Glossary
Glossary items define how terms are used within stories and commentary. Glossary entries are updated to incorporate more information revealed within a story. All glossary items are available here. Browse glossary items in alphabetical order, by date published or sort them by the date they were updated.
Glossary in Alphabetical Order
A
- Alchemy
Alchemy, an ancient esoteric pre-cursor to chemistry, used symbols and allegory to simultaneously represent various aspects of the alchemical journey of transformation and hide their existence from those who did not know.
(view full entry) - Archives
the repository of information provided by those who were recruited and moved from the surface to become the first generation of habitat residents. They were invited to record their history, recollections, and cultural information for future generations.
(view full entry) - Asimov, Issac
Asimov was a professor of Biochemistry and a writer of science fiction. He wrote several books related to the collapse of a galactic empire, commonly called the Foundation Series, which eventually tied into several other series as well.
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Themes from that series can be found throughout the Nudge Stories as a homage. - Atmosphere
The mixture of gases surrounding the Earth makes all life possible. It holds in our breathable air, shields the planet from the sun’s radiation, and traps heat to warm the planet, preventing extreme temperature differences between night and day.
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B
- Balancing Needs and Wants
One of the fundamental principles of the Charter and its ethics is the equitable balance between community and individual interests. This is best understood as community needs taking precedence over individual wants and individual needs being prioritized over community wants, ensuring a fair and just approach.
(view full entry) - Bomb Shelter
A hardened area, typically built underground, was designed to shelter people during a wartime event.
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C
- Catastrophe, The
When it first happened, the phrase Catastrophe was commonly used to refer to the day of the nuclear exchange. Later, it became more common to use the term as referring to the entire time, from the nuclear bombings through the nuclear winter that ensued, killing almost all animal life forms on the surface.
(view full entry) - Charter, The
The Charter is the basis upon which all residents of the Habitats and future generations have placed themselves. It guarantees equality and provides the rights and responsibilities of those who have signed it and agreed to live under its provisions. The Charter requires honesty and transparency from those who serve as representatives, leaders, and journalists and anyone who speaks or writes publicly.
(view full entry) - Clearance
An ancient concept that allowed access to information that would usually be forbidden to be known by the general population. Holding a clearance meant that a person had undergone a background investigation that verified a person’s honesty and ability to withstand ordinary pressure to reveal information.
(view full entry) - Community Tasks
From the beginning, community tasks have played a pivotal role as people began living in the habitats. These tasks, often overlooked by the more privileged in the past, were the backbone of our community. The requirement for every resident to participate fostered a sense of unity and served as a powerful symbol of equality.
(view full entry) - Cooperative
A cooperative is a group of people who come together to work on a common goal and earn extra units. Their creation may be ephermal or substantial.
(view full entry) - COVID-19
The pandemic of the air-borne SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus swept the surface world beginning in early 2020 pre-catastrophe (pc).
(view full entry) - Creative Capitalism
A closed system of capitalization enabling individuals to explore their creativity and passions in a way that benefits society as a whole.
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- The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Written by Rick Rubin, a music producer 18 months before the Catastrophe, it connects creativity as a source of self-actualization. It speaks to Alexandra of her own spiritual connections as part of everything seen and unseen.
(view full entry) - Demagogue
Someone who aims to gain power by appealing to the prejudices of those they wish to control for their ends by making false claims and promises.
(view full entry) - Directed Social Evolution
A method by which learned instinctive behavior is modified to retain the original instinct that triggered it while neutralizing the adverse responses that led to the eradication of 99.97% of the world’s population.
(view full entry) - Directions
Habitat residents were oriented in a circular fashion, with speciific directions typically being used. Open entry for specifics.
(view full entry) - Donations
Donations are the combining of individual resources, such as units, food, and food subsidies, for a group’s benefit.
(view full entry) - Earth
Humanity’s original homeworld.
(view full entry) - Eatery
Originally known as the Canteen, the Eatery was the common name for the combination of dining hall and grocery available to habitat residents for everyday dietary needs. Eateries were located on each Culinary Floor at the outer wall and inner circle, with entrances at the compass points.
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