When the lines of fiction and fantasy are blurred

I had a hard time deciding where this post was going to reside - my personal, everyday life blog, or this one, that houses my experiences and insights on writing. It doesn't quite belong in one or the other, but it's relevant to both. It's an experience that struck a personal note, yet it deals with character development.

The Background: 
I'm a player in a tabletop RPG group. For those who haven't heard of this before, we're basically a group of people going through a choose-your-own-adventure story where each person creates and then controls one character. The Game Master is responsible for bringing the setting and Non-player characters to life. (S)he is essentially the narrator of the story that is getting unveiled.

Our group is playing a Pathfinder game in the Inner Sea World setting. My experiences with Fantasy as a genre, and with D&D and Pathfinder specifically, is that the world settings tend to break from being historically influenced norm of gender roles and sexism. The Iconic characters - the hero characters the game developers created as examples - are super diverse. All ages, genders, and yes, even sexual orientations. You see females excelling in roles that would normally be filled by males - classes and roles defined by strength and martial skill. So in short, the game itself is inviting and inclusive

At the (game) table: 
Now, players tend to draw inspiration from a myriad of other fantasy/sci fi works - be it a futuristic space westerns like Firefly, urban fantasy like the Dresden Files or the Anita Blake series, or classics like Lord of the Rings - when they create their characters.

For my character in this game, I drew on several characters I've seen in various fantasy and sci-fi. I created a character that was alluring and charming, who uses her upper class station, Elven exoticism, education, and beauty as weapons. And if those fail, her skill with enchantment magic will turn most most enemies her friend. Why engage in a sword fight when you can convince your opponent to merely lay down their weapons?

The character is working out the way I'd intended. She's a wizard, wielding magic with subtlety and grace, specializing in the kind of magic that makes people want to be her friend, friends who were more than willing to do a favor if she asks. She charmed a guard into giving her information; she charmed a pirate captain into giving the group passage on his ship to a place that was kinda on his way. She failed to magically charm a lord, but she managed to talk her way out of a sticky situation and turn it into an opportunity for a win-win.

Now, during the last few times when my character used magic to charm a person, she's also flirty. The DM questions how far I was willing to take the character ie. was she going to seduce a guy to get what she wants? The answer every time he'd asked was, "depends on how attractive the guy is." The character is open to sexual encounters, but she is selective. And she has means to dissuade pushy suitors. As it stands, the character hasn't done anything beyond flirting.

But the latest interaction from the group went like this:

Me: "I'm going to talk to some ship's captains, see if I can secure passage, possibly at a discount."
DM: "Are you going to charm him?"
Me: "Only if I really need to." 
Player 1: "Man, she certainly gets around." 
Player 2: "She's in heat again?! I thought elves' cycles were much longer since they live so long."
Player 3: [something quippy that I can't remember since I was getting mad.] 
Me to player 1: "Wait a minute. Do you sleep with every stranger that you talk to? Why would you think I do?" 
Player 1: (jokingly) "YES!" (laughs it off) 

Somehow, we moved on from the topic, getting back to the game, but the experience was unsettling. Here were guys slut shaming (out of character) a character that have not initiated or accepted any kind of sexual relationship in the game. The only thing that is different about this character from my other characters is that she uses her beauty and charm as power in both a literal and metaphorical sense. She's exhibiting female power rather than pursuing a more acceptable, traditionally masculine form of power. In the other games, where my character becomes involved in a romantic relationships - (romance and love being an acceptable and chaste form of female sexual expression) - no one blinks an eye. (It's also possible that those players were way more mature.)

Now, one might be able to argue that the shaming, the derogatory comments, was aimed at my character, not at me. Here's the kicker. It's my character and I'm the driving force of my character's behavior, actions, and decisions. Slut shaming in general, is NOT ok, whether it's projected at a player and live person or a fictional character.

Now, is there a time when slut shaming serves a purpose? Yes. In Firefly, Malcom Reynolds slut shames Inara all the time, calling her a whore. However, in the setting, it is Inara that has the power. Her profession as a Companion is a legitimate one where she has power and control. They've established that Inara doing business with Mal and his crew if in their benefit as her station gives them legitimacy, a good cover for their less-than-lawful endeavors. When Mal slut shames Inara, the audience can see that his comments stem from a place of insecurity and jealousy coupled with a need to emotionally distance himself from her. Additionally, no one on his crew shares the same view. He's being jerk on purpose and everyone knows that his slut shaming comments are out of line. It serves a purpose in establishing how that setting is different than the world we know and it establishes context for their characters' relationship with each other.

