Specca - Monster Class: Nixie

~"I love the cities you build, the art you create, the music you play, and I absolutely love the books you make.  Such vivid and creative stories, so full of life and wonder, it's amazing." -- "Chronicles of Eden: Volume I, Chapter 13, Loc 5362

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The world of Eden can be a very dangerous place.  Bandits, lustful monsters, and murderous Darker Ones run rampant — thirsty for blood, seed, and for some (i.e. Twilight) something far more sinister.  To be well prepared for the horrors hiding within the shadows, it pays to be well armed and fighting fit.  However, being physically strong isn't always enough.  It's one thing to arm yourself with weapons or muscle, but sometimes the difference between victory and defeat lies in an extra bit of knowledge or a cleverly thought-out plan.

Daniel, being a scholar and philosopher rather than a fighter (at least at first), spent his life researching monsters in hopes of creating a more peaceful world.  He is a monster expert in his own right, but given how closed-off his village was, there was only so much he could find at the Edgewood library.  This desire for additional knowledge eventually led him to Specca.

Of all the girls on Daniel's mission for peace, Speeca has many things in common with Daniel, which could only have increased her admiration to his mission and her strong feelings for him.

There is A LOT to love about Specca.  For one, she's very intelligent.  Like Daniel, she isn't much of a fighter, but has a powerful brain beneath her magnificent blue hair.  Her skills as an avid reader are of great importance and have come in handy several times.  Daniel doesn't even need a monster manual; Specca IS one!

As for appearances, Specca gives being smart a whole new kind of sexy, and those glasses are such a nice touch.  And her scales . . . forget mermaids, you'll get "hooked" for nixies!

Another thing I love about Specca is how kindhearted and tolerant she is.  I mean, look at her.  She's a lovable bookworm, so polite and curious to learn about the world around her.  She fitted in with the others almost immediately when Daniel offered her the chance.  She's also very passionate and loyal, always thinking of Daniel and wanting nothing more than to make him happy, because he wants the same thing she does: a better, more peaceful world.

Her manners and soul are so endearing that she managed to pass off as a human for several months.  She was living proof of Daniel's beliefs even before he met her, and she stands to this day as a testament to the fact that not all monsters are single-minded creatures.

Rather than be compelled to breed with males, like the rest of her kind, Specca, like Daniel, is a bit of an oddball.  Speeca is fascinated by human culture and (oddly like Ariel from Disney's "The Little Mermaid") wants to be a member of it.  She loves not only human men, but women and children, artwork and society, but especially stories and literature.  Take it from me — Specca would make a welcome addition to any book club or fictional theory group.

But perhaps the most wonderful thing about Specca is something which we all can relate to.  It's the thing that drove her to leave her own people and go out searching for her own place in the world.

She wants to belong.

Even though she managed to live in Ashwood for a long period of time and have everyone think she's human, there was just one problem.  She wasn't herself.  Specca had to wear a long dress to hide her tail, gloves to cover her scaly hands, and a brunette wig to cover up her wonderful blue hair.  She wanted so badly to fit in with humans that she was willing to hide herself for who she really was.

It's a sad fact, but in real life, so many of us try to conform and hide our real selves in order to fit in.  We're afraid of how the world will treat us if they find out our true selves, so we create some disguise, whether physical or emotional, and we put on an act.  We do it out of fear of rejection, of persecution, of being cast out and shunned upon.  What's worse is that, if we're so desperate, we start to believe that something's truly wrong with us, that our real selves are a mistake that's meant to be corrected.  And so we pretend, so much that our façade becomes our new identity.

Specca's time in Ashwood was a perfect allegory for life behind a mask.  That disguise is what she wished she could be, but deep down she didn't like it, not only because it was uncomfortable for her scales, but because it served as a barrier: for the world she wished to belong to and the girl she wished she could be appreciated for.

It's no wonder Specca loves Daniel so much.  He freed her; he gave her a new start.  Daniel taught Specca not to be afraid, to show the world who she is and be proud of that.  Her life in Ashwood, though delightful, was more or less just an illusion.  By accompanying Daniel and the others, Specca was given a chance to make a real difference in the world, to live among others like her, and, more importantly, be loved for who she is.

I love all of Daniel's girls, and I will continue to comment on them in due course.  But Specca stands out to me as a shining example of loving yourself and accepting others.  Yes, you risk disappointment and even pain by letting yourself be open to others, but you also give others who feel vulnerable a chance.  In taking that first step, you could very well find a friend or even someone to love.  All it takes is giving each other a chance.

That's what Daniel and Specca both want, and I wish them all the luck in Eden.  Together, with their brilliant minds, they'll teach the world.

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Also, Magnifire , I just wanted to say, beautiful job on Specca's design.  She looks breathtaking against that gorgeous ocean and those towering clouds.  I'm not sure if you read these comments, but your artwork (along with Nuci's) are wonderful contributions to "Chronicles of Eden."