So, as most of your readers know, people that live on Isle Del Akai have a special diet. I just discovered that there is a name for it!
So for those wondering, Eagle Rivers, Jag Lightfoot, and the rest of the gang are Pescatarian. That means that they eat no meat, but they do eat fish and shellfish.
Red Islanders do, however, eat dairy and eggs. In fact, there are a few (maybe 5 on the whole island) small local dairy farms with cows and chickens. Most of the milk from these local cows goes to make butter, yogurt, and cheese; not much is made into milk. The meat is not eaten. Soymilk is more preferred to dairy milk, anyways. As for eggs, they are readily available and are sold at market all the time. Many people, especially those in the landlocked cities, keep chickens at pets and harvest the eggs. Once again, obviously, the meat is not eaten.
The reason that Red Islanders are vegetarian is simple: Three quarters of the reason is tradition, combined with the fact that cows, chickens, and pigs are not indigenous to the Lost Islands. Since the early settlers didn't have access to such meats, they turned to what they knew: the sea. Thus, all the animals in their diet were things caught with a spear or net, such as Kapantono (Catin for tuna), oysters, mussels, clams, crabs, lobsters, and other yummies from the beaches and waters of Isle Del Akai. Then, when a huge nature movement happened and people liked the idea of vegetarian, they flocked to the island and kept the tradition alive.
Today, the island relies on home-grown produce and the catch of the day for food. Visitors to IDA can, and will, find amazing dishes that are very good. Since IDA is a melting pot of cultures, there is an abundance of spices, methods, and dishes.
If this doesn't make you hungry then nothing will.
Showing posts with label Isle del Akai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isle del Akai. Show all posts
06 January, 2009
18 October, 2008
Isle Del Akai
Part I
Way back in the Era of Creation, even before Dragon-Dodger's time, there was a race of magical people called the Animages. These people lived on an island which they called Isle Del Akai, which was Kiillra for Red Island. The red referred to the multitude of red grass on the island.
These people were often attacked because their island was, like Catarika, very fertile and had a perfect climate. The Animages had a very interesting method of defense- they were able to turn into a specific animal or plant at will. Therefore, when they were about to be attacked, they would turn into animals and plants, giving the island a deserted look. When the enemies would arrive, they would fine an apparently trashed and deserted island that appeared dead, with only some stray animals and seabirds roaming the paths. Seeing this would turn them away, for half of the fun of battle was the attack and in their culture if there wasn't a victory then it wasn't worth gaining.
This helped the Animages keep their island. As the Era of Creation came to a close, the Animages slowly lost their power, for it was no longer necessary. Many of the natives of the island made their way into Kiillaana and their powers were forgotten and their pure blood lines mixed. However, one family stayed true to the island for quite a while and although they no longer had their powers they kept the island going until they slowly left. After Kiillaana established family names, this group became the Fay Family Crest. IDA at this point was for the most part deserted except for the Fay family that remained and a few merchants and fishermen that resided there for several hundred years. The names of these people were mainly names of animals just like the original natives. The natives had the name of the animal they turned into, such as Red Falcon, Panther, Wolf, etc.
When this island was rediscovered and claimed by Kiillaana, it had one city (modern-day Port Rose) and a population of about 2500. It was quiet, like most of the other islands, until a cultural movement spread throughout the world about 100 years before present day.
***I was a senior in high school taking American History when I read and studied the 1960's hippie movement to San Francisco. I liked the idea so much I put it in my world... but where?***
In Kiillaana and around the world, many people were studying the Lost Islands in school. Several people wanted to become more down-to-earth and natural, and after hearing about the beginnings of IDA decided to go there and try to recreate their lifestyle of being simple people who only ate what they grew or fished. These people tried to stand out by wearing very colorful clothing or altering clothing in specific ways. They became vegetarian but ate fish and seafood. They began to embrace a culture of self-sustaining and music.
These people, referred to as "hippies" by the rest of the world, took their ideals a step further and began to move to Isle Del Akai. Within a few years the population of IDA exploded and grew from 2500 to 400,000. Ten cities were established, all with names that expressed nature ideals. Within a very short time, these first-generation hippies established an identification system so that people could identify what city someone lived in. This system is kind of interesting and I'll explain it as best I can.
