HCI is an info zine that was an outgrowth of the editor's activites as Welcommitte Chairman. It has been presented here in close to it's entirety. Some items have been left out due to being unable to secure permission to publish on the web.
HOUSEHOLDING CHANEL INQUIRER FIRST PRINTING: NOVEMBER 1987 -- 300 COPIES EXECUTIVE EDITOR: MARJORIE ROBBINS 726 2ND AVE S.W., CEDAR RAPIDS IA 52404 ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: KAREN LITMAN ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: JAY SCHIFF COPY EDITOR: KERRY LINDEMANN-SCHAEFER Copyright (c) 1987 by Jacqueline Lichtenberg. All rights reserved toJacqueline Lichtenberg, except where otherwise noted and arranged by prior agreement. All original artwork remains the property of its creator. All letters received by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Marjorie Robbins, or Karen Litman will be consideredpotentially publishable material and will be treated as such, unless the writer specifically requests they not be quoted. Publication does not constitute endorsement by the staff of HCI. All fiction and artwork published in this magazine takes place in an alternate Sime/Gen universe. Price: $3.00 For more information on S/G publications, send self-addressed, stamped envelope to Marjorie Robbins, at address listed above. ********************************** HOUSEHOLDING CHANEL Specialty: psychology Virtue: service Motto: He rises highest who helps others up. Colors: red, gold, brown Symbol: Red C stands for Chanel. The name means Born to serve. The lamp inside is gold with a yellow flame and symbolizes light and truth, the advancement of knowledge, and progression of the human race. PLEDGE OF HOUSEHOLDING CHANEL Unto the House of Chanel, I pledge my life, my hopes and dreams, my substance and my children. And unto the Sectuib in Chanel, I pledge my love, my trust, my undying loyalty, as I serve the House by serving others. Unto Chanel, Forever. Sectuib's response: Unto (name) ambrov Chanel, I pledge my trust, my substance, and the love of our House, as from darkness to light we walk together. Unto Chanel, Forever.
House of Chanel
CONTENTS
ADDRESS CORRECTION for Marjorie Robbins (as of July 1987)
350 19th Street S.E. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403
sosectuFROM THE SOSECTU'S DESK Marjorie Robbins
GENERALLY SPEAKING Karen Litman
DIGEN FARRIS MEMORIAL AWARDS HCI Staff
QUESTION AND ANSWER SECTION
CHANNELS
COMPANIONS
S/G CUSTOMS
TECTON HISTORY
FARRIS MYSTIQUE
RATHOR
TRANSFER MECHANICS
S/G SPIRITUALITY
MISCELLANEOUS
DUSHAU
KREN
CHANEL BULLETIN BOARD
ART CREDITS
Donell Meadows II, 5, 7, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28,
35 and V
Linda Whitten I, IV, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 20,
24, 25, 29, 32, 34
Calligraphy by Linda Whitten except for Page IV,
by Michael Tartaglio,COMPANION IN ZEOR Files.
- I -
What does one say in an editorial? For months Karen and I have been teasing each other about who was going to say what. Well, now the bloody-shen thing is finished, and I can rejoice in still having SOME sanity.
I guess the most important thing is thank yous. I owe Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer and Karen Litman more than words can say.
Karen gets the biggest accolade. Not only was the zine her idea, she volunteered, more or less willingly, to serve as co-editor and babysit/coax me through the perils of putting together a fanzine. And in spite of what she says in her editorial, she gets the CREDIT, and I get the BLAME!!!
I owe much to Hajene Kerry, too, for advice and moral support. Without her example and encouragement HCI would not have gotten very far.
Thanks go to Sue Evans, my sister, who, though not yet a fan, volunteered to do the printing out of the goodness of her heart.
But, most of all, a big thank you and a very loving dedication to Jacqueline Lichtenberg for her creation of the S/G universe in the first place.
Oh, I almost forgot, the logos for the Chanel Bulletin Board and this editorial were done by Donell Meadows. And speaking of her, she's the perpetrator of the O.P. scenario.
O.P., short for Octo-Pest, is a very delightful octopus who was fished out of Buzzard's Bay by a Sime and Gen couple who took him to Householding Alger, where I understand he's creating considerable havoc. But Sectuib Keogo hasn't the heart to kick him out. Anyway, I've included his antics here because I have gotten a big kick out of him, and I hope you will too.
I'm also introducing you to Linda Whitten's Tribblets. You will find the fuzzy little critters scattered throughout the zine. They have been collected over several months from letters and envelopes I've received from their creator. (Linda LOVES to tease me.)
Karen has informed me that I should talk about the future of the zine. Well, that depends on you and Jacqueline's generous and gracious heart. She thought this was to be a one-shot when she gave the project her blessing. Little did she know what she was letting loose in her universe.
HCI was originally conceived as a 10-15 page pamphlet of strictly questions from Kerry's files. Ha! The shendi-flecking thing grew on us. But it has been fun. And I do have some ideas for other things we can do. (After I take a LONG vacation.)
So, assuming that the Sectuib in Zeor will like what we've done, what about you, our dear readers?
Do you want an HCI #2? Will you contribute questions (the ones used earn contributors copies of the zine) and/or volunteer to serve on the zine staff?
Though Kerry and Karen have been very generous with their time and energy, I'd really like to fire them, since they both have zines of their own to tend to. That only seems fair.
Please let me know how you feel about this. And let me know, please, what you did or didn't like about this issue, and what you'd like to see in future issues.
The Digen Farris Memorial Service Awards is something new to S/G fandom. The idea was given to me one afternoon when I was trying to relax and forget about the zine by re-reading part of "Sime Surgeon."
The Sectuib himself suggested that since I didn't want my zine to be a clone of CZ or AZ, I should change the YoYo awards to Service Awards, named after him of course, and present the winners with certificates in his name. (And I thought the Farrises were humble people.)
Now, Jacqueline told me a long time ago that to control a Channel you must obey that Channel. So, I took Digen's advice.
This will be an ongoing project. And since Digen also suggested/demanded that it be open to all fans, anyone can nominate any other fan for meritorious service to the Tecton. The winners will be selected by whomever is on the editorial staff at press time, and the winners will receive a certificate suitable for framing. Send your nominations to me. (And please, tell us why you think the individual deserves the award.) I will notify you via FIRST TRANSFER as to the deadline for nominations.
In case you're wondering why there's an accusation against Klyd Farris on the back cover of this zine, I think I'd better explain . . . I love Klyd, really I do -- but he is responsible for this mess. I was successfully resisting the lure of the S/G universe until I read House of Zeor and met the Sectuib. At that point, I had to surrender and write to Jacqueline. You know the rest of the story. Need I say more?
Yours in Unity, (RBW Note. Signed) Marge Robbins
Marge Robbins
Sosectu in Chanel
- III -
OR
"How did I get myself into this?"
OK, OK - so this zine's partially my doing. Actually it came about when Jacqueline suggested that the Welcommittee print up a pamphlet of most common questions and answers to items in the S/G series. I thought that a good idea and offered to help Marge with it. Marge thought that a few of Linda's and Donell's illos would brighten it up a --- then a little poetry, etc. and the zine was born --- and I was drafted (actually I wanted to help). So what you hold in your hands is actually the brainchild of Marge, Sosectu in Chanel, with some assistance from Kerry and I. After seeing the Welcommittee Newsletter, FIRST TRANSFER, I knew that Marge had a lot of potential, and that her ideas for the development of HOUSEHOLDING CHANEL INQUIRER were good ones. She just needed guidance in "Editing" which I didn't think I could provide. I suspect she got that from Kerry! The page layouts, paste-ups and format are all her idea. I provided the typing, so what errors you find in that are all mine. You'll also see that I was just too busy giving advice to answer any of the questions. So the credit for the publication you hold belongs to Marge, Donell and Linda. The blame goes to me. I don't even get the satisfaction of having the last word. Since Marge has to print this, she can change the editorial I have written. In case she does, I am holding a copy of this for reprint in a future CZ issue so you can see what I wrote, and what she (may) change. Congratulations to Marge, Linda and Donell, and to Sue for a job very well completed. It's been a pleasure working with all of you. Sincerely, (RBW Note. Signed Karen Litman) Karen Litman Associate Editor (Ambrov Chanel) (P) Please note that the word "channe"" in the zine is written with a Capital letter. We know this to be wrong but I didn't want to re-type the whole zine for such a trivial error.
