Theme 03: Eglen - Week 4

I'm aware I'm again late with it << had a rough weekend (3 earlies + summertime switch + lack of sleep) that ended with a migraine. Today I'm feeling okay enough. Very demotivated though, but that's just the current job doing it. And the lack of creativity. And the coffee. And just the state of the world and the country and the feeling that everything you do is pointless anyway.

So find joy in the little things and keep going forward. You never know where you'll be able to get. And speaking of which, I intend to participate in a French crowdfunding for a digital painting learning school:

https://fr.ulule.com/digitalpaintingschool/?mc_cid=b6b598cba2&mc_eid=e133d6dcee

The next step for my writing is being able to accurately portray my world and characters. So, this seems like the next logical step. I do think I've got some grasp of how to draw and even colour, but I need to get better at it, so. (what I need is for everything else to stop being so distracting << )

And meanwhile, life goes on. As always. I'm starting to really look forward to 2017, though I feel it'll be as happy a year as it'll be a sad one. Guess we'll see.

Right then. For the last week of Eglen I've decided to share a bit about Eglen's youth before he became a servant of the King. It's an important part that defined his character to come, as he discovered how much more he was than his peers...

Theme 03: Eglen - Week 3

So, I changed my mind << I'll be doing the post today. I've had a difficult time waking up, my head's been rather pounding, and tomorrow I have to go back to work. Le D:.

I've spent the majority of my week off trying to de-stress, which basically required de-caffeining. As much as I know that caffeine's a depression-inducing substance for me, it's hard to stay away.

Oh well. Life goes on.

As per tradition, week 3's post is all about how the character came to be. Now let's see if I can remember XD

Eglen: Origin Story

Originally, Eglen was meant to be some sort of villain. As I recall, and as I've mentioned, my Rp partner had begun creating a race of Elves and working out some of the specifics. One such specific we got to discussing is that there was a royal family and some events which I've unfortunately forgotten, and we came to the conclusion that there was a traitor -the advisor- who would get executed eventually for treason because logic. And I figured: hey, I don't have that many truly evil characters (one in particular I'm sure I'll discuss down the line), could be fun! The character kind of created itself; he had only a nickname for a while, Eggy (resulting in the fact I dubbed his hair to be eggplant purple colour), and a basic personality of evil and treachery.

And then things evolved from there. The most important thing I figured out about him was that he could shift shapes, that he possessed telekinetic powers and, as mentioned, that he was treacherous and dangerous. What I hadn't seen coming is that this character would possess a kind side: he adores animals, specifically the horse he had during his youth, and to a lesser degree this horse's daughter (because nobody can replace your one and only friend). When I discovered this, the character kept evolving in an unexpected way: yes, he was treacherous, and a murderer, and had no respect for the living (except for animals)... but he was more than that. He was actually loyal. How can a traitor be loyal? In those days, we'd figured there was a war between races, and that he was an instigator for it... but he instigated this war because it was the King's desire to be at war. Eglen was loyal, in his treacherous ways, to this King - and this fact took on even stronger proportions as I rewrote his history post-Rp.

To be fair: the majority of his story stayed the same. I don't remember every single detail of his Rp life, but I know I kept everything that felt right, and scrapped every shitplot my Rp partner put my character, and myself, through. Yes, I suppose I'm still angry about this. It's not so much the fact those 'plots' were in some cases downright disgusting; it's the fact my partner had an obsession with my character, one I still don't quite understand to this day, that not only felt as though they were doing their best to try and break my character (and me? I dunno), but this obsession was such that Eglen was the only character I got to Rp with. I had many others I liked, and missed (even on their side), and every time Eglen was the one I had to pull out. It certainly didn't help the friendship; this isn't what broke it, but it did make me log in as least as I could for the simple fact I knew things would revolve around the same character again and again, changing things here and there, in this quest for a timeline that was never fully secured... and perhaps never the point, either. Except for me.

I'm actually still working on a few plotpoints in Eglen's story that need clarification but, for the most part: it's done and written in the proverbial stone. I've come to really enjoy this character, and the fact his personality is basically still the same fills me with some pride: I got it right the first time around. If it's possible, he may even be a bit crazier now XD but less evil (although, this is open for debate << I've got a few characters who'd dub him evil incarnate << XD). Eglen's evolved from a somewhat random plotpoint created to be executed (literally, we'd already agreed he'd get beheaded!) to a major character with a hard-to-define personality that takes its roots in childhood events. Rewriting his history has made me discover just how much sense he makes. And how much of a paradox he is: the loyal traitor. The homicidal caring man. And, if you can believe it: a devoted husband. Though I wouldn't want to be married to him << XD but his wife, Taelin, was kind of a bitch at times, so they got along well. As I wrote their story, I noticed (and she noticed) just how many of his traits she took over... and how little she cared about her hardening heart.

What matters however, is that these two never stopped caring about one another. They were not a perfect couple by far, and the reason Taelin fell in love with Eglen is beyond ludicrous (at some point, he was the only person she trusted... despite knowing of his treacheries and murders!)... and this is why I love this love story. Everything happened against the odds. Against better judgment. And against logic, as they followed their hearts.

And the epilogue of their story is why I want Eglen to get a chance to redeem himself for everything he's done. He'll be getting the chance; I just don't know whether he'll take it.

