Something a little different this week. I’ve been chipping away at thoroughly outlining my novella and typed up some of the notes for it. I’m not going to include them all here in the interest of not spoiling the story, but I’ve got a good chunk of stuff that constitutes backstory/pre-the events of the main plot.
My method of outlining when I actually bother to do it is sporadic bullet points with some hmming and hawing and the distinct possibility of changing my mind.
I’ve changed the working title of this project like three times; the current incarnation of “Dream Eater and Monstress” is “Beast Queen and Nightmare King.” I probably need to come up with something less literal, but, on the other hand, it tells you exactly what you’re getting, no?
- the monstress was still a child when her parents were killed
- her name is lost to her memory
- she changed into something small to avoid capture but then became malformed when she tried to change back, unable to shift into any one particular creature due to unfamiliarity with them; she needs to have intimate knowledge of the creature she is trying to turn into in order to understand the structures of their bodies and hearts
- humans are “easy” compared to some creatures but still hard for her
- she knows that fundamental, at least
- she tries to spend time with creatures in the Above like birds, bunnies, etc. but they are understandably terrified of her
- she doesn’t like blood to the point of phobia thanks to the trauma of her parents’ death
- her body starts shifting involuntarily when she sleeps
- when she’s a predator she is very reluctant to kill and instead will steal prepared meat from humans or scavenge in the trash/other predators’ kills
- this is how she is turned into a semi-mythic superstition among humans
- the Queen of the Beneath has sent Underlings to go capture her, but they are quickly taken out by humans
- maybe all of this happens when she is in her mid-teens
- she evades capture by the Beneath or the Above up until the Nightmare King takes an interest in her
- he sends hunters who have specialized in killing/capturing other monsters from the Beneath
- He has heard rumors about her while stealing dreams and he wants to take hers for himself
- He ascended to the throne through corrupt means… driving his family insane by stealing their dreams and eventually they died (?)
- He has an affinity for the Beneath because of its creatures having desires distinct from humankind
- He also wants to use her to gain favor with the Queen by turning her over once he’s done with her
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