The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Extras - Alternate Blurbs & Summaries

Tagline:

All myths are true in the Empty World.

Tagline [Guitar cover]:

Some angels play the harp; when Morpheus was sung-into-being he received a guitar.

Loglines:

An inexperienced dream-god 'saves' a dying muse with a bottle of vampire blood and the vampire who left his bottled blood proves a tempting distraction, while Higher Authorities enact plans to use the vampiric muse, who is dangerously more queen than the pawn they expect.

Guilt-ridden after using vampire blood to save a dying muse, an inexperienced angel dedicates himself to saving her soul. All that stands in the way is the fabulous vampire who wants to capture his heart – and control hers. (XimeraGrey edited this one.)

Quick Elevator Pitch:

Three lives become intertwined the moment Morpheus gives a dying muse the bottle of vampire blood.

An angel uses vampire blood to save a dying girl and deals with the consequences. (HardeeBurger edited this one.)

Multi-floor Elevator Pitch:

The Empty World is a 200K word darkly whimsical Fantasy novel, in the supernatural-protagonist tradition of The Sandman or The Vampire Chronicles, about a young daimon who watches over a muse after 'saving' her with a bottle of vampire blood and how they deal with the vampire who bottled that blood and its corrupting influence on the muse. Their story is a love-letter to Gothic subculture which explores issues of identity, agency, and accountability.

Blurb [guitar cover]:

Morpheus Tyron Smith isn't average. He can see across time, read mortals' dreams, and take on any appearance he likes. But he's young and makes mistakes, like passing a bottle of vampire blood to a dying girl.

Now, Morpheus must watch over the vampire, Joy. To keep his nature secret, Morpheus may literally have to play for his supper. But room and board may be the least of Murph's problems when he meets the vampire whose blood turned Joy.

Blurb [vague mix]:

Morpheus is from a family with many traditions...ancient traditions. When a summons is received, Morpheus is thrust into the mysterious new world of New York City. Assigned to watch over a woman named Joy, Morpheus must keep his true nature hidden. But, a man in Joy's life inspires Morpheus to express himself. Can Morpheus pursue his own happiness and still fulfill his duty?

Summary  [original]:

Morpheus is from the Night Regions, where his family are charged with overseeing the infrastructure of creation. He knows of Earth as The Empty World, a place where desperate souls seek joy in their mortal lives. Murph's uncle, Regent of Dream, has sent the personification of this precious commodity, Joy, out into the world in the guise of a human woman.

Morpheus is neither fully Human nor Angel. The Children of Night rely on him to use his shape-shifting ability to become the form others most need or wish, but serving others doesn't always agree with the individualistic part of him that is Human. When he meets Julien, a Vampyre from The Empty World, Morpheus begins to believe he can help others in a form of his own choosing.

Murph's assignments and personal mission lead him to Earth, where Joy has encountered a brood of vampires--including Julien. Morpheus's loyalties are tested as his growing sense of freedom and agency comes with the realization that the path to his happiness may not be the most righteous one and may even cause the loss of Joy in The Empty World.

Summary [alternate 1]:

Morpheus is the next best thing to a God of Dreams. He can see across time, cast sleep and dream, and shift his appearance. But he's only recently created and unsure of his choices, like giving a bottle of vampire blood to a dying woman named Joy.

Morpheus faces guilt and consequences of his actions when it's revealed Joy was a being with a specific purpose in the Empty World and that the vampire, Julien, who bottled his blood for Joy wished for her to make the conscious choice to join him. Even with the power to travel time, there are things Morpheus cannot undo.

Joy's original programming is increasingly corrupted by vampire blood. Morpheus witnesses a future where Julien is his lover, yet their friendship alone seems tenuous. Murph's family in the Night Regions will suffer if they cannot maintain balance in the Empty World; to compensate for Joy's vampiric nature, sacrifices will be made.

Summary [alternate 2]:

Sung-into-being in the ethereal realm of the Night Regions, Morpheus is gifted with abilities of which mortals only dream. Son of Sleep and his Banshee bride, he is a privileged member of the Children of Night for whom duty always comes first, else reality itself collapse.

Morpheus is a stranger to Earth, which he knows only as the Empty World. When he finds the dying girl Joy and the bottle of vampire blood he uses to safe her life, Morpheus has no idea the vampire who bottled that blood may be the love of his life. As the blood has a  corrupting influence on Joy, Morpheus realizes he has put them all on a dark path in which his family will be duty-bound to restore balance in the Empty World. Sacrifices will be made.

Summary: [alternate 2 remix]:

Sung into being in the ethereal realm of the Night Regions, Morpheus is gifted with abilities of which mortals only dream. A privileged member of the Children of Night for whom duty always comes first, else reality itself collapse; he knows of Earth only as the Empty World.

When he finds the dying muse, Joy, and the bottle of vampire blood he uses to safe her life, even Morpheus cannot foresee the chain of consequences to his actions. As the blood has a corrupting influence on Joy, Morpheus realizes he has put himself on a dark path in which his family will be duty-bound to restore balance in the Empty World. Sacrifices will be made.

The Splash Text:

My Immortal meets Underworld.  (   AWFrasier came up with this one. )

Even more Queer than The Sandman.

Slightly less existential than The Vampire Chronicles.

Like The Magicians, without so much magic or school.

More love triangles than Twilight!

Like The Mortal Instruments, without teenagers or Harry Potter.

Nearly as many undead pets as a Tim Burton movie.

Probably not as many tribes as Nightbreed.

Kinda like that 80s Fantasy movie.

The Metamorphosis by Gen X Ovid.