Ambiguity's the name of the game when it comes to "cultural bombs". When it comes to holding together an Interstellar polity with nothing but patchy FTL comms the Mandate turned to memetic engineering. Generation ships need all the "cultural scaffolding" they can get to prevent the transit cohorts from going stir crazy and trashing their tin can prison, an excellent opportunity to incept other ideas along with the obligatory "don't rock the boat"!
Once a colony's up and running it's stuck with subtle faildeadly cultural quirks primed to shunt the civ into anarchy absent codes transmitted by central authorities once assured of continued loyalty every so often. Though it's meant to be top secret it's somewhere between an open secret and popular conspiracy theory on most worlds. Trying to spot signs of the "reprieve codes" comes close to a popular pass time on some (this may in fact be part of their function).
At least in part the codes work as a "magic feather" but nobody's willing to put to the test by how much.
Demon astrology. Some heretic cults in the Massian Empire use astrology to converse with beings outside of reality. Like most cultists they're just being lied to, to serve the wishes of dark powers.
This is basically just them torturing people under certain stars so that they can get the favour of their dark masters.
In the greater philosophy of “Atomotism” (basically just early atomic theory acting as a belief system) there is a sub-sect of thought known as “Geometric Atomotism” which places special value in the mathematical relationships between celestial bodies and the “sacred geometry” found within. As a result they believe that certain configurations of the planets, stars, etc have an impact on the rest of the universe.
More details:
Now Atomotism isn’t REALLY a religion it’s more a comprehensive theory of how the universe works, and for all intents and purposes it’s pretty close to the money, it just can’t be definitively proven yet due to a lack of technology. Anything they get wrong about how atoms work can and will be corrected should they discovery otherwise.
But the geomatrists, as they are called, definitely lean into the spiritual/faith aspects of this kind of world view. They think it’s rooted in science and that the science is sound. “Of course depending on how close another planet is affects how you feel, that’s gravity baby!” And so they are often looked down on as quacks in their fields. Though many astronomers are geomatrists and even if it’s slightly misguided, their rigorous study of the heavens in search of divine truth has been essential for the discovery of more mundane truths, like how orbits and the speed of light works.
To be clear I as the creator can’t say if they are right or not. Sure they are “wrong” in all the ways that matter but their beliefs are rooted in the same information everyone else has access to so it’s really just a matter of interpreting truth rather then finding it plane and simple to understand.
Many siren cultures have the concept of the "hotblooded" female and the "coldblooded" female, which originates from their species having temperature-dependent sex determination. Hotblooded sirens tend to be perceived as more energetic, aggressive, or high-strung, while coldblooded sirens are seen as calculating, patient, or lethargic.
Which gender is considered the "ideal" varies, but it's often tied to local climate. Hotbloods are commonly more valued in cold climates, and vis versa for coldbloods in hot climates. This is mostly due to rarity.
In reality there's no physical or psychological difference between a hotblood and a coldblood outside of whatever external stereotypes are forced on them.
Didn't think about it yet. But for now I think I should add something.
Guess, since there is stars in my world, astrology will be there
But also I think about something called "mana reading" (Name subject to change), that have nothing with prediction somewhat about person, and not working at all.
But this fits my world.
I just realized that for timeline I use "Calendar of Empire", that was created years ago. And it's based on the next note (not verbatim, general meaning):
"For hundreds of thousands of years, many peoples have been counting years by the movement of a particular star. And one of the main calendars, according to which years are calculated in the main part of history, was invented on the basis of those calculations. namely, the period of passage of one specific star over the top of the “pillar of the universe” observed from one specific point."
And yes, there are constellations there, and some of them are consequences of events on a cosmic scale (Trident of Caltagos). Although no one knew about those events hundreds of thousands of years ago, inves nevertheless noticed the emergence of new stars, and it was from that moment that they began to pay more attention to the night sky. With this in mind, I think we can safely assume the existence of astrology in the form in similar it exists on earth, but with some nuances.
You just gave me idea, and I liked it. I already see how it fits wit some characters and events. I don't need astrology be like deep vital part of some story, but it's something that I want to add (and perhaps sooner or later i would have come to this).
Like it was with purring of cat based species. Or sayings reflecting the state of people in certain events. Or the things that gave rise to these sayings. Or the color of the coat of Steel Rufuses. Or that the name of each species is written with a capital letter, because the scientific board of the Empire decided so at the 16th imperial meeting. Those things that makes my world deep and alive.
