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Ekanu index post
Oct. 1st, 2003 12:01 amEkanu Thousandbirds, or Sulila Ekanu sur Shima nem Koshva -- child of the Domaris, Mistress of the University, scholar of musicology and languages, University diplomat, chapterhouse inspector, wanderer, mentor, mother -- is one of my favorite characters. She lives in a world I call Firsthome (its inhabitants call it 'Earth,' or just 'the world') and has allowed me to follow her around for the past decade or so. I've only been writing her stories down for a couple years, though.
Here they are, in chronological order:
Baby Steps: 425 words, April 2009. After her vision quest, Ekanu takes a step into half-adulthood by training her new dogs to join the annual caribou hunt. Or at least that's the plan. [15-minute fic]
*Empty Hands: 325 words, Feb. 2015. Ekanu finally tells Kadeotak that she's going to leave home. [15-minute fic]
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Learning to Listen: 7,000 words, Jan. 2004-Jan 2006. On her vision quest in her twelfth winter, Ekanu hears the wind telling her to go south. Three years later, she leaves the Ice and joins a trade caravan heading to the great city-state of Estara, where she finds shelter and purpose at the University, and learns to live and thrive in a culture far removed from anything she'd imagined.
I wrote "Learning to Listen" piecemeal over a couple years, and then stitched the pieces together with some new connecting scenes and a clarified thematic arc. The original ficlets (many written to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
15minuteficlets prompts) are listed below:
--Beginnings: Feb. 2004. Ekanu leaves the Ice. [15-minute fic]
--The Silence in the Stones: May 2004. A quantum bubble story about Ekanu's journey south. [15-minute fic]
--Fork in the Road: Sept. 2004. Ekanu learns of the University.
--A Beautiful Friendship: Sept. 2004. Ekanu arrives in Estara and meets Denifar.
--Doors: July 2004. Ekanu and Denifar have differing concepts of privacy.
--An Embarrassment of Riches: Feb. 2004. Ekanu and Denifar visit a tavern. [15-minute fic]
--Connections: Jan. 2004. Ekanu attempts to translate a song. [15-minute fic]
--Paths: Feb. 2005. Denifar talks about his family.
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Barycenter: 750 words, Aug. 2009. Ekanu and Denifar talk about legends and the possibility of travel between worlds as they watch the moon from the clock tower roof. [15-minute fic]
Craftsmanship: 325 words, July 2010. Ekanu watches Denifar do woodcarving. [15-minute fic]
Ripples in Time: 425 words, March 2015. Ekanu takes a class on the history of the Three Day Revolution and the end of the Estarin Empire. [15-minute fic]
Seduction: 900 words, March 2004. Ekanu leaves Estara for Vinaeo and her service to the University. (This will eventually be subsumed by a longer story called "Passage," but it stands alone reasonably well.) [15-minute fic]
Diplomacy, Part One: 800 words so far, started Feb. 2004. Ekanu encounters some problems while helping to open a chapterhouse in Shimat-Mek. [15-minute fic]
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Harvest, Part One: WIP, 4,700 words so far, started Oct. 2004. After leaving Shimat-Mek, Ekanu discovers that Denifar has gone to Ileara in the Gwynorae archipelago to help with a waterworks project, and she finds a job that will allow her to join him there. They attempt to add sex and romance to their relationship and nearly lose their friendship in the process. (unfinished rough draft; the current file on my computer is notably different in several ways)
--Harvest: Swarm -- Jan. 2005. Ekanu thinks about bees and cultural displacement; rough draft of a scene in part two of "Harvest." [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Shaelin and the Rainbow -- Oct. 2008. Lya-Lya tells a folktale to Ekanu; excerpt from part two of "Harvest."
--Harvest: Island Dreams -- Feb. 2009. Denifar has to go on a vision quest; Ekanu invites herself along. Rough draft of a scene in part two; the version in the story has been heavily reworked for tone and continuity issues. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: The Comforts of Home -- 400 words, Sept. 2009. Ekanu and Denifar arrive on the islet for his vision quest; rough draft of a scene in part two of "Harvest." [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Lullabies -- Aug. 2009. Sometime after Denifar's vision quest, Ekanu and Laefa talk about Vinaeo. If this appears in "Harvest" proper, it will be reworked for tone and continuity issues. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: All We Know of Heaven -- 225 words, March 2010. Monologue rough draft of Ekanu's speech during the climactic scene on the vision island where she and Denifar hash out their relationship. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Downwind -- 300 words, April 2010. Denifar and Ekanu tentatively resume communication after their screaming argument on the vision island. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Stepping Stones -- 250 words, Feb. 2016. Another snippet of Ekanu and Denifar on the vision island. [15-minute fic]
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Small Mysteries: WIP, 2,950 words so far, started... I don't remember exactly, but probably 2005 or 2006. During her tour as a chapterhouse inspector in Yanomy, Ekanu meets an intriguing man while traveling alone through the Pakarrin hills.
