>>23677026I've written part 1 of chapter 1 already but then when I re-read what I wrote the next morning (yesterday) I hated all of it and now I'm trying to rewrite it.
Sorry for venting but this is all making me feel very frustrated.
>>23676308In addition to above, I have been thinking of how to answer the prompts in
>>23675575 for my thread
/nasfaqg/, and I have some rudimentary ideas but I'm having trouble turning these vague ideas into words and well-thought-out paragraphs.
>ClothingI do not have many ideas other than the prominence of hats, especially large, silly, and/or expensive hats in the nasfaqgian culture. Hats are an extremely important status symbol to the natives of the Serene Republic, to the point where some even stack hats on top of hats in order to show others their wealth. An average trader is willing to pay exorbitant prices for a hat they fancy, an average hat going for around $500,00.00 to $1,000,000 .00 local currency in the auction house.
This also means that the act of gifting one's peer a fine hat would likely be seen as a sign of close friendship
or even as a confession of love>FoodTomatoes are a controversial topic. Violent fights between anti-tomato factions and pro-tomato factions would not be unheard of. You can get stabbed if you publicly eat tomatoes in the wrong part of a town.
Due to some thread events, I'd imagine the Serene republic of /nasfaqg/ would have a rich baking tradition, especially for baking of bread. Thus I would imagine that grains are grown locally.
>EntertainmentGambling, Drinking, and Mahjong
sometimes all 3 simultaneously would be some of the most popular pasttimes in the nation.
>ReligionThe Serene republic is a state of religious tolerance, where practitioners of any religions are welcome. I would imagine there are no state-run temples of churches outside of a single grand temple dedicated to the holopantheon and some related goddesses, where anyone is free to come pray and make sacrifices/offerings of material wealth. Most places of worship would be private shrines.
Outside of this, there is the pseudo-religious concept of "Flow".
"Flow" would be some sort of a force or energy one can either have or not have. "Flow" is mostly used in the context of gambling and mahjong, but some also extend "Flow" to apply to everything else, most importantly the market. Those who have strong "Flow" are thought to be able to predict unpredictable things, to see patterns where others would not, and to have an uncanny ability to succeed in risky ventures. The higher the loss were they fail, the better chances they have to succeed.
However, "Flow" is a fickle thing. One moment one may have strong "Flow" and a minute after it may all be gone. Some have powerful "Flow" for weeks on end before they lose it all for months or years. This leads to many trying to manifest "Flow" for themselves through weird and sometimes dangerous means, such as the consumption of psychedelic substances, or by following elaborate rituals or habits obsessively.
Those who often have strong "Flow" are also often various types of menhera. This also sort of ties in with some earlier ideas of advanced nasfaqg tech being something that cannot be replicated, as the most advanced pieces of technology would often be illogical contraptions built by borderline madmen during episodes of insane genius. The architect himself may not understand his own creation once the episode passes, outside of how they are used.
Also had an idea for the Cult of Mahjong, a sort of lovercraft-esque cult who worship dark gods such as "Nyagtheleb, the cat with no yaku" or "Mahjong Demons" in hopes of attaining "Flow" for themselves. Whether these deities are real or not doesn't matter, some belief in them would exist either way. It would be worthy to note that mahjong itself is a controversial topic in the nation with some being strongly against it.
>Alcohol and drinkno ideas really, except that drinking is common.
>Funeral RitesThere is the Abayo, a ritual way of committing suicide. Those who have chosen to commit Abayo may go on pilgrimages to their "homelands"
a nasfaqgian fandead would travel to the Rushia wasteland, for example, , spending most of their wealth along the way in lavish celebrations and donations to whomever they meet along the way in a very Mansa Musa sort of manner. The ritual of Abayo would usually end in one last massive offering to the trader's chosen deity, followed either by the trader killing themselves, the trader going into self-imposed exile
to live in poverty for the rest of their life,, or the trader burning down everything they still owned before killing themselves.
These are some of the raw, unpolished ideas, and they have not been run through /nasfaqg/ or our rep, so i don think they should be considered canon as they are.