CULTURE October 23rd assignment

Friday, Oct. 23 CULTURAL SETTING

Assignment:
*Bullet* Required: Cultural Setting ▼
Describe the cultural, political and/or religious setting in your novel. What do your societies believe? In what practices do they engage? What kind of government rules your world? What laws or rules of society are in place? Who enforces them? How successful is enforcement of laws and rules? How does this setting impact your protagonist? Update your settings and/or definitions databases (if applicable.)

Parts 1. and 3. IBERIA; therefore Portugalicia (Portugal and Galicia).
Catholic... on the surface. Churches are old and decorated in statuary, tiles and gold. The Moors and Jews were banished in the 1490s by decree. This is part of real history and is a factor in the stories. The Age of Discovery and the Age of Intolerance affected the mind-set of the people. The 'vampires' were affected too as any marginal group would be (similar to the witch-hunts of the British Isles). Jews now have a community and synagogue in Belmonte (after 500 years of being hidden) and in Lisboa. The Bragança region (Chaves, Miranda de l Douro) still harbors old traditional ways including the language, Mirandese.
Present day Portugal is fairly tolerant. After the Carnation Revolution of 1974, colonists from around the world moved back to Portugal from places like Moçambique. Angolans brought money. Brasil has historically been a beloved extension of Mother Portugal. Modern day Portugal is multi-ethnic and vibrant... in a laid back way. The South is more laid back than the North. Galicia, as part of Spain, has a different history, more industrious, more up-tight, less mixed. Galego is a northern dialect of Portuguese (or the other way around). English influence is strong in the south (modern day tourism) and in Porto (the port-wine industry).
Relationships historically with the Spanish were... complicated. English were their friends; the French were mostly enemies. Because they are located at the southwest tip of Europe, Central and Eastern Europe's drama rarely reached here. They were not a part of WW2. However, autocratic rulers did affect the population, be it Salazar or Pombal. The university in Évora was closed by Pombal, was opened after Salazar's reign.
Although there was much wealth made during the Age of Discovery (1400 till ?) it didn't continue and present day Portugal looks like a living ruin (name for a chapter? "Living Ruins" ...a double entendre? Old vamps are like living ruins because...)
Present day Portugal is democratic and left leaning... more so than Spain. Regardless, politics reign on April 25th (Carnation Revolution); it's a RED day.
Present day laws and rules would have little impact on vampires... I'm sure nibbling the neck would be frowned on accept in an intimate moment... It's history that bites ("History Bites" another chapter). However, that history manifests itself in ruins and everywhere one looks. Lisboa looks like it does because of the earthquake and tsunami in 1755 (date?) and subsequent planning and rebuilding by Pombal. But... it still has older places. Relative poverty has protected certain areas from the "brutal architecture" of the 50s and 60s.
Ruins are great places to hide (ruined cities are great, like Lisboa and Porto). Neglected areas are great places to remain hidden (anywhere outside of Lisboa, Porto, Coimbra and the tourist areas like Algave-international and Braga-domestic). Non-tourist areas are to be found and cherished (The North-West, Alentejo, most of the mountains).
If an area becomes overrun and not safe, vampires just move away... they are more used to moving than most people "Vampires seldom die in the place of their birth, their youth, their first home and job, their second, their third, their fourth, their...). Even the long-lived with vampire-trait experience this. It's not that hard to move in present day Portugal... but was it tricky historically and with increased intrusion of technology will it be so in the future.
Not being 'normal' can lead to a certain type of poverty. Roma take what they own with them. Jews learned early about diamonds and gold. ("Diamonds and Rust"... a tale about craving for iron, ready to move at a moment's notice).
Music... fado... 'fate'. Think of an adventurous sea-faring nation where a storm leaves widows looking at out the sea. Mourn. Then sing it. As widows outlive their husbands, as humans outlive their pets, so vampires outlive their humans. ("O Fado"... an important theme as "Coimbra ten mais encanto na hora de despedida" becomes "A vida... life is most enchanting at the hour of goodbyes).
João is a visitor in the land of his ancesters. History haunts him wherever he goes. But the historic oppression of people like him has lifted... for awhile... no one knows for how long.

Part 2. The WORLD... is dangerous, therefore a place where someone who is different is very cautious. a. they know it. b. they don't. c. everyone knows it (hard to hide being 8 foot tall) d. it's hidden (or can be hidden like some mental illnesses or not having a belly button).
Each adventure will show what João knows, presumes or has-no-clue. He's afraid he's a 'vampire' and becomes self-conscious about his paleness, his night-sight, his allergies, his sensitivity to sun
Probably not. They don't connect the dots. But a fellow vamp would know... that provides some tension.
The World may include places I have visited many times (Norway), once (Japan) or never (Turkey). I'll need to research carefully before or after I write (probably both but editing can come later and if a friend from another culture helps... it would be best). Senses are important but sights, smells, sounds are not quite the same everywhere... the moon is however. It follows João around like a dog on a leash.

*Bullet* Bonus: Research OR World Building ▼

Have mostly done this before. I know this 'world'. I have thousands of personal photos I've taken on two trips to Portugal. These provide a reference. They are in folders in my Picasa. Many are in albums at facebook. Each city will need to be researched for the stories that take place there... probably re-researched during an edit. To do it now is impractical. Wikipedia will be my friend!
Food: numerous. Think fish, seafood, more seafood. Pork. Pastéis, Doce fino. (The Red Rose" a gift; gifting will be a theme.)
Churches: numerous. May need to google names unless I'm just trying to give a general impression: think gold, tile.
Historical figures: especially Dom Henrique Navigador, Queen Filipa. Isabella of Aragon.
Marginal groups: Moors, Jews, Cristos-nôvos, Roma... maybe? An understanding how culture and customs persist especially when persecuted... very important. ("Exposed" feeling vulnerable)
Note: vampire community is small (maybe 100) in Portugal. The climate is harsh, fish make a miserable dish (not enough iron), the history was brutal. However, vampires are long-lived and know how to hide. And like Christians who make pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and Fátima, so vampires visit Évora... to die.

Research: For reality-based fiction, research aspects of your novel that will lend credibility to your writing.
World Building: For fantasy, science fiction, or other speculative fiction, develop the history, geology, ecology, and/or maps for your world. Update your character, setting, and/or definitions databases with any new information (if applicable.)