Virgiliu Dracula's Posts (4)

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Into the Eye of the Storm. Chapter 1

It’s late in the 27th century BCE in what is today the central parts of the Red Sea governorate in Egypt, about 30 kilometres West of Port Safaga. The wind blows hard and fast, blasting a ceremonial caravan with sand as they travel against the storm into the wild unknown, surrounded by brown stone hills sprouting from the golden sands that now too fill the air like an infinite swarm of locusts. A beautiful sarcophagus, carved from the blackest stone, is being carried on gilded metal rods by a company of twenty priests. Following the stone coffin; a parade of nine wooden coffins, each painted in all the colours of the rainbow. Their destination is a funerary complex unknown to all others that would soon lay forgotten for millennia to come.

 

Ahead, the necropolis rises tall on the hillside site, somehow - as if by magic - shielded from the fierce sandstorm around it. At the base, a village of labourers are working hard to construct the extravagant complex, twice the size of the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa, carefully carving great pillars, halls, and hieroglyph-covered walls. As the caravan pulls up to the complex, all work stops and the people fall to the ground with hands in front of their heads. Their god has returned to the Duat, and they have been preparing his palace in anticipation of his arrival so that he may live in splendour even in death. And so, the sarcophagus is carried into the complex, the entourage of coffins placed around the temple structures as if to guard the oil-black casket so intricately decorated. Once all is done and over with, the life that once surrounded the complex fades into obscurity, just like the necropolis itself. 

 

Thus, abandoned and forgotten the tomb lies hidden in the hillside unbeknownst to anyone…







-








Into the Eye of the storm


1934, Somewhere in the Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. 

 


Chapter 1.

Desert Breeze

“And so, the Prince would step forth, hands bloodied and dripping, staining the limestone floor with trails of crimson hue. ‘Hew none further’ he spake, ice-blue rondures, fear-stricken and sorrowful, gazing vacantly over the seeming ocean of lavish robe-clad folks of Court. ‘May this be the la-” Elizabeth’s reading was interrupted by a somewhat aggressive nudge against her shoulder; “Liza!”, her father exclaimed, having tried to get her attention for some time. “Father, this book perfectly captures the shock of a loved one’s death” she explained, to which he simply shook his head. “Liza”, he started, “perhaps this once, you might actually peel your eyes from the pages and pay attention to your surroundings. If our lead is correct, this could be the discovery of the century! A completely unmarked temple, with no references made to in any historical records! Marvellous thought, no?”. Elizabeth nodded in agreement, reluctantly closing her book - though not before folding a corner on the page she was on so that she could easily find it again next she’d be drawn to its seductive and fantastical storytelling. The book itself had no remarkable exterior, but Liza’s fascination with the story made it worth gold in her mind. Though, her father had never been much for reading works of fiction and, in fact, thought it somewhat of a waste of one’s time when one could instead dedicate that very same time to more intellectual conversations, or perhaps even research to further one’s ever-growing intellectuality. But Elizabeth knew that even fiction can stimulate one’s intellectual needs and desires, for what is a better teacher than one’s imagination? 

 

Professor Clarke, Elizabeth’s father, taught archaeology at Oxford and was leading this expedition into the untouched deserts of Eastern Egypt. He was an ageing man, but he could still hold his own in the field. His daughter certainly shared her father’s love for fieldwork, though she preferred to spend her days in the preservatory making sure all the artefacts recovered were properly preserved. The convoy consisted of 5 vehicles; two trucks that carried the diggers, mechanic James Colville, and the all-important tools and supplies needed for a proper excavation. Two six-wheeled military cars with roof and windows removed followed behind the trucks, and in the front, leading the caravan, a Kerry Tourer where we find the Clarkes as well as their guide ‘Hassan’ and Professor Walter Hawkins, who taught history and linguistics at the very same institute where we’d usually find the Clarkes. Elizabeth herself was fairly young and unmarried, to her father’s dismay. She too worked at Oxford, but in the conservatory where she would tend to the many artefacts that arrived each season. 

