04. Culture

Fashion is a hot topic in Anselm at all times; no different from anywhere else.

TRENDS
The biggest trend in Anselm happens to be wearing mostly sedated colors with one or a few brightly colored pieces or accessories to catch attention. Another big thing happens to be the use of large jewels and cameo brooches. Lace never goes out of style in Anselm, nor does leather.

Extravagance is of high importance.


WOMEN
Corsets and large, flowing skirts made of fine fabric and multiple layers are relatively consistent in every Anselm woman's wardrobe. Poorer women tend to wear less fancy sorts, nothing but loose waist-cinches and straight, floppy skirts on their gowns, while noblewomen go all out and overboard with voluminous skirt trains and low-cut bodices—except at church, of course, then otherwise high collars paired with elegant brooches, scarves, or ribbons are in order.

Hats are a must-have, whether they be small, feminine top hats or large, heavy-brimmed ones with lace raining down like a veil. Most poorer women opt for stylish but cheap cloche hats. Heeled, ribbon-happy shoes are preferred over boots, no matter how inclement the weather. Younger women like to wear heavy skirts, but only to around knee-length, rather lolita-style in look. This is frowned on by most older conservatives, but it's quite popular.

Hair is something that every woman pays excessive attention to, especially in higher status. Long, wavy hair is seen as attractive, and so servants tend to spend hours and hours carefully pinning every heavy lock in place atop a woman's head after hours and hours just washing and brushing it.

As for accessories, a good, pretty parasol and a lovely bag are two staples of every respectable woman's possession.


MEN
Men are usually covered up from neck to foot, in clothes, gloves, boots, even elegant cloaks and capes. Sedated colors like blacks, grays, and browns are preferred, unlike the more colorful women. A good pair of trousers, boots, and stylish waistcoat are a part of every man's wardrobe.

Noblemen have a tendency to wear jewels and delicate chains on their clothing, whether it be a part of their pocket watch or just a simple adornment serving no purpose but aesthetic value. Jackets and coats are expensive and quite detailed usually, tending to end in coattails on the back and having elegant stitching inside and out. Trousers are usually somewhat form-fitting and tend to tuck into knee-high boots, another sign of wealth, because fine leather is expensive and such elaborate boots are quite difficult to manufacture by hand; therefore, covering them would be undesirable.

Some braver, more fashion-conscious men like to wear lace and visible waist-cinchers just like their female counterparts, especially if they're noblemen, actors, or by heavy contrast, male prostitutes. Top hats are the hats of choice in Anselm, though many poorer men opt for the newsboy style, finding it more comfortable and practical. These men also wear looser clothing and trousers, along with simple shoes or boots.

Most younger men have longer hair, neatly tied behind them in a simple ponytail (it's considered unstylish to leave it loose in public), but some prefer shorter hair while others opt for styles as elaborate as a woman's (most notably actors and prostitutes).

Going to the Grand Theatre to listen to opera or the orchestra play is a common thing in Anselm. As for the musical style, the main movement in Anselm happens to be a dark and sweeping baroque type, perfectly summing up the gloomy but disturbingly elegant town.

Most nobles and upper-class children learn to play either the violin, piano, or cello. Other common instruments used in making music in Anselm are the organ, harp, flute, and even guitar.

The guitar is relatively new in Anselm, being imported from another country, but it's slowly beginning to catch on with its resonant and sensual tones which easily make for a number of new, more sexually provocative dances. Naturally, the Church absolutely despises the use of such an instrument.

The Fae use pan flutes for their music, and a strange instrument similar in sound and look to the Japanese koto, both instruments working together to create the eerie music that can be heard from within the forest at night. Some underground, independent musicians have studied the music of the Fae and play a variation themselves, though not many citizens have jumped on to this trend, finding Fae music nothing but utterly disturbing.

Besides music, the people of Anselm turn to some of the following for entertainment:

Theatre:
The Grand Theatre is arguably Anselm's greatest achievement in art and culture, the symbol of the town to rival even the massive cathedral, even the abandoned castle. As such, plays are quite common, put on about three nights a week. Writing plays is a highly lucrative profession because they're so in demand, and being a popular actor is something many younger people aspire to. Even outside the Grand Theatre, small-time actors craft their art in smaller playhouses, which aren't doing so badly considering how much people are clamoring for plays.

Books:
Writing and reading books is a pastime as old as human creativity itself. Every respectable homeowner has a room set aside specifically for books, and the library at the university is vast, full of eager readers and learners. Writers don't make very much money, but a rare handful sell well and live comfortably. The rest are struggling in obscurity.

Recreational Outdoor Activities:
Anselm's varied landscape plays host to a number of weekend outings. Many try to scale the large mountains to the south—a deadly task—or sail the seas. Some just like leisurely rides down the Anselm River in small gondola-type watercraft, or picnics in Elysion or the park-like campus of the university. Not many venture into the forest, however, because of the Fae presence. A brave few do... but there's no guaranteeing a return.

Astronomy:
Astronomy is quite a common pursuit, regardless of scientific background. Most are interested by the stars and skies above, and so purchase telescopes, which are becoming cheaper as technology improves to make even better ones than most can afford.

