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The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the characters of your favourite books

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August 2023

Liu Mei Xing (of Callisto 2.0, by Susan English)

Dear readers, joining us tonight is a filtration specialist from the future. She is here to tell us about life on the Shambhala space station, experimenting with exploding food and creating sustainable space cuisine as she navigates the challenges and wonders of living in microgravity.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born and raised in Shenzhen, China. I love the city’s mix of tradition and modernity. Living near the coast was fantastic. It was the best of both worlds, a vibrant city life and beautiful nature. I can still remember the smell of fresh produce and local treats at our local market, and the mountains and ocean are incredible.

Of course, Shenzhen has its challenges too, like social inequalities, which made me want to give back and make a difference. But it also has a rich cultural heritage with festivals and dances.

Growing up in such a diverse place made me curious and adaptable. Those traits have stuck with me and guided my journey, but my roots in Shenzhen keep me grounded and motivated.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child?

Oh, for sure! I had a few favorites. One was a Smart Origami Set, a gift from my parents. It combined the ancient art of paper folding with modern technology, and I was able to create these intricate, animated paper sculptures through an interactive app on my tablet. It sparked my creativity and got me hooked on my cultural traditions and technology!

I also had a collection of robotic pets. There was one in particular I absolutely adored. It was a robotic bird named Tian, which means sky in Chinese. I took it everywhere with me! Tian could sing, and we would even perform duets together. So much fun!

What are some of your cherished childhood memories?

I remember weekend family outings to the mountains. We’d get away from the busy city life and simply enjoy the great outdoors. My dad liked to teach me all about different plants and animals, and he made sure I appreciated the natural world. As you know, China, along with the rest of the world, was hit pretty hard by global climate change, and he wanted me to understand its impact, but also to see the real progress scientists are making in restoration efforts.

One of my most special memories was a trip with my grandparents to a local folk festival. I got to participate in a traditional dragon dance and even wore a piece of the dragon’s costume! The whole experience was so exciting and full of energy, with traditional music and vibrant colors, and it made me feel connected to my culture and community.

What do you do now?

My official role on the Shambhala Orbital Laboratory is Filtration Specialist, but my responsibilities have evolved since I first started with the Foundation. I also work with a colleague, Fae, on food production. Recently, we succeeded in creating a brand-new recipe which was a big hit with the crew! It felt like a major accomplishment to have a meal made entirely from food grown on Shambhala. Oh yeah, I sometimes organize karaoke sessions at our Friday night socials!

But working on Shambhala is not just a job for me; it’s a way of life. The philosophy of unconditional love and support that permeates our organization aligns perfectly with my own values. I feel truly grateful and honored to be part of the Foundation.

Continue reading “Liu Mei Xing (of Callisto 2.0, by Susan English)” →
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The cast of characters (of A Gryphon’s Tale, a web-serial by Jess Mahler)

header for a gryphon's tale. A mountain lion-harris hawk gryphon walking infront of mountains. Text: A Gryphon's Tale

Dear readers, tonight with us are Cesario, Lefeng (known to the others as the Trial-Parent), Marcus, and The Great Goddess out of Jess Mahler’s queer web-serial A Gryphon’s Tale. They are here for a party, crossing the various stories they appear in.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Cesario: The city of Messaline. I grew up with my father and brother. I think it was in Italy?

Parent of the Trial-Family: City-folks. How do you manage with never knowing where you are?

Cesario: Says the nomad.

Marcus: Gotta go with Trial-Parent on this. I know Shakespeare was light on detail, but if you don’t even know what country you grew up in, that’s not the best.

Cesario: And you know so much about your background?

Marcus: I sprung up full-grown, like Athena out of Zeus’ head.

Trial-Parent: (snorts) 

Marcus: But I was born in the US. A small-town kid with a love of comic books and a willingness to use my fists.

The Great Goddess: Some of us never were ‘kids.’

So you are all from different stories?

Trial-Parent: Yes. We’re part of a serial thing called A Gryphon’s Tale. It’s four to six serialized stories a year. Some stories are shorter and are told over a few months. Others are longer and broken into seasons.

Cesario: Wasn’t your story the first? And still going?

Trial-Parent: We were going to be a novel, but the author needed to try something different. It’s worked out pretty well.

Marcus: Not for all of us.

All: Epsilon.

The Great Goddess: It is a risk the author takes – posting stories as they are written. Some will never be finished.

Cesario: Epsilon was finished. Just… abruptly and not as intended. 

