Crafting Fanny The Fairy: The Character Of Lana
Lana, Dylan's mother, is the embodiment of priorities and necessity. Every decision she makes is driven by a single goal: ensuring that her family has enough to survive. Not to thrive but simply to survive. She is, in many ways, the personification of survival itself. This is established from the very beginning of the story, when she and Dylan run errands together.
"Dylan, do not allow your thoughts to stray towards those cookies. Our priorities lie elsewhere," his mother admonished, her voice tinged with a firmness born from practicality.
Lana does not merely seek to control the family's finances; she also tries to shape Dylan's way of thinking. To her, even entertaining the thought of an unnecessary treat is a dangerous distraction. Every penny has a purpose, and every desire must be measured against the family's needs.
As a nurse, Lana works exhausting hours. Living in a small town is both a blessing and a burden. For Lana, it often feels like the latter. She cannot separate herself from her patients because they are not strangers. They are neighbours, friends, and familiar faces she has known for years. That sense of responsibility compels her to take on extra shifts whenever she can. It strengthens the family's financial position, but it also comes at a tremendous personal cost.
The family inherited little more than their house and a handful of pieces of furniture. Everything else had to be earned through relentless hard work. Torn between her duty to care for her neighbours and her need to provide for her son, Lana spends most of her time away from home, working.
"The family's economic reality was unyielding; his mother, Lana, bore the burden of extra shifts and overtime to keep the ship afloat."
Designing Lana's appearance proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of her character because she is, quite literally, an emotion brought to life. I asked myself a simple question: What does constant worry look like? What does a woman whose life revolves around maintaining control, despite living in circumstances where so much is beyond her control, look like?
I imagined deep lines across her forehead, carved by years of frowning. Lana is not someone who hides her emotions. If something displeases her, her face reveals it immediately. I also chose to weave strands of grey into her brown hair, allowing the physical effects of stress to become visible.
"As she dressed, she couldn't help but regard herself in the mirror. The lines etching her forehead and around her eyes bore the weight of time, while hints of gray mingled within her brown hair."
Community plays an important role throughout Fanny The Fairy, particularly in the town of Ballydaw. Lana's circumstances are no secret. In a close-knit community, news travels quickly, and her colleagues are well aware of the pressures she faces.
When Lana explains that Dylan's health has deteriorated and that she must find ways to reduce the family's expenses, her colleague Agnes immediately offers to teach her how to knit. It is a simple act of kindness, yet one that strengthens their friendship while helping to ease the family's financial burden.
"In her quest to stretch their resources, Lana sought the expertise of her colleague Agnes, who kindly offered to teach her the art of knitting."
Through Lana, I wanted to explore a form of love that often goes unnoticed. She is not outwardly affectionate, nor does she express herself through grand gestures. Instead, her love is found in every sacrifice she makes, every extra shift she accepts, and every difficult decision she takes so that Dylan can have a better future. Sometimes, love is not gentle. Sometimes, it is simply doing whatever is necessary to keep the people you care about afloat.