 

As the greying Clarke went on about how he despised having Professor Morris of Cambridge University as part of the crew, the sudden sputtering of the car’s engine cut him off - to Liza’s great relief, followed by a concerning pop as black smoke erupted from underneath the hood bringing the car to a slow stop. “What’s going on now?” asked Clarke, mildly irritated as he leaned forward trying to catch a closer glimpse at the smouldering hood. Though, naturally, he still had to step out of the car - albeit reluctantly. As the professor stepped forth towards the front of the car where Mr Colville was already on the case, hands deep into the engineering abyss of the smoking engine. In the distance, the light shuffling of limping steps in the sand made Clarke’s skin crawl. “Morris…” he muttered, turning to face the old Professor and preparing for a tirade of complaints and needless input. All just to get some time in the spotlight before age made him fade into irrelevance. 

 

John Morris was once a very prominent member of the archaeological community and the foremost professor of Anthropology at Cambridge University. Though in his later years, his more traditional views had grown out of style among the rest of the community and he now spent most of his time riding the coattails of younger names in the guise of a consultant. By no means was he entirely relevant and had, in fact, on several occasions provided valuable input. But he was not meant for the field like this, and every little thing was an inconvenience that had to be brought up. It also didn’t help that he had quite the problematic limp brought on by a field accident many years ago that never quite healed right. To Clarke’s frustration, Morris’ expansive knowledge of anthropology often did help connect the dots in even his own work - and was therefore a valuable member of this team. Especially if this lead of questionable reliability turned out to actually, well, lead them to something never before seen since the Age of the Pyramids. As the older professor approached Liza’s father, limping forth with one hand in the air, and the other tightly grasping a short cane to help support his weight as he wobbled forwards shouting Professor Clarke’s name. “May God damn this blasted heat, if I have to spend another minute in that accursed vehicle back there I might well perish, curse the thought” he began pointing towards the back of their caravan. “Here I thought you were supposed to have recruited the best of the best with only the finest equipment, and yet here we are, in the middle of no-where, looking for an unmarked grave, frying in this barbaric heat, I’ll be damned if I die of thirst I-” Morris’ rant was cut off by an equally annoyed Prof. Clarke who made a note that had the older man only stayed in his dusty office, the rest of the expedition would’ve been spared from his incessant whining upon which Morris quickly defended himself accusing Clarke of wanting all the glory of the potential find for himself.

 

Mr Anthony Gray had worked at The Museum of Egyptian Antiquity in Cairo for the past five years and served as a representative of Cairo, and in fact Egypt itself, on the expedition. In the field of Egyptology, none could compete with his extensive experience in the field - which indeed made him an undeniably invaluable asset to the team. He also had a close relationship with the Clarkes as his father used to tutor Professor Clarke and he himself had an intimate interest in Clarke’s daughter, Elizabeth. He and Elizabeth had met at the Cairo Museum some years ago during her first visit to Egypt, and they’d both formed an instant connection in their love for Egyptian history. From that very moment, Anthony had been infatuated with Liza although hiding it as best he could as to not ruin their incredible friendship- and whether Elizabeth felt the same, no one could really tell. For what man could ever truly know a woman’s heart? As Gray exited the car with a deep sigh, he drew the attention of the squabbling men who both turned to face the younger archaeologist intent on ending this silly dispute. When Elizabeth, who’d been secretly peering into her book when no one was looking, saw Anthony exit the car, she too did the same, perhaps to make sure that he did not escalate the already heated situation between the two disgruntled men.

