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Description
(Pen and ink, comp coloring. Approx. 1.5 hours. Haha. Lookit the pig-lady. And the crazy spider-lady. My goodness.)

Phantasm society is an imperfect mirror image of its human counterpart. While human social hierarchy is based primarily on money, the phantasm home city of Figment is located in one of the poorest sectors of Quixotia, so there isn't a great degree of separation between the rich and the poor. Since there's less cash to squabble over, the class distinctions aren't quite as defined. In America, you have a definite upper, middle, and lower class, but in Figment you have two main groups, the 'families' and the 'figments'.

As a society, the phantasms have desperately attempted to model their behavior after the brief glimpses of human behavior that they've witnessed in the human realm. Socially and technologically they're decades behind, and it isn't likely that they'll catch up any time soon. Most houses in Figment are still lit with gas lamps, and the stiff customs of the Victorian era survive in the business district. By nature, most phantasms are childish and immature, monstrous reflections of their prey. They're clever and creative, but not mature enough as a species to challenge the traditions established by earlier generations. (Right now they're caught between the Victorian era and the 'Jazz' era. In some neighborhoods, it's possible to find a burlesque house, an opium den, and a jazz den standing side by side. Every flavor of debauchery imaginable is available for consumption at all hours of the night.)

Also, most phantasms believe that is is possible to be afflicted with the 'cooties' virus, and that it is possible to vaccinate against it by drawing a circle on your forearm with your index finger and pinching yourself.

The majority of phantasms come into existence through dreams to which particularly strong emotions are attached. Figment City's South Gate is directly connected to the human realm, and serves as an opening point to a channel of subconscious energy through which the stuff of dreams flows. Every year, a (small) number of infant phantasms make their way through the South gate, and are promptly outfitted, named, and dropped in the Orphanarium, the pre-k equivalent of a prison-academy. From there, they move on to the Haunting Academy, are ranked and sorted by appearance and ability, and are assigned a job inside the Figment Haunting Corporation, the one monster-sized business that all activity in the city revolves around.

Most phantasms are not social creatures, shunning the world at large in favor of keeping only one or two close friends. This arrangement serves as a sad facimile of a family, and provides just enough contact to keep them relatively psychologically healthy.

However, it is possible for certain types of phantasms to procreate and start true families of their own. This arrangement is vastly superior to the one earlier described, since infant phantasms benefit more from being nutured and cared for by two parents than by one nanny who has to split his attention between twenty-five+ charges. This is not an option for everyone, obviously. In fact, there are very few phantasms for which this is possible. Generally, phantasms that are more monstrous, more 'bestial' in appearance, are unable to start families with one another. (Although unfair, it is also rumored that 'bestial' phantasms are also less intelligent than their more humanlike bretheren. While they are often more childish in behavior, this can be attributed to the fact that very few of them were raised in the same nuturing, family environments as the phantasms more human in appearance. Call it a vicious cycle.) 'Bestial' phantasms are like pseudo-children. They're generally clever and creative, but emotionally insecure and easily frightened. They crave social contact and can be very affectionate, but are generally too shy and/or underdeveloped to pursue any sort of remotely romantic relationship. Instead of forming romantic relationships, they form one or two extremely strong bonds of friendship, and are very, very loyal to the few people that they trust.

'Human-like' is a pretty vague term, but it usually applies to those phantasms who are human in terms of physical proportions. Phantasms born naturally tend to be more mature and more analytical in their thought processes. While most adult phantasms behave like regressed human adults, or rather, adults with child-like tendencies, naturally born phantasms behave very much like their mature human counterparts. Although it is not always necessarily true, most positions of power in the Figment Corporation are held by naturally born phantasms. Out of the last eight Bungles, seven have been naturally born. (The one exception is Andy Shivers. According to some conspiracy theorists, several powerful families were responsible for his removal from power.)