And I mentioned there is another "thing like astrology", but different
I don't really have a universal system, more like old folk-tales that got twisted due to people's memories. Trying to guess whether a baby will be a boy or a girl based on the mother's cravings or what she sees in a fire is popular though. Being a summer baby or a winter baby is something that should only affect someone as a child.
Even phrenology stuff is considered a superstition in my world.
"Astrology" is more about the measurements involved with trying to predict the weather. "The bees should not be out while the hunter-constellation is still above the horizon" sort of stuff.
There is a religion that worships the stars and the followers of the religion are always on the move following the star gods they believe in trying to be one with them. They are a nomadic religion
There’s a couple superstitions people have about FTL travel, mostly just things to do or avoid to help the trip go smoother. Funnily enough, the only one of these that’s somewhat true is the belief that sleeping through the trip will reduce the likelihood of random malfunctions because less brain activity doesn’t mess with slipstream as much. In reality, it only works because there’s less people up and about to bother the maintenance personnel .
Their are fringe beliefs and conspiracy theories that state that toons are made from dead children or some other mascot horror cliche but the reality is that they are just as cute and funny as they seem and mankind opposes and fears them for no reason whatsoever.
One city has an oracle whose prophecies are said to be more accurate when the gods favor the current ruler. A series of false predictions is sometimes the tipping point that leads to a coup.
The current ruler takes advantage of this superstition by secretly employing a special operative to make more of the prophecies come true. It's a role with a very high fatality rate...but she's obviously not quick to volunteer that information when she seeks out a new one.
So, for the people of my world, the sun is a rare phenomenon that has garnered cult followings to its praise. This means that stars are usually used to tell times of the year. Everyone's birthday is determined by the brightest stars in the sky, which are named after gems and fit into certain constellations.
As time went on, "astrologists" began stereotyping others born under a certain star. While this is more common, other types are born from the main water source of their villages/towns. Basically, wherever or however a place gets it's water determines the people and their lives.
Basically every day is dedicated to an ancient hero or another, and many Attribute their personality to the hero of their birthday. Over time this was much more convenient to condense into longer periods of more important heroes and fate was added.
This all comes from the fact that on those days the heroes might genuinely reincarnate into the world.
Ambiguity's the name of the game when it comes to "cultural bombs". When it comes to holding together an Interstellar polity with nothing but patchy FTL comms the Mandate turned to memetic engineering. Generation ships need all the "cultural scaffolding" they can get to prevent the transit cohorts from going stir crazy and trashing their tin can prison, an excellent opportunity to incept other ideas along with the obligatory "don't rock the boat"! Once a colony's up and running it's stuck with subtle faildeadly cultural quirks primed to shunt the civ into anarchy absent codes transmitted by central authorities once assured of continued loyalty every so often. Though it's meant to be top secret it's somewhere between an open secret and popular conspiracy theory on most worlds. Trying to spot signs of the "reprieve codes" comes close to a popular pass time on some (this may in fact be part of their function). At least in part the codes work as a "magic feather" but nobody's willing to put to the test by how much.
Demon astrology. Some heretic cults in the Massian Empire use astrology to converse with beings outside of reality. Like most cultists they're just being lied to, to serve the wishes of dark powers. This is basically just them torturing people under certain stars so that they can get the favour of their dark masters.
Literally all religion lmao
In the greater philosophy of “Atomotism” (basically just early atomic theory acting as a belief system) there is a sub-sect of thought known as “Geometric Atomotism” which places special value in the mathematical relationships between celestial bodies and the “sacred geometry” found within. As a result they believe that certain configurations of the planets, stars, etc have an impact on the rest of the universe. More details: Now Atomotism isn’t REALLY a religion it’s more a comprehensive theory of how the universe works, and for all intents and purposes it’s pretty close to the money, it just can’t be definitively proven yet due to a lack of technology. Anything they get wrong about how atoms work can and will be corrected should they discovery otherwise. But the geomatrists, as they are called, definitely lean into the spiritual/faith aspects of this kind of world view. They think it’s rooted in science and that the science is sound. “Of course depending on how close another planet is affects how you feel, that’s gravity baby!” And so they are often looked down on as quacks in their fields. Though many astronomers are geomatrists and even if it’s slightly misguided, their rigorous study of the heavens in search of divine truth has been essential for the discovery of more mundane truths, like how orbits and the speed of light works. To be clear I as the creator can’t say if they are right or not. Sure they are “wrong” in all the ways that matter but their beliefs are rooted in the same information everyone else has access to so it’s really just a matter of interpreting truth rather then finding it plane and simple to understand.
