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I'm having a little trouble classifying the race of a character I'm writing for fun.

He's a demon, but I'm trying to figure out exactly what kind of demon, or if that's even necessary.

I'd like for him to be a specific kind of demon, just because it'd be much better and less Sue-y than him saying "I'm a demon" and striking a cool pose.

I'm thinking his physical features would only really include tattoos, perhaps some increased bone visibility and, naturally, horns. Like the horns in the Ramune item that I'm questing.

Anyone have any good ideas as to what kind of demon he can be? Or any tips on creating a demon race of my own, without falling into the generic demon-sue-ness?
DELIXIOUS FRIXION
I'm having a little trouble classifying the race of a character I'm writing for fun.

He's a demon, but I'm trying to figure out exactly what kind of demon, or if that's even necessary.

I'd like for him to be a specific kind of demon, just because it'd be much better and less Sue-y than him saying "I'm a demon" and striking a cool pose.

I'm thinking his physical features would only really include tattoos, perhaps some increased bone visibility and, naturally, horns. Like the horns in the Ramune item that I'm questing.

Anyone have any good ideas as to what kind of demon he can be? Or any tips on creating a demon race of my own, without falling into the generic demon-sue-ness?

Look up demonology on google or your local library.
The Phoenix Rises Again
Look up demonology on google or your local library.

I've done that, thanks.

I'm wondering if there's anyone who's got some knowledge on demon types which aren't particularly tied to a certain religious background, as most of Wikipedia's demonology lists are.

I'm looking for a religiously neutral list of demon species. Do you know if there's any other search terms I should be putting in there, aside from just "demonology"?

Also looking for feedback from folks who've created their own demon or other races, and any thoughts they have on where to draw inspiration or ideas, and their opinions on the process in and of itself.

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DELIXIOUS FRIXION

I'm wondering if there's anyone who's got some knowledge on demon types which aren't particularly tied to a certain religious background, as most of Wikipedia's demonology lists are.


Demons are inherently tied to religion. If you have a demon not relateed to a reliogion, you'll haave to explain how that works.

DELIXIOUS FRIXION
I'm looking for a religiously neutral list of demon species.

Demons come from religion. There are no 'non-religion-related' demons. Demons don't work that way.

DELIXIOUS FRIXION
Do you know if there's any other search terms I should be putting in there, aside from just "demonology"?

You'll have to find a less religion-related mythological creature for that, first.

If you've looked up demons, why didn't you pick up that they were purely religion-based?

Distinct Conversationalist

DELIXIOUS FRIXION
I'm wondering if there's anyone who's got some knowledge on demon types which aren't particularly tied to a certain religious background, as most of Wikipedia's demonology lists are.

I'm looking for a religiously neutral list of demon species. Do you know if there's any other search terms I should be putting in there, aside from just "demonology"?

Also looking for feedback from folks who've created their own demon or other races, and any thoughts they have on where to draw inspiration or ideas, and their opinions on the process in and of itself.
I'm gonna have to go with Ivre and Pheonix on this: if you can call it a demon, it comes from a religious background. What's more, since anything that can be translated as a "demon" means it's inherently evil, and thus comes from the most morality-centric part of that religious mythology.

HOWEVER, there is a work-around, and I think this might be what you're looking for: mythological creatures that are not demons. Like, for example, faeries. They work pretty well for pretty much anything: they can have any physical description (they don't even have to be humanoid) and their morality can have pretty much any range you need it to. Greek mythology can also be a goldmine for this sort of thing, since the Greeks stuck much less closely to a specific cannon- you'll find sources claiming certain facts are universal, (like the geography of the underworld) but if you go back to primary sources, there's really a lot of debate and conjecture.

One thing to keep in mind: every mythology comes from a religion and paradigm. Some (like the Greeks) are more amorphous and secular, while others are more specific. Figure out what ideas the different creatures represent and are typically used to explore, and choose one that fits with your story for that reason, rather than that it just allows for the appearance you want your character to have.
Well, hi. sweatdrop

So I have this plot idea (I actually started to write it) but something tells me it's a REALLY BAD idea. It's more than a feeling, actually, there's a plausible reason why it's so bad, but I'll state it later.

First let me summarize everything. (You don't have to read it all, the first paragraph gives the idea.)


