Jeffan Caliarthan

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Jeffan Caliarthan aka "Jeffy"
Real Name James
Location Seattle, Washington
Birthday November 23rd
TarValon.Net Information
Affiliation San d'ma Shadar
Rank Gaidin
Title Chat Operator, Warder Councillor, Moderator
Join Date February 14, 2005
Bonded to
Link to Forum Profile

Jeffan is a Gaidin of the San d'ma Shadar company and has been a member for over six years. He holds one gold and three silver merit badges. He serves in numerous staff positions at the Tower in three departments - Administration, Marketing and Moderators. He was also awarded the 2010 Membership Award for Outstanding Recruit Spirit.

Acadius, Master of the Sun Bears Jeffan's Bear Companion

Tower History

Previous

  • Joined TarValon.Net: February 14, 2005
  • Joined Tower: July 7, 2005
  • Raised Soldier: December 25, 2005
  • Retired: March 13, 2006

Tower Involvement

Current

Previous

Awards

Merits

Gold

Silver

Tower Relationships

Bonding

Mentoring

Mentors
Mentees

Other Tower Relationships

Official Event Attendance

MOST WANTED: Jessan Sedai of the Black Ajah

Trivia

Senior Member Interview

September 26, 2011

  • Why did you choose San d'ma Shadar?

I felt that they were where home was. Once I realized that I had a very misconstrued understanding of what SDS was (I assumed they were all woman-obsessed alcoholics), I saw them in a new light, and I found out that I fit in really well with all of the Bears. They're all a bunch of very passionate guys who enjoy having fun and want to live life with no qualms or regrets, and that's something that I also live by.

  • Do you fit the San d'ma Shadar stereotype? Do you enjoy the female anatomy and copious amounts of alcohol?

Dear lord no. I'm probably the least butch SDS in the Company. I do very much enjoy the male anatomy, and alcohol can be fun, but I definitely don't fit the standard SDS mold. I think that we're all a little different, but I'm definitely one of the ones that's quite a bit out there. I do, however, fit the physical mold of an SDS Gaidin: big and husky. To quote Karassa, "SDS: We ain't friggin' elves."

  • What male character from the novels do you think would fit best in San d'ma Shadar?

Bayle Domon is the first person that comes to mind. He's always been a very zero-bullshit kind of guy who's willing to do almost anything for the people he cares about, both of which are very much SDS values. He's just the type of guy that you don't want to mess with, which, I might add, is another SDS quality. Since about 2002, I think! I didn't really get into it until 2005 or so when I joined the site, but I'd been a "casual" fan for awhile.

  • How did you first get into the series?

My 6th grade teacher mentioned an epic fantasy series that had to do with dragons, and at the time I was completely obsessed with dragons - it was actually kind of ridiculous and embarassing. So I picked up The Eye of the World and read about half of it, but got a little lost (I was 11 at the time!) so I put it down. About six months later I picked it up again and read it all. I was a little sad realizing that there weren't any "real" dragons in it, but I quickly overcame my initial sadness once I realized how utterly awesome the series was.

  • Who is your favorite "hero"?

In the first few books, it's Moiraine all the way. I absolutely love her. She's this mythical figure that we all hope will enter our lives some day to take us away from our humdrum lives, and she's absolutely fantastic. However, when she started playing a more minor role in the series, I eventually came to love Rand. I know, he's a bit of an idiot sometimes, and he's always down on himself moaning about the women he's killed, but he becomes a really badass character! He's like this God among men with all the insane power that he has, and it's kind of ridiculous what he's able to do and how much he's able to influence the world with that power. Nynaeve is also a big-time favorite, just because she's so opinionated and she doesn't let anything get in her way, and that's definitely something that I admire. Another honorable mention is Cadsuane, simply because she's a pretty fearless woman.

  • Favorite bad guy/gal?

Padan Fain all the way. He is the most detestable character in the entire series. He's been so twisted and corrupted by The Dark One that he's become almost a victim, but then he also brings Mordeth into himself, and it just creates this absolutely wicked character with a lot of unknown powers. He's been my favorite guy to hate for a long time. Close seconds are Lanfear for being another pretty fearless bitch, and Moghedien, simply because she's just so damned sneaky!

  • Favorite book and scene?

