Demographics 04: How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?

How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?

  • Completely!

  • Partially: It's highly important, but there are other aspects that are equally important.

  • Partially: It's important to me personally because of personal circumstances.

  • Partially: It's only important where it concerns romantic/sexual encounters with other characters.

  • Partially: Only if the universe says it's important, otherwise I don't personally care.

  • Partially: Other. (Explain below in a post.)

  • Not at all!


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Brovo

Ferret Dad
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Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. One post per week
  3. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
Afternoons and evenings, some weekends.
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Prestige
  5. Douche
  6. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Primarily Prefer Male
  4. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Post Apocalypse, Horror, Romance, Survival...
@Staff: Keep in mind that (with Diana's permission and Astaroth overlooking it) I'm posting threads in GC first, leaving them there for a week, and then moving them to RP Help & Discussion after! This way, my demographics threads can have the widest breadth of community input without asking for unfair administration favouratism. Thanks. :ferret:

Demographics threads are, essentially, an attempt to record the community's thoughts and feelings on RP-related subject matter via a series of votes. Iwaku's tastes, habits, et cetera. If you want further information on prior demographics threads, you can find the demographics hub thread here. (There are three other Demographics Threads to check stats on so far!)

Demo threads are not an appropriate place for hardcore multipage debates. You can ask questions about each other's positions, but keep them professional in tone. Otherwise, the spirit of the demographics threads will be lost. They're meant to sample the community and put it into an easily digestible form of numbers that anybody can look at later when creating their own RP threads or when curious about Iwaku's general demographics. If you're really interested in discussing the subject matter, create your own discussion thread. I would be delighted if demographics threads started to spawn further topics of interest by the community itself.


  • A. Longevity: 2
  • B. Pace: 2
  • C. Tone: 2
  • D. Sexuality: 3 (Winner--Most votes.)
  • E. Surprise me: 0


Question: How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?
Why is this different from the genders poll?: Because duplicating the same poll twice with predictable end results is not interesting and may end up damaging the project in the long run via repetition. A sexuality poll asking the community about the general sexuality of their own characters may come up at a later point. This is also why the CCP choices are broad topics as opposed to specific questions, it gives me flexibility to keep future questions different from each other to avoid repeating the same question back to back. (The same question across multiple polls is okay, it's having the same question 2-3-4 times in a row that hurts.)

This is also the first time I'm experimenting with an "other" option on the poll. It's normally frowned upon. Don't make me regret it, please. :ferret:

Voting options are public. You can change your vote at any time.

Additional Questions
  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)

Community Choice Poll: Vote for the topic of the next poll! (You can choose multiple options. To vote, simply post in this thread which option(s) you want.)
  • A. Longevity. (How long an RP lasts.)
  • B. Pace. (How fast RP's go/how fast you and the rest of the community post on average.)
  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • D. Romance. (As a follow up to "sexuality" and "genders.")
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)
  • F. Politics. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in how politics manifests in role playing.)
  • G. Mechanics. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in how artificial mechanics like dice rolls and stats influence role playing.)
  • H. Surprise me. (None of the above.)
 
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All depends on the setting. Impartial, with limited experience. It was either so subtle I never knew until the end. Or so blatant and hamfisted in that it was constantly brought up, discussed, or pampered.
 
The vast majority of the time, I don't even think about my characters' sexualities. And when I do, it's usually only when I'm in a situation where I would need to think about what other characters they would be attracted to -- given the fact that I don't see how a character's sexuality would impact their personality or anything. But because I don't RP romantic or sexual scenes too often, the question of their sexualities very rarely comes up. In fact, most of my characters don't really have any established "canon" sexualities. o_o

The one big exception to this that I can think of being what I've done with a few characters in Fandomstuck -- because each character in that RP is based off of a particular TV show/game/movie/etc, and there have been a few times that I knew what a character's sexuality would be from the start because it would be thematically relevant to their series. For example, Steven Universe is sort of known for its LGBT+ representation, particularly in the form of canon female/female relationships, so I made the SU character a lesbian in reference to that. But even then, I can't imagine such a detail ever being relevant outside of romantic situations. o.o (Or, more likely, if a certain straight male character tries to hit on her and is inevitably turned down... which seems likely to happen at some point.)
 
