. There are 5 days in a week, and 5 weeks in a month (except the last month), and year counts up from the year of the revolution.
[*]You think (as an adult) bathing naked in an indoor bathhouse in a mixed-sex environment is normal and expected. Bathing out of doors (like at a beach), even with only those of your gender around or alone undressed is deviant!
[*]You know only uncivilized people get into a tub without washing first. That's disgusting! Showering is a strange and new idea to you.
[*]Bathrooms/washrooms (Silakesh) should naturally have a bath, but no toilet, that's a different room (or usually, outside the house in outhouse (either way called a thedlekesh)
[*]You generally move around by foot (which can take a long time to get from place to place, even in a reletively small country as Saltha) or by Kes (a large reptile creature)-back, or Kes-drawn cart, which is only a little faster really anyway. There are of course ships too, moving along the coast. (Nothing really worth sailing to out on the sea, is there? Who would want to spend a night on the sea?!)
[*]Marriages are usually arranged by the parents, but if young people find a good mate first, and it seems alright with the parents then that works too.
[*]Marrying as many as 3-4 wives is fairly common and not at all unusual (if the man is fortunate enough to afford it!)
[*]You use rare shells for commerce, or trade in goods.
[*]You were very likely regularly spanked as a child (on the bare bottom with a hand or switch), even at regular monthly intervals "just because" and you think you're probably better because of it. If you have a child, you might not do the ritual spankings, but you spank the child when they're bad, the way you were.
[*]It's expected to haggle on more expensive (over $100) items.
[*]Living in a city, you've probably have seen a Nenksadache match. (sort of like soccer with baseball-like innings). You've probably played some informal games with friends as well, especially outside of the big cities.
[*]Countries that still have kings, even allies like Braydon are viewed with suspicion. It's assumed that eventually a monarchy is a problem that will have to be dealt with eventually. Also, you tire of hearing from Braydonians about attrocities commited by Salthans.
[*]Tahernians are seen with suspicion, even those who have fled and denounce their nation of origin. Stroing feelings of being manipulated still by that nation into going into war.
[*]Salthans are somewhat neutral about Sylvanians. They were less directly contacted in the war, though basicly you feel the same about them as the Braydonian humans.
[*]You are active in politics of the country, voting for local city, district and national senate members, though you feel a bit overwhelmed by the many choices of ever shifting parties and alliances, so make basic stab at a candidates that "feels" right based on perhaps a few favored issues, rather than feeling you have to know everything about a candidate or party.
[*]Learning the human common language is a good thing, though learning it is optional for the most part, and so most do not speak or read it well.
[*]Saltha has been always for the most part isolationist, and only entered a war once, aggressively, which was unpopular, and only because of a tyrant king.Current stepping out into diplomacy has been cautious.
[*]When someone sets an appointment, you're late unless your five minutes early. (?)
[*]You bob your head as a greeting to people, with a bow for those who are in a higher position than you.
[*]The police are armed, with swords and club.
[*]You believe a tax rate of 30% is scandalously high.
[*]Unless your addressing a child, you always user the gi- honorific prefix when speaking to someone, unless they are fairly well known to you.
Last edited by Foolster41 on Fri Jan 18, 2013 6:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

neat. forgot about these. I'll post mine for Zaris when I finish it.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

This is what I've got so far. I'll probably edit and add to it in the future.



You're Zarisian if:

