GENERAL NOTES on Transsexual Transylvania that should help with you're understanding of things by Gaius Cececatus Felix or Dulcibella Claudia. It's sort of like strangely evolved Ancient Roman Culture, as one surely expects from silly old me. Speaking of me, it's more (c) me than (c) 20th Century Fox or Richard O'Brien.
If another fanfic writer wishes to borrow some of these ideas I'd like them to private message me about it.
Basics of the CALENDAR: Each year is 384 days. These years are counted from the point the IX landed on Transsexual Transylvania (about 124 AD in our year-system). Because the planet has a very strange orbit in which the sun shines only on the uninhabited half the planet. It's season-less thanks in part to this. Night and day are dictated by whether the moon is visible (see 'Astronomy', below, for more details). So they made it much more organized.
Yes, I've been writing a few of the years wrong in this story and I, Claudia. I'll go back and fix that sometime. Though it doesn't actually hurt the story in any way so I haven't bothered yet. Nobody's really reading anymore so I don't think people care.
Months (24 days each):
11. Claudianus (was Jan)
12. Dulcibellus (was February)
13. Brianillus (was March)
14. Currianus (was April)
15. Patricianus (was May)
16. Janianus (end of year, extra)
1. Terrianus (when they left Earth, was June, New Year)
2. Hispanianus (July)
3. Jupitus (August)
4. Laurianus (September)
5. Vaverlus (extra)
6. Hartlianus (extra)
7. Salpirus (extra)
8. Octobus (was October)
9. Novembus (was November)
10. Decembus (was December)
Days of the Week (6):
Lunaday (Saturday/weekend)
Terraday (Friday)
Lauriday (Thursday)
Curriday (Wednesday)
Patriciday (Tuesday)
Brianiday (Monday)
Holidays:
There are many excuses for Transylvanians to party. Of course, only some are worth noting. Many are only marks on a calendar that nobody bothers with unless they want to host a party. They've retained the Roman celebration of Saturnalia... though the religious aspect is basically lost. It's always on Decembus 21st, instead of the 17th, for reasons unknown. Their New Years is on Terrianus 1st. There's a holiday near the end of Salpirus, which is often in November according to the Earth-calendar, on which the Denton Affair took place. Now it's more associated with that than it's original purpose. Oddly enough, that is the anniversary of the first return trip to Earth.
NAMING CONVENTIONS:
As in Rome, women are named after their father's family name. Often they've got a personal name attached at the end too. The personal name is technically optional though very common by Frank's time. The only exception is when their born into the royal (Caesar) family. In such a case any child of that family into the gets the royal family name, even if it's their father isn't. For example: Claudia, daughter of Queen Dulcibella Livia, is called Dulcibella Claudia.
A man's inherited nickname, passed down in the family, comes first with a personal afterwards. For example: Gaius, who is a son of Queen Dulcibella Livia, was named Gaius Dulcibellus Caesar at birth. Later he went to Earth and began calling himself Frank N. Furter for some reason. So his official name became Gaius Dulcibellus Caesar Frankenfurter.
Many of the family names are fake-Latin. Though personal names such as Gaius, Lucius, Claudius, or Marcus are actual Roman names. All Roman names technically have both feminine and masciline forms, luckily. Though I will admit I sued family names as personal names in some places. An example of this is Dulcibella Livia. Because "Livia" is the female form of the family name "Livius" (like the historian Livy's original/Latin family name), that queen's name doesn't make much sense... nor does the name 'Seianus Vitus Riff Raff'. Seianus/Sejanus is a family inherited nickname I can't remember the meaning of. Though some family names were later used as given/personal names in Rome AND this isn't actually Rome.
Gaius is the most common Roman name overall, so it's very common in Transylvania.
RELIGION:
They've got a funny sort of polytheism not unlike Rome's. That means a God or Goddess of basically everything from sex to sewers. There's 12 important Gods, though. Some are leftover Etruscan/Roman deities. Others, however, are newer. In the case of Roman gods we have Jupiter/Jove, Juno, Venus, Janus, Minerva, Luna, Mars, and Neptune. Transylvanian additions are: Divus Salpirus, Diva Patricia, Divus Brianillus, and Servillia Transylvanilla. Salpirus is a deified dictator/king who now looks after the commoners and is seen as a founder of sorts. Patricia is a divine version of IX Legion ally Quintillia Patricia who's been lent traits of Roman war-goddess Bellona. Brianillus is the patron deity of poets and a divine version of 3rd Century (TY) poet Publius Brianillus. Transylvanilla is a patron deity of Transylvania itself.
