Project Spellcheck: Introducing Elwin Buddhardt
The Wind Hopper
Over the last decade, stories have sprung of a bizarre fellow, garbed for winter no matter the season and bearing a youthful countenance no matter the year, wandering across the land of Lancet—or rather, bouncing across it.
Some tales depict him as something of a minstrel, offering his ear, mouth, and magics to help those in need and bring jolliness in times of dullness and dourness. Others accuse him of being a hellion, if not an outright demon, for the explosive disasters that waited behind the curtain of his seemingly-honest smile.
Regardless of whether he is a kind soul prone to blunders or a heart as fickle as the calm before a storm, each and every tall tale of this traveler shares a similar beginning and end: that on the winds he would arrive, and upon the winds he would depart.
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WHO IS ELWIN BUDDHARDT
Despite his youthful demeanor and attitude, Elwin Buddhardt has been traveling around the countryside of Lancet for around twelve years. His journey began after deciding to leave the mountain village he grew up in, and he has since indulged a nomad lifestyle as he seeks out whatever thrilling sights and fascinating peoples he can stumble across.
Despite being something of a veteran globetrotter, Elwin isn’t exactly brimming with intellect (although he can surprise many with his occasional flashes of wisdom). His mind is driven by wants and coulds far more than it is needs and shoulds, resulting in most of his words and deeds being founded on curiosity and impulse. Although this results in Elwin frequently finding himself in a pit of dire straits, he always has the drive, optimism, and uncanny luck to escape danger’s clutches.
To the other magicians of Project Spellcheck, he is simply something of a passerby, his journeys only colliding with their ambitions by sheer coincidence. Still, whenever there’s assistance to be given or a challenge to be offered, Elwin is always happy to oblige. Although he can often turn trouble into triumph, his interference can also mean the difference between complication and catastrophe.
Most magicians prefer to keep their practice a secret, if not an open one, but Elwin is brazen as can be about his incredible talent for wind magic, using it to hop across hills, dart between treetops, surf up and down cliffs and mountains, and go just about anywhere he pleases with a clap of the hands or kick of the legs. Although he makes for a graceful glider, landing is another matter entirely, as Elwin most often ends his time in the air with either a chaotic tumble or painful faceplant. Thankfully, no matter the spill, he always manages to get back on his feet with his chin as up as ever.
BEHIND THE SCENES
With Sir Cinder as our fire elemental and Luna as our lightning elemental, Elwin rounds out our (black) magic compass with his mastery of wind. Unlike the other two, who have something of an intimate relationship with the magics they wield, Elwin simply sees his magic as an extension of himself, effectively taking his astonishing prowess as a wind magician for granted as he views it as simply a means to his ends.
In terms of appearance, Elwin would appear to be about the same age as Meeko, if not a little older. As for apparel, I find myself somewhat split on what direction I want to take. No matter what, he will have a ushanka hat (with ear flaps down) and goggles resembling an IRL aviator, representing his mountainous origins and knack for “air travel.” Whatever hair that would peek out from beneath the hat would be turquoise in color (which, if I’m being honest, was inspired by a certain Bionicle).
However, the big question is whether he should be totally decked out in matching cold weather gear (with its mismatch for various places or circumstances being intentional as he is meant to be a quirky outsider of sorts) or if his top and/or bottoms should be significantly lighter in weight (with the mismatch in this case being between the cold gear he does wear and the rest of his clothing). I’ll have to experiment with how it turns out visually, but I feel myself leaning towards heavy gear first and maybe putting him in lighter, more suitable clothes as his story plays out.
In the meantime, I’m also looking to change his surname, as while “Buddhardt” was originally meant to convey the feeling that he was a lighthearted pal or buddy, a joking comment by friend and longtime art contributor Koseki pointed out how similar his last name sounds to “butthead” and it inadvertently changed how I look at it now. Still, he said it was funny in a good way, and perhaps it could be tied into the pesky side of his character. I’ll just have to see if something better comes along, and if not, I’ll just have to be okay with it.
MORE TO COME!
With Elwin’s technical debut in this blog entry, pretty much everyone who is part of Project Spellcheck’s main cast—Meeko, Pashmina, and his most important allies, rivals, and mysterious figures—have been revealed in some way, shape, or form. As exciting as it is to finally have these characters out in the open for everyone to enjoy and look forward to, it’s also a little sad. After all, you typically only ever get one shot per character, place, or story aspect when it comes to those types of blogs.
Sometimes I wonder about whether it’s really a good idea to do Writer’s Wall blogs and reveal/explore topics and concepts that are not only tentative, but might be better off being revealed in a more “official” work. Such anxiety is why I always try to precede each of my “introducing” blogs with some kind of in-universe intro and occasionally even a full Story Corner blog showcasing them in action.
That said, I write Writer’s Wall blog posts with two purposes in mind. The first is to get the idea out there so that I can receive feedback as to what about a character works or doesn’t and what sort of things I can do in terms of how that character’s part in the story plays out. The second is making sure that no matter what happens to me, my website, or my writing ambitions, that I can say that I was able to make something. It was always a major fear that now matter how much I tried to make anything that there would be nothing to show for it; as the first year of this website’s existence wraps up, however, I’m happy to say I have nothing left to be afraid of in that department.
Now, look forward to more details about Project Spellcheck (particularly about Lancet as a setting for this story) in future Writer’s Wall blogs. Until then!