Fae are supposed to be very alien in thinking and manner. A malevolent, highly-powerful, mischievous antagonist that you don't understand? You know what that sounds like to me? It sounds like humans are ants, and this fae is a child with a magnifying glass. Wouldn't an ant think any human child was godlike? She doesn't understand humans at all, but it is fun to watch them burn. She feels no guilt because they are such smaller creatures, so simple and easily broken. Sure, she will live many times longer than a human, but her behavior can still be childlike, especially if she cannot socialize with equals.
This is a little bit cliched, I admit. The trick is simply to make it more complex. That's layer one. Find another strong defining characteristic to layer on top of it. Perhaps a defining flaw and/or a virtue to start. Complexity is the only real way to fight cliche, as I've seen it.
↧