Monday, September 1, 2014

Care and Feeding of Your Succubi - A Reference

I'm going to use this post to go into detail a bit about Morgan and Lily's abilities and traits.

"Good Vibes"

Morgan and Lily can keep themselves alive by eating and drinking like normal humans, but it is vital for their diet to include soul energy as well lest they become sick or depressed. Succubi such as themselves are said to 'feed off sin', but the truth is somewhat more complicated.

As it turns out, the whole 'sin' thing is a matter of coincidence. When a human cuts loose their restraints and has fun - be that with a party, a makeout session, or even a simple board game - the act of fulfilling their basic human craving for enjoyment releases endorphins and other chemicals that trigger the parts of the brain that control pleasure. The succubi are naturally tuned to these chemicals and are capable of feeding off of them.

How To Feed On Vibes

A succubus is able to feed off of 'good vibes' merely by being in close proximity (less than ten feet) from the person experiencing enjoyment. This is one of the reasons succubi enjoy throwing parties - they are gatherings of multiple people, dozens, maybe even hundreds, and all of them are there to have fun. Succubi are generally well-fed after a good party, and can go without further vibe feedings for quite a while. Uncharacteristically, some succubi, particularly younger ones, may even have to excuse themselves during a particularly large and intense party, lest they become overloaded with good vibes. A tolerance is built up over time, allowing more experienced succubi to throw larger and larger shindigs.

"Bad Vibes"

Here's where it becomes more clear that succubi don't just feed on sins, because some sins will deter or even sicken a succubus, rendering them unfit for consumption. It's also possible for bad vibes to taint good ones - a serial killer may get pleasure from murdering, but a nearby succubus wouldn't be able to feed off of that pleasure, for it was created by the murder of an innocent, and that taints it.

So What Are Sins, Then?

Sins are an artificial construct of unrelated behaviors. The succubi feed off pleasure, not sins - but since pleasurable activities were often labeled sins by those who found them socially unacceptable, succubi became known for feeding off sin instead. It doubled as a method for painting succubi with a propaganda brush, as their general life motto of "Hakuna Matata" was not what the various religions and governments that labeled them sin-eaters wished to promote.

Many succubi, including Morgan and Lily, use the term "sin" as a non-judgemental descriptive term - as in, there are "good sins" and "bad sins", even though all sins are "bad" according to the human definition. While there are always exceptions for those who go too far or those who manage to leverage their sinful urges into something good (for instance, using your wrath to avenge someone or right a wrong), the following list is basically true.

"Good Sins": Lust, Gluttony. These two sins pop up a lot at parties, especially the kind succubi throw, and tend to be closely linked to good vibes and therefore highly relevant to a succubus' interests.

"Bad Sins": Wrath, Greed, Envy. These three sins are commonly associated with bad vibes, and they have tainted many, many possible succubus meals. Pair any one of these with any "good sin" and the whole thing is poisoned (for instance, being both greedy and gluttonous. Share with the other partiers, you butt!)

"Neutral Sins": Sloth, Pride. The succubi can't feed off of someone being lazy. Prideful people can be dicks, but it's not severe enough of an issue unless paired with one of the "bad sins".

Sins by themselves do not give off vibes. It's how the act is interpreted by the person perpetrating it, and their mood and mindset, that determines what happens.

Sin Scanning

Another succubus ability. When one makes eye contact with another being at a close distance, the succubus is able to look deep into the other's eyes and see a roadmap of their soul. People who have frequently experienced pleasure and joy will appear to the succubus as having vibrant, healthy souls and are excellent choices to invite to their next party. People who are cruel, insane, or evil will have dark, twisted, shriveled souls, and the succubus will be repelled and will avoid them.

People with dark pasts who have atoned for their crimes genuinely will have souls that look less nasty, with older wounds and fading black marks. Succubi like to encourage these people to keep up the good work. People who have had hard lives but aren't bad themselves and have had little chance to have fun will have small, pale, undernourished souls. Succubi tend to take pity on these people, and if they are friendly, the succubi will go out of their way to ensure they have fun.

Bad Succubi

Over hundreds of years, many succubi came to embrace their reputation as eaters of sin, and eventually adapted to eating ALL vibes, good and bad alike. The creation of more succubi who were raised in this hostile environment in turn made even more of them dark, demonic monsters who were every bit the villains people said they were. But there always remained a segment of the succubus population that continued to live the peaceful, fun-promoting life they always had. Morgan and Lily are two such succubi, lucky to have been raised away from the bad eggs of their race. Now, with the two sisters in the spotlight as two of the most prominent Ardeans who have joined forces with the King of Beasts to wipe out Ardea's troubles, the black ink on the reputation of the succubus is crumbling, and already the numbers of peaceful succubi roughly match those who absorb all sins after being a minority for several hundred years.

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