Talk:Marian (SoS)

Gender
Marian refers to themselves at times with feminine titles, such as "big sister", but if you attempt to give Marian a gift while they're working at the clinic or otherwise occupied, the in-game dialogue says you shouldn't give it to "him". So, in the mechanics of the game, Marian is a man, but in the actual language used by the character it's a bit less clear.

I've seen discussions revolving around Marian's gender referenced with the Japanese word "okama", which is used to refer collectively to transgender women, transvestites, and flamboyant homosexual men. Ostensibly Marian fits this character archetype and to Japanese players that is clear, but it becomes a bit more complicated in the context of an English translation.

Granted, I have neither seen every villager event with Marian nor the associated dialogue, so I can't speak with complete knowledge on the subject -- but it seems to me that it is eroneous to refer to Marian as a transgender woman, as they are for the body of this article, when the game uses he/him pronouns in the presumably unbiased informational text.

Also, I think it is granting Marvelous and affiliates undue credit for including a trans woman in a game when, really, it seems at a glance to be a caricatured stereotype.

Skullopendra (talk) 01:34, June 1, 2015 (UTC)

Based on your evidence, what gender do you propose we refer to Marian as? From what I'm reading from you, I'm gathering that Marian may be more of a flamboyant "stereotypical" gay man rather than a transgendered individual. Correct me if I'm wrong. Nixerix (talk) 14:29, June 1, 2015 (UTC)

Not at all, you're reading me perfectly clearly! Considering the informational text, and Pink-cat's contribution below stating Marian's friendly acquaintances use "he/him", I am of the opinion that those would be the best pronouns to use -- until someone steps forward with contrary information from the Japanese title or the developers, that is. Skullopendra (talk) 19:33, June 2, 2015 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure Marian is bisexual as he sometimes flirts in a non-serious manner with both male and female MC (for example Marian gives them a small kiss when they give there favorite item) Klaus sometimes talks him (yes he always uses male pronouns when talking about Marian) and the two seem to be friends as Klaus can be shown visiting Marian's house from time to time. So I'm not sure if Marian counts as transgender since characters in the game - especially ones that are friends with Marian still refer him as a male. (Pink-cat (talk) 22:07, June 1, 2015 (UTC))

Thank you for contributing your observations! The article does mention an unseen boyfriend, but I don't know how accurate that is. (And I didn't know Marian kissed you if you gave him his favorite item, that's very cute!)  Peoples' experiences with this character will be needed to rework the page into something that is accurate and makes sense; for example, it currently says that because of his purported status as a transgender individual, he can handily provide advice to people of all genders. Does he say something to that effect in the game? And how is it explained? Skullopendra (talk) 19:33, June 2, 2015 (UTC)

I think the discussion brought forth by you two is perfectly fair and reasonable. We can change the article now to reflect this, and if anybody wants to change it later they can either contribute to the talk page or change the article. Nixerix (talk) 21:25, June 2, 2015 (UTC)