what is chimera?

chimera is helpful little word that take from game changeling: the dreaming.
in this game, earth have two "aspects": autumn and chimerical. autumn describe things that physical, what humans and those without magic sense. chimerical describe what only those with magic can sense - mages and other faery, most often.

faery characters can see these just as much as autumn objects, with no line between two realities. here, meanwhile, rare find someone who see with eyes - no matter how much practise and try. more common that people see in mind's eye, sensations just pop into head, or just know things.

words seeming and mien use for characters in game, not often objects or such, but useful enough for this that take those too.
seeming is how something or someone look in autumn world: this is what see with eyes.
mien is chimerical form - energies, souls, auras, whatever you can think. this can be very different from seeming: different height, appearance, species.

though most not see mien with eyes, this might just be how see later in memory. logically know that not how look on outside, but might struggle with remember seeming.
important say that mien not "more true" than seeming, or other way around. person might identify with one more than other, but both exist and deserve care.

but some things or creatures have no seeming. to ordinary eyes, they invisible - to ordinary hands, untouchable. one can only see and interact through chimerical means - mind's eye, energy work, telepathy.
spirits fall under this category, but some objects and constructs as well.

objects

not all object have mien, but could have one for several reasons.
secondhand object might be full with love and feeling from previous owner, so that mien appear as if bright and almost new again.
object might have life inside, soul in some way - so mien reflect that life.
or perhaps someone pour magic in, to enchant or glamour object. in case like this, mien may show that magic.
as someone make object, their hopes for what become may shape mien before even finish.

some objects have no seeming - purely chimera. these could be from spirits, but not only ones who able make: if you can work energy, you can work towards chimera. you also have chance find chimera or get as gifts, if spirit work your thing.
in effect, chimera secret objects. can not use exactly like physical ones, but think about all magic not able do because lack material... and now think about what gaps chimera could fill, hm? you might prefer have object with physical seeming, but always nice keep choice in mind.

places

with just how many creatures and spirits roam this world, think places can have multiple miens - each visible and interactable to only specific group.
in mien, these places may look more bright or more dark, or everything within glow and sparkle. room might be small, yet mien seem stretch on and on.

people

not everyone have mien, or at least not one with any major difference. but some people do.

one possible reason is alterhumanity: this person not identify as human, not in whole anyway. differences could be as small as tail and ears, or so large that nothing in common.
this can also be basis for physical nonhumanity in some, as that person's mien and chimerical senses take equal important position to seeming and physical senses.

another possible reason is plurality: those with more than one person in body and brain have different miens that change as front do. this not guarantee, of course - some may share same mien, or have only minor difference.

then, of course, some people lack mortal seeming under most circumstance - deity, faery, spirit in all kind.