K. Litman
Typist
HCI #1
- IV -
THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS HAVE WON THE 1987 AWARD FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE TO THE TECTON
JACQUELINE LICHTENBERG for reading and approving, in response to the editor's hastily moved up production deadlines, the copy for HCI, in record time, while under pressure of her own deadline. This is deeply appreciated by the entire editorial staff.
KERRY LINDEMANN-SCHAEFER for providing training, encouragement, advice and moral support while a fledgling editor tries her wings.
KAREN LITMAN for thinking up the crazy idea in the first place and seeing it to completion in spite of the numerous problems her own zine was facing.
LINDA WHITTEN for providing moral support, and cheerfully meeting innumerable last minute pleas for "just one more heading, please!"
SUE EVANS for providing efficient and professional publishing though she's not a fan herself. She's still wondering what all the fuss is about.
**********
DONORS
MARK KADEY - 4+
LISA CALHOUN
BRUCE LITMAN
KAREN LITMAN
- V -
Editor's Note: All questions are from the S/G Question and Answer Bureau formerly run by Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer, more recently run by Marjorie Robbins. Where more than one consecutive question on a page is submitted by the same questioner, Calligraphy will be used for the first mention of the questioner's name, and typed initials will indicate the additional questions. Initials at the beginning of each answer indicate the primary responder. Comments on the answers are inside (( )) with the appropriate initials. JL = Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Jean = Jean Lorrah, KLS = Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer, MR = Marjorie Robbins.
Marjorie Robbins How mature is a 16 year old Channel just out of First Year? Is he emotionally an adult or still an adolescent like kids today?
JL: Yes, fully adult in outlook and attitude, but the degree depends on many factors such as the submutation he belongs to and what he's been subjected to in First Year. Farrises routinely gain 10 years of maturity during First Year. Digen, at 11 natal years (behavior of 21 years in an Ancient), was running a major Center and pinch-hitting for World Controller during one continental emergency. Only out-T Gens thought that odd. However, remember, young people may be steady but they are inexperienced. Digen took a lot of advice. He's good at that.
MR: About the time Frevven was trained as a working Channel (12 years after Unity) were the procedures similar to Ercy's training in MT? ((JL: They were direct ancestors to those procedures)). How you implant anti-kill conditioning in a Channel who's already had 6 or 7 transfers before he starts his training? ((JL: Same basic procedure)) Please don't tell me it can't be done. The Channel in question is Frevven.
JL: No, it can't - or least not as well and not to "modern Tecton" specs. There is an effect that can be achieved, but it won't hold against extreme provocation. That's why they stop using disjuncts. Eventually they no longer even train Channels who take First Transfer from a fellow Channel (See Sime Surgeon. Digen gives such a transfer and grieves for the boy).
MR: What happens if a Channel is chronically shorted in transfer?
JL: Chronic shorting of any Sime, particularly a Channel first shows up as loss of appetite, impotence or frigidity, and a general depression. It proceeds through various levels of aberrant behavior where either the health cracks completely (i.e. - massive liver failure, kidney failure, stroke, etc. Also stress diseases such as bleeding ulcers, heart attack, anything related to high blood pressure.) or the Sime goes for a kill. How long this takes depends on a large number of factors.
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Marjorie Robbins Can a Third Order Channel serve a Second Order Channel in Transfer?
JL: No! The Second would kill the Third on speed first then on capacity. However, a Second can serve a Third. And in fact it is possible for a Channel to qualify that way. There is legal precedent. Even the Tecton is not uniform and unchanging.
QUESTION: How would you disjunct a junct First Order Channel? Do you need a Gen? ((JL: Vague question. It would depend on age of the Channel and all sorts of physiologic and psychological factors.))
MR: Junctedness is not a topic I know a lot about. But, yes, it would require a Gen and couldn't be done without kerduvon. ((JL: That is true only after First Year.)) See Unto Zeor, Forever. Digen was "technically junct" until near the end of the story. Also, in AZ 13, Selyn Transfer, there is a discussion on the whole matter.
QUESTION: What exactly is imprinting? I'm confused regarding it.
MR: When a Channel is in need, he/she loses touch with his/her emotions and his sex drive drops to zero. Things get dammed up. After transfer all this will come crashing down on him and his post reaction can be anything from hysteria to crying, or if it was a really good transfer he will experience a heightened sex drive. It has been likened by the JL's to pon farr in Vulcans. Anyway, unless his Companion/Donor is very careful and very professional during the immediate post-transfer period, the Channel will become fixed on the nearest female ((JL: Or male for a female Channel)) and be unable to have sex with anyone else until he's been with her ((JL: Actually it's worse. There has to be a pregnancy to release the imprintation.)) To make matters worse, if a Channel is deprived of sex for very long, it can make him sick, or even, eventually kill him or her.
((JL: Only that bad for Farrises)) For further clarification see "Channel's Exemption" and CZ #1. You might also want to read Post Syndrome, a one-shot zine devoted to sexuality in the S/G universe.
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Marjorie Robbins I know what imprintation is, but why does it happen? Does it make any difference if the nearest person of the opposite sex is Sime or Gen? ((JL: NO))
JL: Very esoteric explanation. It's related to why kerduvon works. There is a nervous/mental brainwave state in which not only the mind, but the body is totally impressionable and psychically open. Ever heard of chicks being impressed by their mother? Same sort of concept, but a variant on imprintation.
Donell Meadows How does a Gen produce a Genslam?
JL: Not just any Gen can do this. It requires a modulation control that most Gens never develop. Do you know the difference between AM and FM radio? Gens can do that to their fields. By modulating amplitude they can BLAST a Sime's nervous system to get distortion as a radio will distort or go static. If the BLAST is carried on a powerful nager, it can totally disorganize the Sime's system and stop the heart. (Like being close to a CB Radio transmitter!) A CB transmitter won't stop an Ancient's heart, but it drowns out all other RF signals.
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Donell Meadows In AZ #15, excerpt from Unto Zeor, Forever, page 38 near the top of the page. How was Im'ran removed so quickly from the room so he could recover without further frightening him?
MR: He was probably carried out on a stretcher. Maybe Gen attendants. ((JL: Yes, I think Channel/Donor teams - 3 or 4 of them, would be necessary.)) In any event, the removal of the gas mask would start him on the road to recovery. His fear is chemically induced. He's not really afraid of Digen or any other Channel. ((JL: Yes))
Marjorie Robbins Can a Companion yield his field to a Channel in a healing situation? Under what circumstances? ((This is a reformulation of a question I asked Jean in the course of writing my first S/G story. Some of JL's comments on Jean's reply refer to that story which, at the moment, has been pulled from the AZ file for a much needed rewrite.))
