Last October, just before I was diagnosed with cancer, I was accepted into a new FiveM RP server called Prodigy RP.
My friends who I normally RP with as a group called the Yellow Jackets were all preoccupied with other games, so I joined Prodigy RP on my own. I was too lazy to come up with a new character, so instead I had to figure out what kind of person my witch character – Seraphine – was going to be without her partner, James James, and their group of miscreants to focus on.
In the end I decided Seraphine was going to shift from a cultist-cum-gangster to a true civilian. Seraphine was never particularly interested in danger and violence, and left to her own devices she would realize that the peaceful life was more her speed. And, because many FiveM roleplayers have a mindset that being a civilian is boring, I wanted to prove that you could be a civilian – not a law officer, or a criminal – and still be hilarious and have interesting storylines.
As I went through the process of cancer diagnosis in my real life, my mindset also shifted. In the months where I was not sure how sick I was, I began doing in-character readings with a deck of Clow Cards (from the 90s anime Card Captor Sakura), which evolved into something more than just spooky fortune telling. And, as my roleplay and character evolved, I came to the realization that I wanted to play a character who helped people and did their best to bring good things into the world – but in a funny, crooked way so that people would slowly discover what it was my character was really up to. I refined the card reading technique, and began treating – and even referring to – Seraphine’s character’s card readings as a form of therapy.
And in a way, playing on the server was a bit like therapy for me too; or maybe, a form of escapism. I got to spend some time living the life of a young witch instead of a middle aged cancer patient. I definitely credit roleplaying on this server, with all the awesome people creating interesting content on it, with giving me an outlet for my creativity and providing a distraction at a time when I really needed one.
Prodigy RP has really taken off after the launch of the new version of their server – Prodigy 2.0, and I’ve really been enjoying playing Seraphine after a brief stint playing Mayor Desdemona Bathory on the Prodigy RedM server. While I probably won’t be streaming any time soon – or ever – I did record an RP session so people can see what it’s like from my end of interactions.
You now can find Friendly Neighborhood Witch, Episode One on my Youtube Channel, along with various videos of my crafts, travel, shopping, and art – including a short video of me drawing the above Halloween portrait of my character, Seraphine.
Outside of roleplay, I’ve been concentrating my art time on completing the pieces I need to finish in order to gain certification as a tsumami-zaiku teacher. I received a grant from SK Arts earlier this year to complete my certification, and I’m so close to being done.
My plan going forward is to bank lots of completed projects and accompanying blog posts that will start publishing in January 2025. I’ve always wanted to have at least one “good” year; that is, a year where I post on the blog weekly. Every year I say I’m going to do it, but this time I mean it. Hopefully, anyway! This year was a year interrupted, and I want so much for next year to be the year of resurgence. I might never be able to get back the time I lost, but I have confidence that I can continue to create art, crafts, and fun roleplay moments for many years to come.
