Osai Spotlight: Stanton Bridger

Full Name: Stanton William Bridger
Birthday: July 8, 1920
Nationality: Catin
Birth City: Zirin, Catarika
Bloodline: Mohola
Current City: Zirin, Catarika
Title: Philosopher

Fast Facts:

• Stanton Bridger is 3/4 Kiillaanian by race and carries the Mohola blood from his maternal grandfather, Ioro Mohola. This is his only Catin relative in his immediate family.
• His parents met in Vetonia and didn't move to Catarika until after the birth of their 2nd child. They settled on the island of Zirin in eastern Catarika and had 3 more children.
• He is the 3rd child of Arthur Bridger and Lisa Mohola. His siblings are Elaine Bridger Smith (1912-1992), Jacob Bridger (1915-2006), Francis Bridger (1924), and Ardith Res (1926-1997). All of his siblings except Ardith moved back to Kiillaana for college and beyond but they stayed in touch and spoke often.
• Stanton traveled often and picked up languages very quickly. He used this to his advantage and gained a job translating documents quite early on.
• Like so many before him, he was taken to the doctor because he did not sleep. Nothing could be found and the doctor said to keep an eye on him but that he wasn't affected in any way so it was all right.
• He gained a reputation for his stealth, which is another strong attribute of Osai Naori.
• His ability to predict things before they happened and to see things for his good which were to come got him lots of attention. His brother Jacob was ill quite often and Stanton was able to care for him with an amazing power of knowledge. A family friend (who happened to be a historical scholar) saw this firsthand and joked that he "could be a Man of Osai with a power like that." He took the then 8-year-old Stanton by the hand and led him and his parents outside into the moonlight, still joking that his eyes would glow in the moonlight. When he told Stanton to look at the moon that ring of triangles glowed brightly in his eyes and the friend was stunned speechless. He looked at Stanton's parents and tears came to his eyes as he realized he had personally witnessed and discovered a true Man of Osai.
• Stanton has always been humble about his gift and once he was discovered in 1928 he set off to study it and learn to be a better man. He wrote down every flash of insight that Osai gave to him and would study this. He decided to use his language gift to its full potential and began collecting works to translate.
• He got engaged at 16 to his sweetheart, Marianika Sorela, and they were married at 18. They both entered Rihanu University where they studied linguistics. Stanton went on to receive a PhD in Philosophy and has been a professor at Zirin University since 1950.
• In his twilight hours he studies and translates documents, usually from Catin to Kevian or back, and regularly travels the globe picking up the documents of the times and bringing copies back to his office where he studies them.
• He is fluent in Kevian, Tellish, and Keoen, and mostly fluent in Rakian, Raellian, and Binko.
• He has 3 children- Tamila Kirena (1944), Kaltos Bridger (1950), and George Bridger (1956).
• His son George is principal clarinet in the Rihanu Royal Symphony and his name is heard all over in the music realm.
• Stanton is the primary organizer of all the Osanokai gatherings that take place in Catarika, with major gatherings every 5 years. He also heads smaller regional gatherings every year.
• His pair is Zabi Mohola and the two of them meet often, despite Zabi being known for being "antisocial." They talk nearly every day and Stanton has translated most of his works for him.

A Short Description:

The Kaltos Hotel in Alihirae is the city's meetinghouse. Year after year it is famous for hosting conferences and conventions of such variety from gaming gatherings to music conferences. In the year 2009, at the turn of the summer season, the Kaltos Hotel hosted the normally Catin-based Osanokai Conference which involved 3 days of talks, stories, and sessions given by historical scholars and Men of Osai themselves. Several of the young Kiillaanian Osanokai were in attendance and it was their first time meeting in person a lot of the names that they talked with so often on the forums.

The next session that was about to begin was another spotlight, this time given by Stanton Bridger. In these spotlights, the Osanokai basically started with their life story and then went on with the stories that really shaped them. The purpose was so that people could really get to see the personality behind the darkness and enjoy learning all they could. As he stood tall and walked up, he looked quite different from those who had spoken before. He was much taller, at about 6'1'' and had curly brown hair and very round blue eyes. He looked completely Kiillaanian and had that very warrior look with the dark face and deep eyes. He stood tall and walked with a confident glide to the microphone where he looked out, smiled, and with a twinkle in his eye gave the greeting gesture and began speaking quickly in flawless Catin. Once he finished, he stopped and said the same in Kevian, but with a very thick, unmistakably Catin accent.

"Hello! Did I impress you all with my charming Catin?" he asked, the room full of his outgoing personality and alive with his melodic voice. "I bet it surprises you that my accent is so very Catin, since I don't look like I hold an ounce of Catin in my blood!" he exclaimed, with a smile so wide that it was impossible not to smile along with him. "Most people think that us Osanokai are very serious and quiet and that only darkness radiates from us... Well, that is true! ...But only if you are that way to begin with!" The whole time he had the crowd totally captivated. It was very clear that his many decades of being a professor had taught him a thing or two of how to engage an audience. He spoke as if he were a comedian almost, getting the audience involved and helping them really get what he was saying. He went on, "I am fluent in, what... four languages? Is it four? Ah yes, kuo hasano. Sometimes I... mix them up? So here we go. In Catin, 'Mahali to isvari ni!' In Kevian, 'Hello and welcome!' In Keòen, 'Eile ddw bhedde!' What other languages do we have here? Tellish? Ah, well 'Hsa vi a ba!' There, I hope I got them all!" With that he began his speech on the genealogy of the current 26.

He, along with several others, had traced every Osanokai to their pure blood root. He worked closely with Ari Salo to compile it all and they collaborated on this project for many years. Of course as he spoke he called out into the audience for Ari Salo to stand and be recognized and made sure that he knew how much this whole things meant to him, smiling and laughing as he did so. His purpose for this presentation was to teach the history buffs and just those immensely interested in the Gift of Osai that just because some of the Osanokai, especially the Kiillaanian ones, were no longer directly and obviously related to the 6 crests, that did not mean that they were any less important or powerful. He went on to explain that many people assumed that only men carried the ability to pass on the blood but, using the examples of Zaichi Kere and Oja Diamond, he went on to say that for several generations it was all women that carried that blood and passed it down. He explained further that when the person discovered was so distant that they did not know where to begin that Osai would fill that gap and tell them. He concluded the entertaining talk by stating that men and women have the equal blood that they pass on. It just so happens that when it's all men that the crest in untouched, but everyone whose last name was not Sorela/Migali/Mohola/Res/Kribana/Rakanta got their blood from one or more women.

After his presentation, he answered questions about his life and even went out to personally meet people. For all those in attendance, it was an experience that they would never forget.