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People who believe that Filipinos do not know Sub-genres of Speculative Fiction
how to write science fiction, horror, or fantasy
Science fiction stories with imagined
are wrong There is a burgeoning growth in
technologies that don’t exist in the real world,
Philippine Speculative Fiction today. The
like time travel, aliens, and robots.
komiks of the old are now developed into short
stories, poems, and graphic novels perfect for Sci-fi fantasy fiction sci fi stories inspired by
the child in everyone. mythology, folklore, and fairy tales that
combine imagined technologies with elements
Although some consider speculative fiction as
of magical realism.
escapist, Philippine speculative fiction is firmly
rooted in our culture and has something to say Supernatural fiction sci fi stories about secret
about the Philippine situation. They might even knowledge or hidden abilities including
have resonance in other countries experiencing witchcraft, spiritualism, and psychic abilities.
the same problems we are going through.
Space opera fiction a play on the term “soap
opera,” sci fi stories that take place in outer
space and center around conflict, romance,
Speculative Fiction
and adventure.
- speculative fiction is used as an umbrella
Horror stories are meant to scare, startle,
term for various non-realist genres and
shock, and even repulse readers. Generally
subgenres like science fiction and fantasy
focusing on themes of death, demons, evil
Other times, speculative fiction is itself
spirits, and the afterlife, they prey on fears with
considered a specific form of non-realist
scary beings like ghosts, vampires,
writing, with features distinct from science
werewolves, witches, and monsters.
fiction or other genres.
Urban fantasy fiction fantasy stories that take
place in an urban setting in the real world but
Sometimes called “what if” books, speculative operate under magical rules.
literature changes the laws of what’s real or
Utopian fiction stories about civilizations the
possible as we know them in our current
authors deem to be perfect, ideal societies.
society, and then speculates on the outcome.
Dystopian fiction stories about societies
deemed problematic within the world of the
- speculates as to what society may be like in novel, often satirizing government rules,
the future poverty, and oppression
- reflects current social, cultural, or political Apocalyptic fiction stories that take place
issues before and during a huge disaster that wipes
out a significant portion of the world’s
- often takes one specific aspect of society and
population. The stories center around
postulates what would happen if that aspect
characters doing everything they can to stay
continued or became more prevalent
alive for example, running from zombies or
- set in the future trying to avoid a deadly plague.
- present a future that has our present as its Post- apocalyptic fiction stories that take
past place after an apocalyptic event and focus on
the survivors figuring out how to navigate their
- reflect a current attribute of our society new circumstances for example, emerging after
a global nuclear holocaust or surviving a total protagonist is the character the audience is
breakdown of society most invested in.
Alternate history fiction stories that focus on
true historical events but are written as if they
unfolded with different outcomes.
Antagonist
Superhero fiction stories about superheroes
and how they use their abilities to fight The villain of the story is the antagonist Think
supervillains. of Lex Luthor, Lord Voldemort, or Dr Charles
Nichols in The Fugitive Note that an antagonist
is not the same as an anti hero like the Joker or
Philippine Speculative Fiction Walter White Anti heroes are villainous people
who function in a protagonist’s role.
Six from Downtown by Dean Francis Alfar
Love interest
The Singer’s Man by M R R Arcega
The love interest is the protagonist’s object of
Keeping Time by F H Batacan
desire A good love interest will be compelling
Dreaming Valhalla by Douglas Candano and three dimensional, like Daisy Buchanan in
The Great Gatsby or Rhett Butler in Gone With
The Sugilanon of Epefania’s Heartbreak by Ian the Wind.
Rosales Casocot
Confidant
Philippine
This type of character is the best friend or
God Equation by Michael A R Co sidekick of the protagonist, the Sancho Panza
The Family That Eats Soil by Khavn De La to their Don Quixote Often the protagonist's
Cruz goal flows through the confidant although not
every story needs one A particularly famous
The Dues to the Unbound by Pocholo Goitia confidant is Horatio in Shakespeare’s Hamlet,
A Ghost Story by Francezca C Kwe as is Hermione in Harry Potter.
From a heroine like Katniss Everdeen in The Tertiary characters populate the world of the
Hunger Games to a miserable wretch like story but do not necessarily link to the main
Doestoevsky’s Underground Man, the storyline These minor characters serve any
number of functions and may have varying
degrees of personal dynamism Think of Padma dynamic qualities, but they also exist to subtly
and ParvatiPatil in the Harry Potter series or steer an audience’s mind toward broader
Father Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov In concepts. Most are supporting characters, but
Spider Man, various tertiary characters help fill some stories have symbolic protagonists, such
out the world of Peter Parker’s New York. as Dostoevsky’s The Idiot When it comes to
symbolic supporting characters, Boo Radley in
To Kill A Mockingbird is an example,
Foil representing a much larger legion of outcasts.
Setting
is the time and place (or when and where) of
the story It’s a literary element of literature