31 Day Challenge: The Legion, Day 12: Themes

Sorry this is so late, you guys, but I have been exceptionally sick the past few days. I don't necessarily think it's the flu, but ugh, I feel absolutely awful. I'm going to try and get caught up today, but if I don't ... well, apologies.

Anyway, I know I said on the last challenge that I liked the novella series format because you can explore a lot of different themes that you might not be able to do in a novel due to the length, and I stand by that. In The Legion, I want to be as diverse and progressive as Brooklyn 99*, as epic in scope as Battlestar Galactica, and as deeply engrossing as Mass Effect. I want to discuss divisive issues like consent and homelessness, sexuality and revenge, sacrifice and love. I have a big task ahead of me, but it is something I feel compelled to do.

Apparently, I'm going to be singing the same tune I was at the beginning of the challenge because I can't get too specific about the different themes because of spoilers, but I can at least talk about the first arc in a bit of detail, since it's not too deep into spoiler territory.

The first arc deals primarily with the past, how it affects the present, and how we (well, the characters) handle the two. Ezboyar is definitely a selfish villain from the moment he's introduced, but you can understand why he's doing what he's doing, even if you don't agree with his methods. His people, the Fortulans, were exiled nearly two thousand years prior to the story, and he feels that they have atoned for too long, living in an untamed wilderness that has claimed many of his brethren. Ren's arc is more about what happens when you put trauma on the back burner: it comes up in weird, unpredictable ways, and more often than not, the universe forces you to face it in a ridiculously brutal manner. Her story, while separate obviously, is deeply intertwined with Annick's, who is, upon joining the main cast, suddenly thrust into dealing with the trauma of abuse immediately after leaving it. Both women bond in a way that I've found women do when have a shared experience, even if it isn't identical, and honestly, it's one of my favorite parts of the first arc.

The majority of my main characters are people of color or non-human, so race and ethnic identity plays a big role throughout the entire series and not just the first arc. Ren has to hide the fact she's Bekamese by wrapping her hair or dying it black to match other Southeastern groups; Tremany, a Kuwahine, is consistently distrusted since he is not human (and the Kuwahine are notoriously secretive); and Koca is frequently passed over for work because she is from Claudi. Tulay-brin rarely if ever leaves the Barbary, and while a big part of that is due to worries that he'll be spotted by some of his old not-so-law-abiding contacts - of which there are many - there is much prejudice against his home city-state, Souk Ahras, as a den of criminals and ne'er-do-wells. Mason, on the other hand, willingly leaves behind his rather cushy life in the entourage of a Forsithan duchess and, prior to that, a son of a wealthy Moneterasian, after realizing he wanted to make an actual difference in the world. Granted, his idealistic, naive viewpoint** is quickly dashed, and he's forced to look directly at how privileged his life has been up until then. Basically, his past position means jack shit outside of his former social sphere, and he's surprised that not everyone has the same outlook as he does.

For the first arc, I didn't want to get too many themes going on, but I did sprinkle in a few other ones that I expand upon in later arcs: the meaning of adulthood, responsibility vs. duty, the effect of war/constant battle on a person's psyche, etc. It is a shorter arc than the other four, so it would be a little overwhelming to go into too many. Plus, I'd spoil quite a bit more of the story if I did that, so ...

Anyway, I think that's about it for today. I'll try to get more of these done tomorrow, because yay! I'm getting into the characters, and you can actually start to understand the stuff I've been mentioning in this post. Maybe I shouldn't have brought those up just yet. Oh, well. I'm sick, and true story was hallucinating (due to a fever of 102) last night that Ramses (a cat, for those of you who don't know) was a puppy.

< DAY ELEVEN: NOVEL V. NOVELLA

DAY THIRTEEN: REN WINDE

BACK TO CHALLENGE

* This has quickly become my new favorite show. Ever. I love it so so so so much. I mean, it'll probably not ever replace Parks and Rec, but at least I will get new episodes. Plus, I am so happy that Stephanie Beatriz's Rosa Diaz is a canon bisexual (as is the actress), and honestly, I should stop there because I am about to go on a happy rant.
** I really didn't want him to be like Piper Chapman on Orange Is the New Black, the white person designed to bring in primarily a white audience and get us invested into the (way more interesting) stories and lives of POC. Since he's secondary to Ren, a woman of color, I don't believe he falls into that category, but he is definitely the person that the other characters have to explain things to.