Jean: Of course a Companion can relinquish control of his field to a Channel when that Channel has to be able to manipulate the selyn fields as one unit for some critical function. It is used most often when the Companion is stronger than the Channel, as is the case with Sergi and Yorn, so that the Companion might overcontrol the Channel. It's no big deal - except, of course, that a powerful Companion might indeed have psychological hangups about it. Let me put it this way: Once under the control of the Tecton, every Farris Companion would be required to learn to do it, since only rarely would a Farris Companion be paired with a Channel who equaled his strength. That should make Jacqueline understand, and explain why Farris Companions loathe the modern Tecton. In fact, if we ever write SHEN THE TECTON! the practice may even be the crux that gets Zeor Companions to participate in the title activity (non-activity actually.) ((JL: Right)) You see, when the only available Channel is less powerful than the Companion he must work with, the last thing they can afford is a struggle over control of the fields. The Companion may very well actually know (sense) what should be done better than the Channel -- but there is also the risk that he may only think he does. It doesn't matter which is true; in such a circumstance the Companion defers to the Channel and there is no risk to the patient from a conflict over the control of the fields. Another circumstance in which the Companion might relinquish control, even though Channel and Companion are evenly matched, is when the Channel is completely trained but the Companion is young and inexperienced. Obviously relinquishment is a skill Companions are taught early in their training, so that in an emergency they can aid a Channel even when they don't know what they are doing. ((JL: She's talking about a Channel/Companion team healing a third person.)) From Jacqueline's reaction, it sounds as if Zeor is the only Householding in which this very ordinary skill is not required of Companions. Figures. Zeor always does things the hard way. I am astonished that Jacqueline asserts that it is not practiced in Zeor. ((JL: I never did MR: True, she just objected to it in MY story, which is set in Chanel.)) It seems to me just the kind of deprivation
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exercise Zeor is committed to. On the other hand, Zeor is (imsultingly) overprotective of Gens. ((JL: Very true during Chanel's early years)) and it may be that in an odd reversal of their usual control of by, and for Simes they may think that a GEn should not be put through such exercises because he can not be trust to relinquish at a critical moment. ((JL: Actually, this is the sort of cognative error that is disappearing in the S/G years. "If some A's are brown the all A's are brown." It is called racism and prejudice by 20th Century Ancients. S/G is at "grass-roots" a tailored-to-the-indivual society, which is why the bureaucratic "stamp everybody in the same mold" civilization does so VERY MUCH spiritual damage. The Tecton is successful and lasts thousands of years because there still exists some humans whose basic thinking is 'sloppy", to borrow one of E.E> Smith's favorite terms.)) They must expect the channel to be able to overcontrol the Companion if necessary. Obviously if you've got a Zeor-trained channel and a Zeor-trained Companion working together, the necessity is exceedingly unlikely to come up. ((MR I didn't. The channel was Keon, the Companion Chanel. Understand: Relinquishment is not standard operating procedure. The Companion normally controls his own field in concert with the channel. But there are certain rare circumstances in which it is necessary, so yes, it is something every good Companion should know how to do. And if you've got your Companion in one of those rare circumstances, then by all means he must learn to do it. ((JL: But you did not. We patched the story so that it was not a primary issue as I recall. MR: Actually I let JL and Kerry nit it out of the story since I wasn't sure I could do it. Look for this concept in a future Chanel story.)) Good luck with your story.
Marjorie Robbins How does a Companion "read" a channel? Is it just instinctive? If so, how can it be learned?
JL: By reading him or herself, just the same way real-world psychics learn to open to their talents. The Gen's talent is akin to ordinary psychism in that the kirlian aura of the body is involved. The Gen's Donor training is very much the same as Ercy's training in Mahogany Trinrose - lots of relaxation drills, concentration drills, and so forth. And as a channel conceptualizes need in his/her own peculiar individualistic way, so Gens learn to image certain things which associate the correct emotional condition necessary to affect their client channel a certain way.
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The context of symbols and images are all very idiosyncratic. No two characters are alike. ("You zlin in color?") Comparison of imagery forms a subject of small talk among Tecton employees very akin to "the weather" among Ancients. In short, the only way a Gen learns to "read" Simes is to live with Simes and "soak" it up. The prime prerequsite (sic RBW prerequisite) is to be comfortable and relaxed around Simes.
QUESTION: Does a serious injury deplete a Gen's field to any extent or have an effect on their selyn production?
JL: The error in the concept behind this question is here: "A Gen's field" is not a STATIC thing. Picture a bathtub with the plug out and the water on. "If someone pokes a hole in the tub, will the tub become empty?" See? The only possible answer is "insufficient data." You need to know how big a hole - where (above or below water line - how fast the water is running in - how fast out and whether there are any pieces of flotsam around to plug either hole. (i.e. side conditions.) In general, healing injuries consumes selyn, even in a Gen (more so in a Sime). However, the kind of Gen, the kind of injury and the presence or absence of Simes in or out of need all effect the "depletion rate." Most Gens would not notice most injuries. Check, for example, Digen's work with the Donor First in Unto (and Sime Surgeon, I think) - The Donor who underwent radical surgery and made a "miraculous" recovery because Digen applied a showfield of "need" to spur her selyn production (even in the hospital). Also, she survived the shock of surgery because Digen was there. Also nothing effects (sic RBW affects) basal selyn production: everything affects actual, current selyn production.
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QUESTION: In some S/G book or fan story I would like to learn more about how Companions/Donors are trained to control. ((JL: Control is a misnomer, of course. You don't control emotions, you control attention, and even that is not done by force. Read some good books on Yoga and Zen which focus on attention - training. This is the basic training of a magician in any society.)) their nager/emotions. Control of one's feelings (which are often strong and visceral) isn't easy. Too much repression on the Gen's part could be destructive. What does a Gen do with the anger he/she feels sometimes inevitably towards his/her Sime spouse, for example? ((JL: Express it.)) What does this nageric control do positively (and perhaps negatively) for the Gens who must learn it? How can they feel (which most consider a necessity) without hurting others with their feelings?
JL: The process of gaining nageric "control" is the same as the process of clearing away neurotic blocks, facing fears, confronting reality, gaining self-esteem -- i.e. it's the process of becoming sane. It is identical with the process of mastering Akido or Kung Fu. The Farris trained TN-1 4+ Donors DO NOT HAVE any of the problems you postulate. Anger comes from repressed fear. ((KLS: What about anger that comes from witnessing a very real wrong done to someone?)) If there's no fear, there's no repression. Making your peace with death so there is no fear of it, is the first step in becoming a Donor. Ancients don't have many people who can do this. The S/G mutation is God's gift to humanity which permits us to grow to where some of us CAN do this (and some of those choose not to.)
Donell Meadows ((Editors note: This is a paraphrase of a question I asked JL about Donell's persona, Karissa, while we were working out her involvement with Chanel.)) What happens to a person who has TN-2 potential, but is burned severely a few months after establishment and becomes a Sime-phobe?
JL: This kid will be badly crippled and not fit into Householding life for years and years. You can have the TN-2 configuration activated and have the psyche and the crippling disfiguring (well, nageric disfiguring) scar of the burn (presumably blocking access to TN-1 level). You have a case of the psyche and body divided and fighting each other. This kid is doomed to die of medical complications in her early twenties (unless she lives in Digen's time or beyond). You have the psychology of the badly crippled or disfigured. You have a person like Owen Lodge with a need to give and a handicap that prevents it - only because it is a nageric scar, there is no solution! She'll probably commit suicide at 17 years or so when she realizes the havoc her very existence is creating. She's a nageric turbulence of the n-th degree, a tragic figure with no way out. Reconstruct her background if you want a heroic figure. ((MR: We did. She's in a story I'm working on now &is (sic RBW & is) qualified TN-1 by her Sectuib.)) As it is, she hates herself and that is not rational.