 

As Liza placed a gentle hand on the now-open car door, she felt a horrible chill, as if long nails on crooked fingers played along her back, from the base of her spine all the way up to her atlas vertebra and around the back of her head. And suddenly, it was as if the rocky facades around them had moved in closer, rising taller than before, surrounding them and suffocating the atmosphere. The air once dry and scorching was now replaced with an unnerving cold- which would have otherwise been a relief, but not here, not now. Not like this. The entire party was frozen and their gazes turned towards the pass ahead of them, their eyes glued to a single point that seemed to have been overtaken by the blackest darkness - even though the sun still shone strong and bright in the sky. Then, coming from the rocky pass, a swift breeze hit them, tugging at Elizabeth’s shawl, loosely wrapped around her head and exposing long locks of blonde hair, glistening like gold in the warm light of the sun. A breeze like none other, seeming more like a warning, than a simple gust of wind. Perhaps, even a threat. And despite this there was an unnerving sense of allure to the wind, as if it was followed by haunted whispers of seduction. The temptation to follow growing ever stronger with the group, like the fearful urge to jump off a steep cliff into the dark waters of the unknown below. Unaware of it, the group had gathered  by the nearest vehicle, all looking into the pass in front of them. All because of a gust of wind. A desert breeze...

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Need Help Fleshing Out Your Character?

So, I was struggling trying to figure out how to write my profile and figured if I sit down and list all the details of my character, I might be able to figure out what I want to do for his profile. So I set out to find inspiration and tutorials on how best to do this, and I stumbled upon this nifty little link: https://selfpublishing.com/character-bio-template/ which goes very in-depth in what to think about when writing your character, and I figured it could help some of you as well. I do recommend you to read to full blog, but if you're just interested in the character sheet, I'll paste it down below. 

 

The Character Template

 

 

Character Bio Template


Name: 

Nickname(s):

Name significance/meaning:

Gender:

Age: 

Birthday:

Deathday:

Star Sign/Astrology Sign/Zodiac Sign: 

Location: 

Birthplace:

Ethnicity:

Nationality:

Race:

Physical Appearance:

Skin Tone:

Complexion: 

Eye Color:

Natural Hair Color:

Height:

Weight:

Body Type:

Build:

Posture:

Birthmarks:

Scars: 

Lefthanded/Righthanded/Ambidextrous:

Age Character Appears to Others: 

Dyed Hair Color: 

Usual Hairstyle: 

Tattoos: 

Piercings:

Makeup Style: 

Clothing Style: 

Clothing Size: 

Shoe Style:  

Shoe Size:

Nail Appearance:

Eyebrow Shape: 

Features: 

Face Shape: 

Facial Hair: 

Voice:

Distinguishing Feature:

Extrovert or Introvert:

Personality Traits: 

MBTI Personality: 

Optimist or Pessimist: 

Temperament:

Mood:

Attitude:

Strengths: 

Flaws: 

Mannerisms: 

Habits: 

Morning Person or Night Owl: 

Pet Peeves: 

Favourite Sin:

Favourite Virtue: 

Weakness: 

Strengths: 

Expressiveness: 

Ruled by Heart or Mind: 

Mindset: 

Philosophy: 

Motivated by:

Everyday Speech:

Life Motto: 

Energy Level:

Memory Level:

Disabilities: 

Phobias: 

Addictions: 

General aptitude:

Mental Strengths:

Mental Weakness:

Physical Strengths: 

Physical Weakness:

Past Illnesses: 

Major Surgeries: 

Accidents:

Stability:

Allergies:

Job Title: 

Company: 

Career Type: 

Education: 

College: 

Work Ethic: 

Job History: 

Income: 

Political Party/Organizations: 

Volunteer Work: 

Dream job:

What job would s/he do poorly at: 

Career satisfaction:

Diet: 

Favourite Foods: 

Favourite Drinks:

Favourite Movie: 

Favourite Music:

Favourite Book: 

Favourite Place: 

Favourite activities: 

Favourite time of day: 

What makes them happy? 

What makes them sad? 

Hobbies:

Interests:

Favorite animal:

Loves to do: 

Hates to do:

Inspired by: 

Raised by: (family)

Parent Status: 

Mother’s Name: 

Mother’s Age: 

Mother’s Background:

Father’s Name:

Father’s Age:

Father’s Background:

Relationship with Mother:

Relationship with Father: 

Parenting Type: 

Only Child? 

First Born, Middle Child, or Youngest? 

# of Siblings: 

Relationship with Siblings: 

Extended Family: 

Family Relations: 

How has family life shaped the character? 

