DreamWalker's OST: Ellie Goulding's Halcyon

Like all of my writing efforts, there's always a playlist involved. And this time, I found the perfect album to accompany my writing of DreamWalkers. Ellie Goulding has always a dream-like, fantasy quality to her songs and voice and this album is no exception. It fits perfectly for the book either for Medea's POV, to her relationships with the DreamWalkers and Yohan. Not to mention the song 'Stay Awake' is like a song that tells the story of the DW letting Medea tag along. Certain songs like My Blood, Dead in the Water, Ritual, and The Ending is very much a description about her relationships with Yohan and Firdaus. 

My Blood

The lost dreams are burried in my sleep for him

And this was the ecstacy of a love forgotten

And I'm thrown in the gunfire of empty bullets

And my blood is all I see

As you steal my soul from me

Stay Awake

Take my fate in your hands,

We've got a lot that hasn’t even began

Something is calling us,

We’re breaking free,

I’m curious,

I need to see.

Like a flash before our eyes,

We're already into the night,

And if it feels like we’re dreaming,

Believe it, believe it.

We don't have to wait 'til the morning,

The sun will never go down.

And we’ll be this way forever,

We've got to take it now,

Just stay awake, stay awake,

You can follow us to paradise,

Just stay awake, stay awake.

Bring me down, side by side,

While our reflections make our bodies collide.

So full of energy, nothing to hide,

No need to sleep, we come alive,

And if we’re gonna take this ride,

We can go wherever we like

And if it feels like we’re dreaming,

Believe it, believe it.

We don't have to wait 'til the morning,

The sun will never go down.

And we’ll be this way forever,

We've got to take it now,

Just stay awake, stay awake,

You can follow us to paradise,

Just stay awake, stay awake.

Believe it.

Take my fate in your hands,

We've got a lot that hasn't even began

Something is calling us,

We’re breaking free,

I’m curious,

I need to see.

We're going on a journey

It was over like a flash before our eyes

We're going on a journey

It was over like a flash before our eyes

We're already into the night

Like a flash before our eyes,

We're already into the night,

And if it feels like we’re dreaming,

Believe it, believe it.

We don't have to wait 'til the morning,

The sun will never go down.

And we’ll be this way forever,

We've got to take it now,

Just stay awake, stay awake,

You can follow us to paradise,

Just stay awake, stay awake.

Dead in the Water

If I was not myself

And you were someone else

I'd say so much to you

And I would tell the truth

'Cause I can hardly breathe

When your hands let go of me

The ice is thinning out

And my feet brace themselves

I'm there in the water

Still looking for ya

I'm there in the water

Can't you see, can't you see?

Ritual

We’re right into a place of fire 

We hold our heads up high tonight 

And we breathe the smoke of fear we owe 

We let our hearts upside tonight 

But in my scarred skin cause I know I’ve sinned 

And it plagued the air on my house Ruben 

There’s a sound of him in the darkest words 

And I know my own fears, I understand 

It’s a ritual, I know you feel it 

It’s a ritual, I know you’ve seen it 

It’s a ritual, I know you feel it 

You feel it, you feel it, you feel it

The Ending

I think I’ve been praying

The lights won’t go out

My blood is getting colder

As I follow this road down

If you lock me out... (There won’t be anything to hold)

If you lock me out... (There won’t be anything to hold on to)

If you lock me out... (There won’t be anyone in the end)

If you lock me out... (There won’t be anyone in the ending)

Explosions

You left my soul bleeding in the dark

So you could be king

The rules you set are still untold to me and I lost my faith in everything

The nights you could cope, your intentions were gold

But the mountains will shake

I need to know I can still make

And as the floods move in

And your body starts to sink

I was the last thing on your mind

I know you better than you think

'Cause it's simple darling, I gave you a warning

Now everything you own is falling from the sky in pieces

So watch them fall with you, in slow motion

I pray that you will find peace of mind

And I'll find you another time

I'll love you, another time

Hanging On

You know we can get away

Because I'm calling your name

Every day I feel this pain

But you just turn and walk away

Chapter 0

Medea dreamt of running. 

This wasn't anything strange because running just happened to be one of her most favorite activities; not as a sport, but more like her way of meditating. When she was running, everything in the world faded away until all that was left was her and the thump of her shoes against the asphalt. 

And it usually always burn away the nightmares. 

Usually. 

She thought this was going to be one of her usual nightmares, but no, there was something different. 

At first, she wasn't worried, she was a lucid dreamer, she had always known when she was dreaming, so she just let everything go and roll with it, but then the feeling came; a deep, gut-wrenching fear that propelled her feet to run. 

Her dreams were usually vivid, but this one felt unnaturally real. She could feel the dampness of the earth between her toes, could smell the crushed greenery under her feet. She felt the bracing cold air slapping against her face.

And most of all, the slithering silence of whatever it was that was chasing her.

She didn't know why she was running, it was a dream. She only needed to wake up or wait until her parents woke her up because her real life self must be screaming her head off--yes, that happened often.

Medea hissed at the pain on her sides--again, the pain felt real--and snarled at it in defiance. Again she felt rather than heard its approach, and picked up her pace.

Something howled at her left and her blood curdled at the sound, spurring her feet to go faster. She flew between the long lines of trees, her feet barely touched the ground.

She swallowed and forced herself to breathe through her nose. Anything to stop from panicking.

She pushed herself harder, her lungs screamed and her muscles burned. She ran out of the lines of dense trees and plunge into a wide savanna filled with white flowers; they glowed in the moonlight. Up above the stars glowed pink within a rainbow of clouds but she couldn't enjoy its beauty because she was too busy running for her life. 

