Out in the open or deep in the closet?

[Sai]

This is a bit of a follow-up to a previous thread where I asked what magical creatures populate you're world. Now what I'm curious is quantity. Is magic so prevalent in your world that everyone knows about it? Do mythical beings have to skulk in the shadows or can they go into a MickyDee's and order a hamburger?

The magical creatures and people in my story try to keep things very much on the down-low. They might be known to each other, but that's about it. I'm also trying to keep the population of mythical creatures down across the board, so that when the characters encounter a mythical creature it is still a big deal (i.e. "Whoa! A vampire!" rather than "Oh, a vampire.")

[LynnKHollander]

In The World in Play, I keep a majority of humans ignorant of magic and of supernatural creatures. Among the magical/supernatural types, not all of them know about all of the others.
Most of the non-humans try to keep the humans from discovering existence of any magic/supernatural creatures.
That being said, I write about San Francisco, which has a higher weird level than other places.

[Kitty27]

In my UF series,the magical world is known only to a few humans who are trained to deal with it.

The average person has no idea what is going on.

[Sage]

I tend towards the closeted fantasy creatures/elements in my writing. I definitely can see the good in having an out-in-the-open fantasy world. But apparently I like that little extra conflict of, "OMG, I can't let anyone know I drain love with my touch" and the like ;)

[Fame<Infamy]

My creatures don't have to really hide, much of the way the world works causes them to be automatically hidden by default. People don't really perceive them unless they're searching or special. So they can typically act up in the open and unless things get really out of hand they don't appear to people.

[hillaryjacques]

My worlds tend to be translucent. Either some aspects or some creatures are out, or only a selection of "normals" know about them. I like reading about "full magic" worlds, but haven't yet spent the time to build a full alternate reality.

[Wolvel]

In mine humans use technology because they lost touch with nature. The werewolves have a handfull of magic users since they are more in tune with the world around them.

[rugcat]

That's a very basic question, one that you have to decide on even before you write the first sentence, since much of your plot will depend on the answer.

In mine, magic is not commonly recognized and magical practitioners are in the closet, except for those in the know. There are no vampires or werewolves, so that's not an issue, and the creatures that do emerge are explained away by the rational public.

There seems to be a pretty even split between the two approaches. Jim Butcher is a good example of the mostly hidden.

For the totally outfront style, plus the alternate contemporary world, I like Ilona Andrews.

[Chasing the Horizon]

I guess I'll admit that I came over to the dark side and am writing an urban fantasy. :D

All the supernatural creatures in my version of the world are invisible to most people, though they're right there, a whole magical world within our own that we just can't see. Humans develop the ability to see them either through learning magic or through a chance encounter with the supernatural which breaks the barrier.

[jallenecs]

I have always preferred the "deep in the closet" approach, myself. I don't even like reading the "out of the closet' stories, for the most part. Not because they're bad, or I disapprove. Just a matter of personal preference.

[Shadow_Ferret]

In my UF series,the magical world is known only to a few humans who are trained to deal with it.

The average person has no idea what is going on.

This. My world is like real life. People don't believe in the supernatural except for a few kooks. But underneath, the gods exist, magic exists, demons exist.

Man uses science to explain everything, but the reality is, the gods do all the work and without them, everything would cease to be.

[mario_c]

Mine is sort of along the edge - she's a vampire who's made the news as a serial killer. But she masquerades as a college student and tutor, and club diva :D. I wrote it more in the style of a noir or psychological thriller than an exotic fantasy - she's a femme fatale who has left her humanity behind for a life of cheap thrills and pays a heavy price for it.

[nocturneequuis]

Hmm.. My creatures are...kind of both. While they're out in the open about what they do no one knows what they are or can tell them from normal people. Even when they eat people's souls its impossible to know. They're kind of...tough.

[Jess Haines]

My critters came out of the closet a few years earlier, so they're still a "new thing" to a lot of people in my world.

[ChaosTitan]

Mostly in the closet. The few humans who are aware of the existence of supernaturals are doing their damnedest to keep them in line.

