Script #541
Added 2023-10-24 10:57:40 +0000 UTCIt occurs to me as I'm delving deeper into this story arc, that someone might misinterpret some aspects of my narrative. I've established that Alberta is immune to Thane's curse due to the fact that she's a man on the inside. It would be possible for someone to interpret this as an indication that I think trans women aren't women. This couldn't be further from the truth. This is a fantasy story and this plot twist (such as it is) is done purely for entertainment purposes; it's not in any way a suggestion that trans women aren't real women.
They are. Let me state it clearly: trans women are women.
The fact that Alberta is immune to Thane's curse is just amusing to me, and a fun source of frustration for Thane (who, let's be honest, wouldn't mind getting into that business, right?). Please don't read into it anything more than that.
--Jaycee
Comments
Okay, thanks for that. Your point is well articulated and makes a lot of sense. It also lines up really well with my values, so I'll make that my official answer if anyone brings it up in the future. 🙂
Jaycee Knight
2023-10-24 15:47:36 +0000 UTCMy experience with trans people is mostly limited to social media, and a trans-woman co-worker I used to play D&D with, who transitioned over the course of our campaign. But I think it's actually OK to say Alberta isn't a "real woman". A trans woman is someone born with male genitalia and appearance, who identifies as a woman, and (if possible) presents themselves as a woman via clothing, hormone therapy, and possibly bottom surgery. Examples include Caitlyn Jenner and Chelsea Manning. The offensive anti-trans position is to say they aren't "real women". Alberta is the exact opposite of that. I think it would be more offensive to say "Alberta could never be a real man". By affirming Alberta's masculinity (despite biological appearance), I think this comic stumbled into a pro-trans message.
Dan Merget
2023-10-24 15:44:16 +0000 UTCThat's an interesting angle. It's not where I went, but I appreciate the approach.
Jaycee Knight
2023-10-24 13:44:40 +0000 UTCMy thinking on this was pretty rudimentary and probably betrays my cis white biais. I just thought "why would Thane's curse NOT work on Alberta? It'd be fun to have him interact with a female who's NOT trying to have sex with him all the time." Then, since I'd already decided that Alberta's inner identity was male (despite having female genitalia and appearance), it would make sense that female-targeted magic wouldn't work on her. It's only recently that I realized this could be misinterpreted as implying that magic doesn't work on Alberta because she's not a "real woman." It's not what it implies. It just makes for a more interesting story.
Jaycee Knight
2023-10-24 13:43:17 +0000 UTCI'm not sure how anyone would reach that interpretation. In the reboot reality, Alberta was assigned female at birth. So Alberta would be a trans man, or at least a trans-man egg. (I *think* that's the right terminology?) So Alberta being immune to Thane's curse would imply "trans men are real men".
Dan Merget
2023-10-24 13:32:21 +0000 UTCHonestly, I was assuming it was something else. Just because a character, who clearly doesn't understand magic since they keep messing with it and it blows up in their face, makes a theory, doesn't mean its right. Frankly, I was running with the assumption that the prince has so many enchantments of so many kinds that the curse just can't get through all that mess to mess with his mind, especially since so many of the enchantments seem keyed towards not changing, like the clothes not coming off.
Just a guy
2023-10-24 11:09:18 +0000 UTC
