Sirens are known for their hypnotic singing voices. They often mesmerize men and cause them to wreck their ships before eating them. They are primarily meat eaters, feasting on mostly fish and sea creatures, and humans when they can find them. The academy is trying to teach them that eating people is wrong and encourage them to feast only on animals, but the occassional nibble sometimes happens. It is in their nature after all.
In the past, humans have confused sirens with merfolk and harpies, but they are neither. Sirens are distinguishable by their completely black eyes and razor sharp teeth. They have webbed fingers and toes with sharp nails to assist with swimming. They primarily reside in sea caves and are often seen along rocky shores.
Merfolk are famous for their gorgeous tails, but not so much for their webbed fingers (like sirens). They have been known to drown sailors for their amusement. Human life fascinates them, so after drowning people, they often take their belongings for examination. Being born and raised in the sea, many merfolk were not aware that out of water, their bodies would change forms, their tail being replaced by legs and their fingers becoming normal and unwebbed. In fact, they can pass for humans on land, except sometimes they still retain patches of shimmering scales on their skin and they have large pupils. The moment they touch water though, they revert back to their fishy forms. They generally have bright blue or green eyes both in and out of water.
In a sense, Merfolk are Sirens’ prettier, more regal cousins. They’re so beautiful in fact, that humans began capturing them and tying them to the front of their ships for good luck as well as to ward off other merfolk who wanted to drown them.
Merfolk generally have a more even temperament than sirens and kill humans more out of curiosity than to eat them. They eat mostly fish and sea plants like seaweed.
Fae, otherwise known as faery folk or fairies, are famed for their abductions of human children. They have the ability to create or become changelings, which take on the form of abducted humans to fool their families and loved ones. Changelings can either be an enchanted block of wood or an actual fairy that shapeshifts. Changelings were excellent spies and easily able to abduct more humans. Humans were abducted for two reasons: breeding and servitude. Children were easier to abduct because they are impressionable and easier to trick and condition. Males were used as servants and females were pampered until maturity and then bred by fairy husbands. Surprisingly, when a human and a fairy breed, their offspring is twice as powerful as a regular fairy. Fairies hoped they could create an elite army and take over the human realm, but their efforts were unsuccessful once humans caught onto them and began killing changelings.
Fae are distinguishable by their gorgeous butterfly-esque wings. They have pointed ears, and are often confused with Pixies, but they are larger and have smaller ears than Pixies. Fairies are more regal and like to dress in fine clothes. They will get angry if you call them a Pixie.
Fae are prideful, like elves, and do not like being controlled. They often feel rather superior to other species. They possess magic abilities and can shape-shift, create illusions, fly, levitate objects, mend broken things, and create healing potions. They can eat both plants and meat, but they seem to prefer being gatherers and feasting on nuts and berries. They do not like to harm animals, but they will fight a pixie or another species at the drop of a hat. They used to reside in the fairy realm, but it was destroyed when abducted humans and half-fairies revolted and burned down everything, forcing them to flee into the human world. They prefer areas with lots of flowers. Their wings produce fairy dust which can be thrown at people and used to make them fly, burn their skin, seduce, or hypnotize them.
Pixies are commonly mistaken for fairies. They are fae creatures, but there are key differences. Pixies are smaller than fairies (muses 5’8 or under please~). They are extremely sneaky and spiteful. They have terrible tempers and are known for fighting and screeching at people. They absolutely love to play pranks, steal things, and harass people. They are greedy, often hoarding stolen objects. Pixies wear little to no clothing, and it is often made from forest materials such as leaves and flowers and barely covers anything. It is not uncommon for them to go . The teachers are trying their best to make them at least wear their uniforms, but it is often unsuccessful.
Pixies have wings like fairies and sharp teeth like sirens. They have very long, pointy ears, longer than even elf ears. They also have tiny claw-like nails. Their magic is weaker and usually used more for pranks (like creating the illusion of an angry bear in the dining hall just to cause panic). They are scavengers and will eat whatever they can find with no problem and generally reside in forests. Their wings do not produce fairy dust like fairies, though for some reason people started calling it pixie dust, which is incorrect.
Nymphs are a rare breed. There are two types: water and forest. They are directly tied to nature, charged with looking after the environment they live in. They can communicate with both plants and animals.
Water nymphs usually live in streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are freshwater creatures. They have bright blue eyes and blue/silver tinted skin and glistening scales. They look after the creatures and plants in their bodies of water as well as along the banks. (like helping fish caught on fish hooks, saving drowning humans and such). They can control water and freshwater plants as well as aquatic animals.
Forest nymphs reside in trees, and leaves, vines, and even flowers sprout from their heads like hair. They have bright green eyes and green tinted skin. They look after the animals and plants in their forests. They can make trees move and communicate with them, having control over plants and animals. Don’t get on their bad side or you may end up with a tree in your bed or something.
Both types of nymphs have long claw-like fingernails and four tiny pointed canines. They prefer not to wear clothes as they naturally exist without them. They are generally even-tempered, unless you mess with them or their precious animals or plants. They are strictly vegetarian and refuse to harm animals. (They dislike elves for being hunters). Eating meat will make them ill. Nymphs are extremely gifted healers and can use either water or plants to heal injured creatures and people. Too much use of their power will require them to rest for a short period though.
Elves are the most similar to humans. They have pointed ears and wear their hair long and in braids (think LOTR). They may or may not have brightly colored eyes depending on the elf. Elves live off the land, hunting, gathering and building immaculate tree houses. They value strength and agility, and are very prideful and stuck in their ways. They are royally pissed off and indignant about being at the academy as they feel like it is unnecessary. They feel they are more civilized than the other creatures. They make their own clothes and boots from animal hides and materials found in the forest. They also make their own weapons and like to wear flower/berry crowns.
They can be a bit stuck up and are likely to complain a lot.
Veela are strange creatures. They are often confused with Harpies, but they are very different. Veela are extremely beautiful, practically albino, with pale skin, white-blond hair and bright blue eyes. (Blond muses only please~) They smell divine, and they have seductive powers, which makes it all too easy to get men wrapped around their fingers. Flipping or playing with their hair makes men weak for them, wanting nothing more than to earn a veela’s favor. Men will become infatuated and do whatever a veela asks, making fools out of themselves. While they look angelic and elegant, Veela can be deadly. When provoked, they change into a terrifying form with sharp tallon-like nails, dragon-like wings, and an enormous, sharp beak. They can also throw fireballs from their palms. Veela eat human foods and haven taken to relying on men to pamper them and take care of them, somewhat blending into society until provoked and revealing their true forms. The academy is trying to put a stop to that and teach them to take care of themselves.
Harpies have been confused with many species, but they are very unique. They are bird creatures. They have enormous wings that they can tuck around themselves, giving them the appearance of a bird with a human head. They have the lower half of a bird, with a tail, feathers, and talons. When their wings are extended, they have human arms beneath them that they can untuck and use separately from their wings. They also have a human form which they can change into at will. Their human form has sharp claws and bright amber or honey colored eyes. Harpies are born in large nests and raised like birds. They eat meat not worms though. Harpies are extremely aggressive over food, so they are definitely not someone you want to steal from, though they might snatch your lunch. They are known for swooping down and stealing meat from hunters.