@ninja_violinist
If you're ever stumped on how to flesh out your (fantasy) culture - here's a whole bunch of questions that you might like to answer!
(you don't need to answer them in this thread, but if they're helpful feel free to! Please also add your own!)
How does your culture show respect and whom do they show most respect to (elders? nobles? children? animals?)? Do they have special pronouns or special gestures or anything?
What's taboo - what do they absolutely not talk about ever under any circumstances? Do they have euphemisms that circumvent the taboos?
How would they handle conflict - would they directly confront it or would they sort of sweep it under the carpet and hope it doesn't come up again?
How do they express affection - between friends, family, and significant others?
How is grief expressed and responded to by the community? Are there specific funeral rites?
How important is modesty and what is considered im/modest? What social cues would show that someone is attracted to another and trying to get their attention (flirting? Throwing lemons at them during festivals?)
How is marriage arranged and by whom? what does marriage entail? Do they exchange rings or do they have other customs and rituals? How does their religion factor into marriage?
What is the number 1 priority - money? time? religious expression? relationships + harmony? face?
Are there gender roles and if so, how are they divided? Who is responsible for what and what are the tasks that absolutely cannot under any circumstances be done by someone of the wrong sex (if there are any)? In a relationship, is there a specific person who's socially meant to be in charge of the money?
How would people discipline their children and how do they measure success in parenting?
In education - who gets educated? At what age and for how long? By whom? How accessible is the education? How is success measured in education?
How do people show hospitality?
What would be worse - doing the wrong thing or being caught doing the wrong thing?
What's more important - character or personality?
How do people respond to stress and what social cues indicate that someone is stressed?
What's their attitude towards authority?
How would they express generosity?
How do they use their leisure time (if they have any) and how are entertainers treated in society (for example - actors used to be way low on the food chain and considered obscene and stuff, but now they're celebrities)?
What foods do they eat and what's their attitude towards it (eat to live or live to eat)? How significant is mealtime in a family or as a social event?