Getting to Know You: 500 words, April 2009. In Pythas, Ekanu tries to figure out her new relationship with Ain Taylak. [15-minute fic]
Nor Good Red Herring: 550 words, Jan. 2010. Ekanu and Ain talk about the history and ethnic tensions of Yanomy. [15-minute fic]
The Painted Sky, part one and part two: WIP, 1,700 words so far, started April 2004. Having finished her term of service to the University, Ekanu takes a vacation in Merin. [Contains a 15-minute fic]
Flame and Shadows: 650 words, Jan. 2005. Ekanu is introspective; a prelude of sorts to "Bone Flutes," "Empty Hands," and "Walk Into Winter." [15-minute fic]
Wash Us Clean: 350 words, Dec. 2014. Ekanu spends the summer on the shores of the Inner Sea in Nivenos. (This is sort of a preliminary sketch for "Estuary.") [15-minute fic]
Migration of Souls: 300 words, Oct. 2014. Ekanu rides the wind, but not as a leaf. She is a bird, and will always return to her home. (This is from the period Ekanu spends in eastern Estaria, in her early forties.) [15-minute fic]
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These stories and snippets only take Ekanu to around thirty years old. I know various other things that happen to her, up through age sixty or so, but I haven't written any of them. Before I venture into those years ("The Free Lands," "Bone Flutes/Empty Hands/Walk Into Winter," "Plainsong," "Estuary," "Skin-shifter," "Stone Walls"), or the gap between Ekanu's time in Gwynorae and her stay in Merin ("Small Mysteries"), I want to finish "Harvest," "The Painted Sky," and "Diplomacy." Then I might try to get them published. *crosses fingers*
I also have a disorganized post that contains some thoughts about Ekanu and the stories in the middle third of her life. Not all of the thoughts are still valid, but they're useful as a rough overview of my general understanding of her life story.
Here they are, in chronological order:
Baby Steps: 425 words, April 2009. After her vision quest, Ekanu takes a step into half-adulthood by training her new dogs to join the annual caribou hunt. Or at least that's the plan. [15-minute fic]
*Empty Hands: 325 words, Feb. 2015. Ekanu finally tells Kadeotak that she's going to leave home. [15-minute fic]
----------
Learning to Listen: 7,000 words, Jan. 2004-Jan 2006. On her vision quest in her twelfth winter, Ekanu hears the wind telling her to go south. Three years later, she leaves the Ice and joins a trade caravan heading to the great city-state of Estara, where she finds shelter and purpose at the University, and learns to live and thrive in a culture far removed from anything she'd imagined.
I wrote "Learning to Listen" piecemeal over a couple years, and then stitched the pieces together with some new connecting scenes and a clarified thematic arc. The original ficlets (many written to
15minuteficlets prompts) are listed below:--Beginnings: Feb. 2004. Ekanu leaves the Ice. [15-minute fic]
--The Silence in the Stones: May 2004. A quantum bubble story about Ekanu's journey south. [15-minute fic]
--Fork in the Road: Sept. 2004. Ekanu learns of the University.
--A Beautiful Friendship: Sept. 2004. Ekanu arrives in Estara and meets Denifar.
--Doors: July 2004. Ekanu and Denifar have differing concepts of privacy.
--An Embarrassment of Riches: Feb. 2004. Ekanu and Denifar visit a tavern. [15-minute fic]
--Connections: Jan. 2004. Ekanu attempts to translate a song. [15-minute fic]
--Paths: Feb. 2005. Denifar talks about his family.
