How do you write? Are you kidding me!!

Why Hellcat and Weretiger shall never meet: Blood Relations

Greetings kats and kittens this is a long one...and I rant a bit. Hmmmm.


Q: “I'm curious.. quite curious.. was thinking this while reading Tentacles and the Lord Emperor stories... is there a chance they cross over into the same world? Cuz somewhere along the line it was mentioned there were a # of Blood species...... the stories each focus more on a select few.. but Sirens were mentioned and I find myself wondering what other types you've thought of?”
......................................................................................................................lisek

My sort of glib reply: (aka covering my ass with both hands)

Legend
T4BB = Tentacles for the Brides Bouquet
LEVS = Lord Emperor Vampire Saga (all 5 books)
Yeah, you’re going to need it.

Now this question has been asked of me before, mostly by Ana, who I’ve ignored because I hadn’t really thought about it and when I did take the time, I got an eye lid tick which then lead to a cheek tick, then to a headache and a tub of vanilla ice cream mysteriously disappearing. This was an over whelming topic and instead of getting whelmed I just kept on writing. My apologies my sweet, it was just the non-planning part of me that held me back and the fact that tubs of ice cream aren’t doing my health any good.

So.

I actually sat down and was eating my way through a bag of chips and wondering about my Vampire Saga –look, I have a saga (giggle) – and if Tentacles for the Brides Bouquet were in any way related. My conclusion, as the above title suggests, is NO.

I really wanted them to intertwine. It would have saved my brain a wonderful amount of work. I could fit Satyr’s into the Cake universe. Hell, I could fit the lizard boytoy from the restaurant into the universe but when I got to the cats, tigers, cheetahs, cougars, lynx etc, I knew that they could not be Hellcats.

As you know my Hellcats from LEVS are extremely anamorphic (I hope this is the right term). They can be any type of cat from your common lapcat to a purebred Himalayan to a jaguar to a Sabretooth Tiger. The Hellcats do NOT change into human form. I do believe I would get Nightshade’s tail thumped off the back of my head if I even suggested it.

Another thing that sets the two universes apart is fear. The demons from T4BB fear the human race. They slink in the shadows or try really hard to fit in. If they can’t fit it they can get collars that will force them to look human. Forcing someone to integrate into society has never been a good thing, aka residential school for Native Americans here in Canada. Children were forcibly removed from their home environment at the age of 6 and kept in a strange, foreign place where their values, culture and language were physically removed from them. They were taught to be menial servants or manual labourers. When they were released, of course they were lost without a culture or a home to call their own. Taking cubs, Holly and Vine and raising them as pets, denying them their heritage and sense of self is the same thing. Twenty years ago, the grand civilizing experiment is declared a bust and how the Federal government who sanctioned residential schools is now publically apologizing and forking out millions in guilt money. It doesn’t release the pain and suffering nor make up for the lost of a generation, which has effectively limited the culture to the elderly or the determined.

Whoops...I think I just went on a rant here. You can use everything that affects you in your writing. While I wasn’t really making a parallel when I was writing T4BB, the fact that this came out rather quickly proves that something floating around in my mind and was influencing my emotional state...which also gets into the writing. So...bringing it back to the topic at hand...T4BB demons live in fear of humanity and all that it entails.

Now, the LEVS universe [I kind of like using the term Cake Universe, but I keep changing it slight y very book so LEVS is more accurate for the overall picture. (big sigh)] lives with the humans but are cautious, they are part of the world, not just in it. There is a group of humans who know that Bloods exist and police them for the sake of the rest of humanity – the Regency Hunters. The Vampires control the financial district and they live in a swanky highrise. Hell, the Lord Emperor of the Nation was a freaking international supermodel. That is not slinking in the shadows. They are also not hanging from the belfry declaring their uniqueness to the world. The philosophy of the LEVS universe is that you live in your world, I’ll live in mine and if you encroach on my world, I’ll fang you to death. Oh, and fuck with my family, I’ll cut your fucker off. Well you know what I mean.

Yes, I can hear the arguments now – but Gan and Walter were on the TV tabloids! Alyssa, rest in pieces, brought the spotlight onto them and even with doing that, she didn’t out them for the demons that they are. The only reason she didn’t was that then she would have been considered a crackpot and all her tips would have been ignored—and she wouldn’t get paid. Alyssa was a bitch but she was a practical girl.

So the answer must be NO; the demons from T4BB are not in any way related to the Bloods of the LEVS.

* * *

Now the second part of that question is “How many Bloods are there in the Cake Universe?” I’ve picked the lovely number 13. I’m a triskaidekaphile. I love the number 13. (yes, it’s not a real word but that’s never stopped me before!) So there are 13 separate and distinct Blood lines in LEVS. This does not include the Human Race.

BLOOD NATIONS that have been introduced or at least mentioned

1. Vampire
1.1. Categorized into two Houses – Red and Blue
1.1.1. Red Houses number...wait for it. 13 – DuBussey is but one.
1.1.2. Blue Houses number 2 – Blue and the Blue Line (Emperor)
1.1.2.1. Blue Houses number...wait for it 13. (Only 20 blues were saved from the cull then psycho grandma killed 7 leaving...oops, 13)
1.1.2.2. Blue Line – House of Von Drachenfeld.
Where all our little winglets, wingkitties and phoenixes hang out.

2. Lycan
2.1. Lycan are divided into two groups, Alphas and Not.
2.1.1. Werewolves are seen as a subspecies in two groups.
2.1.1.1. Natural - They are produced of a union of a Lycan and a human. Usually instinct calls to them and they are drawn to mate with other natural werewolves resulting in a family pack.
2.1.1.2. Made – bitten by a Lycan –infected. If the first generation werewolf goes and bites someone else, they become a second generation who have lost part of their cognitive thinking processes, the more generations (ie. Copies) the more smudged they get and resulting in feral behaviour.


3. Hellcat
3.1. Only one kind, and baby that is enough.

4. Seer
4.1. The Mystics are a mysterious race. They have no true form until they must interact with the physical world. Based on what the Collective had seen of the brotherhoods choices, they body of Lanseng was made. 6’11”, long hair, fit. The coloration was wrong with the blue hair and crimson red eyes but other than that every Seer that takes corporeal form will be different depending on the physical preferences of those they choose to interact with.

5. Siren
5.1. Mentioned briefly. The true form of a Siren looked like the creature from the black lagoon. However, much like the little mermaid they can dry off and become beautiful enchanting creatures who can offer you a chance to find your true soul mate. If you are false however, you get munched.

6. Ocanlov (extinct)
6.1. Fire demons who made good soldiers of fortune until they backed the wrong guy. Lord Sigmund smote them mightly. His great great grandbaby finished the job.


What I would like to see added maybe

7. The Fey (Elves) – dark and beautiful
8. Gargoyles – dark and ugly but loyal
9. Harpies – female angels? --have to research this one out.
10. Banshee – this might go over to “On Swift Wings”
11. Peagasi -- is there a name for winged horses?
12. * no idea
13. * no idea


Well, I’ll stop here. Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. Any more questions? [insert Vincent Price laugh here] Bwah hahahahaha!

Luv Ya.

Kiix