[Naeya's Scrapbook] Cosmic Love

[Naeya]

Katie – Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear that I approached the character diamond properly. That workshop is perfect for Miz, so way to be perceptive and introduce it to the rest of us. Oh, and I’m really happy to find another Rumi fan on the site! Peace and love, baby. Workshop iii. – Faith (as of Summer 512) The lore of the gods and goddesses in Mizahar is absolutely amazing, and I wanted to both pay homage to it and dig deeper into Naeya's personal faith with this workshop. It turns out that not only does her faith influence her actions in the world, it also gives her strength and courage where she might otherwise be unable to rally it alone. Gods Worshipped: Avalis, Semele, Laviku Naeya carries a deep sense of respect for Mizahar’s deities. As a Konti (a race born of Avalis and Laviku), she knows especially well that the gods and goddesses wield powers beyond comprehension and can affect mortal life in a wide variety of ways. She is a devout follower of the goddesses Avalis and Semele, and frequently praises Laviku. Naeya shows her reverence for her chosen deities through prayer, meditation, and offerings. She does her best to honour and uphold the names and values of these gods through her actions. If her deities were to request something of her, she would follow them faithfully and trust in their kindness and wisdom. Avalis Naeya holds her relationship with Avalis very close to her heart. Not only is Avalis the mother goddess of the Konti race, she also gifted Naeya with a Divination gnosis at birth. Naeya currently struggles to control her gnosis, but she understands that it created an intimate bond between herself and Avalis for which she will be eternally grateful. Naeya honours or recognizes Avalis in some way on a near-daily basis, and appeals to her for insight, truth, and all matters of the heart. Semele Naeya also worships Semele, Goddess of Earth, Minerals, and Gemstones. Although her connection with Semele is not as strong as her bond with Avalis, she still pays the goddess much reverence. Naeya sees Semele as the embodiment of beauty and stability, and as a giver of life. She appeals to Semele for creativity, courage, and strength of mind and body. Naeya honours Semele most often when she is working on her craft. Laviku Naeya frequently gives thanks to Laviku, the Sea King. He gave her the beautiful pastel scales scattered throughout her body, and a gift of gills to explore the underwater world of Mizahar. Naeya feels connected to Laviku every time she is in and around the sea. She knows well to honour him when she finds herself in his waters, as she recognizes that he is one of the more volatile gods and can make his domain either welcoming or perilous for travelers. The following gods also align with Naeya’s values, but she is not yet aware of them: Tyveth - God of Honour, Justice, Valour, Chivalry, and Truth Yahal - God of Faithfulness and Purity Priskil – Goddess of Radiance, Hope, and Vigilance Misc. Gods: Ionu Ionu Naeya is not Ionu’s biggest fan. She was made aware of The Trickster god/dess during Summer 512, and she still hasn’t gotten over the shock. The “changing” city of Alvadas gave Naeya a serious fright, and flipped her view of reality on its head for a time. During her short stay there, Naeya became desperate for a sense of stability and was intensely worried about her own mental state. The city’s illusions spun her in circles, and she’s quietly carried a bit of a grudge against Ionu ever since.

[Naeya]

There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet; There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands That lift and drop a question on your plate; Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea. T.S. Eliot

[Naeya]

Sylvia Plath so eloquently describes one of the reasons I love to write and roleplay: I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited.

[Naeya]

Workshop iv. – Goals I've been thinking a lot about Naeya's goals lately, and have discovered that it can be incredibly difficult to separate my own OOC goals from her personal IC goals. I have an idea in my head as to where I see Naeya in the future, but this vision isn't necessarily her vision. Right now, what's driving Naeya is the thought of being able to control her Divination gnosis after visiting Mura. After that? I think it all depends on what happens this season and next. I see Naeya as a future leader, but she has yet to discover this aspect of herself. I'd also like for her to go on The Call at some point, though right now the thought of being back in Riverfall with her family is first and foremost on her mind. It's a constant back-and-forth of "my goals, her goals." Rhy brought up her own anxiety about character goals in this thread, saying: I don't have a character goal. And I don't have a clue what I should do about it. I completely understand this feeling, so I've listed some of the incredibly helpful responses below as a reminder that it is survivable: ...before setting a goal as "this thing she wants to do," maybe you should consider what sort of emotions or motivation she has. If you figure out her driving emotion, a goal can build from that. I think ANY emotion can build up to a goal. You can start it off small, and develop it as you go along, once you get more of a 'feel' for it. Eventually I did come up with a goal. I want Sira to be awesome. That is always my goal. To make her into an awesome character. Sira herself doesn't need a goal, my goal is enough to keep her moving on. Sira just wants to live her life in peace, but I am constantly throwing stuff at her that screws that up. For me, the key to a successful character is not picking out a specific goal, but being flexible, and most importantly, being open to drama. Drama of all kinds, no matter what it is. ... I'm always signing Sira up for the next adventure. IC, she doesn't want to do it, she just gets thrown into it. Storytellers are always offering adventures for us to play in (I should know, I'm one of them) and it's up to us to jump at the chance to put our characters at risk. So, instead of overwhelming myself by forcing an ultimate goal on my PC (which I almost feel like I should have decided on upon creation rather than post-creation), I've decided to work with seasonal goals and see where they lead me. I'm pledging to be open to drama, conflict, adventure, and the personal plots of other players. I'm pledging to follow the above advice, and say "HELL YES!" to screwing Naeya over and pushing her to develop in (potentially) unexpected ways. Without further ado, I give you... Mura, Fall 512: Personal Thread Goals Overarching Goal: Control gnosis via more formal Divination training. Other Goals: Learn something life-changing from a family member. Explore the Silver Watchtower. Help heal someone back to health. Buy something unique from the Silver Velispar Emporium. Get into a fierce argument. See a vision and have a breakdown. Write a poem or short story IC. Make an enemy (yes, in Mura). Buy or adopt an Ivaski. Pray to Avalis. Meet someone unexpected. Have the future told (voluntarily or involuntarily). Write a thread completely based on the lyrics of a real-life song.