----------
Barycenter: 750 words, Aug. 2009. Ekanu and Denifar talk about legends and the possibility of travel between worlds as they watch the moon from the clock tower roof. [15-minute fic]
Craftsmanship: 325 words, July 2010. Ekanu watches Denifar do woodcarving. [15-minute fic]
Ripples in Time: 425 words, March 2015. Ekanu takes a class on the history of the Three Day Revolution and the end of the Estarin Empire. [15-minute fic]
Seduction: 900 words, March 2004. Ekanu leaves Estara for Vinaeo and her service to the University. (This will eventually be subsumed by a longer story called "Passage," but it stands alone reasonably well.) [15-minute fic]
Diplomacy, Part One: 800 words so far, started Feb. 2004. Ekanu encounters some problems while helping to open a chapterhouse in Shimat-Mek. [15-minute fic]
----------
Harvest, Part One: WIP, 4,700 words so far, started Oct. 2004. After leaving Shimat-Mek, Ekanu discovers that Denifar has gone to Ileara in the Gwynorae archipelago to help with a waterworks project, and she finds a job that will allow her to join him there. They attempt to add sex and romance to their relationship and nearly lose their friendship in the process. (unfinished rough draft; the current file on my computer is notably different in several ways)
--Harvest: Swarm -- Jan. 2005. Ekanu thinks about bees and cultural displacement; rough draft of a scene in part two of "Harvest." [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Shaelin and the Rainbow -- Oct. 2008. Lya-Lya tells a folktale to Ekanu; excerpt from part two of "Harvest."
--Harvest: Island Dreams -- Feb. 2009. Denifar has to go on a vision quest; Ekanu invites herself along. Rough draft of a scene in part two; the version in the story has been heavily reworked for tone and continuity issues. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: The Comforts of Home -- 400 words, Sept. 2009. Ekanu and Denifar arrive on the islet for his vision quest; rough draft of a scene in part two of "Harvest." [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Lullabies -- Aug. 2009. Sometime after Denifar's vision quest, Ekanu and Laefa talk about Vinaeo. If this appears in "Harvest" proper, it will be reworked for tone and continuity issues. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: All We Know of Heaven -- 225 words, March 2010. Monologue rough draft of Ekanu's speech during the climactic scene on the vision island where she and Denifar hash out their relationship. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Downwind -- 300 words, April 2010. Denifar and Ekanu tentatively resume communication after their screaming argument on the vision island. [15-minute fic]
--Harvest: Stepping Stones -- 250 words, Feb. 2016. Another snippet of Ekanu and Denifar on the vision island. [15-minute fic]
----------
Small Mysteries: WIP, 2,950 words so far, started... I don't remember exactly, but probably 2005 or 2006. During her tour as a chapterhouse inspector in Yanomy, Ekanu meets an intriguing man while traveling alone through the Pakarrin hills.
Getting to Know You: 500 words, April 2009. In Pythas, Ekanu tries to figure out her new relationship with Ain Taylak. [15-minute fic]
Nor Good Red Herring: 550 words, Jan. 2010. Ekanu and Ain talk about the history and ethnic tensions of Yanomy. [15-minute fic]
The Painted Sky, part one and part two: WIP, 1,700 words so far, started April 2004. Having finished her term of service to the University, Ekanu takes a vacation in Merin. [Contains a 15-minute fic]
Flame and Shadows: 650 words, Jan. 2005. Ekanu is introspective; a prelude of sorts to "Bone Flutes," "Empty Hands," and "Walk Into Winter." [15-minute fic]
Wash Us Clean: 350 words, Dec. 2014. Ekanu spends the summer on the shores of the Inner Sea in Nivenos. (This is sort of a preliminary sketch for "Estuary.") [15-minute fic]
Migration of Souls: 300 words, Oct. 2014. Ekanu rides the wind, but not as a leaf. She is a bird, and will always return to her home. (This is from the period Ekanu spends in eastern Estaria, in her early forties.) [15-minute fic]
----------
These stories and snippets only take Ekanu to around thirty years old. I know various other things that happen to her, up through age sixty or so, but I haven't written any of them. Before I venture into those years ("The Free Lands," "Bone Flutes/Empty Hands/Walk Into Winter," "Plainsong," "Estuary," "Skin-shifter," "Stone Walls"), or the gap between Ekanu's time in Gwynorae and her stay in Merin ("Small Mysteries"), I want to finish "Harvest," "The Painted Sky," and "Diplomacy." Then I might try to get them published. *crosses fingers*
I also have a disorganized post that contains some thoughts about Ekanu and the stories in the middle third of her life. Not all of the thoughts are still valid, but they're useful as a rough overview of my general understanding of her life story.
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