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QUESTION: Just exactly what does TN stand for? I know it is a type of proficiency ranking, but that is about all. And what does QN stand for as well?
MR: QN stands for Channel, QN-1 being First Order, QN-2 Second Order, and QN-3 being Third Order. ((JL: The Q and N are initials of some Latin term I've forgotten, as have all the characters in the S/G universe.)) TN stands for Donor, Technical class, i.e. the ones who serve a Channel's need. TN-1 being First Order, TN-2 being Second Order, and TN-3 being Third Order. ((JL: The T and N are abstracted from the word "technical" to match the term QN. Why I don't know.))
QUESTION: Is the title "Naztehr: only applied to Gen Householders, and do said Householders address themselves as Naztehr: "I'm Naztehr Hugh." Or is the name only addressed to them by others?
MR: Hm, I'd thought it only applied to Gens, but the ZD glossary defines it as an intimate form of address among Householders. I doubt that anyone would refer to himself that way, any more than you'd say "I'm darling Donell." Jacqueline?
JL: That is essentially correct. It is a title awarded to those accepted. Originally I meant it to apply only to Gens, but S/G is burdened with too many technical terms, so I simplified it for ZD. Probably in Simelan there's a tonal inflection that indicates if the naztehr is Sime or Gen.
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Marjorie Robbins This is actually three questions: Where does the Zeor blue slash go on the Householding cape of a daughter House? ((JL: Styles change from generation to generation. I've never had to establish this in any time. Look up some regal dress designs and see what you think looks right.)) Which finger is a Householding ring worn on? ((JL: Varies with House I suspect. I don't think I have established it even for Zeor. The Zeor ring that was made for me is a pinky ring. KLS: So is mine. I wear it on my left hand.)) And what do Companions and Channel's Crests look like?
JL: Ever see the ring of a Mason who has held high office? There are all sorts of doodads that can be fastened to a large Crest ring. It varies with House, but Tecton imposed some order. I've never established it - maybe it's the Simelan letter stylized? I don't know. I'm not a visual person, and visual art is not my business. We got the AZ logo and the Zeor Crest by holding a contest through the zine. I was taught by Gene Roddenberry not to establish anything unless absolutely necessary to tell a story. So I do not know and thus, you are free to make up what you like.
MR: How does the reception get started in a new House?
JL: When the first Sectuib chooses his/her successor, he/she "gives" the House to that successor. Then it is up to the successor to win the House to himself or herself. Or to force it to split off another House under a rival Sectuib. The concept of a House as a unity formed under a spiritual bond between Sectuib and Virtue and the past members of a House is a Rathor-type concept. In Zeor, it was the Rathorites who first made it possible. Since then Zeor has passed this Reception down to its Daughter Houses and it was spread far and wide. Each has its own ceremony though.
Karen Litman ((Editor's note: This is a paraphrase of some questions Karen asked JL in reference to fen being members of more than one Householding.)) Are we considered members of Zeor (as far as zine editors, helpers, etc.) in today's 1987 world?
JL: Ancients can be members of more than one House. In my mind, Zeor doesn't have any Ancient members like you and me. But someday, if I'm born into a S/G world and have to live with that, then I'll look up Zeor and qualify one way or another. It's just not pertinent to life as an Ancient. However, those who want to prepare themselves are welcome to create Astral Plane Houses around the virtues they will want to live by and to practice those
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virtues in daily life. Practicing virtues is always good. I think fen should form associations with names and customs. It's sound psychology. But don't confuse fantasy and reality, and don't lose your sense of humor.
QUESTION: How soon (in years) after Unity did the first Sime Center begin operation?
MR: Less than one, almost immediately.
JL: Yes, Out-Territory ones were part of the agreement.
Marjorie Robbins How is the Tecton financed? And how much did Keon have to do with it becoming big business?
JL: The Keon involvement is detailed in Zelerod's Doom. (sic RBW Zelerod's Doom.) The Tecton is financed through profits made on selyn distribution. Simes will pay for selyn (taxes, of course) services, and Gens will accept barter or coin for selyn. Later Tecton financial (independent) research comes up with the selyn technologies which turn excess selyn into real profit. (And there's lots of excess.)
MR: How did the Tecton eventually crack down on the Distect Houses? (after Unity) JL: Deny services, blacklist - nobody is legally allowed to deal with them as a unit. They were labeled 'pariah' and shunned. People got passionate during those years, about cooperation. It's like rationing during World War Two: "If I'm gonna suffer, then so are you."
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Marjorie Robbins ((Editor's Note: This question is specifically related to a story about Chanel, a semi-Distect House being forced by the Tecton to choose a Sectuib.)) Prior to Unity would Chanel have had full membership in the Tecton? ((JL:- See Zelerod's Doom for Hugh's position.)) The way I want to set it up is that the Tecton won't give Chanel a seat on the Governing Council until a Sectuib is chosen.
JL: That's about it. But it isn't the Sectuib/Companion clique that insists. It's the new semi-juncts. They may be sacrificing their kill habit, but by shen and by shid, they ain't-a-gonna deal with no bleeding Gen authority. It's a prejudice plain and simple that makes most of the crucial decisions of those years, and semi-juncts are always on hair-trigger tempers.
MR: Two or three years after Unity, what's going on with the Tecton?
JL: In what way? The secret Pens are in full use. Negotiations with Gen authorities are the primary activity. Heavy-handed police methods are used to squash Raiders (licensed Raiders may persist in feeling they have a right to raid Gen-T.) and black market choice auctions. Economy is booming with Gen trade. Out-T changeover kids are a social problem and a source of social unrest. All sorts of incentives are offered to get Gens (Out-T and In-T ex-Pen Gens) to donate. Pens are still kept to be "milked" by Channels to serve semi-juncts. Riots and raids are still common, but Tecton coalition manages to contain the violence in-T and build reputation for dependability Out-T. Whole battalions of Tecton Channels (all non-junct) spread out into Gen-T on the changeover rescue provisions - rules for which are still being worked out.
QUESTION: What would the Tecton of Digen's time do to a Distect Gen who fell into their hands? What would be the punishment? Or would they simply let such a person go?
JL: Being denied transfer except as Donation to a Channel would be perceived by a Distect Gen as more than punishment. It would be excruciating, undeserved TORTURE! Punishment depends on what they did. Check Unto for how Ilyana was treated. Her legal position was dreadful. She had practically no rights. However, law (bureaucratic style) prevails in the Tecton. It isn't illegal to
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be Distect. It is illegal to act on those principles. If a court convicts a person of various acts under the anti-Distect laws, then the penalty for that act prevails. Subverting or juncting a Channel is the ultimate crime, but subverting any renSime is tantamount to juncting him or her and thus causing a kill which is like murder - anywhere from manslaughter to murder one. Absolute proof of guilt is required on such a charge with severe penalties. They still had Last Year Houses and a Distect Sime would likely die if confined to such a place and forced to live on Channel's transfer, Tecton style. Proof that one is not a Distect junct is simple - survive a year in a Last Year House. But the burden of proof is (in the continental United States and Canada) still on the government. Innocent until proven guilty holds here, but not everywhere in the world, even under the Tecton.
Donell Meadows When was Zeor burned to the ground and why?
MR: Muryin Farris ordered that done, I think as a symbolic gesture, though I'm not sure what she was getting at.
JL: Yes, it was the symbol of the universality of Householdings: non-elitism, non-defensiveness, non-exclusiveness and growth towards unified humanity.
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Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer If a Sime in need doesn't feel emotions, can't cry, etc., why did Klyd break down and start crying when Andle informed him of his wife's death?
