Theme 08: Erjin - Week 1

New month, new theme! ... Well, kinda XD new theme begins early.

It's being a struggle to keep up with all my social activities, but I'm slowly getting there, one comment at a time. The next step is to send out a few applications, and then finally delve into the first chapter of the digital painting course... So looking forward to that.

Without further ado, presenting the next theme...

Erjin

I had no pics. Hence, 3-min quick doodle <<

Who is Erjin?

Librarian extraordinaire and occasional book destroyer, Erjin works at the Great Library of Malmern as an information gatherer. What does that entail? Well, she is one of several whose job it is to read and cross-check facts and information to discover more about the world they are living in. Erjin has a keen mind; very clumsy when it comes to physical activities (like walking), but very astute when it comes to comprehending ideas and creating links between them.

She hails from the main agricultural town in Malmernian (=the country), north of Malmern: Telli. In her eyes a small-minded, closed community she's only too happy to have left behind. She didn't belong there anyway, as she'd been adopted by a rather kind person who rued the day she accepted to take this handicapped child into her family. No one in Telli misses Erjin, and Erjin misses no one. Malmern is her home now, a complex and fascinating home that isn't without its dangers...

Erjin and the novel

Erjin is an interesting case. Back when I didn't quite know what to do with my website (which is still in the works (2017 edit to new website)), I had a couple of blogs. One was just a regular one, which I eventually deleted after deciding to go a different way; the second blog came with a revamp of the site, and for the occasion I created Erjin as the writer of said journal. The idea was to look at the world through her eyes and write bits and pieces of information she'd come upon. The idea was sound; the production, not so much... as I realized, after a few months, that I wouldn't be able to keep it up due to lacking certainty what I wrote was also accurate. So, I stopped the blog, but not before having written a few entries that led to larger writings, and eventually to important scenes that inspired a part of the novel. In French we say: rien que ça :p

And so Erjin made herself a spot into the novel. She's definitely going to appear: I'm going to need her for information and relations' sake, to set in motion what will likely be the dawn of comprehension of what's going on in the world (again: rien que ça (which basically translates as a sarcastic 'oh yeah, only that')).

The other reason is that I love that character. She's pretty recent compared to others like Devon or Aneskia, but she's already managed to make herself comfortable in my brain and to exist. She's the kind of character any story needs: comic relief through insecurity and devotion. She's a very kind individual, much like Aneskia, however Erjin struggles with this kindness because there are people you just don't want to be kind to. She's very insecure because of her handicap and her clumsiness (which is a handicap too), but she tries, nonetheless... a bit like me ;) but far worse. I can hold a hammer: she'd just slam the wall and/or break a nearby lamp.

So, this all said: Erjin is a fun character. Looking forward to writing her into the story. ... That's gonna be tons of fun. XD

Theme 07: Nadieja - Week 4

As the heat has finally arrived, so has my brain melted into a puddle of nameless goo... Slept like crap yesterday, leading to a zombie day. Didn't sleep all too well last night either, but at least my brain's somewhat awake. Thus, it's posting time <<

And let it be known I currently feel as though I'll never amount to anything or be able to get my stories done and all that negative crap and dear god negative cycle again. It's the heat and tiredness. And the world being a steaming pile of crap. Especially our government. These are the days I really wonder what I'm doing here. And realize I'm just in a bad phase and it'll pass because always it does. Just sucks while in the middle of it e.e

Ahem. So today we have the last part of Nadieja's theme. I don't really know which way to go for next week's theme; so, this week's post will not relate to whomever I happen to choose for next week. I'm slowly running out of novel-related characters, which I guess is a good thing :) so, afterwards, we'll see where we go. For now, enjoy a little scene taken from the other side of Nadieja's life.

(disclaimer: this writing's old and needs an edit. Just so you know. <<)

Theme 07: Nadieja - Week 3

Had a hard time finding myself this week. Today, still, I wonder who I am and where I'm going. Where I'll be allowed to go.