- before meeting up with someone, you decide which greeting word would be most appropriate
- you shake hands with everyone, for everything. The tighter the grip, the more successful you are.
- while shaking hands, you maintain a straight face, then smile after.
- you feel embarrassed when others compliment you, but don't mind at all when others criticize you
- your home is the safest place in the universe. It's the only place you feel truly comfortable.
- you have no problem badmouthing the government, or other groups of authority amongst friends
- you enjoy walking around the town whilst talking with friends
- you're meticulous to make sure your writing is neat, no characters touch each other, and you're writing in a straight line.
- you use pencil, and criticize people for using ink
- you travel for long periods of time by yourself at a very young age. Having parents accompany you is a sign of weakness.
- whenever you learn a new culture, you always try and act like that.
- you're meticulous to stay well dressed. If there's a crease in your shirt, iron the crap out of that thing, that's humiliating!
- you enjoy watching sports, but yelling, cheering, or making excessive noise or movement is extremely rude.
- you keep the vast majority of your house clean, except your office, which is an utter mess.
- you twiddle with pencils while thinking
- you start criticizing people of authority by the age of 6, start getting obsessed with money by 8, graduate university by 15, but don't get a girl/boyfriend until early twenties. Sure, you can have a fling, but over-intimacy is shameful.
- you find bartering to be a game, as opposed to a way to save a few bucks
- shopping is a chore, not a hobby. Buy your goods, and get to the next store asap. Unless you're touristing in another city. In which case, you can spend an entire day in a shopping centre.
- you greet and talk with foreigners in their language. Using Zarian to talk to a visitor is rude.
- you can greet, and maintain a simply conversation in every language in the world. Except south-Dasetian. That language is stupid.
- it's not uncommon to politely ask your boss to leave, and finish your work in the comfort of your home.
- There are thousands of different board games out there. If you're invited to dinner, you better bring one that your hosts have never heard of, and teach it to them, enjoyably playing it till the early hours of the morning.
- you have no problem throwing week old food out. Food is insanely cheap.
- you'll only eat fruit if it's nice and cold
- meat if it's steaming hot
- grains at room temperature
- you can't imagine drinking juice without the pulp.
- you treat the sidewalk in front of your house as if it were yours, sweeping it, and yelling at anyone who dares litter.
- it's a posh skill to know all the rules to every card and board game out there, but seriously; there's thousands. You'd be lucky to learn more than a couple of hundred in your life.
- you can recite the name of every Zarisian monarch, and what years the ruled.
- getting up in the morning is the hardest part of your day, but the earlier you do it, the more self respect you have.
- you enjoy a nice, cold, refreshing glass of vilisah juice in the morning, to go along with your breakfast.
- missing a birthday or anniversary is easily forgiven. Just buy a gift within the week.
- bathe every day. Pride yourself on looking meticulous. Hair sticking up, wrinkled shirt, low, baggy pants, bad odour, bad breath, unbrushed teeth, and slouching are all embarrassing and rude. However if you see someone else like that, you assume they're having a rough time, and you comfort them.
- If someone asks if you would like the last piece of a shared plate, you have no problem saying yes and taking it. It's not rude at all. Even if you're dining with the king.
- If someone asks you for your opinion, it's seen as more rude to tell a white lie than the blunt truth.
- If someone asks for a favour, saying 'no' is not seen as rude or lazy, unless it's something important which they cannot do themselves.
- you procrastinate frequently, but never too much at a time.
- Alcohol is looked down upon. Sure, you can have a drink or two if you're at home by yourself, but with other people it's rude. Drink soda or something.
- You'd rather have a physicist speak at a funeral than a priest. Really, nobody believes in that 'almighty' stuff anyways. Except the Dasetians. Idiots.
- you develop a social hierarchy in your mind, but you do NOT write it down; and regardless, you treat everyone equally.
- you are your own grammar nazi. If someone else notices a flaw in your grammar, it is their social obligation to make fun of you for eternity. Unless you're 4, in which case it's excusable, but by barely.
- while speaking, enunciate every sound properly. It's easy to pronounce 'traltin' as 'chraltin', but don't do it. It's a sign of laziness or carelessness.
- you can answer any question a foreigner has about your proud monarchy, it's royal family, the city, geography, culture, what days garbage removal are, and the location of the best restaurants.
- communication is the key to a thriving, proud society. You cannot do anything which harms your communication skills. Drugs, marijuana, even alcohol are disgraceful to consume in public. If you must do it, do it at home, in private.
- Littering, underage sex, substance abuse, it's all legal, but it's shameful, disgraceful, and nobody will ever talk to you again.
- candles are pretty, but the smoke is annoying. Everyone has them, but really, you only use them if your lighting runs out.
- you understand the basics of how the chemicals which light your house work, regardless of your university studies. There are two kinds of people: people that will buy tubs of lighting fuel in excess, and not worry about it for a year, and those that keep putting it off, have it run out, then live by candlelight until you can make it to the store to buy more.
- you keep things under your bed: dark secrets you want to hide from yourself.
- music is a strong factor when picking a restaurant with a date. However you and your date will both quickly stand up and leave if the music is too loud, raucous, or otherwise unpleasant. The best is calm, slow tune with no strong melody - nothing to distract you or get stuck in your head
- at a restaurant, it is polite to take a bite of your own food before asking to sample your date's. Unless their's arrives before yours, in which case it is customary to share the plate until yours arrives.
- on dinner dates, it is polite to tell long stories, while your partner eats, and then swap turns. The more your partner has on their plate, the longer the story you tell.
- a restaurant better bring beverages and snacks immediately. Sometimes, even right upon sitting down.
- on some dates, or even parties with friends, if you're looking for something to do, try speaking only in a second, or third language.
- riddles, word games, battles of wits, or mental challenges are common, and taken very seriously. Don't you dare crack a joke about one. The more of them you know, the sharper of a person you are.
- if a conversation breaks into silence, it's your responsibility to find something to talk about.
- don't make your dinner date laugh. They could choke on their food. Instead, impress them with a story.
- you often see exotic flowers and plants while touring far off lands, and silently cry about not having a garden.
- board game built entirely around luck are boring. You wouldn't even walk out of a store with one. Only Dasetians like those. Most board games tie together luck, wits, and some sort of skill. Those are the best.
- dinner parties are common. The average family hosts about two a month, and includes two invited families. Adults and youth sit in the dining room, while young kids in the parlour. After dinner, polite discussion continues during a board game.
- you despise taxes, however you're content with the tax rate.
- Guards wear loose, mail armour, and are usually armed with a hatchet and crossbow. They're good natured, however, and don't mind sharing a joke or two with you.
- You synchronize your watch, and house clocks to the second at least twice a month. Anything less is laziness.
- if you have an appointment somewhere, it's usually fine of you're a few minutes late. Usually 10% of the length of the meeting is acceptable leeway.
- you carefully listen and consider what everyone says, even people a fraction of your age.
- you are usually bothered by young children, interested and respect youth and teens, enjoy spending time with adults, and listen politely to elders
- you find yourself at the nearest printing press, making copies of important documents one to two times a week. The line ups bother you. It can sometimes take a fifth of a day (the equivalent of 4 hours on Earth) to get your turn.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by maıráí »