For every city in IDA, there is a special ear percing. Thre are three locations in the ear where the piercing is made, which varies city by city. The ear that is pierced matters too- some cities pierce the left ear and others pierce the right. In addition, some cities wear a gold ring an
d others wear a white g
em. I'll even take the time to tell you how you can identify a native from all the cities.
Referring to the lovely picture I just drew, we can see the locations of the three piercings. Notice they are not in the earlobe, but rather the top of the ear. Ouch! Now it's time for a nice little table that will explain the locations and shape of the earring. You're probably wondering what happens if someone moves to another city in the island. Well so did the people that came up with the system. If someone is a NATIVE of a city on the island, meaning they were born there, they get the gold ring or the white gem (the piercing usually happens at age 8-10, sometimes earlier). If someone moves to another city on the island, or if someone "joins the fold", then they get their piercing when they establish residency. The difference, though,
is that the ring is silver or the gem is blue. If someone was born in, say, Sunshine but moved to Port Rose, then they would get a special earring- a gold ring with a blue gem on it. A picture showing the earring has been provided :-)
Now that we've arrived at the present-day, I'm going to take a little time to talk about the 10 cities, some facts about them, etc. First off, every city has a special symbol and two city colors (which are also the school colors). Every flagpole has three flags on it: The Kiillaanian flag, the LI State Flag, and the city flag (the symbol in one color against th
e other color). I even have a map so you can tell where these cities are! Keep in mind that the colors I used for the boundaries are not the city colors. I just needed some contrasting colors to make clear boundaries. Some cities have more of a certain race than others, as many people are brand spanking new from their homelands, but that doesn't mean that everyone there is of that race. It just means that they settled with people who speak their language and can help them learn Kevian and the ways of Kiillaana.
I'll start at the bottom and work my way up.
Port Rose:
Ah yes, Port Rose, the oldest city. The symbol is a rose (duh...) and the colors are light red and baby blue. Port Rose is home to the ferry dock which sends ferries to Kesly and also over to mainland Kiillaana. It's not visible from the map, but Laminqua is about two hours away by ferry (about 35 miles) to the east. It is also home to the Port Rose Fish Market where some of the best fish and seafood, especially oysters, are harvested. It is a big town with lots of coastline, although most of it is rocky but many can be found leaning over the rock walls with crab and lobster pots. Eagle Rivers (and Jag & Winterwood Lightfoot) come(s) from this city.
Heartslove:
The symbol of Heartslove is a heart and the colors are pink and purple. This city has some good beaches where swimming and body surfing in the water is common and fun. Heartslove is the only city to house farm animals, specifically cows and chickens. Like I said earlier, the meat is not eaten but the milk is turned into cheese and butter which many islanders enjoy. The chickens are kept for their eggs and many use their feathers and down for various things around the home. The main ethnicity here is Raellian.
Sunshine:
The other Raellian quarters of the island, Sunshine is one of two cities that is landlocked. Because of this, Sunshine is a land of crops. Many fruits, vegetables, and other produce comes from here. The main attraction of Sunshine however is Mingao's Organic Park, a large garden of terraced crops with an amusement park intertwined within. Mr. Mingao, a Raellian native, is very rich and owns this awesome park and has several great rides to entertain young and old alike. He has successfully mixed simple farming with family fun. A trademark of the park is the one-of-a-kind Flower Soda, a soda in a special bottle that whistles when tipped that comes in two flavors: rose and sunflower. Sunshine's symbol is a sun and the colors are yellow and orange.
Cotton:
Cotton's symbol is a triangle and its colors are green and white. More famous than its endless cotton fields is the Fay family which resides here. Cotton is a quiet town of textile mills and tie-dying. Almost all organic clothing comes from Cotton.
Carrot:
Carrot's colors are orange and green and the symbol is a carrot. It is home to many farms and gardens where delicious, fresh produce is always for sale during Monday Market. The coastlines are beautiful and the food amazing. Most of the people here are Tellish, since war-torn Taigana is the closest country to LI (behind the Raellians of course).
Harmony:
Ah Harmony... the other landlocked city. The colors are crimson and sage and the symbol is four arrows pointing to the middle. Harmony is famous for its culture festival that happens every year and is a city of many people. Like Sunshine, lots of crops are grown here.
Magic:
Magic is famous internationally for its surfing. The waves that crash along the western coastline are amazing and attract many tourists willing to tame the surf. The Half Moon Surfing Competition happens every year and is a lot of fun. Magic's symbol is a moon and the colors are blue and red.
