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Worldbuilding Spotlight: Vampires

Biology and Magic

WIP: Unnamed (doc 3)

Biology:

Vampires are nocturnal humanoids from the darklands of Velsaid. The darklands are, as their colloquial name suggests, lands shrouded in eternal darkness. It is always night there, which is why vampires are weak to the sun- they are evolutionarily not suited for harsh or bright light in general, let alone the heat of the sun. This is also why many of them are unnaturally pale.

Enhanced senses and echolocation abilities allow them to navigate in the dark. Poor eyesight is also a common trait among vampires, particularly those born outside of the darklands. Vampires have adapted to have night vision, but this trait often goes somewhat dormant in those who have been exposed to daylight since childhood. This leads to improper vision, in both day and night times. 

Vampires, while maintaining a much lower internal temperature than a human and living much longer on average, are neither a form of undead nor a condition spread through bites. They are naturally resistant to most human illnesses, and are on average faster and more durable than an average human. Full-blooded vampires must drink blood, and only blood. Half-vampires live off a balance of blood and iron-rich food, wherein the blood acts as the vegetable part of the “food pyramid” and iron-rich foods as the “meat/protein”. 

While it is possible for vampires to consume the blood of other creatures, it’s neither healthy nor recommended, and is not a sustainable diet plan. It’s to the same level of a “fad diet”, such as keto or paleolithic or no-carb. 

Vampires live an average of 300 years. As such, there are comparatively fewer of them than most other species, as well as a lower birth rate.

Magic:

Vampires are puppeteers. Their magical abilities typically lie in the realm of manipulation and control. The most common is Charm, a type of hypnotism/persuasion. It’s a magic similar to but much weaker than a siren’s Allure; once casted, those in range find themselves drawn to the caster, are more inclined to heed the caster’s words, and might not even recognize obvious dangers or threats in their vicinity. 

More powerful vampires are able to transform into bats and fly. They typically cannot do this for long periods of time, as doing so can impair their ability to return to their original form. In extreme cases, those who have morphed for too long may forget their original selves, even when forcibly transformed back.

The rarest few are able to use Puppeteering. As they’re weak to sunlight, Puppeteers use the corpses of humans to do their bidding in the day. They can then use this puppet as a hunting machine or blood vessel of sorts, sending it out to drink the blood of living humans, then returning so the vampire can consume the stored blood. Not every vampire is capable of this level of magic, and those that are, are unable to sustain it for long periods of time or incredibly long distances. Even among Puppeteers, it is uncommon to be able to command more than two at a time. 

Only one vampire is capable of the use of Hive Mind. This is the Vampire Monarch, a special being that is more powerful than the rest of the vampires. Hive Mind allows the Vampire Monarch to control and command all mature vampires so they may all work as one unit, similar to a superorganism. In turn, the Vampire Monarch’s life and magic is bound to the book of law during their coronation, so that they cannot utilize this ability in a way that violates their rules.

(Art isn't mine)

Worldbuilding Spotlight: The Monarch

WIP: Unnamed (doc 3)

The Vampire Monarch is the most powerful of all vampires. They have stronger magic and live much longer than all other vampires. There is only one of them at a time. Contrary to the title, the Vampire Monarch is not actually a traditional monarch as is seen in human royal lineages. The monarch is selected by nurses within the first 50 years of their life, typically once the reigning monarch shows signs of decline.

Monarchs are crucial to maintaining stability in the magic and vitality of vampires. The current monarch is Queen Morrigan.

Selection:

Monarchs are selected out of all children born during a specific time period, using parameters and qualifiers unknown to the general public. The selection has several rounds as they narrow down who would best fit their requirements. Once they've narrowed down the pool to anywhere from 3-5 candidates, they are moved into the castle. From there, the nurses begin attending to and feeding the candidates Royal Nectar, which is blood belonging to the Progenitor, the original vampire from which all vampires are descended from. This blood is is what allows the Monarch to become larger, stronger, healthier, and faster than all other vampires.

