#xeke

Was watching Star Trek TNG and brain went brr. Of course, everyone’s science or medical (not *just* because they’re blue)

“I am many things,” Xeke replied, thinking aloud. “By birth, I am Italian, but I was naturalized a citizen of the United States several years ago. I was born to wealth and privilege, and during my life have repeatedly been crushed and recreated, until I emerged where I am:

I am Episcopalian, and a registered Republican. I have degrees in psychology and sociology, and a PhD in economics. Professionally, I am the founder of a video-production company known as Blue-X. I also own a club in Boston called the Market, and three stores by the same name, one each in Boston, New York and Chicago. Does that answer your question?”

The answer, of course, was, “Not at all.”

“I see,” he said. “Then you wish to know what I am by blood, as opposed to choice, preference or action?”

Religion in Nyeusigrube

Several people have asked about religion for Macht witches as Sarah says 'Goddess' in Shattered Mirror. We've expanded the answer to include more species.

Many Nyeusi refrain from engaging in much in the way of organized religion. A lot of the older ones are jaded; they've often seen the gods they worshipped be forgotten. Also, some of them have masqueraded as gods, and after having done so, they're less likely to be faithful.

The Vida "religion" has, like much religion, fallen a bit by the wayside by modern day. The family dates back to a shamanistic/paganistic path, but then, the family does date back thirty thousand years. Who were your ancestors worshipping thirty thousand years ago?

The Vida teachings include certain spiritual beliefs, but they are mostly constrained to this world- how one should live, etc- instead of focused on the next world. Most Macht witches, if they are religious, follow some form of Paganism, but that might have something to do with the fact that any religion that has evolved from the Old Testament includes caveats like "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," and that doesn't go over well with a family of witches. However, just as humans raised in a Catholic family don't always remain Catholic, Macht witches don't always hold to the religious teachings of their parents.

Among the younger- mortal- Nyeusi, religion is more common, but they tend to follow solitary paths. Few Nyeusi form close community ties with humans. It's too dangerous to be honest, but impossible to truly engage in a community while lying about one's nature. Young shapeshifters are the most likely to belong to a church (compared to witches and older shapeshifters); older shapeshifters tend to choose paths that rely more on their own communion with God/dess/es; and as said previously.

Descend, Darkness, Surfacing

Renna, Rikai and Xeke are three of my favorite characters. Apocrypha isn't likely to be published, but it is a lot of fun to work on.

In 1997, when my Macintosh computer crashed (the computer crash is discussed more in length on the Forests page), I lost only one story: Renegade, which told the history of a character who had briefly appeared in a couple books, and would continue to make cameos for... well, I'm not sure how long, since she is still doing it. I lost about fifty pages of Renegade, and never had the heart to begin again.

"She is one of three who, among a certain group, are commonly called the Wild Cards," Lexi confided. “They take the stories no one wants known, and put them into the spotlight. Fiction, fact, illusion, whatever."

Renna (short for "Renegade," her nickname; other names she goes by include Lexi Strate, Elizabeth Charcoal, and Elizabeth Arun), however, is the type of character to show up unexpectedly, and that she did. At the beginning of a story that was going to be about ghosts and Rikai, Renna suddenly sauntered across the room and introduced herself to my main character.

Rikai speaks over two dozen languages fluently. She is a historian and a mythologist primarily, though she also has extensive knowledge in biological and psychological sciences. She can and has conversed with all kinds of people from all levels of society and positions on the globe- and I mean all kinds. There is evil in this world, and that is Rikai’s specialty: Evil. Documenting it, examining it, and exposing it to the light.

Not to be outdone, Rikai and Xeke quickly joined the party. Neither of them had any interest in narrating their own stories, but they were each willing to intrude on someone else's. Poor, innocent characters just going about their lives were suddenly twisted about, at the whims of some of my most whimsical- and powerful- characters.

Xeke is the second. He is a chimera... absolutely beautiful, absolutely brilliant, and absolutely fearless. If Rikai’s specialty is evil, than Xeke’s specialty is passion. He is an artist, and his medium is humanity. Rikai looks at a serpent and sees its teeth. She’s aware of its poison, of the mouse it killed earlier, and of the dead skin it shed. Xeke looks at the serpent and sees the way it dances when it moves. He’s aware of the ripple of its body, of the sway before it strikes, and of the silky feel of its new scales.

At about this time, the three of them informed me of a game they had going: See what happens when you turn someone's world upside-down. These characters are not innately cruel (with the possible exception of some of Rikai's, but they do like to play, and like a cat with a mouse their play can sometimes be a little dangerous.

The third Wild Card is a writer. She is known to have few loyalties and few ties- but what connections she has are powerful enough to keep her safe almost anywhere. Her expertise is legend and myth, language, poetry and stories. She collects stories, picking them up like pebbles in a river, no matter who they may offend. That’s where she really got the name Renegade. Just from pissing enough people off.

Apocrypha is divided into three sections: Descend, Darkness and Surfacing. Tim Descan, Jenna Marie Smith, and Ellen Caritas- all human, and blissfully unaware of Nyeusigrube- narrate, but the Wild Cards are the ones really directing the stories. Their histories come out through a variety of means. Renna's is told through her autobiographical novel, Renegade, which she tosses at Tim knowing he will assume it is fiction. Rikai's is told through a series of sculptures, paintings, and blunt personal narrative as she begins training Jenna as her apprentice. Xeke's is told through the eyes of a camera, after he spontaneously invites Ellen onto the set of the (also biographical) movie that his company is filming.

Strange the way the world works, isn’t it? Some so simple, some so complicated, some too scared to even read through to the end. What did happen at the end, Exequías... where does your story go?

Madness, torture, slavery, vampirism, commercialism, love. Where else?

The dark one laughs.

How is Timothy now, Elizabeth?

He went home weeks ago. Maybe some day he will call.

And yours, Rikai?

She is faring well, though she is in a great deal of pain right now. The training is not easy. But poor Ellen... who would have thought it would be Exequías's toy who would run, and before she even parted the shadow?

He shrugs, unconcerned. A toast, my friends, to blessed fantasy.

To fantasy.

Fantasy.

Apocrypha.

Oh whoops I feel like drawing now.

I tried drawing a portrait a few days ago and realized i FUCKING FORGOT HOW TO DO THAT.

So I spent a lil bit of time practicing/trying to work out a way to make it easy for me and now I'm doing okay.