Lovely:
Lovely is known for its surfing and its rocky beaches that are home to the best tidepools. A subset of Kesly Coastal, the Lovely Marine Lab, is here and many college students can be found doing studies here. The colors are white and red and the symbol is a circle.
Starry:
Starry's colors are black and gold and the mascot is a star. It is famous for its music festivals which go on all year and entertain thousands. It is also very famous for surfing and has just as good of waves as Magic. Starry is also home to a small but famous hair salon dedicated to the art of dreadlocks. People from all over the world come here to get their hair dreaded.
Wheatfield:
Last but not least is Wheatfield, the home of wheat, rice, and soy farms. The symbol is a bundle of wheat and its colors are tan and burnt orange. The surfing is excellent here as well and is the place to be for beginners. The quietness of the city and the open meadows make it a great spot to have a picnic or watch the sunset.
Whew! I got all ten of them! Now onto something unique: the changing of names.
Since the people here embrace nature, they have "hippie" names like Eagle Rivers. Names like Blackbear, Hazel, Winterwood, Moonbeam, Olive, Music, Sunny, Seachild, and Falcon are all common and acceptable names. You won't find anyone named Sodapop, Motorscooters, Big Girl, He Who Snores, or Bubblegum here.That's a different culture. The last names are also "hippie" in nature, although that can go either way.
Natives don't have to worry about a thing. It's those who join the fold that have a choice. Everyone keeps their given name, no matter what. However, the newcomers have the option of changing their first name to something of nature, although they certainly don't have to. If they plan to establish a family, they can obtain a new last name. They can either be "adopted" by marrying a native or, if the newcomers are a married couple, become "adopted" by a family with an established family line. They also can create their own last name that is symbolic of them. Their children will all have this new last name and it will go on from there. Does that make sense? It's a mouthfull I know...
The people of the island are by no means prohibited from leaving! It's not some super-strict clan thing. It's just a way of life. Eagle Rivers left for college as well as many others. It's less common but possible to find a Red Islander living somewhere least expected. Like any state, people move.
I had so much fun with this island and in just two years it's taken off! If I could live anywhere it would be this island :-)
Way back in the Era of Creation, even before Dragon-Dodger's time, there was a race of magical people called the Animages. These people lived on an island which they called Isle Del Akai, which was Kiillra for Red Island. The red referred to the multitude of red grass on the island.
These people were often attacked because their island was, like Catarika, very fertile and had a perfect climate. The Animages had a very interesting method of defense- they were able to turn into a specific animal or plant at will. Therefore, when they were about to be attacked, they would turn into animals and plants, giving the island a deserted look. When the enemies would arrive, they would fine an apparently trashed and deserted island that appeared dead, with only some stray animals and seabirds roaming the paths. Seeing this would turn them away, for half of the fun of battle was the attack and in their culture if there wasn't a victory then it wasn't worth gaining.
This helped the Animages keep their island. As the Era of Creation came to a close, the Animages slowly lost their power, for it was no longer necessary. Many of the natives of the island made their way into Kiillaana and their powers were forgotten and their pure blood lines mixed. However, one family stayed true to the island for quite a while and although they no longer had their powers they kept the island going until they slowly left. After Kiillaana established family names, this group became the Fay Family Crest. IDA at this point was for the most part deserted except for the Fay family that remained and a few merchants and fishermen that resided there for several hundred years. The names of these people were mainly names of animals just like the original natives. The natives had the name of the animal they turned into, such as Red Falcon, Panther, Wolf, etc.
When this island was rediscovered and claimed by Kiillaana, it had one city (modern-day Port Rose) and a population of about 2500. It was quiet, like most of the other islands, until a cultural movement spread throughout the world about 100 years before present day.
***I was a senior in high school taking American History when I read and studied the 1960's hippie movement to San Francisco. I liked the idea so much I put it in my world... but where?***
In Kiillaana and around the world, many people were studying the Lost Islands in school. Several people wanted to become more down-to-earth and natural, and after hearing about the beginnings of IDA decided to go there and try to recreate their lifestyle of being simple people who only ate what they grew or fished. These people tried to stand out by wearing very colorful clothing or altering clothing in specific ways. They became vegetarian but ate fish and seafood. They began to embrace a culture of self-sustaining and music.
