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| This page is a work in progress. redesign is in progress; this page is... somewhat outdated? at the very least id like to write it better. sigh. the Interpretation section holds up though, i know where i want to go. |
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Was it a vision, or a waking dream? |
—John Keats, Ode to a Nightingale | |
Lindel Song [he/him, she/her] is the son of the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen.
Once a destiny-less second sibling, Lindel received the destiny of the Nightingale once his elder sister Galen Song drop out of Ever After High a few years prior.
Character[]
Personality[]
Fickle, flightly, and never quite sure of himself, Lindel is generally a ball of restless energy.
He’s always seeking to be charismatic and determined to keep up appearances, something that ends up making him a bit of a people pleaser. He hates being a disappointment, he hates not living up to expectations, and is frequently wracked with nervousness over doing so. Ultimately, Lindel is Trying His Best, even if anxiety can get the best of him.
Due to his nervousness and frequent attempts to live up to expectations, Lindel often overcompensates and tries to be more impressive than he actually is - a habit that sometimes manifests are pretension. Combine that with his interests - high, lofty literature and his enthusiasm for technical specs of recording equipment and music theory - yeah, that definitely sounds like pretension.
(He's not pretentious - in fact, he feels inferior a lot of the time and suffers from a bad bout of impostor syndrome, but it's better to be pretentious, he thinks, than come off as pathetic.)
There’s so much emotion in the youthful heart, there’s so much enthusiasm in the youthful heart. Lindel is no exception to that axiom. He’s easily excited and riled up and jumpy when faced with things he loves, and has an opinion on everything.
However, to most people, Lindel Song is practiced and perfect. I mean, most people know him as the Swedish Nightingale - a voice on the air, one who never makes any verbal slips or errors. But in the case of real life, you don’t get a polished script.
And behind the scenes, Lindel feels like an awkward mess. He frequently self-doubts phrases and words he says, and works so hard to mentally formulate the best way to phrase things, and is always searching for that perfect sentence. In fact, his internal monologue is mostly 100% panicked screaming.
He's generally anxious about messing up, and desperately wants to prove that he deserves to be here - to study with other great fairytales, that he is worthy of taking on his sister's destiny.
Attention is something Lindel finds hard to deal with it. At the same time, he’s desperate for it, but he’s also overwhelmed and intimidated as heck. Right now, hiding behind radio and podcasts - faceless, yet expressive media - is how Lindel finds that balance, that equilibrium. He might not be certain about himself, but he's going to have certainty and take comfort in what constants he has.
Appearance[]
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She wonders if she would like him half as much if it wasn't his voice that was her first impression. If it were his face or his smile or his poetry or an off-handed joke he penned himself. He confesses, more shyly than he should, that he's not much to look at. But when a boy can sing like that, he doesn't have to be. |
Most people don't remember Lindel by face. You know that you're in the same room as him when you hear his voice reverberate across the room. It is tenor, sweet, melodical, like honey and summer. Often, when first encountering Lindel, people are surprisd that this modestly dressed young man is the Swedish Nightingale himself.
Lindel is rather modest about his appearance, frequently joking that he has a "face made for radio". It's not common for him to partake in a selfie that's not part of a group. By no means is he unattractive, but he simply finds his face forgettable.
His hair is naturally black but dyed a brown ombre, and is kept long. With an awkward, skinny frame, he looks tall, but mostly only because he is slim and standing next to Charmaine Lexwington will always make others believe you're taller than you actually are. His brown eyes are wide, nervous-looking, double eyelidded, and framed by a pair of browline glasses.
Hobbies, Interests & Skills[]
Radio and Podcasting[]
Lindel has his own radio show, which is his pride and joy, and maintains a few podcasts.
A total audiophile, Lindel is really invested in sound-quality and proper recording equipment. He will get into the most nerdiest of rants on technical specs of any equipment he uses.
Voice Acting[]
Although Ever After High and his education takes up a lot of time, voice acting is his actual job and Lindel enjoys it a lot. Aside from being the English, Mandarin and Swedish VA for Dentori KIGO-575, Lindel has appeared as several other iconic voices.
- In his childhood, he voiced a popular cartoon character - a donkey named Jenny. Jenny was very popular, but her show got ended once Lindel hit puberty and his voice cracked.
- Squire in the animated series of Black Knight.
Music[]
A classically trained musician, Lindel has a strong footing in most eras of music - from Renaissance to Baroque to cutting edge music being composed and written today. His favourite era among these would have to be Romanticism, containing the likes of Chopin, Liszt and Mendelssohn.
In regards to modern music, he likes all genres, leaning towards progressive for its melodic quality.
In Orchestra, Lindel plays the viola. He has his own, custom-made for him, whom he would protect with his life.
Additionally, Lindel does do composition, writing his own music. Being acquainted with such a range of genres does mean his pieces are often inconsistent. One piece sounds different to the next piece, which has been quite frustrating for the poor bird (he wants his published albums to be more coherent, author grimm-it). His Bandcastle profile has an album and an EP published, and all the music for his radio show and podcasts are self-composed.