JL: The impact was great enough to break through the pall. The book had been so condensed that all of Klyd's history was left out. I had to use that method to establish the history for future series' continuity - but if I'd had a choice, I would not have had him react then. However, what would Valleroy have made of Klyd's behavior in that case? It was a clumsy patch job, but it had to be done. I intend to prevent any similar clumsy patch jobs now that I have greater skill and credentials with editors.
Marjorie Robbins If a Tigue Channel were to marry a Farris Channel what would the results be in offspring? An insufferable masochist or the perfect Channel?
KLS: Probably neither one. Would depend on the genetic heritage and upbringing of all the individuals involved.
JL: Neither, she's right. As with any breeding of mutant to mutant, you will get varying results and no consistency. Highest probability is a "mule" a very vigorous and powerful individual who is sterile. Don't forget nurture as a factor in the resulting adult personality.
MR: When is Klyd's birthday? What is his astrological sign? JL: I don't know. Most of his planets are in the top half of his chart, no retrogrades, some 8th House emphasis - lots of Aries lots of Leo, but also strong Capricorn and Virgo. Actually none of that makes a lot of sense because the zodiac itself has so shifted and has more signs in it by his day. Astrology works as well then as now, but has evolved with time.
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Marjorie Robbins ((Editor's note: This question is specific to a story I was working on at the time.)) How would Klyd handle a hysterical Companion who was unfairly blaming him and the Tecton for the death of a Channel she'd fallen in love with? ((Watch the TV show "Ohara". Klyd would react as Ohara would.)) Suppose she tried to slug him?
JL: Since he's stronger, he'd just capture her hand as Spock would. If she uses nageric manipulation, Klyd would simply not react and wait for her to run down. Then he'd quietly and privately invite her to talk (possibly after making love to her to shore up her self-esteem.) ((KLS: Not the greatest reason I can think of for sex. Might do more harm than good.)) Klyd would not permit her to rebound to guilt-trip level. That's why she would never know she hurt him, but only that he understands her outburst and approves of it. (Unless it's done in public or in such a way as to undermine the unity of the House.)
QUESTION:
Was Zeor disbanded after Klairon's death or did he do it before he died? JL: I believe he did it before he died - but I don't know if he lived beyond that point or if so, by how long. The end of the series is at the disbanding.
QUESTION: Didn't Klairon have any brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, or nephews that could have become Sectuib in Zeor?
JL: No! Whatever circumstances prevail, whoever is qualified at the time Klairon disbands the House, there is no one who can or will contest that decision at that time. There are no other operational Householdings at all. Zeor is the First House and the Last House.
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QUESTION: Were Klairon's grandparents, parents, great-aunts and great-uncles, great grandparents, etc., still living?
JL: I don't know exactly, but at that time long life is the norm. By the end of Klairon's story, they are all gone.
QUESTION: I was curious about Klairon's family background. In AZ 14, Pg. 41, 1st paragraph, it mentioned that the crew of the "Pebble Beach" was closer to him than his own family. Why?
JL: Interstellar society, dispersed Householding, Tecton Channel's upbringing and career, and he has very little family (Undoubtedly somewhere on the planet he destroyed.) He's spent years in isolated living with his crew - hasn't seen family much in all that time - nor before that except when he was dying in the hospital.
QUESTION: In what way was Laneff different from other renSimes? She couldn't wear attenuators without getting quite ill, and she seemed different in a lot of ways from a renSime. Was it because she had more Gen in her than the others? Or because she had more potential to be a Channel?
JL: I'm afraid I can't offer you such dramatic ideas about Laneff's differences from other renSimes. All her differences (except the ability to guide chemical reactions psychically) stem from the manifestation of Farris sensitivity in a renSime. Granted there are Farris renSimes who don't exhibit so many oddities of sensitivity, but they all have some such problems. Some of Laneff's problems are rooted in the early junct episode of her life. Most Simes don't fare well in the junct condition, but non-Farrises can survive it quite well. Farris juncts tend to die relatively young. Syrus Farris, Rimon's father, was one notable exception - but read carefully and you'll find most of his relatives also died young. We don't know yet how far back the Syrus mutation arose, but I'm sure it wasn't very far. Of course, the Genfarming Farrises weren't the only ones of the Farris mutation. It arose all over a certain gene pool at approximately the same time - triggered by no one knows what - a quirk of nature's timing, perhaps. Since Farris renSimes do even less well than Farris Channels, and most Farrises are Channels, there really weren't enough Farris renSime adults to get a statistical study on until quite a bit later.
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QUESTION: Does Klairon marry Mandy?
JL: Zeor does not marry out of Zeor. But Klairon was the last Sectuib. He does not have an heir.
QUESTIONS: Are Klairon and Lowell orhuen mates?
JL: No, but they are in an ordinary dependency because Lowell is so good at his job that Klairon's internal injuries heal and his endowment re-erupts. (And all hell breaks loose on the "Pebble Beach" because of it.)
QUESTIONS: How does Klairon become disgraced and dysfunctional?
JL:- He destroys an entire planet to keep a strange new plague, something like the Shaking Plague, from spreading, and succeeds. That plague is never seen again.
QUESTION: Does Klairon recover his reputation or his "functions?
JL: Yes, functions first, then reputation through incredible feats like the one where he met Lowell.
QUESTION: When does Digen learn he was Endowed? ((JL: I don't exactly know.)) That must have been funny. ((JL: Yes.)) I'd like to have been there. ((JL: Me too.)) How about Mairis and Klairon?
JL: Klairon was raised to expect it. Mairis was the first to take it for granted.
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QUESTION: Did Mairis become a doctor (I hope not another Sime Surgeon. That would have been a disaster) before he became Sectuib?
JL: Mairis is like Sulu of "Star Trek.- He's into all sorts of sciences, especially what he's not supposed to be into. He's more like Klyd in that respect.
QUESTION: What happened to Imrahan, Ercy and Halimer Grant after Mahogany Trinrose?
MR: Well, you know that he was from the School of Rathor. That's where they went when they left Rialite. Ercy later returned to Zeor and died giving her House an heir. She never did become Sectuib in Zeor, but she did marry Hal. QUESTION: Was Klairon ever World or Interstellar Controller? How many times?
JL: I think he was World Controller of the world he had to destroy, and I believe he had Interstellar Regional offices several times. The matter is vague. He tries hard to forget his past. Did I mention that he was Endowed but lost all his capacities from the injury he sustained when he destroyed that world. He DID expect to die with that world. Lowell's ministrations cause the Endowment to re-erupt and things get lively on the "Pebble Beach" for a while.
QUESTION: Who was usually in charge of Zeor and accepted the pledges and transfers from new members while Klairon is on Pebble Beach? (sic RBW "Pebble Beach"?)
JL: The Corporation offices handle Householding business. No pledges can be accepted by anyone BUT a Sectuib. However, at that time in history, Houses are essentially dead and gone except as corporations and holding companies paying out pension money. Nobody is applying for membership - it's a stigma to be a Householder. People hide the fact of parentage to avoid the stigma.
KLS: Marge, don't print this if you don't want to, but I think this is a lousy idea. I hate to see the Householdings disintegrate this way. If they had any valid spiritual ideas and reasons behind them, I don't see why they should cease to be important in the future. If the rest of society has caught up to them and actualized their ideals to the point where the Houses dissolve because they no longer feel themselves necessary, that would be okay. But to turn Zeor, or any other House, into nothing but a financial institution seems to me an undramatic and vastly unsatisfying conclusion to the S/G series.
MR: I agree with Kerry. How do the rest of you feel about this? What do you think should happen to Zeor?
