Dreams
What is a dream?
You know that dreams are the series of images that play in your mind when you sleep, or that drift briefly through your mind when you are awake - evocative images brought up from your subconscious by the play of your emotions.
What you don't know, however, is that dreams are alive. They are sleek, insubstantial, fluttering little creatures that feed on emotions... and they visit sleepers and the wakeful alike, whispering silently in their ears and minds to bring up those images that make them feel.
What you don't know is that dreams can be bonded to their dreamers, and that a person who owns and raises a dream will forever have a loyal companion to protect him or her from wild dreams and nightmares.
A Dream is bright in color and in outlook, and feeds on a specific positive emotion. It has a particular image that it can give to its owner at any time, sleeping or waking. The image may help the owner focus or stay calm, and will generate a small amount of the emotion the Dream needs. Dreams get their necessary sustenance whenever their owners feel a little of the emotion they need, whether it is directed at the Dream or not.
Some Dreams are darker, both in color and in outlook. These are Nightmares. Nightmares feed on emotion too, but they feed on negative emotion. Their images may unsettle the owner, but this is a small price to pay for being forever protected, completely, from wild nightmares. The only bad dream a Nightmare's owner will ever have is the quick and fleeting image the Nightmare possesses. Nightmares get their necessary sustenance whenever their owners feel a little of the emotion they need, whether it is directed at the Nightmare or not.
Dreams and nightmares are physically genderless, but most choose to act and identify as one or the other, though it's not necessary.
1. A dream egg is weightless and translucent. The color of the egg suggests the color of the hatchling. Dreams develop their adult patterns as they grow. The color and pattern will be clearer at each stage.
The egg will hatch in two to ten days after a person first touches it.
You will need to direct link your dream until it reaches its final stage, at which point I request that you find your own host.
Photobucket is a free and excellent host.
A dream will hatch in 2-10 days, remain a juvenile for about a week, an adolescent for about a week, and then become an adult. Eggs that are kept close to their bonded dreamers may hatch more quickly.
2. A juvenile dream is small and clumsy. Its mind is still nearer to that of an animal than that of a person. It speaks only in squeaks, shrieks, clicks, and chitters, and can mind-send only emotions.
3. An adolescent dream is gaining some grace and control, and learning to think and speak. It still can speak aloud only in chitters, clicks, and squeaks, but its sounds are beginning to resemble words. It can mind-send simple words and sentences as well as emotions.
Adolescent nightmares start to differ from dreams at this point. They are sharper and leaner.
Adolescents may start to show signs of minor magical abilities at this point - a dream with a talent for fire might begin to be able to produce a flame above its jewels for a few seconds, a dream with a talent for wind might be able to make a little breeze blow. (It is up to the owner to determine what abilities a dream may develop. No powergaming, please. If you're not sure if a certain type of magic is okay, ask. I won't bite.)
4. An adult dream has a great deal of grace and balance, and a sharp mind to go with them. It can speak in its owner's primary language and learn other languages, though its speech will always be accented and croaking. It can mind-send both speech and emotions.
Adults develop their magical abilities when they mature; a fire-talented dream could light small flames, a wind-talented dream might call a wind, or start a few clouds.
Adult nightmares grow a strange, sharp charm on the undersides of their wings. This charm keeps nightmares tame, so to speak; without it, they could go wild and evil. A charmless nightmare is a frightening and darkly malevolent thing. A dream whose owner dies or wilfully abandons it may become a wild nightmare.
Dreams who are actively roleplayed and have bred become eligible to become Elders! Elders are larger, stronger, and sleeker, their bodies and minds developed to their full potential. Their speech becomes easier, and their magical abilities more powerful.
To become an Elder, a Dream or Nightmare must have bred once and been actively roleplayed for at least two months, in this shop or elsewhere. Active RP is once or more a week on a consistent basis, or consistent for over six months. There are over 200 Dreams; if it's been two months since I last updated your Dream, and I can still immediately name it and know its personality, you're there.
If you feel I've overlooked you or if you RP elsewhere, please call it to my attention!