So, 'figments' versus 'families'. 'Figments' are the phantasms who are born of human dreams. They, for the most part, do not have the same advantages as phantasms who belong to families, and so they consititute the majority of what could be considered the 'lower' and 'middle' classes. They hold less presitigious positions, often receive less pay, and are not held in the same esteem socially. Though there are no insititutions that are officially prejudiced against them, they are simply not accorded the same respect as their naturally born bretheren. If you can't trace your own bloodline back at least three generations, then you aren't going to be getting those dinner reservations or sitting at the front of the playhouse. (Of course, exceptions are made for those few figments who are highly ranked. It's nice to be able to throw a bit of weight around.)

'Families', especially those that have been around for many generations, constitute the 'upper class', or what could be considered the nobility. Although there are no ranks and titles in phantasm society, certain last names act as the equivalent. Phantasm families take pride in the continuity of their bloodlines. Particular abilities, those that would be considered useful in a bogeyman's line of work, can be traced back several generations in some families. These unique skills are so highly prized that members of the most powerful families are very cautious in the choosing of their maritial partners. In plainer terms, some families have gotten a bit snotty, and started up the practice of arranged marriages. This practice isn't very common among the general populace (since marriage isn't all that common anyways. Cooties complicate that.), but the oldest families and those young families that want to appear respectable still adhere to it.

Some of the major families in Figment include the Tombstones, Ghoulshines, Corvuses, Nightleys, and De'Corpuses. The Nightleys are a nearly dead line, with the current Bungle being the last to carry the name. With the rate at which phantasm operatives languish and die, whether from injuries or psychological problems, it's often difficult to keep a family line going. The De'Corpus family has achieved a sort of morbid notoriety for the brief lifespans of its sons. The De'Corpus line is one of the oldest in existence (they're a bit old-fashioned, and still adhere to the old gentlemanly code of conduct), and for every generation, at least one of its sons has served in Figement's 'legal' department. Serving in the legal department as an active lawyer basically cuts a bogeyman's life expectancy in half. Every single member of the De'Corpus family that has served as a lawyer has been killed in the line of duty (generally in a very painful, nasty way). However, for every one that dies, there always seems to be another to take his place. Father dies, son avenges him, lather, rinse, repeat. This is extremely frustrating to enemies of Figment, since the city's main defender of law an' order seems to be resurrected every twenty years or so. (Gottfried Shuffle, notorious S-ranked criminal, hates the De'Corpus family like you wouldn't believe. He's already killed three of them, lost his arm to one, and the youngest keeps after him like some sort of fiend.)

The Tombstone family has intermarried with every major family, and has connections all over Figment. According to some, they've got the Bungle in their pocket and are in charge of Figment Corporation's agenda. Ask Molly Tombstone, family heir and head of Figment's public-relations division, and she'll only wink at you.

While some families, like the Nightleys and De'Corpuses, seem to have done nothing but good for the phantasm community, others have...well...they haven't done some very nice things. The aforementioned Tombstone family, while putting on a friendly face for the community, is actually quite strict about protecting the purity of their bloodline. Molly's uncle, Jack Tombstone, was famous for being an eccentric. A friendly, foppish type, he once had a rather public affair with a banshee that resulted in him being saddled with a son that he was not ready to take care of and a family ready to slit his throat. The son was dropped outside of the South Gates and the father was...well...let's just say that he was 'disowned'. If 'disowned' means having his evening brandy laced with arsenic and his body dumped in a deep, dark region of Gallowyd forest.

Yes, in some ways, the phantasms are even worse than the humans that they model themselves after, taking the behavior that they witness to the extreme.

The illustration above just comes off as funny, I think. Gotta keep things a little light. You can see the two opposing groups don't always get along that well. The figments think that marriage is weird and still believe that storks deliver babies like the silly little pseudo-children that they are, while the old families think that beast-like phantasms are stupid and should go get their heads run over by a carriage or something. Yeah.

EDIT: Psychohazard brought up an interesting point. Would a figment raised by adoptive parents end up on the same psychological level as a naturally born phantasm? Yes and no. They'd end up more more mature, certainly, but since they were originally made up of the dreams/nightmares of children, those attributes would remain with them no matter what sort of emotional retraining they went through.