What they like most about their family:

What they dislike most about their family: 

Children: 

Pets:

Best Friend(s):

Worst Enemy:

Many acquaintances or few close friends?

Sexual Preference:

Orientation: 

Relationship Status:

Marital Status: 

First Love: 

Current Love or Aspiring Love:

Notable Ex-Lovers: 

Top 3 Loved Ones: 

Top 3 Disliked Ones: 

Who knows the character best? 

Childhood:

Adolescence:

Young Adult:

Adult: 

Coming of Age: 

Moments/Experiences that shaped them: 

How have they changed as a person throughout their life? 

Major regrets: 

Biggest life lessons learned: 

Religious Beliefs: 

Upbringing: 

Core Values: 

Morals: 

What does s/he believe is evil? 

What does s/he believe is good?

Risks Worth Taking: 

Important milestones: 

Achievements: 

Failures: 

Lifestyle: 

Character Traits: 

Culture: 

Main Goal: 

Minor Goal: 

Desire: 

Biggest mistakes: 

Life lessons: 

Dream Life: 

Worst Nightmare: 

Favorite Memories: 

Least favorite memories:

Things they want in life: 

Things they don’t want in life: 

What obstacles are currently in their way?

Any secrets: 

Worldview: 

Personal Hero:  

Internal Conflict: 

External Conflict: 

What others think of them: 

What they think of themselves: 

What they wish they could change: 

What they wish they could have:

What gets them fired up: 

Their definition of a good life: 

Risks worth taking: 

Things they take for granted: 

What inspires them: 

What they have doubts about: 

What makes them feel alive: 

What makes them want to do better: 

What do they want to be remembered for?

How will the character change? 

 

I hope this could help someone, it sure helped me!

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You made me a God

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I once wandered the Iron Forest of Jötunheimr aimlessly. Purposelessly. 

I knew nothing of the world beyond the forest, nor the true purpose of my blood.

Then came fearless Oðinn and showed me how large the world could be.

.

My name is Loki, the wrath caller, the silver-tongued, the trickster, the servant, the bringer of the end.

And this is the story of my ascension.

.

Never had I seen such determination and curiosity as the moment I first laid eyes on him who I'd soon call brother.

Oðdin was mighty from the very start. His youthful, soft-featured face made you want to trust him - believe him.

He'd hold his axe proudly, as he spoke. As if he was ready to strike down any who denied him.

The son of Borr seemed to have a great destiny before him, and I knew then that my destiny was to follow wherever he went.

The other Aesir and Vanir never knew where I'd come from. To them, it seemed as if I had always been there. 

And I had been.

I was there when Oðdin and his brothers Vili, and Ve, slew Ymir. 

I was there when Oðdin said that he would found a great city.

I was there when the first stones and logs were laid for Asgard's foundation.

I was there when the stones that made the wall around it were layn.

I was there when his sons were born.


.

I never knew that I was destined to see the rise and fall of the Gods.

I never wanted to see the rise and fall of he whom I came to call "brother".


.

My destiny was not as he who would bring the end times, I know that now.

It was you who told my story wrong. It was you who told that I was malevolent.

Yes, it was all you.

I now know that my destiny was to remember them.

Why else would I have been there from the beginning?

I know now that I had to remember them, as you would not.

There were no scribes to tell our stories - that was not our way.

But someone had to know the truth. Remember it.

You wouldn't. You never do.

Your destiny was always to form misconception.

You were always destined to forge white lies.

That is the way of mankind.

You can not be blamed.


.

When you told your stories, my truth was warped.

You said the Norns had seen me bring the end of times.

Ragnarök.

Soon you said I meant ill-will.

You said I killed Baldur.

You said my vengeance was unjust.

How long did it take before you said I was the villain?

Dressed in green, with wicked schemes.

Lusting for Asgard's throne.

You made me the God of Mischief.


.

And my stories were forgotten.

My name is Loki, the weaver of tales, protector of legacies, friend of the Gods, blood-brother of Oðin Alfather. 

