Unbound: Characters And Stories

* Preface *

Asadora Farien was born sometime in my 17th year on this planet, the product of what happens when a shy girl and an active imagination meet. I've never been a brilliant writer or a stellar artist or an accomplished musician, even though I've always had some interest in all of those things. I'm better than some, not nearly on the level of others. As the spoiled Amy says in one of my favorite stories, "Little Women": "Male or female, I cannot help but believe I am of middling talent." 

You know the shy Asian girl who painted sets in the corner for your school play because she couldn't get up the nerve to audition for a character who spoke a line in front of an audience? Yeah, that was me. By the way, you should be nice to that girl. She's actually kind of cool, in her own geeky and independent way. 

Somewhere near the end of my 17th year, I was a college freshman addicted to Cocoa Krispies and cheap coffee. I got set up on a date with this guy who, truth be told, I thought was way too full of himself. He was in a band, grew a soul patch that morphed into a full beard, wore black vintage t-shirts from the 1990s, and acted like he had some game. You probably know that guy too. You should take a chance and go out with him. Beneath all the swagger, he's a kind and sensitive artist who is just as geeky and insecure as anyone else. 

This guy grew on me. He had interesting friends and was really talented in a lot of different was, though he'd never be a rock god or a beat poet. What I admired was how he had the courage to try, and so did all his friends. There are people in the world who know how to dance like no one's watching. 

I'm not one of those people, so hanging out with them was good for me. It's what they mean when they say "College is a place to find yourself". I didn't know myself was missing until I met people who weren't shy, and weren't afraid of being judged or making a mistake, and weren't afraid to tell the truth about themselves. 

This guy and this group of people introduced me to a virtual world they liked to hang out in. They built avatars and places and stories, and I got so lost in the way you could be anyone you wanted in a completely different setting. It was the ultimate escapist thing to do. 

This guy also had an attractive female "friend" he liked to chat with online. Honestly, I almost broke up with him when I saw their dynamic. We all know "online friend" is code for "hot girl who lives too far away to date." She was already out of school and had a career, had a way of making herself the center of attention, and had the talent to back it up. She could sing, dance, act, write, and anything I thought I could do, she had a story about doing that thing in a different country while riding a horse in a ball gown. You've probably met that girl, too. You should be nice to her, even though she's always going to be the most intimidating person you know. She's the one who isn't going to stab you in the back and steal your guy. 

She was the one who invited me to participate in something called "RP". She helped me dress up my avatar to make it something interesting and gave me the courage to answer when random people said "hi". I was the girl who logged on at 3 AM to wander around without getting "hi". It took months before I made a character and joined the fun. 

My condition for joining was "I don't want to be anyone important." I still was the girl who wasn't sure she wanted two lines in the school play. 

The result was a character named Asadora. Asadora was a dark faerie from the Autumn Court, a symbol of death, foreboding, and hard times ahead. Her avatar was really pretty, but in every RP, Asadora's job was to die. Her death was fuel for the plot, the fallen domino that set everything in motion. Sometimes, it was what shocked people and kept them interested in playing. 

Asadora was never important, just as I requested. Yet, without her, absolutely everything in the story would be different. 

Even the smallest footprint in the sand announces "I am here.". It just does it a little more quietly than others. I grew to like that Asadora was there, and the freedom that came with the fact that one day, she wasn't. 

For the record, my awkward adolescence worked out. I still make the sets and set pieces. I'm a level designer and object designer for video games and virtual words. It turns out, that's a real job. I married the guy with the cool hair and the annoying swagger. He still breaks out the guitar now and then, but he's a computer programmer. We have a daughter who is almost two. She already has her father's swagger. You're going to have to ask NefariousNephilim about all that. 

My husband's long-distance girlfriend became a very dear mutual friend. She married a wealthy older man, as beautiful actresses often do. He was one of the many people who passed away in 2020, only days before my own father. 2020 was a hard year. She writes full-time and is well-known here on Wattpad. One day, she's going to make it big. Even if she doesn't, she's still touching lives on a daily basis. Asadora was fictionalized even further and inspired a character in her epic book. You're going to have to ask JadedElegance about all that. 

I don't have much time to play games or to RP anymore, but it played a huge role in developing my confidence, introducing me to colorful people all over the world, and reminding me not to take a backseat in my own life. I'm still a shy, introverted daydreamer. I create characters of different races and nationalities, women of different ages and sizes, and members of the LGBTQAIP+ community. I want my daughter to grow up in a world where she sees more faces that look like hers and bodies that look real. I want her to know who she loves doesn't matter. What matters is loving someone at all. 

I still ask if I can play the role that's "not that important". 

Deep down, I know they're all important. Somehow, even in the real world, fictional characters are amazingly important. 

So are the people who write them. 

- Asa <3