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(still in progress)
will format later!
setting: a semi-prestigious private highschool in the united states
plot: a group of students gather together to battle supernatural entities using
their elemental powers, while navigating the typical challenges of high school
such as grades, friendships, relationships, and existential crises.
characters:
books in series:
the realms:
the light realm is inhabited by the specters, morally variable supernatural
creatures who represent certain temperaments. this is also where their majestic
overlords dwell, reigning in detached glory. they rejoice in light, in magnificence;
they voraciously crave beauty. they are not moral beings. they adore compassion,
and they adore violence. above all, they adore pure, unadulterated emotion.
the light realm is also home to all symbols. the symbols are benevolent forces of
nature. they seem to act on their own as if they have consciousness. each symbol
forms a link with the human soul who bears it, and their celestial movements
have been known to align with the preservation of their bearers. it has been
speculated that this is a sort of defense mechanism to prevent the symbols from
falling to the ghost realm prematurely. it is unknown whether symbols are alive
or simply follow a naturally occurring pattern.
no mortal being has ever entered the light realm. some ghosts have caught glimpses,
but no one has ever entered who did not originate from it.
the ghost realm is an intermediate dimension set between the light and mortal realms.
technically speaking, it is a subsection of the broader mortal realm, as its light and shadow
is balanced. some mortals called "ghosts" are able to physically travel to this dimension and
observe what happens there. while mortals die, a fading version of them briefly
appears in the ghost dimension, then disappears. if a symbol's link to its human is
lost, it will descend into the ghost realm as well, often appearing as a diaphanous
rendering of that individual and acting in a similar way. the ghost realm is highly
populated with eight renderings of every human who has ever died. however, it is also
incredibly vast, and most renderings of these individuals become lost, though some
gather in ghost "cities". if mortals who are not ghosts enter the ghost realm, they will become
disoriented for a time, but the effect eventually wears off. it is best if non-ghosts are found by
ghosts and safely returned to the mortal realm.
since the ghost realm dimensionally overlaps with the mortal realm, ghosts and symbols can often see both worlds at once, while only physically existing in the ghost realm. this is not useful for spying, because people in the mortal realm can usually sense if a ghost is in a nearby area. symbols cannot be sensed, and symbols that have been separated from living humans will find them and attempt to reform a link, which rarely works (as the creation of such links exclusively occurs in the light dimension)
the mortal realm exists in the equilibrium between the light and shadow realm. it is directly adjacent to the ghost realm and the shadow realm. it is home to the physical matter that can be manipulated via medium-symbol conjunctions (powers). it is home to all living plants, animals, and people. most people are connected to eight celestial symbols, and are usually guarded by a specter. specters originate in the opposite end of the universe, where the light and shadow meet (this universe seems to be toroidal or ring-shaped, and the light and shadow realms meet directly at only one point, as their other meeting point is muffled by the mortal and ghost realms). specters are functionally immortal and can enter any realm. their sense of time is different than that of mortals, who experience every moment, and the overlords, who experience time as one long moment. they enjoy interacting with each other and with humans, and can multilocate. humans are influenced, but not controlled, by their specters. most humans do not enter the boundaries between the mortal and shadow realm, or the mortal and ghost realm, and do not pay much attention to their specters, or develop their powers to an excessive extent. excessive development of powers can lead to supernatural visions, unexpected transformations, dimensional irregularity, simultaneous usage of multiple symbols, access to symbols of other individuals, and other bizarre effects. the light and mortal dimensions cannot touch so when a symbolic link becomes too strong, these things may happen. star symbol-bearers are the most susceptible to these effects, as star symbols lay further into the light dimension and require a stronger bond to become accessible. suns and hearts are the symbols that linger closest to the light realm boundary, and are therefore more common.
the shadow realm is an immense region of the universe. it is impossible to truly observe or explore, and thus holds many secrets. several theories for the shadow realm have been posed: (not in order, i will organize later)
these reflections are pure shadow, but are differentiated from the rest of the shadow substance. shadow reflections (need a better word) are able to shift into the mortal realm and are indistinguishable from mortal matter. however, they are quite unstable as they are drawn back to the shadow realm and may vanish or reappear at any given instance.
mortal matter is also able to shift into the shadow realm and become indistinguishable from shadow reflections. this is an equally unstable state, as the entity of the shadow realm carefully pushes it back out, but the rate at which this happens is variable and unpredictable.
dimensional abnormalities occasionally occur in which mortal matter and shadow reflections are fundamentally transformed from one to the other. in these rare cases, the entity will find a way to revert the transformation.
humans who become trapped in the shadow realm lose their link with all symbols besides their dominant symbol, which falls to the shadow realm and may then be utilized by the entity.
some concepts:
"medium" - a medium is an affinity one may have to a specific category of matter.
they are caused by a particular genetic mutation, meaning one's medium is determined
by their dna. it is possible but difficult for one to change their medium. there are
seven mediums:
"symbol" - symbols exist primarily in the light realm and are linked to the soul and essence of every human being who is alive. one may choose any symbol they like to use, but the one they use most frequently will become dominant. it takes time, energy, and focus to access a less frequently used symbol. there are eight symbols:
represents creation
represents sense
represents change
represents thought
represents appearance
represents stability
represents emotion
represents force
(particularly for red sun:mayhem so as to avoid confusion. see "all characters" page to view all)
all characters
random idea: cetus and red were/are betrothed
represents mischief
represents affection
represents chastity
represents lust
represents decision
represents logic
represents insight
represents insecurity
represents chaos
represents morbidity
represents maternity
represents paternity
represents innocence
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