Question regarding Immortals of specific regions and cultures

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Bonehead
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Question regarding Immortals of specific regions and cultures

Post by Bonehead »

So, many of the Immortals in the world have a large following across many different cultures, with variations between them. My question is, how common is it to have folks following an Immortal that might not be apart of their culture? For example, a Nuum fellow witnesses the ocean for the first time, and decides it's the most beautiful thing he has seen, and adopts it as his religion. Or a mountain climber who REALLY enjoys mountain climbing and being self reliant, and decides this Mountain Father guy has the right idea. Or somebody hears about Toteo and thinks "Hey, that sounds right to me!". Inquiring minds want to know!
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nobody
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Re: Question regarding Immortals of specific regions and cultures

Post by nobody »

Similarly, I'm curious whether cultural identity (region/birthplace) is generally expressed more strongly compared to racial identity (race), or vice versa, and also whether that varies by region. For example, I'd guess there probably aren't many Giganti in Ivial, but I'd expect for the majority of the Giganti there that their racial identity would largely win out in spiritual beliefs (they'd probably still revere the Mountain Father more than the Aengels view of the pantheon) and personal ethics (probably still more focused on hard work and clan honor than personal chivalry), but it's probably more of a mixed bag for fashion where some would retain Giganti fashion standards while others would adopt Viali fashions. Is that about right? Are there any places where there would be more pressure to fit in?
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Rias
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Re: Question regarding Immortals of specific regions and cultures

Post by Rias »

I think it's safe to say people are largely influenced by the areas they grow up in, so a Giganti being born and raised in Ivial could very well pick up some Viali customs and beliefs as their own. On the other hand, Giganti have a lot of pride in who they are, so if this Giganti had some other more traditional Giganti to meet or hang around with in Ivial, or met some passing through and got to know them, or even just heard and/or read about their fellow Giganti, I think that'd have a good chance of swaying them to more traditional Giganti things despite the environment they grew up in. A lot of people do strive to discover "who they are" based on their heritage and all that, and with Giganti having some physiological differences to make them often stand out from others I could see one in Ivial feeling different and striving to find something to identify with that originates from "people like them".

So I don't know. It's a complicated thing to think about. I think it's safe to say the possibilities are many and highly based on specific circumstances. And of course, there's always the idea of adopting multiple belief sets, particularly ones that don't have conflicting ideas. Viali don't particularly recognize the Mountain Father (though they don't have any particular reason to deny his existence or influence either), and Giganti don't feel the need to exclude all other Immortals from acknowledgment in favor of the Mountain Father alone (though he is of course the best one), so I could see a Giganti recognizing the Viali interpretation of various Immortals while still being loyal to the Mountain Father, and I could see a Viali acknowledging the Mountain Father and the virtues he promotes right alongside the more typical Immortals focused on by the Viali. Most cases stick more with what's familiar and typical to their culture, but I don't imagine some individuals branching out a bit being unheard of or a taboo. Probably happens most often with those who have reasons to travel into other lands and really feel the influence of those other cultures.
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Onasaki
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Re: Question regarding Immortals of specific regions and cultures

Post by Onasaki »

This concept to me, sounds like it'd be a lot like it would be IRL. If you grow up a Mexican American, but your parents were immigrants, who became citizens, you would have both Americanized ideals, with traditional undertone. It would likely fall into the traditional undertone *more* when you're younger, then when you're older, and you develop your own identity through experience. So it's entirely possible a Nuum who was born in say, Khealea, would have a very strong opinion on the idea of magic vs technology. Which would also kinda intermingle, especially considering how sacred magic is on a fundamental level for the Nuumic people.

As Rias says though, yeah, I think it would really depend on the certain circumstances, and I believe firmly that since we're all exiles anyway, that there's a lot of room for a lot of different ideas. Just like IRL.
I have two forces by my side,
One's the truth and one's a lie,
Which one's which I cannot tell,
This enigma is my hell.

Baako leads you over to the grass to graze.
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