Miserable Mixed Characters: Sexytimes With the Other, Part III
Assuming the couple from the past two posts gets down to humping (rather than longing looks and maybe some handholding), the result may be a mixed-race kid. I say mixed-race because it's the only variant of this trope I've seen played out in a prescribed way, perhaps because of the obsession with race in American culture and the prevalence of US media.
The mixed-race character follows one of two types. First is the 'blink-and-you-miss-it' mixed heritage, which is common in urban fantasy heroines. Their background is brought up once or twice to give them 'cred' about some issue, establish them as a cool outsider, and maybe stir up some conflict with another character, conveniently establishing that character as the designated bad guy. The heroine's identity doesn't get explored, or if it does the exploration is dropped or doesn't go beyond the maladjusted stereotype described below.
The more common version is the Multiracial and Maladjusted in which the character is treated poorly by both sides of the family due to their heritage, and also outcast by society. This is so common, particularly in American works, that the trope even has it's own Wikipedia page. In older stories, or stories set in an earlier era, the conflict is mostly external. More modern works like to play up the identity-related angst. But the bottom line is that the character is not shown to be well-adjusted and accepted by both cultures.
There's a lot to explore when you're writing multiracial characters, so you're cheating both the story and the audience by wearing down the same old grooves instead of exploring this particular character's life. Show how they integrate their mixed heritage, or how they feel if they identify with one more than the other. Maybe it's a non-issue in some situations and a problem in others. Maybe their siblings have a different perspective. Let the complexity build, and you'll get a much more interesting character.
The mixed-race character follows one of two types. First is the 'blink-and-you-miss-it' mixed heritage, which is common in urban fantasy heroines. Their background is brought up once or twice to give them 'cred' about some issue, establish them as a cool outsider, and maybe stir up some conflict with another character, conveniently establishing that character as the designated bad guy. The heroine's identity doesn't get explored, or if it does the exploration is dropped or doesn't go beyond the maladjusted stereotype described below.
The more common version is the Multiracial and Maladjusted in which the character is treated poorly by both sides of the family due to their heritage, and also outcast by society. This is so common, particularly in American works, that the trope even has it's own Wikipedia page. In older stories, or stories set in an earlier era, the conflict is mostly external. More modern works like to play up the identity-related angst. But the bottom line is that the character is not shown to be well-adjusted and accepted by both cultures.
There's a lot to explore when you're writing multiracial characters, so you're cheating both the story and the audience by wearing down the same old grooves instead of exploring this particular character's life. Show how they integrate their mixed heritage, or how they feel if they identify with one more than the other. Maybe it's a non-issue in some situations and a problem in others. Maybe their siblings have a different perspective. Let the complexity build, and you'll get a much more interesting character.
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