Shaddolands Cast - Series 1:Episode 1 - The Delaneys

Hey folks, I'm taking a leaf out of my good buddy Bob's (The Amorous Antechinus) book of ideas and introducing the characters that will appear in Episode 1 of Shaddolands.

First and foremost has to be; Steve and Marilyn (Mal) Delaney.

Marilyn (Mal) Delaney

Mal is 27 years old and, after 2 years of courting, has been happily married to Steve for the last 7 years. She is pretty much the glue that holds the entire story together.

Her first boyfriend was Andy Flynn, Steve's best mate, Andy unwittingly introduced Mal to Steve and it was "love at first sight". The situation did cause a rift between the two guys, but it soon healed when Andy realised that he and Mal were not really meant for each other, although he continues to hold a torch for her. He happily took on the role of best man at the couples wedding.

Mal was adventurous and always pushed boundaries when it came to flirting and dressing provocatively. However, once she became Steve's girlfriend, she toned down a lot, as Steve was a jealous and possessive type of guy, and she was afraid to lose him.

As time went on she became less and less of the rebel. Steve and her became soulmates and thoroughly devoted to each other. Her adventurous nature a thing of the past.

Mal studied investigative journalism at college and spent a few years working for the local paper before they took over the family bistro after Steve's uncle passed away. She also holds a part time job at "The Velvet Pulse" as a waitress/barmaid.

Tragically, Mal was involved in an accident and suffered a head trauma which left her in a coma. For a while it was touch and go whether she would pull-out of the coma and survive the injury. Thankfully she did and now after a month or so, she is back at work in the bistro and back to her old self... and when I say that, I mean back to her very old self!

The accident had undone all the years of her suppressed adventurous side and left her a little confused with thoughts and desires that had long been forgotten...

That is where her part of the story begins...

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Steve Delaney

Steve is 29 years old and the loving husband of our girl Mal Delaney. As devoted to her as she is to him. They are known in their circle as "The Perfect Couple".

Steve served four years in the Army before leaving to study computer sciences at the local college, which is where he was introduced to his future wife.

Steve inherited his uncles Bistro a couple of years ago and both he and Mal have worked tirelessly to make it a success. Their efforts were not in vain, as it has become almost a community centre for so many of the characters in Shaddolands. It is probably the main anchor from where all the events in our story branch out from.

His life was turned upside down when his wife was involved in an accident that left her in a coma. He didn't know if she would survive and it almost broke him. Thankfully, Emily, one of Mal's closest friends, and a practicing psychiatrist, was there to help him through the trauma.

Steve was a very possessive and jealous man. Although he had mellowed over the years the couple were together, any man who was overly attentive to his wife would trigger his anger.

Emily could see this and quickly used the situation the couple were in to try and address Steve's fears and depression. They had many chats during Mal's condition, with Emily explaining to Steve, what she saw as the cause of his problems. She would tell him that Jealousy was a disease and a very powerful one that often stemmed from fear of losing the object of the jealousy, as was possessiveness, that was often mistaken as being protective of a loved one. Both "diseases" often led to the breakdown of a relationship and therefore, ironically, became the cause of the loss they so feared. She added that in the case of Mal; she was so devoted to Steve that she had almost entirely changed her character to please him. She pointed out that no matter who tried it on with her, she would never leave her soulmate and the situation they were now in was the one and only situation where he might lose her.

At first this counselling didn't sit well with Steve, but Emily had planted a seed that began to grow in his mind. Once Mal came out of the coma and her quite speedy recovery from the trauma, he noticed a change in her. She was more like the girl he first met and married. Emilies words kept echoing in his mind and he found that where previously he would have objected to her behaviour, he was so thankful that she had survived without any obvious side effects that he no longer had that fear of loss that manifested into jealousy. He felt comfortable and secure in the knowledge that she was devoted to him and so, instead of resorting to anger, he enjoyed watching her be herself. He knew she could handle any situation and if it was one she couldn't handle; well... he would take care of it!

This is pretty much the point where we meet our two main protagonists within the story...

Lookout for more of the cast profiles that will appear as I progress writing Shaddolands.

All the best
Shaddo