About 'wokeness' and gender issues, it really bears mention, that most of the NPCs in the game supposed to be just or sympathetic are female. Spoilers abound but hear me out.
Edgewater has Adelaide, the leader of deserters, supposedly a benign grandmother figure whose motives are outlined to generate sympathy, while Tobson is portrayed as some sniveling snake through and through. Funny thing is, even if you side with Tobson, there are ways to 'make right' and persuade Tobson to step down, who then uncharacteristically becomes acquiescent to close the loop on the questline. Who replaces Tobson? Why Adeliade, of course! Another example of this female male dichotomy is seen in the deserter camp where a male engineer who is clueless about his profession sends you on a chase to get some books for him while a runaway female who sought company of marauders is seen to be resourceful enough to not only survive the encounter but even considered a 'queen' among the feral group. No need to be rescued, she will go wherever she pleases, thank you very much.
Moving to the next location, Groundbreaker, the leader of the station is a female, the contact that Phineas has you meet is a major female NPC, and the Sublight boss who is portrayed as a resourceful broker in complete control is also a female. All with short hair. The only major male NPC I can recall is some crazed maniac with unique flamethrower and a sniveling Board idiot whose feelings for Hawthorne remains ambiguous.
Now onto the third location, I more or less start to abandon prospect of meeting any positive male figure, but I still remain hopeful. I unerotically thirst for any male character worth some measure of admiration now, practically in supernova duress. Then I meet Anton, character with the possibly worst personal qualities so far encountered in the game.
I have not felt this way before, but from Deadfire and on I feel this irritating and encompassing fatigue, of this male as archetype beaten mercilessly into subdued and compromised positions, sometimes I look at my male character and feel sorry for him for having a penis. Maybe I should break emergency glass with hyperweapon and raep across Japan.
But seriously, my enthusiasm for the game has fallen off pretty much, it is quite surprising even to myself. It is really too bad the first time I actively disdain a game for it, it had to be a Cainarsky game.
