The Angels That Fell Sideways

[Gods_Trick]

I'm going to contact the maker of Slenderman and see if I can get permission to use him in Dark Waltzing. Going to make him a sort of assassin-fey of the Twilight Court, the right hand man of Lord Beast. He steals away children to the court and terrorizes others for sport. Unlike most fey he doesn't mind dwelling about human lands and is the elite being sent amongst mankind to deal out the worst punishments. He is the last resort to send after the girl who holds Lord Beast's child. Brina will also be the only one in creation that has managed to evade him.

Shouldn't be a proble, Slendys a 'Net meme and should be publicdomain. But its a good idea since you are thinking of publishing.

[TheVorpalTribble]

Mmm, thinking out-loud here, though comments welcome.

So Derog is fleeing from his home after death of his mother. Its pouring, it's dark, and he's going to meet a visiting Kapre Lord (smoking forest-giant from indian mythology) by following the will-o'the-wisps of his pipe. He escape giant, who sends his 'burl noggin' servants after him.

Now, may 1st at midnight is supposed to be a 'spirit night' in welsh lore. I'm thinking a 'coal black cock' crows 11 silences, and then pits from the Otherworld open up, as in Welsh lore the way to the courts there are through underground passages.

Can't be caves, as most of the caves in hillsides have been taken over by ironworks, which is anathema to them. However, 'magical pits' with stairs leading down seems a bit corny in my opinion. So, I'm thinking he does something to allow them to open. Was thinking of adding a random moss-covered obelisk in the woods while fleeing the burl noggins, cracks into it, nose splats on it, blood offering by a virgin innocent for all intended purposes. However, that seems too random, just happening to hit into it. Don't like when other authors do that. Unless... the reason the kapre was in the area was so his pipe could draw random wanderers, where he had planned to sacrifice them to open the fissures.

However, how does Derog get to the fairie realm so as to meet the nymph that will be the second main character of the story... was thinking he'd fall in the river, and being a 'water child' would only go into a coma instead of dying. Thus introducing another strange facet that the readers will consider a mystery until it is discovered he is the many-times direct male descendant of the physicians of myddfai and thus the many great grandson of he legendary lady of the lake.

Or, perhaps, he descends the stairs and comes to an underground river that flows beneath all of Wales. Some areas one can come out into fairie, or others into Wales proper.

Still seems more fantastical and less strange and eerie however.

So...

#1. Do I want him to be responsible for opening up a passage for the faerie folk.
#2. How does he get to the faerie realm.
#3. Where does he meet the nymph.

And how do I go about this in a way more Lovecraftian than Tolkien.

[Prime32]

He passes between two random standing stones. Nothing seems to happen at first, but as he keeps moving things become... different.

If you need the passage to be "open" for some reason other than the time of year, it could have been opened by another character, who is either a Chessmaster or left it open on unrelated business. Or maybe it reacts to some minor McGuffin he's carrying. Or to draw inspiration from Berserk, he was unintentionally "marked" by the giant in some way (eg. wounded with a fey weapon), so the passage recognises him as having fey energies. Maybe it only works if you know about what lies on the other side, the very knowledge making you further from earth.

Maybe the Otherworld appears different to each person based on their experiences. A house might be parts of various houses he has seen cobbled together; if it is an important house it uses important buildings. But when he touches the grass it feels like water; maybe he nearly drowns in some cobblestones.

If he's wounded, the wound could heal in an unusual way (especially if it heals in the Otherworld), likely related to his heritage. Maybe his flesh ripples when touched.

[TheVorpalTribble]

Hmm, that gave me an idea.

Perhaps his blood on the stone, which possesses iron, draws lightening from the storm in some odd way. It strikes the stone and arcs to hit dead trees in the area. Suddenly they grow, their leaves dancing with flame (this is supposed to be a time of fire spirits). The burning trees form a circle, and at the base of each burning tree's roots a passage opens.

Basically they have ignited the life in the blood to spark vitality in the trees. Rebirth as it were, and now the trees are consumed with the fires of life, thus allowing creatures of the fire element to venture out.

These creatures could probably come out one by one of other doorways, but this is like throwing open the gates. Its more in keeping with celebration and symbolism.

Guess I'd need to take out the cock however. I liked him, too

If he's wounded, the wound could heal in an unusual way (especially if it heals in the Otherworld), likely related to his heritage. Maybe his flesh ripples when touched.

That's possible. Wanting his throwback heritage to be very subtle. Like he moves very fluidly, allowing him to dance and move with great flexibility. When he makes love to the nymph later on, or kisses her, he can 'take of her waters' which slows his aging and begins to impart mortality on her.

One of his main abilities however will be to see how things interact. He already could recognize the slightest change in features and movement that showed the coming of disease. However, after meeting her she fully awakens it, so that he can slide through crowds, see the patterns in interactions (the dance of life as it were), and  most importantly will be able to distinguish ley lines in geography.

Beauty in movement and form is what drives his obsession to find her years later. He cannot live without that hint of perfection, a perfection no mortal could match.

[TheVorpalTribble]

Well, will soon have chapter 1 and 2 on Critters.org, a publishing and critiquing website. Around May 4th.

Currently cleaning up 3-5. If anyone would be interested in giving an honest, constructive critique would be willing to post them here early.

I've had to rewrite a good chunk of what I had initially worked on to fit better with the concept of the series, but hopefully the delay will make it a more solid read.