Your thoughts - Genderbending

[Mabah 156]

12 hours ago, Katona said:

Heya ladies and gents! Many of you may or may not know me as I've been playing on and off for four years now. Some of you may also know that I play a wide variety of characters. I've played every race available to me, some men, some women, some gay, some straight, some indifferent. Some of them having disabilities and some of them not. I just enjoy playing characters that can give me an experience i'll never have IRL.

 

Recently, i've been making all sorts of new friends and such, and many of them, upon first meeting some of my current characters (Current rotation is two grills and a dude) They assume i'm a female IRL, now this makes it an issue, not for me, but for them. (I personally don't give af what you are IRL) Just today, someone asked if I was a girl IRL, and when I replied with 'No.' They seemed... upset. It turns out they thought I was 'deceitful' for 'acting like a lesbian' (One of my female characters is female, and a lesbian .-. ) And now here I am, wandering if perhaps i'm in the wrong for wanting to experiment with character types. If I'm honest, I never thought of it too deeply... I just enjoyed the idea of creating a wide variety of characters to experience. I've always felt that was what RP was about, creating unique experiences you'll never have the opportunity to have IRL. Idk, let me know what you think!

I also enjoy playing diverse characters and I have had the same experiences with people when they ask me what I am irl. Short story, a African American man (IRL) who played a Caucasian man said "You should play what you are IRL or it is weird.". (I personally don't give a f*** what you are IRL) I actually think playing a different gender is better for the other player as a lot of players will get attached irl to the person they have a rp relationship which usually isn't a good thing because let's say that person doesn't want to play that character or LOTC anymore, the irl attached person will not be happy. I've said this before and many people say "That never happens." I say "Bullsh**" to that. I have seen MANY people do this some on my own self. Bai!!!

[SomberSalad 63]

I am not actually a salad.

 

Just be yourself, that's all you can really ask for.

[idiot 502]

As many have stated before me, it does not matter about the gender IRL. Its not like when you meet a character in game you are instantly dating them irl.

 

Lord of the craft is about RP. Bringing the best experience for the community, if you wish to play a female character, yet are a male irl, you shouldn't be not allowed to do so because of OOC disagreements between people who think differently, (And vice versa with female irl to male character).

 

To be fair, some of the best RP can come from people who play the opposite gender in game. If someone says "Ew, Gender Bender!", just ignore it, its their problem.

 

~Anadunae <3 

[MunaZaldrizoti 8037]

As a constant gender-bender myself, I can relate to your feelings. I do it for the experience and the different roleplay it brings with it, not for "ermahgerd, i haz bewbs." Some won't ever understand, and that's okay, but don't let that ruin your fun time playing a character that you like!

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

3 hours ago, SomberSalad said:

I am not actually a salad.

Can I lather you in balsamic dressing and eat you anyway?

[SomberSalad 63]

Just now, 吳憾戰士14 said:

Can I lather you in balsamic dressing and eat you anyway?

 

If you ask reaaaally nicely, maybe

[Cave_Creature 467]

Quote

This might be why the person took offense. We're in Medieval times, homosexuality isn't a common thing.

Misconception. Homosexuality has, as far as academia can tell, never been more or less prevalent throughout humanity at any period of our cultural development. There were likely as many people with non-hetero orientations or gender dysmorphia as there are today. The fact is that a more accepting culture causes people to be more aware of (the thing the culture accepts) so it appears as if it's a new or growing phenomenon. Consider the Greeks, for example. The lesbian poet Sappho, the homoerotic art and religion, the prevalence of mentor/apprentice relationships - and things like that are present throughout all history. Of course, we know less about it in the medieval period since it was strictly covered up (although 'sodomites' weren't executed or persecuted nearly as often as you may think, it was mostly just a shameful thing you didn't admit to. Like STDs!) but look for the history and you will find examples of it. So no, homosexuality was as 'common' as it is today, only about 3 or 4 percent of the population (in the US).

 

Anyway, my issue with genderbenders is thus. And for the record, I have played several male characters (usually they're big husky guys because it's different from a feminine stature, change of pace, etc etc) and many characters with orientations other than my own. The problem with portraying someone of a different sex, gender, race, sexuality than you is that stereotypes are drilled into your head and skews your portrayal of a person, and often they're turned into your tokens or your strawmen. I don't mean to say that anyone who is not a purple alien from Pluto can't possibly understand what a purple alien from Pluto is really like. I mean that people don't put in the effort to understand - or rather, not to try and understand, but to forget their misconceptions.

 

Take the guy who said that females are better to play kinder, maternal roles. There's a difference between a female character being a healer and all your healers being female characters. To "genderbend properly" (I sound pretentious bear with me) you have to realize that your character's sex only truly matters when it is directly affected by the conditions of the world around them, and not who they are as people. A poor genderbender isn't exactly the strawman lesbian-bimbo-snowflake that other commenters have argued against, but one that misrepresents and misunderstands an entire sex/gender/ethnicity/sexuality because they fundamentally believe that that certain aspect affects the rest of their character's personality.

[Samson Option 9652]

Who cares?

 

At least this was asking about your RP gender roles, or else I'd blast an article from John Hopkins University Hospital stating scientific evidence that transgenderism is actually gender dysphoria.

[Cave_Creature 467]

Well yeah, it is gender dysmorphia. That's what I mentioned, not that what I was talking about really concerned transgender people anyway. Although I've seen a few people play genderfluid or trans characters and haven't done too bad with it.

[Imam Faiz Kharadeen 3167]

hmmmm

 

i wish i wish i was a fish

 

but a fish a fish cant steal a dish

 

a dish a dish full of figs

 

yummy figs yummy figs 

[TheJollyPear 128]

Sorry to break it. I am not a insane person with pointy ears. Who loves to behead people. And hang them upside down from lamp post. ((But for real, play who you want to play.))

 

 

[_krug_ 247]

I honestly don't give a rat's toss about genderbenders unless it's genderbending for spiteful purposes. Play who you want to play. Well, actually, play what you want to play, just don't be a -REDACTED DUE TO POSSIBLE MOD TRIGGERING-

We need less of those...

[Runabarn 1028]

A lot of people still think I'm a girl irl. I think I did it too well.

[Ender_Panda13 78]

I agree, play what you want to play.

I personally had and has always had issues playing girl (I am a girl IRL)

But that doesn't stop me from playing what I want to play, I just prefer rping as a guy rather than a girl.

LOTC will always have issues about people who want their characters family played by people of the same gender and I'm fine with that. Its people that continuously come to players they know are girls or guys IRL and ask them to play their daughters/sons that make me just a bit annoyed. The second I decide to make a female people are messaging me asking me to change her to be their daughter.

Which is why playing a dwarf is the best. In my opinion at least. ☺

[Elad™ 560]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.