Origins: The Sha’ran Family
Although I have mentioned it in several different ways though a variety of posts, I do want to reiterate the importance and value of fleshing out the finer details in world building. What I am referring to goes beyond slapping a nice coat of paint on your universe and calling it good. No matter your genre of choice, creating the necessary character, cultural, lineage, and technological backgrounds will ensure you create a story robust in its diversity and ability to capture a reader’s attention.
As I begin to near the end of fine-tuning the Sy’Arrians background and historical milestones, I am continually amazed at how far both the Sy’Arrian universe and myself have come. The evolution of both are inexorably tied to each other for one would not progress without the other. This may seem like a blatantly obvious statement, but it was a concept I struggled with for many years until I reflected on the words of the Buddha; We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Dare I take it a step further by saying, we also make other worlds.
Now, I am not so arrogant to think of myself as a savant in creating The Sy’Arrian Legacy series or the insights I impart in this blog. Honestly, I am not sure where it comes from. In casual conversations, I have often referred to the creative process as a big bang, which goes off in your mind, eventually coalescing into a bundle of joy, where you as the creator, must nurture it to become the best version of itself.
What you will read in the coming paragraphs is an example of the synergy between the writer and one aspect comprising the foundation of said bundle of joy. Most of the finer details were developed only one week ago, while the concept has been with the Sy’Arrian Legacy series since the beginning. So, let me tell you a little about one of the most pivotal sets of characters and families in my story; The Sha’ran Family.
Those human generations on Earth who began to exhibit the affinity of longer lifespans emerged slowly near the end of the 19th century beginning with Kyle Brandis' parents, Lyssa Hollister and Ulrich Brandis. It went even further with one notable family who are often cited as the ones who gave birth to the Sy'Arrian race, although it would be several centuries before the new race was formed.
Born in 1936, Sharan Malka who initially came from Israel and William Ziegler, born in 1945 and originally from Hannover, Germany purchased a modest plot of land in 1976, which was part of the Cascade region of Oregon, a state associated with the United States of America before the nation's collapse just prior to the end of the 21st century.
Both having experienced the scourge of xenophobia and bigotry in their relatively short lifetimes, served as the primary impetus for them to live in more remote locations, avoiding heavily populated cities. Although they remained relatively safe in their particular area of the North American continent, Sharan and William knew they would need to put certain measures in place to ensure a continued prosperity. By developing their land as an animal sanctuary and, eventually, a green energy farm, helped in maintaining a respectable distance from judgmental eyes. It also fit well with the definition of Sharan's first name, which meant "a fertile plain" in Hebrew.
Initially not setting out to have children, Sharan and William had their first son, Michael in 1988, with Tyler being born in 1998. Shortly after the birth of Michael, they recognized something different about him in how he developed physically and cognitively. Not only did he learn to walk and talk much earlier than those equal in his age range, but he was able to see in other visual spectrums. Although taking on the physical characteristics of his mother with rich black hair, hazel-colored eyes, and light tan complexion, he rose to 192 centimeters and 103 kilograms putting him well above average than his peers. Tyler followed suit by growing to 188.9 centimeters and 102 kilograms, while taking on his father's blond hair, dark blue eyes and pale complexion. Both young men demonstrated a high aptitude for all fields of endeavor, especially the sciences.
Even more astonishing was Michael's and Tyler's ability to shape the primary elemental forces of fire, water, air, and earth to perform extraordinary feats, such as quelling massive fires or stopping landslides with relative ease. One alarming facet with these abilities were how careful they had to be with their emotions. If they remained calm and focused, their abilities were surgical in nature; however, if their emotions were high, the likelihood of collateral damage and excessive violence when using them climbed considerably. It was not until their mother insisted on using practiced meditation did the two brothers begin to tame their abilities.
Wanting to create a new identity for their family, Sharan and William decided to adopt a new last name in hopes of removing stigma associated with William's last name of Ziegler due to his birth in Germany at the end of the Nazi era. Sharan switched her first name to her last, using a hyphen for added emphasis, while applying her original last name of Malka as her first. They would become known in official records as the Sha'ran family in 2010 with Michael retaining his father's first name as his middle name and Tyler adopting Ziegler as his middle name. Inherently more rebellious than Michael, Tyler did not care what anyone thought of his middle name.
In 2437, Malka Sha'ran, who had benefited much longer than those in her generation who gave birth to children capable of touching the known elements, passed at the age of 501 of natural causes. Michael dealt with his mother's death pragmatically as he often did when life presented challenges, applying mindfulness and self-reflection. Tyler fell into a depressive state, while attempting to apply meditative techniques imparted by his mother. He struggled to put the emptiness he felt in to the proper perspective, lashing out at times, which often resulted in explosive and unexpected bursts of Akasha. Michael, out of love and compassion for his brother, worked with Tyler to quell his grief, which allowed Tyler to bring his mother's passing into focus.
In 2525, what later would be called, the Sha’ran Incident, the emerging abilities of those in the human populations on Earth who could touch the known elements was witnessed in a tragic incident involving the Sha'ran family, further demonstrating just how powerful these emerging abilities could be. A squad of Eradicators, who were formed from within the ranks of the United Terran Security Force (UTSF), raided the farm of William Sha’ran, whom they suspected was a Manipulator; the term applied to those humans who could touch the known elements.
What the Eradicators did not know is it was William's two sons, Michael and Tyler. When they confessed to save their father, William intervened as they were being apprehended and was killed by one of the squad members. Consumed with grief and fueled by rage, Tyler lashed out, utilizing the four elements as weapons effectively killing the entire squad.
After the incident, Tyler and Michael went in to hiding and began a movement to unite all Manipulators against the discriminatory practices of the United Terran Republic.
Be safe, be well, and build a mind on a foundation of compassion and unconditional love. By doing so, you will influence others to do the same and help make the universe a much better place to live by helping change one mind at a time for the better.
Thank you for reading.
