If you know anything of my early years in the Icon Worlds, you would understand why I’m drawn to the Bohemian aesthetic.
Both my mom and my sister Poppy were Wanderlores by tradition meaning they lived their lives according to the rituals required of active members of the Tribe*.
Despite the Wanderlores proclivity for living in secluded groves, orchards and other edenic settings most** were open to welcoming strangers in their midst.
My mom and my sister taught me, by their words and actions, how to navigate life in the Wanderlore Grove, where I was a stranger to their ways.
They also taught me how to build bridges in places where strangers meet by adroitly navigating the decorum of the small ’50s-era town of Cratersville where my dad had his theater, and I attended school.
Both took it in stride when people stared at them or made less than enlightened comments, though Poppy wasn’t scared to go toe-to-toe with anyone who crossed the line between ignorant and obnoxious.
My mom’s reaction to neanderthals (my description not hers) was more subtle, usually involving a dash of psychology—along with a charm or two to tame the worst offenders.
Their boldness in being themselves amongst the sameness of a society that wasn’t their own, allowed me to do my own version of era-breaking*** when I got a bit older.
Being deeply influenced by unconventional life styles, I chose to do my rebelling in the style of the peace-and-love movement of the late ’60s, early ’70s.
I wore peace sign t-shirts and emblems. I wore hip-hugger jeans and macrame belts. I was so boho I was chic.
The town was not amused. I got put into detention for my era deviant style until the overly zealous teachers realized they weren’t going to change me.
Everyone hoped that I would leave for another iconville, once I graduated, so that they could return to their boring, uneventful, decorum-ruled lives.
Unfortunately, even though I did leave, I wasn’t able to fulfill their wish.
You see, Poppy and I knew why the icon worlds were stuck in the past. We also knew that for the icon worlds to survive they had to change.
Our little creatures did most of the heavy lifting. They were the ultimate strangers in a strange land.
It was hard to keep things bound with the chains of decorum when the little creatures kept on popping up and insinuating themselves into the well-oiled clockwork by which the Icon Realm was running.
Eventually, the denizens of the various icon worlds started to realize that their time of living by someone else’s script was coming to a close.
Soon, they knew, they would be asked to don their caps-and-gowns and graduate into a new, script-free world where they would be the strangers.
And if, along the way, any of them were to find themselves needing guidance on how to navigate their brave, new worlds, they could look to the little creatures. I’m sure they would be eager to show them the way.
—Jellybean Reds, Creator of Little Creatures
*The word Tribe is used when describing the Wanderlores for they are descendants of the various indigenous peoples who tried to revive the eco-system of Earth after the great dying. Their quest led them to discovering a powerful Magic that they used to set up the Great Cycle with the ultimate goal of restoring the Earth to a pre-anthropocene state.
**While there were many solitary clans who did not welcome strangers in their midst for ritual reasons a majority of the Wanderlores were not bound by such strictures.
***Era-breaking is the term used to describe someone who breaks the customs, style and other rules-of-decorum of an era-bound iconville