Theme 03: Eglen - Week 2

I was going to type up this post Saturday before work, and then I must have forgotten << and as we weren't home yesterday (MADE IN ASIA YAAAAYYYYYYY), and I have folks coming this evening (WIIU PARTY YAAAAYYYYYYYYY), I decided to go against my usual grain and make the post now. I have time. I'm 'just' cross-stitching. XD

So, as is the growing tradition for week 2, I'm going to upload a chapter from my theme's life - Eglen being this month's theme. Now, as I must have mentioned: this life story is pretty badly written, if only because it's a succession of 'moments in life' (hence why I name these files thusly) that don't make for a coherent whole, but do give a good idea of what his life was like on the whole. There's no chapter that really stands on its own, so here we go for a simple pick.

I'll be honest: I don't think this chapter in itself is really interesting. Eglen's life story needs a massive overhaul: I need to add scenes, mould my chapters, and maybe even add an intro regarding the Elshir civilization because I think that could actually work quite well for this specific life story (y'know, royalty and suches, need protocol << XD). But anyway. Please enjoy :)

Theme 03: Eglen - Week 1

See, I'm on time today << what a couple of days off can do for a person XD. And I have a couple more coming (Tuesday and Wednesday), and starting Sunday I have an entire week off. So, currently, things are going well again. Quite well. Except I've gotten hooked on Hyrule Warriors <<. It's making me itch to stitch again, and have the Zelda/Midna work hang on my wall. Midna is AWESOME in Hyrule Warriors. And gorgeous. As is Zelda. Oh how I <3 that game e.e

Ahem. You're not here to listen to me rant about gaming << we've got a new theme coming up! As mentioned last time, this character is tied in with this chapter of Nalyn's life, and is none other than...

Eglen

The High Commander himself. Gods this pic is old.

So, what does Eglen have to do with Aneskia? How does a High Commander come into contact with a simple girl from a largely unknown race? More importantly, in what manner will they meet one another? And,

Who is Eglen?

Who, indeed, is Eglen: a question many have asked themselves, as the purple-haired, purple-eyed Elshir man strove his entire life to remain a mystery to all he came in contact with. With great success, until one fateful evening that the truth of his darkness was exposed - by none other than the King's daughter Taelin, who one day would become his wife.

Back up, rewind. If that didn't make much sense to you: it used to not make sense to them, either XD so here's a longer explanation.

Eglen was born to low nobility: he is the son of a successful merchant, who rose in rank through his trade. One day, this man disappeared without leaving a trace or a note, and as Eglen's mother had long left the scene, he was left in the care of his aunt Aide, who took over her brother's successful trading post. It is worth noting that Eglen never missed his parents, which leads me to believe he never had a true bond with them. But then, he never had a true bond with Aide, either. Eglen is the type of person who prefers animals to people, and thus he was extremely solitary in his youth, and liked it this way. Only one person caught his interest: the King, Eldin Eldein, whose remarkable life was the subject of most books Eglen read. He swore to himself that, one day, he'd go and serve the King, and help him take revenge on the Ilak'ri who murdered the late Queen, Celein.

And Eglen succeeded. First employed as a youth by one of the King's advisors, Eglen rose to power and overtook the advisor's place. How he did so, however, is the cause of his ultimate downfall.

Eglen had known all his life that he was different; but it is in his youth, shortly after making up his mind to leave Aide and travel to the royal city, that he discovered how different he was. One evening, Eglen changed; metamorphosed. Turned into a large beast, took fright, and almost caused his own death. In time, he learned to cultivate this power, which gave him a form to hide within, that of a powerful feline beast with large wings that offered him flight. Through this power he discovered the advisor's treachery, and through his own Elshir-descended power of telekinesis he discovered the truth and blackmailed the advisor into leaving his seat vacant. Then, he managed to persuade the King of his eagerness to serve him, and was promoted advisor in the traitor's stead.

But Eglen's deceit came to the light as well, for the King's daughter's power was one of truth. As Eglen one night tried to take her life while in the form of the beast, so did Taelin one night have a vision of truth that revealed this fact to her. 

And instead of having Eglen executed for treason, she had him spared. Long enough for her to get answers; long enough for other, worse treacheries to come to the light, and for Eglen's absolute devotion to the King, her father, to become apparent to her. In a world filled with traitors, Eglen was the least dangerous of them all - to her, and to her father. Needless to say she grew close to him and, to protect herself, demanded him to marry her.

Neither one of them had expected to actually learn to care about one another; nor had they ever expected their lives, entwined until the end, to become divided by the sum of their care...

Eglen and the Novel

Eglen is one of those characters you love to hate (and hate to love, too). The reason I wanted to add him to the novel is quite personal: he went through a hella lot during my roleplay years; this life, he went through a hella lot as well. I want him to get a chance to redeem himself. I want him to get a chance to show there's more to him than a manipulative, deceitful and yet so loyal beast.

At the point in TAoS when Aneskia will meet Eglen, the man is lost in his bestial form. He is a beast, and nothing more - yet Aneskia is capable of sensing something deeper, buried beneath the simple mind of an animal. Old regret. Old pain. Something that strikes a chord within her own heart, that will make her seek out the truth of this peculiar animal. What Eglen will bring to the story, I don't know: he might only get a chance to die protecting someone else; or, he might be a bigger part of the story, and redeem himself some other way. He may not even redeem himself at all. But, I feel like he must have a spot in this story... especially since almost the entire Elshir race abhors the man, and Nalyn is one of the few to have met Eglen in person, though he didn't quite pay attention to him at the time. Needless to say, Nalyn isn't fond of what Eglen represents: the war. Death. Pointless bloodshed and battles. Everything wrong with the Elshir race.

... so I also really want to see them interact << XD

Anything else?

Feel free to ask! There's so much to say about Eglen, but I don't want to tell everything either XD