catsandmagics - Tumblr blog

[catsandmagics]

Antagonists (Pt. 1)

Cats and Magic has two main antagonists that lead their own separate arc of the story.

The Midnight Demon

A massive demonic entity that has been accumulating since the war between ALL and the beasts. A creature that has absorbed energy from every death of a demon beast, and has now grown strong enough to destroy the magical lands. It's goal is to rekindle the demon beast war, but this time win it. However, to do so... this creature seeks out the masks of grief to make it stronger.

It formed itself to have multiple faces with each key emotion to wear the masks. In the beginning of the story, it already has denial, but it ends up getting all but bargain. A rather powerful force.

During the midnight demon's rein, it had the ability to command and crontrol multiple other beasts, making it a struggle to fight since they had uniform. As well, the demon beast manipulated half-humans and forced them to work under it as well. As if the poor creatures didn't have enough hate...

END

I've discussed END already in the

He becomes an VERY large problem in the second arc, having awakened from the 'eternal slumber' ALL had forced him into. Now, if you thought the big bad Midnight demon was a problem.. this is the actual embodiment of darkness. END has gone insane, and decides the world would be more balanced if no life exists. Itomi may have realized her true powers from the fight with the midnight demon, but this isn't enough. So many shenanigans happen during this arc~

Minor Antagonists are ALSO incredibly important, Obviously. Here they are:

The Demons:

Entities of darkness that take many different shapes, most often black sludges with animal like abilities. No demons resemble cats, which is why cat half-humans are such a phenomena (still discriminated, though). Depending on what animalistic abilities they have, the stronger they get. Some even have adapted to learn MAGIC.. which is a whole different ordeal.

Half-Humans.

No necessarily evil by nature, these creatures have a very hard life. Majority of humanity sees them as bad. It does not help they have demonic blood running through them, and can be manipulated by both END and the midnight demon. They are sometimes forced against their will, manipulated to do so, or have had so much turmoil in their life they give in and serve against the humans who wronged them. There have been times where Floof has almost been controlled, but her bond with Itomi shined through.

Misa and Molly

LINKED to the half-humans, there is a duo of twin girls who have a vendetta against the school. They're more comedic relief villains more than anything. They are two kitty cats who try to ruin the school in the worst ways possible, and end up getting caught.

Traitors / END worshipers

That's right. In the second arc of the story... even magic using humans tend to turn on each other. END actually has a bit of a following, but the problem is - the traitors never state up front their praise for END over ALL. Sometimes, people Itomi has trust in... show their true colours when END awakens :)

----

There is ONE more group of antagonists I have to discuss... but considering I have favouritism towards this gaggle of goobers, I'll be making their own post. Stay tuned~!

[catsandmagics]

Masks of Grief

A deeper look into the silly masks I mentioned in general lore. These masks are a key point to the story, so I suppose it's only right for me to talk about them some more! (This is going to be a longer one, so brace yourself!)

The masks were created in the very first years of humanity's existence. Before, the world was only vast jungles with wildlife, and the human race was just beginning to flourish. People lived freely with animals, with flora, and basked in the sun of ALL. However, END, the lord of the dark, deemed the world unbalanced. It decided to introduce temptation and greed into the human race, which bloomed much faster than the goddess could manage. The sudden rise in negative emotions sparked the creation of something ELSE: the demonic creatures that now roam the surface of the planet.

Soon the demon beasts became too much, destroying forests and chasing all life to the central island now known as astral islet. END was corrupted by it's own presence, and ALL felt her power diminishing with the lack of light. She knew she could not face this alone, and thus, created the masks. She divided up her powers into five, and gave the powers to worthy champions.

In exchange for the power, the champions lost themselves. They surrendered their mind, body and souls, and even gave up their original names. The more a person gave up, the stronger connection they'd form with the mask.

The Original Champions:

Each of them was the perfect choice. To wear a mask, one has to fit all the necessary criteria or else their being will be corrupted and the vessel will die. The five were close allies - despite many of them unable to feel genuine camaraderie due to the deal.

After ALL gave the gift of her magic to the humans and fell into an eternal slumber, the war against the demon beasts was won. Humanity, however, was changed forever. They started to grow distant with nature, building civilizations out of steel and stone, and industrializing the magic they were given. Demons continued to spawn from negative emotions, but there were humans who used their magic for good. And while humanity evolved to fend for themselves over time, the masks began to fall apart. The guardians were no longer needed, and this fact sparked the downfall of these five guardians.