Description
(Pen and ink, comp coloring. Approx. 1.5 hours. Haha. Lookit the pig-lady. And the crazy spider-lady. My goodness.)

Phantasm society is an imperfect mirror image of its human counterpart. While human social hierarchy is based primarily on money, the phantasm home city of Figment is located in one of the poorest sectors of Quixotia, so there isn't a great degree of separation between the rich and the poor. Since there's less cash to squabble over, the class distinctions aren't quite as defined. In America, you have a definite upper, middle, and lower class, but in Figment you have two main groups, the 'families' and the 'figments'.

As a society, the phantasms have desperately attempted to model their behavior after the brief glimpses of human behavior that they've witnessed in the human realm. Socially and technologically they're decades behind, and it isn't likely that they'll catch up any time soon. Most houses in Figment are still lit with gas lamps, and the stiff customs of the Victorian era survive in the business district. By nature, most phantasms are childish and immature, monstrous reflections of their prey. They're clever and creative, but not mature enough as a species to challenge the traditions established by earlier generations. (Right now they're caught between the Victorian era and the 'Jazz' era. In some neighborhoods, it's possible to find a burlesque house, an opium den, and a jazz den standing side by side. Every flavor of debauchery imaginable is available for consumption at all hours of the night.)

Also, most phantasms believe that is is possible to be afflicted with the 'cooties' virus, and that it is possible to vaccinate against it by drawing a circle on your forearm with your index finger and pinching yourself.

The majority of phantasms come into existence through dreams to which particularly strong emotions are attached. Figment City's South Gate is directly connected to the human realm, and serves as an opening point to a channel of subconscious energy through which the stuff of dreams flows. Every year, a (small) number of infant phantasms make their way through the South gate, and are promptly outfitted, named, and dropped in the Orphanarium, the pre-k equivalent of a prison-academy. From there, they move on to the Haunting Academy, are ranked and sorted by appearance and ability, and are assigned a job inside the Figment Haunting Corporation, the one monster-sized business that all activity in the city revolves around.

Most phantasms are not social creatures, shunning the world at large in favor of keeping only one or two close friends. This arrangement serves as a sad facimile of a family, and provides just enough contact to keep them relatively psychologically healthy.

However, it is possible for certain types of phantasms to procreate and start true families of their own. This arrangement is vastly superior to the one earlier described, since infant phantasms benefit more from being nutured and cared for by two parents than by one nanny who has to split his attention between twenty-five+ charges. This is not an option for everyone, obviously. In fact, there are very few phantasms for which this is possible. Generally, phantasms that are more monstrous, more 'bestial' in appearance, are unable to start families with one another. (Although unfair, it is also rumored that 'bestial' phantasms are also less intelligent than their more humanlike bretheren. While they are often more childish in behavior, this can be attributed to the fact that very few of them were raised in the same nuturing, family environments as the phantasms more human in appearance. Call it a vicious cycle.) 'Bestial' phantasms are like pseudo-children. They're generally clever and creative, but emotionally insecure and easily frightened. They crave social contact and can be very affectionate, but are generally too shy and/or underdeveloped to pursue any sort of remotely romantic relationship. Instead of forming romantic relationships, they form one or two extremely strong bonds of friendship, and are very, very loyal to the few people that they trust.

'Human-like' is a pretty vague term, but it usually applies to those phantasms who are human in terms of physical proportions. Phantasms born naturally tend to be more mature and more analytical in their thought processes. While most adult phantasms behave like regressed human adults, or rather, adults with child-like tendencies, naturally born phantasms behave very much like their mature human counterparts. Although it is not always necessarily true, most positions of power in the Figment Corporation are held by naturally born phantasms. Out of the last eight Bungles, seven have been naturally born. (The one exception is Andy Shivers. According to some conspiracy theorists, several powerful families were responsible for his removal from power.)

