Action, sci-fi, and a lot of character exploration are the major building blocks of this story. Bitter Lands, which spawned my master's thesis, is a story about a warrior named Tazek from an alternate universe, a girl named Mira who is consumed by the pursuit of justice, and a boy named Stephan who's never known himself to be good at anything. They will come together when they fight monsters, both literally and figuratively.
Below you can access all of the elements which I have created for this story universe. You can read the novella online in its entirety, or purchase a paper copy which includes several pages of extra "epilogue" content. You can also watch the short animated film which I have created to resemble a "teaser trailer" for a hypothetical Bitter Lands animated feature film. My thesis text will also be available upon completion. Finally, you can see an ever expanding collection of Bitter Lands art at my online portfolio.
I truly hope you enjoy whatever you may see here!
Mira Kovac
- Age: 19
- Hair: Brown, thick and often messy. Shaved patch on the left side of her head.
- Eyes: Green
- Ethnic background: Croatian, Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian
Mira is one of two daughters raised from early childhood by a single father, their mother having died when Mira was a toddler. Though two years younger than sister Holly, she is often assumed to be older due to her sister's untarnished appearance of innocence, which Mira lacks. Mira studied karate when she was younger, and excels at physical combat. She is short tempered and does not offer her trust easily, but is incredibly loyal to those she cares about and very determined in everything she does.
Stephan Weber
- Age: 19
- Hair: Medium blonde, shaggy with straight fringe.
- Eyes: Hazel
- Ethnic background: German, Swiss
Stephan is a runaway from an abusive home. He left as soon as his older sister Dawn gained custody of their younger brother Nate, the only underage child left in the family. Stephan stumbled through childhood with no real ambitions, although he insists on helping Mira in any way that he can when their paths cross. Stephan has been lost and looking for his place both mentally and physically for all of his life, but he manages to be optimistic and caring regardless.
Tazek Suroiga
- Age: late 20s
- Hair: Black, shaved except for a long strip running down the middle of his head, which is tied into a ponytail.
- Eyes: Dark brown irises, darkened scleras (whites of eyes) like all humans in his universe due to lack of sunlight.
- Ethnic background: Unknown, but appears similar to north-east Asian.
Tazek is from an alternate universe version of Earth, this universe having diverged from our own 100s of thousands of years ago and thus being significantly different. The scientifically advanced Earth in this universe is being plagued by supernatural beings due to a failed experiment. A military operation called the Supernatural Epidemic Defense Force (SEDF), which Tazek is a part of, fights to curb the invasion. Tazek is thrown into our universe due to an accident, taking many monsters with him.
Bitter Lands is published on fictionpress.com, where you can leave a comment/review or favourite the work if you are a member.
You can buy a soft cover copy of Bitter Lands on lulu.com. Affordable international shipping is available!
The film is hosted on vimeo.com, where you can leave a comment if you’d like (my other animation work is also on Vimeo, if you’re interested!).
My master’s thesis was completed at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture’s Media Lab.
Extra: Origin of the monsters
Drawings depicting everything from the character’s first iterations to who they are today.