My favorite book is probably The Great Hunt. It's such an epic volume, and it does so much for character development. They're all realizing their paths in life and that they aren't farm folk anymore, and it's really interesting to see them transform as individuals. And the end scene at Falme? Well, that just kind of speaks for itself. So much happens it's just ridiculously awesome.
My favorite scene is kind of a four-parter. Basically, every scene with Nynaeve and Moghedien. I simply love how much they loathe each other, and all of their scenes leave me holding my breath. The first encounter in Tanchico in the hall of artifacts was jaw-dropping, and I had to read it again after I read it the first time. The second time they met when Birgitte was pulled out of the World of Dreams was pretty rad, but not quite as epic as the first encounter. Then when Nynaeve leashed Moghedien and then what she did with her after she was leashed is my absolute favorite scene in the entire series so far. When Moghedien inadvertently helps Nynaeve break her block? Well, that was so fantastic I squee'd out loud.

  • If you were set down in Randland, who/what would you see yourself as? An Aes Sedai? Innkeeper? Seanchan Captain?

I'd probably want to be a sage innkeeper or something. You know, the type that has a lot of information and knows all the gossip around the the city (and the world, most likely), and keeps people informed for a price. I'd want to be that invaluable character that knows absolutely everything. I'd be a bit of a hussy as well, using my reputation to lure men into bed, simply because it totally fits my personality. I'm definitely not someone who's suited for fighting, so I'd stay the heck away from being a Soldier or Warder. Being an Aes Sedai (assuming men could become Aes Sedai) would be cool, but I just don't really see it fitting my personality too well. I mean, don't get me wrong, it'd be friggin' awesome to be able to do that kind of stuff with the Power, but it's just not me, unfortunately!

  • How did you find TarValon.Net and what convinced you to stay and become a Senior Member?

I found TV.Net through a general search in google for "Wheel of Time" - I was looking up the answer to a question I had in the first book and this site just popped up. I saw it had a chat room and I joined the same day. As for what convinced me to stay, well... that has to be the community. The members at the Tower are some of the most supportive and genuinely amazing people that I have ever met, and I couldn't imagine not being apart of that.

  • What do you do in "real life"?

Right now I don't really do too much! I'm currently looking for a job, and I'd like to go back to school after I find said job, but right now I just mess around on the computer all day.

  • Do you have any hobbies?

I'm a part-time book reviewer for an online blog, and I absolutely love writing reviews and receiving review copies from publishers (it's kind of a thrill when you get to read a book months before the general public will!), and being able to chat with authors and people in the book business is really a lot of fun. I also like to bowl, although I don't get out to do so as much as I'd like since I left my regular league. I spend time with my sister and I've been slowly converting her to the geeky ways (right now she's pretty obsessed with The Lord of the Rings - so that's a big accomplishment for me!).

  • What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

I love things with a good beat that just make me want to dance, so there's quite a bit of pop in my collection. I also listen to a bit of Hip-Hop/R&B, some country and a bit of jazz. My favorite artists are P!nk, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Katie Melua, Kelly Clarkson, Vanessa Carlton, Cher and the Glee Cast. I own all of the Glee songs and listen to 'em all the time!

  • What are some of your favorite movies / television shows?

I have an immense DVD collection (around 250+ movies), so picking out a favorite is kinda difficult. I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter films, as well as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm a huge Stargate fan as well - all incarnations of it but my favorite is Stargate Atlantis by far. The Wraith are such awesome bad guys. Some other favorite television shows are Bones, The Big Bang Theory, Cold Case, True Blood, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, The Powerpuff Girls, Dead Like Me and Modern Family.

  • Aside from The Wheel of Time, what are a few of your favorite books/series?

I absolutely love the Harry Potter novels. They're the first fantasy books that I read and they're basically what started it all for me. I was so sad when the series ended, but being able to read them over and over is always a treat. Aside from that, I'm a big fan of Brandon Sanderson and his Mistborn series, and I have pretty high hopes for his Stormlight Archive series. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is another great YA series with a bunch of wit that makes me laugh quite a lot, which is always a plus for a book. I'm also a fan of Blake Charlton's Spellwright Trilogy and everything Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey.

  • What profession did you want to have when you were a kid?

Like all kids, I went through the marine biologist phase. I was obsessed with the ocean and how cool it was. I wanted to dive underwater with sharks and whales and jellyfish and just have fun - but then I realized that very rarely would I actually get to do that as a marine biologist, and that most of my time would be spent in a lab, and that's just not really my type of thing. Then I wanted to be a psychologist, since I knew from experience how much of an impact they can have on peoples lives, but, again, I eventually realized it wouldn't be for me. Then I wanted to be a librarian - and up until recently, that was my ultimate passion, but recently I've given a lot of thought towards getting into the book publishing industry. Not sure what I'd do, hopefully an editor or something, but I'm still exploring possibilities!

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