Once the candidates reach adulthood, whoever believes they're ready will announce this by challenging the other candidates to a duel, in which case the other candidates must fight to the death for the title of Monarch.

There is no turning back once the final rounds of selection has begun. Once a candidate is selected for the finals and begins receiving Royal Nectar, the only way out is death or coronation.

Abilities:

Aside from enhanced strength, durability, and vitality, Vampire Monarchs are capable of utilizing the skill Hive Mind. This ability allows the Monarch to control and command all mature vampires so they may all work as one unit, similar to a superorganism or collective consciousness.

Monarch are also capable of stronger degrees of typical Vampire abilities, such as Charm, Transformation, and Puppeteering (see Worldbuilding Spotlight: Vampires).

(Picture isn't mine)

Worldbuilding Spotlight: Witches

Biology and Magic

WIP: Unnamed (doc 3)

Biology:

Witches are humanoids whose origins sprung from the bridge between Velsaid and the mortal world. Though their physical traits do not differ from the variations displayed in the human genome, their lifespans are much longer and they possess greatly versatile magic. The average witch is expected to live around 200 years.

Contrary to common connotations, "witches" refer to the entire species and both sexes, rather than strictly female witches. However, since some magic is passed matrilineally (through mitochondrial DNA), the most commonly-spotted witches in the earlier centuries tended to be female, partially because they were more likely to leave their covens and venture into human settlements.

Magic:

The two main categories of magic are Common and Clan magic. Clan magic is a unique form of magic that manifests differently in each family. As previously stated, Clan magic is matrilineal, as it is passed through the mitochondrial DNA. This means that while all witches possess magic, witches that are male in sex are unable to pass clan magic onto their offspring. Clan magic cannot be learned or obtained through other means beyond genetic inheritance, though spells or potions with similar affects might exist. These substitutes are typically much weaker and less efficient than the inherited version. Clan magic typically manifests as traits or qualities, but those that manifest as abilities exist as well.

Within the subset of Clan magic, the two branches are Active and Inactive. "Active" Clan magic are traits and qualities that can't be "turned off", and are therefore constantly "active" such as enhanced durability or rapid healing. Those that are "inactive" must be intentionally used, such as telepathy. Clan magic is often the most instinctive and first to manifest in witches. However, it has its limits. Inactive Clan magic has a tendency to be more dangerous and difficult to control. However, it also tends to be more powerful than Common magic. Active Clan magic is safer and doesn't require control. It doesn't "drain" a witch the way Common or Inactive magic can. However, it tends to be weaker than even Common magic alternatives of the same ability (though not always).

Common magic is the magic that all witches are able to wield. This can come in a range of forms, from elemental to utility to combat-based. Most witches use Common magic in their daily lives, from healing injuries to making their tea stay warmer for just a bit longer.

Magic, being so untameable a force, requires much practice, skill, and control. Therefore, in order to learn how to properly control their magic, young witches are taught using wands, which serve as conduits that focus and strengthen their magic control, much like a metal rod for electricity.

Once strong enough, witches will abandon wands and perform their magic on their own. However, there are still occasions in which they will opt to use a wand, typically when casting magic above their own caliber, as the wand will serve to amplify their own magic and lessen the burnout. If performing a particularly powerful and/or dangerous ritual or spell, they might choose to use a staff, which is far stronger than a simple wand.

(Picture isn't mine)

Character Spotlight: Megumi "Meg" Wilson

WIP: Asteria Heights

Role: Main Character

Age: 19 Species: Witch (half human) Gender/Sex: Cis woman (she/her) Orientation: Asexual Family: Fumiko Wilson (mother, 45), Benjamin Wilson (father, 47), Kai Wilson (brother, 12) Background: Meg is a born resident of the Asteria Heights Gated Community and attends the local community college with her best friend, Aven. She's the oldest of two. Her and her brother used to occasionally receive painting lessons from their neighbor Francesca. Abilities: Zoolingualism (Clan magic), Common magic

(Pictures aren't mine)

October 1, 2008

Despair.

