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 Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 4:39 pm
Curious how Nightmares and Daydreams think and live? Unsure how their social structure works? Just want to learn more about Nightmares/Daydreams? Good, you've found the right thread!
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:05 am
Each race has beliefs, values, behaviors and characteristics common to their particular culture. Nightmares/Daydreams are all defined by their own race's culture, which is especially noticeable when they are interacting with races from other cultures. However, in areas where there is a lot of diversity, there is often an exchange of ideas and, sometimes, tension between Races with very different values and beliefs.
Culture and Your Character:
Each race in Below and Above has its own culture, and like humans, they are a product of these cultures. Nightmares and Daydream growing up in a specific culture will behave according to their culture – either they will try to follow the rules of that culture, or rebel against them.
This gets especially tricky for the orphaned Nightmares/Daydreams who grew up at the academy. Because they are raised in a very diverse environment, they often feel a disconnect between what they feel like is expected of them as a member of their race, and what they want for themselves. While they have mentors of their own race to help instill their culture's values in them, they also have many mentors, friends and instructors who are other races. Many orphaned children will cling to their races values as a part of their identity, while others will eschew it as they find that their values and beliefs do not entirely match that of their race. To read more about a races culture, go here.
Tension Between Cultures:
Some of Below's various cultures are more similar than others, such as Imps and Baphomet. However, some races have conflicting views, such as the Chimera, a race that values honesty and hard work, and the Geists, who value trickery and have complex social rules about theft and deception.
Culture after The War:
The 50 Year War did a lot to bring together Nightmares and Daydreams into a more global culture. Because of the large amount of cultural exchange, any traditional cultural norms have since adapted to a world where Nightmares and Daydreams of all races live and work more closely together. However, this doesn't mean that the races have lost their own particular cultures, and cultural differences are still pretty significant between the races.
Hybrids:
As the world's races have shared their cultures with each other, many interracial families have popped up. Hybrids are more common now than they have ever been in previous generations, especially with orphaned students who have graduated from the academy. Historically, Hybrids have primarily been found in large and diverse cities, but are becoming more common throughout the world.
Hybrids are looked upon with some prejudice, only insofar as the pre-existing racial tensions that exist between some races. A Geist/Baphomet hybrid might find themselves being shunned by some particularly racist Baphomet, due to the fact that the Geist once sacked the Baphomet capital city of Alcyone, the aftermath causing tensions on both sides.
In the academy, however, hybrids are fairly common. It's believed that because Alcyone was a large, diverse city before its demise, many of the stones found in the cache were the offspring of parents of different races. There are also many second-generation hybrids who are children of graduated orphaned Nightmares.
It should be noted that--while this kind of behaviour is guarded against by the massive faculty present at the Academy--bullying does still happen at the Academy. Kids are mean.
That being said, while your hybrid or hallowed child might have some temporary tormentors, it is unlikely that they would be completely ostracized from entire social groups, with the exception of a few louder individuals.
Notable Hybrids:
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 4:51 pm
Nightmares and Daydreams have their own currency system and occupations that dictate how trade is conducted in Below and Above.
Copper Star: A Copper Star is the smallest form of currency in Below and Above.
Silver Crescent: A Silver Crescent is the most widely-used coin in Below and Above. There are 2 Copper Stars in a Silver Crescent.
Golden Crowns: Golden Crowns are the most valuable of coins. There are 5 Silver Crescents in a Golden Crown.
Other Forms of Currency:
Many small villages and rural areas are very wishy-washy with their currency rates, with bartering being very common instead. Also, many larger transactions might take place with gold bars, versus coins.
Chimera living in the Crown Mountain Range use coins called Iron Spears and Iron Crowns, but they often deal in gold and minerals with the other races.
There is a defined difference between the socioeconomic classes in all cultures in Below and Above. Like in our world, Nightmares/Daydreams lives are different depending on the amount of money they have, as well as the status of their family.
