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mark_asphodelI think I said a while back that Cain was supposed to be the main figure in the "Unified Kingdom" project, but I finished and published the Abel stories and some sidebar miscellany first, so my assertion probably didn't make much sense.
Here. Proof I'm not making things up like a bad hand-waving author.
"Another Piece of Blue" (title inspired by the Boomtown Rats) was intended as a one-shot, but it got pretty lengthy so I'm breaking it into more manageable chunks. Apparently people don't like reading 12K words in one go. Anyway, it shows Cain immediately after the War of Heroes-- shaken up, disillusioned, and doing his best to live up to his own expectations of knighthood as life (and his lord) continually jerks the rug out from under him.
Word about characterization. Cain has a misogynistic slant in this-- not in an evil or vicious way, but more in a Sir-Bors-the-Younger philosophical way. Archanea is not the land of women's lib, and anyone living in that world would pick up on that mentality. Cain's own particular mental quirks should be apparent as the story progresses. You may be bothered by it if you expect all your favorite characters to live up to twenty-first century Western ideals, so consider this fair warning.
Here. Proof I'm not making things up like a bad hand-waving author.
"Another Piece of Blue" (title inspired by the Boomtown Rats) was intended as a one-shot, but it got pretty lengthy so I'm breaking it into more manageable chunks. Apparently people don't like reading 12K words in one go. Anyway, it shows Cain immediately after the War of Heroes-- shaken up, disillusioned, and doing his best to live up to his own expectations of knighthood as life (and his lord) continually jerks the rug out from under him.
Word about characterization. Cain has a misogynistic slant in this-- not in an evil or vicious way, but more in a Sir-Bors-the-Younger philosophical way. Archanea is not the land of women's lib, and anyone living in that world would pick up on that mentality. Cain's own particular mental quirks should be apparent as the story progresses. You may be bothered by it if you expect all your favorite characters to live up to twenty-first century Western ideals, so consider this fair warning.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-05 03:02 am (UTC)Mm, I think of it as more Cain expressing the prevailing view. In their world, I'd think the uxorious Abel would be an oddball-- especially among knights, as opposed to mage-types like Merric (who has plenty of "effeminate" traits to go along with his adoration of Elice). Women are pretty clearly expected to put down the lance and hit the kitchen when they get married, and the very fact that Abel and his wife fight alongside one another only leads to disaster. If I spent more time writing characters like the Axe Brothers of Talys, or the old-school Archanean knights, or even someone like Arran, the misogyny would be even more pronounced (though possibly concealed behind courtly euphemisms). But I've been writing the oddballs-- unconventional George, the aforementioned Merric and Abel, and the fair ladies themselves, so my attempt at writing Cain would be the first time that mentality really comes across directly.
so attributing it just to Cain could make him simply look like an ass
Not my intention, and I hope it doesn't come across that way.
Assuming that you aren't so angry with me by this point that you never wish to hear from me again.
Nah, not angry in the least. I welcome dialogue over character interpretation. I try to write the characters respectfully, but even so there will come a day when I cross lines and start to alienate readers (probably about two-thirds of the way through "No Saint to Follow," or maybe chapter three of "Interregnum"). I think that warning readers about every potential pairing and plot point is kind of silly, but people do have their own boundaries and I try to warn people about things they might find legitimately upsetting (like the incest in "The Golden Age"). All the same, if people who have previously liked my stories start getting turned off by things I'm doing, I do want to hear about it.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-05 05:34 pm (UTC)George comes across poorly in Shadow Dragon, I agree. FE3 and the designers' notes give him the depth and appeal he has. But, given his backstory, he would seem to be the kind of person to denigrate a large swathe of society-- nobles in particular, empty-headed golddiggers and all. And that kind of class bias can be just as irrational as gender bias.
And, to be honest, if it was a "trait of the times," I would still have expected it to show up in Marth, Abel, Merric, and Jeorge to some extent
Mm, I'd say the gender bias undercurrent is there in "Distant Light" (both in the chapter that's posted and the two I'm still polishing). And many, many characters display a negativity toward the Macedonians that stems, in part, from the simple fact that the Macedonian army is largely composed of young girls in short skirts. I don't know; I've thought that I've been pretty blunt about the bigoted nature of the Archanean world in my writings, but there can certainly be a disconnect between what an writer intends and what a reader gets out of it.
Cain's closing comment isn't nice, but neither are the facts on the ground in FE3: half a dozen virtuous and capable women hand over all authority to a teenaged boy because he'll be better at their jobs than they could ever be. Given that situation, some doubt in the equality of females when it comes to the civic/military sphere is, in my opinion, understandable. Females are allowed to exist on a pedestal of spiritual authority, where they can care for orphans or play some other nurturing role, but they don't get to rule. That I have Cain expressing that particular doubt isn't intended as a slight against him so much as it expresses the extent to which he's engaged in that civic/military sphere (whereas Abel divorces himself from it and gives in to more private obsessions).
They also live in a society that decries rape but tolerates it as long as the perpetrator is high-ranking enough (Jiol, Lang and friends). It's just not a very nice place overall, and I'd rather confront that tension than shy away from it.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-06 04:46 am (UTC)I'll stop bothering you now.
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Date: 2010-02-07 04:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 05:02 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to the next update.