michi

I don’t think I can stomach this. I know the ending but I mean are they happy in any way? Does she form a relationship with her son? Is the duke happy at the end? Or did he do all that to her to just get revenge? I mean I’m sure she’s miserable but I’m at least hoping her son isn’t…although I dunno how he couldn’t be partly miserable with his mom handicapped and basically chained to his dad….

I think manhwa doesn’t touch on the struggle of getting into a queer relationship and realizing how you navigate your relationship in public will be different from a straight couple’s because (obviously) manhwa takes place in Korea and most people don’t even think to be openly gay. So that turmoil you often see in gay characters in American media isn’t there.
In Korea, there’s too much at risk (not that there’s NO risk in the US). Queer Koreans aren’t as blessed with as much legal protection as we are in the US. If I moved to Korea, the only option would be to pass as straight. IMO the social suicide and the impact it could have on your career is not worth it. That’s the reality in most countries.
Whereas in the US, you have the legal rights to back you up and there’s media that portrays LGBTQ so you know you have the option to be out. But legal rights don’t equal social acceptance thus making it seem even more unfair for us Americans since it’s not at all a simple decision to be openly gay. I mean your close friends and family knowing about you is one thing but anyone else? It’s not like with straight people where any random stranger can know (like in this chapter).

I feel like everywhere in progressive American media, there’s the message that you should be out and proud. But the reality is complicated. It’s hard to accept that prejudice is there and still decide to be out with no fear of the consequences.

But for Korea, well I like to think they’re getting to the point they are struggling more to accept this prejudice.
Anyhow I think for a lot of Korea it’s very much a normal thing to accept your fate as a gay person. Even more so since it’s a conservative and heavily confucian society.

I mean gay people always existed yet throughout world history we see that not much was done to assert their rights.
Ofc there’s been periods where homosexuality was, maybe not largely accepted, but tolerated fair enough in certain areas and social groups. Which is where we are at rn.
I think it’s very normal for humans to just accept their fate and quietly live however they want (maybe even finding small communities) without feeling the need for society to accept them.

I’m realizing this sounds super pessimistic. But that’s the somber reality