But don't we have our lives in our hands?

So, week three: origin story! :D

Nadieja's Origin Story

To explain her origin, I'll have to start at the origin story of a few other characters.

I've had the Syrilae village for a long time - some 15 years, I'd wager. Back then it was just a place I'd created because it sounded cool to have a village of elves with cool ears be surrounded by crystal trees (because it was different and COOL << XD). There was even a Dragon there at some point because I had the simple explanation for the Syrilae ears that they were, y'know, like a Dragon wing evolution of sorts (and Dragons are COOL-- okay I'll stop << XD). The base of this creation was Kassandra, because I'd been figuring out her history and it ended up involving this race, this place, and characters that are still around to this day - some having changed very little (except they died XD). The fact is, I'd made the place to fit her history, a few characters for fun's sake, and that was enough back then.

And then, in those roleplay days, certain characters ended up in the village and got taken care of by yet other characters - these characters of mine being a couple, a Syrilae man named Giounai and his plump elven woman Martha. Martha especially took great care of this lost character... and from there, and other events I discovered having taking place in the village, I figured out even more about Giounai and Martha - who, at some point, left the village and ended up in a then-unnamed city which would, upon overhaul, become the town of Desri - one of three large towns that surround the Malmernian capital, Malmern (whether the country's name or the city's came first, I have no idea). In the roleplay days we had the lost character one day reunite with Martha and Giounai, and a few more characters had joined the fray for then-plot's sake...On my side, one of those characters was Nadieja.

In those days she was still called Nadiya, because of a French singer I loved at the time. I changed it during the Overhaul because I figured, hey, if ever I want to publish writings, I can't have her named after a real person (but then I do have a character named Zool whose name I took straight from Ghostbusters... I never changed it because I'm not allowed to <<). So, in the logic of the region, I switched it to Nadieja (nah-dee-eh-*flem*a), and that's when she truly begun to take life. In the roleplay days I had created her as a friend for Giounai after Martha passed, and this remained, even stronger than before. I had always envisioned Nadieja being an influential woman in Malmern, and this expanded during the Overhaul as I determined exactly who Lord Ashin was, and what being his sole heir truly entailed.

So Nadieja had been created way back when sort of out of the blue, and she's grown in personality ever since - mostly after writing the long-gone blog of Erjin, through which I discovered not only more about the world, but about the story I wanted to tell. Random blogs that led to specific scenes, themselves to events that changed Malmern and made me realize I was going to take the story there. So, Nadieja didn't really have a purpose at the time of creation beyond being a useful gear in the roleplay machine of yore; now she's become an invaluable element whose choices will directly affect TAoS in sometimes indirect ways, but fully known to me. Most notably, she has saved a life whose knowledge will be invaluable in its own right...

I have to say I'm really fond of Nadieja. Over the years she has become a strong character, despite flaws - the flaws making her more tangible and relatable, in my opinion. She's the prime example of someone who starts life without any hope for the future, and ends up becoming far more than ever they dared believe or dream. In that respect, I'd like to be more like her... If anything, she's made me learn to love the colour orange. XD

And that is all for Nadieja for this week :)

Theme 07: Nadieja - Week 2

Feeling pretty happy today. Though job offers suck right now, I'm in the process of trying to find some relevant volunteering jobs. Keeping busy with life.

... and I just got a call from my best friend asking if she could come over (11:32 AM, started this blog two minutes ago). She needs to talk. It's weird, because I'd thought about sending her a message this weekend saying that if she ever needed to talk, she's welcome here... And I didn't, because I didn't know how it'd look. Life works in mysterious ways - but what is a friend who can't even make time for a friend in need?

So, I'll keep this one short (thankfully it's copy/paste-day << XD). A little bit about Nadieja's professional life, and a subtle wink to side-events I may one day share... once they are well re-written... :)