I voted "Partially:Other"

Main reason it because it depends on the nature and genre of the RP.

If it's focusing on action, adventure, horror etc etc, I feel like there's no need for people to state their sexuality

However, if romance and/or smut being the main focus, then I think sexuality probably should be stated

If it's only a little bit about romance or smut, it's probably not needed either

Otherwise...not really important
 
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  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
I voted for the third option: Partially: It's only important where it concerns romantic/sexual encounters with other characters.
  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
Nope. I'm heterosexual but I have bisexual and homosexual characters.​
  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
I predetermine the sexuality of a few of my characters, the ones that I have used for a long time in other areas besides roleplaying. However for newer characters, they're somewhat in the grey area. The way I play them determine which was they go.
  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
Nope. It's not important to me.
  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
Hmm... not really to be honest. I just play what character I want to play. Otherwise it's boring and a chore.

As for the next topic, once again, tone or longevity.
 
Question: How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?
Not too much. It's something I'll put some basic thought into before hand, that way if a potential romance arc does pop up I have a basic idea of where to go. However, I've also been known to change my characters sexuality before if it was never mentioned* IC before and only in the CS, and something in the RP that would require (or be helped by) a different sexuality coming up. I can imagine some people getting rather furious here, wondering how I could be willing to compromise something as close as Sexuality for a character almost on the fly. And my reason for this is simply, I don't ever make sexuality an important part of my characters to begin with. This isn't out of a disregard for it, but rather due to my own philosophy of just seeing people as human, end of story. Race, Gender, Sexuality etc. those are all things that might play into someone, and can be interesting to know about, but it's all secondary compared to the individual themselves. Additionally, part of the reason Sexuality is something close to so many people is because we still have a lot of discrimination in today's world against the LGBT community. But homophobia doesn't ever come up in my roleplays. Sexuality has always just been something that characters were completely open and fine with, so there was never a need to put any direct attention towards it.

*This means directly pointing to a specific sexuality or information about it. So someone simply being attracted to X isn't locked into Straight, Homo etc. Stuff like Bi or Pan is still an option because attraction to the sex not mentioned was never actually discounted. However, if the character ever mentions "Not being attracted to X" then that starts eliminating groups they're attracted to, and likewise sexualities.
Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
"Partially: It's only important where it concerns romantic/sexual encounters with other characters".
Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own?
Often yes. This plays into mostly the reasons I mentioned back in the gender thread. I often make what feels natural, and unconsciously I get inspirations from myself. The only time I might deviate from the standard is if I have an inkling it might fit the character. But... This part isn't as common as Gender, because a Gender difference can affect a bunch of mannerisms and behaviour. Sexuality? Not so much unless if the person is a natural flirt.
Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
This isn't my first time doing a poll like this, so yes. However, I would hazard to say I probably didn't think about this stuff until whatever the first poll about this was.

That being said though, I started forum roleplaying (and by extension RP in general, where making characters was required) at 14. And bizarrely enough, I didn't even know LGBT existed until 15, mainly because my parents didn't seem to see non-straight sexualities as something 'child appropriate'. As a result, my first exposure to LGBT was through an online church during my Christian questioning days (You can imagine how well that turned out). This basically meant I wasn't even willing to touch anything LGBT related until I started de-converting, which would have been around 16-17.

