IN WHICH I ESSAY. Kind of.
I've been putting off essaying about this, because, uh... I didn't know where to begin actually, so this will be incredibly disjointed and incoherent.. So, from the beginning
Let's Talk About Sex, Baby...
To start off: Kio likes sex. He likes quiet sex, loud sex, rough sex, gentle sex. He tops, he bottoms, he does it all! Of course, none of this is stated explicitly in canon, but he does seem to treat sex casually. He jokes, he makes suggestive comments, and we see in volume 2 that he's more than willing to make it more than words if he sees the slightest hint of reciprocation from Soubi.
That's not to say that Kio is a slut or whore or anything. He's not going to want to do every hot guy that he sees--only some of 'em 8D. Which is why he has a list of kinks and turn-ons which are, in no particular order: Pretty hair, glasses, height either greater or equal to his, egotistical jerks, people who can charm their way out of anything. There's a lot more, possibly including "really great pants" a la Ikkaku (which does NOT apply to Oscar, by the way), but those are the main ones.
Which brings me, once again, to the list of people Kio would do if given the chance and the appropriate circumstances:
Moving along! Kio has very little sexual history given to us in the Loveless manga (well, we do know he's not a virgin, but duh), so in order to keep up with certain conversations, I had to make it up:
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Kaidou Kio: Gay enough for a man, straight enough for a woman.
Kio is gay. That's how I started playing it and I never intend on changing that.
Looking back at canon, especially the earlier chapters, there really just seems like no other way to view his behaviour. In the first two volumes, Kio interacts with a grand total of four people. One is Soubi. Another is a random professor we never get to see and who Kio doesn't like. And the other two are girls that I assume are Kio's friends, since he's seen with them on more than one occassion. Now, I'm not counting the professor here because that was just random filler talk to shift the conversation over to Kio's earrings. Anyway. Of the three early interactions I'm focusing on, the only male of the group is the one that Kio seems to be have a really big thing for. Kio flirts with Soubi, he smiles with Soubi, he's touchy with Soubi and stands in a relatively close proximity to him. More than that, he genuinely has feelings for him, and flings himself to the floor dramatically when he suspects Soubi is "cheating" on him with Ritsuka. Now, compare this with his girl friends. He's never seen all that close to them, he definitely doesn't flirt with them, and when he is talking to them, it's mostly bitching about Soubi. I always saw Kio as a flirty kind of guy. He's confident, he knows he's good-looking, and is very high-energy. So why doesn't he flirt with the girls? I always thought that was the biggest indicator that Kio was, in fact, gay and not bisexual. Later interactions with characters don't really expand much on this, because the characters he becomes attached to then are children. Of course, he's really grabby with Ritsuka, but everyone is, so we can all give that a pass.
How does the wife change this? Well, she doesn't. Not really, anyway. Of course, I have to retcon earlier comments I made where Kio claimed that he'd never had sex witha girl, or I could just blame it on his being drunk and stupid. So, yes. Kio is gay, but has a wife and child. This is not necesarily contradictory. As explained in the Kio/Hime date post:
"Well, you know what it's like back home. Having a family's important, right? And there was just... a lot of outside pressure, 'cause it was just me and mom and my grandmother. Yeah yeah, laugh all you want, but I was the only male influence in the house, and certain things are... you know, expected. It was as simple as that, and whether I like girls or guys had nothing to do with it.
So I'm 18 and I meet this really sweet girl, and she's sort of head-over-heels in love with me for some reason. You know the type... really elaborately hand-made chocolates on Valentine's Day, that sort of thing. And she knows that I'm gay, but she doesn't seem to care all that much, and... I don't know. I figured "why the hell not?", because I didn't really think I'd find anyone more understanding than that. She even knows about Soubi.
We got married pretty quickly, and things happen when you're married, which is why I have a daughter, and that's about it."
That's my story, and I'm sticking with it. Really though, it's th eonly possible explanation that I think lines up with previous characterization of Kio, but if it turns out I'm wrong and Kouga Yun actually explains it in the manga, then, well... I'm screwed.
Anyway!
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What Does The Wife Mean for His Character? (aka Why I Freaked Out)
Contrary to popular belief, I didn't make a big deal about this because it threatened what I had established as Kio's sexual orientation. No. I made a big deal because this makes Kio a big, fat hypocrite, and from a certain standpoint, a much worse person than he was originally.
Some of Kio's earliest scenes have him shouting and crying and moping and generally freaking out because Soubi is "cheating" on him. He's also really quick to jump at the chance of getting in Soubi's pants (it takes one tiny remark in the manga to get him to, like, tear his shirt open). Meanwhile, he has a wife. Oops! Kio's always been one of those characters that pushes his morals on others. For Soubi's obsession with Ritsuka, he calls him a pervert and a pedophile. He's quick to bash Soubi's willing masochism, and even quicker to denounce Seimei for his violence and "use" of Soubi. He gets really angry when Soubi up and leaves in the middle of dinner/a conversation/work/whatever to be with Seimei, Ritsuka, or whoever. All of these are, as he thinks, morally reprehensible things that he feels obligated to speak up very loudly against. But again, where does this leave his wife and daughter?
