Fiction:Stellar Outreach Sovereignty/Culture

Hierarchy
Being a rather anarchic bunch lack much in the way of traditional hierarchical system that many races inherently tend to develop. Rather instead there tends to be levels of respect and reverence grant to the most capable and altruistic members of society. Doing good works nets one more positive regard as the impact of those good works is felt through the SOS thanks to their shared empathy. However, has this empathetic connection allows intentions to be sensed doing good works for the sake of gaining respect rather then for the sake of doing good will net one no gain for everyone will known them as the shame they are.

Gender Roles
The very concept of gender roles is one that is utterly alien to the Stellarians who see all genders as being made equal to all tasks (other then some biological differences in terms of reproductive organs). To them the very idea of gender roles is abhorrent as they regard it as a restriction on the freedom of the individual to determine their own way in life. Gender and sex themselves are rather fluid things in the SOS as some can walk into a clinic and wake out in an hour or so as a completely different sex. Some even get to augmentations that allow them to change sexes as they please and some sub-cultures actively encourage the young to experiment as another sex.

Family
Family in the SOS is regarded as communal rather then biological in the SOS. One's family is regard as those who raise and support them as well as though they raise and support in turn. As the whole community is treated as responsible for raising and looking after children the whole community is considered to be family. When one joins a community they are considered part of the communal family. As communities are expected to look after other communities just as they look after there own members the entire SOS is seen as one big family.

Living Arrangement
The SOS is rather well known for the massive Exaltaion Aerospace City Ships that they live in. These ships are truly massive at 100,000 by 200,000 meters and house everything a city could need right down to artificially created wildlife parks. Stellarians live in fairly sizable apartments that provide all their basic needs and comforts. Other members choose to live as nomadic space wanderers or on the planets themselves surviving in the wilds.

Food
Persan are very conservative when it comes to eating. Generally the only a small meal is eaten at the morning and a small one at lunch, with a more decent sized one for dinner. However the portions in the UPD are considered very small and lack luster by most species standards. Most of the time the meal consists of plant material and maybe some fish or poultry. Red meat is only ever eaten for special occasions. However when special occasions do come around the Persan will throw quiet the party and feast with meat treats and sweets ever where for general stuffing of oneself. Almost all food is served raw and at meal time no one speaks being completely silent until every little morsel is finished(which it must). Things do become much more light hearted during celebrations and talking while eating is considered perfectly acceptable.

Education
Education is very important to the Persan. Persan children begin their education as soon as they are able. At first they are put through basic education to determine their skills, interests, and if need be whether they must be put in special education classes or more advanced ones. After this they are put in groups of the same skill set and interest group to receive an education focusing in those areas as well as other basics. Once they have advanced far enough they are given a mentor to teach them in the ways of the profession they are the most skilled at and most interested in. When their mentor decides that they are ready the student is given a position in what they studied for. The Persan believe that hands on experience is the best teacher and as a result tend to have very little paperwork, but more going out and learning by doing what they are studying for. Education is also much more smooth and "organic" with students moving on once they have master the necessary skills, not when a certain time limit tells them to.

Stuffed Animals
Stellarian children at birth are given twisted and demented looking stuffed animals usually with hideous snarls or insane smiles. These stuffed animals are seen as signs of protection, containing guardian spirits who will protect a child at all cost and given such a disturbing look so that they will frighten away spirits who would wish a child harm. It is even said that the spirits in these stuffed animals are even more powerful than gods when protecting their charges. Even once they have grown up Stellarian citizens keep their stuffies near them all throughout their lives and honor them by putting their faces on their combat helmets visors and mutilating their trophies to have the stuffies appearance. Recently the Stellarian have begun making these stuffies and giving them to outsiders, but not selling them seeing them as far to important to simply give away as product. Once a Stellarian dies their stuffie is burned with them and is said to accompany them to afterlife protecting them.

Festival of the Coming White
Performed during the fall equinox, members of the community get together to gather up food for the celebration and storage through the winter. They then help set up the coming festivities, stringing up lanterns and cooking lots of treats for stands. They then go home to prepare colorful robes and scary masks to wear and then head out once it gets dark to the festivities. They then run around eating treats, playing games for prizes, and throwing beans at passer-byes and wishing them good luck for the coming winter.

Festival of the Black Rain
A festival performed in the winter solstice in commemoration of family and all those who came before them. During this time the entire extended family comes together and everyone helps cook a massive feast. Also everyone exchanges a belonging with one other member of the family. After that the family stays up telling stories until midnight in which belongings are traded back and the family sleeps in the same room. In the morning the family members than say their goodbyes and part ways.

Festival of the New Green
Performed at the spring equinox, the Festival of New Green is a massive celebration dedicated to the growth a new life after the end of winter. This celebration consists of families packing up a large picnic and going out into a large field with various other families. All present then gather the picnics they packed together and the feast begins. Afterwards there are many competitive games between the families that go all day until he stars come out and everyone sits contemplating the year to come while watching the night sky while holding special candles with color changing flames.

Festival of the Red Life
A celebration performed in the honor of Jura during the summer socialistic, a large crowd gathers around a fire pit in the shape of the beast. The crowd than adds sacrificial offerings to a massive pile of wood siting in the pit which is than lit a blaze and the crowd chants a prayer to the fire dragon. Than a large effigy of Jura's enemy beast Githra is thrown into the fire as well as other representations of the void horror created by the people gathered there. Afterword the fire is left to burn down to a pile of coals and lanterns are strung up and a celebration begins that involves eating spicy foods, fire walking on the bed of coals, fire eating, fireworks and other pyrotechnic displays.

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