And during that time I was still in my "Horny Teenager, no relationship experience*" state and ended up going into a ton of the Liberteen RP's (But not quite, since the Guild didn't track ages for that), so sexuality wasn't even so much something that was treated with some level of care but just a "How can we make them bang!" sort of deal. So even if technically speaking polls might have got me 'thinking' about it in the most basic sense at that time, it wasn't something I ever considered with much seriousness (and for me that's making go beyond the scope of having characters have sex, for reasons detailed in the first question) until said horny RP days were done. Which would have been at 18. However, at 18 I actually took a 2 year break from Forum RP's so the thinking wouldn't have truly started so much until 20. And in D&D which I did in the meantime it was just never relevant save for one case. But it was a 'default to straight' case so I don't think that counts.

*Ended up getting in a relationship for a time with one of the people I Liberteened with.
Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Like I said earlier, pre-determined in the sense I might input a baseline in the CS just to give me some sort of nudge. But it's easily negotiable once in the RP itself assuming the sexuality isn't already defined in the actual RP itself.
Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
I do, for two reasons.
  1. To be open and inclusive
  2. I just like having a lot of section to full out in a CS. A essay long bio? No thanks. A bunch of smaller tid-bits that add up? Yes please! :3
Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
Now? I just make what I feel most like playing. The only time I took others into account was back during those "Let's make them bang" RP's I did in my teen years.
Community Choice Poll: Vote for the topic of the next poll! (You can choose multiple options. To vote, simply post in this thread which option(s) you want.)
  • A. Longevity. (How long an RP lasts.)
  • B. Pace. (How fast RP's go/how fast you and the rest of the community post on average.)
  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • D. Romance. (As a follow up to "sexuality" and "genders.")
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)
  • F. Politics. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in how politics manifests in role playing.)
  • G. Mechanics. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in how artificial mechanics like dice rolls and stats influence role playing.)
  • H. Surprise me. (None of the above.)
All of these work for me actually. Take your pick.
 
How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?
It's one of the five core elements I create for every character. Gender/Sexuality/Personality/Weakness/Strengths

Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Second option: Partially-- Highly important but there are other aspects that are equally important.

Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
No. I'm heterosexual. Most of my characters fall into the Homosexual range.
No. I've noticed over than last ten years have seen a huge drop in Heterosexual characters. I currently only have two compared to several that fall into the homosexual range.

Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Prior to the first in character post.

Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
Always. I do not participate in Group RP. All of my RP's, no matter the genre fall into the 1x1 Libertine and always encompass romance on some level.

Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
On some level. Depends on few factors. In 1x1, especially Libertine, it's pretty much laid out for what is needed. So to round out the main casting characters isn't really needed. Exception here is for the added NPC's that help the plot/storyline flow. But it neither stops the ideals of the main casting characters from being complete opposites. Example: Two males, one is straight while the other is Gay/Bi That's a recipe for a really deep, very complicated story that could allow for huge strides in character development as the story/plot is being played out.

I could see players possibly taking this far more into consideration in a Group RP.
 
Additional Questions
  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Partially: It's only important where it concerns romantic/sexual encounters with other characters.

  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
So far, I've only played heterosexual main characters, had a few bisexual NPCs.
  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Bit of both, it's not usually something I think about until it comes up in a game.
  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
No, because I kind of feel that it's something that should come up during the in character over the course of the game, and if it's on the sheet, it is almost like saying "hey, this character is potentially bangable!", which unless that's a big focus of the narrative, kind of seems unnecessary.
  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
Not in the slightest.

Community Choice Poll: Vote for the topic of the next poll! (You can choose multiple options. To vote, simply post in this thread which option(s) you want.)
  • A. Longevity. (How long an RP lasts.)
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)
  • H. Surprise me. (None of the above.)
 
Question: How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?
A character's sexuality is very important to me. I try to make my characters as human as possible - meaning they will be broken, hurting, imperfect, yet beautiful, hopeful, and resilient. Even if I don't identify with all of them, I willingly take a walk in their shoes in hopes of portraying them accurately and without prejudice.



Additional Questions
Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
I voted: Partially: It's highly important, but there are other aspects that are equally important.



Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
I'm pansexual, so no. I can play a wide spectrum of sexual orientations, the most difficult for me would be asexual, and I haven't wrote a character like that yet.


Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
As much as sexuality does not define the character, as much as it is a part of them. This means that while I'm in the process of creating a character (I do not recycle characters), their sexuality definitely comes up helps to shape who they will become as I post more and more with them.


Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
Not a GM, but if the roleplay is not explicitly about romance or character development (slice of life), I don't think it's necessary to have a specific field for it. I'd be more inclined to invite the player(s) to add it in their bio.

Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
I enjoy being the ugly duckling / oddball, so it is possibly that I will create a character with a different sexuality than the prominent one.



Community Choice Poll: Vote for the topic of the next poll! (You can choose multiple options. To vote, simply post in this thread which option(s) you want.)
  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • D. Romance. (As a follow up to "sexuality" and "genders.")
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)

Can't decide between those three!
 
Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Partially: It's highly important, but there are other aspects that are equally important. I very rarely get involved in non-romantic role-plays, so yes, sexuality is something that's pretty important. It's nowhere near the Most Important Thing, though, unless it's somehow relevant to their history.

Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
All of my characters are queer in some way, so yes. I have no personal interest in creating main heterosexual characters or writing about heterosexual romance. You don't get to see a lot of LGBT romance in main stream media, and even when you do see it, it's rarely done well, so if I want to see these stories, I'll have to create them myself. I'm completely unable to really immerse myself in heterosexual romance. Oh well.
Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
As previously mentioned, 99% of my role-plays are romantic in some regard, so my characters always have their sexuality decided before I start writing.
 
Question: How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?
Not completely, but I also carefully weigh it in my character's personality and how they react to situations. I often include romantic relationships into my roleplays, so it is something I treat carefully and I try to portray LGBT+ relationships with care and respect. But it's not the most important thing and I don't let the sexuality itself define a character.

  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Partially: It is highly important, but there are other aspects equally important.
  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
I find that in a way, it does reflect my own sexuality, but not to a large degree. I enjoy exploring different sexual orientations in writing as well. For my part, I do find sexual relationships and activities interesting, but I'm not personally into such things unless I have an emotional connection to them. That does complicate things and it's awkward to just write plotless smut without character direction and development, it makes me uncomfortable... But I'm getting off-topic.
  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Well, I have an idea of their sexuality before their first IC post already, but I also have to take into consideration the things that may happen IC. However, I won't simply make a heterosexual character homosexual simply to fit the story because it 'looks good' or would be nice. There are stable characters who won't change.
  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
No. I find that practice to be... Rather off-putting and pointless, and I don't mean to offend anyone by saying that. It's just that I would rather have the characters interact and show their sexuality as they are in the IC, not that it would have to come up every time. I just feel like adding it adds a certain sort of vibe that I do not want for any roleplays that I will host.
  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
I create what I feel like playing as a player.
 
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  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • D. Romance. (As a follow up to "sexuality" and "genders.")
I'd love to see these ones.
 
Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Partially: It's highly important, but there are other aspects that are equally important.

Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
Yes, and also no. My characters are almost exclusively lesbian, but the way they express their sexuality is almost always different from how I would. I tend to not be very sexual at all, so that would be boring to RP.

I'm pretty aware of my tendencies, so I'd say that I've known about this.
Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Generally speaking, I already have an idea of what my character's motivations are down to a science before the RP even begins. Yet at the same time, my characters always manage to surprise me. Just understanding what they find important and how they think about things doesn't help me understand how they will act in a particular context. Similarly, I rarely make characters who go in knowing exactly what they want out of a romance. So, I guess the answer is that I make characters with a realistic sexuality. They won't change for the narrative, but it isn't a static, unchanging thing either.
Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
Only in the case that I think it will be particularly relevant. Usually, I prefer to be more subtle about my character's sexuality. Though, since I have such a heavy tendency towards the lesbian ladies, it is never really a surprise.
Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
I don't, even though I probably should. Having a gender/sexuality balance gives players more options for exploring romantic interests. In real life we are surrounded by millions of people who are valid targets of romantic interests. In RPing you would be lucky to have 7. I'm not saying that I'd make an entire character, then suddenly change the sexuality to meet the cast, but I'd consider the sexuality and gender of a character early in the character making process if I needed to make them fit.
 
Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?

Partially: It's only important where it concerns romantic/sexual encounters with other characters.​

Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?

I'm not sure if it's my own personal preference, or simply that I a. rarely play romantic parings to begin with, b. never play libertine content, or c. rarely play where it's an important factor, so I don't really plan/think about it too much. To some degree my preferences already play a part in what I will role-play but it's not the end-all be-all deciding factor.​
Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)

I do usually know what my characters are from the start and it always remains static once set but I very rarely need to bring it up IC.​
Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?

Nope. Some people are like me and don't really care, and those that do care tend to find ways to work it into their sheet regardless. I'm also one of those Bare-bones char sheet GMs. The less I require the less I have to go over, and the smoother the process of accepting a character goes. I also find that it gives my players more flexibility in game.​


Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)

I don't generally play romance so I hardly ever think about it unless someone asks. When I do play romance It's always a hetero paring so the most thought I put in is if I want the dynamic of having a character also be Demi or Asexual, what that character's views on sex and romance are, and what their backstory needs to contain.​
 
  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Bandwagon goooooo!

  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
Given my tendency to play both sexes? Not really. Granted, I don't part take in a lot of romance, 'cause that's never really a big selling point for me. Most of the RP's I join tend to have FIGHT EVIL WITH MAGIC AND/OR SPACELASERS written with big neon letters on the front. Romance subplot? If I'm interested. Using sexuality as any other kind of plot point? Not really my goal. Most of the very few romantic or sexual attraction I've played out were between a man and a woman, though I've also done an even smaller amount between two women. I haven't done one between men, but I'm not opposed to the idea.

Also how many times do you think I answered this kinda question? :P

  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
... Bi by default until romance options appear. Then somethingsomething. Well, that's not entirely true. I sometimes weave in children into the mix of a character's backstory or motivation, which never happen to be adopted kids. Because flesh and blood is an easier shoe-in.

  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
No. Because the RP's I create don't have romance as a focus. I don't discourage it, but I don't go out of my way to encourage it either.

  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
Not really. Relations are a toss-up with me, so besides spreading the "Nice ass." comments more equally, chances are it's not going to play any meaningful part in the story.
 
  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
It only matters with regards to romantic encounters with other characters.

  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
Yes, kind of? I'm a male landing somewhere between heterosexual and asexual. I've noticed before that this has lead to me rarely, if ever, creating gay or bisexual men. The rest is essentially fair game.

  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Most of my characters start off as assumed asexual, with other sexualities only being defined if it ties in directly to their history. However, I rarely decide to leave it set in stone, and I allow my characters to question their sexuality when potential romantic interest pop up.

  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
Usually I'll just go with whatever I feel fits best with the character, ignoring the other players. On very rare occasion I've refrained from making a lesbian/bisexual female when the gender ratio was roughly split evenly and yet somehow every female was a lesbian. Gotta give the guys something to work with, no?


Finally, for the poll options, I'm most interested in tone. Pace and longevity seem interesting, but only really in relation to each other—that is, whether posting speed affects the survivability of a roleplay.
 
  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?

Partially: It's important to me personally because of personal circumstances.

  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?

Not always. I try to mix it up because that's the nature of roleplaying.

  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)

Like any personality trait, sexuality is a major facet to any character, but I think people grow into and discover new things about themselves all the time. Not to say that sexuality isn't something people are born with, just that it's muddled by a million preconceived notions of oneself that blocks the purest self.

