Randy Ellefson's Blog, page 37

What Are Your Species’ Customs?

Inventing customs, or leveraging Earth analogues, can help bring a species to life. Greetings, farewells, dining, and spiritual habits are all good subjects that will figure in our storytelling. Differences between this species and others can cause a misunderstanding, which has often been done in the Star Trek (italics) universe to the point of being a cliché, but it still affords us a chance to question human assumptions, which can in turn enlighten our audience. This is an opportunity to explore options other than those we’ve grown up with.

Actual customs can include shaking hands, holding doors for people, and ceremonies about birth, death, burial, weddings, and divorce. In a warlike story, soldiers might have customs regarding leaving their family, starting service, going into battle, mourning a comrade, and bringing a body home. Religion almost always has a number of customs associated with it.

This subject will be revisited in more depth in Cultures and Beyond, (The Art of World Building, #3).

What Languages Do Your Species Speak?

http://www.books2read.com/creatinglife

Knowing which languages our species can speak, read, and write can add dynamics to our stories and worlds. Don’t overlook this valuable knowledge.

What Is Your Species’ Society Like?

What kinds of government does the species typically have? Monarchies, dictatorships, or republics? These are discussed more in Creating Places (The Art of World Building, #2), but those are three of the big ones that can imply levels of sophistication and concern with what we’d call human rights. A society where people can vote government officials in and out of office is markedly different from one where people are executed for dissension. Get a feel for this now and flesh it out later; each of those sovereign power types has varieties we’ll examine in Volume 2.

Do your species marry? Do they ever divorce? Their religion might forbid or allow this. There was a time on Earth when the former was expected quite young and the latter almost never happened; we can assign one pair of viewpoints to one species and the reverse to another (having a reason is always a plus, and in a world where armed conflict is common, war can be that justification for either). Are big families the norm or does no one care much about their family? Perhaps they’re more like animals in that young are born, raised a few years, and then go on their way, never reuniting. Maybe a child is reared by the whole community and they honor their parents but don’t live with them for long. Or maybe they never move out and a home and business is passed down generation after generation.

In modern times, some parts of the world allow some gay marriage, but what about our species’ typical society? Is it okay, a crime, or somewhere in between? Do they have abortion? Is abortion government sanctioned and paid for by health care? Are weapons allowed or forbidden? How sophisticated are laws and criminals? This list could go on for forever and we needn’t invent everything or we’ll never have a life, so choose what you might want to comment on. You can always add to it later.

Our species’ habitat will affect their society. A forest-preferring species will likely love plants and woodland animals. A sea-dwelling species is the same for sea life. They might have less contact with other species, being more innocent, ignorant of their evils, and trusting; this might be true of an underground species. A flying species likely has more contact with everyone and is very social, maybe acting as messengers or scouts in human society. These will affect society and the overall outlook of a species.

What is Your Species’ World View?

One challenge of creating humanoid species is that there’s only one here on Earth and we tend to conceptualize invented ones that aren’t much different from us. This is natural but maybe not ideal. Many aspects of humanity are taken for granted but can be questioned, turned on their head, and varied to create a world view different from all of humanity, not just one human civilization. We can look to different cultures for inspiration and will do so in Cultures and Beyond, (The Art of World Building, #3). If we want to comment on human assumptions, this affords a great opportunity, especially when human characters on our world encounter our species; it’s been noted that fantasy in particular tends to be based on a European model of civilization. The humans are seemingly transplanted from Britain.

To create a different world view, we should avoid having characters react in ways that are identical to humans. While that’s a storytelling issue, its roots lie in species conception, or a lack thereof. If we accept that humans are prone to jealousy, and that’s how we envision a human character reacting, this can be fine, but if we give an identical reaction to a species that’s supposed to be different, this seems like a poor concept. We should question stereotypical reactions of humanity and possibly not give them to our characters at all, not to mention characters of different species.