So, 'figments' versus 'families'. 'Figments' are the phantasms who are born of human dreams. They, for the most part, do not have the same advantages as phantasms who belong to families, and so they consititute the majority of what could be considered the 'lower' and 'middle' classes. They hold less presitigious positions, often receive less pay, and are not held in the same esteem socially. Though there are no insititutions that are officially prejudiced against them, they are simply not accorded the same respect as their naturally born bretheren. If you can't trace your own bloodline back at least three generations, then you aren't going to be getting those dinner reservations or sitting at the front of the playhouse. (Of course, exceptions are made for those few figments who are highly ranked. It's nice to be able to throw a bit of weight around.)

'Families', especially those that have been around for many generations, constitute the 'upper class', or what could be considered the nobility. Although there are no ranks and titles in phantasm society, certain last names act as the equivalent. Phantasm families take pride in the continuity of their bloodlines. Particular abilities, those that would be considered useful in a bogeyman's line of work, can be traced back several generations in some families. These unique skills are so highly prized that members of the most powerful families are very cautious in the choosing of their maritial partners. In plainer terms, some families have gotten a bit snotty, and started up the practice of arranged marriages. This practice isn't very common among the general populace (since marriage isn't all that common anyways. Cooties complicate that.), but the oldest families and those young families that want to appear respectable still adhere to it.

Some of the major families in Figment include the Tombstones, Ghoulshines, Corvuses, Nightleys, and De'Corpuses. The Nightleys are a nearly dead line, with the current Bungle being the last to carry the name. With the rate at which phantasm operatives languish and die, whether from injuries or psychological problems, it's often difficult to keep a family line going. The De'Corpus family has achieved a sort of morbid notoriety for the brief lifespans of its sons. The De'Corpus line is one of the oldest in existence (they're a bit old-fashioned, and still adhere to the old gentlemanly code of conduct), and for every generation, at least one of its sons has served in Figement's 'legal' department. Serving in the legal department as an active lawyer basically cuts a bogeyman's life expectancy in half. Every single member of the De'Corpus family that has served as a lawyer has been killed in the line of duty (generally in a very painful, nasty way). However, for every one that dies, there always seems to be another to take his place. Father dies, son avenges him, lather, rinse, repeat. This is extremely frustrating to enemies of Figment, since the city's main defender of law an' order seems to be resurrected every twenty years or so. (Gottfried Shuffle, notorious S-ranked criminal, hates the De'Corpus family like you wouldn't believe. He's already killed three of them, lost his arm to one, and the youngest keeps after him like some sort of fiend.)

The Tombstone family has intermarried with every major family, and has connections all over Figment. According to some, they've got the Bungle in their pocket and are in charge of Figment Corporation's agenda. Ask Molly Tombstone, family heir and head of Figment's public-relations division, and she'll only wink at you.

While some families, like the Nightleys and De'Corpuses, seem to have done nothing but good for the phantasm community, others have...well...they haven't done some very nice things. The aforementioned Tombstone family, while putting on a friendly face for the community, is actually quite strict about protecting the purity of their bloodline. Molly's uncle, Jack Tombstone, was famous for being an eccentric. A friendly, foppish type, he once had a rather public affair with a banshee that resulted in him being saddled with a son that he was not ready to take care of and a family ready to slit his throat. The son was dropped outside of the South Gates and the father was...well...let's just say that he was 'disowned'. If 'disowned' means having his evening brandy laced with arsenic and his body dumped in a deep, dark region of Gallowyd forest.

Yes, in some ways, the phantasms are even worse than the humans that they model themselves after, taking the behavior that they witness to the extreme.

The illustration above just comes off as funny, I think. Gotta keep things a little light. You can see the two opposing groups don't always get along that well. The figments think that marriage is weird and still believe that storks deliver babies like the silly little pseudo-children that they are, while the old families think that beast-like phantasms are stupid and should go get their heads run over by a carriage or something. Yeah.

EDIT: Psychohazard brought up an interesting point. Would a figment raised by adoptive parents end up on the same psychological level as a naturally born phantasm? Yes and no. They'd end up more more mature, certainly, but since they were originally made up of the dreams/nightmares of children, those attributes would remain with them no matter what sort of emotional retraining they went through.