Kio never mentions them. Not once. Not in the anime, not in the manga, not ever. And since we have seen that Kio is prepared to go on and on about the things he has a particular fixation on (candy, beer, Soubi, etc.), wouldn't this have come up? Of course, it's not in any way relevant to the storyline, so that's probably a reason, but. It just doesn't. Add up. At ALL. Couple this with the fact that Kio seems to have all the free time in the world (painting at the studio, bringing Soubi food, helping Soubi out when he's hurt, being a glorified babysitter to the Zero boys, accompanying Soubi and Ritsuka to Goura), and I have concluded that Kio is just a big fat deadbeat dad, and that Soubi is much more important to him than his family is.
I really have no problems with playing characters of moral ambiguity (I mean, Kimimaro is a shounen villain, and Youji is, well, Youji), but Kio's always been a Good Guy. He was the voice of reason. He was (relatively) normal and (relatively) sane. He was fun and happy and an all-around good guy not afraid to stand up for what he believed in. This sort of adds a dimension to the character that makes me uncomfortable, having a lot of issues with an absentee father myself, and really not knowing how to play someone in... uh, support of those actions.
Also, with alcohol now banned, and Kio basically being a drunk (he's been drinking since kindergarten, people), I'm really having to watch what I do, since I think a lot of Kio's super-happy personality comes from alcohol. No alcohol + wife revelation = emo. I've been trying to counter that as best I can by returning to, uh, randomness and having Kio take a vow of optimism, so... hopefully it's working out. It probably isn't, but. I'm doing what I can with it.
So yeah. Hopefully that explains a few things.
ETA: ...I hate LJ.
Let's Talk About Sex, Baby...
To start off: Kio likes sex. He likes quiet sex, loud sex, rough sex, gentle sex. He tops, he bottoms, he does it all! Of course, none of this is stated explicitly in canon, but he does seem to treat sex casually. He jokes, he makes suggestive comments, and we see in volume 2 that he's more than willing to make it more than words if he sees the slightest hint of reciprocation from Soubi.
That's not to say that Kio is a slut or whore or anything. He's not going to want to do every hot guy that he sees--only some of 'em 8D. Which is why he has a list of kinks and turn-ons which are, in no particular order: Pretty hair, glasses, height either greater or equal to his, egotistical jerks, people who can charm their way out of anything. There's a lot more, possibly including "really great pants" a la Ikkaku (which does NOT apply to Oscar, by the way), but those are the main ones.
Which brings me, once again, to the list of people Kio would do if given the chance and the appropriate circumstances:
- Rikuou: Ranked highest on the list because their chemistry is off the charts. Kio became immediately attracted to him as soon as he met him, which was when he first came to camp, actually.
- Oscar: Yes, yes, the actual boyfriend is the second on the list. Do I really need to explain this one?
- Akiha: Because Akiha is Kio's not-twin, and Kio loves himself.
- Umeda: Hot doctor who knows what he's doing. He's sort of scared of him now after what happened on the not-date with Akiha, but... would still do him.
- Ikkaku: The camp horse. Okay, besides that, Ikkaku doesn't hit any of the physical criterion that he finds attractive (except the height), but... he's just so goshdarned charming and has a really great body, even if he's not usually one for lots and lots of muscles.
Moving along! Kio has very little sexual history given to us in the Loveless manga (well, we do know he's not a virgin, but duh), so in order to keep up with certain conversations, I had to make it up:
- POINT NUMBER 1: Kio lost his virginity soon after turning 17. It didn't happen earlier mainly because I have faith that Kio was not the most popular kid around when he was a teenager--probably very awkward and nerdy. He had engaged in sexual activity before that, but nothing really serious that would cause him to lose his ears. And because Kio is a notorious drunk, the first time was very much fueled by alcohol and wasn't very pleasant at all.
- POINT NUMBER 2: After the horrible, horrible first time, Kio abstained from sex for... well, a good four or five months. After this, though, there was a good year/year and a half in which Kio dated around, had numerous sexual partners, and became the "experienced" man he is today.
- POINT NUMBER 3: Got married sometime while 18. Although this put some end to his casual dating, he has had affairs. Some of which his wife knows about.
- POINT NUMBER 4: Kio has never, ever had sex with Soubi. Thinks he'd probably be awful in the sack, but would be willing to risk it, anyway.
--
Kaidou Kio: Gay enough for a man, straight enough for a woman.
Kio is gay. That's how I started playing it and I never intend on changing that.