These people, referred to as "hippies" by the rest of the world, took their ideals a step further and began to move to Isle Del Akai. Within a few years the population of IDA exploded and grew from 2500 to 400,000. Ten cities were established, all with names that expressed nature ideals. Within a very short time, these first-generation hippies established an identification system so that people could identify what city someone lived in. This system is kind of interesting and I'll explain it as best I can.
For every city in IDA, there is a special ear percing. Thre are three locations in the ear where the piercing is made, which varies city by city. The ear that is pierced matters too- some cities pierce the left ear and others pierce the right. In addition, some cities wear a gold ring an
d others wear a white g
em. I'll even take the time to tell you how you can identify a native from all the cities.Referring to the lovely picture I just drew, we can see the locations of the three piercings. Notice they are not in the earlobe, but rather the top of the ear. Ouch! Now it's time for a nice little table that will explain the locations and shape of the earring. You're probably wondering what happens if someone moves to another city in the island. Well so did the people that came up with the system. If someone is a NATIVE of a city on the island, meaning they were born there, they get the gold ring or the white gem (the piercing usually happens at age 8-10, sometimes earlier). If someone moves to another city on the island, or if someone "joins the fold", then they get their piercing when they establish residency. The difference, though,
is that the ring is silver or the gem is blue. If someone was born in, say, Sunshine but moved to Port Rose, then they would get a special earring- a gold ring with a blue gem on it. A picture showing the earring has been provided :-)Now that we've arrived at the present-day, I'm going to take a little time to talk about the 10 cities, some facts about them, etc. First off, every city has a special symbol and two city colors (which are also the school colors). Every flagpole has three flags on it: The Kiillaanian flag, the LI State Flag, and the city flag (the symbol in one color against th
e other color). I even have a map so you can tell where these cities are! Keep in mind that the colors I used for the boundaries are not the city colors. I just needed some contrasting colors to make clear boundaries. Some cities have more of a certain race than others, as many people are brand spanking new from their homelands, but that doesn't mean that everyone there is of that race. It just means that they settled with people who speak their language and can help them learn Kevian and the ways of Kiillaana.I'll start at the bottom and work my way up.
Port Rose:
Ah yes, Port Rose, the oldest city. The symbol is a rose (duh...) and the colors are light red and baby blue. Port Rose is home to the ferry dock which sends ferries to Kesly and also over to mainland Kiillaana. It's not visible from the map, but Laminqua is about two hours away by ferry (about 35 miles) to the east. It is also home to the Port Rose Fish Market where some of the best fish and seafood, especially oysters, are harvested. It is a big town with lots of coastline, although most of it is rocky but many can be found leaning over the rock walls with crab and lobster pots. Eagle Rivers (and Jag & Winterwood Lightfoot) come(s) from this city.
Heartslove:
The symbol of Heartslove is a heart and the colors are pink and purple. This city has some good beaches where swimming and body surfing in the water is common and fun. Heartslove is the only city to house farm animals, specifically cows and chickens. Like I said earlier, the meat is not eaten but the milk is turned into cheese and butter which many islanders enjoy. The chickens are kept for their eggs and many use their feathers and down for various things around the home. The main ethnicity here is Raellian.
Sunshine:
The other Raellian quarters of the island, Sunshine is one of two cities that is landlocked. Because of this, Sunshine is a land of crops. Many fruits, vegetables, and other produce comes from here. The main attraction of Sunshine however is Mingao's Organic Park, a large garden of terraced crops with an amusement park intertwined within. Mr. Mingao, a Raellian native, is very rich and owns this awesome park and has several great rides to entertain young and old alike. He has successfully mixed simple farming with family fun. A trademark of the park is the one-of-a-kind Flower Soda, a soda in a special bottle that whistles when tipped that comes in two flavors: rose and sunflower. Sunshine's symbol is a sun and the colors are yellow and orange.
Cotton:
Cotton's symbol is a triangle and its colors are green and white. More famous than its endless cotton fields is the Fay family which resides here. Cotton is a quiet town of textile mills and tie-dying. Almost all organic clothing comes from Cotton.
Carrot:
Carrot's colors are orange and green and the symbol is a carrot. It is home to many farms and gardens where delicious, fresh produce is always for sale during Monday Market. The coastlines are beautiful and the food amazing. Most of the people here are Tellish, since war-torn Taigana is the closest country to LI (behind the Raellians of course).