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QUESTION: Was Rimon Farris truly the first functioning Channel or did Rathor/the Company have operative Channels before Rimon's time? ((JL: Actually it depends on how you define Channel.)) They obviously understood the problem of Gen fear "Have faith in the Starred-Cross and do not fear the Sime in need." Did they have renSime/Gen transfer all that time? ((JL: Yes.)) Did they have Pens? ((JL: No.)) Did they ever kill ((JL: No. Rathor never had junct members.)) This is Rimon's time and before.
JL: It is established in FCh/CD that Rimon's direct ancestors suffered the messy and early deaths of unidentified Channels. The Farris mutation is a submutation of the general "Channel" mutation, but Rimon is the first self-identified Channel-of-record. Rathor has had "Channels" for centuries, but never used them (or even thought of using them) as insulation between Gen and renSime. Rathor regards the Channel mutation as a step on the way to the legendary "fully endowed." As it turned out, they were right. Rathor never used Channels to do "transfers" until after Rimon, I don't think. They used them to do "field work" in magical operations. They used them as healers - and perhaps occasionally to provide selyn to "The Company" where high field Gens would be too conspicuous.
QUESTION: What about after the formation of the modern Tecton? Did they, Rathor/The Company, employ Channel's transfer then or were they semi-Distect, allowing renSime/Gen transfer with properly matched partners, presumably matched by their Channels. I know they permit it with Laneff, but did they practice such transfer among themselves?
JL: Rathor is not in any way Distect, nor are they the solution that Yone's planet evolves. Rathor's lifestyle is suitable only to the Gandalf types. They regard transfer as a magical sacrament and a divine worship. A lot of factors that figure in common Tecton transfers are irrelevant to them. - 20 -
QUESTION: How did Rathor/The Company Channels become so powerful? They weren't Farrises. Did they have entran; the entran problems of the Tecton-trained? ((JL: No, that's a Tecton travesty.)) Ercy was the first publicly-known Endowed Channel, but was she the very first or were there already others in Rathor? Hal seemed to know how to work with Ercy's Endowment, and others knew even more than he did.
JL. She's the VERY FIRST fully Endowed. They have many partially Endowed. Rathor training for Sime and Gen is the sort of intense total spiritual path depicted on the TV show "Kung Fu" for the Shaolin Masters with the eventual results shown in the subsequent made for TV movie 10 years later (or more like 20 years?). Rathor is an entire community wholly dedicated to spiritual advancement. They are God-centered white magicians, warrior-priests, etc. - an amalgam of every path currently in existence and some new ones evolved for the S/G situation. Their power is, to them, an irrelevant side-effect of pursuing God-Consciousness.
Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer Was Ercy the first Endowed Channel or just the first outside Rathor?
JL: Through out Rathor's history, there are any number of partially Endowed - with every possible combination of abilities and talents - but never a fully Endowed until Ercy and never until Ercy anything like Ercy's sheer raw (uncontrolable) (sic RBW uncontrollable) power. However each of Ercy's traits is long familiar to Rathor (as are her problems) just in isolation and in much milder form. Ercy is unique. But she was predicted on the basis of partially Endowed and theory developed from studying them. I believe that even after Ercy, there is never an Endowed quite like her. And for that Rathor thanks God devoutly, daily.
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Donell Meadows During transfer, if the Gen feels pain, is this pain localized to a specific area of the body or generalized to include the Gen's entire body?
JL It is the central nervous system that reacts - the entire body feels it.
DM: In the book Zelerod's Doom, if Hugh and Klyd were in orhuen, how was Hugh able to drive a transfer into Ediva? Page 244, paragraph 4.
JL: Problem here is definition. Hugh and Klyd are the first recorded documented (not legendary) orhuen pair. There is no standard in their day for judging how close they are. For their day, they are matchmates. For Yone's time, they are in a strong dependency that could be broken using Yone's modern technology. In Klyd's day the situation is utterly hopeless, especially after Hugh's governors go. The defination (sic RBW definition) of the L.O.T. relationship that forces the Tecton to create the Exemptions is that a L.O.T. cannot be broken short of death. As technology advances, that point advances. Meanwhile, Zeor develops the techniques of the breakstep - and Klyd's experience with Hugh and with Risa and Sergi are ingredients in that discipline. Klyd's experience with Hugh also spawns the Tecton's determination to keep matchmates apart because it would cripple the Tecton.
QUESTION: I believe a Channel's need is mostly psychological. ((JL: NO!)) His secondary system could store all the selyn he would require, but his personal system would still feel need, and have to have it sated. Where does this psychological need originate from? Even Rimon Farris had to have his own personal need taken care of, and since he was learning how to be a Channel from scratch he couldn't have picked up such a psychosis from other Channels. Why does a Channel have a need cycle at all?
JL: I think you are terribly confused about need and I don't know how to explain. A Channel is just a renSime with double the problems. Intil is
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the "psychological component" of need and works sort of like foreplay or fantasy in sex. These are not "just" psychological and therefore negligible. Without foreplay or fantasy, the necessary psychological changes don't happen and orgasm doesn't happen. Science is studying orgasm now and is discovering that it can't be isolated - it involves the entire central nervous system. Likewise a Sime's satisfaction of need - it involves the total being, physiological, psychological, spiritual and ectoplasmic. Merely "having enough selyn" is like artificial insemination it results in life, but that's all. No glorious memories. No fantasy, no foreplay. But with a Sime it's worse. The vitality of the whole organism declines and fades and eventually the organism disassociates totally without that whole system response. The whole intricate contrast/compare I did over so many books on junct/nonjunct/disjunct had to do with this single point in transfer, it is the response factor that counts more than selyn per se. Now the response is a result of a large number of factors (for some of which see the PR# calc in AZ 15) speed, volume, emotional overtones (fear-love,) control, personality, dependency (locked or not) and so forth - (the match and mate effect is large when it comes to triggering response) Once a certain depth and total response has been experienced, nothing less will do the job. Now what (other than supplying selyn) is the job? It is stress relief. It is returning the multi-level organism to a condition where the components communicate effortlessly. (In Darkovan parlance, it is clearing the channels) it is the condition of health and vitality.
QUESTION: This is a question RenSime! left me with. Why do the best transfers - those with slilbliss result in a feeling of being both Sime and Gen at the same time? Why identity loss (or growth, depending on how you look at it)? Is it this feeling of being both giver and receiver that creates slilbliss or is it the other way around?
JL (sic RBW JL:) The best transfers - ones that achieve slilbliss - have a psychic component in which telepathic rapport is achieved at the same moment that the physiologies come into exact synch. There are many
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physiological factors that have to synchronize (see AZ 15 PR calc), and only among First Order do you find a combination of sensitivity (not the kind a nice Ancient displays, the kind of a fine scientific instrument has), flexibility, and utter non-fear, plus all the selyn movement characteristics which produce the effect of superimposing one person's physiology upon the other person's body. For that peak instant the one person is the other person, and vice versa, so both are neither - a new organism exists. If you could induce this state in someone not trained and capable and ready for it, it would kill him. (Not the selyn movement as in nerve-burn and not selyn depletion, but physiologic SHIFT OF BASAL FACTORS which would destroy the integrity of the unprepared organism.) Under ordinary circumstances, it is impossible for someone unprepared to experience slilbliss. The organism defends its integrity. Hayashi could probably figure out how to induce slilbliss, but he wouldn't. Those who have known it will do anything to have it again. It becomes the very definition of what life is for.
QUESTION: In First Channel, why was Rimon sickened at himself for killing? After all, he was Sime, and at the time all Simes killed (well, maybe not at the School of Rathor . . .) Why should doing what was "normal" bother Rimon? Why did he see it as wrong, hateful? What I'm also getting at is what did Rimon have that the other Simes alive at that time lacked? Ok, the Channel's secondary system, but what about that (if anything) made him recognize killing as wrong? I would think having a father like Syrus and growing up on a Genfarm would tend to make him accept the status quo with no questions asked.
