Vampires in Terra

I have read several books on the Occult, of course, so the subject of Vampirism has come up.  There are a lot of different kinds, but it isn't of the Twilight variety or the Interview with a Vampire either.  Its essentially a curse, inflicted due to prayer or some supernatural entity.  Dracula was made a vampire due to the opposing prayers of all the Turks he killed.  That is the primary reason Terra is not inflicted with hoards of vampires....for someone to become one, they have to metaphorically deserve it.  It isn't some supernatural disease one can catch just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Though I suppose if one counts 'death' as a supernatural disease, then you can easily catch it.

Fiction from Earth often finds Vampires of a torn morality, who grow to resent their curse and work to redeem themselves.  I've seen such creatures in other worlds, but not in Terra.  To be clear, there is not, so far as I know, some supernatural or demonic force that prevents them from doing good; they're just assholes.  While our politicians are not perfect, they are practically saints compared to the Earth variety.

On Terra, we are stories wheras on Earth you tell them.  That means our highs are very high and our lows are very low.  Those who choose to be assholes or villains tend to be very much of that cloth and those who are complicated are still much clearer in tone when doing dire deeds.  But....

Some of the people you have there...I must say on the AGGREGATE make our vampires look tame by comparison.  A vampire in Terra might tear through an entire orphanage in a rural town to sate their blood lust before going to sleep for another century.  Some of your population will sooner let millions suffer simply because it isn't their problem.  Maybe our heroes are just better at moving people toward compassion but I do admit, I'm glad I live here.

The stories there are amazing.  I live to see them which is why I find myself spending more and more time every day floating amongst your population, listening for anything I can, real or otherwise.  But I have to wonder if the reason we write so few is because the quality of our lives is better and the reason you write so much is because...nearly anywhere else is better than where you are.  But I'm biased I suppose.

[Script] Legacy of Hope - Page 10

Scene: Anastasia looks unsure.

Scene: Anastaia looks sad, happy and in love at the same time.  She throws open her hands to hug Anastasia.

Scene: Hobbes looks through the book and finds a spell.

Scene: Shot of the page of the book, the title of the spell is "Nasty Surprise"

           Hobbes: What are you doing?! Stab her! She's trying to kill you!  (Begins chanting)

Scene: Anastasia looks unsure but she speaks into her hand, whispering and the sword lights on fire.

Scene: Andrasta opens up her arms, not even fighting.

Scene: Anastasia hesistates.

Scene: Hobbes looks like he wants to yell but doesn't dare stop his chanting.

Scene: Anastasia lunges but stops at the last minute and cuts Andrasta's arm.  Andrasta offers her other arm.  Anastasia is clearly doubting.

Scene: Hobbes finishes reading and smiles with triumph.

[Heliotrope] The Geography of Fairy (in relation to Terra)

Trying to describe all of Fairy is insanely stupid, since it flickers and expands in infinite impossible directions betwixt and among worlds in fits and starts; here one day and gone the next.  Whole swaths of magic kingdoms appear and disappear in the blink of an eye long before those in a world next door even realize their proximity.  But some sections of Fairy, like the red spot on that storm giant Jupiter, become fixed, as a recognizable feature in an otherwise churning churl of chaos.

Such is the nature of Terra.  Terra is not like Earth with its ripples upon the pond of reality affecting all of creation, but it is a place between many other places; a veritable high way from one way to another and as such certain regions of fairy have begun to congregate around it with some semblance of stability.  Terra's relationship with Fairy has become almost recognizable as a realm compared to other stranger demenses such as limbo, heaven, hell and Eddie's Interdimensinal All Night Pizzaria.

Outer Fairy was once a primal forest or swamp or desert, ruled by spirits who slowly because various fairy creatures influenced by both human belief and the primal creatures inside of Inner Fairy.  But time has slowly reduced their number.  Their habit of kidnapping changlings and bringing them to Fairy greatly enhanced their quality of life for many centuries, but eventually the humans vastly outnumbered the fairies until there were only humans left.  But a human inhabitant of fairy only looks nominally human; all have the blood of fairies in their veins, some even of Fairy Queens or Fairy Godmothers.  Not all of them acknowledge their magic, but it influences their lives in ways that would be obvious to someone from Terra.  It is a realm that interacts with Terra but is terrified of it; their modern technology and vast numbers infinitely larger than the smaller more magical realms connected to it.  And some governments are just beginning to learn of their existence.

One can think of Fairy around Terra as a hypersphere.  Inner Fairy perfectly matches the moon but also overlaps Terra.  It is exactly the size of the moon, but sunrises and sunsets tend to match those of Terra.  Time is not that radically different; at an equinox it is one day for one day; where at the summer solstice it tends to be five terran days for one in outer fairy.  By the winter solstice there are five fairy days for every day on Terra.  It tends to even out since the New Year on Terra matches the year (more or less) in Outer Fairy.

Middle Fairy is a chaotic realm the size of Mars, also superimposed over Earth but based on Mars's orbit.  At apogee, time is 15 days to 1 relative to Terra.  The reverse is also true.  A year in Middle Terra is equal to three years in Middle Fairy.  The magic here is still strong and does not rely on the complex series of magical dykes, dams, aquaducts and windmills to keep it pumping.  The land is teeming with magical creatures and while there are human kingdoms there are just as many of flowers, elves, dwarves, sprites, and any spirit imaginable.  Godmothers protect the realm from total destruction from Inner Fairy, while Fairy Royalty pays omage to the Godmothers and powerful colored fairies of days of old.  There are very few raids into outer fairy though simply because no one (except perhaps the humans) wants humanity to overrun Middle Fairy like they did Inner Fairy.