Epsilon? Trial-Parent? I’m confused

Trial-Parent: The culture of my story is such that names are private. One is known by nicknames by friends and distant family, and others use family names. My spice-to-be call me guarding-one and once-walker. I had been Near-Adult of LongStride, but LongStride is no more, destroyed in the great wave. My new family is not accepted by the city, so we are ‘Trial-Parent’ until we gain a true name.

The Great Goddess: A wise people, who know the power of names.

Marcus: Eh, I’m good with the power I get from a gun and a good team at my back.

Cesario: Epsilon is the shortened title for another story, Mighty Hero Force Epsilon. It didn’t work as the author expected, and they ended it early. A happy ending, but abrupt. I am grateful my own story was written in full before the author began working on it.

And who is the gryphon?

Trial-Parent: The author.

Cesario: It’s a bit of a conceit they enjoy. The image of a traditional storyteller with listeners gathered around enjoying the tales. Except the storyteller is a gryphon. They have long subscribed to the idea that monsters in stories represent those pushed to the edges of society. Different, rejected, disenfranchised. Frightening for those who hold power.

Marcus: Yup, and they lean into it. If society labels them a monster, they will be a monster – and tell stories reminding folks that the real monsters aren’t the ones driven into the shadows.

Continue reading “The cast of characters (of A Gryphon’s Tale, a web-serial by Jess Mahler)” →
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The Huay Chivo (of The Blood Moon Feeds on My Dreams, by Douglas Lumsden)

With me in the studio today is the creature known as the Huay Chivo, who has through sorcerous means traveled here from the Realm of Tolanica in a nearby parallel world.

Welcome, Mr. Chivo.

Thank you. And, please, call me Chivo.

Certainly, Chivo. My first question to you is a little delicate. At the risk of being rude…

You wish to discuss my appearance, right?

Well, if you don’t mind…

It’s not a problem. As you can see, I resemble a goat with ram’s horns, a row of spikes down my back, glowing red eyes, human-like hands and feet, and a long, bare rat-like tail.

And some rather impressive pointed teeth!

Yes, quite handy when you’re a carnivore. And, to anticipate your next question, no, I wasn’t born in this form. Underneath all this, I am as human as you are, though with considerably more skill manipulating supernatural energies.

You mean magic?

That’s as good a word as any, I suppose. Many centuries ago, I was the most powerful sorcerer in the region of Cutzyetelkeh, roughly the equivalent of the Yucatan Peninsula in your world. Back then I was known as Lord Cadmael, and I ruled a large and sophisticated kingdom. Then the Dragon Lords emerged from a parallel world called Hell and conquered the entire planet. I successfully resisted two of the dragons—Ketz-Alkwat and Manqu—for decades, but eventually I was overcome. Or so they tell me. My memories of the end of my kingdom and the years that came after are vague. I’m dimly aware of wandering for centuries in my current form, mindlessly hunting and surviving. That’s when they began calling me the Huay Chivo: the Goat Sorcerer.

I was warned that I should avoid the lethal gaze of your glowing eyes.

[chuckling] That’s a bit dramatic. When I’m hunting, I bring down my prey by meeting their eyes with my own. My ‘lethal gaze,’ as you put it, causes extreme nausea, and when my prey is helpless—I strike! I developed this spell when I still maintained a human form. It was an entertaining way to intimidate anyone foolish enough to oppose my leadership.

I see…. Chivo, you say you wandered mindlessly for centuries. That obviously changed. What happened?

I’d reached a very low point in my life. I wandered into an urban metropolis called Yerba City on the tip of a peninsula. Geographically, it’s the equivalent of a place in your world called San Francisco, and there are some similarities. Unfortunately, the urban environment was not suitable for me in my bestial state. Also, I came to the attention of certain agencies of the government that wanted to capture me for the Dragon Lord. I wandered through alleys, eating whatever game I could find: dogs, cats, racoons, amikuks…

Amikuks?

Nasty little critters that swim through the earth. Maybe you have a different name for them. Anyway, I was searching for a meal early one morning when I ran into a strong-willed gentleman named Southerland who was able to resist my nausea spell. I was impressed, and I decided to move into his abode, in part to keep myself from the prying eyes of the Dragon Lord’s agencies. Southerland has a small room he uses sparingly to mechanically launder his linens. I found it an adequate place to pass the days in sleep before my nightly activities, especially after I was able to convince my new host to provide me with regular meals. In return, I keep his living space secure against enemies and thieves. It was, and remains, a suitable arrangement.

Continue reading “The Huay Chivo (of The Blood Moon Feeds on My Dreams, by Douglas Lumsden)” →
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