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Main Lore

Dionae

D. Primo

Home System: N/A

Homeworld: N/A

Language(s): Rootsong

Political Entitie(s): N/A

Culture

Due to their highly nomadic nature, Dionae do not experience a universal culture outside of certain behaviors that appear to be biologically ingrained and somehow hard-wired into their genetics. Information on individual group cultures can be found in their History.

Naming

Dionae names are typically a summary of experiences which are both unique and are routine in their lives, the length and style also holding meaning among Dionae, only ever changing when merging and agreed upon by a consensus or separating from a Gestalt and done by the individual itself. When a Nymph is first grown, they are often nameless until their curiosity is recognized in the form of their first interest, and is usually a singular word that references their first interest. Among Dionae, the length of a name reflects their age: short names are for younger Neophytes, while longer names are reserved for elderly Sages. If a Nymph cannot find an interest, a Sage will often give a new Nymph a name and it is not uncommon for other races to name a fresh Diona as well, especially if they were hand-raised by the one that planted them. Another way of identification is the complexity of the name- this usually refers to how literal a name is. Once more, simpler names are given to Neophytes while more abstract names are reserved for Sages, denoting their reserves of knowledge and helping to keep name length manageable, even among themselves. In the presence of other species, Dionae will take up a condensed version of their name in cultural assimilation, and hold no offense to others further shortening their assimilated names into nicknames.

Identification: Dionae see themselves in a different light than other sentients, using mainly gender-neutral pronouns such as "they/them/it/" due to their asexuality and interchangeable definitions of groups and self which may be confusing. A single Nymph is called a Diona, the base form of the species and is seen as an individual, identifying with "I/me". When merged into a combined form of a Gestalt, the group is called Dionae, the plural of Diona despite the fact that their physical appearance is that of an individual to other sentients and is seen as a group of individuals, even identifying as "we/us". Separate Gestalts in a gathering of one another is known as Dionaea, a plural of plurals.

Intra-Specific

Relationship specifics between one another of the species.

Identification: Dionae see themselves in a different light than other sentients, using mainly gender-neutral pronouns such as "they/them/it/" due to their asexuality and interchangeable definitions of groups and self which may be confusing. A single Nymph is called a Diona, the base form of the species and is seen as an individual, identifying with "I/me". When merged into a combined form of a Gestalt, the group is called Dionae, the plural of Diona despite the fact that their physical appearance is that of an individual to other sentients and is seen as a group of individuals, even identifying as "we/us". Separate Gestalts in a gathering of one another is known as Dionaea, a plural of plurals.

Neophyte and Sage: The only time when one Dionae is venerated above any other is when an older and therefore more knowledgeable Gestalt is present. This elder is referred to as a "Sage" while those younger than it are called "Neophytes". Sages are seen as more valuable due to their vaster stores of knowledge and therefore are protected over Neophhytes in a dangerous situation. However, a Sage will often take up the responsibility to educate a new Neophyte on their environment- including but not limited to the ways of local alien civilization. This is to simply get the Neophyte up to speed so they can be quicker on their way to learn more about their particular interests instead of being held up with the inconvenience of learning the hard way.

Integration

With being a complex multi-formed and sometimes ever-changing organism such as a Diona, one can imagine that becoming a part of a society can be rather complex. Dionae can be found nearly everywhere except for the coldest and radioactive-free of places. With money meaning little to them, others see them as cheap labor and both seem to be content with this, as Dionae do not need much outside of proper radiation. A clever species, Dionae often take advantage of a solar system's sunlight during the daylight hours and bask before taking a night shift, and during day shifts they will often live together and collectively pay for housing, heating, and light. If others are willing, they will also become housemates with other species and assist in menial tasks and paying rent in exchange for safe shelter.

Citizenship

Like other species, Dionae must apply for citizenship to be allowed sanctuary in a system, or face removal. However, this does not apply to Nymphs, only Gestalts. Some tests are involved in the process and are somewhat similar to the ones an IPC would take, such as one to determine their personality, and another, their intelligence and learning potentials. Gestalts must resubmit for citizenship and defend it's education (if it has one) each time a merging is made, as the Gestalt is technically not the same entity it was before. Once the process is complete, the Gestalt will have it's nymphs microchipped to better keep track of where the nymphs end up, and is a one-time process. It is much like microchipping a pet cat or dog, and is not harmful or hinders the Nymph in any way, usually installed along the back in the middle for easy scanning. The chip itself contains a summary of information about the Nymph, such as it's age and origins, and previous Gestalts it was merged as. If a re-merged Gestalt has all Nymphs chipped, the process of re-registering is made simpler and therefore shorter, completing it in almost half the time.

Legality: In civilized space, Diona Nymphs are considered an animal and fall under the protection of laws that pertain to and protect animals. If a Nymph is harmed by an individual, it is considered animal abuse and they will be charged accordingly. A Gestalt of three or more Nymphs is considered a person and is therefore protected under laws that pertain to and protect people. If a Gestalt is harmed by an individual, it is considered assault and they will be charged accordingly.

Education

Although Dionae can contain vast amounts of knowledge and possess extreme intelligence, the species still have to obtain the appropriate degrees for the occupation they wish to pursue in their chosen location of residence. This can be accomplished after being registered for citizenship. All newly-registered Dionae must complete and pass the courses required for their field if their degrees from past planetary systems is not recognized in the new location, or they lack one all together. Their education must be defended one year following the awarding of a degree, and then every five years there on out. However, that timer is reset due to the fact that after each merging, Dionae are required to defend their education along with their re-registration for citizenship due to the possibility of accumulation of new knowledge, and possible loss of information depending on the nature of the new merging.