Society and Culture

## Social Structure

*Oddlanders live in villages and large pack groups. Some are nomads and some have settled down. They vary quite a lot.*

### **Greaters vs Lessers**

Greater Oddlanders tend to live on their own away from lesser Oddlanders. Though in a few dimensions and their homeworld many have recently begun to live together in peace. It's a relatively new thing for the species though and many conflicts have arisen from it but it's still a work in progress.

## Ideals

### **Beauty Ideals**

Weirdness is considered extremely attractive

### **Gender Ideals**

Oddlanders don't follow normal gender standards. The species does have many gender terms. They do not define gender via genitals and many Oddlanders do not comprehend human standards for gender roles.

Most Oddlanders have both sets of reproductive organs.

## Courtship

The courtship between Oddlanders tends to differ depending on the dimension, group, and subtype.

A few different things Oddlanders will do vary from singing, mating dances, and even just outright going on dates with each other. With the above being incorporated sometimes.

## Technology

Oddlanders borrow technology from many other species. Most of their tech looks like a mix between ancient tech and modern space-faring tech. It's very strange to look at.

Some common items Oddlanders may have are things like communication watches.

Oddlanders value handmade items well above items made by machinery. Many Oddlanders still have jobs like blacksmiths, leatherworking, and more! Modern Oddlander tech operates very differently from tech in the human world.

A lot of technology relies on their magic or is operated by said magic. Even more interesting they've learned to create batteries to hold the magic as a source allowing them to easily charge them and keep them powering tech for a good long while.

Some examples of Oddlander tech are vehicles, machines (They don't make items but they serve other purposes), Even cell phones and other communication devices. And yes they do indeed have interdimensional tvs!

## Common Dress code

Oddlanders tend to wear many different kinds of things from hats to full clothes to bow ties. They almost always wear shoes and gloves though shoes are not required to be worn.

## Cultural heritage

Oddlanders have a rich artistic and musical culture. They also love to read books and collect them from other intelligent species.

Many past times include dancing, singing, painting and more. This is a far cry from their Flatlander ancestors who banned nearly every thing like this. Including shoes !

## Common Taboos

### **Hands and Hand Touching**

Oddlanders dislike their hands being messed with by strangers. Greaters even more than lessers do. They place a lot of value in their hands as they use them to do magic, make deals/arrangements with other species *(depending on the status and power of said Oddlander)*. Hand touching can be viewed as a form of intimacy between a pair of Oddlanders or a deep sign of trust depending on how it's done. Usually, the creatures will wear gloves when touching each other's hands. This is especially true for greater because they either have an eye or a gem embedded in their palms which can enhance their abilities and has something to do with their element or type. Destruction of said feature can temporarily disable some of their power and cause intense pain.

*Many Oddlanders will wear gloves due to the above reasons.*

Instead of holding hands an Odddlanders will hold each other by the wrists and forearms. This can be for many reasons, To grab and pull someone, greetings, pulling some up from the side of a cliff etc.

Gripping an Oddlander’s hand you don’t know well is considered a huge sign of disrespect. If you grip their bare hand without wearing gloves it can be seen as a threat and possibly a form of assault. Even sexual assault if the hands are bare.

Different ways of gripping said hand can also mean different things as well so please be aware. While just touching and poking at their fingertips will irritate them at best. (*That’s if they're friendly enough. If not you'll probably be vaulted over a cliff or into a tree.)*

Hand touching between family members and the young of the species is normally not veiewed as sexual or intimate.

## **The Black Market**

It's not unheard of for a young Oddlander to be kidnapped, fed a certain mineral in large quantities to be harvested for the black market.

In order for this to work, the Oddlander in question must be of a certain age as too young and the shell is too soft. Too old and the shell is far too difficult to break easily. Fragments of the exoskeleton can be broken off to be sold. The exoskeleton can and will grow back but will slowly start to deform after a period of time with repeated damage making the exoskeleton it self far more fragile and can result in death.