Chapter Text
Many years ago, beings of all kinds lived amongst humans in peace.
And in war.
There were the Imps, of manipulation and games, tricksters of the forest; Nymphs of air, land and sea, beauty which radiated from each and every one; the Tanuki shapeshifters of jovial humor; and Cupids, of light and dark, creatures of love, and hate, forever in blood-war with one another.
Yet now, the world has seen its calm and these creatures died out; only remaining in traces, scattered through bloodlines for centuries.
And finally, pure-blood humans could rule the land as it was meant to be.
Yet...
One subclass had never returned in the blood that ran through human veins.
That subclass was Cupids.
Beings that may as well be named extinct, any and all traces known by the government, monitored in case they became active once more.
The largest known family of Cupids remained to be known as the Shindo family. A family of tainted cupid’s which ruled over Japan’s political stand, dormant, yet forever terrifying. Despite their inability to use their ancestors' abilities, their charm forever remained unmatched.
Although, one family remained undetected.
One family of pure cupids, mostly dormant, yet hidden.
The Sakurayashiki family, and their active son, living a double life in which nobody could know he weren’t a pure blooded human.
So let us begin, with the story of Kaoru Sakurayashi, and the decaying blossom trees of good and bad.
~~~
Information:
Please note: This information is for reader clarity and world-building purposes, not all details will be used/heavily leant on within the main work unless needed
Subclasses:
Subclasses can be checked through dna and blood testing that will show a % of ancestry dna
- Anything about 20% will class you as having a subclass, anything below is not significant enough and classes you as pure blooded, but can be tested for fun and to see your ancestry bloodline
- Higher than 50% is rare
- Typically, most will fall between 20-40% if they are not pure blooded
- Most subclasses (or pure bloods) will stay in groups of others with a similar bloodline, so you may find large groups of mythical bloodlines together, or purebloods, but typically not a mix – except for school classes, societal communities, or social outcasts that were forced together
(Common) Human:
- Pure blood, the most common
- Around 70% of the population is pure blooded, or have such minimal traces that do not count as a subclass/pure
(Rare/extinct) Cupids:
- Pure and Tainted variants (both shown through their natural magnetic personality that can make or break people and their relationships of all kinds)
- Physically, both types of Cupid have a natural beauty, some have a certain shine or light colouring to their hair (pure), or darker shadowy hair (Tainted). These are typically reds, pinks and whites for Pure Cupids, or blacks, blues, purples for Tainted Cupids. A Cupid cannot be identified visibly at birth and rather through personality, appearance as they age, or dna/blood tests.
- Cupid's do have one key physical difference. On the sides of their upper spine there are bones which protude only very slightly, where their ancient ancestors may have been able to have wings - similar to that of a tailbone - however, these develop similarly to the top of the skull and are much softer and sunken in, meaning they often don't get recognised until later development or x-rays in early adolsent. This is a positive as it means they aren't easy to recognise by doctors, but it can lead to spinal pain or damage in cases where they were not given appropriate space or care to develop. It is also thought that there is a difference to their pituitary glands due to their origins with emotional control, but without scans or physical exams, it is entirely unknown.
- A Pure Cupid’s weakness is the Tainted Cupid. They can drain them of energy and power, especially if one falls in love with a Tainted Cupid - this can lead in the eventual internal (and sometimes external) decay of the Pure Cupid themselves. Best case, dormancy; worst case, death – all depending on the strength of the tainted cupid, as well as how infatuated, or otherwise attached, they can get the Pure Cupid.
- A Tainted Cupid’s weakness is unconditional love/understanding, and can dull their power to damage those around, leading them to often manipulate those around them, and otherwise strive for obsessive adoration, rather than relational bonding, which makes them great candidates for political figures
- Most Cupid’s nowadays are known as "Dormant” Cupids, which mean there are traces in the blood but there are no abilities that follow suit, and certainly no drastic ones) – these are typically free to admit their existence as it will not get them shunned etc (however, in rare cases an "Active” Cupid can be born to a dormant family).
- These creatures were hunted for their manipulation of human emotion, specifically love, as well as their inability to function within a society and respect equality of all species. This means they are now thought to be fully extinct, no more known active bloodlines exist.
