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Old 03-13-2023, 06:25 PM   #755
jason taylor
 
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

Fictive Kinship:

Aside from the basic relationships of genetics and marriage many peoples have officially recognized forms of relationships. Like all relations among sophants all contain parts emotionalism and ritual and are often romanticized. But most have a practical aspect. Many of these relationships can and often do overlap.

Blood Siblings: This is a declared non-sexual alliance between two or more previously unrelated parties. It usually involves an oath marked by such rituals as the famous Terran "mixing of blood", the drinking of shared libations, exchange of sacred objects etc. It is commonly found among those of precarious lifestyles who desire an ally. Thus they will include agreements to care for dependents in the event of disaster, exchange of passwords to bank accounts, deposit boxes, or websites. Among those who commonly surf the datanet it often includes a duty to inform the contacts of the other in the event of death or incapacity.

Tentmates, bunkmates, kitmates, etc: This is simply those who happen to have quarters in the same facility in naval or military forces, or in the merchant or scout services. The services exchanged can include sharing storage space and disposing of effects in the event of death (traditionally by auction or by sharing out among the remainder of the group). In some military organizations, "Tent" and "kit" are used in preference to "Squad" and "Fireteam, section, file, etc" respectively.

Guilds, Fellowship, Club, etc. This has been called blood siblinghood on a large scale and often shares some of it's rituals. However such organizations are institutional. Some do no more than provide recreational facilities, but others provide, political lobbying, advertising, education and other such services. These groups are prominent in the Principality of Caledonia.

Patronage: An alliance between a more powerful and a less powerful personage.

Fostering: This is often a provisional means of looking after orphans. But it is often a kind of apprenticeship, as well as a means of sealing a political favors

Adoption: the distinction between this and fosterage can be dubious. Among the Aceri (see above) the distinction is a change in the lineage. Previous parents are always remembered and stored in dataholders unless they are unknown or sentenced to Damnatio Memoriae (part of the penalty for those guilty of sexual assault). Adoption is often used for pragmatic reasons, such as a convenient compromise between democracy and aristocracy by "plugging in" an elected heir to a lineage. This can be taken so far as to add fictive years when convenient (for instance an elected clan heir is granted enough years to make him "older" than other children of a previous Capo Albergho (chief).
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