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-   -   Male or Female Characters? (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=349055)

Ice May 16th, 2015 10:35 AM

Male or Female Characters?
 
Do you stick to one gender when RP'ing, or do you pick of both sides? Which gender is easiest to write for you, and does it even matter when you write?

Iceshadow3317 May 16th, 2015 1:07 PM

I usually use Male as my main character, but sometimes I use a female, but only when I already have 1 male in the game. As a writer, you kinda have to know how to do both genders.

And it is far easier for me to RP as a male, as I am a male. :p

Jay May 16th, 2015 1:32 PM

I used to only do male characters, my own gender, as most people tend to when starting off with this sort of thing. It's difficult and perhaps somewhat awkward for some to branch out in gender of characters, especially when one considers that most RP characters contain aspects on the writer.

However once you're over this, as I now am, character gender becomes irrelevant in most cases and I like to think that I'll write a character based on what RP they're in and what gender would suit them better personally.

In short, the character gender I use depends on the RP and character themselves.

Nagi May 16th, 2015 2:06 PM

i only ever write female characters, simply because i don't have enough of an understanding of the male mind to consider myself fit to write as one ( ´ ▽ ` )ゞ

i'd really like to work on that though. but i don't really know how, haha

Groc May 16th, 2015 4:13 PM

To be honest, the first time I played in an RP it was as a female, since that was the character I was given. I've never really understood the separation between "male mind" and "female mind", so my characters tend to play out similarly regardless of gender.

In the end, it comes down to which gender better matches the style I want to play. Or, for comedic effect, which gender fits worse. I kinda like to play against type sometimes.

Winter May 16th, 2015 8:29 PM

Most of my characters tend to be female. It's simply how I envision them. Gender isn't something that is important in making a character; it's merely a field that I quickly fill up. Sometimes I make characters that go against gender norms/stereotypes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bardothren (Post 8753441)
Well, I have 4 RPs planned, and they're all male. I tend to stick with what I know.

I had no idea that roleplays had genders xD

Sonata May 16th, 2015 8:39 PM

I've only got one female character, and that rp hasn't even started yet. I think guys are much easier to write as, as I believe there's more complexity behind female characters.

Nakuzami May 16th, 2015 8:56 PM

My very first character was male, and my second character was female.

There really isn't a difference when writing different genders. Personalities aren't at all restricted to one gender, so I don't understand when people say one is harder to write or that they wouldn't know how to write the other gender.

Nowadays, a vast majority of my characters seem to be female, though I try to maintain a balance between the two genders. Funny that the gender I play as more isn't even my own, so I guess I break that stereotype there.

Foxrally May 17th, 2015 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonata (Post 8753916)
I believe there's more complexity behind female characters.

*coughsophiacough*

Sonata May 17th, 2015 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxrally (Post 8754056)
*coughsophiacough*

Most female characters at least.

gimmepie May 17th, 2015 4:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nakuzami (Post 8753928)
My very first character was male, and my second character was female.

There really isn't a difference when writing different genders. Personalities aren't at all restricted to one gender, so I don't understand when people say one is harder to write or that they wouldn't know how to write the other gender.

This.

I never understand why people find writing as a different gender so hard. Personality and gender have never been linked and never will be linked outside of stereotypes and cliches. I am equally comfortable writing as a male or female character, it is the personality of that character that makes them easier/more difficult to RP as for me.

For example, the character I find hardest to write is my Titans character who is male. He's a early fun character but his personality is very different that the characters I used to play. If I were to have created an arrogant female with a superiority complex I would undoubtedly have found her easier to play (although perhaps not as fun).

Sweet Dreams May 17th, 2015 5:20 AM

I write as both genders, and the only reason I have so many more female characters under my belt is that RP gender ratios used to be VERY uneven. I'd join an RP and there would be like six male character SUs and maybe two female SUs, so I would make a female character.

Like gimmepie and Nakuzami have said, their gender doesn't affect how I create them or their personalities, although I do tend to portray them a little bit differently. I figure that as long as you treat both of them as fully-fledged characters then you'll be fine.

Mana May 17th, 2015 6:52 AM

I write for both genders. I don't linger too much on gender or sexuality when I'm roleplaying, so often those differences don't affect my character - personalities, hobbies, etc. can apply to either.

I'm enjoying playing a badass fire-manipulating woman at the moment. :)

Murdergurl May 17th, 2015 7:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by なぎ (Post 8753519)
i only ever write female characters, simply because i don't have enough of an understanding of the male mind to consider myself fit to write as one...

