Willow.'s Blog
March 4, 2022
Foreword and Prologue for THE DAUGHTERS OF FIRTH TALES
Foreword:
The title DAUGHTERS OF FIRTH TALES begs the question, “Who are the daughters of Firth?” First one must harken back to the description of Firth given by Shadow in ON A BLUE MOON:
“Firth was born thousands of years ago, in Earth’s time, on a planet many light-years from here. Her species had already developed a civilization far in advance of where the human race is now, yet her mental capabilities greatly exceeded those of her contemporaries. Instead of being admired for her special gift, she was thought of as an aberration, making her an outcast to her society. Even her own family rejected her. A few were so jealous of her they abused her physically and emotionally to break her spirit, to prove in their twisted minds they were superior to her. In her youth she tried to escape, but was hunted down and tortured no matter where she went.
“When Firth reached adulthood, she focused her incredible abilities on finding a way to escape her tormentors. She had to find a place where no one else could go. A time came when she found that place. Pushed to extremes, her mind and spirit separated from her physical self. She was free. She made it permanent by creating a hybrid of mass and energy to take her body’s place in nurturing her mind. Her spirit soared as the living cloud she formed around herself overcame the restraints of gravity. Floating above her abusers she looked down on them triumphantly.
“Time passed. The several decades of life normally allotted to Ilexies, the species she evolved from, wasn’t to apply to her. After nearly a hundred years of experimenting, she perfected her way of life. Her existence would span centuries rather than decades. Yet, having been liberated from the frailties of her body, and greatly extending her longevity, she was overcome by loneliness.
“She solved that problem when she discovered a way she could have offspring. By using living cells she spirited away from unsuspecting males, then combining them with her own mutated cells, she was able to form the beginnings of life. Her seed developed inside female Ilexies willing to help her. Firth taught the resulting children from a young age. By adulthood many of them could escape their bodies, becoming like her. With the passing of centuries dozens of them joined her as she floated freely throughout the planet. Her children were a joy to her to the end of her life.
“Firth’s descendants, Firthians, of which I am one, expanded on what she began. Our life spans have been extended from centuries to millennia. Using our exceptional minds, we pushed back barriers of time and distance so we could explore our solar system, and eventually our galaxy.”
Okay then, who are the daughters of Firth? By name they are: Esther, Frither, Peace, Ruth, Spring, and Willow. What, then, is the defining quality of Firth’s daughters? Whether becoming Firth’s daughter at birth or later in life, biological or adopted, their defining quality is alluded to toward the end of the second tale:
“She’d been through the fire, and she’d survived, just as Firth had, just as Ruth had. She was now part of a sisterhood born of pain, of fear, of hopelessness. She overcame the pain, conquered the fear, found hope once again. Facing her vulnerabilities made her stronger than ever, transforming her from a headstrong girl into a woman severely tested by life.”
In tales two through five the Firthians, especially Firthian Meddlers in the second and third tales, drive the action, and the human beings try to survive it. Firthians are both allies of, and enemies of, the humans caught up in their conflicts. Ultimately, though, humanity becomes its own worst enemy.
If you prefer your protagonists to be “flawed” to the point of being psychopaths, you’ll be disappointed in Willow’s tales. The protagonists are empathetic and have a conscience, the antagonists are the psychopaths. However, a protagonist is overcome by evil, while an antagonist joins forces with protagonists.
One of the main themes of Willow’s tales is- our bodies are not who we are, our identities rest inside our minds. An example is that a Firthian is just a mind with a minimal amount of mass to support it. Firthians’ personality can only be determined based on their words and actions, not on physical appearance. With humans swept up into the world of Firthians, that premise must be remembered to keep track of who a character really is.
Another common element to the tales is that the resolution to the conflict in a tale is the spark that ignites the conflict in the next tale. In that sense, the tales are one continuous story. A story in which the daughters of Firth are subject to cosmic winds of malevolence threatening to destroy them, yet stand against it, and endure. A
Prologue:
The first tale, in many ways, defined me, the voices told of my childhood. The second tale echoes from deep in the past, the voices telling of the terrors that molded me. Taken back in time, four of us struggle to survive against an evil Meddler and his ruthless pawns. Manipulated, separated, tortured, and my being brutally raped, we struggle against hopelessness and despair, and fight to find the will to live. Yet, born from that terror are the two people I have loved the most.
