Society Classes

Corporate Overlords and Cartels

Corporations and the Cartels run everything in Atlaan. If you’ve been there for a while and you haven’t figured that out, then you’re going to die pretty quick. Seeing as there is really nothing barring people from joining a gang, and it's the top of the social food chain, a lot of disenfranchised youth see it as a great way to work their way in life, when it's just a trap.

Corporations work together with Cartels to keep an entire class of people subjugated so they have cheap slave labor and young people willing to die for a cause that isn’t real. Cartels claim they are against the city of Atlaan’s government because they have forgotten about the people, but it's all a ruse. The Cartels are the government.

The Filthy Rich

This sort of includes the corporate overlords of Atlaan, but you don’t have to be one to be disgustingly rich. The huge wealth gap in Atlaan caused by years of corporations and gangs owning the town has created an elite class of people who are basically untouchable and can do as they please. They aren’t interested in owning the town, they are just interested in living life without consequences, and won’t really hurt you unless you step on their toes. Then watch out.

Law Enforcement

Since there is a Galactic Union Headquarters and branch of Slater Academy in Atlaan, law enforcement has a huge presence there. Sadly the corporations and cartels had long founded their status in Atlaan before the headquarters was built, so they are more like a weak defense force at this point.

The Union soldiers and Atlaan police departments hate each other because they see each other as simply people who are incompetent and don’t know what they’re doing. They blame each other for the high crime rates in Atlaan. They’re both not wrong, but they’re also not right either. The cartels and corporations have been manipulating them for years, getting them to not communicate with each other, hate each other, plant spies among them, etc. Whatever Law Enforcement does at this point in Atlaan is anyone’s guess.

Middle Class

This class is definitely shrinking in Atlaan. Working in the city and living in the suburbs used to be a great way to make money, but rent becomes more difficult to afford as prices go up from lack of corporate regulation and wages stagnant or decrease as well. Those that could afford to leave have left long ago for another town or even another planet in the Union. Most of those who are no longer in this class eventually end up in the lowest class of all. This class has little to almost no influence on the society of Atlaan, and is simply a group of people trying to live their lives outside the sphere of cartel and corporate interests, which is basically impossible.

Illegal immigrants, The Poor, Those Outside of Society

Paradis joined the Union not because they wanted to, but because the Empire kept on trying to colonize them over and over again. This is because they're the closest planet at the point where the seventh and the eigth realm meet. The eigth realm is the home of the Empire. Acquiring the planet of Paradis would be key to finally gaining more of what they want.

Which is basically everything.

Paradis decided to join for protection, and to piss off the Empire they allowed plenty of immigrants to join, many of them from Empire colonies, or are also refugees.

Some of the immigrants in Atlaan came there illegally, so they have to work the worst of jobs, and are taken advantage of by almost every part of society. They pay traffickers to help them leave the Empire, and sometimes they are tricked into slavery. The growing class of people under the poverty level doesn’t help either, which adds more competition for work and wages, further pushing income down or keeping it stagnant.

There are many people who live on the fringes of society, such as the street children, prostitutes, and the growing amount of homeless in the city. There is a growing amount of these three groups because of the cartels. The cartels traffick people, when they are done with them they throw them away, or if a woman falls pregnant they get rid of her.

With no other way to survive many turn to prostitution or just end up working for the cartel in a different way. Street children roam Atlaan because of the many young parents that die after joining gangs, and the lack of government social interference. It’s a vicious cycle. Those that are lucky enough to have a place to stay usually crowd up together in the many slums of Atlaan, which are all controlled by different smaller gangs in the area.

This is the biggest class in Atlaan, and is still growing.

Race

There are three main races of those native to Paradis. There are many other immigrant races, but they are numerous, so the only very few of those will be mentioned, because they will be pertinent to the story.

Naki

Known as the friends of the land. They are dark skinned, brown or black haired Paradisians with various eye colors and heights that inhabit all of Paradis. Most of them tend to be in the upper classes of Atlaan society.

Kana

Known as the friends of the sea. They have their own society in the sea, but still participate in that of those of the land infrequently. Their skin ranges from pale blue to dark purple. They prefer to stay away from Atlaan but come up for the Week of Night to celebrate.

Kina

Known as children of the land and the sea. They are human fish hybrids that can function on sea and land. They vary in appearance from appearing fully human, to looking more fish than human. They make up mainly the middle class and lower class of Atlaan society. They don’t really fit in on land, due to a strange sort of racism, so many of them eventually leave to live in the ocean with the Kana.

Alterians

Most of the refugees on Paradis come from the planet of Altera. Altera was colonized by the Empire, and it has been destroyed to the point of being uninhabitable. Many of them make up the lowest class of society, due to racism. They are ostracized and seen as animals because of their 4 arms, obscure hermaphrodite genitalia, and their tough, dark skin. Alterians are completely capable of higher thought, and had to fight for years to get equal rights as the other races that inhabit Paradis. They still face much discrimination and are referred to as slugs or worms.