The Occult:
Despite the many Church prohibitions and social taboos associated with the occult and fortune-telling, many nobles or high commoners can't help themselves and dabble in it just for fun, not quite realizing the true risks associated with it. Séances are seen as a silly party game in such circles, and some like to venture into Alchemist Row to ask an experienced divinator to read their cards for them.

Even more deep into the occult, Demon- and vampire-hunters are a select group of those who have the courage to take on such creatures. The strange profession tends to run in families, and they're quite hard to get a hold of unless you know the right people to ask... usually in Alchemist Row.

Underground Fights:
Underground fights are the side of Anselm most don't know a thing about. Venture into the seedier parts of town, and you'll suddenly find strange fliers advertising such things, with testosterone-raging men fighting sometimes to the death in drunken brawls in bar basements. Sometimes, however, these fights are much more organized, with fighters of all styles meeting in abandoned warehouses and testing their willpower, strength, and stamina against opponents. Huge cash prizes are usually awarded to the last man standing, making it a juicy alternative to real work for most poor, lower class men... and sometimes women.

Courtroom and Public Executions:
People are fascinated by the morbid and sordid, so courtroom drama and capital punishment are quite popular in Anselm. High-drama cases, like those dealing with witches and murderers, are usually accompanied by a screaming following of interested people, and when it comes time for public executions by hanging, chaos is usually high. The square is always packed when it comes time for a hanging.

Gender isn't something spoken about in Anselm. Rather, it's an unspoken, unwritten rule that men are in control, and women are meant for the home and making babies. It's not fair, but that's how it is, thanks to the influence of the Church, whose teachings dictate that women are subordinate to men. In the ancient religion, women are seen as descendants of the goddess and revered, respected. Mothers are important to the followers of this religion.

Of course, it's only a generality that men look down on women. Some fair-minded men in Anselm don't hold to the standard, treating women with just as much respect as they would another man. Many women from educated backgrounds are fighting for equality, and the movement is taking baby steps, as more typically male-oriented places of employment are becoming open for women to work in, such as teaching, the constabulary (clerical jobs, at least), and sailing merchant ships (not Naval ships, however).

In noble circles, women may even hold more sway than men, carrying all the powerful gossip and spending obscene amounts of gold on clothing, furniture, and even new mansions. Strangely, a similar phenomenon is occurring in the peasant class, where people are struggling too much to care about gender roles; it's the money that's important, and if both man and woman have to work to get it, then they will. In this backwards way, it could be said that women in the peasant class have more freedom than women of any other class.

Strangely enough, the theatre industry still features young, pretty boys playing female roles despite being considered the bastion of free, equal, and controversial new thought in Anselm.

In Anselm, humans are at the top of importance, simply because there are so many of them (and because they say so). A rough hierarchy is in place, but though humans would rather not admit it, they're not really at the top when it comes to actual ability or reverence.

For the most part, species do not mix romantically. Usually the only time this happens is when curious human men go to specialized other-species brothels catering to such a taste. Though rare, angels and demons can interbreed and create offspring (as they're both Eternals), but therians and humans cannot do the same. As for Fae and any other species, this is unknown, but some speculate that the Fae can create viable offspring with humans. Being sexually involved with a vampire is considered necrophilia and abhorrent, and seen as disease-carrying—most humans would never risk such a thing.

Angels tend to be near-worshipped because of their supposed closeness to the God of the Church of the Winged Covenant. They're highly respected for their pureness and holy power, while demons are the exact opposite, despite being their cousins. They're hated, feared, cursed... not exactly what anyone of any species wants to come into any contact with.

Fae are similarly loathed for their frightening hunger for human flesh. Not just that, but they're highly mysterious, as they don't make any real contact with the human world, and tend to ally with demons above anyone else. They hate humans above anything else, and love to torture and kill them. Reasonably, humans fear them terribly.

Therianthropes are only a little lower than humans, since they blend in better. However, no matter how human-like a homunculus is created, they are at the bottom of the food chain. Because of the Church's heavy influence, these soulless creations are seen as abominations, and not only do they abhor alchemists for attempting to play god, they seek to destroy all dolls. Because of their low status, human owners tend to misuse them or use them as nothing but maltreated slaves.

In the highly Church-driven Anselm, there are quite a number of holy-scripture related taboos set in place. Most are fairly generic, nothing overly unique.

• Witchcraft is outlawed.
• Homosexuality is the highest of abominations.
• Bestiality comes a little after that.
• Interspecies sexual relations. Sex between humans and therians, in particular, is seen as a form of bestiality.
• Incest between parent and child or between siblings. Marriage between cousins, however, is legal.
• Necrophilia or even simple, improper handling of the dead is a big issue in Anselm, and there are quite a few purification rituals that come along with it. Usually priests are specially set aside for only handling funerals, and no matter the religion, it's almost universal that some sort of cleansing go along with it, be it through fire purification or water ritual.
• Cannibalism is absolutely abhorrent, a practice attributed to Fae.
• Displaying too much skin is seen as taboo for followers of the Church.
• Fortune telling and necromancy is forbidden.
• The manufacturing and/or owning of a homunculus.