Aberrant RPG - Mals Sexuality- Plot hook?

[SJEllis]

Much has been made since Aberrant has appeared on Divis Mal's sexual orientation- especially in the Teragen book. Similarly in Adventure we find the love-hate relationship between Mercer and Donighel (Mal) is also fuelled by Mals unreturned crush on Max.

If we discard the idea that this was WW being Politically Correct, then the plot hooks become more interesting. Especially with the romantic triangles that can be drawn.

For instance, in Teragen we see that Mal and Scripture are in a relationship, yet Narcosis desperately yearns to bear Mals baby. Unfortunately because she is the wrong gender for his sexual orientation, it seems this is a doomed love.

However, given her beauty and manipulative nature, she could perhaps position herself as a shoulder to cry on if something ever happened to Scripture....... and it only needs one such 'moment' to seduce an emotionally vulnerable Mal into a fling. And if Narcosis has taken some tips from Bounty then a 'Mal Junior' would undoubtedly be on the way!

Equally Adeventure has another romantic triangle with Donighal fancying Mercer, even as crackshot Anabelle fancies Donighal. I've no idea if Mercer is attracted to Anabelle, but its clear that things end messily when Mercer and the Aeon society battle Donighal and Anabelle- their great utopian vision split over the personal lives and preferences of the combatants!

Given this analysis, it seems to me that Mals sexuality is far from a mere example of WW political correctness, but an engine to propel the Aeoniverse plot.

Comments/ideas?

SJE

[Tuesday Childe]

Quote:

I've no idea if Mercer is attracted to Anabelle

From the context of that section, it would appear that Primoris (as I prefer to call him) viewed the entire incident, including Anabelle's death with less than perfect aplomb. Attracted to her? As you say, wrong gender. That does not mean that he did not value her, cherish her friendship, feel possessive of her or any of the other relationship permutations that humanity is capable of. He simply had no interest in her sexually.

Neither Primoris or Divas Mal are overty manipulative merely for the reason of attaining their desires. Their manipulations are rooted firmly in a view of rightness and the best way to achieve a state of being wherein all recognize the basic truth of that rightness which means those beings have risen above themselves to grasp a greater truth. In short, whether Micheal Donighal, Primoris or Divas Mal, the character is far more richly complex than a simple love triangle situation would lead one to believe. Primoris' character is greater than that. This doesn't mean that characters wouldn't attempt those sort of manipulations. Narcosis is only second only to the Apostle in the ability to self-delude.

I would also characterize the relationship between Donighal and Mercer as unrequited rather than love-hate. Prior to the incident at the U.N. just before the aberrant exodus I think you can say safely that they never agreed. They held different views of the place of the strong among the weak and the destiny of humanity. Donighal eventually reached the point where he was able to put into effect machinations to bring about the vision that he saw, much as Mercer had been doing for decades. Love-hate? It doesn't really seem likely that they've ever hated each other does it?

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Tuesday Childe
having far to go...

[This message has been edited by Tuesday Childe (edited 08-25-2001).]

[Kirby1024]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuesday Childe:
Love-hate? It doesn't really seem likely that they've ever hated each other does it?

He may have after the AEon vs Primoris Battle, of course. But I much prefer the idea of them both saying "Go your way, and I'll go mine, but get in my way and I will retaliate" sort of thing. Primoris and Mercer seem to be two men who were bound to clash rather spectacularly eventually. They have the same goals, but they both have unshakable faith that their way is the best. Two men, so similar, yet so different. Rather sad in a way. And quite familiar...

[Jager]

Like Richard the Lion-hearted and Saladin.

Great men can have many followers, but few equals. Those that can be are rarely expected or acknowledged as such. It is truly epic when two co-exist at the same time, with the same energy. In the final analysis, more so than anyone in their own camp, the one who is equal but opposite is the only one to be respected. Kind of sad how that works out.

[Guest]

Time for me to out myself as a geek. Mercer and Mal have a relationship like Professor X and Magneto. I think you could do something with this as a plot hook but I think it may best be left alone. On the other ahnd, you may want to do something with a heart broken Narcosis. It is possible that Mal and Scripture would both agree to it being necessary to have Mal's genes carry on and choose her as the vessel. Might that cold, calculated reasoning do some major psychological damage to the Teragen's Dark Queen? Have fun guys.

