Vouard

The name of our haven is sh'Vouard. Its elements are hills, lakes, smooth, and geoglyph.

• sh'Vouard: civilization
• Vouardaria: capital city or planet
• x'Vouard: diaspora community (liberal)
• j'Vouard: diaspora community (conservative)

Setting

A city of predominately white stone with features that flow naturally around the contours of the hills and lakes. Viewed from above it presents a series of geoglyphic symbols of holy import. Beyond the city lies one big mountain. On the other side is another community that lives different emotional lives as influenced by inter-planar travel.

Flaw

Stoicism: The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge; the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.

• Self-Mastery, controlling only that which is within your realm of influence.
• Live in Accordance with Nature.
• Overcoming destructive emotions to practice Universal Reason.
• Souls are perishable. And ejaculate
• Suffer in Silence. Joy in Silence. Silence has no inherent virtue
• If Needed: Passions!
• Suicide Favorable
• Focus on Decision-Making and Material Harm

Notes from Wikipedia on Stoic theology: The Stoic tradition in general 'was a complex amalgam of pantheism and theism.' All of them converged on one point: the logos. The logos is understood to be the perfectly rational benevolent Nature of the universe that connects everything in its causal nexus. The universe is considered the highest expression of rationality because of its order, structure and wholeness. It is paradigmatic in its benevolent/providential care for all component parts of the universe: the sea, air, rocks, plants and animals, including humans. The logos was, according to Diogenes Laertius, equally referred to by the Stoics as god, Zeus, intellect, and Fate. Other nouns ascribed to the term included 'providence' and 'Natural Law. It is important, so as to avoid confusion, to distinguish between the Stoic conception of natural law, which was itself Divine and the natural law as Thomas Aquinas understood it, where it was the creation of the Divine. Regardless of the exact word used, there was, among the ancient Stoics, an overarching agreement that the essence of the universe was a natural presence (a material soul, so to speak) actively permeating the whole and sustaining it.

Psychology

• Values in school from a very young age.
  • These are emotionally undernourished people.
• Love is tolerated?
  • Love that overwhelms you is a cruel weakness.
  • Ideal love is something you control.
• Emotion is suppressed in order to maintain the purity of justice.

Traditions

Justice

Anyone can take anyone to court with ten of your peers as an impromptu jury. Argument logic takes precedence over moral rightness. A prerequisite to a court case is proving material harm to that jury. It is shameful to bring a suit because of your emotions. Children are taught to make court cases at a young age and enact justice with their peers.

• Moot The gathering of an impromptu court. (Looks like a horseshoe or septum ring with 2 points of emphasis)
• White cord used to encircle or demarcate the impromptu court.

Punishment

• Social stigma
• Fines
• Temporarily or permanently banned from mooting
• De-emancipation is the highest penalty

Grief

Those who experience loss are expected to deal with their grief in small specially designed rooms. Many people will overcome their emotions alone, though it is not uncommon for one or two others to help the feelings pass.

• A pendent of a folded heart to be worn around the neck in times of sadness.
• Forebodets is the word for emotions directed at the future, whereas emotions of the present are called Afootets. Forebodets are viewed much less sympathetically and are expected to be reasoned away quickly. An example would be grief felt over a miscarriage, for it is assumed that one is grieving a future that won't occur.

Education

No matter the education goals of a child, mastering Ethics, Debate, & Logic are of highest priority. One simply cannot be seen as educated or even wholly sane without a firm grounding in them. All science is viewed through the lens of Stoic theology.

• Sejulo is a title for someone who has achieved sagehood, defined as someone who is free from passions and only experiences clear-headed good feelings. These feelings aren't excessive or diminished; they are the correct rational emotions: joy (enjoyment, cheerfulness), wish (good intent, goodwill, welcoming, cherishing, love), and caution (moral shame, reverence).
• Moonstruck is a term to describe someone who did not successfully sue for graduation from the basic educational institution. This term is also used for burnouts, homeless people, insane people, and people seen as any of these.

Family

Discipline of children is meted out by extended family and expressly not by parents so as to prevent emotions from corrupting the parent/child relationship. To attain adulthood, children sue their family for emancipation. After which, they have full autonomy in society.

• A disciplinary hillock outside of the living grounds where children are disciplined away from parents.
• A white robe of emancipation is to be worn for a day after winning participation in society.

Entertainment

Logical debate is a sport to enjoy. You can spectate leaders in government or join a neighborhood council to partake in the small matters of the society. Or a mock trial of a previous famous case.

For truly frivolous pursuits, people turn to shows of exceptional self-mastery such as fire-walking, geek shows, feats of strength, tumbling acrobatics. Or improvised games of whit such as flyting. 1on1 Strategy Games, especially abstract strategy.

• Joywreck is getting caught up in forebodets about a game/challenge such that it spoils your performance.
• Strategy games are often played blind or visualized, meaning two players must constantly update board placements and/or pulled cards in their minds while a third player moves hidden games components based on directions by the other players. This style of gameplay is called "murk play."

Relationships

Partners are formed by individuals looking for another person who might complement their strengths or vice versa. No consideration for attraction or other emotions should be considered. More than two-person parental units are common should each individual contribute an important part of a whole.

• The break point where the family symbol is split into a number of pieces to be carried by each family member.
• Every village has a two-moons home where un-homed, un-emancipated children live awaiting permanent placement in a new home or emancipation. The village is required to place them within two moons from whence the name is derived.

Further notes:

• Resumes for family starting
• Falling in love with your friends problem
• No consideration for attraction or emotions should be considered
• High self awareness
• Love is Tolerated
• Fools Fall in Love
• People know their strengths and weaknesses, and seek their complementary partners
• Control love just like any other emotion
• No important decisions based on love

Religion

Stargazing plays an important role in religion. A pious person should wake up shortly before the sunrise in order to see the stars fade. This is done to be reminded of those who came before and have passed on, their soul-fires returning to the distant suns. It also humbles the stargazer, as they are reminded that no matter what actions they take, they will die and fade as do the suns.

• The strokes of the syllabic alphabet were designed to mimic specific constellations; these well-known constellations are associated with morals, elements, natural places, and characters in the traditional fables.
• Dark rooms are kept by priests of the faith in order to sleep all day and observe the stars all night.

Aesthetics

Artistic expression and appreciation is transcendental -- truth is inherent in nature, and therefore no expression can be said to be "wrong." As a result, art tends towards the abstract, provocative, and emotional, counter to prevailing cultural norms. Art is often seen as dangerous, counterintuitive, and revolutionary.

• Art as a concept is depicted as a double-edged athame -- truth cuts both ways.
• On the white steps of the grand courthouse rests the veiled statue An Illustrious Accident by legendary artist Leona Starr. Its sublime depiction of nature is thought to be too much for those without a strong foundation in logic. The annual revelation of the statue coincides with a festival day where passions may flow freely and any space may be a grief room.