The voices telling the third tale are the hardest for me to listen to. Loved ones suffer, beings I greatly admire make the ultimate sacrifice, Meddlers I despise wreak havoc among human societies, a precious child is abused. The ending drastically transforms many lives. The voices also tell of love found, and extraordinary courage.
I still have nightmares about the fourth tale. The voices echo mercilessly inside my head, the loudest being my own. It’s a tale of manipulation leading to complete destruction, and a story telling of a beloved mentor who dies yet lives on. It’s also an account of a chivalrous man who acts heroically but tragically, and the chronicle of a planet that shudders in agony.
The fifth tale is the saddest, the voices weep for all that’s lost. A woeful tale for the planet Earth as selfishness and hedonism lead to a spiral of destruction, and the downfall of humanity. And yet, there is hope. W
The title DAUGHTERS OF FIRTH TALES begs the question, “Who are the daughters of Firth?” First one must harken back to the description of Firth given by Shadow in ON A BLUE MOON:
“Firth was born thousands of years ago, in Earth’s time, on a planet many light-years from here. Her species had already developed a civilization far in advance of where the human race is now, yet her mental capabilities greatly exceeded those of her contemporaries. Instead of being admired for her special gift, she was thought of as an aberration, making her an outcast to her society. Even her own family rejected her. A few were so jealous of her they abused her physically and emotionally to break her spirit, to prove in their twisted minds they were superior to her. In her youth she tried to escape, but was hunted down and tortured no matter where she went.
“When Firth reached adulthood, she focused her incredible abilities on finding a way to escape her tormentors. She had to find a place where no one else could go. A time came when she found that place. Pushed to extremes, her mind and spirit separated from her physical self. She was free. She made it permanent by creating a hybrid of mass and energy to take her body’s place in nurturing her mind. Her spirit soared as the living cloud she formed around herself overcame the restraints of gravity. Floating above her abusers she looked down on them triumphantly.
“Time passed. The several decades of life normally allotted to Ilexies, the species she evolved from, wasn’t to apply to her. After nearly a hundred years of experimenting, she perfected her way of life. Her existence would span centuries rather than decades. Yet, having been liberated from the frailties of her body, and greatly extending her longevity, she was overcome by loneliness.
“She solved that problem when she discovered a way she could have offspring. By using living cells she spirited away from unsuspecting males, then combining them with her own mutated cells, she was able to form the beginnings of life. Her seed developed inside female Ilexies willing to help her. Firth taught the resulting children from a young age. By adulthood many of them could escape their bodies, becoming like her. With the passing of centuries dozens of them joined her as she floated freely throughout the planet. Her children were a joy to her to the end of her life.
“Firth’s descendants, Firthians, of which I am one, expanded on what she began. Our life spans have been extended from centuries to millennia. Using our exceptional minds, we pushed back barriers of time and distance so we could explore our solar system, and eventually our galaxy.”
Okay then, who are the daughters of Firth? By name they are: Esther, Frither, Peace, Ruth, Spring, and Willow. What, then, is the defining quality of Firth’s daughters? Whether becoming Firth’s daughter at birth or later in life, biological or adopted, their defining quality is alluded to toward the end of the second tale:
“She’d been through the fire, and she’d survived, just as Firth had, just as Ruth had. She was now part of a sisterhood born of pain, of fear, of hopelessness. She overcame the pain, conquered the fear, found hope once again. Facing her vulnerabilities made her stronger than ever, transforming her from a headstrong girl into a woman severely tested by life.”
In tales two through five the Firthians, especially Firthian Meddlers in the second and third tales, drive the action, and the human beings try to survive it. Firthians are both allies of, and enemies of, the humans caught up in their conflicts. Ultimately, though, humanity becomes its own worst enemy.
