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Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Printable Version

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Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-08-2015

Ok so I’ve been RPing miqo’te for a year seeker and keeper and I have some quick headcanons.


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I have this feeling that in Miqo’te society, it would be common to be polyamourous, however definitely not unheard of to be monogymous. Like in our society it’s common to be in a relationship with only one person, with miqo’te they’d share the opposite view. It’s convienient to be poly, bc of breeding rights (esp in Seekers), and it just makes more sense not to limit to one person because there are so little men in society that not sharing them would mean less children and ultimately, smaller families, tribes, and less chance for the race as a whole to continue.


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Forehead boops! Knocking foreheads with friends, family, lovers, challengers and others to show your respect, trust and love for them. Various different ways to do it as well as different meanings for each! A short knock, a quick ‘hello friend!’. A press of foreheads with eyes closed, ‘I respect you’, and alternatively placing your hand on the back of the others neck to draw them in would mean the same but used more between challengers before a fight for a Nunh position, oft saying ‘I respect you, good luck, and LOOK I had the chance to hurt you being this close but I want this fair, and it’s going to be fair good luck.’ Elongated booping like just resting your heads together a long time shows affection, scent marks, and is just really nice. 


Continuing with the forehead, a HUGE insult would be like, slapping, flicking and other hits to the forehead. It’s like flipping someone off or invading sacred space. It’s a huge fuck you and wouldn’t be taken lightly unless between friends and sibblings.


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Paint!


More prominent in Keepers, painting up your mate before you mate with them for luck, fertility, bonding and affection. Typically painting scenes of nature such as from the sky, or favoured plants and animals. After mating, both partners would wash each other off, and then paint each others faces for continued blessings from Menphina. 


Alternatively, perhaps, Seekers of the Sun would adopt this as a fertility practice before Nunh breeding, where the woman would paint her chosen Nunh with sun’s in their tribes colours! This promotes trust and bonding, as well as the belief that it really will help with conception.


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Nunh’s


I have a feeling that one of the Nunh’s jobs would be to watch his children while the mothers are out hunting, teaching or anything else that would occupy their time and take them away from the children, especially babies. 


Also, it is NOT the nunh’s job to choose his mates, the women choose their Nunh in the tribe – typically one they are comfortable with or who impressed the most, and go to him to set a time to breed. This is then announced to the tribe, they hold a celebration and the Nunh goes to hunt something down for the celebration to show he is still fit for the role! 


When a Tia challenges a Nunh of the tribe, they must show they are worthy before even fighting him.They must hunt, spread territory, and be the strongest or show they are the strongest/smartest out of the other Tia in the tribe before even challenging the Nunh. After the challenge has been made before the whole tribe, having the support of at least ONE woman, and providing a feast for the entire tribe they will set a day and fight at noon. This is a FAIR fight, and any Tia who catches a Nunh off guard, fights unfairly, or otherwise breaks the rule, they would not be considered and often shunned.


Should anyone get pregnant, or get someone pregnant who was not in the tribe, both partners and child would be shunned and often removed from the tribe. Especially bad if this is a Nunh breeding with anyone outside of the tribe, as their role is to provide the TRIBE, not others, with top notch, healthy and strong children.


Being Nunh is more than just breeding, and definitely NOT leading the tribe. It is an honour and privilege to pass on your linage. 

I have another Nunh thing to add about that post for cultural headcanons!

I have a feeling that the Nunh would have to be there for the birthing, but not only that, HELP his mate give birth. Sure there are midwives but he’d have to be the one to hold the babies head and gently pull the child out while she pushes, while also being emotional support. 

I think that it would be incredibly insulting if he wasn’t there for the birthing.

After the birthing is done and the baby is cleaned and cord cut, the sex would be announced to the tribe and there would be a BIG celebration for the new life! I mean big.

There would be a time mid day, I think, where the two (mate and her chosen Nunh) would announce the child’s name, and also ask for blessing from Azeyma before it’s official. 

On the other hand, in the event a child be lost, there would be great mourning throughout the tribe and a time of comfort for the parents who lost. I think there would also be great fear, thinking that Azeyma was not pleased with the coupling and that couple should not attempt another child. Ever. 

Perhaps even that the Nunh himself was not fit (especially if that was his first child), and he be removed from the position and back to being a Tia. 


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In Keepers of the Moon men are in far fewer numbers than in their Seeker counterparts, and the males often leave their families in search of starting their own. 


I have a feeling Keepers are more monogymous than Seekers are, simply because settling down with someone is attractive when you’re in such small groups as it is (comparatively speaking). Women are highly respected and cherished, as mothers, sisters, and daughters. 


I see mixed feelings between male Keepers about their names, how they have no real identity of their own by taking their mothers full name with only a prefex at the end of her first name to show which son they are. I can see it being a mixed feeling with the characters as well, where some would be honoured to carry their mothers name, while others would hate it with a passion. 


Phases of the moon may affect Keepers in their daily activity, such as hunting or foods they eat, as well as menstrual cycles possibly! (like if a woman got her period on a full moon it was a good sign, or bad!). Perhaps in the different phases of the moon they would hunt certain things, or cook a certain way to please the Goddess. 


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Solar/Lunar eclipse!


I have this headcanon that when a solar eclipse happens, that Keepers and Seekers get together for a big celebration of the Sisters coming together. Perhaps to share stories of the day and night and be in company. The two clans would do the same, putting aside differences and enjoying a feast and sharing stories and hunting techniques. 