You might be Lamaunan if:


- you would never imagine having something lime flavored with something lemon as well, and vice versa.
- you feel inexplicably smug when you see a 20__ date, instead of a native 4K__ date.
- you learned a handful of English before giving up and learning the phone number of the local bilingual.
- you're pretty sure phones steal your voice.
- ...you're paranoid about most electronics, really.
- you pray to a great many spirits every day, even if only out of habit.
- ...you unironically IM a prayer to the local electric spirit regularly.
- the speed with which you type is greater than the skill with which you write.
- you curse whatever fool came up with the logographic writing system, and all the jerks who insist on perpetuating it, but you only use the alphabet in personal notes and laugh at anyone who does otherwise.
- you know someone who refuses to speak in anything but Standard Informal, and you admire their courage.
- you think the idea of never moving away from the town you grew up in is outrageous.
- everyone is your acquaintance, but only a few people are your friend.
- everyone's yard is your yard, but the rest of the property is off limits.
- you think keeping track of (and celebrating) dates of birth is obsessive and creepy.
- you know that green is for boys, and blue is for girls.
- you know that dogs and cats are masculine pets, and birds, fish, and reptiles are feminine.
Anyone with an opposite-sex pet is being silly.
- you are perfectly alright with travel by air, but are scared of travel by water.
- you worry about falling off your island, or the world.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

I'll start one for Kaerrun Desert. May not get it done, in which case I'll post what I have.

You're Kaerrun if:

- shaking hands is a contest of who has the hardest grip.
- if someone tells a joke, you slap them on the upper arm, to acknowledge you enjoyed the joke.
- you are never allowed to talk about money amongst friends.
- your house is the coolest place in the universe. Figuratively, of course. Literally, it's a sauna.
- no matter how nice your house is, your best friend's house seems just a bit nicer.
- you give all of your close friends keys to your house.
- if you see someone breaking into your house, or any house for that matter, grabbing the guy, and beating the crap out of him is the best way to punish him.
- you grow food on your roof. Not anything like wheat, or corn, but you definitely have melons, berries, and often vegetables.
- you often take all of your friends out to the tavern, and buy the drinks.
- board games involving luck are stupid. Only Zarisians like those. The best board games mix together luck, wits, and some sort of physical pain. Those are the best.
- there are thousands of board games, and you pride yourself on knowing as many as possible. You love learning new ones, but you usually stick with ones you already know, especially around casual friends. Only introduce new ones at more formal gatherings.
- if you're a store owner, you own a crossbow, and keep it loaded all day. End of discussion.
- city guards are infrequent. If you need one, scream for one. Nearby people will scream farther down the street, and so on, until guards are alerted.
- guards carry crossbows, and machetes. If you get to close to one, they may try to slice you up. Dodge, duck, or dive out of their way, and then laugh with them.
- successfully carrying out a crime is a proud accomplishment. Brag about it to everyone, even guards. Just not the victim of the crime.
- you know your way around just about every weapon there is. You can kill someone with your hands and feet as quickly as you can with a machete.
- you're part of a combat related club, and visit every week or more.
- If you find you locked yourself out of your house, simply climb up the wall onto the second floor balcony.
- you watch sports frequently. The more violent a sport, the more sacred. You've memorized the national, continental, and world champion of every sport in the world.
- your house is in pristine condition. The sandstone walls are smoothed to perfection. Your cement or stone floor must be devoid of clutter. Symmetry is not so important, though.
- Gas lighting is quite effective, but a nuisance. You prefer to go to sleep when it gets dark, unless you're hosting a party, in which case it's not uncommon to stay up for the whole night.
- if you miss a birthday or anniversary, you get punched in the shoulder. But don't worry, it's not a big deal.
- you finish education at the age of 12. University is unnecessary. The ones here are crappy. If you want huge success, go study in Zaris.
- you realize that money doesn't buy happiness. Fighting skill, friends, sports, buy happiness.
- you can't afford much, but don't want much, so you're happy with what you have.
- if you want money, gamble on a sporting event.
- sports with minimal aggression or violence are boring. They're better of not being played here.
- you don't know much about geography. The only way you know all the nations is by their sporting champions.
- you don't know too many languages. You can speak all accents/dialects of Zarian fluently, but that's the only language you need to know.
- romance is completely accepted. there's no minimum age for intercourse, and intimacy is fine. Just not in public
- though sex is acceptable, pregnancy is not. The oasis is small, and can't provide water for many more people.
- marriage is uncommon. Almost non existant.
- cheating on someone is the worst crime one can commit. It often results in murder.
- fruit tastes so much better cold, but refrigeration is expensive. Often you share refrigerators with your neighbour.
- Fire is the best way to heat food. Wood is expensive and rare, so coal is used more frequently.
- shopping for necessities is a very tedious chore. The best part is bartering with the merchant until he gets angry, pulls out his crossbow, and tries to shoot you.
- your people of the strongest and most agile people in the world, and every country is full of weaklings.
- if you offer a service, you find yourself telling client "I'm sorry, I've been really busy" nearly every day.
- you bathe anywhere from 2 to 5 times a week. Water is in short supply, but smelling bad is shameful.
- asking favours of people is rude, unless it's urgent. Either way, it's a sign of weakness
- being a grammar nazi is fun, but you will most likely get punched for pointing an error in someone's grammar.
- you enjoy travelling around the city, but rarely leave the desert
- if you have a knife, you can entertain yourself for hours, but not without drawing a significant amount of blood.
- you wear the shirt and pants every day for a week, before washing it, then wearing it again.
- you find it normal to own only a small amount of clothes. Owning more than two shirts is for rich snobs.
- going out on errands barefoot is as common as wearing shoes.
- going out wearing sandals in nice in the desert heat, but if you need to chase someone, or if you're being chased, they're nothing more than a nuisance
- you have one bookcase in your house, with maybe thirty or forty books.
- if you can't draw blood by holding a blade to your thumb, it's not sharp enough
- if you have kids, you only let them eat if they demonstrate an act of physical exertion before every meal.
- women spend all of their time inside, doing crafts. They're boring to hang out with.
- women don't like physical exertion, and are usually not as strong as men. They can't do sports, chase down a thief, duck a blade, or climb onto the second floor balcony, but they can make your life miserable if they want to.
- your bookcase is stuffed full. Only a bit by books, the rest by other stuff; knives, board games, food...
- you know how to read and write, but most people use those skills minimally
- you wished schools would teach kids more about bartering than language skills.
- when you get too old for physical challenges, you are essentially dead.
- racism isn't racism if you discriminate everyone equally.
- you don't have glass windows. They are too fragile, and break constantly. You usually just hang cloth for curtains.
- you will only enter a restaurant or tavern if there is either there is no music, or the music is prominent.
- you host dinner parties frequently. Alcohol is passed around, but in light amounts. It is shared openly with children.
- if you are going to dinner at someone's house, bring a board game. Be ready to pull it out as soon as the host removes the dishes of the final course. If you know your hosts' favourite board game, bring it, otherwise bring on they've never heard of.
- If you need the time, the only way to find it is to go down to a shop, and ask the merchant.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by legolasean »

