I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, the conceit in Fantasy and Sci-Fi that Humanity will somehow be the top dogs, or somehow one of the top powers in the setting, irritates the ever-lovin’ beejeebus out of me.
We fight each other over skin colour, eye shape, language, religion, nationality, even gender.
Like heck we’re gonna push the other races out of the Big Seat to be the leading power in a setting.
I would appreciate a setting where Humanity takes up the role of the Halfling, like we’re there but politically and socially we’re just … there. We have some influence, we have some power, but these ancient and powerful races who have all these amazing abilities and magical traditions are in control and they’re in no rush to let Humanity join that inner circle until we deal with our whole ‘we’re psychotic timebombs’ angle.
Instead “buh whuuman puhtenshial” seems to be forever lodged sideways up the colons of editors and publishers. Bleh.