[GregB]

Mostly in the closet in MOB RULES, increasingly out of the closet as the series continues. I hope to explore both sides -- and every step in between -- before I'm done.

[CheG]

Out in the open. I don't buy the fact that humans could co-exist blindly with multiple magical species. I also don't buy the idea that the government/secret agencies/the beings themselves could hide a secret like that.

[Keslie Neill]

Defianatly deep in the closet since there is more conflict that way, not to mention the only supernatural creatures that exist on earth are witches the rest either went extinct or into a parallel world. The only person who learns about witches in my universe is my main character's love itnerest who is really nerdy and already fascinated by the occult anyways.

[jallenecs]

Earlier in this thread, I said I prefer deep in the closet stories. But my current WIP kind of straddles the fence. Since the only magical creatures in my stories are angels and demons (mostly Fallen Angels and demons), everybody has heard of them, if they've ever been to Sunday school. Believing in them, well, that depends on the person, just like in real life Encountering them on the street is something they might do a hundred times, and never be aware that they're doing it. Everybody has heard about them, but they prefer discretion when they're actually out and about.

[fredXgeorge]

I've found that I prefer writing UF with the creatures interacting with humans but hiding what they really are. It's not hard when they look pretty much like normal people.

[AlexPiper]

For my normal, modern urban fantasy, the supernatural is deep in the closet. It most decidedly has to stay there, too, because it's influenced by the collective human unconscious, and if the average person knew that their nightmares really COULD come to life and eat them, their fears and nightmares would be that much worse, and... yah. So, not only is it in the closet, but those who know how to deal with it are actively and militantly determined to keep it locked there.

I won't get into the whole 'historical urban fantasy' discussion from the other thread again, but I do have a story that's vaguely urban-fantasy-ish inasmuch as it takes place in a heavily-settled and built-up city, in the dirt and crowd of an urban environment. It happens to take place in ancient Rome, and I only mention it here because in that one, the supernatural is not only out and about, it's in charge of the place. Only immortals (vampires, effectively) can hold Roman citizenship or vote; scions (mortal humans) aspire to gain citizenship (be turned), since due to a plague the average human lifespan is only about 20 years. Augustus was granted immortality at the beginning of his rule, when the plague broke out; he has ruled Rome for roughly two centuries at the time of the story.

[LordMoogi]

In my WIP, much of the supernatural is publicly known. Most people believe in ghosts (though there remain skeptics), vampires are 'out of the closet' (vampire rights is a pretty big debate, but since I'm not a huge vampire fan, this stays mostly in the background), and the wars between the Olympian gods and the Titans are accepted as historical fact, rather than myth. But not all of it's out in the open. There are dozens of wizard societies out there, most of whom keep out of the public eye as much as possible.

So, the supernatural isn't very secret. The real secrets are the numerous cults, secret societies, and conspiracies that run everything behind the scenes. While it's perfectly normal to believe in ghosts or wizards, conspiracy theorists are thought of the same way as they are in our world. Even though, in this universe, they're actually right.

[MissMacchiato]

Okay, so my WIP has vamps in it, and one of the things that's bugging me as part of the edit is that I never mention this explicitly:

Is the presence of vampires public knowledge? How is this dealt with?

I'm wondering now how others have dealt with the presence of supernatural beings.

I can't decide how I want to handle it. There are several reasons why my MC wouldn't ask -

she, herself, is only half immortal, and so doesn't experience the same impulses as a regular vampire, she is much more human.

She also has quite a few other things to deal with and asking questions not immediately relevant doesn't really take precedence.


I don't want it to be common knowledge that vampires exist, but I can't think of a good explanation of how they would be able to remain hidden, other than the fact that my vampires have several features that might make this possible:

They don't need to sleep during the day
they can retract their fangs
They can screw with people's memories to make them forget.
They've infiltrated all levels of government, including the police department.
Accelerated healing means that bite wounds heal super fast.

Still. Some people around would have to know.

I know I should probably have considered all of these things rather earlier, but it's only now that I want to firm up the boundaries of my world as a part of the polishing process.

