Worldbuilding Questions and Discussion

[yhlee]

Ask your questions here!

Comments

[smokedetective]

A few Andan questions:

-How does Andan enthrallment work? I'm assuming it's based on the high calendar, and I think it has to do with social status, but is it percieved status or status somehow tied to the calendar? For example, could an Andan enthrall someone higher than them if they tricked that person into thinking they were above them in status?

-How far can body mods go? For example, could someone cover themselves entirely in fur feathers or add functional wings?

[yhlee]

- It's high calendar, yes. Think of it as social bullying hypnotism on steroids--so it's perceived status, and you could definitely use enthrallment on someone normally of higher status if you used trickery. Have fun! :)

- Fur or feathers, sure. Functional wings might require additional exotic effects just because of aerodynamics, but, I mean, the servitors levitate so I'm sure something could be arranged if you wanted it. Really the limit is not so much body mod tech but fashion and good taste--the Kel, Rahal, and Vidona in the hexarchate are pretty conservative about this stuff, while the Andan don't mind pushing the limits and the Shuos tend to be pretty open-minded about it too.

[smokedetective]

Thank you!

One more question about mods: how old does one have to be to start undergoing mods? Like, is there an age before which it is medically inadvisable, or legally prohibited?

[yhlee]

Depends on the mod. Some mods they'd tend to advise people to wait until after puberty just for health reasons, because the body is still maturing, but they're usually not outright illegal. But if you wanted something like a sex change at an early age, they'd tend to accommodate that. Did you have something specific in mind?

[smokedetective]

I was thinking more along the lines of how long it's been since Ashari started modding themself. Because they tend to change appearances rather drastically and relatively often, and I was wondering how early they could feasibly start doing that. Their appearance is very important to them, I was trying to figure out how they view and think of their unmodded form, how early they got into modding, and how they came to view their body less as, well, their body and more as a tool they could use to navigate Andan society.

[yhlee]

For the kind of appearance stuff I saw in the art thread, starting to do that in their teens strikes me as quite doable/plausible, especially if their family could foot the bill. I think of most mods as being things that middle-class people have pretty good access to. (Honestly I have not done a ton of economics/finance worldbuilding, mainly because I'm probably going to have to ping Seth Dickinson again and have him help me with that--I am rock stone stupid at econ, Seth is really smart at it. Sorry about that.)

Er, if you need something more specific than that, I'll try to catch Seth in the next couple of days and ask him for help on that. :]

[smokedetective]

I think that's all the info I need when it comes to mods. Ashari's family was fairly well off in their childhood, and after their fall from grace they were able to make their way back up to middle if not upper middle class, so the mod stuff would all work out, financially, for the most part (especially if, when they're an adult, they skimp on everything else :P) If I think of anything more specific, I'll let you know. Thank you so much!! :))

[smokedetective]

I did actually think of another question. It's not quite about econ, and not quite about mods, but kind of ties in with both.

Do you have any specific tips/advice/pointers/references when it comes to designing fashions in the heptarchate and hexarchate? Like, what exactly constitutes "fashion and good taste" for an Andan? Or should I just go wild and hope for the best? :)

[yhlee]

Well, keep in mind that the hexarchate is a big place! Like, I have deliberately never stated how many systems/planets/space stations big. And I expect that while there are overall trends, there are also local fashions and trends. Like, maybe a very oceanic world favors gills and things for pragmatic reasons, but you could also have fun with colors and horns and feathers and whatever. I say let your imagination run wild and have fun with it. :)

[smokedetective]

That's so cool. Thank you!

[vass]

you could definitely use enthrallment on someone normally of higher status if you used trickery.

That is... *saving roll against pun fails* enthralling. So does that mean the limiting factor is the person being enthralled's perception of their relative status, as opposed to how the Andan doing the enthrallment perceives it? Or is it both?

[yhlee]

It's both. The social interaction is a two-way street, so to speak.

[vass]

Excellent. Lots of scope there for interesting roleplaying.

[yhlee]

Yes. :)