JL: Rimon is a very special person; but other than that, he had Kadi - who was also special. Rimon was not sickened psychologically at killing before he knew Kadi was Gen.
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His transfer problems were typical (if exaggerated because he is Farris) of unidentified Channels. This is another reason Channels don't live long if not trained. The main problem is vriamic leakage of selyn into the secondary system, chronic need-lack, that response I talked about earlier. After he knew Kadi was Gen, he realized Gens were people and killing people is wrong. Rimon's loused up First Kill (study the circumstances and you'll learn a lot about transfer satisfaction and the importance of the First experience) left him wholly unable to achieve real response satisfaction all the rest of his life. The close match (almost a lortuen but not quite by the technical definition later established by the Tecton) with Kadi kept most of that problem dormant until she died, and that is why he didn't survive her by much. Rimon's dependency on Kadi was not technically lortuen. He was potent with other women and he has children Kadi never knew about. Their relationship was fraught with agonizing technical problems we never got to discuss in the novels. Personally, I felt it a mercy they didn't live long. Rimon's attitude towards juncts would have shocked and revolted Klyd, whose attitude towards juncts would have horrified Digen, etc. When I write (inside a P.O.V.) I can't give you the relative evaluation of that person's attitudes by someone from another time. Rimon never really disjuncted - he was too old when Kadi established. He was stabilized, but not disjunct in what would later become the standard. He was simply surviving without killing.
QUESTION: How many seconds does a transfer last?
MR: That would depend on draw speed and selyn capacity. ((JL: Yes, rates vary, but a minute would be awfully unnaturally long.)) Most cases probably under a minute, but it would seem (subjectively) like a long glorious interlude. (If the delivering Channel is doing a good job of meeting the Sime's needs, that is.)
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Donell Meadows In one of the early zines, you mentioned Hugh's nightmares, where he was becoming Sime. You discussed a willingness to elaborate on these nightmares from the Gen in House of Zeor but never did. I would be interested in reading such an elaboration.
JL: This goes into past life memories, ESP faculty of premonition, and the High Initiate's self-knowledge. On this level Sime and Gen are identical. However, the manifestation of nightmares at puberty is the same for Channels and Companions and different for non-Donor Gens and renSimes. Channels and Companions sometimes (not in every case, so you can't use it to distinguish.) manifest their first deep consciousness contact with their inner selves at puberty and gain knowledge of what they will become and what it would mean to become the other half. Hugh's nightmares of becoming Sime were his memories of lives where he was a Sime. That kind of material has to lay close to the surface in a Gen who has TN-1 or 4+ capacity. It is what makes a great Donor - knowing what the Channel has to cope with. RenSimes and Gens who don't have the physiology to serve a Channel's need don't manifest this matter so disruptively. In the Channels and their Donors, the material erupts forcefully and compulsively from the unconscious. In renSimes and non-Donor Gens, it may come, but it will come later in life without urgency or drama, in a gentle way. These people have long ago dealt with the Karma attendant on being Sime and
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don't suffer and are not driven to serve "Humanity" at cost of life and sanity. Choosing a life as a Channel or Donor under the Tecton is a voluntary working off of some dire Karma. RenSimes and Gens who posses full past life access are the sorts of souls who end up in Rathor and are the mainstay of their membership. The rest of the renSimes and other Gens have not yet gotten to the lessons the Channels and Companions must learn. They are by far the majority of humanity. And then there are exceptions. Of these, stories are told.
QUESTION: What does the shiltpron look like and how is it played?
JL: It is played seated, with the weight resting on the thigh, steadied against the shoulder. There are strings galore, and resonating chambers. It evolves over time into something computer-chip controlled and organically amplified.
It starts out with tubes (hollow, some shaped into spirals, all sorts of diameters) and resonating chambers sticking out in every direction (like the bagpipe). It can be played with a mallet, a bow, or fingers or all of the above simultaneously. The selyn-field effect comes from contact with strings and resonating chambers - the physical vibration causes the player's nerves to respond. Later, selyn-conducting materials are used to enhance the effect. Using laterals in direct contact with vibrating chambers causes maximum effect. This effect can be non-audible because it's too soft to hear, or the instrument can and does produce supersonics and subsonics which have direct effect on the nervous system, as well as selyn-field modulation. Simes are always sensitive to the silently played shiltpron. Only highly trained Companions/Donors notice the effect of selyn fields when the shiltpron goes silent. "The silent shiltpron" is an archetype for Simes. Others respond without conscious awareness of why.
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Donell Meadows If you were issued a green card indicating that I were to be your Donor for this month, what would be written on the card? Do be specific.
MR: Probably just the Channel's name, ((JL: Can include House. In early days - later "ambrov" gets abbreviated then deleted.)) Your name, ((JL: ranks, orders, PR and I.D.)) the date and time and number of the transfer room.
JL: Tecton forms evolve but Marge has the specifics. Eventually after computerization (just before Digen's time) computerized codes might be added for access to medical records and Transfer history. Look at some Federal forms and you get the idea. The Tecton is the worst bureaucracy you can imagine (No untrained person could hope to decipher the fully evolved green card!) Eventually it becomes a "credit card" like thing with a magnetic strip holding all that data!
QUESTION:- Where does the word "Zeor" come from?
JL: It's the Simelan word for "Excellence" but has abstract connotations in Simelan that differ slightly from Ancient language. The core of the idea is simply to do better this time than the last time.
Marjorie Robbins Do the races we have today, Caucasian, Oriental, etc., still exist in S/G time or does the human race become homogenized?
JL: On the North American Continent, where mixture already exists a lot of homogenization occurs. In China, not so much. People consider male-female and race differences nothing compared to S/G differences and ally with other Simes and Gens regardless of race, color or creed. (For racial type see Imil member in HoZ he's totally coal black but has blonde hair! And I have a fully Oriental girl somewhere in the books - description is hidden because characters would not notice what is common in their world.)
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Donell Meadows If two Channels had children, would they live to become adult? If said children survived, what percentage would be Channel, renSime, Gen?
JL: I've never established the percentage for the children of two Channels except that there is a higher likelihood that they will be Channels and that any Gens will be good Companion/Donor candidates. The statistic was cited to infer (to the reader) that, the Channel and Donor mutations are one and the same thing. The higher order Donors (2nds and 1sts) are genetically different from Thirds. Most Gens can achieve 3rd Order Donor function though, which blurs the real issue. The Channel and the Donor are really identical.
QUESTION:- In response to one of my questions, you indicated that Channel and Companion were the same. ((JL:- Metaphorically and spiritually.)) If such is the case, would it be possible for a Gen mutation to occur where a Gen had a secondary system that absorbed his/her excess selyn to give to others?
JL: Definitely not! The genetic symmetry here is in selyn through capacity, not function. A man does not develop a womb and a woman does not develop testes, but close scrutiny shows the plumbing to be identical. Get it?
QUESTION: What is in a Channel's nager that tells another Channel whether he/she has had an excellent or lousy transfer?
MR: I'm not too sure about this. I would guess his general physical and mental state, and the condition of both his primary and secondary systems. Remember, Channels and renSimes can zlin emotions. ((JL: This is basic to all Simes.))
JL: Zlin is the wrong word. Simes experience other's emotions inside themselves. They are empaths. The empathic response pattern is set up at First Transfer. Plus a junct or disjunct reacts with uncontrollable aggression when immersed in Gen fear. This is a well-known mechanism in Ancient psychology - perfectly "human."