Inner Fairy is a hypersphere the size of Jupiter, and time there indeed runs long, with 100 days to 1 at apogee relative to terra and inverted at its long flight around the sun.  There are roughly 200 years in Inner Fairy relative to Terra.  Inner Fairy is ruled by the court of Oberon, with giants of magical power such as Order, Chaos, Light, Darkness and other mythic individuals.  Mab and her court hold tremendous sway there and sometimes there are abductions but Inner Fairy can do what it wants, when it wants and easily bypasses Middle Fairy to another realm to fetch entertainment or skill as it requires; though the games between Oberon's children affect many realms far and wide.

[Script] Legacy of Hope - Page 9

Scene:  Inside of the house, Anastasia looks at the sword.  She picks it up.

Scene: Hobbes is reading from the book, desperately moving pages back and forth trying to find the right spell.

Scene: There is a mighty spell, and a ghastly hand reaches out from the house.

Scene: Andrasta looks worried.

Scene: The hand comes closer.

Scene: Andrastda enters a fighting stance.

Scene: The hand opens and reaches for her.

Scene: Andrasta moves to strike and misses.

Scene: The hand slaps her on the wrist.

Scene: Distant shot from the house, where HObbes makes non dialog specific sounds of frustration and annoyance.

Scene: Andrasta smiles and seems more confident and walks up to the porch.

Scene:  The door opens up and Anastasia is there, holding the sword.

A change of cities

The letters from EP Blingermeyer had become rather frightening.  I was getting pretty good at this Astral Projection thing, and now he was asking for something he never had before.  He wanted me to physically travel with him to another world.  He was prepared to tell me whatever horrific thing he did to accomplish this, and while I knew there were ways to accomplish this, I knew at this point that most of them were not good.  I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

I made one of my frequent trips to the French Quarter and stopped by the Tattered Library, the used bookstore I kept reading a bit at a time when the proprietor looked at me differently, their one good eye open and scrutinizing me.  "You've changed," she asked, her dark lips pursing thoughtfully, "Something different about you."  Her husband had been the one who had been letting me see a page at a time, and I was under the impression she was the reason he had been so reluctant.

"How'd you like to keep that book?" She asked.

My interest immediately piqued.  I had to admit I was obsessed with it.  I wasn't sure why.  Ever since TC had channeled the stories of the Heliotrope book, I was anxious to know more about the world that literally lay right next to my own. I knew more about the strange and frankly monsterous world you call home than I did about the legendary creatures right next door.  "I...might be."  My words were coy but my tone was desperate.

She laughed at my attempt at subterfuge and said,"Then you have to choose."

"Choose...what?"

"Who you going to work for. Blingermeyer...or me."

I blinked.  This was not the way I had expected this conversation to go.  "Um...do you have dental?"

Now she positively cackled though it was a warm throaty thing, filled with high pitched benevolence.  "Yes, we work with teeth.  And we pay well Mr Ticks.  Very well." She put a put a bag of gold coins on the table.  At current exchange rates that was easily two years pay.  Well, anywhere but Texas, Oklahoma or Fresno.

"You have my attention.  What would I do for you? Tour guide suits me but something-"

For the first time, her laugh became derisive.  "That bridge to everywhere and nowhere? We have better ways of getting around Mr. Ticks.  No, we'd want you to read the books we give you and keep up your...unusual arrangement with TC.  Yes, we know about him, we know a lot of things."

"I..." I would have done that anyway.  "What's the catch?"

"You need to move. Blingermeyer is bad news.  Very bad news.  You'd have to set up residence somewhere else."

Now I was upset.  I loved my home. TC might be a tumbleweed driving on the wind, but I'd lived in the Bouyou my whole live.  "Where?"  I asked.

"Magica."

That was another name for Miami, just like some anti romantics still called Terminus Atlanta.  It was too hot for my taste.  I started to say no when she put a second bag of gold on the table.

"That's not all Mr Ticks," she said, not laughing at all anymore,"You already sense something wrong about how Blingermeyer moves between worlds.  You're right.  And you won't be able to tell him no if you stay.  You want to keep your soul? Work for us?"

I told her I had to think about it.  I went home.  Dark formless shapes haunted my dreams, and I felt something terrible enter it...something nightmarish...and IT was warning me as well.  There were horrific consequences for staying, consequences I couldn't even imagine.  I woke in a sheen of sweat to the point that my mouth was dry and my gut was heaving.

I had to get out of there.  So gold coins, books and a small family model T full of my remaining possessions, I headed south.

I have a new employer it seems.

Grenademan Vs the Zombies

This podcast is cursed....but we are still going for now.  The echo in this and chapter 16 is untenebal but we will still go every other week for now.

Check out this episode!

[Writer Stuff] Fiona Skye

While I reserve Monday to post my status as well, Fridays I am going to try and post useful writer tips, resources or inspirational material.  Because I wrote the review fairly recently, I'm including it again here for the audiobook of Fiona's here.  Fiona has been the editor of a few of my short stories, Grenademan vs The Zombies and also Forever West.

Her website is here.

Her good reads site is here.

And her twitter is here.

Why you should care: As a reader, her books are quite interesting.

As a writer, you should care for two reasons; three actually.  First, because she is an excellent example of "Donna Do" as compared to "Donna Don't" and shows the best steps a rising author who can actually sell things should follow.  Second, she is an excellent editor for beginning writers because she is one, she is very cheap for the skill level she brings to the table, and because she is willing to call your bullshit for what it is while also offering very real positive praise for the work just when you need it.  And third, because smart writers network very well and she can teach you a lot about how to do it (also see point one).