- Active Tainted Cupid’s main aim is to fully turn Pure Cupids (especially active ones) extinct - due to a long-ingrained blood-war, but they also impact those around them just for the fun of it, pulling them into passionate traps before shattering pieces of their soul/heart. Can be a physical danger to others if their “fun” goes too far.
- Active Cupids may not have the same love-inducing - or otherwise emotionally-controlling powers as their ancient ancestors, but they do still bring the life to the party and give everyone something to be passionate about (that typically stems from the individual Cupid's own skills – i.e. artistic Cupid’s attract other artists, whilst those who prefer electronics befriend engineers)
- An Active Pure Cupid can be healed/regain power with unconditional love (temporary healing, typically familial protection) or true love (permanent protection)
- An Active Tainted Cupid will regain power from “positively” coping with abuse (i.e how Ainosuke’s aunts “love” Ainosuke)
- Cupids can sense other Cupids (no matter variant, but active is significantly more prone than dormant, unless for familial connections)
(Uncommon) Imps:
- the blood of ancient imp clans can be seen in tricksters and prank players
- Physically, imps have more pronounced tailbones/spine (that can be uncomfortable to rest against if bad enough, but is typically quite minimal), can be smaller/thinner in proportion (not always though), as well as pointier, often longer ears. They can be identified physically at birth, but also typically tested to ensure correct assumptions.
- Imps seem to have lost their manipulative abilities throughout centuries of powers weakening via evolution
- Harmless, apart from the occasional prank
- They are also naturally intelligent when it comes to real-world problems due to their scheming nature
- Imp's powers are not all that strong but are good with pyrotechnics and can somewhat control minimal amounts of fire in the form of energy
- They are also naturally stealthier than others
(Uncommon) Nymphs:
- These bloodlines are typically more fearless and will excel in sports or activities involving their subclass.
- Nymphs cannot be physically confirmed without blood/dna tests due to the majority of their abilities and history lying in genetics and blood, not their physical forms
Dryads (Nymphs of the trees):
- Typically, darker/woody features, i.e dark hair, green eyes, sometimes rougher or darker skin.
- Good at climbing, camping, animal care, plant care and woodworking/engineering
- Isolated but a good friend when you get close to them
Naiads (Nymphs of the water):
- Typically, natural beauty, clearer skin, wavy hair. Previously Naiads were exclusively female, but the blood now can go to all genders, but this does give more softer or feminine features to any, no matter what gender.
- Good at water sports, medicine and music
- Have naturally high charisma
Aurae (Nymphs of the wind):
- Typically, shorter in height, natural beauty, straight, soft hair
- Confident flyers, good at air sports, medicine, and engineering
- Typically very empathetic
(Uncommon) Tanuki:
- Physically speaking; they naturally have more body fat from their raccoon-dog ancestors, more bodily hair, straight-frizzy hair types in browns and blondes (still decently soft), larger eyes that are typically varying shades of brown (honey to black brown and all in between) or occasionally green, more pronounced canine teeth, more natural dark circles around eyes – can be identified through their physical traits but always should be confirmed biologically
- Ex-shapeshifters who have a flair for jovial humour
- Now, blood traces remain in humans in the form of tricksters, sneaky, or tactical people.
- Naturally quite kind, but can be rather manipulative if wronged
- Good with communication with animals, especially those in dog animal families
Characters: (as appearing in fic)
Kaoru Sakurayashiki (Cherry Blossom) – Active Pure Cupid, 16 Years old
Status: Identity hidden/seen as human (pure blooded) at all times except for family (Dormant Pure Cupids) and Kojiro Nanjo
Kojiro Nanjo (Joe) – Human, 16 Years old
Status: Known and is from a fully human bloodline but is often teased with suspicions of being an imp by classmates/teachers in High School due to him and Kaoru’s chaotic behavior.
Ainosuke Shindo (Adam) – Active Tainted Cupid, Age 16
Status: Identity is disguised as being a Dormant Tainted Family, alongside the rest of the Shindo family – who all claim to be dormant but are truly all active. Whilst skating as Adam, fellow skaters assume he is human.
[Other characters to be added]