For all my talk about nonhuman characters, I really am lacking in putting them in a main character role. The slideshow has everyone that is a nonhuman hero. I could count Timoran Wrath since barbarians are an odd off-shoot of humans, but that’s a gray area that is up for debate. I’ll explain more on that some day when I get a solid hold on it myself. There’s also . . . . . that’s a spoiler. In the end, I really don’t have many nonhuman heroes. None in the elf or dwarf category since Aedyn, Luke, and Nyx are all half-elves. Why is that?
The biggest flaw in Legends of Windemere is . . . No, it’s not the present tense third person style. I can see the hands in the back and I’ll have the troll bouncer come over there to explain more about that. It’s that this series is based loosely on a game and I still talk to several of the former players. Aside from Fritz Warrenberg and Nimby, everyone was some type of human or half-human. It was done primarily for stats and because of how the system works, but that’s how it came out. I do feel a little ‘stuck’ on that end since I don’t want to change a lot about the physical side of them. Yes, I can alter personalities, skills, events, and other aspects to fit a book. Yet, the way the characters look is hard to mess around with and not have to apologize. To date, there are only three changes that have taken place:
- Sari has blue hair instead of black like in the game.
- Nyx was made an A/small B-cup, which real Nyx is still scowling about.
- Nyx gets a short haircut due to an incident in one of the books. Real Nyx is actually angrier about this one than the previous one.
None of that has to do with fantasy races and I’m hard-pressed to do any switches within the champions considering they were other players. So I have to utilize the supporting cast for this, which is where Isaiah the Fireskin, Lord Highrider the Half-Orc, and Duggan Ironcaster the Dwarf turn up. It’ll be when I finish Legends of Windemere and move on to other series that I’ll be able to flex the races some more. You can see the others that I can bring into the forefront too.
I might always slip into humans though because they still seem to have the widest range of the species. In reality, humans have proven to find ways to survive in various environments. That’s why they turn into the cockroaches of fantasy races. They’re found on islands, plains, deserts, mountains, and wherever they can build a shelter. Meanwhile, the other races seem designated to specific regions. That versatility is what makes humans so appealing too because they have no standard magic or physical limitations. So, that’s pretty much where I stand. I’m still going to have a few stories where non-human characters are the focal point. I delve into the vampires once I’m done with this series, which will be interesting.
I’ll end on an odd question: what nonhuman race would you like to see get a turn at main hero of a story? I’m going with gnome.
Legends of Windemere 
Let me get back to you on the question. Since I have no knowledge of D&D, I am not bothered by a “total human” (full of half) cast. I need to learn so much more.
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I don’t think people even really pick up on it for some reason. Many fantasy stories focus on the action of humans with the other races in the background. Maybe it’s just how we’re hardwired.
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You assume I’m a human when you say “we.”
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Yes, but I’ve been wrong before. 😀
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I just released one where dwarves are center stage. There are many races, but very few humans with speaking roles.
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Ah, if only all humans were quiet. 😛 That is really cool that humans take a backseat.
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I just hope the readers think it’s cool. I like non-human characters. That’s why I wrote my first one with a robot main character. It was a great opportunity to explore being the outsider.
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I think you’ll be fine. As long as the story is well-written and inviting, people will love it. 🙂
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They make me happy. I really like non-human characters. You get conflict built in from the get go. The weird part is you then have to “humanize” them somehow, so readers can relate.
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It’s funny how we associate a wide range of emotions and social situations to being ‘human’. As if any other species that reaches our level of civilization would act any different. 🙂
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It has to be done. Our readers are all human, and we have to give them something they can understand. I don’t care if it’s Watership Downs, we have to relate to the characters through human eyes.
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I agree. That’s why it does get weird when I hear people complaining about the humanization of things. If there’s no human emotion in a story then how exactly are we supposed to connect. I’m sure it could be done, but it would really limit the stories you can tell.
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I don’t get some of those things either. Scifi fans sometimes rant because all the aliens look like something from Earth. It’s easier to say it looks reptilian than spend 25 pages describing it.
Regarding the emotions, I don’t know if it could be done. I’m not going to pioneer this approach. Little purple space globs still need to be relayed in such a way the readers will root for them.
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Good point. We have to operate in the human language, so we’ll take words that make things easier. I wonder if some people expect more from books since you can create a clearer picture through video.
I think we should leave the non-emotion pioneering to others. Like you, I don’t want to attempt it.
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Ha, hey, no, I have gnomes! Though I haven’t made any gnome into a main character yet, so gnome is probably a good choice~ xD
I really enjoy tiefling-like races, but rarely see them as MCs in general fantasy beyond D&D novels like Brimstone Angels… and well, Gargoyles, I suppose.
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I left D&D before Tieflings became a big thing. I remember one player used one in a game and I wasn’t that impressed. Might have been more of the ‘demonic’ attitude that was pushed.
I don’t know where it happened with the Windemere gnomes. They started with only one character and then I began playing with the species. Now I can’t wait for when I can use them in a story because they bring a unique humor and intelligence to the world. Kind of shows that Windemere might be on the edge of a technological revolution.
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I’ve played a Tiefling a couple times and enjoyed it, but then again, I tend to like demonic attitudes so….. hurr. But really, it’s probably the horns, tail and hooves that get me, so distinctively non-human in appearance.
It sounds like having a gnome main character would be a good addition to your world’s story. 🙂
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It’s kind of funny since I’m just starting to look into my notes on a half-demon for a future series/one-shot. I’ve yet to figure out the actual story around this character, which is probably something I should do before I go any further.
The horns and tail are definitely cool. Not so sure about the hooves. I have wide feet, so it’s already so hard to find decent shoes. 😀
I’m sure the gnome hero will turn up at some point. I can’t fit one into this series, but there’s about 30 other stories in Windemere for me to work with.
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Wait. There are humans in Windemere? I hadn’t noticed. 😉
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Just a few, but they’ve had their shots. Mostly around the head.
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Sometimes it’s better to have no shot at all…
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That’s when you have a beer. 😀
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Fascinating. I thought humans were the cockroaches of fantasy worlds because all other species are so much slower to procreate.
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I think you’re on to something there. Never an explanation as to why that happens with the other species. Except Orcs appear to spawn a new, battle ready generation every week.
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True, Orcs and goblins seem to be the exception. But don’t get me started on Elves… They’re worse than Vulcans, and they only mate every 7 years.
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Wonder who made that rule. Seems so odd.
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Yeah, definitely not one of my best rules 😉
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I never really considered making different gestation/breeding times for the various species. Seemed like something that wouldn’t really come up in the story. Though I do have notes on one because it might come up later.
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And yet, if you check out nature, most species only mate at specific times/intervals. We’re the sex machines of the animal kingdom! 😀
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Makes one think we were meant to be prey animals. The eternal breeding season would help with survival.
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Nah, surely we could fight off sabertooth tigers with our mighty claws, right?
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Of course . . . though we can’t even defeat the mighty pickle jar some days.
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I hate them treacherous jars… They can be deceptively slippery!
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Born from the 3rd circle of mildly inconvenient Hell.
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Reigned over by the Prince of White Lies.
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