A good example of this is Spock from Star Trek. He reacts differently than the human crew members to almost everything. It often drives ship mates crazy. He gets misunderstood, some calling him arrogant, cold, or worse. It hurts his badly suppressed feelings. It’s as much a species clash as a cultural one. The judgmental aspect of humanity goes on display as they vilify a guy they’re trying to make sense of, making the human failing of trying to understand another species in human terms.

Decide what your species is like in broad terms. How do they view themselves vs. other species? What is their imagined place in the world? Do others disagree with it? Are they peaceful or a threat to be reckoned with? Do they keep to themselves or travel extensively, and why? What is their reputation? Do they jump to conclusions? Do they react emotionally? Do they trust emotion more than logic, which is viewed with suspicion? Do they take offense at stupid things or overlook them? For all of these things, are they worse or better about it than us? Try not to just make them the same because you haven’t thought about it. Make a list of all the stupid aspects of humanity that you’ve experienced or witnessed (even if it’s just in a story), and then figure out how your species would react instead.

Here’s an example of the sort of things you might want to write: Diaden see other species as weak both physically and in ability to pursue and realize goals. This has made them disdainful and snobby. Worse, it makes them routinely conquer other species in a belief that it’s their job to lead others to a better life. “An unarmed Diaden is a dead one,” they’re proud of saying, as they’re always prepared for battle and put up a terrible fuss if a city has an ordinance against openly carrying weapons, in which case they’ll surrender theirs only because more are hidden on them. They disrespect ideas that go against their own. They practice “a good offense is the best defense.” Most other species find them pushy, warlike, and confrontational. They seldom have friends among other species, and humans in particular are thought to be evil, for lack of a better word, if keeping company with Diaden.

What Are Your Races’ Characteristics?

Anyone familiar with gaming systems has seen a list of characteristics like intelligence, wisdom, charisma, strength, constitution, agility, dexterity, and morale. Each will have a number from one to ten, for example, and a species is rated in each category. The numbering isn’t needed for authors, but assigning one can tell us at a glance what we’re thinking. We only need a few sentences about each trait and these can be things we never tell our audience. The exercise gets us thinking, and as we write it down, more ideas can occur to us. This example, invented on the fly, demonstrates the kind of work that will be useful to do:

“They aren’t the smartest species, having no formal schooling and only learning by word of mouth; their grasp of history is poor. Their street smarts are better, as they can read situations, learning from experience. They lack wisdom, being unable to realize consequences until learning them the hard way. They also don’t understand psychology except for how to be menacing, and can be easily lured into traps. They lack charisma, their twisted minds being as repulsive as their bodies, though a certain gleam of excitement does come over them in battle, though only evil people find this attractive.

“Their strength is considerable, allowing them to wield two-handed swords with one hand without fatigue or loss of dexterity. Their constitutions are generally strong in that they have endurance, but they don’t heal well and catch sickness easily. Their agility is better than people expect, for they can jump farther and faster than anticipated, but they cannot do acrobatics due to their large size. Dexterity is excellent and they can not only fire all manner of bows with skill but are even gifted musicians, though their music is hideous to other species. Their morale is superior because they have little to no respect for life, whether theirs or someone else’s, and feel assured of their place in the afterlife, which is not to say they court death, but dying in battle is an honorable way to go.”

Who Are Your Species’ Gods?

We arguably need to invent gods before deciding which ones influence our species, but we can start with a general sense of a species disposition and then decide later which deities are likely on their minds. We can be predictable in this, such as deciding that a warlike species worships the god of war, and we likely need to do that, but we can also decide they worship less obvious gods. Maybe they love fate and worship that god, too, despite that god also being the god of truth and integrity, good qualities. This can suggest our species values honor in combat and doesn’t do things like stab an opponent in the back. Interpretation is where the fun lies. To think more “outside the box,” invent gods first and then your species, then assign them gods and find these conflicts you can resolve in ways that enrich a species.

An important consideration is whether the attributes of our gods influenced the resulting species and their outlook. This not only justifies many aspects but ties different creations together. It also allows us to leverage our existing work, such as the deities. If our gods are organized and those deity groups created a species, then perhaps that species is dominated by the character of those gods. The gods of deception, greed, jealousy, and fear might produce a very different species than the gods of truth, vitality, courage, and intuition. Those examples (daekais and karelia, respectively) are from my work on Llurien, a world with seven groups of gods and seven resulting species. A look at my approach with them on Llurien.com can provide ideas for your world.