[michaelnenonen]

I think this discussion would profit from a review of Queer romantic philosophy.

As the archetypal Queer anti-hero, Divis is a transgressor: he violates taken-for-granted categories of thought and behaviour, not for the shock value but rather in order to follow the path his broken heart illuminates.

,,

Queers don't fall in love with the people they're sexually attracted to; they're sexually attracted to the people they fall in love with. Thus, if I, as a queer, consider making love to or having a relationship with a person, I ask first, "Am I in love with this person?" rather than "Is this person a member of the gender that I'm supposedly oriented to desire?"

The distinction is an important one, because it relegates questions of "sexual orientation" to the backburner until the gender of one's partner becomes no more relevant than his or her hair colour.

Divis Mal is someone who's gone well beyond rigidified concepts of sexual orientation. Hell, he's gone past our rigidified concepts of just about everything.

The point here is NOT Mal's orientation, but rather his woundedness. He's a demigod who's reviled and misunderstood by most people on Earth including his own disciples...he wanted the company of gods (ie, Max Mercer proxies), and instead he's ended up in the company of narcissistic uber-sociopaths.

Follow my reasoning: There's only one person on the planet whom he can conceivably consider an equal (Max Mercer). He admires this person more than any other, and considers him his best friend and most worthy rival. For these reasons, he's in love with Max with every single Quantum-powered cell in his body. This goes WAY deeper than sex. He yearns for Max the way that I would yearn for the right hemisphere of my brain if it was yanked out of me, the way Hannibal yearns for Clarise, the way Mr Glass yearns for David Dunn, the way the Joker yearns for Batman, the way that Iblis yearns for Allah, the way that Hedwig yearns for Tommy Gnosis. And Max has told him that he "only loves him as a friend," casting Mal back into a world of queer-bashing troglodytical persecutors (Pax), a sexually neutered priest for a boyfriend (Scripture), and monstrous sychophants for a social circle (the Teragen).

For all his power, Mal is a tragic figure. He's misrepresented everywhere...among his friends as well as his enemies. His best efforts end up in complete catastrophe, and he knows, deep down, that this is because all of his actions are really round-about ways of trying to get the one thing he knows he will never receive...Max Mercer's total acceptance, approval, and affection.

This is something that, as roleplayers, we should be able to empathize with. Try to remember the person in your life whom you most desired acceptance by...the person who brought out the best in you, who ennobled you, the person who "just wanted to be friends". Now imagine having all the power and beauty and glory that you lacked when s/he first rejected you, and coming back to that person, pleading your case again, and being told the exact same thing..."I just want to be friends."

That's Divis Mal.

I can't imagine anything that misses the mark more than fixating upon Mal's supposed preference for certain types of orifices over others.

[Alex McKenzie]

Quote:

Originally posted by michaelnenonen:
I can't imagine anything that misses the mark more than fixating upon Mal's supposed preference for certain types of orifices over others.

Persoanlly, I don't think any of us were. At any rate, I think that if you focus purely on Mal's sexuality, it simply doesn't work as a story (which is what this is at it's heart, a story). I tend to think of it purely as a story of unrequited love. The genders of two involved simply don't matter, certainly not to the two involved, and certainly shouldn't to the reader. How many movies have we seen wrecked by people making a statement, instead of simply telling the story? To me, White Wolf have definitely made a story out of this.

[Guest]

Micheal, man, I don't know who you are, but well done. Well done indeed. You've put into words so articulately thoughts I have only left drift around my head. I doubt I could have said it better myself. You gave voice to the motives behind Mal, something that we've all touched on, but nobody has quite capture. You captured it, and I commend you.

I, too, have this sort of rivalry love/hate relationship with someone. It sucks.

It is as true of Divis Mal as it was of Timothy Leary; "Those who sought to gnaw his bones never knew his heart."

--Avenger

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"Don't try to run, you son of a bitch. You'll just die tired."

avengingcrusader@hotmail.com

[This message has been edited by Henry_Ashton (edited 09-08-2001).]