The first to lose his mind was Bones. His distortion powers and tendency to rage made him turn into a blood thirsty beast, threatening the world once again. The masks had difficulty taking him down - even losing Mason during the struggle. Ultimately, the user of bargain opened a rift, and locked Bones away into the void for eternity. Or... what they THOUGHT was eternity. He ends up coming back MUCH later, looking like this:

The loss of Mason and banishment of Bones caused Shaman to start feeling ill will towards bargain. They blamed him for everything, and figured he had become corrupted. Quietly, they planned to overtake him - but as he was the strongest of the lot, it would be difficult.

The mask of Bargain spent a lot of time alone. He liked to watch humanity grow, and was interested in all they came up with. His job was to remain neutral: the balance between good and evil. So sometimes the things he had to do to keep this balance made people despise him. Not like he cared - the man felt nothing.

(I'll make a separate blog about him, his story is also important)

In the end, Light also lost her life in an incident that marked the end to the masks in the eyes of the people. Shaman and Bargain were involved, too. People speculated after the incident that Bargain had also crawled away to die somewhere after being so injured. Meanwhile, Shaman decided the masks were a taboo, and went through extreme means to keep it safe.

Currently, the masks are in this state: Denial and Acceptance are lost without wearers. Anger is sealed away in the void, attached to the original wearer. Bargain is said to have a NEW wearer... and depression is passed along a blood line, protected from any outsiders.

This. is the fate of the masks. Unfortunately... even thousands of years later... beings still seek out the powerful things. Even a certain demon which happens to be the first main antagonist of the story ;]

[catsandmagics]

Itomi's Evolution!

At the start of the story, Itomi's ability is SO weak, it doesn't even register on the basic magic scale. She resorts to using alchemy as her battle tactic! She's sharp witted, and manages to make this work.

HOWEVER as the story progresses, Itomi starts to learn how strong her magic truly is. Floof was the spark that started the sudden increase in potential Itomi comes to experience!

Her true magic is 'ALLs SOUL', but they only learn it's real name much later. For the time being, people started to refer to her magic as just 'SOUL'.

Her green energy can take any form she wants. Itomi's limit is her own mind. Tends to shape it into the form of a glaive, as it feels natural. Later on, she discovers that this is because there is an actual weapon to channel her energy, and it's a duel glaive made out of jade.

This but imagine it's made out of JADE

Her powers root from each of the Mask of Bargain's powers, mainly that of Depression. It can be hard to control, and Itomi sometimes gets overtaken by the magic unless Floof is there to stabilize. It can warp her personality into a more heartless version of herself. So she's usually very wary of it. Meaning: even when she becomes incredibly powerful, she tends to fall back to using alchemy anyways!

[catsandmagics]

[catsandmagics]

END Drawings!

Part of a bigger animatic but.. that'll come later ;)

Fun fact: END is based off of the serpent in Eden mixed with the idea of a fallen, biblically accurate angel. It's eyes can turn different colours depending where they're looking (different planes = different colours), the normal colour is red!

[catsandmagics]

The City

This city is large, the size of a small state, taking up the entire island. A very modern world with things such as phones and televisions, but nothing too advanced as everyone relies more on magic than science or technology. It's an eco city with plants growing everywhere, electric transportation, and lots of walkways connecting in the air for people to get around with magic. There ARE cars in the world, but people only really get them if they constantly need to travel, and don't have the magic to do so.

The city woks like a big ring that thins out the closer to the edges it gets. Grand and built high in the centre, but on the outskirts the city resembles scattered little towns, which is why it's the prime place to live for farmers. Sadly, these outskirts are the most open for demon attacks, so it's a hot zone for the 'hero' types.

In its centre lies the hub, which is like a school AND adventurers guild, in two separate tower-like buildings. The school is much bigger and well known. People can walk in and out of classes, but must pass certain tests of knowledge and strength to up their magic ranking. One must be a certain RANK to enter the experienced tower of questing magic users. The guild gives out jobs dealing with demonic threats, errands, or perhaps chasing a rouge magic user the police cannot handle on their own.

OUTSIDE of this city, there are a few major regions. A giant jungle which people refer to as 'ALL's Garden', where plant and animal life are incredibly strange. The desert region, called 'END's Drought', and of course the incredibly snowy mountains that are in an abundance to the north. No one goes there unless they have to, as the cold climate attracts an unnatural amount of demonic creatures. These regions are titled 'The Desolates.' Besides these three locations, the rest of the world is full of planes and many forests. The closer to END's drought, the drier the planes, but towards ALL's Garden, there are fields of beautiful tall grass. There are many villages outside of the city, but they tend to be more neglected....

[catsandmagics]

Side Cast!