If you prefer your protagonists to be “flawed” to the point of being psychopaths, you’ll be disappointed in Willow’s tales. The protagonists are empathetic and have a conscience, the antagonists are the psychopaths. However, a protagonist is overcome by evil, while an antagonist joins forces with protagonists.
One of the main themes of Willow’s tales is- our bodies are not who we are, our identities rest inside our minds. An example is that a Firthian is just a mind with a minimal amount of mass to support it. Firthians’ personality can only be determined based on their words and actions, not on physical appearance. With humans swept up into the world of Firthians, that premise must be remembered to keep track of who a character really is.
Another common element to the tales is that the resolution to the conflict in a tale is the spark that ignites the conflict in the next tale. In that sense, the tales are one continuous story. A story in which the daughters of Firth are subject to cosmic winds of malevolence threatening to destroy them, yet stand against it, and endure. A
Prologue:
The first tale, in many ways, defined me, the voices told of my childhood. The second tale echoes from deep in the past, the voices telling of the terrors that molded me. Taken back in time, four of us struggle to survive against an evil Meddler and his ruthless pawns. Manipulated, separated, tortured, and my being brutally raped, we struggle against hopelessness and despair, and fight to find the will to live. Yet, born from that terror are the two people I have loved the most.
The voices telling the third tale are the hardest for me to listen to. Loved ones suffer, beings I greatly admire make the ultimate sacrifice, Meddlers I despise wreak havoc among human societies, a precious child is abused. The ending drastically transforms many lives. The voices also tell of love found, and extraordinary courage.
I still have nightmares about the fourth tale. The voices echo mercilessly inside my head, the loudest being my own. It’s a tale of manipulation leading to complete destruction, and a story telling of a beloved mentor who dies yet lives on. It’s also an account of a chivalrous man who acts heroically but tragically, and the chronicle of a planet that shudders in agony.
The fifth tale is the saddest, the voices weep for all that’s lost. A woeful tale for the planet Earth as selfishness and hedonism lead to a spiral of destruction, and the downfall of humanity. And yet, there is hope. W
Foreword and Prologue for ON A BLUE MOON
Foreword:
When reading On a Blue Moon, or book II, The Daughters of Firth Tales, it’s tempting to classify it as Science Fiction. While there are alien beings, space and time travel involved, true Science Fiction is steeped in known science, or credible scientific theory, which does not apply here.
How about Science Fantasy? If space and time travel were central to the storyline, that would be valid, but they are not. They are only used as a portal to worlds where natural laws are expanded upon, and life forms redefined. Portals to another world can also be; a rabbit hole (Alice in Wonderland), a mirror (Through the Looking-Glass), a wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia), et al.
It is suggested these tales be considered a Fantasist’s Memoir told from the collective viewpoint of characters within the tales, the teller of the tales being one of those characters. That genre is alluded to by the first paragraph of Willow’s Prologue to On a Blue Moon:
“There are many voices inside my head, of people and other beings I’ve known. Voices of those I have loved. Voices echoing from thousands of years in the past, and calling back from hundreds of years into the future. All want their tales to be told.”
From Willow’s own experiences, and through the experiences related to her by people, and other beings she’s known, she gives voice to their life’s journeys.
Though Willow is the teller of the tales, she tells them in the third person, representing all the voices, not just her own. However, it’s not an omniscient perspective. Instead, the perspective is her own, combined with those of her companions, but not of any characters whose perspective she had no knowledge of.
Make note that Willow is the teller of the tales, as in oral rather than written. The society she is born into has no written language, the history of the society being passed down orally. Over time the people’s ability to memorize is enhanced, especially true in Willow’s case.
In that one must suspend disbelief to fully appreciate fantasy tales, it is also suggested to suspend disbelief and imagine Willow is telling you the tales as you read them. And keep in mind that, for efficiencies sake, there is a certain brevity in verbiage that tends to make the telling move along more quickly than if it were written.
