The dark side of pleasure

You are still with me wander, that is good. I had thought that perhaps the illusion of another life had drawn you away. Come through these corridors, the ones with marble lined in darkest night that call to, and step lightly, because I am going to show you something that you may not like, or that you make never wish to stray from.

The illusion fae are a sort of cousin to these creatures that I am showing you now, their lightness and their ease something to remember. Down this corridor filled with warm-scented air are one of the more secretive aspects of the Fae Court. They were called demons for a time, these desires made real, and they are still called such by some today. I couldn’t tell you if there is truly a difference, I have never met one of their demon kin, and so will tell you only of these creatures. Like the illusionaries before them, these creatures provide something the real world cannot offer, and in this case it is of the carnal variety. If this offends you, makes you uncomfortable, we will turn back and I will show you something light and airy and delightfully fae. No? Well, I offered. Down this corridor, and others like it, there are the those that will grant you ever wish you do not speak to your lover, every caress you crave and every sensation you can bear. And the most appealing part? There is little risk to your physical health.

These fae are related to the succubi and incubi, demons of pleasure who prey on different types of humans for the same reason. Without the prey, the demons would die, as would these fae. Someone came here once and labelled theses fae things like ‘fetish’ and ‘cybersex’, broke them down into neat little boxes so others could feel safe. As I said to them, I will say to you. These fae are as dangerous as though in the shadows, they can ensnare you and never let you go and their influence can bleed into the real world with potentially alarming results. But as with all fae, they are not evil, they simply are what they are, a creation of the needs and desires of humanity. Some argue that perhaps these creatures are a safe method of dealing with those desires, that these creatures and their constructs are perhaps preferable in some ways to the real events they are mimicking. I say that is up to the individual to decide. That one, in the corner with the body so translucent that you can almost see through her, she is one that creates illusions not of herself, but who acts as an intermediary for two mortals. She smiles like that because she is mute herself, and the words of the mortals shape her, her actions, her appearance, everything. She waits.

The danger of her and her friends is that her intangible nature makes the tangible world feel lacking. The illusion is woven so that exactly what you want appears, and so what a hardship the flawed and unpredictable real world becomes. And with each visit the comparative safety of anonymity, of control, of the removal of social awkwardness, the seeds of need are warmed and begin to grow. And like the seeds of doubt, they grow and cling to everything that can hold their weight, briar roses with sweet scented flowers and thorns that cling and tear. But the wounds are on the inside, where other mortals can’t see them, and can leave weeping scars that cripple.

Be wary here, wanderer, because these corridors and the rooms off them hold pleasure, but there is always a price. Everything has a price. Be careful that the price is something you can afford to part.

In the Shadows

In the Fae Court, it is not only those places in the light that harbour life, it is not just the places where things are clearly seen that creatures of great beauty and mystery catch the attention and enrapture the senses. In the shadows, in the overhanging cornices and decorative facades, in the nooks and crannies and the smallest pieces of darkness, there live creatures as darkly beautiful as any of the Winter Court themselves. It is in these corners that the true nature of the fae begins to show itself, and it is here that the warnings that mortals fail to listen to become real. In these shadows are the creatures of illusion, of possibility, of imagination and fairytales, these are the creatures that provide the way deeper into the Court, through twisting halls and marble corridors so cold they burn like heartbreak on the skin. These are the creatures that whisper to the discontent, the bored, the uninterested. It is these creatures that promise grandeur, adventure, escape, power to the powerless, fame to the common man. These creatures of darkness and shimmering light are the fae of illusions, of dreams, and they are more dangerous than the marsh fae because they are so much more enthralling.

To say that the creatures made of such escapist desires are evil, or predatory, as a blanket statement would be wrong and heinously inaccurate. In fact, some of their works live every moment in the hearts and minds of those exposed to their influence and provide courage, as source of strength, a way to understand a chaotic world outside the Court that has less mercy than the Winter Queen herself. They are those that give us stories, in all forms, who give us a much craved for break from the daily grind and they are what allow us to go back again with a sense of lightness and relief. These are not the fae to be wary of, not from the outset. Every dealing with these creatures is known by all involved to be temporary, and it is because of this that mortals join into agreements easily. Reading a book is easy; it has a beginning, a middle and an end, and can be picked up and put down at the whim of the reader. There is an involvement in the world of the story that does not require or demand that the reader stay there longer than necessary. Computer games that follow as story are similar, they are part of something, they draw the player into the world, but the player goes in knowing that there will be an end. The story will conclude, and based on the decisions made the hero will succeed or fail. Storytelling is the way of these types of fae, and they are the least dangerous of their kind.

