Monday, February 18, 2013

I want to jerk around with assumed fantasy tropes.

From "Women Fighters in Reasonable Armor"

Check out this Tumblr: Women Fighters in Reasonable Armor.

And this author of Afrocentric Fantasy: Charles S. Saunders.

Along with the game of Sophia's Children, I have been researching and writing notes on the world of Sophia's Children for over five years. I have developed and am still developing a history, language et cetera for each of the cultures upon the Earth of this fantasy setting.

To show you an example of something I have created within the Messianic religion of the Westmen, here is the Marriage Sacrament in summary:

"Marriages are presided over by Priests. All Marriages must first submit for examination by a Surgeon, who ascertains the ability of each person to conceive once administered the Bitter Mint. Barren or sterile persons can still be married, but this is considered a Marriage for the Orphaned as opposed to a Marriage of Conception. If one person can not conceive, they are informed of the difference and encouraged to seek other partners -- but may still be married in a Pact for the Orphaned with the understanding that they will not be able to conceive even with the Bitter Medicine due to the results of the Surgeon's examination.

"Those in a Marriage for the Orphaned are encouraged to adopt Orphans. An Orphan is considered a child with no parents or a child with one parent who can no longer care for them. Same-sex couples are allowed to enter Marriages for the Orphaned.

"In the ceremony, the Priest asks which of the two person will be the Hearth Keeper in the relationship. That person is to kneel before their partner, although in some variations the Priest does not ask, with the Keeper simply kneeling before the other in the beginning of the ceremony. The other is considered the Hearth Master who remains standing.

"The Priest then asks each of the two persons a series of questions related to consent in the relationship. The Hearth Keeper is asked if he will obey Master, take good care of their house, watch over their children -- adopted and created -- obey Master in passions. The Hearth Master is asked if he will protect and not abuse the keeper, provide for their children and their household, and ensure the Passionate Interest in the relationship. Both parties are then asked a series of questions together where they will consent in unison: will they create children (or raise the Orphaned in the Marriage for the Orphaned Rite), upon the death of one partner will they seek another partner if there are children, upon the death of one partner will they look for surrogate parents for their children if they cannot remarry.

"The Priest then informs the couple of the conditions under which they may be Annulled: Death, Disappearance for more than one year, Exile or Banishment of one partner, adultery, failure of the Keeper or Master to attend to their duties in the house or the abuse of one partner by another.

"The close of the ceremony is the exchange of the Collar and Ring. The Master receives a band on their left ring finger that the Keeper places on it (repeating selected passages from The First Book of the Law dictated by the Priest) and the the Master places a collar around the neck of the Keeper (repeating similar passages dictated by the Priest). In some regions, the Keeper is given a ring instead of a collar, though the most traditional assignment is Ring for Master and Collar for Keeper."

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