Harmony:
Ah Harmony... the other landlocked city. The colors are crimson and sage and the symbol is four arrows pointing to the middle. Harmony is famous for its culture festival that happens every year and is a city of many people. Like Sunshine, lots of crops are grown here.
Magic:
Magic is famous internationally for its surfing. The waves that crash along the western coastline are amazing and attract many tourists willing to tame the surf. The Half Moon Surfing Competition happens every year and is a lot of fun. Magic's symbol is a moon and the colors are blue and red.
Lovely:
Lovely is known for its surfing and its rocky beaches that are home to the best tidepools. A subset of Kesly Coastal, the Lovely Marine Lab, is here and many college students can be found doing studies here. The colors are white and red and the symbol is a circle.
Starry:
Starry's colors are black and gold and the mascot is a star. It is famous for its music festivals which go on all year and entertain thousands. It is also very famous for surfing and has just as good of waves as Magic. Starry is also home to a small but famous hair salon dedicated to the art of dreadlocks. People from all over the world come here to get their hair dreaded.
Wheatfield:
Last but not least is Wheatfield, the home of wheat, rice, and soy farms. The symbol is a bundle of wheat and its colors are tan and burnt orange. The surfing is excellent here as well and is the place to be for beginners. The quietness of the city and the open meadows make it a great spot to have a picnic or watch the sunset.
Whew! I got all ten of them! Now onto something unique: the changing of names.
Since the people here embrace nature, they have "hippie" names like Eagle Rivers. Names like Blackbear, Hazel, Winterwood, Moonbeam, Olive, Music, Sunny, Seachild, and Falcon are all common and acceptable names. You won't find anyone named Sodapop, Motorscooters, Big Girl, He Who Snores, or Bubblegum here.That's a different culture. The last names are also "hippie" in nature, although that can go either way.
Natives don't have to worry about a thing. It's those who join the fold that have a choice. Everyone keeps their given name, no matter what. However, the newcomers have the option of changing their first name to something of nature, although they certainly don't have to. If they plan to establish a family, they can obtain a new last name. They can either be "adopted" by marrying a native or, if the newcomers are a married couple, become "adopted" by a family with an established family line. They also can create their own last name that is symbolic of them. Their children will all have this new last name and it will go on from there. Does that make sense? It's a mouthfull I know...
The people of the island are by no means prohibited from leaving! It's not some super-strict clan thing. It's just a way of life. Eagle Rivers left for college as well as many others. It's less common but possible to find a Red Islander living somewhere least expected. Like any state, people move.
I had so much fun with this island and in just two years it's taken off! If I could live anywhere it would be this island :-)
16 October, 2008
Spotlight on: Eagle Rivers
Full Name: Eagle Mountain Rivers
Birthday: March 10, 1990
Method of Creation: #1 and #3- He was a name on a roster who I later made into a person. He was a "loose caricature" of someone I knew, although he ended up being quite a bit different.
This one starts way back with a name on a roster. I like to make lists. I make lots of them. They range from families to a school class, or in this case the choir members of an important tour.
**As a sidenote, I went to Europe with an honor band and chorus and toured six countries playing concerts and seeing the sights. This inspired me to make one in my world. It's called the Tevernid International Honor Band and Choir, and it tours Catarika.**
Anyways, I had decided that Eric Latham was going to sing in this group for their 2008 summer season so I wrote out the entire roster for the choir men. From this list came about 5 or 6 new faces in my world. Under "Tenor 1" there were about ten guys. I even went a step further and put the city and state that they lived in.
**Another sidenote!! There is a state in Kiillaana called the Lost Islands which has five islands on the west coast. One of them, Isle Del Akai (Red Island) is the "hippie" island. I was so intrigued by the 60's Hippie movement that I put it in my world and they all went to this island. That will explain lots of what I'm about to say, so keep that in mind :-)**
So, back to the Tenor 1 list, one of the names on the roster was Eagle Rivers and he was from Port Rose, Lost Islands. Just to give him a friend, I also put in someone named Jaguarondi Lightfoot in the bass section, also from Port Rose. These two ended up being best friends.
