The Second Circle wrote:~ Nishida, The Regent of the Night
Pardon the length; I let this get a little out of hand... Also, I realize that having the characters in 1881 know about Dark Jungle is a bit anachronistic, since that was published in 1899... but forgive a bit of bending the timeline. ^^;
Philippa Joanna Jorgensen
—Director of the Jorgensen Mining Company—
Pfff... HAH! Oh, this is rich. And to think I consider the Basinites' superstitions amusing! So José Bonilla—obviously Gilbert Henderson's narration is just a framing device used in poor taste—means to tell me that there are some half-breed Indians in Mexico who genuinely believe the seasons are ruled by this half-dressed belly dancer, this vampire-knock-off hedon who lives off the blood of an American—and moreover that she has been displaced from power by an industrialist demon! HAH! Oh, if I were not Christian, I would convert on the spot for sheer hilarity! A heathen goddess, ousted by a little demon crossed with a cat and rat! Oh, I'm in tears.
Hahhh... Well, sic semper barbaris, eh? That's the fate of heathens and their gods. And wouldn't it be so poetically appropriate for Nishida to be a metaphor for Mexico's own fate, mm? Here I build my mines and factories, planning for the future like Gatlacuache! Meanwhile, Nishida languishes, addled on heroin and stunted by tradition, mirroring how the Basin degrades itself with whorish sensuality, while Mexico founders on the savagery of locals she cannot expunge! Oh how the not so mighty shall fall! Let civilization roll down like the waters, and progress like a mighty stream, and may all America pick up where Henderson left off until we are rid of heathens and rule this continent!
Elizabeth Rachel Sleet Ages Tanner
—Presidentess of the Great Basin—
...Director Jorgensen is as disgustingly colonial as ever. Seems the story of this Nishida hit a nerve! And perhaps that says more about Jorgensen than Nishida.
In any case, Jorgensen misunderstands. Just because Bonilla has propounded this story does not necessarily mean the people believe it... he has copied from their beliefs as much as he has copied Henderson's death. And in her self-importance Jorgensen fails to apprehend the moral of the story as well. She thinks Gatlacuache's endorsement of "industrialization" makes him a harbinger of the future... but even without whatever throne she had, Nishida remains a god. She changes the seasons, and she is master of the netherworld. Our human concerns—our canned food, so to speak—are fleeting things. The earth and her nature, and the Gods and Their will—those are the things that endure. It is telling that Director Jorgensen is too blind to realize that in this scenario, her position is represented by a half-demon rat. Hardly flattering.
...Not that, I suppose, her comparing me to Nishida is any more flattering...
Ada Florence Uford
—Secretary to the Great Basin Presidentess—
I am both frightened by yet drawn to Nishida... she is so interesting! A monster, I suppose, since she drinks blood and devours people... but to her, it is no different than me eating chicken or pork, isn't it? They are my prey, and I am hers... the Lord decreed Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed, so perhaps gods have a right to determine whom shall die and when. I realize, of course, Nishida is not a god the way Mother and Father God are—Nishida is not my divine mother, or—well, if I understand right, she is not the divine mother of any human. But she does rule the seasons, in her domain, and that seems too powerful to not be sacred. If others consider her forest hallowed ground, I am inclined to respect it as such.
Still, even if I can at least try to wrap my mind around Nishida eating people, I do not like how she manipulated Gilbert... Disguising herself as Sally and then punishing Gilbert for being glad to see someone he loved? That is not right! Although, since he is immortal, being injured is not so serious for him as it would be for me, and Nishida must know that... oh, but still! You can't force someone to love you! It must be reciprocal. If my Lu ever were to stop loving me, I...
Oh. Oh. That would be. Worse than death.
...
But! I wouldn't hurt Lu! It would be... her right... to not love me. You must understand that with Gilbert. It is his right not to love you, and neither biting or clawing him will suade him. ...Not that you would understand that, because—you're not human. Goodness, this is complicated.
...Yet I still find Nishida so interesting because—well, there are things she is not so wrong about. Joy, including physical joy, is part of life! The joy of being in love... the pleasure to the sensea of fine clothes and good food... Presidentess Sleet does not like being compared to Nishida, and I think it is because—ooh, don't tell the Presidentess I said this, but—she is old fashioned! She has too much Puritan in her from her life before becoming a Basinite. Which is strange! Because she pioneered biblical polygamy here in the Basin. But she thinks that indulgence is wasteful! She associates pleasure too much with money and markets, and because Nishida knows how to enjoy herself, Sleet considers her distasteful.
But I see things differently. Pleasure is not wrong. Our bodies are gifts from Gods, so it is right that we use these gifts! And Nishida's "hedonism," as it is called... well, what is wrong with enjoying a bath, or a bed, or even a kiss? Nishida is right to enjoy herself! Even if, not being a human, her body is not a gift from Mother and Father God, I suppose. Or—do you suppose she is Their creation as well?
I have never thought about that possibility. Do the Gods have god children as well as human children? Could Nishida be a long lost cousin of sorts? Hm, no that doesn't seem right, or else she would not eat people... she is, if anything, a cousin to Father and Mother God. Well. I am overthinking, perhaps. I will just add that I hope she forgives my decision not to worship her—but again, I get the sense she is not that sort of god.
Oh, a last thing I should perhaps explain. I realize Director Jorgensen and Presidentess Sleet both consider Nishida and Dark Jungle fiction, but... I just think, who am I to doubt? José Bonilla gave his word as to the provenance, and Nishida seems no more unlikely to me than the God of the Bible. Perhaps Dark Jungle drags a little, but Leviticus and Chronicles do not exactly sing either. And if there are a God the Father and a God the Mother, and Their Son Jesus, and if the Old Testament speaks of a Leviathan They fought, and if there is Lucifer the fallen angel—if all of them exist, why couldn't there be more gods in this world? Why couldn't there be Nishida as well?
For BN: GBK has a cast of characters, so feel free to take your pick of any character listed. You would probably want to pick one with a complete profile, though if you feel you know a WIP character well enough from forum interactions, that's up to your judgment. You can reach the cast profiles via the links under the spoiler tags below, and they're also linked at this landing page.