The tales are interconnected by an initial conversation Willow has with other characters. Their dialogue carries on from one tale to another, leading into the telling of the next tale. In essence, it ties the five tales together into one story, a memoir of Willow’s life, and that of the people and other beings she’s known. A
Prologue:
There are many voices inside my head, of people, and other beings I’ve known. Voices of those I have loved. Voices echoing from thousands of years in the past, and calling back from hundreds of years into the future. All want their tales to be told.
This first tale is closest to my heart. It tells of a child living a carefree life before having her innocence shaken from her. She was lucky, she had a protector. Her mother did not when she was tortured by the same demon, a demon that preyed on the most vulnerable in his society. The tale also tells of another child, and her brother, tormented throughout their youth by hate and prejudice.
The voices tell of a tyrant coercing good people to act badly, of a woman’s unfaithfulness destroying the lives of her children and grandchildren, and they expose the ruthlessness of a dictator using his power to eliminate anyone who dares defy him.
Not all is woe to be told. There is love and faithfulness, and the courage of individuals risking their lives protecting those they love.
Through my body, but many minds, this tale is told for all those who suffered, who had courage, and who loved. W
When reading On a Blue Moon, or book II, The Daughters of Firth Tales, it’s tempting to classify it as Science Fiction. While there are alien beings, space and time travel involved, true Science Fiction is steeped in known science, or credible scientific theory, which does not apply here.
How about Science Fantasy? If space and time travel were central to the storyline, that would be valid, but they are not. They are only used as a portal to worlds where natural laws are expanded upon, and life forms redefined. Portals to another world can also be; a rabbit hole (Alice in Wonderland), a mirror (Through the Looking-Glass), a wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia), et al.
It is suggested these tales be considered a Fantasist’s Memoir told from the collective viewpoint of characters within the tales, the teller of the tales being one of those characters. That genre is alluded to by the first paragraph of Willow’s Prologue to On a Blue Moon:
“There are many voices inside my head, of people and other beings I’ve known. Voices of those I have loved. Voices echoing from thousands of years in the past, and calling back from hundreds of years into the future. All want their tales to be told.”
From Willow’s own experiences, and through the experiences related to her by people, and other beings she’s known, she gives voice to their life’s journeys.
Though Willow is the teller of the tales, she tells them in the third person, representing all the voices, not just her own. However, it’s not an omniscient perspective. Instead, the perspective is her own, combined with those of her companions, but not of any characters whose perspective she had no knowledge of.
Make note that Willow is the teller of the tales, as in oral rather than written. The society she is born into has no written language, the history of the society being passed down orally. Over time the people’s ability to memorize is enhanced, especially true in Willow’s case.
In that one must suspend disbelief to fully appreciate fantasy tales, it is also suggested to suspend disbelief and imagine Willow is telling you the tales as you read them. And keep in mind that, for efficiencies sake, there is a certain brevity in verbiage that tends to make the telling move along more quickly than if it were written.
The tales are interconnected by an initial conversation Willow has with other characters. Their dialogue carries on from one tale to another, leading into the telling of the next tale. In essence, it ties the five tales together into one story, a memoir of Willow’s life, and that of the people and other beings she’s known. A
Prologue:
There are many voices inside my head, of people, and other beings I’ve known. Voices of those I have loved. Voices echoing from thousands of years in the past, and calling back from hundreds of years into the future. All want their tales to be told.
This first tale is closest to my heart. It tells of a child living a carefree life before having her innocence shaken from her. She was lucky, she had a protector. Her mother did not when she was tortured by the same demon, a demon that preyed on the most vulnerable in his society. The tale also tells of another child, and her brother, tormented throughout their youth by hate and prejudice.
The voices tell of a tyrant coercing good people to act badly, of a woman’s unfaithfulness destroying the lives of her children and grandchildren, and they expose the ruthlessness of a dictator using his power to eliminate anyone who dares defy him.
Not all is woe to be told. There is love and faithfulness, and the courage of individuals risking their lives protecting those they love.
Through my body, but many minds, this tale is told for all those who suffered, who had courage, and who loved. W
