OOC Sexuality Meme
Gacked from haughty_alpha and gentleman_tiger:
>1. What gender of character do you play more of, male or female? Why?
I have two human men, two human women, and one demon who would use the male pronoun in describing himself, even though angels and demons don't have sexuality in his universe. Of the two who left, one was male and one was female. So I guess I'm almost even in terms of the sex of my characters, with a slight preference toward men.
2. Is this different or the same as your own gender?
Different sex. I---don't honestly know how to define what gender is. I know there's supposed to be a difference these days, which confuses me; when I was growing up, "sex" and "gender" were synonyms. Now they aren't, and I find myself dealing with a jargon that I have trouble translating. If you're asking me to describe myself, I'd describe myself as a woman, just not a very feminine one.
3. Do you find that your gender makes it easier or more challenging to play your characters?
I don't know. I never thought about it. I mean, men write women characters. Women write male characters. People of color have no trouble writing characters of different races, any more than gay people have trouble writing people who are straight. I don't see why my sex, or my gender, or whatever you want to call it, would make it easier or harder to write a character.
4. What sexuality / gender identity do your characters have?
Harry's bisexual. He struggled with this for a while and then came to terms with it and his love for John Marcone. He's happy with it and with John, and, if his sexuality and current relationship weren't a possible danger to quite a lot of people each of them cares about, would probably be out in a casual way: "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm bi. So, tell me more about this case, okay?"
Jim Kirk, Regulus Black, Connie Murphy and Charity Carpenter would all describe themselves as straight. (Though, personally, I think that Connie experimented a little in college and decided that she liked het sex better.)
Reinette Poisson liked men but wasn't thrilled with the prospect of sex with them. (This is historical, by the way; Madame du Pompadour was gorgeous, charming, and sexy...but she wasn't crazy about having sex.)
Crowley tried sex several times to be able to understand humans better, and decided that neither gay nor straight sex enthralled him much.
So...bisexual, straight, straight/asexual and asexual, I guess.
5. How does your character's sexuality and gender identity define / affect their personality?
It doesn't.
See, to me, sexuality is just an aspect of a person, not necessarily the controlling aspect. Harry is defined by his magical power and his urge to protect innocents, his city and possibly the world. Kirk is the captain of the Enterprise, and future promotions aside, that's really all he wants to be. Murphy will fight crime and support law and order with her last breath. Who they go to bed with doesn't change who they are.
6. Do you tend to predominantly play characters of a certain sexuality? If so, why?
I have a slightly higher percentage of straight characters, though with some of them, the sexuality was part of the packaging. (Charity Carpenter's love for and devotion to her husband are canon, for example. As are the hints that she and Michael have a very active sex life. Likewise, it would be hard to ignore the fact that Jim Kirk had a large number of affairs with women.)
7. To what extent to you write / play your character's sexual or romantic life?
Depends. One hasn't had any romances develop yet (Kirk). Some don't have any sex or romance in their lives (Crowley and Reinette). Most are fade-to-black by nature (Murphy, Charity, Regulus). Harry's sex life I tend to write out in story form, rather than as part of gameplay--I worry that someone will read in-game smut and think that it's all right for their village character to openly refer to Harry and John as a known couple. Which would be a disaster for both of them, and for everyone they care about.
8. How has the character's romantic life affected his character development?
Charity Carpenter -- Not much. She's still very much in love with her husband, as she is in canon.
Connie Murphy -- A lot. She's less angry, less defensive and much more confident now that she's found a man who understands and accepts her as she is.
Crowley -- He hasn't had any romances in game. He has other problems, like the development of a conscience and trying to do what's right and not get destroyed for it.
Harry -- A lot. He's much happier, much less angry and depressed, and much more at peace with himself and who he is. He's planning more for the future, training and honing his skills for battles that he knows are coming and that he has to win. And oh dear God, is he ever committed to John.
Jim Kirk -- He hasn't had any romances in game yet. Right now he just wants his first officer to wake up from a coma.
Regulus Black -- A lot. It made him more stronger, more willing to accept the importance of his love of music, and eager to become a musician and a crafter of instruments so that he could leave with Menolly. Love transformed him, really.
Reinette Poisson -- She didn't have any romances in game.
9. Do you set 'ships' or plan for your characters to be together with other characters, or do you allow their relationships to develop organically? Why?
Of the in-game relationships I've played, one is canon (Michael/Charity). The three that developed in the village (Riddick/ Connie Murphy, Regulus/Menolly and Harry/Marcone) all grew and developed organically over a period of months. I think that the relationships that have developed over time as a result of village interactions are the more solid ones.
10. Do you change the gender identities / preferred sexualities of canon characters? Why / why not?
I haven't changed the identities of any of them. I expanded Harry's sexuality from straight to bi--I saw no reason to deny that Harry had had sex with a number of women and had been emotionally close to some of them. But at the same time, bisexuality wasn't much of an expansion, given the number of times that Harry notes the muscles, clothes and general attractiveness of other men in canon. Honestly, I'd be more likely to say that a character was bi rather than say that Character X was straight in canon but was gay in Haurvatat, or gay in canon but straight in Haurvatat. Why deny every relationship that the character had with people of his canonical preference? After all, bisexuals DO exist.
