Idk, I read it as it not dealing exclusively with the Ronin’s gender but also with Jun/ko’s. Jun makes the Ronin embrace their feminine side while Junko make them embrace their masculine side.
5 Likes
Please note that this is my opinion only based from my life experiences so far.
Masculinity values pride and egocentricity. They tend to take the good things they wanted. But when mistakes comes to play, they tend not take responsibility for their actions.
Femininity, on the hand, takes thing too emotional. We try to shoulder everything, not asking for help because we think we can do this all but in the end, we have to embrace what we can and cannot do.
I, for one, do not know how Devon will manage their developments. I love his works so far and I can say that I have faith that he could deliver what he plans to do and hope he will able to satisfy almost all the SoH fandom. I said “almost all” but not “all” because like us, the author is human and has their own ways of thinking as well. Remember that Harry Potter,although love by most has their share of disgruntled fans . SoH is no different.
6 Likes
And in terms of learning to take and surrender it could also expand to “learning when to surrender and when not to surrender,” which I think isn’t a bad thing to learn no matter what the gender.
2 Likes
The no matter the gender part is good but it’s not how it is pitched in this case.
In this case it’s pictured as a gendered problem, a problem inherent to one gender, while basing that assumption on nothing else as sexist gender roles. Basically what this tells me is - if it’s meant seriously - that I can expect exactly what I fear: that gender non-conformity will not get treated as an healthy option, but that instead a limiting, reductive view on gender, femininity and masculinity will be used as base for the MC’s development.
Especially this part irritates me. Because it may seems to be an ideal for the author, but for many, many women and female aligned folks it couldn’t be more far away from how they see themselves.
Sorry but this answer now really makes me wary of what to expect for the MC, their development and the player’s agency in it.
Like I said I will have to wait and see how it turns out in the end…but I won’t wait reassured in any way.
18 Likes
I understand you are being wary about this. I mean, the word surrendering or submitting is not something easy to swallow especially if coupled with femininity.
We could only hope for the best. =D Your post has always insightful so I hope you will still consider playing the next book.
7 Likes
Oh I do consider it, just to see how it really will play out. But how it plays out will certainly influence if I will be interested in reading the last two books or not.
4 Likes
I want to be optimistic, and I think it’s admirable that the author wants to try and tackle this topic. It’s a complex and sensitive one, and understandably so, and I also think trying to address it in a CYOA game could be interesting, especially in a game like SOH with an MC we’ve gotten to really know over 3 games.
I’m personally hoping that the MC will get to face their feminine or masculine side and in the end still choose “yeah, that’s not for me.” That a female MC can learn about “surrendering” but in the end still choose to reject it. I, personally, would like to see my MC embrace her femininity, but I completely understand not everyone does. I see my Ronin as a woman who was born into a hard life and had to be hard to survive, and Id like to see her embrace her feelings more. Some players won’t what that for their character and if the option to reject or accept it I think will go a long way.
But we can never really know until the game comes out and, like I said, I want to be optimistic.
19 Likes
As long as we get the option to start healing Junko and rekindling that relationship into a more healthy one, I don’t really care what he ends up doing, but I’m very laid back about certain things.
I already have a feeling my hard ass Ronin is going to freaking disintegrate emotionally in regards to Junko once we start tackling that whole beast.
9 Likes
@Meira_Litch
In the context that I was using it, ‘to surrender’ and ‘to take’ are both ways ‘to accept’ the burdens and responsibility that lead to a fulfilling life. I definitely should have clarified about surrender, as the most common definition is ‘to lose/give up’. Just like a marine surrenders himself to his duty, or a CEO surrenders herself for her company, to surrender as I intend it is like a full, self-sacrificial embrace. It’s definitely not about losing.
But if I had to pick a word that has the undeservedly worst connotation, it would have to be ‘submissive’. It doesn’t mean dumb and docile and powerless. There is absolutely nothing wrong about being submissive, and neither is there anything good. It is a neutral term just as ‘dominant’ should be, and I can’t get over how it seems in modern times we’ve demonized it into a kink at best. I really think this distorted perception of the submissive and dominant dynamic (in both hetero and homo relationships) is a tremendous source of misery!
@Sammysam
I used the mother example because it’s the most relatable–we all have mothers, and if we are lucky we’ve experienced that self-sacrificial love she gave us as she surrendered to her responsibility (us). A good mom puts her kids ahead of herself and doesn’t resent them for it, but accepts and gains meaning from it.
@Mewsly
Thank you very much for those supportive words. A lesson I’ve learned is that an author must be absolutely fearless, because to write scared is to stare at a blank page for hours on end. I haven’t lived under a rock for the past ten years–I know gender dynamics are a hot button issue and to firmly take any stance is to set somebody at odds with you. But you can’t write without your feet on the ground.
The target audience for Samurai of Hyuga consists of only one person, and he is constantly blown away at how many diverse people have embraced his creation as well. I’m going to continue to write based on my truth and perceptions because it’s the only way I can. I’d say it’s done me well thus far!
23 Likes
Thank you for elaborating on this more. Book Four might be probably one of most challenging book to write since it is more on a character development if I understand correctly.
I wish you luck and I am looking forward to it.
9 Likes
@MultipleChoice When i first heard about SoH, i was like “Thats a cool premise”. i was expecting a rugged ronin just fighting against thr government while protecting an annoying kid. Then i read it, and what i got was a story and characters that i got emotionally attached to and have the ability to make me emotionally
crash like an old windows computer. Thanks for the fun and good luck on continuing it.