The way I originally brought Eagle about was in a series of shorts entitled "Roomies." These short stories took people from the roster and had them discover their roommates for this tour. I originally wrote just one for Eric Latham but it was so good and I liked the idea so much that I kept going and paired many others. In Eagle's case, his story was based off of one my friends that I met on the tour and his roommate.
My friend's roommate was truly one-of-a-kind and although I won't describe him here I was inspired to have a similar situation happen to Eagle. As the young musicians were gathering in the meeting and rehearsal place, little groups of people started to show up. Among them were two Jadali-Kiillra men.
So anyways these Jadali men came by, wearing their unique clothing. Eagle, who at the time was full of wonder was very wowed by their appearance and mannerisms. He turned to Jag and commented that they were really cool and then said something to the effect of "Too bad I probably won't get to know them... They'll probably not be on my bus."
You can probably guess what happened next. Yes, Eagle became roommates with one of them. His name was Isiador Lochgren and indeed he was Jadali. He looked "like he came right out of Dragon Dodger's time." Since they were both technically islanders and from opposite sides of the country, they were able to chat at great length and learn from each other. They were the most unlikely pair to be roommates but they had a wonderful time together.
I left this for a while but decided to revisit Eagle as I began to talk more and more about the Lost Islands and Isle Del Akai in particular. Eagle is obviously a "hippie" and has several hallmark features. This is where the #3 comes in. I knew someone who was a hippie (I'll refer to him as "JOE") and had these characteristic features and mannerisms which I tried to incorporate into Eagle. Eagle retained a few features from JOE like:
1. His long, messy, curly, dirty-blonde hair. This hair became one of Eagle's Lisjovalan qualities.
2. His rectangular eyeglasses that were often "misplaced." Eagle's glasses are not lost in various places the way JOE's were likely to be, but they are "misplaced" in the fact that they slide down his nose. This led me to give him a Lisjovalan nose.
3. His mannerisms. This is a very vague one. JOE was quite absent-minded and Eagle generally isn't. The way he reacts to things is almost the same- with lots of excitement, raised eyebrows, general "freaking out" etc although in a different way. Eagle also retained JOE's height and some of the way JOE walks.
So now I had the makings of a new person. I started to write down a little about him and now had to add things that only Eagle would do. One major difference that I have to point out happened. As I said, JOE is very absent-minded, due to some... um... choices he made. Eagle is for the most part well-composed but sometimes he gets a little spacy. I didn't want it to be for the same reason as JOE so I had to think of something else. *BINGO!* Something medical! Eagle, in fact, has one of the worst cases of hypoglycemia around. His blood sugar is always very low which makes him tired, spacy, twitchy, and not to mention very, very thin.
**Sidenote again! I like to make up my own genetic disorders and assigned numbers to them. Sometimes they are a real known disorder but most of the time they are uniquely my own. I wouldn't be surprised if half of them were actually real though. The one Eagle has is called "D-13."**
Eagle's disorder which he has is caused by his body being unable to absorb the sugars in food very well. Therefore it causes him to have very low blood sugars and he must eat all the time otherwise bad things will result. That led to many things about him such as his needing to constantly snack, his characteristic "twitchiness", his good and bad days, and him being 5'11'' but only weighing like 115 or less. He has been severely affected by his disease and it has greatly impaced his health, which he is constantly worrying about. As he says all the time, "So on we go...".
Now for the fun part. What exactly does Eagle look like? Well, he's 5'11'' and weighs in at about 115 pounds. He is VERY THIN considering his body burns fat and even muscle for energy. He is like five different races since he was born and raised on an island united by ideals instead of race. According to him, he is "Mostly Lisjovalan and Tellish with a little Raellian, Catin, and Kiillaanian thrown in for good measure." He has an oval-shaped face with a long nose, Tellish blue eyes, a soft smile, and "naturally ridiculous" hair that is blond, thick, and curly. He has rectangular glasses that are always slipping down to the end of his nose because of his steep nasal bridge which just adds character.
Being a "hippie" Eagle dresses, eats, acts a different way.
**Keep in mind that my definition of "hippie" is probably not the same as yours.**
He works at the local fish market and is an expert at preparing fish and seafood for people to eat. His job was to "gut fish and shuck oysters, and [he] love[s] every minute of it!" People from his island can be classified as "vegetarians that eat fish." The reason they do not eat meat though is because they don't have access to it, not because they are against meat. They eat fish and shellfish, considering they are islanders, and a wide variety of fruit, veggies, rice, etc. They dress in a very specific way too. Eagle wears his clothing until they are literally falling off his back. Then he simply sews the remaining scraps onto other clothing. He is always wearing shorts and if he has shoes on at all, they are flip-flops. Like most on the island, Eagle is able to make something out of nothing and is resourceful to a great extent.