When despair felt like the best alternative to happiness, it was easier said than done to try and improve. The world was how it was going to be and there was very little I could do to change it… let alone the circumstance I was put inside.

Assistance was something I could only hope for.

Friendship wasn’t likely.

Love isn’t common.

Life never played in my favor. Almost like some story being written as the days went on—nothing was planned, just improvised for someone else’s enjoyment.

All the despair I feel from a life not lived has caught up. This life should have control, maybe I should try after so long.

Today will be the day

While I'm in the midst of posting my college romance *ahem*here*ahem* I'm also working on like 20 million other stories, very specifically two stories I'm revising from my childhood.

I need to stop gatekeeping my damn stories so I figured there's be no harm in brain storming here.

👏

So, there are two stories somewhat connected as they share the same universe. My main issue is I need better world building. Rn, both these stories are just BOTW or OOT, and I don't wanna copy them.

I'm not set on having a world with extreme climates but just a world with a lot of mystery to tie in with bith the stories themes.

Oh, what are the two stories about? Well I'm glad no one asked.

One is titled Kingdom of Bumalia and it's a origin story, since I like Zelda think of it as the Skyward Sword of my universe. The people of this world are de-evolutions of the "normal" humans that show up later. It's a spin on the classic thought of evoultuon that humans evolved from monkeys or lizards. My species are called Bumalians, their defining trait is they all have some animal apendage. For ex. My MC Cassie is a rabbit born from a rabbit mother and a wolf father, which every trait was more dominate, is what the child ends up with. So far I have:

Rabbits,

Birds (specifically hawks)

Wolves

Insects (I'm terrified of bugs so I really only have one that's been described -_-')

Aquatic animals (Dolphin, mermaid, and an Orca)

And Mice

During the course of revising this story, I added a TON of animals. Originally, I really only describes the main characters which were three wolves, two rabbits, the family of hawks, and a Dragonfly. I know now I need to add more and that's what I did. However, I can't just have animals, I need other things.

I creates a fruit called a Magadear and a herb called Grayseed for tea. I of course need more, but I'm just too disorganized to actually come up with some.

I wanted to make a staple flower for a certain scene that involves the Kingdom's current Queen, so I'll be thinking about that along the way.

Really I'm posting this (and a few others) in case anyone has any good ideas. Some people come up with things that get my brain flowing and it's always nice to discuss fictional worlds, who knows maybe we can start some kind of thread of ideas and play around with stuff!

I usually have a ton if fun discussing stories and I'm honestly missing that. This is a good way to get back into it.

All the Screams World Building >

Oh, here we are again 👋

Honestly my entire life is absorbed by my stories and I give myself headaches from thinking about them. If you're like me, maybe we would get along, idk.

Anyways, this time my world building is more about the environment.

All The Screams is a story I wrote in highschool to display my feelings of what I deemed was a "curse" that bad things always seemed to happen to me. I don't mean like I lost my pencils, I mean I would sometimes have to redo entire assignments thanks to my teacher losing my work 🤦

That stuff bothered me as a kid so instead of rebelling, I became a nerd and made this story.

Little Miss Ann was so invested in this story she even drew stuff for it.

Prepare for amateur art from a highschooler though I pretty much didn't get any better than this

(as usual) Cassie

Kyo (I never finished him 😔)

Curil (who's the most badass one)

Quana in her two different forms

During the course of the story, these guys meet up in a variety of ways, most uniquely is Quana who is a fairy spirit who acts as a parasite.

Then I made monsters

That last one is the main antag, and in order to not spoil anything (in case anyone wants to ever read this), it's meant to be a creature that has no form, it changes from time to time, but when I got my 1st phone, this is the very first thing I did with a drawing app 🤓

These monsters are very important to the story. They frequently become obstacles for the crew and sometimes they need to find something in order to progress.

