Voidic Proto-Culture

Overview

Voidic Proto-culture refers to the oral traditions, behaviors, and beliefs held by feral or wild gestalts within open space. Due to Environ-physiological factors, it is extremely widespread, yet fairly uniform. Among Dionae, they are simply referred to as The Voidic.

Psychology

Voidic Dionae lack the distinction between living, and unliving; sapient, and non-sapient. Amidst the plethora of celestial bodies, Voidic Dionae perceive the universe as a series of objects in states of action, and inaction. Whether this be an asteroid, a star, other species, or even the Dionae themselves. For this reason, it is very common for Voidic Dionae to refer to themselves and others using object pronouns in the third person. Because of this reductive equivocation between objects, Voidic Dionae often come off as primally amoral, and have long considered their kind to be the only species in existence capable of making observations about the universe in a meaningful manner, whether through age or lack of interaction with other aliens. Voidic Dionae have an image of the self that varies extremely differently from other species. Unlike other species’ conception of personhood, Voidic Dionae believe themselves to be emergent concepts or ideas constituted from their base parts. They may take many mind types, but this self perception remains the same, just contextualized differently. Consequently, Voidic Dionae will also treat other species as amalgams of beliefs, concepts, and ideas, unless the idea of ego or personhood is explained to them. For the most part, Voidic Dionae do not wear social masks or filters amongst themselves or other species. When a Voidic Dionae speaks, it is raw, sincere, unfiltered consensus.

Communication

The unique physiological properties of Rootsong are of great importance when discussing Voidic Dionae. Rootsong is not merely an auditory language, rather, a language which is transmitted concurrently via the electromagnetic spectrum through wavelengths. Dionae are able to transmit and pick up these wavelengths in a vacuum, creating a decentralized network of communication and information sharing that travels at a delayed rate across vast regions of the spur. This form of distant communication, coupled with the Dionae lifespan, has created a proto-culture that is fairly uniform, yet stubborn to change. Interestingly enough, Dionae are capable of picking up other radiological phenomena, such as those made from artificial structures, or natural formations in space. This gives them an intuitive understanding when it comes to navigating space, as they can literally sense certain phenomena around them. It is akin to ripples on the surface of a body of water. Cetus Gestalts have an important place in this network of exchanging ideas, as the larger a gestalt grows, the easier it will be for it to send and receive Rootsong messages to others. Cetus Gestalts, are therefore hubs in the network to intercept and receive messages from the surrounding area, and to other distant Cetus’.

Time, Perspective, and Relation to Other Species

Voidic gestalts have a sense of time and perspective that stretches further on than even Skrell. This is owing to their natural lifespan, and the radiological influence of Gestalts that have existed for eons. Species that lack the longevity of Dionae are almost universally referred to as “Temporals”, with some exceptions depending on individual gestalt interpretation. From the Voidic perspective, Encountering other sentient life is a relatively recent endeavor, with it being too early to tell what to make of the other races. Some are curious, eager to learn and see more from the temporals in the future. Some are empathetic, as the Voidic rootsong network is just as capable of picking up unencrypted electromagnetic or radiological transmissions from Temporal machinery as well. Just as numerous are those gestalts that are indifferent or even arrogant towards other Temporals, citing the shortness of their lives and creations as evidence that they will not be a long term feature of the Spur, and therefore, not worth much consideration in the long run. What most can agree on, at least so far, is that the Temporals of the Spur are worth investigating. For despite their lack of longevity, their mastery over technology is superior, and many have begun to regulate the passage of Dionae through their claimed space.

Linguistics

Dionae are able to quickly grasp other species’ languages, whether through blood, merging knowledge, or even conventional means. However, it takes considerable effort and practice for these Dionae use language in a manner that is organic to native speakers, instead opting for a speaking style that is borrowed from rootsong and consistently applied across all languages.

Voidic Dionae refer to themselves, and others, using object pronouns in the third person. Individual collectives will often refer to themselves as “The consensus”, “This collective”, or even simply “The gestalt”, as a means of specifically referring to themselves; the added bonus is that it prevents confusion when multiple gestalts are occupying the same space.

Voidic Dionae hold immense respect for the concept of titles or names. Whenever applicable, and if time can permit it, Voidic Dionae spare nicknames and acronyms in favor of referring to people and objects by their full names. As for speaking conventions, Voidic Dionae are incredibly verbose, relying on lengthy descriptions for objects in conjunction with a diction that snaps back and forth between being archaic, utilitarian, and poetic, often in the same sentence. Whereas other species might seek brevity in their language for convenience sake, Voidic Dionae will leisurely do the opposite. Unless something is imminently pressing, they quite literally have all the time in the spur for it.

That being said, deviations and exceptions do exist. No two gestalts are alike, and Voidic dionae might opt into a few more conventional speaking styles for the convenience of other temporals, or simply to keep pace in non-Dionae discussions. Nearly all share a lexicon of words that have come to have multiple interpretive meanings:

Voidic Lexicon, Syntax Examples

Voidic Lexicon

Harmony, Harmonious - The use of the word Harmony is used as a synonym to describe Balance, Health, and Cooperation.

Temporal(s) - Used to describe alien species. Close synonyms would be “mortals” or “time limited”

Consecutive(s) - Used as a noun and an adjective to describe objects and concepts that can indefinitely be maintained. “Ever-lasting”. Often refers to Dionae.

Echoes - Radiological traffic in space. Rootsong messages. Sometimes it refers to spoken language.

Resonance, Resonant - Used to either refer to when internal consensus has been achieved, if two or more entities agree on something, or share a friendship. "Like-mindedness." Antonym is Dissonance.

Terrestrial Spheres - Refers to planets, planetoids.

Void, Interstellar Medium, The Ways Between Terrestrial Spheres - Space.

Putting It All Together

To give a brief example of this all put to use:

• Ex. 1

“Sec to medical”

Would parse into:

“The Presence of The Security Department is requested in The Medical Department”

• Ex. 2

“I must return to my quarters, I’m tired.”

Would become:

“It must depart for The Residential Decks. The Consensus yearns for rest and respite.”

Note on Terrestrial Dionae

Terrestrial Dionae diverge significantly from their Voidic counterparts, the biggest reason being their inability to access the interstellar rootsong network, due to atmospheric or electromagnetic interference from their hosting planet. The ways these cultures develop are disparate, unique and variable to the point that they cannot be broadly defined the way Voidic proto-culture can be.