For the faeries! :O

[Mitera Nikkou]

Nuuuu!

*I bring the shawl into my embrace*

Mine! If anyone were to take it, they would gain control over me.

...

Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that. <_<;

[Queen Octavia]

Apparently I am the only one here to have read "The Dresden Files". Tsk tsk.

The Sidhe courts in those novels are just chock full of win, but since I must pick only one of them I shall go for Harry's Faery Godmother Lea.

Unseelie for the win!

[SweetSophia]

I lika da Dryads. They're all cool what with their animal and tree powers and whatnots. Plus green hair rocks.

[Feng]

Do Leprechauns count as faeries? Because Leprechauns rock. Beer, Gold, nuff said!

[Mistress Guendolen]

Oh, Leprechauns are definitely faeries. A faerie isn't always a little twinkly thing with wings, after all. In fact, if you like the beer aspect, what you really might favor are Clurichauns; they're basically Leprechauns who get drunk and go around causing trouble. Their favorite trick is to make their home in a wine cellar, pub, what have you and drain all the liquor supplies at an incredible fast rate. They're also tricksters.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Just don't join in their activities unless you'd like to be stuck in Faeryland forever. They have their ways of luring silly humans into their realm to partake of drinks there. And you don't even get to become a faery. ;/

And as with all trickster-centric faeries, the human will likely become the butt of all sorts of pranks and jokes. Highly unrecommended.

Do any of you find it as amusing as I do to speak as if these things could be real? XD

[Mistress Guendolen]

Definitely. On all three of those points.

[Feng]

Don't forget about those nasty little faerie rings. One step into that circle of mushrooms and its Game Over man!

[Mistress Guendolen]

It can be a circle of grass, too, not just mushrooms. But yes, best have a friend standing by in case you need pulled out.

[Feng]

Wouldn't said friend get pulled into the magical enchantment too? Anyways those Clurichaun guys you mention don't sound half bad. If only I could invite a couple of those guys over this Summer.

[Mitera Nikkou]

I wouldn't ask for that. They'll probably come in the form of obnoxious meatheads that you'll regret inviting. ;p

And it's not game over if you step into the circle and enter their realm. You only seem to get stuck there if: one, you consume any of their food and drink; two, make any kind of oath where the price for a faery's service is to remain with them in their realm (as slave or consort, or for whatever other reason there could be); and three, should you enter their realm via dream state, trance or other out-of-body-like method and your physical body happens to die at the time.

Other than that, you can leave, but you'd be risking a passage of time in the human world that probably won't be favorable to you. Holding onto someone on the other side sort of grounds your connection where you came from, so you wouldn't have to worry about that. But, of course, there are so many variations to these things, and many other ideas, that one can't do more than pick whatever fits together and makes sense. It's funny because, even if you decided to follow the ideas from the same region and time frame, you're still likely to encounter plenty of variations of ideas concerning all of these things. Fairy rings, in particular, are fraught with various ideas of how they're made, what they are or could be made of, what happens if you should step into one, what roles they may have or play between us, witches, and the faeries, what could happen around one, and other such things.

For instance, if you were to follow Gwen's advice, that could mean having to wait a year and a day before your friend can attempt to give you a lifeline. And even if you got out, that way or not, we'd then be faced with the possibility of your re-entry into the human world being bad for you. You could turn to dust as soon as you returned, perhaps because your body catches up to the passage of time that elapsed in the human world while you were away. Or, if you touched iron, you'd disappear (supposedly dying, I'm assuming). An then, of course, there's ill effects from eating normal food... I can't remember what exactly could happen, but, since fairy circles seem to be surrounded by more misfortunes than good fortune, I'd assume that whatever happens wouldn't be in your favor.

Personally, I prefer to put a more positive slant on fairy rings. All things about fairies considered, as far as I can remember, it just makes more sense to me to ignore a lot of the ideas of misfortune since, to understand fairies, you have to understand the people (mankind, basically) that start the lore, that spread the ideas, and why. One of the reasons for this is simple: you'll come across a lot of ideas from sources that are obviously anti witchcraft, or anything supernatural. For an example, there's one idea that says you can save someone that's in a fairy ring by using holy wood (wood from the same kind of tree that has been used to make Christ's cross). And there's another idea about being cursed because the ring was formed by witches that danced in a circle, who had invoked evil spells. And a lot of other ideas you can plainly attribute to people's fear, and, while I keep thought-forms in mind, I don't consider circumstantial things to be forms (otherwise just entering a river would be cause enough to drown, rather than a form of the fear, with green teeth (my, aren't we imaginative?), pulling us under).

One circumstantial aspect that I readily accept, is the idea that faeries don't like interruptions and trespasses. So, to me, if I were to expect anything bad from entering a faery ring, it'd be because I had interrupted them or trespassed, or both. So I wouldn't step into one all willy-nilly for that reason, since the idea of meeting misfortune by interrupting or trespassing, in regard to faeries, is one of the more consistent things you'll read about, that concerns them.

Well, that was a fun write, and in response to a few sentences. Since you're done, I guess you'll want at least some compensation for your time... I could shave your long, grey beards for free. And, yes, female or not, you have a beard: don't talk nonsense in the presence of faeries. ;p

[Mistress Guendolen]

The trick there is to have the rescuer not fully enter the ring. Apparently, the idea is to have two friends; one to reach in to pull you out, and another to hold on to them to ensure they don't get pulled in by accident. And Clurichauns are trouble-makers, believe me. They won't bring you alcohol, they'll take yours and drink it themselves. They're pranksters and overall bad news.

Wouldn't said friend get pulled into the magical enchantment too? Anyways those Clurichaun guys you mention don't sound half bad. If only I could invite a couple of those guys over this Summer.

[Feng]

Beats inviting over Centaurs...

[Mitera Nikkou]

If you're talking about the centaurs in Harry Potter, sure. They were a real drag.

[Feng]

Actually I was thinking of the ones from Greek Mythology. Apparently alcohol does not go well with them....