you're Royal Bornish if:
-You can hide your emotions in public.
-You have a perfect etiquette.
-You hide curses to someone with delicate words.
-You loyal to the Royal house of your region.
-You are drinking milkwine at morning.
-You aren't eating a breakfast.
-You aren't late for meeting friends.
-You are a part of the Bornish royal armies.
-Villagers greet you as 'Cheuller X' for knights, or 'lerd X' for lords.
-You have a manor house and a Summerhouse in the mountains.
-You are allways happy to see friends or pals.
-You have a wife (or not) but also few concubines and whores which serve you.
-You believe in the many gods of Borne and have your own patron.
languages I speak Hebrew, English, Welsh, Russian
languages I learn Latin, Arabic

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Daistallia »

You might be Daistallian if:
- you are taking a year off from your job in the national defence forces to work abroad with a "private military company".
- said PMC is a worker owned cooperative with a contract that closely resembles a set of Pirate Artcles.

- you speak modern English at work, an old dialect of Swiss-German with your parents, and Nepali with your group marriage partners.

- you eat a breakfast of porridge and yogurt using a spoon at 6 am; a lunch of rice, pickled vegetables, and pickled fish using chopsticks at 1 pm; and an evening meal of barbequed goat, with potatoes and various vegetables, using your right hand at 8 pm.
- you have tea with butter and salt with breakfast and lunch - unless it's your day off and you have beer with breakfast and lunch, beer or a smoky red wine with dinner, and beer and/or chilli schnapps after dinner.
- you think habaneros are prety mild and Bhut Jalokia chilis are a just a bit hot.

- in the last election, you voted for the Zen Democrats for the Congress of Representatives, the People's Communist Party for the Council of Cantons, split your preference between the
Libertarian Democratic Party and the Socialist Party for the Senate, and voted none of the above for President.

- you spent your last day off playing a very complicated variant of mahjong at the casino, smoking some nice cannabis with some friends, and catching an excellent punk band at the pub.
- you're looking forward to going home for a big Catholic festival next month even though you're a Buddhist.
- go, ice hockey and kick boxing are the national sports.

- your think your PCD (Personal Communications Device) needs more memory than 64 petabytes.
- you take the intraurban maglev to work.
- you've gotten in trouble when you borrowed a car from your housing coop and forgot to recharge it.
- your little brother lives in an orbital habitat and is traveling to a nearby star system on business next month.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by GrinningManiac »

You're a Dwarf if...

