Social Rules, Cuisine, and Culture in General
Table of Contents
Language ▲ Back to Top
For a primer on the mechanics of Psionic communication, please visit this page. The information divulged here will be assuming you know the basics.
Basic Communication ▲ Back to Top
Without even getting into the Psionic language, Psions are able to convey more basic thoughts by simply visualizing the actions needed to get that thought done or acted upon. So for example, if you were a Psion, conveying hunger would be as simple as showing others yourself eating or receiving food. This basic level of communication is also used for things like warning others of danger, alerting others of the location of something, or enacting basic plans.
In addition to images, Psions also use sound to indicate tone, though sound is not the primary focus of Psionic language. Messages sent with a higher tone are generally more light-hearted, while messages sent with lower tones usually imply some urgency or heavier emotions.
More abstract / complex concepts and subjects, like the concept of hope and the subject of politics, are reserved for the Psionic language proper.
Psionic Language ▲ Back to Top
The Psionic language bears resemblance to the Japanese language in the sense that there are thousands of characters, each with their own meaning. The differences between a lot of characters is subtle, which is suitable for the pattern recognition speeds Psions have but hard to pick up for other species.
Realistically, Psions use only a fraction of the whole Psionic language. This is especially reflected in online communication and writing, where the physical movements needed to draw / type a character are a deciding factor in what range of characters are used. Face-to-face communication / communication by calling tends to use a wider part of the Psionic language, as Psions are not limited by actually writing down or typing the characters they need to use.
Communication with Other Species ▲ Back to Top
For Psions trying to use Psionic with other species, some effort on the Psion's part is needed to make communication as smooth as possible. Even assuming the other party went through the effort of learning many of the basic Psionic characters, communication between Psions usually goes by so fast that other species can't keep up. So, when talking to others, Psions have to slow down their speech.
In addition to slowing their speech, Psions may also have to "speak louder" by making the images they project more clear, as by default Psionic images can appear fuzzy. This is inconvenient for Psions in the area who may "over hear" a conversation.
The ultimate step a Psion can take towards making communication with other species easier is learning how to project a voice. Mentioned before, Psions mainly use sound for conveying tone, but not for communicating the bulk of a message. This ability can be taught to young Psions with just some difficulty, but older Psions can struggle with word pronunciations for years, if they can even fully manifest a voice.
Naming Conventions ▲ Back to Top
Psionic names are built using symbols from the Psionic language. Psions will often name each other by referencing specific natural phenomena. These phenomena being real or plausible is not a requirement, as long as they are specific enough to be recognized as names and not just a description of basic natural occurrences.
Examples of poor / unspecific names:
Flowing Water
Blue Moon
- Pink Flowers
Examples of regular / specific names:
Jagged River Rocks
Seven Moon Eclipse
Bed Of Pink Flowers Upon Water
Basically, just kinda think of the names of the Iterators from Rain World.
Name Abbreviations ▲ Back to Top
For non-Psions, Psionic names can be a mouthful to say. So, for the comfort of others, Psions may take to abbreviating their names or changing their name entirely. For name abbreviations, names like Jagged River Rocks or Bed Of Pink Flowers Upon Water may be shortened to JaRR or BePink, respectively.
Additionally, using the "unspecific" form of a Psion's name (such as referring to "Bed Of Pink Flowers Upon Water" simply as "Pink Flower") may be acceptable, just not in a conversation with other Psions.
Social Rules and Constructs ▲ Back to Top
Stances on Nudity ▲ Back to Top
On Psionomum, nudity isn't seen with as much of a social stigma as it is in human society, though it is still somewhat looked down upon. In many cases, being fully nude is seen the same way as wearing shorts in winter. A bold, but impractical choice. Most Psions will at minimum wear a sort of skirt which protects their underside from nippy fish.
Mono/Polygamy and Sexuality ▲ Back to Top
Monogamy and polygamy are both common in Psions, though polygamy is observed more often due to the joined familial unit and how large Psion families can become. Because of this, stances on non-heterosexuality are relaxed since it is common to have partners of the same sex in polygamous relationships. Psions may still experience preference for one sex or the other.
Cuisine ▲ Back to Top
Cooking ▲ Back to Top
Heating up your food can be quite problematic when you live in the ocean. Psions have come up with the following ways to cook food without fire:
Volcanic/Geothermal Heat: For Psion settlements located around tectonic plates, using geothermal heat to cook food is as easy as leaving food out by the heat source. Community kitchens are usually built by hydrothermal vents as a way to make the process more organized and safe. Richer Psions may have a kitchen built all for themselves.
Solar Cookers: This method of cooking is more common for settlements located away from tectonic plate boundaries. Most solar cookers take the form of an upside-down reflective dome with a metal pot suspended inside. This dome is then suspended over water by some sort of floatation device. This method is cost effective, but is largely dependent on the weather. It is also known that Amphavians will try to steal food from solar cookers at times.
Once food is done solar cooking, the food is harvested by tipping over the floating solar cooker and removing the cooking pot.
Chemical Cooking: This cooking method that has become increasingly popular and is often used for "instant" foods, though it also has real cooking applications. The idea is similar in concept to self-cooking meals, where water is added to a heating element to illicit a chemical reaction that produces heat. Many Psion chemical heating solutions tend to have a heating packet and "activator" packet which are bundled into one. The chemical reaction is started by puncturing the activator packet, which interacts with the contents of the heating packet and gets things going.
Imparting Things with Flavor ▲ Back to Top
For Psions, certain weapons of flavor, like spices, are not widely available. So, Psions often rely on these methods to impart flavor onto food, without it floating away. Certain methods may be used separately or in combination with other methods.
Pickling: Pickling as it exists on Psionomum is pretty much like other places where pickling exists, except Psions use specific kelp species to create the acidic environment needed to pickle instead of vinegar. Because the brine is likely to seep into the surrounding water once a pickling container has been opened, pickled items can't be saved for later. So, Psions will often pickle things in bulk with individual servings in each container.
Specially Fed Fish: Like how bee keepers may give their bees specific flowers to impart a certain flavor in their honey, Psion fish farmers sometimes feed their fish specific diets so that they give off different flavors once eaten.
Food Wraps: A very simple way to get more complex flavors without them floating away is to just wrap multiple items together. The most common item used for wrapping food are various kelp species.
Dehydrating: There are some food items which can't be enjoyed underwater since they'd fall apart in an instant, but dehydrating some items does give them some time to be enjoyed as the food begins to rehydrate in the water. Manufactured dehydrated snacks are kept in packaging, whereas homemade dehydrated goods are kept in air-tight containers.
Clothing ▲ Back to Top
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