And, yes, they still look at the stars for favorable and/or unfavorable omens. This is mostly just out of strange sense of patriotism. They're a bit smug about being better that Post-Christianity western society. Things like homophobia do not exist for Transylvanians because those things weren't around before "the embarrassing little monotheistic cult who liked martyring too much" went mainstream. Since the IX left Earth at the height of Rome's glory all it's best qualities were preserved. A religion that was somehow both central to society and relatively accepting is useful indeed.
Another useful thing about their religion is that most rulers become Gods after dying. So the people rely on the royal family for both government and religion, giving the royals more power. Though it's bad taste to declare yourself a good before death (just like it is in Rome).
MORALS:
Like Romans, their ideas of good/bad differ from modern Earthling ideas.
For one thing, sexuality is seen differently. They don't get that weird "straight vs gay vs bi" nonsense. To them sex is sex and it doesn't matter who you do it with as long as both parties agree. So the really don't think sex for pleasure (as opposed to sex for inducing pregnacy) is bad. Everybody likes it and it really doesn't do any harm - especially as tech advances. Early on all marriages were expected to be straight because it was traditionally what was done. And kids were better off legitimate thanks to all that 'family is everything' stuff. Though eventually - probably about their 9th Century or so - this basically stopped and people married whoever.
Another fact is that they have the concept of Honor vs Cowardice instead of Virtue vs Sin. That's very much thanks to their origin as the IX Hispana, a Roman legion. Family mattered. So Seianus Vitus Riff Raff and Vita Magenta killed Frank and his allies(meaning Rocky and Columbia) because it made sense. Any sensible person would want revenge on the killers of one they (the sensible person) were loyal to. Columbia loved Frank too much and Rocky was basically his son. He was Paterfamilia to the household. Of course Columbia and Rocky would try to avenge Frank's death - it was the honorable, normal thing to do. They both died to keep the Vitus family safe. Chickening out and not killing a serious threat would be dishonorable to the family you're endangering.
Speaking of family... that's another thing they totally got from Rome. To modern (RHPS-era) Transylvanians family is serious business. They're pretty much the only people you can't fuck (well, you aren't supposed to). Also, you owe your loyalty first to them and second to Transsexual. Paterfamilia is the male - or, more recently, female - leader of the family. He's like some kind of slavemaster-meets-dad to even those not technically his children. Do not disobey him, since that is disgustingly dishonorable. The king of Transsexual is such a person to his people in general. That's why it's good that Gaius Dulcibellus Caesar Frankenfurter never ruled - he would've been a wretched Paterfamilia! You know, I see Richard O'Brien as the kingly variant of Paterfamilia to us fans. Though he doesn't know/care that most of us exist so it doesn't matter.
LEGAL System:
One important law is that when a citizen is 16 they are legally an adult. Of course, it's not exactly that simple. A person turning 16 must do all sorts of paperwork and be deemed sane enough to be an adult. It's unknown how Gaius Dulcibellus Caesar Frankenfurter managed to get through such tests. Once someone's an adult they can get married, and many other things. Drinking can be done at any age if it's something simple like a glass of wine at dinner. Though people actually trying to get drunk or going to a bar must be 16.
There isn't any slavery, like in Rome. This is mainly because there aren't any people worth enslaving nearby. Everyone is a citizen if they're from the galaxy Transylvania. Even those who aren't citizens still have some rights - and are not ever slaves. Part of the reason Transylvania lived on while Rome eventually crashed was the fact that they never relied on slave labor.
Astronomy:
The planet Transsexual rotates around it's on it's side. That means one half of the planet is constantly in darkness. Of course, that's the inhabited half (the sunny side is covered in a sea). So the Transylvanians have evolved to not need various nutrients normally derived from sunlight. This is one of the few minor biological differences between Earthling humans and Transylvanian humans.
Because the sun is seldom seen by an ordinary citizen the moon is more culturally important. There's a 'Lunaday' in their week but not 'Solday'.
The measurement from their sun (which they call Novusol) to their planet is 1.5 Astronomical Units. They call that an AU to them, too. So... things might get a bit confusing.
Out-of-Universe Notes:
Publius Brianillus is a reference to Richard O'Brien and Roman poet Virgil. Rohopish (which is, in case you're to dim to notice, was the first two letters in each word of the phrase "Rocky Horror Picture Show" stuck together) is basically RHPS meets Aenied. Well, it's the National Epic poem of a Rome-like country. I suppose it's more like RHPS.
Quintillia Patricia is named after Patricia Quinn, though that's the only connection.
Early dictator Salpirus is named after RHPS American Fanclub president Sal Piro. He's sort of a dictator because you can't be a president for life, even president of a fanclub (as I like to joke). I can't seem to find much information on him so I don't know if he's still fanclub president (though people say he is). All I know is he was from the club's start to the comic book adaption's release... I think.
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