-You, your father or your grandfather was a miner.
-You believe in your heart of hearts that all of your kin descend from the Allfather, Bragi, and that the world you live on (or, more accurately, in) is the dead husk of an ancient daemon-dragon whose eye orbits the earth as the sun.
-You're not necessarily religious, nor do you pray or visit the temples, but you know the Gods exist. Why wouldn't they? How couldn't they?
-You don't consider dwarfs of other kin actual dwarfs but you tolerate them
-You can quote from memory during an argument at least three separate incidents in the past when dwarfs of your family or kin beat the ever-loving crap out of another kin
-You know the history of your kin and of your ancestors
-You, or someone you know, has been affected at times by an insatiable period of frenzied productivity where sitting still for a minute and not doing anything feels innately wrong
-You've been in a fight
-You've won a fight
-You got drunk that one time and had a fight
-You drink
-Your mother drinks
-Your little brother drinks
-You saw an Ogre once but not a Troll
-You've heard stories about the surface-world
-Someone you know died gruesomely
-Someone you know died hilariously in a drunken escapade.
-Death doesn't bother you but being properly buried does
-You really, really, really like gold.
-You're a natural gossip
-You're of the belief that there are dwarfs from other strongholds everywhere taking all the jobs in the stronghold. To account for this you have to go to other strongholds to find work.
-You eat meat, mushroom and tuber. Vegetation is feared for its connotations of surface-dwelling.
-You think the leaders are useless, corrupt, brutal or all three and you think people lesser than you are usually conniving or tricksy.
-You punched someone for a minor slight
-You've had an argument in the street
-You've had an argument in the street despite being a guard sent to break up such an argument
-You've been in an argument where there were more than two sides.
-You arrive late but maintain people who arrived on-time are somehow at fault, not you.
-Pride is synonymous with honour.
-There was at least one notable local figure in your family tree, be it a hero or a villain. "Do you know who my granddaddy was, pal?" is a common outburst.
-You understand that Ablscin kin will call you "Jim" no matter your name and there's nothing you can do about it.
-You're very good at sleeping in noisy enviornments
-Silence worries you.
-You are impassioned to the point of having violent or joyous mood-swings.
-It's difficult to discern whether you are drunk or sober.
-You have a wife and only you may use her name. Everyone else, family or otherwise, better call her "my sister", "my daughter", "your dearest wife", "Your other half" or there WILL be trouble.
-Your wife has friends whose husbands you hate
-You're quick to judge, begrudging, erratic and prone to mood-swings
-You will never, ever buy someone else a drink when you can spend that money on yourself
-Anyone who wants your money, be it a merchant, a roadside bandit or the government are to be treated equally and aggressively.
-Protracting the period between indicating interest in a product and handing over the money to it is a sign of manhood. As is massively reducing the price.
-Merchants are thieves who happen to have pre-stolen all the things you want and need and are holding them ransom
-You're armed. Permanently.
-Anything not tied down is free for the taking. Anything tied down is suspect and should be removed.
-Locks are for indicating there are interesting things in the vault.
-Crime is reprehensible
-It's only crime if you get caught.
-No-one's ever committed a crime or so much as raised a finger against their fellow dwarf.
-Everyone actually has.
-Homosexuality is weird but if they can fight and work hard then they can shag corpses for all you care.
-Singing is effeminate. Shouting tunefully is not.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

Here's another one I'm still working on. Trying to categorize it. I'll probably add some more in the future.



You're Gjesinthian if:


GREETINGS AND CONVERSATION
- whilst shaking hands, you squeeze somewhat hard, just to intimidate the other person
- you generally don't prefer greeting questions such as 'how are you'; you prefer statements such as 'good to see you'.
- You shake hands with everyone, regardless of their social status related to your own.
- don't ask too many questions at a time, let the other person ask question as well.
- only change the conversation topic if nobody else has anything to say
- 'Who did you vote for' is a very popular question, thanks to your nation's newfound democratic system.



SOCIAL STATUS / INTERACTION
- You wear light armour as a show of wealth, regardless of your profession. Nothing too heavy, just chain mail over your arms, and the like
- You only visit the most expensive pubs you can afford.
- You make acquaintances with people of all social levels, though you (secretly) look down upon those with a lower class, and up upon those with a higher class.
- You expect city guards to leave you alone if you're a wealthy person.
- You have the greatest respect for chemists, and physicists. They do, after all, light up your house, refrigerate your food, and make everyday life possible.
- You have the least respect for historians, though you accept them.
- You only respect one political party, and despise all the others. You will let all hell break loose if a party you dislike gains any sort of influence.
- Birthdays, anniversaries, are not usually important, and should not usually be celebrated, though you and your partner celebrate each others'.
- There are government designated holidays, but you don't celebrate many of them, apart from the assassination of King Tilian, and the military's rise up to power at the end of the anarchy. Instead, you have your own holidays that have significance within your own life.




FASHION
- Casual clothes are only to be worn around the house. Out in public, you need to wear something more expensive.
- Jewelery is a show of fashion, not wealth. You wear rings, necklaces, bracelets, regardless of your gender or class, but merely to add to your fashion style.
- You collect clothes, though everything you own only represents a narrow perspective on fashion.