Now, relating it to writing - there are few examples that I can remember of a "strong female character" or a powerful female protagonist that unshamefully uses her body and beauty as a powerful tool. More commonly, you see a "good strong female" character take on the mantles of power and leadership by being a warrior woman. The villainess is the one who is wicked; who shows her wickedness through her sensuality and sexuality. A seductress, a monster that exploits the weakness of men - their desire.

Some fantasy writers are overt. I believe in Wheel of Time, only women can wield magic without going insane. In Anne Bishop's Dark Jewels series, the setting is compelling because it's a Matriarchal society - queens wield the most powerful magic and ruled. But Bishop's setting in the series is intentionally subversive where darkness is good and light is considered evil, wicked, or weak. But in these series, power is literal.

So I'm posing this question to the rest of you  - in your creative works, how much does gender play in pushing the story? How much does gender and sexuality influence power and the type of power in your setting?

On Race

The other day, as I was working on the novel, I was debating on the merits of including race - Elves, dwarves, snake people, etc that are are human-like, very Tolkien and D&D. Yesterday, I read a blog post by a fellow Fantasy author, Marshal Ryan Maresca, talking about the difficulties of including race in fantasy and sci-fi. But it's not your typical Fantasy Race distinctions, but Race as subcatagories of humans. 

In his post, he only touched upon the topic in terms of clarity and description, avoiding the deep-seeded cultural, societal, and emotional baggage that comes with Race and Race issues.   He goes on and describes two characters in an exercise to describe racial traits... and I immediately saw a reinforcement of American societal "norms" in terms of race - the light skinned, light haired, light eyed character gets an easier time because he can pass for "local." To that, I'd like to point you to the follow YouTube satire that captures the sentiment of race/ethnicity and "local normal" sentiments.

And then there was racist, vitriolic reaction when Miss New York, a woman of Indian descent who was born in the US and grew up in New York, won the Miss America 2014 title. Many of the people who were outraged felt that Miss Kansas - tattooed blond beauty who is in the National Guard and hunts is more representative of "American" than the dark-skinned "foreigner."

So, authors, when you're considering race in your work, take a deep pause and research the loaded history of racism and ask yourself if you want to give your world that amount of cultural depth. If you are writing a world where race doesn't matter anymore, take an example from Suzanne Collins. She did a really good job of it in Hunger Games when Katniss meets and describes the District 11 tributes - Rue and Thresh, who are black. But even though you describe a character as dark skinned, your readers my picture the character totally unlike how you pictured her, as evident by the racist reaction to how Rue was cast in the movie. 

Also, writers, be cognizant of your word choice and connotation when describing physical features that has racial tones.  You may be reinforcing racial "norms" of your society, undercutting it (what if dark-skinned was the norm and light-skinned was the "other"?), or attempting to show that race is no longer an issue for a culture/society (often seen in "future" settings).

Writers, ask yourself - what purpose does race have in my work? If I have race, do I need to include racism and what purpose does it have in my world?


Here's more food for thought -

 What if Captain America was a Sikh man?

How do you deal with race in your work? Do all Humans look the same? Do all Humans enjoy the same ranks/privileges, etc despite the differences in their physical features? Does the racial norms, hierarchies, and [insert colored/racial majority here] privilege exist? How do you react as a reader when you see it in others' works?

On the Strong Female Character

I just read an article where an author explained why she hated the Strong Female Character. In her article, she talks specifically about the SFC as portrayed in movies, but the arguments translate into story writing in general -

The Strong Female Character falls into one or more of these pit traps:

• many times one dimensional
• is also the token female
• easily becomes a caricature of "strength"
• is still marginalized in the big picture
• is an exception rather than the norm, subtly reinforcing sexism. 
• is still delegated to the role of male main's love interest
• still needs to be rescued

The main characters that we know and love are not merely Strong. They are complex and dimensional.

While the author, Sophia McDougal, writes about the many examples of where the SFC just doesn't work, I'd like to take the time to show examples of how some authors/writers/producers/directors did it right.

Joss Whedon's Firefly series:
The SFC isn't extraordinary, but the norm in the society. The ratio of female to male characters - 4:5
All of the female characters are multi-dimensional and strong in their own way.

