Wayne: Just to clarify, I'm not saying this form of writing is bad or wrong. It's just interesting to see men taken from all power roles.
Around the parts about festivals if I recall. It's not in pictures.
Having looked through it again, I find two incidents of potential lesbian scenes. The fact that gods (Twilight only, mind you - not ones worshipped by "Good" people) can have other forms is irrelevant as the fact they are sexless is not stressed. They are distinctly sexual - their other forms are merely mentioned, not explored.
Feminised men and powerful women:
The big one is Anwaren. He, through his masculine version of pride is forced to become the weakest of all the gods - even below Braniel (Who is seldom seen to do anything dramatic or heroic.) He's the only one of the gods that periodically dies, ressurected only by another man (Hmm.). Because he is associated with kingship, it must be common usage to see kings as more warmongering/insane that queens. Anwaren is not directly feminised - his power is deliberately weakened so as not to be on the same level as the other gods! I would say the only powerful heterosexual, but he is weak comparitively - as are all the other heterosexual males.
Wolfsong. Diplomat draws (We assume successfully) upon a childrens story involving a little girl. Not directly feminised, but through a situation where he tells a tale of little girls triumphing over something (Evil male woodcutters, I'd imagine.). He deliberately changes the story to acceed to a more feminised/rhydanised worldview.
Lovers of the Dawn: Not a powerful male figure in the story. The gay male in the story blushes like a schoolgirl whenever romance is mentioned, gay or strait. He acts traditionally female. This is seen to be good by the blessing of the mother.
Queen Jaellin is powerful and regarded as good. Lord Sayvin has his potential stripped from him; fiction notes he might well make a better king. His sexuality is not mentioned, but this is because we must assume he is strait (As gay couples are often drawn attention to.) He is effectively demasculinised by a mysterious animal which has chosen wrongly in the past.
Lord Jarish Dukay: A sea folk. A noted conversationalist, "Fixture at parties", his power can be seen through his willingness to acceed to feminine power models - he speaks to listen, has a large and powerful family, etc etc.
Chezia Thalis: Powerful woman only made moreso by the fact she acceeds to male power models such as analysis and strategy. Only able to stand up to the queen because she is a woman.
Jarish, Laritha's rhy-bond. He's her runner-boy. She's the brains. While a non-sexual relationship, this is obviously the preferred system showing here. He's a bit of a pansy, too. He loves all and is deeply compassionate... he uses his conversational arts to get her way... how is that not feminised?
Sharit Ranith: Leader of a powerful organisation in Aldaea. Is gay. "Well spoken, good coordinator." Language use does not say "Natural leader, excellent rhetoricist." or some such. Use of language feminises him.
The Lich King, Jarek: Powerful. Heterosexual (He "Penetrates" his female generals mind at will. I assume he's sexually impotent in his lich state - which could be noted in itself) Eeeeeeevil. Evil is bad.
Whispers In the Wind: No males at all. All powerful females.
The Jarzon Hierophant: Masculine, "traditional" values. Eeeevil. Or at least stupidly ignorant and to be shown the error of his ways (And a Hierophantess put in, or something.)
- - -
And pictures show men in a more sexual light than women at all stages barring one later picture (Two lesbians(?) in dresses). Not a single heroic male vs. dragon picture in the book to my remembrance. Compare to the amount of powerful female pictures.
Even the picture of the gods has the males behind one of the female gods - the final goddess, despite being behind, gets her own special focus area in the picture. Note how in that top right corner everything is in strait lines towards her face? The "Motherly" female (And one with a husband, mind you) is rarely heard of in the book and her position in the picture is even lower than that of the two male gods - and she gets no special focus like the neo-pagan priestess at the top right.
Every male is shown in a low, feminised position or as a direct or potential evil. Almost all pictures of women are showing powerful, non-sexual females unimpeded by males in any way.
Thats my reading of the text, anyway. And call me a cro-magnon, but I do like powerful male heroes... not toy-boys and snags without the courage to exist as themselves. Gay and strait is irrelevant; this text isn't showing equality, it's trying to get back some. It's fluff fiction with a mission.
Good thing the rules rock.
For my group, we bought it despite, not because of, the setting. But in the end, we still gave up our cash, heh.
