Guide
Yemaja characters are relatively average people. Magicians juggle the duties that come with their abilities along with their normal life. People have places to go and people to meet, especially in such an urban region.
When making a character, think about the life they came from, and how magic would shift it for Magicians. Do they need to avoid telling others? Do they know they'll be met with scorn? Do they find a community in others, or try to understand the Otherworld's workings- all while having a job or getting a degree? If they are not a Magician, how do they go about their life? Do they have family or friends involved in it, and are they curious or fearful?
CHARACTERS
Here are some inspirations and guidelines for the setting's characters, along with some of the thought process behind some of mine.
APPEARANCE
People up to age fifty all have magical traits. They are minor or major physiological changes, like ears, teeth, wings, or horns, but leave the person looking recognizably human. Family members tend to share similar traits. Most characters are humans, but read on for special cases.
People dress modernly, with street fashion, shoe fiends, lazy t-shirts, and more everywhere you look. In the case of your character having traits that would get in the way of normal clothes, it's encouraged to find out if your character cares enough to get it tailor-made, or if they just rip a tear themself and don't really care unless it's a uniform.
LOCATION
Yemaja takes place on the region of Sanea. There are other places in the world, but they are not the focus of the story. Sanea is not very large, and therefore, location is everything. There are distinct differences and challenges depending on if one lives in the high-income "beautified" Ticah Shore or the failing eastern side of Ybor. Although the continent can be crossed in less than two hours, it makes all of the difference in a densely-packed, urban area.
People will sometimes have relationships with their chosen place of living that range from intense devotion to love-hate distase. The former is more common within the older generations of Ybor. Die-hard loyalty is usually found in sports fans.
BACKGROUND
Along with location, family is an important influence in many people's lives, and it matters no less for Yemaja characters. It's culturally more common to stay with your family well into young adulthood rather than leave when reaching the age of majority. Does your character live with their family, or did they move out for reasons? Do they plan to come back? Do they have siblings or cousins around their age, or are they the baby of their family? The oldest?
It's important to think if they have a good relationship with your character, or if there's more to be desired. Many families aren't wholly good or bad, with parents that have flawed worldviews and plans for their children. Do they have cordial relations with their neighbors and extended families, enough to throw loud and sometimes anxiety-inducing parties?
MAGICIANS
Magicians are those who have gained the ability to manipulate the Otherworld's power. They also have the ability to see its residents, and are usually drawn to eliminating the parasitic residents who come to the real world to feed on people.
It's also completely fine to make a regular old not-magic guy. I'd love that.
AWAKENING
People usually become Magicians by knowing another Magician, or being in the wrong place in the wrong time around its residents that are normally invisible to not-magical people. Since Magicians can be just about anywhere in society, you can also invent other ways for your character to have become a Magician. Did they have a sibling or family member involved, and how did they witness what they're able to do? Did they read about them in a dubiously factual forum, wanting to clear the rumors themself? Were they approached by one of the residents of the Otherworld?
More can be found on the Magicians page.
ABILITIES
Magicians have abilities that vary wildly from individual from individual and are reflections of themselves. They're basically superpowers. They usually represent their desires, emotions, fears and subconsciousness. It might reveal parts of themself they wouldn't want seen or aren't aware of. It's difficult to make a standardized formula of how they should be, so here's some reasoning behind some of the main characters.
- Josie wants to be inconviencing and listened to in her idea of "cool." She has a guitar with wild electricity.
- Serafina believes that she needs to claw her way through the world to reach her idea of success. She has ice claws that "float" over her fingernails.
- Helia is a show-lover who uses flashy fireworks to both destroy and dazzle people.
- Lorenzo is usually outwardly unflappable, but manifests his power as being able to control the Otherworld's residents, as if he was "haunted" by them.
Powers usually are stylized as big, solid blocks of energy or white trails, like a comic book. They can visually "flare up" slightly under intense emotion.
SOCIAL
Magicians have no formal hierarchy and are essentially superpowered people who have awful group chat drama with one another over how to go about their duties. They can be as close as family or be bitter enemies over petty real-world drama. Many Magician communities are called "witches" by outsiders: does your character lean into this, or think it's just stupid? do they run solo, or have a small group of friends?
REAL-WORLD
Yemaja is very based on the Caribbean and Miami. You can probably see several parallels, and it's all on purpose. It's supposed to be the good, the bad, and the ugly.
MORRO
This architecture is similar to sub-urban and rural Morro.
Ticah Sur and Tican Morro.
Ybor, Lovo, and the Trinity Islands.
This architecture is similar to sub-urban and rural Morro.