Where are all the gay people?

[tetradite]

Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying - of course you don't..

-nazeem

 

('nazeem' means being gay in the urban dictionary).

I'd guess Bethesda probably followed Bioware's lead on same sex relationships, Dragon Age (and maybe The SIMS)

were probably the first mainstream RPG's to fully script this.

 

 

That's not gay, just self righteous and patronizing. A snobby Redguard. I doubt he's homosexual.

 

Just to support BOTH your views:

 

- He's married, to a woman.

- said wife is always complaining about her husband's, uh, affinity for the Jarl's backside.

 

Nazeem is an old denialist school closet dweller?

 

Agree with the general analysis that Beth have basically hedged their bets here - include the option but not highlight so as to try to please both camps. Personally I agree with the OP though, if the option of gay marriage is included it does seem strange (in the sense of immersion) that they haven't included any gay couples.

[Enatiomorph]

snip

What they are referring to in Nazeem's case is.. even more taboo than sexuality I believe. I think you know what I mean.

 

Nazeem is Arabic for one who organizes. Obviously organizing in delusional vanity.

 

Ahlam is Arabic for witty. Her puns in my perception are witty racial commentary on their marriage. She perceives him as an Uncle Frandar, brown nosing the same men who let Hammerfell fend for itself in the last 5 years of the Great War. Nazeem never goes anywhere of importance, while her priesthood does effect lives in the community. Nazeem owns a farm, but doesnt even go there. Nazeem is also prejudice and "conservative" in his responses. Sure he could be in the closet, but it's too vague to make any real conclusions.

 

If we were looking for homosexuality, or pansexuality, we would look at Crassius Curio.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Enatiomorph

[tetradite]

snip

What they are referring to in Nazeem's case is.. even more taboo than sexuality I believe. I think you know what I mean.

 

Nazeem is Arabic for one who organizes. Obviously organizing in delusional vanity.

 

Ahlam is Arabic for witty. Her puns in my perception are witty racial commentary on their marriage. She perceives him as an Uncle Frandar, brown nosing the same men who let Hammerfell fend for itself in the last 5 years of the Great War. Nazeem never goes anywhere of importance, while her priesthood does effect lives in the community. Nazeem owns a farm, but doesnt even go there. Nazeem is also prejudice and "conservative" in his responses. Sure he could be in the closet, but it's too vague to make any real conclusions.

 

If we were looking for homosexuality, or pansexuality, we would look at Crassius Curio.

 

My post (or the part referring to Nazeem), was intended to be more light-hearted than genuinely analytical. http://forums.nexusmods.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/thumbsup.gif

 

I'd never thought of the angle you speak of, and while I see logic behind it, I think that might be an even bigger leap to make than the one regarding his sexuality. If you're right then the writers at Beth deserve more credit than I give them. Most of the societal commentary in Skyrim/parallels to real life or history in are so in your face you can smell what they had for breakfast!

 

 

[Georgiegril]

My opinion on Skyrim relationships:

1) marriage to anybody is kinda empty in the vanilla game.

2) relationships between 2 NPCs are pretty minimal as well.

 

With the exception of that creepy stalker Aerin in Riften, couples are almost never together at all. Even when you

do the Mara quests the NPCs you bring together are like, ooh (insert NPC name here)!

And then they seem to get away from each other as fast as possible.

 

which brings me to:

 

If there were a gay couple, it wouldn't matter because they would never be together anyway!

 

I think it would be nice to have more expressive and positive relationships of all kinds, where people appear to be appreciating each other and not just complaining.

[Enatiomorph]

If you're right then the writers at Beth deserve more credit than I give them.

They do and they don't. There are obviously deep parallels and the dev's inspired intentions are not always known. But there are plenty of Kirkbride fledgling still working for Beth in writing and quest design to know the older glory of the series writing. Including MK himself in a lore writing position. So there is good writing, but you have to know the lore implications. That can easily get lost in fetch quests and the same motifs people have been playing since Arena.

 

I wouldn't say its tee bigger leap either, as it's apparent Nazeem brown noses a company that wants nothing to do with him.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Enatiomorph

[tetradite]

 

I think it would be nice to have more expressive and positive relationships of all kinds, where people appear to be appreciating each other and not just complaining.

 

 

I thought that, then I married Muiri and she all did was thank me. Over and over and overand over and overand over again. http://forums.nexusmods.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/facepalm.gif

 

 

[Georgiegril]

I think it would be nice to have more expressive and positive relationships of all kinds, where people appear to be appreciating each other and not just complaining.

 

 

I thought that, then I married Muiri and she all did was thank me. Over and over and overand over and overand over again. http://forums.nexusmods.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/facepalm.gif

 

 

 

LOL I meant physically expressive, like couples arm in arm, at least, or parents hugging their kids. I married the blacksmith at Riften once and he went from normal to creepy mushy-toned "yes, my love?" to everything. eeewww.

[Stemin]

There's two guys in Shor's Stone who live together an orc and a dark elf IIRC.. one complains about the other's cooking and they both bicker like an old couple, while Sylgia (who is one of the best looking NPC's in the game) is the only woman living in the village and she happens to be single, despite spending every night at the campfire with the guys.

 

Draw your own conclusions.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Stemin

[sukeban]

Not really insightful, but M'aiq does say, "People in Skyrim are far more open-minded about many things" which, I interpret, is speaking directly to this subject. He certainly isn't talking about necromancy or magic use!

 

Personally, I sometimes wonder about that Altmer stable-owner in Windhelm. His wife always complains about how all day all he does is talk about horses (ADIDAH mwaha) and about how boring he is. I also wonder about the creepy blacksmith in Falkreath (who seems so preoccupied with "loyal beasts") and about Hogni in Markarth. I think he might be a necrophiliac (like that Dunmer lady in Oblivion!). Also, the Steward of Markarth gets supplied with a "Potion of the Stallion" by Bothella :-)

[SergeantGrrock]

My opinion on Skyrim relationships:

1) marriage to anybody is kinda empty in the vanilla game.

2) relationships between 2 NPCs are pretty minimal as well.

 

With the exception of that creepy stalker Aerin in Riften, couples are almost never together at all. Even when you

do the Mara quests the NPCs you bring together are like, ooh (insert NPC name here)!

And then they seem to get away from each other as fast as possible.

 

which brings me to:

 

If there were a gay couple, it wouldn't matter because they would never be together anyway!

 

I think it would be nice to have more expressive and positive relationships of all kinds, where people appear to be appreciating each other and not just complaining.

 

Right on Georgiegril, you nailed it. The romantic relationships in Skyrim are almost pointless and almost seem like an unexplored afterthought in the game design. "Let's get married". "Okay". "Hey, where'd my spouse go??" End of quest.

 

Beth should have taken a page from the romantic story lines/quests in Baldur's Gate II. Those relationships strengthened immersion and had meaning.