Yemaja

SOCIETY

The world of Yemaja is much like our own. Although having a fantastical history, it is distinctly modern. Namely, it has aspects of the 21st century we have so far lived through. The story does not have a named year, but it is known that magic returned 50 years ago, and the present has seen greater instances of things like the more widespread use of the web. It is not exactly our present.

ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC

The current period is considered to have a very strong sense of style and identity. Popular music, especially pop, is influenced greatly from R&B, Rap and classic Salsa roots. Reggaeton is emerging as much more popular. Ticah has also fostered an underground alternative scene in southern Timorro as a counterculture movement.

Some Magician artist use the whims of the Otherworld to feed off the energy of their crowds in exchange for showstopping, live visuals. Of course, to most of the audience, they just have an amazing production team. Their status is otherwise an open secret among witches.

SPORTS

Sanea has sports teams for both Morro and Ticah. The national teams stadium of Ticah is Illora while Bora is the home of Morro, located in Paoila. The University of Ticah has the UST for college endeavors, while its equal Ybor cannot build one for reasons that would violate its status as a historical landmark. The two regions share a rivlary, but ultimately will side with the other if they make it into international brackets.

Football/soccer, baseball, and basketball are all popular sports in Sanea.

PARTIES

Sanea has always been notorious for the loudest and biggest of parties for even the smallest excuses to have one. Even the hypocritical Morro is one to blast music at the highest of volume for even a toddler's birthday.

As much as they are important, there are social dances to them that would otherwise cause a stir amongst your titis. People are usually expected to bring food in some form, and those who do not are criticized either there or afterwards. Those who do bring food are then further scrutinized if it doesn't meet up to just one person's taste. Drama is talked about outside on rickety, white folding chairs, where "the kids" are excluded from conversations... Even if they're in their twenties. Big siblings will be expected to parent, and herding away the toddlers will be a priority job. Your mother will awkwardly explain who you are to an audience of fascinated cousins, while the music is blaring.

To say a party is combat is an understatement.

FASHION

A variety of fashion styles have risen in the recent years. However, as varied as they can be, they now have to account for the changes in people. Many stores now include small patterns to alter clothing or complementary alteration services. As compared to the past's expensive per-garment alterations, it is now more- but not wholly- accessible to many to buy what suits them.

However, some things are seen as just distasteful: thick and dark fabrics unsuited to the heat are a hallmark of business minimalists and those just "doing too much." Their aesthetics are sometimes ripped and bastardized in counterculture movements.

RELIGION

Sanea tends to lean towards a saint-based religion. It is an amalgamation of several religions and strays far from its original iteration, absorbing facets of others over the years. It ascribes certain saints to certain things, with one of the most common being the saint of water. She presides over health, childhood, vivacity, good harvest... And with the sea being so close to Sanea, the sea itself. There is a power "higher" than the saints, but it is often less mentioned than the more personal form this power takes. You're much more likely to find sun-dried, old posters of herself in a house than the higher power.

Those of Morro, who are traditionally the first in the island chain in stories, tend to lean to more traditional interpretations among its seniors. However, they are also the most likely to resort to (contraditctory) folk magics and stories that they see as concurrent to faith. "As long as it's faithful," they would say, "It's fine." As the allure of cosmopolitan attiudes have grown past its southern neighrbors, those who are younger tend to clash with their families on how to live their lives.

Ticah is slightly more divorced from its roots and tends to take less of an eye on religion. Those in Ticah may be spiritual, but they don't ascribe to things like prayer as much: They have a life to live, and not everyone has time for it. Understandably, this causes a small divide between the two regions.

ORIGINS

Ybor is considered the "origin" of Sanea due to the large trench next to the Island and the amount of ancient oceanic-geologic activity in the region. it’s proven to very well be one of the oldest. Therefore, creation stories have a strong association with the underwater, ravines, and being created from below. As compared to general religion, this is less of a main focus and more of a curious fact that influences cultural pride artwork. It is also the reason for Ybor's complex historical building laws.