Modern Tech in UF

[Liosse de Velishaf]

There's really not a good word to replace "modern" that I can think of. What I'm talking about is cell phones/texting, the Internet, etc and the uses thereof. And also tech directly related to real-world mythical creature research.

Is there any UF out there in which technology plays a strong role? For example, being used against by ghosts, or as organizational assistance?

UF also tends to emphasize a single person or a small group of people dealing with the fantastic or paranormal, but perhaps there is some out there that deals with more net-worked MCs? I suppose this would be especially possible in UF where the fantastic is a bit more out than in.

Anyone got some recs for me? Or perhaps some reasons why these ideas don't quite fit into the genre?

[Medievalist]

See Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

I keep hearing about the book, and the wiki summary seems very interesting. I'll give it a look.

[Stormhawk]

I essentially have an MiB-type organisation, and they use a ton of tech. They have a whole tech department, who manage things like removing problematic websites/videos/photos when they appear, trawling social media for references to magic, and log them in case they resurface later, and need to quiet/recruit the person.

They also take routed 000/911 calls when someone is calling about something that the normal emergency services can't handle.

They use tech to study, to create, to handle crime scenes.

Sometimes the tech is regular tech, sometimes it's augemented, sometimes it's fae technology (since in my 'verse, the fairies have their own internet and advanced technology).

[Liosse de Velishaf]

I essentially have an MiB-type organisation, and they use a ton of tech. They have a whole tech department, who manage things like removing problematic websites/videos/photos when they appear, trawling social media for references to magic, and log them in case they resurface later, and need to quiet/recruit the person.

They also take routed 000/911 calls when someone is calling about something that the normal emergency services can't handle.

They use tech to study, to create, to handle crime scenes.

Sometimes the tech is regular tech, sometimes it's augemented, sometimes it's fae technology (since in my 'verse, the fairies have their own internet and advanced technology).


This is one of the main things I'm thinking of.

A lot of the UF I see seems to ignore the more advanced technology we've developed recently. Not everyone is a tech-head, of course, but it seems like there's a distinct lack of tech in UF. Not a bad thing, but something that surprises me just a little bit. There are so many cool ways you could combine fantasy elements with our modern technology, and still not be crossing the borders of the genre into science fantasy.

[Medievalist]

I keep hearing about the book, and the wiki summary seems very interesting. I'll give it a look.

It's awfully interesting in a number of ways.

[LynnKHollander]

'There's really not a good word to replace "modern" that I can think of.' ~~concurrent? contemporary?

[Liosse de Velishaf]

'There's really not a good word to replace "modern" that I can think of.' ~~concurrent? contemporary?


I thought about "contemporary". It works well enough, I guess.

[Yāoguài]

A lot of the UF I see seems to ignore the more advanced technology we've developed recently. Not everyone is a tech-head, of course, but it seems like there's a distinct lack of tech in UF. Not a bad thing, but something that surprises me just a little bit. There are so many cool ways you could combine fantasy elements with our modern technology, and still not be crossing the borders of the genre into science fantasy.

I don't think the difficulty is a matter of genre; I think it's a matter of storytelling.

You're writing a novel, and you have this AMAZING scene planned. Your character needs to meet up with another character; they're going to get attacked.

But, well, you can't find a reason to justify meeting in person when they could just as easily tweeted or texted. So you come up with some forced logic that makes your readers grimace.

Or research. Research is a classic element of urban fantasy. Your hero goes pounding the pavement, demanding answers, paying off snitches, getting jumped by gangsters who inadvertently give out a clue. It's the meat of film noir.

But research performed on a laptop or a smartphone isn't cinematic.

Both of my favorite urban fantasy series -- the Dresden Files and Kate Daniels -- include magical workarounds. Harry Dresden's wizard-ness will short out any advanced circuitry nearby. Kate Daniels lives in a world where on some days magic works but technology doesn't, and on other days technology works but magic doesn't.

Both of their authors, Jim Butcher and Ilona Andrews, have a ready-made excuse when they get to the "why are the characters meeting in person when they could just text?" conundrum.

[Medievalist]

'There's really not a good word to replace "modern" that I can think of.' ~~concurrent? contemporary?

For heaven's sake, whatever you do, don't engage in daft platitudes like "In today’s modern world."

It's the sort of idiocy you seen in 495 Freshman comp papers from a selection of 500.

Teh stupid, it burnnnsssss usssss, preciousss.

If you're writing in a context that is otherwise clearly established in the continuum generally known as time and history, today is just fine and dandy.

[Cliff Face]

I had a kind of, "Oh yeah..." moment in my first book. It had 7 magical characters going around doing things, then I suddenly realised that, even though it's set in the real world, they're not really using technology.

So I made half the characters go out and buy some cell phones.

Upon reading through the completed novel, I realised my "Oh yeah..." moment was kind of a fruitless panic. Before that I'd already had my characters using a search function on a library computer (they had a valid reason for being in the library instead of using the internet) and a peripheral character was frequently using technology, just to no real avail.

But I also think that there is always a valid reason for characters to meet face to face. It doesn't always work out this way, and sometimes definitely a text message will do, but take me for an example.