As the story goes now, Eagle went on that choir trip and then went to college in the middle of a country he really had never been to. He now goes to the same school as Avicile Mohaili Diamond, Lesko Diamond, Gary Charles, etc- Kennywood University. He is majoring in Music Education and... Oh my gosh! I forgot to mention! He is very musical! He is an excellent tenor singer with a very operatic voice and also plays the piano and guitar very well, since his island revolves around music. When he started middle school, he began playing percussion in the band and is quite good at that as well. He does all these things in college and hopes to teach one day. He was drum major his senior year and turned out to be a very talented conductor. And so, I leave this with you to digest, but first:
Five Fun Facts:
1. Eagle has Perfect Pitch! Very useful as a singer, eh?
2. He has a younger brother named Falcon and a little sister named Phoenix (bird theme much?).
3. Eagle and his siblings all have the genetic disorder called "D-13."
4. Eagle is partially blind in his right eye from so many low blood sugar scares.
5. Eagle is a surfer.
Birthday: March 10, 1990
Method of Creation: #1 and #3- He was a name on a roster who I later made into a person. He was a "loose caricature" of someone I knew, although he ended up being quite a bit different.
A perfect portrait of Eagle, complete with his unique tailoring skills. Haha.
Pastoral sketch, Eagle in his typical clothing lounging in the sun. :P
Eagle, posing before a day of surfing.
Creation Story:This one starts way back with a name on a roster. I like to make lists. I make lots of them. They range from families to a school class, or in this case the choir members of an important tour.
**As a sidenote, I went to Europe with an honor band and chorus and toured six countries playing concerts and seeing the sights. This inspired me to make one in my world. It's called the Tevernid International Honor Band and Choir, and it tours Catarika.**
Anyways, I had decided that Eric Latham was going to sing in this group for their 2008 summer season so I wrote out the entire roster for the choir men. From this list came about 5 or 6 new faces in my world. Under "Tenor 1" there were about ten guys. I even went a step further and put the city and state that they lived in.
**Another sidenote!! There is a state in Kiillaana called the Lost Islands which has five islands on the west coast. One of them, Isle Del Akai (Red Island) is the "hippie" island. I was so intrigued by the 60's Hippie movement that I put it in my world and they all went to this island. That will explain lots of what I'm about to say, so keep that in mind :-)**
So, back to the Tenor 1 list, one of the names on the roster was Eagle Rivers and he was from Port Rose, Lost Islands. Just to give him a friend, I also put in someone named Jaguarondi Lightfoot in the bass section, also from Port Rose. These two ended up being best friends.
The way I originally brought Eagle about was in a series of shorts entitled "Roomies." These short stories took people from the roster and had them discover their roommates for this tour. I originally wrote just one for Eric Latham but it was so good and I liked the idea so much that I kept going and paired many others. In Eagle's case, his story was based off of one my friends that I met on the tour and his roommate.
My friend's roommate was truly one-of-a-kind and although I won't describe him here I was inspired to have a similar situation happen to Eagle. As the young musicians were gathering in the meeting and rehearsal place, little groups of people started to show up. Among them were two Jadali-Kiillra men.
So anyways these Jadali men came by, wearing their unique clothing. Eagle, who at the time was full of wonder was very wowed by their appearance and mannerisms. He turned to Jag and commented that they were really cool and then said something to the effect of "Too bad I probably won't get to know them... They'll probably not be on my bus."
You can probably guess what happened next. Yes, Eagle became roommates with one of them. His name was Isiador Lochgren and indeed he was Jadali. He looked "like he came right out of Dragon Dodger's time." Since they were both technically islanders and from opposite sides of the country, they were able to chat at great length and learn from each other. They were the most unlikely pair to be roommates but they had a wonderful time together.