One thing that many orphans struggle with as they age is not knowing what they stand regarding socioeconomic class. This is especially difficult for Imps, who have a culture that is very steeped in commerce, Chimera, who have a complex Clan hierarchy, and Geists, who gain status and wealth through theft and trickery (a practice frowned upon by the other races).
Many orphaned Nightmares will go on to either marry into families and clan, or carve out their own place in the world.
As in our world, Nightmares/Daydreams have many different kinds of occupations available to them upon graduating. Some will chose more mundane jobs, such as working at a bakery or fixing roofs, but others might chose a more lucrative path, such as becoming an alchemist or a spirit-worker.
Occupational Magic:
Even the most mundane jobs use magic. For those Nightmares/Daydreams who are unskilled in magic, they might find it harder to work in a world where magic is inescapable, but many make due by purchasing magical goods to help them in their jobs. It would not be entirely unlikely to find a manufacturer of enchanted floor boards ("Scuff resistant, guaranteed to last for 200 years!" ) who also sells enchanted tools to help install them ("No more sore thumbs! You'll always hit the nail with our hammers!" )
Of course, there are also more prestigious positions available in Below and Above, such as alchemists, healers, priests and spirit-workers. These occupations are more difficult to get into than the more practical and mundane ones, due to the amount of hard work and learning involved in their particular fields.
Occupations in General:
We would prefer to leave what occupations are available to Nightmares/Daydreams open, to give the players the option to be as creative as they would like. As long as the occupation fits within the restraints of the world, anything is fair game.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 4:56 pm
Practically all Nightmares/Daydreams, save for the most unfortunate, receive some variety of education. While the Demons, Fallen and Litches have a very formal and bureaucratic system of education, the Baphomet, Chimera, Imps and Geists do not. Even then, many Nightmare/Daydreams families opt for home-schooling, then apprenticeships within a certain occupation.
The Academy and its Sister Universities are definitely considered within Below to be very Euros-centric (IE, having primarily Demon ideals), which often causes tension with the races that do not normally have such strict and bureaucratic methods of education. The schools were founded primarily as a means to raise and educate the Nightmares who were going to be awoken from the soul stones. While many Nightmares (Baphomet especially) felt that the stones should be slowly awoken and taken in by volunteering Nightmares, it was eventually decided that Below would benefit more from a structured institution that would help repopulate the world more quickly.
Once travel was allowed between Below and Above again, the schools allowed Daydreams to begin enrolling in their universities and academies.
Most Nightmares/Daydreams begin their lives much the same way humans do – with parents and caretakers teaching them skills they need to navigate the world. Structured education for the youngest Nightmares/Daydreams, such as pre-kindergarden, nursery-school and daycare are a race-specific thing.
Demons in cities often make use of daycare services, while most Baphomet, Chimera, Geists and Imps would never dream of letting a stranger take care of their children. Litches, however, begin educating and socializing their children very early, with very young freshlings being formally educated in structured schools. Fallen are quite like Litches, in that they begin formally educating their children very early, but their means are far less formal and rigorous than that of Litches.
Most young children attend some variety of school in their lives, even if it is a small school in the village temple. As stated above, some races place more value on a formal education than others, while some prefer to teach their offspring in less rigid environments.
It is impossible to describe briefly how all Nightmares/Daydreams educate their children, due to the fact that it varies by race, as well as region. However, it is fairly standard that juniors, younger seniors and older freshlings go to some variety of school. Schools vary by community, with some being large and organized, and others being more informal and based in practical knowledge.
Boarding schools like Asphodel Gardens Academy are a primarily Demon-invented concept, with many wealthy Demons (and even students of other races) attending Demon-run boarding schools in Euros. Many of the other races find this practice barbaric (particularly the Baphomet), despite the fact that it is a practice that is quite ingrained into Demon culture.
A formal higher education is something that is primarily reserved for wealthier Nightmares/Daydreams, depending on their race. With the exception of Demons, Litches and Fallen, who have public colleges, most Nightmares/Daydreams will opt for training as an apprentice for the craft of their choosing. Even so, many Demons, Litches and Fallen will also opt for this, due to the fact that it is often free, and some trades (such as certain crafts and magic work) are better learned under a grand master, instead of in a classroom.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:00 pm
Nightmare and Daydream technology is almost entirely crystal based, often being powered with a combination of spells and enchantments. Their technology level is similar to our own, though some things, like cars, do not exist, instead being replaced by something with a similar function.
