Society

* Pairings are state-mandated.
	+ Not considered a legal unit unless Pairing
* Unpaired peoples = Shade
* Formal title for magic users = Kizier (from caesar)
	+ What if they're not just considered a legal unit but the the "sorceress" is legally unable to make decisions because they're "unstable"
	+ Occasionally Kiziers can keep the magical households for their widowed Tharii and or siblings, or whatever.
		- somebody who doesn't have a knight would have good reasons to consider faking it.
* Formal title for fighters = Tharii (from spatharios)
* Pairing events happen with the solstice
* Each Wave has depreciating returns
	+ Wave One: Age 16 - 18
	+ Wave Two: Age 32 - 35
	+ Wave Three: Age 64 - 70
* Tharii/Kizier is considered the standard dynamic and couples do go against it but it's kind of risqué
* long, elaborate Season of introductions
	+ Like Regency courtships / Old South coming of Age Parties
	+ Huge Dance elements in courtship
	+ Huge coming of age events if you become Paired you are legally an adult
* Having lovers outside of Pairings are common
	+ One person can love their partner and not be loved back
	+ They can loathe each other
	+ They can think each other is "meh"
	+ Any combo works
	+ You could have the incredibly sappy Pairs and then the ones that can barely stand being in the same room unless they're fighting a common enemy.
* You communicate with your Pair telepathically
	+ Talking takes work
		- One couple got it right away and they LOATHE EACH OTHER
	+ This can suck big balls
* if you lose your bond tragically it can be very traumatic
	+ Could be a serious problem if you were legally and emotionally tied to them
	+ Some people may do anything to get that feeling back.
	+ This is true even if you kill your Partner
		- You murdered your Pair because you didn't want to be legally subservient to them but then you MISS THEM AGAINST YOUR WILL
		- Like a psychic vampire. You might "use up" your partner.
	+ On the upside, society literally doesn't believe you can murder your Pair. So you don't get charged, you just suffer. You can't get charged, you're literally not a person who can be responsible. In the same way women used to not be charged with crimes because they were presumably doing it at the behest of their husband.
* SCAM ARTISTS ABOUND
	+ Myths about how if you don't find your bond by x age it's not as strong
	+ there are ways to fake the bond if someone hasn't found theirs yet
	+ once you've had a successful bond you can sort of replicate it
* Shades tend to get thrown into convents/schools/homes
	+ Madame Cross' School for Mismatched Youth
		- if you hit 18 age without meeting your Tharii, off you go to school where you are taught coping methods and basically cared for until you finally meet a Tharii or become a teacher.
		- If you're widowed and lose your Tharii then you can go to a home for Broken Pairings
	+ outside the Formal Empire there are presumably countries where the pairs don't happen and they must think it's incredibly weird
		- Some sort of hippie commune where everyone is paired with the WHOLE WORLD
		- "life is my bondmate"
		- poly is most common but some people are more literal and celibate
* Tharii pre-bonding can have a frat-like existence if not paired in their first wave
	+ This results in homoromantic (like with like) ballads specifically about Tharii
	+ And homoromantic Tharii relations are considered a good thing to have, provided they are not putting their Tharii "buddy" first once they get a Kizier
	+ Though they can put them first in some things, sort of Tharii bonding "poker nights"
	+ However, if you are a Tharii that leads another Tharii astray so that they neglect their duties to their Kizier... uh oh
	+ There exist no ballads for similar pre-bonded Kizier relationships, because they are not taken seriously as what Kizier would value a relationship with another over their destined Tharii?
* Idealized Kizier characteristics are small hands and feet, slim waists, long hair.
	+ This is not found very often. And some of the actual "most desirable" Kizier can have none of these characteristics if they are powerful enough.
	+ Or if they are charismatic enough
* Idealized Tharii characteristics focus on physical strength and tactical intelligence.
	+ This can result in more dexterity focused Tharii being considered the equivalent of "effeminate"
* Very rarely, a Tharii can have an adverse sensitivity to magic
	+ Their pair can Make It Work with a lesser sensitivity to their type, but can still give them a headache
	+ For those rare cases, they often aren't believed to be sensitive, as Tharii Are Strong and that's just not real come on