• Kaylee - the best mechanic one can find. She's essentially a savant when it comes to ships and engines, but she's a girly girl at heart and painfully shy. She's portrayed as emotionally vulnerable and has a crush on a man that is emotionally unavailable. 
• Zoe: Tough-as-nails second in command. Super loyal and is a soldier who managed to survive a war where she's seen many of her friends killed. She follows orders, even if it's against her better judgement. Very calm, clear headed and methodical. There's a softness in her character that is hinted at since she's married to Wash. He serves as reminder that there is a certain amount of depth to Zoe that we don't normally see since the rest of the crew (and the audience) sees her hardened exterior 90% of the time. 
• Inara: A professional Companion (think Geisha), she's the epitome of willowy strength. She leases one of the Serenty's shuttles and take occasionally takes on clients (done off screen) as part of her trade. She's part of the Serenity, but is independent of her crew, giving them a veneer of credibility. Her strength is in her business reputation, her savvy, and her diplomatic skills. In the few episodes that she holds the spotlight, she was the one who saved the rest of the party from getting conned - proof that you don't need to wield a weapon or throw a punch to be strong (although she does have some combat training, going by one episode). 
• River: She's mentally unstable and is a victim. She's the most overt character that needs to be "saved" in the series, but she does her own share of saving, displaying combat prowess and some psychic ability.  

TL;DR Version: The writers developed the female characters as much as they did for the male characters. Every person has strengths, weaknesses, and flaws. That coupled with a checkered past makes good, interesting characters.

Novels with a well developed (not just "strong") female protagonist:

 The In Death Series by J.D. Robb
Not only does if feature a multi-dimensional female protagonist, there's a kick-ass female side-kick and female supporting characters.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Again, female characters with depth and dimension

What series - be it book, movie, or TV show - can you recall that has a great female characters that are just a great characters in their own right?

On Gender

I love a strong female character, specifically, a strong female protagonist. Even better when that female protagonist breaks gender roles. One of the best examples of strong females in a gender-role bending fantasy world is the Dark Jewels series by Anne Bishop. Queens rule and women automatically wield more power then men. Yet, Bishop manages to balance societal the role-reversals without compromising the masculinity and femininity of the male and female characters respectively.

My favorite Greek classic? Antigone, of course. A woman who stands up against the authority of the house patriarch and the head of state.  I've also been fascinated by the accounts of female pharaohs and the Queens that were the heads of state. 

Female rulers were not unheard of, but were rare. And most of the time, that rulership came with a caveat - acting Regent until the Crown Prince comes of age, or only succeeded to the throne if there were no sons in the family. Even Queen Elizabeth I kept her reign for as long as she did due to her refusal to marry and was lauded as "The Virgin Queen." 

A writer in one of the communities I belong to posed a question to the group. He was changing the gender of one of his characters from male to female. And due to this, came across a stumbling block in a line of dialog where the character references male genitalia in a nearly crude way. This got me to thinking about gender and its place in a fantasy world. I passed along the questions I'd asked myself when I was world building. 

How is gender treated in your world? Does a female warrior have something to prove? If it is rare enough that she is the only female in the group... does she constantly have to prove herself? Is she the only female in a unit? Squad? Platoon? In the entire army? Does she sleep in the barracks with the men or does she get her own quarters? Are there traditional gender roles and this character breaks that mold? If there are female warriors, fighters, mercenaries and knights, are their also male servants? Male servants to female gentiles (in lieu of handmaids) or without the need to make those males into eunuchs? Are you in a patriarchal society? Matriarchal? Is it taboo for a woman to lead her house? Are masculine women part of the norm? Are there feminine heterosexual men that are part of the norm? Can a woman legally have property or does her property become her husband's when she marries? Is female virginity sacred? 

The gender of a character is really touchy. Keep in mind that gender equality is not the same as gender neutral. If a female character acts exactly as a male character would, she might come off as "butch."  If we make the assumption that gender in the fictional world is similar to modern gender roles... A male character has male privilege. There are some things that are assumed that a man can do and a woman needs to work doubly hard to prove herself "in a man's world." You'd rarely see a man work doubly hard to prove himself in a "woman's world." Hell, sometimes, a male has to defend his masculinity if he wants to delve into an area that is considered to be a "woman's" domain. 

What are your thoughts on gender roles, masculinity, and femininity in fantasy and sci-fi? What is the norm in your world?