Any thoughts about how this issue has been dealt with before? ideas on how I could handle it?

[ChaosTitan]

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183119

:)

[MissMacchiato]

aha. Ta very much. I did a search for vampires and public but I couldn't find anything! Very helpful!

[MissMacchiato]

late addition to this thread.....

I notice HP doesn't really deal with HOW the wizards manage to stay hidden, if they're constantly wandering around in robes and acting like fools, especially if, like Hermione, they start to exhibit magical powers when their parents aren't actually magical.

I want to know how you guys have dealt with that as an issue? Not so much whether or not they're in public or not, but how that is explained?

[Stormhawk]

For Mirrofall, it's deep in the closet, with my MiB-ish guys running interference on anything that might get into the media, and they're mostly successful. Stuff that gets onto youtube, etc, takes a bit longer to deal with.

EG: "Sir, you could have warned me you were going to jump off the Story Bridge, I've had to kill this video three times so far..."

[Tifferbugz]

In my current WIP, it's all pretty well hidden under the premise that people see what they want to see and the people who are different (weres, witches, etc.) are good at hiding themselves for their own survival. The fact that they're a very small percentage of the population helps.

[Linda Adams]

Now what I'm curious is quantity. Is magic so prevalent in your world that everyone knows about it? Do mythical beings have to skulk in the shadows or can they go into a MickyDee's and order a hamburger?

In my case, they're on the other side of a portal, waiting to come out and start munching. While everyone knows about the war that occurred over a century ago that involved magic, they no longer believe magic exists. Even the people who are supposed to be trained to deal with them are in denial about existance of magic--and they have magic! So they will be woefully unprepared if the portal opens. Add to that the fact that some foreign nationals are in the country to help with a recent disaster ...

[MissMacchiato]

so, all of you have at least a paragraph dedicated to the explanation of magical phenomenons?

[Tifferbugz]

I don't think I've addressed it quite that way, more through my MC pondering how the human cop won't believe her wild and crazy story since he's a human. Once I finish up the first draft and read it over I may add an explanation that's more specific. Right now it's more present but not talked about, if that makes any sense.

[Linda Adams]

so, all of you have at least a paragraph dedicated to the explanation of magical phenomenons?

Mine's treated more like a techno thriller, with magic being another technology.

[LGwenn]

In my faery stories-- Closet. DEEEP Closet
But in my demon story most rich, famous or influencial people know-- mostly because of the prevalence of sold souls is so high.

[CobraMisfit]

I've set a WIP about 20 year after the supernatural community went public. It's accepted, but there's still a lot of adjusting going on.

[maggi90w1]

My wizards/mages are really deep in the closet. They are hiding not only from ordinary humans, but also from each other.

[Margo]

Mine are deep in the closet. The upper levels of the major governments of the world know about them and share resources to aid in the extermination of all supernaturals. The human population is sort of glazed over, almost subconsciously glamoured, so they don't notice little things that are amiss about supernaturals hiding among them. Since supernaturals can recognize one another, a small number of them have been enlisted by the tactical squads to help with identification and extermination. I am hoping the book will develop into a series, however, and a later book will cover everything coming out as it all goes horribly horribly pear-shaped.

[sanssouci]

My werewolves are deep in the closest, but there are so few of them it's not hard for them to contain their secret.

[maggi90w1]

I notice HP doesn't really deal with HOW the wizards manage to stay hidden, if they're constantly wandering around in robes and acting like fools, especially if, like Hermione, they start to exhibit magical powers when their parents aren't actually magical.
I gave this a thought and decided to make a few tweaks in my work in progress. It really is very unlikely that nobody will ever find out, so I made one of my characters stumble on some conspiracy theories in the internet.
There are some people who saw something, but they are very few, they can only guess what's really going on and nobody believes them.

