Thoughts of a Mad Man

Subtle Moral Updates

So there are numerous mores and ideas that we may want to put into our stories. Especially with writing.com where our published works are not static, not locked in. It doesn't always require massive retcons, sometimes just an adjusted phrase can bring out something that is more diverse.


For example I was today looking at Auntie Rosie's Magical Flower Shoppe.


With only two characters on the page, racial diversity is hardly relevant to this piece. A young man and an old lady, no sexuality can't be part of it (although there are relationships considered.) No Bechdel since the POV is a man. However, I did find a good place to subliminally put in our modern awareness of sexual orientation.


I changed the old sorceress's statement.





Original:


"In each of these you scry a story of love between you and the girl."


Becomes:


"In each of these you scry a story of love between you and the– girl?"





My feeling is that this implies the naturalness of diversity even though the old sorceress later reveals that she already knows the name of the woman he is going on a date with. Because the only reason she would ask, is if it is possible for him to be going on a date with a male. Or a theythem, I suppose. It could be misread as being a comment on how he's overdressed, but it likely still works because Gilbert doesn't react to that subtext. It literally only occurred to me in this analysis.