Poetry and Literature[]
As previously mentioned, Lindel is a huge fan of the Romantic Era. Given the Classical roots of the Nightingale, he does know Greek and Latin, and his favourite poets are Catullus and Sappho. He keeps a bust of the latter in his room, and adorns her with a pair of sunglasses.
Magic Touch: ??[]
grim reapers don't like him
Other[]
- Has a passing interest in Keeping Up With The Midas Family - only for the Classical allusions.
- Thinks highly of Music Theatre - he confesses that he's both stage-shy and can't (physically) act, though. He is very supportive of Min and all the shows she appears in.
Fairytale: The Nightingale[]
How the Story Goes[]
The Nightingale - Wikipedia link
Lindel is expected to move to China to sing, serve the Emperor, get replaced by a Mechanical Nightingale, fly off, then return to the Emperor to chase off the Grim Reaper.
How does Lindel come into it?[]
Only assigned male nightingales sing, so usually the destiny is passed from father to son. In several cases, such as the Nightingale that HC Andersen wrote on, the destiny holder had been a trans woman.
Once the story is over, the nightingale is expected to fulfill the role of reporting things, whether it to be to the Emperor directly or otherwise. This has been done in many ways - some Nightingales have been playwrights, newspaper editors, even activists. Lindel's father, the current Nightingale, is a popular radio host in Sweden.
Originally, Lindel' elder sister Galen Song was the next Nightingale. But she never quite got good at music, the most basic prerequisite for her destiny. Due to this, she was forced to drop the destiny (by this, she graduated EAH without a destiny nor honours), which fell inside onto Lindel.
A few additional notes:
- "Song" is the surname that the Nightingale Family have taken. However, they would prefer to be referred to as the Nightingale Family, to emphasise their legacy.
- The surname "Song" was 'created' to accommodate the first Nightingale to enroll at Ever After High. The enrollment form required a surname. Song was decided as a family name for the musical connection (in English), and the reference to the Song Dynasty (and thus, the monarchy). Nightingales have always been fond of wordplay, after all.
Opinion on Destiny[]
Before Galen’s ditching-of-destiny, Lindel had resigned himself to being the second child, the one without a story, someone who could just be left alone to his poetry and podcasts. He was used to being out of the public eye, he was used to being a footnote - but being the next Nightingale forced him to give up that lifestyle.
Dealing with attention is hard, especially large amounts of publicity. Frankly, it intimidates Lindel. Still, he refuses to do what his sister did and hand the role to someone else, and for good reason, too.
The Nightingale is one of the more well-known tales, and he is granted a happy ending with little (if any) repercussions. Lindel is very well-aware that several people will kill for a story and a role like his. Thus, he's determined to make use of this fortune of his - it's a gift, not a burden, he insists.
Besides, his sister hexpects so much of him, as do his parents. Familial bonds are important in his life, and he doesn't want to let his family down.
Interpretation[]
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spring's messenger, the sweet-voiced nightingale |
—Sappho | |
I made Lindel in 2016, when one of the few things that inspired me was Latin class, where we read Roman literature. Among the ancient poetry were metaphors that were deeply ingrained in the poetic tradition, one of them being the nightingale - a symbol of mourning. The imagery of the nightingale, in its empty nest, crying out for its lost child, wouldn't leave my mind, and eventually, it manifested into a compunction to make characters from the Nightingale itself.
The contrast between the Emperor of China's most favoured bird and the Emperor of Japan's extravagant gift spoke to me -- who was a person who loved the classics and the past, but was also deeply invested in robotics and technological developments. It was a perfect opportunity to create OCs that might not have a plot arc, but could simply represent intense interests of mine.
Since his conception, Lindel was based off the artistic period that captured my fancy the most: Romanticism. I love the same composers he loves; I love the same poets he loves. While - yes - so much of Lindel was eventually written with the intent of him "representing" Jenny Lind, this choice of Romanticism was due to my own love for it alone, and it being the era of the composers she engaged with was mere (but thankful!) coincidence. Romanticism in music had a raw, emotional intensity that I felt paralleled the "realness" of the Nightingale the most; romanticism in art hails back to the literary tradition that piqued my interest in writing for the Nightingale in the very first place.
The nightingale is a plain bird. It is cute, brown in colour, and notable for not being eye-catching.
- getting to write a nightingale oc that's actually chinese, making them diaspora, getting the chance to explore feeling out of place and plain
- i actually really struggled with how to write lindel's personality, but im rly glad i leant into the flightly, anxious take, of feeling like you have a lot to strive and live up to
- it's nearly 2am i'll finish writing this later
Parallels[]
Fairytale Parallels
- Lindel (and his father) being associated with radio, a media that is becoming to be seen as “dated” directly contrasts with Kigo’s flashy innovative technological sparkly prettiness. (In the same vein, Video Killed The Radio Star is perpetually referenced.)