So, I clearly need more monsters and plethora more of fauna and flora, but while this story digs its grave in my mind, this is all I can do.

< Kingdom of Bumalia

The Demonic Repentance >

So this time, I'm gonna talk about a world I actually have built. I had the chance to have a beta reader give me a few ideas, but it was more solidifying the lore.

The Demonic Repentance is as the title suggests, a repentance for a demon. What sin has he committed? Well, maybe one day you can read and find out ☺

But, I'll still talk about the atory in a spoiler-less manner.

I was OBSESSED with the Rinmaru OC Maker/dress up games and made tons of makers. I would make around 2 or 3 with every new story I made. These are with the MC Akuma and his love interest (you guessed it) Cassie.

(Btw, just in case, the plot for the vampire AU, aka the above image, is the typical human x monster and their offspring is hunted down)

Cassie looks nothing like she's supposed to (she's African American), but the demeanor is still there so I'm still okay with these and don't mind attaching them.

But, the world building in here was mostly done out of a need to attach Akuma and Cassie.

Cassie is an Angel and Akuma is a Demon, so I wanted them to have more "opposites attract" kind of thing and added a pecking order.

Angels have 3 attributes

Ice

Fire

Light

These three attributes are ordered in a way where there are naturally strong Angels and naturally intelligent Angels.

"Strong" can be physical or mental

While "intelligent" can be general or emotional

Ice Angels are typically intelligent emotionally and their Ice works in a way to regulate emotions. Ice Angels usually don't have need to fight and are comparable to the "healer" role, barely any Ice Angels actually know how to fight. They usually suffer from lack of confidence, low strength, and low self image, but have a high EQ and are easily befriended.

Fire Angels are more adept physically and usually have an immense power to them. Not only do they have strong flames, but they also have a commanding presence. They are usually well liked and have personalities that are hard to hate. However, they are usually are head strong and make enemies with Light Angels. It's common for Fire Angels to also lose themselves in the heat (lol) of battle.

Light Angels are a mix of both. Some can be very powerful, while some can choose to be studious. Either way, Light Angels have a way of getting what they want and are stubborn about changing that goal. While they can't control Light, they act as a guide for it. They are also very flexible and can do multiple things in their field of focus. They focus so much on what they want that the usually unintentionally tell off someone who has no ill intent. Light Angels are also very opinionated and often find themselves in arguments with their peers.

Meanwhile Demons can only be Fire (cuz Lucifer was a Fire Angel in my world), but they have different Sins attached to them. For ex. Akuma has the sin of Pride and that makes him very resilient and willing to fight to the end. Something like that exists for all the seven brothers sins.

These attributes can also come with a personality trait:

Ice Angels are attractive to every Angel and Demon.

Ice Angels are very picky, but are also helpless romantics

Fire Angels and Demons are more likely to fall in love with Ice Angels

Light Angels usually don't marry or form many close attachments

Light Angels are quick to form a hatred for Demons

Ice Angels are compassionate to everyone, including Demons

The physical part of the world is something I enjoyed making. Both Angels and Demons have wings, but they're only visible to other angels and Demons or Humans who no longer have a soul.

While Angels and Demons don't have a set ethnic group, most Ice Angels are women while most Fire Angels and Demons are men.

Abilities do exists, but it hinges more on the individual and what they want to do. So an Ice Angel can make a weapon or a Light Angel can manipulate the very light around them.

Tbh, if you can't tell this is my favorite world 🙆

< All the Screams

??? >

Ugh

I'm starting to fall in my trap again. I'm trying not to fall into the mindset that "no one cares so don't do anything"

Just to keep myself from slipping I'm gonna try and contiune my world building series. (I was actually gonna post a small story about this world, but it wouldn't make any sense unless you read the full piece or at least knew something about it.)

