Tatianna: Character Story: Take One

Tatianna, whom most people know better as Tatianna the Fallen, could not have had a more blessed, if somewhat humble beginning. Born to D'Mitri Coraclescraper and Annalia Netweaver of the Yenpoh fisherfolk of Majikku Island, Tatianna possessed singular beauty, intelligence, singing talent, stubborn will, and insatiable curiosity. If anything could be said of young Tatianna, she praised the heavens with her vibrant love of life. All that changed when her curious nature led her to an exploration of the Dark Side, and a meddling specifically in the affairs of Barak, Father of Darkness.

Born under the sign of Perinne in Troval 16,(not sure of proper century), Tatianna was looked up to by all the village children, despite the fact that her various escapades frequently got them into trouble. While her friends often paid the penalty of harsh parental discipline for these
doings, Tatianna did but seldom. Her parents, and indeed all the fisherfolk of the Yenpoh village were too much besotted by Tatianna's beauty and charm, and could not bear to punish her, however richly she may have deserved it.

As she grew in beauty, so Tatianna grew in cleverness and curiosity. She found it gratifying to know things that others around her did not, and once she fastened upon a new mystery she could never let go until she had extracted every last kernel of knowledge about it. Some might have used such information to help others, or possibly to rule over them, but this was never a part of Tatianna's rationale. For her the mere knowing of anything was sufficient.

It was in mid-Tropsy of her seventeenth year that Tatianna first came to consider the puzzle that would lead to her undoing. She and her aging parents were attending a ceremony of worship, the local shaman leading the congregation in the age-old plea to the Mother, begging Their protection against the depredations of the Fathers. No other Yenpoh maiden would ever have dreamed of questioning the inherent goodness of the Mothers, much less the Dark Nature of the Fathers, but for Tatianna questioning was as natural as breathing. At this moment she determined to learn all she could of these deities, with particular regard to the Fathers of whom she realized she knew very little.

As might have been expected, the villagers were horrified at this new direction taken by Tatianna and her queries. Even dim-witted old hags, customarily shunned, would only mutter "Mothers good, Fathers bad" before shrieking at her to depart and leave them alone. Her well-meaning parents, frightened at the change in their beloved daughter, threatened to lock her in her room if she would not desist. All of this left Tatianna feeling at first very frustrated, and eventually terribly angry. However, her resolve was far from shaken, and she doggedly pursued her chosen quest.

Notes: Tatianna Sapling and Next Steps

Mercy on us! A character story? Well, que sera sera. The Scribe Julie was good enough to provide me a reserved sapling for the purpose; both she and the Mighty Father of Lust Quont have been very kind and helpful to me in furthering my writing ambitions.

So, notes. Following is the text of Julie's sapling, which I will have to develop:

Tatianna, whom most people know better as Tatianna the (insert title), could not have had a more blessed, if somewhat humble, beginning. Born to (insert father and mother’s names) of the Yenpoh fisherfolk of Majikku Island, Tatianna possessed singular beauty, intelligence, singing talent, stubborn will, and insatiable curiosity. If anything could be said of young Tatianna, she praised the heavens with her vibrant love of life. All that changed when…

Now that is a lovely beginning, but more detail surely is called for (if only to make the minimum word count, ha ha). Character traits are well established early on, and I can probably pull some of that directly from the finished early sections without having to rewrite too much.

One thing difficult will be, and that is to tell of events in Tatianna's life without giving away the details of just what happens to her in the completed legend. I had rather juggle swords, I think, but must make the effort.

At least for now I can explore the lands and other existing characters of her time and place, and start building her background. I used to think that writing was easy, but I believe I must amend that to something like writing being hard if you go about it the right way. Something like that. If I get frustrated I can always take a break and write a song. A whole song, not a "song-ling". Sometimes with songwriting doing it wrong is an absolute benefit. Peace.

Back home again and in one piece more or less

Apologies to all my imagined fans out there for not posting again sooner...I returned tonight from Rochester, NY, younger son in tow. He remains with us until Tuesday, at which point he spread his wings and soars off to the high desert country in Texas, there to overlook his aunt's new art gallery for the nonce. I shall return to the story again so soon as my Muse comes flitting about, nipping at my nethers, and making a general nuisance of herself. Peace.

