Every society has its own prideful values, as well as its shameful underbelly. Below are multiple Themblise social structures that make up their culture.
Role of Community and Family
Themble society has a close-knit structure of community. Neighbors babysit your children, your extended family visits often, and everyone watches each other’s backs. If you get sick, everyone will know, and you’ll probably end up with six pots of soup and million homemade medicines at your door. Family get-togethers are massive.
Large families are the norm in Themble, since so many species has more than one child at a time. After all, a dog can have five or so puppies per litter. It is not unusual to have a boggling amount of siblings and cousins. Infant and childhood deaths from lack of modern medicines are high, so more children mean more are likely to make it to adulthood. Children are often put to work at a young age, from picking weeds to feeding a fire. Ireen’s first job was as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.
Ostracization can have serious repercussions on an individual or family, from holding a job to lack of support. Usually, those who have won shame of the community is quietly shunned and ignored, but not typically attacked. It is better to pretend that the bread doesn’t have a spot of mold in Themblise eyes.
Manners
Here are a few examples of good manners in Themble:
- Always bow when greeting in a formal setting. How deep of a bow depends on that creature’s job, wealth, and respectability. In a casual setting, a nod shall do. Only good friends and family greet each other with physical affection, such as a hug or a touching of muzzles.
- Eat neatly as possible but with a good appetite. Burping is a show of excellent food. Themblise do not have silverware except for cooking, so everyone eats with their fingers, paws, mouths or beaks, and magic.
- Acknowledge the Raviekan statue when you enter a building. A nod or touch will usually suffice.
- When watching a performance, tall creatures in the back, small creatures up front. Same manner applies when a crowd exists a building.
- Always offer your guests food and drink, even if the food is a small snack.
Slang, Exclamations, and Idioms
Here are some common slang, exclamations, and idioms used in Themblise:
- Mundie/Mundane – “I can’t believe you dropped Ma’s favorite pot! You’re such a mundie.” To accuse someone of being a mundie is to say that they are idiotic and/or slow, like a mundane animal.
- Sparks! – “Sparks! I can’t believe you got the job!” An exclamation, usually for when something good has happened. References the spark or essence of Ravieka that is believed to be in every living thing.
- Sparking – “That sparking unicorn is brilliant!” “Oh man, her almond cake was sparking! I couldn’t get enough of it.” An emphatic positive declaration. References the spark or essence of Ravieka.
- Fey – “He’s Fey. I’ve no respect for someone who kicks puppies.” A serious accusation of being cruel or selfish. Based off of the belief that the Fey are monsters, and that they have the inability to feel compassion.
- By the stars! or Stars! – “By the stars, it worked!” An exclamation used for shock, for ill or good situations. Comes from the Raviekan mythos, as the stars were supposedly the deity’s first creation.
- The bread has a spot of mold – Means that a family or business has a person or situation that is frowned upon or shameful. Sometimes shortened: “Jerop’s a spot of mold on his family. I can’t believe they let him run wild.”
- Go pick corn! – An exclamation that means, “Leave me alone!” or “Shoo!” Commonly used by parents shoving their children out of the house.
Gender
Themblise treat female and male creatures equally, but recognize that the two genders are different. In certain species, sexual dimorphism can lead to large physical differences between the two genders, making one or the other more likely to be successful at certain jobs and activities. Payment and recognition is based off of the difficulty and danger of a job and work ethic, not gender.
Themblise have no concept of gender dysphoria, non-binary, or fluid genders.
Sexuality
Themble currently has no concept of other sexualities outside of heterosexuality. Homosexuality and other sexualities are considered myths and weird rumors, like as if someone had told them that the sky was pink two provinces over. When faced with it, Themblise generally react with confusion, and sometimes fear, anger, and hatred for having someone challenge social norms.
Themble culture places a lot of pressure on marriage and family. Young adults are encouraged to court, marry, and have as many children as possible. Because of this, those who are of another sexuality usually keep their feelings and desires secret, or move to a place that they hope will be more accepting.
Raviekanism preaches that each living thing, no matter their specie, classification, or whether they are flora or fauna is to be met with love and kindness. This is because each living thin is believed to have a spark of Ravieka in them. Despite this, sometimes this is forgotten in arguments against different sexualities or inequality for gender or species.
The Fey have a much more fluid concept of sexuality than the Themblise.
Species Relationships
Themblise do not judge on color or appearance. When a horse alone can be a good dozen colors and patterns, hatred based off of color makes no sense. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t hatred and bias in Themble. Instead, it tends to take three forms when it does appear: hatred based off of species, hatred based off of size, and hatred based off of magical power or abilities.
A mouse might hate only dragons because of their strength and ability to fly, plus that a dragon could easily squish a mouse on accident. This would be hatred against a species. The same mouse may hate all creatures that are larger than him, which would be hatred against size. This mouse may also detest all creatures that have more or less magical power than him, or loath a certain magical ability.
While racism does not appear in Themble, it has its own serious societal problems to solve.