[5bcarnies]

In my WIP supernatural creatures straddle the fence. The average person deals with them the same way they do in real life. Humans don't realize how influential the creatures are to our world i.e politics, war, corporate businesses, the mob, etc, etc. Each paranormal species has some form of government that maintains the secret and they constantly fight amongst eachother. Sometimes those wars trickle over into the public's view. As the (potential) series goes on mortlas will becomes more aware of their existence.

I love stories where the creatures are 'out of the closet', but most of the ones I've read already have them out and about. I want to show the craziness that builds up to that moment and then the aftermath. I want the bang and the whimper. hehe

[TheSupremeForce]

I love stories where the creatures are 'out of the closet', but most of the ones I've read already have them out and about. I want to show the craziness that builds up to that moment and then the aftermath. I want the bang and the whimper. hehe

I agree. That's pretty much the reasoning behind my next project.
It's rare to come across a story where the Big Revelation actually happens. Most people either have no idea, or everyone knows because some flying kobold delivers the mail.

I'm going to tie mine into an Apocalypse story for the same reason. There's a lot of Post-Apocalyptic stories, but I haven't seen many stories that take place WHEN it happens.

[amrose]

My WIP vampires are very much in the closet. There are only a handful of them in the world and their "powers" are geared towards keeping themselves hidden. The only people that know about them are the humans they retain as servants. But these are ghouls so...semi supernatural themselves.

[hillaryjacques]

I'm going to tie mine into an Apocalypse story for the same reason. There's a lot of Post-Apocalyptic stories, but I haven't seen many stories that take place WHEN it happens.

Oh, I like apocalypse stories. You don't see a lot of them. Lucifer's Hammer was an interesting one, but technology has changed so much since then, it would be interesting to see new takes. And, of course, with a bit more fantasy involved.

[tarak]

Deep in the closet with a few exceptions. Those tend to be my favorite UF stories as well. I think secrets are more fun.

[KidCassandra]

Out out out!

In my WIP, the entire magical community has been coexisting with everyday humans for hundreds of years. There are vamps and weres, of course, but also mediums, clairvoyants, telekinetics, witches, weather wizards, elementals, and more.

In fact, in the town where my story is set, there are so many inhabitants of the magic variety that it's almost like normal people are the minority.

[unruley700]

in the closet. There is a group dedicated to keeping humans and TDBs (trans-dimensional beings) from interacting. But another protagonist group is seeking to bring them together, so that all beings in the world can exist freely. The antagonist group obviously wants this to not happen.

So for right now, only the members of the magical and TDB community know about this underworld.

edit: Suppose I should explain why. Elves were the creators of humans and used them as slaves. If humans found out about their origins they might get kinda pissed, hence the hush-hush

[AmandaAcidic]

In my world, you have to been attack by one of the magical creatures to know anything about them. They are on the down low and like it that way.

[Sanoe SC]

Closeted.

[Arclight]

This is something that's bothering me a lot with my current story.

The magic in my story is entirely hidden, except for a few lucky (or unlucky) people who can see what's really going on. Most people can't understand magic - they could see someone performing magic right in front of them, or they could see a vampire or were-creature, and all they'd be left with is a sense of unease, and nightmares.

What I'm struggling with is having magicians who never use their powers outside of the magic community, especially since a lot of them come from non-magical families. My magic world doesn't have a government or legal system. There are small groups that set their own laws, and then there's mages and supernaturals who act entirely on their own - for instance, vampires are usually solitary and don't affiliate themselves with any group. So, there's no laws forbidding them from using their powers out in the open. I'm wondering how much the mages and supernatural creatures should influence the world. I dislike fantasy where all the major events of this world have been influenced by magic - I think humanity has more than enough good and evil without bringing magic into the mix.

I prefer closeted UF worlds - I find the isolation and tension more exciting than worlds where everything is out in the open. But I'm open to reading both.

[Malin]

In my first Novella the magic is hidden initially but is revealed to the world though an elemental terrorist. In my current WIP everyone knows that it exists but it is still halfway hidden in a "Oh yes it is real, but we don't have it here" kind of way. magical creatures pass for human but magic users are restricted by laws so it is a acknowledged part of the world.

[elmoie]

In the closet. For now...