[Naeya]

We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust. Rumi.

[Johanne]

I really cannot describe how much I adore Rumi.

[Naeya]

We chattered endlessly. We couldn't take our eyes off each other. We talked without speaking. And how we played on words, with ideas; we fairly frolicked over everything and everywhere. We talked as if we'd known each other a hundred years ago. Isn't that how children play? As though there wasn't ever a time when we didn't know each other? Sky Lee, Disappearing Moon Cafe.

[Naeya]

Workshop v. - Love (as of Fall 512) Oh, love. How bold of me to think I can untangle the entirety of Naeya's thoughts and feelings about this loaded word in one simple workshop! Truthfully, I don't think I'll fully understand how my PC reacts to love until I actually write it out in-game. As of yet, Naeya hasn't played out a romantic relationship. I've considered creating one with an NPC in her Rivarian past, but I haven't gotten around to making this a reality. Basically, I'm going into this blind (though that may be appropriate for a subject that is so often blind itself). Some of what I say may change because Nae has grown and developed IG, but it may also change because I was completely and utterly wrong about her. Either way, I'll (hopefully!) have learned something. “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." John Green, The Fault in Our Stars. If and when Naeya falls in love, I have no doubt that it will be a messy, passionate, all-encompassing affair. She'll do her best to keep it steady and stable, but love can't be controlled in the ways she imagines. I see her as having had her (young, desperate, & naive) heart broken once in the past, which has made her more guarded about giving it away in the future. The phrase "giving it away" is particularly fitting here. When Naeya loves, she really does give all of herself over to her lover. For Naeya, love is the ultimate symbol of trust and intimacy. Her love is open and all-consuming. It is one without barriers or secrets; that pesky Divination gnosis makes sure of this. Her lover must understand her Divination gnosis, and be okay with its implied invasion of privacy in order for a healthy relationship to develop. More positively, Naeya's Divination gnosis also allows her to understand, and possibly even anticipate, her lover's wants and needs. It creates an almost intuitive awareness of him, and allows for a deeply empathetic sensuality. Having grown up in Riverfall, Naeya understands that one does not need to be in love in order to reproduce. Still, she craves the intimacy that love brings. Though this would likely never come up in Rivarian society, it's still useful to note that Naeya would never marry out of a sense of duty. Her married parents are very much in love with each other, and she models much of her understanding of romantic relationships after them. They've shown her that love means persisting day after day, and offering each other support and kindness - even in the face of disaster. “Shatter my heart so new room can be created for a limitless love." Sufi prayer. Naeya's ideals (which persist even after suffering a broken heart) have the potential to crush her if she falls for someone who is not as dedicated to their love as she is. As mentioned earlier, she has no qualms about giving all of herself to her lover. Problematically, however, she subconsciously expects the same in return. This expectation can put quite a bit of pressure on the lover if he is not prepared or able to reciprocate. She is very loyal, which means her lover may also (intentionally or unintentionally) walk all over her if she chooses to turn a blind eye to his flaws. While others are hard pressed to sneak secrets past Naeya, she may decide not to acknowledge these secrets depending on how deep her love goes. Her eternal love has the tendency to come with near-eternal forgiveness. Naeya is not wholly prepared for the messy, passionate, all-encompassing love that I described her as having. She was not ready for the range of intense emotions that accompanied her one past love, and I doubt she'll be any more ready for a future love. She must learn to let go of her impossible desire to always be in control. If she is able to do this, I've no doubt that she'll experience the ride of a lifetime.

[Naeya]

Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton. Dean Koontz.

[Paragon]

You've got to love Dean Koontz - his books always leave me just the right amount of unsettled.