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Greetings and salutations. It is I, Graham.

As it happens, Clevenger is the one who first suggested we talk about our favorites from Manticore’s Shadow, and even drafted the list of topics. So when it came time to discuss our favorite character, I asked him, should our MCs be off the table? He said no, we should be able to talk about any of them. So fine, I will.

In a way, it’s funny that he should discuss Zenesul. That was his first character he played when I and another friend taught him Fantasy HERO, for a game that was supposed to last one, maybe two sessions, and instead ran for around a year. I ran the game, and it was the first iteration of Grendel and Argyle. My first chance to dig in and develop their characters and their relationship. That was 1999, the year of Columbine, The Matrix, and meeting Clevenger.

This is now their third version. They originally ran in that first game, then I made a second attempt at their story when running another game involving my other bestie and current roommate back in 2004. I think this book makes for their best version.

But I’m not going to talk about them.

I’ve said plenty of times that I came into this story to write a romance. So this series is very much Jesse’s story. It’s only right that i talk about him.

Except I’m not. Kind of.

What good is it talking about Jesse if I can’t talk about the relationship he eventually develops? And that doesn’t happen until the next book. That actually bothered me for quite a while. Since Jesse’s romance doesn’t start until book two, this left me spinning my wheels. And this brings me to the character that I do want to talk about.

When I got frustrated over feeling like Jesse was just spinning his wheels in this first book, Clevenger made a wonderful observation and a brilliant suggestion. See, Jesse was supposed to be a cocky, young, and rather carefree person. Yes, he had “seen stuff(tm)”, but he was fairly innocent, for a street thief. He was basically supposed to be kind of pre-established because their wasn’t a lot to him. But Clevenger pointed out that this would give me a chance to really build Jesse’s back story, to give him some depth, and give the reader a chance to give a damn when he finally takes a chance on love.

And boy, do I love angsty drama.

So instead I think I really have to say that Xerian is my favorite character from Manticore’s Shadow. But not for any obvious reasons. We know already that I am always going to root for the villain. The Hayes Code meant that classic villains are often gay codes, so maybe that’s part of my draw. But that’s one type of villain, the suave, seductive baddie in a sharp outfit. The other is the sleazy, sneaky, conniving piece of filth that is so pathetic and underhanded that you just can’t wait to see them get their final end.

Xerian fits both of these. He is a brute and a thug, a pathetic abuser that it is easy to hate. He is slime. Yet he also has his charm, and in the world of a young child pulled off the street, he has power and is able to present an awe inspiring silhouette. Of course that’s all it is, a silhouette, a shadow. Shine even the tiniest shred of light, and he is shown as the cruel, unintelligent bully that he is.

But that’s why he is my favorite. Not because of what he truly is, but because of that silhouette he presents. The shadow he casts provided the opportunity for me to torment my main character, to really dig in and give him a past to overcome. To make Jesse a more interesting character. And an excuse to explore plenty of raw, squeamishly pathetic emo teenaged angst. I would call it a guilty pleasure, but I’m not ashamed, so it’s just a pleasure!

Don’t get me wrong. Xerian is scum. He’s evil. He’s an abuser. He has almost zero redeeming qualities. In fact, if he had any at all, they aren’t discussed in the books. I’m just giving him the benefit of the doubt. So I’m not glorifying Xerian at all. I don’t like him, and none of his abusive actions are given any positive screen time. But like the best of the classic villains, they exist to give the antagonist things to overcome.

So I appreciate Xerian for what he allowed me to explore with Jesse. The character didn’t even exist until Manticore’s Shadow was over halfway written. But writing him allowed me to explore Jesse, and give him serious, sadly relatable, flaws for me to dig into, both here and later in the series. It also provided reasons for a deeper bond between Jesse and Thorn. In fact, I believe that introducing Xerian into Jesse’s backstory gave a new, raw scenario for the two to become friends while dealing with Xerian. Thorn became a deeper character from helping Jesse deal with him.

Xerian also added nuance to other parts of the story. Jesse and Symon became closer because of Symon learning about Xerian, and swearing to help against him. It also indirectly added to the book’s larger villain, because it showed quite clearly they kind of people that Grendel was willing to hire into Manticore. I mean, if Xerian is a typical enforcer for Manticore, that says something about the kind of people Grendel hangs around with on the regular, right?

So yes, Xerian is probably my favorite character from Manticore’s Shadow, not because of who he is, but because of the depth and substance he allowed Clevenger and me to explore in our writing. So thank you for suggesting such a terrible piece of dirt, Clevenger. Hopefully I don’t end up with too much hate mail over his chapter. But until next time…

Don’t forget to love one another.

Graham