The War and Technological Advancements:
The most cutting-edge technological advancements available in present-day Below can almost invariably be traced back to technology developed during the 50 Year War. A good example of this is the advancements in communication, such as the crystal telephone and the personal crystal computational device. For example, sound- and image-recording crystals were used to store and transport important information during the late war.
Other things developed during and after the 50 Year War include horseless carriages, faster trains, self-propelling bicycles, vacuum cleaners, music storage devices, film and projectors, cameras, refrigerators and more efficient indoor plumbing.
Nightmares/Daydreams have a natural affinity for using crystals and minerals for magic, finding it easy to imbue and alchemize different substances with different kinds of magic. Alchemized crystals can function as batteries for things like horseless carriages, portable telephones and radios. They are also able to store information, such as "spells" and "functions" quite like a microchip.
Because of this, most "advanced" technology has a very crystalline aesthetic to it.
Socioeconomic Class and Technology:
It's important to note that the more complicated the technology, the more expensive it is. For example, only the most wealthy Nightmares/Daydreams might be able to purchase a personal portal to be used for instantaneous transportation.
It should be noted, though, that the students at Asphodel Gardens Academy enjoy a fairly high-tech life due to wealthy benefactors. Graduating seniors are gifted a personal crystal computational device and a mobile phone.
As the worlds of Below and Above are rather spread out, technological advances have assisted greatly in making the world more accessible to its people. For shorter travel, Nightmares/Daydreams may prefer to either walk, take a horseless carriage, or ride a bicycle. However, trips of greater distance may be frequent, especially for students attending one of the universities.
Long distance travel is no problem for a typical person. Besides the train lines, Nightmares are also able to to travel across the continents by means of portals. Each major city has a portal hub around the town center, allowing quick and easy access for those who have family or friends they wish to visit. While the portals do require a fee for use, students attending the academy or university receive a free pass.
Much like a bus station where many buses would gather in the real world, Below and Above instead both have what are known as portal hubs. These are places nightmares and daydreams alike can find multiple portals that link to various locations. Portal hubs are far more common in big cities or further developed places. You are less likely to find portals in rural areas or sections of the world with limited technology.
Portals are typically named after gemstones, thanks to the prevalence of ore craft technology. Portals that link to one another share the same name. As an example, in real life if you wanted to catch the #3 bus downtown, in the NMA setting you'd instead take the topaz portal. You would then ride the #3 back to your previous location—or in the case of the NMA world—catch the next jump through the topaz portal. If you needed to catch the #3, and then transfer to the #27, you'd take the topaz portal and then catch the next jump from, say, the ruby portal!
Some important portals to know: the Peridot portal leads to the Academy; Amethyst to Leviathan; Onyx to Asterion; Quartz to Community College; Opal to Grendel.
A portal's name is carefully selected, and great consideration is taken when building new portal structures. What is the destination? What purpose does the destination serve? What stone best corresponds with the ideals of that particular location?
As an example, a portal that leads you close to a library or a place for individual studies would likely be named after a stone that promotes a sharpening of the mind or one that helps you tighten your focus. A market district would likely have a citrine portal (nicknamed the merchant's stone) linking it to the portal hub.
Because it's impossible to list everything Below/Above has in terms of technology, we encourage players to be creative with what sorts of devices are available in the world. Like our world, many technological advancements are being made quickly, so if you can reason something within the above parameters, go for it! Keep in mind if your character could logically afford it! If you're not sure if something would be allowed in shop, please contact Nightmare Adira.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:10 pm
Nightmares and Daydreams have 5 distinct life stages: soul stones, infant, freshling, junior, and senior.