Currently eligible Dreams:
Auriga - Rheidun (image complete)
Junyi - Chee
mahii - liaeri (working)
Lady_Morgan123 - Vialle (working)
Perri Indiya - Sora (working)
Syrie - Uisce
Eligible pending breeding requirement:
Draconayzia - Ishana, Nevada
Friskit_Geeba - Qey'qin
Lady_Morgan123 - Jalena
Kit-fallen - Sythleitiya
Recently, mutations have been showing up in a few Dream and Nightmare eggs. Mutants are a little unusual; none are found in the wild, as they need the care of a bonded Dreamer to survive past juvenile stage. When bonded, however, they grow to be healthy Dreams like any other, other than their unusal appearances and perhaps a slightly stronger talent for magic.
The mutation begins to show at adolescent stage, and is a genetic trait that can be passed to offspring.
(Concept and mutant Dream lineart edit by Arezou, mutant Nightmare lineart edit by Prolixity)
Daydreams are genderless, and do not breed. They grow more quickly than dreams. They make no sound, and mind-send only emotions. A daydream emits a soothing aura that calms its owner and clears its owner's mind.
If you prefer to keep your dream young, you may purchase a lucid charm to be attached to your dream's jewels.
= 150 gold
The lucid charm will immediately awaken the young dream's mind and halt its physical development at the point when the charm is attached. A dream wearing a lucid charm has an adult mind and can mind-send speech and emotions, but can only speak at the level its growth has been halted at. A dream with a lucid charm is unable to breed, because its body is not fully grown. The charm cannot be removed. If you would like to attach a lucid charm to your dream's jewels while it is a juvenile or adolescent, send a trade for 150 gold, with "Lucid charm" in the title.
Idle Thoughts are just that - the physical manifestation of a little wisp of idea or thought, not even big enough or bright enough to be a Daydream. They are palm-sized, cute, brainless balls of fluff, somehow endearing despite their complete stupidity.
Because it's easier to RP when you know how big the creature you're playing is, here's a sketch showing the sizes of dreams in all their stages as compared to an average human:
Sentinels
Sentinels are creatures from the world of Dream. Wild, they are the natural predators of Dreams; but when bonded to a dreamer, they can be raised to consider Dreams as family and companions rather than prey.
Sentinels are magivores and carnivores. They eat meat and foods high in protein, and also consume magic. Usually Sentinels are satisfied by the ambient magic in the world they exist in, but a hungry Sentinel may seek out and drain unattended magical artifacts.
Sentinels purr, growl, roar and bark, as well as having the capability to speak telepathically. Adult Sentinels have enough control over their "voices" to project a quiet "whisper" to a single person, "speak" to a room, or "shout" over a wider area.
Bonded Sentinels are the traditional guards and companions of royalty in the Court of Dream.
1. Coal
Sentinels are born from flame. Each Sentinel manifests from a coal that burns with a cool blue fire. These coals burn without consuming and can be held safely in a hand. Sentinels remain in coal stage anywhere from 5-15 days.
2a. Female cub and 2b. Male cub
Cubs stand about a foot to a foot and a half high at the shoulder. Their claws and tailblade are soft and not fully formed yet. They are children, still learning about the world and learning to communicate. Cubs may show signs of emotion projection, but it is usually not under control yet. Sentinels remain cubs for 1-3 weeks.
3a. Female adult and 3b. Male adult
Adults stand about three feet tall at the shoulder. They have mastered their bodies and minds, and tend to be quite graceful and acrobatic. Females are usually slightly larger and stronger than males, while males tend to have slightly more finesse with their magics, speech and projections. Adults have finely tuned telepathic abilities, and can project emotions or a wall of blankness. Some adults may be able to learn ritual spells as they grow in age and wisdom.
Lucid charms can also be purchased for Sentinels, and will appear on a band around the cub's wrist.
Sentinels have the option of a final stage, like Dream and Nightmare Elders. The Elder stage for Sentinels will be an
anthropomorphic form, each with unique lineart.
Sentinel concept partially inspired by a description written by Zydeco.
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