  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
I'd rather players roleplay it out, or make it evident through their character's backstory. It just seems like it'd tempt players into only interacting with other romantically viable players, creating what amounts to a Greenwich Village cutting a line through the cast.
  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
I just create what I feel like playing. Though if there's a cast of nothing but straight people, I like to throw in some spice.


  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • D. Romance. (As a follow up to "sexuality" and "genders.")
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)
 
Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
I vote for "Partially: It's only important where it concerns romantic/sexual encounters with other characters."

Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
My character often don't reflect my own sexuality unless I want them to be. I didn't even notice about it until you asked the question to us.

Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
Their sexuality doesn't get mentioned often enough unless it's tied into the narrative or their own storyline. I don't often do roleplays that only focus on romance, not a big fan of that.

Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
It has to depend on the roleplay that I want to do. If it's a slice of life roleplay, then I would add on. If it's an action-adventure roleplay, then I won't add one (unless it ties to the plot).

Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
I just pick the sexuality that I feel like playing as; however, I would make a heterosexual/homosexual if there's too much of one sexuality.

How much does a character's sexuality matter to you?
If I have to be honest to y'all, not a lot. As a gay (who finally found his sexuality) male, I feel like someones' sexuality shouldn't matter in a roleplay unless the roleplay is forced on finding romance and/or making friends (like a slice of life roleplay). However, you can't just put in LGBT+ because it's 'current year' if someone doesn't like the LGBT+ community. My family is religious and doesn't like the LGBT+ community, hated how same marriage is legal in all fifty states, and plans on boycott Target (even known our town doesn't have one) and I still respect them.

I am not a big fan of Gay Pride parades, I don't care if you say faggot around me, and I personality find that the LGBT+ community has some issues as well (like hating on the 'cis, straight, white male). I guess that my family's views on politics and the world had some factors to what my views are, but I am willing to listen to both sides rather than avoid one side or praise the other.

In short, it doesn't matter if your character is gay or straight.

Also, I hope that I did good for my second third post on this site and my first post on the series of demographics threads. As for the next poll, I would pick the following:
  • A. Longevity. (How long an RP lasts.)
  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)
  • F. Politics. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in how politics manifests in role playing.)
 
  • Q. Which option did you vote for on the poll?
Partially important, but there are other aspects that are equally (and perhaps even more) important.
  • Q (2 Parts). Does the sexuality of your characters often or always reflect your own? Did you notice until thinking about it for this question?
It doesn't happen often. I role-play straight characters as well as homosexual characters.
No, I haven't noticed until now.
  • Q. When you create a character, does their sexuality flow to fit the narrative, or is it static and unchanging? (IE: Do you have sexuality predetermined for your character before their first IC post, or do you make it up when it becomes relevant?)
It depends? I usually have my character's sexuality predetermined. But always with the mindset that their sexuality could change as the role-play progresses. Character development and all that. You never know.
  • Q. (GM's): Do you include a sexuality field on your character sheets? Why or why not?
Again, it depends. If the role-play is even slightly geared towards romance, I'd likely include a sexuality field in the character sheet. If I feel that sexuality wouldn't significantly impact the role-play in any way, then I'd probably just leave it out.
  • Q. (Players): Do you take into account the sexuality of player characters other than your own when creating your character's sexuality? (Ex: If the cast is dominated by heterosexuals, do you create a homosexual to have a more rounded cast, or simply create what you most feel like playing?)
Yes, I do. I believe that a rounded cast is important, so I try to be flexible. Then again, there are role-plays that don't need such diversity among its cast, so I suppose my final decision would mostly anchor on what kind of role-play it is and the kind of characters it needs/is looking for.

  • A. Longevity. (How long an RP lasts.)
  • B. Pace. (How fast RP's go/how fast you and the rest of the community post on average.)
  • C. Tone. (How "light" or "dark" the tone of a story or character is.)
  • E. Genres. (New topic expansion: Polling to see the community's general interest in a wide array of genres, such as fantasy and science fiction.)
 
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