The State of Quandary

I absolutely love this story and back when I first starting writing this, I subjected my friend to explanations about the plot and the characters.

So, this is a long post, be warned.

Oh, but I'll plug my story as usual, check out normalities if you have the time 👋

The plot revolves around a highschool, Holma High, < school colors.

The city the school resides in is littered with crime. Any you could imagine lives here and within this school perpetrates the next leaders, by essentially forcing students to join groups based on some form of oppression they face.

After I decided that, I wanted to make the school the hub and made characters to be the leaders.

So, I'll go through each of them.

Cassie and Fang are unaffiliated but at the start of the story they band together for an ultimate goal Fang has.

However, Cassie is an information specialist and is friends with nearly everyone in the school. If she's not friends with them, then she knows them and anything they get involved with. She also gives everyone she works with a nickname and that is invaluable at the school. Most use it as a sign if you're trustworthy or not.

Fang is simply a rebel rouser who attempts to defend anyone he feels is being wrongly harmed. He's prone to getting into fights and is known around the school for being a hot head.

As for the secondary characters, I'll go in order of their appearance. If you want more detail on them, lmk. I might make separate posts to detail their personalities and such.

Amirani

Pronounced (Ah-me-ra-ne)

(I also drew them so.... I'll post it, but don't judge too harshly 🙇)

Ami is the leader of the group ALTRAZ. It's meant to be a street gang that takes the rep for people involved in the wrong things. They also dismantle groups that are extremely violent. In addition to that, they are also "stationed" in prisons to break wrongfully convicted inmates out and to listen in on any police corruption.

Oh and here's Cassie and Fang

Bushimaru

Pronounced (Boo-she-ma-rue)

His nickname is Levi because I based his appearance on Levi from Obey Me! Sorry not sorry. He is the leader of a Yukuza style gang called Bakesama. I'm trying to learn Japanese and in my nonsense attempt to make a unique name, I came up with this. I took Bakemono (monster) and added the honorific -sama to essentially mean "Lord of the Monsters." Their group saying is "We are children of the earth. We respect those we share a world with; if not, then like the monster you are, you'll be sent back to where you belong." They go after anyone who cannot be tried under the eyes of the law or someone who gets away with a crime based on power, money or influence.

Danai

Pronounced (Dan-eye)

! Trigger warning for domestic and other forms of abuse !

A victim of childhood abuse from her father, Dani has a strong dislike for men and created a safe group for battered women, abused young girls and small children of any gender called Celestial Haven. She aims to catch "john doe" in the act by setting them up or outright exposing them. Her group also infiltrates the lives of the rich and powerful by dating or being the "sugar baby" of the individual. She made a safe space for women who have had any kind of violence or crime acted against them and actively turns men away unless they prove they're "one of the good ones"

Cecilia

I think this is a normal name lol

Cece is the head of the Costa Family which is a mob family. While she has many duties, her main goal is to eliminate anyone who unnecessarily puts her city in harms way. So drug and weapon trafficking are her main concern. She's friends with many high ranking officials including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Cece is known for her beauty and she uses that to her advantage, getting meetings with people who would otherwise wouldn't even look in her direction.

Emeryk

Pronounced (Em-mer-rick)

A young genius who at the age of 15 engineered a biochemical weapon. He doesn't really care who wants something made, his group is formed based on their desire to experiment and find new ways to old solutions. Their group is named the Chemical Compound, but they themselves don't often refer to themselves as so. Their desire is to learn and experiment on things no one else will. So if someone approaches them with a less than appropriate offer, if they take an interests in it, they'll help regardless of the problems that may arrise.

Now, onto the main antagonists.

This story does have a "man vs. Society" conflict, but it only happened because of these two:

Gavin and Jayvee Reller

Two of the most infamous individuals. Born as twins, by the time they were in middle school, they were controlling most of the city by their good looks and charm or by brute force. They both take any means necessary to get what they want and there's not a single person who wants to be on their bad side.