>1. What gender of character do you play more of, male or female? Why?
I have two human men, two human women, and one demon who would use the male pronoun in describing himself, even though angels and demons don't have sexuality in his universe. Of the two who left, one was male and one was female. So I guess I'm almost even in terms of the sex of my characters, with a slight preference toward men.
2. Is this different or the same as your own gender?
Different sex. I---don't honestly know how to define what gender is. I know there's supposed to be a difference these days, which confuses me; when I was growing up, "sex" and "gender" were synonyms. Now they aren't, and I find myself dealing with a jargon that I have trouble translating. If you're asking me to describe myself, I'd describe myself as a woman, just not a very feminine one.
3. Do you find that your gender makes it easier or more challenging to play your characters?
I don't know. I never thought about it. I mean, men write women characters. Women write male characters. People of color have no trouble writing characters of different races, any more than gay people have trouble writing people who are straight. I don't see why my sex, or my gender, or whatever you want to call it, would make it easier or harder to write a character.
4. What sexuality / gender identity do your characters have?
Harry's bisexual. He struggled with this for a while and then came to terms with it and his love for John Marcone. He's happy with it and with John, and, if his sexuality and current relationship weren't a possible danger to quite a lot of people each of them cares about, would probably be out in a casual way: "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm bi. So, tell me more about this case, okay?"
Jim Kirk, Regulus Black, Connie Murphy and Charity Carpenter would all describe themselves as straight. (Though, personally, I think that Connie experimented a little in college and decided that she liked het sex better.)
Reinette Poisson liked men but wasn't thrilled with the prospect of sex with them. (This is historical, by the way; Madame du Pompadour was gorgeous, charming, and sexy...but she wasn't crazy about having sex.)
Crowley tried sex several times to be able to understand humans better, and decided that neither gay nor straight sex enthralled him much.
So...bisexual, straight, straight/asexual and asexual, I guess.
5. How does your character's sexuality and gender identity define / affect their personality?
It doesn't.
See, to me, sexuality is just an aspect of a person, not necessarily the controlling aspect. Harry is defined by his magical power and his urge to protect innocents, his city and possibly the world. Kirk is the captain of the Enterprise, and future promotions aside, that's really all he wants to be. Murphy will fight crime and support law and order with her last breath. Who they go to bed with doesn't change who they are.
6. Do you tend to predominantly play characters of a certain sexuality? If so, why?
I have a slightly higher percentage of straight characters, though with some of them, the sexuality was part of the packaging. (Charity Carpenter's love for and devotion to her husband are canon, for example. As are the hints that she and Michael have a very active sex life. Likewise, it would be hard to ignore the fact that Jim Kirk had a large number of affairs with women.)
7. To what extent to you write / play your character's sexual or romantic life?
Depends. One hasn't had any romances develop yet (Kirk). Some don't have any sex or romance in their lives (Crowley and Reinette). Most are fade-to-black by nature (Murphy, Charity, Regulus). Harry's sex life I tend to write out in story form, rather than as part of gameplay--I worry that someone will read in-game smut and think that it's all right for their village character to openly refer to Harry and John as a known couple. Which would be a disaster for both of them, and for everyone they care about.
8. How has the character's romantic life affected his character development?
Charity Carpenter -- Not much. She's still very much in love with her husband, as she is in canon.
Connie Murphy -- A lot. She's less angry, less defensive and much more confident now that she's found a man who understands and accepts her as she is.
Crowley -- He hasn't had any romances in game. He has other problems, like the development of a conscience and trying to do what's right and not get destroyed for it.
Harry -- A lot. He's much happier, much less angry and depressed, and much more at peace with himself and who he is. He's planning more for the future, training and honing his skills for battles that he knows are coming and that he has to win. And oh dear God, is he ever committed to John.
Jim Kirk -- He hasn't had any romances in game yet. Right now he just wants his first officer to wake up from a coma.
Regulus Black -- A lot. It made him more stronger, more willing to accept the importance of his love of music, and eager to become a musician and a crafter of instruments so that he could leave with Menolly. Love transformed him, really.
Reinette Poisson -- She didn't have any romances in game.
9. Do you set 'ships' or plan for your characters to be together with other characters, or do you allow their relationships to develop organically? Why?
Of the in-game relationships I've played, one is canon (Michael/Charity). The three that developed in the village (Riddick/ Connie Murphy, Regulus/Menolly and Harry/Marcone) all grew and developed organically over a period of months. I think that the relationships that have developed over time as a result of village interactions are the more solid ones.
10. Do you change the gender identities / preferred sexualities of canon characters? Why / why not?
I haven't changed the identities of any of them. I expanded Harry's sexuality from straight to bi--I saw no reason to deny that Harry had had sex with a number of women and had been emotionally close to some of them. But at the same time, bisexuality wasn't much of an expansion, given the number of times that Harry notes the muscles, clothes and general attractiveness of other men in canon. Honestly, I'd be more likely to say that a character was bi rather than say that Character X was straight in canon but was gay in Haurvatat, or gay in canon but straight in Haurvatat. Why deny every relationship that the character had with people of his canonical preference? After all, bisexuals DO exist.