FOOD
- you enjoy eating a lot of fruit, but you don't bother to chill it, you prefer room temperature
- preparing food is a hastle, you often stock up on ready cooked meals.
- for dinner parties, which you should host often, you order some food to be delivered, never do the cooking yourself.
- Dessert is a luxury; though you can readily afford it. You're just too lazy to prepare something more extravagant than ice-cream.
- Treat alcohol with respect. It's fine to consume it, but not in excess.
- A beverage is only worth drinking if it is cold




HOME
- you decorate the hallway outside of your apartment building. Use the space to show off your interests to those in neighbouring flats.
- You don't keep your flat overly organized, but at the same time, you don't let it get too messy. You keep it somewhere in between. - You absolutely do NOT mix your home and work life.
- you normally use a pen for work, and pencil for recreation
- You often complain about how demeaning and pointless your work is, but don't do anything productive during your leisure time.
- Taxes will always be done the night before they are due.
- You own your own printing press in your apartment. You are proud, as you live in the only nation that has commercialized them.
- You love indoor plants, though only low maintenance ones.
- Tile is the mainstream flooring for apartments. It looks professional, and fancy.
- You keep a bottle of an extremely expensive alcoholic beverage on a shelf, though it is more for decoration than drinking.



LEISURE

- you enjoy traveling to different pubs, but you always have one that is your favourite and you always spend the most time there with friends.
- You meet friends at your favourite pub on a regular basis. You never plan ahead, you always meet at the same time every week.
- Five to ten people is the perfect size for a social group. Any smaller, and it disbands, any bigger, and it breaks off into two.
- You always have people outside of your social group you are still good acquaintances with. You meet up with them all the time.
- You love watching sports, but only the more violent and painful sports. Anything without direct contact or aggression is bland.
- You enjoy card games so much more than board games, though you would happily play either.
- You own few of your own board games, and normally keep them in a closet, on bringing them out on rare occasion.
- You have a whole bunch of decks of cards lying around. A deck of cards is never more than an arm's length away.
- Getting up early in the morning is a very posh skill, hard to get good at.
- During casual conversation, it is your job to complain about your life, and then make jokes about others' complaints. However, don't brag about your own life, only a Merantian would do that.
- Don't argue against someone with differing religious views. Instead, make subtle condescending remarks, mocking them about it.
- You'd rather have a physicist speak at a funeral than a priest. Really, nobody believes in that 'almighty' stuff anyways.


ROMANCE
- Always take a date somewhere relatively private, however don't expect any intimacy on the first several dates.
- Conversation is the greatest pastime with dates.
- Sex is only done on rare occasion, but when it's happening, anything (absolutely anything) is acceptable. As the saying goes "Make sure to have a medic wait outside".
- Marriage is very rare. Most couples will just live together in a civil union.


TRAVEL/TOURISM
- Whenever in a foreign land, you keep asking yourself 'How does this society function? Look how inefficient it is!'
- You welcome tourists to your city with open arms, however you know more about your land than they do, and you sometimes rub it in their face
- You never look up a location before you travel to it.
- before travelling to a destination, you always learn the language there.





- You have a full understanding of how everything mechanical in your house works.
- You adventure around your city, making sure you know every in and out, every city gate, every street, highway, and store. However, beyond that, you generally keep to your own neighbourhood.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by IndieAuthor »

If you’re Yuɹhăt . . .

You are a shapeshifter, and can turn into a wolf at will, as can all the Dɹeyò, your race. What your people call the simple magics are used on a daily basis, to purify water and food, cure illness and injury and provide protection to your ăʉɹs, or settlement.

You love to hear and tell stories. You enjoy stories about ʃăɹăkôt , The Bear Woman, Tuăvʉ, The Giant, Gwăku, The Trickster Fox and Sāɹkă, The Whistling Girl.

You work very hard, seven days a week. The only exception is holidays, which come six times a year. You party as hard as you work, and love feasting, dancing and singing.

You probably don’t drink much alcohol, because there isn’t much alcohol to drink. Now and then there might be enough barley from the harvest to make whisky, which is shared by your entire ăʉɹs, including the children. The next day, everyone swears they will never drink again.

Dance, Sing, Play and Be Merry

Entertainment to you is storytelling, either formal or informal, music and dancing. There will be more organized music and dancing on holidays, and the kărāk will recite the old legends that you’ve heard since you were a child.

You're familiar with gwękɹā and kɹuŏvi. If you're male you can argue intricate points about their rules, especially kɹuŏvi. If you're female you probably don't give a toss about either of these sports, but you enjoy watching boys make fools of themselves. Girls will happily play ɹiăkāɾ, toss an inflated bladder around, or something else that doesn't involve injury.

Everyone knows that

Your education came from working alongside your mother, father and other relatives. You cannot fathom sitting indoors for long hours learning from books as you’ve heard is done in the South.

