#forest devils

[forest-devils]

Something something if Lark had ever had a grandmother, something in him hoped that she would've been like her.

[forest-devils]

Lark finding out the hard way to watch his darn mouth, and that not all of the Folk are out to get him, and not to assume because now he’s such a jerk one of his best friends vanished into thin air. So he’s searching for her, calling for her, etc.

“Lucia!” She’s up in a damn tree, arms crossed, she got her feelings hurt. “I thought you said that you wished you never met the Folk in the first place.” “Lucia, I didn’t know-” “No! You didn’t know! You’re badmouthing people you know nothing about, careless of whether or not you hurt anybody!”

So, Lark didn’t think about that. Which, he’s like eleven.

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“You’ve forgotten who you are, haven’t you little thing?”

Basically, one of the fae from those high places in the court, the ones based around Ogham, telling Lark he doesn’t have to keep doing this. He can go home. But I’m not sure he can. How much does he really remember? He left so long ago, and he failed. His brother is dead and gone despite seeing him right there, his friends are hurt and broken and trapped. And he’s not the same anymore, the scars on his face can tell him that much!

“No. I’ve just forgotten who I was.”

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Lucia probably always seems so fearless and invincible to Lark, so him seeing her break down or cry or be afraid would shake him down to the bone. She’d go from seeing to tower above him (which, she’s quite a bit taller than him for a while), to seeming so small--he wouldn’t know what to do. And that’d stick with him. Just--she’s scared--Lark keeps drifting away, fighting meaningless battles to try to get back something that’s already gone, giving up another piece of himself every day. She can barely recognize him, her best friend.

“I’m scared! I don’t know you anymore! I know a nervous boy with a sad smile giving up everything so his brother could be safe! I remember a boy who promised he would be my family when he learned that I was alone! Where did he go?” She’s certainly crying, looking at him pleadingly with those big golden eyes. “I don’t know this boy with scars on his face and a sword at his side, vowing vengeance with blood on his hands! Where did you take him! Give me my friend back!”

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Character Summaries

That were written the May before last and may or may not remain accurate to the characters now.

Lark

A boy who loves his brother very much, and will do anything to protect him. But he fails, even when he does everything right, he fails. But he won’t stop trying. And boys become reckless when they think that they have nothing to lose. Until they lose sight of what they gained. And that last bit of hope they didn’t know they still fucking had dies.

Vitreus

A man who is stuck as a boy, and he is very far from home. He misses the person he loves, and knows he can’t get them back, or go back home, but he doesn’t know how to accept that. A man who becomes brave by finding stories none else dared to, holding them close like secrets until it’s time to tell them.

Francis

A boy who is wanted, and loved, by his brother. His big brother is his entire world, and he looks to him like he put the stars in the sky just so he didn’t need to be afraid of the dark. But, one day, as the snow begins to melt and the first leaves unfurled, his big brother tells him that he loves him, and disappears into the woods. His brother leaves him, and he doesn’t understand why. So he waits. He waits a year and a day for his brother to come back home, or to come back to bring him too. A year and a day, when finally, he squares his shoulders, packs a back with a blanket, an extra pair of socks, a toy cat and a peanut butter sandwich. He leaves just at dawn, into the snow and naked trees. He doesn’t see the river, or hear the thawing ice beneath the snow. He walks out onto the ice, looking for his brother, and he drowns. Only he comes back, but he’s not Him anymore.

Alternatively.

A boy who is wanted, and loved, by his brother. His big brother is his best friend and his whole world. Until one day, his brother goes into the forest, and doesn’t come back. A year and a day passes, he follows him. He steps out onto the river, hidden beneath the snow and ice. He falls. He’s cold. He hits his head... It’s dark. A boy who is wanted, and loved, by his Queen. A boy who can’t remember. He is afraid of the snow.

Lucia

A girl with sunlight eyes who plays pretend. A girl who is lonely, who doesn’t want a new friend to run away. She is something frightening, and pretends not to be. She helps her friends, guides them, keeps them safe. She knows so much more about this world than they do. She protects them, she loves them, but still she pretends. Until the naivety of young boys with angry hearts breaks her own. She just wants to be known.

The Folk

Queens and Kings, and Lords and Ladies. Riddles, tricks, and lies without lying. Named after and created off of Ogham trees.

Anguis

Someone who was hurt and holds a grudge. Someone who was judged for what, not who he was. And held onto that anger. Because he was put in a cage, and that does something to people. But he finds a kindred soul or two, and they either become corrupted, help each other heal, or both, or neither.

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I just hurt myself figuring out one character’s motives/what his character arc is, because oops- that- that hit close to home, no future pun intended. Vitreus just wants to go back home, his home is over 2,000 years ago, and he’s tried so many times. The veils have made him age and become younger a thousand times over as he’s tried to finally slip through the right one, and basically--he needs to let go and accept the fact that he can’t get back. He’s stuck here, and has to learn to make a home where he is.

But yeah, the dude looks like nine and yet he’s older than some of the oldest appearing changelings that are like thirty-forty years old in appearance.

Vitreus is also our story’s narrator. So while he seems insignificant at first, and isn’t even one of the first characters introduced by name or even description, he’s extremely important.

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Lark Symbolism

Larks symbolize daybreak, joy, and are often portrayed as messengers. They also mimic other birds, so that can be thrown in as symbolism as well. So there will be more behind the alias than it just being the first bird that he sees, it will just take time, as we haven’t gotten that far into writing yet.

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Out here finally working on a draft of Forest Devils and I get stuck on dialogue. Why is this where the story started? Is Lark even still the main character? I don’t know! Everything starts and ends with Francis, not Lark, so it’s a bit hard to tell, isn’t it? But we don’t see what’s happening with Francis, do we? I’m not sure, haven’t gotten that far yet!

Nonetheless, the story starts the evening Francis was born, and I’m not sure how to keep going with this scene. But I will try. I swear on my marrow, this story is being told. It is too dear to my heart not to be.