Ya... same here. I don't think I'd be able to properly RP a male unless I cross referenced situations between different guys I know to get a gist of how a man would typically act in a given situation.

Coffee May 17th, 2015 7:37 AM

I usually stick to the Male side since i still have no idea what can go on in a womans mind.

Lycanthropy May 17th, 2015 7:41 AM

When I started roleplaying in general, I solely used male characters, because I thought that would be easier to start with, but I noticed there's not much difference between the two, as already mentioned above. I like to alternate the two, to easier separate the character's personalities in my mind, otherwise I might confuse them. When I don't really have a preference in the RP I'm joining, I pick the gender the least people have chosen at that point.

moon May 17th, 2015 8:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonata (Post 8753916)
I've only got one female character, and that rp hasn't even started yet. I think guys are much easier to write as, as I believe there's more complexity behind female characters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolly Potato (Post 8754458)
I usually stick to the Male side since i still have no idea what can go on in a womans mind.

Why are you guys downplaying your own worth? Make characters can be complex, just like female can. I like playing as both genders in roughly equal numbers. Men and women aren't that different and I'm a bit sad that some never try to play as the opposite gender. It does affect how other characters view you in situations, since roleplays often have societies similar to our own where there is a difference. Whether we want it or not.

But really give girls a try :)

drunk ¬_¬ May 17th, 2015 1:36 PM

People claim to "not know how a different gender's mind works", so they stick to their gender, and I used to do so too until I realized something: I don't know how anyone's mind works other than myself's, so when I RP'd as a male, it wasn't a generic male, it was always me playing as myself (which is no bueno).

So, now I find RP'ing as a female to be more enjoyable because I know for a fact that I'm not RP'ing as myself and I can really immerse myself in a truly different character.

So, I'd definitely recommend switching your character's genders and "diving on the deep end"; after all, you won't hit your head against the floor of the deep end.

Judge Mandolore Shepard May 17th, 2015 2:18 PM

When it comes to gender of characters I create, I have a much better time coming up with male characters than female characters.

Nakuzami May 18th, 2015 5:27 PM

the only way there would be a stark contrast between male and female characters is if you were to go with roleplaying as stereotypes

and considering many people still believe I'm actually female, I think it's safe to say playing the opposite gender isn't all that difficult. Focus on the writing, not the confines of societal norms! c;

Klippy May 18th, 2015 9:56 PM

I RP males usually. I have a harder time getting myself into the mindset of a female, so I usually avoid it. :P

Sweet Dreams May 18th, 2015 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by なぎ (Post 8753519)
i only ever write female characters, simply because i don't have enough of an understanding of the male mind to consider myself fit to write as one ( ´ ▽ ` )ゞ

i'd really like to work on that though. but i don't really know how, haha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolly Potato (Post 8754458)
I usually stick to the Male side since i still have no idea what can go on in a womans mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klippy (Post 8756771)
I RP males usually. I have a harder time getting myself into the mindset of a female, so I usually avoid it. :P

All this talk about the "male mind" and the "female mindset" really confuses me lol. I actually have no idea what people mean when they say that? I personally don't believe there is any such thing; one guy's mindset might be completely different from another guy, and two women might be like night and day in terms of personality and belief. And besides, the best way to start getting better at RPing someone of another gender is to RP someone of another gender. xP

RPing is all about pretending to be someone you're not. I don't have the foggiest idea what goes on in the mind of an evil Gengar transformer-bot, but thirteen year old me jumped right in anyways. xD And for a more recent example, I have no idea what a banshee suffering from withdrawal and PTSD might be like, but damn it would be fun to find out! Surely simply playing a person with slightly different hormones isn't that big a deal in comparison. ^^

Ice May 18th, 2015 11:38 PM

I have up to this point only played man, but that's mainly because when I thought up those character they were male. I have made a female character for Venice now, so it's going to be interesting trying that out.

JukeboxTheGhoul May 22nd, 2015 3:13 PM

When I started Roleplaying, not on PC, I had this idea about my female characters being battle medics and my males being soldiers (this was a starship troopers Roleplay) and I made a male Fleet member. However I passed this phase of making my tender and caring characters females, then I went through another phase, where I wouldn't play female characters because I didn't want to be percieved as homosexual. if I played a female I would use a secret alt account, due my sheer insecure sexuality. Now I play my characters Gender blindly, although a general lean towards my own gender out of habit. but I often make female character to challenge societal norms (or light satire challenging the general ideals for appearence), for example my reapers soldier with non sexualized and effective armour brought up on a farm.

I wish to justify my insecurity with that more often than not I would enter in family or romantic Roleplay arcs, and yes I admit often being female in such story arcs.


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