I have a feeling Lunar eclipses would bring fear to Keepers of the moon, since the moon TURNED RED is MENPHINA ANGRY AT US??? I have a feeling they would try to appease her by bringing gifts to loved ones, to her, and doing other things.

If you had any to add, feel free! These are just thoughts I've had over my time RPing and though I'd share here as well!

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Sin - 06-08-2015

Cool thoughts, my friend.

I agree with most of your headcanons as they make sense when working with what we've been given.

I have to say though that I don't agree with monogamy being a common practice among Keepers of the Moon.

In this, the moogle mail quest concerning the Keeper of the Moon female is really telling, and guides most of my own headcanons.

In it, the main quest person describes her family unit and not once makes mention of her father. It's as if the father does not exist as part of the family unit. She describes her family as her mother, her, and her sister.

That coupled with what we have been given about Keeper of the Moon males as nomads and wanderers leads me to believe that the process would be much more like...

A clan of Keepers- Matriarch, Daughters, Sisters and sons too young to begin wandering live in the forest. Every so often, a male from a different clan will wander in carrying a nice fresh kill or something to impress. Some females will mate with this wandering male, some won't. Either way, he continues to wander on to other tribes until his death.

I think that is much more likely as far as Keepers are concerned judging by the small amount of lore in their description and this Delivery Moogle quest.

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-08-2015

Oh TY for the link, I totally forgot about that quest ;; (I have a super bad memory apologies!)

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Sin - 06-08-2015

Unfortunately, the link I provided is pretty awful and does not provide actual quotes from in game I don't think. There might be screenshots of her words floating about, but I've no idea how to find them.

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-08-2015

Oh that's fine, the quest name helps because I think I remember there was a lot of cutscenes, so I can just go rewatch them and stuff! It's a big help and I think I'll go watch those again and reform that part of the headcanons to something that fits with the bit of lore we were actually given Big Grin

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - V'aleera - 06-08-2015

If a Tia manages, through their own efforts, to acquire new territory for their tribe that does not grant them the right to challenge a Nunh, it grants them the right to become a new Nunh within the tribe themselves. This was stated in one of the Miqo'te lore posts.

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-08-2015

(06-08-2015, 11:51 PM)Intaki Wrote: If a Tia manages, through their own efforts, to acquire new territory for their tribe that does not grant them the right to challenge a Nunh, it grants them the right to become a new Nunh within the tribe themselves. This was stated in one of the Miqo'te lore posts.
Oh neat, I must have misunderstood (I've collaborated with others as well) TY for bringing that up

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-09-2015

I'm going to go back and rewrite a whole lot, thanks again to both of you for bringing up, linking and correcting a few things with some lore I missed/didn't remember Big Grin I appreciate it a whole lot!

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Nako Vesh - 06-09-2015

Quote:I have a feeling Lunar eclipses would bring fear to Keepers of the moon, since the moon TURNED RED is MENPHINA ANGRY AT US??? I have a feeling they would try to appease her by bringing gifts to loved ones, to her, and doing other things.

Red being associated with anger or evil tends to be a western human trope. In my mind, for Keepers, Blood Moons would be associated with life, fertility, and power. Keepers, being a culture focused heavily on hunting, might not view the color of blood as anything negative, but as something bright and full of life.

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-09-2015

(06-09-2015, 08:09 PM)Nako Vesh Wrote:
Quote:I have a feeling Lunar eclipses would bring fear to Keepers of the moon, since the moon TURNED RED is MENPHINA ANGRY AT US??? I have a feeling they would try to appease her by bringing gifts to loved ones, to her, and doing other things.

Red being associated with anger or evil tends to be a western human trope. In my mind, for Keepers, Blood Moons would be associated with life, fertility, and power. Keepers, being a culture focused heavily on hunting, might not view the color of blood as anything negative, but as something bright and full of life.
Oh definitely a good point, thank you!

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - C'io Behkt - 06-12-2015

(06-08-2015, 11:07 PM)Naohra Wrote: Also, it is NOT the nunh’s job to choose his mates, the women choose their Nunh in the tribe – typically one they are comfortable with or who impressed the most [...]

Being Nunh is more than just breeding, and definitely NOT leading the tribe. It is an honour and privilege to pass on your linage. 

I have waited since 2.0 for someone to say this. Thank you, Smile.

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Ilwe'ran - 06-12-2015

(06-08-2015, 11:23 PM)Sin Wrote: I think that is much more likely as far as Keepers are concerned judging by the small amount of lore in their description and this Delivery Moogle quest.

http://xivdb.com/?quest/67110/The-Past-Is-a-Story-We-Never-Tell <- click on dialogue Wink
If you want the dialogue of any quest, rush on xivdb Wink

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Sin - 06-13-2015

(06-12-2015, 11:31 PM)Ilwe Wrote:
(06-08-2015, 11:23 PM)Sin Wrote: I think that is much more likely as far as Keepers are concerned judging by the small amount of lore in their description and this Delivery Moogle quest.

http://xivdb.com/?quest/67110/The-Past-Is-a-Story-We-Never-Tell <- click on dialogue Wink
If you want the dialogue of any quest, rush on xivdb Wink

That... that is amazing. I never knew that. Thanks!

RE: Miqo'te cultural headcanons - Naoh'ra - 06-15-2015

Yes thanks so much for the link! Very helpful! Big Grin