Birth:
Nighmares are born from soul stones, which have been imbued with the life energy of up to three parents. When the soul stone is activated, either at the end of the imbuing, or later on, the stone will glow very brightly and change into an infant. Newborns often have bits of crystal encrusting their bodies for up to two months, as well as a faint glow that lasts about two weeks. Most parents will also feel an aura about their newborn that is incredibly calming and familiar.
Infant:
Infant Nightmares/Daydreams begin their lives as particularly unresponsive and easy to care for. They generally sleep soundly for the first week, then wake up every so often to interact with their parents, only to fall back into a deep slumber. During this time, they do not require food – the residual magic and the energy of their parent(s) is enough to sustain them. However, once their natural glow and crystalline deposits disappear, they will begin to be awake for longer and longer periods of time. At this point, parents will begin to feed their infants small bits of mashed-up food.
Infant Nightmares/Daydreams develop more quickly than humans do, and are able to crawl around and consume solid food much earlier. Infants tend to be from newborn age to toddler age.
Freshling:
Infants are considered freshlings once they are school-age, which is the equivalent of between four years old and twelve years of age. They are basically children, and act as such. Younger freshlings require constant care, while older ones will be able to be more independent and not require constant attention.
Junior:
Juniors are Nightmares/Daydreams who are tweens and young teens. Nightmares/Daydreams attending school, however, are automatically considered Juniors when they hit their first year of junior classes (the year they turn thirteen).
Senior:
Seniors are older teenagers and young adults. A senior has already finished puberty, and is, physically, an adult who is strong enough to imbue a soul stone. In schools, however, senior classes start the year they turn seventeen, which might be before a Nighmare has finished maturing physically. Seniors who have graduated school will either attend university, work as an apprentice, or strike out into the world to find their own way.
Lifespan:
Nightmares/Daydreams generally live longer than most humans. It's not completely uncommon for Nightmares/Daydreams, even non-Litches/Elves, to live upwards of 200 years, with some especially powerful magic-wielders, priests and spirit-workers living longer than that. Litches also tend to have a much longer lifespan, often reaching around 400 years old before succumbing to old age.
Growth:
Nightmares/Daydreams typically age over time, like humans. Their growth slows down after they've reached the adulthood, meaning someone 100 years old may not look like the equivalent age for a human.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:17 pm
Gender in Below is something that is generally a non-issue. With the exception of the rani in Chimera culture, there are very few roles that are considered to be gender specific. As a result, sexism is practically inexistent within Nightmare/Daydream culture, with the exception of the occasional small personal prejudice. This is likely because of the fact that "gender" for Nightmares/Daydreams means little more than a vague social classification based on appearance and identity – Nightmares/Daydreams do not breed sexually, so there is very little emphasis put on classifying Nightmares/Daydreams by gender, save for identification purposes.
Pronouns:
Unlike humans, Nightmares/Daydreams don't get particularly wrapped up in the idea of strict gender classifications. It's more about pronouns and "Mister/Miss/Mix" than making sure someone's acting enough like their gender. Most commonly, pronouns will match a person's gender identity, with males using "he" pronouns, androgynous characters using gender neutral pronouns and females using "she" pronouns. However, this isn't always the case, especially among Nightmares/Daydreams with bodies that appear androgynous.
It may raise the occasional eyebrow, but many Nightmares/Daydreams will use pronouns that don't quite seem to match up with their body's appearance. It's not something Nightmares/Daydreams sweat too much about.
The "Three" Genders:
While Nightmares/Daydreams generally use the terms "male," "female," and "androgynous," the more correct terms would be "butch," "femme," and "not-really-butch-or-femme." Gender is generally socially categorized by how well someone fits into the "ideal" of one of those three appearances. For example, if a Nightmare/Daydream dresses masculinely and lacks breasts, they would generally be expected to identify themselves as "male" or "androgynous." However, this is not always the case, and often the body and clothing-style of a Nightmare/Daydream doesn't match up with the gender they identify as or the pronouns they use.
