I agree with this one. It would be simple to explain why all the myths were based on them. They might even have a white-ish skin color that would link them to vampires and zombies (undead) as well as werewolves (white related to the moon) and witches (shapeshifting).
I also have another suggestion concerning the spreading method. You mentioned she thought she was being raped, so why not have the spreading mechanism be "down there" somewhere under the abdomen? Well, that might not be suitable to your tastes if you intend to keep it a bit sane. However, one example would be that the Chimerid transformation be an STD. Another example, straying away from the genital area (pun intended), would be them having a venom gland in the vicinity of their belly, which would mean they need to have physical contact (er... not that kind of friction). Or perhaps they have a tiny tentacle (sticking to the octopus theme) that comes out of their belly-button and secretes venom. Fyi, there is a whole genre of tentacle erotica out there. Cha-ching??
I'm sticking with the current "infection" method as it ties to the vampire mythos. Also, I can't really give them pure white skin because 1. they couldn't hide it, 2. I'm using white=evil motif in the story and 3. I've already written in a few black characters, they wouldn't have the same skin.
They only have white skin underneath their cover. It wouldn't show unless they wanted it to, and having white equal evil makes it all more interesting.
The cover is their shape-shifting power. They can change color and everything, which is the purpose of the octopus " theme ". There was a video about it a few posts back.
Just because my avatar is of an octopus, it doesn't mean that they will have the octopus abilities. Let's try something else.
You know, I'm thinking about making these people more dragon-like, so other than add the secret scales how else can I do that?
There are many details that can be thrown in. You want them to appear human, yet not be due to animal characteristics. You say dragonlike? Say these people like wearing hoods or scarves or collars to hide the scales on the back of their necks. The must constantly pluck every shiny bit off their faces to help them blend. They must constantly trim and round off their nails as they constantly grow back into talons. Their tongues are long and spiked, so they keep their mouths closed. Their hair may shed slightly in the summertime, yet they may have difficulty growing facial hair or hair *cough cough* somewhere else. Speaking of somewhere else, you might even bother to go into that much detail if the story requires it. Have they evolved into growing tails for balancing themselves in the trees, yet they must hide them down the side of their pants legs? What if they are born hunched, and must be painfully trained to stand up straight in order to blend in better? Overall, you can make this race more humanized this way, even if they're not humans at all. The concept that they need to blend in drags them into a miserable lifestyle of constantly scrubbing and hiding every inch of their bodies in order to survive in a world run by humans.
I've already decided, no tails, no talons, and no extra-long tongues. I could give them forked tongues though.
Okay, Has anyone ever heard the myth that if you masturbate, your palms will get hairy? I just read an article on how have tiny hairs on their feet that let them stick to stuff, why not use the same thing for my Chimerids?
No offense, and please take this for what it is, constructive criticism. That sounds a lot like Twilight.... Sorry, had to be said. Go for something new, or go back to the roots of the vampire myths. A monster living outside of society and preying on humans from the darkness. No more cute monster romance stories, please. I'm not saying you can't write about a romance between the main protagonist and a supporting character. But make the romance realistic. If the Chimerids are more like animals than human, they would perhaps act more like animals when it comes to finding a partner, or a mate. Also you mention that they don't have navels. All placental mammals have them, which basically means all mammals that carry the fetus inside their womb during growth, or gestation. Also, make sure you explain the Chimerids reason for preying on humans, and why they transform humans into them. Are they just trying to fit into society with humans? Want to be accepted? Or do they hate humans as a race and want to eradicate them from the world? Incorporate that into the story. So many stories write about some race (mostly vampires these days) that wants to kill humans, but don't bother explaining in depth why they want to do so. Other than that it's a good idea, a bit unpolished, but good never the less. Keep it and stick with it!
First off, Fuck Twilight and the fat bitch who wrote it (She probably needs a good lay anyway), and secondly, I'm making the romance secondary. The main plot of my story will be sort of a spy story set in a dystopian world where everything must be painted white and fossil fuels do not exist. The main character is forced into marriage for political reasons but very gradually falls in love with her husband. I never actually mentioned them not having navels, just no tentacles in their navels. I was originally going for the "Animal" traits to make them seem "unhuman" and more monster-like, but what I really want to do is show them as sort of an evolved human. They have greater abilities than the average human, at the price of being labelled "Monster". Think the X-men, Instead of people going "Sweet! That guy can shoot lasers out of his eyes!" they go "Filthy mutant! die!". Anyway, the species was created by accident by an ancient alchemist, and humans want to kill THEM not the other way around. They believe Chimerids are vampires or demons or whatever the monster du jour is at the time. By turning someone important into a Chimerid, it's a political ploy to either delay or call off the slaughter of chimerids. It makes them see the world "Through our eyes" or they are so disgusted by what they've become they commit suicide. Chimerids just really want to be left alone.
Must have misread the navel part then, my bad. If you want to make them sort of "above human" what about making them into just a plain "Ultra-Human", or just a garbage-gene that the human evolutionary rejected somewhere along the way from ancient primates to the modern Homo Sapiens Sapiens. They could be stronger because their bodies are simply less fragile (not that the human body is fragile exactly). For example, if our ligaments and tendrils also muscle tissue was sturdier we could be stronger. Since scientific theories are now that we as humans only use about 5-10% of our maximum body strength. If we used 100% we would damage our body since our ligaments and joints would hold. But then again we would be able to bend steel bars with our hands. See people put into a stressing life threatening scenario. Adrenaline pumps throughout the body "enhancing" our strength and stamina greatly. My point being, if these Chimerids have stronger bodies, and rapid cellular reconstruction (to a degree). Their brains would perhaps "unlock" all that strength. Making them far stronger than a human. You could also have their eyes be more feral, think cat eyes. Able to see in low light and making their eyes sensitive to really bright light. Thus giving them a "vampire-feature". If you want, just giving my recommendations here. Brainstorming if you will. Reject this if you want, or steal it with my permission. Also think about how these Chimerid affect other humans. Via blood or bodily fluids? Or a special "stinger"? If so, is the Chimerid "state" a disease, like a virus or bacteria? If it was created in a lab it could even be a nano-virus. Making the possibilities endless. Just make sure you don't go overboard with the physical changes. Or you risk making the story a bit too "supernatural". You want the Chimerids to be realistic, yet different and mysterious. Scales? Different eyes? Claws? Why not? Tails, and extra limbs? Tails and limbs take time to grow, keep that in mind. You don't want to go too magic with this one. From what I've understood it's a bit more towards Science Fiction than Fantasy, am I right?
Yes, I am trying to keep this more science fiction, that's why the "plasmea" which will be injected into the human's body is full of virus-type organisms that alter the DNA, Cell by cell. It also causes the human to lapse into a coma turing the transformation process to limit the active bodily functions that would delay the process. This bit looks like the person has died. I don't plan on going too in-depth with the process as the story takes place in an alternate version of the 1870s and DNA and viruses haven't been discovered yet. I have no intention of adding additional limbs or tails to these chimerid, well aware of how long they'd take to grow. I will however be giving them retractable, snake-like fangs (Which inject the Plasmea in much the same way a snake would inject venom) and special eyes that can see in the dark. The Chimerid also have mental powers, giving them an obvious advantage over humans.
You could give them a pack mentality. Make Alphas or Pack leaders Omegas for loners and whatnot. You could have them vying for dominance amongst themselves in a brutal way. Or you could even mix something like a pyramid scheme into leadership since reproduction came up. How many you turn makes you a higher rank.
That seems rather pointless as I've already set up a (Mostly democratic) system of government for them and a whole culture.