A group of silly kiddos Sadly. Not a single healer in sight :')

[catsandmagics]

The Gods

In this world, both of the gods were sent into a dormant state after a battle between each other. The goddess, ALL, and the lord, END. Their presence is still felt on the land: the demons from END, and the magical gift to humanity from ALL.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[catsandmagics]

World Building Lore

THE CATS

The goddess ALL was always with her feline companion, who was like a deity herself. Because of ALL’s inheritance to the humans, all who was born female will meet a cat compatriot in their future. The cat they meet will have a fur coat that shows how strong the magic is, and will unlock that magic’s potential upon fully binding with their sorcerous. Males and those who identify as something else tend to befriend other animals and use them as companions, but females have always been stronger magic users due to their bond with cats. It is possible, but highly uncommon for a male to get a cat. The ranking is as follows (strongest to weakest);

Tortoise shell [super powerful]

Black

Black/white mix (the more black, the stronger)

White

Any other variation

Siamese or Siamese breed

Persian Calico

Tabby Orange - Female Orange - Male

Those who fought by the side of ALL are said to have cats such as Lions and Leopards, symbolizing god level magic

HALF HUMANS

Demons, taking forms of wildlife because of their strong connection to magic, can corrupt mothers during pregnancy. This causes the child to be born with features that an animal would have. They have a strong connection with earth and can understand animals. These children are seen as taboo, and in most cases, they are abandoned. Since most mothers die upon giving birth to them, they are left to fend on their own. Cat half humans are the most common and can use magic incredibly well on their own because they are their own cat companion.

Cat half humans are ALWAYS female Other half humans who are other animals have much weaker magic, and will never attract a companion Both types get more chaotic the more animal like they are since it means there’s more demon blood in them. They are considered absolute curses, and most think their traits will effect them.

Though, there are those who don’t believe in the taboos and don’t mind living with them. Most half humans have either retreated into the wild or hidden their identities to live in the city. There are several half humans societies nestled in deep jungles, hidden away from the rest of humanity. The more mutated a half human is, the more demonic they usually are. While half humans aren’t exactly evil by CHOICE, due to the link to the depth plane they have more dark motivations and negative mood swings

THE PLANES

This magical world has certain films of reality that overlap each other. They cannot be travelled between without physically breaking spacetime, or using certain magical objects.

The layers are as follows;

First: ains - “Physical Plane”

Second: twai - “Spiritual plane”

Third: þreis - “Astral Plane”

Fourth: fidwōr - “Crystalline Plane”

Fifth: fimf - “Translucent Plane"

Sixth: saihs - “Depth Plane”

Seventh: sibun - “Abyssal Plane”

Eight: ahtau - “Gods’ Plane”

Not much is known about the planes of reality, humans are unable to really see or access them. Researchers have died upon entering them, and only the basic understanding of each plane has been understood.

Cats see Twai and Sibun

Half Humans see Fidwōr, and can see Sibun if their demonic blood is corrupt enough. Children that see into Sibun become evil.

The MASKS are said to be able to see and open all planes except Ahtau. But opening each level takes extraordinary effort, even from them.

THE MASKS

Back at the beginning of everything, the goddess of light and magic herself, ALL, faced a land of unbelievable darkness. In order to defeat the all consuming terror, she divided her power and bestowed a magical mask of godly power to five able human vessles. They were named the 'Masks of Grief', because acquiring such power took the humanity out of these five champions. The masks, and powers, are as follows:

Denial : Form

Anger : Distortion

Bargain : Time

Depression : Conjuration

Acceptance : Divinity and Light

These masks were lost in time, each of the original wearers were all assumed to meet their timely demise. Acceptance and denial were misplaced, anger was sealed in the void of darkness, the mask of depression gets passed along a bloodline and locked away until the current wearer dies, and Bargain... well, that's a whole matter in of itself. Only one worthy enough can dawn a mask, lest they be thrown into insanity and death.

[catsandmagics]

Character Profiles - The Main Four!

[catsandmagics]

The Prologue

Laying in front of the being was a land scorched by brimstone. The goddess stood mightily on a cliff above the lands, the last line of defence against the darkness that consumed the world. The goddess was weak, and only watched as the daemons devoured everything. If the goddess had tears to shed, she’d be weeping. But all she could do was watch as the remaining mortal lives gathered on the islet behind her. “My lady.” a voice said softly to her side, and so she turned her featureless face to gaze at the slender one who spoke to her. One of her champions - a mask wearing humanoid who had been mortal only hours ago, now blessed with her own gift. He was one of five, and even with them all, the daemons continued to grow. “Even with our newfound abilities, there are too many,” he said in a calm voice. It was true: with every one they defeated, a new one took its place. She was feeling weak, and her champions were most likely feeling exhausted. She looked to them all: each donning a mask, each looking to the battlefield with nothing but darkened eyes behind their carved features. All save for one. “We cannot give up now.” said the champion dressed in white, who resembled the appearance of angels depicted in the proverbs. A halo rested above her head, and her curled pink hair rested on her shoulders in such a beautiful way. She stepped forward, addressing her fellow masks, and her goddess. “We are the people’s hope. And what are mortals to do if they lose all hope?” she asked, bringing her hands to her heart. “Mortals are what got us into this mess.” snarled the more aggressive champion, who carried scythes in his arms, and a sneer on the face he had under the mask. “...Then perhaps…” the goddess started, grabbing all their attention. “..Mortals shall be the ones to get us out of this.” she stated, turning around and looking to the gathered people below.(edited)

