oh hey! it’s some revamped versions of the Virgilo siblings and Cianna (or Chosposi if you’re in Liteph)
(down below is a more in depth version of how they’ve changed)
Maxine is actually pretty similar to how we left her last year. The only difference is the world building around her. Maxine is the daughter of Adam Virgilo and Kaya Locklear. Her mother did practice magic, but more in a healing way than anything else, and this was connected to a larger Portos Litephi culture. They moved away from Almoal when her brother was born and so Maxine and her brother grew up mostly hearing about their mother’s culture. Maxine was always fascinated by it and watched as her mother gave lectures on the preservation of spiritual practices, but was really looking at techniques which she would try (and fail) to replicate later. She moved back to Almoal for college and is pursuing a masters in ancient art history while working as a guide for the Almoal Litephi Gallery. The story begins a year after her mother’s death. Maxine’s story still revolves mostly around learning magic and the struggles inherent to a focus-based worldview when you have ADHD. I’m playing a bit with the magic system at the moment because I want to maintain some of it (like the idea of energy and focus versus heart being the thrust of Maxie’s challenges) while also being respectful to the cultures I’m borrowing from in my world building.
Caleb has changed a lot in the last year in part because the story has changed. For starters, he’s Maxie’s brother now. He’s around 17 and visiting Maxie for a little “sibling retreat” after their mother’s death. Caleb is very much the opposite of Maxie in that he enjoys the sciences and law to art history and literature. Caleb’s struggle has shifted from suspicion of the Mythics and frustration over not getting the girl to frustration over feeling left out, as magic seems not to have entered his blood like it did his sister, and a continued feeling like he’s lesser than Maxie. He still definitely does some problematic shit but he’s less of a stand-in for privilege now. Also he becomes super close with Cornelius and they go to a haunted house together.
Cianna/Chosposi is where we get interesting. You might notice she looks nothing like Quoisey used to. That’s intentional. While her role is still to teach and protect Maxine, this role is not seen as an obvious one. She’s there as part of the mage agreement between fae and litephi humans, but the agreement is one between people who are part of adjacent clans rather than a contract with a spirit. Also rather than come through a magic mirror when blood is spilt, she exits from the Portos Litephi ruins, having come out of a guardian figure who she took the form of (the mountain lion.)
The fae are based on Hopi culture, specifically figures within hopi mythology and even more specifically, Kachina dolls. Essentially invoking a specific Fae Archetype (or specific Kachina) is what lends a specific power, and the bonds between Umbra Listep humans and Litephi Fae (the two collectives of Litephi Culture) is what allows for Fae to visit and Litephi humans to retain their powers. Usually it’s Mountain Lion fae who cross over as that’s the guardian role set up, but others (especially clowns) visit as well.
ALSO I would really like some feedback on this from indigenous folks! Especially from Hopi people. I’m very much a WHITE (i mean white latina but that’s very white latina) and as much as I research for this incorporation of culture I know that where I bend the rules could be...less than good. So please feel free to message me!