Quote:
It's about a girl who made a comment about suicidals and pissed off a soul handler (someone who takes care of dead people's souls and such). So this soul handler decides to put this girl literally on the shoes of people with death wishes aaand fix it. So she have to live the life of 7 potential suicidal people and do wathever she can to make their death wish go away, while her own body would lay peacefully in coma. The other person`s soul would be kept safe away and, once it returns to the body, would only have some memories of what happened while she was on charge.

Well, first she wakes up on this high school girl body. She finds out that the girl had a ugly fight with a friend, something to do with a very moron boyfriend that dumped her in a very nasty way and left her emotionally scarred. Something like this. Also she learns about her, uhm, "quest", the soul handler and the rules. Then she walks in her shoes a little to figure out what to do and... fix stuff. She finds out how the girl would really like to be (sometimes she listens to remnants of the girl's consciousness) and acts more like it and less like what people want to. She makes up with the girl's friend, makes new friend, do stuff and suddenly the death wish goes away.

Second body: another high school girl. This one is very cool at home, but it bullied at school because she's fat, and picked on by her brother because he's annoying, so she has a low self-esteem and such. I'm not sure yet how she would "fix" this, because I don't want to dwindle the issue, you know? I think bully is not something you can say "grow your confidence!", "make friends", "do something", and it will go away. Not when it's so bad the subject wants to kill itself. I don't think the victim can do much, but hold on.
But I'd find a way, maybe cheating with the soul handler, I don't know, but things would get better and... next body!

Third person would be a male college student (and, of course, she'd hate the sould handler forever because she's in a boy's body, but he will say he can't do anything about it and promise to erase her memory when everything is over). Well, this guy... he is very intelligent, very educated and have some nice skills like playing something and drawing. He even have a girlfriend, in a long distance relationship. But he is just so depressed. He's about to give up on college, on his girlfriend, on everything, because he just can't enjoy anything of that. Everythings seems wrong and empty.
Well, the girl will find some help, somehow, and do something. (ok, I didn't think this all through)

Fourth person is another male university student, deeply in love with a male friend. He feels kinda suffocated with his feelings and is terrified to come out. He knows that his family won't easily accept the fact that he's gay and worries about his friends aswell.
Well, the girl then will come out, there will be a big drama in his family, but he'll find some support within some friends (the one he loves will be really nice, even though he's straight) and things will get better.

Fifth person is a single mother with a giant financial problem, among some other frustrations. Next will be a boy who accidentally just killed his brother with Down syndrome with a gun. He's scared for life, he thinks everyone will hate him and the pain verges on the unbearable. Both lose their death wish after some intervention.

Finally she wakes up on the last body, in a hospital bed, breathing through machines and such. She finds out that this girl don't wanna die at all. But will, very soon. Then she questions the soul handler, that, by now, it's her closest friend (it's the only one that knows who she is anyway) what should she do? But he has no idea. He tells her that she helped so many people and he really wanted her to help this one, because she's so precious to him, but he knows she can't, and they have a moment when he just cries and cries and she tries to confort him.

Then it's over! She wakes up on her own body. She need some physiotherapy because her body was sleeping for so long, but everything is fine. The soul handler appears one more time because he can erase her memory, if she wants to, but she doesn't.

When she is finally leaving the hospital, BOOM, a car crash.
Her family is dead, she's injuried, but she will survive and be fine. That's what the soul handler tells her. But he tells her that there's another option. She can take his place as a soul handler and dispatch him where the girl he liked went when she died.




Well, you got the idea. I didn't have to write everything, but since this is possibly the last chance, I wanted to anyway, sorry, sorry.

By now you should know why it's probably a bad idea. First, it's not fair with the 7 people to make somebody else live their lifes (a little piece, but still) for them. Besides, it mentions some serious problems and somewhat have the pretension to give a solution. I don't want that, of course. I don't want to take other people problems lightly. But maybe I did, did I?

So, what do you think? It's bad as I think it is? It's offensive? Should I give up? Is there a way I can keep it?

If I shouldn't be asking this here just tell me and I'll erase the post.
Hi guys. I'm on summer vacation now and I'm planning to spend part of it going back to writing fiction so I would really appreciate your comments on this. 3nodding

I have this idea for a psychologist character, female, in her mid-twenties, who despite her relative lack of experience in the clinic has a natural knack for what she does (i.e., paint out the psychological stories of her patients based on their symptoms and histories) and is attracted to the "weirder" cases, which is why many of her colleagues refer these kinds of cases to her (saying they're right up her Queer Street, stuff like that). However, because of this, she's thought of as odd--with some people thinking of her as too odd.

