The worldbuilding in the epic fantasy world of Agos-agan, which is the world of both Annals of the Bitch Queen and The Agartes Epilogues, is heavily inspired by my own culture. And one of the things I wanted to write about is the matriarchal flavour of many of the societies in it, which sets them apart from the typical “subservient women” stereotypes of Asian culture. So in my worldbuilding, you are going to see women warriors, and scholars, and politicians. Women in high positions who are respected. Women who are feared.
This isn’t anything done to make a point. I’m portraying certain societies in these epic fantasy worlds as realistically as I’ve come to know them (which is a very common argument I’ve heard in some circles. Portray them realistically! Well…I am). Right now I could probably call my dad, ask him to do something, and his first response would be, “Ask your mom.” My father-in-law might say the same thing.
It’s not something I’ve ever had to think about before. There are no role reversals here, either. Women are still women, not “men with boobs.” All these terms are new to me. I just write. But my work has revealed a lot of things that I’ve taken for granted. Consider, for example, how in Filipino society daughters are valued for exactly the same reason sons are in others. “They’re smarter. When they grow up, they can help. They’re more considerate. They’ll take care of you.” I remember my in-laws bemoaning once about not having any daughters. And while yes, the machismo is very strong in the culture as well, it doesn’t change that for the vast majority, it’s the women who wear the pants in the house. “Takot kay missis,” is a common term–“Scared of the missus.” (This is also the same culture where machismo can often run towards dangerous trends, i.e. penile implants done for the sake of perceived pleasure for their women–look up the history of bolitas if you’ve got the stomach for it). And the older you get, the more power you hold. Lola gets the final say in everything.
Of course, the inherent challenges of being a woman doesn’t go away just because of the culture. There’s still that pressure of needing to do “everything.” Filipino women are expected to take care of the family, even if–and especially if–the men don’t pull their weight. Responsibilities automatically fall on your shoulders, especially if you’re an eldest daughter. Random Filipino men, upon seeing my husband when our daughter was young, would tell him he was lucky for having a girl for an eldest (“They can help out with the next one!” which ironically became true…my daughter dotes on my son).
All of which obviously bleeds into my work, particularly in the women from Jin-Sayeng (which arguably is one of my more heavily Filipino-inspired cultures). In Sume, we have someone who, in the beginning of the story, was an unmarried, childless woman, which naturally meant she would be the one to support her sister-in-law Hana and nephew Dai, especially in her brother’s absence. One of my earliest comments for the story was the question of why she would sacrifice so much for her brother’s family–she goes to work in a city across the sea for them, at only sixteen years of age. Well, as far as the society was concerned, it was her responsibility.
Sapphire from the epic fantasy The Agartes Epilogues is another great example. As one of Raggar rog-Bannal’s descendants–the mage who tried to put an end to the necromancer Naijwa’s attempted reign of terror–she dedicated her life to the study of her ancestor’s legacy. That she was a bastard never really made a difference to her; she felt as if this was her duty, and carried it out without question. That it really ought to be her cowardly, hesitant trueborn elder brother’s job didn’t really register with her, either. And of course, she, too, was part Jinsein–raised by a Jinsein mother, as it happened.
Of course, the best example is Talyien from Annals of the Bitch Queen. Queen, wife, mother, and daughter; the entire trilogy is a reflection of her struggles to carry out her duties while trying to figure out her own way in life. There is no having to prove she can rule as well as a man; she is in that position, with the eyes of a whole nation–and then some–on her.
“You take life so seriously, my dear,” her mother says. She reaches forward to draw a single stripe on Sapphire’s cheek. Angrily, she rubs at it.
“There are more important things I could be doing,” Sapphire says.
Moon’s laughter sounds like bells ringing. “Such as?”
-Sapphire’s Flight