The Fall of Tatianna, Part 2

In truth, it was the very cleverness of Tatianna that first brought her to grief, for ofttimes clever folk are overly inquisitive folk as well. Tatianna's curiosity was insatiable, her desire to know and understand all things immense. Once, when she was quite small and had accompanied her father on the fishing boat, she pondered why it was that the fish continued to swim into the nets, and if they realized it would be their fate to be eaten. Her father laughed and called her a silly wench when she asked him, but this answer did nothing to assuage her curiosity in the matter. Finally, she began tossing the fish that had already been caught, one by one, back into the water to see if they would swim into the nets again. This time her father gave her a much different answer: the backside of his hand and a longwinded lecture on the folly of throwing away one's livelihood. Tatianna, who had never known aught but kindly treatment from her parent, was so taken aback that she neglected to be curious for an entire half hour.

As she grew, Tatianna was involved in any number of escapades stemming from her cleverness and curious nature. Her parents, who loved her dearly, rarely took her to task over these matters, and the other folk of the little Yenpoh village were inclined to overlook her indiscretions because she was such a likable lass. She was unfailingly polite and pleasant to all she met, and even the other maidens, who might have envied her rare beauty, had to admit Tatianna was a perfectly lovely girl.

Season followed season on Majikku Island, and Tatianna ripened into young womanhood. Her beauty sparkled like the diamonds cast by the sun upon the waves, entrancing all who were fortunate enough to catch the merest glimpse of her. Indeed, she would have had a parade of admiring young men in her wake as she walked about the village, had not their fathers called them idle ne'er-do-wells and ordered them back to their work. Still, all this attention did not turn her head; in truth, she seemed all unaware of the stir her presence caused. Perhaps, unable to see herself through others' eyes, she did not even realize just how beautiful she was. Or perhaps it simply did not strike her as being of any importance. The important thing to Tatianna was satisying her constant gnawing curiosity.

It was in the growing season, not long past her seventeenth birthday, that Tatianna first turned her mind to contemplation of the gods. Here was a sumptuous repast for a hungry mind, knowledge unquestionably worth the knowing. Tatianna was not at all content with the rote parroting of "Mothers good, Fathers bad" that most of the villagers used to express their religious beliefs. She would learn more, she decided. She would understand.

Tatianna began methodically to educate herself as to the natures and dispositions of the Mothers and Fathers. When travelers or traders arrived at the Yenpoh village, she questioned them closely, filing away whatever details she might glean. She even made a pilgrimage to the Grey Elves who also inhabited the island, hoping the Nimti moon priestesses might divulge some secrets. Upon her return home her mother fondly called her a fool, but Tatianna, all unabashed, refused to give up her enterprise.

Fall of Tatianna -- Notes

Began the story of Tatianna tonight. The Muse whispered into my ear after a couple of Mernacians suggested that my image "The Oracle" bore an uncanny resemblance to the race of the Undead. I sincerely hope yon Muse is not playing me for a sucker, but I keep the flyswatter handy just in case.

Using the account of Scribe finister concerning Majikku Island for setting; details rather spotty, so will have to develop it as I proceed. Which is fine and dandy, as I only want enough details to ascertain that yes, this did happen somewhere sometime in Mernac (and not have someone later on pointing out gross discrepancies).

What was Tatianna's great sin? This remains to be sin, but it must be something major because (a.) the villagers subsequently ostracized her, and (b.) she became Undead as a result. Mustn't be petty, and (hopefully) won't be trite.

Enough for now. It's been a long day. To steal blatantly from Dr. Seuss, "Today is gone, today was fun, tomorrow is another one." Peace, all.

New Story: The Fall of Tatianna

There is no death for Tatianna. Conversely, there is no life. She forsook both in a misty past eons ago, after the Yenpoh fisherfolk discovered her sin and cast her out. Now her name is a whisper among those who dwell on Majikku Island; a bogey to affright naughty children, a curse to hurl at lazy housewives. Tatianna, you see, is one of the Undead.

It was not always thus for Tatianna. No, once the Mothers smiled graciously upon her, heaped gifts of intelligence, talent, and great physical beauty upon her head. Amongst all the maidens of the Yenpoh none, it was said, were fairer than Tatianna, and the menfolk, young and old alike, were kept dazzled by her charm and grace. She was well versed in all the womanly arts, and could likewwise haul sail or mend a net as skillfully as any man. The sound of her voice raised in song was known to coax the little birds down from the trees to peck for bread crumbs at her feet, and wild beasts would grow tame at her very approach. Yes, there was a time when Tatianna was much blessed.

Yet oft the pendulum swings in ways we would not have it go, and the tide intent upon washing the shore will not turn back for wishing it so. This is the tale of Tatianna, and how she lived, and how she loved, and how she lost, becoming this creature we now know, much despised. Listen:

Welcome, Honored Guest

I know not where you come from, I know not who you are
If you dwell just across the street or on some distant star
Nor what you hope to find here, but this I will confess
Whoe'er you are, whate'er you want, you're welcome nonetheless