Baifa Monü Zhuan
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Presented and distributed much like bounty pucks projecting a hologram of Io explaining for visitors the ceremonies and traditions.
CONTENT INFORMATION
Courtship: The art of Uchikake, or Atrisian courtship, is considered one of the finest and most complex cultural pursuits. It is a slow, deliberate dance, designed to test the intellect, skill, and spiritual depth of the participants, with physical attraction being secondary.
Arranged Marriage: Arranged marriages remain a pillar of Atrisian society and fall into two primary categories. They are orchestrated by families who take their children to a highly respected Matchmaker Guild, which operates much like a specialized trade faction within the Commonwealth.
Non-Conventional: Hikifurisode is one of the most broad types of marriages but mostly because of how much it counts among it. There is generally aspects of love, courtship, arraignment and in some cases circumstances that many are not certain of.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Compiled by Io at the behest of the Atrisian royal family, the small collection of information is meant for visitors and history books. It doesn't have a grand history of existing it was made with the new educational systems and reforms done through the Jishi era and Emperors decrees that they have seen vast improvements in the economic, educational and medical areas of the planet.
- Intent: To expand information about Atrisian marriage from ultra traditional to the more counter culture.
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- Media Name: Irouchikake
- Format: Holobook
- Distribution: Scattered
- Length: Medium
- Description: Designed for historical records and visitors to have a definitive idea of how the deeply traditional, yet evolving, institution of Marriage and Union functions on Atrisia. The text details the underlying elements of political maneuvering, family honor, spiritual connection, and dynastic legacy that define Atrisian society.
- Author: Io Murasaki
- Publisher: Atrisian Commonwealth
- Reception: n/A
Presented and distributed much like bounty pucks projecting a hologram of Io explaining for visitors the ceremonies and traditions.
CONTENT INFORMATION
Courtship: The art of Uchikake, or Atrisian courtship, is considered one of the finest and most complex cultural pursuits. It is a slow, deliberate dance, designed to test the intellect, skill, and spiritual depth of the participants, with physical attraction being secondary.
- The Approach: A chance meeting at a formal garden party, a court function, or even a fleeting glance on a street is merely the start. An interested party must demonstrate skill in one of the Three High Arts (Poetry, Calligraphy, or Flower Arrangement) before requesting a formal audience.
- The Screens of Miyabi: For centuries, high-status females in court have been secluded behind Byobu screens (folding partitions) during initial meetings. This tradition, central to the concept of Miyabi (courtly elegance), actively eliminates appearance from the act of courtship. Personality, intellectual wit, shared philosophy, and the ability to convey emotion through carefully crafted notes and gifts become paramount.
- The Tantric Connection: The goal of Uchikake is not merely a social agreement, but a Tantric, spiritual resonance. The refinement of the courtship process is meant to ensure that the eventual union is rooted in a deep, energetic connection between souls, which the Atrisian believe is the key to producing the strongest heirs.
- Warrior's Shortcut: Soldiers and operatives with shorter life expectancies or those dedicated to the Commonwealth Defense Force (CDF) cannot afford the months or years of preparation. Their courtship is typically direct and action-oriented, perhaps involving the presentation of a battlefield honor, a dramatic feat of valor, or a formal, immediate proposal overseen by a Commander, skipping much of the traditional refinement.
- Union Proposed: Once the marriage is formally proposed and accepted, the couple enters a State of Union. The two Houses formally merge, celebrating with the construction of a new, jointly-funded home in a neutral territory as a grand, ceremonial gift.
Arranged Marriage: Arranged marriages remain a pillar of Atrisian society and fall into two primary categories. They are orchestrated by families who take their children to a highly respected Matchmaker Guild, which operates much like a specialized trade faction within the Commonwealth.
- Status Advancement: This is a strategic alliance where families seek to ascend the Imperial Court hierarchy or secure better trading rights. Males and females are equally viable as the marriage asset. The challenge is still on the two individuals to impress their potential spouse with their skills, intellectual refinement, and financial solvency.
- The Honor Marriage: Reserved for trysts resulting in an unwanted pregnancy, this type is solely a means of saving a House's honor by legitimizing the child. The child's status is permanently impacted; they are often unable to inherit the main title or wealth except in extreme, dynastic emergencies.
- Political: Common in more ancient times, marriages for political purposes were arranged by the emperors and empresses to bind houses to them and give them a common cause.
Non-Conventional: Hikifurisode is one of the most broad types of marriages but mostly because of how much it counts among it. There is generally aspects of love, courtship, arraignment and in some cases circumstances that many are not certain of.
- Same-Sex Union: Unions between two Lords or two Ladies of the Imperial court are widely accepted. However, the foundational Atrisian necessity for an heir to inherit the dynastic legacy is absolute. The couple typically secures an heir through a formal, recognized Adoption Protocol or the use of an approved Honor Parent (a genetic donor whose role is strictly ceremonial and non-parental).
- Interspecies Marriage: With Atrisia's integration into the galactic scene, marriage between Atrisian and near-human species is common. These unions are highly valued for the new cultural data and genetic strength they introduce into the bloodlines. The only firm stipulation is the necessity of producing a viable heir capable of carrying on the merged House's sigil and legacy.
- The Battlefield Pact: The fastest union possible, usually reserved for CDF soldiers or those in immediate operational theatres. A Commander or ship Captain can oversee the ceremony, which is usually officiated in a matter of minutes. The couple is granted a mandatory three-day "Honeymoon Leave" afterwards, followed by reassignment priority to ensure they can remain stationed together.
- The Union: A modern, secular practice common among teenagers. It is often ridiculed by traditionalists as the "Adolescent Pact" or "Temporary Alliance" because it involves simple ring exchanges and no legal consolidation. Lacking official documentation, the parental rights and support for any resulting children often become complex and messy, threatening the stability of the dynastic structure.
- Eloping: Rarely seen but it does happen, without the ceremony and without family approval.. It is one of the hardest on the parties involved as families are able to cut them off and dishonor is brought to them. The children of such unions are considered wanderers and can regain their parents honor through their actions.
- Honor Wives: Concubines whose resulting pregnancy leads to a formal, though low-status, acceptance into the family to secure the child's legitimacy, often only when a main house requires an heir.
- The Gathering: The two families and their retinues gather in a lavish, neutral location, overseen by a combined Honor Guard from both Houses. The first three days are dedicated to feasting, dancing, and the formal integration of retainers, servants, and guards into their new household roles.
- The Parade and Stations: Depending on the couple's status, grand parades and rehearsals are performed for the visiting dignitaries. The ceremony is a walk along a consecrated path that features seven distinct stations. At each station, the couple is presented with ancestral symbols, blessings, and philosophical challenges from elders on both sides, with their responses and choices defining the colors, motifs, and sigil of their new House.
- The Vows of Creation: On the seventh day, the bride and groom wear their unique, hand-dyed silk Kimono, symbolizing their complete willingness to shed their old identities and create a new Clan. At the final station, the High Priest or Priestess presides as the couple performs the Ritual of the Blended Cord, solidifying their energetic and physical union so that it might never be torn asunder.
- The Honeymoon and Home: Following the ceremony, the couple is granted seven days of secluded honeymoon before returning to their newly constructed home, located at the neutral center of their merged families' influence a symbol of their shared independence and balanced power.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Compiled by Io at the behest of the Atrisian royal family, the small collection of information is meant for visitors and history books. It doesn't have a grand history of existing it was made with the new educational systems and reforms done through the Jishi era and Emperors decrees that they have seen vast improvements in the economic, educational and medical areas of the planet.
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