This week's topic was books and reading material!
Marrlan
Marrlan folks read alot of books in the style of huckleberry fin lots of farmer boy adventure series out there. Also fishermans tales of fights with weird sea creatures (which will blossom later on as those "fantastic tales" comic books). Overall style is still novels, though the newspaper has a short fiction story column for up and coming writers to get out there. Famous genres are fiction, proto science fiction, proto comic, adventure, fantasy (The Hostaroms presence is very much so felt here still), and coming of age stories.
Mil'Nor
The stories and fables of the Mil'Nor vary from Clan to Clan A youth of Clan Meiyo will hear of tales of religious zealotry along the stories of the Clan's greatest heros. Meanwhile, a child from Clan Tolvaj may read stories of the romanticized adventure, the conflict between light and dark being seen throughout the stories. For Clan Gruvar, it's a story of survival. To stay true to ones roots, and stand firm under even the heaviest of burdens.
Between them all is a heavy focus on the journeys, a mimicking the of history of the Mil'Nor having both migrated to Touli, and their days as nomads in a nomadless world.
UKUG
Novels about fantasy stories, knights, and romance do very well. Graphic novels are catching on, foreign books are entering the market. Ghost stories and haunted tales are very popular in the United Kingdom.
Science fiction and history are also very popular.
Kumosenkan
Kumo used to read classical novels. But recently "penny novels" (my word for light novels) have exploded in popularity as they're small and perfect for reading on your morning commute on the train/tram/bus. The Isekai "another world" genre is making its debut and people are becoming obsessed with them. Especially young girls. Parents are encouraging reading light novels since it teaches them to read better and learn values that the government pushes into them. (Family above all, respect your elders, love the empress, etc.)
They still do read classical novels
Koi
Koians like to read fiction novels, particularly sci-fi and mystery novels. Fiction books typically cost between 0.05≛-0.10≛. History of the world types of books and encyclopedia books are big, but books particularly on the history of the staol wars tend not to be massive for obvious reasons.
Books that are against the Koian government, the staol treaty, or otherwise against the status quo of the nation are prevented from being sold in stores and offered in libraries, though they are not directly banned from being in the hands of private citizens, though it can be used in court against you if you're arrest for anti-government activities.
Pomaz
so, namely, alternate history is quite popular among the populace, mostly regarding nations that aren't their own and exploring the various extremities and quirks with both the pomaz culture and other cultures; political intrigue regarding constant instability with a splash of comic relief lines the more western side of the nation, as they're closer to Orthoria and Kumosenkan; while the south focuses on the more fantastical elements, think more akin to LOTR and very early science fiction; and the eastern side of the country, due to it's proximity to Amali, finds itself with the much darker aspects of political commentary- this is where you'd get your pomaz versions of 1984, Tale of Two Cities and War & Peace
Ashinara
Nobility largely enjoys reading novels full of political intrigue, given as that is also their part time job when appeasing the royal court, they try to find inspiration in that. More progressive minded nobles, including the Princess - scratch that - especially the Princess - are fans of getting their hands on as much foreign literature as they can - both fiction and non-fiction - to educate themselves on the state of the world outside of Ashinara.
Lower classes have a very low percentage of literacy (for now). Those who are literate largely enjoy stories of adventure and heroism of warriors of old times. The illiterate portion of the population makes up for their lack of ability to read books with someone literate reading said books to them, then retelling those stories by word of mouth, with them sometimes ending up in amature theater plays
Elenria
Falvara Aln
Essential yearly publications for farmers and fishermen, these almanacs provide essential astrological and meteorological information to inform on the predicted conditions for the coming seasons. Often in the form of small pocket publications for quick reference, they differ regionally in design and are often compiled using both local traditional data collected by older inselni nesters who have a better grasp of meteorology and the environment, in addition to authoritative data collected by local science societies and official government information.
Ourkala av Kori (Literally Underpockets)
Special tabloids that are often considered illegal, these publications are often printed by small underground newspapers that consist of little more than a printer, editor, reporter, and a select handful of distributors. They serve as the middle finger of the public to attempts by the unsavory and powerful to remain discreet, exposing corruption and incompetence to their maximum extent. Publications of this manner are written in either snarky, ironic tones rather than an expected directive and accusatory one. This is mostly due to the slow action against such corruption within the Elenria that causes distaste to arise and thicken into a sort of mild-mannered, yet scornful attitude towards such authorities with their crimes publicly unstated but widely known to the locals against the government, such as TAKPOE and the Kumo Governor.
It is commonly compiled in under-the-counter stocks in the backalley newstands, quietly exchanged with a fistful of ten hundred Yairen in rolled bills and then slipped into the underpocket to be read in the private confines of home. It is considered the greatest bastion of Elenrian media: incorruptible and a single figure of free speech in any kind of authoritarian environment. (edited)
Meicara ciy Hekra (Literally Chapter Blankets)
A very popular monthly periodical for the tired citizen, these dime novel newspapers contain the current-running chapters of various novels published at a low fee to the general public to gauge and attract interest and popularity. These include everything from action and adventure to mystery thrillers and young adult fiction and generally make up the Elenrian's most common source of entertainment, from students to soldiers and common citizens. They often also have a separate section full of cartoons and other illustrations that cover everything from humor to political cartoons and posters. A final page contains a mailable form to send donations and vote for the encouraged continuation or criticism of the art and literature to the artists themselves to encourage future appearances. A single issue tends to cost around five hundred Yairen, with the profits split between the publishing office and the content creators, in addition to the individual donations. It is very common for aspiring content creators to use the publication to start or sustain their careers, being some of the most solid and reliable income that they can rely on.
Helscara Min Auti (Literally Morning of Cicadas)
Gossip or heavily politically bashing publications that make great use of loaded language, statistics, and visual mapping to argue a point in politics or forward a political point. Sometimes anywhere from yellow journalism to dense political journals, they also come as extended versions of political pamphlets that may also highly detail specific political ideals and manifestos with varying degrees of bias, designed to attract or dissuade a reader to its influence. They are known to contain great usage of visuals, from cartoons to posters. Often part of a government or political party's media organ, they are designed as tools of political warfare and generally tend to be seen even on battlefields in more simplified forms, distributed to friend and foe alike.
Haski (Literally Bugle)
These state-owned newspapers designed for sole purpose of publishing official information, from bulletins to notices, in addition to what are known as Merapit articles- literally "uplifting" or positive-portraying propaganda articles collected across the land to raise public faith in the authority. While very propagandist in nature, being selective with what stories are chosen to publish and with extreme bias, they do similarly swear an oath of honor to the public, with very vigilant editors responsible for bringing crisis to light before they are given permission to do so- though recently Commissariats formed to censor the press have seen the arrest of many such writers under various charges, inflated or not, information for the Ourkala av Kori continues to be accumulated to publish in their stead of public service. Throughout Elenria's history these have served as the central public notice format in their typically twenty-page issues with three main articles printed over the front and usually either a government notice or advertisement taking up a fourth section on the main page.
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