She looked to them, her mighty figure glowing against the dark storms the daemons brought, against the fluttering ash and against the disheartening view of the once flourishing lands. There were not only humanoid mortals, but animals. Flora. Everything had come together for protection. The Goddess looked to her animal protege - a beautiful lioness that had a fur pattern resembling the cosmos above - who stood as the last guard. The two seem to exchange thoughts through eye contact before the lioness made it’s way to the side of her mistress. The goddess looked to all the mortals, her golden tendrils coiling beneath her, her mighty wings expanding to their full length, and the many gold rings around her head opened the eyes that lined the outside. “My dear creatures of light. We have come to the end of times. The darkness has grown, and will only grow more the more fear you carry.” she stated, stirring worry in the crowds. But she was not finished, and held up one of her four limbs from underneath her white feathered cloak."

"But you will no longer have to fear. My dear creatures of light, I shall use the last of my energy to bestow onto you a miracle. Bestow onto you Hope. From this day, your hearts will be connected to me, to the land, and to each other. I will no longer be here to hold you, but I will be there to comfort you if you look within yourself. Be strong, creatures of light, as your very souls glow against the darkness nights, and your songs will always be louder than the flames of hell. Stand together, show these creatures that mortals are capable of much more than darkness.” she stated proudly, before her body started to become more translucent. It shimmered gold as her form could be seen through, as her tendrils became like water that first slithered, then flowed towards the people. At first they staggered back in fear, but soon acknowledged the goddess would do nothing but protect them. The goddess melted into the golden liquid, only staying in form long enough to face her champions. “You must lead them in my place. You have been chosen… because you are worthy..” before she became entirely gold water, like a flooded lake that pooled at the feet of people. It was a beautiful sight to behold, the grass that it touched began to shimmer, and the eyes of the people who stood in it began to glow vibrantly with power. There was light in the darkest moment, and the people accepted the gift of the goddess. This. Was the birth of magic. As for the animals, the lioness stepped forward. She wished to be reunited with her mistress, and so gave the creatures of the realm a gift as well. Connection to the world, knowledge of the highest sort, and to the felines that gathered around the big cat, she made a request:

“My mistress was my world. Together we stood strong. I ask of you… to find your own mistress. And bring out her truest potential.” This was the start of the bond held between felines and witches. With gifts bestowed upon them, and champions to lead them forward, the creatures of light embraced their newfound powers. Abilities to control elements, to fly, to see places miles away - everyone’s soul manifested the goddess’ gift in a unique way. On that day humans became their own hope. They fought the darkness with their own bravery, bringing light to the realm once again. They had no goddess at their side, but they had her within their hearts. This was enough for humanity to push forward. The islet this last stand was held on became the centre point of civilization. Named after the lioness, this islet was called what all beings know it to be today… Astral Islet - the birthplace of magic.

[catsandmagics]

An introduction

Hello Hello! Decided to start a Tumblr about my original story: Cats and Magic! A passion Project I've been working on since I was very smol, I've now been updating it hard core! I'll be posting about the lore, character refs and other images relating to the whole world. For now, A summery: Motoko is a land full of extraordinary magic, and users who fight against demonic creatures summoned by the chaos of the land. In this world, women are known to have more potent magic than males, attracting feline companions whose fur coats symbolize how strong a witch is. Every women gets a cat at their coming of age - well, except one girl. Itomi clark, a run-of-the-mill 17 year old witch who has yet to get a feline companion. Her magic is so incredibly weak that she doesn't even have a proper magic assessment. All she can do is summon a little green light. However, one day, her life is changed, as she finally gets to meet her companion in life. But instead of a little orange cat which she expected, her life is thrown into a NEW kind of chaos as little Floof - a half human creature usually shunned by the human race - has come to shatter what's left of her social reputation. But as time goes on.. their bond goes strong, and the two learn that the fate of this world resides on them. That's right: a quiet, weak magicked girl, and a taboo creature who's main skill is running her mouth and being WAY too energetic. How will they fair against a powerful demon harnessing the magic of the passed goddess, or even the embodiment of all darkness itself? Buckle up, because the Cats and Magic trainwreck is about to depart!