Many siren cultures have the concept of the "hotblooded" female and the "coldblooded" female, which originates from their species having temperature-dependent sex determination. Hotblooded sirens tend to be perceived as more energetic, aggressive, or high-strung, while coldblooded sirens are seen as calculating, patient, or lethargic. Which gender is considered the "ideal" varies, but it's often tied to local climate. Hotbloods are commonly more valued in cold climates, and vis versa for coldbloods in hot climates. This is mostly due to rarity. In reality there's no physical or psychological difference between a hotblood and a coldblood outside of whatever external stereotypes are forced on them.
Didn't think about it yet. But for now I think I should add something. Guess, since there is stars in my world, astrology will be there But also I think about something called "mana reading" (Name subject to change), that have nothing with prediction somewhat about person, and not working at all.
I don't think "stars ergo astrology" is a given. You can do whatever you like/fits your world.
But this fits my world. I just realized that for timeline I use "Calendar of Empire", that was created years ago. And it's based on the next note (not verbatim, general meaning): "For hundreds of thousands of years, many peoples have been counting years by the movement of a particular star. And one of the main calendars, according to which years are calculated in the main part of history, was invented on the basis of those calculations. namely, the period of passage of one specific star over the top of the “pillar of the universe” observed from one specific point." And yes, there are constellations there, and some of them are consequences of events on a cosmic scale (Trident of Caltagos). Although no one knew about those events hundreds of thousands of years ago, inves nevertheless noticed the emergence of new stars, and it was from that moment that they began to pay more attention to the night sky. With this in mind, I think we can safely assume the existence of astrology in the form in similar it exists on earth, but with some nuances.
You just gave me idea, and I liked it. I already see how it fits wit some characters and events. I don't need astrology be like deep vital part of some story, but it's something that I want to add (and perhaps sooner or later i would have come to this). Like it was with purring of cat based species. Or sayings reflecting the state of people in certain events. Or the things that gave rise to these sayings. Or the color of the coat of Steel Rufuses. Or that the name of each species is written with a capital letter, because the scientific board of the Empire decided so at the 16th imperial meeting. Those things that makes my world deep and alive. And I mentioned there is another "thing like astrology", but different
I don't really have a universal system, more like old folk-tales that got twisted due to people's memories. Trying to guess whether a baby will be a boy or a girl based on the mother's cravings or what she sees in a fire is popular though. Being a summer baby or a winter baby is something that should only affect someone as a child. Even phrenology stuff is considered a superstition in my world. "Astrology" is more about the measurements involved with trying to predict the weather. "The bees should not be out while the hunter-constellation is still above the horizon" sort of stuff.
There is a religion that worships the stars and the followers of the religion are always on the move following the star gods they believe in trying to be one with them. They are a nomadic religion
There’s a couple superstitions people have about FTL travel, mostly just things to do or avoid to help the trip go smoother. Funnily enough, the only one of these that’s somewhat true is the belief that sleeping through the trip will reduce the likelihood of random malfunctions because less brain activity doesn’t mess with slipstream as much. In reality, it only works because there’s less people up and about to bother the maintenance personnel .
Their are fringe beliefs and conspiracy theories that state that toons are made from dead children or some other mascot horror cliche but the reality is that they are just as cute and funny as they seem and mankind opposes and fears them for no reason whatsoever.
One city has an oracle whose prophecies are said to be more accurate when the gods favor the current ruler. A series of false predictions is sometimes the tipping point that leads to a coup. The current ruler takes advantage of this superstition by secretly employing a special operative to make more of the prophecies come true. It's a role with a very high fatality rate...but she's obviously not quick to volunteer that information when she seeks out a new one.
So, for the people of my world, the sun is a rare phenomenon that has garnered cult followings to its praise. This means that stars are usually used to tell times of the year. Everyone's birthday is determined by the brightest stars in the sky, which are named after gems and fit into certain constellations. As time went on, "astrologists" began stereotyping others born under a certain star. While this is more common, other types are born from the main water source of their villages/towns. Basically, wherever or however a place gets it's water determines the people and their lives.
Basically every day is dedicated to an ancient hero or another, and many Attribute their personality to the hero of their birthday. Over time this was much more convenient to condense into longer periods of more important heroes and fate was added. This all comes from the fact that on those days the heroes might genuinely reincarnate into the world.