Generally, male Nightmares/Daydreams present themselves in relatively butch way and females in a femme way. Androgynous Nightmares/Daydreams generally fall kind of in between, but can also present themselves as very neutral. Of course, this is just a general guideline, and Nightmares/Daydreams themselves don't always stick to it. And, of course, some Nightmares/Daydreams disregard the gender triad entirely. Nightmares/Daydreams mostly don't care, even if it gets a little confusing sometimes.
Bodies and Gender:
Nightmare/Daydream bodies come in a very wide variety of shapes and sizes, which also makes classifying gender difficult. Anatomical markers of gender are the same as if they were human, but this does not automatically make a breasted Nightmare a girl or a breast-less Nightmare a male.
Gender and Youth:
Infant Nightmares/Daydreams generally aren't gendered until they start to show a preference for certain clothing and toys. This practice often backfires, though, when a freshling, once able to speak and think for themselves, will begin to identify as something other than what their parents decided for them. However, Nightmare/Daydream parents tend to take this in stride, especially since freshlings can often be very indecisive about what gender they want to identify as. Usually, though, they'll settle before they're considered juniors.
Once a Nightmare/Daydream hits puberty and their bodies start to do, well, what bodies do during puberty, they might decide that they don't like the direction that their body is heading in and seek magical intervention. This isn't incredibly common, since most Nightmares/Daydreams generally have a fairly static ideas and intuition about their bodies and genders from an early age. Sometimes, though, nature does what nature wants, and boobs will just sort of happen when you don't want them to.
Because of the transitional nature of puberty, magical intervention is incredibly easy and inexpensive, resulting in happy seniors with bodies they feel comfortable in.
Transgender Identities in Nightmare/Daydream Culture:
Because Nightmares/Daydreams are generally very lackadaisical about gender identity, especially when it comes to gendering strangers, it's generally accepted that if someone identifies themselves as a certain gender, that is what others will identify them as. If someone mistakenly refers to someone who uses "she" pronouns as "he," they will generally accept being corrected, apologize and move on.
However, Nightmares/Daydreams can technically have a transgender identity if they:
Change their bodies with magic after finishing puberty.
Change their public gender identity once they aren't freshlings anymore.
Or, less commonly, don't really fit in with the "norm" of that particular gender.
Even then, many Nightmares/Daydreams who change their bodies with magic do not really identify as trans, but instead as the gender they have always identified as. This is due to the fact that changing one's body shape with magic is fairly commonplace among those who are dissatisfied with their appearance and has no social repercussions.
A good example of how Nightmares/Daydreams deal with this:
Friends "Ingris? Is that you?"
"Yeah! Hey, Marlena! Long time no see!"
"You look...different! But good! How have you been?"
"I'm great, thanks! Yeah, I got some work done."
"Well, you look fantastic! Hey, you want to go catch up over coffee and pastries?"
"Heck yeah, I'm starving."
Gender in General:
Just keep in mind that gender isn't a big deal with Nightmares/Daydreams. They don't make a habit of caring particularly much about it, especially when it comes to other Nightmares/Daydreams.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:24 pm
xxx Family is a very important part of most Nightmares/Daydreams lives. It even impacts orphans, who are likely to start their own, marry into one, or be adopted into one later in life.
Different races have different ideas of what it means to be a family. For example, while Demons only consider their immediate blood-relatives and their partners to be their "family," Chimera extend their familial feelings toward anybody with whom might share an ancestor.
Even the size of a household differs depending on race. Demon households average around 5 members, while a Geist's household will vary significantly, considering Geists tend both toward triads, as well as living with their parents long after they've had children.
You can read more about the different traditional family structures of the races here.
Nightmares/Daydreams approach romance fairly similarly, despite cultural differences. They all generally date, display courtship traditions, and have committed relationships that generally result in marriage. Committed relationships in the form of triads (threesomes) and couples are equally common throughout most of Nightmare/Daydream society.
More can be found about how each race tends to court here.