What Kind of Clothes Does Your Species Wear?

http://www.books2read.com/creatinglife

The clothes and accessories our species wear can be used to characterize them in memorable ways. This section talked about this and is available in the book!

How Similar Should Your Species Be?

http://www.books2read.com/creatinglife

The pros and cons of having similar species/races are discussed so you can have more options, rather than restricting yourself by accident.

What Does Your Species/Race Body Look Like?

Humanoids

If our species is humanoid, our body design work is largely done. Areas needing description are mostly those of overall size, height, mass, and fitness standards. The prevalence of facial hair on males and average cleanliness of all genders can also characterize them, but these are partly cultural, too, and result from behaviors. A species that does messy work, like farming, might become less careful about cleanliness so that their slovenly appearance characterizes them. Deciding on some bodily issues can come before or after we form an impression of world view.

Females will be different from males in usually minor ways. Human females are more feminine than males (hence the word), but we can reverse this, making the females brutish and the males delicate; this will benefit from a good reason. Do females wear jewelry or otherwise try to appear more attractive to males, or is the species too brutish for that? Is mating like humans or do females go into heat like animals? Is there a mating season? Much of this is cultural.

Standards of beauty have changed in human history, with larger woman having been seen as better bearers of children long ago, but now thinner women are all the rage, so how are the females? Is it the women who pursue the males, who must try to attract them, and if so, what affect does this have on both genders physically? Making a humanoid body different from those of humans (in more than superficial ways) involves thinking about other aspects of their lives.

Size and mass influence not just strength and endurance, but capabilities. A species with hands that are much larger or smaller than humans will have trouble wielding weapons or using tools designed for us. If they aren’t sophisticated enough to invent their own, then is someone creating these for them? Do they just steal the items? Or do they capture people with the know-how to make them, then force these slaves to do that work?

Size also affects relationships with enemies and allies. If our species is three feet tall, do they just run away from something over six feet tall, or do they swarm while attacking? Have they developed great endurance from all that running or are they just faster than everything and then good at hiding? Being encumbered by possessions makes running harder, so do they travel light? Does another, taller species protect them? Is there a flying species who knows this running species will drop everything and flee, so they follow along hoping to pick up the discarded items, like carrion birds circling a battlefield? If they’re larger than everyone, are they fearless? Is that overconfidence that can be used against them?

In SF in particular, many aliens have skin like reptiles, not only with scales but similar coloring. This should have a biological basis, such as protection from the elements or predators. Making their skin poisonous is another option, which can introduce some cultural issues. They’d need to avoid touching humans, for example, and might be wearing gloves or other gear to protect others.

Non-Humanoid

If our species is not humanoid, basing it on an animal can help realize its body and avoid something unintentionally silly. Gigantism is an option but is arguably the least interesting because it’s a run of the mill creature except for its size. If we also modify our analogue, this is more attractive.

Combining features of animals and humanoids is benefited by having some understanding why an animal has a feature so we can decide if it makes sense for our species. If our species has a tail, what do they use it for? A weapon is a good answer; that suggests protecting their rear but that they might also be a predator and prey. Is the tail is long enough to strike forward? Can that tail sting? How venomous is it? How fast acting is the poison? If it’s designed to use against those with weapon skills and not just animals, a poison would be fast acting to neutralize a threat quickly, even if it sedates instead of kills. All of this is true of poisonous teeth and claws.

Research every feature to see why it exists. Why do turtles have shells? Why don’t snakes have legs? Tails are often for climbing, but clearly that’s not true for a horse. Horns and tusks are used for fighting and even digging in dirt. Coloring may be for camouflage or warning. Wings are obviously for flight, but there are flightless birds, so understand why that happens before inventing one; they typically exist on an island that has no predators, so creating a flightless bird that lives amid many predators doesn’t make sense unless it has developed another way of surviving, one that rendered their wings less important. Not only will a little research turn up useful info to make our creations better, but it can give us other ideas and enrich our life as we understand the world around us more.

