Putting a spin on Supernatural Beings

Beth mentioned elves and witches in her comment on Vamps and Weres. This got me thinking.

When I came up with the idea for The Veil, I wanted to incorporate every supernatural being I've always been fascinated with. The bestiary (I hate to call it that, but well...that's what it is) of beings in The Veil is long and growing. I've listed Elves, Fairies, Minotaurs, Centaurs, Nymphs, Vampires, Werefolk, Dryads, Satyrs, Angels, Demons, Dwarves, Sirens, Amazons, and I'm pretty sure there's another one...what is it...*sound of head thumping into the desk* oh! Succubi, and Incubi. That should be it. Oh and the 'humans of extraordinary abilities' like witches, warmages, aura seekers, etc.

So, when I made up this world, I had to seriously think about what rules each race was going to have to follow, because there has to be rules. For instance, some of my races can only produce children of one sex. Some of my races can only have one lover (those poor nymphs), while other races are notorious bed hoppers.

Now, just because I have all of these races, it doesn't mean that every race is going to get a book. Right now I've got the Vampire and Amazon book finished and am working on a Halfling (succubus/weretiger) and Werewolf story. I'm not sure which of my characters is going to demand a story, but I have a feeling it'll be a new race I haven't mentioned here.

The point I'm trying to make (and probably not doing a good job of) is that putting your own spin on these beings is all about what you want them to do. Do you want your vampires to drink blood or drain emotional/mental energy. Do you want your elves to be like traditional elves, or funky and flighty? What about fairies? Are they the little beings who flit about on wings, or can they be humanoid and eat more than twice their own weight? There are so many endless possibilities that I don't think they'll all be touched, no matter how many paranormal books come out.

If there is one thing you'd like to change about one of your favorite supernatural being, what would it be? I've decided that succubi and incubi aren't demons. They're just like normal people but with extraordinary sexual prowess, pheromones that drip from every pore, and they live in either Pleasure Houses or Sin Dens.

On a completely different note. I'm so glad it's Friday that I'm totally beside myself.