6 Likes
I don’t think even for a second that there is something wrong with being submissive. As I said before, is only a bad thing when is associated to only one gender because “is natural” ( I’m not insinuating that’s what you said 
).
Also, I think the example of the mom annoyed me because both my dad and my mom sacrificed a lot for me and my siblings, my dad more than my mom, but it seems like there’s always more credit for the self sacrificing mother and, well, just poor dad’s of the world that are amazing fathers 
.
Anyway, thanks for the clarification @MultipleChoice
2 Likes
The English language is a bit complicated since some words could be used interchangeably depending on the context. It is my second language as well so sometimes it is quite confusing.
1 Like
I’m just going to add my own two cents to this because while some of my concerns already got raised, it doesn’t seem like @MultipleChoice actually addressed any of them. I’m just going to quote in a few things that have me worried and reply to them one by one.
I really hope this was simply careless wording, because now this reads like a gay ronin will be forced to confront his feminine side, while a lesbian ronin will be forced to confront her masculine side. Considering the stereotypes that exist about feminine gay men and masculine lesbian woman, I hope you can understand why this worries me. Again, since you talk about the MC’s gender as the deciding factor later I hope this was just a slip of the tongue, but I wanted to make sure.
This… well. Historically speaking, men believing that it is their duty to “take what they want” has never ended particularly well. This idea that masculinity is about ego and competitiveness, that to be a man is to be distance yourself from emotional connections (“who only gets to see his kids once a month”) and always take the initiative until the world bends itself to your will, it’s toxic. It is the leading cause behind the high rates of both male suicides and sexual assault.
Not saying that this represents your views, but I want to highlight it to show that rigid gender roles hurt everyone. I hope you’ll be able to find and represent a more nuanced view of gender in your game, one that isn’t a more flowery version of patriarchical gender roles.
I am not sure what this had to do with any of Meira_Litch’ criticism, but sure. You’re right! Submissive and dominant are simply words, and while they hold meaning and, for many people, emotional connotations, they don’t ultimately impose any kind of judgement.
The problem comes when you relate being submissive and dominant to gender and relationships. Relationships should be an equal give and take. Any relationship in which one partner always takes a more submissive role while the other takes a dominant role (especially based on something like gender) risks being unbalanced and ultimately unhealthy for both parties.
You say that submissive doesn’t mean “dumb and docile and powerless”, which is true! But it still implies sacrifice, obedience, and offering up yourself and making yourself vulnerable. None of these are bad on their own, or even combined, but to say that someone should embody these traits simply because of their gender? That they have no other choice? That, in my opinion, is not how the world works and not how it should work.
Again, I really hope that all my concerns turn out to be unfounded and you will treat the matter in a respectful way, without forcing the MC to adopt certain character traits simply because of their gender and calling it “character growth”. I’d like to still be able to enjoy your games and support your work in the future, but I worry.
24 Likes
I personally am happy our ronins will have to face the weight of responsibility and the full meaning of self-sacrifice. Whether that’s called “to surrender” or “taking what one wants” is irrelevant to me. To take responsibility or to surrender to it both have the same outcome: you bear it.
If the author wants to approach the issue differently according to the ronin’s gender I honestly don’t see the harm in it. Gender, to me, is not only how you see yourself but also how the world sees you. People may act differently according to your gender and in turn, you react to them differently too. Whether you’re confronting Jun or Junko has to make a difference. They’re different characters; they both struggle with identical things but from two different perspectives. That doesn’t change whether your ronin is gay, straight or bi, what changes is Jun/Junko themselves.
I have to admit I’ve never played as a male ronin, but I’m guessing he’s different from my female MC. Not only from within but, more importantly, different in the way the world sees him.
All our ronins, independently of gender, have all lived a harsh, unforgivable life where their own needs and desires had to always come first in order to survive. They’re selfish, inconsiderate, always stuck in survival mode. I’d like to see them experience the softer side of life. We kinda get to see that in some of their interactions with the kid and Hatch but those moments are always too brief and far between. I want our ronin to grow despite their past, to stop viewing themselves as merely a weapon but as a person. Someone whose’s been dealt a shitty hand sure, but not letting that define themselves.
And apparently, in order to do so, the MC will have to get in touch with their feminine or masculine side respectively. I look forward to it.
13 Likes
It might be a bit off topic now but anyways: what if we take the phrase literally? Ronin swings their sword backwards and strikes themselves as opposed to fighting enemies while swinging it forward?
4 Likes
It just doesn’t make much sense to me. Specially considering both Ronin are very masculine… So what would be logic is that both, fem Ronin and m Ronin get in touch with their femenin side. Is just… Well, male Ronin is already masculine, you know?
1 Like
If it look at it, it might mean defeating the demon through mercy perhaps like the reversed edged sword of RuroKen. XD
1 Like
How soon do you think our ronin will be reunited with their band of misfits? It does seem like they’re going on a journey of self-discovery and seeking out a confrontation with Jun/ko (whose totally going to survive, probably until the last book) which may take a sizable portion of the plot.
The reunion with Momoko will be heartbreaking.
2 Likes
I think we might reunite with the crew in book 5 or maybe at the end of book 4. But yeah it’s gonna suck when we see Momoko again.
5 Likes