BtS: Nick, Race and Dom/sub relationships

Note:  This post is a serious, longform discussion about some of the thought that has gone into writing Nick and how a relationship with Dom/sub roles might develop between him and Alex. As with most Behind the Scenes posts, this one sheds some light on the development process, and it can be read (or skipped) with no impact on your experience in playing the game. WARNING:  There are minor spoilers ahead for Chapter Six.

Behind the Scenes:  Nick, Race and BDSM

At it's core, Bound by Night is an erotic horror novel. It's meant to get you hot and largely depends on a degree of objectification of some fictional men. I try to not have any pretensions about this. But, as I'm writing it, there are a couple of serious themes I'm trying to incorporate, one of which is a discussion around consent:  what constitutes it, what does it mean, can it evolve, etc.

A healthy real world Dom/sub, bondage or S&M relationship has explicit conversations about consent, what is being consented to and, surprisingly to some people, puts the submissive partner in the dominant role when deciding what is in or out of bounds. The definition of what has been consented to can evolve during the sexual roleplay -- what was once out of bounds could be brought in bounds -- but it is always the sub who decides where the limits are. (I take some liberties with that when writing the scenes for BBN, but I think this is an important point.)

But there is another layer of complexity to this for interracial partners in the United States (and often abroad) due to slavery, racism and objectification of different ethnicities. Terms often used within white BDSM relationships ("master" and "slave") become very loaded and charged in an interracial dynamic. Further, going back to consent, gay black men often experience nonconsensual sexual objectification that is unwanted, unhealthy and alienating. While there are inevitably going to be some relationships in BBN that are unhealthy (vampires, hello!?), I don't want the relationship between Nick and Alex to be one of them.

In Chapter 6, there is an opportunity for Nick and Alex to have sex. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say I've crafted the scene in a very intentional fashion. A relationship with Nick is going to be all about trust that has to be earned. Here it is not just about the sub having trust in the Dom, but Nick figuring out who Alex is and what he wants.

Perhaps more than any other character, I want to write Nick as someone who is believable and complex. Just like a real person, that may mean you don't like him. (Though I hope you will; I like him quite a lot!) Sometimes -- as with any real person -- that means he's going to be contradictory or difficult to understand, but I am trying very hard to craft him with care and sensitivity, and as someone who has his own history and his own thoughts.

Inevitably, Nick will not reflect the experience of every similarly situated man. Part of me wishes I could write him so, but it is impossible to do that with a single character. So, I hope I am able to present a relatable personality in a way that is respectful and takes into account lives-as-lived by some of the audience.

If you're interested, I've attached an academic article on some of the (very limited) research on these relationships. And, once you see these scenes and watch the relationship between Nick and Alex evolve, I would also welcome any thoughts, feedback and (especially) criticisms on how I'm doing and what I can do better.