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Donell Meadows What was Azevedo's rating and why was he unable to augment enough to prevent Laneff from drinking the Moondrop? (From RenSime!)
MR:- I don't think the School of Rathor used the rating system the Tecton does. ((JL: True.)), but Azevedo would probably test out as 4+. ((JL: Even this is nonsense when applied to people like Azevedo.)) As to stopping Laneff, he was simply too far away. ((JL: True. The scene was carefully orchestrated. Any scene required by story logic (tight and relentless story logic) can be set up to work.)) Channels aren't supermen, though some of them do run a close second. ((JL: Actually some of them are women!))
Marjorie Robbins Can a Channel zlin germs, microbes, etc.?
JL. This is the area where zlinning shades into the pure psychic regions or into spiritual healing. The kind of Channel who could do this would be the kind of person, who, as an Ancient was a top notch psychic healer - not the kooky "psychic Surgeons" in the Phillipines. (sic RBW Philippines.) The genuine variety more likely to appear as Catholic Saints or Revivalist preachers, or the kind of Chasidic Rabbi about whom miracle tales are told.
MR:- What was the state of the Tecton's medical technology 14 or 15 years after Unity?
JL:- Very confused. Each House still had its "secrets." Some Houses have secrets based on things the Tecton abhors, and this is "known" in the rumor mill. The period, 15-20 years after Unity, is the time when the foundations for the Anti-Householder backlash is laid. Householding Channels become both leaders and miserable elitists during this period. When the backlash begins to form, it is delayed for a few decades by the gradual release of Householding techniques to non-Householding Channels - later, some of these are outlawed and Houses fight to keep their pet techniques alive by special dispensation to teach within the House.
MR: How much did they actually know about the causes of diseases, prevention, and how diseases are spread?
JL: Asepsis is never lost and cleanliness are the main ways of fighting epidemics. There are herbal concotions (sic RBW concoctions) that bolster immunity. There are herbal anti-virals and anti-pyretics. Vaccines are far in the future, but some scholars (consult Andrea Alton about her archeologist in Icy Nager) know they exist. (And legends burgeon.)
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Dushau is another universe created by Jacqueline which has three books; DUSHAU, FARFETCH, and OUTREACH. The universe is based on Jacqueline's love of DR. WHO and Andre Norton's STAR RANGERS. As JL tells it: '. . . Also, on the same visit to Florida, Jean (Lorrah) and I went to visit Andre Norton (a mutual idol of ours). I raised again a long standing issue between Andre and me - that I wanted the sequel to STAR RANGERS. But that the sequel had to be written from Zinga's point of view. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read STAR RANGERS and some of Andre's other "C.C." universe novels. Andre said no, no way was she going to write such a novel. I did my usual Aries thing, and threatened, "So then I will." She said okay, go ahead. Well, I couldn't barge into her universe to do that. (I'm not sure why that is - I have no trouble appropriating the Trek universe for my own, and I've written Darkover without a qualm, and I wrote a WITCH WORLD story for Andre's Witchworld anthologies on her invitation, and my imagination appropriates Katherine Kurtz's Deryni universe and adds things to it that Katherine knows nothing about - so why not STAR RANGERS? I don't know). I read STAR RANGERS when I was in my early pre-teens, and read it 16 times before I lost count - and kept on rereading it for years. It made an incredible impact on me. It could be that subconsciously, I conceptualize (sic RBW can't conceptualize) a JL byline over a novel in that universe. On the plane on the way home from Tropicon, I outlined a novel series that would lead to the STAR RANGERS sequel (the basic idea is a group of nonhumans of many species colonize an Earth of the far future when there are only a few humans left. I changed that to another planet with a hive culture, but that came much later.) . . .'
______________ The above quote was excerpted from an article on the Dushau that Jacqueline wrote for A COMPANION IN ZEOR #9. It is used here with the kind permission of Karen Litman, CZ's editor.
QUESTION One question that's been bumping around in my head -- Why does Jindigar wear a turban?
JL: In his culture it is common because it makes it easy to carry things on your head. And they put things in the folds. For formal dress, of course, the turban is fancy. Twists and designs can be status symbols. But everybody carries on the head. It's healthy and creates a graceful and economic walk.
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Kren is another, and very delightful, Lichtenberg universe. The books available for this one are: MOLT BROTHER and CITY OF A MILLION LEGENDS. These are also celled THE BOOK OF THE FIRST LIFEWAVE. '. . . PEOPLE WHO MOLT
Remember "Tentacle envy?" That was a reaction generated by one of Jacqueline Lichtenberg's invented relationships, the Sime/Gen relationship. Several fen who have read Jacqueline's MOLT BROTHER have reported "bhirhir-envy." What's a bhirhir? Well, Kren have them instead of spouses. The Kren are natives of Camiat, a member of the galaxy-spanning federation known as the Hundred Planets. Kren are not reptile, bird, or mammal, but are on a branch of evolution peculiar to Camiat. They molt, like snakes, and also have venomous fangs. Strong emotions causes their glands to fill their throat venom sacs, hate-venom being the most deadly. They lay eggs, but suckle the young. However, they do not choose a life-partner from among their sex-partners. At puberty, when they first raise true-venom, they choose someone to immunize against their venom and pledge bhirhir to that person. The bhirhir or "molt brother/molt sister" is charged with protecting the Kren during the helpless phases of molt and prevent an accidental strike and kill if emotions get out of hand. It is a lifelong bond. By accident, a human (Terran) colony is planted on Camiat. Over centuries the Camiat humans have begun to absorb native culture, and vice versa. There are some Kren who take bhirhir among the humans. The humans who take this pledge take it seriously.
_________________ Excerpted from - OF SIMES, GENS, ADEPTS, KREN . . . edited by Catherine A. Filipowicz, Copyright (c) by Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah, 1980.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Since all fan activities are done on a voluntary basis and at personal expense, it is a good idea to send a SASE (Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope) when writing for information.
AMBROV ZEOR available from Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer, P.O. Box 39, Village Green, South Yarmouth, Mass. 02664. Kerry also has the S/G SONGBOOK and POSTSYNDROME, a one-shot zine devoted to sexuality in the S/G universe. She also has back issues of AZ and CZ.
COMPANION IN ZEOR available from Karen Litman, Champagne Apartments #B-17, Somers Point, NJ 08244
ZEOR FORUM available from Katie Filipowicz, 130 W. Eckerson Road #5-22B, Spring Valley, NY 10977
S/G Material on tape for the print handicapped. We need readers to record from the books for us, and we also hope to make con speeches and items from Jacqueline and Jean available to all fans. The books and zines will be available for the print handicapped. SASE Karen Litman.
S/G WELCOMMITTEE has been reorganized and is now offering the following services:- Penpal database, zine index, Householding List, Q & A Department, Round Robins and FIRST TRANSFER which is a quarterly newsletter available for a SASE or accepted contribution. Marjorie Robbins, 350 19 Street S. E. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403
HOUSEHOLDING REGISTRY - Pat Munson-Siter, 9238-B Lincoln, Ellsworth AFB, So. Dakota 57706
HOUSEHOLDING BEARS - Loveable, hand made teddy bears available, dressed in a Householding cape in your choice of colors. For details SASE Betty Jones, 975 Parkview Dr., Marion, Iowa 52302 (This lady is not a fan, she's my Mother and does excellent work. I have a Chanel bear who captures the hearts of all who see her.)
HOUSEHOLDING TAKEAR would like to offer its services to you! Custom stationery with your choice of lettering, borders, and/or custom artwork. Price is negotiable. SASE Lisa Calhoun, P.O. Box 397, Roberta, Georgia 31078 (These gals are good, I use their stationery myself)
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