- The nightingale is said to be not much to look at, Lindel thinks of himself as plain. (An unfair assessment, for nightingales are rather cute birds. Lindel is more comely than he gives himself credit for.)
- His Magic Touch, being able to chase off a Grim Reaper through his voice, is taken directly from the fairytale.
The character of Andersen’s nightingale was based off the Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, dubbed “the Swedish Nightingale”. As Lind was a heavy influence not only on this fairytale but Andersen in general, several nods have been made to her:
- Lind’s a soprano, Lindel's a tenor. Both have high pitches.
- She’s the Swedish Nightingale, Lindel is frequently referred to as a Swedish Nightingale. Lindel being Swedish is a direct reference to Jenny Lind herself.
- Jenny Lind was associates with several Romantic-era composers, namely Chopin and Mendelssohn. Lindel is heavily inspired by the Romantic era - it’s his favourite era of both poetry and of music.
- Hans Christian Andersen was in love with Jenny Lind. This is referenced twice in Zena's work. Andreas Kit Andersen was infatuated with Lindel's sister Galen, and Hero Sea. Sandersen and Lindel used to date.
Finally, further parallels of Lindel with nightingales themselves - in literature and in nature:
- Nightingales are known for their melodious and spontaneous song. Lindel has a melodious voice, and is jumpy and nervous.
- The literary association of nightingales with love and loss provides a romantic undertone.
- Ode to a Nightingale, one of the most prominent works featuring a nightingale, is written by John Keats, a poet from the Romantic Era. Lindel's favourite literary and music period is Romanticism.
- Nightingales feature heavily in Ancient Greek and Latin literature. Likewise, Lindel is very much into the Classics.
- Lindel's father, Aedon, is named after the Greek word for nightingale.
- (Aedon is a feminine name, and Lindel can be used as a feminine name as well. This is fitting because the only nightingales that sing are male, and yet the nightingale in the fairytale is regarded as feminine.)
- Nightingales are part of a group of birds called passerine, a name probably derived from the Latin passer, meaning sparrow. Lindel has a pet sparrow. The sparrow is also associated with Catullus and Sappho, two poets whom he likes.
Outfits[]
Lindel's theme colour is beige with grey undertones, the same colour scheme as the European nightingale.
His fashion is fairly traditional, and partially inspired by Beijing opera for the pun. This was to create a contrast between him and the more modern mechanical nightingale.
Common motifs include musical elements, cages and general bird motifs, along with motifs of the evening, given that nightingales are named for singing at night.
| Art | Lindel's Outfits |
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Basic[]
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Quotes[]
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Well, music will always be there. Poetry will always be there. Where ever we are, whenever we are, people will still love art. |
—Glitterwings: like bell chimes, when asked about the future. "And will they love us?" - Min. "Depends on what they call art," Lindel responds in a voice like summer. | |
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Lind reminds me of Lindt/Lindor chocolate and that's good because it's v tasty. |
—Spades, on Jenny Lind. | |
Trivia[]
- Lindel was chosen to reference Jenny Lind. The name itself means "lemon tree", which I suppose is fitting for birds sit in trees.
- Song is a common Chinese surname, that references the Song dynasty of China, befitting for someone who serves the Emperor. Furthermore, it is a reference to birdsong.
- Before he was renamed to Lindel, this character was known by Daulis, the region ruled by the mythology Greek queen Procne (who, in Ovid's Metamorphoses, is turned into a nightingale).
- Lindel is bigender and bisexual.
Gallery[]
| I'm just putting everything under a collapse for now, so I can sort it later |
 idk who the other person is but he looks mildly irked in this  he's so difficult to draw he annoys me  min lexwington = best pillow  tereus is birb  when i was testing out hairstyles to finalise his design  finally a spiffy fullbody  a bunch of doodles of marv prins. daulis in the one in the 2nd image, in the middle. the three swedish ocs are being swedish meatballs.  with Min, as per norm. the doodle on the right was done by the lovely Tay  smooch  more of these wholesome kids  boba baes  im so in love with this and Daulis is so in love with Min (by Tay) |
Further Reading[]
Fanfiction Appearances[]
AUs[]
- Glitterwings: like bell chimes
- Love in the Time of Crownlera, Part 1
- Storybook of Victors (by Airy): Lindel is the Master of Ceremonies.
- Storybook of Victors/Tyrannicide Rex (mentioned)
Other Inspos[]
- Loren Allred - Never Enough (from the Greatest Showman)
- Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star
- i had a list of comparison and contrasts between lindel and kigo on his own misc page but i'll add them later or not at all
Acknowledgements[]
- Bug, as always, is the blueprint to how I write Andersens. They helped us vastly in the early days of writing Lindel. He's changed a lot since his early drafts, but the way that Bug interprets Andersen fairytales has remained.
- I think, without you, the Jenny Lind influence would have been a lot weaker.
- Tay for being the biggest Lindel cheerleader! You've watched him grow over the years, and have been endlessly supportive throughout.