Traditionalism
Soulbank theoretically offers a User a reprieve from issues associated with mortality and biology, but a collection of cultural norms simply known as Traditionalism exist. Some are reinforced by the base code of User avatars, such as the regular intake of food and need for sleep in the form of Recall. Immortality has also taken its toll on notions of age and family, making them matters of choice.
Observance
Family and Age
Anprims, generally the most Traditionalist of Users, often write a life cycle in their Iterative Will, seek out respected individuals to form a family, and add a family resemblance to their avatars. Elsewhere, many Users simply form social circles as surrogate families and choose an apparent age as an aesthetic.
Post-Individualism versus Traditionalism
Some Users chafe against the old ways and embrace new kinds of existence made possible by their digital nature. Some explore the limits of consciousness by linking or forking their minds, while some, known as Multipliers manifest multiple avatars, going beyond the limit of a single body. Traditionalists often find these ideas unsettling, favoring the idea of one UID per mind and avatar.
Hunger and Culinary Arts
Traditionalists maintain the consumption of food and drink as an indulgence, whether out of pleasure or a vaguely remembered necessity. Soulbank continues to cater to this with both artificial and "natural" sources of food or ingredients provided by plant and animal subroutines. Users who find consumption pointless or annoying will generally seek out methods of bypassing the hunger and thirst monitors in their avatar. Some rare groups have come to accept fasting as a path to enlightenment, seeking out the reduced clarity that comes with hunger and thirst, knowing that they don't strictly need to eat.
Questions for User players:
- Where does your character fall on the spectrum of Traditionalism?
- How do you feel about those who believe differently?
Questions for AI players:
- Do you follow User tradition, and if so, why?
- If not, is it a simple lack of interest or do you see it as strictly a User thing?
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