 

 

It was You that made me a God

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Interview: First Session. 'Fish Therapy'

The creative mind is... complicated. Beautiful but complicated. As Russian-American philosopher Ayn Rand once said; A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, no to beat others. It's a thing to keep in mind. Some of us are competitive with our actions, others simply want to create, evolve, satisfy. Writers aim to satisfy, but we aim to satisfy the reader  whether that be ourselves or some one else entirely. But what would happen if we allowed our creation to read itself? Would it, too, be satisfied? And if not, have we, as writers, not failed to satisfy? Or is it enough to satisfy ourselves? And if so, what is the meaning of achievement if we do not aim to include others in it too? I'm not trying to shame anyone, and certainly not myself, but I like to pose the questions others don't ask out loud. Now the definition of 'satisfy' can be a bit loose, and in this context it's about bringing positive emotions and reactions to whomsoever reads our works. Yes, all writers write for themselves as well. We are not simply altruistic. Some lean more towards being altruistic, and others lean more towards being egotistic. But in general, most of us aim to satisfy ourselves, and our reader. We inspire, aspire, and get inspired. Most writers also read. And some readers also write. And everyone aspires to satisfy someone.

So going back to earlier. How do you satisfy your creation and your reader? Is it even possible? Can you, as a writer, achieve satisfaction from all included parties? Writer, reader, and creation. It is common to doubt yourself as a writer. Sometimes that self-doubt can be reflected in a figure from your works. Are you a monster for causing a creation harm, or are you a hero for causing the reader positive emotions? Or are you a bit of both? Or neither? Canadian-American writer and public speaker Brian Tracy once stated that Fear and self-doubt have always been the greatest enemies to human potential. And although he has a point in that statement, sometimes the most wonderful works of art, and inventions, comes from fear and doubt. Take the lightbulb for example. We fear the dark, so we light up our streets. Fear can sometimes breed innovation. And self-doubt can sometimes manifest into the most inspirational pieces of art. I feel self-doubt. Quite a lot. I am always afraid I can't satisfy enough. So I wonder, why do I create figures whose souls reflect my own pain and short-comings? Does it come from a need to put my pain into someone else? Or perhaps is it to see what I can do to ease my own pains from a third person's point of view? Maybe it's because I'm malicious and want to spread my misery? Could be all, or neither.

I was, let's say, challenged by an idea from someone else. This challenge was all about putting yourself with your character, to see how they would react to you, and how you would react to them. It was suppsed to be written as an interview, and although this will be an interview, it will also be an experiment. A session with a goal to understand myself and my creations. To see if my creations are what I think they are in a sterile environment. But some of this requires your help. I need you, the reader, to imagine a room. It's a therapist's office. There's a desk, a chair, a couch. Maybe there's a flower pot or some sculpture. Maybe there's something hanging on the wall - a painting, a photograph. What colour is the walls? What is outside the window? Are the curtains see-through or not, and what colour shade are they? Is the floor wooden, stone, carpet, or plastic? What does the couch look like? How is the desk decorated? Try to imagine all the details. You are the viewer of the event that is to unfold here. You are the camera's, hidden beind the walls. The observer.

I sit in the chair. It has armrests. My hair falls down to my shoulders and is of a rust red colour, with dark tips and a few centimeters of silver-brown root. My face is pale, slender, and my jaw has a bit of an angle. From the fron, my nose and chin looks soft, but see me from the side and they're both sharp. There's no indentation between my forehead and the root of my nasal bone, and my eyes are large and shallow. Though they look wise, with a bluish grey-green iris. You can see faint veins underneat my eyes through the semi-translucent skin. I'm wearing a green long sleeved T-shirt. It's a dark green colour with specks of even darker shades throughout it, and it covers up long slender arms, and a fitting torso. It droops slightly over semi-stretch black jeans that are good in length, but around my narrow waist, it is clearly too wide. But I hide it with the shirt. On my feet are brown boots, and a black leather jacket hangs on the back of the chair. 