The evolution of those creatures I mentioned are more consuming and show more in common with their Winter Court brethren. These are the creatures who offer not a timed escape, but an indefinite one. These are the games than never stop, that keep going as long as you wish them to, these are the ones what whisper that this is better than the world you came from mortal, here you are what you want to be, here is where the world will answer to you and be what you want to make it. Here are the chances you have been missing, the dreams you have held it yourself because you know that you will never reach them. Come to us, the voices say as soft as velvet, come to us and we will make it right. And so people go, and they wrap themselves in the embrace of creatures that take them to places they had only dreamed of, opportunities they could never obtain in the world outside the court. Here are the fae that offer the second chance, the Second Life, to live as you will it. And these are the dangerous fae that once they have you enthralled you will go back to time and again despite everything. They are like chocolate, like coffee, like the song you can’t get out of your head but don’t want to. They offer the chance to life again. And in a world where time is divided into sections, are allocated and filed and torn from meaning without most realising it has happened, it is no surprise that these fae are becoming more evident in this Fae Court.

But the warnings must be said, and so I will say them, though I see you tilting your head to catch that faint whisper of someone wishing to hear your dreams and hopes and desires. What they make, these fae of illusion, is real to those in the illusion, for however long they wish it. These illusions can give meaning, can shape a person, can make them breathe more easily and be content. They can give what the world has taken, can offer what the real world cannot. But they cannot be separated from the world as most of the illusionary fae can, and it is this that causes the danger, that makes people shiver and shy away, that makes them violent in action and word. It is the instinctive realisation that one must be wary in dealings with even so minor members of the Fae Court. What they offer is as true as the feeling of any other shared experience in the world, just do not forget the dangers. It is too common to see someone walk willingly into a shadow’s embrace and hold on like a lover.

Be cautious wander, for this is the first steps we take into the more dangerous aspects of this Court and I have no wish to leave you behind. But I am just a small fae, and so if you wish to continue, follow my steps, listen to my voice, and remember that I am guide and warning only, I cannot save you should you stray too far into those welcoming voids.

What lives in the bogs.

As with all Courts of the Fae, the Court of Media has groups within groups and some of these need to be considered with care.
These groups, loosely, are termed extremists or hate groups and inspire fear, contempt and disgust in other members of the Court. The problem with these groups isn't the overtly aggressive ones, or the ones that end up listed where the rest of the Court can see them. The ones you need to watch for are the ones that whisper insidious half-truths into your ear when you’re not thinking about them, who convince you with logic and reason and the tools of Science that they are right. These are the ones that slip through the classifications that get their name on lists, appear to be innocuous or simply entitled to their opinions. These are the first dangers the New Fae fail to warn you about.

There are obvious groups, ones that are plastered everywhere with their hatred and arrogance worn like badges of honour. These groups are not the ones that should be of concern because they are so clearly marked that they are all but impossible to miss if you’re looking. The lists of hate groups are filled with white-supremacists, labelled and named and flown like a banner to unite against. Perhaps the most deceptive part about these lists is that they are not as exhaustive as they would like, and they want people to believe that they have done what they claim to have set out to do. Do not believe them.

Extremist groups don’t have to be so overt, and that is the thing to be wary of, people who propose things that are at first glance logical but rely on a series of assumptions that are at best discriminatory. Australia First Party could be considered such a group, but it doesn’t appear on the lists plastered everywhere because it would be defamatory. This party wants to return to the days when Australia manufactured its own products, which is understandable for a political party since unemployment rates matter in campaigns, and when foreign investors had more restrictions. They also want to abolish multiculturalism and re-establish and support the traditional family, which could very well be discriminatory to anyone from an ethnic group or anyone who does not fit into the traditional family. That is something that anyone wandering through the Court should be aware of. And there are more groups like this waiting in the wings to be discovered, their messages couched in terms of ‘doing what’s right’, ‘making things better’, ‘righting injustices’. The sentiment carried is well and good, but the actions, those need to be considered and weighed and measured without the whispering voices trying to justify, to rationalise, to soothe. It is this that is the truly dangerous section of the Court.

Be careful, as you wander through the paths of this Court and the forest that surrounds it. Be wary, because those well meaning voices, those reasoned, gentle, softly impassioned voices, are waiting to snare minds into action, and like the path that marsh fae show their prey, once the walk is begun, it is very hard to drag clear of the muck.