Gavin (left) is the older of the two (by two minutes) and is charming to a degree that's almost frightening. He's good with his words and has a way of understanding exactly how people act and feel just by speaking with them. Out of the two, everyone fears him the most.

Jayvee (right) talks more with his fists and is constantly used as their "muscle." However, he's not just brawn and has a similar manipulative streak about him. He uses his good looks against women to con them into doing what he wants. Anyone who doesn't listen, he makes it his mission to break them.

I made this story based on the feeling that the world I grew up in as a kid felt anxiety inducing. The internet was (and still is) a dangerous place for kids, the world was crumbling right before my eyes and it never felt like any adult could understand the fear I held for growing up or even going outside. I wanted to physically show that and I think I did a good job considering some of the things I heard from people as a kid.

Also, this is a manifestation of my love for True Crime and Psychology. So there's that too lol.

< The Demonic Repentance

> A Fourth Dimension Reality (TBA)

Back to the main worldbuilding stuff 🤓

A Fourth Dimension Reality (or A4 for short) is a story about two teenagers with out of this world powers (aka Superman). They're on a mission to find out more about themselves so there's a lot of exploration I have in here.

Dimension tears in reality called Rifts

Out of the world creatures called, Blood Borns, Selestials, 4th Dimensional beings, Ahgels, Demohns, Ghosts, Spirits, and Dream Eaters.

Rifts - Dimensional tears in the universe that are invisible to the average human. 4th dimensional beings however, have the ability to feel these rifts because if the overwhelming amount of pressure in a certain area. Some humans even have the ability to see the energy that comes off a rift and locate them that way. Also rifts have a time conversion and fair warning: I'm bad at math and it took me a long time to figure out this conversion. But, I believe what works is this:

It took me way to long to figure this out, so if it's wrong o well

Blood Borns - Someone is considered one when they are born in their proper dimension. So, if a 4th dimensional being is born in the 4th dimension, then they would be considered a Blood Born, if not they are simply a Being.

Beings are a classification for anything that's not human.

So...

Selestials - Are a species of rock beings that get their energy from the crimson earth they live on. Almost an "AU" of earth, where they reside is a wasteland where minerals and other elements are very abundant. They feed off of these minerals and make their very souls out of materials of the earth.

Ahgels - (I just came up with the name btw) These are "angels" who do everything angels aren't supposed to. They participate in every sinful act known to man and put under the guise that they are giving "heavenly experiences." There's also very little females who are Ahgels.

Demohns - Are "demons" that exists to assist anyone who's strong enough to resist Ahgels. Made up of mostly women, they help break the trance most fall into when being enticed by Ahgels, however this has made them a threat and they were sealed away.

Ghosts - Like the real world equallivent, ghosts are individuals who are deceased, but they are called a "ghost" when they're aimless on the physical plain. Ghosts have lost their purpose or don't know where their body is so they can pass on.

Spirits - Are souls that chose not to leave the physical plain for some reason. To haunt someone, because they don't want to leave or simply because they don't want to pass on.

Dream Eaters - These are creatures that consume dreams and turn them into a physical handicap. They are virtually extinct, but there's still information on them. Since dreams are just distorted memories, if a Dream Eater consumes a dream, they can trace it back to the memory it's attached to and then impose the importance of that memory onto the individual she took it from. Effectively "weighing them down."

There's also smaller things such as how dimensional beings are born outside their dimension. What are the exact abilities of a human who can see rifts. The different variations of rifts. How to locate a rift and so on, but that's small stuff, so I'll leave it at that!

Thank you for reading and I hope you write well today or tonight.

I love building character relationships and the impersonal ties between different species, races, and other characters in my stories.

I really like to explore all the different ways people can relate (or not relate) to one another.

What do you love most about your story's world building?