EDIT: I just noticed more spilled onto a page 2 that I didn't see before, but hopefully this isn't too argumentative. I actually do see your point on this and agree with you. As I stated in my first post on the thread, there's only so much benefit of the doubt of innocent self-reference before I tend to think that it is actually on purpose and therefore worthy of calling out of such.
Note that is why I try to work around it without saying it means he is. In context of what we are presented in 2e, he has no gay lover, and evidence of at least one straight interaction with a woman, as nothing is stated on sorcery/thaumaturgy/whatever. All we have ever stated in 2e is one result of heterosexual intercourse and what appears to be outright deletion of the thing that says otherwise. This doesn't say he is straight, but in context of 2e, one would have been surprised to find out he was anything but that given what is presented.
It is retcon via omission and well, outright erasure. Again, his lover is never named or mentioned in 2e. He in effect is erased as he is in effect deleted in an edition that is while similar to 1e in many respects, one that has made enough changes to be its own take and not one that can always copy-over the 1e take.
I do see the way this can be insulting, but in context of a lot of other 2e stuff, it fits in the patterns the edition was with other things. (See also my comment on how there are all-but-one cis husband-wife pairings for Lunar-Solar pairings save Arkhadi-Leviathan...which is still straight since it was about both of them sleeping with Arkhadi's wife. Or Gerveshin's whole deal.)
As you note, it's in context of critique, and while gay men can and do have children, in context of the other patterns of 2e, I'm not willing to give it that benefit of the doubt and would argue his having a son is potentially actually an attempt to leverage those stereotypes/biases that lead to erasure, which kind of makes things worse.
Originally posted by JohnDoe244
View Post
It is retcon via omission and well, outright erasure. Again, his lover is never named or mentioned in 2e. He in effect is erased as he is in effect deleted in an edition that is while similar to 1e in many respects, one that has made enough changes to be its own take and not one that can always copy-over the 1e take.
I do see the way this can be insulting, but in context of a lot of other 2e stuff, it fits in the patterns the edition was with other things. (See also my comment on how there are all-but-one cis husband-wife pairings for Lunar-Solar pairings save Arkhadi-Leviathan...which is still straight since it was about both of them sleeping with Arkhadi's wife. Or Gerveshin's whole deal.)
As you note, it's in context of critique, and while gay men can and do have children, in context of the other patterns of 2e, I'm not willing to give it that benefit of the doubt and would argue his having a son is potentially actually an attempt to leverage those stereotypes/biases that lead to erasure, which kind of makes things worse.
Comment