You can do basic math but you most likely do not know how to read, nor will you have learned any history about other kingdoms. You’ll have learned the history of the Yuɹhă and the Dɹeyò through stories. These same stories are also meant to impart lessons about morality, and common sense.

You’ve never held a book in your life, though you may have seen some of the tablets or leathers that the Old Word runes and laws are written on.

Sure there are other countries, but who thinks about them

You're probably familiar with the kingdoms of Nietza and Yois, but you can't name their capitals or leaders.

You think of Nietza as a good neighbor and perhaps ally and trading partner. Your attitude toward Yois depends on what part of Yuɹhă territory you live in. If you toward the eastern edge of Yuɹhă territory, you likely think of Yois as a misguided kingdom, but then you don't think of them much at all. If you live in the central or western territories you might have ancestors who fought in the War Upon the Veil, and you most likely think of the Yois as either pathetic or a looming threat, depending on the attitude of your ăʉɹs as a whole.

A foreign nation once attempted to conquer your territory.

Jokes about other nationalities and races are rare. You're more likely to have inside jokes about your own family and friends, and nearby settled ăʉɹsv.

The best people are the ones in my ăʉɹs

Once you're introduced to someone you call them by their first name, including your gɹȩsi or chief.

You expect marriages to be made for love and not arranged by third parties. Your marriage will involve a ceremony in which your entire ăʉɹs is involved. Man or woman, you get only one spouse at a time, and more than likely, only one in your lifetime.

You don't really care at all what family or settlement someone is from, unless they happen to be in conflict with your settlement at the moment.

If a man is attracted to other men, or a woman to other women, you would consider it very strange and even abhorrent. Certainly not something to be acted upon, after all, men and women were clearly made to fit together.

You would never expect to need an invitation to go to the home of someone in your ăʉɹs. All of your ăʉɹs is part of your family. If you were to travel to another settlement’s territory, you would be expected to bring a tribute of food, or other supplies.

The race you are most familiar with is your own. Unless you live on the border of Nietza or Yois, you've probably never seen someone who didn't have dark brown skin and black or dark brown hair.

There’s the right way, and there’s everyone else’s way

You measure things however you please and you and anyone you grew up with will know what you mean when you say a handful, or a foot's length. You know the current date according to your settlement’s calendar, but you've never needed to write such things down.

You probably live in a longhouse, with a dirt floor. If you're nomadic, you sleep in a tent made from deer or bear hide or in a cave. You do laundry by hand.

The bathroom is anywhere outside, as long as you steer clear of the gardens, crop fields, and fresh water sources.
Summer is rather temperate and winter is bitterly cold. You can expect at least a foot of snow to be on the ground for about four months out of the year.

You haven't used any form of transportation but your own two feet since you stopped being carried by your relatives.

Work never stops

You might not chiefly be a farmer, but you've certainly done your share of work in the fields since the age of ten or so. Most of your food comes from farming. Aside from field work, you either work in leatherwork, wood and metal smithing (men's work) or with cloth and food preparation (woman's work).

You might be a ɹukă, priestess, or kăɹāk , storyteller, but you're still expected to do other work.

Say what?

You likely one speak one language fluently, enough to get by of one or two other nearby dialects/languages and a pidgin if you've attended a Hăɹot , a gathering of many ăʉɹsv to trade and discuss important issues). Dɹeyò territory is vast and it's unlikely you'll ever travel extensively enough to need more than those few languages.

When talking to someone you know, you would expect to stand close enough to put your arms around each other. You might get uncomfortable if a stranger stands this close, but, really, what's the big deal, we all breathe the same air anyway.

The gods might be listening, but they probably aren’t interested

You're very likely to believe in the Old Ones and in Rhua and Ryees as actual, living beings who simply exist in another world. A world distant enough that they really don’t care much what those on Earth are doing.

Since the higher gods are a bit busy with important matters, like making sure the world continues turning, to be bothered with petty things, best to take your problems to the Whispers, spirits of the four elements.

You celebrate the Evens, Trega(Winter Solstice) and Long Day. The Evens are fun holidays spent with the entire ăʉɹs, dancing, playing music and eating. Trega is a somber holiday, no music or dancing, but still plenty of food. Long Day is essentially a lover's night, and a popular time for couples to declare devotion to each other.

Why keep animals in a pen when they can take care of themselves much better

You routinely kill your own food and the only way you'll get any meat in your diet is to hunt for it.

You won't likely eat insects unless you're starving but everything else is fair game.

You sit on the ground, around the fire to eat.

The biggest meal of the day is in the morning.

You’re food is flavored with only a few herbs and sugars such as honey or maple syrup. You've never tried milk, unless you live near the Nietza border, and you regretted it later.

Everyone is responsible for their actions

Matters of law and civil unrest are handled by your gɹȩsi and sŏɹăgăv or advisors, and you likely trust their ability to discern the truth and pass judgment.

You don't fear going anywhere at night unless you've been separated from or banished by your ăʉɹs.

If an gɹȩsi cheated on his mate, he would mostly likely be attacked en mass and chased from the ăʉɹs territory if not killed outright because that's the only way to get rid of him. It's not that you question his ability to govern, but that sort of thing just can't be tolerated.