I left this for a while but decided to revisit Eagle as I began to talk more and more about the Lost Islands and Isle Del Akai in particular. Eagle is obviously a "hippie" and has several hallmark features. This is where the #3 comes in. I knew someone who was a hippie (I'll refer to him as "JOE") and had these characteristic features and mannerisms which I tried to incorporate into Eagle. Eagle retained a few features from JOE like:
1. His long, messy, curly, dirty-blonde hair. This hair became one of Eagle's Lisjovalan qualities.
2. His rectangular eyeglasses that were often "misplaced." Eagle's glasses are not lost in various places the way JOE's were likely to be, but they are "misplaced" in the fact that they slide down his nose. This led me to give him a Lisjovalan nose.
3. His mannerisms. This is a very vague one. JOE was quite absent-minded and Eagle generally isn't. The way he reacts to things is almost the same- with lots of excitement, raised eyebrows, general "freaking out" etc although in a different way. Eagle also retained JOE's height and some of the way JOE walks.
So now I had the makings of a new person. I started to write down a little about him and now had to add things that only Eagle would do. One major difference that I have to point out happened. As I said, JOE is very absent-minded, due to some... um... choices he made. Eagle is for the most part well-composed but sometimes he gets a little spacy. I didn't want it to be for the same reason as JOE so I had to think of something else. *BINGO!* Something medical! Eagle, in fact, has one of the worst cases of hypoglycemia around. His blood sugar is always very low which makes him tired, spacy, twitchy, and not to mention very, very thin.
**Sidenote again! I like to make up my own genetic disorders and assigned numbers to them. Sometimes they are a real known disorder but most of the time they are uniquely my own. I wouldn't be surprised if half of them were actually real though. The one Eagle has is called "D-13."**
Eagle's disorder which he has is caused by his body being unable to absorb the sugars in food very well. Therefore it causes him to have very low blood sugars and he must eat all the time otherwise bad things will result. That led to many things about him such as his needing to constantly snack, his characteristic "twitchiness", his good and bad days, and him being 5'11'' but only weighing like 115 or less. He has been severely affected by his disease and it has greatly impaced his health, which he is constantly worrying about. As he says all the time, "So on we go...".
Now for the fun part. What exactly does Eagle look like? Well, he's 5'11'' and weighs in at about 115 pounds. He is VERY THIN considering his body burns fat and even muscle for energy. He is like five different races since he was born and raised on an island united by ideals instead of race. According to him, he is "Mostly Lisjovalan and Tellish with a little Raellian, Catin, and Kiillaanian thrown in for good measure." He has an oval-shaped face with a long nose, Tellish blue eyes, a soft smile, and "naturally ridiculous" hair that is blond, thick, and curly. He has rectangular glasses that are always slipping down to the end of his nose because of his steep nasal bridge which just adds character.
Being a "hippie" Eagle dresses, eats, acts a different way.
**Keep in mind that my definition of "hippie" is probably not the same as yours.**
He works at the local fish market and is an expert at preparing fish and seafood for people to eat. His job was to "gut fish and shuck oysters, and [he] love[s] every minute of it!" People from his island can be classified as "vegetarians that eat fish." The reason they do not eat meat though is because they don't have access to it, not because they are against meat. They eat fish and shellfish, considering they are islanders, and a wide variety of fruit, veggies, rice, etc. They dress in a very specific way too. Eagle wears his clothing until they are literally falling off his back. Then he simply sews the remaining scraps onto other clothing. He is always wearing shorts and if he has shoes on at all, they are flip-flops. Like most on the island, Eagle is able to make something out of nothing and is resourceful to a great extent.
As the story goes now, Eagle went on that choir trip and then went to college in the middle of a country he really had never been to. He now goes to the same school as Avicile Mohaili Diamond, Lesko Diamond, Gary Charles, etc- Kennywood University. He is majoring in Music Education and... Oh my gosh! I forgot to mention! He is very musical! He is an excellent tenor singer with a very operatic voice and also plays the piano and guitar very well, since his island revolves around music. When he started middle school, he began playing percussion in the band and is quite good at that as well. He does all these things in college and hopes to teach one day. He was drum major his senior year and turned out to be a very talented conductor. And so, I leave this with you to digest, but first:
Five Fun Facts:
1. Eagle has Perfect Pitch! Very useful as a singer, eh?
2. He has a younger brother named Falcon and a little sister named Phoenix (bird theme much?).
3. Eagle and his siblings all have the genetic disorder called "D-13."
4. Eagle is partially blind in his right eye from so many low blood sugar scares.
5. Eagle is a surfer.
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