Out in the open or deep in the closet?

Sai · Jun 16, 2010

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 · Jun 16, 2010

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 · Jun 16, 2010

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 · Jun 16, 2010

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 · Jul 4, 2010

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 · Jul 4, 2010

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 · Jul 4, 2010

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 · Jul 5, 2010

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 · Jul 5, 2010

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

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 · Jul 6, 2010

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 · Jul 6, 2010

Kitty27 said:
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 · Jul 6, 2010

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

. 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 · Jul 6, 2010

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 · Jul 6, 2010

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 · Jul 6, 2010

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 · Jul 6, 2010

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 · Jul 17, 2010

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 · Aug 29, 2010

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 · Aug 30, 2010

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 · Aug 30, 2010

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 · Aug 30, 2010

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 · Sep 3, 2010

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 · Nov 16, 2010

Out? Or not. How does your WIP deal with Public Awareness? (merged)

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 · Nov 16, 2010

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

MissMacchiato · Nov 16, 2010

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

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