I hate phones. Hate them. So I'd rather have a long discussion with someone in person than over the phone. I can look at the person, do other things with my hands like make a coffee unencumbered - it just suits me better.

And what if there was an item that needed to be usable by both people at the same time? You wouldn't do that by phone or internet (well, you could, depending on the item, but run with me here).

I think it's more about picking your fights.

In today's modern world (;)) there are still plenty of reasons to meet up with someone face to face. Like, meeting a gangster to get information. Over the phone, you'd have a harder time telling if they were lying to you. You'd have a harder time threatening them than if you could just headbutt them straight off the bat. And they could hang up on you and head out of town if they got skittish, whereas in person you could make them stick around a little longer.

In-person for the win, I say!

[Polenth]

My characters have phones and some of the clues are gained by searching computer files. I don't see it as an issue, because such things don't replace visiting places and meeting people. Suspects are still interviewed in person. Clues at a crime scene still have to be found by being there.

The idea of the texting people to interview them would be good for a comedy though.

where were u?
home
u guilty?
no lol

[CheG]

I love cell phones! But if I forget about them in a story (a short story say- not a novel) I just have them forget their phone at home or something. I lose mine in the house all the time and have to call my cell on the land line then follow sound.

But in my current novel everyone is very cell phoned up.

[ironmikezero]

Remember - batteries are not immortal.

[Dommo]

One of the points I would make, is that in urban fantasy, unless a person lives completely off the grid (e.g. doesn't use a bank, credit cards, etc.), they're traceable. Even that 5000 year old vampire, is going to have problems these days trying to hide, because of the amount of data being tracked whenever we do things.

I could imagine a story whose premise revolves around vampires getting outed in the world by the IRS. Just imagine it. Auditor Murphy, supernatural auditor and tax assessor.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

One of the points I would make, is that in urban fantasy, unless a person lives completely off the grid (e.g. doesn't use a bank, credit cards, etc.), they're traceable. Even that 5000 year old vampire, is going to have problems these days trying to hide, because of the amount of data being tracked whenever we do things.

I could imagine a story whose premise revolves around vampires getting outed in the world by the IRS. Just imagine it. Auditor Murphy, supernatural auditor and tax assessor.


Exactly. It's one of the issues I had with Twilight. How could Edward keep enrolling in school over and over again. There's actually a lot of paperwork involved, including vaccinations and such which must be given and up-to-date. There's also generally a requirement of having been enrolled in school before highschool, and graduating. There's no way to hide such a paper trail forever.

[Dommo]

Back in the day pre-computer, say back in the 1950s and earlier, it was possible to literally move across this country (USA), and start from scratch and a clean slate. Took a few bucks to forge some of the paper work, but it wasn't that difficult. If you had a few grand, you could build an airtight set of credentials. Now it's definitely not the case.

You could probably create a new identity with a bit of money, but it'd be HARD to hide the money, and transfer your preexisting wealth. A lot of the offshore banks, are starting to cave to the IRS, and credit bureaus and banks keep pretty tight records. Owning any kind of property could be problematic as well.

If I were a vampire in the modern world, I'd set up shop in some 3rd world country where I could use my wealth to its greatest advantage. This way I could do as pleased, safe from prying eyes, and I could offshore my wealth in cayman's and not have to worry about the IRS burning me out of my mansion with flaming pens and liens.

[CheG]

I could imagine a story whose premise revolves around vampires getting outed in the world by the IRS. Just imagine it. Auditor Murphy, supernatural auditor and tax assessor.

There was a short story I read kind of like that. It was a town of vampires and a tax auditor showed up to find out why the whole town quit paying taxes. I think the vampires converted the tax guy so he could help them evade the IRS :)

[Williebee]

I could imagine a story whose premise revolves around vampires getting outed in the world by the IRS. Just imagine it. Auditor Murphy, supernatural auditor and tax assessor.

I love this. The irony, it burns. :)

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Back in the day pre-computer, say back in the 1950s and earlier, it was possible to literally move across this country (USA), and start from scratch and a clean slate. Took a few bucks to forge some of the paper work, but it wasn't that difficult. If you had a few grand, you could build an airtight set of credentials. Now it's definitely not the case.

You could probably create a new identity with a bit of money, but it'd be HARD to hide the money, and transfer your preexisting wealth. A lot of the offshore banks, are starting to cave to the IRS, and credit bureaus and banks keep pretty tight records. Owning any kind of property could be problematic as well.

If I were a vampire in the modern world, I'd set up shop in some 3rd world country where I could use my wealth to its greatest advantage. This way I could do as pleased, safe from prying eyes, and I could offshore my wealth in cayman's and not have to worry about the IRS burning me out of my mansion with flaming pens and liens.



It's always harder to hide in the best places, isn't it? But you can always fake papers somewhere less appetizing and then transfer from there.



This has been a problem I've always had with a lot of UF worlds, but since it wasn't too important to the story, I generally ignored it.

[Smiling Ted]

Magic zapping technology and vice versa is a common trope - you can use it without anyone being pissed off.

But it's up to you to determine exactly *how* the trope works. In The Dresden Files, it's a one-person magical exclusion zone (that's conveniently malleable whenever Butcher wants it to be). But it could operate in a dozen other ways...