ConcernedNewbie

Thanks for your insightful dialogue on the matter. After reading everything here, I imagine the generation of lore is a complicated task, devised by multiple people each with an opinion on where a story should go, and ultimately dictated by more than just intentions to create a good tale (i.e. sculpts, characters, previously established lore). Furthermore, I imagine tropes are so ingrained in our psyches that they become easy for writers to fall back on when trying to create stories.

I just hope that Wyrd will lean away from tropes and into more nuanced and novel representations of various cultures and characters, if for no other reason that it makes for more creative stories and better writing.

Regardless, I feel that the discussion has alleviated some of my initial unease, if for no other reason than witnessing your measured responses.

3 hours ago, fire5tone said:

And with mei despite the few appearances of her and Ivan it's really hard to explain just how much of a subplot it actually is, practically non-existent if you aren't paying full attention especially compared to everything else she does

And kirai worked at a brothel who's main clientele is white guys (because it's in malifaux and the ratio of Asian to everything else there is very low cause it's not real world geography, the breach is in Santa Fe, not china or japan)  when she fell in love with one of her clients... Is them being with white guys just the issue? Because there's more that aren't than are like misaki

Honestly, it now seems even worse than I originally interpreted. So you are saying that 2 out of 3/4 of ALL romantic relationships mentioned in the lore are White Male/Asian Female. If romantic subplots are so unimportant to the lore, why do these exist at all?

Moreover, two out of five Asian female masters are/were prostitutes, even though, as you mentioned, it is set in Santa Fe. Are any of the white female masters prostitutes within the lore?

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I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. In my experience they're trying to be very inclusive. For example the Abyssinia faction in The Other Side has highly evolved technology, male and female masters are evenly distributed over the factions. So in my interpretation Wyrd makes an efford to include Asian culture into the game.

I get what your saying, but it just comes across as this fetishized view of Asian culture created by those with only third-hand exposure to it. It is the same tropes you see time and time again in Western media. Asian men are portrayed as desexualised Bruce Lee-esque martial arts masters or devious fu man chu types. Asian females are prostitutes/geishas or exotic femme fatales.

Please prove me wrong here

I'm a new player trying to read into the lore of Malifaux and figuring out what faction is most aligned with my interests. However, as I've gone through the various descriptions on the website, I have noticed a trend that seems to be very in line with the Hollywood-esque desexualization of Asian males (if unaware of this, google the term to find several other articles explaining the viewpoint). This is something that bothers me personally, and tends to be the type of thing I avoid supporting financially. I really enjoy the mechanics of the game, but I have found the lore to be upsetting due to this. To clarify my point:

There are two masters within the game who are males of East Asian descent:

• Shenlong - a monk who is leader of a team of other male monks.
• Yan Lo - an elderly man who is essentially just a ressurected spirit.

Both of these characters are within roles that are typically deemed asexual. Conversely, Asian females (if in a relationship) are exclusively involved with White characters, e.g.:

• Mei Feng's romantic subplot involving English Ivan
• Kirai Ankoku's "lost love" is Francis Kitchener.

Have I misunderstood or overlooked some part of the lore? Please clarify if so.

If you are irritated by this post or feel that I am doing this to trigger some sort form of internet outrage, please know this was not my intention. I am not suggesting you should not like the lore. This is purely a personal annoyance that I hope to clarify so I can better enjoy the game.