I look at a figure on the couch. He's as slender as myself, but much shorter. Whereas I am 5'11", he is only 5'6". His skin is much paler than my own, and seem to be covered in a myrad of tiny scales. His eyes are so blue they seem to pierce through your very skull. And his hair is tar black. He is naked for some reason, but his hands are covering his crotch. And he looks at me patiently, waiting for me to say something. To introduce myself, to explain why he is there. But I am silent. I just look at him, into his eyes. Time is fleeting, and the figure seems to grow anxious. That's when I open my mouth.

 

------------------------------------------

 

"Greetings, Jorah.I say, awaiting a reaction but all he does is to throw a confused frown at me. "How are you feeling?" 

He replies; "Scared". It's a simple answer, but it tells me what I need to know, and I respond, trying to sound comforting. "I know. But you don't need to be". My voice is unique. It carried both a high and a low tone simultaneously. There's a rasp to it too. And I have a strange accent. Some might even say an attractive accent, and voice. But it's not a voice you'd like to hear singing. Jorah's voice, however, is clear. Youthful. Enchanting. 

"I... I'll try" Jorah replies. Not entirely convinced. 

I look through a folder I hold in my hand. It contains all the vital information of Jorah, which might seem odd since I was his creator. But I am no god, my memory and my abilities are limited. 

"You are in pain. You have suffered."

"Yes."

"What is your thoughts on that? On pain?"

"I uh, I don't know. It hurts."

"Yes. Do you know where that pain comes from?"

"N- no?"

"Do you know the reason for your pain?"

"I was made to feel, and to hurt"

"Yes. I pause, furrowing my brow to make myself look more serious. "and who made you?"

"The forest made me"

"And who made the forest?"

"I don't... I don't know. Who did make the forest?"

"It's a complicated question with a complicated answer."

"Life is complicated"

"You are wiser than you make yourself appear"

"I have lived for very long"

"I know. Do you know for exactly how long?"

"I... no. No I don't remember"

"Do you know why you don't remember?"

"No"

"The answer to that is not as complicated"

"Then why?"

"All in good time.I pause again, letting Jorah think about what has been said. Maybe I'm hoping he'll figure it out on his own. "Are you happy? Have you ever been happy?I then ask, still with a furrowed brow. I already know the answer, but I still want to hear it from him.

"I guess... I have been happy"

"Do you like being happy?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because it always ends"

"The happiness?"

"What makes me happy ends"

"Indeed."

It has become clear that Jorah is getting uncomfortable. He doesn't seem to like being questioned by a stranger, and I figure it is time to introduce myself. Partly.

"So, Jorah. You have not met me, and so I introduce myself. My name is Sebastian. I'm a writer of sorts, but not by occupation."

"Um, hi. I'm..." he pauses to think. "Like you said, I'm Jorah. Why am I here?"

"You are here so that I can better understand you and myself. I know it seems... odd, all this."

"Yes, quite"

"I need to keep asking some questions, is that okay?"

"S-sure"

"What makes you happy?"

"People"

"People?"

"Meeting people"

"But you can't meet people"

"Not those people. Special people"

"People like Cassius and Neseva?"

"... Yes"

"You're wondering how I knew?"

"Yeah..."

"I know everything you know, and much you don't yet know."

"Are you a Völa?"

"No, I'm a writer."

"But how..."

"Take a wild guess."

"You... wrote... me?" As Jorah asks, it is apparent to me that he doesn't believe his question. It is what he thinks I want to hear.

I smile.

 

------------------------------------------

 

After another moment of silence, which is a strategy of mine, I get up from my chair, holding a glass of water in my hand, and I hand it to Jorah who hesitantly takes it to his lips to take a sip. It is lake water from lake Hornavan - almost like proof of my 'omnipotence'. His gaze twists into an expression of true horror as he presumably realised how right he was in his faked guess.

"In reality, Lake Hornavan is not magical, maybe visually but not practically. There is no rift, there is no you"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I can't say the faeries don't exist, but I can say that they don't exist as you know them, as I imagined them. You inclued"

"You mean... I'm not real?"