Earthians

Many of those who work at one of the Galactic Headquarters were shipped over from Earth, which is where the closest other headquarters is. This has caused the effect of many in law enforcement coming from Earth as well. Most of them are middle class and they are seen as an other, but their status as law enforcement demands respect from society. Other immigrants see them as basically an ‘Uncle Tom’.

Refugees from the Empire

There are so many to list, and so many to mention, I really won’t bother, but decided to give a category and define it later. They aren’t pertinent to the story, but definitely give it some more in depth standards and realism. Realism in fantasy, HAH.

Culture

There is a huge emphasis in Paradisian society on love, family, and patriarchal structure. This is due to their religion and belief in Ahana. Ahana punished Uma and Ne because he loved them, and they didn’t know any better. Uma and Ne wanted a family and to love each other, which is paramount to all. There is a patriarchal society in Paradis because of their belief in Ahana, that he is a benevolent father who wants what's best for you, but sometimes has to punish you if you have been bad.

Religion has inadvertently created shame around things that are perfectly natural in their society. Birth of children is seen as a somewhat shameful event, because Uma was afraid of Ahana to see her sin. This is really strange and paradoxical considering how their society values family and love, and implies that there is shame around some aspects of sex. Her sin however wasn’t her children, it was lying.

Most of society has interpreted this in weird ways. Many see Uma as the patron saint of choice, free will, and defiance, and should be given godhood in her own right. Some see the Kina as children of sin, and treat them harshly. Almost everyone sees Kema as a destructive force, the antithesis to the family unit.

Paradisian society was originally very conservative, but changed due to the large influx of immigrants. It's still conservative in many parts of Paradis, but Atlaan is one of the most liberal cities of all. Since Paradisian society valued family above all, homosexuals were seen as the same as Kema, against the family. In fact many things that are seen as “destructive to society” are colloquially described as kema.

This thought isn’t as common in Atlaan.

Unlike most of Paradis, it is an autonomous city, with its own laws and regulations because of the large income it brings to all of Paradis. In the town of Atlaan, there is marriage equality, birth is not seen as a shameful event, in fact it is one of the few places on Paradis in which there is maternity leave. Abortion is legal in the case of putting the mother’s life at risk. Those outside of Atlaan sometimes refer to it as Kema’s Town, because of the high crime rate and the difference of values.

Many parts of Paradisian society are borrowed from other lands, especially in Atlaan, thanks to the high amount of immigrants. Immigrants celebrate their own holidays and festivals throughout the year, giving much more visibility to the positive parts of their culture.

Science is greatly cherished on the planet of Paradis, thanks to Ne. Ne is said to have created the sea lion, and people on Paradis believe they have domain over creatures of the land and the sea. This makes them open to many experiments. In Christianity, where they believe it means they can do as they please with nature, in their society they believe it means they must protect nature. Ahana did all the horrible things he did to Ne and Uma because he believed he was protecting them and punishing them for being bad.

People who pollute the ocean are given some of the harshest of crimes on Paradis, and Atlaan has one of the cleanest cities for a town with so many people.

Cuisine

Most of the food on Atlaan is rice, fish, beans, and vegetables. Yum <3

Holidays

New year Celebration, The Week of Night(Think of Carnival, but on steroids), The Night of Sin(celebration of free will and debauchery), Union Day(celebrates entering the Galactic Union), Friendship Day( kind of like valentines day), Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, various immigrant holidays, and best of all.

Parades

Who doesn’t like parades? Paradis throws many paradis, because life is for the living! In Atlaan they are especially intense, occurring all day and night. During the Week of Night they have a ton of visitors, adding to the insanity and hectic parades, excitement, fun, and sadly crime.

On the 4th Night on the Night of week, Paradisians lift little star lanterns into the sky with pieces of paper written on them describing their dreams. They hope that Ne in heaven can see their dreams just as he saw Uma’s and make them come true.

On the 6th night, the Paradisians lift red lanterns into the sky. They have papers on them detailing their regrets and their misdeeds against others. Symbolizes how Uma and Ne’s selfishness killed their family.

On the last night, it is known as the Night of Sin. Uma sinned against Ahana but she hid it from him in the dead of night. Paradisians celebrate this entire day of darkness with acts of debauchery.

Throughout the entire week celebrations are held, celebrating Uma giving all Paradisians the gift of defiance and free will.

One of the most favorite parades is when they hold a mock wedding on the 1st night, and betrothement during the 1st day, symbolizing the union of Ne and Uma. They choose a Kana girl and a Naki boy to have a mock marriage and celebrate the entire night.

I love parades :)

Funerals

Funerals are more centered around the act of focusing on how someone who has left you affected your life, good or bad. They wear red and white, the colors of the two suns circling Paradis, symbolizing blood, the essence of life. During a funeral, a pyre is set up, with the body put on it. Items that are important to the person or hold relevancy to them in their lives are placed on the pyre befor it its lit. The officiant then declares “These items mark the legacy you have left in our lives."

Various wreaths, flowers, and loving objects are placed next, and the officiant declares “This is the vessel that held the soul of the one we loved."

The person who was closest to them in their life is the one to light the pyre with a large stick, and says “Let the flames of the sun take us all in, making us born anew,"