What Does Your Species/Race’s Head Look Like?

Head

When creating a head, think about every last facial feature, as described next, but when describing a species to an audience, it’s often best to comment on the most important features rather than overwhelm with detail. It’s even better to do so while describing a character’s mood at the moment, as evidenced by the effect of that mood on those features.

Humanoids

Below are some features to write about and the options that are easiest to describe with a word that most will recognize; if we have to explain a facial feature too much, maybe it’s better to just go with something easier to envision and convey. An example of this problem is the word “monolid,” (listed below in text about eyes) because while we’ve all seen this, we’ve likely never heard the word.

Other names can be used in our files but not in our writing because they’re of Earth origin, like “Roman nose” or “Cupid’s bow,” unless Earth figures in our work; we’d need another name, but then no one will know what we’re talking about and we’ll have to describe it. To see images of many features listed, do an internet search.

Feature
Options


Face/jawline
round, oval, square, heart-shaped


Brow
prominent (often caused by deep set eyes) or shallow (monolid)


Eyebrows
rounded, arched (and to what degree), mono brow


Eyes
round, slanted, deep set, up/down turned (at the outside corner), wide/close set, hooded (as if hidden behind overhanging eyelids all the time), protruding (the opposite of hooded), and monolid (the opposite of deep set, where the brow appears less prominent, as in some Asians)


Iris
shape (vertical/horizontal slit, round, cat’s eye, crescent) and typical colors


Cheekbones
sunken/indented or high/prominent. Low is average and not typically mentioned


Nose
straight, long and wide (like blacks), hawkish, snub, thin and pointed, bulbous, upturned, aquiline, broad with large nostrils, and the basic large nose


Mouth
average, wide, small, full or thin lips (sometimes each is different), rounded/pointed/absent Cupid’s bow


Teeth
straight, crooked, missing, stained, pointed, serrated, poisonous, tiny, large, and multiple rows (like a shark)


Chin
protruding, cleft, thin and pointing, round, square, jutting, receding (i.e., almost no chin), and long (often points forward)

If you can’t draw, then your decisions may look different than you intended when someone like an artist you hire assembles them into a face. There are various games, such as Wii, or online tools that allow you to create a character or avatar that looks like you. You can experiment with these face generators to give you a head start on this. A quick Google search for face avatar generators turned up these free, online programs I experimented with:

Pimp the face: http://www.pimptheface.com/create/
Face your manga: http://www.faceyourmanga.com/editmangatar.php

The second allowed me to generate several images in a few fun minutes of poking around. While I wouldn’t use it in my work, it gives me a good reference image in my files and can be handed to an artist to draw something similar.

Non-Humanoids

The heads of non-humanoids can be based on animals or invented from scratch, but you’ll want an understanding of why a feature exists or it might not make sense. In a monster, an explanation isn’t necessary; after all, the creepiness of things that don’t make sense are part of why it’s a monster (the bizarre and nonsensical frightens). The bar is set higher for a species. We needn’t ever explain it, but having the species use the feature in a way that makes it clear there’s a rationale behind it helps us.

For example, sharks have jaws that can distend for a wider bite, with rows of replaceable, serrated teeth for ripping meat. If our species also eats something (on land?) raw and with high fat content (like a seal), then it might have this as well. If it eats a different prey, then it won’t. A crocodile drowns victims by holding them underwater, so it doesn’t need shearing teeth. Also, such teeth wouldn’t make sense if our species eats plants or cooks all meals.

Predators tend to have eyes facing forward, while prey tend to have them on the sides to see predators coming more easily (usually from behind). If our species is truly only prey and never predator, consider this option. Prey also tend to have ears that can independently swivel, but a hunter might also have this skill. A wet nose is designed to catch particles for dissolving and smelling, so if we say our species has a great sense of smell but don’t say they have a wet nose, that’s less believable, though most people won’t know that.