She can be a victim to hubris because she's rarely come up against a case that's stumped her.

And right now, that's all I've got. I when she's fleshed out, I'm going to be writing a slew of supporting characters and throw them all together into a psych ward. I'm going to be using her to explore the depths of the human mind by having her tackle her patients' cases. Well, something like that.

So what do you all think? biggrin
Nixie Astree-Sirius
Hi guys. I'm on summer vacation now and I'm planning to spend part of it going back to writing fiction so I would really appreciate your comments on this. 3nodding

I have this idea for a psychologist character, female, in her mid-twenties, who despite her relative lack of experience in the clinic has a natural knack for what she does (i.e., paint out the psychological stories of her patients based on their symptoms and histories) and is attracted to the "weirder" cases, which is why many of her colleagues refer these kinds of cases to her (saying they're right up her Queer Street, stuff like that). However, because of this, she's thought of as odd--with some people thinking of her as too odd.

She can be a victim to hubris because she's rarely come up against a case that's stumped her.

And right now, that's all I've got. I when she's fleshed out, I'm going to be writing a slew of supporting characters and throw them all together into a psych ward. I'm going to be using her to explore the depths of the human mind by having her tackle her patients' cases. Well, something like that.

So what do you all think? biggrin


While she's gifted, she makes mistakes of only using their past. She shouldn't be anyone's psychologist or psychiatrist or therapist, given her lack of education.

You need more research into psychology.
The Phoenix Rises Again


While she's gifted, she makes mistakes of only using their past. She shouldn't be anyone's psychologist or psychiatrist or therapist, given her lack of education.

You need more research into psychology.


Thanks for your comments. smile

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Nixie Astree-Sirius
The Phoenix Rises Again


While she's gifted, she makes mistakes of only using their past. She shouldn't be anyone's psychologist or psychiatrist or therapist, given her lack of education.

You need more research into psychology.


Thanks for your comments. smile


Psychology isn't something you can play at like that. It was dismissed decades ago to just go by peole's past ans she'd realistically get arrested for trying to practice without education or a license.
I_Write_Ivre


Psychology isn't something you can play at like that. It was dismissed decades ago to just go by peole's past ans she'd realistically get arrested for trying to practice without education or a license.


OK, I got that. Actually, that's why I said the symptoms will be included...and if you guys thought "history" meant just the past, it really meant the "history of the present illness", that is essentially answering the question of what is ailing the patient at the present and what are the events that led to it. It should describe how the illness began, the duration, the severity, the quality--in other words, the history. I think you guys were referring to the classic psychoanalytic approach, made popular by Freud.

Also, she is educated--but I guess I didn't mention that, my bad. She's got a master's in clinical psych. But while she has the academic credentials, she doesn't yet have as much clinical experience. She has just the experience that was required by the practicum of her coursework, plus a little more.

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Nixie Astree-Sirius

OK, I got that. Actually, that's why I said the symptoms will be included...and if you guys thought "history" meant just the past, it really meant the "history of the present illness", that is essentially answering the question of what is ailing the patient at the present and what are the events that led to it. It should describe how the illness began, the duration, the severity, the quality--in other words, the history. I think you guys were referring to the classic psychoanalytic approach, made popular by Freud.

1) Just knowing those two things wouldn't help
2) It would still be illegal, keep her from ever getting a license, and would send her patients to years of a new therapist to undo anything she did.
3) Nope. I'm referring to having taken two semesters of psych and already knowing that just knowing a family history, about the symptoms, and someone's past won't always help. Also, that practicing without a license would keep her from getting one and would do psychologial damage to her patients.

Nixie Astree-Sirius
Also, she is educated--but I guess I didn't mention that, my bad. She's got a master's in clinical psych. But while she has the academic credentials, she doesn't yet have as much clinical experience. She has just the experience that was required by the practicum of her coursework, plus a little more.


If she's got a masters, she needs to intern under a professional for years. then she can get her license.

She needs years of watching as well as studying in college.
Mai Picklepie


If you want to write it, then write it. If you don't, then don't. It depends on how you write an idea that determines whether it'll turn out good or not. But if you have low hopes for the story, if you feel like your forcing yourself to write it, then don't write it.

I think it would be an interesting idea to try at the very least.

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