Looking back at canon, especially the earlier chapters, there really just seems like no other way to view his behaviour. In the first two volumes, Kio interacts with a grand total of four people. One is Soubi. Another is a random professor we never get to see and who Kio doesn't like. And the other two are girls that I assume are Kio's friends, since he's seen with them on more than one occassion. Now, I'm not counting the professor here because that was just random filler talk to shift the conversation over to Kio's earrings. Anyway. Of the three early interactions I'm focusing on, the only male of the group is the one that Kio seems to be have a really big thing for. Kio flirts with Soubi, he smiles with Soubi, he's touchy with Soubi and stands in a relatively close proximity to him. More than that, he genuinely has feelings for him, and flings himself to the floor dramatically when he suspects Soubi is "cheating" on him with Ritsuka. Now, compare this with his girl friends. He's never seen all that close to them, he definitely doesn't flirt with them, and when he is talking to them, it's mostly bitching about Soubi. I always saw Kio as a flirty kind of guy. He's confident, he knows he's good-looking, and is very high-energy. So why doesn't he flirt with the girls? I always thought that was the biggest indicator that Kio was, in fact, gay and not bisexual. Later interactions with characters don't really expand much on this, because the characters he becomes attached to then are children. Of course, he's really grabby with Ritsuka, but everyone is, so we can all give that a pass.
How does the wife change this? Well, she doesn't. Not really, anyway. Of course, I have to retcon earlier comments I made where Kio claimed that he'd never had sex witha girl, or I could just blame it on his being drunk and stupid. So, yes. Kio is gay, but has a wife and child. This is not necesarily contradictory. As explained in the Kio/Hime date post:
"Well, you know what it's like back home. Having a family's important, right? And there was just... a lot of outside pressure, 'cause it was just me and mom and my grandmother. Yeah yeah, laugh all you want, but I was the only male influence in the house, and certain things are... you know, expected. It was as simple as that, and whether I like girls or guys had nothing to do with it.
So I'm 18 and I meet this really sweet girl, and she's sort of head-over-heels in love with me for some reason. You know the type... really elaborately hand-made chocolates on Valentine's Day, that sort of thing. And she knows that I'm gay, but she doesn't seem to care all that much, and... I don't know. I figured "why the hell not?", because I didn't really think I'd find anyone more understanding than that. She even knows about Soubi.
We got married pretty quickly, and things happen when you're married, which is why I have a daughter, and that's about it."
That's my story, and I'm sticking with it. Really though, it's th eonly possible explanation that I think lines up with previous characterization of Kio, but if it turns out I'm wrong and Kouga Yun actually explains it in the manga, then, well... I'm screwed.
Anyway!
--
What Does The Wife Mean for His Character? (aka Why I Freaked Out)
Contrary to popular belief, I didn't make a big deal about this because it threatened what I had established as Kio's sexual orientation. No. I made a big deal because this makes Kio a big, fat hypocrite, and from a certain standpoint, a much worse person than he was originally.
Some of Kio's earliest scenes have him shouting and crying and moping and generally freaking out because Soubi is "cheating" on him. He's also really quick to jump at the chance of getting in Soubi's pants (it takes one tiny remark in the manga to get him to, like, tear his shirt open). Meanwhile, he has a wife. Oops! Kio's always been one of those characters that pushes his morals on others. For Soubi's obsession with Ritsuka, he calls him a pervert and a pedophile. He's quick to bash Soubi's willing masochism, and even quicker to denounce Seimei for his violence and "use" of Soubi. He gets really angry when Soubi up and leaves in the middle of dinner/a conversation/work/whatever to be with Seimei, Ritsuka, or whoever. All of these are, as he thinks, morally reprehensible things that he feels obligated to speak up very loudly against. But again, where does this leave his wife and daughter?
Kio never mentions them. Not once. Not in the anime, not in the manga, not ever. And since we have seen that Kio is prepared to go on and on about the things he has a particular fixation on (candy, beer, Soubi, etc.), wouldn't this have come up? Of course, it's not in any way relevant to the storyline, so that's probably a reason, but. It just doesn't. Add up. At ALL. Couple this with the fact that Kio seems to have all the free time in the world (painting at the studio, bringing Soubi food, helping Soubi out when he's hurt, being a glorified babysitter to the Zero boys, accompanying Soubi and Ritsuka to Goura), and I have concluded that Kio is just a big fat deadbeat dad, and that Soubi is much more important to him than his family is.
I really have no problems with playing characters of moral ambiguity (I mean, Kimimaro is a shounen villain, and Youji is, well, Youji), but Kio's always been a Good Guy. He was the voice of reason. He was (relatively) normal and (relatively) sane. He was fun and happy and an all-around good guy not afraid to stand up for what he believed in. This sort of adds a dimension to the character that makes me uncomfortable, having a lot of issues with an absentee father myself, and really not knowing how to play someone in... uh, support of those actions.
Also, with alcohol now banned, and Kio basically being a drunk (he's been drinking since kindergarten, people), I'm really having to watch what I do, since I think a lot of Kio's super-happy personality comes from alcohol. No alcohol + wife revelation = emo. I've been trying to counter that as best I can by returning to, uh, randomness and having Kio take a vow of optimism, so... hopefully it's working out. It probably isn't, but. I'm doing what I can with it.
So yeah. Hopefully that explains a few things.
ETA: ...I hate LJ.