Or at least, it felt like she was.

She didn't know what was after her, but she could feel it behind her; its demand and hunger. 

She didn't look back, she never looked back as a rule, and this was no exception.

The rows of cotton began to slither all around her and up above the moon broke open and shadows flitted across the sky.

The stars exploded, the sky twisted and the ground fell apart underneath her feet.

Medea screamed as she fell.

Copyright © 2013 by D.F. Jules

Artwork!

So, this one of the first efforts of Chin Cheng Low's artwork for DreamWalkers. She's working on a back version of this one which is more serious and with not so many colors. It is meant to be the cover for the book. 

We've discussed how the characters look, act, the uniforms, the weapons, the dreamscapes that would be their very own character and specific details about the story that she would need to know in order to create the artwork.

She's also being an excellent soundboard. 

She found this very distinct style of flow and colors that I liked to incorporate into the artwork. 

Weapons

Firdaus

The French Rapier

Being raised by the Sidhe leaves its marks on you, literally and figuratively. When in the dreamscapes, imagination is not enough when it comes to fighting, imagination has to be helped with instinct and practice and knowledge, you have to understand and know how to use your weapon so it would come as second nature to you, that you no longer have to think about it. The more sure you are of your creation; the structure and the weight and the use, the stronger it is. Since Firdaus had been trained in the art of sword fighting--which is considered by the Sidhe as an elegant and refine exercise--it was not a surprise that it became his first weapon of choice.

Elena

.44 Colt revolver

Elena's revolvers came from her father's love of revolvers and old black and white action movies. Trained how to shoot at the early age of six, she was a natural marksman in both guns and wit. Again, since she has a knowledge of revolvers, the fact that the revolver becomes her weapon is not a surprise. But rather than the more modern revolvers, she chooses the antique .44 colt revolver. She has two stash on her hips inside her glittery red thigh rig holsters. Hey, a girl's gotta have her bling. 

Sen

Yumi (the Japanese Long Bow) and Wakizashi (Japanese short sword)

Same goes with Sen who studies Kyudo and Kendo under the tutelage of his Japanese grandmother, one of the most successful DreamWalkers in the history of DreamWalkers. She is strict with his training but that is what makes him such a grounded and level-headed DreamWalker unlike his two teammates. Although he is also good with a sword and often sparred with Firdaus, he leans more towards the Japanese long bow in both weapon and philosophy. But for close-quartered combat, he uses the wakizashi. 

Uniform

Every DreamWalker unit has a different color, for Firdaus's team, codename: Morpheus, is dark grey with black slashes. But even within the team, the uniform is customize to each person out of necessity and preference.

For instance, whereas Firdaus prefers his coat long, Elena prefer hers to be waist length so she could go to her guns quicker. Sen, prefers his not to have sleeves so it wouldn't hinder him when he's using his bow.

And each also have their own gauntlets and boots, mirroring their own tastes and necessity. Their uniform is spelled to act as armor to withstand any wayward Fae's offense both physical and magical.

Copyright © 2013 by Ju-C

Introducing New Novel: DreamWalkers

DreamWalkers is one of my ideas that hasn't seen the light of day yet because of the concept. It is a novel that relies heavily on imagery so I want to get the help of a graphic artist. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I found one. In CC I think I found a sort of artistic-twin, it's not necessarily her skill (though she has that) but more of her vision that made me gravitate to her. She had made an amazing artwork for my debut novel Touched: The Sword and when I ask if she wanted to work on a project with me, she said yes. 

I hope she won't regret it.

Anyway, here's the run down.

In DreamWalkers, everything that is magic comes from the Fae (yes, I know. Finally a Fae novel. Me! Now, for those who don't know me, wouldn't know how weird this is. Those who do, knows how much the Fae freaks me out) who in turn gets their magic from nature.

But humans do what they do best adapt and invent and build and destroy. With nature dwindling fast, the Fae is threaten and with the Fae, magic. So a group of magic users made a deal with the Fae, that they will create a world for the Fae, but they would still keep their magic. 

The deal is made and the magic users conjured a space for the Fae and all creatures of magic to live in, a place where there would always be magic: in our dreams. 

The magic users carved a small space in all our dreams where the Fae can live and love and whatever, but they can never stay in one dreamscape for long for it will weaken the human; creating nightmares and night-terrors. But the Fae are the Fae and they do what they do best: swindle and trickery. 

So, a small part of the magic users formed a sort of Dream Police and called themselves DreamWalkers; humans who can insert themselves into dreams and patrol dreamscape after dreamscape, either ushering the Fae along and kicking ass when they need too.

DreamWalkers can only bring themselves (and clothes) into the dreams, so whatever weapons that have, they have to create it with their imagination. It is a skill that takes discipline, creativity and intense focus; imagining losing focus when you're in a fight with one of the Fae, resulting in losing your weapon, and possibly your life.

When they walk into a dream, they do really walk into a dream, it's not just their spirit but their corporeal self walking inside someone's dream, so if you are injured inside a dream, or Morpheus forbid, die, then you'd be wounded and dead in real life. 

Like the Fae, their power comes from nature so a DW usually lives beside a dense forest or at the least a garden to re-charge. 

A Walk is closely monitored, not unlike policemen doing patrols, they have shifts and dispatchers and etc.

Sadly, in exchange for their power, the DreamWalkers cannot dream themselves, so the younger generation often claims one dreamscape as their own.

I am going to start writing this novel along with me writing the sequel to my debut novel: The Sword for JanNaWriMo.

This is all I can share for today so...I hope you like it. 

Next: Dreamcasts and Characters

Copyright © 2013 by D.F. Jules