Because Nightmares/Daydreams breed using soul stones, producing offspring is something that is normally done very carefully and with intent. There is no such thing as an accidental pregnancy, since it's impossible to accidentally imbue a soul stones. Of course, this does not mean that parents will always stay together, or that there won't be single parents raising a child; especially since a single Nightmare/Daydream can feasibly use a stone.
Raising Children:
Like with humans, Nightmares/Daydreams all raise their children in different ways, especially depending on culture. This is briefly touched upon in the education section of this writeup. As implied above, some Nightmares/Daydreams have a more communal way of raising children, while others will raise their children solely on their own. Some will allow strangers to care for their children (such as in daycare), while others would never dream of it.
Imps, Chimera and Baphomet raise their children in very communal environment, with communities all helping to raise children together. Imps are especially lackadaisical about their offspring, trusting that their community and extended family will help keep them out of trouble.
Litches, and to a lesser degree Fallen, start education very early, and expect their children to be independent earlier on than the other races.
Fallen, Demons and Geists are all raised by immediate family, whether it be parents or grandparents. Geist grandparents are especially doting, and often take the role of raising their grandchildren very seriously, while parents continue to work.
Family is often something that is very difficult to navigate for the orphans being raised in the academy. It is understood that their parents are long dead, with no knowing who they were or where they came from. However, this does not mean that they lack a family.
Caretakers and instructors will, more often than not, act as parents and older siblings to the Nightmares/Daydreams at the academy, with many maintaining a close relationship long after graduation. Also, many students have taken to the Baphomet and Imp traditions of making their own family out of peers. It is not uncommon for many students to refer to friends as "sibling" or "cousin," especially close friends of the same race.
Also, the academy encourages older Nightmares/Daydreams to help mentor younger ones, fostering a sort of "big sibling" relationship between Nightmares/Daydreams of different ages.
Of course, it's not unlikely that many Nightmares/Daydreams will feel a disconnect between their upbringing in the academy, versus what they would be experiencing if they had a more traditional upbringing.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:29 pm
Nightmares/Daydreams, like humans, have laws that keep their cities and countries safe. Your Nightmare/Daydream would be expected to follow these laws, or be considered a criminal and face punishment.
Most Common Laws:
While particular laws depend on region, there are general laws that are upheld throughout all but the most sparsely populated areas. Below is a list of the most common laws for your character to keep in mind.
Nightmares/Daydreams cannot kill or hurt each other.
Nightmares/Daydreams cannot steal from each other outside of Geist territories.
Nightmares/Daydreams cannot damage each other's property.
Nightmares/Daydreams must take care of their children.
It's impossible to list every law in every city and country in Below/Above, so just use your good judgment when RPing your Nightmare/Daydream. If you think they are breaking a law, either try to have them be sneaky about it, or get caught.
Breaking the Law:
Of course, there will be plenty of Nightmares/Daydreams who throw caution into the wind and break a law (or ten). Crime is definitely a thing that happens, both on small scales and bigger ones. From the teenager with sticky fingers, to the organized crime syndicates in the big cities, crime is happening everywhere in Below/Above.
Law Enforcement:
However, there are people looking out for others. You can compare it to the way laws work in the western world, but with more magic and less government control. In some areas, police are part of the military, tasked with keeping citizens in line. In others, especially smaller towns and villages like Asphodel Gardens, there is an actual police force. Law enforcement and public safety departments in Below/Above are generally less organized and smaller, and often have magic-users in them to help keep the peace. It's not uncommon to see the "K-9" part of a department full of beast masters and their animal companions.
Crime and Punishment:
Crimes are punished differently in Below/Above depending on the area and severity of the crime. Some may incur a fine, while more severe ones, like murder, will result in either a jail sentence or an execution.
The Law and Your Nightmare/Daydream:
Most of these laws are common sense. While Below's/Above's technology and government systems aren't quite as restrictive as most human governments, it's good to assume that if it's illegal here, there will be some form of consequence for Nightmares/Daydreams if they are caught, at least in the more developed areas and big cities.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:30 pm
If you have any questions or comments about this and other articles of lore, setting and mythology, you can ask in the main shop thread, or PM Nightmare Adira with your question!
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