"It's complicated."

"Please"

"You are a, um, manifestation of different aspects of myself."

"Whu-"

"You are the part of me that doubts. The part of me that doesn't appreciate certain aspects of myself"

"I don't understand"

"I wrote you. I wrote you, I wrote my version of the lake, the forest. You, and Lo, exist only in fantasy and dream. But that does not mean you're not real. To me, and to the reader, you are real. You are part of my life, and of theirs, albeit unknowingly"

After this, Jorah is the one who introduces the silence. He is stumped. I can see the gears turning behind his confused gaze, trying to make sense of what had just conspired. And my serious frown turns into concern. I'm afraid I have broken the poor thing. I'm certain I've at least scarred him.

"How does that make you feel?I ask, which is followed by more silence. 

 

 

 "Good"

"What?"

"It makes me feel good"

Now I'm the one who's stumped. Whad did he mean with that? I just confessed that I was behind his suffering, and he feels 'good'? "How does that make you feel good?"

"Because that means I'm not alone"

"You never were..."

"But I didn't know that. Now I do."

He stands up, walks toward where I stand, near the window and hugs me. I don't know what to do, so I just stand there, both arms in the air.

"I'm sorry you hurt" he says.

"Right. Can you... you know, let go?"

The poor creature reluctantly lets go and looks at me confused.

"So continuing.I say, as I walk back to my chair, gesturing for Jorah to sit back down on the couch. "Tell me about your earliest memory."

"You mean when I first saw the moonlight?" 

"Not what I had in mind, but sure. What did you feel?"

"Happy"

"Why?"

"Because I had a purpose"

"Hm. When was this?"

"I... don't know. A long time ago."

"Do  you remember the date of your birthday?"

"N-no...

"Do you know why you don't know"

"I'm guessing you know"

"I know why you don't know, and it is because I don't know either. Not the exact date."

"That's okay, you'll figure it out. At least it was beautiful"

"It was, and life is. So you're not disappointed?"

"It was so long ago. Had you know, I don't think I would've remembered"

"Your memory is not that bad..."

"No but the end of the ice age was a long time ago"

"I suppose you're right, I hadn't thought of that."

I paused for a moment. Time had been passing by quickly, and I needed to find a way to wrap the session up.

"Are you... satisfied?"

"With...?"

"Life. Yourself."

"I think so."

"You think so?"

"You gave me pain. But you also gave me love, and purpose"

"I suppose that's true"

"Sometimes you have to suffer in between the good moments in life. I suppose you know that from experience"

I let a faint chuckle escape through my nose. It had not been like I expected. I had prepared for Jorah to be devastated, instead it seemed as if though he had gotten closure. He is more mature than I could've ever imagined from what I knew of him so far. He's shy, yes, but he isn't afraid of seeing things through every angle. And although I've written him immense pain, he's still content with the joy I've given him too, and the joy that fellow writers have given him. He's endured a lot, but despite that he seems to have a positive outlook on life, which was a surprise. The creative mind is indeed complicated, and it seems Jorah was not an exception. The ability to surprise yourself by things you thought you had figured out is indeed an intriguing one. I could've never imagined it to end on a positive note. And Jorah truly surprised me with how maturely he took the information. And how calm and collected he was. When I first wrote him, he was this very sensitive figure. If anything went wrong, which it often did, he would react strongly to it. Whether he has evolved as a character on his own, or if I as a writer have changed style, one thing is certain. Jorah has grown. He has achieved a new hight. And I as a writer have achieved character development. And that satisfies me. 

My conclusion? It is, to some extent, possible to satisfy all three inclued parties, reader, writer, and creation. However, if this is possible in other situations with other individuals, I don't know. And I require to do more research before I can come to a full generalized conclusion. But for now, we know that it is possible to reach a compromise. Although not all parties were at an optimal stance, it was still enough to draw a positive partial conclusion. I will continue these sessions with Jorah to learn more, and I will also have to interview other creations. And with that I conclude this session, and will hoplefully see you, the reader, again.

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