Every able-bodied adult male is part of the military such as it is, and you expect them all to rise in defense of the ăʉɹsand territory if they were needed.

I’ll trade you six carrots for a pair of shoes

You've never used money to buy something. You're used to eating the same foods and using the same tools you've always used. You trade among your ăʉɹs kin, or with other ăʉɹsv, for what you need or you make it yourself.

Everything has an end and a beginning

If your ăʉɹs has a healer with magic you can count on excellent medical treatment. In any case, the shifting magic all the Yuɹhăt possess allows them to heal pretty quickly, so you'll likely recover from any injury or illness that doesn't kill you outright. You think dying at 85 would be a good, long life.

When someone dies, their body is adorned with trinkets, and buried near the settlement. Once the farewell ceremony is held, no one is permitted to speak with sorrow about the deceased. Such actions will drag their soul back to earth, where it might become a dangerous shade.

The normal thing when someone dies is for their possessions, clothes, tools and other knick-knacks to be divided up among their family. The gɹȩsi may step in if things get over-heated.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Trailsend »

IndieAuthor wrote:You are a shapeshifter, and can turn into a wolf at will, as can all the Dɹeyò, your race.
I'm afraid there is only room for one Native-American-rip-off wolf-shapeshifting con-culture on this forum, thank you very much. We must therefore duel to the death. Here is your salmon.

En garde.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by IndieAuthor »

I'm afraid there is only room for one Native-American-rip-off wolf-shapeshifting con-culture on this forum, thank you very much. We must therefore duel to the death. Here is your salmon.
I duel with a codfish, thank you very much. Thrust and parry.

Shall we invite Stephanie Meyer and settle this whole thing once and for all. Granted, she's not on this forum, but I'd like to take her down a notch.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by R.Rusanov »

Jerian wrote:- you shake hands with everyone, for everything. The tighter the grip, the more successful you are.
Jerian wrote:- shaking hands is a contest of who has the hardest grip.
Jerian wrote:- whilst shaking hands, you squeeze somewhat hard, just to intimidate the other person
You are really fond of hand-shaking, aren't you mate?
Slava, čĭstŭ, hrabrostĭ!

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

R.Rusanov wrote:
Jerian wrote:- you shake hands with everyone, for everything. The tighter the grip, the more successful you are.
Jerian wrote:- shaking hands is a contest of who has the hardest grip.
Jerian wrote:- whilst shaking hands, you squeeze somewhat hard, just to intimidate the other person
You are really fond of hand-shaking, aren't you mate?
Oh, why yes I am! Nice to meet you! *shakes hand*

I dunno, I guess I just like to incorporate handshakes into my concultures.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Astraios »

I despise handshakes. The harder they are, the more likely I am to try and figure out ways to dispose of the person's body later.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Torco »

Oh, you'd hate me, straio... I'm one of those guys who doesn't so much shakes your hand, but grabs it whole and squeezes it, holding it in place forcefully and manly.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Astraios »

There's plenty other parts of me for you to squeeze and hold in place forcefully and manly, just leave my hands free.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

Astraios wrote:There's plenty other parts of me for you to squeeze and hold in place forcefully and manly, just leave my hands free.
I can see this going a number of ways.

I will see if I can get another culture test complete while you two sort out your... forceful squeezing.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Torco »

- ...you unironically IM a prayer to the local electric spirit regularly.
:D I love this
- you know your way around just about every weapon there is. You can kill someone with your hands and feet as quickly as you can with a machete.
if everyone knows their way around every weapon ever [wtf? i mean, do they learn to write or add at least??] then whom is so easy to kill ?

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by IndieAuthor »

I was wondering, though this may be a silly query, would I be able to put the culture tests for my created worlds up on my website? I know Mark created the culture tests, and it doesn't feel right to throw them onto my website without making sure that he's okay with it.

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Re: Culture test (you might be a X if...)

Post by Jerian »

Torco wrote:
- you know your way around just about every weapon there is. You can kill someone with your hands and feet as quickly as you can with a machete.
if everyone knows their way around every weapon ever [wtf? i mean, do they learn to write or add at least??] then whom is so easy to kill ?
These people are obsessed with fighting. It's part of who they are.

~~Brief history lesson~~
Kingdom of Dzaris, somewhere around the year 2900. Two fighting related guilds begin to quarrel. War breaks outs. It turns into this whole mafia war thing, that ruins the kingdom's economy. After the war, the losing guild gets exiled, heads west into desert, where they build a new civilization.

The Kaerrun people are descended fro fighters. It's in their blood to fight, though they do it entirely for fun/competition. They don't actually kill people, even if they known how too.
Like, you can take karate or Tai Kwon Do courses that teach you how to fight. That doesn't mean you will ever use those skills, you just do so as sport. Same with the Kaerrun people.

Edit: And yes, they do receive general education, focusing on math/architecture, sciences, world relations, and learning a second language. Their infrastructure is based off of the Dzarisian system, as they are closely descended from Dzaris.
"Man is least himself when he speaks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true face" --Oscar Wilde

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