The Manifests - what are they?

[Dgcakes]

Explaining The Manifests

The Manifests are the characters/creatures of this shop. They are essentially personified manifestations of dreams, beliefs and ideas from people across dimensions and universes apart. These beings are born in the "Dream Hatchery" shortened to Dreamery, run by DreamAway Incorporated.

Manifests can hatch at any stage, from Toddler to Teen to even Adult. However, no dream fully manifests at its Hatched stage, so no matter their physical age, they will still have plenty of growing to do.

Manifests also come in different types. This thread will tell a bit about those.  

[Dgcakes]

The Types

Manifests traditionally come in one of 9 acquirable types or one of ten types total. (Color codes are for certs.)
These types are as follows:

* Natural: - Dark Green
These are Manifests based almost entirely on humanized plants, animals, elements, things found in a basic human world.

* Supernatural: - Light Olive Green
These are things that would count as changed or evolved from a natural state - werewolves, vampires, ghosts, skeletons, freaky strange plants from other universes

* Mystical: - Indigo
These are all types similar to celestials, demons, gods, and the likes in their alignments and powers. Very heavily tied into their initial lores in some ways.

* Fantastical: - Purple
These are all based on beasts or creatures from a purely fantasy type setting. Be it a dragon, a harpy, a fairy, it'll be something like that.

* Supplemental - Red
These are all based on a 'natural' type creature or person (often a basic human) whose nature is supplemented by some form of power. Magical girl types, wizards, people with magical rings and such.

* Artificial - Blue
These are all based entirely on anything physically crafted by mortals personified. Robots, food products, hairstyles, what have you. They were created by someone and have been personified here.

* Conceptual - Light Blue
These are all based around very open ended concepts - a style of music, a song of choice, a particular color scheme, a theme like steampunk or goth.

* Emotional - Teal
These are ones entirely based on a type of emotional state or physical need. One based on love, or laughter might be common here.

* Dimensional: - Gold
These are based on specific concepts or universes - such as a person who can bend elements, or has odd toned skin and horns, or who has a certain number of hearts and can travel in time and space. Mind you this is BASED ON, not exact. This will also include critters from particular universes (like a fluffball that produces large amounts of more of its kind, or an electric rodent with red cheeks)~

~ There will be NO cosplays in this shop. No copywritten characters. However, being able to base characters on particular universes means you don't have to fully follow that universe's rules but you can take some ideas from it. This also allows for ORIGINAL universes if you write up a blurb on them and such and work it out.  

[Dgcakes]

The Stages

There are 3 MAJOR stages and several MINOR stages. You do not have to change age to go through the major stages, nor do you have to start young to go through the minor stages. Each character will eventually go through all 3 major stages, but the minor stages can be fiddled with.

Major Stages

~ Hatched:
The hatched stage is the initial stage for your character. This is when they first arrive and become playable. They will generally have no powers and only minor physical features related to their type. This is the first stage and the shortest stage.

~ Agemates:
Agemates, in contrast to Hatched, is the longest stage. This is because this is the actual developing stages. This is when your character stop being counted as just a newly hatched and can start actually developing powers. The rate of development will be based on physical age and may go up or down as time goes on. Your character will be counted in with those their age and will be able to develop along side them at the rates those work with. For example, children learn certain things faster than other stages. Teens have the most power potential in bursts but it's harder to control. Adults can control better but are also more likely to get set in ways and take more time to develop things.

~ Manifest:
The Manifest stage is when your character has gained their full shabang of powers and appearance. They are fully grown, no matter their physical age. Do you have to keep them that age? Nah. Are you allowed to? Yup. As long as you've played for it, that is FINE. But remember, a fully manifest character aging is going to have a tougher time physically with it. To age after manifesting requires emotional growth usually and a storyarc.

Minor Stages

~ Toddler:
Age 2-6
These are toddlers. They learn simple things modestly fast but complex things are often beyond them. Their physical prowess is really not that good either. Emotionally tied outbursts may rarely happen.

~ Child:
Age 6-10
These are children. They learn much faster simple concepts, but more complex ones are a small struggle. They're getting somewhat better physically and do have more energy but it will take getting used to. Emotionally tied outbursts start being common.

~ Preteen:
Age 10-15
This is a short stage in ages but not potential for development. Simple stuff is old hat and more complex stuff is getting easier. Emotional control is ok on a basic level, but hormones are also starting to become a factor. Outbursts are generally stable and predictable at this point. Physically pretty great in the energy department.

~ Teen:
Age 15-18
These are the proper teenagers. They can grasp simple and complex concepts, and are starting to physically mature and emotionally stabilize as their hormones settle the hell down. Outbursts are less frequent but do still happen and are more major than previous ones.

~ Young Adult:
18-25
This stage is where life starts making proper sense. Outbursts are way less except in emotional crises or when very ill, and tend to vary based on the person. New concepts are harder to grasp but not impossible, and learning how to form and apply those concepts is really working out. Peak of physical stage.

~ Adult:
25+
This stage is when your characters are fully grown up. Emotionally more mature, and hormonally more stable, but outbursts just depend on the person, though less likely to be powerful except in a crisis. New concepts are way harder to adapt to, and old ones are hard to change and adjust, but it can be done if worked at.  

[Dgcakes]

What do these stages mean for us?

Characters are allowed to start at whatever age you want them to. If you don't like playing babies you don't have to. If you want to play a kid but not worry about a guardian, that's ok too - they can just be raised on the premises. If you want to play an independent teen with no guardian, that is also ok. If you want to play a grownup who needs a guardian, yeah sure go for it.

The minor stages are based on physical growth, if you want to go through that. You can manifest slowly over the course of one stage, or manifest as you grow in stages. It is all up to what you want to do with your characters.

The major stages are the more important ones and based on how you want your character's power and personality to develop. If you want them manifested over one stage and to stay there, that is ok. If you want them to grow after they manifest, that's great but will take a different kind of work. If you want them to manifest as they grow, that is also fine.This shop will be a unique experience for everyone, and multiple characters are just fine.

More than one person can even have the same type of manifest because of how different people are going to manifest their characters. No one is going to have the same character and everything will be based on the points system.  

[Dgcakes]

A Major Note On Manifest Minor Stages

All Manifests start at the "Hatched" or "Hatchling" stage. They were manifested and created into the world in the physical age they start out as. If you have them starting as a teenager that is the age they are essentially 'born'.

However someone hatched as a teenager is not going to have the mind of a newborn child. They will know basic things like how their body functions in some ways (like how to use the bathroom) or basic maths and such. However interests or skills have to be discovered. Your character is not going to hatch knowing they like reggae music or being able to fly. Part of going from Hatchling to Agemates is learning a little about themself as a person.

Please keep this in mind when you create older characters and put in for personality type things. They don't do things with their NPC friends because they don't have those yet (they might when they grow to Agemates, but not yet). Of course they have always been blind or short or something if that's what they are now - they were just manifested. It's an odd concept to work with at first, but it makes not having to create a past for a character a tad easier.

If an event has a character that starts at the Agemates stage, THEN that character has a potential for a past. That will be generally part of the event however.

Just keep these things in mind and have it, y'all.